Assyrian Patriarch Makes Historic Visit to Hong Kong Hong Kong -- The Assyrian people maintain a significant global presence, not merely as passive residents but as active and influential contributors to the societies in which they live, transcending geography, language, and local customs. In the Far East, particularly in Hong Kong, a notable Assyrian community of the Church of the East plays vital roles across industrial, agricultural, commercial, cultural, and religious sectors within Chinese society. From 16--20 October, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East Mar Awa III Royel conducted a pastoral visit to Hong Kong, underscoring that this community is neither marginalized nor forgotten, but remains a central pastoral priority. The visit took place at the invitation of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong and Macao. The timing of the visit was symbolic, coinciding with the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Jingjiao (Church of the East) Stele in Xi'an and the inauguration of the Hong Kong Institute for Jingjiao Studies. Described as historic, the visit featured a full program aimed at strengthening the local Assyrian congregation and fostering renewed growth and cooperation. Patriarch Mar Awa III was accompanied by a distinguished delegation, including Bishop of the Eastern United States Mar Paulus Benjamin, Bishop of Victoria and New Zealand and Secretary of the Holy Synod Mar Benyamin Elya, Deacon Allen Youssefi of Mar Yosip Church in San Jose, California, former mayor and representative of Mar Abdisho Cathedral in Melbourne Joseph Haweil, and the Patriarch's Resident Representative in Hong Kong Dr. David Tam. Following his arrival and official reception by representatives of the Anglican Province and the local Assyrian community, the Patriarch delivered the keynote address at a conference marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, held at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong. He spoke on the reception and theological implications of the First Ecumenical Council. The event included a roundtable discussion, ecumenical prayer service, and a lecture on the Nicene Creed's reception in the Assyrian Church of the East. On 18 October, Patriarch Mar Awa III and his delegation participated in the inauguration of the Hong Kong Institute for Jingjiao Studies, which included a forum on the history of the Assyrian Church of the East in China, with contributions from senior scholars. Later that afternoon, the Patriarch lectured at Ming Hua Theological College, affiliated with the Anglican Province of Hong Kong. On 19 October, he delivered the sermon during the Holy Eucharist led by Most Rev. Andrew Chan, Archbishop and Primate of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, at St. John's Cathedral, Anglican Diocese of Hong Kong Island. That same day, he took part in an academic conference at the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre and Lutheran Theological Seminary in Sha Tin, New Territories. Patriarch Mar Awa III also met with members of the Hong Kong Christian Council, who provided an overview of their ecumenical work. Before concluding his visit, he was received by the University of Hong Kong, where he viewed the world's largest collection of "Nestorian Crosses" -- over 700 bronze crosses produced in Inner Mongolia during the Yuan Dynasty (1272--1368). The visit reaffirmed the historic connection between the Assyrian Church of the East and China, while strengthening ties between Eastern Christianity and Hong Kong's vibrant ecumenical community. China-Europe Arctic route to enter regular summer operation in 2026 08:26, October 21, 2025 By Zhang Weilan ( CGTN After a 26 day voyage, the world's first China-Europe Arctic Express Route saw its first container vessel, the Istanbul Bridge, arrive at the northern Polish port of Gdansk, marking the successful completion of the maiden voyage of the first direct China-Europe route via the Arctic, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The operator plans to establish regular summer voyages along the route by 2026, the Global Times learned on Monday. The vessel carried 4,890 containers loaded with photovoltaic modules, energy storage systems, and cross-border e-commerce goods. It sailed from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in East China's Zhejiang Province on September 23 and made stops at the Port of Felixstowe in the UK and the Port of Hamburg in Germany before docking in Gdansk. After operations in Gdansk, the ship has departed to depart for the Netherlands on Sunday evening. Li Xiaobin, chief operating officer of Sea Legend Shipping, which runs the service, told the Global Times on Monday that the Arctic route provides a significant time advantage over traditional alternatives. It serves as an emerging international shipping route connecting East Asia and Europe and offers great value in optimizing the global supply chain and promoting economic and trade cooperation along the route, according to Xinhua. "This is the world's first container route through the Arctic specifically designed for cross-border e-commerce and high value-added goods," said an official of China's Ministry of Transport. "It is also a major achievement in the development of the 'Ice Silk Road' under the Belt and Road Initiative," the official added, the People's Daily reported. The China-Europe Arctic Express route takes the Arctic's Northeast Passage directly to Europe, significantly reducing travel time compared with traditional routes - about 40 days via the Suez Canal and 50 days via the Cape of Good Hope. The Istanbul Bridge reached its first European stop, Felixstowe in Britain, in just 20 days, comparable to or faster than the China-Europe freight train, which takes about 25 days, Xinhua reported. The relatively mild sea conditions along the Northeast Passage make the route well-suited to temperature sensitive and time critical cargoes, and could help boost exports of China's "new three" - lithium electronics, photovoltaic products and new-energy vehicles. The company estimated that faster voyages via the Arctic could cut inventory holdings by about 40 percent, easing capital tied up in supply chains, the company told the Global Times on Monday. Li said that the company plans to expand its express service network to Eastern Europe during the non navigable period of winter, which will mean combining Suez route ocean shipping with rail links to reach China Europe rail terminals within roughly 25 days. The operator plans to establish regular summer voyages along the route by 2026. "We will initially realize fixed route arrangement (weekly or biweekly) in the summer navigable areas, and improve the specifications and design of new ice-reinforced ships based on the practice of navigation, strengthen the construction of the container fleet through ice areas, and strive to realize the plan of year-round navigation of the China-Europe Arctic route," Li said. To overcome key challenges encountered during this maiden voyage, Li said that the company had started preparing for the official commercial trial operation three years ago. During the process, it encountered problems such as upgrading ship hardware and equipment, personnel training and certification, and the accuracy of weather and navigation forecasts. With the policy and technical support of relevant departments, these problems were properly resolved, laying a solid foundation for the smooth trial voyage, he added. The company also highlighted environmental benefits, saying that the shorter Northeast Passage voyage could reduce carbon emissions by roughly 30 percent compared with the Suez route and by about 50 percent versus the Cape route. Industry experts said that the China-Europe Arctic Express route, as the third China-Europe maritime route, is faster and more efficient. It will facilitate deeper integration between the Yangtze River Delta's high-end manufacturing and new-energy industries and the European market. This will further advance the operation of domestic and international dual circulation and add more dynamism to the country's economic development. China's total trade with the EU reached 3.35 trillion yuan ($465.3 billion) from January to July, up 3.9 percent year-on-year and accounting for 13 percent of the country's total foreign trade, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Women's History Museum (NWHM) is proud to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Scott Hefter and Joyce Winnecke. Their combined expertise in digital innovation, organizational strategy, and compelling storytelling will accelerate the Museum's ability to deliver on its digital-first strategy and expand the ways women's history is preserved, shared, and celebrated. Scott Hefter (left); Joyce Winnecke (right) "As we transform the museum experience through cutting-edge digital platforms and immersive storytelling, Scott and Joyce bring the strategic vision and operational excellence we need to reach new audiences and deepen engagement across communities," said Frederique Irwin, President and CEO of NWHM. "They understand that technology is not an end in itselfit's a powerful tool for democratizing access to women's stories and creating spaces where every woman's history matters." About Scott Hefter Scott Hefter is currently a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), focused on the Federal Government, and serves on several nonprofit and private boards. With more than 30 years of leadership in management consulting, he has built a distinguished career solving complex strategy and operations challenges across private, public and social sectors. As a business builder and global collaborator, Scott has worked with clients across more than 30 countries and diverse industries including telecommunications, consumer products, and the public sector. His experience includes serving as CEO of PRTM, where he led one of the most successful professional services integrations in history with PwC, later becoming U.S. Management Consulting Leader and a member of PwC's Global Leadership Team. He also served as COO for AmeriCorps in a federal, non-political role. In recent years, Hefter has focused on building models that foster meaningful dialogue and connection across geographies and generations, exploring how virtual engagement, technology, and AI can strengthen civic and cultural participation. About Joyce Winnecke Joyce Winnecke is an accomplished strategist, journalist, and media executive who advises businesses and nonprofit organizations on strategy, communications, and transformation. Her career uniquely combines deep journalistic integrity with P&L responsibility, audience engagement, and brand development, an expertise that she brings to NWHM at a pivotal moment. During her distinguished career in journalism and media, Joyce held senior editorial leadership positions at the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, where she directed award-winning newsrooms, led business operations and drove digital transformation initiatives. As President of Tribune Content Agency, she reversed a decade-long decline for the 100-year-old syndication business, leading digital innovation and pioneering new business models in the evolving media landscape. Beyond the newsroom, Joyce's commitment to values-based leadership and championing women is evident throughout her career and service. She is Immediate Past President of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and Immediate Past President of International Women's Forum Chicago, bringing deep experience in advancing women's leadership and equity. She currently serves on the boards of WITS (Working in the Schools), the largest independent provider of literacy services for Chicago Public Schools, and St. Laurence High School, a leadership-focused institution serving primarily scholarship students. "Our Board is growing at exactly the right moment," said Susan Whiting, Board Chair. "Scott's deep experience in strategy and organizational transformation, and Joyce's leadership navigating media companies through major shifts in communications and audience engagement, align directly with our evolution into a digital-first museum." Their appointments follow the Museum's recent expansion of its leadership team with the addition of Lisa Franklin as the first Chief Marketing Officer. With these strategic investments, NWHM is poised to grow its reach, deepen its engagement with diverse communities, and ensure that women's stories take their rightful place in the American narrative. "Welcoming leaders of this caliber reflects the momentum of this moment," said Singleton McAllister, Board Vice-Chair. "Scott and Joyce understand not only governance and transformation, but the power of narrative, and that makes them invaluable partners in our digital-first future." About the National Women's History Museum Founded in 1996, the National Women's History Museum is the nation's leading digital-first institution dedicated to making women's history visible and accessible. Independent from the Smithsonian, NWHM reaches millions through innovative exhibitions, education programs, and groundbreaking research. We believe women's history is key to achieving equity, and central to the American story. The Museum is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3). Follow us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | womenshistory.org. SOURCE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MUSEUM 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. 21 October 2025 16:07 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The trial of Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, and other serious offenses under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, continued on October 21 at the Baku Military Court, Azernews reports. The open court session was chaired by Judge Zeynal Agayev, with Judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samedova) also presiding. The accused was provided with an interpreter fluent in Russian and was represented by defense attorney Avraam Berman. At the beginning of the hearing, Judge Agayev introduced the court personnel, state prosecutors, translators, and other participants to the victims and their legal representatives, explaining their rights and obligations in accordance with the law. During the session, Vardanyan requested a confidential meeting with his defense attorney, which the court granted. Following a short recess, he submitted a new motion to dismiss his lawyer, citing dissatisfaction with the overall trial process. Defense attorney Avraam Berman noted that he left it to the court's discretion whether to grant the motion. Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General, Vusal Aliyev, stated that while the accused has the right to dismiss his lawyer, legislation requires that he must be represented by legal counsel. If Vardanyan lacks the means to hire one, the state is obligated to appoint an attorney to ensure his defense. Vardanyan confirmed he had no contract with another lawyer and expressed no objection to a state-appointed defender. After deliberation, the court accepted his motion to dismiss Avraam Berman and forwarded the decision to the Bar Association to appoint a new defense attorney at the states expense. The trial has been postponed, with the next hearing scheduled for October 28. It should be noted that Ruben Vardanyan faces charges under numerous articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, including those relating to aggressive warfare (Articles 100.1, 100.2), deportation and persecution (Articles 107, 109), torture (Article 113), terrorism and its financing (Articles 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4, 214-1), illegal armed formations (Articles 279.1279.3), and other crimes such as murder, mercenary activity, and illegal border crossing. 21 October 2025 20:58 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more When I was still a child, I used to hear jokes and sayings from the elders about neighbouring countries. I remember they would say that when a Georgian, an Armenian, and an Azerbaijani reached an agreement, they had to be absolutely certain about it. For example, if an Azerbaijani and a Georgian made a deal, a handshake would be enough. But if an Armenian was involved, then a document or a stamp was necessary. Much like the situation we see today in the peace negotiations. It turns out that the elders words carried wisdom after all. I have no intention of telling a joke here, but the Armenian governments so-called peace initiative has itself become something of a joke; one that everyone is now repeating, in which the country's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has once again made statements that expose Yerevans contradictory stance toward peace with Azerbaijan. In an attempt to appear firm, Mirzoyan declared that Armenia does not accept Azerbaijans constitutional condition for signing a peace treaty, claiming that the Armenian constitution does not contain any territorial claims to any state. Yet, moments later, he revealed that work on a new constitution is nearing completion, effectively admitting that Bakus demand has a legal basis. They [the Azerbaijani side] believe there is a problem with our constitution. This is their opinion. They want us to amend the Constitution. We do not accept this condition. We have an agenda of amending the constitution or adopting a new one. There is nothing in the Armenian Constitution about territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The problem that the Azerbaijani side says simply does not exist. However, we have been talking about amending the Constitution of Armenia or adopting a new one since 2018. The commission is already completing its work, and most likely, we will hold a referendum on this issue after the 2026 parliamentary elections, Mirzoyan said. This statement alone illustrates Yerevans political duality, denial wrapped in confirmation. On the eve of crucial parliamentary elections, the Armenian government is trying to appear uncompromising before its domestic audience. The radical opposition, church structures, and diaspora lobbies are capitalizing on this narrative, portraying Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans administration as one acting under Baku and Ankaras pressure. In truth, there is no pressure, only the long-overdue obligation for Armenia to align itself with international law and renounce its adventurist territorial agenda. These are steps Yerevan must take, regardless of who holds power. Otherwise, as the recent past has shown, Armenias continued defiance only leads to isolation and self-imposed blockade. Interestingly, just a year ago, Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan indicated that certain constitutional amendments were under consideration to remove Azerbaijans territorial claims. However, subsequent statements by Pashinyan suggested otherwise. During an international summit in Yerevan, he acknowledged discussions about Azerbaijans claims, implying that the Armenian constitution still reflects territorial aspirations. He also cited historical events from 19151917, fueling domestic and regional tensions. Before the Abu Dhabi meeting, Pashinyan emphasized that any constitutional amendments depend on the will of the peoplemeaning that changes require constitutional court approval and potentially a referendum. Currently, his administration maintains that this issue is not immediately on the agenda and that signing a peace agreement without resolving constitutional matters is impossible. At the same time, Pashinyan stresses that an international peace agreement takes precedence over constitutional technicalities. Domestic politics heavily influence this approach. Public dissatisfaction could impact Pashinyans approval rating if he moves to amend the constitution in line with Azerbaijans legitimate demands. His party, Civil Contract, currently holds 71 seats in parliament, with the opposition holding 29. Any perceived concession could weaken internal support, making Pashinyan cautious. Despite the rhetoric, the facts remain: Armenias constitution must change. Its territorial claims extend not only toward Azerbaijan but also toward Turkiye visible even in its national symbols, such as the Mount Ararat motif on the state emblem. The irony is striking the mountain, known in reality as Agr Dag and located in Turkiye, stands as a permanent reminder of a delusional political doctrine. A small, yet symbolic, development occurred recently: from November 1, the image of Mount Ararat will no longer appear on Armenian border checkpoint stamps. This step, though modest, signals an understanding that constitutional and symbolic reform is inevitable if Armenia truly seeks peaceful coexistence. Prime Minister Pashinyan himself seems aware of this reality. In a recent address, he urged Armenians to learn from history, saying: Our history tells us: do not repeat my mistakes. To prevent this, we must read, learn, and deeply understand our history. He framed this within the ideology of a Real Armenia and the vision of a Fourth Republic, suggesting a departure from the destructive nationalism that marked earlier eras. But slogans alone will not suffice. For any new republic to survive, it must be grounded in genuine peace and regional cooperation not in inherited hostility or imagined grandeur. If Yerevan truly wants to build a real Armenia, it must first abandon the illusions of the past. Otherwise, even the so-called fourth republic risks becoming the last. Partnership Empowers Institutions to Deliver Favorable Outcomes Across Strategic Planning, Student Learning Assessment, Program Review, and More PITTSBURGH and BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuventive, the data-informed improvement company, and Jenzabar, Inc., a leading provider of higher education technology solutions, today announced a new strategic partnership. The collaboration empowers colleges and universities to better achieve their strategic goals and align priorities by presenting Jenzabar's analytics dashboards alongside their integrated plans in the Nuventive Improvement Platform. Presented at JAM 2025, Jenzabar's annual meeting that most recently took place in Nashville, Tenn., the partnership enables higher education institutions to surface Jenzabar data in planning, assessment, and decision-making processes managed in Nuventive. Institutions can now access insights through an intuitive front-end that links metrics to actions, making it easier for leaders to achieve and promote measurable progress on key initiatives. "There's never been a better time to deliver measurable results in higher education," said David Raney, CEO of Nuventive. "Institutions already using Jenzabar can now extend the impact of their data by putting it to work in transformative strategic planning, program review, and improvement initiatives." "We're excited to collaborate with Nuventive to help higher education leaders better connect data insights to strategic action," said Sam Burgio, President and COO of Jenzabar. "This partnership supports our shared vision of empowering institutions to thrive in a rapidly changing environment by turning information into actionable intelligence." Demos are available through https://go.nuventive.com/request-a-demo and https://jenzabar.com/request-a-demo About Jenzabar Jenzabar is a leading provider of technology solutions for higher education, delivering integrated ERP, SIS, and point solutions to over 1,350 campuses worldwide. Jenzabar empowers institutions to improve operational efficiency, foster student success, and meet the demands of today's students. For more information, visit www.jenzabar.com. About Nuventive Nuventive, the data-informed improvement company, enables higher education institutions to turn their priorities into progress through the better use of information. Its cloud-based platform combines business processes and information to support any improvement initiative, including overall strategy, accreditation, student success, learning outcomes, general education, administrative outcomes, program review, and sustainability. Nuventive is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, visit nuventive.com or follow Nuventive on LinkedIn. Media Contact: [email protected] Nuventive, the Nuventive logo, and the marks relating to other Nuventive products and services referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuventive LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Nuventive 21 October 2025 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more In an era where the global energy landscape is defined by decarbonization, supply diversification, and geopolitical rebalancing, Azerbaijan is emerging as a key player, not only because of its abundant energy resources but also due to its strategic geography and expanding portfolio of clean energy partnerships. In the aftermath of hosting COP29 in Baku in 2024, Azerbaijan has accelerated its transformation from a traditional fossil fuel exporter to an emerging regional clean energy powerhouse. With sweeping renewable energy projects, high-level international partnerships, and strategic infrastructure development, Baku is positioning itself as a key connector in the evolving green energy architecture stretching from Central Asia to Europe. At the center of Azerbaijans green transformation is a state-led strategy driven by infrastructure development, regional diplomacy, and long-term energy integration. As the countrys Energy Minister, Parviz Shahbazov has articulated the operational roadmap behind this transition, emphasizing the importance of cooperation, planning, and global partnerships in delivering on national goals. Having energy resources alone is not enough, Shahbazov noted. You need to build strong and reliable relations with your neighbors... Without cooperation, none of the energy security projects would be possible. Despite record-high investments in renewables globally, the pace of deployment remains insufficient. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 582 GW of new renewable capacity was added globally in 2024, yet this falls short of the 16.6% annual growth rate needed to triple renewable energy generation by 2030. Minister Shahbazov emphasized that Azerbaijan is not only developing renewable energy capacity but doing so through a systematic and grid-conscious approach. The rapid development of renewable energy requires a parallel strengthening of transmission networks, energy storage, and system readiness. Azerbaijan is pursuing this integration from the very first stage, he noted. The flagship AZURE project, supported by the World Bank, reflects this vision. It includes 2 GW of renewable generation, 250 MW of battery storage, and the construction of high-voltage transmission lines and the Navahi 500/300 kV substation, enhancing the resilience of the national grid and facilitating future exports. Azerbaijan aims to increase the share of renewables in its installed power generation capacity to 38% by 2030. To meet this goal, the government is working on an additional 700 MW of onshore and offshore renewable projects, developed in collaboration with key international partners. Cooperation with Chinas EPPEI (Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute) is already underway to assess the technological and economic capacity of the national grid to absorb increasing volumes of renewables. This phased and responsible approach ensures not only production but also sustainable integration into the national energy system, said Parviz Shahbazov. Azerbaijan has cultivated a multi-layered ecosystem of green energy partnerships, featuring major global players such as: Masdar (UAE); ACWA Power (Saudi Arabia); bp; TotalEnergies (France); China Datang, PowerChina, China Energy; SOCAR Green, Nobel Energy, and others. These partnerships have already materialized into concrete projects and strategic agreements. In April 2025, Azerbaijan and China signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, covering wind, solar, battery storage, hydro-accumulation, and grid infrastructure. A minimum of 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects with Chinese companies is expected to be commissioned by 2032. Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Washington in August 2025 emphasized renewable infrastructure and regional grid interconnections as key focus areas under the US-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership Charter. One of the most consequential components of Azerbaijans green energy agenda is the development of the Zangezur Corridor, which restores uninterrupted land connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan. But beyond logistics, this corridor is evolving into a green energy bridge. According to Minister Shahbazov, the corridor will be essential in transmitting renewable electricity from Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur to Turkiye and European markets, either directly or through Armenia. The government is currently constructing: - A 400/330/110/35/10 kV converter substation in Nakhchivan - A 330 kV JabrailNakhchivan line - A 400 kV Nakhchivan Turkiye line This infrastructure not only integrates Nakhchivan into Azerbaijans grid but also positions the region as a key node in the AzerbaijanTurkiyeEurope Energy Hub. Azerbaijan is also tapping into its massive offshore wind potential in the Caspian Sea. According to Shahbazov, 6 GW of offshore wind is planned, with 4 GW earmarked for export by 2032 via the CaspianBlack SeaEurope Green Energy Corridor. This project is backed by the Caspian Breeze Consortium (Masdar, ACWA Power, SOCAR Green) and several Chinese partners. A feasibility study is expected by early 2026. A joint venture, GECO Green Energy Company, has already submitted the project for inclusion in the ENTSO-E Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), a critical step toward obtaining PCI/PMI status in the EU. At COP29 in Baku, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan signed a historic agreement launching the Trans-Caspian Green Energy Corridor. This marks the first attempt to link the electricity systems of Central Asia and the South Caucasus. A joint venturethe Green Corridor Alliance, headquartered in Bakuwas formed to lead the project. With financial support from the Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, feasibility studies are set to begin in November 2025. This corridor is consistent with our policy of developing the Central AsiaSouth CaucasusCaspian region as an integrated geopolitical space, Shahbazov said. Hydrogen also features prominently in Azerbaijans long-term strategy. A National Strategic Overview and Action Plan on hydrogen production, consumption, and export is currently being finalized. Hydrogen is an integral part of Azerbaijans green development and energy supply agenda, noted Shahbazov. Simultaneously, geothermal energy - often overlooked - has been identified as a viable source of clean power. Azerbaijans geothermal heat potential is estimated at 571.2 MW, with pilot projects already underway in Bibiheybet, Kurdamir, and Masalli, some of which creatively repurpose decommissioned oil wells for clean energy generation. Energy efficiency is the silent enabler of Azerbaijans green agenda. The government is rolling out the Energy Efficiency Information System (EEIS) - a digital platform for monitoring and managing consumption across public and private sectors. To support financing, the Energy Efficiency Fund has been launched to provide: Preferential loans; Subsidies for efficient technologies; Piot project support. Seventeen technical regulations have been developed to guide eco-design and energy labeling, particularly for energy-intensive products. From its resource-rich past to its decarbonized future, Azerbaijan is undergoing a profound transformation. The country is laying the physical and diplomatic groundwork to become not just an energy producer - but a transit, export, and policy leader in the clean energy age. With its integration of Garabagh, Eastern Zangazur, and offshore Caspian resources into global markets, Azerbaijan is redefining the geography of green energy. And in doing so, it is creating a model for how fossil-fuel-rich nations can reorient themselves in the era of net-zero. 21 October 2025 12:19 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. The data underscores Azerbaijans expanding role in regional energy cooperation and electricity exports, supported by its robust energy infrastructure and growing renewable potential. During the reporting period, Georgia imported a total of ... Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 21 October 2025 16:14 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced two tenders as part of its support for the decarbonization program of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY), Azernews reports, citing the ADB. According to information, the total budget allocated for consultancy services under these projects is... Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 21 October 2025 16:58 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. These figures highlight Azerbaijans significant annual improvement in internet infrastructure, despite minor declines in global and regional rankings in the past month. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 21 October 2025 12:36 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Writer and playwright, Honored Art Worker, author of more than thirty plays and nearly twenty books, Ali Amirli has presented his latest work to readers, a text intended for a multi-episode television film, Azernews reports. This new work, titled "Gates of Heaven", consists of 24 episodes. Although it is based on the motifs of Amirli's famous comedy "The Rich Woman", which has been staged in more than twenty theaters (including twelve abroad) and has received awards at international theater festivals the new piece is presented as a dramatic TV series script enriched with elements of comedy, dark comedy, melodrama, and unexpected intense events. Note that the presentation of a TV series script in book format is the first experience of its kind in the country. Ali Amirli has been engaged in literary work since 1971. Over the years, dozens of his short stories, novellas, and novels have been published in periodicals, including the magazines "Azerbaijan", "Ulduz", and "Literary Azerbaijan". He is the author of more than twenty short stories. Since 1990, he has been active in playwriting. His plays have been staged in most theaters across Azerbaijan, including the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater, the State Theater of Musical Comedy, the State Theater for Young Audiences, the State Youth Theater, and others. His works have been translated into Russian, Turkish, Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other languages. The television play "Bala-bashabyala" (1995), based on his comedy, was repeatedly broadcast on AzTV and other national TV channels and gained wide popularity. In 2000, he was awarded the Humay Award for his literary achievements. On December 30, 2015, Ali Amirli was granted the honorary title of Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan. 21 October 2025 17:43 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more To mark the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), a decree was issued by President Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports. In accordance with this decree, a final jubilee event is scheduled to take place on November 4. This was stated by the President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Academician Isa Habibbayli, at the Praesidium meeting of the Academy. In his speech, Isa Habibbayli outlined that 42 representatives from academies of 21 countries will participate in the final jubilee event. During these days, the Academy Museum will be inaugurated with their participation. Moreover, a tree-planting campaign will be held at ANAS's Rare Trees Park, along with an excursion to the Yanardag State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve. Isa Habibbayli also mentioned that on November 5, a meeting will take place with the participation of the Science Academies of the Turkic world, during which proposals and recommendations will be prepared regarding the 100th anniversary of the First Turkic Congress. The Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) is the leading scientific institution in Azerbaijan, responsible for conducting fundamental and applied research across a wide range of scientific fields. Established in 1945, ANAS plays a crucial role in the development of science and technology in Azerbaijan and supports the countrys educational and research infrastructure. ANAS consists of various research institutes, laboratories, and scientific centres specialising in fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It collaborates with international scientific organisations and academic institutions to promote scientific exchange and innovation. The Academy also organises conferences, publishes scientific journals, and supports young scientists. 21 October 2025 13:50 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more On October 21, 2025, a bilateral meeting between the Speakers of the Parliaments of Azerbaijan and Armenia was held in Geneva within the framework of the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Azernews reports. During the talks, both sides welcomed the agreements reached at the Washington Summit and acknowledged the measures taken to advance normalization of relations. The speakers emphasized the importance of continuing constructive dialogue and expressed their readiness to support confidence-building measures at the parliamentary level, reinforcing the role of legislative diplomacy in fostering regional stability. ****12:29 A meeting has commenced between Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova and Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan, Azernews reports. The discussions are taking place in Geneva as part of the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, providing a platform for dialogue between the two countries legislative leaders. 21 October 2025 15:32 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan has welcomed Azerbaijans decision to lift all restrictions on transit of goods to Armenia following President Ilham Aliyev's press statement with his Kazakh counterpart, Azernews reports via Armenian media. Asked to comment, Grigoryan, who leads the Armenian governmental commission on border delimitation with Azerbaijan, praised the efforts and work carried out by Azerbaijani and Kazakh colleagues in that direction. "I am pleased and I welcome the decision of the President of Azerbaijan to lift the restrictions on cargo transportation to Armenia. This step holds significant importance for the opening of regional connectivity, strengthening mutual trust, and advancing the peace agenda. I highly appreciate the efforts of our partners from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, as well as the work that has been done in this regard", - Grigoryan stated. 21 October 2025 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Azerbaijans Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, held a series of meetings with representatives of the Kazakh government in Astana to discuss prospects for cooperation in innovation, digitalization, and information and communication technologies (ICT). Azernews reports that Minister Nabiyev shared details of the meetings on his official X (formerly Twitter) page. In Astana, I met with Kazakhstans Minister of Transport, Nurkan Sauranbayev, and Presidential Advisor Asel Zhanassova to discuss the prospects of cooperation in innovation, digitalization, and ICT. During the visit, we also familiarized ourselves with the activities of the Astana Hub innovation center. We received detailed information about projects focused on training ICT professionals, supporting startups, and strengthening the digital ecosystem. We also exchanged views on opportunities for experience-sharing in digital development, Nabiyev wrote. The minister added that during his meeting with Kazakhstans Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence, Zhaslan Madiev, the discussions focused on expanding cooperation in digital government solutions, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and space technologies. The meetings underscored the growing partnership between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the fields of technology and digital transformation areas increasingly seen as key drivers of economic diversification and regional innovation. Both countries are aiming to build stronger institutional and human capital capacity to foster innovation ecosystems and boost competitiveness in the digital era. 21 October 2025 10:09 (UTC+04:00) On October 21, an official welcome ceremony was held for President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the Akorda Presidential Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, Azernews reports. A guard of honor was lined up for President Ilham Aliyev at the Akorda Presidential Palace. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Members of the Kazakhstani delegation were introduced to President Ilham Aliyev, while members of the Azerbaijani delegation were introduced to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The chief of the guard of honor reported to the Azerbaijani President. The national anthems of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were performed. The presidents reviewed the guard of honor. The heads of state posed together for photographs. EDMESTON, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NYCM Insurance proudly celebrated the grand opening of its newly relocated Sherburne branch at 14 Classic Street with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by employees, community members, and local leaders. The move marks a new chapter for the branch, which had operated at 16 Chapel Street in the village for the past 35 years. NYCM leadership, joined by local and state officials, cut the ribbon to their updated Sherburne, NY location. At a ceremony on Tuesday, October 14, NYCM Insurance President and CEO Cheryl Robinson, cut the ceremonial ribbon alongside Sherburne Mayor William Acee and Jordan Fleming, who represented New York State Assemblyman Joseph Angelino. Sherburne employees were invited to tour the renovated facility and hear remarks honoring both NYCM's legacy and future in the village. "This beautiful, state-of-the-art space is more than just a building. It is a home for our hardworking Sherburne team, designed with them in mind," said Robinson. "Inside, you'll find a modern, collaborative, and innovative environment that blends form and function, reflecting not only where we are today but where we are headed as one team." The company's roots in Sherburne run deep. NYCM first opened the Chapel Street branch in February 1990, at a pivotal time for Chenango County when industries and jobs were shifting. In just the first few months, the Assigned Risk Underwriting Department launched with 14 trained personnel and 35 new hires. By the end of that year, 80 employees were part of the Sherburne team. The relocation and renovation of the Classic Street building marks the completion of NYCM's broader modernization initiative. Launched in 2020, the project aimed to expand and enhance all four company locations and foster greater collaboration among teams. For more than 125 years, NYCM has been dedicated to protecting what matters most. That commitment extends beyond insurance, with investments that strengthen the growth and vitality of the communities it serves. NYCM employees nearly 1,000 people across four locations, with more than 100 based in Sherburne, making it a leading employer and community partner in New York. In addition to Sherburne and its Edmeston headquarters, NYCM has branch offices in Canajoharie and Orchard Park. The company is also proud to be recognized as one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York State in 2025. About NYCM: NYCM Insurance is a property and casualty insurance carrier providing coverage to residents and businesses in New York since 1899. With a team of nearly 1,000 employees, and a network of over 1,000 independent agents, NYCM Insurance is dedicated to providing superior service and a quality customer experience to their over 650,000 policy holders. Insurance lines include Home, Auto, Umbrella and Business. To learn more about NYCM's services and legacy, visit www.nycm.com. Contact: Kelly Pylinski, Brand Management Division Manager [email protected] 800-234-6926 SOURCE NYCM Insurance 21 October 2025 11:02 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Azerbaijans Minister of Science and Education, Emin Amrullayev, met with nearly 90 Azerbaijani students studying in the United States during his official visit last week, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Science and Education. The meeting, held at George Washington University, focused on recent reforms in Azerbaijans science and higher education systems, as well as ongoing joint degree programs with American universities. Minister Amrullayev also spoke about the development of scientific institutions and other pressing issues in the education sector. During the event, the minister answered questions from students and discussed their academic and research prospects. He emphasized the importance of young Azerbaijanis contributing to the countrys labor market, scientific progress, and higher education landscape upon completing their studies abroad. Amrullayevs visit underlines Azerbaijans commitment to building stronger educational and scientific links with leading U.S. institutions, expanding academic exchange, and encouraging the return of talented Azerbaijani graduates to drive national innovation and development. 21 October 2025 11:46 (UTC+04:00) On October 21, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held a one-on-one meeting with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in Astana, Azernews reports. Welcoming President Ilham Aliyev, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said: - Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, it is a great honor and pleasure for me to welcome you on an official state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is a very important event from the perspective of further strengthening the strategic partnership and allied relations between our countries. Without any exaggeration, it can be confidently stated that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are not only friendly states but also brotherly peoples and nations. Therefore, for us, this represents a major priority I am referring to the development of multifaceted cooperation with your country. Moreover, Azerbaijan, under your strong leadership, has noticeably bolstered its positions, reinforced its authority on the international stage, and plays a very important role as a regional power in your part of the world. For us, fostering both economic and trade-economic cooperation not to mention advancing our political partnership is an urgent and highly important task. I welcome you to our country. President Ilham Aliyev said: - Thank you, dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich. First and foremost, I would like to thank you for the invitation to visit fraternal Kazakhstan on a state visit, as well as for your hospitality. Thank you for your kind words about Azerbaijan. We share the same sentiments toward the fraternal people of Kazakhstan. We also rejoice in the successes of the fraternal country under your leadership, both in socio-economic development and in strengthening its international positions. Today, Kazakhstan demonstrates a high level of development. The country ensures socio-political stability, and its economy is self-sufficient. We observe with great interest the reforms you are implementing and fully support your course toward modernizing the country and enhancing its potential. Regarding our bilateral relations, you noted their strategic and allied nature. We are focused on strengthening interaction across all areas. Today, as part of our negotiations, as well as during the session of the Supreme Interstate Council, we will once again review the extensive agenda and, naturally, outline further steps to strengthen our partnership. Thank you once again. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: Thank you. 21 October 2025 12:24 (UTC+04:00) On October 21, the Middle Corridor Development (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) joint project was presented with the participation of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Azernews reports. The heads of state received detailed information about the project. The Middle Corridor, as the main transport-logistics route connecting China and Central Asian countries with European states, plays a strategic role in strengthening regional and intercontinental trade. It was noted that shipments from China to Azerbaijan are steadily increasing and are projected to triple by 2030 compared to current levels, further underscoring the projects importance. The heads of state were also informed about specific steps and initiatives aimed at increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of the Middle Corridor. 21 October 2025 13:14 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan has lifted all restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in a joint press statement with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, Azernews reports. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 21 October 2025 13:26 (UTC+04:00) On October 21, the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council was held in Astana with the participation of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Azernews reports. The President of Kazakhstan delivered a speech first. Speech by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev - Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, distinguished colleagues. First of all, I would like to once again welcome you on your official state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan. This visit holds great, even critical importance for the further development of our strategic partnership, allied relations and, ultimately, for the strengthening of friendship between our fraternal peoples and states. I welcome you to the second meeting of the Supreme Interstate Council. This format of interaction between our countries highlights the special status of Kazakh-Azerbaijani relations, which rest on a foundation of trust and mutual support. The Council serves as an effective platform for developing coordinated decisions in all areas of our bilateral cooperation. Azerbaijan is a special country and a fraternal state for Kazakhstan. We are bound together by shared historical roots, a rich spiritual and cultural heritage and, ultimately, a common mentality, outlook on things and the development of the situation. And it is on this unshakable foundation that we are successfully developing our multifaceted cooperation. Ilham Heydar oglu, I attach exceptional importance to your state visit. Essentially, we have already started an exchange of views in the most frank and casual atmosphere. And I am very pleased that we are finding common ground on all key issues on the agenda whether these are bilateral cooperation or international relations. I will elaborate on this topic at the press conference again today, because I consider it necessary to share my views on the activities and work you are carrying out both for the benefit of your country and, of course, for improving the international situation. It is quite symbolic that your visit is taking place in the year marking the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on Strategic Partnership and Allied Relations between our countries. Over these years, we have established an active political dialogue and created a solid legal framework for the continued development of trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation. Such comprehensive and consistent work is fully supported by the citizens of our countries. Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, the current high level of Kazakh-Azerbaijani relations has been achieved primarily thanks to your personal contributions. I deeply and highly appreciate your continued support and attention to this issue. All of the present-day Azerbaijan's outstanding achievements are inextricably linked to your creative and strong leadership. I would like to particularly note the historic significance of the Declaration on the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. As US President Donald Trump rightly noted, despite being in a very strong position, you chose to sign such an important document, which suggests the special position and confidence of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people, led by you, in their potential. The strong political will and strategic vision you have demonstrated serve as a graphic example of a wise approach to navigating complex issues and your sense of responsibility for the fate of future generations. Without a doubt, the agreements reached between the two countries have become a watershed, opening new horizons for cooperation across the region and beyond, I believe. We sincerely rejoice in the successes of brotherly Azerbaijan and wish it the successful realization of its ambitious goals in building a strong and progressive state. There is no doubt that these goals will be achieved under your strong leadership. As for our relations, they have immense potential and everything necessary for its full realization is already in place: unwavering political confidence, shared values and the sincere desire of our peoples for closer ties. Therefore, I am confident that our countries have a bright future ahead of them. I would now like to give the floor to you. x x x Then, the President of Azerbaijan made a speech. Speech by President Ilham Aliyev - Thank you, dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich, dear friends. First and foremost, I would like to thank you, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich, for your hospitality and for the invitation to pay a state visit to fraternal Kazakhstan. As you have noted, we have had the opportunity, both yesterday and today, to exchange views on a number of issues of our bilateral agenda, as well as many regional and international policy matters. I am pleased with the complete alignment of our views on the topics we have discussed, and with our shared commitment to strengthening our allied cooperation. I would also like to congratulate you and the entire fraternal people of Kazakhstan on the great successes in the country's notable socioeconomic development and the enhancement of Kazakhstan's role and authority in the international arena. We, as your friends and brothers, sincerely rejoice in this and are confident that under your leadership Kazakhstan will continue to follow the path of development and the implementation of an independent foreign policy based on national interests. I would also like to express my gratitude for your assessment of the peace process in the South Caucasus region. Throughout the many years of occupation of our lands, Kazakhstan consistently expressed support for Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, both bilaterally and through signed documents, as well as through Kazakhstan's position in international organizations. We have always felt this support and are very grateful for that. Today, a new stage is beginning I would even say that it has already begun an era of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The initialing of a peace agreement less than two years after the last clashes testifies to the fact that both countries have demonstrated a significant level of political will. And, of course, the role of US President Donald Trump in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia deserves the highest recognition. The Washington summit on August 8 effectively put an end to the long-standing conflict, opening up great prospects for development, including in the broader regional context, of the Eurasian continent. We also exchanged views during a short presentation on the Middle Corridor, and we will continue discussions in this direction today. The opening of the Zangezur Corridor will significantly increase transport and logistics capacity in the coming years. The Intergovernmental Commission recently held a meeting, and it was also very positive. Significant results have been achieved in strengthening trade and economic ties. Our trade turnover is growing, and we are very pleased with that, of course. The joint investment fund we established also has tremendous potential. Several projects are already underway, some concrete projects are under review, along with proposals for joint financing through the joint investment fund. I would also like to express my gratitude for the support in the restoration of the Garabagh region. The Kurmangazy Childrens Creativity Center is now fully operational. We inaugurated it together, and we are very grateful for Kazakhstans gift in the development and restoration of the Garabagh region. Around 100 children are currently studying at this center. Of course, in addition to its practical functionality, it serves as yet another hub for Kazakh-Azerbaijani friendship. Regarding humanitarian cooperation, I would like to note the fact that Kazakhstan Culture Days in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan Culture Days in Kazakhstan were held last year and the year before. I believe that such events should be regular and permanent. Perhaps we could develop a roadmap for cultural cooperation so that cultural days are regularly held in both our capitals and throughout the regions. We also have immense potential in developing the energy sector, using both conventional and renewable energy sources. Last November, we signed a trilateral agreement to build a Caspian subsea electric cable. I trust we will also discuss this topic today. All in all, the agenda is quite extensive. It covers virtually all key areas of cooperation. I would like to once again express my gratitude for the hospitality, for your warm and friendly attitude toward Azerbaijan, and for personally overseeing all matters related to our bilateral cooperation. Thank you President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: Thank you, dear Mr. President. 21 October 2025 16:33 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more On October 20, 2025, the official opening ceremony of the Azerbaijani Non-Governmental Organizations Cooperation Forum, dedicated to the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty, took place at the Khankendi Congress Center, Azernews reports. According to the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations, the event began with a moment of silence in memory of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the protection of Azerbaijans territorial integrity, sovereignty, and constitutional order, followed by the performance of the National Anthem. A video message titled Letter to a Martyr performed by Peoples Artist Fakhraddin Manafov was also screened. A special video featuring national leader Heydar Aliyevs reflections on constitutional development was presented at the opening ceremony. Aygun Aliyeva, Executive Director of the Agency for State Support to NGOs, noted that since 2023, Azerbaijan has held annual NGO forums to assess progress, challenges, and expectations. She highlighted that the Agency successfully implemented 67 tasks across 19 state programs, achieving a 97% completion ratea record in the organizations history. Aliyeva announced that in November 2025, Azerbaijan will host the Solidarity Forum of NGOs from Turkic States, and preparations are underway for the first AzerbaijanKazakhstan NGO Forum. She added that the establishment of an AzerbaijanChina NGO cooperation platform is also being planned. Elchin Yusubov, the Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Khankendi, Aghdara, and Khojaly districts, stated that more than 22,000 people have already settled in these liberated territories. He called on NGOs to actively engage in reintegration, reconstruction, and social adaptation processes, emphasizing that such initiatives deepen cooperation between the state and civil society and promote Azerbaijans values and realities internationally. Tural Aliyev, head of the NGO Relations Sector in the Presidential Administration, emphasized that stateNGO relations in Azerbaijan have evolved from a support model to a mutual responsibility and transparency model. He underlined that the goal is not just to fund projects but to ensure measurable, systemic social impact: Today, Azerbaijans NGO sector is more dynamic, result-oriented, and accountable. Activities are increasingly focused on target audiences and tangible outcomes. Chairman of the Garabagh Revival Fund, Rahman Hajiyev, stressed the sectors qualitative transformation and announced joint NGO competitions with the State Support Agency, with the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) as a key partner. He expressed expectations for initiatives related to mine action and post-conflict humanitarian safety. Khalid Rajabov, Director of Social Investments for BP in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye, also announced BPs first joint grant competition with the State Support Agency, calling it a promising new beginning for NGO collaboration. Sevinc Orucova, Chairwoman of the Victory Public Union for Support to Families of Martyrs, emphasized the importance of maintaining a united, resilient, and proactive civil society that defends Azerbaijans national interests. Alimammad Nuriyev, head of the Constitutional Research Foundation, underlined the need to shift from project-based to process-oriented NGO work: Projects deliver temporary results, but processes ensure sustainability of values. Azerbaijani civil society is now closer than ever to realizing this transformation. The forum also featured a video compilation of Azerbaijani NGO representatives sharing their thoughts on the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty, presented by well-known announcer Dilara Salim. The event continued its work in four thematic panels, focusing on cooperation, innovation, reintegration, and the role of civil society in advancing Azerbaijans constitutional values. 21 October 2025 18:02 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova is on a working visit to Geneva to attend the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Azernews reports. Gafarova chaired the ongoing discussions at the Assembly today, which featured statements from parliamentary representatives of Australia, Colombia, Mozambique, Serbia, Libya, Finland, Hungary, Spain, Turkiye, Uruguay, Belgium, and several other countries. During the first day of deliberations, Gafarova addressed the Assembly on the topic Upholding humanitarian norms and supporting humanitarian action in times of crisis, emphasizing the importance of parliamentary cooperation in promoting peace and ensuring humanitarian protection during global emergencies. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), established in 1889, is a global organization uniting national parliaments to advance peace, democracy, and sustainable development. Headquartered in Geneva, the IPU provides a platform for parliamentarians worldwide to engage in dialogue, exchange experiences, and strengthen legislative action on international challenges. 21 October 2025 20:22 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev concluded his state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan on October 21. According to Azernews, a guard of honor was lined up for the Azerbaijani President at Astana International Airport. President Ilham Aliyev was seen off by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. 21 October 2025 09:00 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva As air quality in the Indian capital region worsened to the "very poor" category, the federal government implemented restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-II in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) on Sunday, Azernews reports, citing foreign media. The decision came following an emergency review meeting triggered by a continuous rise in pollution levels throughout the day. Authorities warned that urgent action was necessary to protect public health. Delhi-NCR is a vast metropolitan area encompassing the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi, along with neighboring districts from the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi showed a steady upward trend, reaching 296 at 4 p.m. and worsening to 302 by 7 p.m. local time, indicating very poor air quality. According to forecasts from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, pollution levels are expected to deteriorate further over the coming days, as stated in the official order from the Commission for Air Quality Management. The Sub-Committee has decided to invoke all measures under Stage-II (Very Poor Air Quality) of the current GRAP across the entire NCR immediately, in addition to the Stage-I actions already in place, the order read. Among the measures under Stage-II are restrictions on construction activities, closure of schools for vulnerable groups, bans on diesel generator usage except for essential services, and stricter controls on vehicular emissions. Experts warn that the combination of seasonal weather conditions, crop residue burning in nearby states, and increased vehicular emissions is contributing to this sharp decline in air quality, raising urgent concerns for millions of residents in the region. 21 October 2025 10:37 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more A court in Armenia has ordered the seizure of assets worth more than $3 million from the relatives and close associates of late war criminal and looter Manvel Grigoryan, former Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia, Azernews reports via Armenian media. The courts decision partially upheld a claim filed by Armenias Prosecutor Generals Office, which has announced plans to appeal the sections of the claim that were rejected. Grigoryan, a figure long associated with war crimes and corruption, had previously had his and his wifes assets frozen by authorities in November 2023. His notorious record includes direct involvement in atrocities committed during the Garabagh conflict, where he admitted in an interview to bringing back hundreds of Azerbaijani captives from the occupied territories. The captives were held in his private residence and forced into labour, while Grigoryan also confessed to participating in the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and in acts of kidnapping, intimidation, and violence against civilians to prevent their return. During a court session on September 25, 2025, his recorded confessions were submitted as evidence in the ongoing trial of Armenian political and military leaders charged with crimes against peace and humanity, genocide, war crimes, and terrorism connected to Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan. The seizure of Grigoryans family assets marks a notable step in Armenias belated process of addressing wartime crimes and corruption, although it continues to face criticism for partial and selective justice regarding atrocities committed during the decades-long occupation of Azerbaijani lands. Recognized in The Globe and Mail's 2025 Canada's Top Growing Companies ranking, PomeGran unveils NIVO at a celebration at Toronto's Fairmont Royal York hotel. TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - PomeGran Inc. (PomeGran) celebrated its recognition in The Globe and Mail's 2025 Report on Business ranking of Canada's Top Growing Companies with an event at Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Hotel on October 16. At the celebration, the company officially launched its new Internet Service Provider (ISP) brand, NIVO, created to better serve rural and underserved communities across Canada. NIVO Logo (CNW Group/PomeGran Inc.) The event, held in the Imperial Room of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, brought together more than 120 guests, including government dignitaries, Indigenous leaders, partners, investors, and members of the telecommunications industry. The Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; the Hon. Sam Oosterhoff, Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries; the Hon. Gudie Hutchings, former Minister of Rural Economic Development; and Ogimaa Tim Ominika of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory delivered remarks that underscored the importance of rural connectivity in Canada. The program also recognized key partnerships and culminated in the launch of NIVO, a brand created to better serve communities with reliable, high-speed fibre connectivity. "High-speed connectivity is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity for economic development, education, and innovation. Expanding access to reliable internet for all families and communities marks a major step forward in closing the connectivity gap across rural and remote regions. By bringing reliable fibre connectivity to underserved communities, PomeGran is delivering on the promise of a more connected province. This is how we build, grow, and protect Ontario for the next generation," stated the Hon. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines, Government of Ontario. PomeGran ranked 62nd overall out of 400 companies across Canada and among the top 20 in Technology and Telecom. The company was also recognized as the fastest-growing telecom services provider in the country, with a three-year growth rate of 557 percent. "Being recognized on a national stage is an honour that belongs to our entire team and the communities we serve. This achievement reflects the dedication of our employees, the trust of our partners, and our shared belief that connectivity is the foundation for growth," said Dr. Kalai S. Kalaichelvan, Chairman & CEO of PomeGran. The launch of NIVO marks the next chapter in PomeGran's mission to connect underserved regions. NIVO is PomeGran's new ISP brand, created to deliver reliable, high-speed fibre connectivity directly to households, businesses, and communities. While PomeGran remains the corporate entity driving investment, partnerships, and national strategy, NIVO is the customer-facing brand dedicated to serving families, small businesses, seasonal residents, and Indigenous communities across rural Canada. NIVO represents more than technology. The brand reflects values of trust, transparency, and community, designed to resonate with the people and regions it serves. Its visual identity draws inspiration from Canada's landscapes and the resilience of rural communities, while its name and tagline, "Life is looking up," signal optimism and progress. With NIVO, PomeGran is making fibre connectivity accessible in a way that feels local, human, and lasting. "With NIVO, we are introducing a brand that is confident, modern, and rooted in rural Canada. Our promise is simple: to empower communities with the connectivity they need to thrive," stated Joe Hickey, President of PomeGran. "Access to reliable high-speed Internet is not a luxury; it is essential infrastructure for every community in Canada. I have seen firsthand how connectivity opens doors for education, healthcare, and economic development in rural and Indigenous communities. The launch of NIVO is an important step forward, ensuring that more families and businesses can fully participate in Canada's digital future," said the Hon. Gudie Hutchings, former Minister of Rural Economic Development, Government of Canada. "Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, through our community-owned provider FirstTel, is proud to partner with PomeGran to strengthen broadband across Northern Ontario. Together, we are advancing connectivity that empowers Indigenous communities and supports long-term growth," stated Ogimaa Tim Ominika, Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. "From Quebec to Northern Ontario, families, businesses, and communities deserve to share in Canada's digital future. NIVO represents more than technology; it represents opportunity. Life is looking up L'avenir s'illumine," concluded Christine Marion, President of PomeGran Quebec. About NIVO NIVO is the new Internet Service Provider brand launched by PomeGran Inc. to deliver fast, reliable fibre connectivity to rural and underserved regions of Canada. Built on a foundation of trust, transparency, and community focus, NIVO is designed to meet the needs of families, small businesses, seasonal residents, and Indigenous communities. Please visit www.nivo.ca. About PomeGran Inc. PomeGran Inc. is Canada's fastest-growing fibre-centric rural broadband infrastructure provider. Dedicated to enhancing broadband services, PomeGran has emerged as a leader on a mission to empower underserved markets in Quebec and Ontario. PomeGran is investing in rural Quebec and Northern Ontario as part of their strategic plan. Boasting ownership of broadband networks, underground and aerial fibre assets, and fixed wireless access (FWA) assets, PomeGran is committed to enabling broadband sovereignty and bridging the digital divide that exists between urban, rural, and Indigenous communities. Founded on the fundamental principle of ensuring equitable access to high-speed Internet, PomeGran believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to participate in today's digital-first economy. Please visit www.pomegran.com. SOURCE PomeGran Inc. 21 October 2025 22:45 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. A launch ceremony for the Zambia Food Aid Project, funded by China through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), was held on Monday in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, Azernews reports, citing foreign media. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! What's New with Oregon Coast and Washington Coast King Tides 2025 Published 10/20/25 at 7:05 a.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Bandon, Oregon) King Tides are ready to rule again. They are coming up for both the Oregon coast and the Washington coast and both regions need your help. (Above: Seal Rock is inundated by massive tides, photo King Tides / Steve Derr). On the Oregon coast, King Tide dates are: November 5 - 7, 2025; December 4 -6, 2025; and January 1 - 4, 2026. On the Washington coast, King Tide dates are: November 5 - 7; December 4 - 6; and January 2 - 4 for Westport, La Push and South Bend areas. Ilwaco, Washington is slightly different with the final tide dates as January 1 - 3. Oregon Coast Beach Connection is waiting for clarification on how far up the Long Beach Peninsula the dates are different. King Tides events also happen along the interior seas of Washington, with slightly different dates for Seattle, Port Angeles, Bellingham, Olympia and Shelton. Much is still the same with previous tidal events: they need volunteers to photograph the high tides for scientific purposes. Upload your photos to the MyCoast app or website for Washington, and in Oregon it's the Oregon King Tides site. They're also hoping to get more from a wider variety of areas. What's new about King Tides on the Oregon coast and Washington coast? Plenty. There is again a photo contest (with prizes), but there are new categories and even viewing parties. Rhiannon Bezore, with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, heads up the Oregon King Tides Project. Arizona Beach near Port Orford / Wanda Blanton, King Tides Project She said there are the usual categories this year: Coastal Flooding, Coastal Erosion and Wave Action, Impacts on Bays and Estuaries, and Comparison Shots. And Youth Photographers, which is a new category for participants under 18 as part of our education outreach with Oregon Shores, Bezore told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. The annual King Tides Photo Contest happens again this winter with that new youth category along with the usual help the group needs to suss out erosion and sea level rise due to climate change. Cannon Beach - King Tides / Kerry Burg The Oregon Visitors Association will be contributing e-gift cards for the winner of each category for use on their online merchandise shop, Bezore said. We will also be holding viewing parties with Oregon Sea Grant for each king tide series, with dates and location to be announced. Sea rise is inevitable and both the Oregon coast and Washington coastline are susceptible. Proof of that even now is the greater erosion taking place at areas around Gleneden Beach in Oregon and North Cove in Washington (which is essentially disappearing). Bezore said these give scientists and policymakers a chance to identify areas already susceptible to flooding and erosion that may need more attention in the future under higher sea levels. Our highest tide water levels now may be normal high tide levels in the future, Bezore said. What Photographs Do They Need? There are quite a few areas the king tides group would like to get more photographs from. Bezore said the majority of shots come from a few key locations, especially Depoe Bay and Shore Acres. They need more photos of...well...just about anywhere that isn't the big rocky spot attractions like those. So really anywhere that isnt either of those two places would be great to fill in gaps, she said. They are understandably very popular places due to the dramatic waves, there are other great places to safely view king tide impacts like coastal flooding and erosion too, such as Fort Stevens and Cannon Beach. What You Should Expect A fair amount of time, king tides really do come through as winter storms combine with them to create some wild fury. This has happened a lot in recent years. However, almost as often, the events can be real duds. Don't always expect a wild show. There are other misnomers about King Tides. Big storms and large wave action in winter are not king tides. They are often separate events. The question often gets asked: What's the Difference Between King Tides and Oregon / Washington Coast Storm Wave Events? The answer to that is in the article. Also, don't go to places like Cape Disappointment or Coos Bay's Shore Acres and expect a big show each king tide. That is also explained in the link. Safety First Bezore and the Washington King Tides organizers want to make sure you stay safe as well. As always, we emphasize that anyone viewing king tides and visiting the coast should follow safety precautions such as viewing the tides from a safe distance, not turning their back on the water, and staying clear of logs and woody debris, Bezore said. How to submit your photos? On the Washington coast, submit them to https://mycoast.org/wa. On the Oregon coast, submit them to www.oregonkingtides.net or the projects Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/orkingtide/albums. Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours MORE PHOTOS BELOW OREGON COAST HOTEL REVIEWS (hit refresh to see different reviews) New at Neskowin: Vacation Rental a Gateway to Secluded, Even Exotic Stretch o... Neskowin North is just killin' it with oceanfront glory and a unique beach. Neskowing lodging reviews, Pacific City reviews, Pacific City hotels Oregon Coast Spots With Wicked Cool Sights - and Rooms to View Them Incredible views with serious pampering at Yachats, Lincoln City, Seaside. Hotel reviews, lodging Vacation Rentals in Cannon Beach: Check Out Reduced Rates at Beachcomber Vaca... Cannon Beach Specials - reductions in winter and spring. Cannon Beach hotel reviews New Oregon Coast Hotel with Old World Charm Like stepping back in time on the beachfront in Seaside, except with modern amenities around you. Seaside hotel reviews, Cannon Beach hotel review More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles) Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted When Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson ordered the state's voter registration rolls to be compared against the citizenship and immigration status database of the Immigration and Naturalization Service called SAVE, they found 2,724 people registered to vote in Texas who were shown by SAVE to not be US citizens. This information has been sent to the county election officials for further investigation as well as to the Texas Attorney General for prosecution following additional information from county investigations. https://thefederalist.com/2025/10/21/tx-finds-2700-potential-noncitizens-registered-to-vote-after-trump-opens-access-to-database/ https://www.breitbart.com/pre-viral/2025/10/21/report-texas-finds-thousands-of-illegal-immigrants-registered-on-state-voter-rolls/ President Trump recently opened access to the SAVE database to state election officials. One wonders if North Carolina is taking advantage of this resource. Texas Democrats have been trying to register illegal aliens for some time. An email from their former Senate candidate "Beto" O'Rourke, which was determined to be genuine, asked for volunteers to drive "undocumented immigrants" to the polls to vote. The Texas Democrat Party also got caught mass mailing voter registration forms with the "US citizen" box already pre-checked. In spite of these Democrat attempts, Texas has been one of the more vigilant states in trying to prevent foreign citizens from registering or voting. However it looks like over 2,700 got by, however. They need to be prosecuted, jailed, and then deported. Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival (Yui Mok/PA) Bob Vylan frontman Bobby Vylan has said he is not regretful of his Glastonbury chant and would do it again tomorrow. Retiring NI teacher honoured after going above and beyond for pupils: The role has changed Supporting children a way of life for our deserving Spirit of Education winner Susan Jones from Fort Hill Integrated Primary Susan Jones after being named the winner of our award (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) David O'Dornan Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 15:07 Supporting children as they make their way in the world has been a passion for Spirit of Education winner Susan Jones for decades. The IT Awards judging panel, back row, from left: Professor Chris Nugent, Ulster University; Neil Hutcheson, Software NI; chair of judging panel Peter Russell, PR Business Growth Services; Claire Nixon, Women in Tech; Claire McBride, Fujitsu Front row, from left: Ellen Dickson, Telefonica Tech; Scott Armstrong, expleo; Clair Gheel, eir evo UK The shortlist in the 2025 Belfast Telegraph IT Awards in partnership with Telefonica Tech UK&I is announced today. There are companies, individuals and projects shortlisted across 16 categories, following a judging process involving key figures from the industry, led by Peter Russell of PR Business Growth Services. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by comedian Andrew Ryan at Belfasts MAC Theatre on November 14. And the victors in two special non-entry categories of Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding IT Company of the Year will also be revealed on the night. Judges Clair Gheel, eir evo UK, Scott Armstrong, expleo, and chair of judging panel Peter Russell, PR Business Growth Services Ellen Dickson, VP of Enterprise Health at headline sponsor Telefonica Tech UK&I, said: I want to wholeheartedly congratulate all of the people, companies, teams and departments shortlisted this year. "Judging really is my favourite part of the awards. It is when we get to truly understand the journey behind the technology in terms of how IT projects are increasing productivity, mitigating risk, or achieving outcomes that are critical for the organisation, or their customers. "From this years entries, it is absolutely clear that Northern Ireland continues to have incredible IT talent and evidence real innovations, and as always, selecting those to shortlist is no easy task. "Telefonica Tech UK&I is thrilled to be the title sponsor of the awards again this year and we cant wait for what will no doubt be an amazing evening on November 14. Eoin Brannigan, editor in chief of the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life, said: Congratulations to all those who have made the shortlist. You should be proud of your efforts and I look forward to seeing you all on awards night. "Thank you to our panel of judges for their hard work in judging the entries and coming up with a truly stellar shortlist. Peter Russell, chair of the judging panel, said: The panel of judges were delighted with the number of quality submissions for this years Belfast Telegraph IT Awards. "We would like to congratulate everyone for their submissions and in particular those who have been successfully shortlisted. "Its going to be another huge evening for the local IT industry on Friday November 14 and definitely not to be missed. AI Project of the Year sponsored by Fujitsu: Allstate Axial 3D Business Services Organisation Liberty IT Options-IT Best Place to Work in IT over 100 employees, sponsored by NI Jobfinder Allstate Business Services Organisation Options-IT Payroc Best Place to Work in IT under 100 employees, sponsored by Kindred Collection Inclutech Locate a Locum Best Public Sector or Third Sector IT Project, sponsored by Allstate Business Services Organisation CoreLIMS Business Services Organisation encompass Clanmil Housing Group Daera Digital Services Division Invest NI Best Use of CSR, sponsored by expleo Fujitsu Inclutech Leaf IT Options-IT Cybersecurity Project of the Year sponsored by eir evo Clanmil Housing Group Payroc Salt Communications Data Scientist or Data Analyst of the Year sponsored by Bearingpoint Aileen Ward Allstate Lucy Kearney KPMG Michael O'Mahony KPMG Development Team of the Year sponsored by ARC Regulatory Locate a Locum Payroc - Bill and Pay Feature Team Rakuten Blockchain Lab Rapid7 AppSec Team StormHarvester Excellence in Workplace Health and Wellbeing sponsored by NB1 ASOS Fujitsu GCD Technologies Payroc Rakuten Blockchain Lab IT Project of the Year Business Services Organisation encompass Invest NI Leaf IT Locate a Locum Payroc Salt Communications IT Services Company of the Year Continu Options-IT Precept IT PropertyPal Salt Communications StormHarvester IT Supplier of the Year Continu Options-IT Precept IT PropertyPal Salt Communications IT Team or Department of the Year sponsored by TCS Business Services Organisation Continu Options-IT Salt Communications IT Woman of the Year sponsored by Ulster University Alison McFadden Continu Anna Haley Rapid7 Caroline McLaughlin Business Services Organisation Eve Brennan Business Insider Kerri Masterson Payroc Kokila Nagaraj Allstate Nicole Heron Salt Communications Mobile App of the Year sponsored by Options-IT Cranmore Scaffold Digital Symphony Young IT Professional of the Year sponsored by Leaf Aoibheann Maye ASOS Bobby Kordula Inclutech Deirbhile Leonard Allstate James Galbraith Cranmore Natalie Smith ASOS For sponsoring opportunities and tickets, email karen.mcgarvey@mediahuis.co.uk Pupils of Killicomaine Junior High School pictured with Joffre White, Author and UK Patron of Reading at ELMS Launch Event A new and innovative school library system is being rolled out across Northern Ireland to reinvigorate how students access books and digital resources in a bid to promote lifelong reading and learning. The Education Library Management System (ELMS) was launched at Killicomaine Junior High School Portadown and attended by special guest Joffre White. The UK patron of reading and childrens author highlighted the systems transformational potential for young people. The beating heart of every school should be a library, feeding into all aspects of the curriculum and supporting teaching and learning, he said. I am honoured to support the launch of ELMS to unlock the vast potential of how libraries and access to books can transform a childs journey. This system will inspire generations of readers to come, while offering equitable access to all children here. Pupils of Killicomaine Junior High School pictured with Joffre White, Author and UK Patron of Reading at ELMS Launch Event ELMS, which will soon be rolled out in all educational facilities, will help deliver innovative literacy support to inspire a new generation of readers. This new digital system will provide all pupils with equal access to books, resources and interactive tools to enhance reading skills. It offers targeted support for early years, SEN, newcomer families and Irish Medium schools. In addition, ELMS will deliver better digital cataloguing and reporting facilities. One of the flagship projects of the Education Authoritys transformative EdIS Programme, ELMS will be delivered in collaboration with internationally acclaimed project partner Softlink, who bring over 40 years of experience in providing the latest technologies to libraries. As part of the project, Softlink have also committed to a significant boost to books available to schools for loan. Martina Reynolds, Richard Pengelly, Frances Meehan, Eve Bremner, Seamus Bradley, Mervyn Storey, Jane Murphy,and Barney Jenkins, pictured with pupils of Killicomaine Junior High School. At Killicomaine High School, Head of English Helen Doonan said the new system will help engage more pupils, It will be a fantastic platform for us to use in schools, she said. It will help us engage pupils and parents and I think its going to be something that really brings the whole school community together to read and will help us to promote reading from the most engaged reader right down to the most reluctant. School librarian Andrea McAllister added: One of our biggest aims is to get our kids on board with reading, to see their enjoyment means so much to us. The new system will allow us to form great connections across the school including staff, parents and pupils. Frances Meehan, EdIS Programme Director; Joffre White, Author & UK Patron of Reading; Jenny Burke, EdIS Project Delivery Manager at ELMS Launch Event Watch: Doves released as Northern Ireland's first integrated Primary school celebrates 40 years EdIS programme director Frances Meehan said the system will allow the right books to get to the right pupils at the right time. ELMS will encourage reading for pleasure, improving reading standards, and enhancing our childrens wellbeing whilst also giving them a wider understanding of the world, she said. Streamlined processes and reporting will allow us to circulate library items more efficiently to get the right books and resources into the hands of children when they need them. ELMS will be offered to schools across all sectors. Implementation will be phased, with all schools able to access the system by the end of 2026. Black Hole, artist's concept. A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying. Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes, and see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently from other stars. Artist NASA. (Photo by Heritage Space/Heritage Images/Getty Images) Researchers from Queens University Belfast are set to focus their expert eyes on one of the deepest, darkest mysteries of the universe as a new project seeks reveal a greater understanding of black holes. The scientists will be part of a UK-wide team of astronomers leading the revolutionary new Time Domain Extragalactic Survey (TiDES) project exploring how stars evolve and die. Experts will make millions of new and detailed spectral observations of the sky over a five year period and capture light from cosmic objects in every individual colour using the new four-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) facility installed on the VISTA telescope at the European Southern Observatorys (ESO) Paranal Observatory in Chile. QUB researchers will be working with other UK academics to analyse thousands of supernovae and other energetic events with the data providing a unique insight into exploding stars and other exotic and dramatic phenomena. Through the project, Dr Matt Nicholl and Professor Stephen Smartt will lead the hunt for stars that have been shredded and eaten alive by black holes in the centres of galaxies. As a team, we are very excited to begin analysing this huge and unique data set, Dr Nicholl explained. "Having access to this kind of data for tens of thousands of exploding stars and hungry black holes gives us a real opportunity to unlock some of the mysteries around how stars evolve and die. At Queens, we are especially keen to find stars that have been shredded and eaten alive by medium-size black holes. These have masses much larger than a star, but not as big as the monster black holes we see in typical large galaxies. Finding these rare stellar feeding frenzies can tell us how massive black holes grow to the sizes we see today. TiDES is the first project that can find enough of them to do this experiment. Black Hole, artist's concept. A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying. Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes, and see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently from other stars. Artist NASA. (Photo by Heritage Space/Heritage Images/Getty Images) News Catch Up - Tuesday 21 October Uniquely, the project will allow the team to study the detailed chemical composition and properties of stars. Professor Stephen Smartt said the said the complex initiative could transform the understanding of how galaxies and black holes interact. As astronomers, our speciality is looking for things that change in the sky, he continued. Searching for unusual explosions and black holes is a bit like finding a needle in a galactic haystack. Now that 4MOST has obtained its first light, the hard work will begin to search through this haystack every night and see what we find. Well be working on providing high-precision measurements of almost 1,000 supermassive black holes, 10,000 supernovae, and 100,000 galaxies. If were lucky, we may even find new kinds of stellar explosions! This will transform our understanding of how galaxies and black holes grow together and hopefully unlock some of the mysteries around our universe. TiDES allows UK astronomers rights to access data from the US National Science Foundation and US Department of Energys Vera C. Rubin Observatory through the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). CASTRIES, Saint Lucia, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PrimeXBT , a global multi-asset broker, has introduced the ZeroStop account on MetaTrader 5, expanding its MT5 lineup to three account types: Standard, ZeroStop, and Pro. PrimeXBT Expands MT5 Offering with ZeroStop Account, Delivering Greater Flexibility for Active Traders PrimeXBT Expands MT5 Offering with ZeroStop Account, Delivering Greater Flexibility for Active Traders The new account introduces a 0% stop-out level, giving traders full control over margin and liquidation behavior while maintaining the Standard account's 20% cashback and access to 170+ markets. Designed for active traders, ZeroStop offers flexible trading conditions with no enforced stop-out, supporting advanced risk management and higher-exposure strategies. Traders should remain mindful that this setup carries a higher degree of risk and requires careful management. All three MT5 account types are designed to meet different trading styles and experience levels. The Standard account remains the go-to option for everyday trading, offering 170+ markets, spreads from 0.2, leverage up to 1:1000, and a 20% cashback reward. The new ZeroStop account shares similar conditions but removes the 50% stop-out level, providing broader exposure while maintaining cashback rewards. Meanwhile, the MT5 Pro account is tailored for high-volume and experienced traders, offering spreads from 0.1, leverage up to 1:2000, and a 5% cashback across selected markets. This expansion reinforces PrimeXBT's position as a one-stop trading destination for all types of traders, offering MetaTrader 5 integrated with Crypto Futures, the Exchange, and PXTrader. Together, they create an all-in-one trading environment where every trader can find the right balance of flexibility, exposure, and rewards for their strategy. Start trading with PrimeXBT About PrimeXBT PrimeXBT is a global multi-asset broker trusted by over 1,000,000 traders in 150+ countries, offering a next-generation trading experience that bridges traditional and digital finance. 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The applicable legal entity and its respective products and services depend on the client's country of residence and the entity with which the client has established a contractual relationship during registration. Contact PrimeXBT [email protected] Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801386/PrimeXBT.jpg Infographic: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801410/PrimeXBT_Infographic.jpg SOURCE PrimeXBT Stormont plan has made just 1% progress on energy savings in five years, NI Audit Office finds The report found progress on the strategy was lagging considerably The report found the Department was "lagging considerably" in its Energy Strategy targets Liam Tunney Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 01:01 A 107m Stormont strategy has made just 1% of progress towards a key energy saving metric in the last five years, a Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) report has found. MLAs at Stormont were debating funding for community and voluntary groups in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) Community groups in Northern Ireland are facing a financial cliff edge due to uncertainty over future funding, Stormonts Finance Minister has warned. John ODowd said there had been a lack of clarity from the UK Government surrounding its Local Growth Fund. The Government has responded by stating engagement plans for the new fund will be set out soon. In 2023, EU funding to charities and community groups in Northern Ireland from its European Social Fund (ESF) was ended because of Brexit. It was replaced by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which will in turn be replaced by the Local Growth Fund next year. Finance Minister John ODowd said there was a lack of clarity from the UK Government over its Local Growth Fund (Liam McBurney/PA) Representatives from dozens of community and voluntary groups visited Stormont on Tuesday to raise concerns over uncertainty around future funding. MLAs passed a Sinn Fein motion which called on the UK Government to match previous European Union (EU) funding in full and return decision making on the structural funding to the devolved powersharing Executive. Mr ODowd told MLAs that previous ESF funding had been central to tackling economic inactivity, promoting inclusion, and building resilience in communities. He said the Westminster Governments UKSPF had not provided an adequate solution. The minister said: While there were some benefits with the Shared Prosperity Fund, it failed to match the ambition or scale of the EU programmes it replaced. The scope and funding were both reduced. We received, on average, 65 million from European funding per year, with local delivery via Executive departments. The Shared Prosperity Fund, the intended replacement, was a reduction on average 35 million per year with centralised Whitehall delivery. Mr ODowd said that despite its limitations, the UKSPF had provided vital support to the community and voluntary sector. But he said there was now deep uncertainty over the replacement Local Growth Fund. He said the community and voluntary sector faced another impending cliff edge in funding due to the lack of certainty and the reduction in funding. He said it had been announced in the Spending Review in June that Northern Ireland would be be allocated 46 million a year over three years and that the Executive would be a partner in delivering the funding. He added: Unfortunately, that partnership has not materialised. Nor has the Labour Government honoured its manifesto commitment to restore control over structural funds to local representatives. Despite sustained efforts, we are back to a situation that has been deeply depressing and all too familiar in recent years. He said he had pressed the Government, but still had little information about the fund. He said: The scant information I do have, does not paint a promising picture. The 46 million per year will be heavily skewed towards capital funding. The Shared Prosperity Fund was three-quarters resource funding, but the Local Growth Fund will only be one-third resource funding. I met earlier this month with representatives of the community and voluntary sector. I listened to their concerns, and their message was clear. The significant reduction in the resource budget for this funding will severely impact the community and voluntary sectors ability to deliver vital services, particularly for those furthest from the labour market. Mr ODowd said he would be meeting the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed on Wednesday to raise his concerns. A UK Government spokesperson said it would provide local growth funding to support growth across Northern Ireland, once the UK Shared Prosperity Fund ends in March 2026. The spokesperson added: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has previously made it clear that the NIO is working in close partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to implement and develop the new Local Growth Fund. The Government is committed to engagement with stakeholders in Northern Ireland to help implement a package of funding that meets local needs and delivers impact. More information on the development of the Local Growth Fund in Northern Ireland and engagement plans will be set out soon. He has been remembered as one of the most consequential journalists of his generation Across four decades in journalism, Edmund Ed Moloney who died in New York at the weekend aged 77 became known for his uncompromising reporting and determination to expose the hidden and uncomfortable sides of the Northern Ireland conflict. Born in England in 1948, he was educated in Germany, Gibraltar and Malaysia before moving to Belfast to study at Queens University. Arriving in the city as the Troubles were beginning to unfold, he was drawn to politics and, for a short period, became involved with the Official IRA before turning to journalism a decision that would define his life. A childhood survivor of polio, Moloney often spoke of how the illness shaped his worldview and his respect for the NHS, to which he credited his recovery. After a spell teaching English in Libya, he returned to Belfast and joined Hibernia magazine and later Magill, quickly establishing a reputation for forensic reporting and fearless scrutiny of all sides of the conflict. In 1981 he became Northern Editor of The Irish Times, and later of the Sunday Tribune, positions that placed him at the centre of some of the most turbulent years of the Troubles. His journalism combined political analysis with a close focus on the paramilitary networks that operated in the shadows. Admired for his depth and independence, but criticised by some for his tone, Moloney rarely left readers indifferent. Ed Moloney Colleagues said he valued facts over reputation and avoided allegiance to any camp. In 1999, he was named Irish Journalist of the Year - the same year he faced possible imprisonment for refusing to hand over notes relating to the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane. The High Court ruled in his favour, a landmark for press freedom and a defining moment of his career. Moloney also turned to books and film. His A Secret History of the IRA, published in 2002 and later updated, remains one of the most detailed studies of the republican movement and its leadership. Years earlier, he had co-authored an unauthorised biography of Ian Paisley with Andy Pollak, reflecting his interest in political figures across the divide. He went on to direct the Boston College Belfast Project, an oral-history archive collecting testimonies from former republican and loyalist paramilitaries. When police later sought access to the interviews, Moloney and his collaborators resisted, arguing it would breach promises of confidentiality. The legal battle drew international attention and reignited debate about truth-telling and memory in post-conflict societies. Material from the project formed the basis of Voices from the Grave, the 2010 book and award-winning RTE documentary that told the stories of republican Brendan Hughes and loyalist David Ervine. In 2018, Moloney co-wrote and co-produced I, Dolours, a film exploring the life of IRA volunteer and hunger striker Dolours Price, continuing his focus on the personal cost of militancy. Moloney moved to New York in 2000, where he lived with his wife of nearly 50 years, Joan McKiernan. Moloney pictured alongside his family. Their son, Ciaran, now lives in Montreal. Though he left Belfast, he continued to write prolifically through his blog The Broken Elbow, often returning to the politics and personalities that had shaped his earlier career. Tributes following his death reflected the scale of his influence. Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists called him one of the most consequential journalists of his generation, praising his courage, dogged determination and unyielding commitment to shining a light into the darkest corners of Northern Irelands troubled history. Dooley added: During a crowded career he risked prison in defence of his sources and faced death threats for his investigative journalism. He was fearless, courageous and outspoken and was never afraid of upsetting those who yielded power, influence and authority - either through elected office or membership of a proscribed organisation. The acclaimed journalist died last week aged 77 in his New York home. "Ed Moloney had a vast range of contacts and was noted for his forensic attention to detail. "At the Sunday Tribune he was supported by a committed editor, Matt Cooper, and a local editorial team. The NUJ proudly stood with Moloney as he resisted police pressure with the same characteristic determination familiar to those across the political divide and leaders of proscribed organisations who sought to instruct his work." Filmmaker Des Henderson, who directed the documentary Lost Boys, said Moloney had been an enormous help, particularly in his pushback against those who sought to rubbish our journalism to suit their own agendas. Journalist Eamonn Mallie, a long-time contemporary, described him as an outstanding journalist, ever a contrarian. Moloneys work often divided opinion, but few questioned his commitment to detail or his readiness to confront difficult truths. PACEMAKER BELFAST 22/08/99 Sunday Tribune Northern Editor Ed maloney pictured in his home in Belfast. He faces up to 5 years in jail for not disclosing notes regarding an interview with William Stobie who is charged with the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane in 1988 The journalist and author Ed Moloney, who was known for his reporting on the Northern Ireland Troubles and research into the Provisional IRA, has died aged 77. His family confirmed the news on Mr Moloney's blog The Broken Elbow, external, saying he died on Friday in New York after a brief illness. Mr Moloney was a former northern editor for both The Irish Times and Sunday Tribune. He has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian among others. His reporting, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, shaped how the Troubles were seen and understood, both at home and abroad. His death closes the chapter on a career defined by persistence, precision and independence - qualities that continue to challenge and inspire those who report on Northern Ireland today. A helicopter from Scotland was in attendance Two people have been rescued after becoming trapped on a cliff on the north coast. The incident occurred in the Castlerock area on Monday evening and triggered a multi-agency response. Units from Coleraine Coastguard and Ballycastle Coastguard responded to the emergency as well as a rescue helicopter from Scotland which was despatched to the scene. An RNLI all-weather lifeboat from Portrush also attended to ascertain possible rescue options by sea. Coastguard teams set up a rescue rope in an attempt to hoist the stranded pair to safety. A spokesperson for Coleraine Coastguard said: Due to possible access issues [the helicopter] was also 'wheels up' and enroute. "The crew on the Y-boat were able to negotiate the conditions and reached a small beached cove. "From here they successfully recovered the casualties from the rocks. They transferred them to the ALB and onward to Portrush Harbour, were they met Coastguards and a paramedic team from NIAS who took on the next stage of casualty care and treatment. A helicopter from Scotland was in attendance Someone could have been killed: Suspected west Belfast hit-and-run which sent bricks flying into homes branded beyond reckless "A great, multi-agency result. The spokesperson urged the public to be vigilant when exploring the outdoors and to follow safety advice. Remember check tide times, always carry a charged phone and be prepared for the weather conditions, they added. In this case, an early call to 999 requesting the Coastguard, allowed all rescue assets to get into place quickly. Politics Alliance MP on honour of being only MP from NI nominated for Backbencher of the Year: I am more grateful than you will ever know Sarah Sackman was responding to news the Metropolitan Police will stop investigating non-crime hate incidents (Andrew Matthews/PA) Communities will welcome a focus on actual hate crime, the justice minister said after Britains biggest force indicated it would stop policing toxic culture war debates. Sarah Sackman described the move by the Metropolitan Police to stop investigating non-crime hate incidents as welcome news. The Mets announcement came as it emerged Father Ted creator Graham Linehan will face no further action over social media posts about transgender issues. Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehans was arrested in September over posts he made on X (Jonathan Brady/PA) The 57-year-old Irish comedy writer was arrested at Heathrow Airport after flying in from Arizona in September on suspicion of inciting violence over three posts he had made on X. The arrest sparked controversy, with Conservative politicians and Harry Potter author JK Rowling among those who voiced their outrage. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said at the time that officers were in an impossible position when dealing with statements made online. Following Linehans announcement on Monday that the investigation into his posts had been dropped, a spokesperson for the Met said the commissioner had been clear he doesnt believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position. The force said the decision to no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents would now provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations. Non-crime hate incidents are incidents that do not count as crimes but are perceived to be motivated by hatred towards certain characteristics such as race or gender. Ms Sackman said she believed communities wanted police to focus on activities such as mugging and antisocial behaviour rather than non-crime hate incidents. She told the PA news agency: Im told time and time again by constituents that what they want is for the police to focus on the crimes that hit them hard in their communities violent crime, phone snatching, mugging, antisocial behaviour, the kind of crime that eats into the core of our communities. Justice minister Sarah Sackman said the Mets decision was welcome news (Dominic Lipinski/PA) And for the police to say that theyre going to be turning their focus on to those areas of crime, I think is welcome news. Asked if other forces should follow suit in not investigating non-crime hate incidents, she said: I think that other forces need to make the decisions that are right for their communities. But Im sure that communities up and down the country would want that renewed focus on violent crime, on antisocial behaviour, and on actual hate crime. The Met has said it will still record non-crime hate incidents to use as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality. Representatives from the creative sector of the Western Balkans enjoyed being centre stage at a reception hosted by the King. Charles was joined by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at a special reception in central London to celebrate the success of the regions creative sector where Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told guests the event was a sign of how strongly we value the UKs relationship with the Western Balkans and with the different partners that we have here today. The King greets the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, during the reception (Aaron Chown/PA) The event, staged on the eve of the Western Balkans Leaders Summit (The Berlin Process) in London, was to mark the role of the creative industries, youth and civil society in the Western Balkans play in driving regional co-operation, cultural diplomacy and inclusive growth. Ms Cooper told those gathered, including diplomats, artists and businesses leaders as well as cultural and youth representatives, this is about our history. The Berlin Process is an annual forum set up by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014 to support the six Western Balkan countries outside the EU to increase regional co-operation, support economic development and accelerate efforts for closer European alignment in the Western Balkans. The King and Prime Minister spoke to the leaders of several nations including prime ministers Edi Rama of Albania, Albin Kurti of Kosovo, Milojko Spajic of Montenegro, Hristijan Mickoski of North Macedonia, Duro Macut of Serbia and Rosen Zhelyazkov of Bulgaria. They also spoke to Borjana Kristo, the chairwoman of the council of ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dame Karen Pierce, the UKs Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, was also on hand. Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also attended the event, hosted by the King (Aaron Chown/PA) Ms Cooper said: It was our shared experience of the coming together after histories of conflict and being able to look forward to a shared future and also with optimism for the future. So not just to cover issues around security and reconciliation, but also on economic growth, on opportunities for the future, on culture, on industry, and on the way in which we can work together on issues from migration to economic economics and trade as well. So with all of those things and so many issues to discuss, but also so much to just enjoy all being together as part of the Berlin process. The UK last hosted the Berlin Process, which aims to promote peace, security and stability in the Balkans and support partnership and growth, in 2018. On Wednesday, Sir Keir is set to host leaders and senior representatives from the Western Balkans including Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia plus Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and the EU institutions. This year is a significant year for the region as it marks the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, the 50th anniversary of Helsinki Final Act and the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the founding of the UN. A St Georges Cross flag on the A1206 in the Isle of Dogs (Jordan Pettitt/PA) A United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) demonstration has been banned from taking place in an area with a large Muslim population because of a realistic prospect of serious disorder, police have said. The event, which was initially advertised as a march from Whitechapel station in east London and later revised to be an assembly in the same area, was due to take place on Saturday afternoon, according to the Metropolitan Police. The demonstration was part of a series of events taking place across the UK which were promoted as a mass deportations tour, with organisers calling on attendees to reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists, the force said. A counter-protest, organised by Stand Up To Racism and a number of local groups, was also expected, police added. On Tuesday, police said they had imposed Public Order Act conditions meaning Ukip cannot hold its protest in Whitechapel or anywhere else in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Commander Nick John, who is in charge of the public order policing operation in London this weekend, said: Tower Hamlets has the largest percentage of Muslim residents anywhere in the UK and the prospect of this protest taking place in the heart of the borough has been the cause of significant concern locally. It is our assessment that there is a realistic prospect of serious disorder if it was to go ahead in the proposed location. This is in addition to the disruption that two large protests taking place on a key arterial route through east London would cause. He added: Ukip are free to organise their protest in an alternative location but they will not be holding it in Tower Hamlets. Anyone who tries to assemble, in breach of the conditions, or who encourages others to do so, will face arrest. In a post on X from the partys main account, Ukip said police had caved into the Islamists and violated our democratic right to peaceful assembly in Whitechapel this Saturday and that it was in the process of re-organising the march for another location in London. The party added: This comes less than week after the disastrous decision from West Midlands Police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending an Aston Villa game. British police are now caving into sectarian violence across the country, which is unacceptable. The Met must decide who is in charge of police strategy, police commanders or Islamist community leaders. Todays announcement is another blow for our democracy, but we will not be deterred or stopped from taking our country back. Police said a protest could be staged outside Tower Hamlets (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Writing on X, mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman said the Ukip demonstration would have caused significant disruption and intimidation in our local community, and spread fear and prejudice. He said: We will still hold our peaceful march in Whitechapel on Saturday to celebrate our diversity and unity. From the Battle of Cable Street to today, the far right has never succeeded in dividing our community and they never will. Ukip was founded in the 1990s with the help of now-Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who later went on to lead the party. It was instrumental in paving the way for the in-out referendum on Britains membership of the EU and received 3.9 million votes under Mr Farages leadership in the 2015 general election. Mr Farage quit Ukip in December 2018, saying he was uncomfortable with the direction the party had taken having criticised then-leader Gerard Batten for appointing English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as an adviser. According to the partys website, its current campaigns include the complete rejection of wokeness, trans-ideology, the rejection and condemnation of Islamism and the scrapping of all diversity, equality and inclusion agendas. Speaking in a video posted on X, Ukip leader Nick Tenconi said he was disgusted with the police decision to move the march which he said was a direct breach of our democratic right to peaceful assembly. He added: This is two-tier policing at its worst, and the Met have, at best, signified they have lost control of the streets of London, or at worst, are complicit with the Islamists in stifling our democracy. Pressure is mounting on Prince Andrew to give up his 30-room mansion after it emerged he has paid a peppercorn rent on the property for more than 20 years. Senior Tory Robert Jenrick said it was about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private as the public are sick of him. Parliamentary committees could also look into the Crown Estates handling of Andrews Royal Lodge residence in Windsor Great Park. The campaign group Republic has, meanwhile, demanded a full, unrelenting investigation into royal links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and efforts to protect Andrew. Protesters from the anti-monarchy group unveiled banners reading End Royal Secrecy and What are you hiding? Royal Epstein Inquiry Now outside the gates of Royal Lodge. An Investigate The Royals banner is unveiled outside Prince Andrews residence Royal Lodge by the Republic pressure group (Rikki Blue/Republic/PA) A copy of the leasehold agreement, shared with the PA news agency by the Crown Estate, which oversees the royal familys land and property holdings, shows Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the property in 2003. It reveals he paid 1 million for the lease and that since then he has paid one peppercorn of rent if demanded per year. He was also required to pay a further 7.5 million for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office. The agreement also contains a clause which states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around 558,000 if he gave up the lease. Shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick said: Its about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life. He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the royal family time and again. I dont see why the taxpayer, frankly, should continue to foot the bill at all. The public are sick of him. Asked if Andrew should leave his Windsor residence, Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4s Today: I dont think the taxpayer in any way should be footing the bill for him to live in luxury homes ever again. Profits from the Crown Estate are handed to the Treasury for the benefit of the nations finances, raising concerns that the public could be deprived of potential funds from the property due to the peppercorn rent. Prince Andrew lives with his former wife Sarah Ferguson at Royal Lodge (PA) Ben Mayfield, a lecturer in law at Lancaster University whose primary research interests are land and property law, said it would likely prove problematic to end the princes 75-year lease early. He said: I have no sympathy with the actions he is alleged to have taken, but ending a lease even though this is quite a cheap deal for Andrew would be the same in English law as asking someone to forfeit their house for no money and thats a difficult precedent to set. Giving it up voluntarily might be an appropriate act symbolically though. MPs on the Commons Treasury Committee and the Public Accounts Committee could look into the Crown Estates handling of the lease. Dame Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Treasury Committee, told Today: Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers money is involved, or taxpayers interests are involved, Parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that, and we need to have answers. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said Andrew should show some contrition by returning every penny of rent that hes not paid while disgracing his office. Downing Street pointed to the 2005 National Audit Office report, saying the public spending watchdog had not raised concerns about the Royal Lodge arrangements. A No 10 spokesman said: The National Audit Office reviewed the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge in 2005. And in its report, which was published at that time, concluded that the Crown Estate does not have any special procedures when negotiating agreements with the royal family. An independent evaluation concluded that the transaction with Prince Andrew and Royal Lodge was appropriate. Andrew signed a lease on Royal Lodge, the former home of his grandmother the Queen Mother, in 2003 (PA) Under the terms of the lease, Andrew must ensure the exterior of the mansion is repainted with two coats of paint every five years and the outside stone and cement work is cleaned and repointed. He must also repaint the interior also with two coats of paint every seven years. The prince is also required to paper polish decorate and treat the inside of the seven-bedroom home respectfully. Meanwhile, it was claimed Andrews accuser Virginia Giuffre would have viewed him relinquishing use of his Duke of York title as a victory. Andrew announced on Friday that he has given up use of his royal titles and honours amid intensified focus on his links with Epstein and days before publication of Ms Giuffres book Nobodys Girl. The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Ms Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein. Co-writer of Nobodys Girl Amy Wallace told BBC Newsnight that Ms Giuffre would have welcomed Andrews relinquishing of his titles. I know that she would view it as a victory that he was forced by whatever means to voluntarily give them up, Ms Wallace said. For many, maybe particularly in the United States, but maybe even in the UK, its a symbolic gesture but its an important one. Its made history, modern history, in terms of the royal era. I mean Ive never heard of such a thing happening and it also is just a step in the right direction. Copies of Nobodys Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (James Manning/PA) Virginia wanted all the men who shed been trafficked to against her will to be held to account and this is just one of the men but even though he continues to deny it his life is being eroded because of his past behaviour as it should be. Also in the wake of her memoirs, Ms Giuffres brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, have called on the police watchdog to review the decision by the Metropolitan Police not to continue its investigations into her allegations against Andrew. In an interview for Channel 4 News, they urged the force to reopen their probe into Ms Giuffres claim that she was forced to have sex with the royal when she was aged 17, adding that if the police would not take action they felt the Independent Office for Police Conduct should review the decision. Senior Tory Robert Jenrick has been accused of fomenting division and anger after he backed a ban of women wearing the burka. The shadow justice secretary said there was a strong argument for it as he suggested the wearing of the face coverings destroyed the UKs basic values. Mr Jenrick, who ran against Kemi Badenoch in last years Conservative leadership contest, departed from her position with his remarks. He told Talk on Tuesday: Well I probably would ban the burka. Told that Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin called for a burka ban earlier this year, Mr Jenrick said: She did, but then youve also seen Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, say in the last week that this is something that shes going to pursue. So I think theres definitely a strong argument for it. There are basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them. And where youre seeing them fraying at the edges or frankly being completely destroyed, whether its sharia courts or the wearing of the burka, these are issues were going to have to confront if we want to build the kind of society that we want to hand on to our kids and grandkids. Ms Pochins call for a burka ban in June prompted a row that saw Zia Yusuf quit as Nigel Farages party chairman for 48 hours. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said organisations should be able to decide if staff can wear burkas (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Tory leader Mrs Badenoch said at the time that employers should be able to decide if their staff could wear burkas in the workplace, and suggested that Frances burka ban had not solved its integration issues. A Labour Party spokesperson said: This is another open challenge to Kemi Badenochs authority from her once and future leadership rival. Just this summer the Tory leader said that banning the burka wouldnt fix the problems of integration and that people should be allowed to wear whatever they want; now Robert Jenrick is saying the opposite. Kemi Badenoch has repeatedly proven herself to be too weak to stand up to her shadow justice secretary its a complete failure of leadership. While the Tories and Reform peddle division and anger, Labour is focused on delivering the renewal Britain needs. Asked about Mr Jenricks remarks, the Prime Ministers spokesman told reporters: So Britain has a proud tradition of religious tolerance within the law. Tory MPs Robert Jenrick and Katie Lam (Jacob King/PA) The Government is committed to creating a strong and integrated society in which hatred and prejudice are not tolerated, and in which all people are free to express their religious identity without fear of it resulting in harassment, discrimination or attack. Everyone has the legal right to freedom of religion, and this includes the right to wear religious attire except where limitations are prescribed by law for specific limited purposes. Comments on immigration by another Conservative MP have also drawn flak from Labour and other political parties. Katie Lam, seen as a rising figure in the party aligned with Mr Jenricks views, has been criticised for calling for the deportation of people legally settled in the UK. The Weald of Kent MP told The Sunday Times: There are also a large number of people in this country who came here legally, but in effect shouldnt have been able to do so. Its not the fault of the individuals who came here, they just shouldnt have been able to do so. They will also need to go home. What that will leave is a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people. A Labour spokesperson said: The Tories want to retrospectively change the rules to deport people who have been in this country and contributed to our society for decades. They would separate British children from their parents and expel doctors and nurses who have been serving patients in the NHS for years. We welcome those who come to this country, legally, and give more than they take. We believe the right to stay here must not be automatic, but that those who play their part should be able to earn that right. 4.29 MW Dos Palos project delivers clean energy, economic opportunity, and optimized land use to disadvantaged communities SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable America held an onsite ribbon-cutting on Oct. 17, 2025 for the completion of the Dos Palos Clean Power (DOSP) project, a 4.29 MWdc solar installation. Renewable America developed and constructed this project in partnership with its capital partner, Radial Power, to deliver clean, reliable power to low-income communities in California's Central Valley. The project will provide enough energy to power approximately 1,200 homes annually, while offsetting 74,000 tons of CO emissions over its lifetime. Renewable America Completes Dos Palos Solar Project for Low-Income Communities Located in Dos Palos, California, the project contributes to the state's clean energy transition while ensuring that the benefits of solar are shared with the communities that need them most. Dos Palos is part of Peninsula Clean Energy's Green Access Program, which provides income-qualified customers in San Mateo County and the City of Los Banos with a 20 percent reduction to their electric bills. As a Qualified Low-Income Economic Benefit Project, Dos Palos secured an additional 20% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) from the federal Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program. In addition, the Dos Palos site lies within a region designated as a Disadvantaged Community (DAC) by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). The designation applies to communities within the top 25 percent of census tracts identified by CalEnviroScreen statewide. The project site specifically falls within a 92% disadvantaged community census tract, meaning it ranks among the most burdened 8% of census tracts statewide based on a combination of socioeconomic and environmental factors. "This additional solar power has the dual advantage of providing emission-free power to our grid and saving millions of dollars in electricity costs for some of our most disadvantaged customers," says Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Shawn Marshall. "And combined with our newly installed on-site solar at the Los Banos Wastewater Treatment Plant, we are now increasingly supplying these customers with clean power right here in their home county." The project's positive local impact began with Renewable America removing an abandoned, fire-damaged house from the site at the company's own expense. Mindful of local environmental and agricultural needs, the team optimized land use with a site design that ensured maximum energy yield on the smallest viable footprint. Out of a 39-acre plot, the final project used only 11.5 acres allowing the other two-thirds to be used for agriculture. Renewable America also worked with the California Farmland Trust to establish a conservation easement on equivalent acreage elsewhere in the state. "Positive economic and environmental impacts for local communities are core components of Renewable America's mission," said Ardeshir Arian, President & CEO of Renewable America. "Community solar projects like Dos Palos help California meet its renewable energy goals while bringing affordable energy and other benefits to low-income families in disadvantaged areas." Project construction was supported by workers from a local union labor hall, particularly individuals enrolled in apprenticeship training programsan approach that reinforces long-term workforce development in the region. The long-term owner of the facility is Radial Power, an American distributed energy investment company, highlighting the strong partnership that makes projects like this possible. This project exemplifies Renewable America's model of combining clean energy generation with economic, environmental, and social benefits deeply rooted in the communities it serves. For more information, please visit https://renewam.com. About Renewable America Renewable America is a leading provider of distributed energy resources, serving communities with small utility-scale, locally generated solar plus storage facilities and community microgrids that work in conjunction with the distribution grid. With over 15 years of experience in development, engineering, procurement and construction throughout Europe and North America, Renewable America creates resilience within communities by delivering local power to local load. The company's end-to-end development process maximizes quality and efficiency, while minimizing lasting environmental impact on site. Based in Santa Clara, Renewable America has over 320 megawatts MW of solar and 680 MWh of energy storage projects under development throughout California. Learn more at https://renewam.com. Renewable America Media Contact Richele Delapaz [email protected] (408) 663-6647 SOURCE Renewable America Two Western Balkans nations have stressed that they will not host return hubs for failed asylum seekers ahead of a summit with Sir Keir Starmer. Talks are set to continue with countries in the region about potentially acting as third countries to process those who have not been granted asylum in the UK before they are deported, it is understood. But no deals are expected to be announced at the summit at which the Prime Minister will host the six leaders as the UK seeks to agree further measures to bring down the number of migrants arriving illegally. At an event at Chatham House on Tuesday, Albanian prime minister Edi Rama repeated his earlier rejection of such an agreement. When it comes to the to the hubs, or whatever they are called, Ive said it, and I repeat never in Albania, he said. Montenegros premier Milojko Spajic is welcomed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Stefan Rousseau/File/PA) Montenegros prime minister Milojko Spajic said his country was not part of the Western Balkans smuggling route because the railway infrastructure is not developed enough. Montenegro is not part of the migrant routes through the Balkans, he said. Mr Rama asked him if he would host a hub if the UK built railways in his country, to which he replied: We definitely accept it, if they would invest 10 billion euros into building railways. The UK is already working with partners in the region comprised of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo as part of Labours pledge to target smuggling gangs and bring down the number of small boat arrivals across the Channel. Some 22,000 people were smuggled by gangs along routes through the Western Balkans last year, and it has become increasingly important to tackling illegal migration across Europe. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood hosted her counterparts from across the region at a summit last week. Israeli soldiers move on top of a tank along the Israeli-Gaza border (Leo Correa/AP) Israel has identified the body of a hostage that was released by Palestinian militants overnight while Hamass chief negotiator said the group is determined to implement the ceasefire agreement. US vice president JD Vance is expected in the region on Tuesday to shore up the deal, which has teetered over the past few days. Israel confirmed that Hamas released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed on October 7 2023, and abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border. Mr Haimi, 42, a fourth-generation resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was part of the emergency response team. He had four children, including one born after the attack. A Palestinian man carries a box of food (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to pass on the remains of 15 deceased hostages. Thirteen bodies have been released since the ceasefire began. After trading strikes earlier this week, Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war ends once and for all. From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypts Al-Qahera News television. He said the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and US President Donald Trump, represented an international will declaring the war in Gaza is over. Mr Al-Hayya said Hamas received assurances from mediators and Mr Trump that give us confidence that the war has ended for good. He said Israel has complied with aid deliveries through the crossings according to the agreement but asked mediators to pressure Israel to deliver more shelter, medical supplies and other items before the weather changes. On Sunday, Israels military said militants had fired at troops, killing two Israeli soldiers in areas of Rafah in southern Gaza that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines. Palestinians pray over the bodies of people who were killed in an Israeli military strike (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed 45 Palestinians, according to the territorys Health Ministry, which says a total of 80 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. Similar strikes occurred on Monday in Gaza City and Khan Younis, where Israel said militants had crossed the yellow ceasefire line and posed an immediate threat to its troops. The Israeli military said on Monday it was using concrete barriers and painted poles to more clearly delineate the so-called yellow line in Gaza where troops have withdrawn to. It said several instances of violence have occurred. Also on Tuesday, Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire, denounced Israel in a speech by its ruling emir. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said his nation would continue to serve as a mediator as a ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip. Sheikh Tamim specifically attacked Israel for its continued breaches of the ceasefire in Gaza, as well as its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. A meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been put on hold (Jae C Hong/AP) Plans are on hold for President Donald Trump to sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to talk about resolving the war in Ukraine, according to a US official. The meeting had been announced last week and was supposed to take place in Budapest, Hungary, although a date had not been set. The decision was made following a call between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Tuesday there was no sense of urgency for Mr Trump and Mr Putin to meet, saying that preparation is needed, serious preparation. The back-and-forth over Mr Trumps plans is the latest bout of whiplash caused by his efforts to resolve a conflict that has persisted for nearly four years. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders accused Mr Putin of stalling for time to continue his invasion as diplomatic efforts took place. They also said they opposed any push to make Kyiv surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Mr Trump has on occasion suggested. Eight European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, as well as senior European Union officials said in a joint statement they intend to go ahead with plans to use Moscows billions of dollars of frozen assets abroad to help Kyiv win the war, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. Mr Zelensky noted that Mr Putin returned to diplomacy and called Mr Trump last week when facing the possibility that the US would supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. But as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue, Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday in a Telegram post. We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace, he said. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The leaders statement laid down a marker by saying they remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. Mr Trump last month reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to concede land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. However, after a phone call with Mr Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Mr Zelensky on Friday, Mr Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are in the war. On Sunday, Mr Trump said that the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be cut up, leaving most of it in Russian hands. Mr Trump said on Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, he is now doubtful it will happen. Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Mr Trump on their side. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the statement said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. The dynamics of Mr Trumps engagement with Europes biggest conflict since the Second World War have zigzagged as he searches for a peace deal. Workers repair power lines damaged in a Russian attack (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP) Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Mr Zelensky said would be a week that is very active in diplomacy. More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, Tuesdays statement said. On Friday, a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine is due to take place in London. US vice president JD Vance has visited a newly opened centre in Israel for civilian and military co-operation that he called central to keeping the US-backed ceasefire plan for Gaza on track. Mr Vance, who visited with top US envoys, said the fragile ceasefire is going better than I expected. US envoy Steve Witkoff added that we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time. Mr Vance, Mr Witkoff and others are in Israel to shore up the ceasefire following a burst of deadly violence and questions over the plan for long-term peace. A Palestinian man carries a box of food (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Mr Vance was meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials and is expected to stay in the region until Thursday. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumps son-in-law and one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, is also in Israel. Also on Tuesday, Hamas said it had returned the remains of two more hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza. Mr Vance urged a little bit of patience amid growing Israeli frustration with Hamass pace of the returns. Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are, Mr Vance said. Its just a reason to counsel in favour of a little bit of patience. He added that a lot of this work is very hard as he faced questions over next steps, and he urged flexibility. JD Vance and his wife Usha arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv (Nathan Howard/pool photo via AP) The ceasefire took effect on October 10. While it has been tested by Sundays fighting and mutual accusations of violations, both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the deal. Mr Trump has made clear he wants it to succeed. The head of Egypts intelligence agency, Major General Hassan Rashad, travelled to Israel on Tuesday to meet Mr Netanyahu, Mr Witkoff and others over the ceasefires implementation, according to Mr Netanyahus office. The meetings highlight the urgency of launching negotiations for the second phase of the US plan, which must address issues such as the disarmament of Hamas and the governance of post-war Gaza. Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war ends once and for all. From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypts Al-Qahera News. Israel confirmed that Palestinian militants had released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7 2023 that ignited the war. He was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. The 42-year-old was part of its emergency response team and had four children, including one born after the attack. Palestinians pray over the bodies of people who were killed in an Israeli military strike (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 hostages. Thirteen others have been turned over. Under the deal, Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each dead hostage, according to Gazas Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. It said Israel had transferred another 15 on Tuesday, for a total of 165 since earlier this month. International organisations said they were scaling up humanitarian aid entering Gaza, while Hamas-led security forces launched a crackdown against what it called price gouging by private merchants. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it had sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. That is still well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war. The WFP also said it had reinstated 26 distribution points and hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points across Gaza as soon as possible. Residents said prices for essential goods soared on Sunday after militants killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with strikes that killed dozens of Palestinians. Israel also threatened to halt humanitarian aid. On Monday, Hamas said its security forces raided shops across Gaza, closing at least 10 shops and warehouses, and forced merchants to lower prices. Hamas also has imposed more order, allowing aid trucks to move safely and halting looting of deliveries. JD Vance speaks to the media during a trip to Israel (Francisco Seco/AP) Meanwhile, a senior health official in Gaza said some bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel bore evidence of torture and called for a United Nations-launched investigation. So far, only 32 of the bodies have been identified, according to Gazas Health Ministry. The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated, saying it had followed legal procedures and provided medical care and adequate living conditions. In the initial 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as hostages. The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross. New York play about notorious IRA killings proving a massive hit: 'What price would you pay for peace? Hit production imagines lives of two young soldiers in 1970s Northern Ireland Annabelle Zasowski, Doireann Mac Mahon, Harrison Tipping and Daniel Marconi in The Honey Trap Angela Davison Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 14:00 The use of honeytraps by terror gangs during the Troubles has inspired a new play receiving rave reviews in New York. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Mostly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Comprehensive Survey of 5,000 Americans Documents Cultural Evolution of Holiday Tables; Annual Jennie-O 1-800-TURKEYS Hotline Returns Nov. 1 AUSTIN, Minn., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, Jennie-O is celebrating a simple truth: There's no single "right" way to do Thanksgiving. Across America, holiday tables tell the story of where families come fromwhether that means grandma's green bean casserole recipe that hasn't changed since 1975, or new additions like lumpia, pierogies, or kimchi making their debut alongside the turkey as the main event. This delicious evolution shows how the nation's most food-focused holiday continues to grow richer with every generation. Jennie-O reveals the results of its Roots & Recipes Reporta survey that documents how family heritage shapes what we eat, how we cook, and the way we gather around the holiday table. Jennie-O explores how culture and heritage influence Thanksgiving celebrations nationwide. To better understand this cultural shift, Jennie-O is revealing the results of its Roots & Recipes Reporta survey that documents how family heritage shapes what we eat, how we cook, and the way we gather around the holiday table. The findings reveal a nation that honors tradition while embracing change, with over half of Americans open to trying dishes from other cultures. The brand is also bringing back its beloved 1-800-TURKEYS hotline for the 18th consecutive year, staffed with experts ready to help home cooks navigate both traditional preparations and new cultural twists on classic dishes, empowering families to prepare their feasts with confidence. Key Findings from the Jennie-O Roots & Recipes Report: Jennie-O surveyed 5,000 Americans to understand how different cultures put their own spin on Thanksgiving and its influence on how the holiday is celebrateddocumenting everything from the spices we use on the turkey to the sides we can't live without. This landmark survey was conducted by Talker Research* on behalf of Jennie-O. Key findings include: AMERICANS EMBRACE CULTURAL EXCHANGE: Although Thanksgiving is rooted in tradition, 55% of Americans are generally open to trying new Thanksgiving recipes that originate from a different cultural background than their own. Hispanic/Latino Americans (73%) and Black Americans (70%) are most open to considering new Thanksgiving recipes from other cultures, followed by Asian Americans (62%) and European Americans (51%). Multiracial Americans show 66% openness and are perhaps most representative of the current demographic of American families. Although Thanksgiving is rooted in tradition, 55% of Americans are generally open to trying new Thanksgiving recipes that originate from a different cultural background than their own. OLD SCHOOL DISHES LEAD THE WAY: More than half of Americans (52%) say they have a dish on their table that is older than 25 years, proving family recipes remain central to the holiday celebration. Americans of European descent serve the oldest family recipes, with 61% featuring dishes older than 25 years. For this group, nostalgia (71%) is the primary reason these recipes remain on the table. In contrast, Asian Americans are most likely to serve newer additions, with 40% having dishes that are 10 years old or younger, followed by Black Americans (31%) and Hispanic/Latino Americans (29%). These groups cite reflecting their culture as the key reason for keeping these dishes. More than half of Americans (52%) say they have a dish on their table that is older than 25 years, proving family recipes remain central to the holiday celebration. HOURS SPENT, SEATS FILLED: The average American Thanksgiving gathering usually lasts five hours or longer (57%) with the majority having fewer than 10 guests (73%). Black Americans host the longest celebrations, with 30% gathering for more than seven hours, while Asian Americans host the briefest gatherings, with 44% celebrating for fewer than four hours. Hispanic/Latino Americans host the largest gatherings, with 32% welcoming 11 or more guests, while Asian Americans prefer more intimate celebrations, with 81% hosting fewer than 10 people. The average American Thanksgiving gathering usually lasts five hours or longer (57%) with the majority having fewer than 10 guests (73%). AMERICA KEEPS TURKEY SIMPLE: Across all cultural demographics, salt (71%), pepper (64%), garlic (50%) and onion powder (44%) are the most popular turkey seasonings, indicating Americans prefer to let cultural expression shine through side dishes rather than the main bird. Black Americans are more likely to season their Thanksgiving turkey with paprika (40%) compared to other respondents (24% on average). Asian Americans use seasonings such as soy sauce at over twice the average (15% vs 4% on average), as well as citrus zest (25% vs 11%). European Americans are more likely to use sage (39%), compared to others (34% on average). Top Hispanic/Latino American seasonings include hot pepper seeds (10%), curry (10%), chili powder (17%), cumin (20%) and citrus zest (23%), all higher than the average. Across all cultural demographics, salt (71%), pepper (64%), garlic (50%) and onion powder (44%) are the most popular turkey seasonings, indicating Americans prefer to let cultural expression shine through side dishes rather than the main bird. HERITAGE AND TRADITION OUTSHINE SOCIAL MEDIA: Despite growing popularity, only about one-third (32%) of Americans say they use social media as a source of inspiration for new recipes, instead relying on family heritage, cultural traditions and guest recommendations. Among those who use social media for Thanksgiving inspiration, Hispanic/Latino Americans (51%) and Black Americans (41%) are most likely to turn to their own social media feeds or their children's for new ideas. Despite growing popularity, only about one-third (32%) of Americans say they use social media as a source of inspiration for new recipes, instead relying on family heritage, cultural traditions and guest recommendations. SIDE DISH LOVE: Thanksgiving is indeed side-heavy with 23% of Thanksgiving tables having 10 or more sides, and 60% serving up to seven side dishes. The top five favorite sides include stuffing (69%), classic mashed potatoes (60%), rolls/biscuits (56%), cranberry sauce (52%), and green bean casserole (44%). Americans keep things traditional with their stuffing, with the majority using a typical bread stuffing (65%), followed by cornbread stuffing (29%), sausage stuffing (11%), and Italian-style stuffing (4%). Over two-thirds (67%) of European Americans serve classic mashed potatoes at their Thanksgiving table, the highest compared to other respondents. Thanksgiving is indeed side-heavy with 23% of Thanksgiving tables having 10 or more sides, and 60% serving up to seven side dishes. The top five favorite sides include stuffing (69%), classic mashed potatoes (60%), rolls/biscuits (56%), cranberry sauce (52%), and green bean casserole (44%). "The Roots & Recipes Report reveals something we've long believed at Jennie-Othat Thanksgiving tables are where family traditions come alive through food," said Kim Anderson, senior brand manager at Jennie-O. "With more than half of Americans open to trying dishes from other cultures and equally as many preserving recipes passed down through generations, this blend of old and new is redefining what Thanksgiving dinner looks like across America." 1-800-TURKEYS Hotline Returns for 18th Year: Turkey talk is back. The Jennie-O 1-800-TURKEYS hotline returns Nov. 1 through Nov. 29, with turkey experts standing by 24/7 to rescue holiday feasts from potential kitchen chaos. Now in its 18th year, the hotline provides real-time guidance on everything from achieving the perfect golden roast to selecting wine pairings and transforming leftovers into next-day culinary magic. Call 1-800-TURKEYS or chat live at JennieO.com/Hotline. Whether helping seasoned chefs or first-time hosts, the service has become a trusted Thanksgiving lifeline, preventing common cooking disasters and ensuring memorable holiday meals. Turkey preparation specialists will address inquiries ranging from basic roasting techniques to incorporating cultural flavors and spices into traditional preparations. "For 18 years, 1-800-TURKEYS has been the easiest number to remember when you need help on Thanksgiving Day," added Anderson. "Whether you're panicking about turkey timing or wondering how to incorporate your family's special spices, our experts are ready 24/7 throughout November to ensure every celebration is a success." For more information about all JENNIE-O turkey products, including heritage-inspired recipes, nutritional information and where to buy, visit jennieo.com or follow the brand on social media at Facebook.com/JennieoTurkey and Instagram.com/jennieo. *Survey Methodology Talker Research surveyed 5,000 state-by-state U.S. adults (100 in each state) with targeted quotas to achieve statistical significance for European, Hispanic/Latino, Asian and Black American households; the survey was commissioned by Jennie-O and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 1 and Oct. 10, 2025. About the JENNIE-O Brand For over 80 years, the JENNIE-O turkey brand has been helping consumers live well by eating well. As the category leader, JENNIE-O turkey is the trusted brand for quality turkey and a source of expertise. The company provides a full portfolio of delicious, nutritious turkey proteins and inspiration for everyday meals or special occasions. Known for our bright green awning evoking the nostalgia of a local farmer stand, our round logo with a touch of yellow and our distinct name from our founders' daughter, Jennifer, the JENNIE-O turkey brand has the right amount of small-town friendliness paired with leading company expertise and quality. For more information, visit jennieo.com. About Hormel Foods Inspired People. Inspired Food. Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minnesota, is a global branded food company with approximately $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include PLANTERS, SKIPPY, SPAM, HORMEL NATURAL CHOICE, APPLEGATE, JUSTIN'S, WHOLLY, HORMEL BLACK LABEL, COLUMBUS, JENNIE-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World's Best Companies and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement Inspired People. Inspired Food. to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit hormelfoods.com. Media Relations Contact: Elizabeth Walter | [email protected] Hormel Foods | [email protected] SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The owners worked to renovate and transform the space, carrying through the colors, materials and design elements from the old space to the new. MILL RIVER When the sale of Limestone Farm became a matter of record last week, county and area dairymen and others were not sure whether to offer the former owners congratulations or condolences. LENOX It was the celebration of a milestone the official opening of the newly expanded and renovated Pikes Pond All Persons Trail at Mass Audubons Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The event signaled completion of repairs to the 1,100-acre preserve after a devastating windstorm whipped through Lenox on July 27, 2021. The gathering last Friday attracted nearly 100 residents, visitors and town officials to salute the nearly $1 million restoration following the microburst that downed thousands of trees, blocked at least seven trails and destroyed the accessible boardwalk at the Pike's Pond platform for viewing resident beavers at work and play. The project reflects years of vision, dedication and true community collaboration, said Becky Cushing Gop, Mass Audubons Western Massachusetts regional director. She described not only the massive repair effort but also the vision achieved of a longer, more accessible and interactive experience for visitors. Pleasant Valley has always been a place where people and nature connect in meaningful ways, she told the crowd on a perfect fall afternoon. The new, nearly 1-mile trail ensures that the beauty of the landscape can be experienced by everyone, she said, saluting the donors, partners and volunteers who accomplished the renovation and brought this vision to life. Our goals are to address climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and to increase access to nature for everyone, said Mass Audubon President David ONeill. Pleasant Valley embodies all three of those goals like none other in our sanctuary system. He noted Mass Audubon now has 21 All Persons Trails at its 60-plus wildlife sanctuaries open to the public statewide four times as many trails as 10 years ago. We have really stepped up at a very difficult time, he said. We have a federal government thats basically decided its no longer in the business of clean water, clean air, and addressing climate change. Im not making a political statement; its just reality. Mass Audubon has protected 11,000 acres of land during the past four years, compared to the previous annual average of about 650 acres before 2020, ONeill stated. Lenox Town Manager Jay Green cited the partnerships among local governments, nonprofits and private organizations. Were so blessed to have this in our town, were proud of it, he said. Outdoor recreation has become integral to the economy of the Berkshires and to Lenox. Describing the federal governments abdication of their responsibility on many things, state Sen. Paul Mark, D-Becket, said protecting the environment is certainly one of them. Mark, who represents 57 communities in Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties, asserted that we fight and claw every day to make sure any available federal funding comes back to Lenox, the Berkshires and the other towns and cities in his sprawling district. The new trail ensures that seniors, children, veterans, people who cant take advantage of the outdoors in the same way are going to have that chance here, he said. During a conversation with The Eagle, ONeill expanded on Mass Audubons priorities, citing its $50 million annual operating budget double compared to pre-COVID pandemic years, and 350 full-time staffers, with 900 more in the summer. About 20 percent of the organizations summer campers qualify for financial aid. Excerpts from the interview follow, lightly edited for length: THE EAGLE: How can great habitats like Pleasant Valley cope with the impacts of climate change? ONEILL: Were living with the threat day to day. The most important thing Mass Audubon can do is continue to protect, restore and provide access to land so people understand the implications of climate change. The more resilience we build, the larger landscapes we can protect, the more wildlife can adapt to these changes. Nature is the biggest bang for the buck. Were enormously expanding our land protection program with a goal of protecting 100,000 more acres, getting to 30 percent of all the commonwealths land by 2030. As a bulwark, our Catalyst Investment Fund has raised $42 million since 2023 toward a goal of $75 million as soon as we can. THE EAGLE: Is this Mass Audubons response to financial headwinds from Washington? ONEILL: We had a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded to us a year ago. It was rescinded this spring, a big clawback, so were appealing that, but theres not a lot of hope that well get it back, so we have to do more. Lets see if we can get to the $75 million first and then build on that. THE EAGLE: Can you expand on Mass Audubons role in the Greylock Glen project? O NEILL: We run education programs there in partnership with Adams, were excited about the project. We won a request for proposals to design educational programming. We hope to continue to build on that as the site matures. On Friday, the team that conducted the $750,000 Reconnecting Communities feasibility study will release its final report, recommending whether the city should repair or remove the deteriorating bridge over Marshall Street, which divides the busy area between Main and River streets. Through a series of surveys and interviews, residents and City Council candidates overwhelmingly listed creating more housing and jobs as the top issue North Adams faces. The majority also mentioned that progress on one doesnt happen without the other. GREAT BARRINGTON A former W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School teacher may continue her federal civil rights case against the town of Great Barrington, its police chief and an officer in connection with the search of an eighth grade classroom for the book, "Gender Queer." In a Friday ruling, Judge Mark G. Mastroianni allowed the lawsuit to proceed on a number of fronts, including the teacher's claim that her free speech rights were violated; that she was prevented from leaving the classroom during a search; and that she was discriminated against. The judge also partially allowed a motion to amend the suit with a defamation claim based on the wording of a press release written by the police chief. The ruling dismissed claims that the teacher was the victim of a conspiracy, as well as any claim against Berkshire Hills Regional School District Superintendent Peter Dillon. Neither Dillon nor Police Chief Paul Storti immediately responded for requests for comment. The teacher, Arantzazu Zuzene Galdos-Shapiro, applauded the ruling. I am relieved to be able to seek justice for the harms I have suffered for simply owning a book that represents my family and so many cherished community members, as my lawsuit alleges," she wrote in a news release from the law firm Todd & Weld, which is representing her in the suit. "We should not have to live in fear of expressing ourselves about issues important to our lives. Galdos-Shapiro filed a lawsuit in May 2024 against Dillon, the town, Storti and Officer Joseph OBrien. She resigned a month later. The suit stems from a Dec. 8, 2023, incident during which Great Barrington police searched Galdos-Shapiro's classroom for the illustrated memoir, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. The award-winning graphic novel about the trials of growing up, including sexual visuals and language in cartoon format, was not found in the classroom during the search. The core issue of the lawsuit is not about the content of the book, but rather whether the police and the superintendent acted unlawfully in their investigation, specifically regarding the right to free speech and protection from police overreach. The search was triggered after a night janitor, who had previously been disciplined for making racist and homophobic comments, complained to OBrien that the book had obscene illustrations, according to the lawsuit. Storti then approached Dillon and received permission to send an officer to the school, according to the suit, which said Dillon did not know who the complaint was from and instructed the principal to cooperate with the police and not to tell the teacher they were coming. The officer entered the classroom with the principal, closed the door and positioned himself between the teacher and the exit. The questioning and search lasted about eight minutes. In the days that followed, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office opened an investigation, which it later dropped after finding the book was not obscene. An email from Dillon to parents and students about the incident led to widespread media attention. Police then released an unredacted report naming Galdos-Shapiro and listing her personal information, which she says led to public harassment and threats. A Dec. 16, 2023, press release from the police department followed about the classroom search and investigation that didnt name Galdos-Shapiro. Now, Galdos-Shapiro has 14 days from the ruling to update the lawsuit with the outcome of the ruling. This means removing Dillon, dropping the dismissed claims and adding the defamation claim about the December 2023 press release. Here is where each count of the lawsuit stands: Count I regarding the First Amendment right to free speech claims that Galdos-Shapiro was targeted for supporting Gender Queer. It is allowed to proceed. Count II claims police searching her classroom and detaining her during questioning, by the officer placing himself between her and the closed door, violated her Fourth Amendment right to unlawful search and seizure. This one was partially dismissed. The judge said that the seizure portion is allowed to proceed against Storti and OBrien because the officer blocked the door. The search part however, was dismissed because the judge said teachers dont have a reasonable expectation of privacy in a classroom Count III is about equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment because she said she was treated differently because she was Mexican American and part of the LGBTQ+ community. This is allowed to proceed. Count IV is a state version of a civil rights claim, the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, which says the defendants interfered with her rights through intimidation, threats, or coercion. This is allowed to proceed. Count V alleges it was a civil conspiracy, which claimed the defendants worked together to deprive her of her rights. This was dismissed as the judge found no plausible evidence of a coordinated conspiracy. Galdos-Shapiro also sought to amend the suit to add two state claims. What would have been Count VI claimed the defendants actions caused her extreme emotional harm, but it was denied as the judge said there werent enough grounds under the law to add it. Proposed Count VII sought to amend the complaint with a defamation claim alleging false statements made by officials damaged her reputation. This was granted in regard to a Dec. 16, 2023, press release by Chief Storti, but not about an unredacted police report or an email sent by Dillon. In the Berkshires, in particular in the southern Berkshires, the level of community partnership and collaboration is inspiring, said Margaret Moulton, executive director at Berkshire Grown, during a recent tour of farms. It sometimes is what keeps me going as much as the farms. The global leader in precision-engineered electronic components redefines innovation through partnership - delivering the right design, at the right time, at the optimal cost. FAIRFIELD, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Standex Electronics, a business segment of Standex International Corporation (NYSE:SXI) and a global leader in precision-engineered electronic components, has unveiled a refreshed brand identity that represents the next evolution of its engineering excellence. More than a new look, the rebrand reflects how Standex Electronics partners with customers as an extension of their engineering teams, driving collaborative innovation where performance meets craftsmanship, and engineering meets aesthetics. The rebrand aligns with the broader Standex enterprise brand refresh. By integrating agile development, lean principles, and advanced business systems, Standex Electronics accelerates time-to-market while maintaining the highest standards of precision and quality. The unified brand expresses an engineering philosophy built on conversation, collaboration, and partnership ensuring every solution delivers measurable customer value. This transformation marks Standex Electronics' continued evolution from a precision component supplier to a trusted global partner for companies driving electrification and digitalization. Through cross-functional collaboration and deep expertise in materials and process engineering, the company delivers products that exemplify reliability, performance, and thoughtful design. "Our rebrand is about clarity of purpose," said Ramy Shatoot, Group President of Standex Electronics. "We're aligning our global teams, technologies, and customers around a shared commitment to deliver the right design, at the right time, at the optimal cost. This transformation reinforces our role as an extension of our customers' engineering teams, focused on solving their toughest challenges through collaborative innovation." "Our new identity reflects the creativity, precision, and partnership that define every project we deliver. While our brand look is evolving, our dedication to excellence and customer collaboration remains the same." The new brand architecture introduces three aligned divisions, all under the Standex Electronics umbrella: Standex Detect (switches, sensors, and relays that keep the world connected) Standex Edge (next-generation power magnetics driving modern industries) Standex Grid (smarter grid solutions powering a more electrified future) This structure simplifies customer access to expertise, resources, and technical support, strengthening Standex's position as a collaborative global partner in innovation. Through this rebrand, Standex Electronics reinforces its role as a trusted engineering partner - where innovation, craftsmanship, and collaboration converge to deliver smart, scalable, and cost-optimized solutions for when it matters most. About Standex Electronics Headquartered in Fairfield, Ohio, USA, Standex Electronics operates eighteen manufacturing facilities across seven countries. With approximately 1,500 employees and annual sales of USD 400 million, Standex is a trusted partner for high-quality, custom-engineered solutions. For more information on Standex Electronics' visit https://standexelectronics.com. About Standex International Standex International Corporation is a global multi-industry manufacturer in five broad business segments: Electronics, Engineering Technologies, Scientific, Engraving, and Specialty Solutions with operations in the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, Turkey, India, and China. For additional information, visit the Company's website at www.standex.com . SOURCE Standex International Corporation Access this story and all of our stories with 24/7 unlimited access. Ruth Bass is an award-winning journalist. Her website is ruthbass.com . The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of The Berkshire Eagle. Quality local journalism needs your support Access this story and all of our stories with 24/7 unlimited access. Subscribe today. Cancel anytime. Subscribe now for 99 Subscriber Sign In | Return Home What is the origin of Halloween? Many historians trace the origin of Halloween to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated over 2,000 years ago. Samhain was a pagan festival that marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, which the Celts believed was a time when the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Farmers would bring in livestock for winter and harvest their crops, offering sacrifices of crops and animals to appease their pagan gods in hopes of protection through the harsh season. This was seen as a way to guard against evil spirits and gain favor from the gods for the year ahead. The Celts Believed the Dead Walked on October 31 One of the central beliefs during Samhain was that the dead could walk the earth on October 31. The Celts believed spirits of the dead returned to visit the living, and these wandering spirits could bring harm by damaging crops, causing sickness, or even possessing people. To ward off these spirits, people would dress in costumes, often of animals or monsters, to confuse or scare away the spirits. This practice echoes the modern tradition of dressing up in costumes during Halloween. In addition, bonfires were lit to keep away evil spirits, and people would huddle near them for protection. It was believed that these fires also helped the souls of the dead find their way. While these practices were rooted in superstition, they highlight the fear and reverence ancient cultures had toward the afterlife. Pagan Roots of Popular Halloween Traditions Trick-or-Treating also began during Samhain. The tradition was an ancient custom of souling. The poor would go from house to house to beg for soul cakes. In return for the soul cakes the beggars would pray for family members who had recently died. Soul cakes were round loaves of bread filled with currants. Pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns were also part of Celtic lore. A tale was told that a drunken farmer named Stingy Jack was so wicked that when he died, he restlessly wandered between heaven and hell, unable to enter either one. As he roamed the darkness, he hollowed out a turnip and placed a burning coal inside to light his way. Celts carved Jack-o-Lanterns to guide lost souls home on the eve of Samhain. Bobbing for apples also has mythical roots. The Celts believed that the practice used to be considered a form of divination. According to NPR, bobbing for apples was a practice where people would dunk their heads in a vat of water and try to bite into floating fruit in a quest to figure out their future spouse. Ladies would mark an apple and toss it into the tub. The thinking was theyd be destined to whoever pulled it out of the water. In 800 A.D., the Catholic church moved All Saints Day from Spring to November 1. Hallows Mass is November 1, and All Saints Day is November 2. One would think this Catholic celebration would be an opportunity to Christianize Halloween, but it is not. Author Scott P. Richert, content manager for Sunday Visitor, the largest Catholic publishing company, writes that the purpose of All Souls Day is to pray people out of purgatory by prayer, almsgiving, and the Mass. But purgatory, and praying people out of purgatory is an anti-biblical practice. Is Halloween Evil? From a biblical perspective, we know that evil is real, and we are called to resist it. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Halloweens roots in paganism may raise concerns, but it is the intent of the heart that matters most. As Christians, we must be vigilant not to allow the holiday to glorify or trivialize evil, but rather to celebrate in ways that align with our faith. At the heart of Halloweens history are themes of death, fear, and the supernatural. However, as Christians, we have the ultimate victory over death through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 2:14-15 reminds us, Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of deaththat is, the deviland free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Because of Jesus sacrifice, we no longer need to live in fear of death or darkness. Instead, we can walk in the light of Christs resurrection, assured of the eternal hope we have in Him. Halloween, with its focus on death and fear, is an opportunity for Christians to teach their children about the victory we have in Jesus. We can use the holiday to proclaim the gospel truth that death has been defeated and that eternal life awaits those who believe in Him. God loves us and sent His Son Jesus to die in our place. When we place our faith in Christs death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and our home is heaven. Death is final. Eternity is real. Jesus is victorious over evil. We can stand secure and unafraid! How Should Christians Handle Halloween? First, I believe it is the choice of the Christian parent to allow or disallow children to participate in the festivities. If the children are old enough to understand, I think its appropriate to explain the pagan roots of Halloween. Its a great opportunity to teach what the Bible says about the finality of death, the promise of heaven through Jesus, and the hope of resurrection. Churches can use Halloween as a time to build community, to show compassion and to share the message of Christ. Our church celebrates Boogers and Halloweenies, where communities in our area hold cookouts and free food for neighbors, while sharing the Good News of Christ. Many churches around the country have harvest festivals or other events to provide a safe place for families to celebrate. Communities need to know that Christians are not isolationists. They can welcome trick-or-treaters with Snickers and a smile. Halloween, however, should not be celebrated in ignorance. We need to teach its origins and contrast it with biblical truth. Read more: Does Halloween Celebrate Evil? Is It Okay for Christians to Celebrate Halloween? Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/MNStudio BillOReilly.com is not available in this country. We apologize for any inconvenience. Bridging the Healthcare Gap: How Technology is Transforming Access and Fulfilment October 21, 2025 | Tuesday | Views | By Enbasekar D, Co-Founder and CTO, MediBuddy Technology is playing an increasingly important role in improving healthcare access in India, but the journey is far from complete image credit- shutterstock Healthcare access has long been a challenge in India, particularly in rural and underserved urban areas. Despite significant progress in recent years, large segments of the population still struggle to receive timely and reliable care. Issues such as infrastructure gaps, shortages of qualified doctors, and fragmented service delivery create barriers to effective treatment. Technology, however, is emerging as a powerful force that can bridge these gaps, enabling greater reach, accessibility, and efficiency in the way healthcare is delivered. The Healthcare Access Challenge Access to healthcare in India remains uneven, especially in rural areas where patients often travel long distances and face limited specialist availability. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2022), India has a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:834, better than the World Health Organisations standard of 1:1000. However, most doctors are concentrated in urban centres, leaving rural populations underserved. The gap is sharper at the community level, with an 80% shortfall of specialists at Community Health Centres (CHCs), resulting in delays in diagnosis and treatment. Financial barriers compound these challenges. The National Health Accounts 202122 show that out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) accounted for 39.4% of total health spending. This remains a heavy burden for households and often discourages timely or preventive care, deepening the healthcare gap. Technologys Role in Bridging the Gap Digital health tools are steadily reshaping the way people access care in India. Online consultation has emerged as one of the most impactful solutions, enabling patients to consult doctors and specialists without the time and expense of travel. Remote diagnostics, portable devices, and at-home test kits support early detection and monitoring of chronic conditions more effectively. Similarly, e-pharmacy platforms have eased the challenge of medicine access. People living in remote or semi-urban areas can now order medicines online and have them delivered to their doorstep, reducing reliance on distant or poorly stocked local pharmacies. Meanwhile, AI-driven triage systems, such as chatbots and symptom checkers, are providing patients with initial guidance on their health concerns. These tools help individuals decide whether their condition requires urgent medical attention or if a routine consultation would suffice. Together, these technologies are breaking down barriers of geography and infrastructure, making healthcare more accessible, timely, and reliable for millions of people across the country. Government and Policy Push for Digital Healthcare Policy support has been crucial in driving digital healthcare adoption in India. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is building a nationwide digital backbone through unique health IDs, registries, and interoperable records, enabling more connected and consistent care. Complementing this, the National Digital Health Blueprint lays the foundation for a federated, patient-centric system. The release of Telemedicine Practice Guidelines in 2020 gave doctors a clear legal framework for remote consultations, accelerating telehealth adoption during the pandemic and beyond. At the primary care level, over 1.78 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are now operational across the country, expanding essential frontline services and serving as gateways for digital healthcare. Collectively, these initiatives are creating the right conditions for collaboration between government, private providers, and technology companies. Benefits of Technology-Enabled Healthcare Access The benefits of digital healthcare are already evident. Patients in remote regions can consult specialists without travel, access medicines and diagnostics at home, and manage chronic conditions with virtual follow-ups and reminders. Doctors, in turn, make more informed decisions using electronic health records and data insights. Integrated digital platforms that combine consultations, tests, medicines, and payments are simplifying the care journey, while insurance and cashless options are reducing financial barriers. Together, these advances are making healthcare more consistent, efficient, and within easier reach for communities across India. Conclusion Technology is playing an increasingly important role in improving healthcare access in India, but the journey is far from complete. Policymakers, healthcare providers, insurers, and technology companies will need to work together to build solutions that are inclusive, sustainable, and easy to use. With sustained effort, India can move towards a future where quality care is within reach for all. Enbasekar D, Co-Founder and CTO, MediBuddy New Offering Spotlights Breakthrough Treatment During National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month MT. ZION, Ill., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Individuals seeking a noninvasive treatment for depression, anxiety or mental fog can now find help at Steller Wellness in Mt. Zion, Illinois. Steller Wellness, a cutting-edge facility that prioritizes total health, vitality and rejuvenation, is now offering EXOMIND, a medication-free, FDA-cleared treatment that boosts mental health and emotional wellness. "With October being National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, it is an important reminder to check in on your mental health, and we are thrilled to be able to offer EXOMIND for our patients struggling with mental health challenges," said Jenna Stowers, nurse practitioner and co-owner of Steller Wellness. "The EXOMIND technology helps our patients return to creating their healthiest lives." EXOMIND is a noninvasive technology that addresses the key brain areas involved in emotional regulation, cognitive function and self-control. To maximize results, doctors recommend treatment twice a week for three weeks. An additional benefit? Research shows patients experience reduced food cravings, and many report weight loss after the EXOMIND treatments. "EXOMIND is an incredible addition to our practice because true wellness starts with a healthy mind. When our patients feel balanced mentally, it enhances every aspect of their overall well-being," said Katie Keller, nurse practitioner and co-owner of Steller Wellness. A practice based in integrative medicine, Steller Wellness combines traditional medical practices with alternative therapies to address health issues holistically. Their offerings include IV infusions, women's health consultations, aesthetics, weight-loss treatments and mental wellness. Steller Wellness offers multiple cutting-edge technologies from aesthetics to overall wellness. These offerings include Emface the first FDA-cleared device that simultaneously tightens facial muscles and lifts loose skin along the cheeks, jawline and under the chin. The clinic also offers Emsculpt Neo, a treatment using muscle activation and heat to burn up to 30% fat and build up to 25% muscle in hard-to-treat areas. For those dealing with incontinence, Steller Wellness offers the EMSELLA chair, a noninvasive device using muscle activation to strengthen the pelvic floor, where patients sit fully clothed for 28 minutes. Studies show the treatment has a 98% patient satisfaction rate for restoring bladder function. Steller Wellness is offering discounted pricing on an EXOMIND package for a limited time. For more information, please call 217-855-7447 or visit www.beyondsteller.com. SOURCE Steller Wellness Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 19, the 2025 Antai College Advisory Board Meeting of Antai College of Economics and Management (ACEM), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), was held at the SJTU Xuhui Campus. Nearly forty domestic and international guests from the political, academic, and business sectors attended the meeting, sharing valuable insights to support the high-quality development of the college. The 2025 Antai College Advisory Board Meeting Convened The meeting was held in conjunction with the 2nd Shanghai Forum on Proactive Healthcare, the 20th anniversary of the C.Y. Tung Institute of Intelligent Management and Logistics, and the Antai International Corporate Day. Guests from the global political, academic, and business communities gathered to discuss the developmental trajectory of business schools amid technological advancements and the evolving international landscape. In the newly introduced keynote speech sessions, attendees shared insights on the forefront of artificial intelligence and strategic opportunities for the nation. In an interview, Chen Fangruo, Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasized that management is also a form of productivity. Over the past few decades, China's management practices have undergone profound transformations. By systematically summarizing these practices, theoretical development can be advanced, propelling it to the forefront of global management research. In recent years, Antai College has innovated its institutional mechanisms, adopting the development strategy of "Two types of scholarship, horizontal (academic) and vertical (industry), reinforcing each other and connecting theory with practice". This approach has enabled the college to dismantle barriers between academic research and industry practices, resulting in the establishment of a new business education ecosystem that deeply integrates industry, academia, and research. Leveraging its strengths in interdisciplinary studies and think tank research, the college has demonstrated a leading role in serving national strategies and supporting regional development. Through high-level talent cultivation and scientific research innovation, Antai College actively contributes to the modernization and advancement of the Chinese development model. SOURCE Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 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 The real challenge for the UK: breaking free from irrational anti-China rhetoric Global Times) 08:30, October 21, 2025 Illustration: Chen Xia/GT British newspaper the Daily Telegraph last Sunday published an article titled "Fresh fears raised over China's wind turbine factory in Highlands." It cites Ian Williams, a former UK correspondent in China, saying that the wind turbine factory planned by China's Ming Yang Power in the Scottish Highlands would pose "an enormous threat" to UK's national security. Although the report claims that "fresh concerns have been raised," this is nothing but a rehash of a familiar narrative - certain Western media outlets have repeatedly distorted China's involvement in Western infrastructure projects as the so-called "national security threats." Yet, it is worth noting that the article was published amid the aftermath of the so-called "China spy" case in the UK, with a clear intention to deliberately link China's normal commercial investments with the unsubstantiated "espionage risks." The remarks cited from Ian Williams are even more absurd: he claimed that the wind turbines should not be viewed as "pieces of inanimate metal," and suggested that these "incredibly smart Chinese-made structures" could be used as "a means of surveillance or espionage." For certain conservative factions in the UK, wind turbines are indeed not mere "pieces of inanimate metal," but rather a "sitting target" meticulously crafted to stir up sentiment and smear China. From the so-called "spy" case and the site of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, to the security guideline issued by MI5, some British politicians and media have persistently labeled everything related to China as a national security threat. Behind this lies their ulterior motive to advance anti-China political goals through the securitization of normal exchanges. Li Guanjie, research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, told the Global Times on Monday that "the ongoing hyping of China-related issues by certain UK Conservative politicians and media outlets is a calculated partisan strategy. By persistently disseminating false information and manipulating public discourse, they aim to intervene in the government's decision-making. These tactics are particularly pronounced against the backdrop of the UK government's unclear stance, striving to cultivate a tougher policy toward China." Such narrative manipulation, driven by political self-interest, is fundamentally detached from the UK's genuine security concerns and overlooks the country's national interests and practical development needs. According to a recent report by the Financial Times, "China's cost advantage in turbine manufacturing had grown huge at about 40 percent, at least compared with Western rivals," which will strongly support Britain to decarbonize its power system by 2030. Moreover, the Ming Yang Power's substantial 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) investment in Scotland is expected to create up to 1,500 jobs and boost the local economic development. The fact that senior officials of the Scottish government repeatedly met with Ming Yang officials to encourage the firm to invest in Scotland underscores their recognition of the project's tangible benefits. Therefore, the politicization and securitization of wind power facilities will severely hinder the UK energy transition progress and ultimately harm its local economy and public welfare. The Ming Yang investment still awaits final approval from the UK government. The outcome will be a key test for the government - it will measure whether the government can make a rational choice between political noises and economic benefits. Perhaps the greatest security challenge facing the UK today is not the imagined fear of China's "enormous power over UK energy grid," but rather whether its policymaking can free itself from the interference of irrational anti-China rhetoric. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) BRAMBLETON, Va., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knutson Companies proudly announces that its District Towns at St. Elizabeths East community has been named the 2025 Community of the Year at the Great American Living Awards (GALA). This recognition celebrates excellence in residential design, marketing and sales throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. St. Elizabeths East Wins 2025 Community of the Year at the Great American Living Awards Developed in partnership with Wiles Mensch, Lessard Design and Redbrick LMD, District Towns at St. Elizabeths East reflects Knutson's dedication to thoughtful design, architectural integrity and community-driven development. Located in Washington, D.C.'s historic Congress Heights neighborhood, this community of 88 townhomes brings the first homeownership opportunities to the celebrated St. Elizabeths East campus. The project exemplifies a modern vision for connected, walkable living that honors the area's heritage while providing attainable homeownership opportunities. In addition to this top honor, the Knutson Companies received several other GALA recognitions celebrating its innovation and excellence across multiple disciplines: Best Sales Office The Camden Sales Office, Brambleton, VA Best Video or TV Ad Archer Square Condominiums Testimonial Video Best Integrated Marketing Campaign District Towns "Final Opportunity" Campaign The Great American Living Awards, presented annually by the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, Washington Metropolitan Sales and Marketing Council and Maryland Building Industry Association, celebrate the region's most innovative and impactful achievements in residential design, architecture and marketing. To learn more about the Knutson Companies and its new home communities, please visit knutsoncos.com. About Knutson: Known for architectural excellence, personalized finishes through their Design Studio and expert execution, Knutson delivers homes that offer quality craftsmanship and classic sophistication. Their portfolio spans distinctive residential neighborhoods that balance elegance, comfort, and a strong sense of place. Contact: Pascale Roy Executive Vice President, The Knutson Companies 703-928-1575 [email protected] SOURCE The Knutson Companies On Friday, October 24th, Ireland will elect its next president. While the presidency is constitutionally a largely symbolic office, recent holders have used it to give voice to social justice issues, foreign policy stances, and national identity debates. This election has sharpened into a twohorse contest after the decision of Fianna Fail candidate Jim Gavin to stop campaigning. Independent candidate Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys are the principal contenders. For many voters, this will be a choice not just of personality, but of which direction Ireland should take regarding neutrality, migration, social justice, and more. This guide aims to help you understand whos who, whats at stake, and where your views align. Brief candidate profiles Catherine Connolly (Independent) Connolly has served as a TD for the Galway West constituency since 2016. She has worked as a clinical psychologist and as a barrister and is an Irish speaker. Advertisement She began her political career as a member of the Labour Party, but left the party in 2007. She was Mayor of Galway from 2004 to 2005, and served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the 33rd Dail from July 2020 to November 2024. Ideologically on the political left, Connolly's presidential election campaign has been endorsed by Sinn Fein, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party, the Green Party, People Before Profit, 100% Redress, and several independent Oireachtas members. Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) Humphreys was a TD for the CavanMonaghan constituency from 2011 to 2024, and she served as deputy leader of Fine Gael from April to October 2024. She has served in various cabinet positions from 2014 to 2025, including Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection. Hailing from Co Monaghan, Humphreys was elected mayor of the county in 2009. She previously worked with Ulster Bank in 1978, and later worked in a local credit union. She was appointed manager of Cootehill Credit Union, a position she held from 1999 to 2011. Values and policy signals Issue Catherine Connolly Heather Humphreys Neutrality and foreign affairs Connolly has said she will be a president for "peace, diplomacy, and neutrality". She has said neutrality is one of the most important policies Ireland has, and that it should be used proactively to bring peace. She says she has "utterly condemned" Hamas and said both Israel and Hamas have "committed war crimes". Humphreys has said she will continue calling out what she sees as genocide committed by Israel in Gaza, as Michael D Higgins has done and is right to do. Humphreys questions the triple lock, which gives the UN Security Council a veto on the deployment of Irish troops abroad. Migration and asylum Connolly has called far-right slogans such as Ireland is full disturbing and unacceptable". "That doesnt mean I wont listen to people who feel disconnected. But its not based on any evidence or facts, she said. Theres a conflating of language here and a mixing up of people seeking asylum status, and people coming into the country looking for work. Humphreys said she would use her presidency to have hard conversations about asylum-seeker accommodation. I want people to sit down and have conversations. We saw how a peace process evolved in Northern Ireland through discussion and hard conversations, she said. Those seeking asylum need to be processed quickly, and if theyre not entitled to be here, they need to be returned. Housing and social justice Connolly has been outspoken about how there are homes sitting empty while there are record levels of homeless people. She has called for an urgent reversal of policy based on a constitutional right to a home. Humphrey's track record in government means she is tied to past housing crises. Her campaign promises more listening and unity rather than bold redistribution. Cultural identity, language, and reunification Connolly, as an Irish speaker, sees the language as central and wants to empower its revival. She has said she thinks the president should be able to speak Irish, adding that it is a "beautiful language" and is "the heartbeat of our shared identity". She has said she would use her voice "in every way possible" for a united Ireland. Humphrey's status as a presbyterian is brought up a lot. On a united Ireland, she frames her candidacy as unifying across traditions. She has been criticised for not yet being fluent in the Irish language, despite having been Minister of Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht LGBTQ+/Social issues Connolly has made it clear that she believes "racism, bigotry, and violence" have no place in Irish society. She said Irish people know better than most what it is like to be "othered and excluded when we sought a new life elsewhere and we should never make others feel the same". She campaigned for Marriage Equality in Galway, supports the Gender Recognition Act, and is against conversion therapy. She has spoken out in the Dail about LGBTQ+ rights at home and abroad. Humphreys supported the 2015 Marriage Equality referendum. She has revealed that she would not consider a transgender person who identified as a woman to be a woman, only a trans-woman. Commenting on the case of Barbie Kardashian, she said that the matter had complexities to it. In my book, a woman is a female adult, and a man is a male adult; thats my belief, she said. But we know the world is not black and white, and there are complexities there. And obviously its a difficult situation. Controversies Catherine Connolly Connolly's main controversies stem from criticism regarding the following: Heather Humphreys Humphreys main controversies during the presidential election campaign include: Final thoughts Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm on voting day. The ballot paper will show a list of names, in alphabetical order, and a description of each candidate. There will be a box to the right of each candidates name. You mark your preference for each candidate in the box to the right. Voting in a presidential election is the same as any other election, except for the fact that only one person will be elected. When marking your ballot paper make sure you start with 1 for your first preference, then 2 for your second preference, 3 for your third preference. You can vote for as many or as few candidates as you wish. Here are links to both Connolly's and Humphreys' manifestos. A former Bank of Ireland employee who stole almost 200,000 from a midlands branch and its customers before attempting to set the building on fire showed a total disregard for public safety and should not have received a fully suspended sentence, the Director of Public Prosecutions has argued. Maureen McCormack (53) maintained that she stole the money to pay for debts incurred for IVF treatment. She tried to set fire to the bank when she learned the branch was closing, fearing an examination of the accounts would bring her offending to light. McCormack has since paid back more than half the money. McCormack of Esker, Banagher, Co Offaly, pleaded guilty to arson at the Bank of Ireland branch in the town on October 6th, 2021. She also entered guilty pleas to three theft charges, including the theft of approximately 145,000 in cash which was the property of Bank of Ireland between January 1st, 2017, and October 6th, 2021. Advertisement The 53-year-old further admitted stealing money to the approximate value of 33,419.50 from two individuals on December 2nd, 2013, and stealing 21,008.24 from two others on November 7th, 2016. McCormack was sentenced to 240 hours of community service in lieu of four years in prison in respect of the arson charge and a sentence of four years in prison suspended for a period of six years in relation to one of the theft charges by Judge Keenan Johnson at Tullamore Circuit Court in October 2024. Imposing sentence, Judge Johnson noted: It does appear to have been a desperate attempt on her part to cover her tracks when she engaged in an act of arson. Lawyers for the DPP on Tuesday argued the custodial threshold had clearly been passed and the fully suspended sentence represented a substantial departure from the norm, encompassing no element of deterrence. They said the crime had involved planning and manipulation and McCormack had shown a total disregard for the safety of her colleagues and the public by starting a fire to destroy and conceal evidence. However, McCormacks legal team said the former bank employee had made restitution for a large portion of what was owed by cashing in her pension and the judge was entitled to use his discretion in fully suspending the four-year sentence. Submissions made to the court record that McCormack has paid over 115,886.82 in compensation. The incident came to light on October 6th, 2021, when emergency services were called to the Bank of Ireland branch in Banagher around 1pm. Advertisement A fire had broken out in a storeroom, and evidence of a second fire was found inside the banks safe, but this had extinguished itself due to a lack of oxygen. The damage to the building was estimated to be 10,000. Following the fire, bank officials noted that the safe should have contained 169,160 but an inspection of the vault revealed it only contained 23,665, leaving a shortfall of 145,495. Gardai spoke to McCormack, who told them she had locked the safe at 4:30pm the previous day, at which time it contained 169,160. Ireland Man (44) who raped daughter and conducted 'prolonged, horrific attack' on former partner is jailed Read more She said she called the fire brigade during her lunch break after learning the building was on fire, but claimed she did not know how the fire had started. Upon reviewing CCTV footage, gardai observed McCormack entering the vault on several occasions before the fire was reported and noted that she was the last person to leave it at 12:23pm, approximately half an hour before emergency services were contacted. McCormack was arrested two days later and, while being transported to the garda station, voluntarily admitted to taking money from the bank safe over a period of time to pay off debts. She made further admissions during three subsequent interviews, confessing to the theft and to starting the fires. An American woman allegedly raped by a Dublin firefighter who was in Boston as part of St Patricks Day celebrations had more than double the legal alcohol limit when she was seen by doctors at a hospital Emergency Department, a court heard. Terence Crosbie (38) from Dublin, who has been in custody for 18 months, is accused of raping an American woman at the Omni Parker House hotel in downtown Boston after celebrating at the Black Rose bar on March 14th, 2024. He is pleading not guilty in his second trial, and Tuesday marks the start of the fourth day of evidence. Last June, his court hearing which ended in a mistrial was told that Mr Crosbie from Dublin was in the American city with work colleagues as part of the St Patricks Day celebrations on March 14th, last year. Advertisement It is alleged that on March 15th last year, Crosbie raped the now 29-year-old woman at the hotel. Mr Crosbie had flown to Boston from Ireland on the same day of the alleged incident with colleagues and he was scheduled to leave the following Tuesday, March 18th. Hilary Griffiths, a toxicology analyst with Massachusetts State Police outlined to the court that she received a toxicology kit with two blood samples from the alleged victim. The blood alcohol content at 2am on the morning of the alleged rape had a range of between 0.155 per cent and 0.235 per cent, while at 6am it was 0.135 per cent. In Massachusetts, the blood alcohol limit (BAC) is 0.08 per cent for drivers aged 21 and over. John Fontana, director of security at Omni Parker House hotel, told the court that the premises has cameras inside and outside of the building, in all public areas and entrances. There are no cameras in guest rooms or guest room hallways. The video is kept as part of regular business operations. The hotel also tracks door activity through a lock-readouts system. The system shows keycard usage, deadbolt usage, doors opened from the inside and can distinguish between multiple keycards. A video was provided to the Boston Police Department in March last year. Mr Fontana said he could not identify who was using specific keycards at any given time. Mr Crosbie was sharing a hotel room with a fellow firefighter, whom the victim said she had consensual sex with after meeting earlier in the Black Rose pub. They subsequently fell asleep in separate beds. Advertisement The victim alleged that she woke in the early hours of the following day to another man sexually assaulting her, and identified him to police as the defendant. Taking the stand last week, the alleged victim testified to a text message she sent at 2.18 am saying that she woke up and a guy was inside me. She walked home and then changed her clothes, put her worn clothes in a bag, and went to the hospital. At the ED, she consented to an evidence collection kit and met with nurses and doctors. Her blood was drawn, and she was prescribed medications, including Vyvanse and a medication for depression/anxiety. A medical examination was performed at Massachusetts General Hospital. Two clinical experts reportedly testified that while DNA from two males was found in a swab, the results did not contain enough DNA to identify their source. The alleged victim met with police at the hospital and then again on March 16th, last year where she identified a photo of Liam OBrien, the man she had consensual sex with. Opening statements were heard in Suffolk Superior Court last Thursday afternoon, according to Court TV. Ireland Dublin firefighter's alleged rape victim changed clothes and brought them to hospital, court hears Read more Prosecution attorney Daniela Mendes detailed the events of the day and night in question and argued that the alleged victim was clinically sober despite having alcoholic drinks throughout the day. Attorney Patrick Garrity gave the defenses opening statement, arguing the alleged victim never identified Mr Crosbie as the attacker, despite claiming the lights were on in the room and that she got a good look at the suspect which points to reasonable doubt. Mr Crosbie has been in custody on a $50,000 bail at the Suffolk County Jail since his arrest. The trial continues on Tuesday. and is expected to last for five days. A Garda van was set on fire and fireworks were launched at gardai as hundreds of people protested outside the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin this evening. Around 500 people gathered outside the complex that is used to accommodate asylum seekers. At around 7.30pm this evening trouble erupted as a number of youths in balaclavas and on horseback surrounded gardai, according to witnesses on the scene. The Public Order Unit was then deployed and pepper sprayed was used as the protest turned violent. The Luas between Belgard and Saggart has also been suspended. Gardai and protesters at the scene near the Citywest Hotel. Photo: Collins The anti-immigration protest comes as Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said there is no ongoing threat to public safety in Saggart and no correlation between crime levels and the presence of asylum seeker accommodation centres. AGarda van on fire outside Citywest Hotel, Saggart. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Photos In a statement tonight, the Minister said he has been briefed on recent events in the area and has asked for a detailed account of the management of the asylum application process in the case. Advertisement It is the second night in a row a protest has been held outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. Monday nights demonstration passed without significant incident. The gatherings outside the hotel come after an alleged sexual assault in the vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning. Gardai clash with protesters at Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin. Photo: Collins Theres now a massive Garda presence in the area, with the Garda helicopter overhead as gardai try to disperse the protest. Gardai with public order equipment, helmets and shields, have pushed back protestors, who have surrounded the Citywest IPAS centre shouting "get them out". In a second statement this evening, Mr O'Callaghan said the "scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest tonight must be condemned". A Garda van set alight tonight on Garter Lane near Citywest Hotel and IPAS Centre. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Photos "People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them, and set a Garda vehicle on fire. This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai. Those involved will be brought to justice. "As has been made clear during the day, a man has been arrested and charged before the courts in relation to the alleged incident. While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area." Protestors confront gardai after breaking an initial cordon just before violence broke out pictured this evening at Citywest Hotel and IPAS centre. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Photos He added: "Unfortunately, the weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected. The Gardai are prepared for this, but attacking Gardai and property is not an answer, and wont help to make anyone feel safe. Advertisement "It is clear to me from talking to colleagues during the day and this evening that this violence does not reflect the people of Saggart. They are not the people participating in this criminality, but rather the people sitting at home in fear of it. "Attacks on Gardai will not be tolerated. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not. There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed tonight." Speaking on the final presidential debate on RTE, Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys said "this is not who we are as a country" as she encouraged the protesters to go home. One of the men on trial for the murder of a man whose skeletal remains were found in a gravel bag in Co Cork texted his girlfriend weeks after the discovery was made, denying any involvement whilst stating: Theyre trying to put me in the mix. Gardai found the remains of Kieran Quilligan (47) in a jute bag in a ravine at Whitewell, Rostellan, Co Cork on January 29th, 2024. He had been missing for five months. Niall Long (33) and Luke Taylor (27) are on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork, charged with his murder. Prosecution senior counsel, Donal OSullivan, in his outline to the jury alleged that Kieran Quilligan and another man assaulted Niall Long on September 1st, 2023. It is the case of the State that this was an instigating factor for what occurred afterwards. Advertisement The trial has now heard evidence from Det Garda Anne OSullivan. Det Garda OSullivan said that in March of 2024 one of the accused, Luke Taylor, sent a text to his girlfriend saying that this man (Quilligan) was killed in an unknown place unknown time. He further stated: Im not the person that was robbed. I had nothing to do with that. In the text exchange Luke Taylor insisted that his only involvement was that he bought drugs off Niall Long.Niall is a drug dealer, I buy drugs off Niall. What goes on between the two of them. I had nothing to do with any of that. The jury also heard evidence from Rhona Campbell of the Garda Siochana Analysis Service. She gave a summary of extensive CCTV evidence in the case. Ireland Donegal man (70s) to stand trial charged with 28 indecent assault charges Read more The case continues on Tuesday in front of Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford and the jury of ten men and two women. The Prosecution case has now closed. Meanwhile, Kieran Quilligan was living with his partner in Simon Community housing in Cork city when he was last seen on September 1st, 2023. He was a native of Togher in Cork city. The charge facing both accused is that the murder was carried out on a date unknown between September 1st, 2023, and January 29th, 2024, at an unknown location within the state of the District Court area of Cork city. Niall Long previously of St Michaels Close in Mahon in Cork and and Luke Taylor formerly of Cherry Lawn in Blackrock in the city both deny murdering Mr Quilligan. Two men, in their 20s and 30s, have been arrested as part of ongoing investigations into a number of burglaries that occurred in Tipperary, Limerick, and Wexford in August of this year. As part of Operation THOR, gardai conducted an intelligence-led operation in Dublin on Monday as part of ongoing investigations targeting an organised crime group suspected to be involved in burglaries nationwide. The man in his 20s was arrested on foot of an outstanding court warrant and appeared before Tullamore Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon. The man in his 30s remains detained at a Garda Station in Co. Tipperary under the provisions of Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007. Gardai said investigations are ongoing. COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today, Novo Nordisk A/S announced that it has called for an extraordinary general meeting to elect new members to its Board of Directors. The Novo Nordisk Foundation agrees with this decision and is proposing new board members for election, including Lars Rebien Srensen as Chair and Cees de Jong as Vice Chair of the Board of the company. At the extraordinary general meeting of Novo Nordisk A/S, which will be held on 14 November, the Foundation will propose the following for election to the company's board: Lars Rebien Srensen, Chair Cees de Jong, Vice Chair Britt Meelby Jensen, Member Mikael Dolsten, Member Stephan Engels, Member Kasim Kutay and the employee-elected board members Elisabeth Dahl Christensen, Liselotte Hyveled, Mette Bjer Jensen and Thomas Rantzau will remain on the Board. Furthermore, the Foundation plans to propose Helena Saxon and one additional member for election to Novo Nordisk's Board at the company's Annual General Meeting on 26 March 2026. A description of each candidate's qualifications and status as an independent or non-independent board member can be found in the appendix to this press release. The Novo Nordisk Foundation Board proposes election of Lars Rebien Srensen as Chair of Novo Nordisk A/S with the intention that he serves for a limited period of 2-3 years with two key objectives: The first is to support the new management of Novo Nordisk A/S in implementing its transformation plans and regaining the company's growth momentum. The second objective is to identify and appoint a new chair who can successfully lead the company into the 2030s. The decision to call for an extraordinary general meeting was taken by Novo Nordisk's Board following a dialogue with the Novo Nordisk Foundation regarding the future composition of the company's Board. Novo Nordisk's Board proposed a renewal focusing on addition of select new competencies while also maintaining continuity, whereas the Board of the Foundation wanted a more extensive reconfiguration of the Board. Lars Rebien Srensen, Chair of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, said: "The Foundation fully supports the Novo Nordisk Board's appointment of CEO Mike Doustdar and the transformation plans announced on 10 September. We believe it is time to bring in new competencies and perspectives to the Board to support Mike Doustdar and his leadership team in executing on the company's strategy, and we therefore agree with the decision to call for an extraordinary general meeting. Given the fast-moving environment in which Novo Nordisk operates, we believe that it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders to implement a board renewal as soon as possible, rather than wait until the ordinary annual general meeting in March next year." Lars Rebien Srensen added: "I want to thank Novo Nordisk's Board for setting direction and ensuring governance of the company through years of unprecedented growth." Lars Rebien Srensen will remain Chair of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a position he has held since 2018, but will step down from his position as Chair of Novo Holdings A/S, the Foundation's investment company. A new chair will be announced by Novo Holdings. Further information Christian Mostrup, Director, Public Relations, Novo Nordisk Foundation Phone: +45 30674805, e-mail: [email protected]. Attachment : The Novo Nordisk Foundation's proposal for the election of members to the Board of Directors of Novo Nordisk A/S at the company's extraordinary general meeting on 14 November 2025. About the Novo Nordisk Foundation Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people's health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Novo Nordisk Foundation is the majority shareholder of the companies in the Novo Group and through its subsidiary, Novo Holdings, the Foundation owns more than 25% of the shares and holds more than 70% of the votes in Novo Nordisk A/S. PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801504/Novo_Nordisk_Foundation_Appendix.pdf SOURCE Novo Nordisk Foundation Waterford Airport is set to become a fully operational aviation hub following approval of a landmark private funding agreement by Waterford Council on Monday. Councillors voted in favour of the proposal, which will see the runway extended and widened to international standards. The Bolster Group secured a comprehensive 30 million funding package to deliver the complete capital project, enabling commercial flights to return to Ireland's South-East region for the first time in almost two decades. The development represents a significant breakthrough after 17 years of seeking government funding for the runway extension project, with the private investment removing dependency on public sector support. Waterford Regional Airport PLC had campaigned intensively for government backing, with growing public pressure reflected in both local and national election results across the South-East region. William Bolster, executive of the Bolster Group: "The positive vote is fantastic news and paves the way to deliver a vital infrastructure project for the South-East. The Councillors should be commended for taking such a brave decision to move forward and for trusting the Bolster Group to deliver this project for the Southeast. Advertisement "This will not only secure existing jobs but will allow employment to expand with upwards of 100 jobs both on and off-site involved during construction. Once complete, further jobs will be added as scheduled air traffic proceeds. "With the support of the local council and the board of Waterford Airport, the Bolster Group will be fully self-funding the project, and construction can commence imminently. This agreement would not have been possible without the support and forward-thinking approach demonstrated by the chief executive of Waterford City Council, Sean McKeown, and the Chairman of Waterford Regional Airport, Michael Walsh. "Together we committed to deliver this project for the people of the South-East, and that is exactly what will happen." Mr Bolster said the runway extension will boost international connectivity to Ireland's South-East, providing direct access to European and UK destinations for both business and leisure travellers. US vice president JD Vance has visited a newly opened centre in Israel for civilian and military co-operation that he called central to keeping the US-backed ceasefire plan for Gaza on track. Mr Vance, who visited with top US envoys, said the fragile ceasefire is going better than I expected. US envoy Steve Witkoff added that we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time. Mr Vance, Mr Witkoff and others are in Israel to shore up the ceasefire following a burst of deadly violence and questions over the plan for long-term peace. A Palestinian man carries a box of food (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Mr Vance was meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials and is expected to stay in the region until Thursday. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumps son-in-law and one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, is also in Israel. Advertisement Also on Tuesday, Hamas said it had returned the remains of two more hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza. Mr Vance urged a little bit of patience amid growing Israeli frustration with Hamass pace of the returns. Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are, Mr Vance said. Its just a reason to counsel in favour of a little bit of patience. He added that a lot of this work is very hard as he faced questions over next steps, and he urged flexibility. JD Vance and his wife Usha arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv (Nathan Howard/pool photo via AP) The ceasefire took effect on October 10. While it has been tested by Sundays fighting and mutual accusations of violations, both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the deal. Mr Trump has made clear he wants it to succeed. The head of Egypts intelligence agency, Major General Hassan Rashad, travelled to Israel on Tuesday to meet Mr Netanyahu, Mr Witkoff and others over the ceasefires implementation, according to Mr Netanyahus office. The meetings highlight the urgency of launching negotiations for the second phase of the US plan, which must address issues such as the disarmament of Hamas and the governance of post-war Gaza. Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war ends once and for all. From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypts Al-Qahera News. Advertisement Israel confirmed that Palestinian militants had released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7 2023 that ignited the war. He was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. The 42-year-old was part of its emergency response team and had four children, including one born after the attack. Palestinians pray over the bodies of people who were killed in an Israeli military strike (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 hostages. Thirteen others have been turned over. Under the deal, Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each dead hostage, according to Gazas Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. It said Israel had transferred another 15 on Tuesday, for a total of 165 since earlier this month. International organisations said they were scaling up humanitarian aid entering Gaza, while Hamas-led security forces launched a crackdown against what it called price gouging by private merchants. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it had sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. That is still well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war. The WFP also said it had reinstated 26 distribution points and hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points across Gaza as soon as possible. Residents said prices for essential goods soared on Sunday after militants killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with strikes that killed dozens of Palestinians. Israel also threatened to halt humanitarian aid. Advertisement On Monday, Hamas said its security forces raided shops across Gaza, closing at least 10 shops and warehouses, and forced merchants to lower prices. Hamas also has imposed more order, allowing aid trucks to move safely and halting looting of deliveries. JD Vance speaks to the media during a trip to Israel (Francisco Seco/AP) Meanwhile, a senior health official in Gaza said some bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel bore evidence of torture and called for a United Nations-launched investigation. So far, only 32 of the bodies have been identified, according to Gazas Health Ministry. The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated, saying it had followed legal procedures and provided medical care and adequate living conditions. In the initial 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as hostages. The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross. The crown jewels stolen in a dramatic weekend heist at the Louvre in Paris were worth an estimated 88 million euros (76 million), it has been revealed. However, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that the monetary estimate does not include their historical value to France. Ms Beccuau, whose office is leading the heist probe, said about 100 investigators are now involved in the police hunt for the suspects and gems after Sundays theft from the worlds most visited museum. The wrongdoers who took these gems wont earn 88 million euros if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels, she said in an interview with broadcaster RTL. We can perhaps hope that theyll think about this and wont destroy these jewels without rhyme or reason. A wound for all of us Rachida Dati, culture minister Also on Tuesday, Frances culture minister said that the security apparatus installed at the Louvre worked properly during the theft. Questions have arisen about the Louvre security and whether security cameras might have failed after thieves rode a basket lift up the museums facade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels. Advertisement The Louvre museums security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact, the minister, Rachida Dati, told politicians in the National Assembly. The Louvre museums security apparatus worked. Ms Dati said she launched an administrative inquiry that comes in addition to a police investigation to ensure full transparency into what happened. She did not offer any details about how the thieves managed to carry out their heist given that the cameras were working, but she described it as a painful blow for the nation. The heist was a wound for all of us, she said. Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the worlds largest museum. Its a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony. Interior minister Laurent Nunez said on Monday that the museums alarm was triggered when the window of the Apollo Gallery was forced. A police van patrols in the courtyard of the closed Louvre museum (Thibault Camus/AP) Police officers arrived on site two or three minutes after they were called by an individual that witnessed the scene, he said on LCI television. Officials said the heist lasted less than eight minutes in total, including less than four minutes inside the Louvre. Mr Nunez did not disclose details about video surveillance cameras that may have filmed the thieves around and in the museum pending a police investigation. Advertisement There are cameras all around the Louvre, he said. Sundays theft focused on the Apollo Gallery, where the Crown Diamonds are displayed. Alarms brought Louvre agents to the room, forcing the intruders to bolt, but the theft was already over. Eight objects were taken, according to officials: a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonapartes second wife; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugenies diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch, a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble. Plans are on hold for President Donald Trump to sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to talk about resolving the war in Ukraine, according to a US official. The meeting had been announced last week and was supposed to take place in Budapest, Hungary, although a date had not been set. The decision was made following a call between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Tuesday there was no sense of urgency for Mr Trump and Mr Putin to meet, saying that preparation is needed, serious preparation. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction European leaders' statement The back-and-forth over Mr Trumps plans is the latest bout of whiplash caused by his efforts to resolve a conflict that has persisted for nearly four years. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders accused Mr Putin of stalling for time to continue his invasion as diplomatic efforts took place. Advertisement They also said they opposed any push to make Kyiv surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Mr Trump has on occasion suggested. Eight European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, as well as senior European Union officials said in a joint statement they intend to go ahead with plans to use Moscows billions of dollars of frozen assets abroad to help Kyiv win the war, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. Mr Zelensky noted that Mr Putin returned to diplomacy and called Mr Trump last week when facing the possibility that the US would supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. But as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue, Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday in a Telegram post. We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace, he said. We stand with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/gwe1Mxvey2 UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) October 21, 2025 The leaders statement laid down a marker by saying they remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. Mr Trump last month reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to concede land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. However, after a phone call with Mr Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Mr Zelensky on Friday, Mr Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are in the war. On Sunday, Mr Trump said that the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be cut up, leaving most of it in Russian hands. Mr Trump said on Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, he is now doubtful it will happen. Advertisement Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Mr Trump on their side. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the statement said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. The dynamics of Mr Trumps engagement with Europes biggest conflict since the Second World War have zigzagged as he searches for a peace deal. Workers repair power lines damaged in a Russian attack (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP) Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Mr Zelensky said would be a week that is very active in diplomacy. More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, Tuesdays statement said. On Friday, a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine is due to take place in London. Japans parliament has elected ultra-conservative Sanae Takaichi as the countrys first female prime minister, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right. Ms Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the Liberal Democratic Partys disastrous election loss in July. Mr Ishiba, who lasted only one year as prime minister, resigned with his Cabinet earlier in the day, paving the way for his successor. Ms Takaichi won 237 votes four more than a majority compared to 149 won by Yoshikoko Noda, head of the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in the lower house. As the results were announced, Ms Takaichi stood up and bowed deeply. Sanae Takaichi was elected during a session of the lower house (Eugene Hoshiko/AP) Ms Takaichi, 64, appointed former defence minister Minoru Kihara as chief cabinet secretary. She also appointed her leadership rivals within the party to her government along with other veteran politicians. Toshimitsu Motegi, who previously served as both trade and foreign ministers, was named foreign minister, while former agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi was named defence minister. Advertisement Former chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi was named internal affairs and communication minister. Ms Takaichi also appointed Mr Ishibas chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, as economy and trade minister. Despite her earlier pledge to drastically increase the number of women in the cabinet, she appointed only three, all of them supporters in the party leadership vote former regional revitalisation minister Satsuki Katayama as finance minister, Kimi Onoda as economic security minister and Midori Matsushima as the prime ministers aide. The LDPs alliance with the Osaka-based right-wing Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin no Kai, ensured her premiership because the opposition is not united. Ms Takaichis untested alliance is still short of a majority in both houses of parliament and will need to court other opposition groups to pass any legislation a risk that could make her government unstable and short-lived. Political stability is essential right now, Ms Takaichi said at Mondays signing ceremony with the JIP leader and Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura. Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy. The two parties signed a coalition agreement on policies underscoring Ms Takaichis hawkish and nationalistic views. Advertisement Their last-minute deal came after the Liberal Democrats lost its long-time partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, which has a more dovish and centrist stance. The break-up threatened a change of power for the LDP, which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades. Ms Taikichi is leader of Japans Liberal Democratic Party (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP) Tackling rising prices and other economic measures is the top priority for Ms Takaichis government, LDP secretary general Shunichi Suzuki told NHK public television as he apologised over the delay because of the partys internal power struggle since the July election. He said the new coalition will co-operate with other opposition parties to quickly tackle rising prices to live up to the expectations of the people. JIP does not hold ministerial posts in Ms Takaichis Cabinet until the party is confident about its partnership with the LDP, Mr Yoshimura has said. Ms Takaichi is running against deadlines, as she prepares for a major policy speech later this week, talks with US President Donald Trump and regional summits. She needs to quickly tackle rising prices and compile economy-boosting measures by late December to address public frustration. While she is the first woman serving as Japans prime minister, she is in no rush to promote gender equality or diversity. Ms Takaichi is among Japanese politicians who have stonewalled measures for womens advancement. She supports the imperial familys male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples. Advertisement A protege of assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Ms Takaichi is expected to emulate his policies including a stronger military and economy, as well as revising Japans pacifist constitution. Also an admirer of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Ms Takaichi was first elected to parliament in 1993 and has served in a number of senior party and government posts, including as minister of economic security and internal affairs, but her diplomatic background is thin. When Komeito left the governing coalition, it cited the LDPs lax response to slush fund scandals that led to their consecutive election defeats. The centrist party also raised concern about Ms Takaichis revisionist view of Japans wartime past and her regular prayers at Yasukuni Shrine despite protests from Beijing and Seoul that see the visits as lack of remorse about Japanese aggression, as well as her recent xenophobic remarks. Ms Takaichi has toned down her hawkish rhetoric. On Friday, she sent a religious ornament instead of going to Yasukuni. Advertisement BusinessCompaniesAviation Opinion Rex Airlines rescue more a relief than cause for celebration Elizabeth Knight Business columnist October 21, 2025 2:31pm October 21, 2025 2:31pm 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 3 View all comments Our ailing regional airline Rex has got a buyer, and its a relatively unknown North Carolina-based company, Air T, whose business is mainly operating freight delivery services and trading aviation spare parts. So good news for regional travellers and the Albanese government, but a rescue deal for Rex isnt exactly a glamorous event. The government has kept Rexs financial heart beating for almost a year. It had to because many of the airlines customers dont have many choices. Labor said EY would apply to the Federal Court to extend the administration of Rex until the end of the year. Kate Geraghty Air T Inc isnt some high-profile commercial airline or even some big-brand private equity player thats looking to revive Rex and flick it on down the track for a big price. This is no repeat of the Virgin administration in which buyers were fighting with one another to recapitalise the airline, strip out its costs and debt to make it profitable as the second player in the national aviation duopoly. And theres no Qatar Airways lurking around looking at Rex. Advertisement This rescue deal is for a regional airline which brings with it some hefty baggage. Most notably, the economic challenge of flying into relatively remote markets with lower passenger volumes to boot. While Air T is a modest outfit, with a market capitalisation of $US62 million ($95 million), which is a touch over a third of what Rex was worth five years ago, it has one big plus in its corner. It has an inventory of spare parts for the particular aircraft that Rex uses, the Saab 340. And given these planes are no longer made, those parts are in high demand from airlines around the world that still fly these models. And its this detail that may make any impending deal work. Advertisement The theory goes that armed with the spare parts, Rex can continue to run these planes for longer, thus stretching the time needed before investment in replacement aircraft is needed. Related Article Aviation Competition is toughening, but will it be enough for Qantas to lift its game? That said, the aircraft will eventually need replacing, which will be an expensive exercise, even if they are leased. For Air T, overcoming that hurdle in the future may prove a tall order. At the time of writing there was no official statement about Air Ts proposal, so we dont know how much of the $130 million the government has lent Rex will be recouped. But the government will be pleased to have the airlines business taken off its hands, so any deal would be a cause for celebration. What it would mean for the continuance of certain regional routes depends on the shape of the deal that remains to be hashed out between the federal government, Air T and Rexs administrators at EY. Advertisement Running any airline is tough, and making a profit from an Australian regional airline is even tougher. Rex became unstuck when its ambitions moved beyond regional markets, and it pursued Virgin and Qantas to take on the intercity market. Related Article Opinion Aviation Rex offered cheap and reliable flights. I knew it couldnt last David King National Editor, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. It was hit by a competitive wall when Virgin, and to a lesser extent Qantas, used lower fares to combat the interloper. Ultimately, Rex became another aviation casualty joining the list of outfits that over the years have sought to break the stranglehold of Qantas. Making matters murkier, the corporate regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) took legal action late last year against Rex. Advertisement In December, ASIC took Rex and its executive chairman Lim Kim Hai and directors John Sharp, Lincoln Pan and Siddharth Khotkar to the NSW Supreme Court over serious governance failures, alleging they misled the market in February 2023 about the health of the companys finances. Rex has been through a wringer. Its ambitious push into the lucrative intercity routes came a cropper even as it grappled a boardroom brawl and management turmoil. So the rebirth of Rex under new ownership and management will be more a relief than cause for revelry. The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the days trading. Get it each weekday afternoon. CLARIFICATION This article has been updated to reflect the official announcement of the deal to sell Rex Airlines to Air T. Advertisement BusinessThe economyExecutive pay Opinion Most people think CEOs are grossly overpaid. What can we do about it? Matt Wade Senior economics writer October 22, 2025 4:00am October 22, 2025 4:00am 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 195 View all comments Few things can unite Australians like CEO salaries. Opinion polls have found about 80 per cent of us think corporate bosses are paid too much. Photo: Simon Letch The latest figures on executive remuneration, for 2023-24, show Victor Herrero of jewellery retailer Lovisa Holdings topped the list for CEOs living in Australia. He took home just under $40 million, which means in less than one day Herrero had already banked more money than the average wage earner would take home in the whole year. While we all know CEOs get fat packets, the truth is we dont realise just how fat they have become. A new study co-authored by Melbourne University academic Christopher Hoy highlights the gulf between public perceptions of executive pay and the reality. Advertisement The researchers used global CEO pay data from Bloomberg to calculate how the salaries of chief executive officers compared with typical workers. They discovered the average CEO of a company listed on the Australian stock exchange earned more than 100 times the pay of the average full-timer. Related Article Exclusive Good Weekend These women are fighting a retail juggernaut Beliefs about CEO salaries were then tested with a survey. It turns out people were way off the mark saying they earned just seven times as much as the average full-timer. When asked how much CEO should earn, respondents report only three times as much. CEOs are clearly getting paid far beyond what people think is socially acceptable, particularly for the current rates of taxation, says Hoy. But the giant pay gap between top executives and regular workers is relatively recent. Advertisement Research by economics professor turned Labor MP Andrew Leigh tracks how CEO pay packets took off during the 1990s as the market for top executives became increasingly globalised. We may get better talent as a result, but one of the consequences of doing a worldwide search is that we now pay the global price for CEOs, he writes in his recently updated book Battlers and Billionaires. BHP, one of Australias oldest and largest companies, illustrates this trend. The firms CEO received about 50 times average earnings in the early 1990s, Leighs research shows. But that has blown out to around 190 times. The latest review of CEO pay by the Australia Council of Superannuation Investors (which measures realised earnings) found the current BHP chief, Mike Henry, received $19.3 million in 2023-24, making him the fourth-highest paid executive living in Australia behind Lovisas Victor Herrero, Macquarie Bank boss Shemara Wikramanayake ($29.8m) and The Goodman Groups Greg Goodman ($26.9m). Advertisement Hoys study of wage inequality draws attention to another dynamic affecting CEO pay in Australia that gets surprisingly little attention the language we speak. Related Article Executive pay We spoke to one of the ASXs highest-paid CEOs. Heres how she defended her $23m pay packet While the average CEO here received about 100 times more than the average full-timer, that ratio was considerably smaller in both Japan (59 times) and France (63 times) even though those nations have much bigger economies than Australia, and host many large global firms. But CEOs do much better in the US (where the average CEO earns 269 times the average worker) and in the UK (214 times). These differences show how the globalisation of executive labour markets since the 1990s has favoured English-speaking CEOs, including Australians. Advertisement If you look at the income share of the top 1 per cent, youll see that its risen much more steeply in English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, than in non-English-speaking countries such as France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Switzerland, writes Leigh. If youre an English-speaking CEO, globalisation just magnified your job options. It would be dangerous to pretend the huge pay mismatch between top CEOs and average workers has no consequences. It threatens to weaken trust in business, politics and even democracy. The share of voters who say the government is run for a few big interests jumped from 38 per cent in 2007 to 54 per cent in 2022 according to the respected Australian Electoral Study, which has conducted surveys after each election since the mid-1980s. The big company boards responsible for setting CEO pay dont seem to care much about the publics frustration at their remuneration policies or the way they might undermine trust. But it turns out federal Labor has already put forward a good policy on CEO pay that would promote greater transparency and much-needed accountability. Advertisement In 2018, Leigh, who was then the shadow assistant treasurer, announced Labor would require all listed firms with more than 250 employees to report on the ratio of their CEO pay to the pay of the median employee. Alongside the pay ratio, firms would be encouraged to provide a public explanation of the remuneration strategy. Related Article Future Fund The pay packets at these Aussie companies made a major investor mad At the time, Leigh claimed this policy would help inform investors as they calculate risks and decide where to invest their money and address public concern that CEO salaries are growing at an unfair rate and leaving workers behind. Tackling inequality requires measures across the board, including in the boardroom, he said. A similar scheme introduced by Britains Conservative government has been operating in the UK for the past five years. It aims to increase transparency and boost accountability at the highest level. Advertisement A review of the policy by British think tank the High Pay Centre found CEO-to-worker pay gaps in the UK had remained stable from 2019 to 2024. The ALP policy announced by Leigh in 2018 was put on the backburner following its election loss the following year. But it is time CEO pay received more scrutiny; reviving Labors scheme for greater transparency through the publication of pay ratios would be a good start. Matt Wade is a senior economics writer Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share 7 View all comments Actor brothers Stephen, 49, and Bernard Curry, 51, were last night named winners of The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition after a come-from-behind victory in Java. They won $100,000 for their nominated charity, One in Five, which raises money for research into mental health. They spoke to national TV editor Louise Rugendyke about why a couple of Gen Xers were made to win. Congratulations! Were you approached to do this together or did one of you have to talk the other one into it? Bernard: Its not the first time weve been approached to do something as a set of brothers. And each time I asked Steve, hes very politely said no, thats not really his jam. But then I thought this one, being just travelling, and its not too physical, I thought I could get him across the line. I instructed him to talk to [comedian] Pete Hellier, who did it last year, before making a decision. And Pete, basically, in no uncertain terms, said do it. Stephen: What I love about the show is that its not about double-crossing, its about facing the challenges and trying your best. And some of the [challenges], Im absolutely terrible at, and thats OK. I knew I would be. And look, I didnt know Id have so much trouble finding a key to put into a padlock to open it. That day [episode five, in Uzbekistan], my brain had stopped working, my hands had stopped working, and I was shattered not to be able to find a key. The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition 2025 final three teams: Rob Mills and Georgie Tunny, Stephen and Bernard Curry, and Aesha Scott and Scott Dobson. Did you do any special prep beforehand? Because Im always stunned when people go on The Amazing Race and they dont know how to drive a manual car or ride a bike. Basic race skills! Bernard: We felt as though our entire lives leading up to that point were really the practice. We would always go camping and fishing with our dad, and mum always got us interested in cooking. And just the fact that were Generation X, you know, we pretty much can just have a swing at anything. Advertisement Stephen: Are you saying were the best generation, Berns? Related Article Reality TV Australia, will you accept this rose? Unpacking The Golden Bachelor premiere Bernard: I am saying that. Stephen: The one thing we were really hoping would be one of the challenges was reversing a trailer. But they wouldnt let us do it. Bernard: The one thing we didnt practice, though, was dancing, and that was our kryptonite [the brothers struggled all race with the dance challenges, even taking a time penalty when they quit a Gini Sisila fire dance in Sri Lanka]. What challenge did you feel the most confident doing? Stephen: Anything to do with filleting or guts. Weve basically been raised our whole lives going hunting and fishing. There are a lot of people who balk at it, or might actively vomit due to it I just saved that up for the eating challenges but that was where we were most in our comfort zone. Advertisement Bernard: Strangely enough, its not something you know you can do until you actually do it, I found I have a newfound superpower for imbibing disgusting amounts of gross food and being able to compartmentalise it and just swallow it down. You dont know you have a special skill until youre forced to do it. Stephen: And I can tell you, it [the food] left an indelible and unspeakable imprint on my brain. I cannot rinse it. What was the worst thing you ate? There was a lot of vomiting this season Bernard: The stinky tofu [in Taiwan] was not great. It was not great Stephen: Theres a line in the movie Kenny, where he says, Theres a smell in here thats going to outlast religion. That was the smell. Did you use a bucket? Advertisement Stephen: I did need a bucket, and I used it many times. You both have a lot of experience on television. What was it like showing yourself on screen and not hiding behind a character? Stephen: We did go in there intentionally to show ourselves and our relationship and, of course, hopefully win some money for One in Five. Before we went on, [the producers] said, What really ticks you off about each other? What makes you fight? And we had to tell them we havent had a fight since Bernie was 13. And she went, Yeah, right. You can see these moments [in the show] where they might have liked it if we cracked it at each other. But its not our jam. People think were a bit strange that we actually, genuinely like each others company. Stephen and Bernard Curry say one of their biggest strengths on the race was that they genuinely like each other. Bernard: And also, we approached it like professionals. Weve both been part of reality TV before [Bernard hosted Beauty and the Geek, while Steven co-hosted Blow Up], so we know what the machinations of these shows are. Were always going to be very courteous to our running team, which is a camera person and a sound person, and be easy for the producers and not complain. Bernard, what were Stephens strengths and weaknesses? Now is your chance to complain! Bernard: Steves strength was bringing everyone together with his openness and humour. Hes always telling jokes, much to the producers distraction and chagrin, because they wanted us all to be ultra-competitive. And we all ended up loving each other. And [the producers] are like, Guys, you want to win this. Just stop helping each other in the race. So that was the main strength Steve brought, and look, his knee [was the weakness], it was hanging by a thread. Advertisement Stephen, what about Bernards strengths and weaknesses as a partner? Stephen: Ive been reminded of how capable Bernie is across the board. Hes a bit of a beast, and he can do far more physical stuff than I can do. There was the challenge with the five-metre pole [in episode 13, in Java], where you climb up and get those three baskets and get them down. That is something I couldnt even conceive of doing. Bernies got a real never-say-die attitude. His weakness? Probably the odours. We shared a room for many years as children, and Ive been reminded, in no uncertain terms, of the sights and the sounds and the smells of my brother. Stephen and Bernard Curry performing a dance called Ratoh Jaroe in Indonesia in the final epsiode of The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition. On the last couple of legs of the race, in Indonesia, you two were really on the back foot, coming last in one of the dance challenges, while Stephen was really struggling with his knee. Did you ever think you were cooked? Related Article Streaming What to stream this week: A clock-ticking Netflix nuclear thriller and five more picks Stephen: Bernie, just because he is intrinsically positive, thought we were going to win it from the start. And I never did. It wasnt an arrogant approach to it, he was just of the mindset that if we applied ourselves, we could win it. But I genuinely didnt because I know my knee is crappy, and Ive got a cataract on one of my eyes there are parts of me that are feeling very 50. But those last three episodes, that was when we really started to think we could actually, genuinely win this. You raced through five countries over five weeks it snowed in Uzbekistan, and it was so hot in Sri Lanka that heat stroke claimed Stella Klim which country was the most difficult? Advertisement Police are reviewing charges against more than 120 protesters who participated in a blockade of the worlds largest port after four activists were acquitted in court. Hordes of people descended on the Port of Newcastle in November to call on the federal government to rule out new coal and gas mines, and introduce a 78 per cent tax on coal and gas exports. Climate protesters in kayaks attempt to block access to the Port of Newcastle in November 2024. Getty Images More than 170 people were arrested during the multi-day event, which organisers Rising Tide hailed as the largest single act of civil disobedience in Australias history. Four of the activists were charged with seriously disrupting or obstructing a major facility and faced Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday, where the charges were dismissed. The magistrate found there was a lack of reliable evidence as to the protesters movements at the time, so the offences couldnt be made out, according to Rising Tide. The decision has prompted calls for NSW Police to withdraw action against 129 of the remaining protesters charged under the anti-protest laws introduced in 2022 after a surge of climate activism. A lawyer for 50 of the protesters said the decisive and clear ruling could set a critical precedent for others facing the same charges. The police have spent enough time, money and resources on these charges, Climate Defenders Australia director Josh Pallas said. The police as prosecutors must act in the public interest, and the public interest and the interests of justice can only be served if these charges are withdrawn. A spokesperson for the NSW Police Force said they are reviewing all matters, including recent court decisions. Rising Tide is planning another protest for this coming November, expected to attract thousands of attendees. AAP Advertisement NationalNSWHSC A bit messy: The HSC exam which crams 100 years into three hours Christopher Harris October 21, 2025 5:04pm 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 In just 12 months, HSC modern history student Olivia Lee has covered almost 100 years of dictators, wars, and the best and worst of humanity, from Rosa Parks to Hitler. On Tuesday morning, a century of content was condensed even further. Three hours was all she had to demonstrate she could remember all the dates, facts and statistics shed learnt, alongside 11,131 other students sitting the final modern history exam. Meriden School students Sydney Nguyen, Alyssa Stamson, Alana Ikladios, Olivia Lee and Sophie Tan discuss the exam. Sitthixay Ditthavong Modern history is one of those subjects where theres so much content that youre only really tested on a very small proportion of it, Olivia, 18, said. Topics she studied covered Nazi Germany, the Russian Revolution, the Vietnam War and the American civil rights movements all periods which initially appeared entirely separate. Advertisement But you realise that everythings a bit messy and intertwined, she said. So as youre learning about Hitlers rise to power, you realise, based on all your other topics, so much is happening in the world at the same time. In Indochina, stuff turns up about civil rights in the USA as well. Meriden modern history teacher Jessica Chilton, who is also the schools head of teaching and learning, said the subject helped students collate discrete facts to make a broader argument and see patterns and connections in history. Meriden student Sophie Tan, modern history teacher Jessica Chilton and Sydney Nguyen. Sitthixay Ditthavong I would hate for girls to leave my class thinking that history is just about facts and dates, and timelines. I would have not taught modern history well, if that was the case, she said. Advertisement I want them to leave being able to see the connections between things that have happened in the past, to be able to construct an argument. While numbers in other humanities subjects, such as ancient history, have dropped, modern history enrolments at the HSC level have remained strong at above 10,000 students each year. Outside schools, while university history departments may be struggling, podcasts and historical fiction are booming. Its quite interesting how much historical fiction and shows like that are so popular. I think as humans, were hard-wired to be drawn to stories of the human experience, Chilton said. Sydney Nguyen, 17, enjoyed learning about the frenzied days of the Russian Revolution to Stalins purges and was completely fascinated by the subjects Indochina 1954-1979 topic, which includes the Vietnam War. Advertisement Related Article Exclusive HSC We re-ranked schools by HSC average scores. Only one achieved more than 90 It was known as the lounge room war because everyone got a view into the civilian casualties, she said. In Tuesdays exam, an essay question on the Vietnam War asked students to assess the impact of the Second Indochina War on civilians in both North and South Vietnam. Sydney said those sorts of questions were why she loved the subject. Research and critical thinking is something thats very unique to modern history, she said. You really have to consider all these different perspectives and all of these different experiences that kind of contradict and conflict, but also overlap in the same way, to form history. For Alyssa Stamson, 18, Tuesdays exam was not the easiest she has taken because each question was extremely specific, with little room for broad responses. Advertisement Indochina was a bit difficult in terms of the actual exam. It wasnt the best exam Ive taken, Alyssa said. But it also made it, can I say, a little bit fun? Alana Ikladios, 17, was nervous about the topic of the Vietnam War but those nerves faded when she saw the question. I realised I actually had a lot to say about that topic, she said. Sophie Tan, 17, said, in the power and authority topic covering the Weimar Republic to the rise of Nazism, an eight-mark question about cultural expression and degenerate art put her through her paces because cultural expression, such as jazz, was such a minute part of the syllabus. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here. HONG KONG, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shaw Prize presented its awards to four 2025 Shaw Laureates today at the 2025 Award Presentation Ceremony, held in the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Approximately 600 guests from various sectors participated in the event. (From left to right) Professor Kenji Fukaya, Professor Wolfgang Baumeister, Professor Reinhard Genzel, Professor George Efstathiou and Professor John Richard Bond at the Shaw Prize Award Presentation Ceremony 2025. In his opening remarks, Professor Kenneth Young, Chair of The Shaw Prize Council, expressed deep sorrow at the passing of Professor Chen-ning Yang, a founding member of the Shaw Prize. Professor Young highlighted Professor Yang's pivotal role in shaping the Prize from its inception, and his profound influence on its development and global prominence. On behalf of The Shaw Prize Foundation, Professor Young extended heartfelt condolences to Professor Yang's family, friends, and the global scientific community. The 2025 Shaw Laureates, Professor John Richard Bond, Professor George Efstathiou, Professor Wolfgang Baumeister, and Professor Kenji Fukaya, were then presented with their awards by Professor Reinhard Genzel, Chair of the Board of Adjudicators. Each Shaw Prize also carries a monetary award of US$1.2 million. Professors Bond and Efstathiou, recognised for their studies of fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, reminisced about their decades-long friendship and collaboration. They celebrated their personal and intellectual connections, and global network of collaborators that shaped their work. During his acceptance speech, Professor Baumeister, recognised for his pioneering work in cryogenic-electron tomography, looked back on his journey to visualise cellular structures in their native environment, emphasised the collaborative nature of scientific breakthroughs, and advocated for science without borders. Professor Fukaya, whose work spans Riemannian geometry, symplectic geometry, and gauge theory, reflected on the solitary nature of mathematical work and the rare but meaningful recognition it brings. He expressed heartfelt thanks to his collaborators and his family, for their unwavering support throughout his mathematical journey. SOURCE Shaw Prize Advertisement Exclusive NationalScience Scientists slam budget cuts that threaten Nobel Prize-generating research Liam Mannix and Angus Dalton October 21, 2025 6:00pm 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 Examine, a free weekly newsletter covering science with a sceptical, evidence-based eye, is sent every Tuesday. Youre reading an excerpt sign up to get the whole newsletter in your inbox. The federal government is planning to close one-of-a-kind scientific instruments at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisations synchrotron in Melbourne and Lucas Heights reactor in Sydney, dealing what scientists say is a major blow to net zero research efforts. The synchrotron is often used for research on metal-organic frameworks, the wonder material invented in Melbourne that just two weeks ago won its inventor the Nobel Prize in chemistry. We spent all that money on the synchrotron its like buying a new car and then deciding not to put petrol in it, said Professor Brendan Abrahams, a close collaborator of newly minted Nobel laureate Professor Richard Robson. Its really sad for Australian science because it does look like were going in the wrong direction. Advertisement The cooling pool at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor. ANSTO The synchrotron is a particle accelerator ring in Clayton that generates beams of light 1 million times brighter than the sun, which researchers use to probe the fundamental atomic structure of molecules and build futuristic new materials. The synchrotron runs 24 hours a day. At Sydneys Lucas Heights, the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering hosts similar world-leading instruments that harness neutron beams generated by the OPAL nuclear reactor to answer fundamental chemical questions. The synchrotron beamlines and the world-class neutron-scattering instruments attached to the nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights support hundreds of scientific projects each year. Recently, theyve been used to design lightweight fire-fighting suits, tackle antibiotic resistance and explore new ways to treat inoperable brain cancer with magnetic nanoparticles. The government is proposing to close two of the synchrotrons most popular beamlines, plus the KOALA Laue diffractometer at Lucas Heights one of only two in the world. A taxpayer-funded upgrade of the diffractometer was completed just two years ago. Advertisement The Australian Synchrotron at Clayton. ANSTO / Supplied About 10 per cent of the synchrotrons 150 staff face losing their jobs, the scientists union, Professionals Australia, estimates. These beamlines primarily support fundamental science that gets done across Australia. And that fundamental science translates to solving research problems related to industry it translates to Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, said Professor Christopher Sumby, president of the Society of Crystallographers. Among other research projects, the synchrotron is being used to study metal-organic frameworks, artificial crystals with extraordinary properties. Robson invented them in 1989, but researchers are only now starting to realise their potential as super-sponges, capable of sucking PFAS from water or even CO2 from the atmosphere. The hope was that Australia could be at the forefront of commercialising Robsons discovery, a dream boosted by the bestowing of the Nobel Prize this month. Advertisement Science Minister Tim Ayres lauded the win on LinkedIn as a tribute to the effectiveness and capability of Australias research sector and the sort of research that advances the Albanese Governments Future Made in Australia agenda. Related Article Updated Nobel Prize They said his work was a load of rubbish. Now this Melbourne professor has a Nobel Prize Brendan Abrahams heard about his colleagues Nobel win while news about the closures was still rippling through Australias scientific community. The irony is we have this great achievement of Australian science and were cutting beamlines at the synchrotron, he said. Were so reliant on advanced technology to characterise new materials. If we dont have that capability, I think it certainly sets us back. We are no longer at the forefront. Advertisement The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation is also proposing to close a program funding local scientists to use international synchrotrons meaning they would have no local or international access. In documents released to staff, ANSTO described the changes as sustainability measures. The cuts are out for consultation, with a final decision to be made in December. The proposed cuts drew a scathing reaction from the former head of the Lucas Heights neutron-scattering facility Professor Robert Robinson, who authored a stinging letter to Ayres on Tuesday decrying long-standing failures in ANSTOs unrelated nuclear medicine business, a long story of mismanagement and a fattening up of ANSTOs unproductive centralised bureaucracy. No other nuclear organisation around the world is run by such a group of amateurs, he wrote in the letter, obtained by this masthead. Professor Marta Krasowska, past-chair of one of the synchrotrons beamline advisory committees, described the potential closures as a devastating blow to Australian science one that cannot be undone. Advertisement The potential closure represents irreparable damage to Australias scientific capability and our ability to tackle the challenges that matter most to our future. Related Article Nobel Prize Why winning his Nobel Prize is this humble scientists worst nightmare The synchrotron is in the middle of a $100 million expansion to add eight new beamlines. Federal funding for ANSTO has been increasing since at least 2016-17, from $312 million to $676 million in this years budget. The organisation is building a new nuclear medicine facility and nuclear waste-processing facility at Lucas Heights and expanding the capabilities of several instruments housed there. Advertisement A spokeswoman for the agency said it was committed to supporting long-term financial stability. To achieve this, the organisation has proposed changes to its capabilities, instruments, activities and staffing requirements, among other measures. Photo: Matt Golding The outcome will be a stronger and more focused organisation, she said. Ayres office said he was aware of the cuts. Advertisement Professor Michael Preuss, president of the Australian Neutron Beam Users Group, argued in a letter sent to ANSTOs executive that the beamline facilities were crucial for reaching net zero and supporting other national goals in defence and manufacturing. Theres no instrument which deserves to be shut down. Theyre all performing at a world-class level, Preuss said. Thats evident from the fact that at least 50 per cent of the users actually come from overseas. The Examine newsletter explains and analyses science with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Sign up to get it each week. Advertisement NationalCritical minerals The Victorian towns poised to benefit from critical minerals deal Madeleine Heffernan October 21, 2025 6:45pm 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 Victoria is poised to benefit from a landmark critical minerals deal with the United States, but farmers warn a ramp-up in mining could put the states food bowl at risk. The new Australia-United States critical minerals agreement would speed up a $13 billion pipeline of critical mineral projects, said Mineral Council of Australia chief executive Tanya Constable. Tony Fox is among farmers worried about a proposed mineral sands mine near their properties in Swan Hill. Jason South Victoria has globally significant quantities of titanium, zirconium, and rare-earth elements in mineral sand deposits, as well as the countrys only operating antimony mine, the state government says. Antimony is used to harden lead in storage batteries and in the semiconductor industry. Developing these resources would create jobs and economic activity for Victorias regions, provide royalties to the people of Victoria, supply ethically sourced materials into the market and strengthen Victorian and Australian supply chains, the government said. Advertisement But Victorias small land size and dense population could lead to greater opposition to further mining projects, according to the governments critical minerals road map. Competing land uses, proximity to urban centres and environmental considerations can impact community confidence in mining operations, it said. A state government spokesperson said Victoria had more than a dozen projects currently in development, and growth in critical minerals could inject billions of dollars of benefits into regional Victoria. The critical minerals are mostly in the Gippsland, the Wimmera and Mallee regions. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said the rush to dig up and process critical minerals shouldnt come at the expense of the states food bowl. Advertisement This cant be a free-for-all driven by global politics, Hosking said. We might be a small fish up against these huge mining companies driven by global superpower tensions, but this land and these farmers matter and help provide food for millions. However, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the state must move quickly to exploit the critical minerals and rare earths that could help drive decarbonisation across the globe. Achieving net-zero targets will require mining six times more minerals by 2040 than what was produced in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency. The opportunity remains for Victoria to do more than dig and ship, the chamber said. With its advanced manufacturing regional Victoria can become the hub for value-adding capability in critical minerals. Under the deal, Australia and the US will each contribute $1 billion over the next six months into rare-earths projects that are immediately available, and fast-track project approvals. Advertisement The Australia-US agreement is designed to weaken Chinas domination of critical minerals and ensure both countries have access to the rare elements that are essential for renewable energy, electric vehicles and the manufacturing of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence. China recently cracked down on exports of rare-earth materials and magnets. Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese meet in the White House. Prime Ministers Office Amir Razmjou, associate professor at Edith Cowan University, said Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia had the most to gain from the deal, followed by Victoria. This is huge for Australia, he said. The idea is to do mineral processing in-house in Australia. This will bring a lot of jobs and diversify our export base. It wont create conflict between farmers and the mining sector, itll add more value to our resources. Grain farmer Tony Fox has a property near Swan Hill, about 300 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, where small listed company VHM wants to build a rare earth and mineral sands project. Shares in critical mineral companies including VHM surged after the announcement of the deal on Tuesday. Advertisement Rare earths need to be found, but digging up prime agricultural land is ludicrous, said Fox, who grows wheat, barley, peas and lentils. He said thered been talk of rare earth mining for the past six to eight years, but it had gathered pace lately. Photo: Matt Golding Fox is concerned about dust on his property from the 24-hour facility, as well as the possibility of contamination. These are radioactive products that theyre talking about shipping out. And while theyre 40 metres down, theyre relatively safe. But the contamination potential is a real challenge. Advertisement Mining industry veteran Chris Bevan welcomed the deal and raised hopes Australia would swap selling its dirt overseas to turning out end products within a decade. Bevan heads up Metallicum Minerals Group which plans to build Australias first magnet-manufacturing facilities, which is the final step of rare earth processing. Arafura Rare Earths CEO Darryl Cuzzubbo at the Diggers and Dealers event. Currently, Australia holds the worlds second-largest resource of rare earths, but they are shipped to Shanghai for processing. Bevan said building local magnet-manufacturing facilities would guarantee that China could not block Australias access to critical minerals. Related Article Mining How China is controlling Australias and the worlds rare earths trade Advertisement Instead of making our living selling shiploads of iron ore, bauxite, nickel, copper, ore and so on, we do it here, making some of the smaller stuff, like drone magnets, solar panel magnets, some of the smaller car magnets, Bevan said. Its all about having an entire supply chain in Australia and having all the processing, intellectual property, skills in Australia so that in 10 years time, we have amongst the highest-paid people in the world. The Australian government defines critical minerals as essential to modern and advanced technologies, including computers, heavy industry, defence, and renewable energy. Its list of 31 critical minerals include antimony (used in solar panels), cobalt and lithium (used in EV batteries) and silicon (used in computing chips). Australia is in the early stages of growing its critical minerals sector, the federal government said. While exploration and mining continue to grow, mid-stream processing and down-stream manufacturing are not yet developed. Agreements with international partners may help ensure stable supply chains internationally. Advertisement Australia has also signed critical minerals deals with Canada, the UK, Japan, India and Germany. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement Analysis PoliticsFederalTrump diplomacy Albanese secured the least expected outcome of his Trump encounter: Harmony instead of hysteria Peter Hartcher October 21, 2025 4:25pm 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 319 View all comments Its perhaps the least expected outcome of the Albanese summit with Trump. After all the hysteria, harmony. Trump praised the Australian people: Love them. The Australian alliance: Theres never been anybody better. And the Australian leader: A great prime minister. Kevin Rudd, in a duo with Trump, provided comic relief. Which misses the point that this was an entirely successful meeting and credit goes to the ambassador [Rudd] and the US government, as Charles Edel, of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump in the White House. AP The Coalition, struggling to find fault with Albanese, renewed its ritual calls for Rudd to be replaced. The Coalition cant see past its own tribal fetishes. Advertisement Have they breathed a word of criticism against Trump for failing to appoint an ambassador to Australia? No. Have they suggested a better alternative to Rudd? No. So should we take them seriously? The question answers itself. Related Article Inside Story Foreign relations Exquisite timing: How Albanese, through preparation and some luck, won over Trump Beneath the superficial, the two leaders in the White House actually toughened the hard underlying structures of the alliance. The critical minerals co-development deal and the defence commitments sealed between Albanese and Trump have welded the two nations more strongly together. Thats why the former Labor leader, former ambassador to Washington and alliance aficionado, Kim Beazley, called it a red letter day. Advertisement But its not because of mutual love and affection. Its because of China. Australia and America have drawn closer this week because of mutual anxiety and hostility towards Beijing. The alliance harmony, in other words, is based on Sinophobic hostility. And if Xi Jinping had wanted this outcome, he couldnt have choreographed it better. Beijing conducted two belligerent acts in the week preceding the Australia-United States summit. By announcing export controls on Chinas rare earths last week, Xi launched an economic nuclear weapon at the US. Rare earths are essential to a modern economy. You cant build a computer without them. Loading Beijing said it would allow some exports, but specified that it would not allow any to be used for foreign military applications, meaning that the US would be unable to build missiles, jets, radars or drones. Advertisement China processes 92 per cent of all rare earths in the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Only one company in the world refines one of the elements vital for making heat-resistant magnets, and its owned by the Chinese state. Related Article Updated Trump diplomacy Kevin Rudd set to remain in Washington for long haul despite Trump spat Australia, whose bountiful critical minerals include a cornucopia of rare earth elements, was ready with the offer of a solution. So the Australian proposal, which had been on the table for half a year, suddenly was urgent. Trump signed with characteristic hyperbole: In about a year from now, well have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you wont know what to do with them. We wont; itll take longer to build the processing plants. But, to extend the nuclear weapon analogy, the deal creates the possibility of a future shield against Xis threat. The aim is a guaranteed supply chain from Australia to the US, co-financed by the two governments but built by the private sector. Advertisement Australia stands to benefit not only from the mining and processing but from access to the finished products, such as MRI scanners, wind turbines, EV batteries and computer semiconductors. Without such allied co-operation, Beijing would decide who gets what worldwide. Its claiming global veto over any product that contains even 0.1 per cent of any of its rare earths, and any of the equipment, machinery or technology used to produce it. This is a potential tool for global coercion. Beijings second bellicose action was when its air force conducted a deliberately dangerous interception of an Australian air force plane. It happened in international airspace over international waters the day before Albanese was due to sit down with the US president. The Peoples Liberation Army air force fighter jet fired two flares into the path of the Australian P8 surveillance plane. Defence Minister Richard Marles said it was unsafe and unprofessional. Insult quickly followed injury. Nationalist propagandist Hu Xijin wrote that Australia was a small country that needed to be taught a lesson: Australia must understand that if an incident occurs someday over the South China Sea, their aircraft would be among those most likely technically and politically to become casualties. Advertisement If there was the least doubt about the common threat that the US and Australia face from the Chinese Communist Party, it was dispelled. Sometimes, says Edel, China makes your arguments for you. Trump gave full support to AUKUS and the plan to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. And when his secretary of the navy tried to defend the Pentagons Colby review of AUKUS as seeking clarifications, Trump overruled him: There shouldnt be any more clarifications because were just, were just going now full steam ahead. Other, lesser, defence acquisitions and investments were approved, too. US President Donald Trump asked the Australian leader for nothing during the three hours the pair were together, according to informed sources. AP Albanese didnt get everything he wanted. Trump has not relented on tariffs, although the Australian side has not given up and continues to seek relief. Trump didnt get everything he wanted. Albanese refuses to increase Australian defence spending as a proportion of GDP beyond his pre-existing plan. But Trump chose not to make an issue of it and merely complimented Australias efforts and its military. Advertisement Related Article Analysis Trump diplomacy Trump runs his meetings like a TV director. Heres what it was like on his set In the three hours that the two men spent together, which included their 40-minute press conference as well as a presidential tour of parts of the White House, Trump asked the Australian leader for nothing, according to informed sources. No demands, no tantrums. And, beyond the rebuffed request for tariff relief, Albanese had no requests of his own. All in all, it was remarkably like a normal summit between allies. Trump even took the trouble to smooth over any remaining concerns over of the Rudd moment. As the cameras packed up, Trump assured Rudd that all was forgiven. Except by the Coalition, naturally. Yet, it is not a normal time, and Trump, despite the harmony of the day, is not a normal US ally. But, for now, Beijings antagonism has kept the relationship solid. Like it or not, it was a good day for the alliance. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement Sketch PoliticsFederalTrump diplomacy Forget AUKUS - this was the Kevin Rudd mortification show Tony Wright October 21, 2025 10:28am 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 274 View all comments Oh, dear. Despite all the careful toadying required to grease the wheels of a prime minister hoping for a successful sit-down at the White House, this one is destined to remembered less for Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses AUKUS and rare minerals triumphs than for the mortification of a former PM: Kevin Rudd. Its long been the way. Loading When the forced-smile picture opportunities and the back-slapping and the declarations of undying loyalty between the US and Australia are all but forgotten, some exquisitely awkward moments have come to define such events for a string of prime ministers. Way back in 1969, in the midst of the spirit-sapping Vietnam War, prime minister John Gorton got carried away at an official White House dinner, gushing to president Richard Nixon that whenever there is a joint attempt not only to improve the material but the spiritual standards of life of the peoples of the world, then, sir, we will go Waltzing Matilda with you. Advertisement No one seemed quite sure whether the words spiritual or Waltzing Matilda would have been the less familiar to Tricky Dicky Nixon. Gorton, of course, was trying to out-sycophant his predecessor, Harold Holt, who had told then-president Lyndon Baines Johnson that Australia was all the way with LBJ. Donald Trump told Australias ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd: I dont like you either, and probably never will. Getty Images The next Australian PM to attend a knees-up at Nixons White House was the idiosyncratic Billy McMahon in 1971, though we dont recall whether he managed to do or say anything particularly memorable. Instead, it was his wife, Sonia, a former model who chose to wear a ball gown slit to the thigh, who scandalised staid Washington and captured headlines everywhere. The Washington Post reported it was one of the most talked-about costumes yet to appear in the White House. Advertisement Malcolm Fraser probably imagined he was part of the in-crowd in Washington after Gerald Ford had him over for the Bicentennial of America in 1976. Related Article Foreign relations Trump says AUKUS is full steam ahead and three other key takeaways from Albanese meeting The very next year, however, the latest president, Jimmy Carter, welcomed Fraser to the White House by referring to him as John Frasers real first name that was never used. Bob Hawke and George Bush Sr mightnt have seemed natural ideological allies, but they got along just fine after Hawke went to Washington and took pains to tell Bush he didnt represent the left wing of the Labor Party. John Howard and George Bush Jr? No trouble there once Howard invoked the ANZUS Treaty after having been in Washington when a hijacked jet smashed into the nearby Pentagon and two others brought down the Twin Towers in New York on what became known as 9/11. Advertisement Bush called Howard a man of steel. Howard got called Bushs deputy sheriff by The Bulletin magazine, and modestly, he didnt deny it. The result? Australian troops spent the next 20 years fighting alongside Americans in Afghanistan and eight years in Iraq before it was decided to call the whole damn thing off. Scott Morrison, a man not unfamiliar with the art of fawning, got the glad-handing treatment from Donald Trump during his first presidency. Morrison was one of only two foreign leaders to be hosted to a state dinner at Trumps first White House. The other was for French President Emmanuel Macron, and we really shouldnt mention him in the same breath as Morrison lest the word liar be repeated. Macron, you may recall, was deeply unimpressed when Morrison cancelled a multibillion-dollar submarine contract and replaced it with AUKUS, of which Albanese is now so enthused. Happy memories of Morrisons visit to the White House dimmed after it was revealed that he had pushed hard for the then leader of the Hillsong Pentecostal Church, Brian Houston who he once described as his spiritual mentor to be included on the guest list for the state dinner. It turned out that the White House refused to have Houston on the guest list, possibly because he was under investigation for allegedly concealing his fathers child sexual abuse. Advertisement Advertisement There was, naturally, much awkward laughter. This being an unusually jolly occasion, Trump added: All is forgiven. There wasnt a person in the room, however, who could be unaware that Trump has a long memory and little appetite for forgiveness. Poor Kevin. The mortification! Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement PoliticsVictoriaLunch with The mistake at the piano that became a song of healing for countless women Alexander Darling October 21, 2025 10:29am 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 Eight years ago, Elizabeth Riordan was watching Wonder Woman in a Camberwell cinema when she started feeling pain. Not the pain she was used to from endometriosis, or from polycystic ovarian syndrome, or even from the 11 failed rounds of fertility treatment shed undergone before becoming pregnant with her daughter, Daisy. Elizabeth Riordan has written songs that have touched countless women. Luis Ascui This was different. Something was very wrong. She went to the bathroom, and when she came back out, her husband, Daniel, could see how wrong things were. Advertisement He met me in the foyer, he saw my face ... I remember him holding my shoulders because I couldnt really stand, Riordan remembers. He looked me right in the eyes and said, Youre my wonder woman. Were going to get you out of here. It was actually really special that he made me feel so safe. And so he basically carried me to the car, and it was once we were in the car that I completely fell apart because I knew what it was. People dont often raise a topic as deeply personal and serious as miscarriage at a dining table. But Riordan, a musician by trade, isnt afraid to tackle the big issues that have affected her. Roasted pumpkin with sour cream, a gratis extra treat from the chef. Luis Ascui Advertisement You may not have heard of the 34-year-old from Fyansford, western Geelong, but its more than likely youve heard her work. Aside from her work as a solo artist, Riordan composes for TV and film. Working for Universal Music, Atlantic and Roc Nation, she has composed songs for a host of major projects among them Home and Away, the theme music for the AFL grand final and the Disney Channel, and a Kia commercial that ran during the 2018 South Korea Winter Olympics. This second music career really took off when her song, Im In Love with You, featured on Netflix show The Cable Girls and won the 2017 Mark Award the Grammys for film and production music, in Riordans words. Despite her resume, Riordan still gets pleasantly surprised when she hears her work featured in major productions. You often dont know what your compositions are going to be used in until you get an invoice from APRA, she says. Advertisement Riordan acknowledges some might find it strange that she remembers a moment from her miscarriage as being beautiful. But then, Daisy the daughter she lost that night does seem to have a track record for turning tragedy into beauty. In 2022, and while continuing fertility treatment, Riordan wrote the song that changed the course of her life: Daisies. Youd be gentle/youd be helpful and kind/so creative/hopefully youd have his mind, begin the lyrics. Advertisement Riordan, explaining how Daisies came about, said: I dont think it [Daisys loss] was anything I really processed. Because we were still going through all of these fertility treatments, I just had to go onto the next. In my mind, thats how I would deal with it. The Deep Satisfaction pita pocket, with lavish helpings of beef brisket. Lusi Ascui Years later, I was sitting at the piano practising something, and I made a mistake, she says. But that mistake was actually really beautiful, and it sounded so lovely I wanted to write a song around it. It was an hour between me making the mistake and what you hear in Daisies. It was just like, Look, this [song] is who youre going to be. I think that was me processing it. Understandably, Riordan was afraid at first to share a creation detailing such intense, intimate pain, except with Daniel. Advertisement [He] was at work, and it was probably a bad decision on my part but I screenshot the lyrics that I wrote down and sent it to him, she says. I was like, I just wrote this: I think it needs to be something for us. And he said to me he had to step away from his desk, and he fell apart at his office. And I thought, Oh my God, I didnt even think of that! But when I was putting [the album], Songs I wrote as therapy, together, I knew that I had to speak of this to help other people because if I didnt share my story, there would be another person going through this that needed to hear Daisies but wouldnt. In the three years she has been performing Daisies, Riordan has seen the value of her decision to share it with the world again and again. Its common for women to come up to her after shows, to share their own experiences with miscarriage. Advertisement They tell me their [childrens] names, and share what happened to them, she says. I was the speaker at an International Womens Day event, and I had these elderly women come up to me saying, I lost my baby, I could never speak of it. Thats the most special [thing] to me: when someone feels empowered enough to make space for their own experiences. Riordan gets goosebumps recalling this memory, and her voice wobbles with gratitude more than sadness. Daisies won the Australasian Pop category at the 2025 Intercontinental Music Awards, which are designed to recognise the best music from around the world. Advertisement I have to keep reminding myself to taste what Im eating while she talks to pull my mind back to the here and now, where the roasted cauliflower, tomato salsa, tahini and chilli in my pita pocket is making my taste buds pop and crackle in approval. Riordan has chosen Miznons beef brisket pocket with mozzarella, mustard, sour cream, onion and pickles. Its a creation called Deep Satisfaction, named after the facial expressions made by those who consume it, if Riordan is anything to go by. The roasted whole cauliflower is a Miznon specialty. Lusi Ascui Miznon, the Mediterranean street food hotspot in the CBDs Hardware Lane, was always where she was going to choose to meet me. Riordan has fond memories of eating street food like these pockets on her previous visits to Jerusalem. Her husband Daniel has Israeli heritage. Perhaps inevitably, our conversation strayed onto the topic of the Israel-Hamas war. As with her miscarriage, Riordan is sincere and straightforward when tackling it. Advertisement Ive written a few songs in Hebrew, but theyre not pop music, she says. The synagogue will commission me to write things for [services]. A set lunch menu will set you back $40 each. Luis Ascui Right now, Im with a community in Caulfield so I do music for them, especially whenever we have festivals like Yom Kippur. Riordan says the songs she has been writing for Melbournes Jewish community have become more reflective since October 7, 2023. The last one I wrote was Shema Koli, which means hear me, she says. Advertisement Its like, With hope, oh God, we await you, surely you will answer. Hear me, hear me, forgive me, hear me. It was a reflection about how we want to be heard as a community. When [in the song] I say, slach li forgive me [that means] we know there are innocents on both sides, and that it is a very complex issue, and I would want to be forgiven for anything that I might portray that isnt someone elses story and someone elses perspective. I do hope that some of the community feel uplifted by the song, feel empowered and allowed to grieve our experience. I feel like we often have to dial down what were experiencing so that we dont receive anything negative. In January, Riordan was asked to perform at the launch of a non-fiction book imagining a more peaceful Middle East. She sang Joni Mitchells Both Sides Now. The White pita pocket made the writers tastebuds dance with joy. Alexander Darling Advertisement Much has happened since I met Riordan: Anti-war protesters targeted Miznon, and police eventually charged three of them. Australia formally recognised the Palestinian state. On October 9, two years and two days after Hamas attacks, a ceasefire deal was announced, followed by Hamas releasing Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Riordans story reflects how terrorism and war affects lives even from half-a-world away. Even so, her life isnt defined by conflict. Its defined by strength, despite challenge after challenge. Fortune finally smiled on Riordan and her husband when their son, Archie their 31st monthly attempt at becoming pregnant was born happy and healthy. Advertisement But the hardship still wasnt over: Riordan also had to come to terms with the fact she could not have any more children. She needed a hysterectomy when she developed adenomyosis another common condition similar to endometriosis, in which tissue grows within the muscle wall of the uterus. I had to make that decision just so that I could live the best life I could for Archie, [so] I didnt have pain every day, Riordan says. We had six embryos at that time, and my husband and I ... decided to have them cremated and buried with Daisy. Advertisement So all of our babies are together at the same cemetery and on top of my piano. I have eight children, but I just have one in my house. Archie is now five and already adding drums to his mothers compositions. Riordan has told him he has siblings like his daycare playmates do its just that his are in heaven. And whenever Archie sees an orange butterfly, he says, Look, its Daisy. Riordan says after 10 years of professional triumph and personal hardship, she is now content with where she is. Advertisement I am really grateful that my experiences have put me in a position where I can hear these stories and help more people, she says. My biggest passion now is to actually make an impact through my music. Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday. Advertisement WorldAsiaChina Forbidden question about Xi looms as party officials meet in Beijing Chris Buckley October 21, 2025 2:30pm 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 Behind closed doors in Beijing this week, Chinas top officials are meeting to refine a plan to secure its strength in a turbulent world. But two great questions hang over the nations future, even if no one at the meeting dares raise them: How long will Xi Jinping rule, and who will replace him when he is gone? Xi has led China for 13 years, amassing dominance to a degree unseen since Mao Zedong. He has shown no sign of wanting to step down. Yet his longevity at the top could, if mismanaged, sow the seeds of political turbulence: He has neither an heir apparent nor a clear timetable for designating one. Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass on the eve of the 76th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China last month. AP With each year that he stays in office, uncertainty deepens about who would step in if, say, his health failed, and whether the new leader would stick to or soften Xis hard-line course. Xi faces a dilemma familiar to long-serving autocrats. Naming a successor risks creating a rival centre of power and weakening his grip, but failing to settle on a leader-in-waiting could jeopardise his legacy and sow rifts in Chinas political elite. And at 72, Xi will likely have to search for a potential heir among much younger officials, who must still prove themselves and win his trust. Advertisement If Xi eventually chooses a successor, loyalty to him and his agenda will surely be a paramount requirement. He has said that the Soviet Union made a fatal mistake by picking reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, who oversaw its dissolution. On Friday, Xi made his intolerance for any disloyalty clear when the military announced that it had expelled nine senior officers, who face prosecution on charges of corruption and abuse of power. Xi almost surely realises the importance of succession, but he also realises that its incredibly difficult to signal a successor without undermining his own power, said Neil Thomas, a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institutes Centre for China Analysis. Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir speaks with Xi Jinping at the Global Womens Summit in Beijing last week. Getty Images The immediate political and economic crises that he faces could end up continually outweighing the priority of getting around to executing a succession plan. Xi is highly distrustful of others, especially those officials who have only an indirect relationship with him. Wang Hsin-hsien, National Chengchi University Advertisement Speculation about Xis future is highly sensitive and censored in China, and only a handful of officials may be privy to his thinking about the issue. Foreign diplomats, experts and investors will be looking for clues from the four-day meeting of the Communist Partys Central Committee that started on Monday, bringing together hundreds of senior officials. The meeting, usually held behind closed doors in the specially built Jingxi Hotel in Beijing, is expected to approve a plan for Chinas development over the next five years. Xi has made securing a global lead in technological innovation and advanced manufacturing a priority, and that goal is likely to feature heavily. He and his officials have expressed confidence that their approach can prevail over US President Donald Trumps tariffs and export controls. Xis father, a senior official, was ousted by Mao Zedong. AP At the heart of strategic rivalry among the great powers is a contest for comprehensive strength, senior Chinese lawmakers said in a report they issued last month on the proposed plan. Only by vigorously upgrading our own economic power, scientific and technological strength, and overall national power can we win the strategic initiative. In theory, the meeting this week could offer a window into Chinas next generation of leaders, if Xi chooses to elevate younger officials into more prominent roles. But many analysts expect him to delay any major moves, at least until after his likely fourth five-year term begins in 2027, and perhaps well beyond that. Advertisement Then I think it has to start looming larger, if not in his own mind, then in the people around him, said Jonathan Czin, a researcher on Chinese politics at the Brookings Institution who has written about Xis succession scenarios and the Central Committee meeting. Even if the people in his immediate orbit dont start jockeying for position for themselves, theyre going to be jockeying on behalf of their own proteges. Xi has seen firsthand how succession struggles can shake the Communist Party. His father Xi Zhongxun, a senior official, was ousted by Mao. As a local official during the 1989 pro-democracy protests, Xi witnessed how divisions at the top helped tip China into upheaval; ultimately, Deng Xiaoping purged the partys general secretary, Zhao Ziyang, and installed a new heir apparent, Jiang Zemin. Xi witnessed first hand how the 1989 pro-democracy protests shook China. AP Especially as someone who spends so much time studying the lessons of Chinas dynastic cycles and the history of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Xi knows that the succession is a major issue he must think through, said Christopher Johnson, the president of China Strategies Group, a consulting firm, who previously worked as a US intelligence official focused on China. For now, Xi seems convinced that Chinas ascendancy depends on his continued stewardship. He bulldozed past the example of orderly retirement set by his predecessor, Hu Jintao, and abolished the presidencys two-term limit in 2018, enabling Xi to stay in office indefinitely as head of the party, the state and the military. Advertisement But each year that Xi stays in power, it becomes harder to find an heir who is both young enough to rule for decades and seasoned enough to command authority in his shadow. Xi has packed the Politburo Standing Committee the seven-member body at the apex of party power with longtime allies. They are in their 60s or older, likely too old to be plausible heirs several years from now, experts said. Xi was 54 when he joined the Standing Committee in 2007, a promotion that underlined his status as a favourite to become the next leader. Related Article Opinion China relations Xi and Trump are growing more alike. But only one can win this global power struggle Peter Hartcher Political and international editor Even officials poised to be elevated to central leadership at the next Communist Party congress, in 2027, are probably too advanced in age to succeed Xi, said Victor Shih, a professor at the University of California San Diego who studies elite politics in China. With Xi likely to serve another term or even longer, his successor could be an official born in the 1970s, likely now working in a provincial administration or an agency of the central government. The party has been promoting some younger officials who fit that profile, said Wang Hsin-hsien, a professor at National Chengchi University in Taiwan who studies the Communist Party. Advertisement Advertisement WorldEuropeRussia-Ukraine war In tense meeting, Trump told Zelensky to concede land, meet Putins demands Ellen Francis , Catherine Belton and David L. Stern Updated October 21, 2025 12:03pm ,first published October 21, 2025 10:30am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Brussels: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is rallying the support of his European partners after a bruising meeting last week with US President Donald Trump, in which he was told to make concessions to end the war or risk facing destruction at the hands of Russia. In a tense meeting at the White House, Trump tossed aside maps of the front line and urged Kyiv to concede its entire Donbas region to Russia to clinch a deal, according to people familiar with the exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive diplomacy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. AP He said, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will destroy you if you dont agree now, one of the people said. Zelensky had his maps and everything, and he was explaining it to him but [Trump] wanted nothing to do with it. Trump listened but was not responsive to the Ukrainian message, the person said. It was pretty much like, No, look guys, you cant possibly win back any territory There is nothing we can do to save you. You should try to give diplomacy another chance. Advertisement In remarks released on Monday, Zelensky said it was very important that the Europeans have a unified position with Kyiv and that they would also address the United States in various formats. He told reporters he planned to meet with European allies this week. As European leaders issue proclamations of support for Zelensky, his White House disappointment is set to dominate diplomatic talks this week, including a European Union summit on Thursday. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice President JD Vance at Trumps lunch with Zelensky. Bloomberg Just days after musing about giving Zelensky Tomahawk missiles to strike Russia, Trumps latest swerve on the war appeared to stem from a call with Putin last week. Putin demanded that Kyiv surrender Donbas as a condition to end the war. A European official said Trump moved from talk of long-range missiles before the call to land swaps in his meeting with Zelensky. Now he was saying the US needs Tomahawks and doesnt want to escalate. Advertisement A European diplomat briefed on the White House exchange described it as a mess and said Trump also went on and on about his grievances of not having gotten the Nobel Peace Prize. On the conflict, the message was that Russia only wants Donbas and this is a good deal and Putin wants to end the war, and it can be done quickly, the diplomat said. Zelensky speaks to the media outside the White House after meeting with Trump. AP Trump, however, emerged from the meeting with Zelensky calling for a ceasefire along the front line, a stance that the Ukrainian president has endorsed publicly, but the Kremlin has not. Parts of the Trump-Zelensky meeting were originally reported by the Financial Times on Sunday. Advertisement Asked if he urged Zelensky to give up Donbas, Trump later said he hadnt. Let it be cut the way it is. Leave it the way it is now, he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. They can negotiate something later on down the line, he added. But for now, both sides of the conflict should stop at the battle line go home, stop fighting, stop killing people. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to questions on Monday about freezing the conflict along existing front lines, said the issue has been raised repeatedly with various nuances during contacts between Russia and the US. He said Russias position remained unchanged. Putin told Trump during their call that Russian forces had the strategic initiative along the front lines, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. Advertisement Trumps decision to push Putins demands with Zelensky again quashed European hopes that Washington might come to Ukraines rescue or boost its leverage in talks. It also piles fresh pressure on Kyivs chief backers in Europe to maintain the flow of cash and weapons. European diplomats have long suggested they acquiesced to the idea that Ukraine will have to concede land in any future US-brokered settlement by freezing the front line. But they have backed Zelensky by insisting that Kyiv would not voluntarily cede any territory to Moscow that it does not control militarily. While Russian forces have taken much of Donbas, they have tried and failed to seize the entirety of the heavily fortified Donetsk region in that corner of eastern Ukraine in over a decade of fighting. In his call with Trump, Putin suggested he could give up claims to parts of two other Ukrainian regions that Russia has not entirely conquered, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in exchange for full control of Donetsk, The Washington Post reported. Advertisement Zelensky said to journalists that he believes Putin wants to show that he won the war and for that, he needs the administrative borders of Donbas. But heres the thing, he added, who says he wont go further in a few years? Who can guarantee that? Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Zelensky says could resume aggression in a few years, even if peace returns to Ukraine. AP The European official said the White House visit was not as disastrous as an infamous Oval Office public shouting match early this year but that Zelensky, who later held a call with some European leaders, had left disappointed. None of us should put pressure on Zelensky when it comes to territorial concessions, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the meeting. One thing is absolutely clear: Europes solidarity with Ukraine against Russias aggression is today more important than ever before. Advertisement The first person briefed on the meeting said it remained unclear what exactly had swayed Trump, after the president had talked of Ukraine retaking its full territory and expressed frustration with Putin over stalled negotiations. He can flip back. You never know. The European diplomat, however, said it seemed that Putin knew what he was doing and got through to Trump. There were concerns among Europeans once again that things are backsliding, the diplomat said. Related Article Updated Russia-Ukraine war Trump and Putin to meet to discuss end to the war in Ukraine For months, the Kremlin and European leaders have jostled for Trumps ear, adjusting to his policy changes on the war and his ambition for a peace deal. Trumps focus on the deal more than the details, has at times left all sides frustrated, while the president has voiced irritation with both Kyiv and Moscow throughout his efforts to stop the conflict. Leaders of the EUs 27 nations will deliberate this week on a response to Trumps latest pivot and on ways to bolster Ukraine, including with a plan to use Russias frozen assets in the form of a reparation loan and with more sanctions against Moscow. Advertisement Yet agreement to tap into Russian frozen assets could still take time. The plan, strongly condemned by Moscow, has met concern from Belgium, where much of the assets are held, and objections from Hungarys Kremlin-friendly prime minister, Viktor Orban. Also on the European agenda is a possible Trump-Putin summit in the coming weeks. After his call with Putin, Trump said the two could meet soon in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, much to the consternation of many EU leaders except Orban. European foreign ministers reiterated praise of Trumps peacemaking attempts, but some voiced dismay at the idea of Putin visiting Hungary for the talks. Advertisement Advertisement Analysis WorldMiddle EastIsraeli-Palestinian conflict The one-word post that shows how hard it will be to keep peace in Gaza David M. Halbfinger October 21, 2025 10:48am 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 Jerusalem: Ten days into a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, relief is giving way to grim acknowledgments of the truces tenuousness, and of the need for continued outside intervention to keep it alive, let alone to make further progress. A new round of violence on Sunday showed just how arduous the road to a broader agreement in the Gaza Strip will be between the two sides, which have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce. Palestinians collect leaflets dropped by an Israeli drone warning people to stay away from the so-called yellow line which is currently unmarked in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. AP Two Israeli soldiers were killed and another was wounded when Palestinian militants launched an anti-tank missile at an army vehicle, the Israeli military said. The attack took place in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on the Israeli-held eastern side of the ceasefire line. Israel called it a blatant violation of the agreements terms. Hamas officials were quick to disavow the attack. Things are very unclear, very fragile and sensitive. Im afraid that it will lead us during the coming weeks to a kind of attrition almost everyday violations, clashes and crises. Michael Milshtein, Moshe Dayan Centre Advertisement Israel responded quickly, with a punishing bombardment of what it described as Hamas installations, and Gaza officials said that 44 Palestinians were killed across the territory on Sunday. Israel said it was cutting off the supply of humanitarian aid to the devastated territory indefinitely, but later tempered that, saying that aid deliveries would be paused only until the bombardment was over. By Monday afternoon, the flow of aid was back to normal, relief agencies said. Israel soldiers mourn for Staff Sergeant Itay Yavetz, who was killed in Gaza at the weekend. AP Smoke rises following Israels strikes on Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, on Sunday. Anadolu via Getty Images Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus governing coalition, demanded an immediate, open-ended resumption of Israels offensive against Hamas. War! he wrote in a one-word post on the social platform X. Advertisement But the short-lived, if intense, Israeli military response, and the walk-back of the threat to shut off the flow of aid into Gaza, suggested the restraining influence of US officials, analysts said. After all, both Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, one of President Donald Trumps top envoys to the Middle East, arrived in Israel on Monday to try to push ahead with the peace plan, a US Embassy spokesperson said. And Netanyahu said Vice President JD Vance will arrive in Israel on Tuesday for a visit on Trumps behalf. We will discuss primarily two matters, Netanyahu said during an address at the Israeli parliament on Monday, the security challenges before us, and the diplomatic opportunities before us. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets US President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv last week. Getty Images Hes not coming to jointly command Israeli strikes on Hamas, Shira Efron, an Israeli analyst at RAND, said of the vice president. Advertisement Even Netanyahus right-wing allies accused him of wilting under pressure from the Trump administration, and not for the first time. Enough with the folding, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right minister, wrote on X. Related Article Updated Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israel says ceasefire and aid to resume after Gaza airstrikes Sundays violence was the heaviest wave of Israeli attacks on Gaza since the fragile ceasefire took hold. Other attacks have also punctured the calm. The Israeli military said last week that it had fired on a vehicle in northern Gaza, saying the car had crossed a demarcation line where Israels forces have withdrawn to since the ceasefire the so-called yellow line. Nine people, including children, were killed, according to Gaza officials. Israelis are really outraged about the killing of two soldiers, but its not like there havent been deaths of civilians in Gaza in the past week, Efron said. Advertisement Both sides have pretexts to argue that the ceasefire has been violated. What keeps the negotiation going is the power that is brought by Trump and the mediators. Pressure is not only being applied on the Israeli government. After Hamas turned over the bodies of just four hostages last Monday out of 28 believed to still be in Gaza mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey passed along Israeli intelligence about the whereabouts of some of the others, prodding the militant group to recover more, according to US officials. As of Sunday, Hamas had turned over the remains of 12 captives. As Hamas distanced itself from the Rafah attack, the groups military wing reaffirmed its full commitment to putting the ceasefire into effect, even divulging that it had lost contact with its fighters in Rafah in March and did not know whether any of them were still alive. An ongoing challenge Though the violence Sunday appeared to amount to a single, contained round, several analysts said they expected more such rounds to follow. Advertisement Michael Milshtein, an analyst at the Moshe Dayan Centre at Tel Aviv University and a former expert on Palestinian affairs for the Israeli military, said Hamas could be expected to continue to test Israel and see how it responds. And he said the yellow line between Israel- and Hamas-held territory was unmarked and difficult for Gaza residents to heed. Things are very unclear, very fragile and sensitive, Milshtein said. Im afraid that it will lead us during the coming weeks to a kind of attrition almost everyday violations, clashes and crises, big or more limited. And it will be an ongoing challenge. Still, Israeli analysts said the challenge of sustaining the ceasefire paled next to the challenge of advancing the Trump peace plan, particularly given that its call for Hamas to disarm effectively would require the group to renounce its entire ideology of armed resistance. Milshtein said the past week had also taught Israelis an unwelcome lesson about Hamas. Its very hard for many Israelis to admit, but they werent defeated, he said. They still exist, and theyre the dominant player in Gaza. Still, some Palestinian analysts said Hamas appeared eager to preserve the ceasefire agreement and might even be willing to offer more concessions to ensure the end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Advertisement A Diwali Proclamation was Issued at the event attended by multiple Georgia Lawmakers. Highlights included Diwali Greetings from the Governor and First Lady ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The lights of Diwali once again shone bright inside Atlanta City Hall as Mayor Andre Dickens joined hands with the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) to host the third annual Diwali celebrationa joyful evening showcasing Hindu cultural pride, unity, and gratitude. The event brought together community members, lawmakers, diplomats, educators and entrepreneurs, marking yet another milestone in the growing recognition of Hindu American contributions to the city's civic and cultural life. Lighting a diya at the Atlanta Diwali celebration. Attendees included State Senator Jason Esteves who is a gubernatorial candidate of the Democratic Party, State Senator Emanuel Jones, House Representative Esther Panitch, House Representative Matt Reeves, and Consul General of India at Atlanta Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan among other dignitaries. The evening began with the traditional lighting of the Diwali lamp by Mayor Dickens and community leaders, symbolizing the festival's enduring message of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Addressing the gathering, Mayor Dickens shared how honored he felt to join the gathering, the residents of Metro Atlanta, and over a billion people around the world, in celebrating one of the world's most cherished festivals. He observed that while the stories and traditions may not always be the same, the message of Diwali is timelessof light winning over darkness. Talking about the five day festival, Mayor Dickens emphasized how light has to win over darkness; knowledge has to be victorious over ignorance and good has to triumph over evil. A highlight of the evening was the Diwali Proclamation, handed to the CoHNA Board of Directors by Mayor Dickens in recognition of the festival as well as the contributions of the Hindu community in Atlanta. CoHNA vice president and co-founder Rajeev Menon thanked the mayor and lawmakers for their continued partnership, noting: "Every year, we see Atlanta's embrace of Diwali grow stronger. This festival and the Proclamation reminds us that celebrating our faith is also about celebrating shared human valueshope, renewal, and community." At dinner time, the attendees also received a wonderful surpriseDiwali greetings via video from Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, who wished the community success and joy as they celebrated the popular festival. The evening featured Classical dance and musical performances as well as remarks from several Georgia lawmakers who thanked the community for their partnership in their districts and pledged to stand by the community to challenge misconceptions and bigotry. Rising to capture the close links between the Hindu and Jewish communities, Rep. Esther Panitch pointed out that Diwali and Hanukkah celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and the miracle of light. "These aren't just metaphors and old stories," she added. "They are promises that we make to each other and the world that small flames when tended to with care can illuminate entire communities." CoHNA board member Suresh Krishnamoorthy addressed the emerging open Hinduphobia. "We must reject the framing of Hindu Americans from the right and left, either as unpatriotic Americans or as supporters of a theocracy and genocide against non-Hindus." He asked lawmakers to stand up against this whisper campaign and stop it from becoming a false narrative about Hindu Americans. Thanking the assembled guests, CoHNA general secretary Shobha Swamy concluded, "Atlanta has truly set an example for cities nationwide by making space for diverse voices. We are grateful for the Mayor's partnership and the incredible community spirit that defines this city." This year's celebration is part of the ongoing Hindu Heritage Month celebrations in Georgia (and, indeed, many other parts of the US), marked by dozens of events across the Stateranging from school and library exhibits to community Diwali fairs. Last month, California became the third U.S. state to deem Diwali as an official holiday, after Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Several school districts offer it as a holiday as well, including in New York, New Jersey, Florida's Broward County and others. Diwali, celebrated by over a billion people worldwide, symbolizes the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. To learn more about Diwali, visit Diwali.daya site created by CoHNA in collaboration with Google in 2022. About CoHNA CoHNA is a grassroots-level advocacy and civil rights organization dedicated to improving the understanding of Hinduism in North America by working on matters related to the Hindu community and by educating the public about Hindu heritage and tradition. For more information, please visithttps://cohna.org or follow us onTwitter,Facebook,LinkedIn and onInstagram. SOURCE Coalition of Hindus of North America Quantum dynamics on your laptop? New technique moves us closer A new method developed by University at Buffalo physicists will allow qunatum dnyamics, like the interaction between two atoms, to be simulated more easily on consumer laptops. Study offers user-friendly template for simulating quantum systems on consumer laptops, saving supercomputers for more complex systems Physicists can use supercomputing resources on the systems that need a full-fledged quantum approach and solve the rest quickly with our approach. BUFFALO, N.Y. Imagine zooming into matter at the quantum scale, where tiny particles can interact in more than a trillion configurations at once. If that sounds complicated, it is: Physicists often rely on supercomputers or even artificial intelligence to simulate such quantum systems and their possible states. But what if many of these problems could instead be solved on an ordinary laptop? The physics community has known this to be possible for years but making it a reality has been more complicated. Now, physicists at the University at Buffalo have moved us much closer. Theyve extended a computationally affordable method known as the truncated Wigner approximation (TWA) a sort of physics shortcut that makes quantum math more manageable to problems once thought to require massive computing power. Equally important, the approach, described in a study published in September in PRX Quantum, a journal of the American Physical Society, also provides a practical, user-friendly TWA template that allows physicists to plug in their problem and get usable results in hours. Our approach offers a significantly lower computational cost and a much simpler formulation of the dynamical equations, says the studys corresponding author, Jamir Marino, PhD, assistant professor of physics in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. We think this method could, in the near future, become the primary tool for exploring these kinds of quantum dynamics on consumer-grade computers. Marino, who joined UB this fall, conducted work on the study while at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany. The studys co-authors include two of his students there, Hossein Hosseinabadi and Oksana Chelpanova, the latter of whom is now a postdoctoral researcher in Marinos lab at UB. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the German Research Foundation and the European Union. NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Kroll Settlement Administration regarding the proposed University of Minnesota Data Incident Settlement. A settlement has been proposed in the consolidated class action lawsuits against Regents of the University of Minnesota ("University") as a result of alleged unauthorized access to or exfiltration of Personal Information from the University of Minnesota's Legacy Data Warehouse that occurred in or about August 2021 and that was the subject of the University of Minnesota's Notice of Data Incident posted on the University's websites in September 2023 (the "Data Incident"). Who is a Settlement Class Member? If your personal information was maintained by or accessible via the University of Minnesota's Legacy Data Warehouse as of August 10, 2021, you may be included as part of the Settlement. This includes prospective students, students who attended the University, University employees, or anyone who participated in University programs between 1989 and August 10, 2021. What does the Settlement provide? The Settlement provides $5 million to pay Class Member claims and Service Awards to the Class Representatives, as well as attorneys' fees, costs, and expenses, and the Settlement Administration Costs of notifying the Settlement Class and administering the Settlement. In addition to the Settlement Class Cash Payments, the Settlement Fund will be used to pay for dark web monitoring for twenty-four (24) months. The Settlement provides: (a) Settlement Class Cash Payments anticipated to be $30; and (b) dark web monitoring for twenty-four (24) months. In addition, the University will make security enhancements to the Legacy Data Warehouse and has budgeted and committed to data warehouse modernization. The costs will be paid by the University and will not be deducted from the Settlement Fund. How to get a payment? You must submit a Claim Form to be eligible to receive any benefits. Completed Claim Forms must be submitted online or by mail postmarked by December 24, 2025. Claims should be mailed to University of Minnesota Data Incident Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391. More information on how to file a claim is available at www.UofMDataSettlement.com . What are your options? If you Do Nothing, you will be legally bound by the terms of the Settlement, and you will release your claims against the University and other Released Parties. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you must Opt-Out by December 29, 2025. You may also file an Objection to the Settlement by December 29, 2025. More information on how to submit a request to opt-out or how to object to the Settlement is available at www.UofMDataSettlement.com . The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on January 28, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. CT, to consider whether to approve the Settlement, hear objections, determine if the Settlement is fair, and consider Class Counsel's Application for Attorneys' Fees, Costs, and Service Awards, not to exceed 33 1/3% of the Settlement Fund, plus reimbursement of reasonable costs and Service Awards up to $2,000 per Class Representative. You may appear at the hearing, either yourself or through an attorney hired by you, but you don't have to. Do I have a lawyer in this case? Yes, the Court appointed Daniel E. Gustafson of Gustafson Gluek, PLLC; Kate Baxter-Kauf of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP; Garrett Blanchfield of Reinhardt Wendorf & Blanchfield; Bryan Bleichner of Chestnut Cambronne PA; William Caldes of Spector Roseman & Kodroff, PC; E. Michelle Drake of Berger Montague; Brian Gudmundson of Zimmerman Reed LLP; and Anne Regan and Nathan Prosser of Hellmuth & Johnson, to represent you and other Settlement Class Members. Attorneys' fees and costs will be paid out of the Settlement Fund, not to exceed 33 1/3%, plus reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred in this litigation. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense. This is only a summary. Additional information about the Settlement, including the Settlement Agreement and other important documents, is available at www.UofMDataSettlement.com or by calling call toll-free (833) 890-4933. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT SOURCE Kroll Settlement Administration Here are a few photos from my trip to Patagonia: Click on graph for larger image. The first photo is at Cape Horn with a friend since high school. We were lucky to able to go ashore! The albatross is a memorial to all the sailors that lost their lives sailing around the Cape. Here is a poem on a plaque near the monument. "I am the albatross that awaits you at the end of the world. I am the forgotten souls of dead mariners who crossed Cape Horn from every sea on Earth. But they did not die in the raging waves; today they fly on my wings toward eternity, in the last crevice of the Antarctic winds." by Sara Vial This shows the granite towers and horns. The second photo is at Torres del Paine National Park.This shows the granite towers and horns. The "horns" are sedimentary rock (black) on top of granite (gray). The park is known for ferocious wind gusts - and it did not disappoint! 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 James Cox A Garda van was set on fire and fireworks were launched at gardai as hundreds of people protested outside the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin this evening. Around 500 people gathered outside the complex that is used to accommodate asylum seekers. At around 7.30pm this evening trouble erupted as a number of youths in balaclavas and on horseback surrounded gardai, according to witnesses on the scene. The Public Order Unit was then deployed and pepper sprayed was used as the protest turned violent. The Luas between Belgard and Saggart has also been suspended. Gardai and protesters at the scene near the Citywest Hotel. Photo: Collins The anti-immigration protest comes as Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said there is no ongoing threat to public safety in Saggart and no correlation between crime levels and the presence of asylum seeker accommodation centres. AGarda van on fire outside Citywest Hotel, Saggart. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Photos In a statement tonight, the Minister said he has been briefed on recent events in the area and has asked for a detailed account of the management of the asylum application process in the case. It is the second night in a row a protest has been held outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. Monday nights demonstration passed without significant incident. The gatherings outside the hotel come after an alleged sexual assault in the vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning. Gardai clash with protesters at Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin. Photo: Collins Theres now a massive Garda presence in the area, with the Garda helicopter overhead as gardai try to disperse the protest. Gardai with public order equipment, helmets and shields, have pushed back protestors, who have surrounded the Citywest IPAS centre shouting "get them out". In a second statement this evening, Mr O'Callaghan said the "scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest tonight must be condemned". A Garda van set alight tonight on Garter Lane near Citywest Hotel and IPAS Centre. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Photos "People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them, and set a Garda vehicle on fire. This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai. Those involved will be brought to justice. "As has been made clear during the day, a man has been arrested and charged before the courts in relation to the alleged incident. While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area." Protestors confront gardai after breaking an initial cordon just before violence broke out pictured this evening at Citywest Hotel and IPAS centre. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins Photos He added: "Unfortunately, the weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected. The Gardai are prepared for this, but attacking Gardai and property is not an answer, and wont help to make anyone feel safe. "It is clear to me from talking to colleagues during the day and this evening that this violence does not reflect the people of Saggart. They are not the people participating in this criminality, but rather the people sitting at home in fear of it. "Attacks on Gardai will not be tolerated. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not. There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed tonight." Speaking on the final presidential debate on RTE, Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys said "this is not who we are as a country" as she encouraged the protesters to go home. 325,000 SF of Class A Warehouse Space Coming To One of America's Fastest-Growing Markets WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing Progress. That's the spirit behind the recent groundbreaking in West Valley City, where VanTrust Real Estate officially launched construction on a new industrial development. More than just a milestone event, the project represents a forward-looking investment in Utah's booming economy, Phase 1 will deliver two modern Class A industrial shallow-bay warehouse buildings and 325,000 square feet of new opportunity to one of the fastest-growing regions in the country with one of the strongest economies. Construction on the first two buildings will begin immediately, with delivery anticipated in fall 2026. VanTrust plans to develop the second phase, two additional buildings totaling approximately 275,000 rentable square feet, based on market demand. View PDF VanTrust Industrial Site Rendering Located on a 32-acre site at 6095 West Beagley Road, the new industrial development is strategically positioned at the heart of one of America's vital distribution corridors just minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport, Interstate 80, Interstate 15, State Route 201, and the Union Pacific Intermodal Hub. In addition to being able to tap into the area's transportation network, there is also consistent demand for shallow-bay warehouse space in this area. The project will specifically cater to local and regional warehouse tenants requiring lease space in the 10,000 to 30,000 square foot size segment. "This groundbreaking is not just about moving dirt, it's about building opportunity," said Chris McCluskey, Executive Vice President of Development at VanTrust. "We're proud to bring high-quality, modern industrial space to West Valley City and to support the region's continued economic momentum." The development is expected to generate substantial economic benefits for the region, including job creation, increased tax revenues, and a boost for surrounding business activity. It will also strengthen the city's position as a key logistics and industrial hub in the western U.S. The project will be represented by the Colliers' team of Tom Freeman, Travis Healey and Jeremy Jensen. "Salt Lake County is experiencing sustained growth, and with that growth comes the need for intentional, strategic development," added Tom Freeman, Vice Chair at Colliers. "VanTrust is answering that call with this project, which supports our long-term vision for economic vitality and regional connectivity." VanTrust has developed more than 73 million square feet across the country consisting of approximately $8 billion of office, industrial, and mixed-use development and acquisitions. This latest investment further cements its footprint in the Salt Lake market. About VanTrust Real Estate VanTrust Real Estate, LLC is a full-service real estate development company. The company acquires and develops real estate assets for the Van Tuyl family portfolio and offers a broad range of real estate services, including acquisition, disposition, development, development services, corporate services, and asset enhancement. Product types include office, industrial, multifamily, mixed-use and science + technology. VanTrust works nationally with regional offices in Columbus, Dallas, Phoenix, Jacksonville, and Salt Lake City with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.vantrustre.com . SOURCE VanTrust Real Estate Eva Osborne An Garda Siochana is investigating after seven of its members were assaulted and injured in three "separate, violent incidents" in Dungarvan over the last weekend. Gardai said there was "serious public disorder" in Dungarvan from October 17th to 19th. On Friday at approximately 10pm, gardai responded to an incident at a domestic residence following a request for assistance from the National Ambulance Service. In a statement, a Garda spokesperson said: "Upon arrival, gardai encountered an aggressive and intoxicated female. As gardai attempted to arrest her, a group of individuals at the scene physically assaulted three Garda members. "Despite the sustained attack, the female was arrested and taken to Dungarvan Garda Station. "All three gardai were deemed unfit for duty following medical assessments and one required further treatment at an Emergency Department. Two remain off duty at this time." In a separate, unrelated incident on the same day, two other Garda members were assaulted at Dungarvan Garda Station by a male who had been arrested under the Public Order Act. Both gardai required hospital treatment and remain off duty. A third incident occurred shortly after 10pm on Sunday, when two Garda members responded to a disturbance involving two adult males on Sexton Street, Dungarvan. Both were assaulted in responding to the incident. Use of Force options were deployed by gardai to restrain and arrest both individuals. These two gardai remained on duty. An Garda Siochana said it has initiated a full investigation into all circumstances surrounding these incidents. The full support of local management, including the Employee Assistance and Welfare services has been offered to all members involved. Following the serious events on October 17th, policing arrangements for the area were managed by the Regional Control Room and supported by neighbouring Garda units to ensure continued public safety. Speaking about these incidents, chief superintendent Anthony Pettit of Waterford/Kilkenny Garda Division said: "Attacks on members of An Garda Siochana are deplorable. "Emergency service personnel, including An Garda Siochana and the National Ambulance Service, respond to incidents to help citizens. "It is unacceptable that any of them should be assaulted while on duty. These incidents will be fully investigated. "My thoughts are with the Garda members involved, who will receive all available support. The public can be assured that full policing services will be maintained. "I commend the dedication and support of the members who have made themselves available to assist their colleagues at this time" Kenneth Fox Waterford Airport is set to become a fully operational aviation hub following approval of a landmark private funding agreement by Waterford Council on Monday. Councillors voted in favour of the proposal, which will see the runway extended and widened to international standards. The Bolster Group secured a comprehensive 30 million funding package to deliver the complete capital project, enabling commercial flights to return to Ireland's South-East region for the first time in almost two decades. The development represents a significant breakthrough after 17 years of seeking government funding for the runway extension project, with the private investment removing dependency on public sector support. Waterford Regional Airport PLC had campaigned intensively for government backing, with growing public pressure reflected in both local and national election results across the South-East region. William Bolster, executive of the Bolster Group: "The positive vote is fantastic news and paves the way to deliver a vital infrastructure project for the South-East. The Councillors should be commended for taking such a brave decision to move forward and for trusting the Bolster Group to deliver this project for the Southeast. "This will not only secure existing jobs but will allow employment to expand with upwards of 100 jobs both on and off-site involved during construction. Once complete, further jobs will be added as scheduled air traffic proceeds. "With the support of the local council and the board of Waterford Airport, the Bolster Group will be fully self-funding the project, and construction can commence imminently. This agreement would not have been possible without the support and forward-thinking approach demonstrated by the chief executive of Waterford City Council, Sean McKeown, and the Chairman of Waterford Regional Airport, Michael Walsh. "Together we committed to deliver this project for the people of the South-East, and that is exactly what will happen." Mr Bolster said the runway extension will boost international connectivity to Ireland's South-East, providing direct access to European and UK destinations for both business and leisure travellers. A DEFENDANT who had 100 previous convictions and who is already serving a prison sentence had his term extended when he pleaded guilty last week in Carlow District Court to stealing from a local branch of Boots Pharmacy. Patrick Stokes pleaded guilty to stealing 1,651 worth of goods from Boots Pharmacy, Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow on 15 March 2025. Inspector Tom Jones told the court that Mr Stokes (24) had 100 previous convictions, that he was serving a custodial sentence and was not due to be released until March of next year. Solicitor Alex Rafter said that his client had pleaded guilty early and that the valuation of the goods was very high. When he asked Judge Geraldine Carthy not to extend Mr Stokess prison sentence, she replied that with 100 previous convictions, there was an element of recidivism to the defendants offending behaviour. She also noted that he was on bail at the time so she had no choice but to extend his prison sentence, sentencing Mr Stokes, of Avoca House, Temple Street West, Dublin 7, to six months consecutive to his current term. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme A NEW Golden Discs store at Fairgreen Shopping Centre was officially opened on Saturday morning, 18 October, with giveaways, vouchers and events for those who called in. Carlow residents have been without a vinyl record shop since 2009, when the previous Golden Discs in Carlow Shopping Centre and Rainbow Records of Tullow Street closed for business. Store manager Katie Lanagan said her team of six staff is looking forward to meeting locals. She said: We have had a lot of interest over the last couple of years since we left Carlow. The store is a place where people can come in and physically buy their favorite album, their golden oldies, and all the other stuff that we have as well, like merchandise and technology. Stephen Fitzgerald, CEO of Golden Discs, told KCLR last week: Fairgreen is the perfect home for Golden Discs, and we cant wait to welcome back familiar faces and meet a whole new generation of music lovers. Mr Fitzgerald said vinyl sales now make up 40-50% of the income in all stores post-Covid. Andrew Mansfield, Brandon O'Neill and Oisin Jackson are staff members in the newly-opened Golden Discs shop in Fairgreen Shopping Centre Ms Lanagan explained the surge: Covid stripped everything away from people. They didnt have freedom. They couldnt do everything that they wanted to do and all they could do was rely on what they had. And a big thing for a lot of people was what they physically had and that was a lot of their music, their old DVDs and stuff like that. She said theres now a massive interest from people wanting to have something that they can physically own again. She added: With vinyl, its not just the music thats inside; its the artwork on the cover. Its knowing that its mine at home. In other locations, the chain has had popular artists like CMAT come into stores to perform and promote their albums. While Taylor Swift and Fleetwood Mac top sellers in the store probably wont make it, Ms Lanagan said they would welcome 100% all local artists inside. The new branch of Golden Discs that opened on Friday in Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow Its a really nice way for the community to get a closer in-depth conversation with the artists, she said. Heading into the busy Christmas period, Ms Lanagan said its all systems go for the team. She added: Were really excited to get to know all of our new regulars and everyone thats going to come through our doors. We cant wait to meet everyone. The new store in Fairgreen Shopping Centre is the 23rd branch of Golden Discs in Ireland. Advertisement September through to early October became a wait-and-see period as geopolitical events continue to unfold. The war in Ukraine shows few signs of progress although several episodes of hybrid warfare involving drones have been reported by NATO countries, especially around the Baltic Sea. The Gaza conflict ended with an agreement based on President Trumps peace proposal signed on 13 October, although several details still lack clarity. Political turmoil with the US government shutdown, political jitters in France and public protests in the UK are all contributing to markets slowdown, particularly in Europe and Japan. However, the Volatility Index (VIX) currently stands at 17 and a score below 20 usually means the markets are not worried. In the USA the Federal Reserve (FED) cut interests rate by 0.25 per cent and the European Central Bank (ECB) was unchanged. Further cuts are not expected to exceed 0.25-0.5 per cent for the FED and 0.25 from the ECB. The US dollar rose slightly in the broad US$ index and towards the euro at US$1.17, still in the range of US$1.15-1.20. Brannvoll ApS forecasts a range of US$1.05-1.20 in 2025, with an average of US$1.12. The next issue of ICR will include forecasts for 2026. PRICES AT A GLANCE - 7 October 2025 Brent crude oil bbl US$65.50 Coal API 2 4Q25 US$93.00 Cal 2026 US$100.00 Coal API 4 4Q25 US$84.00 Cal 2026 US$93.00 Petcoke USGC 4.5 per cent S 40HGI FOB US$74.50 CFR ARA US$105.00 Petcoke USGC 6.5 per cent S 40HGI FOB US$67.50 CFR ARA US$98.00 Oil Oil stayed in the US$65-69 range, driven by geopolitics and lower production increases from OPEC+ at its 5 October meeting, to support the price after the IEA warned that the market could see a supply glut during 2026 due to extra US production. Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries added some short-term support to the market and analysts are predicting a possible move to the low US$50s in the 1H26 if OPEC+ continues to increase production. Conversely the gas market had a few upticks based on Russian attacks on Ukrainian gas installations, giving rise to fears of the need for more imports to the region, which spilled over to higher EUA prices. Brent oil is trading one per cent lower at US$65.50. TTF (Cal26) gas prices rose to EUR33.00 and EU gas storage increased from 79 to 83 per cent, still below the previous two years. For Brent oil, Brannvoll ApS forecasts a trading range of US$65-90 and an average of US$75 for 2025. Coal The coal market accelerated its decline in September and October following a drop in the energy complex, lower demand and good supply. Colombian and Russian sellers are still offering good discounts and South African shipments have increased. Russian coal producers are suffering and about 25 per cent of producers have been shut down, while more could follow if the low prices persist. Several cement makers are switching to coal due to higher petcoke prices. The API2 4Q25/front-quarter (FQ) contract dropped four per cent MoM to US$93, putting the expected range down to US$85-100. The Cal26 contract fell three per cent to US$100. Brannvoll forecasts a range of US$100-130 and averaging at US$125 for the FQ contract. This is likely to be US$15 lower. API4 4Q25/FQ contracts dropped by nine per cent to US$84, lowering the short-term range to US$80-95. Brannvoll ApS forecasts a range of US$100-125 in 2025 for API4. Petcoke The petcoke market again went against the flow and saw higher prices due to increased demand but also a tight output in the short term as the hurricane season is beginning, which always brings with it the risk of shutdowns and reduced production. Higher freight rates to key markets, in combination with lower coal prices, should have kept a solid lid on the FOB prices, but based on reduced supply, these still managed to increase. Turkiye cancelled retaliatory import duties on US materials and India decreased tax from 28 to 18 per cent on petcoke, creating impetus for demand. Venezuela is currently out of the market, reflected in the increase of the spread between medium- and high-sulphur types to US$7. In combination with US Gulf refiners increasing imports of heavier crude oil, production of the 6.5 per cent sulphur (S) grade will rise, while output of medium-sulphur grades will decline. Petcoke discount to coal API2 USGC 6.5% USGC ARA based on 6000kcal: Oct 2025: 16% The USGC FOB 6.5 per cent contract increased five per cent MoM to US$67.50 and the discount to API4 fell from 43 to 36 per cent. The USGC ARA 6.5 per cent contract increased six per cent MoM at US$98.00, the discount sharply down 16 per cent based on high freight and low coal. The USGC FOB 4.5 per cent S contract increased MoM to US$74.50, with the FOB discount to API4 at 29 per cent. The CFR ARA 4.5 per cent contract was up eight per cent at US$105, with the discount down at 16 per cent, well below the normal 20 per cent. by Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark The Solvias team shares its perspective on the scientific and regulatory shifts expected to be front and center at this year's event KAISERAUGST, Switzerland, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CPHI Frankfurt, one of the world's largest gatherings for the pharmaceutical industry, is where the latest science, technology, and market shifts take center stage. Solvias, a global provider of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) analysis, will be on the ground to connect with industry leaders, share perspectives on the trends shaping the future of medicine, and explore what's next for pharma and biotech. As Norberto Bonalumi, PhD, Director of Business Development at Solvias, notes, "CPHI is one of the best opportunities to meet people and exchange perspectives in person. These discussions give us valuable insight into how the industry is evolving and how we can continue supporting our partners with quality, flexibility, and reliability." Five topics Solvias experts expect to see widely discussed at this year's event include: AI, Big Data, and Omics to Augment Analytics "At CPHI, we expect to see more conversations about the role of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data in analytics. Combined with advances in omics, these technologies will be transformative. Understanding how drugs affect the entire cell will eventually be key and this is the place to see how close we are to that future." Daniel Galbraith, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer Advanced Mass Spectrometry in GMP Environments "One of the trends we are watching at CPHI is the expansion of high-resolution mass spectrometry into GMP environments. The growing demand for multi-attribute methods reflects the need to monitor multiple critical quality attributes in parallel. This will be an important part of the industry discussions around shortening timelines, controlling costs, and managing complex modalities." Rafael Sande, MSc, Senior Director Operations, Bioanalysis & Characterization CMC Development as a Critical Pathway "CPHI always highlights the pressure to accelerate drug development, and we see CMC as increasingly central to that challenge. With rising product complexity and greater regulatory expectations, robust strategies such as Quality by Design are no longer optional. They will be a major focus in Frankfurt as companies look for ways to achieve timely approvals and sustainable success." Andreas Hohenleutner, PhD, Senior Director Operations Drug Product CMC & Characterization The Emergence of Oral GLP-1 Small Molecules "At this year's CPHI, all eyes will be on the next wave of therapies in obesity and diabetes. The emergence of small-molecule oral GLP-1s could reshape the market by 2026, with Eli Lilly's Orforglipron leading the way. This trend directly connects to Solvias expertise in solid state, impurity analysis, and analytical support for complex programs." Achim Link, PhD, Field Development Services Manager Smarter Drug Delivery and Patient-Centric Design "One of the most exciting topics at CPHI is the innovation happening in drug delivery. Advances in in-silico modeling, nasal and inhaled delivery systems, and functional release testing are changing how we evaluate performance. The conversation in Frankfurt will not just be about drug stability and purity but about how therapies are delivered and experienced by patients." Yannick Baschung, PhD, Associate Director Drug Product Analysis & GC CPHI 2025 is taking place in Frankfurt, Germany from October 28-30, 2025, at the Messe Frankfurt. To hear more or meet with members of the Solvias team at CPHI, you can visit them at Stand 6.1D86. About Solvias Solvias brings more than 25 years of experience as a leading provider of chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) analytics to the global life sciences industry. Our expert teams combine deep scientific insight with regulatory expertise across small molecules, biologics, and advanced modalities including cell and gene therapies. We deliver end-to-end analytical solutions spanning raw material testing, method development and validation, through to drug product release and stability programs. Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland (Kaiseraugst), Solvias operates five global Centers of Excellencein Kaiseraugst (Switzerland), Research Triangle Park (North Carolina, USA), Hombourg (France), (Massachusetts, USA), Utrecht (Netherlands)all adhering to the highest ISO, cGMP, GLP, and FDA standards. For more information, visit solvias.com. SOURCE Solvias New crime statistics reveal the worst local government areas and worst suburbs for home burglaries and theft in Melbourne and Victoria. The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) reported 30,545 residential burglaries in Victoria for the year to 30 June 2025, which is up almost 14 per cent on the previous year. The figure frames a reality homeowners already sense: vigilance matters, especially for burglary prevention. Neighbourhood Watch Victoria CEO Bambi Gordon says there are steps homeowners can take to help prevent robberies and keep their belongings safe. "The frustrating fact is that we need to do better at protecting our properties - a home is burgled in Victoria every 20 minutes and a third of those burglaries are opportunistic and don't even require forced entry," Gordon says. It's also important to review your home and contents insurance policy to make sure you're adequately covered. "Home and contents insurance is particularly important considering rising numbers of residential burglaries," says RACV General Manager Insurance Bill Bloodworth. "You may be able to replace stolen items and damaged property from a break-in by claiming on your policy. RACV Home and Contents Insurance provides cover for theft even when you forget to lock your door." Tennessee-based homebuilder Banner Built Homes announced the launch of its first Chattanooga neighborhood, Davidson Meadows, in partnership with Legacy South. Designed for first-time buyers and those right-sizing their living space, the community will feature 95 cottage-style homes in five distinct floor plans, starting in the $200,000s. Davidson Meadows will host a grand opening celebration open to the public on Nov. 2 from 2-4 p.m., offering complimentary food, family-friendly activities and a sneak peek of homesite details before they are available to secure.We are proud to bring thoughtfully designed homes to East Brainerd that balance quality, character and value, said Bailey Neal, president of Legacy South.Our goal is to make homeownership both gratifying and within reach, and we are confident Davidson Meadows delivers on that promise. We look forward to our Community Preview Event on Nov. 2 to share more about what sets Banner Built Homes apart.Davidson Meadows offers five unique floor plans, ranging from one-story cottages to two-story homes. Base prices range from the $200,000s to $409,900, with included features like granite countertops, high-end cabinetry, Mohawk flooring, along with a transparent design process.Developed in four phases through 2028, the neighborhood will feature a manicured entrance and sidewalks in the East Brainerd area of Chattanooga. Davidson Meadows offers future residents convenience to local amenities like Target, Whole Foods, Erlanger East Hospital, Hamilton Place Mall and the airport, all within a 15-minute drive, as well as a short 20-minute commute to downtown Chattanooga. The neighborhood is zoned for highly desirable schools, including East Brainerd Elementary, East Hamilton Middle School and East Hamilton High School."Based on the accessible price point and variety in floor plans, Davidson Meadows is designed for buyers looking to strategically invest in their future," officials said. "The range in square footage offers an approachable entry point for first-time homebuyers or those looking to smart-size their next home purchase, addressing a major gap in Chattanoogas real estate offerings."For more information on Banner Built Homes, Davidson Meadows and the available floor plans, visit bannerbuilt.com. To schedule a tour, call 931-346-7755 or email Sales@BannerBuiltHomes.com. RSVP for the Nov. 2 Community Preview Event here and follow along on Facebook and Instagram for more details. Paul Kruesi "Pat" Brock, Chattanooga business, civic and political leader, has died at his Lookout Mountain home at 93. Born June 4, 1932, to William Emerson Brock Jr. and Myra Peggy Kruesi Brock, he spent his childhood in Chattanooga and summers at Summertown on Signal Mountain with his extended Kruesi family. It was said that "Those barefoot summers instilled in him a lifelong love of the outdoors and a deep sense of belonging. The Little Brown Church at Summertown held a special place in his heart, and just weeks before he died, he made one last visit with his wife, Nina." After graduating from McCallie School and Washington and Lee University, he served overseas in the U.S. Army before returning home to join the family business, Brock Candy Company. Pat Brock became the third generation to lead the company founded by his grandfather in 1906, guiding it through decades of growth and innovation. Under his leadership, Brock Candy became the first U.S. manufacturer of gummy bears. He led the company through a successful public offering in 1993 and its sale to Brachs Confections in 1994. It was said that "Even as the business expanded nationally, he never lost sight of its family roots or the people who built it. His blend of financial rigor, personal warmth, and belief in the 'dignity and worth of every human being' defined his leadership and the companys enduring culture." Many employees were second- or third-generation members of families who had worked with the Brocks for decades. Mr. Brock served in leadership roles with many organizations, including the United Way, Allied Arts, Metropolitan Ministries, the Hunter Museum, the Chattanooga Food Bank, and McCallie School. A noted fundraiser, he was recognized as Tennessee GOP Statesman of the Year in 1991, Chattanooga Manager of the Year in 1992, and, with wife Nina, received the Governors Patrons Award for the Arts in 1996 for their support of the citys cultural life. Pat Brock's political involvement spanned decades. He helped lead his brother Bills congressional campaigns in the 1960s and his U.S. Senate race in 1970, and later played key roles in the campaigns of Lamar Alexander, Bob Dole, Zach Wamp, and Bob Corker. After selling the company, Pat and Nina bought a ranch in Montana near the small town of Ovando. For more than 20 years, they spent half of each year there, "surrounded by friends, fly rods, horses, and the sound of the Blackfoot River." Mr. Brock was married first to Mary Alice Fifi Brown, with whom he shared 10 years and four sons before her death in 1964. A year later, he married Cornelia Nina Earle Brock, his wife and partner for 60 years. Together they raised six children. He is survived by Nina; his children Paul (Susu), David (Danna), Kingsley (Brenda), Charlie (Nicole), Katherine (Paul), and Hamilton (Kristen); 16 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and his brother, Frank Brock (Dotttie), and sister-in-law, Jane Kimball. He was preceded in death by his brother, William Emerson Brock III and his daughter in-law Lisa Green Brock. A memorial service will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by a reception in Talbird Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, ArtsBuild, or the charity of your choice. Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home & Crematory, Battlefield Parkway. Special agents assigned to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force have arrested and charged an Athens man in connection to an ongoing child exploitation case. TBI agents received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, concerning Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) being uploaded by a Discord user, later identified as Micah Boring, 25. With the help of the Athens Police Department, TBI agents executed a search warrant at Borings residence, and seized multiple electronic devices. Upon further investigation of the electronic devices, agents discovered thousands of images of CSAM. On Sept. 16, the McMinn County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Boring with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor over 100 images, and one count of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor over 25 images. On Sept. 30, he was arrested and booked into the McMinn County Jail on a bond of $500,000. The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law. Nokian Tyres has hired tire engineer and leader Andy Abas to serve as senior quality manager at its North American factory in Dayton. Mr. Abas succeeds Marcus Hancock, who now serves as senior manager of Research and Development for Nokian Tyres North America.Mr. Abas will oversee the Dayton Factorys quality efforts, including laboratory testing, inspections and continuous process improvement, aimed at meeting the companys high production standards.A 26-year veteran of the tire industry, Mr.Abas career includes quality management and engineering roles at several tire manufacturers. Most recently, he served as technical and quality director at Yokohamas factory in West Point, Ms., where he led six technical departments that included Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Tire Engineering, Product Industrialization, Compound Engineering and Process Engineering.We are glad to welcome an experienced leader like Andy to spearhead our quality efforts, said Dayton Factory Operations Director David Korda. Our factory is part of the foundation for our growth in North America, and Andy has the expertise we need to continue making reliable, safe tires that meet the highest standards of excellence.Officials said, "Nokian Tyres delivers millions of all-season, all-weather and all-terrain tires per year from its Southeast Tennessee campus to tire shops throughout the United States and Canada. In 2020, Nokian Tyres earned ISO 9001 certification at the factory less than a year after it opened, signifying strong processes, customer satisfaction and continual improvement. The Dayton Factory is the first tire production facility in the world to earn LEED v4 Silver certification, a testament to its sustainability and efficiency."Mr. Hancock served in the role since 2023 before accepting the opportunity last month to help establish Nokian Tyres research and development presence in North America. The company sells several products exclusively in North America, including the all-season Nokian Tyres One and One HT, the all-weather Remedy WRG5 and the all-terrain Outpost family. A prosecutor told a Criminal Court jury on Tuesday that the state has no direct evidence that Andre "Hollywood" Grier was involved in the May 24, 2016, killing of Bianca Horton, but has "a mountain of circumstantial evidence" that he was. Colin Campbell said two former associates of Grier will testify against him in the case in which the state is seeking the death penalty. Attorney Kit Rogers called the state proof "a mountain of crud" and said there was no reason to kill Ms. Horton because she had already taken the witness stand against another gang member, Cortez "Awax" Sims. He said of the state motive theory, "It makes no sense." Attorney Rogers said of Grier, "There is absolutely no reason he would want Bianca Horton dead." Sims was a young member of the Athens Park Bloods who was charged with bursting into the apartment of Ms. Horton while going after a rival gang member, Marcell Christopher. Christopher was wounded, but did not die. However, Talitha Bowman was killed. Ms. Horton's young daughter Zoe was struck by a bullet that left her paralyzed. The state maintains that Sims was wanting Ms. Horton killed so she would not testify at his trial in Criminal Court. She had already identified him as the shooter during a transfer hearing in Juvenile Court. Sims was later convicted of the shooting and is serving a life prison sentence. Prosecutors said those involved in the plot to kill Ms. Horton included Grier, Courtney "Killer Red" High and Charles "Slickblood" Shelton. High earlier pleaded guilty to that and other murders and is serving a life sentence. Shelton died after contracting COVID at the county jail in 2021. On the day of her death, Ms. Horton worked her job at an industry at Quintus Loop, she called her babysitter that she was on her way home, and her car arrived at the Stone Ridge Apartments at W. 37th Street, but she was not to be found. Later, items were found spread on the ground around her car, including mail and a cell phone. Her body was later found dumped by the side of an isolated road near the old King's Lodge on the side of Missionary Ridge. Prosecutor Campbell said Grier, High and Shelton "were part of an All Star Team" working to get rid of a witness against a fellow gang member. He said a "cell tower dump" was made focusing on the hours Ms. Horton left work, arrived home, then was shot on Elder Street. He said out of thousands of calls in the dump that only a handful pinged on towers near her work, home and place she was killed. He said one of those was a phone used by Grier. The jury was told that Grier bought a van shortly before the abduction of Ms. Horton and he had it painted white four days prior to the murder. It was later found abandoned. It had Shelton's DNA on the steering wheel and his fingerprints on cleaning supplies that were left in the vehicle. The prosecutor said the two witnesses tied in with the gang members have given statements of admissions by Grier to his involvement. He said jail calls made by Grier and others were listened to, including one in which Grier pledged to "free the little homie (Sims). Prosecutor Campbell said Bianca Horton "had the audacity to stand up against the Alton Park Bloods, and her body was dumped beside the road like a bag of trash." An officer said on the morning after the murder a woman who was hysterical called at 9:20 a.m. saying she was walking when she found a body by the road. The officer said, "She was very visibly upset. She was crying and shaking. She had just found the body of a person she had never met before." The witness said there were numerous shell casings and projectile markings in the roadway along with a large pool of blood. He said it appeared the body had been dragged from that site over to just off the road. Another officer was called at 11:45 p.m. to Ms. Horton's apartment after she had been reported missing. He told of finding the articles that had been picked up by a bystander and placed on her silver sedan. The jury was selected in Anderson County and brought to Chattanooga on Monday morning for the trial. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and Tennessee State Parks today celebrated the dedication of Head of the Crow State Park at a ceremony with local leaders from Franklin County and nearby University of the South.Once part of South Cumberland State Park, Head of the Crow is now a standalone state park, named after the area of Franklin County containing the headwaters of Crow Creek. The park joins together four state natural areas to provide better and more outdoor recreation opportunities."Separating Head of the Crow into its own dedicated park will help preserve, protect and share Tennessee's natural and cultural resources while providing safe and quality outdoor experiences," officials said.From Memphis to Mountain City, Tennessee is blessed with unparalleled natural resources and beauty, and by making strategic investments in conservation, we can preserve those resources for generations to come, said Governor Bill Lee.This park will help drive tourism and the economy in a rural area of our state, and we welcome Tennesseans and visitors alike to enjoy all that Head of the Crow State Park has to offer.Officials said, "The Lee administration is establishing 14 new Tennessee State Parks, setting the Tennessee record for the most state parks created by one administration. The new parks are part of the governors conservation strategy, which combines protection of the states natural resources with robust economic growth."Head of the Crow State Park encompasses the Sherwood Forest State Natural Area, the Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter State Natural Area, the Natural Bridge State Natural Area and the Hawkins Cove State Natural Area. It provides unique hiking opportunities and cave tours.The park reflects a collaboration between Tennessee State Parks, The Conservation Land Trust, The Land Trust for Tennessee, Forest Legacy Grant, The Franklin State Forest, the Tennessee Division of Forestry and the University of the South.More information about the park can be found on the parks webpage at tnstateparks.com/parks/head-of-the-crow. In terms of progress in knowledge, photocatalysis is currently at the forefront of chemistry. In this field, Dr. Jola Pospech and her team at the Leibniz Institute for catalysis in Rostock are developing new approaches for classic reaction pathways. One example is the hydrofunctionalization of valuable products such as bioactive amines, which occur naturally in neurotransmitters and are important for drug research. In her lectures, Dr. Pospech uses concise images to explain photocatalysis to first-year students. Photocatalysis requires light, and Dr. Jola Pospech's research group often uses mass-produced disco lights as a light source in the laboratory: black light. The curious name refers to LEDs in the ultraviolet range, UV-A light, which is just barely visible and is just as popular in dentistry as it is in disco clubs. "In our case, this light has the right wavelength to trigger chemical reactions," explains Dr. Jola Pospech. "We point the LED panel at the reaction vessel, where the photons hit the outer electron pairs of the substances involved, in our case the catalyst, and it enters what is known as an excited state." This means that it is now able to release or accept an electron and thus activate chemical starting materials. Ultimately, new chemical compounds are formed when the substances involved exchange or share electrons. Photoredox catalysis Let's take two basic reactions in chemistry: oxidation and reduction. For oxidation, the catalyst donates an electron and takes it back at the end of the cycle. Conversely, for reduction, it accepts an electron and releases it again at the end. "You can imagine the whole thing like a game of ping-pong," says Dr. Pospech and explains it using photoredox catalysis, which combines both reactions. Jola Pospech: "Imagine you are holding two balls in your trouser pocket. When there is an energy boost caused by the photon, one ball, i.e. an electron, moves to the next higher level." Jola Pospech's hand moves with the imaginary ball from her pocket over her head. "The pocket now has access and space for new players. This is how chemical reactions get going. Once the starting materials have been converted, the ball can be released from the hand and the cycle starts all over again." The imaginary ball ends up in the pocket again. Example: Hydrofunctionalization For centuries, chemistry worked as follows: Chemists heated their reaction vessels to activate the substances inside. "With light, I can overcome the activation barrier much faster and with much greater amounts of energy," says Jola Pospech. Thanks to modern LED technology, the wavelength of the light source can be precisely matched to the absorption spectrum of the catalyst. As an example, the chemist cites hydrofunctionalization, a popular reaction pathway that is very "atom-efficient": the substances involved are converted down to the last atom, without any by-products. This results in valuable products such as bioactive amines, which occur naturally in neutransmitters and are important for the development of active ingredients. Until now, many of these reactions have been carried out using catalysts made from scarce and expensive metals, with many intermediate steps, co-catalysts and so-called sacrificial reagents. Jola Pospech: "They only serve to donate an additional electron so that another electron can change partners at the appropriate point in an energetically favorable way." Organic catalysts as an alternative As an alternative, her research group developed organic photoredox catalysts based on nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. "The compounds we use are cheap to produce, can be activated precisely and quickly using black light and are mechanistically multifunctional." This makes co-catalysts and sacrificial reagents obsolete. The Rostock chemists are currently in the process of giving this catalyst a selective function by incorporating amino acids. This should help to produce right- and left-handed molecules in a light-driven manner. For this, the catalyst needs a "spatial sense", so to speak, stereo information. According to Jola Pospech's idea, amino acids could convey such stereo information because they have defined three-dimensional structures. 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BZPAC honors the sincere intentions behind efforts to secure Israel and stabilize the Middle East. We commend contributions that have strengthened Israels sovereignty, the organization said in a statement released on social media. Yet we must speak plainly: the U.S. 21-point peace framework risks repeating the failures of the past and undermines Gods covenant with His people. BZPAC claims to represent over 20,000 Baptist churches and around 15 million supporters in the United States. The organization's executive director, Dr. Doug Thompson, presented a copy of the statement to the head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan. In its statement, the organization also called for the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, after President Trump said that the U.S. would not support a declaration of Israeli sovereignty in the disputed territories. In a section titled, Why a Two-State Solution is No Solution, BZPAC states that there is no need for another Palestinian state. Jordan is already majority Palestinian." Later in the statement, the organization claims that Jordan has the ability and the territory to absorb the Palestinian population of Judea and Samaria. Jordan already majority Palestinian (CIA World Factbook, Jordan, 2022 est. 5560% of population) has both land and capacity; the internal concerns of its monarchy cannot dictate Israels survival. The Baptist organization also states that the two-state solution plan is in reality a one-state plan the 'State of Palestine designed to erase Israel. BZPAC posted the statement to its social media pages, asking its members and followers to print out and sign the form, and send it to the White House, to let President Trump know their opposition to any U.S. attempts to impose a two-state solution on Israel. Dagan thanked Thompson for his support for Israel and for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. I thank our friend Dr. Doug Thompson and all the members of the BZPAC organization for their steadfast stand with the people of Israel and the justice of our path, Dagan said in response. Their unwavering support for Israeli sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem is an important and inspiring reinforcement. Dagan also said: At a time when political pressure on Israel is increasing, such a courageous friendship is a source of encouragement and strength for the people of Israel and the settlers of Samaria. We will continue to work together for Israel's security, the development of Samaria, and the strengthening of a united Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Together we will bring sovereignty to the land of the Bible. While the Israeli Knesset passed a resolution earlier this year expressing support for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, the move was largely symbolic and not an official declaration of sovereignty over the disputed territories. President Trumps Gaza peace agreement includes steps intended to move towards a two-state solution but does not provide any specifics of a Palestinian state, leaving those to be determined in future negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leaders. This article was originally published by All Israel News. Home News Churches must 'retake mantle of raising up the next generation' from YouTubers: panelists Churches must "retake that mantle of raising up the next generation" from YouTube stars and other internet personalities, as more young men in the United States are flocking to churches and must be encouraged to engage with the culture, says prominent author and activist Katy Faust. Faust, who leads the organization Them Before Us and is the co-author of Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children's Rights Movement, was among several leaders who spoke at the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit last weekend, organized by the Christian conservative activist organization Family Research Council at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in California. Over 1,500 people attended the summit. Faust spoke on a panel discussion about how Christians should engage in a culture hostile to biblical values and teachings. FRC President Tony Perkins, a Baptist pastor, moderated the panel. Faust described a "huge swing towards traditionalism among the boys" of Generation Z, referring to the youngest group of American adults. "They are absolutely flocking to churches. I think for the first time ever since we started measuring this, more young boys want to get married and have children than young girls do, which is crazy and it's awesome," she said. "We have seen this shift in young men, and it's not because the pastors were vocal and discipling their people on cultural issues. It's because YouTube was," she added. "And there happens to be some pretty fantastic influencers like Jordan Peterson and Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro and Michael Knowles." Faust expressed gratitude that there are "many good men that are speaking truth in a way that young men receive it," saying it has "shaped them and it has changed them." However, she maintained that young men "should be hearing that from their fathers and their pastors." "Charlie Kirk didn't know their name and Ben Shapiro doesn't know what's going on at their school," Faust said. "They need somebody to process with them in real life," Faust asserted. "And their pastor is supposed to be that guy. And if they have a father in the home, he is really supposed to be that guy. They should be the source of truth. They should be the ones that are watching their life and their doctrine so closely, so that it's shaping not just their boys but their girls as well." Faust had previously contrasted the embrace of traditionalism among Generation Z men with women in the same generation, who she said aren't as likely to want to get married and have children, claiming it is because they are "much more susceptible to the social contagion of progressivism that they're finding online and in schools." According to a Pew Research study released last year, among young adults without children, men (57%) are more likely than women (45%) to want to be parents someday. Data from the Barna Group shows that nearly four in 10 Generation Z young adult women say they are atheist, agnostic or say they have no faith at all. Other studies have shown that men (43%) are starting to outpace women (36%) in weekly church attendance. "It's time for the Church and the home to retake that mantle of raising up the next generation so we're not outsourcing it to YouTube influencers," Faust told the crowd. During the panel, author and podcaster Natasha Crain reflected on the cultural hostility toward biblical values at the center of discussion. She warned that some Christians refrain from engaging with the culture. "I feel like a lot of that pressure to hide because of that hostility comes from within the Church," she said. "We've seen a lot of leaders within the Church, a lot of pastors who are doing so much of the warning, the cottage industry of warnings that I was talking about, that it makes us shrink back and go, 'Oh, I guess I shouldn't want to impose my values on others' or 'I guess I shouldn't be seeking the power to do things.'" Crain pushed back on those "kind of matras" in the Church. "When you pull them back, you realize that they're really not logically consistent," Crain said. "They're not biblically consistent. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to follow Jesus' command." "What are His commands?" she asked. "No. 1, to love God, and No. 2, to love others. Love your neighbor, right? So if we're loving others, part of loving others, part of that job, not all of it, but part of it, is caring about their lives in the context of the societies in which they live." Home News Court issues restraining order against Indiana man's plan to settle sparsely-populated Texas town Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) against an Indiana resident and self-proclaimed 2028 presidential candidate, thus halting what Paxton described as an "illegal and deceptive political scheme. The Oct. 15 court order stops Malcolm Tanner of Crawfordsville, Indiana, from offering free homes and up to $5,000 a month to individuals willing to move to Loving County the least populated county in the continental United States settle on his undeveloped land, and vote for his preferred political candidates in a bid to seize control of local government ahead of the 2026 elections. In January, Tanner purchased two adjoining 5-acre tracts of barren land in unincorporated Mentone located at 2985 Private Road 3008, about 60 miles west of Midland with no utilities, septic systems, running water or improvements. He began recruiting supporters via social media platforms like TikTok in the following months, targeting what he calls the Melanated People of Power many of them women with children luring dozens to the site with promises of free housing and lifelong financial support in exchange for aiding his political takeover. Loving County, with just 64 residents, according to the 2020 Census, has become the unlikely focal point of Tanner's ambitions. Recruits have settled into RVs, tents and makeshift shelters, relying on gas generators for power and using a crude "burn pit" dug in the ground to dispose of trash and human waste leading to severe health and environmental risks. The setup has drawn concerns about organized criminal activity, including alleged threats against local law enforcement and oil-field workers by at least three individuals involved. Paxtons lawsuit in Loving Countys 143rd Judicial District Court accuses Tanner of violating the Texas Health and Safety Code on sewage disposal, the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act through false advertising and misrepresentations, and engaging in a criminal conspiracy. Indiana resident Malcolm Tanner has no right to try and take over Loving County with illegal schemes that endanger real Texans, Paxton said in a statement Friday. His deceptive and unlawful scheme to lure people with free housing for the purpose of conducting a political takeover is a disgustingly fraudulent plot to line his own pockets. I will not stand by while frauds try to carve up Texas for themselves and make everyone sicker and less safe along the way. The court found that Tanner and his associates violated Texas Health and Safety Code section 341 by discharging sewage in a manner that could contaminate soil, sub-surface drinking water or create potential for disease transmission, deeming the situation an immediate and irreparable public health risk and public nuisance. The TRO prohibits further waste discharge, bars additional residents until compliance with health codes, and seeks penalties up to $10,000 per violation plus daily fines. It also aims to prevent voter registration irregularities that could tilt local elections. In response to the TRO, Tanner issued a statement defending his actions as a stand for constitutional rights: I, Dr. Malcolm Tanner, want the people of Texas and this country to know that I respect the authority of the Court and will fully comply with its orders. At the same time, I want the people of Loving County, of Texas, of America, and of the world to understand what is at stake here. We are living in a moment that will be remembered. It is not simply about one man or one family, or even about one piece of land. It is about whether the rights promised to us as Americans are real or whether they can be trampled by intimidation, harassment, and fear. Tanner, who refers to his supporters as Melanated People of Power, boasted about his efforts to take the entire county over in a July post on TikTok. Not too often do you see a brother that looks like me come into the county and take the entire county over, he said. Well, I have taken the entire county over, out here in Loving County, Texas. When these elections hit in 2026, were going to wipe the board. Everybody that I selected will be elected. Home News Daughter of jailed pastor urges prayer for Chinese church: 'Serious escalation' The daughter of a prominent Chinese pastor, who was recently swept up in the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) crackdown against the underground church, urged Christians not to forget about their persecuted brothers and sisters in China. "We know that we are part of a global Christian community, and so we just call out for prayer and call out not to forget us and not to forget the Christians in China," Grace Jin Drexel said during an interview that aired on "Fox News Sunday." An American citizen whose father, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, was detained at his home in Beihai, Guangxi Province, on Oct. 10, Drexel said her father was accused of illegally disseminating information online, but suggested the charge is trumped-up and politically motivated. She said her father is now being held at a detainment facility in the city, and a copy of Jin's detainment notice obtained by the BBC notes that he is being held at Beihai Number Two prison upon suspicion of "illegal use of information networks." "But that is just, like, for a very political charge that they just would use for persecution," said Drexel, who serves as a U.S. Senate staffer in Washington, D.C. Drexel's father, who protested during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989, helped found Zion Church, a non-denominational Evangelical congregation that emerged in 2007 and has grown to be one of China's largest unregistered house churches. The church was officially shuttered by authorities in 2018, but has continued to grow in multiple Chinese cities, with many taking part online. As many as 10,000 participate in services on Zoom, YouTube and WeChat, among other platforms, according to The Wall Street Journal. Around the same time as Jin's arrest earlier this month, approximately 30 other leaders and members of Zion Church were either arrested or reported missing from several cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, according to The New York Times. Jin's son-in-law and Grace's husband, Bill Drexel, who is a fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Fox News that the crackdown against Zion Church members appears to be "the most extensive singular crackdown on any church in China in the last 40 years." "So what we're seeing is a serious escalation across several cities; it's really nationwide, and this seems like only the beginning," he added. Bill Drexel, some of whose work focuses on artificial intelligence competition with China, went on to note that the CCP potentially anticipates a difficult geopolitical time ahead, which he said might be prompting them to clamp down on their population. "They tend to want to kind of batten down the hatches on their society," he said of when Chinese authorities perceive trouble on the horizon. "They want to tighten the screws so that they have absolute control in case they're afraid that there's public unrest." While Grace Jin Drexel said she remains hopeful for her father's miraculous deliverance, she acknowledged he and the others likely face a difficult legal battle ahead. "I definitely, as a Christian, I also believe in miracles, and we are calling for a full, unconditional and immediate release of my family, as well as those 21 others who are detained," she said. "Unfortunately, just looking at other cases in China, other persecuted Christians, it really would be a miracle if they were able to be released in such a quick and unconditional way," she continued. "So, we are bracing for a longer potential legal battle and such, but that's what it seems [...] will happen." Jin's case and those of the detainees have drawn the attention of the United States and the Trump administration, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio issuing an Oct. 12 statement condemning the arrests of Jin and others, demanding their release while urging Chinese authorities to allow all people of faith, including those in house churches, to worship freely. "This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches," Rubio said. "We call on the CCP to immediately release the detained church leaders and to allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution." China's Foreign Minister Lin Jian pushed back against the condemnation from the U.S., claiming he was unaware of the arrests while objecting to "the U.S. side's interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of so-called religious issues," according to NPR. Home News Allegations that school staff helped pay for student abortions are likely 'false': interim report Pro-life org. accuses school district of whitewashing A Fairfax County Public Schools teachers claims that a high school social worker pressured a student to obtain an abortion are likely false, according to an interim investigation report from the school district, which alleges that the teacher made the accusation after she was disciplined for buying pregnancy tests for a student. Zenaida Perez, a teacher of English for students of other languages at Centreville High School, went public in August with her allegations against CHS social worker Carolina Diaz, prompting an investigation of the Virginia school district. Perez claimed that Diaz facilitated and paid for student abortions without parental consent, with the approval of former CHS Principal Chad Lehman, who she accused of trying to cover up information related to the allegations. Last week, the King & Spaulding law firm hired by FCPS asserted in a 61-page interim report that, based on current information, it seems that Diaz did not encourage or pay for a students abortion. The report also claimed that Lehman did not attempt to cover up the allegations but investigated them in 2022 and determined that they lacked factual support. Mrs. Perezs allegations appear to be rooted in speculation. It also appears that in her zeal to prove her suspicions true, Mrs. Perez procured statements from students that were false, the interim report stated. In doing so, Mrs. Perez, among other things, violated policies and regulations that require teachers to maintain professional boundaries with students. Zenaida Perez did not immediately respond to The Christian Posts request for comment. Steven Aden of the pro-life legal organization Americans United for Life, which featured Perez in a Monday webcast titled Abortion Coercion & the Fight for Parental Rights in Public Schools," expressed confidence in the validity of the teacher's story. Aden, the chief legal officer and general counsel at AUL, is also serving as Perez's legal counsel. "Fairfax County Public Schools preliminary response to Senate HELP and U.S. Department of Education investigations into allegations of abortion trafficking made by our client, Mrs. Zenaida Perez, is just the usual whitewash by a hugely expensive K Street firm," Aden told CP. "On behalf of Mrs. Perez, we are preparing to file litigation against Fairfax County Public Schools, claims which this hasty response has not only failed to address but highlighted," Aden continued. "Mrs. Perez has been fully transparent and diligent in her recordkeeping, placing the truth squarely on her side." In a Tuesday statement to CP, Americans United for Life reported that FCPS had placed Perez on administrative leave following the conclusion of the webcast, during which she recounted her allegations against the Virginia school district. Perezs claims about school-funded abortions sparked outrage after the allegations first appeared in an August report by independent journalist Walter Curt. In a Friday X post, Curt reacted to FCPS hiring King & Spalding, which the independent journalist described as "one of the highest-billing outfits in D.C.," accusing the district of hiring the firm to "smother the story in paperwork and polish the language until it sounds like innocence." On the same day, Curt published an article on his Substack that included a recording of a guardian to a pregnant FCPS student. After the guardian informed the school about the pregnancy, the student was reportedly "bleeding" and "terrified," with the guardian only learning later at the emergency room that the girl was no longer pregnant. At one point in the recording, the guardian is heard saying that no one at the school had told him about the girl having an abortion or sought his approval. "Instead of letting the State Police do their job, FCPS hired a KStreet megafirm to smear the reporting and the whistleblower while running an outside counselmanaged 'investigation,' Curt declared in a Friday X post that summarized the article. Perez's allegations and Curt's initial report prompted Virginias Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to call on state police to open an investigation. The interim report alleged, however, that Youngkins office and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyaress office may have known about the allegations for a year or more before the governors office referred them to the state police for investigation. According to the report, Perez prepared a complaint in March 2023 to the Virginia attorney general, accusing the CHS social worker of facilitating an abortion for a 17-year-old student and CHS administrators of coercing the student and her legal guardian to keep quiet and refrain from legal action. In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, a spokesperson for the state attorney generals Office of Civil Rights said that it has no record of a complaint filed by Ms. Perez. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkins office did not immediately respond to The Christian Posts request for comment. FCPS was not contacted by the Virginia Attorney Generals Office regarding the March 2023 complaint, according to the interim report, which noted that FCPS senior administrators did not become aware of Perezs allegations until they became public in August. The report alleges that the ESOL teachers allegations regarding school-funded abortions originated in 2022, when CHS administrators were investigating a report that Perez had purchased pregnancy tests for a CHS student, which is when the teacher began accusing Diaz of arranging abortions for students. Diaz was a witness against Perez in the pregnancy test investigation, according to the law firms interim report, which resulted in school leaders determining that the ESOL teacher had acted unprofessionally in violation of FCPS policies and regulations. In Mrs. Perezs own words, her discovery that Mrs. Diaz even might have some involvement in facilitating student abortions was a godsend because it was evidence she could use against the woman who set me up with a pregnancy test, the interim report explained, citing a rough, autogenerated transcript. By her own admission, from this point forward, Mrs. Perez actively conducted her own investigation in an effort to compile evidence against Mrs. Diaz (and later also Mr. Lehman), and her efforts in this regard included pursuing students, parents, and guardians outside of school to obtain information or statements supporting her suspicions, the document continued. The report further alleges that Perezs conduct during her private investigation violated FCPS policies and may have crossed ethical, and possibly also legal, lines. After Perez went to Lehman with her claims about Diaz in May 2022, the social worker provided Lehman with a note from the student Perez reportedly bought pregnancy tests for, known as Student A. In a note to the principal included in the interim report, Diaz claimed that Student A told her that Perez had tried to pressure her into providing a false statement in the teachers defense. According to Mrs. Diazs written report, Student A told Diaz directly that she was pressured by Mrs. Perez to say that she [Perez] did not buy her a pregnancy test, and further reported that Mrs. Perez rais[ed] her voice, berated the student, and told the student she [was] going to lose her job because of this, and that school staff were out to get her, King & Spauldings report stated. The law firm went on to argue that the incident with Student A shows that Perez has a demonstrated tendency of failing to respect proper boundaries with students and their families, alleging that the teacher also has a history of making complaints against school staff and administrators whom she feels wronged by in some way. Perez allegedly pressured students into providing statements for these complaints, according to the firm, which concluded that the teacher engaged in the same behavior in her complaint about school-funded abortions, although the implications here and harm caused to other people are far more serious. Home News Calif. gov. signs bill promoting LGBT online community, potentially connecting kids with predators 'Every student deserves to feel safe, supported and seen,' says Gov. Newsom Parental rights advocates are warning about a new California law that could expose LGBT-identified youth to online predators. AB 727, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10 in honor of World Mental Health Day, mandates that student ID cards for public middle schools, high schools and colleges include contact information for The Trevor Project, an LGBT activist group and suicide prevention organization whose online platform, TrevorSpace, has raised alarms over inadequate age verification and moderation. While the bill aims to provide mental health support, opponents argue it could inadvertently put children at risk. The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, D-Los Angeles, builds on Californias 2018 suicide prevention ID card law by adding The Trevor Projects hotline number to student IDs. According to The Trevor Project, 35% of gay, lesbian and transgender-identified youth in California seriously considered suicide in the past year, and half of those seeking mental health care were unable to access it. The law seeks to ensure students have immediate access to crisis support. Every student deserves to feel safe, supported, and seen for who they are, Newsom said. While some in Washington turn their backs on [LGBT-identified] youth, California is choosing compassion over cruelty. AB 727 makes it clear: your identity doesnt disqualify you from care and community its exactly why we are fighting to make it easier to reach. Calling it a lifeline for our queer youth, Gonzalez added, When [President] Donald Trump and the federal government turn their backs on [LGBT-identified] youth, California steps up. With the signing of AB 727, were sending a clear message: our [LGBT-identified] youth are seen, valued, and never alone. Billed by state lawmakers as the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBT-identified youth, The Trevor Project has faced criticism from conservative groups for providing LGBT propaganda curriculum for public schools, including one activity adopted by the Vista Unified School District (VUSD) in San Diego, where students were reportedly required to participate in a role-playing exercise called "Coming Out Stars." The activity instructed students to imagine each of you is now gay or lesbian, and you are about to begin your coming out process. However, concerns center on TrevorSpace, which is described as a welcoming online social community for [LGBT-identified] young people between the ages of 13-24 years old. With over 400,000 members across the globe, you can find support groups and make friends in a moderated online safe space intentionally designed for you. Critics, including the California Family Council (CFC), law enforcement, and educators, argue that the platforms lack of robust age verification and limited moderation creates risks for exploitation. Brenda Lebsack, a Santa Ana Unified School District trustee, has warned that parents have called TrevorSpace a pedophiles paradise after posing as a 13-year-old and gaining access to groups like the Gay Mens Club Lets Talk about Boys and The Witchcraft Club without verification. I saw with my own eyes that Trevor Project is putting kids in harms way through TrevorSpace by connecting minors with unfettered random adults on an international virtual platform to explore their genders and sexualities, and this is dangerous for our most vulnerable kids who identify as [LGBT-identified], Lebsack wrote in a recent Interfaith 4 Kids article. In a June letter to the California Senate Education Committee, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco confirmed Lebsacks allegation, noting that a department member in his 40s registered on TrevorSpace as a 13-year-old and accessed private chats, By referencing or indirectly legitimizing TrevorSpace as a mental health support system, AB 727 opens a statutory backdoor to allow unvetted digital access to minors, without parental notification or oversight, wrote Bianco. The Christian Post reached out to The Trevor Project for comment Monday. CFC Vice President Greg Burt said such dire warnings from public officials should compel officials to act quickly. True compassion never exposes children to harm. Our government is telling hurting kids that their feelings define reality, while sending them into online spaces where predators are waiting, said Burt. These young people dont need adults to affirm their confusion. They need adults who will protect them, point them to truth, and remind them that their lives are precious because they are made in the image of God. Home News TD Jakes voluntarily dismisses defamation lawsuit against man who accused him of sexual assault After nearly a year of dueling filings and a failed effort to recover more than $76,000 in legal fees, Bishop T.D. Jakes has voluntarily dismissed a defamation lawsuit against ex-pastor-turned-registered sex offender Duane Youngblood, who accused Jakes of sexually assaulting him 40 years ago. Pursuant to Rule 41(a)(1)(a)(ii), Plaintiff Thomas Dexter Jakes hereby gives notice that the above-captioned action is voluntarily dismissed by consent of all parties who have appeared in this action, the brief notice of dismissal filed by both attorneys for Jakes and Youngblood in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania last Thursday. Jakes, 68, who founded The Potter's House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, filed the defamation lawsuit against 59-year-old Youngblood on Nov. 25, 2024, a day after he suffered what was later revealed to be a heart attack while preaching. Youngblood claimed in interviews with internet personality Larry Reid on his "Larry Reid Live" show on Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, 2024, that Jakes assaulted him when he was about 18 or 19 years old. Jakes has denied the allegations. Youngblood claimed to Reid that he had been talking with Jakes for about two hours at the home of an older adult clergywoman, where he was staying during a local church revival approximately 40 years ago, when Jakes tried to kiss him. "After sitting there and having this long discourse with him, I finally looked at my watch, and I'm like, 'Oh my goodness, I got to go. I got to get this car back to my mother. She's gonna kill me.' So I said to bishop, 'I got to get up,'" Youngblood recalled. "And I got up from the table, he got up from the table, he walked around toward the way I had to exit quicker than I got over there, and when I started to walk past him, he pulled me to himself, wrapped his arms around me, and tried to kiss me. And in that moment, I literally died." The morning after the encounter, Youngblood alleges Jakes called his home and intimated that he wanted him to become a local sex partner. Youngbloods older brother, Pastor Richard Edwin Youngblood, also accused Jakes of attempting to sexually assault him years ago while he shared a hotel room with the bishop during a ministry trip. "He secured a room with two beds in it, and we went to the room for the night. That night, while I was lying in my bed, I felt Elder Jakes climb into my bed. He pressed his body against mine and asked, 'Youngblood, do you feel that?' He was referencing his erection that he was pressing against my backside," Richard Youngblood wrote in his affidavit. "I got up out of bed in complete shock as he also [got] up from the opposite side and met me. He grabbed me by my arms and pulled me to him and started trying to kiss me. At this point, I cannot believe what is happening to me." Other men also made sworn affidavits in support of Duane Youngblood's claims, including Jeffrey S. Gray, who also shared Duane Youngblood's disclosures about Jakes; Daniel B. Spaulding, LaShawn Youngblood, Joshua Munoz and Landon Claybourne. In August, Duane Youngbloods former attorney on the case, Tyrone Blackburn, was sanctioned for submitting fabricated quotations and misleading analysis of case law due to his reliance on artificial intelligence. He also claimed to represent the convicted ex-husband of Jakes eldest daughter, Cora Jakes, and other unnamed males who he claims have made credible allegations against the Potter's House founder of grooming, sexual assault, sexting and transporting them across state lines. Cora Jakes ex-husband, Richard Brandon Coleman, 36, also known by his stage name SkiiVentura, is serving time in a Texas prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. From the inception of this lawsuit, I informed Mr. Pusch that I am planning to file a class action lawsuit for several male sexual assault survivors against Plaintiff TD Jakes. Dustin Pusch created Mr. Jake's [sic] present reality by foolishly filing this suit against Mr. Youngblood in hopes of bullying him into signing away his right to speak publicly of the childhood trauma visited upon him by TD Jakes, Blackburn wrote in one of his filings. Unfortunately, Plaintiff Jakes failed to anticipate the avalanche of survivors who would come forward with evidence of Plaintiff grooming, sexually assaulting, sexting, and transporting them across state lines in violation of the MANN Act. One of the accusers is now Mr. Jake's [sic] former son-in-law, Richard Brandon Coleman. That lawsuit threatened by Blackburn has not been filed, and Jakes has vehemently denied that he harbors carnal desires for men. I have reviewed the affidavits of Duane Youngblood and Richard Youngblood submitted in support of the motion to dismiss. The statements in these affidavits purport to describe situations where I harbored carnal desires for these men. These statements are knowingly and flagrantly false, Jakes, wrote in an affidavit in response to the allegations against him. I am repulsed by these defamatory accusations . Home News Texas churches vandalized during anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests Two pastors who lead churches in Texas second-largest city are condemning vandalism directed at their houses of worship that occurred as opponents of the Trump administration held protests nationwide. In a Facebook post published Saturday, Pastor Ed Newton of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas, shared pictures of vandalism sustained by his church amid the No Kings protests against President Donald Trump on Saturday. The phrases Jesus wants Trump gone! and Love thy neighbor were spray-painted onto the exterior walls of the church, while the sidewalk in front of the church was defaced with graffiti proclaiming No king but God. In addition to the vandalism explicitly directed at his church property, Newton shared a picture of a stop sign defaced with the message: STOP Trump. Newton also released a lengthy statement reacting to the vandalism of his church and other churches in general. Lets be real clear. Jesus is King. Like Period. Jesus is King. But the scripture is real clear. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 calls those of faith to pray for all forms of government leadership. Which includes the ones we dont like and like as well, he wrote. Newton also questioned the very belief system of the vandals who chose to spew evil and spray paint this on our church as a form of hate. He specifically addressed the statements asserting Jesus wants Trump gone and No King Only God. Can I tell you what 'Jesus wants you to do? Not to spray paint His church. Not to vandalize, break laws, and honor the God you claim. If we cant agree on this. Then there is a fundamental problem at the most elementary of levels, which is If the mission is to intimidate in the name of Jesus, then I dont think we are talking about the same Jesus! Newton proclaimed. What Jesus wants is for all people to repent and live for Him, surrendered from a lifestyle of hate, sin and evil, he added. Jesus came to save sinners, change sinners, to sons and [daughters] that includes us all, me and you, including every president before us, amongst us and after us. My allegiance isnt to a donkey or an elephant of a political party; my allegiance is to King Jesus? The lamb and the Lion. Not some Americanized version of it. A King who is coming to bring wrath and judgment, but for now tarries so that all can be saved before He comes. Jesus is King, he concluded. Newton wasn't the only San Antonio pastor to report vandalism at his church over the weekend. In an Instagram post on Sunday, Pastor Bil Cornelius of Church Unlimited - Stone Oak described himself as so disappointed to see the sidewalk in front of his church defaced with a statement reading, Jesus wants Trump GONE. Vandalism is not protesting. It is a crime, he insisted. Cornelius shared the verse Romans 13:1, which states, The authorities that exist have been established by God. He maintained that Therefore, we have and will always pray for and honor all American presidents. The vandalism directed at Community Bible Church and Church Unlimited - Stone Oak comes as churches across the United States have increasingly found themselves subject to acts of desecration, violence and arson over the past several years. A report published in 2022 by the Family Research Council documented over 400 acts of hostility directed at churches between January 2018 and September 2022. The FRC report counted vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents and bomb threats as examples of hostile acts. Subsequent reports published in 2023 and 2024 found that churches faced over 400 acts of hostility in those two years alone, suggesting an increased pace of church attacks. Church attacks picked up after Politico published a leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, determining that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion and attacks continued after the Dobbs ruling was released in June 2022. Home Opinion Christian higher education should lead AI integration History has shown us what happens when Christians abdicate intellectual leadership. Weve watched from the sidelines as critical decisions about science, healthcare, and technology were made without the Christian intellectual and moral tradition at the table. This ends here. Unless followers of Jesus are positioned and prepared to be credible voices in the sciences and technology, the Christian worldview will once again be largely absent from key decisions about AI, ultimately negatively impacting the future of human flourishing. The rapid development of artificial intelligence represents both unprecedented opportunity and profound risk. We stand at a defining moment in the history of human innovation and Christian higher education cannot afford to be absent from this conversation. We must fill this vacuum by forming brilliant Christian graduates and leaders. We should not fear AI. I genuinely believe AI is providing a better future for human flourishing. The potential is staggering: democratizing access to quality education, accelerating medical research that alleviates suffering, advancing Bible translation for unreached people groups, and freeing humans from tedious work to focus on creative, meaningful tasks. These are Kingdom purposes, and we should pursue them with vigor and vision. But I also believe this is a clarion call for uncompromising, unwavering Christian education to prepare the next generation. These two convictions are inseparable. AIs potential for good will only be realized if we raise up leaders who possess both technical excellence and moral clarity, both innovative thinking and theological depth, both the skills to build powerful systems and the wisdom to ask whether they should. Heres the truth we must grasp: AI is neutral, until it is biased and given a teaching set of good or bad intentions. The technology itself is mathematics, algorithms, processing power. But the moment humans choose what data to train it on, what objectives to optimize for, and what guardrails to implement or ignore, neutrality vanishes. AI becomes a reflection of human values and yes, our biases and brokenness. This is why the question of who builds these systems matters enormously. When AI is trained on data reflecting human prejudice, it perpetuates and amplifies that prejudice. When its optimized for engagement rather than truth, it spreads misinformation. When its built without diverse perspectives, it serves some while harming others. Christians understand that humans, though made in Gods image, are fallen and prone to encoding our worst impulses into the systems we create. This is precisely why we must double down on the liberal arts and humanities. Some argue these disciplines are obsolete in an age of automation. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the end, it is the human studying humanities who builds the machine. The engineers creating AI systems make countless decisions shaped by their understanding of ethics, philosophy, history and human nature. What biases get encoded? What values are prioritized? What assumptions about human flourishing guide development? These questions cannot be answered by technical expertise alone. When our students study Augustine and Wilberforce, C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer, theyre developing the moral imagination necessary to build technology that serves human dignity. When they engage philosophy and ethics, they learn to ask the critical questions technologists often overlook. This is why our commitment to rigorous, Christ-centered liberal arts education is non-negotiable. We must also be honest about the dangers: surveillance capitalism, algorithmic bias, job displacement, autonomous weapons, privacy erosion, and the concentration of power. Our credibility on AIs promise depends on our willingness to address these threats forthrightly. Christians take sin and human fallenness seriously including in our technological systems. We need human accountability embedded in every AI application, ensuring that people not algorithms make final decisions on matters affecting human welfare. But this work requires institutional courage. We need clear ethical boundaries established now, not reactively. We need policies addressing academic integrity while teaching discernment rather than simply prohibiting technology. Heres what I know: the next generation will inherit unprecedented technological power. What will guide their use of that power? What formation will they have received? What loves will order their lives? These questions demand that Christian higher education be stronger, more rigorous and more faithful than ever before. The world doesnt need Christian universities that are merely secular institutions with chapels attached. It needs institutions that integrate faith and learning at every level, that form students in a coherent biblical worldview, and that send graduates into every sector equipped to lead with both excellence and integrity. This is our moment. Christian universities must become demonstration sites for ethical AI implementation showing the world what redemptive technology looks like. We must use our platforms to publish guidelines, host conferences bringing theologians and technologists together and engage directly with companies seeking ethical guidance. I am optimistic about what AI can accomplish for human good. But that optimism is grounded in an uncompromising commitment to preparing the next generation with education that is rigorously Christian, intellectually excellent, and morally formed. The teaching sets we create today will shape the world our children inherit tomorrow. As president of Colorado Christian University, I believe we have a sacred responsibility to lead in this space, ensuring that followers of Jesus are positioned to be credible, influential voices in technology and the sciences. At CCU, were not just talking about this were building it. We are launching leaders who will refuse to be led by this culture, but lead it. Were not preparing students to simply adapt to whatever Silicon Valley creates were equipping them to shape what gets created in the first place. Were raising up men and women who will walk into technology companies, research institutions, and startups with both technical excellence and unshakable conviction about human dignity, truth and justice. We opened an AI incubator, called the Quarry Innovation Lab, on our campus. Were creating a physical space where research, student experiences, faculty development and ethical AI implementation converge. This isnt about chasing trends; its about faithful stewardship of powerful tools that will shape the next century. Were also developing curriculum that integrates technical competence with theological reflection. Were training students to recognize that when they choose training datasets or write algorithms, theyre making profoundly moral decisions. Were preparing them to enter technology companies, research institutions and startups as voices for human dignity, truth and justice. We refuse to stand on the sidelines. Were building the future one student, one innovation, one Kingdom-minded decision at a time. This is Christian Higher Educations moment to lead. Lets not waste it. Home Opinion Youre a child molesters accomplice if you oppose so-called conversion therapy. Heres why Compassion without insight is dead, and many people think of themselves as compassionate for accepting militant LGBT activists' framing of conversion therapy. But the opposite is true. In fact, it is activists who, under the guise of compassion, cement the free will of victims to the consequences of statistically relevant patterns of childhood, including unhealthy social environments and, in many cases, sexual abuse and trauma. The loudest voices in the mainstream media push a false research narrative about therapy for unwanted same sex attractions (SSA) and gender confusion. One way researchers produce results that suggest redemptive care is harmful is by poorly forming their studies. For instance, in 2020, Dr. John R. Blosnich and others compared the rates of suicidality between two groups of gay-identified individuals: One group had received redemptive care to move beyond SSA from a ministry or therapist, and the other group had not. The results indicated that suicidal ideation was twice as likely for those who had sought help. They concluded that therapy may compound or create suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. However, Blosnich failed to account for the participants original suicidality. It has been well-documented that therapy-seekers, whether struggling with homosexuality or otherwise, show above-average distress about their situation. Thats what leads people to seek help in the first place. Dr. D. Paul Sullins went back to Blosnichs raw data and accounted for the participants original suicidality. The results were reversed. The adjusted ratio showed that suicidal ideation was twice as likely for those who did not receive therapy than for those who had. Further, Blosnichs study didnt include those who, as a result of participating in therapy and ministry support, no longer identified as gay. If it had, the suicidal ideation rates for those who received care would have decreased further. What initially presented itself as a slam dunk against redemptive ministries was in fact anything but. A significant reason why redemptive ministries reduce suicidality is that suicidality shares many of the same root issues as homosexuality. For instance, in the cases of most trans-identified individuals, homosexual men, and a significant portion of homosexual women, their issues began as gender identity problems as a result of painful same-sex love-hunger. As proof of this, in 2002, Dr. Heino Meyer-Bahlburg, a Columbia University researcher, resolved gender identity disorder (GID) in boys aged 4 to 6 years old. He notes in his report that GID in boys typically results in homosexuality, not transgenderism. To address GID, he had parents focus on three social-environment changes related to same-sex attention and affirmation: 1. have the mother detach in healthy ways, 2. have the father attach in healthy ways, and 3. give the child five playdates per week with other boys. In an average of 10 weeks, GID resolved for every boy in the study who was provided with these social-environment changes related to positive same gender attention. No shock-therapy, voodoo, or mutilation required. In 2013, the American Psychological Association removed Gender Identity Disorder as a diagnosis, pushing for softer terminology and chemical and surgical interventions that research overwhelmingly demonstrates are irreversible and harmful. Redemptive therapy and ministry align ones heart and body without the futile attempts of medical procedures. All therapists do is talk, by the way. In the case of Otto, et al v. City of Boca Raton, FL et al., the Liberty Counsel defeated therapy bans by citing the First Amendment. The decision of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals stated: [The] plaintiffs therapy is not just carried out in part through speech: the treatment is entirely speech. If [redemptive care for SSA] is [not free speech], the same could be said of teaching or protesting ... Debating? ... Book clubs? Same answer. The question in the current case before the Supreme Court in Chiles v. Salazar, which was argued earlier this month, is the same. Regarding the issue of child molestation, predators take advantage of a childs physiology, including how malleable his or her brain is. One of the problems is that the victim oftentimes does not experience just horror, but also pleasure. If you think that sexual feelings arent malleable for children, just listen to the words of Kenneth Lanning, a former top profiler of pedophiles for the FBI. He says, It takes almost nothing to get an adolescent boy sexually aroused. An adolescent child with emotional and sexual needs is simply no match for an experienced 50-year-old man with an organized plan. And the childs brain doesnt care where the pleasure comes from; it just says, Get me more of that, and rewires itself accordingly. It should thus come as no surprise that children who survive same-sex predators sometimes end up with same-sex attractions (SSA) and confusion. Disturbingly, these children find themselves in a world that repeats the mantra: If you feel attracted to the same sex, youre gay. Just accept who you are. Whether this is spoken on the day of the abuse or decades later, it imprisons victims for life. Abusers use the childs new appetites as a hook to keep the boy coming back for more or at least prevent him from sharing about the experience. See, you liked it. If you tell anyone, theyll know youre gay. Lanning affirms that, The stigma of homosexuality greatly increase[s] the likelihood the victim may deny the sexual activity. The child is not entirely wrong to fear being identified as homosexual. The world has accepted the lie that desires, regardless of where they come from, define sexuality. Someone needs to help the boys heart understand, your body responded exactly the way its supposed to when its stimulated. It doesnt mean youre gay. Further, the boy must come to understand that even though he continues to be attracted to others with characteristics similar to his abuser, that doesnt make him gay. Redemptive ministries and therapy, pejoratively called conversion therapy, do this work. This gives the boy his free will back. Efforts to address unwanted same-sex attractions focus not on trying to be straight, but on abuse and other common root issues. These include defensive detachment from ones same-sex parent, emotional wounds, lies, vows, and enmeshments. Militant LGBT-identifying individuals forbid others from seeing the statistical association between root issues and same-sex struggles, and they vilify anyone whod dare help others address them. Many would-be compassionate people have exchanged the necessary insights to care for those facing same-sex attractions (SSA) with a voice that mocks the redemptive work of God and shortchanges the fullness of the Gospels transforming power. I plead with you, dont bind victims to the circumstances of their childhood for life. Dont be an accomplice of an abuser. Become resourceful by helping people connect with redemptive care through redemptive ministries and therapy available to those facing these intense struggles. Chinese culture festival brings color, connection to Cairo campus Xinhua) 08:44, October 21, 2025 Students show Chinese ethnic costumes during a Chinese cultural event held at Badr University in Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt, Oct. 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) CAIRO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Badr University in Cairo hosted a Chinese culture festival on Monday, drawing large crowds of students and faculty eager to experience Chinese traditions. With the aim of promoting cultural exchanges and friendship, the event highlighted growing cultural ties between Egypt and China. The festival featured Chinese calligraphy and paper-cutting workshops, a traditional Chinese Hanfu costume zone, and booths serving traditional snacks such as dumplings and steamed buns. A tea art corner drew steady visitors with its aroma of freshly brewed tea. The day's highlight was a Chinese martial arts performance by Egyptian students, which drew loud applause and was followed by an interactive session where spectators tried basic moves on stage. Performers show Chinese martial arts during a Chinese cultural event held at Badr University in Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt, on Oct. 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) Lu Chunsheng, minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, said the growing popularity of Chinese language studies was helping more young Egyptians "understand, love and study Chinese cultures." Former Egyptian ambassador to China Magdy Amer said events like the festival serve as "a bridge linking two ancient civilizations" and help deepen mutual understanding. Badr University President Ashraf El-Shihy said cooperation between Egypt and China is expanding in infrastructure, trade, investment, and education under the Belt and Road Initiative. He added that the two nations are "not just partners but friends moving forward together." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The Canadian federal government is set to announce how many permanent residents and temporary residents Canada will aim to admit over the course of 2026. On or before November 1, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will publish the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan. Each year's Levels Plan presents admissions targets for the coming year, along with notional targets for the following two years. Consult with an experienced immigration representative Previous communications from the government have given us some indications of what we can expect from the upcoming Plan. Stabilization of permanent resident levels If the federal government keeps its election promise, we can expect that permanent residence admissions targets for 2026 will not exceed 416,500. We can establish this expected upward bound because leading up to the most recent election, the Liberals pledged to stabilize permanent resident admissions at less than 1% of Canadas population annually, and Canada's population stands at an estimated 41.65 million, as of July 1, 2025. The targets from the Plan published last year also fall beneath this upper bound, as the government had cut permanent residence admissions targets for 2025 by 20% relative to the Plan published in 2023 The targets for overall permanent resident admissions under the previous two Immigration Levels Plans are as follows: Year Immigration Levels plan 2025-2027 (published 2024) Immigration Levels plan 2024-2026 (published 2023) 2025 395,000 500,000 2026 380,000 500,000 2027 365,000 - These targets are inclusive of economic immigration, family reunification, and refugee and humanitarian immigration. Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration Express Entry Although last years Immigration Levels Plan reduced the top level immigration targets for permanent resident admissions across all programs by 20%, the landings targets for economic immigrants through the Express Entry system actually increased. Last years Immigration Levels Plan introduced the categories Federal Economic Priorities and In-Canada Focus, in place of what was previously called Federal High Skilled (FHS) - the allotment for admissions through the Express Entry system. For the year 2025, Combining Federal Economic Priorities (41,700) and In-Canada Focus (82,980) yields a target of 124,680, up from 117,500 for FHS from the previous year's Plan. Year Immigration Levels plan 2025-2027 Immigration Levels plan 2024-2026 Federal Economic Priorities In-Canada Focus Federal High Skilled 2025 41,700 82,980 117,500 2026 47,400 75,830 117,500 2027 47,800 70,930 - Federal Economic Priorities includes in-demand occupations for category based draws, as well as French language proficiency, while In-Canada Focus refers to permanent resident admissions of foreign nationals already in Canada with valid temporary resident status. Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration Provincial Nominee Program Last years Immigration Levels Plan saw a significant shift in Canadas recent immigration strategy regarding Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) targets. The plan cut federal admission targets for the PNP by half as compared to the year prior, reducing admissions to just 55,000 per year in 2025, 2026 and 2027, down from a target of 110,000 for 2024. Year Immigration Levels plan 2025-2027 Immigration Levels plan 2024-2026 2025 55,000 120,000 2026 55,000 120,000 2027 55,000 - In keeping with this, provinces and territories received significantly smaller nomination allocations for 2025. Since then, however, many provinces and territories including British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick have successfully negotiated increases to their PNP nomination allocations for 2025. Moreover, on October 16, immigration minister Lena Diab met with her provincial and territorial counterparts to discuss allocating extra spaces to their PNPs. If the federal government were to continue along the same path we have seen throughout 2025, we would expect 2026 to see an increase in the PNP landings target from last year's target of 55,000. Targets for temporary resident admissions IRCC is expected to include temporary residents in the upcoming Immigration Levels Plan. In its 2025 consultations which are intended to inform the 20262028 plan IRCC stated that it would build on last years approach and remain guided by its commitment to reduce the non-permanent resident population to below 5% of Canadas total population by the end of 2027. Last year marked the first time that the Immigration Levels Plan included temporary resident levels. Temporary residents include temporary foreign workers and international students. In last years Immigration Levels Plan, targets for international students made up the majority of temporary resident arrivals for 2026 and 2027, while the remainder was allocated to temporary workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program. 2025 2026 2027 International Mobility Program 285,750 128,700 155,700 Temporary Foreign Worker Program 82,000 82,000 82,000 Students 305,900 305,900 305,900 Overall arrivals 673,650 516,600 543,600 Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm What does this mean for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program? Prime Minister Mark Carney has telegraphed forthcoming changes to the TFWP, but it is unclear what effect(s) any forthcoming changes might have on annual landings targets under the TFWP, previously set at 82,000. In an address to the Liberal caucus in Edmonton on September 10, Carney said that the TFWP must have a focused approach that targets specific strategic sectors, and needs in specific regions. Over the past year and a half, the government made significant changes to the TFWP: The TFWP has come under fire this year, with Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre calling for it to be abolished. Focus on francophone immigration If the federal government keeps its election promise, we can expect to see for the year 2028 an increase in landings targets for francophone immigration. In the 20252027 Immigration Levels Plan, the federal government committed to gradually increasing the share of French-speaking permanent residents settling outside Quebec, targeting 8.5 % in 2025, 9.5 % in 2026, and 10 % in 2027. In his election campaign, Carney pledged to boost francophone immigration outside Quebec to 12 % by 2029. IRCC has also repeatedly stated that francophone immigration is a priority, even as overall immigration levels are scaled back. Over the last few years, IRCC has continued to prioritize francophone immigration by introducing French-language category-based selection draws, launching francophone immigration pathways (like the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot), and increasing settlement support for francophone immigrants. Caps on international students It is unclear whether the upcoming Plan will adjust targets for admissions of international students. Last years Immigration Levels Plan put in place the following targets for international student arrivals: Year International Student Arrivals (as per Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027) 2025 305,900 2026 305,900 2027 305,900 To achieve these targets, the federal government has instituted an annual cap on study permits applications, which is enforced by requiring non-exempt students to include Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs) in their study permit applications. The cap on study permit applications is updated each year, and has typically been announced each January. Discover your options to study in Canada AGI hype vs. todays real risk Artificial general intelligence (AGI) dominates the headlines. It is often painted as an existential risk: a system that sets its own objectives, operates without oversight and produces outputs we cannot explain. As a security leader, I share those concerns, but they are concerns about a future we have not reached yet. The reality is that todays most urgent problem looks very different. We do not yet have the tools to govern AGI, but we do have ways to build guardrails around the systems already in use. One of the most effective guardrails is controlling what AI agents can interact with: which services they communicate with, what data they access and under what conditions. That control ultimately comes down to managing their credentials, the non-human identities that underpin machine-to-machine communication. And that is where todays risk lies. Non-human identities API keys, authentication tokens, certificates and cryptographic keys already outnumber human identities. In some large-scale environments, the ratio of machine to human identities is 40,000 to 1. As someone who has led cryptography and enterprise security teams, I see this imbalance as the real battleground right now. Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. Red is for ICE. Green is for journalists. Those are the colors of the bilingual information cards that LA Public Press, a nonprofit newsroom, started distributing to Angelenos this year as a quick reference guide on how to navigate ICE encounters and how to handle interactions with the media. The ICE cards came first, in June, when the National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles. The media cards were issued after protests in the city became the focus of national coverage, and reporters sought to speak with residents who were vulnerable to ICE raids. Michelle Zenarosa, LA Public Presss editor in chief, saw that people needed guidance on their rights not only when dealing with ICE, but also in talking to the media. In July, the LA Times published a story about immigration raids in which some of the subjects were identified by their full names and professions. According to Zenarosa, some people interviewed for that story told LA Public Press reporters they hadnt understood that everything they told the LA Times reporter could be used in print. The inclusion of their names and job titles in the article upset them, she said. Gustavo Arellano, the LA Times reporter for the story in question, said that he did not receive any complaints after publication. He identified himself as a reporter for the LA Times and asked people if it was okay to quote them using their full names. He also said that he honors requests from sources who want to be identified by their first names only. You always have to be sensitive of who youre interviewing, he said. Martin Macias Jr., a reporter for LA Public Press, has seen unintended consequences play out for sources in articles hes published. In August, two bus drivers Macias interviewed for a story were fired for speaking with him without permission from the transit agency. The following month they were reinstated, thanks to public pressure. The drivers are now fighting for back pay. To help avoid misunderstandings between reporters and their sources, LA Public Press started handing out cards going over what on and off the record mean, advising people responding to interview questions to watch for leading questions that push a narrative you dont agree with, and asserting that you have the right to decline uncomfortable questions. In March, several news outlets told CJR they were distributing media fact sheets and loosening rules around anonymity, particularly as pertaining to subjects who may be undocumented. Since then, reporters for LA Public Press, Borderless, and Chicago Block Club who cover immigration raids and protests in their cities say that the risks to undocumented people have only increased. All of these newsrooms are taking precautions to protect vulnerable sources, including being more open to granting anonymity and communicating clearly with people what it means to be talking to a reporter and how their words might appear in print or online. I think its incumbent on the journalists to do their due diligence, to explain what it means to have your likeness, your full name, online or in print, especially given how aggressive this administration has been to immigrants, said Mauricio Pena, the chief of staff at Borderless, a Chicago-based outlet. Sign up for CJRs daily email Heightened risk to individuals means that reporting on those individuals requires extra caution. Lately, LA Public Press has become more liberal in making sources for its stories anonymous, or giving only their first name. In some cases, even when an undocumented source consented to being named, the outlet withheld it or other identifying details. Macias said that undocumented sources and activists alike are afraid. When I covered the George Floyd protests here, thats not something that I encountered, he said. Bruce Shapiro, the director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma, has been conducting trainings for local nonprofit newsrooms in Chicago. He said that longtime policies around source protection have enabled journalists to cover sexual assault cases without naming survivors and mandated that outlets seek parental permission when interviewing children. While the balance between transparency and protecting sources has always been tricky, Shapiro said that newsrooms might be in a position now where they need to consider offering similar blanket protections to undocumented immigrants. Now were in an entirely different era in which there are active roundups of migrants, often undocumented, sometimes documented, in which peoples visibility has made them a target, he said. Vulnerability is far from an abstraction. Its about the real, imminent threat of arrest. Figuring out how to report on people living in fear of ICE has urgent stakes. Its actually become a press freedom issue, Shapiro said, because to the extent that people are afraid to talk to journalists or journalists are afraid to ask questions, our ability to report is being hampered by the arbitrary widespread crackdown and violence. State officials on the front lines of preparing for natural disasters and responding to emergencies say severe cuts to federal security grants, restrictions on money intended for readiness and funding delays tied to litigation are posing a growing risk to their ability to respond to crises. Its all causing confusion, frustration and concern. The federal government shutdown isnt helping. Every day we remain in this grant purgatory reduces the time available to responsibly and effectively spend these critical funds, said Kiele Amundson, communications director at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. The uncertainty has led some emergency management agencies to hold off on filling vacant positions and make rushed decisions on important training and purchases. Experts say the developments complicate state-led emergency efforts, undermining the Republican administrations stated goals of shifting more responsibility to states and local governments for disaster response. In an emailed statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the new requirements were necessary because of recent population shifts and that changes to security grants were made to be responsive to new and urgent threats facing our nation. A New Wrinkle Tied To Immigration Raids Several DHS and FEMA grants help states, tribes and territories prepare for climate disasters and deter a variety of threats. The money pays for salaries and training, and such things as vehicles, communications equipment and software. State emergency managers say that money has become increasingly important because the range of threats they must prepare for is expanding, including pandemics and cyberattacks. FEMA, a part of DHS, divided a $320 million Emergency Management Performance Grant among states on Sept. 29. But the next day, it told states the money was on hold until they submitted new population counts. The directive demanded that they omit people removed from the State pursuant to the immigration laws of the United States and to explain their methodology. The amount of money distributed to the states is based on U.S. census population data. The new requirement forcing states to submit revised counts is something we have never seen before, said Trina Sheets, executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, a group representing emergency managers. Its certainly not the responsibility of emergency management to certify population. With no guidance on how to calculate the numbers, Hawaiis Amundson said staff scrambled to gather data from the 2020 census and other sources, then subtracted he number of noncitizens based on estimates from an advocacy group. They are not sure the methodology will be accepted. But with their FEMA contacts furloughed and the grant portal down during the federal shutdown, they cannot find out. Other states said they were assessing the request or awaiting further guidance. In its statement, DHS said FEMA needs to be certain of its funding levels before awarding grant money, and that includes updates to a states population due to deportations. Experts said delays caused by the request could most affect local governments and agencies that receive grant money passed down by states because their budgets and staffs are smaller. At the same time, FEMA also reduced the time frame that recipients have to spend the money, from three years to one. That could prevent agencies from taking on longer-term projects. Bryan Koon, president and CEO of the consulting firm IEM and a former Florida emergency management chief, said state governments and local agencies need time to adjust their budgets to any kind of changes. An interruption in those services could place American lives in jeopardy, he said. Grant Programs Tied up By Litigation In another move that has caused uncertainty, FEMA in September drastically cut some states allocations from another source of funding. The $1 billion Homeland Security Grant Program is supposed to be based on assessed risks, and states pass most of the money to police and fire departments. New York received $100 million less than it expected, a 79% reduction, while Illinois saw a 69% reduction. Both states are politically controlled by Democrats. Meanwhile, some territories received unexpected windfalls, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, which got more than twice its expected allocation. The National Emergency Management Association said the grants are meant to be distributed based on risk and that it remains unclear what risk methodology was used to determine the new funding allocation. After a group of Democratic states challenged the cuts in court, a federal judge in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order on Sept. 30. That forced FEMA to rescind award notifications and refrain from making payments until a further court order. The freeze underscores the uncertainty and political volatility surrounding these awards, said Frank Pace, administrator of the Hawaii Office of Homeland Security. The Democratic-controlled state received more money than expected, but anticipates the bonus being taken away with the lawsuit. In Hawaii, where a 2023 wildfire devastated the Maui town of Lahaina and killed more than 100 people, the state, counties and nonprofits face the real possibility of delays in paying contractors, completing projects and even staff furloughs or layoffs if the grant freeze and government shutdown continue, he said. The myriad setbacks prompted Washington states Emergency Management Division to pause filling some positions out of an abundance of caution, communications director Karina Shagren said. Series of Delays And Cuts Disrupts State-Federal Partnership Emergency management experts said the moves have created uncertainty for those in charge of preparedness. The Trump administration has suspended a $3.6 billion FEMA disaster resilience program, cut the FEMA workforce and disrupted routine training. Other lawsuits also are complicating decision-making. A Manhattan federal judge last week ordered DHS and FEMA to restore $34 million in transit security grants it had withheld from New York City because of its immigration policies. Another judge in Rhode Island ordered DHS to permanently stop imposing grant conditions tied to immigration enforcement, after ruling in September that the conditions were unlawful only to have DHS again try to impose them. Taken together, the turbulence surrounding what was once a reliable partner is prompting some states to prepare for a different relationship with FEMA. Given all of the uncertainties, said Sheets, of the National Emergency Management Association, states are trying to find ways to be less reliant on federal funding. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BNP Paribas shares tumbled on Monday, after a U.S. jury found the French bank helped Sudans government commit genocide by providing banking services that violated American sanctions, raising questions about whether the lender will be exposed to further legal claims. The federal jury in Manhattan on Friday ordered the French bank to pay a combined $20.5 million to three Sudanese plaintiffs who testified about human rights abuses perpetrated under former President Omar al-Bashirs rule. The bank said in a statement on Monday it intended to appeal the verdict, which it said should not lead to further claims. Uncertainty about whether it could face further claims or penalties weighed on BNP Paribas shares on Monday, and would likely continue to do so, traders and analysts said. The shares dropped as much as 10% at one point and were last down 8.7% set for their biggest daily fall since March 2023. Lawyers for the three plaintiffs, who now reside in the United States, said the verdict opens the door for more than 20,000 Sudanese refugees in the U.S. to seek billions of dollars in damages from the French bank. BNP Paribas reaffirms that this result is clearly wrong and ignores important evidence the bank was not permitted to introduce, the bank said in its statement. Furthermore, this verdict is specific to these three plaintiffs and should not have broader application. Any attempt to extrapolate is necessarily wrong as is any speculation regarding a potential settlement, it added. Nonetheless, analysts say the news will likely drag on the banks shares in the coming months. A combination of a lack of visibility on the potential financial impact and next legal steps, a reminder of 2014 share price performance as well as a capital path that leaves relatively little room for error, is likely to hang over the shares until more visibility is provided, analysts at RBC Capital Markets said in a note. BNP Paribas in 2014 agreed to plead guilty and pay an $8.97 billion penalty to settle U.S. charges it transferred billions of dollars for Sudanese, Iranian and Cuban entities subject to economic sanctions. RBC said the banks shares underperformed the sector by 10% from the first litigation provision booked in early 2014 to the settlement in June 2014. (Reporting by Alun John, additional reporting by Mathieu Rosemain in Paris and Lucy Raitano in London; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) The Vaticans child protection board said the Catholic Church has a moral obligation to help victims of clergy sexual abuse heal. Financial reparations for the abused and tougher sanctions for the abusers and their enablers are essential remedies, it said. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors focused on the issue of reparations in its second annual report an often sensitive topic for the church, given the financial, reputational and legal implications involved. The report was significant an official Vatican publication prepared with the input of 40 abuse survivors from around the world. It gave a voice to their complaints of how badly the church had handled their cases and highlighted measures they need to heal. It contained the shocking revelation that the Vatican office responsible for one-third of the worlds Catholic dioceses had received only a small number of cases, and only two reports of bishops who covered up child sex crimes. Such data suggests that clergy abuse is happening unchecked and unreported in vast parts of the developing world, more than three decades after the scandal first exploded publicly in the West. Pope Leo Signals Commitment to Commission The report covers 2024, a period before Pope Leo XIV was elected. Historys first American pope has acknowledged that the abuse scandal remains a crisis for the church. Leo has signaled a commitment to the commission, which Pope Francis created in 2014 to advise the church on best practices to prevent abuse. The report said monetary settlements were necessary to provide victims with needed therapy and other assistance to help them recover from the trauma of their abuse. But it said the church owed a far greater debt to victims, the broader church community and God. The hierarchy must listen to victims and provide them with spiritual and pastoral assistance. Church leaders must apologize for the harm done, tell victims what they are doing to punish those who harmed them and what measures they are taking to prevent future abuse, the report said. The church bears a moral and spiritual obligation to heal the deep wounds inflicted from sexual violence perpetrated, enabled, mishandled, or covered up by anyone holding a position of authority in the church, it said. The report itself was prepared with victims in a focus group setting who listed priorities for their healing. They identified the need for accountability for church leaders, information about their cases, true reform of church structures to adequately punish abusers and their enablers. A Legal Process That Brings Back The Trauma Significantly, the 2024 report said the churchs way of handling abuse cases, and its decades-long pattern of mishandling reports, including abandoning, ignoring, shaming, blaming, and stigmatizing victims, was itself retraumatizing for them. It was a reference to the churchs dysfunctional in-house canonical code, where it can take years to process a case and the most severe punishment meted out to a serial rapist priest amounts to being fired. The process is cloaked in secrecy, such that victims have no rights to information about their case other than learning its outcome. The report called for sanctions that were tangible and commensurate with the severity of the crime. While laicization is a possible outcome for priests who rape children, the church frequently gives out lesser sanctions, such as a period of retreat away from active ministry. Even when a bishop is removed for bungling cases, the public is only told that he has retired. The report called for the church to clearly communicate reasons for resignation or removal. An Audit of Countries And Vatican Office Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource BishopAccountability.org said the report should serve as a wake-up call to Leo, who she noted had seemed to minimize the enormity of the scandal in an interview in which he stressed the need to ensure the rights of priests. The global church has hundreds of millions of children under its care, and it is still failing to prioritize their safety, she said in a statement. The report provided an audit of child protection policies and practices in over a dozen countries, as well as within two religious orders, a lay movement and the Vatican office responsible for the church in the developing world. It gave high marks to the church leadership in Malta, South Korea and Slovakia, where most if not all dioceses responded to the commissions questionnaire about prevention policies and practices. But even in Italy, the Vaticans backyard, only 81 of 226 dioceses responded to the questionnaire. In places like Mali, the challenges seem even greater: the bishops conference website does not seem to be functioning and accessible. The report contained the stunning fact that the Dicastery for Evangelizations missionary office, which is responsible for 1,124 dioceses in Asia, Africa, Oceania and parts of Latin America or a third of the churchs dioceses had received only a small number of cases, and only two reports of bishops who covered up. That is a staggeringly low number given the size of the territory involved. It suggests the Vatican still has a long way to go in parts of the world where abuse, especially same-sex abuse, remains a taboo topic in the wider society and where the church is confronting broader issues of war, conflict and poverty. Commission member Benyam Dawit Mezmur, an Ethiopian jurist, said he cringes when he hears the church claim there are no abuse cases in Africa, when the truth is that cases are not being reported. A lack of resources in these poor churches and societal and cultural impediments are mostly to blame. I know for a fact that there are cases, he said. But we need to look deeper and see why are they not being reported. Are the structures in place? Are there issues about reprisals? Are there issues that we need to address about power relations? He said key to encouraging a culture of reporting was empowering minors and their families to report abuse and educating them about child protection and prevention. ___ 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. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Europes auto industry is preparing for production disruption within days because of Chinas export restrictions on semiconductors made by Nexperia. Chip shortages are likely to hit key suppliers within a week, while the impact could spread across the entire sector within 10 to 20 days, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named as the discussions are private. The situation could lead to significant production restrictions, possibly even production stoppages in the near future, Hildegard Muller, who heads Germanys VDA auto lobby, said in a statement. Beijing has blocked Nexperia a Dutch chipmaker owned by Chinas Wingtech Technology Co. from exporting products made at its Chinese plants. The move came after the Dutch government seized control of the company under emergency laws meant to safeguard strategic production. The step has escalated a broader trade dispute as China and the U.S. prepare for high-level talks later this month. It follows Beijings earlier measures to tighten exports of rare earths and battery materials critical to electric vehicles. Carmakers and their suppliers are holding crisis meetings with government officials to map out contingency plans, but have warned that sourcing and qualifying replacement components will take months, not days. The fallout is expected to extend beyond Europe, with U.S. automakers also exposed through smaller parts and electronics makers that rely on Nexperia chips, the people said. The industry was blindsided by the Dutch governments move to take control of Nexperia after pressure from Washington, two of the people said. German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG, one of the main suppliers to the auto industry, has been fielding inquiries from manufacturers seeking alternative sources of components, Bloomberg reported last week. While initially caught off guard, automakers and suppliers have now opened channels with Chinese authorities as well as officials in the Netherlands and the European Commission, according to people familiar with the talks. The outreach aims to clarify the scope of the export controls and explore ways to ease the impact before production lines are forced to stop. Volkswagen AG has set up a task force to assess potential exposure in its supply chain. Robert Bosch GmbH, the worlds largest auto-parts maker, said its expert teams are in close contact with Nexperia as well as other suppliers and affected customers to avoid or minimize any production restrictions. Like other Nexperia customers, we are facing major challenges due to the current situation, a Bosch spokesperson said Tuesday. We therefore hope for a swift resolution among the parties involved that will help ease the current supply bottleneck. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. MEDINA, Ohio Police Chief Ed Kinney recently spent time in Washington, D.C., discussing concerns about increasing truck sizes with members of Congress and he said he thinks many legislators were receptive to the message. Kinney said during an Oct. 14 council meeting that he traveled to Washington earlier this month with the group Coalition Against Bigger Trucks. He said the groups goal was to urge members of Congress not to approve an increase for the legal size and weight limits for semi-trucks. We talked about the safety issues that could be created by the increase, Kinney said. When a full-size truck crashes here in Medina, it is not a fender bender. It is a significant event that ties up resources and the last thing we need is bigger, heavier trucks coming through Medina. We urged members of Congress to put safety ahead of special interest. Sure, larger trucks might save a few companies some money, but it can also cost communities lives, infrastructure and resources. Kinney said he was pleased with the number of congress people who seemed to agree with the groups position and opposed larger trucks as well. Kinney also gave an update on the citys deer program. He said the municipal deer program runs through Feb. 1 and so far, bowhunters have harvested a total of 10 deer. He said nine were does and one was a buck. More information about the deer control program can be found on the citys website, medinaoh.org. A variety of Thanksgiving meal ingredients, including a Butterball turkey, Stove Top stuffing and Great Value pie crusts, will be in Walmarts annual holiday basket. Kirk Mckoy/Getty Images BENTONVILLE, Arkansas Walmart is bringing back its annual Thanksgiving meal basket, offering one of the most affordable holiday feasts, the retail giant announced on Tuesday. For less than $40, families can feed 10 people with a collection of over 20 items, including a Butterball turkey priced at just $0.97 per pound, the lowest since 2019. Customers can order online for quick delivery or in-store pickup. The basket features classic holiday favorites, from Stove Top stuffing and Great Value pie crusts to cranberries and russet potatoes. This year, Walmart is expanding its offerings to include specialized baskets, such as a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal, a high-protein Balanced Thanksgiving option and a Prime Rib feast complete with Angus beef, potatoes, salad and wine. The program, launched in 2022, has become a holiday staple for families nationwide. Additionally, Walmart is partnering with The Salvation Army to encourage shoppers to contribute to families in need. Customers can add a donation at checkout to provide warm meals to others in their community, combining holiday convenience with charitable giving. Following the trend of affordable holiday meals, ALDI is also offering pre-assembled Thanksgiving baskets this year. Their meal kits include a turkey, classic sides and desserts, designed to serve families without breaking the budget. The Summerville High School graduate is majoring in elementary education at SC State. Note: The following is the first in a series of nine articles about SC States nine newly inducted Clyburn Scholars, who comprise the largest class in the programs history. Aleena EMarie Allen ORANGEBURG, S.C. Having grown up in a military family, Aleena EMarie Allen has lived in six states and attended multiple schools across the country, experiences that have taught her adaptability, resilience, and an appreciation for diverse cultures. Now, shes putting those lessons to use as a first-year student at South Carolina State University, where she was recently inducted as one of nine new Clyburn Scholars in the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College. Poised, compassionate, and purpose-driven, Aleena EMarie Allen embodies the heart of the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College, which aims to combine intellect, empathy, and excellence to inspire the next generation of learners and leaders, said Dr. William H. Whitaker Jr., the colleges dean. Majoring in elementary education at SC State, Allen is he eldest daughter of Anthony and Brittney Allen of Summerville, South Carolina. Her academic excellence and leadership reflect a lifetime of perseverance shaped by frequent relocations and her fathers military service. Aleenas passion for education and service was sparked in Hawaii, where she participated in a Career and Technical Education teacher preparation program during her time at Leilehua High School. Through this program, she gained early classroom experience at Wahiawa Elementary School, developed engaging lesson plans, and completed three college-level education courses. This experience solidified her goal of becoming a kindergarten teacher, in her words, to create an environment that fosters and grows a childs love of learning. Inspired by her mother and aunt, both of whom are social workers, Allen also plans to pursue a masters degree in social work after earning her bachelors degree in education. She hopes to bridge the fields of education and social work by advocating for students emotional and academic well-being in schools. Beyond the classroom, Allen has served as a YMCA Summer Camp volunteer, Teen Center tutor, and administrative assistant for Dorchester Adult Education. Her involvement in cheer, dance, volleyball, and step teams across schools from New York to Hawaii has strengthened her teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. She has been recognized with several scholarships: The Freshman GAP Scholarship. The Summerville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Thetas Johnnie Mae Good Mazyck Scholarship. The LIFE Scholarship. The Clyburn Honors College General Scholarship. Allen described South Carolina State University as the place where everything finally came together. After touring the campus, she knew she had found her academic home, a supportive community where she could grow, serve, and belong. About the Clyburn Scholars Program The Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College at South Carolina State University proudly celebrates the continued generosity of the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Endowed Honors College Scholarship Fund, an enduring endowment honoring Congressman James E. Clyburn and the late Dr. Emily England Clyburn. Established to support high-achieving students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and a passion for community engagement, the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Endowed Honors College Scholarship Fund has become a cornerstone of the Honors Colleges mission to elevate student success and expand opportunity for South Carolinas most promising young scholars. The Honors College is forever grateful to the Clyburn family for choosing to invest in the lives of some of our best and brightest students here at South Carolina State University, Whitaker said. These financial gifts are noble and profoundly impactful, ensuring that our scholars can focus on academic excellence without the barriers of financial hardship. We accept these gifts with humility and a renewed commitment to the ideals of leadership, service, and scholarship that the Clyburn name represents, Whitaker said. This scholarship does more than ease financial burdens. It inspires our scholars to lead lives of purpose and to give back to the communities that shaped them. For more information about SC States Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College, contact Dr. William Whitaker, the Honors Colleges dean, at wwhitak3@scsu.edu or 803-533-3710, or Dr. Windy A. Mack Stephenson, the Honors Colleges executive director, at wmack3@scsu.edu or (803) 516-4610. Two months ago, Ukraine launched a surprise drone attack on five Russian air bases located across Russia. The farthest target was over 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine. Three targeted air bases were located near the Arctic Circle; another was near the Pacific coast, and the last two were in Siberia and near the Mongolian border. Russia believed these bases were too far from Ukraine to be attacked. The bases housed the last 120 long-range bombers Russia possessed. These aircraft are no longer produced, and any that are lost cannot be replaced. It took the Ukrainians nearly two years to plan what they called Operation Spider Web. Ukraine infiltrated trucks carrying crates containing drones into Russia. Most of the drivers were Russians who were paid well to drive these trucks to remote locations, where they had orders to leave the trucks and take local buses or trains home. After that, drone operators based in Ukraine or Ukraine-friendly areas of Russia took control of the drones and launched them. The artificial intelligence software in each drone then used visual sensors to spot, identify, and home in on their targets. This operation destroyed 41 aircraft, which was more than a third of Russia's heavy bomber fleet. After that, attacks by the remaining bombers on Ukraine were rare, especially when it was discovered that the Ukrainians were prepared to counter and disrupt these attacks, frequently destroying the bombers. After that, Russia relied mostly on ballistic missiles. Ukraine had also become more adept at intercepting these. The Ukrainians developed advanced techniques to counter these threats. Russian heavy bombers also used long-range Kh-103 cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets. These are similar to the American Tomahawk cruise missile but cost much more, at over $12 million each. So far this year, Russia has used about 500 cruise and ballistic missiles against Ukrainian targets. Most of these were intercepted or failed before reaching their targets. This did not discourage the Russians, who were at last inflicting some damage on Ukrainian targets. Most of those targets are now economic targets that are less likely to have missile defenses. So far in the war, few targets have been hit, but the NATO nations providing Ukraine with these systems have gained a lot of experience in using these weapons against modern missiles. This means that, if the United States is ever at war with China, American missile defenses will be much more capable. Since Vladimir Putin took control of Russia over twenty years ago, he has set about trying to recreate the Soviet Unionnot just its socialist government with him in charge, but also all the territory the Soviets once controlled. He began with Ukraine, which proved far more difficult than he expected. The invasion of Ukraine brought crippling economic sanctions and a collapsing Russian economy. To deal with this mess, Putin realized strong measures were required. He had many friends and associates from his KGB days and put them to work in his new government. Russia continues to turn into a full police state. New laws reinstate many of the arbitrary powers that Soviet Union police and intelligence officials had. While post-Soviet Russia remains a democracy, elected officials are reinstating the surveillance and control capabilities their Soviet counterparts long relied on. The main vehicle for implementing this new police state is the FSB, the successor to the Cold War-era KGB. This organization is regaining many of its Soviet-era powers and personnel. Before the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the KGB was the most powerful organization in the country. It was a law unto itself, as long as it stuck to its main task: keeping the Communist Party in charge. After the Soviet Union collapsed, the KGB lost much of its power but did not disappear. It was split into several separate organizations, with the main one being the FSB, a counterintelligence organization with police powers. The SVR conducts overseas espionage. Since the late 1990s, the FSB has been regaining much of its Cold War-era authority and personnel. It again controls the border police and several specialized technical organizations. While this pleases the law-and-order community, it disturbs Russians who remember when the KGB was the principal organization keeping the communist dictatorship in control. The new powers give the FSB more authority to do whatever it wants, just as it did when the communists were in charge. The FSB now directly controls over 100,000 personnel and has authority over many more in other government departments, including the national police force. The Communist Party has been replaced by an oligarchy of wealthy men who got rich through business acumen, corruption, outright theft, and personal relationships with Putin. In effect, it is a more efficient version of the far greater number of Communist Party bureaucrats who ruled and murdered Russians for 70 years. The new regime is less lethal than the communists but no less intolerant of criticism. The KGB acquired most of its power just before World War II, after dictator Joseph Stalin had killed much of the army leadership to prevent what he believed was the possibility of a military takeover. The KGB was a powerful state secret police, a sort of FBI, CIA, and more rolled into one organization. The KGB was everywhere, as it sought to keep its communist masters in power. For example, it had a network of informants in the military. When Stalin died of natural causes in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev and some close Communist Party associates took over. One of their first actions was to execute the head of the KGB, an old Stalin crony named Beria, who had been responsible for large-scale massacres within the Communist Party and KGB during Stalins reign. Less bloodthirsty KGB officers were promoted to head the organization. Until the very end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the KGB remained at the top of the social, political, economic, and legal pecking order. In the late 1980s, reformers like Gorbachev rose to power with the assistance of senior KGB officials who saw a need for reform. The KGB was aware that their tsarist predecessors had survived the 1917 Revolution. The KGB, a relatively small group compared to the military and the Communist Party, was ready to survive the next revolution. This it did, and now its successors are being rewarded for their loyalty and effectiveness in dealing with terrorism, corruption, and crime. While the FSB has regained control of the border police, this force is but a shadow of its former Soviet self. Back then, the Soviet Union maintained 200,000 KGB border troops, which included armored units, naval ships, and combat aircraft. These forces served the same function as the United States Coast Guard and Border Patrol but with far greater power. In America, these forces amount to fewer than half as many personnel. The 25,000 sailors in the Maritime Border Guards (MBG) answered to no one but the head of the KGB. To put it bluntly, a lieutenant commanding an MBG patrol boat could order any Russian warship to halt and arrest its captain. In fact, this was one of the principal functions of the MBG: to prevent mutiny or defection by ships and sailors of the Soviet Navy and merchant fleet. Smuggling was a minor problem, as Russian currency was useless outside the country, and there were few items Russia produced that were small and valuable enough to be profitably smuggled. Moreover, much of Russias coastline is in Arctic waters, and most of the remainder was adjacent to other communist nations. What kept the MBG busy was ensuring that Russian citizens didnt flee the country. Such flight was a criminal offense, and several prisons were full of Russians who attempted to leave and were caught by the MBG. MBG personnel were carefully selected. Although two-thirds were conscripts, these were chosen from among the most reliable Slavic candidates and were given special benefits and privileges to compensate for serving three years instead of two. These benefits extended into life after military service, as they had demonstrated their loyalty to the government and were thus worthy of job assignments and other privileges. Because of the three-year term for KGB conscripts, only a quarter of the personnel were replaced each year, allowing for a higher degree of training and effectiveness. Less than a third of the 25,000 MBG sailors served on ships crews; the majority worked in support jobs on land, supplying security detachments for guarding MBG bases and monitoring suspicious foreign merchant ships or Russian personnel suspected of disloyalty. The Russian Coast Guard still oversees much more than the coast, though Russia no longer makes it so difficult to leave. The FSB still relies on conscripts for many low-level security jobs. However, as in the Soviet period, getting drafted into the FSB is an attractive proposition for many young Russian men. Doing well in this job, including guarding nuclear weapons or other important national assets, marks you as someone worthy of other roles within the security services. What bothers many Russians is the ultimate purpose of the FSB. The KGB was known as the main protector of the Communist Party. The FSB is seen as the supporter of wealthy criminals who used their KGB connections and powers after the Soviet Union collapsed to seize ownership of many state-owned assets. The current Russian government is acting more and more like the autocratic rulers Russia has suffered under for centuries. The FSB acts like a palace guard, not public servants. Director Chris Columbus lamented earlier this year that he couldnt remove Donald Trumps cameo from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: If I cut it, he said, Ill probably be sent out of the country. The future President and his First Lady, Melania, also made a brief appearance in 2001s Zoolander, endorsing the films main character. Look, without Derek Zoolander, male modeling wouldnt be what it is today, Trump told a reporter in the film. Like Columbus, director Ben Stiller says he isnt removing Trump from his comedy, although for different reasons. Ive had people reach out to me and say, You should edit Donald Trump out of Zoolander, but at the end of the day, that was a time that existed and that happened, he told Radio Times. (For what its worth, Trump hated the comedys sequel, Zoolander 2, according to Page Six. He told Chris Matthews that it bombed because nobody cares about male models anymore. Im sure the absence of another Trump cameo had nothing to do with the bad review.) Don't Miss Its not the first time Stiller has discussed Trumps appearance in the original Zoolander, pointing out that such nods were practically a trope back then. There were so many movies that had a silly cameo from Donald Trump, Stiller said on the Last Laugh podcast in 2020. He represented a certain thing. Advertisement Thats not an exaggeration. In addition to Zoolander and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Trump showed up in movies like Two Weeks Notice, The Little Rascals and Celebrity, as well as on sitcoms like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Spin City and The Drew Carey Show. Three seconds of Trump was comedy shorthand for Rich Guy Was Here, like having the Monopoly guy saunter through the frame tipping his top hat. Those appearances used to be funny-ish, but Stiller acknowledges that Trumps second go-round as President presents challenges for current-day comedy. We live in a world where taking chances with comedy is more challenging, he said. Youre seeing that front and center in our country. Without naming names, Stiller was addressing the cancellations temporary and permanent of late-night comedians who lampoon the President. Back in the Zoolander days, Stiller didnt have to worry about the administration siccing the FCC on his movie studio if a joke struck too close to home. Given the current reality, Stiller challenged his fellow funny people to keep up the heat. I think its important that comedians keep doing what theyre doing, speaking truth to power and being free to say what they want, he said. Thats the most important thing. Less than a week out of prison, hes already a media darling again I wasnt surprised when Fox News brought pardoned felon George Santos on to the network to kiss Donald Trumps ring. Giving Santos a free space to promote his Cameo to fund his Botox isnt a shock for a network that capitalizes off of softening and celebrating Republican harm. I was a little shocked, though, that the world of late-night television would embrace the fraudster so completely. But they most certainly did. On The Late Show, Colbert took aim at Trump calling the pardoned wire fraudster and identity thiever a rogue. Don't Miss Hes not a rogue, Colbert said. Hes a criminal! Colbert then launched into an impersonation of Trump that took on a defensive position of Jack the Ripper. It was decent. Santos had been in one of those cushy prisons, but that didnt stop him from pretending that hes the victim here, Colbert continued. He kept a diary where he wrote, Wearing a fluorescent yellow jumpsuit that made me feel like a caution sign in human form. That image, me, hollow-eyed, clad, and state-issued polyester, hit me like a punch to the gut, Colbert read. Yes. Yes, that is the worst part of being in prison, the fashion. Who can forget Nelson Mandelas memoir, Long Walk to Nordstrom? Over on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon made a quick joke about Santos in the first few minutes of his monologue. George Santos is released from prison on Friday and the Louvre gets robbed on Sunday. Coincidence? I dont want to put it out there, but I did. Advertisement Then, later in the segment, Jon Lovitz revived his Santos impression, which he used to do on Fallon relatively often. A lot of people are still talking about Trumps decision to commute the sentence of former lying New York Congressman George Santos, Fallon explained. Well, you guys, here actually to talk about it, whos with us tonight, joining us via satellite, please welcome George Santos. Hello, James. Hmmm. Its great to be on your show, Lovitzs pretty unconvincing Santos remarks. By the way, Im loving your monologue. And you know I never lie. Ha! Advertisement Advertisement The bit was made worse but more authentic by Lovitz filming in what appeared to be a steak-house dining booth from the 1980s. He was also backlit in a way the real Santos would never be; the true fraudster knows the power of a ring light. I find the president so wise and stunningly handsome, Lovitzs Santos continued. Forgiveness is the only path forward, you know, Jimmy. I learned that from my great-great-grandfather, Jesus. I know that a gay Republican who was pardoned by Trump and who loves television and fraud is fertile soil for comedy even Weekend Update couldnt resist making a few cracks but I hope everyone practices restraint on giving endless airtime to a man who uses every second of that airtime to further his own financial goals at the expense of everyone else. Jimmy Fallon, bless him, has lost his knack for timing. From delivering punchlines in monologues, to forcing out laughter when he interviews guests, to posting about dining with the Royal Guard in Scotland, theres just always something a bit off about a topic that has the potential to be fantastic or at least very good. For the first two, I dont have any real suggestions; sometimes theres a dead look in Fallons eyes when he huffs out a guffaw that makes me think of those lines from that Smokey Robinson song: Now theres some sad things known to man / But aint too much sadder than the tears of a clown / When theres no one around. Don't Miss For the latter item though, I do have a suggestion: Jimmy, I know that the Royal Guard in Scotland isnt in any way technically connected to the No Kings protests. But, maybe, you shouldnt have posted about dining with any sort of royal anything following the largest demonstration in U.S. history protesting the monarchical aspirations of our 47th president. In a video titled How I Got Invited to Dine with the Royal Guard in Scotland, posted to Fallons personal YouTube, Fallon detailed his honestly rather charming solo trip to Scotland. He went to see his favorite comedians home, toured Balmoral castle and spent a night riding the Royal Scotsman train. During one of his excursions, he bumped into the Royal Guard, who invited him for dinner. The Balaclava Company, Fifth Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, Fallon explained. I went to the officers mess, Victoria Barracks. Fallon managed to pull together a full black-tie kilt ensemble, and even got his own custom-made kilt. Frankly, it sounds like the dream vacation. Im just so grateful, thankful for everyone for being so nice in Scotland, Fallon continued. I am not Scottish. Im not pretending to be Scottish, but I feel like right now I might be the most Scottish person in Scotland. In an Instagram post from the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Kings guard said that meeting Fallon was an absolute blast. Its not every day you get The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon dropping by but when you do, you make sure he gets a proper 5 SCOTS welcome, the post was captioned. Advertisement It seemed like a great time. But hanging out with a royal guard and posting about it on the same day you do a monologue about the largest protest in U.S. history, which so happens to be called No Kings, is a little ironic. Maybe that was the point. Or maybe it was yet another piece of promotion for the app game Royal Kingdom. Chinas claim that the US National Security Agency (NSA) was behind a cyber attack against the countrys timekeeping centre could be true, says an expert. From a technical perspective, Chinas allegation about an NSA hack on its national timekeeping center is plausible and aligns with known US cyber capabilities, Jeff Bardin, chief intelligence officer at US-based Treadstone 71, told CSO on Monday. But, he added, without public evidence its hard to confirm conclusively. 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. China, EU expected to play key role at COP30 08:54, October 21, 2025 By Hou Liqiang ( China Daily China and the European Union, two of the world's most prominent climate actors, are expected to play pivotal roles in shaping the outcomes of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP30, according to a senior UN official. In an exclusive interview with China Daily in the run-up to COP30, scheduled next month in Belem, Brazil, Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said that she looks forward to seeing how China and the EU will step up climate diplomacy in the wake of the United States' absence. While supporting Brazil to ensure a successful COP30, China and the EU are expected to facilitate "transformative" low-carbon investment in developing economies, which will create multilateral wins, she said. The US, which, along with China, laid the foundation for international support for the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, and has historically played a crucial role in global climate negotiations, has announced it will withdraw from the international accord for the second time, citing "unfair burdens" on the US economy. Pointing out that COP30 holds special significance, because it will review the Nationally Determined Contributions that each party needs to update every five years under the Paris pact, Andersen commended the announcement of China's NDCs by President Xi Jinping in his video speech delivered to the UN Climate Summit 2025 in September. She highlighted in particular China's goal to increase installed capacity of wind and solar power to 3,600 gigawatts by 2035, calling it "mind-boggling", considering the country's current capacity of less than 2,000 GW. "On renewable energy, frankly, China has helped bring that price down by 90 percent in the past 10 to 15 years. It's amazing. ... We can see that when China sets the pace of the run, it makes a difference," Andersen said, noting that because of China, she is now able to find cheaper solar panels in Africa, where she lives, to install on her roof. "So I think we have to understand that what China is doing at home is also making an impact abroad," she added. The energy transition is a formidable challenge, yet China has shown that it is achievable through a determined, long-term investment strategy in new technologies, Andersen said. This approach has not only reduced emissions, but also created jobs, stimulated economic growth, expanded energy access and opened up new global markets, she said. Andersen underscored the important role China has played in global climate governance, especially in UN climate negotiations. Amid the US' expected lack of major presence at COP30, she said she is glad that there has been in-depth communication between China and the EU in the context of G20 meetings in South Africa. "I'm very happy to know that these conversations are taking place, and that there is a mutual understanding of ambition. I'm sure that Brazil will lean on both of these parties, as well as on everyone else, to stretch as best as they can," she said. Emphasizing that millions of people in the Global South still lack access to energy, Andersen highlighted the huge potential for China-EU cooperation in addressing the problem and promoting energy transition in developing economies. She underlined the critical importance of building renewable energy infrastructure, instead of coal-powered plants, to provide energy access to the masses. Andersen said that with tech innovation and investment from China and the EU, the impact could be immense. By promoting local manufacturing, these could stimulate an industrial boom, she said. China-EU joint investment could trigger triple benefit by strengthening markets and creating jobs in China, Europe and recipient countries, Andersen said. The benefits for recipient countries would be foundational ranging from electricity for education and refrigeration for food and medicines to a secure cold chain for vaccines, she said, emphasizing that these developments would catalyze industrial growth, increase tax revenue, and place beneficiary nations on a path to sustained prosperity. "So it is a true win-win. That I think is something to really celebrate. And there will be innovations happening," Andersen added. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) The strong do what they can, the Greek historian Thucydides wrote some 2,400 years ago. And the weak suffer what they must. Recent days have provided compelling proof of this ancient political truism. Yesterday, during an audience in the Oval Office with the Australian prime minister, Donald Trump frankly stated that Ukraine is likely to lose its war with Russia. I dont think they will [win it], but they could, he said. I never said they would win it. Even by his own unsurpassed standards for bare-faced lying, this was extraordinary. Only a few weeks ago, at the UN in New York, Trump suggested that Ukraine might retake all the territory it had lost to the invaders since February 2022 in remarks rightly hailed by President Volodymyr Zelensky as a big shift for the US leader. Yesterdays volte-face followed a tumultuous few days at the White House where, according to credible reports, a shouting match took place between Trump and Zelensky, with the US President throwing aside maps of the battlefield and aggressively pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart to surrender the Donetsk region to Russia. Trump followed this by frankly telling reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that the best way to end the quagmire was to cut up the Donbas which surrounds Donetsk and hand over swathes of further territory to Moscow. Ukraine, it seems, is in for a very cold winter. Donald Trump welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House at the end of last week to discuss the war in Ukraine Trump is the worlds most famous exponent of what political scientists call the madman school of geopolitics. He thrives on his own unpredictability, his grandiose demands, his bulldozer approach to negotiations, his willingness to contradict himself and, above all, his ability to persuade his adversaries that he is capable of doing anything, no matter how reckless or destructive. And, it must be said, this approach which was comprehensively laid out in his best-selling book The Art Of The Deal almost 40 years ago has won him several triumphs on the foreign stage, most notably in Gaza, where he modestly greeted his recent deal between Hamas and Israel as eternal, everlasting peace. But the problem with acting like a madman is that you risk doing things that actually are insane such as letting a dictator win a flagrant and illegal war of conquest. What message might this send to other belligerent tyrants with designs on, for example, Taiwan (China), Tel Aviv (Iran) or Seoul (North Korea)? Until a few short days ago, it seemed possible that America might actually supply Kyiv with an arsenal of Tomahawk missiles, capable of striking targets deep inside Russia. These could have had the capacity to transform the direction of the war and bring it to a speedy end that largely protected Ukraines borders and right to self-determination. Those hopes seem dashed. Why? I believe the answer lies primarily in psychology. Above all, Trump abhors weakness. His guiding motto can be summed up by another line from Thucydides really a restating of the phrase I quoted above that the world is ruled by equals in power. This great political truth is one I always teach my students at Oxford. Trump sees Putins ability to rule Russia with an iron fist as the only fact that matters. Ukraine may not be a perfect democracy, but Zelensky was elected freely and fairly, and could will one day be turfed out of office. He is also an ex-comedian rather than a KGB thug and kleptocrat gangster like Putin. To Trump, all this makes Zelensky seem weaker than his nemesis and nothing disgusts the US President more. According to the FT, Trump insisted to Zelensky last Friday that: Ukraine faces destruction and is losing, and that: This is not a war it is a special military operation. These are talking points straight from Putins script. For Britain, Europe and the other Nato allies, all this is deeply concerning. When Trump returned to the White House in January, it seemed as though he might be less of a madman than he had been during his first tenure. But the scale of his election victory almost a year ago means that for now at least he bestrides his countrys political system like a colossus. The Democrats remain bloodied and divided, while the Republican Party has been utterly reshaped in the Maga mould and now stands, like Americas European allies, as a courtier to an absolute monarch. So what can Zelensky do now? He is unlikely to repeat his mistakes back in February, when he failed to show sufficient gratitude for American support and was, in return, treated with contempt during that now-infamous White House press conference. But nor should Zelensky bow and sue for grace with suppliant knee that is, abjectly debase himself before the emperor-king. Keir Starmer received a humiliating reminder of this advice in Egypt last week, when he lined up sycophantically with other world leaders to pay homage to Trump following the Gaza deal. Starmer was beckoned forward to the rostrum and then, as the US President turned his back, left floundering in embarrassment, to the open amusement of other dignitaries. Trump then rubbed it in for Starmer, saying: I get along with the tough ones I dont get along with the weak ones. No instead, Zelenskys best approach is to make Trump see Putin for the paper tiger he is. The dictators famed war machine is depleted and shopworn, and with every day the war drags on, his country grows weaker. The Kremlin has been able to shield its citizens in Moscow and other major cities from the worst of the war, by bribing hundreds of thousands of men most of them not ethnic Russians from impoverished provinces to be pulverised in the terrible meat grinder of the steppes. Dagestanis, Yakuts and Buryats comprise around less than 10 per cent of Russias population but have supplied a full 40 per cent of contract soldiers. However, the cost of this slaughter of Russian minorities is putting increasing strain on the countrys finances. Add to this the onset of winter, in a country where urban central heating is still often provided at great cost by the state, and its plain to see why thousands of angry citizens are now taking the risk of protesting openly. Just witness the extraordinary scenes in Putins native St Petersburg last week, where hundreds of brave young people gathered to call for an end to the war. Russia has lost an estimated 1.3million men to capture just 1 per cent of Ukrainian land since the start of the war. Such a pace is unsustainable. With full American backing, including the Tomahawk missiles Zelensky so craves, the Ukrainians who have fought like lions could still win, whatever Trump might now be saying, or at least force Putin into making painful concessions. Within the next fortnight, Trump and Putin are due to meet in Budapest, Hungary. Zelensky is not expected to have a seat the table. Yet if he is ever to relish the victory that is his lifes cause, he must do everything he can in the days ahead to make Trump see that the psychopath in the Kremlin is the weaker party in this terrible war. Mark Almond is director of the Crisis Research Institute in Oxford After the disgraced Andrew and, by association, Fergie gave up their royal titles over links to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein last week, the King and Prince William both made it clear that their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie will continue to be princesses with all the trappings that royal blood brings. I and Im sure many others am flabbergasted by the decision. Why should we feel a shred of sympathy for the two pampered princesses who have lived their lives enjoying, unknowingly perhaps, vast privileges and wealth courtesy of their dishonoured father and his dodgy millionaire friends? And was this really the moment for Charles and his heir to go out on a limb for two non-working royals who have fed, like blue-blooded leeches, off their parents connections and are now mothers and businesswomen in their own right? I think not. Prince Andrews biographer Andrew Lownie, in his bombshell book Entitled, wrote that Beatrice and Eugenie claim theyre modern princesses juggling jobs and children, but theyre just as entitled as their parents. And he claimed that they, like their parents, have shady connections to the super-rich of Saudi Arabia. Do the King and the Prince not realise that every time the public sees the pair, we are reminded of their awful, money-grubbing parents? Embracing them now only further damages their dwindling support, especially among young people polls show of Generation Z, upon which the future of the Royal Family depends, only 30 per cent believe the monarchy is good for Britain. Of course, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, now known as Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Mrs Jack Brooksbank respectively, are in no way complicit in their parents avaricious association with Epstein. Yet one has to ask the question: How could Beatrice and Eugenie, then around 21 and 19 years old in 2009 when their mum took them to meet Epstein in his New York mansion to celebrate his release from prison, not think that it was all a bit odd? Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour in 2013 Insiders say Prince William is now so deeply concerned about the message Andrews presence at any royal events sends to the victims of sexual abuse that he will ban his uncle from his coronation How could they have stuck by their fathers side so steadfastly as more has emerged about his alleged relationship with the then 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre (which he vehemently denies)? I wonder if they queried why daddy paid an undisclosed settlement in 2022 (believed to have been 12million) to quash the Virginia Giuffre v Prince Andrew civil lawsuit funded, it has been reported, by the late Queen and the then Prince Charles? Im sure that, ever the loving daughters, they believed their fathers claims that it was all lies. So much so that they must even have dismissed the devastating picture of dad with his arm around his accuser Virginia on the night she claims she was first handed over to him for sex by Epsteins madame Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving 20 years in an American prison for sex trafficking. However, I fear that growing up in the luxury of the 30-room Royal Lodge must have made it far less tempting for the girls to give up that gilded world and believe the allegations about their fathers association with a paedophile. So how their stomachs must have turned when reading, in Virginias posthumous autobiography Nobodys Girl released this week, her recollection that Andrew told her at 17 that my daughters are just a little younger than you. With Andrew and Fergie now banished from public life, insiders say Prince William is now so deeply concerned about the message Andrews presence at any royal events sends to the victims of sexual abuse that he will ban his uncle from his coronation. And so he should. But King Charles and Prince William need a reality check: they must now go further and ban the princesses, as every time Beatrice and Eugenie appear in public they will again shine the spotlight on their familys disgraceful legacy and remind us that their father, still eighth in line to the throne, befriended a paedophile and then repeatedly lied about it. And, though the King and William might disagree, it is unthinkable to me that the princesses should be invited to the royal Christmas at Sandringham and the traditional walkabout after attending the Church of St Mary Magdalene. Harsh it may be, but I feel little sympathy for Beatrice and Eugenie, however innocent they may be. They should be self-aware enough to know that their presence at any royal event would be a disastrous distraction and serves no one but themselves. If, unlike their parents, they have a shred of decency and indeed care for the future of the Royal family, they could completely disappear from royal life and get on with their happy married lives and children and their successful businesses. That would be the appropriate way to show respect for the enduring pain suffered by Epsteins young victims. Robert Jenrick knows how to tap the Establishments kneecap on just that tender part to provoke convulsions. Shadow justice secretary Jenrick yesterday did it twice. First he whacked Prince Andrew. Then he proposed banning burkas. Polite society will be appalled. To complete his day, he attended a Commons debate on the Sentencing Bill in which his sidekick Kieran Mullan complained about Labour ditching plans to castrate pederasts. Dr Mullan was all in favour of castration (for sex offenders only, at present) and indicated he was ready with the Newberry knife should the Tories ever return to government. We could wish for no one more suitable. Dr Mullan has the long neck and antiseptic pallor of an efficient gelder. First to Brother Jenrick. Much of Britain was still abed when he popped up in that vale of woes, breakfast television, and announced his displeasure with Prince Andrew. Senior politicians here have for decades avoided criticising members of the Royal Family. It has been one of the unwritten rules in Westminsters club-class lounge: no Royal Bashing. Mr Jenrick abandoned that convention. The prince had been behaving disgracefully and should both leave public life forever and be denied further remittances from the public purse. Much of Britain was still abed when the shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick popped up in that vale of woes, breakfast television, and announced his displeasure with Prince Andrew This presumably meant Andrew should not even be entitled to Jobseekers Allowance, to which he might soon have been eligible given that he is not yet 66 and has just lost his position as a zero-hours-contract duke. Mr Jenricks anti-prince comments rattled off the tongue. The public are sick of Prince Andrew, he thundered. His BBC interviewer, not having anticipated such blood-quickening remarks from a Conservative Privy Councillor, sat back looking startled yet satisfied, a cat that had just swallowed an unexpected goldfish. Having given the House of York a spot of what-for, Mr Jenrick moved studios and shifted his attention to the burka, the outer garment worn by Muslim memsahibs who wish to hide their faces. Mr Jenrick, himself less modest, was asked on a Talk Radio call-in what he felt about banning burkas. He was all for it. There were basic values in this country and we should defend them. It was put to him that when Reform MP Sarah Pochin proposed a ban, the then chairman of Reform, not previously seen as a namby-pamby pink liberal, resigned in hot protest. Mr Jenrick shrugged. Some European countries had already banned burkas. The Italian prime minister was considering it, too. The prince had been behaving disgracefully and should both leave public life forever and be denied further remittances from the public purse. This presumably meant Andrew should not even be entitled to Job Seekers Allowance If poor Prince Andrew had any ideas about leaving the country incognito, disguised as an effendis harami, he might want to get on with it. Within minutes of Mr Jenricks phone-in there was uproar. Labour types accused him of peddling division, of seeking to undermine Kemi Badenoch (who is not yet convinced about a burka ban) and of being anti-British. That last charge came from Bishop Aucklands MP, Sam Rushworth. Mind you, young Rushworth may not be the best guide to matters sartorial. Last week he attended PMQs in a filthy pair of gym shoes. While Londons polite salons clutched their necks at Mr Jenrick, the Commons debated the Sentencing Bill. It proposes sending fewer criminals to prison. Samurai sword wielders, knife thugs, drunks who break a beer glass and mush it into a rivals face: such tender souls may soon be spared incarceration. Esther McVey (Con, Tatton) spoke strongly against the Bill, attributing it to hard-Leftwing ideology. Labour MPs said there was a shortage of prison cells. A la-di-dah Lib Dem lady from Tiverton, swathed in mink, expressed astonishment that prison cost four times more than Eton. Sir Desmond Swayne (Con, New Forest W) barked that there would hardly be much need for prison calls once this Bill became law. Reforms Ms Pochin also spoke. Luke Taylor (Lib Dem, Sutton & Cheam) reacted to her effort by erupting with bad language. This offended the innate chivalry of Lee Anderson (Ref, Ashfield), who complained. Balding Mr Taylor, one of lifes two-pudding men, pleaded not guilty. Dont they always? A woman with Parkinson's disease played her clarinet while undergoing brain surgery so surgeons could see and hear the immediate impact of their work. Denise Bacon, 65, experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the doctors stimulated her brain with an electrical current. The retired speech and language therapist underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) after suffering symptoms of the disease, including slowness of movement and muscle stiffness. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014 and it has affected her ability to walk, swim, dance and play her clarinet. Ms Bacon stayed awake throughout the four-hour operation at King's College Hospital, London, and only received a local anaesthetic to numb her scalp and skull. The surgical procedure uses electrodes implanted in the brain and is suitable for some patients with disorders such as Parkinson's. It led to instant results on the operating table, with Ms Bacon demonstrating more dexterity in her fingers, allowing her to play the clarinet easily. Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, the neurosurgeon who performed the DBS, said: 'Holes half the size of a five pence piece were made in Denise's skull after a frame with precise co-ordinates was placed on Denise's head, acting as a sat-nav to guide us to the correct positions within the brain to implant the electrode. Denise Bacon, 65, experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the doctors stimulated her brain with an electrical current The retired speech and language therapist (pictured) underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) after suffering symptoms of the disease, including slowness of movement and muscle stiffness. 'Once the electrodes were in place on the left side of Denise's brain, the current was switched on and an immediate improvement was noted in hand movements on her right side. 'The same happened on her left side when we implanted electrodes on the right side of her brain. 'As a keen clarinettist, it was suggested Denise bring her clarinet into the operating theatre to see whether the procedure would improve her ability to play, which was one of Denise's main goals for the surgery. 'We were delighted to see an instant improvement in her hand movements, and therefore her ability to play, once stimulation was delivered to the brain.' Ms Bacon, from Crowborough, East Sussex, played clarinet in the East Grinsted Concert Band until she had to stop five years ago due to her symptoms. She said: 'I remember my right hand being able to move with much more ease once the stimulation was applied, and this in turn improved my ability to play the clarinet, which I was delighted with. 'I'm already experiencing improvements in my ability to walk, and I'm keen to get back in the swimming pool, and on the dance floor to see if my abilities have improved there.' Ms Bacon opted for a rechargeable type of pulse generator battery that is implanted in her chest, which can last up to 20 years before it requires replacing. This monitors her brain activity and can help automatically adjust electrical stimulation when needed. Professor Ashkan said: 'Deep brain stimulation is one of the most effective, evidence-based and long-lasting therapies to control the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, improving tremor, stiffness and slowness of movement. 'Modern advances in DBS technology are now allowing us to personalise the therapy to the needs of our patients, with a positive impact on their quality of life.' Dr Katherine Fletcher, research communications lead at Parkinson's UK, said: 'Deep Brain Stimulation can offer people living with Parkinson's, better control of symptoms when medications are no longer as effective. 'It's incredible to hear how this life-changing treatment is not only helping individuals with symptoms, but regain the ability to do the things they love. 'Parkinson's UK is proud to have played a role in the development of DBS, and we're committed to funding further research to advance this treatment and others to improve even more lives in the future.' For 36-year-old Luke Pomfret, a visit to the GP after months of sleepless nights was meant to be a simple solution. Instead, he believes it has changed the course of his life. It resulted in him being prescribed the antidepressant mirtazapine for six years which he now blames for the host of debilitating symptoms he suffers: chronic insomnia even worse than the sleeplessness he first sought help for; excruciating burning headaches; and, worst of all, emotional anhedonia a condition that he says leaves him unable to feel joy or other emotions. 'If I were to win the lottery, I wouldn't care,' says Luke, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire. 'And if my house were to burn down, I wouldn't care.' Convinced that mirtazapine was the cause, he adds: 'I wish I'd been warned about the potential risks of being on these drugs and I wish doctors had protocols in place to help people come off them more safely.' We are a nation plagued by insomnia. In a survey by Nuffield Health in 2023, only 36 per cent of British adults said they get a 'good' night's sleep (7.5 to 8.5 hours per night). As many as 11 per cent of the 8,000 people surveyed reported sleeping just two to four hours nightly. If insomnia is common, Luke had fallen victim to a little-known but reportedly widespread problem associated with it patients being prescribed sedating antidepressants to help them sleep. This is done on an off-label basis, as the drugs aren't licensed to treat sleep issues. And, while there is no data quantifying exactly how many antidepressants are prescribed in this way, evidence shows this practice is common. Around a third of the 92million antidepressant annual prescriptions in the UK are off-label the most common being trazodone to treat insomnia, accounting for more than a quarter (26.2 per cent), according to a study published in the BMJ. Amitriptyline, though it's unlicensed for insomnia, is also frequently prescribed by GPs for it, reported the 2017 study, which was based on data from GPs' electronic prescribing system (a previous survey for the British Journal of General Practice found that 95 per cent of GPs had prescribed it for sleep, with a third saying they did so 'commonly'). Luke Pomfret, 36, was prescribed the antidepressant mirtazapine for his insomnia - but he says it only made his sleepless nights worse Mirtazapine carries the risk of side-effects such as headaches and emotional anhedonia a condition which causes people to be unable to feel joy or other emotions Not only have these drugs been shown not to work for insomnia (more on this later), they carry the risks of crippling side-effects and dependency. This makes it extremely difficult to come off the drugs, leading to a range of debilitating symptoms including brain fog, fatigue, even long-lasting sexual problems and, with terrible irony, chronic insomnia. This is a significant problem that's going unnoticed with potentially dreadful long-term consequences, says Dr Mark Horowitz, a psychiatrist in London who runs a clinic that helps people come off antidepressants and other prescribed drugs. He says it's increasingly common for people to be given antidepressants for sleep problems. 'In our clinic, about one in seven patients are seeking help after being prescribed an antidepressant for insomnia,' he says. 'We often see people who've been on these medications for years, can't get off them and are now experiencing more side-effects than benefits. Typically, they're given mirtazapine, amitriptyline or trazodone because of their sedating qualities.' Under NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines, the first treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi). If that isn't available or hasn't worked, doctors can prescribe sleeping pills, such as zopiclone. However, this treatment shouldn't exceed four weeks. Luke was initially given citalopram, an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), for his insomnia, but it had no effect, so he was given mirtazapine In a survey by Nuffield Health in 2023, only 36 per cent of British adults said they get a 'good' night's sleep (7.5 to 8.5 hours per night) So some doctors instead prescribe antidepressants. 'There's a lot of patient demand for treatment for insomnia,' says Dr Simon Opher, MP for Stroud and chair of the Beyond Pills All-Party Parliamentary Group. A GP for 30 years, he understands the pressure on doctors. 'People come in, they want tablets, and they won't accept anything else,' he told Good Health. 'Doctors used to give out a lot of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs [for example, zopiclone], but those are now known to be addictive. 'NICE guidelines were changed in 2004 to say they should be used only occasionally and for short periods. So that's where things like mirtazapine and off-label antidepressants are being used because they're seen as a non-addictive alternative. 'The reality, though, is that antidepressants are very difficult to come off, and people are often stuck on them for many years so it just causes another set of problems.' As Dr Horowitz adds: 'These drugs wear off over time as you develop tolerance: so either the drug becomes less effective, or you have to increase the dose. That is physical dependence. It's not addiction or abuse; it's simply the body adjusting.' Luke's problems began in 2018 when, having left the Army, he started his own pest control business, while buying a house and planning his wedding (to Rebecca, then 27, a hairdresser). The pressure was overwhelming. 'I was a one-man band trying to please everyone,' he says. 'I was working weekends and evenings. I've always been ambitious, maybe too much at times. Looking back, I should have just taken my foot off the pedal.' Luke began struggling to fall asleep. After putting up with next to no sleep for months, he knew he needed to see a doctor. His GP initially prescribed citalopram, an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) a commonly prescribed antidepressant that is given off-label for a range of conditions, including anxiety combined with insomnia. It didn't help. 'If anything, it made getting to sleep harder,' says Luke. Two weeks later, he returned and was given mirtazapine instead. The effect was dramatic. Luke says: 'I took this tablet before I went to sleep half an hour later, I was gone. 'I didn't wake up for the next eight hours. It was wonderful. My life was just normal again.' Yet, while it worked for Luke in the short term, a review of studies, published in 2018, concluded there is insufficient evidence to support the use of antidepressants for insomnia long term. Lead researcher Hazel Everitt, a professor of primary care research at the University of Southampton, warned: 'Health professionals and patients should be made aware of the current lack of evidence for antidepressant medications used for insomnia management.' Dr Opher believes the problem runs deeper than drugs alone. 'I think insomnia tends to be over-medicalised,' he says. 'We all get insomnia it's a normal part of human existence. If you start giving drugs for that, you make it a disease that you're giving treatment for.' Dr Opher, who earlier this year hosted a major event, Ending Overprescribing For Insomnia: A Summit For Change, with delegates from primary care, charities, clinical academia, professional bodies and Parliament, says: 'We've got to change our attitude to insomnia and deal with it differently.' He offers a personal example. He says: 'I always have a boring textbook that I try to read when I wake up, and it helps me go back to sleep. 'I think doctors have to push back and change the habits of some people, particularly older people who are used to going to the doctor and getting some Valium and that sort of thing to help them sleep.' Luke took mirtazapine nightly for six years, on a repeat prescription. 'I was under the impression that these drugs must be safe,' he says. 'I wasn't feeling any side-effects, so I thought I'd be okay just to keep taking it.' But at the end of 2023, with his life in a good place, Luke decided to stop the medication. Over the previous few months he had also developed a strange side-effect: emotional numbness. 'I noticed that other people were really excited and joyful for instance, at a music festival and I wasn't,' he says. 'I thought, 'Is it me, or is it the tablets?'' Dr Horowitz explains that 'these medications reduce emotional extremes which can be useful in the short term if someone is very anxious, for instance. 'But they also blunt positive emotions love, joy, enthusiasm, connection, for instance,' he says. 'Between half and three-quarters of people report feeling emotionally numbed or anhedonic.' Luke decided to taper off gradually. He says: 'I reckoned I shouldn't stop abruptly because whenever I'd accidentally missed a dose when I first went on it, I couldn't sleep.' A few weeks after stopping the drug, his insomnia returned more severe than before. 'My heart would race, and I'd experience 'hypnic jerks' a sensation of falling that would jolt me awake just as I was about to nod off as well as constant tinnitus,' he says. Dr Horowitz says a study he co-authored, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders last year, found insomnia 'ranked in the top ten withdrawal effects among 1,000 people taking antidepressants. Only half had sleep problems before starting antidepressants, yet almost all experienced them after stopping. 'This probably happens because people's systems go into overdrive caused by the disruption and that tends to make it hard to sleep,' says Dr Horowitz. After sleeping only four or five hours nightly for several months, at the suggestion of his wife Luke started back on the medication. 'It was hard because I didn't want to be on this drug, but at the same time, I was lying in bed awake,' he says. Desperate for a night's sleep, Luke resumed taking mirtazapine in January last year. Although his sleep improved, he continued to worry about not feeling emotions and so started tapering off again. The insomnia returned even before he had finished tapering, and he still felt emotionally numb. Seven months after going back on the drug, Luke returned to his doctor, who said his emotional anhedonia was a sign of depression and prescribed another antidepressant, sertraline, telling him to continue tapering off mirtazapine. Luke says: 'The doctor put it down to mental health and, at this point, I didn't know any better, so I thought it must be.' The sertraline didn't help with the sleep and he developed headaches. Luke's GP increased his sertraline dose but then switched him back to citalopram, the drug he had first prescribed, to tackle his 'mental health problem'. The doctor suggested joining a men's mental health group and taking a holiday, so Luke travelled to Jamaica for a family wedding. 'I'm sitting by this pool and looking around, everybody's smiling, having a great time and I'm feeling absolutely nothing,' he recalls. 'No excitement, not even sadness. Just numb.' Desperate, Luke began his own research. He says: 'I Googled antidepressant side-effects, and what came up shocked me. 'Suddenly, the penny dropped. I realised everything I was experiencing was listed as symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal.' According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists' guide, Stopping Antidepressants, between a third and half of people taking antidepressants will experience withdrawal symptoms when they try to come off them. While these can be mild and temporary, for some they can be severe and last months or even years a condition known as protracted withdrawal syndrome. The guide lists many symptoms that Luke experienced (some of which can be side-effects of the drugs, too): anxiety, insomnia, emotional blunting, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. Luke's research also led him to an online community of fellow sufferers. 'It was a bit of a bombshell,' he says. 'After speaking to them, I realised coming off the drugs wasn't going to be an easy journey.' When Luke returned from his holiday in Jamaica and explained his findings to his GP, he was met with disbelief. 'He looked at me blankly and told me he'd already referred me to the NHS mental health crisis team,' he says. The psychiatrist 'didn't believe me either about the withdrawal effects and put me on yet another antidepressant, venlafaxine'. 'They insisted I had stress and anxiety. I took it for a week with no change, so I went back and said I didn't want any more medications,' says Luke. 'The psychiatrist was surprised, but respected my decision. 'It's so frustrating because my family and friends think because I was on an antidepressant, I must be depressed and that the symptoms I'm experiencing are depression but depression doesn't cause ringing in the ears.' Determined not to return to medication, Luke now uses meditation apps and a sleep mask to tackle his insomnia. He still lives with the same debilitating symptoms of withdrawal, saying: 'It's hard, but I've always been a positive and motivated person, so I have no choice but to carry on. 'I wish the doctor had said, 'Look, these are the potential risks', but GPs just don't seem to know about the harms and long-term effects of these drugs. 'If I'd known then what I know now, I wouldn't have touched the mirtazapine for insomnia. I hope GPs read this story and it prevents people from having the same experience I'm having.' Now a father to a two-year-old daughter, Luke says his symptoms make parenting particularly challenging. He says: 'I love her, of course, but instead of feeling emotions watching her grow up, I just feel numb.' Katinka Blackford Newman hosts the Med Free Mental Fitness podcast, available on Spotify and most podcast platforms The best treatment for sleep problems? It's not a pill at all... While getting access to cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is patchy, in Scotland and in some areas of England it's available digitally for free to NHS patients via a NICE-approved digital program called Sleepio. Delivered through a website or mobile app it provides a six-session course with personalised advice, a sleep diary and an AI algorithm to tailor the experience. Colin Espie, a professor of sleep medicine at the University of Oxford, co-founded the company that created Sleepio. Speaking to Good Health, he explained why the cognitive behavioural approach works. 'It helps restore the natural drives to sleep properly, re-establishing structured schedules,' he says. 'We sometimes recommend people spend less time in bed sleep restriction therapy because if you stay up later and get up earlier, it will restore your sleep drive. You'll struggle to remain awake, and it quickly rebalances things. 'Drugs on the other hand, interfere with the natural cycle, so you might get to sleep quickly but the quality of sleep is affected,' says Professor Espie, author of Overcoming Insomnia and Sleep Problems. He adds: 'The problem is that CBT, which is the only evidence-based treatment for insomnia, isn't widely available. These drugs are filling the gap, and to the extent that we have an over-prescribing problem, it's really a consequence of an under-provision of CBT.' Officials at a Connecticut university have sounded the alarm about avoiding tickborne illnesses rising nationwide. The University of Connecticut and UConn Extension issued warnings earlier this month about Lyme disease, which is largely spread by ticks in the Northeast. It's unclear how many students or faculty members have been infected within the past several years, but experts with the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) said there have been 'a considerable number of ticks' in recent years that have tested positive throughout the state for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Connecticut reports about 2,200 cases of Lyme disease every year, though experts estimate the actual statewide number could be 10-fold higher due to underreporting and symptoms that are easily more mistaken for more common conditions. Along with a signature bullseye rash, Lyme disease causes flu-like symptoms such as a headache, muscle aches and fatigue. In severe cases, patients may suffer facial paralysis and memory issues. And in some patients, including Bella Hadid and Justin Timberlake, symptoms persist for years, leaving patients with debilitating fatigue, numbness and memory problems. CVMDL said that while tick season tends to draw to a close in late fall, climate change has caused many ticks, including those that case Lyme disease, to no longer do dormant during the winter. Nationwide, Lyme disease surged 70 percent in 2022, the latest data available, compared to 2017-2019. The University of Connecticut (pictured here) has reported an increase in cases of Lyme disease detected on campus A person contracts Lyme disease from the bite of an infected black-legged tick, also called the deer tick, pictured above (stock image) Your browser does not support iframes. CVMDL told The Daily Campus, UConn's student newspaper: 'We live in a region where tick-borne illnesses are a considerable concern for human health, including students. 'We have observed that a considerable number of ticks tested by the lab in the last five years were carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.' Borrelia burgdorferi is carried by blacklegged ticks, also called deer ticks, which are most common in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and North-Central US. Lyme disease is spread from deer ticks to humans after a tick has had its first blood meal from an infected host. The illness is easier to treat when caught early and doctors typically prescribe a 28-day regimen of antibiotics. However, because of the non-specific symptoms of Lyme disease, many cases can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years, leading to chronic Lyme disease. Generally, ticks must be attached to a person for at least 24 hours in order to transmit the infection. Performing tick checks after possible exposure is vital to quickly identify if you've been bitten and to remove the parasite. Overall, the US is seeing a record number of Lyme disease cases - recording 89,470 cases in 2023. And recent testing on human and tick samples suggests millions more Americans could be at risk because the tick that causes Lyme disease is spreading to new geographical areas. The above map shows reported cases of Lyme disease in 2023 Lyme disease most often cases a bullseye rash, pictured above (stock image) To avoid Lyme disease, experts recommend wearing long sleeves and long pants to prevent ticks from being able to attach themselves to your skin and perform thorough tick checks after spending time in the outdoors. You can also wear repellant and treat clothing with acaricides, special pesticides used to kill ticks and mites. Ticks can also infect animals, so it is important to check pets for the parasites or signs of a bite and give them preventatives. If you do find a tick, use tweezers to remove it and save it so it can be identified. Sara Tomis, UConn Extension's assistant extension educator for One Health, told The Daily Campus: 'It is important to recognize that managing tick risk is something that requires a really integrated approach. 'If students have pets, have a service animal or work with the horses or livestock within the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, they should be thinking about how they are working with those animals and working to reduce the risk of tick exposure to both those animals and themselves.' For years, it has been a mainstay of treatment to stop the spread of many cancers. But is the removal of lymph nodes tiny, bean-shaped nodules that filter waste and bacteria really the best way to prevent tumour cells from migrating around the body? Mounting research suggests lymph nodes found in their hundreds in the neck, armpits, groin and even behind the knees are host to immune cells which play a crucial part in recognising cancer cells and destroying them. Removing the nodes may, according to some scientists, weaken the immune systems ability to detect and attack those cells. Now researchers in Germany have found a way to harness the power of immune cells in lymph nodes to destroy cancer cells. It could mean that, rather than cutting them out to stop malignant cells spreading, lymph nodes could be used to fight cancer. Lymph nodes act as filters to clean up lymph fluid which is made up of water, proteins and fats, as well as bacteria, viruses and abnormal cells as it passes through them. They are also often the first port of call for cancer cells that have broken free from tumours in the breast, lung, stomach and liver, or from potentially deadly skin cancers called malignant melanoma. These cells get swept along in lymph fluid and often settle inside the lymph nodes before travelling on to other vital organs. In about 30 to 40 per cent of breast cancer cases, for example, tumour cells have already spread to lymph nodes in the armpit by the time the patient is diagnosed. Removing lymph nodes tiny, bean-shaped nodules that filter waste and bacteria has been a mainstay of treatment to stop the spread of many cancers. They are found in their hundreds in the neck, armpits, groin and even behind the knees (picture posed by model) For decades the common solution has been to surgically remove all of those nodes (most people have between 20 and 40 in one armpit alone). Called axillary node clearance, this significantly reduces the chances of any tumour cells lurking in the nodes spreading. But it can lead to lymphoedema, a debilitating condition where fluid that usually drains through the lymph nodes instead collects locally in the case of breast cancer, typically the arm causing limbs to swell. An estimated 400,000 people in the UK have lymphoedema; it can leave those affected struggling to get dressed or do everyday chores. Treatment relies on massage to disperse the fluid or wearing compression stockings or sleeves to help push fluid round the system. In recent years, the focus in breast cancer has shifted away from taking out all the potentially affected lymph nodes in favour of removing just one or two, called a sentinel lymph node removal. This involves removing nodes closest to the tumour: if these are found to contain cancer cells, the remaining nodes may be removed. If not, no further nodes are removed, and the risk of lymphoedema is dramatically reduced. Data from Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust shows only around 5 per cent of breast cancer patients who have sentinel node surgery develop the swelling, compared with more than 30 per cent of those who have all nodes removed. Lymphoedema can be catastrophic and life-changing, says Justin Stebbing, a professor of cancer medicine and oncology at Anglia Ruskin University. And there are fewer and fewer cases where surgeons now perform axillary clearance [removal of all the lymph nodes] because the data shows that it doesnt improve survival from breast cancer [compared to sentinel node removal]. And the thinking is now that taking all the nodes out makes it harder for the patient to fight off cancer should it return. In the latest breakthrough, researchers at University Hospital Wurzburg in Germany, claim they have found a way to activate the immune cells found in lymph nodes so they can attack and destroy cancer cells they come into contact with. The team looked at the lymph nodes of patients with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. Justin Stebbing, a professor of cancer medicine and oncology at Anglia Ruskin University, says: Its in the lymph nodes where the immune system gets its first good look at the cancer' They found that when cancer cells reach the lymph node, they release proteins that bind to receptors on the surface of local immune cells to effectively switch them off. But the scientists were able to stop the cancer proteins binding to the receptor by injecting drugs called mono-clonal antibodies. In laboratory tests, the immune cells were then able to wipe out cancer cells in the lymph node and reduce the risk of the disease spreading, reported the journal Immunity last month. Professor Stebbing says the findings highlight the importance of lymph nodes in fighting cancer. Its in the lymph nodes where the immune system gets its first good look at the cancer and if it cant look at it [because the nodes have been removed], it cant kill it. But if thats the case, why doesnt this natural immune response always halt the march of cancer? Probably because the immune system gets overwhelmed by the sheer number of cancer cells, Professor Stebbing told Good Health. You need only one or two to get through and circulate round the body for the cancer to proliferate. A new study in Nature Immunology identified another type of cancer-fighting cell found only in lymph nodes CD8 positive T-cells. This discovery, says Professor Stebbing, adds to the evidence that lymph nodes arent just passive filters but training grounds for immune cells to grow into powerful fighters, and probably best left alone. Heathrow Airport, Marks & Spencer, Jaguar Land Rover, the British Library. These are some of the leading UK companies and institutions that have fallen victim to cyber crime in the past couple of years. The repercussions have been serious but its safe to say none of the attacks resulted in the death of innocent people. Yet thats exactly what is happening with assaults on NHS computer systems. In June, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust confirmed a patient had died unexpectedly during a cyber attack which crippled its services last year. Criminals used ransomware software that freezes large parts of a network until a ransom is paid to try to extort cash from the trust, although its understood not to have paid. An investigation found a number of factors contributed to the patients death including a long wait for a blood test result due to the cyber attack impacting pathology services. Its believed to be the first recorded case of an NHS patient dying due to cyber crime. But experts fear it wont be the last. Its inevitable that more lives will be lost if hackers hit essential services such as the NHS, says Professor Alan Woodward, a cyber security specialist at the University of Surrey. These people are criminals of the worst kind. We should not expect them to select targets to minimise the risk to life quite the opposite; they choose targets where urgency matters in order to force payment. Anecdotal evidence suggests the NHS faces a round-the-clock bombardment, with hundreds, if not thousands, of daily hacking attempts. Anecdotal evidence suggests the NHS faces a round-the-clock bombardment, with hundreds, if not thousands, of daily hacking attempts There has been a big rise in attempted attacks since Covid, when use of NHS digital services such as apps increased, says Dr Saira Ghafur, digital health lead at the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London. The number of attempted breaches, not just in the NHS but in healthcare systems all over the world, has increased massively. The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 (an annual summary of cyber-attack costs) found that for the 14th year in a row healthcare globally bore the heaviest financial burden. On average, it cost hospitals 5.5million and took nine months to contain each attack. In the UK, there have been several high-profile breaches. In 2017, nearly a third of Englands NHS trusts were affected when cyber criminals hacked into computer systems and demanded cryptocurrency (chosen because of its anonymity for the recipient). Although no money was paid, almost 7,000 NHS appointments had to be cancelled and it cost an estimated 92million to fix the IT problems. Meanwhile, the 2024 breach which resulted in the patients death occurred when hackers targeted a pathology lab called Synnovis, which processes blood tests for NHS hospitals and GPs in south east London. As well as Kings College Hospital, Guys and St Thomas and the Evelina London Childrens Hospital had to cancel operations and blood tests when a Russian cyber crime group called Qilin penetrated Synnoviss systems, stealing data and stopping tests being processed. A review revealed it disrupted over 10,000 appointments and led to five cases of moderate harm (where patients needed emergency treatment or care) and 114 instances of low harm (where they needed to be kept under observation for longer or needed treatment). And up to 150,000 patients private data was stolen and published on the dark web after an attack in March 2024, when bosses at NHS Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland refused to pay hackers. Most of the NHS is dependent on IT from making an appointment to receiving test results, says Professor Woodward. If computers become unavailable, the whole process grinds to a halt. A 2023 report by the National Risk Register where the government sets out dangers to Britains infrastructure from external threats said a bug infiltration in half of the NHS network would probably affect 100 per cent of the service. It said: The impact would be felt immediately, with cancelled appointments, delays to procedures and A&E diversions. There would be a direct impact on clinical care as well as harm (to some). A 2024 study by the University of Minnesota found mortality rates among patients in hospital when cyber criminals launch an attack jump by up to 41 per cent, as tests and treatments become unavailable. It calculated that between 2016 and 2021, 68 to 75 hospital patients in the US died as a direct result of cyber crime. NHS England said in July it was increasing its cyber security and had invested 338million in the past seven years. It has a Cyber Security Operations Centre in Leeds which, it says, monitors new threats and attacker activity 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But Professor Woodward says crooks use bots to constantly probe networks, looking for a way into NHS systems. Its a bit like burglars going around rattling door handles eventually they will find one thats unlocked, he says. It is inevitable that attackers will get through at some point, so the NHS has to plan for failure. Dozens of hand sanitisers could be pulled from Europe's shelves because a key ingredient, ethanol, may raise the risk of cancer. Alcohol-based cleansers are authorised as safe in the bloc and have been on the World Health Organization's essential medicines list since the 1990s. But earlier this month, EU health officials proposed getting rid of or replacing products containing the alcohol over cancer concerns and the increased risk of pregnancy complications. If accepted, it could see hand sanitisers, detergents and other popular cleaning products frequently used by hospitals discontinued in EU states. The proposed ban, however, would not impact the UK in light of Brexit. Experts today warned that the action could have a 'huge impact' on hospitals across the continent and alternatives to ethanol that provide similar protection are even more dangerous. Alexandra Peters of the University of Geneva and the Clean Hospitals network, told the Financial Times: 'The impact on hospitals would be huge. 'Healthcare-associated infections kill more people globally every year than malaria, tuberculosis and Aids combined. Alcohol-based cleansers are authorised as safe in the bloc and have been on the World Health Organization's essential medicines list since the 1990s 'Hand hygiene, especially with alcohol-based hand rub, saves 16 million infections worldwide per year. Alternatives to ethanol, such as isopropanol, are even more toxic, she noted, while using soap repeatedly takes longer and damages skin. 'Wherever you see production of hand rub in emergency situations like we saw with Covid, every single time it's going to be ethanol. You can't just change a brewery into a factory for producing isopropanol,' she added. The European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) committee will now meet at the end of November to decide whether to classify ethanol as harmful. The ECHA said that if its expert committee 'concludes that ethanol is carcinogenic', it would recommend its substitution. But ethanol might 'still be approved for the intended biocidal uses, if these are considered safe in the light of expected exposure levels or no alternatives are found', they added. While no conclusion had yet been made, their final recommendation would be sent to the European Commission who then make the decision. Industry groups, however, have already hit back at the potential ban arguing there is little evidence to prove ethanol's harms. If accepted, the ban could see hand sanitisers, detergents and other popular cleaning products and frequently used by hospitals discontinued in EU states. The proposed ban, however, would not impact the UK in light of Brexit Nicole Vaini, EU affairs director of the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products, an industry group, said there were no studies focused on ethanol specifically. The only human data available looks at the health effects of drinking alcoholic drinks. In May, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control even called on health authorities to 'establish alcohol-based hand disinfection as the primary method for hand hygiene'. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) ethanol may dry out and irritate the skin or cause redness and swelling. Eye exposure to ethanol can also cause tearing, burning and stinging. But adverse health effects depend on several factors, including the amount to which someone is exposed to ethanol, the duration of exposure and if they were exposed to any other chemicals. Inhaling ethanol directly can irritate the nose and throat, causing chocking and coughing. At high levels it can cause inebriation. Alcohol-based hand gels in the form of liquids, foams and gels can contain up to 95 per cent ethanol. A Texas factory worker who vaped 'every 10 seconds' claims a catastrophic injury was the wake-up call he needed to finally quit for good. Hudson Williams first made the switch from smoking cigarettes for a year to vaping in 2019 because it 'tasted better.' But six years after becoming addicted to disposable e-cigarettes, the 23-year-old was hospitalized in August after experiencing heartburn that escalated to sharp chest pains. 'Within about 15 minutes it felt as if somebody had shot me in the chest with a shotgun,' he said. Williams was rushed to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a partially collapsed lung, which occurs when air leaks into the chest cavity and puts pressure on the lung. The thousands of potentially cancer-causing chemicals in vapes eat away at lung tissue and cause small, air-filled sacs called blebs to rupture, causing lungs to collapse. Left untreated, this can lead to trouble breathing and infections in the chest cavity. Williams admitted he had seen posts online warning him of the potential dangers linked to vaping, including permanent lung damage, high blood pressure and lung cancer, though he 'didn't think it would happen to him.' Hudson Williams (pictured here), 23, suffered a partially collapsed lung after he had become so addicted to vaping he was doing it 'every 10 seconds' Your browser does not support iframes. His warning comes as roughly six percent of US adults, or about 17million, report vaping regularly. The highest rates are seen in young adults aged 18 to 24, with more than 15 percent in that group reporting regular use. Among children, about 1.6 million middle and high school students still vape, though usage has declined since its peak in 2019. Williams said: 'I'm pretty lucky because some people have a full collapse, or even both lungs collapse. 'The doctors said that there was a 100 percent chance that this had been caused by vaping and they also told me that it could happen again, even if I don't vape. 'It was scary. I definitely regretted the fact that I'd vaped.' Vaping has long been touted as a safer alternative to smoking, which is proven to cause nine in 10 cases of lung cancer, America's deadliest form of the disease. However, a growing body of research has found the habit could be linked to other long-term harms, including collapsed lungs. Pictured above is the x-ray scan showing Williams' left lung partially collapsed, which doctors said was '100 percent' caused by vaping Your browser does not support iframes. Earlier this year, doctors writing in a medical journal detailed the case of a New Jersey man who died of aggressive lung cancer, the first case of its kind thought to be directly caused by e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and a mixture of toxic chemicals. When inhaled, this vapor can deliver harmful substances deep into the lungs, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and other volatile organic compounds known to cause cancer. These substances can damage lung tissue and over time, this damage can lead to DNA mutations and inflammation which increase the risk of cancer. Williams struggled to breathe as pain 'radiated around my rotator cuff, my collar bone, my heart, the middle of the chest, my neck, my earlobe, the bottom of my lung and my back.' At the hospital, doctors told him his lung had collapsed by 10 percent, which is considered a minor collapse. Williams is pictured here in the hospital. He recovered with pain medication and oxygen therapy, though doctors warned his lung could collapse again due to lasting damage Your browser does not support iframes. Pain medication and supplemental oxygen, along with an overnight hospital stay, helped him make a full recovery, though doctors warned his lung could collapse again even if he quit vaping due to the long-term damage already done. Williams said: 'I quit vaping as soon as this happened. It was 100% the wake-up call that I needed to quit for good. 'I would say to anyone don't vape, it's not cool. It's hard to quit and it's a lot easier said than done. 'It's a nasty habit and it's hard to get out of, but it's definitely possible.' 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 My favourite drink as a child was orange squash. I dont think I ever drank plain water except from the fountain in the school playground. Me, my brother and my sister had different coloured cups mine was red. Once, aged about five, I saw it on the draining board and thought: Oh, therell be some squash in there. So I reached up and took a sip. The next thing is my mum charges over shouting. Turns out I was drinking washing detergent. That wasnt particularly tasty. I love coffee but now usually opt for decaf. When I was writing my book, I drank proper coffee nonstop. Then, realising I needed to quit it, I went cold turkey and got the worst caffeine-withdrawal headache it lasted about nine days. I gave up cows milk years ago because I had high cholesterol, and now I cant stand the taste. I find it absolutely disgusting. I first had alcohol on holiday when I was ten. We rarely went abroad: there was one trip to Majorca and another to Greece, but other than that it was Jersey or the West Country. Or wed pile in the car with the boot stuffed full of buckets and spades, and drive about six hours from Chingford [East London] to Cornwall. My dad didnt drink much, but on holiday hed have half a pint of Worthingtons E bitter. When I was ten he gave me a sip, and I predictably found it disgusting. Alan Davies, 59 I was 16 when I first got served a drink, but it wasnt easy because I looked about eight. So I took a photocopy of my brothers birth certificate hed just turned 18 and headed to the Horse & Well pub in Woodford Green [Northeast London]. I went to the bar and said: Can I have a light and bitter? which, on reflection, is the type of thing Albert Tatlock would have drunk. The barman told me, Im certain youre not old enough, but I got out the birth certificate and he was flummoxed. I was very proud. The most memorable place Ive had a drink is up Mount Vesuvius. We were on a family holiday in Pompeii a few years ago and decided to climb it. At the bottom, it was a lovely day, but at the top it was snowing, stinky and our youngest, Francis, fell and grazed his knee. But we made it and at the top there was a hut where my wife Katie and I had a glass of limoncello. It was really special, although Id rather have had a whisky. Alan had a limoncello at the top of Vesuvius. Ive had a drink with lots of famous faces in the QI green room. Stephen Fry, obviously, whose favourite tipple is vodka. Two of my favourite guests were Carrie Fisher in 2014 and Teri Hatcher in 2018. They both had soft drinks, while I was homing in on the pinot grigio. Perhaps my top drinking encounter was with Jennifer Aniston at a gala event. It was in the late 1990s and I just couldnt believe it. I spent a long time after that sitting at home playing my PlayStation and thinking, Why cant Jennifer Aniston be my girlfriend? She married Brad Pitt shortly after, but in another life it would have been me. My favourite drink is Guinness. I had my first one aged 29. I was dating an actress and we went to Dublin to see her friends in a play. At the end a voice said: Please vacate the theatre as quickly as possible, as the Proclaimers are doing a concert here tonight. She wanted to go out with her friends, but told me to hide in the toilets for a few hours so I could catch the gig. It worked! When I came out I went to the bar and all these Irish guys were drinking Guinness, so thats what I had. Its been my go-to ever since. And to make up for seeing the gig without paying Ive bought plenty of Proclaimers CDs! Alans autobiography White Male Stand-Up (Monoray, 25) is out now. To order a copy for 21.25 until 2 november, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over 25. 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 I'm germy, at that stage of being ill when even at 54 I yearn to be wrapped in a blanket by my parents. Alas, they are long gone. However, I know how to conjure their presence, and that is via scent. My mother was a huge lover of perfume, my father a great giver of it. With five children, money was tight. Still, to mark high days and holidays, there was always scent. The first grownup flacon I was presented with was Houbigant's dreamy 1912 bouquet Quelques Fleurs, for Christmas aged eight (75 for 30ml eau de parfum (EDP), libertylondon.com). Saint Laurent's frosty floral Rive Gauche (97 for 100ml eau de toilette (EDT), johnlewis.com) marked my 11+; Carven's powdery green Ma Griffe ('My Claw') (76.06 for 100ml EDP, myorigines.com) my place at Oxford. While a vast flacon of No 5 (now 62.40 for 35ml EDP, boots.com) and a box of cigars were despatched for my first-year exams; Guerlain soaps scenting my rucksack while train-hopping about Europe. Guerlain and Chanel were our family perfumers remaining my scented pillars. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Jacques Guerlain's immortal Shalimar (from 75 for 30ml EDP, guerlain.com) that shimmering vanilla that smells somehow bronzed. Shalimar was the first of what the industry used to call 'oriental' perfumes, and now refer to as the 'amber' family sultry, spicy, base-heavy concoctions in which Guerlain subsequently specialised. My mother wore Shalimar and Samsara (33 for 30ml EDT, superdrug.com), Jacques's grandson Jean-Paul's 1989 contribution to the genre: that great, throbbing pulse of jasmine and sandalwood. I can't abide most amber scents too femme, too flouncy, too foody. However, meeting Shalimar today is to be tearily nostalgic. I can almost smell the powdery iris of my mother's skin beneath it. It took me until my mid30s to find my own personal Guerlain favourite: Derby, created in 1985. An impeccably refined leather chypre (or moss fragrance), it is redolent of carnation, drying down to a base of patchouli and birched leather; my private scented self, the perfect representation of who I would be if I were a perfume. Of course, it's been discontinued a corporate crime. I still boast my public aroma: Chanel Sycomore (from 240 for 75ml EDP, chanel.com), a stark, true wood with a beguiling dankness, yet, earthy vetiver heart. However, private me is Missing In Action. My most successful attempt to fill the void has been the cheapest: Cabochard by Gres (now 9.95 for 30ml EDT, superdrug.com). Another composed leather chypre, it was created in 1959, later reformulated. Some find it a heartwrenching ghost of its former self. However, there's enough of the ghost to beguile. Whenever I wear it, everyone swoons. In this spirit, I also sought out Miss Dior Originale (100 for 100ml EDT, boots.com), an aromatic leather from 1947 to rapturous response. In terms of contemporary substitutes, Penhaligons The World According to Arthur (220 for 75ml EDP, penhaligons.com) a velvety incense from 2021 has the tenderness of Derby. While Ormonde Jayne's Montabaco Intensivo (from 60 for 10ml EDP, ormondejayne.com) of 2013 melds the magnetism of the wonder molecule Iso Super E as found in Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 with leather, wood and tobacco to sublimely smoky effect. Men literally chase me down the street to discover what this sorcery can be. I have also treated myself to a bottle of 2014's Etat Libre d'Orange Rien Intense (65.95 for 100ml EDP, allbeauty.com). Rien, means 'nothing' in French, yet this is everything incense-rich, potent and profound. I once doused myself in it to attend a Venetian bash, at which it elicited the words: 'I will worship you as my cult.' Still, as my parents taught me: a fragrant life comes in many forms. My doctor father viewed aromatherapy as a genuine healer. Accordingly, my shelf boasts phials of Nikura Patchouli Essential Oil (6.99 for 10ml, amazon.co.uk), just as my bath like fellow aromatherapy advocate, the King's will be filled with Olverum Bath Oil (46.50 for 125ml, libertylondon.com). I shower in Messiah & Eve's birchwood Body Cleanser No 2 (22 for 300ml, messiahandeve.co.uk); slather my hands with Baylis & Harding's brilliant, budget Oud, Cedar & Amber Hand Wash (9 for 500ml, amazon.co.uk); then greet the day with Diptyque's immortal Feu de Bois Candle (58, libertylondon.com) burning. Pure medicinal magic. Seasonal saviours Olaplex Weightless Nourishing Mask One of two new masks delivering salon results in three minutes that last five washes. Shop Race you to it The Altesse Studio Vitalis Body Brush for Sensitive Skin (160, thefrenchpharmacy.co) is as bolstering as it is beautiful just the right intensity to boost circulation without damage. It will last a lifetime, meaning you need never buy exfoliator again. Expensive, for sure, but this means one will use it; to emerge soft and skin fit come spring. Cosmetic craving People keep asking about the new, raved-about Victoria Beckham Foundation Drops, a punchy 104 for 30ml. Alas, on me, they're not great, rapidly turning patchy. Instead, I have fallen for Tirtir's cult bestseller Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation (22, sephora.co.uk) at a fraction of the price. Known as the 'red egg', it's a base in a compact applied with a sponge. One uses so little, yet the impact is vast. In four small swipes it makes my complexion look incredible like perfect, youthful, radiant, yet real skin. And it lasts ('mask fit' meaning sweat and transferproof). It comes in 40 shades, with minis from 12.50. After a quarter of a century's beauty writing, I admit, I'm staggered. King Charles will become the first British monarch in 500 years to pray in public with a pope when he makes an historic visit to the Vatican City next week. The 76-year-old monarch will take part in an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel with Pope Leo XIV as they mark the Catholic Church's 2025 'Jubilee year'. Buckingham Palace says is it the first time since Henry VIII's Reformation of the 1530s that a sovereign - and Head of the Church of England - has taken part in a public act of worship with the leader of the Catholic Church. And in recognition of his lifetime of campaigning on issues of inter-faith harmony, Pope Leo will make Charles a 'Royal Confrater' of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St. Paul's Outside the Walls. The gift of 'confraternity' is a recognition of spiritual fellowship 'frater' meaning brother in Latin. In further celebration of this new bond, a special seat has been created for His Majesty, which will remain in the Basilica as a perpetual mark of mutual respect between Pope Leo and The King as Heads of State. The special chair is decorated with His Majesty's Coat of Arms and will be used by the King during the service, after which it will remain in the apse of the Basilica for future use by the monarch and his heirs and successors. The King's short visit with Queen Camilla will take place on Wednesday and Thursday but is, nevertheless, loaded with symbolism. King Charles (pictured with Queen Camilla and the late Pope Francis in April last year) will become the first monarch in 500 years to pray in public with a pope next week It will be their first meeting with Pope Leo since his election in May. The couple met briefly with the previous incumbent, Pope Francis, when they visited in April but had to cancel several planned engagements due to his ill health. Traditionally marked every 25 years, the Jubilee is a special time for the Catholic Church. The visit will also mark a significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor. Buckingham Palace said it would be the first State Visit since the Reformation 'where the Pope and the Monarch will pray together in an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, and the first time the Monarch will have attended a service in St Paul's Outside the Walls, a church with an historic connection to the English Crown'. The King and Queen will meet Pope Leo in the Apostolic Palace, as well as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State. Her Majesty will also view the Pauline Chapel, which houses Michaelangelo's last two frescoes of St Peter and St Paul. Both the King and Queen will then join the Pope for the special ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, focused on the theme of 'Care for Creation'. This reflects Pope Leo's and His Majesty's commitment to the protection of Nature and concern for the environment. Charles will take part in an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel with Pope Leo XIV (seen in St Peter's Square earlier this month) as they mark the Catholic Church's 2025 'Jubilee year' The Children of the Choir of His Majesty's Chapel Royal and the Choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor, will sing during the service, accompanied by the Sistine Chapel Choir. The Queen will remain in the Sistine Chapel following the service, to meet the choirs, whilst The King and the Pope will join a meeting on sustainability, before Their Majesties officially depart. In another significant and historic step, the couple will then visit the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St. Paul's Outside the Walls. One of the four major Papal Basilicas, it is the one most closely associated with the Catholic Church's ecumenical commitment and has historic links with the English Crown. For centuries, the heraldic shield of the Abbey has been surrounded by the insignia of the Order of the Garter, the UK's highest order of chivalry. Before he departs King Charles will attend a reception at The Pontifical Beda College, a seminary which trains priests from across the Commonwealth, meeting students and members of the British and Vatican community. Meanwhile, Her Majesty will meet six Catholic Sisters from The International Union of Superiors General, who are working around the world at grassroots level to support female empowerment, through girls' education programmes, improved access to healthcare, climate action, peace building and tackling sexual violence and human trafficking. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: 'At a time of global instability and conflict, the UK's relationship with the Holy See is more important than ever and this historic State Visit will be a key moment to strengthen this relationship. 'The Holy See has been a key actor on the international stage, promoting peace, effective measures to combat climate change and promote human dignity. 'The Catholic Church is the largest denomination of the world's largest religion; it is the world's largest non-state education provider, educating 68 million students worldwide, and delivers a quarter of the world's healthcare. 'His Majesty's visit will therefore strengthen the UK's relationship with this crucial and influential partner, helping to deliver on the Government's priorities from promoting peace and security around the world to working with our international partners to tackle climate change.' The Victoria's Secret Angels are among the most beautiful women in the world, but that hasn't stopped social media users from picking them apart. In a viral post on X (formerly Twitter), some users pointed out that this year's crop of models appeared to be more tanned than usual. 'I'm once again begging the beautiful women of this world to please put down the self tanner,' one wrote. The user singled out Hungarian stunner Barbara Palvin, while others pointed out that Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Candice Swanepoel, and several other Angels also seemed to be over-tanned on the runway. 'She does look amazing but I think she'd look so beautiful and unique without the fake tan,' they wrote of Palvin. 'I don't know why white beautiful women hate looking white. Tanning makes you look older,' added another. 'The amount of fake tan in Victoria's Secret fashion show is appalling,' someone else shared. 'I feel the same way about women, and lip filler let's embrace our natural lips!' a third exclaimed. Victoria's Secret models including Bella Hadid (pictured) have been accused of tanning too much to hide their 'white' skin 'I'm once again begging the beautiful women of this world to please put down the self tanner,' one user wrote alongside a photo of Barbara Palvin Palvin looked lighter at Paris Fashion Week on October 4, making it likely that she got a fake tan ahead of the Victoria's Secret show However, some others hit back at the user and said that her nitpicking over fake tanning was just a way to hate on the models. 'She looks amazing you just didn't know how else to hate,' wrote one. 'The fact that you couldn't find a flaw so you resort to this is embarrassing. Please save face,' added another. This year's Victoria's Fashion Show, which aired live on Amazon Prime Video, signaled a return to the classic 'glitzy and sensual' style of the show as it tries to ramp up sales, following a turn toward so-called 'woke' posturing. Bella Hadid who was joined at the show by her older sister Gigi Hadid made a grand entrance in a fiery crimson bra and lace thong while displaying a deep tan. The catwalk star traded out her usual brunette tresses for feathered golden-blonde locks. Gigi, who had her brunette hair parted to the side and swept back in a bun, flashed her taut midriff in a bubblegum-pink top and high-waisted lace panties. She covered up with a sheer pink robe that was lined with voluminous pink flowers. Candice Swanepoel was one of the most bronzed models to walk the runway this year Supermodel Irina Shayk also showed off a glamorous golden tan at the show Gigi Hadid went for a glowing bronzed look when she strutted her stuff for the lingerie brand The show also featured several former Victoria's Secret Angels, including Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Doutzen Kroes, Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo, Lily Aldridge, Taylor Hill, Stella Maxwell, Barbara Palvin, and Grace Elizabeth. Other returning models included Joan Smalls, Irina Shayk, Ashley Graham, Anok Yai, Alex Consani, Paloma Elsesser, and Yasmin Wijnaldum. Nepo baby models Amelia Gray Hamlin, 24, Lila Moss, 23, and Iris Law, 24, stole the show and signaled a major generational shift on the runway. Amelia, who's the daughter of actors Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, strutted her stuff in two sizzling looks. She flaunted her trim frame in a bold crystal-encrusted lingerie, before switching to red hot backless metallic mini dress. Lila, who is the daughter of supermodel Kate Moss, put on a leggy display in a grey long-sleeved leotard. Meanwhile the daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, Iris, made her Victoria's Secret debut in a 'naughty-ish' look. The series will star Emily Browning as an 'ex-soldier turned corrections officer' A new show set in the same universe as the original has been greenlit at Hulu A new Prison Break spin-off has been greenlit at Hulu much to the disappointment of fans who have slammed its 'woke.' The series, helmed by filmmaker Elgin James, will be set in the same universe as the original show which made Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell huge stars but they are not involved. Instead, the upcoming project will follow new characters and a new story. The cast will be led by Australian actress Emily Browning, who will play main character Cassidy. The Winchesters actor Drake Rodger will star as Tommy and Euphoria's Lukas Gage will play Jackson. Additionally, Clayton Cardenas stars as Michael aka Ghost, JR Bourne as Junior, Georgie Flores as Andrea and Myles Bullock as Darius aka Red. Per the official logline, the series follows Emily's character Cassidy who is an 'ex-soldier turned corrections officer [who] takes a job at one of the deadliest prisons in America to prove just how far she'll go for someone she loves.' The new project has been ripped apart by Prison Break fans who have speculated that it will be 'total disaster.' Australian actress Emily Browning is set to lead the cast of the Prison Break spin-off series The original show starred Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller They also expressed annoyance at the lack of original ideas while also seemingly taking issue with a female lead. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one said: 'I don't understand why they have to ruin classics. Replacing Michael Schofield is impossible. There can never be another actor who could fill those shoes. Stop ruining classics.' Another wrote: 'There's nothing original coming out these days. Leave these legendary IPs alone.' 'They can't make new bangers anymore, so they try to replicate classics,' a third added. A fourth continued: 'Set in the same universe, but without Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows? Hard pass unless they get a cameo. Don't touch the OG legacy.' Another blasted: 'This sounds like a total disaster. But I guess it was always going to be that once they decided to not bring any of the original cast back.' Echoing a similar sentiment, a sixth slammed: 'Great. Let's rewrite a classic no one asked for and use a female lead to make it woke. Can't wait for it to flop and get canceled.' 'They'll probably pull in someone from the OG show to get folks interested, but I don't see this going far,' predicted another. Euphoria and The White Lotus actor Lukas Gage has been cast in the new Hulu show Dominic declared just a few months ago that he has 'moved on' from Prison Break Prison Break ran for five seasons with the first four airing between 2005 and 2009, before it was revived in 2017 for another outing. The gritty drama focused on Michael Schofield's (Miller) plan to help Lincoln Burrows (Purcell) escape prison after he was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. Season five was a sequel set seven years after the original show and saw Michael return from the dead as he fought to get his identity back and take down Poseidon, the person responsible for his disappearance. The limited series ended with Michael refusing to join the CIA so that he could live a normal life with his wife Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) and their son Mike. In 2020, Wentworth announced he would not return for a sixth season as he doesn't 'want to play straight characters' anymore. Meanwhile, in July, his former co-star Dominic ruled out returning to the world of Prison Break. 'I mean, I get it, it was a sick show, but I've really moved on. It's not happening,' he said on Instagram. He also added that he was not interested in the past. 'The excitement of the possibilities for me are far greater than the past. I've done, it ladies and gents,' he continued. 'I'm doing what I wanna do, not what people think I should do, nor what I can do with my eyes closed. That's a boring way [of] moving forward professionally and in life, I believe. Uncertainty is far more appealing.' A smile says a lot about a person - and that is why celebrities will pay for the best. Beverly Hills-based dentist Dr. David Frey has spent over 30 years in the industry, and declares that the smile is the 'most important thing on the face' - so it is vital to make sure it is perfect. Dr. Frey, who has surgeries in London, LA and Dubai, is known for his porcelain veneers, using the delicate material to create a 1,000-watt smile. Veneers are coverings that fit over the front surface of your teeth, which can conceal a wide range of aesthetic imperfections, including chips, cracks, gaps, tooth discoloration and more. The procedure, which can take weeks from the initial consultation to the actual application, involves removing the enamel from the natural teeth before the new surfaces are placed on top. Dr. Frey prides himself on creating the 'perfect smile' through this procedure - but warns it can come at a price. The dentist, who counts A-list actress Zendaya as a former patient, spoke to the Daily Mail to lift the lid on the dental habits of Hollywood's finest - including how much they pay for a set of dazzling veneers. Dr. Frey estimates it costs between $3,000 to $5,000 per porcelain veneer, with an entire set costing between $200,000 to $350,000. Beverly Hills-based dentist Dr. David Frey has spent over 30 years in the industry, and declares that the smile is the 'most important thing on the face' - so it is vital to make sure it is perfect He says charging anywhere from $100,000 to $125,000 to change the overall look of a smile is 'really routine.' 'It is really the range that you're gonna pay for a high-quality cosmetic dentist who's experienced and has seen lots of patients,' he explained. 'It's very difficult to charge per case, and typically, if a celebrity or a billionaire or someone wants you You can never find them,' he cryptically told the Daily Mail. 'If they want you, they find you.' Dr. Frey explained that creating and applying porcelain veneers to patients requires a 'high artistic component to it,' making it difficult sometimes to put a price range on the full treatment. 'I mean, we're looking like Picasso, Rembrandt - there's no price that you could put on it,' he said. 'It's a priceless procedure if you're trying to put a single dollar amount on it. So you could really charge whatever you want.' Dr. Frey said there are three main styles of veneers, which refer to the shape of the fake teeth - square, rounded and enhanced, the latter of which is a combination of the two. 'We steer people away from the square because they tend to look like an older look,' he explained, revealing the enhanced shape is the most popular. Dr. Frey, who has surgeries in London, LA and Dubai, is known for his porcelain veneers, using the delicate material to create a 1,000-watt smile Dr. Frey estimates it costs between $3,000 to $5,000 per porcelain veneer, with an entire set costing between $200,000 to $350,000 Another accessible tool that Dr. Frey has seen a lot of successful results in is a water flosser (pictured) which is a device that uses a stream of pressurized water to clean between teeth However, he has noticed that women tend to opt for rounder shapes while men go for more square. For those who can't afford a set of veneers, Dr. Frey has some other tips to make sure your smile makes it to the A-list. 'I mean, without porcelain veneers, a lot of the patients brush with hydrogen peroxide,' the expert shared. 'They dip some hydrogen peroxide and water together, [it's] like an oxidizer.' Dr. Frey also reiterated how important it is to go to the dentist regularly and get checkups. 'It's really just down to the basics of just brushing and flossing every day, that's really the key,' he said. The dentist also stressed the importance of a good quality toothbrush. 'It's really about the mechanical brush, removing the plaque, more than the toothpaste itself,' he revealed. Another accessible tool that Dr. Frey has seen a lot of successful results in is a water flosser, which is a device that uses a stream of pressurized water to clean between teeth and remove food particles, plaque, and bacteria. 'It takes plaque about 24 hours to come back after you remove it,' he explained, with a water flosser effectively removing unwanted leftovers from your teeth. He recommends brushing your teeth twice a day, making sure to clean all around and in between the teeth. We're rigorously told to wear it come rain or come shine to ensure younger, smoother skin - but skincare experts have warned that certain SPF formulas may be accentuating wrinkles in the dry, colder weather. Speaking to the Daily Mail, aesthetics doctors and practitioners said chemical sunscreen formulas can amplify flaky and dehydrated skin; however, cautioned that this is no excuse to skip out on the crucial step. They contain substances that absorb UV rays before they reach the skin, diffusing them in a chemical reaction - which could be making your face feel tighter. In contrast, mineral sunscreens, made of ingredients such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, provide a physical barrier preventing UV rays from hitting the skin. 'Wearing sunscreen is one of the best anti-ageing things you can do for your skin, even during the winter months,' said Amish Patel of Intrigue Cosmetic Clinic. 'However, some matte chemical sunscreens can amplify the result of dry winter skin and accentuate wrinkles, flaky and dehydrated skin, making the skin perhaps look superficially older.' He stressed, though, that swapping out for a different product will make for little difference 'until the underlying issues are resolved'. 'Using non-matte sunscreen during the winter is a good alternative,' he shared. We're rigorously told to wear it come rain or come shine to ensure younger, smoother skin - but skincare experts have warned that certain SPF formulas may be accentuating wrinkles in the dry, colder weather. Stock image used 'Drinking more water and staying hydrated will improve the appearance of dry skin and opt for a cream or lotion based formulation to boost hydration in the skin. 'Your winter skincare should embrace deeper hydration and don't forget to regularly exfoliate to help remove flaky skin and dead skin cells which will make your skin look older.' Amish also suggested layering a serum under your moisturiser - and applying it to damp warm skin - as well as waiting at least 30 seconds before going in with the SPF to 'help lock in moisture'. Elsewhere, Dr Jessica Halliley explained why the formula may lead to dryer looking skin. 'There has been some debate around whether chemical sunscreens could contribute to skin ageing,' she explained. 'These formulas work by absorbing UV rays and converting them into heat, which can sometimes trigger free radical activity in the skin. 'Over time, that oxidative stress may affect collagen and elastin, leading to fine lines and loss of firmness. 'Chemical filters can also be irritating for sensitive skin types, which in turn can compromise the skin barrier and accelerate signs of ageing.' However she too sternly implored that SPF use is a must. 'Daily sunscreen use is non-negotiable for protecting against UV damage, which is still the number one cause of premature ageing,' she continued. 'For those concerned about irritation or oxidative stress, mineral sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are a great alternative. 'These sit on the surface of the skin and physically block UV, while also being gentler and less likely to generate free radicals.' Elsewhere Bruce Green, Chartered Chemist and Founder of SOS Serum Skincare, said the key is adapting your whole routine to a dryer, chillier climate is key. 'Apply a hydrating serum and nourishing moisturiser underneath, and choose a sunscreen that also contains hydrating or barrier-supporting ingredients like vitamin E, glycerin or hyaluronic acid, such as SOS SPF50,' he explained. 'Ultimately, the best sunscreen is the one you'll wear every day - your skin will thank you for it.' Some pros also remarked that it's important not to demonise chemical SPFs - and rather, simply know what fits your skin type best. Dr Naomi Mackle, founder of Adare Dermatology, cautioned that 'there are many myths about chemical sunscreens circulating on social media'. 'There is no known medical evidence supporting claims that they are harmful. All allegations have been taken seriously, and clinical trials have been conducted to verify or disprove these theories,' she shared. 'There are concerns about certain chemical filters damaging the coral reef, so for those worried about this, a physical sunscreen is a good alternative. 'However, its difficult to prove causation, as many environmental factors and chemicals are present in our surroundings, further research is therefore needed. 'Chemicals in sunscreen may cause or worsen dermatitis but this would disappear after withdrawal of the particular sunscreen. 'For those who have a very sensitive skin, physical or mineral sunscreens won't irritate the skin. This may therefore be a better choice.' And speaking to the Daily Mail Dr Barbra Kubicka, founder of Clinicbe, revealed her top product recommendations. 'Some chemical sunscreens can contribute to dryness, particularly in colder months when the skin barrier is already under stress from central heating and harsh weather,' she shared. 'By absorbing UV rays and generating heat, they may also increase sensitivity and irritation in vulnerable skin types. Over time, if dryness and irritation are not addressed, the skin can appear more lined, dull and aged. 'This doesn't mean chemical SPFs are harmful for everyone, but it highlights the importance of choosing the right formula and supporting the skin barrier with hydrating ingredients and moisturisers alongside daily sun protection.' For a budget-friendly pick, she suggested the E45 SPF50 Sensitive Sun Cream for 13 - which is 'simple, gentle, hydrating, good for dry or eczema-prone skin'. Another top selection was Clinique's 21 Mineral Sunscreen Fluid SPF50, which is 'mineral, fragrance-free, lightweight, suitable for sensitive or retinol-treated skin'. Barbara's French pharmacy favourite was the La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVAir SPF50+ which is 25. She praised it as a 'lightweight chemical/hybrid option with excellent UVA protection' that 'sits well under makeup'. A mineral fluid one for sensitive skin, she shared, is the Avene Mineral Fluid SPF50+ for 15.40. The pro also said the Clinicbe Be Sun Protected Daily Tinted SPF50, 49, is a great 'multi-tasker'. 'A highly effective photo-stable broad spectrum, lightweight physical sunscreen, containing clinically proven filters to protect the skin against harmful UV rays,' she continued. 'For winter, choose a formula that feels comfortable and hydrating, this makes it easier to use daily, which is the real key to protection.' There is speculation that the nepo baby model has had cosmetic surgery She was named Model of the Year last year, so it was no surprise to see Amelia Gray Hamlin making her debut at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday. However, many viewers were stunned by how much the 24-year-old's appearance has transformed over time. Amelia, who is the daughter of actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, looked much different on the runway compared to when she first graced the small screen as a fresh-faced teenager on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The brunette's once plump cheeks are now hollowed out to match her sculpted jawline, and her lips are far plumper than they once were. Her role in the annual fashion show drew a mixed reception online, with one person writing, 'I miss when Victoria's Secret models were natural looking.' 'She is absolutely gorgeous,' wrote another, while a third added, 'Her face card is undefeated!' 'Looks unnatural and like she's trying too hard,' said a fourth, while another wrote, 'Lisa Rinna is definitely her mother - I can definitely see her changing her face.' Another fan defended Hamlin from trolls, commenting, 'It's always middle-aged, jowl sagging bints that comment negativity under these posts. She's stunning.' Supermodel Amelia Gray Hamlin shocked viewers with her appearance at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show this weel The 24-year-old has completely transformed her appearance over the years and is now almost unrecognizable compared to her old look Proud mom Rinna took to social media after the show to congratulate Amelia on all of her success. 'Your dream since you were about eight years old was to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and yesterday that dream came true!!!!!' she gushed. 'Your hard work and perseverance is unmatched and truly amazing to watch, you set your mind to something and you do it. You do not second-guess yourself. You do not think am I pretty enough? Am I tall enough? etc. etc. etc. you just do it and it is remarkable to watch,' she continued. 'You are a master manifester and congratulations to you my love - you did it!!!! So proud of you!' Aesthetic physician Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, who has never treated Hamlin, believes that she's 'definitely had plastic surgery' to achieve her incredible looks. 'It's pretty clear that she's had a rhinoplasty and lip lift,' the Newport-based injector told the Daily Mail when asked to give her opinion on before-and-after images of the model. 'Her cheeks could be surgical or non-surgical - either cheek filler or implants. Her lower face is less heavy but wider via chin reshaping and jawline filler,' she continued. 'Then obviously lip filler. She's a beautiful girl but she has had a few tweaks to put her on the runway.' The brunette's once plump cheeks are now hollowed out to match her sculpted jawline, and her lips are far plumper than they once were Her role in the annual fashion show drew a mixed reception online, with one person writing, 'I miss when Victoria's Secret models were natural looking' Amelia is the youngest daughter of actress and reality star Lisa Rinna Daily Mail has reached out for comment. While Hamlin has never admitted to cosmetic surgery, she did go under the knife at 16 for a breast reduction for medical reasons after contracting strep from a nipple piercing. Since her physical transformation, Hamlin has become one of the biggest forces in fashion and modeling. Last year, she was crowned Model of the Year at the Daily Front Row Fashion L.A. Awards. Hamlin has also become a Vogue favorite, covering Vogue Spain, Japan, Korea, and Arabia. She's also fronted high fashion campaigns for Givenchy, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Valentino. Her older sister Delilah Belle is also a model who has worked with H&M, Michael Kors, Boohoo, and Skims. Amelia's older sister Delilah Belle is also a model. The siblings are pictured at an event in 2017 Delilah has also transformed her appearance over the years. She is pictured with Amelia at Milan Fashion Week in September Outside of modelling, Amelia is also working on an acting career, with a role in the upcoming Devil Wears Prada 2. The 2025 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was dominated by a flood of new faces, many of them the offspring of famous A-listers. Along with Amelia, nepo babies Lila Moss, 23, and Iris Law, 24, stole the show and signaled a major generational shift on the runway. Amelia strutted her stuff in two sizzling looks. She flaunted her slim frame in a bold crystal-encrusted lingerie, before switching to red hot backless metallic mini dress. Lila, who is the daughter of supermodel Kate Moss, put on a leggy display in a grey long-sleeved leotard. Meanwhile the daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, Iris, made her Victoria's Secret debut in a 'naughty-ish' look. When Tiffany Gaines fell pregnant with her first child shortly after the death of her mother, it sent her into a spiral of 'ugly crying' that lasted for days while she grappled with a 'deep feeling of loss'. These intense emotions were not, however, provoked by the fact that she was bringing her first child into the world without her mother by her side. The issue was that she was expecting a boy - and the same grief overwhelmed her again when she found out she was pregnant with her second son two years later. This phenomenon is known as 'gender disappointment' - the 'grief parents feel when their babys sex doesnt match the hopes they had' - and while it can apply to boys and girls, it's male children who appear to cause the most despondency. It may be incomprehensible for women who would give anything just to conceive a healthy baby to hear mothers openly admitting that their hearts were so set on daughters. Yet gender reveal videos on social media now commonly feature a woman collapsing into her husband's arms after popping a balloon packed with blue confetti, or breaking down at the sight of cobalt cake filling. When asked to explain why the prospect of a son is so daunting, the reasons range from buying into cliches that boys are so much noisier and messier than girls, to fears about raising boys in a world where they will be influenced by toxic masculinity. It was a sentiment echoed by pregnant comedian Katherine Ryan, who said she would be 'dejected' if her fourth child is a boy because her four-year-old son is already a 'toxic male' who play fights with swords. Similarly, Love Island star Montana Brown, 30, who shares two children with her fiance Mark O'Connor, previously said she 'cried when I found out that I was having a boy', and had a 'sinking feeling'. Tiffany Gaines with her son Brighton, four, and Beau, two. She said that choosing positive names for her sons helped her cope with her gender disappointment Chloe, who runs the blog Sorry About The Mess, and three of her children, pictured together One mother all too familiar with gender disappointment is Chloe, 40, from South London, who runs a parenting blog Sorry About The Mess , and has four sons, aged five, nine, 12 and 15. She told The Daily Mail: 'I still find it strange to think that I won't have a daughter. I'm not cool with that, and it is still something I come back to every now and then, and I think I will do for the rest of my life.' Chloe had always wanted a large family with her husband Sam, and 'imagined Id have a mix of both boys and girls in there'. But during her third pregnancy, which she initially believed would be her last, the realisation hit her that she had just 'one more shot to have a girl'. 'At this point, I'd look at all-boy families and it would scare me a little. I'd think: "Oh that could be us, I'm not sure if I want that to be us". I felt this strange aversion,' she admitted. 'So to avoid any feelings of disappointment crowding the early days with my new baby, I booked an early gender scan at 16 weeks - and the first day after finding out we were having another boy I was just excited.' Yet during the next week, Chloe recalled how she had a 'slow adjustment' to the news, adding: 'I had this dawning that I would never have a daughter. That was hard to adjust to. 'It was this loss of an idea that wasn't going to happen anymore. I had to say goodbye to this image of a little girl I'd had. For me, this was quite a long process.' Chloe admitted that her 'feelings of sadness' and 'negative emotions' were 'strong and scary' while she went through a 'mourning phase' for the girl she wasn't going to have. She explained how her feelings didn't centre around wanting to buy dresses or do 'girly things' with a daughter. Instead she had no personal reference of what a family of boys could look like, having been raised in a female household. For Chloe (pictured with three of her sons), she had always wanted a large family with her husband Sam, and 'imagined Id have a mix of both boys and girls in there' The mother-of-four explained: 'Gender disappointment isnt about the baby youre having, but about letting go of the possibility you imagined. 'Our daughter has had a name since my first pregnancy. She isnt an abstract concept. She is a very real idea. Someone Sam and I had both been imagining for years. Someone who I thought I would always meet. 'Before the scan, both paths - boy or girl - feel real. Finding out means saying goodbye to the one that never was. For some, that goodbye is instant; for others, it takes time. 'Let alone my own gender disappointment, I wasnt able to shake the feeling that we were disappointing all the people around us who had already commented that they would like to see us have a girl.' Chloe tried to bury her feelings but it was only when she gave herself the proper time to mourn the vision of the little girl she'd created that she finally moved forward. 'By the end of my pregnancy, the feelings had well and truly cleared and made way for me to fully concentrate on looking forward to meeting our baby boy,' said the parent. 'For others experiencing gender disappointment, you won't always feel so emotionally raw as you do now, despite it feeling like one of the worst feelings that you can have. But during her third pregnancy, which Chloe (pictured with one of her sons) initially believed would be her last child for various reasons, the realisation hit her that she had just 'one more shot to have a girl' 'There was never any disappointment in my child at all, but a processing of the end of something you thought you might have, the closing of one door as another opens. I am lucky to have four sons with my husband, Sam, who I love and am grateful for. 'It occupied a lot of brain space during the baby years. But now my children are older, and our family is complete (and perfect the way it is), I don't think about it any more.' Chloe isn't alone in her feelings of gender disappointment, writer Eilidh Dorgan, 36, who shares a daughter and a son with her husband, was taken aback when she first found out she was having a boy during her second pregnancy. 'In my head, Id had a dream of having two girls, believing that theyd be best friends and form some kind of unbreakable bond,' she told The Daily Mail. 'The thought of having a boy was overwhelming, and I bought into all of the cliches: they have so much energy! Thered be sword fights everywhere! Not to mention the fact that Ive overdosed on crime podcasts and know all too well that the root of many a serial killers evil stems from their mother. 'And beyond accidentally creating a psychopath with body parts in his fridge, how do you even bring up a boy these days? 'Young men have so many conflicting things shoved on them by society - that they should be masculine, but not too masculine, assertive without bullying anyone. Make the first move, but ask for consent first! The prospect of raising a man felt like a minefield.' However, like Chloe, Eilidh's mixed emotions soon vanished once her son was born, with the writer insisting: 'It didnt take long for my concerns to melt away. Chloe isn't alone in her feelings of gender disappointment, writer Eilidh Dorgan (pictured with her two children) was taken aback when she first found out she was having a boy during her second pregnancy 'Hes not just a boy, hes my son - and hes the sweetest, funniest little thing. He delights everyone he meets, and I couldnt picture life without him - not to mention that the friendship he has with his big sister is far better than anything I had imagined when initially hoping for a girl. 'Sometimes I feel bad about ever having had a preference, but I think that its part of human nature to have some kind of instinctive partiality to a specific outcome. 'Ultimately, I think that these preferences are based on our own history and experiences, and that some of the greatest sources of joy come from the most unexpected of places.' Meanwhile, Tiffany Gaines from Santa Fe, California said that gender disappointment needs to be treated with compassion - describing it as a form of grief. 'I ugly cried for days after finding out with each of my pregnancies that I was having boys,' she said. 'It was jarring. It was like I entered a weird Freaky Friday dystopia where my identity flip-flopped right before my eyes.' When she pictured herself as a 'double boy mum', she recalls thinking: 'Who is this person and what did she do with my daughter?' Tiffany admits that her feelings sound dramatic, but argues that all grief is. 'Its time we treat gender disappointment with the levels of compassion, patience and grace that we would for any other type of grief,' she said. 'Gender disappointment is stigmatized because it is notoriously misunderstood. Its not an expression of remorse over the child we are given. Rather, its a deep feeling of loss over a version of love that we fear well never get to experience. 'Yet thats only half of it - along with the grief comes profound feelings of brokenness and shame. Because we dont want to feel this way. Society tells us we should just be thrilled to have the chance to birth a healthy baby. 'But this is why gender disappointment needs to be expressed more publicly - especially by women. Postpartum is already a difficult time - and this unspoken grief/shame from GD can spiral us into feelings of isolation and self loathing. 'This makes a profoundly negative impact on our maternal mental health - and how we can show up for ourselves and our children during those precious postpartum times. 'We deserve to feel safe grieving our gender disappointment. It's how we can move through it and mature into becoming the best moms we can be. And the only way we can make women feel safe expressing their grief is by normalizing it and respecting it.' A flick through gender reveal clips on TikTok, where excited parents share the sex of their baby without knowing the answer themselves, will showcase a world of disappointed mothers, dismayed by the idea of having a boy. Some of the most popular examples on the social media platform include a mother who ran off screaming after cutting into a cake with her partner and seeing the colour blue in the filling, while another woman broke down in her husband's arms after it was revealed that she's having a little boy. But it's not just your average parents that are now admitting to gender disappointment - celebrities have also opened up about the feeling. During her recent interview, comedian Katherine Ryan spoke of her dread at adding another boy to her brood, recalling how she's been 'antagonised by men' throughout her life. She explained: 'I have to say, that I cant ever complain post first trimester, Im quite big, so I think it might be a boy, so Im feeling dejected about that, because men have just antagonised me all life, even before their born.' Earlier this summer, Katherine Ryan (pictured with her children and partner) admitted that she's feeling 'dejected' at the thought of her next baby being a boy The 8 Out Of 10 favourite then went on to confess that she'll no doubt have 'gender disappointment' with her upcoming child if it was a boy as she spoke about her four-year-old son. She said: 'I will have it this time if its a boy. You know what it is, my son is a toxic male, hes four years old and he always wants to fight me, I drove him to nursery the other day, he sat behind me and he had a sword held to my throat for a while. 'Like whose giving you weapons. I didnt grow up with brothers, so its been an adjustment for me. But I love him, hes a very special guy.' Meanwhile, Love Island star Montana said last year that she 'initially wanted a girl' and 'cried when I found out that I was having a boy', but now 'couldn't imagine anything else'. In August that year, Jake Quickenden's wife Sophie defended herself after fans criticised her reaction to her third child's gender reveal. The mother couldn't hide her disappointment as it was unveiled that she was having another boy. 'For God's sake. I knew it. Ah man, where are all the girls at?,' she groaned. While lots of fans were left in hysterics with her 'honest reaction' after discovering she would soon be outnumbered by boys, many were upset by her response, saying she should be happy to be having a healthy baby. Jake hit back at several comments, while Sophie took to her Instagram to come to her own defence, writing that gender disappointment was valid and should be talked about more. In August that year, Jake Quickenden's wife Sophie defended herself after fans criticised her reaction to her third child's gender reveal She insisted that she was 'incredibly grateful' to be having another child, but admitted that she had 'always dreamed of having a daughter'. She confessed she had been 'sad' not to have had a girl to have been with for her wedding and 'girlie trips away', and added those feelings were okay. Sophie wrote: 'Gender disappointed is something that isnt ever spoken about so lets talk about it. 'I know I received some negatives comments on our gender reveal video but please know I am incredibly grateful and blessed to be pregnant whether that be with a girl or a boy, especially as it didnt happen quickly for us. 'And all I really wish for is a healthy baby. But if you asked me what gender I would have asked for, it would have been a girl and thats OK. 'Ive got two amazing boys already and I had always dreamt of having a daughter. And as this will be my last baby, I was a little sad about not having all my dreams coming true. 'I hadnt just wished to have a girl because I wanted to dress her up in pretty things, share clothes and go shopping together, but I wanted to be there for her prom, her wedding, her baby's birth and to also go away on girlie trips away. 'If you have felt the same, just know your feelings are valid and it doesnt make you a bad person or unappreciated of being pregnant. I cant wait to raise another boy and know this is whats meant for me.' But what is behind the rise of gender disappointment over having boys? Emiliana Hall, doula and founder of The Mindful Birth Group and PregnaHub app, is just one of the experts who say social media is somewhat to blame. 'Social media has fuelled expectations around the "perfect family set-up", often with a strong pull towards having little girls.' Psychotherapist Kamalyn Kaur explained how platforms like TikTok have made 'private feelings public', while Michele Koch-LaFemina, clinical director at Pathways Recovery, says 'there is a powerful social component'. 'Parents today are constantly exposed to images online of ideal family life, and those images often highlight daughters in matching outfits or mothers sharing experiences with little girls. 'That repetition can create subtle pressure, making parents believe that having a daughter is tied to being a nurturing or connected parent. 'When the reality is different, the disappointment feels sharper because it is layered with comparison and self-doubt.' Emiliana said that the feeling is being more 'openly discussed as society becomes more honest about the emotional realities of parenthood'. 'These feelings dont make anyone a bad parent. The key is to acknowledge them rather than push them down,' said the doula. 'Talking about it with a trusted friend, a professional, or a support group can really help. Most parents find that once their baby arrives, any feelings of fear or worry about this area soon disappear.' Janee Young, the clinical director of Wellness Detox of LA and a compassionate therapist with more than a decade of experience in mental health care, said there is a 'noticeable trend of parents expressing preference for girls'. 'Some of this comes from cultural messaging that daughters are seen as more emotionally available or more likely to stay close to family as they grow,' said the expert. 'When parents picture their future, they may imagine shared experiences they believe are tied to raising a girl, and disappointment surfaces when reality does not match that picture. 'The challenge is that unacknowledged disappointment can affect bonding. A child can feel when a parent is holding back, even if no words are spoken. 'Over time, this can create tension or feelings of inadequacy in the child, who may sense they were not the wanted gender. Families I have worked with often find healing when they can name those feelings and separate the fantasy of who they imagined from the child in front of them. 'The important truth is that gender preference usually says more about the parents needs than the childs value. 'By recognising and processing those expectations, parents can shift focus back to building a real relationship with their child, one that is not limited by the weight of disappointment but enriched by connection and acceptance.' Dr. Daniel Glazer, meanwhile, suggested that the disappointment some parents feel is not usually about the child but rather about what the parent hoped for. The medical professional added: 'Personal history plays a big role together with past experiences and cultural messages.' My heart was pounding in terror as I stared at the reflection in the mirror. My teeth were dotted with chunks of flesh blood-red, fresh and oozing. Oh my god, my baby. Had I actually eaten my baby? It took a few minutes for me to calm down and realise that, of course, I hadnt. There was a plum stone in my trembling hand, and my two-month-old daughter, Rosalie, was fast asleep in her cot. While undoubtedly extreme and even a little darkly comical many would put this incident down to one too many sleepless nights for me as the mother of a newborn baby. After all, lack of sleep can do horrible things to even the strongest mind. But this went beyond that. Which is how, in February this year, I found myself a patient at the Thumbswood Mother and Baby Unit in Radlett, Hertfordshire a specialist psychiatric hospital for new mothers experiencing serious mental health crises. I had recently suffered a terrifying bout of postpartum psychosis, tormented by delusions that saw me nearly sectioned and placed on suicide watch after two attempts to take my own life. This was no cry for help; I truly wanted to die. Death had seemed the only way out of the nightmare I was trapped in. Im sharing my story now to try to make sense of my still-fresh experience; I was released from hospital at the end of March and only started to feel normal again in August. I also want to raise awareness of this condition, which affects one in 1,000 women usually in the first six to eight weeks after giving birth and which couldnt be further from the baby blues that most people associate with those difficult early days of motherhood. Prompt detection and intervention mean that most mothers go on to lead healthy lives but, sadly, most women dont have any idea what is happening to them when they find themselves immersed in this hell. Certainly, there was no indication of what would happen to me. Ive no history of mental illness and hadnt really heard of postpartum psychosis before I experienced it. I had recently suffered a terrifying bout of postpartum psychosis, tormented by delusions that saw me nearly sectioned and placed on suicide watch after two attempts to take my own life I was living a perfectly normal life before Rosalies birth. My husband Alex and I had been together ten years, meeting when we both worked in the music industry, before I took up a role as media and PR manager for the domestic abuse charity Refuge. We had conceived with relative ease when I had just turned 33 and I was classified as a low-risk pregnancy. I was all set for a chilled-out water birth, complete with Neom essential oils and my own playlist. But, as they so often do, things took a drastic turn when I was 40 weeks and six days pregnant in December 2024. Uncomfortably overdue, I went in for a general check-up with the midwife at the childrens centre, expecting perhaps a suggested intervention to get things moving. Instead, I was sent straight to hospital with protein in my urine and sky-high blood pressure. On the maternity ward at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, I was quickly diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia. Things were no longer going to plan. Panic set in. Id heard about pre-eclampsia in my antenatal classes, a serious condition that can cause seizures and be fatal to both mother and baby. Wed been told to look out for headaches, swelling and stomach pain but I suffer from chronic migraines, so how was I supposed to know the difference? Plus, I was 40 weeks pregnant and the size of a small whale, so it was easy to miss any swelling. People say all births are traumatic and painful, and maybe this is true, but it wasnt the pain of childbirth that left me reeling. It was the confusion, the feeling I wasnt being listened to, that will forever haunt me. I went from everything as expected to being hooked up to a drip surrounded by doctors discussing the risk of organ failure and seizures within a matter of hours. Looking back, its no wonder my brain lost its equilibrium. The treatment for pre-eclampsia is to get the baby and placenta out as quickly as possible, usually via an emergency C-section. The operating team was fantastic and, with Alex by my side, dressed in scrubs and trying to reassure me, despite being terrified himself, 30 minutes later little Rosalie, weighing a healthy 7lb 13oz, took her first lusty cry. And thats where the drama should have ended that first awe-struck cuddle with my newborn, a few days recuperation, then to our home in Bedfordshire for our new life as a family of three. But various infections and post-birth complications meant I stayed on that recovery ward for a fortnight. Despite being a place of healing, a hospital can feel like the very worst place to be when youre an exhausted, bewildered new mother: staff changeovers, the constant bleep of machines and bright lights both night and day meant I got no sleep at all. Despite being a place of healing, a hospital can feel like the very worst place to be when youre an exhausted, bewildered new mother: staff changeovers, the constant bleep of machines and bright lights both night and day meant I got no sleep at all Once, I got so teary and distressed that despite being surrounded by medical professionals I was given a number for the mental health support line. I dont have post-natal depression, I pleaded. I just need to go home. A few days later I finally did go home, laden with an A4-sized bag of blood pressure medication and a healthy baby girl. New motherhood is a maddening time for everyone. The endless cycle of nappy changes, feeds and laundry makes most women feel like a shell of their former selves. Yet normally, with time and growing confidence, things settle down. Except for me, they never did. It just got worse and worse. I have often wondered what it was that triggered my psychosis. Was it fluctuating hormones? Lack of sleep? The trauma of a chaotic birth? Or was it a potent cocktail of all three? While its true that postpartum psychosis is more common in women who have had a difficult birth, like many illnesses specifically affecting women the exact causes are unknown. Its often overlooked, too, as the first signs are so often confused with exhaustion. Certainly, my health visitor and GP saw no red flags. I was exclusively breastfeeding, and as such wasnt getting much sleep. I was snappy, raging constantly at Alex, who bit his tongue and nobly assumed this was part and parcel of new family life. He urged me to consider bottle-feeding at night, desperate to do anything to help, but I was determined to do everything by the book. But before long, my symptoms went beyond that of tired new mum. One day, three weeks after giving birth, I woke up utterly convinced that Roz was dead in the bed with me. It was terrifying, and took a few minutes for me realise that what I was looking at was the pattern on our floral bedspread not my babys dead face. It felt so real, and my heart was racing. This was the first hallucination of many, each one more bizarre than the next. I saw Rosalies face in the chandelier, and then the oddest of them all I literally watched her face morphing into that of the actor Jason Watkins, who played Prime Minister Harold Wilson in The Crown. Then, a week later, came a line from a 1990s pop song that kept playing on a loop in my head. It was from Brimful of Asha by Cornershop and went: Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, everybody needs a bosom. On and on, round and round in my brain. You might be laughing now, and I dont blame you even I can see the funny side, months on. But when youre living it, all day, its utterly petrifying. I began to think Rosalie wasnt there at all, and Alex had replaced her with a pillow or an animatronic doll before becoming convinced Alex actually was Rozzy, all grown up. Clearly the doesnt she look like her dad? comments from well-wishers had triggered something in my scrambled brain. Initially Alex thought my confusion was funny; then he started to get scared. One morning, after Id sat up talking gibberish all night, he told me: I cant do this any more, this is so much harder than I thought it would be. At first in between my delusions I was lucid and scared, knowing at any point my mind could trick me again. But by two weeks after my initial hallucination, Id completely lost touch with reality, my delusions spreading beyond my baby. I thought the house was on fire. The television was talking to me, telling me I had to figure it out. I treated the house like an escape room, thinking if I did certain rituals I would win the prize of getting my sanity back. Alex was back at work by this point. Normally, I would have relied on my mum who is my best friend but in a cruel twist of irony in my delusional state we had a huge argument, culminating in my telling her that I didnt want to see or speak to her. Shes told me since that she knew something was wrong, but again just thought it was hormones, and I would calm down in a few weeks. But towards the end of February Id started asking where I was, and what the date was, over and over again. Alex took time off work to look after me and wanted me to go to hospital, but even the mention of it made me agitated, reminding me of the trauma of giving birth. Unbelievably, I had a general check up with the GP for my blood pressure during this time, who didnt seem the slightest bit concerned about anything. In fact the GP a mother of two tried to reassure me my behaviour was normal. Just focus on the breastfeeding and you will feel better soon, she told me. That is the other insidious thing about this scariest type of mental illness: it stops you being able to communicate your distress adequately, so you dont get the help you need. Only now do I realise how deadly delaying getting the right help can be. Look at the recent case of Alice Mackey, who was jailed earlier this month for drowning her two-year-old daughter Annabel while in the grip of postpartum depression. She had stopped taking her anti-psychotic medication when she killed her little girl, thinking she would be better off dead than with a mother like her. Luckily, I was never assessed as a threat to my daughter, but who knows what might have happened had my family not intervened when they did. The flashpoint came when we had ordered a Thai takeaway as a treat the evening after that GP appointment. When it arrived, I was convinced it was covered in flies and couldnt be persuaded otherwise. Once I started shouting at the television, Alex overruled me and called an ambulance. In A&E I was told I most likely had postpartum psychosis and sent home with community support in place, with Alex put in charge of my medication while they arranged for an assessment. After my official diagnosis, doctors made moves to section me under the Mental Health Act but Alex my absolute rock was determined I shouldnt be separated from my daughter and pushed for me to get a place at a specialist mother and baby unit, which I did. But I needed the nightmare to end, and so I decided, the morning I was meant to go to the unit, to drown myself in a scalding hot bath. Alex, of course, was constantly checking on me and intervened. I arrived at Thumbswood still wet and wrapped in a towel that I refused to remove. Its hard to recall this period clearly, or describe what I was feeling other than utter confusion and fear. Psychosis completely alters your perception of reality. As they showed me around the hospital I cried hysterically; nothing was making any sense. That night, I tried to kill myself again, attempting to suffocate myself with a pillow to make the noise both inside and outside my head stop. Staff intervened, but I tried again the next day; this time Mum stopped me. The staff looked after Rosalie overnight, feeding her formula in a bottle and me drugs to help me sleep. I was still experiencing delusions like my conviction that I had eaten my baby when I had actually eaten a plum but the anti-psychotic medication mercifully took effect quickly. As my mind cleared, the floodgates opened and in poured shame and embarrassment but most of all relief. Roz wasnt dead. I wasnt a bad mother. Those thoughts were just tricks made up by my brain. After a month, I was deemed well enough to go home. I was so relieved, but terrified of being left alone with my baby and suffering hallucinations and delusions again. Everything felt very loud, and I felt very fragile, so Alex had to work from home indefinitely. What followed was somehow the part that hurt the most. Postnatal depression crept up on me slowly. However, within a month of being sent home from the psychiatric unit it was all-encompassing. I would wake up distraught that I hadnt died in my sleep, not knowing how to get through the day. Then, like clockwork, the mum guilt would kick in as Id hear Alex feeding Roz breakfast while I was unable to get out of bed. I was meant to be well now, I was meant to be in control how could I still be this ill? To add insult to injury, the anti-psychotic medication that was solving one issue was making me feel like a zombie, making my depressive symptoms worse. It took me months to recover from the depression, but with the help of antidepressants, my family and community workers Ive started to feel more like myself again and enjoy motherhood. Its still early days. Rosalie and Alex have been my rocks throughout and, now nine months old, she has been unfazed by her mothers brush with madness. Friends and family have been sympathetic and understanding and I know Im lucky to have such a close support network Looking back, it feels like something that happened to someone else. Im still making sense of what happened that I had a baby and literally went mad. But if I could give one message to everyone reading this, it would be to continue checking in on new mothers after the excitement of the initial visits wears off. Its during these baffling months of sleeplessness and isolation that mental illness can creep in and, untreated, potentially prove fatal. Keep watching, keep vigilant and never be afraid to step in. Im so thankful someone loved me enough to do that for me. For more information and support visit Action On Postpartum Psychosis (app-network.org) and the Pandas Foundation (pandasfoundation.org.uk) for perinatal mental illness For free confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org When your in-laws are one of the biggest names in fashion - being donned by everyone from the Princess of Wales to Eva Longoria and Jennifer Lopez - you may be tempted to lean on them for style inspiration. But for the second time in a row now, Nicola Peltz has ditched Victoria Beckham's sleek designer credentials and instead sought out a hand-me-down vintage from her own mother Claudia's wedding; as she and husband Brooklyn Beckham enjoyed a super secret vow renewal. It appears to be doubling down on a sartorial 'snub' from years ago, after the bride sported a Valentino number for her nuptials in 2022, claiming that the ex-Spice Girl 'blanked her for days' after offering to design her gown before blowing her plans out of the water and saying her studio couldn't make actually make it. And as well as touting what some may have seen a subtle dig at Posh's vogue legacy in a customised 1985 frock - the budding chef's parents were also nowhere to be seen, while the actress's father Nelson, 83, officiated the ceremony. The seeming vestiary stand-off is one of the latest hints at tensions between the couple and the Beckhams, as a 'rift' has been widening between the pair since spring. Nicola - who has more than once worn ensembles from VB, as well as wearing the fashion legend's beloved noughties looks in past - proudly sported the reworked ivory dress, sharing a side-by-side comparison of the variants on her Instagram Story. Claudia's off-the-shoulder neckline was shifted lower down for a more structured fit, and curated into a straighter neckline over the original V-shape. While it appears the floral detailing was kept true to the original, Nicola has refashioned the bodice into a corset that accentuated her silhouette, in contrast to her mother's romantic flowy visage. For the second time in a row now, Nicola Peltz has ditched Victoria Beckham 's sleek designer credentials and instead sought out a hand-me-down vintage from her own mother Claudia's wedding; as she and husband Brooklyn Beckham enjoyed a super secret vow renewal Claudia's off-the-shoulder neckline was shifted lower down for a more structured fit, and curated into a straighter neckline over the original V-shape It's clear however that the amorous aesthetic of the retro gown was kept in the reiteration, and the model appeared to pay yet another homage to her parents wedding by wearing a floral headband similar to her mother's own. The familial heirloom is much more smooth that the attempts made at her and Brooklyn's 2022 ceremony. The heiress sported a stunning couture Valentino dress when she tied the knot -however later alleged the initial plan was for her to wear a specially made design by his mother Victoria. Newlywed Nicola said she was thrilled at the prospect - but didn't hear from her for days before she rung to say she wouldn't make the gown for her big day. The devastating news left Nicola stumped - since Claudia and stylist Leslie Fremar were also set to join the design dream team. The plan was shot down in a call between Victoria and Nicola's mother. In a bombshell interview with Grazia USA that same year, the actress revealed: 'We connected to start designing the dress, and then a few days went by and I didnt hear anything. Victoria called my mom and said her atelier couldnt make it.' 'So, I spoke to my mom and Leslie, and I was like, "Well, unfortunately, this cant happen, so whats the next step?" The drama was bolstered by the fact that Victoria not only wore her own dress design on the day - but four of her dearest friends and her own mother attended the nuptials wearing her looks. Brooklyn and Nicola have shared pictures of their secret vow renewal ceremony officiated by her father Nelson Nicola has more than once spotted ensembles from VB, as well as wearing the fashion legend's beloved noughties looks in past. Both Victoria (left) and Nicola pictured in the same VB outfit However, despite the tensions, in 2024 it was revealed that the pair put their differences aside and made up over $2-per-pop vodka cocktails and Sunday afternoons playing Nicola's favourite memory game - named Fish Bowl. Nicola, Brooklyn and the Beckhams pictured in 2023 All the while the Beckhams were said to be upset by the Peltzes in 2022 who they felt were taking over the wedding. Doting husband Brooklyn made his position clear amid the family feud at the time, telling the publication that Nicola is his 'number one priority' and that they 'have each other's back 100 per cent'. However, despite the tensions, in 2024 it was revealed that the pair put their differences aside and made up over $2-per-pop vodka cocktails and Sunday afternoons playing Nicola's favourite memory game - named Fish Bowl. Sources last year claimed they were 'closer than ever' as Brooklyn, in another conversation with Grazia, gushed: 'We love Sunday roasts. Me and my dad share a bottle of wine. My mum and Nicola share vodka Snapple. 'We don't really watch TV - we just talk and just have fun. It's just about being in the moment, having a drink, eating food and enjoying each others company.' However it appears, perhaps, that the peace may have been short-lived following what appear to be fresh, frostier relations between Nicola and her in-laws. Tensions were felt in May, earlier this year, when the pair were no shows at any of David's 50th birthday celebrations - with The Mail revealing that Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull had been made the 'scapegoat' in the feud. Since then, seeming snubs and exchanges have been felt between both parties - as well as the occasional hints at what may be peace offerings. The heiress sported a stunning couture Valentino dress when she tied the knot -however later alleged the initial plan was for her to wear a specially made design by his mother Victoria In the latest, Brooklyn and Nicola shared pictures of their secret vow renewal ceremony officiated by her father Nelson at his estate, and while Brooklyn's parents were very much absent amid their 'feud', Nicola's parents had very key roles. The couple shared the images on Instagram on Monday, alongside the words 'only love.' Nicola wore the same original $1.8mill ring set adding a glinting filter onto the dazzling jewels. They also shared a video of their very casual proposal on TikTok alongside a song by Ysabelle Cuevas alongside the words: 'Lost in your eyes...' Brooklyn described the vow renewal as a 'really beautiful experience' while admitting he is still head-over-heels for his wife. Speaking for the first time about the day, the 26-year-old admitted he'd happily do it 'every single day' if he could. Speaking to People he recalled: 'It was beautiful. We just wanted a really beautiful experience - a really cute memory. 'To be honest, I could renew my vows every single day with her. I think the most important thing that someone can do is find that person that they're going to spend the rest of their life with. Nicola up-cycled her 70-year-old mother's vintage wedding gown. Both mother and daughter pictured together Far from being a party-loving celeb couple, Brooklyn says their favourite nights are spent at home, sipping wine and cooking together. Brooklyn and Nicola pictured in 2023 The eldest Beckham has his first set of vows tattooed on his arm and now admits he'll have to 'find space' for the new ones. David, Victoria and Brooklyn pictured in 2019 'It definitely shapes you as a person. It was really, really cute. It was really fun.' The eldest Beckham has his first set of vows tattooed on his arm and now admits he'll have to 'find space' for the new ones. The ceremony was a far cry from their first glitzy bash, with the couple opting for a smaller, more personal event surrounded by their four dogs. Far from being a party-loving celeb couple, Brooklyn says their favourite nights are spent at home, sipping wine and cooking together. The pair began dating back in October 2019, went Instagram official a few months later, and by July 2020, Brooklyn had popped the question. In another turn of events, the son of David and Victoria Beckham said he is keen to remind fans not to stress over life timelines, revealing that he didn't discover his career passion until his early twenties and now he's the proud owner of hot sauce brand Cloud23. Brooklyn added that Nicola played a major role in his business journey, pushing him to pursue food after he confessed he wasn't sure what career path to take. It all started, he admitted, after 'getting really drunk one night' and experimenting with making hot sauce in their kitchen. Nicola also shared this video of Brooklyn's second proposal to her on social media, ahead of the ceremony The pair began dating back in October 2019, went Instagram official a few months later, and by July 2020, Brooklyn had popped the question (their engagement post pictured) Nicola hard launched their relationship on social media back in 2019, sharing a racy mirror selfie (pictured) That tipsy trial run turned into a full-blown business, with Brooklyn spotting a gap in the market for high-end hot sauces with clean ingredients. Two flavours - Hot Habanero and Sweet Jalapeno - are now on sale and both featured in his recent Airbnb Originals Experience event in Los Angeles. Guests at the party were served spicy pickle martinis infused with his sauce before learning how to whip up chimichurri from celebrity chef Aaron May. Brooklyn revealed that cooking is his 'favourite thing', whether it's for Nicola, friends, or even the couple's beloved pets. His go-to dish is spaghetti bolognese - but with a twist - a whole bottle of red wine and a cork thrown into the pot for good luck. Brooklyn said: 'I add a whole bottle of red wine. The cheapest red wine is always the best for bolognese. I actually put 10 bay leaves in there.' He added: 'I don't know where I learned this, but I put the cork of the wine in the pot. I don't think it does anything. Then, I just marinate it for five hours.' And when he's entertaining, Brooklyn confessed candles, good music, and low lighting are his non-negotiable. Brooklyn's parents David and Victoria have been enjoying their annual summer break on their 16 million yacht in Europe. But he and Nicola have kept away amid an ongoing family feud, as the pair lived it up on a 85million vessel that dwarfs his parents' close by the week before. It was also revealed that Brooklyn and Nicola's Instagram accounts no longer follow his younger brothers in the latest family drama. However, Brooklyn's friends told Daily Mail that Cruz and Romeo have actually blocked them on the social media platform. This would make sense given that Brooklyn and Nicola are still following Victoria and David. Brooklyn also didn't wish either his mother Victoria or dad David a happy birthday on social media - an unusual move for the Beckhams, who are known for their loving posts. This is in stark contrast to a post Brooklyn shared recently for his father-in-law and wrote on a picture of himself and Nicola with the billionaire: 'Happy birthday Nelson x We love you.' Meghan Markle made a bold style statement on Thursday as she stepped out for Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day Gala in New York City. Joined by husband Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were bestowed with the Humanitarians of the Year Award in recognition of their campaigns to make the internet a safer place for families and young people. Meghan, 44, turned heads in a fitted black velvet pantsuit by Armani, a complete 180 from the white Balenciaga ensemble she rocked at Paris Fashion Week last week. While the former actress usually dresses conservatively, she dared to bare by going braless underneath her blazer. The blazer's plunging neckline showcased Meghan's decolletage and also highlighted a chunky gold necklace she was wearing. She accessorized with a black clutch, towering high heels, and a pair of diamond earrings. Instead of doing something flashy with her hair, Meghan kept things simple and casual by tying her brunette locks into a loose ponytail. Harry perfectly complemented his wife's simple look by donning a basic black suit with a crisp white shirt and tie. Meghan Markle made a bold style statement on Thursday as she stepped out for Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day Gala with Prince Harry in New York City Meghan, 44, turned heads in a fitted black velvet pantsuit and chunky gold necklace In a statement to People magazine ahead of the gala, Meghan and Harry said: 'Working with families and young people to prioritize safety online has been some of the most meaningful work of our lives. 'As parents ourselves, we have been moved to action by the power of their stories and are honored to support them,' they continued. 'Were proud to be long-time partners of Project Healthy Minds as we work together to shine a light on what remains one of the most pressing issues of our time.' The couple set up their charity The Archewell Foundation in 2020 and launched an initiative aimed at tackling child safety online, called The Parents' Network, in 2024. Outside of her usual humanitarian causes, Meghan has made more of an effort to return to the public eye in recent months. Just last week, she stunned in an all-white Balenciaga outfit at the controversial label's Spring 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week. Meghan, elegantly draped in a stylish white oversized cape over a white button-down shirt and matching trousers, was impossible to miss at the star-studded event. She paired the clothes with black pointed-toe heels and simple accessories, giving off a vibe of effortless sophistication, topped off with a sleek, slicked-back bun. While the former actress usually dresses conservatively, she dared to bare by going braless underneath her blazer She accessorized with a black clutch, towering high heels, and a pair of diamond earrings It marks both her first appearance at Paris Fashion Week and her first trip to Europe since the 2023 Invictus Games, which took place in Dusseldorf, Germany. Once at the show, she schmoozed with Australian film director Baz Luhrmann and sat in the front row, even sharing an 'awkward' moment with Balenciaga's creative director Pier Paolo Piccioli. While it's unclear what Meghan's plans are for the future as far as her showbiz career are concerned, the former Suits star has been offered her own radio program in the UK. Paul Sylvester, content director of UK station Magic, told a RadioCentre conference: 'We had conversions with the Sussex team and if the Duchess would like to add radio presenter to her CV there is an offer on the table.' Magic said it had 'been in with her team and offered her a show, if she ever wanted one', according to The Telegraph. The exact sum she was offered for the role was not disclosed but is no doubt dwarfed by her other media contracts which include a $100million five-year deal with Netflix and the less successful and rather short-lived deal with Spotify, which was said to be worth $20million. Just last week, she stunned in an all-white Balenciaga outfit at the controversial label's Spring 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week It comes after Netflix's chief executive praised Meghan's 'remarkable influence' and branded the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's documentary 'successful in every measure'. Ted Sarandos applauded her on the second series of her cooking and lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, despite recent scathing reviews of the show. The eight-part season, which was branded 'staged, fake and dull' by critics upon its release last month, failed to breach the top on Netflix globally, as well as in the UK and US. Mr Sarandos' comments, made on the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast, are the first he has made since Harry and Meghan signed their 'first-look' deal with Netflix - dubbed by experts as a 'downgrade' on their previous $100million contract. The CEO praised the Duchess' ability to sell out goods featured in her shows - such as edible flowers and jam - which is paired with her online shop As Ever. 'One thing we learned early with Meghan... she has remarkable influence -remarkable,' he said. She was known for her stellar performances and award-winning on-screen earnest; but when the cameras stopped rolling, Diane Keaton's influence was just as legendary, especially when it came to fashion. The actress, who passed away this weekend aged 79, leaves behind a poignant sartorial legacy, filled with statement hats, a penchant for menswear and a founding membership of the 'coastal grandma aesthetic'. Mixing fitted skirts with loose blouses, adding a bowtie and suspenders to flowy culottes - the star's looks were accentuated by uniquely blending the feminine and masculine to create a chic ensemble. It's always been a passion of Diane's, who got into clothing from a young age, by thrifting with her mother. 'She took me to Goodwill and let me express myself,' she told PEOPLE in 2024. 'She was my biggest supporter and manifester of my creativity. Later in life my inspiration came from countless hours of cutting and pasting my way through magazines like Vogue magazine.' Diane carved out a name in showbiz in the 70s, most notably by playing Michael Corleone's second wife Kay in Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather films. But it was 1977 that many site as her first foray into the world of being a 'style icon', playing the eponymous Annie Hall opposite Woody Allen. Diane carved out a name in showbiz in the 70s, most notably by playing Michael Corleone's second wife Kay in Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather films. But it was 1977 that many site as her first foray into the world of being a 'style icon', playing the eponymous Annie Hall opposite Woody Allen The film is still remembered, in part, for her stunning outfits, which included plaid shirts tucked into tailored high waist trousers, vests over turtlenecks and tinted shades. Much of the clothing in the movie was from Diane's own wardrobe, too. 'In the 1970s, I was finding my style and slowly finding my career,' she wrote in her book, Fashion First. 'Though The Godfather was a huge success, it didn't exactly put me on the map in terms of fashion. 'I look back on Annie Hall and can't talk about that movie without talking about the fashion, it was everything to me. I loved being able to dress like myself. 'My muses were the women of New York City who were walking the streets of Soho in baggy trousers and a blazer. I was layering pieces.' Throughout the 80s, her style began to evolve into the trends of the time, mixed with her fondness of the past decades collars, layers and flares. 'By 1990, I began to wear a lot more suits and also found an obsession with cross necklaces, typically layered upon one another like a very devoted nun,' she shared. 'I also threw in some bow ties and pocket squares.' When it came to the 2000s - by which point Diane was in her 50s and still inspiring new trends - she remarked, it was an 'accumulation' of all she had learned. Mixing fitted skirts with loose blouses, adding a bowtie and suspenders to flowy culottes - the star's looks were accentuated by uniquely blending the feminine and masculine to create a chic ensemble It's always been a passion of Diane's, who got into clothing from a young age, by thrifting with her mother. Pictured in 2023 When it came to the 2000s - by which point Diane was in her 50s and still inspiring new trends - she remarked, it was an 'accumulation' of all she had learned Crucial to Diane's looks were her accessories - be it chunky jewellery, eyewear or, of course, her myriad of hats, the latter of which she had about 40 of, crediting her obsession to 1940s actor Cary Grant. Pictured in 2018 It was during this era, she explained, that her love for black and white emerged as she 'toned down the colours'. Pictured in 2007 And despite it at times drawing mixed reactions, fashion was important to Diane as a way to feel at peace - and protect her privacy When asked how it felt to be seen as an 'icon' in the world of fashion by Vogue , Diane gushed: 'It's an honor!' Pictured in 1978 with Warren Beatty It was during this era, she explained, that her love for black and white emerged as she 'toned down the colours'. Crucial to Diane's looks were her accessories - be it chunky jewellery, eyewear or, of course, her myriad of hats, the latter of which she had about 40 of, crediting her obsession to 1940s actor Cary Grant. 'I started wearing hats as soon as I realised I hated my hair. A hat allows me to hide the worst part of the head,' the actress once said. 'You know, that strange area from your eyebrows to your hairline. A hat is the final touch to a great outfit.' It's not to say that while experimenting with fashion, Diane didn't draw any criticism - and has herself poked fun at style 'blunders' over the years. In 2023, she shared three photos that sparked fierce backlash, including a 2019 premiere, which saw her accessorise a plaid-print suit with dozens of silver cross necklaces. Another throwback photo showed the actress at an event, sporting a flowy, green polka dot dress, teamed with a white hat and matching ivory shoes. Elsewhere, Diane for another event had opted for a maxi skirt with a chunky leather jacket pseudo-cinched at the waist with a chunky belt. And despite it at times drawing mixed reactions, fashion was important to Diane as a way to feel at peace - and protect her privacy. Diane in 1978 would claim the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her work in Annie Hall, her first of four lifetime nominations. Pictured in Father of the Bride The actress leaves behind an amazing legacy in Hollywood, with some of her performances in the 1970's hailed as the decade's best. Pictured in The First Wives Club She would also receive nods for her work in movies such as 1981's Reds, 1996's Marvins Room and 2003's Somethings Gotta Give (pictured) 'A coat is perfection,' she once admitted. 'It is like a cellar. I am hidden. I can relax in a coat, which is a blessing for a person like me who tends to be anxious and worried most of the time. 'A coat gives me the opportunity to make my own decision about how my waist will look. I lock myself in with a nice big belt.' The same logic followed her penchant for suits. 'The pants don't have to be too tight,' she explained. 'Neither does the jacket. I like my sleeves to go down long, to cover me up. Suits make me feel comfortable.' When asked how it felt to be seen as an 'icon' in the world of fashion by Vogue, Diane gushed: 'It's an honor! Why me? I've been so fortunate and lucky. And I do love clothes; I love looking at them. 'I buy all the magazines, and I'm constantly cutting pages of things that I find interesting - a Dior outfit, hats, or how people decorate their homes. I'm an addict.' Fashion experts have shared that Diane's lasting style remains influential because it's personal - not 'performative'. 'She cultivated a visual identity that mirrors her confidence, individuality, and wit,' said Angela Kyte, a luxury stylist and psychotherapist. 'Her signature look of structured tailoring, wide-brimmed hats, and monochromatic palettes reflected a woman who knows herself and dressed with intent. 'Theres a psychological power in her consistency; it told the world shes not here to blend in but to express authenticity through every layer of fabric.' She added that, in particular, Diane's aesthetic 'rejected the fleeting nature of fashion trends'. 'Instead, shes built a wardrobe of self-expression anchored in comfort and character. Where others follow seasonal cycles, Diane Keaton remains timeless because she dressed from a place of self-awareness rather than conformity,' she shared. 'Shes proof that style becomes iconic not through extravagance, but through alignment with ones inner identity.' Diane also helped move fashion forward with her 'liberating refusal to adhere to "age-appropriate" dressing'. Fashion experts Angela Kyte (left) and Oriona Robb (right) said Diane's lasting fashion legacy is rooted in how honest her style was to her personality 'She embraced masculine silhouettes, oversized tailoring, and layering, styles often considered unconventional for women over a certain age and wore them with unapologetic grace,' the expert added. 'That quiet defiance has made her not just a fashion muse, but a symbol of freedom and individuality for women everywhere.' Elsewhere, Oriona Robb said that Diane had the 'extraordinary ability to turn simplicity into statement'. 'Her devotion to crisp shirts, full skirts, waistcoats, and tailored trousers created a look thats both artistic and intelligent,' she explained. 'She understood proportion and balance better than anyone, her style was architectural, composed, and endlessly distinctive. Every outfit felt like a masterclass in understated drama. 'What set her apart was her fearlessness. She broke every conventional rule, mixing masculine and feminine, playing with exaggerated shapes, and embracing head-to-toe monochrome when everyone else is chasing colour trends. 'Her wardrobe wasn't about decoration; it was about conviction. That level of commitment to ones aesthetic is incredibly rare and incredibly powerful.' The star's style endures, Oriona added, because it 'came from within'. 'She was not trying to look younger, trendier, or more glamorous; she was simply being Diane,' the expert continued. 'That quiet confidence, that refusal to apologise for standing out, is what made her an icon. In a world of fast fashion and constant reinvention, her authenticity was the ultimate luxury.' Diane's death was followed by emotional statements from Hollywood stalwarts such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Bette Midler, Francis Ford Coppola and a host of others. Leonardo called the Oscar-winning star 'brilliant, funny and unapologetically herself,' adding that 'she will be deeply missed'. Bette, meanwhile, said: 'She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she wasoh, la, lala!' The Godfather director Coppola said in an Instagram post, 'Words cant express the wonder and talent of Diane Keaton,' adding, 'Endlessly intelligent, so beautiful...Everything about Diane was creativity personified.' The actress leaves behind an amazing legacy in Hollywood, with some of her performances in the 1970's hailed as the decade's best. They included the titular role in the 1977 comedy Annie Hall, which was written and directed by Woody Allen, who she collaborated with on a number of memorable projects. Diane in 1978 would claim the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her work in Annie Hall, her first of four lifetime nominations. She would also receive nods for her work in movies such as 1981's Reds, 1996's Marvins Room and 2003's Somethings Gotta Give. Other notable movies she performed in throughout her decades-long career included 1987's Baby Boom; 1996's The First Wives Club; and the Father of the Bride films in 1991 and 1995. 'She always taught me to stand up for what is right and that will never waiver', said Vivienne Westwood's granddaughter after she came head-to-head with her grandmother's fashion label earlier this year. Only two years on from the death of the iconic designer who put punk on the map, defied establishment norms, and used her avant-garde designs to convey political messages, it seems the legacy of her brand is under threat. The unlikely rival to the fashion house? Her granddaughter, 27-year-old Cora Corre, a model and activist who has taken repeated swipes at those left in charge, accusing them of 'betraying' her grandmother's wishes. It seems Cora has followed in Vivienne's politically minded footsteps and has held back nothing in blasting the brand for a string of offences. With countless disputes between them, the battle to who should be the voice of Vivienne's brand has been under scrutiny ever since she died. On one hand, her widower, Andreas Kronthaler, who she was married for three decades, and the other, her granddaughter, Cora, who worked closely alongside her grandmother on the Foundation in the lead up to her passing. Taking Vivienne's lead, Cora has defended the political pillars of her brand, values that she held throughout her time as a designer and which can be traced back as far as her first and famous shop, Sex, at 430 Kings Road, in Chelsea. She was a proprietor of social justice, taking up various political causes, memorably once urging fashion consumers to 'shop less', despite the mantra seemingly at odds with her own plight as a designer. 'She always taught me to stand up for what is right and that will never waiver', said the granddaughter (left) of British designer, Vivienne Westwood (right) In the most recent row, Cora slammed the house for failing to 'align with the values or wishes' of the fashion pioneer after it announced it would headline Riyadh fashion week held in Saudi Arabia - despite Vivienne's longstanding reputation as an activist for LGBT+ rights. Directors, one of whom is Andreas Kronthaler, Vivienne's third husband, defended the decision earlier this week, alongside fellow fashion house Stella McCartney, claiming it was a way to 'a way to encourage dialogue' and 'build understanding'. It insisted that it didn't reflect endorsement of the Saudi regime, which prohibits same-sex relations, a political end to which Vivienne fought fervently for over the course of her life. The show falls in the same week as the Vivienne Foundation, of which Cora is a co-founder, released its T-shirt range, with proceeds going in part to LGBTQ+ charities. The T-shirts, which have been modelled by Kate Moss, feature Vivienne and Malcolm McLaren's 1975 'tits' design, the copyright of which was legally assigned to the foundation, along with all her pre 1992 work, to the foundation. While the family does hold the rights to some of Vivienne's designs, the current and ongoing evolution of the brand under new directors has come into stark contrast with what relatives claim are values true to her philosophy. Speaking to the Guardian, Cora condemned the brand's recent decision to go ahead with the Saudi show. 'What I do feel confident in saying and knowing is that she would feel as if the company does not align with her values or wishes,' she said. Those words will hardly come as a surprise to those working for the fashion house. Speaking to the Guardian , Cora condemned the brand's recent decision to go ahead with the Saudi show. 'What I do feel confident in saying and knowing is that she would feel as if the company does not align with her values or wishes,' she said (Vivienne pictured in 2004) In May this year, Cora called for the CEO of the fashion house to resign after she claimed he had said gay people couldn't be trusted and called one employee a 'fairy' and 'homo'. She accused the company's boss, Carlo d'Amario, of 'bullying', homophobia as well as betraying her 'warrior' grandmother's legacy, accusations which he vehemently denied. Cora argued that the company, which her grandmother used to challenge gender norms including through the historic 1975 'gay cowboys' campaign, had done nothing to censure him. 'Appalled no action has been taken on this matter. This behaviour was one of the reasons I felt compelled to leave Vivienne Westwood Ltd last year,' she said at the time. Carlo was accused of homophobic behaviour and bullying, allegedly saying once: 'All these gay men in the company - you can't trust them'. Witnesses also accused of him of criticising shop displays for looking 'too gay' and often using homophobic nicknames for one gay employee nicknames such as 'Mary Poppins', 'Mary Fairy' and 'Homo Pomo'. The Italian designer, who was paid a reported 500,000 in 2023, denied all allegations and told a 2023 independent investigation where he said that sexuality was 'the last thing in [his] brain' and that language barriers may be behind any misunderstandings. However, the investigators are said to have found his denials 'not persuasive.' Five allegations against him were upheld, according to The Guardian. Vivienne Westwood's husband Andreas Kronthaler pictured alongside Cora Corre She accused the company's boss, Carlo d'Amario,(pictured) of 'bullying', homophobia as well as betraying her 'warrior' grandmother's legacy, accusations which he vehemently denied 'She always taught me to stand up for what is right and that will never waiver', she said in defence of her grandmother's legacy. It followed months of aggro between the fashion brand and the foundation, with Cora heading claims that the designer's heritage was being corrupted. It was a belief so strongly held by her granddaughter that Cora resigned from her role as campaigns manager in October 2024, alleging that her grandmother's wishes had been 'betrayed and disrespected'. In a letter sent to staff across the house, she said she was quitting and called for the removal of chief executive, Carlo, who joined the company in 1986, accusing him of 'bullying' Vivienne in her later years. The email, seen by The Times, read that she was 'deeply unhappy with the way the company was being run', adding that she wished the company were 'managed in a way that respected her values'. It's thought that Cora's gripes stem from friction between the commercial imperatives of the label, and the Vivienne Westwood Foundation, a non-profit charity founded in 2019 with the mission of continuing to promote the designer's values. The foundation is managed by Viviennes surviving relatives, including Cora, who, according to Companies House, became a director in April 2024. The mission is by no means small. Writing on it's website, the foundation outlines it's quest to 'save the world' by halting climate change, stopping war, defending human rights and protesting capitalism. Dame Vivienne Westwood and granddaughter Cora Corre at Paris Fashion Week in March 2022 Dame Vivienne, the 'godmother of punk' who is largely responsible for bringing new wave fashions into the mainstream, died in London aged 81 surrounded by family The latter is rather blatantly in conflict with the fashion label, which still bears its designers name, since its rival mission is to make money. Garments bearing the Westwood name retail for hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds, and are often found hanging from velvet hangers at Harrods and Harvey Nicholsa far cry from the anticapitalist creed. 'Effectively Carlo is preventing [the foundation] raising money to support the charities Vivienne was so passionate about,' her resignation email continued. It also contested the foundations trademark, preventing it from holding events or fundraising for causes Vivienne passionately supported. It was just the tip of the iceberg for the ongoing battle for the Vivienne Westwood name. In another row in October 2024, the fashion brand was accused of 'blatantly disregarding' the late pioneer's legacy after it joined forces with streetwear giant Palace to launch a collaborative collection, selling clothing and jewellery. When collaborative pieces hit the market, they came with price tags that exceeded 1,000. A statement at the time of the collection's release explained it was 'born from the subversive and political spirits' shared by both brands, adding that it was 'built upon respective house codes, with culture and humour at the heart of the designs.' But the collaboration sparked controversy from the foundation, which claimed the he sell-out collection based its designs on Vivienne's archive without consulting the foundation, showing a 'blatant disregard' for her 'wishes', 'legacy' and 'foundation'. In an Instagram post, the foundation wrote: 'In the years before Vivienne died. She set up her Foundation which is a not-for-profit company dedicated to supporting all the charities, organisations and causes that Vivienne was so passionate about. 'She was so excited about the opportunities that the Foundation could develop, and she took so much pleasure in developing her ideas and creations for it.' Although all creative property had been transferred to the foundation before 1993, the collaboration featured designs from Vivienne's archive without consulting the charity on the decision. Garry Hogarth, the former chief executive of Agent Provocateur, the brand co-founded by Corres father, told The Telegraph that Vivienne's desire was never about 'just making money', but reflected the way she lived her life more broadly. Having known Cora since she was a child, he told the outlet that he believed she was doing 'what she believed her grandmother wanted', adding that it was 'true to her'. Dame Vivienne Westwood, the godmother of punk who changed the fashion world forever, died at the age of 81 in 2022. She was one of the most influential British fashion designers of the 20th century, cultivating the punk rock movement with her unapologetically political designs. As the person who dressed the Sex Pistols, Dame Vivienne was synonymous with 1970s punk rock, a rebel spirit that stuck with her throughout her career including going commando when receiving her OBE from the Queen. While most women wear chic heels or simple flats on their wedding day, Bryce Ann Robertson-Knight decided to take an unconventional route. The bride opted for a pair of bright blue Cinderella-themed platform Crocs when she tied the knot with Zavier Robertson-Knight back in July - and her controversial footwear choice has caused quite the stir online. Bryce, 24, from Tacoma, Washington, spoke exclusively with the Daily Mail about her decision to wear Crocs at her nuptials, explaining that it was a priority for her to be comfortable throughout the evening. 'I knew I wanted a pair of kitten heels only for the aisle, and then I would immediately be changing into something more comfortable for the rest of the evening,' she explained. 'The issue was, I had my wedding dress hemmed for a three-inch heel - meaning whatever shoes I changed into had to have a three-inch platform in order for me to not be tripping over my dress for the duration of the evening post-ceremony.' She said she started to research platform sandals and came across some platform Crocs, and as a longtime fan of the brand, she was instantly excited by the idea. However, when she checked the nearby Crocs outlet and didn't find anything 'she loved,' she worried she would have to find a new idea - until she stumbled across the perfect pair in an unexpected place. 'As we were leaving I spotted the brand new Disney store, we have never had one of those near me - and the last time I went to Disney I was ten, so I was so excited to be able to go into a real Disney store without having to fly to California or Florida,' she shared. Bryce Ann Robertson-Knight wore a pair of bright blue Cinderella-themed platform Crocs when she tied the knot with Zavier Robertson-Knight back in July 'We go in and reminisce together about my childhood days, looking at all the princess costumes and in the corner literally hung right above the floor almost tucked away - were [some] princess Cinderella crocs. 'I tried them on in the store and they fit like a glass slipper, I almost put them back because it was a "silly" idea to wear those for my wedding, but my mom stopped me. 'She asked if they were comfortable, I replied that they were much more comfortable than any heel I had tried on so far. 'She asked if I loved them, and of course I did. So she bought them for me and those became my wedding shoes.' Bryce said she had already felt like a princess in her wedding dress and thought princess-themed shoes were all the more perfect. When she wore them on the big day, they were a big hit with her guests, who kept complimenting her. But what took her by surprise was the reaction her wedding-day shoes got online. She posted a video showcasing the footwear on TikTok last month and it went viral, gaining more than two million views. Bryce, 24, from Tacoma, Washington, spoke exclusively with the Daily Mail about her decision to wear Crocs at her nuptials Many people praised her for prioritizing her comfortability and for not being afraid to go against the grain in the comment section. 'I have had so many people online and in person tell me that I inspired them to wear heeled crocs to their own future events and even weddings,' Bryce gushed. 'I love when people do what they truly want at their weddings,' one user replied. 'You can wear do whatever at YOUR WEDDING,' agreed another. 'I know your feet didnt hurt at the end of the night. Youve sold me. Changing my wedding heels for these,' announced someone else. 'That's iconic,' read a fourth comment, while a fifth said, 'This is officially my wedding shoe. I thank you dearly.' 'Wear the dress, shoes, suit, jewelry, makeup and whatever else makes you feel like YOU on your wedding day,' Bryce urged. 'I didn't want to spend my day and night in shoes I would never wear otherwise in pain when I should be experiencing nothing but joy.' Princess Diana's niece, 34, looked glamorous at the Santona Palace last night Lady Kitty Spencer posed up a storm last night in a strapless dress as she took to the red carpet during a charity gala in Madrid. Kitty, 34, who is the late Princess Diana's niece, wore a strapless black column dress with a thigh-high slit as she stepped out for the fifth edition of ELLE for Hope, which supports the fight against cancer. The star-studded event was held at the Santona Palace, a historic building in the Spanish capital that often plays host to cultural events. Kitty, who is the first cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry, showed off her bare bronzed shoulders, accentuated by her blonde tresses that flowed down her mid-back. The model's dress also featured sparkling embellishments on the torso and she added several inches to her height with black slingback stilettos. She wore a natural yet glam make-up look, opting simply for a pink shimmer on her eyelids with a light smoky eyeliner and a light pink lip colour. Kitty also kept her number of accessories to a minimum, opting for diamond earrings, a diamond bracelet and two rings, including her wedding band. The daughter of Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is married to multi-millionaire businessman Michael Lewis, 66, with whom she shares a two-year-old daughter, Athena. Lady Kitty Spencer posed up a storm last night in a strapless dress as she took to the red carpet during a charity gala in Madrid Lady Kitty Spencer, 34, showed off her bare bronzed shoulders in an elegant black strapless column gown while attending the ELLE for Hope charity event in Madrid, Spain Michael has three adult children from his previous marriage to Leola Lewis, whom he wed in 1985. Other famous faces attending the ELLE for Hope event included actress and model Rossi de Palma, writer and model Mabel Lozano, actor Alvaro Rico, actress and TV host Eva Gonzalez, and actor and theatre director Sergio Peris-Mencheta. Kitty's trip to Madrid comes after she attended Dolce & Gabbana's show at Milan Fashion Week last weekend, where she took photographs with celebrities including Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Naomi Campbell and Edward Enninful. Sharing pictures of the moment on Instagram, the model posted a slideshow of images from the event. Kitty, who looked elegant in a black lace dress, flashed a glamorous smile as she posed next to Meryl. She captioned the post: 'The Devil Wears Dolce Icons Miranda Priestly and Nigel aka Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci joined us for the show during Milan Fashion Week.' The royal later dialed up the glamour at the Dolce & Gabbana afterparty. She put on a dazzling display in a gem-encrusted mini dress for the star-studded outing, teaming her sleeveless number with a pair of shimmering silver stilettos. Kitty's outing in Madrid was in support of the fifth edition of ELLE for Hope, ELLE's charity gala in support of the fight against cancer Kitty, who is the first cousin of Prince William and Harry, showed off her bare bronzed shoulders, accentuated by her blonde tresses The model's dress also featured sparkling embellishments on the torso and she added several inches to her height with black slingback stilettos Lady Kitty Spencer attends the fifth edition of ELLE for Hope, ELLE's charity gala in support of the fight against cancer at Santona Palace The socialite completed her look with a pop of colour, holding a velvet pink handbag in one of her hands. She scraped her thick, blonde tresses into a sleek, back ponytail, and wore soft but glamorous makeup with a glowing base, pink lipstick, and shimmering orange eyeshadow. Kitty's calendar appears to be packed with social events after she enjoyed a luxurious summer holiday in the French Riviera with her family. The model took to Instagram to share a selection of photographs from her holiday in the South of France alongside her rarely-seen-husband, Michael. She looked sophisticated in a loose, cotton shirt with matching shorts and a pair of oversized sunglasses. Kitty's South African multi-millionaire husband, also dressed in a shirt and shorts, appeared to enjoy dancing with his wife before stopping to have an animated chat with her. Elsewhere in the post, captioned, 'Summer snapshots, South of France', Kitty also shared photographs of her daughter, Athena. She wore a natural yet glam make-up look, opting simply for a pink shimmer on her eyelids The event was held at at Santona Palace, a historic palace in the Spanish capital that often plays host to cultural events She added a light smoky eyeliner and a light pink lip colour for her night out in Spanish city The daughter of Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is married to multi-millionaire businessman Michael Lewis, 66 The adorable snaps showed the two-year-old enjoying the summer sunshine against multiple stunning backdrops, including the beach. In one particularly sweet mother-daughter moment, Kitty and Athena were seen walking together while heading out, both donning summery dresses. Lady Kitty, then 30, wed the multi-millionaire Michael Lewis at the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, a gorgeous country mansion with views out towards Rome, on July 24, 2021. Having delayed their wedding for two years due to the pandemic, the celebrations stretched across three days and were attended by close friends, including the pop star Pixie Lott and the Marchioness of Bath. The pair have since welcomed their daughter Athena, who was born on April 29, 2023. 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 When Sienna Miller steps out in a great coat, we take note. And last week, the actress was spotted in London in a navy wool coat courtesy of one of our favourite high-street brands, ALIGNE. Sleek, timeless and effortlessly elegant, the British brands George Wrap Coat is the sort of piece that instantly pulls together any outfit even if theres just a jumper and leggings hiding underneath. Its the stuff of modern tailoring dreams, with wide lapels, a detachable belt around the waist to cinch you in, and a structured yet slightly oversized silhouette. Its crafted from a wool blend, meaning it will keep you warm on even the chilliest mornings; and it strikes that sweet spot between luxurious and low-maintenance. Sienna Miller in ALIGNEs George Wrap Coat Sienna Miller used her latest outerwear moment to teach us a lesson in how to do understated winter dressing properly. Rather than defaulting to black (as most of us do come November), her choice of navy feels softer, more flattering and just that little bit unexpected. And in that effortless way only she can, Sienna Miller teamed it with a pair of baggy jeans, a white tee and black loafers a simple but effective outfit formula well be copying on those days we want to put in minimal effort, but still look put-together. While celebrity-approved coats often come with celebrity-sized price tags (think: Charlotte Simone, Toteme and Burberry), this one doesnt. Priced at 295, ALIGNEs George Wrap Coat delivers that investment piece feeling without being cripplingly expensive. Its available in four easy-to-wear shades: navy, grey, black and off-white. And its still in stock (for now). Shop ALIGNEs George Wrap Coat To get more of what you love from your favourite Sunday supplement, follow us on Instagram (@youmagazine), X (@YOUMagSocial) and TikTok (@you_magazine). A year ago, an international group of experts put humanity on notice after reviewing 7,000 studies on microplastics. It concluded these tiny bits of plastic (5mm or less) are now causing toxic effects in all ecosystems. Perhaps most alarming is the discovery that microplastics have been detected in human blood, lungs and even the placenta. Meanwhile the Global Plastics Treaty, which once promised to curb microplastic contamination and save our seas and health, stalled this summer. To help make sense of this unsettling landscape, I spoke to three scientists who have studied plastic pollution and its ripple effects on our health and environment. Professor Fay Couceiro, an environmental pollution specialist at the University of Portsmouth, leads the Microplastics Research Group, and traces how these bits of plastic move through air, soil and water and where they end up (spoiler: often, thats inside us). Dr Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist based in New York, is known for her research linking plastic-derived chemicals to falling sperm counts and disrupted fertility. And Professor Heather Koldewey, head of Ocean at the Zoological Society of London, has seen firsthand how plastics are reshaping ecosystems from the tropics to the poles. Heres are their ten top tips for limiting your exposure to microplastics Tiny bits of plastic are causing toxic effects in all ecosystems and, perhaps most alarming, is that microplastics have been detected in human blood, lungs and even the placenta 1. Vacuum regularly Most people think of plastic pollution in the form of stuff like plastic bottles, says Couceiro, but there are also your polyester curtains and nylon carpet to consider. These shed particles that are easily inhaled. Portsmouth Universitys Port-Eco House, a property dedicated to research, has been fitted with monitors and sensors, allowing Couceiro and her team to measure airborne microplastics. This highlighted the amount of soft plastics quietly shedding fibres into the air we breathe. Happily, theres a simple solution. You dont need to hoover all day, every day, Couceiro says. Just once a day or every other day makes a meaningful difference. 2. Wear fewer clothes for longer Koldewey was thousands of miles away, on a research boat in the Chagos Archipelago, when she realised just how prevalent microplastics from clothing (microfibres) are and how far they can travel. There, in one of the most scarcely populated regions on earth, her research discovered high concentrations of blue and black plastic fibres from clothing. It had a big effect on Koldewey: I buy far fewer clothes these days, she says, and those I do buy tend to be made of natural fibres like cotton and bamboo. A single 6kg wash of acrylic clothes can shed about 730,000 microfibres, Koldewey tells me, but notes that studies show the amount [shed] drops as clothes get older. So, its important to wear your existing wardrobe for as long as possible. 3. Open a window Given two-thirds of clothing in the average closet is now made of plastic, even folding your laundry can release plastic fibres into the air. Couceiro runs a brilliant demo with her students: I get them to put their phone face-up, black screen, and then fold clothes next to it. By the end of the session, their screens are covered in fibres. As a result, she recommends opening a window when youre hoovering or folding laundry. Ventilation is hugely important, she says. Except if you live near a main road. If you live next to a dual carriageway, opening the window might introduce more pollutants than it removes. 4. Avoid heating food in plastic Heating up food up in plastic containers is an absolute no-no for Swan. You dont ever want to put food inside plastic and then warm it in any way, because the containers do not hold the polymers in heat, and they leave the containers and go into the food and then go into us. Couceiro, who noticed her own plastic soup mug had developed white rings from being in the microwave, agrees. Those marks show heat damage and thats where it was releasing particles, she says. Now she keeps the old soup mug for show-and-tell and has switched to ceramic and glass. 5. Decant your microwave meals Plastic films used to cover ready meals are another culprit. You are told to pierce the lid and microwave it, but the films already been stressed and is starting to fragment, Couceiro says. Her fix? Just decant the food into a ceramic bowl and put a plate on top. It traps steam the same way but reduces your exposure significantly. 6. Swerve plastic kitchen tools Those plastic spatulas and spoons in your kitchen drawer? Theyre bad news. Im watching out for anywhere that plastic coating is being used as a barrier, such as plastic-coated cookware or utensils, because that barrier will contain PFAS, says Swan. PFAS are also known as forever chemicals due to the way they linger in the human body, building up around the kidneys and liver where they can have a detrimental impact on our immune function. Instead of plastic kitchenware, Swan recommends that we opt for stainless steel or wood. 7. Take five seconds to rinse your fruit If youre going to eat the skin of something, like an apple or a pear, just rinse it before eating, says Couceiro. Even if its been sitting in plastic packaging, rinsing can help reduce the number of microplastic particles. 8. Beware the ugly side of beauty I dont wear make-up, and I dont do my nails, says Swan. While few of us will be prepared to go this far in avoiding chemicals, there are a few things you should be aware of when it comes to plastics in cosmetics. Nobody wants to rub plastics on their face or swallow plastics by choice, but you have to look carefully at ingredients, says Koldewey. The Yuka app is great for identifying potential toxins in grooming products. Since 2018 it has been illegal for manufacturers to formulate using microbeads in wash-off personal-care products. This may have given us a false sense of security, because microplastics still sneak into leave-on products. Your exfoliating scrub might be fine, but your blusher or lipstick could still contain plastic. And if its something you put in or around your mouth like lipstick or dental products thats where ingestion becomes a real possibility, says Couceiro. 9. Limit kids contact with plastic I have two children, Couceiro says, and I ensure theyre not surrounded by plastic all the time. They have teddies some are plastic, which is unavoidable but their bedding is all cotton and I dont have carpets in their bedrooms [though wool, jute, sisal and seagrass are all great floor coverings without the microplastic load]. 10. Be conscious before conceiving Whereas it might be costly and impractical to rid everyday life of plastic, Swan thinks that there is one time you should focus one hundred per cent on a plastic purge when trying to conceive. She says men should reduce exposure to harmful chemicals (avoiding almost all plastics) at least three months beforehand, because thats how long it takes for new sperm to form. Once pregnant, the baton passes to the woman. At this point the fetus is especially sensitive to chemical exposure and what the mother is exposed to can affect the babys lifelong health. But our experts all stressed that nobody should feel under pressure to throw out all their plastics and make costly painful interventions. Nobody should beat themselves up for imperfect choices, says Koldewey, my advice is to identify the hardest things to change, then decide if youre ready to give them up or find alternatives. READ MORE: Meghan Markle is struggling to find her value amid appearances Nearly a month ago, she was hospitalized in Munich for her chronic Lyme Bella Hadid rocked the runway as a Victoria's Secret angel last night at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - but according to body language expert Judi James, the outing may have 'cost her a lot' as she recovers from a recent stint in the hospital. The model, 29, made her appearance just weeks after her mom, Yolanda Hadid, posted a series of heartbreaking pictures of the star, 29, in the hospital. It was later revealed exclusively by Daily Mail that she spent one month undergoing invasive treatments at Germany's St George Hospital as she battles chronic neurological Lyme disease. The photos showed Bella as she suffered through a myriad of treatments, including what is suspected to be Chelation therapy, which removes heavy metals from the body. One particularly distressing picture saw Bella crouched down in an elevator, appearing quite weak. However, the professional model was able to turn things around and present a stunning look for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She wore a silky, red lace set with a matching garter to open the show, and then went down the runway again in an outfit change that had her in a bedazzled, silver lingerie set. The famous 'angel' wings that she wore weighed nearly 50 pounds, she later wrote on Instagram, and were adorned with white roses. Bella Hadid rocked the runway as a Victoria's Secret angel last night at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - but according to body language expert Judi James , the outing may have 'cost her a lot' as she recovers from a recent stint in the hospital The model, 29, made her appearance just weeks after her mom, Yolanda Hadid , posted a series of heartbreaking pictures of the star in the hospital She wore a silky, red lace set with a matching garter to open the show, and then went down the runway again in an outfit change that had her in a bedazzled, silver lingerie set However, as she walked down the runway wearing the wings, some fans were seemingly alarmed, commenting that it looked like she was almost about to 'faint' at one point. The model didn't appear to be her upbeat, bouncy self as she strutted down the runway for the second time that night, observers pointed out. And per Judi James, fans might be on to something here. 'Bella's illness is known to produce symptoms of fatigue and chronic pain so, although she looks strikingly beautiful on this runway appearance, her subtler body language cues hint that the outing might have cost her a lot in terms of resolve and effort,' James told Daily Mail exclusively. 'Her walk looks a little tentative with some rather careful hip and torso placements,' James continued. 'Her hands hold her upper thighs in a suggestion of vulnerability, but it's the way her head is slightly lowered and then drops lower still that suggests there might be a brave amount of effort being put into this outing,' she shared. 'Her eyes are lowered too in a suggestion of a lack of peak-style energy here.' However, the body language expert noted that her stance became a lot different as she finished her walk. The model didn't appear to be her upbeat, bouncy self as she strutted down the runway for the second time that night However, the body language expert noted that her stance became a lot different as she finished her walk Just one month ago, Bella was in the hospital on the outskirts of Munich, where they have a Lyme Specialized Center 'Her walk looks a little tentative with some rather careful hip and torso placements,' James continued 'As she reaches the end of the runway though it looks like muscle memory kicks in as her static poses are pitch-perfect,' James told Daily Mail. 'We can see her much more meaningful, camera-seeking sultry facial expression re-appear here as she arches her back showing more flexibility in her torso again,' she explained. When she was at the end of the runway, Bella blew a kiss and waved to the audience, which James says was a meaningful move. 'Bella blows a kiss, and it looks like a signal to the fans to imply all is well and even some thanks for their love and support,' she said. 'Then comes the much sweeter signal of vulnerability as she raises both hands in what is called a "baby wave," a clutching and unclutching of the fingers that is less about her sensual outfit and more about a cutely touching tie-sign of recognition to her audience,' James explained. While James believes that Bella's trip down the runway may have been quite taxing, some fans couldn't help notice the same. After a video taken by Vogue was posted to TikTok on Wednesday night, many fans left messages of concern for the model. 'She's stunning, but she looks so sad. Maybe because of her illness hope she recovers soon and gets back better than ever!' one person wrote. One particularly distressing picture saw Bella crouched down in an elevator, appearing quite weak The treatment slowly raises a patient's body temperature to 107F and then maintains it for two to three hours while they're sedated Her stay at the clinic which also offers laser therapy, detox footbaths, colon cleansing and controversial ozone therapy (the process of administering ozone gas 'intravenous and/or rectally') as a treatment for Lyme disease was reportedly suggested by her mother, and would have cost upwards of $100,000 'She was just hospitalized. Cut her slack. She killed the walk in the red outfit,' one user wrote Someone else typed, 'She kept looking down during this. Might've been a shoe issue. still gorgeous though.' 'She's clearly in pain or something,' another seconded. Others, however, defended the star and the heavy wings. 'She was just hospitalized. Cut her slack. She killed the walk in the red outfit,' one user wrote. Another wrote, 'She was sick y'all and we don't know if she's 100% better plus those wings weigh 50lbs+ in heels? Yea I would probably walk the same lol.' Just one month ago, Bella was in the hospital on the outskirts of Munich, where they have a Lyme Specialized Center. It is focused on using whole body hyperthermia treatment to kill the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi responsible for the tick-borne disease. The clinic claims to have 'successfully treated more than 800 patients with chronic Lyme disease'. The treatment slowly raises a patient's body temperature to 107F and then maintains it for two to three hours while they're sedated. Bella is said to have had two rounds, one week apart, according to an insider, as well as two weeks of antibiotics, Chelation therapy (the process of removing heavy metals from the body) and multiple peptide infusions. Pictures shared by Yolanda and Bella also show her with what appears to be an apheresis catheter in her neck which is used for the removal of specific blood components. Her stay at the clinic which also offers laser therapy, detox footbaths, colon cleansing and controversial ozone therapy (the process of administering ozone gas 'intravenous and/or rectally') as a treatment for Lyme disease was reportedly suggested by her mother, and would have cost upwards of $100,000. Clare Sacco was stunned to learn the soreness was due to a terminal disease A woman who thought her back pain was due to bad posture has been left devastated after being told she actually has incurable breast cancer. Clare Sacco, 31, from Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, was first diagnosed with the condition in 2019 after she found a lump on her left breast while showering. After a year of chemotherapy and a surgery to remove the lump, the marketing manager was relieved to receive the all-clear from her doctors. So, when Clare started experiencing pain in her right shoulder and down her back in 2023, she put it down to working long hours while sitting hunched over her laptop. But when she went in for a routine scan, she was stunned to learn her cancer had returned and that there were 'excessive' tumours on her lungs and liver. Doctors said these tumours were affecting the nerve connecting the liver to the right shoulder and that's what was causing the soreness. Once she recovered from the initial shock of being diagnosed with stage four terminal breast cancer after overcoming the disease at the age of 25, Clare came up with a 'living list' and transformed her outlook on life. 'It just made me motivated to enjoy things and live my life as fully as I can. I've got a living list, I don't like the term bucket list,' she said. Clare Sacco, 31, from Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and given the all-clear but she was left devastated after discovering her cancer had returned (pictured with her partner) Six years ago, Clare found a lump and went to the GP who 'referred me to the breast clinic', she said, adding she wasn't expecting anything 'serious' due to her age. 'I had scans and a biopsy and that came back that I had stage two breast cancer,' Clare continued. 'I just felt it in the shower when I first noticed. Because of my age, I had just turned 25, I assumed it was more hormonal rather than something more serious. 'I had chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery to remove the lump. 'I was given the all-clear that there was no sign of cancer in my body. I was so relieved, it felt like that part of my life was over now and I could move on and focus on other things.' Life had other plans and, in 2023, Clare began to suffer from 'really bad pain' in her right shoulder and back - unaware that was a sign her cancer had returned. 'I thought it was because I work a lot on my laptop, I thought I'd probably been in a funny position and trapped a nerve or maybe it was bad posture,' she added 'I found out there's a nerve that runs from your liver to your right shoulder and one of my tumours in my liver was pressing on that nerve. Clare started getting pain in her right shoulder and down her back in 2023, but put it down to working long hours on her laptop until doctors told her she had tumours over her liver and lungs Now Clare is making the most of the time she has left and is ticking things off her 'living list' (pictured practising a firefighting drill) During a routine scan in March 2023, doctors were concerned by what they spotted, so conducted more scans and discovered tumours on her liver and lungs. Clare said: 'I went in for a routine scan and the scan had picked up the corner of my liver and noted something that they weren't sure what it was. 'They did a liver scan and a chest scan and I got a phone call from my oncologist asking me to go to the hospital. 'On that day they told me they found cancer on both of the scans. 'There were tumours in my liver and my lungs and they were certain it was breast cancer that had spread so it was stage four and incurable. 'It was quite extensive across my lungs and my liver. 'I don't know if it sank in that quickly, when I got the phone call I was at work and I left the hospital and just went back to work because I didn't know what else to do.' Clare said that after the news had sunk in she decided to change the way she approached her treatment and put her energy in to doing what she enjoys. 'I thought "I'm going to be on treatment for the rest of my life so I have to carry on living my life I can't just let it stop me". 'It just made me motivated to enjoy things and live my life as fully as I can. I've got a living list, I don't like the term bucket list. 'Writing it was really exciting, all the things I'd love to do in the time I've got.' Clare is currently taking chemotherapy medication and said she is keeping a positive mindset as treatment is going well. The marketing manager has completed round a quarter of her 'living list' and is hoping to visit Australia and snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef soon Last year, Clare founded the Embers Charity that provides support for young adults with incurable cancer. The charity founder said she had completed around a quarter of her 'living list' and that one of her biggest goals is to visit Australia and snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. Clare said: 'It's really made me appreciate the smaller things and making sure you're really living every moment to the fullest and spending time with loved ones. 'Not wasting time on things and people that don't make your life better. 'I didn't expect it to come back. When I finished my treatment the first time, I saw cancer as something that would stay in my past and not something that could be in my future. 'Last year I started a charity. I've made really good friends with other people that have a similar diagnosis. 'You can talk about things with them that you can't talk about with other people. 'In terms of pain, t's not every day but sometimes I wake up with some pain in my back or my side but it comes and goes. 'I'm feeling really hopeful at the moment because the treatment is still working. I'm always hopeful, at the moment there is no treatment to cure stage four breast cancer. 'I've made it a quarter through the living list, I've done a lot of the smaller things. I really want to visit Australia and one thing on my list is to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. Hopefully I'll get there.' 'I want to show that you can still live life to the fullest even with an incurable cancer diagnosis.' A man on a mission to try McDonald's from around the world has shared some of the wild and wacky things he's come across during his quest. Daniel Wong, 34, has been filming his journey of eating at the fast-food chain for almost four years - and has tasted some truly unique menu items. The Vancouver-native has documented his endeavor on his YouTube and TikTok accounts, detailing the strangest foods he's eaten from the 20 locations he's visited so far. He told the Daily Mail: 'I used to check the menu and just see if anything is cool, [but] my mission has expanded now and the world must know.' Wong said he has always loved traveling and sees dining at McDonald's a way to 'understand local culture and taste' of the places he visits. 'Also, I think the brand is large, so its something people around the world can connect with,' he added. 'Its hard to compare sushi to pizza, but comparing McDonald's has a golden arch standard.' Wong has come across a variety of menu items in his world tour, from macaroni soup in Hong Kong to curry in the United Arab Emirates. Daniel Wong, 34, has been documenting his journey of eating at McDonald's across the globe for almost four years 'Hong Kong has macaroni soup in a chicken broth with your breakfast sausage and eggs,' he revealed. '[In the United Arab Emirates] they cut up a crispy chicken patty and put it on rice and drizzled a curry sauce. Very strange... for Mcdonald's,' Wong continued. Wong said there have been some dishes he wishes he could bring back to his local chain - revealing the seafood served in some countries is high quality in comparison to their North American counterparts. 'In some Asian countries like Singapore, Korea, and Japan they have the Ebi Filet-O [with] real shrimp inside, its light and not too oily,' he explained. 'I always pick that up when I am in the area.' 'For dessert, the limited menu item in Japan [called] Sankaku Choco Pie is the best,' he raved. 'Its almost impossible to [get] in Japan [because] it shows up intermittently... so if you see it, pick one up for me too.' The worst menu item was closer to home - a McLobster Wong had in Ontario, Canada. 'I like lobster, so it was a shock when it tasted a bit more fishy than I had expected,' he admitted. For anyone wanting to venture overseas for different taste, Wang recommends visiting Hong Kong or Japan. The Vancouver-native, 34, tries a pasta dish in Hong Kong - one of the 20 locations he's visited Wong, seen in Japan, says trying the chain abroad is a way to 'understand local culture' The content creator has documented his endeavor on his YouTube and TikTok accounts 'I will be going to South East Asia again next year, and that area has the most unique menus,' he added. Most recently, Wang visited McDonald's in Poland, where he was pleasantly surprised at the meni. 'I got the cottage cheese cucumber breakfast McMuffin,' he shared, describing it as tasting like 'cream cheese for bodybuilders.' However, it was the coffee that Wang particularly enjoyed. 'They mixed their vanilla shake with coffee and it's the best drink I've had in McDonald's,' he declared. The restaurant guide has partnerships with boards across the world For the past 124 years, the Michelin Guide has wielded massive power and influence over the restaurant world - but foodies are now calling its credibility into question. Getting a star (or better yet, three) from the revered firm, an expert in the culinary world, is the highest accolade a restaurant can be awarded and chefs dream of them, whether they admit it or not. But in recent years, the fine dining bible has faced controversy over its once-unimpeachable system for ranking restaurants. Many have accused it of accepting millions of dollars from tourism boards all over the world, and favouring venues that agree to brand deals. The concerns brought up by critics have been somewhat addressed by Michelin, which maintains that the decision to give stars is a fully independent one. The guide was first published in France in 1900 and expanded to cover the rest of Europe and the UK over the next century. In 2005, it came out with its first American guide that ranked restaurants in New York City and several years later, moved on to include Hong Kong and Macau. In the world of modern dining filled with influencers and TikTok reviewers, however, the guide - initially relying on physical sales of its famous red books - has suffered with costs. Speaking to the Daily Mail, restaurant critic Andy Hayler said that once the internet began absorbing customers into the digital sphere, sales of physical copies steeply declined. For the past 124 years, the Michelin Guide has wielded massive power and influence over the restaurant world - but foodies are now calling its credibility into question. Stock image used A 2011 report by The Financial Times claimed that it was losing more than $24 million a year, with the figure projected to rise to $30 million in 2015. And in a recent interview, Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, even admitted that continuing to print in 'historical countries' is 'negligible for our economic model'. But there was a lucrative revenue stream waiting in the wings - partnerships within regional tourism industries eager to promote their countries' restaurants and boost economies. Over the past decade-and-a-half, boards in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, individual American states, the UAE, Israel, and beyond have commissioned Guides from Michelin, many hoping to inject the brand's prestige into their dining sectors. The Korea Tourism Organisation reportedly paid more than $1 million to commission the guide over a period of four years. It was released for the first time in Seoul in 2016, with a total of 29 Michelin stars awarded to 24 restaurants. Elsewhere, CNN reported in 2017 that the Tourism Authority of Thailand allegedly shelled out 144 million Thai baht ($4.4 million) for its partnership with Michelin - resulting in stars being awarded to 17 restaurants. While the brand does not hide the fact that these partnerships are now a main source of revenue for the guide, most payments remain undisclosed or unconfirmed. 'The key thing is that these partnerships present a potential conflict of interest,' Andy, who became the first person to dine at every single three-star Michelin restaurant in the world by 2018, told the Daily Mail. Michelin stars have also been awarded to hawker stalls in countries like Singapore - including Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodles (pictured), which was awarded one star in 2016 but has since lost it Over in Thailand, Raan Jay Fai's eatery in Bangkok, famous for its crab omelet, gained a Michelin star in the 2025 Thailand Michelin Guide 'Michelin has a reputation for independence and honesty, and for not being bought, essentially. 'That's why the guide is so highly regarded. But as soon as you start taking large payments from tourist boards, that barrier starts to break down. 'They're not going to take $2 million from anywhere in the world, and then send inspectors there, stick them in hotels for a few weeks, try all the restaurants and then at the end of the process, go, "Really sorry, thanks for the two million dollars but unfortunately all your restaurants are pretty ordinary, so we're not going to give you any stars". 'These tourism boards are going to want something back for that money. They're going to want a bunch of stars, and then what you find is, mysteriously, that's exactly what happens.' The same criticism has been levelled at Michelin Guide by Yiting Deng, an academic at the University College London School of Management. Following the guide's decision to launch a hotel ranking system as well as a wine ranking system as it continues to expand globally, Yiting told The Times: 'If they work too much with governments, travel agencies and other related parties, there will be this question about credibility and how much their decisions are influenced by other parties.' Chef Thomas Frake, who won MasterChef in 2020, also pointed to how vastly different the judging criteria between countries can appear on the outset. 'There are street food stalls in Vietnam that have one Michelin star, compared to restaurants in centuries-old buildings in London that work with a brigade of chefs,' he said. 'That is confusing for a diner to really understand how that comparison can be made, particularly as most diners expect Michelin starred restaurants to look and feel a certain way. 'But if you know the fundamental criteria for Michelin stars, which are really about the chef and their personality, the consistency and the quality of he ingredients, there's no reason why one chef behind a stall cannot deliver as well as a brigade operating in a restaurant. 'It's about how Michelin shares that knowledge and information, and how they manage the expectations of the diners.' Others are more sympathetic to the guide's financial dilemmas. It is still a business, after all, said former Michelin Guide inspector Chris Watson - as he defended the guide's decisions. 'The Michelin Guide's contribution to the country's economy is significant. Obviously, they are paid to do it, but they undoubtedly raise the country's profile as a culinary destination and that is very valuable to tourism boards,' he explained. 'I think that Michelin will make their decision on the sophistication of the dining scene [of the respective countries that have approached them] as to whether it will actually ever be able to support a one-star, two-star or even three-star restaurant.' Meanwhile, Renae Smith, who has worked in global food PR for 13 years, told the Daily Mail: 'Michelin is a business like any other, and producing these guides takes time, resources and money. As long as the editorial standards are upheld and stars can't be bought, I don't see an issue. 'Its not perfect, and I dont think its fully comprehensive, but for elevated dining, Id still rather consult the Michelin Guide than TripAdvisor.' Julianna Twiggs, who is in charge of the guide's partnerships, revealed that Michelin does not go to every country or city willing to part with millions of dollars for the guide, and not every contract results in a guidebook. The Straits Times reported that the money paid by tourism boards helps fund the travel costs of Michelin inspectors, who perform a 'culinary audit' to determine how mature the restaurant industry of the destination is. She insisted that this does not guarantee the partner destination any stars, and Michelin inspectors may instead offer advice to partners who don't qualify. 'It can be a hard pill to swallow, but it's non-negotiable,' she said. 'We have to have partners that see and believe in the value we bring, but are willing to accept our independence.' Despite the controversy, the Michelin Guide continues to hold significance for chefs, even if a star isn't what they're after. Thomas, who now runs his own pub, The Silks, in Marlborough, said he is 'certainly not chasing a star', but still holds his cooking to Michelin Guide standards. 'I aspire to the five guiding principles of Michelin, which are quality ingredients, flavours, techniques, personality, and consistency because I care about food, about hospitality, and I like to work with local businesses and local suppliers. 'If a star ever came my way, it would only ever be because of what I believe in and not because I'm trying to achieve a star.' When will I ever learn? I mean, seriously, half a century old and I really should know better. But here I am in Daves Hot Chicken, a TikTok-famous Shaftesbury Avenue restaurant, so overwhelmed by chilli heat that I can barely breathe, let alone chew. Sweat soaks my brow, tears stream down my face and my heart thumps like a Berlin techno beat. Even thinking hurts. At one point, I fear for my very life, as my vision blurs, my body shudders, and my whole being is enveloped in an infernal inferno. For this is no mere chicken tender, rather deep-fried devastation, and proof, if proof be needed, that theres no fool like an old one. OK, so the fact that I had to sign a disclaimer might have put me off. Due to its extremely spicy nature, Daves Hot Chicken Reaper is an extreme test of a persons physical and mental limits, warns the blurb, noting that it can lead to chest pain, palpitions, heart attack and stroke. Yeah, yeah, whatever, I thought, as I signed with a manly swagger, same old marketing hyperbole. Id eaten the XXX Hot chicken at Princes Hot Chicken in Nashville, where this great dish was born, and survived. This sure aint my first rodeo. When Daves Hot Chicken first opened, there was a two-hour wait When Daves Hot Chicken first opened, the line snaked down Shaftesbury Avenue. My son happily queued two hours for just one bite. The wait is now no more than a few minutes, the fickle hordes having long moved on to the next hot thing. Heat levels range from No Spice to Reaper, while the room itself is bright, brash and cheery. I try an Extra Hot Slider, the fried chicken stuffed into a soft bun with good pickles and slaw. The crust is crisp, the flesh succulent, the heat pronounced but not brutal. Although I wouldnt look too deeply into the birds provenance, its a decent hot chicken sandwich. Then theres that Reaper tender, sitting on a slice of cheap white bread (as is the Nashville way), stained blood-red with Reaper chilli powder, the colour of pain, suffering and devastation. One bite is all it takes, and there is no pleasure here, just pain. I ate it, so you dont have to. To misquote those ancient acid rockers Blue Oyster Cult: do fear the Reaper. About 15 per head. Daves Hot Chicken, Vernon House, 40 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1; daveshotchickenuk.com Rating: The owner of an Italian restaurant in Highgate, North London has taken aim at the 'sheer indifference' of wealthy locals after being forced to close down. Don Ciccio on Hampstead Lane shut last week after six years of serving 18 pizzas and 26 pasta dishes to well-heeled residents, with a parting swipe at locals for 'never supporting us, not even once'. Owner Marco Claudio Valente, who worked as a civil engineer before founding the restaurant in 2019, wrote in a bitter final post on the Don Ciccio website that 'bad food, bad reviews, or bad luck' were not to blame, but rather 'the sheer indifference of our neighbours'. Despite being named Traveller's Choice on Tripadvisor between 2023 and 2025, and a rating of 4.7 out of five stars on Google, it was not enough to keep the business open. He also accused The Highgate Society, a community events organisation, of never responding to requests for collaboration and criticised potential patrons for ordering takeaways elsewhere - leaving his staff 'humiliated' by empty dining rooms. 'We have closed due to a lack of customers,' the furious statement read. 'To those who lived a few doors away yet ordered delivery from somewhere else - thank you for your commitment to distance. 'To those we served during lockdown, when we were the only restaurant open, thank you for never visiting us once the pandemic ended. The owners of Don Ciccio in Highgate (pictured) have taken aim at the area's wealthy residents after it was forced to close Another stinging barb read: 'To those who said, back in 2019, 'they'll close within three months' - congratulations! You were only off by five years and nine months.' 'We are guests in this country, and as guests, we will not complain. We'll simply say: addio. And now, with gratitude. 'To our staff - Roberto, Diego, Daniele, the many waiters and chefs who came and went - thank you for your passion, and for enduring the humiliation of entire evenings with an empty dining room. 'To our faithful customers - we'll miss you. Perhaps one day we'll meet again, in Italy.' Don Ciccio, named after a character in The Godfather, was located a short walk from Hampstead Heath - one of North London's most affluent areas, where the average property price is close to 1 million. On Instagram, the restaurant described itself as a 'true Italian', offering the 'real taste' of Italy and even boasted of serving 'one of the best pizzas in London'. Don Ciccio also shared a much milder statement to Instagram, speaking of the 'deep emotion' that came with the decision to close. Marco Claudio Valente (pictured), the restaurant's owner and founder, had previously worked as a civil engineer before founding the restaurant in 2019 A statement shared on the restaurant's website made for a furious takedown of the local community It read: 'Your affection has been our energy, our motivation to do better every day. And seeing your appreciation reflected in our wonderful 4.7 rating on Google is not just a number, it's a symbol of the special bond we built together. 'Every review, every kind word, every piece of advice helped us grow and improve.' Recent Google reviews before the closure have been five-star ratings, with people branding it 'a hidden gem' and 'amazing authentic Italian food'. However, one local reviewer criticised the 'portion sizes', saying they had ordered a small tomato sauce dish for their children and were charged 18 for a full-sized pasta dish. Another said it took them '30 minutes just to get noticed' after sitting down and waited another 25 minutes for drinks and starters. When the food did arrive, the disappointed customer then said the 'potatoes were cold'. Another negative review on Tripadvisor in September read: 'The first course took half an hour to arrive and waitress very surly. Main course took more than a hour to arrive and was terrible. 'Tiny piece seabass with mashed potato and teaspoon of crispy kale. Cost 26. Cod with roast potatoes and beans has three thin slices of potato and three beans, cost 26.' Don Ciccio had offered customers a selection of Italian dishes, with pizzas priced from 10 for a margherita (inside of the restaurant pictured) The restaurant notably shared a much milder statement to Instagram, speaking of the 'deep emotion' that came with the decision to close Andrew Sulston, chair of the Highgate Society, told Ham & High: 'We are always very sorry when any local business closes. 'Because Highgate Society has no paid staff and all our activities are run by volunteers, we unfortunately cannot always follow up on all requests.' The news comes amid a difficult week for the hospitality sector, after it was revealed Pizza Hut is to close 68 restaurants and 11 delivery sites after it fell into administration yesterday. It means that more than 1,200 people will lose their jobs - though the full list of restaurants set to close has not yet been released. Following the announcement, analysts have revealed how the chain's collapse is a warning for the hospitality industry as a whole, stating that the traditional restaurant model is 'broken'. Gary Hemming, of abcfinance.co.uk, said: 'Pizza Hut's second collapse in just nine months is a stark warning for the hospitality sector. 'When a business enters administration twice within a year, with 40million in unpaid debt and an HMRC winding-up petition, it signals fundamental structural problems that quick-fix rescue deals simply can't solve. 'The real story isn't just about Pizza Hut, it's about the brutal mathematics facing casual dining chains. 'With energy costs up 300 per cent, labour shortages pushing wages higher and customers pivoting to delivery apps, the traditional restaurant model is broken.' Indeed, British families are suffering so-called 'bill shock' amid rampant food inflation which continues to surge under the Labour government, with meals out at a mid-market chain for four people starting to cost more than 100 as standard. The average restaurant meal cost 4.9 per cent more in August than it did a year earlier, according to the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics. A sign on the outside of the restaurant now reads that it has closed, adding 'come back soon to shop small' Meanwhile, more than half of job losses since Rachel Reeves's tax raid on firms have been in pubs, cafes, restaurants and other hospitality businesses, an analysis found in August. Research by UKHospitality, an industry lobby group, showed almost 89,000 jobs have been lost in the hospitality sector since the Budget last October. This was 53 per cent of the 164,641 total job losses in the UK reported by the Office for National Statistics over the same period. Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, said at the time: 'The number of job losses suffered in hospitality since the Budget is staggering. 'More than half of all job losses since October occurring in hospitality is further evidence that our sector has been by far the hardest hit by the Government's regressive tax increases. 'The sheer scale of costs being placed upon hospitality has forced businesses to take agonisingly tough decisions to cut jobs with parttime and flexible roles often those most at risk. 'At a time when the country needs jobs, the Government should be encouraging hospitality to grow and create jobs, not tax them out of existence.' Restaurant and pub owners have told of the difficulties they have faced amid rising costs in recent months. James Nye, managing director of Anglian Country Inns, told The Guardian in August: 'We've had a strong start to the year with three months of sunshine. 'But I think that has masked the challenges the sector is facing. When the rain comes you can see how overheads have gone up. 'Since April we have had a lot of increase in overheads, pretty much across the board. Weve got food price inflation, the big one is labour, with the NICs [employer national insurance contributions] and national minimum wage, and everything is getting more expensive.' The Daily Mail has reached out to Don Ciccio for comment. Greg and Reda Paul signed up to the show with a dream of moving to Spain When Greg and Reda Paul signed up to appear on TV's A Place In The Sun they believed they would soon be enjoying poolside cocktails at their own Spanish finca. Little did they imagine that, more than four years later, not only would they not have a base near the Costa Blanca, they wouldn't have a home anywhere. The middle-aged married couple sold their Peterborough bungalow to fund the move but were quickly caught up in Spain's Kafkaesque house buying bureaucracy. Buying a home and a new life abroad has been held up time and time again with a series of setbacks and they are still effectively homeless - and unlikely to finally move in to their new place for another year. In the meantime they are living apart having both moved back in with their parents. So just what happened? 'It's been a disaster,' Greg told the Daily Mail this week. During the show, viewers saw them fall in love with a rural three-bed villa in Ontinyent, around 40 miles inland from Benidorm on Spain's Costa Blanca, and agree on a 83,750 price tag. But once the cameras turned off, their dream quickly turned into a nightmare. When Greg (pictured right) and Reda Paul (pictured left) signed up to appear on TV's A Place In The Sun they believed they would soon be enjoying poolside cocktails at their own Spanish finca 'Things went downhill soon after,' Greg said. 'We had a solicitor check that a half-built pool in the grounds was legal and were told the whole house was built on industrial land where it shouldn't have been. 'It meant the council could build a road right through our living room if they wanted to. 'You hear these horror stories about houses in Spain being built illegally - we asked one of the show's producers what to do if our home had been built illegally and they told us often you get a one-off fine and it's done but we didn't want to take the risk.' Instead, the crestfallen couple backed out of the sale and flew back to the UK to start their search from scratch. They originally decided to move to Spain to enjoy a year-round outdoor lifestyle. They qualify to live in Spain as Reda is originally from Lithuania within the EU and were searching for a three-bed rural home on one level where they can grow old with dog Bernard and cat Poirot. After two more visits, they went out a third time in January 2022 to view a property they'd originally seen online in Biar, a village 20 minutes southeast of Alicante. They agreed a 112,000 fee with the vendor - paying almost 80,000 as a deposit while they completed legal requirements that would allow them to move in. Greg, 52, said: 'The pictures online looked beautiful so we went to see it and just fell in love. 'But we're still in the process of buying it nearly four years later because it's on rural protected land. 'We just can't believe this has happened again. Everybody is frustrated, the estate agent and solicitor haven't been paid yet. 'We are trying to get a pool and outbuilding legalised as they were built after the main house and we can't move in until that goes through. 'We've sent all of our belongings over but there's no electricity because it's off grid, we need to install solar panels but we can't do that because it's not legalised 'Then we found out that the rules have changed and a septic tank needs to be installed. 'The bureaucracy is unbelievable - everything just takes so long and we can't do anything. 'We have considered pulling out altogether and buying a place in the UK because of the frustration but it's our dream to live in Spain, the way of life seems so relaxed. The couple originally decided to move to Spain to enjoy a year-round outdoor lifestyle 'I've had to learn to be patient.' Greg, a therapist, and conveyancer Reda, 43, emphasised they don't blame its producers for their current predicament but lifted the lid on their chaotic filming schedule. Even though the episode aired in January 2023, it was filmed 18 months earlier in July 2021. After applying, they underwent three interviews with producers before they were selected. He revealed at least one home they were due to visit was sold in the two weeks between researchers scouting it out and the filming so had to be hastily replaced with another house, even though it didn't meet their requirements. He said: 'Filming was intense. One day we were picked up 7am and didn't get back until 10.30pm. 'We were flown out to Spain on Sunday morning, met the presenter and crew that afternoon then on Monday morning we started filming with the presenter on the beach - we saw one property in the afternoon then, two on Tuesday, and the final two on Wednesday. 'On Thursday morning we have a chance to review a property we liked the most which we did then we'd meet them Thursday afternoon to put an offer in then the fly you home on Friday - it's pretty full on. 'At least one of the properties had to be replaced which is why you see us saying we don't want stairs then looking around a house with stairs. 'They try and put you in a hotel in the centre of the houses but you're still having to drive probably 45 mins to each property. 'Every scene they have to shoot five times so they can choose the one they like best, after five times saying the same thing I was boring myself. 'I've told all my friends all my best lines ended up on the cutting room floor. 'They were great during the time and did some follow-ups. 'I still watch the show and the presenters do say you need to ask lots of questions - but then why would they have shown us a property on industrial land? 'I just don't think they would've looked into it that deeply.' A Place in the Sun spokeswoman said: 'Buying a property overseas can be difficult which is why we advise all house hunters to follow all the necessary legal advice and why our advisors use reputable local estate agents to find properties. 'We are really sorry to hear that Greg and Reda have had issues with their subsequent purchase, as this was a property they found themselves after filming, we suggest they seek independent legal advice.' The waterfront dwelling has four bedrooms and three full bathrooms The beautiful property was home to lead character Dawson Leery on the show Dawson's Creek's most recognizable home is up for sale. The picturesque waterfront house, which served as the dwelling of lead character Dawson Leery (played by James Van Der Beek), has hit the market for $3.25 million. Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, the four-bedroom and 3.5-bathroom house, which has been owned by the same family since it was built, features a large eat-in kitchen, formal dining room, and spacious living room. Sitting on 1.7 acres of land, the also property boasts of French doors which open to an expansive screened front porch that overlooks the water. 'Outside, the property offers 134 feet of direct water frontage with a private pier and floating dock, providing easy access to the Intracoastal Waterway and Wrightsville Beach by boat,' the listing description reads. Built in 1880, the beautiful home, which is being sold as is, is described as a 'true Wilmington landmark.' It also features high ceilings and light-filled rooms designed to capture coastal breezes. The house served as Dawson's home in all six seasons of the teen drama, which aired from 1998 through 2003 on The WB. The iconic Dawson's Creek house is for sale and has been listed at $3.25million The four-bedroom and 3.5-bathroom home is located in Wilmington, North Carolina The show, which also starred Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, and Katie Holmes, followed the group from high school through college in the sleepy town of Capeside. Last month, Dawson Leery actor James left fans feeling concerned after he looked frail during a virtual appearance at the Dawson's Creek reunion. The 48-year-old actor, who is currently battling colon cancer, made a surprise cameo at the charity event in a pre-recorded video after he was forced to cancel his in-person visit due to illness. In his message, James explained that he had been excited for the reunion, which marked the first time in 22 years that the entire Dawson's Creek cast had come together. However, he revealed he had to pull out at the last minute due to suffering two stomach viruses. Worried fans expressed their heartache after seeing James, with many noting that he did 'not look well.' Dawson's Creek stars Katie, Joshua and Michelle joined forces for a live reading of the show's pilot episode to benefit F Cancer held at the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City. Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps were also present. Built in 1880, the home is described as a 'true Wilmington landmark' Dawson's Creek starred Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, James Van Der Beek, and Katie Holmes and ran for six seasons Despite cancelling his in-person appearance, James still showed up at the charity event virtually. In his message to fans, James said: 'I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together. 'I can't believe I'm not there. I can't believe I don't get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person. 'And just I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight. 'From the cast to the crew to everybody who's doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you you are the best fans in the world. 'Thank you for coming. It's just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here.' A unique property on the slopes of Mt Buninyong has stunned Aussies An extraordinary property in regional Victoria is turning heads - and it's unlike anything else in the state. Perched high on the slopes of Mt Buninyong, 15 minutes from Ballarat and 90 minutes from Melbourne, 'The Skybarrel' is a sculptural, architect-designed villa that seems to hover above rolling hills and farmland. Designed by Ballarat architect Robin Larsen as a one-off experiment in form, light, and landscape, the curved timber studio makes an immediate impression. From a distance, its circular frame appears almost to levitate, while inside, walls of glass reveal sweeping views that stretch endlessly across the countryside. 'It's one of a kind and truly beautiful,' Belle Property Daylesford agent Natalie Fagan told the Daily Mail. 'The views are ridiculous. Being inside is very luxurious and romantic it's magnificent from sunrise to sunset and you can see all the way to forever.' The Skybarrel's interiors reflect the rustic scenery beyond. The soft, warm colour scheme sets the tone for a space that feels both contemporary and calming. An extraordinary property in regional Victoria is turning heads - and it's unlike anything else in the state Perched high on the slopes of Mt Buninyong, about 15 minutes from Ballarat and 90 minutes' drive from Melbourne 'The Skybarrel' is a sculptural, architect-designed villa that seems to hover above rolling hills and farmland A wood fire anchors the lounge, the open-plan kitchen is made for slow weekends, and the sleeping nook offers front-row seats to the night sky. From pink-tinged dawns to golden dusks, the villa is designed to embrace every shift in light. The circular shape and floor-to-ceiling glazing bring the horizon indoors, making the natural world part of daily life. Far from being just a striking architectural statement, the property has proven itself as a business. Operating as a boutique short-stay, The Skybarrel has drawn guests from across Australia and overseas, generating more than $100,000 annually. The site itself spans over four hectares at 25 Lapilli Lane and comes with the potential to expand. Mt Buninyong is a long-extinct volcano that towers above the surrounding plains, offering bushland walks, scenic lookouts and a rich goldfields history. The village of Buninyong, with its cafes, bakeries and weekend markets, is just a short drive down the slope. Designed by Ballarat architect Robin Larsen as a one-off experiment in form, light, and landscape, the curved timber studio makes an immediate impression From pink-tinged dawns to golden dusks, the villa is designed to embrace every shift in light The Skybarrel is now being offered with a price guide of $1.15million The Skybarrel is now for sale with a price guide of $1.15million Ballarat, with its grand Victorian architecture, art galleries, and the open-air museum Sovereign Hill, is less than 20 minutes away. For those coming from further afield, Melbourne is around 90 minutes by car, making The Skybarrel a great weekend retreat from the city or a base to explore central Victoria. Daylesford, known for its mineral springs and spa culture, is also within easy reach at just over an hour's drive. The Skybarrel is now for sale with a price guide of $1.15 million. For buyers, it represents not just a chance to secure a home, but to own a piece of experimental architecture that has already proven its cultural and commercial appeal. 'It's unlike anything else you'll find,' Ms Fagan said. 'It's romantic, it's luxurious, and it's absolutely unforgettable.' When a piece about me being a happily single, child-free woman was published online in The Telegraph last June, I wasnt prepared for the sheer volume of hate that followed. Within hours the comment section had exploded, and while not every response was negative, the vast majority were not to put too fine a point on it seething. Most of the vitriol came from men: angry, defensive and, in some cases, downright cruel. Ive since joked that the piece accidentally broke the internet with almost 1,300 comments under the article and more than 6,000 on the accompanying Facebook post. But what it really broke was a long-held social script; one I had dared to challenge by simply saying, Im single, I dont have children, and Im happy. I didnt read all the comments as Andrew Lincolns character says in Love Actually, Its a self-preservation thing but I read enough. Enough to know that the very idea of a woman living joyfully without a man or children was not only unfathomable for many but also infuriating. Several accused me of kidding myself or being deluded. Others talked about my pointless existence. There were plenty of cat references mad cat woman, I see a household of cats in her future, and one who imagined the strong odour of cat in my later life. (Thanks, but I already have one.) A few predicted Id die unmissed in a care home with no visitors. What struck me wasnt just the personal nature of the attacks but the sheer volume, all because Id dared to describe a life that didnt revolve around romantic love or motherhood; a life that, by traditional standards, isnt supposed to feel full. The problem therefore, is that mine does. Lucy Meggeson says she wanted to challenge the assumption that women like her are secretly miserable or desperate That fullness didnt arrive overnight. Like most people, I grew up assuming Id meet someone, settle down, have kids and build a life around family. I never questioned it. It was just the default what everyone did. Im 49, and my last significant relationship was almost eight years ago. There were moments in my 20s and 30s when that life could have materialised. Relationships that looked right on paper, boyfriends who were lovely. But intuitively I knew: this isnt it. And I could never stay just to tick the box marked married with kids. Swimming against the tide isnt easy, and there were times when I felt I was failing especially when friends started walking down aisles and having babies. On more than one occasion that whispering societal voice crept in: Youre doing life wrong. Youre a loser. But somehow I didnt cave, knowing even if only vaguely that a more expansive life was calling. I remember dinner parties where I was the only single person at the table, listening to conversations about school applications and catchment areas, wondering when or if Id ever catch up. I also remember the quiet realisation, as I approached 40, that having children was becoming increasingly unlikely. For a while I silently grieved the baby Id probably never have, and the life I thought I was supposed to want. But something stronger began to grow: freedom. Possibility. Peace. I started to ask myself a new question. Not whats wrong with me? but: Is it just me, or is being single and childfree actually kind of awesome? That question led me to start my podcast, Thrive Solo, then a membership community, and eventually, my book Shiny Happy Singles, a celebration of solo life and the many underrated benefits of being single and child-free. I wanted to challenge the assumption that women like me are secretly miserable or desperate; that our lives are somehow incomplete. I wanted to say no, actually. I havent missed out. Im just living a different version of happy one that is entirely, gloriously on my own terms. I believe that the most important relationship well ever have is the one with ourselves. Being alone is not the same as being lonely, and Ive been lonely both in and out of relationships. Apparently, this was a controversial opinion. What fascinates me is how threatening that idea seems to be particularly to men. Not all Ive had thoughtful messages from individuals who appreciated what I wrote. But the overwhelming pattern I saw was this: female happiness without male involvement = male discomfort. Or worse, male rage. So whats going on? According to relationship psychotherapist Lisa Bruton, part of the issue is, Men tend to get most of their relational needs met through one person their partner which can result in them being vulnerable. She adds, They assume its an attack or rejection of them and/or coupledom, rather than a positive life choice. Ive experienced this kind of hostility in real life, too subtle, but sharp. The raised eyebrows when I say Im single. The patronising, Oh, youll meet someone eventually. The not-so-subtle male neighbour who told me after one too many drinks why I started my podcast: Youve got a chip on your shoulder about being single. The assumption being that I must want a relationship and children and if I say otherwise Im, well, lying. Bruton explains that some men may feel wrong-footed when women dont play expected roles. Some of the typical ways that men relate to women include the plea to flirt or to be mothered, she says. And if youre closing down both of those avenues, some men can feel destabilised. Lets not forget the history, either. For centuries, single women have been viewed with suspicion, pity or outright hostility. In medieval times we were burnt as witches. In Victorian England we were labelled spinsters and treated as burdens. The idea of a woman choosing autonomy has always been quietly subversive. In some ways weve evolved. In other ways not so much. Some of these men are equating singledom with loneliness, Bruton points out, and, interestingly, I see a lot of low-level loneliness in the married men that I work with. That struck me. Because it raises the question: what if the real unhappiness isnt where society assumes it is? I dont need to compromise my peace for anyone elses idea of success because Ive created a life that truly fits me, and I feel freer than ever before. I get to work for myself and plan my days exactly as I wish. Im constantly inspired by the incredible conversations I have on my podcast with amazing single women from all over the world. Last month I went to Greece with two of my best girlfriends, and in January I will host a trip to Iceland with Explore Worldwide, where well be hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Walks in nature in the woods or by the sea bring me deep joy. This sense of expansion is one that Ive intentionally created for myself. And it feels amazing. What would I do if I met someone? Thats the other question people ask. My answer is simple: never say never. But Im not looking. Ive already built a joyful, fulfilling, purpose-driven life. And I wont compromise my peace to meet anyone elses idea of success. Ultimately, this isnt a story about rejecting men, romance or motherhood. Its a story about rewriting your own script. Choosing a path that fits not one youve been told to follow and showing the world that being single and child-free is wonderful, too. If that upsets a few people? So be it. Shiny Happy Singles: Celebrating The Joy Of Independent, Childfree Lives by Lucy Meggeson is published by Bloomsbury, 18.99 David 1.0 messaged to say, Are you still up for a visit this weekend? To be honest, Im not, so I put him off. I cant cope with having to monitor a man, making sure he doesnt lose my keys, let Teddy out of the front door, make me search for his phone and his vape, place a hot pan on a work surface, leave a tea bag in the sink or even (as happened once) light up a fag in my spare bathroom. Or how about the time he reversed my Land Rover Defender into a wall? Or took back his cat without telling me, meaning I spent three days combing the countryside for her? I have enough to do, looking after Mini Puppy. This is her routine. Having been shut in the bedroom with me all night (she can no longer use the sofa to get on the bed), I help her stand then put on her harness, which is padded and covers her tummy. Once shes up, I use the harness to help her walk slowly downstairs. The other day, we got stuck, so I had to phone the man painting the outside of my house to come and carry her down; at 23 kilos shes too heavy for me. Her face looked so indignant at being manhandled by someone she barely knows, her snowy paws flailing: she was like a reluctant bride being carried over the threshold. Once she is downstairs, I help her outside for a very long wee. Throughout the day she has various tablets: steroids (to help her appetite), iron (she has pale gums and can faint), one for her heart, an antibiotic and a supplement that helps line her stomach. A vet and a nurse may come later in the day to administer a long-lasting injection of pain relief and to take more bloods. I follow her around all day, adopting a Groucho Marx posture. My go-to method of coping when Im stressed has always been to binge-watch 1930s screwball comedies. My favourite is Bringing Up Baby, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Watch the scene where George the dawg (thats my impression of Hepburns delicious drawl) steals the intercostal clavicle (a fictitious dinosaur bone invented by the screenwriters) belonging to Grants nerdy palaeontologist. The crazy couple tail George (real name Skippy, who died aged 20) round the grounds of a cabin in upstate New York, believing the dawg has buried it. Somebody watch George! That encapsulates my daily antics, tailing Mini. At some point I will have to sleep downstairs but, at the moment, sticking to her usual routine seems to keep her happy. The downside is that my lovely oak parquet floor is now covered with glittery pink rugs by Next, donated by Nic to help Mini get purchase. As I cant leave her, I had to cancel a work trip (to Paris, for Fashion Week; Im secretly thrilled, as the prospect of sitting on the front row while the other women talk around me doesnt spark joy. Id booked Hotel Costes, which is so badly lit you can fail to recognise your own hand in the lift. I would often start, thinking I was about to be mugged. Which in a way I was, every time I ended up buying a 350 Gucci fitted shirt, one in white, one in black, from the Colette store opposite). This is the first time Ive ever not travelled for work due to personal reasons. When Lizzie my horse died, I was in Canada, learning to be a trapeze artist. When my dad died, I took one afternoon as holiday. When my mum passed away, it was a Saturday (well done, Mum), but I still filed this column that very afternoon. Im not being heroic or unfeeling; its just that I find writing cathartic. Writing down what happened in an argument, say, means I can put it aside, not endlessly chew it over. For the first time, though, I am not hoping something bad will happen so that my column goes viral: my only thought on hearing my husband confess to yet another affair while on a remote African island a holiday paid for by me was that it would make a two-parter. For the first time, I love someone (Mini, because she is a person) more than my blasted career. JONES MOANS... WHAT LIZ LOATHES THIS WEEK A new dad who proposed just minutes after his girlfriend gave birth has sparked a fierce debate online about whether or not it was an appropriate moment to get down on one knee. Illinois-based couple Challis Bell and Denzel Kimbrough welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Ace, earlier this month. But when Kimbrough decided to use the newborn to propose to Bell moments after his birth, it caused a divide on social media. Kimbrough had the nurses dress the baby into a onesie that said, 'Mommy, will you marry Daddy?' before giving him to Bell. A now-viral clip shared by Advocate Christ Medical Center showed the nurses handing Ace dressed in the onesie to the new mom, as Kimbrough got down onto one knee and pulled out a ring. A shocked Challis laid with her mouth wide open in surprise for a few moments before she said, "Oh my God yes.' 'Moments after the birth of her first son at Advocate Christ Medical Center, Challis received a joyful surprise a marriage proposal, printed on her babys onesie,' read the caption. 'Challis and Denzel first met more than a decade ago while they were in high school at Mother McAuley and Marist high schools, but they lost touch when Denzels family moved. A new dad who proposed just minutes after his girlfriend gave birth has sparked a fierce debate online about whether or not it was an appropriate moment to get down on one knee Illinois-based couple Challis Bell and Denzel Kimbrough welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Ace, earlier this month 'Three years ago, mutual friends put the couple back in touch and they fell in love, eventually preparing for the birth of their son, Ace. 'With some help from the nurses, baby Ace quickly got into his first outfit just after being born, a onesie that said, Mommy, will you marry Daddy? 'The couple said theyre grateful for the team at Christ not only for the excellent labor and delivery care, but for helping with the surprise engagement. Congratulations!' The video went viral, and while many viewers were in awe of the sweet moment, some claimed Kimbrough didn't choose the best moment to propose. 'This is *really* sweet but don't propose to me after I've just done the hardest physical thing ever,' one user wrote in the comment section. 'I actually dont like this. I think he should have let her have her first moments with her newborn but instead he made it about him. Idk, just not sitting well with me,' agreed another. 'For me, I enjoyed having two separate special moments. These are two very different milestones,' pointed out someone else. 'I'm happy for them. But I know he could've chosen a much better time to propose,' read a fourth comment. Kimbrough had the nurses dress the baby into a onesie that said, 'Mommy, will you marry Daddy?' before giving him to Bell A shocked Challis laid with her mouth wide open in surprise for a few moments before she said, "Oh my God yes' A fifth said, 'As a mother of four, that is the worst time to propose.' 'Yeah sorry but no. Do men even have an idea how we feel after delivery? Not to mention we are swollen, sweaty, often medicated. That ring won't even fit in the finger,' a different user penned. Some went as far as calling it a 'red flag' and accused Kimbrough of trying to 'make himself the center of attention.' While chatting with Today about it, the new father, 30, explained, 'It was kind of a random idea, honestly. 'We had talked about getting engaged before our son was born, and one day I thought, "What better place than the delivery room?"' He also addressed the online criticism, explaining, 'Everybody has their own opinion. I just felt like it was the perfect opportunity for us. I wanted to make that day the best day of her life.' Bell described the moment as 'perfect,' adding: 'We cant control other peoples opinions, but I'm definitely happy to see that weve gotten more congratulations, blessings, and positivity coming our way than negativity. Everybodys different - were just focused on the love.' Stephen Colbert shut down Joe Biden's former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as she continued denying that she ever saw the former president's cognitive decline. The late-night host was uncharacteristically argumentative with fellow Democrat Jean-Pierre on Monday night as she promoted her new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. Colbert told Jean-Pierre that Biden was a 'dramatically different person' during his notoriously poor performance in a debate with Donald Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. 'And at 81 years old, thats not entirely unexpected. You can imagine why people got so worried,' Colbert added. But Jean-Pierre, who was tasked with defending Biden during his last months in office, continued to deny that he showed any obvious mental decline during his presidency. 'No one is saying that he didnt age,' Jean-Pierre answered. 'Im talking about did he have the mental acuity, was he able to govern? And the man that I saw nearly every day was someone who was engaging, understood policy, and was always putting the American people first.' Colbert fired back, saying: 'I dont think anybody questioned his heart or his policies. But it takes more than that to be the President of the United States. 'And in a moment of great pressure on stage, we saw someone shock us and worry us, and nothing could assuage that worry. So I dont think it was necessarily a betrayal of Joe Biden as other people saying, "We dont think we were shown the Joe Biden that you saw."' Stephen Colbert was uncharacteristically argumentative with fellow Democrat Jean-Pierre on Monday night Jean-Pierre was tasked with defending Biden during his last months in office Jean-Pierre replied that every day she saw 'a really ugly assault on someone who had 50-plus years of experience and who, again, objectively had done a good job as President of the United States.' 'And it was heartbreaking to see that type of behavior,' she added. Colbert insisted that it was not about Biden's intentions but the debate performance that concerned the public. 'Everything is downstream of that,' the host said. Jean-Pierre admitted the debate performance was shocking and a disappointment, which Colbert said did not go far enough. 'Disappointment is such a light term,' an exasperated Colbert fired back. 'It was harrowing.' In the end, Colbert told Jean-Pierre 'were never going to agree on this' before abruptly ending the segment. Jean-Pierre has been on a media tour. When asked tough questions about what she knew about Biden's cognitive decline, she has repeatedly deflected by using the soundbite 'I take this question incredibly seriously.' On Monday she also appeared on CBS Mornings and shocked hosts as she doubled down on claims she saw no signs of the former president's declining mental and physical ability during her time in the White House. Jean-Pierre has been on a media tour where she has repeatedly said she takes questions about Biden's alleged mental decline 'incredibly serious' On Monday she also appeared on CBS Mornings and shocked hosts as she doubled down on claims she saw no signs of the former president's declining mental and physical ability During the discussion about the former press secretary's time under Biden, Gayle King touched on a portion of the book where Jean-Pierre writes she 'never saw the decline', prompting the stunned host to ask 'How?!' At another point in the interview, Jean-Pierre claimed she did not actually get to speak with the president before his disastrous debate against Donald Trump. Instead, Jean-Pierre said the president was swarmed by his campaign staffers onboard Air Force One as well as his family - and she did not get to see Biden until after the debate was over. Even then, though, she has said she was left stunned by the pressure the Democratic party put on her boss to drop out of the race. When he finally did, Jean-Pierre said she was left 'enraged and heartbroken.' She writes in her memoir that the Democratic Party's abandonment of Biden ultimately led her to become an independent. 'Now the cloud of unease hovering over me solidified into an idea about how I could possibly do something different. How I could channel my disappointment into some kind of concrete action that would allow me to fight for what I believed in without giving blind loyalty to a party I felt no longer deserved it,' Jean-Pierre remembered thinking. 'You know what? I'm going to become an independent,' she continued. 'I don't think I can stomach being in the Democratic Party anymore.' The memoir has been described as an 'urgent, timely analysis' with publisher Hatchette urging Americans to 'vote their values and maintain individuality within party lines.' Jean-Pierre's memoir detailing her decision to part ways with the Democratic Party went on sale this week But some of her former colleagues have hit out at the former press secretary, whom they accused of being a 'grifter' for cashing in with the book. 'I laughed reading her book announcement that claims she presents clear arguments and provocative evidence when our party failed to make a compelling argument for Democrats with her as one of our most visible messenger for three years,' one former Biden administration official told DailyMail.com. 'Probably best to purge the party of our most delusional and self-serving personalities,' the former official added. Another operative told Politico it was 'the most grifty thing Ive seen in a long time, and thats saying something in Washington.' A pair of Los Angeles television anchors watched in horror as a suspected car thief was killed live on-air during a police chase Monday night. Helicopter footage of the near-30-minute chase was being broadcast on KCBS-TV when the suspect was shown emerging from a van in the Mount Washington neighborhood in an apparent attempt to flee. The man is seen hopping over a divider on the 110 Freeway before a car in the opposing lane speeds by, striking him as the camera had zoomed in. 'Whoa, wow! Oh my god! Oh no! Oh no!' weekday anchor Juan Fernandez could be heard saying. 'Stay wide, stay wide, he got hit,' said assignment editor Mike Rogers, instructing the cameraperson to pull back. The feed then cut to the studio, where Fernandez was shown with his mouth open and face frozen, with a hand on his cheek. His co-anchor, Suzie Suh, kept her composure to speak to viewers. 'We just saw the person who was being pursued get out of their car and actually get hit by another speeding car,' she said. Police confirmed the suspect died at the scene. KCBS-TV anchors Juan Fernandez and Suzie Suh were left stunned after live footage from a police chase captured a man being fatally struck on the freeway The suspect, in his 30s, is seen hopping over a divider on the 110 Freeway in Mount Washington before being struck Video: Suspect struck by vehicle while attempting to flee during a stolen vehicle pursuit in Los Angeles, California. (Note: This video may be disturbing.) pic.twitter.com/UVvabGLR04 AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) October 21, 2025 He had not been identified by the county medical examiner as of Tuesday afternoon. A spokesman told the Daily Mail the suspect was a male in his 30s. KTLA reported that he was struck by two vehicles. Members of the Los Angeles Police Department had begun chasing the suspect in Downtown LA shortly after 8.30pm Monday, the LAPD said. The driver refused to pull over the stolen van when ordered to do so by an officer. He eventually led police onto the freeway where he was fatally struck. Animal control were also called to the scene to remove a dog from the inside the van, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The LAPD is handling the investigation. It's now clearer than ever that Rachel Reeves is plotting a tax raid on those who have diligently worked to build wealth. While the Chancellor has ruled out a specific wealth tax in next month's Budget, she has strongly hinted that she will look to tax 'assets' as opposed to 'income'. And that has inevitably spooked anyone with property, pensions, savings and investments. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington last week, the Chancellor said: I do think that those with the broadest shoulders should pay their fair share of tax, and I think you can see that through my actions last year at the Budget. When asked how she would define a wealthy person, Ms Reeves said: Wealth is obviously different from income. So, wealth is not about your annual salary. But how exactly could the Chancellor target our wealth? And will she just go after the genuinely rich, or are millions of middle-class savers, pensioners and homeowners in her sights? Here, with the help of leading tax accountants, we lay out the options available to the Chancellor and how likely they are to be part of a disastrous Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves may target council tax in her upcoming Budget Council tax hikes Reforming existing property taxes has been one of the most openly discussed ways the Chancellor could tax wealth in the Budget. One reason property taxes are on the agenda is that they are hard to dodge, the experts say. Toby Tallon, partner at accountancy firm S&W, says: Any time a Government is needing to reach for a lever to raise more money, property tends to be the one they reach for. He adds: You cant move bricks and mortar out of the country. New council tax bands for high-value properties could be on the table and those with more expensive homes could see council tax bills shoot up. Council tax is charged in bands, from A to H, with most homes graded based on their value in 1991. Local authorities set the specific bills within these bands. Hiking council tax for expensive properties could be done by adding extra levels on top of those existing highest bands. Alternatively, think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies said an extreme move could be to double council tax bills for the top two existing bands, G and H. This would take the average band G and H bill from 3,800 and 4,560 per year to 7,600 and 9,120, respectively. Tinkering with just the top end of council tax is seen as a more likely option at this Budget than revaluing all bands - which is a mammoth undertaking - but it could pave the way for a full overhaul later down the line. New council tax bands would provide a cash injection for local authorities and lower the need for them to seek more money from the Treasury. Toby Tallon, partner at accountancy firm S&W, says there will be a 'very strong temptation' to tinker with council tax bands For this reason, Mr Tallon says: I think there will be a very strong temptation to do it. My hunch is the reason it will be one they go for is that council tax bands have not been assessed since 1991 and the system is ripe for reform anyway. Robert Salter, a director at accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg, says any council tax reform could be sold as targeting the rich. He said: The valuation process for higher-end properties would be time consuming initially and possibly subject to challenges from homeowners. But in ways it would be quite simple to manage from a messaging perspective for the Government, as people basically understand council tax and are, more or less, happy with the system. Raising capital gains tax rates Capital gains tax is charged on profits on assets including shares, investment funds and second homes when they are sold. In last years Budget, the Chancellor launched a tax raid on investors by raising CGT from 10pc to 18pc for basic rate taxpayers, and 20pc to 24pc for higher and additional rate taxpayers. Investors receive an annual tax-free allowance of 3,000 on capital gains. All capital gains are added to other income to decide your income tax banding - and therefore the tax you pay. So those making substantial profits are likely to end up paying higher-rate CGT. Some campaigners want CGT rates to be made level with income tax rates, at 20pc, 40pc and 45pc. This would look like an obvious move - but some experts think it is unlikely the Chancellor will have a second bite. Experts think it is unlikely that Ms Reeves will raise capital gains tax again in her Budget (picture posed by models) This is because HMRC figures have previously indicated that raising the higher CGT rate by 10 percentage points to 34pc would lead to a 2billion decrease in the tax take by the end of Parliament. The reasoning is that investors will actively find ways to avoid paying CGT. Meanwhile, the capital gains tax-free annual allowance was already slashed from 12,300 to 3,000 by former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. For this reason, Mr Tallon says: If the Government were to use HMRC modelling, I would say it is unlikely they would raise CGT again. I think theres not much more they could do with CGT in this Budget. Capital gains tax at death The Chancellor could end something known as the CGT 'uplift' in the Budget, however. The uplift rule currently means gains made on the value of any assets in an estate are wiped out when they are passed over as an inheritance. Only inheritance tax (IHT) is charged, if the estate is large enough to incur it. Everyone gets at least a 325,000 tax-free IHT allowance. Removing the CGT uplift would capture some of the profits made by those whose estates are worth less than the inheritance tax allowance. However, it could mean double taxation for those above it - they will face IHT and CGT in future. Paul Barham, partner at accountancy firm Forvis Mazars, says: I think its possible this is on the Governments radar, but it would be very difficult to implement. It would be up to the executor of the estate to calculate the capital tax gain and report it, which would give them even more work to do, he explains. The Treasury, in turn, would also have more admin as a result, as it would have to oversee and verify this process. Lifetime gifting cap Inheritance tax was a target in Rachel Reeves last Budget. Under changes announced a year ago, unspent pension pots will be pulled into the IHT net from April 2027. Entrepreneurs and farmers also had their exemptions cut. Lucy Woodward, a partner at accountancy firm Saffery, says that ending gifts from surplus income 'could be on the cards' This has sharpened minds, and more families now make gifts to avoid IHT. But there are fears treasured tax-free gifting allowances could now be targeted. Rules limit what you can give away each year without it becoming liable for inheritance tax. Individuals can give away up to 3,000, as many 250 gifts as they like (but only one per recipient), and up to 5,000 for their childs wedding. Gifts above these thresholds are allowed but are only fully exempt from IHT if you survive for seven years after making them. An exemption gaining popularity is making regular gifts out of surplus income, which are fully exempt immediately. To qualify the gift must be made as normal expenditure so made on regular occasion and leave you able to maintain your usual standard of living. An example is a grandparent paying private school fees. Lucy Woodward, a partner at accountancy firm Saffery, says speculation of further changes to IHT includes curbing lifetime gifting rules. Ending gifts out of surplus income could be on the cards, she says. Another way wealth could be taxed is by capping the amount that can be gifted in a lifetime. For example, a cap of 200,000 or 500,000 could be put in place, with tax payable on gifts that exceed the maximum. This is considered unlikely by the accountants, as it would be very complicated to implement and track. Few people keep track of all the gifts they hand over to friends and family over the years. The other lever the Chancellor could pull is extending the seven-year rule on gifting to ten years, according to Ms Woodward. This would mean you'd have to live ten years after making the gift for it to fall outside your estate when it's assessed for IHT. Gifts you make two years before your death are taxed at 40 per cent, while those given three to seven years before your death are taxed on a sliding scale known as taper relief. You would only need to use taper relief if you have already used your tax-free allowance of at least 325,000. Extending the seven-year rule to ten years would catch more people in the IHT net. Pension wealth The pension tax-free lump sum could be a sitting duck in the Budget, experts say. Pension pots can be accessed at 55 rising to 57 from April 2028 and savers can withdraw 25 per cent tax free, up to a maximum of 268,275. Some fear the Chancellor could curb this tax-free amount. Ms Woodward says: It would be easy for the Government to get rid of or reduce the pension tax-free lump sum.' That is because there is already a cap of 268,275 in place, so any change would involve simply lowering that sum. The most likely change would be a lowering of the cap. The Chancellor could say savers can still take 25pc tax-free, but only for a maximum value of 100,000, for example. This would mean that someone with a total pension of 350,000 would still get their full 25 per cent tax-free amount (equal to 87,500), whilst those with a pension fund value of 500,000 would not be able to take their full 25pc, or 125,000, tax-free. The cut-off for getting the full 25pc would be 400,000. A wealth exit tax The very rich often have an international outlook and property and ties across the globe, so leaving the UK is not necessarily a huge leap. There have been reports of a rush of multi-millionaires leaving Britain for more favourable tax treatment in places such as Dubai and Italy, over the past year. Supercar maker Ferrari last week cited the departure of wealthy individuals as playing a part in deciding to send less new cars for sale in the UK. If wealthy people leave the UK, the Treasury loses out on most the taxes they would have paid. They are liable for capital gains when they sell UK property, but pay no other capital gains bill if they remain non-resident in the UK for at least five years. A 2024 report by London School of Economics academics claimed that in the 2023 to 2024 tax year, people leaving the UK cost at least 5 billion in foregone capital gains tax. It called for the UK to bring in an exit tax, similar to one already in place in Australia, Germany, the US, and France. Wealthy people could be forced to pay capital gains on their assets when they leave the UK likely above a threshold such as 1 million. One of the authors, Dr Andy Summers, associate Professor at LSE, said: Charging capital gains tax on people who leave the UK is not about punishing them for leaving. Its simply saying: you need to pay your bill on the way out. Most of the UKs international peers already do this, and there is no reason why the UK couldnt as well. An exit tax could capture some of the wealth of the rich departing and accountants agree the UK is unusual in not attempting to do this. Mr Barham adds: Other countries have this - and its certainly something which is possible in the UK.' Motorists could see their annual household bills rise by 100 if the Chancellor allows the 5p-a-litre fuel duty cut to expire as part of her plan to plug the Government's 51billion fiscal black hole in next month's Autumn Budget. Allowing the duty cut to lapse would lead to higher pump prices but also increase distribution costs for road freight operators, which will push up the price of food and energy, the Road Haulage Association warns. This would trigger a 7.3billion jump in household living costs between now and 2029, it warned. The 5p-a-litre cut was introduced in March 2022 by then Chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of a temporary measure to tackle record high fuel costs at the time, which had been triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The cut took effect at from 23 March and was initially planned to last for 12 months. However, it has remained in place ever since. Rachel Reeves opted to extend the 5p-a-litre cut in last October's Autumn Budget, despite calls from campaigners and some economists to hike the tax. The average household with a car would see their annual bills rise by 100 if the Chancellor allows the 5p-a-litre fuel duty cut to expire in the Autumn Budget Richard Smith, managing director at the RHA, said: 'Diesel costs more here than anywhere else in Europe, and over half of every pound at the pump already goes to Government. 'Road freight transport firms keep shops stocked and building sites running, but they've been squeezed in recent years.' Smith went on to say any increase in fuel duty would be a 'hammer blow' to the road freight industry, which is already being forced to 'operate on tight margins'. Calculations by the RHA estimated that a 5p increase to fuel duty - from 52.95p currently to 57.95p - would push overall consumer prices higher by 0.3 per cent. This would come at an annual increase of 2billion annually for the nation's households. And while the average car-owning family facing paying around 100 extra annually next year if the 5p cut was allowed to expire, this would jump to around 360 by 2029. Families without a car would still face being hit by 255 a year in extra costs in four years, the RHA said. 'We're urging the Government to keep fuel duty frozen. At a time when many budgets are stretched thin by cost-of-living pressures, we need to be honest about the real-world impact of fuel duty increases,' Smith said. The RHA says allowing the 5p fuel duty cut to lapse would lead to higher pump prices and increased distribution costs for road freight operators Sheena McGuinness, co-head of energy and natural resources at audit, tax, and consulting adviser RSM UK, said HMRC figures published today show fuel duty receipts for April to September at 12.2billion - down 26million on the same period last year. She says the decline is largely attributed to the ongoing transition from diesel to electric and hybrid vehicles, with the fuel duty gap continuing to widen on increased EV uptake. 'With oil prices at their lowest level since early 2021, the Chancellor has a timely opportunity to reverse the 5p fuel duty cut and align rates with the Retail Price Index, leveraging favourable market conditions to strengthen public finances,' she said. 'The OBR has already factored both these aspects into its forecasts, meaning that without implementation, the Chancellor will need to find an additional 2.7billion from alternative sources. 'As such, it seems highly likely we will see a change to fuel duties in the forthcoming Autumn Budget.' The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) also urged the Chancellor to both freeze fuel duty and permanently retain the 5p-per-litre rebate on the back of Office of National Statistics data released this week showing that inflation remains high at 3.8 per cent in September, unchanged from August - almost double that of the Government's 2 per cent target. And high fuel prices was one of the key drivers of inflation cited by the ONS. This exceeds the Government's 2 per cent target. The ONS has cited fuel prices as one of the key drivers of inflation. Gordon Balmer, executive director of the PRA, said: 'Forecourts are doing all they can to keep prices as low as possible, despite economic pressures. 'With inflation putting pressure on business, the last thing we need is a rise in fuel duty. We urge the Chancellor to commit to a full freeze on fuel duty and make the 5p-per-litre rebate permanent in the upcoming Budget.' In response to the RHA's statement, an HM Treasury spokesperson told the Daily Mail and This is Money: 'The Chancellor has been clear that at Budget she will strike the right balance between making sure that we have enough money to fund our public services, whilst also ensuring that we can bring growth and investment to businesses.' They added: 'The Chancellor decides tax policy at fiscal events. 'We do not comment on speculation around changes to tax outside of fiscal events.' When confirming the extension to the fuel duty cut for another 12 months in last year's Budget, Ms Reeves said axing it would be the 'wrong choice'. The Chancellor told Parliament in October: 'To retain the 5p cut and to freeze fuel duty again would cost over 3billion next year. 'At a time when the fiscal position is so difficult, I have to be frank with the House that this is a substantial commitment to make. 'I have concluded that in these difficult circumstances - while the cost of living remains high and with a backdrop of global uncertainty - increasing fuel duty next year would be the wrong choice for working people. 'It would mean fuel duty rising by 7p per litre. So, I have today decided to freeze fuel duty next year and I will maintain the existing 5p cut for another year, too. There will be no higher taxes at the petrol pumps next year.' Rachel Reeves opted to extend the 5p-a-litre cut in last October's Autumn Budget, despite calls from campaigners and some economists to hike the tax Former Institute for Fiscal Studies director Paul Johnson criticised the move, saying: 'Almost unbelievably this Government has followed the practice of its predecessor in freezing rates of fuel duties and not allowing the 'temporary' 5p cut to expire, while raising other taxes dramatically and claiming to be focused on tackling climate change.' And the Chancellor will again need to decide whether the fuel duty freeze - in place since 2011 - will be retained moving forward. The Government is set to lose 15billion in motoring tax revenue by 2029 if fuel duty remains frozen, the independent fiscal watchdog has calculated. The combined saving of the 15-year freeze on taxation on petrol and diesel - combined with the 5p cut since 2022 - has resulted in approximately 90billion in lost revenue for the Treasury. Ms Reeves could announce changes to taxation on electric cars in the Autumn Budget. Ministers are expected to make a decision about the Expensive Car Tax currently levied on EVs Could EVs be targeted in the Budget? Reeves next month could potentially take aim at electric vehicles with higher taxation, as she did in the Spring Statement in March. Earlier this year, the Chancellor saw in a Tory policy that requires owners of electric cars to pay vehicle excise duty (VED) - or car tax - for the very first time. And in an added blow, many of this year's EV buyers are also due to be stung by a 425-a-year Expensive Car Supplement (ECS). The ECS is levied on any new model priced at 40,000 and above. It means owners of 40k-plus EVs registered after 1 April 2025 will have the ECS applied for five years in addition to the 195 VED standard rate (paid from the second year) - taking the total annual payout to 620 or 3,100 over the half-decade period. However, in a leaked letter seen by the Daily Mail in May, Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood suggested the 40,000 threshold could be raised - or even axed entirely - for EVs 'to make it easier to buy electric cars' in a decision that could be confirmed next months. Ministers are also facing growing pressure to introduce new levies on EVs to fill the void in fuel taxation left by the transition away from combustion engine cars. The Treasury receives almost 25billion per year from fuel duty, though this will decline dramatically from 2030 when the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars is scheduled to be introduced. As such, the Government is said to be considering several alternative proposals, including a tax on the weight of cars or a pay-per-mile system. Amidst concerns that new levies could stall demand for EVs, reports have suggested that Ministers are mulling an increase to discounts on prices supplied through the tax-payer funded Electric Car Grant, which was only launched this summer. Toyota has unveiled a new 'baby' 4X4 set to go head-to-head with Land Rover's hugely popular Defender from next year. Called the Land Cruiser FJ, it's a shortened version of the Japanese brand's full-size Land Cruiser SUV. At less than 4.6 metres long, the FJ - which stands for Freedom and Joy - is a fraction shorter than its British rival's smallest model, the Defender 90. However, with its boxy proportions, utilitarian looks and big promises of off-roading capabilities, the FJ is primed to steal global sales from Land Rover's most popular car. Bosses this week confirmed it will debut in Japan in the middle of 2026 before making its availability in emerging markets including Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East. But despite its huge appeal to SUV-loving Britons, a Toyota exec has downplayed the proposition of the Land Cruiser FJ arriving in UK showrooms. Toyota has unveiled a new 'baby' 4X4 that's set to go head-to-head with Land Rover's volume-selling Defender from next year. But there's a big catch for fans in Britain... Despite its huge appeal to SUV-loving drivers in the UK, the Land Cruiser FJ may not come The compact 4X4 will makes its official first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show next week. Like the standard Land Cruiser, it features squared-off styling cues, boxy wheel arches and all-round plastic protective cladding - though squeezed into a wheelbase that's 270mm shorter. Despite shaving almost half a metre off the length of its larger sibling, Toyota has retained its five-door setup - which could be a major selling point over the three-door Defender 90. With tape measures at the ready, the Land Cruiser FJ is 4,575mm long, 1,855mm wide, and 1,960mm tall. That makes it 8mm shorter, 153mm narrower, and 11mm lower than the Defender 90. It is also similar in dimension to the new Dacia Bigster. Slide me At less than 4.6 metres long, the FJ (left) is a fraction shorter than the Defender 90 (right). However, with its boxy proportions, utilitarian looks and big promises of off-roading capabilities, the FJ is primed to steal sales from Land Rover's most popular car Land Rover has experienced huge success with its modern Defender, which is now its most popular product The Land Cruiser FJ is 4,575mm long, 1,855mm wide, and 1,960mm tall. That makes it 8mm shorter, 153mm narrower, and 11mm lower than the Defender 90 Slide me Which do you think looks better, the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ (left) or the Land Rover Defender 90 (right)? Let us know in the comments below Under the bonnet is a 2.7-litre petrol engine producing 161bhp - which could be a big pointer towards the FJ not being made available in Britain in its current guise. The full-size Land Cruiser '250 series' - starting from 77,845 - is currently sold only with a 2.8-litre turbodiesel powertrain in the UK, with a diesel hybrid arriving next year. If the FJ is to be sold in Europe, Toyota would too need to fit one of its hybrid engines to meet strict emissions requirements. But that might not be part of the strategy, according to one Toyota exec. Chief engineer Masaya Uchiyama told Automotive News there are currently 'no plans' for the FJ to enter the American or European markets, adding that it will focus primarily on the 'global South'. More details regarding where it will be sold and how much it costs will hopefully be clarified at its full debut in Tokyo in a week's time. To the rear, the design features a contrasting black glass boot door (similar to the original Toyota Aygo and Volkswagen's ID.3 electric hatchback). It swings open to reveal a decent-sized compartment and a large aperture for loading big, heavy items Under the bonnet is a 2.7-litre petrol engine with 161bhp - a hybrid version would likely need to be fitted to pass European emissions standards Like the standard Land Cruiser, it features squared-off styling cues, boxy wheel arches and all-round plastic protective cladding - though squeezed into a wheelbase that's 270mm shorter The FJ will join the Land Cruiser family in Japanese showrooms next year. While Britain currently only has the Land Cruiser 250, a shorter and a longer variant is available in its domestic market While it's availability in Britain remains in question, Toyota has confirmed that the vehicle is being produced in Thailand. This engine in its current pure combustion form is married to a six-speed automatic gearbox and a part-time four-wheel drive system to provide 'outstanding off-road performance' that is 'worthy of a Land Cruiser'. The Japanese marque added: 'During development, extensive off-road testing identified points for improvement to ensure true Land Cruiser-ness reliability, durability, and off-road performance.' This includes an impressive ground clearance of 215.3mm and accessible approach angle up to 31 degrees - on a par with the bigger Land Cruiser. Yet the smaller footprint means it has a turning circle of just 5.5 metres. Additional off-road features include a boot-mounted spare wheel, engine snorkel and roof rack Toyota says the corner bumpers are removable to allow owners to easily swap out damaged parts to 'improve repairability'. It also provides customers with greater customisability so that 'users can enjoy their Land Cruiser in their own unique ways' Despite shaving almost half a metre off the length of the full span of its larger sibling, Toyota has retained its five-door setup - which could be a major selling point over the three-door Defender 90 Chief engineer Masaya Uchiyama told Automotive News there are currently 'no plans' for the FJ to enter the American or European markets, adding that it will focus primarily on the 'global South' Additional off-road features include a boot-mounted spare wheel, engine snorkel and roof rack. As with the conventional Land Cruiser, the FJ will come with the choice of two front end designs - one with a rounded headlight arrangement in a nod to Land Cruisers of old, while the other has a more contemporary pair of light clusters. To the back, the spare wheel is fixed to a contrasting black glass boot door that swings open to reveal a decent-sized compartment and a large aperture for loading big, heavy items. There are some very clever touches, too. Toyota says the corner bumpers are removable to allow owners to easily swap out damaged parts to 'improve repairability'. It also provides customers with greater customisability so that 'users can enjoy their Land Cruiser in their own unique ways'. Simon Humphries (pictured), Toyotas chief branding officer, said the arrival of the FJ will broaden the appeal of the iconic Land Cruiser nameplate to a 'new generation' of buyers As with the conventional Land Cruiser, the FJ will come with the choice of two front end designs - one with a rounded headlight arrangement (right) in a nod to Land Cruisers of old, while the other has a more contemporary pair of light clusters (left) The Land Cruiser would unquestionably be a hit in the UK, which has a love affair with compact SUVs. Last year, the 'multi-purpose' segment became the biggest, outselling superminis for the first time on record. SUVs accounted for 33 per cent of all registrations in 2024 Inside, the cockpit features a large centrally-mounted infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster. However, it hasn't gone too futuristic or minimalist, with chunky dials and buttons for the temperature controls, a switch-laden steering wheel, and stocky gear lever. The dashboard design is equally as boxy as the exterior bodywork, while the cabin materials are hard-wearing plastics in a nod to its workhorse background. The large grab handles on the A-pillars and the sill step are other Land Cruiser trademarks carried over. Speaking at its unveiling this week, Simon Humphries, Toyotas chief branding officer, said the arrival of the FJ will broaden the appeal of the iconic Land Cruiser nameplate to a 'new generation' of buyers - though likely not in the UK, where this car would almost undoubtedly fly out of showrooms, based on current appetite for vehicles of this ilk. Inside, the cockpit features a large centrally-mounted infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster. However, it hasn't gone too minimalist, with chunky dials and buttons for the temperature controls, a switch-laden steering wheel, and stocky gear lever The dashboard design is equally as boxy as the exterior bodywork, while the cabin materials are hard-wearing plastics in a nod to its workhorse background Your browser does not support iframes. In the UK, crossovers and compact SUVs have become the market's biggest driving force. Last year, SUVs were the biggest-selling vehicle type, surpassing superminis for the first time on record. SUVs accounted for 33 per cent of all registrations in 2024, up from just 12 per cent a decade earlier, according to Britain's auto trade body. Land Rover has experienced huge success with its modern Defender since it arrived in 2020 - and it is now officially its most popular product. It sold 115,000 units globally last year. And in the first six months of 2025, it has shifted another 60,000 Defenders around the world, putting it on track to beat the prior years record. Reports suggest a new Defender Sport is in the pipeline too, which will be a smaller version of the Defender 90 and replace the outgoing Discovery Sport. A stunning pre-war Alfa Romeo - one of just 38 ever made - is going under the hammer for 5.5million. The hot red 8C 2900 B Spider, finished in the signature Italian style of Zagato, was manufactured in 1937 and is widely regarded as the most important model in the car maker's history. Described as an 'engineering masterpiece', it is powered by a Grand Prix-derived twin-supercharged 2,905cc eight-cylinder engine. It was also the first road car manufactured with an engine, brakes and a lightweight chassis to be developed in motor racing. And now, it could be the prized addition to one vintage car collector's garage as it heads to auction at RM Sotheby's in Belgravia, west London, on 1 November. The car, which is fitted with a clean red leather interior, has a long and storied history after being constructed at Alfa Romeo's factory in Portello, a district of Milan in the north of Italy. This pre-war Alfa Romeo supercar is going under the hammer for 5.5million in west London It first landed in the hands of Ernst Carstens who ran his family's ceramics business in Elmshorn, north of Hamburg, Germany, before being returned to the Alfa Romeo HQ the following year. It is thought that Carstens may have kept it during the war, as photographs uncovered it with pre-1956 British Zone Hamburg plates at the Nurburgring in 1951. 'By 1952, it was reportedly owned by a film studio in Darmstadt, who sold it to David Holtorf, an American serving in the US Air Force in West Germany,' the lot description explains. 'At this point, it had lost its 2900 engine and was now fitted with a 6C 2500 unit. Holtorf had 412011 shipped to New York before driving it home to Valparaiso, Indiana, a stone's throw from Chicago.' The Alfa Romeo went through 'several hands' in the Chicago area before it was returned to Europe in 1978, where it has remained and received numerous rounds of treatment - including to the bodywork - until the late 2000s. The hot red 8C 2900 B Spider is one of just 38 of the vehicles to have ever been made Described as an engineering masterpiece, it is powered by a Grand Prix-derived twin-supercharged 2,905-cc eight-cylinder It was the first road car made with an engine, brakes and a lightweight chassis in motor racing In July of this year, the car ended up in Jim Stokes Workshops Ltd, a restoration specialist in the town of Waterlooville, around six miles northeast of Portsmouth, where it underwent a 'painstaking engine rebuild'. But it has retained 'a large number of original numbered components throughout' such as its engine crankcase. An extract from the listing adds: 'Many cars claim to benefit from motorsport technology but few can assert such a direct link as Alfa Romeo's 8C 2900 B. 'Only Alfa Romeo's monoposto cars could provide any resistance to Germany's Silver Arrows during the mid-1930s but none of the racing creations from Stuttgart nor Zwichau yielded any technology that transitioned to application on to the public road. 'With the 2900 it was an entirely different approach, with a relatively lightweight chassis featuring fully independent suspension and large drum brakes, all of which had been developed on the race circuit. The rare pre-war Alfa Romeo It could be the prize addition to a vintage car collector's garage as it goes on auction on 1 November The Alfa Romeo went through 'several hands' in the Chicago area before it was returned to Europe in 1978 The car has a long and storied history after being constructed at Alfa Romeo's factory in Portello 'The masterpiece of the car was its engine, which was derived directly from the legendary 1934 Tipo B, also known as the P3, which featured a 2.9-litre double overhead-cam engine with twin-superchargers forcing air and fuel into an eight-cylinder layout. 'Only 38 examples of the 2,900 were produced by Alfa Romeo with fewer known to exist today. 'Some of the most desirable of these are the long chassis Spiders - long being a relative term as the wheelbase was only extended by 20 centimetres but provided the most luxurious platform for a two-seater body.' The car's spare tyre is tucked neatly into the rear of the vehicle with the panel beautifully carved to house it The Alfa Romeo's red exterior is complimented by its leather interior of the same colour The car features a black speedometer which goes up to 240 kilometers per hour (149mph) Tempting car aficionados with the prospect of owning the car, the listing goes on to label the Alfa Romeo as 'magnificent'. It adds: 'The inclusion of one of the 38 into a collection elevates the stable to global prominence, not simply for its rarity or status but rather its position as an engineering masterpiece from one of the most luxurious eras. 'Chassis 412011 will always be a significant example as the only example to be bodied in Germany when new. 'Offered after four decades of enthusiast family ownership, this 8C is a prime contender for entry into driving events, displayed on the Concours circuit, or returned to its original state. 'This beautiful Grand Prix-engined, pre-war supercar will afford its next owner countless opportunities and experiences as the next chapter of its story begins.' Property developer Segro is betting on data centres to power returns next year and beyond, as the AI revolution supercharges demand for critical infrastructure. Segro - which is structured as a real estate investment trust - on Tuesday confirmed it would apply for planning permission for a 'fully fitted' data centre joint venture project 'in the coming weeks'. The group, once Britain's biggest landlord, currently has 34 'powered shell' data centres in its heartland of Slough and London, where tech giant customers such as Amazon equip themselves in return for a lower rent. The other assets of the 8.6billion FTSE 100-listed REIT are mostly urban or 'big box' warehouses, which saw booming demand in the wake of the pandemic. Segro boss David Sleath said the group is also 'progressing multiple negotiations on both powered shells and new fully fitted opportunities in the UK and Continental Europe'. Equinix operates a large campus of data centers on the Segro Slough Trading Estate, which Segro owns Consultancy group McKinsey estimates $7trillion (5.2trillion) will be spent on data centre projects by 2030. Segro has invested 286million across its portfolio so far in 2025, with a total of 400million set to be allocated over the full year. Investments in the third quarter saw Segro add 34,800sqm of new space, bringing in an a 8 million of headline rent, including the completion of its latest powered shell data centre on the Slough Trading Estate. The group also added extra capacity to its land-enabled power bank, including 190MVA of additional power reserved in a key London Availability Zone. 'Our flexibility to offer both powered shell and fully fitted data centres in Europe's prime data centre markets means that this power bank offers significant value creation opportunity,' it said. It came as Segro said it signed 22million of new leases in the quarter, well ahead of last year but keeping this year's total of 53million around 17 per cent behind 2024 levels at this stage. Segro signed 7million of pre-let deals, compared to 3million in the first half, and the group has 45million of future rent either under construction or in advanced negotiations. This has pushed its average development yield the difference between projected net operating income and total development cost from 5.4 to 7 per cent. Sleath said: 'These factors give us confidence in our ability to capture the embedded growth potential in our existing portfolio and build out our exceptional landbank, which provide the opportunity to double our rent roll. 'This will support the delivery of further compound growth in earnings and dividends, with significant further value creation upside from our growing data centre pipeline.' Segro shares were up 2.9 per cent at 692.2p by midmorning on Tuesday, bringing performance to par for the year so far. Oli Creasey, head of property research at Quilter Cheviot, said: 'The industrial/logistics market has settled down post-pandemic, but that isn't to say that demand has fallen particularly. 'Data Centres look likely to be the next leg of the strategy for industrial assets, and landlords (and investors) are looking for exposure to the sub-sector through any means possible. 'Segro is well-placed to take part in this new wave of demand, albeit traditional industrial and logistics is likely to remain the largest part of the company's portfolio for some time to come.' Adam Vettese, market analyst at eToro, added: '[Segro's] data centre strategy is emerging as a powerful growth driver, with new pre lets helping deliver the most productive quarter of development since early 2024 and capacity expansion in key markets like London. 'If execution on the data centre pipeline continues and financing costs ease further, the medium-term trajectory should point higher, with analyst targets near 780p offering potential upside as confidence returns to the property sector.' The maker of Ozempic has been rocked by a boardroom exodus as it struggles to keep up with rivals. Novo Nordisk chairman Helge Lund and six other directors are stepping down, which is also behind weight-loss drug Wegovy, after a dispute with its largest shareholder. The shake-up comes as the Danish group faces fierce competition from US rival Eli Lilly, whose Mounjaro and Zepbound fat jabs are gaining market share. Novo shares fell 1.4 per cent, taking losses since last years peak to 65 per cent. The companys board has been embroiled in a dispute with its controlling shareholder, the non-profit Novo Nordisk Foundation. Novo said yesterday it had failed to come to an agreement with the investor over the make-up of its board. Lund, who is also due to step down as BPs chairman after pressure from activist investors, said: Following dialogue with the Novo Nordisk Foundation regarding the future composition of the board of directors, it has not been possible to reach a common understanding. Fat fight: Novo Nordisk Chairman Helge Lund (pictured) and six other directors are stepping down from the company following a dispute with its largest shareholder He will officially leave at an extraordinary general meeting on November 14, when a new chairman will be appointed. The foundation has proposed five candidates, including its head Lars Rebien Sorensen, who was the drug makers chief executive from 2000 through 2016. Sorensen insisted that this was not a coup and that he would step down in two to three years if selected. But it is the latest episode of the foundation exercising control after it pushed for the resignation of Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, who was ousted from his position as chief executive in May. Investors have been rattled this year after profit warnings following the rising popularity of Eli Lillys jabs. Although Zepbound was launched more than two years after Wegovy, prescriptions of the Eli Lilly drug outstrip those of Novos blockbuster. Zepbound is marketed as Mounjaro in the UK where it has been dubbed the King Kong of slimming jabs. Booming sales of Ozempic helped make Novo the most valuable listed company in Europe in 2024. It was worth around 460billion in June 2024 but is valued at around 140billion. Denmarks fiscal watchdog warned that Novos decline could further dampen consumer confidence in the country. The Bank of England has ordered a stress test of the shadow banking sector after the sudden collapse of two US firms raised fears that much bigger problems were lurking in the financial system. Bank Governor Andrew Bailey said alarm bells were ringing over risky lending in the unregulated private credit market after the failure of car parts maker First Brands and sub-prime auto lender Tricolor. Speaking to peers on the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, Bailey drew parallels with the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. He said: We certainly are beginning to see, for instance, what used to be called slicing and dicing and tranching of loan structures going on, and if you were involved before the financial crisis then alarm bells start going off at that point. Peers are looking at the growth of so-called private credit markets finance provided to large businesses outside of normal bank lending or the issuing of publicly traded shares or bonds. They have become a vital source of funding for consumers and businesses as traditional banks have retreated from riskier lending since the financial crisis. Warning: Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey (pictured) said 'alarm bells' were ringing over risky lending in the unregulated private credit market But there are concerns that loose lending by private equity firms and hedge funds could pose a systemic risk to the wider financial sector because shadow banking is unregulated. Highlighting the interconnections with mainstream banks, Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said: We can see the vulnerabilities here, the opacity, the leverage, the weak underwriting standards. HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP Best investment platforms: How to choose the right one for you Appearing alongside Bailey, she added: We can see parallels with the global financial crisis. What we dont know is how macro-significant those issues are. Bank shares fell sharply last week on fears that more companies who rely heavily on private finance could collapse. Mainstream banks are also potentially exposed because they provide credit to non-banks in the form of loans and other funding. Bailey said the Bank planned to conduct a system-wide exploratory scenario with banks, insurers, private equity companies, pension fund investors and other non-bank lenders. The collapse of First Brands and Tricolor was another reason to have more drains up, frankly, he added. The war-gaming exercise will be similar to last years review of financial risks in core UK financial markets. Following that exercise Bailey revealed he had urged some mainstream British banks to get their act together, hopefully before it is too late in working out what their exposure was to private markets. I think that has now happened, he said. It was a surprise to find for some of them how far back they were in terms of being able to aggregate their exposures. More details on how much UK banks are exposed to private credit is expected today when Barclays posts latest results. It will be followed by Lloyds tomorrow and NatWest on Friday. Bailey did not rule out widening the Banks powers if the shadow banking review found there was a risk to the financial system from private credit. He said the issue could also be escalated to the Financial Stability Board, which he chairs, for cross-border collaboration. The Bank is expected to complete its non-bank review by the end of next year. Nuisance neighbours cause frustration and anguish across the country. But some areas are much worse than others, analysis for Money Mail shows. The UK is riddled with nuisance hotspots, where antisocial behaviour such as making excessive noise and fly-tipping are particularly prevalent. Our analysis calculates a score out of ten for how bad nuisance neighbours are in each local authority in England. The higher the score, the worse the neighbours. The score is calculated using several datasets, including overall crime rate, number of antisocial behaviour offences, noise complaints made to the council, fly-tipping incidents and evictions per 1,000 residents. The data was compiled by cash house buyer Sell House Fast using data sources from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Local Government Association and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Check our table to see if yours is one of the best or worst areas for nuisance neighbours or go to dailymail.co.uk/neighbours for the full interactive map of all areas in England. But what if you have problems with a neighbour or want to find out if neighbours could be a problem before you move into a property? Money Mail has asked experts for their top tips. Your browser does not support iframes. Stay cool if you can A gripe with a neighbour is best dealt with on friendly terms and talking face-to-face if possible. Money Mail columnist and consumer rights lawyer Dean Dunham says: With neighbour disputes, first see if you can resolve the matter amicably. Just having a chat often solves issues. If you go straight to a council or the police to complain, you may escalate a problem so it becomes worse. Speaking to a neighbour can diffuse a situation they might not even have been aware of. Remember to keep records If problems cannot be resolved with a friendly conversation, consider contacting the local authority to report it. Dunham says: A statutory nuisance is where, in the case of neighbours, stress or harm is caused. This could be unreasonable, excessive and substantial interference with the enjoyment of a property. Noise can do this. You can go to your local authority and tell them. They have an obligation to investigate. He adds: If you go down this route always gather evidence, such as videos, noise recordings and witness statements. These must be dated as local authorities like to see how often a nuisance occurs. To satisfy a test it must be deemed frequent perhaps two, three or four times a week. If successful, the council may issue an abatement notice. If a neighbour does not comply, they could be issued with a fine. Complaints can be a sale issue When selling your property, you are legally required to tell potential buyers of neighbour disputes that have been formally reported to local authorities. This must be disclosed on a formal TA6 form you must fill in as part of conveyancing. Failure could lead to you being taken to court and sued for thousands of pounds. There is a risk that this could put off some buyers. You may wish to explain the circumstances to potential buyers, for example reassure them if it is no longer a problem or the neighbours in question have moved away. You can also contact the local authority and ask them for a record of any noise complaints in the postcode where you are hoping to buy a home. Dont just rely on the council If a council decides not to take action against a neighbour for antisocial behaviour, a solicitor could help you take a complaint to court if you can show your neighbour has caused significant harm. This might be, for example, if you are trying to sell a house and it is jeopardising the sale. Taking professional advice is vital and you may find there is no need to go to court once a lawyer is involved. Dunham says: Most problematic neighbours will be swayed by receiving a formal solicitors letter. Document fly-tipping Fly-tipping is illegal. If you spot someone in the act, take photos, including vehicle registration plate details, and report the crime to the police. But dont do it if it puts you in danger. Council websites often offer details of recent fly-tipping and this can help you find out if you might be moving to an area blighted with rubbish problems. Visit gov.uk/report-flytipping to find out more details of who you should contact. Check the areas crime details If you are thinking about moving to an area, you can find out about crime levels in the postcode by visiting websites police.uk and crimerate.co.uk. These sites break down the type of crime everything from bicycle theft to shoplifting, to criminal damage and burglary, with figures taken from sources such as the police and ONS. Vary visit times before you move It always makes sense to visit an area where you might like to live at different times of the day and night to check on traffic noise levels, loud neighbours and potential problems, such as barking dogs and noisy groups of people leaving pubs or restaurants late at night. Knock on neighbours doors explaining you are considering moving to the area and ask about any issues you should be aware of. This is also a good chance to assess whether they are the kind of people you might like to live next to. A friendly chat with the barman at the local pub might also provide interesting revelations, while local social media groups, such as can be found on Facebook, can offer insight about what is going on in the area and any antisocial problems you should be aware of. All hours: It makes sense to visit an area where you might like to live at different times of the day and night to check on traffic noise levels, loud neighbours and potential other problems Neighbourhood Watch advice Details of your local organisation can be found at ourwatch.org.uk. These groups not only offer guidance, but membership can have a positive effect on bringing down crime in the area as burglars are more wary of areas where such schemes mean extra vigilance. Neighbourhood Watch does not necessarily indicate a crime problem but can actually reveal a friendly and socially aware community. In rural areas, parish councils are also worth contacting for this type of information. I was constantly afraid of what would happen next Elana Anthony, 29, knew nothing about the area she was moving to in 2020 with her former partner and his children. The content writer moved to a rented terraced house in Nelson, Lancashire, in 2020, but problems with neighbours soon became apparent. 'Before moving, I did not know what the town or my new neighbours would be like', Elana said. Elana claims it quickly became apparent that living in the area would be extremely challenging. Moved out: Elana Anthony endured nightmare neighbours while living in a rental property She said: 'Our alleyway connected two streets of houses, and there were only low gates and fences separating the yards, so we were right on top of the house opposite. 'The rent was dirt cheap in the area, which I guess is how a group of middle-aged drug addicts lived together in the nuisance home nearby.' Elana claims neighbours from the 'nuisance' home would pinch their wheelie bins, and throw bottles into their yard and the public alleyway, with police frequently being called round to the property. She said: 'One of the people from the nuisance house was always shouting, screaming and swearing in ear shot of my former partner's children.' Over time, Elana become worn down by the nightmare neighbours. She told the Daily Mail: 'I was just constantly afraid of what might happen next, afraid to look at anyone the wrong way or accidentally offend them, and the noise often woke me up at night. It affected every aspect of my life and I was embarrassed to have anyone come and visit my house.' Elana said she did not feel able to report the nuisance neighbours due to their unpredictable behaviour and her fear of reprisals. Elana and her former partner started at looking to move to a quieter area. However, towards the end of 2022, their landlord decided to sell the property they were living in. She told the Daily Mail: 'I went back to my hometown in Manchester and it was a massive relief to move out of Nelson and out of that house. Fortunately, I have much better neighbours now.' The neighbours smoke weed and our flat stinks Caitlin, a 26-year-old living in Manchester, endures daily disruption caused by neighbours in her block of flats. She said: 'The couple living below us smoke weed all day long, and the smell carries through our entire apartment, which is unpleasant. 'It's embarrassing when family come over. We have to close the windows when the smell is really strong, even if it means the apartment gets too hot in the summer months.' Caitlin believes this kind of nuisance, while in her view, 'part of city living', could discourage buyers and potentially reduce demand for homes in the area among buyers and tenants. Fortunately for Caitlin, the problematic neighbours are moving out soon. Otherwise, Caitlin said, she would have had to consider moving. Our neighbours finally got evicted Jac, 30, a senior graphic designer, from Cumbria, lives with constant rows and disputes coming from his next door neighbour. 'Other neighbours, as well as the building management, have, as we have, complained to the neighbours' estate agents', Jac said. He added: 'After a frustratingly long time, the neighbours have finally been served with an eviction notice. However, to date, they have refused to leave.' As well as constant domestic disturbances, Jac is also concerned about a large dog living at the neighbour's property. Jac said: 'They have an aggressive, large dog that has reportedly bitten other residents in the building. This is worrying for my partner and I as we share a corridor to get in and out of our flat, so we have to avoid bumping into them.' He added: 'It's affected our social life as we don't like having friends or family over in case of an incident happening. We currently rent the property, but before the neighbours moved in, our landlord offered to sell the property to us. We were considering it, but not anymore.' Jac thinks police and councils should have more options for dealing with nuisance and anti-social neighbours. He believes repeat offenders could, for example, be charged higher council tax which they could reduce once completing community service. It's been more than 30 years, but the date has finally been set: September 30, 2026. That's when Christa Gail Pike - who, at age 20, became the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in the United States - is scheduled to be executed for the horrifying, ritualistic murder of her classmate, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. For Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, the wait has been agonizing. After decades of appeals and delays, she told the Daily Mail she was certain she'd die before seeing her daughter's killer face justice. 'It's been a long time coming,' Martinez said. 'This has had a huge impact on my life. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't relive this nightmare. 'And I hope and pray that she does get executed, that there's no more setbacks, because I'll be there, front row, to watch her take her last breath and then I can start living again.' Martinez's world came to a halt on January 13, 1995. She returned home to Jacksonville, Florida, and found a message on her answering machine from Randy York, a detective in Knoxville, Tennessee. There had been an incident near the Job Corps campus, where Slemmer was studying computer programming. Martinez and her husband, Slemmer's stepfather, feared the worst. 'Colleen is dead,' he grimly speculated - he was right. But even their darkest imaginations could not have conceived the sheer horror of what the teen had endured. Christa Gail Pike (pictured), now 49, was the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in March 1996. Earlier this month, her execution date was set by a judge For months, Slemmer had been terrorized by Pike, then 18. That winter, after Slemmer innocently waved at Pike's boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, in the hallway, Pike became convinced she was trying to steal him away. She began smearing Slemmer's name, calling her a 'slut' and spreading vicious rumors through the dorms, warning her to stay away from Shipp - or else. Slemmer couldn't make sense of the false accusations or Pike's escalating hostility. With nowhere else to turn, she reported the harassment to school officials, who investigated the claims and warned Pike - a frequent troublemaker - that any further complaints would get her expelled. Pike played the role of the innocent angel convincingly, former classmates have shared, denying Slemmer's allegations and promising to make a fresh effort to befriend her andcds put the misunderstanding behind them. But by then, Pike and Shipp were already in the grip of something darker. The teenage lovers were obsessed with the occult. They bragged about dabbling in Satanism and praying before a makeshift shrine in Shipp's dorm room. Colleen Slemmer (pictured) was 19-years-old when Pike and two classmates lured her to her death in Knoxville, Tennessee Colleen Slemmer's mom, May Martinez (pictured), told the Daily Mail her 30-year wait to see Pike face justice has been excruciating. She's planning on being front row for the execution, holding up a picture of her daughter Pike (pictured) told police she killed Slemmer because she thought she was trying to steal her boyfriend. Pike was into Satanic worship at the time In the weeks that followed, Pike's jealousy and fascination with the macabre deepened. When school resumed after Christmas break, a sadistic urge overcame Pike that she felt compelled to act upon. 'That little whore has to be taught a lesson,' she told Shipp in January 1995, according to court records. Pike then enlisted the help of another friend, Shadolla Peterson, 18, to lure Slemmer to an abandoned steam mill - close enough to campus to walk to, but far enough away that no one could hear the screams. Late on January 12, Pike approached Slemmer with what seemed like a truce, asking if she wanted to smoke marijuana with her as a peace offering. Hoping to bury the hatchet, a relieved Slemmer accepted. Together with Shipp and Peterson, the group signed out of their dormitory and disappeared into the darkness toward the mill. Once deep enough into the forest, Pike unleashed a tirade of insults on Slemmer, accusing her once again of trying to sleep with her boyfriend, police records and court transcripts show. Slemmer denied it, and Pike knocked her to the ground with a knee to the face. From her pocket, Pike pulled out a meat cleaver and a boxcutter, waving the weapons in Slemmer's face, demanding a confession. Slemmer was ordered to remove her shirt, and over the next 40 minutes, Pike stabbed her more than 100 times, slashing her throat as she pleaded for her life, Pike would later admit. Pike (pictured) stabbed Slemmer more than 100 times, cutting her throat seven times with a boxcutter Pike was assisted by her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp (left), and their classmate Shadolla Peterson (right) She and Shipp then carved a large pentagram on Slemmer's chest and forehead with a knife, giving her the mark of the devil. Pike later told investigators she grew frustrated when Slemmer refused to die. Pike can be heard confessing to police in a recorded interrogation hours after her arrest: 'I said, "Colleen, do you know who is doing this to you?" She was just going, "ah, ahhh." I told her to shut up.' As Slemmer lay fighting for breath, Pike picked up a large chunk of asphalt and smashed it against her victim's head numerous times, killing her. She then reached into Slemmer's head wound, removed a piece of her skull, and slipped it into her jacket pocket to keep as a trophy, police records show. When the trio returned to campus, Pike appeared to be in the throes of a manic high, classmates told investigators. She allegedly confessed to one classmate, dancing in a circle as she recounted the crime, and pulled out the piece of Slemmer's skull as proof. 'And if you tell anyone, I'll kill you too,' Pike allegedly warned her. The next morning, Slemmer's body was found in the woods, nude from the waist up, with her blood-soaked clothes hanging from branches above her. A giggling Pike turned up at the crime scene, asking police what was going on - and if they had any suspects. Slemmer was a proud 'computer nerd' who spent her free time tinkering with technology and volunteering with disabled children, her mom said. Pictured: Slemmer as a child Pike caved Slemmer's skull (above) in with a piece of asphalt after more than 30 minutes of torture. She took a piece of her skull as a trophy and later showed it off to classmates Slemmer's family remembers her as a gentle and kind girl who was a friend to everyone It wasn't long before she, Shipp, and Peterson were identified as the culprits. The dormitory logbook showed the three signing out with Slemmer the night before, and that Slemmer never returned. Hours before the murder, Martinez received a call from her daughter. 'These kids won't leave me alone,' she remembered her saying. Martinez couldn't understand it - Slemmer was everyone's friend, a computer geek who loved tinkering with technology and spent her free time volunteering with disabled children. She had planned to call her daughter back later to talk things through, but when she tried at 9.30pm, the line rang unanswered. By then, Slemmer had already been lured to her death. 'Hearing what happened to her was so difficult,' Martinez told the Daily Mail. 'Even harder was seeing images of her body - her new Christmas coat, her sneakers. You don't believe it's real, because you don't expect to see your child like that. It's a nightmare we've relived every day since.' Pike was tried in March 1996. The jury swiftly convicted her and sentenced her to death by electric chair. After sentencing, she wrote to Shipp, blaming Slemmer and boasting about the killing: 'Ya see what I get for tryin' to be nice to the hoe? I went ahead and bashed her brains out so she'd die quickly...' Pike signed the letter, 'Lil Devil.' Shipp was convicted the following year - but, because he was only 17 at the time, he was tried as a juvenile and escaped the death penalty. Now 47, he is serving life with the chance of parole - his first hearing was on October 8. Peterson, meanwhile, received only a six-year suspended sentence after agreeing to testify against Pike and Shipp. Pike (left) was tried in March 1996. The jury swiftly convicted her and sentenced her to death Shipp (left) was convicted to life with parole. His first hearing was on Wednesday. Peterson (right), meanwhile, received only a six-year suspended sentence Martinez said she is horrified at the prospect of Shipp being released but hopes the end is finally near for Pike, now 49. If she is executed next September as scheduled, she will become the first woman put to death in Tennessee in almost 200 years. Pike's attorneys have filed numerous appeals, asking a judge to commute her sentence based on her age and 'severe mental illness at the time of her crime.' They claimed Pike endured childhood sexual abuse and suffers from bipolar disorder, something that wasn't discovered until years after her arrest. 'With time and treatment... Christa has become a thoughtful woman with deep remorse for her crime,' her attorneys wrote in a statement last week. In a recent letter to The Tennessean, Pike took full responsibility for the murder and claimed she has 'changed drastically' in the years since. 'It sickens me now to think that someone as loving and compassionate as myself could commit such a crime,' Pike wrote. The piece of Slemmer's skull kept by Pike has still not been returned to the family. Pictured: Slemmer as a child Martinez is desperate to lay her daughter to rest after three painful decades. Pictured: A physical memorial for Slemmer Martinez doesn't believe it. She told the Daily Mail she thinks someone capable of committing such an atrocious act can never be reformed and is beyond salvation. Martinez said she plans to be front row for Pike's execution, holding up a picture of Slemmer to ensure it is the last thing Pike sees before closing her eyes for good. 'It doesn't give me satisfaction whether she's killed or not, but if she's alive, I know she'll hurt someone else or kill again, so I'll take comfort knowing she can't,' Martinez told the Daily Mail. For now, Martinez remains focused on recovering the missing fragment of her daughter's skull - the piece Pike kept as a sick trophy. She has spent 30 years pleading with officials for its return, only to be told last month they can no longer locate it. 'It's been 30 years,' she said. 'All I want now is to have every part of my daughter back together and finally let her rest. 'It's the least she deserves.' A hulking Special Forces trainer has become the face of Donald Trump's renewed fitness-focused military. And as he backed the White House's 'no fatties' crackdown, he said out-of-shape troops should get the boot. Military fitness trainer Scott Dalrymple told the Daily Mail the introduction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's new fitness standards is a 'positive start' - but he would take it even further. Dalrymple was referencing a headline-grabbing speech Hegseth gave in September, where he hauled the military's top brass into a meeting to declare that he was 'tired of seeing fat troops.' 'The military is creating that culture of fitness,' Dalrymple told the Daily Mail, adding he felt the level of overall fitness among combat forces had declined in recent years. The competitive strongman and drill sergeant said the issues began with a test that was first introduced to the military in 2020. He claimed it took to years for the test to be fully implemented as troops were given a grace period and didn't have to pass during that time. 'It brought in a lack of standards,' he said. Dalrymple made headlines in February when he starred in a military recruitment advertisement that went live shortly after Trump's inauguration. In the ad, he performed feats of strength and said, 'Stronger people are harder to kill.' The commercial was quickly compared to woke recruitment drives under the Biden administration. Hulking Special Forces officer Scott Dalrymple, who starred in a high-octane recruitment advert, has been praised as the new face of the no-nonsense US military under Trump Dalrymple told the Daily Mail that the introduction of Pete Hegseth's new fitness standards is a 'positive start' - but he would take it further after standards lapsed in recent years Dalrymple claimed the fitness objectives of the new test were shockingly easy. It is based on five exercises: a three repetition maximum deadlift, pushups, a sprint-drag-carry event with a 90lb sled across 25 meters, a plank hold and a two-mile run. Troops in combat roles would only need to perform ten pushups and hold a maximum three rep deadlift of 150lbs - which drops to 120lbs for females, according to the military's website. For the sprint-drag-carry event, troops must sprint 25 meters down and back, drag a 90lb sled the same distance, perform a lateral shuffle down and back, carry two 40lb kettlebells the same distance, and sprint down and back one last time. Combat-facing recruits have two minutes and 28 seconds to complete the course. Troops between the ages of 17 and 21 must hold a plank for one minute and 30 seconds, a standard that is reduced to just one minute and ten seconds for troops over 36. The standard time for the two-mile run section is set at 19 minutes and 57 seconds for 17 to 21-year-old males, and gets bumped up to 22 minutes and 55 seconds for women. Dalrymple said US military recruits should have a far higher level of fitness than that test, 'especially for combat troops.' 'Anybody should be able to do ten pushups,' he said. Dalrymple spoke days after Hegseth stepped in to replace overweight National Guard troops in Chicago after a viral photo showed the Guardsmen, from Texas, spilling out of their uniforms Hegseth's speech divided opinions as he said higher standards may exclude women from certain roles: 'If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it.' While some criticized Hegseth for the approach, Dalrymple said raising fitness standards has been a long time coming for the military, regardless of gender. 'Whether you're a man or a woman, if you can't meet the standards then that's how it is,' he said. 'There will still be plenty of women that can pass.' The Army also has weight-for-height standards - for example, a male soldier aged 17 to 20 who is 5ft 10in can weigh no more than 178lbs. If a soldier fails to meet this standard, a body fat percentage calculation - which also takes into account their abdominal circumference - will decide whether they are still eligible to enlist. Dalrymple spoke days after Hegseth stepped in to replace overweight National Guard troops in Chicago after a viral photo showed the Guardsmen, who were from Texas, spilling out of their uniforms. Hegseth deemed the troops unfit and sent them back to Texas. He shared the move in an X post which read: 'Standards are back.' Dalrymple had been lauded by conservatives earlier this year for his strongman advertisement, which made him the face of the military's new, no-nonsense era. On his social media, the Special Forces officer regularly shares videos of himself powerlifting and performing strongman training routines Dalrymple joined the Army in 2008 and enlisted into the 82nd Airborne Division, where he went on two tours of Afghanistan as a squad automatic weapons gunner A father-of-two, Dalrymple went on to fill a number of roles following his tours of Afghanistan, including as a drill sergeant, jumpmaster and fitness instructor On his social media, Dalrymple regularly shares videos of himself powerlifting and performing strongman training routines, including competing in competitions where athletes perform a variety of strength tests and exercises including stone lifting, deadlifts, yoke walks and overhead pressing with unwieldy objects. One of his recent posts showed his celebration after winning the 2025 Rocky Mountain Strength Games, during which he won an event with a 430lb bench press. A father-of-two, Dalrymple joined the Army in 2008 and enlisted into the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he went on two tours of Afghanistan as a squad automatic weapons gunner. After completing his combat deployments, Dalrymple took on a variety of roles in the military, including as a drill sergeant, jumpmaster, infantry platoon sergeant and fitness instructor. Soon after his advertisement aired, Hegseth announced that the US Army hit its highest recruitment figures in more than a decade. A wealthy bull terrier breeder slammed his $400,000 Rolls-Royce into two women crossing the street in a 'rage-fueled' attack, a lawsuit has alleged. Robert Knox Thomas, 79, was speeding through downtown Napa, California, when he ran a stop sign and struck two pedestrians, according to the civil suit filed Tuesday. Surveillance footage showed Annamarie Thammala and Veronnica Pansanouck about to step onto the sidewalk when the SUV turned onto the street and crashed into them. Thammala, 29, was thrown into the air, slammed into a building and crushed beneath a tree that had been severed by the car, the complaint stated. Pansanouck, 31, was allegedly dragged and pinned underneath the Rolls-Royce before it crashed into a nearby restaurant. The pair were left with 'catastrophic injuries' that will require 'lifelong medical care' because of Thomas's alleged 'rage, aggression, and a deliberate disregard for human life,' their lawsuit alleged. Thomas, a leading member of the worldwide bully breeding community, was cited for three traffic violations in connection to the crash, but has no chance of serving jail time because the offences are not considered crimes. He has dodged service of the lawsuit and is 'hiding behind the gates of his private estate in an attempt to avoid responsibility,' the plaintiff's attorney told the Daily Mail. Thomas is no stranger to the courtroom and has been named in multiple cases in Texas, including an ongoing mutli-million dollar divorce battle with his former wife. Bull terrier breeder Robert Knox Thomas, 79, (pictured with his dog) deliberately slammed his $400,000 Rolls Royce into two women crossing the street in a road rage attack, a lawsuit has alleged Surveillance footage showed Annamarie Thammala and Veronnica Pansanouck about to step onto the sidewalk when the SUV turned onto the street and ran them over Thammala, 29, was thrown into the air, slammed into a building and crushed beneath a tree that had been severed by the car, the complaint stated. Pansanouck, 31, was allegedly dragged and pinned beneath the Rolls-Royce before it crashed into a nearby restaurant Thomas had been driving to a nearby UPS store to pick up packages for his wife Grace just moments before the November 25, 2024, crash, the complaint filed in Napa County Superior Court on Tuesday stated. He allegedly became frustrated when he was unable to find a parking space, with witnesses claiming he circled the block multiple times in his 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV. He was seen revving his engine repeatedly and moved the vehicle back and forth for 'no apparent reason', according to the complaint obtained by the Daily Mail. He then screeched his tires and accelerated down the street while 'looking angry', the suit alleged. Witnesses claim he was pointing at pedestrians in a threatening manner, with his 'index finger extended and his thumb raised like a gun.' Thomas was seen 'driving in the wrong lane, swerving back and forth', and even 'burned rubber' as he drove toward the intersection and plowed his 6,000-pound vehicle into Thammala and Pansanouck, the suit alleged. The victims were 'violently struck' as they were 'lawfully crossing' the street in a 'clearly marked crosswalk', the complaint claimed. Thomas drove 'recklessly, dangerously, and with a conscious disregard for the rights and safety of others' as he sped down the street and into the intersection, the suit added. The suit accuses Thomas of negligence and inflicting emotional distress on the duo and their companions. It also alleges that his actions caused the victims to sustain serious bodily injuries, pain and suffering. Thomas has dodged service of the lawsuit and is 'hiding behind the gates of his private [Napa] estate in an attempt to avoid responsibility,' the plaintiff's attorney told the Daily Mail. Pictured is the home associated with Thomas's last known address 'Defendant's conduct was not the result of inattention, distraction, or mistake,' the complaint alleges. 'It was the culmination of rage, aggression, and a deliberate disregard for human life.' Witnesses said Thomas appeared 'angry and aggressive' and was 'driving his Rolls-Royce as though it were an instrument of intimidation and power.' They also described the speed of the SUV as 'pedal to the metal.' The crash left Thammala, who suffered multiple fractures and a spinal injury, paralyzed from the waist down, according to complaint. Pansanouck suffered spinal fractures in her back and legs and underwent multiple surgeries. The pair also endured medical expenses, loss of earnings and diminished earning capacity, the complaint alleged. Thomas is understood to have suffered minor injuries in the crash. Pansanouck's sisters, Erica Kalah and Colicia Pansanouk - who spells her last name differently - were crossing the street at the same time and witnessed the crash. Kalah and Pansanouk, both plaintiffs in the case, allege they suffered severe emotional trauma after witnessing the incident. Police did not cite Thomas, a resident of Napa County whose last known address was at a $7 million estate, for any traffic violations until seven months after the crash. He was issued infractions for exceeding the speed limit, failing to stop at a stop sign and causing a collision with great bodily injury. Thomas's Rolls-Royce crashed into a nearby restaurant, damaging the exterior of the building Witnesses said Thomas appeared 'angry and aggressive' and was 'driving his Rolls-Royce as though it were an instrument of intimidation and power,' according to the lawsuit. Pictured is damage to the restaurant that Thomas allegedly hit with his SUV Thomas cooperated with police during their investigation, The Press Democrat reported. He provided a blood sample and was interviewed by officers. Following their 'lengthy investigation', the Napa Police Department determined that Thomas mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brake when he ran the stop sign. He continued to drive down the road at speeds of up to 39mph, despite the area having a 20mph limit, the investigation found. He then 'unintentionally struck the victims' while trying to avoid crashing into a restaurant, officers said. His SUV was ultimately stopped when it hit a building. Police determined drugs, alcohol, medical conditions or vehicle malfunction did not contribute to the crash. Thomas pled not guilty to the traffic citations. His trial is scheduled for December 15. He was cited by Napa police again in March this year, just four months after the crash, for allegedly turning right at a stoplight without coming to a stop. Thomas pleaded not guilty in the case with his lawyer arguing that his dogsitter had been driving at the time, according to the Press Democrat. The citation was dismissed in July but Thomas was cited the next day for making an illegal turn at a red light, court records showed. He pled guilty to that offense. Thomas, originally from Dallas, faces the civil suit over the Napa crash amid a nasty divorce battle with his former wife Dannye Butler. Butler filed for divorce in December 2016, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail. She accused Thomas of violently assaulting her during an argument in their marital home just one month later, a probable cause affidavit revealed. Robert and Grace Thomas met in 2015. They had a mutual love for bull terriers and were married in 2018 Butler alleged that the pair were arguing but the altercation escalated when Thomas allegedly punched her multiple times in the face, before pushing her to the ground. She managed to flee and call 911, the affidavit stated. When officers arrived, Butler had blood on her face and a split lip, according to the document. Thomas was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury and family violence. He was found innocent at a jury trial, the county court docket showed. Butler requested a temporary restraining order during the divorce battle, an amended complaint revealed. She alleged that Thomas relocated to California without leaving a forwarding address, abandoned his five dogs and was actively trying to drag out his court ordered obligations, according to the filing. She forced the sale of their Dallas area home for a price of $7.5 million and requested $10,000 per month in alimony for 102 months. She also sought more than $1 million in damages from Thomas, alleging he was delinquent on their joint bills and did not reimburse her for the sale of their joint property. Butler further alleged that Thomas 'indicated and displayed an intent to make Dannye's financial life miserable and unpredictable.' The couple were granted a divorce in May 2017 and ultimately reached a settlement in court. However, their legal battle remains ongoing today. Thomas filed a petition in August to contest the settlement, alleging that Butler hid their pre-nuptial agreement in an effort to secure a better deal in the divorce. At the time of the divorce, Thomas was unable to locate the prenup, so he negotiated a settlement, the filing stated. But he alleges the agreement did exist and that Butler, in a malpractice suit filed against her attorney, revealed she had intentionally concealed it. A source familiar with the divorce proceedings dismissed Thomas's allegations against Butler, telling the Daily Mail that the existence of the prenup was never in question. The insider alleged that lawyers for both Thomas and Butler knew about the agreement and had open discussions about the tax implications of a prenup-governed divorce versus a normal divorce. Thomas, originally from Dallas, faces the civil suit over the Napa crash amid a nasty divorce battle with his former wife Grace Thomas (top center) at the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York with her dog Vinny after he won his breed's category Thomas married his current wife Grace, who was an active member of the bull terrier community, three years after they met in the show ring at a 2015 competition where he was a judge. 'He fell in love with my dog,' Grace told Associated Press in 2020. About a year after that 2015 show, the two started talking about dogs, 'and it just grew from there,' she added. Thomas - who used to tease Grace by telling her 'I only started dating you because I wanted your dog' - called their relationship 'the best thing that ever happened to me.' Thomas joined the breeding world in 1973 and is now considered to be a leading figure within the global community, his BullyGanza biography stated. He co-founded the Bull Terrier Club of Dallas and eventually became the youngest president of the organization's national club. He has been a licensed competition judge since 1979 and has bred or owned more than 25 champion bull terriers. Grace fell in love with bull terriers in the late 1980s after seeing them featured in Bud Light ads, but did not purchase one until 2011. Attorneys for Butler did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Thomas does not have listed legal representation in connection to the civil case and his divorce lawyers did not reply to requests for comment. Calls to phone numbers associated with Thomas and Grace went unanswered. The Daily Mail messaged Grace on social media, who in return blocked our reporter. When Daniel Forrester first met Caroline Sarpong on a dating app in January 2023, he had no idea their love story would change his life - or that it would end with a promise taking him on a 5,000-mile walk from London to Ghana. After losing his fiancee to cancer, the 48-year-old from Chelmsford is preparing to set off on a global journey with her ashes in a bid to 'walk her back home', all while raising much-needed funds for St Francis Hospice - where Caroline spent her final moments. Daniel has been documenting his preparations for the mammoth trip on TikTok and has been collecting donations for equipment needed to take Caroline home one final time through his GoFundMe channel. But speaking to the Daily Mail, Daniel rewound all the way to the beginning, explaining how he came to find himself travelling across the globe on foot for the woman he loves. 'I met Caroline on a dating app,' Daniel said. 'I swiped right, she swiped on me, and we started chatting straight away. Within two days she told me she was a widow - and a cancer survivor.' Caroline's story stunned him. In March 2021, she had been rushed to hospital with excruciating stomach pain. Her bowel had ruptured, and surgeons told her that if she'd arrived even a minute later, she would have died. The diagnosis was devastating - colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver. Doctors gave her just six months to live. When Daniel Forrester first met Caroline Sarpong on a dating app in January 2023, he had no idea their love story would change his life After losing his fiancee to cancer, the 48-year-old from Chelmsford is preparing to set off on a global journey with her ashes in a bid to 'walk her back home' When she told Daniel her story, Caroline worried he might run. But instead, her courage only drew him closer. 'When she told me everything, I was blown away,' he says. 'She asked, "I hope it doesnt put you off me?" 'I told her, "Far from it".' Their first date in Liverpool Street led to drinks in Shoreditch, and soon the couple were inseparable. After six months of dating and weekend getaways, Daniel knew he'd met someone extraordinary. 'We were really hitting it off,' Daniel says. But seven months in, Caroline's regular check-ups revealed that remnants of the cancer had appeared in her lungs. Doctors assured her it was no cause for concern - until, in July 2023, they told her the disease had worsened. 'She was told she needed a revolutionary chemotherapy treatment from the States,' says Daniel. The treatment was brutal. 'It was supposed to be a three-month course, but it lasted five. It knocked her sideways.' Yet Carolines fighting spirit never wavered. 'Shed get up at 4am to go to the gym, even with lung cancer. She barely drank. She was just powerful'. Even when she was suffering, she'd just say, 'It doesn't get you anywhere', Daniel says. That Christmas, Caroline's oncologist at Queen's Hospital in Romford greeted the couple with a smile. 'She told us the cancer in Caroline's lungs had gone down to much lower levels,' Daniel recalls. 'I thought she was going to say it was gone. Then she said, "It's never going to go away, Daniel." That hit me hard.' Caroline, ever stoic, brushed it off. '"Don't worry," she told him'. "'I've proved them wrong before. I'll do it again."' A few weeks later, during a celebratory holiday in Tenerife, Daniel got down on one knee and popped the question. 'She said yes,' he said. 'She started planning the wedding straight away.' Daniel proposed to Caroline in Tenerife, but she began experiencing stomach pains on the trip Daniel has been documenting his preparations for the mammoth trip on TikTok and has been collection donations for equipment needed to take Caroline home one final time through his GoFundMe channel But the fairytale was short-lived. Caroline began to suffer severe stomach pains on the trip. Back home, scans showed the cancer had returned, attacking her intestines. Despite her agony, she refused to complain. 'She just wanted to protect everyone else,' Daniel said. By March 2024, Caroline began suffering pain behind her eyes. Daniel noticed she had started holding the bridge of her nose on a regular basis - something Caroline put down to hayfever. But scans revealed a tumour in her brain. Once again, doctors gave her six months to live. She smiled when she told Daniel. 'She said, "They always say six months".' Delays in treatment proved devastating. 'The hospital waited two months for a biopsy, and a further two weeks for results,' Daniel says. 'By then, the lung cancer had got aggressive.' Caroline reluctantly agreed to another round of chemotherapy - the treatment she had once sworn shed never do again. 'It was horrendous,' Daniel says. 'But for two weeks afterwards, she was vibrant. It was like the old Caroline had come back.' But shortly after, everything changed. Driving her daughter to work one morning, Caroline suddenly began seeing double. The tumour had crushed her optic nerve, leaving her blind. 'She told me, "I can cope with anything - but not losing my sight",' Daniel recalls, his voice breaking. 'It was the only time I ever saw her truly defeated.' Radiotherapy helped a little, but by spring she was frail, having lost 20kg. The couple set up a bed downstairs because she could no longer climb to the next floor. On November 4, she told Daniel she wanted to go to St Francis Hospice in Romford 'just for symptom management'. 'When I wheeled her out of the house, she looked back, like she was saying goodbye,' he says softly. 'I told her, "Dont worry, baby - well be home by the weekend". She just put her hand on my shoulder and didn't say a word.' By March 2024, Caroline began suffering pain behind her eyes. Daniel noticed she had started holding the bridge of her nose on a regular basis - something Caroline put down to hayfever On November 6, 2025, the anniversary of Carolines final hospital admission, he will begin a 5,073-mile journey on foot from Saint Francis Hospice in Romford to Kumasi, Ghana Caroline died on 11 November, 2024, aged 45, five days after arriving at the hospice. Three weeks before her death, Caroline made one final request - for part of her ashes to be scattered in Ghana, the country she had grown up in. 'Before she passed away, I think it was on a Friday night, I told her I wanted to take her ashes back to Ghana for her. But I said I want to do that by walking you back to Ghana to raise some money for charity, and she said, "would you do that for me?", I said, of course I would, babe.' Now, nearly a year later, Daniel is preparing to fulfil that promise. On November 6, 2025, the anniversary of Carolines final hospital admission, he will begin a 5,073-mile journey on foot from Saint Francis Hospice in Romford to Kumasi, Ghana. The route will take him across France, Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast and finally into Ghana - a 'dangerous' journey expected to take many months. But Daniel has no reservations. 'The tough thing is, Caroline and I weren't even together two years, but she has been the most influential, important person in my life ever. I'm a completely different person. 'She showed me so much, not just through her ability to love, but if you was in Caroline's fold, she would do anything for you.' Daniel has already scattered some of Caroline's ashes in Folkestone, at a little bench they used to sit at that overlooked France. 'There are reasons for that, I think,' Daniel said. A dramatic bid to block Donald Trump's presidential library from being built in Miami is being masterminded by an 85-year-old retired professor who has repeatedly compared the Republican to Adolf Hitler. Dr. Marvin Dunn, 85, who has claimed Trump's use of the state to target political enemies is 'no different' from the German dictator, launched the legal case that is threatening to upend ambitious plans for the commander in chief's legacy. It makes Trump the latest president to face problems over his library, which is expected to house a massive archive of two terms of records and artifacts, including a plane used as Air Force One. Barack Obama's $850million planned center in Chicago has been hit by soaring costs and likened to the 'Death Star' from Star Wars. And Joe Biden is facing humiliation as some Democratic donors suggest his will never happen at all. Last month, the state of Florida approved a plan to donate a site in downtown Miami for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library. The 2.63-acre property next to the historic Freedom Tower is a developer's dream, one of the last undeveloped lots on an iconic stretch of palm tree-lined Biscayne Boulevard with waterfront views. Trump has previously told donors that he hoped to raise $2billion for his library and museum, which would make it far and away the most expensive in history. The site is currently used as an employee parking lot for the state-run Miami Dade College's Wolfson campus. Protesters hold signs opposing plans to build Donald Trump's Presidential Library near Miami's Freedom Tower On September 23, the school's Board of Trustees held a special meeting and voted to give the land, which has an appraised value of $66million, to the state of Florida. The state, comprising Governor Ron DeSantis and his cabinet, then voted to transfer it to the foundation for the planned library, which is headed by Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump's husband Michael Boulos. Dr. Dunn, a progressive Democrat, then filed a 109-page lawsuit against the college arguing that the board violated Floridas 'Government in the Sunshine' law by not providing enough notice for its special meeting. On October 14, a judge temporarily blocked the planned transfer of the land, and signaled Dr. Dunn could win the case. During the court hearing lawyers for the college claimed the lawsuit was politically motivated. They suggested that one of Dr. Dunns social media posts amounted to a 'threat to the presidents life,' according to a court report by the Miami Herald. Dr. Dunn, who was in court, reportedly replied: 'Of course not, thats ridiculous. I resent that. I respect the law, I thoroughly resent that. How dare you suggest that of me?' It was unclear which of Dr. Dunn's posts the lawyers were referring to. Judge Mavel Ruiz said: 'Its irrelevant. What is relevant here is whether the notice was sufficient to inform the public (about the transfer of the library site).' Dr. Marvin Dunn, 85, a historian and civil rights activist, leads a protest opposing plans to build the Trump library on a site owned by Miami Dade College The proposed site of the Trump Presidential Library is currently a parking lot Dr. Dunn is a former naval officer and academic who was professor emeritus at Florida International University, where he chaired the psychology department. He runs 'Teach the Truth' tours to sites of historic racial violence in Florida, and has published books about African American history. His X feed includes a series of posts about Trump, including one calling the president a 'pig'. On September 24, the day after the Board of Trustees meeting, he posted a picture of Adolf Hitler and commented: 'He used the power of the state to prosecute his political enemies and these dumb ass Republicans today don't want to see Trump is no different.' Dunn added that Trump's library would be 'about the size of a telephone booth since the only book it will need is "Mein Kampf".' Two days earlier, he had posted: 'This is my last warning Donald. Dont make me have to come up there and kick your ass.' In another tweet about plans for a national day of remembrance for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, he posted an image of a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to transfer the proposed site to a foundation headed by the president's son Eric Tiffany Trump's husband Michael Boulos, seen here with the Princess of Wales at a state banquet at Windsor Castle, is also a trustee of the Trump library foundation On September 15, five days after Kirk's assassination, he reposted someone else's comment that said: 'Sorry, but I cannot mourn this man.' Two days later, he posted: 'I will go to the Florida International University Black History Learning Tree tomorrow and say whatever I please about the death of Charlie Kirk. (Anyone who don't like it can kiss my ass.)' Later that day, he added: 'I am angry at the man that killed Charlie Kirk. He had no right, and Charlie had the right to speak truth as he saw it. This is America. But Charlie is dead, and we must move on, or this thing will tear us apart. That said, IF I was happy to see Charlie dead that too is my right.' According to a poll Trump also faces a battle in the court of public opinion over the library site. A poll showed only 15 percent of people in Miami-Dade County believe the college should have handed over the land for the library, and 74 percent thought it should have kept the plot. Even a majority of Republicans, 59 percent, thought the college should have kept the land, according to the poll carried out by Bendixen & Amandi. Protesters claim the land for the library site is being 'stolen from students' Judge Mavel Ruiz of Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit temporarily halted plans for the site to be transferred Dr. Dunn has argued that the land is being 'stolen from students'. In the lawsuit he said: 'The thing about this that really hurts me and outrages me is that theyre taking land from our kids and giving it to someone for commercial, economic development.' The land's actual market value, as opposed to the official appraised value, could be $360million, the lawsuit said. The college bought it for $25million in 2004. It said: 'Irrespective of the specific circumstances of this giveaway, the speedy and uncritical transfer of the land to the state for nothing, without any serious deliberation, without any economic analysis...solely because the Governor or the President, or both, wanted the District Board to do so, was a violation of the duty of care owed to the College by the Board members.' At the two-hour court hearing on October 14, Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz ruled that the college did not give the public reasonable notice ahead of the Board of Trustees vote, violating the Government in the Sunshine law. She said: 'This is not an easy decision. This is not a case, at least for this court, rooted in politics. 'The court does not believe that the notice was reasonable.' In an agenda released before the meeting information was given to the public that the board would 'discuss potential real estate transactions,' but it did not specify that it was the valuable Biscayne Boulevard parking lot. The meeting was held at 8am and, unlike all other board meetings, was not livestreamed. Jesus Suarez, a lawyer for the college, told the court: 'There is no requirement under Florida law that there be specificity on notice, because those trustees can come into that room and talk to each other about whatever they wish.' Lawyers for Dr. Dunn maintained that no one who wasnt already in on the deal could have known what the board would do. Javier Ley-Soto, general counsel for Miami Dade College, testified that the school has yet to finalize the land transfer to the state. He estimated that delays caused by an injunction could cost the college up to $300,000. The site of the proposed library is in Florida's 27th congressional district, which is represented by Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican, who backed the library. She said: 'It is the ideal place so we welcome him in my district and next to the Freedom Tower, which is the Ellis Island of South Florida.' Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican congresswoman who represents the area of downtown Miami where the library would be, has backed it Historian and retired professor Dr. Marvin Dunn, 85, brought the legal case to block the transfer of land from Miami Dade College for the Trump library However, Randy Fine, a Republican representing Florida's 6th district, slammed the judge and claimed she was 'another liberal'. Judge Ruiz was elected in a nonpartisan primary election in 2014 and reelected in 2020 for a six-year term, again serving as a nonpartisan judge. She appears to have not been involved in any previous nationally-watched cases Following her decision Miami Dade College can keep trying to argue that sufficient advance information was given to the public about the transfer of the proposed library site. Or, as the lawsuit demands, it can hold another public meeting at which there would undoubtedly be vocal opposition. Todd Blanche, the secondhighestranking official at the Department of Justice, has emerged as a lightning rod among the president's most ardent supporters. Once celebrated as one of Donald Trump's most capable legal defenders, Blanche now finds himself at odds with key factions of the very movement he once protected symbolizing a deeper struggle over whether the Justice Department should operate with independence or bend to the president's desires. Blanche, the deputy attorney general, is accused of blocking potential DOJ appointees favored by the MAGA base, according to two sources familiar with the matter. He has also been 'edging out' others inside DOJ sidelining ideas and plans he doesn't agree with, and accusing people like special attorney Ed Martin of leaks and disloyalty. Blanche, who enjoys the full confidence of Pam Bondi according to sources, is accused of blocking pardons for January 6 rioters facing additional criminal cases, obstructing plans to offer them compensation, and denying early release requests related to January 6 'relief' efforts. Peter Ticktin, a longtime associate of Trump and a practicing attorney, has publicly accused Blanche of obstructing core elements of the administration's agenda. In a recent appearance on a rightwing podcast, Ticktin claimed that Blanche has stalled efforts to provide financial settlements to individuals convicted in connection with the Capitol riot. 'Everything that needs to be going forward in order to make Donald Trump's presidency work is being stalled intentionally by this man,' Ticktin said. Once celebrated as one of Trump's most capable legal defenders, Blanche now finds himself at odds with key factions of the very movement he once protected symbolizing a deeper struggle over whether the Justice Department should operate with independence or bend to the president's agenda Three sources familiar with conversations describe Ed Martin as being closest to the MAGA base, nothing that he has the most strained relationship with Blanche within the department Todd Blanche, the secondhighestranking official at the Department of Justice, has emerged as a lightning rod among the president's most ardent supporters 'Todd was a Democrat until a couple of years ago,' one source close to conversations with the DOJ said. 'But he was the best of Trump's lawyers, so people from the campaign and central operations love him.' Todd Blanche changed political affiliation in 2016, just seven years after President Trump. Before representing Trump at his New York trial In 2023, Blanche was a registered Democrat and a partner at Wall Street's oldest firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft where the nation's corporate elite find legal help. Three sources familiar with conversations describe Martin - a conservative firebrand from Missouri - as being closest to the MAGA base, translating into having the most strained relationship with Blanche within the department. Martin and Blanche have reportedly clashed several times with a source saying the pair do not 'see eyetoeye.' In one striking example, Martin went after a former FBI agent in late September - with Trump's blessing. The target was William Aldenberg, who had testified against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in the Sandy Hook defamation trial. Around September 15, Martin sent a letter to Aldenberg's lawyer that came across as threatening. It questioned whether the ex-agent had personally profited from his role in the lawsuit and hinted at possible criminal charges. The aggressive move backfired. Blanche pushed back hard, urging Martin to stand down and withdraw the letter within days. According to two Justice Department sources, Blanche questioned why they were creating controversy over such an insignificant target. Martin is also reportedly frustrated that he is not a US attorney, even though a DOJ insider says that 'isn't Todd's fault', and that he 'tried to help Martin with his failed confirmation. Blanche, however, masterminded Trump's defense in two federal cases over classified documents at MaraLago and efforts to overturn the 2020 election deploying delay tactics and presidential immunity arguments to shield his client. The MaraLago case was dismissed by Judge Cannon, who found that the appointment of Jack Smith was unconstitutional A source close to Blanche and the President says he has the commanderinchiefs complete confidence on every issue As one Trump's key defense lawyers, Blanche helped Trump fight hushmoney payments, which he ultimately lost trial, but appealed later Martin's nomination to be US attorney for the District of Columbia crashed and burned in the Senate earlier this year, facing fierce opposition from both Democrats and Republicans. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis slammed Martin's defense of January 6 rioters and lack of trial experience as disqualifying. 'Todd was a champ for me when I was the D.C. US Attorney, and really when we decided to try to get me confirmed. My friends at main Justice told me that he told everyone that my confirmation was DOJs top priority. It didnt work out, but I will never forget itand now that I am working on his staff, it makes me think this is how it was meant to be,' Martin told Daily Mail in response to our inquiry. But Trump found another place for his loyalist. Martin now serves as associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney at the DOJ, where he leads the so-called 'weaponization working group' - tasked with investigating alleged political bias in federal law enforcement. Critics say the role is ill-defined and overtly political, raising alarm about the scope of Martin's influence within the Justice Department. 'I don't think Martin is really thrilled to be the pardon attorney, not sure he is really that engaged in it. There hasn't been a pardon since May 29. He is flailing around looking for the right gig,' a legal source familiar with the inner workings of the DOJ said. 'Nice enough guy, but has no business being anywhere near DOJ. He has never tried a criminal case. He is an obvious conspicuous loyalist to Trump in every step of the way,' the same source said. As one of Trump's key defense lawyers, Blanche helped fight the hush-money case - which Trump lost at trial but later appealed. But Blanche's real triumph came in two federal cases. He masterminded Trump's defense over the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and efforts to overturn the 2020 election, deploying delay tactics and presidential immunity arguments that ultimately killed both prosecutions. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the Mar-a-Lago case, ruling that special counsel Jack Smith's appointment was unconstitutional. The January 6 case was dropped by the Justice Department after Trump won the election. Despite the infighting, a source close to both Blanche and the president insists he retains Trump's complete confidence. 'Todd is not a politically-oriented attorney,' the source told Daily Mail. 'I think there are people near the president who are much more politically focused, who would want to take Todd Blanche down.' At the tip of that takedown spear is Martin, who still holds sway with some White House staff, as well as the president. On his relationship with Blanche, Martin tells Daily Mail, 'There are people outside the building who have no idea how Todd and I function inside the buildingwhich in a way is how I want itbut, given all this BS being saidI gotta speak up. Todd and I have a great and robust relationship. A lot of times, because of the generational divide with the ODAG staff, he and I share cultural references or jokes that move the meetings along.' In a statement to Daily Mail, a DOJ spokesperson says, 'The entire Justice Department is united as one team in our mission executing President Trumps directive to make America safe again.' President Donald J Trump doesnt give up that easily. The fact that the Nobel committee decided to award this years peace prize to the Venezuela opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado - who has dared stand up to the autocratic Nicolas Maduro - wont deter the 47th president one jot. He still wants the Nobel Peace Prize, even if he has to wait another year. If his predecessor Barack Obama won it in 2009 after just eight months in office, why not Trump, who has been acclaimed for his role bringing Israel and Hamas back to the negotiating table and, in particular, securing the release of the remaining hostages from their long captivity underground? In 1991, Armenia, with the backing of the United States and its European allies, took control of the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, a small island of Armenians in the middle of Azerbaijan Nor is a ceasefire in the Middle East Trumps only achievement, even if he has so far failed to bring about an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In particular, when the president says he has already brought a measure of peace and stability to Central Asia, he is correct, although not quite in the way most people might assume. Recent hostilities between Christian Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan to the east stretch back to the collapse of the Soviet empire at the close of 1991. The two Caucasus nations had once been constituent parts of the former Soviet Union. Thats when Armenia, with the backing of the United States and its European allies, moved to take control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, a small island of Armenians in the middle of Azerbaijani territory. They succeeded, held on to the territory, and for years, there was a fractious peace, supported by both the West and Russia, which stationed troops and weaponry in Armenia. However much Turkey might have liked to intervene on the part of its Turkic neighbour Azerbaijan the nations share both the Muslim faith and ethnic roots - the balance of power lay with America and the West. The dispute between the neighbours, Armenia and Azerbaijan, flared up again in 2016 but with little change to the front lines. But then, in 2020, heavy fighting resumed, this time with Azerbaijan regaining much of the territory it had lost three decades earlier and the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh fleeing. What changed to give the Azeris such a decisive advantage? The answer is that everything changed. It was reported that, by 2023, more than 70 per cent of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population had fled. Pictured: refugees heading from the enclave to Armenia Donald Trump is more concerned with the art of the possible than being the world's policeman Russia, already making plans to regain Ukraine which it invaded in 2022 had been paying less attention to the Caucasus region than in the past. More significantly, the old-world order imposed and enforced by European capitals and Washington - was, and is, unravelling. For three decades years, the Western powers had given Armenia the advantage over its Muslim neighbour. But America is no longer the worlds policeman in quite the same way as in the post-war decades. While Trump has set out this new position with emphasis, the US has in fact been withdrawing from the farther reaches of world affairs for some time. As for Europe and the West, they have enough problems of their own without taking part in central Asian adventures. This is in sharp contrast with Turkey which under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been very much on the rise both economically and politically in the past decade. Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff arrives before a trilateral signing ceremony with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the White House in August The booming Turkish defence industry, with the blessing of Ankara, was more than appy to arm the Azeris, who struck against Armenia in the disputed enclave and pressed their advantage home. And there the conflict might have lain, ready to erupt once again but for this curious twist. Because, not only has Azerbaijan regained the territory of Nagorno Karabakh, it appears to have secured a further vital concession from the Armenians: a trade corridor through the south of their country. Azerbaijan and Turkey have the most to gain from this, particularly the former, which through the corridor now has a link both to its own disputed enclave of Azeris in Armenia, the so-called Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and also to the wider world. Indeed, opening the Zengezur Corridor will ensure that goods and people can travel overland between Beijing and London in a mere 15 days. Everybody on that vast trade route - from the Central Asian Republics to the wealthy capitals of Europe - should be in a position to benefit, particularly Turkey and China. Not everyone is happy, with Armenia fearing the Zenzegur Corridor is a security risk. Iran meanwhile, sees its imposition as an unwelcome extension of Turkish power in the region. They will have to get over it. Money talks. It is no exaggeration to say that this new trade route will be a critical piece of geography bridging Asia and Europe and will unquestionably change relations between the nations of the region for the better. Even landlocked Armenia will benefit from the expanded opportunities and should avoid being at the mercy of the Russian Federation, Iran, and Georgia, through whose territory its goods have previously been obliged travel. And this is where Trump has played his part. Turning down the chance to be offended by the treatment of Armenia, a former ally in the region, Trump and his special envoy for both the Middle East and for Peace Missions, Steve Witkoff, have given their approval to the new status quo and the Zengezur Corridor. Witkoff, even went so far as to pose for a photo-op with Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington DC, in fact, as the US signed a concordat with the two nations. In other words, the new status quo has the backing of the White House as well as Erdogan in Turkey. A refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh arrives in the town of Goris, Armenia The Americans want to be seen endorsing not only peace and stability, but also the best solution possible the realpolitik solution. The Russian Federation, Iran, and Georgia must simply have to adapt to the new circumstances. America may no longer be the worlds policeman but, simply put, Trumps nod creates consensus in an increasingly chaotic system of international relations He is endorsing the best approach to geopolitics available and the result in the region is likely to be some measure of lasting peace. Certainly, stability in the Caucasus means one fewer quarrel between the rival regional powers of Turkey, Russia and Iran, which can only be a good thing. Perhaps the Nobel committee should cast its gaze to the Caucasus mountains and give credit where its due. A primary school teacher, recently released from prison for upskirting a young girl and dozens of women, is back behind bars after he reached out to a former student from an Instagram account he kept secret from police. Guy Meogrossi, 32, was arrested after he was caught filming up a student's skirt at Spring Farm Public School in Sydney's south-west in June last year. He initially claimed the recording was an accident, but police later uncovered a trove of other videos on his phone featuring a further 46 unsuspecting female victims. He pleaded guilty to three counts of filming a person's private parts without consent (which encapsulated all of the crimes) and was sentenced in December last year to 18 months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 12 months. With his sentence backdated to the time of his arrest, he was released from prison on June 2 this year. But just four months later, Meogrossi has landed himself back inside a cell after he was caught failing to comply with his reporting obligations as a child sex offender. According to police facts obtained by the Daily Mail, Meogrossi went to Kogarah Police Station on June 5 to complete his registration under the NSW Child Protection (Offender's Registration) Act 2000. He was given information outlining the reporting guidelines, and he signed a document stating that he understood the requirements. Guy Meogrossi, 32, has been thrown back in jail just weeks after being released Under the requirements, child sex offenders must provide: 'Details of any email addresses, internet user names, instant messaging user names, chat room user names, or any other user name or identity used, or intended to be used, by the person through the internet or other electronic communication service.' The conditions were reiterated to him by police two weeks later during a home visit and, once again, he stated that he understood. The following day, he was also issued a letter from Community Corrections outlining the conditions, which included the directive: 'You are prohibited from holding or accessing any form of social media account'. But according to the police facts, Meogrossi flagrantly flouted the rules by sending a friend request to a 13-year-old former student of the school via his secret Instagram account on August 31. Two days later, police carried out a surprise visit to his Monterey home on September 2 to check whether he was complying with his child offender registration conditions. When they walked inside, they noticed Meogrossi immediately opened his phone and 'attempted to remove content from it', prompting officers to quickly seize the device. 'Police cautioned and questioned [Meogrossi] and asked him if he had an Instagram account. [He] responded with, 'I do have an account, but I just don't go on it',' the facts state. 'Police [then] asked [him] when he last went on it and he said "I'd say a few weeks ago".' Meogrossi was arrested last year while working as a primary school teacher Police asked Meogrossi what profile picture he was using on Instagram, and he said he believed it was a photo of him with his daughter, but he was not '100 per cent' sure. Asked whether he had any other social media accounts, Meogrossi said he had 'Facebook and stuff' but 'I don't go on'. He then told the officers the last time his Facebook was used was three weeks earlier when his sister logged in because he had a fight with his ex who wanted him to change his profile picture. However, under further probing, Meogrossi admitted the officers that he had tried to befriend possible minors on the social media platform. '[He] was asked how many people he had tried to friend request since he had been out jail and he said "maybe half a dozen",' the facts state. '[He] was asked if they were children and he responded with "I think so, a lot of them don't have their age".' Meogrossi was taken to Kogarah Police Station and charged with failing to comply with his reporting obligations by not providing his social media accounts to police. Police searched his home and seized two iPhones and a laptop. Detectives later found accounts in his name on Instagram, Snapchat, Telegram, Threads, and TikTok, on one of the mobiles. Meogrossi is pictured at a sausage sizzle stall during his time employed at Spring Farm Public School Meogrossi refused to answer questions during a police interview, but pleaded guilty when he faced Sutherland Local Court the next day. He was sentenced on October 14 to 15 months in jail with a non-parole period of nine months. Meogrossi's disturbing behaviour came to light last year when a young girl in one of his classes noticed him remove his phone from his pocket, hit record, then angle it underneath her table. According to police facts tendered to court last year, the incident occurred while Meogrossi was sitting at a table near several children during a joint class with another teacher. After recording the girl, with the camera zoomed in on her legs and skirt, Meogrossi stood up and resumed walking around the classroom. The victim and other children who witnessed his actions then began discussing it with each other before the victim and her friend reported what happened to the second teacher. The second teacher then reported the incident to the assistant principal who spoke to the students about what happened before immediately contacting police. According to the facts, officers arrived a short time later and Meogrossi told them he 'accidentally' turned the camera function on without realising and denied intentionally recording any students that day. However, during examinations of his phone, police discovered an eight minute video of Meogrossi trying to film up the student's skirt as well as 'numerous videos of the same conduct to different people'. In total, there were a further 57 videos, which featured 46 women (including a fellow teacher). Most of the videos - which span from less than a minute to up to multiple hours - were taken in a public post office. All the women did not know they were being filmed police have been unable to identify the majority of them. Meogrossi will be eligible for parole on June 1, 2026. Donald Trump summoned FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to the White House on Wednesday. The president's public schedule described the meeting as an update on the fight against violent crime. But once everyone was in the room, Trump made it clear he had something else in mind. It was time, the president said, to speed the indictments of his political foes - the former officials who, he alleges, tried to destroy him and his family. Pointing up at the portraits of presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson which line the White House walls, Trump told his top law enforcement officers that those men had been more vilified by the Washington establishment than anyone else in American history. That is until he came along. 'Nobody's been treated like I've been treated,' the president claimed. On September 21, Trump appointed Lindsey Halligan, one of his former personal lawyers, to run the Justice Department's Eastern District of Virginia office. The move overruled Bondi, who had tapped a conservative lawyer from Virginia, Mary 'Maggie' Cleary, for the role. Halligan, a glamorous 36-year-old ex-beauty queen and Miss Colorado finalist, immediately got to work. President Donald Trump summoned FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to the White House on Wednesday On September 21, Trump appointed Lindsey Halligan (left, next to Press Secretary Lindsey Halligan), one of his former personal lawyers, to run the Justice Department's Eastern District of Virginia office Her office indicted former FBI Director James Comey (on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction of justice) in late September and New York Attorney General Letitia James in October (on charges of mortgage fraud related to a property in Virginia). Then last week, Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton was charged in Maryland with an 18-count indictment for illegally sending classified information to unauthorized people and keeping classified documents at his home. Comey, James and Bolton have denied the charges against them. Now, sources tell the Daily Mail that these indictments blindsided AG Bondi and senior Justice Department officials. They were furious, the Daily Mail is told, over what they saw as Halligan's rogue move, even though it was in pursuit of Trump's demands. Several people familiar with the situation say Bondi has since tried to distance herself from all three cases. 'It's real and it's personal,' said one insider. 'They both want to be the president's enforcer.' The result, according to our sources, is a vicious power struggle between two of the most prominent women in the Trump's orbit. Ultimately, insiders say Halligan's role in the Justice Department is a move to encourage competition. And when two of his lieutenants compete, they say, Trump is usually the winner. Meanwhile, the tension is clear for all to see. Insiders say Halligan's role in the Justice Department is a move to encourage competition. And when two of his lieutenants compete, they say, Trump is usually the winner Now, sources tell The Daily Mail that these indictments blindsided AG Bondi and senior Justice Department officials On September 20, the president posted public criticism of Bondi on Truth Social, calling on her to move against political opponents who were 'guilty as hell,' and he complained of 'all talk, no action.' 'JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!' he concluded. The public message was reportedly an accident - and one that Trump meant to send to Bondi as a private encouragement. But an insider dismissed that explanation as 'ridiculous.' 'That doesn't sound like Trump,' said the source, who is familiar with the dynamics of Trump and Bondi's relationship. 'If the president wants to send a message, he'll pick up the phone and call them.' The White House insists there is no rift between Trump and Bondi, and the president has 'full confidence in her and in his entire team.' 'Any insinuation otherwise is baseless gossip meant to divide the administration,' a White House official told the Daily Mail. Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin echoed the message, saying the department was 'united as one team' and would not be distracted by 'palace intrigue or useless gossip.' Publicly, Trump continues to praise Bondi even while privately urging her to move faster. Back in the Oval Office on Wednesday, standing beside Bondi and Patel on Wednesday, Trump said he also wanted to see 'deranged' special counsel Jack Smith, prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, ex-CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director Christopher Wray prosecuted. They are 'scum,' he said, who treated him and his family 'worse than any third-world country or banana republic.' And, he appeared, to give his team a warning. 'I don't have to leave it up to them, but I choose to at this moment at least,' he said. Landlords renting out homes to asylum seekers are posting and boasting on TikTok and other social media showing off flashy 'taxpayer-funded' lifestyles. Migrants awaiting decisions on their claims to stay in the UK are increasingly staying in houses of multiple accommodation, or HMOs - and people owning them are sharing tips with colleagues on making the most from the Home Office. The government department now headed by Shabana Mahmood has outsourced housing schemes to local areas - and local landlords, examples of whom are going online to show off their own enjoyment of life in overseas places such as Dubai. HMOs are increasingly being used by the Government, with the properties run by contractors including Serco, Clearsprings and Mears Group. The venues described as 'dispersal accommodation' are intended to replace more expensive asylum hotels and are said to have been housing almost 67,000 asylum seekers by March this year. Now HMO landlords have been seen on social media celebrating their success taking up the deals - including one telling of having 'escaped the nine-to-five by owning 7million' in property he says he can control from Dubai. And a former bed and breakfast owner has shared advice with fellow aspirant landlords on making 'totally passive' taxpayer-funded money by letting to 'illegal immigrants'. Labour MP Chris Murray, who is a member of the home affairs select committee, said it 'boiled the blood' to see landlords doing what he described as 'creaming profit from the asylum system so brazenly'. Luigi Newton is a Dubai-based landlord, saying he owns 31 properties in Britain - mainly around Nottinghamshire - and leasing seven of them to Serco to house asylum seekers Mr Newton told of having 'escaped the nine-to-five by owning 7million' in property he says he can control from Dubai Luigi Newton is the Dubai-based landlord, saying he owns 31 properties in Britain - mainly around Nottinghamshire - and leasing seven of them to Serco to house asylum seekers. He told the Times how 'landlords are being forced to find other solutions' because the housing in the UK was 'favoured' towards tenants who 'abuse the system'. Mr Newton, 30, has posted a sunset selfie of himself beside a pool, saying: 'Most of my properties are social housing HMOs, so they're fully passive - no late-night tenant calls, no endless viewings, no hassle. 'Just government-backed income dropping in every month.' Meanwhile, Paul Carroll advised on YouTube how the social housing market was the best option for investors, adding: 'The ones I work with is, like, illegal immigrants', while saying he could take a monthly 1,100 in passive income from a recent buy in Chorley, Lancashire. The Institute for Public Policy Research has called for 'major reform', with Marley Morris, the thinktank's migration and trade policy lead, saying: 'It's really frustrating. 'The government is spending huge amounts of money because of the backlog and the way the asylum accommodation system works - but there are ways of running it that could actually expand the stock of social housing in the long run and have wider benefits for the community.' The organisation wants local authorities and housing associations to receive capital subsidies enabling them to purchase housing stock available for short-term rent to the Home Office for temporary asylum use. Your browser does not support iframes. Paul Carroll advised on YouTube how the social housing market was the best option for investors, adding: 'The ones I work with is, like, illegal immigrants' A spokesperson for Serco said: 'It is our duty to ensure all accommodation is safe and habitable and in accordance with the Decent Homes Standard. 'Our lease provision includes the maintenance of rental properties to ensure that accommodation doesnt fall into disrepair. 'The rates offered to landlords are based upon the local housing rates of each individual local authority.' Supporters of such deals say they are more 'cost effective' than using hotels. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The government inherited a broken asylum system, with tens of thousands stuck in hotels. 'In the last year, we have cut nearly 1billion in hotel spending. 'We are now committed to closing all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, and are exploring large, Ministry of Defence sites.' Officials indicated the number of asylum seekers in hotels dropped by almost 6,000 in the first three months of 2025, down 15 per cent from last December. Luigi Newton told the Times how 'landlords are being forced to find other solutions' because the housing in the UK was 'favoured' towards tenants who 'abuse the system' Mr Newton added: 'Most of my properties are social housing HMOs, so they're fully passive - no late-night tenant calls, no endless viewings, no hassle' Paul Carroll has said online how he could take a monthly 1,100 in passive income from a recent buy in Chorley, Lancashire The cost of hotels was put at 5.77million per day in 2024-25, a reduction compared to a daily 8.3million the previous year. Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Government is under pressure for its record on migrants especially those involved in small boat crossings - with its 'one in, one out' policy sending back far fewer numbers to France as those continuing to cross the Channel. Officials have nevertheless pointed to the removal of 35,000 individuals with no legal right to remain in the UK in its first year. This is said to include almost 5,200 foreign national offenders, 14 per cent more than during the same period in the previous year. The Daily Mail has contacted Luigi Newton, Paul Carroll and Clearsprings for comment. For six tense hours on Monday, much of the internet went dark. Websites froze. Apps failed. Shoppers couldn't pay. Banks couldn't connect. Even government systems faltered. The culprit: Amazon Web Services (AWS) the cloud computing giant that powers much of the modern digital world. The outage, which spread chaos from New York to London and beyond, offered a chilling glimpse of a world too dependent on a handful of unseen servers. Experts told the Daily Mail it was more than a technical glitch it was a warning shot about the fragility of global technology infrastructure and the looming disaster should the system ever truly break. AWS is the invisible backbone of modern life. It hosts everything from shopping and streaming to banking and government systems. When it crashed, the shockwaves were instant. 'The efficiencies are real, but so are the risks,' said Vili Lehdonvirta, a computer science professor at Aalto University in Finland. 'The cloud's strength is also its fragility.' For hours, everyday life stumbled. Banking apps like Venmo, Lloyds and Halifax were among some 1,000 that went down. Secure communication services such as Signal stopped working. Even minor disruptions caused panic showing just how dependent society has become on the cloud. This screen in Times Square, New York City, went dark in an outage in July 2024, just a small sign of what can go wrong A faulty software update also left travelers stranded in a tech crisis that cost billions 'This isn't the first time AWS has gone down,' Lehdonvirta told the Daily Mail. 'But the difference is that now so many services depend on it.' He added bluntly: 'Society's reliance on these cloud platforms keeps rising, and I think it can still go up a lot.' AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud control around 70 percent of the global cloud computing market, according to Lehdonvirta. That means that even if your business or government agency isn't directly using AWS, it's probably relying on another service that does, or another of the so-called 'hyperscalers.' 'This interconnectedness means a single outage can ripple widely across businesses, governments, and everyday life,' he said. That interconnection makes modern digital life both powerful and precarious. Harry Halpin, chief executive of NymVPN and a former MIT research scientist, said the scale of dependence is 'exceedingly dangerous.' 'If your entire nation's infrastructure relies on a few providers, all in the US, and anything can go down at any moment, either for malicious reasons or just technical errors, that's an exceedingly dangerous situation,' he told The New York Times. 'Everyone takes it for normal,' Halpin added. 'But it's not normal.' It wasn't just businesses that felt the blow. Critical systems for communication, media, and even government services stumbled. 'When a single provider goes dark, critical services go offline with it,' said Corinne Cath-Speth, from the free speech group Article 19. Amazon Web Services was hit with a worldwide outage that impacted hundreds of websites that use the company's cloud-hosting service 'The cloud's strength is also its fragility,' said Vili Lehdonvirta, a computer science professor at Aalto University A screengrab of the website for flickr, one of the sites that went down in the AWS outage 'The infrastructure underpinning democratic discourse, independent journalism and secure communications cannot be dependent on a handful of companies,' she said. Professor James Davenport, an IT expert from the University of Bath, said the outage was 'worrying' because UK banks rely on US-based servers. 'UK banks should be confining their usage to the UK, or at least European regions,' he told the Daily Mail. The financial fallout from Monday's outage is still being calculated, but early estimates suggest hundreds of millions possibly billions of dollars in lost revenue and productivity. As the systems went down, Amazon employees speculated online if the tech giant had tested out a 'kill switch' a secret mechanism to shut down online infrastructure for control or censorship. However, the company cited an 'operational issue' affecting multiple services and said it was 'working on multiple parallel paths to accelerate recovery'. It's not the first time a tech glitch has had global repercussions. In July 2024, a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused one of the largest IT meltdowns in history grounding flights, closing hospitals, and shutting down businesses. The estimated cost: more than $10 billion. That episode, like Monday's, proved how a single software failure can cripple modern life. Experts fear the next outage could be worse. 'A nightmare scenario,' they say, would be multiple major cloud providers going dark simultaneously, potentially shutting down vast portions of the internet and sending stock markets into free fall. Lehdonvirta said the concentration of computing power in a few massive US firms mirrors the industrial revolution when production moved from homes to huge, centralized factories. 'Before the industrial era, every household produced its own power and goods,' he said. 'Then we concentrated production into factories for efficiency. The same economic logic is driving the move to massive cloud data centers.' 'But it does create this vulnerability if that factory goes down, a lot of users and applications are simultaneously affected.' Some of the platforms affected on Monday morning include Amazon services like Amazon.com and Ring as well as gaming platforms like Fortnite and Roblox One frustrated Amazon Alexa found they were left in darkness amid the outage Taking to X, one user vented that their Ring doorbell wasn't working Lehdonvirta said companies are constantly balancing short-term efficiency against long-term risk. 'Companies have to balance short-term efficiency and profitability against risks that manifest rarely but have a big impact when they do,' he said. Sometimes, he added, the market can't manage that risk alone. 'Governments may need to step in as regulators have done in the financial sector to prevent overreliance on single points of failure,' he said. Some governments are already trying to reduce that dependency. The European Union, for example, has begun investing in what it calls 'sovereign' digital infrastructure home-grown cloud systems designed to keep data within Europe and reduce reliance on US tech giants. But the price is steep, said Lehdonvirta. 'You have to balance that against the gains from avoiding these occasional downtimes.' He noted that AWS did manage to restore services quickly this week by rerouting users across its vast network a luxury smaller, local providers often can't afford. AWS runs dozens of independent 'availability zones' across the globe so that if one data center fails, others can take over which helped limit damage during the outage. The company invests billions annually in redundancy, cybersecurity, and real-time failover systems. Advocates of cloud computing say it is still far more secure and reliable than most private or local data centers. Affordable cloud services have dramatically lowered costs, enabled innovation, and allowed startups, hospitals, and governments to scale digital services quickly. The outage has also affected Amazon services including Amazon.com, Amazon Alexa, Ring and Amazon Prime Video. Pictured, Amazon.com on Monday GOV.UK is needed for applying for visas, renewing passports and managing taxes What causes outages? Outages can happen on a small scale, like just in your own home, or it can be a wider issue affecting entire neighborhoods, regions or the globe. Causes include cyberattacks, equipment failure, or even big storms that damage infrastructure. Another possible cause is human error - for example, construction workers might accidentally cut through a cable while working on a road or building. There are also cases of vandalism where someone intentionally damages internet infrastructure. Source: Uswitch/Race Communications Advertisement Without cloud infrastructure, services like telemedicine, remote work, and online learning would be far less accessible or affordable. Despite the rapid recovery, experts say the outage should be a wake-up call. Lehdonvirta's research shows that more than half of UK government digital services run on AWS or Microsoft Azure, including sensitive agencies such as HMRC, GCHQ, MI5, and MI6. As more critical services move online, the potential fallout from a failure or a cyberattack only grows. 'It's gotten to the point where so many services are actually dependent on that, that every journalist is noticing it,' Lehdonvirta said. Cloud computing has transformed the world, allowing businesses to scale instantly and governments to digitize services at lightning speed. But with those gains comes risk the risk that the next crash could paralyze not just apps and banks, but entire economies. Lehdonvirta summed it up simply: 'The efficiencies are real, but so are the risks.' In other words, mankind's leap into the digital future has built a world of extraordinary power balanced on a few invisible servers humming quietly in a data center somewhere in Virginia. If those servers go down, so does everything else. Donald Trump's nominee to lead an anti-corruption federal watchdog sent a text admitting he has a 'Nazi streak', it has been reported. Paul Ingrassia, who is Trump's pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, is accused of racist tirades in a group chat with Republican friends. The messages include calling for MLK day to be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs', adding that there should be 'no moulignon holidays,' using an Italian slur for black people. Ingrassia, who is set to appear before the Senate on Thursday for a confirmation hearing, also reportedly stated that people should 'never trust an Indian,' in a message referring to ex-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. One of the chat's participants responsible for the leaked the messages had done so out of a desire for 'government to be staffed with experienced people who are taken seriously.' The leaked texts were published by Politico whose scoop earlier this month showing Republicans engaging in casual racism set off an explosion inside the White House. Ingrassia's lawyer said the messages were intended to mock liberals who call Trump supporters Nazis and suggested they are manipulated to show his candidate in the worst possible light. 'Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters "Nazis,"' Edward Paltzik said. Paul Ingrassia announces the release of January 6 rioters outside of the DC Central Detention Facility on January 20, 2025 His lawyer went on to allege that there were people out there who wanted to hurt the Trump nominee. 'In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult,' he said. 'What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages.' The White House and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to the Daily Mail's requests for comment. Ingrassia, if confirmed for the special counsel role, would be tasked with handling whistleblower complaints, discrimination cases and other high-stakes federal matters. He is already under pressure after it was revealed earlier this month that he had faced a sexual harassment probe while working at DHS. It found no wrongdoing. 'Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any coworkers female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise in connection with any employment,' Paltzik said. In February 2024, the group chat discussed why some Republicans believe that Democrats portray black people as victims. 'Blacks behave that way because that's their natural state You cant change them,' Ingrassia wrote. 'Proof: all of Africa is a shithole, and will always be that way,' he added. In May 2024, Ingrassia's friend wrote in the group chat: 'Paul belongs in the Hitler Youth.' The Trump official replied: 'I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it.' In some of the exchanges, participants pushed back against Ingrassia, including one who warned: 'Paul you are coming across as a white nationalist which is beneficial to nobody.' Another said: 'Youre gunna be in private practice one day this shit will be around forever brother.' Concerns were raised about Ingrassia in the senate after he attended a gathering last year hosted by Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier and white nationalist. Fuentes held the impromptu rally after being kicked out of a Turning Point USA conference. Ingrassia called it a an 'awful decision' by Charlie Kirk's foundation. The furor comes after another Trump loyalist was dragged into scandal last week over allegations he had leaked racist texts about his colleagues. Gavin Wax, a Department of State staffer, found himself at the center of the crisis which reached the highest echelons of the White House, sources told the Daily Mail. He is accused of pressuring another administration official to share text messages with Politico in which members of the New York State Young Republican club said, 'I love Hitler' and referred to black people as monkeys. A source close to Wax denied that he was the source of the leak but this was rejected by multiple senior Republicans who said the White House had been aware of his links to the Politico story and had urged him to prevent its publication. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in her new book that she saw 'no such decline' while working for octogenarian President Joe Biden, trashing Jake Tapper's book 'Original Sin.' The Daily Mail obtained an early copy of Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, in which she describes why she ditched the Democratic Party. In it, she remained absolutely faithful to Biden, saying he merely had a 'cold' the night of his disastrous June 2024 debate against President Donald Trump. She recalled how CNN's Tapper, along with Axios' Alex Thompson, 'later wrote a supposed tell-all about Biden ... accusing him of a cover-up of his mental decline and how his aides quashed concerns.' 'I was technically a part of the president's inner circle and saw Biden every day and saw no such decline. I never read Tappers book and dont ever plan to because that does not track with what I saw in the White House,' Jean-Pierre wrote. She recalled how daunting it was to face the White House press corps in the aftermath of the debate. 'On and on it went,' she recalled. 'What cold medications was Biden taking before the debate? Did a doctor give him a neurological scan afterward? Did he have dementia?' Jean-Pierre expressed that she felt the questions from the press were unfair. In her new book, ex-White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (left) explains why she left the Democratic Party, though continues to vouch for President Joe Biden, slamming Jake Tapper's (right) book Original Sin, which alleges Biden's cognitive decline was covered up 'Were they asking the same questions about Trump?' she mused. 'During the campaign, Trump would froth at the mouth for hours on end, bringing up the fictitious movie villain Hannibal Lecter and at one appearance making obscene gestures with a microphone. But no reporter asked to speak to his doctor,' she later added. Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's book Independent hits bookshelves on Tuesday. The Daily Mail obtained a copy She also slammed the conspiracy theories that were prompted by the announcement after Biden left office that he had prostate cancer. Jean-Pierre recalled how former Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat who had challenged Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary, had said that Biden timed the cancer announcement to blunt the coming Tapper and Thompson book. She claimed that even cancer wouldn't have slowed the 82-year-old president down. 'Suffice to say, Bidens cancer diagnosis, regardless of what he knew when, would not have been directly related to his alleged cognitive decline, nor would it have affected his ability to make competent decisions as a world leader,' she wrote. Jean-Pierre, who announced she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent in June, in conjunction with saying she was writing a book, wrote that she first flirted with the idea after seeing Biden get pushed out of the race. She placed a lot of the blame on House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for leading the charge, but blasted the overall party for eating their own. Former President Joe Biden is photographed on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump's inauguration day, addressing staff and supporters at Joint Base Andrews. Jean-Pierre maintains that Biden should not have been pushed out of the 2024 presidential race Once Vice President Kamala Harris took over the reins, Jean-Pierre said the party failed her, too. 'Somehow it was unable to help a trailblazing, extremely accomplished former prosecutor who wanted to uplift everyone in our society defeat Trump, a habitual liar and convicted felon who openly embraced the politics of cruelty,' she wrote. Her disappointment in the Democrats also came from her own White House experience. She said she was 'exasperated with the shady way Democrats do business.' In the book, she recounted how an unnamed white female superior had orchestrated a campaign to push her out of the press secretary's job. Jean-Pierre didn't respond to the Daily Mail's request to name the individual. But Jean-Pierre accused the woman of being a source for negative articles about her in the New York Times, Axios and the New York Post. 'This woman had once been supportive of me and my career, or so it had seemed. Now she was relentlessly smearing me behind my back,' Jean-Pierre recalled. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is photographed at her final press briefing on January 15, 2025. In June, she announced she was coming out with a book 'Independent,' and that she had left the Democratic Party and become a political independent as well 'The main reason for the change in how she treated me, going from someone who backed my getting the press secretary job to basically strategizing for me to lose it, had to do with my independence,' she surmised. She recalled one episode when the female White House staffer pushed her not to travel with the president on a trip to Israel and Jordan directly following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack. Skipping the trip would be highly unusual for a White House press secretary, but the woman suggested that a 'man who had experience in war-torn regions, could go in my place.' During much of Jean-Pierre's tenure, John Kirby, who served as the spokesperson for the National Security Council, held briefings too, as he was more fluent in international affairs. Jean-Pierre didn't say if Kirby was the man who was suggested to go in her stead. She also floated that there was a racist element in this treatment. 'I wasn't the only woman on the White House staff who had negative experiences with this person. She had spoken dismissively to female members of the administration, especially those who were also people of color,' Jean-Pierre wrote. 'A white woman once said to me that it was uncomfortable being on emails with her and witnessing her tone and the way she addressed women of color,' she added. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appears at an event last month, previewing her book. In the book, she recounts how a white female Biden staffer orchestrated a plot to push her out of the press secretary's job As of today, Jean-Pierre, now an independent, says the Democratic Party is still failing. She recalled how ridiculous they looked trying to combat Trump when he gave his first address before a joint session of Congress in early March. Jean-Pierre wrote, 'as Trump figuratively shot himself in the foot, what did Democrats do?' Jean-Pierre recounted how Rep. Al Green yelled at Trump and got ejected from the chamber, while a group of Democrats wearing 'Resist' T-shirts walked out. Others held up whiteboards saying 'Save Medicare' and 'Protect Veterans.' 'The Dems couldn't even unite around what color to wear to make a statement, with some female lawmakers wearing pink, while members of the Congressional Black Caucus donned black,' she noted. Despite still being politically liberal, she said all of these experiences led to her decision to leave the Democratic Party. 'The party's unwillingness to defend Biden, the chasm Democrats allowed to grow between them and everyday Americans, their inadequate messaging during and following the last presidential election, and the way the party takes Black women for granted has made my remaining an official part of that political coalition untenable,' she said. Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines will be released Tuesday. New polling reveals that most Americans are skeptical that Donald Trump's peace deal in the Middle East will mean a complete and total end to the war. Polling by JL Partners shared exclusively with the Daily Mail shows that less than one third of respondents believe that the deal 'will end the fighting in Gaza,' with only 31 percent agreeing with the statement. Twenty-five percent of poll takers said they were 'unsure' if the peace would be lasting, while nearly half of respondents noted that they foresee the conflict dissolving 'back into war', totaling 44 percent. The JL Partners poll was conducted between on October 14th and 15th, and consisted of 1,004 registered voters. After brokering the peace deal between Israel and Hamas two weeks ago, Trump was widely heralded as the 'peace president,' but permanent peace in that contested region was always going to be an uphill battle. Hamas has already been accused of violating Trump's peace agreement by refusing to surrender the bodies of hostages and engaging in violent clashes with rival Palestinian factions as Israeli troops pull back. Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that Hamas will be 'obliterated' if the Palestinian terror group doesn't uphold its end of President Donald Trump's ceasefire deal. 'Look, our warning to Hamas is very straightforward. The terms of the 20-point plan that the president put out there is very clear,' Vance said. President Donald Trump talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. Your browser does not support iframes. Yuval (R) and Tom (2nd R), the daughter and the brother of Ronen Engel, an Israeli man abducted from his home and killed by Palestinian militants during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, mourn over his coffin during his funeral at the southern Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz, on October 21, 2025. Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025. Footage emerging from Gaza appears to show the terror group executing fellow Palestinians, prompting threats of a military response from Trump himself. 'It's that Hamas has to disarm. It's that Hamas has to actually behave itself and that Hamas, while all the fighters can be given some sort of clemency, they're not going to be able to kill each other and they're not going to be able to kill their fellow Palestinians,' the vice president continued during his speech Tuesday. Since the ceasefire deal was struck, videos of Hamas fighters have emerged showing them executing other Palestinians in public, and Israel has also accused the group of violating the terms, prompting Israeli military strikes on Sunday. The Gaza Health Ministry claimed Tuesday that 13 Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours. Despite that uncertainty, when asked which president had done the most for the Middle East, Trump received more votes than his four White House predecessors combined, in the Daily Mail/JL Partners poll. The results also suggest that a majority in the United States believes Trumps role in stopping the fighting will be one of the crowning moments of his presidency. Fifty-five percent of voters believe Trump has handled peace in the Middle East well - more than double who said he was handling it badly (24 percent), according to the survey. Steve Bannon during a broadcast of his Bannon's War Room show which aired on Monday, October 20th U.S. President Donald Trump talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem BANNON: The CIA briefed Witkoff three times a day, and they LIED TO HIM. They told him Hamas wouldnt negotiate, pushing Bibis line to sabotage peace. That wasnt bad intel; THAT WAS TREASONOUS DECEPTION. RATCLIFFE SHOULD RESIGN TODAY!! pic.twitter.com/zXIb66NUsv Bannons WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) October 20, 2025 CIA Director John Ratcliffe (R) talks with General Dan Caine (L) as they arrive at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. President Trump is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Some MAGA-aligned Trump backers are already expressing skepticism that a deal can hold. Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz piled on criticism about the deal after news broke of the ceasefire breach Sunday, posting on X that 'Bibi is now actively sabotaging Trumps peace deal. And Trump knows it.' Trump visited Israel last week, hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. After the breach of the ceasefire, about 44 individuals were killed, per data shared by local hospitals. The strikes came after Israel accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire by attacking its troops. The momentary resumption of the conflict was the most serious challenge yet to the tenuous U.S.-backed ceasefire deal. Israel later said it had resumed enforcing the agreement. A high-profile wedding venue has been forced to ban dancing over concerns its floor could collapse, with red tape preventing it from being reinforced. Grana Privato in Circular Quay, in Sydney, finds itself in a bind due to fears 'concentrated movement' could cause the beams in the ceiling below to flex. Heritage restrictions are preventing the floor from being reinforced, meaning the structural safety concerns cannot be solved. The venue offers premium wedding packages that allow up to 200 guests to be present at one time. The venue is positioned on the top floor of 19th century Hinchcliff House, which is heritage-listed. A Grana Privato spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail the venue could not allow dancing due to safety concerns. Libertarian state MP John Ruddick told The Daily Telegraph small businesses needed to be given a chance to make money without hindrance from bureaucrats. 'If someone owns a property and it has genuine heritage value, then the owner of the property will know what measures to take to protect that value,' he said. Circular Quay's Grana Privato has been forced to ban dancing 'We do not need remote bureaucrats making rules for property owners and being killjoys. 'We need to get heavy-handed government to get off the back of business and let them grow and prosper. 'Every industry seems to be bogged down in pointless red tape. This keeps the bureaucrats busy and well-paid, but it is at the cost of suppressing the real economy.' A NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water spokesman said Heritage NSW and the Heritage Council of NSW did not set rules for the use of heritage-listed buildings. 'The management and use of heritage-listed buildings is largely a matter for the owner, including safeguarding any inadvertent damage by heavy use by patrons,' he said. Hinchcliff House has been on the NSW State Heritage Register since 1999 and is one of only two buildings of its kind left in Sydney. It was originally a woolstore when wool was Australia's chief export and Circular Quay was a hub for international trade. Grana Privato says on its website that 'our focus is on how people feel in our venues' and that 'our ambition is to build unique concepts that create a sense of place and deliver a great experience'. Hinchcliff House has been on the NSW State Heritage Register since 1999 and is one of only two buildings of its kind left in Sydney Online commenters could not believe such restrictions were hindering businesses. 'Put some structural steel beams into the place and craft and paint them to match,' one wrote. 'It won't lose any 'heritage charm' at all. Ridiculous rules killing small business owners for no good reason.' 'Typical Sydney full of greens, woke Teals and do-gooders,' another said. Tegan Andrews has been looking for a place to host her wedding reception and she said it was hard to find an ideal spot in Sydney due to all the rules and regulations in place. 'With Sydney venues you have the issue of kind of getting kicked out at 11pm, which can kind of factor into decision-making,' she said. 'The way we see our wedding day is just being fun, surrounded by people that we love, like family and friends, and being able to let loose a little bit.' Daily Mail contacted Ruddick for further comment. Claims he was discriminated against over political beliefs He has launched legal action against City of Armadale A former librarian claims he was forced out of his dream job and labelled a 'bigot' after he refused to complete a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training session. Irishman Declan Mansfield worked as a clerk at the City of Armadale library, in Perth's southeast, for about 15 years before his resignation. He had planned to live out his working life at the library's front desk and even saw himself working beyond retirement age in a job he loved. But everything changed after he informed management he would not participate in a DEI training session, as he believed it had political undertones. He claimed management had promised him that there was little to no ideology in the training, so out of a gesture of goodwill, Mr Mansfield said he would complete it. But, after completing the training, the clerk said he realised it was 'totally ideological' and decided to write an article about it for the UK-based magazine The Spectator. Mr Mansfield claims that after some of his colleagues found the article, he was subjected to hostility, gossip and manufactured disciplinary action. He claimed he was described as a 'transphobe' and 'bigoted' by other staff members. Library clerk Declan Mansfield (pictured) claims he was forced out of his job after he had written a piece about the staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training Mr Mansfield has launched legal action at Western Australia's State Administrative Tribunal (pictured) against the City of Armadale 'I don't care what somebody's sexuality is, what they identify as, what their beliefs are, that's none of my business,' he said. 'But I believe that government institutions, at least local government in particular, need to be politically and philosophically neutral.' Mr Mansfield has since launched legal action against the City of Armadale, which he claims unlawfully discriminated against him due to his political beliefs. His case, which is before Western Australia's State Administrative Tribunal, is being backed by the Free Speech Union of Australia. The former clerk likened the workplace environment to 'East Berlin' and claimed some staff members would deliberately cancel reservations and mis-shelve or hide books that were critical of far-left gender ideology. He claimed one offending book was even removed from the library completely. 'They were mis-shelving the book, if they didn't like the book. Which means if someone came up to me and asked "where's this book" or they looked on the catalogue, you wouldn't be able to find the book,' the clerk said. 'There was another trick, where they would actually pull back the books and just drop the book behind the shelf.' Mr Mansfield claims he was unlawfully discriminated against due to his political beliefs and was subjected to hostility, gossip and manufactured disciplinary action Mr Mansfield said library management launched two investigations - one into the DEI training and another following a colleague's bullying complaint. 'The City of Armadale said in formal words, you will adhere to this ideology, we're going to monitor everything you do and at any moment we can terminate your employment,' he said. 'So I thought, I can't work under those circumstances. 'I believed as well that the censorship would not only be in the library service but in relation to my writing as well. 'I also thought I can't work under people who would do this to me.' Mr Mansfield said he was forced out of his beloved front desk job, but said he 'felt compelled to leave' and had no choice'. The FSU has launched a campaign to help cover Mr Mansfield's legal expenses. Union Director Reuben Kirkham said the clerk's case highlighted a growing problem in government workplaces across the country. 'Declan's case is about something bigger than one man's treatment. It's about the right of every Australian to hold and express political opinions without fear of punishment from their employer,' he told The Noticer. 'The message from this case will be simple: political discrimination is not acceptable anywhere not in libraries, not in universities, not in government. 'We've seen a steady drift towards ideological intolerance in government employment. People who express mainstream views outside of work are being marginalised, investigated, and frozen out.' Daily Mail has contacted the City of Armadale and Armadale Library for comment. A Delta flight attendant has been caught on camera in a heated clash with a gate agent from rival airline Southwest. The male flight attendant had just arrived at Atlanta Airport and was in his uniform when he began accusing the female gate agent of displaying unprofessionalism and being 'ghetto.' As the pair walk through the terminal, he says: 'This is ridiculous. This is the worst airport, and y'all make Southwest look horrible. 'That customer service is ridiculous.' As the woman veers away from him and walks toward the gate, the Delta employee follows behind her, rolling his suitcase after her as he adds: 'It's ghetto. 'That's because it's Atlanta, y'all have no respect for customer service. Y'all need to clean it up, clean it up because I'm just trying to take a flight. 'I don't have to take Southwest, I can take Delta.' A Delta flight attendant has been caught on camera in a heated clash with a gate agent from rival airline Southwest The male flight attendant had just arrived at Atlanta Airport and was in his uniform when he began accusing the female gate agent of displaying unprofessionalism and being 'ghetto' The Southwest gate agent appears to ask the man to lower his tone, prompting him to ramp up his outrage. 'Get your hands out of my face,' he shouts. 'You are nothing. Where's your name tag at? You ghetto.' The man went on to claim his colleagues has 'told me not to come here' and that he was instructed 'not to transfer here, because y'all are ridiculous and ghetto.' 'I don't do that kind of stuff,' he added. 'I don't have to take Southwest, I can take Delta. 'Atlanta gotta clean itself up, because this is supposed to be the black mecca, and y'all can't even carry yourself with class.' The Southwest employee hit back, accusing him of calling one of her colleagues 'the B word.' It is unclear what sparked the altercation. The Southwest gate agent appears to ask the man to lower his tone, prompting him to ramp up his outrage The Delta employee had taken a Southwest flight to Atlanta While commentators sympathized with the man's negative experience on Southwest, many questioned whether his rant would ultimately cost him his job. 'I know Delta done clipped those wings,' one critic wrote on the now-viral footage. 'Sir, you were doing too much in uniform,' another added, while a third wrote: 'ATL does suck with their customer service, he aint lying.' '"I don't do that type of stuff..." And yet he carries out this unnecessary confrontation publicly interrupting the peace of the passengers and staff... He was right, though. He just made himself part of the problem with this display.' Daily Mail has contacted Delta Airlines for comment. A new agreement between Indigenous leaders and the Crisafulli Government has sparked political friction in Queensland. The Liberal National Party (LNP) has pushed back against claims the recently signed Indigenous Council Leaders Accord resembles a 'Voice to Parliament'. The accord gives 17 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander councils direct access to government ministers, cutting through bureaucratic red tape to address urgent issues like housing, clean water, and sewage infrastructure. This streamlined communication channel, however, will not be extended to the state's remaining 60 councils. Despite the significance of the accord, the LNP insists it is not comparable to the 'Voice to Parliament' proposal that was rejected in the 2023 referendum. That referendum sought to enshrine a permanent Indigenous advisory body in the Constitution, one that governments could consult on matters affecting First Nations communities. Unlike that proposal, the accord is not constitutionally enshrined, Although Labor's Shadow Treasurer, Cameron Dick, disagrees, describing the it as a de facto Voice. 'This is a Voice to Parliament for our First Nations people [in that] they have a direct line straight into the minister, the premier and the cabinet, that's never happened before,' Dick told the ABC. Queensland opposed the Voice to Parliament, with the state voting 68 per cent 'No' The Crisafulli Government has denied their agreement is similar to the failed 'Voice' proposal He also pointed to the LNP's reversal on the previous government's treaty pathway, which was abandoned by former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk due to a lack of bipartisan support. 'We welcome the acceptance by the premier that he was wrong in opposing the Voice and opposing our path to treaty legislation,' Dick added. But LNP Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Fiona Simpson, who publicly opposed the 2023 Voice referendum, firmly rejected the comparison. 'I'm respectfully voting no, this constitutional change is too risky,' Simpson told the Courier Mail during the referendum campaign. 'There's a better way to bridge the gap and not divide the nation.' Simpson reaffirmed her position on Tuesday. 'Claims by Labor today that an Accord signed with Indigenous leaders is a 'Voice to Parliament' are categorically incorrect,' Simpson told Daily Mail. 'The Indigenous Council Leaders Accord is the exact opposite of Labor's Voice to Parliament. This Accord is supported by local governments and focused on consultation. Fiona Simpson (pictured) said it was similar to a deal signed with 45 regional councils It is identical to the Remote and Rural Compact we signed with 45 regional councils earlier this year.' 'This is about delivering practical outcomes across the State and working with elected Mayors and Local Government to drive outcomes. It doesn't create an unelected decision-making body.' In a post on X, Minister for Local Government Ann Leahy backed Ms Simpson's remarks, firmly rejecting suggestions that the accord resembled a Voice to Parliament. 'Claims the accord is a Voice to Parliament are categorically incorrect,' Ms Leahy stated. 'The accord we have developed is the exact opposite. It is just like the one we have signed with rural and remote councils to give them access to advocate for their communities.' she said. 'It doesn't create an unelected decision-making body.' Queensland recorded the highest No vote in the country during the 2023 referendum, with 68.21 per cent of voters rejecting the Voice proposal. Prince Andrew has not paid rent on his Royal Lodge mansion for two decades, it emerged last night. In a shocking twist on the royal scandal, an unredacted copy of his lease shows that while he paid 1million to lease the property in 2003 and spent 7.5million on refurbishments, he has paid only 'one peppercorn (if demanded)' of rent a year since taking on the mansion. This is because Andrew is deemed to have paid the rent which was in the region of 260,000 a year up front through the work he has funded to bring the palatial property up to scratch. It also means the Crown Estate will have to pay him around half a million pounds if he were to quit his mansion before the lease on it runs out in 2078. A copy of the agreement was obtained by The Times newspaper following pressure from MPs and campaigners. And it will no doubt add to public outrage over Andrew's perceived 'perks'. Sources have stressed to the Daily Mail, however, that questions still remain over how the King's brother can afford the vast 30-bedroom property, which comes with multi-million running costs. The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Andrew is not believed to have received any significant inheritance from the Queen or Queen Mother, raising fresh questions about how he can afford to stay in the property particularly when he now receives no personal allowance from the King, or public funding. Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson (pictured in 2019) are holed up in their grace-and-favour Royal Lodge amid increased scrutiny over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein Calls are growing for Prince Andrew to be kicked out of the Royal Lodge (pictured), the lavish Windsor mansion he shares with his ex-wife Charles, 76, has desperately tried to persuade his younger brother to downsize and move out of the grade II-listed mansion in recent years. He believes many of Andrew's problems particularly those that saw him drawn to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and other shady characters stem from chasing a lifestyle he simply cannot afford. But Andrew, 65, has stubbornly insisted that he has a cast-iron lease on the house. And as long as he pays the rent, the King has no legal right to throw him out. The revelation comes as: A devastating memoir by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre is published today, in which she doubles down on allegations she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions a claim the prince strongly denies; A growing chorus of MPs demanded legislation to legally strip Andrew of his royal titles, including that of the Duke of York, through an Act of Parliament after he only voluntarily gave them up last Friday; Scotland Yard admitted an internal probe into allegations that the prince obtained Ms Giuffre's social security number and demanded that a police protection officer try to 'dig up dirt' on her could take weeks if the records even still exist; Buckingham Palace removed Andrew's former title, Duke of York, from its website, although his official biography remains; Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson changed her social media profiles from 'Sarah the Duchess' to 'sarahMFergie15'; Princess Beatrice visited her father at Royal Lodge in a public show of support. Beatrice and her sister Eugenie are said to have pulled out of a charity ball in London on Saturday amid the torrent of unedifying claims around their father. While details of the Queen's will have never been made public, it is thought that Andrew was not left sufficient funds to sustain his apparently lavish lifestyle. Royal Lodge, in the heart of Windsor Great Park, was the home of the Queen Mother, and was leased to Andrew after her death. The Crown Estate approved the arrangement, saying its location and 'security concerns' made it difficult to rent out on the open market. Princess Beatrice drives from Royal Lodge, home of her father Prince Andrew and mother Sarah Ferguson, at Windsor in Berkshire on Monday Beatrice is the first from her immediate family to break cover after her father was stripped of his dukedom and titles Andrew had to carry out 7.5million of refurbishment work when he took the property on in 2003. He was given a 75-year lease in return for a one-off payment of 1million. His rent was believed to be upwards of 260,000 a year, with a legal requirement to keep the property in a good state of repair. However, sources at Windsor say the house is a virtual 'money pit' and there have long been claims Andrew has been struggling with its upkeep. Until now it had been widely assumed that without any public funding or private allowance from his brother, the prince had been dipping into personal investments and family bequests to bankroll the property. The revelation over his inheritance will inevitably raise questions about how he can afford to live there. Andrew also has to fund his own security after losing his official police bodyguard. The King had previously said that if his brother downsized and moved to a smaller property on the estate potentially Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by Harry he would reinstate his personal allowance and help fund his security. But after Andrew point-blank refused, it is not known whether the offer is still even on the table. The headlines have been an unfortunate distraction for the King, who yesterday made a moving visit to Manchester to visit the Heaton Park synagogue that was targeted in a terror attack earlier this month. A black cop was 'humiliated' at a Chick-fil-A after being asked to pay for his meal while his white colleagues received theirs for free. Sergeant Tracy Reed of the Clover Police Department was 'almost in a rage' after claiming he was the only officer in the group who paid for his order in what he called a 'blatantly racist' incident. 'I was kind of humiliated and embarrassed, you know, at the whole situation because it seemed like it was a, it seemed like it was a racial issue to me,' Reed told WSOV. Reed and three other officers were on a work trip in Augusta, Georgia when they stopped to grab a quick bite. The cops were in line - all wearing the same uniform - when the employee's offered Reed's colleagues complimentary meals. Reed was the last to order, and another worker stepped in to check him out - but did not cover his meal's cost. In disbelief, Reed paid for his meal, adding he didn't protest because the police cannot 'ask for gratuities.' Sgt Tracy Reed of the Clover Police Department was 'humiliated' at a Chick-fil-A after he was asked to pay for his meal, while his white colleagues received theirs for free Reed was 'almost in a rage' after he was the only cop who was forced to pay for his food Reed and three other sergeants were in Augusta, Georgia, on a work trip when they stopped to grab a quick bite His fellow officers were taken aback by the incident and asked if he wanted them to intervene. 'He [Reed] was like, No, I dont want you to; I dont want you to cause a scene, colleague Thomas Barnette said. 'But I could tell by the way he looked that, you know, he just looked down at his plate, and he looked really embarrassed and humiliated.' Reed wrote a letter to the business demanding corrective action to their current policies so it complies with civil rights laws. Chick-fil-A issued an apology that labeled the incident as a 'mistake,' adding the employee 'doesnt normally work behind the register'. 'It said it was perceived that it was a racial incident, which I didnt like, because it wasnt perceived; it actually happened,' his co-worker said. In a statement to the local station the local Chick-fil-A said: 'We regret the unintentional impact this incident had and sincerely apologize to our guest. 'We were deeply concerned by this claim. It appears to have been an honest oversight across separate lines and registers. 'We are strongly committed to supporting our communitys first responders.' The Daily Mail reached out to Chick-fil-A and the Clover Police Department for additional comment. Virginia Giuffre's ghostwriter has said she would have seen Prince Andrew losing his royal titles as a 'victory' as she wanted all the men who she'd allegedly been trafficked to against her will to be 'held to account'. In an interview with Newsnight on Monday, Amy Wallace, the co-author of Nobody's Girl, welcomed the news that Andrew was starting to see his 'life eroded'. The disgraced royal was last week forced to voluntarily step down as the Duke of York and from his remaining royal titles. The announcement came days just before the publication of Ms Giuffre's memoir from beyond the grave in which she claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times. Prince Andrew, who reached a financial settlement of a reported $12million with Ms Giuffre in 2022, has always denied any wrongdoing. Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire about what she thought of Andrew relinquishing his titles, Ms Wallace said: 'I can speak for Virginia. 'I know that she would view it as a victory that he was forced, by whatever means, to voluntarily give them up. 'For many, maybe particularly in the United States, but maybe even in the UK, it's a symbolic gesture, but it's an important one. In an interview with Newsnight on Monday, Amy Wallace, the co-author Nobody's Girl, welcomed the news that Andrew was starting to see his 'life eroded' Virginia Giuffre photographed with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell in London in 2001 Virginia Giuffre, with a photo of herself as a teen, when she says she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew 'It's made history, modern history, in terms of the royal era. I mean it... I've never heard of such a thing happening, and it is also just a step in the right direction. 'You know, Virginia wanted all the men who she'd been trafficked to against her will to be held to account. 'And this is just one of the men, but he is being forced to, even though he continues to deny it, his life is being eroded because of his past behaviour, as it should be.' In her Newsnight interview, Ms Wallace also described Ms Giuffre's alleged experience of being 'sent off to sexually service Prince Andrew' by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. It is claimed that this took place in London in March 2001 following an evening out at a nightclub. 'Ghislaine Maxwell woke her up that day saying, "get out of bed, sleepy head",' Ms Wallace said. 'And the whole idea was, "we're going to have an amazing day". She quickly was told that she was going to meet a prince. 'This was a young woman who, as a tiny child, had loved the movie Cinderella and the idea of meeting a prince was exciting to her, and so they... Ghislaine took her shopping. King Charles is said to be 'glad' his brother has given up his titles after discussions 'She put on this outfit and went and met Prince Andrew. 'It was Virginia's first time in London, it was her first time abroad, Ghislaine had helped her fill out her passport application, and they went to a meal, they went to Tramp's nightclub, where they danced together, Virginia and the Prince. 'And then when they came home, on the ride home, they were not in the same car as the Prince himself. 'He was with his detail, his security detail, and Ghislaine and Jeffrey told her, "you now must do for him what you do for us". 'So when they got home, Ghislaine and Jeffrey excused themselves and basically sent her off to sexually service Prince Andrew.' Ms Giuffre also claims in the book Epstein subjected her to sadomasochistic sex which caused her 'so much pain that I prayed I would black out'. Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a person under the age of 18. He was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, while Maxwell was jailed for 20 years in 2022 for finding girls for Epstein to abuse. Ms Giuffre filed a lawsuit against the Prince Andrew in August 2021, seeking unspecified damages for battery, including rape, and the infliction of emotional distress. She alleged that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was just 17 years old under the orders of late paedophile. A new memoir by Ms Giuffre is set to be released on Tuesday and is sure to provide further embarrassment for the prince Prince Andrew at the Order of the Garter service in 2019 outside St George's Chapel in Windsor - he will now relinquish his Knight of the Garter status, as well as the title of Duke of York This newspaper previously revealed how Andrew told the Met Police to dig up dirt on Ms Giuffre by handing over her confidential social security number and date of birth to his taxpayer-funded police protection officer. The Met is 'actively looking into the claims made'. The MoS also revealed how Epstein introduced Andrew to a second woman who had been sexually abused by the paedophile financier for years and how he bankrolled Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's ex-wife, for 15 years. And royal experts have told the Daily Mail how the next few days could be 'toxic' for Andrew and risks overshadowing King Charles's royal engagements, including his state visit to the Vatican with Queen Camilla on Wednesday. Richard Fitzwilliams said: 'The problem the Royal Family has is that it cannot control events. 'The posthumous memoir, Nobody's Girl by poor Virginia Giuffre, who took her own life in April this year, will, according to early reports, be toxic for Andrew.' He said 'only 1 per cent' of documents linked to Epstein have been made public, adding: 'This could therefore be an almost endless stream of embarrassment and it is clear that they could be highly incriminating both to Andrew and also to Sarah Ferguson as yesterday's MoS revealed. 'There will almost certainly be more public disgust at what is revealed. 'When William becomes King he is likely to pursue a tough policy and we may never see Andrew or Sarah in public again at a royal event.' Putting UK boots on the ground after a Ukraine peace deal would cost 'well over 100million', the Defence Secretary said last night. Speaking in London, John Healey revealed Britain has been planning in detail along with its Coalition of the Willing over the last six months. He said: 'Peace is possible, and if President Trump can broker a peace, we will be ready to help secure that peace for the long term. 'That requires us to invest and prepare our forces to be ready to deploy. 'Keir Starmer has said, if necessary, he's willing to see UK boots on the ground in Ukraine, and I've accelerated already millions of pounds in that preparation for any possible deployment in the event of peace. 'I would expect the cost of that to be well over 100million.' It is understood the cost would cover an entry package, including the initial deployment of troops and aircraft, and is separate to the 4.5billion in military aid already allocated to Ukraine. Mr Healey added: 'A sovereign Ukraine is not just essential for Ukrainians, but it is important for the security of all of us. Speaking in London, John Healey (pictured) revealed Britain has been planning in detail along with its Coalition of the Willing over the last six months It came as Sir Keir urged allies to 'cripple' Russia economically, following Volodymyr Zelensky's apparent failure to convince Donald Trump to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. The PM said: 'We must be resolute in our support for Ukraine and I'm committed to intensifying our efforts to cripple Putin's war machine.' European allies rallied around Mr Zelensky following bruising talks with Mr Trump at the White House on Friday. According to reports, he tried to strong-arm the Ukrainian president into accepting a territorial sacrifice to seal a peace deal with the Kremlin. Mr Zelensky apparently refused, prompting a furious response from Mr Trump who warned that Russia would 'destroy' Ukraine otherwise. The Coalition of the Willing, led by the UK and France, is due to discuss further support for Ukraine on Friday. An undercover vigilante group busted a Long Island elementary music teacher who allegedly confessed to sexting someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. The watchdog team Predator Poachers Long Island used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to expose 37-year-old Mark Verity, who allegedly sent lewd photos and messages to a decoy. 'When he confessed, he realized his life that he'd been living for the past 37 years was now going to be completely off,' group member Mike told Fox News Digital. Verity - a married father of two toddlers - allegedly sent vile photos and messages to a 29-year-old group member who used AI to appear younger. The horrifying messages included asking for nude pictures, the Post reported. Using AI tools, the team tracked the music teacher and confronted him outside Shoreham-Wading River Elementary School. The 37-year-old admitted to the sickening accusations as the group recorded his confession on a livestream. Mark Verity, 37, former elementary music teacher at Shoreham-Wading River The watchdog team Predator Poachers Long Island used Artificial Intelligence to expose the creep who allegedly sent lewd photos and messages to a decoy Verity was arrested and slapped with a slew of charges after the group called the police The Predator Poachers team called the police, leading to an investigation. Verity was arrested and slapped with a slew of charges, including attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted online grooming, and trying to involve a child in sexually explicit conduct. The Suffolk County Police said on Friday there is currently no evidence that any student was a victim. Wading River Elementary School removed Verity and suspended him on October 15, according to the school's statement. 'If you're doing really heinous, evil stuff like Verity was doing, then you must have in the back of your mind that it's only a matter of time before something like this does happen, Villani said to Fox. Wading River Elementary school at 1900 Wading River Manor Rd, Wading River, New York He added when his team normally confronts their targets, they immediately deny all accusations, but the Verity was 'very forthcoming' about his accusations. The 37-year-old was arraigned Saturday in Suffolk County Criminal Court in Central Islip, where his bail was set at $75,000 cash, $150,000 bond, or $750,000 partially secured bond. The Daily Mail reached out to the Suffolk County Police Department for additional comment. The devastated family of a young father who was found dead inside a burnt-out SUV abandoned on a remote highway say his death will 'leave a hole in their hearts for the rest of their lives'. Joel Vrtacnik, 26, was found dead inside a car on the Kamilaroi Highway, Brewarrina 100km east of Bourke in north-west NSW at about 5.15am on September 28. Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of a car fire, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze only to discover Mr Vrtacnik's body inside. NSW Police issued a renewed plea on Monday for the public's help to crack the case, which detectives are treating as 'suspicious'. The Daily Mail understands Mr Vrtacnik, who was from Lightning Ridge a two-hour drive north-east of Brewarrina would have celebrated his 27th birthday on Tuesday, October 21. Tributes have begun to flow online as heartbroken loved ones grapple with the shocking news. 'I just need your big tight cuddle right now Joely,' his sister Keiha said. 'How is this true? You should be still hear with us my baby brother. Joel Vrtacnik, 26, (pictured) was found dead inside a burnt out car last month The young father's death is being investigated by homicide detectives 'I can't deal with you being gone. Come home now.' Mr Vrtacnik's cousin Tara Drew has urged anyone with information to come forward to police as the family seek answers over his death. 'My beautiful cousin, he didn't deserve this,' she said. 'I'm sick to my stomach. 'If anyone has information please report it. Justice needs to be served. We need justice.' Ms Drew said the pain the family feel is 'every family's worst nightmare' and her cousin life was taken in the 'most tragic and devastating way'. She described Mr Vrtacnik as a 'loving, funny, stubborn and courageous man' who was a 'father, son, nephew, cousin, uncle and grandson who will forever missed by all who knew and loved him'. As the family grapple with the tragedy, Ms Drew has launched a GoFundMe page to help to 'ease the financial burden of travel, accommodation, and other expenses related to supporting our immediate family'. He was discovered in a burnt out SUV on Kamilaroi Highway (pictured), Brewarrina Mr Vrtacnik has been remembered as a 'loving, funny, stubborn and courageous man' 'All donations will directly assist with the costs associated with seeking justice, grief counselling, and providing a stable environment for those most affected by this devastating loss,' she said. 'Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a significant difference in helping us navigate this challenging journey and honour the memory of a very loved family member.' NSW Police have been investigating Mr Vrtacnik's death under Strike Force Mayville since his body was discovered last month. Last Thursday, detectives carried out searches on two premises within Barwon Four Reserve Brewarrina and seized a number of items for further examination. 'Due to the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body we are treating the death as suspicious,' Central North PD Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Andrew Barnes said on Monday. 'We have identified the deceased person and notified their next-of-kin, but we are appealing to the public to come forward if they have information which could be relevant to this investigation.' Anyone with information they believe can assist police is urged to contact Bourke Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A customer has blasted Australia Post for billing him more than $1,500 to use a different PO box after one of its offices shut down. Melbourne man Rob Morgan held a PO box in Croydon for 10 years before it was damaged when the shop next door was firebombed last year. His mail was redirected to another PO box in Eildon and Australia Post initially did not charge him an additional fee, until Mr Morgan made a surprising discovery in his mailbox. 'We've just got a letter from Australia Post saying that if we want to keep receiving our mail and getting it redirected, it's going to cost me $1,540,' he told A Current Affair. Mr Morgan complained to Australia Post, which initially told him the charges would remain. 'I tried to explain to them, "How would you feel if all of a sudden it was going to cost you $1,540 to receive your mail?"' he claimed. 'And they basically said, "Too bad, so sad." 'We don't even get a lot of mail anymore. Nine out of ten things come as emails, but you still don't want to be missing bills. Rob Morgan said Australia Post sent him a huge bill to deliver his mail 'I just don't want it to affect our credit rating or anything. 'I can't think of any other business that has something go wrong, and then they decide to charge their customer. 'It just shows that they really don't care about their customers at all. It's pretty disappointing.' Online commenters were shocked at the size of the bill. 'That's ridiculous,' one wrote. 'It's no longer "Australia Post". Now it's some poorly run courier company,' another said. 'It's become a business and no longer a postal "service",' a third wrote. Australia Post released a statement that the Croydon North Licensed Post Office was still temporarily closed and they were waiting on further advice from the landlord about when it would be safe to return. An Australia Post spokesman said the large bill would no longer apply (stock image) 'Australia Post apologises to Mr Morgan for a systems error that led to him being notified of future charges for ongoing mail redirection to his Eildon address,' it read. 'All Croydon North PO Box holders currently have free leasing in place until March 2026 and customers also have the option to pick up their mail from the Croydon Post Shop. 'We thank customers for their understanding and will be reaching out to Post Office Box holders to confirm that free mail redirection will be extended for a further 12 months.' An Australia Post spokesman told Daily Mail that its systems were updated and that Mr Morgan would not have to pay the large bill. 'We are reaching out to Mr Morgan to confirm that those charges no longer need to be paid,' he said. An American man who faked his own death and fled to Scotland to escape rape charges has been jailed. Nicholas Rossi, 38, from the US state of Rhode Island, has been sentenced to at least five years behind bars for raping two women in northern Utah in 2008. He is set to receive a second sentence in November too as he was separately convicted of each crime, in August and September respectively. The hearing in Salt Lake City, Utah, saw him handed an 'indeterminate' term - the state policy for sentencing, to provide a range of years, not a set number. His eventual release date will therefore be decided by the state parole board - and he could still get a life sentence. He will begin his first sentence immediately. Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, was first identified as the women's attacker in 2018 when a decade-old DNA rape kit was investigated. But in February 2020, just months after he was charged in one of the cases, an obituary was published online claiming he had died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In fact, he had been living in Bristol, in the south-west of England, for some time before then - but the exact date he fled the States for Britain is unclear. Nicholas Rossi (pictured), 38, from the US state of Rhode Island , has been sentenced to at least five years behind bars for raping two women in northern Utah in 2008 He eventually ended up in Scotland, where he lived under the radar until December 2021, when he was arrested at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. While in hospital receiving treatment for Covid, staff had recognised his distinctive tattoos and reported him to authorities. Rossi said the wrong man had been caught, claiming he was an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight who was being framed. But in November 2022, it was concluded he was in fact Nicholas Rossi and after a long court battle, he was eventually extradited to the US in January last year. It eventually emerged he had used more than a dozen aliases over the years to escape detection. This included the name Arthur Brown, which he went by when he married British woman Miranda Knight. He is thought to have met in Bristol before the couple later moved to Glasgow. One of his accusers, when taking the stand in August, said Rossi left a 'trail of fear, pain and destruction' in his wake. He is set to receive a second sentence in November too as he was separately convicted of each crime, in August and September respectively. Pictured: Rossi at the trial in August 'This is not a plea for vengeance. This is a plea for safety and accountability, for recognition of the damage that will never fully heal,' she said. Prosecutor Brandon Simmons, meanwhile, said Rossi 'uses rape to control women' and is a threat to the public's safety. But the attacker has maintained his innocence, saying in a soft, raspy voice at his sentencing hearing: 'I am not guilty of this. These women are lying.' One of the two women he was convicted of raping first met him after she responded to a post he had made on advertising website Craiglist. Though she was recovering from a traumatic brain injury at the time, the pair began dating and got engaged within just a few weeks. The woman testified he had asked her to lend him money, pay for dates and car repairs and take out loans to buy their wedding rings. She told the court he raped her in his bedroom one night after driving her home. It was years later she reported it to the police, after she discovered another woman in Utah had also accused him of similar crimes. A popular Perth pub has turfed out a group of neo-Nazis midway through their political event after staff realised who they really were. The Stirling Arms Hotel in Guildford, in Perth's eastern suburbs, was the venue for a private seminar hosted by the Western Australian chapter of White Australia, a neo-Nazi group. The Stirling Arms said it had no prior knowledge of what the group was representing before it booked the venue. White Australia, which is seeking registration as a political party with the Australian Electoral Commission, espouses white supremacist ideology under the guise of promoting 'racial preservation.' The group had booked a function room for their event on Saturday night. However, the event took a dramatic turn when a customer reportedly became distressed after seeing the name 'White Australia' displayed on a screen as they passed by the function room. White Australia's Hagen Palme told the crowd they were being kicked out despite believing there was an understanding with the venue that the event would be both political and private. 'They are happy to take our money, but not happy to work with us in that regard. So you know, that's the way it is in this country, White Australians are not allowed to unify and express their political views, even though this is a White country,' he said. National Socialist Network Perth chapter leader Hagen Palme (pictured) speaking to the crowd of around 70 at a political event on Saturday night that was shut down by the venue Staff were reportedly upset at the logos shown during the private event The Stirling Arms pub (pictured) in Perth's eastern suburbs said it had no prior knowledge of what the white supremacist group were representing 'We're very peaceful, we're very accommodating, we don't try and antagonise, we're very friendly, that was never reciprocated towards us, so it is what it is, we keep on going despite the pressures.' The group of around 70 attendees were told to leave after finishing their buffet meal and later concluded the event at the nearby ANZAC Memorial. The neo-nazi group were so worried people would find out where they booked their event they required all attendees to RSVP and meet in a carpark before they were told the function's location. An email, signed off by WA chapter leader Hagen Palme, addressed to attendees said 'a team of senior members of our organisation will be there to meet you and say hello'. 'We thank you for your understanding on these necessary precautions, to ensure that we don't post the final venue list either publicly or via email, but instead give it in person to those who are attending,' the email said. 'The safety and enjoyment of our supporters is our number one priority, and you can be assured that there will be no issues.' The pub, named after WA's first governor Sir James Stirling, said in a Facebook post that the event and the group do not represent the values of The Stirling Arms. 'Unfortunately, an event was booked at the venue tonight for a political group that the venue does not align with, nor did we have prior knowledge of what they were representing,' the post read. Stephen Wells (pictured) took aim at the Stirling Arms for not providing a refund after the attendees were asked to leave at around 830pm Members of the National Socialist Network during a counter protest on January 26, 2025 in Adelaide 'Shortly after becoming aware of what the event represented, all content was removed from within the venue, the event cancelled and the guests were asked to leave. 'We are a community-based pub that welcomes all. We are truly sorry for any hurt or offence this may have caused.' The online apology has attracted hundreds of comments including one from National Socialist Network member and political activist Stephen Wells. Wells was arrested in Adelaide on Australia Day during the Invasion Day rallies for using a Nazi symbol or salute. He took aim at the Stirling Arms for not providing a refund after the attendees were asked to leave at around 8.30pm. 'See you in court. So much for principles.' But many praised the venue for the way they handled the situation. 'Thank you for standing up against hatred and racism. We decent, inclusive, respectful, tolerant Australians have to speak out against this horrible minority,' one said. It's not the first time the group's white supremacist ideaology has attracted attention. In August Parramatta Council refused to let the NSW chapter of the group hire its Town Hall for a political meeting, citing its 'diversity' policy. Last month ASIC rejected registering the business name White Australia Pty Ltd on the basis that the word white is a blacklisted word or phrase. Donald Trump has boasted the 'historic results' the FBI has made since he took office in January. In a post to his Truth Social page Monday night, the president announced that more than 28,000 violent criminals - a 'record breaking' number - have been arrested, with more than 6,000 weapons seized. Among those who have been arrested are more than 1,700 'child predators' and 300 human traffickers, Trump said. He also claimed that 5,000 children have been rescued, 2,000 criminal enterprises have been disrupted and 1,900 kilos of fentanyl - which Trump said was 'enough to kill 125 million people' - were seized. 'The FBI, under my Administration, is doing an incredible job,' Trump wrote. 'We are bringing LAW AND ORDER back to America,' he continued, as he praised FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Deputy Director Andrew Bailey as well as 'the men and women of the FBI' for 'doing a tremendous job MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!' The bureau's successes this year have been well-documented, with Attorney General Pam Bondi announcing in May that the Justice Department seized 3 million fentanyl pills in the largest-ever multi-state drug operation in US history. It spanned at least four states and was being run by a group of drug traffickers that included half-a-dozen people in the US illegally. President Donald Trump boasted the 'historic results' the FBI has made since he took office in January in a Truth Social post Monday night Trump commended FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino in his post He also praised the 'men and women of the FBI for 'doing a tremendous job MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!' 'This multi-agency operation led by DEA with our local, state, tribal and federal partners targeted one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking and foreign terrorist organizations in our country,' Bondi said in a press conference. She added: 'The DEA seized 11.5 kilos of fentanyl, including an astounding approximately 3 million fentanyl pills the largest seizure in our nation's history.' Bondi said the seizure and arrests are 'the most significant victory in our nation's fight against fentanyl and drug trafficking to date.' In January, the FBI also announced that a Missouri man on the bureau's most wanted list for child sex trafficking had been nabbed after two years on the run. Donald Eugene Fields II, 60, was arrested in a routine traffic stop in Florida, two years after he was federally indicted. He now faces federal charges of child sex trafficking, with an indictment accusing Fields of 'knowingly attempting to recruit, entice, provide, patronize, and solicit a minor into engaging in a commercial sex act from about January 2013 until June 2017,' the agency said. Additionally, Fields faces charges including statutory sodomy, statutory rape, child molestation, and witness tampering in Missouri's Franklin County Circuit Court. The president is now hoping to continue his law enforcement record, with a brutal migrant crackdown in Chicago, where ICE agents were seen dragging people off the streets as vigilante groups fought back. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on May 6, 2025 the largest-ever multi-state drug seizure in US history The bureau's successes have been well documented. Agents are seen here arresting a man near the White House in September Trump has described the Windy City as 'the most dangerous city in the world. 'I have an obligation. This isn't a political thing,' he said. 'I have an obligation when 20 people are killed over the last two and a half weeks and 75 are shot with bullets.' Chicago is notorious for its gun crime and its poor suburbs have long been regarded as the most dangerous urban area in the United States. But according to data published by the Chicago Police Department, violent crimes including murder and criminal sexual assault committed between October 6 and October 12 have fallen by 32 percent compared to the same dates in 2024. The same period has also seen a massive 58 percent reduction in shootings compared to last year. s ICE agents now round up increasing numbers of illegal immigrants for deportation, they are being confronted by a growing army of liberal vigilantes who are trying to halt deportations. They have accused ICE agents of brutality, using smoke grenades, tear gas and pepper balls to turn the city into what they describe as a 'war zone'. ICE's agents have also been accused of wrongfully targeting American citizens, including a TV producer who was 'violently assaulted' by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and had her backside exposed in the scuffle. Federal agents, including U.S. Marshalls, FBI agents and HSI agents, detain a woman during an immigration enforcement raid in Chelsea, Massachusetts in September A detainee is taken back to official government vehicles during a protest in Chicago, Tuesday, October 14, 2025 Veteran WGN-TV producer Deborah Brockman was caught on camera being slammed to the ground as mask-wearing CBP officers cuffed her in the Chicago suburb of Lincoln Square. They accused her of throwing something at their vehicle, but the producer's legal team has claimed she was simply walking to the bus stop when she was assaulted. Brockman 'adamantly denies' any assault allegations on the federal officers, her legal team said, claiming she 'was the one who was violently assaulted.' 'This incident should be alarming and horrifying to every single person in this country.' The local TV producer was detained and held in custody for seven hours before she was released without charges. A government official readies to throw a gas canister in Chicago, Tuesday, October 14, 2025 ICE agents detain a protester as other protesters try to stop them in East Side, Chicago, Tuesday, October 14, 2025 ICE's alleged brutality has become such a problem in the city that many of its residents are starting to fight back, according to the New York Times. The newspaper reported that Chicagoans have begun forming volunteer groups to monitor ICE activity, posting their findings on Facebook and Signal group chats when agents are seen. If agents are spotted, motorists reportedly press their car's horns to warn that they are in the area. Last month, Chicago city council member Andre Vasquez even sponsored a 'community defense workshop' that aimed to inform residents of their rights and teach them how to politically organize. He told the New York Times: 'Chicagos been doing just fine, and then these guys showed up. 'There is big concern about what these unidentified, masked men are doing in this city without accountability. 'Chicagoans are just trying to live their life. Were not going to tolerate unconstitutional authoritarianism.' The former mayor of a Massachusetts town is hanging on for his life after he was reportedly stabbed multiple times in the neck. Will Flanagan, 44, served as mayor of Fall River from 2010 until 2014 when he was defeated in a recall election. On Monday, he was stabbed at around 5pm near the 100 block of Hartwell Street in the city, which is 50 miles south of Boston, according to local police. Police and EMS immediately responded to the scene, where they discovered Flanagan's injuries. He was taken to hospital after a source told the Fall River Times he was stabbed multiple times in the neck and is in 'serious' condition. The suspect is still at large, with local officials still trying to identify the man who stabbed Flanagan. 'On Behalf of the City and the department, Our deepest sympathies and well wishes are with Mr. Flanagan, his family, and his friends during this difficult time,' they said. Current Mayor Paul Coogan wished Flanagan well in a statement. Will Flanagan (pictured), the former mayor of a Massachusetts town is hanging on for his life after he was reportedly stabbed multiple times in the neck He was stabbed at around 5pm near the 100 block of Hartwell Street in the city, which is 50 miles south of Boston Flanagan was taken to hospital, with a source claiming he was stabbed multiple times in the neck 'My thoughts and prayers are with Former Mayor Will Flanagan, his family, and friends. The full support of the Mayor's Office is with the Fall River Police Department as they work tirelessly to bring justice in this case.' 'We stand firmly behind Chief Kelly Furtado, and the dedicated men and women of the FRPD as they continue this active investigation.' Furtado added: 'Our patrol officers and detectives responded swiftly and are working diligently to identify and apprehend who is responsible for this senseless act of violence. 'We will exhaust every resource to ensure justice is served. I want to thank the Mayor's Office for their continued support as we move forward with this investigation.' Flanagan was an assistant district attorney when he was first elected mayor in 2009, at 29, the youngest mayor in Fall River's history. A recall over a 'pay-as-you-throw' trash collection policy and reports he threatened a city councilor with a gun forced his recall in a 2014 vote. Since leaving office, he as returned to practicing as a lawyer. A frequent poster on social media, Flanagan was engaging live on Facebook just hours before he was stabbed. A severely autistic man who carried out more than 600 hours of volunteer work over four years at Waitrose has lost his job after his mother asked for him to be paid. Tom Boyd, 27, started helping out at the branch in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, in 2021 by emptying stock cages and stacking shelves accompanied by a support worker to keep him safe. Soon he was working two days a week from 9.30am to 2pm and was well loved by staff members - some would tell the 27-year-old 'you work harder than some people who are paid to work here'. Last year, Tom's mother Frances, a charity worker from Stockport, and his support workers reached out to Waitrose requesting a small number of paid hours as 'recognition for the time, effort and heart' he has given in those four years and to benefit his development. However, the store took the request to Waitrose head office who were alarmed by the amount of unpaid work Tom had done and said he would not be able to work until they had resolved the situation. Tom has now been unable to work any shifts for two months and his mother had to lie to him about the situation to not upset him. 'We told him the shop is being cleaned. We weren't after 40 or 30 or 20 hours. We said we'd accept four, three or even two - just something,' she told The Times. Frances said her son misses helping out in Waitrose and that he enjoyed going there. Tom Boyd, 27, began helping out at the branch in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, in 2021 by emptying stock cages and stacking shelves accompanied by a support worker to keep him safe He has 'very limited' language which made him unable to communicate with customers, but his support workers could have helped him with that if needed. His mother said: 'He's been doing it for four years, so why can't that continue?' She said Tom's support workers met Waitrose staff at the store who told them it would not be possible for him to be a paid employee. The 'heartbroken' mother has dismissed any possibility of taking legal action and instead said the 'ideal situation' would be for Tom to be able to work back at Waitrose in 'some capacity'. She emphasised how 'amazing' the staff were on the shop floor, clarifying there has been 'no reflection' of the way the head office have since behaved - adding the 'cold, harsh, big corporate company' are the ones who don't see him as 'an individual'. Frances and Tom's support workers are now looking to get him working in another supermarket instead. Alternatively, they are considering a cleaning job for him as he enjoys dusting, vacuuming and making beds. Frances wrote of the situation on social media: 'They told us he couldnt be offered a job because he couldnt "do the full role" - yet we know for a fact there are people in the same store being paid, and they arent able to do every part of the job either. 'How is that fair?' The fuming mum continued: 'After everything he's done, there was no apology, no thanks, and no recognition for his commitment. Just silence.' Waitrose said: 'We work hard to be an inclusive employer. As part of this, we partner with a number of charities, including to provide work experience, and are well experienced in making reasonable adjustments to help people succeed at work. 'We are sorry to hear of Tom's story, and whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we are investigating as a priority.' The Daily Mail have approached Waitrose for further comment. The government went too far by limiting the amount of time people were allowed to spend outside during the Covid-19 pandemic, the nation's top medic has suggested. Professor Sir Chris Whitty told the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry that the approach to the first lockdown should have been 'more liberal', as the evidence showed that being outdoors was safer than being indoors. From March 23, 2020, Brits were ordered to 'stay home' with people permitted to leave their houses for shopping, medical appointments, travelling to and from work and for 'one form of exercise a day'. Sir Chris, who is England's chief medical officer, said: 'The bit of the restrictions which, at the time I thought we should have been more liberal if I'm honest, was the amount of time that people could spend outside. 'I think, I couldn't see the logic of that from an infection control point of view, to be honest. 'It almost happened by accident and that I think probably is something we should have looked at, and for children in particular, I think that's very important. It's important for everyone.' He suggested that the impact of the restrictions on children playing outdoors was particularly damaging. Sir Chris said: 'If we were running things again, this is one of the areas where I think I would have preferred a policy that was more liberal about children's play.' Professor Sir Chris Whitty told the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry that the approach to the first lockdown should have been 'more liberal' People take their daily exercise on the promenade alongside a deserted beach in Rhyl, north Wales, in May 2020 Giving evidence about the impact of the pandemic on children and young people, Sir Chris was asked about the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) reviewing the restrictions on social distancing on April 14. He told the inquiry: 'I think there was quite a strong view among Sage that outdoors was a lot safer than indoors already by this point, and that only strengthened as time went by as the evidence came in.' Children's playgrounds reopened in July 2020. Sir Chris told the probe that children's play 'tends to be quite physically close' adding: 'If you've got someone who's two inches apart from someone else, it doesn't matter whether it's indoors or outdoors, if they shout or sing or bellow or cough over them, that's ballistic ... and you're going to get a transmission.' Meanwhile, Sir Chris insisted that there would have been more deaths from Covid-19 if schools had not closed. Schools were closed in England from March 20, but remained open to a small number of children, including those of critical workers. Sir Chris described how the nation was facing 'the most extreme circumstances' and how decision makers were faced with a series of 'very bad' choices where some of them were 'a bit worse and some of them were a lot worse'. 'These were bad choices to have to take,' he told the inquiry. He said: 'What I am confident about saying is that had schools not closed, and based on the evidence we had at the time and I don't think evidence subsequently has undermined that, the peak of the pandemic would have been higher and that would have had obviously direct effect from deaths from Covid in the first wave, but would have increased the risk of all the indirect effects from health services being be unable to function. Pictured empty streets in the centre of Glasgow during the Covid-19 lockdown 'So I think not closing schools would have had a material effect on the pandemic being significantly worse.' Asked about school closures in January 2021, Sir Chris described the decision as pulling the 'emergency brakes' because of the speed in which the virus was moving. 'At the point we did it with the Alpha variant, the numbers were incredibly high already, and three or four doubling times from that was an extraordinarily dangerous place for us to get to,' he told the inquiry. 'So waiting for another couple of doubling times to see what happened would have been, in my view, potentially catastrophic. 'And that really was the foundations of the decisions that were made at this point in time.' When asked if the rule of six - a regulation brought in in September 2020 prohibiting anyone from meeting more than six people socially, indoors and outdoors - could have excluded children, Sir Chris said it would have been possible but it 'would probably have led to a higher level of transmission than if children were not excluded'. Sir Chris added: 'If I'd have been a policymaker, I would have argued for having, let's say, three households able to meet - making the number up - rather than six individuals. 'But I wasn't a policy maker. I was, in a sense, making the scientific point, and then it was for policy people to try and interpret that.' Inquiry counsel Clair Dobbin asked if 'there was no particular imperative to have children within the rule' and that there 'could have been an alternative course available that might have meant that children could have more socialising'. Sir Chris said there was, but 'then have to accept that you were probably going to have to not do something else you wanted to do'. He added: 'And it was the choice for policymakers to choose between these options, all of which, of course, were bad options, but to decide which was the one which had the least social disbenefit for the same amount of impact on the pandemic.' A body language expert has highlighted the key sign Kevin Rudd was rattled by his telling off by US President Trump: he was the only person in the room to repeatedly reach for a glass of water. Dr Louise Mahler told the Daily Mail the non-verbal cues of Anthony Albanese, Donald Trump and Rudd at their meeting at the White House on Tuesday spoke volumes about power, confidence, and crisis. 'This was a hugely positive interaction for Albanese,' Dr Mahler said. 'He was strong, he was clearly told, "Come on, go for it, power up," and he did. It was extraordinary because Trump doesn't allow that to happen to anybody.' But Rudd, if anything, shut down after Trump told him: 'I don't like you and I never will.' Dr Mahler claimed the key giveaway that the country's ambassador to the US was stressed was the fact that he repeatedly reached out for his glass of water. Rudd also appeared to shrink from view, with Dr Mahler saying that he almost 'didn't exist'. 'He was sitting there motionless, pretending he didn't exist. When the incident happened, he had a complete panic attack,' she said. Dr Louise Mahler said Anthony Albanese initiated the handshake, secured the last word as he entered the building, a rarity with Trump, and spoke without interruption Dr Mahler said Kevin Rudd (pictured) appeared visibly rattled following Trump's comment Dr Mahler said Rudd was visibly rattled after Trump's comment. 'His mouth dried up and he grabbed a glass of water. Fifteen seconds later, he grabbed another,' Dr Mahler said. 'Nobody else was drinking water. These are signs of stress.' Rudd's discomfort was compounded by his lack of engagement. 'When questions were asked, every head turned, not Rudd's. He stared straight ahead or at the table. He was in total shock,' Dr Mahler said. 'I personally think this was a life crisis, a political crisis.' Meanwhile, Albanese thrived. Albanese initiated the first handshake with Trump and secured the last word as he entered the White House - a rarity with the US President. He also spoke without interruption. 'Normally under stress, Albanese's jaw jams and he mumbles, but not this time,' Dr Mahler said. 'He followed the rules and did us proud.' Kevin Rudd (right) was cagey and quiet, compared to Albanese (left) who was confident Dr Mahler praised Albanese, saying every interaction with Trump was 'positive' Dr Mahler said the optics were striking given Trump's reputation for dominance. 'Trump lets no one have the last word,' she said. 'For Albanese to achieve that shows how carefully this was managed.' Dr Mahler said the contrast between the two Australians could not have been sharper. 'Albanese will dine out on that for the rest of his life,' she said. 'For Rudd, it was a politician's nightmare.' Dr Mahler said the meeting itself, held against a backdrop of strategic cooperation and speculation over rare earth deals, was unusually warm by Trump's standards. 'Think of the bizarreness of it,' she said. 'They are different sides of politics. Trump praises nobody. It was really weird, which makes me wonder what's in that document they signed.' Even in the photo-op, body language told its own story. The Opposition has called for Rudd to be removed as ambassador to the US, after the meeting 'Trump held the signed document to the side, that's good practice,' Dr Mahler explained. 'Albanese first held it in front of his chest, then quickly copied Trump.' On Tuesday morning, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley called for Rudd to be dismissed as ambassador. 'Kevin Rudd really was the elephant in the room. It was a bit awkward. It has taken nearly a year to get this meeting and that has been a failing of the ambassador,' she told Sky News. 'When the ambassador is the punchline of the joke and the prime minister is actually laughing at him I think it tells you all we need to know about the fact it's probably not reasonable he continue in the role.' The White House slammed a report that said Donald Trump could let Sean 'Diddy' Combs out of prison as soon as this week. Combs, 55, was sentenced to 50 months in prison on two charges of transportation for the purposes of prostitution. A 'White House insider' told TMZ that Trump is 'vacillating' on whether or not to follow up his weekend commutation of former Congressman George Santos with Combs. While White House staff are advising against the move, the source said that ultimately: 'Trump will do what he wants.' When reached for comment, a White House spokesperson told the Daily Mail the report was completely fraudulent. 'There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we wouldve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news.' 'The president, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations.' Combs - who avoided an even longer sentence when he was acquitted of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges - could be free at some point this week. Donald Trump is considering commuting Sean 'Diddy' Combs' prison sentence as soon as this week, a White House insider claimed Trump is 'vacillating' on whether or not to follow up his weekend commutation of former Congressman George Santos with Combs Trump has previously suggested he would probably not pardon him but added that Combs' acquittal on numerous sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges meant he was 'essentially, sort of, half innocent'. Speaking to Newsmax in August, Trump ultimately said it was 'more likely a no' but noted the interesting situation the rapper had found himself in. 'Well he was essentially, sort of, half-innocent. I don't know what they do that he's still in jail or something. He was celebrating a victory but I guess it wasn't as good a victory,' he said. The president then detailed his past relationship with Combs, as both are native New Yorkers who became famous. 'I was very friendly with him, get along with him great, seemed like a nice guy, didn't know him well,' he said. In May, Trump said he'd consider it, telling the press: 'I'd look at what's happening... He used to really like me a lot.' That started to take a turn when Trump moved toward politics. While Combs was largely agnostic in the 2016 race, he endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and said if Trump won there would be a race war. The news comes the same day Combs attorneys signaled that they plan to appeal his conviction. Trump has previously suggested he would probably not pardon him but added that Combs' acquittal on numerous sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges meant he was 'essentially, sort of, half innocent' The president has spoken of his past relationship with Combs, as both are native New Yorkers who became famous The rapper and mogul has already been credited with serving 13 months of his sentence. But In a two-page notice for the Federal District Court of New York that was filed by his attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, she signaled their plan to appeal, but they didn't lay out the legal rationale behind the appeal, according to documents obtained by the Daily Mail. However, in previous filings, the rapper's legal team claimed that his conviction shouldn't stand because the two prostitution charges did not apply to his conduct, as they are allegedly relics of the Mann Act that are now rarely used. More detailed filings laying out Diddy's reasoning behind his appeal are likely to be submitted in upcoming weeks. Diddy's appeal would initially be heard by a three-judge panel from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Diddy was still listed as being jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center as of Monday afternoon, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Federal prison consultant Sam Mangel told the Daily Mail that defendants typically wait 45 to 60 days to be transferred to a federal prison to start their sentence. However, because of the federal shut down, Diddy could be waiting in Brooklyn MDC longer than usual, Mangel said. Trump announced George Santos would be set free late last week Trump and Combs seen together and 1998. The two native New Yorkers were acquainted during the peak of Combs' fame On October 3, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Diddy to 50 months in prison after his conviction on the two prostitution charges, but he has been credited with the year he already spent in jail at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of and during his trial. His legal team had argued for a far more lenient sentence of just 14 months in prison. When the 12 months he had already spent in jail were subtracted from the total, Diddy would have only served an additional two months in prison under his preferred sentencing terms. By contrast, prosecutor's had requested a sentence of at least 11 years and three months in prison. Following the conclusion of his highly anticipated trial and sentencing, his legal team has requested that he serve his time at FCI Fort Dix, a low-security prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey, the Daily Mail can confirm. Subramanian condemned Combs for his 'savage' abuse of ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and a Jane Doe who testified, saying he was making an example of him because he caused 'irreparable harm' to his victims. Ventura's attorney, Douglar Wigdor, told the Daily Mail that the entire trial was thanks to the singer's 'courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023', which triggered the criminal investigation into Combs. 'Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution,' he said. 'By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice. We must repeat with no reservation that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. 'She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. 'This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.' Diddy was not actually convicted of any offense against Ventura, but was famously filmed beating her, with his acknowledgement of her abuse likely to provide some solace for the model. A string of popular restaurants in Melbourne have been forced to close with just 24 hours' notice after a bitter feud between landlords hit breaking point. Kikanbo Ramen, which opened just three months ago on La Trobe Street, was sent a legal email stating their lease would be terminated within hours on Friday night. The viral ramen restaurant was forced to shut mid-service, with staff having to discard hundreds of kilos of fresh produce. 'We act for your landlord, 260 Latrobe Mercator Pty Ltd. As you are aware, you are occupying the premises pursuant to a sub-lease with our client,' the email, seen by news.com.au, read. 'As you may also be aware, the head landlord changed in February 2025 when the building was sold. We regret to inform you that our client has been having issues with the head landlord of the building. 'Unfortunately, we expect that this is going to result in the head landlord unilaterally terminating our client's lease, as early as tomorrow. The result of this would be that your sub-lease with our client will also be terminated.' Kikanbo Ramen is now listed as 'permanently closed' online. Chavalit 'Top' Piyaphanee, the co-owner of Thai restaurant R Harn next-door, said the locks were changed at his venue just hours after he received the legal notice. Kikanbo (pictured) has been a big hit after opening three months ago in Melbourne R Harn - a Thai restaurant impacted by the closures - issued a statement on social media Kikanbo (pictured) has been very popular with diners in Melbourne but is now closed 'It was shocking. We're pretty screwed. Like watching a movie. We just don't understand why it's happening,' he said. 'We can't afford to close, I can't just accept this.' The head landlord sent Mr Piyaphanee an email offering to provide him with a new licence, on the condition that he agreed to the new terms. The licence terms include monthly fees of almost $25,000 and the condition that the licensee 'may not use any musical instrument, radio, television, public address system or other device likely to be heard or seen outside the venue'. 'Despite any other provision of this licence, this licence may be terminated at any time by the licensor giving 14 days' written notice,' it reads. Mr Piyaphanee was advised not to accept the new licence by his lawyer. Machi Machi, Katta Kit and Luke's Vietnamese, which is yet to open, will also be unable to operate due to the dispute between landlords. Daily Mail has contacted Mr Piyaphanee and Kikanbo Ramen for further comment. China has hit back at claims by the Albanese government that it acted in an 'unsafe and unprofessional' manner by releasing flares near an Australian military plane. A Chinese fighter jet released flares in close proximity to a Royal Australian Air Force plane in international airspace over the South China Sea on Sunday. The federal government has lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident, describing it as 'unsafe and unprofessional'. However, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) attempted to shift the blame in a sharp rebuke on Monday, accusing Australia of 'illegally intruding' its airspace. 'On October 19, an Australian P-8A military aircraft illegally intruded the airspace over China's Xisha Islands without the approval of the Chinese government,' Senior Colonel Li Jianjian said in a statement. China claims the Xisha or Paracel Islands as its territory, but so too does Vietnam and Taiwan. Colonel Li said Chinese naval and air forces were deployed to monitor and deter the encroaching aircraft in accordance with laws and regulations. 'The Australian move seriously violated China's sovereignty and could have easily triggered maritime and aerial accidents,' Li said. China has hit back against claims by the Albanese government it acted in an 'unsafe and unprofessional' manner by releasing flares close to an Australian military plane China has lashed out against Australia's diplomatic protest over the incident, accusing Australia of 'illegally intruding' Chinese airspace. Pictured is Chinese President Xi Jinping 'We sternly warn the Australian side to immediately stop such provocative moves. 'The theatre forces remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability.' It came after Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles on Monday announced Australia had lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident. He said the Australian surveillance plane was conducting a routine patrol when the Chinese jet released its flares, including two 'very close' to the aircraft. Marles said flare drops are a 'reasonably standard interaction' between military aircraft but the proximity to the Australian aircraft made it 'unsafe'. 'No damage was done, but it was dangerous,' he told Seven News. 'The majority of Australia's trade goes through the South China Sea, so it is profoundly important that the rules operate in this area. 'Having reviewed this incident very carefully, we've deemed it to be both unsafe and unprofessional. Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the Chinese flare deployment as 'highly risky' and said Australia would continue to assert its right to use international airspace A number of Australian officials have condemned the move by China, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong who described the incident as 'highly risky'. Both Wong and Marles said Australia would continue to assert its rights over international waters and airspace, undeterred by the incident. Speaking on Tuesday, Marles again defended the behaviour of Australian defence personnel during the incident, claiming they were flying over international waters. 'At every moment our crew was adhering to international law,' he said. Beijing claims ownership over the vast majority of the South China Sea despite an international ruling rejecting its claim in 2016. The Asian superpower denounced the international tribunal's finding as a 'piece of waste paper'. A suspected attacker who allegedly stabbed a stranger in broad daylight on a Melbourne street has withdrawn her attempt to be released back onto the streets. Lauren Darul, 32, fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday afternoon after being charged with intentionally causing injury. Darul allegedly came up behind 36-year-old sushi chef Wan-Ting Lai and stabbed her near the intersection of Little Bourke Street and Spencer Street in Melbourne's CBD around 7:40 a.m. on October 2. CCTV footage of the unprovoked attack showed a person run up behind Ms Lai, pull out a knife, look her in the eye, and stab her once on the right side of her chest before running away. It has been revealed that police were already actively searching for Darul prior to the alleged attack, after she failed to attend a scheduled mental health appointment. Darul, who was also charged with recklessly causing injury and committing an indictable offence while on bail, was on bail at the time of the alleged and potentially deadly attack. However, in a shock move, Darul, who was set to appear at Tuesday's hearing, withdrew the application when the matter was called just before 3:30 p.m. Darul, who appeared via videolink from Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, barely spoke during the intensive case management hearing. CCTV captured the alleged attack Passersby rushed to help stabbing victim 36-year-old sushi chef Wan-Ting Lai Lauren Darul has been charged with intentionally causing injury In a new development, Ms Lai's sister, Ivana Lai, has slammed the state government after alerting officials to the allegedly savage attack the day after it occurred, on October 3. Ivana said the family didn't hear back from the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety until October 17nearly two weeks laterwhen they were finally offered 'immediate and longer-term support.' 'I am writing to file the strongest possible formal complaint regarding a horrific, unprovoked knife attack,' Ivana wrote on October 3 in an email obtained by 7News. 'My sister had walked less than 100m from her front door when she was randomly attacked with a switchblade and knocked to the ground by a female. 'The pain is so severe that she has difficulty eating, chewing, and swallowing. Even walking to the bathroom is an immense struggle. Every breath she takes is agony.' 'Thank you for your email to the Premier in relation to your sister's experience as a victim of crime. The Office of Minister for Victims, the Hon Anthony Carbines has asked me to respond,' Executive Director of Victim Services Carly Edwards wrote to Ivana. Ivana slammed the 'slow and passive' response. Darul barely spoke during Tuesday's hearing Wan-Ting Lai posted from her hospital bed 'Victims who have already suffered physically and emotionally should not be forced to bear the additional burden of time, money, and complex bureaucracy on their own,' Ivana said. 'The government's slow and passive compensation process amounts to a second trauma for law-abiding citizens.' Ms Lai had been walking to work at Southern Cross Station on Spencer Street where she works as a sushi chef for Maki Roll before the unprovoked attack. She told the Daily Mail of her ongoing struggle to come to terms with the horrific attack. 'I'm still recovering physically and emotionally, and I truly hope the justice system prioritises community safety,' Ms Lai told Daily Mail. 'I'm still relying on painkillers to manage the pain, and I'm still recovering both physically and mentally. 'After returning home, I'm reluctant to think about the incident, and I'm still having trouble leaving the house alone.' She later posted on social media that she was now too scared to return to the spot where the alleged attack took place. Ms Lai's sister, Ivana Lai (pictured) has slammed the state government after alerting officials to the allegedly savage attack the day after it occurred, on October 3. Darul in her younger days 'I longed to return to Melbourne, where I could live peacefully and breathe happily, and I hoped to slowly return to those days. 'Two voices in my head alternated: fear and the hope to bravely step forward.' Ms Lai paid tribute to the courage and warmth of strangers who came to her aid, but had left her frighteningly aware of how close she came to dying. A Good Samaritan called the police and an ambulance while a Korean couple and several other people on their way to work also rushed over to help. 'Their kindness and timely actions bought me precious time for treatment. I am deeply grateful to those who offered a helping hand, and I am deeply grateful for the support and concern of my colleagues and friends,' she said. 'Life is fragile, but by supporting each other, we can make this world a safer place. Stay safe, everyone.' Ms Lai spent three days at the Royal Melbourne Hospital before she was even able to walk to the bathroom, and now faces a long and exhausting road to recovery. Police told her the alleged attacker was a resident in a nearby council-backed shelter that provides 50 housing units to 'meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness'. MAGA-aligned Christians have hit out at FBI Director Kash Patel for celebrating a Hindu festival - even though President Donald Trump also marked the occasion. The FBI director posted an image on X to commemorate Diwali, the Festival of Lights celebrated by more than a billion people worldwide including Hindus, Sikhs, Jain and some Buddhists. 'Happy Diwali - celebrating the Festival of Lights around the world, as good triumphs over evil,' Patel wrote. Many who commented on the post criticized the FBI director for celebrating the holiday. 'This is America. We don't celebrate Diwali,' one X user commented, while another claimed: 'This is a Christian nation. Take that back to India.' A third X user who boasted that he was 'right wing before it was cool' even declared that Patel's post is 'not compatible with American tradition,' and another conservative asked why Patel was 'betraying Charlie Kirk,' a devout Christian. 'Well we didn't get the Epstein files but we got goofy foreign holidays,' a fifth chimed in. But even Trump issued a presidential message marking the holiday Monday night. Christian conservatives hit out at FBI Director Kash Patel (right with Pam Bondi) for sharing a post celebrating a Hindu festival The FBI director posted an image on X to commemorate Diwali, the Festival of Lights celebrated by more than a billion people worldwide including Hindus, Sikhs, Jain and some Buddhists 'For many Americans, Diwali is a timeless reminder of light's victory over darkness,' he said. 'It is also a time to bring families and friends together to celebrate community, draw strength from hope and embrace a lasting spirit of renewal. 'As millions of citizens light diyas and lanterns, we rejoice in the eternal truth that good will always triumph over evil. 'To every American celebrating Diwali, may this observance bring abiding serenity, prosperity, hope and peace.' Others also showed support for Patel, with one X user wishing him a happy Diwali. 'There's enough things to get mad at you for, but you sending Diwali greetings isn't one of them,' he wrote. Diwali has been growing in popularity across the United States with three states now recognizing it as an official holiday - California, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill earlier this month officially adopting the holiday in the state. The law, which goes into effect in the new year, authorizes public schools and community colleges to close on Diwali and allows state employees and public school students to take the day off. California is home to roughly 960,000 Indian Americans, representing about 20 percent of all Indian Americans living in the United States, according to Deseret News. Other major hubs include Texas, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Many who responded to the post criticized the FBI director for celebrating the holiday, claiming it was 'anti-American' Though they do not recognize Diwali as a state holiday, schools in New Jersey and New York - including New York City, the largest school district in the United States - close for the holiday. It was in New York, which the Pew Research Center estimates is home to 390,000 Indian Americans, where Patel was born. He is the first FBI director of Indian-American descent, with his ancestors hailing from the Bhadran village of Gujarat, India before they moved to Uganda, the Economic Times reports. Patel's father was then expelled from the African country in 1972 by dictator Idi Amin, who ordered the Indian community to leave. From there, the family settled in Canada and eventually moved to the United States, where the FBI director, whose full name is Kashyap Pramod Patel, was born in 1980. Upon taking office as the head of the nation's largest law enforcement agency earlier this year, Patel declared he is 'living the American dream' - telling 'anyone who thinks the American dream is dead [to] look right here. 'You're talking to a first-generation Indian who is about to lead the law enforcement agency of the greatest nation on Earth,' he said. 'That can't happen anywhere else.' Women carry diyas, or traditional oil lamps, at the premises of Shri Swaminarayan Temple during celebrations to mark Diwali, the festival of lights, in Varanasi on Monday People are pictured lighting firecrackers for Diwali in India on Monday night One X user suggested there were other things for conservatives to be mad at Patel about, but his religious beliefs should not be one of them Patel has also been open about his Hindu beliefs, with the India Tribune - a Chicago-based website even publishing a feature piece on him entitled 'FBI Director Kash Patel: A Hindu Warrior in Washington's Political Battlefield.' In the piece, he said his upbringing was 'rooted in the values of Hinduism - hard work, respect and education - values that have influenced his worldview.' He also underscored the importance of the Hindu principles of dharma (righteous duty), karma (action with accountability) and seva (selfless service), which Patel said guide his work in public service. MAGA loyalists have previously turned on Patel over his handling of the so-called Epstein files. In July, Patel insisted that the the FBI and the Justice Department concluded there was not a 'client list' of the disgraced financier's co-conspirators - as e declared that no one else would be charged in connection to Epstein's crimes. Widespread public outcry ensued with the public demanding that the federal government release the names of anyone named in the files. But Patel confirmed at an FBI oversight hearing last month that his agency does not have in its possession any files that include names of those to whom Epstein trafficked women including minors. He explained that since the original search warrants from then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alex Acosta were 'limited,' there are no people named in the files that participated in Epstein's sex trafficking ring. As such, Patel said the feds have 'no credible evidence' Epstein trafficked women to anyone other than himself. Patel has previously come under fire for his handling of the so-called Epstein files The FBI concluded there was no so-called 'client list' of Epstein's co-conspirators Patel also gained flack last month for announcing that a 'subject' had been captured just hours after Kirk was fatally shot on a Utah college campus. 'The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,' he wrote on X. A little more than 90 minutes later, Patel shared a follow-up post saying the 'subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement.' The 'subject' was one of two individuals detained that day who were later determined not to be involved in the killing. Patel faced a hail of criticism for his handling of the investigation, with alleged assassin Tyler Robinson being arrested days later only after his father turned him into authorities. But he has since defended his actions that day, telling Fox & Friends last month: 'I was telling the world what the FBI was doing as we were doing it. And I am continuing to do that. 'I stated in that message that we had a "subject." And that we were going to interview him. And we did and he was released,' he explained. 'The job of the FBI is not just to manhunt the actual suspect who did the killing or suspects but its also to eliminate targets and eliminate subjects who are not involved in the process. Thats what we were doing. 'Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not,' he said. Julie Bishop has effectively vanished from public view and made her Instagram account private as she faces pressure to quit her role as chancellor of the Australian National University after explosive claims were made in Parliament. The move marks a stark shift for the former Liberal foreign minister, who since leaving politics has typically shared her glamorous lifestyle and red carpet snaps at home and abroad with her 111,000 social media followers. While Bishop fronted a packed university town-hall meeting in September defending her decision to remain as ANU chancellor, she reportedly hasn't been seen on campus since. There are claims that she was a no-show at a university event recently, with some joking she had 'gone into hiding'. Bishop's alleged disappearing act follows weeks of mounting scrutiny over her role in appointing ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell, who resigned from the position a month ago. Bell's departure came after months of controversy over a $250 million cost-cutting program, and distressing allegations made at a parliamentary hearing by senior academic Liz Allen. The cost-cutting measures, which included forced redundancies, were designed to address the university's dire financial situation. Dr Allen, a demographer and former member of ANU's council, accused Bishop in Parliament of being 'hostile and arrogant' during a teary appearance before a Senate committee investigating higher education governance and accountability in August. Julie Bishop on her first day as chancellor of ANU, a job which is now under threat by calls for her to resign in the wake of bullying allegations The former foreign minister's glamorous Instagram page (above with boyfriend Stephen on a lavish Dubai getaway in July) has now been turned private as the embattled chancellor is urged to resign Dr Liz Allen said she had been bullied and threatened at ANU and alleged Bishop had made 'significant allegations' against her Dr Allen claimed that since 2024, she had experienced 'threats, intimidation and bullying because I sought greater probity of council conduct.' Dr Allen accused Bishop and other members of the ANU executive of hostile behaviour, saying that before her resignation from the council in April, she had 'lost the opportunity of a promotion. 'I fear for my job and my career has been derailed. I felt threatened and became extremely fearful. I believed my job was at risk.' She alleged that back in February, Chancellor Bishop 'made significant allegations of improper and illegal activity relating to the leaking of confidential matters - specifically naming me and the undergraduate student representative.' Dr Allen said she had never leaked confidential council business but claimed that after the meeting Bishop had 'further berated me' in a private room and 'laughed incredulously at my emotional response and at one point blocked me leaving the room. 'I was so distressed I couldn't breathe and struggled walking.' She said the meeting had ongoing consequences, including a threatening letter from a legal office, delayed publication of an article, and colleagues afraid to collaborate with her because they feared ANU's leadership. 'My online and work activities are monitored, and I recently received numerous emails from the Vice-Chancellor's head of public affairs and the senior advisor noting they were 'watching my public comments',' she said. Julie Bishop arrives at a town-hall meeting in September to address bullying and other claims following the resignation of her vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell Genevieve Bell, who resigned as ANU Vice-Chancellor a month ago after months of controversy over a $250 million cost-cutting program Julie Bishop with Stephen pose for a photo she later posted to her 111,000 followers of her Instagram page Dr Allen said the emotional toll of her ordeal with ANU was so severe that she intended to take her own life. 'On a drive home, I decided to kill myself,' she told Parliament. 'I pulled over to write final goodbyes to my children and partner. 'I emailed my supervisors because I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. A call from my husband stopped me taking my life.' Dr Allen said she also suffered a miscarriage. In a statement, Julie Bishop denied Dr Allen's allegations, saying: 'I reject any suggestion that I have engaged with Council members, staff, students and observers in any way other than with respect, courtesy and civility.' Ms Bishop also 'absolutely rejected' claims that she wielded 'godlike powers, unchecked' or that a 'culture of fear and intimidation' existed under her leadership of council meetings. 'I reject absolutely ... that "dissent" is "discouraged", that Council is "dysfunctional and toxic under the current regime", that elected members are "afraid", that Council is orchestrated cinema to make it appear that what's happening is legitimate when it's not', or that the nature of Council is "divide and conquer", Bishop wrote. At a town hall meeting on September 11, when asked if her position remained tenable, Bishop told the meeting she intended to serve out her term as chancellor, which ends in 2026. However, that commitment has since been called into question, with Bishop appearing to retreat from public view in recent weeks. Her sudden switch of her Instagram page to private is a stark contrast to her usually active presence, which previously featured posts from a recent trip to Myanmar as Special Envoy to the United Nations, and photos of her enjoying a lavish Dubai getaway with her partner Stephen in July. More than 800 ANU employees passed a vote of no confidence against Bishop and ANU vice chancellor Genevieve Bell's leadership in February. More than 800 ANU employees passed a vote of no confidence against Bishop and ANU vice chancellor Genevieve Bell's leadership in February. The vote, arranged by the National Tertiary Education Union, passed with a 95 per cent vote against the two leaders. Jonathan Churchill, ANU's chief operating officer told staff in an email the vote was not representative of the university's nearly 5,000 employee headcount. Last month Bishop said she intends to remain in the role and see the institution through its restructure. 'I believe I have an obligation to see this transition through to the end,' Ms Bishop said. 'I have the backing of council and I intend to see it through.' An ANU spokesperson responded in questions put to Bishop's Chancellor office, by saying 'no' it was not true that she had turned her Instagram page to private, nor had stopped making public appearances in the media or at ANU. The spokesperson also said Chancellor Bishop 'rejects these false and unsubstantiated allegations' made about her regarding Dr Allen. Further, Bishop said she did intend to stay as ANU Chancellor for her full term through to 2026. For confidential crisis support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was busy brokering billion-dollar deals and dodging diplomatic landmines in Washington, his fiancee Jodie Haydon has quietly returned to Australia after seven days in sun-soaked Palau. Haydon touched down at Brisbane Airport early on Sunday morning, just hours before Albanese landed in the US capital for his high-stakes summit with President Donald Trump. She was seen manoeuvring several large black suitcases and a shoulder bag as several security guards remained close by. Haydon was sporting her dazzling engagement ring, a custom piece by Cerrone Jewellers in Leichhardt, a jeweller located in the heart of Albanese's electorate. The couple had spent the previous week soaking up the sun on the remote island of Palau in Micronesia, a paradise known more for coral reefs than covert ceremonies. Flying economy on Qantas' 'Palau Paradise Express', a government-backed route aimed at boosting Pacific tourism, the couple reportedly blended in. The relaxed vibe and seven-day media blackout requested by the PM's office led to speculation that the pair may have had a small ceremony in the remote paradise. But despite the romantic setting and whispers of a hush-hush wedding overseas, sources close to the couple insist they haven't yet said 'I do'. Jodie Haydon (pictured) returning to Australia from Palau on Sunday evening With a packed Parliamentary schedule over October and November the window for the couples ceremony to happen before the New Year is closing The high-profile couple have hinted they will tie the knot in a small and private ceremony Haydon has previously teased plans for a wedding 'before the year is out', describing their dream day as 'small, intimate possibly outdoors, in the second half of this year, with our family and loved ones'. Albanese has also ruled out inviting world leaders, with the ceremony expected to be a strictly private affair. It's still unclear whether any sitting MPs or Ministers will make the guest list, a tricky situation given the size of Albanese's parliamentary caucus. One VIP who's definitely expected to attend? Their beloved cavoodle, Toto, who's tipped to play a starring role. With Parliament scheduled to sit on October 27, November 3, and November 24, the PM's calendar is rapidly filling up, leaving only a narrow window in mid-November or early December for potential nuptials. Data released by the Bureau of Statistics from 2024, shows that November and October are popular wedding months, especially Fridays and Saturdays, leaving the couple with time to tie the knot during peak wedding season. Albanese and Haydon's love story began in 2020 at a business event in Melbourne, where the PM famously asked the crowd if there were any South Sydney Rabbitohs fans. Haydon responded with a spirited 'Up the Rabbitohs!', sparking a connection that led to a casual drink at Young Henrys in Newtown. Albanese and Haydon's love story began in 2020 at a business event in Melbourne Albanese popped the question on Valentine's Day 2024 at The Lodge Albanese popped the question on Valentine's Day 2024 at The Lodge, his official Canberra residence. Born in Bankstown and raised on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Haydon is the daughter of two schoolteachers and a proud advocate for women's rights. She dropped out of university to pursue a career in finance, spending over two decades in the superannuation industry before taking on a role as a women's officer with the NSW Public Service Association. As of 2025, she holds the position of Head of Strategic Partnerships at Teachers Mutual Bank. Her professional life remains separate from her public role, though she's stepped into duties alongside Albanese, attending state dinners, overseas summits, and even the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Donald Trump has secured command of the Oregon National Guard as he seeks to deploy troops in Portland. The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals put on hold a lower-court ruling on Monday that prevented Trump from taking command of the 200 Oregon National Guard troops, who typically report to the state's governor. The judges on the panel ruled 2 - 1 that the president was likely to succeed on his claim that he had the authority to federalize the troops based on a determination he was unable to enforce the laws without them. They cited the violence of protesters in front of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland as a justification for implementing the early 20th century statute that allows the president to take command of the Guard. The judges noted in their unsigned order that the protesters 'attempted to burn the building down, placed chains on the doors, attempted to breach the front door of the building and broke the front glass door.' Protesters also threw 'rocks, sticks and a mortar and launched M80 fireworks at federal officers, assaulted federal officers, shined lasers at officers' eyes and doxed federal officers,' the judges wrote. Their decision now puts on hold a lower-court ruling that prohibited Trump from calling up the troops so he could send them to Portland. However, US District Judge Karin Immergut's second order prohibiting Trump from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all remains in effect, meaning that no troops may immediately be deployed. President Donald Trump has secured command of the Oregon National Guard, as he pushes to send troops to Portland But the Trump administration has argued that because the legal reasoning underpinning both temporary restraining orders was the same, the second one was also invalid. Lawyers for the government noted that the majority opinion on Monday said the two TROs 'rise or fall together,' as they asked Immergut to immediately dissolve her second order. They argued that it is not the role of the courts to second-guess the presidents determination about when to deploy troops. 'The Ninth Circuits decision staying the first TRO is a significant change in law that plainly warrants dissolution of this Courts second TRO,' the administration's lawyers wrote. Still, the White House celebrated the ruling, with Trump spokeswoman Abigail Jackson saying the president 'is exercising his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel following violent riots that local leaders have refused to address,' according to the Wall Street Journal. The administration has said the troops are needed to protect federal property from protesters, and that having to send extra Department of Homeland Security agents to help guard the property meant they were not enforcing immigration laws elsewhere. Oregon officials, meanwhile, have argued that Portland police have handled the protests and crowd control outside of the ICE facility appropriately, and have said that demonstrators who break the law are regularly arrested. Clashes between federal agents and protesters outside of the facility have become violent The small nightly protests, limited to a single block, have been ongoing since June. At times, larger crowds including counter-protesters and live streamers, have shown up and federal agents have had to deploy tear gas to disperse the crowds. But in her decision, Immergut said the president's claims about Portland being war-torn are 'simply untethered to the facts.' Judge Susan Graber, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, concurred as she issued her dissenting opinion on Monday. 'Given Portland protesters' well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits, inflatable frog costumes or nothing at all when expressing their disagreement with the methods employed by ICE, observers may be tempted to view the majority's ruling, which accepts the government's characterization of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd,' she wrote. Graber then urged her colleagues on the 9th Circuit to 'to vacate the majoritys order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur.' 'In the two weeks leading up to the Presidents September 27 social media post, there had not been a single incident of protesters disrupting the execution of the laws,' Graber wrote. 'It is hard to understand how a tiny protest causing no disruptions could possibly satisfy the standard that the President is unable to execute the laws.' In her dissenting opinion on Monday, Ninth Circuit Judge Susan Graber, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, pointed to the protesters' use of costumes to refute the Trump administration's claims that Portland has become a war zone State and local officials have argued against the Trump administration taking control of the National Guard Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, said he will now ask for a broader panel of the appeals to reconsider the decision. 'Todays ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification,' Rayfield said. 'We are on a dangerous path in America.' Yet Trump's efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Democratic-led cities have been mired in legal challenges. In California, a judge ruled that his deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, a longstanding law that generally prohibits the use of the military for civilian policing. Still, the Trump administration is seeking to move full-steam ahead with its plans, asking the US Supreme Court on Friday to allow the deployment of National Guard troops to the Chicago area. A university has ramped up its security after posters branding an Israeli academic a 'terrorist' were scattered around campus by pro-Palestine students. Students at City University have demanded Michael Ben-Gad be sacked for serving in the Israel Defence Forces from 1982 to 1985. Last week, a petition by City Action for Palestine was launched calling for Professor Ben-Gad, who teaches economics, to be fired 'immediately' and leaflets distributed calling him a 'terrorist'. The group is also demanding an apology to the community and for the university 'to consider such fundamental matters when hiring in the future. They added: 'Shame on City for allowing a terrorist to be near and teach Arab and Muslim students despite being an active participant in murdering their people.' But the defiant Professor told the Daily Mail he is an 'unapologetic Israeli patriot and no one is going to intimidate me'. The university has been forced to ramp up its security for Professor Ben-Gad's lectures. Some academics have taken to X to voice their opposition to the hounding of Prof Ben-Gad (pictured) Footage from last week shows protesters take over the hallways chanting 'sack him now' as they don keffiyehs - traditional Arab attire that has come to be associated with the Palestinian cause He told he Daily Mail: 'If the objective of the demonstration was to frighten or intimidate me, frankly they will have to try a lot harder than printing up a flyer, launching an Instagram campaign or a small demonstration. 'I lectured this week as usual while all this was beginning and plan to do so next week as well. I am indeed as they claim an IDF veteran and I plan to act like one - these modern brown shirts are not going to send me into hiding.' 'I am a classical liberal. Students have a right to express their opinions even if personally, I find those views abhorrent. That even includes the production of inflammatory pamphlets about me. 'However, they do not have a right to disrupt, harass, threaten or physically intimidate and today they crossed a very bright red line. Professor Ben-Gad has worked at the British university since 2008, serving as head of department from 2010 to 2013. One poster distributed by protesters recounted his employment history - with his 'six years working in a genocidal society' as a lecturer at the University of Haifa and his three years service in the Israel Defense Forces proving particular points of concern. The group also highlights his role working as an economist at the Bank of Israel between 1987 and 1989. The State of Israel requires every Jewish, Druze or Circassian male citizen over the age of 18 to serve a minimum of 32 months in its armed forces - with women expected to serve for a minimum of 24 months. Footage from last week showed protesters take over the hallways chanting 'sack him now' as they don keffiyehs - traditional Arab attire that has come to be associated with the Palestinian cause. In other videos the mask-wearing students marched through the corridors with megaphones calling for his contract to be terminated. Distributed leaflets plastered Mr Ben-Gad's face beneath the capitalised word 'terrorist' on a blood-stained background alongside the slogan 'shame on City University'. He continued: 'My only concern and the concern of the university management is that others, potentially more vulnerable than me, i.e. Jewish students are protected. 'I have enjoyed the full support of the President, Prof Sir Anthony Finkelstein and the entire senior management team of the university. Anthony and I are both the sons of Holocaust survivors and understand completely the true nature of this campaign. 'I should add that I have also received plenty of support from dear colleagues of all faiths and backgrounds. 'They picked the wrong professor at the wrong university. Distributed leaflets plaster the economics professor's face beneath the capitalised word 'terrorist' on a blood-stained background alongside the slogan 'shame on City University' One poster distributed by protesters recounted his employment history - with his 'six years working in a genocidal society' as a lecturer at the University of Haifa and his three years service in the Israel Defense Forces proving particular points of concern The group says: 'In Palestine, Zionists expanded illegal settlements, imposed curfews, and arrested activists' The group concludes 'shame' on City for: 'Allowing a terrorist to be near & teach Arab & Muslim students, despite being an active participant in murdering their people' 'The launch of the campaign coincided with the start of the ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages. 'Clearly these hate groups need a new cause. I may have been specifically targeted because of my role in campaigning for academic freedom which seems to trigger a rather disparate variety of extremists. 'I am an unapologetic Israeli patriot and no one is going to intimidate me. 'At the same time, I am deeply grateful to this wonderful country for all the opportunities it has afforded me. 'Remember these people hate Britain, for its unique tradition of civility, its freedom and its tolerance, as much as they hate Israel and Jews.' A petition circulated by City Action for Palestine online reads: 'The war crimes the Zionist Occupations army have committed are not secret, they have been broadcasted during the escalation in the Genocide in the last 2 years. 'The IOF (a term used by some activists in place of IDF, meaning 'Israel Occupying Forces') has been terrorising the Palestinians and Lebanese for over 77 years now. 'Therefore, our students will not rest as long as this terrorist, complicit in war crimes and the murder of our brothers and sisters in Lebanon and Palestine walk freely in our institution.' The campaign against Prof Ben-Gad is said to have been launched after the Gaza ceasefire deal. Hundreds of academics have since come to the defence of Prof Ben-Gad online against 'what appears to be a small, if very vocal, group'. A statement signed by professors and tutors from institutions ranging from Imperial College London to the University of Oxford reads: 'We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by a targeted harassment campaign against Michael Ben-Gad, Professor of Economics at City St Georges, University of London, led by a group calling themselves. 'Regardless of diverse views on the recent Gaza war and the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we deplore any campaign that seeks to intimidate and drive out lecturers because they are Israeli, Jewish, or members of any other group. 'We are immensely grateful to hear of the strong support given by the President and Senior Leadership Team to the Professor in question, and we wish to register our equal support. 'Academics and students have a right to go about their work at any university without facing harassment. 'Attacks of this kind are intimidating, particularly to Jewish students, and set a precedent under which others could be targeted in future. 'We wish to make clear to what appears to be a small, if very vocal, group that their mobbing tactics will not succeed. 'We stand together in support of Professor Ben-Gad and his personal and intellectual freedom as an academic.' Some academics have taken to X to voice their opposition to the hounding of Professor Ben-Gad. Professor Alice Sullivan, who teaches Sociology at UCL, said: 'Solidarity with Michael Ben-Gad, Professor of Economics at City University. 'Students are demanding his sacking simply because he is an Israeli Jew who has done (mandatory) military service. 'The antisemitic harassment he is being subjected to is horrifying. I hesitate to amplify it, but British academics need to understand what is happening.' Abhishek Saha, a professor of Maths at Queen Mary's University London said: 'This is vile, targeted harassment on the basis of national origin and religion.' And the historian Niall Ferguson said: 'Professor Michael Ben-Gad is being treated disgracefully. Students who behave in this repulsively intolerant fashion need to face discipline.' A spokesman for City St George's University said: 'City St George's fully supports and upholds freedom of expression within the law and is willing to engage in lawful discussion and debate across the full range of topics. 'However, unlawful and repugnant attempts to obstruct and interfere with our academic operations are another thing entirely, and the University will not tolerate the harassment of its staff and students. 'We reject the unlawful actions of this small group of individuals that is neither affiliated with the University nor its Students' Union. 'We will continue to support and protect our staff and students, including Michael, who has the full support of the University and its senior management team, as well as colleagues of all faiths and backgrounds.' A high-end Japanese restaurant in Melbourne has suddenly closed permanently after its parent company collapsed, owing tens of thousands of dollars. Shoya Melbourne, tucked away on Market Lane in the city's CBD, said it was temporarily closing on September 28 for major renovations. But last week, the restaurant shared a sobering message on social media and its website announcing that it would not be reopening its doors. 'This was not an easy decision to make, and we deeply regret any sadness this news may bring,' it said on Wednesday. 'While we had originally planned to reopen the restaurant following our renovation, we must share that, due to unforeseen circumstances - including the retirement of our owner-chef - Shoya will not be reopening in the future. 'Over the years, it has been our greatest honour and joy to serve you, to celebrate countless special moments together, and to be part of Melbourne's dining community. 'From the entire Shoya team, thank you for your loyalty, friendship, and support. We will always cherish the wonderful memories shared with you.' While the message does not allude to financial troubles, it was revealed on Tuesday that it had been closed after its owner collapsed into liquidation, reportedly owing $283,867 to unsecured creditors. Shoya Melbourne, visited in May by MasterChef judge Matt Preston (pictured with chef Shigeo Nonaka), has closed permanently after initially saying it was shut for renovations A message on its website said the decision was made after 'unforeseen circumstances' A notice issued by ASIC on October 13 said insolvency practitioner Glenn Crisp, from Jirsch Sutherland, will manage the financial affairs of owner Yakiniku Restaurant. Mr Crisp told the Daily Mail he has 'no reason to doubt the explanations provided by the companys representatives regarding its closure'. 'These include the resignation and retirement of the head chef and ongoing tough trading conditions,' he said. 'At this stage, the circumstances appear consistent with the challenges currently affecting many hospitality businesses in Melbourne post-COVID. 'Victoria has been recording the fastest increase in business failures among the mainland states, and hospitality is among the hardest hit.' Mr Crisp and his team will be investigating the causes of the companys failure before reporting our findings to ASIC and the creditors, focusing on identifying a buyer for the businesss assets and the lease in Market Lane. The corporate regulator also received a report by director Chang Hing Lim, seen by the Herald Sun, which said initial estimates indicated unsecured creditors were owed $283,867. This included the tax office ($33,893), Arteva Funding ($19,799), wholesaler Oceania Seafood ($14,130), Alexander Robertson & Co ($16,743), Big Bang Enterprises ($5,649) and Gensuke Progress ($6,776). Secured creditors, including employee entitlements, were due approximately $58,673. The Daily Mail has contacted Shoya for comment. The Japanese inspired restaurant was popular among Melbourne's foodies The venue served up sushi and seafood dishes as its specialty Shoya's owner Yakiniku Restaurant entered liquidation last week, reportedly owing an estimated $283,867 to unsecured creditors (pictured, external photo of Shoya) Established in 2003, Shoya was founded by chef Shigeo Nonaka and consisted of three levels, including traditional tatami seating and a fine dining level with a sushi bar. As recently as May, the beloved institution, which received the One Hat Award in The Age Good Food Guide in 2006, was visited by MasterChef judge Matt Preston. Shoya was also selected as the Best Japanese Restaurant in Melbourne seven times in a row from 2006 to 2013. Not only favoured by celebrity chefs, locals also grieved the loss of Shoya and said the closure was 'devastating'. 'Very sorry to see you close. Thank you for all the good times and delicious food!' one user said on Facebook. Another said: 'I still can't believe it. Heaps of memories here.' A third added: 'Thank you for the memories at the restaurant and those home deliveries during COVID.' Shoya is not the only popular, high-end venue to suddenly close. Melbourne's CBD has recently suffered losses of popular bar and dining spots including Bar Margaux, The Everleigh, Carlton Club and The Gasometer Hotel. When needing to release frustration, screaming can be a cathartic and physical way to blow off steam. Now a bizarre new wellness trend allows those who are stressed, angry or upset to meet in large groups and collectively shriek at the top of their lungs. Dubbed 'cheaper than therapy', the concept focuses on the idea that 'healing' can be 'kind of ugly' and isn't as 'glamorous' as it's presented on social media, according to the organiser of London's recent screaming events. Mona Sharif, a former corporate lawyer, led more than 200 people who gathered at Parliament Hill in the capital on Saturday evening to take part in the noisy experience. Ms Sharif said she was recommended the technique by her therapist in 2023 and 'felt way better' after trying it out with her friend in a field. Videos on TikTok show hundreds of attendees counting down from three before screeching and yelling at full capacity. One person who attended Saturday's event accompanied their video with the caption: 'Lowkey was a nice experience.' Another wrote: 'What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon, was very therapeutic though!' Attendees of Saturday's Parliament Hill event in London scream at the top of their lungs A previous event this month on Primrose Hill saw people screeching in the dark A third added: 'My voice is now MIA.' The London Scream Squad, which was founded by Ms Sharif, hosted its first event on Primrose Hill in north London on October 10. The gathering attracted more than 600 people who screamed together for 15 minutes, according to The Times. After the first event was hailed a success, Ms Sharif decided to organise a second in Parliament Hill last weekend, after reportedly being stopped from hosting a meet-up in Hyde Park by the Royal Parks. Social media videos from this month's Primrose Hill event show hundreds gathered in the dark with their phone torches on to collectively scream, against a backdrop of famous London landmarks. One woman who attended said: 'I feel like I was screaming because I had such genuine joy and energy. It felt like a great release of everything that has been building up this week and I've been able to now feel well and grounded!' Videos on TikTok show hundreds of attendees counting down from three before screeching and yelling at full capacity Another added: 'It's like a concert with no main act.' Others have called for the event to be released in other major cities such as Manchester. Screaming can be a healthy way of providing physical release from stress and emotional states. Scream therapy, also called primal therapy, was developed in the 1970s by psychologist Arthur Janov, who believed the action could help individuals release repressed emotional trauma or pain. Global scholars hail Turfan studies as cultural bridge connecting civilizations Xinhua) 09:05, October 21, 2025 URUMQI, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- About a century ago, numerous cultural relics from Turpan -- a vital hub along the ancient Silk Road -- were taken overseas through exploration and excavation. Today, the historic city is fostering international dialogue and cooperation through Turfan studies, which bridge civilizations. Located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Turpan, also known as Turfan, has long been a melting pot where farming, nomadic and oasis cultures converged in the heart of Eurasia. Its arid climate has preserved a wealth of multilingual documents, cave murals and relics. From Oct. 18 to 20, nearly 200 experts and scholars from over 70 universities and research institutes across 16 countries and regions -- including Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States and Japan -- gathered in Turpan for the Seventh International Symposium of Turfan Studies. The topics ranged from heritage conservation to the evolution of Silk Road culture. "Turfan is a wonderful example of the meeting of different ethnic groups and religions in the past, and it remains so today," said Erica Hunter, a scholar from the University of Cambridge in the UK who specializes in relics and Syriac manuscripts excavated from Turpan. "It's only through meeting and dialogue that we gain mutual understanding," she added. Turfan studies emerged as an international academic field in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when explorers and archaeologists from Russia, Germany, Britain and Japan excavated, looted and studied the region's ancient tombs, ruins and artifacts. Peter Zieme, a professor at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, conducted a philological study on a manuscript fragment from Turpan now kept in Berlin. The fragment contains texts in both Old Uygur language and Chinese. He demonstrated how Uygur monks, scholars, poets and writers made independent and significant contributions to Buddhist thought. "Turfan has always been at the crossroads of civilizations," he said, underscoring that an in-depth study of artifacts from Turpan is crucial for understanding the history of human civilizational exchanges. Over the past century, experts and scholars from around the world specializing in classical philology, archaeology, history, linguistics, paleontology and other fields have contributed to Turfan studies. In recent years, new excavations and discoveries at relic sites -- such as the Xipang Jingjiao Monastery (a Nestorian Christian site) and the Tuyoq Buddhist Grottoes -- have infused energy into global research. Meanwhile, a growing number of Chinese scholars are making their mark in the field, deciphering languages once spoken by merchants and travelers along the ancient Silk Road. Drawing on manuscripts discovered in Turpan, Lin Lijuan, an associate professor in the Department of History at Peking University, shared insights into how Syriac Christian texts were translated, circulated locally, and potentially spread to Beijing and southern China. "Through Turpan, a key hub for cultural exchange, Western culture and religion entered other parts of China," she said. According to Zhang Yong, Party secretary of the Turpan cultural heritage administration, dedicated research and collaboration between Chinese and international scholars have transformed scattered fragments of evidence into robust academic achievements. "Turfan studies are not only a treasure of China but also of the world," said Zhang. "The civilizational exchanges in Turpan continue, as Turfan studies remain a shared language for global scholars." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A man understood to be an asylum seeker has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl near an asylum centre in Dublin. The man, in this 30s, was last night arrested at an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre last night following the alleged attack that took place outside the CityWest asylum centre in Saggart, southwest Co. Dublin. While details of the case had not been fully confirmed by gardai last night, detectives believe the girl, who was in state care, left her accommodation and suffered the assault near the asylum centre. She had been reported missing to gardai earlier but returned and made the allegation to her carers. The child and family agency Tusla has confirmed that the young girl had been volunteered to its care by her family in February. It said she was living in a fully staffed, registered residential placement, provided by a funded partner in the community and voluntary sector. Security sources told the Irish Daily Mail gardai are probing why the girl was at the centre. 'She is being interviewed by specialist gardai and has also been receiving medical treatment,' said the source. 'What gardai are trying to establish was if this was a planned attack or if it was a crime of opportunity.' The alleged attack took place outside the CityWest asylum centre in Saggart, southwest Co. Dublin (pictured) Gardai confirmed: 'A male, 30s, has been arrested and is currently detained'. The incident sparked protests outside an IPAS centre, with furious locals vowing to reconvene outside the centre at 7.30pm tonight. In a statement, the Tulsa agency added: '[The girl] absconded from staff whilst on a planned recreational trip with staff in the city centre. 'Staff immediately reported her missing to An Garda Siochana. 'She was later found to have returned to a relative's home, again absconding from that house later in the evening. 'She remained in phone contact with staff but would not identify her precise location. 'She subsequently told staff that she had been involved in a serious incident. 'Staff did eventually ascertain her location through details she provided, and alerted AGS who did locate her. 'Our priority now is on supporting the young girl and her family and liaising with An Garda Siochana.' An Garda Siochana also said there had been incorrect reports that the incident involved a fatal stabbing. Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced to death in 2013 for trafficking drugs A British grandmother who has spent the last 12 years on death row in Indonesia for drug-related crimes will be sent back to the UK. Lindsay Sandiford, alongside fellow British citizen Shahab Shahabadi, will be repatriated back to the UK as part of an agreement signed by the Indonesian government. A government source said today: 'The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side of the transfer is agreed.' Sandiford, a grandmother, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs. Customs officers found cocaine worth an estimated $2.14million (1.6million) hidden in a false bottom in Sandiford's suitcase when she arrived in Bali on a flight from Thailand in 2012. Shahabadi was arrested in 2014 on drug charges, according to information shared by the source. The government source listed Sandiford as 68 years of age, while public information showed her to be 69 years old. The British embassy in Jakarta directed all queries to the Indonesian government. A press conference for the 'release of two British nationals' was scheduled for Tuesday by Indonesian authorities and the British ambassador to Indonesia, according to a release by the coordinating Ministry of Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correction. Lindsay Sandiford (pictured) was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs A British grandmother who has spent the last 12 years on death row in Indonesia for drug-related crimes will be sent back to the UK Lindsay June Sandiford being escorted by an armed customs personnel at a customs office in Denpasar on Bali island on May 28, 2012 Inside Bali's execution island Nusa Kambangan, dubbed 'Indonesia's Alcatraz', is known for its harsh conditions, with prisoners given minimal contact with the outside world, including legal aid. Past allegations of torture and mistreatment continue to blight the reputation of the jail regardless of opposition from rights groups. And for those facing capital punishment lingers the knowledge that they will be given just 72 hours' notice before being chained and blindfolded, led through the jungle to a clearing where they can be shot for their crimes. The prison complex has made itself home to more than 1,500 inmates split between a handful of facilities for prisoners of different criminal backgrounds. A symbol of Indonesia's war on drugs, the compound has strict, no-nonsense areas designated for 'narcotic' prisoners. Amnesty International reported in 2012 that prisoner of conscience, Johan Teterissa, who they say was arrested after taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Ambon, was beaten with electric cables upon arrival at Batu Prison on the island. Seven years later, in 2019, video went viral in Indonesia of shackled prisoners being dragged across gravel by prison guards while on their way to Nusa Kambangan. The men appeared with red marks on their bare backs. Advertisement Sandiford admitted to the offences but said she had agreed to carry the narcotics after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son. Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws, and dozens of foreigners remain on death row in Indonesia for drug offences. Sandiford's case generated huge media attention back home in Britain, with the Mail on Sunday publishing an article written by her in which she detailed her fear of death. 'My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell,' she wrote in 2015. 'I have started to write goodbye letters to members of my family.' Sandiford, originally from Redcar in northeast England, wrote in the article that she had planned to sing the cheery Perry Como hit 'Magic Moments' when facing the firing squad. Since 2013, she has been incarcerated in a cramped cell inside Bali's Kerobokan Prison - one of the island's toughest institutions and the site of many deadly riots. For over a decade, she awaited news of her transfer to Nusa Kambangan, known as the notorious Execution Island, to face death by the firing squad. The sprawling complex, located off the Cilacap coast in central Java, is home to a number of prisons of varying levels of security. There, the least volatile can expect to spend their days working in the fields and carving gems. But for those targeted by Indonesia's strict drug laws, inmates are kept in pained isolation as they await the death penalty. Historically, Indonesia's approach has drawn parallels to the efforts of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, whose death squads and public approval of vigilante justice horrified most of the international community. Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered police to shoot suspected drug dealers, urging firmness against those trying to bring narcotics into the majority Muslim country. Sandiford, a grandmother, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs Customs officers found cocaine worth an estimated $2.14million hidden in a false bottom in Sandiford's suitcase when she arrived in Bali on a flight from Thailand in 2012 Sandiford admitted the offences but said she had agreed to carry the narcotics after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son A view of Sodong port in Nusa Kambangan island, the main entrance gate to Nusa Kambangan - known as 'Indonesian Alcatraz' Prisoners convicted of drug offences are moved to Nusa Kambangan Island in January 2022 Earlier this year, Sandiford became hopeful that she would be released from Kerobokan Prison due to a change in the country's law, and even began giving away her clothes to fellow inmates in anticipation of her freedom. The institution, known ironically as Hotel K, houses 1,300 four times the amount of people the prison was built for in 1979 - and has previously been described by inmates as a 'hellhole' with frequent 'murders, rapes, drug overdoses and bashings'. Her friends described how she had 'slumped into depression' while waiting to be released for over a decade. Sandiford, who now suffers from arthritis, spent her days knitting in the cramped five metres-by-five-metres cell that she shared with four other women, most of them poorly-educated local women convicted of drug offences. One Indonesian woman imprisoned for corruption said last March that Sandiford was seen as the jail's 'queen'. Examples of the drug mule's special treatment allegedly included her being able to order medium-rare steak once a week. The grandmother led knitting classes for her fellow inmates, during which she made clothes and toys for her grandchildren, charities and church groups. In an astonishingly frank interview with the Daily Mail in 2019 while she was on death row, Sandiford explained why she made the decision not to lodge a final appeal. 'I really cannot face asking anyone for help or having to deal with another lawyer. I just can't face it. I've been burnt enough times. 'I've had ten different lawyers. If I actually turned my mind to the legal process I would get angry and bitter and it would be destructive.' Well-wishers had previously raised over 40,000 for an appeal against Sandiford's death penalty that was spent by a succession of Indonesian lawyers and legal assistants. She was visited by her two young granddaughters - both born in the UK after her arrest - and the thought of them gave her comfort throughout her time locked up behind bars. 'In spite of everything, I feel blessed,' she said. 'I have been blessed to live long enough to see my two sons grow up into fine young men and blessed to have been able to meet my two grandchildren. A lot of people don't get that in their lifetime.' Asked whether she feared execution by firing squad, she insisted: 'It won't be a hard thing for me to face anymore. It's not particularly a death I would choose but them again I wouldn't choose dying in agony from cancer either. 'I do feel I can cope with it. But when it happens I don't want my family to come. I don't want any fuss at all. The one thing certain about life is no one gets out alive.' She continued: 'Of course I think about being executed. Who wouldn't? But what keeps me going is the fact I have seen my boys become men and become fathers and I have two beautiful granddaughters and I've had the chance to meet them both. 'I have pictures of my granddaughters around my bed in my cell and I wake up and I see their faces and I smile. I am sad I can't be a full-time grandmother but I have lived long enough to meet them and hold them and tell them that I love them.' Inside the prison, announcements and sirens on loudspeakers are blasted every day and inmates are constantly vying for space in the crowded cells. Rachel Dougall, who was sentenced to a year in the squalid prison for failing to report a crime, told the Daily Mail Australia in 2017 she suffered a nervous breakdown while inside after being locked up with drug addicts and sexually aggressive inmates. 'Most of the women were on drugs virtually every day. If you had money the guards would get you anything you wanted,' she said. 'Inmates in the men's prison next door even paid prostitutes for overnight visits,' she added. She said she was beaten several times before she was released in May 2013. Sandiford, from Yorkshire, has no previous convictions, and claimed she was forced by a UK-based drugs syndicate to smuggle cocaine from Thailand to Bali by threats to the life of her son in Britain. Barbed wire fences encircle the Kerobokan jail in Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali The syndicate's alleged ringleader Julian Ponder from Brighton, was freed from Kerobokan prison in late 2017 She received a death sentence despite cooperating with police in a sting to arrest people higher up in the syndicate, sparking an outcry from human rights lawyers and former UK Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald who said she had been treated with 'quite extraordinary severity'. And a ruling from Supreme Court judges in London said 'substantial mitigating factors' had been overlooked in her original trial. The syndicate's alleged ringleader Julian Ponder from Brighton, was freed from Kerobokan prison in late 2017 following rumours that more than 1million in bribes were paid to drop trafficking charges against him, his former partner Rachel Dougall, and fellow Brit Paul Beales. Dougall served one year and Beales four years for involvement in the conspiracy. Ponder was cleared of smuggling but was convicted of possessing 23g of cocaine and was sentenced to six years in prison in 2013. Last year, he told the Daily Mail that Sandiford set him up but he still thinks she ought to be freed from death row. 'For Lindsay to wait for that knock on the door every day is beyond cruel. She's been punished enough,' the former antiques dealer said. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's administration has moved in recent months to repatriate several high-profile inmates, all sentenced for drug offences, back to their home countries. In December, Filipina inmate Mary Jane Veloso tearfully reunited with her family after nearly 15 years on death row. In February, French national Serge Atlaoui, 61, was returned home after 18 years on death row in Indonesia. Indonesia last carried out executions in 2016, killing one of its own citizens and three Nigerian drug convicts by firing squad. Indonesia's Immigration and Corrections Ministry said more than 90 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, as of early November. The Indonesian government recently signalled it could resume executions. The Daily Mail has contacted the UK's Foreign Office and the Home Office for comment. More to follow. The controversial President-elect of the Oxford Union has been dramatically sacked following outrage over his remarks over the death of right-wing US influencer Charlie Kirk. A resounding vote of no confidence by the membership of the prestigious debating society in George Abaraonye resulted in a more than 2:1 majority, with 1,228 votes in favour and only 501 against, well beyond the two-thirds majority needed to force his resignation. The 70 per cent no confidence majority means he will be deemed to have resigned, effectively having been sacked after calling the vote himself to try and shore up his support. The 20-year-old undergraduate who debated Mr Kirk just months prior to his death, sparked outrage by posting a WhatsApp message appearing to celebrate the violence against the US influencer. In a leaked group chat Mr Abaraonye said: 'Charlie Kirk got shot, let's f****** go'. Another message, believed to have come from his Instagram account, saw him joke of the matter: 'Charlie Kirk got shot loool.' He later deleted the message after learning of Mr Kirk's death, and admitted he 'acted poorly' without 'knowing about the situation'. The returning officer, Donovan Lock, said in a statement: 'The President-Elect is deemed to have resigned, subject to the procedural timelines.' A resounding vote of no confidence by the membership of the prestigious debating society in George Abaraonye (pictured) resulted in a more than 2:1 majority The Union has been in financial chaos with huge donations frozen following the row over Abaraonye's comments last month. Since then, sums of up to 500,000 have been put on hold and prominent figures have pulled out of speaking at the debating society due to the president-elect's controversial comments, it has been reported. But the messages have embroiled the union in scandal, with one official telling The Telegraph before the vote: 'Honestly, it feels like it's [the union] lost its identity. We're used to controversy but this has been complete and utter turmoil. I'm worried if George Abaraonye stays, there will be no future for the union. 'How can you have a free speech society where the incoming president celebrates the death of a free speech activist?' It has been claimed several speakers have said they will be withdrawing from scheduled events and donors have threatened to pull their funds due to the politics, philosophy and economics student's remarks. Cancellations include; Candace Owens, a US right-wing commentator; Zia Yusuf, the head of policy for Reform UK; Calvin Klein; Serena Williams and Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's former prime minister. A post on X of a statement from the returning officer in the Oxford Union's no confidence motion against president elect George Abaraonye At the weekend, in an unusual step, the Oxford University student triggered the motion of no confidence against himself in a bid to reclaim 'true accountability'. There was a poll on Saturday for Oxford Union members to vote on whether to oust him from his role, which was due to start in January. Mr Abaraonye had been hoping enough people vote in his favour so that he could continue in his role with renewed legitimacy, but the move backfired spectacularly. The total number of votes cast was 1,746, with 1,228 (70 per cent) in favour of no confidence, and only 29 per cent supporting him. There were 17 spoilt, blank or void votes. There was a campaign by a group calling themselves Concerned Alumni of the Oxford Union to get enough people to sign up to have him ousted. Despite the result, George Abaraonye insisted in a statement to the Daily Mail that the poll was 'invalid' and that he 'is and remains the President-Elect' and said the result was 'suspended', alleging 'vote tampering'. Mr Abaraonye's statement said: 'This poll was compromised from the moment [outgoing president] Moosa Harraj and his majority on the Standing Committee brought compromised and untested Poll Regulations. 'Donovan Lock who ran the election shared around the Email account collecting proxy votes, including to personnel who campaigned to have George ousted, who had unsupervised access. 'We do not know if or how many proxy votes have been tampered with. The Union's Electoral Officials suspended the count because they believed that no legitimate and true result could be reached as a result of procedural failures. 'We equivocally deny that any representative appointed by George engaged in intimidating or disruptive behaviour. The reason for the suspension was Donovan Lock himself saying 'No result is possible' due to unresolved procedural concerns. 'The official audio recording confirms this, and the representatives for the Yes campaign have confirmed this too. Because of these extremely serious issues, on Monday afternoon before any ballots had been counted, the matter was referred to the disciplinary committee by the No Campaign. Under Rule 47(h)(v), this purported result is suspended until that Committee and any Disciplinary Appeals Committee has resolved the complaint. 'George Abaraonye is and remains the President-Elect per the Oxford Union Rules. George is proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford, who voted to have a safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy.' Nicolas Sarkozy waved to crowds of supporters as he entered prison this morning to begin his five-year sentence after sharing an emotional goodbye with his wife Carla Bruni. The former French president, 70, arrived at La Sante prison on Tuesday morning, with reporters hearing convicts shouting from their cells: 'Welcome Sarkozy!', 'Sarkozy's here.' Sarkozy's conviction caps years of legal battles over allegations that his 2007 campaign took millions in cash from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was later overthrown and killed during the Arab Spring uprisings. 'I'm not afraid of prison. I'll keep my head held high, including at the prison gates,' Sarkozy told La Tribune Dimanche newspaper ahead of his incarceration. Sarkozy will be facing a 'tough time' in Paris's La Sante prison, and is likely to be held in a nine square metre cell in the prison's isolation wing. His lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he has 'some pullovers as prisons can be cold and some earplugs as there could also be a lot of noise. Isolation like what he's going to go through is painful, but he got himself prepared.' Speaking outside the Paris prison moments after the former French president entered, Sarkozy's lawyers revealed his legal team has already lodged a request for parole, with their mission being to take him out 'as quickly as possible'. More than 100 people stood outside the jail this morning, after his son Louis, 28, called on supporters to rally in support of his father in the high-end Paris neighbourhood where the former French president lives. Another son, Pierre, called for a message of love - 'nothing else, please'. As Sarkozy prepared to begin his prison term, he posted a message on social media repeating his claims that he is an 'innocent man' and said he feels a 'deep sorrow' for France. 'As I prepare to cross the walls of La Sante prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,' he said. 'I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it is not a former President of the Republic who is being locked up this morning, it is an innocent person.' He added: 'I feel deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level. I have no doubt. The truth will triumph. But the price to pay will have been crushing.' France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy waves to his supporters as he leaves his residence to present himself to La Sante Prison for incarceration on a five-year prison sentence Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy leave their Paris home on Tuesday as Nicolas Sarkozy heads to prison to serve time for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy before leaving in a car on the day of his incarceration at the La Sante prison France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy (C) waves to his supporters as he leaves his residence to present himself to La Sante Prison Carla Bruni-Sarkozy blows a kiss as his husband former French President Nicolas Sarkozy heads to prison Nicolas Sarkozy (C) hugs his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy as he leaves his residence Supporters of France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy gather outside his residence ahead of his departure to La Sante prison for incarceration on a five-year prison sentence Supporters chanted 'Nicolas, Nicolas' as he left his home and stepped into the car that would take him to jail after sharing a final kiss with Bruni and waving goodbye to the crowds. Following the massive gathering of support for his father this morning, Louis took to X to thank those who appeared outside the prison. 'The images of that morning are forever etched in his mind, as they are in ours,' he wrote. 'No one can imagine how deeply your presence inhabits and sustains us. Our father is an innocent man.' Sebastien Cauwel, who heads up the high-profile La Sante prison in Paris told RTL Radio: 'He will be able to access the exercise yard, on his own, twice a day, he will have access to an activities room while on his own and he will be alone when inside his prison cell.' Sarkozy had told Le Figaro he would take three books for his first week behind bars, including Alexandre Dumas' 'The Count of Monte Cristo' - the story of a man unjustly imprisoned who plots his revenge against those who betrayed him. At the end of last week he was received at the Elysee Palace by President Emmanuel Macron, who told reporters on Monday 'it was normal that on a human level I should receive one of my predecessors in that context'. In a further measure of official support for the ex-president, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said he would go to visit him in prison as part of his role in ensuring Sarkozy's safety and the proper functioning of the jail. 'I cannot be insensitive to a man's distress,' he added. The incarceration makes him the first former French leader to be jailed since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Petain after World War Two. While Sarkozy was found guilty of conspiring with close aides to orchestrate the scheme in 2007, he was acquitted of personally receiving or using the funds. He has consistently denied wrongdoing and called the case politically motivated, saying judges were seeking to humiliate him. Carla Bruni Sarkozy oustide Nicolas Sarkozy's residence ahead of his departure to La Sante Prison for incarceration on a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy Pierre Sarkozy arrives at the house of his father, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Son Louis Sarkozy and his wife Natali Husic leave the house of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Jean Sarkozy (2ndL) and Pierre Sarkozy (R), sons of France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy, arrive at their father's residence ahead of his departure to La Sante Prison Giulia Sarkozy is seen outside her father's home on October 21, 2025 in Paris, France Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (C), wife of France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy, reacts next to her daughter Giulia Sarkozy, as his husband leaves their residence to present himself to La Sante Prison A supporter holds a poster with a portrait of Nicolas Sarkozy and the slogan 'Strong France' as people attend a gathering called by the sons of the former French President Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives by car at La Sante Prison in Paris, France, 21 October 2025 He has appealed, but the nature of his sentence means he must go to jail as his appeal process plays out. The former president has already been convicted in a separate corruption case, in which he was found guilty of trying to obtain confidential information from a judge in return for career favours, serving that sentence by wearing an electronic tag around the ankle. Sarkozy's isolation unit at La Sante prison in Paris, which in the past has housed leftist militant Carlos the Jackal and Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, features inmates are housed in single cells and kept apart during outdoor activities for security reasons. Conditions are similar to the rest of the prison: cells measure 100 to 130 square feet and, following renovations, now include private showers. Sarkozy will have access to a television - for a monthly fee of 14 euros - and a landline telephone. The decision to jail a former president has sparked outrage among Sarkozy's political allies and the far right. Sarkozy with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, leaves his residence to present himself to La Sante Prison for incarceration on a five-year prison sentence Sarkozy's isolation unit at La Sante prison in Paris, which in the past has housed leftist militant Carlos the Jackal and Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, features inmates are housed in single cells and kept apart during outdoor activities for security reasons People gather outside former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's home, Tuesday, October 21, 2025 in Paris However, the ruling reflects a shift in France's approach to white-collar crime, following reforms introduced under a previous Socialist government. In the 1990s and 2000s, many convicted politicians avoided prison altogether. To counter perceptions of impunity, French judges are increasingly issuing 'provisional execution' orders - requiring sentences to begin immediately, even as appeals are pending - legal experts and politicians told Reuters. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for office under the same 'provisional execution' provision, pending an appeal early next year. According to an October 1 Elabe poll for BFM TV, 58 per cent of French respondents believe the verdict was impartial, and 61 per cent support the decision to send Sarkozy to jail without waiting for the appeal. President Emmanuel Macron, who had warm relations with Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni, said on Monday he had met Sarkozy ahead of his incarceration. Justice minister Gerald Darmanin, who is close to Sarkozy, told France Inter radio he would go and visit the former president. A doctor was arrested for performing illegal penis enlargement surgeries from inside his car. Pittaya Moolin, also known as 'Chang Yai Modify', 51, offered the mobile genital enhancements to men across Bangkok and nearby provinces. But customers who ordered the treatments were shocked when they arrived only to be beckoned into the beaten-up old 1990s grey Totoya Corolla. Police received several complaints and launched an investigation. They found the unlicensed suspect was promoting penis enlargement, circumcision, and pearl implantation surgeries through his TikTok account, claiming to 'deliver' his services for convenience. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) detained the bogus surgeon on October 18, while he was in the middle of a 'pearling' procedure in his makeshift operating theatre - the grey sedan parked along Kamphaeng Phet 6 Road. Officers seized 189 different kinds of pearls, local anesthetics, surgical blades, surgical needles, and other surgical equipment. All the tools were allegedly used in unsanitary conditions. A doctor was arrested for performing illegal penis enlargement surgeries from inside his car. Pittaya Moolin, also known as 'Chang Yai Modify', 51, offered the mobile genital enhancements to men across Bangkok and nearby provinces. Police received several complaints and launched an investigation. They found the unlicensed suspect was promoting penis enlargement, circumcision, and pearl implantation surgeries through his TikTok account, claiming to 'deliver' his services for convenience. Officers seized 189 different kinds of pearls, local anesthetics, surgical blades, surgical needles, and other surgical equipment. All the tools were allegedly used in unsanitary conditions. Pittaya reportedly admitted he had no medical training and only learned the procedures from watching videos on social media. He did not have any sterilising equipment to prevent infections. He said: 'I became interested in this kind of work, so I studied and developed it as a side hustle to supplement my income. 'I have been doing this for around one year.' Pittaya reportedly charged 1,000 baht (23) for pearl implants, 5,000 baht (114) for circumcisions, and 10,000 baht (229) for penis enlargement injections, which pump filler into the shaft to give a girthier appearance. Police said he was charged with practising medicine without registration and authorisation, which is punishable with up to three years in jail, a fine of up to 30,000 baht (687), or both. Police Major General Kongkrit Lertsitthikun, Commander of the Consumer Protection Police Division, said: 'Pearl implants or penis enlargement injections carry a high risk of inflammation or infection, potentially resulting in penile dysfunction. 'We would like to warn those involved to immediately cease their activities, as police will continue to monitor and arrest them.' Pittaya reportedly charged 1,000 baht (23) for pearl implants, 5,000 baht (114) for circumcisions, and 10,000 baht (229) for penis enlargement injections, which pump filler into the shaft to give a girthier appearance Police said he was charged with practising medicine without registration and authorisation, which is punishable with up to three years in jail, a fine of up to 30,000 baht (687), or both. It comes after last year, a man who posed as a medical practitioner was arrested after performing penis enlargement treatments for 20 years with no qualifications. Kittikorn Songsri, from Bangkok, Thailand, had reportedly carried out implant surgery and filler injections on hundreds of patients, charging up to 450 each. But the 36-year-old had no medical license, instead admitting he left education after secondary school and began teaching himself how to do implants at age 14. Police were only alerted to his practice after one client claimed to have suffered a 'severe infection' following silicone injections, and reported him. Clinics specialising in such procedures often offer a menu of treatments for men seeking a larger package to choose from. One option is a silicone structure surgically inserted into the penis, similar to some breast implants. Other treatments involve cutting an internal ligament in the groin area to make the penis appear longer while others inject substances like filler to thicken their penis. The Prince and Princess of Wales are determined to 'banish' Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson from Windsor's Royal Lodge where they have lived rent free for decades, according to royal biographer Tina Brown. Ms Brown, a friend of Princess Diana who was editor-in-chief of Tatler and Vanity Fair, has claimed that Prince William and Kate 'can't abide' Andrew and want him to 'disappear'. She claims having him in Windsor threatens to spoil life at their 'new forever home' Forest Lodge. The couple will move in next month with their three children George, Charlotte and Louis. William's push to exile Andrew throws an intriguing new light on yesterday's claim that he is beginning to call the shots in the Royal Family because of his father King Charles' health. Writing on her Fresh Hell Substack, Ms Brown, the highly respected author of The Palace Papers said: 'Unless Andrew can be persuaded to banish himself to a cottage on the Balmoral estate or a cushy villa on a Dubai golf course, his scowly, jowly visage will keep seeping back into the national consciousness'. Calling Andrew the 'Duke of Dross', she said the future king and queen are pondering: 'How do you disappear a 6-foot-tall, 190-pound, 65-year-old man in robust good health who has an iron-clad contract to live in the Queen Mothers former mansion, a short neigh from Windsor Castle and just four miles from the new forever home of Prince William and Kate, who cant abide him?' It came after yet another shocking twist in the royal-Epstein scandal when it emerged last night he hasn't paid rent on his palatial property for 22 years - said to be in the region of 260,000 a year. Andrew should be kicked out of his Windsor Royal Lodge and disappear because the British public are sick of him and he is an embarrassment to his family and the UK, according to Robert Jenrick. Calls are growing for Prince Andrew to be kicked out of the Royal Lodge (pictured today), the lavish Windsor mansion he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson Police guard the gates of Andrew and Fergie's home today Prince William is said to want rid of Prince Andrew (pictured together after the Duchess of Kent's funeral last month) and he and Kate can't 'abide' him, according to Tina Brown And Andrew could become the first royal to be caught up in a criminal probe in more than 20 years. Scotland Yard has confirmed it is 'actively' probing claims he asked an officer to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre, whose posthumous autobiography is out today. Brown repeated the claim that William will ban his errant uncle from his coronation - and could even consider keeping away from King Charles' funeral, when the tragedy occurs. She wrote: 'The thornier question, perhaps approaching faster than anyone is indelicate enough to discuss, is whether, in the fullness of time, Andrew will be allowed to attend his brother, the kings, funeral'. Tina cited the toe-curling moment William was stuck next to Andrew outside the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral last month. William looked deeply uncomfortable as his uncle appeared to be laughing as the left the service. She said: 'The untenable hazard of banning him from public events but allowing him to still show up at family occasions was writ large at the September funeral of the Duchess of Kent, the late queens cousin. 'As the mourning royal party paused respectfully in the door of Westminster Cathedral when the duchesss funeral cortege passed, Andrew loomed like a great white shark at the shoulder of a stone-faced Prince William. 'It was impossible for William, staring implacably in the other direction, to get his uncles baleful mug out of the shot. No chance of that happening again'. Andrew and Sarah Ferguson still live together in Windsor despite being divorced William and Kate are about to move into their 'forever home' and want the House of York to 'disappear' Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said it is disgusting that taxpayers are subsiding him to live in a 30-room mansion with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson when he should be paying 200,000 a year. 'I dont see why the taxpayer frankly should continue to foot the bill. The public are sick of Prince Andrew', he said. It came after yet another shocking twist in the royal-Epstein scandal when it emerged last night he hasn't paid rent on his palatial property for 22 years. And Andrew could become the first royal to be caught up in a criminal probe in more than 20 years. Scotland Yard has confirmed it is 'actively' probing claims he asked an officer to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre, whose posthumous autobiography is out today. Mr Jenrick said: I dont think the taxpayer should in any way be footing the bill for him to live in luxury homes ever again. He shouldnt have any taxpayer subsidies going forward. Its about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life. He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the Royal Family time and again. 'The King deserves great respect and admiration for the way he has handled this. He is trying to do his absolute best to ensure Prince Andrew goes off, leads a quiet life and doesnt embarrass himself, the royal family or our country ever again'. An unredacted copy of his lease emerged last night. It shows that while he paid 1million to lease the property in 2003 and spent 7.5million on refurbishments, he has paid only 'one peppercorn (if demanded)' of rent a year since taking on the mansion 22 years ago. This is because Andrew is deemed to have paid the rent which was in the region of 260,000 a year up front through the work he has funded to bring the palatial property up to scratch. It also means the Crown Estate will have to pay him around half a million pounds if he were to quit his mansion before the lease on it runs out in 2078. A copy of the agreement was obtained by The Times newspaper following pressure from MPs and campaigners. And it will no doubt add to public outrage over Andrew's perceived 'perks'. Sources have stressed to the Daily Mail, however, that questions still remain over how the King's brother can afford the vast 30-bedroom property, which comes with multi-million running costs. The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Andrew is not believed to have received any significant inheritance from the Queen or Queen Mother, raising fresh questions about how he can afford to stay in the property particularly when he now receives no personal allowance from the King, or public funding. Charles, 76, has desperately tried to persuade his younger brother to downsize and move out of the grade II-listed mansion in recent years. He believes many of Andrew's problems particularly those that saw him drawn to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and other shady characters stem from chasing a lifestyle he simply cannot afford. But Andrew, 65, has stubbornly insisted that he has a cast-iron lease on the house. And as long as he pays the rent, the King has no legal right to throw him out. The revelation comes as: A devastating memoir by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre is published today, in which she doubles down on allegations she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions a claim the prince strongly denies; A growing chorus of MPs demanded legislation to legally strip Andrew of his royal titles, including that of the Duke of York, through an Act of Parliament after he only voluntarily gave them up last Friday; Scotland Yard admitted an internal probe into allegations that the prince obtained Ms Giuffre's social security number and demanded that a police protection officer try to 'dig up dirt' on her could take weeks if the records even still exist; Buckingham Palace removed Andrew's former title, Duke of York, from its website, although his official biography remains; Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson changed her social media profiles from 'Sarah the Duchess' to 'sarahMFergie15'; Princess Beatrice visited her father at Royal Lodge in a public show of support. Beatrice and her sister Eugenie are said to have pulled out of a charity ball in London on Saturday amid the torrent of unedifying claims around their father. While details of the Queen's will have never been made public, it is thought that Andrew was not left sufficient funds to sustain his apparently lavish lifestyle. Royal Lodge, in the heart of Windsor Great Park, was the home of the Queen Mother, and was leased to Andrew after her death. The Crown Estate approved the arrangement, saying its location and 'security concerns' made it difficult to rent out on the open market. Princess Beatrice drives from Royal Lodge, home of her father Prince Andrew and mother Sarah Ferguson, at Windsor in Berkshire on Monday Andrew had to carry out 7.5million of refurbishment work when he took the property on in 2003. He was given a 75-year lease in return for a one-off payment of 1million. His rent was believed to be upwards of 260,000 a year, with a legal requirement to keep the property in a good state of repair. However, sources at Windsor say the house is a virtual 'money pit' and there have long been claims Andrew has been struggling with its upkeep. Until now it had been widely assumed that without any public funding or private allowance from his brother, the prince had been dipping into personal investments and family bequests to bankroll the property. The revelation over his inheritance will inevitably raise questions about how he can afford to live there. Andrew also has to fund his own security after losing his official police bodyguard. The King had previously said that if his brother downsized and moved to a smaller property on the estate potentially Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by Harry he would reinstate his personal allowance and help fund his security. But after Andrew point-blank refused, it is not known whether the offer is still even on the table. The headlines have been an unfortunate distraction for the King, who yesterday made a moving visit to Manchester to visit the Heaton Park synagogue that was targeted in a terror attack earlier this month. The Louvre's head of security has been accused of being a diversity hire who put France's national treasures at risk, following the shocking heist of Napoleonic jewellery over the weekend. Dominique Buffin, 46, was hired as the Louvre's first female security chief by Laurence Des Cars, the museum's first female director, last year. But Buffin, who has worked with the police and at France's ministry of culture, was accused of being hired as part of a 'feminisation policy'. And both Buffin and Des Cars have faced calls to resign, following the 'theft of the decade' of eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels on October 19. Eight objects were taken, according to officials. One object, the emerald-set imperial crown of Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugenie, containing more than 1,300 diamonds, was later found outside the museum, French authorities said. A worker in the Louvre filmed a person in the Apollo Gallery on Sunday morning wearing a yellow jacket and standing by a glass encasing. Marion Marechal, who leads the far-right IdentityLiberties party, wrote on social media: '[Culture minister] Rachida Dati must demand the immediate resignation of the museum's director Laurence Des Cars and the security chief Dominique Buffin, whom she appointed... as part of a feminisation policy. 'Evidently at the cost of forgoing competence and endangering the cultural heritage of our nation.' Dominique Buffin (pictured) was hired as the Louvre's first female security chief last year Your browser does not support iframes. WHAT JEWELS WERE STOLEN? Tiara from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense Necklace from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense Earring, part of a pair from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense Emerald necklace from the Marie-Louise set Pair of emerald earrings from the Marie-Louise set Brooch known as the reliquary brooch Tiara of Empress Eugenie Large bodice knot (brooch) of Empress Eugenie Advertisement Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally party, said the raid was a 'wound to the country's soul'. And her protege Jordan Bardella, the president of the party, added: 'This heist, which allowed thieves to steal the Crown Jewels of France, is an intolerable humiliation for our country. How far will the decay of the State go?' Even those in government admitted to a serious lapse in security, with justice minister Gerald Darmanin saying: 'What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels, and give France a terrible image'. Des Cars asked Paris cops to carry out a detailed security audit of the museums she is in charge of in 2021. Dati said on the weekend that the recommendations from this audit were made 'a few weeks, a few months ago'. She said the changes to the decades-old security systems were 'beginning to be implemented'. Her ministry was quick to stress that the systems had not failed, writing: 'The alarms were triggered. At the time of the break-in, which was particularly rapid and severe, the five museum staff present in the room and adjacent areas intervened immediately to apply the security protocol'. The Louvre heist has become a wake-up call to other institutions in France, with interior minister Laurent Nunez ordering prefects across France to immediately reassess security measures protecting museums and other cultural sites and enhance them if needed. The suspected thief was filmed as the group raided priceless jewellery that once belonged to Napoleon and his family Dati said investigators are working on evidence found at the scene. 'We did find motorcycles and they have a licence plate,' Dati said on broadcaster CNews. 'I also want to pay tribute to the security officers who prevented the basket lift from being set on fire. One of the criminals tried to set it on fire, but they forced him to flee. This allowed us to recover evidence at the scene.' Sunday's theft focused on the gilded Apollo Gallery, where the Crown Diamonds are displayed. Alarms brought Louvre agents to the room, forcing the intruders to bolt, but the burglary was already over. Officials said the heist lasted less than eight minutes in total, including less than four minutes inside the Louvre. Bins flowed down streets as roads turned to rivers amid torrential rain at the start of a wet and windy week - with a possible storm incoming within the next 48 hours. Astonishing videos filmed in Brighton yesterday showed a procession of wheelie bins flying down Elm Grove as their contents spilled out amid torrents of water. The flooding came despite no UK weather warnings yesterday, with only Northern Ireland under a rain alert at the weekend where 2.4in (60mm) fell in 14 hours. Now, the Met Office expects a deep area of low pressure will affect southern and eastern England from tomorrow night into Thursday with strong gusts and heavy rain. Forecasters issued a 21-hour rain warning for most of England on Thursday as the system moves quickly along the south of the UK with thunderstorms also possible. Up to 2in (50mm) of rain is possible between midnight and 9pm with southern counties expected to be deluged. The worst-hit areas will be in Devon and Cornwall. Separately, a 15-hour wind warning was issued for Thursday covering eastern England including London, warning of 75mph gusts from 9am until midnight. Meteorologists expect the strong winds to become focused to the east coast of England and Scotland on Friday as the low pressure area moves away to the East. This will also allow cooler, arctic maritime air originating from the Arctic Ocean to spill southwards across the UK and bring a noticeable chill by the weekend. Yellow wind and rain warnings have been issued by the Met Office for England on Thursday The Met Office said a strengthening arm of the jet stream - a fast moving ribbon of air high up in the atmosphere - has the potential to develop a deep area of low pressure by Thursday Rain falls as people cycle over Garret Hostel Bridge in Cambridge yesterday A woman takes a photo in the rain as she stands on Garret Hostel Lane in Cambridge yesterday People shelter under umbrellas as they punt along the River Cam in Cambridge yesterday Much of the UK will see below-average temperatures by Saturday, with daytime highs likely to be in the low double figures and London only reaching 12C (54F). Some areas could wake up to frosts as temperatures fall to the low single figures overnight and even below freezing in County Durham, Cumbria and Northumberland. Forecasters said there could also be some wintry showers over the tops of the Scottish mountains as temperatures plunge, with light snow a possibility. Met Office deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said: 'By Wednesday evening we'll see increasingly unsettled weather moving in from the west. 'Overnight on Wednesday heavy rain and some strong gusty winds will move along the south of the UK. Accumulations of 25 to 40mm of rain are possible over twelve hours or so in southern counties. 'The unsettled conditions will become more widespread across the UK through Thursday with further heavy showers bringing more rainfall to many parts of the UK. 'It is possible severe weather warnings will be issued for this unsettled weather, and with some uncertainty over the exact positioning and detail of the low-pressure system, people should keep up to date with the weather forecast as it evolves this week.' Tomorrow is likely to be the finest day of this week, with dry and bright conditions for central and eastern parts, although there will be some showers in Northern Ireland, western Scotland and the Northern Isles and some light rain in the far south. But late afternoon tomorrow, conditions will start to change from the West, with increasingly heavy rain and stronger winds moving in as low pressure crosses the south coast. Last week saw grey conditions across the UK amid 'anticyclonic gloom', brought about by an anticyclone or high-pressure system settled over the country. This occurs when air sinks towards the ground under high pressure, trapping a thin layer of moisture or low cloud close to the surface which the October sun cannot break through. It comes ahead of the clocks going back in the early hours of Sunday morning. Thousands of Putin's soldiers are stranded and starving to death on islands in the Dnipro River after being cut off from other Russian forces, Ukraine has claimed. As many as 5,000 Russian troops are believed to have perished in the 'death zone' - a marshy islet south of Kherson. Since Ukrainian forces liberated the southern city in November 2022, the river has formed a new front line. Its right bank is held by Ukraine, while the low-lying, flood-prone left bank remains under Russian control. Relentless drone flights, artillery clashes and night raids have turned the area into one of the war's most perilous battlefields. From elevated positions along the right bank, Ukrainian soldiers watch the marooned Russians from above, directing drone strikes and artillery fire onto the exposed islets. The landscape offers little cover from aerial attacks - leaving Russian soldiers 'nowhere to hide' as they are picked off by Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that 5,100 Russians have died in the delta since January, with reports of soldiers starving to death due to a lack of supplies. Russians attempt to escape the island by boat - but are seen by a Ukrainian drone operator Chilling footage from the Dnipro delta shows Russian soldiers wrapping themselves in vegetation, trying to avoid detection as they try to flee the death zone in tiny dinghies But, Ukrainian troops are tracking their every move. In many cases, they are taken out by Ukraine's unblinking drones Your browser does not support iframes. 'The area is a death zone for Russia,' Colonel Oleksandr Zavtonov of Ukraine's 30th Marine Corps told The Telegraph. 'There is nowhere to hide.' 'The prisoners that our fighters recently took on the islands talked about the inability to deliver food and drinking water to them', Colonel Zavtonov added. 'They have to drink water from the river.' Chilling footage from the Dnipro delta shows Russian soldiers wrapping themselves in vegetation, trying to avoid detection as they try to flee the death zone in tiny dinghies. In many cases, they are taken out by Ukraine's unblinking drones. One clip shows a group of Russian soldiers squeezing into a small boat and pushing off from a marshy islet in the Dnipro delta. Cloaked in makeshift camouflage made of reeds and mud, they lie low in the water, hoping the narrow channels will conceal their escape back towards Russian-occupied territory. But, Ukrainian troops are tracking their every move. The soldiers hear the ominous buzz of a suicide drone before it swoops on the boat and detonates. The soldiers hear the ominous buzz of a suicide drone before it swoops on the boat and detonate The islands are low-lying and surrounded by open water, leaving troops visible and easy to target from the air or across the river Pictured: A satellite image of Dnieper River Delta in Ukraine Oksana Kuzan, head of the analytical department at the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre said: 'Russian military units remaining on the islands in the Dnipro delta are facing serious problems with food, ammunition and rotations.' She added that these small-group infiltration attempts, using camouflage and stealth, are a relatively new tactic not seen at the start of the war. The islands allow small teams the chance to gather intelligence or establish radio links to extend drone operations. Controlling the waterways also gives troops leverage over river crossings, small boat movements, and enemy resupply routes. But the islands are low-lying and surrounded by open water, leaving troops visible and easy to target from the air or across the river. Anthony Albanese's meeting with Donald Trump has been praised as a success by both sides sides of politics, however, one expert on influence believes it was a carefully constructed display in which the US President was deliberately submissive. The Australian Prime Minister and US President looked like old friends talking and laughing at the White House on Tuesday, despite it being the pair's first sit-down meeting. The warm welcome briefly went cold when Trump took aim at Australia's ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd over some of his previous unflattering comments, but the friendliness quickly returned when he brought his attention back to Albanese. During the meeting the two leaders signed the framework for a critical minerals deal, which the US could use to lessen its reliance on China for tech components. Beijing has put strict rules on their exports, which has angered Trump. Dr Louise Mahler, a communication and body language expert, said it was their handshake as they celebrated the pact that stood out with Trump placing his hand on the bottom, palm facing up, and allowing Albanese to 'dominate' the interaction. 'This is absolutely extraordinary for Trump. I've been analysing his handshakes for a long time and he always takes control of the handshake. He pulls people around,' she told the Daily Mail on Tuesday. 'It broke all the Trump rules.... but clearly the instruction here was that Albanese must look like the leader. 'I think the threat from China is more serious than we think, or they're taking it more seriously, and that they've said Albanese must look like he's a leader, and in association with America'. Body language expert Dr Louise Mahler was shocked by a handshake between Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House in which the Australian Prime Minister appeared to dominate the interaction Dr Mahler said Albanese made an error by not looking at Trump during the interaction but she praised his initiation and that he 'slapped' his hand down onto Trump's hand Trump's handshakes while in the White House have been widely critiqued, with the Art of the Deal author at times showing superiority and at others deliberately outstretching his hand below his counterpart. 'It really is beginning to look like you can read Donald Trump's foreign policy by the bizarre ways that he shakes the hands of foreign leaders,' one Guardian journalist wrote during his first term. Dr Mahler, who has often criticised Albanese for his poor body language while in leadership, said the Prime Minister had transformed. 'It is totally bizarre, first of all for Trump to allow that, and second of all, for Albanese to take the the opportunity to shake hands with Trump by bringing his hand from high above and slapping it down on top of Trump's hand.' 'It was a shock to me but I have to say to Albanese (deserves) credit where credit's due,' she said. 'Normally under stress, he over-smiles, he looks pathetic. His jaw jams. His tongue goes slack and his eyes dart. (Today there was) none of that. He spoke strongly, he enunciated... He spoke clearly and his sentences flowed.' She highlighted that Albanese had initiated the handshakes, which she said was rare when Trump usually 'controls' the handshake and 'tests people for strength'. 'He just let Albanese do it,' she said. But there were still some drawbacks, Dr Mahler added, including Albanese's eyeline compared to that of Trump. 'Looking at a hand while you shake is so amateur. I feel as though he's cutting a piece of cake. He's concentrating, that's what I see... Trump is looking at Albanese; that's what you're supposed to do in a handshake.' Trump in a meeting with former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau during his first term Trump can be seen deliberately offering his hand from underneath to Trudeau Albanese has also received praise surprisingly from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has laid into the current leader for his approach to national security. 'It was a good day for Australia,' Abbott told Sky News on Tuesday evening. 'The meeting went much better than it might have. The fact that we haven't had additional tariffs, the fact that we've got clear presidential support for AUKUS, I think is a pretty good outcome.' At the start of the meeting, Trump and Albanese signed the critical minerals deal which had been negotiated over four or five months, with Trump declaring: 'We got it done just in time for the visit.' 'And we work together very much on rare earths, critical minerals and lots of other things, and we've had a very good relationship,' he said. 'We've been working on that for quite a while.' Albanese said the minerals deal would take the US-Australia relationship to 'the next level', adding that he hopes the deal can be used as leverage in any tariff negotiations with the US. 'This is an $8.5 billion pipeline that we have ready to go,' the Prime Minister said. The two leaders had signed the framework of a critical minerals deal, which the US could use to help combat China, in what was the first proper meeting between Trump and Albanese Albanese has been critical of Trump in the past but it was all pleasantries when they met face-to-face as the Prime Minister described the two countries as 'great friends and great allies', and complimented the US President for his foreign policy initiatives. He said Trump's work in the Middle East, which led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and remaining Israeli hostages being released, was an 'extraordinary achievement'. The President told reporters gathered for pictures of the arrival that he hoped to accomplish 'a lot' with Albanese and said his message to the Australian people is: 'We love them.' Trump praised Albanese for doing a 'fantastic job', and said 'I hear you're very popular today'. 'It's a great honour to have you as my friend... It's a great honour to have you in the United States of America,' Trump said. Albanese invited Trump to come to Australia, which the President said he would 'seriously consider.' The boss of an award-winning luxury spa 'blockaded a GP surgery car park with her Bentley in a bitter neighbours' row, a court has heard. Dr Reshma Rasheed, 62, is suing property developer turned spa boss, Joy Jarvis, over rights to a narrow alleyway bordering Chapel Street Surgery, in Billericay, Essex. The drive is used by staff and patients to access the surgery's car park, but belongs to a piece of land behind it which was purchased by Mrs Jarvis, 74, and her husband Brian, 71, in 2021. The drive is now a flashpoint in a row which lawyers say has seen GP Dr Rasheed and her neighbours 'headbutting each other for years' over the doctor's rights to use it for access. At the Central London County Court, Dr Rasheed bid for an injunction after Mrs Jarvis allegedly used her Bentley to 'blockade' the car park, effectively 'landlocking' it and making it useless. Dr Rasheed also claims that the couple has made threats through their lawyers to block or tear out her drains, which are underneath the driveway, potentially flooding the medical practice with sewage. But Mr and Mrs Jarvis claim Dr Rasheed only has the right to use the front portion of the lane and that the only reason she can't access her car park is because she extended her surgery too far to the rear, effectively blocking her own right of way. At the Central London County Court last week, Judge Alan Johns was asked to make an injunction banning Mrs Jarvis and her husband from blocking the driveway. Dr Reshma Rasheed (pictured), 62, is suing property developer turned spa boss, Joy Jarvis, over rights to a narrow alleyway bordering Chapel Street Surgery, in Billericay, Essex Joy Jarvis, 74, and her husband Brian, 71, are spa owners and veteran property builders, the court heard The court heard the couple are veteran property builders, with Mrs Jarvis telling the judge she has been involved in property development for 40 years. Dr Rasheed purchased the small family surgery in Chapel Street, Billericay, in 2006, having earlier been made a GP partner there. The warring parties first clashed after Mr and Mrs Jarvis bought a former builders' yard behind Dr Rasheed's neighbours' house in 2021. The yard, which the couple plan to develop into housing, is accessed from the main road via the driveway, which Dr Rasheed and her predecessors have long used as an access to the car park behind the surgery. Her barrister, Rupert Myers, told the judge that she has a right of way over the drive to get to the back of the surgery under a 1973 conveyance and that it had been used for over 40 years by the time Mr and Mrs Jarvis bought the land next door. 'Almost immediately upon acquiring the property, the defendants took issue with the claimant's use of the driveway to reach her car park,' he said. 'Shortly after their purchase, the defendants and in particular the second defendant Mrs Jarvis asserted that the claimant had no right to use the full length of the driveway to access the car park. 'On 24 August 2021, the second defendant parked her Bentley on the driveway in such a manner as to block the claimant and her patients from driving into or out of the surgery's car park. Dr Rasheed purchased the small family surgery (pictured) in Chapel Street, Billericay, in 2006, having earlier been made a GP partner there 'This deliberate obstruction of the right of way caused significant disruption to the surgery's operations.' 'The second defendant's blockade of the driveway entirely prevented the claimant and her patients from exercising the right of way to the surgery. 'That interference was deliberate, it was done on the very day the defendants' counsel had warned of clearing and fencing off the land, indicating a calculated attempt to deny access.' He said the couple had only 'ceased obstruction when faced with legal action' and have 'explicitly stated their intention to fence off' the part of the drive they say Dr Rasheed has no rights over. 'If carried out, such fencing would physically bar the claimant and her invitees from reaching the car park by car, effectively landlocking a crucial part of the surgery's premises,' he said. 'This is not a trivial or technical infringement.' He said the neighbours had also clashed over Dr Rasheed performing works on her drains under the driveway, which Mr and Mrs Jarvis claim went beyond her rights under a 'drainage easement.' 'The threats to "block or remove" the surgery's drains are concerning,' said the barrister. 'Obstructing a drainage easement is as much a legal wrong as obstructing a path, it would disrupt the flow in the drains and could cause sewage backup or flooding on the dominant land. 'It cannot be overlooked that this is a medical practice that serves the community.' Dr Rasheed is suing for a judicial declaration that her right of way over the driveway extends for around 30 metres from the main road, allowing her and her patients and staff to reach the car park. However, Mr and Mrs Jarvis claim her right of way over the driveway extends only for 26m, which would not allow cars to reach the car park. Their barrister, Kevin Leigh, told the judge the dispute had been fraught, adding: 'These parties have been embroiled in headbutting one another for a number of years.' He said expert evidence showed that the GP's rights extend to only around 26m worth of the driveway, which had been enough for drivers to get to the car park prior to the surgery's rear extension being built in 2018. Prior to the extension work, visitors had been able to drive down the lane and turn left into the car park without going past that 26m mark and all the way to the end of the lane, he said. 'The expert opinion is consistent with the original length of the surgery,' he said. 'It enabled vehicles to access the rear. There was no need to use the whole length of the defendants' drive. 'This need has only arisen because of the large extension of the surgery. 'Furthermore, the defendants' registered title does not show the right of way along the whole length of the road. 'Dr Rasheed is not allowed to treat the right of way as if she owns it and install things in it, even if they improve the enjoyment of her property. 'If the defendants succeed, they are entitled not to have their rights trampled over and not to have their enjoyment of their development prevented or materially interfered with.' However, Mr Myers for Dr Rasheed said that drivers had been able to drive down the lane from the main road to the car park since 1975, 'without hindrance and without any objection from the servient owners,' long enough to establish a right. 'The driveway has never had a gate or fence part-way down its length to mark an 'end' of the right of way, as confirmed by historical aerial photographs which show a clear, unobstructed route to the car park,' he said. Mrs Jarvis and her husband own the Glasshouse Retreat, a wellness spa where visitors are invited to 'absorb yourself with holistic wellness'. The retreat, which features a natural swimming pond, outdoor 'wellness dome' and 21 rooms in the Essex countryside, has won two Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards, as well as other awards in the spa industry. After a three-day trial, Judge Johns reserved his decision on the dispute until a later date. The mystery surrounding the identity of a Black soldier who fought for Britain at the Battle of Waterloo has been solved after more than 200 years. Private Thomas James is believed to be the bandsman depicted in an 'exceptionally rare' painting from 1821, by respected artist Thomas Phillips. Produced six years after the victory over Napoleon in 1815, the work shows Private James - who is likely to have been born a slave - wearing a Waterloo Campaign Medal. Only nine black soldiers are known to have received the award. Although black military musicians did feature in 18th and 19th century art, paintings featuring an identifiable individual, especially a Waterloo veteran, are rarely seen. This made Phillips' painting special. Curators at the National Army Museum believe that a senior officer may have commissioned the work as a token of gratitude for James' efforts. The painting underwent a restoration and conservation process, during which X-ray technology and infrared photography was used to analyse the work. James is believed to have been born on the Caribbean island of Montserrat - a British colony - in 1789. Although is early life is shrouded in mystery, he is known to have enlisted in 1809. The mystery surrounding the identity of a Black soldier who fought for Britain at the Battle of Waterloo has been solved after more than 200 years. Private Thomas James is believed to be the bandsman depicted in an 'exceptionally rare' painting from 1821 Illiterate, he made his way to Sussex, where slavery had been abolished. There, he described himself as 'a servant'. He was identified thanks in part to the details in the painting. James is holding a cymbal and is depicted with a fur-trimmed jacket - known as a pelisse. The details pointed to him being a percussionist in a cavalry regiment. Experts were therefore able to identify James as a very likely candidate. He was a percussionist in the 18th Light Dragoons. Although he did not take part in the battle at Waterloo, James was severely wounded fighting a group of Prussian soldiers who had deserted their posts and were trying to loot officers' baggage. He went on to be awarded the Waterloo Medal, which was given to every soldier in the British Army who survived Waterloo and the battles at Ligny and Quatre Bras, which were fought in the days just prior. At the time, military musicians played a vital role both on and off the battlefield. Instruments including drums and trumpets were used to relay commands during combat, and bands also boosted morale. The Battle of Waterloo was part of Napoleon's attempts to establish a French empire on the continent After the victory at Waterloo, James continued to serve for a few more years and then left the Army. Phillips' painting is likely to have been displayed in an officer's mess or similar establishment. But, over time, the identity of the sitter was lost. After buying the painting with the help of the Art Fund, the National Army Museum worked with the University of Lincoln's specialist conservation firm to carry out an in-depth analysis and restoration. During the restoration process, experts at specialist firm Lincoln Conservation removed layers of discoloured varnish and non-original paint. Their work revealed details that were not previously visible. Justin Maciejewski, the director of the National Army Museum, said: 'We are proud to have uncovered this story of comradeship and courage, which will help us engage and inspire visitors from many different communities across London, the UK and around the world. 'This remarkable portrait of Thomas James reminds us that our Army has always relied on soldiers and service personnel from many different backgrounds, who have come together for common cause whether to face Napoleon, Hitler, or more recent threats to peace and security.' The portrait is being unveiled today at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, West London Rhiannon Clarricoates, co-director of Lincoln Conservation, said: 'Our team worked meticulously to remove layers of discoloured varnish and non-original overpaint which revealed fine details and highlights not previously visible, allowing the public to experience the artwork as it was originally intended. 'Working together with Tager Stonor Richardson, our analysis of the artwork allowed a greater understanding of the original techniques and materials, alluding to its high quality. 'It has been a privilege to contribute to this project, which has safeguarded not only the physical integrity of the painting but also its cultural and historical significance for future generations.' Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund, said: 'This fascinating painting captures the story of a soldier who might otherwise have been forgotten. 'I'm thrilled that Art Fund has been able to support the National Army Museum to acquire this remarkable portrait, and it's exciting to see how their team has uncovered new insights, including identifying the artist as Thomas Phillips RA. 'Now on permanent display, the painting will inspire visitors to the National Army Museum and bring this important piece of history to life.' The portrait is being unveiled today at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, West London. A Reform UK candidate who used fake AI legal cases to support her claim when she sued over her election defeat has been handed a 19,000 court bill. Liz Williams lost to Green candidate Hannah Robson in an election for the Littletons ward in Worcestershire after recounts left them tied on 889 votes in May. The election was decided by random, with two ballot papers placed in a box and Ms Robson's name being pulled out, who took her seat on the county council. Ms Williams went on to launch a High Court petition challenging the result, citing the random draw, as well as allegations of irregularities at polling stations. But her case was dismissed last week because it had been filed too late, with a senior judge also noting that it had been backed by legal authority none of the lawyers had ever heard of. Mr Justice Martin Spencer said no record could be found of the authorities cited by Mrs Williams, with one of them supposedly dating back to before the First World War. 'It appears it may have been an invention, indeed a hallucination, of AI,' he said. He also ordered her to pay 19,000 towards the costs of the case, a ruling which Ms Williams said left her feeling 'oppressed and silenced' and which would 'destroy my life.' Reform UK candidate Liz Williams (pictured), who used fake AI legal cases to support her claim when she sued over her election defeat, has been handed a 19,000 court bill She cited two cases - titled 'R v Hackney ex parte Sidebotham 1912' and 'The Mayor of Tower Hamlets v Electoral Commission 2015' - which were said to provide vital legal precedents in election disputes. However barrister for the returning officers, Timothy Straker KC, said he had done an extensive search for the cases, and found nothing online or on paper. The judge said the issue had been raised before the hearing with Ms Williams, who acknowledged there were 'errors' in the documents she originally filed. He said the previous court decisions appeared to be AI-generated. According to Ms Williams' petition, the tie breaker could have been carried out unlawfully. 'The petitioner believes this process was not carried out in accordance with due process of law, open to fraud and corruption and did not allow time for independent legal advice to be obtained when being pressured into accepting the process in principle,' the petition said. Ms Williams added: 'I did not feel able to witness the entire process without obstruction, nor my concerns to be heard at the time. 'I could not see the box for all of the preparation and was not included in that. 'I did not agree to a third person shuffling the papers. Once in the ballot box, only the returning officer should have had their hand in the box.' Ms Williams also complained of 'fraud,' citing irregularities on voting day, with campaigning allegedly occurring on the grounds of polling stations. But throwing out her petition, Mr Justice Spencer said the law provides for a 21-day limit for challenges to be filed after elections - and that she had missed that deadline. She lost to Green candidate Hannah Robson (pictured) in an election for the Littletons ward in Worcestershire after recounts left them tied on 889 votes in May 'The primary legislation doesn't provide any power to the court to extend time for the presenting of a petition. 'In my judgment, the respondents' application succeeds. The petition wasn't presented in time and I consider that it should be dismissed.' Having found against her, he also ordered Mrs Williams to pay 19,000 towards the returning officers' lawyers' bills. In a statement shared to Facebook Ms Williams said: 'Anyone got a spare nearly 30,000? That's almost how much I need to find and need to pay after reporting concerns over electoral fraud. 'Seriously, our councils have done this to me, for speaking the truth. It was a bad day in court yesterday (17 October 2025). 'Please be assured the allegations I made were not thrown out. No one was vindicated of anything whatsoever, despite misinformation now being spread. 'The petition itself was struck out purely on a timing technicality, which means the allegations, witnesses and evidence will not be heard at a trial, via this particular court. 'The police have previously said if further evidence comes to light they will reopen the case. Please do contact them if you have any, in the interests of justice. 'I will do a complex post mortem of everything that has happened but I will be taking a complete step back otherwise. My family have been through enough. 'Thank you to everyone who facilitated and supported this legal action.' Electoral Commission guidance to returning officers states: 'When two or more candidates have the same number of votes, and the addition of a vote would entitle any of those candidates to be declared elected, you must decide between the candidates by lot. 'Whichever candidate wins the lot is treated as though they had received an additional vote that enables them to be declared elected.' Prince Andrew has a fully-staffed royal palace gifted to him in the Gulf - but he thinks it is too quiet and his ex-wife doesn't like the heat, it has been claimed. The shamed royal and Sarah Ferguson are said to have a grand mansion available on demand in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It was a gift to them from the UAEs ruling royal family - the house of Nahyan, according to esteemed biographer and historian Andrew Lownie and other sources. Prince William and his wife the Princess of Wales are said to be desperate to kick Andrew and Fergie out of their Windsor Great Lodge and hope the former couple will emigrate. It came after yet another shocking twist in the royal-Epstein scandal when it emerged last night Andrew hasn't paid rent for 22 years on his palatial 30-room home with 98 acres of land. But despite the crumbling House of York having access to a palace in Abu Dhabi, fully staffed with servants and close to the warm waters of the Persian Gulf, Andrew and Fergie are not said to be keen to relocate. Ms Ferguson, who can no longer use her title the Duchess of York, is said to struggle with the heat. And Andrew reportedly considers the UAE too quiet and he prefers the busier social scene in the UK. Prince Andrew attends a military air display event on November 25, 2010 in Abu Dhabi with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Multiple sources have claimed Andrew has been gifted a palace by the ruling house of Nahyan The mansion in Abu Dhabi (pictured) is said to be fully staffed with servants but there are claims it is too hot for Fergie and too quiet for Andrew Andrew should be kicked out of his Windsor Royal Lodge and disappear because the British public are sick of him and he is an embarrassment to his family and the UK, Robert Jenrick has claimed. The shadow justice secretary has said it is disgusting that taxpayers are subsiding him to live in a 30-room mansion with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson when he should be paying 200,000 a year. 'I dont see why the taxpayer frankly should continue to foot the bill. The public are sick of Prince Andrew', he said. And Andrew could become the first royal to be caught up in a criminal probe in more than 20 years. Scotland Yard has confirmed it is 'actively' probing claims he asked an officer to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre, whose posthumous autobiography is out today. Mr Jenrick said: I dont think the taxpayer should in any way be footing the bill for him to live in luxury homes ever again. He shouldnt have any taxpayer subsidies going forward. Its about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life. He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the Royal Family time and again. 'The King deserves great respect and admiration for the way he has handled this. He is trying to do his absolute best to ensure Prince Andrew goes off, leads a quiet life and doesnt embarrass himself, the royal family or our country ever again'. Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson (pictured in 2019) are holed up in their grace-and-favour Royal Lodge amid increased scrutiny over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. A leaked lease suggests they may not have paid rent on their home for 22 years Calls are growing for Prince Andrew to be kicked out of the Royal Lodge (pictured), the lavish Windsor mansion he shares with his ex-wife An unredacted copy of his lease emerged last night. It shows that while he paid 1million to lease the property in 2003 and spent 7.5million on refurbishments, he has paid only 'one peppercorn (if demanded)' of rent a year since taking on the mansion 22 years ago. This is because Andrew is deemed to have paid the rent which was in the region of 260,000 a year up front through the work he has funded to bring the palatial property up to scratch. It also means the Crown Estate will have to pay him around half a million pounds if he were to quit his mansion before the lease on it runs out in 2078. A copy of the agreement was obtained by The Times newspaper following pressure from MPs and campaigners. And it will no doubt add to public outrage over Andrew's perceived 'perks'. Sources have stressed to the Daily Mail, however, that questions still remain over how the King's brother can afford the vast 30-bedroom property, which comes with multi-million running costs. The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Andrew is not believed to have received any significant inheritance from the Queen or Queen Mother, raising fresh questions about how he can afford to stay in the property particularly when he now receives no personal allowance from the King, or public funding. Charles, 76, has desperately tried to persuade his younger brother to downsize and move out of the grade II-listed mansion in recent years. He believes many of Andrew's problems particularly those that saw him drawn to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and other shady characters stem from chasing a lifestyle he simply cannot afford. But Andrew, 65, has stubbornly insisted that he has a cast-iron lease on the house. And as long as he pays the rent, the King has no legal right to throw him out. Beatrice and her sister Eugenie are said to have pulled out of a charity ball in London on Saturday amid the torrent of unedifying claims around their father. While details of the Queen's will have never been made public, it is thought that Andrew was not left sufficient funds to sustain his apparently lavish lifestyle. Royal Lodge, in the heart of Windsor Great Park, was the home of the Queen Mother, and was leased to Andrew after her death. The Crown Estate approved the arrangement, saying its location and 'security concerns' made it difficult to rent out on the open market. Princess Beatrice drives from Royal Lodge, home of her father Prince Andrew and mother Sarah Ferguson, at Windsor in Berkshire on Monday Andrew had to carry out 7.5million of refurbishment work when he took the property on in 2003. He was given a 75-year lease in return for a one-off payment of 1million. His rent was believed to be upwards of 260,000 a year, with a legal requirement to keep the property in a good state of repair. However, sources at Windsor say the house is a virtual 'money pit' and there have long been claims Andrew has been struggling with its upkeep. Until now it had been widely assumed that without any public funding or private allowance from his brother, the prince had been dipping into personal investments and family bequests to bankroll the property. The revelation over his inheritance will inevitably raise questions about how he can afford to live there. Andrew also has to fund his own security after losing his official police bodyguard. The King had previously said that if his brother downsized and moved to a smaller property on the estate potentially Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by Harry he would reinstate his personal allowance and help fund his security. But after Andrew point-blank refused, it is not known whether the offer is still even on the table. The headlines have been an unfortunate distraction for the King, who yesterday made a moving visit to Manchester to visit the Heaton Park synagogue that was targeted in a terror attack earlier this month. The Attorney General and Keir Starmer's No10 enforcer have been summoned for a grilling at Parliament on the China spying case. The National Security Strategy Committee has called Lord Hermer and Darren Jones to give evidence on the collapse of the trial. The pair are being asked to appear before MPs and peers next Tuesday, to explain what they knew about the situation and when. The letter to Lord Hermer from chair Matt Western said: 'The purpose of the inquiry is to examine the adequacy of processes and decision-making in relation to espionage cases, and to bring clarity to some of the questions that have arisen in recent weeks.' The prosecution against Chris Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, collapsed last month after the Government refused to classify Beijing as a threat to national security. Both men were formally declared not guilty and deny any wrongdoing. The National Security Strategy Committee has called Lord Hermer (pictured) and Darren Jones to give evidence on the collapse of the trial Mr Jones has been asked to say whether the Chinese state poses a direct threat to UK national security interests Mr Western has posed a series of questions for Lord Hermer and Mr Jones - the PM's chief minister - to answer ahead of the hearing There have been claims that the deputy national security adviser's updated evidence including an element of the Labour manifesto might have been the final straw for the Crown Prosecution Service. That stated the UK Government 'is committed to pursuing a positive relationship with China'. Mr Western has posed a series of questions for Lord Hermer and Mr Jones - the PM's chief minister - to answer ahead of the hearing. They include asking Mr Jones to say whether the Chinese state poses a direct threat to UK national security interests. Other queries included whether the Government's assessment of this changed since 2021, whether it would be appropriate for a minister to ask officials to ensure the evidence provided was robust enough to meet the CPS needs, and whether it was usual for prosecutors to make multiple similar requests for Government evidence. Lord Hermer was asked about the Attorney General's 'statutory duty to superintend the discharge of duties by the Director of Public Prosecutions' (DPP) in relation to national security cases, and whether the DPP would have made him aware of any difficulty in securing appropriate evidence from the Government. Lord Hermer and Mr Jones have until noon on October 23 to respond to the panel. A mother has been handed a 100 fine after pulling over in a college carpark to attend to her choking two-year-old daughter. Priyanka Singh was driving on a roundabout in Guildford, Surrey, with her son and daughter when the toddler began coughing violently. She had been so terrified the young girl was choking or having a fit that the concerned mother immediately pulled off the main road onto the campus car park at Guildford College. But the car park is for permit-holders only and stopping there following the emergency meant the family was issued a 100 fine by national parking company UKPS. Fortunately, her daughter was fine but Ms Singh spent 45 minutes cleaning her up and then calming down. The trio got out of the car and walked to a playground situated off of the main car park due to it having a washroom. Being late in the day - around 5.15pm on a Tuesday - Ms Singh thought she would be fine leaving her car while she composed herself. However, not long after, the family received a penalty charge notice in the post for 100, reduced to 60 if paid within 14 days. Priyanka Singh and Krunal Barot with their children - including their daughter who was coughing violently The car park (pictured) is for permit-holders only and stopping there following the emergency meant the family was issued a 100 fine by national parking company UKPS Ms Singh's husband, Krunal Barot, said it was fortunate his daughter was not choking and first aid did not need to be administered. He added: 'It was all handled inside the car. 'She didn't want to drive away straight away because the child was still crying. 'They went to the playpark area and my wife was still trying to compose herself, it was scary.' The family stayed in the playpark for just under an hour before driving away. After the incident in June 2024, they received a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) from UKPS, the national car park operators, because the car park was for permit-holders only. The family appealed the decision to Guildford College and explained the choking scare. But they say they were told by the Activate Learning group, which runs the college, that as there were no emergency vehicles, it was not an emergency and they would have to pay the 100 fine. The PCN issued to Priyanka Singh, which shows her vehicle in the car park at Guildford College The Activate Learning group oversees various schools and further education colleges, including Guildford College. Mr Krunal, from nearby Woking, said: 'I just thought I am not going to pay this because this is not how you treat your community.' He added that after he refused to pay, the family received more than 10 debt recovery letters and was this year given a 'letter before claim' threatening them with court action if they didn't pay the fine, which has risen to 166. Mr Kurnal claimed this had caused the family a great deal of distress. He said: 'Since the court claim my wife is all scared again. 'She just came back from India where her mother is in a coma and all this is happening around it. 'It is a very bad time as a family for us.' Mr Krunal said he had recently called a communications team manager from the Activate Learning group and was told the PCN would be cancelled and he should get confirmation within a week. But he said it had been over a week and he is yet to hear back. Mr Krunal expressed his frustration with the parking fine system and said he believes it should be handled on a case by case basis. He said: 'It's one thing if someone misuses the parking. If I am parking there every day or every month then that's fine. 'But this was a one off issue and a medical emergency. 'It should not be 100 for parking and one mistake.' He also criticised UKPS who threatened the family with a court claim if they refused to pay. Mr Krunal said: 'The private landowner should be able to manage this because they are employing these parking companies who are threatening their potential future customers. 'I live in the local area, my kids might grow up and go to Guildford College. 'If their reputation is that they can't even let go of one PCN then what kind of college is that? They should be aware of which companies they hire.' Guildford College was contacted for comment and did not reply. UKPS also did not respond. An Afghan migrant living in a London hotel accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a West End bar wept in court as he complained that his English is 'limited'. Bashir Hotak, 23, was staying in a hotel in east London at the time of the alleged sex attack in Simmons Bar, Leicester Square, on June 29. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with sexual assault and assault by beating. He was assisted by a Persian interpreter in the Dari dialect and began to cry when asked to enter pleas. After a break, Hotak's solicitor said he could no longer represent him. When told he needed to find new representation Hotak said: 'How? I'm not well, I have very limited English, I'm being seen by doctors and I'm on a lot of medication.' Amanda Barron, chairing a bench of three magistrates, told him: 'You Google law firms near where you live, it's not difficult. 'You've had the opportunity of a lawyer today and he can no longer act for you.' Bashir Hotak, 23, was living in the Ibis Styles Seven Kings Hotel in Cameron Road, Ilford, at the time of the alleged sex attack in Simmons Bar, Leicester Square, on June 29 She adjourned the hearing until November 10 and bailed Hotak on condition he does not contact the alleged victim or go to Simmons Bar in Leicester Square. Ms Barron said: 'Your lawyer is no longer acting for you, I'm going to give three weeks in order to be back at court which gives you time to find a new lawyer. 'It's up to you, it's your life, your responsibility. 'If you break either of those conditions you will be arrested by police and brought to court in custody and the bail position would be reviewed.' Hotak, of east London, is charged with sexual assault on a female and assault by beating. He did not enter pleas during today's hearing. Prince Andrew's 'team' tried to hire 'internet trolls to hassle' his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre, she has claimed in her posthumous memoirs. Ms Giuffre's allegations, in the newly published account of her life, come as the Metropolitan Police 'actively' looks into claims Andrew passed her date of birth and social security number to his bodyguard in a bid to dig up dirt for a smear campaign. Andrew said last Friday he would no longer use his Duke of York title, but pressure is growing on the Royal Family to go further by backing a move to formally strip the dukedom from him through parliamentary legislation. The late Ms Giuffre, in her book Nobody's Girl released today, described how she dressed in outfits that reminded her of her idols Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to first meet Andrew when she was 17. She was pictured in the 'pink V-necked, sleeveless mini T-shirt and a sparkly, multicolored pair of jeans embroidered with a pattern of interlocking horses' in the famous photo showing the then-duke with his arm around her waist at Ghislaine Maxwell's London flat in March 2001. Ms Giuffre also recounted how the death of Diana, Princess of Wales left her scared, amid unproven claims the royal family was involved, and she alleged she had sex with Andrew, four years after the princess died, to keep 'powerful' people happy while she was in the UK. She claimed she was forced to have sex with the prince on three occasions, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy after being trafficked by paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein who died in a US prison in 2019. Andrew vehemently denies the allegations. Prince Andrew, pictured last month at Westminster Cathedral in London, is facing new allegations - days after he said he would no longer use his Duke of York title The late Virginia Giuffre, whose posthumous autobiography has now been published, is seen here with a photo of herself - this picture was taken in 2022 He previously paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault case, despite claiming never to have met her. Ms Giuffre wrote how he hid behind 'the well-guarded gates' of Balmoral Castle, making it difficult for her lawyers to serve him with papers. She also said of her 2022 legal settlement with Andrew: 'After casting doubt on my credibility for so long - Prince Andrew's team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me - the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well.' She added: 'We would never get a confession, of course. That's what settlements are designed to avoid. But we were trying for the next best thing: a general acknowledgment of what I'd been through.' Ms Giuffre described how she took part in two days of mediation, and her lawyer read the duke's agreed settlement statement at 2.30am Florida time 'through tears, both hers and mine'. Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, wrote an email to her co-writer Amy Wallace at the start of that month shortly after being involved in a car crash that said it was her 'heartfelt wish that this work be published, regardless of my circumstances at the time', and that it was still to be released in the event of her death. 'The content of this book is crucial, as it aims to shed light on the systemic failures that allow the trafficking of vulnerable individuals across borders,' she said in the email. Ms Giuffre added: 'In the event of my passing, I would like to ensure that Nobody's Girl is still released. I believe it has the potential to impact many lives and foster necessary discussions about these grave injustices.' This 2001 photo shows Andrew with a young Virginia Giuffre and now-jailed Ghislaine Maxwell Attention is intensifying on the Epstein scandal which led to Andrew's downfall, despite hopes by the King that his disgraced younger brother's banishment would draw a line under the long-running controversy. The monarch is preparing for a historic state visit to the Vatican to meet the Pope this week. Ms Giuffre also revealed how the conspiracy theories surrounding Diana's death impacted her when was allegedly forced to have sex with Andrew in London because she was 'surrounded by people who wielded vastly more clout than I ever would'. 'I hadn't wanted to have sex with the prince, I said, but I felt I had to,' she wrote, saying she believed there was no way to free herself from Epstein and Maxwell's grip. She said her then-boyfriend Tony Figueroa was 'scared that I was alone in a foreign country with people so powerful; he said he understood why I felt powerless 'Less than four years earlier, Lady Diana had died in a car accident, prompting some conjecture (never proven) that the royal family had somehow been involved. 'Tony and I had no way of knowing if this was true, but we were sure that I was surrounded by people who wielded vastly more clout than I ever would.' She added: 'Tony and I agreed that, especially while I was abroad, I needed to keep Epstein and Maxwell happy.' The posthumous memoirs of Virginia Roberts Giuffre were published on October 21 2025 Harrods boss Mohamed al Fayed had claimed Prince Philip 'masterminded' the car crash that killed Diana and his son Dodi Al Fayed, but an inquest found their chauffeur Henri Paul was drunk and driving too fast. Ms Giuffre described how convicted sex trafficker Maxwell bought her an expensive Burberry purse and three different outfits including 'two sexy, sophisticated dresses' to meet Andrew. 'When we got back to her house, I laid them out on the bed. There were two sexy, sophisticated dresses she'd picked out and a third option that I'd lobbied for: a pink V-necked, sleeveless mini T-shirt and a sparkly, multicoloured pair of jeans embroidered with a pattern of interlocking horses,' she wrote. 'After I showered and dried my hair, I put on the jeans and top, which left a strip of my stomach exposed. Maxwell wasn't thrilled, but like most teenage girls then, I idolised Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and the third outfit was something I imagined the two of them might wear. I told Maxwell it felt more like 'me'.' Maxwell who was 'was more coquettish than usual' asked the duke to guess Ms Giuffre's age, and Andrew, then 41, guessed correctly at 17, Ms Giuffre wrote. She said she was paid $15,000 for 'serving the man the tabloids called "Randy Andy"'. Describing the challenges of serving Andrew with legal papers, Ms Giuffre wrote: 'Initially, the prince made it difficult for my lawyers to serve him with papers, fleeing to Queen Elizabeth's Balmoral Castle in Scotland and hiding behind its well-guarded gates.' The Mail On Sunday reported that Andrew embarked on a bid to smear Ms Giuffre. Virginia Giuffre (pictured) died by suicide in April this year in Australia at the age of 41 He is said to have emailed the late Queen's then-deputy press secretary Ed Perkins and told him of his request to his protection officer, and also suggested Ms Giuffre had a criminal record. The prince's alleged attempt, on which the police officer is not said to have acted, came in 2011, hours before the newspaper first published the photograph of Andrew with Ms Giuffre. The Mail told of obtaining the email from disclosures held by the US congress. York Central MP Rachael Maskell has called on Parliament to 'act' over removing Andrew's titles. And the SNP's leader at Westminster Stephen Flynn said there was 'no justification' for the UK Government not to bring forward an Act to do so, saying the British public were 'angry and aghast'. Robert Jenrick, the Conservatives' Shadow Justice Secretary, has said Andrew should be kicked out of his Windsor Royal Lodge and disappear because the British public are sick of him and he is an embarrassment to his family and the UK. Mr Jenrick called it disgusting that taxpayers are subsiding him to live in a 30-room mansion with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson when he should be paying 200,000 a year. It was revealed that Andrew has not paid rent on his palatial property for 22 years as an unredacted copy of his lease emerged last night. Prince Andrew gave a much-criticised interview to the BBC's Newsnight programme in 2019 The lease shows that while he paid 1million to lease the property in 2003 and spent 7.5million on refurbishments, he has paid only 'one peppercorn (if demanded)' of rent a year since taking on the mansion 22 years ago. This is because Andrew is deemed to have paid the rent which was in the region of 260,000 a year up front through the work he has funded to bring the palatial property up to scratch. It also means the Crown Estate will have to pay him about half a million pounds if he were to quit his mansion before the lease on it runs out in 2078. A copy of the agreement was obtained by The Times newspaper following pressure from MPs and campaigners. Sources have stressed to the Daily Mail, however, that questions still remain over how the King's brother can afford the vast 30-bedroom property, which comes with multi-million running costs. The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Andrew is not believed to have received any significant inheritance from the Queen or Queen Mother. Fresh questions have been raised about how he can afford to stay in the property particularly when he now receives no personal allowance from the King, or public funding. Charles, 76, has desperately tried to persuade his younger brother to downsize and move out of the grade II-listed mansion in recent years. There has been fury that taxpayers are subsiding Andrew to live in a 30-room mansion with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson when he should be paying 200,000 a year - they are seen here at Ascot He believes many of Andrew's problems particularly those that saw him drawn to Epstein and other shady characters stem from chasing an unaffordable lifestyle. But Andrew, 65, has stubbornly insisted that he has a cast-iron lease on the house - and as long as he pays the rent, the King has no legal right to throw him out. Royal Lodge, in the heart of Windsor Great Park, was the home of the Queen Mother, and was leased to Andrew after her death in 2002. The Crown Estate approved the arrangement, saying its location and 'security concerns' made it difficult to rent out on the open market. Police have arrested a Nigerian hotel worker after a British tourist was allegedly raped on a Greek holiday island. The 45-year-old victim told Kos police officers that she had been sexually assaulted by the 42-year-old man in her room at around 7pm on Monday. She said she had been drinking and that the hotel employee took advantage of her condition. Following an investigation, police officers of the Kos Criminal Investigation and Prosecution Department located and arrested the suspect, who is being held before appearing in front of the Kos District Court prosecutor. It comes just months after another British tourist claimed she was sexually assaulted during a massage on a different Greek island. The 37-year-old had been staying at a hotel on Rhodes when she said she was touched inappropriately while on the massage table in June. The employee touched her with their fingernail six times in a disputed area but the holidaymaker said there was no need or context as to why the masseuse touched her there. She told cops at the Ialisos Police Station that she felt uncomfortable and offended by the 'indecent and violating' behaviour, it was reported in local paper Proto Thema. Police have arrested a Nigerian hotel worker after a British tourist was allegedly raped on a Greek holiday island. The 45-year-old victim told Kos police officers that she had been sexually assaulted by the 42-year-old man in her room at around 7pm on Monday (stock image) She added that there was no consent for the employee from the hotel in the Kremasti area for that specific contact, which was an 'insult to her sexual decency'. The tourist, who had been visiting the popular Greek island as part of her summer holiday, has filed a lawsuit for sexual assault and indecent assault. The police launched an investigation into the alleged assault. One month later, in July, an 18-year-old British woman was allegedly raped at a party spot on the Greek island of Corfu. The unnamed woman, who is said to have been on holiday, filed the complaint in the early hours of the morning. After an investigation was launched, police arrested a man, who is claimed to have been with the alleged victim. The 19-year-old Italian man was taken to the prosecutor's office and is set to face a judge on Thursday. The woman was reportedly partying at a shopping mall before the alleged incident took place. According to local media, the alleged perpetrator was not remanded in police custody. Cops called on anyone with more information to come forward. Corfu is one of Greece's most sought-after holiday destinations and attracts around 500,000 Brits each year. Robert Jenrick today threw his support behind a burqa ban in the UK as he suggested Britain should copy Italy by considering a crackdown on Muslim face veils. The senior Tory MP told a radio phone-in show that there were 'basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them'. 'I probably would ban the burqa,' the shadow justice secretary told his 'Ring Rob' programme on Talk. But Mr Jenrick's comments put him at odds with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who earlier this year said a burqa ban 'won't fix the problem of cultural separatism'. She suggested bosses should have the right to stop staff wearing burqas and other face coverings in the workplace, but argued against a nationwide ban. The burqa is a garment worn by some Muslim women and is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body, often leaving just a mesh screen to see through, and is mandatory by law for women in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. In 2010, then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy introduced a ban on people wearing clothing intended to conceal their faces in a public space. The burqa is mandatory by law for women in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told his 'Ring Rob' phone-in show on Talk: 'I probably would ban the burqa' The French law effectively bans the wearing of the burqa or the niqab - another type of Islamic face veil - with anyone found wearing a covering in a public space facing a fine of 150 euros (125). Belgium brought in a similar ban a year later, and other countries including Denmark and Austria have got similar laws. Switzerland was the latest European country to introduce a prohibition, which started on January 1 this year. Mr Jenrick on Tuesday highlighted how Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had recently proposed a ban on the burqa and niqab in public places. 'So I think there's definitely a strong argument for it,' he added. 'There are basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them. 'Where you're seeing them fraying at the edges or frankly being completely destroyed - whether it's Sharia courts or wearing of the burqa - these are issues we're going to have to confront if we want to build the kind of society that we want to hand on to our kids and grandkids.' Responding to Mr Jenrick expressing his support for a ban on burqas, Sam Rushworth, the Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, said: 'That's so anti-British. It goes against what our nation stands for.' Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Mr Jenrick was 'expressing a personal view', but said he 'might express a similar personal view. He added: 'I think it's not official policy yet, we need to develop our policy properly.' Mr Jenrick recently faced a storm of criticism for bemoaning how he 'didn't see another white face' during a 90-minute visit to Handsworth, Birmingham, earlier this year. 'That's not the kind of country I want to live in,' he added, before going on to say it was 'not about the colour of your skin or your faith', but about people 'living alongside each other'. During last year's Tory leadership contest, in which he was runner-up to Mrs Badenoch, Mr Jenrick was accused of 'textbook Islamophobia' after he claimed people shouting 'Allahu Akbar' should be arrested. His comments, made as he criticised the policing of pro-Palestinian protests, prompted outrage as critics pointed out that 'Allahu Akbar' translates as 'God is Great'. Mr Jenrick later attempted to clarify that he was referring to 'aggressive chanting' that was 'intimidatory and threatening' but refused calls for him to apologise. In an interview with The Telegraph in June, Mrs Badenoch said she had 'strong views about face coverings' and would not allow people into her constituency surgeries if they wore face veils. She said: 'If you come into my constituency surgery, you have to remove your face covering, whether it's a burqa or a balaclava. 'I'm not talking to people who are not going to show me their face, and I also believe that other people should have that control. 'Organisations should be able to decide what their staff wear; it shouldn't be something that people should be able to override.' But the Tory leader argued against a nationwide ban on face coverings in public, adding: 'France has a ban and they have worse problems than we do in this country on integration. 'So banning the burqa clearly is not the thing that's going to fix things.' Mrs Badenoch made the remarks amid a row over Reform UK's Sarah Pochin calling for Sir Keir Starmer to introduce a burqa ban during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. Her question triggered disquiet in the Commons and cries of 'shame' from other MPs. Reform officials sowed confusion by later insisting that banning the burqa is not the party's official policy, while then-party chairman Zia Yusuf hit out at Ms Pochin's 'dumb' question. Mr Yusuf later quit as chairman and left the party entirely, before rejoining its ranks two days later. An under-fire police chief claims she is a scapegoat who is too talented to fire after she was suspended over a man-on-woman brawl in her crime-ridden city that shocked America. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge, who makes $203,000 a year, was placed on paid administrative leave Monday evening and had her newly-hired lawyer Stephen Imm rage at the decision on her behalf at a press conference Tuesday morning. Theetge, who has been sued over claims she is anti-white, was urged to resign last week, Imm said on Tuesday as his stony-faced client stood beside him while clad in black. Her suspension followed after she refused, with Theetge facing widespread condemnation over an July mass-fight in downtown Cincinnati that made global headlines. 'Late yesterday she learned she was being placed on leave, there was no justification for this action,' Imm said Tuesday 'Shes done nothing to deserve being removed from her position. The unfortunate conclusion we have to reach from these facts is that shes being used as a political scapegoat and a political pawn. Terry deserves better than this. There is no one better qualified or better equipped than Terry Theetge to confront crime in the city of Cincinnati right now. Suspended Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge is pictured on Tuesday morning as her employment lawyer launched a furious attack on officials in the Ohio city for putting her on leave This is the image that pushed Cincinnati into national headlines. A woman was beaten to the ground by a man during a shocking mass brawl Her experience, talent, ability and expertise are needed more than ever. The loss of her leadership at this critical time is a blow to this city. It has made us less safe. Imm went on to claim rank-and-file Cincinnati police were standing behind Theetge. He made no reference to a lawsuit filed against her earlier this year by a group of white Cincinnati police officers who said Theetge had stopped them from being promoted because of their skin color. During a subsequent question and answer session, Imm said his client was 'hamstrung by politics' and suggested her firing had already been signed-off behind closed doors. 'Sentence has already been passed on Terry, theyre looking for a scalp, theyre looking for a scapegoat', he said. Theetge sparked fury over her response to a brawl in July which saw a white woman being attacked by a group of men, all of which was caught on camera. The police chief scolded journalists for taking the shocking fight 'out of context' without offering any explanation as to what the context was. Chief Theetge, who earns over $200,000 a year, was placed on leave on Monday amid an internal investigation into her leadership According to Chief Theetge, the large scale riot involved some 100 people City Manager Sheryl Long announced the move, she added that Assistant Chief Adam Hennie would step up as interim police chief. Long said: 'The City continues to face serious public safety challenges that underscore the need for stability at the command level. 'Our focus remains on maintaining stability within the department and ensuring the highest standards of service to our residents. 'I have full confidence in Interim Chief Hennie and the department's command staff to continue their dedicated work at this time.' Mayor Aftab Pureval added: 'I fully support City Manager Long's decision. I'm confident that the Interim Chief, our entire police force and our administration will continue to put the safety of our residents above everything else.' The city was forced into the national spotlight over the brawl which happened in the downtown area of the city. The mass brawl showed a man and a woman, known only as Holly, being violently accosted by a group of black men. Holly later said the brutal assault left her with brain trauma, images also emerged showing her severely bruised after the attack. Seven people were subsequently indicted in August on three counts each of felonious assault and assault, and two counts of aggravated riot The woman attacked, known only as Holly, is seen here with horrific injuries following the brawl Seven people were subsequently indicted in August on three counts each of felonious assault and assault, and two counts of aggravated riot. Theetge said at the time that the large scale riot involved some 100 people, and that six people were subjected to 'unimaginable physical violence'. It sparked a national debate about public safety and race in the city, with Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk passing comment on footage of the brawl. When the Daily Mail visited the city after the brawl broke out, the near desolate streets where dotted with homeless drug addicts openly abusing substances. More recently three people were shot in the heart of the downtown area last week alone. That included one man who was shot multiple times and killed inside a vehicle outside a bar in the early hours of Friday. Besides the problems on the streets, Chief Theetge was accused of anti-white racism and sexism by four department veterans in a lawsuit. Capt. Robert Wilson, and Lts. Patrick Caton, Gerald Hodges and Andrew Mitchell said in their complaint that her department disfavored and disregarded white men for top positions in the force. The four claim in their suit that the department disregarded qualifications, time spent with the department and commanders' staffing requests, when picking top brass. 'Plaintiffs, who are White males, were denied all opportunities for preferred assignments due to their race and/or sex,' the complaint states. They claim the department and the city 'intentionally' and 'disproportionately favored non-white males and/or females'. The suit, filed in May before the brawl happened, added that the city and Chief Theetge had, 'actively undertaken efforts to promote, advance and make promotion and assignment decision that are preferable to women and minorities'. Calls made to a number listed for Theetge went unanswered on Tuesday morning. Police are searching for a man who took $7,400 in cash he found lying on a road. The suspect was seen pocketing the money from a street in Kennebunk, Maine, on October 15. The rightful owner had left the cash on top of his car after a vehicle sale and drove off without noticing it was still on the roof. When he returned home and realized his mistake, his father went out looking for it. A dashcam captured the owner's father as he came across the suspect scooping up the cash. The images show the father, dressed in a plaid shirt, bending down to look at something on the floor alongside the alleged thief. Police said the suspect then fled westbound on Fletcher Street in a dark gray Honda CR-V. A spokesman for the department told Maine's Total Coverage that the alleged thief faces criminal charges as this was not a case of 'finders keepers,' due to the amount of money involved. Dashcam images shared by police show a man taking $7,400 he found on the side of the road The money fell off the top of the rightful owner's car and onto a street in the Kennebunk, Maine Police said the suspect faces criminal charges and this was not a case of 'finders keepers' In Maine, the law states that anyone who finds lost money or goods worth at least $3 must give notice to the town's clerk within seven days, tell them where the money or goods were found and post a notification in a public place. If the goods are worth $10 or more, the finder must also publish a notification in a newspaper. Robert MacKenzie, chief of Kennebunk Police, is searching for the man who scooped the cash off the road In this instance the theft would be considered a Class C crime, meaning it is punishable by up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine. The incident took place outside of White Sails Inn. Audrey LaRose, a guest at the bed and breakfast, told WMTV she was knitting at the front window and had no idea there was cash blowing around outside. She told the outlet she was disappointed someone took the money. 'It's not yours. It doesn't belong to you, and you call the police, call whoever and try to get someone back here,' she said. 'A good Samaritan, we would never take that money ever. It's just so sad to think that someone would actually go out there and think it was their money and just pick it all up and take it. To me, that's stealing.' The incident took place outside of White Sails Inn in Kennebunk on October 15 The Kennebunk Police Department said the man who took the cash could face a charge of theft of mislaid or lost property if he does not return it. Anyone who recognizes the suspect in the dashcam images or has any information has been asked to contact them. Kennebunk Police did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. A lonely black bear broke into a Nothern California zoo to make new friends before being safely escorted back into the wild. The curious visitor was caught peering into the bear enclosure inside the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka on Friday around 9:30am, before the zoo opened. A staff member doing a routine inspection stumbled upon the guest near the zoo's Redwood Sky Walk. 'The wild bear did not appear aggressive and was observed interacting with Tule, Ishung, and Kunabulilh through their habitat fencing,' the zoo said in a statement, referring to its three black bears. 'When I first heard about it, I thought: "Poor thing, it's lonely,"' Laura Montagna, the Eureka Police Department's public information officer, told the San Francisco Chronicle. An emergency procedure was immediately implemented, and the police and California Department of Fish and Wildlife were contacted to create a 'calm and safe resolution.' 'At no point did the wild bear enter any animal habitats and, after a brief exploration of the enrichment items around the night house, the bear was safely coaxed back into the woods through a service gate,' the zoo said. A black bear was caught peeking into the Sequoia Park Zoo's bear enclosure on Friday before the establishment opened its doors The curious visitor was spotted near the Redwood Sky Walk by a staff member doing a routine inspection. The zoo said he was a 'very polite' visitor The police department made sure to keep humans away from the woods so the animal 'wouldn't get scared' while Fish and Wildlife escorted him out, Montagna told The Los Angeles Times The bear got into the park by climbing a tree but was unable to get out, Zoo Director Jim Campbell-Spickler told the Chronicle. Campbell-Spickler estimated that the bear war around one-and-a-half years old and about 150 pounds. 'He was just a curious guy,' he told the Chronicle. The bear had smelled his fellow bears inside the zoo, prompting him to come inside, the director speculated. 'It was a young bear finding its way in the world,' he added. The perimeter fencing separating the 60-acre Sequoia Park from the enclosed animal kingdom was not disturbed or damaged. The animal-friendly establishment said their visitor was 'very polite' and stayed on the boardwalk path during his brief stay. '[He] kept two feet on the ground and didnt try to climb over the railings!' the zoo said. The bear got into the park by climbing a tree. The animal had smelled his fellow bears inside the zoo, prompting him to come inside, the zoo's director speculated The zoo's bear and coyote habitat opened in the summer of 2023 (pictured: one of the zoo's bears inside the enclosure) The Daily Mail has reached out to the Sequoia Park Zoo for comment. The zoo's bear and coyote habitat opened in the summer of 2023, welcoming in Tule and Ishung. In June 2025, Kunabulilh, whose nickname is Nabu, quietly joined the park's bear exhibit after being placed there by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Tule was found alone as a bear club in the Tule River National Reservation in the spring of 2022. He weighed only 3.7 pounds and had a variety of health concerns. After specialists were unable to find his mother, he was rehabilitated and later joined the Sequoia Zoo. Ishung was also placed at the zoo by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Kunabulilh joined after being found in critical condition as a yearling cub. Bears heavily populate California, with an estimated 49,000 to 71,000 of them living in the Golden State. Around 50 percent of them live near the North Coast and Cascade regions, while another 40 percent live in the Sierra Nevada. The rest live near the Central Coast and Southern Coasts. Experts advise those who come across bears to remain calm, identify yourself by talking calmly, not to run, and make yourself as big as possible. An American Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles has been forced to make an emergency landing after a miscommunication led to the pilots believing that their plane was being hijacked. Flight 6569, which was operated by SkyWest but contracted by American Airlines, took off at 6.41pm local time on Monday from Omaha, Nebraska, according to data from FlightAware. After just four minutes in the air, the plane made a sharp turn due west and began returning back to Eppley Airfield. The dramatic U-turn occurred because the pilots in the cockpit could no longer communicate with the flight crew in the cabin. When the flight attendants began banging on the cockpit door to try to get their pilots' attention, they believed it was possible that a hijacking was under way. So, out of caution, they opted to land the plane back at the airfield. The plane never reached cruising altitude and touched down after only 18 minutes. A video shot by a passenger showed police cars arriving at the runway with their lights flashing after the emergency landing. Officers were seen boarding the aircraft shortly afterward. The captain of the plane addressed the frightened passengers after the diversion and apologized for the inconvenience. Police cars arrive at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, after Flight 6569 made an emergency landing. The pilots mistook banging on the cockpit doors from the flight attendants as a possible hijacking attempt Police officers board the plane after it returned to the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration later announced that 'a problem with the inter-phone system' prevented the pilots and the flight crew from communicating Flight radar shows the American Airlines aircraft made a U-turn only four minutes into the air 'We weren't sure if something was going on with the airplane, so that's why we're coming back here,' the captain said. 'It's gonna be a little bit [of time]. We have to figure out what's going on.' The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that 'a problem with the inter-phone system' led to the confusion that grounded the plane. The passengers had to wait more than three hours on the ground as technicians cleared the plane for take-off, KABC reported. Because the plane landed with much more fuel on board than normal, it was considered to have landed 'heavy'. The FAA requires that all planes be inspected for damage if they land in this scenario. According to flight data it took off again at 11.18pm local time and landed at LAX at 12.17am PDT. SkyWest and American Airlines have not yet responded to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Donald Trump's favorite beauty queen lawyer has become embroiled in scandal after engaging in a 33-hour texting feud with a journalist and then demanding that the exchange remain 'off the record.' Lindsey Halligan, appointed to lead the the Justice Department's Eastern District of Virginia, reached out to Lawfare senior editor Anna Bower earlier this month regarding social media posts the journalist wrote about the DOJ's prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James. The DOJ attorney accused Bower of misrepresenting her prosecution of James by 'assuming exculpatory evidence without knowing what you're talking about' and 'jumping to conclusions.' The two continued messaging each other via the encrypted Signal phone app as Halligan asserted Bower wanted 'to twist and torture the facts to fit your narrative.' Bower repeatedly asked Halligan to specify the inaccuracies of her reporting but did not receive an answer. Halligan then tried to claim that everything she told Bower was retroactively off the record and unusable for publication. 'By the way everything I ever sent you is off record,' Halligan wrote to Bower. Halligan ensured that her messages with Bower deleted after eight hours. 'You're not a journalist so it's weird saying that but just letting you know.' 'I'm sorry, but that's not how this works,' Bower responded. 'You don't get to say that in retrospect.' Halligan fired back: 'Yes, I do. Off record.' The entire text conversation occurred over a period of 33 hours. Lindsey Halligan has found herself wrapped up in a bizarre text message scandal with a journalist over her prosecution of Letitia James The former beauty queen was recently appointed to lead the Eastern District of Virginia Lawfare senior editor Anna Bower informed Halligan their conversation was not off-the-record In journalism, 'off-the-record' agreements must be established before a conversation begins not declared retroactively after a source realizes they have said too much. 'I am really sorry. I would have been happy to speak with you on an off the record basis had you asked,' Bower added. 'But you didn't ask, and I still haven't agreed to speak on that basis. Do you have any further comment for the story?' According to screenshots posted by Bower, Halligan then claimed it was 'obvious' their conversation was off-the-record because it was 'on signal.' 'What is your story? You never told me about a story,' Halligan protested. Regardless, Bower published the story along with the entire chat history. Halligan's bizarre text exchange with the journalist comes as her office charges the New York attorney general of mortgage fraud. James' indictment claims she signed a 'Second Home Rider, which required James, as the sole borrower, to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibits its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership agreement or agreement that requires her to rent the property or give any other person control over the occupancy or use of the property. In making the 'misrepresentation,' the prosecutors allege James received a avoided a 0.815 percent higher mortgage rate, resulting in approximately $17,837 in savings over the course of the loan and was able to obtain a seller credit of approximately $3,288. James now faces penalties including up to 30 years in prison per count, up to a $1 million fine on each count and forfeiture of her properties. The attorney general has denied any wrongdoing, and accused Halligan's prosecution of being a 'desperate weaponization of our justice system.' Halligan is prosecuting New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud Halligan is seen as a Trump loyalist within the Department of Justice Following Bower's conversation with Halligan, the Justice Department again claimed in a statement that the text exchange was off-the-record. A spokesman said: 'Lindsay [sic] Halligan was attempting to point you to facts, not gossip, but when clarifying that she would adhere to the rule of the law and not disclose Grand Jury information, you threaten to leak an entire conversation. Good luck ever getting anyone to talk to you when you publish their texts.' Halligan went completely rogue earlier this month white indicting James, ditching any coordination with the attorney general or her team, according to reports. Halligan did tell at least one Justice Department official that she was planning on moving forward with charging James, but ended up presenting the case alone to a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia. A British grandmother who is being returned to the UK after spending 12 years on death row in Indonesia was granted repatriation after doctors declared her 'seriously ill.' Lindsay Sandiford, 69, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs. Indonesia's senior law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Sandiford, who was found with an estimated 1.6million worth of cocaine in her suitcase in 2012, was declared 'seriously ill' by two doctors. She will be transferred back to the UK, alongside Shahab Shahabadi, a 35-year-old serving a life sentence for drug offences following his arrest in 2014 who is now 'suffering from various serious illnesses, including mental health issues'. They will be repatriated under a deal signed by British foreign minister Yvette Cooper, a process that is expected to take up to two weeks. 'We agreed to grant the transfers of the prisoners to the UK. The agreement has been signed,' Yusril told reporters at a press conference in the capital Jakarta. It was unclear if Sandiford would remain at Bali's overcrowded and most notorious prison Kerobokan before her transfer, or be moved to another facility. Lindsay Sandiford (pictured) was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs Customs officers found the stash of drugs hidden in a false bottom in Sandiford's suitcase when she arrived in Bali on a flight from Thailand in 2012. Sandiford admitted the offences but said she had agreed to carry the narcotics after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son. In 2013 she lost an appeal against her death sentence. She wrote in a 2015 article for the Mail on Sunday that she was terrified by the prospect of her execution: 'My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell. 'I have started to write goodbye letters to members of my family.' Sandiford, originally from Redcar in northeast England, wrote in the article that she had planned to sing the cheery Perry Como hit 'Magic Moments' when facing the firing squad. She became friends in prison with Andrew Chan, an Australian killed by firing squad for his role in a plan to smuggle heroin as one of the so-called 'Bali Nine' group of smugglers. Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws but has moved to release half a dozen high-profile detainees in the last year, including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called 'Bali Nine' drug ring. Sandiford, a grandmother, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs Sandiford admitted the offences but said she had agreed to carry the narcotics after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son Inside Bali's execution island Nusa Kambangan, dubbed 'Indonesia's Alcatraz', is known for its harsh conditions, with prisoners given minimal contact with the outside world, including legal aid. Past allegations of torture and mistreatment continue to blight the reputation of the jail regardless of opposition from rights groups. And for those facing capital punishment lingers the knowledge that they will be given just 72 hours' notice before being chained and blindfolded, led through the jungle to a clearing where they can be shot for their crimes. The prison complex has made itself home to more than 1,500 inmates split between a handful of facilities for prisoners of different criminal backgrounds. A symbol of Indonesia's war on drugs, the compound has strict, no-nonsense areas designated for 'narcotic' prisoners. Amnesty International reported in 2012 that prisoner of conscience, Johan Teterissa, who they say was arrested after taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Ambon, was beaten with electric cables upon arrival at Batu Prison on the island. Seven years later, in 2019, video went viral in Indonesia of shackled prisoners being dragged across gravel by prison guards while on their way to Nusa Kambangan. The men appeared with red marks on their bare backs. Advertisement The nation's immigration and corrections ministry said more than 90 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, as of early November. But Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's administration has repatriated several high-profile inmates, all sentenced for drug offences, since he took office in October last year. In December, Filipina inmate Mary Jane Veloso tearfully reunited with her family after nearly 15 years on death row. In February, French national Serge Atlaoui, 61, was returned home after 18 years on death row. Indonesia last carried out executions in 2016, killing one of its own citizens and three Nigerian drug convicts by firing squad. But the government recently signalled it could resume them. Since 2013, Sandiford has been incarcerated in a cramped cell inside Bali's Kerobokan Prison - one of the island's toughest institutions and the site of many deadly riots. For over a decade, she awaited news of her transfer to Nusa Kambangan, known as the notorious Execution Island, to face death by the firing squad. The sprawling complex, located off the Cilacap coast in central Java, is home to a number of prisons of varying levels of security. There, the least volatile can expect to spend their days working in the fields and carving gems. But for those targeted by Indonesia's strict drug laws, inmates are kept in pained isolation as they await the death penalty. Historically, Indonesia's approach has drawn parallels to the efforts of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, whose death squads and public approval of vigilante justice horrified most of the international community. Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered police to shoot suspected drug dealers, urging firmness against those trying to bring narcotics into the majority Muslim country. Earlier this year, Sandiford became hopeful that she would be released from Kerobokan Prison due to a change in the country's law, and even began giving away her clothes to fellow inmates in anticipation of her freedom. Customs officers found cocaine worth an estimated $2.14 million hidden in a false bottom in Sandiford's suitcase when she arrived in Bali on a flight from Thailand in 2012 Lindsay June Sandiford being escorted by an armed customs personnel at a customs office in Denpasar on Bali island on May 28, 2012 The institution, known ironically as Hotel K, houses 1,300 four times the amount of people the prison was built for in 1979 - and has previously been described by inmates as a 'hellhole' with frequent 'murders, rapes, drug overdoses and bashings'. Her friends described how she had 'slumped into depression' while waiting to be released for over a decade. Sandiford, who now suffers from arthritis, spends her days knitting in the cramped five metres-by-five-metres cell that she shares with four other women, most of them poorly-educated local women convicted of drug offences. One Indonesian woman imprisoned for corruption said last March that Sandiford was seen as the jail's 'queen'. Examples of the drug mule's special treatment allegedly included her being able to order medium-rare steak once a week. The grandmother led knitting classes for her fellow inmates, during which she made clothes and toys for her grandchildren, charities and church groups. In an astonishingly frank interview with the Daily Mail in 2019 while she was on death row, Sandiford explained why she made the decision not to lodge a final appeal. 'I really cannot face asking anyone for help or having to deal with another lawyer. I just can't face it. I've been burnt enough times. 'I've had 10 different lawyers. If I actually turned my mind to the legal process I would get angry and bitter and it would be destructive.' Well-wishers had previously raised over 40,000 for an appeal against Sandiford's death penalty that was spent by a succession of Indonesian lawyers and legal assistants. She was visited by her two young granddaughters - both born in the UK after her arrest - and the thought of them gave her comfort throughout her time locked up behind bars. A view of Sodong port in Nusa Kambangan island, the main entrance gate to Nusa Kambangan - known as 'Indonesian Alcatraz' Prisoners convicted of drug offences are moved to Nusa Kambangan Island in January 2022 'In spite of everything, I feel blessed,' she said. 'I have been blessed to live long enough to see my two sons grow up into fine young men and blessed to have been able to meet my two grandchildren. A lot of people don't get that in their lifetime.' Asked whether she feared execution by firing squad, she insisted: 'It won't be a hard thing for me to face anymore. It's not particularly a death I would choose but then again I wouldn't choose dying in agony from cancer either. 'I do feel I can cope with it. But when it happens I don't want my family to come. I don't want any fuss at all. The one thing certain about life is no one gets out alive.' She continued: 'Of course I think about being executed. Who wouldn't? But what keeps me going is the fact I have seen my boys become men and become fathers and I have two beautiful granddaughters and I've had the chance to meet them both. 'I have pictures of my granddaughters around my bed in my cell and I wake up and I see their faces and I smile. I am sad I can't be a full-time grandmother but I have lived long enough to meet them and hold them and tell them that I love them.' Sandiford has no previous convictions, and claimed she was forced by a UK-based drugs syndicate to smuggle cocaine from Thailand to Bali by threats to the life of her son in Britain. She received a death sentence despite cooperating with police in a sting to arrest people higher up in the syndicate, sparking an outcry from human rights lawyers and former UK Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald who said she had been treated with 'quite extraordinary severity'. And a ruling from Supreme Court judges in London said 'substantial mitigating factors' had been overlooked in her original trial. The syndicate's alleged ringleader Julian Ponder from Brighton, was freed from Kerobokan prison in late 2017 following rumours that more than 1 million in bribes were paid to drop trafficking charges against him, his former partner Rachel Dougall, and fellow Brit Paul Beales. Barbed wire fences encircle the Kerobokan jail in Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali The syndicate's alleged ringleader Julian Ponder from Brighton, was freed from Kerobokan prison in late 2017 Dougall served one year and Beales four years for involvement in the conspiracy. Ponder was cleared of smuggling but was convicted of possessing 23g of cocaine and was sentenced to six years in prison in 2013. Last year, he told the Daily Mail that Sandiford set him up but he still thinks she ought to be freed from death row. 'For Lindsay to wait for that knock on the door every day is beyond cruel. She's been punished enough,' the former antiques dealer said. An FCDO spokesperson said: 'We are supporting two British Nationals detained in Indonesia and are in close contact with the Indonesian authorities to discuss their return to the UK.' A controversial Trump nominee may not survive the week, as more leaked text messages have surfaced from another member of the New York Young Republicans. Paul Ingrassia has been nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel, but additional text messages released by Politico on Monday set off alarm bells for several top-ranking GOP Senators, who are now saying they oppose his nomination. Ingrassia is accused of racist tirades in a group chat with Republican friends. Text messages released by Politico showed Ingrassia admitting he has a 'Nazi streak', it has been reported. The messages include calling for MLK day to be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs', adding that there should be 'no moulignon holidays,' using an Italian slur for black people. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune asked the White House to withdraw Ingrassia's nomination, adding, 'he's not going to pass.' Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters Monday evening that he does 'not support' Ingrassia's nomination. Ingrassia, who already serves in a non-Senate confirmed role at the Department of Homeland Security was additionally revealed earlier this month to have allegedly sexually harassed a female coworker on a work trip. Paul Ingrassia, who has been selected by President Donald Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel, arrives before Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Washington. Paul Ingrassia, White House Liaison to the Justice Department, left, announces the release of brothers Andrew and Matthew Valentin outside of the DC Central Detention Facility on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump issued pardons to over 1500 people who were charged with crimes related to the event. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-SD) speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government remains shut down after Congress failed to reach a funding deal 20 days ago The DHS staffer was investigated for sexually harassing a lower-ranking female colleague after he canceled her hotel room so they would be forced to share a room together. In regard to the sexual harassment allegations, Ingrassia's lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik told the Daily Mail, 'Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any coworkers female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise in connection with any employment.' Politico reported that White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, Paul Ingrassia faced a probe over a July business trip with other DHS staffers to Orlando, Florida. Upon arriving at the front desk Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando, an unnamed lower-ranking female colleague was informed she did not have a room. Ingrassia then told the staffer she would be staying with him, according to Politico who cited five administration officials familiar with the event. Paltzik additionally told Daily Mail the following about Ingrassia's alleged text messages: 'In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs.' 'We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages. Moreover, even if, arguendo, the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters 'Nazis.' In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi,' Paltzik added. Ingrassia was originally nominated for the Office of Special Counsel in June. He was set to be voted on with a slew of other nominees at the end of July, when he was pulled from the noticed calendar. Ingrassia has additionally associated with the likes of far-right media personalities Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes. An unsuspecting elderly man who called for Trumps death during a No Kings rally is now being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Millions across more than 2,700 US cities took to the streets this weekend for the second wave of No Kings protests, denouncing President Donald Trump and what they call his administrations 'authoritarian' and illegal actions. Police said demonstrations across the nation remained largely peaceful, with many major metros reporting no arrests. However, a smiling elderly man at a No Kings rally on Monday was caught on camera calling for someone to 'kill the son of a b****,' a moment that quickly went viral on social media. The video, shared to X by Libs of TikTok, showed a man walking with a cane toward a group gathered near a decorated Trump-themed bus labeled 'Team America.' One of the men waving an American flag in the distance quickly pointed out the elderly mans shirt, which bore the numbers '86 47.' When questioned by the cameraman to explain the meaning behind the numbers, the elderly man chillingly responded: 'Kill the son of a b****.' Asked who the message was directed at, the man simply doubled down, stating: 'The 47th president.' An unidentified elderly man (pictured) at a No Kings rally on Monday was caught on camera calling for someone to 'kill the son of a b****' in a shocking moment in reference to President Donald Trump Millions across more than 2,700 US cities took to the streets this weekend for the second wave of No Kings protests (pictured: Downtown Chicago demonstration) The video captured the elderly man approaching a crowd gathered near a decorated Trump-themed bus labeled 'Team America' (pictured), where the confrontation unfolded Deranged man at a Anti-Trump protest shows off his 8647 shirt and says he wants to kiII Trump This is a direct call to violence @FBI pic.twitter.com/RUZgKSWstI Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 20, 2025 In restaurant slang, 86 means to throw out or get rid of something while 47 refers to President Trump, the 47th president. During the encounter, the protester caught everyone off guard when he provided his name with a friendly-looking grin, seemingly unfazed by the camera in his face. 'Glad we got that on camera,' the man recording said. 'You know that's illegal right? You don't threaten the president. You don't threaten anybody.' The man merely chuckled and began to walk away, while the cameraman pressed him on why the death threat only exemplified the so-called 'problem' with Democrats. 'You guys get so emotional, you feel you need to threaten people,' he told the elderly man. The supporter explained that Republicans are about spreading love and addressing national challenges - a direct counterpoint to the elderly mans threatening comments. 'F*** you guys,' the elderly man replied, dismissively waving his hand as he made his way to a crowd of protesters holding signs along the road. Within 24 hours, the post drew almost 150,000 views and hundreds of comments from users denouncing the violent language and the 'hypocrisy' across the political spectrum. The elderly man wearing a shirt bearing the numbers '86 47' (pictured) said his comment was about 'the 47th president' In restaurant lingo, 86 means to throw out or get rid of something while 47 refers Trump, the 47th president On Monday evening, it was revealed that the elderly mans comments had prompted DHS to launch an investigation (pictured: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem) 'Seriously, what happened to that generation that caused them to be so easily deceived and evil? Do they not recognize who robbed them from what theyre so mad about, yet still live so comfortably? It makes zero sense,' one comment read. Another said: 'Not too many years ago comments like that would earn a visit from the secret service.' 'Arrest and prosecute this terrorist,' a third user called for. Referencing the shirt's design, one user wrote: 'One wonders why Amazon hasn't been investigated for allowing these to be sold.' 'The horrific thing is he blatantly gave his name as if there is nothing wrong with threatening the president. I hope the FBI pays him a visit and at least destroys the shirts,' another added. On Monday evening, Fox News reporter Peter DAbrosca revealed on X that the elderly mans chilling comments had prompted DHS to launch an investigation. The numbers 86 47 first grabbed headlines back in May when former FBI Director James Comey shared a photo on Instagram showing them spelled out in seashells. Comey quickly took down the post, explaining he had no idea that 'some folks associate those numbers with violence.' The numbers 86 47 grabbed headlines in May when former FBI Director James Comey (pictured) shared a photo on Instagram showing them spelled out in seashells Trump was asked about protests, in which he replied: 'I'm not a king. I work my a** off to make our country great' (pictured: No Kings protest NYC) Police said demonstrations across the nation remained largely peaceful, with many major metros reporting no arrests He was let go by Trump in the first year of his presidency, only to be confronted by the Secret Service on May 16 this year. 'Today, federal agents from Secret Service interviewed disgraced former FBI Director Comey regarding a social media post calling for the assassination of President Trump,' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X. 'I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of Trump,' she added. Trump addressed Comeys comment in an interview with Fox News, stating he 'knew exactly what he meant.' 'A child knows what that meant. That meant "assassination,"' the president said. 'And it says it loud and clear,' he added. 'He wasnt very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant.' Over the weekend, Trump was asked about protests in which liberals accused him of subverting American democracy and infringing on citizens First Amendment rights. 'I'm not a king,' he responded, shrugging off the accusations. 'I work my a** off to make our country great.' Having been an RAF pilot, journalist and MI6 informant, thriller writer Frederick Forsyth had a lot of contacts. And the Day of the Jackal author, who died aged 86 earlier this year, inevitably leveraged some of his shadowy contacts to develop his plots. But, just weeks before his death, Forsyth admitted that he considered using his more 'dubious' connections to have the con man who embezzled his fortune 'punished'. The author made the revelation in a BBC film that airs this evening. He said he was 'too trusting' in his relationship with shamed tycoon Roger Levitt, who fleeced Forsyth and other high-profile figures out of millions of pounds in the 1980s. In In My Own Words: Frederick Forsyth, the author said he was left 'bankrupt' and so had to 'start all over again'. He went on to write five books in five years to make his second fortune. Forsyth said: 'I trusted him [Levitt], I thought he was a friendmuch too trusting. Silly. Not very clever. Frederick Forsyth admitted to the BBC in a documentary airing tonight that he considered leveraging his 'dubious' underworld connections to have the tycoon who embezzled his fortune punished. The author died in June aged 86 'The thought crossed my mind to use my dubious contacts to get him punished but then I though I'm not that type. 'At 50 I was bankrupt again. Everything I had done was gone and I had to start all over again travelling, travelling, travelling, researching novels.' Levitt escaped a jail sentence at his trial in 1993. But he was described by the judge as 'thoroughly and markedly dishonest'. He had persuaded Forsyth and others to invest huge sums of money in a supposed portfolio of shares. Levitt's company then collapsed in 1990, leaving dozens of investors out of pocket. Forsyth had only recently gotten divorced and had agreed to let his ex-wife keep their properties while he kept what he thought was a 2.2million share portfolio. The author only discovered when Levitt was arrested that his portfolio was actually worthless. Forsyth also opened up to the BBC about the tragic death of his second wife Sandy, who passed away last November aged 76 after a years-long battle with opioids. Forsyth said he was 'too trusting' in his relationship with shamed tycoon Roger Levitt (pictured above with his wife), who fleeced Forsyth and other high-profile figures out of millions of pounds in the 1980s The author, who had two sons from his first marriage, spent his final months living alone. He said: 'Unfortunately I just lost my wife after 36 years of marriage.' 'She became very dependent on medication and she suffered a health collapse and the downward spiral just refused to reverse itself and she finally passed away.' 'I am lonely, but I have lots of friends. People have written and emailed and telephoned with their commiserations.' Before writing the Day of the Jackal, which was released to critical acclaim in 1971, Forsyth worked as a freelance reporter. He claimed that, while covering the civil war in the Biafra region of Nigeria, he began working for MI6 and then remained an informant for two decades. But, when asked about how often he carried out 'errands' for the security services, Forsyth said in the new documentary: 'Sorry can't say, really I can't say'. The Day of the Jackal was Forsyth's debut novel. He wrote it in 35 days while in financial dire straits. Frederick Forsyth with his wife Sandy on the day he was made a CBE, 1997 Telling the story of a professional assassin who is hired to kill French president Charles de Gaulle, it was an immediate bestseller. It laid out in meticulous detail the lengths that the killer - who is codenamed the Jackal - goes to in order to carry out his mission. A key part of the plot was the Jackal's theft of the identity of a dead child so he could get an official birth certificate and passport. The method laid out in the book was later used by real criminals and became known as 'Day of the Jackal fraud'. Forsyth later admitted that he personally stole a dead baby's name and details to convince himself the storyline would work in real life. Having found one, the author then obtained a birth certificate and applied for a passport in the name of a boy called Duggan later used in the novel. The novel was turned into a film starring Edward Fox as The Jackal in 1973 and then adapted for TV last year. The production starred Eddie Redmayne. In My Own Words: Frederick Forsyth is available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer from today. A former chief constable accused of lying about his military service has been charged with charged with fraud and misconduct in public office. Nick Adderley, 59, formerly the most senior officer in the Northamptonshire force, had previously been dismissed from the 176,000 a year role without notice last June. He had been accused of donning medals and claiming to have 'experienced loss of life' in war, despite never seeing action in his two-year naval career. If convicted of a criminal offence, Mr Adderley will lose his lucrative police pension. Nick Adderley leaves Northampton Saints Stadium after the first day of his misconduct hearing The charges come following allegations that he made false claims about his military service and educational achievements on his CV when applying to work for the police. Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Services Special Crime Division, said: 'We have decided to prosecute former Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley with offences of fraud and misconduct in public office. 'This follows an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation into claims made by Mr Adderley in reference to his military service and educational attainments. 'Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. 'We have worked closely with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as they carried out their investigation.' Mr Adderley will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on November 10, 2025. A spokesman from the IOPC said the allegations were that between 2018 to 2024, Mr Adderley claimed to have been a former Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, had served in the Falklands War and was entitled to wear associated service medals. Its also alleged he made false claims relating to a naval career on his CV and application form submitted in support of his bid to become the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police in June 2018. Following the IOPC investigations, evidential files were sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last year for them to consider any potential criminal charges. His misconduct hearing had previously been told he lied and exaggerated his naval rank, length of service and achievements when applying to become chief constable. The tribunal heard how he built a military legend that wasn't true - including implying that he had served in the Falklands War, despite being 15 when the conflict broke out in 1982. Mr Adderley was dismissed without notice and placed on the police barred list by the panel. The Northamptonshire Chief Constable (pictured) arriving at the Northampton Saints ground on May 28 for a gross misconduct disciplinary hearing The misconduct hearing in Northampton heard Mr Adderley wore a South Atlantic Medal (SAM), awarded to military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands war, that was found to be fake by a Ministry of Defence medal expert. Mr Adderley claimed on his CV and his application form when applying to become chief constable in 2018 that he had been in the Royal Navy for 10 years when he had served for only two, and had apparently included his service with the Sea Cadets from the age of 10 in that calculation. Mr Adderley pinned the 1982 campaign medal to his chest despite not joining the Royal Navy until two years later He also claimed that he had attended the Britannia Royal Naval College for four years, despite his application being rejected. Adderley also said that he had seen active service, been a military negotiator in Haiti despite never visiting the country, and that he had been a 'commander or a lieutenant' even though he only achieved the rank of able seaman. In a statement read out on his behalf by his barrister Matthew Holdcroft after the misconduct hearing had concluded, he said he 'deeply regrets' any offence his medal-wearing may have caused veterans. The parents of an 11-year-old girl are suing a Florida sailing club for $10 million because they claim a counselor ran her over in a motorboat causing a gruesome injury. Bolivar and Michelle Viteri filed a lawsuit in Miami against the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and three staff members for allegedly failing to protect their daughter Catherine when she was a camper at the club. Catherine almost had to have her leg amputated after the incident. The nightmarish sequence of events occurred on July 10, when Catherine was swimming with her fellow campers. The lawsuit alleges that the staff, including a 21-year-old camp counselor, weren't paying attention to how many children were swimming. The counselor, named in the lawsuit as Myles Carter Holt, allegedly did not see Catherine swimming and is accused of running her over with the boat propeller accidentally. 'The result was gruesome and lifechanging. Catherine, who also goes by Cate, suffered a laceration to the bone and near amputation of her right leg,' the lawsuit reads. 'Her leg is now permanently mutilated and dysfunctional.' The horrifying accident happened as campers were split into two groups, one for swimming and one for sailing. Catherine 'Cate' Viteri suffered a traumatic leg injury after a camp counselor allegedly ran her over in a motorboat Cate's parents are suing the Miami sailing camp for negligence after their daughter's leg was mutilated by a boat propeller The family's attorney said Cate's bone was exposed, and the boat's propeller severed her muscles and nerves The lawsuit alleges that Holt had no idea how many children were on the boat or swimming in the water. Counselors Aden Weinberg and Sara Ortiz were allegedly supervising the swimming activity and were also unaware of how many children were in the water, according to the claims. Justin Shapiro, the family's attorney, said Cate was lucky to be alive Daily Mail reached out to the counselors for comment. Justin Shapiro, the attorney representing the family, told the Daily Mail that Cate was excited for her summer camp experience that was tragically cut short by a traumatizing injury. The propeller of the boat ripped Cate's leg open, exposing her bone. Cate's muscles and nerves were severed, and she was left with disfiguring scar tissue. Shapiro added that although surgeons were able to save her leg, Cate will have functional problems for the rest of her life. 'This was not a situation where some random boater out in the ocean didnt know there were children swimming there; this was the camp counselor,' Shapiro said. He added that the Viteris knew the risks of allowing a child to swim in the ocean, but never could have imagined that a trained camp counselor was one of them. Shapiro said that the injury will have lasting impacts on Cate and she will have functional problems for the rest of her life Cate's parents are seeking $10 million in damages in their lawsuit against the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and three staff members The Viteris are hoping that the lawsuit prevents similar injuries from happening to other kids in the future 'Cate is lucky to be alive. There is no question she could have died in this incident. The propeller struck her just inches from her femoral artery,' he added. 'God forbid the propeller hit her in the head or neck. Its just unimaginable that you drop your child off at this and you put your trust in the camp to protect your child, and its the camp that runs her over with a motorboat.' Cate's father recalled to CBS News the moment he received the worst call a parent could imagine. 'Absolutely the worst day of my life to date. It was absolute panic and shock,' he added. Cate's parents said that they hope the lawsuit brings attention to boating safety and impacts positive change. The Daily Mail reached out to the Coconut Grove Sailing Club for comment. The club and three counselors do not yet have legal representation listed. A woman was caught on video walking through New York City with a newborn before dumping the baby girl in Penn Station. Surveillance images show the unidentified woman heading to the busy train station, where police say she abandoned the baby. She was wearing pink pants wearing, a patterned top, a red headscarf and glasses. The baby was found at the bottom of the stairs leading to the southbound 1, 2 and 3 trains at the 34th Street-Penn Station station in Midtown Manhattan around 9.30am on Monday, authorities said. The woman is wanted for questioning, per officials. An unidentified person called 911 after they found the child, who is in stable condition, according to police. Surveillance images show the woman, wearing a red headscarf, heading to the train station, where police say she abandoned the baby Officials are scouring surveillance footage from the many cameras within the station 'I'm calling it the Miracle on 34th Street, the FDNY and police department responded, they found a baby that was unattended,' New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said at a press conference. Officials said the baby's umbilical cord was still attached, as reported by The New York Times. In the state of New York, it is a felony to abandon a child under the age of 14. The State's Abandoned Infant Protection Act allows a parent to anonymously abandon a newborn up 30 days old, as long as the baby is left in a safe place such as a hospital, police or fire station and in a safe manner. The subway system in New York City handles roughly 3.9 million riders daily according to Parking Day. The baby girl is one of only a few infants abandoned in a train station in New York City. More than a decade ago, on July 7, 2014, a 20-year-old mentally ill mother left her 10-month-old child on a platform at Columbus Circle subway station in Manhattan. The baby was found at the bottom of the stairs leading to the southbound 1, 2 and 3 trains at the 34th Street-Penn Station station on Monday She later told police she was overwhelmed after the baby's father was killed by home intruders. Less than two years later, the mother's body was found floating in the Mississippi River by a boat crew in St. Louis, Missouri. JD and Usha Vance have arrived in Israel for urgent talks with Benjamin Netanyahu as Donald Trump's Gaza peace deal hangs by a thread. The vice president and second lady arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Tuesday where they were greeted on the tarmac by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Trump dispatched his right-hand man and the second lady as Netanyahu ordered strikes after two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas fighters. The Israeli PM said on Sunday that his troops had 'dropped 153 tons of bombs' on Gaza in the retaliatory assault, acknowledging this breached the truce. However, Jerusalem said the strikes were a necessary response to 'blatant violations' of the ceasefire, while also briefly halting aid shipments into the Strip. Trump and Vance both said the ceasefire remained 'technically in effect', with the administration's top negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner immediately dispatched to mediate between the two sides. Vance, who met Witkoff and Kushner for talks at the airport, is expected to stay in the region until Thursday. He is slated to meet with Netanyahu and Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Wednesday, where they will discuss implementing the next phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan. Vance is to hold a news conference on Tuesday evening in Jerusalem and is also expected to meet with families of hostages whose bodies are still being held in Gaza and some of the living hostages released by the militants last week. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance disembark from their plane upon arriving at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on October 21 JD and Usha meet US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Israel's Minister of Justice Yariv Levin at Ben Gurion airport Vance arrives at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv Earlier on Tuesday, Witkoff and Kushner met in Tel Aviv with nine hostages who were released from captivity last week. It comes as Netanyahu warns that Hamas has failed to hand over the remains of every hostage. The chief Hamas negotiator says the group is steadfast in its resolve to honor the truce and end the two-year war. Israel confirmed overnight that Hamas released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attack that ignited the war. He was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border. The 42-year-old was a fourth-generation resident of the kibbutz and part of its emergency response team. He had four children, including one born after the attack. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 deceased hostages. Thirteen bodies have been released since the ceasefire began. The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, said that Israel transferred the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza as part of the ceasefire. The International Committee of the Red Cross handed over the bodies to the Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis, it said. The new arrivals brought the number of bodies Israel sent back to Gaza to 165 since the exchanges started earlier this month, according to the health ministry. After trading strikes earlier this week, Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war 'ends once and for all.' 'From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end,' Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypt's Al-Qahera News television late Monday. He said the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Trump, represented 'an international will declaring the war in Gaza is over.' Yuval and Tomthe daughter and brother of Ronen Engelan Israeli man abducted from his home and murdered by Hamas in the October 7 attacks, mourn over his coffin during his funeral at the southern Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz, on Tuesday An aerial view shows the extensive destruction in Khan Yunis, Gaza Palestinian children gather to receive food portions from a charity kitchen in the Nuseirat refugee camp, located in the central Gaza Strip, on Tuesday Al-Hayya said Hamas received assurances from mediators and Trump that 'give us confidence that the war has ended for good.' He said Israel has complied with aid deliveries in the crossings according to the agreement but asked mediators to pressure Israel to deliver more shelter, medical supplies and winterization items before the weather changes. Meanwhile, the head of Egypt's intelligence agency traveled to Israel on Tuesday to meet with Israeli officials and Witkoff over the implementations of the ceasefire, according to Egyptian media. On Sunday, Israel's military said militants had fired at troops, killing two Israeli soldiers in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, under Israeli control as per agreed-on ceasefire lines. Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed 45 Palestinians, according to the Strip's Health Ministry, which says a total of 80 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. Similar strikes occurred on Monday in Gaza City and Khan Younis, where Israel said militants had crossed the yellow ceasefire line and posed an 'immediate threat' to its troops. The Israeli military said Monday it was using concrete barriers and painted poles to more clearly delineate the so-called yellow line in Gaza where troops have withdrawn to. It said several instances of violence have occurred. Also on Tuesday, Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire, denounced Israel in a speech by its ruling emir. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said his nation would continue to serve as a mediator as a ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli tank moves along the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday Displaced Palestinians gather to receive food portions from a charity kitchen in the Nuseirat refugee camp, located in the central Gaza Strip, on Tuesday JD and Usha Vance board Air Force Two en route to Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Monday Sheikh Tamim specifically called Israel out for its 'continued breaches of the ceasefire' in Gaza, as well as its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. A senior health official in the Gaza Strip said the bodies of Palestinians that Israel returned to Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal bore 'evidence of torture' and called for an investigation. Israel returned 150 bodies for Palestinians to Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal, which required the release of all of Israeli hostages - living and deceased - in return for the release of over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and many bodies of Palestinians. So far, only 32 of the returned bodies have been identified, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, the general director of the Health Ministry, said in a post of social media late Monday that some of the bodies had returned with evidence of being bound with ropes and metal shackles, blindfolds, deep wounds, abrasions, burns, and crushed limbs. 'What has happened constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity,' he said, calling for the United Nations to launch an 'urgent and independent international investigation.' The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated. 'All inmates are held according to legal procedures, and their rights including access to medical care and adequate living conditions are upheld by professionally trained staff,' a spokesperson for the prison services said. Israeli hostages released from Gaza have also reported being bound by metal shackles and harsh conditions, including frequent beatings and starvation. Regional airline Rex has a US buyer, administrators have confirmed more than a year after the airline entered voluntary administration. An announcement on Tuesday evening revealed Air T - which operates a number of aviation businesses in the US - entered a sale and implementation deed with EY, the administrators of Rex. 'The sale and implementation deed is subject to customary conditions precedent for a transaction of this type including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval by creditors,' the administrators' announcement said. The federal government has been propping up the airline to ensure regional and remote communities remain serviced, buying $50 million in debt and loaning up to $80 million. Plane tickets between major Australian cities fell in price as Rex announced it would fly metro routes - but competition with Virgin and Qantas contributed to its financial woes so its new owners likely wouldn't repeat the error and remain a regional player. The estimated return to the airline's creditors from the buyout is being determined. No return to shareholders is expected and the company is no longer listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Transport Minister Catherine King said Tuesday's announcement marked a positive step to bringing the airline out of voluntary administration. Rex went into voluntary administration in July last year. On Tuesday evening, it was revealed that the regional airline had been bought by a US aviation business (stock image) Rex will return to the skies but likely will remain focused on regional routes Transport Minister Catherine King said the sale marked a positive step for the airline The government has also entered an agreement with Air T around the restructure of financing arrangements in connection with the acquisition. 'This will allow Rex to keep flying and maintain critical aviation links for regional communities,' Ms King said. Rex went into voluntary administration in July 2024, after a failed bid to compete with rival airlines on capital city routes. The carrier mostly serves regional cities, but it also added services between capital cities such as Sydney and Melbourne; routes which are dominated by larger rivals Qantas and Virgin Australia. A range of regional communities around the nation rely on the carrier, which emerged 22 years ago following the collapse of Ansett. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Rex has struggled with its profitability as the overall sector struggled in tough conditions. Elon Musk is ripping into President Donald Trump's acting NASA Administrator, saying he's not smart enough for the space agency's top job. The role is currently held by acting administrator Sean Duffy, who is also the transportation secretary. 'The person responsible for Americas space program cant have a two-digit IQ,' Musk posted on X Tuesday afternoon, taking a shot at Duffy. The mercurial entrepreneur was responding to a post calling for 'someone else besides Duffy' to lead NASA. 'Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!' Musk wrote in another post. Musk's latest salvo comes amid a brewing battle among the MAGA ranks about who should be confirmed as NASA's administrator, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. Duffy, who is working as the interim boss, is adamant that he keeps NASA's top job, sources familiar with the matter are saying. The transportation secretary has even floated rolling NASA under the department's purview. Former DOGE leader and SpaceX founder Elon Musk ripped NASA acting administrator and Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy's intelligence in a Tuesday social media post There have been reports that Trump may consider Jared Isaacman for NASA's top job despite pulling Isaacman's nomination for the role earlier this year However, that puts him at odds with the Tesla and SpaceX founder, who is vying for his friend Jared Isaacman to get the job despite Trump withdrawing his nomination for Isaacman earlier this year. Isaacman, a tech entrepreneur himself who piloted SpaceX's first civilian crewed space mission, was considered for NASA's top job earlier this year. But after Trump and Musk feuded over the summer over the Jeffrey Epstein files, the administration withdrew its consideration of Isaacman. The friend of Musk was first nominated to lead NASA in December 2024. Now, Isaacman is attempting to get back in Trump's orbit, and he has hired lobbyists and social media influencers to help him, the Journal reports. Isaacman, meanwhile, denies that he has any 'paid lobbyists or advocates' working on his behalf. 'Jared Isaacman for NASA Administrator!' far-right influencer Laura Loomer posted on Tuesday afternoon. Still, Isaacman and his team huddled over the weekend to assess his nomination. Adding to the urgency, some of Isaacman's allies expected a decision on the top NASA job could come this week. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy currently also serves as acting NASA administrator Commander Jared Isaacman of Polaris Dawn, a private human spaceflight mission, speaks at a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 19, 2024 The conversations directly between Duffy and Isaacman about renominating the tech entrepreneur were 'contentious at times,' the Journal reported. Musk swung again at Duffy in another Tuesday post, noting how NASA won't get to the moon faster than SpaceX. It has been reported that Isaacman's past support for Democratic politicians played a factor in his nomination being pulled earlier this year. Duffy's acting role atop the agency concludes at the end of the year. The White House has said that any announcement about who will lead NASA will come directly from the president, though they did not give an update as to when that will happen. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro appeared to threaten Donald Trump in a discussion on withering relationships with the U.S. amid a surging drug war. With a snap of his fingers, Petro demanded that if the world can't 'change' President Trump then the solution is to 'get rid' of him. The suggestion came after the Trump administration escalated its counter-narcotic operations with a focus on Venezuela and Colombia. Since September 1 of this year, the U.S. carried out seven confirmed strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean. Petro spoke on-camera with Univision President Daniel Coronell, who was shocked by the comments and said he was leaving Narino Palace with 'concern' regarding what the Colombia president had said in their interview. At the end of their interview on the diplomatic crisis and clashes with Trump, Coronell told Petro: 'I hope you find wisdom and pragmatism to get out of this.' 'We'll see. I've got this,' he replied. The Colombian president insisted that while he doesn't trust Trump he does trust American institutions to 'put science and truth' above the U.S. president's 'slander and arrogance and greed.' Coronell pressed Petro on his 'mission' and gave him the chance to focus on efforts by the Colombian government on having 'the best possible negotiation' with Trump to improve jobs and economy for the people. Colombian President Gustavo Petro (pictured) said the best solution for him would be to 'get rid' of President Donald Trump It comes after the U.S. conducted at least seven strikes in the Caribbean in ramped up counter-narcoterrorism efforts 'Humanity has a first offramp, and it is to change Trump, in various ways,' Petro replied. 'The easiest way may be through Trump himself the easiest.' 'If not,' he replied and snapped his fingers before adding, 'get rid of Trump.' The threat just adds to the rising political violence and rhetoric in recent years. With two assassination attempts against Trump last year, any threatening comments made against the U.S. president are likely being examined even more closely than previously. The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment on Petro's comments. Additionally, the Trump administration did put the largest-ever bounty for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's arrest. Petro sat down for an interview with Univison President Daniel Coronell that he said left him 'concerned' This summer, Trump moved multiple U.S. war ships off the coast of Venezuela as tensions rose regarding the massive amount of drugs being smuggled into the U.S. from there and other South American countries. On September 1, 2025, the Trump administration released drone images of a strike it conducted against a Venezuelan boat near Trinidad that the White House said was carrying Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members. The strike killed 11 people on board the vessel. There have been six more air and naval strikes since then conducted by the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The administration justifies the actions it says are being taken against 'narcoterrorists' affiliated with gangs like TdA and Colombia's far-left insurgency group National Liberation Army (NLA). A 14-year-old boy was seen wiping away tears before he vanished after his brother dropped him off at his Long Island high school. Liam Stark went missing on Friday after security cameras at William Floyd High School caught him beginning to walk inside at 7.10am but never making it in. 'You can kind of watch him contemplating suddenly, "Am I going? Am I not?" Liam's mother Christy Stark told News 12 Long Island. Christy said her son has been going through personal trauma and surveillance footage showed him wiping away tears before he walked away from the school. 'I think that in a very wounded way, this was his "I can make it,"' the worried mother added. After failing to go inside the school, Liam went to a Dunkin' Donuts about a three-minute walk away, police said. He was last seen Friday evening on a road about 2 miles from his school, near the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley. Liam Stark, 14, was seen wiping tears away before he went missing in Long Island Friday Liam was dropped off William Floyd High School but never made it inside, per police Liam's older brother Aiden is seen with his mother Christy as they spoke to News 12 Long Island The high school freshman was reported missing that afternoon after he did not return home on his school bus. Liam's brother Aiden said the situation has been 'devastating.' 'I just want to give him the world,' Liam's mother said as she asked the public for help locating him. 'I just keep sending out love to him and hoping that he can feel it, wherever he is, and that it can help and he can come home.' Police have asked that anyone with information on Liam's whereabouts contact 911 or the Suffolk County Police Department Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752. Liam is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 155 lbs, officials said. He has blonde hair, and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, dark blue sweatpants and black sneakers. Liam's mom told local media the teen had been struggling with unspecified trauma Police have asked that anyone with information on Liam's whereabouts contact officials The William Floyd School District said it is working with authorities in the search for Liam. 'The district is hopeful that Liam is safe and will make contact soon,' the district said in a statement. A man who sexually assaulted a woman in 2013 before sending her a Facebook message seeking forgiveness years later has been sent to prison. Ian Cleary, 32, contacted his victim Shannon Keeler in 2019 as part of a 12-step recovery program and claimed he wanted to atone for the sick act. Cleary sexually assaulted a then-18-year-old Keeler when she was a freshman in her first semester at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. The attack went unprosecuted for several years before Cleary got in touch. 'So I raped you. I'll never do it to anyone ever again,' his chilling message read. The message led Keeler to renew efforts to seek legal action against her abuser and on Monday, Cleary was jailed for up to four years on a charge of second degree sexual assault. In a powerful 10-minute impact statement in court, Keeler, who has waived her anonymity, described the difficulties she faced pursuing charges against Cleary for years. 'The system meant to protect me protected you instead,' she said. 'This isnt just my story, this is the story of countless women.' Ian Cleary, 32, was sentenced to two to four years in prison in Pennsylvania for sexually assaulting a women while the two were in college in 2013 Cleary's victim, Shannon Keeler, said a Facebook message sent by her abuser seeking attonement did nothing but reopen old wounds Keeler was relieved her assaulter finally faced justice after more than a decade After the trial, Keeler told Good Morning America how it felt to secure justice after so many years. 'I was shaking and tearing up a bit, but it felt really good to be able to look him in the eyes and tell him what he did to me,' she said. Cleary faced a maximum sentence of 10 years for the crime, and both the prosecution and defense had initially suggested a four-to eight-year sentence. Cleary's more modest sentence of two to four years, which was below state guidelines, resulted from Senior Judge Kevin Hess taking into account the sexual assaulter's guilty plea, his apparent remorse and his long history of mental illness. The judge said: 'The defendant has admitted his guilt, hes come forward and even though 10 to 11 alarming years have passed in the meantime, we wouldnt be here today but for his hope for some kind of forgiveness and contrition.' Although he added that anyone with daughters or, like him, granddaughters in college would find the crime 'horrifying'. Keeler's lawyer, Andrea Levy, slammed the sentence as, 'less than what we expected and certainly less than he deserves,' but added it was a relief that the case was finally over. Keeler herself echoed that sentiment and said: 'It definitely was shorter than we expected and less than I think he deserved. The sexual assault took place at Gettysburg College while Cleary was an 18-year-old in her first semester Although Cleary's sentence was below state guidelines, it brought some closure to his victim that sought justice for more than a decade 'But you know what, he's going to jail and he's going to have the label of a sexual predator for the rest of his life, and that's accountability, and that's justice, and for that ... I'm happy, and I'm grateful, and I'm relieved, and I'm lucky.' Keeler told police that the crime took place on the eve of winter break, when few people were left on campus. She had been at a fraternity party where she met Cleary and he kept bothering her. She said a friend then escorted her back to her dorm out of concern for safety, but Cleary followed them. He then snuck into the dorm and knocked on Keeler's door. She said: 'I just didn't think for a second it would be him.' After she opened the door, Cleary forced his way inside the room and sexually assaulted her. After the attack, the assaulter left Gettysburg and finished school at a college in Sillicon Valley, California, where he grew up. He then got a master's degree and worked for Tesla before moving overseas. Cleary sent the Facebook message while he was outside of the country. Keeler saw it a few months later, and it reignited her pursuit of justice. In 2021, she shared her story with the Associated Press for a story about the reluctance of prosecutors to pursue campus sex crimes. Keeler told the court on Monday that her experience was not 'just my story, this is the story of countless women' Keeler's abuser was indicted weeks after the story was published. But she still faced hurdles as the results of the rape kit she submitted the night she was assaulted in 2013 had been destroyed by the time of the indictment. 'My life moved on, but the impact never went away, not for me, not for my family, not for anyone who had to watch this unfold again and again,' Keeler said. Authorities in the US and Europe were unable to find Cleary until he was arrested on an unrelated vagrancy charge in France in April 2024. After a three-year search, he was found and extradited back to Pennsylvania from Metz, France. Cleary's defense lawyer said his client had been intermittently homeless and was unaware of the indictment. Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett said he had his doubts, but could not prove that the defendant had been on the run. In court on Monday, Cleary faced his victim from a few feet away and apologized to her. 'Im committed to getting treatment for mental health and stuff like that as I go forward,' he said. A Georgia dentist who vanished days before an overseas trip was found safe after a former patient spotted her outside a local mall. Dr. Melanie Nadler Litt, 52, was reported missing last week after failing to show up to work at Family Dentistry at Seven Hills in Dallas, mere days before a planned trip to Japan with her husband, according to the Cobb County Police Department. Nadler Litts phone was found inside her house during a routine welfare check, though her car and wallet were missing. The discovery of her abandoned car in a parking lot fueled worry and panic among relatives, who described the incident as 'completely out of character.' On Sunday afternoon, police revealed that the dentist had been found safe and unharmed, though her whereabouts prior to being found remain unclear. 'We would like to reassure everyone that Melanie was not in any danger and there is no indication of foul play,' Cobb County police told Atlanta News First. The miraculous discovery came after Billy Robertson spotted missing Nadler Litt outside the Town Center Mall in Marietta and recognized her as his dentist from years ago, according to Fox 5 News Atlanta. 'I just got this weird feeling that I should at least ask,' Robertson told the outlet. Dr. Melanie Nadler Litt (pictured), 52, of Georgia, who was reported missing last week, was found safe after a former patient spotted her outside a local mall The discovery came after Billy Robertson spotted missing Nadler Litt outside the Town Center Mall in Marietta (pictured) and recognized her as his dentist from years ago Robertson uploaded the videos to Facebook, capturing what appears to be Nadler Litt standing alongside an unidentified man (allegedly pictured) who he claimed said her 'husband was after them' The remainder of the clip, lasting over six minutes, showed the unknown man speaking to police officers as he leaned against their patrol cars in the parking lot (allegedly pictured) 'I asked her, "Hey are you a dentist? Do you remember me by any chance when you removed my wisdom teeth many years ago?"' he added. Robertson immediately called 911, leading to Nadler Litt being safely located and the Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert being canceled. 'It was just a, you know, one in a million shot. I guess I'm good at recognizing faces and right place, right time. I don't know,' Robertson told Fox. 'The story was sticking with me anyway,' he added. 'Maybe it was meant to be.' Robertson uploaded the videos to Facebook, capturing what appears to be Nadler Litt standing alongside an unidentified man. 'Literally found missing woman and chased man,' the caption read. 'So I confronted them in the event and she was so scared and I asked if she was OK and the male grabbed her and took off with her. He tried to say husband was after them.' In the footage, the unidentified man is seen yelling at Robertson to leave while he continues recording the encounter with police. It's unclear what his relation is to the married dentist. The remainder of the clip, lasting over six minutes, showed the unknown man speaking to police officers as he leaned against their patrol cars in the parking lot. On October 14, Nadler Litt was a no-show to work at Family Dentistry at Seven Hills in Dallas (pictured), sparking coworkers to notify authorities Nadler Litts (pictured) phone was found inside her house during a routine welfare check, though her car and wallet were missing. Her car was later found abandoned in a parking lot On Monday, Lesley Litt, her husband (pictured), shared a post warning his followers that his wife was 'not safe' and is 'in a mental health crisis and needs intervention immediately' On Monday, Lesley, Nadler Litt's husband, shared a post to Facebook warning his followers that his wife was 'not safe' and is 'in a mental health crisis and needs intervention immediately.' 'She was observed being dragged around a market by the person she is with. She is being manipulated and controlled,' her husband wrote. 'When confronted by the gentleman who spotted them because she was his dentist, the guy she was with started yelling at him,' he added. 'She is so scared of the person she's with, she was not forthright with the police. He was charged with beating one of his wives.' According to him, 'The police dont know her, didnt do her any justice and let them both leave.' Despite her being found on Sunday, he urged anyone who spots her to prevent her from leaving and immediately alert authorities. Alarm bells first rang on October 14 when Nadler Litt was a no-show at work, though friends revealed she had worked at another office on Villa Rica Way in Marietta the day prior. Loved ones frantically searched while her coworkers requested a welfare check, which at first yielded more confusion than clarity. Her husband, was visiting their son Stephen at his out-of-state college when she disappeared and was the one to officially report her missing, according to 11Alive News. Lesley Litt claimed on his post that the man allegedly in the video with his wife, believed to be Anthony Nestor (pictured) was previously 'charged with beating one of his wives' Nadler Litt's husband claimed that his wife (pictured) was 'so scared of the person she's with' and not forthcoming with police. He also accused the man of 'beating one of his wives' Facebook photos show the family smiling together, going on vacations, and celebrating their son's accomplishments (pictured) 'We all want to see her home and safe, and we love her dearly,' her husband told Fox 5 Atlanta at the time. Police later discovered Nadler Litt's car abandoned in a parking lot along Barrett Parkway in Cobb County. Jamie Leister Smith, a friend and coworker of the dentist, told the Daily Mail she last spoke with her two days before her sudden disappearance. According to Smith, Nadler Litt had dinner that evening with another friend and was scheduled to leave for her international trip just two days after she was reported missing. Facebook photos show the family smiling together, going on vacations and celebrating their son's accomplishments. 'I hope it all ends well for everybody,' Robertson told Fox. 'The most important thing is everybody is found safe.' Nadler Litt graduated at the top of her class from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 1999 and completed a residency at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Jersey. She is a member of the American Dental Association, the Georgia Dental Association and the Northwestern District Dental Society. She has lived in Marietta since 2004 with her husband, son, and two pet birds. One of the most senior members of the King's household was the head of royal protection when Prince Andrew allegedly asked police to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre, it emerged today. Lord Peter Rosslyn was head of the elite Royalty and Diplomatic Protection squad for 11 years between 2003 and 2014. Lord Rosslyn, once plain 'Peter Loughborough' to colleagues during his decades in the Metropolitan Police, is currently Lord Steward and Personal Secretary to the King and Queen Camilla. Sky News has claimed that it is not known if he was made aware of Prince Andrew's alleged request to one of his own armed police bodyguards. But The Mail on Sunday revealed that in 2011, when Lord Rosslyn held the senior Scotland Yard role, Andrew allegedly handed over Virginia's confidential social security number and date of birth to his taxpayer-funded police protection officer. The Met is 'actively looking into the claims made' and Prince Andrew could become the first royal to be caught up in a criminal probe in more than 20 years. Commander Peter Loughborough, The Earl of Rosslyn from Reading is decorated with The Queen's Police Medal by The Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2009. He was head of the elite Royalty and Diplomatic Protection squad for 11 years between 2003 and 2014 and now works for the King The Mail on Sunday revealed that in 2011, when Lord Rosslyn held the senior Scotland Yard role, Andrew allegedly handed over Virginia's confidential social security number and date of birth to his taxpayer-funded police protection officer. The Lord Steward's job is to manage all aspects of the King's personal affairs and non-state business. He also supports Queen Camilla. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment. The Mail on Sunday revealed how Andrew asked his taxpayer-funded police protection officer to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's abuse victim, passing on Ms Giuffre's date of birth and confidential social security number. The Met's former head of royalty protection Dai Davies urged the force to question the royal under caution if there was evidence that he abetted a police officer to commit a criminal offence of misconduct in public office. Newly released documents reveal Andrew wanted Met officers to find damaging information in an apparent campaign to smear his teenage sex accuser just hours before a bombshell photograph was published in 2011 showing him with the 17-year-old. The prince told Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth's deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of the officers who are part of the Met's elite SO14 Royalty Protection Group to dig up information. Andrew wrote: 'It would also seem she has a criminal record in the States. I have given her DoB [date of birth] and social security number for investigation with XXX, the on duty ppo [personal protection officer].' It has not been suggested that the officer complied with the prince's request, while Ms Giuffre's family said she did not have a criminal record. On Sunday, the force launched an urgent internal inquiry. A Met spokesman said: 'We are actively looking into the claims made.' Scotland Yard is under pressure to launch a criminal investigation into Prince Andrew (left) after he asked a police bodyguard to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre, whom he is pictured with But it could take weeks for officers to trawl through emails and police logs from 14 years ago to see if Andrew's principal protection officer or any of the back-up team made any inquiries about Ms Giuffre. Mr Davies said the email may constitute a criminal offence even if the officer did not act. He said: 'It is time for Scotland Yard to launch a full criminal investigation into Prince Andrew. 'Asking a police officer to investigate an alleged victim is outside of their duties, whether that is calling the FBI, your mates in the US, or searching out themselves to find out whether someone has a criminal offence. That is, in my view, a criminal offence. 'Asking a public servant, that includes anyone from the Palace or police, to commit those inquiries is inciting them, aiding and abetting them to commit misconduct in public office. It should be investigated and he should be interviewed under caution. 'This is a serious matter. Police protection officers are not there to investigate, they are there to protect. The question is was this request carried out by anyone and if so, was there any attempt to pervert the course of justice? 'There are also questions for the chain of command who knew that he had made this request and why was it not reported?' Details of the shocking email come after Andrew was forced to relinquish his remaining titles. A candidate to lead the grooming gangs inquiry has pulled out as Labours scheme descends into chaos. The departure of senior social worker Annie Hudson comes after three victims of child sexual abuse resigned from a liaison committee attached to the inquiry, citing a toxic, fearful environment. The Daily Mail understands there are several candidates left in the race for the job, including former senior police officer Jim Gamble. It is not known why Ms Hudson has withdrawn her application to be chair of the inquiry. But it comes a day after abuse survivors Fiona Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds resigned from the inquiry's victims and survivors liaison panel, levelling heavy criticism at the Home Office. Today it emerged a third woman, named only as 'Elizabeth' due to anonymity rules applied to sex abuse victims, also said she would no longer take part. In her resignation letter, Elizabeth said the process felt like 'a cover-up' and had 'created a toxic environment' for survivors. Previously Ms Goddard said the process so far had involved secretive conduct with instances of condescending and controlling language used towards survivors. In her resignation letter she also cited a toxic, fearful environment and a high risk of people feeling silenced all over again. Ms Reynolds said the final turning point which prompted her resignation was the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the inquiry into grooming gangs was descending into chaos and repeated his call for a judge to be brought in to chair the process. Former senior social worker Annie Hudson is understood to have pulled out of the selection process for a chairman of the Government's grooming gangs inquiry Bradford grooming gang abuse victim Fiona Goddard has resigned from a panel attached to a national inquiry into the scandal - accusing the Home Office of watering it down Mr Philp said the Government had been forced into announcing the inquiry amid allegations that abuse by mainly Pakistani grooming gangs was covered up by local authorities, and that officials including police had failed to act. He told MPs: Perhaps that is why, months later, the Government has said nothing substantive publicly and their inquiry is descending into chaos. What we have heard publicly is that victims and survivors on the liaison panel have no confidence in the Government and no confidence in the inquiry. He said a liaison officer with the inquiry, Sabah Kaiser, should have no further role after saying that the majority of perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage was destructive. Victims and survivors have also questioned the suitability of former police officers or social workers to chair the inquiry, Mr Philp said in the Commons. They do not believe people from professions that failed them so badly are suitable. So will the minister accept this feedback and appoint a judge to lead the inquiry? Will the minister confirm the scope of this inquiry will not be diluted as both Fiona (Goddard) and Ellie-Ann (Reynolds) are now saying is happening, and confirm it will focus on the cover-up of the rape gang scandal, because the majority of perpetrators were of Pakistani origin. Responding to Mr Philps urgent question in the Commons, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: Not all victims and survivors are of the same opinion. They are not one homogenous group of people, who all think the same thing, who all want the same exposure, who all want their identities known. She added: The appointment of the chair is at a critical stage, and we hope to confirm the conclusion of this soon. Ms Phillips said she absolutely regrets the two survivors had quit their roles. The minister added: I will engage with all the victims, regardless of their opinions, and I will listen to those that have been put in the media, that are put in panels, I will always listen and I will speak to all of them. Your browser does not support iframes. Allegations of intentional delay, lack of interest or widening of the inquiry scope and dilution are false. She added that victims and survivors are meeting prospective chairs this week - today, in fact. Despite the minister's claims that the scope of the inquiry would not be 'diluted' it emerged that she had been told about the possibility of it being 'broadened out'. Consultation papers sent to grooming gang survivors appeared to contradict safeguarding minister Jess Phillips's dismissal of allegations raised by Fiona Goddard Consultation papers sent to members of the victims liaison panel asked: 'Should the inquiry have an explicit focus on "grooming gangs" ... or take a broader approach?' Ms Phillips was asked about the move by Ms Goddard last month in text messages, which have also been released. A text message from abuse victim Fiona Goddard to safeguarding minister Jess Phillips in which she raised concerns about proposals to 'broaden' the scope of the inquiry. The minister this week told a Commons' committee it was 'untrue' that the Government was seeking to expand its scope The extracts, obtained by Open Justice UK, appeared to contradict a letter sent by Ms Phillips to the Commons' home affairs select committee this week. In that letter the minister said: 'It has been reported that the government is seeking to dilute the focus of the inquiry, either by instructing it to take a regional approach to investigations or by expanding the scope beyond "grooming gangs". 'This is ... untrue.' Jess Phillips, in her reply to Ms Goddard, said the 'reason for the question' about widening the inquiry's scope was so it could be 'formally consulted on' In response, Ms Goddard said today: 'To have Jess Phillips tell a parliamentary committee that my concerns about scope expansion are "untrue" when we were literally asked in writing whether the inquiry should take "a broader approach" is devastating. 'Being dismissed and contradicted by a minister when you're telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again. 'Other survivors will see this and think, what's the point in speaking up if we're just going to be called liars? 'We needed honesty from this government. Instead, we got denial and dismissal.' Ms Goddard called on the minister to resign or be fired. I think Jess Phillips needs to be removed because I don't think her conduct during this, this last 24 hours especially, has been acceptable for the position that she holds, she told Channel 4 News. I think she needs to step down because she has publicly accused me of lying when she knows I'm telling the truth. I think for her to call me a liar when she knows I'm not lying is outright outrageous. Downing Street said the Government was working flat out to get the right chair in place, with survivors absolutely at the heart of what we're doing. The Prime Minister's spokesman denied the inquiry was in crisis, telling reporters: No. The grooming gangs scandal, as we've said before, was one of the greatest failures in our country's history. Vulnerable young people let down time and time again. We are working with victims from across the country, listening to their individual experiences, to finally get justice. And whilst we all want to get on with setting up the inquiry, our priority is getting it right. I'd point you back to the original child sexual abuse inquiry, which had three chairs withdraw before Professor Alexis Jay was appointed in 2016, two years after it started. And we're determined not to let victims down again. Asked about claims the inquiry's remit could be widened from a focus on grooming gangs, the official said: The terms of the inquiry will be established when we've appointed a chair. A Home Office spokesman said: The abuse of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable. Any suggestion that this inquiry is being watered down is completely wrong - we are committed to delivering a robust, thorough inquiry that will get to the truth and provide the answers that survivors have so long campaigned for. A California teacher who suffered a traumatic brain injury after tripping on an uneven sidewalk has been granted a jaw-dropping $7.5 million settlement from the city. In 2018, special education teacher Justine Gurrola was strolling through the 5900 block of El Rancho Drive in Whittier when her foot snagged on a raised section of sidewalk, launching her face-first onto the concrete. The sudden accident caused fractures to her wrist, elbow, and nasal bones, abrasions to her knee and a deep cut to her lip from a broken tooth, according to court records obtained by The Mercury News. Brain scans also revealed bleeding beneath her left front scalp. Doctors later confirmed that the fall had tragically left her with a mild traumatic brain injury. According to her attorneys, the City of Whittier turned a blind eye to years of warnings about sidewalks buckling under tree roots and waited until disaster struck before finally putting any inspection system in place. Last week, a Los Angeles County jury found the city at fault for Gurrolas injuries, concluding that its negligence in maintaining public sidewalks caused the accident. The ruling handed the teacher a payout of more than $7 million - compensation for years of pain, mounting medical bills and the life-changing impact of her injuries. 'The City of Whittier failed in its most basic duty to keep its residents safe and cared more about its trees than people,' Nick Rowley, co-founder of Trial Lawyers for Justice and one of Gurrola's attorneys said, according to the outlet. Justine Gurrola (pictured), a former special education teacher in Whittier, California, was granted a $7.5 million settlement from the city after tripping on an uneven sidewalk in 2018 Gurrola's (pictured) suffered a fractured wrist, elbow, and nasal bones, abrasions to her knee and a deep cut to her lip from a broken tooth. CT scans showed bleeding beneath her left front scalp. Doctors later confirmed that the fall had left her with a mild traumatic brain injury 'Public safety isnt just police and firefighters,' he added. 'Its ensuring public right-of-ways are maintained to prevent injury or worse.' 'Waiting until people are seriously hurt or killed before fixing long-standing dangerous conditions is wrong.' On February 25, 2018, Gurrola was out for a walk with her nephew when her foot became caught on a raised piece of sidewalk, according to the court document. Though she tried to break her fall with her arm, she still face-planted onto the cement, leaving her bloodied and bruised on the quiet suburban street. One haunting image captured the aftermath of the fall: Gurrolas left eye nearly swollen shut, blood and deep scratches on her forehead and nose and her upper lip grotesquely swollen from the force of the impact. Gurrola has been to numerous doctors in the seven years since, with her attorney noting that the traumatic brain injury has left her struggling with memory, emotional control and basic decision-making. Rowley added that while she has returned to work, she can no longer serve as a classroom teacher. Instead, she has been forced to navigate the challenges of an administrative position. 'Seven years have been a long road to recovery, physically and emotionally,' Rowley said, according to The Mercury News. On February 25, 2018, Gurrola was strolling through the 5900 block of El Rancho Drive in Whittier (pictured) when her foot snagged on a raised section of sidewalk, launching her face-first onto the concrete Gurrola's lawyers contended that the dangerous sidewalk was directly to blame and pointed out a section that had been lifted more than two inches by stubborn tree roots (pictured) Gurrola's (pictured) attorney noted that the traumatic brain injury has left her struggling with memory, emotional control and basic decision-making 'She has recently finished her second knee surgery and is looking forward to affording all of the physical and cognitive therapies she will require to get her life back in order,' he added. Over the course of the five-week trial, Gurrola's lawyers contended that the dangerous sidewalk was directly to blame and pointed out a section that had been lifted more than two inches by stubborn tree roots. Her attorneys argued that the city only installed an inspection system two years after the fall - not in response to years of warnings, but because the insurance company demanded it to renew Whittier's insurance coverage. The city itself previously conceded that certain trees in Uptown Whittier needed to be removed for a revamp with public safety listed as a key concern, according to The Mercury News. Rowley told the court that while the tree responsible for Gurrolas fall is still in place, the sidewalk has since been patched and leveled to ensure a safer walking surface. He added that during trial, Yolanda Martinez, the citys director of human resources and risk management, seemed to confirm Gurrolas attorneys assertion that warnings about the hazardous sidewalk extended far beyond just the teacher. In her testimony, Martinez revealed that disputes over 'tree roots causing sidewalk damage' are the citys most frequent type of claim, according to the outlet. On October 17, Gurrolas lawyers confirmed she had been awarded $7.5 million on October 14. According to her attorneys, the city ignored years of warnings about sidewalks buckling under tree roots and waited until disaster struck before finally putting any inspection system in place (pictured: scene of accident) Gurrola's attorney revealed that while she has returned to work, she can no longer serve as a classroom teacher. Her legal team confirmed she had been awarded $7.5 million on October 14 (pictured: Whittier Civic Center) However, Rowley claimed that the payout could have been even higher if Gurrola hadnt needed assistance and had instead allowed the case to play out longer. 'Justine was content with the city stepping up and acting responsibly and paying $ 7.5 million,' Rowley said, according to The Mercury News. 'This was never about the money for her,' he added. 'It was about making sure that this didn't happen to anybody else and not allowing what happened to her to be swept under the rug.' The City of Whittier did not immediately respond to Daily Mail for comment. Two Just Stop Oil protestors are filmed ignoring a police officer moments after they allegedly vandalised Stonehenge as part of an environmental protest. Body-worn footage from a police officer shows Oxford University student Niamh Lynch, 22 and Rajan Naidu, 74, sitting in front the ancient stones. Moments earlier, the pair had used two fire extinguishers to blast a 'highly fluorescent synthetic orange' powder over the world-famous stones, jurors were told. A third activist, 36-year-old Luke Watson, was allegedly their driver for the stunt in Wiltshire just before the Summer Solstice last year, prosecutors said. The footage, released today after it was played to jurors at their trial, shows an awkward exchange between Lynch and Naidu and a Wiltshire Police constable. The pair remain seated and ignore the officer as he asks them for their names, why they carried out their demonstration, and if they are going to talk to him. Footage played to Salisbury Crown Court also shows the moment the pair were arrested and placed in handcuffs in front of Stonehenge. Stonehenge was cherry-picked as the target for a Just Stop Oil stunt 'to provide maximum impact', prosecutors alleged. Jurors were told that University of Oxford Student Niamh Lynch (pictured), Rajan Naidu and Luke Watson targeted Stonehenge for 'maximum impact' The court heard Rajan Naidu (left), pictured outside court with Luke Watson (right) gave police piece of paper bearing the slogan 'Fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty now!' In other pre-recorded clips, Naidu and Lynch talk about why they want to raise awareness about climate issues. In these videos, Lynch questioned what the world would look like in another 5,000 years, while Naidu said that he was protesting so that the world could enjoy Stonehenge for thousands more years. Mobile phone footage also shows Lynch spraying orange powder onto the monument, then a few seconds later Naidu joined her and began doing the same. They had to cross a boundary rope in order to do so. According to the prosecutor Simon Jones, Lynch said in her police statement: 'She accepted being a trespasser by crossing that rope and she accepts that she committed damage but said it wasn't intentional. 'She said it was a by-product of spraying the orange powder on the stones.' Mr Jones added: 'They were trespassers, they knew they weren't meant to be over those ropes in that area and they were armed with fire extinguishers containing an orange powder consisting of cornflour and talc that was stained with a highly fluorescent synthetic orange dye. 'That substance was sprayed over the stones by both these defendants.' Rajan Naidu (left) and Niamh Lynch (right) are filmed spraying the stones The pair are arrested and placed in handcuffs in front of the stones Mr Jones said Naidu was 'clearly very determined' in his efforts to 'ensure that the stones have enough orange substance covering them'. Naidu handed a police officer him a large white piece of paper which said 'Fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty now!' on it in black lettering. The prosecutor told the court that the trio would 'invariably say this was done as an act of protest and in order to bring publicity to the cause and demand they made of the government to commit to no new fossil fuel licensing'. But Mr Jones added: 'The prosecution say that this is an act of blatant and clear vandalism. The intention is undoubtedly to make a statement.' Naidu's white Just Stop Oil t-shirt was stained with orange powder, while Lynch's was largely unstained. A worker at Stonehenge today told a court how she 'broke down' after she unsuccessfully tried to prevent the protestors spraying the monument. Stonehenge visitor assistant Man Chu Zah was the first to intervene when activists staged a stunt at the ancient stones, jurors were told today. Ms Zah told how she begged Naidu to 'stop, please stop' as she tried to prevent him and Lynch from spraying the stones. Ms Zah said the Wiltshire site is a 'sacred place' to her and that she 'broke down' after the pair allegedly damaged the stones. On Monday, the court heard the protesters drove to Stonehenge in a Ford Fiesta, 'armed with fire extinguishers' which they used to spray the ancient monument. Stonehenge was chosen as the target by the Just Stop Oil activist 'to provide maximum impact', prosecutors said. Ms Zah, giving evidence, said she ran to try to stop Lynch and Naidu. Describing her efforts to stop Naidu, she said: 'I'm really pulling him, there's nothing he can do with just one hand.' Ms Zah said that a 'strong' member of the public came and wrestled with Naidu before taking the extinguisher from him. She tried to move him 'away from the stone' because she didn't know what 'his next action' would be. Ms Zah then tried to prevent Lynch from spraying the stones. She told how she struggled to contain the 'broad shouldered' and 'very strong' Lynch until the accused suddenly stopped when the power ran out. She added that she was 'very scared' and had 'shaking' knees when the incident happened, but she was 'determined to stop them because we have many visitors there and as a visitor's assistant we are trained visitor safety first'. Ms Zah continued: 'Stonehenge to me personally is a sacred place, I don't want anything to hurt my visitors and also the stone.' Her colleague Jessica Davies told the court that she was told by Ms Zah to call for help from colleagues over the radio. Ms Davies pressed an 'emergency button' to do so, although she noted that she had only worked at the site for a few weeks at that point and was yet to do the 'conflict management training, and protests come up in that'. Naidu, of Birmingham, Lynch, of Turvey, Bedford and Watson, of Manuden, Essex, each deny charges of damaging an ancient protected monument and causing a public nuisance. The trial continues. Katie Price's former husband Kieran Hayler has been pictured for the first time after being charged with three counts of rape and one of sexual assaulting a girl aged 13. Personal trainer Hayler, 38, is alleged to have committed the offences between June and October 2016 - in the middle of his marriage to the ex-glamour model, 47. The pair wed in 2013 and went on to have two children before splitting in 2018. The alleged victim is not a member of either Katie or Kieran's families. Personal trainer Hayler was seen today, casually dressed while making his way from his vehicle in a car park to a rail station. Ex-stripper Hayler is due to appear at Crawley Magistrates Court on November 19. He was pictured today as it emerged his former wife Price could be set to give evidence in court after the charges were announced. A Crown Prosecution Service source has been quoted by the Sun as saying: 'Katie may well be called to court to give evidence. 'She was married to Kieran when these offences are said to have happened - it wouldnt be surprising for her to be called up. Katie Price's former husband Kieran Hayler has been pictured for the first time after being charged with three counts of rape and one of sexual assaulting a girl aged 13 He was seen today as it emerged his former wife Price could be set to give evidence in court after the charges were announced Kieran Hayler and Katie Price (pictured in 2014) married in 2013 and went on to have two children before splitting in 2018 'Family and friends are being made aware they may be asked to speak out, and stand up in a court of law if necessary. 'It is all part of the judicial process, an imperative that the truth is heard.' Sussex Police said on Monday night: 'We can confirm Kieran Hayler, 38, of Northchapel in West Sussex, has been charged with three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against a 13-year-old girl. 'The offences are alleged to have occurred at an address in West Sussex between June 1 and October 13, 2016. 'Hayler remains released under investigation and is due to appear before Crawley Magistrates' Court on November 19. 'The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has received support from specially trained officers as our enquiries continue.' A legal representative for Hayler said on Monday night: 'Kieran Hayler strongly denies the allegations made against him in its entirety. 'Mr Hayler is fully engaged and has been co-operating with the police throughout the investigation and will continue to do so. The alleged victim is not a member of either Katie or Kieran's families. Pictured: Katie and Hayler in 2013 'He looks forward to his name being cleared, believing in the judicial system to do so.' Representatives for Katie Price refused to comment when approached by the Daily Mail. Hayler, who has also worked variously as an actor, stripper and reality star, first met Katie in 2012 before he proposed on Christmas Day of that year. They married at the Sandals Royal Bahamian luxury resort in the Bahamas in January 2013. This was followed by a wedding blessing ceremony at the Rookery Manor Hotel in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in March of the same year. The newlyweds then took a glamorous honeymoon to the Maldives. Katie gave birth to her first child with Hayler in August 2013 before they welcomed a daughter Bunny. Binmen in a Costa holiday resort city discovered the crushed body of the ex-husband of a Spanish mayor as they emptied wheelie bins. Today it was confirmed the dead man is the former partner of Maria Tormo, the mayor of Almassora - a short drive from the east coast city of Castellon by the Costa Azahar where the victim was found dead. The 45-year-old, named as businessman Vicente Dominguez, has been described locally as someone who was well-known to police. One respected daily newspaper claimed the death could be a 'settling of scores' relating to a drug dispute although no officials have yet backed this up. Police have launched an investigation into the disturbing find, while local TV reports that initial tests are pointing to the victim being dumped in the rubbish container while he was still alive before being crushed to death by accident as the bin was being emptied. Authorities say they are continuing to look into the tragedy and the cause of death has not yet been officially revealed prior to the full post-mortem. But Spanish TV station Telecinco claimed this morning during a report about the find that investigators were working on the theory the victim was beaten and left alive but unconscious in the wheelie bin, with death occurring only after he was accidentally crushed by the refuge lorry's haulage system. The alarm was sounded at around 5am on Sunday morning. Rubbish is typically collected in Spain late at night. Binmen in a Costa holiday resort city discovered the crushed body of the ex-husband of a Spanish mayor as they emptied wheelie bins (file photo) The wheelie bin the body was in was near the famous Castellon's bullring and the refuge truck that picked it up has now been examined by police forensic experts. Detectives are also looking at CCTV in the area and questioning witnesses to try to establish who abandoned the dead man when he was still apparently alive but critically injured. Last October a 24-year-old woman was crushed to death after accidentally passing out in a rubbish container as she headed home from a night out in Spain. Student Agostina Rubini disappeared after a night of partying with friends in Palma, Majorca. Investigators found skeletal remains at a waste disposal plant where her phone was last active in the early hours of October 3. They said shortly afterwards they believed Argentinian national Agostina had fallen into a bin while trying to pick something up before losing consciousness. In February, after a painstaking search of a waste treatment plant in Majorca and DNA testing of more than a thousand skeletal remains, detectives confirmed she had tragically lost her life that way. In May an Irishman was jailed for more than 10 years by a court in Barcelona after admitting killing his landlord and dumping his mutilated body in a waste container. William Morrow Anderson was arrested after the macabre body parts find in Barcelona in December 2022 and accused of the German victim's homicide. The 53-year-old admitted his crime on day one of a trial in the Catalan capital. Public prosecutors had demanded a 12-year prison sentence for the Irishman, identified in a pre-trial indictment only by his initials. He ended up being caged for 10 years after pleading guilty to a charge of homicide and another three months for desecrating his victim's body. Castellon, the capital of the province of the same name, is known for its culture, history, good food, green hills and sandy beaches. Its beach resorts include Benicassim, Oropesa del Mar and Benicarlo. The provincial capital's full name is Castellon de la Plana. A promising young cheerleader will be taken off life-support on Tuesday evening after she was shot a party. Kimber Mills, 18, of Cleveland in Alabama, was one of four people who were hit with bullets close to a highway near Palmerdale on Saturday. Her brain is too damaged for her to survive her injuries. She will receive an 'honor walk' at 4pm ET, her sister said. Ashley Mills wrote on Facebook: 'Once they declare her brain dead, she will be an organ donor.' Kimber's family and friends will line the corridors of the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham to pay their respects to the youngster. They will watch as the teenager is wheeled into surgery so that her heart and lungs can be donated. Kimber is said to be breathing with assistance and has been sedated heavily to make her comfortable. Speaking at a vigil held Monday night, Ashley said: 'We shouldnt be burying our little sister. 'It should be the other way around. Its supposed to go from oldest to youngest not youngest first. Kimber Mills will be taken off life support on Tuesday evening, three days after she was shot at a bonfire party near Cleveland in Alabama Kimber was a well-liked cheerleader at Cleveland High School who aspired to become a nurse, her sister Ashley said Ashley added: 'She wanted to do things that I wanted to that I wasnt able to, like be a nurse, help people and thats exactly what she was trying to do that night... just help.' Two men, aged 18 and 21, and a 20 year-old woman were injured in Saturday's shooting and are expected to survive their injuries. Steven Tyler Whitehead, 27, has been charged with attempted murder, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said. The group were shot after a fight allegedly broke out. Kimber's family says she did not know Whitehead. Ashley told WBRC: 'He was trying to hit on a girl there and give her things that she didnt want,' in an apparent reference to a spiked drink. 'We hope he gets what he deserves,' she added. The shooting happened on a patch of private property known as 'the pit' where local teenagers gather to hang out and listen to music. Dispatch recordings obtained by ABC3340 described a young woman who had been shot in the head. Steven Tyler Whitehead, 27, has been charged with Kimber's attempted murder. Her family says she did not know him and accused him of trying to spike another girl's drink A huge vigil was held for Kimber on the field of her high school on Monday evening, as family and friends prepare to say goodbye Updates on the conditions of the other victims have not been shared. Family friend Morgan Kaye Metz said: 'She is giving the greatest gift of all today. Life. 'She was a blessing and now she gets to bless others.' A GoFundMe page initially set up to raise cash for Kimber will reportedly be also used to help the other victims of the shooting. A lawyer has been sentenced to 93 days in jail and two years probation for beating up his wife before she died in mysterious circumstances. Adam Beckerink, 47, was arrested for domestic violence against his wife Caitlin Tracey, 36 - who died months later when she fell from their 24th-floor condo in Chicago, according to police. Caitlin told police in January, 2024, that Beckerink had 'assaulted her and stolen some of her items' in Michigan, where the couple lived before moving to Chicago. Officers noted that Tracey had 'cuts on her lips and other red markings 'from being kicked' that evening. Beckerink pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge on Monday, as reported by Law & Crime. The attorney has not been charged in the death of his wife, whose remains were said to be 'pulverized' after the deadly fall in October, 2024. While Tracey's manner of death was undetermined, Chicago police have said they consider Beckerink a suspect. Tracey's body was found at the bottom of a stairwell in the luxury high-rise where the couple lived in the Windy City. Attorney Adam Beckerink, 47, was sentenced to 93 days in jail and two years probation for beating up his wife before she died in mysterious circumstances Caitlin Walch Tracey, 36, known to her friends as 'CT' , was found 'pulverized' and missing a foot in the stairwell of her husband Adam P Beckerink's high-rise on October 27, 2024 Tracey fell down 24 flights of stairs in Beckerink's high rise (pictured) on the 1200 block of Prairie Street in South Loop, severing her foot during the descent A terrified Tracey was heard in harrowing 911 calls begging for help as she said Beckerink attacked her in January, 2024. Court documents also detailed how Beckerink allegedly stole $45,000 worth of jewelry and designer accessories from his wife during her final days. Before her death, Tracey had called 911 several times alleging abuse by Beckerink in her home state of Michigan. Prosecutors shared several videos during Beckerink's pre-trial hearings, including one from August 2024, that shows him being arrested after Tracey called 911. Beckerink's screams that day rang out through the courtroom as video showed him being held to the ground by police officers. The attorney wailed for help while a tearful Tracey sat rigidly on a bed close by. Tracey made the 911 call which sparked the arrest - something which a New Buffalo police officer told the court happened several times. Tracey died from 'multiple injuries' after falling approximately 24 floors at the Chicago condo on October 27, 2024, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. Chicago cops rushed to the scene and detained Beckerink, who had reported Tracey missing the day before. They released him after 48 hours without filing any charges. In the weeks that followed, Tracey's heartbroken parents, retired real estate developer Andrew Tracey, 69, and college professor Dr Monica Tracey, 65, battled against Beckerink for custody of their daughter's remains. The Daily Mail previously revealed that Tracey's parents accused Beckerink (pictured in his mugshot) of wreaking a secret 'campaign and abuse of terror' against her in her final months Prosecutors shared several videos during Beckerink's pre-trial hearings, including one from August, 2024, that shows him being arrested after Tracey called 911 Beckerink, a former partner of international law firm Duane Morris who had been married to Tracey for six months, argued that he had the rights to her body as the surviving spouse. But as court documents obtained by the Daily Mail reveal, her family hit back on November 6, accusing him of wreaking a 'campaign of abuse and terror' against their daughter during her final months. The alleged torture includes throwing a glass pickle jar at her head and pouring vodka on her wounds. According to the Traceys, their daughter had been in a relationship with Beckerink from October 2022 until September 2023, but the couple never lived together or had children. At some point after September, they got back together, and married in a private ceremony on April 8, 2024 which did not involve any of Traceys relatives. Amid the acrimonious wrangling for control of her body, her parents accused Beckerink of manipulating their daughter, of purposefully isolating her from her family and being responsible for her tragic and highly suspicious death.' Traceys parents are still going through the agonizing process of piecing together their daughters suffering via Freedom of Information requests to find any further documents she filed with police. Reform UK has opened up a seven-point lead over Labour among Welsh voters ahead of next year's Senedd elections, according to a new poll. The Beaufort Research survey found Nigel Farage's party were backed by 30 per cent of Welsh voters - up five percentage points from a previous poll in June. This put Reform ahead of Labour (23 per cent), Plaid Cymru (22 per cent), the Conservatives (11 per cent), and the Greens (9 per cent). But, according to a projection by Nation.Cymru of how the current polling would translate into Senedd seats, Reform would be unlikely to form a government in Wales. The projection, using software designed for Cavendish Consulting, found Reform would be the largest party in the Senedd with 37 seats. The remaining 59 seats would be divided between Plaid (25 seats), Labour (24 seats), Conservatives (seven seats), Greens (two seats), and the Liberal Democrats (one seat), according to the model. In such a scenario, a power-sharing arrangement between Labour and Plaid would be likeliest outcome. The Senedd is set to expand in size from 60 seats to 96 seats following next May's elections. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Ahead of those nationwide elections, political parties in Wales face a more immediate test with a by-election in Caerphilly on Thursday. Labour has held the Caerphilly seat since the Senedd was first established as the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan are braced for an historic Labour defeat in the South Wales seat. Experts are predicting a two-horse race between Reform and Plaid at the by-election. Losing the by-election on 23 October would leave Labour on 29 seats in the Senedd, meaning Baroness Morgan would need the help of two opposition politicians to get her party's agenda through. Speaking at a press conference in Caerphilly last month, Mr Farage pledged to 'throw everything' at the campaign. Those local voters who don't want Reform to get their first elected Senedd member are being urged by a tactical voting campaign group to back Plaid at the by-election. But Cabinet minister Pat McFadden last week vowed Labour would 'never step aside' in Wales, even if it was to prevent Reform winning seats in the Senedd. The Work and Pensions Secretary said he thought Mr Farage's party and Plaid are both 'about the politics of grievance'. 'We will never step aside,' Mr McFadden said. 'Caerphilly has been a Labour town for a long time, that doesn't mean we take anything for granted. 'I don't think either of the others offer a good answer for Caerphilly, because in different ways, they'll be about the politics of grievance. 'They won't be about the politics of opportunity, and that is what Caerphilly needs, what Wales needs, and what the country needs.' The Senedd voting intention poll was based on a survey of 533 Welsh voters conducted online by Beaufort Research between September 22 and 12 October. A New York City restaurant called Whitexicans is facing intense backlash over its 'insensitive' name. The Queens-based eatery opened on October 9 and immediately prompted criticism over the owners' 'ignorant' choice. 'Whitexican' is a pejorative term used to refer to privileged, light-skinned Mexicans who have social and educational advantages as a legacy of colonialism. Co-owners Mateo Gomez Bermudez and Manuela Mesa, who are both Colombian, insist that their choice of name is satirical and meant to parody 'the current circumstances that are going on in the country'. Gomez Bermudez told the Daily Mail, 'people are taking this the wrong way,' and that the 'the only people who are hating on the business are the ones who haven't tried it.' But Cristina Furlong, a community activist and co-founder of the group Make Queens Safer, said the name could be poorly interpreted amidst the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement and 'people self-deporting.' 'Its just not nice or kind to joke about what some people consider racist terminology,' she said. Social media users also expressed their fury over the name of the restaurant, which serves up classic Mexican dishes with a modern twist for between $10 to $20. Whitexicans opened in Queens, New York, on October 9 and has been facing backlash for its name But owner Mateo Gomez Bermudez insists the name is satirical as he defended his choice A user on Facebook wrote: 'The owners aren't even Mexican... They're very Ignorant to use racist terms that divide the Mexican population and promote white supremacism. It's frustrating that in this day and age people can still be so naive and blind.' Gomez Bermudez countered that criticism by telling the Daily Mail his wife is Mexican and she was part of the inspiration for the name. A post about the restaurant on the Jackson Heights community on Reddit was flooded with negative responses. The top comment said: 'uhhhh what the' Another said: 'Im not sure it is racism but what a stupid name neverthelessmarketing/branding 101.' A third commenter wrote: 'Wow!!!!!!! not even trying to hide the gentrification lol.' Amid the furor Gomez Bermudez made his own post on Facebook where he insisted the restaurant is meant to feel safe and 'inclusive for everyone. No matter your race, your nationality or your status.' Gomez Bermudez explained he expected the name would cause a stir, but he wanted it 'to stand out and give a positive message' 'Sometimes when you try to really send a message you have to take a chance,' he said. He also said the attention would be good for the business: 'When I see people driving, they start taking pictures. They laugh. Some people ask, why the name? That gives you a little bit of marketing, too.' According to the owners, Whitexicans serves '100% authentic mexican food combining modern and some new dishes never seen in the neighborhood' Co-owner Manuela Mesa emphasized the restaurant's 'All humans are legal' sign to counter criticisms that the name is divisive Whitexicans serves up classic Mexican dishes with a modern twist for between $10 to $20 In an interview with Gothamist, he added: 'Whitexicans, the meaning for us is that everybody belongs here.' Several people online also expressed their support for the restaurant's name. 'No idea what kind of food to expect but I actually like the name,' one person wrote on Reddit. A commenter on Facebook wrote: 'Im so excited for Whitexicans to open! Mexican culture with American favorites feels perfect for New York, especially right here in Jackson Heights where the whole neighborhood is a big melting pot...' Gothamist interviewed some locals walking by the restaurant who also had no issues with the name. 'Its very original,' said Carlos Garcia, a Jackson Heights resident. 'I like the name.' Chris Perez, a resident of the neighborhood, said: 'To me, its cool. I am intrigued.' All of the press and buzz sorounding the restaurant may have paid off in the end, as Gomez Bermudez said Whitexicans has been busy every day since it opened. Co-owner Mesa emphasized the 'All humans are legal' sign patrons are greeted by when entering the restaurant to counter claims that the business is divisive. 'Whitexicans is love. Whitexicans is inclusion,' she said. ChatGPT told a Polish woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann that Gerry McCann was her biological father, a court heard. Julia Wandelt repeatedly asked the AI tool to compare her DNA to samples found at the apartment where Madeleine was staying when she went missing, jurors were told. ChatGPT initially told her there was no match saying only a 'more distant familial relationship is possible but not certain'. But following further prompts, it went on to say the sample was 'very likely Julia Wandelt's biological father' adding the data: 'strongly suggests the profiles are related as father and child'. Asked by Wandelt if the DNA was Mr McCann's 'does that mean Gerry McCann was Julia Wandelt's father', ChatGPT replied: 'Genetic evidence strongly supports that Gerry McCann could be Julia Wandelt's father as data aligns perfectly with parent child relationship'. LISTEN: The Trial of the 'McCann Stalkers'. Listen to the latest on this Daily Mail podcast It later told her to consider mistaken identity, contamination, false claims and to 'verify the origin of these profiles to ensure their authenticity' in relation to its answers, Leicester Crown Court heard. Micheal Duck, prosecuting, said: 'It seems ChatGPT moved away from the child parent proposition' before returning to it later on in the conversation. The court heard police found 76 exchanges with ChatGPT on Wandelt's phone which took place over four and half days in February this year. She is on trial accused of stalking Mr McCann and his wife Kate. Over two years, from June 2022 to February 2025, Wandelt, 24, allegedly bombarded the couple with phone calls, texts and emails claiming to be their daughter and turned up at their home in Rothley, Leics, to demand a DNA test. She and her co-defendant 61-year-old Karen Spragg, of Caerau, Cardiff, both deny one count of stalking Jurors have already been told that DNA comparisons by police 'conclusively' prove Wandelt is not Madeleine. And on Monday, a forensic scientist told the court Wandelt does not match a DNA sample from Madeleine's pillowcase taken from her home in the days after she disappeared. Rosalyn Hammond told the court that there is 'not a match' between Wandelt's and Madeleine's DNA profiles. Jurors were told Wandelt repeatedly asked ChatGPT questions relating to photos and DNA samples, asking it to compare and find 'kinship'. Jurors have already been told that DNA comparisons by police 'conclusively' prove Wandelt is not Madeleine. Wandelt is on trial accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann over two years, from June 2022 to February 2025. She said the DNA profile of Wandelt showed she was also not the biological child of Kate and Gerry McCann, and neither is she the biological child of either one of them. The court heard Wandelt has previously claimed to have a nearly 70% DNA match with a sample taken from where Madeleine disappeared in Praia da Luz. Ms Hammond said the results 'strongly favour the proposition Julia Wandelt is not the biological child of the person who left the floor DNA profile'. Giving evidence on Tuesday, DC Aaron Horn said he extracted 76 chats from Wandelt's phone, exchanged between February 8 and the early hours of February 13. Mr Duck pointed out many of the responses to Wandelt's questions were received just seconds later giving a 'demonstration of how quickly this system is operating'. Jurors were told Wandelt repeatedly asked ChatGPT questions relating to photos and DNA samples, asking it to compare and find 'kinship'. When it first replied saying there was not a match she wrote: 'Analyse again because you made mistakes'. It later suggested a match between her and a 'countertop blood' sample from the Portuguese holiday apartment. She asked if this DNA was Mr McCann's would that mean she is his daughter, to which it replied: 'the relation between Julia Wandelt and Gerry McCann is biologically consistent with that of a father and daughter.' When Wandelt asked whether she may be Madeleine, the jury heard the chatbot said: 'If Gerry is confirmed as Julia Wandelt's biological father, it raises the possibility that Julia could be Madeleine but additional evidence such as a DNA test... is required to confirm this.' Earlier the court heard from a woman who runs a missing persons charity in Poland who said Wandelt contacted her claiming to be two other missing girls before saying she was Madeleine. Iwona Modliborska said Wandelt 'returned with a new story' weeks after being told she was not Inga Gehricke, who disappeared in Germany in 2015. Ms Modliborska, who helped to set up the charity a decade ago and gave evidence via video-link assisted by a Polish interpreter, said she 'quickly made her stop believing in this because something did not agree with the description' but within weeks, Wandelt sent the organisation further messages, this time saying she believed she might be Acacia Bishop, who was kidnapped in 2003. Wandelt claimed to be two other missing girls before saying she was Madeleine, jurors were told. She sent photographs of her and Acacia Bishop but there were 'no similarities and there were no marks specifically that could really indicate it was her' Ms Modliborska said. Ms Modliborska told the court Wandelt '1,000% could not be Acacia' and Wandelt 'very quickly gave up' on her claim to be her but she then started messaging the charity claiming to be Madeleine, with comparisons of their eyes and faces. Ms Modliborska said the defendant told her that she thought she might have been kidnapped. She told the court: 'Julia was told that she was a quiet girl and did not speak a lot... It was difficult to tell if she could speak Polish.' She added: 'I knew she was not similar to Madeleine. I tried to convince her again but she was well-prepared and it was not easy. 'I knew from the very start that it was rubbish. I tried to make her be aware that she was wrong. She did not accept that.' The trial continues. A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot was arrested for making death threats against top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher Moynihan was taken into cusoty on Sunday after texting someone about his plans to 'eliminate' House Minority Leader Jeffries, the top liberal lawmaker in the House of Representatives, during his planned remarks in New York City this week, according to court documents first reported by CBS News. 'Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live,' Moynihan, 34, allegedly wrote in a court filing submitted by prosecutors 'Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future,' he allegedly said in text messages sent on Friday. The criminal complaint, dated on Sunday, stated: 'These text messages placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant.' Jeffries addressed the Economic Club of New York on Monday. Moynihan is charged with making a terrorist threat to kill a congressman, a felony, and was arraigned on Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty. According to a press release from the New York state government, state authorities in Poughkeepsie, along with FBI agents, arrested Moynihan after they received a tip on October 18 about the man's sinister plans. Christopher Moynihan, in white, a man pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the 2021 Capitol riot, has been charged with threatening to kill the top Democrat in the US House of Representatives Moynihan allegedly texted that he had to 'eliminate' top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries Jeffries is the top Democrat in the House of Representatives and has served as a New York lawmaker since 2013 Moynihan is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, October 23. The J6er was previously sentenced to 21 months in prison for obstructing an official proceeding to certify the 2020 election results. He broke into the Capitol building before later stumbling into the historic Senate chamber. 'While in the Senate Chamber, Moynihan paged through a notebook on top of a Senators desk, taking out papers, and taking pictures with his cellphone. While looking through the papers, he said, Theres gotta be something in here we can f---- use against these ----bags,"' the DOJ said in a 2023 announcement about Moynihan's charges. Trump pardoned Moynihan, along with roughly 1,600 people charged with crimes related to the January 6 riot earlier this year. 'I am grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out,' Jeffries said in a statement. 'Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned,' the Democrat's statement continued. Moynihan is not the first J6er pardoned by Trump to have been re-arrested. Moynihan at the January 6 Capitol riot Moynihan pictured next to the 'QAnon shaman' Jacob Chansley, pictured in the headdress An analysis from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in June found that at least 10 January 6th defendants pardoned by Trump have been apprehended again. Their crimes include plotting the murder of FBI agents, child sexual assault, possession of sexual abuse material and more, according to the watchdog. She is a well-known proponent of vintage clothes, once stating she likes the individuality buying second-hand provides. Now TV presenter Dawn OPorter is giving people the chance to replicate her own unique style after she put around 100 items from her colourful wardrobe up for sale. The Scots-born writer, who lives in London with her husband, Bridesmaids actor Chris ODowd, and their two sons, said half of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Choose Love charity she founded, which supports displaced people around the world. In a post, sharing news of the upcoming sale online, she wrote: Please buy second hand or vintage where possible. It will have a massive impact on the planet and youll get really cool stuff to feel unique and special in. I had a massive clear out. You might recognise some bits from Instagram and events. Among the clothes being sold is a multi-coloured sequin dress by CeliaB, which OPorter wore when she attended the Olivier Awards with ODowd earlier this year. The 46-year-old star, who was born in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, shared a photo of her and her husband attending the event in their glitzy outfits, captioning it: Mum and dad bringing some razzle dazzle to the Oliviers tonight. This multi-coloured sequin dress by CeliaB, which OPorter wore to the Olivier Awards with husband Chris ODowd earlier this year, is among the items being sold Another of the colourful items being sold by O'Porter is this lightning-design jumper The writer is well-known for her love of vintage clothes with bold and vibrant colours Celia B, the label created by Spanish designer Celia Bernardo, is known for its vibrant, colourful, and often sequined collections, and have also proved a favourite of OPorters celeb friend Sophie Ellis Bextor. Another item on sale is a black turtleneck dress OPorter wore during a night out with ODowd, 46, during the couples visit to Scotland to celebrate a friends birthday earlier this year. In a post shared to her 513,000 Instagram followers at the time, she said they had enjoyed a beautiful night in her motherland. She added: We brought the 80s back to Scotland. Best friends, margs in wine glasses and haggis bon bons. You will literally never find me happier. The clothes being sold are said to range from size 8 to 14 and include highlights such as a vintage Valentino jacket, a Harvey Nichols skirt, a Farm Rio jumpsuit and an Aran Crafts knit jumper OPorter bought in Dublin. Discussing her preference for pre-loved clothes, OPorter previously said: I love the charm, the quality and the exclusivity of the clothes. I love that I never know what Im going to find when I go shopping and how I can build my wardrobe around the styles I love rather than what is in fashion. This short-sleeved jumpsuit with a large plant-leaf print is also being sold The star loves vintage clothes and the unique wardrobe it has allowed her to collect This green and black patterned shirt, which O'Porter wore on a night when she met with Dawn French, is also up for grabs during the sale And I love that I rarely walk into a room wearing anything like what anyone else is wearing. The sale is being handled by The Second Row, which specialises in selling clothes for influencers and celebrities such as Ellie Taylor, Angela Scanlon, Rachel Stevens and more. The items from OPorters wardrobe are said to have been carefully curated, showcasing Dawns unmistakable flair for bold prints, sequins and timeless vintage style. A preview of all items listed will be available tomorrow, with the sale starting on The Second Row website at 7.30pm. The sudden appearance of a 65ft Christmas tree in a busy city centre has sparked outrage among locals after it was erected in the middle of October. The massive fir was erected in Birmingham city centre's Victoria Square over the weekend in preparation for its annual German Market. The tree is put up each year in the bustling streets surrounding the city's notorious Bull Ring shopping centre, and is an annual gift from Frankfurt to the people of Birmingham. The tree, which is raised on a large wooden platform which punters can shelter beneath to taste mulled wine or hot chocolate, was first designed and built in 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the partnership of the two cities. The design came about after organisers heard how many people met 'under the tree' each year, and wanted to provide a welcoming space for this. But residents have pointed out that with Halloween still round the corner, the move has left the area looking more like it's the middle of December. Richard McQuaid, 39, of Kings Heath, said: 'While everywhere else is decorated for Halloween the square outside the council house looks more like it's the middle of December. 'It's still more than two months away from Christmas so it feels way too soon.' A massive Christmas tree has been put up in Birmingham city centre in the middle of October The tree is put up each year in the bustling streets surrounding the city's notorious Bull Ring shopping centre, and is an annual gift from Frankfurt to the people of Birmingham But residents have pointed out that with Halloween still round the corner, the move has left the area looking more like it's the middle of December Other locals agreed that it's 'too soon' to put up a Christmas tree in the middle of October - with Halloween and Bonfire Night not yet out of the way. Georgina Walsh, 31, of Stechford, said: 'The Christmas market is becoming more of a divisive issue in Brum - you either love it or hate it. 'But to be talking about it in October while the leaves are still on the trees just feels wrong - get Halloween and Bonfire Night out of the way first.' Others took to social media to express their frustration at the situation. Stephen Harris wrote on X: 'Birmingham council have put up at 65ft Christmas Tree, in the middle of October. Welcome to Clown World, before Halloween and Bonfire Night.' A second person wrote: 'No no no....too soon', while another commented: 'You've got to be kidding, the kids have just gone back after summer...haven't they?' A fourth added: 'IT'S STILL OCTOBER!' and included the hashtags 'bah humbug' and 'too soon'. The Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market is due to open on November 1 and will run until December 24. The civic tree has been put up outside Birmingham City Council's offices while market stalls are also being erected for the festive season. Birmingham City Council is not responsible for funding or putting up the tree, which is all handled by the market's owners. A soldier has been jailed for 27 years after a series of online sex offences on approaching 100 victims conducted from inside his base. Austen Flemings accommodation at RAF Dishforth was raided by police after a tip off by a child protection centre in the United States. The Royal Logistics Corps squaddie was then investigated by constabularies from across Britain who identified scores of victims of his sextortion scam. Fleming, 29, posed as an attractive female on social media to lure victims, covertly recording his interactions with teenage boys to use as leverage. When they refused to send sexually explicit material he threatened to post footage he had already collated to their friends and family. He also offered PlayStation and Xbox codes in return for pictures which he harvested for exploitation. Depraved Army soldier Austen Fleming jailed for 27 years Leeds Crown Court heard there were 'approaching 100' victims of Fleming's 'sextortion' scam. Leeds Crown Court heard a 15-year-old boy was so traumatised by Flemings threats he attempted to take his own life. Others were left crying and shaking with fear. Sentencing Fleming, Judge Ray Singh said social media had given him easy access to victims and his depravity knew no bounds. The judge went on: There are 61 identified individual victims. There are 27 who have not been identified. So you were approaching nearly 100 victims. Each was a real person, each was a real child, who was abused by you. This is horrific offending involving young children. Your degraded and humiliated your victims. Colleagues at the base in North Yorkshire had no idea about his vile secret until the raid. The crimes took place between 2020 and 2023. He was arrested in November 2022. Flemings barrister, Robert Mochrie, told the court most of the offending took place while the defendant was drinking alone in the barracks. The youngest of his victims was aged 10. The father of one boy said his happy go lucky sons mental health went into significant decline after meeting Fleming online. He said his son blamed himself and never seems happy. While the court heard Fleming blackmailed a 15-year-old saying: Send bro or the vids going up. Victims were made to take explicit images taken next to sleeping siblings and videos involving family pets. One child vomited when he told his mother what he had been forced to do. Fleming, of Kilsyth, Lanarkshire, admitted 83 charges including blackmail, causing children to engage in sexual activity and sexually exploiting children. He told police he was struggling with his sexuality. His victims were from across the UK. Detective Constable Tom Sutcliffe of the Online Child Abuse Team said: Fleming is clearly a depraved offender who poses a significant danger to young people. He now faces a long time in prison and will be robustly monitored by the authorities for the rest of his life. Scores of small hydro businesses across Scotland have been landed with huge backdated demands for business rates totalling millions of pounds. The hikes are a financial bombshell for producers of hydroelectric power - and were ordered during an ongoing battle over previous bills. Alba Energy, which represents small hydro-operators in Scotland, condemned the retrospective invoices as perverse, punitive and predatory. In one case, Inver Hydro on the Isle of Jura was issued with a new demand last Thursday for over 330,000 - with 157,000 of that to be paid by November 7. The bills are a blow for the SNP Governments net zero drive as hydro generation is a renewable, low-carbon power source with no greenhouse gas emissions during operation. The shock bill for Inver Hydro is 269,000 more than the small island business had budgeted for rates between now and the end of the financial year in April next year. Inver was told the additional charge would not be pursued if it withdrew its appeal against a 2023 valuation. Owner John Lithgow said: Weve played by the rules, paid our bills, and pursued a lawful appeal. Inver hydro-electric scheme on the isle of Jura in the Inner Hebrides To be sent a retrospective top-up bill of over a quarter of a million pounds and told to pay up in a matter of months - and then told it goes away if we drop the appeal - is intolerable. It is nothing short of extortion and is bullying of the worst kind. Our small business is a success story within a fragile rural economy. Invers generation ensures energy security and has proved vital to keeping the islands lights on when the local network failed. This kind of goalpost-shifting puts locally owned renewable energy and small Scottish businesses at risk and it is totally unacceptable behaviour by a public office. Inver is currently building a solar project to better utilise the existing hydro schemes available Grid capacity and ensure renewable generation continues in the drier months. The project will be the UKs first hybrid solar and storage hydro scheme and is due to come online early next month. Mr Lithgow said: We are doing our bit for the island economy and for Net Zero, we continue to invest for the future, but it feels like some would rather see us punished for our efforts. Alba Energy claimed the change had been applied selectively to firms challenging valuations, meaning those exercising their right to challenge those made in 2023 valuations are being hit with even higher bills. Alexander Linklater, executive director of Alba Energy, said: In the middle of litigation, the Assessor has declared a brand-new way to value hydro, then re-issued historic rateable values and extra bills for 20232025. Applying this only to schemes with appeals is punitive in effect. For years, hydro schemes have been over-valued by the Assessors compared to onshore wind and other energy generators and this latest manoeuvre makes an already unjust position much, much worse. Alba Energy said the retrospective bills should not have been issued while legal proceedings are under way and has written to Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance, to request a pause on the timing of payment until a resolution has been reached. In its letter, Alba Energy states: No warning or justification was provided by the Assessors. Kate Gilmartin, chief executive of the British Hydropower Association, the trade body for the sector across the UK, said: This isnt just about rates its about fairness. Hydropower operators are facing opaque decisions and retrospective bills with no accountability. We need transparency, proportionality, and ethical oversight before this becomes another case study in systemic governance failure. A sector-wide dispute over the 2017 revaluation reaches the Upper Tribunal in Edinburgh next month, before Lord Young. More than 85 per cent of the UKs hydropower is located in Scotland. Most small hydro is designed in Scotland, developed in Scotland, engineered in Scotland and built in Scotland. Mr Linklater said: Unlike wind power small hydro it is mostly owned and operated by Scots. We are not leased out to foreign companies. Yet the message from Scottish Assessors is, If you want to build green businesses in Scotland, we will punish you for the impertinence. The Scottish Government sets non-domestic rates while councils administer and collect them. The Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) represents land valuation assessors, based at councils, and their senior staff in Scotland. An SAA spokesman said: There is a statutory appeal process to challenge a Valuation Roll entry and it would not be appropriate for the SAA to comment on an ongoing legal case. Labour's one in, one out deal with France will take 300 years to deport all small boat migrants who have come to Britain since the election, a new report says. Since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister last July 59,976 migrants have arrived here illegally across the Channel. But only 42 have been removed since the agreement with president Emmanuel Macrons government came into force in July. Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for tougher border controls, calculated it amounted to a removal rate of about 0.55 migrants per day. As a result it would take 297 years, at the same rate, to remove all 59,976 to have come under Labour, the group said. Deportations would be complete in the year 2322. Channel small boat migrants disembark from a UK Border Force vessel at Dover earlier this month Migration Watch chairman, Alp Mehmet, said: This is not a legacy to look back on with pride, Prime Minister. Moreover, if we receive one migrant back for each one we return, we will have the same number plus new arrivals to fend for. The public have had enough of fibs and bluster. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Sir Keir scrapped the Tories Rwanda asylum policy as one of his first acts in office. The Rwanda deal was designed to deter Channel crossings and save lives by sending migrants on a one-way ticket to the east African nation to claim asylum there rather than here. Last week the Governments 200,000-a-year border security commander admitted a solution to the Channel small boats crisis isnt going to happen very quickly. Martin Hewitt, who was appointed to the role a year ago, told MPs he was frustrated by rising number of arrivals. As Mr Hewitt set out his attempts to crack down on people traffickers, he said: This was always going to take time. He also confirmed the Home Office is still waiting for the French to finalise new maritime rules first announced in the summer that will allow their officers to intercept dinghies once they are already in the sea. Your browser does not support iframes. A new maritime doctrine is being developed by the French but is still going through legal processes, he told the home affairs select committee. It was confirmed in June that the French were planning to allow its officers to block small boat departures within 300 metres of the shoreline. Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said deporting all arrivals under Labour would take 300 years at current rates But Mr Hewitt said: We are awaiting that to be deployed. They are having to work through various legal processes to ensure that officers are properly covered. The number of migrants crossing the Channel has soared past 187,000 since the start of the crisis - including more than 36,000 so far this year, up a third on the same point in 2024. This years tally is close to overtaking the total reached in the whole of last year. Apart from the 42 deported under the one in, one out treaty, 23 migrants have arrived from France under the scheme. A Home Office spokesman said of the Migration Watch report: These calculations are overwhelmingly simplistic and should not be trusted. The last governments Rwanda scheme took years and cost hundreds of millions of pounds and failed to forcefully remove a single person. In a matter of weeks, we've returned 42 through our historic agreement with France at a fraction of the cost. With flights to France now underway and ramping up, we are sending out a clear message: if you come here illegally, you face being detained and removed so think twice before making that journey. The head of an inquiry into the death of a man in custody amid claims of police brutality has quit amid a row over allegations of perceived bias. Lord Bracadale admitted he had lost the confidence of those involved in the statutory probe into the death of Sheku Bayoh, after the body representing rank-and-file officers launched a legal challenge in a bid to have him ousted. He had decided not to recuse himself as chairman earlier this year after ruling there was no possibility that he was biased, following concerns about his private meetings with Mr Bayohs family. But in a dramatic U-turn, the retired High Court judge quit, conceding that concerns about his conduct had not been allayed by my decision and that the criticisms have persisted. The move has plunged the inquiry into disarray as it means it is likely that a replacement chairman will have to be found to comb through a large amount of evidence. Aamer Anwar, the lawyer representing the Bayoh family said: The family are devastated by the decision of Lord Bracadale. Over ten years ago, Sheku Bayoh died in police hands and his family have fought for the truth and justice ever since. Over the last three years, evidence at the Inquiry exposed the truth of what happened to Sheku Bayoh, the systemic failures, the failure to investigate racism and the devastating and deadly force used on an unarmed Black man. Mr Bayoh, 31, a father-of-two, died after he was restrained by around six police officers who were called to Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3, 2015 Lord Bracadale admitted he had lost the confidence of those involved in the statutory probe The public cost of the inquiry into the death of Mr Bayoh - pictured with his partner Collette Bell - has already gone above 50 million For the Bayoh family, an unholy trinity of the Police, SPF and Crown Office have tried their very best to shut down this Inquiry, but they cannot hide from the truth. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) had earlier asked for Lord Bracadale to recuse himself due to concerns about five private meetings with Mr Bayoh's family, a request he had initially refused. The SPF then pressed ahead with a judicial review in a bid to have him ousted, with hearings scheduled for November 17 and 18, which will now be abandoned. In his resignation letter, Lord Bracadale said it is now clear to me that many of the core participants have lost confidence in my conduct of the inquiry to such an extent that it cannot be retrieved. He said he hoped that ministers would be able to appoint a new chair in early course in order to restore the confidence of all the core participants in the inquiry. Mr Bayoh, 31, a father-of-two, died after he was restrained by around six police officers who were called to Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3, 2015. Following Lord Bracadale's announcement, the SPF said his position had become untenable due to private meetings he had with Mr Bayoh's family, where he discussed the evidence with them. SPF general secretary David Kennedy said: It is unfortunate for all those involved in the Inquiry that this situation has occurred. The meetings between Lord Bracadale and the family of Sheku Bayoh had created an appearance of bias. We look forward to the final stages of the Inquiry and bringing this matter to a conclusion. The statutory probe into the death of Mr Bayoh has cost 26.2million, but the total cost to taxpayers - including the sums spent by bodies such as police and prosecutors - is more than 50million. The Mail revealed earlier this year that police chiefs held three unminuted meetings with the family of Mr Bayoh, fuelling a row over alleged bias against the officers involved. Senior officers met relatives of the father-of-two - but no record was kept of what was discussed. The last of the meetings took place after Lord Bracadales hearing into his suitability to continue in his role back in June. In June, the Mail revealed up to ten members of the Bayoh family had received compensation from Police Scotland - including a single award of more than 1million. Relatives of Mr Bayoh halted their attempt to sue the force in March after reaching an out-of-court settlement in relation to his death. A Scottish Government spokesman said: Ministers would like to thank Lord Bracadale for his work on this important public inquiry. The Scottish Government is committed to establishing the facts surrounding the circumstances leading to Mr Bayohs death. We will now urgently consider the best way forward. Donald Trump will no longer meet Vladimir Putin in Hungary after a phone call between US and Russian negotiators reportedly turned sour. The meeting was announced last week and was supposed to take place in Budapest, although a date had not been set. The decision to call it off was made following discussions between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. It is understood that the conversation did not go well - with Lavrov telling Rubio that Russia would not accept freezing the current front line in Ukraine. 'An additional in-person meeting between the secretary and foreign minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,' a Trump administration official said. The official, who wished to remain anonymous, nonetheless labelled the call between Rubio and Lavrov as 'productive'. The Kremlin also said on Tuesday there was no 'precise timeframe' for a summit between Trump and Putin. The back-and-forth over Trump's plans for a preparatory peace summit is the latest delay in his efforts to resolve the war that has persisted for nearly four years. Donald Trump will no longer meet Vladimir Putin in Hungary after a phone call between US and Russian negotiators turned sour Ukrainian soldiers inspect a vehicle struck by a Russian FPV kamikaze drone on October 16 The decision to call it off was made following discussions between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders accused Putin of stalling for time to continue his invasion as diplomatic efforts took place. They also said they opposed any push to make Kyiv surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Trump has on occasion suggested. Eight European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, as well as senior European Union officials said in a joint statement they intend to go ahead with plans to use Moscow's billions of dollars of frozen assets abroad to help Kyiv win the war, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. Zelensky noted that Putin had returned to diplomacy and called Trump last week when facing the possibility that the US would supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. But 'as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue', Zelensky said on Tuesday in a Telegram post. 'We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace,' he said. The leaders' statement laid down a marker by saying they 'remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force'. Trump last month reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to concede land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. However, after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelensky on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to 'stop where they are' in the war. Trump and Zelensky are seen meeting at the White House earlier this month On Sunday, Trump said that the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be 'cut up', leaving most of it in Russian hands. Trump said on Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, he is now doubtful it will happen. Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Trump on their side. 'We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,' the statement said. 'We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction.' The dynamics of Trump's engagement with Europe's biggest conflict since the Second World War have zigzagged as he searches for a peace deal. Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Zelensky said would be a week that is 'very active in diplomacy'. More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. 'We must ramp up the pressure on Russia's economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace,' Tuesday's statement said. On Friday, a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing - a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine - is due to take place in London. A man who was cleared of raping a teenage girl because a judge ruled that she should have known what could have happened to her has finally been jailed after the ruling was overturned. The alleged assault took place in 2019 when the man, now 31, was left alone with a 17-year-old girl in a car in the Italian city of Macerata. During a trial in 2019, judges acquitted the then-25-year-old after they concluded that the incident did not count as sexual assault because the teen was not a virgin and because she should have known of the consequences of getting into a car with a man on her own. The controversial ruling was today overturned by the Ancona Court of Appeal, with the man sentenced to three years behind bars. The appeal came after a request from the Attorney General due to the sensitivity of the case involving a minor. The girl's lawyer, Fabio Maria Galiani, hailed the verdict on Tuesday, saying: 'Justice has been done. We've returned to 2025 after a first instance sentence that plunged us back to the Middle Ages.' The victim, a foreigner who came to Macerata for a study abroad programme, had gone out with a friend and two other men before she was 'left in a car' with her attacker after her friend went off with the other man. In 2019, the court ruled that the girl had 'already had intercourse, therefore she was in a position to imagine the possible developments of the situation'. A man who was cleared of raping a teenage girl in Macerata, Italy, because a judge ruled that she should have known what could have happened to her has finally been jailed after the ruling was overturned. File photo shows a view of the town centre, Macerata Judges also said that teen 'had not resisted in any way, nor called for help'. These conclusions were strongly opposed by the victim and her lawyers, who argued that the girl 'always reiterated that she did not want any contact with the defendant; she even tried to push him away by punching him, but he would not move'. The 2019 ruling drew a storm of criticism, with MP Laura Boldrini stating: 'Once again, a woman is denied justice for the violence she has suffered because the culture of consent is lacking. 'There is a lack of education to understand that only yes is yes, that a woman may not be able to fight back during violence because it is often impossible: fear, shock, and pain paralyze and make any reaction impossible. Enough! It is no longer acceptable for the victim to be put in the dock.' Last year, a Spanish court acquitted a man who raped a 12-year-old girl after it ruled that their relations were just a part of the Romani culture. The court in Ciudad Real in central Spain took into account the socio-cultural context of the Gypsy ethnic group to reduce the sentence for sexual assault and abuse of a minor by a 20-year old man. This resulted in the perpetrator, who left his 12-year-old victim pregnant with twins, being acquitted. The ruling held that the relationship was 'always consensual within the framework of a romantic relationship', adding that the two were 'close in age and maturity'. The girl was first found to be pregnant after an examination by a doctor, who alerted authorities, leading to the man's arrest. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 11 years, but the court ruled to acquit. The age of consent in Spain is 16, meaning anyone younger cannot consent to sex. However, the court ruled that the man should benefit from the legal exception. Labour ministers are considering pressing ahead with plans to build a nuclear power station in Scotland despite the SNPs opposition. Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander is pushing for Keir Starmer to allow plans to proceed so the development can happen if the SNP is ousted in Mays Holyrood elections. The move would be highly controversial given the SNPs strong opposition to the development of nuclear power. Scotland is currently on course to be excluded from a UK Government plan to build eight small nuclear reactors due to the SNPs opposition. Nuclear energy is reserved to Westminster but the Scottish Government or local councils can use planning powers to block any bid to develop nuclear in Scotland. Asked if plans for a nuclear power station could be developed now in the event of the SNP losing power at Holyrood, a senior UK Government source said: Watch this space. We are serious as a UK Government in harnessing the potential of SMRs (small modular reactors). Look, for example, at what Rolls-Royce are doing in terms of SMRs, there are huge opportunities globally and domestically. 'But given the reality that planning law is devolved, it would require a change of government in Holyrood next May to be able to translate possibilities and plans into practical change on the ground. Douglas Alexander is said to be keen for a nuclear power station to be built in Scotland The source said that Mr Alexander is actively arguing within the UK Government that we dont want Scotland to be left behind. He is a passionate supporter of nuclear power and is the MP for Lothian East, which contains Torness power station. Under UK Government plans, one small nuclear reactor is set to be approved every year between now and 2030, with the aim of having them up and running by 2050. If Sir Keir and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband agree to Mr Alexanders demands, officials would work up plans for one of the new reactors to be in Scotland. The reactors could be vital in providing a balance in Scotlands energy mix and helping ensure the national grid can be topped up if the wind is not blowing. Former Tory Scottish Secretary Alister Jack previously said he wanted plans to be drawn up for a nuclear power station in Scotland despite the SNPs opposition. Earlier this year, an Opinium survey found that 52 per cent of Scots who backed the SNP in the last Holyrood election want nuclear to be part of Scotlands energy mix. This rises to 57 per cent for those who backed the party at last years general election. A total of 56 per cent of Scots thought nuclear power should be part of Scotlands clean energy mix, while 23 per cent disagreed and 21 per cent said they didnt know, according to the survey of 1,000 Scottish adults carried out in April. A father was arrested on suspicion of murder murder after his two-year-old son was swept to his death by torrential floods in southern California. Brandon Padilla-Aguilera, 26, was taken into custody on Friday - a month after his toddler Xavier died during extreme flooding in San Bernardino County. The Barstow Police Department said Padilla-Aguilera was booked on charges of murder. However the San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office told KTLA they filed charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death, as well as a special allegation of willful harm or injury causing death. KTLA reported that Padilla-Aguilera disregarded a warning about dangerous flood conditions and drove further into the flood area. Officials responded to the scene after receiving a report that a car had been swept away by floodwaters. Brandon Padilla-Aguilera, 26, was arrested for murder after his two-year-old son Xavier was swept to his death in flooding in California last month Padilla-Aguilera reportedly disregarded a warning about dangerous flood conditions and drove further into the flood area. He is seen getting arrested on Friday Padilla-Aguilera and Xavier were separated in the floodwaters after they managed to exit their vehicle, police said. 'As the vehicle was overtaken by the floodwaters (the man and child) exited the vehicle, but were ultimately separated from each other,' police said. 'Numerous emergency responders from allied agencies and civilian volunteers assisted in conducting an extensive search.' The father was rescued the same day in an island created by the flooding, per officials. But little Xavier's remains were not found until the next day, according to police. 'Due to the severity of the incident, the Barstow Police Department Detective Division assumed responsibility for the investigation,' the Barstow Police Department said on Facebook. 'Over the course of the month-long investigation, detectives spoke with witnesses and gathered evidence. Based on evidence obtained, detectives secured an arrest warrant for Padilla-Aguilera.' Police have not elaborated on why the father was charged with murder. Officials responded to the scene after receiving a report that a car had been swept away by floodwaters Little Xavier's remains were not found until the next day, according to police The Barstow Police Department would not provide additional information when reached by the Daily Mail on Tuesday. Anyone with information about this incident has been asked to contact detective Bryce Carson at (760) 255-5183 or bcarson@barstowca.org. Padilla-Aguilera is being held on $1-million bail. The man who brutally murdered his live-in girlfriend and Kardashian family business manager Angela Kukawski was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years to life in prison. Jason Barker, 53, attacked mother-of-five Kukawski with a knife and gun two days before Christmas 2021 and later stuffed her body into the trunk of her car and drove around before callously abandoning the vehicle. Shackled and wearing yellow jail overalls, heavily-tattooed Barker showed no emotion in court as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino announced his sentence. And he displayed a similar non-reaction, just staring ahead toward the judge as, off to one side of the court, two of Kukawski's children told the court of their sorrow and anguish over the loss of their 55-year-old mother. Calling the murder a 'heartbreaking and heinous act', Kukawski's son, Adam Baker, told Barker that he was glad that 'you will spend the rest of your life in a cage. 'You robbed the world of a beautiful person. 'I have thought about this day for a long timewhat I would say to you, how I would scream and yell at you. But you are not worth the time. 'As you languish in (prison) you will be alone. As far as I am concerned, you no longer exist. Goodbye and good riddance.' Jason Barker, 53, (pictured in 2023) was convicted of murdering girlfriend Angela Kukawski after attacking her with a knife and firearm and stuffing her body into the trunk of her car in 2021 Kukawski served as a business manager to Hollywood stars including the Kardashians, who released a statement mourning her loss at the time of her death The victim's eldest daughter, Sarah Baker, called Tuesday's sentencing 'bittersweet' bitter because she's still mourning her mother and sweet because Barker would be behind bars for the rest of his life. Sarah said her mother's murder was 'so pointless and unnecessary' and she noted with sadness that at her upcoming wedding, 'I'll have to get married without my mom being there.' Neighbor and friend Zoe Miller tearfully told the court how Kukawski 'took me in and became like a second mother to me. 'I think about her every day. She was my safe place and now she's gone. Nothing can replace the space the filled in our lives.' Addressing Barker, Miller added: 'You stole a mother from her children. You took her from the world. But you will never take the love that she shared with the world.' When Judge Brandolino asked Barker if he wanted to speak, he hesitated before saying quietly: 'I just want to say that Angela did not deserve it. 'I think about it every day. I can't say how sorry I am. I deserve to live with it for the rest of my life. 'I am deeply sorry.' Barker was arrested after the corpse of Kukawski who also worked for Nicki Minaj and Kanye West was found in the back of her car a day after she was reported missing. Barker was arrested after Kukawski was found in the back of her car a day after she was reported missing He first pleaded not guilty to charges of torture and first degree murder. But after a pretrial hearing last year resulted in a judge ordering him to stand trial on both, he accepted a deal with prosecutors in which they dropped the torture charge and he changed his plea to no contest on first degree murder with a penalty of life in prison with a minimum sentence of 25 years. The death penalty was off the table because, according to the LA District Attorney, 'special circumstances' which are required for the DA to seek a death sentence were not cited when Barker was first charged more than two years ago. At last year's preliminary hearing, Kukawski's daughter, Harmony Castro, told the court that on December 22, 2021, worried because she hadn't heard from her mother for a few days, she drove to the Sherman Oaks condo Angela shared with Barker. After letting herself in with her own key, Castro immediately became alarmed when she found a 'trash can full of bloody tissues' in the living room, she said. She also noticed that the door frame to her mother's bedroom was broken and Angela's blue Subaru car, usually parked outside the condo, was missing. That's when she called police. Kukawski's co-worker, Dolly Lucero, told the court that she became concerned about Angela when she didn't show up for work on December 22. When Kukawski didn't respond to her phone calls and messages, Lucero texted Barker, who, she said, told her 'she's sick and sleeping.I'll have her call you when she wakes up.' Kukawski worked for the Kardashians, Kanye West, and rapper Nicki Minaj; pictured in 2017 Angela never called her back. When Kukawaski was found dead, a Ventura County coroner reported that she had died from sharp and blunt force injuries to the head and neck and strangulation, which they ruled a homicide. Police said detectives believed that Barker killed Kukawaski - also known as Angela Castro - inside their residence, placed her inside her vehicle, and drove to Simi Valley. And prosecutors allege that Barker attacked Kukawski 'with the intent to cause cruel and extreme pain and suffering for the purpose of revenge, extortion, persuasion and for a sadistic purpose'. Kukawski - who also helped oversee the estate of the late hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur - worked at Boulevard Management in Woodland Hills, west of LA. The firm specializes in 'financial management services to entertainers, athletes and high net-worth individuals.' Half of Scots adults are suffering from long term health problems as sickness levels soar to new records under the SNP. The Scottish Health Survey found a staggering 50 per cent of people reported a long-term condition last year, the highest since comparable studies began in 2003, when it was 41 per cent. The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed diabetes also doubled over the same period. Around 1 in 13 Scots now have the life-limiting condition. A fifth of adults have harmful alcohol intakes, and almost as many (18 per cent) have been diagnosed with asthma, up from 13 per cent in 2003 and another unwelcome record. The Scottish Tories said the worsening picture threatened to overwhelm an already over-stretched NHS. Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: Scotland is getting sicker under the SNP. Their failure to support our NHS and invest in preventative health means that Scots are the unhealthiest theyve been since 2008. An incredible 50 per cent of Scots reported a long term health condition last year, new figures show Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane warned that Scotland 'is getting sicker under the SNP' On their watch, mental health issues are on the rise, harmful alcohol consumption remains dangerously high and the number of children at risk of obesity is at record levels. This rising tide of poor health threatens to overwhelm our already overstretched NHS and cost taxpayers a fortune in the process. SNP ministers need to act now to tackle this crisis by boosting GP numbers, focus on improving mental wellbeing, prioritising preventative health and cutting waste to ensure that Scots can access the healthcare they need. Published by the Scottish Government, the annual survey defines a long-term condition as a physical or mental health condition or illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more. Around four in five (81 per cent) of those living with a long-term condition say it limits their activities, with most citing problems with mobility (32 per cent), stamina, breathing and fatigue (28) and mental health (26). The percentage of Scots with diagnosed diabetes has risen from 4 to 8 per cent since 2003, with most people affected by Type 2 diabetes, often associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. The disease, caused by the body not making enough insulin to regulate blood sugar, can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes and feet if untreated and shorten life expectancy. The report called it a growing health challenge for Scotland. A third of adults (31 per cent) were technically obese last year, down a percentage point from 2023, but the proportion of children deemed at risk of obesity stayed at a record high of 18 per cent. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: This is yet more proof that voting SNP is bad for your health. Obesity and long-term health conditions heap huge amounts of pressure on an already overwhelmed NHS, so we need to be on the front foot about tackling them. Scotland deserves better than years of SNP mismanagement of our health service. Scottish Labour deputy Dame Jackie Baillie added: The SNP has had 18 years in power and yet we have the highest number of adults ever recorded with at least one long-term condition, while Health Secretary Neil Gray is more interested in talking about Scottish independence than providing real solutions. For the first time, the survey asked detailed questions about the menopause and perimenopause. Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of women aged 45 to 55 and around half (53 per cent) of those aged 56 and over reported experiencing symptoms in the previous 12 months. Around six in 10 (58 per cent) of those with symptoms contacted a healthcare professional about them last year, most commonly a GP (45 per cent). The proportion of adults who reported feeling lonely most or all of the time fell from 10 per cent in 2023 to 7 per cent last year. While 13 per cent of Scottish adults self-reported attitudes indicative of a possible eating disorder, with the figure highest among 16 to 24-year-olds at 26 per cent. Paul Bradshaw, director of the Scottish Centre for Social Research, which conducted the study, said: This years survey paints a detailed picture of the health of people in Scotland. We see that half of adults are now living with at least one long-term health condition, and diabetes has reached its highest level on record. Encouragingly, mental wellbeing seems to be stabilising, and loneliness has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels. The new questions on menopause and eating behaviours provide important insights into experiences that have previously been under-reported in national data. Joseph Carter, head of Asthma + Lung UK Scotland. said: The new Scottish Health Survey has revealed that more people than ever before, now have asthma. With such high numbers, it is important that everyone is getting the basic asthma care they need, such as a yearly check-up, an asthma plan and help using their inhaler correctly, so they can manage their condition. Lung conditions including asthma are Scotlands third biggest killer and need to be taken seriously. SNP Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: Too many of us have long term conditions which limit their activities, in part linked to an ageing population. Our recently published Population Health Framework creates the environment to help people thrive and prevent longer term health conditions. We have consulted widely on a framework to ensure equitable and sustainable access to the services that all people with long term conditions need. The 2024 survey collected data from 4,591 adults and 1,986 children from 1 February 2024 to 16 February 2025. A MAGA supporter was left bloodied after falling flat on the ground twice during a hostile confrontation with 'No Kings' protesters. The Trump fan, who has since been dubbed the 'faceplant guy', went viral on social media. He was seen yelling homophobic slurs and flying into a frenzy as he walked alongside the anti-Trump demonstration in Denver, Colorado. The individual, who has not been identified, began chanting 'God bless Trump' as he flashed a middle finger at the protesters on Sunday. 'Yeah, f*ck you! Ride your bike, you f*ckin f*g!' he yelled during the clash. The incident took a turn after a protester creeped up behind him and stole his sunglasses from his head prompting a brief chase. The MAGA supporter, who was dressed in full New York Giants gear, tripped and was sent sprawling to the ground. But as he got up to continue the pursuit another protester with an American flag over his shoulders stuck his leg out and tripped the man over. A MAGA supporter has been dubbed the 'faceplant guy' after going viral on social media for falling flat on his face twice during a confrontation with 'No Kings' protesters in Denver Wild footage captured the man falling flat on his face moments after yelling homophobic slurs at No Kings protesters He was left with a blood-soaked face and a large gash across his forehead as he stood up from the trip, before he furiously tried to find the culprit. Despite his gruesome injuries the fall prompted laughter from some in the crowd while others tried to calm the MAGA supporter down. The demonstrator who tripped the MAGA supporter was later identified as 20-year-old Jose Cardenas, and he was arrested, per the Denver Gazette. Cardenas allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, according to arrest records. Cops said the unidentified man who was screaming at the protesters was not arrested for his part in the scuffle. A police spokesperson told the Gazette: 'Screaming obscenities would fall under free speech. The victim was not arrested.' The incident unfolded as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the nation to protest against the Trump administration. The shock confrontation began with the man giving protesters the middle finger and yelling: 'Yeah, f*ck you! Ride your bike, you f*ckin f*g' The MAGA fan was quickly surrounded by No Kings protesters after he yelled homophobic slurs, as one grabbed his sunglasses and ran away The man then fell to the floor a second time as he was tripped by another protester, who was later arrested and named as 20-year-old Jose Cardenas The man who filmed the hot-headed interaction, Drew Kartos, told the outlet that he started recording the moment because he had a feeling the older men yelling obscenities at the protesters were going to escalate. 'They seemed inebriated. I had a feeling something was going to happen,' he said. 'They were definitely poking and prodding the protest marchers. 'Most people were kind of moving on, but then you see this kid come up and steal the guys glasses.' Asked about the protester who tripped the antagonistic man, Kartos said: 'Two wrongs don't make a right. 'At the same time, theres definitely no place for hate speech or homophobic slurs. Its very unwise to walk past a demonstration and try to aggravate the participants.' The No Kings rally in Denver (pictured) was one of hundreds held across the nation over the weekend to protest the Trump administration The No Kings rally in Denver was one of hundreds held across the nation over the weekend to protest the Trump administration. The president was asked about the demonstrations as he flew to Washington DC on Air Force One, shrugged as he responded: 'I'm not a king.' 'I work my a** off to make our country great,' he added. The jewels stolen by a 'highly organised gang' in a seven-minute heist at the Louvre are worth an estimated 88million euros, according to Paris' top prosecutor. A group of four criminals swiped eight items from the world's most visited museum at around 9.30am local time on Sunday in one of the most jaw-dropping public robberies ever. It has been feared that the thieves - who dropped the priceless Eugenie Crown as they fled the scene - may already have broken the gems down in an attempt to sell them off. But Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, who confirmed the eye-watering value of the items today, said: 'The wrongdoers who took these gems won't earn 88million euros (76million or $102million) if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels.' Ms Beccuau said the monetary estimate does not include the items' historical value to France as they were once owned by the country's 19th century royalty. Around 100 investigators are now involved in the major hunt for the suspects and the gems, which were nabbed from the museum in broad daylight. The raid sparked a major security concern after it emerged the gang simply propped up a ladder to enter the Louvre's Apollo gallery window before stealing the diamond-encrusted items. But France's culture minister has insisted that security at the museum 'worked' during the theft. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau (pictured) said the jewels stolen in the seven-minute Louvre heist are worth an estimated 88million euros (76million or $102million) The tiara, pictured, from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Horten that was made in Paris in the 19th century, was taken Empress Eugenie's tiara (pictured), created by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier in 1853, was stolen Thieves also got away with an emerald necklace, pictured, from the Marie-Louise set made by master jeweller Francois-Regnault Nitot in 1810 'The Louvre museum's security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact,' Rachida Dati told lawmakers in the National Assembly. 'The Louvre museum's security apparatus worked.' Ms Dati said an inquiry has been launched in addition to the police investigation to uncover what happened, though she did not offer any details over how the thieves managed to carry out the raid given the cameras were working. She described the robbery as 'a wound for all of us', adding: 'Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the world's largest museum. It's a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony.' The museum continued its shutdown into Sunday night as a meeting was held with interior minister Laurent Nunez and Ms Dati after it emerged security guards failed to confront the gang. Mr Nunez said the museum's alarm was triggered when the window of the Apollo Gallery was forced and that police arrived two or three minutes after they were called by an onlooker. The minister also did not disclose details about video surveillance cameras that may have filmed the thieves around and in the museum pending a police investigation. 'There are cameras all around the Louvre,' he said. Justice minister Gerald Darmanin conceded windows and display cabinets were too easily broken into and there were not enough CCTV cameras in the targeted wing. Your browser does not support iframes. The gang swiped the necklace, pictured, from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense. It was made in Paris between 1800 and 1835 Empress Eugenie's brooch, pictured, which contains 2,438 diamonds, was stolen in the raid A pair of emerald earrings, pictured, from the Marie-Louise set, were stolen in the theft. It was made in Paris by Francois-Regnault Nitot in 1810 One earring, part of the pair, pictured, from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortens, was nabbed. It was made in Paris in the first third of the 19th century The pictured brooch, known as the reliquary brooch, was created in 1855 by Paul-Alfred Bapst. It was taken by thieves in the Louvre raid The Crown of Empress Eugenie (pictured) was stolen but found discarded and damaged shortly after the heist 'We failed and presented a deplorable image of France,' he said. The gang, who remain at large, arrived masked and wielding angle grinders before launching their heist. Footage earlier this week appeared to show one of the suspected thieves wearing a hi-viz vest as they seemingly broke into a glass cabinet. The group are believed to have targeted the wing of the museum by the Seine River because construction works had been taking place. In the whirlwind heist, the gang hurriedly prised open two display cases and crammed away nine pieces of the 23-item Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte collection. In total they got away with eight objects including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense. They also nabbed an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugenie's diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch, a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble which contains 2,438 diamonds. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Sunday: 'We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.' An anti-Israel hate monger has been arrested for allegedly vowing to slaughter conservative commentators including Trump ally Laura Loomer in a series of blood-curdling social media rants. Nicholas Ray, 28, seen in his mug shot exclusively obtained by Daily Mail, accused Loomer of being a Mossad spy and said she was going to 'get hung from the capitol baby' in a chilling X post, according to police. Cops were so worried about the 'credible threat' they posted a patrol car outside her Florida home, the Daily Mail can reveal. Loomer, host of the twice-weekly Loomer Unleashed podcast on Rumble, told the Daily Mail she receives a daily barrage of hate-filled messages over social media. But Ray's comments were especially frightening because police warned her, he posed a 'credible' and dispatched a patrol car to guard her Florida neighborhood. 'The people this guy threatened are all pro-Trump Jewish conservative activists and journalists. I don't know if he's a leftist or a conservative, but there's clearly a radicalization issue here,' she said. 'There is a lot of unchecked antisemitism on the internet and a lot of it isn't about freedom of speech, it's incitement to violence. 'People seem to think they are immune to liability because they post anonymously but hopefully this arrest demonstrates that they are not.' Laura Loomer was among several conservative commentators targeted with death threats by Nicholas Ray, 28, who vowed to slaughter them and accused her of being a Mossad agent Ray (pictured) was apprehended by police after an investigator was able to subpoena X and AT&T to obtain Ray's IP address and trace his account back to both his cell phone and the home of his girlfriend's mother In the affidavit, police accused Ray of making antisemitic death threats on X under the tag @zionistsarecum. He was arrested and charged with four counts of extortion, four counts of written threats to kill and four counts of use of two-way communication Ray posted similarly unhinged comments targeting satirist Seth Dillon, author Josh Hammer and New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) affidavit. He allegedly told Markowicz over X, formally Twitter: 'You are a foreign agent and if you don't move to Israel in the next week. You will die.' Ray branded the mother-of-three a 'Russian genocide jew whose family escaped prosecution in American you deserve to be hung. 'Your family sure did pass on that filth of a f*****g ideology though. Watch your f*****g back.' Ray of Spring, Texas, similarly accused Hammer of being a traitor to the US and an Israeli spy, according to charging documents, telling him: 'Can't wait till you get hung.' He threatened to take turns beating him with a pinata bat and suggested he should be 'literally killed by a firing squad,' cops allege. Ray 'posted a malicious threat against Hammer in which he told him to leave the United States within a certain time frame or he will be killed,' the affidavit states. Another rambling post referencing Babylon Bee CEO Dillon allegedly read: 'Joking about this s**t as if Seth Dillon wasn't conspiring with Israel about Charlie Kirk. The chronically online troll's series of blood-curdling social media rants ranged from threatening to hang Loomer to claiming he'd take turns beating author Josh Hammer with a pinata bat Police were so concerned for Loomer's safety that they deemed the threats - made all the way from Montgomery County, Texas - 'credible', prompting them to post a patrol car outside her Palm Beach, Florida, home (pictured inside) According to police, Ray also said Hammer should be 'literally killed by a firing squad' and gleefully rejoiced on the internet about the thought of his death, calling him an 'Israeli spy' Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon also found himself at the receiving end of Ray's vitriol, claiming he was on 'borrowed time' and that he was a 'traitor' 'All you traitorous fa6607s parading as if you aren't living on borrowed time. These receipts are going to be perfect for display when you get hung b***h.' All the messages were posted from Ray's X account between October 8 and 10, according to the FDLE. An agent was able to subpoena X and AT&T to obtain Ray's IP address and trace his Klaus @zionistsarescum account back to both his cell phone and the home of his girlfriend's mother. He was also linked to a Gmail account allegedly set up within one minute of his X account going live, it's alleged. 'Sworn statements were obtained from Joshua Hammer, Seth Dillon, Karol Markowicz and Laura Loomer, all of whom are residents of Florida,' wrote Special Agent Glen Dorrow. 'Each individual confirmed having read the online posts and written threats directed towards them. 'Each stated they were in fear for their life and personal safety and were considering hiring private security to ensure their protection from the unknown individual responsible for the threat.' Ray is in custody in Montgomery County, Texas awaiting extradition to Florida to face charges of extortion, written threats to kill and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. The rise in political violence has led conservative public figures to invest in fortress-like security measures such as safe rooms (pictured), VIP security firms told Daily Mail In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Loomer said her more controversial nature in comparison to the late commentator is making her take security 'extremely seriously now' (PICTURED: Loomer at Kirk's memorial service in Arizona on September 21) Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier broke the news on Ray's arrest on Monday, confirming that he'd be extradited to Florida to face charges His arrest comes weeks after the Daily Mail revealed how high-profile conservatives were pouring millions into fortress-like security measures in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. VIP security firms told us they've been inundated with calls requesting everything from safe rooms and armored cars to cutting-edge drones and robots designed to neutralize threats with shotgun shells or pepper spray. And Loomer, one of the most outspoken figures in the pro-Trump, America First movement - who amassed millions of followers and significant influence with the president - has already canceled multiple speaking engagements in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. The father-of-two and leading Christian commentator was horrifically shot dead during a September 10 campus debate at Utah Valley University. 'Charlie Kirk was the most milk toast, well-mannered conservative out there. I would say I'm one of the more controversial, right?' she added. 'If people were willing to assassinate Charlie, then you have to take your security extremely seriously now.' Posting on X, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said: 'Last week, our Office of Statewide Prosecution was notified of multiple, specific death threats made to Jewish conservative media members who live in Florida. 'After an investigation, we obtained an arrest warrant for Nicholas Ray of Spring, TX. 'Ray is now in custody and will be extradited to Florida to face charges of extortion, written threats to kill, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.' Donald Trump has demanded $230 million from the Justice Department as payback for federal investigations he faced while the Democrats were in charge. The president submitted two administrative complaints seeking damages for a number of actions he claims violated his rights, people familiar with the not-yet-public filings told the New York Times. Trump didn't deny that he's seeking the settlement, but appeared to blank when asked on Tuesday about a potential payout. 'Well I guess they probably owe me a lot of money for that,' Trump told reporters when asked if he's seeking money from his own DOJ. The President insisted that if he does get paid, he would 'do something nice with it like give it to charity or give it to the White House,' and bragged about how he hasn't taken the presidential salary ever since his first term. The demand by Trump without precedent represents another potential headache for Attorney General Pam Bondi who the president is pressuring to deliver prosecutions against the political enemies who went after him while in office. Bondi has been at pains to show that her prosecutorial integrity has not been called into question by Trump's very public demands, which included a private text message to her which he mistakenly posted online: 'JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!' When asked about potential conflicts of interest regarding Trump's monetary demands, a spokesman told the Daily Mail that 'all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials.' President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during a Diwali celebration in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 7 Trump was under multiple federal investigations while he was a presidential candidate. But when he went on to win the election, Trump took over the entities that are now responsible for reviewing the claims made in late 2023 and the summer of 2024. Sources detailed how the first complaint seeks damages for the FBI and special counsel investigation into Russian election interference and potential connections between the Kremlin and Trump's 2016 campaign. The second, they said, claims the FBI violated Trump's privacy while searching for classified documents during the raid on his residence at Mar-a-Lago and accuses the Justice Department of malicious prosecution. It also accuses then-attorney general Merrick Garland, then-FBI Director Christopher Wray and then-special counsel Jack Smith of 'harassment' intended to sway the outcome of the election. 'This malicious prosecution led President Trump to spend tens of millions of dollars defending the case and his reputation,' the second claim said, according to the Times. The complaints have not been made public, but those familiar with the filings say that Trump is seeking $230 million in compensation from the federal government. Two people familiar with Trump's claims tell the Times that he has not yet been paid by the federal government but that he plans to be compensated for the investigations. The second complaint filed in summer 2024 accuses the FBI of violating Trump's privacy while searching for classified documents during the raid on his residence at Mar-a-Lago Administrative claims are not lawsuits, but are complaints submitted to the DOJ to see if a settlement can be reached without going to federal court. If the Justice Department formally rejects the claim or declines to act, the filing party could then sue. It's likely in this instance that Trump will face a fruitful outcome since he is negotiating with people who work for the government he controls. Those who would be tasked with approving the complaint are senior officials who defended him in court or are already in his close circle. Compensation would come from the DOJ's coffers, which are covered by taxpayers. Any settlements exceeding $4 million are required by DOJ procedure to receive approval by deputy attorney general or associated attorney general. Graham Linehan is a comic genius with a CV that ranks him among the giants of the exceptionally difficult business of being funny. Over more than 30 years, he created some of the most successful and acclaimed shows on British TV, launching the careers of numerous actors who would go on to be household names. By rights, Mr Linehan should be revered, just as contemporaries such as Ricky Gervais and Simpsons creator Matt Groening are, as a visionary in his field. Instead, his career has been destroyed and his personal life upturned after years of relentless harassment by trans activists. For rejecting an ideology still hugely fashionable in the showbiz world from which Mr Linehan is now an outcast he saw projects cancelled and friends turn on him. A long-planned musical based on Father Ted, the hit show Mr Linehan created alongside his one-time writing partner Arthur Matthews, was called-off while former colleagues denounced him as a bigot. The nature of the campaign against Mr Linehan is disturbing, indeed. What makes it doubly so is the fact the police have been complicit in his harassment. When Mr Linehan arrived from the US at Heathrow on September 1, he was arrested by five armed officers for the suspected offence of inciting violence in posts on X. Comedy writer Graham Linehan outside court in London last month The writer who had come back to the UK from his new US base for an ongoing criminal case following complaints from a trans activist had joked that if a woman saw a trans-identifying man in the ladies toilet, she should feel free to punch him in the b***s. It was quite clearly a joke. Not one of Mr Linehans best, for sure, but a joke, nonetheless. On Monday it emerged that not only had the Metropolitan Police decided no crime had been committed but that the force would no longer investigate so called non-crime hate incidents (NCHI). This was good news not only for Mr Linehan who plans to sue the Met for wrongful arrest but for anyone who cares about freedom of speech in these increasingly censorious times. Graham Linehans recent arrest is understood to have followed complaints from members of a network of trans activists who have been allowed to weaponise police forces across the UK by making spurious criminal reports against those who reject the mantra that trans-women are women. If these complaints are rejected, activists then demand judicial reviews which often result in the reinstatement of charges not because the decision is justified but because chief constables are shamefully cowed by activist networks in their forces. The Mets announcement that it will no longer waste precious time indulging in the pointless, performatory investigation of non-crimes must be followed by a similar statement from Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell. Her force has allowed itself to be used as a private security force by activists for quite long enough. The Tory MSP Murdo Fraser has spent almost two years locked in a legal battle with Police Scotland over its handling of a complaint against him. Mr Fraser committed the crime of refusing to take trans activists seriously by posting on X that choosing to identify as non-binary is as valid as choosing to identify as a cat. A member of the public made a complaint to police which led to the recording of a non-crime hate incident. The response from the officer receiving the report should have been to ask the complainer whether they had a responsible adult nearby and, if not, to suggest they didnt touch any switches. But, instead, the matter was taken seriously and Mr Fraser has a bizarre and unwarranted non-criminal record that marks him out as a bigot when there is no evidence he is any such thing. Police Scotland continues to refuse to remove the record of a non-crime hate incident against the MSP. This is not acceptable and if the Chief Constable will not intervene which she most assuredly should to see that Mr Frasers NCHI is expunged, the Scottish Police Authority should step in. But a decision not to waste time investigating non-crime hate incidents will not go far enough. Police Scotland all police forces across the UK must now announce that there will be no recording of non-crime hate incidents and that any existing records of these state-approved smears is wiped. Unless we make the effort to check, none of us knows whether we are subject to such a record. Many of us will be. None of us should be. Murdo Fraser and Graham Linehan are rare among victims of police overreach at the behest of trans activists. They are men. More commonly, it is women who are hounded and bullied for their refusal to give in to the demands of adherents to this dangerous cult. What misery these activists wish to inflict and what energy they possess. Not only do they recklessly encourage confused young people towards unnecessary medical pathways which will leave their bodies disfigured, they seek to destroy anyone who speaks up about the dangers of their ideology. Graham Linehans story, along with those of many other victims and, make no mistake, those targeted by trans activists are victims perfectly illustrates both the pernicious effect of trans activism and the cowardice of those who look away when campaigners ruin lives. Mr Linehans talent took him to the very top of his business. After the success of Father Ted a sitcom now feted alongside classics such as Dads Army, Fawlty Towers, and Only Fools And Horses the Dublin-born writer collaborated with Dylan Moran on the highly acclaimed Black Books. Going solo, Mr Linehan wrote and directed the award-winning The IT Crowd for Channel 4 and, later, was one of the brains behind the much-loved BBC sitcom, Motherland. Mr Linehans impact on British comedy is inestimable. He is behind scenes now woven into the national consciousness. No modern demonstration can be considered complete without the inclusion of those banners from Father Ted urging Careful now and Down with this sort of thing. All things being equal, Mr Linehan would be enjoying the fruits of his past efforts while working on new projects. A Father Ted musical, long in development, would be selling out in Londons West End and he would be much in demand as a writer. Instead, he has had to move to the USA where hes working on new projects that wouldnt get a hearing in the offices of a single UK TV production company. Clever people who know Mr Linehan is right cannot bring themselves to be seen in the same room as him lest they be infected. Like that other great hate figure of the trans movement, JK Rowling, Mr Linehan has done nothing but bring joy to others throughout his professional career. As in the case of Ms Rowling, there is no incongruity between the warmth of his work and the position he takes on trans issues. Graham Linehans opposition to the demands of activists is not, as his critics claim, cruel. It is profoundly compassionate and, given the number of public figures who have run scared on this issue, impressively brave. Of course, those who reported Graham Linehan, Murdo Fraser, and countless others, for things they said or wrote had no real hope of seeing a conviction. That doesnt matter, The process is the punishment. Enough is more than enough. Its time for Police Scotland and their colleagues across the UK to start arresting trans bullies for harassment. The House Judiciary committee chairman has referred ex-CIA director John Brennan to the Department of Justice for prosecution for allegedly lying to Congress. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, claims Brennan misled lawmakers about the infamous Steele dossier a series of controversial and largely unverified memos by former British spy Christopher Steele that accused Donald Trump of colluding with Russia during the 2016 election. The dossier, funded by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee via Washington research firm Fusion GPS, alleged ties between Trump's campaign and Russian operatives, including salacious blackmail claims, sparking significant controversy. Jordan wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday: 'Brennan's assertion that the CIA was not "involved at all" with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts. 'Brennan's testimony was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts.' Steele provided the dossier to the FBI in 2016, and a summary of its claims was included in an intelligence assessment into Trump's purported ties to the Kremlin which was ordered by outgoing president Barack Obama. The referral to the DOJ does not mean that Brennan has been charged with any crime. He has not yet commented on the development. It comes as Trump has publicly targeted a series of his critics, including former national security advisor John Bolton, former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. John Brennan, former CIA Director, has said would not be 'intimidated' by Trump; seen in 2018 It was reported in July that the FBI had launched its own probe into Comey and Brennan. At the time, Brennan said he was 'clueless' about the investigation and the scope of it is still not known. The former CIA chief has continued to publicly criticize the President despite the potential legal jeopardy. After last month's indictment against Comey, Brennan said he would not be 'intimidated' and rebuked Trump for 'corrupting and perverting the justice system.' 'I'm not going to be intimidated by the likes of Donald Trump. I have always tried to speak my mind and do what I thought was right,' he told MSNBC. 'I think more and more people have to speak out, and I'm waiting for those Republicans in Congress to come to their senses, because the damage that's being done to this country and the dangerous times that we're in, I think too many Americans do not appreciate the extent of that.' Jordan's letter cites Brennan's May 2023 interview with the House Judiciary committee during which he testified that the CIA was 'not involved at all' with the Steele dossier and 'very much opposed' to its inclusion in the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) ordered by Obama. That document concluded that Russia sought to influence the 2016 general election in Trump's favor a finding that has been heavily debated and in part reliant on the Steele dossier. The ICA, supported by multiple intelligence agencies, was corroborated by subsequent investigations but remains contentious. The referral highlights declassified documents released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that allegedly contradict Brennan's testimony. Among them are documents that claim to show a CIA officer drafted 'Annex A,' a two-page classified summary of the Steele dossier included in the ICA. Brennan and then-FBI director James Comey decided to include the dossier in the ICAs main body and annex, according to declassified memos cited by Jordan. Donald Trump, seen at the White House today, has gone after a series of his critics Senior spies objected to its inclusion, but Brennan overruled them, writing in one declassified memo: 'My bottom line is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report,' responding to concerns with, 'Yes, but doesn't it ring true?' Jordan's letter also referred to Brennan's 2017 testimony to Congress, where he argued the dossier 'was not in any way used as a basis for the [ICA].' Though this falls outside the five-year statute of limitations for perjury, Jordan alleges it demonstrates 'a pattern of Brennan's willingness to lie to Congress.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed he will not sack Australia's ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd following his awkward exchange with Donald Trump. The highly anticipated first official face-to-face talks between Albanese and Trump at the White House took a dramatic turn after the US President was asked whether he had any concerns about previous comments made by Rudd. The Australian ambassador to the US and former prime minister previously labelled Trump as a 'village idiot' and the 'most destructive' president in US history. The question from Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell prompted Trump to look across the table at Rudd and say: 'I don't like you either, and probably never will.' Rudd still has another 18 months to serve in his four-year role as US ambassador. Albanese first clarified he would not sack Rudd at a press conference in the US, before reiterating his decision on the Today show that he will be staying in the job. 'We've appointed him for four years and he's doing a fantastic job,' Albanese said on Wednesday. Sunrise host Nat Barr also attempted to get an answer from Albanese about what was going through his mind when Trump turned to Rudd. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dodged questions on what was going through his mind during the awkward exchange between Kevin Rudd and Donald Trump Sunrise host Nat Barr pressed Albanese on Wednesday about the awkward interaction Footage from the face-to-face meeting showed Trump respond to Clennell's question by asking Albanese whether Rudd was in the room with them, prompting the Prime Minister to laugh and point at Rudd. 'What was going through your mind when the president turned to you and said, "Does he still work for you?"' Barr asked. Albanese brushed off the question, and instead touted the meeting with Trump a success. 'Well, yesterday was an important meeting. We had an $8.5billion deal. My focus was on what a successful meeting it was,' Albanese said. Barr attempted to bring the conversation back to Albanese's reaction at the time. 'Then you had that strange bit where the Rudd question was brought up and the president turns to you and says, "Does he still work for you?" What was going through your mind?' Barr asked. Albanese gave a very brief answer, describing it as a 'light-hearted discussion', before redirecting the conversation once again. 'What I was focused on was the national interest, and it was an incredibly successful meeting. I got on very well with President Trump, being able to spend almost three hours with him yesterday, and then meetings with the Treasury Secretary, Mr [Scott] Bessant, and I had dinner last night with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,' he said. Anthony Albanese (right) has leapt to the defence of Kevin Rudd (left) following the US ambassador's awkward exchange with Trump Albanese described the exchange between Rudd and Trump (pictured) as light-hearted 'banter' 'The meetings that took place today on the Hill were incredibly successful as well. And the Australia-US relationship is in great shape.' Albanese previously paid tribute to Rudd as the pair received a warm reception at a Friends of Australia Caucus gathering in Washington DC on Tuesday. 'If there's a harder working ambassador on the Hill, then please let me know because Kevin works his guts out and he seems to know everything,' Albanese told the gathering. He later downplayed the awkward exchange as light-hearted 'banter' and not a big deal, as he praised Rudd's involvement in organising the meeting with Trump. 'It wasn't, certainly, a significant moment. Kevin Rudd was with me in the Oval Office afterwards,' Albanese told ABC's News Breakfast on Wednesday morning. 'All's good. Kevin Rudd's doing a fantastic job. 'And the work that he did into this outcome is certainly recognised by me, and recognised by all of his American friends as well.' Albanese confirmed that Rudd apologised to Trump shortly after the so-called 'banter'. Kevin Rudd (second left) received a warm reception at official functions in Washington DC on Tuesday after the exchange with Trump 'He said to Kevin Rudd that all was forgiven,' he said. Albanese was also asked about the growing calls from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley for Rudd to be sacked over the incident that made global headlines. 'I think they're looking to talk themselves into a story,' he said. 'They had an option of backing the Australian national interest and, of course, they chose to play politics. 'To ignore the critical minerals and rare earths deal. 'To ignore the constructive relationship that I've built with President Trump over a period of time, through the conversations we've had and the correspondence we've had together. Ignoring all of that. 'I think that they're too busy focused on each other. I'm focused on the Australian national interest.' Albanese will be back in Australia today. President Donald Trump's embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia has at least one dedicated ally: his mom. The offices of two Democratic Representatives were visited by Donna Gallo Ingrassia, in June, per a NOTUS report, after Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California sent a letter to their Senate colleagues opposing her son's nomination. Donna reportedly 'showed up unannounced at Raskin's and Garcia's personal offices,' and 'demanded' meetings with the members. She additionally admitted to NOTUS that she 'visited both and requested a meeting, and they never called me.' Per NOTUS, Donna also stated that 'Paul has a lot of congressional and senatorial support.' 'He has tremendous support from Jewish leaders, and the Catholic community. Paul is articulate, intelligent, and wise beyond his years. He has strong family support and leads a life of faith, integrity and virtue. Very loyal,' she added. Ingrassia was originally nominated for the Office of Special Counsel in June. He was set to be voted on with a slew of other nominees at the end of July, when he was pulled from the noticed calendar. Paul Ingrassia, seen in his official Department of Homeland Security Ingrassia's mom Donna, pictured with President Donald Trump Still, the controversial Trump nominee may not survive the week, as more leaked text messages have surfaced from another member of the New York Young Republicans. Ingrassia has been nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel, but additional text messages released by Politico on Monday set off alarm bells for several top-ranking GOP Senators, who are now saying they oppose his nomination. The Senate Homeland Security Committee is set to hold a hearing on Ingrassia's nomination on Thursday morning. Text messages released by Politico showed Ingrassia admitting he has a 'Nazi streak', it has been reported. Ingrassia's lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik told the Daily Mail, 'We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages.' The messages include calling for MLK day to be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs', adding that there should be 'no moulignon holidays,' using an Italian slur for black people. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune has asked the White House to withdraw Ingrassia's nomination, adding, 'he's not going to pass.' Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters Monday evening that he does 'not support' Ingrassia's nomination. Ingrassia, who already serves in a non-Senate confirmed role at the Department of Homeland Security, was also additionally revealed earlier this month to have allegedly sexually harassed a female coworker on a work trip. Paltzik also told the Daily Mail, 'Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any coworkers female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise in connection with any employment.' A woman tricked her boyfriend and her own family into believing she was pregnant and even held a gender reveal party to celebrate, it has been claimed. Kira Cousins is then said to have pretended to have given birth to 'Bonnie-Leigh' earlier this month but days later told the 'baby's dad', Jamie Gardner, she had died when, in reality, there was no child. The 23-year-old has now been spoken to by Police Scotland amid concerns over her wellbeing after she was hit by an avalanche of online abuse over the alleged hoax. It is claimed that she bought a 'pregnant tummy' prop, had a baby shower and marked the pending birth with the gender reveal party in Caldercruix, near Airdrie, Lanarkshire. She initially posted photos of her 'daughter' after the birth, but after refusing to allow anyone near her, suspicions grew, and she deleted any mention of the 'baby' from social media. She eventually claimed the baby had died. It is understood it was her own mother who discovered the lifelike doll in her bedroom. Her friends believe she'd paid a 'fortune' for the doll with one claiming Ms Cousins 'stole' pictures of her daughter and used them to deceive her family. Kira Cousins tricked her boyfriend and her own family into believing she was pregnant and even held a gender reveal party (where she is pictured) to celebrate, it has been claimed Ms Cousins (pictured) has now been spoken to by police amid concerns over her wellbeing Ms Cousins initially posted photos of her 'daughter' (pictured) after the birth but suspicions grew after she refused to allow anyone near her A source who knows the family well said: 'It's the talk of Scotland. She took the doll in to show her workmates and wouldn't let them touch the baby. 'Everybody thought she was pregnant up until the weekend, not the weekend just past but the weekend before.' They added: 'There's a lot of people that I think if they got hold of Kira Cousins they would lynch her. 'She was the youngest, innocent wee lassie she used to go to church. 'Her mum bought a pram for her, 1,000, her gran bought car seats and everything, one of her cousins from Wales supposedly sent her 500. She's getting all this money. 'I don't know where she is now, but apparently some people say she's still floating about other people say she's left the country. 'I honestly don't think the family knew. The very first post she put up, Bonnie-Leigh born such and such and all the rest of it had people commenting.' Neave Mcrobert, who took to TikTok to vent her anger at the situation said: 'You were not there, you don't know how she was acting, we just thought she was being an overprotective mum. And for those who are saying she needs help. No she doesn't. She needs jail.' It is claimed Ms Cousins (pictured) bought a 'pregnant tummy' prop and had a gender reveal party in Caldercruix, near Airdrie in Lanarkshire Ms Cousins (pictured) eventually claimed the baby had died but it is understood her own mother discovered the lifelike doll in her bedroom Ms Cousins has now deleted any mention of the 'baby' from her social media accounts Ms Cousins (pictured) is said to be the 'talk of Scotland' by a source close to the family Ms Cousins shared images of her supposed daughter after her 'birth' on Facebook where she received messages of congratulations She announced the pregnancy with the 'baby's dad' on social media earlier this year She added: 'I wonder where she is now and where that doll is. I feel like such a fool for not realising but a real-life doll she must have paid closer to 1,000 for it. ' At Ms Cousin's home, a woman answered the door and said: 'I'm not interested, go away.' It is not believed any complaint has been made to the police. Ms Cousin has since gone on social media to confirm her mother found the doll, insisting her family did not know about what she had done. She then added: 'While I'm not condoning any behaviour led by myself I'd like to clear some things up for the people who were involved. 'Maybe in time I will come out and address the sadness once the right help etc has been sought.' She concluded 'no one should be hating towards wither families, especially Jamie's'. A devastated family is still seeking answers about the mysterious death of a 12-year-old girl while she completed her scuba diving certification. Little Dylan Harrison drowned on August 16 while attending a class at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas. The 12-year-old girl vanished during the class and her body was later found about 45 feet underwater, away from the platform, her family's attorney claimed. Her family wants to know why dive instructor Bill Armstrong, who doubles as a Collin County Assistant Chief Deputy, was out of the water and 'bone dry' when the search for their little girl began, Fox News reported. They claim crucial data was never collected from the dive computers, and that one of those computers is now 'lost.' The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office confirmed it had an 'open criminal investigation' relating to the incident. The company confirmed in a statement Tuesday that Armstrong was 'permanently suspended from teaching at our facility' immediately after the incident. Little Dylan Harrison drowned on August 16 while attending a class at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas The 12-year-old girl vanished during the class and her body was later found about 45 feet underwater, away from the platform, her family's attorney claimed 'Scuba Toys was also suspended from training pending the results of this investigation,' the company added. 'This step was taken solely to ensure that safety remains the top priority for divers while at The Scuba Ranch. 'We are heartbroken by the recent tragic loss of a young life at our lake. Our deepest sympathy and prayers are with her family and friends, during this unimaginably difficult time.' The Scuba Ranch also clarified that dive instructors are all independent and are not employed by the company. 'We do require that all instructors using our facilities follow recognized scuba safety standards outlined by their credentialing agency, as well as professional judgment, to train students safely. 'This tragedy has deeply affected the entire dive community, and we will continue to support those impacted as best we can. Her family wants to know why dive instructor Bill Armstrong, who doubles as a Collin County Assistant Chief Deputy, was out of the water and 'bone dry' when the search for their little girl began At the time of Dylan's death, there were reportedly eight students, an instructor and a dive master in the class, the family's attorney said 'We, along with all of you, are awaiting the facts and details to be released with complete transparency so that we may learn from what happened.' The Scuba Ranch has vowed to cooperate 'fully' with the ongoing investigation and has expressed hope 'this family received the answers, justice and closure they deserve.' At the time of Dylan's death, there were reportedly eight students, an instructor and a dive master in the class, the family's attorney said. The grooming gangs scandal is one of the darkest episodes in modern British history. What has rightly outraged the public is not just the scale of the abuse by predatory gangs of often Pakistani Muslim men in towns across England, but also the systematic cover-up by the very institutions whose duty it is to protect all children. In a sickening inversion of morality, greater priority was given to upholding the ideology of diversity than to safeguarding child victims of abuse. When the conspiracy of silence was finally broken by campaigners like myself and a notable few journalists shining the spotlight on the web of exploitation, collusion and deception, the shaken establishment promised to get to the truth, amid pledges that the survivors would finally be heeded. But I have been fighting this battle for 13 long years and the wheels of justice have become bogged down in a quagmire of obstruction, bureaucracy, lies and obfuscation. Shamefully, more than a decade after the Tory Government first declared that there would be a thorough investigation into the grooming gangs saga, survivors and the public are still waiting for meaningful action. This mood of paralysis extends to the proposed inquiry which Keir Starmer was forced to announce earlier this year. It has, to date, not held a single meeting more than four months on. The air of crisis was reinforced by a flood of departures this week, led by Annie Hudson, the former director of Childrens Services in Lambeth, who has said after all the negative coverage, she no longer wants to be considered for the post of inquiry chairman. Annie Hudson, the former director of Childrens Services in Lambeth, said after all the negative coverage, she no longer wants to be considered for the post of inquiry chairman Growing disillusion also saw three abuse survivors I know Fiona Goddard, Ellie-Ann Reynolds and a woman named only as Elizabeth resign from the panel created to help shape the inquiry. Ellie-Ann said it had become more about a cover-up, while Fiona said panel members were subjected to condescending and controlling language. They had other grievances. One was that the scope of the inquiry was being cynically widened to dilute the focus on grooming gangs, especially their ethnicity. The other was that several proposed candidates for the post of chairman came from the police and social services organisations which bore much of the responsibility for the original scandal. I fully agree with their stance. Survivors voices, and voices like mine, and of parents against child exploitation are being silenced. A total whitewash, in all honestly. I am not surprised. Having worked as a detective for 16 years in the Greater Manchester Police, I always had grave doubts that these promises of honesty and transparency would be fulfilled. In my work dealing with the activities of an abuse ring in Rochdale, and sexual exploitation in Manchester, followed by six years dealing with cases with my charity the Maggie Oliver Foundation, I have repeatedly witnessed first-hand how the impulse to conceal runs deep in the police, social services, the Crown Prosecution Service, judiciary and government. Survivor Fiona Goddard has resigned from the panel created to help shape the inquiry. She said panel members were subjected to condescending and controlling language Indeed, I left the force in October 2012 because I could no longer stomach being complicit in the wilful neglect of children who were being raped and brutalised, and embarked on a mission to achieve justice for the children in Rochdale and throughout the UK. At every stage, politicians and policymakers have sought to downplay both the barbarism and the ethnicity of the child rapists. It was an attitude captured in the statement of Denis Macshane, former Labour MP for Rotherham, who admitted that he had not looked too deeply into the incidence of abuse because, as a Left-winger, he didnt want to rock the multicultural boat. So, in effect, local children were sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and progressive dogma. In addition, they were often blamed portrayed as prostitutes or promiscuous teenagers who had made a lifestyle choice. That judgment prevailed at every turn. In February 2015, following explosive controversies over Jimmy Savile and other celebrities, as well as revelations about the Anglican Church, private schools, and local authority care homes, Theresa May, as home secretary, set up the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse under Professor Alexis Jay. The grooming gang abomination was meant to be one of the key strands of the inquiry, but all-too predictably, it shied away from the ethnic question. Just as disgracefully, 18 of Professor Jays 20 recommendations such as the creation of a Child Protection Authority have not been acted upon. Another survivor, Ellie-Ann Reynolds, said the inquiry had become more about a cover-up Anger at these delays, combined with both dismay over the obfuscation of government and evidence of the continued predatory actions of the gangs, put intense pressure on the Government to take a new approach. So the top civil servant Baroness Casey who has a reputation for unorthodoxy and effectiveness was appointed to conduct a comprehensive review of the grooming nightmare. Her sense of mission and willingness to listen resulted in a frank audit which attacked statutory agencies that have persisted in denying problems through indifference, hostility and the threat of legal actions. It forced the Government to shift and in June Ministers promised the Independent Commission on Group-based Child Exploitation. But why a commission and not a proper statutory inquiry? Why talk of group-based exploitation, unless the aim of this long-winded verbiage is to minimise the racial identity of the gangsters? A Government and civic order that was really motivated by compassion would not want to hide the truth. But the present secretive, corrupt strategy is designed to mislead and conceal. Yet again! British Storm Shadow missiles have been used by Volodymyr Zelensky to strike an important chemical plant that produces gunpowder in southern Russia. The use of missiles supplied by Britain in Russia's Bryansk region will likely spark condemnation from Vladimir Putin's government. 'A massive combined missile and air strike was carried out, including the use of air-launched Storm Shadow missiles, which successfully penetrated the Russian air defense system,' Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on X on Tuesday. 'This enterprise produces gunpowder, explosives, and components for rocket fuel, in particular for ammunition and missiles that the enemy uses to shell the territory of Ukraine,' the military said. The British government last year approved the use of Storm Shadow missiles by Ukrainian forces in operations on Russian territory, with the first known strikes happening in November. Ukraine's general staff described the plant asa 'key facility' producing gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel and said damage caused by the operation was being assessed. Images on social media claim to show flames billowing out of the facility. The Ukrainian air force, army and other units carried the attack. British Storm Shadow missiles have been used by Volodymyr Zelensky to strike a gunpowder plant in Russia Images on social media claim to show flames billowing out of the facility The military said the outcome of the strike was being assessed. Storm Shadow missiles have a range of between 155-349 miles and are equipped with advanced navigation systems to strike critical targets. Ukraine has previously used Storm Shadows to hit targets in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk, as well as in Russian-occupied Crimea. The latest strike comes on the same day that President Zelensky said that Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russia 'may hold the indispensable key to peace'. It also comes after US President Donald Trump's plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was put on hold. The meeting was announced last week and was supposed to take place in Budapest, Hungary, in the near future. However, the idea was paused after a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to the official, who wasn't authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The decision to hold off on a meeting between Trump and Putin will likely relieve European leaders, who have accused Putin of stalling for time with diplomacy while trying to gain ground on the battlefield. The leaders - including the British prime minister, French president and German chancellor - said they opposed any push to make Ukraine surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Trump has occasionally suggested. They also plan to push forward with plans to use billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine's war efforts, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. Trump has not yet commented publicly about the change in plans for his meeting with Putin. They previously met in Alaska in August, but the encounter did not advance Trump's stalled attempts to end a war that began almost four years ago. The Kremlin didn't seem to be in a rush to get Trump and Putin together again either. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that 'preparation is needed, serious preparation' before a meeting. Zelensky has been trying to strengthen Ukraine's position by seeking long-range Tomahawk missiles from the US, although Trump has waffled on whether he would provide them. 'We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace,' Zelensky said Tuesday in a Telegram post. He noted that Putin returned to diplomacy and called Trump last week when it looked like Tomahawk missiles were a possibility. But 'as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue,' Zelensky said. Federal agents shut down Canal Street in Manhattan's Chinatown on Tuesday afternoon during a sweeping ICE raid targeting illegal street vendors. The raid began around 3pm near Lafayette and Center streets, a stretch known for street vendors selling luxury goods. ABC's helicopter captured arrests unfolding as witnesses described chaos as vendors fled on foot, some falling as agents pursued them. By late afternoon, the operation expanded east toward Walker Street. At least four individuals were detained, according to Gothamist reporters on the scene, while others were questioned and released after showing identification. NYPD has confirmed on X that they 'had no involvement in the federal operation that took place.' A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams issued a statement to ABC7 echoing the same sentiment: 'We never cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportation matters, in accordance with local laws, and have no involvement in this matter.' Canal Street remains closed as the investigation continues. Federal agents shut down Canal Street in Manhattan's Chinatown on Tuesday afternoon during a sweeping ICE raid targeting illegal street vendors ABC7's helicopter captured arrests unfolding as witnesses described chaos as vendors fled on foot, some falling as agents pursued them Gothamist reported a bag vendor sprinting up and down Canal Street shouting 'ICE is here' and pointing to unmarked cars. Nearby, protestors closed in on federal agents, chanting 'f--- ICE!' as phones went up to record the arrests. Agents continued handcuffing and detaining men amid the chao On Sunday, reporter Savanah Hernandez said that a large group of street vendors, many identifying as migrants from Senegal, were operating an unlicensed market near Broadway and Canal Street. 'This corner looks exactly like the streets of Paris and the migrants even became angry and tried to tell me I couldn't film (similar to Paris), she wrote on X. 'As I was reporting, the migrants began scrambling to pick up their items before fleeing into vehicles or on foot due to police presence in the area. 'One of the migrants explained to me that they're operating 'without a license' and if the police catch them, they'll confiscate all of their items. 'There were at least 20-30 illegals in the area conducting business that they know is against the law, however, this seems to be a common occurrence on this street and business is booming.' The raid comes amid rising political tension as immigration laws tighten under Donald Trumps presidency She concluded: 'Perhaps @ICEgov should go check this corner out.' The raid comes amid growing political tension as immigration laws have tightened under Donald Trump's presidency. U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, who represents parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, recently urged the NYPD to arrest federal agents if they break state laws during detentions, a proposal welcomed by civil rights advocates but questioned by legal experts who doubt it could withstand legal scrutiny. Meanwhile, millions of people took part in No Kings protests in liberal cities across the country this weekend, from Portland Oregon to New York City. Demonstrators gathered to protest against Trump and his administration's aggressive deportations, which they view as anti-democratic and illegal. Trump responded by sharing an AI video of himself as a fighter pilot launching manure at No Kings protesters. He also refuted the premise of the protests. 'They say theyre referring to me as a king. Im not a king,' the president told Fox News. A Conservative attempt to reverse sentence discounts for sex offenders has been overturned by Labour MPs in the Commons. The Tories tabled a series of amendments to new Government legislation that will introduce a soft justice masterplan - but the moves were thrown out in a series of parliamentary votes. Labour's Sentencing Bill will allow six out of 10 jailed rapists more than 600 a year - to be freed at the halfway point of their jail term, according to a Tory analysis of sentencing data. It will also see more than 2,100 paedophiles jailed each year have their jail time cut by up to a third, the analysis said. Shadow justice minister Dr Kieran Mullan MP tabled amendments to the Bill which would exclude serious crimes from Labours sentence discounts. If passed, the move would prevent discounts being introduced for offences such as rape, all child sex offences including grooming and child pornography, grievous bodily harm, stalking and causing death by dangerous driving. The Tories' bid was overturned with MPs voting 182 to 307, majority 125, against it. Other Tory amendments to the Bill were also thrown out, including one which would have restricted and early release scheme to prisoners sentenced to less than 12 months' imprisonment. Dr Mullan said: 'I have never met a victim of a serious violent or sexual offence who thinks that the present system suitably punishes serious offenders. Justice Secretary David Lammy is now implementing a soft justice masterplan dreamed up by Shabana Mahmood when she was running the Ministry of Justice Shabana Mahmood pledged to be a 'tough' home secretary at Labour party conference in Liverpool at the end of last month, despite her record at the Ministry of Justice 'I have never met a victim who thinks that what we should do is let these sorts of people out of prison earlier, but that is what this Bill will do.' The Bill was the brainchild of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood when she was in charge of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). She vowed to Labour supporters last month that she would be a tough home secretary despite her track record at the MoJ, where she released 26,000 criminals from jail early under crisis measures to free up space. Labours early release measures will apply regardless of the release regime applicable at the time of sentence, according to official papers published alongside the Bill. It means Justice Secretary David Lammy could decide to grant early release to criminals who have already been sentenced, the Tories said. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said earlier this week: This Bill rewards some of the most despicable people in our country. Thousands of sex offenders a year will get out of jail earlier under Labour's planned law changes There is no two ways about this: slashing prison sentences for the most serious criminals will mean more rapes, abuse and violence on our streets. Justice Secretary David Lammy is now overseeing the Bill introduced by Shabana Mahmood earlier this year To add insult to injury, Labour are going to let existing criminals out from prison even earlier. Thousands of hardened criminals wont believe their luck if this Bill passes. Under Labours reforms most criminals will be freed after serving one third of the jail sentence handed down by the courts. More serious offenders who currently serve two-thirds of their sentence will normally be freed at the halfway point. The Bill will also scrap the vast majority of jail sentences of under 12 months, allowing criminals such as shoplifters to walk free. Responding to an intervention from Dr Mullan, who asked if rapists or paedophiles would be released early as a result of the Bill, junior justice minister Jake Richards told the Commons: 'Sentencing decisions are for the judiciary. 'Every single offence in the amendment can be given an extended determinate sentence. 'What I've said before, and I'll say it again, is that what victims of crime fear the most is the situation that this Government inherited, where we are running out of prison places, where the most serious offenders might not face prison at all.' The search for a Perth mother who disappeared without a trace outside a hospital has entered its fifth day, with her family offering a $100,000 reward. Michelle Joan Leahy, 50, was last seen near Hollywood Private Hospital on Monash Avenue in the Perth suburb of Nedlands on Thursday. The mother-of-three was walking to an appointment at the time but never arrived. Police hold serious concerns for her welfare, as loved ones grow increasingly desperate for answers. Her husband, Murray Leahy, has issued an emotional plea for help from the public. 'We've got three kids that are at home, with absolutely broken hearts [who] are desperate to see their mum return safe and sound,' he told Perth's 6PR radio. 'We've reached a point of pure desperation where we're offering a reward of up to $100,000 for anyone that can help find Michelle. 'We're just asking anyone in that Monash Avenue, Clifton Street, Hampden Street area, between 2.30pm and 3.30pm last Thursday [to call Crime Stoppers].' Michelle Joan Leahy, 50, is pictured with her family Above, visiting an ice cream parlour Police have scoured CCTV cameras in their search for the missing mother and there have been unconfirmed sightings. 'There's been quite limited CCTV footage, and while some sightings, nothing confirmed at this point in time,' Mr Leahy said. Ms Leahy was last seen wearing a white top, blue patterned pants and a black cap. She is described as approximately 175cm tall, is of medium build, with brown hair and blue eyes. Mr Leahy said he had been humbled by the degree of support from the public but insisted there is still more work to do. 'Members of the general public all over the place have been amazing, but unfortunately, it hasn't resolved for us yet,' he said. Ms Leahy was last seen near Hollywood Private Hospital on Monash Ave in the Perth suburb of Nedlands on Thursday 'We are still very, very concerned and working immensely hard to try and find Michelle, and the police have been doing everything in their power to support us.' Anyone who sees Ms Leahy is urged to contact police immediately on 131 444. Information in relation to her whereabouts or recent movements, can also be reported to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestopperswa.com.au Labour's grooming gangs inquiry was 'collapsing into chaos' last night. In a farcical development, a candidate to lead the child sexual abuse review pulled out at a late stage. Three sex abuse victims have also resigned from an advisory group set up by the inquiry, labelling it a 'cover-up' and damning its 'toxic environment'. The shambles will be highly embarrassing for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who was forced to set up the review this year. Just six months earlier he had accused those calling for an inquiry of jumping on a far-Right bandwagon. Campaigners who urged action over Pakistani child abuse rings were condemned as racist until the Government's own troubleshooter Baroness Casey concluded that there were 'disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds' among the suspects. Senior social worker Annie Hudson had been shortlisted to chair the three-year inquiry, which is likely to cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds, but withdrew her name yesterday. But it came a day after abuse victims Fiona Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds resigned from the inquiry's advisory panel, levelling sharp criticism at the Home Office. Grooming gang abuse victim Ellie-Ann Reynolds (pictured) resigned from the inquiry's victims and survivors liaison panel in protest at how the government had handled the process Fiona Goddard (pictured), who also suffered at the hands of grooming gangs, also resigned from the inquiry's victims and survivors liaison panel on Monday Yesterday a third woman, named only as 'Elizabeth' because of anonymity rules applied to sex abuse victims, also said she would no longer take part. In her resignation letter, Elizabeth said the process felt like 'a cover-up' and had 'created a toxic environment' for survivors. And in a further highly damaging development yesterday, Ms Goddard accused safeguarding minister Jess Phillips of misleading MPs about proposals to 'broaden' the scope of the inquiry. Ms Phillips, who is overseeing the setting up of the inquiry, told MPs in a letter to the Commons' home affairs select committee on Monday that it was 'untrue' ministers were seeking to widen its remit. But yesterday it emerged the victims' group was sent consultation papers which asked: 'Should the inquiry have an explicit focus on "grooming gangs"... or take a broader approach?' Ms Phillips was asked about the move by Ms Goddard last month in text messages, which have also been released. The extracts, obtained by campaign group Open Justice UK, appeared to contradict the letter sent by Ms Phillips to the Commons' committee. Many victims believe widening the inquiry will dilute its focus on the failure of local authorities, police and other officials to tackle grooming by largely Pakistani gangs. Last night Ms Goddard called on the minister to resign or be fired. 'Jess Phillips needs to be removed because I don't think her conduct this last 24 hours especially, has been acceptable for the position that she holds,' Ms Goddard told Channel 4 News. 'She has publicly accused me of lying when she knows I'm telling the truth.' Earlier, she said: 'Being dismissed and contradicted by a minister when you're telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again.' Senior social worker Annie Hudson (pictured) had been shortlisted to chair the three-year inquiry, which is likely to cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds, but withdrew her name Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour's rape gang inquiry is collapsing into chaos. 'Survivor Fiona Goddard has directly contradicted what minister Jess Phillips told Parliament and I have to say I believe Fiona.' He added: 'This Labour Government never wanted this inquiry to happen in the first place. 'Keir Starmer disgracefully smeared those calling for it as jumping on a far-Right band-wagon which was precisely the kind of language that led to these offences being covered up in the first place.' The Daily Mail understands there are several candidates left in the race to chair the inquiry, including former senior police officer Jim Gamble. Earlier this week Ms Reynolds said the 'final turning point' which prompted her resignation was 'the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse'. She also said the inquiry team had used 'condescending and controlling language' towards survivors. In her resignation letter she also cited a 'toxic, fearful environment' and a 'high risk of people feeling silenced all over again'. Ms Phillips told the Commons she 'absolutely regrets' that survivors had quit their roles but declared: 'Allegations of intentional delay, lack of interest or widening of the inquiry scope and dilution are false.' Downing Street said survivors are 'absolutely at the heart of what we're doing'. The Prime Minister's spokesman denied the inquiry was in crisis, telling reporters: 'We are working with victims from across the country to finally get justice.' Asked whether the inquiry's remit could be widened the official said: 'The terms of the inquiry will be established when we've appointed a chair.' The spokesman was unable to say whether any victims remained on the advisory group. A body has been found following a nine-day search for an experienced bushwalker who went missing in the Tasmanian wilderness in extreme alpine conditions. Hobart local and avid photographer Daryl Fong, 30, set off on a solo hike in Mount Field National Park on October 11 to take photos along the Tarn Shelf Circuit, a 12km grade-three walk that takes in several glacial lakes. He texted his flatmate early the next morning to say he planned to seek shelter and camp in the park overnight. The friend raised the alarm on October 13 when Mr Fong failed to arrive home or make further contact. Police located Mr Fong's white Subaru where he left it at the Lake Dobson car park. His disappearance prompted an extensive nine-day search that was hampered by treacherous conditions, including snow, rain, poor visibility, and gale-force winds. Police confirmed on Wednesday that search teams located and recovered 'the body of a male believed to be Daryl Fong' in the national park on Tuesday night. 'I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all search crews, particularly the volunteers, who worked tirelessly in these extreme conditions,' Inspector Luke Horne said. The nine-day search for missing bushwalker Daryl Fong came to a tragic end on Tuesday night Rescuers were hampered by treacherous conditions during the nine-day search 'Their dedication and resilience are a vital part of our rescue capability and consistently goes above and beyond.' There are no suspicious circumstances, and a report will be prepared for the Coroner. Earlier this week, Mr Fong's shattered family thanked police and search teams. 'We cant even begin to express how much we appreciate all your tireless efforts,' his brother Ethan wrote. 'Its hard to believe how many people have been working so relentlessly to bring my brother home and provide us with some closure. 'We know the conditions have been extremely challenging, to put it lightly. 'Yet, we see that everyone has stayed committed, pushing forward with determination to find answers.' A University of Sydney graduate, Mr Fong was familiar with Mount Field National Park and its conditions, according to his social media. The Hobart local was no stranger to Mount Field National Park and its treacherous conditions Searchers battled snow, rain, poor visibility, and gale-force winds 'First hike into Mount Field National Park. Incredible views, not so incredible weather,' a post from 2023 read. Mr Fong was also a keen birdwatcher and part of a local group. 'Daryl is a familiar and valued presence at our monthly bird walks, known for his passion for the bush, his knowledge of birds, and his gift for photography,' BirdLife Tasmania posted last week. 'He is a good friend with a keen eye for our feathered friends.' Recent extreme weather in Australia's wilderness has prompted Chinese authorities to urge citizens travelling to those regions to come prepared. It follows the tragic deaths of three women in recent weeks. The bodies of two women were discovered by two hiking doctors on October 3, near Cleve Cole Hut, a remote shelter popular with adventurers heading to Victoria's Mount Bogong. Despite being close to the hut, the pair were found huddled together and exposed on an open plain at Lendenfeld Point, with no protection from the severe weather. A third Chinese woman died while hiking with fellow tourists in Tasmania's Cradle Mountain National Park last month. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their high-profile exit from the Royal Family, the historic creed of 'never complain, never explain' became quickly defunct. While the Firm stood firmly in their stance of privacy, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex routinely detailed family matters and alleged grievances in the public arena, most notably in their 2021 bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. But when Harry visited The Hague to host the Invictus Games nearly a year later in April 2022, it was assumed that the focus would remain solely on the event's incredible sporting stars and their inspirational stories. Yet the Prince seemed unable to make a television appearance without causing a stir - issuing striking claims about his 'really special relationship' with the late Queen that left the Royal Family reeling and even resulted in a statement by the Prime Minister. The Duke, who made a sit-down appearance with NBC US breakfast show Today, had arrived in The Netherlands following a short visit to the UK where he and Meghan had privately met with his grandmother for tea. It marked the first time the couple had stepped foot on British soil together since 'Megxit'. Arriving incognito to keep their visit top secret, the pair were spotted walking to Windsor Castle by churchgoers arriving for the Royal Maundy Service. Just days later, during the 12-minute incendiary interview with presenter Hoda Kotb, the Duke made the declaration that it was his duty to ensure that his beloved grandmother was 'protected and got the right people around her'. He added that it had been refreshing to meet her in some element of privacy, adding: 'It was so nice to see her. Shes on great form. Shes always got a great sense of humour with me.' When Harry visited The Hague to host the Invictus Games nearly in April 2022, it was assumed that the focus would remain solely on the event. But the Prince issued claims about his 'really special relationship' with the late Queen that left the Royal Family reeling During the 12-minute incendiary interview with presenter Hoda Kotb, the Duke made the declaration that it was his duty to ensure that his beloved grandmother was 'protected and got the right people around her' The Duke also boldly proclaimed during that the late Queen would confide secrets that she couldn't share with 'anybody else'. Such 'inflammatory' statement with regards to the late Monarch's security implied, royal expert Tom Bower writes in his book Revenge, that 'King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince William and all of the Queen's staff were inadequate for the task'. And these assertions resumed, Mr Bower added, 'the war' against his estranged family, while also destroying any chance of a so-called 'olive branch' that had been hoped between the once beloved British Prince and his now estranged family. Following the extraordinary interview and the Prince's self-proclaimed special status, Harry faced accusations of 'breathtaking arrogance', with 'no bounds to his self-delusion'. Amid increased public concerns for the late Queen's wellbeing, Harry's remarks also prompted an unprecedented intervention from Downing Street who were forced to dismiss his suggestion that the Queen was in need of enhanced protection. When asked whether the Prime Minister was confident in the arrangements at the time to ensure the Queen's welfare, a spokesman for Boris Johnson, then Prime Minister, was clear. 'Yes', they acutely responded. And yet while Harry seemed happy to divulge intimate details about his relationship with the late Queen, the same could not be said when asked about that of his brother or father. When Ms Kotb asked if he missed his beloved family members, the Duke spoke vaguely, instead choosing to shift his answers towards an enhanced focus on his late mother, Princess Diana, the People's Princess. Such 'inflammatory' statement implied, royal expert Tom Bower writes in his book Revenge, that 'King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince William and all of the Queen's staff were inadequate for the task'. These assertions resumed, Mr Bower added, 'the war' against his family During his interview with Hoda Kotb (pictured), Mr Bower claims that Harry attempted to 'own' the late Princess of Wales, by insisting that she was prioritising looking out for her youngest son from her grave. The Prince also proclaimed that the US was now his 'home' Responding to Ms Kotb's query about Diana's 'presence' in his life, Harry responded: 'It's constant. It has been over the past two years, more so than ever before'. Mr Bower even claims that Harry proceeds to desperately attempt to 'own' the late Princess of Wales, by insisting that she was prioritising looking out for her youngest son from her grave. 'It's almost as though she's done her bit with my brother and now she's very much helping me. She got him set up, and now she's helping me set up', Harry stated. The Prince also seemed unafraid to distance himself from his once beloved British roots - proudly proclaiming that the US was now his 'home', with both him and Meghan being warmly 'welcomed with open arms'. Such statement was, Mr Bower writes, 'a direct contradiction of his recent submission to the High Court' during his appeal process for special protection in which his lawyer had declared to the judges that Britain 'is and will always be his home'. Then, on the late Queen's 96th birthday and just days after the interview aired, Prince William and Princess Kate were forced to awkwardly dodge a question about Harry's claims after a broadcaster called out to the Royal couple during an engagement in London. As the couple stepped into their car, a female journalist was heard shouting: 'Sir, does the Queen need protecting?'. William and Kate, who did not respond to such heckle, then proceeded to enter the vehicle before being driven away. It echoed a similar moment just one year prior in which William publicly hit back against race claims issued by the Sussexes in their bombshell tell-all interview with Oprah. When Ms Kotb asked if he missed his beloved family members, the Duke spoke vaguely, instead choosing to shift his answers towards an enhanced focus on his late mother, Princess Diana, the People's Princess (pictured holding Harry in 1985) On the late Queen's 96th birthday and just days after the interview aired, Prince William and Princess Kate were forced to awkwardly dodge a question about Harry's claims after a broadcaster called out to the Royal couple during an engagement in London The future King had been visiting a primary school with his wife when he made a clear statement of retaliation, remarking: 'We're very much not a racist family'. In the aftermath of Harry's NBC interview, the Royal family sought to protect the Queen from further speculation as they celebrated what would come to be the Monarch's final birthday prior to her tragic passing in September of that year. Happily ensconced in her treasured Sandringham estate, Buckingham Palace chose not to comment on the provocation from her Montecito-based grandson. But to Mr Bower, there was little doubt that Harry's bold comments had caused incredible damage and even 'tarnished the Queen's global reputation for unblemished decency'. Harry's decision to acrimoniously quit as a working royal and spend the past two years making a string of damning accusations against his family was understood to have caused the Queen great heartache. And one well-placed royal source told the Daily Mail at the time of the grave sense of shock at the Prince's 'breathtaking arrogance', making clear that many felt Harry's delusion knew 'no bounds'. 'It is the Queen's birthday and despite a difficult year people are working full steam ahead on making her Platinum Jubilee an event to remember that properly honours such a remarkable woman. She just doesn't deserve this,' they said. Speaking to The Daily Mail shortly after the interview, Mr Bower claimed that Harry had been 'playing up' his so-called 'special relationship' with his grandmother in a bid to maintain credibility in the United States amid the Sussexes' ongoing deal with Netflix. It echoed a similar moment just one year prior in which William publicly hit back against race claims issued by the Sussexes in their bombshell tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey Following the interview, one well-placed royal source told the Daily Mail at the time of the grave sense of shock at the Prince's 'breathtaking arrogance', making clear that many felt Harry's delusion knew 'no bounds' The royal author added that Harry's full demands have been 'rebuffed' and that his NBC interview was a way of 'hitting out' at those standing in the way of promoting the Sussex's self-promotion. Indeed, despite proudly proclaiming his personal bond with the late Queen, Harry was unable during the interview to confirm his attendance at her upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations. When queried by Ms Kotb if he would be seen among his estranged family to mark her 70 years of reign, Harry replied that he 'didn't know'. He added: 'There's a lot of things, security issues and everything else. This is what I'm trying to do, trying to make it possible that I can get my kids to meet her'. There, the Prince was likely referring to his yearslong court battle over the levels of taxpayer-funded security he, Meghan and their children were entitled to when visiting the UK. The Duke believed that he had been 'singled out' and 'badly treated' for 'unjustified, inferior treatment' following Megxit, while his barrister also argued that the removal of Met Police armed bodyguards during his UK trips left the royal's life 'at stake'. But despite such concerns, the Prince, and indeed his wife, were in attendance at the Queen's Jubilee celebrations after being 'reassured' over their security arrangements. Their visit to the UK marked the first and only time their young daughter, Princess Lilibet, who was named in honour of the late Queen's family nickname, has ever visited her father's homeland. Harry's decision to acrimoniously quit as a working royal and spend the past two years making a string of damning accusations against his family was understood to have caused the late Queen great heartache Despite such concerns, the Prince, and indeed his wife, were in attendance at the Queen's Jubilee celebrations. But Harry and Meghan, alongside the Duke of York, were not allowed to appear on Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour And a seeming indication that relations remained frosty - Harry and Meghan, alongside the Duke of York, were not allowed to appear on Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour, with royal experts warning that to do so could have risked overshadowing the festivities. Indeed, the relationship between the late Queen and the Prince was claimed by biographer Sally Bedell Smith, writing in her Substack, Royal Extras, to have been far from the cosy, but rather acutely damaged even prior to their wedding in 2018. The Queen was reportedly left profoundly unhappy with Harry and Meghan prior to their wedding, with the revelations based on interviews with the queen's cousin, the late Lady Elizabeth Anson. Lady Liza, as she was known to friends, told Bedell Smith that Harry had been 'rude' to his grandmother for ten minutes during a meeting about his wedding and that Meghan's apparent refusal to disclose details of her dress had left the late Monarch 'saddened'. Then, sources were later said to have told The Daily Beast that following the Sussexes no-holds-barred Oprah interview in 2021, their 'betrayal was complete' in the Queen's eyes, while the insinuation of racism which cast suspicion on everyone within the Firm was 'unforgivable'. According to the fresh claims from the insider, the relationship between the Sussexes and the late Monarch was fractured up until her death, and was 'never the same again' after the Oprah interview. Speaking to the Beast's The Royalist section, a former courtier said of the Queen's reaction: 'When he and Meghan attacked the institution that she spent her whole life serving in the Oprah interview, that betrayal was complete.' They added that those who knew Harry were 'shocked' by his actions, particularly because his grandfather Prince Philip was 'on his deathbed' at the time. According to fresh claims from an insider who spoke to The Daily Beast, the relationship between the Sussexes and the late Monarch was fractured up until her death. Those who knew Harry were 'shocked' by his actions, particularly because his grandfather Prince Philip was 'on his deathbed' at the time of the notorious Oprah interview The Duke of Edinburgh died on April 9, 2021, 33 days after the interview aired, and the Queen was reportedly 'dismayed' by the allegations of racism levelled at the family in his final days. 'To accuse an unidentified person within the family of racism, thereby casting the shadow of suspicion over everyone, was unforgivable in her eyes,' the former courtier said. 'Things were never the same after that. It was a horrific series of betrayals at the end of her life.' Meanwhile, royal author Ingrid Seward, who spent 40 years following the Firm, claimed that Harry's fractured relationship with his grandmother stemmed from the prince being characterised as 'the joker'. 'When he had something serious to say to her, he had very little idea how to go about it,' she wrote in her book, My Mother and I. Seward wrote: 'However much she loved Harry - and she did - she couldn't condone the way he was speaking about the institution of the monarchy that she had spent 70 years preserving. 'He chooses to be the victim and wreak vengeance on the slights he thought he had suffered; on his family, on the press and through the courts. 'His row with his brother was one thing - this is not unusual with siblings, when one has all the responsibility and the other is free to have more fun. 'But the anger aimed at the monarchy, the British people, his father and stepmother was totally unnecessary.' In the aftermath of the late Queen's death, the wounded relationship between Harry and the Royal Family merely worsened as Harry continued in his fight for state-funded protection for his family while on UK soil. Within hours of the Appeal Court judgment, Harry declared in his bombshell interview: 'This is a good old-fashioned Establishment stitch-up - and that is what it feels like'. Perhaps an indication that death and bereavement can help reunite estranged family members, the Prince recently poignantly touched on his father's cancer treatment and a desire to eventually reconcile with his family, stating: 'life is precious' He claimed there was a big injustice, and compared himself born with security risks to politicians such as prime ministers who seek public office and are then guaranteed Scotland Yard protection for life. He said: 'Other people have been protected, people who have made a choice for public office why wouldn't you be comfortable with someone in my position, who has given 35 years' service to his country, including two tours of AfghanistanI was born into this position. I was born into those risks, and they have only increased over time.' 'I love my country and always have done. I think it's really quite sad that I won't be able to show my children my homeland.' At the time, Buckingham Palace said: 'All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion'. Meanwhile, a source also added that it would have been 'constitutionally improper for His Majesty to intervene while this matter was being considered by the Government and reviewed by the Courts.' The Prince, who later spoke to the BBC about his legal challenge loss, said that there had been 'so many disagreements' in the family, but the 'only thing that's left' is the row over his security - which he said had 'always been the sticking point'. Perhaps an indication that death and bereavement can help reunite estranged family members, the Prince also poignantly touched on his father's cancer treatment and a desire to eventually reconcile with his family. He said: 'There is no point in continuing to fight anymore, life is precious. 'I don't know how much longer my father has - he won't speak to me because of this security stuff but it would be nice to reconcile.' On the latest episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, royal biographer Robert Hardman reveals why he thinks Andrew and Harry were 'cut so much slack' by the late Queen. Speaking on a special 'spares' themed episode of the Daily Mail podcast, Hardman claimed Britain's longest-serving monarch always held 'great sympathy' for the awkward position of those who grow up in the shadow of the future monarch. The Queen's biographer argued this sympathy emerged from childhood, watching her father King George VI himself a spare struggle with the weight of the crown after his brother's shock abdication. Edward VIII's decision to step down in order to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson also suddenly changed the trajectory of the Queen's life, catapulting her from a 'very happy' childhood into an adulthood marked by massive responsibility. He added that watching Princess Margaret's 'melancholy' and her struggle to find a 'true role in life' also shaped the Queen's sensitivity to the difficulties of being a spare. 'People ask, why was the Queen so long-suffering with Andrew or Harry?' Hardman said. On the latest episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things , royal biographer Robert Hardman reveals why he thinks Andrew and Harry were 'cut so much slack' by the late Queen The Queen's biographer argued this sympathy emerged from childhood, watching her father King George VI (pictured) himself a spare struggle with the weight of the crown after his brother's shock abdication Hardman claimed Britain's longest-serving monarch always held 'great sympathy' for the awkward position of those who grow up in the shadow of the future monarch 'I think it's because she saw the fact her father was a spare and she also felt great sympathy for her sister, Margaret, who could never find her true role in life. 'All throughout Margaret's life, there was a sort of melancholy about her. 'Then you have Prince Andrew, who can't work out what he's for. Prince Harry felt the same. 'All the way through, the Queen cut them a lot of slack. She had a great deal of sympathy for those in that position.' Andrew announced last week he would relinquish his Duke of York title following fresh allegations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Podcast co-host Kate Williams said that while she holds 'no sympathy' for Andrew, she does have some for Harry. She added that if Harry were to return to royal duties, he would be greeted with 'real enthusiasm' because he has always been such a popular member of the family. Podcast co-host Kate Williams said that while she holds 'no sympathy' for Andrew, she does have some for Harry She added that if Harry were to return to royal duties, he would be greeted with 'real enthusiasm' Andrew announced last week he would relinquish his Duke of York title following fresh allegations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein Williams said: 'When it comes to monarchy, it's winner takes all. You get everything, or you get nothing. 'If Harry were to come and do more royal duties, I think he'd be greeted with real enthusiasm. 'He's always been such a popular member of the family.' Hardman, however, lamented that in later life, Harry appears to have lost his sense of 'fun'. He described the prince now as a 'great bundle of grievances and anger'. 'I remember meeting Harry as a young man, he was fun!' Hardman said. 'One aspect of being a spare, which he underplays now, is that the expectations are different. 'You can get away with stuff the heir cannot. The heir has to knuckle down and be serious and dutiful.' From Queen Victoria to George V, listen to Robert Hardman and Kate Williams chart an engaging history of royal spares by searching for Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, wherever you get your podcasts. Security services deemed that Prince Andrew could be a national security risk to Britain because of his links to suspected Chinese spies, sources claimed today. Cabinet ministers allegedly knew about the concerns which were first raised in 2021 after the then-Duke of York held meetings with suspected spy Yang Tengbo. Mr Yang, who was banned from the UK in 2023, helped Andrew set up a Chinese arm of Andrew's now-defunct Pitch@Palace initiative which supported entrepreneurs. The King's 65-year-old brother became close to Mr Yang during the process and in turn helped him establish a UK consultancy firm called Hampton Group International. But fears were raised that Andrew could be endangering national security by meeting suspected spies while promoting his charity, multiple sources told The Telegraph. It follows claims that Andrew held at least three meetings with the Chinese official at the centre of the collapsed trial of two suspected British spies working for Beijing. Mr Yang who is also known as Chris Yang and has been referred to as 'H6' has been banned from the UK since March 2023 but has always denied spying. The Chinese businessman challenged his ban on entering the UK at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in July 2024, but lost his appeal in December. Prince Andrew held repeated meetings with suspected spy Yang Tengbo (pictured together) Mr Yang (second left) helped Andrew set up a Chinese arm of the now-defunct Pitch@Palace Mr Yang was said to have become a close confidant of Andrew and was also pictured with senior Conservative politicians including David Cameron and Theresa May. He forged links with the Prince, and according to the royal Court Circular, had engagements with him on June 25 and June 29, 2018. In a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials said Mr Yang had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials 'that could be leveraged for political interference purposes'. They also said that he had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Andrew, represented a threat to national security. At a hearing in July 2024, the specialist tribunal heard that the businessman was told by an adviser to Andrew that he could act on the Prince's behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that Mr Yang had been invited to Andrew's birthday party in 2020. The Home Office confirmed in July 2023 that Mr Yang would be excluded from the UK as he was considered to have engaged in 'covert and deceptive activity' on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that he likely posed a threat to national security. The former civil servant brought legal action for a review of the decision, arguing that it was unlawful. The tribunal in London heard that he had said he avoided getting involved in politics, and only had limited links to the Chinese state. Yang Tengbo became a close confidant of Andrew and was also pictured with senior Tories Mr Yang is pictured sixth from right at a Pitch@Palace Chinese investment event in 2019 His lawyers also argued that there was evidence that it was difficult for a Chinese national involved in business to avoid any contact with the CCP, and that material related to his relationship with Andrew had to be read in the context of an adviser writing to someone who had been loyal to the Prince in difficult times. But Home Office lawyers argued that Mr Yang had downplayed his links to an arm of the CCP, and that his relationship with Andrew could be used for political interference. In their ruling, the judges said that Andrew could have been made 'vulnerable' to the misuse of the influence he had. Mr Yang insisted he had 'done nothing wrong or unlawful', and said it is 'entirely untrue' to claim he was involved in espionage, and claimed he was a victim of a 'political climate' which had seen a rise in tensions between the UK and China. In December last year, Andrew said he 'ceased all contact' with Mr Yang when concerns were first raised about him. Andrew met the individual through 'official channels' with 'nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed', his office said. Andrew announced last Friday that he has given up use of his royal titles and honours amid intensified focus on his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and days before publication of his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre's book. The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Ms Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein. The Scottish National Party has now said legislation to remove Andrew's dukedom must be put forward without 'any further excuses and any further delay'. Mr Yang with former British Conservative prime minister Theresa May and her husband Philip Mr Yang with David and Samantha Cameron. He had a photo of the former PM on his desk The party is putting forward a motion to pressure Sir Keir Starmer's Government to strip Andrew of the title, which would require an Act of Parliament. Meanwhile it has also emerged that Andrew has paid a 'peppercorn rent' on his 30-bedroom Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor for more than 20 years. In the wake of her memoirs, Ms Giuffre's brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, called on the police watchdog to review the decision by the Metropolitan Police not to continue its investigations into her allegations against Andrew. In an interview for Channel 4 News, they urged the force to reopen their probe into Ms Giuffre's claim that she was forced to have sex with the royal when she was aged 17, adding that if the police would not take action they felt the Independent Office for Police Conduct should review the decision. Last Thursday, it was revealed that Andrew met the alleged 'spymaster' at the heart of the collapsed China spy case at least three times. He became embroiled in the scandal engulfing the Government as pictures showed him shaking hands with the Beijing official said to have helped mastermind the Westminster espionage plot. Andrew forged links with CCP mandarin Cai Qi, with the pair posing as they celebrated 'jointly building a golden era in China-UK relations'. Prosecutors now believe Cai was presiding over a massive intelligence-gathering operation to steal British secrets, overseeing the alleged activities of parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and China-based English teacher Christopher Berry. Both men have denied any wrongdoing and the case against them collapsed on the eve of trial last month after the Government refused to label China an 'enemy'. When Tutankhamun's tomb was uncovered in 1922, it was considered the most significant archaeological discovery of the 20th century. But archaeologists now warn that the priceless 3,300-year-old tomb is at risk of collapsing. Researchers have discovered major cracks spreading through the rock that could bring the burial site crumbling down. What's more, rising humidity is peeling away and encouraging fungi that are eating away at the priceless murals. In a new study, archaeologists from Cairo University found that the tomb has developed a fault line running through the ceiling of the entrance and burial chambers. This spreading network of fissures is allowing rainwater to seep in from above, eroding the intricate details and undermining the tomb's integrity. Since the tomb is made of a stone called Esna shale, which expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the spreading damp means that total collapse is now a serious danger. Sayed Hemada, author of the study and Professor of Preservation of Architectural Heritage at Cairo University, told Daily Mail: 'The royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings require urgent intervention and accurate scientific studies to analyse the risks and how to mitigate them.' Archaeologists warn that Tutankhamun's tomb could be about to collapse due to a massive crack (pictured) spreading through the roof Tutankhamun's tomb is buried deep in the rock, making it vulnerable to flash flooding. The most recent flood in 1994 filled the tomb with water, opening cracks in the stone, and triggering fungal growth that has damaged the priceless murals (pictured) Researchers have found that the rock above the tomb is under extreme stress, causing a fissure that runs the through the entrance hall into the burial chamber. The intense pressure on the brittle rock could cause deformation or 'rock bursting' The Valley of the Kings, located West of Luxor, is home to dozens of royal tombs, of which Tutankhamun's is one of the smallest. Although these structures have lasted thousands of years, their geology makes them extremely vulnerable to flooding. Professor Hameda explains: 'These tombs were dug into the foothills of the valley's mountains, which exposed them and will continue to expose them to the dangers of flash floods resulting from heavy rains, especially when they carry debris, stones and soil along the way.' The worst of these floods happened in October 1994, when most of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings were submerged. Professor Hameda says that this flood was a turning point for the structural integrity of Tutankhamun's tomb. The silty waters flooded the burial chamber, opening new fissures, raising the humidity levels, and triggering fungal growth that has severely damaged the murals. In his study, Professor Hameda said that the growing fissure had 'allowed rainwater to penetrate and worsened the cracks, placing the ceiling under pressures exceeding the capacity of Esna shale rock to withstand, particularly given its tendency to expand and contract with fluctuations in humidity.' With the brittle rock now under such intense stress, the report warns that the walls could undergo 'rock bursting', which creates a sudden explosion of stone. Your browser does not support iframes. Tutankhamun's tomb (pictured) is unlikely to collapse in the near future, but could undergo severe damage in the long term if nothing is done to preserve it or if flooding fills the burial chamber again Although Professor Hameda says the tomb will 'definitely not collapse anytime soon', this damage means it might not last as long as it otherwise could. 'There are current and future risks facing the cemetery, which will affect its structural integrity in the long term, and the cemetery may not last for thousands of years as it was built,' he says. However, despite the risk that another flash flood could occur at any time, researchers warn that little is being done to plan for this eventuality. Mohamed Atia Hawash, Professor of Architectural Conservation at Cairo University's Faculty of Archaeology, told Independent Arabia that the surrounding mountains themselves suffer from extensive fissures. These fractures pose a risk of detaching large blocks of rock and sending them crashing down onto nearby tombs. Professor Hawash says: 'A disaster could strike at any moment, and if the Valley of the Kings is to be preserved, action must be taken before it is too late.' A deadly tornado ripped through France yesterday and experts have warned that Britain could be next. On Monday, a tornado hit the region of Ermont in Val d'Oise around 13 miles northeast of Paris, causing three cranes to come crashing down. One 23yearold construction worker died as a result, while four people are in critical condition. Now, experts warn that there could be similar scenes in the UK in a matter of days. Myles Allen, climate scientist at the University of Oxford, said the disaster over in France indicates that a comparable tornado could hit Britain. 'Basic atmospheric physics means it is easier to form these kinds of intense storms in a warmer climate,' he told the Daily Mail. 'And the world warming at around one third of a degree per decade.' What's more, as temperatures continue to climb as a result of climate change, these natural disasters will only become more frequent and more violent. On Monday, a tornado hit the region of Ermont in Val d'Oise around 13 miles northeast of Paris, causing three cranes to come crashing down One person was killed and four others were seriously injured during the violent wind event. Pictured, a collapsed crane that fell during high winds, October 20 A tornado also known as a twister or cyclone is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornados are formed from large thunderstorms, when warm, humid air near the ground is overlaid by relatively cold air above. According to experts, more heat in the atmosphere creates more energy to power tornadoes, meaning climate change is associated with wilder tornados. Dr Astrid Werkmeister, climate scientist at the University of Strathclyde, said tornados are shortlived affairs, typically lasting minutes or hours. Although the Paris tornado itself will not move to the UK, the large scale, lowpressure system that spawned it could. This weather system, hundreds of miles wide and currently over western Europe, 'organised the ingredients' for the tornado in Paris, Dr Werkmeister said. These ingredients include moist, unstable air and strong wind shear and rapid changes in wind speed and direction. 'What can move is the larger weather system that spawned it, which can generate fresh thunderstorms and occasionally brief tornadoes further along its path,' Dr Werkmeister told the Daily Mail. A weather system is a large scale lowpressure system that can whip up wild weather events. In this Met Office map, a black box encloses the weather system that 'organised the ingredients' for the tornado in Paris What happened in France? One person has died and four people are in critical condition after a tornado struck a town near Paris on Monday. It hit Ermont in Val d'Oise, around 13 miles northeast of the French capital, causing three cranes to come crashing down one of which fell on a clinic. Footage of the storm shows strong winds forcing cranes onto buildings, one of which was residential. Roofs were torn off and cars left overturned with multiple power outages reported. 80 firefighters, 50 police officers, and 20 members of emergency medical service the SAMU were mobilised to the help support those affected. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who labelled it as a storm of 'rare intensity' said he was monitoring the situation. Advertisement 'A single thunderstorm embedded in this weather system can briefly spin up a tornado as we saw in Paris.' Whether a tornado will occur in the UK in the next day or two depends on how the current weather system evolves, she added. The weather system could move further west, which would suggest a tornado event is possible in the UK, or it could move further east, putting Brits out of the danger zone. Suzanne Gray, professor of meteorology at the University of Reading, agreed tornados generally cannot move over long distances like hurricanes or the storms that get named by the Met Office meaning any imminent tornado in the UK would have to form separately. 'Tornadoes are shortlived events (minutes to a few hours) associated with rotating thunderstorms,' Professor Gray told the Daily Mail. 'Many can form in a single day over a region if conditions are right, as notoriously happens in 'tornado alley' in the US. According to Professor Gray, the UK does actually experience a large number of tornadoes, although though they are typically weak compared with the ones in the US, which are stronger and more frequent. However, the UK's smaller and weaker tornados are surprisingly common. England also has three 'tornado alleys' that have increased chances of experiencing a tornado south of Birmingham, southwest of Ipswich and an area focused on Guildford in Surrey, just south of London and Reading 'The UK does see tornadoes from time to time around 30 a year, usually weak and shortlived,' said Dr Werkmeister. 'A warming climate increases the chances for heavier downpours and more energetic thunderstorm environments in Europe, which may mean more opportunities for severe convective weather. 'So a similar event here is always a lowprobability but nonzero risk when we have vigorous frontal systems.' According to University of Manchester research, the UK has about 2.3 tornadoes per year per 10,000 sq km, a higher density than the US, which as a whole has 1.3 per 10,000 sq km. England also has three 'tornado alleys' that have increased chances of experiencing a tornado south of Birmingham, southwest of Ipswich and an area focused on Guildford in Surrey, just south of London and Reading. Damage from tornadoes can still be substantial; for example one swept through the carpark of Marwell Zoo in Hampshire in October 2022. Further south, a tornado linked to storm Eunice did a lot of damage in Jersey in November 2023, while a large tornado in Birmingham caused 40 million in damages and injured 39 in July 2005. Brits have been killed by tornados in the past; for example a strong tornado in South Wales in 1913 killed three. Three Minneapolis police officers spotted a spherical Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) with six glowing rings that changed colors. The anonymous witnesses filed a report with Americans for Safe Aerospace, a non-profit led by former US Navy pilot and whistleblower Ryan Graves, saying they observed the object from a parking garage using binoculars. According to the report, one officer drove toward the UAP in a squad car while the other two continued watching from the garage. The officers described the object as hovering at 10,000 feet, moving with both slow and hypersonic speeds, and generating lift without any sound. Even more striking, the report described a near-proximity encounter between the UAP and a civilian helicopter. The observation took place in the vicinity of Minnesota's Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant, a detail that has raised eyebrows among UFO researchers, given the site's strategic significance. The incident occurred in February, but Graves shared the report on X on Monday. A similar sighting was recorded on July 7 in Anoka, about a mile from the witness. That UFO reportedly traveled along the Mississippi River at around 460mph, then abruptly slowed and silently descended behind nearby trees. Three police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota issued a report after seeing a spherical Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) with six glowing rings that changed colors They were on patrol when they spotted the UAP hanging in the night sky. They said it was also near a nuclear facility in the area While believers view the report as yet another sign of advanced unknown technology, skeptics argue the sighting likely has a conventional explanation, perhaps one already orbiting high above Earth. Alejandro Rojas, an advisor at Enigma Labs, which analyzes reports of UAPs, told Daily Mail that the sighting may have been NASA's International Space Station (ISS). 'The ISS has flown over the area for the last few days and was very bright. What we see in the video could be the ISS, but we will need more details to rule it out,' he said. 'The video also doesn't look like 'six interlocking rings of colored lights.' A small point of light in the distance can appear to be multiple colors when it is not, due to the atmosphere between the witness and the object. 'This is called scintillation and is the same thing that makes stars twinkle.' Rojas added that on both February 19 and July 7, the ISS had several bright flyovers in the area. Americans for Safe Aerospace advocates for transparency in UAP research and collects reports from credible witnesses, including military and law enforcement personnel. Graves posted on X that the platform has nearly 1000 reports, noting that more are set to be released. However, some people have said that it was likely NASA's International Space Station that was shining brightly over the area He is a former US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot who became one of the first military aviators to speak publicly about routine UFO encounters during training missions off the East Coast. Graves first drew national attention after revealing that Navy pilots regularly encountered unidentified craft off the US East Coast between 2014 and 2015, objects that appeared to defy known flight physics. These objects were detected both visually and on radar, appeared to hover against strong winds, and could accelerate instantly without visible propulsion. In one incident, a pilot nearly collided with a cube-shaped object encased in a clear sphere. Graves later said the encounters were so frequent they became part of pre-flight safety briefings. He later testified before Congress about the risks these unidentified objects pose to flight safety. Graves said the incidents were so common that pilots began discussing them as part of pre-flight safety briefings. He emphasized that whatever these craft are, advanced foreign tech or something else, they represent a serious aviation safety concern. He later founded Americans for Safe Aerospace. From Kim Kardashian to Paris Hilton, many celebrities are known for their 'vocal fry'. This speech pattern sees users adopting a raspy, low voice that drags out certain syllables. It's usually associated with women, who are often mocked for it on social media. However, a new study has revealed that vocal fry 'isn't just a girl thing'. In fact, scientists from Macquarie University say that vocal fry is just as common in men. Notable examples of male vocal fry include George Sanders' Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, as well as Sean Connery's James Bond. 'Listen to Sean Connery say "Bond. James Bond",' advised Dr Josha Penney, an author of the study. 'You'll hear creak, but it attracts less attention in males.' 'Listen to Sean Connery say "Bond. James Bond",' advised Dr Josha Penney, an author of the study. 'You'll hear creak, but it attracts less attention in males' Scientists from Macquarie University say that vocal fry is just as common in men than it is in women Vocal fry is a common way of speaking in California, but has been picked up across the world thanks to the popularity of American media. Sounds are usually used at the end of a sentence when users dip into lower, creaky notes. It is compared to the way Britney Spears croaks out the line 'Oh baby, baby' in her number one hit 'Baby One More Time'. In their new study, the researchers set out to bust the myth that vocal fry is used predominantly by women. 'We found it interesting that changes in vocal characteristics like creaky voice have been attributed mainly to girls, even though no one had really collected data to support that suggestion,' said Professor Felicity Cox, an author of the study. 'So we set out to see if there was any empirical evidence for a change in creak prevalence in young speakers.' Using advanced analysis of recorded samples, the researchers found no significant difference in the prevalence of vocal fry between male and female speakers. So, why does the myth that it's more common in women prevail? According to the researchers, it likely comes down to pitch. 'It may be that creak is simply more noticeable in female speakers because there tends to be a larger pitch difference between a higher "normal" voice and the lower-frequency creaky voice in females,' said Dr Penney. 'In other words, listeners may be less sensitive to creak in male voices, so the increase in creak in female voices has been salient enough to trigger comment and criticism.' From the metal teeth of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me to Zao's gem-studded face in Die Another Day, James Bond's best villains all have their own signature style. Now, one jewellery store owner has given himself an eye-catching look that would be fitting for any of 007's most dastardly opponents. Slater Jones, 23, had a two-carat diamond fitted into his custom prosthetic eye, which he says cost around $2 million (1.45 million) to create. That very likely makes Mr Jones' prosthetic the most expensive fake eye in the world. Prosthetic expert John Imm, who created Mr Jones' unique eye, wrote on Instagram: 'I have made around 10,000 artificial eyes in the last 32 years for patients as young as 6 weeks old to 101 years old. 'This artificial eye is the most valuable in terms of materials. 'That is a 2 carat diamond. Why not a three carat you ask? Well it wouldn't fit.' Mr Jones's stunning artificial eye has gone viral on social media, with one commenter joking: 'dude is kind of destined to be a Bond villain now.' A jewellery store owner from Alabama has given himself an eye-catching look fit for a Bond villain after installing a two-carat diamond into his prosthetic eye Mr Jones' striking look would rival that of the gemstone-studded Bond villain Zao from Die Another Day (pictured) Mr Jones says that he began to lose vision in his right eye at the age of 17 after developing a toxoplasmosis infection. After multiple surgeries, it became clear that the eye could not be saved and would need to be removed. However, to ensure that this new eye would suit his career as a jewellery designer, Mr Jones decided to design his own unique prosthetic. The result is an eye with a natural diamond iris that shines brilliantly in the light. The prosthetic's creator, John Imm, wrote on X: 'I collaborated with this patient "Slater" who makes jewellery to make him an artificial eye with a diamond iris. 'Certainly the most valuable prosthetic eye in the world. He is "rocking" it.' Speaking about his unusual accessory, Mr Jones said: 'I lost my eye, but it brought new light into my life.' Mr Jones has not been shy about his new super-villain-like appearance. Slater Jones, 23, lost vision in his right eye after contracting a toxoplasmosis infection at the age of 17. When it became clear that the eye needed to be removed, Mr Jones decided to design a prosthetic that suited his career as diamond setter The prosthetic eye includes a large diamond in the iris and cost around $2 million ($1.45 million) to create, according to Mr Jones Now referring to himself as 'Diamond Eye', he uses his striking appearance as a unique selling point with posts on Instagram featuring captions like: 'If your jeweller don't have a diamond eye I don't want to see him.' On social media, fans have flocked to share their amazement over the stunning piece of ocular jewellery. One commenter wrote: 'Bruh you look like a James Bond Villain.' Another wrote: 'So beautiful great job!' 'Hardest prosthetic I've ever seen,' chimed in another. One social media user even joked: 'Id give an eye to have one of those.' Some social media users even praised Mr Jones for how he has been able to turn the loss of his eye into an opportunity to promote his business. A commenter wrote: 'Bro is only 22 years old just starting in the jewelry game and was able to turn a huge setback into something as cool as this.' The eye was created in collaboration with prosthetic expert John Imm (left), who says it is likey the most expensive artificial eye in existence However, some commenters did question the safety of walking around with over a million dollars' worth of gemstones in your eye socket. One commenter added: 'All fun and games until somebody jacks you for your bejewelled eyeball.' 'I guess that's one way to lose an eye in a stabbing incident,' another added. While another asked: 'Shouldnt you be careful every time you go outside?' Amazon employees said they were left in the dark during a massive outage, fueling claims the tech giant tested a so-called 'kill switch'. One staff member made the claim three hours after Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down, which caused widespread disruptions across social media, gaming, food delivery, streaming and financial platforms. The employee said in the video posted to TikTok: 'They don't have any information for us.... I believe in the kill switch. They are just trying to test it out, and it works.' Another staffer can be heard in the background adding: 'They're cleansing it right now, from everything.' Typically, when Amazon systems crash, employees are offered Voluntary Time Off (VTO) to go home. One worker suggested that communication may have been limited because the company's systems were also offline. The 'kill switch' mentioned in the video likely refers to a conspiracy theory claiming that AWS has a secret mechanism to intentionally shut down online infrastructure for control or censorship. However, the company cited an 'operational issue' affecting multiple services and said it was 'working on multiple parallel paths to accelerate recovery'. An AWS spokesperson told Daily Mail: 'These rumors are completely false. The only place for accurate information on cloud health is the AWS Health Dashboard.' The employee who posted the video (pictured) joked that AWS activated the 'kill switch', causing the massive outage The TikTok video has since gone viral on X, where many users agreed that the tech giant activated a kill switch. 'If they actually have a kill switch and just tested it on their entire workforce, that is genuinely terrifying,' one user posted. However, another user posted on X: 'An outage like this is the worst possible scenario for the company. 'The internal systems that provide status updates and VTO were also out. There's no reason for a company to do this on purpose. Would be lighting a building on fire to see if smoke alarms work.' Amazon said the outage was related to issues with its domain name system, which converts web addresses into IP addresses - numeric designations that identify locations on the internet. Another staffer can be heard in the background adding: 'They're cleansing it right now, from everything' DownDetector, a website that tracks online outages, said in a Facebook post that it received more than 11 million user reports of issues at more than 2,500 companies. Users reported trouble with the social media app Snapchat, the Roblox and Fortnite video games, the online broker Robinhood and the McDonald's app, as well as Netflix, Disney+ and many other services. The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and the Signal chat app both said on X that they were experiencing trouble related to the outage. Amazon's own services were also affected. Users of the company's Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa-powered smart speakers reported that they were not working, while others said they were unable to access the Amazon website or download books to their Kindle. Many college and K-12 students were unable to submit or access their homework or course materials on Monday because the AWS outage knocked out Canvas, a widely used educational platform. 'I currently can't grade any online assignments, and my students can't access their online materials' because of the outage's effect on learning-management systems, said Damien P Williams, a professor of philosophy and data science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. While the exact number of schools impacted was not immediately known, Canvas said on its website that it is used by 50 percent of college and university students in North America, including all Ivy League schools in the US. At the University of California, Riverside, students could not submit assignments, take quizzes or access course materials, and online instruction was limited, the institution said. The Ohio State University informed its 70,000 students at all six campuses by email Monday morning that online course materials might be inaccessible due to the outage and that 'students should connect with their instructors for any alternative plans'. A British woman has turned her heartbreak into a hilarious tribute to her favourite low-budget airline - by adding a few subtle touches to a tattoo of her ex-partner's name. Katie Allan, 22, from Cheshire, had her then-boyfriend's name, 'Ryan', inked on her right hip last November as part of a dare. However, the 25 tattoo, done on a whim to prove her ex wrong, became an unwanted reminder after the couple split up just eight months later in July. Instead of opting for a traditional cover-up, Katie and her pals came up with a more creative - and certainly more unique - option: To add 'air' to the end of the name to instead honour Ryanair, the airline she regularly flies with. Speaking to Kennedy News, she said: 'Me and the girls were thinking of cover-ups and then we thought, "What if we didnt even cover it, what if we added air to it and turned it into Ryanair?"' Just weeks after the breakup, Katie had boarded a Ryanair flight to Ibiza, a journey that would become the source of inspiration for her cover-up. Once she'd arrived back in the UK, she returned to the same tattoo artist who did the original ink and had the world 'air' added - free of charge. Allan said: 'As soon as me and him broke up I booked a flight with Ryanair so it just made sense. Katie Allan, 22, from Cheshire, had her then-boyfriend's name, 'Ryan,' inked on her right hip last November as part of a dare The 25 tattoo, done on a whim to prove her ex wrong, became an unwanted reminder after the couple split up just eight months later in July Just weeks after the breakup, Katie had boarded a Ryanair flight to Ibiza, a journey that would become the source of inspiration for her cover-up 'It wasn't heartbreaking having to get it covered up, I felt fine doing it. I got it done because of a bet anyway so I just needed to prove that I would do it. I'm too stubborn to not do it.' Katie said she's not expecting free flights for life - though she joked a quick getaway to Ibiza would be more than welcomed. She said: 'I dont feel like Im owed free flights for life, maybe just a cheeky holiday to Ibiza. I was a big fan of them before, Ive always flown with Ryanair.' Footage of her tattoo rebrand has since made the rounds online, with almost 2M views amassed on a video posted to her TikTok page, @allankatiee. Many have praised Katie for turning a bad decision into a humorous homage to the low-cost airline. One person wrote, 'This is brilliant,' while another said, 'Definitely owed free flights for life.' A third viewer, who appeared to have recently split up with another man named 'Ryan,' said: 'Omg I was going to get his name covered up but might actually do this.' Another joked: 'The food service must've been top notch for you to get that tat, served you chocolates and wine did they?' Once she'd arrived back in the UK, she returned to the same tattoo artist who did the original ink and had the world 'air' added - free of charge Footage of her tattoo rebrand has since made the rounds online, with almost 2M views amassed on a video posted to her TikTok page, @allankatiee Allan said she's not expecting free flights for life - though she joked a quick getaway to Ibiza would be more than welcomed Meanwhile, a tourist is hoping he might now be considered Jet2's biggest fan - and secure some freebie flights - after having the brand's slogan tattooed on his arm. Craig Hicks from Telford, Shropshire, will forever carry the words 'Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday' on his right arm after getting inked on August 6th in tribute to his favourite carrier. The ambulance controller, 37, says he's a 'big fan' of the airline, which started up in 2003 and has amassed a huge following on social media thanks to its catchy theme tune - which uses pop star Jess Glynne's track Hold My Hand. The bold tattoo sees the slogan in capital letters, with the Jet2 logo enlarged and in the brand's signature red, just under his elbow - which the tourist hopes will win him a few future cost-free flights with the company. A holidaymaker has revealed her 'horrible' six-month ordeal after an airline's last-minute flight change caused her to miss a connection. Edina, 48, was flying from Granada, Spain, to Gatwick on September 1, 2019, when she found herself stuck. The Hungarian, who moved to the UK 13 years ago, was travelling with her partner, a breast-feeding infant and two young children via Iberia. The family had booked a connecting flight with the same airline from Madrid to Gatwick and was supposed to arrive at the Spanish airport at 8.05am. Originally, the connecting flight was due to depart Madrid at 8.50am, but it changed to 8.20am, making it impossible for them to make it on time. At the airport, Edina was presented with two options and exclusively told the Daily Mail: 'They told us that we can either wait two days until the next available flight ... or we have to fly back to Malaga, and then from Malaga we can fly to Gatwick.' In the end, the family decided to choose the Malaga route so they could get home sooner. But, they were left stranded in Madrid for some time and had to pay for their hand luggage, food and drinks. Edina, 48, was flying from Granada, Spain to Gatwick on September 1, 2019 when she found herself stuck 'They even made us pay for the hand luggage, they didn't give us any food or drink, water, nothing,' she recalled. 'I had a small baby that was still breastfeeding, so that was also challenging, and the others were a little. One was five and the other was nine, so they were bigger, but still three kids.' She described the situation in Madrid as 'complete chaos' and the family landed in Gatwick eight hours later than they were supposed to. After the ordeal, Edina tried to claim compensation and was hit with further hurdles which she described as 'horrible' to deal with. The holidaymaker didn't receive anything for six months and first approached Iberia who she says 'didn't reply at all'. She then approached the Spanish aviation authority who advised her to submit again to Iberia and wait one month. Eventually, Iberia agreed to pay compensation and Edina received around 2,000 (1,738). She recalled how difficult the process was and that it was 'half in Spanish'. At the airport, Edina was presented with two options and exclusively told the Daily Mail: 'They told us that we can either wait two days until the next available flight ... or we have to fly back to Malaga, and then from Malaga we can fly to Gatwick' 'I don't speak Spanish, so it was very difficult to even figure out who to turn to and how to actually complete this,' Edina said. Fortunately, the money she received covered most of what the family had spent, including the 100 (87) for luggage check-in, food and the entitled compensation. Under EU regulation holidaymakers can receive money back if their journey is held up for longer than three hours, under certain circumstances. Edina isn't alone with her compensation ordeal. Some 18,397 passenger complaints were submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority between January 2021 and July 2025. A huge 75 per cent of claims related to delays or cancellations, according to new figures obtained by Confused.com. Around 45 per cent of the 18,397 complaints were upheld in favour of passengers, and just 16 per cent were resolved in the airlines favour. According to a survey, many holidaymakers find the process of claiming compensation confusing. She described the situation in Madrid as 'complete chaos' and the family landed in Gatwick eight hours later than they were supposed to It's so overwhelming that nearly one in three gave up on their claim, or decided not to pursue one at all because they didnt know they had the right to compensation. Meanwhile, one in five avoided it completely because of how stressful the process felt. As for those who did try to claim compensation, 28 per cent said the system was too complicated. The Daily Mail has approached Iberia for comment. For the majority of travellers, sleeping in a McDonald's restaurant is not a sacrifice they are willing to make - even if it means saving the cost of a hotel room. But in China, there is a growing travel trend among Gen Z tourists, which has become known as 'special forces' travel. Inspired by efficiency, endurance and intensity of military units, they aim to pack as many attractions as possible into short, cheap trips, according to ABC News. These trips have become popular through social media, where travellers share their top tips and itineraries. Among the extreme ways social media users advise to save money is by spending the night in a 24-hour McDonald's restaurant. In May, photos posted on social media of Chinese tourists sleeping overnight at a McDonald's in Hong Kong went viral. Some Hong Kong residents criticised the practice as 'degrading' and said such 'budget travellers' failed to boost the economy. Others called for McDonald's to end its 24-hour operations. One tourist, Chloe Cai, told ABC she managed to spend only $106 (79) during a three-day visit to Hong Kong in May, partly by staying in a McDonald's one night. For the majority of travellers, sleeping in a McDonald's restaurant is not a sacrifice they are willing to make - even if it means saving the cost of a hotel room (stock image) In May, photos posted on social media of Chinese tourists sleeping overnight at a McDonald's in Hong Kong went viral 'The hotels in Hong Kong were too expensive during the holiday,' she said. 'I decided to stay one night in McDonald's and another day staying in a cheap hotel that cost $46 (34.31) a night.' Ms Cai said she felt unsafe and couldn't sleep at all during the night she spent at McDonald's. 'I won't do it again. Next time I'll go on a day trip to Hong Kong,' she said. This money-saving travel tip is unlikely to work in the UK, where many 24-hour locations close their seating area during the night to prevent loitering and sleeping. A couple claimed their all-inclusive holiday was ruined by 'grim' meals that 'looked like dog food'. Erin Wells, 24, and Jordan Evans, 25, jetted off to Crete, Greece, on September 28 to celebrate their birthdays. They booked a 10-night stay at a four-star hotel with easyJet Holidays, which had hordes of positive reviews and paid 2,218. However, the couple were left seriously disappointed by the food and had problems with their room and the hotel facilities. Erin, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, recalled 'unmarked meat' and 'grim desserts', with even the chef not sure what was being served. She said: 'We went down for lunch and saw nothing was labelled, there was just unmarked meat. 'Later on into the holiday I went up to one of the chefs and asked what the meat was and she opened the container, picked up a piece of the meat, ate it and said "well I think it's chicken".' Erin explained how the couple 'didn't know' what they were eating and only had one dessert during their stay 'because they were so grim'. Erin Wells, 24, and Jordan Evans, 25, jetted off to Crete, Greece on September 28 to celebrate their birthdays Erin, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, recalled 'unmarked meat' and 'grim desserts', with even the chef not sure what was being served She added: 'Nothing was marked so you didn't know what you were eating. They were just sat out at room temperature. 'Nothing about them was appealing. They were inedible. 'The food as a whole was just disgusting. They look like dog food. It's not even like they were trying to make the food look presentable. 'I wouldn't even serve the food to a dog.' Despite splurging on the all-inclusive option, Erin and Jordan ended up eating out because they couldn't stomach the food and spent an additional 600. Erin admitted: 'We only ate at the hotel a couple times.' There were other issues with the hotel, too, and the couple noted the sun loungers and pool were 'full of mould'. What's more, their bedroom flooded from the shower. There were other issues with the hotel, too, and the couple noted the sun loungers and pool were 'full of mould' What's more, their bedroom flooded from the shower Erin said: 'When we arrived, we just went straight to our room because we were just so tired. It wasn't until the next morning that we noticed things. 'That morning, I noticed our shower kept flooding. 'As soon as you had a shower, the water would leak out into the room. 'I thought the issue was just with our room, but it wasn't until we started talking to other couples there that we realised all of the rooms flooded.' She described the entire hotel as a 'health hazard' because of the various issues. Erin explained: 'I didn't get in the pool once because it was so disgusting. There was mould all around the side of the pool and sunbeds. 'We were there for 10 days and never saw anyone clean that pool. 'I can't believe they're still open, it was just disgusting. If I'd got in, I'd have probably got ill.' Erin explained: 'I didn't get in the pool once because it was so disgusting. There was mould all around the side of the pool and sunbeds.' She felt like the online listing for the hotel was 'seriously misleading' and the photos are 'so far from what it's actually like there'. Erin described the couple's overall experience as a 'holiday from hell'. An easyJet holidays spokesman said: 'We're sorry to hear Erin didn't have the holiday experience she expected. 'We are in contact with Erin to offer a gesture of goodwill and understand what went wrong so that we can investigate these directly with our hotel partner.' The UK is famed for its careful and thorough approach to health and safety. From overly cautious signs everywhere you go to a seemingly never-ending list of rules and regulations to follow, we're certainly a vigilant bunch. So much so that it's noticeable when overseas visitors step foot on English soil. A Brit who moved to France has returned to the UK for his first holiday in years - and was immediately struck by how the country's obsession with health and safety has 'gone into overdrive'. Anthony Peregrine, The Telegraph's France destination expert, has lived there for many years. On a recent trip back to the UK - his first in a long while - he made the observation. He wrote in The Telegraph: 'The health-and-safety obsession has gone into overdrive. 'Welcome. Table for two? Any allergies? This rang out upon arrival at nearly every restaurant we visited. He wrote in The Telegraph: 'The health-and-safety obsession has gone into overdrive' 'It may be linked to a sense that Britain spends much of its time protecting everyone against, well, everything. 'As if the average Briton were rather daft. (By a breakfast room toaster: Warning: may get hot; at traffic lights: Stop at red light.)' Anthony went on to explain: 'This assumption that Britons lack both gumption and resilience seemed new to me.' Given his experience living in both France and the UK, Anthony's in a prime position to identify the key differences between the two countries, their cultures and their different approaches to travel. One key observation he makes is that tourism offices are prevalent in France across even small towns and cities - whereas in the UK, you can be hard-pressed to find one. He adds: 'Every town in France has a tourist office, as do many villages, and theirs is the planets most visited country. Could it be that this is one thing that the French have got right?' He also notes the abundance of family-run restaurants in France, in comparison to the relatively few in Britain. Plus, Anthony argues that nobody stays out late in the UK - unlike in other European countries such as Spain. Anthony has returned to the UK for his first holiday in years, after living in France Indeed, the UK is known for being cautious when it comes to such health and safety concerns as allergies, building works and safety in the workplace Anthony also writes that 'slovenly speech has become an epidemic' in the UK, criticising poor speech among people in the UK. But Anthony does recognise perks to travelling in the UK - such as public transport. He writes: 'Over 11 days, public transport worked terrifically frequent, reliable, operated by drivers, especially in Wales.' He also suggests Brits are friendly people, calling them 'jolly'. When it comes to work-life balance, it likely comes as no surprise that the UK struggles to compete with its European neighbours. While the UK has a 48-hour weekly work limit, other countries have stronger regulations, more bank holidays, and cultural norms that prioritise distinct separation between work and personal time. It comes as Remote has released their 2025 European Life-Work Balance Index, which ranks every country in Europe based on factors such as statutory annual leave, paid maternity leave, sick leave and average hours worked. Even though the UK failed to make it to the top 10, it has risen from 18th place in 2024 to 13th place this year. Read on to find out which countries beat the UK for the top spots. Ireland Ireland remains the best country in Europe to live and work, according to the Index, and has an overall life-work balance score of 82.89 out of 100. Ireland's International Financial Services Centre is pictured at night. This is a financial hub in Dublin, established in 1987 on former docklands While theres a relatively high cost of living (especially in cities like Dublin), this is offset by a generous minimum wage. The national minimum wage is scheduled to increase from 13.50 euros (11.72) per hour for workers aged 20 and over to 14.15 euros (12.28) next January. Iceland With an overall life-work balance score of 77.98, Iceland steals second place. It may have a relatively tiny population in comparison to most other European countries but its also one of Europes most employee-friendly countries. Iceland frequently tops the charts as one of Europes most employee-friendly countries Like many of its Nordic neighbours, its one of Europes happiest nations. Only Finland has a higher score in this regard, with Icelands contentment likely influenced by a very generous annual leave entitlement of 40 days, including public holidays. Belgium Jumping one place from fourth in 2024 to third in this years index, Belgium has steadily cemented a reputation as one of the best countries in Europe for life-work balance. Pictured: Office buildings of the business district Little Manhattan in Brussels Capital Region, Belgium While it doesnt top the rankings for any specific metric, Belgium scores consistently well across the board. With an average working week of just 34.1 hours, the country also has one of the highest public happiness scores outside of the Nordic region. Denmark The Danes are seen (in the words of Danish-born actor Mads Mikkelsen) as masters of 'keeping life and work in perfect balance'. Denmark ranks behind only Finland (and level with Iceland) when it comes to public happiness. Denmarks policies on statutory annual leave, sick pay, and maternity pay are also among Europes most generous At 32.5 hours, it also has Europes second-shortest average working week only the Dutch enjoy more free time than the Danes. Denmarks policies on statutory annual leave, sick pay, and maternity pay are also among Europes most generous. Germany Germanys work culture is becoming synonymous with a healthy life-work balance, with an average working week of 33.2 hours. Pictured: High-rise buildings in Frankfurt's banking district, Bankenviertel, Germany's primary financial hub Rising two places this year, Germanys strong performance is partly down to an increase in statutory sick pay, as well as marked improvements in public safety, happiness and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Germany also boasts one of the continents highest minimum wages of 12.82 euros (11.13) per hour as of January 1, 2025, and is projected to increase to 12.07 in 2026. Slovenia Rising three spots from ninth in 2025, Slovenia may not be the first country you think of if youre considering relocating for work, but it shouldnt be overlooked. Slovenia offers a fairly generous statutory leave entitlement and healthy rates of sick and maternity pay. Its also considered to be one of the safest European countries to live in, potentially making it a good option for expat families. One downside is that the average Slovenian working week (37.6 hours) is longer than any other country in the top ten. Finland With a score of 71.84, the average working week in Finland is one of the shortest in Europe (33.8 hours). Ranked as the worlds happiest country for the past eight years, the country boasts low crime rates, high-quality education, gender equality and a strong social support system. The entitlement of 38 days of statutory annual leave, including public holidays, makes Finland one of the most generous countries for time off Finlands workplace culture is likely also a big driver of its high happiness rating, with free time seen as essential. The entitlement of 38 days of statutory annual leave, including public holidays, makes Finland one of the most generous countries when it comes to allowing employees to take time off. Norway Norway has dropped two places in this years ranking, but remains synonymous with having a strong and inclusive workplace culture. Of the countries in the top ten, only Denmark has a shorter average working week than Norways 32.6 hours. Norway has dropped two places in this years ranking, but remains synonymous with having a strong and inclusive workplace culture. Pictured: A row of high-rise buildings located in the Bjrvika section of Oslo's waterfront The country is also considered the second-most LGBTQ+-friendly country in Europe, behind Iceland. And like many of its neighbours in the Viking Homelands, Norway is among Europes most contented nations, with a happiness score of 9.39. Portugal Portugal has entered the top 10 in 2025, rising three places from 12th last year. The country places a strong value on maintaining a healthy work culture, being one of the safest countries to live in Europe. It places fifth overall behind only Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, and Iceland for public safety. Elsewhere, statutory annual leave is amongst the best on the continent. When working in Portugal, youre entitled to 35 days of paid leave, including public holidays. Spain Pictured: The AZCA financial district in Madrid, Spain. This area serves as one of the two main financial districts of the Madrid metropolitan area With a score of 70.13, Spain secured 10th spot. However, the country has a long average working week compared to many of its European counterparts at 36.3 hours. But this is still less than in the UK, where the average working week is approximately 36.6 hours for full-time workers, according to ONS data. Spain's statutory annual leave policy of 31 days of paid leave, including public holidays, is among the most generous in Europe. The UK's 'most beautiful town' is set to star in a new Christmas movie with Hollywood A-Listers. Surrounded by lush greenery and packed with characterful buildings, cobbled streets and history, it's not surprising the Yorkshire location has caught the eyes of film producers. Rebel Wilson, Danny Dyer and Kiefer Sutherland were some of the movie stars to be spotted in Knaresborough earlier this year as they filmed Sky Original's Tinsel Town. The A-Listers were in the North Yorkshire location in January and February, as well as other spots including Riverside, Castlegate and Green Dragon Yard, The Sun reports. Katrina Turrill, from the publication, described Knaresborough as the 'most beautiful town in the country'. It boasts a picturesque river where many visitors enjoy a boat ride, as well as an impressive viaduct. There are plenty of independent shops and cafes to try out, as well as the historical Knaresborough Castle to explore. Tinsel Town is set to hit screens on November 28 and will delve into the tale of a failed Hollywood star who finds himself in a village pantomime of Cinderella. Surrounded by lush greenery and packed with characterful buildings, cobbled streets and history, it's not surprising the Yorkshire location has caught the eyes of film producers Rebel Wilson (pictured), Danny Dyer and Kiefer Sutherland were some of the movie stars to be spotted in Knaresborough earlier this year as they filmed Sky Original's Tinsel Town Directed by Chris Foggin, who was behind 2022 festive film This Is Christmas, Sutherland will play the lead, Bradley Mack. Meanwhile, Wilson will play choreographer Jill. Wilson even gave Knaresborough a shout-out on her Instagram back in March when filming wrapped up. She shared a selection of photographs from the set and with her fellow crew members. The star penned: 'Aaaand thats a wrap on TINSEL TOWN, a Christmas movie thatll be out this year! 'Kiefer gave me this Polaroid camera on the last day as a present so I took these snaps of some of the brilliant cast & crew on set. 'Loved filming in Leeds, Knaresborough and Harrogatebeing outside was like free cryotherapy!! '(Also the Kylie Minogue panto number choreographed by Adam is probably my favorite thing in this film!)' Wilson even gave Knaresborough a shout-out on her Instagram back in March when filming wrapped up For those wanting to experience a real-life Christmas movie town, Knaresborough is accessible by train and there are various parking options in the town and nearby. There are plenty of attractions to explore, including Mother Shipton's Cave which has been open since 1630 and is named after a Yorkshire prophetess. Knaresborough Market is held every Wednesday and is a traditional affair with plenty of stalls offering meat, produce and other items. If the weather allows, there are picturesque river walks, too, as well as a range of pubs to pop into. Hurtling through countryside villages dressed to the nines with a glass of Champagne in hand and a cheese board on the immaculately laid table in front of you. It sounds more like a scene from a vintage movie than a trip from 2025. But now you could find yourself in this exact scenario this Christmas. The UK's 'poshest train' is set to make a return this festive season - at a cost. The Northern Belle was launched in 2000 and has since gained a reputation as one of the world's most luxurious trains. With 1930s Pullman-style carriages and luxe interiors, taking a trip on this train is a real ride back in time. The steam train will be touring around the UK in December, hitting locations such as Norwich, London, Glasgow, Manchester, Hull, Coventry, Edinburgh and more. The journeys come with a price tag to match though, as they start at 395. One of the worlds most luxurious trains, the Northern Belle, will be touring around the UK in December With 1930s Pullman-style carriages and luxe interiors, taking a trip on this train is a real ride back in time You can book a Festive Lunch aboard the train, which will begin as you walk across the red carpet on the train platform. You'll be met with Champagne and canapes, including caviar blinis and other delicacies. But that's just the start - once you're comfortable in your designated armchair, you'll tuck into a seven-course festive feast served with the finest wines, dessert and an award-winning cheeseboard, accompanied by a glass of delightful Port. To accompany your ride, musicians will be playing festive tunes to get you in the Christmas spirit. An onboard magician, who wanders from table to table, will also perform some tricks. During the Christmas season, the train will head to areas known for their festive markets. For instance, you could hop on board a ride to Edinburgh to visit the elegant shops of Princes Street as well as markets. Or take a trip to York for the beautiful medieval streets and festive stalls. To accompany your ride, musicians will be playing festive tunes to get you in the Christmas spirit You can book a Festive Lunch aboard the train, which will begin as you walk across the red carpet on the train platform It comes as demand for luxury train travel is becoming more and more popular, with tourists looking for unique trips to experience. Earlier this year, Belmond released breathtaking, first-look photos of the first luxury sleeper train to operate in England and Wales. The Britannic Explorer, A Belmont Train, offers guests a three-night journey through the picturesque landscapes of England and Wales aboard a service boasting 18 'extraordinary' cabins. Other train trips across the world are popular, too, with options everywhere from Serbia to India. An iconic European attraction can now be seen without scaffolding for the first time in 20 years. The Parthenon was constructed around 2,500 years ago in the middle of the 1st century BC by the ancient Greeks. When it was built, the impressive structure was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, a Greek goddess also known as Athena the Virgin. For centuries, hordes of people have clambered the hill of the Acropolis to see the temple. But for the last 20 years the Parthenon has seen scaffolding mounted on parts of its pillars and walls. The construction work partially obstructed some of the iconic attraction but was essential to allow vital conservation to be completed. The scaffolding has now been removed and visitors can enjoy a view of the Parthenon without the metal bars for the first time in 20 years. It also marks the first time the structure won't have work happening since the nineteenth century. The Parthenon was constructed around 2,500 years ago in mid-century BC by the ancient Greeks The Telegraph reported how Culture Minister Lina Mendoni commented, 'at least two generations have not seen the Parthenon visually free'. The minister added: 'But to see the Parthenon completely free, as it stands today, is something that has not happened for at least 200 years.' But tourists only have one month to catch a glimpse of the Parthenon before more construction continues. Thankfully the new scaffolding won't be as bulky and according to Time Out, Mendoni said it would be 'lighter and aesthetically much closer to the logic of the monument'. The minister reportedly told national Greek radio that without the construction work, everyone is 'seeing a different, a completely different monument'. What's more, the additional work shouldn't be around for too long. It is expected to be finished by next summer. Mendoni commented that when the conservation is over, 'the Parthenon will be completely freed of this scaffolding too, and people will be able to see it truly free.' Thousands of visitors have been flocking to the British Museum to see the Parthenon Sculptures. But for the last 20 years the Parthenon has seen scaffolding mounted on parts of its pillars and walls Also known as the Elgin Marbles, the Parthenon Sculptures are a collection of marble decorative statues taken from the temple to Athena on the Acropolis in Athens. While the famous marble carvings are now white, a new study suggests that they were once brilliantly coloured. Researchers from the Art Institute of Chicago found that the goddess' clothes in particular were highly decorated, with designs possibly showing running figures or floral patterns. Dr Giovanni Verri, lead researcher, said: 'The elegant and elaborate garments were possibly intended to represent the power and might of the Olympian gods, as well as the wealth and reach of Athens and the Athenians.' Nestled in Spain's mountainous Basque Country on the Bay of Biscay is a resort town known for its white sand beaches, world-class culinary scene and vibrant festivals. Widely considered one of Europe's most beautiful cities and the 'culinary capital' of the Basque Country, San Sebastian receives millions of tourists each year. The city has three main beaches, La Concha, Ondarreta, and Zurriola and last year, Which? named San Sebastian as Spains best coastal town. And while tourism is great for the local economy, the influx of visitors has led to overcrowding issues in the city's busiest areas. According to one study, cigarette butts represent between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the waste collected on the beaches. To manage this, tourists will face new beach rules which should be in effect by 2026 as part of an effort to conserve the famous coast. The city council has announced a plan that would ban smoking on all beaches, curb noise from music and speakers and set new rules for pets. Among the new measures is the total ban on smoking on beaches. Widely considered one of Europe's most beautiful cities and the 'culinary capital' of the Basque Country, San Sebastian receives millions of tourists each year According to one study, cigarette butts represent between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the waste collected on the beaches The city has three main beaches, La Concha, Ondarreta, and Zurriola (pictured) With this initiative, San Sebastian would become the second Basque town to ban smoking on its beaches, after Zarautz, where new rules came into force on 7 October. In a statement posted on X, San Sebastian City Council revealed the new regulations would be start to be discussed this week and come into force in June 2026. It said: 'The City Council will launch the participatory process to amend the Beach Ordinance on Monday October 20. 'It will address three major areas; the prohibition of smoking on the beaches, allowing dog access also during summer nights and the limitation of sound devices.' The new rules include some changes for pet owners as during the summer, dogs will only be allowed on the beaches from 9pm to midnight, according to Euro News. Previously, dogs were only allowed on public beaches between September 1 and May 30. The council claims that growing complaints have made formal rules necessary and is inviting its locals to share their thoughts on the proposals, with the aim of the new rules being fully implemented by June 2026. It comes as earlier this year, La Concha beach in San Sebastian introduced a new rule reducing the number of parasols allowed on the beach by a third, from 440 to 290 as a direct response to the impacts of climate change on the coastline. The new rules include some changes for pet owners as during the summer, dogs will only be allowed on the beaches from 9pm to midnight The new rule, implemented by a national coastal authority, requires parasols to be placed at least six meters from the water to account for the new, higher high-tide line. Meanwhile, Palma, the capital of Mallorca, has implemented a total ban on party boats, new tourist rentals and youth hostels. The mayor Jaime Martinez outlined the tough new measures, saying the ban on more tourist rentals comes into immediate effect. Party boats will be completely banned from Palmas sea front where they dock, starting next season. What do you think of when you picture the Netherlands? The winding waterways of Amsterdam, perhaps? The Dutch architecture that lines the streets of Rotterdam? European cobbled streets with pretty shops and restaurants? All of these typical Dutch features can be found a tad closer to home, though - as nearby as Devon. Located along the Exe Estuary on the south coast of the UK, the historic port town of Topsham has been hailed for its 'Dutch charm'. According to local expert Alex Gwillim of Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays: 'Topsham is home to some of the most unique buildings in Devon. 'The "Dutch Houses" on The Strand are aptly named thanks to their curved gable ends and tall narrow stature, architectural features more commonly found in Holland than in the UK.' Alex explains: 'The Dutch flavour to the local architecture originates from Topsham's rich history as a bustling port used to export Devon wool to the Netherlands. 'Merchants returning to England often used Dutch bricks as ballast in their ships, inspiring the builders to recreate the distinctive Dutch-style charm evident in the town today.' Located a long the Exe Estuary on the south coast of the UK, the historic port town of Topsham has been hailed for its 'Dutch charm' It's a vibrant town with plenty to do, from visiting artisan shops to grabbing a drink at waterside cafes But it's not just the architecture that is reminiscent of such cities as Amsterdam and the Hague. It's a vibrant town with plenty to do, from visiting artisan shops to grabbing a drink at waterside cafes. Alex says it's one of East Devon's best-kept secrets with lots to explore: 'For a scenic stroll, wander along The Goat Walk, a circular route that is both pushchair and wheelchair friendly. 'If you are feeling more adventurous, take the Exe Estuary path to Exmouth and get the train back or cycle along the Exe Estuary Trail.' Much like the Netherlands, food is part of the appeal in Topsham. Alex adds: 'Food lovers are spoilt for choice, with fantastic eateries offering locally sourced produce and warm, attentive service. 'For a traditional pub with seafood dishes served right on the water's edge, stop by The Passage and take in the scenic estuary views. For a fine dining experience, head to The Galley, a beautiful fish and seafood restaurant that has rightfully earned its place on the Michelin Guide. 'And if it's just a coffee and a sweet treat you are after, check out The Cafe or Circle, the latter doubles as a lovely place to pick up houseplants and gifts.' According to a local expert, Topsham is home to some of the most unique buildings in Devon There's beautiful nature to explore, including excellent birdwatching spots. And it's only two hours from London, making it an easy-to-reach location for a quick getaway. Alex adds that getting to Topsham is easy from Exeter, using GWR's Avocet Line it's a 16 minute journey from Exeter Central with beautiful views of the Exe Estuary. Alex says: 'There are lots of lovely options for accommodation in Topsham, from cosy cottages to family-friendly stays, beautifully located on or near the Exe Estuary.' Farmers return to their roots to reap abundant profits 09:11, October 21, 2025 By Zhao Yimeng ( China Daily Zhaotong, a city in Southwest China's Yunnan province, is home to Yiliang, one of the 832 counties lifted out of the doldrums by China's poverty alleviation drive. Since then, Zhaotong has capitalized on its special agricultural products to further push economic growth and improve rural living standards. The city ranks first in Yunnan in the cultivation of apples, bamboo, gastrodia elata, Sichuan peppers and potato seed tubers. Last year, its total agricultural output value exceeded 150 billion yuan ($21.06 billion), and this year it is expected to reach 180 billion, local officials said. Gastrodia elata, an orchid-like plant used in traditional Chinese medicine, has blossomed into a pillar industry of the county and reshaped its economy. In Yiliang's Baozang village, farmer Jiang Qingkun has benefited from the transformation. In the past, Jiang was forced to seek work away from home due to low agricultural returns. But he literally returned to his roots when the gastrodia industry began to flourish. "We used to get about 7.5 (metric) tons per hectare, but now it's 26.2 tons, which can earn over 100,000 yuan," Jiang said, adding that the family's annual income now exceeds 1 million yuan. Before 2020, local farmers relied on self-cultivated fungi for planting gastrodia, resulting in low yields and carrying high risks. To overcome these challenges, Zhaotong established a comprehensive germplasm resource base for gastrodia, collaborating with research institutions to develop high-yield and stable varieties such as Zhaowuma No 1. The city also attracted investment to establish standardized production facilities for the fungi needed to grow gastrodia, significantly boosting production capacity. Yunnan Senhao Fungi, a key player in the sector, has seen annual production reach 1.9 million bags, with sales extending nationwide. Long Tonghong, production manager at the company, said the Wutianma fungus strain they developed jointly with research institutes, can increase a farmer's income by more than 60,000 yuan per hectare. Gastrodia has been officially included in the national "medicine and food homology" catalog. The fresh gastrodia output of the city has reached 58,200 tons and the industry's comprehensive output value stood at 9.39 billion yuan by the end of 2024. Specialty agricultural products have played a crucial role over the past five years in consolidating the victory over poverty alleviation and ensuring the rise of rural incomes, according to officials and experts. China made remarkable strides in rural vitalization during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), particularly in improving the livelihoods of once impoverished rural people. Since then, each of the 832 counties lifted out of poverty has developed two to three leading industries, with the total output value exceeding 1.7 trillion yuan, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Rural incomes have continued to rise over the past five years, with the average disposable income of rural residents reaching 23,119 yuan in 2024. The income gap between urban and rural residents is narrowing, with the ratio decreasing from 2.56 yuan to 1 yuan in 2020, to 2.34 to 1 in 2024, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun said. The agricultural sector has seen significant growth. The revenue of large-scale agricultural processing enterprises reached 18 trillion yuan last year. New industries and business models such as rural e-commerce and tourism are thriving, Han added. Resettlement communities Maojiawan in Ludian county is the largest resettlement community for poverty alleviation in China. Jobs are available at a "green" food park just half a kilometer away, an edible fungi base 1 km away, a scallion production base about 2 km away, and an apple orchard 3 km away. Zhang Shaofen, a formerly impoverished farmer now living in Tao yuan community, said that in her spare time, she works at the scallion base where she earns 3,000 to 4,000 yuan a month. "The scallion base is a major employer," said manager Xu Jianhua. "From mulching and planting, to harvesting and transport, every hectare of land requires 150 laborers," he said. Last year, the area's core industrial bases provided 200,000 work opportunities for local farmers and relocated residents. These industries take into account local resources, market prospects, and labor absorption capacity, and have strong momentum for growth. Among them, edible fungi have emerged as a key sector serving poverty alleviation. Yunnan Yunmeng Biotechnology brought in technical teams from Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces to provide hands-on guidance, and partnered with research institutes including the Kunming Edible Fungi Research Institute of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives and the Guangdong Academy of Sciences. The collaboration boosted the output of mushroom cultivation sticks. "Now we've basically reached the break-even point, and we expect to turn a steady profit starting next year," said Li Xiaoyang, deputy general manager of the company. To sharpen its competitive edge, the company is developing sales of graded dried mushrooms, and exploring new varieties such as artificially cultivated lurid bolete, or jianshouqing mushrooms. National strategy Zhaotong's efforts reflect a broader national strategy to consolidate poverty alleviation achievements and promote rural vitalization. Minister Han highlighted the importance of the five-year transition period that followed the 2020 victory over poverty. Its aim was to solidify and expand poverty alleviation results, and ensure a seamless transition to rural vitalization, he said at a news conference last month. Approaches during the transition period have continued support for impoverished rural residents, enhancing their economic vitality and resilience. During this period, efforts have been made to prevent large-scale returns to poverty. A robust monitoring and assistance system was established, providing targeted support to over 600 million people. This proactive approach helped ensure early intervention and support for those at risk, effectively reducing the chances of poverty relapse, Han said. Efforts have also focused on improving people's motivation by combining developmental assistance with bottom-line guarantees, and emphasizing the importance of self-driven growth. Over 85 percent of formerly impoverished households have benefited from industry support, and employment initiatives have kept over 30 million people in stable jobs. The transition period identified 160 key counties for rural vitalization, with significant resources directed to these areas. The central government has allocated over 850 billion yuan to support rural infrastructure and public services, leading to improved transportation, telecommunications, education, healthcare, and cultural facilities. "China's poverty alleviation success has not only improved domestic conditions but also garnered international recognition, contributing Chinese solutions and wisdom to global poverty reduction efforts," Han said. Maierdan Mugaiti, a vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said the construction of livable and workable rural areas has seen significant progress. Local authorities have tailored development strategies to boost rural industries and living conditions. The national average toilet coverage rate has reached 76 percent, and over 90 percent of administrative villages now manage waste effectively. Rural infrastructure has also been significantly upgraded. The total length of rural roads now exceeds 4.64 million km, with 5G coverage reaching over 90 percent of administrative villages. "As the delivery network now extends deeper into rural areas, more farmers can now send and receive parcels right at their doorstep," Maierdan said. In addition, initiatives like the county-level medical system have made healthcare more accessible, with over 95 percent of village clinics covered by medical insurance. More than 140,000 elderly care facilities and over 16,000 rural nursing homes have been built, enabling senior citizens to enjoy a wider range of elderly care services, he added. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) The Golden Bachelor premiered on Monday night, and viewers were stunned by a bizarre detail about leading man Barry 'Bear' Myrden. The debut episode introduced viewers to Bear, 61, a Canadian-born engineer who has lived in Australia for over two decades. Despite residing in Australia for over 20 years, the North American-born father of three still speaks with a thick Canadian accent. Shocked viewers took to social media to share their thoughts about the Samantha Armytage-hosted series featuring a Canadian-born Bachelor. 'Why is the Australian Golden Bachelor NOT AUSTRALIAN?' one person asked. 'Look, love him. I'm sure he's a great man... but why have we got a Canadian as the Aussie Golden Bachelor?' another added. The Golden Bachelor premiered on Monday night, and viewers were stunned by a 'bizarre' detail about leading man Barry 'Bear' Myrden (pictured) 'The accent... Could we not find an Aussie accent?' a third chimed in. 'Clearly the producers think we don't have any polished, suave Australian men in Australia,' someone else sniped. Bear has lived in Australia since 1998, when he moved to Sydney with his wife Audrey, who tragically died 13 years ago after a long cancer battle. At the start of the episode, Bear was introduced to viewers as a father of three boys Charlie, 21, Jack, 20, and Declan, 17 who had emigrated from Canada to Australia with Audrey two decades ago. 'It wasn't always a smooth journey, though,' Bear said as a stirring montage of photos and home videos featuring Audrey played. 'There was a time when I didn't sail solo.' He continued: 'I met Audrey, the love of my life, in 1988 in Calgary, Canada. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was the one, and we just hit it off from there. 'We got married, she gave me three beautiful boys, and all was right in the world.' Bear then revealed that tragically, his wife was diagnosed with a 'brain tumour which turned the family's world upside down.' The debut episode introduced viewers to Bear, a Canadian-born engineer who has lived in Australia for over two decades. Pictured with host Samantha Armytage Despite residing in Australia for over 20 years, the North American-born father of three still speaks with a thick Canadian accent 'One day she came home with a headache. She went to the doctors and the next thing I knew she was being rushed into emergency surgery - it was a brain tumour,' he explained. 'It was just unfathomable. She had four major surgeries. The fourth surgery, she never came home.' He then heartbreakingly explained how he told his sons that they had lost their beloved mother. 'The boys were asking me where Mummy was, and I just said: 'Mummy's gone to sleep and not coming back,' he said. Bear also admitted that while he was more than open to finding love on the Channel Nine series, the ladies vying for his heart had a lot to live up to. 'Audrey was more than one in a million; she was one in six billion,' he said. 'It's been 14 years since her passing. I know deep down no one can replace her, but with the boys' love and support, I know I can possibly find love again.' Bear also displayed a level of vulnerability while chatting to host Samantha Armytage before the first introductions. 'I'm feeling excited, but nervous,' he said, and Samantha asked the reality star what he was scared about, and he admitted that putting himself out there made him feel 'vulnerable'. Bear will be looking for love with 20 different women on the show, aged between 51 and 66. The Golden Bachelor continues at 7:30pm on Tuesday on Channel 9 and 9Now. Married At First Sight UK descended into chaos on Monday night's episode with one of the series' most divisive stars issuing an apology after being left shocked by her own behaviour. Viewers and Julia-Ruth and Divarni's co-stars were left baffled when the couple walked into Monday's dinner party holding hands, after a tense week that had left many convinced they had called it a day. Their co-stars were left speechless by their entrance, with expert Paul Brunson declaring the moment 'the coldest entrance in MAFS history'. In the days leading up to the dinner party viewers saw Julia-Ruth admit to lying about the couple's sex life, whilst Divarni was dealt the devastating blow that his wife doesn't find him sexually attractive. Grace summed up the pair's united front at the dinner party, as she told them: 'Surprised to see you guys here together,' Julia-Ruth replied: 'We had a bit of a week, didn't we?' before Divarni chimed in: 'Definitely. [We] celebrated yesterday, our one month anniversary.' Married At First Sight UK descended into chaos on Monday night's episode with one of the series' most divisive stars issuing an apology after being left shocked by her own behaviour Viewers and Julia-Ruth and Divarni's co-stars were left baffled when the couple walked into Monday's dinner party holding hands The remark left the group in shock as Grace quipped: 'Cool! That makes sense!' Leigh then called Julia-Ruth 'delusional' prompting Julia-Ruth to insist that she had apologised to Divarni and he was the only one that mattered. But the fellow brides and grooms weren't convinced as Grace pointed out that Julia-Ruth has given 'a completely different narrative' about her sex life with her husband. 'His character has been ripped apart for weeks' an exasperated Leigh interrupted, as a defeated-looking Divarni sat silently. The show's experts were left just as baffled by Julia-Ruth's behaviour with Charlene Douglas declaring that she had not been putting in the work like the other couples and was therefore 'making a mockery of the process.' Later in the episode, tensions escalated even further after Leigh gave a toast to kick off the dinner, during which she asked the group to be honest about their feelings. Julia-Ruth was heard making a comment to her husband Divarni about Leigh, telling him: 'She's a stupid b***h. She's a little snake.' While the bride attempted to make the remarks subtly, it was overheard by the other contestants - including Leigh - and scenes of absolute chaos erupted. Leigh said: 'I have f**k all to say to you Julia-Ruth. You're the one in the wrong.' The show's experts were left just as baffled by Julia-Ruth's behaviour with Charlene Douglas declaring that she was 'making a mockery of the process' Julia-Ruth was then accused of disliking Leigh since the start of the experiment, with groom Ashley stating: 'She's been slighting you all along, and her opinion hasn't changed. 'She's been saying it to all the girls mate,' he added, addressing Julia-Ruth's husband Divarni. Keye went on to accuse the couple, who had a promising start before Julia-Ruth took umbrage with her husband's height, of 'making an absolute mockery of the experiment'. He said: 'This relationship is fake. She [Julia-Ruth] is making an absolute mockery of the experiment.' Later as the honesty box was bought out, Julia-Ruth asked if she had been emotionally or physically attractive to another husband during the experiment. Julia-Ruth didn't hesitate as she confessed to the shocked group that she found Stephen physically attractive. Julia-Ruth issued an apology after watching the dramatic episode on Monday night, as she insisted: 'I came into this experiment hoping for the best' Julia-Ruth issued an apology after watching the dramatic episode on Monday night, as she insisted: 'I came into this experiment hoping for the best - a lifetime partner. I think I lost myself to this process, over and over.' 'I hurt a lot of good people who loved me and to this day am still making amends with those I've wronged and will continue to do so.' Addressing some viewers accusations that she entered the TV experiment purely for fame, after appearing on MTV's 2023 dating show Are You The One? Julia-Ruth defended herself. 'The producers knew I was on a show before MAFS and wouldn't have me on MAFS if they didn't believe where my heart was at and my intentions,' she added. 'I myself lost sight of that and who I am on my time in this experiment.' Speaking about the explosive dinner party, she admitted: 'Unfortunately that dinner party was not the best in any way. I had alcohol, was emotionally drained, sleep deprived felt backed into a corner and wasn't the best version of myself in any capacity.' Speaking about the explosive dinner party, she admitted: 'Unfortunately that dinner party was not the best in any way 'I take full responsibility for my absolute freak out and will learn to just pipe down, walk away and do better in future.' She teased that there is still plenty more dramatic scenes to come as she concluded her post. 'There's still a lot more flops to go (fml) but felt it necessary to speak up now. It's really eye opening watching it back almost 6 months later. I'm grateful for the mended friendship from this bunch. Here's to doing better.' University Challenge viewers have been left stumped by a string of tricky questions that even left Britain's sharpest university teams admitting defeat. Hosted by Amol Rajan, the hit BBC series has earned its reputation as television's most savage quiz show. During Monday's episode, SOAS University of London and Imperial College London went head-to-head for the coveted trophy. But multiple puzzles throughout the episode proved to be so hard that it stopped both teams in their tracks. Amol asked the students: 'What six-letter acronym was adopted by a group of mid-20th-century French writers who experimented with works restricted by logical or mathematical constraints? 'Members included Georges Perec and Raymond Queneau.' University Challenge viewers have been left stunned by a string of tricky questions that even left Britain's sharpest university teams admitting defeat Hosted by Amol Rajan, the hit BBC series has earned its reputation as television's most savage quiz show Both teams were left in panic as one of them admitted: 'I have no idea' and they passed. Another tricky question was: 'Which Canadian province is the only one whose borders are not determined by any natural features such as bays, rivers or coastlines?' And another: 'Question: In which English county is the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, a stretch of coastline that runs from Skegness to the mouth of The Wash?' Both university groups are no strangers to intense quiz pressure, with Imperial famously winning their fifth University Challenge title last year. But even they both looked rattled by the relentless complexity of the round. While contestants had seconds to buzz in, viewers at home paused their TVs and still struggled. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, they penned: 'It doesn't matter how many times and years I've been watching this I don't think I'm improving, my only real chance of getting any right is the music round.' 'Questions on #UniversityChallenge seem to get longer and longer.' During Monday's episode, SOAS University of London and Imperial College London went head-to-head for the coveted trophy But multiple puzzles throughout the episode proved to be so hard that it stopped both teams in their tracks Amol asked the students: 'What six-letter acronym was adopted by a group of mid-20th-century French writers who experimented with works restricted by logical or mathematical constraints? Members included Georges Perec and Raymond Queneau' While contestants had seconds to buzz in, viewers at home paused their TVs and still struggled 'I've never felt more thick than I do watching this show.' 'One of my lowest scores tonight. Not my kind of questions.' If you fancy giving yourself a test, try answering the questions now before scrolling further. Answers: Oulipo, Saskatchewan, Lincolnshire. It comes after 'Spooked' University Challenge viewers gasped 'how did they know?!' last week as one of the episodes closed with a Jilly Cooper 'tribute' - despite being filmed before her death. The instalment saw Imperial take on Churchill College, Cambridge. At the end of the last round, Amol asked the teams a question about the late Jilly Cooper - which left fans lost for words as it was revealed on Monday that she had died aged 88. The author and journalist passed away on October 5 following a fall. Presenter Amol asked the two teams: 'First, the county in the Cotswolds created by Jilly Cooper and which is the setting of a number of her novels, including Riders and Rivals...' But the players didn't get a chance to answer as the final buzzer rang out. University Challenge airs Mondays on BBC Two and is available to stream on iPlayer. Mastermind fans were seriously distracted by one of the contestants on Monday's episode of the BBC show - but can you spot why? The latest episode of the quiz programme, hosted by Clive Myrie, 61, saw four new players take on the hot seat with their chosen specialist subjects. Jonathan Bartley decided to answer questions on former US president Richard Nixon, Matthew Patenall picked Nirvana, Jane Kendrick showed off her knowledge about English architect George Skipper and Savannah Phillips chose sitcom Derry Girls. One person in particular, Matthew, got people chatting on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'Elon Musk got a secret son thats on mastermind tonight? Jeeze #mastermind.' 'Elon Musk certainly knows his Nirvana.' Mastermind fans were seriously distracted by one of the contestants on Monday's episode of the BBC show - but can you spot why? Jonathan Bartley decided to answer questions on former US president Richard Nixon, Matthew Patenall picked Nirvana, Jane Kendrick showed off her knowledge about English architect George Skipper and Savannah Phillips chose sitcom Derry Girls They rushed to the social media platform to share how much they think that Matthew looks like Elon Musk, 54 (pictured) 'He looks like a Musk bot #mastermind.' 'No 2 looks like a first attempt at cloning Elon Musk.' 'Must be a celebrity edition. Elon Musk and Queenie Watts are on it.' 'Howaya Elon.' They rushed to the social media platform to share how much they think that Matthew looks like Elon Musk, 54. The businessman owns a number of companies including Tesla, C and xAI. Visitor welcome assistant Matthew managed an impressive 11 points about his the American rock band and after the general knowledge round. Overall he bagged a whopping 19 points, meaning that he was winner of his episode and got a place in the semi-final. Many rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share how much they think that Matthew looks like Elon Musk Visitor welcome assistant Matthew managed an impressive 11 points about his the American rock band and after the general knowledge round It comes after last month fans blasted the BBC for 'dropping its standards' after a contestant won the show with a specialist subject that 'isn't serious enough'. Admin assistant Danielle was competing against a global health consultant specialising in composer Chopin, a digital designer specialising in the plays of Samuel Beckett and a teacher specialising in the life of American activist Gloria Steinem. It was revealed that Danielle would be answering questions based on the first ten series of the popular cartoon, which was first launched in the 1990s. Among the questions the contestant had to face were: 'What was the name of the dog the Simpsons adopt in the first episode?' and 'what is the name of the Simpsons' local newspaper?' Scoring an impressive 11 points in the first round, and using no passes, Danielle then went on to score another 13 points in the second general knowledge round as she went head to head with health consultant Omair. Clive congratulated Danielle: 'In the lead with 24 is Danielle, so she goes through to the semi-final, congratulations to her.' Celebrating her win, the admin assistant then told the camera: 'I can't believe it to be honest, it's not what I expected really signing up, I just thought give it a go and at least to be a part of it. 'But to actually win, I don't think I really heard it when Clive said it. I've never been on a quiz show before, it's been brilliant. 'The main person cheering me on at home is mum - and I got into quiz shows by watching the BBC's quizzing Mondays, just the two of us. We always try to keep a little tally. 'Going into the semi-finals, I feel quite nervous now, it didn't even occur to me that there would be another topic to learn so it's quite exciting that there will be something else to learn, so there's more prep now'. Taking to X after the show, some viewers were left furious that Danielle had managed to surpass the other, more historical, specialist subjects chosen. One penned: 'Simpsons season 10? Has Mastermind dropped its standards?' as a second fumed: 'The Simpsons. This isn't a serious programme anymore.' A third added: 'Ffs.... The Simpsons, as a specialist subject? I got 8 correct!' as a fourth chimed in: 'Simpsons. I dunno. Lots of material, but not exactly highbrow.' Mastermind airs Mondays on BBC Two and is available to stream on iPlayer. Virginia Giuffre's brother and sister-in-law fought back the tears on Tuesday's This Morning as they pleaded with the Royal Family to reopen the investigation into Prince Andrew - and made a defiant promise in the wake of her memoir. Sky and Amanda Roberts joined hosts Cat Deeley, 48, and Ben Shephard, 50, live from Colorado Springs via a video link to discuss late Virginia's book Nobody's Girl. Nobody's Girl, which was published on Tuesday, explores the abuse Virginia faced by Jeffrey Epstein and then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, 63, as well as claims that she was trafficked to Prince Andrew, 65 - which he denies. Virginia later filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in 2021, but he denied all three three accusations of sexual assault. A confidential settlement was reached in 2022. In April this year Virginia was found dead at her home in western Australia. Cat asked the pair how they felt the first time that they read the book, to which Amanda replied while fighting back the tears: 'That's a hard one. We always knew what the contents of the book were going to be, in so many conversations with Virginia she was writing it. Virginia Giuffre's brother and sister-in-law fought back the tears on Tuesday's This Morning as they pleaded with the Royal Family to reopen the investigation into Prince Andrew - and made a defiant promise in the wake of her memoir Nobody's Girl, which was published on Tuesday, explores the abuse Virginia faced by Jeffrey Epstein and then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, 63, as well as claims that she was trafficked to Prince Andrew, 65 - which he has denied. Sky and Amanda Roberts joined hosts Cat Deeley, 48, and Ben Shephard, 50, live from Colorado Springs via video link to discuss late Virginia's memoir Nobody's Girl 'But this felt particularly hard, holding the physical copy in our hand while she's not here anymore. 'There were so many big feelings, I think. 'It was a hard read, it was a heavy read of course, but there also so many beautiful moments in the book that highlighted who she was and her character and her quirkiness, and her love of music. 'It was really great to see. I feel like there were moments where she was actually coming through the page and I could hear her voice. 'And then there was the ache of losing her, wishing that we could talk to her and tell her how well this was done, and hug her. There are so many mixed emotions I think, it really is a mark of her legacy and imprint of who she was. And we're proud of her.' Sky added: 'Like Amanda said we're very proud of her for her for speaking her truth. 'It's very raw, there are so many intimate details that she shares, and to me it makes it very difficult for anybody that might be complicit to poke holes in her story. Amanda (right) said: 'There was the ache of losing her, wishing that we could talk to her and tell her how well this was done, and hug her. There are so many mixed emotions I think, it really is a mark of her legacy and imprint of who she was. And we're proud of her' 'She's incredibly detailed about what happened, and how that felt as a survivor. To me, again, we're proud of her, but I think that the work is not yet done, I think this is just the beginning. It was kind of written that way where it was meant for some sort of action to take place, following the book release.' Ben asked: 'When you say action, what are you talking about?' Sky replied: 'Again, I reiterate, at this point it's very difficult to poke holes in her story. To say that we're feeling some sort of justice from this at this point would be naive, I think the right word for it is acknowledged. 'This is an acknowledgement to her, it's an acknowledgement to her survivor sisters. 'But I think we need to reopen investigations, I think the UK, law enforcement have documentation that supports being able to bring people to justice. 'Including Prince Andrew. And I do believe that just because you have the word "Prince" in front of your name, doesn't mean there is a difference set of laws for you. 'Everybody needs to be held to the same standard, and to that account because I truly do believe that if Prince wasn't in front of his name, that he would be behind bars right now, truthfully.' Sky told the hosts: 'At this point it's very difficult to poke holes in her story. To say that we're feeling some sort of justice from this at this point would be naive, I think the right word for it is acknowledged' Cat asked: 'What would you like to see happen with Prince Andrew?' Sky said: 'That's a great question. I think one, I don't think he should bear the Prince name before Andrew. 'I think the King has the ability to take that away, so we would call that for action. But that's just not enough. 'Again, I do believe that there are two sets of laws for two sets of people. This is an exposure to our system. 'My sister was a truth teller this entire time, this is a vindicating moment for her and so right now, I would call to reopen the investigation. 'They have flight logs, they can follow the money, there is a money trail we can follow, and I do believe that there is substantial evidence there that we can place a case on a variety of these people and start supporting the survivors and start working for the people.' Cat asked if they thought that more files of the Epstein case were going to come out, to which Sky replied: 'I do. I do. 'Our goal, and the only reason we're really coming forward is to keep her voice alive. 'Entering this space of advocacy and had a lot of people asking "Well you guys never came over before". 'Well the truth behind it is she was trying to protect us. I remember her saying so vividly, she said "I never want this evil to touch you or anybody else in this world".' Gathering his emotions, he continued: 'That's a big statement because she was there to protect you, she was there to protect your daughters, your sisters, many of these survivors are becoming mothers now. 'They're becoming mothers of daughters that are entering the ages where they were abused. 'So yes I do think the Epstein files are incredibly important. 'I don't think you're going to see like, I don' t think it's like a file where there is a name by name, by name, by name, but there is so many details. 'There is video evidence. There is documentation in regards to the flight logs. There is money trail that clearly indicates that some people are more complicit.' This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX. Eamonn Holmes has raged that 'nobody cares' about his 'special needs' in a new rant live on GB News. The broadcaster, 65, has been plagued by health battles in recent years after undergoing surgery on his back in 2022, which left him reliant on a walking frame or wheelchair. On Tuesday, the Irish star revealed his frustration with the decline of customer service within businesses while discussing the mass internet outage by Amazon Web Services. The presenter then admitted that he is disappointed with the lack of contact from human representatives. He told viewers: 'Do you know what's so annoying? 'I spent the weekend, and I mean the weekend, on various phone lines, and the minimum take was 40 minutes, 38 minutes, to be answered by a human being. Eamonn Holmes has raged that 'nobody cares' about his 'special needs' in a new rant live on GB News Eamonn has battled a number of health problems in recent years, including a double hip replacement surgery, slipped discs and ongoing spinal problems (seen in December) On Tuesday, the Irish star revealed his frustration with the decline of customer service within businesses while discussing the mass internet outage by Amazon Web Services 'Take Apple, for instance, they will do everything to avoid you speaking to a human being. 'Instead, they keep you [on hold] until you want to end your life.' 'It was at this point that the broadcaster lifted the lid on the complications he faces with his disability when booking hotel rooms. Eamonn fumed: 'Do you know what? You can't even phone a hotel anymore. You've got to go to a website, but I don't want to go to a website. 'I want to talk to people and explain I've got special needs. 'I need a bathroom with bars so I can hold and stand up in the shower with or whatever, but you just cannot speak to anybody. 'But nobody cares.' Earlier this month, Eamonn sparked concerns from his fans and GB News colleagues, after revealing he'd undergone a procedure on his eye. Eamonn fumed: 'Do you know what? You can't even phone a hotel anymore. You've got to go to a website, but I don't want to go to a website 'I want to talk to people and explain I've got special needs,' he added The presenter took to his Instagram to share two selfies sporting a patch over his right eye and explaining he'd been in the hospital. Eamonn has battled a number of health problems in recent years, including a double hip replacement surgery, slipped discs and ongoing spinal problems. And sources have now said that this latest health woe has set the broadcaster back even further in his recovery. The two snaps saw Eamonn posing with the eye shield taped professionally by hospital staff, and another of him in his car after his own attempt, with significantly more tape. Captioning the shots, the star made light of his situation, while remaining tight-lipped about the reasoning for the procedure. He quipped: 'One of these eye patches was put on in hospital and the other one by me. See if u can guess which ? Ps U should see the other guy!!!!' While insiders have confirmed that Eamonn's eye operation was not serious, one source told Daily Mail: 'It seems to have put him out for longer than he hoped. Earlier this month, Eamonn sparked concerns from his fans and GB News colleagues, after revealing he'd undergone a procedure on his eye The presenter took to his Instagram to share two selfies sporting a patch over his right eye and explaining he'd been in the hospital 'Its one thing after another with set backs his back as well and hes got to have more surgery on his back so hes out of action.' Representatives for Eamonn declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail. His fellow GB News colleagues shared their worries and support, with Tonia Buxton reacting: 'Oh no!!' while Dawn Neesom wrote: 'Hope going well x' and Danielle Mason added: 'Oh dear hope you are ok and I guess 2 ' And Countdown star Carol Vorderman voiced her amusement at the post, writing: 'Loving photo 2'. Despite Eamonn not revealing the reason for his procedure, many fans speculated that the star had undergone cataract surgery. They suggested: 'Oh no Eamonn! Hope it was plannedcataract surgery?'; 'Def 2nd!! Hope youre ok! Cataract?? Had both done last year..marvellous.' 'Cataract op? My dad had this done recently. Hope youre alright, darling. Speedy recovery!'; 'Cataract removed I think'; 'Cataract surgery! Hope all is well'. Eamonn has been plagued by health battles in recent years after undergoing surgery on his back in 2022, which left him reliant on a walking frame or wheelchair. While in June, he gave a candid and heartbreaking health update live on GB News, detailing the deterioration of his body (seen) At the time, he shared a photo from his bed and admitted: 'Life's not easy these days.' Earlier this year he told fans his problems were ongoing, writing on Instagram: 'Even when the sun shines there's pain. Sometimes I feel I'll never beat this disc immobility but I'm determined to have a life...' His health issues stretch back much further, with him undergoing a double hip replacement in 2016 after years of living with acute pain. Two years later he was struck down with shingles, which nearly derailed his son Declan's wedding day. By 2021, severe back pain seemingly came out of nowhere, leaving him dependent on a walking stick before doctors discovered he was suffering from three slipped discs affecting his right leg. And last month, Eamonn said he lives a 'physically difficult existence' after his back surgery went wrong. Speaking to Pamela Ballantine on ITV News, the former This Morning star explained he had a disc operation that went wrong and left him unable to walk other than '50 yards or something with a stroller device, but basically Im wheelchair bound'. While in June, he gave a candid and heartbreaking health update live on GB News, detailing the deterioration of his body. During a segment about recent research that had found that exercise had potential to cut the risk of getting cancer, Eamonn admitted: 'This makes me feel awful because I would have been pro-exercise, but I can't move. 'I'm in a wheelchair now. I can't put on trainers, I can't change, I can't go to the showers, I can't do things, I can't stand up.' 'There are a lot of people who are incapable of exercising, and therefore, rightly so, an increase of cancer growing.' Tim Vincent acknowledged: 'Absolutely and that is an issue that everybody is going to face. You're obviously in a really difficult position. 'Any exercise I think is going to help, especially for these people who have had cancer once and can get out there.' Iain Ross narrowly missed out on a place in the quarter finals as he became the latest contestant to be eliminated from The Great British Bake Off on Tuesday. The Channel 4 baking competition continued as the remaining amateur bakers battled it out in the tent for Dessert Week. Unfortunately for Iain, aka 'Yeastie Boy', he became the next contestant to leave the show, missing out on a place in the semi-finals. Speaking immediately after the news, Iain said: I didnt think I would make it this far - I never thought I would make it past the first couple of weeks. So to make it to the quarter-finals is something that I couldnt ever have thought of. 'We have had the best group of Bakers. We have made really really good friends, and we always have a laugh. Its just been fantastic. I had accepted when Noel walked into the tent that it was going to be me going home, so I was just waiting for him to say it. I felt like it was my time and I was just grateful to have gotten as far as I did. Iain Ross narrowly missed out on a place in the quarter finals as he became the ninth contestant to be eliminated from The Great British Bake Off on Tuesday The Channel 4 baking competition continued as the remaining amateur bakers battled it out in the tent for Dessert Week Speaking immediately after the news, Iain said: I didnt think I would make it this far - I never thought I would make it past the first couple of weeks' The other bakers were absolute gems and we were all so close, I wasnt even really sad when it happened so we all were able to have a laugh about me getting out of doing Patisserie week! 'We have a wee group chat where everyone writes lovely messages whenever someone leaves, so it was great to see everyones kind words! His elimination came after it was announced that medical student Jasmine Mitchell was this week's Star Baker. During the show, the bakers took a trip to Spain in the Signature as they were tasked with baking the perfect Basque style cheesecake. In the Technical, Prue set a particularly perilous pudding challenge with a gluten free sponge. Finally, for the Showstopper the bakers were faced with creating a highly elaborate free-standing trifle. Last week viewers watched as Lesley Holloway was sent packing from the famous tent. The hairdresser, 59, narrowly missed out on a spot in the top five during meringue week as judge Paul Hollywood complained her showstopper was 'too chewy'. Lesley, from Kent, made a Vacherin glace in the style of a wedding cake, inspired by her daughter's upcoming wedding. Iain's elimination came before it was announced that medical student Jasmine Mitchell was this week's Star Baker Last month, Iain took to social media to reveal he is engaged to his long-term girlfriend Dervla McLaughlin. Iain's emotional post showed Dervla flashing a sparkling ring against the backdrop of Crawfordsburn waterfall in Northern Ireland. Alongside the snap, he penned: Dont suppose you know anyone who can make a decent wedding cake? Iain then added: A picture at this waterfall every year for the past 8 years, and a special lil one to complete the frame.' Great British Bake Off continues next Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4. He was paid up to 117million during his time working for Facebook owner Meta, but Sir Nick Clegg has revealed that he got in trouble as soon as he arrived at the tech giant's headquarters in California after upsetting the 'woke' staff. 'There were posters around the place that used these slightly hackneyed sayings [such as] 'Bring your authentic self to work',' he says. 'To break the ice in a rather British, House of Commons way, I tried to make them [his new colleagues] feel at ease by saying, 'Please don't bring your authentic self to work. Bring your inauthentic self to work. I'll bring my inauthentic self to work from nine until five, then you can be as authentic as you like in the evenings, and we'll all get on perfectly well.' Sir Nick, 58, tells a Wimbledon Bookfest audience in London that this was met with 'absolute stony silence' among the 'very earnest-looking millennials in T-shirts' who would be reporting to him. Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has revealed he upset staff at Meta over remarks on being your authentic self 'Someone came up to me after and said, 'We've had some disquiet. Would you like to go on a course?' to wash my mouth out.' The notion of 'bringing your whole self to work' and the term 'authenticity' is a common injunction in many US workplaces, not least within the tech sector. For example, Meta's former human resources chief Lori Goler once praised Facebook founder and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg for being 'so human and authentic with our team'. Former deputy prime minister Clegg admits such jargon came as a culture shock. 'I came from Westminster, where the humour is often pretty fruity... [and] constantly used to make a point to break the ice and so on and so forth. 'Silicon Valley is a very earnest place, much more than the facetiousness and sarcasm and humour of a place like Westminster.' 'Sharp' Lady Annabel told off doctors in final hours Lady Annabel Goldsmith, who died at the weekend aged 91, was remarkably vivacious right to the end of her life. Not only did she attend her son Lord (Zac) Goldsmith's wedding last month, but the socialite was bright as a button in hospital last Friday. 'Funny and sharp to the end,' says her daughter, the TV producer Jemima Goldsmith. 'When a young doctor doing his rounds in the hospital (where she'd very reluctantly found herself) spoke to her like an old person 'DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?' he said slowly, over-enunciating every syllable 'I have stomach pain, not Alzheimer's,' she shot back. 'A few hours later, she died peacefully in her sleep. I'm grateful for that. She was so loved.' Ant & Dec's Byker Grove reunion Ant and Dec with their former co-star Donna Air at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards It's more than 30 years since Ant and Dec, as well as Donna Air, shot to stardom on the teen drama Byker Grove. And the Geordie trio took a trip down memory lane as they were reunited at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards at The Londoner in Leicester Square. Donna, 49, who played Charlie Charlton on the BBC series for three years, tells me: 'It's always nice to see the boys, as it just feels like old times. It's almost like when people talk about that school bond, and Byker Grove was our school.' The pair played PJ and Duncan on the show which ran from 1989 to 2006 Donna as Charlie Charlton. The actress hasn't ruled out appearing in the upcoming sin-off series She hasn't ruled out making an appearance in the forthcoming spin-off series, Byker. 'I'm getting the itch back, so it's time to get back on set. Byker could be a good place to start,' Donna says. They could fetch high prices from fans, but Oasis star Noel Gallagher's designer clothes are given away to his local charity shop. 'I'm not a hoarder at all,' says the guitarist, 58, who's known for his collection of Stone Island jackets, Adidas trainers and CP Company outfits. 'I'll wait until my wardrobe is heaving and I'll keep most things and then I'll wake up one day and go, 'Right, it's all going', and I'll just give it all to a charity shop.' Leaving my children was cruel, says Sir David Hare Left-wing playwright Sir David Hare has spoken about abandoning his three children, two of whom were twin babies, because he would 'not survive' if he had stayed with his first wife, the film producer Margaret Matheson. 'I did something unforgivable,' admits Sir David, 78. 'I felt if I continued in this marriage that I would be so unhappy I would not survive... leaving a wife with two six-month-old children is pretty cruel.' The marriage broke down in 1980 after he had an affair with actress Kate Nelligan. However, he says on the Rosebud podcast that it 'had been a goldmine' in terms of his script-writing. He now has a good relationship with his children and says 'they don't really want to know' why he left all those years ago. Earl's girls! Snowdon takes two dates to gala The Earl of Snowdon with his girlfriend Isabelle de la Bruyere (left) and cake designer Reem Abu Samra The Earl of Snowdon does not appear to lack female company since divorcing his wife Serena in 2020, after nearly three decades of marriage. King Charles's cousin David, 63, arrived at the inaugural amfAR London gala with not one, but two glamorous women on his arms. On his right was his French-born girlfriend, Isabelle de la Bruyere, 54, a former Christie's director. On his left was Isabelle's pal Reem Abu Samra, 49, a cake designer. 'He's an old-school charmer,' a fellow guest said of the earl, whose mother was Princess Margaret. The gala raised more than 2million for charity at The Chancery Rosewood hotel in Mayfair. Ben Affleck's child Fin channeled their father's iconic sweater weather style as they enjoyed a fall outing with mom Jennifer Garner. In an outfit befitting of their dad, Fin, 16, wore a navy crewneck offering a shout-out to The Smiths along with crisp jeans and a leather messenger bag worn across their body as they ran errands with their mother. The look bore a strong resemblance to the outfit Ben donned back in 2016, when the sweater-clad star was snapped smoking in a moment that was memefied. Unlike their father, Fin was smiling during the Saturday outing. Their outfit also offered a more youthful twist with light blue sneakers and bold shoelaces. Mom Garner stayed close to Fin throughout the outing, and the duo both emerged from a building snacking on lollipops. Ben Affleck's child Fin channeled their father's iconic sweater weather style as they enjoyed a fall errand run with mom Jennifer Garner in Los Angeles on Saturday It certainly resembled an outfit Ben wore when he was snapped back in 2016 smoking a cigarette and exhaling - a photo that has become known as 'sad Affleck' Garner looked fab in grey overalls, navy sneakers and a pair of sleek sunglasses. Touchingly, she also wore a necklace paying tribute to one of the neighborhoods devastated in the Los Angeles fires earlier this year - a delicate gold necklace which read in cursive 'Palisades'. Fin was formerly known as Seraphina Rose as they debuted their name, Fin, at a memorial service for Jennifer's father back in April 2024 the Daily Mail revealed. Wearing a black pantsuit and buzz-cut hairstyle, Fin introduced themselves by their new name before reading a bible verse to the congregation at Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston, West Virginia at the time. Fin has been pictured with their new short cropped hair as early as February 2024, but the funeral was the first time the top actors' kid introduced themselves in public with a new name. The memorial service, streamed live on Facebook, was for Jennifer Garner's father William Jack Garner, who died a week earlier age 85. Following William's other grandchildren, Fin introduced themselves at the church lectern saying: 'Hello my name is Fin Affleck,' then read Chapter 16, Verse 8 from the Book of Proverbs: 'Better is a little with righteousness, than a large income with injustice.' Fin's mom Jennifer announced Billy's death on Instagram in a heartbreaking post on April 1, 2024 saying he passed away 'peacefully'. The outfit resembled a look their father wore in 2016 when he famously was spotted smoking a cigarette and sighing Jennifer's look consisted of a delicate gold necklace paying tribute to the Palisades 'We are grateful for Dad's gentle demeanor and quiet strength. For how he teased with a mischievous smile, and for the way he invented the role of all in, ever patient girl dad. We are grateful for his work ethic, leadership and faith,' she wrote. In addition to Fin, the former couple share 13-year-old son Samuel and daughter, Violet, 19, who is now a Yale student. They separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce three years later. Despite their split, the duo have maintained a positive co-parenting relationship for their children. Last month, the former couple were seen spending time together for a rare family outing - and were joined by two of their kids, Fin and Samuel. Affleck has previously commented on raising his children with the 13 Going On 30 actress during an interview with GQ in March. 'I'm really lucky that I have a really good co-parent and partner in Jennifer Garner, the kids' mom, who's wonderful and great and we work together well,' he told the outlet at the time. Fin was formerly known as Seraphina Rose as they debuted their name, Fin, at a memorial service for Jennifer's father back in April 2024 Fin introduced themselves by their new name at their grandfather's funeral in West Virginia, wearing a black pantsuit and sported a buzz-cut at the time The Good Will Hunting actor also discussed how both he and Jennifer have navigated through fame and stayed honest with their kids. 'We used to have a thing, my ex-wife and I, when they would see something on a supermarket stand,' Ben recalled. 'We would say, well, "You know this isn't always true because if it were, you would have 15 brothers or sisters or whatever the number of stories is where they said that your mom was pregnant."' Affleck added, 'I know what's going on in my life. And also, really more importantly, my kids know.' The former power couple have continued to have a good relationship as they co-parent their three children together; pictured 2007 Garner also has had a change of heart about their relationship since the early days of their split, famously telling Vanity Fair shortly after their separation: 'I lost the dream of dancing with my husband at my daughters wedding.' But in 2021 she said she no longer fears when that day will come. 'When our kids get married, well dance, I know that now,' she said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. 'Well boogaloo and have a great time. I dont worry about that anymore,' she explained. Nepo babies Lila Moss and Iris Law looked incredible in matching faux fur coats as they stunned in a quirky shoot for CR Fashion Book. Model Lila, 23, who is the daughter of Kate Moss and Jefferson Hack, put on a risque display in a cone bra. Iris, 24, the daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, slipped into plunging black lingerie as she struck a pose in one shot. The models, who worked together at the 2025 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last week, posed together in a racy shoot for the fashion magazine. Iris flashed a hint of her cleavage in a tiny bralette and suspenders while looking down at her shoulder. The model recently revealed her 'pre Victoria Secret runway dinner' as she snapped a picture of five delicious-looking tacos. Nepo babies Lila Moss (L) and Iris Law (R) looked incredible in matching faux fur coats as they stunned in a quirky shoot for CR Fashion Book Iris, 24, the daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, slipped into plunging black lingerie as she struck a pose in one shot It comes as Iris has been getting ready for her first ever Victoria's Secret catwalk, confirming her appearance in the iconic lingerie show earlier this week. The model confirmed her appearance in the fashion show after she hinted she was taking part by sharing pictures of herself wearing huge angel wings. The Victoria's Secret Fashion show features famous models, known as 'Angels' showcasing Victoria's Secret lingerie, often while wearing a pair of wings. Hinting her appearance the previous day, Iris also displayed her jaw-dropping figure in another snap as she posed in black underwear with a white wing print. The star has also been hitting the gym lately, possibly in preparation for the show, as she shared a photo working out with kettlebells. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show ran from 1995 to 2018. It was cancelled in 2019 but brought back four years later. Iris' followers suspected she landed the gig, writing: 'Oh I know what you're hinting'... 'So happy for you!'... 'Can't wait'. It comes after Iris and Central Cee continued to spark romance rumours as they left Lila Moss' 23rd birthday bash together in Paris last month. Model Lila, 23, who is the daughter of Kate Moss and Jefferson Hack, put on a risque display in a cone bra Iris flashed a hint of her cleavage in a tiny bralette and suspenders Lila went makeup-free and styled her hair in a messy bun for the photoshoot The models, who worked together at the 2025 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last week, posed together in a racy shoot for the fashion magazine Iris looked incredible in a black and white shot Iris also revealed her 'pre Victoria Secret runway dinner' as she snapped a picture of five delicious tacos The model has been seen out and about with the rapper, 27, on multiple occasions over the last month. Central Cee, whose real name is Oakley Neil Caesar-Su, kept close to Iris as they departed Le Costes after a night of partying. Before Monday's sighting, the duo stepped out together for the second time earlier last week. Iris was seen leaving the Vogue party at new hotspot Carbone in London alongside the rapper. Two days prior, they were seen leaving London's Chiltern Firehouse. Just hours earlier in the day, the rapper watched as Iris took to the runway for H&M's show. A comedic prankster has been left with horrific burns after a stunt went horribly wrong. Duo Marty Arty and Michael Brookhouse were performing at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium this weekend as part of a Nitro Circus event. The pair, who boast more than a million followers on YouTube alone, bill themselves as a comedy duo that does 'science experiments using our bodies, wild stunts, as well as make the lives for ourselves and our friends as annoyingly hilarious as possible.' However, they certainly weren't laughing on Saturday, when a pre-arranged stunt went awry. The skit, which was planned with Nitro Circus organisers, involved Michael taking on the role of unruly streaker opposite Marty, who played a disgruntled security guard. Marty was to subdue Michael with a flaming whip - a stunt the pair had done before. Duo Marty Arty and Michael Brookhouse (pictured) were performing at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium this weekend as part of a Nitro Circus event when the pre-arranged stunt went horribly awry However, the flaming whip became entangled around Michael's neck and, in shocking footage of the incident, people can be heard screaming: 'get it off him.' The incident left Michael with burns around his neck and a weekend stay in hospital. 'Michael was meant to be streaking and I was the disgruntled security guard that kind of chased Michael down,' Marty explained to 7News. 'It was a stunt we've done a few times. We've practiced it, but during the show, I completely messed it up.' Michael added: 'It sort of wrapped around my neck to the point where I couldn't get it off straight away. 'Luckily it's no surgery needed. It's just minor. Speaking about the incident with The Courier Mail, the Brisbane-based funnyman revealed he didn't feel too much pain. 'It was a burning sensation, it wrapped around so tightly it was burning my hands as well,' Michael said. The skit, which was planned in advance with Nitro Circus organisers, involved Michael taking on the role of unruly streaker to Marty's disgruntled security guard. Marty was to subdue Michael with a flaming whip a stunt the pair had done before 'It sort of wrapped around my neck to the point where I couldn't get it off straight away. 'Luckily it's no surgery needed. It's just minor,' Michael told 7News 'The adrenaline was in there so I didnt really feel pain until 10 mins later.' While the incident was shocking, it wasn't the worst prank-related injury the duo had suffered recently. Back in May, Michael was left hospitalised after a bizarre prank involving coffee beans. 'This is the plan, I eat the coffee beans, I s*** the coffee beans, I wash the coffee beans. and then I feed the coffee to my friends. Its a prank,' he said in the clip. He then swallows handfuls of whole coffee beans, washing them down with water. Michael is then shown in a hospital bed, apparently in pain where he explains how the stunt went wrong. He said that an X-ray had revealed a large amount of whole coffee beans in his digestive tract. Michael eventually required surgery to extricate the offending beans. The prank duo boast more than 10 million followers across their social media accounts. Their videos have been watched more than 500 million times on YouTube. Joey Essex has exclusively admitted to Daily Mail that he's now 'run out of things to do' after appearing on a whopping 18 reality shows throughout his colourful career. The TV personality, 35, who first found fame on TOWIE in 2011, has also competed in I'm A Celeb, Dancing On Ice, Love Island, Celebrity MasterChef and SAS: Who Dares Wins to name just a few, before earlier this year making his debut as a boxer. However his apparent lack of opportunities could not come at a worse time, following reports he was being probed after his personal firm went bust owing 1.2 million. Reflecting on his numerous TV appearances Pride Of Britain Awards 2025 at the Grosvenor House Hotel he told Daily Mail: 'I've done everything, there's not much for me to do anymore, I'm running out of things to do help!'. Before insisting 'everything was good' and hinting fans should 'Watch out what Joey Essex does next, it's going to be wild'. Joey's company Joey Essex Management Ltd was forced into liquidation in September as he can't pay its huge debts, mostly due to the taxman. Joey Essex has exclusively admitted to Daily Mail that he's now 'run out of things to do' after appearing on a whopping 18 reality shows throughout his colourful career The TV personality, 35, who first found fame on TOWIE in 2011, has also competed in I'm A Celeb , Dancing On Ice , Love Island (pictured) Celebrity MasterChef and SAS: Who Dares Wins The Mirror reports that accountants are going to be investigating the company director according to new documents sent to Companies House. According to the publication the papers read: 'Now that the Company has converted to an insolvent liquidation, the Liquidators will have a duty to enquire into the affairs of the Company to determine its property and liabilities and to identify any actions which could lead to the recovery of funds in the Liquidation. 'In addition, we are also required to consider the conduct of the Company's director and to make an appropriate confidential submission to the Insolvency Service in accordance with the Company Directors Disqualification Act.' Joey is the company's only director and shareholder. In September it was reported that the debts racked up by his business includes 30,449 in VAT, 9,552 in PAYE, a massive 402,302 in corporation tax, 15,000 to trade and expense creditors, and a 39,942 Covid bounce back loan. In total, the debt to creditors stood at 497,246. But Joey's director's loan account was also overdrawn by the tune of 780,000 with liquidators uncertain whether any of this will be recovered. This brought the total debt to 1,277,246. The new report added that 350,000 of the cash has now been repaid However his apparent lack of opportunities could not come at a worse time, following reports he was being probed after his personal firm went bust owing 1.2 million Reflecting on his numerous TV appearances he told Daily Mail: 'I've done everything, there's not much for me to do anymore, I'm running out of things to do help!' (pictured on DOI in 2023) Before insisting 'everything was good' and hinting fans should 'Watch out what Joey Essex does next, it's going to be wild' (pictured on Splash! with host Vernon Kay, left, in 2013) Yet Joey could be in trouble with Companies House for providing untrue information. In August last year, he tried to fold the company voluntarily and declared in a 'statement of affairs' that it was solvent and he could pay back the debts. In a signed declaration, he promised to pay the debt back plus any interest within 12 months. It's a criminal offence to falsely claim a company is solvent, which is punishable by a hefty fine and, in serious cases, imprisonment. The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Joey for comment. Last June, it was revealed that the company hadn't filed any accounts for four years - and was at threat of being struck off. It's also an offence not to file accounts on time, which is usually nine months after the end of a firm's financial year. Four years worth of accounts were then filed all at the same time on 10 October last year. Mia Goth put on a racy display as she attended a special screening of Frankenstein at The Plaza Hotel in New York on Monday. The actress, 31, flashed her toned torso in a semi-sheer lace dress, worn over tiny black shorts as she struck a pose at the event. Frankenstein had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August. It is set for a limited theatrical release on October 17, before being released on Netflix on November 7. The Pearl star was joined at the screening by her co-star Jacob Elordi, 28, who cut a suave figure on the carpet. Since Mary Shelleys 1818 novel, the story of Frankenstein has inspired hundreds of films, TV series, and comic books. Mia Goth put on a racy display as she attended a special screening of Frankenstein at The Plaza Hotel in New York on Monday The actress flashed her toned torso in a semi-sheer lace dress, worn over tiny black shorts as she struck a pose at the event Oscar Isaac takes on the titular role of Frankenstein in the new adaptation by critically-lauded director, Guillermo del Toro, while Jacob stars as his famous Creature. Meanwhile, Mia plays the role of Elizabeth Lavenza, the fiancee of Victor's younger brother William Frankenstein, whom Victor has feelings for. Acting legend Christoph plays Elizabeth's maternal uncle, Henrich Harlander, a wealthy arms manufacturer who funds Victor's experiments. The first glimpse of Jacob's transformation into the Monster was revealed in the trailer dropped in June, showing the moment he is revived by Dr Frankenstein's electrical experiment. Action shots also showed the towering star hidden under a cloak while fighting several men aboard a clipper ship, while another menacing shot saw him stood on a snowy landscape in the distance. A voiceover of Oscar's Frankenstein is heard saying: 'I had determined that the memory of my evils should die with me. Some of what I will tell you is fact. Some is not. But it is all true.' An unseen man then asks: 'What manner of creature is that? What manner of devil made him?' While Oscar's Frankenstein replies: 'I did. I had a vision. An idea took shape in my mind. Inevitable. Unavoidable. Until it became truth. In seeking life I created death.' Frankenstein had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August It is set for a limited theatrical release on October 17, before being released on Netflix on November 7 Since Mary Shelleys 1818 novel, the story of Frankenstein has inspired hundreds of films, TV series, and comic books Mia made a stylish exit from the hotel The Pearl star was joined at the screening by her co-star Jacob Elordi, 28, who cut a suave figure on the carpet Mia plays the role of Elizabeth Lavenza, the fiancee of Victor's younger brother William Frankenstein, whom Victor has feelings for (pictured in film) The Monster is heard growling before screaming his creator's name: 'Victor!' Jacob scored the plum part of the Monster after Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Doug Jones were previously attached to star. He was approached by Guillermo to take the role just nine weeks before the cameras started rolling, after Andrew dropped out at the last minute due to scheduling issues. Speaking about coming onboard, Jacob said: 'I was finishing The Narrow Road To The Deep North so I had about three or four weeks only before we started. 'It presented itself as a monumental task but as Guillermo said the banquet was already there and everyone was already eating.' He continued: 'I was drawn to this role because it's a vessel that I could put every part of myself into. Everything from the moment I was born to being with you here today, that's all in it in many ways. 'The creature on screen is the purest form of myself. He is more me than I am as a performer. If you can find yourself in a character that's a really beautiful thing that can happen, and I am only realising it now in hindsight.' The much-anticipated stage adaptation of The Hunger Games has been branded a 'shambles' by fans after its first preview show on Monday. The play, which stars John Malkovich in the villainous role of President Snow, opened at London's specially-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, and is based on the acclaimed young adult novel series by Suzanne Collins. And while many fans were no doubt excited to see this new take on the famous books, some were left unimpressed as they complained the preview was hit by lengthy delays. Footage shared on TikTok showed spectators queuing outside the theatre at 7:30pm, when the show was due to start, with some posting it eventually started an hour late. Many then moaned that due to the three-hour run time and interval, this meant they didn't exit the venue until 11:45pm. Despite this, some fans admitted they still enjoyed the show, with several taking to social media to praise its take on the famous tale of Panem. The much-anticipated stage adaptation of The Hunger Games has been branded a 'shambles' by fans after its first preview show began an hour late on Monday The play is based on the acclaimed young adult novel series by Suzanne Collins, with Jennifer Lawrence famously starring as Katniss Everdeen in the film version (pictured) One video showed the long queue of fans waiting to enter the theatre, alongside the caption: 'When the hunger games on stage starts at 7:30 and this is the line at 7:29.' Posts on X included: 'The Hunger Games live on stage start time: 8:30. Interval: 10pm End of show: 11:45pm. That's 3h15 running time for the first preview; 'Well the first preview of The Hunger Games on stage is a night I'm never going to forget; 'Everyone just complaining about the hunger games stage show; 'And even leaving The Hunger Games stage show is a mess with ONE STAIRCASE; 'Someone just called The Hunger Games stage show theatre the co-op live of theatres LMFAO; 'Literally tf do you mean they're still building the theatre 15 minutes before the doors are meant to open; 'Everyone who survived the first preview of The Hunger Games, we need a support group; Footage shared on TikTok showed fans queuing outside the theatre at 7:30pm, when the show was due to start, and when it finally began, it didn't finish until 11:45pm Many fans took to X to share their frustrations at the 'nightmare' preview after the show was hit by lengthy delays Despite this, some fans did admit they still enjoyed the show, with several taking to social media to praise its take on the famous tale of Panem Starring Mia Gallagher as Katniss Everdeen, the play follows the heroine's story as she volunteers to take part in The Hunger Games 'First preview attendees for the hunger games really did volunteer as tributes, huh.' Some fans did share their enjoyment of the show, writing: 'Had to leave The Hunger Games early, was actually enjoying it despite the shambles of getting into the venue 'While the theatre was a nightmare, the hunger games on stage as a show was very good 'Hunger Games on stage view from district 11 row A. Really good despite being called restricted view. The venue and organisation was messy but the play itself was amazing.' Starring Mia Gallagher as Katniss Everdeen, the play follows the heroine's story as she volunteers to take part in The Hunger Games, a tournament where children are selected from each of the 12 Districts for a fight to the death. The show uses an immersive, in-the-round theater design, special effects, and stunts to bring the story of survival, courage, and defiance to life. It also features veteran actor John Malokovich as the villainous President Snow, famously played by Donald Sutherland in the film series. The film series featured Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, alongside Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mallark and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. Daily Mail has contacted a representative for the show for comment. Lynda Carter showed off a youthful visage fitting for a real-life Wonder Woman when she graced the red carpet at the 2025 Golden Heart Awards on Monday. Carter looked shockingly youthful despite being 74 as she made her entrance at the charity gala, which was held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The 19th Annual Golden Heart Awards a fundraiser held by the nonprofit organization God's Love We Deliver was honoring Anne Hathaway and Broadway legend Audra McDonald. God's Love We Deliver is a non-profit that provides meals tailored to the specific medical needs of people living with severe illnesses. In addition to the honorees, the Golden Heart Awards featured an all-star guest list that included Gigi Hadid, Anna Wintour, Rosie Perez, Chloe Sevigny, Zoey Deutch and Ben Platt, among others. Carter arrived in a tasteful black-and-white plaid blazer and a gray skirt that would have been as at home in the board room as it was on the red carpet. Lynda Carter showed off a youthful visage fitting for a real-life Wonder Woman when she graced the red carpet at the 2025 Golden Heart Awards on Monday Carter looked shockingly youthful despite being 74 as she made her entrance at the charity gala, which was held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City The ever-youthful star is best known for playing the title character in the TV version of Wonder Woman (pictured), which ran from 1975 to 1979 Her jacket featured wide-set white stripes, and it was enlivened with thick gold buttons. Carter's ankle-length skirt had a hypnotizing mottled gray texture reminiscent of television static, and she paired it with black leather boots. The Super Troopers actress sported voluminous brunette locks styled in thick shoulder-length waves, and she added some sparkle to her look with multiple necklaces and rings. Although she's known for advocating for Democratic politicians, Carter cozied up on the red carpet with Blaine Trump, the former sister in law of President Donald Trump. Blaine wore a striking white double-breasted suit with loose, flowing sleeves and crisply pressed slacks. She had been married to Trump's brother Robert Trump from 1984 until their 2010 divorce. Although she and her current partner, Steve Simon, attended an inauguration party for Trump's first term in 2017, she was notably excluded from funeral services for Robert Trump that were held at the White House after his death in 2020. Carter is best known for playing the title character in the TV version of Wonder Woman, which ran from 1975 to 1979. Carter arrived in a tasteful black-and-white plaid blazer and a gray skirt that would have been as at home in the board room as it was on the red carpet Her jacket featured wide-set white stripes, and it was enlivened with thick gold buttons. Her ankle-length skirt had a hypnotizing mottled gray texture reminiscent of television static Although she's known for advocating for Democratic politicians, Carter cozied up with Blaine Trump, the former sister in law of President Donald Trump Carter (pictured in 1980) never had a follow-up series that rivaled Wonder Woman's popularity and influence, but the superhero show made her an in-demand guest actress and TV movie star for decades to come She never had a follow-up series that rivaled it's popularity and influence, but the superhero show made her an in-demand guest actress and TV movie star for decades to come. Carter also has appeared in a handful of films, some of which have playfully deconstructed her public image, like the 2001 comedy Super Troopers and its 2018 sequel. She returned to the fold with a small guest appearance in 2020's critically reviled Wonder Woman 1984, which starred Gal Gadot as a new version of the title hero. Carter played the minor Amazonian character Asteria in a mid-credits scene. Pregnant Dianne Buswell put on a brave face at the Pride Of Britain Awards on Monday night - as she furiously hits back at claims her Strictly partner Stefan Dennis' early exit was 'planned' in order to accommodate her pregnancy. On Monday the 'devastated' Neighbours actor, 66, announced he had been forced to pull out of the BBC competition after suffering a calf injury. And taking to her Instagram Stories shortly after Dianne, 36, who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Joe Sugg, clapped back at the suggestion it was all a rouse, saying that despite her pregnancy she had more energy than ever. While all of this was going on Dianne and Stefan both attended the awards event - posing separately for photos on the red carpet. The dancer looked gorgeous in a white and red flower patterned strapless dress which she teamed with a stylish studded bag. She accessorised with statement earrings and wore her trademark red tresses in loose waves over her shoulders. Pregnant Dianne Buswell put on a brave face at the Pride Of Britain Awards on Monday night - as she furiously hits back at claims her Strictly partner Stefan Dennis' early exit was 'planned' Dianne and Stefan both attended the awards event - posing separately for photos on the red carpet Taking to her Instagram Stories on Monday night Dianne shared a comment from one fan which read: 'To be honest I saw this coming, Diane couldn't really continue especially when she gets bigger, bless her,'. 'She's a brilliant dancer and she is one of my favourites sorry to say but I think this was planned to keep her and baby safe, just my thought'. Fuming Dianne hit back: 'I sound like a broken record but I'm seeing a bit of this floating around again! I know people say ignore it but actually why should I'. 'I will speak up... I would love nothing more than to keep dancing this week next week the week after that so so on and so forth. In fact I have more energy this year than I did this time last year'. Before adding: 'Please respect Stefan who is extremely gutted to not be able to dance and stop presuming this was a set up! because believe me we would if we could!. Following the announcement Stefan said he was 'devastated' to have to pull out of the show after 'finally gaining confidence' in the competition. Last weekend, Stefan and Dianne came back fighting after he pulled out of the show due to an illness. Of his departure, Stefan wrote: 'This morning I woke up to the most disappointing day of my time in my Strictly journey. On Monday the 'devastated' Neighbours actor, 66, announced he had been forced to pull out of the BBC competition after suffering a calf injury The dancer looked gorgeous in a white and red flower patterned strapless dress which she teamed with a stylish studded bag She accessorised with statement earrings and wore her trademark red tresses in loose waves over her shoulders Taking to her Instagram Stories shortly after Dianne, 36, clapped back at the suggestion it was all a rouse, saying that despite her pregnancy she had more energy than ever 'Just when I had finally gained the confidence to do well with my dancing in the competition and achieve more great dances along the way, I was told that on Saturday I had torn my calf so significantly that I am now forced to withdraw from the show. 'I can't tell you how devastated I am to have to leave so prematurely especially, as there has been, and still is, so much love and support from everyone for both Dianne and myself. 'I owe both the Strictly Family and Dianne a massive debt of gratitude for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dream of being able to dance with my wife. (When my leg is better). 'Fun fact for all the avid Neighbours fans... it's the same leg! [laughing face emoji]' The post read: 'Sadly due to an injury Stefan Dennis is leaving. We have loved watching Stefan and Dianne create magic on the dance floor with their Team Aussie energy. He will be sorely missed by the entire family. ' Following the news of Stefan's departure, his partner Dianne wrote: 'stefo I'm so sorry our strictly journey was cut short just as that confidence was starting to grow. But you can walk away with your head held high. 'You can go home to your wonderful wife put your hand out and say would you like to cha cha cha with me the main reason for being on this show was to be able to dance with her and you can certainly do that now. 'You are the kindest human I have ever worked with and I can always say I got to dance with the iconic neighbours legend Stefan Dennis or as my dad calls ya Paul Robertson 'Can't wait for you to send me the video of you and Gail dancing together' Last weekend, Stefan and Dianne came back fighting after he pulled out of the show due to an illness Taking to her Instagram Dianne shared a comment from one fan which read: 'To be honest I saw this coming, Diane couldn't really continue especially when she gets bigger, bless her...' Stefan is the third star to quit Strictly, following Dani Dyer and Kristian Nairn who were forced to pull out. Dani, 29, one of the show's favourites, had to bow out, after fracturing her ankle during a training rehearsal. Kristian quit the series before it began citing medical reasons. Dianne announced she is expecting her first child with partner Joe Sugg last month, making her the first star to ever compete in the show while pregnant. Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones left the Pride Of Britain Awards just minutes apart on Monday evening after appearing to go red carpet official at the star-studded event. The co-stars arrived arm in arm wearing their dazzling ensembles as they continued to spark romance rumours with their close friendship. Speculation that the Morning Live presenters were more than friends began earlier this summer, before it was later reported that they had 'cooled' off their romance. However the pair have continued to fuel rumours with their close friendship in recent months. And Helen, 42, looked fresh as she left the awards with a beaming smile on her face as she flashed a hint of cleavage in a low-cut black strapless gown. Meanwhile Gethin looked equally as cheery as he headed home in his dapper navy suit. Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones left the Pride Of Britain just minutes apart on Monday evening after appearing to go red carpet official following months of romance rumours Helen, 42, looked fresh as she left the awards with a beaming smile on her face as she flashed a hint of cleavage in a low-cut black strapless gown Last month Helen and Gethin were pictured on a cosy lunch just weeks after they 'cooled their romance'. True gent Gethin gave Helen his umbrella as they headed out near the TV studios where they film Morning Live in Manchester and got a soaking as he made sure she was protected from the elements. Helen had a big smile on her face as she stepped out in her baggy Adidas trackpants, begging the question of whether they are giving their romance another go. The day before, Gethin returned to work after the death of his father - and Helen had been seen carrying two coffees as she no doubt provided him with some support. The Daily Mail revealed in May how the pair's 'flirty' on screen chemistry had 'blossomed' into a deeper connection and they were seen acting like a 'couple' at a charity event last year courtesy of their 'tactile' behaviour towards each other. And to add extra intrigue to their relationship, the hosts' respective reps both refused to comment on the duo's relationship after being quizzed amid reports they were spotted leaving the BAFTA TV awards together. Helen has been single since her high profile 2022 break up from husband Richie, the father of her three children. The rugby league player was married to Helen for nine years with the former Strictly star writing on Instagram that she was very 'sad' he had 'left the family home'. She completed her look with a pair of gold and black heels and beige clutch bag Helen beamed as she was seen heading into her taxi at the end of the night The co-stars arrived arm in arm wearing their dazzling ensembles as they continued to spark romance rumours with their close friendship (pictured earlier in the evening) Richie has since moved on with Stephanie Thirkill, the daughter of Leeds Rhinos president Andrew Thirkill, and they have had two children, Olivia and Freddie. The annual Pride Of Britain returned for its 26th year with Ashley Banjo and Carol Vorderman back as co-hosts for the fourth year running. The awards - held at Grosvenor House on Monday - will be televised on prime time on Thursday October 23 on ITV1 and ITVX at 8pm. Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks were on hand to host the red carpet, which is being streamed on YouTube, for their second year, while GK Barry presented online content once again. Taking place since 1999, the ceremony honours the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life - nominated by members of the public. After a shortlist has been produced from the thousands of entries, winners are chosen by the Pride of Britain judging panel. Hundreds of the UK's biggest stars will came together to celebrate the nation's unsung heroes. Nick Knowles and his wife Katie took to the red carpet at Monday night's Pride Of Britain Awards, three months after she underwent a 'life-saving' hysterectomy. The couple, aged 63 and 35 respectively, looked as happy as ever during their jaunt along the red carpet at the emotional event honouring the great and good of the UK. The couple joined a slew of stars, with Katie turning heads as she went braless beneath a deeply plunging dress while Nick looked sharp in a suit. Her glamorous appearance comes after Katie announced she had undergone a hysterectomy in July, after 'surviving' years of 'pain'. The lingerie business owner, who married the DIY SOS star just one month before the operation, shared the news on Instagram in July as she posted snaps in her hospital gown and detailed her battle against PCOS, endometriosis and adenomyosis Nick Knowles and his wife Katie took to the red carpet at Monday night's Pride Of Britain Awards, three months after she underwent a 'life-saving' hysterectomy Her glamorous appearance comes after Katie announced she had undergone a hysterectomy in July, after 'surviving' years of 'pain' The couple, aged 63 and 35 respectively, looked as happy as ever during their jaunt along the red carpet at the emotional event honouring the great and good of the UK The candid post saw the mother-of-two open up about living through almost unbearable pain which left her 'vomiting, curled up in bed and missing out on life'. A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure which removes a woman's womb and may also involve the removal of other organs, such as the ovaries. Katie's caption read: 'Im 35 and Ive just had a hysterectomy. Ive lived with pcos, endometriosis and adenomyosis since Moses wore short pants And no, it wasnt just a bad period. 'It was constant hospital trips. Multiple laparoscopies. Bleeding through clothes. Vomiting from the pain. Being curled up in bed, missing out on life. 'It was extreme bloating that made me look pregnant. It was migraines, stabbing pains in my legs, butt and stomach. It was chronic fatigue... 'It was hiding in loos, crying over another ruined day. It was my daughters terrified of getting their periods in case they end up like mummy. 'Years of misdiagnosis & being fobbed off. Told to take painkillers. That it was normal. It wasnt. Ive cried on bathroom floors... 'Ive bled through clothes in public. Ive had 3 surgeries. Ive tried every pill, every patch, every hormone tweak. Ive been put on a medical menopause just to get through uni. And still the pain came.' The couple joined a slew of stars, with Katie turning heads as she went braless beneath a deeply plunging dress while Nick looked sharp in a suit The couple looked every inch the celebrity couple in their glam looks A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure which removes a woman's womb and may also involve the removal of other organs, such as the ovaries Katie also spoke about not being able to recognise herself due to the pain of her diagnoses. Post-operation, she candidly admitted she feels 'less like a woman', but said she took the decision to undergo the surgery in order to 'take her life back'. Katie wrote: 'It feels like something in me has changed, apart form being sans uterus. Right now, Im in lots of pain. I'm bloated. Im exhausted. Im hot. Im forgetful. Im hot (see how that works on multiple levels... 'I feel raw and less like myself. Less like a woman, if Im being really honest. But this was a decision I made to take my life back. To stop surviving and start living again, & have days that arent defined by pain. 'This is hopefully the beginning of healing. The beginning of self-love, scars, stitches and all. And please, if youve made it this far, I ask gently: This is something deeply personal. 'If youre tempted to leave a judgmental or flippant comment, Im asking you to just scroll on. There is a real person behind this post.' Admitting she's 'still in pain' after the surgery, she was seen with bandages on her lower stomach Katie, who is 27 years her spouse's junior, hit back at trolls dubbing her a gold-digger in an exclusive interview with MailOnline Katie and Nick, 27 years her senior, exchanged vows last month during a lavish six-figure wedding at Braxted Park in Essex. The couple were thought to have spared no expense on the ceremony, which was attended by celebrity guests including Nick's Strictly Come Dancing co-stars. The newlyweds have however been the subject of cruel trolling during their relationship, with critics mocking their age difference and financial setup. Katie, began dating her spouse in 2021, hit back at those dubbing her a 'gold digger', revealing they don't get to her as much as they used to because she and Nick know it's not true. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she said of their age gap: ''I think at the start, it was probably more irritating, especially for my family. But now those comments kind of just pass over me because we both know it's not true. Katie stressed: 'Nick works hard, he has what he has. I work hard, I have what I have and then we buy each other stuff.' Myleene Klass dazzled as she hosted the 25th anniversary of Classic FM at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday. The TV personality, 47, ensured all eyes were on her as she wowed in a silver strapless ball gown. The stunning ensemble featured a structured sequin corset which flowed into a dramatic ruched skirt. She added inches to her height with a pair of silver pointed heels and accessorised with dainty silver earrings. The star hosted the magical night with Dan Walker, who looked dapper in a silver blazer and black trousers. Later in the evening, Myleene took to Instagram to share a slew of snaps from the night. Myleene Klass dazzled as she hosted the 25th anniversary of Classic FM at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday The TV personality, 47, ensured all eyes were on her as she wowed in a silver strapless ball gown The stunning ensemble featured a structured sequin corset She posed for a sweet with her son Apollo, who came suited and booted in a pink tie and navy suit to support his mum. The star also shared more snaps of her posing on the staircase as well as behind-the-scenes shots from during the night. She penned alongside the post: 'Klassic FM 'Im very lucky to do the job I do and work with absolute legends.' Earlier this month Former popstar Myleene expressed her relief that 'my family and I finally have peace' after a schizophrenic man was convicted of stalking her. Peter Windsor was found guilty of stalking the star after sending her an air pistol and calling her a naughty vixen during a nine-month campaign of harassment. He also asked her in sick correspondence to 'correct him' with a whip and cane, as well as sending her letters and gifts including fancy dress costumes and jewellery. The 61-year-old, from Stetchford, Birmingham, tried to argue some of his gifts were a joke, but was found guilty of stalking Myleene between November 2023 and August 2024, following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. The corset then then flowed into a dramatic ruched skirt Myleene showed off her toned pins in the stunning ensemble She added inches to her frame with a pair of silver heels Myleene accessorised with dainty silver earrings He was also found guilty of also stalking her Classic FM colleague Katie Breathwick, 54, after sending her a pair of binoculars, running shoes with spikes, a bottle of champagne and a stamp collection for her son. He sent her between 80 and 100 items over a period spanning March 2020 to December 2023. In a statement following the verdicts, which she posted on Instagram, Myleene said: 'After a horrific year, my family and I finally have peace. 'Thank you for your love and support, especially to Birmingham Police, in particular PC Marius Dinescu, Judge Tom Rochford, State Prosecutor Timothy Sapwell, Members of the Jury and Birmingham crown court, Katie Breathwick, Classic FM, Global radio, Severine Berman and Simon jones.' The trial also heard Windsor sent a letter signed in blood to former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in which he pledged his soul to satan. The items and correspondence addressed to the two Classic FM presenters were intercepted at Global radio's London office where the pair worked. The air pistol was stopped by police before it reached Myleebe, the court heard. Jurors reached their unanimous guilty verdict on Peter Windsor after deliberating for four hours and eight minutes over two days. Later in the evening, Myleene took to Instagram to share a slew of snaps from the night (pictured with her co-host Dan Walker) Dan looked dapper in a silver blazer and smart black trousers Myleene also posed for a sweet with her son Apollo, who came suited and booted in a pink tie and navy suit to support his mum The pair looked adorable as they posed for a sweet snap together Windsor, wearing a grey sweatshirt, sighed and pursed his lips in the dock as the verdicts were announced. Judge Tom Rochford told Windsor, who has been on remand throughout his trial, that the options for his sentencing included prison or two types of hospital order. Sobbing in court as she gave evidence, Ms Klass described her 'sheer terror' at finding out she had been sent a cache of 'overtly sexual' letters and presents over four years including a set of handcuffs with a note saying 'whip me, beat me priestess Myleene'. The mother-of-three had to pause several times in the witness box to compose herself as she recounted how a police officer called her while on the school run to tell her about the weapon, which was an air pistol. 'He said that whilst this gun wasn't necessary for a licence, at close proximity, right up to six feet it could prove fatal,' she told jurors. 'I think anyone receiving a gun would be terrified. 'I was extremely shocked because suddenly it felt extremely real. I think we spend so much time as women trying to justify why we feel the way we do, have we misinterpreted it? There was no grey area here, there was a gun in a box with my name on it.' Myleene said she had been forced to enhance security at home after being targeted by Windsor. Letters and parcels sent to Ms Klass and Mrs Breathwick were also shown to the jury. One of the notes tells how he managed '5,000 pull ups in 19 hours' while another talks about the women's' 'alien' eyes and how he would like to paddle in a lake outside Buckingham Palace with them. He also sent the two women a bottle of Champagne each. Wilson sent Mrs Breathwick perfume and a stamp collection for her son. In some he referred to himself as 'Sir Peter Windsor' The clocks appeared to stop on Monday evening as Nick Pickard attended the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary celebration in Liverpool. The teen soap has somehow survived three decades of brazen infidelities, far right radicalisation, predatory serial killers, baby swaps and gay conversion therapy since launching on Channel 4 in 1995. And through it all, the show's longest serving cast-member looked like he hadn't aged a day while toasting the remarkable milestone at St. George's Hall. As hapless Tony Hutchinson, actor Nick Pickard, 50, has been a Hollyoaks mainstay since making his first appearance in the fictional Cheshire village during its inaugural episode on 23 October 1995. Joining Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond and an array of cast-members at the Liverpool venue - among them his younger brother John - a fresh faced Pickard was on hand to celebrate the show's various achievements. But if his looks were well preserved, so too was his suit, with the actor choosing to wear the same powder blue two-piece he previously wore at the Inside Soap Awards on September 29. The clocks appeared to stop on Monday evening as Nick Pickard, the show's longest serving star, attended the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary celebration looking like he'd barely aged a day Pickard was joined by girlfriend Sarah Corrin at Liverpool's St. George's Hall for the event Pickard was accompanied by long-term girlfriend Sarah Corrin, with whom he shares a home in Liverpool, as he walked the red carpet shortly after arriving. Better known for his exploits as Tony, the actor earned a wider fanbase in 2023 after travelling to Australia for the twenty third series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Corrin later admitted she was inundated with messages from fans after Pickard inadvertantly became something of a sex symbol among viewers of the long-running show. Ive had people sending me stuff saying that Nick is a heartthrob. Which is a surprise, well, not a surprise to me because I think hes gorgeous but hes got a whole new following, she told Daily Mail. This girl put up a poll on Instagram. One option was "I find Nick weirdly fit" and the majority had clicked that. I commented that I agreed but said less of the weird please." Then she privately messaged me and must have seen my Instagram supporting him and said: Oh, are you a fan? She added: 'It's nice people get to see the Nick part of him and not just Tony. But you haven't seen all of him yet. I've wanted him to do it for years. Pickard has been through the mill as Tony since making his first appearance in the fictional Cheshire village during its inaugural episode on 23 October, 1995 (pictured in 2004) Joining Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond (pictured) at the Liverpool venue, a fresh faced Pickard was on hand to celebrate the show's various achievements The actor's younger brother John (right), who also played his screen brother Dominic on the show (left), made an appearance at Monday's milestone celebration Pickard was in high spirits as he joined Channel 4 bosses for a red carpet photo on Monday 'He's very competitive and a good team player so that's why I've always said, out of all the things he could do, I'm A Celebrity would be a good one for him. 'I'm really surprised I haven't seen him have a hunger tantrum. 'He is the most positive upbeat person you'll ever meet but don't mess with him and his food. 'When people are going off for the Trials he's like 'Don't worry if you don't get all the stars' but I know on the inside he's like inside, "You have to get all the stars."' Hollyoaks co-star Ashley Taylor Dawson, who plays Darren Osborne in the soap, previously revealed how Pickard organises charity football matches and even 'washes the kit and puts on a spread' for his co-workers. He told The Sun: 'Nick gets in contact with the charities, the amount of work hes done over the years, weve raised millions and thats all down to Nick and all the hard work he does, the organising, he goes beyond organising the games. 'He does the kits, gets the transport, sorts the hotels, does the lot and he does that off his own back, and thats commendable.' A distraught Tony is pictured with Mandy, played by Sarah Dunn, in a 2004 episode of the hugely popular teen soap if his looks were well preserved, so too was his suit, with the actor choosing to wear the same powder blue two-piece he previously wore at the Inside Soap Awards on September 29 A Liverpool landmark provided the backdrop as Jennifer Metcalfe reunited with her screen family to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. The actress has become a household name since making her screen debut as straight talking Mercedes McQueen on the long-running show in 2006. A mainstay in the fictional Cheshire village, Metcalfe traded her feisty character's leopard print leather for something a little classier while reuniting with co-stars Gemma Merna, Jorgie Porter and Chelsee Healey at the milestone celebration. Walking the red carpet at Liverpool's St. George's Hall, the actress, 42, inevitably commanded attention in a white silk blouse that fully exposed her taut torso. An elegant sheer lace dress drew further attention to her legs, while tasteful white stiletto heels rounded off the ensemble. Opting for limited accessories, Metcalfe carried a simple cream leather handbag whie posing for photos shortly after arriving at the Merseyside venue. Jennifer Metcalfe led the red carpet glamour as the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary celebration kicked off at Liverpool's St. George's Hall on Monday evening She was joined by actresses Gemma Merna (left) and Chelsee Healey (right), her screen sisters on the long running Channel 4 show Jorgie Porter, another soap sister, was also in attendance at the milestone anniversary party Joining the actress, Gemma Merna looked equally glamorous in a sweeping green evening gown with a plunging neckline. The sleeveless outfit ensured she claimed her own share of the spotlight while rubbing shoulders with her former co-stars. Best known for her role as ditzy McQueen sister Carmel, the actress, 41, was killed off in 2014 after an eight-year spell on the show. Hollyoaks fans will remember the popular character losing her life while attempting to save young cousin Theresa McQueen from evil Sonny Valentine. And the actress responsible for playing Theresa was also present as the celebrations got underway on Monday evening. Opting for a glittering sequinned gown with a daring thigh high split, Jorgie Porter looked stunning as greeted onlookers while walking the red carpet. The actress, 37, teamed the dress with a a cropped blazer, while perspex heels and a simple black clutch rounded off her latest look. Metcalfe has become a household name since making her screen debut as straight talking Mercedes McQueen on the long-running show in 2006 (L-R) Jorgie Porter, Jennifer Metcalfe and Chelsee Healey attend the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary party in Liverpool on Monday evening Best known for her role as ditzy McQueen sister Carmel, Gemma Merna was written out of the show in 2014 after an eight-year spell on the show The actress looked glamorous in a sweeping green evening gown with a plunging neckline Jorgie Porter (left) is best known for playing feisty McQueen sister Theresa (right) in Hollyoaks Opting for a glittering sequinned gown with a daring thigh high split, Jorgie looked stunning as she joined her co-stars on the red carpet Chelsee Healey - best known for her role as Goldie McQueen on the show - was worlds away from her gaudy screen character as she made her way inside Healey turned heads in a smart white shirt and tie, teamed with a thigh-skimming chocolate brown miniskirt and heels Fictional family member Chelsee Healey also turned heads in a smart white shirt and tie, teamed with a thigh-skimming chocolate brown miniskirt and heels. With a matching coat tastefully draped across her shoulders, the British star, 37 - best known for her role as Goldie McQueen on the show - was worlds away from her gaudy screen character as she made her way inside. Elsewhere, Gemma Bissex ensured she wasn't overshadowed after arriving in a vampish red satin evening dress. The actress, better known for her roles as Clare Bates in EastEnders and Clare Devine in Hollyoaks, blew onlookers a kiss as she posed for photos ahead of Monday's celebrations. Ruby O'Donnell and Nadine Mulkerrin appeared to be in high spirits during their latest red carpet appearance Teri Dwyer (R) made an appearance at Monday's event after launching her TV career as original cast member Ruth in Hollyoaks (L) Show veteran Dwyer (L) rubbed shoulders with comparative newcomer Isabelle Smith (R) at the event on Monday evening Gemma Bissex blew onlookers a kiss as she posed for photos ahead of Monday's celebrations Kirsty Leigh Porter (L) and Ruby O'Donnell (right) were also in attendance at the exclusive event Bissex ensured she wasn't overshadowed after arriving in a vampish red satin evening dress (pictured alongside Tamara Wall) Nadine Mulkerrin (L) and and Tamara Wall (R) pose for photos on the red carpet O'Donnell plants a kiss on the cheek of Nathaniel Dass while making her way inside the venue Eva O'Hara (L) and Kimberley Hart Simpson (R) added more glamour to proceedings on Monday evening Rita Simons and Duncan James were also present as the event kicked off in Liverpool Suzanne Collins (L) and Alex Fletcher (R) were among guests at the celebratory bash Anya Lawrence and Suzanne Collins were side by side as they took advantage of a photo opportunity in Liverpool on Monday evening The teen soap has somehow survived three decades of brazen infidelities, far right radicalisation, predatory serial killers, baby swaps and gay conversion therapy since launching on Channel 4 in 1995. And through it all, the show's longest serving cast-member looked like he hadn't aged a day while toasting the remarkable milestone at St. George's Hall. As hapless Tony Hutchinson, actor Nick Pickard has been a Hollyoaks mainstay since making his first appearance in the fictional Cheshire village during its inaugural episode on 23 October 1995. Joining Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond on the red carpet, a fresh faced Pickard was on hand to celebrate the show's various achievements. Nick Pickard was joined by girlfriend Sarah Corrin at Liverpool's St. George's Hall for the event The clocks appeared to stop on Monday evening as Pickard, the show's longest serving star, attended the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary celebration looking like he'd barely aged a day Joining Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond (pictured) at the Liverpool venue, a fresh faced Pickard was on hand to celebrate the show's various achievements The actor's younger brother John (right), who also played his screen brother Dominic on the show (left), made an appearance at Monday's milestone celebration Pickard was in high spirits as he joined Channel 4 bosses for a red carpet photo on Monday Nicole Barber Lane (L) and Twinnie (R) ensured they claimed their own share of the spotlight after arriving at the event Members of the cast and crew were given an opportunity to watch the show's 30th anniversary episode on Monday evening Kieron Richardson, Jennifer Metcalfe and Louis Emerick later took to the stage for a Q&A Allison Williams kissed her husband Alexander Dreymon on the red carpet at the Regretting You premiere after revealing the marriage rule they swear by. The couple arrived at the Los Angeles premiere of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's Regretting You at Paramount Studios on Monday. Allison and German actor Alexander, who it was revealed in June this year had married quietly in 2023, looked smitten as they cosied up to one another on the red carpet. The actress, 37, gave her husband, 42, a kiss as they posed for snaps, with Alexander appearing to whisper in her ear. Allison looked sensational at the premiere in a dark red one-shoulder figure-hugging gown in a silk ruched fabric. Meanwhile Alexander opted for a black velvet blazer and matching trousers, as well as a silk shirt and leather shoes. Allison Williams kissed her husband Alexander Dreymon on the red carpet at the Regretting You premiere in LA on Monday after revealing the marriage rule they swear by The actress, 37, gave her husband, 42, a kiss as they posed for snaps on the red carpet at the premiere on Monday Allison recently the one marriage rule she and Alexander swear by when they are apart for work. Speaking to Interview, Allison admitted that they refuse to be apart for more than two weeks in a row. Joined by her Girls co-star Andrew Rannels, Allison said: 'This whole year has been a lot of us working and coming back and forth to see each other. 'We have a two-week limit.' Andrew noted that it is also referred to the Julia Roberts rule, as the Hollywood star and her husband Danny Moder follow the same pattern. Allison added: 'Well, they seem sexy and happy, so I'm into it - after two weeks, there's so much to catch up on that it's not possible, so either they would come to Atlanta, or I'd come home.' In June, Allison was joined by her former NBC anchor father Brian Williams on a rare red carpet a decade after his suspension for lying about surviving an RPG attack in the Iraq war. The actress made it a family affair at the premiere of her new film M3gan 2.0 as she reprises her role as Gemma from the 2022 hit thriller M3gan, and she produced both films as well. Allison and German actor Alexander looked smitten as they cosied up to one another on the red carpet, with Alexander appearing to whisper in her ear Allison looked sensational at the premiere in a dark red one-shoulder figure-hugging gown in a silk ruched fabric The couple arrived at the Los Angeles premiere of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's Regretting You at Paramount Studios Allison recently the one marriage rule she and Alexander swear by when they are apart for work She was spotted on the red carpet at Bad Roman in New York City on Tuesday, posing with her 66-year-old father before the screening. Williams was spotted in a hot pink flowing dress that flowed to the red carpet and obscured her footwear for the evening. Her wavy auburn locks fell to past her shoulders as she accessorized with gold bracelets for the premiere. Her famous father Brian stepped out with a light blue dress shirt under a black suit coat. He completed his look with black pants and black dress shoes as he joined his daughter and wife Jane Stoddard Williams. Allison was joined by her former NBC anchor father Brian Williams on a rare red carpet in June, a decade after his suspension for lying about surviving an RPG attack in the Iraq war The disgraced anchor joined his daughter and wife Jane Stoddard Williams Brian famously replaced legendary NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw in 2004 and held the coveted position until 2015. He was suspended in 2015 for falsely claiming that he had been in a helicopter hit by enemy fire during the Iraq War. A subsequent investigation found that he had made other inaccurate statements about his experiences covering events, and he lost the job. He eventually left NBC in November 2021 after 28 years. Georgia Kousoulou has opened up about her recent health scare the trauma of baby loss in a candid interview. The former TOWIE star, 34, told how she is having her breast implants removed after a doctor discovered one of them has ruptured. Speaking on Paul C. Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast, Georgia revealed she went to see a doctor after finding a lump on her breast. While the lump was benign, the doctor instead discovered one of her implants was damaged and needs to be quickly removed. 'He was like okay the lump is nothing to worry about,' she said. 'I was like, "Oh my god thank God," and he's like, "I'm gonna scan the other." As he's scanning the other one he's like, "Can you see that?" I was like, "What is that?" That implant has ruptured. 'He's like, "They're not supposed to be that." I was like, "Oh, okay. He's like you need to get them out." Georgia Kousoulou has opened up about her recent health scare the trauma of baby loss in a candid interview The former TOWIE star, 34, told how she is having her breast implants removed after a doctor discovered one of them has ruptured 'He was like, "They're not gone into lymph nodes," which is obviously good but that is not saying that they won't, implants can leak. He's like, "You need to get them out when you get home." 'Fast forward I've been recommended this surgeon in London. Went to see him. Really lovely guy. He was like, "How are you not in pain?" 'I'm like yeah, I've had a bit of pain, I said, but I'm going to be honest I've been busy, I've had a baby, I've done IVF, I've got married. A lot has happened in my last two years of life. I've just ignored them. 'He's like, "You can't do that, you need to get them out." So I'm now getting them out. I think the problem nowadays with implants is they disguise things, if you're going to have implants. 'Surgery is up to everyone. I think if it's going to make you feel good about yourself, why not do it? 'If it's safe and you're going to a great doctor that you really recommend, why should anyone tell you you shouldn't do it? It's your life, right?' Georgia encouraged anyone who is considering a boob job to make sure to 'get them checked'. 'Unfortunately, if you've got an implant, you need to get that scan, because unless you're getting a scan, you can't tell,' she said. .I would have never known that they ruptured, I'd have never known they'd broken. So thank God I did do that.' A doctor discovered one of her implants was damaged and needs to be quickly removed Elsewhere during the wide-ranging interview, Georgia opened up about suffering a miscarriage (pictured with husband Tommy Mallett) Elsewhere during the wide-ranging interview, Georgia opened up about suffering a miscarriage. The reality star is mother to son Brodie, four, and 11-month-old daughter Gigi with her husband Tommy Mallett. Georgia told how when she got pregnant, she went to a private clinic after having a bleed. She was told the bleed was nothing to worry about but that the 'sac around the baby' was small. The healthcare professional was unsure exactly what the problem was so Georgia was sent home where she drove herself 'mental' with worry. The star didn't want to tell anyone she was pregnant but got a bump quickly so tried to hide it from the her social media followers/ 'The public kept writing on my Instagram. She's put on weight. I was getting slated that I was getting big,' she said. She later found another doctor in London who told her the tragic news that the baby was probably not going to survive. 'We found this doctor, this professional in London. I go to him, I lay there, the dreaded silence and then he's like, "There's a heartbeat." I'm like oh there's a heartbeat, there's heartbeat. It's fine. 'Then he goes, "Can you go empty your bladder?" Go empty my bladder. Come back in the room. Looked at Tommy's face. I was like what? He's like, "George sit down." The reality star is mother to son Brodie, four, and 11-month-old daughter Gigi with her husband Tommy Mallett 'I'm like, "No, no, no no what? No what, what?" And the doctor was like, "I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know if this baby is going to survive." And I'm like, "No, no, no, no, no, no. What do you mean?" 'He's like, "I think you should go home and we'll talk again in a week." I'm like, "I can't, I can't." This is just torture. 'I could see it by Tommy's face. I was thinking, I know you all know something, but I'm going to go. I'm going to go home. Come back? Why not?' Georgia said she 'screamed all the way home' and she was later told she would be called in to 'remove this child'. 'I was like, "It goes against everything that I've ever believed in, because you're basically telling me I've got to terminate the baby because the baby's alive." 'So they're telling me I've got to say yes to that. You know, I'm like, no. But at the same time, I can't go through having a stillborn. Either way, I didn't want to make either decision, you know? 'And the doctor rang me himself and he said, "Georgia, I'm making the decision for you. This is best for you, your other child, your family. We have to remove this baby, you could be pregnant for another six months. You don't know." 'And who knew?I was going, "Please just tell me, how do you know?" I was like, "Is there even a year of this baby?" Because I would have taken the year. 'I would have, I would have I think, I would have clung on. If they said to me that baby could have lived for even a year, I would've tool it. But an hour? No. Stillborn. 'I couldn't have done that to Brody, I couldn't have done that to anyone around me. I could have done that to myself. I couldn't have done that. So I said, okay. And they got me in the next day. They were that concerned.' Asked how she 'healed' from the miscarriage, Georgia said she cried a lot while Tommy 'threw himself into work'. 'But I'm going to be honest. What came after that was really bad. My obsession with wanting a baby and it wasn't happening, and that was probably just as bad,' she said. 'The torture again of trying and it not happening because it happened quick. It happened first time both times. That pressure for our relationship was really, really bad because he was like, you are torturing yourself. 'I didn't want to replace the baby. You can never replace a soul. I was like, I just needed that back. I didn't even want to lose my bump. I was that into it. It was bad. Yeah I was eating like I was still pregnant.' If you have been affected by this story, you can call The Miscarriage Association's pregnancy loss helpline on 0303 003 6464. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley put on a sizzling display in a plunging skintight sequin gown as she posed for snaps inside at the Academy Museum Gala. The former Victoria's Secret angel, 38, joined a star-studded guest list at the event in Los Angeles on Saturday. Rosie proved her supermodel credentials as she shared smouldering snaps in a plunging silver and black velvet gown. Her gown featured a sequin halterneck design at the bust, with a figure-hugging velvet design from the waist down. Rosie accessorised for the evening with Tiffany & Co jewellery, including an extravagant gold and diamond pendant and a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Cooper bracelet and set of earrings. Sharing snaps of her ensemble on Instagram on Tuesday, Rosie wrote: 'A beautiful evening with @tiffanyandco honouring the art of cinema at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles.' Rosie Huntington-Whiteley put on a sizzling display in a plunging skintight sequin gown at the Academy Museum Gala in LA on Saturday Rosie accessorised for the evening with Tiffany & Co jewellery, including an extravagant gold and diamond pendant It comes after Rosie showcased her supermodel figure in an array of lace lingerie as she posed for her latest underwear line for Marks and Spencer. Rosie first sizzled as she modelled a purple wire plunge bra, which is priced at 24. She paired the supportive undergarments with lace high-waisted, high-leg knickers as she posed seductively for the camera. Rosie, who is engaged to actor Jason Statham, shared the album of her underwear shots to Instagram as she promoted her new autumn/winter 25 collection. The model and Jason have been together since 2009 and got engaged in 2016, and they share two children. Earlier this month, Rosie and Jason proved the couple is going stronger than ever as they posed to promote their second collaboration for Falconeri. The model and The Meg star made their debut for the fashion brand in March this year. Proving that teamwork makes the dream work, the pair joined forces once more in a series of head-turning snaps shared on Instagram. The former Victoria's Secret angel, 38, joined a star-studded guest list at the event in Los Angeles on Saturday Among her Tiffany & Co jewellery included a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Cooper bracelet and set of earrings Rosie proved her supermodel credentials as she stepped out in a plunging silver and black velvet gown Sharing snaps of her ensemble on Instagram on Tuesday, Rosie wrote: 'A beautiful evening with @tiffanyandco honouring the art of cinema at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles' Rosie stunned in a grey knitted bodysuit, while Jason modelled a grey cardigan with a matching top and beige joggers. Alongside the snaps, she penned: 'Excited to reveal the next chapter of our Fall-Winter 2025 campaign for @falconeriofficial. 'A vision of luxury and timeless style, beautifully captured by @lachlanbailey.' The low-key British couple, who live in Los Angeles, first began dating in 2009 after meeting at a party in London and experiencing what Rosie called 'instant chemistry'. They got engaged in 2016, with the model revealing they had taken their relationship to the next level when she flashed her impressive diamond ring at the Golden Globes. The happy couple share son Jack, seven, and daughter, Isabella, two. Speaking about their plans to marry after Jack was born, Rosie said: 'I think the time will come. It's also not a huge priority for us.' She has also addressed the couple's 20-year age gap, saying: 'His knowledge and strength are really inspiring and attractive, and that can come with a man who's had a bit of time.' Rosie showcased her supermodel figure in an array of lace lingerie as she posed for her latest underwear line for Marks and Spencer The model, who grew up in Devon, recently revealed why she returned to the UK in 2020 and explained that it was always 'the plan' to raise her children in the UK. She told The Times: 'We love the schools, the education. Theyre growing up British with their little British accents, which was important for us, and we have a great support system here. 'Jays parents live up the road and see the kids most days, my family come to visit every six or eight weeks.' Rosie also said her kids are having a childhood not dissimilar to her own, even spending large amounts of time in Devon where she grew up. The mum, who only shares the occasional snap of her children online, added: 'In the summer we go down to Devon and our children have the same experiences running around on the farm that I had growing up, and its very special.' Holly Hagan has announced the death of her sister Darci Rose at the age of just 19. The former Geordie Shore star, 33, penned a statement on Tuesday saying that her family are 'traumatised in every sense of the word' by the heartbreaking loss. The TV personality's Instagram post thanked ambulance services and the Manchester Royal Infirmary for giving her younger sister 'the best chance'. Half-sisters Holly and Darci, who lived mostly out of the spotlight, share mother Vicki but have different fathers. Holly wrote in her post: 'It is with immeasurable grief and sadness that our baby girl, my baby sister Darci Rose passed away peacefully holding my hand surrounded by family & her best friends. She was never in any pain. 'The last four days have been something I hope no family ever has to go through. We are traumatised in every sense of the word. One day we will share Darci's story. 'But for now I please ask that you do respect our privacy and allow us to process what has happened. Holly Hagan has announced the death of her sister Darci Rose at the age of just 19 (pictured: Holly wishing Darci a happy 16th birthday in 2021) The former Geordie Shore star, 33, penned a statement saying that her family are 'traumatised in every sense of the word' She posted this image with Darci and penned: 'My little twin' in the caption 'To the incredible ambulance crew, and everyone at Manchester royal infirmary ASE & ICU, thank you so much for giving my sister the absolute best chance. 'Because of you all we have had the opportunity to hold her hand, stroke her hair and feel her heart beating for the last time. We will forever be grateful for the way you have looked after her and us throughout this unimaginable process. 'Right now my job is to support my family in any way that I can to ensure they don't have to worry about work / finances. 'Any posts you see this month are pre recorded and scheduled ahead of time. I will be continuing to work so they do not have to. 'Darci is so beautiful and she genuinely didn't even realise it. I always told her she'd look better without the huge spider lashes but we all know what a hypocrite I was being since I wore 9 pairs at her age! 'She lived in Darci world, forgetting to turn lights off, didn't know how to lock doors after coming in from a night out, leaving the freezer open so my mam came down to a puddle of defrosted food 'She was the best aunty, Alpha-Jax adored her. She spent his whole birthday on the bouncy castle with AJ and alba, and that's a memory I'll cherish forever. 'She wanted to go into social work, after finding a passion for helping children. And I just know she's looking after all the babies up there Her post thanked ambulance services and the Manchester Royal Infirmary for giving her sister 'the best chance' Under her post about Darci's death, her friends offered words of support Half-sisters Holly and Darci - who lived mostly out of the spotlight - share mother Vicki but have different fathers (Holly is pictured with her mother) 'I don't know if I'm behaving in a way I assumed I would when grieving but I genuinely feel she has given me so much strength and is watching over us all as our guardian angel. We love you so much baby girl. Forever 19.' Back in 2021 Holly penned a sweet message to her sister for her 16th birthday. Sharing a series of snaps of them together she wrote in the caption: 'Happy 16th birthday to my not so little sister Darci. Love you so much twinny.' Holly previously spoke about Darci in her autobiography. Writing in her book Not Quite A Geordie, Holly said: 'When my sister Darci was born, I loved her, but she was too small for me to even bother with at that stage. 'It was only when she was a little bit older, when I would babysit, that I could really enjoy having fun with her. 'But when she was first born, she would cry and scream and keep the whole house awake. Honestly, she was the worst baby ever. I don't think she slept for two years! 'All night long she would let out blood-curdling shrieks at the top of her voice.' Under her post about Darci's death, her friends offered words of support. Her Geordie Shore co-star Nathan Henry penned: 'Holly, im so so sorry for you and your families loss. I'm sending you all love and hugs xxxxxx.' Kelsey Parked wrote: 'sending you so much love xxxx.' Charlotte Crosby said: 'I'm blessed to have known such a beautiful girl! Alpha Jaxs birthday will be how I will remember your beautiful sister Darci. Alba spent all day playing with her! 'She naturally gravitated to her because Darci radiated warmth and sunshine! So kind and caring. Reading this post has broke my heart. I love you so much Holly sending so much love to you your mam and John.' Love Island's Shaughna Phillips said: 'Oh holly I can't believe what I'm reading. I am so so sorry for yours and your families loss, sending you all the love and prayers in the world xxxxxxx.' Holly is married to footballer Jacob Blyth They welcomed son Alpha-Jax, now two, in June 2023 TOWIE's Amber Turner said: 'So sorry for your loss, sending love and prayers to you & your family.' Sophie Kasaei, Holly's friend and former co-star commented: 'A family should never have to go through this ever. I wish I could take this pain away my amazing Holly. Darci was and is an angel and will always be guiding you and your family. 'You have strength I admire and I'm so proud of you for having to keep the family together. I love you endlessly and we will be there for you through this journey of grief. Our angel Beautiful Darci.' Holly is married to footballer Jacob Blyth. They welcomed son Alpha-Jax, now two, in June 2023. She shot to fame on reality TV series Geordie Shore in 2011 when she was just 18. Antonio Banderas has revealed the special reason his daughter chose to marry in Spain and sweetly gushed that seeing her as a bride was one of the 'most beautiful moments' of his life. The 65-year-old actor was every inch the proud father as his daughter Stella, 29, married her longtime partner Alex Gruszynski on Saturday. They wed at the enchanting Retuerta Le Domaine Abbey, an old monastery that sits on a sprawling wine estate in Valladolid, Spain. And Hollywood actor Antonio felt emotional at being the father of the bride. Shortly before the nuptials, he told Hola magazine: 'Seeing my daughter dressed as a bride will be one of the most beautiful moments of my life. 'I get to be the father of the bride, and it's a role I take on with all the emotion in the world.' Antonio Banderas has revealed the special reason his daughter chose to marry in Spain and sweetly gushed that seeing her as a bride was one of the 'most beautiful moments' of his life (he is pictured at the wedding) The 65-year-old actor was every inch the proud father as his daughter Stella, 29, married her longtime partner Alex Gruszynski on Saturday Stella was born in Spain, but raised in Los Angeles, and Antonio was delighted she picked her birth country as the destination for her nuptials, saying the decision filled him 'with pride'. He explained: 'She's very Andalusian, very much from Malaga, even if she grew up in the US. This is her way of reconnecting with her roots and sharing her homeland with her future husband and his family.' Stella also felt fortunate to be able to marry her significant other in Spain saying she 'felt so lucky'. Puss in Boots star Antonio was spotted toasting the newlyweds at their nuptials last weekend. His ex-wife and Stella's mother Melanie Griffith, 68, was also present for her daughter's big day. Michelle and Barack Obama's daughters were reportedly present, as well as Stella's half-sister Dakota Johnson, her movie star grandmother Tippi Hedren, and Sting's producer and director wife Trudie Styler, per Hola! magazine. The publication reported that the event was shrouded in secrecy, with the couple implementing a strict no phones policy for guests and making staff sign confidentiality agreements. Shortly before the nuptials, he told Hola magazine: 'Seeing my daughter dressed as a bride will be one of the most beautiful moments of my life' (the happy couple are pictured) Last year in August, Stella jumped to social media to announce her engagement to Alex - whom she has known since they were kids It was said that roughly 200 to 250 people were in attendance, and the festivities included an 'outdoor cocktail reception, a gala lunch, and a party with an open bar and live performances.' Photos show Stella and Alex walking hand-in-hand during the wedding, with the bride donning a stunning off-the-shoulder white wedding dress with dramatic, long sleeves that draped to the floor. Her beau, for his part, looked dapper in a classic black tuxedo, which was paired with a white dress shirt and black bowtie for the big day. At one point, Stella's famous father, who also donned a black tuxedo, could be seen holding up a glass of wine as he proudly celebrated his daughter's special milestone. In 2018, Antonio insisted he will love Melanie 'until the day he dies' for the sake of Stella. He told People Now: 'Even if we are divorced, she is my family and I will love her until the day I die. 'We have been in contact all these years and we managed to do a separation that is very elegant. 'Our kids are enjoying that and that is very important for both of us. Our kids are priority number one.' The pair split in June 2014 after 18 years of marriage. Last year in August, Stella jumped to social media to announce her engagement to Alex - whom she has known since they were kids. His ex-wife and Stella's mother Melanie Griffith, 68, was also present for her daughter's big day (all seen in 2012 in Spain) She had given her followers a glimpse at her sparkling diamond ring in a sweet snap not long after he popped the big question. Stella penned in the caption of the post at the time, 'I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!!' Her mother Melanie also jumped to the comment section to gush, 'I love you both sooooo much!! Congratulations again!!! .' The actress later uploaded a separate post of her own in celebration of her daughter's engagement and wrote, 'He asked. On bended knee she said yes Stella and Alex are engaged to be married .' Melanie continued, 'Their love story began in pre-school! True love, deep love! Congratulations to the beloveds!!! .' After the engagement was announced, Antonio offered his thoughts on his daughter getting married. 'I feel great! She's happy, I'm happy,' The Mask Of Zorro actor told People last year in September. He also had kind words to say about his son-in-law Alex and added, 'He's awesome. I've known him since he was a little kid.' Antonio and Melanie welcomed their daughter Stella to the world in 1996 - the same year they tied the knot. The former couple announced their separation in 2014, with the divorce being finalized the following year. Melanie - whose mother is actress Tippi Hedren - was also previously married to Don Johnson, whom she shares Dakota Johnson, 36, with. She is also mom to son Alexander Bauer, 40, whom she welcomed with ex Steven Bauer. Despite their divorce, both Antonio and Melanie have still remained close of the years which the actor has opened up about. 'I'm a very good friend of my ex-wife. I don't have anything against her,' the actor told Fox News Digital in 2023. 'She's a wonderful woman and I still respect and support that idea that everything that happened between her and me for 20 years was beautiful.' Antonio added, 'Of course, we had our bad moments. But the thing that I will remember forever is those beautiful moments that we had together. 'And one of those beautiful moments has to do with our kids and the family,' the star further said. Both he and Melanie will still spend time together whenever he visits Los Angeles. 'We go for dinner, we just get together, the whole entire family. And so that is very important. Not only to us but to the rest of the family. I think the kids - I think we did well.' Antonio has also developed a close bond with Melanie's other two children, including actress Dakota Johnson. He revealed to E! News earlier this year in February that he 'would love to' work on a film with Dakota sometime in the future. 'I would love to, but that's something that is very difficult. I will search for [a project], but I would love to work with Dakota someday.' In 2018, Antonio insisted he will love Melanie 'until the day he dies' for the sake of Stella Antonio explained that he would enjoy working with the Fifty Shades of Grey star because 'she's a good actress' and 'a great comedian.' Dakota previously called Antonio her 'bonus dad' during a speech when he received the Hollywood Actor Award in 2019. 'When I was six-years-old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light, a whole new world of creativity and culture and one remarkably magical little sister in to our family.' She also added, 'Antonio taught me about true passion and discipline. 'He would spend hours, and days even, in his office trying to get to the nucleus of something he had become interested in, or a role he was preparing...' Married At First Sight UK star Marilyse Corrigan, 41, has been rushed to hospital with a burst appendix, leaving her in need of emergency surgery. The personal trainer and mother-of-two took to Instagram stories on Tuesday to document her ordeal, as she revealed her boyfriend took her to A&E on Monday morning during which she was misdiagnosed with a kidney infection. She revealed she is taking morphine and unable to walk due to the agony of her condition - after spending 24 hours in Manchester Royal Infirmary. Marilyse, who shot to fame on the E4 series in 2021, shared images taken from her hospital bed including a canula in her arm and a selfie from the bed. Her hospital visit comes after she donated a kidney to her ex and the father of her children in 2019. She took part in a kidney donation scheme, where her organ went to a woman she has never met before, meaning her ex received one in exchange. Married At First Sight UK star Marilyse Corrigan, 41, has been rushed to hospital with a burst appendix, leaving her in need of emergency surgery The personal trainer and mother-of-two took to Instagram stories on Tuesday to document her ordeal, as she revealed her boyfriend took her to A&E on Monday morning during which she was misdiagnosed with a kidney infection She initially shared the news of a suspected kidney infection Marilyse's stories began with the star revealing she had been heading to St George's Hall in Liverpool to celebrate 30 years of Hollyoaks among a slew of stars. Panning around her hospital room and showing the canula in her arm, she added a caption over the top of the video reading: 'Was going to Liverpool for a Hollyoakes [sic] party but ended up in hospital! Suspected kidney infection. Not good!' She then shared a selfie showing her in a hospital gown, while adding a caption reading: 'No wonder been in so much pain, sick and doubled over. CT scan has confirmed a burst appendix, not a kidney infection... 'Need an op asap. I always have the best luck!' She then posted another image of her arm and added a caption reading: '24 hours in Manchester Royal Infirmary with a burst appendix and still waiting for what should be an emergency op!... 'If only they had listened to my [boyfriend] yesterday morning in A&E who told them exactly what he thought it could be, I would have been quicker!.. 'They assumed it was a kidney infection until CT scan (still not good with only one kidney!) On morphine and can't walk'. Marilyse's stories began with the star revealing she had been heading to St George's Hall in Liverpool to celebrate 30 years of Hollyoaks among a slew of stars She is pictured following her kidney operation when she donated a kidney In November 2019, Marilyse and her ex Shaun Bell travelled to Leeds General Infirmary, where Marilyse took part in the special swap system donated her kidney to a stranger, while Shaun received his just hours later. She said: 'Until I announced I was going to donate a kidney, I had no idea how amazing and huge the transplant community was... 'I remember lying in hospital waiting for my op and my phone pinging away with literally countless messages of support from strangers, people who'd donated organs or those of loved ones who'd received an organ. 'Going for the operation was genuinely frightening, but their support meant everything to me when I felt alone and scared.' In November 2019, Marilyse and her ex Shaun Bell travelled to Leeds General Infirmary, where Marilyse took part in the special swap system donated her kidney to a stranger, while Shaun received his just hours later While she'd signed up to save Shaun's life in November 2019, Marilyse admits she had 'half forgotten' that she might one day get the call. She said: 'My dad, James, had died from cancer when I was 16, and knowing that trauma lasted a lifetime, I had to do this for my kids as much as Shaun... 'Mum told me straight away how proud dad would be of me, making sure his grandsons got to know their dad as he got older, something I'd sadly missed out on.' 'Shaun and I had separated in 2012, but were very much on good terms I knew he was suffering from polycystic kidney disease and would need a transplant one day, but as the years passed and he needed more and more dialysis, I knew this was on the cards.' Love Is Blind couple Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton have confirmed the birth of their first child, son Ezra William, after a four year fertility battle. The couple, who met on Season One of the Netflix dating show in 2020, broke the news in a series of Instagram posts on Tuesday morning. Addressing followers, Speed, 37, revealed the child was born prematurely almost three weeks ago after she fell ill with pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy condition typically characterised by nausea, headaches and high blood pressure. Captioning her first photos of their baby son, she wrote: 'To God be the GLORY! Our son, Ezra William Hamilton, made his debut October 1st, a little earlier than planned, but perfectly on Gods time. 'After an unexpected turn with preeclampsia and a few days in the hospital, weve been taking it slow healing, resting, and soaking up all the love.' The couple originally announced Lauren's pregnancy in a video chronicling their journey from meeting to marriage and expanding their family through IVF. Love Is Blind couple Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton have confirmed the birth of their first child after a series of fertility struggles The couple introduced son Ezra William to social media followers on Tuesday morning Debuting her bump in sweet snaps, Speed told PEOPLE of the couple's reaction to expecting: 'We just looked at each other. I fell to my knees and cried. 'It's been a long time coming. We've literally been trying to get pregnant for four years.' Discussing their anxiety ahead of doing a pregnancy test, Hamilton, 34, said: 'We were counting down the day till we could test because we did IVF. 'We knew, okay, this is the day that we're going to do the test. Of course, we're going in for a blood test later that day, but we couldn't wait any longer.' Speed said her unborn baby was 'the light in the darkness' her family needed after the death of her father at Christmas 2024. She said: 'The spark that my whole family needed. We've been trying for a long time. 'It was a little bittersweet because my dad's not here physically to be with us, but we know that he's watching over us. 'So it was just like, 'Wow, I can't believe this.' We just felt so blessed, so grateful and happy, excited. Then it hit like, 'We're going to be parents. Oh my God.'" Addressing followers, Speed revealed the child was born prematurely almost three weeks ago after she fell ill with pre-eclampsia Ezra's tiny feet featured in another photo shared by the happy couple on Tuesday morning The hit Netflix series followed 30 men and women as they built connections in different pods without ever seeing each other; during that speed dating-process, the contestants were allowed to propose to each other whenever they chose. Once couples became engaged, they were allowed to meet for the first time, resulting in a romantic getaway to Mexico, moving into their own apartment together and meeting each other's families ahead of their wedding in days. And from the 30 original couples, the quest for love didn't result in a happy ending, with only five engaged couples moving on to the romantic retreat in Mexico. The happy couple tied the knot on November 14, 2018, Speeds 31st birthday. The former contestants met on the first day of taping the debut season of Love Is Blind, and despite not meeting each other in person for the first month, they claim to have both fallen in love instantly. Just days after finally coming face to face, Hamilton proposed and without hesitation Lauren said yes revealing she had just about given up on the fairytale until meeting her prince. Speed also shared photos taken during her extended time in hospital following the birth She and Hamilton exchanged vows on November 14, 2018, Speed's 31st birthday The emotional ceremony included plenty of tears and laughter as vows were exchanged Prior to appearing on Love Is Blind, Speed ran a marketing company in her hometown of Detroit and now hosts the popular podcast We Have the Receipts with comedian Chris Burns recapping Netflixs most exciting reality shows. Hamilton, who hails from Maine is a scientist who founded the Artificial Intelligence company Alliance AI in 2019 and keeps busy with his passion for physical fitness and cooking. Kim Kardashian turned 45-years-old on Tuesday. And some of her A-list friends already sent her sweet notes first thing in the morning that the reality TV star shared to her Insta Stories. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians veteran got messages from Victoria Beckham, Amy Schumer, Donatella Versace, Jonathan 'Foodgod' Cheban, and Naomi Watts. Others who said HBD were Kylie Jenner's makeup artist Ariel, hair wizard Chris Stapleton and Kourtney's good pal Simon Huck. And her sister Khloe Kardashian shared a heartfelt note for her 'best friend.' Kim normally flies to an exotic vacation like the Caribbean for her birthday, but there is no telling yet what she will do this year. Kim Kardashian turned 45-years-old on Tuesday. And some of her A-list friends already sent her sweet notes first thing in the morning that the reality TV star shared to her Insta Stories. Seen on October 17 in LA Cheban said, 'Happy birthday to the most beautiful woman in the world, I love you,' as he shared a throwback photo of them. Sister Khloe posted several images as she wrote, 'Happy Birthday to my sister, my best friend, my forever twin flame in chaos and greatness, where you go, I go. 'Every year, Im in awe of how you continue to evolve. Somehow, you keep leveling up in strength, grace, wisdom, and heart. Youve always been powerful, but lately it feels like youve tapped into an even deeper layer of yourself, calmer yet more unstoppable, grounded yet still dreaming bigger than ever. 'You give so much of yourself to everyone around you. You show up for your family, your friends, your work, your dreams and you do it all with that signature Kimberly magic that makes everything seem effortless (even though I know its not) Youre the definition of showing up fully for life. 'And yes, youre still the baddest of them all. Thank you for being my safe place, my biggest inspiration, my constant laugh, my gossip aficionado and my ride-or-die. You already know, Ive got you in every lifetime. No matter where life takes us, Ill always be right there cheering, protecting, and loving you through it all. You and me forever, kiddo Happy birthday, my spectacular stunning sister.' Over the weekend the SKIMS founder posed with her 'real' best friends, whom she calls 'lifers.' The siren took to her Instagram page to post the image with the ladies at an after party for her private screening of her new show All's Fair. They are her longtime friends Simone Harouche and Alison Slatter whom she grew up with in the Beverly Hills area before the Kardashian/Jenner clan moved to Calabasas. Also spied were Sarah Meyer Michaelson, Ash Kassan and Henry Winkler's daughter Zoe Winkler. Sister Khloe posted several images as she wrote, 'Happy Birthday to my sister, my best friend, my forever twin flame in chaos and greatness, where you go, I go. 'Every year, Im in awe of how you continue to evolve. Somehow, you keep leveling up in strength, grace, wisdom' They were all partying at the famed Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood as Kim wore a very low cut dress with her hair back. 'Afters at the Chateau,' wrote Kardashian in her Instagram caption. Her almost 400M followers loved the photo as sister Khloe called her a 'queen' and Statter shared: 'I love love love you!!! So excited for everyone to see you shine!' Also seen in the carousel of photos were two of her newer friends: Olivia Pierson and Natalie Halcro who both said, 'We love you!' There were also several glam photos of the reality TV star taken by Adrian Martin as she posed inside the legendary hotel where Drew Barrymore and Led Zeppelin used to party. Naomi Watts shared a sweet note; they costar in All's Fair Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, said, 'Happy birthday Kim!' Not all of Kardashian's 'lifers' are still around: One of Kim's 'lifers,' recently passed away. Lindsay May Palevsky, a longtime friend from Kardashian's childhood, died after a long battle with a rare form of cancer. In July 2025, Kardashian shared she had an empty feeling in her 'lifers chat' after Palevsky passed. This comes a week after Kardashian said she 'cannot believe' she knew her late father for the same number of years as he's been gone. The businesswoman took to social media to pay tribute to her dad, Robert Kardashian - who died aged 59 on September 30, 2003, just two months being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer - 22 years to the day since his passing. She wrote on her Instagram Stories: 'Thank you for always protecting the family from heaven. 'Can't believe I was 22 years old when you passed away and it's been 22 years today since you went to heaven. 'I've known you just as long as you've been gone. 'I hope you're so proud of all of us. We love you dad and miss you soooooooooo much (sic)' Kardashian has posed with her 'real' best friends, whom she calls 'lifers.' The 44-year-old siren took to her Instagram page to post the image with the ladies at an after party for her screening of her new show All's Fair In January Kim was seen with Harouche and Slatter in Mexico Kim's sister Kourtney Kardashian, 46, also paid tribute to her father. She re-shared a post from her Instagram, and she added the new caption: 'My dad [heart emoji]' The pair's younger sibling Khloe Kardashian, 41, remembered their dad by re-sharing a Reel on her Instagram Story. The caption read: 'I will forever hold space for you. Happy birthday daddy [white heart emoji] I love you. 'Thank you for everything [white heart emoji] Every memory. Every lesson. Every laugh. Every ounce of love. Thank you!' Kardashian wears a structured off-the-shoulder satin and lustrous maxi gown, low-neck dress by Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2000 collection on her birthday on October 21 in Paris Earlier this year, Khloe told how she felt 'incredibly angry' after the death of her father, and she hated being forced to talk about her loss on camera. During an episode of her podcast Khloe in Wonderland with grief expert David Kessler, she explained: 'For about three years, I was incredibly angry. 'I was filming my show, 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians', and in season one, I remember one of my producers was making me do an interview about my dad 'cause I wouldn't talk about my dad. 'At that time, if I spoke about him, I would just break down. 'It was as if a house got lifted off of me after that conversation. was kicking and screaming while doing it, but as soon as I had that conversation, that was the last time that I cried when talking about my dad, in a bad way ... 'I let go of all of this guilt and anger. Now I can talk about my dad with smiles and happiness and admiration and understanding.' Joshua Jackson looked anything but heartbroken as he stepped out for a cozy lunch date with actress Elizabeth Gilpin in Los Angeles on Monday just days after he hit pause on his divorce trial with Jodie Turner-Smith. The Dawsons Creek alum, 47, and the Queen & Slim star, 39, who share five-year-old daughter Juno, called it quits in 2023 after four years of marriage. But new court filings suggest things between the exes may be cooling down. Last week, Turner-Smiths legal team asked the court to cancel the pair's scheduled October 15 trial, noting that '[Turner-Smith and Jackson] are in the process of negotiating a custody judgment.' The filing added that 'the parties will return to the [private judge they hired] to resolve any impasses.' But on Monday, any divorce drama seemed far from Joshuas mind as he appeared in high spirits while cozying up to Gilpin, 36, during their sunny Calabasas outing. Joshua Jackson appeared in high spirits on Monday as he enjoyed a relaxed lunch with actress Elizabeth Gilpin in Los Angeles, just days after putting his divorce trial with Jodie Turner-Smith on hold Any divorce drama seemed far from Joshuas mind as he appeared in high spirits while cozying up to Elizabeth, 36, during their sunny Calabasas outing Sporting a classic white tee and jeans, Jackson chatted animatedly as the two strolled side by side. Gilpin who penned the 2021 bestseller Stolen after appearing in a string of indie films turned heads in a cutoff halter top and ripped jeans that showed off her toned figure. Their flirty body language sparked instant speculation that Jackson may already be moving on and doing just fine. Neither Jackson nor Gilpin have publicly addressed their relationship, and Daily Mail has not received a response to its request for comment from reps for either star. While Gilpin drew early attention for her roles in Endings, Inc. (2015), Guerra (2017), and Three Deaths (2016), she became a household name after releasing her memoir Stolen, which chronicles her harrowing experience at an abusive boarding school. The book delves into how she became a ward of the so-called 'troubled teen' industry facilities that market themselves to parents as tough-love rehabilitation programs for unruly youth. But as Gilpin discovered and as Paris Hilton exposed in her 2020 documentary This Is Paris many of these institutions allegedly subjected teens to cruel, demeaning, and even abusive treatment. As for Jackson, his outing with Gilpin comes nearly two year safter Turner-Smith filed for divorce in October 2023, citing 'irreconcilable differences.' Gilpin who penned the 2021 bestseller Stolen after appearing in a string of indie films turned heads in a cutoff halter top and ripped jeans that showed off her toned figure While Gilpin drew early attention for her roles in Endings, Inc. (2015), Guerra (2017), and Three Deaths (2016), she became a household name after releasing her memoir Stolen, which chronicles her harrowing experience at an abusive boarding school; (Gilpin in 2022) The Dawsons Creek alum, 47, and Jodie Turner-Smith, 39, who share five-year-old daughter Juno, called it quits in 2023 after four years of marriage; (pictured 2022) The actress requested joint custody of their daughter, with neither party seeking spousal support. They seemed close to a custody arrangement in May but then bickered over what school Juno would go to and if the kid would travel with mom for long periods of time, per TMZ. 'I don't think it's good for Juno to go for as long as you have proposed without seeing either parent, whenever it is reasonably possible for us to avoid without putting undue stress on Juno,' wrote Jackson earlier this year in court papers seen by the outlet. He added, 'Juno needs both of us.' In the letter included in the documents, Jackson also objected to Turner-Smith's planned trip to Morocco but Turner-Smith said the child was 'excited about our travel plans, and I believe this stretch of time will allow her to feel deeply grounded.' Joshua and the British model started dating in 2018 and secretly married the following year before welcoming baby Juno in 2020. Turner-Smith filed for divorce in October 2023, and in the filing said their date of separation was the month prior, according to People. In legal documents seen by TMZ in May, it was claimed that Jackson will pay $2,787 each month in child support but he will not be paying monthly spousal support. Turner-Smith also requested Jackson pay her $75,000 for the attorney's fees she incurred in their legal fight over where the child will go to school, according to the site. Jackson in May 2025 Turner-Smith in May at the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating Superfine: Tailoring Black Style The Doctor Odyssey star and his ex went to a mediator to compromise on a temporary schedule to govern the 50-50 custody of their daughter, the site also claimed after seeing the documents. The pair have reportedly been in a legal battle since Turner-Smith filed for divorce two years ago. She listed their date of separation as September 2023 in court papers seen by TMZ and cited 'irreconcilable differences' in her reason for filing. In February 2024 she broke her silence about their divorce to The Sunday Times. She said she wanted to 'make a move because I believe that there are visible scars from staying in places that are not good for us. Over the summer Jackson filmed a movie with his Dawson's Creek costar and former girlfriend Katie Holmes; seen on set in August in NYC The cast of Dawson's Creek in 1997. From left to right are Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams and Jackson 'And they don't just affect us, they affect everybody around us,' she added. 'Sometimes things we really want to work just don't end up working. And that's OK. The most important thing is that you choose what's healthiest for you and your family and definitely your children.' Following their split, Jackson went on to date Lupita Nyung'o, and he was also linked to German model Nastassja Roberts. Over the summer, Jackson filmed a movie in New York City with his ex-girlfriend Katie Holmes who was also his Dawson's Creek costar. John Travolta will collaborate on a new movie with his daughter Ella Bleu Travolta. It was announced on Monday that the 71-year-old veteran actor who shocked fans over the summer will be joined by the 25-year-old actress and Melissa Barerra in the action thriller Black Tides. The movie written by Chris Sparling and Angel Agudo with Renny Harlin directing is about 'rogue orcas.' According to a synopsis, the movie 'follows Bill Pierce (John), an estranged father trying to reconnect with his daughter Rebecca (Melissa) and grandson Sebastian (Dylan Torrell) when their sailboat is attacked by rogue orcas off the southern Spanish coast.' It subsequently ignites a 'fight for survival across open waters,' per Deadline. The father-daughter duo previously worked together on 2019s The Poison Rose and 2009s Old Dogs. John Travolta will collaborate on a new movie with his daughter Ella Bleu Travolta; pictured in April 2024 It was announced on Monday that the 71-year-old veteran actor will be joined by the 25-year-old actress and Melissa Barerra in the action thriller Black Tides; pictured in April In addition to Ella, the Grease sensation is also dad to 14-year-old son Benjamin, who turns 15 next month. He shared the kids, as well as late son Jett who died of a seizure at age 16 in 2009 with wife Kelly Preston. The three are the surviving family members after they also lost Kelly in July 2020 following her battle with breast cancer. John has kept his late wife's memory alive, and often posts photos of her in memoriam. Just one week ago, on what would have been her 63rd birthday, the actor took to Instagram to share a song he performed in her honor. He shared a photo of his wife and wrote in the caption, 'I recorded this song for Kelly and I want to share it with you all on her birthday. Happy birthday Kelly, we love you. -John, Ella and Ben.' Ella left a comment of three red heart emojis. And on Mother's Day this year, the Hollywood star shared an old family photo, writing, 'Happy Mothers Day Kelly! You did a great job!! We love you!' The father-daughter duo previously worked together on 2019s The Poison Rose and 2009s Old Dogs; seen in 2024 Ella and John pictured in August 2024 at the Olympic Games in Paris In addition to Ella, the Grease sensation is also dad to 14-year-old son Benjamin, whom he shared with late wife Kelly Preston Ella and John are famously extremely close, with the pair often supporting one another via social media. Gushing about his daughter in a 2019 interview with People, John said: 'She is gracious, generous, poised, graceful and gorgeous. I don't know how she came to be, and I don't take any credit other than just adoring her.' He added, 'And maybe that's a valid contribution.' That same year Ella also heaped praise on her movie star father, calling him 'the best mentor ever.' She told People, 'I always jump at the opportunity to do something with my dad and we always have the most fun doing something together.' 'Ever since I was little, I've really loved singing and performing whether it was acting, dancing, singing,' the budding star explained about following in her parents' showbiz footsteps. Al Pacino is returning to his Godfather days in new action thriller Father Joe, starring as a powerful mob boss. The American actor, 85, transformed into his character as he was seen on set for the first time in Paris on Tuesday. Hollywood Icon Pacino is renowned for his starring role as Michael Corleone in the three Godfather movies. Going back to his gangster roots, the movie star was seen head to toe in beige, with a dramatic faux fur collar to complement his suit. Barthelemy Grossmann is directing the movie, with actor Kiefer Sutherland set to star as Father Joe alongside Pacino. The upcoming action thriller is set in the 1990s Manhattan, with Father Joe portrayed as a man of faith who wages a violent war against the citys criminal underworld. Al Pacino, 85, is returning to his Godfather days in new action thriller Father Joe, starring as a powerful mob boss The American actor transformed into his character as he was seen on set for the first time in Paris on Tuesday Ever Anderson, 17, the rising star of Peter Pan & Wendy and Black Widow, is set to star as a young woman caught between danger and redemption under Father Joes guidance. Sutherland said: 'I have been a fan of Luc Besson [producer] going back to Subway. As a director and a writer, he has a unique capacity to weave drama and action together without sacrificing either. 'Im so excited about this opportunity to work with him as the writer of Father Joe and director Barthelemy Grossmann. I cant wait to get started. His outing comes after he was seen for the first time since the heartbreaking death of his former love Diane Keaton. The Oscar winner was photographed arriving at LAX last week with his ex-girlfriend Noor Alfallah, looking somber as he made his way through the terminal. Keaton, who passed away at 79, was long considered the great love of Pacinos life. The two dated on and off from 1971 to 1987 after famously playing husband and wife in Francis Ford Coppolas 1972 classic The Godfather. A close friend of the actor told the Daily Mail this week that Pacino will 'forever regret' not staying with Keaton. For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, if its meant to be, its never too late for a do-over. But sadly, now it is, the insider shared. Going back to his gangster roots, the movie star was seen head to toe in beige, with a dramatic faux fur collar to complement his suit Barthelemy Grossmann is directing the movie, with actor Kiefer Sutherland (pictured filming today) set to star as Father Joe alongside Pacino Kiefer transformed into his character Father Joe on the first day of filming Hollywood Icon Pacino is renowned for his starring role as Michael Corleone in the three Godfather movies Ever Anderson, 17, the rising star of Peter Pan & Wendy and Black Widow, is set to star as a young woman caught between danger and redemption under Father Joes guidance Keaton once reflected on their relationship herself, admitting Pacino was the one who got away. The Scarface star appeared visibly downcast as he headed toward a private jet alongside Noor, with whom he welcomed son Roman in 2023 his first public outing since losing the woman many believed was the love of his life. The pair were both dressed down in all-black ensembles a quiet reflection, perhaps, of the somber mood of the day. Pacino and Keaton's romance would last beyond Coppola's The Godfather Part III, released in 1990, and Keaton later admitted her former co-star was the great love she never ended up with. 'I didnt even want him to propose,' she told The Times of their relationship in 2017. 'I just thought maybe he would marry me, eventually. I thought, "dont even propose - lets just do it." 'But that never happened, and that is a blessing for both of us. It would have been a nightmare for him.' She added 'Were very eccentric, he needed a woman that was going to take care of him, I needed a man who would take care of me. 'It was just very important that we left each other alone, said goodbye. But it wasnt my choice.' Keaton and Pacino won accolades for their respective roles as Kay Adams and mafia don Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy. Jilly Cooper visited the set of Rivals just two days before her 'sudden' death, star Alex Hassell has revealed. The actor, 45, plays the lead role of Rupert Campbell in the hit Disney+ series, which is based on Jilly's series of 'bonkbuster' novels. Dame Jilly died on October 5 aged 88, following a fall at her home in Bisley, Gloucestershire after the second season of Rivals had begun production. Filming on series two resumed last week following the news of Jilly's death, and in a new interview, Alex has shared that he and cast hope this new run of episodes will be a fitting tribute to her. Alex previously paid tribute to Jilly on Instagram following her death, thanking her for 'changing his life' by offering him the lead role in the series. The star reflected on Jilly's passing while promoting his new thriller Wasteman, which recently premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. Jilly Cooper visited the set of Rivals just two days before her 'sudden' death, star Alex Hassell has revealed Dame Jilly died on October 5 aged 88, following a fall at her home in Bisley, Gloucestershire after the second season of Rivals had begun production Alex told Metro: 'We're all devastated. She was on set just the week before and, obviously, her voice and her character and her sense of creativity were such a huge driving force of the show in terms of the source material. 'She would okay everything, or we would hear that things have changed because she didn't think that certain things characters do are quite right or representative of her view of the characters.' Reflecting on his hopes, he said: 'But we also really want to honour her, as you say, and try and do our best to keep making the show as good as possible. 'And really, season two is so much [more] interesting because it's bigger, it's funnier, it's darker, it's more serious, it's more challenging. It's brighter as well, it's wilder. It's everything pulled into it, every dimension.' Alex added that Jilly was still able to see 'every single' script for Rivals before it was filmed, and had already shared her thoughts on season two's first three episodes. Alexander Hassell posted a sweet image of himself kissing Jilly on the cheek when he paid tribute to her. He wrote: 'So sad to have lost our wonderful Jilly. So incredibly grateful to have gotten to know her. This magical woman changed my life. 'Quite aside from the great wealth of joy, comfort and excitement her writing has given so many, she was such a generous spirited person to be around. She was so kind and supportive to me in portraying her hero Rupert. Filming resumed last week following the news of Jilly's death, and Alex (pictured as Rupert Campbell-Black) has shared he and cast hope this new run of episodes will be a fitting tribute 'I'm so pleased I got to see her on set the other day, and pretty much the last things she said to me was that she was proud of me. Gorgeous and caring to the last. She shall be greatly missed. 'We will continue to do our utmost to honour her. My thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this difficult time.' Dame Jilly, who admitted in her final interview with the Daily Mail earlier this year to having enjoyed a clinch with James Bond star Sean Connery, was best known for her books in The Rutshire Chronicles series. The depiction of the bedroom antics of the polo-playing classes proved a huge hit with millions seeking naughty bed-time reading. Dame Jilly's first novel in the Rutshire series, Riders, was published in 1985, when the author was 48. The book's release, which came after Dame Jilly had been sacked from 22 jobs in public relations, marked her big break in her literary career. Riders made the BBC list of 100 important English language novels in the love, sex and romance selection alongside Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice. Rivals is the second book in the series. The period drama premiered in the UK on streaming service Disney+, as well as in the US on Hulu back in October 2024. Earlier this month Disney+ confirmed that they have treated fans to an extra four episodes, with 12 installments in the second run. The first series, which was eight episodes, became a huge hit and ended on a huge cliffhanger after David Tennant's character Lord Tony Baddingham was left for dead. Though the fate of Lord Baddingham appeared dire, it has now been confirmed that David will reprise his role in the upcoming second season in a major casting update. Danny Trejo sparked fears in a wheelchair this week, just weeks after he was forced to shut down down viral rumors that he had died after allegedly suffering a stroke. The 81-year-old convict-turned-movie star looked frail as he was pushed through a terminal in Toronto - accompanied by his son Gilbert, 37. The Spy Kids star cut a dapper figure in a black suit and fedora as he chatted with his son. A representative for the actor confirmed to the Daily Mail that Trejo had undergone a knee replacement Last month Trejo's death hoax was sparked when former castmate John Leguizamo, who Instastoried 'R.I.P.' over a false August 19th report from Polonia News. 'Thank you all for your concern but I am very much alive,' Trejo - who boasts 13.3M social media followers - wrote on Instagram. Danny Trejo sparked fears in a wheelchair this week, just weeks after he was forced to shut down down viral rumors that he had died after allegedly suffering a stroke Last month Trejo's death hoax was sparked when former castmate John Leguizamo, who Instastoried 'R.I.P.' over a false August 19th report from Polonia News (pictured August 22) 'Someone is spreading fake news.' It's been 22 years since Trejo guest-starred in an episode of the 65-year-old Emmy winner's Nickelodeon sitcom, The Brothers Garcia. Coincidentally, the Echo Park native and John were both honored on August 22 at the 40th annual Imagen Awards in Beverly Hills, and the Latino-centered ceremony is set to air October 1 on PBS. Danny won best variety/reality show for his History Channel series Mysteries Unearthed while Leguizamo - who did not attend - won best actor for his role in the film Bob Trevino Likes It. Trejo has been very active over the past month, hosting a meet-and-greet and concert for his record label Trejo's Music at the Regent Theater in LA on August 30. The day before that, the Big City Greens actor took part in the 15th anniversary screening of Machete at Vidiots in LA alongside screenwriter Alvaro Rodriguez. On August 23, Danny impressively celebrated 57 years of sobriety after previously serving time in and out of prisons like San Quentin, Folsom, and Soledad. 'I feel blessed, first of all, because I wasn't supposed to make it out of the '60s and I mean 1960s,' Trejo told People last year. 'That was a tough time for me, and nobody thought I was going to make it out of there. Now, I've been on the good Lord's time.' The prolific restaurateur continued: 'Anytime somebody asks me did I ever imagine, I never imagined getting out of prison. The last thing I heard the parole board say in 1969 was, "Bring us back a life sentence. We're sick and tired of you." 'I never went back. I mean, every day, every day for me is just a blessing.' Trejo currently stars as the gun-wielding Jimmy in Victor Rios' fentanyl crime thriller Wages of Sin, which just premiered last Friday VOD via Amazon Prime Video. The 81-year-old convict-turned-movie star looked frail as he was pushed through a terminal in Toronto - accompanied by his son Gilbert, 37 The Spy Kids star cut a dapper figure in a black suit and fedora as he chatted with his son The rumors were amplified by Trejo's castmate John Leguizamo, who Instastoried 'R.I.P.' over a false August 19th report from Polonia News 'Thank you all for your concern but I am very much alive,' Danny - who boasts 13.3M social media followers - wrote on Instagram. 'Someone is spreading fake news' It's been 22 years since Trejo guest-starred in an episode of the 65-year-old Emmy winner's Nickelodeon sitcom, The Brothers Garcia Coincidentally, the Echo Park native and John were both honored on August 22 at the 40th annual Imagen Awards in Beverly Hills, and the Latino-centered ceremony is set to air October 1 on PBS Danny has been very active over the past month, hosting a meet-and-greet and concert for his record label Trejo's Music at the Regent Theater in LA on August 30 The day before that, Trejo took part in the 15th anniversary screening of Machete at Vidiots in LA alongside screenwriter Alvaro Rodriguez On August 23, the Big City Greens actor impressively celebrated 57 years of sobriety after previously serving time in and out of prisons like San Quentin, Folsom, and Soledad (pictured with his two sons on November 28) Danny is next scheduled to appear at the fourth annual horror convention Silver Scream Con in Worcester, MA on September 12-14. On May 31, Trejo wrapped a mystery role on the Tucson, AZ set of Sally Shamrell's indie movie, Choir Practice. And the four-time divorce has no less than 24 other upcoming acting projects in the works. Danny certainly had a leg up in show business as the second cousin of Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmaker, Robert Rodriguez. On the personal front, Trejo has three children - son Danny Jr., 44; son Gilbert, 37; and daughter Danielle, 35 - with babymamas Diana Walton and Maeve Crommie, whom he split from in 1983 and 1997. Lori Loughlin is struggling with her split from her husband of almost 28 years, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli. The 61-year-old Full House actress has been described as far from happy by a People source. 'Lori feels betrayed,' a pal told the publication on Tuesday. 'It's not a happy situation for her,' the insider added. 'They're in very different places right now and it's unlikely that they'll find their way back together.' The two, who have separated but not filed any paperwork yet, are 'living apart and moving on with separate priorities.' They have two children together: daughters Olivia, 26, and Bella, 27. He also has a son named Gianni from a previous relationship. Lori Loughlin is struggling with her split from her husband of almost 28 years, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli The 61-year-old Full House actress has been described as far from happy by a People source. 'Lori feels betrayed,' a pal told the publication on Tuesday. 'It's not a happy situation for her,' the insider added. Seen in 2015 The problems are not new. They began when the two were busted for paying $500,000 to help their kids get into college. 'Things have never been the same' for the couple after they 'weathered the college admission fallout and the prison sentences together,' a source told People. Both had to spent time in the slammer: Loughlin spent two months in jail and Giannulli served a five-month sentence. Last week it was hinted Mossimo had been with another woman. Loughlin reportedly had discovered a trove of 'incriminating' text messages and emails. A source described as a friend of the actress told Page Six that Loughlin split from Giannulli after finding the messages on his phone. 'Truly, the tipping point came when Lori found a bunch of text messages,' the friend claimed. The Daily Mail has reached out to Loughlin's representative for comment but hasn't yet received a response. The latest details come just two weeks after Giannulli was pictured shopping in Beverly Hills with the 32-year-old stylist Hannah Harrison, who denied any romantic entanglement. The latest details come just two weeks after Giannulli, 62, was pictured shopping in Beverly Hills with the 32-year-old stylist Hannah Harrison (pictured) Hannah Harrison later told Us Weekly that she and Giannulli had a strictly 'platonic' relationship, and she described the photos of the two together as a matter of 'bad timing,' as she allegedly went to meet him at his G/FORE Supply clothing store in Beverly Hills 'Mossimo had used Lori for years,' the friend went on to claim. 'She was hoping maybe he would change when he got out of prison, but he got worse.' Loughlin now reportedly 'wants to have nothing to do with' her estranged husband. 'She wants to get her life back,' Loughlin's friend said of the convicted felon. The report follows an update from the stylist Giannulli had been pictured with after his separation was announced. Hannah Harrison later told Us Weekly that she and Giannulli had a strictly 'platonic' relationship, and she described the photos of the two together as a matter of 'bad timing,' as she allegedly went to meet him at his G/FORE Supply clothing store in Beverly Hills to do some shopping while 'not knowing that his separation had been announced.' 'He was introducing me to the guys there so I could pull clothes [for Giannullis brand],' she explained. Harrison also stressed that she and Giannulli drove to the store separately, where photographers spotted them. 'We were not there together [and] we are not dating. We are good friends,' she declared. 'He was just meeting me at the store.' The day before Loughlin and Giannulli's split, she was pictured being comforted outside the exclusive Bird Streets social club in West Hollywood by the actor James Tupper, who was the former partner of the late Anne Heche. The two had starred together in the Great American Family TV movies Fall Into Winter (2023) and Blessings Of Christmas (2024). According to Page Six, Loughlin is currently residing at her family home in Hidden Hills, California. In February, it was reported that she and Giannulli, who bought the mansion for $9.5 million in 2020, had put it on the market for $16.5 million. However, the asking price has since been lowered to a reported $14.95 million. Loughlin and Giannulli share two daughters: Isabella 'Bella' Rose, 27, and Olivia Jade Giannulli, 26 Meanwhile, sources told Page Six that Giannulli was dividing his time between Orange County, just south of LA, and another family home located in Idaho. Giannulli is a successful fashion designer who founded Mossimo, a mid-range clothing company, in 1986 in Newport Beach, California. During his first year in business, he grossed $1 million, and the following year, he made $4 million. Mossimo expanded the line in 1991 to include sweatshirts, knits, and sweaters, and by 1995, the collection included women's clothing and men's suits. After eight years in business, Mossimo, Inc. had grown into a multimillion-dollar lifestyle sportswear company, which had its initial public offering in 1996. In 2000, Mossimo, Inc. inked a major multi-product licensing agreement with Target stores, for $27.8 million, which made his brand a household name. Mossimo was subsequently acquired by the Iconix Brand Group in 2006. The knives or chopsticks are out for a low-key restaurant chain that smoked its competitors in annual sales reports. You might guess that the winner would be a fine-dining steakhouse, or an all-American staple, but the eatery topping rankings is a family-owned dumpling house. Din Tai Fung has just 16 restaurants across the US, but it generated $27.4 million per location last year. That's nearly double the sales of the next closest chain, upscale steakhouse Mastro's which saw $14.52 million in sales per location. Overall, Din Tai Fung generated $412 million in sales in 2024, an increase of nearly 20 percent year-over-year, according to Technomic. To put Din Tai Fung's average annual sales into perspective, it's like combining two Cheesecake Factories into a single restaurant, or almost four Chick-fil-As, or just under seven McDonald's locations. 'Ridiculous numbers,' said Keith Durst, owner of the hospitality-advisory firm Friend of Chef. 'We're talking about unbelievably busy' restaurants, he told The Wall Street Journal. 'Din Tai Fung is offering a cuisine type that is still seeing growth and interest from consumers. That has helped their success. However, their whole model is built to drive volume,' Neil Saunders, a retail expert at GlobalData, told the Daily Mail. 'The restaurants are vast, ordering is simplified, and there is speed in the kitchen. All these things allow them to generate significant revenue.' Din Tai Fung was top of the rankings for highest annual sales per location Din Tai Fung founder Bing-Yi Yang is pictured with his wife Pen-Mei Lai Yang Din Tai Fung generated $412 million in sales last year, an increase of nearly 20 percent year over year What began as a humble cooking oil retail shop in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1958, has evolved into an international culinary phenomenon. After Din Ta Fung's dumplings became more popular than their oil business, the founders, Bing-Yi Yang and his wife, converted their shop into a full-fledged restaurant in 1972. The brand has since expanded globally and now operates 180 locations across 13 countries, though it remains family-owned. Known for dim sum, including its famous xiao long bao soup dumplings, and iconic appetizers, such as the simple but delicious cucumber salad, Din Tai Fung is certainly hyped up both online and by word of mouth. Is it worth the hype? Customers think so. People are willing to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour for a table at the Asian eatery. When Din Tai Fung opened in New York City, the Midtown location was nearly impossible to get into despite having 425 seats. A notable feature of many Din Tai Fung locations is a glass-enclosed kitchen where diners can watch a team of chefs meticulously preparing the dumplings by hand. Known for dim sum, including its famous xiao long bao soup dumplings, and iconic appetizers, such as the simple but delicious cucumber salad, Din Tai Fung is certainly hyped up A notable feature of many Din Tai Fung locations is a glass-enclosed kitchen where diners can watch a team of chefs meticulously preparing the dumplings by hand The chain has a strong presence in the United States and Canada, with locations in California, Oregon, Washington, and most recently New York City. On Monday, Din Tai Fung announced plans to open its second spot in the city this time a 20,000-square-foot Downtown Brooklyn location. Chief Financial Officer Nilesh Patel said Brooklyn was the natural next step. 'It's diverse, it's creative, it's authentic,' he told The Wall Street Journal. Din Tai Fung not only lead the sales rankings, but was almost the only Asian representation in the top 10. Nobu a notoriously fancy Japanese restaurant with 24 US locations barely made the cut in 10th place, with an annual sales revenue per restaurant of $10 million. The four chains that came after Din Tai Fung were all steakhouses: Mastro's, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Smith & Wollensky, and Perry's Steakhouse & Grille. Ocean Prime was seventh and STK was ninth in the rankings. It's easier for steak restaurants to achieve high sales because they attract big spenders and have expensive menus to reflect that demand. The Cheesecake Factory and its smaller spinoff dining concept, Grand Lux Cafe, also made the rankings. Din Tai Fung has expanded globally and now operates 180 locations across 13 countries, though it remains family-owned After Din Ta Fung's dumplings became more popular than their oil business, the founders, Bing-Yi Yang and his wife, converted their shop into a full-fledged restaurant in 1972 Din Tai Fung achieved its impressive revenue by having huge spaces with lots of room for customers which the restaurant has been able to keep busy because it focuses on high quality food and service. While Din Tai Fung does not seem expensive at face value, with most menu items being less than $20, the vibe of the restaurant encourages customers to get lots of dishes and share which can easily rack up quite a bill. The restaurant also offers signature cocktails including an iconic lychee martini, which can make a meal there more expensive. Its check averages are about $45 per person. This number combined with a full restaurant and quick turnovers makes for healthy sales. Bible sales went up sharply in the weeks after the death of right-wing media personality Charlie Kirk. The Devout Christian, 31, was assassinated on September 10 while speaking on stage at an event in Utah. Faith was central to both Kirk's personal life and political identity. In September, 2.4 million Bibles were sold across the US a 36 percent jump from the same month in 2024, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. It was the biggest month of sales of the holy book so far this year. 'September brought a wave of troubling events violence, geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty underscoring a pattern: In times of crisis, more people turn to faith for comfort and support,' Brenna Connor, an analyst at Circana BookScan, told the Wall Street Journal. Bible sales were already up 11 percent for the first nine months of 2025 compared with 2024, but Septembers surge was well above trend. The rise comes as print book sales overall have weakened, falling 1 percent across the industry during the same period. Devout Christian Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated while speaking on stage at an event in Utah Bible sales hiked after the killing of Kirk, who based a lot of his political beliefs on his faith Kirk's wife, Erika Kirk, spoke at her late husband's memorial service on September 21. She said his death had kindled a spiritual renewal for many of his followers: 'This past week, we saw people open a Bible for the first time in a decade.' Erika continued, 'We saw people pray for the first time since they were children. We saw people go to a church service for the first time in their entire lives.' Mark Schoenwald, president and chief executive of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, said Bible sales have been strong over the last two years, but that Kirk's death in particular 'awakened a lot of people'. 'They started to think about what they believe and why,' Schoenwald said. Interest in the Bible's teachings is especially high amongst 18-to-34-year-olds the group that Kirk engaged with the most. Kirk's death has inspired an interest in Christianity on the whole, not just Bibles. 'Ever since the Charlie Kirk shooting there has been an awakening, not only with Bibles but with all Christian-related items,' James Borrero, owner of Cornerstone Christian Bookstore in Vineland, NJ, told the WSJ. Kirk's wife Erika Kirk spoke at her late husband's memorial service on September 21 and said his death kindled a spiritual renewal for many of his followers Erika said: 'We saw people pray for the first time since they were children. We saw people go to a church service for the first time in their entire lives' The couple had two young children - a son who turned one in May and a daughter who turned three in August 'Even people like my father who never knew about him were affected by his death.' In late September, faith leaders reported a 15 percent increase in church attendance, as a result of what Fox News dubbed the 'Charlie Kirk Effect'. Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Pastor Jack Hibbs, of California, told Fox, 'People are coming to us, and they are saying, "I want to know the meaning of life, the purpose. Why am I here?"' Matt Zerrusen, co-founder of Newman Ministry, a Catholic nonprofit organization that supports over 200 campus ministries nationwide, said 'I have not talked to anyone who has not seen an increase in Mass attendance.' There is considerable confusion in the air about the role of Air Force in Operation Sindoor. However, a close scrutiny reveals that it stems from the lack of proper understanding of the air p ower. To begin, the assertion that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was fully ready and already airborne waiting for the IAF lacks operational logic. Air forces do not achieve superiority through early airborne presence or waiting in the air; they do so through the intelligent orchestration of planning, timing, and mission effectiveness. Air campaigns are designed around objective achievement, escalation control, and strategic messaging not the theatrics of who launched first. The IAFs conduct during Operation Sindoor must be viewed through the prism of strategic restraint and precise force application, both of which ensured that escalation did not spiral uncontrollably. To overlook this is to misunderstand not only the mission but also the fundamental tenets of modern air warfare. Air campaigns do not occur in a technological vacuum; they are outcomes of years of threat assessments, acquisition policies, and force modernisation efforts. The IAFs planning and execution are guided by a continuous evaluation of adversary capabilities, regional trends, and indigenous technology developments. Its emphasis on networked operations, precision munitions, and electronic warfare integration in recent years exemplifies the very opposite of technological blindness. Indeed, the same institution that seamlessly integrated indigenous platforms like Tejas, Akash, and Astra into the combat matrix cannot be dismissed as guilty of flawed planning. Some people have made claim that the number of squadrons had no role to play in Operation Sindoor. This assertion demonstrates a superficial understanding of force structure. The number of available combat squadrons directly influences operational flexibility, rotation capability, and sustainability during prolonged contingencies. Numbers are not symbolic they define how many targets can be struck simultaneously, how many formations can remain on patrol, and how resilient the force remains under attrition. Attempting to delink quantity from quality in aerial warfare contradicts every known military planning principle. The allegation of poor preparation and training during earlier operations, specifically referencing the Balakot air strikes, ignores the precision, professionalism, and strategic discipline demonstrated during that mission. The operation achieved desired political-military objectives without provoking uncontrolled escalation or international backlash an outcome that can only emerge from exceptional planning, rehearsed coordination, and high pilot skill. The deliberate misinformation campaign later undertaken by Pakistan to conceal the actual damage sustained further underscores the effectiveness of the IAFs execution. The assertion that Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, drones, and Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems render manned aircraft obsolete does not hold ground. This argument collapses when confronted with the global trend among advanced air powers. The United States, possessing unmatched superiority in unmanned and network-centric systems, continues to invest heavily in next-generation manned fighters like the F-35 Lightning II, the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, and the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme each of which will operate alongside, not instead of, unmanned assets. Air combat remains an inherently cognitive domain requiring human intuition, adaptability, and ethical judgement qualities no artificial system currently replicates. If conventional dogfights were truly obsolete, there would be no reason for the F-35 to retain a gun pod while carrying Meteor-class long-range missiles. Air power, at its core, is about layered capability where manned and unmanned assets combine in mutually reinforcing roles. Drones and autonomous systems extend range, persistence, and surveillance; manned fighters deliver the rapid, flexible, multi-domain decision-making that machines cannot. Only a balanced force structure fulfils national requirements. Suggesting a purely unmanned or missile-dominated paradigm not only ignores the evolving hybrid nature of warfare but risks undermining the very foundations of deterrence credibility. A casual analogy with US and Chinese theatre command structures also reflects conceptual carelessness. The American and Chinese theatreisation models function in geostrategic contexts vastly different from Indias. Each of their theatres addresses distinct geographic expanses separated by oceans or extensive buffer zones. A simultaneous multi-theatre war is strategically improbable for those nations. By contrast, Indias northern and western theatres are contiguous, interdependent, and likely to become active simultaneously in the event of a two-front conflict. Blindly transplanting foreign models without considering this geographic and geopolitical uniqueness contradicts the very logic of theatreisation, whose essence lies in optimising command for realistic war scenarios not in administrative experimentation. For India, balanced integration must enhance coordination without diluting specialised domain expertise. Armed forces remain instruments of national power, not targets for rhetorical assaults. Constructive debate strengthens institutions; unsubstantiated generalisations corrode public trust in the guardians of national sovereignty. The IAFs record of professional evolution from analogue cockpits to networked combat systems, from regional air defence to multi-domain integration reflects adaptability, discipline, and foresight. Its role in humanitarian operations, joint exercises, and indigenous innovation further underscores its strategic maturity and institutional integrity. To attribute every challenge of modernisation or inter-service coordination solely to the Air Force is intellectually dishonest and professionally unfair. National defence is a composite enterprise where every service, every civilian agency, and the national industrial base share responsibility. Blaming one arm of the defence apparatus for systemic complexities only weakens the collective resolve essential for credible deterrence. Sound strategic analysis demands balance, evidence, and respect for institutional ethos. Casting aspersions on the integrity and competence of an entire service demeans not only its personnel but also the very standards of military discourse. The IAF, through its evolution, modernisation, and professional conduct, has consistently upheld the highest traditions of national service. To question its moral and operational foundations without substantiated evidence is not critical scholarship it is poor taste dressed as commentary, and it contributes nothing to the cause of serious defence analysis. The writer is a retired Air Marshal, AVSM, VM, VSM China expels Australian P-8A in South China Sea Xinhua) 09:13, October 21, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on Sunday expelled an Australian P-8A military aircraft that illegally intruded into China's territorial airspace over the Xisha Qundao, a Chinese military spokesperson said on Monday. Li Jianjian, spokesperson for the Air Force of the theater command, said that the P-8A had illegally intruded into China's territorial airspace over the Xisha Qundao without the approval of the Chinese government. The theater command had organized naval and air forces to conduct tracking and surveillance, take strong countermeasures, and issue warnings to drive the Australian aircraft away in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations, Li said. The spokesperson emphasized that Australia's actions had seriously violated China's sovereignty and posed a high risk of triggering maritime and air incidents. "We sternly warn Australia to immediately cease its infringements and provocative acts," Li stressed. "The theater command's troops remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, and regional peace and stability." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) PICTURED ABOVE: EU Ambassador to the UK visit to Derry The Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Ruairi OHara and Deputy Mayor Alderman Niree McMorris with Mr Pedro Serrano, European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom at a reception in the Guildhall. Included at front is Ambassador Laura Popescu, (Romania). Back, from left are Lisa Hemmer (Political Counsellor at the EU Delegation in London, EU-UK Relations), Ambassador Sven Sakkov, (Estonia), Stephen Gillespie (Director of Business and Culture, Derry City and Strabane District Council), Ambassador Jeroen Cooreman, (Belgium), and Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev, (Bulgaria). (Photos: Lorcan Doherty) The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Ruairi McHugh, welcomed the European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mr Pedro Serrano, to the Guildhall during an official visit to the city last week. Ambassador Serrano was joined by a delegation of senior diplomats including Lisa Hemmer, Political Counsellor at the EU Delegation in London (EUUK Relations), as well as the Ambassadors of Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Finland. The visit formed part of a wider engagement with civic and business leaders to gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the North West economy. Roundtable discussions at the Guildhall explored issues such as market access, skills development, investment prospects, and how to strengthen business and trade links between the North West City Region and the European Union. Speaking after the event, Mayor McHugh said he was delighted to host the delegation: It was fantastic to welcome Mr Pedro Serrano and the team of ambassadors to the Guildhall this week and to engage in such important discussions about the business and investment landscape here in the North West. Mr Pedro Serrano, European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom, centre, and fellow European Ambassadors and Chamber of Commerce members at a reception hosted by the chamber in the Bishops Gate Hotel. Included at front, are Andrew Fleming, chamber president, Ambassador Sven Sakkov, (Estonia), Ambassador Jeroen Cooreman, (Belgium), Ambassador Laura Popescu, (Romania), Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev, (Bulgaria) and Anna Doherty, Chamber CEO. "We have great opportunities for growth and development, but there are also significant challenges facing our region from trading conditions and supply chains to skills and infrastructure. This visit was an opportunity to showcase our progress while also highlighting the areas where continued collaboration with our European partners is vital. Id like to sincerely thank the delegation for their time and interest in our city and district, and I hope they enjoyed their visit to Derry. Mr Pedro Serrano, European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom, third from right, and fellow European Ambassadors on the Peace Bridge during a visit to Derry. Included, from left, are Lisa Hemmer (Political Counsellor at the EU Delegation in London, EU-UK Relations), Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev, (Bulgaria), Ambassador Sven Sakkov, (Estonia), Ambassador Laura Popescu, (Romania) and Adam Goodall, Derry City and Strabane District Council Business team. Council officials attending the meeting included Stephen Gillespie, Director of Business and Culture, Rosalind Young, Investment Manager, and Jennifer Archer from The Executive Office. Following the roundtable discussions, the delegation took part in a guided walking tour of the historic City Walls, Guildhall, and iconic Peace Bridge, concluding their visit at Ebrington Square to view the wider regeneration of the site. McDonalds Foyleside is marking 30 years in the heart of Derry with the birthday spotlight falling firmly on the people who turned a city-centre restaurant into a local fixture. Franchisee David Walker said the anniversary belongs to the crew especially four stalwart employees whove been there since the very beginning in 1995. We have great people working for us and thats why were the success we are today, said David, who also owns the other two McDonalds restaurants in Derry, as well as the stores in Strabane, Enniskillen, Omagh and Cookstown. In particular, four of the team Simon Devlin, Susanne Watson, Moira Deans and Alan Oakley - have a total of 120 years service between them, which is just incredible. Their hard work, affability, dedication to the company and to colleagues has helped us build a winning formula. Any organisation is only as good as its people and our people are what makes McDonalds Foyleside great. Shift manager Simon Devlin joined Foyleside at 17, learned the restaurant ropes and found his future. I applied for a job at McDonalds and got it and Ive never looked back, the 47-year-old said. Simons currently a shift manager at the Crescent Link Retail Park restaurant, where hes been based for 13 years. He previously worked at McDonalds in Foyleside Shopping Centre and thats where he met his partner. Little things have kept him loyal - birthday cards, long-service bonuses and friendships that feel more like family. For mother-of-four Susanne Watson (49), McDonalds has always been a great fit. Having started as a Crew Member, before becoming Floor Manager and then Shift Manager, she said the restaurant made the logistics of family life possible. McDonalds has always let me adapt my hours around the children which is very important to me, especially as my son has special needs, she said. I used to work full time but Im only working two days a week at present so that I can manage childcare. Now based at Strand Road, Susanne has also worked at Foyleside and Cresent Link at different times. Shes stayed because the support stretches beyond the shifts. Ive worked for McDonalds for a long time because I really enjoy it, she said. Susannes two eldest daughters, Naomi (19) and Zara (17), have both also worked at McDonalds. The eldest now lives in Scotland but Zara is still there part time, when shes not at college. They give employees a lot of support outside of work too, Susanne added. McDonalds is a great place to work because they care about their staff." Moira Deans (50) arrived at Foyleside with hospitality training and a plan to return to college. That plan changed; the employer didnt. She rose from Crew Member to Floor Manager to Shift Manager and discovered a blend of pace and camaraderie that stuck. I got offered a job and I took it, she said. I had every intention of going back to education, to study travel and tourism, but McDonalds seemed to grab hold of me. Its hard work but theres such an element of fun in what we do. I just never left. Shes been based at Cresent Link for the last 14 years and, before that, she was at Foyleside for 16 years. The job, she says, has grown with her. Ive grown personally and professionally, she said. Ive faced challenges and developed new outlooks. Every day is different. McDonalds is a good employer. They look after their staff because they appreciate the people who work for them. PICTURED ABOVE: LR Back Row: Richard Lusty, Relationship Director, Ulster Bank; event compere Pamela Ballantine; guest speaker Alex Polizzi; and Vicky Green, NIHF President. Front Row: Rising Stars from Derry, Samantha Wylie, Receptionist, Best Western Plus White Horse Hotel; Kai Twells, Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, Everglades Hotel; and Robyn McGarrigle, Hotel Reception & Revenue Supervisor, Bishops Gate Hotel. The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF), in partnership with Ulster Bank, have unveiled the winners of the 2025 Rising Stars Awards. Derry's hospitality industry is celebrating as Robyn McGarrigle, Hotel Reception & Revenue Supervisor from the Bishops Gate Hotel, Kai Twells, Assistant Food and Beverage Manager from the Everglades Hotel, and Samantha Wylie, Receptionist, Best Western Plus White Horse Hotel were among 15 young professionals honoured for their outstanding contributions. The annual ceremony, hosted by Pamela Ballantine and featuring hotelier Alex Polizzi, celebrated the best new talent in the local hotel and hospitality sector and the evening recognised young professionals for their passion, leadership, and outstanding skill. Robyn McGarrigle, Hotel Reception & Revenue Supervisor at Bishops Gate Hotel, was recognised for her exceptional dedication and leadership. Since joining the hotel in 2016, Robyn has played a key role in driving revenue, managing operations and delivering outstanding guest service. Robyn supports her team with professionalism, creates seamless guest experiences and embraces every opportunity to learn and grow, said JP McCafferty, General Manager, who nominated her for the award. Her commitment, enthusiasm, and guest-focused approach make her a true rising star and an inspiration to the entire team. Assistant Food & Beverage Manager at the Everglades Hotel, Kai Twells, was commended for his leadership and innovation. Kai has improved service standards, mentored team members and introduced sustainability-focused initiatives, said Sam Denning, General Manager, who nominated him. His calm, solutions-driven approach ensures smooth operations across all areas and his passion for developing others makes him a true ambassador for the industry. Samantha Wylie, Receptionist at the Best Western Plus White Horse Hotel, was praised for her professionalism and drive. Samantha consistently goes above and beyond, delivering outstanding service and inspiring those around her, said Selina Horshi, Managing Director, who nominated her. Her reliability, maturity and leadership potential make her an asset to the team and a future leader in the making. Speaking at the awards, NIHF President Vicky Green said: This years Rising Stars embody the energy, skill, and creativity that make Northern Irelands hospitality industry so special. Each winner has shown exceptional commitment to their role and a clear passion for delivering memorable guest experiences. Its wonderful to see such talent coming through. The future of our industry is in very capable hands. Richard Lusty, Relationship Director, Ulster Bank, said: "Ulster Bank is proud to continue our partnership with NIHF in supporting the Rising Stars Awards a truly important initiative that recognises and encourages the exceptional talent within this industry. The hotel sector is a key one for Ulster Bank and we work closely with hoteliers across Northern Ireland and fully understand the importance of new and emerging talent in supporting the sector and ensuring its growth. Ulster Bank is delighted to help showcase talented and committed young people who remain central to the sectors success. It was a fantastic celebration on October 14 and we were delighted to have Alex Polizzi hotelier, entrepreneur, well known for her work as hotel inspector joining us on the day to recognise the exceptional individuals who are helping the industry to thrive and grow. A County Derry woman who lost her daughter to a rare form of cancer has set up her own charity to fulfil lasting memories for those battling cancer. Geraldine Magill, from Ballymaguigan, sadly lost her daughter Lisa to a rare and aggressive form of cancer called sarcoma. Lisa had just turned 30 when she was diagnosed and later passed away in 2017. The mother and charity founder spoke to the County Derry Post about her daughters cancer journey and the inspiration behind her charity named Dreams2Memories. The Magill family had been living in Queensland in Australia for 27 years. Lisa, who lived in Sydney with the rest of the family, later settled in Brisbane. Lisa had been visiting her family for a holiday when she confided in her mother Geraldine about a lump that she had found on her side. We went out on a walk and Lisa told me how she had been at the doctor because she had a bit of a lump on her left hand side, Geraldine recalled. I thought this was a cyst so I got her to show it to me. Prior to that, Lisa would agree she was a bit of a hypochondriac. It was a bit of humour in the family. Instead it was a lump the size of half an Easter Egg at the bottom of her ribcage. We were both feeling it and I was saying how unusual it was. It transpired that she had gone to a medical centre instead of her own doctor so I said why havent you gone to your own doctor. The doctor at the medical centre told her it was a kidney infection. So I said to Lisa if it was that you would generally feel it in your back, not your front. She agreed and neither of us thought it was that. She later saw her own doctor, who was brilliant, and they sent her for a scan and an x-ray. The doctor knew it was a tumour straight away. They werent sure whether it was cancerous so they sent her in for surgery. Lisa went in for surgery and they removed a 17cm tumour off the back of her stomach. It went round Australia and nobody could classify what it was. Finally it went to America and they came back and said it was sarcoma. It was a rare cancer that they hadnt seen before. From there they threw the strongest chemo they had at it. About eight months into it they told Lisa she was clear. Sadly six months later we were told it was back again. Lisa fought cancer for five years and during this time she published a blog called Terminally Fabulous. Even today the blog has close to 60,000 followers. Geraldine said the support they received throughout this time was amazing, especially from the County Derry community at home. Lisa would spend the night talking to people in the UK during the night when her pain was at its worst. She could speak to people in similar situations. The blog to Lisa was the good, the bad and the ugly. During this time we got involved with a charity in Australia called Dreams2Live4. They make dreams come true for adults battling cancer. They had been reading Lisas blog and wanted to make her dream come true. Before we knew it we were on a plane to Broome on the opposite side of Australia for a five day holiday. At this point Lisa was on a constant pain driver of opioids. This could only be filled by medical practitioners. My husband Peter and I knew how to give injections but we didnt know how to fill the driver. We worried if Lisa would be ok on the flight because she would have tumour bleeds. There was a lot we thought we couldnt do. However when Dreams2Live4 stepped in they reached out to Lisas medical team who taught us to fill the driver, then reached out to Broome to organise where we would go if Lisa had an event, like a tumour bleed. We had a wheelchair organised for us when we got this too. They thought of everything that needs to be sorted when you cant think straight, she said. Reflecting on that magical trip away Geraldine continued: The trip was so perfect. Lisa said when she was there it was the most normal she had felt in a long time. The cancer hadnt gone anywhere and she was carrying around her driver but she was in a different environment. Broome is absolutely beautiful, the sunsets are out of this world. It was an escape, as Lisas full time carer it felt you were waiting on the next event. By the time Lisa passed there was nothing left of her. Being so young, her heart was strong. She did not want to die. One of her biggest fears was she was going to miss out on so much and shed be forgotten, which could never happen, the fact that the blog still has 60,000 followers is a testament to that. When Lisa passed away, Geraldine was inspired to start her own charity to help other people and families going through cancer. The family also made the decision to move home after Lisas death. When I came home I looked after my parents until they passed. I felt we were meant to come home. I know the health service and the waiting times here aren't great but all I could think to myself was how grateful I am. We didnt have waiting times in Australia so I was thinking what could I do. Thats how Dreams2memories started. I reached out to Dreams2Live4, who helped our family, they offered me amazing support and helped me with documentation. I have been very lucky in setting the charity up. I started in March and we were approved within three months. Since that we have been going steady. I have seven dream requests at the moment. The first request we worked on was for a lovely couple Joe and Audrey. Joe had planned an engagement in New York and just before they went he got diagnosed with cancer. Sadly the trip was postponed so he organised to take Audrey down to Castle Leslie in Monaghan. Audrey reached out to me hoping for a dream to come true, Joe wanted a helicopter ride. Castle Leslie donated a five night honeymoon for them. As a surprise we organised a helicopter ride around the area for them. It was so special, they had the best time. ABOVE: Joe and Audrey received an extra surprise. Another dream we have worked was for a lady Laura who wanted a puppy dog to comfort her through her illness so we organised that. Her daughter loved Shih Tzu dogs so it was a comfort to her to have the dog. When something happens to her mum she will have the pup by her side. ABOVE: Geraldine helping to make this lady's dream of owning a puppy a reality Most recently we are working on getting a dreamer to meet Westlife. The dreamer is getting the chance to meet them at a concert in London this month. Shane Filan wanted to do something really special for the lady. That is massive. The lady has had a real spring in her step since she found out. I couldnt be any happier for her. Geraldine explained how working on the charity is a way to deal with her grief. She explained how she likes to keep focused and busy. She also loves helping people because she knows how much that dream meant to her family. When it comes to the future of the charity Geraldine would love a presence in every hospital in Northern Ireland. She also hopes for more volunteers and funding. The charity will be officially launched in Dunadry Hotel Antrim in March 2026. Geraldine has encouraged anyone who is going through cancer and wants their dream to come true to come forward. She is committed to doing her best to offer support. She cant promise she can make every dream come true but will always do what she can. For more information visit dreams2memories.co.uk or check out their Facebook page Dreams2Memories. The Millennium Forum based Stage Beyond Theatre Company was delighted to receive a generous donation from Friends of the Factories. At the presentation last Monday morning, Friends of the Factories presented Stage Beyond with a cheque for 570, raised through sales of their beautiful Shirt Factories Calendar 2025. The collaboration celebrates Derrys proud shirt factory heritage and the strong family and community ties shared between both organisations. The funds will support Stage Beyonds ongoing work empowering adults with learning disabilities through professional theatre training and performance. Speaking to The Derry News, Dee Conaghan, artistic director of Stage Beyond said: As we prepare to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2027, the support of Friends of the Factories feels especially meaningful. We are deeply honoured Friends of the Factories has chosen Stage Beyond as its nominated charity for The Shirt Factories Calendar 2025, she added. Our organisations share close family ties and a proud connection to Derrys shirt factory heritage - a legacy of creativity, resilience, and community. Representatives of the Factory Girls with members of the Stage Beyond Theatre Company celebrating the donation of 570 raised from the sale of the Factory Girls Calendar. Our partnership is a wonderful reminder of the power of shared history and the strength of our local community when we come together to support inclusion and the arts, said Ms Conaghan. Stage Beyond chairperson, Bernie Shiels said the absolutely brilliant Friends of the Factories donation was very much appreciated. It was lovely that Friends of the Factories was thinking of Stage Beyond and we are just really, really thankful for the support, she added. Clare Moore from Friends of the Factories, who were at the cheque presentation described the Shirt Factories Calendar 2025 as the loveliest thing for us. She added: We never had a Factory Girls calendar before. It was the brainchild of Yvonne Norris, a member of our group, and we all went for it. All of our photographs are in there, past and present. Yvonne did it purely for charity. She did it for us too, of course, and we love it. I cant even hang mine up in case I dirty it. I am keeping it forever. Yvonne decided whatever she made from the calendar would go to Stage Beyond, which is very dear to her heart, said Ms Moore Mary Doherty, another member of Friends of the Factories said the group might consider doing another calendar. The 2025 calendar was an unexpected success, she added. I think it would be great to have another one available, say before a factory girls dance maybe. We loved it. We never had a factory calendar before and to collect all the photographs - those from back in the day and the more up to date ones where we care campaigning - was fantastic. We were absolutely delighted when we saw the finished calendar, said Ms White. Anyone who saw one, wanted one, said Ms Moore. I sent them all over the world. I sent them to Australia, America, Ireland, England, to all the people I knew from the factory, as well as relations and friends and they were all delighted with them. Cup of tea in hand, calendar mastermind, Yvonne Norris, said: Friends of the Factories is a grassroots group and we are interested in sharing the legacy of the shirt factories. We are very limited in what we can do beyond the online platforms and beyond getting involved in communities, she added. We have done quite a bit of work raising the groups profile through different projects. And we were thinking about how we could share the photographs, and we came up with the idea of doing a calendar. We then thought, if we are going to do that, lets try and do it as a charity calendar. We managed to get it together in December and we were supported by a lot of people who donated photographs. Local businesses then said they would put the calendar in their shops and sell it on our behalf. Then, when we ran out of calendars, people said they would still like to donate because it was Stage Beyond. I have a personal connection with Stage Beyond, my brother has been here for a long time. It has been running since 2002 and we are very aware of the amazing work it does within this. So, with my mum, Sadie Harkin, being a former factory girl, we decided that was the right fit for the calendar proceeds. Progress with Northern Irelands energy strategy is lagging considerably, an Audit Office report has found. The ambition plan, launched in 2021, aimed to achieve 80% of the regions electricity from renewable sources by 2030, using wind and solar sources. Energy Strategy Path To Net Zero Energy also referred to a vision of net zero carbon and affordable energy by 2050. However a new report from Comptroller and Auditor General Dorinnia Carville, said progress against key targets in the strategy is lagging considerably. The report found this was despite expenditure totalling around 107 million since 2020. It considered the strategy and also evaluated the approach taken by the Department for the Economy to implement it. Of three key targets for completion by 2030, the report found significant shortfalls in relation to two of these. These include a target to save a total of 8,000 GWh of energy savings by 2030. Just 90 GWh of savings were reported in March 2025 (around 1% of the target). And against a target of at least 80% of electricity consumption from renewable sources, the amount reported in March was 45%. The report found that the department has spent an estimated 107 million on the Energy Strategy and related initiatives since 2020. This includes 85 million on capital projects. The report also identifies significant flaws in how the strategy has been implemented, particularly in relation to the departments annual Energy Strategy Action Plans. These include a lack of clarity around planned actions and a lack of precise detail on when some actions would be completed, the actual work planned, or specific and measurable outcomes. A lack of interim targets or milestones in the strategy to help determine the pace of progress towards meeting key targets was noted. Meanwhile the report also flagged that the monitoring of some targets by the group tasked with oversight (the Energy Strategy Oversight Group) only took place for the first time in September 2024, almost three years after the strategy was published. Ms Carville said she was concerned about the shortcomings in good governance and oversight identified in the report. The Energy Strategy has a pivotal role in ensuring Northern Ireland meets its ambitions and obligations in relation to net zero, energy efficiency and tackling climate change, she said. Successful implementation requires good governance and effective oversight, and this report highlights concerning shortcomings in these areas. It has been difficult to assess whether the significant expenditure incurred to date represents value for money, and there is a risk that key targets will not be met. We welcome more recent changes to the Departments reporting arrangements, which will help provide greater clarity. The Department committed to carrying out a strategic update review of the Energy Strategy in 2025. It is vital that this review is carried out and I would urge the Department to action this reports recommendations to improve implementation of Northern Irelands Energy Strategy over the next five years. There are approximately 250 houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) providing accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has told MLAs. The minister raised concerns over the low number of prosecutions of unlicensed HMOs as he said he would contact all councils across the region to remind them of their obligations and powers. He told the Assembly he has also contacted the Westminster Government about extending a scheme to Northern Ireland that requires landlords and letting agents to check that tenants have the legal right to live in the UK before renting a property. Making a statement, Mr Lyons said there had been an increasing focus on HMOs in recent months. He defined an HMO as a property where three or more people from two or more households live, sharing washing or cooking facilities. Mr Lyons said he was aware of reports regarding overcrowding and the operation of unlicensed HMOs. He said: We must acknowledge that this type of housing carries higher risks, both in terms of safety and standards, and can have wider community impacts. We must ensure these matters are managed responsibly while maintaining the right balance across our communities, ensure housing needs are met without creating undue pressure or changing neighbourhood character. Controls on numbers of HMOs are necessary to ensure that any detrimental effects on neighbouring properties or the environmental character and qualities of residential areas are minimised. Unfortunately, it is recognised that over-concentration of HMOs were allowed to develop in some areas in the past, leaving some challenges to be addressed. He said the Houses in Multiple Occupation Act NI 2016 provided councils with statutory tools to prevent over-concentrations of HMOs. Mr Lyons added: Regretfully there are many inconsistencies of approach and some councils have not exercised their powers to the fullest extent. I will be writing to all council chief executives outlining their obligations and my expectations under the current legislation. Councils have powers to investigate, enforce and punish those landlords acting outside the law and I expect councils to implement their own HMO policies, including setting a limit on the percentage of HMOs in a certain area. The minister added: I can confirm that approximately 250 HMOs are currently in use by Mears across Northern Ireland to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees. Mears is a company which provides asylum housing in Northern Ireland on behalf of the Home Office. Mr Lyons told MLAs: I have raised concerns on several occasions around the Mears accommodation issues. It is the case that this system is not working and current policies are failing communities right across Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. He added: Councils have substantial powers under the Act to manage issues reported by this type of accommodation, including powers to obtain information and enter premises. Councils also have powers to issue fixed penalty notices, fines and proceed to prosecution if necessary. The most serious offences carry fixed penalties of 5,000 and fines of up to 20,000. Since April 2019 to early September 2025, there have only been 77 fixed penalty notices issued and two successful prosecutions for the operation of unlicensed HMOs and one successful prosecution for exceeding the licensed occupancy. Mr Lyons said he was going to increase the total which could be charged for an HMO licence application, stating it was important that landlords who decide to break the law are held to account. He said he had also written to the Home Office and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn requesting they extend the Right to Rent scheme to Northern Ireland to ensure landlords have a legal obligation to ensure tenants have legal status to reside in UK. SDLP MLA Mark Durkan said he had real concerns about the statement delivered by the minister. He said: I have raised issues around HMOs on several occasions in this Chamber. I have a real concern that this statement infers a hierarchy of HMOs. If they are used for students they are good, if they are used for immigrants they are bad. People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said: Any attempt to clamp down on rogue landlords and stop the exploitation of tenants are welcome. But the ministers announcement seems to be something else entirely an unsubtle attempt to stick the boot into asylum seekers and refugees. Community groups in Northern Ireland are facing a financial cliff edge due to uncertainty over future funding, Stormonts Finance Minister has warned. John ODowd said there had been a lack of clarity from the UK Government surrounding its Local Growth Fund. The Government has responded by stating engagement plans for the new fund will be set out soon. In 2023, EU funding to charities and community groups in Northern Ireland from its European Social Fund (ESF) was ended because of Brexit. It was replaced by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which will in turn be replaced by the Local Growth Fund next year. Representatives from dozens of community and voluntary groups visited Stormont on Tuesday to raise concerns over uncertainty around future funding. MLAs passed a Sinn Fein motion which called on the UK Government to match previous European Union (EU) funding in full and return decision making on the structural funding to the devolved powersharing Executive. Mr ODowd told MLAs that previous ESF funding had been central to tackling economic inactivity, promoting inclusion, and building resilience in communities. He said the Westminster Governments UKSPF had not provided an adequate solution. The minister said: While there were some benefits with the Shared Prosperity Fund, it failed to match the ambition or scale of the EU programmes it replaced. The scope and funding were both reduced. We received, on average, 65 million from European funding per year, with local delivery via Executive departments. The Shared Prosperity Fund, the intended replacement, was a reduction on average 35 million per year with centralised Whitehall delivery. Mr ODowd said that despite its limitations, the UKSPF had provided vital support to the community and voluntary sector. But he said there was now deep uncertainty over the replacement Local Growth Fund. He said the community and voluntary sector faced another impending cliff edge in funding due to the lack of certainty and the reduction in funding. He said it had been announced in the Spending Review in June that Northern Ireland would be be allocated 46 million a year over three years and that the Executive would be a partner in delivering the funding. He added: Unfortunately, that partnership has not materialised. Nor has the Labour Government honoured its manifesto commitment to restore control over structural funds to local representatives. Despite sustained efforts, we are back to a situation that has been deeply depressing and all too familiar in recent years. He said he had pressed the Government, but still had little information about the fund. He said: The scant information I do have, does not paint a promising picture. The 46 million per year will be heavily skewed towards capital funding. The Shared Prosperity Fund was three-quarters resource funding, but the Local Growth Fund will only be one-third resource funding. I met earlier this month with representatives of the community and voluntary sector. I listened to their concerns, and their message was clear. The significant reduction in the resource budget for this funding will severely impact the community and voluntary sectors ability to deliver vital services, particularly for those furthest from the labour market. Mr ODowd said he would be meeting the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed on Wednesday to raise his concerns. A UK Government spokesperson said it would provide local growth funding to support growth across Northern Ireland, once the UK Shared Prosperity Fund ends in March 2026. The spokesperson added: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has previously made it clear that the NIO is working in close partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to implement and develop the new Local Growth Fund. The Government is committed to engagement with stakeholders in Northern Ireland to help implement a package of funding that meets local needs and delivers impact. More information on the development of the Local Growth Fund in Northern Ireland and engagement plans will be set out soon. Northern Irelands seat of government has been declared a crime scene over the ongoing environmental crisis at Lough Neagh. A symbolic citizens arrest of an MLA was staged in the demonstration at Parliament Buildings calling for immediate action to address the issues facing the lough, which was blighted with blooms of blue-green algae for the third summer in a row recently. The cause has been put down to an excess of nutrients from a number of sources, including waste water, septic tanks and agriculture, exasperated by climate change and the invasive species Zebra Mussels. Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir is currently implementing a Lough Neagh Recovery Plan. However, James Orr, director of Friends of the Earth in the region, said all departments are responsible. Activists also called for an independent Environmental Protection Agency for Northern Ireland, community ownership of the lough with the rights of nature enshrined, a Citizens Assembly for the lough, a moratorium on all factory farms and sand dredging and urgent investment in waste waster systems. Addressing those gathered, Mr Orr said he is declaring Parliament Buildings and the Stormont Executive inside to be a crime scene. We have a lot of merit in saying that. First of all, under the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act, if any public department causes damage to an ASSI (Areas of Special Scientific Interest), it shall be guilty of a criminal offence, he said. If we look at all the departments responsible for the death of Lough Neagh, what we would say is that Lough Neagh isnt dying of manslaughter, it is being murdered by a whole range of different government departments. Mr Orr described Lough Neagh as our most precious natural habitat and cultural jewel, but waste water is being dumped in it, and sand dredged. There are lots of things that this Executive could do, the fact that theyre not doing them, and theyre deflecting us from the real issues which are sand mining on an industrial scale, the defunding of NI Water and most important, DAERA should be (hanging their heads in shame) that the agricultural strategy which will demolish family farms and replace them with factory farms is still going ahead, he said. Weve had enough and were declaring Stormont a crime scene. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. A record crowd attended the Louth Business Awards organised by Dundalk Chamber of Commerce in the Carrickdale Hotel on Saturday the 18th October. Speaking after the successful awards night, Chamber President Hanna McDonnell said: This years awards marks a truly record-breaking moment for the Louth Business Awards. With over 200 applications, the highest number weve ever received, reflects the strength, innovation, and determination that define our local business community. We also made a special presentation to Kate OConnor for her amazing win in Tokyo this year. Her father and mother Michael and Valerie OConnor accepted the gift on her behalf from the Chamber. Protection & Prosperity Financial Services Sponsored the Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2025 winner was Gemma Hiney from Center Travel. The Award was presented to Gemma in recognition of her contribution to the Dundalk Business community since the early 1970s. Gemma outlined the story of her and her late husband Eamonns business career from their Market Fresh shops to Center Travel. She noted that they would never have been able to do any of it without their dedicated and committed staff over the years. Aidan Callan of Dundalk Skillnet said As main sponsor, were proud to celebrate businesses that turn ideas into impact. The spirit of people, innovation and community is what makes Louth special. By supporting this event, were backing the skills that help local firms grow. Dundalk Chamber CEO John McGahon said There are few occasions where you can bring so many members of our business community together under one roof, and the Chamber Business Awards provide exactly that. Every organisation here tonight has a proven track record, and this event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their success and contribution. We were delighted to have Dundalk Skillnet as our main sponsor who provide a substantial amount of training to companies and employees right across County Louth. Read Next: Eight Louth companies awarded Origin Green Gold Membership for 2025 The winners in the various categories for the Louth Business Awards 2025 were as follows: Best Customer Service sponsored by Dundalk Chamber Skillnet was won by Digiweb. Best Customer Service Hair & Beauty sponsored by LOreal was won by Le Salon by Thomas Hynes. Best Customer Service Hospitality sponsored by Dundalk Chamber was won by Skypark. Best Customer Service Retail sponsored by Shop Local Dundalk was won by KT Travel. Best Digital Presence sponsored by AV Direct was won by Irish Whiskey Auctions. Best Dining Experience sponsored by Value Centre Cash & Carry was won by Rocksalt Cafe Blackrock. Best Established Small Business sponsored by AIB Bank was won by Spoonful Botanical. Best Family Run Business sponsored by Prometric was won by The Carrickdale Hotel. Best Licensed Premises sponsored by Diageo was won by The Rum House. Best Outstanding Medium Business sponsored by Dundalk Stadium was won by Controlsoft Automation Systems Best Professional Services sponsored by Pernanent TSB was won by Irish Life Customer Service Centre Best Voluntary Community Group sponsored by Dundalk Credit Union was won by Vision Ireland Dundalk Community Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Workplace Excellence sponsored by Servisource Recruitment was won by UHY Farrelly Dawe White Export & Global Impact Award sponsored by Enterprise Ireland was won by Controlsoft Automation Systems Green Champion Award sponsored by The Carrickdale Hotel was won by WuXi Biologics. Innovation Award sponsored by The Regional Development Centre was won by Bunadh/SafeShel. Large Business of the Year sponsored by Bank of Ireland was won by Suretank New Business of the Year sponsored by Local Enterprise Office Louth was won by Bunadh/SafeShel Retailer of the Year sponsored by Kelleher Insurances was won by Value Centre Cash & Carry Training & Development Award sponsored by Dundalk Skillnet was won by The Gateway Hotel. Visit Louth Tourism Experience sponsored by The Argus was won by Dundalk Stadium. Young Entrepreneur of the Year sponsored by Oriel Hub was won by SLB Digital Solutions. Overall Business of the Year sponsored by Vhi Healthcare was won by Suretank Best Dressed Lady sponsored by Mizu Health and Beauty was won by Sheila McCaul. Best Dressed Gent sponsored by Tony McDonnell Menswear was won by Curtis Morris. The Lifetime Award for contribution to Louth sponsored by Protection & Prosperity Financial Services was awarded to Gemma Hiney of Centre Travel. Celebrations following Dundalk winning the League of Irelands First Division title are said to have been hectic on the night of the clincher, that Oriel Park 3-0 defeat of Finn Harps. And they continued over the week, with the culmination of an arduous campaign coming in Corks St Colmans Park on the Friday night. READ NEXT: Inside Track: Its Burns day as Hunterstown win title This was a lap of honour, a contest between Cobh Ramblers, with the champions ending the competition, appropriately enough, with a win. There were plenty of Cmon the Town accents to be heard on the Dundalk FM commentary, which had, as nearly always, John Murphy as an outrider to Ger Cunningham. Gussie Hearty was on sound. The Dundalk team had several peripheral players on view, which was to be expected given that the title was already in safe keeping. Cobh, however, had lots to play for, but it didnt show in their performance. The leagues final count had Ciaran Kilduffs side ten points clear of Cobh, who now face play-offs in their bid to win promotion, along with Dundalk. The dividing margin was not as big as the one First Division champions, Cork City, engineered last season. Twenty-two points divided the Leesiders and the second-placed, which is about as decisive a victory you could get. Cork would have harboured ambitions on their return to the Premier League. But rather than re-establish themselves in the top tier, regaining a place near the head of affairs where they were when Stephen Kenny was guiding the good ship Dundalk FC City now find themselves quickly heading back to from where they came, the whippers-in in a competition dominated once again by Shamrock Rovers. There should be a lesson there for Dundalk. Its a whole new world in the Premier League, and making an impression on their return represents a mighty challenge for all wholl be involved at Oriel in 2026. Maybe even before then. There are many issues to be tackled, not least among them raising the finance to bring in new players. This years panel did all that was asked of them. There were many young and inexperienced players included, and all did the business, with a number of them catching the eye of International underage team managers. Theyll be older and wiser, but still needing to have seasoned players around them. Going to the marketplace low on cash wont pay dividends. Nor would a shortage of finance make the decision to change from training a few nights a week to full-time any easier. Lack of loyalty wouldnt be the reason for Ciaran Kilduff to take his leave. The former Oriel favourite in his playing days made his first strike as a League of Ireland manager a winning one, and as a result, could only have a strong affinity with the club. His achievement wouldnt have gone unnoticed by other clubs; but when he spoke after the title-securing win over Finn Harps, it wasnt the possibility of being head-hunted that he mentioned. What he had to say was easily interpreted. Its just a case of whether the club is ready, and, Were in the division (Premier) where we wanted to be in, but its about trying to find a way of how were going to do it (stay in the top grade) right now, he said in an interview. That was an inch-perfect pass to the boardroom. The message is clear: The panel will have to be strengthened, if the team is to survive in the top division, and there may be work to do off the field. Thats all for the future. Right now, John Temple, the team and management, and the loyal supporters who made Oriel the place to visit on match days, have reason to be happy with all thats been achieved over the past year or so No 1, keeping the club afloat, and, No 2, meeting the main target on the field. The contractors responsible for the leadwork on Louth County Councils historic Tholsel building in Drogheda have been named as the winners of the 2025 Murdoch Award by the Lead Contractors Association (LCA) in the UK. M&I Lead Contractors Ltd, based in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, received the award for their exceptional craftsmanship in leadwork, completed in 2024 as part of the restoration of the Tholsels iconic clock tower, which was erected in 1770 and was the centre of municipal authority in Drogheda for over 130 years. Louth County Council had engaged James Oliver Hearty & Sons Ltd of Co Armagh to carry out the roof restoration, with M&I Lead Contractors Ltd appointed as a domestic subcontractor for the leadwork. Conservation architect Liam Mulligan, who is based in Kells, and structural engineer Thomas McGuinness, from Dundalk Civil and Structural Engineering Ltd, provided consultancy services to the council for the Tholsel Project. The Murdoch Award is regarded as the highest accolade in the field of leadwork, recognising excellence in design and installation among specialist members of the LCA. The Tholsel project was one of only three shortlisted entries from across Ireland and the UK. Cllr Sean Kelly, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, said: Everyone at Louth County Council extends our warm congratulations to M&I Lead Contractors Ltd on this outstanding achievement, and also commends James Oliver Hearty & Sons Ltd for their role in delivering a project of such high quality. The Murdoch Award is fitting recognition for the quality work that went into reestablishing such a historic building. Cllr Michelle Hall, Mayor of Drogheda, added: The Tholsel is at the heart of Droghedas heritage and identity. Seeing it restored with such care and craftsmanship is a source of pride for our community. Congratulations to all involved in this remarkable achievement. Read Next: Louth councillor calls for Radio Caroline memorial at Greenore This award is a testament to the skill and dedication of the teams involved in restoring one of Droghedas most treasured landmarks, said David Conway, Chief Executive of Louth County Council. The Tholsel is a protected structure of significant historical value, and this restoration ensures its preservation for generations to come. The restoration of the Tholsel building represents Louth County Councils commitment to conserving the architectural heritage of the region. 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. Dundalk South representative, Cllr Shane McGuinness, is calling for Clarke Train Station in Dundalk be moved out from the centre of the town, to Killally, as its current location does not have the capacity for sufficient car parking and it lacks the potential for further development Cllr McGuinness was speaking to the Dundalk Democrat following the Dundalk Municipal District October meeting, where he had mentioned the idea of having the train station moved. His comments at the October meeting came after Cllr Antoin Watters asked if Louth County Council could engage with Irish Rail in relation to Irish Rail restricting parking at an service road at the station, due to access issues for emergency services and buses. After the meeting Cllr McGuinness told the Dundalk Democrat that there had been a plan previously to move the train station out to Killally, saying that there plans for locations on a previous Development Plan that could have went back 20 years. Read also: Halloween-themed events announced for County Museum in Dundalk Cllr McGuinness explained that it's on the northern side of the Inner Relief Road. It's called Killally, it's on the old Ardee Road, adding that, there's a massive land [bank] to the left that runs right down to the train line. That again is something that I believe should be put back on the agenda. He continued: We just don't have the parking. We're not forward thinking. We should call on the Council to seriously consider before they go starting to try and develop a train station that just hasn't got the potential to be developed. I think just move it. Move it out to Killally, the land is there, the parking is there, the access to the motorway is there. It would be much easier to get to it. Much easier, ease of parking. Have free parking, it's also beside a park and ride out there at Junction 16 and that area is going to be highly built up with industry because a lot of it is IDA owned land. It has happened in cities all over the UK, where they have moved their main train stations He added: I think before we start spending money on building new car parks, the value of that land in around the town is massive. The Dundalk Train Station could be kept open as a museum. Three lecturers from Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) have been named among finalists in TU Dublins inaugural TrailblazHER Excellence Awards. Dr Suzanne Linnane, Director of DkITs Centre for Freshwater and Environmental Studies (CFES) and Dr Caroline Gilleran Stephens, who leads the Environmental Education (EE) research theme within the CFES, and Joanne White, Founder and Director of Women in Construction Ireland and a lecturer in The Built Environment, have been announced as finalists in the national initiative, celebrating women who are redefining excellence, leadership, and innovation across Ireland. There are twelve categories in the awards, each recognising exceptional women, changemakers, and allies who are shaping the future, from science and technology to education, entrepreneurship, the arts, and community leadership. Both Dr Suzanne Linnane and Dr Caroline Gilleran Stephens have been nominated in the Sustainability Category in recognition of their passion and dedication to advancing sustainability through education, research and community engagement. Caroline and Suzanne and are co-founders and co-coordinators of H20 Heroes. The science-based environmental education outreach programme based in DKIT that inspires children to connect with their natural environment, fosters environmental awareness and empowers children to protect their local lakes and rivers. Speaking about her nomination, Caroline said: This recognition reflects not just an individual effort, but the collective passion and teamwork that drives ESD and sustainability initiatives at DkIT. Our work is very much community-based, focusing on environmental and sustainability initiatives that aim to build awareness, inspire action and create lasting positive change, both within DkIT and across our wider community. A heartfelt thank you to the organisers of the TrailblazeHER Excellence Awards at TU Dublin for celebrating so many amazing women who are leading positive change across education and beyond. Suzanne added: For us, sustainability is all about connection - to our environment, our communities, and to one another - working together to create change that lasts. This recognition reflects the passion and teamwork that underpins everything we do, from our work at the Centre for Freshwater and Environmental Studies to our collaborations with partners across Ireland and beyond, and with the many inspiring schools we engage with through our outreach initiatives. We are so proud to be part of a wider community dedicated to sustainability, education, and positive change. Thank you to TrailblazHER at TU Dublin for celebrating so many incredible women who are making a real difference across education and beyond. Its a privilege to do what we love alongside people who care so deeply about our planet and our communities. Joanne White, an award-winning advocate for equity in construction is shortlisted in two categories, the TrailblazHER Allyship Award and also the DEI Research and Development Award. Im incredibly honoured to be nominated for two TrailblazHER Awards. Its a real privilege to be recognised in this way, especially for research, which plays such a key role in shaping the future of the construction industry. This recognition is not just about me; it highlights the growing impact and leadership of women in construction across Ireland. Im proud to be part of that progress, said Joanne. TrailblazHER represents empowerment, connection, and visibility, values that I strive to bring into my own work every day. The TrailblazHER Excellence Awards, part of TU Dublins flagship TrailblazHER gender equality programme, honour individuals whose determination, creativity, and impact are paving the way for a more inclusive and innovative Ireland. This years awards highlight 51 finalists across 12 categories, each exemplifying leadership, vision, and purpose. The winners will be unveiled at the TrailblazHER Excellence Awards Ceremony on November 6th in TU Dublins Concert Hall, a celebration of Irelands most dynamic and trailblazing women and allies. Read Next: PHOTOS: Louth In Bloom Award winners These awards are about more than achievement; they are about empowerment, visibility, and connection, said Dr Aoife Blowick, Senior Manager of TrailblazHER. The Excellence Awards shine a light on the women, allies, and changemakers who are reshaping Irelands future. At TU Dublin, our commitment to gender parity goes beyond words, its about meaningful action, recognition, and building a lasting legacy of equality. The 12 award categories are: TrailblazHER Businesswoman Award Technology TrailblazHER Award Sustainability TrailblazHER Award TrailblazHER Community Hero Award TrailblazHER Allyship Award DEI TrailblazHER Award DEI Research and Development Award TU Dublin TrailblazHER Award TrailblazHER Future Leaders Award Trailblazing Alumna Award Trailblazing Returners Award TrailblazHER of the Year Award Dromad Hire in Dundalk has been named as a finalist across four major categories at the upcoming Plant & Civil Engineer Awards 2025: Health & Safety, Environmental Initiative, Excellence in Customer Service, and Plant Hire Company of the Year. The company said that the recognition highlights Dromad Hires continued commitment to operating safely, sustainably, and with the customer always at the forefront. From investing in an expanding zero-emission fleet and new solar infrastructure, to maintaining the highest standards of safety and service, these nominations reflect the companys ongoing pursuit of excellence across every area of its business, it said. To be recognised across four categories this year is a fantastic achievement for our entire team, said Ronan Cotter, Operations Director at Dromad Hire. Its a real credit to the people behind the company their passion, attention to detail, and customer-first attitude are what make Dromad Hire what it is today. Every department plays a role in delivering the level of service and quality our customers expect, and this recognition belongs to them. Read also: Louth student awarded 25k scholarship The independently Irish-owned rental company holds both SafeHire Certification and IPAF Rental+ accreditation, delivering nationwide service from its headquarters in Dundalk. Dromad Hire specialises in Powered Access Hire, General Plant & Tool Rental, Professional Cleaning Equipment, and Approved Ex-Rental Sales. The Plant & Civil Engineer Awards, now in their 16th year, celebrate excellence and innovation across Irelands construction, plant, and engineering sectors. The 2025 awards will take place on Thursday 21 November at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast, honouring companies and individuals setting new standards in safety, sustainability, and service. Irish police have been attacked with missiles and fireworks after violence flared outside a Dublin hotel used to house asylum seekers. A Garda vehicle was also set on fire as a large crowd gathered at the Citywest Hotel on Tuesday evening. Irish Premier Micheal Martin has condemned the scenes, stating there could be no justification for attacks on gardai. Members of the Gardas public order unit were deployed. Protesters were displaying Irish flags, chanting and throwing missiles. A large crowd remained in the area until late in the night and public order officers with shields, and some on horseback, moved protesters back. A line of gardai prevented the protesters from getting to the hotel. A number of those involved in the disturbances had their faces covered. The Garda helicopter was hovering overhead and a water cannon was deployed to the scene. The Luas Red Line services between Belgard and Saggart were suspended ahead of the protest. Later, the glass at the Luas stop at Saggart was smashed. It is the second night in a row a protest has been held outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. Monday nights demonstration passed without significant incident. The gatherings outside the hotel come after an alleged sexual assault in the vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning. Mr Martin said he had been briefed on the violence. In a statement, the Taoiseach said: I strongly condemn the violent disorder that unfolded in Citywest in Dublin this evening. I pay tribute to the frontline gardai who acted courageously and quickly to restore order. The Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner have briefed me on the operation, and I thank everyone for their work. An Garda Siochana protect us all and have a proud tradition of service to the Irish people. There can be no justification for the vile abuse against them, or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people. Irelands Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan has said those involved in the violence will be brought to justice. He said: The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest tonight must be condemned. People threw missiles at gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire. This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the gardai. Those involved will be brought to justice. The minister said a man had been arrested and appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault. He added: While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area. Unfortunately, the weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected. The gardai are prepared for this, but attacking gardai and property is not an answer, and wont help to make anyone feel safe. It is clear to me from talking to colleagues during the day and this evening that this violence does not reflect the people of Saggart. They are not the people participating in this criminality, but rather the people sitting at home in fear of it. Mr OCallaghan said attacks on gardai will not be tolerated. He added: Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not. There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed tonight. The two candidates for the presidency of Ireland have made pitches to undecided voters in the final TV debate of the campaign. Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys and her rival, Catherine Connolly, a left-wing independent TD, faced off in RTEs Prime Time on Tuesday evening. The set-piece aired three days before voters across the Republic of Ireland go to the polls on Friday to elect a successor to the outgoing president, Michael D Higgins. Former cabinet minister Ms Humphreys opened the debate by condemning as absolutely awful the violence that flared on Tuesday evening elsewhere in Dublin outside a hotel that houses asylum seekers. Were seeing members of An Garda Siochana (Irish police) have been attacked with stones and with such things, she said. And can I just say that if anybody knows anybody at those riots tonight, please tell them to go home. This is not what we are as a country. Ms Connolly described the disorder outside the Citywest Hotel as deeply disturbing and upsetting. The disturbances outside the hotel came after an alleged sexual assault in the vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning. Ms Connolly said: Its deeply disturbing and I think its time for leadership from politicians and indeed, as president but Im not president tonight to use our voices to show leadership and to actually analyse whats happening here and stop conflating things. In respect of her presidential bid, Ms Humphreys said she would strive to unite people if elected to serve as Irelands head of state. I bring a lot of experience to the job, she said. Im a mother, Im a grandmother and I have three young grandchildren, and when I look at them, I look and I want to see what kind of a country I want this to be. I want it to be an inclusive country. I wanted to be a respectful country, and I want it to be a country where they are safe. As, I said, I bring a lot of experience. Im a centre-ground person. Im a middle-of-the-road person, like most Irish people. Im not to the far left, Im not to the far right. So, Im saying to the people at home tonight: please consider me to be your next president and I promise that I will not let you down. I do not promise perfection, but what I do promise is I promise honesty, I promise compassion and I promise service. Setting out her stall, Ms Connolly insisted she represented a different type of Ireland as she characterised Ms Humphreys as a more of the same candidate aligned with the outlook of recent governments. I look forward to serving as president of this country, said the Galway TD. It will be an absolute privilege to do that. And I say to the people who are listening and watching that I will do so with humility and with pride, and I will serve the people of Ireland to the best of my ability. What makes me different? Well, all women find it difficult to say I, but I believe that I have the characteristics to make a president. I have the characteristics that reflect what people value in Ireland: care, compassion, solidarity, standing with those who have less, are less well-off than ourselves. I represent a different type of Ireland. Unfortunately, Heather is more of the same in relation to what the governments have done repeatedly over the years. I will be an absolutely independent president with an independent mind. During the debate, Ms Humphreys said that she wished Ms Connolly had clarified her past work as a barrister much sooner. It was put to the independent candidate that she has not answered repeated questions about whether she represented banks in repossessing peoples homes. Ms Connolly confirmed that she had represented credit institutions. My personal experience is that county registers and judges bent over backwards to avoid thats simply my personal experience to avoid giving orders for repossessions, Ms Connolly said. The people responsible are the successive governments that refused, except for a very brief period, to put a ban on evictions. Ms Humphreys said that she wished Ms Connolly had answered the question of whether she had represented banks three weeks ago. The Fine Gael contender, who is from a Presbyterian background in Co Monaghan, denied that questioning Ms Connolly about her work as a barrister was part of a smear campaign as she claimed there were social media posts making horrible comments about her family, religion and tradition. I wish Catherine had said that much sooner, but she was standing up in Galway City Council, and she was castigating those same banks while at the same time she was representing them. And that, to me, is speaking out of both sides of your mouth, she said. Ms Humphreys was pressed on foreign affairs issues. She insisted she does not accept every EU stance and said it should have acted sooner in relation to Gaza. She was speaking after being asked about her pro-European stance, which she said was unlike Catherine Connollys. I dont accept everything, and nobody does accept everything. Thats what Europe is about. Its about trying to get consensus, about trying to get agreement, she said. Ms Connolly said that when I become president after Fridays poll, she said it would be a different role for me than as an outspoken TD. She said that Ireland is a small country that should speak truth to power. Asked about what she would say to President Donald Trump about the situation in Gaza if he were to visit Ireland, she said: If its just a meet and greet, then I will meet and greet. If the discussion is genocide, thats a completely different thing. She said she doubted that Gaza will be on the agenda during a meeting between an Irish president and the US president. Ms Connolly was also pressed on a controversial trip she made to Syria nine years later in which she encountered pro-Assad figures, including a militia leader accused of starving Palestinian refugees. She insisted she had not been naive to participate in the trip. There was no naivety on my part in relation to a dictatorship, the Syrian regime, she said. Ive never had any doubts about the Syrian dictatorship, unlike countries that supported it. On the questions raised by Lucia OFarrell, who has long campaigned for her son Shane, who was hit and killed by a car driven by a man who should have been in jail, Ms Humphreys said she genuinely made representations on her behalf. Ms OFarrell has claimed Ms Humphreys did not do enough to support her familys campaign. Asked about the issue, the Fine Gael candidate said: I did send her out the correspondence that I received from the ministers at the time. So I did my best, and as I said, Im sorry that I wasnt able to deliver what they wanted at the time. Ms Connolly was challenged about a woman with a gun conviction she hired. She insisted the woman could not walk around the Dail on her own. Ms Humphreys has said you cant have rehabilitation without accountability in relation to the hiring of the woman, an issue which has been raised several times during the campaign. What we need to know is, why did this woman get access to our national parliament, to Dail Eireann, without the necessary Garda clearance? she asked. That is a serious risk. It was a serious risk, in my view, to our national parliament. Ms Connolly said that Ms Humphreys had previously said it was common to sign someone in for three weeks while Garda clearance is pending. Were now accepting that its a normal procedure while the application is ongoing, and so we now have accepted that nobody raised that this woman was a risk, she said. TDs sign in people all the time. I signed her in and signed her out. She cant walk around the Dail on her own. She gets a pass every single day. She has to be accompanied by me going around. She has to be in my office. She cannot walk around the Dail. Ms Humphreys was later asked about her support for fox hunting and whether she believed it was cruelty to animals. Well, fox hunting, among other things, is a rural pursuit, and I support rural pursuits, and people who engage in them, she told the RTE debate. I dont fox hunt. Ive never been at a fox hunt, but thats part of our culture, its part of our heritage, and has been there for many, many years. And I support it. She added: Cruelty to animals in my book is somewhat different to fox hunting. Its a rural pursuit and theres a lot of foxes around, as we know, and people go hunting the foxes and once the controls are in place, and once the rules are abided by, I support rural pursuits. Ms Connolly said she had huge difficulty with fox hunting for the sake of it. Although I do understand the context of it, I have great difficulty (with fox hunting), and Ive expressed my opinions in the Dail in relation to it, she said. However, foxes are not a protected species, and thats a gap. Theyre also a threat in terms of wildlife, in terms of sheep and so on. So I think we need to look at it in a slightly different, a broader lens as to what how do we control foxes in a humane way? How do we do that in terms of ecology and in terms of animal welfare. Asked about the Irish language, Ms Humphreys said although she does not speak it fluently, she had been brushing up her skills before the throes of Brexit, and said she would return to learning Irish in Donegal. She said the similarities between Ulster Irish and Scottish Gaelic would be emphasised as a unifying force if she was president. If I was elected President, I would try to bring people together. I would try to say to them that you see in history where the clergyman came from Scotland, and they came into Ulster and they preached (in) Gaeilge or (in) Scottish Gaelic, and theres a unifying force there. Ms Connolly, a fluent Irish speaker, said she had never criticised anyone for not using the Irish language. I myself learned it, I went back after school, and it was an absolute privilege to be able to do that in Galway and go back and learn it. Indeed, Im still learning. Manila just got a serious upgrade in its culinary scene. For the first time ever, Filipinos can now taste one of Japans rarest (and most worshipped) beef Ito Ranch Matsusaka Beef, thanks to Prime Cuts by Doubleday, the countrys go-to name for fine meats and luxury ingredients. The big reveal happened at Shangri-La Plazas Grand Atrium, where top chefs, hoteliers, restaurateurs, media, and government reps gathered for an afternoon that basically screamed: Japans finest, now served in Manila. If Kobe is the king, Matsusaka Beef is the queen of Wagyu known for its ultra-delicate marbling and insanely low melting point (around 12C!), which makes it literally melt in your mouth. Its so exclusive, Japan barely lets it leave the country. So yes, this launch is a massive flex both for Doubleday and the local fine-dining scene. This launch isnt just about introducing our beef its about sharing generations of tradition, patience, and care, said Hiroki Ito, third-generation head of Ito Ranch in Mie Prefecture. We partnered with Doubleday because their reputation for excellence mirrors ours. They understand authenticity. Established in 1953, Ito Ranch is Japans most awarded Matsusaka producer, racking up more than 35 competition wins, including a three-year Grand Champion streak (20172019) at the Matsusaka Beef Carcass Competition a record no one else has matched. Even Ferran Adria of El Bulli once said Ito Ranchs beef tastes like its from another dimension. Were beyond proud to be the first to bring Ito Ranch Matsusaka Beef to the Philippines, said Lorenzo Vega, CEO of Doubleday Enterprises. This partnership took years of trust-building with the worlds top producers. For us, its proof that Filipino diners deserve a seat at the global table of culinary excellence. The launch, powered by Prime Cuts by Doubleday, featured an epic reveal of an Ito Ranch beef slab, followed by the traditional Kagami Biraki sake-barrel toast symbolizing harmony and prosperity. Guests were treated to a live tasting led by Teppanya and Sicilian Roast, two Manila favorites who brought the meats buttery perfection to life. It was a full-blown celebration of Japanese craftsmanship meets Filipino creativity with support from Maison Midori Matcha, My Shopping Box, Ralphs Wines & Spirits, Teppanya, and Sicilian Roast. Starting this month, you can finally experience Ito Ranch Matsusaka Beef at Teppanya and Sicilian Roast, with more partner restaurants to be announced soon. For chefs, restaurants, or businesses looking to serve authentic Matsusaka beef, inquiries are open through Prime Cuts by Doubleday your direct gateway to the worlds most exclusive meats and fine foods. Visit dprimecuts.com or email sales@dprimecuts.com to find out how you can bring this rare Japanese masterpiece to your table. Watch my coverage of the Matsusaka Beef Launch in Manila here: Take a burning passion for Irish folklore. Add a well-used camper van and a love of learning, and theres really only one thing left to do. Annette Donoghue did it. At the age of 81, she returned to college - to learn more about Irish culture and heritage. As of last month, the octogenarian is one of 26 students on the demanding, full-time Level Five certificate programme in Cultural and Heritage Studies at the Cork College of Further Education and Training. Students on the programme range from teenagers to people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and, of course, Annette, who turned 81 a few months before she started college last month. The retired special needs teacher, a native of Drinagh in West Cork, has always been fascinated by the culture and heritage of this land. Over the decades, Annette, now a grandmother-of-two, has travelled coast to coast and everywhere in between, visiting iconic sites such as the Giants Causeway, the Burren, Croagh Patrick, Achill Island, and the Church of the Little Ark of Kilbaha in Co. Clare. But she decided she needed to know more and, much to the surprise and delight of its administrators, she contacted the Cork College of FET. Shane Lehane, a folklorist and lecturer in Cultural and Heritage Studies at the colleges Tramore Road campus, explains: Our system was only set up to accommodate people born from 1950 because nobody imagined anyone over the age of 75 would ever apply for a course and then along came Annette! We were delighted to help her. She is an inspiration and an example to everyone. I am so honoured to have someone like her on my course! She has her camper van and travels the country in it, and wants to know everything she can about Irish culture and heritage, added Shane, who is also author of the newly published book Old Ways To New Days, and a part-time lecturer in the Department of Folklore and Ethnology, UCC. Shane Lehane, tutor of her course The one-year course is no cake-walk, he adds. Its a serious course covering archaeology, history, folklore, and the arts. I call it bootcamp for university, says Shane. It all began last February when Annette, a retired teacher, attended a talk by Shane about one of Irelands most famous saints, St Brigid. I was blown away by the lecture, she recalls. Shane has a great way of explaining things; he just grips us with his knowledge of folklore and country customs and beliefs. At the end of the talk, he mentioned that there was a full-time course coming up in the next academic year and I applied and got a place. Annette is thoroughly enjoying herself: I attend lectures at the college on Tramore Road four days a week. One day a week we go out on field trips our next trip is to West Cork to visit several sites including the Drombeg Stone circle. All my life I was attracted by the outdoors I love nature, and walking, the hills and the lakes. My camper van is my second home! My first trip every year is to the Burren. It has a unique limestone landscape and is full of rocks, stone formations and ring forts. The Burren is a lunar landscape with lots of unusual plants such as bloody cranesbill, orchids, blue gentians, catspaw, lichens, and mosses. There are 600 different types of plants in the Burren and every year, in May, I head off with a friend to the Burren to walk the greenways and see the plants and the rock formations. Her college studies present one significant challenge, she admits: I need to learn how to use IT properly! I never used it, but in fairness the college offers great help in getting to know how to use it. There is tuition available and Im availing of it, but I find it a bit difficult. I think my brain is not wired that way, but I am making progress slow progress but it is progress. When youre doing something you really enjoy, its easier, Annette says, adding that her younger classmates are always willing to help her out. No surprise there! Its just karma, because, as Shane reveals, Annette accommodates some fellow students who faced lengthy commutes to class after they were unable to find affordable accommodation in the city. Annette inside her camper van. Picture: Dan Linehan. She is a great human being, an absolutely topper, he declares. But thats not all there is to Annette Donoghue. She is currently writing a book which she hopes to complete before Christmas. Its a memoir about growing up on a small farm in West Cork and spans several decades, from 1944 to the present day. The book looks at old-style farming pre-electricity; the small farm, with horses and hens and pigs and turkeys, and then the arrival of electricity, she explains. I talk about Drinagh Co-Op and its history. It had a corn mill, a flax mill and it also produced butter that was renowned for its quality throughout Ireland and exported abroad. And, as if all of that isnt enough to be getting on with, Annette is already forming plans to celebrate her 82nd birthday: Im planning to go on a cruise next year. It has to be a cruise with a lot of country dancing involved. Im not too worried where the ship will be headed; Im happy just so long as theres lots and lots of country dancing on board! Munster Technological University (MTU) recently marked a milestone with the establishment of its new university executive and five new university faculties. The intent of the executive is to shape MTU as a centre of educational excellence, managing the day-to-day running of the university. Its establishment marks a significant step in MTUs transformation programme, merging six campuses into one university. Five senior leaders recruited over the summer will join the six senior leaders appointed last year to make up MTUs new university executive. The new executive comprises five vice-presidents, five deans, and a chief corporate officer, and they will support MTUs president, Professor Maggie Cusack, in driving research and innovation, academic excellence, and strategic growth across the university. James Lawless, minister for further and higher education, said he welcomed the appointment of the full senior executive team. This is a milestone in the development of MTU and will enhance its capacity to provide quality education and skilled graduates in and for the southwest, he said. I wish to congratulate each of the newly appointed team, and I am confident that all of them will make a positive contribution to MTU in the years ahead. Professor Maggie Cusack said the appointments reflected the high calibre of talent at MTU. Working together, the team will lead our new faculties and executive functions, ensuring MTU remains a university of choice for current and future generations of students and lifelong learners, she said. All members of the new university executive will work across our six campuses in Cork and Kerry to deliver an exceptional educational experience, support industry collaboration and enhance our offering. MTUs five newly created faculties are the Faculty of Creative, Performing Arts and Media; the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences; the Faculty of Business; the Faculty of Science and Informatics; and the Faculty of Engineering. The members of the new university executive are: Professor Maggie Cusack, president; Simon Jennings, chief corporate officer; Professor Christine Cross, vice-president, academic affairs, and registrar; Paul Gallagher, vice-president, finance and operations; Professor Hugh McGlynn, vice-president, research and innovation; Tim Daly, vice-president, engagement and international; Pio Fenton, vice-president, people and culture; Professor Alistair Payne, dean, Faculty of Creative, Performing Arts and Media; Mary Galvin, dean, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences; Noel Murray, dean, Faculty of Business; Brendan OConnell, dean, Faculty of Science and Informatics; and Sean McSweeney, dean, Faculty of Engineering. Centre to hold walk-in clinic On the morning of Thursday, October 30, an outreach worker from the Cuanlee Refuge will hold a walk-in clinic in the Ballincollig Family Resource Centre on Station Road, P31AE86. Cuanlee Refuge provides safe and secure crisis accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic abuse. Cuanlee is a purpose-built refuge for women and children experiencing domestic abuse. Since opening its doors in March 1978, Cuanlee has provided support, information, and shelter 365 days of the year. It helps women who wish to move on and live independently, free from violence. Its professional staff support women and children during their stay in the refuge. The clinic takes place on the last Thursday of every month and runs from 10am-1pm. For more information, please contact info@cuanleerefuge.org or 087 3859743. Field of Dreams success Down Syndrome Cork Field of Dreams has thanked supporters after this years successful harvest festival. Debbie Kelleher, care co-ordinator with Field of Dreams, said: Thank you so much to everybody for attending our Pick A Pumpkin Harvest Festival this year. It was a joy for us to see so many of you here over both weekends. Ms Kelleher offered the charitys congratulations to Sinead Healy, who won the Guess the Weight competition. The pumpkin weighed 9,525g, and she guessed 9,524g, she said. Thanks to our amazing staff and our dedicated volunteers that supported our fundraising event again this year. Ms Kelleher added that without the generosity and enthusiasm of the people of Cork, Field of Dreams would not be able to do its work. At a Teagasc/Dairygold Steps to Success Joint programme farm walk on the farm of Raymond Goggin, Bandon, were: Harriet Scott, Ovens, Abigail Shorten, Enniskeane, Emma Dennehy, Glanmire, and Sinead Crowley, Carrigtwohill. Picture: Denis Boyle Progress on 2B bus route The introduction of a new bus route the 2B to serve Ballincolligs Castle Road, Carriganarra Road, and Maglin area took another step forward last week with the Section 38 approval by Cork City Council to install a bus stop in Greenfields. The new bus route will serve estates along Ballincolligs back road, providing a service every 15 minutes to Cork City via Curraheen, Marymount, CUH and the Western Road. Local Sinn Fein councillor Joe Lynch said the new service would be the culmination of recent work. In recent months, new bus stops have been installed at Gaelscoil Ui Riordain, with others to follow soon on Flynns Road, at Hazel Grove/Oaklands, at Castleknock and on the Carriganarra Road (Maglin Vale). These are to facilitate operation of the new 2B bus route, which is due to be operational by late 2026/early 2027, he said. The Maglin and Heathfield areas have seen major development in recent years, with more to follow. We can see that with the recent planning application lodged by OFlynn Construction for over 1,000 new homes in the area. That sort of development requires major infrastructural investment, and this new bus route will provide a vital public transport link for existing estates and new ones alike. Step Up for Cork ARC Cork ARC Cancer Support House is asking the public to step up and put the focus on Lung Cancer Awareness Month this November. By taking part in its fundraiser, Step Up for Cork ARC, every step you take can help raise awareness and funds vital for those affected by cancer. Set your own personal or team step goal from 5,000 a day to 150,000 in a month whatever feels right for you. Then ask your family, friends, or colleagues to sponsor your journey. The Wilton-based charity offers the example of 150,000 steps at one cent per step can add up to 1,500 raised. All funds will go towards supporting Cork ARCs free cancer support services, and your efforts will also shine a light on lung cancer, one of Irelands most common cancers. Cork ARC is collaborating with the Irish Lung Cancer Community (ILCC), a patient-led advocacy group providing support, raising awareness, and driving research to improve lung cancer outcomes in Ireland and beyond. See https://tinyurl.com/yc4exymj. Ballincollig GAA lottery The numbers drawn in the Ballincollig GAA Club lottery, held on Thursday, October 2, were 14, 15, 16 and 31. There was no winner of the 17,200 jackpot, but there were three consolation prize winners for club supporters, with 100 going to Pat Conway, 50 to Alison Harvey, and 50 to Margot Crowley. Ballincollig GAA Club has migrated its lottery to its club platform ClubZap. The new system mirrors the previous one and is played with 36 numbers, and all existing players with remaining credit have been moved across with their same numbers, plus their remaining credits. See ballincolliggaa.clubzap.com. Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said diversity is at the core of Irelands national flag and it is offensive and just wrong that anyone would use it as an instrument of exclusion. Mr Martin was speaking to The Echo yesterday, following his remarks at the annual Fianna Fail Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown in Co Kildare, in which he had said those who claim to solely represent Irishness dishonour our national flag. If you use our flag to try and claim that there is a fixed national identity, it shows that you do not understand our history and you do not understand that our identity has survived because we have been willing to evolve and be more inclusive, he had told the gathering on Sunday. In recent months, right-wing activists have erected flags in prominent areas across the country, in apparent imitation of a campaign by British nationalists who have flown the Union Flag and the flag of St George in an attempt to intimidate immigrants. Mr Martin said that Irelands national flag belongs to every Irish citizen, should be respected, and should never be attached to any particular political perspective. The flag must always be treated with dignity, the flag speaks about the unity of the Green and Orange tradition in Ireland, and the idea of diversity was core to it and to the philosophy that led to that flag becoming the Irish flag, he said. It is offensive and just wrong to use the flag as an instrument of exclusion. He added that he has met several people who are Irish but whose parents were not from Ireland, and they sense that some of the comments about Ireland for the Irish and flags is meant to exclude them. But also, the idea of the national flag was that it would be hung on special State occasions, special moments, particularly with the military, with public buildings, City Hall, Government Buildings, Mr Martin said. The original concept of the flag was never that it would be on every single flagpole or pole, and I think we must continue to respect our flag, which is belonging to the nation. Cork Airport has launched its winter schedule, including 1.4m seats on sale between this November and March 2026 and two new routes. New flights to Prague and Geneva, both operated by Aer Lingus, will begin soon. The new service to Prague, which will fly twice-weekly on Thursday and Sunday, will start on October 23 while the service to Geneva will fly weekly on Saturday, starting on December 20. Aer Lingus will also fly to the popular winter sun destinations of Malaga, Lanzarote, and Tenerife and will maintain its four-times daily service to London Heathrow, while Aer Lingus Regional will offer a daily service to Bristol and four-times weekly service to Glasgow. To cater for the ski holiday season, along with the new Geneva service, Aer Lingus will operate a twice-weekly service to Lyon and a weekly service to Munich. The Munich service returns one month earlier this year and will operate twice weekly during December, on Saturday and Tuesday. Aer Lingus will also operate a weekly service to Salzburg on behalf of Irish ski tour operators. Ryanair will operate a total of 22 routes from Cork Airport this winter, including city break destinations such as Edinburgh, Liverpool, Paris, Brussels, Gdansk, Rome, Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville. It will also fly to Lanzarote, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and Gran Canaria, along with other popular winter sun destinations on the Iberian peninsula such as Malaga, Alicante, and Faro. Connectivity with European hub airports will be boosted significantly this winter season with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flying three times per day between Cork and Amsterdam Schiphol, an increase of over 32,000 seats. Air France will consolidate its year-round operations at Cork with a new three-times weekly service to Paris Charles de Gaulle. With the increased hub connectivity, passengers can connect to 320 worldwide destinations on the wider Air France-KLM network via Amsterdam and Paris. Cork Airports newest airline partner, SunExpress, will fly a twice-weekly service to Izmir over the Christmas holiday period from December 17 to January 7. Were thrilled to launch our 2025 winter schedule with 1.4m seats on sale between November and March, said Cork Airports head of aviation business development and communications Tara Finn. There are some really great additions to this years schedule, with new Aer Lingus routes to Prague and Geneva; a new Air France winter service to Paris Charles de Gaulle; a third daily KLM service to Amsterdam, and a Christmas service to Izmir in Turkiye with SunExpress. Passenger traffic has grown significantly this past year, and we will continue to work closely with our airline partners to secure more connectivity for Cork Airport for next year and beyond, she said. Along with the traditional catchment area and Munster base, an increasing number of passengers are coming from Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, and Laois to fly from Cork Airport, said the airport. Increasingly, passengers from Kildare to Kilkenny and other counties outside of our traditional catchment are discovering the ease and friendliness of Cork Airport for family holidays, said Cork Airports managing director Niall MacCarthy. With 14% growth year-to-date, Im confident that more and more passengers from South Leinster will continue to discover the benefits of Cork Airport this winter. A budget allocation of 3m nationally into community neuro-rehabilitation teams (CNRT) has been hailed, as there are currently no neuro-rehabilitation beds in the South West region. In their pre-budget submission, the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI) called on the HSE for urgent investment into a minimum of 20 neuro-rehabilitation beds across Cork and Kerry. The Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality, Norma Foley, and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Hildegarde Naughton, announced this month that 3m has been allocated in Budget 2026 for the development and continued expansion of CNRTs. CNRTs are specialist HSE teams that provide intensive therapy to people in their homes or a clinic, as opposed to a hospital setting. This provides people with earlier access to specialist neuro-rehabilitation, in a person centred service. Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for the HSEs South West branch said the service is working on plans to develop an inpatient unit to serve neuro-rehabilitation patients across the South West region. While there are currently no in- patient neuro-rehabilitation beds in the South West region, HSE South West is currently engaging with stakeholders nationally and locally around the provision of such a service, the spokesperson said. This would involve establishing a 20-bed neuro-rehabilitation unit which would serve the needs for the entire region of Cork and Kerry. Plans for this service are underway, and HSE South West is working to ensure that the people of the region have access to the highest quality care in the most appropriate location. No further details will be available until we conclude this consultation process. A 2024 HSE report on the national post-acute inpatient rehabilitation mapping project revealed a shortfall of 175 specialist neuro-rehabilitation beds across the country, with only 131 of the minimum recommended 306 beds in place. There is a minimum requirement of 60 inpatient neuro-rehabilitation beds per million population, which translates to approximately 44 beds needed for the region. While Budget funding has not been specifically allocated for the provision of additional neuro-rehabilitation beds, Magdalen Rogers, who is the CEO of the NAI, said the funding allocation for CNRTs represents a strong signal of recognition from Government. We warmly welcome the Budget announcement responding to the key recommendation in our pre-Budget submission for investment in community neuro-rehabilitation teams, said Ms Rogers. A man in his 30s has been taken to hospital following an alleged late-night assault in Cork city. The incident, which took place at a residence in The Lough area, occurred at approximately 11.40pm on Monday. A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana told The Echo that gardai attended the scene, where a man, aged in his 30s, was found to have sustained non life-threatening injuries. Gardai attended the scene of an alleged assault that occurred at a residence in the Lough area of Cork city on Monday at approximately 11:40pm, the spokesperson said. A male in his 30s suffered non life-threatening injuries during the incident. I understand he was hospitalised. Investigations are ongoing. Biodiversity restoration work in Youghal is being funded by the operator of the national electricity grid, a recent local event heard. The event was hosted by EirGrid, which operates the national electricity grid, and was held in support of An Taisce Climate Action Week, and in collaboration with the Youghal Blue and Green Community Network. Robert Fennelly, lead senior ecologist with EirGrid, spoke about the biodiversity measures being implemented by the company as part of its grid infrastructure development, including the sub-sea Celtic Interconnector. The audience also heard from Kieran OSullivan from Ballintotis Community Council, who said funding from the Celtic Interconnector Community Benefit Fund was helping tackle invasive species in the Loughaderra proposed Natural Heritage Area, an important water feature along the N25. Since 2022, EirGrid has spent 543,815 in funding for biodiversity projects in areas hosting the Celtic Interconnector project, which will link the electricity grids of Ireland and France. Celtic Interconnector As part of construction works for the Celtic Interconnector, the sand dunes located between the pedestrian walkway and the main beach had been partially damaged by the creation of temporary access paths for machinery. Under the direction of ecologists from EirGrid and Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants, the team recently began the restoration of the affected dunes at Claycastle Beach. The team transplanted Marram grass from more densely vegetated dune areas by the Youghal boardwalk to the impacted section. The success of this restoration effort will be monitored over time. Mr Fennelly said that the project was in line with EirGrids policy to follow a nature-inclusive design approach to all its infrastructure development work. Marram grass provides a vital habitat for a wide range of species and plays a crucial role in stabilising sand dunes, which act as natural coastal flood defence, he said. We hope this initiative will not only restore the dunes, but also serve as a foundation for a broader community-led approach to dune management in the Claycastle area. THE appeals board, ruling on the controversial application to develop a 23-hectare mussel farm in Kinsale Harbour, has said a decision will not be made for a year. In a letter provided to all appellants on Tuesday, a representative for the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) said that due to the volume of submissions made to the board in reference to the development, a determination will not be made until October 5, 2026. This notice comes two weeks ahead of the initial stated determination date of October 29, 2025. Section 56(2)(a) of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 requires that the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board endeavours to determine an appeal within a period of four months, beginning on the date of receipt by the board of the notice of appeal, the spokesperson said. The board reviewed this timescale at its meeting on October 6, 2025 and has formed the view that it will not be in a position to determine this appeal by that date, due to having to consider the logistics of managing the appeals, given the number of appellants, and assessing all the issues raised in each appeal. Accordingly, the board hereby gives notice, as provided for in section 56(3) of the act, of its intention to determine the appeal by October 5, 2026. Approved The licence application for the mussel farm, initially lodged in 2018 by Waterford-based company Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd, was approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine in May. Between May 31 and June 30, an appeals window to overturn the farms approval was opened, and 147 submissions were lodged with the board. Speaking to The Echo, local resident Donal Hayes said the boards decision to push the determination date by a year beggars belief. I am hugely disappointed, but Im not surprised, said Mr Hayes. Its very annoying. Its a clear-cut case, everybody knows the situation, theres no ambiguity: Just make a call. Weve literally done everything you could think of: Weve provided all the marine reports; provided all the ecological reports; provided all the input from publicans, restaurants, and hoteliers; weve given them the whole lot. I just dont understand it. Theres no excuse given, just that its going to take another year, and thats it. It beggars belief. Objections The planned development, which received 609 previous objections, between 2019 and 2021, will see the commercial cultivation of mussels in Kinsale Harbour, using bottom culture on the sub-tidal foreshore, at a site between the Dock Beach, James Fort, and Charles Fort. There was widespread opposition to the mussel farm following its approval, with 500 people and 110 vessels attending a land-and-sea protest at the Dock Beach in June, and 7,500 signatures received via a combined in-person and online petition, which was presented to members of the department outside the Dail in July. A representative for the ALAB said the agency cannot comment on the progress of the case, which is at stage-three information gathering, with any further updates to be posted on their website. Independent Ireland Cork South West TD Michael Collins raised the issue in the Dail on Wednesday, urging Taoiseach Micheal Martin to change the guidelines in which applications for such developments can be assessed. Taoiseach, I raised this issue with you before in relation to the proposed mussel farm in Kinsale, said Mr Collins. This proposal will cover a vast area of sea, which will have huge negative consequences for tourism, water sports, and fishermen in the area. The guidelines must be changed. This application has been going on [for years], and now we find out this week that the decision to refuse the licence, or give it, has been kicked down the road. Taoiseach, [more than] 7,000 people signed objections to this, and surely [those] voices will have to be heard here, he added. The department [must] stop this carry-on of putting the decision off for another 12 months, and make the right decision [to] stop that mussel farm in Kinsale. Importance In response to Mr Collins, Mr Martin said that he appreciates the importance of this issue and the impact its having on the community in Kinsale. I think the very fact that its been put off may suggest a fairly significant examination of this [application] in all of its aspects, said Mr Martin. I will keep in touch with the deputy on it, and with the authorities as well. Kinsale resident Marc O Riain, who spearheaded the local petition, said the boards decision will, hopefully, make space for public engagement. I didnt expect them to make a decision on this before the end of the year, said Mr O Riain. Theres no way they were going to do it within the 8-12 week timeframe. We have suggested to the ALAB that they engage with us on six different topic grounds, [and] we would have been very disappointed if they didnt give us an oral hearing. With the amount of effort that has gone in from the community to fight this mussel farm, I think the least they can do is actually listen to us. By putting it off for another year, it will hopefully make space for public engagement from the ALAB with all appellants, making a more inclusive and fairer process. A 33-year-old man confessed to causing over 100,000 worth of arson damage to three vehicles parked at Cork Airport Business Park in June. 33-year-old Mateusz Stula of Orchard Court, Blackpool, Cork, signed pleas of guilty to the indictable crimes at Cork District Court. On the application of Sergeant John Kelleher, Judge Mary Dorgan remanded the accused in custody for sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court at the sessions commencing on October 28. Defence solicitor Eddie Burke applied for free legal aid to include a barrister at the sentencing hearing and Judge Dorgan granted that application. Detective Sergeant Davis previously outlined the background to the arsons. The charges before the court are very serious," he said. "Mateusz Stula is charged with three counts of arson. It is alleged that on June 10 at approximately 1.15am he entered the grounds of Cork Airport Business Park where he set fire to three vehicles parked there. One of these vehicles was a Swissport Airline waste removal tanker which has an approximate value of 100,000. A second vehicle was privately owned and had been parked at the business park while the owner was abroad. A third vehicle was a privately owned animal transporter truck which had been dropped to the business park for repairs. "The incidents of arson in this instance have been captured on CCTV footage." Mr Burke, solicitor, said the accused had been in employment for the two months before the incident at a premises in the Cork Airport Business Park and that the incident before the court was not a matter of him going to the airport in order to carry out this damage. For whatever reason he left his place of work and went to where these vehicles were, Mr Burke said. Tis a rare sight to see a green dinosaur exit the back seat of a car and plod its way through school gates, or spy a bloodied pirate drag its hook along with its mala scoile, or glimpse a wizened mini-witch whizz by on a scooter. But if you keep your eyes peeled, you might spot these strange scenes as Irish schoolkids embrace the dress-up aspect of Halloween this week. As our side of the planet tilts away from the sun, the festival of Samhain helps us celebrate the cycle of life. Traditionally, Halloween is a special time to mark the end of harvest time and a period when connecting with the otherworld is easier. The idea of dressing up or disguising yourself during Samhain is an ancient custom originally intended to conceal people from visiting spirits. Irish and Scottish communities carried their Halloween customs to the United States and Canada where guising evolved into trick-or-treating, and costuming became more widespread, though still homemade - masks, sheets, old clothes. The commercialisation of Halloween costumes has steadily grown in Ireland over the last 30 years, and now new costumes pile up in supermarkets as early as September. For our ancestors, potentially encountering a ghost in the dead of night used to be the scariest part of Halloween. Now, contemplating the sheer volume of plastic the holiday produces each year truly frightens us. Most of the trick or treating costumes we wear are made of 100% polyester, a ubiquitous plastic derived from fossil fuels. While we have great fun dressing up and acting silly for a few days at the end of October - those plastic costumes last a lifetime. And, as we all know by now, plastic is a problem. A leading scientific journal, The Lancet, recently published Countdown on Health and Plastics, a report cataloguing the various frightening ways that plastic has infiltrated our world and threatens our health. The Lancet doesnt pull any punches. Plastics are a grave, growing, and under-recognised danger to human and planetary health. Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1.5 trillion annually. Microplastic and nanoplastic particles, which result from the breakdown of larger plastic materials, are an emerging threat to health. Take your pick of petrifying plastic bullet points. Wherever scientists look, they are finding microplastics - from deep ocean trenches to the top of the tallest mountains. They are increasingly reported in human biological specimens - blood, breast-milk, liver, kidney, colon, lung, spleen, and heart - in populations worldwide. Researchers have found microplastics in both maternal and infant placental tissue, and in the brains of deceased people - the equivalent of around a teaspoon (7 grams) of plastic lodged in brain tissue. Evidence suggests microplastics might be able to cross key biological barriers, in our guts, in our lungs, in our brains and even placentas. Infants and young children are highly susceptible to plastics-associated harms, reported The Lancet. Early life exposures to plastics and plastic chemicals are linked to increased risks of miscarriage, prematurity, stillbirth, low birthweight and birth defects of the reproductive organs, neurodevelopmental impairment, impaired lung growth, and childhood cancer. Early-life exposures to plastic chemicals can contribute to reduced human fertility and increased risks of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in adult life. The Lancet report is available online and should be compulsory reading for everyone on the planet. Without intervention, it is projected that global plastic production will nearly triple by 2060. We are poisoning ourselves, everyone we know and love and every living creature and thing on the planet with plastic. We know microplastics exist, are everywhere, and are made with thousands of chemicals, including substances that are toxic in other contexts. What we dont know exactly is how these particles and chemicals affect human health over decades. Common sense tells us breathing, eating, and absorbing synthetic particles laced with industrial chemicals is not going to be beneficial to health. Yet, time and again, governments act as though they need absolute, irrefutable proof of harm before regulating or clamping down on plastic pollution. The idea that unless something is definitively proven dangerous, it should be allowed, has not worked well in the past. History shows us exactly where the burden of proof mindset leads. Asbestos was linked to deadly lung diseases for decades before bans came in. Lead in petrol and paint was known to damage brains, especially childrens, long before it was phased out. PFAS - forever chemicals - were in our bloodstreams for years before regulators started to act. In each case, the delay wasnt because we lacked warning - it was because industries demanded more proof, and governments let them delay changing their practices. Governments need to do much more to regulate these polluting plastic industries and help establish a plastic-free economy but, as conscious consumers, we can play a role. While governments drag their heels, we dont have to. This Halloween, ditch the new plastic costume and make one from whatever you already have at home - face paints and imagination can transform any outfit into a ghoulish creation. If homemade is beyond you - buy a second-hand costume from your local charity shop. Our school ran a Halloween Costume Fair where families donated pre-loved costumes and picked up a new one for this years festivities, and hopefully more schools can start that circular costume tradition. Embracing Samhain traditions that connect us to nature can be entirely plastic-free. Go for a nature walk and collect outrageously coloured autumn leaves - blood red, rust orange, lemon yellow - for a wreath or bouquet. Brew an apple punch scented with cinnamon, oranges and lemons. Or my favourite, carve a pumpkin. And for full scary effect, swap the Jack OLantern grin for a terrifying message - PLASTIC IS IN YOUR BLOOD! By Cillian Sherlock, PA Public events should be cancelled in areas under orange wind warnings, according to a review published after Storm Eowyn. Storm Eowyn in January is recognised as one of the most dangerous and destructive storms in living memory in Ireland. It brought gale-force/storm force winds, including severely damaging and destructive gusts of over 184 km/h, a record for Ireland. The impacts of Storm Eowyn were particularly severe and prolonged in remote and rural communities across the western seaboard, the northwest and midlands of the country. On Wednesday, the National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management published a series of recommendations in its review of the storm. It states: It is recommend that event organisers should cancel events in areas where an Orange Wind Warning threshold is forecast. Event sites and funfairs with temporary structures of all kinds may need to be considered for closure at a lower threshold, which should be set by the event organiser at the event planning stage. All event organisers should have arrangements in place to monitor winds speeds at the site of an outdoor event. Workers clearing a fallen tree on Grove Park Drive in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) It said storms coinciding with large crowd events such as weekend music festivals or large sporting events poses significant risk to attendees. The NDFEM said public authorities should include a condition to planning for weather impact including full closure and appropriate notification. It said under the current model, public authorities may be advising against an event but the decision to proceed or cancel rests with the event organiser. The NDFEM said it is recommended that, where not already the case, the responsibilities of the event organiser to consider weather impacts is included in risk assessments. While it is clear that event organisers are responsible for persons attending an event, the responsibility for travelling to attend an event falls to an individual or to the transport operator. The timing of an advanced warning plays a key role in determining the protective actions event organisers and individuals can take. It is normally possible to cancel sporting and other large crowd events in advance of a forecasted storm or an adverse weather event. Sporting and event organisers would generally be expected to take a responsible and common sense approach in the run up to a forecasted storm. For licensed events, public authorities should include a condition to planning for weather impact including full closure and appropriate notification. However, the great bulk of public events are not licensed and there is no obvious mechanism, other than workplace health and safety legislation, that could be used to require an event organiser to cancel an event due to the anticipated severe weather conditions. In addition, the peak of 768,000 customers without electricity supply, with weeks long interruption to power and water supplies, necessitated a humanitarian response at a scale well beyond any previous severe weather event. This also had other cascading effects on essential services and infrastructure. The activation of emergency hubs during the storm enabled some basic humanitarian assistance to be provided, the NDFEM said. Its report recommends that the concept of emergency hubs needs to be further developed and reinforced so that they can be activated at short notice, providing a predefined level of support. Local authorities proved to be best placed to coordinate and where necessary directly provide such Hubs. It is clear that local authorities cannot provide hubs in every community, there are a range of community organisations that can be supported to provide hubs where necessary. Sean McCarthaigh A Wicklow man branded a monster with depraved perversions has been jailed for three years for an indecent assault of a young girl in Bray, Co Wicklow, over 30 years ago. Ambrose Doyle (57), formerly of Ashleigh, Ballinalea, Ashford, Co Wicklow, and now living in the west of Ireland, was found guilty of indecent assault on the girl in a house in Bray on a date unknown between February 1990 and February 1992 when his victim was aged between five and seven. Doyle, a married father, was found guilty of the charge at a retrial at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court in March 2025. At the original trial, he had been found not guilty of two other charges of indecent assault. At a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, the court heard that Doyle is also currently serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted of the sexual assault of a teenage girl in April 2014. Detective Garda Neil Doyle told the court that the victim of the indecent assault first reported the matter to gardai in 2019. He said the girl was coming out of an upstairs bathroom in the house when she was confronted by Doyle who said: Come here and Ill show you. The girl told gardai that she next remembered being on the ground with her pants down and the accused fiddling with her private parts and rubbing his hand on her vagina. Det Garda Doyle said the incident took place while there were other people downstairs in the house. The court heard that Doyle denied indecently assaulting the girl after he was arrested by gardai. In a victim impact statement, the woman said the damage done by Doyle was incredibly difficult to convey. My whole world changed in an instant, she recalled. The woman said she had no real understanding of what was happening to her other than the feeling of pure terror. She felt shame about the incident and claimed trying to recover from childhood sexual abuse was a lifetimes work. The court heard that there were times when she could not leave home because of a crushing fear. Childhood is such a short time but the ripples last forever, she added. The woman said Doyles insidious abuse has impacted on every relationship she ever had, including with herself. She claimed the anger and great sadness that she felt about all that she had lost were sometimes all-consuming. The court heard she had undergone years of counselling while staying silent about the root cause of her trauma and shame. The woman said coming forward about what Doyle had done was extremely difficult, and having her counselling notes being used at a trial to prove she was not a liar was so invasive. She said words failed her over how her character was assassinated by Doyles defence making her open up about her life. I had no defence when I was a little girl, she observed. The woman said she had been used by Doyle for his depraved perversions. While Doyle had portrayed himself as an active member of society, she remarked: Behind closed doors he was a monster. She claimed no child or vulnerable person should be left with him for a moment. The woman said she was happy for Doyle to be named so that the public could learn how dangerous he is. In reply to a question from Judge Patrick Quinn, defence counsel, Colman FitzGerald SC, said Doyle now accepted the jurys verdict. The barrister told the court that Doyle had a good employment record and had done a lot of charity work for food kitchens and fundraising for childrens charities. Mr FitzGerald said the defendant continues to suffer from a back injury that he has had for over 30 years, while his wife is also in poor health. Judge Quinn said he had noted the womans concise and poignant victim impact statement which outlined how Doyles offending had caused her a life of anxiety. The judge also observed that Doyle had made his victim go through a trial rather than admit the truth. He claimed the indecent assault was on the higher end of the scale which had profound and long-lasting sentences. Sentencing Doyle to three and a half years in prison, Judge Quinn suspended the final six months on condition that he keeps the peace on his release. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. It was my birthday recently - Im a proud Libra - and I always love to celebrate the day, erra, any reason to glam up. I took a day off work for myself, would you believe, because getting older even I know there is far more to life than work. I had my lovely Lipsy dress from Brown Thomas and I did my hair and make-up and felt fantastic to be another year alive and well. I also did a video about positive ageing, how I am so in favour of pro-ageing and not anti-ageing, and why we women need to change the rhetoric on all this fear of ageing. You can watch this on our Emerald Beauty Clinic Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages now Even the wording - old age, ageism, anti-ageing - there is nothing postive or empowering in any of those words now, is there? These are words the beauty industry often use to define female ageing, but sure, every day you are alive is a blessing. Emer OCallaghan celebrating her birthday in a Lipsy dress from Brown Thomas, make-up is Master Colors Paris. Also pictured is Emers new favourite product, Guinot Age Logic Night Serum, 302, both make-up and serum are available from Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949 I have had a very strong awareness of this from a very young age as my own dad died at 40. Getting older is in fact a privilege many never get to do. I was my dads birthday present, I was born the day after his birthday - his one and only girl after four boys. Oh, I would nearly grow a foot with pride as a kid when mum or my eldest brother would say how over the moon dad was the day Emer was born. That was until my brother two years older than me would say, Emer, you should be thanking me you are here at all, because if I was a girl, they would have never had you! Jeez, it used to drive me mad as a kid when he piped up with that one every year, bursting my bubble of importance in the OCallaghan clan, but I laugh about it now. Well, Im still here, thank God and sure, I celebrate every birthday for the gift it is. In a world where we put far too much emphasis on material things - money, power, status, fame, ego - none of that means anything, we all came from dust and we will go back to dust. I firmly believe that true beauty comes from within, a beautiful soul shines from the inside out, and your mindset is everything. My motto is, always get up, never stay down, glam up and keep showing up. I am a firm believer, coming from a long line of strong women, that you just cant keep a good woman down. Here are my favourite things to do to help you age positively. FACIALS My No.1 beauty tip would be to have regular facials. I have been doing a monthly one for 20 years. As we all get older, every decade the skin cell turnover is far slower so the dead cells build up more. This ages your skin faster and also stops your products fully absorbing into the skin. A facial every 4-6 weeks is proven to be the most pro-ageing thing any woman of any age can do! SERUMS My No.2 must-have positive pro- ageing beauty tool - but not just any old serum. Far too many are full of perfumes and parabens. I use professional grade serums as they are science-led, made by doctors and scientists, and FDA-approved. My favourite at present is the new Guinot Age Logic Night Serum, 302, not cheap but it will turn back the clock. And when you invest in the best, you get the best results. EXFOLIATION AND MASKING These two steps combined at home keep the dead skin cells away post-facial. Far too many women dont know the importance of always doing these two together. I exfoliate once a week with my Guinot Age Summum Exfoliator and I use a variety of different Guinot and Dermalogica masks after. Masking has been scientifically proven to improve skin hydration 10 times more than any moisturiser, this is why I always say a mask a day keeps the wrinkles away. I mask while cleaning the house and doing my jobs, its fab - no mask says on it please remain seated and dont move while its on! Us women are queens at multi-tasking. WATER AND WALKING These two have been stable parts of my life all my life. I dont drink juices or fizzy drinks and I always drink two litres of plain water a day. Walking is a huge love of mine, I find its an all-rounder, it firms and tones the body, clears the head, and its so good to be out in fresh air. I have my SPF 50 on all year round for skin health. THESE ARE NOT FOR ME Let me start this section by saying this, its a personal choice what anyone chooses to do to their own face or body, and thats no different for me either. These are just a list of treatments I choose not to ever do personally to my skin, if you enjoy them and like them for you, then thats your choice to do too. We must all respect everyone elses choices and views. Laser I am fully trained in laser and when I did so, it had only come out. Now, I wouldnt put a laser machine near me, particularly my face, if you gave me it free. Botox/filler/injections Its no secret that Im not a fan of these three, . I feel its such a shame to see natural beauty lost to a fake look. I promote natural beauty and positive ageing, and aim to stay true to myself. I dont want to change the face god gave me. Invasive treatments When I see so many in the beauty industry today in medical scrubs with gloves on and big machines beside them, I find it off-putting. A facial is touch therapy and you cannot do one with gloves on. I also worry that invasive chemicals may damage your skin barrier. Sun worshipping Sun damage has been scientifically proven to be the most ageing thing today for skin. I see this all the time around Cork, with women in particular, some are haggard from the many sun holidays they take, they dont know the importance of correct skincare products and have abused their skin. Daily alcohol Sadly, today, daily drinking is the norm for far too many people. Studies show women over the age of 50 are drinking far too much at home and daily, using alcohol to self- medicate how they are feeling - often lonely, depressed, in pain, anxious, or stressed. Daily drinking is not good for anyones health or liver. As a beauty doctor and skin specialist, we always advise clients to aim for at least four days a week alcohol-free and to stick to measuring the amounts and staying within the recommended units of alcohol per week. Alcohol also dehydrates the body and forms fine lines and premature ageing in the skin, so it certainly would not be a positive pro-ageing daily habit, thats for sure. Regardless of your age, it really is only a number; its more, I believe, a gentle reminder that we are all only passing through. Life is short, and no-one knows what age we will leave this earth, but I believe in living every day and focusing on all the many positives i have in my life - all the love and all the beauty that is literally all around us. Emer OCallaghan is a multi award winning beauty doctor and skin specialist who won Irish Beauty Therapist of the Year and works at Emerald Organic Beauty Products Ltd, trading as Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949. A Gold Standard Clinic, 2008-2025, www.emeraldbeautyclinic.ie, follow on Facebook/instagram/TikTok pages. SPECIAL OFFER: All this month, our award-winning Power Cleanse Facial is reduced from 125 to 95, 90 minutes, includes a full skin analysis, eyebrow shape and heated hand treatment, appointments necessary. To book call Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949. Free parking for clients. OpenAI's long-rumored browser has a name, and you can try it out today provided you're an Apple user. ChatGPT Atlas is available to download on macOS, with the company promising to bring it to Windows, Android and iOS soon. Atlas integrates ChatGPT directly within the browser interface, allowing users to engage with the chatbot while they're surfing the web no need to jump between different tabs or copy and paste content. When you select a text field, an icon will appear that allows you to prompt ChatGPT. OpenAI demoed this feature in Gmail where an employee asked the chatbot to polish an email he was writing to a colleague. Naturally, a prompt bar will also appear when you open a new tab, and you can open a sidebar where you can converse with ChatGPT at any time. The more you use Atlas, the more ChatGPT will "remember" about your preferences. One of the benefits of this is that you'll be able to more easily filter through your search history. For instance, you can write "re-open the shoes I looked at yesterday," and ChatGPT will know the specific website you want to look at again. Browser memories are optional, and if you decide to enable the feature, you can manage them through the settings menu, and just like any other browser, you can delete your history or go surf the web using an incognito mode. OpenAI also says it won't use the content users browse to train its future models. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Atlas also includes an agent mode where ChatGPT can surf the web for you and complete tasks. The feature builds on the Operator tech debuted at the start of the year, and is currently available as a preview within the browser that Plus, Pro and Business accounts can try out. "It can help you book reservations or flights or even just edit a document that youre working on, said Adam Fry, product lead for ChatGPT Search, during the livestream where OpenAI announced Atlas. "Tabs are great but we haven't seen a lot of browser innovation since then," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the start of the livestream. This is just a great browser all-around its smooth, its quick, its really nice to use. Rumors that OpenAI was working on its own web browser first surfaced in July. With today's announcement, the company joins an already competitive market. A number of companies, including Opera and Perplexity, released their own "agentic" browsers earlier this year. Of course, then there's also Google, which plans to integrate its Gemini AI assistant more deeply into Chrome, the world's most popular browser, over the coming months. X is finally following through on its long-rumored plans to sell old user handles, and some of the most sought-after usernames could fetch millions of dollars. The company shared more details about and opened a waitlist for its "handle marketplace," that will enable paying subscribers to request and buy "inactive" handles. According to the company, X will make two types of "inactive' handles available: "priority" usernames that may include "full names, multi-word phrases, or alphanumeric combinations" and "rare" handles that consist of "short, generic, or culturally significant names." Subscribers to X's Premium+ and Premium Business tiers will eventually be able to request some "priority" handles as part of their subscription. The company says @PizzaEater and @GabrielJones are possible examples of such handles. Notably, this process requires what essentially amounts to an indefinite subscription to X Premium, as the company says it will revoke priority handles if an account's subscription lapses. The process for acquiring a "rare" handle is a lot less clear. X says that it will offer some rare handles through "public drops" and that those will be given away for free "based on merit" and that multiple users will be able to apply. X will take a user's engagement and "past contributions" to the platform into account when deciding who gets these handles. The company will also make some handles available for sale via an invitation-only process. These prices will be "fixed" and "determined by a number of factors including popularity of word, character length, and cultural significance." These usernames could include common one-word usernames like @one, @fly or @compute, according to examples provided by X. They could also be incredibly expensive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Some handles are included with a Premium+ or Premium Business subscription," X wrote in an FAQ. "Others especially Rare handles may be priced anywhere from $2,500 to over seven figures, depending on demand and uniqueness." People who buy a supposedly rare handle will need to have a Premium+ or Premium Business subscription in order to start the process, but won't be required to maintain one in order to keep the handle. In a separate "handle transfer agreement," X describes its handle-buying scheme as an "evolving initiative" that it hopes will be adopted by other social media companies in the future. "We are establishing a new standard for social media handlesa framework we hope the broader industry will adopt, similar to how Community Notes has influenced online transparency," the company wrote. Andrew Allemann, the publisher of Domain Name Wire, a publication that tracks the domain name industry, says that there are some similarities between X's plan to sell handles and the marketplace for expired domains. "For a long time, people have been buying and selling handles off of X, and X hasn't been getting a cut of that," he told Engadget. "So in some ways, I think this will get some of the better handles to be more used on the platform." But he said he would have concerns about some of the terms in X's policies, which allow it to "reclaim'' handles if they become inactive. The company's current "inactive account policy" defines an inactive account as one that hasn't been logged into for 30 days. "I would definitely want a firmer contract if I were to pay money for a handle," Allemann says. "I would want some rights baked into a contract that says it can't just be taken away. I certainly want a longer period of inactivity before it can be taken away." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement X also has a history of commandeering desirable handles from users that were actively using them. The company took the @X handle from a San Francisco photographer in 2023 without compensating him, though he was offered "merch" and a tour of X's headquarters. That same year, it also took the @music handle from a longtime user with more than a half million followers. Last year, the company swiped the @America handle from a reported Donald Trump critic. The handle is now used by Musk's super PAC. X's plan to give away handles based on "merit" raises additional questions about who the platform could decide to reward and penalize. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Allemann says that all social media users should remember they don't own any of the content they publish on company platforms. "If you create your website, you control it, and people can always come to it. On social media, the single billionaire owner of it could decide they don't like you, and it's pretty much within their rights to kick you off, or demote you, or change the algorithm to impact you as well." Have a tip for Karissa? You can reach her by email, on X, Bluesky, Threads, or send a message to @karissabe.51 to chat confidentially on Signal. The ruling, delivered by Judge Manuel Antonio Merchan during a public hearing, concludes a high-profile case that has gripped Colombia for years.The court found insufficient evidence to prove Uribes involvement in bribing witnesses, including former paramilitaries Carlos Enrique Velez (alias Victor), Euridice Cortes (alias Diana), and Juan Guillermo Monsalve, or committing procedural fraud. The Bogota High Court has acquitted former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez of all charges related to witness bribery and procedural fraud, overturning a previous 12-year house arrest sentence issued in August 2025.The ruling, delivered by Judge Manuel Antonio Merchan during a public hearing, concludes a high-profile case that has gripped Colombia for years.The court found insufficient evidence to prove Uribes involvement in bribing witnesses, including former paramilitaries Carlos Enrique Velez (alias Victor), Euridice Cortes (alias Diana), and Juan Guillermo Monsalve, or committing procedural fraud. The decision also nullified 2018 wiretaps authorized by the Supreme Court, citing violations of Uribes privacy, and criticized deficiencies in the first-instance ruling by Judge Sandra Heredia.Key Points of the Ruling:Witness Bribery: Uribe was cleared in all three alleged instances of bribery, with the court noting a lack of direct or indirect evidence of his role as an instigator. The court ordered an investigation into Velez for possible false testimony due to inconsistencies in his statements. Procedural Fraud: The court dismissed charges related to two incidents, ruling that actions such as humanitarian aid (e.g., payments for witness travel) did not constitute attempts to obstruct justice. Reactions Uribes defense team hailed the ruling as a complete vindication, expressing confidence in the judicial system. The victims lawyer, Miguel Angel del Rio, announced plans to appeal the decision before the Supreme Court, stating, This battle is not over. President Gustavo Petro also publicly criticized the ruling. The case, which originated from a 2018 legal dispute involving Senator Ivan Cepeda, has been one of Colombias most polarizing judicial processes. While todays ruling marks a significant victory for Uribe, the announced appeal could extend the legal saga. Further developments are expected as the case moves forward. A vintage Fordson tractor has helped drive forward childrens healthcare, raising more than 80,000 at auction for the new Cambridge Childrens Hospital. The fully restored 1963 Fordson Super Dexta sold for 40,280 at the Cheffins Cambridge Vintage Sale on Saturday 18 October. As part of its bicentenary celebrations, Cheffins pledged to match the price, taking the total donation to 80,560. The funds will go towards building a new playroom for young patients at the hospital. The winning bidder was Nick Hedges, a 67-year-old farmer from Kent, who said: This is the first vintage tractor that I have ever bought. I bought it for my grandson, who is coming up for two years old and is tractor mad. We are honoured to be a part of the cause. He added that his family has ties to Addenbrookes Hospital, making the purchase such a great cause that we really wanted to be a part of. Hedges also revealed plans to buy more tractors so each of his grandchildren will inherit one, with the family set to showcase them at events across the south of England next year. Cheffins bought the Fordson in June 2024 before it was meticulously restored by Youngs Agricultural Services in Stretham, near Ely. Initially expected to fetch between 15,000 and 20,000, the sale price far exceeded estimates. Over the past year, the Charity Tractor toured major agricultural shows, including Tractor Fest at Newby Hall and the Saffron Walden Carnival, becoming a familiar sight for enthusiasts nationwide. Oliver Godfrey, director and head of the Cheffins Machinery Division, said the tractor had become something of a star in vintage tractor circles and described the auction atmosphere as electric with multiple bidders competing. He noted that beyond being an important piece of agricultural history, the sale will directly fund facilities for children across the region. The Fordson Super Dexta, first unveiled in 1961, holds a special place in British farming heritage. For Cheffins, it also symbolises its commitment to giving back during its 200-year anniversary. Our bicentenary has been about supporting the next generation, Godfrey explained. Helping to fund a playroom at Cambridge Childrens Hospital is a fitting way to do that. Paul White, director of communications and impact at Addenbrookes Charitable Trust, described the result as transformational. He said the fundraising had taken us a significant step closer to building the regions first childrens hospital and would ensure a playroom bringing joy and comfort to countless young patients and their families. Doctors in Suffolk have launched a pioneering virtual reality (VR) project to tackle the growing mental health crisis in Britains farming communities. The Rural Minds Project uses immersive VR storytelling to place users inside the pressures of farm life from financial strain and weather dependency to isolation and family expectations. Developed by Dr Jordan Tsigarides of the University of East Anglia with GPs Dr Daniel James and Dr Richard West, the initiative was created in partnership with Cambridge-based tech firm Revolve Labs. Backed by the Felix Thornley Cobbold Agricultural Trust, the project will be showcased at the House of Lords next month. It is thought to be the first VR programme in the UK dedicated to mental health in agriculture. Poor mental health is a major issue across UK agriculture. RABIs Big Farming Survey (2021) found over a third of farmers are probably or possibly depressed, nearly half experience constant anxiety, and only a small minority describe their wellbeing as good. The Farm Safety Foundation has reported that 95% of young farmers see mental health as the biggest hidden problem in farming. Dr Tsigarides, also chief medical officer at Revolve Labs, said the tool shines a light on issues too often overlooked. This project hopes to change that by raising awareness, improving understanding, and ultimately saving lives. The Rural Minds VR experience allows you to step into the boots of a farmer struggling with his mental health and truly shines a light on this difficult topic, he explained. James Forrest, chairman of the Felix Thornley Cobbold Agricultural Trust, said the projects timing was vital: There has rarely been a time in recent farming history where mental health has been such a concern. "If Rural Minds can help train the medical profession to better recognise symptoms, or encourage someone experiencing problems to seek help, then it will have been more than worthwhile. The programme will be free to access. For those with headsets, such as Integrated Care Boards, the content can be downloaded for use with GPs, while an online version will ensure broader availability. Outreach will also take place at rural events and through charities such as You Are Not Alone. Dr James said the aim was to listen as well as inform: Behind the hard work and resilience of rural life, there can be real struggles with isolation, stress, and mental health. "By creating practical ways for doctors to understand and respond to these challenges, we hope to make it easier for people to seek help. Hamish Mackenzie, founder of Revolve Labs, added: The Rural Minds Project exemplifies how immersive storytelling can drive real social change. "Were proud to showcase this work both locally and at the House of Lords as part of our mission to use VR for good. Farmers and landowners across Wales are being urged to act fast as the Peatland Restoration Grant reopens, offering up to 250,000 per project from a 700,000 pot. The scheme provides grants of 10,000250,000 to support the development and delivery of peatland restoration, with projects due for completion by March 2027. Backed by the Welsh government through the National Peatland Action Programme (NPAP) and managed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the fund builds on the success of its first round last year. Though covering just 4% of Wales, peatlands are its most powerful carbon store yet 90% are damaged and leaking greenhouse gases. The grant aims to turn that around, supporting interventions that restore water balance, repair habitats, and strengthen resilience against climate change. The fund is open to private landowners, as well as public and voluntary organisations. One example of its impact comes from the Isle of Anglesey County Council (IoACC), which has already taken advantage of the scheme to restore peatland at Penhesgyn. Huw Percy, head of property for IoACC, said: We identified a potential site at Penhesgyn where peatland restoration could bring multiple benefits locally and wider afield, including water retention, and tackling the climate and nature emergencies. "It suited us to apply for the development phase initially, to work with the experts to develop a plan of action. We then successfully applied for follow-on funding to deliver the peatland restoration plan. "Its been good to have this 100% funding pot to deliver a nature-based solution for the benefit of present and future generations on Anglesey. Applications close on 14 January 2026, with a free guidance webinar scheduled for 7 November 2025. Mannon Lewis, NRWs Strategic Projects Lead for NPAP, said interest has remained strong: It was good to see the breadth of interest in the competitive Peatland Restoration Grant when launched last year, so naturally we are pleased to offer this grant again. She encouraged all landowners to engage, regardless of prior experience, adding: Together with our delivery partners, we are accelerating the rate of peatland restoration across Wales. To support applicants, NPAP provides resources including the Welsh Peatland Data Map and a glossary of over 100 possible restoration actions. For farmers, councils and other land managers, these tools help identify which steps will have the greatest impact from blocking old drainage ditches to restoring sphagnum mosses. Veteran actor Govardhan Asrani, fondly known as Asrani, passed away in Mumbai on Monday, aged 84. The actor, who was known for his contributions in over 300 films, reportedly passed away at Bharatiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital in Juhu, where he had been receiving care for breathing difficulties for the past four days. According to his manager Babubhai Thiba, He was a bit unwell. He was admitted following breathing issues. He passed away today at 3:00 PM. We were told by the doctors that water had accumulated in his lungs. The funeral and final rites for Asrani were conducted at 8 p.m. at the Santacruz crematorium. The ceremony was a private event, attended only by family and close friends. Thiba added, We did not inform anyone about his demise as it was his wish that we should keep it a private thing. However, after the news of his passing, photographs of his family at the crematorium were shared online. The news of his unexpected passing came out shortly after the actor had shared Diwali greetings on his Instagram story earlier that afternoon. Fans, fellow actors, and industry insiders expressed their condolences on social media, fondly remembering the star known for his comedic roles. Speechless with grief at the passing of Asrani ji. We had just shared the warmest of hugs just a week back at the shoot of Haiwaan. Bahot pyare insaan thehe had the most legendary comic timing. From all my cult films Hera Pheri to Bhagam Bhag to De Dana Dan, Welcome and now our pic.twitter.com/yo7wXnGO1Z Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 20, 2025 Akshay Kumar, who often worked with Asrani, also shared a touching message on social media saying, Speechless with grief at the passing of Asraniji. We had just shared the warmest of hugs a week back at the shoot of Haiwaan. Bahot pyare insaan the He had the most legendary comic timing. From all my cult films Hera Pheri to Bhagam Bhaag to De Dana Dan, Welcome and now our unreleased Bhoot Bangla and HaiwaanI had worked and learned so much from him. What an absolute loss to our industry. God bless you Asrani sir, for giving us a million reasons to laugh. Om Shanti. Director, Anees Bazmee, who directed Asrani in Welcome fondly remembered their long association. He shared, Im deeply saddened. He was a fantastic actor and an equally great human being. Its a treat to work with him he would make us laugh off-screen as well. Ive known him for 40 years. He had a trademark style of laughing that no one else could do. Ill miss him a lot. Lyricist Manoj Muntashir also shared his thoughts in a tweet that read, The jailer from the British era, you left behind an era of comedy! We will miss you a lot, Mr. Asrani! May God grant you a place at his feet! Om Shanti. Also Read: Sholay, Bawarchi Actor Asrani Passes Away at 84 Critic's rating 2.5 /5 Cinema's most celebrated career, kickstarted in the early 1990s with a spate of romantic thrillers that featured an anti-hero. Shah Rukh Khan made a habit of playing obsessive lovers who would often find their grey shades dominating over their good deeds. SRK's debut film was called Deewana (1992), and while Harshvardhan Rane's latest release, titled Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, may seem like a throwback to that film, its subject finds itself more in line with another SRK thriller, with similar themes, Anjaam (1994). In Anjaam, SRK played a rich and influential man obsessed with winning over the affections of Shivani (Madhuri Dixit). Director Milap Milan Zaveri's 2025 release Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat isn't a direct inspiration of Anjaam, but both films feature an influential man becoming obsessed with marrying a beautiful girl. It's a concept that's proven its value in celluloid over the years, we've even seen Dhanush's Raanjhanaa, Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh and Ranbir Kapoor's Animal bring success to these similarly skewered characters. But with Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, things snowball into something of an absurd adventure rather than the usual morally ambiguous saga that such films take the viewer on.The story of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat begins with Vikramaditya Bhosle (Harshvardhan Rane) who's a young politician on the verge of winning the upcoming elections in Maharashtra. The 'entire political world' is just waiting for the current CM to take a hike and surrender the throne to the intense, Christian Grey-type persona of Vikram. But just as the political power play is about to come to fruition, thanks to the many years of effort and patience of Vikramaditya's father (Sachin Khedekar), Adaa (Sonam Bajwa) enters the scene with pomp and glamour. She's the female superstar that every man wants to ogle at. That group also includes Vikramaditya, who rushes in to rescue her from the paparazzi. Needless to say, in another romantic movie, this would be enough for the girl to fall for the dashing guy. But here, Adaa just walks away from the chivalry. Vikram though, finds himself smitten with Adaa and he decides to pursue her, even when she's not interested. After a few attempts to be friendly, he just lays out his love in front of her, in a series of obsessive encounters and she finds his overbearing affection, creepy. But Vikram isn't one to pay heed the concept of consent and he declares that Adaa will be his lawfully wedded wife within the next month, and proceeds to book banquet halls at every major 5 star hotel in Mumbai, giving his uninterested bride-to-be some motivation. She doesn't like it though, and throws him and his gift hampers out of the house.If you've seen SRK's Anjaam, Darr, Deewana, Baazigar, you might think you know where this story is going. But you don't. Unlike those stories, the Deewaniyat in this film takes an absurd turn. After failing to dissuade Vikram, Adaa gives a fiery monologue on women's empowerment and consent. She musters up resolve to stand up and fight. She decides to shove the chauvinism with courage. So she shows up at Vikram's political rally and she offers her body to any man who will help her get rid of Vikram. Feminism dies a swift but jarring death.There's novelty to the idea of a woman, taking the fight to a chauvinistic man. The concept is exciting. Imagine a woman doesn't get intimidated by a man flexing his political might. Instead, she throws him a curve ball by going on a rampage of her own unhinged machinations. But the way Adaa does things in Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, doesn't fit right within the context of women rights or empowerment. Why does the central theme of this film become about random, unknown men, drawing inspiration to be knights in shining armour to eventually sleep with the heroine? It's problematic to say the least. But that's not the most 'difficult-to-swallow' pill. Adaa's family, her father (Anant Mahadevan) and her mother and younger sister, have unwarranted knee-jerk reactions to difficult situations in their own lives and they put all the blame on Vikram, when he's just trying to help them and be a regular obsessive, stalker lover. He's not the one creating trouble for Adaa's family, but she and her family think otherwise.What you can't fault in Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is Harshvardhan Rane's character and his performance. He starts off as a likeable guy, showcases more than 50 shades of grey during his stalking phase, only to eventually have a superb, guilt-driven monologue. Harshvardhan's performance and his character deliver an intense pay-off for the viewer. But every other character in this movie, feels like a half-baked attempt to service the deewaniyat of the lead deewana. There's more physical chemistry between Vikram and his bodyguard bro Sawant (Shaad Randhawa) than between the hero-heroine combo of Vikram-Adaa and that's a discussion waiting to explode on reddit. Sonam Bajwa looks like a million bucks in the role of Adaa and she looks every bit of the superstar that she's supposed to be on-screen. But her character's motivations and actions aren't always coherent and that puts Sonam's performance in a bit of problematic zone.Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, had the potential to be a real, edgy, romantic thriller. It's billed like a musical too, but neither of the film's 7 songs manage to create a fervour on screen. We've seen in recent months that music can be the proverbial X factor in the success of a romantic movie, the way it happened with Saiyaara. But on this occasion, the music just doesn't click for the film. If you're a Harshvardhan Rane fan, you'll get some more, hunky goodness that had made Sanam Teri Kasam a cult classic. But everything else about this deewaniyat wali love story pales in comparison. It could've been memorable and cult-classic worthy. Pixel peepers will even appreciate a film poster that has credits like, 'Director: Riteish Abraham' and 'Producer: John Deshmukh'. But sadly, that creative spark is missing from the film's heart and soul, its storytelling.Also Read: Harshvardhan Rane to Personally Sell The First Ticket of Ek Deewane Ki DEEWANIYAT at THIS Theatre DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to MarketsandMarkets, the Managed Network Services Market is expected to reach USD 172.04 billion by 2030 from USD 120.74 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2025 to 2030. Browse 297 market data Tables and 49 Figures spread through 277 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Managed Network Services Market - Global Forecast to 2030" Scope of the Report Market Size Available for Years: 2019-2030 2019-2030 2025 Market Size: USD 120.74 billion USD 120.74 billion 2030 Projected Market Size: USD 172.04 billion USD 172.04 billion CAGR (2025-2030): 7.3% 7.3% Segments covered: By Type, Managed Network Security, Vertical, and Region By Type, Managed Network Security, Vertical, and Region Region Highlight: Asia Pacific emerges as the fastest-growing region during the forecast period Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=901 Enterprises are increasingly turning to managed network services as they navigate the complexity of global connectivity, hybrid work, and cloud transformation. The market is gaining traction as providers deliver comprehensive solutions that integrate performance management, security, and automation. Managed services now extend beyond monitoring to include AI-driven orchestration and analytics, enabling enterprises to proactively optimize performance and mitigate risks. The rise of digital ecosystems across industries has pushed demand for scalable, always-on networks managed by trusted partners. Providers offering flexible service models and outcome-based pricing are witnessing growing adoption. Managed network services are expected to emerge as critical enablers of agile operations, bridging connectivity, cloud integration, and cybersecurity into a unified service experience. The emphasis will shift toward intelligent, predictive, and adaptive network management. BFSI vertical is expected to hold the largest market size during the forecast period Managed network services have become integral to BFSI operations as banks modernize their systems to enhance security, improve performance, and ensure regulatory compliance. BT expanded its managed SD WAN portfolio with Fortinet's secure networking and SD-Branch technology, empowering financial institutions to unify connectivity and cybersecurity under a single managed service. This reflects a broader trend in banking toward integrated, analytics-led network management that enhances customer experience and compliance readiness. Growth in this segment is being driven by the increasing adoption of AI-powered transaction monitoring, the expansion of digital banking channels, and stricter data sovereignty rules across regions. With network resilience and automation becoming competitive differentiators, financial organizations are prioritizing managed service providers that can deliver end-to-end visibility, adaptive security, and compliant operations across multi-cloud and branch environments. Request Sample Pages@ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=901 The managed IDS/IPS segment is projected to have the largest market share during the forecast period Enterprises are increasingly outsourcing intrusion detection and prevention to ensure rapid response to evolving cyber threats. The managed IDS/IPS segment is witnessing strong adoption as providers deliver AI-powered detection, automated remediation, and continuous tuning for hybrid network environments. These services enhance visibility and reduce operational burdens on internal teams. The market is evolving toward intelligent, behavior-based defense frameworks that dynamically adapt to changing threat patterns. As organizations expand into multi-cloud and IoT ecosystems, managed IDS/IPS services will become indispensable for safeguarding data flows and ensuring regulatory compliance. During the forecast period, innovation in threat intelligence and automation will drive faster detection cycles and stronger resilience across enterprise networks. Inquire Before Buying@ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=901 Asia Pacific emerges as the fastest-growing region during the forecast period The Asia Pacific Managed Network Services Market is experiencing a strong momentum as enterprises embrace digital transformation at scale. Rapid expansion of cloud platforms, eCommerce ecosystems, and remote operations is driving demand for outsourced network expertise. Organizations are prioritizing managed services to improve agility, compliance, and security while reducing operational complexity. In 2024, NTT Data partnered with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to modernize its global network infrastructure, deploying a managed SD-WAN and intelligent monitoring across Japan and Southeast Asia. This reflects the region's focus on reliability and automation as businesses connect vast, distributed environments. With markets such as India, Singapore, and Australia investing heavily in hybrid cloud and secure connectivity, the Asia Pacific is evolving into a hub for advanced managed services. Regional providers are expected to expand their offerings to include AI-based analytics, zero-trust architectures, and edge computing to meet the rising expectations of enterprises. Top Key Companies in Managed Network Services Market: The major vendors covered in the Managed Network Services Market are Cisco (US), AT&T (US), Verizon (US), NTT Data (Japan), Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Huawei (China), Orange (France), Vodafone (UK), Ericsson (Sweden), Telefonica (Spain), Singtel (Singapore), Telstra (Australia), Lumen Technologies (US), Fujitsu (Japan), Tata Communications (India), Colt Technology Services (UK), Nokia (Finland), GTT Communications (US), Sify Technologies (India), DXC Technology (US), Wipro (India), Comarch (Poland), CommScope (US), Alkira (US), Kentik (US), flexiWAN (Israel), Bigleaf Networks (US), Graphiant (US), Oman Data Park (Oman), Kubus (UK), EIL Global (Australia), Systal Technology Solutions (Scotland), and MetTel (US). Browse Adjacent Markets: Data Center and Networking Market ResearchReports & Consulting Related Reports: Network Automation Market - Global Forecast to 2030 Services for Data Center Market - Global Forecast to 2030 Green Data Center Market - Global Forecast to 2030 Edge Data Center Market - Global Forecast to 2030 Network Slicing Market - Global Forecast to 2030 Get access to the latest updates on Managed Network Services Companies and Managed Network Services Industry 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/managed-network-services-market-worth-172-04-billion-by-2030--marketsandmarkets-302587509.html // NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES // VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BioVaxys Technology Corp. (CSE: BIOV) (FRA: 5LB) (OTCQB: BVAXF) ("BioVaxys" or the "Company") announces the conversion of outstanding unsecured convertible debentures of the Company ("Debentures") pursuant to a notice of conversion received from a certain holder of the Debentures (the "Conversion"). On September 15, 2025, the Company issued Debentures for an aggregate principal amount of $335,670 convertible into common shares in the capital of the Company ("Shares") at any time, at the option of the holders thereof, at the closing price of the Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") on the day notice of conversion is received by the Company, subject to the pricing requirements in the policies of the CSE. The Debentures bear interest at a rate of 10% per annum. A holder of certain Debentures has elected to convert the entire principal amount of $25,000, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon, resulting in an aggregate of $25,239.73 (the "Principal and Interest") payable by the Company. To satisfy the Principal and Interest, the Company will be issuing an aggregate of 148,468 Shares at a conversion price of $0.17 per Share. All securities issued in connection with the Debentures shall be subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including acceptance of the CSE. The Debentures converted were owned by an insider of the Company. Specifically, James Passin, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company, elected to convert his Debentures. The above-described transaction with Mr. Passin is considered a related party transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that participation by such insider of the Company in the transaction will not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization, as calculated in accordance with MI 61-101. In addition, the Company announces that it has granted 550,000 stock options (the "Options") to certain directors, officers, consultants, and employees of the Company, pursuant to the Company's omnibus equity incentive compensation plan. The Options are each convertible into a Share at an exercise price of $0.25 until October 20, 2030. The Options vest as to 1/3 on October 20, 2025 (the "Grant Date"), 1/3 on the date that is six months from the Grant Date, and 1/3 on the date that is twelve months from the Grant Date. The Options are subject to the policies of the CSE. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy of any securities in the United States, or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities described herein 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 except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to available exemptions therefrom. About BioVaxys Technology Corp. BioVaxys Technology Corp. (www.biovaxys.com), a biopharmaceuticals company registered in British Columbia, Canada, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving patient lives with novel immunotherapies based on the DPX immune-educating technology platform and it's HapTenix tumor cell construct platform, for treating cancers, infectious disease, antigen desensitization for food allergy, and other immunological diseases. Through a differentiated mechanism of action, the DPX platform delivers instruction to the immune system to generate a specific, robust, and persistent immune response. The Company's clinical stage pipeline includes maveropepimut-S (MVP-S), based on the DPX platform, and in Phase IIB clinical development for advanced Relapsed-Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and platinum resistant Ovarian Cancer. MVP-S delivers antigenic peptides from survivin, a well-recognized cancer antigen commonly overexpressed in advanced cancers, and also delivers an innate immune activator and a universal CD4 T cell helper peptide. MVP-S has been well tolerated and has demonstrated defined clinical benefit in multiple cancer indications as well as the activation of a targeted and sustained, survivin-specific anti-tumor immune response. BioVaxys is also developing DPX+SurMAGE, a dual-targeted immunotherapy combining antigenic peptides for both the survivin and MAGE-A9 cancer proteins to elicit immune responses to these two distinct cancer antigens simultaneously, DPX-RSV for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, DPX+rPA for peanut allergy prophylaxis, and BVX-0918, a personalized immunotherapeutic vaccine using its proprietary HapTenix 'neoantigen' tumor cell construct platform for refractive late-stage ovarian cancer. BioVaxys common shares are listed on the CSE under the stock symbol "BIOV" and trade on the Frankfurt Bourse (FRA: 5LB) and in the U.S. on the OTC Markets (OTCQB marketplace). For more information, visit www.biovaxys.com and connect with us on X and LinkedIn. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "James Passin" James Passin, Chief Executive Officer Phone: +1 740 358 0555 Cautionary Statements on Forward Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, the conversion of the Debentures, including the issuance of the securities of the Company, and the receipt of all requisite approvals, including acceptance of the CSE. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, primarily the assumption that BioVaxys will be successful in developing and testing vaccines, that, while considered reasonable by BioVaxys, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies including, primarily but without limitation, the risk that BioVaxys' vaccines will not prove to be effective and/ or will not receive the required regulatory approvals. With regards to BioVaxys' business, there are a number of risks that could affect the development of its biotechnology products, including, without limitation, the need for additional capital to fund clinical trials, its lack of operating history, uncertainty about whether its products will complete the long, complex and expensive clinical trial and regulatory approval process for approval of new drugs necessary for marketing approval, uncertainty about whether its autologous cell vaccine immunotherapy can be developed to produce safe and effective products and, if so, whether its vaccine products will be commercially accepted and profitable, the expenses, delays and uncertainties and complications typically encountered by development stage biopharmaceutical businesses, financial and development obligations under license arrangements in order to protect its rights to its products and technologies, obtaining and protecting new intellectual property rights and avoiding infringement to third parties and their dependence on manufacturing by third parties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to obtain necessary approvals, including the approval of the CSE. BioVaxys does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws. The CSE has not reviewed, approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1430981/5573460/BIOVAXYS_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/biovaxys-announces-conversion-of-debentures-and-grant-of-stock-options-302589537.html NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2025 / George Sanders, President of Goldcliff Resource Corporation ("Goldcliff" or the "Company") (GCN:TSXV)(GCFFF:OTC PINK) is pleased to announce a proposed non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $730,000 (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement will consist of the issuance of: (i) up to 4,000,000 units (each, a "NFT Unit"), at a price of $0.06 per NFT Unit (the "NFT Unit Offering"), with each NFT Unit comprising one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one half of one non-transferrable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder to acquire an additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.08 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the Closing Date (as defined herein); and (ii) up to 7,000,000 flow-through shares ("FT Shares"), at a price of $0.07 per FT Share (the "FT Share Offering"), with each FT Share comprising one Common Share which qualifies as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-105"), the securities sold under the Private Placement will be offered 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"). Subject to the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"), the securities issuable from the sale of Units to Canadian resident subscribers will not be subject to a hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document (the "Offering Document") related to this Private Placement that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at www.goldcliff.com. Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision. Proceeds from the NFT Unit Offering will be applied to reimbursement of advances to an insider of the Company in connection with the property payments on Aurora West and Kettle Valley projects, and to general working capital. Proceeds from the FT Share Offering will be applied to drilling at Kettle Valley, and site preparation and trenching at the Ainsworth silver project, as Canadian exploration expenses that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and which will be incurred on or before December 31, 2026 and renounced with an effective date no later than December 31, 2025 to the initial purchasers of FT Shares. Both projects are located in British Columbia. The Private Placement is anticipated to close on or about November 7, 2025 ("Closing Date"), or such other date(s) as the Company may determine. Closing of the Private Placement is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSXV. Goldcliff advises that insiders of the Company may participate in the Private Placement, which subscriptions will be completed pursuant to available related party exemptions under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions and will be subject to the TSXV hold period. At Closing, the Company may pay a cash finder's fee equal to 7% of gross proceeds introduced by eligible finders. Also, the Company may grant to eligible finders, finder's warrants equal to 7% of the number of NFT Units and/or FT Shares introduced by the finder on the same terms and conditions as the Warrants comprising the NFT Units. This Offering (including the Offering Document) is not an amendment to, or an extension of, the offering announced in the Company's news release dated August 25, 2025 (and the associated offering document dated August 25, 2025) and which subsequently closed on October 1 and October 9, 2025. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. For further information, please contact George W. Sanders, President, at 250-764-8879, toll free at 1-866-769-4802 or email at sanders@goldcliff.com. GOLDCLIFF RESOURCE CORPORATION Per: "George W. Sanders" George W. Sanders, President Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the anticipated closing of the Private Placement, the anticipated size of the Private Placement, the receipt of all regulatory approvals in respect of the Private Placement, including approval of the TSXV, the participation of insiders, the expected use of proceeds from the Private Placement, certain expenses qualifying as flow though mining expenditures, and the expected timing for incurrence and renouncement of expenses. Although Goldcliff believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, general economic and market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, the ability of Goldcliff and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Goldcliff's proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Goldcliff does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: Goldcliff Resource Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/goldcliff-announces-unit-and-flow-through-%22life%22-offerings-1089902 CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - South32 Ltd. (SOUHY.PK, SHTLF.PK), the Australian mining and metals company, reported modest gains in first-quarter alumina and aluminium production, along with a substantial increase in manganese output. Quarterly Alumina production rose by 1%, driven by Brazil Alumina operating above its nameplate capacity and Worsley Alumina benefiting from improved bauxite supply and the completion of scheduled calciner maintenance. Aluminium production for the quarter also saw a 1% increase, with Hillside Aluminium continuing to test its maximum technical limits. Mozal Aluminium boosted output by 3%, despite halting pot relining due to uncertainty around future electricity supply. Manganese production jumped 33%, as Australia Manganese successfully implemented its operational recovery plan and increased export shipments. South Africa Manganese also contributed with a strong performance early in the year. The company confirmed that its production guidance for fiscal year 2026 remains unchanged across all operations. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2025 / Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers is proud to announce that attorney Christina Stone has been honored with induction into the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a distinction reserved for trial attorneys who have achieved multi-million-dollar results for their clients. This recognition underscores Ms. Stone's commitment to justice, her exceptional trial skill, and her dedication to North Carolina families. Attorney Christina Stone, Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers Ms. Stone earned this honor following a $2,175,000 settlement secured on behalf of the family of a man tragically killed in a side-swipe collision involving an asphalt truck on Highway 70 in Johnston County. The truck driver initially blamed the victim, alleging he failed to maintain his lane. Refusing to let the truth be distorted, Ms. Stone immediately launched a comprehensive investigation. Working with a top accident reconstruction expert, Ms. Stone uncovered gouge marks in the roadway proving the truck driver had actually crossed out of his lane and struck the victim's vehicle. She also obtained critical body camera footage from the responding officer, capturing on-scene witness statements that indicated the truck driver was at fault. Despite the defense's attempts to challenge the value of the claim - citing the victim's advanced age, health conditions, and retirement status - Ms. Stone remained unwavering. When settlement talks stalled, she promptly filed suit and initiated discovery. Shortly after deposing the truck driver, she secured the multi-million-dollar resolution for the victim's widow and adult children, without the need for a jury trial. "Our aggressive litigation strategy in this case helped us bring justice and closure to our client's family. Although a wrongful death settlement can never fully compensate for the loss of a loved one, I am committed to fighting for North Carolina injury victims and their families. My clients are at the center of everything I do," Attorney Christina Stone said. Attorney Stone's induction into the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum reflects not only her litigation success, but her steadfast dedication to standing up for those who cannot fight for themselves. For more information about Attorney Christina Stone or Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers, please contact: Media Contact: Company Name: Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers Address: 4600 Marriott Dr., STE 500 City: Raleigh State: North Carolina Zip: 27612 Country: United States Phone: (919) 876-3020 Website: https://justicecounts.com/ SOURCE: Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/riddle-and-riddle-injury-lawyers-attorney-christina-stone-induct-1089856 TOKYO, Oct 21, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - Olympus Corporation (Olympus), today announced that the feasibility study project entitled "Feasibility study on the development of Japanese digitalized endoscopy infection control systems in India," jointly proposed with Saraya Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "SARAYA"), has been selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) under its FY2024 supplementary "Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Subsidy Program (Small-Scale Demonstration/Feasibility Study Project)" on August 1, 2025.The selected feasibility study project (hereinafter the "Project"), supported by METI, will evaluate the feasibility of introducing Japan's established infection control systems to India, aiming to enhance the safety and reliability of the endoscopic medical environment.In India, endoscopic procedures already outnumber those in Japan and are expected to grow further due to the country's large and expanding population. However, compared to Japan, infection control systems are still evolving in terms of both technology and operational processes. For instance, many medical institutions still rely on manual cleaning methods although awareness and adoption of automated endoscope reprocessors are gradually increasing. In contrast, Japan has established rigorous academic guidelines and widely adopted digital endoscope reprocessing systems that minimize human error and ensure high standards of infection control.The Project, in collaboration with the Department of Infection Control and Prevention and the Department of Gastroenterology at the University of Tokyo Hospital, will investigate the feasibility of transferring Japan's endoscopic infection control system to India. Medical experts from Indian medical institutions will be invited to Japan, where training and site visits at the University of Tokyo Hospital will help deepen their understanding of the Japanese infection control system. In parallel, experts from the University of Tokyo Hospital will visit medical institutions in India to assess the environment of endoscopy and reprocessing units, identify key challenges, and engage in discussions with Indian experts toward building a safer and more reliable endoscopic medical environment.Olympus has identified six focus areas, including "Healthcare Access and Outcome" and "Compliance, Product Quality and Safety." Initiatives that deliver training and skill development opportunities for healthcare professionals, and ensure the quality and safety of products, services, and solutions are a top priority. Olympus remains committed to protecting the safety of patients and healthcare professionals, while leveraging Japanese technology to advance global medical standards.About Saraya Co., Ltd.SARAYA is committed to creating a prosperous and sustainable global society under the three core pillars of "Hygiene," "Environment," and "Health." Since its founding in 1952, SARAYA has developed and delivered a wide range of products and services, from detergents and disinfectants to health foods, serving both professional and household markets. https://saraya.world/About OlympusAt Olympus, we are committed to Our Purpose of making people's lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. As a global medical technology company, we partner with healthcare professionals to provide innovative solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states. For more than 100 years, Olympus has pursued a goal of contributing to society by producing products designed with the purpose of delivering optimal outcomes for its customers around the world. For more information, visit https://www.olympus-global.com/ and follow our global LinkedIn and X accounts.Media contact:Mail: Global-Public_Relations@olympus.comOlympus Corp [TYO: 7733] [ADR: OLYMY] [STU: OLY1] [FRA: OLYS] https://www.olympus-global.comSource: OlympusCopyright 2025 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 20, 2025) - Canamera Energy Metals Corp. (CSE: EMET) (the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement offering of up to 2,222,223 units of the Company ("Units"), at a price of C$0.45 per Unit (the "Offering Price"), for aggregate proceeds of up to C$1,000,000 (the "LIFE Offering"). Each Unit will be comprised of one common share (a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Common Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.56 for 36 months. The Units are to be offered to purchasers pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "LIFE Exemption") under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, as amended by the Canadian Securities Administrator's Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption. Accordingly, the Units will not be subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Life Offering is in addition to the private placement offering of units and flow-through units that the Company announced on October 15, 2025.There is an offering document (the "Offering Document") related to the LIFE Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, or via its website at www.canamerametals.com. Prospective investors of the Units should read the Offering Document before making an investment decision. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the LIFE Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, as more specifically described in the Offering Document. The LIFE Offering is scheduled to close on or about October 31, 2025, or such other date that is within 45 days (the "Closing Date"). The LIFE Offering remains subject to certain conditions customary for transactions of this nature, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the CSE. The securities to be offered pursuant to the LIFE Offering, and sale of the Additional Units, have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Canamera Metals Corp. Canamera is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral resource projects, including the Mantle project in British Columbia, as well as high-quality REE (rare-earth elements) and critical metal assets in the Americas. The Company targets underexplored regions with district-scale potential, leveraging geochemical, geophysical and geological data to identify first-mover opportunities. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plans", "strategy", "opportunity", "positions" and similar expressions, or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the ability of the Company to complete the LIFE Offering as contemplated, the receipt of CSE approval in respect of the LIFE Offering, and the Company's intended use of proceeds therefrom, as well as the Company's ability to advance its projects or to acquire new mineral properties. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including: the Company's inability to complete the LIFE Offering as contemplated or at all; the use of proceeds therefrom being different than what is currently intended; the Company's inability to identify suitable staking targets; completion of satisfactory due diligence on potential projects; successful negotiation of acquisition terms; availability of financing; changes in commodity prices and market conditions for rare earth elements; regulatory or permitting delays; geopolitical developments affecting rare earth supply chains; and competition for rare earth properties in the United States. Additional risk factors can be found in the Company's public disclosure documents available at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such statements, except as required by law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271252 SOURCE: Canamera Energy Metals Corp. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Dover Food Retail, a subsidiary of Dover Corp. (DOV), announced a $20 million investment to expand its operations in Virginia. As part of this initiative, the company will relocate its Anthony brand manufacturing from Sylmar, California, to its Virginia campus-a move expected to generate over 300 new jobs within the next year. The expansion will enhance Dover Food Retail's production capabilities, with skilled workers manufacturing a diverse range of commercial glass refrigerator and freezer doors and frames. The facility will leverage advanced technologies to meet the rigorous standards of food retail clients across North America and around the globe. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. GigaDevice, a leading semiconductor company specializing in Flash memory, 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), sensors, and analog products, has officially opened its new office in Minato City, Tokyo. This milestone reflects the company's deepening commitment to the Japanese market and marks a significant step in enhancing local customer support, strengthening regional collaboration, and advancing its global development efforts. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020247226/en/ GigaDevice executives and employees celebrate the opening of the new Japan office in Minato City, Tokyo. Japan has long served as a vital pillar of GigaDevice's global strategy. Over the years, the company has expanded its local team, refined operation to meet evolving customer needs, and established a responsive professional service system. This new office will further enhance GigaDevice's technical responsiveness and agility, foster closer collaboration with customers, and help accelerate product validation and commercialization in today's fast-changing market landscape. Working closely with customers in Japan, GigaDevice has broadened the adoption of its solutions across key application sectors such as industrial, automotive, consumer electronics, and the Internet of Things. At the same time, the company continues to deepen cooperation with local partners in supply chain integration and ecosystem development, offering a comprehensive portfolio of Flash memory, MCU, sensor, and analog solutions that have earned broad market recognition. "Japan has always been a vital component of our global strategy," said Jennifer Zhao, GigaDevice Global Business CEO. "We will continue to leverage our global synergy and strengthen local service capabilities to drive product innovation and industry advancement alongside our customers and partners." "We greatly value the trust and long-term partnerships we have built with our customers in Japan," added Sam Li, GigaDevice Japan Regional GM, "In a market that's becoming increasingly complex, our goal is to consistently deliver exceptional service and competitive products that meet diverse business needs and create lasting value." As one of GigaDevice's key customers, Nidec Corporation has been working closely with the company. Ryuji Omura, Head of Nidec Semiconductor Solutions Center, commented: "GigaDevice's rapid growth and technological innovation, along with its genuine commitment to customers, have built a solid foundation of trust between our companies and made it one of our most valued supplier partners. We look forward to seeing GigaDevice continue to lead the semiconductor industry and contribute to the advancement of society." As a global leading fabless supplier, GigaDevice continues to combine global synergy with localized execution. Following the establishment of its global headquarters in Singapore, the company has strengthened its presence across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, building a responsive, demand-driven sales and service network. Looking ahead, GigaDevice will continue to invest in Japan, refining its product offerings, enhancing its service delivery, and expanding its collaborative mechanisms to drive a smarter, more efficient, and sustainable future together with its customers and partners. About GigaDevice GigaDevice Semiconductor Inc. is a global leading fabless supplier. Founded in April 2005, the company has continuously expanded its international footprint and established its global headquarters in Singapore in 2025. Today, GigaDevice operates branch offices across numerous countries and regions, providing localized support at customers' fingertips. Committed to building a complete ecosystem with major product lines Flash memory, MCU, sensor and analog as the core driving force, GigaDevice can provide a wide range of solutions and services in the fields of industrial, automotive, computing, consumer electronics, IoT, mobile, networking and communications. GigaDevice has received the ISO26262:2018 automotive functional safety ASIL D certification, IEC 61508 functional safety product certification, as well as ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001, and Duns certifications. In a constant quest to expand our technology offering to customers, GigaDevice has also formed strategic alliances with leading foundries, assembly, and test plants to streamline supply chain management. For more details, please visit: www.gigadevice.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020247226/en/ Contacts: Phone number: 86 (010) 8288 1196 Email address: marcom@gigadevice.com Management and technology consultancy BearingPoint joins forces with Ideo, a specialist in process optimization for service and asset management, to deliver next-generation SaaS solutions tailored for asset-heavy industries, service-oriented organizations, and captive finance entities. Management and technology consultancy BearingPoint announced today a strategic partnership with Ideo B.V., a leading SAP specialist with over 25 years of experience in process optimization for service and asset management. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the execution of BearingPoint's Equipment-as-a-Service (EaaS) strategy, combining its advanced Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms with Ideo's deep domain expertise to accelerate digital transformation across Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and industrial manufacturers, as well as asset-heavy sectors including oil gas, utilities, transportation logistics, and financial services specifically rental and leasing companies and OEM-linked captive finance organizations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021389308/en/ Management and technology consultancy BearingPoint joins forces with Ideo, a specialist in process optimization for service and asset management, to deliver next-generation SaaS solutions tailored for asset-heavy industries, service-oriented organizations, and captive finance entities. Together, the firms aim to empower organizations in these sectors to transition toward intelligent asset management and service-based business models. This partnership reflects a shared vision to reshape how industrial organizations manage, monetize, and finance their assets moving from ownership to outcomes, from complexity to simplicity, and from siloed systems to integrated experiences. The partnership will focus on delivering joint value through BearingPoint's modular and end-to-end Equipment-as-a-Service portfolio ETM.next, Lease Rent, and Asset Funding Management enhanced by Ideo's expertise in process optimization for service and asset management. Ideo will support implementation activities in client engagements and collaborate on marketing and sales enablement. The initial scope of the partnership covers the Netherlands and Belgium. BearingPoint remains open to forming similar strategic alliances across the broader EMEA region, as well as in the Americas and APAC, to accelerate and scale its EaaS offering globally. "This partnership marks a pivotal moment in our mission to redefine asset management through EaaS," said Donald Wachs, Global Leader BearingPoint Products. "Ideo's deep expertise in SAP and process optimization complements our platform capabilities perfectly, supporting us to deliver not just technology, but meaningful transformation across complex service and asset environments." "We're excited to deliver solutions that truly resonate with customers," added Patrick van de Kamp, Director of Operations, Alliances Innovation at Ideo. "Together, we'll help clients unlock value through enterprise-grade innovation and customer-centric delivery." The collaboration includes joint go-to-market strategies, co-branded marketing campaigns, and integrated delivery teams. The firms will jointly approach customers, host joint events, and produce thought leadership content to drive awareness and adoption of EaaS solutions. Together with partners like SAP, Black Winch, and now Ideo, BearingPoint is shaping a future where modular system innovation, sustainability, and outcome-based models converge to deliver lasting transformative outcomes for our clients. About Ideo Ideo is a specialist in process optimization for service and asset management, with over 25 years of experience and a leading position in the SAP ecosystem. The company focuses on complex technical environments where speed and accuracy are critical, helping clients streamline operations and improve outcomes. Ideo's team is known for its deep domain expertise, long-term client relationships, and a passion for continuous improvement. Ideo has been recognized twice as SAP Digital Supply Chain Partner of the Year and works closely with clients and partners to deliver value beyond software-combining implementation excellence with strategic insight across the digital supply chain. For more information about Ideo, please visit: Homepage: www.ideo-nl.com/en/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ideo-b-v-/ About BearingPoint BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach that transforms businesses using technology intelligently. The firm operates across three core units: Consulting, Products, and Capital. Its Consulting services focus on selected areas, combining business and technology expertise with profound industry knowledge. The Products unit provides IP-driven solutions and managed services for business-critical processes. Capital delivers deal advisory and transaction services. In addition to its core operations, BearingPoint runs two joint ventures: Arcwide, a JV with IFS, which specializes in business transformation based on IFS technology, and BearingPoint North America, a JV with ABeam, which is dedicated to consulting excellence and business transformation built on SAP. BearingPoint serves many of the world's leading companies and organizations. Together with its strategic alliance partner ABeam Consulting, the firm brings together 15,000 professionals and supports clients in over 70 countries, delivering seamless business transformation with sustainable impact. BearingPoint is a certified B Corporation, driven by a strong sense of purpose today and into the future. For more information, please visit: Homepage: www.bearingpoint.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bearingpoint ETM.next: https://bearingpoint.services/etm/en/ Lease Rent: https://bearingpoint.services/lease-and-rent/en/ Assets Funding Management: https://bearingpoint.services/assets-and-funding/en/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021389308/en/ Contacts: Press contact Alexander Bock Global Senior Manager Communications Telephone: +49 89 540338029 Email: alexander.bock@bearingpoint.com Financing co-led by Novo Holdings and EIFO Proceeds to fund the scaling and internationalisation of MATR's unique clean label plant products Includes the development of new 4,000-tonne plant, expected to be operational by 2027 COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MATR Foods (MATR), the leader in next generation fermented plant-based meat alternatives, today announced the successful completion of its 40m fundraise, including 20m in Series A equity and 20m in venture debt - the largest secured by a food tech company in Denmark. The fundraising was co-led by existing investor Novo Holdings and incoming investor the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO), alongside debt from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The proceeds of the fundraise will be used to scale the first-of-its-kind, unique and effective fermentation process at MATR Foods Ansager site (Jutland, Denmark) to produce its award-winning, clean label, fungi-fermented products. The investment will enable a significant scale-up in production, from pilot scale to 4,000 tonnes per year, to meet the demand of the juicy texture and deep umami notes that MATR customers favour. With the financing in place, the new production line is expected to be operational by early 2027, resulting in approximately 60 new jobs locally, and accommodating customers in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. Randi Wahlsten, CEO, MATR, said "We are very excited to take our production to scale and internationalise the business. We are looking forward to finally being able to meet the demand of the many customers and chefs who have been unwavering in their support and enthusiasm for MATR products. It is truly humbling to be met with such support and feel the great craving for organic, clean label plant products that offer gastronomic excitement." Thomas Grotkjr, Partner, Planetary Health Investments, Novo Holdings, added: "As the largest food tech fundraising round in Denmark this year, this funding reflects not only our confidence in MATR's organic, fermented products, but also recognition that MATR meets consumers' growing desire for foods that have a positive impact on health, climate, and the environment - all key focus areas for Novo Holdings - without compromising on taste." Lasse Kohler, Investment Manager, EIFO Green Transition Investment Team, said: "EIFO's investment in MATR Foods exemplifies our commitment to supporting Danish food innovation and the green transition around the globe. MATR Foods' technology enables the production of plant-based meat alternatives with a remarkably low carbon footprint, offering high culinary quality at a competitive price. This investment strengthens Denmark's position in the development of sustainable foods with significant export potential." Established in Copenhagen in 2021, MATR specialises in developing innovative, organic, plant-based meat alternatives using traditional fungal fermentation techniques. Locally sourced organic ingredients like oats, split peas, lupins, beetroots, and potatoes are transformed into products with a juicy texture and meaty flavour, offering a nutritious and sustainable alternative without the need for additives or heavy processing. The company's flagship product, MATR Fungi Mince, is made entirely from natural ingredients grown in Scandinavia. Rich in protein and fibre and low in fat, the product has an amino acid profile like meat, but with a carbon footprint of just 1.5 kg CO2e per kg, which is 94% lower than that of beef. About MATR Foods MATR Foods is a Danish start-up that combines microbiology and gastronomy to create new solutions to some of the world's greatest challenges: the climate, biodiversity and health. MATR was founded in 2021 and has production facilities in Copenhagen's Nordhavn. The people behind MATR are an international team of researchers, chefs and entrepreneurs with food industry experience. MATR Foods' fungi products are currently available at Gasoline Grill, Sticks n' Sushi, Mother Pizza, Sokkelund Brasserie, Meyers canteens, Nemlig.com, Alma and Aarstiderne among others. Matrfoods.dk About Novo Holdings A/S Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the world's largest philanthropic enterprise foundations. Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novonesis A/S and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seed, Venture, Growth, Principal Investments, Planetary Health Investments, and Asia teams, Novo Holdings invests in life science companies at all stages of development. As of year-end 2024, Novo Holdings had Total Assets under Management of DKK 1,060bn (EUR 142bn). www.novoholdings.dk About EIFO - The Export and Investment Fund of Denmark As Denmark's national promotional bank and official export credit agency, EIFO works to open doors for global business, drive the green transition, advance innovative technologies, and contribute to Denmark's security. With total commitments exceeding EUR 22 billion and activities in more than 100 countries, EIFO provides financial solutions to Danish companies and their global partners. EIFO is also Denmark's largest venture investor, investing in both startups and funds. In 2024, EIFO made 78 investments in companies and 16 in funds. Read more at www.eifo.dk View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/matr-foods-completes-40m-fundraise-to-scale-up-production-and-internationalise-sales-of-its-organic-plant-based-meat-alternatives-302589335.html TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bizcap, together with its US affiliate NewCo Capital Group , is proud to announce that it has acquired 8fig and that it has become part of the Bizcap Group, marking a major step in the fintech company's global expansion and leadership in technology-led business funding. Founded in 2020, 8fig has delivered more than $500 million in funding to online sellers and developed its pioneering "AI CFO" tool, enabling small businesses to plan, forecast, and scale with confidence. By joining Bizcap's global ecosystem, 8fig will retain its independence under its existing brand and leadership, while gaining access to Bizcap's capital strength, global reach and operational expertise. For Bizcap, the partnership highlights its strength in integrating high-growth fintechs, reinforcing its global leadership in non-bank lending. Bizcap Global's Co-Founder and Co-CEO Albert Gahfi said 8fig's vision for e-commerce innovation aligns with Bizcap's mission to empower small businesses with tools and capital for growth. "We're impressed not just by 8fig's technology, but by how it's built - with a strong focus on customer needs, adaptability, and long-term success," he said. "8fig has the right platform, the right people, and the right mindset to make a global impact, and we're excited to combine that strength with Bizcap's reach and expertise to broaden our product offering and accelerate market penetration." A global ecosystem for growth Bizcap and its affiliates have delivered more than $3 billion in funding to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) worldwide. Operating in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe - and with expansion plans for Mexico - Bizcap continues to broaden its product suite, including its line of credit offering. The partnership with 8fig enhances Bizcap's strengths in automated underwriting, AI-driven funding, and intelligent business tools. SMEs will gain smarter solutions for cash flow, inventory, and growth planning, while brokers and partners will access broader options, from working capital and credit lines to structured growth financing. Together, these advancements will deliver faster, more tailored access to capital across regions, solidifying Bizcap's position as the partner of choice for business finance. Where funding meets intelligence 8fig's advanced technology and AI-driven innovation will position Bizcap at the intersection of commercial funding and financial intelligence, helping SMEs to access smarter and faster funding solutions. Zalman Blachman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bizcap Global, said 8fig's automated underwriting and servicing platform will accelerate Bizcap's ambitions. "8fig turns complexity into speed, accuracy, and intelligence. Their innovation amplifies our mission to deliver fast, flexible capital and positions Bizcap at the forefront of the future of small business lending," he said. Bizcap will integrate 8fig's AI-driven systems, enabling the rapid development of cheaper, longer-term funding products and further expanding its global market share. Meanwhile, Bizcap's global scale, operational expertise, and access to capital will fuel 8fig's next phase of growth. Yaron Shapira, CEO of 8fig, said the partnership will accelerate growth by expanding technology, entering new markets, and forming strategic alliances without budget limits. "Our mission remains the same: empowering SMEs and e-commerce businesses to scale globally. With Bizcap's talented team beside us, we're ready to take that mission to new heights," he said. About Bizcap Bizcap is a global non-bank financing provider offering fast, flexible funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, US (as NewCo Capital Group), Canada, the UK, and Europe. Founded in 2019, Bizcap empowers SMEs by offering approvals in as little as three hours, with same-day funding available. Bizcap has funded more than 66,000 SMEs, totalling AUD$3 billion, while holding a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating. For more information, visit bizcap.com.au About 8Fig 8fig is an AI-driven funding and cash flow planning platform for e-commerce sellers. The company was founded in 2020 by co-founders Yaron Shapira, Assaf Dagan and Roei Yellin. Its "AI CFO" combines continuous, flexible growth capital with planning tools across cash flow, inventory, and supply chain which helps online sellers forecast and scale with confidence. To date, 8fig has delivered more than US$500 million in funding to online sellers. For more information, visit 8fig.co View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ai-meets-capital-bizcap-welcomes-8fig-into-its-global-portfolio-to-accelerate-growth-funding-302589830.html Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France, 21 October 2025 - Step Pharma ("the Company"), the global leader in CTPS1 inhibition for targeted cancer treatment, today announces that its Chief Scientific Officer, Philip Beer, will be presenting data on the identification of a CTPS1-dependent synthetic lethality in solid tumours at the 2025 EORTC-NCI-AACR International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, being held from 22-26 October in Boston, MA. The presentation will focus on the use of the AACR Project GENIE data, a publicly accessible cancer registry of real-world clinico-genomic data, to identify loss of CTPS2 as a novel biomarker to select solid tumours with a synthetic lethal dependency on CTPS1. Deletion of CTPS2 was subsequently identified as a frequent event in many cancer types, with the highest prevalence found in ovarian cancer. As tumours derived from epithelial tissues can utilise both CTPS1 and CTPS2 in the final step of the CTP synthesis cascade, loss of CTPS2 in solid tumours exposes a dependence which could be targeted with CTPS1 inhibition to prevent tumour cell proliferation. As a result of these findings, dencatistat, an orally available and highly potent inhibitor of CTPS1, which is currently being evaluated in a phase 1a dose escalation study in patients with solid tumours, will be evaluated in safety expansion cohorts in patients with CTPS2 null cancers, with the first being ovarian cancer (NCT06297525). Selecting patients whose tumours have deleted CTPS2 represents a precision oncology approach that is expected to maximise the therapeutic potential of dencatistat. Philip Beer, Chief Scientific Officer of Step Pharma, said: "Our work analysing clinico-genomic data led us to identify patients with CTPS2 null solid tumours as a promising therapeutic application for dencatistat. About 15-20% of ovarian cancers harbour this deletion, and so through inhibition of CTPS1 with dencatistat, we can selectively target the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway in ovarian cancer and other solid tumours. I look forward to presenting at the EORTC-NCI-AACR international conference and to initiating the first expansion cohort in the near future." Session: AACR Project GENIE: Powering Drug Discovery Through an International Consortium' Presentation title: Using GENIE data to drive oncology target identification and drug development. Date: Thursday 23 October 2025 Time: 17:55 EDT -Ends- About Step Pharma Step Pharma's goal is to bring about a step change in how cancer is treated with targeted therapies that kill cancer cells and leave healthy cells unharmed. The Company is the world leader in CTPS1 inhibition, a new approach with the potential to yield highly selective, safe and effective treatments for both blood cancers and solid tumours. Step Pharma was founded in 2014 by Kurma Partners, the Imagine Institute and Sygnature Discovery, based on the scientific discoveries of Prof. Alain Fischer and Dr Sylvain Latour. Step Pharma is based in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France, and is supported by a strong syndicate of investors including Kurma Partners, V-Bio Ventures, Bpifrance. For more information please contact: Step Pharma Andrew Parker, Chief Executive Officer contact@step-ph.com Media Relations ICR Healthcare Amber Fennell, Namrata Taak, Phillip Marriage Tel. +44 Burnaby, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - NatBridge Resources Ltd. (CSE: NATB) (OTCID: NATBF) (FSE: GI80) ("NatBridge" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive Mineral Rights Purchase Agreement (the "Agreement") with Teras Resources Ltd. USA, an arm's length Nevada corporation ("Teras"), for the purchase of certain mining claims and related property interests comprising the Cahuilla Gold Project in Imperial County, California. Under the terms of the Agreement, signed on October 18, 2025, NatBridge will acquire 100% of the subsurface mineral rights associated with Land Parcels 45 and 46 of the Cahuilla property, comprising approximately 12,290,139 tonnes containing an aggregate of 122,211 ounces of indicated gold resources at a 0.005 oz/ton cutoff grade, as defined in a completed NI 43-101 technical report. Teras will receive total consideration valued at approximately US$2.75 million, comprised of: (i) an initial payment of US$50,000 previously paid; (ii) a second payment of US$277,505.60 payable within two months of execution of the Agreement; and (iii) a final payment of US$2,427,550.40 payable within thirty calendar days of the first token sale by NatGold Digital Ltd. representing the Phase 1 gold resources (the "Tokenization Event"). "The acquisition of the Cahuilla mineral rights reflects our disciplined approach to building value through the targeted acquisition of high-quality mineral resources," said Stephen Moses, CEO of NatBridge Resources Ltd. "Cahuilla represents exactly the kind of opportunity we pursue-an established and well-documented gold project that aligns with our focus on sound geology, measured growth, and long-term value creation for our shareholders." Upon completion of all payments as outlined in the Agreement, NatBridge will hold the subsurface rights free and clear of any ongoing fees or obligations related to the surface rights. The Cahuilla property is located in northwestern Imperial County, California and consists of approximately 1,680 acres of patented claims. The property has an indicated resource estimate of approximately 1.751 million ounces of gold at a 0.005 oz/ton cutoff grade, as outlined in the "Amended Technical Report on the Cahuilla Project Gold and Silver Resources, Imperial County, California" dated March 10, 2021, authored by Steven D. Craig, C.P.G., et al., (the "Technical Report") and prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). "We are very pleased to complete this agreement with NatBridge and view it as a strong step forward for both companies," said Joseph Carrabba, CEO of Teras Resources Inc. "NatBridge has demonstrated a clear and professional commitment to the Cahuilla Project, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration as we work together toward completing the next phase of the transaction." The parties continue to work collaboratively toward negotiating the Phase 2 mineral rights. According to the Technical Report, Phase 2 comprises a resource of approximately 50,702,466 tonnes containing an indicated gold resource of approximately 496,535 ounces at a 0.005 oz/ton cutoff grade. NatBridge is actively engaging with Teras on Phase 2, and the parties intend to negotiate the acquisition of Phase 2 on the same per-ounce pricing basis as Phase 1, with payment terms to be modified as mutually agreed, particularly in relation to tokenization timelines and market demand. Phase 3, which comprises lands currently held by Native American tribal nations within the area, has not yet been formally considered but may be included in future discussions between the parties. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions, due diligence, the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, and compliance with all applicable requirements. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed. Qualified Person Lawrence Segerstrom, CPG, an advisor to NatBridge, and a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. About NatBridge Resources Ltd. NatBridge Resources Ltd. (CSE: NATB) (OTCID: NATBF) (FSE: GI80) is a publicly traded Canadian company, also listed in the United States and Germany, leading the gold resource supply side of NatGold Digital Ltd.'s ("NatGold Digital") revolutionary, patent-pending digital gold tokenization ecosystem. This innovative approach redefines how gold's value can be captured through tokenization, eliminating extraction and its environmental, social, and financial costs through a blockchain-powered, eco-friendly digital mining process. NatBridge's strategy is focused on the supply side of the NatGold ecosystem. By acquiring gold resources that meet the qualification criteria of NatGold Digital, in accordance with NatGold Digital's strict token certification standards, NatBridge is establishing itself as a key player in this industry - operating at the intersection of three major global investment trends: gold, sustainable investing, and the tokenization of real-world assets. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release contains certain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates", "projects", "intends", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by statements that certain actions, events, or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the closing of the transaction stated herein in full or in part, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals for the closing of the transaction, statements regarding NatBridge's business strategy, including the acquisition and certification of gold resources under NatGold Digital's token standards, participation in the NatGold Digital gold tokenization ecosystem, the potential for blockchain-powered, eco-friendly digital mining, and positioning within the trends of gold, sustainable investing, and real-world asset tokenization, and the possibility that the Tokenization Event may not occur within the expected timeframe or at all due to insufficient demand, regulatory constraints, or other unforeseen factors. These statements relate to anticipated developments, operations, plans for expansion, estimates, expectations, forecasts, objectives, projections, predictions regarding future performance, and the receipt of required approvals. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and assumptions based on information available as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements of NatBridge to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the inability to settle the terms and corresponding entry into of the Agreement, the receipt of all necessary approvals to close the transactions stated herein, the ability to identify and acquire gold resources that meet NatGold Digital's qualification criteria and token certification standards, the effectiveness and adoption of digital gold tokenization processes, technological developments, market demand, future precious metals prices, regulatory changes, and the environmental, social, and financial implications of relying on digital mining versus traditional extraction. Additional risks include those described in the sections relating to risk factors in the Company's securities filings on SEDAR+. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made, by third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271231 SOURCE: NatBridge Resources Ltd. Former CEO of Schneider Electric Brings Global Industrial and Software Leadership Experience London, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Warburg Pincus, the pioneer of private equity global growth investing, today announced the appointment of Peter Herweck as an Executive-in-Residence, working with the firm's European Technology group. In his role, Mr. Herweck will work with Warburg Pincus to identify and evaluate new investment opportunities across the software and technology sectors. He will also play an active role in value creation across the firm's existing portfolio. Mr. Herweck brings over three decades of global operating experience and deep sector expertise across industrial automation, industrial software, and energy systems. Most recently, he served as CEO of Schneider Electric, having previously been Chairman and CEO of AVEVA. Prior to that, he held multiple senior executive roles at Siemens, including Chief Strategy Officer of the Group. "I am delighted to be joining Warburg Pincus to support the firm's continued investment efforts in transformative technology businesses", said Peter Herweck. "Throughout my career, I have been focused on how innovation drives efficiency, safety, and sustainability." "We are truly excited to partner with Peter," said Carl von Baumbach, Principal at Warburg Pincus. "His strategic insight, deep domain knowledge and experience in scaling global technology platforms will be immensely valuable as we continue to invest behind secular technology trends and support our portfolio companies in unlocking their full potential." Mr. Herweck currently serves as Non-Executive Director on Teradyne's (TER) board. He holds an MBA from Wake Forest University, completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, and holds engineering degrees from Universite de Metz (France) and HTW Saar (Germany). Media contact: Alice Gibb Director, Europe Communications Alice.gibb@warburgpincus.com +44 207 306 3090 Notes to Editors About Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is the pioneer of global growth investing. A private partnership since 1966, the firm has the flexibility and experience to focus on helping investors and management teams achieve enduring success across market cycles. Today, the firm has more than $86 billion in assets under management, and more than 220 companies in their active portfolio, diversified across stages, sectors, and geographies. Warburg Pincus has invested in more than 1,000 companies across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com or follow us on LinkedIn. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/peter-herweck-joins-warburg-pincus-as-executive-in-residence-to-support-european-technology-group-302589915.html RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NUUKO POWER has announced the successful completion of a landmark 4.58MW solar-powered water pump project for REEF AL ARED in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This milestone marks a significant step in NUUKO POWER's mission to promote sustainable energy solutions across the Middle East and contributes to the realization of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 for renewable energy and environmental sustainability. The large-scale project integrates 7,769pcs NUUKO POWER high-efficiency N-type TOPCon 590W solar panel, generating an estimated 7.9881 million kWh of clean electricity annually. Specially designed to operate under Riyadh's extreme heat and strong solar radiation, the system drives multiple deep-well submersible pumps, each capable of delivering about 700 cubic meters of water per day. The project provides reliable irrigation for approximately 2,560 acres of farmland, ensuring stable agricultural output while reducing dependence on fossil fuels and supporting sustainable agricultural practices. Beyond its environmental benefits, the project delivers significant economic and social value. By replacing traditional diesel-powered irrigation systems with clean solar energy, REEF AL ARED is expected to save around 1.76 million Saudi Riyals in annual operating costs and reduce carbon emissions by thousands of tons per year. The system improves irrigation efficiency, optimizes water resource management, and contributes to food security and sustainable rural development in the region. NUUKO POWER's all-in-one solar water pumping solution integrates high-efficiency photovoltaic modules, intelligent control systems, and advanced water management technology to ensure stable performance with minimal maintenance. "This project is more than an infrastructure investment-it represents a crucial step toward achieving sustainable agricultural growth through clean energy," said a NUUKO POWER spokesperson. "Our partnership with REEF AL ARED demonstrates the vast potential of solar technology in agriculture and our shared commitment to a greener future." The successful completion of the Riyadh project highlights NUUKO POWER's strong technical capabilities and growing influence in the Gulf region. By combining innovation, efficiency, and environmental responsibility, NUUKO POWER continues to deliver reliable renewable energy solutions that empower communities, enhance agricultural sustainability, and accelerate the global transition toward a cleaner, more resilient future. About NUUKO POWER NUUKO POWER is a professional provider of integrated energy storage solutions, delivering customized, one-stop services from product design and system integration to deployment and operation. For more information, please visit www.nuukopower.com or email info@nuukopower.com for tailored energy solutions. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801180/4_58MW.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nuuko-power-empowers-agricultural-sustainability-with-4-58mw-solar-water-pump-project-in-riyadh-saudi-arabia-302589917.html HEALWELL, in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical, presented new AI generated and regulatory-grade real-world data (RWD) on vedolizumab dose escalation in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease at the prestigious United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week in Berlin on October 6, 2025. HEALWELL's DARWEN AI platform generated real-world data (RWD) demonstrating that vedolizumab dose escalation from every 8 weeks to every 4 weeks improved remission outcomes, supporting label advancement and access growth. This is one of the world's first examples of using AI to generate this kind of regulatory-grade RWD for these types of applications. AI-driven real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) generation capability for these types of applications is globally unique to HEALWELL and is expected to be an important driver for both clinical and commercial value. HEALWELL continues to earn global recognition for its leadership in healthcare AI, being named a finalist in Newsweek's inaugural AI Impact Awards 2025 for advancing validated, ethical AI that drives measurable clinical and commercial impact. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - HEALWELL AI Inc. (TSX: AIDX) (OTCQX: HWAIF) ("HEALWELL" or the "Company"), a healthcare artificial intelligence company focused on preventative care, is pleased to announce that HEALWELL's DARWEN AI Platform has demonstrated one of world's first examples of using AI to generate real world data (RWD) for supporting greater patient access, product advancement & reimbursement growth for the pharmaceutical industry. AI-driven real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) generation capability for these types of applications is globally unique to HEALWELL and is expected to be an important driver for both clinical and commercial value. On October 6th 2025, HEALWELL in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical (a top 20 global pharmaceutical company1) presented new AI generated and regulatory-grade real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) on vedolizumab dose escalation in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease at the prestigious United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week in Berlin. HEALWELL's DARWEN AI platform generated real-world data (RWD) demonstrating that vedolizumab dose escalation from every 8 weeks to every 4 weeks improved remission outcomes, supporting label advancement and access growth. Ultimately the real-world data generated provided evidence that demonstrated remission improvement outcomes; an important outcome to drive improved patient outcomes in a disease area that has significant population burden. Inflammatory bowel disease affects approximately 2.39 million people in the United States2 and nearly 400,000 people in Canada3. "Our collaboration with Takeda demonstrates how our DARWEN AI platform can unlock clinically meaningful insights from the wealth of data buried and not effectively used within electronic health records and documents," said Dr. Christopher Pettengell, Chief Medical Officer. "By identifying patient factors that influence response, we are helping clinicians and life science partners advance more precise, effective, and patient-centered care. We can see a world in which the majority of RWE will be generated by novel AI systems such as DARWENTM AI. This will advance the speed and accuracy with which the global pharmaceutical community can advance to improve patient outcomes." HEALWELL's DARWEN AI platform has been globally recognized and validated with over 40 peer-reviewed published manuscripts; as a leading platform in healthcare artificial intelligence with regards to its unique capabilities for clinical data abstraction and real-world data and evidence generation. HEALWELL continues to earn global recognition for its leadership in healthcare AI, being named a finalist in Newsweek's inaugural AI Impact Awards 2025 for advancing validated, ethical AI that drives measurable clinical and commercial impact. "AI is reshaping our world, and the organizations receiving this award are at the forefront of that transformation," said Jennifer H. Cunningham, editor-in-chief of Newsweek. "We are proud to spotlight the companies whose technologies and practices are pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve-responsibly and effectively." James Lee Chief Executive Officer HEALWELL AI Inc. https://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/top-20-pharma-companies-2024-revenue https://www.gastroenterologyadvisor.com/factsheets/ibd-statistics/ https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/About-Us/Resources-Publications/Impact-of-IBD-Report About HEALWELL AI HEALWELL is a healthcare artificial intelligence company focused on preventative care. Its mission is to improve healthcare and save lives through early identification and detection of disease. Using its own proprietary technology, the Company is developing and commercializing advanced clinical decision support systems that can help healthcare providers detect rare and chronic diseases, improve efficiency of their practice and ultimately help improve patient health outcomes. HEALWELL is executing a strategy centered around developing and acquiring technology and clinical sciences capabilities that complement the Company's road map. HEALWELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "AIDX" and on the OTC Exchange under the symbol "HWAIF". To learn more about HEALWELL, please visit https://healwell.ai/. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release, constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements about the potential benefits of using generative AI to support patient access, product advancement & reimbursement growth for the pharmaceutical industry; and the expected impact of HEALWELL's DARWEN AI Platform;, and are based on assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expected", "supporting", "advancing" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain future conditions, actions, events or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "can" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms . Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as a number of specific factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by HEALWELL as of the date of such statements, are outside of HEALWELL's control and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies which could result in the forward-looking statements ultimately being entirely or partially incorrect or untrue. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on various assumptions, including, but not limited to, the following: the continued adoption of the software, tools and solutions created by HEALWELL and its subsidiaries; the stability of general economic and market conditions; sufficiency of working capital and access to financing; HEALWELL's ability to comply with applicable laws and regulations; HEALWELL's continued compliance with third party intellectual property rights; the effects of competition in the industry; the requirement for increasingly innovative product solutions and service offerings; technologies working as intended or at all; trends in customer growth and the adoption of new technologies in the industry; and that the risk factors noted below, collectively, do not have a material impact on HEALWELL's business, operations, revenues and/or results. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. Known and unknown risk factors, many of which are beyond the control of HEALWELL, could cause the actual results of HEALWELL to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements, or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include but are not limited to those factors which are discussed under the section entitled "Risk Factors" in HEALWELL's most recent annual information form dated April 1, 2024, which is available under HEALWELL's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The risk factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect HEALWELL and the reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. HEALWELL disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271257 SOURCE: HEALWELL AI ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Appian Capital Advisory Limited ("Appian"), the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds that invest in companies in metals, mining, and adjacent industries, announces the launch of a critical minerals, metals and mining fund for emerging markets (the "Fund") in partnership with International Finance Corporation ("IFC"), a member of the World Bank Group. The Fund will have a total capital commitment of up to US$1 billion and will invest alongside Appian's existing and successor funds, supporting the development of responsible, high-impact mining projects for commodities essential to energy access, critical industries and future-facing technologies. Highlights IFC will anchor the Fund, with an initial contribution of US$100 million. Additional capital will be mobilized by the IFC Asset Management Company (AMC). The Fund will invest across equity, credit and royalties, with a mandate to generate strong financial returns while contributing to development impact, job creation and improved community outcomes It is the first dedicated mining fund focused exclusively on emerging markets, targeting critical minerals and commodities required for economic growth, the energy transition and key digital technologies It represents IFC's first fund established in partnership with a metals and mining private equity investor All investments will be subject to IFC's ESG and performance standards, which meet or exceed international best practices in responsible mining The Fund's first investment is in Atlantic Nickel's producing Santa Rita project in Brazil. This is a co-investment alongside Appian to advance the underground development of a large-scale nickel-copper-cobalt asset with a 30+ year mine life Management teams backed by the Fund will have access to Appian's deep technical and financial expertise to accelerate project development and value creation, along with ESG, community development and stakeholder engagement support from sustainability specialists at IFC and the World Bank IFC and Appian have a ten-year investing relationship, including two investments in Africa across rare earths and gold, which resulted in successful mine builds and realizations The Fund is anchored by IFC and aligns with the institution's investment mandate to finance private sector development in emerging markets while delivering both financial returns and measurable development impact. It will have a fiduciary duty to AMC introduced investors, ensuring their interests are safeguarded through disciplined oversight, transparency and a commitment to long-term value creation. Managed by Appian, the Fund will co-invest alongside Appian Natural Resources Fund III and Appian Credit Strategies Fund I (together "the funds"), as well as future Appian funds. It will target equity, credit and royalty investments in the metals, mining, and adjacent industries across emerging markets, with a focus on Africa and Latin America. All investments made through the Fund will be required to meet IFC's rigorous performance criteria and environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") standards. The Fund has agreed to invest in Brazil's Santa Rita nickel-copper-cobalt mine located in Bahia state, which is currently transitioning to underground production. The mine is expected to ramp up production to approximately 30,000 tonnes per year of nickel equivalent, with a mine life exceeding 30 years. The mine is owned by Atlantic Nickel, a wholly owned affiliate of Appian. IFC is investing on exactly the same terms as other investors, with the terms agreed following independent valuations of the asset by Citi and Standard Chartered. The Fund is the first mining-focused vehicle established exclusively to invest in emerging markets. It will finance mineral development projects across all stages, including construction, production and expansion, fostering lasting economic growth and social benefits in host countries through capacity building, job creation, exports and contributions to fiscal revenues. Critical minerals and metals are the bedrock of the modern global economy. As the world accelerates its shift toward digital innovation and green energy, these resources are foundational to more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable global growth. The partnership between IFC and Appian represents IFC's first collaboration with a private equity investor specializing in mining to develop a dedicated fund. Appian has ~US$5.0bn1 in assets under management, supported by a team of more than 100 experienced investment professionals combining financial and technical expertise to identify and optimize metals and mining projects, creating long-term value for its investors. Since 2016, Appian has brought 12 mining projects into production-more than the five largest international mining companies combined over the same period. Michael W. Scherb, Founder and CEO of Appian, commented: "We are proud that IFC has entrusted Appian with the management of this landmark fund. This is a strong endorsement of our ability to identify and responsibly develop high-quality assets, unlocking long-term value for our partners. It also underscores the vital role mining can play in driving sustainable economic growth and delivering lasting benefits for local communities, particularly in regions where development needs are most pressing. Management teams supported by the Fund will now be backed by two leading institutions in our industry. We look forward to advancing this partnership to accelerate responsible and sustainable resource development globally." Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of IFC, commented: "IFC is delighted to partner again with Appian on this innovative investment vehicle. Minerals are essential for building industries, creating jobs, and driving economic growth. Partnering with companies like Appian will help bring more private capital to places that need it the most, expanding access to critical resources and helping local communities benefit from the development of their mineral wealth." For further information Appian Capital Advisory Limited Andrew Todd, Head of Communications: +44 7990416759 / atodd@appiancapitaladvisory.com +44 About Appian Capital Advisory Limited Appian Capital Advisory Limited is the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds that invest in companies in metals, mining, and adjacent industries. Appian is a leading investment advisor with global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and a successful track record of supporting companies in metals, mining, and adjacent industries to achieve their development targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing approximately 6,000 employees. Appian has a global team of over 100 experienced investment professionals, combining financial and technical expertise, with presences in Abu Dhabi, Belo Horizonte, Dubai, Hong Kong, Lima, London, New York, Perth, Sao Paulo, and Toronto. For more information, please visit www.appiancapitaladvisory.comor find us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter/X. About IFC IFC - a member of the World Bank Group - is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2025, IFC committed a record US$71.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a liveable planet. For more information, visit www.ifc.org. About Atlantic Nickel The Santa Rita nickel mine ("Atlantic Nickel" as of Q2 2019, previously known as Mirabela Mineracao do Brasil) is an operating open-pit nickel sulphide ("NiS") mine, located in the north-eastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Appian acquired the mine in 2018, optimized the pit design, refurbished the processing facilities, and successfully restarted operations in 2019. Current operations involve open-pit mining and a concentrator with a capacity of approximately 6.5 million tonnes per year, producing a nickel sulphide concentrate. The concentrate also contains by-products including copper, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and gold. In 2024, Santa Rita processed 6.6 million tonnes (Mt) of open-pit ore, producing 31.8 million pounds of nickel, 10.1 million pounds of copper, and 0.6 million pounds of cobalt in concentrates. Appian is advancing the development of a large, higher-grade underground resource, extending the initial 8-year open-pit life of mine to over 30 years. In 2024, Atlantic Nickel delivered its Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") for the mine's underground expansion. The PFS further reinforced Appian's confidence in the project, outlining a long-life mine with a higher annual production rate, low capital intensity, and a competitive cost structure. Atlantic Nickel is advancing this scenario through the ongoing Definitive Feasibility Study, with early works already beginning on underground development. 1 As of October 10th, 2025. Assumes approximately US$1.0bn of total commitments to Appian EM Fund LP and a US$400m hard-cap close for Appian Credit Strategies I. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/784116a7-4e43-42b7-9677-f676293d0e94 HONG KONG, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MTC Namibia, the largest mobile operator in Namibia, has signed an exclusive interworking agreement with VOX Solutions for the direct termination of international A2P SMS and A2P Voice (OTP Voice/Flash Calls) traffic into its network. Through this agreement, VOX Solutions becomes the sole authorized channel for all international A2P traffic directed to MTC Namibia, effectively protecting the network against SMS and Voice fraud. Powered by the award-winning VOX-360 platform, this partnership brings a comprehensive omni-channel anti-fraud solution to one of Southern Africa's most strategically positioned operators. VOX-360 is uniquely positioned in the market as an all-in-one platform capable of detecting, preventing, and monetizing A2P messaging and voice traffic - including flash calls, a growing fraud vector in the telecom industry. By tackling grey routes, unsolicited traffic, and bypass methods, the platform helps MNOs reduce revenue leakage and enterprise costs while improving traffic quality and security. Licky Erastus, CEO of MTC Namibia, emphasized the importance of the initiative: "The rising volume of A2P Voice and SMS traffic calls for robust and secure solutions. This partnership with VOX Solutions reflects our ongoing commitment to safeguard our network and enhance customer trust by ensuring enterprise traffic is fully secured and monetized." As the first solution in the industry capable of mitigating flash call fraud within its broader anti-fraud strategy, VOX-360 offers MTC Namibia end-to-end protection and control over its international traffic ecosystem. Ehsan Ahmadi, CEO of VOX Solutions, added: "We're proud to be chosen as the exclusive A2P SMS and Voice partner for MTC Namibia. This collaboration not only reinforces our leadership in the Africa region, but also highlights our ability to deliver scalable, secure A2P traffic solutions that drive real monetization for operators." VOX Solutions continues to lead the way in end-to-end A2P monetization, having successfully deployed VOX-360 across over 35 mobile networks globally. The company remains committed to helping mobile operators and enterprises unlock long-term value through innovation, security, and global connectivity. About VOX Solutions: VOX Solutions is a leading TelcoTech company dedicated to empowering Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), carriers, aggregators, and enterprises worldwide by providing innovative solutions to effectively monetize their assets . We provide cutting-edge solutions that enable our partners to unlock new revenue streams by maximizing the value of their existing assets. Leveraging advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advertising Technology (AdTech), advanced analytics, and seamless authentication, we help transform telecommunications businesses into high-performing, revenue-generating ecosystems. www.voxsolutions.co About MTC Namibia: MTC (Mobile Telecommunications Limited) was established in 1995 as a joint venture between Namibia Post and Telecommunications Holdings (NPTH), Telia and Swedfund. During May 2004, NPTH concluded a deal that saw it hold 100 per cent of the shares in MTC by acquiring the 49 per cent held by Telia Overseas AB and Swedfund International AB. During 2006 the sale of 34% of MTC shares to Portugal Telecom was concluded for N$1.34 billion while the Namibian government retains the remainder of the stake through NPTH. MTC currently covers 98 per cent of the population of nearly 2 million citizens with more than 650 base stations and repeaters and offers a dual band 900/1800MHZ. The company also expanded its cellular coverage to all major towns in Namibia, including the major arterial roads. MTC was the second Mobile Operator to introduce 4GLTE in May 2012. The Company's 3G HSDPA+ Network allows for a download speed of up 7.2 Mbps in Namibia's major towns. It further runs two modern MSC's (mobile switching centre) in Windhoek and Oshakati with capacity to accommodate rapidly rising number of customers of over 2 million active users. In May 2012, the company also launched its 4G technology making it the second mobile operator on the continent to have 4G technologies. MTC also operates the only full service customer contact centre in Namibia dealing with service queries ranging from telephony, sms, fax, GPRS, data, voicemail and 3G/HSDPA. A staff of 421 persons serves a diverse market of both pre- and postpaid subscribers. www.mtc.com.na View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mtc-namibia-selects-vox-solutions-as-its-exclusive-international-gateway-for-a2p-sms-and-voice-traffic-302585104.html STOCKHOLM, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Elisa Polystar, a leading provider of AI-driven Automated Network and Service Assurance solutions, has today announced its official rebranding as Polystar, marking a strategic milestone aligned with the global brand renewal of Elisa Industriq. A unified vision for operational intelligence Polystar's rebranding underscores its vital role within Elisa Industriq's unified ecosystem-alongside camLine, sedApta, CalcuQuote, TenForce, and Gridle-as a powerhouse of software innovation delivering operational intelligence solutions across the manufacturing, telecommunications, supply chain, and energy sectors. Launched in March 2025, the Elisa Industriq brand serves as a shared go-to-market identity that reflects the group's strategy to expand globally and be recognized for its industrial expertise, automation capabilities, and practical implementation of AI. "Polystar's evolution is more than merely an alteration to the name. This change reflects our shared ambition to lead the future of autonomous networks. Aligning under the Elisa Industriq brand amplifies our ability to innovate, scale, and deliver transformative value to customers worldwide," explains Steve Preston, CEO of Polystar. Empowering telecom operators with AI-driven efficiency Polystar's deep expertise in telecoms empowers communications service providers with resilient, intelligent network solutions that optimize performance and the customer experience. With over 100 CSPs worldwide relying on its technology, Polystar is a global leader in delivering end-to-end visibility, automation, and actionable insights. The Polystar rebranding marks a renewed commitment to AI-powered innovation, transforming complex network data into real-time intelligence that streamlines operations and reduces manual overhead. Designed to work in multi-vendor, cloud-native, and on-premises environments, Polystar's pragmatic automation solutions support agile, future-ready networks. As part of Elisa Industriq, Polystar is able to leverage the group's shared AI mastery to co-create scalable innovations that will help operators thrive in a data-driven future. What's changing-and what's staying the same While the name and visual identity are evolving, Polystar's commitment to excellence and long-term partnerships remains unchanged. Polystar customers will continue to benefit from the same trusted solutions, teams, and support as always. All contact details, contracts, and service structures will remain as before. The rebranding will be reflected on the company's website and social media channels starting on October 21, with full migration expected by the end of 2025. More information & interview requests: Elisa Industriq Mediadesk, mediadesk@elisaindustriq.com, tel. +358 50 305 1605 About Polystar Polystar is a global leader in smart, data-driven assurance and automation for telecommunications operators. Its solutions transform complex network data into operational intelligence that drives business results. Polystar enables communications service providers to enhance the customer experience and achieve optimal operational efficiency through real-time, actionable insights and pragmatic automation, powered by AI. Trusted by more than 100 communications service providers across 55 countries, Polystar collaborates with operators to optimize their multi-vendor networks - cloud-native and on-premises. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with a worldwide presence, Polystar is part of Elisa Industriq, a global leader in software solutions for operational intelligence that enhances industrial knowledge with AI innovation. Polystar is ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2013 certified, reflecting its commitment to quality management and information security. For more information, visit elisaindustriq.com/polystar About Elisa Industriq Elisa Industriq creates software solutions for operational intelligence by multiplying industrial knowledge with AI innovation. Our businesses-camLine, sedApta, Polystar, CalcuQuote, TenForce, and Gridle-serve over 2,000 clients internationally in the manufacturing, telecommunications, and energy sectors. Elisa Industriq delivers business value for customers by reducing costs, improving quality, and generating growth. Our software solutions integrate with customers' existing systems to optimize their operations in areas including manufacturing execution, supply chain optimization, network analytics, and energy management. Elisa Industriq is part of Elisa, a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services headquartered in Finland. Our shared mission is a sustainable future through digitalization. Elisa Industriq employs nearly 1,600 experts in Europe, Asia, and North America. elisaindustriq.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com. https://news.cision.com/elisa-oyj-pr-international/r/polystar-unveils-new-brand-identity-as-part-of-elisa-industriq,c4251503 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/elisa-oyj-pr-international/i/polystar-elisa-industriq-logo,c3478564 Polystar-Elisa-Industriq-logo https://news.cision.com/elisa-oyj-pr-international/i/stephen-preston,c3479104 Stephen Preston View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/polystar-unveils-new-brand-identity-as-part-of-elisa-industriq-302589928.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Homeland Uranium Corp. (TSXV: HLU) (OTCQB: HLUCF) (FSE: D3U) ("Homeland" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Homeland President and CEO Roger Lemaitre is scheduled to present at the Kinvestor Day 2025 Virtual Investor Conference ("KD25") on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 10:40AM PT / 1:40PM ET. More details below. KD25 is a premier virtual conference showcasing innovative small and mid-cap public companies primarily within the mining and energy sectors. Moderated by Arlen Hansen, host of The Kinvestor Report on YouTube, KD25 will also feature a dynamic roundtable panel where top industry experts explore current trends in mining, energy, and commodities. Register today to access this unique opportunity to catch the latest developments from presenting companies and engage in a live Q&A-style dialogue with Roger Lemaitre and other executive-level presenters. Presentation Details: Date: October 23, 2025 Presentation Time: 10:40AM PT / 1:40PM ET Presenter: Roger Lemaitre, President & CEO Register now at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2917561481689/WN_TzgjuGbhQ4CleIWd_xXRBA About Kinvestor Kinvestor creates powerful opportunities for investors to connect with both established and up-and-coming public companies in the mining, technology, and energy sectors on a free to join virtual platform. Kinvestor is powered by Kin Communications Inc, a full-service investor relations agency with over 14 years of experience across multiple industries. Our goal is to foster long-term relationships with investors, thought leaders and the media through our virtual conferences and interview series The Kinvestor Report. For more information visit kinvestor.net. About Homeland Uranium Corp. Homeland is a mineral exploration company focused on becoming a premier US-focused and resource-bearing uranium explorer and developer. The Company is the 100% owner of the Coyote Basin, Skull Creek/Cross Bones and Red Wash uranium projects in northwestern Colorado. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271269 SOURCE: Homeland Uranium Corp. DUBAI, UAE and CHI?INAU, Moldova, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kavit Handa, a UK citizen and Dubai-based global healthcare investor, has announced the acquisition of 100% of BB Hamodialyse, Moldova's largest and most trusted dialysis services provider. The investment, made through Africa Capital, the Dubai-headquartered investment group he chairs, marks a significant expansion of the UAE's role in advancing global healthcare access. "As a British investor based in Dubai, I see Moldova as a unique success story, a place that has built one of the most cost-effective dialysis ecosystems in Europe," said Kavit Handa, Chairman of Africa Capital. "Our mission is to take the lessons learnt here and apply them in other markets where affordability and access are crucial. Moldova will serve as the training and innovation hub that drives this transformation. We view this as an opportunity to do good whilst creating a $ 100 million business over the next 5 years." Over the past decade, BB Hamodialyse has become Moldova's dominant dialysis provider, with over 75% market share and a reputation for affordability and quality of care. Through this acquisition, Handa plans to transform Moldova into a regional centre of excellence for cost-effective dialysis care, while exporting its proven cost effective model to markets across Africa and the Middle East, regions where dialysis access remains limited and demand continues to rise. The initiative is particularly relevant to the UAE and GCC, where diabetes driven kidney disease is a growing concern. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the Middle East hosts over 73 million adults living with diabetes, while the UAE has one of the world's highest prevalence rates at 16.4%. By leveraging Moldova's dialysis expertise, Africa Capital aims to strengthen treatment capacity and clinical know-how across the GCC and Africa. The acquisition also aligns with the UAE's National Strategy for Healthcare Innovation and Dubai's ambitions to become a global hub for medical education, research and technology transfer. The move further strengthens UAE-Moldova relations, following the 2025 mutual visa-exemption agreement and a sharp rise in bilateral trade since Expo 2020 Dubai, with Moldova's exports to the UAE increasing more than 20-fold in 2021. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801378/Kavit_Handa_Chairman_Africa_Capital_SA.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/uae-based-investor-expands-healthcare-bridge-between-dubai-and-moldova-with-gbp-10-million-commitment-to-dialysis-excellence-302589948.html WUHU, China, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From October 17 to 20, 2025, the 'Innovation Defining the Future' - JETOUR JMA Global Media Alliance Tech Tour was held in Wuhu, Anhui Province. Media representatives from around the world visited JETOUR's headquarters to participate in a series of immersive activities, including technology exhibitions, product co-creation workshops, and test drives. The program provided global guests with an in-depth look at JETOUR's innovation journey and the latest advancements in hybrid technology. Global Innovation Conference: Showcasing New "Premium Hybrid Off-Road" Breakthroughs During the event, global media attended the "InnovationDefining the Future" Global Innovation Conference 2025. They gained extensive insights into group's advancements in off-road, hybrid, and intelligent. JETOUR also presented its technological breakthroughs and product portfolio under the "Travel+" strategy. JETOUR highlighted the Generation of All-terrain Intelligent Architecture (GAIA). It has been optimized for typical off-road conditions, significantly enhancing the vehicle's off-road capability and adaptability across various terrains. The G700 - the brand's first premium off-road vehicle built on the GAIA architecture - was a key focus for media. Equipped with front and rear differential locks and an electronic virtual center lock, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and wades up to 970 mm, positioning it as a top solution in hybrid off-road. Global Media Co-Creation: In-Depth Dialogue From Technology to Market Throughout the event, global media engaged in discussions on "Building a Hybrid Off-Road Technology Brand" and "Gaining Strong User Acceptance in the Premium Off-Road Segment", contributing valuable input to JETOUR's global development. Mr. Yan Jun, Executive Vice President of JETOUR International, expressed his gratitude: "JETOUR's globalization is made possible by the support of our media partners worldwide. We sincerely appreciate their role in sharing the spirit of 'Travel+' with users globally." With the global debut of the G700, JETOUR is redefining the premium hybrid off-road experience, delivering innovative mobility solutions and expanding its global footprint. Through close collaboration with international media, JETOUR is strengthening its position in the premium hybrid off-road segment and advancing its vision to become the world's leading hybrid off-road brand. Company: JETOUR Auto Website: https://www.jetour.com.cn/ City: Wuhu Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e71a30a-9840-4302-a58f-795a76bf9121 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a22b9cf3-c386-4de9-9b5b-1457d16abcce https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a74e3d49-e314-409a-b18f-1a1c3dfb0742 Contact Person: Weitong Liu Email: liuweitong@mychery.com Telephone: 15395367939 SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 19, the 2025 Antai College Advisory Board Meeting of Antai College of Economics and Management (ACEM), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), was held at the SJTU Xuhui Campus. Nearly forty domestic and international guests from the political, academic, and business sectors attended the meeting, sharing valuable insights to support the high-quality development of the college. The meeting was held in conjunction with the 2nd Shanghai Forum on Proactive Healthcare, the 20th anniversary of the C.Y. Tung Institute of Intelligent Management and Logistics, and the Antai International Corporate Day. Guests from the global political, academic, and business communities gathered to discuss the developmental trajectory of business schools amid technological advancements and the evolving international landscape. In the newly introduced keynote speech sessions, attendees shared insights on the forefront of artificial intelligence and strategic opportunities for the nation. In an interview, Chen Fangruo, Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasized that management is also a form of productivity. Over the past few decades, China's management practices have undergone profound transformations. By systematically summarizing these practices, theoretical development can be advanced, propelling it to the forefront of global management research. In recent years, Antai College has innovated its institutional mechanisms, adopting the development strategy of "Two types of scholarship, horizontal (academic) and vertical (industry), reinforcing each other and connecting theory with practice". This approach has enabled the college to dismantle barriers between academic research and industry practices, resulting in the establishment of a new business education ecosystem that deeply integrates industry, academia, and research. Leveraging its strengths in interdisciplinary studies and think tank research, the college has demonstrated a leading role in serving national strategies and supporting regional development. Through high-level talent cultivation and scientific research innovation, Antai College actively contributes to the modernization and advancement of the Chinese development model. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801213/1.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-2025--antai-college-advisory-board-meeting-convened-302589964.html BANDUNG, INDONESIA, Oct 21, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - Through PT Bio Farma (Persero), Indonesia has played a strategic and sustained role in the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers' Network (DCVMN), working to ensure equitable access to safe, high-quality, and affordable vaccines. Since DCVMN's founding in 2000, Bio Farma has been a key driver in advancing vaccine self-reliance and public health capacity in developing countries.Collaboration between Bio Farma and DCVMN has been established since the inception of the network. At the first DCVMN Annual General Meeting in Noordwijk in 2000, Bio Farma was one of ten founding members dedicated to advancing vaccine collaboration. In April 2001, Bio Farma in Bandung hosted the 2nd AGM, where the network formalized the DCVMN's structure and governance. Chaired by then-President Director Thamrin Poeloengan, this meeting established Indonesia as a hub for vaccine collaboration and knowledge-sharing among developing countries.Shadiq Akasya, current President Director of Bio Farma, stated that the company's participation in DCVMN reflects Indonesia's commitment to contributing to global health beyond national interests."Bio Farma's involvement in DCVMN since its establishment is not merely about representation, but about making a tangible contribution toward global vaccine self-reliance. Through collaboration and innovation, we are committed to delivering equitable and sustainable health solutions for all," said Shadiq."We believe that the true strength of the developing countries' vaccine industry lies in collaboration. Through our active role in DCVMN, we aim to ensure that every nation has access to safe, high-quality, and affordable vaccines, a real manifestation of Indonesia's contribution to global health security," he added.In 2004, Bio Farma, together with other DCVMN members, played a vital role in expanding access to the pentavalent (DPT-HepB-Hib) vaccine through a technology-transfer collaboration with the Netherlands Vaccine Institute. This achievement demonstrated that Bio Farma's contributions within the DCVMN network are not symbolic but deeply technical and practical.Global trust in Bio Farma has continued to grow. In 2012, Indonesia once again hosted the 13th DCVMN AGM in Bali. Mahendra Suhardono, one of Bio Farma's directors at the time, was elected President of the Executive Committee for the 2013 - 2014 term.Indonesia's leadership was further recognized when Bio Farma was entrusted to serve as Chair of the Board of DCVMN for the 2023-2025 period, acting as a bridge between network members and global strategic priorities, while showcasing Indonesia's capacity to lead the vaccine industry in developing countries.Bio Farma's commitment to innovation goes far beyond collaboration. In 2020, its nOPV2 vaccine became the first to receive an Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization, enabling faster deployment of vaccines during global health emergencies. This achievement reflected not only Bio Farma's scientific and technical excellence but also effective coordination and communication among multiple international stakeholders, including funders, scientists, academic researchers, policymakers, global vaccine advocates, and vaccine manufacturers. Such collaboration enabled the rapid development, approval, and rollout of nOPV2 during a critical moment for global public health.This milestone demonstrated that a developing-country manufacturer can achieve world-class innovation, meeting the highest international standards of safety, quality, and efficacy recognized by the WHO. Beyond being a scientific breakthrough, nOPV2 represents technological self-reliance and global confidence in Indonesia's capability to contribute meaningfully to international health security. Bio Farma's success serves as an inspiration to all DCVMN members to continue strengthening their research, development, and production capacity in pursuit of achieving vaccine self-sufficiency and global health resilience across developing countries.With a production capacity of more than 3.5 billion doses per year, Bio Farma supplies vaccines to over 150 countries and holds WHO Prequalification certification for 12 types of vaccines. As the Center of Excellence for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in vaccine development, production, and distribution, Bio Farma continues to strengthen Indonesia's strategic role in the global health landscape.The upcoming 26th DCVMN Annual General Meeting, to be held in Bali on 29-31 October 2025, marks an important moment for Indonesia to reaffirm its leadership in global health diplomacy. Through this forum, Bio Farma is committed to advancing innovation, collaboration, and vaccine self-reliance worldwide, toward a more resilient and equitable global health ecosystem.About DCVMNThe Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) is a global alliance of 46 vaccine manufacturers from 17 developing countries, established in 2000 to strengthen public health through equitable access to high-quality vaccines.DCVMN promotes collaboration among its members through advocacy, capacity building, professional training, and joint research initiatives, aimed at enhancing global immunization programs.Working closely with international organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, GAVI, CEPI, PATH, CHAI, and the Gates Foundation, DCVMN strives to ensure that every nation has the capability to produce and supply affordable, life-saving vaccines. For further information, please visit dcvmn.org.About Bio FarmaPT Bio Farma (Persero) is Indonesia's state-owned life science company and the largest vaccine manufacturer in Southeast Asia.Founded in 1890 and headquartered in Bandung, Bio Farma produces and supplies vaccines to more than 150 countries, while playing an active role in biotechnology research, innovation, and global health security.As a member of DCVMN, Bio Farma continues to contribute to international collaboration to ensure equitable vaccine access and improved global public health. For further information, please visit www.biofarma.co.id.Contact UsPT Bio Farma (Persero)Corporate CommunicationJl. Pasteur No.28 Bandung,Jawa Barat Indonesia 40161Website: www.biofarma.co.idEmail: corcom@biofarma.co.idDCVMNRoute de Crassier, 7CH-1262 NyonSwitzerlandWebsite: dcvmn.orgEmail: info@dcvmn.netSource: DCVMNPT Bio Farma (Persero)Copyright 2025 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. SINGAPORE, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Giti Tire (Giti) announced that it has completed the issuance of Sustainability Notes, totaling S$150 million, that is jointly arranged by DBS Bank Ltd., Deutsche Bank and HSBC. The five-year Singapore-dollar notes are priced at par with a coupon rate of 5.750%, raising S$150 million, will be used to finance or refinance expenditure directly related to eligible green and social projects described in Giti's Sustainable Finance Framework. Moody's has issued a Second Party Opinion (SPO) on the Framework, available at https://www.giti.com/social-responsibilities. Giti's Sustainable Finance Framework is centered around its mission of "Continual Growth in Business, Stewardship and Uplifts." In its 2024 Sustainability Report, Giti defines REAL profit as profit earned after factoring in sustainability considerations, aiming to achieve net zero at cash neutrality, balancing climate ambitions with sound financial discipline. "While working towards our goals, considerations are also made regarding the cost of implementation," explained Dr Pang Chong Hau, Chief Sustainability Officer at Giti. "Through reciprocal agreements and collaborative efforts, we work closely with partners to expand the definition of value-achieving a balance where the benefits and savings generated by sustainable practices offset the cost of their implementation. This ensures that sustainability and profitability move hand in hand." Green Innovation in Motion Giti embarks on various projects throughout the year that are aligned with its sustainability goals. Recently, Giti collaborated a leading electric vehicle manufacturer, to create the GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro tire for the world's fastest production car, reaching 496.22 km/h. This highlights Giti's technological prowess in delivering ultra-high-performance tires for zero-emission vehicles. The electric vehicle currently used for a zero-emission world record attempt, "Most Countries Visited in an Electric Vehicle", uses GitiSynergy H2 tires. Journeying over 80,000km and 70 countries, it is a live testament for tire longevity and durability-key to reducing waste and enhancing EV efficiency. At the manufacturing level, Giti's new Anhui factory advances sustainable production. The facility features advanced automation and 35,000 sqm of rooftop solar panels, projected to reduce 20-30% annually, and includes Giti's first net-zero tire production line, paving the way toward fully net-zero operations. Giti's sustainability leadership has been recognized with the CDP Disclosure badge and EcoVadis Platinum Award. The company has also developed a 93% sustainably-sourced concept tire, made from renewable and recycled materials-further proving its dedication to circular innovation. "At Giti, sustainability is not a response to regulation-it is a responsibility we embraced long before global frameworks took shape," said Dr Enki Tan, Executive Chairman of Giti. "These Sustainability Notes represent a statement of intent and accountability, accelerating projects that reduce emissions and support communities where we operate." Trusted by Many, Built for Success, Giti continues to inspire investor confidence, drive sustainable transformation, and reinforce its reputation as a trusted global leader in sustainable mobility. Further Information Giti Tire Pte. Ltd. 150 Beach Road, #22-01/08, Singapore 189720 Website: www.giti.com Email: inquiry-sg@giti.com Tel: +65 6249 5399 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/giti-tire-completes-issuance-of-s150-million-5-year-sustainability-notes-302589971.html BASEL, Switzerland, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Jungbunzlauer, a global leader in high-quality, sustainable ingredients, is expanding its mineral portfolio with the introduction a fully-reacted magnesium bisglycinate. The new product will launch during SupplySide Global 2025 in Las Vegas, with a simultaneous presentation at CPHI Frankfurt, showcasing Jungbunzlauer's commitment to meeting global demand for premium, science-based mineral solutions. "Consumers worldwide are showing growing interest in incorporating magnesium into their daily routines, which is reflected in the rising global demand for magnesium bisglycinate," explained Markus Gerhart, Senior Director of the Mineral and Solutions portfolio at Jungbunzlauer. "We're proud to offer this high-quality ingredient that combines high bioavailability with superior technical properties. Our magnesium bisglycinate is specifically designed for excellent flowability and compressibility, making it well-suited to tablet and capsule manufacturing where consistent performance and formulation efficiency are essential." Produced with the same reliability, expertise and high-quality that define Jungbunzlauer's wider minerals product portfolio, this magnesium bisglycinate is designed to ensure optimal bioavailability while meeting label-friendly and sustainable formulation requirements. This launch completes Jungbunzlauer's magnesium portfolio, offering a full suite of high-quality, bioavailable magnesium solutions within our broader minerals range. Visit Jungbunzlauer's booth at SupplySide Global 2025, 29-30 October, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (Booth 2965) to learn more about how Jungbunzlauer's magnesium bisglycinate can perform in your formulations. Our team will also be available at CPHI Frankfurt, Messe Frankfurt (Hall 8, Booth Q55) to discuss technical specification and production applications. About Jungbunzlauer Jungbunzlauer is a leading producer of high-quality, sustainable ingredients from natural sources, serving industries from food and beverage, to nutrition, health, home and personal care, among others. Leading the way in developing naturally better ingredients that enhance everyday life, we are a trusted partner offering a diverse portfolio of texturants, acidulants, sweeteners, minerals, and tailored solutions to meet our customers' evolving needs. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with state-of-the-art facilities including large-scale fermentation operations across Europe and North America, we proudly serve more than 130 countries worldwide. Founded more than 150 years ago, Jungbunzlauer has grown into a CHF 1.3 billion company, driven by nearly 1,400 dedicated colleagues committed to a healthier, more sustainable future. Learn more at www.jungbunzlauer.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801357/Jungbunzlauer.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2729543/5574002/Jungbunzlauer_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/jungbunzlauer-launches-highly-bioavailable-fully-chelated-magnesium-bisglycinate-at-supplyside-global-2025-302589972.html Polpharma Biologics today announced Ranivisio PFS (ranibizumab biosimilar pre-filled syringe), is now commercially available in France. Ranivisio is the first Lucentis biosimilar which is offered in a convenient pre-filled syringe (PFS) presentation in Europe, setting a new standard for affordable biologics in ophthalmic care. This innovative configuration provides precise dosing and ease of use, supporting efficient administration for patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Bioeq AG, a joint venture between Polpharma Biologics Group BV and Formycon AG, is responsible for the development and licensing of Ranivisio PFS. Teva holds the commercialization rights for France under an exclusive licensing agreement with Bioeq. The drug substance for Ranivisio PFS is manufactured by Polpharma Biologics S.A. a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) operating under the Rezon Bio brand, at its facilities in Poland. Rezon Bio is responsible for the commercial supply of the drug substance, ensuring consistent quality and reliability. "The launch of Ranivisio PFS in France is another important step in our mission to broaden access to biologic medicines. With the first Lucentis biosimilar available in a pre-filled syringe in Europe, we are setting a new standard for ophthalmic treatment. We are proud to support our partners in bringing an innovative, high-quality therapy to patients and healthcare professionals," said Anjan Selz, CEO of Polpharma Biologics. About Polpharma Biologics Polpharma Biologics is a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes biosimilars for global markets. We manage the entire value chain: from product selection and investment allocation, through program execution to asset monetization, ensuring fast progress from idea to launch. Our international team of senior experts has proven experience in program leadership, regulatory strategy, CMC integration, device development, clinical oversight, and quality assurance. Working with trusted CDMOs, we deliver end-to-end biosimilars, from cell line to finished product, across a range of major therapeutic areas. Our commercial partners ensure access for patients to these medicines worldwide. Our mission is to accelerate access to biologics. To fulfill that mission, we maintain a robust, expanding pipeline of biosimilars in development. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020957383/en/ Contacts: Rupert Birkett-Eyles Rupert.BirkettEyles@ruderfinn.com +44(0) 7876163218 LONDON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bizcap, together with its US affiliate NewCo Capital Group , is proud to announce that it has acquired 8fig and that it has become part of the Bizcap Group, marking a major step in the fintech company's global expansion and leadership in technology-led business funding. Founded in 2020, 8fig has delivered more than $500 million in funding to online sellers and developed its pioneering "AI CFO" tool, enabling small businesses to plan, forecast, and scale with confidence. By joining Bizcap's global ecosystem, 8fig will retain its independence under its existing brand and leadership, while gaining access to Bizcap's capital strength, global reach and operational expertise. For Bizcap, the partnership highlights its strength in integrating high-growth fintechs, reinforcing its global leadership in non-bank lending. Bizcap Global's Co-Founder and Co-CEO Albert Gahfi said 8fig's vision for e-commerce innovation aligns with Bizcap's mission to empower small businesses with tools and capital for growth. "We're impressed not just by 8fig's technology, but by how it's built - with a strong focus on customer needs, adaptability, and long-term success," he said. "8fig has the right platform, the right people, and the right mindset to make a global impact, and we're excited to combine that strength with Bizcap's reach and expertise to broaden our product offering and accelerate market penetration." A global ecosystem for growth Bizcap and its affiliates have delivered more than $3 billion in funding to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) worldwide. Operating in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe - and with expansion plans for Mexico - Bizcap continues to broaden its product suite, including its line of credit offering. The partnership with 8fig enhances Bizcap's strengths in automated underwriting, AI-driven funding, and intelligent business tools. SMEs will gain smarter solutions for cash flow, inventory, and growth planning, while brokers and partners will access broader options, from working capital and credit lines to structured growth financing. Together, these advancements will deliver faster, more tailored access to capital across regions, solidifying Bizcap's position as the partner of choice for business finance. Where funding meets intelligence 8fig's advanced technology and AI-driven innovation will position Bizcap at the intersection of commercial funding and financial intelligence, helping SMEs to access smarter and faster funding solutions. Zalman Blachman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bizcap Global, said 8fig's automated underwriting and servicing platform will accelerate Bizcap's ambitions. "8fig turns complexity into speed, accuracy, and intelligence. Their innovation amplifies our mission to deliver fast, flexible capital and positions Bizcap at the forefront of the future of small business lending," he said. Bizcap will integrate 8fig's AI-driven systems, enabling the rapid development of cheaper, longer-term funding products and further expanding its global market share. Meanwhile, Bizcap's global scale, operational expertise, and access to capital will fuel 8fig's next phase of growth. Yaron Shapira, CEO of 8fig, said the partnership will accelerate growth by expanding technology, entering new markets, and forming strategic alliances without budget limits. "Our mission remains the same: empowering SMEs and e-commerce businesses to scale globally. With Bizcap's talented team beside us, we're ready to take that mission to new heights," he said. About Bizcap Bizcap is a global non-bank financing provider offering fast, flexible funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, US (as NewCo Capital Group), Canada, the UK, and Europe. Founded in 2019, Bizcap empowers SMEs by offering approvals in as little as three hours, with same-day funding available. Bizcap has funded more than 66,000 SMEs, totalling AUD$3 billion, while holding a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating. For more information, visit bizcap.com.au About 8Fig 8fig is an AI-driven funding and cash flow planning platform for e-commerce sellers. The company was founded in 2020 by co-founders Yaron Shapira, Assaf Dagan and Roei Yellin. Its "AI CFO" combines continuous, flexible growth capital with planning tools across cash flow, inventory, and supply chain which helps online sellers forecast and scale with confidence. To date, 8fig has delivered more than US$500 million in funding to online sellers. For more information, visit 8fig.co View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ai-meets-capital-bizcap-welcomes-8fig-into-its-global-portfolio-to-accelerate-growth-funding-302589598.html BAOTING, China, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, China officially announced its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) and launched the "AI+" International Cooperation Initiative, integrating the digital-green twin transition into the vision of a shared future. Coinciding with this, the International Conference "From Commitment to Implementation: Hainan's Actions in the COP Process" was successfully held on 20 October in Baoting, Hainan, China, jointly organized by the People's Government of Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, the Chinese Society for Sustainable Development, and the Ningyuan Institute of Climate and Sustainable Development (Hainan). Over one hundred representatives from international organizations, Chinese and European governments, research institutes, and enterprises attended the event, to jointly explore how local governments can play a pivotal role in implementing NDC. Baoting: A County-Level Test Field for China's NDC As the only county-level entity in China included in the China-EU Green and Digital Innovation Cooperation Zone, Baoting leverages the Hainan Free Trade Port's policies of zero tariffs, low tax rates, and a simplified tax regime, as well as facilitated cross-border data flows, to create unique advantages for international cooperation and green-digital transformation. Positioned within what will become the world's largest free trade port, Baoting has already established a solid foundation for advancing green and digital transition. Baoting's core practices in zero-carbon transition include: Promote electrification, energy efficiency retrofits, and integrated energy services across key sectors, including industry, building, transportation and tourism, to cut carbon intensity; Strengthen rainforest and river-valley carbon sinks to balance reduction and sequestration; Build a "carbon account + carbon budget" platform aligned with global standards; Pilot mutual recognition with the EU CBAM to offer compliant, low-cost supply chain solutions. Global Climate Leaders Speak Highly of the "Baoting Solution" Xie Zhenhua, China's First Special Envoy for Climate Change Affairs, pointed out that under the framework of China's new round of NDCs and the Joint EU-China Press Statement on Climate, Baoting's practical cooperation with European partners is not only a key measure to advance its own sustainable development and the goals of building Hainan Free Trade Port and a zero-carbon island, but also a contribution of the "Baoting Solution" to the global vision of zero-carbon development through the implementation of concrete projects. pointed out that under the framework of China's new round of NDCs and the Joint EU-China Press Statement on Climate, Baoting's practical cooperation with European partners is not only a key measure to advance its own sustainable development and the goals of building Hainan Free Trade Port and a zero-carbon island, but also a contribution of the "Baoting Solution" to the global vision of zero-carbon development through the implementation of concrete projects. Laurence Tubiana, COP30 Special Envoy to Europe and CEO of the European Climate Foundation, emphasized that achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement must rely on strong local action. She commended Baoting as an inspiring example, recognizing the project's value in fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration across government, academia, industry, and European partners, and noted that Hainan's experience could serve as a model for other island economies.. At the roundtable session "Shaping a New Paradigm for Global Future Cities and Climate Governance," Beate Trankmann, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, joined Cai Yaoze, Mayor of Baoting; Ji Weidong, Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Co-Chair of the United Nations University Global AI Network; Peter Ling-Vannerus, Chief Representative of SEB Beijing; Cong Ronggang, Professor at Beijing Institute of Technology; Gary Zhao, General Manager of BRE China; and Duncan Yu, General Manager for Asia at Withings. Together, they engaged in an in-depth discussion on five "Commitment-to-Action" pathways-Indicators, Finance, Technology, Governance, and Scenarios-exploring how to translate global climate ambition into city-level solutions that are quantifiable, financeable, implementable, governable, and experienceable. "AI+" Empowering China-EU Climate Cooperation The conference emphasized the key role of artificial intelligence in climate governance. "AI+" solutions, exemplified by the "Zidong Taichu" large -scale AI model, are being widely applied in fields such as county-level governance, proactive health, digital economy, and green finance. Flagship projects introduced at the conference include: Promote intelligent building design across the full life cycle to foster green, healthy, and smart living environments; Integrate medical-grade wearable devices into communities, workplaces, and hospitals, creating an end-to-end pathway from technology validation to commercial application that supports European digital health enterprises entering the Chinese market. "3+7+4" Flagship Projects Build a China-EU Green and Digital Innovation Ecosystem A "European Partners Acceleration Camp" at the conference saw the signing of the "3+7+4" flagship projects: 3 Top-Level Mechanism Projects: Establishing a replicable "Ocean-Island Zero-Carbon Resilience" development model and a comprehensive toolbox for policy, standards, law, finance, and knowledge-sharing. Establishing a replicable "Ocean-Island Zero-Carbon Resilience" development model and a comprehensive toolbox for policy, standards, law, finance, and knowledge-sharing. 7 International Industry Projects: Focusing on digital therapeutics, green and low-carbon building and community standards, all-age smart health communities, integrated green energy systems, and AI-enabled carbon and building management, co-developing leading international standards and demonstration projects with European partners. Focusing on digital therapeutics, green and low-carbon building and community standards, all-age smart health communities, integrated green energy systems, and AI-enabled carbon and building management, co-developing leading international standards and demonstration projects with European partners. 4 Flagship Pilot Projects: Advancing cross-border healthcare, negative-carbon wellness, natural therapy, and proactive-health technologies to build global standard-setting infrastructure. European cities and institutions are invited to join the second batch of partners. (Link: https://gdip.cgsda.org/) Action Roadmap: From Vision to Implementation Li Meng, Chairman of the Chinese Society for Sustainable Development and Former Vice Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, outlined four priorities-- mutual recognition of standards, legal frameworks, financial innovation, and ethical safeguards for AI climate applications, and further outlined Baoting Innovation Zone's key action plan for the coming year , which include: launching the Hainan Proactive Health Science Infrastructure and Clinical Research Translation Platform project, project, developing and deploying the Baoting Carbon Management Digital Platform 2.0 , , introducing the China-EU 1.5C Healthy Community Certification Label , and , and releasing the Baoting Green Digital Innovation Index. Expert Insights Mu Kerui, Party Secretary of Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, Hainan Province, shared innovative explorations and pilot practices in developing urban climate resilience models of Baoting for marine and island regions from the perspective of urban governance and sustainable development. shared innovative explorations and pilot practices in developing urban climate resilience models of Baoting for marine and island regions from the perspective of urban governance and sustainable development. Qiao Jie, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Executive Vice President of Peking University, introduced the impact of climate change on reproductive and child health, explained the important application of AI-enabled full-life-cycle health promotion in the context of global climate change, and proposed that the practice of the Baoting Innovation Zone will help create a new paradigm for full-life-cycle proactive health management. introduced the impact of climate change on reproductive and child health, explained the important application of AI-enabled full-life-cycle health promotion in the context of global climate change, and proposed that the practice of the Baoting Innovation Zone will help create a new paradigm for full-life-cycle proactive health management. Yuan Feng, Vice Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University , starting from the relationship between "emission reduction and health", put forward the concept of "design thinking + proactive health" architectural intelligent agents, helping Baoting build a global demonstration of proactive health and climate healing. , starting from the relationship between "emission reduction and health", put forward the concept of "design thinking + proactive health" architectural intelligent agents, helping Baoting build a global demonstration of proactive health and climate healing. Jonas Tornblom , Founding Chair of the Sweden-China Green-Tech Alliance and Co-Director of the China-Europe Innovation Center for Sustainable Development (CEIC) , said CEIC will advance mutual recognition of carbon standards, digital twins, green finance, blue economy, and low-carbon healthcare. , , said CEIC will advance mutual recognition of carbon standards, digital twins, green finance, blue economy, and low-carbon healthcare. Xu Bo, Director of the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, demonstrated the broad application scenarios of the "Zidong Taichu" multimodal large model in county-level governance, with "AI+" providing an engine for zero-carbon Baoting. demonstrated the broad application scenarios of the "Zidong Taichu" multimodal large model in county-level governance, with "AI+" providing an engine for zero-carbon Baoting. Peng Yiting , Chairman of Asia Allied Infrastructure Holdings , emphasized principle of "planning first and standards-led development," calling for a dual drive of digital and green transformation to build Baoting into both an "innovation factory" and a "showcase hall" for green technologies. , , emphasized principle of "planning first and standards-led development," calling for a dual drive of digital and green transformation to build Baoting into both an "innovation factory" and a "showcase hall" for green technologies. Tang Hua , Director General of the Hainan Bureau of International Economic Development , highlighted that Hainan's modern "4+5+3+2" industrial system will create broad opportunities for international cooperation. , , highlighted that Hainan's modern "4+5+3+2" industrial system will create broad opportunities for international cooperation. Erik Berglof, Chief Economist of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), advocates for public-private collaborative investment in natural infrastructure, addresses climate change through the linkage of "climate-nature-human health", and expresses recognition for Baoting's integrated solutions based on natural assets. Two Closed-Door Meetings Launch Working Groups for Key Areas: Mutual Recognition of Carbon Standards: A Neutral and Inclusive Paradigm for AI Urban Governance , launched the Asia Regional Working Group on Carbon Standard Mutual Recognition. , launched the Asia Regional Working Group on Carbon Standard Mutual Recognition. Sustainable Legal Mechanisms for Oceanic and Island Regions, established the Island Climate Legal Research Working Group. Conclusion Ten years ago, the Paris Agreement enshrined a shared pledge-- to limit global warming to within 1.5C. Today, a decade on, Baoting in Hainan answers that call through its new NDC commitment and the momentum of the Hainan Free Trade Port's 2025 customs closure, extending to global partners an invitation to co-build zero-carbon counties. It is a call to turn commitments into action, let technology take root, and transform green dividends into tangible real benefits for the peoples of China and Europe. See you in Baoting. See you in Europe. See you at COP30. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801324/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801325/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801326/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801327/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801328/image.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/baoting-hainan-launches-china-eu-zero-carbon-county-cooperation-initiative-to-mark-10th-anniversary-of-paris-agreement-302589981.html Croatian economist says China's GDP data show "stable growth", resilience Xinhua) 09:14, October 21, 2025 ZAGREB, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's economy expanded 4.8 percent year on year in the third quarter, demonstrating its stable growth trend, Ljubo Jurcic, Croatian economist and former minister of economy, said on Monday, calling the data remarkable. Jurcic told Xinhua he remains optimistic about the Chinese economy, expecting the growth momentum to continue. "I expected such results, and they will continue to move around these figures in the future," he said. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 5.2 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2025, reaching over 101.5 trillion yuan (about 14.3 trillion U.S. dollars), as positive factors accumulated despite global headwinds. Jurcic said steady growth has also shown that the Chinese economy is sufficiently resilient to unfavourable factors, such as tariffs and trade protectionism. In contrast to some earlier estimates that such challenges would destroy the Chinese economy, he emphasized that "Chinese economic growth is stable and satisfactory." Noting that the economic growth rate of 4.8 percent is remarkable, Jurcic attributed the performance to China's economic transformation. He said China's economy has been increasingly focusing on high-quality development by the advancement of high-tech and green industries, and this shift has provided momentum and potential for sustained and stable growth. The Croatian economist described China as "an indispensable engine of the world economy." "Without China, further economic growth in the world is unthinkable," he added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of FNP-223 (oral formulation) in slowing the progression of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) The study is being conducted across 44 centers in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States The study reinforces Ferrer's commitment to researching and developing transformative therapeutic solutions for people with rare neurological diseases Spanish international pharmaceutical company Ferrer has announced the completion of patient recruitment for the PROSPER study, a Phase II clinical trial designed to assess the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of FNP-223, an orally available, potent and selective inhibitor of the OGA enzyme, in-licensed from Asceneuron, aimed at slowing disease progression in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)1 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021806533/en/ Ferrer's pharmaceutical production plant in Sant Cugat del Valles, Barcelona, Spain. PSP is a rare, rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disease2. To date, no disease-modifying therapies have been approved for PSP. The PROSPER study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial3 that has successfully recruited the planned number of 220 participants with PSP in just 14 months, achieving this milestone on October 6th, two months ahead of schedule. A total of 44 centers across the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States are participating. The study design includes a six-week screening period, followed by 52 weeks' treatment with either FNP-223 or placebo and a subsequent four-week follow-up period after the completion of treatment3 The study focuses on participants with early-stage progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome (PSP-RS), a critical stage during which early intervention may have the greatest impact on slowing disease progression. Identifying the disease at this stage is a significant challenge due to its rapid progression and diagnostic complexity, making the achievement of this recruitment milestone ahead of schedule even more meaningful. Prof. Dr. Med. Gunter Hoglinger, from the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, and principal investigator and coordinator of the PROSPER study, stated: "I am deeply grateful to the patients, their caregivers, and the dedicated teams at our academic centers for their outstanding commitment, which has enabled us to reach this important milestone so swiftly. Together, we are making significant progress toward answering a critical scientific question: the role of OGA inhibition in PSP. Our shared efforts bring us closer to developing solutions that may truly improve the lives of patients." According to Kristophe Diaz, Chief Executive Officer of CurePSP, "Achieving full enrollment in a PSP clinical trial is no small feat, and Ferrer's success with the PROSPER study is both a scientific and human milestone. Behind this progress are patients and families who choose to turn hope into action, and their participation accelerates the entire ecosystem toward meaningful therapies for PSP. For our community, each step like this brings us closer to lasting change." Oscar Perez, Chief Scientific Officer at Ferrer, noted: "The early completion of recruitment marks a key step in Ferrer's commitment to accelerating clinical research programs for complex and rare diseases such as PSP. In line with our purpose of using business to fight for social justice, we hope to deliver a potential solution that transforms the lives of people affected by this disease and those around them. We are deeply grateful to the patients, families, caregivers, investigators and patient associations for their trust and support, without which this milestone would not have been possible." Ferrer has also incorporated input from patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals into the design of the PROSPER study, with the goal of tailoring clinical research to the real needs of participants, improving their experience, and ensuring more impactful clinical research. Ferrer's commitment to research Ferrer is an international company based in Barcelona, strongly committed to the research and development of innovative therapies in areas of high unmet medical need, such as rare neurological diseases and pulmonary vascular and interstitial diseases. The company focuses on complex, global clinical developments, advancing projects across multiple stages of research. With studies like PROSPER, Ferrer reinforces its mission to generate positive social impact by developing transformative solutions for serious and low-prevalence diseases that currently lack approved or available treatments. About PSP Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects people over 60 years old and progresses rapidly, leading to severe disability. PSP is a primary tauopathy caused by the abnormal accumulation of the tau protein in areas of the brain that control movement and cognition, particularly in subcortical regions and the brainstem4,5. This buildup damages nerve cells and disrupts brain function, resulting in symptoms such as loss of balance, difficulty speaking or swallowing, abnormal eye movements, and cognitive or mood disturbances6 Although PSP is rare, affecting between 5.8 and 6.5 people per 100,0007, its impact is profound: loss of independence typically occurs within a few years7, and average life expectancy after diagnosis ranges from 6 to 9 years. Genetic cases are uncommon8, though more than ten associated genes have been identified, with mutations in the MAPT gene being the main risk factor9. The potential role of environmental factors, such as exposure to toxins or infectious agents, is also under investigation7 About Ferrer At Ferrer we use business to fight for social justice. We have long been a company that looks to do things differently; instead of maximizing shareholder returns, we reinvest much of our profit in initiatives that give back to society. Back where it belongs. We go beyond compliance and are guided by the highest standards of sustainability, ethics and integrity. As such, we are the highest-rated B Corp pharma company in the world. Founded in Barcelona in 1959, Ferrer offers transformative solutions for life-threatening diseases in more than one hundred countries. In line with our purpose, we have an increasing focus on pulmonary vascular and interstitial lung diseases and rare neurological diseases. Our 1,800-strong team is driven by a clear conviction: our business is not an end in itself, but a way to change lives. We are Ferrer. Ferrer for good. www.ferrer.com References: Permanne B, Sand A, Ousson S, Neny M, Hantson J, Schubert R, Wiessner C, Quattropani A, Beher D. O-GlcNAcase Inhibitor ASN90 is a Multimodal Drug Candidate for Tau and a-Synuclein Proteinopathies. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2022 Apr 20;13(8):1296-1314. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00057. Epub 2022 Mar 31. PMID: 35357812; PMCID: PMC9026285. Hoglinger GU, et al. Mov Disord. 2017;32(6):853-864; 2. Agarwal S and Gilbert R. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. [Updated 2023 Mar 27]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan. Available at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526098/ (Accessed: August 2025); 3. Boxer LB, et al. Lancet Neurol. 2017;16(7):552-563 ClinicalTrials.gov: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Phase 2 Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety, and Pharmacokinetics of FNP-223 (Oral Formulation) to Slow the Disease Progression of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) (PROSPER). ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. Available at: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06355531. Accessed on 01/10/2025 Murray ME, Kouri N, Lin WL, Jack CR, Jr., Dickson DW, Vemuri P. Clinicopathologic assessment and imaging of tauopathies in neurodegenerative dementias. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2014;6(1):1. doi: 10.1186/alzrt231. Planche V, Mansencal B, Manjon JV, Meissner WG, Tourdias T, Coupe P. Staging of progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome using MRI brain charts for the human lifespan. Brain Commun. 2024;6(2):fcae055. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae055. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) [Internet]. Bethesda: National Institutes of Health; start date unknown [last updated date unknown; cited 23 Apr 2025]. Available at: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/progressive-supranuclear-palsy-psp. Agarwal S, Gilbert R. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing Ichikawa-Escamilla E, Velasco-Martinez RA, Adalid-Peralta L. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy syndrome: an overview. IBRO Neurosci Rep. 2024;16:598-608. doi: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2024.04.008. Donker Kaat L, Boon AJ, Azmani A, Kamphorst W, Breteler MM, Anar B, et al. Familial aggregation of parkinsonism in progressive supranuclear palsy. Neurology. 2009;73(2):98-105. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181a92bcc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021806533/en/ Contacts: gortizdez@ferrer.com + 34 93 600 3779 StratifAI, the AI precision oncology company behind the Polaris platform, today announced its selection for the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) iHub Challenge 2025 Cohort program. This engagement will provide StratifAI with access to MSK's extensive clinical datasets and the opportunity to collaborate directly with leading clinicians and researchers to accelerate validation of its Polaris platform. Building a new standard in biomarker validation For decades, biomarker discovery has been limited by high costs, slow processes, and narrow scope. StratifAI overcomes these barriers with Polaris, a fully digital, multimodal AI platform that transforms routine clinical data, already integral to everyday care, into novel biomarkers that guide treatment decisions. By eliminating the need for costly and specialized inputs, Polaris is designed for global scalability and broad access to precision oncology. Through MSK's resources, StratifAI will further validate Polaris on real-world clinical data as it advances toward regulatory approval and guideline inclusion in the EU and US. Pathways beyond the challenge The collaboration aims not only to accelerate validation during the Challenge but also hopes to establish a foundation for extended collaboration. StratifAI and MSK hope to build pathways that support ongoing validation of Polaris in diverse clinical contexts, strengthening its utility for oncologists worldwide. "Validating Polaris on thousands of patient samples from MSK is a decisive stride toward clinical certification and guideline inclusion across major healthcare systems," said Omar El Nahhas, CEO and co-founder of StratifAI. "Partnering with MSK's world-class clinicians and researchers allows us to refine the platform and advance our mission of enabling global access to top-tier cancer care." "We are excited to work with StratifAI as part of the MSK iHub Challenge 2025 Cohort. Throughout our competitive evaluation and selection process for this Cohort, it was clear that StratifAI has a focus on technology innovations that can be accelerated to impact through support from MSK," said Rick Peng, who manages the iHub program and serves as Lead, Digital Ventures, in MSK's Office of Entrepreneurship Commercialization. Focus on breast cancer recurrence risk This collaboration builds on StratifAI's ongoing validation of Polaris Breast, a test designed to assess recurrence risk in early-stage breast cancer. By combining exclusive data access partnerships across Europe and the United States, StratifAI is generating the robust clinical evidence required for regulatory approval, reimbursement, and integration into international treatment guidelines. About StratifAI StratifAI is a precision oncology company developing the next generation of biomarkers to advance cancer diagnostics. Its discovery platform, Polaris, applies multimodal AI to clinical data, identifying prognostic and predictive biomarkers that enable more equitable and individualized treatment strategies across solid-tumor cancers. Polaris Breast, the company's first diagnostic, assesses metastatic risk in early breast cancer directly from digitized histology slides, supporting better treatment decisions. Retrospectively validated on thousands of patients from Phase III trials and real-world clinical settings, Polaris Breast is available for research use only and is undergoing regulatory approval in the EU and US. Website: www.stratifai.com For more information about the MSK iHub and iHub Challenge programs, visit Commercialization Accelerators Programs: MSK iHub Challenge Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020352848/en/ Contacts: Meri Khazaradze Marketing Manager press@stratifai.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices struggled for direction on Tuesday, after having hit their lowest since early May the previous day amid ongoing concerns over a potential global glut. Benchmark Brent crude futures were down 0.1 percent at $60.97 a barrel in European trade, while WTI crude futures were little changed at $56.98. Supply glut fears continued to drag on prices, following last week's downward trajectory after the International Energy Agency upgraded supply forecasts and lowered demand growth projections, predicting a potential surplus of 3-4 million barrels per day extending into 2026. Trade tensions also spurred demand concerns. U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to China, threatening to impose tariffs of up to 155 percent starting the 1st of next month if a new trade deal is not reached. On the geopolitical front, investor attention has shifted to the upcoming meeting between the presidents of the United States and Russia in Hungary, with EU officials warning that Russian President Putin's presence in Hungary sends the wrong signal. 'It's not nice to see a person under an ICC arrest warrant coming to a European country,' said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Germany's EU minister stressed that Ukraine must be part of any talks or 'it will be a failed agreement'. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Sylogist Ltd. (TSX: SYZ) ("Sylogist" or the "Company"), a leading public sector SaaS company, today announced that it will host an Investor Day on Thursday, January 22, 2026, in Toronto, Ontario. Presentations will begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. During the event, Sylogist executive leadership will discuss the progress of the Company's three leading SaaS platforms, positioning in the market, customer sentiment, and the effectiveness of the Company's go-to-market strategy with its expanding partner network. Sylogist's Investor Day is open to the investment community. Interested parties wishing to attend can RSVP for the event by emailing the Company's investor relations team at ir@sylogist.com. Presentation at the Planet MicroCap Showcase in Toronto Sylogist also announced today that it will be presenting at the Planet MicroCap Showcase: TORONTO 2025 in partnership with MicroCapClub on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 9:30am EST at the Arcadian Loft in downtown Toronto. CEO Bill Wood will be hosting the presentation and answering questions at the conclusion. To access the live presentation, please use the following information: Webcast: https://event.summitcast.com/view/34SFNFBix4cZpKNiohrXeh/VGajXwYti9JRWsSGhDXDAX About Sylogist Sylogist provides mission-critical SaaS solutions to over 2,000 public sector customers across the government, nonprofit, and education market segments. The Company's stock is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SYZ. Information about Sylogist, inclusive of full financial statements together with Management's Discussion and Analysis, can be found at sedarplus.ca or at sylogist.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271226 SOURCE: Sylogist Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Powermax Minerals Inc. (CSE: PMAX) (OTCQB: PWMXF) (FSE: T23) ("Powermax" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced a high-resolution helicopter-borne magnetic and gamma-ray spectrometric survey over the Company's Atikokan REE Properties (Blocks A, B and C) in northwestern Ontario. Powermax has engaged Geo Data Solutions GDS Inc. ("GDS") of Laval, Quebec to conduct the survey. The program will cover approximately 1,388 line-kilometres with 100-metre traverse line spacing and 500-metre tie lines, utilizing an AS350 BA+ helicopter, a Geometrics G-822A cesium magnetometer, and a Radiation Solutions RSX-5 spectrometer. Deliverables will include processed magnetic products (residual total field, first vertical derivative), radiometric products (K%, eU, eTh, dose-rate), and element ratios (U/Th, U/K, Th/K), together with a final report and Geosoft-format data and grids. Objectives & Rationale The airborne survey is designed to rapidly refine geological structure, map lithological variations, and highlight radiometric anomalies associated with rare earth element (REE)-bearing systems. Results will be further processed and integrated with surface mapping and geochemical data to generate and prioritize targets for subsequent fieldwork. Technical Overview (Summary) Contractor: Geo Data Solutions GDS Inc. (IAGSA member) Geo Data Solutions GDS Inc. (IAGSA member) Platform: AS350 BA+ helicopter (or equivalent) AS350 BA+ helicopter (or equivalent) Magnetics: Geometrics G-822A cesium sensor with real-time compensation Geometrics G-822A cesium sensor with real-time compensation Radiometrics: Radiation Solutions RSX-5 (4 downward + 1 upward crystals) Radiation Solutions RSX-5 (4 downward + 1 upward crystals) Coverage: ~1,388 line-km; 100 m lines / 500 m ties; NAD83 UTM Zone 15N ~1,388 line-km; 100 m lines / 500 m ties; NAD83 UTM Zone 15N Products: Magnetic (RTP/residual, 1VD), DEM; K%, eU, eTh, dose-rate; U/Th, U/K, Th/K; PDF maps, Geosoft line database and grids; final technical report. Planned Timeline Subject to weather and operational conditions, GDS anticipates efficient daily production and delivery of final processed datasets and report shortly after acquisition is complete. Integration with the 2025 Exploration Program This airborne survey represents a key component of the Company's broader Phase 1 exploration program announced earlier this month, which includes: Desktop compilation and GIS modeling to integrate historical geological, geophysical, and geochemical datasets; to integrate historical geological, geophysical, and geochemical datasets; Prospecting and geological mapping to identify and characterize pegmatite zones and mineralized structures; to identify and characterize pegmatite zones and mineralized structures; Geochemical sampling , including rock, soil, and stream sediment sampling; and , including rock, soil, and stream sediment sampling; and Ground radiometric surveys using handheld scintillometers to support anomaly validation. Data from the airborne program will be merged with these surface results to refine geological interpretations and prioritize high-potential REE targets for detailed follow-up exploration in 2026. CEO Statement "Launching this airborne program is an important step in advancing our Atikokan REE portfolio," said Paul Gorman, CEO of Powermax. "High-resolution magnetics and spectrometry are proven tools for vectoring toward REE-prospective lithologies and structures, and we look forward to translating these results into ranked drill-ready targets. By integrating airborne and ground-based datasets, Powermax aims to establish a comprehensive understanding of the property's subsurface geology and identify priority zones for rare earth element exploration." Figure 1: Atikokan Property Location Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11633/271268_d09374c4148319a5_001full.jpg Project Significance The Atikokan Property is strategically located within a prospective rare-metal corridor of the Superior Province, where previous surveys have documented REE-enriched granitic and pegmatitic systems. The upcoming program aims to confirm these regional geochemical trends and delineate potential mineralized zones suitable for detailed follow-up work, including trenching and diamond drilling. Atikokan Property Overview The Atikokan Property comprises three claim blocks (A, B, and C) covering a total of approximately 9,290 hectares. The property is underlain by Archean granodiorite-granite, tonalite, diorite-monzodiorite, and gneissic complexes that are known to host pegmatites and rare-metal mineralization, including rare earth elements (REEs), uranium, thorium, and niobium. Regional geochemical and radiometric data from the Ontario Geological Survey have outlined several lake sediment anomalies that form the focus of this phase of work. The Company also announces that it has granted 200,000 stock options ("Options") to a consultant of the Company, pursuant to its Omnibus Plan, at an exercise price of $0.96 per share. The Options will be exercisable for a period of five years and will vest four months and a day following the grant date. The Company has granted 1,650,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company, pursuant to the Company's Omnibus plan. The Options and RSUs granted under the Omnibus Plan are subject to shareholder approval at the Company's next annual general meeting. Qualified Person The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Afzaal Pirzada, P.Geo., who is a director of the Company and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About Powermax Minerals Inc. Powermax Minerals Inc. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on advancing rare earth element projects. The Company holds an option to acquire the Cameron REE Property, comprising three mineral claims totaling approximately 2,984 hectares in British Columbia. Powermax also optioned to acquire the Atikokan REE Property, consisting of 455 unpatented mining claims in NW Ontario. Powermax also owns a 100% interest in the Ogden Bear Lodge Project, in Crook County, Wyoming. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions of management and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding potential mineralization, exploration plans, timing of activities, and future exploration results. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Powermax Minerals Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in CSE policies) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271268 SOURCE: Powermax Minerals Inc. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold prices eased from record highs on Tuesday as investors rushed back into risky assets on the back of earnings optimism, signs of easing U.S.-China tensions and hopes for an end to the U.S. government shutdown Spot gold tumbled a little over 2 percent to $4,267.50 an ounce in European trade, while U.S. gold futures were down 1.8 percent at $4,281.96. U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that the U.S and China are on track for a significant trade agreement, while warning that if negotiations fail, China could face tariffs as high as 155 percent starting November 1. Trump also said he will visit China early next year after receiving an invitation from Beijing. 'I've been invited to go to China, and I'll be doing that sometime fairly early next year. We have it sort of set,' Trump told reporters at the White House. Meanwhile, the 20-day U.S. federal government shutdown is likely to end this week, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said, adding if the shutdown does not end, the White House would consider additional cost-cutting action. Democrats and Republicans are still at odds over federal healthcare subsidies and it is feared that a prolonged standoff could dent near-term GDP growth. Elsewhere, leading banks have raised their estimates after China's third-quarter GDP topped forecasts. At 4.8 percent, Q3 GDP print beat market expectations, though evidence of waning fiscal stimulus continues to show. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Institute to Develop Novel Laser Fusion Reactor As Part of Japan's Initiative to Pursue Challenging Concepts to Solve Issues Facing Future Society PALO ALTO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / The Director of the Blue Laser Fusion Energy Collaborative Research Institute, jointly established by Blue Laser Fusion Inc. (BLF) and the University of Osaka (UOsaka), has been selected as one of the Project Managers (PMs) for Japan's prestigious Moonshot Research and Development Program (Moonshot Program) to develop an innovative fusion reactor using BLF's novel laser technology. The project, led by Professor Shinsuke Fujioka of the High Energy Density Science Division in the UOsaka Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE), who also serves as Director of the BLF Energy Collaborative Research Institute, is a multi-year initiative focused on advancing BLF's laser, target ignition, and reactor design with a goal of demonstration of a laser-based fusion energy generation system. The Institute will collaborate with other research partners, with the detailed project plan to be finalized in consultation with the Program Director and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) implements the Moonshot Program, which is led by Japan's Cabinet Office. The program pursues challenging R&D concepts set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in order to solve issues facing Japan's future society. Moonshot Program Goal 10 is related to fusion energy: "Realization of a dynamic society in harmony with the global environment and free from resource constraints, through diverse applications of fusion energy." For additional information about Japan's Moonshot program, see https://www.jst.go.jp/moonshot/en/program/goal10/index.html The selection of the Director of the BLF Energy Collaborative Research Institute as a PM for Moonshot Program Goal 10 results from a highly competitive process led by JST and their external experts, including open calls and a review of a large number of applications, followed by multiple rounds of document and interview screening, culminating in final selection of a small number of university and corporate teams. Dr. Shuji Nakamura, CEO of Blue Laser Fusion and 2014 Nobel Prize Winner, commented, "I am thrilled that Professor Fujioka, Director of the Blue Laser Fusion Energy Collaborative Research Institute at the University of Osaka, has been selected as Project Manager for Japan's world-renowned Moonshot Program. We are pleased to collaborate with the University of Osaka, Japan's leading laser fusion research and technology institution, as we work to accelerate the commercialization of laser-based fusion energy. BLF will continue to contribute, together with the University of Osaka, to solving Japan's energy challenges." Blue Laser Fusion enabling technology innovations include a high efficiency, cost effective optical enhancement cavity (OEC) laser delivering megajoule class pulse energy at a high repetition rate, coupled with a high gain fuel target to achieve commercial fusion. Beyond the Moonshot Program selection, BLF has won US Department of Energy INFUSE projects in collaborations with Caltech and Colorado State University, and the company is a corporate partner in the US DOE IFE-Star RISE HUB for inertial fusion energy. Additionally, Blue Laser Fusion is on the industrial council for the US DOE FIRE Collaboratives led by General Atomics on fusion targets and by Idaho National Labs on fusion reactor design. About Blue Laser Fusion, Inc. Blue Laser Fusion Inc. (BLF) is a leading fusion energy company based in Santa Barbara, CA with offices in Silicon Valley and Tokyo, Japan. BLF was founded in 2022 by Dr. Shuji Nakamura, 2014 Nobel Laureate in Physics and solid-state lighting pioneer, whose high efficiency LED lighting inventions have helped transform the world by substantially reducing the global energy power consumption. The company is commercializing a proprietary and novel laser fusion technology to achieve the world's first carbon-free, on demand, renewable, clean energy generation and to accelerate a transition to an electrified world. BLF aims to commercialize a GW scale reactor to provide power to the grid to meet the acute and increasing demand for clean energy for data centers and to support the AI revolution, for semiconductor chip fabrication facilities and chemical and steel production plants, as well as for electric vehicles and homes. The company has a comprehensive IP portfolio with more than 100 patents and applications internationally. To learn more, please visit: www.bluelaserfusion.com About The University of Osaka Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE) The Institute of Laser Engineering (ILE) at the University of Osaka, led by Director Ryosuke Kodama, is a world-leading research center for laser fusion and high-energy-density science. Originating from the Laser Engineering Research Facility under the School of Engineering, ILE has developed Japan's largest high-power laser systems, including GEKKO XII and LFEX, and pioneered new academic fields such as laser astrophysics and plasma photonics. Designated by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as a Joint Usage/Research Center, ILE provides open access to researchers worldwide and drives innovation across science and industry. ILE and Blue Laser Fusion launched a joint research division in October 2023, directed by Professor Shinsuke Fujioka, and have since collaborated closely. In April 2025, the collaboration expanded into the Blue Laser Fusion Energy Collaborative Research Institute, further accelerating their joint efforts. The institute's research focuses on developing high-average-power lasers, advancing clean fusion reactions, and evaluating technology and social acceptance for the societal implementation of fusion energy. For more information, please visit: www.ile.osaka-u.ac.jp Media contact: Blue Laser Fusion Inc. contact@bluelaserfusion.com SOURCE: Blue Laser Fusion Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/clean-technology/director-of-blue-laser-fusion-energy-collaborative-research-institute-selected-for-1088955 Yesterday evening KEFI announced the successful conclusion of US$240m in senior project debt capital for its Tulu Kapi project in Ethiopia (accounting for 70% of the total). Focus will now shift to closing the US$100m equity risk portion of project funding outstanding. At least US$40m of this has already been accounted for by KEFI itself and the Ethiopian government, with the balance of US$60m reported as being oversubscribed, with non-binding offers which the company can now finalise. Detailed documentation for the whole integrated package of equity, debt and insurance can now also be finalised and the company will convene general meetings of KEFI and its subsidiaries in November in order to approve those elements of the finance package requiring shareholder consent. KEFI will then also publish details of the finalised equity risk capital instruments employed, albeit they are already known to include a non-convertible preference share, a subordinated equity risk note structured as a 'gold prepayment' or 'stream' and ordinary equity at one or other Ethiopian subsidiary level to leave KEFI with a c 80% beneficial interest in Tulu Kapi. In the meantime, community resettlement continues apace at the same time as new all-weather access roads are constructed to site and the project is connected to Ethiopia's electricity grid. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Americans are seeing some of the lowest prices at the gas pump in more than four years, the White House claimed, quoting news reports. GasBuddy reports the nationwide average for gasoline has dropped to $2.98 per gallon - the lowest average intra-day price in four years - with prices expected to remain that way for the foreseeable future. 'Currently, 35 states have average gas prices below $2.99/gal, and GasBuddy even recorded the first $1.99 cash price at a station in Evans, Colorado, with stations in Oklahoma and Texas not far behind,' according to GasBuddy. 'Barring any major disruptions, gas prices are likely to remain slightly below year-ago levels and could stay under $3 for much of the next few months.' President Trump understands that energy dominance is a key driver for growing our economy and lowering costs - making good on a promise he repeatedly made on the campaign trail after years of Biden-induced economic disaster, the White House said. It added that under President Joe Biden, average gas prices remained above $3 per gallon for nearly the entirety of his presidency. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The investment enhances German facility to deliver more flexible and scalable drug delivery solutions Stevanato Group S.p.A. (NYSE: STVN), a leading global provider of drug containment, drug delivery and diagnostic solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences industries, announced a significant expansion of its drug delivery system manufacturing capacity, further strengthening its global footprint to meet the industry's evolving needs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021794026/en/ Stevanato Group team members at the Bad Oeynhausen site in northern Germany are pictured during the inauguration of the new cleanroom. At the center are Franco Stevanato, CEO; Marco Dal Lago, CFO; and Michele Monico, President of DDS and IVD Business Unit. As part of its footprint optimization plan, the Company recently added a state-of-the-art production space for drug delivery devices to its facility in Bad Oeynhausen, northern Germany. This initiative provides more than 2,500 square meters of advanced manufacturing capacity designed to serve global pharma and biotech partners seeking robust and resilient European supply-chain integration. The multi-million investment includes installation of an ISO 8 cleanroom environment, fully equipped for injection molding and automated assembly operations. These upgrades enable the site to support both Stevanato Group's proprietary device production and contract manufacturing services enhancing operational flexibility, scalability, and speed-to-market across the company's drug delivery systems portfolio. The enhanced Bad Oeynhausen facility plays a pivotal role in advancing the production of key portfolio devices, including the Aidaptus autoinjector and Alina pen injector platforms. By integrating the Company's core capabilities in glass primary packaging, analytical services, and equipment manufacturing, Stevanato Group continues to reinforce its position as a trusted partner in enabling safe, effective, and patient-centric combination products tailored to individual customer requirements. "This investment underscores our commitment to advancing self-injection technologies and supporting our customers in delivering better patient outcomes," said Michele Monico, President of DDS and IVD Business Unit at Stevanato Group. "As demand for drug delivery devices accelerates and patient adoption continues to rise-driven by the need for more convenient, personalized treatment options-expanding our manufacturing capacity is a strategic step to ensure readiness, agility, and innovation across our value chain." For more information on the latest DDS developments visit Stevanato Group's booth at PDA Vienna and CPHI Frankfurt. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may include forward-looking statements. The words "evolving", "continues", "accelerates", "rise", "ensure", and similar expressions (or their negative) identify certain of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are statements regarding the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, the investments the Company expects to receive, the expansion of manufacturing capacity, the Company's plans regarding its presence in the U.S. and other markets, business strategies, the Company's capacity to meet future market demands and support preparedness for future public health emergencies, and results of operations. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the Company's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behavior of other market participants, the actions of regulators and other factors such as the Company's ability to continue to obtain financing to meet its liquidity needs, changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which the Company operates or in economic or technological trends or conditions. In particular, the Company may determine not to conduct a registered initial public offering in the time frame that it currently expects or at all, due to a number of potential important factors, including conditions in the U.S. capital markets, negative global economic conditions, potential negative developments in the Company's business, or unfavorable or regulatory developments. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. Except as required by law, the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. About Stevanato Group Founded in 1949, Stevanato Group is a leading global provider of drug containment, drug delivery and diagnostic solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences industries. The Group delivers an integrated, end-to-end portfolio of products, processes and services that address customer needs across the entire drug life cycle at each of the development, clinical and commercial stages. Stevanato Group's core capabilities in scientific research and development, its commitment to technical innovation and its engineering excellence are central to its ability to offer value added solutions to clients. To learn more, visit: www.stevanatogroup.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021794026/en/ Contacts: Media Relations: Caterina Tripepi: caterina.tripepi@stevanatogroup.com Cassie Gonzalez: stevanatoUS@teamlewis.com Investor Relations: Lisa Miles: lisa.miles@stevanatogroup.com Giacomo Guiducci: giacomo.guiducci@stevanatogroup.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Lara Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: LRA) (OTC Pink: LRAXF), ("Lara" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA" or the "Study") on its 100% owned Planalto Copper-Gold deposit ("Planalto" or the "Project"), located in the Carajas mining district, Para State, Brazil. Planalto PEA highlights include1: Estimated production of 560 kt (2) (1.2 billion lb (2) ) of copper and 111 koz (2) gold over an 18-year life of mine (" LoM "). (1.2 billion lb ) of copper and 111 koz gold over an 18-year life of mine (" "). During the first 6 years, the PEA production schedule produces on average 36 kt (79 million lb (2) ) of copper and 7.2 koz of gold per year. ) of copper and 7.2 koz of gold per year. Open pit mining of shallow dipping copper-gold mineralisation with a LoM strip ratio of 2:1 (1.36:1 Years 1-6). Industry standard crush - grind - flotation processing plant operating at an annual rate of 8 Mt (2) of run of mine (" RoM ") feed, recovering 91% copper and 51% gold. of run of mine (" ") feed, recovering 91% copper and 51% gold. Producing a clean chalcopyrite concentrate grading 28% copper to be smelted internationally. Site access by a 4 km (2) road from the state highway with high tension powerlines alongside. road from the state highway with high tension powerlines alongside. Project located on private farmland between two major Carajas mining towns and within excellent infrastructure. Preliminary Economic Analysis: After-tax net present value (" NPV ") of US$378 million, at 8% discount rate After-tax internal rate of return (" IRR ") of 21% Payback period post-tax of 3.5 years from the start of production Initial capital expenditures of US$546 million and sustaining capital (including closure) of US$170 million Average LoM all-in sustaining costs (" AISC ") of US$5,920/t Cu payable Metals price assumptions used: copper price of US$9,500/t, gold price of US$2,500/oz Mining district infrastructure development advantage Planalto is located within excellent infrastructure, which will support the Project development and operation, having access to low-cost grid power via high tension power lines, a state highway passing through the Project licence area and mining skilled labour and industry service providers located close by. Renewable and low carbon energy sources dominate the Brazilian grid generation mix. This will contribute to lowering the carbon footprint of the Project. In addition, the current regulatory framework would allow Planalto to sign virtual power purchase agreements for renewable energy supply. Para state has a strong track record of supporting and permitting new mining projects, particularly within the Carajas mining district. Regional and federal agencies have provided various types of economic support to mining projects in the region including taxation relief (SUDAM) which should extend to and have been assumed for Planalto and the PEA. "The Lara team has a track record of discovery and value creation for shareholders, and we are pleased to be able to demonstrate through this Study, that Planalto has the key technical and economic elements at a scoping level to become a mine.", said Simon Ingram, CEO. "Furthermore, new copper mines are hard to find and often challenging to permit and build, Planalto's excellent local infrastructure and a positive state permitting environment will benefit Planalto as it moves through technical studies towards a potential production decision. The accelerating digitalisation and energy transition megatrends are compounding increasing copper demand and improving the long-term fundamentals of the copper market, which are expected to further benefit Planalto and Lara." Lara Chairman, Miles Thompson added "The newly acquired Atlantica Exploration Licence has historic drill intercepts with copper mineralisation similar to that at Planalto, directly along strike to the Silica Cap PEA pit. Further exploration within the enlarged Planalto licence area has the opportunity for additional near-term discovery." Readers are strongly encouraged to read the Company's Technical Report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") in respect of the PEA which will be filed on the Company's website and under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ within 45 days of this news release. The Technical Report will contain important qualifications, assumptions and exclusions that relate to the PEA. The PEA has an effective date of October 15, 2025. PEA Summary It is anticipated that Planalto will be developed as a conventional open pit mine, with processing via a conventional crushing and grinding circuit followed by froth flotation. The process plant with nameplate capacity of 8 Mtpa(3), will produce a single saleable chalcopyrite concentrate to be transported internationally to third-party smelters. Revenue will be from copper with gold credits. The Company retained SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd and SRK Consultores do Brasil Ltda., as Lara's independent engineering consultants to prepare the PEA in accordance with NI 43-101. Planalto MRE The PEA is based upon the Planalto Mineral Resource Estimate dated July 3, 2024 ("MRE") which was reported above a cut-off grade of 0.16% CuEq; see Table 11. Whilst SRK considers this cut-off grade to be suitable for the PEA, the metal prices currently prevailing are higher which presents is an opportunity to use a lower cut-off grade when resource reporting and mine planning work evolve in the future. The MRE comprises: Indicated Mineral Resources of 47.7 Mt (3) at an average grade of 0.53% Cu (3) and 0.06 g/t (3) Au (3) , or 0.56% CuEq (3) , containing 253 kt Cu (0.56 billion lb Cu); at an average grade of 0.53% Cu and 0.06 g/t Au , or 0.56% CuEq , containing 253 kt Cu (0.56 billion lb Cu); Inferred Mineral Resources of 154 Mt at an average grade of 0.36% Cu and 0.04g/t Au, or 0.38% CuEq, containing 549 kt Cu (1.2 billion lb Cu). All mineralised material processed in the PEA is from Mineral Resources that are currently classified as Indicated and Inferred. The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources which make up approximately 76% of the total Mineral Resources. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. While the Company intends to conduct further drilling with the objective of converting Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resources there can be no assurance this will be successful. There is no certainty that the results and outcome of the PEA will be realized. Mining Planalto is characterized by consistent geological and mineralisation continuity down dip and along a 1.5 km strike length. The shallow dipping and near surface mineralisation makes it highly amenable to open pit extraction with a low waste to mineralisation strip ratio. Mineralised copper oxidised material is observed at Planalto, however neither the MRE nor the PEA includes this material. The PEA incorporates conventional open pit mining using a truck and shovel operation where drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling are to be undertaken by mining contractors. Over the estimated 18 year mine life, mineralised RoM (material exceeding an insitu grade of 0.16% CuEq) is envisaged to be mined for 17 years from one large pit to mine the Homestead and Cupuzeiro deposit areas and a second smaller pit to mine the Silica Cap deposit. Pre-stripping of 16.2 Mt and RoM stockpiling will be undertaken ahead of plant commissioning. The pit designs incorporate PEA stage geotechnical criteria. Bench heights have been designed to 10 m in waste and 5 m in RoM material. The primary loading fleet will consist of 3.7 m3 hydraulic excavators loading 40 t road trucks for the smaller pit and RoM in the main pit. The waste material in the main pit will utilize a larger fleet of 15 m3 hydraulic shovels loading 100 t trucks. The smaller bench size and mining equipment for RoM mining have been designed to improve mining selectivity and reduce dilution (7% dilution and 2% losses). Locally manufactured mining equipment commonly used by local contractors has been selected to bring cost efficiency and benefits to operations and maintenance. Over Years 1-8 inclusive, the maximum material movement is on average projected to be 20 Mtpa increasing to 35 Mtpa in later years. Over the LoM a total of 410 Mt is planned to be extracted, including 130 Mt of RoM mineralised material; 13 Mt of additional low-grade material to be processed at the end of mining; and 266 Mt waste rock that will be placed in a designated facility. Table 2 sets out the projected LoM mining schedule. Table 2: Mining Production Schedule Year RoM * (Mt) Cu (%) Au (g/t) Waste (Mt) Strip (t/t) Total Moved (Mt) 0 0.8 0.50 0.07 16.2 21.2 17.0 1 7.9 0.45 0.05 14.1 1.8 22.0 2 8.9 0.46 0.05 13.1 1.5 22.0 3 8.8 0.46 0.05 6.2 0.7 15.0 4 8.7 0.49 0.05 6.3 0.7 15.0 5 8.8 0.50 0.05 13.2 1.5 22.0 6 8.7 0.46 0.05 13.3 1.5 22.0 7 8.9 0.38 0.04 12.1 1.4 21.0 8 9.4 0.36 0.03 11.6 1.2 21.0 9 9.7 0.36 0.03 16.8 1.7 26.5 10 9.0 0.40 0.05 26.0 2.9 35.0 11 8.3 0.43 0.05 26.7 3.2 35.0 12 8.9 0.42 0.04 26.1 2.9 35.0 13 8.5 0.43 0.05 23.5 2.8 32.0 14 8.8 0.42 0.05 13.2 1.5 22.0 15 8.5 0.41 0.05 12.5 1.5 21.0 16 7.6 0.46 0.06 12.9 1.7 20.5 17 3.5 0.42 0.05 2.5 0.7 6.0 Total 144 0.43 0.05 266 1.9 410 * RoM includes 13 Mt of low-grade material stockpiled and processed at end of LoM Metallurgy Recoveries Metallurgical recoveries used in the PEA are based on results generated from 2 phases of laboratory flotation testwork performed by Lara at Blue Coast Laboratories in Canada. The results of the Blue Coast metallurgical testwork were used in a steady-state process simulation software (USIM PAC), to develop a plant flowsheet and mass balance, with forecast concentrate quantity and quality based on treating 8 Mtpa. Results indicated that Planalto chalcopyrite mineralisation has the metallurgical characteristics to potentially produce a clean quality saleable copper-gold concentrate. Processing and Tailings The PEA assumes the plant will process RoM during the following stages, 0.6 Mt during commissioning, 7.5 Mt in Year 1 and 8 Mt in Year 2 through Year 18. A traditional copper flotation process flow sheet has been adopted, incorporating a conventional semi-autogenous grinding mill followed by 2 ball mills at a target grind size of 80% less than 75 m. Initial testing indicates that the RoM mineralisation is hard. Fine material feeds into rougher flotation cells, where a proportion of the product is reground to achieve improved liberation and separation of chalcopyrite, which is then thickened, filter pressed and collected as copper-gold concentrate. The gangue is discarded and stored as tailings. The Cupuzeiro deposit is expected to contain slightly elevated pyrite; when this material is fed to the processing plant it will be necessary to divert the pyrite-rich cleaner-scavenger tailings to a dedicated pyrite tailings facility so that any subsequent interaction with the natural environment can be appropriately managed. A water treatment plant is included to treat return water from the tailings dam for re-use in the process plant, reducing water consumption. Equipment selection was undertaken in conjunction with major equipment manufacturers and has been costed based on quotes received from Brazilian and international manufacturers. Based on average feed grades, the plant would be expected to achieve average metallurgical recoveries of 90.9% for copper and 51.1% for gold producing a floatation concentrate containing 28% copper and minor gold. Table 3 presents the estimated LoM plant feed and concentrate production schedule, for the 18-year LoM. Table 3: Processing and Concentrate Production Schedule Year Plant Feed (Mt) Cu (%) Au (g/t) Cu concentrate (kt) Cu (kt) Au (koz) 1 7.5 0.49 0.06 120.4 33.7 6.9 2 8.0 0.49 0.05 127.7 35.8 7.2 3 8.0 0.49 0.06 127.0 35.6 7.4 4 8.0 0.52 0.05 134.8 37.7 7.2 5 8.0 0.53 0.06 137.3 38.4 7.5 6 8.0 0.48 0.05 125.1 35.0 7.1 7 8.0 0.40 0.04 103.4 28.9 5.4 8 8.0 0.39 0.03 100.8 28.2 4.2 9 8.0 0.40 0.04 103.9 29.1 4.8 10 8.0 0.43 0.05 112.3 31.5 6.1 11 8.0 0.44 0.05 113.2 31.7 6.2 12 8.0 0.45 0.05 116.4 32.6 6.2 13 8.0 0.45 0.05 115.7 32.4 6.3 14 8.0 0.44 0.05 114.7 32.1 6.3 15 8.0 0.43 0.06 111.3 31.2 7.3 16 8.0 0.44 0.06 115.4 32.3 7.9 17 8.0 0.28 0.03 73.9 20.7 4.3 18 8.2 0.18 0.02 46.9 13.1 2.8 Total 144 0.43 0.05 2,000 560 111 The PEA envisages a tailings storage facility ("TSF") located to the south-east of the mine site which is entirely within Lara's licence area. The TSF comprises two cells which would be utilised for conventional slurry tailings with storage for the first 13 years of tailings production. During Year 13 of operations, a new deep cone thickener would be installed close to the TSF. Tailings deposition would switch to paste (65-70% solids w/w) from Year 14 which would accommodate remaining LoM tailings. This approach is utilised successfully for thickened tailings deposition at the nearby Sossego mine and is likely to be viewed favourably by regulatory authorities. Furthermore, there will be a small, dedicated storage facility for pyrite-rich tailings. Infrastructure The PEA envisages a number of infrastructure requirements for the Project which have been designed and costed at a scoping level, including power supply, processing plant, tailings storage facility, waste rock dump, water management channels including a river diversion, process water supply pond, water treatment plant, a 4 km site access road and bridge, haul roads, RoM pad and low grade stockpile and miscellaneous site utilities. Power in Brazil's national grid is 85% from renewable sources and is relatively low cost by international standards. The electrical supply connection is based on a quotation from the local electrical utility to install and connect a supply of 138 kV to the Project to meet a demand of up to 52.5 MW. There are a number of power connection options due to the favourable location, just 4 km from the existing high tension (500 and 230 kV) powerlines and proximity to major substations. Further trade off studies will investigate opportunities for a direct grid connection to potentially reduce, transmission line capital costs, transmission losses and tariffs. This PEA assumes concentrate will be trucked by road approximately 680 km to the port of Vila do Conde (Barcarena, Para State) where it will be loaded onto ocean going vessels for shipping. Water Management The tropical climate and the topographic situation of the Project area mean that surface water management will be key to de-risking mining operations and safeguarding the natural environment. The PEA envisages numerous diversion channels to manage surface water runoff and water levels in the nearby creeks particularly during intense storm events. It also gives consideration to treating all water that has been in contact with sulphide-bearing rock. A water treatment plant has been designed and costed at a scoping level. A provisional water balance for the site, including the requirement for water in the processing plant has been estimated. Environment, Permitting and Social Considerations Lara's approvals roadmap includes an application for the Preliminary License (LP) in Q3 2026, an application for the Installation License (LI) in Q4 2028, and the Operating Licence (LO) for the start of operations for 2030. Building on environmental information collected from the Project area in 2021, CLAM Engenharia has commenced an environmental impact assessment ("EIA") which is due to be completed in Q2 2026. Field studies will include air quality, springs survey, water quality, flora and fauna, socio-economic and speleology (caves). The need for studies on archaeology, historical and cultural heritage will be determined following consultation with regulatory authorities. As the EIA improves the understanding of the environmental and social context of the Project, strong links between Project development and ESG workstreams will be needed to embed sustainability into technical decision making. Early and effective integration of these workstreams will likely improve permitting timeframes and outcomes. Ongoing key issues include acquisition of surface rights, minimizing the Project footprint to avoid impacts on existing land use and protected areas, characterizing and minimising geochemical risks from mine waste, appropriate design of mine waste facilities, minimising impacts on surface water and groundwater users and Project affected people. Climate change considerations will also need to be considered in future stages of Project development, particularly minimising carbon emissions from the future operation and demonstrating resilience to future climate scenarios in operational and closure designs. A provisional estimated closure cost of US$ 18.3 million has been allowed for in the PEA. Life of Mine Production Plan The estimated LoM production under the PEA is summarized in Figure 1 and Table 4. Figure 1: Mining and Cu in Concentrate Profile Note: Year 0 is the pre-stripping year, with some RoM mined and stockpiled To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2373/271209_figure1.jpg Table 4: LoM Production Summary Units Value Production Rates Peak mining rate (ore+waste) Mt/yr 35.0 Peak processing Mt/yr 8.0 Mine Production Total mined Mt 410 Waste Mt 266 RoM Mt 130 Low grade material Mt 13.4 Strip ratio t/t (waste/RoM) 1.9 Payable metal Copper kt 540 Gold koz 99.7 Capital Costs The estimated initial capital for construction and ramp-up, together with expected sustaining capital and closure costs, is presented in Table 5. The costs have been estimated to an accuracy of -30% / +50%. A 20% contingency has been added to the initial capital and the mine closure costs. Table 5: Capital Costs Initial (US$ million) Sustaining (US$ million) Total (US$ million) Mining Pre-Strip 28.5 -- 28.5 Processing Plant 238.5 85.9 324.4 Tailing Management Facility 13.1 62.1 75.2 Water Management 15.0 -- 15.0 On-Site Infrastructure 28.3 -- 28.3 Power Supply 20.6 -- 20.6 Construction Support 29.5 -- 29.5 EPCM 47.3 -- 47.3 Owners Costs 33.7 -- 33.7 Mine Closure -- 18.3 18.3 Contingency 90.9 3.7 94.6 Total 546 170 716 Operating Costs The estimated Planalto operating costs represent the onsite costs to produce copper concentrate; additional costs associated with the concentrate transport are captured in the net smelter return calculation. Projected site operating costs are presented in Table 6. The average life-of-mine operating cost of material moved is US$3.04/t moved. Table 6: Operating Costs Description Unit Cost Mining US$/t ex-pit 3.04 Mining US$/t processed 8.34 Processing US$/t processed 7.66 Tailings US$/t processed 0.13 G&A US$/t processed 1.62 Total US$/t processed 17.75 SUDAM Taxation Benefit Companies located in the Amazon region may benefit from certain tax incentives. SUDAM is an administratively and financially independent federal government agency that oversees development in the Amazon region. The region includes the state of Para in which the Project is located. Under the concession program, companies can receive either partial or complete tax exemption on income taxes for Brazilian companies. The tax exemption applies only to income from facilities operating in the designated region and consists of a reduction of 75% off the regular corporate income tax (25%). For the purposes of the PEA, the financial model factors in a reduction of the corporate income tax rate plus social contribution of 34% (25% + 9%) to the 15.25% (25% * 0.25% + 9%) rate available under the SUDAM regime for the Project. The concession is available for an initial period of 10 years of operation. The PEA assumes that the Planalto Project would be eligible for SUDAM tax exemption, but this can only be confirmed once an application has been submitted and approved. Metal Price Assumptions and Payability Metal prices used for the PEA reflect a long term, real basis. These are included in Table 7 alongside 3 year historic prices, long-term consensus forecast ("CMF") prices and current spot prices. CMF prices have been sourced from SCP resource Finance, a UK based financial institution with extensive experience in the copper-gold mining sector that analyses data from Bloomberg and FactSet, where the 2029 median price has been selected. The PEA has been prepared on a 100% equity funding basis. Table 7: Metal Price Assumptions Commodity PEA Prices 3yr Historic Price to 15 Oct 2025 Consensus Long Term Spot Price 15 Oct 2025 Copper US$ 9,500/t US$9,250 US$ 10,494/t US$ 11,067/t Gold US$ 2,500/oz US$ 2,434/oz US$ 2,752/oz US$ 4,163/oz The payabilities applied to the economic model were benchmarked from publicly available data from various other mines selling copper-gold concentrates through a third-party refiner, inclusive of treatment charges. The economic analysis assumes all handling and logistics costs associated with shipping of concentrates to an Asian smelter. The smelter payment terms applied in the PEA are detailed in Table 8. Table 8: Smelter Terms Metal Payability (%) Treatment Charge Refining Charge Cu 96.6 US$ 55/dmt (4) con US$ 0.055/lb Cu Au 90.0 - US$ 5/oz Au Economic Analysis The cash flow model was based on the assumed production schedule, associated metal grades, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs outlined in this news release. Table 9 shows the projected Planalto PEA highlights. Table 9: PEA Financial Highlights Key Unit Costs Total site costs* US$/lb Cu payable 2.14 Government royalties US$/lb Cu payable 0.08 Total adjusted operating costs* US$/lb Cu payable 2.54 All in sustaining costs* US$/lb Cu payable 2.70 Capital Costs Initial US$ million 546 Sustaining US$ million 148 Closure cost US$ million 22 Total capital cost US$ million 716 Financial Evaluation Average annual net revenue* US$ million 259 Average annual free cashflow* US$ million 91 After-tax NPV @ 8% discount US$ million 378 After-tax IRR % 21.0% Initial capital/NPV ratio* 1:1 1.44 Payback** Years 3.5 *This is a non-IFRS measure. See "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" below; **Payback from start of production Sensitivity Analysis The sensitivity analysis of the Planalto Project's NPV to the discount rate is presented in Table 10 and 11. Table 10: Sensitivity Analysis to Discount Rate Discount Rate Unit NPV Sensitivity to Discount Rate 6% US$ million 495 8% US$ million 378 10% US$ million 284 Table 11: Sensitivity Analysis to Metal Price Copper Price Gold Price NPV 8% After Tax Sensitivity to Metal price (US$M) IRR After Tax Sensitivity to Metal price US$/t US$/oz 9,2501 2,434 328 20% 9,500 2 2,500 378 21% 10,500 3 2,750 582 27% 11,000 4 4,000 724 30% 1: 3 year historic average, 2: PEA prices, 3: Consensus long term; 4: Spot Prices on 15 October 2025 - see Table The PEA is based on the Company's MRE which is dated July 3, 2024. The effective date of the PEA is October 15, 2025. Project Opportunities Tailings - There is opportunity to significantly reduce required footprint areas for TSF development by utilising paste thickened/central thickened discharge technologies. This would significantly reduce the volumes of excess contact water to be managed on the TSF and simplify closure of the facilities given that tailings material can be incorporated in the engineered cover system to form a water shedding surface. - There is opportunity to significantly reduce required footprint areas for TSF development by utilising paste thickened/central thickened discharge technologies. This would significantly reduce the volumes of excess contact water to be managed on the TSF and simplify closure of the facilities given that tailings material can be incorporated in the engineered cover system to form a water shedding surface. Metallurgy - There is potential for further improvements to metallurgical recoveries and optimization of processing reagent consumption during more detailed future study phases, which could involve more exhaustive and larger scale pilot plant test work. Test work is continuing. - There is potential for further improvements to metallurgical recoveries and optimization of processing reagent consumption during more detailed future study phases, which could involve more exhaustive and larger scale pilot plant test work. Test work is continuing. MRE Growth Potential - The Company believes that there is further potential to add to the 2024 MRE at Planalto, since the mineralization is open in some places within the MRE constraining pit and at depth the pit is limited in places by the depth of existing drilling. Furthermore there is strike extension potential in the Silica Cap deposit south-eastwards into the new Atlantica licence, where historical drilling intercepted copper mineralization. A number of copper in soil geochemical anomalies within the Planalto Exploration Licence have had limited follow up exploration including very limited drilling. - The Company believes that there is further potential to add to the 2024 MRE at Planalto, since the mineralization is open in some places within the MRE constraining pit and at depth the pit is limited in places by the depth of existing drilling. Furthermore there is strike extension potential in the Silica Cap deposit south-eastwards into the new Atlantica licence, where historical drilling intercepted copper mineralization. A number of copper in soil geochemical anomalies within the Planalto Exploration Licence have had limited follow up exploration including very limited drilling. Oxide Exploration - Excluded from the PEA is processing of oxide mineralised material, where the exploration target has been defined through a combination of drilling, surface trenches and soil geochemistry. Initial metallurgical testing suggests marginal economic recoveries, and more test work is planned. If incorporated into future studies, additional plant components would be required that are not considered in the PEA. - Excluded from the PEA is processing of oxide mineralised material, where the exploration target has been defined through a combination of drilling, surface trenches and soil geochemistry. Initial metallurgical testing suggests marginal economic recoveries, and more test work is planned. If incorporated into future studies, additional plant components would be required that are not considered in the PEA. Power - There is potential to connect directly to the nearby 230 kV transmission line, reducing the capital cost and line losses while simplifying access and permitting for the short 3Km connection distance. In addition, significant savings in power tariff costs may be achieved when connecting directly at the 230 kV transmission level as a "Grid User", circa USD 0.04/kWh compared with the estimated PEA cost of USD 0.06/kWh for a 138 kV utility connected user. Power constitutes 39% of the plant operational cost of 7.66 US$/t processed. - There is potential to connect directly to the nearby 230 kV transmission line, reducing the capital cost and line losses while simplifying access and permitting for the short 3Km connection distance. In addition, significant savings in power tariff costs may be achieved when connecting directly at the 230 kV transmission level as a "Grid User", circa USD 0.04/kWh compared with the estimated PEA cost of USD 0.06/kWh for a 138 kV utility connected user. Power constitutes 39% of the plant operational cost of 7.66 US$/t processed. Concentrate Treatment and Refining Charges - The PEA smelter charges to treat copper concentrates reflect long term benchmark rates, Lara considers that current market rates are low (negative) and may remain lower than rates used in the PEA. The PEA smelter charges to treat copper concentrates reflect long term benchmark rates, Lara considers that current market rates are low (negative) and may remain lower than rates used in the PEA. Metal Price - The Project economics are particularly sensitive to metal price. The current spot price and consensus long term price for copper and gold are higher than the metal prices used in the PEA. Higher metal prices have the potential to significantly positively impact the economic return of the Project. Project Risks The PEA incorporates Inferred Mineral Resources which are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. While the Company intends to conduct further drilling with the objective of converting Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resources there can be no assurance this will be successful. The technical and cost estimates are at the scoping stage; therefore further technical, economic and permitting related work is required to be completed in order to achieve a prefeasibility level of study (" PFS "). Only when a positive PFS is issued will it be possible to convert Indicated and Measured Mineral Resources to Mineral Reserves. "). Only when a positive PFS is issued will it be possible to convert Indicated and Measured Mineral Resources to Mineral Reserves. The PEA assumes that Planalto would be eligible for SUDAM tax benefits, but Lara has not yet made application to determine eligibility. Planalto Mineral Resource Statement The Planalto Mineral Resource statement dated July 3, 2024 is presented in Table 11. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. For further information please refer to the Technical Report on a Mineral Resources Estimate for the Planalto Project, Canaa dos Carajas, Para, Brazil, September 2024 with effective date of July 3, 2024 available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website www.laraexploration.com. Table 11: Planalto Mineral Resource Statement, July 03, 2024 Resource Category Domain Tonnage (Mt) Cu Grade (%) CuEq Grade (%) Au Grade (g/t) Cu (kt) Cu (Mlb) Au (koz) Indicated Main Mineralization 47.7 0.53 0.56 0.06 253 557 92 Host Rock Mineralization - - - - - - - Total Indicated 47.7 0.53 0.56 0.06 253 557 92 Inferred Main Mineralization 77.7 0.51 0.54 0.06 396 874 149.9 Host Rock Mineralization 76.3 0.2 0.22 0.03 153 336 73.6 Total Inferred 154.0 0.36 0.38 0.04 549 1210 223.5 Notes related to the Mineral Resource Estimate: The MRE has been reported in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves and National Instrument 43-101. The QP responsible for the MRE is Martin Pittuck CEng, FGS, MIMMM(QMR). The MRE contains fresh rock domains only, the oxide mineralization is not reported. The MRE is reported above a cut-off grade of 0.16% CuEq which reflects the technical and economic parameters assumed in the GE21 report and which also reflects the technical and economic parameters used in the PEA (Tables 6, 7 and 8 above). CuEq = Cu grade plus Au grade multiplied by a factor based on [gold price 2200 $/oz x 68% recovery x 90% payability] / [copper price 10,000 $/t x 88% recovery x 83.7% payability] Tonnage is based on dry density. The MRE is within Lara's tenement areas. The MRE numbers have been rounded to reflect the estimate precision; this may cause summation errors which are not considered to be material. The PEA QPs and other authors are not aware of any legal, permitting, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the development of the Mineral Resource. SRK confirms that the different metal prices and technical economic parameters in the PEA, when compared to the GE21 MRE report, are such that there is no material difference in calculated CuEq factor and reporting cut off grade. Technical Information and Qualified Persons The following persons are the Qualified Persons under NI 43-101 that are responsible for the PEA and have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release: Martin Pittuck, MIMMM(QMR) CEng FGS, Corporate Consultant (Resource Geology) Leonardo de Freitas Leite, MSc, FAusIMM (CP), Principal Consultant (Mining Engineering) Liam MacNamara PhD, ACSM, MIMMM, Principal Consultant (Mineral Processing) Jamie Spiers, CEng MIMMM, Principal Consultant (Tailings Engineering) David Carruth, CEng MICE IntPE, Principal Consultant (Water Engineering) Colin Chapman, CEng MIMMM, Principal Consultant (Infrastructure) Thiago Toussaint MSc, MBA, MAusIMM CP(Env) All of the foregoing persons are independent Qualified Persons, as defined under NI 43-101. Details of the PEA will be provided in a technical report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 with an effective date of October 15, 2025, which will be filed on the Company's website and under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ within 45 days of this news release. About Lara Exploration Lara is an exploration company, advancing its 100%-owned Planalto Copper-Gold Project in the Carajas Mineral Province of northern Brazil, with an open pittable Mineral Resource detailed in a NI 43-101 Technical Report filed on October 17, 2024. Lara follows the Prospect and Royalty Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners, retaining a minority interest and or a royalty. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects, deposits and royalties in Brazil, Peru and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA". Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures "All-in Sustaining Costs", "Total Site Costs", "Total Adjusted Operating Costs", "Average Annual Net Revenue", "Average Annual Free Cashflow" and "Initial Capital/NPV ratio" are not performance measures reported in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). These performance measures are included because these statistics are key performance measures that management uses to monitor performance. Management uses these statistics to assess the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the contemplated mining operations. These performance measures do not have a standardized meaning under IFRS and, therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to similar data presented by other mining companies. The data presented is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. As the Project is not in production, the prospective non-IFRS financial measures presented may not be compared or reconciled to the equivalent historical non-IFRS measure. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "opportunity", "intend" or "believe", variants of these words and other similar words, phrases, or statements that certain events or conditions "could", "may", "should", "will" or "would" occur. This news release contains forward-looking information regarding future or estimated financial and operational performance under the PEA including: estimated initial capital, sustaining capital, operating, sustaining and other costs, closure costs, net present value, internal rate of return and payback; metals price assumptions; estimated gold and copper production; estimated processing rates, throughput, ore grades and recovery rates; estimated LoM; the potential for future MRE growth from drilling; the development of Planalto as a conventional open pit mine; the potential to process the oxide mineralized material and the economics thereof; whether or not current or future discoveries of copper-gold mineralization at Planalto will have sufficient economic merit to consider development; potential repeatability and improvements to the economic assumptions and/or to metallurgical recoveries used in the PEA and MRE in future studies; the potential to convert some or all of the MRE to mineral reserves through economic studies and the timing and results of any such studies; opportunities to use a lower cut-off grade in the future; the carbon intensity of any future operation; the results of subsequent stages of permitting, including but not limited to the timing, granting and conditions of the LP, LI and LO referred to herein; the outcomes of future economic studies and the Company's plans in respect thereof; the potential for tax exemptions under SUDAM; project opportunities including the reduction of required footprint areas for TSF development, oxide exploration and the processing of oxide mineralized material, further improvements to metallurgical recoveries and optimization of processing reagent consumption, and MRE growth potential and the potential to convert existing inferred resources to the indicated category. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, unexpected results from exploration programs, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices and exchange rates, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals or permits, environmental risks, limitations on insurance coverage; and other risks and uncertainties involved in the mineral exploration and development industry. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including, but not limited to, the assumption that the assay results confirm that the interpreted mineralization contains significant values of copper and gold; that the mineralization remains open at depth; that activities will not be adversely disrupted or impeded by regulatory, political, community, economic, environmental and/or healthy and safety risks; the Company's ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; that the Planalto Project will not be materially affected by potential supply chain disruptions; general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws. 1 The PEA is preliminary in nature, and it includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and, as such, there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. 2 kt; thousand metric tonnes; koz: thousand ounces; lb: pounds; Mt: million metric tonnes; km: kilometres 3 Mtpa: million metric tonnes per annum; Mt: million metric tonnes; Cu: copper; g/t: grams per metric tonne; Au: gold; CuEq: copper equivalent where Cu grade is added to Au grade multiplied by a factor based on [gold price 2200 $/oz x 68% recovery x 90% payability] / [copper price 10,000 $/t x 88% recovery x 83.7% payability] 4 dmt: dry metric tonne To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271209 SOURCE: Lara Exploration Ltd. HYDERABAD, India, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest insights from Mordor Intelligence, the floating solar panels market size is projected to grow from USD 1.06 billion in 2025 to USD 3.39 billion by 2030. This growth is driven by limited land availability, increasing utility decarbonization targets, and enhanced energy efficiency from water-based cooling. The Asia-Pacific region leads the market, using reservoir-hydro hybrid systems to expand renewable energy without needing additional land. Stationary platforms dominate due to their lower complexity, but marine-grade tracking systems are gaining traction due to their improved cost-benefit ratio. Emerging Trends Influencing Industry Growth Limited Land Availability & Utilization of Unused Water Surfaces As land becomes increasingly scarce in densely populated regions, utilities are turning to water bodies for new renewable energy projects. This approach allows for faster project approvals since it avoids land-use conflicts, helping countries meet clean-energy targets without impacting agricultural or conserved lands. Urbanized areas like Singapore, Japan, and parts of China have already used up available land, prompting regulators to ease restrictions on floating solar licenses. The potential of using water surfaces for solar energy is becoming a key solution for accelerating renewable energy deployment. Improved Efficiency through Cooling and Reduced Evaporation Floating solar panels benefit from continuous water contact, which helps keep temperatures lower than ground-mounted systems, boosting energy efficiency. The panels also provide the added benefit of shading reservoirs, significantly reducing water evaporation - an asset in water-scarce regions. This dual advantage of generating clean energy while conserving water helps strengthen financial models, particularly in arid areas, making floating solar a compelling option despite higher initial costs. Shifting Focus to Water-Based Solar Solutions for Decarbonization To meet carbon neutrality goals by the 2030s, utilities in Europe and North America are increasingly turning to floating solar arrays, bypassing lengthy land acquisition processes. In Spain, a 2024 policy facilitates the use of up to 15% of selected public reservoirs for solar projects, with quicker permitting procedures. This approach, paired with the potential to integrate solar installations with existing hydro infrastructure, accelerates project timelines. By offering stable tariffs tied to decarbonization efforts, this strategy reduces revenue risks and attracts institutional investments for large-scale floating solar initiatives. Floating Solar Panels - Segmentation Analysis By Product Type Stationary Systems Tracking Systems Hybrid Stationary-Tracking By Technology Poly-crystalline Mono-crystalline Thin-film / Bifacial By Capacity Segment Below 5 MW 5 to 50 MW Above 50 MW By Installation Environment Reservoirs/Lakes Canals and Waterways Offshore/Near-shore By Geography North America United States Canada Mexico Europe Germany United Kingdom France Italy NORDIC Countries Russia Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan South Korea ASEAN Countries Rest of Asia-Pacific South America Brazil Argentina Rest of South America Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates South Africa Egypt Rest of Middle East and Africa Regional Overview Europe follows as the second-largest region, driven by clear regulatory frameworks. Germany's decision to lift surface area restrictions has unlocked new development opportunities, and Spain's streamlined permitting process has accelerated solar projects. In Italy and France, floating systems are being implemented in diverse environments, enhancing resilience and adaptability, making the region a strong contender in the floating solar market. Floating Solar Panels Companies Ciel & Terre International JA Solar Yellow Tropus D3Energy SolarDuck Sungrow FPV Kyocera Vikram Solar Bee Solar Swimsol Trina Solar Ocean Sun SolarisFloat Huasun Waaree Energies For a full breakdown of floating solar panels market size, segmentation data, and competitive intelligence, access all details of the Mordor Intelligence report at: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/floating-solar-panels-market?utm_source=prnewswire Check out related reports published by Mordor Intelligence: Thin Film Solar PV Market: The thin film solar PV market report is segmented by type (cadmium telluride, perovskite thin film, amorphous silicon, organic/polymer, and more), substrate (rigid glass substrate and metal foil substrate), installation type (ground mounted, rooftop, and floating solar), application (utility-scale power plants, building-integrated pv, residential rooftop, and more), and geography. (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and more). First Solar Inc., Hanergy Thin Film Power Group Ltd, Solar Frontier K.K., Sharp Corporation, Kaneka Corporation are the major companies operating in this market. Read more about the thin film solar PV companies at: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/global-thin-film-solar-collector-market-industry/companies?utm_source=prnewswire Flexible Solar Cell Market : The flexible solar cell market report is segmented by technology (organic photovoltaics, copper indium gallium selenide, amorphous silicon, perovskite, and more), substrate material (plastic, metal foils, and ultra-thin glass), application (building-integrated photovoltaics, consumer electronics and IoT devices, automotive and transportation, and more), and geography. (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and more). About Mordor Intelligence Mordor Intelligence is a trusted partner for businesses seeking comprehensive and actionable market intelligence. Our global reach, expert team, and tailored solutions empower organizations and individuals to make informed decisions, navigate complex markets, and achieve their strategic goals. With a team of over 550 domain experts and on-ground specialists spanning 150+ countries, Mordor Intelligence possesses a unique understanding of the global business landscape. This expertise translates into comprehensive syndicated and custom research reports covering a wide spectrum of industries, including aerospace & defense, agriculture, animal nutrition and wellness, automation, automotive, chemicals & materials, consumer goods & services, electronics, energy & power, financial services, food & beverages, healthcare, hospitality & tourism, information & communications technology, investment opportunities, and logistics.? For any inquiries, please contact: media@mordorintelligence.com https://www.mordorintelligence.com/contact-us Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2746908/Mordor_Intelligence_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/floating-solar-panels-market-growing-at-26-cagr-to-2030-driven-by-renewable-energy-demand-reports-mordor-intelligence-302589992.html WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Department of Homeland Security has announced the start of Operation River Wall to secure the Rio Grande against illegal immigration, narco-terrorists, and other criminal activity at our Southern Border. For this unprecedented mobilization, the Coast Guard will surge response boats, shallow watercraft, command and control assets, and tactical teams - beginning with more than 100 boats and hundreds of personnel. These assets and personnel - under Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande - will control, secure, and defend the U.S border along approximately 260 miles of the Rio Grande Valley. 'President Trump delivered the most secure southern border in U.S. history in record time, and now, our goal is to make sure it stays that way for the long run,' Secretary Noem said in a statement. 'The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are experts at defending America's maritime borders--they have been doing that with honor, respect and devotion to duty since 1790. Now, Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande and Operation River Wall will be a force multiplier in defending against illegal immigration.' 'The U.S. Coast is the best in the world at tactical boat operations and maritime interdiction at sea, along coasts, and in riverine environments,' said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, Acting Commandant of the Coast Guard. 'Through Operation River Wall, the Coast Guard is controlling the U.S. southern border in the Rio Grande River in eastern Texas.' For five straight months, the Trump administration has released zero illegal aliens into the country. DHS recently announced that in Fiscal Year 2025, U.S. Border Patrol had its lowest southwest border apprehensions since 1970 -- a testament to the strength of the DHS' robust defense of America's southern border. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX 2025 AFX News Veteran Software Executive Partners Again with Liberty Hall to Execute Strategic Plan HERNDON, Va., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Paxia, Inc. ("Paxia"), a leading global provider of integrated, value-enhancing onboard services and catering management software solutions serving the commercial aerospace industry, announced today the appointment of Tom Samuel to Chief Executive Officer. Paxia is a portfolio company of Liberty Hall Capital Partners ("Liberty Hall"). Mr. Samuel is a proven aviation software industry executive with more than 25 years of experience leading commercial, operational and corporate functions for global aviation software companies. Prior to joining Paxia, he held multiple leadership positions at Comply365, another Liberty Hall portfolio company, including Chief Executive Officer, a role he held for six years, and most recently Vice Chairman. Prior to joining Comply365 in 2015, Mr. Samuel spent nearly two decades with Sabre Airline Solutions, where he held a series of senior leadership roles in the U.S. and abroad. He is a proven business transformation leader with significant experience leading teams through periods of growth, innovation and customer value creation. Mr. Samuel succeeds Rodney Duty, who has successfully led Paxia as President and CEO for the last six years following its divestiture from gategroup. Mr. Duty will continue his long and storied tenure at Paxia, as he moves into the role of President and COO. This role will allow him to focus more on the products and services Paxia delivers to its customers. "We are thrilled to welcome Tom Samuel to the Paxia team. His experience leading growth, strategy, innovation and operations at global software businesses will be extremely valuable as we look forward to scaling key functional areas and increasing our investment in our products and services," said Mr. Duty, President and COO. James Black, Partner at Liberty Hall, added, "We enjoyed our successful partnership with Tom at Comply365 and are thrilled to be working with him again to execute our strategic plan for Paxia. Tom has a demonstrated track record of building high-performing teams while leading significant growth in aviation software businesses, and we're glad that he will be joining Rodney and the Paxia team as we seek to accelerate growth and further extend product differentiation." "I am extremely excited about joining Rodney and the Paxia team," said Mr. Samuel. "They have done an incredible job creating and delivering market-leading solutions to their airline customers. I'm looking forward to collaborating with the team to further transform the aviation onboard services market, enhance our ability to deliver innovative solutions to our customers and accelerate the execution of our go-to-market growth opportunities." About Paxia Paxia, headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, is a premier provider of cloud-based airline catering management solutions, transforming onboard services for global airlines. With over 25 years of industry expertise, Paxia's integrated platform, Paxia Cloud, streamlines catering operations by connecting suppliers, caterers and airline operations with a single source of truth. Its modular applications, including end-to-end service management and galley planning, optimize meal specifications, flight schedules, inventory and invoicing, reducing waste, fuel costs and operational complexities. Trusted by the world's leading airlines, Paxia delivers data-driven insights, predictive analytics, and automation to enhance efficiency, cut costs and improve the in-flight dining experience. For more information, please visit paxiasolutions.com. About Liberty Hall Capital Partners Liberty Hall Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry. Liberty Hall's principals have a 25-plus year history of working together and have led the investment of $3.0 billion in equity capital in over 30 businesses serving multiple segments of the aerospace and defense industry, including the investment of $1.2 billion in equity capital in over 20 acquisitions since the formation of Liberty Hall. Liberty Hall was founded in July 2011 as the first, and remains the only, private equity firm focused solely on investments in middle market businesses serving the aerospace and defense industry. Liberty Hall executes a proven and repeatable investment strategy designed to transform middle market businesses into larger, more capable and diverse strategic assets. For more information, please visit libertyhallcapital.com. For Paxia: For Media: Rodney Duty Val Mack Paxia, Inc. FTI Consulting P: +1 (678) 756-7936 P: +1 (212) 247-1010 rodney@paxiasolutions.com libertyhallcapitalpartners@fticonsulting.com For Liberty Hall: Rowan Taylor Liberty Hall Capital Partners P: +1 (646) 291-2602 rtaylor@libertyhallcapital.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/paxia-appoints-tom-samuel-as-chief-executive-officer-302587316.html CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a landmark Critical Minerals Framework deal as the Trump administration's apparent alternative to counter China's dominance of the rare earths and other critical minerals market. China has 70 percent share of rare earths mining globally and 90 percent of the materials are processed in that country. These are crucial raw materials in the manufacturing of defense equipment, computer chips and automobiles. Major American companies are among China's global clients, making them vulnerable this year. Beijing has limited supplies to them recently in a tit-for-tat measure against heavy tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. The U.S. and Australian governments intend to invest more than $3 billion together in critical mineral projects in the next six months, with recoverable resources in the projects estimated to be worth $53 billion. The Export-Import Bank of the United States is issuing seven Letters of Interest for more than $2.2 billion in financing, unlocking up to $5 billion of total investment, to advance critical minerals and supply-chain security projects between the two countries. The U.S. Department of Defense will invest in the construction of a 100 metric ton-per-year advanced gallium refinery in Western Australia, further advancing self-reliance in critical minerals processing, the White House said. Australia committed to enhanced burden sharing and is making new defense investments that will bolster the U.S.-Australia alliance, it added. Australia agreed to purchase $1.2 billion in Anduril unmanned underwater vehicles and take delivery of the first tranche of Apache helicopters in a separate $2.6 billion deal. Since February, Australia has contributed $1 billion to the U.S. Government to expand and modernize the U.S. submarine industrial base, with another $1 billion by the end of the year. 'Together, we are strengthening the Australia - United Kingdom - United States (AUKUS) trilateral security partnership to meet the challenges of tomorrow,' the White House said. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX 2025 AFX News Pan African Resources Plc - Publication of Prospectus PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, October 21 THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR ISSUE OR SOLICITATION TO BUY, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE SHARES IN PAN AFRICAN RESOURCES PLC IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH ANY SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. Pan African Resources PLC Pan African Resources Funding Company (Incorporated and registered in England and Wales Limited under Companies Act 1985 with registered Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa number 3937466 on 25 February 2000) with limited liability Share code on AIM: PAF Registration number: 2012/021237/06 Share code on JSE: PAN Alpha code: PARI ISIN: GB0004300496 ADR code: PAFRY (" Pan African" or "the Company" or "the Group") PUBLICATION OF PROSPECTUS Pan African is pleased to announce the publication of a prospectus (" Prospectus") in relation to the proposed admission of its ordinary shares (" Ordinary Shares") to the Equity Shares (Commercial Companies) (" ESCC") category of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority (" FCA") and to trading on London Stock Exchange plc's main market for listed securities (" Main Market") (together, " Admission"). It is expected that: (i) the Ordinary Shares will be admitted to the ESCC category of the Official List and to trading on the Main Market at 8:00am on 24 October 2025; and (ii) trading in the Ordinary Shares on AIM will be cancelled by 8:00am on 24 October 2025. The last day of trading of the Ordinary Shares on AIM is therefore expected to be 23 October 2025. The Company is not offering any new Ordinary Shares nor any other securities in connection with the proposed Admission. Following Admission, the Ordinary Shares will continue to be registered with their existing ISIN of: GB0004300496 and the Company's ticker symbol will continue to be PAF on the Main Market. For the avoidance of doubt, the Admission will have no impact on the Company's listing on the JSE. Accordingly, following Admission, the Company will be dual primary listed on the Main Market and the main board of the JSE. The Company's shareholders should consult their own professional advisors regarding the consequences of Admission on their personal tax position. The Prospectus has been approved by the FCA and will shortly be available to view on Pan African's website at https://www.panafricanresources.com/investors/main-market-listing-lse/ . A copy of the Prospectus will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism. Rosebank 21 October 2025 Corporate information Corporate Office The Firs Building 2nd Floor, Office 204 Corner Cradock and Biermann Avenues Rosebank, Johannesburg South Africa Office: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 info@paf.co.za Registered Office 107 Cheapside, 2 nd Floor London, EC2V 6DN United Kingdom Office: + 44 (0)20 3869 0706 jane.kirton@corpserv.co.uk Chief Executive Officer Cobus Loots Office: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 Financial Director and debt officer Marileen Kok Office: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 Head: Investor Relations Hethen Hira Tel: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 E-mail: hhira@paf.co.za Website: www.panafricanresources.com Company Secretary Jane Kirton St James's Corporate Services Limited Office: + 44 (0)20 3869 0706 Joint Sponsor, Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker Ross Allister/Georgia Langoulant Peel Hunt LLP Office: +44 (0)20 7418 8900 JSE Sponsor & JSE Debt Sponsor Ciska Kloppers Questco Corporate Advisory Proprietary Limited Office: + 27 (0) 63 482 3802 Joint Broker Thomas Rider/Nick Macann BMO Capital Markets Limited Office: +44 (0)20 7236 1010 Joint Sponsor and Joint Broker Matthew Armitt/Jennifer Lee/Dan Gee-Summons Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co KG (Berenberg) Office: +44 (0)20 3207 7800 Important Notice Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this announcement. This announcement contains statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "will", "expect", "could", "believe", "intend", "should" and words of similar meaning. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement, including those regarding the Company's strategy, plans and objectives and the anticipated Admission are forward-looking statements. These statements are not fact and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Pan African and so may not occur. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Pan African expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement (except to the extent legally required). You are advised to read the Prospectus in its entirety, and, in particular, the section of the Prospectus headed "Risk Factors", for a further discussion of the factors that could affect the Company's future performance and the industry in which it operates. Peel Hunt LLP (" Peel Hunt"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting exclusively for the Company as Joint Sponsor and no one else in connection with Admission and it will not regard any other person as a client in relation to Admission and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to Admission or any other transaction, matter, or arrangement referred to in this announcement. Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG, London Branch (" Berenberg"), which is authorised and regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority and in the United Kingdom is subject to limited regulation by the FCAJ, is acting exclusively for the Company as Joint Sponsor and no one else in connection with Admission and it will not regard any other person as a client in relation to Admission and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to Admission or any other transaction, matter, or arrangement referred to in this announcement. This announcement has been issued by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by Peel Hunt, Berenberg or by any of their affiliates, partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed. MARION, NC / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / Greene Concepts Inc. (OTCID:INKW), owner and operator of a 60,000 sq. ft. bottling and beverage facility in Marion, NC, announces that its redesigned corporate website, continues to gain strong traction and visibility, driving increased product sales, investor interest, and partnership inquiries nationwide. Since the website's relaunch, Greene Concepts has seen higher consumer engagement and growing demand across its Be Water product lines and white-label bottling and co-packing services. The site provides an expanded look into the company's mission, leadership, and facility operations through key sections including About Us, Our Brand, Our Products, Our Services, Social Impact, Investors, and direct links to purchase Be Water online. The success of the company's digital strategy aligns with its Nine Key Elements for Long-Term Success, while also supporting Greene Concepts' ongoing Keychain partnership and its upgrade to the OTCID Marketplace. Collectively, these initiatives enhance Greene Concepts' visibility with consumers, retailers, and investors, helping expand its national footprint within the bottled water and CPG manufacturing markets. Greene Concepts' digital outreach reflects the company's alignment with the bottled water industry's key success factors - including product quality, scalability, sustainability, and community engagement. Lenny Greene, CEO of Greene Concepts, comments, "Our website is more than a presentation of who we are-it's a gateway connecting our brand, our story, and our products to the world. The increased engagement confirms that our vision of quality and sustainability is resonating with consumers and investors alike." He adds, "The growth we're seeing online mirrors our broader business momentum. As we expand production capacity, partnerships, and retail reach, our digital platform continues to help us tell our story and build lasting relationships." For more information, visit: https://www.bewaterbeyou.com/. Follow Greene Concepts, Inc. on Social Media at: X - @GreeneConcepts , Facebook - @inkw2025, Instagram - Greene Concepts, Inc. and Be Water About Greene Concepts, Inc. Greene Concepts, Inc. (https://www.greeneconcepts.com) is a publicly traded company whose purpose is to provide the world with high-quality, healthy and enhanced beverage choices that meet the nutritional needs of its consumers while refreshing their mind, body and spirit. The Company's flagship product, Be Water, is a premium artesian bottled water that supports total body health and wellness. Greene Concepts' beverage and bottling plant is located in Marion, North Carolina, and their water is ethically sourced from spring and artesian wells that are fed from a natural aquifer located deep beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains. Greene Concepts continues to develop and market premium beverage brands designed to enhance the daily lives of consumers. Safe Harbor: This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a few uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and OTC Markets, Inc. OTC Disclosure and News Service. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, because of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT: Greene Concepts, Inc. Investor Relations IR@greeneconcepts.com SOURCE: Greene Concepts Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/greene-concepts-enhanced-corporate-website-fuels-growth-investor-1084881 Also Announces Discovery of Additional Copper Showings on Surface & Historic Mining Pits at Nessa Properties West of Kinross' La Coipa & Construction of New Roads; Announces Completion of Drill Pad Expansion at Tolita to Accommodate Larger Drill Rig; Provides Update on Tolita Drilling Start Date Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Gold Hart Copper Corp. (TSXV: HART) (the "Company", "Gold Hart", or "HART") is pleased to announce the launch of a new geophysical survey at the Company's flagship Tolita gold copper molybdenum silver asset in the emerging Vicuna Copper-Gold District of Chile. The Company has also begun construction of new roads at the Nessa properties along the Domeyko Fault, encountering new showings of visible copper minerals at surface with additional historic mining pits. Gold Hart has also completed drill-pad expansion at the Tolita property. New Geophysical Survey at Flagship Tolita Gold-Copper-Molybdenum-Silver Asset in Vicuna Distrcit Gold Hart elected to proceed with a new (second) geophysical survey at the Company's flagship Tolita asset. Specifically, the Company proceeded with additional geophysics in order to: Survey depth beyond the current anomaly to test whether the existing anomaly continues deeper Survey north of the existing anomaly to determine whether it extends in that direction Survey certain additional IP lines to test working theories of Tolita's potential direction and faulting The geophysical survey is being conducted by a highly experienced geophysics firm with experience on hundreds of successful geophysical surveys in Chile including Caserones (Lundin), Escondida (BHP & Rio Tinto), El Morro (Teck & Newmont), Cerro Casale (Barrick & Newmont), Chuquicamata (Codelco), Maricunga (Kinross), Volcan (Hochschild & Tiernan), La Coipa (Kinross), Esperanza, and Valeriano (Atex). As previously reported, the initial geophysical survey at Tolita (2022) conducted by the same firm, totaled approximately 14km. Gold Hart hopes to add an additional 5-10km with the new geophysical survey. The Company hopes to be in a position to report on the findings of this new survey in the coming weeks. Construction of New Roads at Nessa Properties West of Kinross' La Coipa on Domeyko Fault Gold Hart has commenced construction of kilometers of new roads to access the Company's recently acquired Nessa properties (Nessa, Pingo, and Manto Carolina) which are located just west of Kinross' La Copia Gold Mine. These properties sit on the renowned Domeyko Fault of Chile, most famous for hosting the Escondida Copper Mine - now the largest copper mine in the world - which was first staked by Gold Hart co-founder Dr. Jose Frutos in the 1970s. Dr. Frutos also personally staked certain Nessa property claims decades ago, before vending the properties into Gold Hart. The Company believes that the construction of new roads will immediately add value to the properties in an accretive manner, because lack of access prevented these historic assets from receiving the exploration & development they clearly deserve. The Nessa properties were known to host 13 historic artisanal high-grade gold & copper pits, which were mined using mules due to lack of access. Additionally, historic geochemical surveys discovered high grades on surface for gold, copper, and silver, with samples up to 25g/t gold, 3.25% copper, 958g/t silver. However, the Company has now discovered additional copper showings on surface and historic mining pits, and now believes there may be other unknown targets on these assets. Please visit the Gold Hart Copper YouTube channel for footage of the road construction at Nessa: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hwV-FMEOouo Discovery of Copper at Surface & Additional Historic Mining Pits at Nessa While constructing the new roads at the Nessa assets (Nessa, Pingo, Manto Carolina), Gold Hart discovered additional historic mining pits with visible copper minerals on surface, including malachite and chrysocolla. These pits and copper showings were not known to the Company nor were they included in any prior documentation regarding the assets. Upon completion of the new roads, the Company intends to utilize the bulldozer to open-up areas of interest within the Nessa properties. Thereafter, Gold Hart will be positioned to commence additional geochemical and other surveys. The Company hopes to be in a position to report further on these initiative in the coming weeks. As prior reported, the Nessa properties were recognized and personally staked by Gold Hart co-founder Dr. Frutos nearly two decades ago, due to the unique surface alteration - visible from satellite imagery - with high grades on surface and several historic mines which exploited gold, copper and silver at or near surface via pits and shallow tunnels. The historic mines coincide with a pervasive yet intense hydrothermal alteration (silicic-argillic to quartz-sericitic with abundant kaolin in the central part) with a halo of propilitic alteration in the periphery, with disseminated gold-copper-silver mineralization throughout. Please visit the Gold Hart Copper YouTube channel for footage of the new copper pits & showings at Nessa: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ax6fOStX72c Tolita Drill Pad Expansion & Update on Drilling Start Date The Company also wishes to announce that it has completed expansion of the drill pad at the Company's flagship Tolita property, in order to accommodate the larger diamond drill rig. In addition to the drill pad expansion, certain minor repairs to the drill camp housing Gold Hart's drillers, were required and are nearly completed. As a result, the new projected start date for the third phase of drilling at Tolita, is October 24, 2025 to October 27, 2025. Please visit the Gold Hart Copper YouTube channel for footage regarding the mobilization and drill pad expansion: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/M5ovBFOgQTU Oct 21 2025 - New Geophysical Survey - Surface Copper - Road Construction To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart1en.jpg Copper on Surface Nessa - New Pits - Road Construction To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart2en.jpg Nessa Properties - Gold Copper Silver Moly To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart3en.jpg Nessa Surface Gold Copper Silver To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart4en.jpg Regional Land Holdings To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart5en.jpg Executive Overview To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart6en.jpg Geophysical Anomaly To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart7en.jpg Existing Drilling To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart8en.jpg Drill Target To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart9en.jpg Geophysical Anomaly Open To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10786/271281_goldhart10en.jpg About Gold Hart Copper Gold Hart Copper is one of the largest independent land owners surrounding major miners where the famous Maricunga Gold Belt meets the emerging Vicuna Copper Belt in Chile. HART is actively acquiring, exploring and developing its portfolio of gold, copper & silver properties adjacent to the largest gold and copper assets on the continent. In addition to its large land position in the Vicuna District, Gold Hart recently acquired three properties just West on Chile's Paleocene-Eocene Belt on the famous Domeyko Faul, which is home to some of Chile's largest gold, copper, and silver assets including Escondida, Chuquicamata and Collahuasi. The new Gold Hart properties host several historic gold and copper mines with high grades of gold, copper, and silver on surface, with a large alteration and magnetic anomaly extending approximately 6km. HART's team of geologists were personally involved in pioneering exploration in the region, leading to some of its greatest gold, copper, and silver deposits, and include the country's former Geological Survey National Deputy Manager Dr. Professor Jose Frutos. Specifically, senior Gold Hart geologists were personally involved in the Escondida copper discovery, now the largest copper mine in the world1 controlled by Rio Tinto and BHP, as well as Cerro Casale, the largest gold-copper discovery in Chile2 acquired by Barrick and Newmont (GoldCorp) with 59-million ounces of gold and 12.5-billion pounds of copper. HART has rolled-up a portfolio of historically significant assets surrounding majors, in some cases personally staked by the very same geologists who made the adjacent mega-discoveries, since the early 1990s. Some of the Gold Hart properties have already undergone a first phase of RC drilling, with highly encouraging results of gold, copper, and silver. Gold Hart properties are controlled 100% and not subject to any royalties whatsoever. HART believes it may be sitting on one of the only fully-preserved untested large-scale gold-copper-silver porphyry targets in the Vicuna District - an asset that was first recognized for its uniquely high grades of gold and copper on surface - and staked by one of the Maricunga-Vicuna district's pioneering geologists3 in 1993. Gold Hart Copper is fully funded for its planned drill campaign. About Gold Hart Copper's Tolita Gold-Copper-Molybdenum-Silver Target The Tolita property is a historically significant gold-copper asset which was first recognized and staked in 1993 - by one of the pioneering geologists of the Maricunga-Vicuna district - for its uniquely high grades of gold and copper on surface3. Geochemical surveys revealed gold, copper, silver, and molybdenum anomalies, which led to trenching. Tolita has had significant trenching (5,600m / 5.6km) with the highest grade trench returning grades up to 52g/t gold equivalent including 4% copper. Tolita has undergone helicopter mag surveys which identified 4 unique anomalies as well3. In 1996, a third party company optioned the property and drilled 3 short 200m RC holes, without any geophysics, and yet still hit gold and copper in all 3 holes, including long intercepts of gold and copper (150m and 164m, respectively) close to surface in 2 of the 3 holes. At the time, gold was approximately $300/oz and copper traded below $1.00/lb, and large scale sulphide / porphyry deposits with both gold and copper were often considered less favorable than smaller scale gold-only oxide deposits. As a result, and due to general market sentiment for junior exploration companies in 1997-1998, Tolita was only drilled to a depth of 200m with 3 short RC holes (out of a planned 8 hole campaign)3. When Gold Hart acquired the property, a full geophysical survey was conducted by a recognized geophysics firm, and a large high-chargeability and conductive anomaly was discovered that is near surface and almost 2.5km2 in size and "interpreted as a copper-gold or gold-copper porphyry system that certainly warrants additional exploration and drilling4". Gold Hart Copper has therefore launched diamond drilling and is fully funded for this planned campaign. References & Notes: 1)Escondida is the largest copper mine globally, as defined by producing the greatest number of copper tonnes per annum. Numbers sourced directly from property owner's website and public filings. 2)Norte Abierto is considered the largest gold asset in Chile as defined by hosting the largest number of total gold ounces. Numbers sourced directly from property owner's website and public filings. 3)Please refer to the Company's NI 43-101 Technical Report on Sedar for information pertaining to Gold Hart Copper's properties including historical exploration at Tolita, including but not limited to, the history of the asset and its original staking, geochemical surveys, trenching surveys, helicopter magnetic surveys, and historical RC drilling. 4)Geophysical survey is summarized in the Company's NI 43-101 Technical report available on Sedar. Such geophysical surveys are not definitive, and the results are still at an early stage of interpretation, with no guarantee of a mineral discovery. HART | Gold Hart Copper Corporation - Social Media Channels LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goldhart/ X / Twitter: https://x.com/goldhartcopper Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoldHartCopper Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldhartcopper/ Qualified Person The technical information contained in this news release related has been reviewed by Mr. Jonathan A. Warner, Executive Vice President of Gold Hart Copper and a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted", management's view", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "potential", "feasibility", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management, in light of management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, including, without limitation, assumptions about: the ability of exploration results, including drilling, to accurately predict mineralization; errors in geological modelling; insufficient data; equity and debt capital markets; future spot prices of copper and zinc; the timing and results of exploration and drilling programs; the accuracy of mineral resource estimates; production costs; political and regulatory stability; the receipt of governmental and third party approvals; licenses and permits being received on favourable terms; sustained labour stability; stability in financial and capital markets; availability of mining equipment and positive relations with local communities and groups. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information are set out in the Company's listing statement dated March 14, 2025, a copy of which is available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under the Company's issuer profile. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271281 SOURCE: Gold Hart Copper Corp. NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Philip Morris International (PM) said it achieved record quarterly smoke-free gross profit and adjusted EPS in its third quarter. The company is on track to exceed 2024-26 growth targets and upgraded 2025 full-year adjusted EPS forecast. For 2025, the company now expects adjusted EPS, excluding currency, in a range of $7.36 - $7.46. Adjusted EPS is expected in a range of $7.46 - $7.56. Reported EPS is projected in a range of $7.39 - $7.49. The company expects net revenue growth of around 6% to 8% on an organic basis. No share repurchases are anticipated in 2025. Third-quarter net income attributable to PMI increased to $3.48 billion from $3.08 billion, last year. Reported EPS grew 13.2% to $2.23. Adjusted EPS was up 17.3% to $2.24. Adjusted EPS excluding currency was up 13.1% to $2.16. Analysts on average expected the company to report profit per share of $2.10, for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Third quarter net revenue was $10.85 billion, compared to $9.91 billion, last year. Organic growth was 5.9%, for the quarter. Analysts on average had estimated $10.66 billion in revenue. Shares of Philip Morris are up 3% in pre-market trade on Tuesday. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WINDSOR, England and CALGARY, AB , Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Keeler, a global leader in ophthalmic innovation with more than a century of heritage, and MacuMira Medical Devices Inc, a pioneering Canadian company, has announced a strategic partnership. Under the agreement, Keeler will manufacture the MacuMira device and lead its distribution in Australia and New Zealand through ParagonCare with a launch at the annual RANZCO (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology) meeting. MacuMira will continue to offer the therapy directly in Canada, where it has been available since early 2024. The companies also plan to support distribution in additional markets as MacuMira expands internationally. Dry age-related macular degeneration (Dry AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among adults worldwide, with few effective treatment options. MacuMira is a unique medical device that uses precisely delivered microcurrent to stimulate retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, enhancing mitochondrial activity to support cellular energy production and preserve or improve visual function in people living with dry AMD. MacuMira's non-invasive retinal microcurrent stimulation device represents a breakthrough approach, designed to restore visual function and independence for patients through a 32-minute, in-clinic therapy. "Keeler has a proud tradition of advancing eye care with uncompromising quality, craftsmanship and innovation in eyecare," said Andy Harbidge, Managing Director at Keeler. "This partnership marks a transformative moment as we align Keeler's heritage and reach with MacuMira's groundbreaking therapy. Together, we will bring new hope to patients and clinicians worldwide." MacuMira's therapy is already established in Canada, where thousands of treatments have been delivered safely since early 2024. Clinical evidence, including a randomized controlled trial published in the International Journal of Retina and Vitreous, has demonstrated meaningful improvements in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. "This collaboration with Keeler accelerates our mission to change the trajectory of Dry AMD," said Justin Sather, CEO at MacuMira. "By combining Keeler's global presence with our novel science, we are redefining how this disease is managed, restoring not only vision but also dignity and independence to patients." Media Contacts Caroline Atkins Head of Global Marketing at Keeler Email: marketing@keelerusa.com Matt Van De Ven COO at MacuMira Medical Devices Inc Email: info@macumira.com Images and interviews with executives from both companies are available upon request. About Keeler Founded in 1917, Keeler has built a legacy of innovation and quality in ophthalmic instruments. With a global presence and a commitment to transforming eye care, Keeler sets the standard for precision and reliability in clinical practice. Learn more at: www.keelerglobal.com About MacuMira Medical Devices Inc MacuMira is a Canadian medical device company dedicated to restoring vision and improving lives through retinal neurostimulation. With a strong clinical foundation and growing international presence, MacuMira is redefining how Dry AMD is managed worldwide. Learn more at: www.macumira.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/macumira-and-keeler-announce-strategic-partnership-to-expand-dry-amd-therapy-302590100.html TOKYO, Japan, Oct 21, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi, Ltd. ("Hitachi") and OpenAI, Inc. ("OpenAI") today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic partnership focused on building next-generation AI infrastructure and expanding global data centers. The agreement was signed on October 2, 2025.Under this MoU, the two companies will jointly develop plans across several key areas, combining their respective strengths to advance sustainable data center operations and accelerate the deployment of AI technologies that help address societal challenges.Key areas of collaboration1. Partnership outside data centersThe companies will jointly explore solutions to:- Minimize the load on power transmission and distribution networks and achieve future zero-emission data centers.- Secure the supply of critical and long-lead-time equipment for data centers.- Standardize prefabricated and modular data center designs to shorten construction timelines.2. Partnership within data centersHitachi and OpenAI will explore collaboration on the design and supply of essential equipment-such as cooling systems and storage-that supports the fast and reliable deployment of AI data centers.3. Further utilization of OpenAI technologiesHitachi will explore deeper integration of OpenAI's large language models (LLMs) into its Lumada solutions, including HMAX, to enhance the value and capabilities of its digital offerings.BackgroundHitachi Group, with its global leadership in power grids, clean energy, cooling technologies, data management, and operational services, is well-positioned to support the expansion of AI infrastructure. In the U.S., Hitachi Group has announced investments exceeding USD 1 billion to meet surging demand for transformers and high-voltage equipment driven by AI data center growth. Additionally, Hitachi is accelerating the global rollout of its HMAX solutions, which combine AI and deep domain expertise across its extensive installed base of products and systems to help solve customer and societal challenges.Executive commentsToshiaki Tokunaga, President and CEO, Hitachi, Ltd."Through our Social Innovation Business, Hitachi has long contributed to creating a more sustainable society. While AI is driving rapid innovation, it also brings challenges such as power shortages. Through this strategic partnership, we aim to deliver the full capabilities of One Hitachi to support OpenAI's groundbreaking technologies, working together toward the realization of a harmonized society."Tadao Nagasaki, President, OpenAI Japan, Ltd."OpenAI's mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. Our strategic partnership with Hitachi is an important step toward that vision. By combining the strengths of both organizations, we will co-create innovative solutions that address global challenges."About Hitachi, Ltd.Through its Social Innovation Business (SIB) that brings together IT, OT(Operational Technology) and products, Hitachi contributes to a harmonized society where the environment, wellbeing, and economic growth are in balance. Hitachi operates globally in four sectors - Digital Systems and Services, Energy, Mobility, and Connective Industries -and the Strategic SIB Business Unit for new growth businesses. With Lumada at its core, Hitachi generates value from integrating data, technology and domain knowledge to solve customer and social challenges. Revenues for FY2024(ended March 31, 2025) totaled 9,783.3 billion yen, with 618 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 280,000 employees worldwide. Visit us at www.hitachi.com.Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2025 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - UGI International, LLC, a subsidiary of UGI Corporation (UGI), on Tuesday announced it has agreed to sell its LPG distribution business in Austria to DCC, plc for an enterprise value of 55 million. The transaction is part of UGI International's strategy to streamline its portfolio and create a more focused, efficient business. The company said the sale proceeds will help reduce debt and enhance financial flexibility for future growth. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. UGI shares were up 0.27% in pre-market trading from Monday's close of $32.76. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. On October 19, the Fifth "2025 North Bund Forum", co-hosted by the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and jointly organized by China Eastern Airlines (CEA) and Shanghai Airport Authority (AVINEX), opened at the Grand Halls in Shanghai. With the theme "Innovation Intelligence: Shaping Aviation's Next Era", the forum brought together nearly 300 government and industry representatives, as well as experts and scholars worldwide, to discuss new trends in aviation industry development. During the forum, CEA released Global Passenger Cargo Network Development Achievements CEA continues to expand its "Aviation+" practice scenarios. In cooperation with the China Center of International Cultural Exchange and Tourism Promotion and the Shanghai Jiushi Group, it launched the China Pass Card for inbound travelers worldwide. The card offers flight discount, in-flight Wi-Fi access, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA)-Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) transfer service, etc. Its coverage will extend various venues nationwide, aiming to build a friendly environment for inbound consumption. The influence of the forum extended to the skies. CEA introduced forum-themed flights on nearly 400 arrivals into Shanghai, and on the October 17 Milan-Shanghai flight, it created an immersive cabin experience, conveying Shanghai's vitality and warmth. Recently, CEA has continued to strengthen Shanghai's role as an international aviation hub. Since 2024, it has opened 23 new medium-haul and long-haul international routes, reaching 21 Belt and Road Initiative partner countries and 36 destinations. By the end of 2025, with the launch of the Shanghai-New Zealand-Argentina route, CEA will become the first airline in China to serve six continents and the carrier with the largest number of international destinations. CEA has also established the Air-Rail Transit Desk and off-site city terminals, building an integrated air-ground travel network across the Yangtze River Delta. In 2024, CEA handled 8.358 million international transfer passengers at PVG 80.9% of the airport's total. In the first half of 2025, the number rose 26.8% year-on-year to 4.8 million, reinforcing the airline's role as a major driver of Pudong's growth as an international aviation hub. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021671789/en/ Contacts: Company: China Eastern Airlines Website: http://www.ceair.com/ Contact: fangying TEL: 00862122331470 Email: fangying@ceair.com City: Shanghai LONDON and STOCKHOLM, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TrueLayer, Europe's leading Pay by Bank network, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Zimpler, the fastest growing Pay by Bank network in the Nordics. The acquisition will bring together two of Europe's most innovative Pay by Bank providers, further strengthening TrueLayer as a formidable force in the European payments industry. This acquisition marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of Pay by Bank across Europe. By expanding TrueLayer's pan-European network and deep expertise in payment technology with Zimpler's strong position in the Nordic market, TrueLayer will be uniquely positioned to further accelerate the shift from legacy card payments to smarter, faster, and more secure payments via Pay by Bank. The acquisition is another clear step forward for TrueLayer in its mission to build a powerful alternative to legacy payments in Europe, fostering greater competition, innovation and value for businesses and their consumers. With some of the highest adoption rates of account-to-account (A2A) payments anywhere in the world, the Nordic region has been a proving ground for Pay by Bank. By acquiring Zimpler, TrueLayer will have more than 20 million users and will add coverage across key markets such as Sweden, Finland, and will add additional A2A capabilities through the Swish payment rail integration. This significantly strengthens TrueLayer's pan-European network, accelerating the shift to smarter, safer, and more cost-effective payments. Founded in 2012 by Johan Friis and Kristofer Ekman Sinclair, Zimpler has grown rapidly to become a Pay by Bank leader in the Nordics. TrueLayer is proud to welcome Zimpler's founders and shareholders on this journey - joining the likes of Stripe, Northzone, and Tiger Global in backing its mission to transform the way the world pays. "I am excited to welcome the Zimpler team to TrueLayer," said Francesco Simoneschi, Co-founder and CEO of TrueLayer. "We've long admired their progress, and we're excited to add such an incredible group of builders and payment experts to the TrueLayer team. We're not just expanding our footprint in the Nordics - we're combining talent, technology, and scale to accelerate Pay by Bank adoption across the continent, and further strengthening Pay by Bank as a force of disruption that is changing how the world pays." "Joining forces with TrueLayer is a fantastic opportunity to build the leading Pay by Bank provider in Europe," said Johan Strand, CEO of Zimpler. "TrueLayer has a proven track record of innovation and a powerful network. Our combined strengths will allow us to offer an even more compelling proposition to the market. Joining TrueLayer will enable us to reach new heights and drive the next wave of growth in the industry. At the same time, we remain firmly anchored in Sweden, with our local licence and expertise ensuring continuity for our customers." Notes to Editors The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. The change in control has been submitted to the Finansinspektionen - the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority. When the outcome of the regulatory review is announced we will communicate it through official channels. Perella Weinberg acted as exclusive financial advisor to Zimpler on the transaction. About TrueLayer TrueLayer, based in London and founded in 2016 by Francesco Simoneschi and Luca Martinetti, is Europe's fastest growing payments network. We power smarter, safer and faster online payments by combining real-time bank payments with financial and identity data. Businesses use our products to onboard new users, accept money and make payouts in seconds, and at scale. We're live across 22 countries and more than 15 million users trust us to process their transactions. Though we're not stopping here. We're on a mission to change the way the world pays. And we won't stop until we've unlocked the full potential of payments. About Zimpler Zimpler is the fastest-growing Pay by Bank network in the Nordics, connecting businesses with over 350 million customer bank accounts across 25+ markets. Founded in Sweden in 2012, Zimpler simplifies payments with instant deposits, payouts, and smarter financial flows. The company's mission is to democratize payments and enable growth for businesses across industries and markets. Today, Zimpler is the partner of choice for companies that demand speed, security, and scale. By combining faster transactions, stronger compliance, and top-tier service, Zimpler turns payments into a driver of growth. Learn more at zimpler.com. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801494/TrueLayer_Zimpler_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/truelayer-to-acquire-zimpler-creating-a-european-pay-by-bank-powerhouse-302590140.html CHICAGO, ILLINOIS / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / (NYSE:KFS) Kingsway Financial Services Inc. ("Kingsway" or the "Company"), the only publicly-traded US company employing the Search Fund model to acquire and build great businesses, today announced that Colter Hanson has joined as the Company's newest Operator-in-Residence within the Kingsway Search Xcelerator Segment ("KSX"). "I am pleased to welcome Colter Hanson as the newest member of our KSX platform," said J.T. Fitzgerald, Kingsway's President and CEO. "Colter has proven himself in high-performance environments and embodies the character, drive, and discipline we look for in our KSX operators. The Kingsway team is thrilled to have him on board." Prior to Kingsway, Mr. Hanson served as an Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company where he focused on operational excellence and value creation for clients in the manufacturing and power generation verticals. He will conduct his search out of Minneapolis, MN, and intends to seek an acquisition related to Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) with a target geography of the Midwest. Mr. Hanson is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Mr. Hanson subsequently served in the United States Navy as a nuclear submarine officer. He spent the final two years of his military service at the Pentagon, supporting the United States Navy's Director of Operations and Plans. In 2020, Mr. Hanson transitioned from the military to earn his MBA at Harvard Business School. About the Company Kingsway Financial Services Inc. ("Kingsway") (NYSE:KFS) is the only publicly-traded US company employing the Search Fund model to acquire and build great businesses. Kingsway owns and operates a collection of high-quality B2B and B2C services companies that are asset-light, growing, profitable, and that have recurring revenues. Kingsway seeks to compound long-term shareholder value on a per share basis via its decentralized management model, its talented team of operators, and its tax-advantaged corporate structure. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are not historical facts and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected and projected. Words such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "seeks," and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements; however, the absence of any such words does not mean that a statement is a not a forward-looking statement. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance, but reflect Kingsway management's current beliefs, based on information currently available. A number of factors could cause actual events, performance, or results to differ materially from the events, performance, and results discussed in the forward-looking statements. For information identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Additional Information Additional information about Kingsway, including a copy of its Annual Reports, can be accessed on the EDGAR section of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov, on the Canadian Securities Administrators' website at www.sedar.com, or through the Company's website at www.kingsway-financial.com. For Media Inquiries: Hayden IR James Carbonara (646) 755-7412 james@haydenir.com For Company Inquiries: Kingsway Financial Services Inc. Kent Hansen, CFO (312) 766-2163 khansen@kingsway-financial.com SOURCE: Kingsway Financial Services, Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/kingsway-search-xcelerator-announces-new-oir-colter-hanson-1089597 The new name, Kultura Brands, embodies the Company's strategic evolution from a labor-services association to a dynamic branding enterprise focused on culture, community, and brand-led growth. "Kultura" underscores our belief that building great brands begins with building shared culture and values. JACKSON, WY / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / Labor Smart, Inc. (OTCID:LTNC) today announces that the State of Wyoming has approved the Company's name change to Kultura Brands Inc.. Following shareholder feedback, the Company is moving forward with filings and intends to submit the ticker change with FINRA, thereby aligning our corporate identity, branding strategy, and investor communications under a unified platform. A Name That Reflects Our Future The new name, Kultura Brands, embodies the Company's strategic evolution from a labor-services association to a dynamic branding enterprise focused on culture, community, and brand-led growth. "Kultura" underscores our belief that building great brands begins with building shared culture and values. Statement from the Leadership "This name change marks a foundational shift for the Company," said Tom Zarro, Chairman of the Board. "By transitioning to Kultura Brands, we make clear to shareholders, partners, and the marketplace that we are serious about building brands that resonate, scale, and endure. I believe this is an exciting move for our company, our people, and our investors." "Our team has worked hard behind the scenes, guided by what we heard from our shareholders," said Brad Wyatt, Chief Executive Officer. "Turning our name into Kultura Brands is not just a cosmetic change - it's a statement of intent. We're committed to execution, integrity, and delivering growth, and this is a strong step in the right direction." What This Means for Shareholders The legal entity remains unchanged - only the name is changing, so your ownership remains the same. We will continue to keep shareholders updated on the effective date of the ticker change once FINRA has confirmed our filing. The Company intends to reflect the new branding across our website, investor-relations materials, email communications, and social-media handles in the coming weeks. Next Steps With shareholder feedback in mind, the Company has now completed the state-level name change to Kultura Brands Inc. The next step is submitting our name and symbol-change request to FINRA for a new ticker at the earliest filing opportunity. Following FINRA approval, we will work with the OTC Markets Group and market-data vendors to ensure the new name and ticker are updated, and we will announce the effective date publicly. Internally and externally, the Company will roll out the new branding: website update, new corporate email domains, refreshed investor-relations deck/messaging, updated social-media profiles, and other stakeholder communications. About Kultura Brands Inc. Kultura Brands Inc. (formerly Labor Smart, Inc.) is a Wyoming-based public company (OTCID:LTNC) focused on identifying, building, and scaling culture-driven brands. With a foundation rooted in operational discipline and services, our refreshed strategy moves us into brand acquisition, development, and community-led growth, aimed at creating long-term value for consumers and shareholders alike. Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes statements regarding the Company's intentions and strategic direction. Although the Company has taken steps as described, many of the matters referenced (including the timing and receipt of regulatory approvals and listing/ticker changes) are subject to risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that requests will be approved in the timeline or manner described. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any statements in this release, except as required by law. This press release contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future performance, including our financial performance and projections, revenue and earnings growth, and business prospects and opportunities. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as "may," "should," "expects," "anticipates," "contemplates," "estimates," "believes," "plans," "projected," "predicts," "potential," or "hopes" or the negative of these or similar terms. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: (i) potential failure to meet projected development and related targets; (ii) changes in applicable laws or regulations that may impact our products and business; and (iii) other risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in other reports and other public filings with OTC Markets. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur. Contact: Investor Relations - ir@laborsmartinc.com SOURCE: Kultura Brands Inc., formerly Labor Smart, Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/labor-smart-inc.-announces-corporate-name-change-to-kultura-brands-inc.-1089857 HONG KONG, Oct 21, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - - Over 620 exhibitors from 21 countries and regions will showcase alcoholic, low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages including beer, brandy, Chinese baijiu, Japanese sake, whisky, wine, and vodka,- Inaugural 'World of Spirits' zone features spirits from 13 countries and regions, helping international brands go global and tap into new markets, leveraging the opportunities brought by the reduction in liquor duty- Homegrown brands are on the rise, and the Wine and Spirits Fair offers a platform for Hong Kong brands to showcase their creativity and strength while exploring and seizing international market expansion opportunities- The Wine and Spirits Fair continues to host blind tasting sessions led by three experts, who will select a list of their favourite wines and spiritsThe 17th edition of the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair (the Wine & Spirits Fair), organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will be held on 6-8 November at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event will showcase beer, sake, spirits, wines, low- and non- alcoholic beverages to industry professionals and buyers. This year, 620 exhibitors from 21 countries and regions will participate, with a significant increase in Chinese baijiu exhibitors. The rise of homegrown brands, combined with fine wines from around the world, highlights Hong Kong's role as a hub for the wine and spirits trade and meets the market's demand for diverse alcoholic beverages.With a growing market demand for spirits and the HKSAR Chief Executive's announcement in last year's Policy Address regarding the reduction in liquor duty, Hong Kong continues to strengthen its role as an international trade platform, helping spirits brands go global.Jenny Koo, Deputy Executive Director of HKTDC, said: 'The reduction of duty on high end liquor had a positive impact on the industry and encouraged diversified development in the spirits market. At this year's Wine & Spirits Fair, there is a new World of Spirits zone where buyers and visitors can explore the rich variety of flavours of spirits from around the world. Some 20 activities will further promote the diverse development of the spirits market.'Strong exhibitor line-up with global selectionsExhibitors represent Hong Kong and various provinces and cities on the Chinese Mainland, including Fujian, Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, and Zhejiang (Zhuji) as well as Taiwan. International exhibitors include those from Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Czechia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain and the United States.The inaugural 'World of Spirits' zone features spirits from 13 countries and regions, including Chinese baijiu, brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka and whisky. Chinese baijiu is a highlight, with six of the 'Top 10 Chinese Baijiu Brands' participating, including Kweichow Moutai, Jiangsu Yanghe, and Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao, Jiannanchun, Langjiu from Sichuan.Kweichow Moutai will showcase its iconic 'Flying Fairy' Moutai and the award-winning 'Golden Prince' Moutai Prince, which was recognised as a "2024 Annual Golden Case' in Activity Marketing. Luzhou Laojiao, the brand inscribed in the First National Intangible Cultural Heritage List of China, will present a Luzhou Laojiao Antique Edition and Guojiao 1573, and launch a new baijiu on the first day of the Wine & Spirits Fair. Wuliangye and Yanghe demonstrate the trend of integrating innovative technologies into the baijiu industry, aiming for younger and more diverse markets, injecting new energy into the sector.Hong Kong Actor Timmy Hung's brand Hongjiaban Maotai blends traditional brewing techniques with Hong Kong-style flavours and action movie culture, while strictly following Maotai's ancient brewing methods.Austria's Martin & Ann Arndorfer Anina Verde, a top-tier Austrian natural wine will be featured in the Wine and Spirits Fair. Italy's Don Carlo features a unique brewing process that takes over three years, offering a balanced structure and rich layers.Hyakusyun Junmai Daiginjo from Japan uses locally grown 'Mino Nishiki' sake rice cultivated through natural farming methods and is unfiltered, preserving its original flavour, aroma, richness, and natural effervescence.With rising demand for low-alcohol beverages, Punch Club O', an Estonian craft cocktail brand, specialises in organic, low-sugar, ready-to-drink cocktails for health-conscious consumers.The Wine & Spirits Fair also features the 'Friends of Wine' zone, which showcases gourmet foods designed to complement alcoholic beverages.Spirits-related activities help the industry seize new opportunitiesTo help the spirits industry seize new opportunities in the market, nearly half of this year's activities are spirits-related, including the 2025 China Baijiu Culture International Promotion Asia Forum, co-hosted by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association and the HKTDC on 6 November. 2025 Hong Kong International Spirits Challenge Awards Ceremony on 7 November, organised by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Wine & Spirits, will honour outstanding Chinese baijiu brands. Tomy Fong, Experienced Chinese Baijiu Connoisseur, will present 'Baijiu ' The Rising Trend' on the same day to explore the current trends of Chinese Baijiu. Baijiu 101 Class on the last day of the Wine & Spirits Fair, organised by VTC, will also allow the public to experience baijiu culture and tasting methods, and learn about its 12 aroma types.Three Masters of Wine will host several major events: Debra Meiburg will lead the Cathay Global Wine & Spirits Awards Asia Presentation Ceremony, Wine Industry Conference: AI in Wine Business, and Austrian Wine and Local Sauce Pairing Workshop. Jennifer Docherty will share insights in a seminar titled Off the beaten path, gems from unsung regions. Xing Wei will host Tasting Chinese Terroir Wines, and join Carlito Chiu, an award-winning sommelier, along with Calvin Choi, a certified sommelier, in the blind tasting event. They will select their favourite wines and spirits as reference for industry buyers, to be announced on the first of the Fair.Other competitions and food pairing events including HK Best Spirits Awards 2025, Hong Kong International Mixology Showdown 2025 and Mixology Party. Several exciting pairing sessions have been added, including WINE LUXE Hong Kong TOP 10 Wine Pairing Restaurant Awards Presentation Ceremony 2025 on the second day of the Fair and Sake-Chinese Food Pairing on the final day.Public Day welcomes wine loversOn the final day, the 'Wine Fiesta' Zone will be open to public ticket holders aged 18 or above to sample and buy a range of wines and spirits, while enjoying wine tasting experiences through several activities. Regular tickets are priced at HK$220, with specially priced tickets at HK$128 available from 22 October to 7 November via CTG Bus, GoByBus, HK Liquor Store, HK01, HKGO, KKDay, KLOOK, lankwaifong.com, Trip.com, Winenow, Wai Shing Wine International CO., Ltd. and Trans-Island Chinalink. Ticket buyers will receive a Lucaris crystal wine glass on a first-come, first-served basis.Photo download: http://bit.ly/3L1lqwSAt the press conference, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Jenny Koo (centre) announced that the 16th International Wine & Spirits Fair will bring together more than 620 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions Debra Meiburg MW (left), Master of Wine, and Tomy Fong (right), Experienced Baijiu Connoisseur, also analysed industry trends at the press conferenceJenny Koo, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director (front row centre), Debra Meiburg MW, Master of Wine (front row third left), Tomy Fong, Experienced Chinese Baijiu Connoisseur (front row third right) and representatives from consulates and industry organisations attended the 17th HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair press conferenceThis year's Wine & Spirits Fair will bring exhibitors from Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, and overseas exhibitors from around the world.The Wine & Spirits Fair showcases fine wines and spirits from around the world as well as related products and services to trade visitors and buyers, promoting Hong Kong as a regional trading hub for wine and spiritsKweichow Moutai showcases its iconic 'Flying Fairy' Moutai and the award-winning 'Golden Prince' Moutai PrinceHong Kong Actor Timmy Hung's brand Hongjiaban Maotai blends traditional brewing techniques with Hong Kong-style flavours and action movie culture, while strictly following Maotai's ancient brewing methods.The champion of the Hong Kong International Mixology Showdown 2024 'HK region, Yvonne from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Clubhouse, created a signature cocktail named 'Secret'.The champion of the Hong Kong International Mixology Showdown 2024 ' GBA, Kenneth from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Clubhouse, created a signature cocktail named 'Harmony'.WebsiteHong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hkwinefair/enMedia enquiriesPlease contact the HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs Department:Katy Wong Tel: (852) 2584 4524 Email: katy.ky.wong@hktdc.orgAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the Chinese Mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.Source: HKTDCCopyright 2025 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Metals Creek Resources Corp. (TSXV: MEK) (FSE: M1C1) (the "Company" or "Metals Creek") announces that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of both non-flow through and flow-through units (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement is expected to close on or before November 20, 2025. The Company intends to issue up to 12,500,000 flow-through units at a price of $0.04 per unit (the "FT Units") for aggregate proceeds of up to $500,000. Each FT Unit will consist of one flow-through common share (the "FT Shares") and one-half of a non-flow through common share purchase warrant (the "FT Warrants"). Each whole FT Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional non-flow through common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.06 per common share for a period of 24 months from the date of issue. The FT Shares will entitle the holder to receive the tax benefits applicable to flow-through shares, in accordance with provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada). The Company also intends to issue up to 14,285,714 non-flow through units at a price of $0.035 per unit (the "NFT Units") for aggregate proceeds of up to $500,000. Each NFT Unit will consist of one non-flow through common share and one non-flow through common share purchase warrant (the "NFT Warrants"). Each NFT Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional non-flow through common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.06 per common share for a period of 60 months from the date of issue. In connection with the private placement, the Company may pay finders' fees in cash or securities or a combination of both, as permitted by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period. The Private Placement is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. The proceeds raised from the FT Units will be used for exploration on the Company's Newfoundland and Ontario properties including its Ogden Gold Project and will ensure that such Canadian Exploration Expenses qualify as a "flow-through mining expenditure" for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada), related to the exploration of the Company's exploration projects. About Metals Creek Resources Corp. Metals Creek Resources Corp. is a junior exploration company incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, is a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and has its common shares listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol "MEK". Metals Creek has earned a 50% interest in the Ogden Gold Property, including the past producing Naybob Gold mine, located 6 km south of Timmins, Ontario and has an 8 km strike length of the prolific Porcupine-Destor Fault (P-DF). Metals Creek also has multiple quality projects available for option which can be viewed on the Company's website. Parties interested in seeking more information about properties available for option can contact the Company at the number below. Additional information concerning the Company is contained in documents filed by the Company with securities regulators, available under its profile at www.sedarplus.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 release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271293 SOURCE: Metals Creek Resources Corp. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. HONG KONG, Oct 21, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - - The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) teamed up to stage two tech pavilions at GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai, helping Hong Kong exhibitors break into the Middle East market.- Multiple pitching sessions were held along with a networking dinner to help Hong Kong's I&T enterprises establish local business connections.- Hong Kong exhibitors achieved fruitful results, with one exhibitor set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the authorities from Oman after the event.GITEX Global 2025 concluded successfully last Friday. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) joined hands with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) to stage two pavilions featuring 22 exhibitors showcasing the latest applications and solutions in AI and robotics, IoT and greentech. The HKTDC also helped organise pitching sessions and a networking dinner to help Hong Kong's I&T enterprises establish local business connections.During the exhibition, exhibitor Robocore Technology Limited was in discussion with a multinational outdoor advertising company that was actively considering purchasing Robocore's advertising robots for global use. Roy Lam, CEO of Robocore Technology, said: 'GITEX marks our fourth overseas exhibition this year with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, following CES in Las Vegas, USA, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, and Viva Technology (VivaTech) in Paris, France. We established connections with more than 250 Middle Eastern companies over the five-day exhibition in GITEX. Many buyers expressed interest in purchasing our robots or becoming local distributors. We are also delighted to have met with the authorities from Oman again at GITEX and confirmed that we are signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Hong Kong this Thursday, aimed at co-establishing an AI and Robotics Center in Oman, advancing localised talent training and certification, and implementing cross-departmental pilot projects.' He is very pleased to see the strong demand for Hong Kong's I&T products and services in the Middle East market and will continue to actively expand into the region.To help Hong Kong exhibitors establish a stronger network with the Middle East and international markets, the HKTDC hosted a networking dinner on 14 October together with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (ETO) in Dubai. Around 100 industry representatives attended from Hong Kong, the local region and beyond. Hong Kong exhibitors were able to connect with local counterparts to explore business opportunities.Winnie Leung, founder of exhibitor WYNI Technology, shared after the dinner: 'The HKTDC has bridged the gap between Hong Kong's I&T enterprises and the Middle East market by helping us to establish contacts locally to understand the diverse opportunities and challenges in the Middle East market, and by connecting us with local banks and companies to advance business expansion efforts in the region.' Moving forward, WYNI Technology will follow up further to solidify potential partnerships and continue expanding in the Middle East market.Another exhibitor, Canpanion Group Limited, engaged with a local education company during the networking dinner. Both parties are exploring ways to integrate Canpanion's technology into inclusive education. They also established contact with relevant local authorities and will further explore collaboration opportunities through the help of the ETO in Dubai. Additionally, another local educational institution expressed interest in partnering with them and the government to establish an AI school, thereby fostering an ecosystem for smart education.Start-up and investor event Expand North Star took place from 12 to 15 October at Dubai Harbour, where HKSTP set up a Pavilion showcasing innovative solutions from its 10 park companies. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University also participated in the exhibition.The HKTDC continues to lead Hong Kong businesses in participating in major international tech exhibitions, helping local start-ups expand overseas and reinforcing Hong Kong's position as a global innovation and technology hub. Following GITEX Global 2025, the HKTDC will once again organise the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion next year at CES in Las Vegas, USA in January, the MWC 2026 in Barcelona, Spain in March and VivaTech in Paris, France, providing an effective platform for I&T companies to showcase their cutting-edge technologies.Photo download: https://bit.ly/3WQ6eVWHong Kong I&T enterprises showcased their latest solutions at GITEX Global 2025Robocore Technology Limited established connections with over 250 Middle Eastern enterprises during the five-day exhibition, which has helped them expand into the Middle East market.The HKTDC hosted a networking dinner with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Dubai on 14 October, helping Hong Kong's I&T enterprises establish local business connections.Websites: https://exhibitors.gitex.com/gitex-global-2025/Exhibitor/ExbDetails/hong-kong-trade-development-councilMedia enquiriesFor enquiries, please contact HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs Department:Katy Wong Tel: (852) 2584 4524 Email: katy.ky.wong@hktdc.orgMedia Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.comAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the Chinese Mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.Source: HKTDCCopyright 2025 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Mr. Ramirez is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an invitation-only organization comprising of the most distinguished trial lawyers in America. He is also a part of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and the State Bar's Labor & Employment Law Section. He serves on the Board of Directors at East LA Classic Theatre and remains active in the Mexican American Bar Association. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. New offices in London and San Francisco demonstrate global momentum and commitment to scaling AI innovation for finance and enterprise Hebbia, a global leader in domain-specific AI for finance and professional services, today announced the appointment of Aabhas Sharma as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Sharma, who most recently served as CTO of Found, will lead Hebbia's technology and product organizations as the company accelerates development of its AI-powered infrastructure for finance. The announcement comes as Hebbia expands its global footprint with the opening of a new San Francisco office to anchor its engineering team in the center of AI innovation. This follows the recent debut of Hebbia's London headquarters, which brings its community of investors, bankers, and dealmakers closer to the company's technology. "Hebbia's platform is already impacting the financial markets in a significant way," said George Sivulka, CEO, Hebbia. "The world's leading asset managers and investment banks are reclaiming thousands of hours of employee time, unlocking off market deals, and finding net-new market signal with AI. Aabhas brings the rare combination of deep technical expertise and proven leadership scaling engineering teams through hypergrowth. His vision and track record make him the ideal leader to guide our product and technical strategy as we work to continue delivering the tools that give our customers a meaningful competitive edge." Sharma brings more than a decade of operating and investing experience scaling high-growth companies and building technical organizations. At Found, he was one of the first ten employees and helped scale the company from Series A through Series C, growing to tens of millions in revenue. Prior to Found, Sharma spent nearly six years at Postmates, rising from software engineer to running its Delivery Business, where he led a 100-person team spanning engineering, product, design, operations, and infrastructure through Postmates' ~$3.5 billion acquisition by Uber. "I'm thrilled to join Hebbia at such a pivotal moment. The company's already made huge advances in AI accuracy and reasoning, and now we have the opportunity to scale that innovation even further," said Aabhas Sharma, CTO, Hebbia. "Our San Francisco office puts us at the heart of the AI ecosystem, where we can recruit exceptional talent and continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI in knowledge work." This leadership expansion builds on Hebbia's recent product momentum, including the release of new Excel, PowerPoint, and Word generation capabilities that let users build expert-level financial models and instantly turn their analysis into polished reports and presentations. About Hebbia Hebbia is the leading AI platform for finance. Founded in 2020 by George Sivulka, Hebbia is a generative AI company backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Peter Thiel, and Index Ventures. Investment banks and over 40% of the largest asset managers by AUM, use Hebbia's AI agents to drive investment decisions and automate financial analyst workflows. Users can instantly surface insights over filings, research, and millions of internal documents, enabling citation-backed research, AI-driven document, Powerpoint, and spreadsheet generation, and AI-driven origination, screening, and diligence. Learn more at hebbia.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021126864/en/ Contacts: Media Contact press@hebbia.ai Collaboration combines vehicle intelligence with iconic brand design to deliver customizable in-cabin experience MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Intuition, Inc., the industry leader for vehicle intelligence, today announced its collaboration with Stellantis, one of the world's leading automakers, to deliver intelligent in-vehicle infotainment across Stellantis' global portfolio of brands. Applied Intuition will provide its infotainment platform, powered by the company's Cabin Intelligence software and tooling, to enable tailored experiences across Stellantis' automotive portfolio. Using the platform, Stellantis will customize at scale, delivering intelligent, customer-focused and cost-efficient cabin experiences - furthering its commitment to shaping the future of transportation with bold design and advanced engineering. The announcement comes at a pivotal moment in the automotive industry. Today, software is increasingly determining the pace of innovation, making the in-cabin experience a critical frontier. For years, automakers have been running into the same problem: Infotainment systems are too expensive, outdated by the time vehicles hit the market and do not enable easy customization. "Applied Intuition's platform embeds intelligence at the core, unlocking personalized experiences based on the driver's preferences, easy feature updates, and a premium brand experience," said Qasar Younis, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition. "Our solution removes the tradeoff between affordability and flexibility, giving Stellantis the ability to deliver infotainment experiences at scale that are customized brand by brand, region by region, across one of the most diverse portfolios in the world." Applied Intuition's platform provides Stellantis with: One software solution for all brands: Applied Intuition's white-box approach enables Stellantis to tailor in-vehicle experiences across core applications - customizing the look and feel of every brand without having to rewrite systems. Applied Intuition's white-box approach enables Stellantis to tailor in-vehicle experiences across core applications - customizing the look and feel of every brand without having to rewrite systems. Customer centricity, cost efficiency and scalability: With over-the-air updates, local compliance, and flexible navigation sources, Applied Intuition enables global deployment with reduced costs and complexity. This partnership highlights Applied Intuition's differentiation in the market: multi-brand flexibility, an end-to-end platform, global scale and proven speed. To learn more about how Applied Intuition is redefining intelligence inside vehicles, visit applied.co/cabinintelligence and read our blog . About Applied Intuition Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company that accelerates the global adoption of safe, AI-driven machines. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion following its recent Series F funding round, Applied Intuition delivers the Vehicle OS, Self-Driving System, and toolchain to help customers build intelligent vehicles and shorten time to market. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers and major programs across the Department of Defense trust Applied Intuition's solutions to deliver vehicle intelligence. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Diego, CA, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, Ann Arbor, MI, London, Stuttgart, Munich, Stockholm, Bangalore, Seoul and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/applied-intuition-and-stellantis-partner-to-redefine-intelligent-in-vehicle-infotainment-302589548.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Miivo Holdings Corp. (TSXV: MIVO) (OTC Pink: MIVOF) ("Miivo" or the "Company"), operating as an AI platform offering solutions to transform underperforming and low-growth businesses into scalable, product-driven models, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Brady Rak as a director of the Company, effective immediately (the "Appointment"). Mr. Rak brings extensive capital markets expertise and strategic business development experience to Miivo's Board of Directors. Mr. Rak is a seasoned investment professional with over 15 years of experience focused on Canadian capital markets. Throughout his career, he has worked at several prominent independent broker dealers including Ventum Financial, Salman Partners, and Union Securities. As a registered investment advisor in the private client division of Ventum Financial, Mr. Rak has been involved in advising high-net-worth and corporate clients, structuring transactions, raising capital and navigating global market sentiment. Currently, Mr. Rak is Vice President of Business Development at Skyharbour Resources Ltd., where he is engaged in supporting the company's growth initiatives during a period of active drilling programs and business expansion. Mr. Rak graduated from Northwood University with a BBA in Management. His deep understanding of capital markets, investor relations, and business development makes him a valuable addition to Miivo's Board as the Company advances its AI SaaS platform and explores strategic growth opportunities. Alexander Damouni, Chief Executive Officer and director of Miivo, said: "We are delighted to welcome Brady to our Board of Directors. His experience in capital markets and proven track record in business development will be invaluable as we continue to build Miivo's presence in the AI SaaS market. His appointment further strengthens our governance and strategic oversight capabilities." Brady Rak commented: "I am excited to join Miivo's Board of Directors at such a pivotal time for the Company. The opportunity to contribute to Miivo's mission of transforming traditional service-based businesses through AI-powered automation is compelling. I look forward to leveraging my capital markets experience and network to support the Company's strategic initiatives and help drive value creation for shareholders as Miivo establishes itself as a leader in the AI SaaS space." Mr. Rak replaces Ms. Virginia Olnick on the Company's Board of Directors. Miivo is thankful to Ms. Olnick for her time and contributions to the Company and wishes her the best on her next endeavor. Mr. Rak's appointment is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Equity Compensation Grant The Company also announces that, subject to acceptance by the TXS Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), it has granted 1,215,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") and 1,095,000 restricted share rights (the "RSRs"), to acquire common shares in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share"), to certain directors, officers, advisors and consultants. The Options are exercisable for 5 years from the date of issuance at a price of $0.40 per Option, being the closing price of the Common Shares on the Exchange the date prior to grant subject to vesting provisions, with 1/3 vesting on the date of grant and 1/3 vesting each six months thereafter for a total of two years. The RSRs will vest and convert into Common Shares, for no additional consideration, on the one year anniversary of the date of grant. Any Common Shares issued pursuant to the Options and RSRs, are subject to a hold period expiring February 22, 2026. The equity grant is designed to ensure Miivo can attract and retain top talent in the competitive AI and technology sector while aligning employee interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Alexander Damouni, Chief Executive Officer and director of Miivo, said: "Our incentive program will ensure we can continue to attract and retain the exceptional talent needed to drive Miivo's growth in the rapidly evolving AI SaaS market. These initiatives position us well to capitalize on the significant opportunities ahead as we transform traditional service-based businesses through AI-powered automation." About Miivo Holdings Corp. Miivo Holdings Corp. (TSXV: MIVO) (OTC Pink: MIVOF) is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the OTC Markets and operates as an AI platform offering solutions to transform underperforming and low-growth businesses into scalable, product-driven models. By integrating AI-powered automation, Miivo aims to revolutionize traditional service-based companies and enhance their operational efficiency, customer engagement, and financial performance. The Company's strategic direction is guided by a leadership team with extensive experience in technology and AI, positioning Miivo at the forefront of innovation and growth in the AI SaaS market. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding Mr. Rak's appointment and its anticipated benefits to the Company. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, including but not limited to, the expected benefits of Mr. Rak's appointment to the Board of Directors, his contributions to the Company's strategic initiatives, and Miivo's ability to leverage its proprietary AI technologies to drive growth and innovation within the SME sector and establish itself as a leader in the AI SaaS market. Such statements are subject to assumptions, risks, and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance, or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of the Company, such as market fluctuations, regulatory changes, technological advancements by competitors, and unpredictable shifts in consumer demand, all of which may affect the Company's ability to leverage Mr. Rak's expertise effectively and realize the anticipated benefits of his appointment. The ongoing disputes in Ukraine and Palestine also continue to pose risks that are currently indescribable and immeasurable. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271097 SOURCE: Miivo Holdings Corp. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Rain City Resources Inc. (CSE: RAIN) ("Rain" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a further extension of its footprint into South America with the execution of a Memorandum of Agreement ("MoA") with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile ("PUC"). Consistently ranked in the top two research universities in Latin America, the PUC is a globally respected authority in mining and mineral processing research. Partnering with the PUC will provide Rain with continued impartial, third-party validation of the Cavitation DLE technology successfully used in our pilot test in Pennsylvania from one of the most trusted academic institutions in the industry. Strategic Focus on World-Class Lithium Brines The MoA was negotiated to test our preferred DLE solution on World-Class Lithium Brines. The MoA prioritizes validation using representative brines from Maricunga and La Isla, two of the highest-grade lithium brine resources in the world: Maricunga: Exceptional-grade brine from a salar to be developed by the Codelco-Rio Tinto joint venture. The portion operated by SQM alone contains ~479,000 tonnes of proven and probable lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) reserves. La Isla: Highly-prospective brine hosting ~2.13 million tonnes of lithium metal in a resource category, to be developed by the Rio Tinto-ENAMI joint venture. Rain's agreement is exclusively with the PUC. The testing we will be conducting with the PUC should not imply a commercial relationship with the operators of these salars. Alignment with Chile's National Lithium Strategy Our agreement with the PUC supports Chile's strategic objective of deploying advanced DLE technologies for sustainable, low-impact lithium production. Collaborating with the PUC positions Rain within the technical, academic, and policy network shaping the future of lithium in one of the world's most important jurisdictions. The benefit of the technology used in our successful pilot test is that it has been designed for net-zero water consumption, addressing one of the most critical concerns in Chile's strategy for brine-based lithium extraction. The program with the PUC includes sustainability assessments to ensure it meets or exceeds the stringent environmental standards demanded by the Chilean Government, the automotive industry and institutional investors. Time-Bound Execution - Clear Go To Market Intent The MoA requires both parties to establish binding operational agreements within 12 months, creating a tangible milestone for the market. This defined timeline allows Rain to differentiate itself from our peers with a clear pathway from validation to commercial application. Commenting on the execution of the MoA, Benjamin Hill, CEO of Rain said, "The PUC has long served as a key technological validator for industry leaders such as SQM, Albemarle, ENAMI, Codelco, and Rio Tinto and we welcome being tested under the same rigorous protocols applied to these global operators. This level of validation significantly reduces perceived technology risk for investors, strategic partners, and potential customers. By demonstrating its performance on representative brines from Maricunga and La Isla, two of the world's highest-grade lithium resources, we are positioning ourselves at the crossroads of sustainable innovation and the projects that will power the global energy transition. The 12-month execution commitment ensures this partnership will deliver tangible, measurable results for our shareholders." About Rain City Resources Inc. Rain is an integrated critical mineral technology and project development company committed to addressing the environmental, social, and economic challenges of lithium and critical mineral extraction from brine. By advancing scalable, water-conscious DLE solutions, Rain is helping drive the transition to a clean energy future. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release may include certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Rain disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that proposed operations will be successful or that the anticipated financial, economic or strategic benefits will be realized. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271304 SOURCE: Rain City Resources Inc. COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Holdings plans to elect Lars Green, former CFO of Novozymes (now Novonesis), as Chair of its Board of Directors and Britt Meelby Jensen, CEO of Ambu, as Vice Chair. Lars Rebien Srensen will step down as Chair. Lars Green has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the healthcare and life science industries. He joined Novo Nordisk in 1992 and has held various financial leadership positions in the company, including regional CFO roles in Japan and North America, before joining Executive Management in 2017. In 2019, Lars Green joined Novozymes (Novonesis) where he served as CFO until the end of 2023. He became a member of the Board of Novo Holdings earlier this year and is also a member of the Board of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. In addition, he holds several other board positions, including as member of the boards of LEO Pharma and H. Lundbeck. Lars Green will assume the role as Chair after Lars Rebien Srensen, who has been Chair of Novo Holdings since 2018. Earlier today, the Novo Nordisk Foundation announced (INSERT LINK) that it proposes the election of Lars Rebien Srensen as Chair of Novo Nordisk A/S for a limited period of time, with the company today calling for an extraordinary general meeting to elect new members to its Board on November 14. In connection with the election, Lars Rebien Srensen will step down as Chair of Novo Holdings. Furthermore, Novo Holdings will elect Britt Meelby Jensen as new Vice Chair of the Board. Britt Meelby Jensen has held several leadership positions throughout her career and is currently CEO of Ambu. In 2024, she was voted 'Leader of the year' by Lederne, Denmark's biggest organisation for leaders. She has been a member of the Novo Holdings Board since 2022. Britt Meelby Jensen will assume the Vice Chair role after Steen Riisgaard who has been Vice Chair since 2018. Steen Riisgaard will remain on the Novo Holdings Board until the expiry of his term in April 2026, at which point he will retire from the Board. Finally, Henrik Poulsen has decided to step down from the Novo Holdings Board in connection with him stepping down from the Novo Nordisk Board. Lars Rebien Srensen, Chair of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, says: "Lars and Britt are already members of the Board of Novo Holdings and know the company very well. With them at the helm, Novo Holdings is well-positioned to build on its position as a leading global life science investor. I would like to thank Henrik Poulsen for his great efforts on the boards of both Novo Holdings and Novo Nordisk during which time both companies have achieved great results." Lars Green says: "I look forward to taking on the responsibility as Chair of Novo Holdings and to work with the rest of the Board, Kasim Kutay and the rest of the management team on strengthening and expanding the important work of Novo Holdings. Our purpose is to create attractive returns that enable our owner, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, to continue and increase its grant-giving activities to the benefit of people and the planet." The planned changes to the Board will come into effect in November 2025. About Novo Holdings A/S Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve people's health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk and Novonesis and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seed, Venture, Growth, Planetary Health Investments and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests in life science companies at all stages of development. As of year-end 2024, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 142 billion. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/novo-holdings-to-make-changes-to-its-board-of-directors-302590222.html Invesco Global Equity Income Trust Plc - Result of AGM PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, October 21 Invesco Global Equity Income Trust plc LEI: 549300JZQ39WJPD7U596 Result of Annual General Meeting Result of the Annual General Meeting of Invesco Global Equity Income Trust plc held on 21 October 2025: All of the Annual General Meeting resolutions were decided by poll and were passed. The poll results were as follows: Resolution Votes For (including votes at the discretion of the Chairman) % Votes Against % Votes Withheld Ordinary resolutions: 1. 11,865,109 99.45 65,201 0.55 14,108 2. 11,717,976 98.86 134,622 1.14 91,820 3. 11,732,991 99.01 117,218 0.99 94,209 4. 11,540,257 96.97 360,221 3.03 43,940 5. 11,626,336 97.64 280,737 2.36 37,345 6. 11,547,859 96.95 362,911 3.05 33,648 7. 11,823,842 99.27 86,410 0.73 34,166 8. 11,796,324 99.11 106,094 0.89 42,000 9. 11,825,454 99.26 87,986 0.74 30,978 10. 11,912,092 99.94 7,313 0.06 25,013 11. 11,789,298 98.92 128,843 1.08 26,277 Special resolutions: 12. 11,622,150 97.61 284,278 2.39 37,990 13. 11,609,330 97.54 292,964 2.46 42,124 14. 11,619,629 97.42 308,144 2.58 16,645 15. 11,867,527 99.51 58,878 0.49 17,913 The full text of the resolutions passed is as follows: 1. To receive the Annual Financial Report for the year ended 31 May 2025. 2. To approve the Directors' Remuneration Policy. 3. To approve the Annual Statement and Report on Remuneration. 4. To re-elect Mark Dampier as a Director of the Company. 5. To re-elect Tim Woodhead as a Director of the Company. 6. To re-elect Sue Inglis as a Director of the Company. 7. To elect Helen Galbraith as a Director of the Company. 8. To re-appoint Grant Thornton UK LLP as Auditor to the Company 9. To authorise the Audit Committee to determine the Auditor's remuneration. 10. To approve the Company's dividend policy as set out on page 26 of the 2025 Annual Report. Special business of the Company 11. That: the Directors be and are hereby generally and unconditionally authorised, for the purpose of section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 as amended from time to time prior to the date of passing this resolution (the " Act") to exercise all the powers of the Company to allot relevant securities (as defined in sections 551(3) and (6) of the Act) up to an aggregate nominal amount of 458,927 (being 45,892,700 ordinary shares of 1 pence each) which equates to approximately two-thirds of the total ordinary share capital is issue (excluding treasury shares) as at 18 September 2025 (the latest practicable date prior to the date of the notice convening the meeting at which this resolution is proposed), provided that this authority shall expire at the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company or the date falling 15 months after the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that such authority shall allow the Company to make offers or agreements before the expiry of this authority which would or might require relevant securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot relevant securities in pursuance of such offers or agreements as if the power conferred hereby had not expired. 12. That: in substitution for all existing authorities, the Directors be and are hereby generally empowered, pursuant to sections 570 and 573 of the Companies Act 2006 (the " Act") to allot equity securities (within the meaning of section 560 of the Act) pursuant to any authority for the time being in force under section 551 of the Act and to sell shares held by the Company in treasury, wholly for cash, as if section 561(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale of treasury shares, provided that this power: (i) shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities and the sale of treasury shares for cash up to an aggregate nominal amount of 68,839 (being 6,883,900 ordinary shares of 1 pence each which equates to approximately 10 per cent. of the total ordinary share capital of the Company in issue (excluding treasury shares) as at 18 September 2025 (the latest practicable date prior to the date of the notice convening the meeting at which this resolution is proposed); and (ii) expires on the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company to be held after the passing of this resolution or the date falling 15 months after the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may before such expiry make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted or sold from treasury after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired. 13. That: conditional on the passing of Resolution 12, and only once the authority granted in Resolution 12 has been exhausted, the Directors be and are hereby generally empowered, pursuant to sections 570 and 573 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Act") to allot equity securities (within the meaning of section 560 of the " Act") pursuant to any authority for the time being in force under section 551 of the Act and to sell shares held by the Company in treasury, wholly for cash, as if section 561(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale of treasury shares, provided that this power: (i) shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities and the sale of treasury shares for cash up to an aggregate nominal amount of 68,839 (being 6,883,900 ordinary shares of 1 pence each) which equates to approximately 10 per cent. of the total ordinary share capital of the Company in issue (excluding treasury shares) as at 18 September 2025 (the latest practicable date prior to the date of the notice convening the meeting at which this resolution is proposed); and (ii) expires on the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company to be held after the passing of this resolution or the date falling 15 months after the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may before such expiry make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted or sold from treasury after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired. 14. That: the Company be and is hereby generally and unconditionally authorised in accordance with section 701 of the Companies Act 2006 (the " Act") to make market purchases (within the meaning of section 693(4) of the Act) of its issued ordinary shares of 1 pence each, provided that: (i) the maximum number of shares hereby authorised to be purchased shall be 14.99 per cent. of the Company's issued ordinary shares as at the date of the AGM; (ii) the minimum price which may be paid for a share shall be 1p; (iii) the maximum price which may be paid for a share must not be more than the higher of: (a) 5% above the average of the mid-market values of the shares for the five business days before the purchase is made; and (b) the higher of the price of the last independent trade in the shares and the highest then current independent bid for the shares on the London Stock Exchange; (iv) any purchase of shares will be made in the market for cash at prices below the prevailing net asset value per share (as determined by the Directors); (v) the authority hereby conferred shall expire at the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company or, if earlier, on the expiry of 15 months from the passing of this resolution unless the authority is renewed at any other general meeting prior to such time; and (vi) the Company may make a contract to purchase shares under the authority hereby conferred prior to the expiry of such authority which will be executed wholly or partly after the expiration of such authority and may make a purchase of shares pursuant to any such contract. 15. That: the period of notice required for general meetings of the Company (other than Annual General Meetings) shall be not less than 14 days. The Company has 79,986,586 Ordinary shares of 1p each in issue, of which 9,497,404 shares are held in Treasury. These carry one vote per share and accordingly the total voting rights are 70,489,182. The above tables represent the number of votes registered. Approximately 17% of the Company's issued share capital is represented by the voting. The poll votes lodged with the Registrar will shortly be available via the Company's website at: https://www.invesco.com/uk/en/investment-trusts/invesco-global-equity-income-trust.html In accordance with UK Listing Rule 6.4.2R, copies of the resolutions that were passed at the annual general meeting, which do not constitute ordinary business will shortly be available for inspection via the National Storage Mechanism: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism Invesco Asset Management Limited Corporate Company Secretary 21 October 2025 SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- China's leading multi-brand beauty group JOY GROUP (Shanghai Juyi Cosmetics Co., Ltd.) has announced the completion of its acquisition of Foltene, a dermatological hair care brand from Italy. Founded in Milan in 1944 by pharmaceutical researchers, Foltene is renowned for its scientific heritage and pioneering innovation. The brand developed two proprietary active complexes, Tricosaccaride and Tricalgoxyl, which are clinically proven to promote thicker, fuller, and healthier-looking hair. Foltene's core product portfolio focuses on the healthy growth and repair of hair and keratin, covering a wide range of categories including anti-hair loss ampoules, gender-specific anti-hair loss shampoos, eyebrow and eyelash serums, and nail repair essences. Backed by rigorous scientific research and clinical trials, Foltene's products are recognized by leading research institutions worldwide. Today, the brand is sold in 30+ countries, trusted and loved by consumers globally. This acquisition represents a full global acquisition of Foltene's brand business, covering its brand assets, global distribution network, supply chain system, and research laboratory located in Italy. Allan Liu, Chairman and CEO of JOY GROUP, stated: "As awareness of scalp and hair health continues to rise, we see immense growth opportunities ahead. With its solid scientific heritage, leading proprietary technologies, and comprehensive product portfolio, Foltene has earned the trust and recognition of consumers across the globe. We are truly honored to welcome Foltene into the JOY GROUP family. This acquisition enhances our footprint in the hair and scalp care sector and enables us to bring advanced, science-backed solutions to more consumers." This acquisition marks another milestone in JOY GROUP's "multi-brand, multi-category, and international" strategy, completing a comprehensive portfolio that spans color cosmetics, hair and scalp care, and dermatological skincare. The addition of Foltene will generate strong synergies with the Group's existing brands, driving JOY GROUP's continued growth and innovation in the global beauty market. About JOY GROUP JOY GROUP is a multi-brand beauty company driven by the mission to "Create a world of beauty that brings joy to everyone." Our portfolio includes: JUDYDOLL, JOOCYEE, Biophyto genesis, Rene Furterer (China business), and Foltene, spanning color cosmetics, dermatological skincare, and hair and scalp care. We also operate our own R&I center and cosmetics manufacturing facility, bringing together top talent across disciplines to build an integrated, agile, and responsive end-to-end supply chain. To learn more about JOY GROUP, visit www.joy-group.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801389/20251016_135415.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/joy-group-completes-acquisition-of-italian-dermatological-hair-care-brand-foltene-302590050.html ABU DHABI, UAE and DUBAI, UAE and NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Inveniam Capital Partners ("Inveniam"), a global leader in decentralized data infrastructure for private market assets, and MANTRA, a Layer 1 blockchain specializing in real world asset (RWA) tokenization, today unveiled Inveniam Chain, a purpose-built Layer 2 blockchain aimed at advancing the management and utilization of private real estate assets in an agentic future, beginning with commercial real estate (CRE) data. Built as the first Layer 2 on MANTRA Chain's RWA L1, Inveniam Chain's first phase will power CRE derivatives globally, thereby unlocking trading strategies and liquidity for $27 trillion in private CRE holdings. Inveniam Chain will be fully connected to agentic asset surveillance through Inveniam IO's Proof of Origin, Proof of State, and Proof of Process, where data sits at the edge and is monitored in real-time. Currently, Inveniam is doing this at scale with tens of billions of dollars of private market assets. Underpinned by Inveniam's decentralized data management platform, Inveniam IO, Inveniam Chain will structure, hash, and credential trillions of proprietary data points feeding private market indices, DeFi ecosystems, AI agents, and data sharing marketplaces with efficient throughput. Inveniam Chain will bring a newfound fully sovereign data solution set to address current challenges in the siloed commercial real estate industry, one of the most low-frequency data-rich asset classes globally. Inveniam Chain is also designed to scale across other private market asset classes, subsequently enabling the creation of innovative investment products, enhanced collateral mobility, and alternative financing solutions for real world assets. By recording key performance metrics and asset-level data in real-time, Inveniam Chain will be positioned to support future digital derivatives products, exchanges, and platforms, ultimately transforming how private assets across industries are utilized in the digital economy. "Inveniam Chain will be fully connected to AI agents and DeFi ecosystems, acting as the metachain for every digital instrument, whether the asset sits natively on MANTRA (OM), or is traded digitally on Ripple (XRP), Avalanche (AVAX), Hedera (HBAR), ZK Sync (ZK), or Ethereum (ETH). This is where agents which are surveilling physical assets real-time, can prove to other agents and end users, the zero Knowledge Proof of State, Origin, and Process of the data. Inveniam Chain is a transformative step toward bridging traditional finance, providing price discovery and asset performance real time to the digital economy, starting with commercial real estate and expanding to other asset classes," Patrick O'Meara, Chairman and CEO of Inveniam said. John Patrick Mullin, CEO and Founder of MANTRA added, "By combining MANTRA's RWA-focused Layer 1 infrastructure with Inveniam's deep expertise in private market data, Inveniam Chain has the potential to redefine how assets are tokenized, traded, and valued. Its initial use case for regulated commercial real estate derivatives is just the beginning; we're eager to see the innovative use cases this technology will unlock liquidity across global markets." To ensure enterprise-grade protection and operational integrity, Inveniam will operate under MANTRA's Interchain Security (ICS), inheriting MANTRA Chain's validator set. By extending this security model through ICS, the network achieves trust, resilience, and scalability without sacrificing decentralization, offering regulated markets like ADGM an established infrastructure to create and scale a global CRE derivatives exchange. Inveniam Chain is now live in testnet. About Inveniam Inveniam is a data operations management and orchestration solution for private market assets, bringing access, transparency, and trust to asset performance data. The company is building the foundation for scalable AI integration, decentralized data marketplaces, and the systematic trading of real-world assets. For more information, visit https://www.inveniam.io/ About MANTRA MANTRA is a leading Layer 1 blockchain designed for real-world assets, offering EVM compatibility and interoperability with Ethereum ecosystems. With a strong presence in Asia and the Middle East, MANTRA's $OM token and strategic partnerships drive innovation in tokenized asset markets. For more information, visit https://mantrachain.io/. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/inveniam-and-mantra-unveil-inveniam-chain-a-layer-2-blockchain-for-the-management-and-utilization-of-private-real-estate-assets-302590229.html Greater Toronto Area, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Iron & Earth is excited to announce its participation in the inaugural Canada Climate Week Xchange (CCWX). As part of this national initiative, Iron & Earth will host Climate Crossroads: Pathways To Energy Equity which aims to to facilitate meaningful connections with potential collaborators, leading to a stronger network of parties interested in renewable energy and the clean economy in the Greater Toronto Area. Climate Crossroads: Pathways to Energy Equity is focused on transformations in the energy industry and the future of energy jobs, with programming tailored for people with careers in renewable energy, climate advocacy, and energy policy, as well as students interested in careers in the green energy economy. Register at pathways-net-zero.eventbrite.ca. Climate Crossroads: Pathways To Energy Equity is taking place during CCWX 2025 which runs from November 24 to November 30th. Event details: Date: November 28, 2025 November 28, 2025 Time: 9am - 5pm EST 9am - 5pm EST Format/Location: In-Person / The Innovation Complex at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario To learn more about Climate Crossroads: Pathways To Energy Equity, or to see other events taking place during CCWX, visit www.ccwx.ca. About Iron & Earth Iron & Earth is a non-profit that supports a Just Transition by reducing barriers to participation in the green economy. Our vision extends beyond workforce mobilisation to foster a community- driven transformation, where people actively contribute to a sustainable and equitable future, for their communities and the planet. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals implementation strategy, we believe that "economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development are mutually reinforcing." Iron & Earth works towards these goals with four programs. Our Renewable Skills Initiative is designed to increase energy literacy and equip communities to maintain renewable energy systems and kick-start their future in the green economy. The Prosperous Transition Campaign is Iron & Earth's Indigenous-informed research initiative which centres Indigenous knowledge and local economies in a Just Transition. Community Talks hosts participant-led community engagement sessions on climate change, the just transition, potential solutions, and their level of preparedness on each of these issues. The Climate Career Portal is an all-in-one scalable digital resource for green career transition, connecting individuals with job openings, training programs, and industry knowledge across renewable sectors. About CCWX Canada Climate Week Xchange (CCWX) is a five-year initiative bringing Canadians from coast to coast together, one week a year, to collaborate on solutions and opportunities to address our country's climate-related challenges. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to apply to have their event included in the inaugural 2025 week, which will run from November 24 to November 30, 2025. To learn more about CCWX and how to participate, visit www.ccwx.ca. SOURCE: Canada Climate Week XChange Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Federico Pasin, Director, and Michel Patry, President and Chief Executive Officer, from HEC Montreal Foundation ("HEC Montreal"), along with Tolga Cenesizoglu, Director, Canadian Derivatives Institute, joined Karen McMeekin, President, Montreal Exchange ("MX") Regulatory Division, to open the market to celebrate a $2 million donation the MX Regulatory Division is making to the HEC Montreal Foundation. Cannot view this video? Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiGfP7NCfX4 This commitment will be directed towards key educational initiatives designed to directly benefit the students and the broader financial community. By supporting HEC Montreal, MX is helping to cultivate the minds that will not only drive innovation, but also safeguard Canada's capital markets ecosystem for years to come. MX is thrilled to support this critical work. An internationally renowned French-language university, HEC Montreal is open to the world and firmly rooted in the Quebec community. Since 1907, it has been training leaders in all areas of management, who contribute responsibly to the success of organizations and the sustainable transition of society. Its community includes more than 14,000 students from 148 countries, 310 faculty members and more than 115,000 graduates, who make their mark here and around the world. The School offers more than 150 programs at all undergraduate and graduate levels, and welcomes more than 9,000 managers and executives every year. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271312 SOURCE: Toronto Stock Exchange Saskatoon, Saskatchewan--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - 1844 Resources Inc. (TSXV: EFF) ("1844" or the "Company") is pleased to hat it has acquired from SOQUEM Inc. their 50% interest in 20 claims forming part of the Glencore/SOQUEM Joint Venture of the Valliere Project, which hosts the remaining portion of the Sullipek Deposit. The acquisition, signed on October 14, 2025, provides that SOQUEM will retain a 1% Net Smelter Return (NSR) royalty, while 1844 will assume responsibility for the transfer fees and the ongoing maintenance of the claims in good standing. Sylvain Laberge, President and CEO of 1844 Resources, commented: "The acquisition of SOQUEM's 50% interest in the Valliere Project consolidates our position over the Sullipek Deposit and strengthens our presence in the region. and we look forward to advancing this project as part of our broader exploration strategy centered on the Vortex Project." This addition enhances the Company's rename flagship Vortex/Vallieres Project, where a 2012 discovery hole intersected 29 metres grading 0.94% Cu, starting at 5.20 metres depth. (see figure). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8892/271307_250924_gcr_gaspsie_vortex-soquem.jpg A NI 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimate, completed by Claude Duplessis, Eng. of Goldminds Geoservices on February 2, 2017 (see report), defined 2,240,000 tonnes grading 1.09% Cu, representing approximately 24,000 tonnes of contained copper (1844's portion of the Sullipek Deposit). The mineral resource model was prepared using 349 historical drill holes, outlining three main copper-mineralized envelopes. Grade interpolation was performed using inverse square distance with a minimum of three composites based on 1.5-metre intervals. The model uses 5-metre cubic blocks (weighing 337.5 tonnes each) and an ellipsoid oriented NNW-SSE, with dimensions of 60 m 40 m 10 m. The combination of both portions of the Sullipek Deposit-the Valliere and Vortex sectors-represents a historical mineral inventory that includes non-NI 43-101 compliant estimates. Notably, a 1993 Geostat study reported measured resources (Class II geological reserves) of 5.9 million tonnes grading 0.82% Cu. These historical estimates are not compliant with current standards, and therefore the mineralized material cannot be considered a current mineral resource. The Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to verify or classify the historical estimate as current, and therefore, the Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource. Additional work required to verify and potentially upgrade the historical estimate to current NI 43-101 standards would include the verification of historical drill data, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) validation, resampling of available core, twinning of selected holes, and updated geological and block modeling supported by modern analytical methods and database validation. Following the acquisition, 1844 Resources completed a high-resolution airborne MAG-SPEC geophysical survey over the property, with 50-metre line spacing. The survey data are currently being refined in the final processing phase and results will be released shortly. About 1844 Resources Inc. 1844 Resources (TSXV: EFF) is a Quebec-based exploration company focused on creating shareholder value through the discovery and development of base and precious metal projects in underexplored regions of Eastern Canada. The Company's principal asset, the Vortex/Vallieres Project, is located in the Gaspe region of Quebec, a historically rich mining district with established infrastructure and community support. Bernard-Olivier Martel, P. Geo, the Company's Director of Exploration, is a qualified person (as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION Some of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "expects", "intends", "is expected", "potential", "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control, including without limitation, obtaining regulatory approval for the Offering and the Offering being fully subscribed. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law. 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 release. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271307 SOURCE: 1844 Resources Inc. Restaurants can now leverage Expedite's proven driver technology and delivery network for in house or hybrid delivery operations with full visibility and control. HORSHAM, PENNSYLVANIA / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / Expedite today announced expanded access to its hybrid delivery app, giving restaurant operators the ability to use the same proven driver technology that powers Expedite's nationwide network of professional Expediters . This release marks another step forward in building a connected ecosystem that helps restaurants manage every stage of the off-premise experience, from ordering to delivery to reputation management. The Expedite driver app brings the company's established delivery tracking technology, AI driver matching, and real-time delivery visibility directly to restaurant operators. It allows them to manage their own drivers, connect with trusted delivery partners, or seamlessly tap into Expedite's network of catering-educated Expediters when in-house staff is not available. The result is a flexible, data-driven approach to hybrid delivery management that gives restaurants full control over their operations and customer experience. "Restaurants have told us they want flexibility without losing visibility," said Chris Heffernan, CEO of dlivrd Technologies , the company behind Expedite. "By opening access to our driver app, we are giving operators the same tools and insights that power Expediters every day. This is another step toward creating a full ecosystem that connects Expedite Orders, Delivery, and reputation management into one cohesive platform that helps restaurants scale profitably." The Expedite delivery management platform has already shown strong results among its initial users, who have reported major improvements in their ability to track, manage, and report on internal delivery operations. Early adopters highlight that the hybrid delivery model has become a true growth enabler, allowing teams to scale more responsively by blending internal and external driver resources to handle demand spikes, control costs, and protect brand standards. They also note that while hybrid delivery adds operational complexity, it reinforces the need for advanced tracking, visibility, and reporting capabilities that Expedite delivers with precision. Expedite, already active across the United States and Canada, plans to extend technology access to the United Kingdom in 2026, where restaurant managed delivery is the industry norm. Early access to the Expedite hybrid delivery app is now open through a limited waitlist, with onboarding spots available beginning January 2026. Restaurants interested in joining can learn more or sign up at www.expedite.io . About Expedite Expedite is a delivery management platform built for businesses that need flexibility without losing control. The platform combines AI driven driver matching, real time tracking, and integrated fleet management to create one connected system for every type of delivery, whether in house, third party, or hybrid. With data intelligence at its core, Expedite helps operators improve order efficiency, reduce delivery gaps, and scale seamlessly across markets. Visit www.expedite.io to explore how Expedite powers delivery that performs. SOURCE: dlivrd Technologies Inc View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/expedite-extends-proven-driver-technology-to-support-in-house-and-1090013 Huda Beauty Backs Miss Universe Palestine, Nadeen Ayoub in her Miss Universe journey DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Huda Beauty is thrilled to announce its official partnership with Miss Universe Palestine, Nadeen Ayoub - a powerhouse of purpose, beauty, and impact who embodies everything the brand stands for: empowerment, inclusivity, and fearless self-expression. Founded by global beauty mogul Huda Kattan, Huda Beauty has always championed authenticity and representation in everything they do. This exciting partnership marks another bold step in the brand's mission to celebrate women who use their platforms to create real change and inspire the world. At just 27 years old, Nadeen Ayoub is much more than a model and wellness advocate - she's a leader with a mission. Crowned Miss Universe Palestine, Nadeen will proudly represent her country at the 74th Miss Universe pageant this November in Bangkok, Thailand, where she'll compete among over 130 contestants from across the globe. Beyond the spotlight, Nadeen is the founder of Olive Green Academy and Sayidat Falasteen Foundation, platforms dedicated to sustainability, education, and women's empowerment. Through initiatives that merge technology, environmental awareness, and social impact, her work is reshaping how communities approach wellness, environmental responsibility, and opportunities for women - values that deeply align with Huda Beauty's belief in beauty as a force for empowerment and progress. Together, Huda Beauty and Nadeen Ayoub are redefining what it means to be truly beautiful - strong, authentic, and unapologetically yourself - while shining a global spotlight on the power of women to create change, one bold step at a time. ABOUT HUDA BEAUTY Huda Beauty's mantra is that Beauty is Self-Made. Founded by leading beauty authority Huda Kattan in 2013, the brand has evolved to become a globally renowned beauty movement that challenges conventional standards and empowers beauty lovers worldwide. Known for inspiring transparency within the industry and creating iconic, innovative and cult-favorite products, such as the ICONIC Easy Routine - Easy Primer, Easy Blur & Easy Bake Setting Powder - the brand makes beauty accessible and fun for all. Driven by their community, Huda Beauty encourages a celebration of individuality and self-expression that goes beyond just make-up. In 2025, Huda Beauty reached a major milestone, becoming a fully independent company as of June-a bold step that reinforces its commitment to creative freedom, community-driven innovation, and founder-led vision. Earlier in 2025, Huda Beauty was honored as the Most Popular Beauty Brand Globally in both Q1 & Q2 2025 by Cosmetify, further cementing its status as a global leader in the beauty industry. Recognized for its commitment to quality, authenticity and innovation, the brand has also received numerous accolades and has been honored with prestigious awards, including the Allure Best of Beauty Award, Elle Beauty Award, and Cosmopolitan Beauty Award. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801683/Huda_Beauty.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/huda-beauty-joins-forces-with-miss-universe-palestine-nadeen-ayoub-as-official-sponsor-for-her-participation-in-the-miss-universe-302590301.html CHICAGO and LONDON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GTCR and Synova LLP ("Synova"), two leading private equity firms, announced today that they have closed the previously announced acquisition of UK insurance broker JMG Group ("JMG" or the "Company"). GTCR and Synova will collaborate to support JMG's strong existing management team, led by CEO Nick Houghton, which will continue to lead the business and retain substantial equity ownership. Headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, JMG Group is a leading UK insurance broker providing comprehensive risk management solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises and high-net-worth individuals. Led since 2020 by a partnership of CEO Nick Houghton and Chairman Tim Johnson, JMG has rapidly scaled into a top 30 UK broker, placing over 350 million in gross written premium annually. With a team of over 800 insurance professionals across the country, JMG has a differentiated strategy of acquiring local and regional brokerages and leveraging its platform to enable local offices to deliver above-market organic growth. "At JMG, we've always focused on empowering our people and delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients. Joining forces with GTCR and continuing our partnership with Synova brings together three firms aligned in these values and ambitions," said Nick Houghton, CEO of JMG Group. "Together, we're ready to continue setting new standards in service and growth during this exciting new chapter." "JMG has built an impressive platform, combining consistent organic growth with thoughtful M&A strategy," said Aaron Cohen, Managing Director and Head of Financial Services & Technology at GTCR. "We're thrilled to partner with Nick, Synova, and the broader JMG team to help accelerate their growth journey, leveraging our deep expertise in the insurance sector and our shared commitment to delivering outstanding service to clients." "We're incredibly proud of the growth JMG has achieved since our initial investment, driven by Nick Houghton and his exceptional team," added David Menton, Managing Partner at Synova. "Our partnership with GTCR represents a powerful combination of shared vision and experience. Together, we're excited to support JMG as it continues to scale and strengthen its position as a leading UK insurance broker." About GTCR Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm that invests behind The Leaders Strategy - finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. GTCR is focused on investing in transformative growth in companies in the Business & Consumer Services, Financial Services & Technology, Healthcare and Technology, Media & Telecommunications sectors. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $30 billion in approximately 300 companies, and the firm currently manages approximately $50 billion in equity capital. GTCR is based in Chicago with offices in New York and West Palm Beach. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com. Follow us on LinkedIn. About Synova Synova is recognized as one of Europe's most innovative growth investors, generating market leading returns investing in companies valued between 20 million and 250 million in the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe. Synova has been consistently recognized as one of the best performing global managers by industry benchmark, Preqin, and was recently awarded Private Equity House of the Year at the 2025 Private Equity Awards. For more information, please visit www.synova.pe. Follow us on LinkedIn. About JMG Group JMG Group was established in 2020 following a management buyout of JM Glendinning Insurance Brokers led by Group CEO Nick Houghton and backed by Synova. The JMG Group has ambitious growth plans, built upon supplementing strong organic growth with a series of complementary strategic acquisitions. Now operating with a team of over 800 colleagues across 45 offices - stretching from the highlands of Scotland to the south coast of England - JMG Group has built its reputation as one of the UK's leading insurance brokers through its quality team and range of client services. GTCR Media Contact: Prosek Partners Josh Clarkson / Ryan Smith 212-279-3115 pro-GTCR@Prosek.com Synova Media Contact: press@synova.pe Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2624007/GTCR_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/gtcr-completes-investment-in-jmg-group-302590307.html THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ST. GEORGE'S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / Atlas Salt Inc. ("Atlas Salt" or the "Company") (TSXV:SALT)(OTCQB:REMRF)(FRA:9D00) announces that it has closed its brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") previously announced on October 14, 2025, raising gross proceeds of $8,704,400. Under the Offering, 10,880,500 common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") at a price of $0.80 per Common Share (the "Offering Price") were issued pursuant to National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106") in accordance with Part 5A of NI 45-106, as amended by the Canadian Securities Administrators' Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The Common Shares offered under the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption are not subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. Participants in the Offering included a strategic investor with whom the Company is excited to build and strengthen its relationship. This investor's interest in the Company and its flagship Great Atlantic Salt Project aligns with its long-term strategic objectives. Nolan Peterson, CEO of Atlas Salt, commented: "The commitment and interest of both new and existing shareholders underscores the strength of the results of our recent Updated Feasibility Study, which demonstrated improved project economics and cash flow potential at Great Atlantic, in conjunction with significant de-risking. The participation of this strategic investor marks a major milestone for the Company and further reinforces our confidence in the direction we are taking with the Great Atlantic Salt Project. The rapid and positive response to the Updated Feasibility Study, the resulting market interest and the rapid closing of this financing have provided us with a timely opportunity to advance our early works program. Collectively, these developments position Atlas Salt as an increasingly attractive investment opportunity." The Offering was conducted pursuant to the terms of an agency agreement entered into among the Company and Raymond James Ltd., as co-lead agent and joint bookrunner, and Ventum Financial Corp., as co-lead agent and joint bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of agents, including Desjardins Capital Markets (collectively, the "Agents"). As consideration for their services, the Company has paid the Agents an aggregate cash fee totaling $522,264. The Company also issued to the Agents an aggregate of 652,830 compensation warrants (each, a "Compensation Warrant"), with each Compensation Warrant entitling the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at the Offering Price for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the Offering. The net proceeds received from the Offering will be used for civil engineering work related to advancing the Great Atlantic Salt Project towards development and for general corporate and working capital purposes, as further described in the offering document in connection with the Offering, which can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.atlassalt.com. As previously disclosed, certain insiders of the Company participated in the O?ering, and such participation by insiders constitutes a related party transaction as de?ned in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that neither the fair market value of the securities issued under the O?ering nor the consideration paid by insiders of the Company exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Atlas Salt Inc. Atlas Salt is developing Canada's next salt mine and is committed to responsible and sustainable mining practices. With a focus on innovation and efficiency, the company is poised to make significant contributions to the North American salt market while upholding its values of environmental stewardship and community engagement. For more information, please contact: Jeff Kilborn, CFO & VP Corporate Development investors@atlassalt.com (709) 275-2009 Cautionary Statement Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the intended use of proceeds of the Offering, are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, technical, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the timing, completion and delivery of required permits, supply arrangements and financing. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. SOURCE: Atlas Salt View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/atlas-salt-announces-closing-of-brokered-life-private-placement-and-participation-1090087 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - 1317234 B.C. Ltd. ("131" or the "Company") and Marviken Ontario Inc. ("Marviken") are pleased to announce that the Company, Marviken and 1001313119 Ontario Inc. ("Subco"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, have entered into a business combination agreement dated October 15, 2025 (the "Business Combination Agreement") pursuant to which the Company will acquire Marviken by way of a three-cornered amalgamation, which will result in the reverse takeover of 131 by Marviken (the "Proposed Transaction"). Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, the Company will continue to carry on the business of Marviken (thereafter referred to as the "Resulting Issuer"). Terms of Proposed Transaction Under the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, the Proposed Transaction will be completed by way of a three-cornered amalgamation under the laws of Ontario, whereby Subco and Marviken will amalgamate (the "Amalgamation"), and the resulting amalgamated entity will survive as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Immediately prior to or concurrently with closing of the Proposed Transaction, the Company is expected to change its name to "Nordiq Energy Systems Inc. ( NESt)" or such other name as is determined by Marviken and the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). The completion of the Proposed Transaction will be subject to a number of customary closing conditions, including but not limited to: (i) the approval of the Amalgamation and the Proposed Transaction by the board of directors and shareholders of Marviken and 131, (ii) approvals of all regulatory bodies having jurisdiction in connection with the Proposed Transaction, (iii) approval of the TSXV, for the listing of the common shares of the Resulting Issuer (the "Resulting Issuer Shares"), including the satisfaction of its initial listing requirements, and (iv) the completion of the Concurrent Financing (as described below). In addition, immediately prior to or concurrently with closing of the Proposed Transaction, 131 is expected to consolidate (the "Consolidation") all of its issued and outstanding common shares (each, a "131 Share") on a basis that reflects the price based on a price per 131 Share equal to the price per subscription receipt sold under the Concurrent Financing. Upon completion of the Proposed Transaction, each common share in the capital of Marviken shall be exchanged for one common share of the Resulting Issuer, and any convertible securities of Marviken shall be exchanged economically equivalent securities of the Resulting Issuer. A listing statement in connection with the proposed transaction and listing of the Resulting Issuer Shares on the TSXV will be prepared and filed in accordance with the policies of the TSXV. The Concurrent Financing In connection with the completion of the Proposed Transaction, Marviken intends to complete a commercially reasonable best efforts private placement of subscription receipts of Marviken for gross proceeds of an expected $20,000,000 (the "Concurrent Financing"). The Concurrent Financing will be conducted on a private placement basis pursuant applicable prospectus exemptions. Marviken intends to use the proceeds of the Concurrent Financing to pay for the costs and expenses of the Proposed Transaction, including the Concurrent Financing, for operations of the business of the Resulting Issuer, and for general working capital purposes. Further details on the Concurrent Financing will be provided in a subsequent news release once available. Mason Law is appointed as counsel for Marviken, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is appointed as counsel to the Company. About Marviken Marviken is the owner of a 14 acre industrially zoned property strategically located south of Stockholm, Sweden. The Marviken site has a longstanding history of power generation and is fully integrated into the Swedish electrical grid. It hosts existing operational battery infrastructure, a 130 kV substation commissioned in 2017, and a 55,000 m underground energy storage cavern, with direct access to both fresh and cooling water sources. Marviken plans to develop and expand the site into a modern energy and digital infrastructure hub (the "Project"), which will include a data center and a 70 MW / 70 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) connected through the on-site substation. The Project is designed to support Sweden's transition to a more reliable, flexible, and decarbonized energy system, addressing the country's growing need for grid stability and sustainable energy solutions. About the Company and 1001313119 Ontario Inc. The Company was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) on July 27, 2021. The Company is a reporting issuer under the securities laws of the jurisdictions of Alberta and British Columbia. None of its securities, are listed or posted for trading on any stock exchange and no public market exists for any securities of the Company. Additional information on the Company can be found by reviewing its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Subco is a private company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) on July 30, 2025, for the purpose of completing the Proposed Transaction. All information contained in this news release with respect to 131, Marviken, and the Resulting Issuer was supplied by the parties, respectively, for inclusion herein, and 131 and its directors and officers have relied on Marviken for any information concerning such party, and Marviken and its directors and officers have relied on 131 for any information concerning such party. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company and Marviken with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding: (i) expectations regarding whether the Proposed Transaction will be consummated, including whether conditions to the consummation of the Proposed Transaction will be satisfied, or the timing for completing the Proposed Transaction; (ii) the timing for closing and the size of the Concurrent Financing; and (iii) expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect the Company's and Marviken's respective management's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Company and Marviken believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the combined company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the ability to consummate the Proposed Transaction; the ability to obtain requisite regulatory and shareholder approvals and the satisfaction of other conditions to the consummation of the Proposed Transaction on the proposed terms and schedule; the potential impact of the announcement or consummation of the Proposed Transaction on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; and changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of the Company and Marviken and market conditions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company and Marviken have attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. the Company and Marviken do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the listing statement to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. The TSXV has not in any way passed upon the merits of the Proposed Transaction and the Concurrent Financing and associated transactions and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271324 SOURCE: 1317234 B.C. Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Torchlight Innovations Inc. (TSXV: TLX.P) (doing business as RZOLV Technologies Inc.) ("Torchlight" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that, after the completion of its qualifying transaction (the "Qualifying Transaction") with Innovation Mining Inc. ("Innovation"), the Company's common shares (the "Common Shares") will commence trading on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 under the ticker symbol "RZL". Please refer to news releases dated April 11, 2025, September 22, 2025, October 8, 2025, and October 14, 2025 for further details regarding the Qualifying Transaction. Due to the ongoing job action affecting multiple government agencies, name reservation requests are not currently being examined, as such the Company will use the name Torchlight Innovations Inc. (doing business as RZOLV Technologies Inc.) until such time as the Company can change its name to RZOLV Technologies Inc. Investor Relations Agreement The Company also announces that it has entered into an investor relations agreement dated August 26, 2025 (the "Agreement") with Market One Media Group Inc. (the "Consultant"). Pursuant to the Agreement, the Consultant has agreed to provide certain investor relations services to the Company for a term of 12 months from the date of listing. The Company has agreed to pay the Consultant a fee of $105,000 (inclusive of GST) for these services. Based in Canada and the US, the Consultant provides interviews, editorial content and video services to publicly listed companies. The Company and the Consultant act at arm's length, and the Consultant has no present interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities, or any right or present intent to acquire such an interest. The Consultant has agreed to comply with all applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSXV in providing the services to the Company. About Torchlight (doing business as RZOLV Technologies Inc.) RZOLV Technologies Inc. is a clean-tech company with an innovative technology that aims to transform the gold mining industry. Innovation has developed RZOLV, a proprietary, non-toxic hydrometallurgical formula for gold extraction. The formula offers a sustainable, safe, and water-based alternative to cyanide. While cyanide has been the industry standard for over a century, its toxic nature has led to bans in several countries and costly permitting challenges for mining companies. RZOLV offers similar cost and performance metrics as cyanide, but with a non-toxic, reusable and sustainable profile. The Company is currently focused on validating its technology through a 100-tonne industrial test, after which full commercialization efforts will begin. RZOLV Technologies Inc. has safeguarded RZOLV by filing an international patent and possessing a robust portfolio of trade secrets, facility security, chemical obfuscation, and stringent employment confidentiality agreements ensuring long-term competitive advantages. The intellectual property framework includes protection for its chemical formulation, regeneration processes, and specific applications in heap leaching, vat leaching, and concentrate processing. Early Warning Disclosure Prior to the completion of the Qualifying Transaction on October 10, 2025, Duane Nelson of North Vancouver, British Columbia (the "Acquiror"), together with joint actors, beneficially owned and controlled Nil Common Shares and Nil stock options. In connection with and upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, the Acquiror, together with joint actors, beneficially owns and controls 7,463,023 Common Shares and 310,959 stock options, representing 12.09% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis and 12.53% on a partially diluted basis. The Acquiror does not currently have plans to acquire additional securities or dispose of his holdings in the Company. However, he may acquire or dispose of securities depending on market conditions, changes in plans, or other relevant factors. This disclosure is being made pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issuers in connection with the filing of Early Warning Reports regarding the acquisition of securities of the Company. A copy of the Acquiror's early warning report will be available on the Company's profile on SEDAR + at www.sedarplus.ca and can also be obtained by contacting the Company at the details provided below. Cautionary Note Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement prepared in connection with the Qualifying Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Qualifying Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the Qualifying Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. The forward-looking statements herein are made as of the date of this press release only, and Torchlight does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budgets", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "projects", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements relating to: when the Common Shares will begin trading on the TSXV. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions of the management of the Company, including, without limitation, that the Common Shares will being trading on the TSXV on October 22, 2025, that the Company will use the name Torchlight Innovations Inc. (doing business as RZOLV Technologies Inc.), that the Consultant will provide certain investor relations services to the Company and that the TSXV will approve the Agreement. Additionally, forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of Torchlight to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, without limitation: that the Common Shares will not begin trading on the TSXV on October 22, 2025, that the Company will not use the name Torchlight Innovations Inc. (doing business as RZOLV Technologies Inc.), that the Consultant will not provide certain investor relations services to Company and that the TSXV will not approve the Agreement. Such forward-looking information represents the best judgment of the management of the Company based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Neither Torchlight, nor any of their representatives make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, sufficiency or completeness of the information in this press release. Neither Torchlight, nor any of their representatives shall have any liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to you or any person resulting from the use of the information in this press release by you or any of your representatives or for omissions from the information in this press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271331 SOURCE: Torchlight Innovations Inc. While the resolution passed, it received a significant number of votes against, the majority of which were attributable to a single shareholder. The Board is committed to taking the views of all shareholders into account and will give careful consideration to all views received. In line with Provision 4 of the AIC Corporate Governance Code 2024, the Board will report within the next six months on the actions it has taken to further engage with shareholders. A "Vote withheld" is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the percentage of shares voted "For" or "Against" the resolution nor in the calculation of the proportion of "Total issued share capital instructed" for the resolution. The Company announces that at its General Meeting ("GM") held today at 20 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7BF, the resolution set out in the Notice of the GM was passed by the requisite majority. The resolution put to the GM was voted on by way of a poll. The result of the poll for the resolution was as follows: Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Villepinte, October 21, 2025 DRONE VOLT, a manufacturer of professional civilian drones and an expert in embedded solutions, announces the success of new missions to detect mines and explosive remnants carried out using its HERCULES 20 drone, equipped with a magnetometer. These operations, carried out in the Zhytomyr region (near Kiev) in Ukraine , illustrate the Group's ability to adapt its technologies to humanitarian and security demining missions in post-conflict contexts. A global humanitarian challenge: mine clearance at the heart of various theaters of operation Mine clearance has become one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time. Millions of anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war are still scattered across more than 60 countries, continuing to pose a long-term threat to civilians long after the fighting has ended. According to Handicap International, these devices caused more than 5,700 casualties in 2023, 84% of whom were civilians. These figures highlight the urgent need to deploy innovative aerial technologies capable of securing contaminated areas while protecting human operators. Conflict zones where demining is vital for civilian populations Many regions around the world are still home to millions of mines and explosive remnants of war. These devices continue to kill or maim civilians long after the fighting has ended, preventing reconstruction and access to agricultural land. The most affected areas are as follows: Ukraine : one of the most affected countries in the world since 2022, with several thousand square kilometers to secure; : one of the most affected countries in the world since 2022, with several thousand square kilometers to secure; Syria and Iraq : territories where prolonged fighting has left an exceptionally high density of unexploded ordnance; : territories where prolonged fighting has left an exceptionally high density of unexploded ordnance; Afghanistan : more than four decades of conflict have made this country one of the most dangerous for children; : more than four decades of conflict have made this country one of the most dangerous for children; Sub-Saharan Africa (particularly Mali, Chad, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic), where mines continue to hinder the return of refugees; (particularly Mali, Chad, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic), where mines continue to hinder the return of refugees; Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam): the aftermath of past wars is still visible, decades after hostilities ended. In these different areas, demining is a prerequisite for any reconstruction: reopening roads, returning populations, reviving agriculture, and stabilizing the economy. An aerial tool for humanitarian demining Designed and assembled in France, DRONE VOLT's HERCULES 20 drone is a robust platform capable of carrying up to 15 kg of payload and operating in demanding environments. Its eight motors provide power and redundancy, which is crucial for safety. Equipped with a magnetometric system, it can automatically detect the presence of buried or surface metal objects-mines, ammunition, or explosive debris-without risk to ground operators. The aim is to quickly map suspicious areas before specialized teams intervene, thereby reducing human risk and speeding up the security process. Dual civil and military technology The HERCULES 20 VMAG is part of the DRONE VOLT group's strategy to offer dual-use solutions that can be used in security, industrial, and humanitarian contexts. Its integration of geophysical sensors paves the way for a variety of applications that can meet the needs of a large number of stakeholders: Mine clearance and securing of post-conflict areas; Detection of metal objects (pipes, cables, infrastructure); Search for archaeological or geotechnical sites. Marc COURCELLE, CEO of DRONE VOLT, said: "The missions carried out demonstrate the effectiveness of our technologies in a wide variety of uses and their ability to save lives. The combination of the HERCULES 20 drone and magnetometric sensors shows that aerial robotics can make a concrete contribution to peace and reconstruction." Next press release: 2025 annual revenue, January 2026. All DRONE VOLT press releases are available at www.dronevolt.com / Investors To receive all press releases free of charge, register on Actusnews To receive the company's newsletter, write to: finance@dronevolt.com About DRONE VOLT Founded in 2011, DRONE VOLT is an aeronautical manufacturer specializing in professional civilian drones and artificial intelligence. DRONE VOLT has operations in France, Benelux, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United States, and Switzerland. As a global partner, DRONE VOLT offers its customers turnkey business solutions including various services and drone pilot training. The DRONE VOLT Group, a member of GICAT, achieved a turnover of 32.7 million in 2024, representing annual growth of 36%. DRONE VOLT supplies government agencies and industrial companies such as the French Army, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Engie, Total, Bouygues ES, ADP, the Air Transport Gendarmerie (GTA), international government agencies, and others. DRONE VOLT is certified as an "Innovative Company" by Bpifrance. DRONE VOLT is listed on the Euronext Growth market in Paris: Share: Mnemo: ALDRV - ISIN code: FR001400SVN0 - Eligible: PEA, PEA-PME Subscription warrant: Ticker: BNBS - ISIN code: FR0014007951 For more information, visit www.dronevolt.com Contacts: Investor Relations DRONE VOLT Sylvain Navarro - T: +33 7 88 87 50 88 finance@dronevolt.com Media Relations FINANCE ACTUS finance & communication Manon Clairet - T: +33 1 53 67 36 73 dronevolt@actus.fr Media relations GENERAL PUBLIC AND BUSINESS AYA communication Antonin Violette - T: +33 6 47 48 63 25 aviolette@aya-communication.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: x29rk8VsZpvImWxqYZdpbmNnb2dmkmXJZZbIl5NrmJeZcJxgnWeWmJvHZnJlnGZp - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-94713-drone-volt-communique-de-presse-h20-et-mines-vdef-eng.pdf A Global Turning Point for Critical Care Medicine Regulatory News: ABIONYX Pharma, (FR0012616852 ABNX PEA PME eligible), a new generation biotech company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapies based on the world's only recombinant apoA-I, today announced the publication of a ground breaking study in Scientific Reports in Nature Portfolio titled "Plasma apolipoprotein A-I is a causal protective factor in sepsis." This landmark publication provides, for the first time, genetic proof of a causal linkage between higher plasma ApoA-I levels and a lower incidence of sepsis and lower mortality in patients who do develop sepsis a breakthrough that reshapes the scientific and therapeutic landscape of one of medicine's deadliest conditions. At the same time, the publication provides genetic validation of the well-studied mechanism of apoA-I's beneficial impact on sepsis the sequestration of the bacterial lipid toxin, LPS, which is responsible for the manifestations of sepsis. The report provides evidence that apoA-I is also effective in reducing mortality in Gram positive sepsis driven by the bacterial toxin lipoteichoic acid. Importantly, the findings were replicated across three independent data sets, including both Caucasian and Asian sepsis sufferers. This publication adds to the evidence from a previous publication by Trinder et al which provided genetic validation of similar benefits of higher HDL on sepsis incidence and mortality. The structural protein which defines HDL is apoA-I. First Genetic Evidence of Causality The study analyzed 442,601 participants from the UK Biobank, including 11,643 sepsis cases, and validated the findings across two large international cohorts, Europe (The Vasopressin and Septic Shock Trial VASST) and Japan (Chiba Cohort). Results demonstrate that each standard deviation increase in plasma apoA-I levels reduces the incidence of sepsis by 13% (OR 0.87, 95% CI [0.86-0.89], P 7.4 10?44) and 28-day mortality by 27% (OR 0.73, 95% CI [0.71-0.76], P 8.2 10?4). Using Mendelian randomization, the researchers confirmed that this protective effect is causal and independent of other lipid fractions (HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides) (adjusted OR 0.71, 95% CI [0.65-0.77], P 2.4 10?). Mechanistically, higher apoA-I levels were linked to a reduction in circulating endotoxin (LPS) levels (logOR -0.23, P 9.1 10?8), reinforcing apoA-I's role as a central modulator of inflammatory response and innate immunity in sepsis. A Paradigm Shift in Sepsis Therapeutics Sepsis a life-threatening dysregulated immune response responsible for over 11 million deaths each year worldwide and the third leading cause of in-hospital death in the US has long lacked any genetically validated therapeutic target or any specific therapy. This study positions apoA-I as the first proven causal protective factor in sepsis, transforming the scientific foundation for drug development in critical care. For ABIONYX Pharma, whose proprietary technology enables scalable GMP production of recombinant apoA-I and next-generation HDL mimetics, this discovery represents a new scientific validation and strategic inflection point after the recently published phase IIa study RACERS where CER-001 improved clinical outcomes in sepsis patients. "This publication is a game-changer," said Dr. Rob SCOTT, MD, Head of R&D and CMO of ABIONYX Pharma. " For decades, the field of sepsis has searched for a causal target. The mechanistic effect of apoA-I and HDL has been well documented over the last 40 years but now, this new genetic validation provides proof that apoA-I is a major factor determining whether patients develop sepsis and whether they survive it. This major publication in Nature is a significant milestone that reinforces the scientific and strategic value of the company in ongoing discussions with a leading partner in sepsis. Reference Campbell KR et al. (2025) Plasma apolipoprotein A-I is a causal protective factor in sepsis. Scientific Reports 15, Article 33625. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-19204-2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-19204-2auth-Keith_R_-Walley-Aff1 Additional resources on genetic causality and sepsis in general Trinder, M., Walley, K. R., Boyd, J. H. Brunham, L. R. Causal inference for genetically determined levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk of infectious disease. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc Biol. 40, 267-278 (2020). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31694394/ Sepsis information guides https://www.sepsis.org/education/resources/sepsis-information-guides/ About ABIONYX Pharma ABIONYX Pharma is a new generation biotech company that aims to contribute to health through innovative therapies in indications where there is no effective or existing treatment, even the rarest ones. Thanks to its partners in research, medicine, biopharmaceuticals and shareholding, the company innovates on a daily basis to propose drugs for the treatment of renal and ophthalmological diseases, or new HDL vectors used for targeted drug delivery. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021415199/en/ Contacts: ABIONYX Pharma infos@abionyx.com EQS-News: Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Africa Finance Corporation Secures USD 100 Million Facility from FinDev Canada, marking its Inaugural Transaction in the Canadian Market 21.10.2025 / 19:15 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The facility will strengthen AFC's funding base and support a growing pipeline of renewable energy and low-carbon transport projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, further expanding the Corporation's commitment to climate-resilient infrastructure development LAGOS, Nigeria, October 21, 2025 Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) ( www.AfricaFC.org ), the leading infrastructure solutions provider in Africa, has secured a USD 100 million, 10-year term loan facility from FinDev Canada, Canada's bilateral Development Finance Institution. This landmark transaction represents AFC's debut in the Canadian market and its first partnership with FinDev Canada, while also marking FinDev Canada's inaugural infrastructure financing in Sub-Saharan Africa. The facility will strengthen AFC's funding base and support a growing pipeline of renewable energy and low-carbon transport projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, further expanding the Corporation's commitment to climate-resilient infrastructure development. This transaction underscores the confidence of global partners in AFC's strong track record, governance standards, and execution capacity as the preferred platform for channeling long-term sustainable capital into Africa's infrastructure sector. FinDev Canada's selection of AFC as its first partner in Sub-Saharan Africa highlights AFC's role as a trusted gateway for international investors seeking to deliver high-impact, climate-aligned infrastructure financing across the continent. FinDev Canada joins AFC's growing pool of funding partners which includes international Development Finance Institutions such as Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA (CDP) - the Italian Development Finance Institution, KfW - the German Development Bank, the India Exim Bank, The Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China, US International Development Finance Corporation and Germany's DEG, Netherland's FMO and France's Proparco. This underscores global investor confidence in AFC's strong credit profile and its strategy of delivering de-risked, transformational projects for Africa. "We are delighted to partner with FinDev Canada on this milestone transaction," said Banji Fehintola, Executive Board Member and Head of Financial Services, Africa Finance Corporation. "This partnership reflects our shared commitment to accelerating sustainable development across the continent through high-impact, climate-resilient infrastructure. The transaction not only diversifies AFC's funding base but also deepens North America's participation in Africa's growth story. We look forward to building on this relationship to catalyse even greater investment flows into Africa's infrastructure sector." "This transaction represents an opportunity for FinDev Canada to support a leading solutions provider financing critical infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa and an important step towards expanding our market presence in the region," said Paulo Martelli, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, FinDev Canada. "We are proud to invest in an institution which aligns with our impact development goals, particularly market development and climate and nature action." The proceeds from the facility will support AFC's long-term funding strategy, enabling the Corporation to deliver innovative financing solutions that tackle climate change, strengthen energy access, and promote sustainable economic growth. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). Download image 1: https://apo-opa.co/4hhur0M Caption: AFC secures its first-ever Canadian market transaction, a landmark USD 100 million, 10-year facility from FinDev Canada to advance sustainable infrastructure across Africa (1) Download image 2: https://apo-opa.co/48H0ANg Caption: AFC secures its first-ever Canadian market transaction, a landmark USD 100 million, 10-year facility from FinDev Canada to advance sustainable infrastructure across Africa (2) Download image 3: https://apo-opa.co/48AqUIO Caption: AFC secures its first-ever Canadian market transaction, a landmark USD 100 million, 10-year facility from FinDev Canada to advance sustainable infrastructure across Africa (3) Media Enquiries: Yewande Thorpe Communications Africa Finance Corporation Mobile: +234 1 279 9654 Email: Yewande.thorpe@africafc.org About AFC: AFC was established in 2007 to be the catalyst for pragmatic infrastructure and industrial investments across Africa. The Corporation's approach combines specialist industry expertise with financial and technical advisory, project structuring, project development, and risk capital to address Africa's infrastructure needs and drive sustainable economic growth. Eighteen years on, AFC has built a track record as the partner of choice in Africa for delivering high-quality, transformational infrastructure assets that provide essential services across the continent. AFC has 46 member countries and has invested over US$15 billion since inception. Visit www.AfricaFC.org About FinDev Canada: FinDev Canada is Canada's bilateral Development Finance Institution (DFI), supporting development through the private sector. It provides financing, investment, and blended finance solutions, as well as technical assistance and advisory services, to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement commitments. Visit www.FinDevCanada.ca . Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - SuperQ Quantum Computing Inc. (CSE: QBTQ) (FSE: 25X) (OTCQB: QBTQF) ("SuperQ Quantum", "SuperQ", or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced commercially reasonable efforts offering, through Hampton Securities Limited ("Hampton"), pursuant to which the Company issued a total of 3,285,713 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $1.05 per Unit (the "Issue Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of $3,450,000 including exercise in full of the over-allotment option (the "Offering"). Each Unit consists of one common share (each, a "Share") in the capital of the Company and one Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one additional Share at a price of $1.40 per Share for a period of thirty-six months from the closing of the Offering. The Offering was led by Hampton who received a cash commission equal to 7% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and was issued non-transferable broker warrants (each, a "Broker Warrant") equal to 7% of the number of Units issued pursuant to the Offering. Each Broker Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Share at the Issue Price for a period of thirty-six months from the closing of the Offering. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to obtain resources for quantum hardware development, including human resources, lab facilities, software and equipment, conduct research and product development and for the general working capital needs of the Company. The Units were sold pursuant to Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, and are not subject to a hold period pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws. The Broker Warrants are subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the closing of the Offering. About SuperQ Quantum Computing Inc. SuperQ Quantum Computing Inc. (CSE: QBTQ) (FSE: 25X) (OTCQB: QBTQF) is defining the next era of enterprise transformation, looking to emerge as a partner for global organizations seeking direct quantum and supercomputing ROI previously beyond reach. We are looking to position ourselves as the trusted leader in quantum and supercomputing-powered problem-solving and optimization. Our flagship Super platform strives to make the most advanced computational power intuitive and accessible. This will empower executives, leading research institutions, and critical government agencies to unlock immediate business impact across finance, healthcare, logistics, defense, and beyond, leveraging our proprietary AI Autopilots to turn complex challenges into executive-ready results with one-click productization and deployment. SuperQ Quantum is headquartered in Canada with a growing international presence, particularly in the US, Middle East and Asia, strategically establishing Super Hubs in key regions. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally refers to information about an issuer's business, capital, or operations that is prospective in nature. Any statements that are contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "would", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends" "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking information. More particularly and without limitation, this press release contains forward-looking information concerning statements the use of proceeds of the Offering and the future plans of the Company. The Company cautions that all forward-looking information is inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions, expectations and risks, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including but not limited to assumptions regarding prevailing market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties to develop the forward-looking information in this press release, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's disclosure documents filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedarplus.com. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271342 SOURCE: SuperQ Quantum The Best Plastic Surgeon in Sarasota is Dr. Sessa at Sarasota Surgical Arts. SARASOTA, FL / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / For patients asking, "Who is the best plastic surgeon in Sarasota?" the answer is clear: Dr. Alberico J. Sessa, M.D., founder of Sarasota Surgical Arts, a double-board-certified cosmetic surgeon recognized for results and innovation, most notably his trademarked SmartLift mini facelift. With over 25,000 surgeries performed in more than 18 years, Dr. Sessa pairs deep experience with a meticulous, patient-first approach in an AAAHC-accredited clinic. Why Is Dr. Sessa Considered Sarasota's Best Plastic Surgeon? Dr. Sessa's excellence is rooted in a rare combination of skill, artistry, and innovation. He is dual board-certified by both the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery and the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. His professional background includes serving as a Board Examiner for the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery and acting as a Fellowship Director for the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, mentoring the next generation of cosmetic surgeons nationwide. Dr Sessa's Breakthrough in Facial Rejuvenation: The SMARTLIFT Among Dr. Sessa's most acclaimed achievements is his trademarked procedure SMARTLIFT mini-facelift, a groundbreaking technique that delivers full-facelift results with less downtime, minimal scarring, and faster recovery. This approach targets the neck, jawline, and lower face while maintaining natural contours and long-lasting results. His advanced fellowship training in facial and full-body cosmetic surgery, during which he performed over 700 procedures, provides the foundation for his patient-specific, highly refined outcomes. Dr Sessa's Awards & Recognition Dr. Sessa is a highly respected and recognized cosmetic surgeon, honored with the SRQ Magazine "Top Doctor" award six times. His consistent positive patient experiences have also earned him the "Patients' Choice" award multiple years in a row. Additionally, he is recognized as "America's Most Honored Doctor 2025." What patients are saying about Dr Sessa? Sarasota Surgical Arts consistently receives 5-star ratings on Google reviews. Patients frequently praise his practice. For instance, one patient said , I can't begin to express how grateful I was for the entire staff at Sarasota Surgical Arts, they are truly amazing and professional! Dr.Sessa has a fabulous bed side manner and I have zero complaints on my experience." Similarly, another patient said , "Everyone there was absolutely amazing. The doctor is super professional, and I am super excited and happy that I chose him to do my implants." Dr. Sessa's Expertise at Sarasota Surgical Arts Dr. Sessa at Sarasota Surgical Arts offers a comprehensive array of cosmetic surgery options, including: Facial Rejuvenation: Facelifts, Mini Facelifts with Neck Lifts, and Facial Fat Transfer. Breast Enhancement: Breast Augmentation and Breast Lifts. Body Contouring: Tummy Tucks and other Body Contouring procedures. Mommy Makeover Procedures: Full body contouring, including breast augmentation, tummy tuck, thigh lift, and buttock lift, all performed in a single surgical session. Each treatment plan is customized for natural-looking, proportional, and age-appropriate enhancement. About Sarasota Surgical Arts Sarasota Surgical Arts offers complete cosmetic surgery services, specializing in facial rejuvenation, breast surgery, and body contouring. The practice boasts an AAAHC-accredited operating room and a strong track record of successful outcomes. Contact Sarasota Surgical Arts today at (941) 923-1736 or visit directly at 4143 Clark Rd, Sarasota, FL 34233. RealDrSeattle Phone: 206-787-0784 SOURCE: Realdrseattle View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/who-is-the-best-plastic-surgeon-in-sarasota-1089785 Islamabad, Pakistan--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Pakistan's first wellness-led residential development is set to launch in Islamabad, introducing a next-generation living experience shaped by nature, design, and environmental intention. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8530/271345_5cb0fb5b9479d897_001full.jpg Developed by leading British real estate company One Homes, the upcoming project will introduce sustainable living in a prime location on the Murree Expressway. The location, selected for its air quality and natural surroundings, sits 12 minutes from Islamabad's city centre and 45 minutes from Murree. The structure will follow passive design principles, incorporating rainwater harvesting systems and energy-efficient materials to minimise its environmental footprint. In parallel, biophilic layouts, air-quality planning, and restorative interiors support a lifestyle grounded in balance and long-term well-being. Wellness-focused amenities include a saltwater infinity pool, a sound therapy room, a sauna and cold plunge pool, and a Himalayan salt chamber, alongside pickleball and padel courts. Together, these choices reflect a new standard for longevity-centred living in Pakistan: climate-conscious, future-forward, and health-enhancing. Aqib Hassan, Chief Commercial Officer at One Homes, said, "This development reflects years of thinking about how people should live, not just where they live. Every detail, from its orientation and elevation to its materials and futuristic design, supports long-term well-being. We've drawn inspiration from Blue Zone principles, where environment and lifestyle work together to promote health and longevity. That idea runs through the architecture, the air quality, and even the social spaces. The result is a residence that feels restorative, timeless, and built with purpose." While details of additional partners are forthcoming, One Homes' collaborations reflect its pursuit of global excellence. Varabyeu Partners will lead the architectural direction, with interiors by Versace Ceramics. One Homes, part of One Group, is a prominent foreign investor in Pakistan's real estate sector. Founded by entrepreneur Zeeshaan Shah, the group has over $435 million worth of projects under development in the country, including their flagship development, One Canal Road in Lahore, which is expected to be delivered early next year. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271345 SOURCE: GYT Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its press release of September 12, 2025, it has closed an oversubscribed non-brokered private placement of 1,018,000 units for gross proceeds of $2,452,000 (the "Offering"). The Company sold: (i) 918,000 units at a price of $2.40 per unit, each unit being comprised of one common share and of a common share purchase warrant, each whole warrant exercisable for one common share at the price of $2.80 for a period of 24 months; and (ii) 100,000 units to an insider of the Company at a price of $2.49, each unit being comprised of one common share and of a common share purchase warrant, each whole warrant exercisable for one common share at the price of $2.93 for a period of 24 months. All warrants are non-transferable. In connection with the Offering, the Company has paid cash finder's fee in the amount of $142,812 and issued 59,280 non-transferable finder's warrants (each, a "Finder's Warrant") to a qualified arm's length finder. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $2.50 per Share for a period of 24 months upon issuance. Proceeds of the Offering will be used for general working capital purposes. All securities issued under the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities law and may not be traded until February 22, 2026, except as permitted by applicable securities legislation and the policies of the TSX. The portion of the Offering acquired by an insider of the Company constitutes a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the participation in the Offering by the insider does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the 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, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States, unless an exemption from such registration is available. About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt, in Ghana West Africa. Forward-Looking Statements NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271347 SOURCE: Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / The 2025 SEMA Show will serve as the official launchpad for FLEX's new 120V corded polisher line, featuring three professional-grade models engineered for auto detailers and body shops: the FLEX 120V Brushless Rotary Polisher, the FLEX 120V Brushless Random Orbital Polisher, and the FLEX 120V Brushless Gear-Driven Forced Action Orbital Polisher. These new corded tools combine the latest advancements in motor and tool design to deliver powerful, efficient, and comfortable performance. Each model features a lightweight body, constant speed technology that maintains RPMs under pressure, new brushless motors that eliminate maintenance while improving efficiency, and optimized gear heads for reduced high-frequency noise and vibration control - reducing fatigue even during long sessions. "Auto detailers have made it clear that they need transformative polishing solutions that are lightweight, powerful, precise, durable, comfortable to use and easy to maintain," said Tim Baker, vice president - product at Chervon North America. "Our new ergonomically designed FLEX 120V corded polishers along with our 24V cordless polishers achieve all those needs, delivering greater control and flexibility with less fatigue and better overall finishes." Visitors of FLEX's booth #51125 in the West Hall will discover how each of the new corded polishers deliver unique high-level benefits for users: FLEX 120V Brushless Rotary Polisher - Aggressively removes material to cut through clear coat and fixes defects like rock chips, orange peel, and swirl marks. FLEX 120V Brushless Random Orbital Polisher - Ideal for delicate finishing work that demands flawless surfaces. FLEX 120V Brushless Gear-Driven Forced Action Orbital Polisher - An all-in-one tool capable of both aggressive correction and fine finishing, making it ideal for automotive, marine, and even aircraft brightwork. FLEX 24V Cordless Polishers: More Power, Longer Runtime, Faster Charging The new 120V corded line joins FLEX's acclaimed 24V cordless polishers, which provide industry-leading flexibility and mobility. The cordless series includes the 24V Rotary Polisher (FX3311), the 24V Random Orbital Polisher (FX3321), and the 24V Gear-Driven Orbital Polisher (FX3331). Each is available as a tool-only configuration or in a kit with two 5.0Ah lithium batteries and a 160W fast charger. Thanks to FLEX's advanced battery technology, the 24V cordless polishers deliver 20% more power, 25% longer runtime with THERMA-TECH heat management, and up to 50% faster charging with FLEX's dual-fan chargers. Features such as constant speed technology, ergonomic grips, vibration suppression, and 11-speed control dials give detailers maximum precision and comfort. All FLEX 24V tools are cross-compatible with FLEX's 24V battery platform and are backed by a limited lifetime warranty when registered within 30 days of purchase at registermyFLEX.com through December 31, 2025. Revolutionizing the Detailing Workspace FLEX will also debut its TRACK-LOCK system at the SEMA Show. TRACK-LOCK is a modular wall-mount storage solution that anchors easily into walls at multiple points along 32-inch rails with a 75 lb. load capacity. The simple design has a quick-clamp mounting system for easy, tool-free setup and features a wide range of mounting attachments, including fold-up/fold-down hooks, racks and shelves on the rails, designed to secure polishers, grinders, batteries and other tools. Anti-slip rubber contacts are used for secure, non-slip mounting. Easily combined with the FLEX STACK PACK, TRACK-LOCK offers a total workspace solution that keeps shops organized and efficient. A full TRACK-LOCK wall system will be on display at the FLEX booth. Live Demos, Expert Training and Interactive Experiences Throughout the show, attendees will experience live demonstrations of FLEX products. A centerpiece of the booth will be a 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet from the Petersen Automotive Museum, widely recognized as one of the premier automotive museums in the United States and home to one of the world's most significant car collections. Renowned detailer Rigo Santana, founder of Xtreme Xcellence, and his team of professionals will perform a live restoration process of the Porsche over the course of the show. The restored car will be part of a giveaway sweepstakes organized by the Petersen Automotive Museum. Mike Phillips, a highly respected industry trainer and influencer, will conduct a wide range of demonstrations at the booth. His sessions will cover wet sanding by hand and machine, gear-driven orbital techniques, ceramic coating application, and both rotary and orbital polishing fundamentals - giving attendees hands-on opportunities to sharpen their skills. Adding to the excitement, Hannah Kasiri will showcase her finishing skills and interact with fans. Under Hannah's guidance, visitors will be invited to polish a graffiti-inspired FLEX sculpture, whose curves mirror the contours of a car. This unique booth element blends detailing culture with artistry, allowing attendees to test FLEX polishers in a creative way. To learn more about the solutions FLEX will showcase, visit Booth #51125 in the West Hall at the SEMA Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 4-7, 2025, or go to www.flexpowertools.com/sema. # # # About FLEX FLEX is a brand built on over 100 years of German engineering and innovation, providing professional-grade power tools that outwork, outperform, and outlast the competition. Founded in 1922, FLEX has a storied history of inventing category-defining products, including the world's first angle grinder in 1954. As part of the global manufacturing enterprise, Chervon, FLEX continues its legacy by focusing on durability, precision, and state-of-the-art technology. Learn more at www.flexpowertools.com. PR Contact: Matthew Parry, Mower, D: 315-413-4318, M: 315-409-3127, mparry@mower.com (Executives from FLEX will be on-hand and available for media interviews throughout the week in Las Vegas. Higher resolution images are available by request.) SOURCE: FLEX View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/flexc-to-launch-new-120v-corded-polisher-line-at-the-2025-sema-show-1090237 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Omai Gold Mines Corp. (TSXV: OMG) ("Omai" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has closed its previously announced "bought deal" private placement offering (the "Offering") of 34,783,000 common shares of the Company (the "Shares"), issued at $1.15 per Share, for gross proceeds of $40,000,540. The Offering was conducted by Paradigm Capital Inc., as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, Haywood Securities Inc., Agentis Capital Markets (First Nations Financial Markets Limited Partnership), National Bank Financial Inc., Desjardins Securities Inc., Cormark Securities Inc. and Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. (collectively, the "Underwriters"). In connection with the Offering, the Company paid to the Underwriters a cash commission of $2,194,274.75. The purchase of 200,000 Shares by an officer of the Company constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company has relied on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101, specifically sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a), as the fair market value of the Shares issued to, and the consideration paid by, insiders does not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report 21 days prior to closing of the Offering as the insider participation had not been confirmed at that time. The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for exploration and development, and general working capital purposes. The securities issued under the Offering are subject to a hold period under Canadian law expiring four months and one day from the closing date of the Offering. The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "1933 Act") and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, "U.S. persons" (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act), except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act and all applicable U.S. state securities laws. ABOUT OMAI GOLD Omai Gold Mines Corp. is a Canadian gold exploration and development company focused on rapidly expanding the two orogenic gold deposits at its 100%-owned Omai Gold Project in mining-friendly Guyana, South America. The Company has established the Omai Gold Project as one of the fastest growing and well-endowed gold camps in the prolific Guiana greenstone belt. In August 2025, the Company announced a 96% increase to the Wenot Gold Deposit NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate1 (MRE) to 970,000 ounces of gold (Indicated) averaging 1.46 g/t Au, contained in 20.7 Mt and 3,717,000 ounces of gold (Inferred MRE) averaging 1.82 g/t Au, contained in 63.4 Mt. This brings the global MRE at Omai, including the Wenot and adjacent Gilt Creek deposits, to 2,121,000 ounces of gold (Indicated MRE) averaging 2.07 g/t Au in 31.9 Mt and 4,382,000 ounces of gold (Inferred MRE) averaging 1.95 g/t Au in 69.9 Mt. A baseline PEA announced in April 2024, contemplated an open pit-only development scenario and included less than 30% of the new Mineral Resource Estimate for Omai. Four drills are currently active on the property: at Wenot the focus is to optimize the upcoming PEA, to further test the limits of the deposit, including both east and west, and to upgrade some of the large Inferred MRE to Indicated. Additional drilling will continue to explore certain known gold occurrences for possible near surface higher-grade satellite deposits. An updated PEA is planned for Q1 2026 to include the expanded Wenot open pit deposit and the adjacent Gilt Creek underground deposit. The Omai Gold Mine produced over 3.7 million ounces of gold from 1993 to 20052, ceasing operations when gold was below US$400 per ounce. The Omai site significantly benefits from existing infrastructure and will soon be connected to the two largest cities in Guyana, Georgetown and Linden, via paved road. 1 NI 43-101 Technical Report dated October 9, 2025 titled "UPDATED MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE AND TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE OMAI GOLD PROPERTY, POTARO MINING DISTRICT NO.2, GUYANA" was prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and is available on www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website. 2 Past production at the Omai Mine (1993-2005) is summarized in several Cambior Inc. documents available on www.sedarplus.ca, including March 31, 2006 AIF and news release August 3, 2006. Elaine Ellingham P.Geo. is a Qualified Person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101 - "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" ("NI 43-101") and has reviewed the technical information contained in this news release. Ms. Ellingham is a director and officer of the Company and is not considered to be independent for the purposes of NI 43-101. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively, "FLI") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, FLI can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as "seeks", "believes", "anticipates", "plans", "continues", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "intends", "projects", "predicts", "proposes", "potential", "targets" and variations of such words and phrases, or by statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "will" "could", "would", "should" or "might", "be taken", "occur" or "be achieved." FLI herein includes, but is not limited to, the terms and conditions of the Offering, anticipated regulatory approvals in connection with the Offering, stated use of proceeds of the Offering, statements regarding the results of the PEA and timing for an updated PEA, as well as the upgraded mineral resource estimate for the Omai Gold Mine. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are FLI that involve various risks, assumptions, estimates and uncertainties. For additional information with respect to these and risks, assumptions, and other factors that may affect the FLI made in this press release concerning the Company, please refer to the sections entitled "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" in the most recent management discussion and analysis of the Company, which is available electronically on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under the Company's issuer profile. FLI is not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The FLI contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof or as at the date of the applicable document only and, accordingly, are subject to change after such dates. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any FLI or the foregoing list of risks, assumptions or other factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271351 SOURCE: Omai Gold Mines Corp. Boston, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - The Dr. Le Thu Medical Scholarship officially announces the opening of its 2026 application period, inviting undergraduate students across the United States who are pursuing a medical degree to apply for this distinguished award. Designed to honor and advance the values that define exceptional physicians-compassion, resilience, and service-the scholarship seeks to recognize medical students who exemplify these principles in both their academic and personal journeys. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8530/271273_c3d1c0d864b938fb_001full.jpg Created by Dr. Le Thu, a globally respected emergency medicine physician based in Boston, Massachusetts, the scholarship reflects her lifelong commitment to advancing healthcare through education and mentorship. With decades of experience serving patients and guiding young doctors, Dr. Le Thu has established a legacy rooted in dedication to both science and humanity. Through this initiative, she aims to support students who demonstrate excellence in academics, leadership, and community service, as well as a genuine commitment to caring for others. A Scholarship Built on the Values of Service and Compassion The Dr. Le Thu Medical Scholarship provides financial assistance to undergraduate students enrolled in accredited medical degree programs, including MBBS, MD, or equivalent pathways. Applicants are required to submit an essay responding to the following prompt: "Dr. Le Thu's career has been defined by compassion, resilience, and service. How do these values shape your vision of becoming a physician, and how will you carry them forward in your medical journey?" The essay offers candidates an opportunity to reflect on the personal values and motivations that drive their pursuit of medicine-a field where technical expertise meets the moral responsibility to heal, comfort, and serve. Dr. Le Thu believes that true medical excellence extends beyond the classroom, encompassing the emotional and ethical qualities that define a great physician. Eligibility and Application Details To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria: Be currently enrolled in a medical degree program (MBBS, MD, or equivalent). Demonstrate academic excellence through transcripts or academic achievements. Show a clear record of community service, leadership, or healthcare advocacy. Submit a personal essay (750-1,000 words) based on the official prompt. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is May 15, 2026, with the winner announced on June 15, 2026. The application process and detailed information are available at https://drlethuscholarship.com/. Dr. Le Thu's Legacy of Medical Leadership Dr. Le Thu's distinguished career spans continents and specialties. Born in Vietnam, she has built her life's work on a foundation of compassion and resilience, treating patients in emergency medicine while mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals. Her extensive contributions in both clinical and academic settings have earned her recognition for excellence and dedication. Her ongoing efforts to improve healthcare education, particularly for underserved communities, reflect her deep belief that medicine is not just a profession-it is a calling. The Dr. Le Thu Medical Scholarship continues this mission by investing in aspiring physicians who embody the same sense of duty and empathy that has defined her own path. A Call to Future Medical Leaders The Dr. Le Thu Medical Scholarship represents more than financial support-it is a recognition of potential and purpose. It honors students who seek to combine academic excellence with compassion and who aim to make a lasting impact in the medical field. Dr. Le Thu envisions this scholarship as a continuing force for good, helping shape the future of healthcare by nurturing students who aspire to heal and serve with heart and integrity. Students meeting the eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply before the deadline and take part in this opportunity to share their story and passion for medicine. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271273 SOURCE: GYT Interactive session addresses baby-feeding questions and challenges faced by new mums, with prizes including award-winning Momcozy M9 Hands-free breast pump. LONDON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In the UK, midwives and health visitors are often the first - and sometimes only - point of contact for new mothers navigating infant feeding. Helping to prolong this support and provide much-needed guidance to new mums is Momcozy, the innovative maternity and baby care brand loved by over 4.5 million mothers across 60 countries. They've joined forces with Marie Louise Hurworth - a.k.a The Modern Midwife - to host a special Q&A navigating the early stages of baby feeding. The Q&A is part of a wider Momcozy Brand Day initiative working with the UK's largest online parenting community, Mumsnet. With millions of mums visiting every month, Marie will be answering real mum concerns and challenges with tangible advice and product recommendations that can make the experience easier and more comfortable for both parent and baby. To celebrate the collaboration, Momcozy is offering Mumsnet members the chance to win a selection of premium products designed to support feeding parents, including: The award-winning M9 hands-free breast pump - Momcozy's hero product 50 vouchers Two milk coolers for safe storage Winners will be announced on October 24th. To take part in the conversation, head to https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/sponsored_qas/5416917-ask-a-midwife-ask-anything-youd-like-to-know-about-baby-feeding NOTES TO EDITORS About Momcozy Since its founding in 2018, Momcoz - Global No.1 Wearable Breast Pump* brand, has rapidly emerged as a leader in the FemTech space, offering a groundbreaking range of products designed to support mothers and babies from pregnancy through postpartum and beyond. With a commitment to innovation and comfort, Momcozy has redefined maternal care with its wearable breast pumps, nursing bras, and other essential products that seamlessly integrate into the lives of modern mothers. Loved by over 4.5 million** mothers across 60 countries, Momcozy's products are sold directly on the brand's website and by major retailers such as John Lewis, Boots and Amazon. Momcozy's mission is to offer comprehensive solutions that empower mothers with the comfort and support they need at every stage of their journey. *Based on global market share of wearable breast pumps, Grand View Research 2024 **Data as of July 2025 from Amazon official platform Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801938/Momcozy_x_Mumsnet.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/momcozy-partners-with-the-modern-midwife-to-tackle-mums-biggest-feeding-concerns-302590638.html Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Suncor Energy (TSX: SU) (NYSE: SU) will release its third quarter financial results on November 4, 2025 before 5:00 p.m. MT (7:00 p.m. ET). A webcast to review the third quarter will be held on November 5, 2025 at 7:30 a.m. MT (9:30 a.m. ET). A question and answer period with analysts will follow brief remarks from management. To listen to the webcast please follow the instructions provided at https://www.suncor.com/en-ca/investors/events-and-presentations. The event will be archived for 90 days. Suncor Energy is Canada's leading integrated energy company. Suncor's operations include oil sands development, production and upgrading; offshore oil production; petroleum refining in Canada and the U.S.; and the company's Petro-CanadaTM retail and wholesale distribution networks (including Canada's Electric HighwayTM, a coast-to-coast network of fast-charging EV stations). Suncor is developing petroleum resources while advancing the transition to a lower-emissions future through investments in lower emissions intensity power, renewable feedstock fuels and projects targeting emissions intensity. Suncor also conducts energy trading activities focused primarily on the marketing and trading of crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products and power. Suncor's common shares (symbol: SU) are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. For more information about Suncor, visit our website at suncor.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271310 SOURCE: Suncor Energy Inc. SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dreamegg, a leading innovator in sleep wellness, proudly announces the launch of Sunrise 1+, an upgraded sunrise alarm clock and sound machine designed to bring stress-free mornings and calming nights to households everywhere. Building on the popularity of the original Sunrise 1, Dreamegg has taken customer feedback and advanced its technology to create Sunrise 1+. This next-generation device blends intuitive controls, customizable features, and a richer sound library into one sleek bedside companion. A Smarter, Calmer Sleep Experience "Good sleep is the foundation of a better life," said Robin Sun, Founder of Dreamegg. "With Sunrise 1+, we're making it easier than ever for people to enjoy stress-free mornings and calming nights - all with one intuitive device." What's new with Sunrise 1+: App + Button Control - Flexible operation at your fingertips, whether you prefer smart app control or simple bedside buttons. - Flexible operation at your fingertips, whether you prefer smart app control or simple bedside buttons. Sunrise & Sunset Modes - Gently wake up with gradually brightening light or unwind with a soothing sunset simulation. - Gently wake up with gradually brightening light or unwind with a soothing sunset simulation. Customizable Routines + Favourite Mode - Build your own sleep and wake habits, or save your go-to settings for instant access. - Build your own sleep and wake habits, or save your go-to settings for instant access. Expanded Sound Library - 34 soothing sounds and 34 alarm tones to match every mood and preference Perfect for Everyday Wellness & Gifting From busy parents balancing family schedules to wellness enthusiasts seeking mindful routines, Sunrise 1+ is designed for anyone who values better sleep. With the holiday season around the corner, it also makes an ideal self-care gift - blending modern design with practical wellness benefits. Pricing & Availability The Sunrise 1+ is available now via: Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHVLKQTN?maas=maas_adg_E6399B38A8DE570E8959FE20442E2511_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FHJ21DL3?maas=maas_adg_8BBD3D8D562BE0F81539E747D23A44CA_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas For more information about Dreamegg, please visit the Dreamegg Official Website or follow us on Instagram. The original Sunrise 1 remains available as an accessible entry option: Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5MG7K8R?maas=maas_adg_C291AC481A849CBA1AFC2F552B945750_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CYZNHG58?maas=maas_adg_EE70A2BE08F369C9BDBB776604E93971_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas About Dreamegg Since its founding, Dreamegg has been committed to helping people build healthier sleep routines with innovative products ranging from sound machines to sunrise clocks. With a mission to create stress-free environments for families and individuals, Dreamegg continues to design thoughtful sleep solutions that blend comfort, technology, and wellness. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2784223/Key_Features_Dreamegg_Sunrise_1__Sunrise_Sunset_simulation_expanded_sound.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dreamegg-unveils-sunrise-1-the-next-generation-sunrise-alarm-clock-for-stress-free-sleep-and-wake-routines-302586101.html Technical advisory firm kicks off the international expansion of its hail risk products and services in Australia, targeting high-growth solar markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VDE Americas, a global leader in technical advisory and catastrophic risk assessment services for the solar industry, today announced the internationalization of its innovative hail risk assessment and mitigation services. Since 2021, VDE Americas has offered location- and technology-specific financial hail risk exposure reports to solar project developers, owners, financiers, and insurers operating in the most hail-exposed region in the world-the continental United States. After supporting increased customer demand in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa, the company has formalized the global expansion of its hail risk assessment service territory. Severe convective storms-a meteorological category that produces tornadoes, high winds, and damaging hail-account for tens of billions of U.S. dollars of insured losses worldwide each year. As solar project deployments have increased in size, frequency, and geographic distribution, financial losses specifically due to hailstorm damage have risen in parallel. According to GCube, a specialty insurer with an international book of business, hail accounts for less than 2% of solar project insurance claims by count-but more than 50% of total financial losses. Since 2018, hail-related solar losses in the state of Texas alone have exceeded $600 million. Originally developed to de-risk capital investments in utility-scale solar, VDE Hail Risk Intelligence provides state-of-the-art hail severity and frequency forecasts to support engineered financial loss assessments and risk mitigation responses. Because severe hail hotspots occur globally, VDE Americas leveraged its longstanding collaboration with Dr. John Allen, a professor of meteorology at Central Michigan University, to develop state-of-the-art data analysis and transposition tools capable of characterizing hailstorm frequency and severity anywhere in the world, the results of which can be applied to any industry susceptible to hail damage. "Though severe hail is often associated with the Great Plains of the United States, hail occurs regularly on every continent except Antarctica," explained Dr. Allen, co-leader for Project ICECHIP, the largest-ever hail-focused field campaign and research initiative funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. "Hail can form in any location that experiences severe thunderstorms. In Australia, as an example, where I am from originally, severe hail events are most frequent on the central east coast and nearby inland, from north of Brisbane to south of Sydney. This is a region where severe hail events are coincident with utility-scale solar development activities." The limited availability and quality of radar data is a key challenge in assessing hail risk outside the United States; this is especially true of many locations where solar development occurs. To solve this blind spot, VDE Americas has built upon novel work by the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), ETH Zurich, and others. By using a combination of human expertise and a proprietary meteorological model that pairs rich radar and ground-based hail data from the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) with high-quality atmospheric data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), VDE is now able to offer Hail Risk Intelligence free of population bias to nearly every location in the world. "Though large-diameter hail is inevitable in some parts of the world, large solar project losses are not," noted Brian Grenko, president and CEO of VDE Americas. "Our hail products and services have consistently demonstrated that project stakeholders can limit catastrophic damage and financial loss via better technical literacy, due diligence, and risk mitigation practices." "Today's solar farms are tomorrow's critical power generation assets," said Ansgar Hinz, CEO of the VDE Group. "For a worthwhile future, solar assets and portfolios must operate safely, sustainably, and reliably under their expected use conditions. Leveraging the VDE Group's strong international network, we are excited to offer these financial hail risk assessments and consulting services to global markets." To kick off product internationalization, Jon Previtali, vice president of VDE Americas, is attending All Energy Australia , which takes place 29-30 October 2025 in Melbourne, to introduce VDE's Hail Risk Intelligence capabilities to solar and insurance industry stakeholders at the southern hemisphere's largest clean energy event. "Based on its solar development trends and severe convective storm activity, Australia represents an ideal market for our catastrophic risk assessment and loss prevention services," said Previtali. About VDE Americas VDE Americas provides technical advisory and risk mitigation services to renewable energy stakeholders-from project owners and financiers to equipment manufacturers and those who construct, operate, and insure large-scale power generation and energy storage facilities. A wholly owned subsidiary of the VDE Group, VDE Americas is recognized globally as the leading authority in solar project hail risk intelligence and loss prevention. The company's expertise and innovative solutions have facilitated billions of dollars of investment in renewable energy assets. For more information, visit: www.vde.com/en/vde-americas About VDE VDE, one of the largest technology organizations in Europe, has been regarded as a synonym for innovation and technological progress for more than 130 years. VDE is the only organization in the world that combines science, standardization, testing, certification, and application consulting under one umbrella. The VDE mark has been synonymous with the highest safety standards and consumer protection for more than 100 years. For more information, visit www.vde.com MEDIA CONTACT: Mission Control Communications for VDE Americas vde@missionc2.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11c58ae7-af7d-4bcf-b148-3d77a791af0e WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - GE Vernova Inc. (GEV) announced on Tuesday that GE Vernova will acquire the remaining 50% stake of Prolec GE, its unconsolidated joint venture with Xignux. Under the purchase agreement, GE Vernova will pay $5.275 billion at closing, expected to be funded equally between cash and debt. The acquisition is expected to close by mid-2026, subject to the completion of customary regulatory approvals. The deal will accelerate GE Vernova's Electrification segment's growth trajectory by expanding its presence in and support for North America, where demand for grid technologies is rising rapidly. This acquisition expands GE Vernova's capability to serve both North American and global customers, at a time when these markets are experiencing rapid electricity demand growth, driven in part by the growth of data centers and new policies implemented to expand the deployment of critical grid and electrification equipment. 'We're excited to execute this highly attractive and strategic move to acquire full ownership of our Prolec GE joint venture from Xignux, which accelerates GE Vernova's global strength in grid technologies,' said GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik. Prolec GE is a leading grid equipment supplier, producing transformers across most ratings and voltages with approximately 10,000 global employees across seven manufacturing sites globally, including five in the U.S. The joint venture was originally established between Xignux and General Electric (GE) in 1995, and this acquisition consolidates Prolec GE after 30 years of partnership. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / In a powerful stance against antisemitism and hate-fueled violence, the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF), in partnership with the New Visions Public School District of the New York City Department of Education, brought 28 high school students to the Anne Frank Exhibit at the Center for Jewish Life this week as part of the New Visions Combat Hate Fellowship run in partnership with the AJCF. The visit marks the launch of the Combat Hate Fellowship, a year-long leadership initiative designed to educate and empower public school students across New York City with the tools to recognize, confront and prevent antisemitism, racism and all forms of hate. Through a compelling mix of Holocaust and civil rights education, civic engagement and student-led projects, the program empowers young leaders to create real change in their schools and communities. The initiative, largely funded by the New York City Council, aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders - students grounded in historical knowledge and understanding, and driven by a strong moral compass. Participants will engage directly with educators, community leaders and Holocaust survivors, gaining firsthand insight into the consequences of hatred and indifference. The fellowship will culminate in a series of student-authored policy recommendations, presented to the New York City Schools Chancellor, aimed at tackling antisemitism, hate and bias within the city's public schools. As part of this week's program, students met Holocaust survivor Leo Ullman, who recounted his harrowing experience of surviving the Holocaust as a hidden child in Amsterdam, just blocks from Anne Frank's secret annex. His testimony offered a powerful, personal lens into history, underscoring the urgency of remembrance and the dangers of indifference. "Carry this history forward because the survivors will not always be here to do it themselves," Ullman told students. "Live your lives with resilience, empathy and compassion for others and have the courage to confidently confront hate wherever you find it." Following the visit to the Anne Frank Exhibit and Ullman's testimony, AJCF educators facilitated a reflection session, encouraging students to channel their emotional responses into a deeper sense of civic responsibility. The session emphasized the importance of peer leadership and challenged students to consider how they can confront hate and bias within their own schools and communities. "The AJCF Combat Hate Fellowship is an investment in the moral and civic leadership of New York City's youth," said Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Director General Jack Simony. "By grounding students in the lessons of the Holocaust and connecting them directly with survivors and educators, we are equipping them to confront the complex realities of antisemitism and hate today. This initiative creates a pipeline of informed, engaged young leaders who are not only capable of recognizing injustice, but ready to act on it in their schools, communities and beyond." "Our students are growing up in a time when hate and division too often fill their social feeds and their communities," said New Visions Public School District Superintendent Noah Angelos, who oversees New York's largest high school network representing 60 schools and 37,000 students across the five boroughs. "Programs like this show them something different, the power of empathy, history and truth. Hearing from a survivor like Leo Ullman changes not only how they see the Holocaust, but how they see their own role as leaders." "At a time when antisemitism is resurging both globally and in our own communities, we believe education is the strongest antidote to hate. Through the AJCF Combat Hate Fellowship, students are not only learning the facts of history, they are being empowered to become the moral leaders our society urgently needs," added Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Executive Vice President Michael Cohen. The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons learned from the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and by providing direct humanitarian aid to victims of mass atrocities. It supports survivors of genocides and other tragedies, including Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by Hamas's October 7 attacks. The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the last remaining synagogue in Oswiecim (Auschwitz) and serves as the primary institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the town's Jewish community while addressing hate. To date, over a million people have visited the center, more than 300,000 students participated in its educational programs and tens of thousands of diplomats, military and law enforcement personnel and educators, have taken part in its educational initiatives on tolerance and the Holocaust. For more information, visit: https://ajcfus.org/ . -30- Contact: Joshua Steinreich Steinreich Communications (212) 491-1600 jsteinreich@scompr.com SOURCE: Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/auschwitz-jewish-center-foundation-and-nyc-doe-launch-student-fe-1090415 Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Sankamap Metals Inc. (CSE: SCU) ("Sankamap" or the "Company") announces that it anticipates a delay in the filing of its financial statements, as required pursuant to Part 4 of National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations (the "Instrument"). The potential delay arises from a joint assessment by the Company and its auditors regarding the time required to complete the remaining audit procedures and the related review process. The delay is also attributable to the later-than-expected finalization of financial information from Sankamap's recently acquired subsidiary. All outstanding audit issues relating to the subsidiary have now been addressed and submitted to the subsidiary's auditor. The Company is currently awaiting the auditor's response and any final audit adjustments. Once this step is completed, the audited financials will be submitted to the Company's auditor as part of the final planning documentation required to proceed. The Company is in ongoing communication with its auditor to confirm any remaining documentation requirements and has committed to providing any outstanding materials promptly upon request. Based on discussions with the Company's auditor, once audit work formally commences, the anticipated timeline for completion is approximately three to four weeks, which is expected to allow for the filing of the audited financial statements on or before November 28, 2025. As a precautionary measure, the Company is pursuing a Management Cease Trade Order ("MCTO") to provide additional time, if required. Both the Company and its auditors remain fully committed and are working diligently toward the completion and filing of the financial statements. The Instrument requires that the Company's audited financial statements, MD&A, and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") certifications relating to the audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025 be filed by October 28, 2025. The Company expects that the audited financial statements, MD&A, and CEO and CFO certifications relating to the audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025 (collectively, the "Required Filings") will be completed and filed on or before November 28, 2025. The Company expects to proceed with the filing of its interim first-quarter financial statements shortly after the Required Filings have been completed and submitted. In connection with the anticipated delays in making the Required Filings within the time periods mandated by the Instrument, the Company has made an application under National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203") to the Alberta Securities Commission, as principal regulator for the Company, requesting that a MCTO be issued. If granted, the MCTO will restrict all trading by the Company's CEO and CFO in securities of the Company, whether direct or indirect. The issuance of the MCTO will not affect the ability of persons who are not directors, officers or insiders of the Company to trade their securities. The MCTO will remain in effect until the Required Filings are filed or until it is revoked or varied. The Company confirms that it intends to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines described in NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of a news release until it meets the Required Filings requirement. The Company has not taken any steps towards any insolvency proceeding and the Company has no material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed. About Sankamap Metals Inc. Sankamap Metals Inc. (CSE: SCU) is a Canadian mineral exploration company dedicated to the discovery and development of high-grade copper and gold deposits through its flagship Oceania Project, located in the South Pacific. The Company's fully permitted assets are strategically positioned in the Solomon Islands, along a prolific geological trend that hosts major copper-gold deposits; including Newcrest's Lihir Mine, with a resource of 71.9 million ounces of gold (310 Mt containing 23 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t P+P, 520 Mt containing 39 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t indicated, 81 Mt containing 5 Moz Au at 1.9 g/t measured, 61 Mt containing 4.9 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t Inferred). Exploration is actively advancing at both the Kuma and Fauro properties, part of Sankamap's Oceania Project in the Solomon Islands. Historical work has already highlighted the mineral potential of both sites, which lie along a highly prospective copper and gold-bearing trend, suggesting the possibility of further, yet-to-be-discovered deposits. At Kuma, the property is believed to host an underexplored and largely untested porphyry copper-gold (Cu-Au) system. Historical rock chip sampling has returned consistently elevated gold values above 0.5 g/t Au, including a standout sample assaying 11.7% Cu and 13.5 g/t Au2; underscoring the area's significant potential. At Fauro, particularly at the Meriguna Target, historical trenching has returned highly encouraging results, including 8.0 meters at 27.95 g/t Au and 14.0 meters at 8.94 g/t Au3. Complementing these results are exceptional grab sample assays, including historical values of up to 173 g/t Au3, along with recent sampling by Sankamap at the Kiovakase Target, which returned numerous high-grade copper values, reaching up to 4.09% Cu. In addition, limited historical shallow drilling intersected 35.0 meters at 2.08 g/t Au3, further underscoring the property's strong mineral potential and the merit for continued exploration. With a commitment to systematic exploration and a team of experienced professionals, Sankamap aims to unlock the untapped potential of underexplored regions and create substantial value for its shareholders. For more information, please refer to SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca), under Sankamap's profile. 1.Newcrest Technical Report, 2020 (Lihir: 310 Mt containing 23 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t P+P, 520 Mt containing 39 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t indicated, 81 Mt containing 5 Moz Au at 1.9 g/t measured, 61 Mt containing 4.9 Moz Au at 2.3 g/t Inferred) 2. Historical grab, soil and BLEG samples from SolGold Kuma Review June 2015, and SolGold plc Annual Report 2013/2012 3. September 2010-June 2012 press releases from Solomon Gold Ltd. and SolGold Fauro Island Summary Technical Info 2012 QP Disclosure The technical content for the Oceania Project in this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol., a Qualified Person in accordance with CIM guidelines. Mr. John Florek is in good standing with the Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (Member ID:1228) and a director and officer of the Company. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS s/ "John Florek" John Florek, M.Sc., P.Geol Chief Executive Officer Sankamap Metals Inc. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved nor disapproved this press release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to Sankamap and there is no assurance that the actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates," "believes," "targets," "estimates," "plans," "expects," "may," "will," "could" or "would." This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding management's expectations about obtaining the MCTO and completing the Required Filings within the anticipated timeline. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Sankamap does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements or information, except as required by applicable securities laws. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca . To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271370 SOURCE: Sankamap Metals Inc. Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2025) - Bullion Gold Resources (TSXV: BGD) ("Bullion Gold" or "The Company") announces that, subject to regulatory approval, it has engaged the services of Independent Trading Group ("ITG") to provide market-making services in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange TSXV, CSE, Cboe Canada policies. ITG will trade shares of the Company on the CSE/ Cboe Canada/ TSXV and all other trading venues with the objective of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company's common shares. Under the agreement, ITG will receive compensation of CAD$ 5,000 per month, payable monthly in advance. The agreement is for an initial term of one month and will renew for additional one-month terms unless terminated. The agreement may be terminated by either party with 30 days' notice. There are no performance factors contained in the agreement and ITG will not receive shares or options as compensation. ITG and the Company are unrelated and unaffiliated entities and at the time of the agreement, neither ITG nor its principals have an interest, directly or indirectly, in the securities of the Company. Private Placement The Company also announces that it will undertake a non-brokered private placement ("The Offering") consisting of issuance of units of the Company at a price of seven cents per unit for minimum aggregate gross proceeds of $200,000. Each unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company and one common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one common share at a price of 12 cents per common share for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance. Dollar amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Bullion Gold intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for working capital purposes, promotional and investor relation activities. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four (4) months and one day from the date of issuance. The placement is subject to final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. About Bullion Gold Resources Bullion Gold Resources is a junior exploration company primarily working in Quebec, specifically in the Abitibi and James Bay mining regions. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Bousquet (Au), Cadillac-Extension (Langlade Prospect - VMS), and Bodo (Polymetallic) projects. The Bousquet project is optioned to the Australian company Olympio Metals (Oly), which can acquire up to 80% of the gold project in exchange for $1.25M in cash and shares and $2M in exploration work. Bullion would then retain a 20% undivided interest (net carried interest). The Langlade project (72 claims - 4,127 Ha) is a VMS project under development, ready to be drilled. The Bodo project (761 claims - 410 km) is an early-stage exploration project. Anomalous and indicative occurrences of critical and strategic minerals (Au, Ag, Cu, Zn, Li, Pb, Co, Mn) have been noted throughout this project. The main prospects, which are Rivon Lake, Canico, Lice, Tichegami, and Didi, offer polymetallic, VMS, and IOCG potential. About Independent Trading Group Independent Trading Group (ITG) Inc. is a Toronto based CIRO dealer-member that specializes in market making, liquidity provision, agency execution, ultra-low latency connectivity, and bespoke algorithmic trading solutions. Established in 1992, with a focus on market structure, execution and trading, ITG has leveraged its own proprietary technology to deliver high quality liquidity provision and execution services to a broad array of public issuers and institutional investors. Other Information The TSX Venture Exchange and its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts no responsibility for the veracity or accuracy of its content. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. The forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Corporation. Although Bullion Gold believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Bullion Gold 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. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks. In addition to other risks that may affect the forward-looking statements in this press release are those set out in the Corporation's management discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 and the first quarter ended June 30, 2025, which are available on the Corporation's profile at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Bullion Gold undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271378 SOURCE: Bullion Gold Resources Corporation Rajat Bedi known for his portrayals in Koi Mil Gaya, Partner and Jaani Dushman among others, made a roaring comeback with Aryan Khan and Netflixs The Ba***ds of Bollywood with his character Jaraj getting appreciation and love all around the corner. In a recent conversation, the actor opened up about a scene in Hrithik Roshan starrer Koi Mil Gaya, which still hurts him. I wasnt a mature actor earlier, even when I was doing Koi Mil Gaya. There was a scene in the film that Rakesh ji wanted me to do. It was my scene. And when I say that, I mean that it was a scene between me and Duggu where my lines could eat him up," said Bedi while talking to News18. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I did a few takes during which Rakesh ji told me about the changes I should incorporate so that I could try new ways of delivering my lines. Eventually, he okayed the shot. But that episode hits me badly even today. It hurt me a lot. Later, he sat me down and told me, Rajat, tujhe pata hai woh scene tera tha? You had to eat Duggu up in that scene! But you didnt do that. I was heartbroken that day. I didnt have the maturity to understand those things," he added. My journey has helped me a lot. When you see me doing an emotional or painful scene, my dilemmas and everything that Ive been through is reflected in it. Thats also the reason why I can emote much better today. Im more mature as an actor now," shared the actor. The actor also praised his Netflixs show costar Raghav Juyal and compared him with legendary Govinda. I learnt a lot from Raghav. Today, when I get a scene, I know that Ive to give it my best shot. I know that Ill have to steal the show," adding, When I worked with him, he reminded me of Govinda. Ive worked with Chichi. He could eat any actor up. An actor may have ten lines and he only two but the way in which he delivers them will make him steal the entire show. Raghav is the same. Hes a hara*mi actor! I told him that hes too good. He does his job with a lot of passion and mazza." STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ahead of her return to the big screen, Rani has extended her heartfelt salute to the Indian Police Force on the occasion of Indian Police Day 2025. Rani Mukerji is all set to don the police officers uniform once again with Yash Raj Films Mardaani 3. The actress will reprise her iconic role as the fearless cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in the third instalment of the blockbuster franchise. Ahead of her return to the big screen, Rani has extended her heartfelt salute to the Indian Police Force on the occasion of Indian Police Day 2025. Expressing her heartfelt gratitude towards the Indian Police Force, Rani said It is an honour for me to salute the Indian Police Force through my film franchise Mardaani and I also look forward to every opportunity possible to salute the hard work of the police across the country by participating in as many of them. In every corner of our nation, there are cops protecting people, risking their lives, sacrificing their personal time to keep us safe. Words cannot do justice to the work that the police force of our country does to put our nation and the people first. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD She adds, So, on the Indian Police Day, I salute the unwavering courage, relentless dedication, and selfless service of the Indian Police Force who protect and uphold justice for every citizen of India. We should never forget that behind the uniform, there is a human being who chose to do good, chose the path of selfless service and decided that the country comes first. We should never forget that they are also someones son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother. I respect the force with all my heart and I will make it a point to say this loudly to every Indian. Praising their selfless courage, Rani says, What a cop does is simply exemplary. They leave their homes with no certainty of returning back. They confront dangerous crimes and criminals like a lion. I have been amazed to see their grit and courage and their lives have inspired me to live fearlessly. We should not let their work and their sacrifices go unnoticed they miss important moments of their lives to serve the nation. It cannot get more selfless than this and I love honouring them through Mardaani. The Indian Police Force should be a reminder to us all what courage, devotion and unwavering patriotism means and how we can all learn from them and do our bit to stand up for the country. Directed by Abhiraj Minawala and produced by Aditya Chopra, the third instalment of YRFs iconic female-cop franchise Mardaani is set to release in cinemas on February 27, 2026. After experiencing trouble for hours on Monday, services such as Snapchat, Canva, Fortnite and more are now operating normally. This problem was caused by an outage of Amazons computing services unit, Amazon Web Services. Heres what exactly happened and why it affected millions of people worldwide If you were among the many who were unable to log into Snapchat or Zoom on Monday, take solace in the fact that you werent alone. Huge parts of the internet went down yesterday with sites and services such as Snapchat, Fortnite, Venmo, the PlayStation Network and, Amazon all being unavailable for users. And all of this happened because Amazons computing services unit, Amazon Web Services (AWS) was hit by a major global outage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now, 24 hours later, the cloud service has returned to normal operations but it does serve as a another reminder of how consumers, businesses and even government organisations rely on AWS and its massive cloud to make their websites, apps and other online services work. So, what exactly happened? What caused the outage? Which sites and services were down? What is Amazon Web Services? For those wondering what exactly is AWS, heres what it is. Amazon Web Services provides cloud computing services to customers, including companies and organisations across various sectors. Cloud computing is a technology that allows companies to remotely access massive computing equipment and services without having to purchase and maintain physical infrastructure. Businesses ranging from Snapchat to McDonalds essentially rent Amazons physical infrastructure located in places all around the world to operate their own websites. Instead of building expensive computing systems in-house, companies rely on Amazon to store data, develop and test software and deliver applications. As of today, AWS holds 30 per cent of the market share followed by Microsoft Azure (20 per cent) and Google Cloud (13 per cent), according to the Synergy Research Group. These three firms have been dubbed The Big Three. AWS is a leader in cloud computing. It holds 30 per cent of the market share. File image/AFP So, what happened to AWS services on Monday? On Monday, just after 3 am ET (around 12.30 pm IST), users across the world began to report widespread access issues for websites and apps across Downdetector and similar monitoring platforms. According to Downdector, they received more than 6.5 million reports Monday. At 4:26 am ET, Amazon flagged the issue, stating: We can confirm significant error rates for requests made to the DynamoDB endpoint in the US-EAST-1 Region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At 11:43 am, AWS provided an update on the root cause of the disruption, referring to it as an underlying internal subsystem responsible for monitoring the health of our network load balancers. Amazon stated it was actively working on mitigations to tackle the far-reaching issue. For many, the disruptions continued for more than two hours, with some users, mostly in the US, seeing issues persist for over six hours. Finally, AWS announced that core issues had been resolved and most services were recovering, but intermittent disruptions persisted into the morning. A Starbucks mobile app shows that the mobile ordering is unavailable during the Amazon Web Services outage on Monday. AP Which sites and services were affected? From banking services to social networks to airline booking sites to online shopping, thousands of services were disrupted for millions of people worldwide. Social media apps such as Snapchat, Facebook, and Reddit saw a sharp rise in reports of connectivity issues. At its peak, the Snapchat-related reports reached over 7,000 globally. Even gaming apps and websites experienced significant disruption. Fornite, Roblox, and Clash of Clans all experienced a spike in connectivity issue reports, with users unable to login to their accounts. According to DownDetector, even Delta Air Lines and United Airlines experienced disruptions. People even complained of having difficulty accessing their Amazon products such as Alexa, the smart speaker, and Ring doorbell cameras. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, posted on social media site X that some users couldnt access the companys online platform because of the AWS outage but that all funds are safe. Zoom services also experienced technical issues owing to the outage. So did the dating app, Hinge. In the UK, bank customers complained of being unable to log into their accounts. The UK governments tax and customs service, HMRC, also encountered issues as the official UK government services website, Gov.uk, was impacted.We are aware of an incident affecting Amazon Web Services, and several online services which rely on their infrastructure, a UK government spokesperson told TIME via an email. Through our established incident response arrangements, we are in contact with the company, who are working to restore services as quickly as possible. Graphic design tool Canva said it was experiencing significantly increased error rates which are impacting functionality on Canva. There is a major issue with our underlying cloud provider. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Other apps and websites that reported issues include: Venmo, Hulu, McDonalds, Signal, Wordle, Slack, Canva, Tidal, PokemonGo, Strava, and WhatsApp. As companies dealt with the aftermath of the outage, Elon Musk mocked AWS by posting X works on the social media site he owns. An aerial view of an Amazon Web Services Data Centre known as US East 1 in Ashburn, Virginia. Reuters But what caused this AWS outage? As site after site and service after service reported issues, many speculated that a cyberattack was the cause of it. Rob Jardin, chief digital officer at cybersecurity company NymVPN, told CNBC and CNN that theres no sign that this AWS outage was caused by a cyberattack it looks like a technical fault affecting one of Amazons main data centres. These issues can happen when systems become overloaded or a key part of the network goes down, and because so many websites and apps rely on AWS, the impact spreads quickly, he said in the statement. Initially, AWS didnt share what was the cause of the outage, but offered a brief explanation: The root cause is an underlying internal subsystem responsible for monitoring the health of our network load balancers. Later on, AWS updated its service page, saying the outage started with an error with its Domain Name System (DNS) at Amazons northern Virginia data plant, located in what is known as the Data Center Alley, where hundreds of data centres are located. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what is a DNS? The DNS is like an internet location engine, converting user-friendly web addresses like amazon.com into IP addresses a series of numbers that other websites and applications can understand. If the DNS is not working, a lookup takes too long and a website may timeout. For users, it could also seem like the website theyre looking for no longer exists or simply cant be found. Most tech experts note that it is common to experience issues with DNS, but owing to the reach of AWS, the scale of the outage on Monday was rare. The company is likely to conduct a postmortem and explain what went wrong with its DNS system in the coming days. How much did AWS outage cost? Owing to the large reach of AWS, the outage certainly caused losses to services across the world. The question is how much. Most experts note that its difficult to estimate the financial impact of the AWS outage. However, Tenscope has carried out an initial analysis, estimating that major websites lose $75 million every hour when they go down. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mehdi Daoudi, CEO of internet performance monitoring firm Catchpoint, told Jazeera that the financial impact of the outage could easily reach into the hundreds of billions due to lost productivity and halted business operations. Have AWS outages occurred before? Yes. A disruption in 2023 knocked many websites offline for several hours. However, AWSs longest outage in recent history occurred in late 2021, when companies everything from airline reservations and auto dealerships to payment apps and video streaming services were affected for more than five hours. Other major outages happened in 2020 and 2017. The 2017 incident, notably, occurred after an employee typed the wrong command during a debugging procedure, resulting in the shutdown of more servers than expected. With inputs from agencies On October 21, 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose declared the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind), uniting thousands under the Indian National Armys call for independence. This day also marked Thomas Edisons breakthrough with the light bulb and mass Vietnam War protests The Rani of Jhansi Regiment was formed as the womens unit of the INA. Dr. Lakshmi Sehgal led this regiment. File Image On October 21 in 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose declared the Provisional Government of Free India, igniting hopes of independence through the Azad Hind movement. In 1879, Thomas Edison perfected the practical incandescent light bulb, revolutionising human life. The same date in 1967 saw massive anti-Vietnam War protests in Washington, symbolising a generations call for peace. And in 1966, tragedy struck Aberfan, Wales, when a coal waste collapse killed 144 people, exposing industrial negligence. We take a look at these events marking October 21 as part of Firstposts History Today series. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The birth of the Azad Hind Government On October 21, 1943, amid the turbulence of the Second World War, Subhas Chandra Bose made one of the most consequential proclamations in Indias struggle for independence the establishment of the Provisional Government of Free India, or Azad Hind Sarkar, in Singapore. This was not merely a symbolic act of defiance; it represented a radical attempt to assert Indias sovereignty outside the control of the British Raj and rally international support for liberation through armed struggle. Bose, known reverently as Netaji, had long grown disillusioned with the pace of Indias non-violent freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. His belief that British rule could not be dismantled through peaceful protest drove him toward revolutionary nationalism. After escaping house arrest in Calcutta in 1941, he made his way through Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, and eventually to Germany, where he sought Axis support to free India. By 1943, he had moved to Japanese-occupied Southeast Asia, where he took charge of the Indian National Army (INA) a force initially organised by Mohan Singh and supported by Japan, composed mainly of Indian prisoners of war captured during the Malayan campaign. The Provisional Government of Free India was officially inaugurated at Singapores Cathay Building, with Bose as its Head of State, Prime Minister, and Minister for War and Foreign Affairs. The cabinet also included prominent INA figures and civilians such as Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan, who led the Rani of Jhansi Regiment the first all-female combat unit in Asia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Azad Hind Government adopted Jai Hind as its national greeting, chose Kadam Kadam Badaye Ja as its marching song, and selected the tricolour flag with a springing tiger as its emblem a bold reimagining of Indias sovereignty under colonial rule. The newly formed government immediately sought international recognition. Within weeks, the Axis powers including Japan, Germany, Italy, Croatia, and Thailand formally acknowledged Azad Hind as a legitimate authority. The Empire of Japan, under Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, pledged to support Boses mission by ceding control of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which Bose renamed Shaheed (Martyr) and Swaraj (Self-Rule) Islands, respectively. These islands were the first Indian territories claimed to be liberated from British control, though actual administrative authority remained heavily dependent on Japan. The INA, now under Boses command, became the military arm of this provisional government. Its aim was audacious to march into India from Burma (Myanmar) and raise the tricolour on Indian soil. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In early 1944, INA forces advanced alongside Japanese troops into northeastern India, capturing parts of Arakan and Manipur, and even hoisting the Indian flag in Moirang, near Imphal. However, the advance faltered at the Battle of Imphal and Kohima, where Allied resistance and logistical difficulties led to devastating losses. The Japanese retreat marked the end of Azad Hinds military campaign, though the symbolic power of the effort endured long after. The collapse of Japan in 1945 effectively ended Boses short-lived government. On August 18, 1945, he reportedly died in a plane crash in Taipei, though mystery and speculation about his fate persist to this day. Nevertheless, the INA trials that followed where captured officers were tried by the British at the Red Fort galvanised public opinion across India. The defendants were seen as national heroes, and protests erupted in cities demanding their release. The trials, coupled with widespread discontent in the British Indian armed forces particularly the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946 revealed the deepening cracks in Britains ability to hold India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Azad Hind Government remains one of the most fascinating chapters of Indias independence movement a revolutionary effort that demonstrated the global dimensions of Indias anti-colonial struggle. It also reflected Boses complex political philosophy: an uncompromising nationalism combined with socialist and authoritarian elements, framed by the realities of global war. While the Axis alliance tainted the movement in the eyes of some contemporaries, many historians now regard Boses actions as a parallel path to freedom that challenged British imperial legitimacy at a critical historical moment. Today, the Provisional Government of Free India is remembered as a bold assertion of sovereignty before independence was formally achieved. Thomas Edisons practical incandescent light bulb On October 21, 1879, Thomas Edison conducted a successful test of his practical incandescent light bulb at his Menlo Park laboratory in New Jersey, marking a defining moment in technological history. While Edison did not invent the concept of electric light several inventors before him, including Humphry Davy and Joseph Swan, had created earlier prototypes he achieved what they could not: a reliable, long-lasting, and commercially viable solution. Edisons breakthrough came from perfecting the filament, the thin wire inside the bulb that glows when electricity passes through it. After testing over 6,000 materials, he found that carbonised bamboo could burn for more than 1,200 hours. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On October 21, his team recorded the first successful 13.5-hour test, proving the concepts viability. This moment marked the beginning of an electrified age. Within months, Edison had patented his design and began building the infrastructure for electricity distribution, transforming cities and industries around the world. His achievement on this day laid the foundation for the modern electric era, bringing artificial light into everyday life and extending the productive hours of human civilisation. Vietnam war protest On October 21, 1967, more than 100,000 protesters gathered in Washington, DC, to demonstrate against the escalating Vietnam War, marking one of the largest anti-war protests in US history. Organised by groups like the National Mobilisation Committee to End the War in Vietnam, the protest symbolised growing public outrage over American involvement in Southeast Asia. A core group of around 50,000 marchers moved toward the Pentagon, where they were met by thousands of armed troops. The demonstration, peaceful at first, turned confrontational as protesters attempted to exorcise the building in a symbolic act of resistance. More than 600 arrests were made, and the images of young Americans confronting soldiers became defining visuals of the era. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This protest reflected a shifting national mood: the early patriotic consensus around the war had fractured. The demonstration also influenced the cultural movement of the late 1960s, fuelling songs, literature, and films that questioned authority and celebrated dissent. By the early 1970s, such movements had profoundly changed public discourse, hastening Americas withdrawal from Vietnam and reshaping its understanding of civic protest. The Aberfan disaster On October 21, 1966, tragedy struck the Welsh mining village of Aberfan when a massive coal waste tip collapsed and engulfed Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes. The avalanche of slurry killed 144 people, including 116 children nearly an entire generation of the small community. The collapse followed heavy rainfall that destabilised a coal spoil heap placed atop a natural spring. Despite prior warnings from residents and engineers about the sites instability, the National Coal Board (NCB) failed to act. The disaster shocked Britain and exposed deep negligence in industrial regulation. In the aftermath, a tribunal found the NCB responsible, yet none of its officials were criminally prosecuted. Queen Elizabeth II visited Aberfan eight days later, a visit she later described as one of the most difficult of her reign. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The tragedy prompted major reforms in mining safety and waste management laws in the United Kingdom, ensuring that such a disaster would never occur again. With inputs from agencies Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, one of the top advisors of Irans Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is being accused of hypocrisy after a video emerged of his daughter wearing a strapless gown at her lavish Western-style wedding at a luxury hotel in Tehran. Ironically, Shamkhani led the Iranian regimes crackdown on anti-hijab protests The clip shows Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, 70, a top advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his representative at the National Defence Council, at the wedding of his daughter in May 2024. Image courtesy: @judepd/X It is well known that Iran is a conservative nation. The majority Shia Muslim nation has been in the news in recent years for its frequent crackdowns on protesters and womens rights activists. Now, one of the top advisors of the Ayatollah is being accused of hypocrisy after video emerged of his daughter wearing a strapless gown at her wedding. But what do we know? How has this become a political scandal? Lets take a close look. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What do we know? The video leaked last week online. It shows Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, 70, a top advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his representative at the National Defence Council, at the wedding of his daughter in May 2024. Shamkhani, the former Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council and a close confidant of the Ayatollah, is seen walking his daughter Setayesh down the aisle. Setayesh is wearing a strapless, designer wedding gown with a low-cut neckline that shows cleavage and a nearly see-through veil that barely covers her head. The wedding, which was seemingly organised in a lavish manner, occurred at Tehrans luxury Espinas Palace Hotel. It was held amid cheers and loud music. Many other women at the wedding were also seen without hijabs or headscarves among them Shamkhanis wife, who was wearing a blue lace evening gown and baring her back. Many of Irans political elites are said to have attended the event, which cost as much as $57,000 (Rs 5 lakh). Why this has become a political scandal Because the clip was leaked at a time when Iran is preparing to deploy 80,000 morality officers in the capital city of Tehran to enforce the hijab rules. Tehran in June introduced a law mandating prison time and flogging for women and girls as young as 12 who refuse to wear the hijab in public. And also because Shamkhani, a former defence minister and senior military commander, played a key role in cracking down on protesters after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Many other women at the wedding were also seen without hijabs or headscarves among them Shamkhanis wife, who was wearing a blue lace evening gown and baring her back. Many of Irans political elites are said to have attended the event, which cost as much as $57,000 (Rs 5 lakh). Image courtesy: @judepd/X Shamkhani, who was Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) at the time, led his countrys brutal crackdown on protesters. Amini, as you will recall, was a 22-year-old who was brutally beaten by Irans morality police for leaving her hair uncovered. She later fell into a coma and died in police custody. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Human Rights Watch (HRW) has estimated that over 500 people, including 68 children, were killed during the crackdown by the Iranian government. HRW said over 20,000 people were arrested. A United Nations mission later said the Iranian government had committed extensive, sustained and continuing human rights violations on its people. The daughter of Ali Shamkhani, one of the Islamic Republics top enforcers, had a lavish wedding in a strapless dress. Meanwhile, women in Iran are beaten for showing their hair, and young people cant afford to marry, Masih Alinejad, an exiled Iranian activist, wrote on X. She said millions of people are infuriated because the Khamenei regime enforces Islamic values with bullets, batons and prisons on everyone but themselves. The main advisor of Khamenei was celebrating his daughters wedding at a palace-like venue. The same regime that killed Mahsa Amini for showing a bit of her hair, jails women for singing, who hired 80,000 morality police to drag girls into vans, throws itself a luxury party. This isnt hypocrisy, its the system. They preach modesty while their own daughters parade in designer dresses. The message couldnt be clearer: the rules are for you, not for them, Alinejad added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Alinejad wasnt alone. Iranian journalist Amir Hossein Mosalla wrote on social media that the regime officials themselves have no belief in their own laws that they support, they only want to make peoples lives miserable. Shargh, a reformist-leaning newspaper, led with the news story on the front page with the headline Buried Under Scandal. Jina Mahsa Aminis death caused massive anger in Iran. AFP/File Photo Some political pundits and war veterans have called on Shamkhani to resign from the government and tender a public apology. The video also leaked at a time when many in Iran are struggling to make ends meet. Politician Ali Akbar Raefipour added on X: Can we ask how we can tell people to be patient with economic sanctions when the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council holds his daughters wedding in one of the countrys most luxurious hotels? Irans semi-official Tasnim News Agency has also taken aim at Shamkhani. There is no doubt that the lifestyle of officials in the Islamic Republic must be defensible, it wrote. However, it added that publishing a private video is not ethical. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Shamkhani has blamed Israel for leaking the clip. Hacking into peoples privacy is Israels new method of assassination, he was quoted as saying. Other supporters, including ex-Iranian minister Ezzatollah Zarghami, have claimed that the ceremony was segregated by gender. Some women were veiled, and the rest were close relatives, Zarghami claimed. But experts arent taking kindly to that message. Its hypocrisy in its purest form, Omid Memarian, an Iran expert at DAWN, a Washington-based research organisation that focuses on American foreign policy in West Asia, told The New York Times. Iranian womens rights activist Ellie Omidvari, referring to the people killed, added: Their bride is in a palace, our bride is buried under the ground. With inputs from agencies While Nicolas Sarkozy is far from the first French leader to run afoul of the law, he now has the ignominy of becoming the first former French president to serve time behind bars. Sarkozy was convicted of receiving illegal campaign contributions from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during his 2007 presidential bid, which he won. Now he is lodged in La Sante prison, where he will serve his five-year sentence Nicolas Sarkozy is now in prison. While Sarkozy is far from the first French leader to run afoul of the law, he now has the ignominy of becoming the first former French president to serve time behind bars. Sarkozy was convicted of receiving illegal campaign contributions from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during his 2007 presidential bid which he won. He has been sentenced to five years in jail. Sarkozy, who ruled France from 2007 to 2012, had earlier described the decision as scandalous and vowed to keep his head held high. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sarkozy earlier on Tuesday in a statement on X wrote that he is an innocent man. As I prepare to step inside the walls of La Sante prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions, he wrote. I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that its not a former president of the Republic being locked up this morning, its an innocent man, he added. Sarkozy vowed to continue to denounce this judicial scandal but said he is not to be pitied because my wife and children are by my side, and my friends are countless. But what do we know about La Sante prison where Sarkozy is serving time? Lets take a closer look Origins La Sante, formally known as Maison darret de la Sante, is located in the 14th arrondissement in southern Paris. At the time it was inaugurated, in 1867, it had 500 cells. It later expanded to 1,000 cells that could hold 2,000 prisoners. The prison often witnessed public executions by guillotine. However, after public guillotines were banned in 1939, La Sante continued to witness such executions in its courtyard. During World War II, the French military authorities requisitioned the prison to hold detained French military personnel. By this time, it became an additional wing of the Cherche-Midi Prison. Its military prisoners were evacuated days before Nazi Germany invaded France in 1940. During that period, though the Germans were in charge of the prison, the staff remained French. Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison. Reuters Over a dozen and a half political prisoners were executed within the prison during World War II. Of these, nine were killed by firing squad on April 30, 1944. The last execution by guillotine in La Sante occurred in 1972 a double execution in 1972. Capital punishment was finally forbidden in France in 1981. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Till 2000, prisoners were segregated by prison blocks according to their geographic and ethnic origin. La Sante Prison was closed for renovations in 2014 and reopened in 2019 with a reduced capacity. Last prison in Paris Today, La Sante remains the last prison in the French capital. The prison, which is designed to hold 657 inmates, currently has 1,243 prisoners. La Sante has a VIP wing where inmates who cannot be kept among the general population out of fears for their safety are lodged. This could be politicians like Sarkozy, former policemen, members of far-right outfits or Islamist groups. The prison has hosted a number of high-profile inmates including the infamous hitman Carlos the Jackal aka Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, former Panama leader Manuel Noriega, the bank robber and murderer Jacques Mesrine, as well as Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish army captain known for the Dreyfus Affair, was also lodged here. Claude Gueant, a former Sarkozy aide, who was also found guilty just last Thursday, has also served time in La Sante. As has former Emmanuel Macron bodyguard Alexandre Benalla, who was jailed after filming Yellow Vest protesters being beaten. Those kept in the VIP wing are lodged in single cells rather than the three-person units again out of concern for their safety. Each cell is approximately nine to twelve square metres and comes with its own fridge, shower, toilet and landline phone. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD La Sante has hosted a number of high-profile inmates including Carlos the Jackal. Reuters Sarkozy can also choose to have a television for 14 euros (USD 14 / INR 1,170 approx.) a month. Sarkozys meals will be delivered to him in his cell. He can also buy products to prepare his own meals via a cooking hob in the cell. Experts say that the facilities in La Sante, because of its recent renovations, are far better than other prisons in France. Apart from that, the conditions are no better than elsewhere in the prison, where cells are typically 912 square metres (100130 square feet). Isolation cells, in a separate wing, are 9 square metres with window coverings designed to limit communication between detainees, according to a 2020 report by the Supervisor-General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty. The problem is the noise Its alright, La Sante, its like an Ibis Hotel, a former inmate, referring to the popular budget chain of hotels, previously said. The problem is the noise, another former civil servant and politician lodged at La Sante for a few weeks added. At night, youre woken up by people shouting. A former French policeman said he was heckled mercilessly by the other prisoners upon learning of his arrival at La Sante. The prison also has a maximum security wing where the most violent offenders are lodged. Sarkozy will be held in the isolation ward of the prison, one of the most secure in France, meaning he will be alone in his cell, yard and activity room, prison administration director Sebastien Cauwel has said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Interestingly, Frances Justice Minister, Gerald Darmanin, who has pushed for harsher conditions for dangerous inmates, is a Sarkozy protege. Darmanin has already said he will visit Sarkozy at La Sante. The prisons location within the capital will also allow Sarkozys friends and family to visit. Sarkozys wife, Carla Bruni, if she visits him in prison, would likely be the first supermodel to do so. Frances prisons have been in the limelight recently. Police say some prisoners run drug businesses via smuggled mobile phones and have even used them to order hits on rivals. Some have been caught on video ordering kebabs and sushi, delivered to their cells via drones. Earlier this year, there was a series of attacks against prisons across France. Authorities say they were orchestrated by members of a Telegram group that called itself French Prisoner Rights, and sought to underline the terrible conditions faced by inmates. With inputs from agencies Eight Napoleonic-era jewels with inestimable value were stolen from Paris world-famous Louvre Museum in under eight minutes. The daring robbery, reportedly carried out by four people, has sent shockwaves across France, sparking outrage, disbelief, and a full-blown national investigation Among the stolen jewels were the sapphire-adorned tiara, necklace and single earring worn by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense. AFP Its being called the heist of the century, a daring robbery carried out in broad daylight at Paris iconic Louvre Museum. In a stunning turn of events, eight priceless Napoleonic-era artefacts were stolen from the worlds most visited museum in under 8 minutes on Sunday. The theft has sent shockwaves across France, sparking outrage, disbelief, and a full-blown national investigation. French President Emmanuel Macron described the robbery as an attack on a heritage we cherish, vowing that those responsible would be brought to justice. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A team of 60 investigators is in a race against time to track down four suspects and recover the treasures of inestimable value, known as Frances crown jewels, amid fears they may be lost forever. Heres all you need to know about the robbery. How did the thieves break in In a highly professional raid, four balaclava-wearing thieves pulled up outside the Louvre on a road along the Seine River. According to a CNN report, around 9.30 am, half an hour after visitors had started entering through the front, two men in motorcycle helmets arrived on Yamaha T-Max scooters at the south side of the building. Another two men, dressed in yellow and orange vests, sat inside a monte-meubles, a truck mounted with a basket lift commonly used to hoist furniture into Paris hard-to-reach apartments. The furniture lift, extended to the balcony of a gallery at the Louvre, was used by the thieves. AFP After placing traffic cones to secure the area, the thieves deployed the lift. Two men climbed up to the second-floor balcony and used an angle grinder, a handheld cutting and grinding tool, to break through a window. Wearing yellow vests, the pair clambered into the Apollo Gallery, one of the Louvres most ornate rooms, home to the French crown jewels and other priceless artefacts. A tour guide told CNN that he heard what sounded like stomping on the windows that morning, just before security began evacuating the museum. Visitors evacuated the Louvre speak about the confusion in the museum after thieves broke in through a window and stole priceless jewelry before escaping on motorbikes https://t.co/IPikTTOify pic.twitter.com/7xJn63sL2c Reuters (@Reuters) October 19, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I was just trying to figure out whats happening when I saw the museum staff going to that noise. Then they did a turn around, like real quick, and they started running and saying get out, get out, get out, get out, evacuate! Ryan el Mandari told the outlet. Inside, the thieves used the grinder again, this time to smash two display cases, and grabbed nine pieces of Napoleonic-era jewellery. With priceless treasures in hand, the thieves flee through the broken window and descend on the ladder A security officer managed to stop the thieves from setting fire to their truck, but they escaped along the banks of the Seine on two scooters. What was stolen and whats left behind? According to a Guardian report, officials confirmed that eight pieces of jewellery were stolen in the daring Louvre heist. Among the treasures taken were a necklace and a pair of earrings gifted by Napoleon I to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise. Also missing are a diadem, a brooch, and a decorative bow that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. The diadem alone was sparkling with nearly 2,000 diamonds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The thieves also grabbed a tiara, necklace, and single earring from a sapphire set worn by Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France. That necklace, officials said, is studded with eight sapphires and 631 diamonds. As they made their getaway on scooters, the robbers dropped two items, including the Crown of Empress Eugenie, which was later found broken near the scene, according to officials. The crown of Empress Eugenie de Montijo displayed at the Apollon Gallery in January 2020. File image/ AFP The thieves also missed one of the most valuable pieces in the gallery, the Regent Diamond, valued by Sothebys at over $60 million. That item alone is worth several tens of millions of euros, said Alexandre Giquello, president of Frances leading Drouot auction house, in a statement to Reuters. And its not, in my opinion, the most important item taken by the burglars. Experts warn that because the stolen items are unique and instantly recognisable, they cannot easily be sold. Instead, the thieves may melt down the metals and remove the gems, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, and pearls to sell them individually. Investigators fear they may have less than a week before the jewels are lost forever. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Uproar in Paris For a country that takes immense pride in its history and cultural heritage, the heist has sparked a wave of outrage and embarrassment across France. President Macron has vowed to recover both the jewels and the criminals, assuring that everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this. France President Emmanuel Macron vowed to recover both the jewels and the criminals, assuring that everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this." Reuters The Culture and Interior ministries held an emergency meeting on Monday and directed senior officials across France to review and strengthen security at cultural institutions, Reuters reported, citing the Interior Ministry. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin admitted that the heist painted a grim picture of the country. What is certain is that we failed, he told France Inter radio, calling it a negative and deplorable image of France. The French people all feel like theyve been robbed. Meanwhile, Macrons political rival Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right and a frontrunner for the 2027 presidential election, said the incident reflected the disintegration of the state under Macron, calling it an unbearable humiliation for our country. Not the first heist at Louvre This isnt the first time the Louvre has found itself at the centre of a major theft. Back in 1911, a museum decorator named Vincenzo Peruggia famously stole the Mona Lisa. At the time, Da Vincis masterpiece wasnt the global icon it is today, but the heist turned it into one. Crowds began flocking to see the spot where it once hung, sparking a worldwide fascination with the painting. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nearly 28 months later, Peruggia was caught after trying to sell the artwork in Florence, which led to the Mona Lisas safe return to the Louvre. Tourists click images of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris. File image/AP In more recent years, French museums have continued to face high-profile thefts. Raw gold was stolen from the National Museum of Natural History, while porcelain works worth around $11 million were taken from the Adrien Dubouche Museum in Limoges just last month. Following the latest Louvre heist, the SUD Culture union criticised the government for cutting jobs dedicated to security and failing to properly fund surveillance equipment. According to a Times report, staffing has been a growing concern at the Louvre. Earlier this year, staff went on strike, forcing temporary closures as they raised alarms about overcrowding and mass tourism. In 2023, the museum even decided to limit visitors to 30,000 per day, roughly a third of its previous capacity. Although it remains unclear whether staffing shortages directly contributed to the theft, unions warned in June that employees were still overstretched, with too few people monitoring too many entrances, exits, and visitors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With input from agencies In one of the boldest museum robberies in decades, four thieves pulled off a daylight heist at Pariss Louvre on October 19, stealing priceless royal jewels once worn by Empress Eugenie and Queen Marie-Amelie. The operation, executed in under eight minutes, has stunned France and left investigators racing against time to recover its stolen heritage Visitors stand near the glass Pyramid of the Louvre Museum as the museum remains closed the day after a spectacular jewel heist in Paris, France, October 20, 2025. File Image/Reuters One of the boldest museum robberies in recent decades unfolded in the heart of Paris on the morning of October 19, 2025, when thieves carried out a meticulously planned daylight operation at the Musee du Louvre. Just before 9:30 am, four suspects arrived at the banks of the Seine, parking a van carrying a cherry-picker, a device commonly used in construction work. Two of the men, dressed in builders uniforms, were lifted to the first-floor windows of the Galerie dApollon, one of the most visited and historically significant parts of the Louvre. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Using an angle grinder, they forced open a window and entered the lavish Baroque gallery a room known for its high ceilings, gilded walls, and showcases displaying centuries of royal jewellery. Within minutes, the intruders shattered several display cases and removed some of Frances most valuable royal pieces. Witnesses reported hearing the sound of glass breaking, though the entire operation lasted less than ten minutes. According to the French Ministry of Culture, the stolen collection comprised nine items of immense historical and artistic value. The missing pieces included the Tiara, Necklace, and Earring from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, an Emerald Necklace and Pair of Emerald Earrings from the Marie-Louise set, a Reliquary Brooch, the Tiara of Empress Eugenie, and a Large Bodice Knot Brooch that also belonged to Empress Eugenie. In their hurried escape, the thieves dropped one of the most famous pieces the Crown of Empress Eugenie, wife of Emperor Napoleon III. The crown, adorned with diamond-studded gold eagles and large emeralds, was found slightly damaged on the museum grounds shortly after the heist. Within eight minutes of entering the Louvre, the criminals vanished on two high-powered scooters, heading toward the riverfront. They left behind gloves, two angle grinders, a blow torch, and a walkie-talkie items now under forensic examination. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Theft of the decade The speed, precision, and brazenness of the Louvre robbery shocked the art world. Dutch art detective Arthur Brand, who has been involved in numerous major recovery operations, described it as the theft of the decade. He said the recovery window was rapidly closing. These crown jewels are so famous, you just cannot sell them, Brand told Sky News. A tiara adorned with pearls worn by French Empress Eugenie, which was among the items stolen by thieves during a heist at Paris Louvre Museum on October 19, 2025, on display in this undated still frame from a video. Louvre Museum via Reuters The only thing they can do is melt the silver and gold down, dismantle the diamonds, try to cut them. Thats the way they will probably disappear forever. Brand pointed out that time is crucial. They [the police] have a week. If they catch the thieves, the stuff might still be there. If it takes longer, the loot is probably gone and dismantled. Its a race against time. Similar concerns were voiced by Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds in London, who noted that professional gangs often alter the physical structure of the stolen jewels to avoid recognition. Professional crews often break down and re-cut large, recognisable stones to evade detection, effectively erasing their provenance, he said. Law enforcement teams have been gathering evidence from the Louvres Denon Wing, reviewing hours of CCTV footage, and questioning staff who were present when the museum opened. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The crane used to reach the gallery window is also being inspected to trace its origins. Well-planned smash and grab Forensic investigators and art recovery experts agree that the Louvre heist required weeks, if not months, of planning. Christopher Marinello, a lawyer and founder of Art Recovery International, said the theft bore all the hallmarks of a professional smash and grab. He added that there was little chance the jewels would ever be sold in their current form. There is a small chance some buyers in certain countries would buy the jewels as they are, but thats unlikely, he told France24. A crown worn by French Empress Eugenie, which was targeted by thieves during a heist at Paris Louvre Museum on October 19, 2025 but was dropped during their escape, on display in this undated still frame from a video. Louvre Museum via Reuters Marinello drew attention to the crucial difference between stolen fine art and jewellery. Its not a stolen Picasso, which needs to be kept intact, or its worthless, he explained. Paintings, sculptures, and other forms of visual art depend on their originality for value and cannot easily be altered without destroying their worth. Jewels, however, can be dismantled, melted, and resold as separate commodities gold, silver, diamonds, and emeralds each retaining intrinsic market value. Given the speed and professionalism of the operation, Marinello said it was likely that the gang had already arranged buyers or intermediaries. It isnt hard to fly to Israel, Antwerp or India and simply have them recut, he explained. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Once thats done, theyre instantly unrecognisable. No one would know where they came from, no one would know that they were the crown jewels. He compared the robbery to the 2019 theft at Blenheim Palace in the United Kingdom, when thieves stole a solid gold toilet worth over 4.8 million. As they were leaving the museum they were breaking up the solid gold toilet in pieces. Bits were even found in the car later, Marinello recalled. Although the value of Frances stolen crown jewels lies partly in their craftsmanship and royal history, each item also contains hundreds of gemstones. Experts believe that even after being broken apart, the jewels components particularly diamonds and emeralds could still yield millions on the black market. The unsellable allure of royal treasures Experts in the art trade note that selling stolen royal jewellery is nearly impossible through legitimate channels. Alexandre Giquello, president of Drouot auction house, stated that even dismantling the jewels could prove disastrous for the thieves. Ideally, the perpetrators would realise the gravity of their crime and the dimension theyve entered into, and return the items, since the jewels are completely unsellable, he told ABC News. A jewel-encrusted brooch worn by French Empress Eugenie, which was among the items stolen by thieves during a heist at Paris Louvre Museum on October 19, 2025, on display in this undated still frame from a video. Louvre Museum via Reuters Even beyond selling the items themselves, if they were to dismantle them separating the precious metals, gemstones, pearls everyone involved in the chain of responsibility, including those who recut the pieces and attempt to sell them, would be exposed to very serious penalties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The rarity of such items makes them instantly recognisable. The Galerie dApollon collection, which includes some of the most historically significant jewels from the Napoleonic era, has been photographed, catalogued, and exhibited for years. Any attempt to sell or even display them would raise immediate suspicion among dealers and collectors. The last time a crime of comparable scale shook the Louvre was in 1911, when Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa was stolen by an Italian museum worker. The thief hid the painting under his bed for two years, unaware of the global outrage his act had caused. Experts have drawn parallels between the two incidents, noting how both exposed the vulnerabilities of even the most secure museums. What we know of the black market for jewels Authorities are exploring possible links between the Louvre heist and Eastern European criminal networks known for handling stolen cultural property. Investigators believe such groups may be working on behalf of wealthy private collectors or using high-value objects as collateral in illicit trades, including narcotics and arms deals. Tim Carpenter, head of the Argus Cultural Property Consultancy and former chief of the FBIs Art Crime Division, said that unlike paintings or sculptures, stolen jewellery can be converted quickly into cash or traded for other commodities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Traditional artworks like paintings or prints that are well-known are difficult to monetise and resell in the market, Carpenter told DW. Of course they can melt those materials down, he said, calling it a terrible loss of cultural heritage. However, Carpenter suggested that the Louvre jewels might not yet be destroyed. These are very important pieces and my guess is these criminals will want to keep them together. Theyre very highly identifiable, he said. Art and cultural property theft has long been a lucrative branch of organised crime. According to Interpol, art and artefacts worth more than $6 billion are stolen globally each year with only about 10 per cent ever recovered. Carpenter explained that in parts of Southern and Eastern Europe, art theft has become a specialised industry, with established logistics, smuggling routes, and financial networks supporting these operations. Meanwhile, the FBI estimates that the clandestine trade in stolen art and jewellery is worth billions annually, spanning Dubai, Delhi, New York, Antwerp, and Tel Aviv. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The United States alone records over $1.2 billion in jewellery thefts each year. The growing value of gold and precious stones has made such crimes more frequent across Europe. Why the thieves may not profit Despite the apparent sophistication of the Louvre robbery, experts caution that the thieves are unlikely to earn much from their loot. Because the stolen jewels are so distinctive, their sale in their current form is nearly impossible. On the black market, criminals typically receive less than 10 per cent of an items legitimate market value. Jewellery can be broken into separate materials gold melted down, gems re-cut to avoid detection, but each step involves new risks. Recutting diamonds or emeralds requires expert craftsmanship and cooperation from professionals who may themselves be exposed to prosecution if caught. According to jewellery industry experts, black-market buyers often exploit thieves desperation, offering a fraction of the stones real worth. Yet, in contrast to stolen artworks, which are often listed in databases such as the Art Loss Register, there is no centralised global system for cataloguing missing jewellery. This lack of oversight allows individual stones or melted gold to circulate freely once altered. The stolen crown jewels of France are far more than mere ornaments; they are embodiments of national identity, craftsmanship, and history spanning several royal eras. Their theft represents not just a financial loss, but a symbolic wound to Frances cultural heritage. As investigators continue to pursue leads, the whereabouts of the missing treasures remain unknown. For now, Frances most iconic jewels may already be on their way to being disassembled, re-cut, or melted down, their royal lineage erased in favour of anonymity and profit. Yet, there remains a faint possibility as with the Mona Lisa more than a century ago that they could one day reappear. Also Watch: With inputs from agencies Aqil Akhtar, the 33-year-old son of former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa and ex-minister Razia Sultana, was found dead at his home in Panchkulas upscale Mansa Devi Complex earlier this month. However, the case took a twist as a pre-recorded video by Aqil alleging family abuse and murder conspiracy surfaced. A case has been registered against both Ex-Punjab Minister Razia Sultana and her husband ex-DGP Mohammed Mustafa have been booked for the murder of their 33-year-old son, Aqil Akhtar. Image courtesy: News18 It began as a tragedy, and quickly turned into a scandal that has shaken Punjab. Aqil Akhtar, the 33-year-old son of former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa and ex-minister Razia Sultana, was found dead at his home in Panchkulas upscale Mansa Devi Complex earlier this month. But what first appeared to be a sudden, private loss has now spiralled into a shocking case. Within days of Aqils death, a series of disturbing videos he recorded before his passing surfaced online, videos in which he levelled explosive allegations, including claims of a relationship between his father and his wife. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Those startling claims have since become central to a police investigation that now accuses both his parents of murder. Heres how the case unfolded. What happened? Earlier this month, Aqil was discovered unconscious at his home in Panchkula by his family. He was immediately taken to the Civil Hospital in Sector 6, where doctors declared him brought dead. Police recorded the familys statements and found no initial signs of foul play. The body was released to the family after the post-mortem the next day. While the family claimed that Aqil, who reportedly had schizophrenia, had died from a drug overdose, police said preliminary findings suggested he might have suffered health complications after consuming some medicine. The family then took his body to their native village in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where the last rites were performed. Mohammad Mustafa retired from the Punjab Police in 2021 and later joined the Congress. His wife, Razia Sultana, is also a prominent Congress politician who was elected three times as an MLA from Malerkotla. The case took an unexpected turn after a video recorded by Aqil and statements from a family friend, Shamshudeen Chaudhary, came to light, indicating that he had been struggling with deep emotional distress and feared for his life. Also read: Merchant Navy officer murder: How wife plotted brutal killing for 4 months, tricked lover What did Aqil claim in the video? In a series of videos recorded before his death, Aqil made explosive claims that have now become the centre of the investigation into his death. In one of the videos, Aqil accused his father, Mohammad Mustafa, of having an illicit relationship with his wife. He also alleged that his mother, Razia Sultana, and his sister were involved in a conspiracy to either kill him or falsely implicate him in a criminal case. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I have discovered my wifes affair with my dad. I am in a lot of stress and mental trauma. I dont know what to do. I feel every day that they will frame me in a false case, Aqil said in the video. He went on to allege that his family members were plotting against him. Their plan is to have me falsely imprisoned or to have me killed, he said, claiming that his father knew his wife even before his marriage. The first day, she didnt let me touch her. She did not marry me, she married my father, he said. Aqil Akhtar son of Ex- DGP Mustafa serious allegations on his own family. Astonished to listen to the allegations levelled by Aqil. pic.twitter.com/LAvvy3u6Ng Akashdeep Thind (@thind_akashdeep) October 18, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Aqil further mentioned that his family repeatedly dismissed his concerns by calling him delusional. Whenever I give a valid argument, their narrative changes, he said, adding that he was sent to a rehabilitation centre despite being sober. I was earlier in rehab. I was clean. This confinement was illegal because I was not intoxicated. If I was not mentally stable, I should have been taken to a doctor. But I was not. Expressing helplessness, Aqil said, I am stressed all the time. I dont know what to do. Should I clear my Bar exam and then file for a protection petition? He also alleged that his family had taken away his money and tried to discredit him by claiming he was mad. They threaten me that if I take any step against them, they will get me framed in a rape or a murder case, he said, pleading, Somebody, please help me. Somebody, please save me. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to a Hindustan Times report, Aqil is survived by his wife, a homemaker, and their two children, a seven-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son. Also read: In Haryana, two cops die by suicide, leaving behind notes. The murky case, explained Whats next? Following Aqils complaint and the revelations in his social media posts, the MDC police station registered an FIR against the former DGP, his wife, their daughter, and daughter-in-law in connection with his death. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Srishti Gupta confirmed that the case has been filed under Section 103(1) (murder) and Section 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). To ensure a fair and thorough investigation, a special investigation team (SIT) has been set up under the supervision of an ACP-rank officer. DCP Gupta stated that the SIT will carry out the probe with an open mind and without any prejudice, with the aim of ensuring that no guilty person is spared and no innocent person suffers. With input from agencies A Diwali greeting by Shehbaz Sharif has invited ire. Many on social media slammed the Pakistani leader for being hypocritical, questioning the mistreatment of Hindus in the country. Since its creation, Hindus have been systematically persecuted socially and legally forcing many of them to flee Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs Diwali greeting to the Hindu community has drawn sharp reactions online, with many social media users accusing him of hypocrisy. File image/AFP Its not everyday that a festival wish backfires on a world leader. But thats exactly what happened when Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended greetings to Hindus in Pakistan on the occasion of Diwali, reiterating his commitment to ensure peace in the country. On Monday, on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, world leaders ranging from UKs Keir Starmer to Australias Anthony Albanese extended their greetings for the festival. Even the Pakistani prime minister posted a message on social media extending greetings on Diwali, saying the festival symbolises light over darkness and good over evil. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Sharifs Diwali greeting drew sharp reactions online, with many netizens accusing him of hypocrisy and questioning the treatment of minorities in the country. Heres what happened. Shehbaz Sharifs Diwali celebrations On Monday, Shehbaz Sharif extended greetings to the Hindu community in Pakistan to mark the festival of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. In a message on X, he wrote, On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings to our Hindu community in Pakistan and around the world. As homes and hearts are illuminated with the light of Diwali, may this festival dispel darkness, foster harmony, and guide us all toward a future of peace, compassion, and shared prosperity. On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings to our Hindu community in Pakistan and around the world. As homes and hearts are illuminated with the light of Diwali, may this festival dispel darkness, foster harmony, and guide us all toward a future of Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 20, 2025 Moreover, at a special celebration held at the PMs house, Sharif said the festival carried a beautiful message of happiness, peace and tolerance, and reflected Pakistans commitment to interfaith harmony and inclusion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He also emphasised that Pakistans constitution guarantees full religious freedom to all citizens, adding that the countrys majority has always strongly condemned any injustices committed against minorities. Muslim and non-Muslim Pakistanis stand shoulder to shoulder in defending the country, he said, adding that members of minority communities have rendered valuable services in education, health, and other fields. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif cuts a cake to mark the festival of Diwali. Image Courtesy: @PakPMO/X Sharifs Diwali greeting ripped online However, it seems not everyone was happy with Sharifs Diwali greeting. Soon after he posted the message on the social media platform, many netizens criticised the Pakistani PM, calling him out for being a hypocrite. Aditya Raj Kaul, a journalist with NDTV wrote on X, After killing Hindus in Pahalgam, wishing Hindus on Diwali. Shameless Pakistan. They have systematically killed and converted Hindus, Christian and Sikh community in Pakistan. And Ahmediyas are discriminated and killed every week. Most third class terror country in the world. Popular influencer Rishi Bagree also reacted to Sharifs message, writing: Only 10-12 Hindus are left in Pakistan You could have DM them directly. Another user by the name of @TrueBharat wrote, From Pahalgam to Karachi, Pakistans record speaks louder than its festive tweets, systematic persecution of Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, and Ahmadis. You cant whitewash genocide with Diwali greetings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Is the emphasis on celebrating Diwali truly about fostering unity, or is it just a surface-level gesture in a society still grappling with deep-rooted divides, yet another responded to Sharifs message. You should have called them instead of posting on social media - would have taken you a couple of minutes to call all the Hindus left in Pakistan, was another response by a social media user. Children light sparklers, during Diwali in Karachi. The countrys Hindu population has dwindled to very small numbers as a result of the sustained persecution against them. File image/Reuters The persecution of Hindus in Pakistan The angst against Sharifs Diwali greeting stems from the poor treatment of Hindus in Pakistan and the persecution they face in the country. Of the total 240,458,089 people in Pakistan in 2023, only 3.8 million are Hindus with data revealing that they make up 1.63 per cent of the Pakistani population. But this has not always been the case. In ancient times, Pakistan was home to a thriving population of Hindus dating back to the Indus Valley Civilisation more than 3,000 years ago. Its two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, were located in present-day Pakistans Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively. Post-Partition, the number of Hindus declined from 15 per cent to approximately two per cent. There has been an even greater decline in major cities with historically large Hindu populations. In Lahore, for instance, the Hindu/Sikh community was approximately 40 per cent of the population in 1941. But today, makes up little more than one per cent. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Members of Pakistan Hindu Council hold placards during a protest against a mob attack to a Hindu temple in a remote village in Karak district, in Karachi in 2020. File image/AFP This decline in Hindu numbers in Pakistan is owing to a large number of reasons, the foremost being the sustained legal and social discrimination that they face in the country. On the legal front, only Muslims are eligible for the position of president or prime minister of Pakistan. Moreover, blasphemy laws carry the death sentence and have been used to target non-Muslims in Pakistan. Also, family laws dont exist for non-Muslims. Hence, marriages can not be legally established for purpose of travel, and divorce and property right disputes cant be resolved. There are thousands of Hindu women who are abducted and converted to Islam annually. Hindus and other minorities also routinely face social and economic persecution in Pakistan. Lower-caste Pakistani Hindus are often the victims of bonded labour. Despite it being outlawed in 1992, the practice is still prevalent with the Global Slavery Index estimating in 2020 that over three million Pakistanis live in debt servitude, reported the New York Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Many activists note that landlords trap poor Hindus into such bondage by providing loans that they know can never be repaid. They and their families are then forced to work off the debt. The women are often sexually abused. And the plight of Hindus in Pakistan doesnt end here. Even Hindu temples have been reduced to rubble. Today, Pakistan has less than 300 Hindu temples remaining of which even a smaller number function. Thousands of temples have been destroyed since Partition, with one of the holiest sites of the Hindus, the Hinglaj Mata Mandir been targeted by extremists. In July 2023, even the Mari Mata temple, which is believed to be built nearly 150 years ago, in Karachis Soldier Bazar was razed after it was declared an old and dangerous structure. According to numbers available with the Indian government, there were 241 cases of violence reported against Hindus in Pakistan in 2022, decreasing to 103 in 2023 but slightly increasing to 112 in 2024 (as of October). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thousands of Hindu women are abducted and forced to convert to Islam annually. File image/AP Asim Munirs Hindu remarks It also seems that Sharifs remarks on Hindus isnt in sync with his army chiefs opinions. Days before the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir back in April, the Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir called upon the people of his country to tell their children that they shouldnt forget they are different from Hindus. You have to tell Pakistans story to your children so that they dont forget that our forefathers thought we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life, he said, evoking the two-nation theory. Our religions are different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different. That was the foundation of the two-nation theory that was laid there. We are two nations, we are not one nation, news agency PTI quoted him as saying. With inputs from agencies Japans health ministry has for the first time given the go-ahead for a morning-after pill to be sold over-the-counter (OTC) without a prescription. ASKA Pharmaceutical said it has obtained permission to sell its OTC pill Norlevo and that wider access to the pill will empower Japanese women in the area of reproductive health. But why has Japan made the move now? Japan for the first time has approved what is known as the morning-after pill without a prescription. Japan for the first time has approved what is known as the morning-after pill without a prescription. This means that the medicine will now be sold over-the-counter in the socially conservative nation. While it is set to be made available sometime this year, no firm date has been set yet. But what happened? Why has Japan approved the OTC morning-after pill for the first time? Lets take a closer look. The morning-after pill The pill is a form of emergency contraception. It is designed to prevent unwanted pregnancy in case of unprotected sex. It can be taken by women and girls of reproductive age when typical birth control contraceptives fail such as a condom breaking or forgetting to take birth control pills. It can also be used in case of non-consensual and forced intercourse, for example by survivors of rape. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The pill works by preventing or delaying ovulation in women. It functions best when it is taken immediately after sex although it can be taken from 24 hours to 72 hours after unprotected intercourse hence the term morning-after pill. However, it must be noted that in general, the pills efficacy wanes as time passes and that there is no guarantee that a morning-after pill will prevent pregnancy. While it does prevent pregnancy, it cannot terminate one. Common side effects of the morning-after pill can include: Nausea or vomiting Dizziness or headaches Fatigue Breast tenderness Irregular menstrual bleeding (early or late period) What happened? ASKA Pharmaceutical said it had obtained "manufacturing and marketing approval" to sell Norlevo, its over-the-counter contraceptive, from Japans Health Ministry. ASKA Pharmaceutical said wider access to the pill will empower Japanese women in the area of reproductive health. The pill will be categorised as medicine requiring guidance which means that women must take it while in the presence of a pharmacist. However, there are no age restrictions on who can buy it nor is there any need for parental consent. ASKA had launched its pilot project in 2023 at 145 of Japans pharmacies less than 0.2 per cent of the total pharmacies across the country. The pill was being sold at between $47 (Rs 4,136) and $60 (Rs 5,280) during the trial. Though the morning-after pill is widely available across the world, Japan has long restricted its use to those that have a prescription. ASKA had applied for approval from the health ministry for over-the-counter sale without a prescription in June 2024. The ministry panel gave ASKA the go-ahead to do so in August. Norlevo and its generic version, levonorgestrel, work best within 72 hours of unprotected sex. It has an 80 per cent efficacy rate. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A source has said that the pill could become available as early as this fiscal year. The morning-after pills in Japan usually cost between $47 (Rs 4,136) and $100 (Rs 8,800) depending on the clinic and the brand of pill prescribed. The pill is not covered by health insurance so the full cost must be paid out of pocket. Why has Japan approved pill for the first time? Though the morning-after pill is widely available across the world, including many Western societies, Japan has been a traditional and socially conservative nation when it comes to gender norms and the role of women. Japan had long restricted the use of the morning-after pill to those who take a doctors appointment and have a prescription necessitating a visit to a gynaecology clinic or hospital. Womens rights groups had complained that this is a disservice to women and survivors of rape. Japans Health Ministry had first discussed selling the drug without prescription all the way back in 2017. A poll also found this potential move was supported by much of the public. However, officials said doing so would encourage the irresponsible use of the product which again plays into the patriarchal and conservative attitudes towards womens bodies and their sexuality. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The World Health Organisation on its website says emergency contraception should be routinely included within all national family planning programmes. With input from agencies Google Cloud has strengthened its executive team by bringing on board of Karthik Narain as its new Chief Product and Business Officer. Narain, who previously served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the consulting giant Accenture, will be driving the companys growth and strategic direction in the highly competitive artificial intelligence (AI) and corporate cloud market. The appointment was welcomed by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who said Narain will be a key leader working directly with Google Clouds customers as they use AI to transform their businesses. Pichai is optimistic that Narains leadership will accelerate the strong growth the company is already experiencing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Im excited that Karthik Narain is joining Google Cloud as its Chief Product and Business Officer, a key leader on Thomas Kurians exceptional team. Karthik will partner closely with our Cloud customers as they transform their businesses with AI. In his new role, Karthik will help accelerate the strong growth we are already seeing in Google Cloud. Just over a week ago, we announced Gemini Enterprise, which has had a really positive response. Much more to come; welcome Karthik! Pichai wrote on Linkedin. Narains new responsibilities are broad, covering product and engineering teams across key areas like cloud, data, developer tools, and Applied AI. He will also be in charge of the companys go-to-market strategythe way Google sells its productsand will work with the Google Public Sector division. Narain brings over 25 years of experience in the technology consulting industry to his new role. Before his tenure as CTO at Accenture, he also held high-level positions at other global tech companies like HCLTech. Expressing his excitement about the opportunity, Narain stated that he is ready to combine his deep knowledge of enterprise systems and business processes with Googles world-class core technologies and cutting-edge AI innovations. He views the role as an incredible opportunity to unlock significant value for Google Clouds wide network of customers and partners. While the Trump peace plan for Gaza enabled a ceasefire and hostage exchange, many of the most difficult and long-term issues had been deferred to later negotiations. Representational image: Reuters The fragile peace in Gaza is seriously imperilled due to the latest developments. On October 19, 2025, Israels military conducted airstrikes in Gaza after accusing Hamas of firing at Israeli forces operating in the Rafah area. An Israeli military official claimed that Hamas used an anti-tank missile and sniper fire against Israeli troops. In response, Israel stated it would take strong action against ceasefire violations and began a wave of strikes against terrorist infrastructure in Rafah. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hamas denied the accusations made by Israel. It alleged that it was Israeli actions that were disrupting the ceasefire. The Gaza Civil Defence agency stated that Israeli strikes in Rafah and Beit Lahia have killed and injured several Palestinians. These recent events indicate that the Gaza ceasefire, which began in mid-October 2025, is under significant strain and potentially collapsing. They mark the most serious violations since the truce began. Not surprisingly, both sides have accused each other of violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The Trump peace plan for Gaza, mediated by the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, has three phases. The First Phase relates to immediate ceasefire and humanitarian actions, the Second Phase to demilitarisation and security, and the Third and final Phase to governance and reconstruction. While the First Phase was implemented and a ceasefire was in place, significant and more challenging issues remained unresolved, and progress on the subsequent phases was uncertain. Thus, the recent violations of the ceasefire seriously damage the prospects for peace in Gaza. The achievements in Phase One were quite important as long as a ceasefire remained in effect. Any pause in hostilities is undeniably a good thing. The ceasefire began on October 10, 2025, following the agreements approval by the Israeli cabinet. Hamas released the remaining 20 live Israeli hostages on October 13, and Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Humanitarian aid began flowing into Gaza, though it was considered insufficient to meet the vast needs of the population. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had withdrawn to agreed-upon lines, pulling back from populated areas like Gaza City and Khan Younis. These were positive developments. However, Israel and Hamas continued to have fundamental disagreements, as the ceasefire violations show, and the agreements fragility was evident in several key areas. A major sticking point that emerged was the return of the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages. Trumps plan stated that within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned. Hamas failed to return all 28 bodies within the 72-hour timeline required by the deal. The remains of many hostages are still unaccounted for. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israel accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the return of these remains. However, Hamas stated that returning all the bodies is difficult and time-consuming, as some are buried in tunnels destroyed by Israeli forces or under the rubble of bombed buildings. It requested specialised equipment to assist in locating and retrieving the bodies but accused Israel of blocking its entry into Gaza. Hamas also asserted that some remains are in areas now controlled by Israeli troops. Hamas reportedly assured the U.S., through mediators, that it is working to return the bodies. The slow pace provoked anger in Israel and resulted in the reduction of aid flow. Israel restricted aid deliveries into Gaza, citing Hamass failure to return all deceased hostage remains. Reports indicate that far fewer than the 600 trucks per day stipulated in the agreement were allowed in, and the humanitarian crisis was worsening as winter approaches. Israel cited delays in the recovery of hostage remains as a reason for reducing the flow to about 300 trucks daily. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The U.S.-brokered peace plan requires Hamas to disarm and cede governance of Gaza to a technocratic committee. However, Hamas has resisted this, despite facing intense pressure to comply. Some reports suggest Hamas might consider handing over heavy weapons, like rockets, to a Palestinian or Arab entity, but it insists on keeping light arms for self-defence. This falls short of the full disarmament demanded by the U.S. and Israel. There are indications Hamas would likely only agree to give up weapons in exchange for significant political concessions, such as the full establishment of a Palestinian state after an Israeli withdrawal. The comprehensive Gaza peace deal lacks a specific timeline for full Israeli withdrawal. Phase One of the agreement required Israel to withdraw its forces to a predetermined yellow line, leaving it in control of roughly 53 per cent of the Gaza Strip. This withdrawal was completed in mid-October 2025. Future withdrawals, which would eventually reduce Israels military presence, are dependent on specific conditions being met. These include the disarmament of Hamas, the establishment of an international stabilisation force, and the formation of a new governance structure for Gaza. This lack of a clear schedule and the conditional nature of the subsequent phases are major sticking points in the agreement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD An International Stabilisation Force (ISF) is planned to provide internal security in Gaza. The force is a key part of the U.S.-brokered peace plan. U.S. defence officials have named Azerbaijan and Pakistan as leading contenders to supply troops. Indonesia has publicly offered to send 20,000 or more troops under a United Nations mandate. Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey are discussing troop contributions, with some already participating in coordination or recovery efforts. The Italian government has also publicly stated its willingness to take part. There are also major economic challenges ahead. Rebuilding Gaza after widespread destruction will require a massive international financial commitment, estimated by the UN at over $70 billion. This commitment relies on a stable security and governance environment and will require decades of international aid. A UN report in 2024 projected it would take Gaza 350 years to restore its economy to 2022 levels. The Third Phase of the agreement mentions a pathway toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood but offers few specific details. Netanyahu has explicitly and repeatedly rejected the idea of a Palestinian state, a position he has hardened in recent years. Clearly, there are challenges relating to post-war governance. The long-term political control of Gaza remains highly contested, as both sides have rejected key elements of the U.S.-led plan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The peace plan envisions Hamas having no role in Gazas future governance, a condition Hamas has rejected. The plan also includes a future role for the Palestinian Authority (PA), but only after it undergoes a sweeping reform program, and it does not provide a clear timeline for this. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed opposition to the PAs involvement. In sum, while the Trump peace plan for Gaza enabled a ceasefire and hostage exchange, many of the most difficult and long-term issues had been deferred to later negotiations. The violations of the ceasefire further imperil the agreement. The pause in hostilities was undeniably a good thing, as it offered crucial relief to civilians. It also allowed desperately needed aidfood, water, and medicineto enter Gaza and reach the civilian population. However, fear and panic are again reportedly dominating the scene among people in Gaza after Israels military launched more than 20 airstrikes. Hopefully, diplomatic efforts and negotiations will prevent further ceasefire violations and achieve a longer-term settlement, though it appears to be a daunting challenge. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The writer is a retired Indian diplomat and had previously served as Ambassador in Kuwait and Morocco and as Consul General in New York. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. The departure of Justin Trudeau as Canadian prime minister and the return of Donald Trump as US president prompted Canada to accelerate its search for allies in Europe and Asiamaking a renewed focus on ties with India both strategic and inevitable India and Canada, both successful democracies, are quite far apart in terms of population and wealth: India, with its 1.4 billion people and a GDP of $4.18 trillion, contrasts with Canadas total population of 41 million and a GDP of $2.25 trillion. One is the fourth-largest economy, growing faster than any other large economy, whereas the other is an advanced G7 economy. Yet, the two nations developed and nurtured close relations covering multiple domains. In this task, they were partly assisted by the fact that the Indian community, comprising both Indo-Canadians and NRIs, now accounts for nearly 7 per cent of Canadas population. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, this relationship experienced a crisis starting in September 2023, and it was only in October 2025, two years later, that a structured and consciously crafted reset of the bilateral relationship was put in place. Where is this relationship heading now? A Rear-Mirror View Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Canada in April 2015, which took him to three cities Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver is still remembered as a sincere effort to deepen bilateral cooperation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus state visit to India in February 2018 produced six agreements, but sharp differences between the two governments on the question of counter-terrorism and activities of Sikh separatists in Canada left a bad taste in the mouth of Indian hosts. From then onwards, things happened, climaxing in Trudeaus statement in the House of Commons in September 2023, which was delivered immediately after his return from participating in the G20 summit in New Delhi. He stated that Canada was looking at credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani leader. In a sharp reaction, Indias Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected the PMs statement and a subsequent one made by the foreign minister as absurd and motivated. The inaction of the Canadian government over the activities of the separatists has been a matter of long-standing and continuing concern, it stressed. From that point, the relationship quickly headed downhill. It resulted in the withdrawal of the two high commissioners and other senior diplomats in October 2024. The chill lasted for several months. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How then was this relationship salvaged? Canadian voters played a crucial role. Sensing changing political winds, Trudeau announced his decision to opt out before the April elections. People retained the Liberal Party and endorsed its choice of Mark Carney as the new prime minister, who holds a positive and forward-looking perspective on India. A side effect of the elections was the decimation of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the defeat of its leader, which demonstrated that this party had lost the support of its constituency. Another factor was the dramatic geopolitical shift brought by Donald Trump as the 47th president and his initial campaign to make Canada the 51st state of the US. This led to the change in Canadian leadership. It also compelled Canada to accelerate its quest for friends and allies in Europe and Asia. Hence, a fresh look at ties with India became inevitable. The Road to Reset The mission to secure rapprochement between India and Canada went through three phases. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One, the prime ministers played a significant role. The new Canadian prime minister, with his solid reputation as a former central banker for Canada and the UK, is known to be fully aware of Indias expanding global profile and law-abiding approach. Knowing his credentials and views, the Indian side lost little time. PM Modi sent a warm congratulatory message to Carney, highlighting that democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties unite the two nations. He assured his new counterpart of full cooperation in strengthening our partnership and unblocking greater opportunities for the two people. Carney took the wise initiative to extend an invitation to Modi to participate in the G7 summit at Kananaskis in June 2025. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit and agreed to work closely to add momentum to India-Canada friendship. This, coupled with the appointment of Anita Anand as the new foreign minister, was enough to send a clear signal to the Canadian establishment that they now needed to rework their India brief. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Second, a two-track approach was adopted at the official level. The cluster of issues relating to terrorism, separatism, and law enforcement was taken up by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his counterpart Nathalie G Drouin during her visit to New Delhi in September. This was a part of the regular security dialogue between the two governments. Essentially, the two agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement. As for the second track, senior officials led by MEA Secretary P Kumaran and his counterpart, Deputy Minister David Morrison, covered the entire gamut of relations to prepare the ground for a comprehensive dialogue at the foreign ministers level. Three, during Anita Anands visit to India from October 12 to 14, detailed interactions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took place, and a call with PM Modi was arranged. This visit was deemed productive by both parties. The tangible outcome was the joint statement of October 13. Its recognition that amidst global economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions, a strong and resilient India-Canada relationship is essential is imbued with much significance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The document notes that the two nations have a trade relationship worth over $23 billion. An agreement was reached on an early start to the ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment, as well as the resumption of dialogue through the CEO Forum. Likewise, discussions on the environment, climate action, energy, education, sustainable technology, critical minerals, nuclear, and science and technology cooperation, as well as sustainable supply chains, would be arranged. Another decision was to strengthen the institutional capacity of the two High Commissions and their consulates. It is an ambitious roadmap. Minister Anand stressed its significance by pointing out, There has not been a joint statement in recent memory, dating well before the pandemic, between Canada and India. Prospects Wisely, the relationship has taken a positive path. It is now time for implementation and delivery. Heavy responsibility rests on the shoulders of the two foreign ministers who would shepherd the process of rebuilding our cooperation, matching the expectations of the two PMs and the interests of our people, as Minister Jaishankar stated. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Officials are factoring in the possibility of brief meetings between PM Modi and PM Carney during the Asean-related summits in Kuala Lumpur in October and the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November. The top leaders keeping an eye on the sensitive issues and the tempo of execution will no doubt be helpful. The next important milestones could be a visit to India by the Canadian prime minister to participate in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) summit in New Delhi in February 2026, as well as a full-fledged visit by PM Modi to Canada next year. That is when concrete outcomes of the reset may become visible. Rajiv Bhatia is a Distinguished Fellow at Gateway House, with extensive diplomatic experience in regional and global groupings, and the author of three books on Indian foreign policy. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The paradox of Donald Trumps Indo-Pacific diplomacy is that his presence is unpredictable, his absence consequential, and his impact uncertain India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks as Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of their meeting of the Indo-Pacific Quad at the State Department in Washington, DC., US. File image/Reuters Each year, as October and November arrive, the Indo-Pacific enters its season of summitry. The sequence begins with the East Asia Summit (EAS), the key forum bringing together regional and global powers under Aseans leadership, followed by the APEC Summit and the G20 Summit. This period becomes a diplomatic high point for the region, as it shapes both multilateral cooperation and the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific. In 2025, two of these summits, the EAS and APEC, will be held within the Indo-Pacific. Malaysia is the Asean and EAS host, while South Korea will host APEC. Both await the participation of US President Donald Trump, whose presence, while potentially reinvigorating American engagement, also carries the risk of disruption. The Trump administrations uncertain approach to foreign policy has left hosts cautiously optimistic yet wary about how his attendance might shape the proceedings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Malaysias High-Stakes Diplomacy Malaysia will host the Asean Summit, the AseanUS Summit, and the East Asia Summit on October 2627 in Kuala Lumpur. As Asean Chair, it hopes to project the organisations continued centrality amid major-power rivalry. The Malaysian leadership views Trumps participation as a potential diplomatic success and a signal of renewed US attention to Southeast Asia. However, for Washington, the main event may not be the EAS itself. The US has shown greater interest in attending a peace agreement signing between Cambodia and Thailand, a process Malaysia has helped mediate. The US wants to associate Trump with this deal to project him as a regional peacemaker, with the ceremony expected to be witnessed by Trump, the Malaysian Prime Minister, and the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand. For the US, this symbolic photo opportunity may become the high point of the visit. Reports indicate that Trumps stay in Kuala Lumpur will likely be brief, about a day, before he flies to Japan on October 27. If that happens, Malaysia may have to reschedule the EAS to the 26th to ensure Trumps presence; otherwise, the US could be represented by an official. This pattern is consistent with Trumps earlier record. During his first term, he skipped several EAS meetingsLaos (2016), Singapore (2018), and Thailand (2019)and, even when he attended the Philippines summit in 2017, he left before the EAS plenary. The US thus risks repeating a cycle of inconsistent engagement with Aseans premier forum. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Japans Political Transition and Scheduling Challenges Trumps next stop. Japan will be the longest leg of his regional tour, scheduled from October 27 to 30. The timing, however, coincides with a leadership transition in Tokyo. Trump reportedly prefers to meet a new leader rather than a caretaker. Meanwhile, Sanae Takaichi has won a historic vote to become Japans first female prime minister. Ideally, the new prime minister would assume office by October 22, possibly attending the Asean and EAS summits to debut on the regional stage. But if the EAS remains on the 27th, the new Japanese leader may skip Kuala Lumpur to be in Tokyo for Trumps visit. Such a scenario would further lower the level of participation at the EAS, already diminished by the likely absence of the US President. China, Russia, and the Absent Powers While the US and Japan juggle their calendars, China and Russia follow predictable patterns. Beijing traditionally sends its premier to the EAS and reserves President Xi Jinpings participation for APEC. Thus, Li Qiang is expected in Kuala Lumpur, while Xi will attend APEC in South Korea. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Russia, likewise, is unlikely to send President Vladimir Putin. In 2024 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov represented him, and this may continue. The result: an EAS without Trump, and possibly without Japans new prime minister, will fall short of balanced great-power participation, diminishing Aseans hopes for a fully representative dialogue. The XiTrump Variable at APEC The APEC Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 31 to November 1, is now being viewed through the lens of a potential TrumpXi meeting. Seoul, hosting both leaders, hopes to use this opportunity to demonstrate its diplomatic relevance. For Trump, securing a meeting with Xi could be the defining goal of his Asia trip. Yet doubts remain. Early reports suggest Trump may only attend the APEC Business Forum, hold a few bilateral meetings, and then depart before the formal summit begins. This mirrors his previous approachprioritising optics over multilateral engagementand could again raise questions about US reliability as a long-term Indo-Pacific partner. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Indo-Pacifics Diplomatic Dilemma This years summit calendar highlights the contradictions of US engagement under Trump. On one hand, his visit signals renewed attention to the Indo-Pacific after years of perceived neglect. On the other hand, the US approach, marked by shifting schedules and bilateral preferences, undermines the plurilateral spirit that Asean, APEC, and other regional institutions seek to preserve. For Malaysia and South Korea, this poses an organisational challenge: how to accommodate the demands of a mercurial US President while ensuring that summit agendas on trade, digital cooperation, sustainability, and regional stability remain on track. Does the Indo-Pacific truly benefit from such episodic US attention? Many regional observers would rather see consistent participation by the Secretary of State or Vice President than an unpredictable presidential cameo. Indeed, in recent years, the US was represented by Vice President Kamala Harris (2023) and the Secretary of State (2024) at the EASboth ensuring steady, if quieter, engagement. In fact, Biden only attended the EAS in 2022. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Still, the symbolism of a presidential visit carries weight. Given that the next G20 Summit in South Africa may not see Trumps attendance, despite the US assuming the G20 presidency afterward, the Indo-Pacific could be the only region to receive direct presidential attention this year. That, ultimately, is the paradox of Trumps Indo-Pacific diplomacy: his presence is unpredictable, his absence consequential, and his impact uncertain. The writer is a former ambassador to Germany, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Asean, and the African Union, and the author of The Mango Flavour: India & Asean After 10 Years of the AEP. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost. Fireworks along the banks of the Saryu River in Ayodhya as part of the grand Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya on Sunday. ANI You begin to liquidate a people by taking away its memory. You destroy its books, its culture, its history. And then others write other books for it, give another culture to it, invent another history for it. Then the people slowly begin to forget what it is and what it was. The world at large forgets it still faster. Milan Kundera, in The Book of Laughter and Forgetting We are living in an era of great Hindu awakening. After centuries of civilisational amnesia imposed through colonisation, political manipulation, and intellectual distortion, Hindus are rediscovering who they are. There is a growing self-awareness and self-esteema recognition that Sanatana Dharma is not a relic of the past but a living, breathing continuum that is as ancient as it is modern, as sacred as it is rational, and as religious as it is scientific. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yet, as this consciousness rises, so too does a more sophisticated form of opposition. Gone are the crude, overt attacks on Hinduism. The new offensive is subtler: it praises the tradition outwardly while hollowing it out from within. The sacred is stripped away, leaving behind only a cultural shellsanitised, commercialised, and secularised. Diwali is a classic example. Once a deeply spiritual celebration grounded in profound human and moral values, Diwali is now often reduced to a vague festival of lights symbolising the victory of good over evil and light over darkness but stripped of its rich Hindu context. While these phrases arent inherently wrong, divorced from their sacred roots they detach Diwali from the core religio-cultural traditions that give it true meaning: the joyous return of Sri Rama to Ayodhya, Krishnas slaying of Narakasura, and Goddess Kalis triumph over demonic forces. Imagine if Christmas were explained merely as a festival of love conquering hate, with all references to Jesus erased. Thats what has happened to Diwali. No gods, no demons, no religion, no storyjust a feel-good celebration. At this rate, even light might soon be declared polluting. Recall how a Samajwadi Party leader recently questioned the rationale of spending on diyas, drawing parallels with Christmas celebrations abroad, and suggested Bharat should emulate them. One day, someone may well ask why Diwali is even needed when Christmas is just a month away. Why not club the two togetherto save money for a poor country like Bharat? And this secularisationor should one say desacralisation?is not accidental. Each Hindu festival now faces its own civilising campaign. Before Diwali, one is compulsively reminded to save the environment; before Holi, the campaign gains ground to conserve water; before Raksha Bandhan, gender rights come to the fore; and before Shivratri, one witnesses an online movement to stop wasting milk. Under the guise of modern-day morality and sensibility, the sacred fabric of these festivals is systematically targeted and assaulted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Environmental consciousness and social justice are causes worth emulating, but their selective invocation only against Hindu festivals betrays their dubious, anti-Hindu intent. The problem with the Festival of Lights narrative is that it seeks to secularise Diwali by divorcing it from its sacred roots. It distorts the Indic notion of festivityone that embraces diversity while being bound by a shared civilisational core. Diwali in the North celebrates Ramas homecoming; in the South, Krishnas victory over Narakasura; and in Bengal, Kalis triumph over demons. In Tamil homes, Diwali morning begins with an oil bath, invoking the presence of Goddess Lakshmi and the sacred waters of the Ganga. Ganga snanam aacha? (Have you had your holy dip in the River Ganga?): This is a customary greeting exchanged on Diwali, referring to the ceremonial oil bath. Invoking Ganga manifests a strong sense of civilisational unity in the Sanatana Dharma. Such assaults arent just limited to the popular/cultural arena; they run deeper into academia as well. Sheldon Pollock, a prominent American Indologist, for instance, has interpreted Sanskrit texts and traditions as a tool of oppression and elitism. In his book The Battle for Sanskrit, Rajiv Malhotra exposes how Pollock has worked tirelessly to strip Sanskrit of its sacred identity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The American Indologist, for instance, has accused Sanskrit of Brahmin elitism, besides influencing British colonialism and German Nazism. Pollock describes Sanskrit as at once a record of civilisation and a record of barbarismof extraordinary inequality and other social poisons. His discomfort with Sanskrits Sanatana roots is such that he interprets the Ramayana as a political code through which proto-communalist relations could be activated and theocratic legitimations rendered. He alleges that the Ramayanas portrayal of Ravan and the Rakshasas as others forms the ideological foundation for later-day hatred for Muslims. In his view, the sacred Hindu epic itself has been instrumental in legitimising violence against Muslims. Pollocks dangerous assertions arent mere academic theories. They are ideological weapons designed to delegitimise Hindu civilisation by attacking its moral and spiritual core. When sacred stories are desacralised, the culture they sustain begins to erode. Once memory fades, replacement histories can be written. That is how a civilisation is colonisedthis time, not by armies, but by narratives. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The battle, therefore, is not about fireworks or ritualsits about their sacred, innate meaning. Its about whether Hindus will continue to define their festivals, their texts, and their traditions, or whether others will define them for them. As Kundera warned, when people lose their memory, they lose themselves. The modern sanitisation of Hindu festivals, the intellectual deconstruction of its sacred texts, and the cultural detachment from its civilisational roots are all parts of the same processa slow liquidation of Bharats civilisational identity. Diwali is merely the battleground; the real target is Sanatana Dharma. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost. Sean Duffy, Nasas acting chief, has said that SpaceX, which has a $2.9 billion contract to provide the lunar lander, is thwarting Washingtons efforts to take humans to the moon before China beats it Nasa may sever its deal with SpaceX to take astronauts to the moon as Elon Musk-owned company keeps delaying missions amid Americas space race with China. Sean Duffy, Nasas acting chief, has said that SpaceX, which has a $2.9 billion contract to provide the lunar lander, is thwarting Washingtons efforts to take humans to the moon before China beats it. They push their timelines out, and were in a race against China. So, Im going to open up the contract. Im going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX," Duffy told CNBC. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A decision by NASA to modify or terminate its contract with SpaceX would mark a major shift from the course the agency set in 2021. That year, NASA selected SpaceXs Starship, still in the early stages of development and, as of 2025, having experienced three failed flights and a few successful suborbital tests, to act as the lunar lander for the landmark Artemis III mission to the Moon. Duffys comments follow months of mounting pressure within NASA to speed up its Artemis lunar program and push SpaceX to make greater progress on its Starship lunar lander, while China progresses toward its own goal of sending humans to the moon by 2030. They do remarkable things, but theyre behind schedule, Duffy said of SpaceXs lunar lander work, adding President Donald Trump wants to see the mission take place before his White House term ends in January 2029. While Musk has not officially spoken on the matter, he commented on an X users post, saying, SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry. Moreover, Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words. Currently, Nasa has signed up Amazons Blue Origin to develop another lander called Blue Moon, apart from SpaceX. The company had protested Nasas initial decision to only pick SpaceX in 2021 and fought for years to convince the agency and lawmakers to select another proposal as a redundancy. With inputs from agencies STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hassabis said that on the one hand Googles Gemini models equipped with DeepThink is capable to win gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad, it still makes simple mistakes in high school maths on the other Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has flagged that while artificial intelligence can solve complex mathematical problems, it still fails at finding a solution to elementary school questions, suggesting that the technology is inconsistent with its problem-solving skill. Speaking at the Google for Developers podcast, Hassabis said, It shouldnt be that easy for the average person to just find a trivial flaw in the system, adding that on the one hand Googles Gemini models equipped with DeepThink is capable to win gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad, it still makes simple mistakes in high school maths. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Whats jagged intelligence? Hassabis characterised todays AI as possessing uneven or jagged intelligences, remarkably strong in some areas yet surprisingly weak in others. His description aligns with Google CEO Sundar Pichais recently introduced term AJI (artificial jagged intelligence), used to describe systems with inconsistent capabilities. The DeepMind CEO stressed that improving AIs capability in a way to make it less inconsistent requires more than just scaling up data and computing power. Some missing capabilities in reasoning and planning in memory still need to be cracked, he said. Although Hassabis predicted in April that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could emerge in the next five to 10 years, he admits that major challenges still stand in the way. His concerns mirror those of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who, following the launch of GPT-5, acknowledged that the model lacks continuous learning, something he views as crucial for achieving true AGI. The warnings highlight a growing acknowledgment among AI leaders that issues like hallucinations, misinformation, and simple mistakes must be resolved before machines can reach human-level reasoning, a reminder akin to how social media platforms initially failed to foresee the large-scale impact of their technologies. Taliban fighters holding up the trousers and rifles allegedly left behind by Pakistani troops amid the clashes on Wednesday. Image Courtesy: @DaudJunbish/X Afghanistans Defence Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has dismissed Pakistans unjust accusations linking India to recent clashes between Kabul and Islamabad, calling them unfounded, illogical, and unacceptable. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mujahid said Kabul conducts its foreign policy independently and will continue to strengthen relations with India based on national interests. These accusations are groundless. Our policy will never involve using our territory against other countries. We maintain relations with India as an independent nation and will strengthen those ties within the framework of our national interests, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Afghanistans ties with Pakistan, Mujahid said Kabul seeks relations built on mutual respect, trade, and good neighbourliness. Afghanistan and Pakistan are neighbouring countries. Tensions between them serve no one. Their relationship should be founded on mutual respect and good neighbourly principles, he added. Referring to the Doha agreement, Mujahid said a meeting in Turkey would focus on its implementation and monitoring, warning that any non-compliance by Pakistan could create issues. He urged mediating nations like Turkiye and Qatar to ensure the pacts adherence. He reiterated that Afghanistans policy is not to support armed groups against any country, including Pakistan, but stressed that Afghans would bravely defend their homeland if attacked. Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad have escalated since the Talibans return to power, with recent border clashes leaving dozens dead. Pakistan has accused the Taliban of sheltering the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out a series of deadly attacks on its security forcesallegations firmly rejected by Kabul. Pakistan itself has long been accused of harbouring and supporting terrorist groups as a tool of state policy. Organisations such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba have received backing and safe havens within its territory. In October alone, over 100 Pakistani security personnel were reportedly killed in attacks that Islamabad claims were launched from Afghan soil. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In what Kabul called an unjust move, Pakistan has shifted the blame for its internal security failures onto Afghan migrants, deporting large numbers while accusing them of involvement in crime and unrest. Islamabad has also alleged Indian support for the TTPclaims New Delhi has rejected, saying Pakistan routinely blames its neighbours for its internal problems. US President Donald Trump warned that Hamas would be eradicated if it violated the Gaza truce with Israel, amid renewed violations threatening the fragile ceasefire Trump brokered the Gaza deal two weeks ago, but it remains under threat as Israel accuses Hamas of delaying hostage returns and launching attacks. (File image/AP ) US President Donald Trump Monday warned Hamas that it would be eradicated if it breaches the Gaza truce with Israel but the group would be given a chance to honour the agreement. Trumps remarks came as violence over the weekend threatened the fragile ceasefire he helped broker nearly two weeks ago. Speaking at the White House alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trump said, We made a deal with Hamas that theyre going to be very good, theyre going to behave, theyre going to be nice. And if theyre not, were going to go and eradicate them, if we have to. Theyll be eradicated, and they know that. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ceasefire under strain as US officials visit Israel Vice President JD Vance travelled to Israel shortly after Trumps comments, joining two senior US envoys as concerns rose that the truce could collapse. Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss regional developments, according to Netanyahus office. The Gaza deal, proposed by Trumps administration, has faced repeated violations as Israel accuses Hamas of delaying the return of hostages remains and continuing attacks. Trump has also warned the group against public executions of rivals and alleged collaborators as it seeks to restore control over the war-torn territory. The President made clear that American forces would not engage directly against Hamas, noting that dozens of nations had agreed to join an international stabilisation force for Gaza. In addition, you have Israel would go in in two minutes, if I asked them to go in, he said. But right now, we havent said that. Were going to give it a little chance, and hopefully there will be a little less violence. Trump described Hamas as weaker than before, citing diminished regional support. They dont have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if theyre not good, theyll be eradicated, he stated. Vance and his wife Usha departed Washington later on Monday for Israel. They are expected to arrive in Israel for a multi-day visit and will also meet with the prime minister, Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for the prime ministers office, said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, met top US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Brazils state oil firm Petrobras has been granted permission to begin exploratory drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River, raising environmental concerns ahead of the COP30 climate summit. President Lula has defended the move on economic grounds. Brazils state oil company Petrobras has received approval to begin exploratory drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River, raising environmental concerns as the country prepares to host the COP30 climate summit. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has faced criticism from conservationists, who say his oil expansion plans contradict his image as a global climate leader. The drilling, set to start immediately, will last five months and take place in a block off Amapa, around 500 km (311 miles) from the Amazons mouth on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Petrobras said it complied with all environmental licensing requirements set by Ibama and aims to assess the potential for economically viable oil and gas in the area. We hope to obtain excellent results from this research and prove the existence of oil in the Brazilian portion of this new global energy frontier, said Petrobras president Magda Chambriard. While no commercial production is planned at this stage, environmental groups, including Greenpeace, warned of risks to the Amazon ecosystem, home to about 10% of the worlds known species, and said it could weaken Brazils climate credibility ahead of the UN summit in Belem next month. The International Energy Agency has also urged that no new oil projects be approved if global net-zero targets for 2050 are to be met. Brazils environment minister, Marina Silva, opposes drilling in the Amazon, but President Lula has defended it on economic grounds. Speaking to the BBC in September, he said: Brazil is a country that has oil Were following the law strictly. If theres a problem, we will be responsible for addressing it. He added that while he supports a future without fossil fuels, the world is not ready for a full transition yet. Other international oil firms, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, have purchased exploration blocks in the region and are awaiting permits. Petrobras said it remains committed to ensuring energy security and a just energy transition, with robust environmental protection measures in place during drilling. Googles Chelsea office in New York temporarily closes after a bed bug discovery. Employees were advised to work from home as exterminators tackle the infestation. Google employees working at the Chelsea campus in New York experienced never before fear. In an unexpected twist, the tech giant Google was hit by bed bug infestation urging employees to work from home temporarily. An internal email on October 19-20, 2025 was received by the staff about the unusual challenge that found evidence of exterminators inside the office premises as obtained by WIRED. The office was closed on Sunday for further efforts of pest control to tackle the problem promptly. Google is also performing inspections at other New York locations. The Hudson Square campus was also investigated to stop the infestation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Employees were advised to get a check-up and follow precautionary measures linked to bed bug exposure. According to the sources it was suggested that some large stuffed animals in Googles New York office played a role in harbouring the bed bugs, although this was not an official statement by the company. More from World India speeds up rupees global push for with free-trade partners as RBI mulls reference rates Bed Bugs are parasitic insects from the genus Cimex, which are micro predators that feed on blood. These are small pests that can cause disruption in a high-tech environment. For New Yorkers this is not the first time, this incident serves as a reminder when in 2010 the same tech company experienced a similar outbreak causing wide infestation. The bug situation still persists in Google whether it is the actual technical bug or bed bugs only thing that can halt the working remains the same. Two senior Conservative MPs who allege they were targeted by two Chinese spies have requested Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to block Beijings plans for a mega embassy in London and protect the UKs national security Two senior Conservative MPs who allege they were targeted by two Chinese spies have requested Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to block Beijings plans for a mega embassy in London and protect the UKs national security. According to a Financial Times report, Alicia Kearns and Tom Tugendhat have called on Starmer to move China into the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme and to impose sanctions on the Chinese officials allegedly involved in espionage activity within Parliament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The prime minister is facing mounting pressure to explain why the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped espionage charges last month against Christopher Cash, a parliamentary researcher and director of the China Research Group, and Christopher Berry, who had worked in China. Both men denied any wrongdoing and have since been formally acquitted. According to the report, the CPS said it was forced to abandon the case after the government declined to submit evidence demonstrating that China posed a threat to UK national security. Starmer has expressed frustration over the collapse of the prosecution and denied that his government interfered. However, critics have accused his administration of prioritising trade relations with China over national security concerns, added the report. Failing to prosecute two men charged with spying for China demonstrates worrying levels of complacency, Financial Times quoted Kearns and Tugendhat as saying in their letter to Starmer on Sunday. Youve repeatedly stated your disappointment that this prosecution did not proceed. You now have the opportunity to do whats necessary to protect this country, they added. The call from Kearns and Tugendhat, shadow national security minister and a former security minister respectively, comes at a tense moment in UK-China relations. While the government seeks Chinese investment to boost the economy, it also faces growing criticism for appearing soft on Beijing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ministers last week postponed a decision on Chinas application to build what would be Europes largest embassy, just outside the City of London. The proposals have sparked fears that the new embassy could be a surveillance threat, with Beijing redacting part of the plans for the site. China later warned of consequences for the UK for again delaying the decision on the embassys planning application, which had been expected this week but will now not come until December 10, reported Financial Times. The embassy project has become a diplomatic flashpoint, complicating Starmers efforts to reset relations with China after a more hawkish stance under Conservative leadership. Despite insisting that national security remains the top priority, the government has been criticised for keeping China out of the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which currently only includes Russia and Iran. Critics say this softer approach undercuts efforts to hold Beijing accountable particularly after the collapse of espionage charges against two men accused of spying for China in Parliament, added the report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Cash and Berry were charged in 2024 with spying on UK lawmakers. Cash had worked closely with both Kearns and Tugendhat. Last week, the government released CPS witness statements alleging Berry had met Cai Qi, a top ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Kearns and Tugendhat told Starmer that given the UK security services had identified the Chinese officials responsible for targeting us . . . you must draw a clear red line and sanction them. We know that you care about our national security. We ask that you back up your words with action, they added. With inputs from agencies US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the ceasefire as Israel and Hamas trade barbs over violating it US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday began his journey to Israel as the Trump administration tries to salvage the Gaza ceasefire after Israel launched airstrikes over the weekend, threatening the peace deal. US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the ceasefire as Israel and Hamas trade barbs over violating it. Israel launched airstrikes across Gaza after the deaths of two Israeli soldiers. Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Netanyahus office, said that Netanyahu, Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law Kushner, discussed developments and updates in the region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What will Vance do? During his visit to Israel, Vance is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday to discuss the next stage of the ceasefire plan, still under negotiation and encompassing the more complex, long-term steps needed to end the war permanently, a person familiar with his itinerary told the Washington Post. The talks are expected to center on the potential deployment of a multinational force in Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas. Meanwhile, Witkoff and Kushner, who were slated to visit Israel before the airstrikes were launched on Sunday, attempted to mediate the issues that were already present in the ceasefire deal. Late Sunday, the Israeli military announced it had completed its strikes and was unilaterally reinstating the ceasefire. An Israeli security official said humanitarian aid would resume entering Gaza on Monday as normal, reversing an earlier decision made that evening to block all aid shipments in response to the attack on IDF soldiers. Eradicate Hamas US President Donald Trump warned Hamas Monday it would be eradicated if it breaches the Gaza deal with Israel, but said he would give the Palestinian militant group a chance to honor the truce. Vice President JD Vance headed to Israel shortly after Trumps comments, joining two top US envoys after weekend violence threatened to wreck the fragile ceasefire. We made a deal with Hamas that theyre going to be very good, theyre going to behave, theyre going to be nice, Trump told reporters at the White House as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. And if theyre not, were going to go and were going to eradicate them, if we have to. Theyll be eradicated, and they know that. With inputs from agencies The Dutch data protection authority has urged voters not to rely on artificial intelligence chatbots for voting advice ahead of the countrys general election next week, citing concerns over transparency and bias, according to a report Election campaign boards are displayed ahead of the Dutch parliamentary election on October 29, in The Hague, Netherlands, on October 7, 2025. Reuters File The Dutch data protection authority has urged voters not to rely on artificial intelligence chatbots for voting advice ahead of the countrys general election next week, citing concerns over transparency and bias. AI chatbots give a highly distorted and polarised image of the Dutch political landscape in a test, the data protection watchdog warned in a study published on Tuesday. We warn not to use AI chatbots for voting advice, because their operations are not transparent and verifiable, Politico quoted Monique Verdier, vice-chair of the authority, as saying in a statement. She called upon the chatbot developers to prevent that their systems are being used for voting advice. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Dutch voters elect a new parliament next Wednesday. The Dutch data protection authority has raised concerns over the role of AI chatbots in political guidance, after an experiment revealed skewed and polarised voting advice ahead of next weeks general election. In a test conducted across four major AI chatbots OpenAIs ChatGPT, Googles Gemini, Elon Musks Grok, and Mistral AIs Le Chat the watchdog found that voter profiles were often directed toward political extremes, with centrist parties largely underrepresented, reported Politico. The authority created a series of voter profiles based on validated Dutch voting-aid tools and asked each chatbot to provide voting advice tailored to those profiles. Voters on the progressive left were mostly directed to the GreenLeftLabor party led by former European Commission executive Frans Timmermans, while those with right-leaning views were mostly directed to the PVV, the far-right party led by Geert Wilders, which is currently leading in the polls. Despite being evenly represented in the constructed profiles, centrist parties received little to no mention in the responses generated by the chatbots, added the report. All four companies have made partial or full commitments under the EUs voluntary code of practice for advanced AI models, which calls on developers to mitigate societal and rights-based risks posed by their systems. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD OpenAI, Google, and Mistral are full signatories, while Groks parent company xAI has signed up to parts of the code. The Dutch authority also suggested that chatbots offering voting advice could fall under the high-risk category of the EUs upcoming AI Act, which would subject them to stricter regulations starting mid-2025. With inputs from agencies Trump has claimed that several of Americas allies in the Middle East have offered to send troops into Gaza at his request if Hamas violates its ceasefire agreement with the United States. Trump, who earlier warned of a fast and brutal response if the truce is breached, said he has so far advised them and Israel to wait, US President Donald Trump gestures as he disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport on the outskirts of Lod near Tel Aviv on October 13, 2025, as he travels to Israel and Egypt. Trump is passing through Israel, addressing parliament and meeting with hostage families before heading to Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh for a major peace summit, where a "document ending the war in the Gaza Strip" is expected to be signed. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) US President Donald Trump said several of Americas now great allies in the Middle East and nearby regions have offered to deploy forces into Gaza at his request if Hamas continues to violate its ceasefire agreement with the United States. Earlier in the day, Trump warned that he would eradicate Hamas should it breach the truce with Israel, as Vice President JD Vance arrived in Tel Aviv. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and straighten our Hamas if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump added that he had so far told these countries, and Israel, NOT YET! He said he still hoped Hamas would do what is right, but warned that if the group failed to comply, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! Reports from Gaza said Israeli forces dropped 153 tonnes of bombs on Hamas targets following what Israel described as a ceasefire violation that killed two of its soldiers. Hamas denied involvement in the attack. Despite renewed hostilities, both Israel and Hamas said they remained committed to the US-backed ceasefire. Israel confirmed that Hamas handed over the body of one hostage on Monday, bringing the total to 13 out of 28 it had promised to return. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said Hamas must fully meet its commitments under the truce. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the deceased hostages, every last one of them, the statement said. Hamas, in turn, said it needed more time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies. The US government shutdown has stretched into its fourth week with no breakthrough in sight. Senate Republicans met with President Trump to show unity and maintain their stance against negotiating on Democratic demands, particularly on extending healthcare subsidies. The US government shutdown is now entering its fourth week, with limited progress toward reopening. Senate Republicans are meeting with President Donald Trump not to negotiate but to show solidarity by maintaining their refusal to agree to Democratic demands. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats continue voting against the House-passed bill to reopen the government, insisting that Republicans must engage in talks to extend key healthcare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The impasse leaves hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid and disrupts vital federal programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and Head Start. The National Nuclear Security Administration has furloughed 1,400 workers, and the Federal Aviation Administration reports air traffic controller shortages causing delays nationwide. Senate Republican leader John Thune indicated Trumps willingness to discuss subsidy extensions but only after Democrats reopen the government. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized the White House meeting as a mere pep rally, blaming House Speaker Mike Johnson for shutting out lawmakers during the crisis. With no sign of compromise, lawmakers acknowledge the shutdown could prolong, risking further economic and social consequences. Republicans may propose a longer-term funding extension if no deal is reached soon. Democrats fear irreparable damage if subsidies lapse before the Affordable Care Act enrollment season begins November 1. Schumer warned that millions will face tough healthcare choices without subsidy support. Tuesdays White House meeting offers Republicans a chance to strategize with Trump, though his stance remains hardline. Democrats call on Trump to play a more active role, accusing him of leaving negotiations stalled while his party resists reopening the government. The deadlock continues as federal workers and vulnerable Americans bear the mounting toll. During the longest US government shutdown, approximately 1,400 employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were placed on furlough, halting their work on critical nuclear security programs. The agency responsible for safeguarding the US nuclear stockpile began placing the vast majority of its staff on enforced leave on October 20, 2025 (AFP) The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) began placing most of its staff on unpaid leave Monday after another congressional vote to end the US government shutdown failed. Around 1,400 federal employees were issued furlough notices while nearly 400 staff remain on duty to protect property and human safety, a Department of Energy spokesperson confirmed. The agency, which manages the US nuclear arsenal of 5,177 warheads1,770 of which are deployedalso oversees 60,000 contractors involved in designing, manufacturing, servicing, and securing the weapons. Initial furloughs are expected to affect nuclear assembly sites such as Pantex in Texas and Y-12 in Tennessee. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Political stalemate and economic pressure The shutdown, now in its 20th day, is the longest full federal closure in US history. President Donald Trump has urged Democrats to cooperate with Republicans to reopen the government, warning of deeper service cuts and widespread layoffs. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett projected a possible end to the shutdown some time this week but signalled stronger measures could follow if negotiations stall. Democrats have insisted on renewing expiring health care subsidies for 24 million Americans as a precondition for backing a House-passed funding resolution. Senate Republicans have offered a vote on the matter, yet Democrats maintain any deal would be ineffective without Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnsons approval. Mondays Senate vote on reopening the government failed for the 11th time. Federal employees face missing their full biweekly pay for the first time this Thursday, while military personnel pay adds further urgency. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that health insurance premiums in states like Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland could rise by up to $24,000 per year for some Americans in 2026 if the shutdown continues. Rich Kinder is the cofounder and Executive Chairman of Kinder Morgan, one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. (Facebook) Houston billionaires Nancy and Rich Kinder have pledged to donate 95% of their fortunenearly $10 billion, to charitable causes across their home city. The couple, long-time residents of Houston, announced the decision during a ceremony for the forthcoming $18.5 million expansion of Emancipation Park in the citys Third Ward. Their contribution aims to improve the wellbeing of Houstons communities through investments in parks, education, and the arts. Rich Kinder, cofounder and Executive Chairman of Kinder Morganone of North Americas largest energy infrastructure firmstold ABC13 Houstons Melanie Lawson that their motivation lies in giving back to the city that shaped them. Whatever wealth you accumulate is really the result of a lot of other people helping you along the way, he said, adding that ones goal should be to leave the world a little better than they found it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kinder Foundation According to the Houston Chronicle, the couples combined net worth stands at around $11.2 billion, while Forbes places it at approximately $11.3 billion. Their giving will continue through the Kinder Foundation, established in 1997 to provide major gifts to public causes that help people lead healthy and rewarding lives. The foundation focuses primarily on enhancing urban green spaces, improving education, and raising quality of life across Houston. Under Rich Kinders leadership, it has supported the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas Childrens Hospital, Rice University, and initiatives such as the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. The Kinders are also signatories of The Giving Pledge, founded by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett in 2010. Through their sustained philanthropy, Nancy and Rich Kinder reaffirm their lifelong bond with Houston, directing their vast resources to the community that helped them thrive. A 31-year-old Afghan, who served four years in jail over a sexual offence and causing grievous bodily harm, was deported from Vienna via Istanbul to Kabul. Austria one of the European Union members pushing for deportations of Afghans and Syrians on Tuesday deported an Afghan man, the first such removal since 2021. The Alpine nation is one of 20 EU member states which have urged the European Commission to take action to enable both voluntary and forced returns of Afghans with no legal right to stay. In July, it also became the first EU country in recent years to deport a Syrian. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It has since sent two other Syrians back to their home country, where long-time strongman Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December. A 31-year-old Afghan, who served four years in jail over a sexual offence and causing grievous bodily harm, was deported from Vienna via Istanbul to Kabul, Austrias interior ministry said. This was the first such deportation since summer 2021, it said, adding that more deportations of criminal convicts were being prepared. Austrias conservative-led government received Taliban government representatives in Vienna in September, drawing criticism from rights group and the opposition Greens. The Taliban have been largely isolated on the global stage since they imposed a strict version of Islamic law after they returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, following the withdrawal of US-led forces. Lawyers for the Afghan, who came to Austria as an unaccompanied minor, failed to obtain a court order to stop his deportation on the grounds that he suffered severe psychological impairment, according to rights group Asylkoordination Austria. We are concerned that there is no follow-up on what actually happens to the people who are deported, spokesman Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz told AFP. They could face torture or inhumane treatment in their home countries, he said. The EU said on Monday it has initiated exploratory contacts with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, in the face of pressure from EU member states to increase deportations of failed asylum seekers. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Germany has deported more than 100 Afghans since last year. (Except the headline, the story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.) The Netherlands plans to send rejected migrants to Uganda under a deal similar to Donald Trumps arrangement, with a transit hub expected next year. The move aims to ease deportations while ensuring human rights safeguards through UN. Netherlands' Foreign Minister David van Weel speaks as he attends a press conference with his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono after their bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on October 9, 2025. (Photo by Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP) The Dutch government is preparing to send dozens of rejected migrants to Uganda under a deal similar to the one recently struck by US President Donald Trumps administration, amid concerns of possible legal and logistical hurdles in the plan, The Financial Times reported. Migration and Foreign Affairs Minister David van Weel told the Financial Times that a transit hub in Uganda could start operating as early as next year. The agreement is in compliance with international law, European law, and our national laws, he said. But of course this will be appealed in the beginning, and then well see whether or not that holds up. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Van Weel said human rights were central to the deal signed last month with Kampala something, he noted, that was not a priority for Washington. We dont deny a responsibility that human rights of people that we send there need to be respected. Thats clear, he said, adding that the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had been asked to manage the centres. The deal mirrors an arrangement Donald Trump reached with Uganda in August to take in rejected asylum seekers from the US. However, unlike The Hague, Washington does not involve any UN agencies in its deportation plans. Ugandas foreign ministry earlier said it would prefer to accept migrants from African nations, excluding those with criminal records or unaccompanied minors. Van Weel said the pilot project would mainly involve people from countries near Uganda. At the moment we have a clear system for asylum applications, but too many people stay here [when] they have to return, he said. We need to ensure that people who dont have a right to stay in Europe actually leave. The Dutch deal, still being finalised, would see Uganda take in migrants the Netherlands cannot return to their home countries. Van Weel also said LGBT+ people would not be sent to Uganda due to its harsh anti-gay laws, which include life imprisonment and even the death penalty. I think we have responsibility for people we send there, he said. Theres also a responsibility from the Ugandan side. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ugandan foreign ministry official Vincent Bagiire confirmed that Kampala would only accept persons without a criminal record and persons of African origin who shall not use Uganda for political activism. He said Uganda would not accept unaccompanied minors and would work with UNHCR and IOM for expertise on migration matters. The EU is also debating new rules to make deportations easier, including sending migrants to non-EU countries that arent their home states something previously considered legally complex. Currently, only about 20 per cent of rejected asylum seekers in the EU are returned, according to the European Commission. Many cannot be sent back because their home countries refuse to accept them or because they abscond after being ordered to leave. India has upgraded its mission in Kabul to a full embassy, aiming to improve diplomatic relations with the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan. India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi shaking hands during a bilateral meeting in New Delhi. AFP India has upgraded its Technical Mission in Kabul to a full embassy on Tuesday (October 21, 2025), marking a step towards improving diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqis nine-day visit to the country. The Ministry of External Affairs said, In line with the decision taken during the recent visit of the Afghan Foreign Minister to India, the Technical Mission of India in Kabul is restored to the status of Embassy of India in Afghanistan with immediate effect. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The move follows a visit to India by Afghanistans Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. The MEA said the upgrade reflects growing bilateral engagement. This decision underscores Indias resolve to deepen its engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest, the statement added. The ministry also noted that the embassy will enhance Indias contribution to Afghanistans development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, in line with Afghan priorities. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had first announced the upgrade on October 10, highlighting Indias commitment to Afghanistans sovereignty and praising the Taliban for addressing New Delhis security concerns. India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan. To enhance that, I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of Indias Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of Embassy of India, he said. Italys birth rate has hit historic low, with fertility falling to 1.13. According to national statistics bureau ISTAT the sharp decline in birth is expected to deepen what experts are calling demographic emergency. By 2040, the retirement age in Italy could rise to 68 years and one month. Reuters Italy witnesses a major decline in the number of births, deepening the demographic crisis. The country which has the most UNESCO World Heritage sites and is experiencing record hit low births since national unification more than 160 years ago. According to national statistics bureau ISTAT on Tuesday the sharp decline in birth is expected to deepen what experts are calling demographic emergency. ISTAT reported that Italy saw only 370,000 new births last year which is the lowest since 1861. The downward trend has shown no sign of reversal in 2025. Between January and July, fewer than 198,000 babies were born, causing a 6.3 per cent drop compared to last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The fertility rate of the country has significantly fallen dropping to 1.13 children per woman from 1.18 in 2024 as reported by Reuters. The current situation of Italy has caused the current government to focus on its tragedies and implementation of various policies. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made several attempts to boost family growth and offer financial incentives. Meloni instructed her predecessors to confront the issue, bringing it to a halt. By 2050, it is estimated that 70 per cent of Italians aged 55 to 64 will still be working or seeking work due to shortage of working youth. Economists suggest that these shifts can bring and strain the financial set up of Italy. With fewer young workers, the technological sector is experiencing less advancement and mounting pressure to find sustainable solutions. Bank of China promotes RMB's global use at London roadshow Xinhua) 09:43, October 21, 2025 Photo taken on Oct. 20, 2025 shows a view of a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) LONDON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. Nearly 100 representatives from the People's Bank of China, the British government, the City of London, international financial institutions and think tanks attended the event, part of the bank's 2025 Global RMB Internationalization Promotion Series. Discussions focused on expanding the RMB's role in international trade, investment and financial markets. Jenny Young, deputy director of trade and emerging markets at the British Treasury, said London is now home to more than 40 Chinese financial institutions and that Britain values its close cooperation with the Bank of China and other Chinese banks operating in the city. "As China continues to play a pivotal role in the global economy, the development of RMB-denominated products presents real opportunities," Young said. "London has become the largest RMB hub outside Asia, serving as a vital conduit between Chinese markets and global capital, whether through trade finance, clearing, investment or foreign exchange. RMB business in London is helping firms and investors access and engage with the Chinese economy more easily." James Michael Douglas Thomson, deputy chair of policy and resources at the City of London Corporation, said London's financial strength and China's economic influence are becoming increasingly intertwined. Having worked in the financial services sector himself, Thomson said he had witnessed firsthand how pivotal China has become in discussions about global trade and commerce. Thomson cited the City's latest data showing that London's RMB trading volume rose by 43 percent in 2024 to about 172 billion pounds (230.6 billion U.S. dollars), while cross-border RMB transactions increased by more than 20 percent year-on-year. "These figures highlight the steady progress of RMB internationalization and London's vital role in supporting this process," Thomson said, adding that the close partnership with China remains important and will continue to grow stronger. At the event, Bank of China presented RMB Product and Project Awards to eight partner institutions in recognition of their achievements in innovation, service development and market promotion as part of efforts to foster a more open and collaborative global RMB ecosystem. Since helping to launch London's offshore RMB market in 2011, Bank of China's London branch has played a leading role in developing RMB clearing, settlement and bond issuance services. Leveraging London's position as a gateway linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the branch remains among the top Chinese institutions in offshore bond underwriting across these regions. (1 British pound = 1.34 U.S. dollar) James Michael Douglas Thomson, deputy chair of policy and resources at the City of London Corporation, delivers a sppech during a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain, Oct. 20, 2025. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Jenny Young, deputy director of trade and emerging markets at the British Treasury, delivers a sppech during a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain, Oct. 20, 2025. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Photo taken on Oct. 20, 2025 shows a view of a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), known for operating the Fukushima power plan before the 2011 mishap, has been planning to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant for years This picture taken on August 6, 2024 shows Masaki Daito, deputy superintendent of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, speaking in front of an alternative high pressure core injection system HPAC) inside the unit 7 reactor building at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station. AFP file Locals in Japans Niigata prefecture are ramping up against the recommissioning of a nuclear power plant in their area, which happens to be one of the biggest in the world. Authorities hope to revitalise the regions economy by investing on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), known for operating the Fukushima power plan before the 2011 mishap, has been planning to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant for years. About the power plant Tepco has proposed the creation of a $667 million fund to contribute monetarily to vitalising the regional economy of the Niigata prefecture. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant has remained shut since 2012, after the Nuclear Regulation Authority prohibited its operator, Tepco, from running the facility in 2021 over safety violations. The regulator lifted that ban in December 2023, clearing the way for the plants restart. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tokyo is keen to restart its fleet to meet growing power demands and reduce carbon emissions. Japan aims to supply 20 per cent of electricity via nuclear power by 2040. Its bribery The plan has received massive backlash anti-nuclear activists. Hajime Matsukubo, secretary general of the Tokyo-based Citizens Nuclear Information Centre told This Week in Asia, This is a big step forward for Tepco because they really want to restart the plant and the scale of the offer shows that. But this is simply bribery. Residents are split on whether Tepco should be allowed to restart the nuclear power plant or not, opinion polls show. Following the Fukishima nuclear disaster, Japan closed all this power plants and conducted rigourous safety checks and inspections. Since 2015, 14 reactors have been restarted while 11 others are currently in the process of restart approval. The controversy over restarting one of the worlds largest nuclear power plants underscores Japans struggle to balance its commitment to cutting emissions with the need for a reliable energy supply. While bringing more nuclear reactors back online could help achieve that goal, strong public opposition and persistent safety concerns, particularly in communities near the plants, continue to pose major obstacles. Japans parliament has appointed Sanae Takaichi, the conservative China hawk, as the first woman prime minister of the country. Sanae Takaichi, who served as Japan's Economic Security Minister during 2022-24, speaks during a debate in Tokyo, Japan, on September 14, 2024. (Photo:Takashi Aoyama/Pool via Reuters) Japans lower house of parliament on Tuesday appointed Sanae Takaichi, the conservative China hawk, as the countrys first woman prime minister. Takaichi will formally assume office after a meeting with Japanese Emperor Naruhito later in the day. Takaichis appointment as the first woman premier is being seen as the breaking of the glass ceiling in a country in which men continue to hold nearly all positions of power women hold fewer than one-fifth of parliamentary seats and men run almost all big corporations in the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Shortly after her appointment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Takaichi and said he looked forward to working with her to further strengthen the IndiaJapan relationship. ALSO READ: What China-hawk Sanae Takaichis rise as Japans PM means for India In another first, Takaichi is set to appoint Satsuki Katayama as her finance minister, who would be the first woman to hold the portfolio. Both Takaichi and Katayama are seen as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abes proteges. In a surprise, Takaichi crossed the majority-mark in the first round of voting. She got 237 votes in the 465-member house. Takaichis prime ministerial bid received an initial setback when the centrist Komeito party quit the alliance with her party LDP. However, she struck a deal with right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin) on Monday that cleared the way for her appointment. Even though Takaichi has become the first woman prime minister, she is a conservative and there are not expectations that she would pursue a progressive agenda. Instead, the country is expected to move to the right on immigration and social issues. She opposes same-sex marriage and a growing movement in the country to allow married couples to have separate surnames. She is also a visitor of the Yasukuni Shrine that honours Japans war criminals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Takaichi has work cut out for her Takaichi has work cut out for her from day one. She is not expected to have any honeymoon period. The economy is expected to be at the top of her agenda. For years, Japan has been plagued by deflation and is currently in the grips of rising prices. Such a situation has sparked public anger that has fuelled support for far-right forces in the country. Both the public and industry have high hopes with Takaichi. Previously, Japans equity markets rose at the prospects of Takaichis elevation as the prime minister. There is hope that she would spend more to try to jumpstart the economy. After she struck the coalition deal with Ishin, the Nikkei rose to a record high and closed 3.4 per cent higher. Katayamas expected appointment as the finance minister is part of Takaichis economic agenda. Currently, she chairs the LDPs research commission on the finance and banking systems and has a strong background in economics and finance. She served as the local revitalisation minister in Abes government. PM Modi congratulates Takaichi Shortly after the Japanese parliament appointed Takaichi as the premier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated her. In a post on X, Modi congratulated Takaichi and said he looked forward to working with her. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heartiest congratulations, Sanae Takaichi, on your election as the Prime Minister of Japan. I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the IndiaJapan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, said Modi. Heartiest congratulations, Sanae Takaichi, on your election as the Prime Minister of Japan. I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the IndiaJapan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2025 India and Japan are close economic and defence partners. In India, Japan is a key developmental partner and is part of several infrastructure projects. In the Indo-Pacific, the two countries work closely bilaterally and in multilateral forums like the Quad as part of their commitment of free and open region and checking Chinas hegemonic designs. Four thieves pulled off a seven-minute heist at the Louvres Gallery of Apollo during the day. They used a mechanical lift and cutting tools to break in and escape with eight historic French crown jewels, which included royal tiaras and necklaces Police stand near the pyramid of the Louvre museum on Sunday. Reuters A high-profile jewellery heist at the world-renowned Louvre Museum on Sunday has elicited a stark admission of failure from Justice Minister Gerard Darmanin. He stated that the incident has severely damaged the countrys international image. In an interview with French radio station France Inter on Monday, Minister Darmanin addressed the brazen theft, which saw thieves make off with valuable pieces from the museums collection. What is certain is that we failed, Darmanin said, stressing the gravity of the security breach at one of Frances most treasured institutions. He noted that the country possesses many museums with priceless values, making the lapse in security particularly alarming. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Minister did not mince words regarding the consequence of the crime, asserting that the heist gave a very negative image of France as it implied a failure of security services. Despite the setback, Darmanin offered an assurance to the public, vowing that law enforcement is working diligently on the case. The police will eventually arrest the authors, he stated. The theft, which targeted jewels, has reignited debates over the security protocols at major Parisian cultural sites, which draw millions of visitors annually. Authorities have launched a massive manhunt for the perpetrators following the incident. How the robbery took place In a quick, seven-minute daylight operation, four thieves executed the jewellery heist using mechanical lift and cutting tools to break into the Gallery of Apollo. They stole eight historic French crown jewels, including royal tiaras and necklaces. MUSEUM HEIST: New video purportedly shows a Louvre thief in action during one of the most brazen high-profile art thefts in recent memory. pic.twitter.com/oTnwtD412J Fox News (@FoxNews) October 20, 2025 This theft is considered the worst at the museum since the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, and experts worry the priceless items will be immediately destroyed to sell off the raw gold and gemstones for cash. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD French President Macron has backed PM Lecornus decision to pause the pension reform but maintained that raising the retirement age remains necessary, adding that a referendum remains a possible option France's President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an informal summit at the Danish parliament at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 1, 2025. Reuters File French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday publicly endorsed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornus decision to pause the countrys controversial pension reform, while reaffirming that raising the retirement age remains essential, according to a Politico report. At the same time, Macron said a referendum to resolve the pension reform debate remains an option, according to Reuters. Speaking at a press conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Macron made his first public remarks since Lecornu announced a freeze on the phased increase in Frances minimum retirement age, a law pushed through in 2023 without a parliamentary vote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The reform, which sparked months of mass protests and widespread public anger, will now be suspended until after the next presidential election in 2027. Facts are stubborn, and were getting older, Politico quoted Macron as saying. He described the pause as a necessary step to appease the public debate, but was clear that he sees it not as a repeal or reversal, but a delay in the inevitable. The freeze helped Lecornu secure temporary support from the Socialist Party, which had opposed the original reform. He narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly last Thursday, prevailing by just 18 votes. Macron backed Lecornus political strategy, calling it a way to reopen dialogue while maintaining the governments long-term policy goals. The reform remains necessary for the country, Macron said, reiterating concerns about the solvency of Frances pension system amid an aging population. Most French workers contribute to a pay-as-you-go system that funds the pensions of current retirees a model Macron insists is unsustainable without adjustments. In private remarks to lawmakers from his Renaissance party, Lecornu reportedly framed the delay as a strategic opportunity to regain control of the narrative, calling it a chance to relaunch discussions with the advantage of being on offense", reported Politico. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Asked whether the pension reform could eventually be put to a public vote, Macron said a referendum is still a possibility. We must consider all democratic options, he said. His comments come as the government walks a political tightrope trying to calm domestic unrest, hold a tenuous parliamentary majority, and project stability in the face of mounting economic and demographic pressures. Whether the pause or the prospect of a referendum will be enough to reset the debate remains uncertain. With inputs from agencies Donald Trump warned that China could face tariffs of up to 155 per cent unless President Xi Jinping agrees to a fair trade deal, signalling renewed tensions between Washington and Beijing. US President Donald Trump said he plans to visit China early next year and expects to finalise a trade deal with President Xi Jinping in South Korea this month. (Reuters) US President Donald Trump warned that China could face tariffs as high as 155 per cent unless President Xi Jinping agrees to a fair trade deal with Washington. The warning came during Trumps bilateral meeting at the White House with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on Monday. Trump said Beijing had shown respect towards the US but stressed that his administration would no longer tolerate what he called unfair trade practices. A lot of countries took advantage of the US, and they are not able to take advantage anymore, he stated. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Republican leader, who often uses tariffs as a diplomatic tool, added that he expected a fair trade deal with China soon. I expect we will probably work out a very fair trade deal with President Xi of China. I think most of you will be there. It will be very exciting, Trump said. China imports no US soybeans in September Trumps remarks follow reports that China did not import a single shipment of US soybeans in September, the first time since November 2018 that shipments fell to zero. Instead, Chinese buyers increased purchases from South America, avoiding American supplies amid the continuing trade dispute. Earlier, Trump had announced plans to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, in addition to new export restrictions on any and all critical software starting November 1. These duties would be in addition to the existing 55 per cent tariffs already levied on Chinese imports. He confirmed he would meet Xi in South Korea within weeks, expressing optimism for a breakthrough. We have a very good relationship; we are going to be meeting in South Korea in a couple of weeks I think when we finish our meetings, China and I will have a really fair and really great trade deal together, Trump said, calling it a positive outcome for both nations and the wider world. Prior to Trumps warning, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had confirmed that Washington and Beijing would hold talks in Malaysia this week. Reports also suggested that Trump briefly considered cancelling his first face-to-face meeting with Xi since returning to the White House. In a rejection of US President Donald Trumps claims that the individuals targeted by the US military in the Caribbean Sea were drug traffickers, Ecuador has released the survivor of a recent strike without charge and said there is no evidence he committed any crime. This handout photo released by the US Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely in the Red Sea on June 7, 2024. It is one of the warships deployed towards Venezuela for counternarcotics operations. (Photo: DVIDS/AFP) In a rejection of US President Donald Trumps claims that the individuals targeted by the US military in the Caribbean Sea were drug traffickers, Ecuador has released the survivor of a recent strike without charge and said there is no evidence he committed any crime. An Ecuadorian official on Monday told The Associated Press that the survivor, Andres Fernando Tufino, has been released. Separately, the AP cited an official document as saying that there is no evidence or indication that could lead prosecutors or judicial authorities to be certain of any violation of current laws by Tufino. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Last week, the US military struck a vessel in the Caribbean Sea that was purportedly carrying drugs. Unlike previous strikes, two people on the vessel survived the strike and were detained by the US military. Trump later announced that they will be repatriated to their home countries Colombia and Ecuador. The Colombian national released by the US military remains hospitalised by press time, according to AP. At the orders of Trump, the US military has so far struck at least seven vessels in the Caribbean Sea and killed at least 32 people since September. While Trump has dubbed these people as narco-terrorists bringing drugs to the United States and claimed he has powers to order their summary killings as if they were enemy soldiers in a war, legal scholars have said the campaign is illegal as the military may only use lethal force if attack or facing an imminent attack. Second strike targeting Columbian nationals The strike on Thursday was at least the second strike that targeted Colombian nationals. Previously, Colombian President Gustavo Petro had said that one of the boats struck by the US military was Colombian and was carrying Colombian nationals. In another case, a Trinidadian family has said one of its members was likely killed in another US strike. Notably, even though the US military has struck at least seven boats and killed dozens of people, the Trump administration has not released names of anyone whom they have killed or any evidence of drugs in those vessels. Irrespective of the criticism, Trump has vowed to continue these strikes that critics see as a thinly veiled campaign against Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD ALSO READ: As Trump deploys warships & soldiers to Caribbean, is he looking for war with Venezuela? Trump has deployed around 10,000 personnel and several warships, at least one submarine, and fighter planes in the Caribbean Sea around Venezuela. Critics suspect that the build-up and strikes on purportedly drug-carrying vessels is part of efforts to set up a pretext to invade Venezuela and oust Maduro. As far as the Colombian national released by the US military, the Colombian government said he will be prosecuted according to the law for alleged drug trafficking. After Petro said that US strikes killed Colombian nationals, Trump called him an illegal drug leader and a lunatic. There are currently no plans for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the immediate future, according to a report, citing a Trump administration official on Tuesday US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, US, August 15, 2025. File Image/Reuters There are currently no plans for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the immediate future, according to a CNN report, citing a Trump administration official on Tuesday, signaling a shift from Trumps earlier comments suggesting a summit was imminent. Last week, Trump had indicated that the two leaders were expected to meet within two weeks or so, pretty quick. However, the latest remarks suggest the administration is still weighing whether to proceed with a high-level meeting in the short term. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Adding to the uncertainty, the Kremlin on Tuesday said no dates had been discussed for the proposed leaders meeting, and that serious preparation was still needed. We cannot postpone something that has not been finalised, Reuters quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying in response to a CNN report that a key preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had been put on hold. Neither President Trump nor President Putin have given exact dates, he added. The session between Rubio and Lavrov, initially expected this week, was widely seen as a critical step in organising a summit. While US officials have signaled that the meeting is on pause, the Kremlin pushed back, saying it had no understanding of when such talks or the summit itself might take place. The shifting signals from both Washington and Moscow reflect a broader recalibration of diplomatic timelines amid internal deliberations. While both sides have expressed openness to a future meeting, the lack of clear planning or agreed timelines has made a near-term summit increasingly unlikely. With inputs from agencies Oil prices hit their lowest since early May as concerns over a potential global glut and US-China trade tensions weighed on demand A view shows an oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer Oil prices settled at their lowest since early May on Monday as investors weighed a potential global glut, with U.S.-China trade tensions adding to concerns about an economic slowdown and weaker energy demand. Brent crude futures settled down 28 cents, or 0.46%, at $61.01 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures settled down 2 cents, or 0.03%, to $57.52. Both benchmarks fell more than $1 earlier in the session, and both closed at their weakest levels since early May. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Oil traders concerns have shifted from under-supply to over-supply, the futures contract structure of the global benchmark Brent showed. The six-month spreads for Brent and U.S. crude futures both show contracts for earlier loading are trading below those for later loading, a structure known as contango, which encourages traders to pay for storing oil so it can be sold at higher prices when supplies are expected to have shrunk in the future. The Brent contango, which emerged on Thursday for the first time since a brief appearance in May, was trading at its widest since December 2023. The U.S. crude futures contango emerged on Friday for the first time since January 2024. These glut fears are now descending onto the market, particularly looking forward into 2026. We will start to see floating storage pick up and inland tanks get filled, said John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital. This is a real bearish narrative that we have not seen in some time, Kilduff added. Both benchmarks declined more than 2% last week, marking their third consecutive weekly decline, partly due to the International Energy Agencys outlook for a growing supply glut in 2026. Both futures contracts spent much of the year in the opposite structure, called backwardation, where prompt prices trade at a premium to later supply. That reflects a perception of tight near-term supply and solid demand. US-China trade war The two top oil consumers, the United States and China, have renewed their trade war, imposing additional port fees on ships carrying cargo between them - tit-for-tat moves that could disrupt global freight flows. Last week, the head of the World Trade Organization said she had urged the United States and China to de-escalate trade tensions, warning that a decoupling by the worlds two largest economies could reduce global economic output by 7% over the longer term. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Curbing some of oils losses on Monday was news that a lobbying group whose board includes U.S. firms such as Oracle, Amazon.com and Exxon Mobil is urging President Donald Trumps administration to immediately suspend a rule it says halted billions of dollars worth of U.S. exports and will prompt China and other countries to drop U.S. firms from their supply chains. Uncertainty remains over what may happen with Russian oil supply, with Trump saying again on Sunday that the United States would maintain massive tariffs on India unless it stops buying Russian oil. On the supply side, U.S. energy firms last week added rigs for the first time in three weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes said. Near term, the market is sitting in a classic shoulder-season mix of refinery maintenance, softer product cracks and a watchful eye on weekly U.S. inventory data, analysts at energy consulting firm Gelber and Associates said in a note. Adding further pressure, U.S. crude oil stockpiles were expected to have risen last week, a preliminary Reuters poll on Monday showed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Five analysts polled by Reuters ahead of weekly inventory data estimated on average that crude inventories rose by about 1.5 million barrels in the week to October 17. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.) Only Egyptian control of Gaza can stop Hamas from returning to power, according to Yair Lapid, the former Prime Minister of Israel and current Leader of Opposition in the parliament. Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks at the Knesset on the day of US President Donald Trump's address amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, on October 13, 2025. (Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/Reuters) The only way to prevent the return of Hamas to power in the Gaza Strip is Egypts takeover of the Palestinian enclave, according to former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who is currently the Leader of Opposition in the Israeli parliament. In a speech in the parliament, Lapid on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of joining hands with Qatar and Turkey in the Gaza deal. Instead of partnering with Egypt, which is a country that fights the Muslim Brotherhoods terrorism, Netanyahu brought Turkey and Qatar into Gaza, the ideological partners of the Muslim Brotherhood, said Lapid, according to The Jerusalem Post. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hamas has its roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement that has been designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Qatar and Turkey, however, are known to have been patrons of the group to advance their Islamist objectives in the region. Netanyahu does not know how to defeat Hamas Lapid said that Hamas not been defeated in Gaza and Netanyahu is the reason for the failure. Hamas has not been defeated because Netanyahu does not know how to defeat it. The way to defeat it is to bring in an effective Egyptian authority in its place and to conduct a sustained military and diplomatic effort with the understanding that we will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, even if it takes time, said Lapid. Defeating Hamas in Gaza was the main goal of Israels war along with securing the release of hostages. Netanyahu failed to achieve both objectives on its own. Lapid further said that the only way to prevent Hamas from reasserting control over Gaza was to have Egypt take over the strips management". Lapid said, For more than a year, I have said to this government: if you do not propose an alternative authority in Gaza, Hamas will return, and the world will impose on us a solution we do not want. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lapid said that Israel must secure assurances from the Donald Trump administration of the United States that Qatar and Turkey must not be part of any administration in Gaza. Lapid added that Netanyahu must stop playing games with humanitarian aid. Lapid said, This whole process of stopping aid and then renewing it is not serious. It lacks strategy, and it only hurts us. It helps Hamas, said Lapid. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sanae Takaichi on being appointed as the new Prime Minister of Japan and said he looked forward to working with her to strengthen the India-Japan relationship. Sanae Takaichi, the leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), poses in the party leader's office after the LDP leadership election in Tokyo, Japan, on October 4, 2025. (Photo: Yuichi Yamazaki/Pool via Reuters) Shortly after the Japanese parliaments lower house appointed Sanae Takaichi as the premier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated her and said he looked forward to working with her to strengthen the India-Japan relationship. Takaichi is the first woman Prime Minister of Japan. She will formally assume office later in the day after a meeting with Emperor Naruhito. Heartiest congratulations, Sanae Takaichi, on your election as the Prime Minister of Japan. I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the IndiaJapan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, said Modi in a post on X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heartiest congratulations, Sanae Takaichi, on your election as the Prime Minister of Japan. I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the IndiaJapan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2025 India and Japan are close economic and defence partners. In India, Japan is a key developmental partner and is part of several infrastructure projects. In the Indo-Pacific, the two countries work closely bilaterally and in multilateral forums like the Quad as part of their commitment of free and open region and checking Chinas hegemonic designs. Japans lower house of parliament appointed Takaichi as the premier with 237 votes in the 465-member house. Despite her appointment as the first woman prime minister, Takaichi is a social conservative and is not expected to pursue a progressive agenda. Instead, Japan expected to move to the right on immigration and social issues. Moreover, she opposes same-sex marriage and a growing movement in the country to allow married couples to have separate surnames. She is also a visitor to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine that honours Japans war criminals from World War II. Takaichis hawkish stance on China is likely raise tensions with China and her ties to the Yasukuni Shrine is likely to complicate her relationships with South Korea. For context, Japan and Koreas have a tense history as Japan controlled Korea as a colony in the 20th century until its defeat in World War II. Japan committed widespread atrocities during this occupation, such as pushing women into sexual slavery and conscripting people into forced labour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Poland has warned Russias President Vladimir Putin not to fly through its airspace for a planned summit in Hungary with US President Donald Trump, citing the International Criminal Courts arrest warrant against him. Flying to Hungary wont be simple for Putin. Russian planes are banned from both US and EU airspace, meaning he would need special permission to cross the skies of any EU member state. Putin faces an ICC warrant over Ukraine war crimes. File image/ Reuters Poland has warned Russias President Vladimir Putin against flying through its airspace for a planned summit in Hungary with US President Donald Trump, saying it would be obliged to enforce the International Criminal Courts arrest warrant if he did. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Radio Rodzina that Poland could not rule out an independent court ordering Putins plane to be intercepted and the Russian leader handed over to The Hague. I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court wont order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand the suspect to the court in The Hague, Polands Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Radio Rodzina. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And, therefore, if this summit is to take place, hopefully with the participation of the victim of the aggression, the aircraft will use a different route, Sikorski said. The ICC has accused Putin of war crimes over the deportation of Ukrainian children charges Moscow rejects. All EU countries, including Poland, are ICC members, meaning they are legally required to arrest Putin if he enters their territory. Sikorski added that if the summit goes ahead, the aircraft will have to use a different route. Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban maintains close ties with Moscow, has said it would guarantee Putins safe entry and return for the talks in Budapest. To reach Hungary without crossing Ukraine, Russia would need to pass through EU airspace. Meanwhile, Bulgarias Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said his country would allow Putin to use its airspace if it could help advance peace efforts, though Sofia said it has not yet received any official flight request from Moscow. Dampening the enthusiasm about the Trump-Putin Summit in Hungary, the Kremlin has said that it is premature to talk about it as there is no precise timeframe for any meeting between the American and Russian leaders. US President Donald Trump walks to shake the hand of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. (Photo: AP) Russia on Tuesday said there was no precise timeframe for a summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Ukraine and doused hopes for a swift preparatory meeting to finalise the talks. Following a phone call last week, the Russian and US leaders Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump announced they would meet in Budapest for talks on resolving the war in Ukraine, triggered by Moscows February 2022 all-out offensive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US counterpart Marco Rubio spoke on Monday to discuss preparations for the summit, and are expected to meet in person to finalise details. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump said the meeting with Putin could take place within two weeks, though that timeline appears to be slipping away as Moscow now said laying the groundwork for the meeting could take time. No precise timeframe was initially set here, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP, at a briefing on Tuesday. Asked if the summit could be postponed, Peskov said: You cant postpone something that hasnt been set in stone Preparation is needed, serious preparation. Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said earlier on Tuesday it was premature to talk about details of a preparatory meeting between Lavrov and Rubio. Neither before the phone call nor during yesterdays call was the meeting specifically raised, Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agencies. Trump, who previously claimed he could settle the Ukraine war in a matter of hours, has shown frustration with both Moscow and Kyiv over the failure to broker peace. Putin has rejected multiple calls for a ceasefire and stuck to a list of hardline demands that Kyiv sees as unacceptable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is pushing to attend the summit in Budapest, has ruled out territorial concessions. A previous summit between Putin and Trump in Alaska ended early with no breakthrough towards a peace deal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ukraine says a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyyis needed to make progress, but the Kremlin has ruled out talks with the Ukrainian leader until a peace deal is practically agreed. (This is an agency story. Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.) We believe that PM Carney should, of course, reconsider this and welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu, the leader of the only Jewish state and democratic country in the Middle East, to Canada, said Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks as he and US President Donald Trump (not pictured) meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, on October 7, 2025. Reuters File The Israeli government on Tuesday urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to retract his commitment to enforce the International Criminal Courts (ICC) arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit Canada. We believe that Prime Minister Carney should, of course, reconsider this and welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu, the leader of the only Jewish state and democratic country in the Middle East, to Canada, Reuters quoted Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian as saying to reporters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Monday, Carney publicly said that Canada would enforce the ICCs arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Speaking to Mishal Husain on The Mishal Husain Show by Bloomberg, Carney confirmed that if Netanyahu entered Canada, he would be arrested in compliance with the ICC order. On November 21, 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli leader Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Gaza conflict. The charges include the alleged use of starvation as a method of warfare and other inhumane acts. The decision marked a historic precedent, as it was the first time the ICC had issued a warrant for the leader of a Western-backed democratic nation. As a member of the ICC, Canada is legally bound to comply with the courts rulings, including the execution of arrest warrants. Prime Minister Carneys statement affirmed Canadas commitment to its international legal obligations and underscored the countrys support for the rule of law and accountability in global governance. With inputs from agencies The Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica has sentenced Juraj Cintula for seriously injuring and shooting Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024. A Slovak court has convicted Juraj Cintula, aged 72 for seriously injuring and shooting Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024 while he was greeting people in the central Slovak town of Handlova. He was found guilty on the charges of terrorism sentencing him to 21 years in prison. Cintula shot Fico five times in the presence of a nationwide gathering, seriously injuring his abdomen, hip, hand, and foot. He admitted to the shooting incident openly stating he aimed to stop Ficos policies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica began the trial in July and delivered the verdict whose main question was whether Cintula is guilty of terrorism. Cintula was against Ficos policies which hurt the sentiments of Slovenians and stated he wanted to hurt Fico instead of killing. After the attack, Fico made his first public appearance in July last year. The incident marked a dark chapter in Slovenian politics, highlighting increased polarisation and escalating tensions within the countrys political landscape. Last week, ahead of the plenum, China announced two top military leaders had been expelled from the party and the military on corruption charges, the most senior officers to be purged in an anti-graft drive that began in 2023. (Reuters) Taiwans National Security Council head Joseph Wu said on Tuesday that China is more focused on expansionism than addressing its own economic and social difficulties, as he reaffirmed the islands determination to defend itself from any Chinese aggression. Wu made the remarks during a forum in Taipei, criticising Beijings ruling Communist Party for intensifying military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan instead of solving domestic challenges. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, while the islands democratically elected government rejects Beijings sovereignty claims. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chinas internal purge and military display Wu pointed out that Chinas leadership is holding a key plenum of senior officials this week, yet attention remains on the purge of top military officers rather than economic revival. Even though we see worrisome trends in the Chinese economy, the news these days is not about how the PRC leadership is reviving the economy but about the purge of top PLA generals, he said, referring to the Peoples Republic of China and the Peoples Liberation Army. Last week, China expelled two senior military leaders from the party and the armed forces on corruption charges, marking the highest-level dismissals in an anti-graft campaign launched in 2023. Wu also referenced the massive military parade in Beijing on September 3, led by President Xi Jinping to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, saying it projected Chinas pursuit of global dominance rather than efforts to fix internal problems. Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately comment on Wus remarks. Wu reiterated that President Lai Ching-te remains committed to maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait and will not act as a provocateur. However, he emphasised that peace must be backed by strength, underlining the governments continued investment in defence. Please allow me to be straightforward. Taiwan is determined to defend itself, Wu stated. (With agency inputs) US President Donald Trump met with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 20. (AFP) Amid mounting tensions between US and China over tariffs, President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Monday signed a deal on rare earth minerals at the White House. The agreement aims to boost critical minerals cooperation while confirming Australias receipt of nuclear-powered attack submarines. The leaders focused on defence and critical minerals as areas of collaboration against what both describe as an increasingly assertive China. Albanese said the rare earths agreement would lead to $8.5 billion in critical minerals projects in Australia, elevating bilateral relations. Australias deposits of lithium, cobalt, manganese and rare earth metals are essential for semiconductors, defence hardware, electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. Both governments plan to invest over $1 billion each over the next six months, with the White House citing a combined $3 billion investment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD AUKUS submarines and regional strategy The leaders also addressed progress on the AUKUS submarine deal, under which Australia will acquire three Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines. Trump assured the vessels were moving forward rapidly, despite earlier reviews under his administration to align the programme with his America First agenda. The AUKUS plan, potentially costing up to $235 billion over 30 years, also includes technology for Australia to build future submarines domestically. The pact followed Australias cancellation of a previous multi-billion-dollar deal with France for diesel-powered submarines. China remained central to discussions. Australia plans a strategic reserve of critical minerals to reduce dependence on Beijing, while Trump has accused China of restricting exports and threatened 155 per cent tariffs in response. The deal reinforces Australias role as a US ally in countering Chinas influence in the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan and the South China Sea. An awkward moment occurred when Trump addressed former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, telling him, I dont like you either. I dont. And I probably never will, after Rudds critical social media posts about Trump were highlighted. A US appeals court has allowed Donald Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, overturning a lower courts temporary ban. A divided US appeals court ruled on Monday that Donald Trump can send National Guard troops into Portland, Oregon, despite objections by city and state leaders, granting the Republican president a significant legal victory as he deploys military forces to more Democratic-led areas. A three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to stay a judges order blocking the deployment while legal challenges play out. Portland-based US District Judge Karin Immergut, appointed by Trump during his first term, had ruled earlier that Trump likely acted unlawfully by ordering troops to Portland. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One judge dissented while two ruled in favor of Trump. Immergut had barred the National Guard deployment at least until the end of October, scheduling a non-jury trial on October 29 to decide on a longer-term block. Trump has sent troops to US cities including Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Memphis, with plans for Portland and Chicago. Democratic-led states and cities have sued to stop these deployments, citing violations of federal laws and the US Constitutions 10th Amendment protecting state rights. The lawsuit claims Trump exaggerated protest severity to justify federal control of state National Guard units. Protests in Portland were largely peaceful, with few arrests and minimal violence. A federal law generally limits military use for domestic law enforcement. Trump relied on a law allowing presidents to deploy state National Guard to repel invasions, suppress rebellions, or enforce laws. National Guard troops answer to governors unless federalized. The appeal panel, including judges appointed by Trump and Clinton, emphasized courts should not frequently second-guess presidential decisions on troop necessity. District courts remain split on the issue, with some rulings halting trooper deployment and others allowing it. The unfolding legal battle raises vital questions about federal power and state autonomy. The proposals represent the Trump administrations newest attempt to collaborate with the $13 trillion private capital sector, marking an unprecedented move to involve some of Wall Streets largest investors directly in advancing US national security goals The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, US, on October 9, 2020. Reuters File The US army has sought investments from private equity firms like Apollo, Carlyle, KKR and Cerberus to fund the services $150bn infrastructure overhaul. Last week, US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a meeting with over 15 of Wall Streets top buyout firms to discuss the deal. Talking to the Financial Times, Driscoll said that he gathered investors and told them, Hey, here are all the assets we have in our arsenals and our depots that we are underutilising . . . What are those types of deals where we can work with you and invite you in? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He further said that the groups were asked to pitch clever financing models or unique financing models to help meet the armys infrastructure needs. We actually just want meaty projects, Driscoll said. What would the overhaul be like? The proposals represent the Trump administrations newest attempt to collaborate with the $13 trillion private capital sector, marking an unprecedented move to involve some of Wall Streets largest investors directly in advancing US national security goals. Driscoll said that the projects would include data centres and rare earth processing facilities. He added that the federal government might also be open to the possibility of swapping lands for computer processing power or output from rare earth processing. According to one attendee who spoke to FT, the forum discussed proposals for private investment firms to finance and construct data centres on military bases through government lease agreements, an approach aimed at accelerating development and reducing capital expenses. The discussion ran the gamut, from finding financing to refurbish some real estate, or even raise financing against the real estate. There were also discussions on different financing tools for the armys supply chain and overall capex, another attendee said. Silicon Valley approach for the army Driscoll, a former investment banker, is pursuing the Army Transformation Initiative that welcomes new technology into the Army. I can say unequivocally that the Silicon Valley approach is absolutely ideal for the army, he said last week. Driscoll said the Army anticipated receiving investment proposals and would conduct due diligence in the coming weeks before reconvening with investors in New York. His goal is to have several agreements finalized by years end. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD White House Press Secretary snapped at a reporter, calling him a left-wing hack after he questioned her about the tentative meeting location between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday fired back at a journalist after he questioned her about the location of a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The exchange unfolded amid reports that the leaders plan to meet soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. When the reporter texted Leavitt asking who selected the venue for the upcoming summit, she curtly replied, Your mom did. Leavitt later shared a screenshot of the conversation, accusing the journalistidentified as S.V. Date from the Huffington Postof bias against the President. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In her post, Leavitt wrote that Dates messages read like an anti-US President Donald Trump diary, and branded him a left-wing hack. She alleged that he had consistently attacked President Trump and filled her inbox with Democrat talking points, adding that activists posing as journalists do a disservice to the profession. For context, S.V. Date of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points. Just take a look at @svdates feed, it reads https://t.co/NxWn2mdUsa pic.twitter.com/v7owI5N4us Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 20, 2025 Trump-Putin summit Reports suggest that while no date has yet been confirmed, the Trump-Putin summit is expected to take place in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed willingness to attend the talks if invited. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Zelenskyy said he would join the summit in one format or another, provided the meeting allows for direct or shuttle diplomacy involving all parties. However, Zelenskyy voiced caution over the Budapest scenario, a reference to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Russia and other nations had guaranteed Ukraines security in return for relinquishing its inherited nuclear arsenal. President Trump has continued to advocate for a resolution to the conflict that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ahead of the ongoing fourth plenum conference, Xi Jinping carried out a purge at the top of the Communist Party and consolidated more military power than any Chinese ruler since Mao Zedong. He is expected to pack CPCs top bodies with dozens of loyalists to further tighten his grip. Chinas President Xi Jinping gives a toast at a reception in the Great Hall of the People, following a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on September 3, 2025. (Photo: Jade Gao/AFP) For Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of Chinas (CPC) ongoing fourth plenum is not just a conference to rubber-stamp his economic agenda, but it is also a platform to show his ever-tightening grip on power. Just three days before the conference began, Xi on Friday sacked China's second highest-ranking general, He Weidong, along with eight other senior officials from the CPC. He was the Vice Chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the supreme military of China that Xi chairs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With the purge, Xi consolidated the military power to an unprecedented scale in the history of Communist China. ALSO READ: As Xi tightens grip, China holds fourth plenum meeting to rubber-stamp his agenda Outside China, analysts are watching the fourth plenum not only for signals on economic policy but also for personnel changes at senior levels within the CPC. These changes could offer insights into Xis geopolitical priorities in the years ahead. Following the latest purge, the Central Military Commission now has the fewest members in its history just four remaining from the seven-member body appointed in 2022. This reflects unprecedented concentration of military authority in Xis hands. Including He, Xi has dismissed three CMC members since 2022. Moreover, the portfolios of nine officials whom Xi sacked including He shows he has deepened the consolidation of political power as well. In addition to serving as Vice Chair of the CMC, He was also a member of the 24-member Politburo. He is the first Politburo member to be dismissed in this manner. The eight other senior officials fired were all members of the Central Committee of the CPC, the broader leadership body that includes the Politburo and the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. Upon investigation, it has been determined that these nine individuals seriously violated party discipline and allegedly committed grave duty-related crimes. The amounts involved are particularly huge, the nature of the offences extremely severe, and the impact exceptionally negative, said Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These eight officials held key positions across critical areas, including Taiwan-facing commands, Chinas nuclear forces, and commissars responsible for aligning the military with CPC ideology. These eight officials are: Miao Hua, a former CMC member in charge of the militarys political, ideology and personnel matters; He Hongjun, Miaos deputy; Wang Xiubin, a former deputy director of the CMC Joint Operations Command Centre; Lin Xiangyang, a former commander of the Eastern Theatre Command; Qin Shutong, a former army political commissar; Yuan Huazhi, a former navy political commissar; Wang Houbin, a former commander of Chinese militarys nuclear arm, the Rocket Force; and Wang Chunning, a former commander of the Chinese police force. Xi to packs CPC top bodies with loyalists again After the latest purge, Xi is expected to appoint as many as 15 to 30 loyalists to CPCs top bodies, according to analysts. They have said that the purge that peaked with the sacking of nine top officials last week will be the biggest in decades. In addition to these confirmed dismissals, 17 other senior military and civilian officials have not appeared at recent major events, fuelling speculation that they may also be removed during the conference, according to ABC News. While the 2017 purge saw the replacement of 15 Central Committee members, current estimates suggest that the 2025 campaign could surpass that figure, potentially making it the largest such political shake-up in the partys modern era, Jonathan Ping, a China expert at Bond University, told Australias ABC News. Ping said the shake-up would tighten Xis grip on Chinas elites. While anti-corruption remains a stated goal, the timing and targets suggest political motives especially the removal of rivals or those losing favour. The campaign has evolved from cleaning up graft to controlling dissent and reinforcing Xis dominance, said Ping. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Moreover, the timing of such moves is critical as 2027 is approaching. The US intelligence community has assessed that Xi has ordered the Chinese military to ready itself for the invasion and occupation Taiwan by 2027. Zelenskyy and European leaders have accused Russian President Putin of stalling in peace talks and rejected any plan requiring Ukraine to give up territory. They also reaffirmed using Russias frozen assets to support Kyiv, while welcoming US efforts to pursue diplomacy. US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with European leaders at the White House for negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine. Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Union allies on Tuesday (October 21) are weighing a new peace proposal that calls for a ceasefire along the current line of contact as a first step towards broader truce negotiations. The initiative comes amid their accusations that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using diplomacy to stall the war, while Kyiv rejects any plan that would force it to cede territory. European leaders back Trumps ceasefire call In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, European and Ukrainian leaders backed US President Donald Trumps call for an immediate halt to fighting, while stressing that Kyiv must enter any peace talks from a position of strength. The statement signed by the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and top EU officials marked a coordinated European response to Trumps renewed push for a peace deal to end the three-year war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We are all united in our desire for a just and lasting peace, deserved by the people of Ukraine, the leaders said. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations. They reaffirmed a key condition for any settlement, We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. EU leaders accuse Moscow of blocking progress The statement also signed by Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused Moscow of obstructing peace efforts. Russias stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace, it said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. The leaders also welcomed Trumps diplomatic efforts ahead of his planned meeting with Putin in Budapest, while underscoring the need to uphold Ukraines sovereignty. Trumps shifting stance on Ukraine war Trump, who had previously suggested Ukraine might have to surrender land, appeared to soften his position after recent talks with both Putin and Zelenskyy, urging both sides to stop where they are in the ongoing conflict. On Monday, he said that while Ukraine could eventually defeat Russia, he now doubts that outcome. Kyiv rejects land-for-peace deal Russia currently controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, but Kyiv insists that any deal trading land for peace is unacceptable. Officials warn that freezing the conflict along current lines could allow Moscow to regroup and launch future offensives. The joint statement, issued by leaders from Ukraine, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark, and EU officials, comes at the start of what Zelenskyy described as a very active week in diplomacy. Sanctions and coalition talks ahead An EU summit in Brussels on Thursday is expected to discuss additional sanctions on Russia, aimed at tightening pressure on its economy and defence industry. Meanwhile, the Coalition of the Willing a 35-nation group supporting Ukraine will meet in London on Friday to coordinate further action. Meta has announced a range of new anti-scam tools and awareness initiatives across WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram, aimed at helping users particularly senior citizens stay safe from online fraud and cyber scams. Anti-Scam Tools and Features Meta is enhancing its platforms with tools to detect and prevent scams while educating users about online threats: WhatsApp: Users will now receive warnings when attempting to share their screens with unknown contacts during video calls. This helps prevent scammers from tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information, including bank details or verification codes. Messenger: Advanced AI-based scam detection is being tested. When a suspicious message is sent by a new contact, users are alerted and can optionally submit recent chat messages for AI review. Detected scams trigger guidance on common fraud types and recommended actions, such as blocking or reporting the account. Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp: Users can set up Passkeys to securely sign in using fingerprint, face, or PIN authentication. Facebook and Instagram: The Security Checkup tool allows users to review and strengthen security settings, including password updates. On WhatsApp, the Privacy Checkup guides users through critical privacy settings such as who can add them to groups. Collaboration to Protect Users Meta works with law enforcement and industry partners to tackle scams that often span multiple platforms. In India, Meta has collaborated with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to expand the Scams Se Bacho campaign. This initiative features multilingual video content for senior citizens, educating them to recognize, avoid, and report online scams. Meta also supports Saksham Senior, which provides older adults in India with accessible resources on digital safety, scam prevention, and technology use. Learning sessions are conducted in senior living homes, RWAs, clubs, and online platforms across major cities. Action Against Scam Networks Meta continues to identify and disrupt global scam networks. In H1 2025, the company detected and blocked approximately 8 million accounts linked to scam centers in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the UAE, and the Philippines. Additionally, Meta acted against over 21,000 Pages and accounts impersonating customer support services to obtain sensitive user information. Safety Recommendations for Older Adults Meta shared practical tips to avoid common online scams: Be cautious with unsolicited calls or messages. Never share personal or financial information like account numbers or PINs in response to unexpected communication. Legitimate companies or government agencies will not ask for such information unexpectedly. Pause and verify. Scammers often create urgency or secrecy. Confirm information with trusted contacts before responding. Use official channels. Contact companies through verified hotlines or websites. Avoid clicking links in emails or texts and refrain from posting complaints publicly, as scammers may exploit them. Outlook According to the FBIs 2024 Internet Crime Report, people aged 60 and above in the US lost $4.8 billion to fraud in 2024. As scams targeting older adults continue to evolve, Metas global anti-scam initiatives, awareness campaigns, and safety tools aim to help seniors recognize, avoid, and report online fraud. 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. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre participated in Gaza summit in Egypt Government of Norway News story | Date: 14/10/2025 'Today's meeting brings real hope of an end to the suffering in Gaza, even though the path to peace is still long. Today's exchange of hostages and prisoners is an important step towards peace. It has been deeply moving to see the pictures of hostages being reunited with their families and loved ones, while at the same time many Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre. The summit brought together leaders from more than 20 countries as part of the effort to bring peace to the Middle East. The aim is to secure a permanent end to the war between Israel and Hamas and lay the foundation for stability and peace between Israel and Palestine. 'Today's meeting shows that we are now entering a new phase. This will require a lot of work from a lot of people, and Norway will do its part. There is now genuine hope that the suffering in Gaza can be brought to an end, but there is still a long way to go to achieve lasting peace and stability and a return to normal daily life for the people of Gaza,' said Mr Stre. Prime Minister Stre added that it is vital to safeguard the security of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, who are under severe pressure. Acknowledging the role of the US 'I would like to pay tribute to the US and President Donald Trump, who laid the foundation for this breakthrough between Israel and Hamas. I would also like to acknowledge the important contributions of Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye. It is vital that all parties now respect and honour the agreement,' said Mr Stre. 'The fact that the countries in the region are united behind the peace agreement and the planned next steps offers hope of lasting peace. It is crucial that the ceasefire is respected, that humanitarian aid can reach the many who need it, and that we quickly begin to restore basic services such as access to electricity and clean water,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. Important talks in Egypt Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre and Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide took part in the summit on Gaza in Sharm El-Sheikh together with US President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a number of other international leaders the Middle East and Europe in particular. The meeting in Sharm El-Sheik was hosted by President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. 'It is important that Norway is represented at this meeting. Norway has maintained a broad engagement in promoting peace in the Middle East, and we have long experience of chairing the international donor group for Palestine (AHLC) and of providing political support to the Palestinian Authority. Norway also has long experience as a humanitarian actor that we can bring to this process,' said Mr Stre. Mr Stre and Mr Eide have also held bilateral talks with a number of European leaders and leaders from the region during today's meeting in Egypt. Numerous challenges remain The exchange of hostages and prisoners is a first step towards peace. Prime Minister Stre pointed out that the parties will face formidable tasks in the time ahead. 'There is still a long way to go before there is lasting peace. Israel's occupation both in Gaza and the West Bank must cease, and steps must be taken to enable the Palestinian Government to govern the whole of Palestine. In the next phase there will be a number of key issues that must be dealt with, not least relating to the governance of Gaza. Norway will do what it can to promote stability, increase cooperation and facilitate reconstruction. In this context it will be crucial to strengthen the Palestinian institutions,' said Mr Stre. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NZ Army proves evacuation capabilities in Marlborough exercise New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Army has tested its ability to rapidly conduct an evacuation of non-combatants during an exercise in Marlborough, successfully proving a vital high-readiness capability of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). 14 October, 2025 Successfully evacuating non-combatants from a deteriorating security environment is one of the high-stakes responsibilities of the NZ Army's high readiness unit. On Sunday, as part of Exercise Cassino, more than 170 civilians and NZDF evacuee role players were evacuated from the fictional country of the Democratic Republic of Motumatihi, affected by unrest and commercial flights unavailable. Under those circumstances, countries from around the world were required to evacuate citizens using Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO). The NEO is conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade utilising NZDF assets and personnel to provide security and support. The aim of Exercise Cassino was to test the NZ Army's ability to quickly project to a location and navigate a number of complicated logistical challenges to get people to safety. "The team performed very well on the NEO task," said Commanding Officer 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (RNZIR) Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Mateparae. "Good preparation, planning, orders and rehearsals set them up well and all of the involved elements operated effectively together, which was great to see." The NZ Army contingent was made up of soldiers from 2/1 RNZIR with additional support provided by the NZ Army's Female Engagement Team, Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Security Force section, and logistical support from 3rd Combat Services Support Battalion and medical enablers from the Joint Support Group. Evacuees were processed, screened and supported throughout the scenario, and in a real-world scenario would have been ready to embark on a RNZAF C-130J-30 Hercules to be returned to New Zealand. "In recent years there haven't been many large-scale training activities incorporating a full NEO and including key team members from the RNZAF, Female Engagement Team and our high-readiness elements," Lieutenant Colonel Mateparae said. "Recent global events have demonstrated this is a key skill that is required and a very likely mission set for NZDF personnel to be involved in." The evacuation was one of the early milestones within a key exercise testing the NZ Army's high readiness unit across the top of the South Island, with Exercise Cassino set to continue until October 24 across Blenheim, Seddon, Havelock, Ward, Dip Flat and the Howard Valley within the St Arnaud area. Scenarios will include conventional combat operations including clearances, raids, and deliberate attacks, and will be supported by NZ Army Engineers and helicopters from the RNZAF's No. 3 Squadron for both water- and aerial-insertions. "With the global security environment becoming increasingly volatile, ensuring our team are good to go when called upon, provides assurance that we are ready," Lieutenant Colonel Mateparae said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Underwater structures in Bajo de Masinloc being verified - Navy Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno October 14, 2025, 6:35 pm Updated on October 14, 2025, 6:37 pm MANILA -- The Philippine Navy (PN) said Tuesday it has received reports of underwater structures in Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and is verifying them. "We have received reports of certain structures underwater, which we are verifying," PN spokesperson for the WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo. Trinidad noted that in 1997, the PN successfully stopped an "attempt" by China to build a steel structure in the area. "In the past, in 1997, there was an attempt to erect a steel structure by the Chinese Communist Party, which was blown up by our PN forces," he said. Trinidad also said previous reported sightings of building blocks in Bajo de Masinloc turned out to be structures placed as targets at the time when US forces still had bases in the country. "Upon further checking, these were blocks that were installed during the time of the presence of US bases when Bajo de Masinloc was still as a bombing range by the US Air Force, the US Navy, and I believe by the Philippine Air Force," he said. The Chinese government last month said its State Council has approved the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources' request to establish a reserve in Bajo de Masinloc, which it plans to call the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve. The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, strongly protested China's plan, pointing out that only Manila can put up a marine protected area in Bajo de Masinloc, which is also called Scarborough Shoal. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navy units on Pag-asa Island 'alerted' amid harassment incident Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno October 14, 2025, 6:12 pm MANILA -- A ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official on Tuesday said naval units on Pag-asa Island were "alerted" over the weekend following the ramming of a Philippine vessel by Chinese maritime forces. "They were alerted should the situation escalate, but after a few minutes the situation deescalated," PN spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. Before the ramming incident on Sunday, the China Coast Guard vessel used a water cannon against BRP Pagbuaya, which belongs to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). The Philippine vessel was anchored at the territorial waters of Pag-asa Island as part of government efforts to protect Filipino fishermen in the area. Trinidad said there were military staff and naval assets on Pag-asa Island at the time of the incident, which took place some 1.6 to 1.8 nautical miles away from the area. "We have contingency plans for almost any eventuality," Trinidad said when asked for PN's possible actions should Chinese ships move closer to the island following Sunday's incident. "We don't go into the details of these plans but everything has been factored in and we could respond appropriately," he added. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US reaffirms MDT coverage after latest Chinese ramming near Pag-asa Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora October 14, 2025, 10:58 am MANILA -- The United States government has condemned China's ramming and water cannoning of Philippine vessels near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea. In a statement Tuesday, US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas Pigott reaffirmed Washington, DC's commitments to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and reiterated that its coverage extends to armed attacks on any Philippine vessel, including the Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea. "We stand with our Philippine allies as they confront China's dangerous actions, which undermine regional stability," he said. "China's sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea and its increasingly coercive actions to advance them at the expense of its neighbors continue to undermine regional stability and fly in the face of its prior commitments to resolve disputes peacefully." The statement came a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned the Philippines against "challenging" its acts to protect its sweeping claims over the South China Sea. Three Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels were safely anchored in the territorial waters of Pag-asa Island on Sunday when they were subjected to dangerous and provocative maneuvers from the China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia vessels. At about 8:15 a.m., the Chinese maritime forces approached dangerously close, activating their water cannons as a clear threat against the BFAR vessels. PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said the situation escalated at approximately 9:15 a.m. when CCG vessel with bow number 21559 fired its water cannon directly at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, hitting the vessel. Just 3 minutes later, at 9:18 a.m., the same CCG vessel deliberately rammed the stern of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, causing minor structural damage but no injuries to the crew. The three Filipino vessels were positioned near the feature to provide protection for Filipino fishermen as part of the Philippine government's "Kadiwa para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda" (KBBM). (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press release on the change of President in the Republic of Peru 14 October 2025 18:09 1697-14-10-2025 On the night of October 10, President of the Republic of Peru Dina Boluarte was reported to have been removed from office following a vote on impeachment by the nation's Congress. The decision, as noted, was approved by an overwhelming majority of lawmakers due to her government's failure to ensure public security amid escalating crime and violence. In accordance with the Constitution of Peru, the presidency has been assumed by President of Congress Jose Jeri, who is to lead the country until the presidential elections scheduled for April 12 of the coming year. The Republic of Peru has long stood as one of Russia's principal partners in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region (diplomatic relations between the two nations have surpassed the 160-year mark). Moscow advocates a principled and non-politicised bilateral relationship free from external interference grounded in equality and sovereignty, pragmatism and mutual consideration of national interests, as well as respect for the fundamental principles of international law. Russia regards the transition of power in Peru as an internal matter of that country. We wish the new leader every success in addressing the pressing challenges facing the Republic. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM statement on the release of the bodies of the deceased hostages Press release Prime Minister Keir Starmer's statement on the release of the bodies of the deceased hostages. From: Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP Published 14 October 2025 The release of the bodies of the deceased hostages is a profoundly difficult moment for the families who have endured terrible and protracted pain over the last two years at the hands of Hamas. The loss of Yossi Sharabi will be felt deeply by his family, after Hamas so cruelly drew out their horror and denied them the right to grieve. I know from meeting his family just how loved Yossi was, and how devastating this ordeal has been. My thoughts are with them, and all of the hostage families. Hamas must now return the remaining deceased hostages and honour the terms of the ceasefire. Moving forward, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure the next phase of the peace plan is implemented in full. 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 14 October 2025 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Guest Today and Tomorrow In a short while, you will hear from our regularly scheduled guest Roberto Benes, UNICEF's (United Nations Children's Fund) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. He will join us from Haiti to brief on the situation there. And then, tomorrow, we will be joined by Jean Martin Bauer, WFP's (World Food Programme) Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis, who will provide an overview of WFP's report entitled, "A lifeline At Risk". And, we will also be joined by Ross Smith, WFP's Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, who will focus on the six countries that are at most critical risk this year as a result of funding cuts. Both of our guests tomorrow will join the briefing virtually. ** Secretary-General's Travel The Secretary-General is now on his way back to New York, after he attended the Sharm El Sheikh Summit for Ending the War in Gaza. During the conference, the Secretary-General had conversations with a number of key interlocutors regarding the UN increasing its humanitarian efforts in Gaza. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tells us that since the ceasefire plan came into effect, the UN and our humanitarian partners have been able to move more freely across parts of Gaza from which Israeli forces have withdrawn, without coordination with Israeli authorities. This improved access has allowed partners to scale up the response to the most urgent needs. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that within 24 hours of the ceasefire, an emergency medical team was deployed to Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, and eight trucks carrying medical supplies entered the Strip, including insulin, lab supplies and essential medicine. WHO teams also reached the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis to retrieve cancer and other life-saving medications, as well as intensive care unit equipment including incubators, ventilators and patient monitors and transferred them to Nasser Hospital, also in Khan Younis. The UN and our humanitarian partners have also installed a solar panel for a desalination unit in Deir al Balah, as well as new telecommunications hardware to improve connectivity for affected people and humanitarian operations. Efforts to clear debris from roads, particularly those leading to crossing points, are also underway. Since yesterday, the Israeli authorities facilitated four UN-led missions to collect medical, health and shelter supplies from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings. The UN and our partners are also assessing people's needs in areas that had previously been inaccessible so that we can adjust our response efforts. Today, an OCHA team visited one of these areas, the Al Kateeba neighbourhood in Khan Younis. They reported extensive destruction, with large amounts of rubble visible throughout. Our partners have begun clearing main roads to facilitate movement and humanitarian access within the area. The UN and our partners will continue scaling up operations under our 60-day response plan to reach as many people as possible with life-saving assistance. Much more can be done, and for this to happen, as we said, we need more crossings to open, as well as the sustained entry of fuel and cooking gas; security guarantees for convoys; basic infrastructure to be restored; protection of humanitarian workers; the facilitation of NGO (non-governmental organization) access, including through ensuring they are not de-registered; and the rapid injection of funding to support humanitarian operations. ** Gaza/Mine Action And we have an update from our colleagues at the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) on the severe threat from unexploded ordinance in Gaza. As hundreds of thousands of displaced people and humanitarian workers move through affected areas following the ceasefire, the risk of encountering these deadly remnants of war is high. UNMAS and its partners are working tirelessly to protect communities and stand ready to facilitate humanitarian scale-up and mitigate explosive ordnance risks. Since October 2023, UNMAS has identified more than 550 explosive ordnance items in areas they have been able to access, though the full extent of contamination in Gaza is still unknown. Partners are also delivering risk education for communities since 2023, especially children, and training humanitarian and construction workers to operate safely. Their work is critical to saving lives and enabling aid to reach those in need. Additionally, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Officers evaluate debris along roads and within damaged buildings to determine whether areas are safe to clear. Their guidance and technical expertise are crucial for mitigating explosive ordnance risks during these high-risk operations. ** Global Humanitarian Funding On the humanitarian funding front, our colleagues from OCHA warn that with fewer than three months left in the year, our appeal to meet global humanitarian needs in 2025 is less than a quarter funded. As of the end of September, just 21 per cent or nearly $9.6 billion of the more than $45.3 billion needed to support life-saving action around the world this year had been received. This is a staggering decrease of over 40 per cent compared to the same time last year. OCHA stresses that these funding gaps are having devastating consequences for millions leaving people without healthcare, families without food, and children without education. In Afghanistan, more than 420 health facilities have closed this year, forcing 3 million people to go without critical care. In Somalia, food aid had to be slashed meaning that only 350,000 people will receive support in November, compared to 1.1 million people in August. And in Bangladesh, half a million Rohingya refugee children have lost access to education in Cox's Bazar. We and our partners are doing all we can to reach as many vulnerable people as possible with the limited funding available. You'll recall that in June, OCHA launched a hyper-prioritized global appeal within this year's broader Global Humanitarian Overview a plan that aims to meet the most urgent needs of 114 million people. OCHA also calls on donors to step up their investment in humanitarian aid. At a time when global needs are immense, more support is critical to saving lives. ** Ukraine Moving to Ukraine: Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that a UN humanitarian convoy came under attack today in the Kherson region while delivering medicine, hygiene items and shelter materials to the front-line town of Bilozerka. The town, heavily impacted by the war, had not received assistance for months. The inter-agency convoy of four humanitarian trucks, clearly marked and led by OCHA, was hit by drones while offloading supplies, with two WFP trucks set on fire. Luckily, no humanitarian workers were injured. The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack by the Russian Federation Armed Forces, stressing that such attacks are a gross violation of international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, authorities report that hostilities yesterday killed five civilians and injured nearly 30 others nationwide. The heaviest impact was recorded in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions, where homes, a hospital and a church were damaged. Evacuations of civilians from front-line areas continue, with more than 200 people, including 40 children, having been moved yesterday. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, civilian casualties rose by more than 30 per cent in 2025 compared with last year. In September alone, 214 civilians were killed and 916 injured, mostly near the front line in the Donetsk and Kherson regions. Short-range drones caused nearly one third of all casualties, while long-range missile and drone strikes accounted for another 30 per cent. Attacks on energy infrastructure increased by 15 per cent month-on-month, including 12 incidents in Kherson region. ** Lebanon Moving to the situation in Southern Lebanon: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continues to monitor and report violations of resolution 1701 in its area of operations. Peacekeepers yesterday found an unauthorized weapons cache in Sector East including a tunnel and bunker with a rocket launcher, rockets and fuses. Meanwhile, UNIFIL continues to report Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military presence and activities in the area of operations. Yesterday the peacekeepers observed an Israeli battle tank firing heavy machine gun bursts and smoke shells across the Blue Line in the Markaba area in Sector East. Also, since yesterday, UNIFIL's Maritime Task Force has been conducting a training exercise with Lebanese Navy cadets, who will remain aboard a Maritime Task Force vessel until the end of the week, enhancing their skills in carrying out maritime operations. ** Deputy Secretary-General's Travels The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Brasilia, Brazil, to attend the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting (Pre-COP) for the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30). In her opening remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General acknowledged the potential of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as engines of climate-smart development and growth but warned that current commitments remain insufficient to keep global warming below the 1.5C threshold. Looking ahead to COP30, she emphasized that climate adaptation must be central to the outcome, including support for national plans, prioritization of public finance for adaptation particularly for least development countries and small island development States and scaling up innovative solutions. She underscored that climate action must become the defining driver of sustainable development in this decade. At Pre-COP, the Deputy Secretary-General will meet with Heads of Delegation from negotiating parties and senior Brazilian Government officials. Discussions will focus on NDCs, preparations for COP30, and strengthening cooperation between countries and the United Nations on climate action. She is expected to return to New York tomorrow. ** Libya Hanna Tetteh, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya, briefed the Security Council this morning on the UN-facilitated political road map which aims to unify Libya's state institutions, preserve and strengthen the unity of the country, as well as renew their legitimacy through presidential and legislative elections. She told Council members that Libya cannot afford continued delays or disruptions in the completion of the roadmap. She called on all Libyan leaders to engage constructively in their efforts to ensure that the first steps in the roadmap are completed, to allow for the preparations towards elections. Ms. Tetteh encouraged Libyan leaders to work with the UN Mission, UNSMIL, which is ready for discussion and constructive engagement to achieve the stated objectives of the roadmap. Should UNSMIL's current engagement fail to reach sufficient consensus to move forward with the roadmap implementation, the Mission will adopt an alternative approach and seek the support of the Security Council to advance the Libyan political transition to reach a meaningful conclusion. ** Democratic Republic of the Congo Our peacekeeping colleagues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo welcome the signing of the Joint Verification Mechanism on 14 October 2025 in Doha by representatives of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Movement of March 23 (AFC/M23). This development marks a significant step forward in efforts to de-escalate tensions and advance the peace process in eastern DRC. Facilitated by the State of Qatar, with the support of the United States and the African Union, the mechanism aims to ensure compliance with the ceasefire and to create conditions conducive to addressing the root causes of the conflict through inclusive dialogue. MONUSCO (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) commends the spirit of cooperation and mutual commitment demonstrated by the parties and underscores the importance of constructive engagement to restore lasting peace and stability in the region. The Mission also welcomes the call for broad-based support from the Congolese people, civil society, religious leaders, and the media to amplify messages of peace, reconciliation, and hope. The Mission urges all stakeholders to seize this opportunity to advance the peace process, with the protection of civilians remaining central to all efforts. ** Questions and Answers Deputy Spokesman : So, are there any questions for me before we get to our guests? Yes, Edie? Question : Thank you, Farhan. A couple of follow-ups. First, are there any figures on the number of trucks that entered Gaza on Monday? We got the Sunday figure, but not the Monday figure. Deputy Spokesman : So what we can say is that COGAT informed us that 817 trucks were offloaded in Gaza on Sunday. We don't have a figure for Monday. As far as we know and as I believe Olga [Cherevko] just told you, we can confirm that crossings are not open today for the entry of supplies from the Israeli side, but we are collecting supplies from within Gaza today. Question : Secondly, on the convoy that was attacked in Ukraine, you said the trucks were hit by drones. Were any of the supplies salvageable? Deputy Spokesman : I will need to check and make sure. As far as I know, not all the supplies were lost. And like I said, none of the aid workers was injured, which we are thankful for. Question : And thirdly, Israel is reportedly cutting in half the amount of aid entering Gaza because of the slow release of the bodies of hostages. Does the United Nations have any comment on that? Deputy Spokesman : Well, we've seen the formal communication from COGAT. You know, and I would echo what Olga just said that we encourage all parties to adhere to the parameters and agreements set out in the ceasefire. We hope the remains of all deceased hostages will be returned and that the implementation of the ceasefire agreement will move forward. Dezhi? Question : A couple of follow-ups, as well. First, Secretary-General was in Egypt. He met with world leaders. Can you give us more details? You just said, like, one or two sentences just now. Deputy Spokesman : Yes. I mean, I know that one of the things you were asking about is whether he met with President [Donald] Trump. And yes, that was one of the world leaders he did meet with. But he met with a number of them and did discuss, like I said, our humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Question : Just humanitarian efforts in Gaza? No other things? No two-State solution? No others? Deputy Spokesman : I'm sure other topics came up, but that was the basic point of what he was talking about. [cross-talk] Question : What is the reaction from the Secretary-General in that peace summit, that Israel as well as Hamas were not there? Deputy Spokesman : The Secretary-General appreciates the efforts by those who were attending to move forward in terms of assistance for the people of Gaza, to move forward in making sure that the ceasefire is a lasting one, and he appreciates all of these as steps forward towards the progress on a two-State solution. Question : Yes. one last question. This question is not concerning Gaza. Madagascar's military announced that they have already taken charge of that country after the President fled abroad. Any comments from the Secretary-General on the latest development in Madagascar? Deputy Spokesman : Well, certainly, we would be concerned about any unconstitutional change of power in Madagascar, but we'll continue to monitor the developments there. The Secretary-General, as you know, has called on all Malagasy stakeholders to work together to reach a peaceful settlement to the ongoing crisis and its root causes. Lenka? Question : Thank you, Farhan. A follow-up on Dezhi's question. Was Ukraine discussed between President Trump and Secretary-General? Deputy Spokesman : I'm not aware of whether that came up. I'll have to wait for our colleague, Stephane [Dujarric], to come back. Question : And one more question, unrelated. Today, American activist Charlie Kirk would be 32 years old, and he will be awarded the Medal of Freedom. How does the UN view... what would you think should be implemented so that this violence against such people doesn't repeat? And do you honour such political leaders? Thank you. Deputy Spokesman : Well, all I can really say on that, beyond what we already said at the time of his killing, is that we stand against any sort of political violence in this country or indeed anywhere. Islam? Question : Thank you, Farhan. According to the reports, since the ceasefire has begun, Israel's soldiers has killed at least nine Palestinians who are trying to return their home in Northern Gaza. Do we have any reaction to that? Do we have any concern about the violation of ceasefire? Deputy Spokesman : Well, as I just told Edie, we want all parties to adhere to the parameters and agreements set out in the ceasefire, and we believe that they should do that. And of course, we stand for the right of all people to be able to return to their homes. Gabriel? Question : You, Farhan. I just want to make sure I understand this letter from COGAT to make sure I have all the facts correct. The UN received this letter from COGAT, correct? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Question : And when did it receive it? Deputy Spokesman : I believe it was today. Olga commented on this at the start of the briefing. Question : Yes. It's just I wanted to clarify to make sure that I understood correctly. And it's the UN's understanding that as of Wednesday, Israel will cut in half the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza. Is that your understanding? Deputy Spokesman : We are aware of what COGAT has said. We certainly want as much aid as possible to go in. And like I said, we're asking all of the parties to adhere to their agreements so that both the deceased hostages will be returned and that the other aspects of the implementation of the ceasefire, including regarding humanitarian aid, will be followed. Question : And the border crossings being closed by Israel today, does that have to do with the letter, or is that separate, as far as you know? Deputy Spokesman : You would have to ask the Israelis. Question : Farhan, thanks. Back to Madagascar, I note your statement, you talked about the peaceful and consensual solutions that the SG is urging stakeholders to take. There have been major developments in the last 24 hours. The President has fled the country. The military is asserting itself, having taken control. There's a coup under way in Madagascar. Can your statement align with the developments on the ground? Deputy Spokesman : Well, we're trying to see exactly what happens when once the dust has settled. Obviously, if there is a coup under way, we would stand against that. We are concerned about any unconstitutional changes of power. From our standpoint as the UN, we're ready to collaborate with Madagascar, along with the African Union and the Southern African Development Corporation, for the restoration of peace and stability in the country. Yes. Please, Alex? Question : Thanks, Farhan. I have a quick follow-up on Ukraine. You said that UN convoy was attacked by Russian drones. Have you been in touch with the Russian side on that? Deputy Spokesman : I believe our colleagues on the ground are in touch. Matthias Schmale put out a statement on this, and I would refer you to what he said, but he is also reaching out to the authorities on the ground. And with that, let me turn to our guest, who is Roberto Benes, the UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and The Caribbean, who is joining from Haiti. Welcome. We can see on the camera. Please, Mr. Benes, the floor is yours. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Geneva Palais briefing on the situation of children in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh UNICEF Remarks This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Director of Private Fundraising and Partnerships, Carla Haddad Mardini - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva 14 October 2025 GENEVA, 14 October 2025 - "Good morning and thank you for your time. "Right now, in the refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, in Bangladesh, a funding crisis is threatening to erase years of progress for Rohingya children. Classrooms are closing, services are shrinking, and the futures of hundreds of thousands of children are hanging by a thread. "Last week, I was there and saw how deeply the global funding gap is hurting children. UNICEF and our partners are doing everything possible to stretch every dollar, but we are running out of options. Education, water, sanitation and hygiene assistance are among the hardest hit. "Protection services for women and children in the world's largest refugee camp are being interrupted just as risks are increasing. Recent data shows a staggering reality for children, with 685 cases of child recruitment by armed groups reported this year, more than five times the total recorded for all of 2024. And the year is not yet over. "Indications are that the situation will be even more dire next year. The overall Rohingya response faces what we call a funding cliff in early 2026, with worst-case projections suggesting that already insufficient contributions could fall by half. Even with efficiencies, integration and localization saving tens of millions of dollars, no amount of cost-cutting can offset such a steep decline. "Across the camps, Kindergarten and grade one learning facilities remain closed, denying education toyoung children. Youth vocational centres are shuttering, leaving adolescents vulnerable to recruitment, exploitation and rising insecurity. "These are not abstract numbers. They are warnings. A leaner, more efficient response cannot replace the resources needed to sustain life-saving services. "In the camps, I met 14-year-old Salma, one of only three girls in a class of eighteen. She told me how proud she was to finally study the Myanmar curriculum, something her parents once thought impossible. That progress came only through years of engagement and trust-building within the community, but it is now at risk. "Faced with impossible choices, UNICEF prioritized reopening classes for adolescents like Salma, both for their education and for their protection. When adolescents have no safe place to go, they face heightened risks of child labor, early marriage and exploitation. "Last week, we were able to reopen classes for younger children, a moment of hope. Yet kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms remain closed, and whether we can sustain existing programmes next year is uncertain. For children who have already lost their homes, friends and sense of normalcy, this uncertainty is devastating. "Fifteen-year-old Mohammad told me that when his school closed, he thought it would never reopen. He stayed home to help his ageing parents and care for his siblings. "Each morning, I watch other children walk to school," he said. "It feels like my childhood has ended." "Across the camps, families feel the same despair. Mothers at UNICEF-supported nutrition centres spoke of reduced food assistance and shortages of soap and clean water. Childhood diseases and malnutrition are rising fast. Severe acute malnutrition among children is now at its highest level since the height of the crisis in 2017. "This is not solely an education emergency. It is a child protection and survival crisis. It is a test of our collective will. Without predictable and flexible funding, we will see more children out of school and malnourished, more girls forced into early marriage, and more young people losing hope in the future. "UNICEF will stay and deliver, but our ability to do so depends entirely on voluntary funding. I left Bangladesh more convinced than ever that strong, predictable partnerships, both public and private, are essential to sustain hope for these children. Because children are not a cost; they are the world's best investment. "Thank you." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza: $70 billion needed to rebuild shattered enclave, says UN 14 October 2025 - Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid is getting in to meet the needs of desperate Palestinians. At just 41 kilometres long (25.4 miles) and two to five kilometres wide (1.2 to 3.1 miles), few places in the Gaza Strip had been left unscathed by the constant Israeli bombardment before the latest ceasefire came into effect haltingly last Friday. According to the UN Development Programme Special Representative for the Palestinians, Jaco Cilliers, destruction across the enclave "is now in the region of 84 per cent. In certain parts of Gaza, like in Gaza City, it's even up to 92 per cent." $20 billion needed now Speaking from Jerusalem, the UNDP's Mr. Cilliers highlighted the findings of the latest Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (IRDNA) on Gaza by the UN, the European Union and the World Bank, which estimated the damage at $70 billion. To kickstart the massive operation, some $20 billion will be required in the next three years alone, he told journalists in Geneva. The UN development agency is present in Gaza alongside humanitarian partners to provide immediate support to the enclave's 2.1 million people. This includes providing clean water, emergency employment, medical supplies, solid waste removal and making homes and public spaces safe by clearing rubble potentially hiding unexploded ordnance or the many thousands of missing Palestinians. "We've already removed about 81,000 tonnes. That is about...3,100 truckloads," Mr. Cilliers explained. "The majority of the debris removal is to provide access to humanitarian actors so that they can provide the much-needed aid and support to the people in Gaza. But we also help with hospitals and other social services that need to be cleared of debris." The UNDP official pointed to "very good indications" from potential donors in support of reconstruction from Arab States, but also from European nations and the United States "which has also indicated that they are going to be coming in supporting some of the early recovery efforts". Immediate aid essential Important as reconstruction is for Gaza's long-term future, UN humanitarians once again clamoured for the Israeli authorities to open all access points into Gaza, after the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages were freed on Monday and Palestinian prisoners were released from Israel. The development followed the signing of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel signed on Monday evening in Sharm El-Sheikh by US President Donald Trump, and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye. Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the release of all living hostages from Gaza, two years since they were among some 250 taken during Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023. Gaza City testimony Speaking to UN News from Gaza, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) aid worker Tess Ingram described the story of one family displaced five times by the war: "I met a family today, Mustafa and Syeda and their children, and they told me that they were among the lucky ones because while Mustafa was pulling rubble out from the building, that is their home, at least he said, we have a home." The family was relieved on Monday at the appearance of a water truck, Ms. Imgram told us: "But they live in fear that truck might not turn up today or tomorrow. She also can't get the medicine she needs and her sons had to walk a really long way today just to buy the basics that she needed to make some bread. "Families need absolutely everything right now. We need the hundreds of trucks a day that were promised to get into the Gaza Strip." Hostage remains On Tuesday, the focus shifted to the transfer from Gaza of all deceased hostages, an extremely difficult process overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It remains unclear how many deceased hostages will be transferred by Hamas. "When it comes to the living hostages or Palestinian detainees - and believe me that's a big issue for us - we actually don't know, we know that we have to be ready," said ICRC spokesperson Christian Cardon, adding that the complex search is getting underway today. In the meantime, needs in Gaza remain enormous and "fluid", aid teams report, with more than 300,000 Palestinians heading north to Gaza City since Friday, as the ceasefire agreement seemed to hold. "The enthusiasm that came from the international community, from people on the ground that this was the beginning of the end of all the suffering and things would change rapidly, is just not being reflected on the ground, day in and day out. We are not getting enough aid in," said UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson Ricardo Pires. The Israeli authorities have agreed to allow 190,000 tonnes of relief supplies into Gaza and UN agencies and their partners are scaling up operations rapidly, but a far greater amount is needed overall, humanitarian agencies including the UN aid office, OCHA, have said repeatedly. "Of course, we are advocating with everyone, and we were there in Sharm El- Sheikh yesterday as well, with 22 heads of state of government, who we are asking to help us push all buttons you can to get this up and running as soon as possible," said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke. Aid hub carnage Aid teams continue to insist that there needs to be a move away from handing out lifesaving supplies from remote areas including non-UN aid hubs that are difficult to reach and where hundreds of Palestinians have been shot or injured. "Most of the actors - ICRC included - were not able to organize sufficient distribution of aid inside Gaza," said Mr. Cardon. "And what we've seen instead, it's people coming back from distribution sites being wounded, if not killed, in many instances...It's about aid coming to the people and not any more people going to the aid." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Humanitarians call for greater support amid immense needs 14 October 2025 - With the end of the year fast approaching, humanitarians are urging donors to step up support for their operations which remain underfunded due to brutal cuts to aid budgets. The $45.3 billion needed for life-saving activities throughout 2025 was just 21 per cent funded as of September, with nearly $9.6 billion received, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Tuesday. This represents "a staggering decrease of over 40 per cent compared to the same time last year." Health facilities closed, food aid cut OCHA stressed that the funding gaps are having devastating consequences for millions worldwide who are being left without healthcare, food and education. "In Afghanistan, more than 420 health facilities have closed this year, forcing three million people to go without critical care," the agency said. In Somalia, cuts to food aid now mean that only 350,000 people will receive support in November, compared to over a million in August, while half a million Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh have lost access to education. Support saves lives The UN and its humanitarian partners are doing all they can to reach as many vulnerable people as possible with the limited funding available, OCHA said. In June, the agency launched a hyper-prioritised global appeal within the broader 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview that called for $29 million to meet the most urgent needs of 114 million people. "We have been forced into a triage of human survival," UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Coordinator Tom Fletcher said at the time. "Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can with the resources we are given." OCHA called on donors to step up their investment in humanitarian aid, saying "at a time when global needs are immense, more support is critical to saving lives." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, Global Humanitarian Funding UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory UN and partners work to scale up humanitarian response in Gaza OCHA says that since the ceasefire plan came into effect, the UN and its humanitarian partners have been able to move more freely across parts of Gaza from which Israeli forces have withdrawn, without coordination with Israeli authorities. This improved access has allowed partners to scale up the response to the most urgent needs. Briefing the press remotely from Gaza, OCHA Spokesperson Olga Cherevko told journalists that aid workers have wasted no time, with thousands of tons of humanitarian aid and other supplies having entered the Strip over the past three days. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that within 24 hours of the ceasefire, an emergency medical team was deployed to Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza city, and eight trucks carrying medical supplies entered the Strip, including insulin, lab supplies and essential medicine. WHO teams also reached the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis to retrieve cancer and other life-saving medications, as well as intensive care unit equipment - including incubators, ventilators and patient monitors - and transferred them to Nasser Hospital, also in Khan Younis. The UN and its humanitarian partners have also installed a solar panel for a desalination unit in Deir al Balah, as well as new telecommunications hardware to improve connectivity for affected people and humanitarian operations. Efforts to clear debris from roads, particularly those leading to crossing points, are also underway. Since yesterday, the Israeli authorities facilitated four UN-led missions to collect medical, health and shelter supplies from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings. The UN and its partners are also assessing people's needs in areas that had previously been inaccessible so that they can adjust their response efforts. Today, an OCHA team visited one of these areas, the Al Kateeba neighbourhood in Khan Younis. They reported extensive destruction, with large amounts of rubble visible throughout. Partners have begun clearing main roads to facilitate movement and humanitarian access within the area. Before October 2023, about 17,000 people lived in Al Kateeba. Community members expressed their eagerness to re-establish makeshift shelters near their damaged homes. Residents told OCHA's team that clearing roads, leveling land, restoring water access and receiving shelter support are essential first steps to enable people's safe return and recovery. The UN and its partners will continue scaling up operations under their 60-day response plan to reach as many people as possible with life-saving assistance. Much more can be done, and for this to happen, the humanitarian community needs more crossings to open, as well as the sustained entry of fuel and cooking gas; security guarantees for convoys; basic infrastructure to be restored; protection of humanitarian workers; the facilitation of NGO access, including through ensuring they are not de-registered; and the rapid injection of funding to support humanitarian operations*. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support. Ukraine UN Relief Chief condemns attack on humanitarian convoy The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, described today's attack on a UN humanitarian convoy in the Kherson region as an unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law. OCHA reports that the aid convoy was struck while delivering medicine, hygiene items and shelter materials to the front-line town of Bilozerka. The town, heavily impacted by the war, had not received assistance for months. The UN convoy - clearly marked and led by OCHA - was hit by drones while offloading supplies, with two trucks set on fire. No humanitarian workers were injured. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack by the Russian Federation Armed Forces, stressing that such attacks are a gross violation of international humanitarian law. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission reports that civilian casualties rose by more than 30 per cent in 2025 compared with last year. In September alone, 214 civilians were killed and 916 injured, mostly near the front line in the Donetsk and Kherson regions. Short-range drones caused nearly one third of all casualties, while long-range missile and drone strikes accounted for another 30 per cent. Attacks on energy infrastructure increased by 15 per cent month-on-month, including 12 incidents in the Kherson region. Meanwhile, authorities report that hostilities yesterday killed five civilians and injured nearly 30 others nationwide. The heaviest impact was recorded in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions - where homes, a hospital and a church were damaged. In the region of Krovohradsky, strikes left several areas without power. Evacuations of civilians from front-line areas continue, with more than 200 people - including 40 children - having been moved yesterday. Global Humanitarian Funding Brutal aid cuts exact devastating toll on people in need OCHA warns that with fewer than three months left in the year, the 2025 appeal to meet global humanitarian needs is less than a quarter funded. As of the end of September, just 21 per cent - or nearly US$9.6 billion - of the more than $45.3 billion needed to support life-saving action around the world this year had been received. This is a staggering decrease of over 40 per cent compared to the same time last year. OCHA stresses that these funding gaps are having devastating consequences for millions - leaving people without healthcare, families without food, and children without education. In Afghanistan, more than 420 health facilities have closed this year, forcing 3 million people to go without critical care. In Somalia, food aid had to be slashed - meaning that only 350,000 people will receive support in November, compared to 1.1 million in August. And in Bangladesh, half a million Rohingya refugee children have lost access to education in Cox's Bazar. The UN and its partners are doing all they can to reach as many vulnerable people as possible with the limited funding available. In June, OCHA launched a hyper-prioritized global appeal within this year's broader Global Humanitarian Overview - a plan that aims to meet the most urgent needs of 114 million people. OCHA also calls on donors to step up their investment in humanitarian aid. At a time when global needs are immense, more support is critical to save lives. Posted on 14 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In the early hours of 15 October 2025, Afghan Taliban resorted to cowardly attack at four locations in Spin Boldak area of Balochistan. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - October 15, 2025 No PR-319/2025-ISPR In the early hours of 15 October 2025, Afghan Taliban resorted to cowardly attack at four locations in Spin Boldak area of Balochistan. The attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani Forces. Unfortunately the attack was orchestrated through divided villages in the area, with no regard for civil population. The Afghan Taliban also destroyed Pak-Afghan Friendship Gate on their side that clearly displays the mindset with regards to mutual trade and easement rights of the divided tribes. While repulsing the attack, 15-20 Afghan Taliban have been killed and many injured. The situation is still developing. There are reports of further build up in staging points of Fitna Al Khwarij and Afghan Taliban. The attack in Spin Boldak was not an isolated event. On night 14/15 October, Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khwarij tried to attack Pakistani border posts in Kurram Sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These attacks were effectively repulsed causing heavy losses to Afghan Posts. Eight posts including six tanks were destroyed in the effective yet proportionate response of Pakistani troops. 25-30 Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khwarij fighters were suspected to have been killed. The insinuations that the attack was initiated by Pakistan, are outrageous and blatant lies, just like the claims of capturing Pakistani posts or equipment. The propaganda of Taliban regime can be debunked with basic fact checks. The Armed Forces stand resolute and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan. All acts of aggression against Pakistan will be responded to with full force. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Khan disqualification has no impact on Duterte case - ICC spox Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora October 15, 2025, 11:22 pm MANILA -- The disqualification of chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, on the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) has "no impact" on the ongoing probe, the latter's spokesperson said Wednesday night. "This disqualification has no impact on the ongoing case against Mr. Duterte," ICC Spokesperson Fadi el Abdallah said in a statement sent to reporters. "The work of the Office of the Prosecutor on the situation related to the Philippines is led by Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang," he added. A court document dated Oct. 15 confirmed that the ICC Appeals Chamber has disqualified Khan over his involvement, prior to taking office, in the submission of certain information related to Duterte's alleged crimes in the Philippines. The said information, also known as Article 15 communication, was submitted on June 29, 2018, to the former Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Abdallah clarified that the Appeals Chamber did not consider that actual bias on the part of the prosecutor had been demonstrated in the defense's request. "However, it concluded that a number of factors may give rise to an objectively reasonable appearance of bias in the eyes of a reasonable observer, such that they would conclude that the Prosecutor could be expected to have formed an opinion on the case against Mr. Duterte during his involvement in the Article 15 communication that, objectively, could adversely affect his required impartiality," he said. In a separate statement, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor said its "independent and impartial investigation into alleged Rome Statute crimes in relation to the Situation in the Philippines is ongoing." It added that the investigative and prosecutorial activities over the case including the application for the warrant of arrest are led by a multi-disciplinary team under Niang's supervision. "The Office has been able to advance the case against Mr. Duterte solely on the strength of independently gathered evidence, and information collected from a wide range of sources, including interviews with witnesses, information from States, international partners, and civil society, as well as publicly available information," it said. "The victims and survivors in the Philippines situation deserve justice and accountability. The Office's activities in this case will continue, contributing to ensuring that justice is pursued impartially and independently," it added. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DFA: Coast Guard deal 'just might deter' Chinese acts in WPS Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora October 15, 2025, 6:19 pm MANILA -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday conveyed its tacit support for a cooperation deal between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG), saying it "just might deter" the latter's aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In an interview on the sidelines of the 7th Katipunan Conference in Quezon City, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro was asked how a deal with the CCG - which the DFA has repeatedly called out for its increasingly coercive maritime activities - would benefit Manila's position in the area. "Actually, it is that view na nga (even) that by forging cooperation, it just might deter (the actions)," she said. "It is a possibility... but continuous discussions. The whole thing is its diplomacy and continuous dialogue." Lazaro said it also answers what diplomacy can do beyond lodging numerous protests when an incident happens. "Of course, the other government agencies, iba naman ang kanilang ginagawa (what they do is different). But, you know, DFA, there's a question of puro protest, puro protest (it's always protests). But this is the capability. This is what the foreign affairs can do," she added. She said the two governments are still working toward a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the coast guards. "(M)ay laman na 'yon (It already has substance). I think it's just a matter of time that there will be already a signing of the MOU," she said. Meanwhile, in her keynote address at the forum, Lazaro emphasized that the Philippines is unwavering in asserting its rights over the West Philippine Sea and that its foreign policy remains anchored on three pillars, including the preservation of national security and sovereignty. "And while the image of 'pillars' usually brings to mind stasis and permanence, our foreign policy strategy is actually dynamic, proactive, and responsive to the nation's needs," she said. "It works in synergy with all the levers of state power - diplomacy, defense, the economy, and national development policy - in an interconnected and mutually reinforcing ecosystem. This synergy is crucial in order for the Philippines to effectively address the challenges in our current geopolitical climate." (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Marcos: Gov't still on 'solid ground' despite coup rumors Philippine News Agency By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos October 15, 2025, 5:13 pm Updated on October 15, 2025, 5:28 pm MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government remains on "solid ground," despite alleged destabilization attempts. Speaking to Palace reporters, Marcos expressed confidence that the key sectors of society continue to support his administration's advocacies and programs. "What I can say is that we are confident that the important sectors of the society, the power centers of society and of the administration are very supportive still of the advocacies of the administration, the programs of the administration," he said after the oath-taking of the newly elected officers of Malacanang Press Corps at Malacanan Palace in Manila. "So, when you ask me how confident I am, all I can say is that in our assessment, we are still very much, the administration is still very much on solid ground in terms of support from the different sectors of society." Marcos said his administration "worked very hard" to earn the support of key sectors. He, however, acknowledged that it is "dangerous" to be complacent, stressing that he would be "very careful" to ensure that everyone remains "part of the administration and supportive of the administration." Marcos said he is open to dialogue with individuals who have grievances and complaints. "We always go to them and say, what can we do to accommodate your advocacy or some of the things that they would like the national government to do. So, that's what we are doing. And you know, it is never, it doesn't serve any," he said. "We try to listen to everyone. And so that's the only way, that's the only real way that you can keep the support of people in different sectors." Malacanang earlier said Marcos is not alarmed by alleged attempts by certain factions to stage a coup d'etat, as he continues to trust the loyalty of government forces. Marcos has called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines to act with resolve against domestic threats aimed at sowing confusion and dividing the nation. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PH to raise 'nature reserve' issue in next PH-China bilateral talks Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora October 15, 2025, 4:12 pm MANILA -- China's plan to unilaterally establish a nature reserve in the Bajo de Masinloc is among the subjects the Philippines is set to raise in its upcoming bilateral talks with the Asian superpower, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Wednesday. "The reserve that they're saying, that will definitely be on the table when the time comes," she said, referring to the next meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea. For the first time since Beijing announced its plans for the feature, the Philippines on Oct. 13, documented the Chinese Coast Guard mentioning the nature reserve to block access to the area. Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said the Chinese Coast Guard delayed a humanitarian mission to supply Filipino fisherfolk in the feature, and delivered a radio challenge claiming that the presence of Filipino boats there could damage their so-called environmental reserve. The Philippines had recently protested China's plan to establish its "Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve," calling it "illegitimate and unlawful" for infringing upon the country's rights over the feature. With Bajo de Masinloc forming part of the Philippine territory, only the Philippine government has the authority to designate maritime protected areas or MPAs in these waters. The 10th and latest BCM was convened in China early this year, wherein the two states agreed to continue the implementation of a provisional agreement on the resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. The BCM had served as a venue where the two sides could discuss the South China Sea dispute in a frank and constructive manner. Lazaro, meanwhile, did not disclose when the next BCM meeting would be held. At the 7th Katipunan Conference in Quezon City, she assured the public that the government will continue to uphold international law in asserting its rights over the West Philippine Sea. "In the face of increasingly aggressive and illegal actions against our people in waters where we maintain sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, international law is firmly on our side and bolsters our diplomacy and our defense of our legitimate national interests," she said. "Our position on this case is clear and unwavering. Maritime claims in the South China Sea cannot go beyond the legal limits set by UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), which was affirmed by the historic 2016 Arbitral Award." (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Robert Kalinak's words are confirmed in Brussels, Slovakia concludes two significant agreements Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic 15.10.2025 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kalinak's words that the responsibility for defending the EU and NATO's eastern border remains exclusively with the EU and NATO Member States were confirmed at the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels on 15 October 2025. We are delighted to be part of the European defence projects such as the "Drone Wall", as these serve primarily to open up new avenues for funding and technological collaboration. With the approval of our strong Alliance partners, Slovakia will take leadership for the new NATO Fires Centre of Excellence (NATO FCOE). A Letter of Intent concerning Cooperation on the NATO Fires Centre of Excellence was signed by the Ministers of Defence from Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Italy had acceded to the initiative earlier. On the margins of the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels, the SVK Ministry of Defence also signed a contract with 'Agencija Alan' or Alan Agency, Croatia's state-owned defence procurement agency, to supply fabrics for the new military uniforms for the Slovak Armed Forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement on Gaza by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, 15 October 2025 UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Cairo, 15 October 2025 Two days ago, leaders from across the world came together in Sharm el Sheikh to endorse President Trump's peace initiative. It was clear from my discussions with them there that this is a moment of great but precarious hope. It is also clear from the public response to the progress that Palestinians, Israelis and people across the region want this peace to take hold. So we must not fail to see through in full the implementation of the agreements made. Earlier this week, we were able to kick off our humanitarian scale-up after months of frustration and blockages. Food, medicine, fuel, water, cooking gas and tents got through to those who need them. We made progress clearing roads and reopening bakeries. We shared in the joy and relief of families reunited. But yesterday we faced further setbacks to that implementation. We are now tested to see whether we can ensure that these do not prevent the progress on which President Trump, the UN Secretary-General and so many leaders have insisted. As Hamas have agreed, they must make strenuous efforts to return all the bodies of deceased hostages, urgently. I am also gravely concerned by the evidence of violence against civilians in Gaza. As Israel has agreed, they must allow the massive surge of humanitarian aid - thousands of trucks a week - on which so many lives depend, and on which the world has insisted. We need more crossings open and a genuine, practical, problem-solving approach to removing remaining obstacles. Throughout this crisis, we have insisted that withholding aid from civilians is not a bargaining chip. Facilitation of aid is a legal obligation. We have set out a 60-day plan for a massive surge in lifesaving aid and I have remained in the region this week to coordinate it. I thank those who signed the agreements in Sharm el Sheikh for being unequivocal in their backing for this mission. I pay tribute to colleagues from across the humanitarian community, especially our teams in Gaza, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan and the region, who are determined to save lives, no matter the obstacles. We are clear that we will deliver neutral, principled aid with maximum efficiency, and in a way that ensures the support reaches civilians, not armed groups. We will not accept any interference with our aid distribution. No one expected this to be straightforward, nor easy. There will be more bumps in the road. We must restore trust and hope through action. It is essential that we do not squander the immense progress made, and the leadership shown. The test of these agreements is that families are safe and reunited, children fed, sheltered and back in school, and that Palestinians and Israelis can look forward with greater security, justice and opportunity. The world has failed so many times before - we must not fail this time. 15 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Mozambique, Ukraine UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory UN Relief Chief calls for renewed commitment to peace and aid delivery in Gaza The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, stressed today that "we must not fail to see through in full" the implementation of the agreements made under President Trump's peace initiative. In a statement issued earlier, he said that while humanitarians were able to kick off their scale-up in Gaza earlier this week after months of frustration and blockages, there were further setbacks yesterday to the implementation of the deal. "We are now tested to see whether we can ensure that these do not prevent the progress on which President Trump, the UN Secretary-General and so many leaders have insisted," he added. Fletcher called on Hamas to urgently make strenuous efforts to return all bodies of deceased hostages as agreed, also expressing his concern about the evidence of violence against civilians in Gaza. He said that Israel must allow the massive surge of humanitarian aid as agreed - thousands of trucks a week - on which so many lives depend and on which the world has insisted, and he reiterated that the facilitation of aid is a legal obligation. The Under-Secretary-General paid tribute to the humanitarian community, which is determined to save lives, no matter the obstacles*. "We will not accept any interference with our aid distribution," he added. He recalled the 60-day plan to scale up vital assistance and said he remains in the region this week to coordinate it. Fletcher is in Cairo today and in constant contact with regional actors, the United States and humanitarian teams on the ground "as we unblock obstacles to delivering life-saving aid in Gaza." Today, OCHA reports that humanitarian efforts on the ground continue**. In a social media post yesterday, UNICEF noted that the agency is trucking water, as well as supporting wells and desalination, to reach 1.5 million people - while stressing that the needs remain immense. Partners are also supporting the production or delivery of hundreds of thousands of meals and bread bundles every day. On Monday, the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings were closed for the entry of humanitarian supplies by the UN and its partners - with priority given to the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees - which meant that no cargo could be offloaded and that only limited supplies could be collected. Yesterday, both crossings remained closed to humanitarian supplies coming from the Israeli side, but the UN and its partners were able to collect cargo from them inside Gaza to support health, water, hygiene, sanitation and food operations. Humanitarian teams are required to coordinate their movements inside Gaza with the Israeli authorities in fewer areas, compared with previous weeks. Yesterday, all seven such humanitarian missions were facilitated, with only one impeded on the ground - although that mission was nevertheless accomplished. Through those coordinated movements, teams collected supplies from crossings and advanced the clearance of the road to Zikim crossing in the north, in anticipation of its opening. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support. **New OCHA footage and soundbites from Gaza are available in OCHA's Media Centre Sudan Increasing attacks imperil civilians in El Fasher OCHA warns of a grave escalation in violence against civilians in El Fasher, the besieged capital of Sudan's North Darfur State. A new analysis of satellite imagery confirms a sharp rise in attacks reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces on shelters, mosques, hospitals and markets in September and October. The findings point to a sustained pattern of violence against some communities, raising serious concerns of systematic targeting and potential crimes under international law. Local sources report that El Fasher is now under siege from all directions. The city's remaining residents face critical shortages of food and water, markets are empty, and prices of whatever goods are still available have soared. Humanitarian access remains severely restricted, as earthen barriers erected around El Fasher are blocking the movement of people and supplies. Earlier this week, local responders in El Fasher reported further closures of community kitchens serving as a last line of support. Meanwhile, insecurity continues to displace families in other parts of Sudan. In Blue Nile State, nearly 200 people fled their homes in the locality of At Tadamon on 11 October, as fighting spread across the area. The situation remains tense and fluid, with humanitarian partners closely monitoring conditions on the ground. OCHA once again urges all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, protect civilians, and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to all in need. At the same time, Sudan's cholera crisis continues to claim lives. Since July last year, the Ministry of Health has reported more than 3,400 deaths and nearly 122,000 suspected cases. Infection rates are rising across all states in the Darfur region, where cholera is spreading rapidly among communities already devastated by conflict, hunger and collapsing health services. The fatality rate is well above emergency thresholds, and funding for the response is running out. OCHA calls on donors and the wider international community to urgently step up support for the people of Sudan. The US$4.2 billion humanitarian appeal for this year is less than 27 per cent funded, with $1.1 billion received so far. Mozambique Escalating violence displaces tens of thousands OCHA warns that northern Mozambique continues to face a sharp escalation of violence, with new waves of displacement in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula. The number of incidents involving civilians has nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025, according to OCHA, with 633 incidents recorded so far this year. OCHA says that the sharp rise in kidnappings, killings and use of improvised explosive devices since the start of the year has put 2025 on track to surpass previous years in the number of instances of violent attacks. This surge has also triggered new displacement. Partners report that between 22 September and yesterday, more than 90,000 people have been displaced across Cabo Delgado province and some parts of Nampula province. Civilians have reported abductions, killings and widespread destruction of property across several districts. Earlier this month, armed groups looted food and other relief items and burned more than 45 homes and a school, health facility and shops in Nampula province. Civilians were also reportedly abducted and killed during these attacks. The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to support the response - despite the challenges and limited funding. The World Food Programme provided food to newly displaced people, and UNICEF provided therapeutic food to support hundreds of children experiencing severe acute malnutrition. This renewed surge in conflict - following months of intensified insecurity and three major cyclones earlier in the year - has further stretched humanitarian capacity. The $352 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Mozambique is just over 21 per cent funded, with $75 million received. Ukraine Hostilities take devastating toll on healthcare OCHA reports that hostilities continue to impact civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health facilities, across Ukraine. On 13 October, a hospital in the city of Kharkiv was severely damaged, injuring seven patients and prompting an emergency evacuation. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than 50 people experienced acute stress reactions - as the hospital's roof was destroyed, windows shattered and medical equipment damaged. Nearly 100 patients were relocated to safer facilities. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, which visited the site, reported that about 120 patients and 10 medical staff were present when a glide bomb struck. Humanitarian partners quickly mobilized to assist - evacuating patients, offering psychological support, covering windows and distributing hot meals. The conflict has taken a devastating toll on Ukraine's health system. The country accounts for nearly half of all verified attacks on healthcare worldwide this year. WHO has verified 448 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine in 2025 - out of some 1,070 globally - resulting in 19 deaths and 174 injuries among patients and health workers. Meanwhile, civilians continue to bear the brunt of ongoing hostilities. Over the past day, six civilians were killed and another 30 injured, according to authorities. The regions of Kherson and Kharkiv were most affected. In Kherson, shelling also damaged a health facility and dozens of homes. In Kharkiv, three large-scale attacks on gas production sites were reported last week, compounding energy insecurity as winter approaches. Amid intensifying hostilities, authorities announced a mandatory evacuation of families with children from 40 settlements in the Kupiansk area of Kharkiv, where more than 600 children are expected to be relocated. Humanitarian organizations are supporting evacuation efforts, ensuring safe transport, and providing aid at transit and collective sites. The UN and its partners also continue to support the response across the country. From January to August of this year, partners provided water, sanitation and heating support to 3.2 million people. This included repairs to water systems serving 1.3 million people and emergency water for 800,000 people. Access to safe water remains critical, as damaged systems threaten both drinking water and access to heating ahead of winter. Posted on 15 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Relief Chief calls for renewed commitment to peace and aid delivery in Gaza UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Statement on Gaza by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Cairo, 15 October 2025 Two days ago, leaders from across the world came together in Sharm el Sheikh to endorse President Trump's peace initiative. It was clear from my discussions with them there that this is a moment of great but precarious hope. It is also clear from the public response to the progress that Palestinians, Israelis and people across the region want this peace to take hold. So we must not fail to see through in full the implementation of the agreements made. Earlier this week, we were able to kick off our humanitarian scale-up after months of frustration and blockages. Food, medicine, fuel, water, cooking gas and tents got through to those who need them. We made progress clearing roads and reopening bakeries. We shared in the joy and relief of families reunited. But yesterday we faced further setbacks to that implementation. We are now tested to see whether we can ensure that these do not prevent the progress on which President Trump, the UN Secretary-General and so many leaders have insisted. As Hamas have agreed, they must make strenuous efforts to return all the bodies of deceased hostages, urgently. I am also gravely concerned by the evidence of violence against civilians in Gaza. As Israel has agreed, they must allow the massive surge of humanitarian aid - thousands of trucks a week - on which so many lives depend, and on which the world has insisted. We need more crossings open and a genuine, practical, problem-solving approach to removing remaining obstacles. Throughout this crisis, we have insisted that withholding aid from civilians is not a bargaining chip. Facilitation of aid is a legal obligation. We have set out a 60-day plan for a massive surge in lifesaving aid and I have remained in the region this week to coordinate it. I thank those who signed the agreements in Sharm el Sheikh for being unequivocal in their backing for this mission. I pay tribute to colleagues from across the humanitarian community, especially our teams in Gaza, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan and the region, who are determined to save lives, no matter the obstacles. We are clear that we will deliver neutral, principled aid with maximum efficiency, and in a way that ensures the support reaches civilians, not armed groups. We will not accept any interference with our aid distribution. No one expected this to be straightforward, nor easy. There will be more bumps in the road. We must restore trust and hope through action. It is essential that we do not squander the immense progress made, and the leadership shown. The test of these agreements is that families are safe and reunited, children fed, sheltered and back in school, and that Palestinians and Israelis can look forward with greater security, justice and opportunity. The world has failed so many times before - we must not fail this time. Posted on 15 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Morocco and Russia agree on the fact that international law and principles cannot be interpreted in a way that halts the progress towards a resolution for the Moroccan Sahara issue, said, on Thursday in Moscow, the minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita. Morocco Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursday 16 October 2025 Speaking at a press conference following his talks with Russian peer, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Mr. Bourita added that this meeting provided an opportunity to discuss regional and international issues, foremost among them the Moroccan Sahara issue. "We agree that solutions must be in line with international law and principles, and that these same principles cannot be exploited or interpreted in a way that halts the progress towards solutions," Mr. Bourita stressed. Recalling that Russia holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of October, which is to address this issue, the minister said that "it is now time to take into account the momentum this issue is gaining at the international level, thanks to the impetus provided by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the changes in the positions of several countries." "Russia is a key player in this issue, as a member of the Group of Friends and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which currently holds the rotating presidency," Mr. Bourita maintained, adding that discussions on this subject between Morocco and Russia will continue in the coming days. He emphasized, in the same vein, that Morocco considers Russia to be an active and important player on the international stage as a permanent member of the Security Council with influence on several international issues and matters, noting that "the dialogue between our two countries will have positive results." "This is a dialogue that is not against anyone, but a dialogue to strengthen regional peace and stability," he said. Mr. Bourita noted that Russia and Morocco play a role in the Arab region and Africa, adding that dialogue between the two countries is likely to bring their views closer together and strengthen stability in both regions. For his part, the Russian foreign minister said that the two countries "share the position that these international principles must not be interpreted selectively (...) but must be applied and respected in their entirety and interdependence." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, held talks on Thursday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Morocco Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursday 16 October 2025 This meeting is part of the Deepened Strategic Partnership concluded between His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, and President Vladimir Putin in March 2016. The two ministers praised the impetus provided by the two Heads of State, whose vision continues to nourish and guide this flourishing partnership. MFA Bourita and Lavrov welcomed the quality of their discussions and the dialogue and cooperation dynamics that characterize Moroccan-Russian relations. They both reaffirmed their shared willingness to elevate these relations to a higher level, in line with the expectations and the existing potential between the two countries. The meeting provided an opportunity to thoroughly review ways to further develop bilateral ties, by fully leveraging their potential and building on the historical friendship and fruitful cooperation they have bolstered. In concrete terms, the two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Russian-Moroccan Working Committee between their respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The role of this body will be to assess the partnership and make proposals to identify new high-value areas of cooperation, with the aim of deepening bilateral relations and projecting them resolutely into the future. The ministers also agreed to maintain regular political dialogue and to jointly monitor the concluded agreements, with a view to injecting renewed momentum into their cooperation and the strategic partnership between Morocco and Russia. Furthermore, MFA Bourita and Lavrov discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, particularly in North Africa, the Sahel region, and the Middle East. These talks are part of the ongoing dialogue and regular exchanges between the two ministers, whether in Morocco, Russia, or on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. During his stay in Moscow, Bourita is also co-chairing the 8th session of the Joint Cooperation Commission between the two countries, alongside Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev. It's worth recalling that since His Majesty King Mohammed VI ascended the Throne, the relations between Morocco and Russia have experienced significant growth. The Sovereign has made two Royal Visits to Moscow, in October 2002 and March 2016, respectively marked by the conclusion of the Strategic Partnership, and later, the Deepened Strategic Partnership. President Vladimir Putin, for his part, paid an official visit to Morocco in September 2006. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Support for SVK Defence Industry takes on new dimension in Brussels Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic 16.10.2025 Slovakia has become a leader in the prestigious NATO Fires Centre of Excellence (NATO FCOE). On the margins of the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels on 15 October 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kalinak joined the other Defence Ministers from Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Turkey, and the United Kingdom in signing the Letter of Intent concerning Cooperation on the NATO Fires Centre of Excellence, while Italy had acceded to the initiative earlier. This is hailed as a major success in Slovakia's efforts to establish the NATO FCOE, a recognition of the SVK Defence Industry's expertise and potential, and a milestone in the Military Technical and Testing Institute ('VTSU') Zahorie's aspiration to achieve NATO Centre of Excellence status. The NATO FCOE will focus on developing Field Artillery (FA) and Field Artillery Fire Control (FAFC) capabilities, as well as on the interoperability and integration of Field Artillery Command and Control (FAC2) systems across Allied forces. This is an excellent "business card" for VTSU Zahorie. Slovakia will become the first smaller country and only the seventh to have two NATO COEs in the entire Alliance. In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kalinak said: "For Slovakia, this is a huge success and proof that we have been a reliable and stable partner in the Alliance. Our role in this project will strengthen both regional and Alliance-wide cooperation by bringing new opportunities for the professional growth of Slovak and Allied soldiers alike. This also sends out a message to all subject matter experts that the SVK Defence Industry is viewed positively by the world community." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Madagascar UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory UN Relief Chief visits Rafah crossing While traveling from Cairo to the Rafah crossing earlier today, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, spoke of how vital that route is as a lifeline for life-saving aid into Gaza. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes that supplies from Egypt still need to take a detour and be inspected on the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom, pending the opening of the Rafah crossing for more direct access. Fletcher stressed the need for all the crossings to open to allow for a massive scale-up and start turning the situation around. Speaking from Cairo yesterday, Fletcher underscored that humanitarian teams have been preparing for this moment - and now they need sufficient access to deliver the large amounts of assistance that are required. In a separate post, Fletcher emphasized that the humanitarian community cannot deliver at the scale necessary without international NGO presence and engagement. OCHA notes that the Israeli authorities currently do not issue visas for a number of international NGOs and do not authorize many of them to send supplies into Gaza. Meanwhile, humanitarian teams inside Gaza continue to make the most out of the opportunities afforded by the ceasefire*. On Tuesday alone, 21 partners distributed nearly 960,000 meals through 175 kitchens, bakeries supported by the UN and its partners produced over 100,000 two-kilogramme bread bundles, UNICEF distributed more than 1 million baby diapers, and the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered three truckloads of surgical and other essential medical supplies from the agency's warehouse in Deir al Balah to the central pharmacy in Gaza city. In a social media post, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that those medical supplies will be transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital and will meet the needs of 10,000 people. WHO also deployed an international emergency medical team to boost orthopedic surgery and trauma care. In addition, their teams set up two new operating theaters, and they are planning to add 120 more inpatient beds to Al-Shifa Hospital to expand capacity. OCHA reports that teams from across the UN have now finished clearing the main roads leading to the Erez and Zikim crossings in the north in anticipation of their potential re-opening, which would allow aid to be brought directly into northern Gaza. Today, teams were checking the Salah Ad Din road, which has not been used for months. This is the main north-south artery besides the coastal Al Rasheed road. The humanitarian community's aim is to increase the roads available to its teams to move around within Gaza. Also on Tuesday, multiple UN agencies visited the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza city, which was severely affected by the recent military operation. The team met with returnees and with those who have remained all along and heard from them how determined they are to rebuild. Their main humanitarian priority was access to water, alongside food, shelter and the removal of debris. Those who have lost their homes were staying in tents, while those who returned to homes that were still inhabitable have begun clearing rubble and cleaning up. Meanwhile, over the past week, the UN 2720 mechanism has secured Israeli clearance for additional supplies, raising the UN and its partners' cleared pipeline to nearly 200,000 metric tons. This includes food; medical and nutrition supplies; shelter items; supplies aimed at supporting water, sanitation and hygiene operations; telecommunications equipment; and education materials. The items are currently in Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, Israel, the West Bank, or on their way to Gaza. According to COGAT figures presented to the mediators, yesterday, 716 trucks crossed into Gaza through crossings that Israeli authorities control, including 16 trucks carrying fuel and gas - with 93 of the total trucks passing through Kissufim crossing and the remaining 623 going through Kerem Shalom. These numbers reflect trucks sent through the commercial sector, bilateral donations, and the UN-coordinated system combined. The UN and its partners continue to send even more supplies to those crossings - offloading them there and collecting them from inside Gaza. Yesterday, through the UN 2720 mechanism, UN teams and their partners sent wheat flour, food parcels, nutrition supplements, date bars, food supplies for kitchens, hygiene kits, sanitary pads, diapers, pulse oximeters, medicines, tents and animal fodder. Between Friday and Tuesday - and despite the crossings being less accessible during the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees - the UN and its partners' teams were able to collect nearly 3,500 metric tons of essential supplies from those crossings. This is based on UN 2720's tracking, and those efforts continue. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support. Madagascar Hunger, climate shocks and disease outbreaks drive humanitarian needs In recent years, Madagascar has faced El Nino-induced drought, multiple cyclones, and locust infestations that have devastated crops. A malaria outbreak earlier this year has further strained an already fragile health system. According to the UN and its partners, nearly 29,000 people are experiencing emergency levels of hunger - or Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) 4 - in the Grand Sud region. This figure is projected to soar to 110,000 by early 2026, with malnutrition and disease outbreaks continuing to escalate. Funding cuts have further constrained humanitarians' ability to respond. The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management - with support from the UN and its humanitarian partners - is finalizing a National Humanitarian Response Plan to address food insecurity, malnutrition and diseases. That plan will run until April 2026. Partners are also working on plans to prepare ahead of cyclones. Posted on 16 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Republic of Malawi reiterated on Friday its "constant" position in favor of Morocco's territorial integrity and sovereignty over its entire territory, including the Sahara region. Morocco Ministry of Foreign Affairs Friday 17 October 2025 This position was expressed by the new Malawian (MP) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. George Thapatula Chaponda, during a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Mr. Nasser Bourita. Chaponda also welcomed "the growing international consensus" and the momentum led by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in favor of the autonomy plan presented by the Kingdom. In this regard, he reaffirmed the support of the Republic of Malawi to this plan, describing it as "the only credible and realistic solution" to the resolution of this issue. The Malawian top diplomat further welcomed the efforts of the United Nations as the exclusive framework for achieving a solution. The two Ministers reiterated their determination to set a strategic course to strengthen multisectoral cooperation between both countries, relying on established diplomatic representations, including the Consulate General of Malawi in Laayoune, operational since December 2023. This dynamic seeks to bring the bilateral relations into line with the aspirations of the two Heads of State. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PCG, US embassy launch P140-M training program Philippine News Agency By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz October 17, 2025, 4:52 pm MANILA -- The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the United States (US) Embassy on Friday launched a training program that aims to strengthen the PCG's operational readiness and capacity for maritime law enforcement. The program was launched by PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson in a ceremony aboard the BRP Gabriela Silang at Pier 13, Port Area in Manila. With a budget of PHP140 million, the three-year initiative will provide 110 courses and on-the-job training opportunities at US Coast Guard (USCG) training centers and operational units in the US. The project is funded by the US Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs through the USCG. In addition to US-based training, the program will conduct nearly 60 formal courses and engagements with subject matter experts in the Philippines. In particular, the program will provide technical courses for vessel operations and maintenance designed to develop instructors for PCG training centers and on-the-job training and orientation at USCG training centers, aboard USCG vessels, and at operational shore installations responsible for fleet support management. In addition, USCG experts will provide advisory support to the PCG in enhancing its doctrine, procedures, and curriculum for vessel training and maintenance programs. During the event, Gavan thanked Carlson and the US government for supporting the initiative and highlighted its potential impact beyond capacity-building. On the other hand, Carlson said the program is an investment in people. "USCG personnel will work alongside their Philippine counterparts during maintenance and training cycles, building peer-to-peer trust and shared expertise. Likewise, PCG officers will train at US facilities to deepen leadership and technical skills that will help maintain an increasingly sophisticated fleet. Together, we will continue to ensure that these waters remain safe, open, and secure for all," she said. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Central African Republic UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory UN Relief Chief visits Gaza as humanitarian community scales up The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, entered the Gaza Stripearlier today. He crossed from Egypt through the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom crossing. He then drove to Deir al Balah, where he visited the Castle Bakery, which is one of nine bakeries that the World Food Programme supports with fuel and ingredients across southern and central Gaza. This bakery used to be the largest in Khan Younis, where it served thousands of families until it had to relocate following a displacement order. The ceasefire has meant that the bakery can access fuel and flour, allowing it to produce up to 300,000 loaves of pita bread per day. Also in Deir al Balah, Mr. Fletcher met with those leading the Gaza offices of UN agencies there. He is set to meet more humanitarian workers later this evening and spend the night in Gaza. In a social media post, Mr. Fletcher said that humanitarian teams are delivering on the 60-day plan to massively scale up life-saving work. "The challenges ahead are immense, but we are determined to deliver on the humanitarian possibilities created by President Trump's peace deal," he added. Mr. Fletcher also briefed the Secretary-General on what he has seen and heard in Gaza so far today. Before heading to Gaza, Mr. Fletcher was in Egypt. While in Rafah yesterday, he witnessed trucks full of aid heading to Kerem Shalom*. He thanked humanitarian teams, the Egyptian Red Crescent, the authorities, and everyone involved in getting the peace deal in place. Mr. Fletcher also visited Al Arish Hospital in Egypt yesterday, which has treated hundreds of Palestinians evacuated from Gaza for medical care. Yesterday, the UN and partners continued to collect medical supplies, food, fuel and other cargo from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings**. This included 20 trucks carrying tents, diapers and hygiene kits, as well as three others loaded with personal hygiene kits, eight tankers with diesel, and two trucks carrying animal fodder, which will be distributed to herders in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis. OCHA reports that much more can be done once more crossings are opened, basic infrastructure is restored, NGO access is facilitated, and looting further reduces. According to COGAT figures presented to the mediators, yesterday, 950 trucks crossed into Gaza through crossings that Israeli authorities control, including 11 trucks carrying fuel and gas - with 143 of the total trucks passing through Kissufim crossing and the remaining 807 going through Kerem Shalom. These numbers reflect trucks sent through the commercial sector, bilateral donations, and the UN-coordinated system combined. Meanwhile, families in Gaza continue to move towards newly accessible areas. Partners monitoring the flow of people across the Strip report that on Wednesday, more than 17,600 movements were recorded from south to north, and 12,900 movements from western to eastern Khan Younis. *OCHA footage and soundbites of Under-Secretary-General Fletcher's visit to Rafah are available in OCHA's Media Centre **Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support. Central African Republic UN Deputy Relief Chief urges global solidarity to support those in need The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, wrapped up her visit to the Central African Republic today, saying the country stands at a crossroads. She stressed that this is the moment to turn fragile stability into lasting progress by working hand in hand across humanitarian, development and peace efforts. During her visit, Ms. Msuya met with senior Government officials in Bangui before traveling to the towns of Zemio in the southeast, Bria in the centre of the country, and Birao in the northeast - where she spoke with displaced families, community leaders and local responders. She paid tribute to the courage and dedication of those on the front lines of the crisis, calling them the backbone of aid efforts and the ones keeping hope alive despite immense challenges. Ms. Msuya noted that while humanitarian needs remain high - with one in three people in need of assistance - improved security in some regions has allowed displaced people to return home and rebuild their lives. She announced an allocation of US$8 million from the Central African Republic Humanitarian Fund for urgent priorities in Zemio and Birao. Ms. Msuya stressed the need for sustained international solidarity, adding that the people of the Central African Republic are not asking for charity - they are asking for dignity, stability and the chance to shape their own future. Posted on 17 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OPEC Fund supports WFP in addressing food needs in Syria as it recovers from years of conflict World Food Programme 17 October 2025 WASHINGTON D.C. -- On Friday, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) signed an agreement for a US$500,000 grant to support emergency food assistance in Syria. This contribution will support WFP in scaling up its emergency food assistance to reach 1.6 million people monthly across Syria as the country recovers from the effects of more than 14 years of conflict. WFP will provide the most vulnerable families with electronic food vouchers valued at US$65, to support them meet their daily food needs for one month. The OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa met with WFP on the sidelines of the 2025 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), reaffirming the OPEC Fund's commitment to combating global food insecurity and hunger. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the OPEC Fund and WFP in June 2023. Syria stands at a pivotal moment in its history following its political transition in December 2024. While prospects are positive, with hope for lasting peace and recovery - bolstered by the lifting of sanctions - many years of conflict have left the country in a dire economic situation and strained public services. More than half of Syria's population faces food insecurity, with nearly 3 million people projected to be severely food insecure "Food security is the foundation of lasting peace and recovery," said Marianne Ward, WFP Syria Country Director. "The OPEC Fund's support will help us reach families most in need, including those who are returning home and rebuilding their lives, while also revitalizing local economies and creating job opportunities." Beyond addressing immediate hunger, electronic food vouchers empower families - especially women - with choice and dignity, while stimulating local markets and strengthening financial systems. Beneficiaries can redeem their vouchers at over 300 contracted retailers across Syria, injecting cash into local communities. The intervention will prioritize food-insecure households, including internally displaced persons, returnees, and refugees. Special attention will be given to severely food insecure households, such as those including separated or unaccompanied children or people living with disabilities, minor and women-headed households, and families with young children or pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls at risk of malnutrition. The electronic food voucher programme in 2025 is supported through grants from DG ECHO, the Republic of Korea, and Canada. # # # The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WFP reaches families most at risk with food assistance as post-ceasefire scale-up gathers pace World Food Programme 17 October 2025 GAZA, Palestine -- As food distributions start up again after the ceasefire, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing assistance to families across Gaza through its wide-ranging distribution system. This includes bakeries, nutritional support, digital payments to families most at risk, and distribution of family food boxes. Here are the latest updates on WFP operations and food security in Gaza: WFP Operations Since the ceasefire began (11 October), WFP has dispatched more than 280 trucks (nearly 3,000 metric tons) into Gaza to support bakeries, nutrition programmes and general food distributions. In the early hours of this morning, 57 trucks carrying WFP aid arrived safely in WFP and partners' warehouses. The majority of WFP's cargo entering Gaza since the ceasefire has already safely reached its intended destinations across Gaza - ensuring that bakeries remain operational, partners are well supplied, and warehouses are being replenished as operations continue to scale up. WFP, through the Logistics Cluster, has also facilitated the offloading of 216 trucks at border crossings on behalf of other humanitarian organisations. WFP has resumed distributions of food parcels at five sites, supporting almost 8,500 people. The parcels contain various nutritious food items, including rice, lentils, beans, chickpea paste, tomato paste and fortified sunflower oil. Depending on levels of access, WFP intends to restore its regular food distribution system, scaling assistance through 145 distribution points across Gaza. Since their resumption on 4 October, nine bakeries in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis have produced a daily average of over 100,000 bread bundles (2kg) per day. These are now distributed daily across over 230 sites through WFP partners. In October, WFP has reached 23,000 people with nutritional support and treated 1,200 pregnant and breastfeeding women suffering from malnutrition. In October, more than 50,000 households have received digital payments, allowing them to buy food and other essential products from the market. The goal is to reach 200,000 (nearly 10 percent of the population) by end of month. WFP is also providing nutritional snacks to children in temporary learning centres set up by UNICEF. WFP is working to clear and rehabilitate key roads in Gaza ahead of the expected opening of additional border crossings. On 14 October, a team cleared critical roads between Gaza City and Erez and Zikim, to ensure readiness for the opening of the northern crossings. WFP witnessed the preparations at Rafah crossing and potential enhanced facilitation from Ashdod, we are hopeful that this would allow additional flow of aid. WFP has 170,000 metric tons of food in - or on its way to - the region, in order to scale up food assistance to 1.6 million people over the next three months. Of this, almost 60,000 metric tons is ready to be dispatched immediately into Gaza. Operational Challenges At present, only two crossings into Gaza are operational. This severely limits the quantity of aid that WFP and other agencies can bring in to stabilize the markets and address people's needs. Crossings to the north of Gaza remain closed so very little aid can reach the area. Many of the roads in Gaza are blocked, damaged or destroyed, making them unusable for transporting aid. The damage to infrastructure has severely impacted warehousing and storage capacity, with more than 50 percent destroyed. In general, the quantity of nutritious food aid entering Gaza is still insufficient to address the severe hunger conditions. To deliver life-saving food assistance at scale, we need key enablers in place: restoration of law and order, full opening of entry pointsincluding Zikim, Erez, Kerem Shalom, Kissufim - and all the corridors, alongside expanded logistics and telecoms capacity, fuel, and road repair equipment. Food Security in Gaza After 2 years of war, a 2-month blockade and months of insufficient food supply, families in Gaza are still struggling to put food on the table. Countless displacements have exhausted their coping strategies. The north of Gaza, theater of a recent large-scale military operation, remains largely cut off from aid due to the closure of Zikim on 12 September. As of October 12, more than 300,000 people have reportedly returned to northern Gaza, many of them to homes that are in ruins. Most displaced households remain in the south, often living in tents and without adequate access to food and services. Anticipation of food inflows upon the ceasefire drove food prices down. However, liquidity constraints persist, with cash withdrawal fees still between 20-24%. # # # NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan: Council approves conclusions on the ongoing conflict European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 20 October 2025 14:05 Today, the Council approved conclusions strongly condemning the ongoing conflict in Sudan, that has been causing the loss of thousands of lives and immense hardship for the Sudanese people for more than two years, and poses a serious threat to stability and security across the wider region. The EU is extremely concerned about the unity, territorial integrity and stability of Sudan, which are at serious risk, with increasing fragmentation along political and ethnic lines further exacerbated by the emergence of parallel governing structures. The EU rejects any attempt to partition Sudan. The Council conclusions emphasise that the primary responsibility for ending the conflict lies with the leadership of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and those supporting these entities. The EU has defined certain asks to all parties to the conflict. These are as follows: a) constructive engagement in negotiations towards an immediate ceasefire and in a credible inclusive peace mediation process, leading to a sustained cessation of hostilities; b) ensuring rapid, unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian access and the protection of civilians across all of Sudan; c) credible commitments to facilitate a genuinely inclusive, representative and independent civilian governance; d) restoring and strengthening rule of law, accountability, respect for international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, and justice in Sudan. The EU is ready to increase its engagement with the parties to the conflict, provided there is credible progress towards achieving the EU's key asks. As co-chair of the Paris and London conferences for Sudan and its neighbouring countries, the EU has illustrated its commitment to support the people of Sudan and to play an active role in addressing the conflict in a comprehensive way. The EU will remain actively engaged, including at the highest level, and will act with one voice, promoting inclusive formats and ensuring full coordination with relevant like-minded actors. It will continue to employ, and where possible intensify the use of the full range of foreign policy instruments at its disposal - including, where appropriate, targeted restrictive measures - to achieve a peaceful resolution to the crisis. The EU acknowledges the inherent rights of the Sudanese people to freedom, peace, and justice, and reiterates its steadfast commitment to accompanying Sudan in its efforts to preserve its unity and territorial integrity, and to achieve lasting stability, democracy, and sustainable prosperity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific: Council approves conclusions European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 20 October 2025 12:43 Today, the Council approved conclusions on the implementation of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific stressing that the EU should further intensify its strategic focus, presence, visibility and actions in the Indo-Pacific with the aim of contributing to our joint stability, security, prosperity and sustainable development, underpinned by the promotion of democracy, rule of law, human rights and international law. The EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which was launched in September 2021, continues to provide a sound framework for EU engagement in a region spanning from the east coast of Africa to the Pacific islands. Important steps have been taken to implement the strategy in the seven key priority areas, both at the EU and member state level, with a particular focus on three core areas of engagement: security and defence challenges, the green and digital transition, and trade and economic security. The Council underlines that the EU and the Indo-Pacific face increasingly complex security challenges, being directly impacted by Russia's war of aggression against the Ukraine and ongoing tensions in the South and East China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait, amongst others. The Council also reiterates its serious concerns about the current situation in both Afghanistan and Myanmar, and its unwavering commitment to achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the two-State solution. The Council looks forward to the fourth EU-Indo Pacific Ministerial Forum, to be convened by the High Representative in Brussels on 20-21 November 2025. EU-Indo Pacific Ministerial Fora constitute a unique platform for strategically interacting with audiences in both regions. They reflect the strong and shared interest of the EU and the Indo-Pacific partners in fostering concrete cooperation, including on a region-to-region basis, enhancing mutual security, prosperity and resilience and laying the foundations for an ever more ambitious partnership. Together with the EU-African Union ministerial in May in Brussels, this is one of the two largest foreign ministers' diplomatic gatherings hosted by High Representative Kaja Kallas in Europe this year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Affairs Council: press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas after the meeting European External Action Service (EEAS) 20.10.2025 Luxembourg, 20/10/2025 EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Good afternoon, everybody. European foreign ministers just concluded the discussions on a range of issues. First, on Ukraine, the fundamentals have not changed. Ukraine has been ready for an unconditional ceasefire already since February, but Russia has no genuine interest in peace. We all support President Trump's efforts to end the war, but Putin will only negotiate seriously if he thinks he is losing. This week, we aim to adopt a major new sanctions package on Russia. Every euro we deny Russia is one that it cannot use on war. Ministers were also clear today that after the 19th package, we should work on the next package. It will not be the last one. We should also all heed to President Trump's call to stop buying Russian oil and gas. Ukraine needs more military support, but also more financial support. Ministers today discussed the European Commission's proposal to mobilise frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's immediate defence needs. There was broad support today to get this done, and it is crucial that we make progress on addressing the legal and fiscal modalities this week. The Reparations Loan can send a very powerful message to Moscow that it cannot outlast us. As we heard from Minister Sybiha, Russia's terror attacks on the energy grid are intensifying. Russia seeks to inflict as much harm on civilians as possible. So, today, we invited the European Commission to propose additional measures to better support Ukrainian energy security. Member States also agreed to reach out to third countries to secure repair equipment and increase gas deliveries to Ukraine. On the shadow fleet, Moscow's shadow fleet funds Russia's war and acts as a launch pad for hybrid attacks and today, Ministers discussed a more robust response, including more powers to board shadow fleet vessels. I have also designated a special envoy coordinator to gather best practices from different Member States across the Union, and also to be acting more swiftly on these points. To further cut Russian war funds, we need a more robust EU-wide approach against the shadow fleet. Then, on accountability. Last week in Kyiv, we announced 10 million to launch the Special Tribunal for the Crimes of Aggression. Today, 26 Member States committed to becoming parties to this tribunal. This brings us one step closer to operationalise the tribunal. Of course, we are waiting for all cost estimates, also from the Netherlands, and then we can move forward. Putin's regime started this war and must face also the consequences. Ministers also adopted conclusions on the Indo-Pacific. This region is a key partner to the European Union. Together, we account for over 70% of global trade in goods and services. Next month, we will host the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Brussels, which will bring together some 80 delegations, making it one of the largest diplomatic gatherings in Europe this year. This reflects our commitment to closer cooperation with partners on trade, technology and security. Beijing's latest movements to weaponise global supply chains are a direct threat to global trade and the European Union's industrial base. China's actions make it even clearer the case for deeper cooperation with our partners, and this is very clear for everybody. Then, on the Middle East. The ceasefire in Gaza has just faced its first major stress test. Hamas' attacks on Palestinian civilians and its refusal to disarm make the ceasefire increasingly fragile. The EU is the largest financial backer of the Palestinian Authority and Gaza's biggest humanitarian donor. Our border assistance mission stands ready to deploy. Today, Ministers discussed how the European Union can put its full weight behind the peace plan, including by providing additional governance and reconstruction support. Ministers also addressed the European Commission's measures regarding Israel. The ceasefire has changed the context, that is very clear for everybody. However, unless we see real and sustained change on the ground, including more aid reaching Gaza, the threat of sanctions remains on the table. Then, Moldova. Recent election results show strong support for the European future, but they also highlight the need for improving how the elections are monitored. Today, we shared the lessons learned, and also we agreed to launch an initiative aimed at further modernising the election observation methods to take into account that people are living their lives online. Social media, online content must feature even more when assessing whether elections were transparent and inclusive. On Georgia, ministers were very clear on the rule of law and human rights situation that continues to deteriorate in Georgia. Personal attacks against European ambassadors are unacceptable and have no place in diplomacy. The Commission will present its visa suspension mechanism report later this year. With the new regulation on visas entering into force in November, this will give us the opportunity to cancel the visa free regime for some groups. Later today, we will meet the Ministers from the Black Sea region in Central Asia. Russia's military build-up its shadow fleet, sea mines, GPS jamming, affect us all. We need a collective push to improve security in the Black Sea, and we will discuss this together. We will also meet for the first time in the format with the Ministers from Central Asia to discuss connectivity. I want this to become regular [format]. It will help us stay on top of the work on the transport, energy and digital sectors. Again, to build our partnerships all across the world. Thank you. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-278733 Q&A. Q. After what happened again in the oval office in Washington between Donald Trump and President Zelenskyy, would you say that Ukraine should give up the rest of the Donbas to get a deal with Russia? Is that the only solution? Is there anything we can do to prevent that, if it is the only solution? And on the shadow fleet, could you be a bit more specific on what the EU could do more to counter this circumvention? Thank you. What we must not forget is that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim here. So, putting the pressure on Ukraine, as the victim, is not the right approach. And not only for Ukraine, but also for European security and the global security, because if aggression pays off, it serves as an invitation to use it elsewhere as well. And that's why we have been really on the course and very clear in our strategy. Putting pressure on Russia will end this war. They can end this war immediately, because they are bombing civilians and civilian infrastructure: 93% of Russian attacks have been on civilians, which is against all the international rules. So, if we just give in so that Russia gets what they want, then we will see more of this. We have seen this already in history, several several, several times. So, our approach is clear - we also discussed this with ministers today -, our approach is clear: to help Ukraine to defend itself and also pressure Russia to stop this war. We are doing this with sanctions, putting the pressure there. On the shadow fleet. We asked all the best practices and all what Member States are doing on shadow fleet, and put together a paper to coordinate really how we can use all these best practices to address the shadow fleet, which is that, of course, we are doing the sanctions, but also how we do the outreach to the third countries, the flag states, how we also use the tools that are in the international law regarding boarding the ships and really investigating what they are doing. We are also doing the international coordination, when it comes to G7 task force we have in place and also the operations that we have already in maritime field, like EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, ASPIDES and Atalanta, the missions that we can also use in this regard, or look into their mandates. We cannot use them now, but look into their mandates how we can really use them in the future. Basically, we have also appointed a coordinator to really coordinate with the Member States in the European External Action Service. And this is to be really effective, because the Russians are very creative in this regard, and we have to be as well to address all these issues. So, to be more effective and also faster in this case. Q. A follow up question on my colleague's first question. Very concretely, when you say that you welcome President Trump's efforts, my concrete question is, do you still believe peace in Ukraine is possible without territorial concessions? So it is a very concrete question. And if I may, on the 19th package, what is actually preventing it to be done, and if you think it is possible to finalise it before the meeting in Budapest? Thank you. Yes, we see that the Russian economy is not doing well. Wars end when one party runs out of money, and that is why we are putting sanctions in place. And actually, if you see the signs - what is there? I think we are overestimating the power of Russia and underestimating the power of ourselves to outlast Russia. We have to be very clear here. The other thing is, everybody says territorial integrity is an important value that we stand for. And I think we have to keep to that, because if we just give away the territories, then this gives a message to everybody that you can just use force against your neighbors and get what you want. I think this is very dangerous. That is why we have international law in place that nobody does that. Of course, we have huge problems right now because international law is not followed in many areas of the world. But I think we should stick to that. And there is also a difference between the actual situation and the legal grounds. What you can conquer back is one question, but the other question is also, what you recognise as the territory of another country. I come from a country that was occupied for 50 years, but the majority of the countries in the world did not recognise it to be Russian territory, and that also meant a lot. So, there are a lot of issues. We should stick to our values and principles, that is very clear, and have pressure on Russia to really stop this war. Q. We all see and observe the situation in Georgia worsen and worsen. Today, a Minister from Germany mentioned that all measures are on the table. You also mentioned Georgia, but if you can be clearer: which kind of measure do you have on the table regarding visa suspension? Can we expect it already in November or in December? Also, about the targeted sanctions, and maybe sanctions regarding hybrid threats or propaganda? And also, you mentioned that now there will be the meeting with Black Sea and Central Asian countries. I saw a document and the place of Georgia is empty. Am I correct that Georgia will not be on this meeting, so a representative from Georgia wasn't invited on this meeting? Thank you. As you know, we have proposed several measures under different sanctions regimes. So far, we have not been able to adopt them because not all Member States have been supportive. When it comes to the visa, the Commission will present its visa suspension mechanism later this year, then also putting forward the regulation on visas and certain groups. As it is not my competence, I will not comment in detail, but this should be the case. When it comes to the meeting today, Georgia was not invited at the ministerial level. Q. So, just in 24 hours, two of my colleagues were detained in Tbilisi just because they participated in fully peaceful protest in Tbilisi, and also others were detained in last days. How would you assess this situation in Georgia, these political repressions? Also, does the EU still consider Georgia as a candidate country under these conditions, when we have these repressions, political prisoners, repressive laws, and also that crackdown on media and civil society? These are exactly the worries the Member States brought up, because the room for civil society and journalists is really shrinking and the measures that the Georgian Government is taking against free media, against civil society, against the protesters, goes against all the principles that we value in the European Union. And that is why, of course, the question that you also raised about them being a candidate to become European Union members - with these measures, it is impossible to consider that it will be the case, because this is going totally in another direction with what Europe represents. Thank you. Q. I'd like to ask you about a follow up on what you said about Gaza and the Middle East. So, this morning, you told us you would give us an update after these talks on what Ministers said about sanctions. You put sanctions on the table against members of the Israeli government. There is a measure proposed regarding trade. Will those move forward, or do you think it is time to shelf them, given the developments? And can I just follow up briefly: the French Foreign Minister also said he would like to see EUBAM Rafah expanded in its mission. Was that discussed? Would you be in favor of that? Thank you. Of course, the context has changed since the measures were put on the table. So, we discussed today, and there were very divergent views. What is something that we landed on, is that we do not move with the measures now, but we do not take them off the table either, because the situation is fragile. Also we need to see the improvement of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza. We need to see also Palestinian revenues to be given to Palestine - or released by the Israeli authorities. We need to see journalists and humanitarian aid workers getting in. We need to see also the international NGOs' registration be unrestricted. These were the worries that Member States raised. For now, we are not taking them off the table, but we are not moving with them either, because the situation is very fragile. When it comes to EUBAM Rafah, the discussion was on 'what more can we do in order to contribute to the peace plan'. When the peace plan was issued, we immediately put together at the European level what we could contribute to each point of the peace plan. And there are two missions that we have: EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS. They are also part of what we could contribute - also to discuss the expansion of the mandate. What I want to stress is that EUBAM Rafah needs the approval from both Egypt and Israeli authorities to function. We stand ready to redeploy, and we need the approval also from them. Q. I would really want to know if, besides the lesson learned after Moldovan elections, whether today's discussion among the foreign affairs Ministers brought Moldova any closer towards opening the first negotiation clusters. Yes, enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos was also making the points of Moldova's development in this regard to be ready to move there. Of course, we have obstacles when it comes to our decision-making processes on the European level, so we are working on them right now. Today, we are not the adopting any decision, but there was a wide consensus in the room that supported Moldova's accession. Q. I would like to ask if there were any discussion suggesting that Moldova could join the European Union without full voting rights, if you know anything about this, and if you discuss this among Member States there? No, there was no such discussion. Q. You mentioned the financial support for Ukraine, but there is also the question of the military support. It seems that there is a sharp drop in the military support from the EU Member States since this summer. And there is also your initiative to offer two million ammunition rounds to Ukraine, which is apparently lagging. So, is there any solution towards this problem? Thank you. It is true that in addition to the financial support, Ukraine also needs the military support to outlast. We have been doing an extensive reach out to the Member States who can do more. When it comes to the ammunition initiative, from 2 million rounds, we are still missing like 300,000 and really, I reached out to Member States, because under the Czech initiative, there is 1 million rounds available now. So, either we need from the Member States some reallocation of funds or a contribution in means. Of course, we have several instruments also on the table, like the SAFE instrument. Thirteen countries out of nineteen who are saying that they are using this instrument also say that they want to use this to support Ukraine. So, there are several things that we also wish to do. And this is true that they need the help. Also, what is important is the support and cooperation, I would say, with the Ukrainian defence industry. Because, right now, for the drones that are attacking Ukraine and their drone factories, or anti-drone systems - there is something that we can also contribute to. But we can also learn a lot and actually win from this, because our Member States are also in threat of drone attacks. So, I think it could be a win-win solution there. Thank you. Q. I want to ask you about Donald Trump, President of the United States. How do you see him? He has now the meeting with Putin and Putin and himself, without Zelensky. Is he a reliable partner for Europe, and how do you deal with this partner? I think President Trump is sincere in trying to end this war. So, that is very clear. We also want to end this war. Ukrainians definitely want to end this war. Who does not want to end this war is Russia. We should not be distracted. I think our course here is very, very clear. Our point is that we have to make also Russia to want peace, and that is why we are working also trying to convince our allies all across the world that nothing can come out of these meetings, if Ukraine or Europe, is not part of it. Thank you. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-279298 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Affairs Council: Press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas upon arrival European External Action Service (EEAS) 20.10.2025 Luxembourg, 20/10/2025 EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Good to be in Luxembourg. Today we have a Foreign Affairs Council, and then afterwards we have a big ministerial coming up with our partners from Central Asia and South Caucasus. But first on the FAC. Of course, we first talk about Ukraine. We see President Trump's efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. Of course, all these efforts are welcomed, but we do not see Russia really wanting peace. Russia only understands strength and only negotiates when it is really put to negotiate. So, right now, we do not see it yet. That is why we are discussing what more we can do. We are expecting this week, also, to adopt a 19th package of sanctions. Unfortunately, not today, but we have also a leaders' meeting coming up on Thursday. And then, what more we can do, also regarding the shadow fleet. We are discussing with the Member States how to better coordinate our actions regarding the shadow fleet. Then, of course, the Middle East. The ceasefire held its first stress test. I think this is a good first phase. But of course, we need to work on what more we can do to have a sustainable peace in the Middle East. There is a lot to do in order to get the humanitarian aid in, and also that the ceasefire would last. So, we will discuss with the Member States what we can do in this regard. And then we have the Indo-Pacific. As you know, we have in November the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum coming up. We are really reaching out to our Indo-Pacific partners, especially considering how China has now weaponised the supply chains. And this weaponising of the supply chains is a risk to global trade. So, we will discuss this also today. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-278726 Q&A. Q. Don't you think it is kind of a slap in the face that Trump is going to meet in Budapest with Putin, but there is no Europeans there? Well, my wish would have been that it is President Zelenskyy who meets Putin, because it is actually them who have to agree on this. As I said, they are meeting, but let's see what is coming out of that meeting. I think it is important that President Zelensky also meets Putin, and they can discuss actually what they can do. If America has a lot of strength to pressure Russia to come to the negotiation table, if they use that, then, of course, this is good if Russia stops this war. Q. Do you think it's right that a wanted war criminal comes to the EU? Secondly, how's your working relationship with President von der Leyen and how do you think that'll be affected if you hire Martin Selmayr as an advisor? Regarding Budapest, no, it is not nice. To see that really a person, with an arrest warrant put by the ICC, is coming to a European country. And again, the question is whether there is any outcome out of this. This is what we need to see, how these things are going in Budapest, as we have been very firm that Russia only negotiates when they are put on pressure. So, we also hope that President Trump does that. Q. Vladimir Putin will be the first person who's been indicted by the ICC to come to the European Union. There's also been Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. You put sanctions on the table against members of the Israeli government and broader trade measures. Should those stay in place, will you commit to advancing them, or do you think it's the right time to shelve them, given the developments of the last week? Of course, the situation has changed, considering the developments last week, but we will discuss today with the Foreign Ministers. These measures are on the table, and the question is, what also Foreign Ministers decide to do with them. So, at the press conference I will have more to tell you. Q. Frozen assets from Russia. What is needed now so that they will be used? And do you expect a breakthrough this week? Yes, we have proposed the Reparations Loan to really move on with this. We have made great progress, but we are not there yet. Hopefully by the end of this week, when also leaders meet, we can report more back to it so that we can move on. What's needed to get there? Usually it is that all the Member States need to agree, and this is the main issue. So, for Member States, what are the issues for them to block or not to agree yet. You have to ask them. Basically, we're working on the solidarity measures for Belgium, for example, and these steps. Q. There's a new Financial Times story saying that Trump urged Zelensky on Friday to accept Putin's terms or be destroyed by Russia, and that Donald Trump also spoke of a special military operation, basically Putin's rhetoric. What do you say to that? Ukrainians are very resilient. They are fighting for their freedom, their independence, their country, so they cannot just surrender. And I think for the international order it is also negative if the aggressor gets what it wants, because that gives a signal to all the aggressors in the world that you can just go and take what you wish for. Q. What do you think the EU can actually deliver today and on the summit in terms of sanctions? What do you think can actually be delivered in the coming days? Like I said, I hope to reach an agreement on the 19th sanctions package this week when the leaders meet. We also are doing the coordination regarding the shadow fleet, because we see that there is a lot of revenues coming from the shadow fleet, and we have really made efforts regarding curbing the revenues from the shadow fleet. We have made a lot of progress if we see how it is really working on Russia. So, we should think about it more, to be more creative in this regard, because they are also creative in bypassing those things. So, we need to think all the time, what more we can do. Q. Is that strategic silence on your relationship with President von der Leyen and the potential for the return of Martin Selmayr? My relationship with President von der Leyen is very good. So, if you are referring to the competition that we have ongoing for the Deputy Secretary-General for the European External Action Service, then my aim has always been that Europe is a geopolitical power. In order to be a geopolitical power, we are only there if we are united by Member States. So, this Deputy Secretary-General is to coordinate the Member States and COREPER to come to unified positions. We need a strong person. This is ongoing and it is to make Europe stronger, which is to the benefit of us all. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's Harbin enters heating season Xinhua) 10:00, October 21, 2025 A staff member inspects heating facilities at a heating service company in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 20, 2025. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) A staff member inspects heating facilities at a heating service company in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 20, 2025. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) A staff member works at a heat exchange station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 20, 2025. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) A staff member monitors heating facilities at a heating service company in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 20, 2025. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) A resident displays a device with one-click repair report function in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 20, 2025. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) A staff member inspects heating facilities at a heat exchange station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 20, 2025. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 20, 2025 shows a heating service company in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) This photo taken on Oct. 20, 2025 shows heating facilities at a heating service company in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) A staff member monitors heating facilities at a heating service company in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 20, 2025. Harbin, China's northernmost provincial capital, entered its heating season on Monday. Residents are now benefiting from improved heating services following an upgrade to the heating system. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Prime Minister's Office Announcement Israel - Prime Minister's Office Type: Media Statements Government: The 37th Government Publish Date: 20.10.2025 The Prime Minister's Office, this evening: Israel has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin containing the remains of a deceased hostage, which was handed over to an IDF and ISA force inside the Gaza Strip. From there, the coffin will be transferred to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony in the presence of an IDF Rabbi. It will then be transferred to the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine. Upon completion of the identification process, formal notification will be delivered to the family. All of the hostages' families have been updated accordingly, and our hearts are with them in this difficult hour. The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned. The public is requested to respect the families' privacy and to refrain from spreading rumors and unofficial and unverified information. We will continue to provide updates with reliable information as necessary. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Presidents of Lithuania and Poland discussed bilateral relations and strengthening regional security President of the Republic of Lithuania October 20, 2025 On Monday, President Gitanas Nauseda met with President Karol Nawrocki of Poland. The meeting took place following the opening of the Via Baltica motorway, on a symbolic day marking the 234th anniversary of the Mutual Pledge of the Two Nations. President Nauseda emphasized that relations between Lithuania and Poland remain exceptionally close and are founded on shared strategic interests. Ongoing projects such as Via Baltica, Rail Baltica and Harmony Link strengthen both countries' economies, military mobility and transport connectivity. The two leaders discussed regional security issues and threats posed by Russia, including the Zapad 2025 military exercise and ongoing airspace violations. They agreed that enhancing regional security is a top priority. This requires coordinated action, strengthening of defense industry capacities and deterrence, and effective airspace protection. During the meeting, they also discussed the possibility of holding joint military exercises in the Suwaki region. According to the President, Poland remains Lithuania's largest trading partner and a priority market for cooperation in innovation and high technologies - particularly in defense industry, life sciences, ICT, engineering, laser technologies, fintech, and CleanTech. President Nauseda also thanked Poland for its contribution to the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. The President's Communication Group NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU Readies New Trade Routes -- And A Challenge To Beijing And Moscow -- At Luxembourg Summit By Reid Standish, Rikard Jozwiak and Mukhtar Senggirbay October 20, 2025 Summary The EU is hosting a summit with ministers from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other countries around the Black Sea to discuss the Middle Corridor, a trade route bypassing Russia. The meeting is aimed at boosting regional connectivity, trade, and energy cooperation. Brussels has already pledged significant investments, but challenges remain in competing with entrenched ties to Beijing and Moscow. The European Union kicked off a high-level summit with top officials from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other neighboring countries on October 20 as the bloc aims to make new inroads in a region where China and Russia wield longstanding influence. At the top of the agenda is the Trans Caspian Transport Corridor - also known as the Middle Corridor - an emerging 6,500-kilometer-long trade route that connects China to Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus by bypassing Russia. The gathering in Luxembourg is "specifically focused on the issue of establishing a well-functioning so-called Middle Corridor stretching across the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea towards Central Asia," Eduards Stiprais, the EU's special representative for Central Asia, told RFE/RL in an interview. The summit is something of a watershed for the 27-member EU as it looks to grow its regional standing at a time when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shifted the geopolitical balance and China's economic expansion has left the region more integrated with Beijing. According to a draft program for the summit seen by RFE/RL, the EU is hosting ministers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Georgia was also invited but declined to attend. The aim of the summit is to launch a new regular format for diplomatic engagement focused on connectivity, trade, digital development, and energy around the Black Sea and the broader region. "In response to the evolving geopolitical landscape, the EU is actively advancing cross-regional cooperation to foster stability, resilience, and prosperity," the document states, which goes on to say that diversifying trade routes will "create economic opportunities" and "ultimately enhance regional security and stability." Stiprais says that the meeting will look to build on past summits and will focus on how best to use funds raised through the Global Gateway, the EU's infrastructure partnership plan launched in 2021 that's seen as an alternative to China's worldwide Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). "The money is there," he said. "The issues are where we need some political decisions and agreements on how to proceed, because we are speaking about crossing several borders and those are countries which over the previous 30 years were very much focused on asserting their sovereignty." Can The EU Deliver On The Middle Corridor? At a much-lauded inaugural EU-Central Asia summit in April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa met with the region's five presidents and announced an additional 12-billion-euro ($14 billion) investment in the Global Gateway to kick-start a new digital and infrastructural development project. Out of that total, 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) are earmarked for the Middle Corridor, which adds to a previous 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) pledged in 2024. Central Asian governments -- and Kazakhstan in particular -- are some of the biggest supporters of the Middle Corridor and see the trade route and deeper ties with Brussels as necessary steps to diversify their economies and lessen their political dependence on China and Russia. The EU, a single market of 27 countries, is the region's biggest foreign investor, but questions remain over how big a player Brussels can be in Central Asia. "Central Asia wants more EU involvement, but regional leaders are not overly optimistic," Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Eurasia Center in Berlin, told RFE/RL. "The EU hasn't yet provided the kind of funding that would make it a true 'third player' helping the region rely less on Russia and China." Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan's ambassador to the EU and NATO, told RFE/RL that investments around the Middle Corridor are still "in the early stages" as they prepare feasibility studies and that an EU-Central Asia Economic Forum scheduled for November in Uzbekistan will be an important litmus test. Still, Vassilenko says he is optimistic about the Middle Corridor's future and what it represents for Kazakhstan. He pointed to new rail projects built in the country and a 35-million-euro loan ($41 million) Astana received from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to upgrade infrastructure at the port of Aqtau, a Kazakh city on the Caspian Sea that is one of the most critical links in the corridor. "The current geopolitical situation actually allows Kazakhstan to become a genuine bridge between East and West," Vassilenko said. What Obstacles Remain For Brussels? EU officials involved in preparing for the summit in Luxembourg told RFE/RL that the new regional format is seen as "quite significant" in Brussels. One EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the summit could be the start of "a replacement for the Eastern Partnership," the bloc's previous initiative for engaging with countries on its eastern borders. But Brussels will need to overcome decades of entrenched influence from Beijing and Moscow if it is to grow its clout in the region. Despite its attention being focused on its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is still an important political player, and China has grown into a leading trade partner and top foreign investor. In Central Asia, bilateral trade with China, the region's largest individual trade partner, has been rising steadily in recent years, hitting a record high of $94.8 billion in 2024. Beyond Central Asia, Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party has pivoted closer to Russia and seen its relations with the EU deteriorate in recent years. Tbilisi has also increasingly relied on China for infrastructure investment by turning to state-backed Chinese firms over European bids to build its $1 billion cross-country highway. Georgia also announced in May that a Chinese consortium won the contract to build a deep-sea port in Anaklia on the Black Sea. Few details have emerged about Anaklia since the Georgian government's announcement, but the port is seen as a crucial part of the Middle Corridor if the route is to function as projected. Stiprais, the EU special representative for Central Asia, says that the bloc is in a "symbolic competition" with China and Russia when it comes to developing trade routes and infrastructure across the region, but that "there is plenty of space for everybody in this endeavor." "There are some advantages that we have compared to both China and Russia," he said. "And one thing is the quality of our investments [and] that they are coming with very clearly delineated conditions." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-china-central-asia-caucasus-russia- middle-corridor-global-gateway/33562604.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 CSTO's Unbreakable Brotherhood 2025 and Barrier 2025 exercises commence in Tajikistan 20 October 2025 13:01 On 20 October, an opening ceremony of the Unbreakable Brotherhood 2025 joint exercise with the peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Barrier 2025 special exercise involving a joint unit of radiation, chemical, and biological protection and medical support of the CSTO took place at the Fakhrabad training ground in Tajikistan. The solemn ceremony was attended by Lieutenant General Bobojon Saidzoda (Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of Defence of the Republic of Tajikistan), Imangali Tasmagambetov (Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation), Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov (Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff), representatives of the armed forces of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, and invited officials. The solemn event began with formation of peacekeeping contingents. A military band performed national anthems and raised national flags of CSTO member states. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defence of the Republic of Tajikistan Lieutenant General Bobojon Saidzoda, in particular, said that 'The response of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation to various threats and crisis situations, taking into account the evolving situation, has always been at the forefront of our attention. In a dynamically developing environment and a concentration of destabilising factors in the immediate vicinity of our borders, the readiness of collective forces and means to carry out tasks of purpose is becoming increasingly relevant. Such large-scale joint exercises are dictated by the dynamic situation in our difficult region and underscores the need to unite the efforts of our countries in confronting current challenges and threats'. Imangali Tasmagambetov, the CSTO Secretary General, welcomed the participants of the exercise. 'The exercises are carried out in conditions of escalating crisis in the system of international relations and preservation of conflict potential in the CSTO Central Asian region. The CSTO member states are taking all necessary measures to develop the forces and means of the collective security system in order to jointly counter modern challenges and threats. CSTO peacekeeping forces, in a complex military-political situation and regional instability, must be in constant readiness to conduct peacekeeping operations both within and outside the Organisation's area of responsibility under the UN mandate,' the CSTO Secretary General said. He also noted that the upcoming exercises would serve to improve the working methods of commanders and headquarters in preparing and conducting a peacekeeping operation, to improve field training and coherence of national peacekeeping contingents. 'I am confident that the exercises will be conducted at a high organisational and methodical standard and that their results will be used to improve the mechanism for making and implementing decisions on the use of the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces,' Imangali Tasmagambetov said in his address. The event ended with the peacekeeping contingents marching in formation at the field camp. From 20 to 24 October, an active phase of the Unbreakable Brotherhood 2025 joint exercise with CSTO peacekeeping forces will be held at the Fakhrabad training ground in Tajikistan, during which a peacekeeping operation on the territory of a CSTO member state will be practised. For the first time, within the framework of the peacekeeping exercise, a special exercise - Barrier 2025 - is being conducted with joint formation of CSTO NBC Protection and medical support units. During these exercises, the joint formation of CSTO NBC Protection and medical support is directly subordinated to the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces Commander. The main task of the joint formation in the exercise is to ensure the biological safety of the coalition grouping of forces. Military contingents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and the operational groups of the CSTO Joint Staff and the CSTO Secretariat take part in the Unbreakable Brotherhood 2025 and Barrier 2025 exercises. The Russian contingent is based on units of the 201st military base of the Central Military District, including mountain units, communication units, electronic warfare units, NBC Protection units, medical units, and UAV teams. The total number of participants in the exercise is about 1,500 as well as more than 200 units of military and special hardware, including 6 helicopters and over 20 UAVs. Active phases of the CSTO exercises are to be conducted in conjunction with the final stage of the joint anti-terrorism training of the competent authorities of the CIS member states, Commonwealth Anti-Terror 2025. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement on presidential elections in Bolivia of 19 October 2025 Spain - Ministry of Foreign Affairs PRESS STATEMENT 106 20 Oct 2025 The Government of Spain congratulates Rodrigo Paz Pereira on his election as President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The Bolivian people and institutions have set an example of civic-mindedness and democratic and institutional respect during an exemplary election day, as confirmed by the Election Observation Missions present on the ground, supported by Spain. The Government of Spain extends its best wishes for success to the president-elect and reiterates its willingness to continue strengthening the close ties of brotherhood that unite Spain with the Plurinational State of Bolivia, for the benefit of both peoples. -NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION- 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 20 October 2025 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. ** Guests Good afternoon. Thank you for your patience, thank you for your presence, thank you in general. In a short while, we will be joined by our guests from UN-Women: Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, who is the Deputy Executive Directorfor Normative Support, UN Coordination at UN Women; and Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Programme, Policy and Intergovernmental Division also in UN-Women. They will be here to brief on the UN Secretary-General's report on women, peace and security, as well as the twenty-fifth anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). Tomorrow, we will have another guest, and that will be Luke David Irving, the Chief of the UN Mine Action Programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He will be briefing you virtually from Jerusalem, to discuss the situation with unexploded ordinances in Gaza. ** Secretary-General's Travel Some travel to share with you. On Wednesday morning, the Secretary-General will arrive in Geneva to participate in a special session of the World Meteorological Congress, commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The session will spotlight the Early Warnings for All initiative, where the Secretary-General is expected to reiterate his urgent call for universal access to life-saving alert systems. Immediately following this event, he will proceed to the Palais des Nations to attend the sixteenth session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Following the session, the Secretary-General will be joined by Carlos Cuerpo, Spain's Minister for Economy, Trade and Enterprise, and they will officially launch the Sevilla Forum on Debt. The forum is a key milestone in advancing commitments made during the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, which took place in Sevilla, Spain. On Thursday, the Secretary-General will head to Hanoi to participate in a high-level event marking the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in December of last year; this landmark treaty is the first comprehensive global framework to address cybercrime, offering States a robust set of tools for prevention and enforcement. The Convention will enter into force 90 days after the deposit of the fortieth instrument of ratification. While in Vietnam, the Secretary-General will also hold bilateral meetings with senior Vietnamese officials. On UN Day, 24 October, he will participate via video link a Security Council session to commemorate the United Nations' eightieth anniversary of this organization. The official name of that Security Council session is: "The United Nations Organization: Looking into the Future". On Saturday evening, the Secretary-General will head to Kuala Lumpur, where he will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-UN Summit, which will be chaired by Malaysia. On the sidelines of the Summit, he will also engage in a number of bilateral discussions with counterparts at the ASEAN meetings as well of course as the Malaysian hosts. We also expect a press conference scheduled during that visit to ASEAN. We expect the Secretary-General back in New York on 28 October. ** Yemen I think, as you are well aware, you saw the note that we issued earlier today that we were informed by our team in Yemen that all 15 UN international staff are now free to move inside the UN compound in Sana'a and they have also been in contact with their respective UN entities and families. This follows the 18 October incursion into our compound by the de facto authorities. Also, the five national staff who had been detained since 18 October within the same UN compound have been released. As a reminder, 53 of our national colleagues in Yemen continue to be arbitrarily detained. I just want to flag a number of calls the Secretary-General made this morning all on the situation in the Middle East, including the specific situation in Yemen. He spoke to the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan al Saud. He spoke with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi. And he spoke twice with the Foreign Minister of Oman, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to Gaza, I can tell you that we are encouraged that the parties have reaffirmed their commitments to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and commend the steadfast efforts of the mediators. We do, however, remain concerned by all acts of violence in Gaza and the reported attacks and strikes that took place yesterday. We urge all parties to honour all their commitments, ensure the protection of civilians and avoid any actions that could lead to a renewal of hostilities and undermine humanitarian operations. We reiterate the Secretary-General's call for the release of the remains of all the deceased hostages. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, wrapped up his visit to the Gaza Strip over the weekend. Just to flag that on Saturday, he visited a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) nutrition centre in Gaza City; he also visited a hospital in Gaza City, he witnessed some road clearance projects run by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and a community kitchen run by our partners at the World Central Kitchen. Also on Saturday, he left Gaza through the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing. On Sunday, he was in Ramallah to meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, where they discussed the massive humanitarian needs in Gaza, the 60-day aid scale up, the importance of sustaining the ceasefire, and of course the situation in the West Bank and the long-term prospect for peace. Today in Jerusalem, Mr. Fletcher met with our humanitarian country team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which brings together about 15 UN entities and representatives of some 200 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), both international and local. Also today, Mr. Fletcher and the Minderoo Foundation of Australia announced a contribution of A$10 million from the Minderoo Foundation for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, delivered in close coordination with the 60-day plan. If Michelle was here, she would tell us how much A$10 million is in US dollars. With the ceasefire in place and as more areas become accessible, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said yesterday that they are expanding the number of temporary learning spaces set up in community shelters for displaced people. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, our partners resumed the distribution of food parcels to thousands of families for the first time in months. Over the weekend, we, along with our partners, continued to collect aid from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings. This included post-partum and hygiene kits, medical supplies, fuel, water, and food. Yesterday, for the first time, Israeli authorities allowed the UN to deploy monitors at the Kissufim crossing. This is of course a welcome development, as it provides us with much-needed visibility into that segment of the pipeline. And I just want to flag the situation in the West Bank. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that, between 7 and 13 October, it documented 71 settler attacks, half of which were related to the ongoing olive harvest season. The incidents, which affected Palestinians in 27 villages, included attacks on harvesters, theft of crops and harvesting equipment, and vandalism of olive trees resulting in casualties and property damage. ** Sudan I want to flag a number of humanitarian situations, none of which are good. First with Sudan. Our humanitarian colleagues on the ground warn that the ongoing violence across the country is putting civilians at graver risk and forcing even more people to flee their homes. In recent days, fighting has escalated in North and West Darfur States, with drone strikes and clashes reported across several areas. On Sunday, a drone strike on Sarf Omra's main market in North Darfur reportedly killed at least seven civilians. Strikes in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, also caused casualties. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 3,000 people were newly displaced in North Darfur last week alone, including 1,500 from El Fasher, the besieged state capital, and another 1,500 from Abu Gamra, following renewed fighting in that village. Tensions were also rising sharply in the Kordofan region. Nearly 1,000 people were displaced from Lagawa town in West Kordofan State on Saturday, due to heightened insecurity. Meanwhile, in South Kordofan, the town of Dilling and the state capital, Kadugli, remain under siege, with supply routes cut off and shortages of basic goods worsening by the day. In Blue Nile state, clashes between armed groups displaced 600 people from Bout town in At Tadamon locality last week. Civilians across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of this relentless violence. Despite the numerous challenges, our humanitarian colleagues continue to provide vital assistance to displaced people in areas that we and our partners are able to safely access. And once again, we call for the immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and for us to have unimpeded humanitarian access wherever is needed. ** Democratic Republic of the Congo Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our colleagues at OCHA are sounding the alarm over the collapse of the health system in North and South Kivu, where hostilities continue to impact civilians and devastate critical civilian infrastructure. In these two provinces, 85 per cent of health facilities are affected by shortages in medicine, while nearly 40 per cent have seen an exodus of health staff, further undermining the delivery of services. In North Kivu alone, our partners working in health report that about a third of all health facilities in the province's conflict zones have been destroyed, looted or abandoned, leaving millions of people with extremely limited access to healthcare. The remaining facilities are overwhelmed and face critical shortages of essential supplies, including kits for survivors of sexual violence, cholera treatments and just basic routine vaccines. This is happening as the province battles deadly epidemics. Since the beginning of the year, health partners have recorded over 8,600 cases of cholera, 8,000 cases of Mpox, and more than 10,500 cases of measles, which have already claimed dozens of lives. Our partners on the ground estimate that without urgent action, more than 6,000 preventable deaths could occur between now and the end of the year. They also project a potential 40 per cent increase in maternal mortality in the hardest-hit areas. The $2.5 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently just 16 per cent funded, with $410 million received so far. Our health partners urgently need $6 million to procure essential supplies and maintain these life-saving services. Urgent measures are needed to ensure the continued functioning of healthcare facilities in all areas affected by crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Additional funding is required to prevent a greater tragedy. We also call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians, protect civilian infrastructure, including health facilities, and to ensure safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid wherever is needed. ** Haiti And in Haiti, just off the coast of Florida, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns of a resurgence of cholera in the Ouest Department over the past month. Since 8 September, health authorities have reported new cases in the commune of Petion-Ville, following 11 weeks with no cases confirmed in the country. In just a single week between 5 and 11 October, 139 suspected cases were recorded, including more than 20 laboratory-confirmed cases. Five deaths were also reported. Petion-Ville, as well as parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, including the commune of Cite-Soleil, remain on red alert, amid concerns over cholera spreading at sites hosting internally displaced people and there a lot of displaced people in that area. Haiti's Ministry of Health, with support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and humanitarian partners, has stepped up disinfection campaigns, community awareness activities, and the distribution of chlorine, safe water and hygiene kits in the areas that are most impacted. This outbreak is unfolding amid a severe deterioration of basic services in the capital, where only 11 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity remain fully operational. Our colleagues at OCHA and our partners continue to support national authorities' efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, expand response capacities and contain the spread of cholera. ** World Statistics Day If you count your world days, which day is today? World Statistics Day, which is observed every five years to recognize the vital role of data in addressing today's global challenges. In his message, the Secretary-General says that reliable data drives progress and recovery. He calls for greater investment in trustworthy, timely and impartial statistics to help shape better policies and advance sustainable development for all. ** General Assembly Event And once you finish celebrating World Statistics Day, you are all invited to attend the launch at 6 p.m. today of the global exhibition Shared Lives, Shared Future, on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of this organization. That will be in the General Assembly Lobby. The Secretary-General is set to make opening remarks, followed by those of the Permanent Representatives of Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland, with whom the Department of Global Communications is co-organizing the event. The project comprises more than 200 stories from 193 countries and 3 other territorial entities, showcasing the impact of the UN System on people's lives everywhere, including in the Global North, often in "invisible" ways. And there is more information on the back on that. There is no money today, there is no quiz, so I will go to you, Farnoush. ** Questions and Answers Question : I have two questions. I wanted to first start with Yemen. Is there any additional details you can share about the SG's conversations with the Iranian and Yemen foreign ministers? Are they facilitating access or helping negotiate the release of the UN...? Spokesman : I mean, obviously, as we do in similar cases, it is normal for the Secretary-General to speak to those Member States who have special influence over the situation or who are engaged in the region. So, this was in that context. It's very important that when staff of the United Nations, who work on behalf of all 193 members, face situations like the ones we are facing in Yemen, that those Member States who can help, help. And that's why the Secretary-General had these phone calls with these three Foreign Ministers in a very positive manner. Question : And then secondly, on Gaza, Israeli officials have told AP that the flow of aid is supposed to return today. But, as of this afternoon, it was not immediately clear if that aid had restarted. Can you give a status on what the aid situation is? Spokesman : Yes. I don't have, beyond the information I shared with you just a few minutes ago, I don't think I have anything more, but my colleagues will let me know while we're briefing if I get something else. Abdelhamid? Correspondent : Thank you, Stephane. On Friday evening, the family of Abu Shaaban was traveling back to their homes in Hayez Zeitoun in Gaza. A shell hit their car, killing all 11 members, 7 children, 3 women and 1 man. And yet the UN did not say one word about this. Spokesman : I think the Secretary-General expressed his very serious concern about the continuing violence that we're seeing in Gaza. Question : It's not violence. It's a crime against a family. Why there was no statement? Spokesman : I think we have been extremely vocal about the plight and the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, and I think we and are working to end that suffering as quickly as possible. Farnoush, I am told, sorry, I had the language here that while the crossings were closed Friday, Sunday and Monday, that aid entered from Gaza today. No, I do not have numbers. Okay. Yes, Abdelhamid, I'm sure you have a second question. Question : Yes. My second question, and I have noticed lately that you don't mention Karem Abu Salem, the Arabic name for the crossing. Spokesman : Abdelhamid, with all due respect, I just wish you would listen to what I said, because I specifically said Karem Abu Salem/Karim Shalom in my first reference to this crossing today. So, I'm happy for you to parse the language that I use, but all that I ask is that you listen to what I said. Gabriel? Question : Thank you, Steph. Speaking of border crossings, do you have any update on Rafah that the UN has been given on when it might reopen? Spokesman : No. Question : And you said that you have... Israel has allowed monitors in Kissufim. How many other border crossings do you have monitors at this point? Spokesman : At this point, it's the only one where we have those types of monitors. Question : Okay. And last question is why those monitors are important for you guys? Spokesman : It helps us get visibility on the kind of aid, on the aid that actually is going in, not only ours, but the bilateral aid and the private sector that's going in. Yes Madame? Question : Zeinab from Yemen Free and Homeland News. I want to ask about the UN staff held in Yemen. Are you satisfied with the 15 they got released and they are just still in the compound? That's how they got... Spokesman : Am I what, sorry? Am I satisfied? Can you repeat the question? I'm sorry. Question : Is it okay that the UN staff, they are just released and in the compound, they didn't get freed totally? Spokesman : That's a true fact. What you said, it is a step in the right direction. We hope that they will be free to leave the compound as soon as possible. Question : My second question, why there is a lot of ambiguity surrounding their capture there, not too much information about how they were...? Spokesman : I don't know. To us, it's pretty clear. Armed elements from the Houthi de facto authorities entered the compound at gunpoint, from what I understand, and they were detained in their room. You know what, we updated you on the situation earlier in the week. And now the situation seems to have moved in the right direction. Okay, Ahmed? Question : Thank you, Steph. With regard to the repeated incidents of capturing UN personnel, both local and international. This time, is the Secretary-General considering contacting the Iranian Government since they have significant leverage over the Houthis? Spokesman : Can I just stop you? I don't know if there's a problem with the sound system, but I actually listed the phone calls the Secretary-General just made, including the Foreign Minister. I have zero attention span. I just hope you have a little better attention span than I do. Yes, please? Question : Iran says that it has informed UN that its resolution 2231 (2015) is formally ended as a cooperation deal with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] is terminated. And also, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a ceasefire. So, any comments on both of these? Spokesman : Well, the Afghanistan and Pakistan, we hope that the ceasefire will hold and that all of the outstanding issues will be dealt diplomatically. The Secretary-General has received letters from the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran and China on resolution 2231 (2015). What I can just refer you... what I can say to that is I would just refer you back to the note to correspondents and the steps we took on 27 September. And that note was shared with you on [28 September]. The Secretary-General continues to call upon the parties to demonstrate renewed political will towards meaningful negotiations and to explore all avenues for the continued diplomatic engagements on the Iran nuclear issue. Frank? Question : I wanted to see where the UN...? Spokesman : Could you put your mic on...? Question : Yes, I'd like to see where the UN draws a distinction between detainees and hostages, because one would obviously involve a non-State actor and the other would involve a government. Where do you draw the line? Spokesman : I think we are in the midst of discussions to get ensure that our international colleagues are allowed to leave. We are also very much involved in discussions to ensure that the 53 national colleagues are released from arbitrary detention. Currently, we are not using the H-word to describe the situation. Question : Just a follow-up. Within the UN Security Management System, there is a brief that was put out back in 2022 saying that under no circumstances, and maybe you can confirm this, that the UN will not pay ransom in these situations. Spokesman : That is correct. Okay. Heri, please. And I'll go to you, Stefano. Yes, please go ahead. Question : Thank you so much. My name is Prosper Heri. I'm a reporter from Goma, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. I have two questions. The first is DRC is crucial in fight against climate change, but its eastern part is facing conflict that impacts really on its biodiversity. What is the UN doing to help DRC to grapple with such a situation, especially regarding biodiversity? Spokesman : Well, you're very correct, Prosper, in linking conflict to the vulnerability of biodiversity, notably in the DRC. Our focus right now in the Congo, especially in the Eastern part of the Congo, through where our peacekeeping mission remains and where it is not through our humanitarian work is to help bring some relief to people, to help... to try to help bring people back to their farmlands, to get people's back lives back on track. It is challenging often for Member States to deal with the immediate crises like conflict and the long-term crises like the loss of biodiversity, but we will continue to work with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to address both things at once. Question : And the second question is, since 2023, UN, I mean, MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo], and the DRC have signed an agreement about a gradual disengagement of MONUSCO from Congolese soil. But, over the last months, you have seen that the security situation depleted was really deteriorating. So, have you anything to say? What is the future of MONUSCO in Democratic Republic of Congo? Spokesman : MONUSCO will continue to draw down as mandated by the Security Council. At the same time, we will continue to work with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and certain parts of its security and military apparatus to ensure that they can pick up and fill the void that may be left by the departing UN Forces. Stefano, then Islam. Question : Yes. From MONUSCO to MINURSO [United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara]. Given the United States has circulated a draft resolution on Western Sahara recognizing Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan, does the Secretary-General believe this initiative aligns with the UN principles of self-determination? And how does he view Washington proposal to limit MINURSO's mandate to just three months? Spokesman : Look, the Security Council members, in their wisdom, will make a decision on the mandate of MINURSO. I have nothing really more to add than to say that both MINURSO continues its work and the personal envoy continues his work. Correspondent : But, in the resolution, the United States proposed that the Secretary-General will, within three months, will propose his idea for MINURSO and eventually proposing to dismantle, basically, the Mission. Spokesman : Well, you know how it works. The Security Council decides and the Secretary-General does. So, let's wait for the resolution. Okay. Yes, sorry, Islam, please. Question : Thank you, Stephane. Since the ceasefire was put on effect since 10 October, according to the reports, there are around 80 ceasefire violations by Israel. And I think last report was 97 Gazans died, if not more at the moment. I just would like to know, does UN take any part monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza? And what is the mechanism, other than news reports, who violates the ceasefire? Spokesman : No, we are not part of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism. Our focus in Gaza currently is on humanitarian assistance. Obviously, in the process of doing our work, we are witness to things. And I think, as I did earlier today, we speak out against it. But, we are not part of an official mechanism which monitors a ceasefire. That's up to the mediators. Okay. I would ask you please to stay in your seats and to wait for our guests, who I will come and get from UN-Women. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Women still largely excluded from peace processes 20 October 2025 - Around 676 million women lived within 50 kilometres of deadly conflict last year - the highest figure since the 1990s. That's one of the key findings of the UN Secretary-General's annual report on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) published on Monday. The report highlights the role that women play as peacemakers, describes how conflict affects women overall, and outlines the UN Secretary-General's goals for the key agenda. "Women and girls are being killed in record numbers, shut out of peace tables, and left unprotected as wars multiply. Women do not need more promises, they need power, protection, and equal participation," commented Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. 25 years on This year marks the 25th anniversary of the WPS agenda and Security Council resolution 1325, a landmark decision adopted by the international community at the turn of the century, affirming the importance of women's participation in conflict prevention and peace processes. Since its adoption, there has been a growing consensus supported by real world examples - from Colombia to Liberia and the Philippines - that women's participation makes peace agreements more likely and durable, according to the report. But problems persist. Implementation of WPS goals requires funding, and since last year's report, women-led organizations are in need more funding as conflict and crisis put them at risk. Women still under-represented Women can play an instrumental role in mediating conflict. As part of negotiations to finally end Yemen's long civil war, women leaders managed to negotiate access to natural resources. Data collected from 2020-2024 found that women's representation as negotiators, mediators and signatories in peace processes is far below the target set by the UN. Last year, women made up only seven per cent of negotiators on average worldwide, and nearly nine out of ten negotiation tracks included no women negotiators at all, said the report. Women were slightly more represented in mediation roles, averaging 14 per cent but still, two-thirds of mediation efforts did not include women. In the annual open debate on the WPS agenda earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that while progress has been made over the past quarter century, "gains are fragile and - very worryingly - going in reverse." 'Unfulfilled promises' Presenting the report on Monday, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda stressed that while civilian casualties among women and children quadrupled compared to the previous two-year period - and sexual violence also increased - many women's organizations working on the frontlines are scaling down or closing due to lack of funding. "These numbers tell a story, one of unfulfilled promises," she said. Sarah Hendriks, the agency's Policy Division Director, warned that if the current trend continues, progress made on women's rights over the past two decades risks being erased. She reiterated the report's call for binding targets and quotas for women's participation, accountability for gender-based crimes and violence in conflict and other recommendations. "The evidence is clear: when women lead and when their organizations are resourced, peace is more possible, recovery is faster, and societies are stronger," she concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World News in Brief: Sudan aid update, Kyrgyzstan death penalty, health crises in DRC, Haiti 20 October 2025 - To Sudan, where the people of government held El Fasher in the west of the war-torn country remain trapped without food, water or medical care, UN aid coordinators, OCHA, said on Monday. The warning from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, follows ongoing and repeated attacks on El Fasher, which is under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Ten days ago, the Darfuri city's Daraja Oula neighbourhood was targeted in a drone strike, killing at least 57 civilians who'd been displaced by the war. Almost 30 months of war in Sudan have left nearly two in three people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including 16 million children. Famine has been confirmed in various parts of the country, and millions remain at risk of starvation. Meanwhile, disease outbreaks are compounding the crisis, alongside worsening climate shocks, OCHA says, with more than 3,400 deaths from the ongoing cholera outbreak since July 2024 and over 120,000 suspected cases today. Displacement continues The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 3,000 people were newly displaced in North Darfur just last week, including 1,500 from El Fasher, the besieged state capital, and another 1,500 from Abu Gamra, following renewed fighting. Tensions are also rising sharply in the Kordofan region. Nearly 1,000 people were displaced from Lagawa town in West Kordofan State on Saturday, due to heightened insecurity, warned UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. Meanwhile, in South Kordofan, the town of Dilling and the state capital Kadugli remain under siege, with supply routes cut off and shortages of basic goods worsening by the day. "Civilians across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of this relentless violence," said Mr. Dujarric. "Despite the numerous challenges, our humanitarian colleagues continue to provide vital assistance to displaced people in areas that we and our partners are able to safely access." Kyrgyzstan: Death penalty reintroduction would violate international law, Turk warns The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Monday called on the authorities in Kyrgyzstan not to reintroduce the death penalty following the rape and murder of a girl there last month. Volker Turk warned that this would be a serious breach of international law. Kyrgyzstan stopped using capital punishment in 1998 and then permanently prohibited its use in law in 2010, when it ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Treaty withdrawal threat According to Mr. Turk's office, the Kyrgyz authorities want to amend the Constitution to allow the use of the death penalty for cases including the rape of a child. They have also proposed that the country withdraws from the optional protocol. These rights "cannot be taken away, no matter the justification that is offered", the High Commissioner said. He added that no justice system is perfect, and if the death penalty were reintroduced, it would in time lead to the death of innocent people at the hands of the State. Health crisis in DR Congo OCHA on Monday reported that health systems across North and South Kivu in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have, in effect, collapsed. Around 85 per cent of health facilities in the volatile eastern region where armed groups hold sway, are experiencing medicine shortages, while nearly 40 per cent have seen an exodus of medical staff - further weakening the delivery of essential health services. In North Kivu alone, UN partners reported that a third of all health facilities in the province's conflict zones have been destroyed, looted, or abandoned, leaving millions with extremely limited access to healthcare. To make matters worse, the collapse of health systems is compounded by outbreaks of deadly epidemics. "Since the beginning of the year, health partners have recorded over 8,600 cases of cholera, 8,000 cases of monkeypox, and more than 10,500 cases of measles", said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. Immediate action needed Without urgent action, the UN estimates that 6,000 preventable deaths could occur between now and the end of the year. As of now, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for the DRC is just 16 per cent funded, with $410 million received. The UN critically needs an additional $6 million to procure essential supplies and maintain these life-saving services. In more positive health news, health authorities in DRC discharged the final patient from the latest Ebola virus outbreak, marking what the World Health Organization described as "an important milestone." A total of 19 patients have recovered from the disease, said the UN health agency. No new cases have been reported since 25 September. In total, 64 cases (53 confirmed and 11 probable) have been reported since the outbreak was declared on 4 September in Kasai Province. Cholera surge in Haiti To another crisis hotspot now and the impact of ongoing gang warfare in Haiti: OCHA is warning of a resurgence of cholera in the Ouest department over the past month. Health authorities have reported new cases in the commune of Petion-Ville, following 11 weeks with no cases showing up. In just a single week between 5 and 11 October, there were 139 suspected cases recorded, including more than 20 laboratory-confirmed. Five deaths were also reported. Petion-Ville, as well as parts of the capital Port-au-Prince, including the commune of Cite-Soleil, remain on red alert, amid concerns over cholera spreading at sites hosting internally displaced. Haiti's Ministry of Health, with support from the UN-backed Pan American Health Organization (WHO) and humanitarian partners, has stepped up disinfection campaigns, community awareness activities, and the distribution of chlorine, safe water and hygiene kits in the areas that are most impacted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory In Gaza, UN Relief Chief witnesses humanitarian scale-up The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, wrapped up his visit to the Gaza Strip over the weekend. On Saturday, he went to a UNICEF nutrition centre in Gaza city, where humanitarians are working to get hunger levels down. While in Gaza city, Mr. Fletcher also visitedthe Patient Friendly Hospital, a pediatric facility in urgent need of more supplies and staff. Additionally, he saw a road clearance project run by the UN Development Programme, which is allowing aid trucks to drive through and giving humanitarians access to people in need of aid. He stressed that more trackers and bulldozers are urgently needed in Gaza. Farther south in Deir al Balah, Mr. Fletcher visited a community kitchen run by partner organization World Central Kitchen. The site is producing 50,000 hot meals each day, with plans to further increase. Later on Saturday, the Under-Secretary-General exited Gaza through Kerem Shalom. On Sunday, he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, where they discussed the massive humanitarian needs in Gaza, the 60-day aid scale-up*, the importance of sustaining the ceasefire, the situation in the West Bank, and the path to long-term peace. Today in Jerusalem, Mr. Fletcher met with the Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which brings together about 15 UN entities and representatives of some 200 NGOs - both international and local. Also today, Mr. Fletcher and the Minderoo Foundation announced a contribution of AU$10 million from the Minderoo Foundation for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, delivered in close coordination with the UN-coordinated 60-day plan. With the ceasefire in place and as more areas become accessible, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said yesterday that the agency is expanding the number of temporary learning spaces set up in community shelters for displaced people. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, partners have successfully resumed the distribution of food parcels to thousands of families for the first time in months. In the north, preparations are underway to do the same. Over the weekend, the UN and its partners continued to collect aid from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings. This included post-partum and hygiene kits, medical supplies, fuel, water and food. Yesterday, for the first time, Israeli authorities allowed the UN to deploy monitors at the Kissufim crossing. This is a welcome development, as it provides much-needed visibility into that segment of the pipeline. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support. Settler attacks affect Palestinians in over two dozen villages in West Bank The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the security situation in the West Bank remains tense amid this year's olive harvest season. Between 7 and 13 October, OCHA documented 71 settler attacks, half of which were related to the ongoing olive harvest season. The incidents, which affected Palestinians in 27 villages, included attacks on harvesters, theft of crops and harvesting equipment, and vandalism of olive trees - resulting in casualties, property damage or both. Sudan Civilians flee escalating violence in Darfur and Kordofan OCHA warns that violence continues to imperil civilians and drive new waves of displacement in various parts of Sudan. In the states of North and West Darfur, fighting has escalated in recent days, with drone strikes and clashes reported in several areas. Yesterday, a drone attack on the main market in Saraf Omra, North Darfur, reportedly killed at least seven civilians. Strikes in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, also caused casualties. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 3,000 people were newly displaced in North Darfur last week alone, including 1,500 from El Fasher, the besieged state capital, and another 1,500 from Abu Gamra village, following renewed fighting. Tensions have also risen sharply in the Kordofan region. IOM reports that nearly 1,000 people were displaced from Lagawa town in West Kordofan State on Saturday due to heightened insecurity. The previous day, a drone strike in the El Mazrub village in North Kordofan State reportedly killed at least 17 people, including a prominent community leader, while over 200 people were displaced from the area. In South Kordofan State, artillery shelling and drone attacks reported last week heightened tensions. The town of Dilling and the state capital Kadugli remain under siege, with supply routes cut off and shortages of basic goods worsening by the day. Meanwhile, in the south-eastern state of Blue Nile, ongoing insecurity displaced 600 people from Bout town in At Tadamon locality last week, as clashes between rival armed groups forced families to flee in search of safety. Civilians across Sudan are bearing the brunt of this relentless violence. OCHA reiterates the Secretary-General's call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need. Despite the challenges, humanitarians continue to provide vital assistance to displaced people in areas that the UN and its partners are able to safely access. Democratic Republic of the Congo Hostilities devastate health system in eastern DRC OCHA is sounding the alarm over the collapse of the health system in North and South Kivu provinces, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where hostilities continue to impact civilians and devastate critical civilian infrastructure. In North and South Kivu, 85 per cent of health facilities are affected by shortages in medicine, while nearly 40 per cent have seen an exodus of health staff, further undermining the delivery of services. In North Kivu alone, partners working in health report that more than a third of all health facilities in the province's conflict zones have been destroyed, looted or abandoned, leaving millions of people with extremely limited access to healthcare. The remaining facilities are overwhelmed and face critical shortages of essential supplies, including kits for survivors of sexual violence, cholera treatments and routine vaccines. This is happening as the province battles deadly epidemics. Since the beginning of the year, health partners have recorded over 8,600 cases of cholera, 8,000 cases of Mpox, and more than 10,500 cases of measles, which has already claimed dozens of lives. Partners on the ground estimate that without urgent action, more than 6,000 preventable deaths could occur between now and the end of the year. They also project a potential 40 per cent increase in maternal mortality in the hardest-hit areas. The US$2.5 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for DRC is currently just 16 per cent funded, with $410 million received so far. Partners working in health urgently need $6 million to procure essential supplies and maintain these life-saving services. Urgent measures are needed to ensure the continued functioning of healthcare facilities in all areas affected by crisis in eastern DRC. Additional funding is required to prevent a greater tragedy. It is also critical that all parties uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure - including health facilities - and to ensure safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian partners. Haiti UN and partners step up support to health authorities amid cholera resurgence OCHA warns of a resurgence of cholera in Haiti's Ouest department over the past month. Since 8 September, health authorities have reported new cases in the commune of Petion-Ville, following 11 weeks with no cases confirmed across the country. In just a single week between 5 and 11 October, 139 suspected cases were recorded, including more than 20 laboratory-confirmed cases. Five deaths were also reported. Petion-Ville - as well as parts of the capital Port-au-Prince, including the commune of Cite-Soleil - remain on red alert, amid concerns over cholera spreading at sites hosting internally displaced people. Haiti's Ministry of Health - with support from the Pan American Health Organization and humanitarian partners - has stepped up disinfection campaigns, community awareness activities, and the distribution of chlorine, safe water and hygiene kits in the most affected neighborhoods. This outbreak is unfolding amid a severe deterioration of basic services in the capital, where only 11 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity remain fully operational. OCHA and its partners continue to support national authorities' efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, expand response capacities, and contain the spread of cholera. Posted on 20 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Zealand soldiers dig deep for expert US Army challenge New Zealand Defence Force In a first-time encounter with a gruelling US Army expert-level challenge of fitness and soldiering skills, a team of New Zealand Army soldiers has bettered the typical pass rate. 21 October, 2025 A New Zealand Army Infantry Platoon, deployed to South Korea earlier this year, was invited to participate in Expert Infantry Badge (EIB) testing alongside United States and Republic of Korean Army personnel at Camp Casey. The EIB is a special skills badge within the US Army, initiated in 1944 to honour infantryman and symbolise their infantry's "tough, hard-hitting role in combat". To earn it, candidates must pass a demanding sequence of events that validate physical fitness, medical proficiency and tactical fieldcraft. Across the five-day period, 28 NZ Army soldiers took part, with seven successfully meeting all standards. This 25 percent success rate is notably higher than the average American pass rate of 15 percent. The five-day challenge began with the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) and land navigation, involving successive days of navigation (day and night), individual skills testing, and culminating in a 12-mile (19.3km) weighted march. Any failure at any stage meant immediate elimination. It was this particular criteria that really put the pressure on, says Private Taedyn Edmonds-Griffiths. "You're tested on 30 different infantry skills, and one mistake would mean you were out of the competition." Personnel had a week's preparation, which included having to learn how the US Army performed drills. "That was probably the hardest part," says Private Blake McKay. "You'd think things would be similar, but almost everything was different, including drills with weapons." Some weapons were the same or similar to weapons used by the Kiwis but drills were different, which meant resisting muscle memory. Another tricky task was the navigation exercises, Private McKay said. "It's a lot more challenging than people expect. The complex terrain made the land navigation challenging." The 12-mile (19km) foot march, which must be completed in three hours or less while carrying 35 pounds (16kg) of weight, was more familiar territory, said Private Edmonds-Griffiths. "It's the point of the competition where you are almost finished, it's just physical and there's not much thinking involved. Pack marching is normal for us at the end of an exercise." Private McKay said it was an awesome opportunity to compare their ability on an international stage. "For the Americans, it's an essential thing for their ranking system. They train for up to two weeks, including after-hours study and drills. For us, we looked at it as a challenge." Private Edmonds-Griffiths said after hearing what the Americans were saying about it, he didn't expect to pass. "But the Americans were really good to us. Heaps of them wanted us to succeed, so they took us under their wing and were really patient. That support really helped." The New Zealand platoon has been in South Korea since July and will be coming home this month. Those who passed the challenge earn a long rectangular blue badge depicting a Springfield Arsenal Musket. "It would be great if we brought in something similar," Private McKay said. "Their awards span across multiple trades - infantry, logistics, combat, even an advanced medic one." Lieutenant Steve Ward, who is deployed with the platoon, says their achievement reflects both exceptional individual resilience and the professionalism of the NZ Army's infantry training. "It not only underscores interoperability and shared standards between infantry forces, but also sets a strong precedent for future exchange and development opportunities with US Army formations operating in the Indo-Pacific region." The NZ Army personnel who qualified for the EIB were: Lance Corporal Matthew Monteiro, Lance Corporal Will Osborne, Lance Corporal Cameron Chambers, Lance Corporal Conor Davies, Private Blake McKay, Private Gabriel Milne and Private Taedyn Edmonds-Griffiths. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Patriot Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country planned to order 27 Patriot air defense systems. In an interview with the British paper the Guardian, which was published on 09 Novembe 2025, Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin was ordering terrorist attacks on Ukraine's energy system. Zelenskyy said he wanted to order 27 Patriot systems from US manufacturers, and that, in the meantime, European states could lend Ukraine their existing Patriots. According to an October 2025 report by the UK paper the Financial Times, Ukraine has been provided with at least six Patriot systems. Ukraine needs 20 batteries of Patriot air defense systems to protect against Russian missiles. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this 29 March 2023 in an interview with The Associated Press. And even this may not be enough, "since no country in the world has been attacked by such a number of ballistic missiles," explained Zelensky. "During most of the war, the Ukrainian military received billions of dollars worth of ammunition and weapons from Western countries. "Zelensky welcomed this help, but said that some of the promised weapons have not yet been delivered," the article says. "We have great solutions for the Patriots, but we don't really have them," Zelenskyy said, referring to the American-made air defense system. Zelensky said 19 October 2025 his country is preparing a contract to buy 25 Patriot air defence systems. The procurement would be a huge boost for Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russias aerial bombardments. Zelensky said the systems would be supplied every year for a number of years, and that Ukraine would seek for some European nations to give Kyiv priority in the queue for the systems. Zelenskyy in his evening address on 20 October 2025 : "There will be additional support packages. Separately and very specifically we are working with the United States to ensure that Ukraine still can receive the necessary number of Patriot systems. This is not an easy task, but it is one of the security guarantees for Ukraine and it will work in the long term. In Washington, I spoke with defence companies that produce Patriots and other weapons we need. The willingness to work with Ukraine is fully sufficient Ukraine is trusted. It is important that there be enough support for this at the political level in Washington." President Zelenskyy met 17 October 2025 with representatives of the U.S. defense company Raytheon, which manufactures, among other systems, the Patriot air defense complex. The head of state informed the partners about the situation on the battlefield and the intensification of Russian strikes against civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine. We discussed Raytheons production capabilities, possible avenues for cooperation to strengthen Ukraines air defense, increase long-range capabilities, and develop Ukrainian-American production. There are decisions that can enhance the protection of life in Ukraine. We are working at all levels to ensure their implementation, Zelenskyy said. Since January 2024, Ukrainian soldiers had been training in the US how to use the Patriot system, but it has not yet been deployed in Ukraine. Zelensky also added that one European country sent another air defense system to Ukraine, but it did not work, and "we had to change it again and again." He did not name the country, writes AP. The Patriot air defense system battery consists of a radar, control point and launchers (up to eight), each of which has four missiles. The price of one battery is about a billion dollars. After including a Patriot air defense battery as part of the $1.85 billion military aid package to Ukraine in December 2022, the United States has since transferred at least 847 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles worth about $3.26 billion to Kiev, a Sputnik correspondent's analysis of US Department of Defense (DOD) budget reports showed 11 December 2024. Following Russias successful test of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile on the battlefield in Ukraine in late November, the Netherlands has transferred additional Patriot batteries to Kiev. The US has provided two additional Patriot batteries to Ukraine in subsequent military aid packages, after the initial delivery in December 2022. The US Armys goal, known as Army Acquisition Objective, is to procure 3,376 MSE missiles as the quantity required to "equip the US Army approved force and to sustain that force." President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again called on international partners to provide Ukraine with more Patriot air defense systems. The head of state announced this in an interview on the air of the telethon 06 April 2024. "I won't tell you how many Patriot systems we have. I can say that in order to close Ukraine completely, for the future, it is desirable for Ukraine to have 25 Patriot systems with 6-8 batteries each," Zelenskyi said. The President clarified that he named the number because it is no longer a secret all Ukraine's partners know about the need. According to the head of state, they even know the points where the relevant systems should stand and operate. Zelenskyi emphasized that Patriot analogues would also be suitable for Ukraine: "There are several in the world, they also work very well." "Yes, it looks like a large number, but the territory of Ukraine is also very large. Therefore, in order to completely cover our state, even the same regions where it does not arrive or almost arrives, if the question is about it, to completely cover our state, in today's structure, we air defense of Ukraine with all the other systems we have, we need 25 Patriot systems," the president added. On January 2, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny informed that during the massive shelling of Ukraine, the Air Force shot down 10 out of 10 Russian Dagger missiles with the help of the Patriot air defense system . On April 10th, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pushed harder to acquire Patriot air defense batteries from Western allies to bolster Ukraine's defense against Russian attacks. Despite receiving some Patriots last year, Ukraine needs more to adequately protect against aerial assaults. Kuleba's intensified efforts come as Western aid, particularly from the US, faces obstacles in Congress. He aimed to secure seven Patriot systems initially to cover major cities and counter Russia's guided air attacks. However, resistance from some countries persists, prompting Kuleba to publicly express frustration, urging NATO to act swiftly. The urgency is underscored by recent Russian strikes on critical infrastructure. With Soviet-era defenses dwindling, Kuleba emphasizes the need for modern weapons like Patriots. While facing diplomatic challenges, Kuleba's resolve strengthens as threats escalate, exemplified by a recent missile scare in Kyiv. He stressed the need for decisive action to confront the reality of ongoing conflict and ensure Ukraine's security. An AWACS A-50U aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces was shot down in January 2024 using a MIM-104 Patriot air defense system , Rosanna Clemente, assistant chief of staff of the 10th US Army, said 09 June 2024. The officer said that defenders of the Ukrainian state used air ambush tactics (SAMbush). According to her, some air defense systems are used by Ukraine to protect static objects, while others move directly to the front line, ambushing Russian aircraft. In addition, Clemente mentioned the fact that several Su-27s were destroyed in this way, but most likely they meant Su-34 bombers . Let us recall that at that time the prevailing version of the defeat of the A-50U was friendly fire from its own air defense system, and the version about the use of the American Patriot was the least likely due to its theoretically insufficient range of use. Ukraine said it shot down a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired US-made Patriot defense systems. Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced the operation on Telegram on 06 May 2023. He said that a Kinzhal-type ballistic missile was intercepted in an overnight attack on May 4. "I congratulate the Ukrainian people on the historic event. Yes, we shot down the 'unique' Kinzhal," Oleshchuk wrote. The unconfirmed claim would mark the first known case of Ukraine successfully intercepting what's seen as among Moscow's most modern missiles. Russia had previously boasted about the missile's speed and capability. The German government handed over another military aid package to Ukraine, which includes a Patriot air defence system and missiles. This is the second air defence system transferred to Ukraine from Germany. This was reported 14 December 2023 on the German governments website. The second Patriot air defense system to arrive in Ukraine from Germany before the end of this month to protect the Ukrainian sky from Russian strikes. This was stated by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an address to Bundestag deputies on Wednesday in a "government statement" ahead of the summit of European leaders, reports an Ukrinform correspondent. Scholz referred to the war Russia has been waging against Ukraine for almost two years a main political and security challenge for the European continent. At the same time, the chancellor emphasized Germany's role in strengthening Ukrainian air defense, which this winter is much more capable to protect the country from Russian missiles and drones. He mentioned the Gepard self-propelled guns, as well as Iris-T and Patriot systems handed over by Germany. It is worth noting that Ukraine repeatedly called on its allies to transfer long-range Patriot missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to minimize losses from massive air strikes by the Russian invaders. For months Ukraine had requested a long-range air-defense system, the U.S.-made Patriot. This system can destroy short-range ballistic missiles, advanced aircraft, and cruise missiles. It was first deployed in the 1980s and is considered one of the most advanced U.S. air-defense systems. The West had been hesitant to provide the Patriot, mostly due to its complicated technology. One battery requires about 90 personnel to operate, so Ukrainian forces would need extensive training. Some governments were also concerned about escalating the conflict further. When Poland turned down Germanys offer of two Patriot batteries and suggested sending them to Ukraine instead, the proposal was rejected because the system would have been operated by NATO personnel and would therefore require NATO involvement in Ukraine. The deployment of Patriot missile defense systems in Ukraine is also beneficial for the security of the southeastern part of Poland. This was announced 27 November 2022 by the Minister of Defense of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak. Its all about reaction time. Patriots stationed in eastern Poland will be able to shoot down missiles crossing the Polish border, but the tragic event of November 15 happened just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border. This rocket flew to Polish territory in a few seconds. This time is not enough to bring it down effectively, explained the Polish Minister of Defense. The second reason in favor of deploying the Patriot missile defense system in Ukraine Blaszczak called the possibility of interpreting the downing of a Russian missile over Ukrainian Polish territory as Polands entry into the war. To shoot down such a missile over Ukrainian territory would mean Polands entry into the war, and we dont want that. Placing a Patriot in western Ukraine enhances the security of both western Ukraine and Poland, the head of the Allied Defense Ministry emphasized. The third reason in favor of transferring the Patriot to Kyiv Blaschak called the possibility of a blackout in Ukraine due to a lack of anti-missile systems and, as a result, an increase in Ukrainian refugees to Europe. Intense rocket attacks on Ukrainian power plants lead to a lack of access to electricity. As a result, in winter they will cause another wave of refugees, and from the point of view of the security of both Ukraine and Poland and all of Europe, it is better that another wave of refugees does not occur, he explained. Fourth, Blaszczak disagreed with the argument that the Patriot was supposedly too high-tech for Ukraine. The German Patriot is an old version, from the 1980s, so it cannot be said that they are technologically advanced Equipment has already been transferred to Ukraine, much more technologically advanced than the German Patriots I mean the HIMARS systems, the Polish Minister of Defense said. On 13 December 2022, information appeared that the White House is finalizing preparations for sending American Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. It is expected that after the Pentagon and the White House agree on the plan, the SAMs will be delivered as soon as possible. Later, Voice of America Correspondent Karli Babb said that he was allegedly confirmed by the Pentagon to transfer the Patriot systems to Kyiv. The White House commented 22 December 2022 on information about the possible transfer of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. Washington is preparing another aid package for the Armed Forces. "I cannot confirm the press reports about the delivery of Patriot to Ukraine. We are always transparent about the packages with weapons that we have sent and will send to Kyiv," said John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the National Security Council at the White House, answering questions about the inclusion air defense systems in the new package of military aid. On 22 December 2022 the Defense Department announced $1.85 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine, including a Patriot air defense battery and munitions. Patriot will contribute to Ukraine's air defense systems that have been supplied by the U.S. and allies over the last number of months according to DOD. The Patriot is a sophisticated air defense system so training will be required and will take some time, said the senior DOD official. "Patriot is one of the world's most advanced air defense systems, and it will give Ukraine a critical long-range capability to defend its airspace. It is capable of intercepting cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and aircraft. It's important to put the Patriot battery in context. For air defense, there is no silver bullet. Our goal is to help Ukraine strengthen a layered integrated approach to air defense. Patriot will complement a range of medium and short-range air defense capabilities that we have provided and the allies have provided in prior donation packages," a senior DOD official said. Markus Faber, a defense policy representative in the ruling Free Democratic Party of Germany, proposed 22 December 2022 that Chancellor Olaf Scholz provide Ukraine the "outdated" modification of Patriot - PAC-2. According to him, in the coming years Germany will replace this version of the air defense system with new one. "Zeitenwende means to help with PAC-2. In the coming years, our old PAC-2 will have to be replaced by PAC-2 GEM-T and PAC-3. In Ukraine, before the end of their service life, they can still contribute to air defense against cruise missiles and drones," Faber said. The German politician noted that even such an "outdated" modification" can provide real help against the Kremlin's terror before it is decommissioned. "Either the democracies of the world win Putin's war of aggression together or lose separately. Help is coming from Estonia and Australia. The assistance from Germany should be of the size corresponding to the size of the fourth largest economy in the world," the Bundestag deputy emphasized. Weeks after announcing that the U.S. would send one Patriot air defense battery and associated munitions to Ukraine, a Pentagon official said 10 January 2023 Ukrainian soldiers will come to the U.S. to train on the Patriot system so they'll be ready to use it when it's delivered. Fort Sill is home to the schoolhouse where the Army trains its soldiers and service members from allied and partner nations on using the Patriot system. Now, Ukrainian soldiers will train there, as well. "Training for Ukrainian forces on the Patriot air defense system will begin as soon as next week at Fort Sill, Oklahoma," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. "The training will prepare approximately 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers to operate, maintain and sustain the defensive system over a training course expected to last several months." In the past few months, the Russians had increased their aerial bombardment of Ukraine, Ryder said, and the Patriot will help the Ukrainians stand up to that assault. "The Patriot will contribute to the air defense capabilities that Ukraine already has," he said. "It's something that will enable them to take down ... ballistic missiles, adversary aircraft; [it's] really up to them on how they employ it. But this is part of a broader effort by the United States and the international community to provide Ukraine with the air defense capabilities that it needs to defend its population and its armed forces." Ryder said training for those Ukrainian soldiers will include classroom work, hands-on training with the Patriot systems, as well as a simulation lab. It will also focus on what the Ukrainians will need once they are back home. "The training will be tailored to provide relevant tactics, techniques and procedures based on the battlefield conditions in Ukraine to enable them to employ that to maximum effect once they are back in Ukraine," Ryder said. The Ukrainian military will complete Patriot systems training in the United States in a few weeks. Borys Kremenetskyi, Ukraines defense attache in the U.S., stated this 02 February 2023. They master modern missile systems under the accelerated program in the United States. Its about weeks, I cant be more specific Its been almost a month since they came here. Usually, if you start teaching from scratch, the training period can take from several months to a year, said the attache. Tthe Pentagon said that their training with the modern air defense system would last for several months. However, according to Boris Kremenetsky, the terms were reduced due to the fact that the Ukrainian military was more experienced than it was expected. The program is really reduced compared to how other specialists are taught, and the reason is one: we send on training those specialists who have experience with air defense systems, they know the basics of air defense, that is, they do not need to be trained in basic elements, the attache noted. About a hundred Ukrainian troops, who will train to operate and maintain Patriot air defence systems, had already arrived at the base in Oklahoma. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba reported 19 January 2023 on the progress in negotiations on Ukraine receiving additional batteries of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. "It took us two years to get approval to ship Patriot SAMs and it took us less than a month to get three Patriot batteries from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. And we're working on more. And I'm sure we'll have more because that we had success in several discussions on this topic," Kuleba said during a video statement at Ukraine House in Davos (Switzerland). "We see how things are gaining momentum. And this is what President Zelensky spoke about in Davos: all the decisions you make are excellent, but you must speed up their adoption," he said. The minister said when decisions on Ukraine's receiving long-range missiles and bombers are unblocked, a list of the most needed weapons will be drawn up. The lower house of the Dutch parliament Jan 19, 2023 supported the provision of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte announced on Tuesday during his visit to US President Joe Biden that the Netherlands plans to hand over Patriot to Ukraine along with the United States and Germany. Rutte said that the agreements are yet to be confirmed but they are at an advanced stage. Therefore, it is not yet clear how exactly the Cabinet of Ministers will act, but the vast majority of the Parliament agrees on this plan. In addition to the government parties, a large part of the opposition also supports the plan of the government. "People's Party for Freedom and Democracy" (VVD) MP, Peter Valstar, mentioned the recent rocket attack on a residential building in Dnipro, which resulted in 46 deaths: "Ukraine must defend itself against missiles from Russia. Patriot could play a significant part in this matter." The MP from the opposition "Socialist Party" Jasper van Dijk does not object Patriot deliveries. "Ukraine has the right to defend itself. Russia is attacking the country in an incredibly cowardly way," he said. Members of Parliament question whether the Netherlands has enough of these systems to protect its own airspace. The Netherlands currently had four Patriot systems, each consisting of a radar, a fire control center, and multiple launchers. The Netherlands will hand over two launchers of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile complex to Ukraine. Ukraine will also send missiles to these installations. 65 Dutch servicemen will train about 200 soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, according to a letter from the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kaisa Ollongren, to the House of Representatives. Poland's purchase of two MIM-104 Patriot batteries manufactured by the American company Raytheon is part of a wider package of deals within the Wisla air defense program of the Polish army. The estimated cost of the batteries is about 4.2 billion euros. "Patriot launchers, which will be located at Warsaw's Bemowo military airfield, will play a decisive role in the training of Polish air defense forces, " said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak 07 February 2023. The Polish government signed a contract for two Patriot batteries with more than 200 missiles in 2018. The first battery arrived in the country at the end of 2022, and the second is expected to be delivered this year. The U.S. military is yet to give an exact date for the shipment of the first Patriot air defense (AD) battery that the U.S. has promised to provide to Ukraine, but the system could appear in the country soon. This was announced on 08 March 2023 by Assistant Secretary of the Army (Army) for Procurement, Logistics and Technology Douglas Bush during an online conference organized by the weekly Defense News. "I can't give an exact date, but preparations are already in full swing," Bush said. will work there (in Ukraine - ed note) very soon." According to him, the Americans found a way to train Ukrainian specialists at the complexes, "who were not in the operational units." The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (NATO reporting name "Killjoy") is a Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic ballistic missile that has a range of more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles). The Kh-47 is capable of traveling at least five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, which is the definition of hypersonic. The Kinzhal's speed helps it to remain invulnerable to enemy air missile defense systems. Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully intercepted the Russian "hypersonic" Kh-47 "Kynzhal" missile for the first time around 02:40 on May 4 in the sky over Kyiv. The Kyiv City Military Administration officially announced the attack on Kyiv that night, noting that in addition to the Shahed kamikaze drones, the attack also included missiles - "probably of the ballistic type." The Defense Express publication reported that the "wreckage shows that it suffered a puncture wound, which allows us to estimate the thickness of the material that is needed to withstand the high temperature during acceleration to hypersonic speed. And it also indicates that the interception was quite effective with the destruction of the combat unit while still in the air. The powerful explosion heard by the people of Kyiv on the night of May 4 is related to this." After initially drawing a veil, over earlier claims that they had brought down a Russian hypersonic missile, Ukraine finally confirmed that they had done so. Ukraine claimed it has shot down a Russian hypersonic missile and suggested a U.S. Patriot air-defense missile system was used to do it. Writing on Telegram on May 6 , Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said: Yes, we have intercepted the unmatched Kinzhal, adding the word Patriot and an emoji of the Ukrainian flag. "Congratulations to the Ukrainian people on a historic event! Yes, we knocked down the "unparalleled" Dagger! It happened during the night attack on May 4 in the sky of Kyiv region. The Kh-47 missile was launched by a MiG-31K from the territory of Russia," Oleschuk said. "And one more thing, you don't need to run, as they say in Ukraine: ahead of your father to hell, make public information that the enemy can use in advance! We will definitely report what, where, with what, and when it was shot down! All in good time," added the lieutenant general. They said that the Patriot is an outdated American weapon, and Russian weapons are the best in the world, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Ukraines Channel 24 TV. Well, there is confirmation that it effectively works against even a super hypersonic missile. Ihnat gleefully added, it must be a slap in the face for Russia. It is impossible to shoot down the Russian hypersonic Kinzhal ballistic missile with the US-made surface-to-air missile (SAM) Patriot MIM-104 system, Moscow-based military expert Alexey Leonkov told Sputnik, debunking Kiev's recent claims. He explained that the SAMs radar cannot track the Kinzhal due to a speed limit for the intercepted target of up to Mach 3. "When they [Ukraine] use a head-on Patriot missile, they cannot give target designation to anything that flies faster [than Mach 3]. In case of a Patriot missile flying in pursuit of the Kinzhal, the interceptor should fly at least 1.5 times faster than the Russian hypersonic missile, the expert pointed out. He suggested that a recent media report about a Patriot system allegedly downing a Kinzhal had emerged due to a lack of results from work of the Patriots, which were earlier supplied to Kiev as part of Washingtons military assistance. Leonkovs remarks came after the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat admitted that his countrys combat arsenal was not enough to counter the Kinzhal missiles. There are few weapons in the Ukrainian arsenal capable of shooting down the Kh-47 Kinzhal missile. The Patriot has never worked with such a type of target as the Kh-47, which is why its too early to rejoice, he said in a nod to reports about the alleged downing of the Russian hypersonic missile by the US-made SAM. Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov did not think twice about commenting on the reports as he tweeted: Thanks to the US Patriot air defense system, a Russian Kinzhal missile had been shot down. He went even further by claiming that "with the support of our friends, the impossible becomes possible," an apparent reference to the US military assistance to Ukraine. Ukraine routinely exaggerates the effectiveness of its anti-aircraft defenses, primarily intercepting incoming Russian munitions only with public statements, Shoigu told RIA Novosti 16 May 2023. I have already said that, and I will repeat it again. We have not launched as many Kinzhals as they allegedly shoot down every time with their statements. Moreover, the number of these Ukrainian interceptions and who really mans the American [anti-aircraft] complexes there, is still a big question is three times as high as what we actually launch, Shoigu stated. Ukraine was subjected to a new missile and suicide drone barrage overnight 16 May 2023, with Kiev seeing particularly intense activity by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses, footage circulating online suggests. Moscow and Kiev provided drastically different accounts of what happened. Ukraine claimed that it had shot down six state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles over the capital, as well as other incoming projectiles, using a US-made Patriot air defense system. The Russian military, however, said the battery was hit by a Kinzhal missile. A poor-quality video of night city depicts at least missile launches in less than two and a half minutes, claimed to be 30 Patriot anti-aircraft mi. Most of the ammunition goes up, but two are deflected and fly away somewhere into a residential area. At the end of the video, several powerful explosions occur where the rockets were launched from. The blow was delivered by a high-speed MiG-31K fighter-interceptor, the regular and so far the only carrier of hypersonic aeroballistic missiles. However, this was preceded by a large-scale operation of the Aerospace Forces and the Navy, which overloaded the Ukrainian air defense with Geraniums, Calibers and decoys. When the "Dagger" came into play, the battery was supposedly on recharge and was virtually defenseless. Moscow-based military expert Alexey Leonkov was cited by Russian media as saying that the MIM-104 used all the ammunition in an attempt to shoot down the Kinzhal. He singled out a total of 32 Patriot missile interceptors that were fired from the SAMs eight launchers in a bid to down the Kinzhal, but to no avail. "As a result, the Russian hypersonic missile destroyed the heart of the Patriot a radar and a control center, something that has turned the SAM into a useless piece of military hardware. [ ] 32 missiles are a very massive round. The fact that the Patriot fired all those interceptors at the Kinzhal indicates the system's complete inefficiency in relation to the Russian hypersonic complex," Leonkov said. He added that the 32 interceptors being launched by the Patriot crew were "a gesture of desperation rather than the actions of professionals." Incidentally, launching one Patriot interceptor is worth a whopping three million dollars. Moscow-based international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda told Sputnik that there may have been more than one [Kinzhal] impact on the Patriot. "Your saw the Patriot blow its load. And then a few seconds later, right where those missiles were coming from, you see the boom, the big flash of light filling the Kiev night sky. And it appears that it were parts of the [MIM-104] battery that were damaged or destroyed. We don't know exactly, but it seems pretty clear that it was a hit," Sleboda pointed out, referring to the video of the Kinzhal strike. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced in a statement on 16 May 2023 that a Patriot system had been hit by the Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile in Kiev. The Kinzhal was launched as the Russian armed forces conducted a combined attack with long-range precision-guided air- and sea-based weapons against the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] units, as well as depots of ammunition, weapons and military equipment supplied by Western countries to Kiev, according to the statement. "According to verified information, as a result of a strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system in the city of Kiev a multifunctional radar station, as well as five launchers of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system manufactured by the United States were hit and completely destroyed on May 16, 2023," the Russian Defense Ministry said. Washington was still assessing to what degree the US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system was damaged following a Russian missile barrage in and around Kiev on 16 May 2023, CNN quoted an unnamed White House source as saying. The source argued that the SAM is thought to have been damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of the missile strike. The American news network reported in this regard that it is unclear which of those systems was potentially damaged, but taking one out of commission even for a short period could affect Ukraines ability to defend Kiev amid intensifying Russian missile attacks. By one account, the damage to Patriot was caused by flying roof tiles from nearby impacts, all now repaired. Lesson learned is to site such delicate systems away from buildings and other sources of debris rather than the understandable instinct to shelter in dense terrain. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 20 October 2025 - Day 1335 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in total, since the beginning of this day, there have been 174 combat encounters. Ukrainian defenders continue to decisively give an offence to the Russian enemy's attempts to advance deep into Ukrainian territory. Russian invaders launched one missile strike using two missiles, 32 aviation strikes, dropping 67 controlled bombs. In addition, 2,249 kamikaze drones were recruited to impress and carried out 2,932 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. Six combat clashes with Russian invaders took place in the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursky directions. The Russian enemy launched nine air strikes, dropped 25 controlled bombs, launched 125 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements, six of which were from reactive systems of open-air fire. Today, Russian forces nine times attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the south-Slobozhans .komu direction in the areas of Vovchansk, Bologivki, Kamyanka and Kutkivka. One enemy attack is still ongoing. In the direction of Kupians .komu, the Russian enemy today committed seven offensive actions near Kupians ka, Petropavlivka, Pi any and Boguslavka. The two fighting clashes are still going on. In the Lyman direction, the Defense Forces repelled four Russian attacks in the areas of the settlements Torske, Drobishevo, Kolodyazi and Shandrigolove. In the Slovak direction, the Russian enemy attacked nine times near yampol, serebryanka, dronivka, grigorivka, viymki, fedorivka and in the direction of zvanivka. There is still one combat going on. In the Kramators komu direction, the Russian opponent twice attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders near the settlement of Stupocka. 18 combat clashes took place in the Konstantinivsky direction today. The Russian enemy stormed the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of Oleksandro-Shultynogo, Katerynivka, scherbinivka, Rusynogo Yaru, Sofiyivka and Poltavka. In the Pokrovsky direction since the beginning of this day, the Russian opponent 65 times attacked positions in the areas of settlements Volodymyrivka, Shahove, Dorozhne, Pankivka, Novoekonomicne, Molodetske, Suhetske, Rodins ke, Mirnograd, Chervony Lyman, Lisivka, Zvirove, Kotline, Udacne, Dachne and in the direction of settlements Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka. Five combat clashes are ongoing so far. Today in this direction, according to preliminary data, 130 Russian occupants were defiled, 89 of which - irrevocably. In addition, Ukrainian soldiers destroyed one combat armored vehicle, seven unmanned aircraft, four units of automobile equipment and three enemy motorcycles. In the Oleksandrivsky direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled 22 Russian attacks in the areas of settlements Zaporizhia Andriyivka-Klevtsove, Oleksandrograd, Vorone, Sosnivka, Kalinivskke, Novogrigorivka, Olgivskke and in the direction of Orestopol, Oleksiyivka and Privilny. Two more fighting clashes are underway. In the direction of Gulyajpils komu, the Russian aggressor caused an aviation strike on the settlement of Zaliznychne. In the Orihiv direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled 16 Russian attacks in the direction of Plavniv and Primorsky, near Scherbaky, Kamiansky, Novoandriivka, Maloi Tokmacka, Stepnogirsk, Stepovoye. There are four more combat clashes so far. In the Pridniprovsky direction, the Russian enemy launched an air strike on the settlement of Mykolaivka, making one unsuccessful attempt to approach the positions of Ukrainian units in the direction of the Antonivsky Bridge. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation. Units of the Sever Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Russian troops inflicted losses on the formations of one mechanised brigade, one jaeger brigade, one assault regiment of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Proletarskoye, Sadki, Pavlovka, Varachino, and Andreyevka (Sumy region). In Kharkov direction, units of the AFU motorised infantry and mechanised brigades near Dvurechanskoye and Volchansk (Kharkov region) were hit. The AFU losses amounted to more than 200 troops, five motor vehicles, three artillery guns, and three ammunition depots. Units of the Zapad Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian troops inflicted losses on three mechanised brigades, one assault brigade of the AFU, two territorial defence brigades, and one national guard brigade near Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic), Kurilovka, Petrovka, Ostrovskoye, Boguslavka and Kupyansk (Kharkov region). The enemy losses amounted to up to 230 troops, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, 19 motor vehicles, two artillery guns, and seven electronic warfare stations. Three AFU ammunition depots were destroyed. Units of the Yug Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line. The Group's units hit the formations of two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and one national guard brigade near Berestok, Kramatorsk, Ivanopolye, Stepanovka, and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy lost up to 220 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, including one German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, six pickup trucks, and three field artillery guns. Two electronic warfare stations and one ammunition depot were eliminated. As a result of resolute actions, the units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have liberated Lenino in the Donetsk People's Republic. Strikes were delivered at manpower and hardware of one heavy mechanised brigades, three mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, one assault brigade, two assault regiments of the AFU, one marine brigade, and one territorial defence brigade near Krasnoarmeysk, Grishino, Toretskoye, Novonikolaevka, Dimitrov, Volnoye, and Novopavlovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Novogrigorovka (Dnepropetrovsk region). Up to 510 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, and three artillery guns have been neutralised. The Vostok Group's units continue to advance to the depths of the enemy's defence. Two mechanised brigades, two assault regiments of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade have been hit near Privolye, Alekseyevka, Yegorovka (Dnepropetrovsk region) and Dolinka (Zaporozhye region). The enemy lost over 350 troops, 12 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns, and one materiel depot. The Dnepr Group's units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, two coastal defence brigades of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Pavlovka, Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region), Sadovoye, and Otradokamenka (Kherson region). More than 65 troops, nine motor vehicles, three artillery guns, and two materiel depots have been destroyed. Operational-tactical aviation, attack drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have inflicted damage on energy facilities that support the Ukrainian military industry enterprises, the attack drones depots, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian formations in 142 areas. Air defence systems shot down three guided aerial bombs and 129 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 667 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 91,329 unmanned aerial vehicles, 633 anti-aircraft missile systems, 25,586 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,604 MLRS fighting vehicles, 30,624 field artillery guns and mortars, and 44,418 special military vehicles have been neutralised. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 21 October 2025 - Day 1336 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The UK Ministry of Defence reported that in September 2025 Russia launched approximately 5,500 one way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWA UAS) against Ukraine. This is a significant increase on the 4,100 launched in August 2025, which was almost certainly limited due to Russia attempting to demonstrate a purported willingness to take part in meaningful negotiations. So far in October 2025, Russia has already launched more than 3,000 OWA UAS. Russia maintains a high strike tempo, having conducted four large scale strike packages using its Long Range Aviation (LRA) bomber fleet in September 2025. This includes a 07 September 2025 strike that saw more than 800 munitions launched, predominantly OWA UAS. This combination of premier missiles alongside mass OWA UAS attempts to complicate Ukrainian air defence efforts and increase the survivability of Russian munitions. Russia launched more than 70 of its premier AS-23a KODIAK Air Launched Cruise Missiles against targets in Ukraine in September 2025. Ukraine's critical national infrastructure (CNI) has almost certainly become Russia's priority target, with Russia attempting to degrade Ukraine's energy network ahead of the winter period, as it has done previously in the conflict. Russia has conducted four large scale strikes against Ukraine's CNI network so far in October 2025. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of the day, there have been 151 combat encounters. The Russian opponent launched two missile and 39 aviation strikes, using six missiles and dropping 85 controlled aviation bombs. Also used 1960 kamikaze drones for strikes, carried out 3049 shells of settlements and positions of Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian defenders repelled one Russian attack in Northern Slobozhansky and Kursky directions. The Russian enemy launched six aviation strikes, dropped 15 controlled aviation bombs and carried out 133 shells. In the South Slobozhansky direction, Ukrainian units stopped 12 Russian attacks near Vovchansky, Vovchanskih Hutoriv, Stroivka, Kamyanka, Western and towards Bologivka and Kolodyazny, another confrontation is ongoing. In the Kupyansky direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled six Russian attacks in the areas of Stepova Novoselivka, Sand, Green Grove, Nova Kruglyakivka and towards Petropavlivka and Kurylivka, at the moment three clashes continue. In the Lyman direction, Ukrainian soldiers stopped 14 assault actions of the harbniks near the settlements of Grekivka, Kopanka, Karpivka, Medium, Kolodiazi, Deryilove, Mirne and Novoselivka. Three more fighting clashes are ongoing so far. In the Slavic direction, the Russian opponent tried to attack five times in the areas of Serebryanka, Novoselivka, Viimki and Pereiznogo. In the kramators komu direction at the moment the Russian offensive actions is not recorded. In the Konstantinivsky direction, Russian occupiers today 24 times stormed the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of the settlements of Bila Gora, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Scherbinivka, Pleschievki, Rusin Yar. Defense forces are steadily suppressing the pressure and repelled 22 Russian attacks, currently fighting is being sharpened in two locations. Throughout the day in the pokrovsky direction, the Russian enemy committed 53 offensive actions. The activity of Russian occupiers was fixed near the settlements of Nikanorivka, Mayak, Suhetske, Rodinske, Red Leiman, Novoekonomicne, Mykolaivka, Ray, Fox, Pokrovsk, Zvirove, Kotline, Udaachne, Molodetske, Novomikolaivka, Kotlyarivka, Gorihove and Dachne. Four fighting clashes are going on so far. Today, according to preliminary data, 140 Russian occupants have been defecated, of which 112 are irrevocably. In addition, Ukrainian soldiers destroyed a combat armored vehicle, BTR, two cars, antenna control of BPLA, 18 unmanned aircraft and a warehouse of occupiers' ammunition. Ukrainian soldiers also struck the artillery system and seven shelters for personnel. In the Oleksandrivsky direction, Ukrainian units repelled seven attacks in the areas of settlements Ivanivka, Filiya, Verbove, Novogrigorivka and Novomykolaivka. Ukrainian soldiers repelled two Russian attacks near Poltavka in the direction of Gulyaipils komu. In the Orihiv direction, the Russian enemy tried five times to go forward at the position of Ukrainian units in the areas of Kamiansky, Stepovoye and towards Stepnogirsk and Mala Tokmacka. In the pridniprovsky direction of combat clashes at the moment is not recorded. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation. The Sever Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Losses were inflicted on formations of one heavy mechanised brigade, two mechanised brigades, one jaeger brigade, one assault regiment of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Khrapovshchina, Korchakovka, Pershe Travnya, Sadki, Varachino, and Andreyevka (Sumy region). In Kharkov region, losses were inflicted on units of one mechanised brigade and one motorised infantry brigade of the AFU near Volchansk and Volchanskiye Khutora (Kharkov region) The AFU losses amounted to up to 195 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, nine motor vehicles, one artillery gun, and eight materiel depots. The Zapad Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one air assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Kupyansk, Kurilovka, Grushevka, Boguslavka (Kharkov region), Krasny Liman, and Novoselovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to more than 220 troops, one tank, four armoured fighting vehicles, including two U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carriers, 15 motor vehicles, and one field artillery gun. One Grad MLRS combat vehicle, nine electronic warfare stations, one U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-fire radar, and seven ammunition depots were destroyed. The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line. Losses were inflicted on formations of two mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Seversk, Platonovka, Pazeno, Dronovka, Zvanovka, Nikolayevka, Ivanopolye, and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to more than 215 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, seven motor vehicles, and three artillery guns. Three ammunition depots were wiped out. The Tsentr Group of Forces' units took more advantageous lines and positions. Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of five mechanised brigades, one air assault brigade, one assault brigade, one jaeger brigade, two assault regiments of the AFU, one marine brigade, one territorial defence brigade, and two national guard brigades near Krasnoarmeysk, Grishino, Vasilevka, Rodinskoye, Kucherov Yar, Toretskoye, Artemovka, Dimitrov, Promin (Donetsk People's Republic), and Novogrigorovka (Dnepropetrovsk region). The AFU losses amounted to more than 480 troops, one tank, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, five U.S.-made HMMWV armoured fighting vehicles, 33 field artillery guns, including four U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, and six motor vehicles. The Vostok Group of Forces continued to advance into the depths of enemy defences. Losses were inflicted on formations of two mechanised brigades, two assault regiments of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade near Yegorovka, Novonikolayevka, Danilovka, Alekseyevka (Dnepropetrovsk region), Uspenovka, and Pavlovka (Zaporozhye region). The AFU losses amounted to up to 310 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, 10 motor vehicles, one artillery gun, one electronic warfare station, and one counter-fire radar. Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, three coastal defence brigades of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Stepnogorsk (Zaporozhye region), Sadovoye, Nikolskoye, Belozerka, and Tyaginka (Kherson region). The AFU losses amounted to more than 40 troops, one tank, 11 motor vehicles, one field artillery gun, and four electronic warfare stations. Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck power and transport infrastructure objects used by AFU, attack UAV depots as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 140 areas. Air defence units shot down one guided aerial bomb and 137 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the enemy has lost 667 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 91,466 unmanned aerial vehicles, 633 anti-aircraft missile systems, 25,602 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,605 MLRS combat vehicles, 30,683 field artillery guns and mortars, and 44,481 special military vehicles. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Coast Guard's Operation Pacific Viper Records Seizure of 100,000 Pounds of Cocaine Release Date: October 15, 2025 Operation Pacific Viper is stopping drugs before they reach American shores WASHINGTON -- Today, the Department of Homeland Security recognizes the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for seizing more than 100,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since launching Operation Pacific Viper in early August. Operation Pacific Viper is a surge in forces to the Eastern Pacific to stop the cartels and criminal organizations - cutting off drugs and human smuggling before it reaches American shores. The operation has averaged about 1,600 lbs. of cocaine interdicted daily since it started. Its new milestone total is the result of 34 total interdictions since August. "Operation Pacific Viper has proven to be a crucial weapon in the fight against foreign drug traffickers and cartels in Latin America and has sent a clear message that we will disrupt, dismantle, and destroy their deadly business exploits wherever we find it," U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. "In cutting off the flow of these deadly drugs, the Coast Guard is saving countless American lives and delivering on President Trump's promise to Make America Safe Again and reestablish our maritime dominance." "The Coast Guard's seizure of over 100,000 pounds of cocaine, in such a short timeframe, is a remarkable achievement," said Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, deputy commander of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area. "When we say the Coast Guard is accelerating counter-narcotics operations, we mean it. Alongside our partners and allies, our maritime fighting force is scouring drug smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific and dismantling narco-terrorist networks. We are complementing the Coast Guard's unique law enforcement authorities with cutting-edge capabilities to stop the flow of deadly drugs that threaten U.S. communities. As we mark our interdiction of 100,000 pounds, we are already working towards the next milestone." In August, Operation Pacific Viper yielded the Coast Guard's largest-ever drug offload in its history. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Hamilton offloaded over 76,000 pounds of illegal drugs, valued at $473 million, at Port Everglades, which included approximately 61,740 pounds of cocaine and approximately 14,400 pounds of marijuana. Earlier this week, Secretary Noem announced an innovative solution to allow USCG personnel to get paid despite the government shutdown. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem's leadership and the One Big Beautiful Bill, the brave men and women of the USCG continuing to carry out these critical operations will not miss a paycheck. Operation Pacific Viper is an ongoing operation, and, under the leadership of Secretary Noem, the men and women of the Coast Guard will continue deploying overwhelming force to secure the Homeland from drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations. The crew of the USCGC Seneca (WMEC 906) recovers bales of cocaine after a suspected drug smuggling vessel capsized in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 17, 2025. Seneca's crew worked alongside interagency partners to interdict illicit narcotics in the international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard photo) USCGC Midgett intercepts suspected go-fast vessel during counter narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by ENS Harlan Brady) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Governor Newsom to the Supreme Court: do not let Trump use the military against American communities California Governor - Gavin Newsom Oct 20, 2025 What you need to know: Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting Illinois, detailing California's recent experience with the federal government's expanding mission for the state's National Guard that has now been federalized through February 2026. SAN FRANCISCO- As President Trump and his cabinet continue their efforts to distract from their disastrous shutdown by deploying the National Guard as their own personal police force, today Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Bonta filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in support of Illinois' position in Trump v. Illinois. Our message to the courts is clear - Trump is putting our members of the military on the frontlines of a completely unlawful activation against American communities. The federal government's actions in Los Angeles earlier this summer were just Trump's first step to completely transform the role of the military in American society by deploying the U.S. military against its own civilians. We won't stand for it and we implore the courts to affirm states' sovereign rights to handle any public safety matters at home. Governor Gavin Newsom "The Trump Administration is asking the Supreme Court to grant it unprecedented and unlimited power to deploy the military into American cities power it has made clear that it fully intends to abuse," said Attorney General Bonta. "Trump wants an army that serves a King, but in America, in our democracy, our military does not police the people. California has been ground zero for the Trump Administration's militarization of American streets. In the four months since troops were first deployed to Los Angeles, we've seen the President abandon any attempt to justify their continued presence in our state, taking a near limitless view of executive power. I urge the Supreme Court to reject the President's latest bid to defy our constitutional norms and grab power he does not have." Amicus brief This amicus brief details California's recent experience with the expanding federal mission for its National Guard members. Since the deployment of soldiers to Los Angeles in June, the federal government has shifted their reasoning and broadened their mission, dispatching hundreds of guardsmen beyond Los Angeles to Portland and Chicago. Ultimately, their presence in other states means that there is truly no need for their federalization in Los Angeles as they are not even around to protect California from any supposed "lawlessness." The federal government has now renewed these California guardsmembers federalization to at least February 2026. The federal government asserts that federalized troops should have unrestricted authority to engage in law enforcement, without any judicial oversight of their actionsa stance that defies established norms. This position collectively sidelines the role of the courts, disregards congressional limitations, encroaches upon states' sovereign interests, and would lead to an alarming expansion of federal power. Read the amicus brief here. Trump's federalization of Los Angeles On June 7, for the first time in our country's history, the President invoked 10 U.S.C. 12406 to federalize a state's National Guard over the objections of the state's governor. President Trump and Department of Defense Secretary Hegseth transferred 4,000 members of California's National Guardone in three of the Guard's total active membersto federal control to serve in a civilian law enforcement role on the streets of Los Angeles and other communities in Southern California. California brought suit to challenge that unprecedented action. The litigation is ongoing - and the Ninth Circuit will hear arguments on Wednesday in an appeal from the trial judge's order blocking the federalization and deployment of the Guard. Update on cross-country legal actions Illinois : In October 2025, a federal district court issued a temporary restraining order to block the deployment of federalized troops, including the Texas National Guard, to Chicago. This action followed a lawsuit filed by state and city leaders against the Trump administration to prevent such a deployment. While a federal appeals court later permitted the troops to remain federalized and mustered, it upheld the prohibition against their deployment within Illinois. The Trump administration has since appealed this decision to the Supreme Court. Four judges, including two appointed by Republicans, have already ruled against President Trump and found that no facts supported his deployment of the National Guard to Chicago. : In October 2025, a federal district court issued a temporary restraining order to block the deployment of federalized troops, including the Texas National Guard, to Chicago. This action followed a lawsuit filed by state and city leaders against the Trump administration to prevent such a deployment. While a federal appeals court later permitted the troops to remain federalized and mustered, it upheld the prohibition against their deployment within Illinois. The Trump administration has since appealed this decision to the Supreme Court. Four judges, including two appointed by Republicans, have already ruled against President Trump and found that no facts supported his deployment of the National Guard to Chicago. California : Following a bench trial, a federal judge ruled in August 2025 that President Trump's deployment of the California National Guard in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. This law restricts the military's involvement in domestic law enforcement and was central to a lawsuit filed by Governor Gavin Newsom and the state of California against the Trump administration regarding the federalization and deployment of these troops. That ruling is on hold pending the federal government's appeal. : Following a bench trial, a federal judge ruled in August 2025 that President Trump's deployment of the California National Guard in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. This law restricts the military's involvement in domestic law enforcement and was central to a lawsuit filed by Governor Gavin Newsom and the state of California against the Trump administration regarding the federalization and deployment of these troops. That ruling is on hold pending the federal government's appeal. Oregon: A federal lawsuit was filed by Oregon and Portland, and later joined by California, to block the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. A district court judge initially blocked the federalization and deployment in early October 2025, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit later "stayed" that restraining order to the extent it would de-federalize the Guard troops. The order blocking deployment of Guard troops in Oregon remains in effect for now. Litigation is ongoing in that case. We don't need the federalized National Guard in SF Local officials do not want the National Guard in San Francisco, contrary to what President Trump actually believes. California's partnership with local communities, especially in San Francisco, has helped reduce crime and increase public safety by seizing illicit drugs and firearms off the streets. According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, overall violent crime in major California cities is down 12.5% in 2025 compared to 2024. The largest overall declines in violent crime were reported by the police departments in Oakland (30%) and San Francisco (22%). Plus, another data set released by the California Department of Justice, nearly every major crime category, including violent crime and homicides, dropped in 2024. The results in California's major Bay Area cities cross over into overall success for the state as California's 2024 homicide rate is now the second lowest it has been since at least 1966. And when comparing crime rates in San Francisco before the COVID-induced crime surge, between 2019 and 2025, there has been a 45% decrease in homicides and 40% decrease in robberies. Specifically looking at homicide rates during the same time period, several major cities have actually seen increases in homicides since 2019. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Army aircrews on a high during training in PNG By Captain Tadek Markowski 14 October 2025 In late September, Townsville-based 5th Aviation Regiment flew four of its CH-47F Chinooks to Papua New Guinea to take part in military exercises, including combined operations with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF). Among the unit's priorities was Exercise Helicon Luk, to qualify the unit's pilots and aircrew on high-density altitude flying amid the soaring peaks of the Owen Stanley Range. Every pilot is required to do three training flights around PNG's Central Highlands under instruction before a fourth and final qualifying flight. Aircrew obtain their qualification with just one flight. Pilot Captain Lloyd Struber said the qualification was necessary for the unit to operate in all conditions and terrain. "The aircraft behaves differently at higher-density altitudes because the air is thinner; you're using more power but creating less lift," Captain Struber said. "And if we're to go out the door on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Defence Aid to the Civil Community, or combat missions, we have to be able to fly everywhere. "Last year there was a landslide in PNG and we were online for that, planning for several days to bring the helicopters over and help out. Disasters happen at high altitude." The starting point for high-altitude flying is 7000 feet (2134 metres). The razor-sharp ridges and deep valleys of the Central Highlands allowed Task Unit Brahman pilots to regularly operate at heights of more than 9000 feet (2743 metres). In Townsville, the highest landing opportunity is only 1700 feet (518 metres). "In PNG, the terrain, the mountains and the valleys are so much bigger," Captain Struber said. "When the afternoon storms roll in, there's so much more vertical development with those rain clouds rolling over the Owen Stanley Range." Task Unit Brahman's PNG deployment from September 26 to October 14 culminates in Exercise Wantok Warrior, an annual exercise involving PNGDF and Australian infantry soldiers rehearsing air assaults, equipment airlift and troop transport at training sites around Lae and the central interior. Captain Struber said the task unit always looked forward to integrating the Chinook's capability with the PNGDF's training goals, and building on the interoperability developed during previous combined exercises. "The PNGDF brings a lot of energy. They're always very excited to work with us and we're excited to work with them," Captain Struber said. "They'll have their scheme of manoeuvre for where they need to be inserted and at what time, and we facilitate that. They're always very happy to jump in and have a crack." The 100 personnel on this year's iteration of Helicon Luk also included members of 6th Aviation Brigade, 16th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Health Battalion and the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Australia and United States sign Joint Statement of Intent on guided weapons The Hon Pat Conroy MP Minister for Defence Industry Minister for Pacific Island Affairs 14 October 2025 Australia and the United States have taken another step towards co-production of guided weapons with the signing of a Joint Statement of Intent and the opening of a new joint office to enhance bilateral cooperation in this critical domain. These initiatives are underpinned by the Albanese Government's investment of up to $21 billion over the decade to establish a sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, boosting our industrial capacity and supporting thousands of jobs in Australia's defence industry. The signing today of the Joint Statement of Intent with the United States Department of War and Lockheed Martin Corporation in Washington DC marks a significant milestone in Australia's efforts to build a sovereign GWEO Enterprise. It also represents a deepening of our strategic partnership with the United States and shared commitment to building a resilient, interoperable and sovereign capability. The signing of this Joint Statement of Intent paves the way for further co-development and production of critical long-range fires, beginning with variants across the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) family of munitions and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). This statement also acknowledges that for guided weapons manufacturing in Australia to be a viable and sustainable capability, Australia will need to produce guided weapon quantities beyond the demands of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). It also recognises the Australian Government's objective to manufacture guided weapons that could be integrated into the US-led global supply chain. Australia is on track for the production of GMLRS munitions before the end of 2025, with a view to manufacturing more advanced weapons in the future. The signing of the joint statement comes as Australia and the United States deepen cooperation on the PrSM program with the opening of a joint office in Huntsville, Alabama. The dedicated facility will serve as the central hub for coordination between Australia and the United States on the acquisition and development of the PrSM capability and will oversee its production and sustainment. PrSM is a long-range missile with a maximum range beyond 500 kilometres and is central to strengthening Australia's land and maritime strike capability. Quotes attributable to the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Pat Conroy MP: "This Statement of Intent reaffirms the strength of our longstanding alliance with the United States and our mutual interest in contributing to regional and international security. "This milestone is a clear demonstration of our shared commitment to building a resilient and interoperable industrial capacity for both Australia and the United States. "The statement reflects the Albanese Government's determination to accelerate the delivery of advanced capabilities that help keep Australians safe, while strengthening our defence industrial base." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement on unsafe and unprofessional interaction with People's Liberation Army-Air Force Issued by Defence Media 20 October 2025 The Australian Government has expressed its concerns to the Chinese Government following an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a People's Liberation Army-Air Force (PLA-AF) aircraft. On 19 October 2025, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft conducting a maritime surveillance patrol in the South China Sea experienced an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a PLA-AF Su-35 fighter aircraft. The PLA-AF aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF P-8A aircraft. This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel. No injuries were sustained by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel nor was damage caused to the RAAF P-8A. The safety and wellbeing of our ADF personnel continues to be our utmost priority. Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner. For decades, the ADF has undertaken maritime surveillance activities in the region and does so in accordance with international law, exercising the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace. All maritime claims must be consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Historic critical minerals framework signed by President Trump and Prime Minister Albanese Media release Tuesday 21 October 2025 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese The Hon Anthony Albanese MP Prime Minister of Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President of the United States Donald J. Trump today signed a landmark bilateral framework on critical minerals and rare earths at the White House in Washington DC. This will see an accelerated pipeline of priority projects delivered by and for the two nations. The United States-Australia Framework for Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths will deliver a US/Australia secured supply chain for critical minerals and rare earths, required for defence and other advanced technologies. This represents a significant new chapter in the over 70 years of our formal Alliance. Also announced today, to complement the Framework, the US and Australia will take measures to each provide at least USD$1 billion in investments towards an USD$8.5 billion pipeline of priority critical minerals projects in Australia and the United States over the next six months. Two of those priority projects have financial commitments being announced today by the Australian Government. The first project is the Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium Recovery Project in Wagerup, Western Australia. Australia is announcing today up to USD$200 million in concessional equity finance for the project, which includes a right of offtake for the Australian Government. The United States Government is also making an equity investment with a right of offtake. This project will provide up to 10 per cent of total global gallium supply. Gallium is an essential input for defence and semiconductor manufacturing. This is a trilateral project with Japan, the United States and Australia, which will strengthen our collective economic security. Japan has already provided 50 percent of the project costs to date. The second project is the Arafura Nolans project in the Northern Territory. Australia is announcing today a USD$100 million equity investment in the project. Once operational, this project will produce 5 per cent of global rare earths - essential for energy security and defence. The historic framework signed today will assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earths supply chains, including mining, separation, and processing, through use of economic policy tools and coordinated investment. A US-Australia Critical Minerals Supply Security Response Group will be established under the leadership of the US Secretary of Energy and the Australian Minister for Resources to identify priority minerals and supply vulnerabilities and to develop a coordinated plan to accelerate delivery of processed minerals under this Framework. Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: "There are no closer friends and allies than the United States of America and Australia. "President Trump and I agreed today we will work very hard together in both our nations' interests. "We've agreed today Australia and America are going to make more things together with our historic framework on critical minerals. "Australia is home to much of the periodic table of critical minerals and rare earth metals that are vital for defence and other advanced technologies. "Cooperation on critical minerals and rare earth supply chains is testament to the trusted partnership between Australia and the United States as strategic defence allies. "I look forward to continuing to work with President Trump to strengthen our partnership and support American and Australian workers, businesses and investors." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Peace and Friendship 2025 Joint Exercise: Chinese Naval Vessels Arrive at Malaysia Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China Source China Military Online EditorChen Zhuo 2025-10-14 17:00:56 BEIJNG, Oct. 14 -- The Chinese PLA Navy's ships Type 052D destroyer Yinchuan, Type 071 amphibious landing ship Jinggangshan and Type 056A corvette Jingmen arrived at Port Klang, Malaysia, on October 13, 2025, to participate in the "Peace and Friendship 2025" joint exercise. The Malaysian side held a grand welcoming ceremony at the pier, with military band and personnel in attendance. Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia, representatives of the Chinese community, Chinese enterprises, and students studying in Malaysia also attended the event to welcome the Chinese participating troops. During the voyage, the Chinese naval task group conducted joint search and rescue, joint escort, and medical support training to further refine the exercise procedures and details around the planned subjects. The "Peace and Friendship 2025" joint exercise will be held from October 15 to 23 in Malaysia and its surrounding waters. More than 1,000 personnel from multiple services of both China and Malaysia will take part in the exercise, which will be conducted on land, at sea, and in the air respectively. Among them, an air force exchange and seminar will be organized for the first time. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Xi Jinping Meets with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya of Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 14, 2025 15:00 On the morning of October 14, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya of Sri Lanka, who is in China attending the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. President Xi pointed out that China and Sri Lanka share a long-standing traditional friendship. The two countries have always developed bilateral relations on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, setting a fine example of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between different countries. China and Sri Lanka are fellow travelers on the path toward development and revitalization, and good partners of win-win cooperation. China always regards Sri Lanka as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and stands ready to work with Sri Lanka to carry forward the traditional friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly build a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future, to better benefit the peoples of both countries. President Xi emphasized that China supports Sri Lanka in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions, and focusing on economic development to achieve national prosperity. China is ready to work with Sri Lanka on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand cooperation in port economy, modern agriculture, digital economy, green economy, tourism, and other areas to boost Sri Lanka's economic and social development. The two sides should enhance law enforcement and security cooperation and resolutely combat crimes such as cross-border gambling and fraud. They should also strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and firmly safeguard the common interests of the Global South. Prime Minister Amarasuriya conveyed sincere greetings from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to President Xi. She said that President Xi's speech at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women is inspirational, and demonstrates China's important leadership role in promoting the global women's cause. Sri Lanka highly values its relations with China, firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and actively supports and participates in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. She thanked China for its valuable support for Sri Lanka's economic and social development, and expressed her hopes to learn from the experience of Chinese modernization and further enhance cooperation with China to achieve new development for Sri Lanka. She said that the four major Global Initiatives proposed by President Xi are of great significance in the current turbulent international landscape, and that Sri Lanka will work with China to put them into practice and safeguard the common interests of the Global South. Wang Yi was present at the meeting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Xi Jinping Meets with Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 14, 2025 18:15 On the morning of October 14, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir, who is in China for the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. President Xi noted that, over the past 54 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Iceland have respected each other and pursued win-win cooperation. The fruitful outcomes achieved in bilateral relations have fully shown that countries with different national conditions are fully capable of transcending differences in social system and other areas to achieve mutual benefit. China attaches importance to developing its relations with Iceland and is ready to strengthen exchanges and deepen cooperation with Iceland to deliver more benefits to the two peoples. President Xi emphasized that the two sides should continue to respect and support each other's development path chosen by themselves and firmly support each other on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns. The two sides should deepen practical cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, geothermal energy and healthcare, and jointly promote green transition and address climate change. The two sides should also step up people-to-people exchanges in tourism, education and other fields to enhance friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples. Both China and Iceland support multilateralism, the international system with the U.N. at its core and the international order underpinned by international law. The two sides should strengthen communication and coordination, commit to addressing international disputes through dialogue and consultation, and strive for a more just and equitable global governance system. It is important to build on the successful convening of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women to promote continued progress in the global cause of women. President Tomasdottir congratulated China on the successful hosting of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, and appreciated China for the warm reception and full respect shown to a small country like Iceland. Iceland highly appreciates China's significant contributions to promoting the global women's cause and will strengthen communication and cooperation with China to advance the all-round development of women worldwide. Iceland and China have enjoyed friendship over decades. The strong and robust bilateral relationship has yielded fruitful results in such areas as trade, geothermal energy and tourism. Iceland highly values its relations with China, and looks forward to further expanding cooperation and enhancing people-to-people exchanges with China for greater development of bilateral ties. In the face of a turbulent and uncertain world, China has demonstrated leadership in addressing global challenges. Iceland will strengthen communication with China to jointly tackle global challenges. The two sides released the Joint Statement Between the People's Republic of China and Iceland on Further Strengthening Cooperation on Geothermal Energy and Green Transition. Wang Yi was present at the meeting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Xi Jinping Meets with Mozambican Prime Minister Maria Benvinda Levi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 14, 2025 19:10 On the morning of October 14, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Mozambican Prime Minister Maria Benvinda Levi, who is in China for the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. President Xi noted that over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, traditional friendship between China and Mozambique has withstood the test of international vicissitudes and remained rock-solid. China will continue to work with Mozambique to firmly support each other, strengthen strategic coordination, enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and jointly make the next five decades even more remarkable. President Xi stressed that China supports Mozambique in independently exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and upholding national solidarity and stability. China is ready to work with Mozambique to strengthen cooperation between governments, political parties and legislatures, and deepen experience sharing on the governance of political parties and states. The two sides should take the implementation of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit as an opportunity to enhance practical cooperation, and jointly explore new ways of cooperation which highlight the comprehensive and coordinated development of energy and mineral resources and infrastructure. Efforts should be made to accelerate the establishment of the China Cultural Center in Mozambique to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and bring the two peoples closer. China will work with Mozambique to implement the Global Governance Initiative, oppose unilateralism and hegemonism, and uphold the common interests of the two countries and the Global South. Prime Minister Levi applauded that President Xi Jinping's profound and impactful speech at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. She said that Mozambique is ready to work with China to deliver on the outcomes of the Meeting and advance the global cause of women. China is a trusted and good partner of Mozambique. The two countries have always supported each other and maintained close cooperation over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties. Mozambique is firmly committed to the one-China principle, and wishes to learn from China's development experience, enhance cooperation with China in economy and trade, energy, mining, science and technology, education and other fields, to boost its own economic and social development and bring more benefits to its people. Mozambique supports the four major Global Initiatives proposed by China and appreciates that China has actively contributed to global prosperity and stability through its own development. Mozambique will strengthen multilateral cooperation with China to make the global governance system more just and equitable. Wang Yi was present at the meeting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Xi Jinping Meets with President of Dominica Sylvanie Burton Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 14, 2025 19:02 On the morning of October 14, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with President of Dominica Sylvanie Burton, who is in China for the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. President Xi noted that Dominica is China's good friend and good partner in the Caribbean. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 20 years ago, the two sides have always respected each other and treated each other as equals. With ever consolidating political mutual trust, growing exchanges and cooperation in various fields and deepening friendship between the people, China and Dominica set a good example of friendly cooperation between countries of different social systems and sizes. China is ready to work with Dominica to further elevate the bilateral relations and deliver greater benefits to the two peoples. President Xi emphasized that the two sides should consolidate political mutual trust, and strengthen experience sharing on governance and exchanges between governments, legislatures and political parties. The two sides should deepen practical cooperation. China will continue supporting Dominica in enhancing capabilities in climate action and disaster prevention and mitigation, strengthen cooperation in such areas as infrastructure, clean energy, healthcare, agriculture and empowerment of women, and enhance people-to-people exchanges in culture, education and tourism. The two sides should step up multilateral coordination, jointly act on the four major Global Initiatives, and strive for a community with a shared future for humanity. Efforts should be made to implement the consensus reached at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women and deepen cooperation on women's capacity building. President Burton said that China is a great friend and highly valued partner of Dominica, and appreciated China's valuable support and sincere friendship. Dominica and China share common ideals and pursuits, and deepening bilateral relations will bring bright prospects for the people of Dominica. Dominica is steadfastly committed to the one-China principle. It will enhance cooperation with China in trade, agriculture, the green economy, new energy, healthcare, climate response, among other areas, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, advance cooperation between Latin America and the Caribbean and China, and write a new chapter in bilateral relations. China is a crucial force for peace and stability in today's world. Its vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and commitment to sharing development opportunities with the world and promoting solidarity among the Global South is inspiring, and is a beacon of hope for the world. Initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping have charted the course for peaceful coexistence and common prosperity for all countries. Dominica stands ready to work closely with China to oppose unilateralism and hegemonism and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. Wang Yi was present at the meeting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Xi Jinping Meets with Ghanaian President John Mahama Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 14, 2025 17:29 On the morning of October 14, 2025, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Ghanaian President John Mahama, who is in China for the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. President Xi noted that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Ghana. The China-Ghana friendship was jointly fostered by the older generation of leaders of the two countries and has been growing from strength to strength. China firmly supports Ghana in pursuing a path toward modernization suited to its national conditions, and is ready to work with Ghana to take cooperation in various fields to a higher level and make greater contributions to jointly building the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. President Xi stressed that China always follows the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and takes the right approach to friendship and interests in carrying out cooperation with Africa. China will work with Ghana to strengthen political mutual trust and support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns. The two sides should jointly implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit, explore diversified cooperation models, and enhance cooperation in such fields as mining, energy, infrastructure, agriculture and fishing. Such efforts will help Ghana turn its strengths in resources into growth momentum, balance resource development and environmental protection, and drive high-quality development of cooperation between the two countries. The two sides should jointly implement the Global Governance Initiative and work for a more just and equitable global governance system. The two sides reached consensus in principle on the early harvest arrangements of the agreement on economic partnership for shared development. It is hoped that Ghana can benefit from the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines China gave to African countries that have diplomatic relations as early as possible. President Mahama extended warm congratulations to China on its successful convening of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. He noted that the Meeting is highly significant and demonstrates China's leadership in championing the global cause of women. He said that Ghana-China relations are friendly and historic, and expressed appreciation to China for the strong support and assistance to Ghana through the FOCAC and Belt and Road cooperation. Ghana firmly abides by the one-China policy and is committed to deepening relations with China. He said that Ghana looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China in trade, digital economy, infrastructure, energy, mining, and people-to-people exchanges, to take bilateral relations to a whole new level. Ghana firmly supports multilateralism and will work closer with China and other like-minded countries to enhance coordination on multilateral platforms, act on the Global Governance Initiative, and uphold international fairness and justice. Wang Yi was present at the meeting. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wang Yi Meets with Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 14, 2025 20:25 On October 14, 2025, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Beijing with former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who is in China for the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. Wang Yi stated that Ms. Bachelet is a world-renowned stateswoman and a long-time friend of the Chinese people. During her tenure as President of Chile, she promoted the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Chile. As the first Executive Director of UN Women, she made significant contributions to the pursuit of gender equality. When serving as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, she upheld justice, viewed China's development objectively and rationally, and promoted equal and friendly exchanges between the two sides. Wang Yi expressed the hope that Ms. Bachelet will continue to make active efforts for the work of the UN and for world peace and stability. Wang Yi said that multilateralism is currently facing severe challenges. The UN needs reform, but the purpose is not to weaken but to strengthen the UN, to defend the UN Charter, to safeguard the authority of the UN, and to give full play to the core role of the UN. China was the first country to sign the UN Charter and has always been a steadfast advocate and long-term partner of the UN. As a responsible major country, China actively practices true multilateralism, complies with the norms of international law, fulfills its due international responsibilities, supports developing countries to the best of its ability, and promotes the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. History and facts will prove that unilateralism and bullying win no support, the world will inevitably move towards multipolarity, and the UN will surely overcome risks and challenges, continue to strive for peace, take responsibility for development, and open up a brighter future for humanity. Michelle Bachelet congratulated China on successfully hosting the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, stating that the friendship between Chile and China has a long history. Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and also the first Latin American country to sign a free trade agreement with China. She attributed the high-level development of bilateral relations to both sides upholding common values and supporting multilateralism, peaceful resolution of disputes, and the leading role of the UN. Michelle Bachelet said she fully agrees with President Xi Jinping's proposal to bear in mind the goal of a community with a shared future for humanity and jointly create a better future for the human race. She called for concerted efforts to strengthen the role of the UN through reform and the need to tackle global challenges together. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian's Regular Press Conference on October 14, 2025 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 14, 2025 16:54 Diplomatic Adviser to the French President Emmanuel Bonne will be in China from October 15 to 16. He and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will hold a new round of China-France Strategic Dialogue. At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard will pay an official visit to China from October 16 to 17. At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand will visit China from October 16 to 17. CCTV: You announced that Diplomatic Adviser to the French President Emmanuel Bonne will come to China for the China-France Strategic Dialogue. How does China view its current relations with France? What does China expect to achieve through the dialogue? Lin Jian: Both China and France are permanent members of the UN Security Council and independent major countries. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, bilateral relations have maintained sound momentum of development. In May this year, President Xi Jinping had a phone call with President Emmanuel Macron. They reached important common understandings on the two countries strengthening strategic communication, jointly upholding multilateralism, and promoting world peace and stability, which charted the course forward for bilateral relations under the new circumstances. Through the dialogue, China looks forward to having an in-depth exchange of views with France on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, implementing the common understandings reached between the two heads of state, consolidating mutual trust and expanding cooperation, and advancing the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership so as to make new contributions to a peaceful, stable and prosperous world. China News Service: To follow up on your announcement of Swedish Foreign Minister Stenergard's upcoming visit to China, how does China view its current relations with Sweden and what does China hope to achieve through the visit? Lin Jian: Sweden is the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In May this year, President Xi Jinping and King Carl XVI Gustaf exchanged congratulatory messages to mark the 75th anniversary of China-Sweden diplomatic ties. They agreed to keep deepening practical cooperation and advancing the friendly ties between our two countries. Through the upcoming visit, China stands ready to work with Sweden to act on the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, strive to step up communication, enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and ensure the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations. China Daily: To follow up on Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand's visit to China, could you share with us the backdrop of the visit and China's expectation? Lin Jian: This is Foreign Minister Anita Anand's first visit to China since she took office in May this year. This is also another important high-level interaction between China and Canada after the meeting between the two prime ministers on the sidelines of UNGA last month and the meeting between the two foreign ministers in Malaysia in July this year. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will have an in-depth exchange of views with Foreign Minister Anita Anand on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest. This year marks the 55th anniversary of China-Canada diplomatic ties and the 20th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two countries. China always stands for growing its relations with Canada on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit. Through the visit, we hope to work with Canada to step up strategic communication, implement the common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, improve bilateral relations and deliver more tangibly for the two peoples. Shenzhen TV: The President of the International Federation of Robotics Takayuki Ito said in a recent interview that China's robotics industry is developing at an unprecedented pace, driving the automation of the manufacturing sector globally. Do you have any comment on that? Lin Jian: According to the World Robotics Report 2025 released by the International Federation of Robotics, the operational stock of industrial robots in China exceeded two million units in 2024, topping the world. In the meanwhile, we have seen Chinese robots enjoying promising prospects of application, from automotive, electronics, metal and machinery to domestic services, healthcare, and education. They are moving from laboratories to factory production lines and households around the world. The mass production of Chinese robots and diverse application scenarios are powered by vibrant innovation and a continuously improving environment for industrial development. Such progress has not only accelerated the growth of domestic enterprises but also spurred coordinated development across international supply chains and related industries. To date, China is home to more than 500,000 high-tech enterprises and leads the world with over 40 percent of the global "Lighthouse Factories," which represent the leading edge of smart manufacturing and digitalization. These developments are injecting sustained momentum into the Chinese economy while contributing wisdom and strength to global technological advancement. Innovation is the primary driver of development. China will continue to fully implement the innovation-driven development strategy, embrace the global market with greater openness and share the fruits of its sci-tech progress with the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address From Ukraine To Central Asia, The Broad Impact Of China's Latest Rare Earth Restrictions By Reid Standish October 14, 2025 Summary China has imposed new export controls on rare earth minerals, escalating tensions with the US and impacting global supply chains. Rare earths are crucial for advanced technologies, including defense systems, and the restrictions could affect military support for Ukraine. Governments are exploring alternatives, such as Central Asia's mineral reserves, but challenges like infrastructure and investment risks remain. China's latest export controls on rare-earth minerals risk not only reigniting a trade war with the United States, they could also come with far-reaching implications for efforts to rearm Ukraine and infrastructure development in Central Asia. Tensions between Beijing and Washington flared again over rare earths -- an essential group of 17 elements that find themselves in everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones to vital defense technology == on October 9 when China added new export controls for five rare-earth metals on top of seven that were already restricted in April. That was then followed by US President Donald Trump vowing on October 10 to tack on an additional 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports. "The move by Beijing refocuses attention on how China uses its influence as the world's biggest trading nation and its dominance of manufacturing supply chains to project its power in international affairs," James Kynge, a senior research fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, wrote in an analysis of the new measures. The move comes just weeks before a potential meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping and is seen by analysts as a sharp escalation in Beijing's long-running strategy to weaponize its dominance in rare earths. China accounts for more than 70 percent of global rare-earth mining, 90 percent of their separation and processing, and 93 percent of magnet manufacturing. The restrictions mean that foreign companies will need to obtain special approvals from Beijing if they wish to export rare-earth magnets and certain semiconductor materials that have at least 0.1 percent rare-earth metals from China. Under the new rules, companies with any affiliation to foreign militaries -- including those of the United States -- will be largely denied export licenses. "The newly announced restrictions represent China's most consequential measures to date targeting the defense sector," said Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. "In effect, the policy seeks to prevent direct or indirect contributions of Chinese-origin rare earths or related technologies to foreign defense supply chains." What Does This Mean For Europe And The War In Ukraine? This has sparked concerns in Europe that this could impede efforts to provide military support to Ukraine. Currently, the United States has agreed to sell advanced weapons to its NATO allies in Europe who will then supply the arms to Kyiv to help repel Russia's invasion. European governments are also supplying domestically made weapons to Ukraine. Many advanced weapons and military equipment rely on rare-earth elements., including F-35 fighter jets, Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines, radar systems, Predator unmanned aerial vehicles, the Joint Direct Attack Munition series of smart bombs, and Tomahawk missiles, which Trump has said he is considering sending to Ukraine. While many importers, including the Pentagon, maintain stockpiled reserves of rare earths, the new measures could have effects further down the road in terms of supplying Ukraine, especially given that the United States is struggling to keep pace in the production of many advanced weapons systems, according to CSIS. The European Chamber of Commerce in China has already said that the new restrictions "add further complexity to the global supply chains of rare earth elements," with officials saying after the announcement that they are already navigating a backlog of export license applications awaiting approval from Beijing due to earlier restrictions brought in by China in April that restricted the flow of seven rare earths. Setting up a new system to address rare-earth "bottlenecks" was a key announcement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at an EU-China summit in July, but many European firms say that the licensing approval process from Beijing is slow and already delaying production. Could Central And South Asia Help Offset China's Rare Earths Dominance? The latest round of export controls won't come into effect until December and Trump's call for additional tariffs is set to be applied on November 1. But China's near monopoly over mining and refining rare earths is already leading governments to explore alternatives to offset their dependence. Pakistan signed a $500 million memorandum of understanding in September with US Strategic Metals, a private American mineral company, with the first batch of rare-earth minerals arriving in early October. Elsewhere, the United States and the EU have eyed access to resource-rich Central Asia, which has a wealth of critical minerals and rare earths. Washington has set up the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue, the Group of Seven's (G7's) Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), and bilateral memoranda of understanding signed with Central Asia. Meanwhile, critical minerals and rare earths were a key part of a landmark summit in April in Samarkand between the bloc and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan also announced in April that it discovered massive deposits of more than 20 million metric tons of rare earths. The claim is still being confirmed by international firms, but if proven it would give the Central Asian country the world's third largest reserves of rare earth metals, behind only China and Brazil. But as Kazakhstan draws international attention, there are several factors holding Central Asia back from becoming a rare earths and critical minerals powerhouse. A report from the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, released earlier this year said that the region is hindered by high transit costs, a lack of infrastructure for exports, and "a high-risk investment environment that significantly reduces the region's commercial viability." The report concluded by stating that the United States should look to countries with better developed export sectors for their mineral wealth, such as Canada and Chile, in the short and medium terms. "Quickly securing critical mineral partnerships is vital to US efforts to reduce dependence on China. However, the United States should be wary of unrealistic expectations for what Central Asia can provide," the report said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/rare-earths-china- xi-trump-weapons-military-central-asia-minerals/33558748.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 Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun's Regular Press Conference on October 20, 2025 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 20, 2025 17:35 Global Times: It was reported that the Indonesian government is negotiating a debt restructuring with China for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway. Individual we-media claimed that the railway is in difficulty due to financial challenges. What is China's comment on this? Is the railway operating well? Guo Jiakun: It has been two years since the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway officially went into operation. Over the past two years, the railway has maintained safe, unimpeded and orderly operation. It has provided services for over 11.71 million passengers, with passenger flow still increasing steadily, and its economic and social benefit continues to be unleashed, creating large amounts of jobs for the local people and boosting economic growth along the line. These have been recognized and welcomed by various sectors of Indonesia. Governments of the two countries attach great importance to the development of the project. Competent authorities and companies of the two sides have maintained close coordination to provide strong support for the safe and stable operation of the railway. It needs to be stressed that, when assessing a high-speed railway project, apart from the financial figures and economic indicators, one must also take into consideration its public benefit and comprehensive returns. China stands ready to work with Indonesia to continue facilitating the high-quality operation of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway so that the project will play a bigger role in driving Indonesia's economic and social development and enhancing connectivity in the region. Bloomberg: According to the latest reports, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has listed rare earths, fentanyl and soybeans as its top three issues with China just before the two sides are returning to the negotiating table. What is the Foreign Ministry's comment on this? Guo Jiakun: China's position on the economic and trade issues between China and the U.S. is consistent and clear. Tariff and trade wars do not serve any party's interest. The two sides need to address relevant issues through consultation on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit. China News Service: It's reported that Paraguayan First Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies Hugo Meza once again openly called for "a serious and broad debate" to explore possible diplomatic and trade ties between Paraguay and China. He stressed that it concerns Paraguay's long-term interests. What's China's comment? Guo Jiakun: The one-China principle is a prevailing consensus of the international community and a fundamental norm in international relations. Maintaining so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan authorities will lead nowhere. It will not shake the solid and strong international commitment to the one-China principle, or stop the overriding trend of the times towards China's reunification. Upholding the one-China principle is the right thing to do. It is where the arc of history bends and public opinion trends. We urge the governments of the very few individual countries, including Paraguay, to see the true picture, listen to the voice of the visionaries, not to turn a blind eye to the will of the people, and make the right political decision at an early date that serves the fundamental and long-term interests of their people. Xinhua News Agency: It's reported that Qatar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on October 19 that Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkiye and to hold follow-up meetings to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the ceasefire has been finalized and both sides would meet again on October 25 in Istanbul. What's China's comment? Guo Jiakun: Both Pakistan and Afghanistan are China's traditional friendly neighbors. The two countries are and will always be each other's neighbors. China welcomes their ceasefire and commends relevant countries for their contribution. We hope from the bottom of our heart that the two countries will continue to properly handle their differences through dialogue and consultation, realize a full and lasting ceasefire, and jointly maintain peace and stability in both countries and the wider region. We also support their effort to that end. Together with the international community, China stands ready to continue playing a constructive role for the improvement and development of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. NHK: The Australian government announced that PLA air force released flares in close proximity to the Royal Australian Air Force patrol aircraft on Sunday. Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have any information on this? Guo Jiakun: I'm not aware of what you mentioned. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Delegation of Communist Party of Russian Federation Leaves Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- The delegation of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation led by Dmitri Novikov, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the party and first vice-chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma, left here for home on October 15 after taking part in the celebrations of the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. It was seen off at Pyongyang International Airport by An Hyon Min, vice department director of the Central Committee of the WPK. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Sends Reply Message to Xi Jinping Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, sent a reply message to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, on October 16. The message said: Respected Comrade General Secretary I extend thanks to You, Comrade General Secretary for sending warm congratulations and cordial wishes on the occasion of the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. I could feel once again the special feelings of friendship and invariable support of You, Comrade General Secretary, and the Chinese Party and people to our Party and people on the occasion of the October holiday. It is the consistent stand of our Party and the government of the Republic to successfully inherit the traditions of the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations and further strengthen and develop them as required by the new era. We will as ever positively propel the vigorous development of the DPRK-China friendly relations in the common struggle for accomplishing the socialist cause together with the Chinese comrades and thus contribute to promoting the wellbeing of the peoples of the two countries and defending the regional and global stability. I hope that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with You, Comrade General Secretary, as its core the Chinese people will successfully attain the goals set forth at the 20th Congress of the Party and achieve greater successes in the course of comprehensively building a modern socialist state. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Transcript of Special briefing by MEA on State visit of President of Mongolia to India (October 14, 2025) India - Ministry of External Affairs October 14, 2025 Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this special press briefing by Secretary (East) Shri P. Kumaran. This briefing is on the ongoing State Visit of the President of Mongolia. We also have with us for this briefing Shri Sujith Ghosh, Joint Secretary, who looks after East Asia Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. With that, I turn over the floor and the mic to Secretary (East) for his initial remarks. Shri P. Kumaran, Secretary (East):Thank you, Randhir. Good afternoon, dear friends. My apologies for the delay. We just had a sequence of meetings. I could not come in earlier. My appreciation and thanks for you all waiting until we could make it here. As you are aware, the President of Mongolia H.E. Mr. Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, is on a State Visit to India from 13th to 16th October 2025. This is his first visit to India in his capacity as President of Mongolia. And it takes place at a particularly meaningful moment as India and Mongolia commemorate 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. And we also mark 10 years of Our Strategic Partnership this year. President Khurelsukh is accompanied by a large delegation comprising senior Cabinet Ministers, members of Parliament, senior officials and also cultural representatives. His visit reflects the depth of the political relationship and the importance that both sides attach to this strategic partnership anchored in ancient civilizational ties, shared Buddhist heritage, democratic values and a deep sense of mutual trust. The President arrived in New Delhi yesterday and was accorded a Guard of Honor and a ceremonial welcome at the Air Force Station Palam. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar called on President Khurelsukh and reviewed our bilateral ties ahead of the Leaders Meeting. This morning, the visiting President paid homage at Rajghat, laying a wreath at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi. At Hyderabad House, President Khurelsukh held restricted and delegation level discussions with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The discussions were warm, wide ranging and forward looking, covering strategic and development partnership, cultural ties, trade, education, critical minerals, renewable energy, and people to people exchanges. This is their first official meeting and the leaders developed a close personal rapport during the talks. In a display of personal connect, the two leaders jointly planted a tree in the name of President Khurelsukh's late mother at Hyderabad House. This special gesture symbolized the common threads between Prime Minister Modi's Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam initiative and President Khurelsukh's One Billion Trees campaign and our shared commitment to environmental sustainability. The two leaders jointly released commemorative postal stamps marking the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. We also adopted a Joint Statement on strengthening the strategic partnership, charting a shared vision for future engagement including resilient supply chains and critical minerals. Mongolia reiterated its support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council and also for India's candidature as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2028-29. Mongolia also signed the framework agreement of the international Big Cat Alliance reflecting our shared commitment to conservation. The announcement of the appointment of a resident defense attache in Ulaanbaatar, fulfilling a long-standing Mongolian request, and underscoring the growing defense partnership. India also announced that all e-visas to Mongolian nationals would be issued on a gratis basis, building on the existing gratis paper visa regime and deepening people-to-people ties. As a goodwill gesture towards the spiritual fulfillment of our Mongolian brothers and sisters, India will be sending the holy relics of Arhant Maudgalyayana and Arhant Sariputra to Mongolia in 2026 following the historic exposition of Kapilavastu relics in 2022. Other key announcements include the deputation of a Sanskrit teacher to Gandan Monastery for one year to enhance monastic Sanskrit capacity; launch of an ICCR youth orientation trip under which eight Mongolian students and accompanying faculty will visit India; and provision of an additional 70 ITEC slots for Mongolian nationals as a goodwill gesture to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Ten MOUs were signed. The Joint Statement will list out the MOUs. They were in the area of cultural exchange, immigration cooperation, promotion of cooperatives, humanitarian aid, geology and mineral resources, quick impact projects, yoga and also renovation of the Bogd Khan Palace. I suggest that you take a look at the full list in our Joint Statement. President Khurelsukh also visited Parliament House where he toured the building along with the Hon'ble Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla. Their interaction highlighted the close democratic and parliamentary connect between India and Mongolia, both vibrant democracies committed to rule of law and representative governance. President Khurelsukh also met Honourable Vice President Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Shri J.P. Nadda, and he will be visiting the National Museum, Akshardham Temple and Humayun's tomb tomorrow. Later today, President Khurelsukh will call on the Hon'ble President of India, Smt Draupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. A state banquet will be hosted in his honor, underscoring the warmth and high regard that India holds for its relationship with Mongolia. President Khurelsukh's visit has yielded substantive outcomes, both symbolic and practical. It has reaffirmed the deep-rooted friendship between India and Mongolia, strengthened our strategic partnership and laid a strong foundation for closer collaboration across a wide range of sectors in the years to come. I think I'll stop here and please shoot if you have any questions. Thank you. Huma Siddiqui, Stratnews Global: Sir I am Huma Siddiqui from Stratnews Global. I have two questions. One, the Prime Minister talked about defense and security. That, during talks they discussed this. If you can elaborate, what about the defense and security? what is it that they are looking for? And in the agriculture sector, what is India offering to them in terms of farming or dairy products? Sidhant, WION: Sidhant from WION. Continuing the same question, the Prime Minister said that India will help in capacity building of the border forces. So if you can elaborate, what's the process like, how many people India is going to help in capacity building? Krishna Mohan Sharma, Bharat Express: Sir, Krishna Mohan Sharma, Bharat Express se. Mera ek sawal ye hai ki cultural exchange ke tahat wahan se saat student aayenge aur unki faculty aayegi. hamare yaha se kitne bache jayenge aur kitne faculty jayenge? [Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Sir, this is Krishmohan Sharma from Bharat Express. My question is under the cultural exchange program, seven students and their faculty will be coming from there. How many students and faculty members will be going from our side? Kadambini Sharma, Independent Journalist: Kadambini Sharma, Independent Journalist. There was a mention during the Press Statements about direct flights between India and Mongolia. Can you shed some more light on that? Keshav Padmanabhan, ThePrint: Thank you, Sir. Keshav Padmanabhan from ThePrint. We've signed an MoU with Mongolia ... a line of credit for about $1.7 billion in an oil refinery of which phase one has been completed. I wanted to check whether there has been any discussions for further such projects, given that I think this is India's single largest project using $1.7 billion. And added to that, can you tell us a little bit about what was discussed with regards to critical minerals, renewable energies and this portion that you had mentioned that was discussed between the two leaders in the morning? Thank you. Shri P. Kumaran, Secretary (East): Let me start with defense cooperation. Defense cooperation with Mongolia is basically composed of two or three initiatives. One is joint exercises. We do a joint exercise called Nomadic Elephant and another one called Khan Quest with Mongolia. And the Mongolians appreciate the opportunity to train with us. And the Defense Minister ... I was just in the meeting when the Defense Minister called on the President. They are interested and they see a lot of benefits of training with us. So, they would like us to continue with existing programs and also offer more support in terms of training. We do send our trainers there as part of our joint exercise initiatives, and who stay with them and train their officers for some time. So, that is something they see value in. We will be doing more of that. We also provide some kinds of equipment as part of our grant assistance to Mongolia. And we propose to continue that in the coming years. One big initiative that we took in the past was offering them cyber security training. We set up a cyber security training centre for their armed forces. The President thanked both the Prime Minister and Raksha Mantri for the benefits that flow from that centre, and they wish to upgrade and continue that kind of support. So, these are basically the main kind of partnerships that we have in Defense Cooperation. Raksha Mantri told them that we would be happy to continue existing programs, and also look at new proposals that come from the Mongolian side for any new ideas for collaboration. Agriculture. As you know, Mongolia has a large area compared to its population. 1.5 million square kilometers for a population of just about 3.5 million. A lot of it is grassland. They are planning to develop large plantations. In fact, if you fly into Ulaanbaatar, you can see these large fields coming up outside Ulaanbaatar. There are areas where it is possible for us to collaborate, especially precision agriculture, modern techniques, using digital platforms for agriculture, etc. These are all areas that we can potentially offer for collaborating with them in the area of agriculture. In fact, in a somewhat connected area, President Khurelsukh also offered that since Mongolia produces a lot of high-quality wool, cashmere wool, he said India could support them in developing that industry; value-adding and producing products for consumption in both markets and also for exports to third markets. So, it is something that sounds exciting and we will be having people look at it in greater detail and see how we can take it forward. Capacity building of border forces. Somewhat similar to what I mentioned in the area of defense. I think, Mongolia also sees benefit in working with us on cooperating in the area of drones and usage of drones, etc. It is something that we are talking about to see what kind of cooperation is possible. In addition to capacity building, some of the defense ITEC slots that Mongolia uses is also for capacity building of border forces. Cultural exchange. We have signed a cultural exchange programme as part of the MoU signed today. And, I think we will be developing the programme further as per the areas identified in the programme. What I said in my opening remarks was that we will have an ICCR youth orientation trip which will allow Mongolian students to come here. We are still not clear about how many of our students are going. Wo detail abhi hamare paas available nahi hai. Jab cultural exchange programs ke tahat details discuss honge us time mein decide hoga kitne students hamare jayenge. [Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi] That information is not available with us right now. The number of students going from our side will be decided when the details of the cultural exchange program are discussed. Direct flights. There is interest on the Mongolian side to try and have direct flights between Mongolia and India. One issue that seems to be holding it back is the viability of the operations. Today, President Khurelsukh mentioned to Prime Minister Modi that there is a Mongolian carrier that is interested in operating chartered flights to India. So, it was just a preliminary kind of information that was provided. We will be looking at the destinations and further details about how to take it forward. We are hoping that the fact that we have gratis e-visas for Mongolian citizens, and the fact that Mongolians are also facilitating visas for us on a gratis basis, we should be having increasingly better viability for such operations. But it is still early days. We will see how it goes. In fact, the LOC of 1.7 billion that you mentioned, it is India's largest LOC supported project, the Mongolia oil refinery. And the cost was originally at 1.2 billion. There were some delays initially because of COVID and the fact that the construction season in Mongolia is limited to a few months. Otherwise, in peak winter, the temperatures touch about minus 30, minus 35. Everything shuts down. It is not possible to do any outdoor construction activity. I just visited the refinery construction site last month. It is coming up very well. Almost all the civil work is over. The refinery equipment is being manufactured in India, and will be shipped to Mongolia. It seems to be on track and we expect that by 2028, the refinery should be in operation. One of the main reasons why it is important for us to have this completed by 2028 is that the Mongolians attach a lot of importance to this project. The reason is that they want to use their own crude, which is mostly exported now, to be fed into this refinery so that they can be as energy independent as possible. That is something we want to support and we hope to see this through by 2028. Critical minerals and renewable energy were the last two points that you wanted me to speak on. Mongolia has large reserves of coking coal. It is something that is useful for the steel industry. And India buys coking coal from a variety of partners including Canada, Indonesia, Australia etc. Mongolia offers itself as a potential partner for this. The difficulty of course happens to be the fact that Mongolia is landlocked and depends on ports and neighboring countries to be able to ship out the coal. Most of their coal is currently exported to China. If India is to buy coking coal from Mongolia, it will have to be either through Tianjin port in China or through Vladivostok in Russia. The economics need to be figured out. I understand that the Russian option is more expensive than the Chinese option. So, we are talking to the Russians and the Mongolians to see what kind of arrangements can be made to bring Mongolian coal through the Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok and see how exactly the economics plays out. Mongolia also has a few other minerals of interest to us including copper, gold, iron, zinc and recently they have also unearthed uranium reserves. They have just signed a big 1 million tonne per annum deal with France for unearthing and processing uranium. We have also offered our interest in partnering with Mongolia for uranium. We will be taking up the dialogue in the coming months. Renewable energy, what we understand is that President Khurelsukh told Prime Minister that in the southern parts of Mongolia, they get about 230 days of good sunlight. Mongolia prides itself as the land of the eternal blue skies, very less pollution, very small population to support and therefore, large empty space for solar panel fields to be set up. And therefore, it does offer itself as a good partner for renewable energy. They are committing to join the International Solar Alliance. Just signed the framework agreement for the ISA. So, we hope to be able to partner with them and see how to take it forward. Thank you. Ileana, TASS News Agency: Good afternoon. Ileana from TASS News Agency. My question is actually on the topic which you just mentioned on raw materials in Mongolia for India. And specifically on logistics. So, as you said, there are two options of importing by India from Mongolia, through Chinese port and through Russian port Vladivostok. So, what is more favorable for India? And, there were reports in Mongolian media that during this visit of the President of Mongolia to India, memorandum of understanding will be signed on geology and exploration. So, was it signed or not? Because I'm particularly worried about this because as media reported, there was a clause that import of these raw materials will go through Russian port Vladivostok. So, was it signed? So, if there is this clause about Russian port, will it improve delivery? importing from Russian ports? Shri P. Kumaran, Secretary (East): Thank you. Yes, there was an MoU signed on geology and exploration. I think what that essentially means is that for the 1.7 billion dollar Mongol oil refinery, the Mongol side wants to try and find crude oil that can support them in the future. Currently, most of Mongolia's crude is exported to China, and refined products are imported from Russia. So, to support the operations of the refinery, they want to try and explore more oil and gas. I mean, for the refinery, we are concerned with oil. So, they want to try and explore more, do more prospecting. And they want India also to try and invest in exploration and prospecting for oil in Mongolia. That is the reason why exploration was offered as a potential area of cooperation. In terms of equipment that are required, we are okay to explore any option, whichever works out to be economical for us, whether it is Tianjin or Vladivostok. We will take either of the options, probably both. And it is just the economics. I believe Russia and Mongolia have an arrangement where Russia offers discounted transport charges to Mongolia, if Vladivostok is used as an option for transport, and also for using the Trans-Siberian Railway. I believe the western part of the Trans-Siberian Railway has fairly high load on the railway line, whereas, the eastern part is not so heavily loaded, and therefore some discount is offered. So, we are also trying to get more details to see if we can take advantage of the discount arrangement that is available between Mongolia and Russia. Whereas, for taking equipment, civil and mechanical, electrical equipment, etc., to the refinery project, our contractors rely on Tianjin, which is the main option currently. They take it to the Mongolian border and then drive it into Mongolia. So, we are willing to look at both options, whichever works for us in terms of convenience and economics, we will take both. Ileana, TASS News Agency: (inaudible) Shri P. Kumaran, Secretary (East): We are looking at the breakdown of the components for economics to see how exactly it works out. Keshav Padmanabhan, ThePrint: Thank you for allowing me a follow-up. The port of Vladivostok is part of the Eastern Maritime Corridor that has been in discussions. I just wanted to check, are you looking at building Mongolia as a part of the Eastern Maritime Corridor? How serious are the discussions to look at the kind of logistics from Central Asia via this corridor? Because this is a project that India and Russia have been pushing. In addition to that, as you mentioned quick impact projects. How many projects are in the pipeline or what was discussed with regards to these quick impact projects worth less than $50,000 a project? Thank you. Shri P. Kumaran, Secretary (East): These are all good ideas. We still have not gotten to the stage where we bring Mongolia into the Eastern Corridor. Right now, I think I have only heard of the Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor. At some point, it does offer itself as an option for Mongolia to take advantage of, but we will potentially take it up with the Mongol side and hope that we can take it forward. Quick impact projects. We do a number of them in other partners in our neighborhood, and also in Southeast Asia. But, before we undertake quick impact projects, we always look for an MoU which clarifies to both sides what are their obligations in terms of facilitating these projects. So, the MOU that was signed today makes it clear as to what are the responsibilities of both sides. Basically, small community development projects in the range of about US$50,000 per project. And the objective is mainly for creating livelihoods, strengthening social infrastructure and also enhancing economic resilience for local communities. These are broadly the objectives of such small QIP projects. The Mongol side has said that because their communities are distributed very widely in their vast land area, many communities are remote, some of them are nomadic, and they would be happy with these small projects because it fits them very neatly. So, we will be examining specific project proposals in the coming months. And this MOU will be the basis for processing such projects and supporting them. Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you sir, with that we come to the close of this Press Conference. Thank you very much for your presence. Shri P. Kumaran, Secretary (East): Thank you and our apologies once again for keeping you waiting for a long time. Thank you. New Delhi October 14, 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address INAUGURAL EDITION OF THE INDIA - REPUBLIC OF KOREA NAVY BILATERAL EXERCISE India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence Posted On: 14 OCT 2025 6:33PM by PIB Delhi Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri, as part of ongoing operational deployment to the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific made a port call at Busan Naval Harbour, South Korea, on 13 Oct 2025 to participate in the maiden Indian Navy (IN) - Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) Bilateral Exercise. The RoKN extended a warm welcome underscoring the burgeoning Navy-to-Navy interactions and Strategic Partnership between the Governments of India and the Republic of Korea. Indigenously designed, constructed, and commissioned in 2012, INS Sahyadri is the third ship of the Shivalik Class Guided Missile Stealth Frigates. The ship is a shining example of India's 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' vision and has been part of several bilateral and multilateral exercises, as well as operational deployments. The ship is based at Visakhapatnam as part of the Eastern Fleet under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command. During the visit, the ship's crew will participate in the harbour and the sea phase of the inaugural edition of the IN-RoKN Bilateral Exercise. As part of the harbour phase, IN and RoKN officials will engage in reciprocal cross deck visits, sharing of best practices, cross-training sessions, and sport fixtures. The Commanding Officer will call on senior RoKN officials and local dignitaries. The harbour phase will be followed by sea phase, wherein, INS Sahyadri and ROKS Gyeongnam will undertake joint exercises. With the ever-increasing significance of the Indo-Pacific in the geopolitical seascape, both nations have increasingly recognised the importance of building partnerships, based on mutual interests. The Navy-to-Navy interactions between India and South Korea have grown significantly in recent years, along with their strategic partnership. The ongoing inaugural IN-RoKN bilateral exercise is the culmination of years of discussions and planning between the two navies. INS Sahyadri's ongoing operational deployment to the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific, underscores India's stature as a responsible maritime stakeholder and Preferred Security Partner. *** VM/SPS (Release ID: 2179047) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address English rendering of PM's speech during Diwali celebration with armed forces on board the INS Vikrant India - Press Information Bureau Prime Minister's Office Posted On: 20 OCT 2025 1:46PM by PIB Delhi Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Today is a remarkable day, this moment is unforgettable, and this sight is extraordinary. On one side of me lies the vast, boundless ocean, and on the other side is the immense strength of the brave soldiers of Maa Bharati. On one side of me lies the infinite horizon and endless sky, and on the other side stands the mighty and magnificent INS Vikrant, embodying infinite power within itself. The sparkle of sunlight on the water of the sea is, in a way, like the Deepavali lamps lit by our brave soldiers. These are our divine garlands of light. It is my great fortune that this time I am celebrating the sacred festival of Diwali amidst the valiant warriors of our Navy. Friends, It's hard to express the experience in words the night I spent yesterday on INS Vikrant. I saw the excitement and enthusiasm that filled all of you. When I saw you singing songs of your own creation yesterday, and the way you described Operation Sindoor in those songs ... perhaps no poet could express the feelings that a soldier standing on the battlefield can. On one hand, I witnessed military might before my eyes. Friends, These great ships, these aircraft that fly faster than the wind and these submarines all have their own place. But it is your spirit, your passion, that breathes life into them. These ships may be made of iron, but when you board them, they become living, fearless forces of valour. I've been among you since yesterday, and every single moment has taught me something new, shown me something new. When I left Delhi, my heart longed to live this very moment. But friends, Your hard work, your dedication, your discipline, your devotion, all of it is on such a high level, such a great height, that I have not been able to fully live it myself. But I have certainly been able to understand it. I've come to know it. I can imagine how difficult it must be to live that life. But when I was close to you, experiencing your breath, feeling your heartbeat, seeing that sparkle in your eyes last night, then I went to sleep a bit early, which I usually don't. Perhaps the reason I fell asleep early was the deep sense of contentment I felt after watching you all throughout the day. It wasn't just sleep; it was peaceful sleep born from that inner satisfaction. Friends, The deep night over the ocean and the sunrise this morning has made my Diwali very special in many ways. So once again, I extend my heartfelt Diwali wishes to all of you! Wishing you all, and from this heroic land of INS Vikrant Diwali greetings to every citizen of the country, and especially to your families as well! Friends, On the festival of Diwali, everyone wishes to celebrate it with their families. I, too, have grown used to celebrating Diwali with my family. And since you are my family, I have come here, among you, to celebrate Diwali. I am celebrating this Diwali with my family and that's what makes this Diwali so special for me. Friends, I remember when INS Vikrant was dedicated to the nation, I had said: Vikrant is vast, grand, awe-inspiring. Vikrant is unique, it is exceptional. Vikrant is not just a warship, it is a symbol of Bharat's hard work, talent, impact, and commitment in the 21st century. You all will remember the day Bharat received the indigenous INS Vikrant, our Navy also let go of a major symbol of colonialism. Inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, our Navy adopted a new naval ensign. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai! Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai! Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai! Friends, Our INS Vikrant today is a powerful symbol of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) and 'Made in India'. Cutting through the ocean, the indigenous INS Vikrant reflects Bharat's military strength. Just a few months ago, we saw how even the very name of Vikrant sent shockwaves through Pakistan, stealing their sleep at night. Such is INS Vikrant, a name that alone can crush the enemy's courage. That is INS Vikrant! That is INS Vikrant! That is INS Vikrant! Friends, On this occasion, I especially want to salute our armed forces. The fear created by the Indian Navy, the extraordinary skill shown by the Indian Air Force, and the bravery of the Indian Army along with the remarkable coordination of all three forces forced Pakistan to surrender so quickly during Operation Sindoor. And so, friends, once again, from this sacred place of service, this land of valour aboard INS Vikrant, I salute the brave soldiers of all three armed forces. Friends, When the enemy is in sight, when war is imminent, the position of one who has the strength to fight on their own is always stronger. For the forces to be strong, it is essential that they are self-reliant. These brave soldiers are born from this very soil, raised in it. The mother whose lap they were born from has also been nurtured in this same soil. And that is why they carry an inner inspiration: to give their all, even their lives, for the honour of this motherland. Even if I bring in the strongest, tallest soldiers from around the world and offer them all the money, will they be ready to die like you do? Will they give it all like you do? The strength that comes from being Indian, from having your life deeply rooted in Bharat's soil, in the same way, as every tool, every weapon, every component becomes Indian, our strength will multiply manifold. We are proud that our armed forces have made rapid strides toward self-reliance in the past decade. Our armed forces made a list of thousands of items and decided that these will no longer be imported. As a result, most of the essential equipment for the forces is now being produced within the country. In the last 11 years, our defence production has more than tripled. Just last year, it crossed a record of 1.5 lakh crore rupees. Let me share another example with the nation: Since 2014, the Indian Navy has received more than 40 indigenous warships and submarines from Indian shipyards. To all fellow Indians listening, remember this number. I'm confident that once you hear this, the light of your Diwali lamps will shine even brighter. What is our capability today? On average, one new indigenous warship or submarine is being added to the Navy every 40 days. Every 40 days! Friends, Our missiles like BrahMos and Akash proved their capabilities in Operation Sindoor as well. BrahMos just the name alone creates fear. The moment people hear BrahMos is coming, many start to worry! Now, several countries around the world want to buy these missiles. Whenever I meet world leaders, many express the same desire that they want them too! Bharat is now building the capacity to export weapons and defence equipment for all three services. Our goal is to place Bharat among the world's top defence exporters. In the last decade, our defence exports have grown over 30 times! Behind this success is the huge role played by our defence startups and indigenous defence manufacturing units. Even our startups are showing great strength and innovation today! Friends, When it comes to power and capability, Bharat has always followed the tradition of: ! i.e., Knowledge, prosperity, and strength and all for the service and protection of humanity. Today, in this interconnected world, when global economies and development depend heavily on maritime trade routes, the Indian Navy plays a critical role in global stability. Today, 66% of the world's oil supply, and 50% of global container shipments pass through the Indian Ocean. And in securing these routes, the Indian Navy stands guard like the sentinel of the Indian Ocean. And you are the ones doing this job. Moreover, Indian Navy is acting as a global security partner through mission-based deployments, anti-piracy patrols, and humanitarian assistance operations, in this entire region. Friends, Our Navy plays a major role in ensuring the security and integrity of our islands. Some time ago, we decided that the Tricolour must be hoisted on every island of the country on Republic Day. The Navy has been fulfilling this resolution every 26th January with great pride and honour. I congratulate our Navy for that! Today, the Indian Navy is hoisting the Tricolour on every island of Bharat. Friends, As Bharat moves ahead rapidly, we are also striving to ensure that all countries of the Global South progress alongside us. For this, we are working swiftly on the "SAGAR - Maritime Vision". We are becoming development partners for many nations, and whenever required, we are ready to extend humanitarian assistance anywhere in the world. From Africa to Southeast Asia, the world now looks to Bharat as a true global friend in times of disaster and crisis. In 2014, when our neighbouring country Maldives faced a drinking water crisis, we launched Operation Neer, and our Navy reached there with fresh water supplies. In 2017, when Sri Lanka was hit by devastating floods, Bharat was the first to extend a helping hand. In 2018, when a tsunami struck Indonesia, Bharat stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Indonesia in rescue and relief efforts. Similarly, whether it was the earthquake in Myanmar, or the crises in Mozambique in 2019 and Madagascar in 2020, Bharat reached everywhere with a spirit of service and compassion. Friends, Our armed forces have also conducted rescue operations to bring back Indians trapped abroad from time to time. From Yemen to Sudan, wherever there was a need, your courage and valour greatly strengthened the faith of Indians living across the world. We have not only saved thousands of our own citizens but also rescued citizens of other nations trapped in those countries and safely brought them home. Friends, Our military forces have served the nation on land, at sea, and in the air, with complete dedication, sensitivity, and devotion. At sea, our Navy safeguards the nation's maritime borders and trade interests. In the skies, our Air Force remains ever committed to Bharat's security. On land, from the scorching deserts to the icy glaciers, our Army, BSF, and ITBP personnel stand like an unbreakable wall. Similarly, on various other fronts, the SSB, Assam Rifles, CRPF, CISF, and our intelligence agencies work seamlessly as one unit in the service of Maa Bharati. I also take this opportunity to appreciate the Indian Coast Guard, which works in perfect coordination with the Navy to secure our coastline day and night. Their contribution to this grand mission of national defence is truly immense. Friends, It is because of the valour and courage of our security forces that the country has achieved another major success in recent years and this achievement is the elimination of Maoist terrorism. Today, the country stands on the brink of complete freedom from Naxalite-Maoist violence, and that liberation is knocking on the door! Friends, before 2014, around 125 districts in the country were affected by Maoist violence. Over the past 10 years, this number has kept declining from 125 districts down to just 11, and even among these, only 3 districts show traces of their influence. Out of 125, only 3 remain! For the first time, more than a hundred districts are now completely free from Maoist terror, breathing the fresh air of freedom and celebrating a truly joyous Diwali. After generations of fear and violence, millions of people are now stepping into the mainstream of development. In regions where Maoists once prevented roads, schools, and hospitals from being built, where they blew up existing schools and shot doctors, and where they didn't allow even mobile towers to be installed, today highways are being built, industries are emerging, and schools and hospitals are shaping the future of the children. This success belongs entirely to the sacrifice, dedication, and courage of our security forces. I am happy that this year, people will celebrate Diwali with pride and happiness for the first time ever in many of these districts. Friends, Today, I stand among our brave soldiers. Our Navy personnel are those who walk fearlessly with death in their hands and courage and risk come naturally to you. But think of our police personnel, who usually carry nothing more than a stick. They don't have the same kind of resources or training, their work involves maintaining peace and harmony with civilians. Yet, these very police forces, be it BSF, CRPF, or others, have fought the Naxalites with exceptional bravery. The battles they have fought deserve the highest praise. On this sacred festival of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all my police personnel. I know of many such brave men and women who have lost their legs but not their spirit, who have lost their arms but not their courage; some can no longer walk without a wheelchair, yet their hearts remain unshaken. I know families who were targeted by Maoist extremists, their limbs were cut off, their villages made unlivable. These countless heroes have endured immense pain and made great sacrifices so that peace could prevail, so that citizens could live better lives, and children could study and dream of a brighter future. They gave themselves for the nation's peace and progress. Friends, Perhaps for the first time since independence, our police forces faced such a massive challenge. But I am confident that they have nearly eradicated this 50-year-old scourge in the last 10 years, they have succeeded in about 90% of the cases. You understand warfare well, but when war is fought within one's own land, it requires immense patience and restraint, ensuring that no innocent life is lost. It's been a remarkable effort and one day, volumes will be written about how this form of internal guerrilla warfare was handled. The world will study how Bharat's brave forces destroyed Maoist terrorism through their valour and strategy. We, as Indians, are proud of this that such heroism has taken root in our very soil. Friends, Today, these very districts are seeing record levels of sales and purchases during the GST Bachat Utsav (Savings Festival). In areas where once Maoists didn't even allow the mention of the Constitution, where its existence was denied, today the spirit of "Swadeshi" (self-reliance) echoes in every corner. Misguided youth who once carried 303 rifles are now embracing the Constitution. Friends, Bharat today is advancing at a remarkable pace. We are fulfilling the dreams of 140 crore countrymen. From the land to the skies, what was once unimaginable is now becoming reality before our eyes. This momentum, progress, and transformation reflect the faith of the nation, and from that faith springs the mantra of development. In this great journey of nation-building, our armed forces have a monumental role. You are not those who merely flow with the current. , , this is not in the Army's veins, No, you are not ones who drift. You have the power to direct the current, to change its course! You have the courage to guide time itself, the valour to cross the impossible, and the spirit to overcome every obstacle. The mountain peaks where our soldiers stand firm have become symbols of Bharat's triumph. The seas on which our Navy stands guard, even the mighty waves of the ocean seem to chant Bharat's victory. "Bharat Mata ki Jai!" not just your voices, but every wave echoes it. You have inspired even the ocean's tides to proclaim "Victory to Maa Bharati!" From the roar of the sea, the winds from the mountains, the dust from the deserts, if one listens carefully with heart and mind united, a single voice emerges from every grain of soil and every drop of water: Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai!" With this spirit of enthusiasm and confidence, I once again extend my heartfelt Diwali greetings to all of you, your families, and the 140 crore citizens of the country. May you always nurture victory, faith, and resolve within you. May your dreams take flight and reach new heights. Now, together with me, say it aloud: Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram! Thank you very much! *** MJPS/VJ/VK/AK (Release ID: 2180963) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tehran Sentences French Pair For Allegedly Spying For Israel, France By RFE/RL's Radio Farda October 14, 2025 An Iranian court has sentenced two French citizens to lengthy prison terms for allegedly spying for France and Israel, the judiciary's official website reported on October 14, just days after Tehran and Paris suggested progress had been made on a prisoner swap. One individual was sentenced to six years in prison for espionage on behalf of the French intelligence service, five years for "conspiracy to commit crimes against national security," and 20 years in internal exile for "alleged intelligence collaboration with Israel." The second defendant received 10 years for allegedly spying for France, five years for "conspiracy to commit crimes against national security", and 17 years for "aiding and abetting" intelligence cooperation with Israel. The report said the sentences can be appealed within 20 days. Although the judiciary did not name the defendants, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris are the only French nationals that are known to be held in Iran currently. France 24 reports they are the pair concerned. In July, the French state-owned broadcaster reported that, according to their relatives and diplomatic sources, the pair had been charged with "spying for Israel." Kohler and her partner, Paris, were arrested in Tehran in May 2022 as they were wrapping up a sightseeing holiday in Iran. Iranian state media have alleged that the couple associated with the main teachers' union, an allegation the family denies. They have been accused of fomenting unrest. A video aired by Iranian state media in October 2022 showed Kohler and Paris "confessing" to espionage; rights groups say such televised confessions are coerced and have condemned the practice. "There is no independent court in Iran," said Fariba Adelkhah, a French-Iranian academic arrested in 2019 at Tehran's airport and sentenced to five years for alleged nationalsecurity offenses; she was released in 2023. "We're all spies unless proven otherwise," she told RFE/RL's Radio Farda. Adelkhah said defendants in security cases face "Kafkaesque" proceedings and argued that Kohler and Paris did not receive a fair hearing. Comparing Kohler's detention to her own, Adelkhah said the 35yearold is enduring harsher conditions because she is being held in solitary confinement. Iran and France signaled movement on a potential prisoner swap this month, with officials in both capitals saying talks had made progress on a framework that could secure the release of Kohler and Paris in exchange for Mahdieh Esfandiari, and Iranian student who was detained this year for antiIsrael social media activity. A separate court in Iran acquitted and freed FrancoGerman cyclist Lennart Monterlos last week. Even though UN human rights experts have decried a "dramatic escalation" in executions in Iran, the powerful Guardian Council on October 1 approved harsher sentences for spying and collaboration with Israel and the United States. Days earlier, a UN panel revealed that Iranian authorities have executed over 1,000 people since the start of the year -- a figure that Amnesty International called the most in at least 15 years. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-sentences-french-citizens- prison-spying/33559626.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 FM Sa'ar speaks with Thai FM Sihasak Phuangketkeow Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs FM Sa'ar briefed his Thai counterpart FM Sihasak Phuangketkeow following the release of deceased Thai hostage Sonthaya Oakkharasri on Saturday night. Type: Press Releases Topic: Foreign Policy, Terrorism Secondary topic: Swords of Iron Publish Date: 20.10.2025 Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar today (Monday, 20 October 2025) spoke with Thai FM Sihasak Phuangketkeow and briefed him on the release of deceased Thai hostage Sonthaya Oakkharasri on Saturday night. FM Sa'ar: "Just spoke with Thai FM Sihasak Phuangketkeow, following the release of dead Thai hostage Sonthaya Oakkharasri. I briefed him on the return of Sonthaya's body on Saturday night. I expressed our deepest condolences to the people of Thailand and his family. Sonthaya was killed on Oct. 7th outside Kibbutz Be'eri and his body was taken hostage by Hamas. I told my counterpart that Israel will grant all the assistance and benefits to Sonthaya's family, as to any Israeli victim of terror, as we did with the previous Thai victims. I also emphasized Israel's ongoing efforts to return the remaining 16 dead hostages, including Thai citizen Sudthisak Rinthalak. Regarding Hamas's violation of the ceasefire yesterday by attacking IDF soldiers, I said that Israel will respond forcefully to any violation. We discussed bilateral relations, including the importance of Thai workers in Israel. I invited my counterpart to soon visit Israel." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Exchange of Views Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Keidanren on the occasion of the Third Annual Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Executive Dialogue Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan October 15, 2025 On October 15, in Tokyo, H.E. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended the exchange of views hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Keidanren on the occasion of the Third Annual Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Executive Dialogue. Minister Iwaya's remarks were as follows: The Japan-U.S.-ROK trilateral cooperation is extremely important not only for us but for the peace and prosperity of the international community. We have already held the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting four times this year. We will continue to strengthen tangible trilateral cooperation through action-oriented discussions. Robust bilateral relationships are the foundation of the trilateral coordination, and a win-win-win economic partnership is key to the trilateral efforts. Furthermore, representatives from both the U.S. and the ROK delivered remarks, expressing their expectations for further strengthening of the Japan-U.S.-ROK coordination. The participants had lively exchanges of views regarding the Japan-U.S.-ROK coordination. (Reference) The Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Executive Dialogue The Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Executive Dialogue was established in 2023 as a platform for business leaders from Japan, the U.S., and the ROK to discuss various themes aimed at promoting trilateral coordination. The latest third dialogue was held in Tokyo from October 14 to 15. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address AFRICOM Deputy Commander Visits Libya, announces Libyan participation in Exercise Flintlock 2026 By U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs , United States Africa Command Libya Oct 14, 2025 STUTTGART, Germany -- Libya will play a pivotal role in U.S. Africa Command's (AFRICOM) flagship special operations forces exercise, Flintlock 26. AFRICOM is working closely with Libyan military officials from the west and east to hold a key training location - or "spoke" - near the central Libyan city of Sirte in spring of 2026. The participation of western and eastern Libyan forces together marks a significant step forward in Libyan efforts towards unification of military institutions and enabling strong U.S.-Libya security cooperation. The announcement came during the visit of Lt. Gen. John Brennan, U.S. Africa Command Deputy Commander, who spent the week in Tripoli and Sirte speaking with Libyan leadership from the west and east. Flintlock, led by Special Forces Command Africa, brings together allied and partner nations to enhance interoperability and strengthen the ability to conduct Counter Terror (CT) operations. This year, Italy's Special Operations Command will enable the planning and execution of the Libya spoke, alongside spokes in Mauritania and Cote d'Ivoire. The opportunity for the joint training stems from modifications to the Libya arms embargo in January 2025, which enabled security cooperation - including training - with Libyan security forces from west and east, specifically for the purpose of reunification. "Flintlock 26 will be a tangible demonstration of our growing partnership with Libyan military officers in both the west and east," said Brennan. "This exercise isn't just about military training; it's about overcoming divisions, building capacity, and supporting Libya's sovereign right to determine its own future. By working alongside Libyans from the west and the east, we're directly contributing to Libyan efforts to unify their military institutions." Brennan took time to express AFRICOM's gratitude to the Libyan people and leaders for their partnership in hosting this vital exercise. "The support and coordination from Libyan leaders from the east and west, alongside the leadership of Italy, are crucial to the success of Flintlock 26. We have a growing and valuable partnership with Libyan forces from throughout the country, and we look forward to conducting training that directly supports Libyan reunification efforts," said Brennan. The Libya spoke in Flintlock 26 will leverage the U.S.-Libya partnership and bring other partners from across Africa and Europe to focus on sharpening skills and promoting peace through strength to deter terrorists and malign actors looking to cause instability and conflict. The exercise will strengthen the partnership and add to Libya's counter terror capabilities, helping to increase stability and opportunities for U.S. investment. "I was pleased to join Lt. Gen. Brennan for this important visit as U.S. military forces work with Libyan partners from the east and west to host a key location for Exercise Flintlock in Libya for the first time. The exercise will support Libyan efforts to unify military institutions and develop the capability to take full responsibility for their own security," said Jeremy Berndt, Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Libya, who was also at the announcement. "Unity, peace, and stability are key elements to enable economic investment and increase prosperity for the Libyan people and their international partners." U.S. Africa Command is one of seven U.S. Department of Defense geographic combatant commands. The command is responsible for all U.S. military operations, exercises, security cooperation, and conducts crisis response on the African continent in order to advance U.S. interests and promote regional security, stability, and prosperity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Libya's political impasse is simply not sustainable: UK statement at the UN Security Council Speech Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Charge d'Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Libya. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and James Kariuki CMG Published 14 October 2025 Location: United Nations, New York Delivered on: 14 October 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) I will make three points. First, the United Kingdom reiterates its full support for UNSMIL's efforts to advance the political process in Libya. The status quo is simply not sustainable. Libya's political impasse continues to deprive its people of the democratic choice, economic opportunity, and security they deserve. Lack of progress on the political track perpetuates the conditions for instability, corruption and economic mismanagement. So we joined Council members in welcoming the roadmap presented by SRSG Tetteh in August and we urge the Libyan parties to fully engage with the process to enable free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections. It is disappointing that the first milestones of the roadmap have not yet been met. We call on stakeholders, particularly the House of Representatives and High Council of State, to complete this work with urgency. We look forward to the initiation of a structured dialogue as set out in the roadmap, which will be key to maintaining momentum. Second, the United Kingdom welcomes the 13 September agreement between the Government of National Unity and the Special Deterrence Force as a step to reduce tensions in Tripoli. It is important that all parties implement the agreements reached. We stress that protecting civilians and infrastructure must remain the top priority for all parties. And third, we look forward to the next round of local elections in 16 municipalities next week. Elections are a central part of inclusive and accountable governance. We urge Libyan parties to ensure that the elections proceed without obstruction, allowing all Libyans to exercise their democratic rights. President, as this Council considers the renewal of the UNSMIL mandate this month, we urge all Council members to seize this moment to send a clear and united message to the Libyan actors to engage seriously, in good faith, and with a spirit of compromise to deliver a sustainable political settlement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN envoy warns Libya's transition at risk amid stalled political roadmap By Vibhu Mishra 14 October 2025 - The UN's top envoy for Libya warned on Tuesday that the country's long-delayed political transition will stay on hold unless rival institutions swiftly resolve differences over election laws and key appointments. Hanna Tetteh, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said that while some progress has been made toward implementing a UN-backed political roadmap, divisions between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State continue to block key steps needed ahead of long-awaited national elections. "The two institutions have yet to achieve this objective," Ms. Tetteh told ambassadors in the Security Council. "They have not yet discussed jointly the constitutional and legal framework for elections. Achieving political consensus on these matters will be challenging ... [but] Libya cannot afford continued delays or disruptions." Lack of political will The roadmap's first milestone - reconstituting the full Board of Commissioners of the High National Elections Commission - remains incomplete. Disagreements persist over whether to replace all seven members or fill only the vacant posts - a debate that Ms. Tetteh said reflects "a broader lack of political will." She urged Libyan leaders to "engage constructively" to complete the initial milestones, adding that if no agreement is reached, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) will "pursue another approach" and seek the Council's backing to ensure the roadmap advances. Inclusive process vital In parallel, UNSMIL is preparing to launch national dialogue sessions in November, aimed at bringing together broader segments of Libyan society - including civil society, youth and women's representatives - to help shape an inclusive political process. It will cover governance, security, the economy, and human rights. Ms. Tetteh also reported a reduction in tensions across the capital Tripoli following mediation between the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the so-called Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DACOT), crediting local actors and Turkiye's intervention. "A stable security environment is critical for stability and for political progress," she said. Corruption and oversight On governance, she raised concern about corruption and weak oversight, noting the Central Bank's discovery of billions of dinars in unregistered currency. She welcomed Libya's newly launched national plan for combating corruption, calling it "an important step forward" but one that would require "political will to advance transparency and accountability." The top UN official underscored the Libyan people's desire for legitimate, unified institutions. "They deserve political stability and long-term peace," she said. "UNSMIL is committed to supporting them." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Briefing Security Council, Special Representative Highlights Libya's Fragile Security, Economic Progress, Urges Renewed Commitment to Elections Meetings Coverage Security Council 10017th Meeting (AM) SC/16192 14 October 2025 As the Head of the United Nations presence in Libya told the Security Council today that major milestones along the political road map for the country remain unmet and that the organ may have to consider alternative approaches should the stalemate continue speakers voiced additional concern over continuing fragility in Libya's security and economic sectors. "While the current Libyan leaders and institutions have expressed their commitment to engage constructively, their actions have not sufficiently matched their words," reported Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Among other issues with the UNSMIL-facilitated political road map which aims to unify State institutions and renew their legitimacy through presidential and legislative elections the House of Representatives and the High Council of State have yet to jointly discuss the constitutional and legal framework for elections. "Achieving political consensus on these matters will be challenging, but members of this Council will no doubt be aware that this has been the pattern in Libya for a while now," she said, nevertheless calling on the country's leaders to engage constructively towards preparations for elections. Should UNSMIL's current engagement fail to reach sufficient consensus between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State to move forward with implementation of the road map, she said that UNSMIL will adopt an "alternative approach" and "seek the support of this Council to advance the Libyan political transition to reach a meaningful conclusion". And, while detailing progress in the holding of municipal elections, she noted that economic and financial governance is still "deeply dysfunctional", two concurrently functioning constitutional judicial mechanisms are "working at odds with each other" and the security situation "remains very fragile". On the latter, she reported that UNSMIL is working to advance security-sector reform in the western part of Libya, stressing that a stable security environment is "critical" to facilitate political progress. Support for Political Road Map, Renewal of Mission Mandate The representative of China agreed, stressing that maintaining peace and stability a crucial guarantee for the political process is the "most urgent task at hand". He also said that the UN the "main channel for resolving the Libyan issue" plays an "irreplaceable and vital role", expressing support for an extension of UNSMIL's mandate. Calling on the Mission to prioritize advancing the political process to "help Libya break the political deadlock at an early date", he also called on external forces to "stop undue interference in Libya's affairs". France's representative, too, said that foreign intervention continues to undermine Libya's sovereignty and called for the withdrawal of all mercenaries. Urging the international community to seize the opportunity of UNSMIL's upcoming mandate renewal to further support Libya's stability and reunification, he agreed with others that the UN road map charts a clear course towards critical national elections. Additionally, he spotlighted the Libya arms embargo, noting that the European Union's Operation IRINI is the only mission with the mandate to combat arms trafficking in the Mediterranean. "That is why we support the renewal of the resolution authorizing inspections of vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya, to be considered by the Council next month," said the representative of Slovenia. Stating that the flow of heavy weaponry into Libya was "evident during the flare-up of violence in Tripoli in May", she said that Operation IRINI "remains the only international actor currently carrying out this important work in the Mediterranean". Calling on all stakeholders to fully respect the arms embargo on Libya, Denmark's representative added that Operation IRINI also "serves as a critical source of information sharing". Unification of Libya's Institutions 'Essential' for Country's Prosperity "Conscious of the importance of the sanctions regime currently in place, we look forward to working with Council members on the renewal of the mandate of Operation IRINI," said the representative of Greece. He also underlined the importance of controlling illegal migration flows, which "constitutes an EU [European Union] priority particularly for member States with maritime borders in the Mediterranean". Further, he underscored that the unification of Libyan institutions is "essential" for Libyan prosperity, sovereignty and border security, joining others in spotlighting the importance of fully implementing the political road map. On that, the United Kingdom's representative stated: "The status quo is simply not sustainable Libya's political impasse continues to deprive its people of the democratic choice, economic opportunity and security they deserve." Voicing disappointment that the first milestones of the road map have yet to be met, he called on stakeholders particularly the House of Representatives and the High Council of State to urgently complete that work, and on all Libyan parties to implement their commitments. The representative of the United States also expressed support for the road map and stressed that the unification of Libya's political institutions would allow the country to assume more responsibility for its own security and prevent its territory from being used for terrorism or arms trafficking. Adding that strong economic foundations are also vital, she urged international support for crucial technocratic institutions in Libya such as the National Oil Corporation, the Central Bank of Libya and the Libyan Audit Bureau which promote a more stable business environment. "Renewed and coordinated efforts should also be made to unify Libya's fragmented security and military institutions," said the representative of the Republic of Korea, who also called for UNSMIL's road map to be translated into tangible action. Further, as illicit oil exports and rampant fuel smuggling continue to deprive Libyans of their basic needs while draining vital State revenue, he stressed: "Libya's national resources must serve all Libyans through transparent, impartial economic institutions and independent, effective oversight." "Equally important", said the representative of Pakistan, "is safeguarding Libya's frozen assets and ensuring their reinvestment for the benefit of the Libyan people in line with [resolution 2769 (2025)]." Noting the Libyan Investment Authority's challenges in engaging with financial institutions holding such assets and such institutions' seeming lack of clarity regarding the application of relevant provisions of that resolution he suggested the issuance of an "implementation assistance notice" to "clarify operational modalities and address existing interpretational gaps". Concern over Libya's Frozen Assets Meanwhile, the representative of the Russian Federation Council President for October spoke in his national capacity to stress that "unscrupulous Western banks and financial structures" are exploiting Libya's frozen assets as the Council discusses future parameters to unfreeze them. This is "completely unacceptable", he underscored, calling on "all who call themselves friends of Libya" to actively protect these assets "including by suppressing such fraud and theft in their national jurisdictions". Also voicing concern over the continued erosion of Libya's frozen assets due to mismanagement by certain financial institutions was Algeria's representative, also speaking for Guyana, Sierra Leone and Somalia. Further, he warned that "a political solution in Libya remained elusive in the face of growing external interference" further exacerbated by the increased smuggling of fuel and weapons. Against that backdrop, he urged the Council to "acknowledge past errors" by shifting to more meaningful engagement and by firmly confronting those who hinder Libya's progress towards peace and stability. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of respecting the leadership and ownership of the Libyan people, stating that UNSMIL requires recalibration to achieve its core mandate. Similarly, the representative of Panama welcomed the recent strategic review of the Mission, which is a valuable opportunity to strengthen UNSMIL's mandate and to ensure that a "clear, nimble and focused approach" can respond effectively to the situation on the ground. External Interference in Libya's Internal Affairs Must End For his part, the representative of Libya said that there seems to be consensus on several key points. "It is clear that there is nothing new to discuss", he stated, adding that everyone is looking forward to progress on the political road map especially the Libyan people themselves. Stressing the need to fully respect national efforts, he urged that the UN's mediation lead to clear deliverables in a dedicated timeframe, which will reveal "who is the real spoiler" if such goals are not met. Moreover, he underscored that external interference in Libya's internal affairs must end. Libyans, he said, want safety, security and economic recovery, as well as the ability to enjoy a dignified life funded by their own national resources, free from manipulation by any external actor. "Libyan citizens want to stop the endless transitional period", he stressed, adding that they also want to "choose who represents them, away from any dictatorship or hypocrisy". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On night 10/11 October 2025, in a cowardly terrorist attack, Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij targeted Police Training School in Dera Ismail Khan District. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - October 11, 2025 No PR-314/2025-ISPR On night 10/11 October 2025, in a cowardly terrorist attack, Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij targeted Police Training School in Dera Ismail Khan District. The assailants attempted to breach the perimeter security, however, their nefarious designs were swiftly foiled by the vigilant and resolute response of Law Enforcement Agencies personnel deployed on duty. In their desperation, the attackers rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the gate. Displaying unwavering courage and professional excellence, Police personnel engaged the intruders, eliminating three khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij. While cornering remaining two intruding khwarij in a building complex who were later neutralised by Security Forces in a deliberate clearance operation with precision. In this intense exchange of fire, Six brave Policemen including Trainees, after putting up a heroic fight, embraced Shahadat in the line of duty, while twelve Policemen and one innocent civilian also got injured. During this heinous attack Khwarij attacked the mosque inside School complex and not only desecrated the Holy Place of worship but also barbarically killed Imam Masjid; an innocent civilian who was performing the duties of Imam Masjid at school. The sanitization operations in the area would continue and perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act will be brought to justice. The security forces alongside Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan in step with nation remain steadfast in their resolve to eradicate Indian sponsored terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers and innocent civilians further strengthen our unwavering commitment of safeguarding our nation at all costs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI, NI (M), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), attended the closing ceremony of the 'Islamabad Symposium 2025', as Chief Guest, organised by NIPS, NUST. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - October 16, 2025 No PR-322/2025-ISPR General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI, NI (M), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), attended the closing ceremony of the 'Islamabad Symposium 2025', as Chief Guest, organised by NIPS, NUST. While addressing the audience at the ceremony, Chairman JCSC expressed his gratitude towards all speakers and panelists for their valuable insights and highlighted the evolving global and regional environment. He reaffirmed Pakistan's active role towards promoting regional peace and stability, in balancing the relationship between Global North and Global South through dialogue, dignity and principled diplomacy. Emphasizing the need to replace confrontation with cooperation, CJCSC noted that Pakistan remains guided by a vision of coexistence rooted in mutual respect and international law. The Chairman JCSC reiterated Pakistan's consistent support for the just and peaceful resolution of disputes, including those of Palestine and Jammu & Kashmir. He said that standing at the crossroads of regions and civilizations, Pakistan continues to uphold restraint and constructive engagement seeking to bridge divides and foster a balanced global order built on justice, equity and mutual respect. The event was attended by members of the academia, bureaucrats, foreign ambassadors, representatives of the business community, students and faculty from leading universities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address From 13-15 October 2025, thirty four Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy Fitna Al Khwarij were killed in multiple engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - October 16, 2025 No PR-321/2025-ISPR From 13-15 October 2025, thirty four Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy Fitna Al Khwarij were killed in multiple engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. On reported presence of Khwarij, an intelligence based operation was conducted by the Security Forces in general area Spinwam, North Waziristan District. During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and after an intense fire exchange, eighteen khwarij were sent to hell. Another intelligence based operation was conducted in South Waziristan District and in ensuing fire exchange, eight Khwarij were neutralized. In third encounter that took place in Bannu District, own troops successfully neutralized eight more Khwarij. Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored Kharji found in the area as relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision "Azm e Istehkam" (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, visited United States of America as part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation and defence engagements. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - October 17, 2025 No PR-323/2025-ISPR Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, visited United States of America as part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation and defence engagements. During the visit, the Naval Chief called on US Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Vice Admiral Yvette Davids, and Acting Vice Commandant of the US Coast Guard, Vice Admiral Thomas G. Allan Jr. Matters of professional interest, regional security dynamics, and avenues for professional training and maritime cooperation were discussed during these meetings. The Naval Chief also visited the National Defence University (NDU) and met its President, Vice Admiral Peter A. Garvin. At the US State Department, the Admiral met Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Mr. Stanley L. Brown. The engagements encompassed deliberations on politico-military cooperation, maritime security, capacity-building initiatives, and shared maritime interests. The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, also addressed a gathering of US scholars and think-tank experts. In his talk, the Naval Chief highlighted regional maritime security challenges and Pakistan Navy's contributions towards collaborative maritime efforts. The visit of the Naval Chief reflects the enduring defence ties between Pakistan and the United States, reaffirming the mutual commitment to promoting maritime security in the region and beyond. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Air Force contingent comprising the cutting-edge JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets, accompanied by skilled air and ground crew, has landed in Azerbaijan to participate in the bilateral aerial combat exercise Indus Shield Alpha. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - October 19, 2025 No PR-326/2025-ISPR Pakistan Air Force contingent comprising the cutting-edge JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets, accompanied by skilled air and ground crew, has landed in Azerbaijan to participate in the bilateral aerial combat exercise Indus Shield Alpha. In a remarkable display of operational prowess and endurance, PAF fighters accomplished a non-stop flight from their home base in Pakistan to Azerbaijan, executing flawless in-flight air-to-air refuelling operations. The intricate mid-air refuelling operation, executed with utmost precision by PAF's own IL-78 aerial tanker, reaffirmed the long-range capability of PAF fighter jets and showcased the professional excellence and preparedness of PAF aircrew to undertake extended international deployments. Exercise Indus Shield Alpha aims to enhance mutual understanding, tactical coordination and interoperability between the two brotherly Air Forces. The exercise will focus on modern aerial warfare tactics, joint mission planning and execution in an environment shaped by rapid technological advancements and evolving airpower dynamics. It will also serve as a vital platform to exchange operational insights and strengthen collaborative responses to emerging aerial defence challenges. The participation of Pakistan Air Force contingent in Exercise Indus Shield Alpha reaffirms PAF's enduring commitment to regional stability and global military cooperation. It also demonstrates PAF's unwavering resolve to continuously evolve and adapt to the demands of contemporary warfare, while maintaining its tradition of excellence in every domain of air operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Telephone conversation with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon October 14, 2025 16:30 During the phone call, Vladimir Putin thanked President Rahmon for his hospitality and the warm welcome during the President of Russia's state visit to Tajikistan. The Russian leader also took note of how well organised both recent events in Dushanbe were, including the second Russia-Central Asia summit and the CIS Heads of State Council meeting. The two leaders praised their bilateral talks as constructive and substantive. The decisions made, as well as the large package of documents signed will undoubtedly give new momentum to the development of the strategic partnership and allied relationship between Russia and Tajikistan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hungarian Opposition Leader Magyar Tells RFE/RL No Quick End To Russian Energy Imports By Pablo Gorondi, RFE/RL's Hungarian Service and Ray Furlong October 14, 2025 Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar says there will be no rapid shift away from importing Russian fossil fuels if he wins parliamentary elections expected to be held this spring. The issue is central to efforts to choke revenues which have financed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with both the European Union and the United States calling for countries to curb their imports. "We don't want to get rid of (Russian energy sources) tomorrow, but by a target date of 2035," Magyar said in an interview with RFE/RL's Hungarian Service. "That doesn't mean we won't buy from (Russia), it means that we'll find the cheapest and the safest (sources). If there's an energy crisis, there should be multiple ways to procure" Hungary's energy needs. Magyar's position is important because his party, Tisza, is well ahead of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz Party in most opinion polls. Some recent polling has put the lead at around 20 percentage points. Orban has warned that Hungary faces "chaos and poverty" if Magyar wins. Hungary currently imports around 95 percent its natural gas supplies from Russia, while during the first half of 2025, some 92 percent of its oil imports came from Russia. Orban, who has maintained close ties with Moscow, has staunchly defended these arrangements, arguing they are in Hungary's national interest. The EU has set a goal of ridding itself of Russian energy imports much sooner than Magyar envisages, by 2027. It envisages doing this via EU internal market rules, meaning the decision could not be vetoed by Hungary or Slovakia, which also relies heavily on Russian supplies. US President Donald Trump, a strong supporter of Orban, has threatened secondary tariffs on countries that import Russian oil and said that a 25 percent US tariff on India was an example of this that could be applied elsewhere. Trump has also called on European countries to do the same and to stop buying Russian oil themselves. Magyar Praises Trump While Magyar did not signal an imminent change on Orban's position on energy imports, he suggested his approach to the war in Ukraine would be different. Orban has often blocked or watered-down EU sanctions on Russia and has spoken out against arms supplies to Kyiv. "It seems that President Trump is not using the method that Viktor Orban imagined...that he will withdraw all support from the Ukrainians and stop the arms shipments, but (instead) that he is trying to pressure the Russians in the exact opposite way and force them to make peace, or at least a ceasefire. There are signs that this may be successful," he said. Magyar also praised Trump's Middle East peace initiative. Trump has consistently backed Orban and singled him out for further praise at the peace summit held in Egypt on October 13. "He's a great leader. I endorsed him the last election he had, and he won," said Trump, before turning to Orban at the summit and saying: "You're going to do even better this time...and we're behind you 100 percent." In the interview with RFE/RL, Magyar also repeated a commitment to improve anticorruption efforts and said his party would set a limit of two terms for prime ministers. Orban is close to completing his fifth four-year term, including four consecutive terms since 2010, during which time Hungary has faced international criticism for corruption and eroding democratic norms. The European Union has frozen some 20 billions dollars in funding because o fconcerns about corruption and the rule of law, while Transparency International has rated Hungary the most-corrupt country in the EU. Orban has repeatedly rejected such concerns, once telling the European Parliament that his conservative government faces "Hungarophobia in a world dominated by liberalism." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/hungarian-opposition- leader-magyar-russia-energy-imports/33559475.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 Russia Sidelined In New Middle East After Trump's Israel-Gaza Deal By Reid Standish October 14, 2025 Summary Russia's influence in the Middle East has declined significantly since its 2015 intervention in Syria to support Bashar al-Assad. Moscow was excluded from a major October 13 summit in Egypt, highlighting its diminished diplomatic role in the region. Russia faces challenges balancing ties with Iran and Gulf nations amid strategic shifts and its focus on the Ukraine war. In late 2015, the Kremlin achieved a key victory when it launched a military intervention in Syria to rescue the fast-sinking regime of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and enshrine its role as a leading player in the Middle East. But 10 years later, Assad has been overthrown and a series of decisive events - the latest of which is an October 13 US-brokered cease-fire agreement between Israel and Gaza - are reversing that impression. "Russia has not been sidelined diplomatically in the Middle East like this since it intervened in Syria in 2015," Hanna Notte, director for Eurasia at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, told RFE/RL. This diminished status was on display in Egypt on October 13 when US President Donald Trump co-chaired a summit attended by the leaders of more than 20 countries aimed at finalizing a permanent truce in Gaza. Russia was notably absent from the diplomatic gathering and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Moscow was not invited. That followed the Kremlin cancelling a planned summit with Arab leaders in Moscow slated for later this week, with Bloomberg citing sources familiar with the matter as saying that the real reason for the cancellation was that too few regional leaders had confirmed their attendance. European officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, also told RFE/RL that the agreement and the cancelled summit highlight Russia's waning influence in the Middle East right now. "It was definitely another sign that Russia's role is diminishing in the region," a European Union official focusing on Russia and Eurasia told RFE/RL. "The cancelled summit is another. Only two leaders - from Syria and Iraq - had agreed to come." Another EU diplomat told RFE/RL that Russia's absence from the summit in Egypt marked "a win for the West." "Seeing US, Arab, and Western leaders up on the podium and zero Russian - or Chinese - role in all this, was quite a sight," the EU diplomat told RFE/RL. Moscow Faces A Quickly Changing Middle East This comes after Russian prestige has suffered a series of losses in the Middle East in recent years as Moscow has been prioritizing its nearly four year invasion of Ukraine. Assad, who Moscow had intervened militarily in conjunction with Iran to bolster during Syria's civil war, was toppled in late 2024 and later fled to Moscow. Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked a broader Israel-Gaza war then left Moscow facing new diplomatic challenges with Tel Aviv after the Kremlin spent decades building up strategic ties. This was followed by US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in June, which left Tehran - Moscow's principle partner in the region - weakened militarily and Russia hesitant to supply Tehran with more arms. It's part of what analysts say is a new political calculus from Moscow as it remains focused on the war in Ukraine, with few strategic resources to divert to other regions of the globe. "It's a question of bandwidth," said Notte. "Whether it's an inability or an unwillingness, there are just less military resources for Russia to devote elsewhere." Compounding the diplomatic setbacks faced by Moscow is a complicated web of partnerships and strategic needs that Russia is navigating in the Middle East. Russia has long had a robust relationship with Iran. Moscow remains a top foreign investor and arms supplier, and Tehran aided the Kremlin with badly needed drones in the first year of its Ukraine invasion by helping Moscow build out a critical factory to make drones at home. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has aimed to develop deeper ties with Gulf nations like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, two increasingly important partners for Moscow that wouldn't welcome a more powerful Iran. This has left Moscow in a difficult position as it looks to support its top partner in the region while still trying to preserve ties with the Gulf nations that have been pivotal as conduits for Moscow to survive Western sanctions brought from its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Down, But Not Out While the recent deal with Israel and Gaza marks a diplomatic breakthrough, a longer-term agreement to bring a lasting peace is still far from certain. Notte adds that while Russia's stature in the region may be waning from its heyday following its Syria intervention, its exclusion from the summit doesn't mean that Moscow isn't still a powerbroker in the Middle East. "Even if Russia wasn't bogged down in Ukraine, it probably wouldn't be a player on Israel-Palestine issues," said Notte. "Moscow's role on Israel-Palestine has been quite limited since the end of the Cold War." And while Russia faces questions over its future in the Middle East, Moscow has managed to slowly salvage remnants of its status in Syria. Russia has somewhat defied predictions following Assad's ouster by holding onto its Tartus naval facility and the Hmeimim air base in Syria, while also using its clout as a permanent member of the UN Security Council as an olive branch to build up positive ties with the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Sharaa personally welcomed a high-level delegation from Moscow last month and in an October 12 interview with CBS, the Syrian president looked to be keeping the door open to build up deeper ties with Russia down the road. "Engaging in a conflict with Russia right now would be too costly for Syria. Nor would it be in the country's interest," he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-waning-role-middle- east-trump-israel-gaza-deal/33559744.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 Russia Accuses Khodorkovsky, Other Oppositionists Of 'Terror Plot' By RFE/RL's Russian Service October 14, 2025 Summary Russian opposition figures, including Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Vladimir Kara-Murza, have been accused by the FSB of forming a "terrorist organization" and plotting to seize power. The accused are part of the Anti-War Committee of Russia, founded after the invasion of Ukraine, which opposes Putin's regime and aims to stop the war. Recent tensions arose within the Russian opposition after PACE created a platform to support democratic change, sparking debates over inclusion criteria for opposition groups. Exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky and several other prominent Russian opposition figures have been accusedby the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) of creating a "terrorist organization" and of plotting to violently seize power. The FSB said on October 14 that it was investigating more than 20 others as part of the case, including dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and leading economists Sergei Aleksashenko and Sergei Guriev. All are part of the "Anti-War Committee of Russia," which has been deemed "undesirable" in the country. The organization was founded on February 27, 2022, after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The group's manifesto states that its goals are to stop the war and oppose Vladimir Putin's regime, which the organization views as dictatorial. Many members of the movement left Russia after the war began. The Russian authorities' move also comes after a recent decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to establish a "Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces that gives opponents of President Vladimir Putin a stronger voice at Europe's main human rights body. "The Kremlin perceives the PACE affair as a major problem," Khodorkovsky, who lives in exile in London, said in a social media post. "Hence the new cases of 'power grabs,' the lies about 'recruiting' and 'arming the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Sorry, but no. Humanitarian aid, yes," he added. PACE voted last week to create the platform with Russian democratic forces to support democratic change in Russia and address war crimes in Ukraine. The decision sparked tensions among Russian opposition figures abroad, with debates over the inclusion of the late anti-corruption crusader Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). Russia was ejected from the Council of Europe and PACE in March 2022, weeks after it launched its all-out attack on Ukraine. The decision to give opponents of Putin's government a platform for dialogue with the rights body was "historic," Kara-Murza told Current Time, the Russian-language TV and digital network run by RFE/RL. "The voice of...the Russian democratic opposition will be heard within the walls of the Council of Europe," he said, calling it "the most important platform for the development of a road map in the wall for the reintegration of a future, post-Putin Russia into the European legal space and European institutions." But the PACE decision set off angry exchanges between figures and factions in the fractured Russia opposition on social media, aggravating tensions that have long been a hurdle to unified action. The main source of tension over the decision was a memorandum that was published alongside the resolution on the PACE website, listing some of the main Russian opposition forces abroad and what appeared to be criteria for potential inclusion in the group that will represent the Russian opposition at the assembly. Such criteria sparked a series of exchanges of online criticism, in some cases pitting Navalny's FBK, now led by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, against other opposition figures including Khodorkovsky. Kara-Murza dismissed the idea that Navalnaya and FBK members would not be welcome as "ridiculous" and said he hopes that the selection of members of the opposition platform can begin in mid-December, after a mechanism is created, and that the delegation will be in place in time for a PACE plenary session that begins in late January. Formerly Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky was arrested in 2003 on fraud charges that he says were trumped up by Putin and his allies to punish his political activity, bring influential tycoons to heel, and put the oil assets of his company, Yukos, into state hands. He spent just over a decade in prison before being pardoned and flown out of the country in December 2013. He has since lived in London and funded various projects aimed at promoting democracy in Russia. In April 2023, he was among a group of some 50 leading Russian opposition figures who signed a joint declaration denouncing the invasion of Ukraine and proclaiming Putin's government "illegitimate and criminal." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/khodorkovsky-terrorist- organization-pave-navalny/33559498.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 Press release on the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Mali 14 October 2025 11:00 1695-14-10-2025 October 14 marks 65 years of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Mali. Our countries have a long history of strong friendship based on the principles of respect and a balance of interests. The Soviet Union actively contributed to the development of Malian statehood and the implementation of major economic projects. Thousands of Soviet professionals worked in Mali. These traditions of mutual assistance and exchange of experience in various spheres continue to develop. Bamako is a priority partner and ally for Moscow in Africa. This has repeatedly been reaffirmed during bilateral contacts at the highest and high levels. We maintain a regular political dialogue due to the similarity of our positions on the majority of current global and regional issues. The talks held by the heads of state during the official visit by Interim President of the Republic of Mali Assimi Goita to Moscow in June 2025 were substantive and constructive. Contacts between our leaders have given an additional impetus to the development of the entire range of Russian-Malian relations. Building up mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation is our common goal. Active measures are being taken towards this end, including within the framework of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation established this year. Its first meeting was held in Bamako in July 2025, when the sides compared notes on the current issues on their business agenda. Our immediate plans include the establishment of a consultative centre with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Russia attaches great importance to the further development of military and military-technical cooperation. Mali stands at the forefront of counterterrorist efforts in the Sahel Region. It is largely thanks to the deliveries of Russian weapons and equipment, as well as the assistance of Russian instructors, that the Malian defence and security forces carry out successful operations against extremist groups. We continue to train Malian specialists at civilian universities and the academies of Russia's defence and interior ministries. Over 10,000 specialists have been trained during our bilateral interaction. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali Abdoulaye Diop exchanged messages of greeting on the anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. The ministers expressed confidence that the multifaceted Russian-Malian ties will continue to develop for the benefit of our nations and in the interests of stronger peace and security in Africa. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Troops leave for the Republic of Tajikistan to participate CSTO's Unbreakable Brotherhood 2025 and Barrier 2025 exercises 14 October 2025 07:30 From 14 to 19 October, units participating in the Unbreakable Brotherhood 2025 joint exercise with CSTO Peacekeeping Forces and the Barrier 2025 special exercise involving a joint formation of CSTO NBC Protection and medical support units are being deployed in the Republic of Tajikistan. Troops of the CSTO Collective Forces are sent from the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation to the training area in accordance with the plan. Troops and cargoes are delivered by aviation and road. The Unbreakable Brotherhood 2025 joint exercise is being held at the Fahrabad training ground, during which the Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the CSTO will train in preparing and conducting a peacekeeping operation on the territory of a CSTO member state. For the first time, within the framework of the peacekeeping exercise, a special exercise - Barrier 2025 - is being conducted with joint formation of CSTO NBC Protection and medical support units. During the Barrier 2025, servicemen will train to eliminate biological threats in the interests of the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces. Active phases of the CSTO exercises are being conducted in conjunction with the final stage of the joint anti-terrorism training of the competent authorities of the CIS member states, Commonwealth Anti-Terror 2025. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Council agrees its position on rules to phase out Russian gas imports under REPowerEU European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 20 October 2025 11:20 The Council today agreed on its negotiating position on the draft regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU's REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy, following Russia's weaponisation of gas supplies and repeated disruptions of gas supplies to the EU with significant effects on the European energy market. The proposed regulation introduces a legally binding, stepwise prohibition on both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, with a full ban to apply from 1 January 2028. The Council agreement maintains this deadline, and therefore represents an ambitious signal of willingness to deliver on the phase out. It will contribute to the overarching goal of achieving a resilient and independent EU energy market, while preserving the EU's security of supply. An energy independent Europe is a stronger and more secure Europe. Although we have worked hard and pushed to get Russian gas and oil out of Europe in recent years, we are not there yet. Therefore, it is crucial that the Danish Presidency has secured an overwhelming support from Europe's energy ministers for the legislation that will definitively ban Russian gas from coming into the EU. Lars Aagaard, Minister for climate, energy and utilities of Denmark Main changes agreed by the Council Transition phase for existing supply contracts The Council confirmed that imports of Russian gas will be prohibited from 1 January 2026, while maintaining a transition period for existing contracts. In particular, short-term contracts concluded before 17 June 2025 may continue until 17 June 2026, whereas long-term contracts may run until 1 January 2028. Amendments to existing contracts will be permitted only for narrowly defined operational purposes and cannot lead to increased volumes, except for some specific flexibilities for landlocked member states affected by recent changes in supply routes. Customs procedures and authorisation Compared to the Commission's proposal, the Council has streamlined customs obligations by establishing lighter documentation requirements and procedures for imports of non-Russian gas. In such cases, only proof of the country of production must be provided to the authorising authorities before gas enters the EU's customs territory, while more information is requested for gas imports from Russia during the transitional phase (including the date and duration of the supply contract, the quantities contracted and any amendments to the contract). The Council included the requirement that both categories of gas imports be subject to a prior authorisation regime in order to ensure that the prohibition will work in practice: for Russian gas and those imports falling under the transition period, the information required for authorisation must be submitted at least one month before entry before entry for non-Russian gas, the proof must be provided at least five days before entry before entry in the case of mixed LNG cargos, the documentation must prove the respective shares of Russian and non-Russian gas in the mixture, with only the non-Russian amounts being allowed to enter the EU In order to reduce the administrative burden, member states agreed that this prior authorisation procedure would not apply to imports from countries fulfilling a list of criteria outlined in the proposed regulation.This ensures that only the imports that are most relevant to check will be subject to prior authorisation. According to the agreed text, the Council tasks the Commission with drawing up the list of exempted countries within five days of the entry into force of the regulation. Additional monitoring and notification mechanisms have also been introduced to prevent Russian gas from entering the EU under transit procedures (i.e. gas passing through the EU on its way to another destination, without entering the EU market). National diversification plans The proposed regulation requires all member states to submit national diversification plans outlining measures and potential challenges to diversifying their gas supplies. The Council has agreed to exempt those member states that can demonstrate that they no longer receive any direct or indirect imports of Russian gas. The same requirement to submit a national diversification plan will apply to those member states that are still importing Russian oil, with a view to discontinuing those imports by 1 January 2028. Other elements Compared to the Commission's proposal, the Council further developed provisions on information exchange between national authorities, the EU Agency for the cooperation of energy regulators (ACER) and the Commission, and required the Commission to review the implementation of the regulation within two years of its entry into force, including the provisions on the prior authorisation procedures. It also clarified the suspension clause, specifying which types of disruption to the security of supply could justify a temporary lifting of the import prohibition or of the prior authorisation requirement. Next steps The Council presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament with a view to agreeing on the final text of the regulation, once the latter has adopted its position. Background Following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, EU leaders agreed, in the Versailles Declaration of March 2022, to phase out dependency on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible. As a consequence,gas and oil imports from Russia to the EU have both decreased significantly in recent years. However, while imports of oil have dropped to below 3% in 2025, Russian gas still accounts for an estimated 13% of EU imports in 2025, worth over 15 billion annually. This leaves the EU exposed to significant risks in terms of its trade and energy security. In order to address this vulnerability, in May 2025, the Commission adopted the REPowerEU roadmap to ensure a stepwise approach to the phasing out of the remaining Russian energy imports and to boost the EU's energy independence and security. In June 2025 the Commission put forward a proposal focusing on a gradual phasing out of the remaining pipeline gas and LNG, with a full prohibition by 1 January 2028. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting with General Director of DOM.RF Vitaly Mutko The President held a meeting with General Director of DOM.RF Vitaly Mutko in the Kremlin to discuss plans for the state corporation's IPO. October 20, 2025 13:40 The Kremlin, Moscow President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon. Mr Mutko, the company is preparing for an IPO. How is the work progressing? General Director of DOM.RF Vitaly Mutko: Mr President, thank you very much. About eight months ago, you instructed us to begin this work. It is indeed a very important step for us. DOM.RF has been operating for 28 years, and over the past five years we have seen significant growth. As you know, our assets have increased five-fold during this period, and we have effectively become a market-driven company. We are no strangers to the stock market - all our current investments in the housing sector are financed through market instruments. Today, our assets total six trillion rubles, a five-fold increase in five years, while profits have tripled. Last year, our profit was close to 70 billion rubles, this year it will reach about 90 billion, and next year we expect to stabilise at around 100 billion. For the past five years, we have been paying dividends. Our return on equity remains steady at about 20 percent, and our earnings per share are around 10-11 percent. Naturally, this generates strong investor interest. Vladimir Putin: Good. Vitaly Mutko: Yes, and it is worth noting that this is the first IPO by a financial market company in 18 years, since Sberbank. Today, we rank among the ten largest companies in Russia. We plan to raise between 15 and 30 billion rubles by placing around ten percent of our shares on the market. Vladimir Putin: And how will the proceeds be used? Vitaly Mutko: Primarily for investment. As you know, our business is focused on supporting the housing sector and improving living conditions. Most of the funds will go towards project financing: we plan to finance around one million square metres of housing, which will allow some 15,000 families to improve their living conditions. We will also invest about 50 billion rubles in regional infrastructure development and continue to expand our socially responsible projects. We are now at the final stage of preparation. Together with the Bank of Russia, the Moscow Exchange and the Government, we have resolved all organisational issues, amended our charter and registered the share prospectus with the Central Bank. The goal you have set - to ensure that the capitalisation of Russia's stock market reaches 66 percent of GDP by 2030 - is a very ambitious one. It cannot be achieved without bringing state-owned companies to the public market. This places additional responsibilities on us. First, we will have to strengthen our corporate governance and become more transparent. Financial reporting, international standards, audits, independent board members, management dedication - these are the requirements that the market expects us to meet. We are confident that we will cope. Of course, Mr President, after our IPO, when we become a public company, we intend to keep our main focus: developing the housing sector and supporting citizens. We will continue to serve as a development institution. Vladimir Putin: You began this work back in 2024. Vitaly Mutko: Yes, we did. Since then, we have held around a hundred meetings with listed companies and investment funds. We expect our shareholders to include large investment and pension funds, institutional investors like that. The market is opening up, and with our dividend yield of around 11-12 percent per share, we anticipate strong interest. Vladimir Putin: I think so too. If you maintain a responsible dividend policy, your shares will certainly be attractive to investors. Vitaly Mutko: Our new strategy through 2030 is built around raising market capital, maintaining a dividend payout ratio of at least 50 percent, and doubling our assets. By 2030, we plan to reach total assets of 11 trillion rubles - twice as much as today. All of these investments will go into the housing sector. We will continue to act as the state's agent. Vladimir Putin: But not just in housing - in infrastructure as well. Vitaly Mutko: Absolutely. We are active in about ten segments, all of which have been growing alongside the market. Your support for housing construction and urban development, including master planning, is central to our work. We will remain the operator of all mortgage programmes. So far, around four million people have received mortgage loans, and some 15 million have invested in housing. We have been the operator of all these programmes. We will continue to support mortgage loans through securitisation of loans. We issued bonds, collected the money, and supported the banks. They freed up capital. One in eight mortgage loans was issued using our mechanisms. Furthermore, we are engaged in the technological re-equipment of the industry which includes digital services, an information system, our websites, and the recently launched Stroim.Dom.RF for private housing construction. Furthermore, we will continue to act as the state's agent for land development. These are inefficient lands. We have brought approximately 35,000 hectares of land into development, with an urban development potential of approximately 35 million square metres. But our goal is not just to bring it into development, but to build housing on this land. Mr President, we even have examples. Integrated territorial development and housing construction are, of course, our area of expertise. By 2030, 100 million square metres, or ten percent of the portfolio, should be built using our mechanisms. Of course, we are developing the rental business. We are currently the largest holders, with one million square metres available for rent by students and other tenants. We are almost done with fulfilling your instruction: 10,000 flats in the Far East. There are some good examples there. This year, we have tenants move into 1,500 new flats. We have financed 11,000 flats, and now we have tenants move into the last one in Magadan in the Far East. Overall, we have invested 87 billion as a result of this work. I believe the Government has reached out to you. You have instructed us to extend this project to the Arctic zone. We are prepared to finance 400 rental flats in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, as well. Vladimir Putin: (Looking at the presentation.) Are you transforming Father Frost's homeland? Vitaly Mutko: You set the goal of developing 200 master plans for urban areas. We have been working on this since 2016 and have developed 60 master plans. The birthplace of Father Frost: together with our colleagues from the Vologda Region and AFK Sistema, we have begun developing this master plan. I remember five years ago you told us to create decent recreational conditions for people, a year-round recreation centre. We continue working on the Arkhitektory.rf programme. We have launched two new programmes. The first one pertains to leasing municipal equipment in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. You are aware that the production has slowed, primarily with respect to agricultural equipment. The Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed that we launch such a programme. It will cost 300 billion rubles. We are issuing bonds, borrowing money, subsidising leasing companies. They order agricultural machinery and municipal utility equipment from factories and then lease it out. We charge 6.5 percent, they charge ten percent. We now have 300 billion, and we have already financed ten. We have launched a new project. And I believe it can be further developed, because we see that the market can absorb 120-130 billion annually. Vladimir Putin: Mr Mutko, I looked at your documents as well. Do you think the volume of mortgage loans will decrease by 20 percent this year? Vitaly Mutko: Yes. Vladimir Putin: But the funds will not decrease. How so? Vitaly Mutko: Mr President, please, look at the structure of housing purchase. After all, the most important thing for construction is how much money comes into the primary market. If you look at it, all these years, somewhere between 80-90 percent of housing purchases were made with mortgage loans exclusively. But the housing structure has changed; now 65 percent are purchased using mortgage loans, while in previous years, it was 80, and 35 percent are now buying with their own money. Monetary policy has begun to ease, and even market mortgage lending has seen some recovery. In recent months, we have seen that what previously was 10,000-13,000 mortgage loans a month, now is up to 23,000. But the most important factor, I want to thank you again, because I remember we discussed it here: you insisted on transitioning the industry to project financing. I believe this is a fundamental decision, and thanks to it, construction has been thriving throughout these difficult 18 months. Currently, nearly 119 million square metres of housing are under construction, with project financing open for 21 trillion rubles, and 9.7 is under regular financing. This mechanism greatly balances housing construction. Therefore, of course, I believe this is a fundamental reform. Vladimir Putin: The correct decision. Vitaly Mutko: Absolutely. Therefore, Mr President, overall, we expect that by attracting resources and accessing the public market, we will maintain our focus on developing the housing sector, supporting people, maintaining all our functions as a development institution, and will simply work more efficiently and responsibly. Because we do not have just one shareholder; there will be many more shareholders to whom we will be accountable, transparent and public. Vladimir Putin: I wish you success. Vitaly Mutko: Thank you very much. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Budrys: The only place for Putin in Europe is in front of the Hague Tribunal Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Updated 2025-10-20 Today, on 20 October in Luxembourg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kestutis Budrys, participates in the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). When talking to reporters ahead of the meeting, the Minister stressed that the 19th package of sanctions against Russia can no longer be delayed and that it is the perfect time to work on the 20th package that should include energy, finance, and tariffs on Russian and Belarusian goods. Budrys also emphasized the need to get rid of dependence on Russian oil and gas. "We need to agree on the REPowerEU plan and proceed further. The deadlines that are set right now are too long, but we have to make a decision anyway. Because otherwise we're weak in convincing others why they have to follow our example," said Budrys. When speaking about support for Ukraine, the Minister said that 6.6 billion euros must be allocated from the European Peace Facility (EPF) to Ukraine as soon as possible. He also called for the immediate opening of the first negotiation cluster with Ukraine and Moldova in their EU accession process. The Minister congratulated the U.S. President Donald Trump on his diplomatic efforts to achieve a sustainable and just peace in Ukraine. Budrys stressed the importance of remembering that Putin is a war criminal who has no place in Europe. "The only place for Putin in Europe is in the Hague to stand before the Hague Tribunal, not in any of our capitals," he said. 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 2025/10/18 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan 1.Date: 6 a.m. Oct. 17 (Fri.) to 6 a.m. Oct. 18 (Sat.) (UTC+8) 2.PLA activities: 27 sorties of PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 19 out of 27 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern, central 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. 1141018_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window] 1141018_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window] 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 2025/10/19 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan 1.Date: 6 a.m. Oct. 18 (Sat.) to 6 a.m. Oct. 19 (Sun.) (UTC+8) 2.PLA activities: 2 sorties of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities. 1141019_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window] 1141019_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window] NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address KMT chair-elect Cheng Li-wun willing to meet Xi 'for peace' ROC Central News Agency 10/20/2025 09:19 PM Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) After emerging as the Kuomintang's (KMT) chair-elect on Saturday amid doubts over her ties to China, Cheng Li-wun () said she is willing to do everything to promote peace across the Taiwan Strait, including meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping (). "As long as it addresses cross-strait conflicts and disagreements, promotes peace and cooperation, and brings about common prosperity, I am willing to take on all responsibilities and meet anyone," Cheng said during a radio interview Monday. Cheng, who served two terms as a KMT legislator-at-large, won more than 50 percent of the vote to become the second elected female leader of Taiwan's major opposition party. Monday's radio program was her first public interview since being elected chairperson. "This is the defining difference between the stances of the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP): We hope [Taiwan and China] will make peace with each other, but the DPP seems to keep touching the red lines of independence, of two countries -- continues to provoke [Beijing] and highlight military conflict," she said. Citing a United Daily News survey on cross-strait relations released in late September, which showed that 63 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with President Lai Ching-te's () related policies, Cheng said the DPP's "anti-China card" had led Taiwan into a cul-de-sac. In this regard, she said the KMT's most important task is to "gather mainstream public support within Taiwan," which can be elevated to a higher level under a KMT-led administration. "The more public support you have behind you, the more meaningful your visit to [China] will be; otherwise, you're visiting on behalf of yourself or a small group," she said. On Sunday, the KMT said it received a congratulatory letter from Xi in his capacity as secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party, in which he acknowledged both parties' adherence to the "1992 consensus" over the years and expressed hope that they can "work together to push for the unification of the country." In her reply to Xi, Cheng reiterated her party's opposition to Taiwan's independence and emphasized peace and prosperity under the "1992 consensus," but did not echo the "unification" call. The "1992 consensus" refers to a tacit understanding reached between the then-KMT government and Beijing. The KMT interprets it as an acknowledgment by both sides that there is only "one China," with each side free to define what "China" means. The DPP has never recognized the "1992 consensus," arguing that Beijing allows no room for interpreting "China" as the Republic of China, and that accepting the consensus would imply agreeing to China's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan. On Monday, Lai said it is "impossible to achieve peace merely with a signed agreement" or through the "1992 consensus," as he defended Taiwan's growing defense budget while addressing an annual conference of the Overseas Community Affairs Council. Cheng also confirmed Monday that she had received a congratulatory message from Huang Kuo-chang (), chairman of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), the other opposition party, but not from Lai, who heads the DPP. She described those messages as "friendly gestures," regretting that Lai had missed an opportunity to "offer an olive branch" despite his stated intent to unite the ruling and opposition camps. In response to Cheng's victory, outgoing KMT Chairman Eric Chu () called on party members to unite, while incumbent legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi () said he would work with Cheng as he did with Chu. Cheng came under fire over her ties to China in her bid for the KMT chair -- not from the DPP, but from the party's 2024 vice-presidential candidate, Jaw Shau-kong (), who accused Beijing of meddling in the election and favoring her. She said such emotional remarks are inevitable during elections, adding that she is unafraid of the Lai administration's "pro-China" accusations or the threat of possible prosecution. On foreign relations, Cheng said her principles are "equity, respect, and reciprocity," stressing that "Taiwan must prioritize its own interests" while navigating between China and the United States. Issues such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, and arms purchases from Washington are no exception, she added. While reiterating her gratitude for U.S. assistance during Taiwan's hardest times, Cheng said, "That does not mean the U.S. can treat Taiwan like an ATM." She described the military budgets pledged by Lai -- NT$945 billion this year and a projected 5 percent of GDP by 2030 -- as "unreasonable" and "unaffordable." Cheng rejected the "pro-China" label often used by foreign media to describe the KMT, saying it only serves to reinforce "old biases and stereotypes." "Now that you've heard so much from me, in your opinion, am I pro-China, anti-China, pro-U.S., or anti-U.S.?" she asked. (By Chao Yen-hsiang, Liu Kuan-ting and Yeh Su-ping) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ted Cruz again proposes allowing Taiwan servicemen to wear uniforms in U.S. ROC Central News Agency 10/21/2025 11:23 AM Washington, Oct. 20 (CNA) U.S. Senator Ted Cruz on Monday reintroduced a bill that would allow Taiwanese diplomats and military personnel to display the Taiwan flag and wear uniforms while in the United States on official business. The draft bill, obtained by CNA, is titled "The Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty (Taiwan SOS) Act" and seeks to permit Taiwan armed forces and government officials "to display symbols of Republic of China [Taiwan] sovereignty," including the national flag and corresponding emblems or insignia of military units. If the bill becomes law, it would reverse a decision made in 2015 by the administration of then U.S. President Barack Obama on the issue. The 2015 decision followed strong protests by the Chinese embassy in Washington and criticism by the American government of a flag-raising ceremony that was held on New Year's Day at Twin Oaks Estate, which was the residence of Republic of China (Taiwan) representatives to the U.S. before the U.S. severed diplomatic ties with the ROC in 1979. It was the first time in 36 years that the ROC had held a national flag-raising ceremony at Twin Oaks, a move that the U.S. said was inconsistent with its One-China policy, which formally recognizes China instead of Taiwan, a diplomatic source told CNA. The Obama administration, therefore, revised the U.S. guidelines on exchanges with Taiwan, barring Taiwanese diplomats from entering U.S. Department of State facilities, prohibiting the raising of the Taiwan flag at Twin Oaks, and restricting any display of the flag on U.S. government property, the source said. On Monday, Cruz was cited as saying that he did not support that stance and had been trying for years to change it. "The Obama administration did enormous damage to American national security when it first implemented these prohibitions against our Taiwanese allies, and I have been battling this policy ever since," Cruz was quoted as saying in the National Review, an American conservative magazine. He said the guidelines were revoked during the first administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, but were reinstated after President Joe Biden took office, "to the detriment of the safety and security of Americans and our allies." "There has been broad, explicit bipartisan support for rescinding these prohibitions, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced this language to do so. I am confident they will do so again, and I call on my colleagues in the Senate to advance it to passage," he was quoted as saying in the National Review report. Cruz had proposed similar bills in 2020 and 2022, which were reviewed by the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee but were not passed. (By Chung Yu-chen and Joseph Yeh) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan keeping close tabs on upcoming Trump-Xi meeting: Official ROC Central News Agency 10/21/2025 01:43 PM Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) A senior Taiwanese foreign affairs official said Tuesday that Taipei is in close contact with Washington to make sure its interests are protected, ahead of a meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (), which is expected to include the Taiwan issue. Taiwan always keeps close tabs on high-level exchanges between Washington and Beijing, said Wang Liang-yu (), head of the Department of North American Affairs in the foreign ministry. Taipei also maintains "a smooth communication channel" with Washington at all times and will keep a close eye on the latest high-level talks between the U.S. and China, Wang said at a foreign ministry news briefing. "We will make sure that the bilateral relations between Taiwan and the U.S. continue to deepen steadily and that Taiwan's interests are protected," she said, when asked about Trump's earlier statement that Taiwan will be on the agenda of his upcoming meeting with Xi. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said "rare earths, fentanyl, soybeans and Taiwan" are some of the divisive topics that will be discussed when he meets with Xi next week at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, according to a Bloomberg report. Meanwhile, before meeting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the White House on Monday, Trump told reporters that he expects to reach a trade deal with Xi soon, and he downplayed the risks of the two superpowers clashing over Taiwan. When asked about an earlier Pentagon assessment that Xi could attempt to seize Taiwan in the next six years, Trump said he doubts that China would invade Taiwan. "I think we'll be just fine with China. China doesn't want to do that," Trump told reporters, according to a Reuters report. He said, however, that Taiwan is probably a key issue for Xi. "Now that doesn't mean it's not the apple of his eye, because probably it is, but I don't see anything happening," Trump said. Without explicitly pledging to defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese invasion, Trump said China knows that the U.S. "is the strongest military power in the world by far." "We have the best of everything, and nobody's going to mess with that. And I don't see that at all with President Xi," Trump was quoted as saying in the Reuters report. "I think we're going to get along very well as it pertains to Taiwan and others," he said. Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has not made any clear statements on the protection of Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China. The U.S. longstanding position on the issue has been one of "strategic ambiguity," which is aimed at deterring Beijing from an attempted invasion without committing to involvement in such a war. However, Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, had said publicly on several occasions that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked. Each time, Biden administration officials later walked back his statements, signaling that the U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed. (By Joseph Yeh) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After Stripping Mayor Of Citizenship, Zelenskyy Says Odesa To Be Put Under Military Administration By RFE/RL October 14, 2025 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he intends to place the strategic port city of Odesa under military administration. The announcement came during Zelenskyy's nightly video address and follows confirmation by the country's Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) that long-time Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov has been stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, making him ineligible for the office. The SBU said in a press release on October 14 that Trukhanov's citizenship had been revoked by presidential decree after multiple documents emerged proving he was a Russian citizen. Dual nationality is prohibited under Ukrainian law. The SBU's latest findings overturned an earlier investigation it conducted in 2016 that said Trukhanov's Russian citizenship could not be proven. Trukhanov contested the decision and vowed to fight it all the way to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights if necessary. "I have never had a Russian passport," he told state television after Zelenskyy announced the revocation of his citizenship. The move to revoke Trukhanov's Ukrainian citizenship followed Zelenskyy's meeting with security agency officials earlier, during which he discussed the handling of alleged Russian influence networks in administrative positions. Odesa: A Strategic Gateway To The Black Sea Odesa is one of Ukraine's biggest cities with a major seaport on the Black Sea. Russia has occupied large swaths of Ukraine's coastline to the east of the city. Odesa -- especially its port infrastructure -- has been a frequent target of Russian air strikes. Some Odesa residents launched a petition earlier to strip Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship claiming he was simultaneously a Russian passport holder as well as a Russian taxpayer, which violates Ukraine's constitution -- something the SBU confirmed to be the case. According to the SBU, Trukhanov was granted Russian citizenship in 2015 -- a year after the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and the start of Russian-backed military action in Ukraine's east. The security service also noted that, although Trukhanov asked a court in the Moscow region to annul his internal Russian passport in 2017, the annulment of the document does not cancel his citizenship, according to Russian legislation. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/odesa-mayor-zelenskyy- military-administration/33559895.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 Readout from Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent's Meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko U.S. Department of the Treasury October 14, 2025 WASHINGTON -- Today, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent met with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko of Ukraine. Secretary Bessent reaffirmed the United States' unwavering support for Ukrainian sovereignty and emphasized the United States' dedication to securing a lasting, durable peace. The Secretary thanked the Prime Minister for her continued support of the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, and noted the importance of regular U.S.-Ukraine engagements as part of this vital partnership. Secretary Bessent also reiterated the United States' commitment to working with G7 partners to significantly escalate pressure on Russia. He stressed the need for European allies to ratchet up their pressure campaign not only against Russia, but also against any country that finances the Russian war machine through purchases of Russian oil. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UK and NATO nations ramp up response to Putin's aggression in Ukraine and incursions into Europe Press release More than 85,000 military drones have been delivered by the UK to Ukraine in just six months this year by accelerating production from British companies. From: Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon John Healey MP Published 14 October 2025 More than 85,000 military drones have been delivered by the UK to Ukraine in just six months this year by accelerating production from British companies and supporting jobs in both countries, the Defence Secretary will confirm in Brussels today as he co-hosts with Germany the latest meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. It comes as Defence Secretary John Healey confirms, for the first time, that 600 million has been invested by the UK this year to accelerate drone delivery for Ukraine's Armed Forces, including tens of thousands of short-range first-person view (FPV) drones that are crucial to supporting Ukraine's front line. These drones are being used for precision strikes, reconnaissance, and disrupting Russian activity behind the frontlines, countering Russia's own attempts at massed drone tactics. The Defence Secretary will say to allies that we need to "ramp up drone production to outmatch Putin's escalation" following increased drone strikes in Ukraine and dangerous incursions into Europe. National security is the foundation of this Government's Plan for Change, and the UK is stepping up on Euro-Atlantic security, underpinned by the historic increase to defence spending to 2.6% of GDP from 2027. Last month in Kyiv, the Defence Secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal signed a first-of-its-kind industrial partnership through which the UK is jointly developing an inceptor drone already been used by Ukraine to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from Russian drones. New data from the Ukrainian battlefield is now being implemented to help mass produce the Octopus interceptor, with a target to provide thousands of new-improved interceptor drones back into Ukraine each month. Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said: Putin's dangerous escalation in Ukraine and across Europe must be matched by ramping up our drone production and strengthening NATO's air defences. The UK is stepping up our support to Ukraine by delivering over 85,000 drones in the last six months and signing new industrial partnerships to rapidly develop thousands of new interceptor drones to shoot down Putin's attacks. This is growing jobs in both the UK and Ukraine. I am also extending the UK's commitment to NATO's Eastern Sentry air policing mission to the end of the year to continue to deter Putin from further testing the Alliance. The Defence Secretary will also attend a meeting of NATO's Defence Ministers, where he is expected to confirm the extension of the Royal Air Force's contribution to NATO's Eastern Sentry mission to the end of 2025. British Typhoon fighter jets have been taking part in defensive flights over Polish airspace following dangerous Russian drone incursions. In total, the UK has spent 600 million this year on military drones for Ukraine - drawn from the record 4.5 billion commitment by the government this year to support Ukraine's defence. This includes logistical drones for transporting equipment to the frontline, one-way attack drones, as well as surveillance and reconnaissance drones. Significant amounts of this spend is with UK companies, supporting hundreds of specialist jobs around the country from suppliers including Tekever, Windracers, and Malloy. The Drone Capability Coalition, which the UK co-leads with Latvia, is also using funding from a range of nations to procure advanced drone-interceptors to help Ukraine counter the threat of the Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones. Interceptors are being tested on the battlefield right now, with the Drone Capability Coalition expected to award new contracts very soon to provide Ukraine with further kit, including around 35,000 new interceptor systems in the coming months. An upcoming deployment of British military counter-drone experts to Moldova will take place this month, where they will help scope requirements for Moldova's armed forces in counter drone tactics. Both the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary have been clear that the UK's national security - the foundation of the Government's Plan for Change - starts in Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha comments on Russia's struck on a UN humanitarian convoy in the Kherson region Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 14 October 2025 12:49 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "Russia struck a UN OCHA Ukraine humanitarian convoy in the Kherson region. Two WFP Ukraine trucks, within the convoy, delivering food and vital aid, were damaged by a deliberate drone attack. Luckily all staff are alive. Trucks carrying food for people in need, clearly marked with UN emblems. Another brutal violation of international law, proving Russia's utter disregard for civilian lives and its international obligations. We urge UN Member States to clearly condemn yet another attack on humanitarian personnel and impose additional pressure on the aggressor." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held phone talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon Youssef Raggi Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 14 October 2025 11:48 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "Pleased to continue our dialogue with my Lebanese colleague Youssef Raggi in a follow-up to our recent meeting in New York. I briefed him on Russia's recent massive attacks targeting Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure. We discussed the prospects for strengthening our bilateral cooperation, including within international organizations. Ukraine is committed to developing bilateral relations with Lebanon based on mutual respect and support." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mykola Shevtsov highlights the development of the decentralized procurement system at the 3rd Military Procurement Forum Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 14 October, 2025, 9:51 AM EEST Lieutenant General Mykola Shevtsov, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, participated in the 3rd Military Procurement Forum, which convened representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT), the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA), procurers from military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and civil society representatives. He underscored the importance of professionalizing and further developing the decentralized procurement system in the military. "How quickly and efficiently our military units receive what they need directly depends on every military procurer. Your work often goes unnoticed, yet it is thanks to you that everything reaches the front on time from the smallest component to complex equipment. The Ministry of Defence deeply appreciates your contribution to enhancing the supply system," said Mykola Shevtsov. According to him, the Ministry of Defence continues to establish institutional frameworks to advance decentralized procurement. In particular, last year, the positions of military procurers were introduced in the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Another important step by the Ministry of Defence in decentralizing procurement was the launch of DOT-Chain Defence. This digital marketplace enables units to independently order UAVs without unnecessary bureaucracy. In the first two months of the platform's operation, nearly 17,000 drones worth around UAH 600 million were ordered, with the average delivery time reduced to 10 days and the fastest delivery taking just 5 days. "We have no right to fatigue or to error. Our foremost duty is to supply the frontline with everything required promptly, reliably, and in line with the real needs of our soldiers," concluded Mykola Shevtsov, wishing the Forum participants success in their work. The event was organized by the Defence Procurement Reform Project with the support of the Special Defence Advisor, funded by the Government of the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Odesa Deserves Greater Protection and Greater Support; This Can Be Done in the Format of a Military Administration - Address by the President President of Ukraine 14 October 2025 - 19:19 Fellow Ukrainians! A brief summary of the day. We are preparing thoroughly for our upcoming conversation with President Trump. I held a meeting today with the military, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Energy, the CEO of Naftogaz, and the Office team - every aspect of the conversation must be worked out to truly strengthen Ukraine. President Trump and I have already discussed certain matters - there are outlines of decisions that could help - on Patriots, on Tomahawks, which is very important, and some other types of weapons. It is important to discuss sensitive issues in person - not everything can be said over the phone. We have a clear vision of how the steps of America, Europe, our other partners, and our own steps here in Ukraine can bring the end of the war closer. The leadership of America - the leadership of President Trump - is crucial. We are also planning meetings with representatives of American defense and energy companies. Of course, our key objective is air defense, the resilience of our cities and communities, and forcing Russia into peace. There is now a very strong momentum for peace in the world - following the agreements reached for the Middle East. This is a global issue, and much has been done personally by the President of the United States and his team. Various other leaders were also involved, they helped a lot. And now the Middle East has a real chance to live without war. It shows that Russia, too, can indeed be pressured into ending its aggression. In fact, it is Russia that now remains the main source of global instability - the global source of war. That source must be shut off. We know how. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha also delivered a separate report today on the tasks to be carried out in the European direction. The diplomats of the Office also briefed on our defense agreements with one of the countries. We are preparing significant news for next week - with one of our partners in Europe. I had a very substantive conversation this morning with the President of Finland. I am grateful that Finland and Mr. President personally always strongly support us. We discussed communication with the United States and coordinated our positions - this always helps. We also talked about our joint opportunities here in Europe to swiftly bolster our air defense. Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk reported today. I thank the Service for its strong work in defending Ukraine and countering Russian agent networks. We also discussed the situation in frontline communities and in the south of our country, particularly in Odesa. Odesa deserves greater protection and greater support. This can be done in the format of a military administration - too many security issues in Odesa have remained without an adequate response for far too long. All effective decisions will be made. I will appoint the head of the military administration shortly. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine. Thank you to everyone who defends our state and gives strength to our people. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine: Top humanitarian strongly condemns Russian attack on UN aid convoy 14 October 2025 - Russian drones hit a "clearly marked" UN convoy on Tuesday which was bringing desperately needed aid to a war-torn frontline town in southern Ukraine. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Matthias Schmale, strongly condemned the attack. "Today, an inter-agency convoy of four humanitarian trucks, clearly marked as belonging to the UN, carrying aid, came under attack by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation when delivering aid to Bilozerka town in the Kherson Region," he said in a statement. 'Intensive artillery fire' Aid workers from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) were on a mission to a community that had not received assistance for months. "When the aid workers were on site, intensive artillery fire started, and later, during offloading, two clearly marked trucks of the World Food Programme (WFP) were targeted by first-person-view drones," he said. "Fortunately, the humanitarian workers were not injured, but two trucks were damaged and set on fire." Not a target The convoy was carrying hygiene kits, medicines and shelter materials, OCHA's top Ukraine official Andrea de Domenico said in a video posted on social media. It showed one of the damaged WFP trucks at the side of a road, with flames and black smoke billowing from the top. "It is super important to (remind) all the parties that humanitarian assistance needs to be facilitated and humanitarians need to be protected," he said. Mr. Schmale noted that "deliberately targeting humanitarians and humanitarian assets is a gross violation of international humanitarian law and might amount to a war crime." He added that "the Kherson Region has also seen an increase in drone attacks, harming civilians", which must stop. "All measures should be taken to protect civilians and humanitarian workers. International humanitarian law must be respected," he said. UN human rights monitors recently reported that at least 214 civilians were killed and almost 1,000 injured in Ukraine during September. Nearly 70 per cent of casualties occurred near the frontline, with notably high numbers reported in the Donetsk and Kherson regions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trauma-informed care of children vital for reconstruction of Ukraine Council of Europe Special Envoy for Children of Ukraine addressed participants of Parliamentary Network in Tallinn Special Envoy of Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine Tallinn 20 October 2025 Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, addressed today the meeting of the Parliamentary Network on the situation of the children of Ukraine entitled "Restoring Childhood: physical and psychological rehabilitation of war-affected Ukrainian children" in Tallinn. "It is our duty to make sure that our children have an opportunity to rebuild, be safe, trust again and have a bright future," the Special Envoy stated. Among key themes of the meeting are access to medical treatment, trauma recovery, and reintegration into family and community life. The Special Envoy stressed that the impact of the 3.5 years of war on children of Ukraine, wherever they are, is debilitating, and "the most acute need is rehabilitation through trauma-informed care". Ensuring access to healthcare, also for healing psychological scars, is essential, Ms Gylfadottir said, noting that the Register of Damage for Ukraine, in addition to the recently opened claims category on unlawful transfer and deportation of children, plans to open a category for the lack of access to healthcare and education. Many frontline professionals who work with war-affected children of Ukraine, within the country and outside, lack training in trauma-informed care and children's rights, the Special Envoy noted. While the Council of Europe continues to develop manuals and training courses of these professionals, "given the extent of the trauma, coupled with the cost of implementing such training effectively on a large scale, financial support is needed", the Special Envoy stated. The meeting in Tallinn is hosted by the Riigikogu (the Parliament of Estonia) and brings together members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Estonian and Ukrainian officials, experts, and representatives of leading NGOs. It aims to strengthen cooperation between national parliaments and international partners, share best practices, and mobilise political will to ensure that every Ukrainian child affected by the war receives the support they need to heal and thrive. The work of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Children of Ukraine is part of the broad-based efforts of the Council of Europe to support Ukraine and to ensure accountability for Russia's war of aggression. Other components include the Register of Damage and the future International Claims Commission; the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine; as well as the work of the European Court of Human Rights and activities under the Council of Europe's Action Plan for Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Minister Tsahkna in Luxembourg: Europe remains committed to supporting Ukraine and pressuring Russia Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20.10.2025 | 20:09 At the meeting of European Union foreign ministers held in Luxembourg today 20 October, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna emphasised that Europe remains firmly on course and will continue both supporting Ukraine and exerting pressure on Russia. He noted that it is extremely positive that the debate on the use of Russia's frozen assets, led by Estonia for the past three years, has now gained renewed momentum. "Russia is not merely seeking to claim parts of Ukrainian territory it remains intent on destroying Ukraine's independence and sovereignty, and undermining the transatlantic security architecture built on the EU and NATO," Tsahkna said. "This is evidenced by increasingly intense airstrikes against Ukraine and growing provocations on the territory of NATO Allies." "In this situation, there must be no concessions made to Russia. Instead, pressure must be intensified to force Russia to change course and end the war. The EU must swiftly adopt the 19th sanctions package and continue developing a robust 20th package, which should primarily target revenues from energy exports," Tsahkna stated. He added that the agreement reached today in Luxembourg by EU energy ministers to completely end Russian gas imports into the Union is a long-awaited and correct step. According to the Foreign Minister, discussions on the use of Russia's frozen assets have also gained new momentum in recent weeks. "Ukraine's military, economic, and reconstruction needs are growing, and the burden of paying for them must not fall solely on Western countries. The aggressor responsible for the destruction must bear the cost. Estonia has led the debate on using Russia's frozen state assets for Ukraine's benefit for the past three years, and it is encouraging to see that the European Commission is now working on a proposal in this regard, which has reinvigorated the discussion," Tsahkna said. At today's EU foreign ministers' meeting, developments in the Middle East were also discussed. Tsahkna described the recent agreement on implementing the first phase of the Gaza peace plan as an extremely positive development. "For the first time in a long while, there is a real opportunity to end violence, improve the daily lives of civilians, and establish genuine political relations. The most important priority is to swiftly end hostilities and restore unhindered access to humanitarian aid," Tsahkna said. The ministers also discussed EU relations with India and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the situations in Sudan, Moldova, and Georgia. In addition, Foreign Minister Tsahkna took part in the EU-Central Asia-South Caucasus foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, focusing on security and connectivity. Tomorrow, Tsahkna will participate in the EU General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, where preparations for the European Council on 23-24 October and the EU's long-term budget for 2028-2034 will be on the agenda. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Government extends the list of treasury payments: funding for defense, in particular fuel and energy infrastructure, has been given priority Ukraine Government Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, posted 20 October 2025 20:05 On October 18, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution "On Amendments to the Procedure for the Exercise of Powers by the State Treasury Service under Special Conditions during Martial Law." The document was developed by the Ministry of Finance in accordance with the decisions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to strengthen the protection of critical energy facilities and ensure their financing. The purpose of these changes is to ensure uninterrupted financing of the country's most important facilities, even in the difficult conditions of war. This will provide additional mechanisms to respond quickly to the consequences of enemy attacks and to allocate funds faster for the restoration, protection, and modernization of damaged facilities. With amendments to the resolution, the Government has expanded the list of expenditures for which the Treasury authorities make payments on a priority basis. This list now includes expenses for the construction, reconstruction, major repairs, and engineering as well as technical measures to protect energy facilities. These may include power plants, substations, power lines, or other key elements of the fuel and energy infrastructure. In addition, priority payments include financing measures to protect facilities in the railway transport and postal subsector (in particular, traction substations with a voltage of 150/110 kV), as well as critical infrastructure life support systems heat supply, water supply, and sanitation. In effect, this means that energy, transport, and municipal infrastructure facilities have been given additional priority status for treasury payments. The Treasury authorities will promptly open appropriations and finance such expenditures on a priority basis. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Here's Why Russia's Vladimir Putin Is Fixated On Ukraine's Donbas By Mike Eckel October 20, 2025 Summary Trump has suggested Ukraine might need to cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia to end the war. The Donbas, Ukraine's industrial heartland, has been a focal point of Russian aggression due to its economic and historic significance, with parts under Russian control since 2014. Ukraine has fortified key cities in the Donbas to prevent further Russian advances, as losing these areas could lead to broader threats to Ukrainian territory. At a tense White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump pushed the Ukrainian leader, telling him he would probably have to give up swaths of Ukrainian land to end the war with Russia. "We think that what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are, the battle lines," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One two days later. "The rest is very tough to negotiate if you're going to say, 'You take this, we take that.'" "Let it be cut the way it is. It's cut up right now. I think 78 percent of the land is already taken by Russia," he said on October 19. "You leave it the way it is right now. They can...negotiate something later on down the line." Trump was referring in large part to land in a section of eastern and southeastern Ukraine known as the Donbas. Last spring, Zelenskyy backed Trump's call for a cease-fire that would leave Russia in control of parts of the Donbas and other regions for the time being. But for the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians, giving up the Donbas or any other territory formally or permanently is out of the question: "We will not leave the Donbas. We cannot do that," Zelenskyy said in August. Trump's suggestion that Ukraine would have to give up land appeared to diverge from his remarks last month, when he claimed Kyiv was "in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form." While the White House may be shifting in its thinking about Ukrainian territory, the Kremlin is not. The Donbas remains central to Putin's political and military priorities -- the entire region is scarred by a long section of the zigzagging 1,100-kilometer front line. To Moscow, its importance -- economic, cultural, and historic -- stretches back decades, if not centuries. So why exactly is the Kremlin fixated on the Donbas? Industrial Heartland A geographic term deriving from the Donets River and the word "basin" -- as in coal basin -- the Donbas encompasses the entirety of two Ukrainian regions -- Luhansk and Donetsk. By some definitions, it also includes small parts of the neighboring regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhya. It's Ukraine's industrial heartland -- home to coal mines, smelters, metallurgical plants, ports, railways, and other heavy industry. At around 52,000 square kilometers, the region is roughly the size of Croatia. The Donbas's southern stretches include some of the rich agriculture lands that Ukraine is famous for. The Sea of Azov coastline in southern Donetsk is home to the port of Mariupol and to Azovstal --until 2022, one of the largest steel facilities in the world. Soviet leaders saw the Donets River region -- its coal and its smelters -- as the engine for crash-course industrialization, to haul the Soviet Union toward economic parity with European industrial powers like Germany. After the economic shock of the Soviet collapse in 1991, the region began a slow decline, taking on a Rust Belt quality, suffering from outdated infrastructure, a lack of investment, a shift in production capacity, and competition from global markets and world trade. Some of Ukraine's wealthiest businessmen hailed from the Donbas, bankrolling the Party of the Regions political bloc and its leader, Viktor Yanukovych, who served stints as president and prime minister. Yanukovych fled to Russia in February 2014 after months of mass demonstrations in Kyiv culminated in violent street clashes. In the months that followed, Russia launched an insurgency and campaign of sabotage and destabilization in the Donbas, seizing military installations and key buildings, including the region's unofficial capital, Donetsk. Russia also sent regular troops into full battle against Ukraine's under-equipped and undermanned forces in several battles. Russia-backed forces declared "people's republics" in Donetsk and Luhansk, which later became the basis for Putin's 2022 declaration to have annexed the two regions, along with two other regions. Prior to February 2022, Russia's proxies controlled around 42,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, entirely in the Donbas, plus the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was seized eight years earlier. The Donbas Fortress Belt Russian forces captured several key Donbas cities in the first year of the all-out invasion. Mariupol fell in May 2022 after a brutal three-month siege; Syevyerodonetsk, to the north, was captured the following month. A year later, Bakhmut -- a Donetsk region city whose defense Zelenskyy and his commanders had prioritized -- fell to Russian troops. After Bakhmut's fall, Ukrainian planners prioritized a "fortress belt" of fortifications along two stronghold cities -- Slovyansk and Kramatorsk -- along with the rail juncture city of Kostyantynivka, further to the south. Stretching roughly 50 kilometers in total, the belt is a sinuous line of defenses -- trenches, anti-tank obstacles, bunkers, minefields -- woven into the urban sprawl around the cities. For Russia, overcoming the fortress belt would allow forces to move quickly west to the border of the Donetsk region, putting the Kremlin priority -- seizing the entirety of the Donbas -- within reach. Losing the fortress belt would pose a longer-term risk for Ukrainian forces, paving the way for new Russian operations in the future -- something Zelenskyy alluded to in August: "The Donbas is a springboard for a future new offensive." "The demands on Ukraine to hand over the remaining part of the Donetsk region are unrealistic from the point of view of Ukraine's future defense capabilities," Kirill Martynov, the editor in chief of the exiled Russia newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe, told Current Time. "Putin has been trying to conquer the Donetsk region for 11 years. And handing over to him those fortified areas that remain under Ukrainian control is effectively a path to Kharkiv and Dnipro," he said referring to two capitals of neighboring regions. "And, by and large, a path to a new war in which it will be even easier for Putin to win." Novorossia The roots of the Kremlin's claims on the Donbas -- not to mention most of Ukraine -- date in part to the 18th century when Catherine the Great expanded Russia's imperial conquests south to the Black Sea coast and west toward the Balkans. Termed Novorossia, or New Russia, the concept was embraced by modern-day Russian nationalists and philosophers -- Aleksandr Dugin most prominently -- who also promoted the wider idea of a Russky Mir, or Russian World. Putin took up the idea publicly shortly after the seizure of Crimea, a territory that holds deep emotional resonance for many Russians. In the Donbas, ethnic Ukrainians were the dominant nationality until the years after World War II, when Soviet planners started importing ethnic Russians to repopulate the region and build an industrial labor force. By the time of the Soviet collapse, the Donbas had a higher proportion of people reporting themselves as ethnic Russians than any other region, though still the minority. Prior to the outbreak of war in 2014, the Russian language was widely used in the Donbas and other parts of Ukraine. Zelenskyy, who hails from the south-central city of Kryviy Rih, grew up speaking Russian as his first language, for example. Over the years, Ukrainian nationalists periodically sought to downgrade Russian across the country, and there were sporadic unsuccessful referendum efforts to cement the Russian language as a state language alongside Ukrainian. Russian nationalists have claimed that the Donbas's ethnic Russians want to secede and unify with Russia itself, which is contradicted by several elections and referendums held over the years. The region was home to around 6 million people prior to 2022. In the run-up to the invasion, the Kremlin sought to justify its war in part by portraying the ethnic Russian minority as being victims of a state campaign of discrimination. In his televised address on February 24, 2022, announcing the invasion, Putin spoke falsely of a "genocide that almost 4 million people are being subjected to." Two years later, Russia filed a claim with the United Nations' highest court, alleging genocide in the Donbas. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-donbas- donetsk-war-putin/33564948.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 Kazakh Gas Production Hit By Ukrainian Drone Attack On Major Russian Plant By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service October 20, 2025 A Ukrainian drone attack on a gas plant in Russia's Orenburg, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world, continues to impact production in neighboring Kazakhstan as the European Union moves to phase out Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. Intake at the Kazakh facility, according to the Central Asian country's Energy Ministry, was suspended after the October 19 attack, the first reported strike on the plant, which forms part of the Orenburg gas chemical complex that is operated by the Russian state energy giant Gazprom. Reuters quoted sources on October 20 as saying that because of the strike, production at Kazakhstan's Karachaganak field was reduced by 25 percent to 30 percent. The plant processes 37.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Officials in Kyiv have confirmed Ukraine was behind the attack, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touted as showing "an increase both in the range and in the accuracy of our long-range sanctions against Russia." "Practically every day or two, Russian oil refineries are being hit. And this contributes to bringing Russia back to reality." In recent months, Kyiv has intensified its attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, which appear to be causing fuel shortages and price increases inside Russia. The oil depot in Novokuibyshevsk was also hit last month, with Ukraine's General Staff reporting substantial damage to its infrastructure at the time. Meanwhile, EU energy ministers gave their backing to a plan that would phase out Russian and oil gas imports to the bloc by January 2028 despite opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, who are still dependent on Russian energy supplies. The plan, which along with sanctions against Russia, was sparked by Moscow's war against Ukraine and is part of a broader strategy for the 27-nation bloc. "Although we have worked hard and pushed to get Russian gas and oil out of Europe in recent years, we are not there yet," Lars Aagaard, energy minister of Denmark, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency, said, adding the October 20 agreement was a "crucial step" toward achieving the strategy. Before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia accounted for around 45 percent of the EU's gas imports. The figure now stands at around 12 percent. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said earlier on October 20 that a new sanctions package -- the EU's 19th -- against Russia could be approved as early as this week. "Russia only understands strength. It only negotiates when put under pressure," she said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakh-gas-production- ukrainian-drone-attack-russian-plant/33564896.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 Europe Jumps Into Action After Trump Call With Putin, Zelenskyy Meeting By RFE/RL October 20, 2025 Summary European leaders and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Russian President Putin's willingness to engage in peace talks amid reports of US President Trump's suggestion for Ukraine to cede land to Russia. Trump reportedly urged Zelenskyy to accept Russia's terms, including ceding the Donetsk region, but denied discussing such concessions during their White House meeting. Zelenskyy called for increased sanctions on Russia, emphasizing Putin's fear of economic pressure, and announced upcoming diplomatic meetings in Europe to strengthen support for Ukraine. Europe jumped into action on October 20 with a flurry of moves and announcements at it looked to ratchet up pressure on Russia and bolster support for Ukraine after US President Donald Trump reportedly pushed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give up land as part of a peace deal. Senior European Union officials and Zelenskyy himself started off the day expressing doubts about Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine as the prospect of a summit in Budapest with US President Donald Trump looms. Zelenskyy said that he's "ready" to sit down for peace talks in the Hungarian capital, a venue criticized by the European Union given there's an International Criminal Court arrest warrant outstanding against Putin. Reacting to press reports that Trump pressed Zelenskyy to give up land as part of a peace deal, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that while Trump's peace efforts are welcome, "we don't see Russia really wanting peace." "What we must not forget is that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim here, so putting the pressure on Ukraine as the victim is not the right approach," Kallas said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Speaking to reporters at the White House in Washington on October 20, Trump was asked if anything had changed since his recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Shortly before that call, the US president had said he believed Ukraine could win back all of the occupied territory and, perhaps, even more. "I still believe they can. I don't think they will. You never know," Trump said. Asked about his reaction to nightly Russian air attacks on Ukraine, Trump said that soldiers are the ones dying in the largest numbers. The US president went on to say that "we are still in a process of making a deal [to stop the war]. If we do, it will be fantastic. If not, a lot of people will pay a very heavy price." Diplomatic sources told RFE/RL that NATO chief Mark Rutte -- and maybe other officials -- was likely headed to Washington on October 22. Meanwhile, the Hungarian foreign minister told a briefing in Budapest that he would travel to the US capital on October 21. He gave no details of the trip. The Ukrainian president said that he believes Putin prefers to postpone "real peace negotiations" and is reluctant to meet with him because that would require agreeing to specific positions and potential concessions to end the war. Zelenskyy then called for added pressure on the Russian leader, saying that Putin is "afraid of sanctions" and secondary sanctions that would squeeze the Russian economy. Zelenskyy said on social media that there will be "many meeting and negotiations in Europe this week" amid media reports that he will fly to London on October 24 where a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, comprising over 20 Western allies of Ukraine, is to gather. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he will urge allies to step up economic efforts to "cripple" Russia's military. "We must be resolute in our support for Ukraine and I'm committed to intensifying our efforts to cripple Putin's war machine. "Russia's stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace. We can all see that Putin is not and he continues to choose violence and destruction." The Kremlin on October 20 accused Ukraine of sending contradictory signals that are making it more difficult to find a path toward peace as Moscow tries to engage in serious work with Washington. "Full-scale preparations for the summit have yet to begin," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on October 20. "Of course, everyone is fulfilling the orders given by the presidents, but large-scale consultations, teamwork on the proper conditions for the summit have not begun. It will begin shortly," he added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, characterizing the discussion as "constructive." "The Secretary emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, in line with President Trump's vision," the State Department said in a statement confirming the call. Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to Washington on October 17 to discuss future peace negotiations. Zelenskyy arrived for his third meeting at the White House this year prepared to discuss a potential arms deal in which Ukraine would supply the US military with drone technologies in return for long-range Tomahawk missiles, but Trump appeared to have cooled on the idea of providing Ukraine with the weapons. Instead, the US president urged Russia and Ukraine to immediately cease fighting, saying enough blood had been shed, and announced that he plans to meet Putin in Budapest in the coming weeks. No date has been set for the summit. What Comes Next As Negotiators Eye A Summit In Budapest? The Washington Post reported on October 18 that Putin demanded that Kyiv surrender full control of the Donetsk region, a strategically vital area of eastern Ukraine that is partially occupied by Moscow, as a condition for ending the war during an October 16 phone call with Trump. In comments late on October 19, Trump said the region should "be cut the way it is now," with Russia controlling about 78 percent of Donetsk territory. "They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!" Trump had written on social media on October 17. He reiterated those comments on October 19, saying, "You leave it the way it is right now. They can...negotiate something later on down the line." Citing people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported on October 19 that Trump told Zelenskyy during their White House meeting to accept Russia's terms for ending the war, including ceding the Donetsk region. However, in remarks to reporters on October 19, Trump denied that he had discussed Ukraine ceding Donetsk to Russia. According to the Financial Times report, Trump warned Zelenskyy that Putin had threatened to "destroy" Ukraine if it didn't agree to his terms. Asked in a Fox News interview whether Putin was likely to accept a peace deal without taking vast amounts of Ukrainian territory, Trump said: "Well, he's gonna take something." "I mean, they fought and [Putin] has a lot of [Ukrainian] property. I mean...he's won certain property," Trump said in the interview broadcast on October 19 but conducted prior to Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy and call with Putin. Territorial concessions are expected to be part of any eventual peace deal for Ukraine, but it's uncertain what Putin might agree to -- or what Kyiv could legally offer. Ukraine's constitution mandates a nationwide referendum to approve any change to the country's territory, a vote that cannot be held under the martial law imposed since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. A key reason for Zelenskyy's trip to Washington was the possibility of Ukraine receiving Tomahawk missiles, which are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2,500 kilometers. Trump appeared to have considered sending Tomahawks to Kyiv for weeks as he grew increasingly frustrated over Putin's refusal to negotiate an end to the war but then appeared to rule out the possibility -- at least for now -- after his call with the Russian president. Zelenskyy claimed that the issue of Tomahawk missiles is "very sensitive for the Russians" and that Putin is "afraid that the United States will deliver [them] to Ukraine" because it would allow Kyiv to strike strategic military sites and infrastructure that could derail Russia's war effort. Zelenskyy said in his evening video messageon October 20 that is is working with the United States on the purchase of Patriot air defense systems. "In Washington, I spoke with defense companies that produce Patriots and other weapons we need," Zelenskyy said. "The willingness to work with Ukraine is fully sufficient -- Ukraine is trusted. It is important that there be enough support for this at the political level in Washington." RFE/RL's Rikard Jozwiak contributed to this report. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/diplomacy-trump-zelenskyy- putin-donetsk/33565013.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 EU, Zelenskyy Doubt Putin On Peace As Kremlin Says Work On Budapest Summit To Begin 'Shortly' By RFE/RL October 20, 2025 Summary Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he's willing to begin peace talks and would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump for a summit in Budapest. Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Putin's willingness to negotiate and called for increased pressure on Moscow in order to reach a peace deal. Ukraine struck two Russian strategic energy facilities as Moscow renewed overnight strikes on Ukrainian cities. The European Union and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine as the prospect of a summit in Budapest with US President Donald Trump looms. Zelenskyy said that he's "ready" to sit down for peace talks in the Hungarian capital, a venue criticized by the European Union given there's an International Criminal Court arrest warrant outstanding against Putin. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on October 20 that, while Trump's peace efforts are welcome, "we don't see Russia really wanting peace." "Russia only understands strength and only negotiates when it's really put to negotiate. So, right now, we don't see it yet," she said. "Regarding Budapest, no, it's not nice...to see that really a person put to the arrest warrant by the ICC is coming to a European country," Kallas said, adding that the "question is whether there is any outcome." Zelenskyy also said Budapest is not the best meeting place for peace talks and doubted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who he said "is blocking Ukraine everywhere," can do something positive for Ukrainians. "It seems to me that among the people who constantly promote the idea of Russia's supposedly unconditional advantages in this war, there is also the current prime minister of Hungary. And when we talk about mediation, I do not believe that the current prime minister of Hungary has an adequate attitude to this," Zelenskyy told reporters on October 19, according to Interfax. The Ukrainian president said on October 20 that he believes Putin prefers to postpone "real peace negotiations" and is reluctant to meet with him because that would require agreeing to specific positions and potential concessions to end the war. Zelenskyy then called for added pressure on the Russian leader, saying that Putin is "afraid of sanctions" and secondary sanctions that would squeeze the Russian economy. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha added in a post on X on October 20 that "Putin has no intention of ending this war -- he only tries to buy time. That's why we need pressure, pressure, and pressure. The only thing Putin understands." The Kremlin in turn accused Ukraine of sending contradictory signals that are making it more difficult to find a path toward peace as Moscow tries to engage in serious work with Washington. "Full-scale preparations for the summit have yet to begin," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on October 20. "Of course, everyone is fulfilling the orders given by the presidents, but large-scale consultations, teamwork on the proper conditions for the summit have not begun. It will begin shortly," he added. The comments come after Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to Washington on October 17 to discuss future peace negotiations. Zelenskyy arrived prepared to discuss a potential arms deal in which Ukraine would supply the US military with drone technologies in return for long-range Tomahawk missiles, but Trump appeared to have cooled on the idea of providing Ukraine with the weapons. Instead, the US president urged Russia and Ukraine to immediately cease fighting, saying enough blood had been shed, and announced that he plans to meet Putin in Budapest in the coming weeks. No date has been set for the summit. During an interview with NBC, Zelenskyy reiterated his openness to engage in bilateral or trilateral peace talks with the United States and Russia at the table. He also said that fighting on the battlefield should stop along the current contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces and a cease-fire should be in place to begin peace talks. "If we want to stop this war and go to peace negotiations," Zelenskyy said, "we need to stay where we stay and not give something additional to Putin because he wants it." What Comes Next As Negotiators Eye A Summit In Budapest? The Washington Post reported on October 18 that Putin demanded that Kyiv surrender full control of the Donetsk region, a strategically vital area of eastern Ukraine that is partially occupied by Moscow, as a condition for ending the war during an October 16 phone call with Trump. In comments late on October 19, Trump said the region should "be cut the way it is now," with Russia controlling about 78 percent of Donetsk territory. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported on October 19 that Trump told Zelenskyy during their White House meeting to accept Russia's terms for ending the war, including ceding the Donetsk region. However, in remarks to reporters on October 19, Trump denied that he had discussed Ukraine ceding Donetsk to Russia. According to the FT report, Trump warned Zelenskyy that Putin had threatened to "destroy" Ukraine if it didn't agree to his terms. Asked in a Fox News interview whether Putin was likely to accept a peace deal without taking vast amount of Ukrainian territory, Trump said: "Well, he's gonna take something." Territorial concessions are expected to be part of any eventual peace deal for Ukraine, but it's uncertain what Putin might agree to -- or what Kyiv could legally offer. Ukraine's constitution mandates a nationwide referendum to approve any change to the country's territory, a vote that cannot be held under the martial law imposed since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. A key reason for Zelenskyy's trip to Washington was the possibility of Ukraine receiving Tomahawk missiles, which are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2,500 kilometers. Trump appeared to have considered sending Tomahawks to Kyiv for weeks as he grew increasingly frustrated over Putin's refusal to negotiate an end to the war but then appeared to rule out the possibility -- at least for now -- after his call with the Russian president. Zelenskyy claimed that issue of Tomahawk missiles is "very sensitive for the Russians" and that Putin is "afraid that the United States will deliver [them] to Ukraine" because it would allow Kyiv to strike strategic military sites and infrastructure that could derail Russia's war effort. Zelenskyy said in his evening video messageon October 20 that is is working with the United States on the purchase of Patriot air defense systems. "In Washington, I spoke with defense companies that produce Patriots and other weapons we need," Zelenskyy said. "The willingness to work with Ukraine is fully sufficient -- Ukraine is trusted. It is important that there be enough support for this at the political level in Washington." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-strikes- trump-zelenskyy/33563571.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 Andrii Sybiha held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic Giorgos Gerapetritis Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 20 October 2025 15:38 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I had a substantial meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic Giorgos Gerapetritis and thanked for Greece's support for Ukraine and our EU accession. We agreed that the path to peace should not be at Ukraine's expense and aggressor must not be rewarded. It is important that Greece supports EU sanctions policy as part of peace efforts. We discussed in detail our bilateral agenda, as well as recent and nearest geopolitical developments. I informed my colleague about Ukraine-US dialogue on the highest level and our vision for the peace process. I stressed that Ukraine is ready to share our experience with our partners and allies, including best practices in miltech, particularly in drones. We agreed to continue deepening and expanding our bilateral cooperation, in particular its humanitarian aspect such as the construction of shelters in Ukrainian schools and providing summer retreats for our children". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation of Spain Jose Manuel Albares Bueno Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 20 October 2025 15:09 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I was glad to meet with my Spanish friend Jose Manuel Albares Bueno on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. We discussed ways to strengthen Ukraine's defense and energy resilience, including military-technical cooperation, and Spain's important contribution to the PURL and SAFE programs. I thanked Spain for the announced energy assistance to Ukraine70 generatorswhich will arrive soon. We value this assistance to Ukrainian people ahead of winter. I stressed the need for further sanctions pressure on Russia through the 19th EU sanctions package, as well as visa limitation measures. We also see potential for city-to-city and regional partnerships between Ukraine and Spain. I deeply appreciate Spain's commitment to the rehabilitation of Ukrainian children from frontline areas. Grateful for Spain's steadfast support. Looking forward to welcoming Jose Manuel Albares Bueno in Kyiv soon". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal Paulo Rangel Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 20 October 2025 13:44 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "On the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, I had a productive meeting with my Portuguese friend Paulo Rangel. We discussed further steps to strengthen Ukraine's air defense and military capabilities, as well as support for Ukraine's energy system, which is under constant Russian attacks ahead of winter. We agreed to coordinate joint engagement within various EU instruments, first of all the SAFE initiative, and on EU sanctions policy. We also focused on Ukraine's path toward joining the EU, as well as ways to advocate for our country's interests among Portuguese-speaking states. We both share the view that the security of Ukraine and Europe is indivisible, and that upholding international law is a matter for principle and joint interest. I expressed sincere gratitude for Portugal`s unwavering comprehensive support for Ukraine and our people". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian technologies are reshaping the global defense industry - Anna Gvozdiar at KIEF 2025 Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 20 October, 2025, 5:00 PM EEST The development of Ukrainian defense technologies today encompasses three key dimensions: security, economic, and political. Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Anna Gvozdiar made this statement during the discussion "Defence Tech: The New Arms Race" at the Kyiv International Economic Forum, where representatives of Ukrainian defense companies, scientists, and the military discussed Ukraine's role in the transformation of the global arms market. "All our technologies are developed to protect people and support the military. It is a fast innovation cycle that Ukrainian manufacturers are actively investing in. The first task is to equip the military. The second is to maintain economic stability, in particular through the localization of production. The third is to strengthen Ukraine's political agency as an equal partner on the global security map," said Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Anna Gvozdiar. According to her, Ukrainian developers swiftly respond to frontline needs, while new financial instruments, including the SAFE program and the 'Danish model', reflect increasing trust from international partners in Ukraine's defense manufacturing sector. Ukrainian defense technologies have already transformed the country's role in the international community. Ukraine has become not only a recipient of assistance and a testing ground, but also a source of technological solutions recognized around the world. The Deputy Minister emphasized that the President of Ukraine's decision to initiate controlled exports of Ukrainian armaments opens new opportunities for investment in the national defense sector, notably by broadening export markets and fostering conditions conducive to foreign investment. At present, the Ministry of Defence, in cooperation with other ministries and the National Security and Defense Council, is elaborating a mechanism that will establish transparent and secure rules for controlled exports applicable to all stakeholders. "Ukraine has emerged as a driving force in the transformation of the global defense industry. We have created an open, adaptable system that enables even small manufacturers to develop weapons that make a real difference on the frontline. This is why today, we not only follow international standards, but the world also looks to Ukraine's unique experience," concluded the Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Says Efforts To Reach Peace Deal Ongoing As Ukraine, EU Make Their Own Diplomatic Moves By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service October 21, 2025 US President Donald Trump said on October 20 that attempts to reach an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war are ongoing, and warned that if an agreement is not reached the consequences will be serious. "We are still in a process of making a deal [to stop the war]. If we do, it will be fantastic. If not, a lot of people will pay a very heavy price," Trump said at a White House meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. "I think we'll get there, but it's turned out to be nasty because you have two leaders who truly hate each other," he told reporters. Trump last week stepped up his efforts to broker a cease-fire, holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. His talks with Zelenskyy were to discuss the possibility of Ukraine obtaining long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles in exchange for Ukrainian drone technology, but no deal emerged from the meeting. Trump on October 20 said providing Tomahawks to Ukraine was "more complicated" than it seemed, while Zelenskyy said in his evening video message that he had turned his focus to obtaining more Patriot air defense systems from the Americans. "This is not an easy task, but it is one of the security guarantees for Ukraine and will work in the long term," he said. Zelenskyy and senior European Union officials earlier expressed doubts about Putin's willingness to end the war even with the prospect of a summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest looms. Zelenskyy said that he's "ready" to sit down for peace talks in the Hungarian capital even though the venue selection has been criticized by the European Union given there's an International Criminal Court arrest warrant outstanding against Putin. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that while Trump's peace efforts are welcome, "we don't see Russia really wanting peace." She also described holding the meeting in a European Union member state as "not nice." Hungary appeared to be moving ahead with plans for the summit. Its foreign minister told a briefing in Budapest that he would travel to the US capital on October 21 but gave no details of the trip. Diplomatic sources told RFE/RL that NATO chief Mark Rutte was likely headed to Washington on October 22. Zelenskyy said on social media that there will be "many meeting and negotiations in Europe this week" amid media reports that he will fly to London on October 24 where a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, comprising over 20 Western allies of Ukraine, is to gather. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he will urge allies to step up economic efforts to "cripple Putin's war machine." In a sign from Washington of its efforts, the State Department confirmed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 20. The Russian Foreign Ministry characterized the discussion as "constructive," while the State Department said in a statement that Rubio "emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, in line with President Trump's vision." That vision reportedly includes the potential surrender territory as a condition for ending the war. The Washington Post reported on October 18 that Putin demanded full control of the Donetsk region, a strategically vital area of eastern Ukraine that is partially occupied by Moscow during an October 16 phone call with Trump. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported on October 19 that Trump told Zelenskyy during their White House meeting to accept Russia's terms for ending the war, including ceding the Donetsk region. However, in remarks to reporters on October 19, Trump denied that he had discussed Ukraine ceding Donetsk to Russia. According to the Financial Times report, Trump warned Zelenskyy that Putin had threatened to "destroy" Ukraine if it didn't agree to his terms. Asked in a Fox News interview whether Putin was likely to accept a peace deal without taking vast amounts of Ukrainian territory, Trump said: "Well, he's gonna take something." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia- war-trump-putin-zelenskyy/33565458.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 SYDNEY, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global online fashion and lifestyle retailer SHEIN is closing out the year with a spirited reminder that its never too late to finish what you started. Introducing Tick It Off Fest : an end-of-year push designed to inspire Australians to finally tick off the resolutions they made in January. The theme: better late than never, encourages Australians to revisit their goals and turn intention into action. Whether it was learning to express personal style, refreshing the wardrobe, spending more time with family, or giving their space and routine a reset, Tick It Off Fest is about ending the year on a high note - with style, creativity, and confidence. At the heart of the campaigns success is the catchy original #TickItOff soundtrack - a high-energy anthem inspiring users to get moving, quite literally. Accompanied by a viral TikTok dance challenge , the tune has quickly become the movements unofficial soundtrack for finishing the year strong. Created as a contemporary celebration of SHEINs community and values, the song was designed to extend far beyond a jingle, acting as an emotional connector between fashion, creativity, and culture. The track embodies several creative pillars that together form the foundation of its impact. For many Australians, it serves as a fun and memorable way to learn how to pronounce the brand name (She-in), using sound and rhythm to reinforce familiarity through repetition. Users can discover the #TickItOff soundtrack now across platforms: simply search SHEIN on TikTok Sounds or Instagram Music, and join the movement by using it in your own videos to show what youre ticking off this year. From fashion to family moments, home refreshes to self-care rituals, the campaign taps into the momentum of the final months of the year, spotlighting how small wins can still make a big impact before the clock strikes 2026, whether that is across: From outfit makeovers to family days out, redecorated living spaces to glowing skin routines, Tick It Off Fest is a joyful call to celebrate progress over perfection - proving that any step forward is worth celebrating. As 2025 draws to a close, SHEIN invites Australians to rediscover their goals, reignite their creativity, and Tick It Off - because its never too late to start something worth finishing. Jump into the viral Tick It Off anthem on TikTok and Instagram, and use the soundtrack to share your own end-of-year glow-up moments. Media contact: SHEIN@glowbored.com, +61 2 9059 2502, +61 7 3556 7756 NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A (OTC: BCUCY) resulting from allegations that Brunello Cucinelli may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Brunello Cucinelli securities 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=45546 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 September 25, 2025, Morpheus Research published a report entitled From Moscow to TJ Maxx How Brunello Cucinelli Continues To Lie About Its Russian Business While Aggressive Discounting Damages Its Exclusive Positioning. The report discussed how Brunello Cucinelli had represented that its Russian store locations were shut, which was consistent with laws prohibiting the sale of luxury goods in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Contrary to this representation, the report claimed, Brunello Cucinelli continued to conduct business in Russia. On this news, Brunello Cucinelli American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) fell 17.8% on September 25, 2025. 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 Delray Beach, FL, Oct. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Silicone Market was worth USD 24,502.4 million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 33,246.3 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.2%, as per the recent study by MarketsandMarkets. Silicone is a high-functioning synthetic polymer that contains large quantities of silicon and oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. It is available in multiple forms, including liquids, elastomers, gels, and resins, and has properties that are otherwise difficult or impossible to achieve, specifically: high thermal stability, flexibility, and water repellence and chemical resistance. These properties render the use of silicone absolutely essential in an array of applications in motor industries, in house building, electronics, healthcare, and personal care products. Its strength, electrical resistance, and biocompatibility add to its quality of use in high-performance and harsh applications, making it widely used in industries and consumer products, all around the world. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=709 Browse in-depth TOC on Silicone Market 240 - Market Data Tables 50 Figures 296 - Pages List of Key Players in Silicone Market: Wacker Chemie AG (Germany) Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan) Elkem ASA (Norway) DOW (US) Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. (US) Gelest Inc. (US) Evonik Industries AG (Germany) Innospec Inc. (US) Specialty Silicone Products, Inc. (US) Hesheng Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. (China) Drivers, Opportunities and Challenges in Silicone Market: Drivers: Rapid adoption in E-mobility and high-voltage components Restraint: Price volatility of silicon metal and methanol Opportunity: Development of silicone-based thermal management materials for EV fast-charging Challenge: Meeting stricter VOC and emission standards Get Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=709 Key Findings of the Study: By type, elastomers segment to register highest CAGR during forecast period By end-use industry, the medical & healthcare segment to record highest CAGR during forecast period By region, Asia Pacific to exhibit highest CAGR during forecast period By type, the silicone market is dominated by the elastomer segment because of its unmatched flexibility, durability and resistance to extreme temperatures, UV radiation, and chemicals. Silicone elastomers find extensive applications in automobile parts, building sealants, electrical insulation, and consumer products, where performance under severe conditions is essential. Their utilization in electric vehicles as gaskets, sealing systems, and vibration dampening increases demand at an even higher rate. Besides, medical applications and miniaturization of electronics are becoming increasingly popular, which contributes to the expansion of the market. Coupled with versatility, significant service life, these properties make elastomers the most successful segment of silicone products market. By end-use industry, the capacity of silicone in improving durability, safety, and energy-efficiency of construction materials has made the building and construction segment the largest segment of the silicone market. Silicone sealants, adhesives, and coatings are commonly applied as glazing, weatherproofing, and structural bonding solutions with high UV and moisture resistance and high toleration of varying temperatures. They are flexible and also make up a good and adhesive bond to a variety of different surfaces and used in curtain walls, insulated glass units, and expansion joints so as to enhance the stability of the structure in both commercial and residential applications. Besides, the current global drive toward sustainable and green buildings has increased the market demand for silicones, whose use has improved energy efficiency in buildings through insulation and air-tight designs. The high rate of rapid urbanization, especially in the Asia Pacific region, and the vast investment requirements in the construction of infrastructure in emerging economies further catalyzes consumption of silicone in this industry. Furthermore, the trend of increased usage of high-performance construction materials in line with enhanced building codes, mounting environmental regulations, and stipulations has continued to propound the hegemony of building and construction as the final application option of silicon applications in the world market. Get Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=709 The Asia Pacific region dominates the global silicone market with the largest market share owing to the strong industrial activity and fast urbanization, as well as the existence of major production centers. Leading countries in silicone consumption are China, India, Japan, and South Korea, whereby their consumption is influenced by growing end-use sectors, including the construction, automotive, and electronics sectors as well as the healthcare sector. China, specifically, is the main silicone producer and consumer where the production facilities are strong, complemented by constant investments in sophisticated technologies related to the sector. The surge in construction activities in the region, which is inclusive of mega projects in infrastructure development and the rise in the demand for environment-friendly building materials, has played a pivotal role in enhancing the use of sealants, adhesives, and coatings (silicone). Moreover, Asia Pacific is the largest center when it comes to automotive and transportation where silicones are applied in gaskets, seals, thermal insulation, high-performance lubricants, which keeps in line with the ongoing transition to electric mobility and high-voltage systems in the region. The need for electronic manufacturing in other countries as Japan, China, and South Korea also contributes to the demand for silicone material, especially in miniaturized parts, thermal interfaces, and encapsulants. In addition, the emerging healthcare industry in India and Southeast Asia will further increase demand for medical-grade silicones. The presence of cheap raw materials, favorable government policies, and growth of foreign investments are some of the other factors to reinforce the leading position of Asia Pacific in the global silicone market. The robust growth trend of the region is likely to persist with growing industrialization and acceleration in sustainability programs across various industries. Browse Adjacent Markets Coatings Adhesives Sealants and Elastomers Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Roubaix October 21st 2025 The Board of Directors, at its meeting on October 20, decided to adapt its governance structure. It has decided to end the separation of the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, which will result in the end of Benjamin Revcolevschi's term of office. The Board of Directors would like to thank Benjamin Revcolevschi for his commitment and actions over the past year. On the recommendation of the Nominations Committee, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Octave Klaba as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of OVH Group, effective October 20, 2025. Align vision, strategy, and execution By combining the roles of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, the Group is strengthening the link between vision, strategy, and execution. This unified governance, which is both visionary and responsive, reinforces OVHcloud's ability to anticipate and adapt to market developments. Octave Klaba, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer stated: We are launching our new five-year Strategic Plan, during which our customers will be able to benefit from the last 10 years of massive investments, first in data centers and then in software. In the coming months, I will present our 2026-2030 strategic plan, Step Ahead, to guide our teams and support our customers, while generating value for our shareholders. A leadership commitment to the development of the European cloud In an economy that is now fully digital, cloud has become a strategic infrastructure, essential to all organizations regardless of their size or industry. Octave Klaba is making OVHcloud a sustainable engine of innovation and technology, serving the advancement of cloud and artificial intelligence, built on an ecosystem of customers and partners who share a common vision of an open, reversible, and transparent technology, grounded in strong European values. Twenty-six years after its creation, he is launching a new phase of the Groups development, designed to meet the needs of all types of customers, in France and worldwide: from digital starters1 taking their first steps in the cloud, to digital scalers2 in full expansion, and corporate3 looking for a trusted partner. Pierre Barrial, Lead Director and Chairman of the Remunerations and Nominations Committee, commented: "The Board of Directors is convinced that reuniting the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer under Octave Klaba's leadership will strengthen the velocity and efficiency of OVHcloud's management. Octave Klaba will lead the Group with determination and agility, as he has done during OVHcloud's most decisive years, in a context that requires vision, rigorous execution, and innovation capacities. In a rapidly growing cloud market, his expertise, knowledge of the company, and understanding of customer and industry trends will enable OVHcloud to implement its strategic plan and build an operational roadmap for the coming years. The Board of Directors thanks Benjamin Revcolevschi for his contribution and commitment during his tenure and wishes him every success for the future. Benjamin Revcolevschi commented: Proud to have contributed to building a Group that is robust and more efficient. OVHcloud has delivered the expected performance and strengthened its commercial, operational, and institutional credibility in an unprecedented international context. I am leaving my position happy to have been part of this chapter in the group's history. I am convinced that OVHcloud has a solid organization and a committed team, ready to take on challenges with confidence. Octave Klaba is the ideal person to consolidate OVHcloud's position and lead the group towards its future goals. I wish him every success and would like to sincerely thank all our employees, who can be proud of what they accomplish every day. About Octave Klaba Born in 1975 in Poland, Octave Klaba is the founder of OVHcloud, a global cloud player and the leading European cloud provider. A graduate of ICAM Lille, he founded OVH in 1999 in the north of France, with the ambition to build an internet infrastructure that is both high-performing and accessible. From the very beginning, he defended a vision of an open internet, based on the freedom of choice for customers. Under his leadership, OVH experienced rapid growth, first in France and then internationally. The company stands out for its technical innovations, notably in energy management of data centers and the development of server ranges. In 2016, initiating a shift towards the cloud, Octave Klaba used KKR and TowerBrook investment funds to accelerate the group's expansion into new markets. In 2020, under his leadership, OVH became OVHcloud in order to assert its positioning on a fast-growing cloud market - public and private. Between 2018 and 2025, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and also chaired the Group's Strategic and CSR Committee. He is closely involved in the company's strategic development, in line with its long-term vision. Convinced of the need for a European alternative to the American cloud giants, Octave Klaba makes data sovereignty, service transparency, and freedom of choice his priority. He actively supports tech startups, particularly in AI and quantum computing, and promotes the development of an innovative and independent digital ecosystem. Through his engagements in Shadow and Qwant, he is pursuing this same ambition: tohelp build a strong, independent digital ecosystem, and establish a European digital champion driven by trust, performance, and technological sovereignty. Resources Learn more about OVHcloud Photos and Assets Follow OVHcloud on X Follow OVHcloud on LinkedIn About OVHcloud OVHcloud is a global cloud player and the leading European cloud provider operating over 500,000 servers within 44 data centers across 4 continents to reach 1.6 million customers in over 140 countries. Spearheading a trusted cloud and pioneering a sustainable cloud with the best performance-price ratio, the Group has been leveraging for over 20 years an integrated model that guarantees total control of its value chain: from the design of its servers to the construction and management of its data centers, including the orchestration of its fiber-optic network. This unique approach enables OVHcloud to independently cover all the uses of its customers so they can seize the benefits of an environmentally conscious model with a frugal use of resources and a carbon footprint reaching the best ratios in the industry. OVHcloud now offers customers the latest-generation solutions combining performance, predictable pricing, and complete data sovereignty to support their unfettered growth. CONTACT Media relations Julien Jay Communications & Public Relations Manager media.france@ovhcloud.com +33 (0)7 61 24 46 67 [1] Customer reached through a digital channel, generating less than 25,000 in ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue). [2] Customer reached through a digital channel, generating more than 25,000 in ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue). [3] Customer reached either directly through OVHclouds sales team or via tenders or indirectly, through partners. Attachment COLUMBIA, S.C., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- How do online high schools work, and why are so many families unaware of how comprehensive these programs have become? A HelloNation article featuring Education Expert Kim Dunbar of SC Whitmore School in Columbia explores how modern virtual learning has advanced far beyond the old image of isolated students working alone. The article details how accredited online schools now combine certified teachers, counselors, and interactive classrooms that mirror many aspects of traditional education. The article opens by challenging the misconception that online learning lacks structure or social connection. Instead, accredited online programs are designed around community, communication, and accountability. Teachers guide classes in real time or through scheduled feedback sessions, while counselors assist students with course planning and career readiness. This collaborative model helps students stay engaged and ensures academic support remains consistent across every subject. Accreditation is a major theme throughout the HelloNation feature. Understanding what is an accredited online high school helps families recognize the difference between casual virtual programs and legitimate institutions. Accreditation guarantees that the diploma students earn holds the same value as one from a public or private school. The process requires schools to meet state and national standards, employ qualified educators, and maintain rigorous curricula. This ensures that colleges and employers treat online diplomas as equal to those earned in traditional schools. Education Expert Kim Dunbar emphasizes that flexibility is not the same as leniency. Online learning demands discipline and self-direction, even as it allows students to adapt schedules around their lives. The article explains how flexible online high school is, depending on the students commitment to managing their own time. Courses remain challenging and deadlines still matter, but learners have more control over pacing. This model helps students who need to balance academics with sports, jobs, or health needs while still progressing toward graduation. The HelloNation article makes it clear that online high school real education is a question with an undeniable answer: yes. Accredited programs follow the same curriculum requirements as in-person schools. They simply deliver lessons through different tools and schedules. Students complete core classes, electives, and state-required assessments, often with the added benefit of learning advanced digital literacy. This combination of structure and freedom teaches independence, organization, and self-motivation, which are skills that translate directly into college and professional success. Another key aspect discussed in the article is how support systems operate in virtual settings. Many families wonder, what support do students get in online school? Kim Dunbar explains that teachers remain available through live video, chat, and email. Counselors help shape course paths and assist with post-graduation planning. Technical support teams ensure platforms run smoothly, minimizing barriers to participation. Beyond academics, online schools frequently host clubs, digital projects, and social meetups that help students connect with peers. These opportunities for teamwork and communication often surprise families who expect online education to feel isolated. The HelloNation piece also corrects a persistent myth that online school is easier than traditional education. In truth, success requires consistency and self-discipline. Students must set routines and hold themselves accountable for meeting goals. Teachers provide guidance and feedback, but students take responsibility for daily progress. This dynamic turns independence into a skill rather than a challenge. The article highlights how this accountability helps prepare students for the self-directed nature of college life and early career experiences. Education Expert Kim Dunbar underscores that flexibility allows learning to fit the student, not the other way around. Families with children who travel for sports, pursue artistic goals, or manage health conditions often find that online high school creates the stability they need. Parents can monitor grades, track assignments, and communicate directly with teachers, strengthening the home-school connection. This balance of flexibility and partnership helps students maintain focus while building confidence in their ability to manage education on their own. The HelloNation article concludes by reframing the role of technology in education. It notes that what once appeared isolating now builds bridges across states and time zones. Online high schools create communities of learners who collaborate and support one another, proving that education can be both independent and connected. Students graduate not just with diplomas but with practical skills in digital literacy, communication, and time management that prepare them for a modern world that values adaptability and self-direction. Ultimately, as Kim Dunbar explains, the reality of virtual schooling is far from the outdated image of a lone student at a computer. Online education has evolved into a robust, interactive system that combines structure, accountability, and community. For students who need flexibility without sacrificing academic quality, online high school offers a viable path to success while maintaining the same credibility as traditional institutions. What Most People Dont Realize About Online High School features insights from Kim Dunbar, Education Expert of SC Whitmore School in Columbia, South Carolina, in HelloNation. 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/296305da-f4c8-4b77-bc3e-912bf408c18f SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- How can property owners ensure that their homes and businesses stay aligned with Californias rapidly evolving electrical standards? That question is addressed in a HelloNation article , where John Bailey of ASF Electric Inc. offers clear insights on how to maintain full compliance with both the California electrical code and EV charging requirements. The feature highlights how regular maintenance, professional assessments, and a forward-looking approach can help property owners avoid fines and support Californias clean energy goals. In the article, John Bailey explains that the California electrical code, together with Title 24, defines how power systems must be designed, installed, and maintained. These standards go beyond national requirements by adding state-specific provisions for safety, performance, and energy efficiency. For homeowners and businesses alike, understanding these expectations is key to maintaining electrical compliance as technologies evolve. The feature emphasizes that EV charging systems have become one of the central areas affected by recent updates to Californias regulations. Each year, thousands of new charging stations are installed across the state, but many property owners overlook the need for routine inspections and recertifications. According to the HelloNation article, failing to maintain these systems can lead to noncompliance with both the California electrical code and Title 24s energy requirements. Regular electrical inspections are essential to sustaining safe and efficient operation. A licensed electrician can verify that EV charging stations meet grounding and safety standards, that all components are certified by recognized testing laboratories, and that electrical loads remain within safe limits. These professionals ensure that equipment replacements or upgrades occur before systems fall out of compliance. The article makes clear that proper documentation, including permits and inspection records, also plays a critical role in demonstrating electrical compliance when properties change ownership or undergo audits. Electrical load management, another major theme in Baileys discussion, directly affects compliance outcomes. EV charging systems can impose heavy demands on a propertys electrical infrastructure, especially when multiple chargers run simultaneously. Title 24 requires load balancing to prevent overcurrent and protect the grid. A licensed electrician experienced in EV charging installations can design circuits that meet these technical standards while maximizing energy efficiency. Integrating demand response technology can also improve performance by adjusting charging schedules according to grid activity. Energy efficiency remains a guiding principle throughout the HelloNation piece. Bailey explains that many property owners now combine EV charging systems with solar panels or battery storage to optimize their power use. However, even the most advanced systems must still satisfy Californias electrical code and Title 24 standards to remain compliant. A properly executed inspection ensures that wiring, breakers, and grounding systems meet both safety and performance expectations. These combined efforts contribute to the broader sustainability goals that define Californias energy leadership. The article underscores that electrical compliance extends beyond safe installation; it also includes accurate documentation and ongoing verification. Property owners must maintain detailed records of permits, inspection results, and approvals. Without proper documentation, an otherwise compliant system could fail an audit or delay a certificate of occupancy. Working closely with a licensed electrician helps ensure that all required documents remain current and easily accessible, reducing the risk of penalties or costly rework. Technological innovation presents another challenge for compliance. As EV charging technology advances, so do Californias codes. New models often include features such as smart charging, communication interfaces, and advanced monitoring systems. Each update brings new criteria for safety and compatibility. Baileys insights in the HelloNation article stress that maintaining awareness of these changes allows property owners to stay proactive rather than reactive. When systems are designed with future standards in mind, compliance becomes easier and more cost-effective. Many property owners mistakenly believe that passing an initial inspection guarantees ongoing compliance. The HelloNation feature clarifies that both the California electrical code and Title 24 undergo regular revisions to reflect new energy and safety priorities. These updates may require minor changes, such as updated labeling, or major upgrades, such as redesigned load management systems. Scheduling regular electrical inspections with a licensed professional ensures that these modifications are identified and implemented promptly. Contractors who specialize in code compliance often offer service plans to help clients navigate these transitions smoothly. Maintaining compliance is not only a legal obligation but also a safeguard for long-term system reliability. The HelloNation article notes that electrical systems meeting current standards operate more efficiently, reduce the likelihood of fires, and perform more consistently over time. Properly maintained EV charging infrastructure also extends equipment lifespan and supports Californias broader push for clean energy adoption. Electrical Expert John Bailey explains that by prioritizing energy efficiency and routine maintenance, property owners protect both their investments and the environment. Californias position as a national leader in renewable energy depends on the strength of its regulations and the diligence of those who follow them. For anyone managing an EV charging installation or overseeing electrical systems, the path to compliance begins with understanding the relationship between safety, energy efficiency, and evolving state codes. By consulting a licensed electrician and staying informed about Title 24 and the California electrical code, property owners can ensure that their systems remain safe, compliant, and ready for the future. The article, How to Stay Compliant With Californias Electrical Code & EV Charging Standards , features insights from John Bailey of ASF Electric Inc., in HelloNation. 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. NAPLES, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Florida entrepreneur Jeff Kaulbars, founder of Jeff Kaulbars Corp, has officially announced the launch of Build With Purpose, a consulting agency dedicated to helping Latino business owners systemize, scale, and achieve sustainable success. The initiative, anchored by Kaulbars proprietary BIGS System, will debut with a live event in Naples on December 13, 2025, featuring a panel of accomplished entrepreneurs including Paul Getter, Steven Thomas, Miles Ponce, and Melissa Montoya. The BIGS Systema structured framework that breaks down annual goals into 52 actionable weekly milestoneshas already proven transformative for dozens of entrepreneurs across Florida. Designed to provide comprehensive support in operations, sales, and financial literacy, the program aims to bridge the gap between hard work and high performance, empowering Latino business owners to create generational wealth and legacy. 92% of entrepreneurs never reach their goals; become part of the 8% who do, Jeff Kaulbars, Founder & CEO, Jeff Kaulbars Corp. Empowering the Fastest-Growing Business Community Latino entrepreneurs are the fastest-growing segment of small business owners in the U.S., contributing more than $800 billion annually to the national economy. Yet, many continue to face barriers in mentorship, systems, and capital access. Through Build With Purpose, Kaulbarswho has built multiple 8-figure service-based companies with over 95% Latino workforceaims to close that gap. Over the last three decades, Kaulbars has helped dozens of his former employees transition from workers to business owners, with many now leading six-, seven-, and eight-figure companies. One of his most notable success stories is a former Guatemalan laborer who rose from entry-level employee to managing over 100 staff members and now operates a $15 million company of his own. About Jeff Kaulbars Corp Jeff Kaulbars Corp is a Florida-based consulting agency dedicated to helping Latino entrepreneurs grow and scale their service-based businesses. Through culturally informed mentorship and proven frameworks like the BIGS System, the company provides actionable strategies in operations, sales, and financial literacy. Founded by Jeff Kaulbars, the agencys mission is to create success that honours family, community, and legacy, transforming hard-working individuals into high-performing business leaders. Event Launch: December 13, 2025 Naples, Florida Website: www.jeffkaulbars.com Media Contact: Jeff Kaulbars Email: support@jeffkaulbars.com Ph. - 239-788-5735 Disclaimer: This content is provided by Jeff Kaulbars Corp. 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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/55af9a08-c782-487e-8cf1-950079e1b66f HTL0039732 (also known as NXE0039732) is Nxeras novel oral EP4 antagonist with the potential to treat a wide range of cancers in combination with other immunotherapies HTL0039732, was found to be well-tolerated, confirmed target engagement and demonstrated encouraging early efficacy in two distinct tumor types when administered in combination use with atezolizumab Phase 1 trial met the key objectives and identified a dose for a Phase 2 expansion trial, which is now underway Cancer Research UKs Centre for Drug Development is sponsoring and managing the ongoing Phase 1/2a clinical trial of HTL0039732 Tokyo, Japan and Cambridge, UK, 21 October 2025 Nxera Pharma (the Company or Nxera; TSE: 4565) announces that its partner, Cancer Research UK, presented data from the successfully completed Phase 1 part of the ongoing Phase 1/2a clinical trial ( NCT05944237 ) of Nxeras immunotherapy drug HTL0039732 (also known as NXE0039732) at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO) 2025 being held 17-21 October 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The first-in-human trial is evaluating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and anti-tumor activity of HTL732 as a monotherapy (n=13) and in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (n=22), in patients with advanced solid tumors that were resistant or refractory to standard therapy. Key data from the Phase 1 portion of the trial presented at ESMO in an ePoster included: The primary objectives of this Phase1 study were safety and the determination of a RP2D to support progression into the expansion phase. HTL732 was well tolerated with no grade 4/5 treatment-related adverse events and no dose limiting toxicities in monotherapy or in combination. Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 14% of combination patients (3 of 22), similar to established atezolizumab monotherapy data, demonstrating an encouraging profile for combination treatment and suggesting that safety data may be a differentiating factor among drugs with the same mechanism of action Confirmed partial responses to the combination of HTL732 and atezolizumab as determined by RECIST criteria and showing >30% tumor reduction were seen in two patients. One with metastatic renal cell cancer (ccRCC) who had experienced previously experienced progressive disease on checkpoint inhibitor therapy and a second patient with microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC), a disease subgroup that does not benefit from monotherapy checkpoint inhibitors. We were encouraged to see partial responses in 1 out of 2 ccRCC patients (50%) and 1 out of 11 MSS-CRC patients (~9%) in this Phase 1 study. Based on the data presented the recommended Phase 2 dose for progression into cohort expansion studies was selected as 160mg QD in combination with atezolizumab The Phase 2a trial expands four cohorts of patients from MSS CRC, gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GOJ) adenocarcinoma, clear cell renal cell carcinoma, and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer backgrounds. The first patient was dosed in the Phase 2a portion of the trial in September 2025 . Cancer Research UKs Centre for Drug Development is sponsoring and managing the trial, which is led by Chief Investigator Dr. Bristi Basu, University of Cambridge, and Co-Chief Investigator Dr. Debashis Sarker, Kings College London. The trials lead site is Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, and it is open for recruitment across several other sites across the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) network. Nxera Pharma holds a license to the results generated. Dr. Alastair Brown, SVP, Future Therapeutic Strategy at Nxera Pharma, commented: We are encouraged by the robust safety profile and promising results from the completed Phase 1 study of our novel EP4 antagonist HTL0039732 in cancer patients whose tumors are resistant or refractory to standard therapy. Although this was a small trial, we are pleased to see excellent tolerability alongside clinical and pharmacodynamic activity, that all compares very favourably with other drugs acting with the same mechanism. Radiological responses in otherwise immunotherapy-resistant tumors demonstrate a potential to improve on current treatments and these data have enabled our partner CRUK to advance HTL732 into the Phase 2 expansion part of the trial in a more-defined group of solid tumors. We believe data to date keeps HTL732 on track for the potential to be best-in-class amongst other drugs with this mechanism of action and look forward to sharing further updates as the trial progresses. Details of the ePoster: Title: Cancer Research UK first-in-human (FIH) phase I/IIa trial of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptor 4 (EP4) antagonist HTL0039732 (HTL) as monotherapy and in combination with immunotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumours Cancer Research UK first-in-human (FIH) phase I/IIa trial of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptor 4 (EP4) antagonist HTL0039732 (HTL) as monotherapy and in combination with immunotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumours Authors: B. Basu et al. B. Basu et al. Abstract number: 948P (click here for link to abstract on ESMO website) END About HTL0039732 (NXE0039732) HTL732 is an oral small molecule drug candidate designed using Nxeras NxWave platform to block signalling through the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-type prostanoid receptor 4 (EP4). PGE2 acts in the tumor microenvironment to trigger cancer cells to evade the immune system. Targeting EP4 to block the effects of PGE2 increases the ability of the immune system to detect and control cancer cells and makes HTL0039732 a potential candidate to treat patients with cancers that generally do not respond well to current immunotherapies. About Nxera Pharma Nxera Pharma is a technology powered biopharma company, in pursuit of new specialty medicines to improve the lives of patients with unmet needs in Japan and globally. We have built an agile, new-generation commercial business in Japan to develop and commercialize innovative medicines, including several launched products, to address this high value, large and growing market and those in the broader APAC region. Behind that, and powered by our unique NxWave discovery platform, we are advancing an extensive pipeline of over 30 active programs from discovery through to late clinical stage internally and in partnership with leading pharma and biotech companies. This pipeline of potentially first- and best-in-class candidates is focused on addressing major unmet needs in some of the fastest-growing areas of medicine across obesity and metabolic disorders, neurology/neuropsychiatry and immunology and inflammation. Nxera employs approximately 400 talented people at key locations in Tokyo and Osaka (Japan), London and Cambridge (UK), Basel (Switzerland) and Seoul (South Korea) and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565). For more information, please visit www.nxera.life LinkedIn: @NxeraPharma | X: @NxeraPharma | YouTube: @NxeraPharma About the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development Cancer Research UK has an impressive record of developing novel treatments for cancer. The Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development has been pioneering the development of new cancer treatments for 30 years, taking over 170 potential new anti-cancer agents into clinical trials in patients. Six of these new agents have made it to market, including temozolomide for brain cancer, abiraterone for prostate cancer and rucaparib for ovarian cancer. Two other drugs are in late development Phase 3 trials. Thirteen agents remain in active development with the potential to reach the market. It currently has a portfolio of 16 projects in preclinical development, Phase 1 or early Phase 2 clinical trials. www.cruk.org.uk/cdd Enquiries: Nxera Media and Investor Relations Shinya Tsuzuki, VP, Head of Investor Relations Shinichiro Nishishita, VP Investor Relations, Head of Regulatory Disclosures Maya Bennison, Communications Manager +81 (0)3 5210 3399 | +44 (0)1223 949390 |IR@Nxera.life MEDiSTRAVA (for International Media) Mark Swallow, Frazer Hall, Erica Hollingsworth +44 (0)203 928 6900 | Nxera@medistrava.com Forward-looking statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development, and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Nxera Pharma Groups actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Auckland City, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The blockchain industry is once again at a turning point. Institutional investors continue to drive momentum behind bitcoin ETFs, while coins like DOGE, XRP, and TON are leading the charge in revenue and market sentiment. With opportunity, however, comes greater scrutiny; users are seeking legit platforms offering transparency, sustainability, and proven profitability. In this fast-maturing ecosystem, RockToken is positioning itself as a beacon of authenticity, combining green innovation, audited performance, and actual yield generation to reestablish trust and stability in a market long dominated by speculation. RockToken: The New Standard of Legitimacy in a Market Built on Promises In an era where platforms emerge overnight and disappear just as fast, RockToken has attained something that few others in the blockchain space have: gaining legitimacy by demonstrating it, and not through hype. Beyond compliance, the project backs its credibility with blockchain audits, real-time performance dashboards, and smart contracts that run without manual effort, proving that digital asset operations can be both transparent and rewarding. While other crypto projects continue to lose trust under regulatory pressure, RockToken has taken a different turn. It focuses on genuine partnerships with its users, keeps its data open for anyone to see, and builds profit from real transparency. With over 10,000 users already on board, its fast becoming the benchmark for legitimacy in the decentralized world. Profitability Meets Sustainability: Redefining Value RockToken keeps showing that legitimacy doesnt have to choose between profits and sustainability. It brings together strong results with flexible contracts that anyone can easily check and verify on the blockchain. Whether someones just starting out or already running large operations, the platforms options fit every level, offering returns of up to 3.5%. All the plans are fully automated, hardware-free, and anchored to legitimacy, providing users with a secure gateway and guaranteed daily payouts, withdrawable every 24 hours. Explore the full range of RockTokens plans The RockToken ecosystem isnt dependent on personal incomes only. It has a 2-tier affiliate program that promotes long-term network rewards. Direct referrals are rewarded with a 6% commission, while second-level referrals get a 3% commission. This two-stream revenue approach adds depth and sustainability, helping users earn through performance as well as community development. RockTokens profitability is balanced with environmentally friendly policies, which indicate the willingness to have cleaner blockchain operations. All the computing power is optimized with effective algorithms, wastage is minimized, and rewards maximized. Octobers Crypto Pulse: The Rise of Legit Platforms October 2025 is shaping up to be a real turning point. The market feels shaky, prices jump one week and flatten the next, and a lot of investors just want something steady. Many are done with paying huge electricity bills or renting loud, power-hungry machines that barely turn a profit. Thats where RockToken stands out. With a $30 million fundraising goal and a Phase 2 pre-sale running from September 2025 to February 2026, the project shows its not chasing short-term buzz its building for lasting growth. Right now, RockCoin (ROCK) trades at about $0.0000015. Its small, sure, but it carries weight inside the RockToken ecosystem. Every token helps connect stakers and affiliates into one shared system where rewards and transparency actually match. With a clear vesting plan and a mainnet launch coming early 2026, RockToken is quietly proving that legitimacy can still exist in a space full of overpromises. About RockToken Established in 2020, RockToken is a blockchain-powered ecosystem that combines advanced technology with tokenized growth strategies. The company offers 24/7 access to its dashboard, instant withdrawals with no manual action required, and enterprise-grade security, ensuring that both beginners and professionals can participate smoothly. By establishing its ecosystem through roadmap milestones (20232026) in the form of partnerships, product expansion, and global marketing, RockToken is solidifying its ecosystem and staying open to its community. The futuristic nature of the platform creates a bridge between profitability and responsibility and reinvents the meaning of legitimacy in the blockchain age. FINAL TAKE: A New Standard in Digital Asset Operations As crypto keeps growing, legitimacy is slowly becoming the real currency of trust. RockToken has stepped right into that space not just to follow the trend, but to raise the bar. Its built on three things the industry desperately needs: transparency, profit that actually makes sense, and practices that dont drain the planet. Today, with its verified contracts and a clear roadmap stretching all the way to 2026, RockToken feels less like another short-term project and more like a shift toward sustainable digital finance. In a market where most people are still searching for a legit platform they can count on, RockToken is offering what few others can really prove, not promises. Now is the time to take part in a project thats not only creating crypto value but also building trust. Start your legit journey, and take part in shaping the next chapter of blockchain prosperity. Attachment WUHU, China, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From October 17 to 20, 2025, the 'Innovation Defining the Future' JETOUR JMA Global Media Alliance Tech Tour was held in Wuhu, Anhui Province. Media representatives from around the world visited JETOURs headquarters to participate in a series of immersive activities, including technology exhibitions, product co-creation workshops, and test drives. The program provided global guests with an in-depth look at JETOURs innovation journey and the latest advancements in hybrid technology. Global Innovation Conference: Showcasing New "Premium Hybrid Off-Road" Breakthroughs During the event, global media attended the InnovationDefining the Future Global Innovation Conference 2025. They gained extensive insights into groups advancements in off-road, hybrid, and intelligent. JETOUR also presented its technological breakthroughs and product portfolio under the "Travel+" strategy. JETOUR highlighted the Generation of All-terrain Intelligent Architecture (GAIA). It has been optimized for typical off-road conditions, significantly enhancing the vehicles off-road capability and adaptability across various terrains. The G700 the brand's first premium off-road vehicle built on the GAIA architecture was a key focus for media. Equipped with front and rear differential locks and an electronic virtual center lock, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and wades up to 970 mm, positioning it as a top solution in hybrid off-road. Global Media Co-Creation: In-Depth Dialogue From Technology to Market Throughout the event, global media engaged in discussions on "Building a Hybrid Off-Road Technology Brand" and "Gaining Strong User Acceptance in the Premium Off-Road Segment", contributing valuable input to JETOURs global development. Mr. Yan Jun, Executive Vice President of JETOUR International, expressed his gratitude: JETOURs globalization is made possible by the support of our media partners worldwide. We sincerely appreciate their role in sharing the spirit of Travel+ with users globally. With the global debut of the G700, JETOUR is redefining the premium hybrid off-road experience, delivering innovative mobility solutions and expanding its global footprint. Through close collaboration with international media, JETOUR is strengthening its position in the premium hybrid off-road segment and advancing its vision to become the worlds leading hybrid off-road brand. Company: JETOUR Auto Website: https://www.jetour.com.cn/ City: Wuhu Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e71a30a-9840-4302-a58f-795a76bf9121 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a22b9cf3-c386-4de9-9b5b-1457d16abcce https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a74e3d49-e314-409a-b18f-1a1c3dfb0742 QINGDAO, China, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On October 18, 2025, the 67th (Autumn 2025) National Pharmaceutical Machinery Exposition & 2025 (Autumn) China International Pharmaceutical Machinery Exposition successfully concluded its three-day run at Qingdao Cosmopolitan Exposition. Organized by Hainan Jing-Bo-Xin Exhibition Co., Ltd., the event attracted 1,661 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions and over 60,000 professional visitors. Photo: A scene from the exhibition Under the theme "Gathering Global Wisdom, Equipping the Future", the exposition showcased the latest advancements in pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, and health product manufacturing. Leading companies chose the event to debut new technologies, highlighting the industry's trend toward intelligent and sustainable solutions. During the event, precision business matchmaking yielded significant results. International procurement delegations from countries including Vietnam and Malaysia, along with leading domestic pharmaceutical companies such as Yantai Dongcheng Pharmaceutical, engaged in in-depth discussions with high-quality exhibitors through one-on-one matchmaking sessions, reaching substantial cooperation intentions. Across the 150,000-square-meter exhibition area featuring 9,161 booths, procurement negotiations maintained strong momentum, fully demonstrating robust market demand and vibrant industry activity. A series of professional forums provided deep industry insights. The "Innovation-Driven, Equipment Breakthrough-the Development Path of Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement in Chinas Pharmaceutical Industry Forum" addressed cost reduction strategies, while the "Biopharmaceutical Processes and Equipment Development Seminar" explored emerging technologies. Throughout the event, 62 technical exchange sessions attracted over 1,300 participants, facilitating knowledge sharing on critical topics including API, preparation, digitalization, biopharmaceuticals, and regulatory updates. The exposition also marked an evolution in collaboration models, with the organizer emphasizing a shift from traditional service provision to mutual value creation and partnership development between exhibitors and buyers. Although the grand event in Qingdao has come to an end, the connections made, innovations showcased, and insights gained are expected to drive continued growth in the pharmaceutical equipment sector. The organizer extends sincere gratitude to all participants and looks forward to welcoming the industry again at the 2026 Spring Pharmaceutical Machinery Exposition. Company: Hainan Jing-Bo-Xin Exhibition Co., Ltd. Contact Person: Mingyang LI Email: limingyang@cipm-expo.com Website: http://en.cipm-expo.com/ Telephone: 13910398688 City: Beijing A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9f0ebbf1-ac35-4922-85e3-4cd68f2dd99a Dublin, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Traditional API, HP-API, Biologics) by Synthesis (Synthetic, Biotech), Drug, Application, Workflow, and Region with Growth Forecasts, 2025-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Middle East active pharmaceutical ingredient CDMO market size was estimated at USD 7.54 Billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 11.64 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.58% from 2025 to 2033. The market is driven by the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, a focus on generic and biosimilar drugs, and significant technological advancements. Supportive government policies, investment in pharmaceutical infrastructure, and streamlined regulatory processes further stimulate domestic and international players to expand operations in the region. In addition, the shifting preference of pharmaceutical companies toward outsourcing complex manufacturing processes rather than investing heavily in in-house capabilities is also one of the factors contributing to the market growth. Outsourcing these activities helps pharmaceutical companies to focus more resources on innovation, clinical research, and market expansion. These factors reduce financial risks, shorten development timelines, and allow for faster scalability, which is particularly valuable in a region where healthcare demand is rising rapidly. Furthermore, global players are showing increasing interest in entering the Middle Eastern market due to its strategic geographic location, which offers access to both developed and emerging economies, making it an attractive hub for pharmaceutical trade and distribution. Furthermore, increasing government initiatives aimed at strengthening local drug manufacturing to ensure regional supply security are also one of the factors fueling the market growth. Several countries in the region are prioritizing domestic production capabilities to reduce dependence on imports and improve access to essential medicines. This has opened opportunities for CDMOs that can provide advanced technologies and regulatory expertise to support local firms. In parallel, a growing number of collaborations and joint ventures between multinational pharmaceutical companies and regional players are accelerating knowledge transfer and boosting overall manufacturing capacity. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Report Segmentation This report forecasts revenue growth at regional and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2021 to 2033. For this study, the analyst has segmented the Middle East active pharmaceutical ingredient CDMO market report based on product, synthesis, drug, application, workflow, and country. Companies Featured The leading players profiled in this Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO market report include: Cambrex Corporation Recipharm AB Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. CordenPharma International Samsung Biologics Lonza Catalent, Inc Siegfried Holding AG Piramal Pharma Solutions Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 150 Forecast Period 2025 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2025 $7.54 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $11.64 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.5% Regions Covered Middle East Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope Chapter 2. Executive Summary 2.1. Market Outlook 2.2. Segment Snapshot 2.3. Competitive Landscape Snapshot Chapter 3. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Variables, Trends, & Scope 3.1. Market Lineage Outlook 3.2. Market Dynamics 3.3. Technological Landscape 3.4. Pricing Model Analysis 3.5. Supply Chain Analysis 3.6. Market Analysis Tools Chapter 4. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis 4.1. Segment Dashboard 4.2. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Product Movement Analysis 4.4. Traditional Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (Traditional API) 4.5. Highly Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (HP-API) 4.6. Biologics Chapter 5. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Synthesis Estimates & Trend Analysis 5.1. Segment Dashboard 5.2. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Synthesis Movement Analysis 5.3. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Size & Trend Analysis, by Synthesis, 2021 to 2033 5.4. Synthetic 5.5. Biotech Chapter 6. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Drug Estimates & Trend Analysis 6.1. Segment Dashboard 6.2. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Drug Movement Analysis 6.3. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Size & Trend Analysis, by Drug, 2021 to 2033 6.4. Innovative 6.5. Generics Chapter 7. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis 7.1. Segment Dashboard 7.2. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Application Movement Analysis 7.3. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Size & Trend Analysis, by Application, 2021 to 2033 7.4. Oncology 7.5. Hormonal 7.6. Glaucoma 7.7. Cardiovascular disease 7.8. Diabetes 7.9. Others Chapter 8. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Workflow Estimates & Trend Analysis 8.1. Segment Dashboard 8.2. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Workflow Movement Analysis 8.3. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market Size & Trend Analysis, by Workflow, 2021 to 2033 8.4. Clinical 8.5. Commercial Chapter 9. Middle East Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient CDMO Market: Country Estimates & Trend Analysis 9.1. Regional Market Dashboard 9.2. Regional Market Snapshot 9.3. Market Size, & Forecasts Trend Analysis, 2021 to 2033: 9.4. Saudi Arabia 9.5. UAE 9.6. Kuwait 9.7. Oman 9.8. Qatar Chapter 10. Competitive Landscape 10.1. Company Categorization 10.2. Company Market Share Analysis, 2024 10.3. Company Profiles Cambrex Corporation Recipharm AB Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. CordenPharma International Samsung Biologics Lonza Catalent, Inc Siegfried Holding AG Piramal Pharma Solutions Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h2idxl About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Munich (Germany), Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DYWIDAG Systems International (DYWIDAG) have signed an agreement to sell 100% of its shares in TAM Groupe (the Company), a French market leader in manufacturing and distribution of chemical products, fixing and lifting systems, and accessories for the construction market, to Private Assets SE & Co. KGaA (Private Assets). The transaction is subject to closing conditions and is expected to close by early December 2025. Hugh Pelham, CEO of DYWIDAG comments We extend our sincere thanks to the entire TAM Groupe organization. We believe along with TAM Groupes President Joanne Cooke - and her management team, that we have positioned the company for future growth. We are confident that Private Assets is best positioned to lead TAM Groupe forward in its next chapter. Dr. Bjorn Schlosser, President / Managing Director of Private Assets Francs S.A.S, adds We are pleased to welcome TAM Groupe in our portfolio as PA's third investment in France. We are looking forward to working together with the management team and the employees to further strengthen TAM's market position. About TAM Groupe Founded in France in 1960, with the integration of three market leading brands in the early 2000s (Technique Beton, Arteon, Mandelli Setra) TAM Groupe is specialized in the manufacturing and selling of chemical products for construction, lifting & fixing accessories for prefabricated elements and accessories for reinforced concrete. About Private Assets Private Assets SE & Co. KGaA is a Hamburg-based investment company specialising in the majority takeover of companies in special situations. The shares are traded on the m:access of the Munich Stock Exchange and on the open market of the Hamburg and Berlin Stock Exchange under the securities identification number A3H223. Private Assets prefers to invest in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies as well as companies with unresolved succession issues. About DYWIDAG Founded in Germany in 1865, DYWIDAG is a private equity backed global market leader in the provision of geotechnical products, post-tensioning and stay cable systems, that is focused primarily on the infrastructure and energy markets. TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Tide Resources Corp. (High Tide or the Company) (CSE: HTRC) is pleased to provide an update on activities at its flagship Labrador West Iron Ore Project located in the prolific southern Labrador Trough. The Company has recently shipped approximately 5.6 tonnes of coarse reject drill core samples from its 2022 drill campaign for beneficiation and metallurgical testing. The testwork will focus on producing a Direct Reduction (DR) grade pellet, an increasingly sought-after sale product in low-carbon steelmaking. The samples have been delivered to Studiengesellschaft fur Eisenerzaufbereitung GmbH & Co. KG (SGA) in Germany, which will conduct the testwork. Founded in 1922, SGA is a globally recognized service and research centre specializing in iron ore beneficiation, pelletizing, sintering, and metallurgical testing. Operated as a joint venture of the German steel industry, SGA provides industry-leading facilities, technical expertise, and decades of experience in the processing of iron ore feedstock for blast furnace and direct reduction applications. Steve Roebuck, Director & CEO of High Tide states; This represents an important milestone for the Company and its Labrador West Iron Ore Project. The results from this testwork will form a critical input to the upcoming PEA, paving the way for swift project advancement. Beneficiation and Metallurgical Testwork This work aims to test the ability of the Labrador West deposit to produce a DR-grade pellet product while maximizing iron recovery and lowering deleterious elements to within specifications required by major steel producers. The DR-grade pellets will also be tested to confirm their performance in the Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) process. The upcoming testwork program will include, crushing and grinding to liberate the iron minerals and mineral separation using magnetic separation, gravity separation and froth flotation. Future metallurgical testing will use proven technologies that rely on natural gas as the main energy source and reductant. In addition, the DR-grade concentrate, and pellets will be tested in next-generation green iron processes that use hydrogen as a clean energy source and reductant. Labrador West Iron Project The Labrador West Iron Project hosts a NI 43-101 inferred iron resource of 655 Mt @ 28.84% Fe and is comprised of one mineral licence (99 mineral claims), 2,475 hectares in size. The area was explored and drilled by Rio Tinto Exploration from 2010 to 2012, and then by High Tide Resources in 2020 & 2022. To date, approximately 7,500 m of core in 27 completed holes has been drilled on the property. Located less than 20 kilometres northeast of Labrador City, the Project is proximal to all the critical infrastructure required to explore and develop a major new iron deposit in the heart of the southern Labrador Trough. Experience by major producers operating in the Labrador Trough indicates that hematite and magnetite in this geological setting are readily recoverable using modern, industry standard beneficiation methods, that produce high purity, desirable iron concentrates. Iron and the Western Labrador Trough Infrastructure Advantage The Labrador Trough of western Labrador and adjoining Quebec constitutes Canadas primary iron producing district and is host to world-class deposits that have been mined for more than half a century. These have produced over 2 billion tonnes of iron ore to date and are considered to have very significant growth potential. The high quality of the deposits in the region allows for a wide range in product diversity, which includes premium fines, concentrate and pellet grades. The Property is strategically located near the mining communities of Wabush and Labrador City in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador and Fermont in Quebec. The area is home to Champion Iron Ores Bloom Lake Mine, ArcelorMittals Mont-Wright Mine, Tacora Resources Scully Mine, and Rio Tinto IOCs Carol Lake Mine. The Wabush and Labrador City region is very well served with skilled labour and a highway as well as access to abundant low-cost hydroelectricity and a common carrier railway. The railway has 80 million tonnes per year of capacity for transport of iron products to the deep-water port of Sept Isles, Quebec, which provides year-round access to global markets. About High Tide High Tide is focused on and committed to the development of mineral projects critical to infrastructure development using industry best practices combined with a strong social license from local communities. High Tide owns a 100% interest in the Labrador West Iron Project which hosts a NI 43-101 Inferred iron resource of 655 Mt @ 28.84% Fe and is located adjacent to IOCCs Carol Lake Mine in Labrador City, NL. This resource is exposed at surface and was pit constrained for an open-pit mining scenario. The Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on April 6, 2023 and was authored by Ryan Kressall M.Sc., P.Geo, Matthew Herrington, M.Sc., P.Geo, Catharine Pelletier, P.Eng. and Jeffrey Cassoff P.Eng. The Company also owns a 100% interest in the Lac Pegma copper-nickel-cobalt deposit located 50 kilometres southeast of Fermont, Quebec. Further details on the Company, including a NI 43-101 technical report on the Labrador West Iron property can be found on the Companys website at www.hightideresources.com. Qualified Person The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Steve Roebuck, P.Geo., Director, President and CEO of High Tide, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects." For further information, please contact: Steve Roebuck Director, President & CEO Email: sroebuck@hightideresources.com Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward looking information This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, developing the Labrador West Iron Project into the next producer , the acquisition of low cost and potentially high reward lithium projects, the ability to keep exploration costs low, expected access to regional lithium processing hubs, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: commodity prices supply chain disruptions, restrictions on labour and workplace attendance and local and international travel, failure to receive requisite approvals in respect of the foregoing, failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. Dublin, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Market Opportunity, Proprietary Technologies Platforms & Clinical Trials Insight 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report is intended to give stakeholders a holistic overview of the changing TIL therapy landscape, touching on clinical development, active industry players, technological advancements, and market projections. This report investigates the current trend of ongoing and emerging clinical trials and identifies the most promising pipeline candidates that have the potential to be next-generation oncology treatments. Report Finding & Highlights: Global & Regional Market Outlook Global Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Market Opportunity: > US$1 Billion Number Of Approved Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy: 1 Therapy Approved Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Dosage, Pricing & Sales Insight Number Of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapies in Clinical Trials: > 30 Therapies Global Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapies Clinical Trials By Company, Indication & Phase Proprietary Technologies Insight By Companies Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Need & Why This Report? Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy (TIL) therapy has proven to be one of the most promising treatments for solid tumors, particularly in patients who are no longer responsive to conventional treatments like checkpoint inhibitors. In contrast to other conventional immunotherapies, TIL therapy leverages a patient's own tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, already cancer antigen experienced immune cells, to execute a specific, individualized immune response. This treatment is especially relevant for melanoma and other late-stage cancers when alternatives are exhausted and prognoses unfavorable. Recent US approval in February 2024 of Amtagvi (lifileucel), i.e., the only globally approved TIL therapy to date, has moved commercial interest and scientific impetus in the field ahead at an accelerated pace. Clinical Trials Insight Included In Report Data in this section includes specifically trial stages, sponsors, geographical distribution, technology providers, collaborators and license holders. For example, in China, Bennu Biotherapeutics is running a Phase I trial of BEN-101 in solid tumors under the auspices of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In the US, a number of academic institutions and biotechnology companies are conducting early-stage trials extending TIL therapy to indications such as cervical, lung, and head and neck cancers. The data indicate an increasing global interest in TIL research, with the US, China, Australia, and regions of Europe leading trial activity. Leading Companies Engaged In R&D Of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Apart from Iovance Biotherapeutics, the global standard setter with its lifileucel product, other players such as Juncell Therapeutics (China), Biosyngen (Singapore), SunAct Cancer Institute (India), and Instil Bio (US) are also seriously involved in TIL R&D. These companies are not merely trying to broaden the therapeutic applications of TIL therapy but also to overcome the several key challenges in scalability, affordability, and access to patients. Academic research hospitals like the National Cancer Centre Singapore and Loma Linda University Cancer Center in the US are also playing active roles through funded pilot programs and institutional partnerships. Technology Platforms, Collaborations & Agreements The report indicates a trend towards unified technology platforms that simplify the TIL therapy life cycle. Creative Biolabs, for example, provides an end-to-end platform for the profiling of tumor neoantigens and expansion of TILs. Additionally, Xcell Biosciences Australia has partnered with Royal Perth Hospital to establish an automated production process through the AVATART Foundry system. Numerous licensing deals and cross-border collaborations are also accelerating innovation, such as the partnership between Malaysia's Abgentil Biomedical and India's SunAct Cancer Institute to localize manufacturing and access. Report Indicating Future Direction Of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Segment From trial results, company activity, and investment in infrastructure, the report determines that the TIL therapy market is poised for explosive growth. As Amtagvi became the first proven product, the market now is transitioning from academic and experimental to more extensive clinical use and commercialization. Important future trends are shorter manufacturing times, growth into non-melanoma indications, regional manufacturing centers, and middle-income country pricing models. The coming years are expected to witness a shift from an individual-product market to a multi-player, competitive ecosystem providing various TIL solutions globally. Key Topics Covered: 1. Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL): A Brief Introduction 1.1 Overview 1.2 TIL History & Concept 2. Emergence Of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy 2.1 Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes As Prognostic Biomarkers 2.2 Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Combinational Approach 3. Amtagvi - First Approved Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy 3.1 Overview & Patent Insight 3.2 Dosage & Price Analysis 3.3 Sales Analysis 4. Global Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Market Overview 4.1 Current Market Scenario 4.2 Future Opportunities 5. Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Development Trends By Region 5.1 US 5.2 Canada 5.3 China 5.4 UK 5.5 EU 6. Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Approaches By Cancer 6.1 Melanoma 6.2 Lung Cancer 6.3 Breast Cancer 6.4 Gastrointestinal Cancers (Colorectal Cancer, Gastric Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Hepatocellular Carcinoma) 6.5 Gynecological Cancers (Ovarian Cancer, Uterine/ Endometrial Cancer, Cervical Cancer) 6.6 Genitourinary Cancers (Bladder/Urothelial Carcinoma, Renal Cell, Prostate Cancer) 6.7 Head & Neck Cancers 6.8 Brain Cancers 7. Global Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Market Dynamics 7.1 Market Drivers & Opportunities 7.2 Market Challenges & Restraints 8. Global Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Trials Overview 8.1 By Breakthrough & Fast Track Status 8.2 By Country 8.3 By Company 8.4 By Indication 8.5 By Phase 8.6 By Orphan Status 9. Global Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapies Clinical Trials By Company, Indication & Phase 9.1 Research 9.2 Preclinical 9.3 Phase-0 9.4 Phase-I 9.5 Phase-I/II 9.6 Phase-II 9.7 Phase-III 10. Marketed Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapies Clinical Pipeline By Company, Indication & Phase 11. Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Therapy Proprietary Technologies Insight By Companies 12. Competitive Landscape 12.1 Adaptimmune 12.2 AgonOx 12.3 GRIT Biotechnology 12.4 ImmuneCyte 12.5 Intima Bioscience 12.6 Iovance Biotherapeutics 12.7 Juncell Therapeutics 12.8 Leman Biotech 12.9 Obsidian Therapeutics 12.10 RootPath For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/82mhuw About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "China Serviced Apartment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Type (Long-Term (>30 Nights), Short-Term (<30 Nights)), End Use (Corporate/Business Traveler, Leisure Travelers), Booking Mode, and Growth Forecasts, 2025-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. China's serviced apartment market size was estimated at USD 8.39 Billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 22.92 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 13.4% from 2025 to 2033. China's robust urbanization and rising long-term rental tenants form a key driver for the China serviced apartment industry. The shift in the increased number of long-term tenants stems from continuous rural-to-urban migration, housing affordability challenges in Tier-1/2 cities, and growing preference for rental flexibility, which in turn is expected to drive the growth of the China serviced apartment market during the forecast period. In this context, serviced apartments, offering a home-like setting with business-oriented services, gain appeal among young professionals and business travelers. For instance, international brands such as Ascott have expanded their "matrix" of serviced-apartment offerings in Chengdu, complementing hotel infrastructure with facilities for extended stays. The intersection of rapid urban influx and long-term rental dynamics reinforces demand for professionally managed, high-standard serviced accommodations. The accelerating adoption of branded long-term rentals and growing capital inflow are additional drivers of the China serviced apartment industry. This underscores both investor enthusiasm and tenant preference for standardized, professionally managed offerings. Moreover, alternative real-estate asset classes such as long-term rentals, including serviced apartments, have drawn increased attention from sovereign funds and pension investors. The combination of rising branded penetration and investment capital creates a virtuous cycle: operators can scale faster, offer consistent quality, and build consumer trust, further driving the growth of the China serviced apartment market. Another strong trend shaping the China serviced apartment market is the rise of remote work, digital nomadism, and "work-cation" behavior. Globally, flexible remote working arrangements have spurred demand for furnished residences that combine home-like comfort with functional workspace, high-speed internet, and flexible booking terms. The flexibility and convenience inherent in serviced apartments cater to remote workers who seek a quality living experience and seamless work infrastructure without the rigidity of leases or conventional hotel stays. China Serviced Apartment Market Report Segmentation This report forecasts revenue growth at the country's level and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2021 to 2033. For this study, the analyst has segmented the China serviced apartment market report based on type, end use, and booking mode. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 90 Forecast Period 2025 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2025 $8.39 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $22.92 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 13.4% Regions Covered China Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope Chapter 2. Executive Summary 2.1. Market Snapshot 2.2. Segment Outlook 2.3. Competitive Landscape Snapshot Chapter 3. China Serviced Apartment Market Variables and Trends 3.1. Market Introduction 3.2. Industry Value Chain Analysis 3.3. Market Dynamics 3.4. Industry Analysis Tools 3.5. Market Entry Strategies Chapter 4. China Serviced Apartment Market: Type Estimates & Trend Analysis 4.1. China Serviced Apartment Market, by Type: Key Takeaways 4.2. Type Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2024 & 2033 4.3. Market Estimates & Forecasts, by Type, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 4.3.1. Long-Term (>30 Nights) 4.3.2. Short-Term (< 30 Nights) Chapter 5. China Serviced Apartment Market: End Use Estimates & Trend Analysis 5.1. China Serviced Apartment Market, by End Use: Key Takeaways 5.2. End Use Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2024 & 2033 5.3. Market Estimates & Forecasts, by End Use, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 5.3.1. Corporate/Business Traveler 5.3.2. Leisure Travelers 5.3.3. Expats and Relocators Chapter 6. China Serviced Apartment Market: Booking Mode Estimates & Trend Analysis 6.1. China Serviced Apartment Market, by Booking Mode: Key Takeaways 6.2. Booking Mode Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2024 & 2033 6.3. Market Estimates & Forecasts, by Booking Mode, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 6.3.1. Direct Booking 6.3.2. Online Travel Agencies 6.3.3. Corporate Contracts Chapter 7. China Serviced Apartment Market: Competitive Analysis 7.1. Recent Developments & Impact Analysis by Key Market Participants 7.2. Company Categorization 7.3. Participant's Overview 7.4. Financial Performance 7.5. Service Benchmarking 7.6. Company Market Share Analysis, 2024 (%) 7.7. Company Heat Map Analysis, 2024 7.8. Strategy Mapping 7.9. Company Profiles The Ascott Limited Frasers Hospitality Oakwood Marriott International, Inc. Shama Jinqiao Incorporated Company Base Apartment Group Lanson Place Hospitality Stanford Residences (K. Wah Group) IFC Residence (Sun Hung Kai Properties) For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qmkpar About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment OTTAWA, Ontario, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) and more than 60 credit union leaders from across the country will gather on Parliament Hill today for CCUA's annual Hike the Hill advocacy event. During meetings with MPs, Senators, and senior government officials, credit union representatives will urge two practical policy reforms to strengthen competition, expand consumer choice, and lower costs for Canadians. "Credit unions are among the few competitors in a banking sector dominated by a handful of massive institutions," said Jeff Guthrie, President and CEO of CCUA. "Smart, practical reforms can help level the playing field and give Canadians more competitive financial options." The discussions will focus on two achievable federal actions: Streamline the federal continuance process Since 2012, provincially regulated credit unions have had the option to transition to a federal charter, allowing them to operate nationally. However, the process has become lengthy, complex, and costly often taking six or more years. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) can make this pathway more efficient and transparent, enabling more credit unions to expand across Canada and enhance competition. Amend the Competition Act to support credit union consolidation While bank and other federal financial institutions' mergers deemed by the Minister of Finance to be in the public interest are exempt from challenge by the federal Competition Bureau, credit union mergers are not eligible for such exemption. A minor amendment to the Competition Act to allow credit union mergers deemed in the public interest by a federal or provincial Minister of Finance to receive a similar exemption would help ensure equitable treatment under the Act and enable credit unions to achieve the scale needed to compete effectively with banks and fintechs. Credit union mergers are already subject to rigorous oversight and approval by provincial regulators and member-owners, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the process. These reforms align with the federal government's renewed focus on increasing competition in key sectors such as banking, telecom, and retail. "By modernizing outdated federal rules, the government can help strengthen local, community-based competition in financial services across Canada," added Guthrie. CCUA and credit union leaders look forward to working collaboratively with the government to advance these and other pro-competition, pro-consumer reforms that reflect the cooperative spirit and commitment to community shared by Canada's credit unions. For media inquiries: Canadian Credit Union Association Email: communications@ccua.com About the Canadian Credit Union Association The Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) is the national trade association for Canada's credit unions and caisses populaires, excluding the Desjardins Group. Canada's 169 credit unions and caisses populaires (excluding Desjardins) are leaders in small-business lending and hold $315 billion in assets. Learn more at www.ccua.com. Jacksonville, Florida, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Everything Blockchain Inc. (OTC: EBZT), a public company developing artificial intelligence powered financial technology that makes earning income from stablecoins simple and accessible, today announced two major initiatives to strengthen the company and accelerate the launch of its flagship platform, CloverMint. CEO of Everything Blockchain Inc. Arthur Rozenberg has offered a personal line of credit of up to $300,000 to the company, providing immediate, non-dilutive capital to support operations and advance product development. CloverMint is Everything Blockchains AI-powered platform that enables users to earn passive income from digital assets through automated yield strategies. Everything Blockchain is at a pivotal stage of growth, said Mr. Rozenberg, This credit line reflects my personal belief in what were building and my commitment to seeing CloverMint go live as soon as possible. Our focus is on creating real value for shareholders by delivering a platform that makes earning income from digital assets simple, intelligent, and accessible to everyone. In addition, a major shareholder has voluntarily canceled approximately 11% of the companys outstanding shares, reducing the total share count and increasing ownership value for existing investors. The move underscores strong confidence in Everything Blockchains long-term vision and commitment to building a lean, growth-focused public company. Following this cancellation, Everything Blockchain will have approximately 26 million shares outstanding, a reduction of about 6.5m shares since the beginning of the year. Together, these actions show our shared confidence in where the company is headed, Rozenberg added. We are aligning ownership and capital behind one goal to make Everything Blockchain the public entry point for AI powered finance. CloverMint represents Everything Blockchains vision for intelligent, self-managing finance. It is an AI platform designed to make earning income from stablecoins effortless by automatically finding and compounding the best yield opportunities across the blockchain. By strengthening its capital position and moving quickly toward launch, Everything Blockchain is entering its next phase of growth with CloverMint at the center. The beta version of the CloverMint platform is scheduled to go live this Thursday, marking an important milestone in bringing AI powered income generation to the public. The company invites investors and the broader market to follow its progress as it continues building accessible, intelligent financial technology for the next era of digital assets. About Everything Blockchain Inc. Everything Blockchain Inc. (OTC: EBZT) is a publicly traded company developing the intelligence layer of money. The company builds AI-driven trading infrastructure that analyzes blockchain data, identifies high-quality yield opportunities, and powers market-neutral strategies for institutional and retail participants. Its flagship platform, CloverMint, will bring automated, risk-managed digital income generation to a global audience. For more information, visit www.everythingblockchain.io Media Contact: Investor Relations Everything Blockchain Inc. Email: arthur.rozenberg@everythingblockchain.io Website: www.everythingblockchain.io Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than historical facts are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the development, performance, or expected results of products, models, or strategies described herein; the companys future business plans, objectives, or prospects; and any anticipated financial, operational, or market outcomes. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include, but are not limited to, changes in market conditions, volatility in digital-asset prices, regulatory developments, technology performance, the availability of financing, and other factors described in the companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or OTC Markets disclosures. Any references in this release to model results, backtested data, or theoretical performance (including any percentages or annualized returns) are illustrative only, are not based on actual trading, and should not be regarded as indicative of future performance or results. Past or modeled performance does not guarantee future outcomes, and all investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Everything Blockchain Inc. undertakes no obligation to update, revise, or publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements or performance examples to reflect future events, circumstances, or actual results except as required by law. To give an overview of the 2025 Q3 financial results, LHV Group organised an investor meeting webinar on 21 October. An overview of the company's progress was given by Mihkel Torim, Chairman of the Management Board of LHV Group and Meelis Paakspuu, CFO of LHV Group. Recording of the investor meeting (in Estonian) is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOOlf5NV9oQ Presentation (in English) at: www.lhv.ee/assets/files/investor/LHV_Group_Investoresitlus_2025-Q3_EN.pdf LHV Group is the largest domestic financial group and capital provider in Estonia. LHV Groups key subsidiaries are LHV Pank, LHV Varahaldus, LHV Kindlustus, and LHV Bank Limited. The Group employs over 1,100 people. As at the end of September, the services of LHV Pank are being used by 483,000 customers, the pension funds managed by LHV have 107,000 active customers, and LHV Kindlustus protects a total of 227,000 customers. LHV Bank Limited, a subsidiary of the Group, holds a banking licence in the United Kingdom and provides banking services to international financial technology companies, as well as loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. Investor Relations Sten Hans Jakobsoo Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Development Email: stenhans.jakobsoo@lhv.ee Communications Paul Pihlak Head of Communications Email: paul.pihlak@lhv.ee New York, NY, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mount Sinai Health System hospitals continue to earn top marks for excellence in care, according to new rankings released by Newsweek/Statista: For the sixth straight year, The Mount Sinai Hospital held the top spot in cardiology for both New York State and New York City in the Worlds Best Specialized Hospitals 2026 rankings. The hospital also placed No. 1 in the same rankings for both city and state in gastroenterology and obstetrics/gynecology. The hospital ranked No. 5 in the world and No. 1 in New York City among Worlds Best Smart Hospitals 2026higher than in the 2025 rankings. Mount Sinai Morningside also performed well, placing No. 4 for New York City and No. 30 internationally in the Worlds Best Smart Hospitals 2026 rankings, which recognizes and ranks the 350 leading hospitals from 30 countries. ' Our commitment has always been to serve our patients and our communities, whether that is providing outstanding care or finding answers to some of the biggest health challenges that they face, said Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer, and Professor and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Distinguished Chair, Mount Sinai Health System. We are honored to be recognized for these efforts, all of which are made possible through the combined knowledge, skills, and contributions of our faculty and staff. They are the reason why we are able to perform at the level we do every day. As a health system, we are continually evolving to meet the complex needs of our patients through the highest quality clinical care and patient experience; operational excellence and empowering our workforce and creating a culture of for strong teams to achieve these results, said Margaret Pastuszko, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. These rankings underscore the success of that strategy and the dedication of our teams, who ensure that every patient benefits from the collective strength and innovation of Mount Sinai. I am immensely proud of everyone at these hospitals for their commitment to excellence they have demonstrated which resulted in these rankings, added Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Interim Dean and Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Executive Vice President, Mount Sinai Health System. From the future health care leaders they are training to the innovative, life-changing research they are conducting, our workforce is leading exciting breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment that are enhancing the delivery and impact of care worldwide. New York State health systems have consistently set international standards for excellence in all aspects of care. To see two of the hospitals in our Health System ranked so highly not just among their local peers, but also globally, is an impressive achievement and a testament to the collective efforts of our teams, said David L. Reich, MD, President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Chief Clinical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System. To be recognized locally, nationally, and internationally is a great honor but even more importantly, to make a profound difference in the lives of the patients and the communities we serve, is our reason for being, said Tracy L. Breen, MD, President, Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West. Rankings for Newsweek/Statistas Worlds Best Specialized Hospitals 2026 are based primarily on reputation, which accounts for 85 percent of the total ranking score. For their Worlds Best Smart Hospitals 2026 rankings, reputation accounts for 77.5 percent of the total score. About the Mount Sinai Health System Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our timediscovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 10 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweeks The Worlds Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals and by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals and Best Childrens Hospitals. The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll for 2025-2026. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube. International Society for Human Rights Delegates Meet With Assyrian Patriarch In a timely show of international solidarity, Archbishop Prof. Thomas Schirrmacher, President of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), and Matthias Bohning, ISHR Secretary General, met with His Eminence Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, at the Patriarchate in Damascus. The ISHR President has met several times with the Patriarch since the latter's inauguration in 2014. The visit, occurring just one day after Syria's first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, focused on assessing the precarious situation facing the country's Christian communities and exploring avenues for global support to foster pluralism and equal rights. The meeting came at a pivotal juncture for Syria, following the rapid collapse of Bashar al-Assad's 50-year Ba'athist rule. On December 8, 2024, a lightning offensive by opposition forces led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized Damascus, forcing Assad to flee to Russia and marking the end of over a decade of civil war. Under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former HTS leader, the transitional government has prioritized nation-building, including yesterday's indirect parliamentary elections. These polls, held on October 5, 2025, selected 140 of the 210 seats in the People's Assembly through electoral subcommittees, with the remainder appointed by al-Sharaa. Notably, the process was not direct, excluded certain provinces like Raqqa and Hasakah due to security concerns, and resulted in an all-Sunni, all-male assembly, with no women elected--a stark reflection of the transitional challenges. While many Syrians, including Sunnis, express disappointment over the lack of broader representation, the elections signal a cautious step toward governance reform. Syria's Christian population, once comprising about 10 % of the nation's pre-2011 total of roughly 22 million (around 1.5 million people), has dwindled dramatically to less than 2 %--estimated at 300,000 to 900,000 individuals--due to the civil war, economic collapse, and targeted persecution. Post-regime change, Christians have not faced direct targeting as a group, according to Patriarch Aphrem, though isolated losses occurred during attacks on coastal areas and Druze regions earlier in 2025. Incidents of sectarian violence, including a June church attack and July house burnings, have heightened fears, yet the new leadership has publicly pledged protections and property restorations. Salafist elements remain a tiny minority, but the overarching concern is the absence of pluralism: Christians seek equal citizenship in a civil state, akin to Turkey's secular model, rather than religious governance. During the discussions, Patriarch Aphrem emphasized the shock of the regime's swift fall--achieved in just eight to nine days--and the unrealized expectations for inclusive change. He highlighted tensions between the Idlib-originated ruling faction (numbering 1,000-2,000 core members) and Syria's Sunni business elite, who built major industries abroad, such as in Egypt's textile sector. The Patriarch advocated for international observers to monitor commitments to an open society, including equal rights for women, faiths, and minorities--among them the unbelievably small number of only five or six Jews remaining in Damascus. He stressed that while the new president shows little interest in religious interference, true security lies in protecting all Syrians equally, not isolating Christians under international safeguards. Schools in Kurdish areas remain closed over curriculum disputes, underscoring risks of forceful resolutions that could displace more Christians. Archbishop Schirrmacher, who is also president of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) and a prominent global advocate for religious freedom, reaffirmed ISHR's commitment to Syrian minorities. "The voices of Syria's Christians must not be drowned out in this fragile transition; their call for a pluralistic society echoes the universal human right to equal citizenship," said Schirrmacher. "We stand ready to bridge Europe and Damascus, urging policies that empower local protections over external interventions, ensuring that the promises of liberation translate into lived freedoms for all." ISHR Secretary General Bohning echoed the urgency for structured international action, drawing on the Patriarch's insights into political capacity-building. "With no army left and governance offices still dysfunctional, Syria needs more than observation--it requires targeted support like training programs for Christian and moderate Muslim lay leaders in politics," Bohning stated. "ISHR calls for the establishment of national platforms that foster dialogue, helping believers return and rebuild." The ISHR delegation's visit underscores the organization's ongoing mission to amplify marginalized voices amid geopolitical shifts. It forms part of a series of recent delegation trips to the region by the ISHR leadership and follows personal meetings in Lebanon (among others with Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, the Syriac-Catholic Patriarch) and Northern Iraq/Kurdistan. As Europe grapples with a coherent Syria policy the meeting highlights opportunities for civil society to drive inclusive reforms. During the meeting, Patriarch Aphrem was invited to participate in the upcoming Munich Security Conference in February 2026 by two further members of the ISHR delegation: Raid Gharib, a German-Syrian entrepreneur advocating for minority rights, and Dr. Philipp Hildmann, a Munich-based human rights scholar and ISHR advisor. Top court cracks down on firearms China Daily) 10:07, October 21, 2025 China's top court has reiterated the need to strictly control firearms and explosives, underscoring its judicial commitment to eliminating gun-related hazards and maintaining public security. With the release of six landmark cases, the Supreme People's Court emphasized the importance of cracking down on gun-related offenses, particularly those involving modified weapons. The court urged judges nationwide to protect people's lives and property. "Firearms, ammunition and explosives can escalate criminal activities, leading to major violent incidents and easily causing public panic," the top court said. "It is essential to intensify control over such items and take a tough stance on related offenses." The court said the disclosed cases mainly involved nail guns, noting that the modification of such tools into firearms has become relatively common in some regions in recent years. Several areas have even reported serious injuries caused by these altered devices. A nail gun is a rapid fastening tool used in construction and renovation. It operates by using compressed air, gas from gunpowder or electricity to drive nails, bolts and other fasteners at high speed into materials such as concrete, steel and wood. "However, because nail guns are easy to obtain and modify, a number of individuals have purchased key components to process and assemble them into firearms, posing a serious potential threat to public safety," the court said. In one case, two operators of a hardware store in Qidong, Jiangsu province, were aware of the dangers of attaching metal plates to nail guns but still bought, sold and shipped the modified devices to buyers through an online platform for financial gain. Attaching the plates would allow the guns to fire metal projectiles without needing to press the gun against a hard surface, as they are traditionally used. According to a police investigation, the two individuals bought, sold and mailed 36 nail guns equipped with metal plates, earning a profit of 16,324 yuan ($2,290). All the items processed and sold by the pair were classified as firearms under the law. A court in Qidong found that their actions constituted illegal trafficking and the mailing of firearms. One defendant was sentenced to 11 years in prison and the other to 12 years. "A nail gun will be classified as a firearm under the Criminal Law if it can discharge metal projectiles or other materials without the support of a hard surface, as this capability poses a risk of injury to individuals," the local court said. It added that because the two offenders knowingly engaged in the manufacturing and sale of such dangerous tools despite understanding the potential harm, their actions constituted "serious circumstances" under the law, leading to sentences exceeding 10 years. The Supreme People's Court said the ruling "reflects the judiciary's firm stance against crimes involving firearms and similar tools" and will help prevent gun-related violence, strengthen public safety measures and maintain social stability. While harshly punishing people who commit such crimes, the court also stated that those who illegally collect firearms or related items as a hobby and who have not used them for illegal activities or caused serious consequences may be eligible for leniency if they turn themselves in to authorities. The court also encouraged the public to raise awareness of safety and the rule of law and to promptly report any information involving guns and explosives to the police. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) AMSTERDAM, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anthony Constantino, an alumnus of St. Marys Institute in Amsterdam, NY, will make the largest donation in the schools long history to pay for several innovative additions to the school and fully fund the tuition of 100 students. The plan is to make St. Marys Institute one of the top private schools in America, Constantino said. Parents, especially in New York, need strong alternatives to public schools. Constantino is also encouraging others to follow in sending their children to SMI by paying their own way if possible to further grow enrollment and will help the school further improve fundraising efforts by upgrading the schools web site. We are grateful to Mr. Constantino for this generous gift in service to His Church and for his continued love and support of St. Marys Institute, said St. Marys Institute principal Kayla Bills. Anthony Constantino is an inspirational reminder of the value that our institution has been providing for decades. The Constantino Scholarship will be offered immediately to 50 new students in grades 48 in the community who would like to attend SMI. Sticker Mule will also be offering a scholarship to 50 employee children in grades K8. This effort reflects a shared commitment to expanding Catholic education throughout our community. Constantino will also work with the school on a number of innovative improvements to strengthen SMIs already strong pedagogical foundation. Hell involve members of his team at Sticker Mule to deliver educational improvements that prepare students for the technological renaissance that we are all currently living through. Parents can apply for admission and scholarship at apply@smik8.org . Students from throughout the Capital District are encouraged to apply. Students will be required to submit a current report card and a 100-word essay on Why Do I Want to Attend SMI. Press contact Paul Antonelli paul.antonelli@stickermule.com 518-866-6298 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3fe04aae-8dd8-46c7-ae0b-a51c37c91d12 SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On October 19, the Fifth 2025 North Bund Forum, co-hosted by the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and jointly organized by China Eastern Airlines (CEA) and Shanghai Airport Authority (AVINEX), opened at the Grand Halls in Shanghai. With the theme "Innovation & Intelligence: Shaping Aviation's Next Era", the forum brought together nearly 300 government and industry representatives, as well as experts and scholars worldwide, to discuss new trends in aviation industry development. During the forum, CEA released Global Passenger & Cargo Network Development Achievements. CEA continues to expand its "Aviation+" practice scenarios. In cooperation with the China Center of International Cultural Exchange and Tourism Promotion and the Shanghai Jiushi Group, it launched the China Pass Card for inbound travelers worldwide. The card offers flight discount, in-flight Wi-Fi access, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA)-Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) transfer service, etc. Its coverage will extend various venues nationwide, aiming to build a friendly environment for inbound consumption. The influence of the forum extended to the skies. CEA introduced forum-themed flights on nearly 400 arrivals into Shanghai, and on the October 17 Milan-Shanghai flight, it created an immersive cabin experience, conveying Shanghai's vitality and warmth. Recently, CEA has continued to strengthen Shanghai's role as an international aviation hub. Since 2024, it has opened 23 new medium-haul and long-haul international routes, reaching 21 Belt and Road Initiative partner countries and 36 destinations. By the end of 2025, with the launch of the Shanghai-New Zealand-Argentina route, CEA will become the first airline in China to serve six continents and the carrier with the largest number of international destinations. CEA has also established the Air-Rail Transit Desk and off-site city terminals, building an integrated air-ground travel network across the Yangtze River Delta. In 2024, CEA handled 8.358 million international transfer passengers at PVG 80.9% of the airport's total. In the first half of 2025, the number rose 26.8% year-on-year to 4.8 million, reinforcing the airline's role as a major driver of Pudong's growth as an international aviation hub. Company: China Eastern Airlines Website: http://www.ceair.com/ Contact: fangying TEL: 00862122331470 Email: fangying@ceair.com City: Shanghai Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/514bab8f-a416-4f0b-9d1c-32d42bfebcc2 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/90441a64-7425-4d3d-a8d9-be80db9a17f7 ST. LOUIS, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- &Partners, the advisor- and employee-owned wealth management firm dedicated to reshaping the advisory landscape, announced the addition of its 100th practice, the Mannen Financial Group | &Partners, based in St. Louis. This milestone reaching 100 advisor practices with approximately $50 billion in prehire assets and $350 million in revenue firmly positions &Partners among the fastest-growing hybrid broker-dealer and RIA wealth management firms in the country. We founded &Partners with a bold vision: to create an environment where advisors are empowered as owners, and clients receive truly personalized advice, said David Kowach, CEO and cofounder of &Partners. Welcoming the Mannen Financial Group as our 100th practice is more than just a number. It confirms that advisors are embracing our ownership model and our mission to change financial lives for the better. Advisor ownership drives growth Unlike many of its competitors, &Partners is uniquely structured as an advisor- and employee-owned firm with a broad distribution of equity. Advisors who join become owners, creating alignment across advisors, clients, and the home office team. This shared ownership model has been a powerful driver of &Partners rapid growth helping attract 100 advisor practices in two years. &Partners has a particularly strong track record of attracting women advisors. Thirty percent of the practices who have joined &Partners were founded by a women, and 40% include at least one woman advisor well above the industry average. Elizabeth Mannen Berges, founder of the Mannen Financial Group | &Partners, said: We chose &Partners because their philosophy matches ours: integrity, professionalism, and a relentless focus on the client. The opportunity to be both an advisor and an owner makes this partnership especially meaningful. David Kowach shared, Im delighted that Elizabeth and her team have joined us. Theyre an incredible multigenerational group loyal, respected, and deeply connected to the St. Louis community. Even better, theyre longtime friends. We couldnt be happier to welcome them. A new standard for advisory excellence Founded by seasoned leaders in the advisory and asset management industries, &Partners combines an institutional-quality investment platform with flexible technology and white glove operational support. The firm is intentionally capping growth at approximately 150 advisor teams to preserve its culture of empowerment and avoid the bureaucracy that often undermines larger firms. We are very proud to have Elizabeth, one of the most respected financial advisors in the country, join us. Culturally they are a perfect fit. Our advisors and clients deserve concierge-level service and institutional investment solutions tailored precisely to their needs, said John Alexander, cofounder of &Partners. Kristi Mitchem, also cofounder of &Partners, added, We are building a firm designed to meet advisors and clients where they are, without compromise. At bigger firms, policies often prioritize control over client benefit. Our model is designed for agility and client value creation, ensuring advisors can do whats right without unnecessary barriers. About &Partners &Partners is a rapidly growing wealth management firm built for advisors seeking greater ownership, flexibility, and community. Founded by former Wells Fargo leaders and based in Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri, the firm offers a hybrid model that combines competitive payouts with equity participation, institutional support, and access to a collaborative peer network. Having quickly grown to 100 practices with approximately $50 billion in prehire assets, &Partners provides a platform where advisors can build lasting businesses on their terms without sacrificing service, scale, or culture. Clearing and custody services are provided by National Financial Services LLC, a Fidelity company. Our mission is to change financial lives for the better by providing highly personalized advice that seeks to avoid missteps and optimize opportunities. To learn more, visit andpartners.com. &Partners is the enterprise trade/marketing name for Ampersand Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its subsidiary, &Partners, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker-dealer and investment adviser. Securities and investment advisory services offered through &Partners, LLC, member FINRA and SIPC. Media Contacts: Trevor Wade, &Partners, trevor.wade@andpartners.com, (415) 515-4560 Kate Ennis, DAI Partners PR, ennis@daipartnerspr.com, (301) 580-6726 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e82d25ba-7bef-4657-b4ce-e640bdbf366a https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/523f9025-0277-427f-98ff-0674032075d9 HOUSTON, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aggreko , a global leader in energy solutions, announced that it hosted twenty-five Girl Scouts at its St. Louis Service Center for the STEM Careers in Action event on October 16, 2025. The Cadettes from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri chapter toured Aggrekos facility, met women working as engineers at Aggreko, and tackled an engineering challenge in a STEM-based activity. Following the completion of their visit, the Cadettes earned their STEM Career Exploration Badge. During the visit, the Girl Scout Cadettes had the immersive experience of learning about Aggrekos operations and technologies. Aggrekos engineers showed the Cadettes some of the company's energy generation tools and explained how Aggreko designs them to provide modular energy solutions, and they walked the group through the various functions of an Aggreko Service Center. The Cadettes also took part in a career panel featuring female engineers who explained their Aggreko journeys and answered questions about life in the STEM field. Finally, the Cadettes worked together with the Aggreko engineers on solving an engineering design challenge, receiving hands-on experience of the typical day in the life of an engineer. Providing opportunities for women in STEM is a core part of Aggrekos values, and we were honored to host Cadettes from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri as they worked to earn their STEM Career Exploration Badges, said Yvonne McAnally, Product Leader at Aggreko North America. Our team of women engineers form an essential part of both our St. Louis Service Center and all of Aggreko North America, and we are proud to see them inspire a group of future STEM leaders from an organization as admired as the Girl Scouts. The STEM Career Exploration Badge encourages members of the Girl Scouts to learn more about different careers in STEM fields, from computer science and engineering to natural sciences and agriculture. Activities are available for Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes to earn badges within their levels, and through programs like STEM Careers in Action, Girl Scouts can visit area organizations to learn more about STEM careers through women in relevant fields. To learn more about the important role women have at Aggreko, visit the Aggreko Careers website . To learn more about the Girl Scouts chapter supporting the STEM Careers in Action event, visit Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri . About Aggreko Aggreko is a global leader in energy solutions, providing rapidly deployable, modular power and temperature control solutions for however long theyre needed. Were highly skilled sector specialists, bringing together our proprietary application know-how and engineering capability to deliver efficient, reliable and sustainable energy solutions. With experience of working in the most demanding environments, were available for customers when they need us most, from emergency critical services to longer term energy solutions. Were continually investing in more sustainable products, fuels and services to make greener solutions accessible to customers, helping them wherever they are on their energy transition journey. Founded in 1962, we are headquartered in the UK and employ over 6,800 people worldwide. For more information, please visit our website at Home | Aggreko . Media Contact Justin Williams Trevi Communications for Aggreko justin@trevicomm.com +1 (978) 539-7157 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/61fafbbd-d647-4c08-b2ba-eef80d0bea72 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a178cc74-c87f-45b1-8522-2513e6c04317 NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wilton, the nearly century-long leader in baking and decorating, is proud to announce the appointment of Walleska Cianfanelli as its new Executive Pastry Chef and Culinary Education Lead. In her new role, Cianfanelli will be responsible for bringing innovation to Wiltons 95-year-old education program, including new classes, recipes, curriculum and techniques for bakers and cake decorators of all skill levels. With over a decade in luxury hospitality and culinary leadership at some of Chicagos most prestigious hotels, Cianfanelli's passion and expertise in crafting unique pastry experiences will empower Wilton students to unlock their full potential. Trained in Italy, France and the United States by some of the worlds top pastry chefs, Cianfanellis own accomplishments as a pastry chef and chocolatier include whimsical teatime treats, edible art and her own patented chocolate. Prior to joining Wilton, she led pastry operations at The Langham Chicago, Palmer House Hilton, and Sofitel Magnificent Mile. Certified by the Italian Culinary Institute and The French Pastry School, Cianfanelli has taught at the IGRC Culinary Institute in Costa Rica. Education and innovation have always been at the core of Wiltons mission to inspire bakers and decorators, said Shanta McGahey, Director of Brand and Community. With Walleska leading our culinary education and operations at Wilton Sweet Studio, were bringing that mission to life in new ways. Her experience ensures that Wilton will continue to set the standard for innovation while helping bakers everywhere grow their skills and creativity. At Wilton, Cianfanelli will expand the companys education efforts by creating dynamic, hands-on classes and innovative experiences designed to build skills, creativity, and confidence in students at all levels. Joining Wilton and leading the Wilton Sweet Studio is an incredible opportunity, said Cianfanelli. Im excited to inspire my students by blending the artistry of pastry with education, innovation, and Wiltons nearly 100-year tradition of helping people celebrate lifes sweetest moments. About Wilton Brands Since 1929, Wilton has been a pioneer in bakeware, cake decorating and education with a commitment to making baking and decorating accessible and enjoyable for all. Today, Wilton continues to champion adding sparkle and fun to any occasion with an array of renowned baking and decorating products in over 105 countries and skill-building classes at the Wilton Sweet Studio. From beginning bakers to advanced professionals, Wilton's expansive product line and expert guidance are designed to help anyone create sweeter moments. Be inspired at www.wilton.com . Media Contact: Abby Penich abby@marketing312.com (630) 212-2229 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a6ceb7be-d65d-471a-b725-098891959efa DENVER, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NxGen Brands, Inc. (OTC: NXGB) ("NxGen" or the "Company") (www.nxgenbrands.com) it is with great excitement to announce that the companys newly acquired business is Genesee Candy Land is expanding its current location into the location next door to add almost 3000 sqft more space due to early growth. Genesee Candy Land has been working out of its current 4000 sqft location for nearly 3 years now after outgrowing Its previous location and now in a few short months by adding some marketing to our company in our marketplace, we must expand the business. We are taking over the location next to our current one to add close to 3500 sq ft of warehouse space to make our shipping and receiving more streamlined to make sure all customers get their orders in a timely matter. With this new space, it will also allow us to order our ingredients in larger quantities to bring our profits up as well as to never go onto backorder. Construction is already underway. Lastly, this will allow us to expand our current business into more categories to be announced soon. Marjorie Schaefer, the Companys CEO, stated, "I am excited about having the opportunity to take over the space right next door to our current location without having to move the business. As CEO I am always looking for ways to expand our business to meet the demand of our customers and this new space will allow us to do this. By being able to streamline our shipping process and opening space in our current factory side will also be key to us growing and entering new categories in the industry. To better reflect the company's new direction. Please disregard all past social media posts and/ or news releases. A company press release will verify any new social media outlets. Currently, the only media outlet is the company's X account, @NGen_Brands. To improve communication with our shareholders, please email us at marjschaefer.manager@gmail.com. The Company's new website is https://www.nxgenbrands.com. All information can be verified at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NXGB/profile. We will be providing many more updates for our shareholders as the company moves in a new direction. Disclaimer: The Company relies upon the Safe Harbor Laws of 1933, 1934 and 1995 for all public news releases. The company may make forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are estimates that reflect the company's best judgment based upon current information. All investments involve risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. It is impossible to identify all such factors. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the company include, but are not limited to, government regulation; managing and maintaining growth; the effect of adverse publicity; litigation; competition; and other factors which may be identify from time to time in the company's public announcements. Contact: marjschaefer.manager@gmail.com CLEARWATER, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FrankCrum, a leading professional employer organization (PEO), announced today the expansion of its California sales presence alongside the admission of its affiliated insurance carrier, Frank Winston Crum Insurance (FWCI), to provide workers compensation coverage for PEO clients in the state. Together, these developments strengthen FrankCrums ability to serve California employers in one of the most highly regulated employment environments in the nation. FrankCrums expanded California footprint now includes sales teams in San Luis Obispo (Central Coast), San Diego, East Los Angeles, and West Los Angeles. While the company has long supported clients across the state, these local teams will deepen its ability to connect directly with business owners and deliver tailored HR, payroll, benefits, and risk management solutions. Californias employment laws are among the most complex in the country, and that often leaves business owners carrying the burden of compliance instead of focusing on growth, said Matt Crum, Co-President of FrankCrum and President of FWCI. By expanding our carrier operations into California, were able to deliver more personalized solutions and partner closely with our clients to manage claims, support employees return to work, and drive better outcomes for both businesses and their people. Leading the California sales team will be Regional Sales Manager Mateo Zapata, who also oversees FrankCrums Arizona market. His role will ensure California businesses have direct access to FrankCrums expertise and hands-on support. "California has long been a place where innovation and entrepreneurship come together to create positive economic growth, said Michael Henry, Senior Vice President of Direct Sales at FrankCrum. Thirty percent of the US tech economy is tied to the Golden State. Eleven percent of the country's manufacturing and over 10,000 construction companies are there. Many of these businesses could use the support and expertise that FrankCrum PEO brings, so they can do what they do best, passionately grow their businesses." FrankCrum underscored its commitment to providing employers with choice. With FrankCrum PEO, California businesses can select the workers comp coverage that works best for them A-rated Zurich for those seeking standard coverage, or FWCI for startups and companies needing flexible solutions for unique risks or coverage gaps. For more information or to connect with FrankCrums California sales team, visit www.frankcrum.com/contact-us About FrankCrum FrankCrum is a professional employer organization (PEO) founded in 1981. The company provides human resource services, payroll, employee benefits, and workers' compensation insurance to more than 4,700 businesses nationwide that collectively employ more than 100,000 people. Based in Clearwater, Florida, FrankCrum helps employers reduce their HR burden while creating an environment for success. For additional information, please visit www.frankcrum.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Contact: Angie Garcia, Senior VP of Marketing FrankCrum 727-726-2786 x2365 press@frankcrum.com www.frankcrum.com Dublin, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "DiaSorin S.p.A. (DIA) - Product Pipeline Analysis, 2025 Update" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. DiaSorin's immunodiagnostic and molecular diagnostics offerings are integral for the diagnosis of conditions ranging from infectious and gastrointestinal diseases to bone, mineral, and endocrine disorders, including oncology, hypertension, autoimmune, neurological, and cardiac diseases. The company effectively markets its products through direct sales and an extensive network of distributors globally. This comprehensive report offers actionable insights into DiaSorin's expansive portfolio, providing essential information on the company, its major products, and esteemed brands. Enhance your strategic decision-making capabilities with in-depth analysis of DiaSorin's development pipeline. Report Scope: Gain insights with a detailed company profile covering business descriptions, key facts, major products and services, key competitors, key personnel, subsidiaries, and recent developments. Access a thorough analysis of all pipeline products under development, categorized by equipment type, indication, development stage, and trial status. Discover detailed information on each pipeline product, including territory, developmental stage, device class, regulatory pathway, application, and projected launch dates. Explore ongoing clinical trials with details on trial names, objectives, sponsors, design, status, phases, and estimated timelines. Reasons to Buy: Strategically develop business initiatives by understanding market trends and technological advancements in the medical device pipeline. Refine product development, marketing, and sales strategies by analyzing competitors' portfolios. Craft cutting-edge Research & Development strategies for enhanced innovation. Implement successful market-entry and expansion strategies with key insights into competitive landscapes. Identify and explore advantageous in-licensing and out-licensing opportunities. Plan mergers and acquisitions efficiently by recognizing pivotal industry players. Spot emerging players with strong potential product portfolios and create strategies to maintain competitive advantage. Formulate competition strategies by assessing competitors' pipeline stages and clinical trials. Anticipate and leverage high-value additions to competitors' portfolios for optimized business growth. Key Topics Covered DiaSorin SpA Company Overview Company Snapshot Pipeline Products and Ongoing Clinical Trials Overview Business Description Key Facts Major Products and Services DiaSorin SpA - Pipeline Analysis Overview Pipeline Products by Development Stage Ongoing Clinical Trials by Trial Status Pipeline Products Overview DiaSorin SpA - Key Competitors DiaSorin SpA - Key Employees Key Employee Biographies DiaSorin SpA - Locations And Subsidiaries Head Office Other Locations & Subsidiaries Recent Developments Jun 22, 2025: DiaSorin Receives 510(K) Clearance For LIAISON MUREX Control HIV Ab/Ag HT Set Jun 19, 2025: Luminex Receives 510(K) Clearance For LIAISON PLEX - Gram-Positive Blood Culture Assay May 01, 2025: Luminex Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for LIAISON PLEX Gram-Negative Blood Culture Assay Apr 18, 2025: Diasorin Receives 510(K) Clearance for Its Second Multiplex Molecular Panel for Diagnosing Bloodstream Infections on Liaison Plex Mar 18, 2025: Diasorin Launches the Simplexa C. Auris Direct Assay on the Liaison MDX Instrument in All Countries Accepting the CE Mark Jul 16, 2024: Diasorin Receives FDA De-novo Grant for the Simplexa C. Auris Direct Assay On the Liaison MDX Instrument Jun 24, 2024: Luminex Receives 510(K) Clearance For LIAISON PLEX Yeast Blood Culture Assay Apr 13, 2024: DiaSorin Obtains Pre-Market Approval (PMA) Clearance for LIAISON Biotrin Control Parvovirus B19 IgG Plus Mar 22, 2024: Luminex Received FDA 510(K) Clearance For NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel - Expanded Version Oct 03, 2023: Beyond Checkpoint Inhibitors: New Cancer Vaccine Candidate Shows Promising Preclinical Results Appendix Methodology A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to: bioMerieux SA Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Sysmex Corp. Roche Diagnostics International Ltd. Danaher Corp. Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. Siemens Healthineers AG Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Holdings PLC Qiagen N.V. Becton Dickinson and Co. For more information about this company profile visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q5l5zi About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Registration and housing are now open for the commercial vehicle industrys biggest cant-miss event, Work Truck Week 2026, March 1013, 2026, at Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. More Than a Trade Show, Work Truck Week encompasses The Work Truck Show, Green Truck Summit, NTEA Annual Meeting, Work Truck Week Ride & Drive, educational program and more. Green Truck Summit is March 10, educational sessions run March 1012, and Work Truck Show exhibits are open March 1113. Work Truck Week is produced by NTEA The Work Truck Association. Equal parts industry gathering, product launchpad, information exchange and business builder, Work Truck Week delivers unmatched opportunities to connect, explore and discover across the commercial vehicle market. Over the last 25 years, the industry has taken ownership of Work Truck Week and shaped it into the event it needs to be to drive business success for our exhibitors and attendees, says Steve Carey, NTEA president & CEO. Theres nowhere better to collaborate with colleagues from throughout the commercial vehicle ecosystem, evaluate the latest vehicles and equipment, learn about trends and technology, and prepare for the future. Make connections Work Truck Week is built around connection and collaboration. In addition to meeting with colleagues in the exhibit hall, there are multiple opportunities to engage with thousands of commercial vehicle professionals, starting with Opening Reception on March 10. The industrys first major gathering of the year, its held at Lucas Oil Stadium. Join old friends and meet new ones for breakfast at NTEA Annual Meeting on March 12. Presentations include updates on Association initiatives and resources, as well as keynote remarks from political pundits Karl Rove and Jim Messina. Laugh and learn at the Generation Next Leadership Workshop & Networking Reception on March 11. This interactive workshop will demonstrate how to use improv to enhance communication and leadership skills. Explore vehicles and equipment More than 500 companies fill the Work Truck Show exhibit hall and New Exhibitor Pavilion with the latest innovations in commercial vehicles, equipment, and technology. This commercial vehicle trade show is a one-stop-shop to discover new products; optimize commercial vehicle design and specification; find new business opportunities; meet with current and prospective customers; and consult with management, product and engineering teams from multiple suppliers. The main exhibit hall is open March 1113, while New Exhibitor Pavilion showcases first-time exhibitors March 1112. Experience commercial vehicles with the latest technology, fuel, sustainability offerings and propulsion systems at Work Truck Week Ride & Drive, open to all attendees March 1112. Gather insights and solutions Green Truck Summit on March 10 is a full-day immersion into new and emerging commercial vehicle technology. Expert presenters provide information, solutions and resources in support of the work truck industrys drive toward greater sustainability, productivity and efficiency. The truck industry conference educational program March 1012 includes a range of in-depth Special Sessions and shorter Breakout Sessions to equip companies with strategies to strengthen operations now and in the future. Sessions cover critical topics such as evolving industry trends, vehicle engineering and compliance, government regulations, workforce development, fleet management, powertrain innovations, and upfitting solutions. A dozen commercial vehicle OEMs share vehicle changes and upfitting solutions during exclusive Chassis Updates. Registered WTW and GTS Conference Package attendees can access some Breakout Session materials on-demand after the event. Get support and resources Visit Booth 3401 during exhibit hall hours to talk with NTEA staff members who are experts in fleet operations, industry data, vehicle engineering and compliance, government regulations and other key work truck topics. This is also the place to pick up a free WTW26 collectible mug! Next door at the NTEA Partners Booth (3201), representatives from Lincoln Electric, TruckScience, UniFirst, WorkTruckCert and Work Truck Total Protect will share and demonstrate a wide range of services and solutions to enhance business and customer relations in the commercial vehicle industry. Get all the event details, register and book hotel rooms at worktruckweek.com or contact NTEA (info@ntea.com or 248-489-7090) for more information. Work Truck Week early bird registration deadline is Feb. 13, 2026. About Work Truck Week Work Truck Week provides fleet operators, distributors and upfitters, transportation managers and other commercial vehicle professionals with unmatched opportunities to explore the latest work trucks, chassis, truck bodies, and industry innovations; learn about vehicle regulations and vocational truck solutions; and connect with the people and companies they need to succeed. This commercial vehicle show in 2026 is the best place to see whats new, network and prepare for the future. Join the conversation in social media with hashtags #WTW26, #WorkTruckWeek, and #GreenTruckSummit. About NTEA Established in 1964, NTEA The Work Truck Association, a 501(c)(6) organization, represents more than 2,100 companies that manufacture, distribute, install, sell and repair commercial vehicles, truck bodies, truck equipment, trailers and accessories. Buyers of work trucks and the major commercial truck chassis manufacturers also belong to NTEA. The Association provides in-depth technical information, education, and member programs and services, and produces Work Truck Week, Green Truck Summit, Commercial Vehicle Upfitting Summit and Executive Leadership Summit. The Association maintains its administrative headquarters in suburban Detroit and government relations offices in Washington, DC, and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24e288eb-9ced-42e3-8edd-2b10f0f8ca5d https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/17432098-3265-4847-b801-8f56ae6ad898 A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/659fa9a6-4d44-417f-a939-6d90b4d839c4 Dublin, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Medtronic PLC (MDT) - Product Pipeline Analysis, 2025 Update" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This detailed report serves as a valuable source of data, analysis, and actionable insights into Medtronic's portfolio of pipeline products. It provides essential information about the company, its key products, and esteemed brands, enhancing decision-making capabilities and assisting in creating effective counter strategies to secure a competitive advantage. Report Scope: In-depth company profile with comprehensive details on business operations, key company facts, major products and services, notable competitors, key personnel, locations, subsidiaries, and recent developments. Analysis of Medtronic Plc's pipeline products in development. Pipeline analysis categorized by equipment type, indication, development stage, and trial status. Extensive information on each pipeline product including development territory, development stage, device class, regulatory path, indications, applications, and projected launch date. Comprehensive product descriptions, technical specifications, and functionalities. Coverage of ongoing clinical trials with details on trial name, objectives, sponsor, design, status, phase, and estimated timelines. Reasons to Buy: Craft business strategies informed by trends and developments in the medical devices pipeline and technology landscape. Design and implement product development, marketing, and sales strategies by understanding competitor portfolios. Formulate effective Research & Development strategies aligning with industry advancements. Strategize market entry and expansion backed by detailed pipeline insights. Seize in-licensing and out-licensing opportunities by identifying products that promise robust returns. Plan mergers and acquisitions with insights into key players in the promising pipeline segments. Identify emerging competitors with potentially strong product portfolios to develop effective counter-strategies. Develop competitive strategies by evaluating the stages and launch prospects of competitors' pipeline products through clinical trial insights. Identify and capitalize on high-value products expected in competitors' portfolios, positioning your offerings strategically. A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to: Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. The Cooper Companies Inc. Stryker Corp. Siemens Healthineers AG Boston Scientific Corp. Becton Dickinson and Co. Baxter International Inc. Abbott Laboratories For more information about this company profile visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/96zcfu About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Type (Small Molecule, Large Molecule), Product (API, Drug), Services, Workflow, Therapeutic Area, End Use, and Region with Growth Forecasts, 2025-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization market size was estimated at USD 166.0 Billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 293.6 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 7.38% from 2025 to 2033. Growth in the market can be attributed to the rising investments by CDMOs to expand new drug development and the increasing demand for novel therapies. In addition, growing investments in pharmaceutical R&D, rising demand for genetic drugs, and growing prevalence of cancer & age-related disorders, coupled with increasing need for advanced therapeutics, are some of the key factors driving market growth. The pharmaceutical industry is experiencing a significant shift from traditional small molecules to biopharmaceuticals. This includes monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, recombinant proteins, and other therapies such as mRNA treatments. In addition, this shift is driven by the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, an aging global population, and the increasing access to targeted therapies that tend to provide better efficacy and fewer side effects than conventional treatments. According to the data published by IQVIA in January 2024, the global medicine spending at list prices is anticipated to rise by 38% between 2024 and 2028, with biologics accounting for more than 40% of that growth, reflecting the central role in the treatments. Regulators such as the U.S. FDA continue to clear record numbers of innovative biologics, approving 50 novel drugs in 2024, of which a significant proportion were advanced biologics and specialty medicines, supported by a 74% first-cycle approval rate that accelerates patient access. Also, biopharmaceuticals represent over half of the late-stage pipeline, and categories such as GLP-1 agonists for diabetes and obesity, cell and gene therapies for rare diseases, and monoclonal antibody-based cancer therapies are shaping demand trajectories. Therefore, CDMOs play an essential role in this environment as biologics production requires complex infrastructure, such as single-use bioreactors, continuous bioprocessing systems, and high-level cold chain logistics, all of which demand expertise and heavy capital investment. Global Pharmaceutical Contract Development And Manufacturing Organization Market Report Segmentation This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2021 to 2033. For this study, the analyst has segmented the global pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization market report based on type, product, service, workflow, therapeutic area, end use, and region. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 250 Forecast Period 2025 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2025 $166 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $293.6 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.3% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1. Research Methodology and Scope Chapter 2. Executive Summary 2.1. Market Outlook 2.2. Segment Outlook 2.3. Competitive Insights Chapter 3. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Variables, Trends & Scope 3.1. Market Lineage Outlook 3.2. Market Dynamics 3.2.1. Market Driver Analysis 3.2.1.1. Growing Consumption of Biopharmaceuticals 3.2.1.2. Increasing Demand for One-Stop-Shop CDMOS 3.2.1.3. Rising Demand for Advanced Therapeutics 3.2.1.4. Increasing Outsourcing Services by Pharmaceutical Companies 3.2.1.5. Upsurge in the Number of Clinical Trials 3.2.2. Market Restraint Analysis 3.2.2.1. Compliance Issues While Outsourcing 3.2.2.2. Changing Scenarios Within Developing Countries 3.2.3. Market Opportunity Analysis 3.3. R&D Spending Analysis 3.3.1. Venture Capital & Government Funding Scenario 3.4. Industry Ecosystem Analysis 3.4.1. Demand Analysis 3.4.2. Supply Chain Analysis 3.5. Technology Landscape 3.6. Clinical Trial Volume Analysis, 2024 3.7. Pricing Analysis 3.8. Tariff and Trade Agreement Impact Analysis 3.9. Value Chain Analysis 3.10. Market Analysis Tools Chapter 4. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market: Type Estimates & Trend Analysis 4.1. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Type: Segment Dashboard 4.2. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Type: Movement Analysis 4.3. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Estimates & Forecasts, by Type, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 4.4. Small Molecule 4.4.1. Small Molecule Market Estimates and Forecasts, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 4.4.2. Branded 4.4.3. Generic 4.5. Large Molecule 4.5.1. Large Molecule Market Estimates and Forecasts, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 4.5.2. Biologics 4.5.3. Biosimilar Chapter 5. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis 5.1. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Product: Segment Dashboard 5.2. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Product: Movement Analysis 5.3. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Estimates & Forecasts, by Product, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 5.4. API 5.4.1. API Market Estimates and Forecasts, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 5.4.2. Traditional Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (Traditional API) 5.4.3. Highly Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (HP-API) 5.4.4. Biologics 5.4.5. Others 5.5. Drug Product 5.5.1. Drug Product Market Estimates and Forecasts, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 5.5.2. Oral Solid Dose 5.5.3. Semi-Solid Dose 5.5.4. Liquid Dose 5.5.5. Others Chapter 6. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market: Service Estimates & Trend Analysis 6.1. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Service: Segment Dashboard 6.2. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Service: Movement Analysis 6.3. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Estimates & Forecasts, by Service, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 6.4. Contract Development 6.4.1. Contract Development Market Estimates and Forecasts, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 6.4.2. Pre-formulation & Formulation Development Services 6.4.3. Process Development & Optimization 6.4.4. Analytical Testing & Method Validation 6.4.5. Scale-up & Tech Transfer 6.5. Contract Manufacturing 6.5.1. Contract Manufacturing Market Estimates and Forecasts, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 6.5.2. API Manufacturing 6.5.3. Finished Drug Products Manufacturing 6.6. Packaging and Labelling 6.7. Regulatory Affairs 6.8. Others Chapter 7. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market: Workflow Estimates & Trend Analysis 7.1. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Workflow: Segment Dashboard 7.2. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Workflow: Movement Analysis 7.3. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Estimates & Forecasts, by Workflow, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 7.4. Clinical 7.5. Commercial Chapter 8. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market: Therapeutic Area Estimates & Trend Analysis 8.1. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Therapeutic Area: Segment Dashboard 8.2. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by Therapeutic Area: Movement Analysis 8.3. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Estimates & Forecasts, by Therapeutic Area, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 8.4. Oncology 8.5. Infectious Diseases 8.6. Neurological Disorders 8.7. Cardiovascular Diseases 8.8. Metabolic Disorders 8.9. Autoimmune Diseases 8.10. Respiratory Diseases 8.11. Ophthalmology 8.12. Gastrointestinal Disorders 8.13. Orthopedic Diseases 8.14. Dental Diseases 8.15. Others Chapter 9. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market: End-Use Estimates & Trend Analysis 9.1. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by End-Use: Segment Dashboard 9.2. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market, by End-Use: Movement Analysis 9.3. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market Estimates & Forecasts, by End-Use, 2021-2033 (USD Million) 9.4. Small Pharmaceutical Companies 9.5. Medium Pharmaceutical Companies 9.6. Large Pharmaceutical Companies Chapter 10. Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis 10.1. Regional Market Dashboard 10.2. Regional Market Share Analysis, 2024 & 2033 Chapter 11. Competitive Landscape 11.1. Key Participant Categorization 11.1.1. Market Leaders 11.1.2. Emerging Players 11.2. Market Share/Assessment Analysis, 2024 (Heat Map Analysis) 11.3. Company Profiles Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc Lonza Recipharm AB Catalent, Inc WuXi AppTec, Inc Samsung Biologics Piramal Pharma Solutions Siegfried Holding AG Corden Pharma International Cambrex Corporation Vetter Pharma Delpharm Jubilant Pharmova / HollisterStier Eurofins CDMO Almac Pharma Services For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/asbqc1 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive substance. For adult nicotine users only. UPPSALA, Sweden, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nicotine pouch use is soaring in the US, with online discussion up 745% in two years, as Swedish company Emplicure announces it is intending to apply for regulatory approval and launch Seratek, a patented technology designed to deliver nicotine more quickly at lower strength, in the USA. Cigarettes remain an unresolved public health problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates more than 480,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses every year about one in five US deaths. Despite tighter regulation and the growth of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, smokeless alternatives have yet to make a decisive dent in smoking prevalence. But nicotine pouches are emerging as the fastest-growing product in the category, with demand in the US fuelling shortages of leading brands and sparking lively debate online about price, flavours and availability. Independent studies suggest Seratek could raise the bar. A pharmacokinetic study published in 2025 found Seratek released 80% of nicotine within the first five minutes under controlled conditions, even at lower strengths. In a consumer taste test in Sweden (2025) with 123 adult pouch users, Seratek was preferred over international market leaders on flavour, comfort and discreteness. The company behind the nicotine pouch technology has now confirmed it is preparing to file a Premarket Tobacco (PMT) application for Seratek, to satisfy the regulatory authorisation required to sell nicotine pouches in the USA. Nicotine pouches were first introduced in Sweden in 2014, building on the countrys long tradition of oral nicotine use. Sweden has now reached smokefree status with adult smoking prevalence under five per cent, one of the few countries in the world to achieve this. No health claims are made for Seratek. The global nicotine pouch market was worth around USD 8 billion in 2024 and is forecast to exceed USD 100 billion by 2035 (Barclays Equity Research, 2025). The US and Nordic countries are expected to account for more than two-thirds of this growth. Shortages of leading brands are already a common topic in online communities, where consumers regularly discuss price, availability and flavour choice. Public conversation around nicotine pouches in the US increasingly focuses on regulation and taxation. At the same time, consumers continue to highlight the appeal of pouches as discreet, tobacco-free and convenient. Emplicure CEO, Mattias Josander, a FMCG & nicotine-industry veteran who previously worked at Swedish Match, Red Bull & LOreal before joining Emplicure as CEO in May 2024, said: Our ambition is to accelerate the transition to a smokeless world. If vaccines were the life-saving breakthrough of the 20th century, nicotine pouches may well represent the public-health breakthrough of the 21st, given that cigarettes remain one of the largest causes of preventable death and suffering. Today all nicotine pouch products on the markets have limited product differentiation and use all the same technology. It is our belief that Emplicure has a role to play to accelerate this smokeless journey. For smokers to truly leave cigarettes behind, alternatives must actually work: they need to deliver nicotine quickly enough to satisfy, while avoiding unnecessary high exposure. This is the balance Seratek strikes, faster onset at lower strength. By filling this gap, Seratek is more than a commercial innovation. It is technology with the potential to make a real difference for humanity, providing technology designed for faster delivery with lower nicotine content, in line with what consumers say they want. Josander continues: Our intent is to start the regulatory approval process in the USA. The US is and will remain more than 60% of the global nicotine pouch market (Barclays Equity Research 2025). Emplicure is a Sweden-based company founded in 2014 in Uppsala by Professor Hakan Engqvist to develop drug delivery systems using bioceramic and polymer technology. For more information, visit www.emplicure.com Contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive substance. For adult nicotine users only. For more information please contact PR Agency One Emplicure@pragencyone.co.uk | +44(0)161 871 9140 NOTES TO EDITORS About Emplicure Emplicure was founded in 2014 in Uppsala by Professor Hakan Engqvist to develop drug delivery systems using bioceramic and polymer technology. It is backed by prominent Swedish investors including Thomas von Koch, co-founder of EQT Partners, one of Europes largest private equity firms. According to Barclays Equity Research (2025), the global nicotine pouch market was worth USD 8 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed USD 100 billion by 2035, with the US and Nordics accounting for more than two-thirds of this growth. Study Data The pharmacokinetic study cited (April 2025, peer-reviewed, randomised crossover design; n=12) evaluated nicotine absorption under controlled clinical conditions. The primary endpoint was AUC 05 minutes. SERATEK delivered nicotine more quickly in the first five minutes despite using a lower formulation strength relative to the comparator. PK studies describe nicotine absorption; they do not assess product safety or long-term health outcomes. The Still Devastating Impact of Cigarettes Cigarettes continue to kill at scale: According to the World Health Organization, 7 million people die every year from tobacco-related illnesses including lung cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 480,000 people die annually from cigarette smoking (around one in five US deaths). Reducing but still significant smoking prevalence: If adult smoking prevalence has considerably reduced in the UK and in the US thanks to stricter regulations and the launch of smokeless alternatives (mostly e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products), it is still over the 10% bar (from 25% in 2007 to 12% in 2023 in UK, from 27% in 2002 to 12% in 2019) and smoking remains a large public health concern. A clear intent from all stakeholders to accelerate smokeless alternatives: All stakeholders acknowledge the problem, starting with tobacco companies that are all pursuing ambitious smokeless targets with a vision for their smokeless alternative products (e-cigarettes like Juul, Vuse, Blu; heated tobacco product like IQOS, Glo, Ploom) to reach between 25% and 50% of their revenue by 2030. Yet results to-date remain modest: Despite all efforts, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products represent still a small (yet faster growing) part of the total tobacco market (less than $50bn overall vs. >$1tr for the global nicotine market). Nicotine Pouches: A Tobacco-Free Alternative to Cigarettes Nicotine pouches are designed for oral use: The user places the pouch between their upper lip and gum, allowing the nicotine to be absorbed through the mouth tissues. Small, discreet & convenient: Nicotine pouches are small, discreet and portable. Swedish origins: Nicotine pouches were introduced first in 2014 in Sweden, a country with a long tradition of oral (smokeless) nicotine, from loose through portioned snus to now nicotine pouches. Sweden as a public health example: With a smoking prevalence under 5%, Sweden is the first country in the world to have officially achieved smokefree status, coinciding with its long tradition of oral nicotine. No health claims are made for Seratek. The NP phenomenon: exponential growth, mass potential with smokers & already authorised by the FDA NP represented in 2024 only 2% volume share of the global nicotine market with $8bn retail sales value (RSV) but it has been growing exponentially. In the US alone, it is on track in 2025 to capture more than 10% volume share (>1bn cans worth >$5bn RSV, projected to reach $20bn RSV by 2030) with growth over 50%, led by ZYN, a brand part of PMIs Swedish Match acquisition in 2023. More than the numbers, NP have become in the USA part of culture (see below press articles non-exhaustive list): Wall Street Journal: Zyn Nicotine Pouches Take Offand Land in the Culture Wars The New York Times: Whats That In Your Mouth, Bro? GQ: How Zyn Conquered the American Mouth Latest equity research note on NP by Barclays predicts that NP will reach $100bn RSV globally by 2035 with USA and Nordics accounting for over two-thirds of the global NP market. A number of large countries have already supported the introduction of nicotine pouches, starting with USA, UK, Nordics & UAE. In January 2025, the FDA authorised ZYN in the USA and is now fast-tracking the regulatory process of nicotine pouches. To receive marketing authorisations, the FDA must have sufficient evidence that the new products offer greater benefits to population health than risks, said Matthew Farrelly, Ph.D., director of the Office of Science in the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products. In this case, the data show that these nicotine pouch products meet that bar by benefiting adults who use cigarettes and/or smokeless tobacco products and completely switch to these products. All nicotine pouch players have been extremely prudent to market nicotine pouches strictly to adult nicotine users, ensuring to avoid some of the mistakes made by some smokeless brands like JUUL in the past. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d73d833a-35ff-4a38-9286-aecaea6e2a0f TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is calling on the Ford government to formalize funding for union-led training centres, which are essential to building Ontarios skilled workforce and driving the provinces economic growth. Union-led training centres are where Ontarios next generation of workers learn the skills that keep our economy moving, said Laura Walton, OFL president. For too long, these centres have operated without the stable, formalized funding they deserve. Despite being one of the wealthiest provinces in Canada, Ontario continues to fall short on fair and consistent funding across all pathways to work universities, colleges, and skilled-trades alike. Every worker deserves access to high-quality training, no matter their chosen path. Union-led training centres have a long, proven record of producing highly skilled workers who strengthen the economy and uphold the highest health and safety standards. These centres need stable, transparent funding that is not based on transactional politics and a politically driven approach. Without formalized funding, Ontario risks losing the skilled workforce needed to keep industries strong and competitive. The OFL is calling for a transparent and continuous funding stream for these centres, one that recognizes their value to both workers and the province. Investing in union-led training is investing in Ontarios future, said Walton. These programs are built by workers, for workers. They deliver real skills, real jobs, and real economic returns. The OFL is calling on Doug Ford to take immediate action to formalize funding for union-led training centres. Ontarios workers deserve access to training rooted in safety, equity, and expertise so they can build their futures right here at home. Media Contact: Jenny Sellathurai Director of Communications Ontario Federation of Labour jsellathurai@ofl.ca | 647 222 1296 ss/COPE343 NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quercis Pharma is proud to sponsor Panel 6 The Forgotten Patients: A Focus on Sickle Cell Disease at The Galien Foundations 2025 Patient Summit, taking place on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at the Alexandria Center for Life Sciences in New York City. The session, scheduled for 4:055:05 p.m. ET, will bring together globally recognized clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates to address the persistent gaps in care for individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD). Moderated by renowned television journalist Greta Van Susteren, the panel aims to elevate the conversation around SCD and explore emerging patient-centric therapeutic strategies that promise to improve both daily management and long-term outcomes for this underserved community. Innovation and Recognition Quercis Pharmas participation in the Summit reflects its deep commitment to underserved patient communities. The company has been nominated for the 2025 Prix Galien USA Best Startup Award, one of the most prestigious honors in life sciences, recognizing breakthrough contributions to global health. The nomination highlights Kinisoquin, Quercis lead drug candidate currently in Phase III clinical trials for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients. Unlike traditional blood thinners, which carry significant bleeding risks, Kinisoquin is an anti-thrombotic designed to reduce the risk of thrombosis with less bleeding risk than traditional anti-coagulants. This nomination affirms our mission to develop accessible, inflammasome-modulating and anti-thrombotic therapies that can improve outcomes for patients facing life-threatening conditions, such as cancer, thrombosis, and sickle cell disease, said Daniel Drexler MD, President and CEO of Quercis USA. Event Details Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025 Thursday, October 30, 2025 Location: Alexandria Center for Life Sciences, New York, NY Alexandria Center for Life Sciences, New York, NY Featured Session: Panel 6 The Forgotten Patients: A Focus on Sickle Cell Disease Panel 6 The Forgotten Patients: A Focus on Sickle Cell Disease Time: 4:055:05 p.m. ET About Quercis Pharma Quercis Pharma AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing inflammasome-modulating and anti-thrombotic therapies. Its pipeline includes an ongoing Phase III program in Cancer Associated Thrombosis under FDA Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), as well as Phase IIIready programs in oncology and sickle cell disease. Learn more at www.quercis.com About The Galien Foundation The Galien Foundation champions scientific innovation that improves human health. It oversees the Prix Galien USA, an international awards program often regarded as the Nobel Prize of biopharmaceutical research. Founded in 1970 in honor of Galen, the father of modern pharmacology, the Foundation continues to inspire the next generation of medical breakthroughs. Learn more at https://www.galienfoundation.org/ For More Information Please Contact: NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On behalf of Etude Capital and its affiliates, Talonvest Capital, Inc., a boutique commercial real estate mortgage brokerage firm, is pleased to announce the successful closing of two portfolio loans totaling $205.2 million. The portfolios encompass 2.3 million square feet across 31 assets in eight Midwest and Sunbelt states. The Talonvest team responsible for these refinancings included David DiRienzo, Kim Bishop, Mason Brusseau, Ivan Viramontes, and Lauren Maehler. Steven Stein, President of Etude Capital, commented, These financings are a testament to Talonvests experience and market insight, enabling us to secure a competitive bridge loan and an accretive fixed-rate CMBS execution that strengthens our capital position as a leading self-storage owner. Were proud to have structured capital that aligns with Etudes objectives and positions them for continued success, said David DiRienzo, Director Business Development at Talonvest Capital. Both assignments required portfolio expertise and complex negotiations, added Kim Bishop, Executive Director Capital Markets. The successful execution reflects our teams collaboration with Etude and the confidence they placed in our process. About Etude Capital Etude Capital, headquartered in Austin, TX, is a private investment firm and top-40 self-storage owner. Its investments across self-storage, property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses exceed $1 billion. About Talonvest Capital Inc. Talonvest Capital is a commercial real estate advisory firm specializing in sourcing cutting-edge lending programs and advising on capital market trends for industrial, self-storage, multifamily, office, and retail property owners. Talonvest Capital offers a unique boutique approach by leveraging the companys collective institutional knowledge and remaining highly engaged throughout the entire assignment, including the closing process, to deliver tailored capital solutions for their clients. Learn more at https://talonvest.com. Contact Carole Stanley Talonvest Capital, Inc. 949.251-9900 cstanley@talonvest.com TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the provincial legislature returns, l'Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA), Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPE-OSBCU), and Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) have issued the following joint statement: The Ford government introduced Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, earlier this year. It is a regressive piece of legislation that does nothing to support students and everything to consolidate power in the hands of the Minister of Education. Our schools are facing a crisis, but not the one this government is pretending to solve. Ontarios public education system is buckling under the weight of underfunding. Class sizes are ballooning. Essential programs are being cut. Teachers and education workers are stretched to the breaking point. Student needs are going unmet, resulting in learning gaps and growing school violence. Put simply, there are not nearly enough trained professionals or services to properly support our students. We have seen this playbook before. The centralization of power, the erosion of local democracy, and the imposition of punitive systems are hallmarks of American-style politics. Unfortunately, Premier Ford seems eager to emulate them all. This is not the Ontario we believe in. Minister Paul Calandras first legislative act in his new role is not about improving safety or educational outcomes; it is a calculated political maneuver designed to distract from the real crisis in Ontario education: chronic underfunding and reckless understaffing. Instead of investing in smaller class sizes and supports for students in schools, the government is choosing to scapegoat trustees while trying to hide that, since 2018, they have cut $6.3 billion out of our publicly funded education system. In early September, Minister Calandra said he is 100 per cent looking at eliminating the role of trustees. Trustees across the province, elected by their communities, could be replaced by government-imposed appointees or supervisors for most school boards, as it is currently doing with five Ontario school boards. For over 175 years, locally elected school board trustees have diligently represented the voices of parents, students, caregivers, and communities. We know trustees are not perfect, but the role is an important part of our education system. They are accessible and accountable to the Ontarians who vote them in, and if trustees fail to serve their communities, they can be voted out. Appointed supervisors answer to the Ford government and no one else, not to parents, students, or local residents. This is how democracy dies. Ontarios students need thousands more trained teachers and education workers in their schools. They need smaller class sizes, enhanced special education and mental health supports, and fully funded programs that reflect their needs. What they do not need is more surveillance or more control from a government unwilling to invest in their success. We must stand togethereducators, parents, students, and concerned Ontariansto defend our schools from this egregious political overreach, as stronger schools start with stronger local voices. The Ford government must abandon this regressive legislation and make the meaningful investments our students and educators deserve. It is time to leave the cuts and the centralization schemes in the pastOntario students deserve a future that is as forward-thinking as they are. Martha Hradowy, OSSTF/FEESO President Rene Jansen in de Wal, OECTA President Gabrielle Lemieux, AEFO President David Mastin, ETFO President Joe Tigani, CUPE - OSBCU President -30- Toronto, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At a media conference at the Ontario Legislature today, Diabetes Canada announced the launch of a nationwide advocacy campaign aimed at ensuring consistent, safe, and equitable support for all students living with diabetes across the country. The campaign is calling on all provinces and territories to take immediate action to implement a mandatory standard of care that includes support for essential daily diabetes management tasks and emergency prevention and treatment. "Diabetes is relentless. Many children living with diabetes in Canada are being put at risk and stigmatized because most provinces and territories do not have a policy to guide school boards on creating a supportive school environment for students managing diabetes," said Laura Syron, President and CEO of Diabetes Canada. "Every student deserves the support they need to be safe, healthy and included at school, no matter what their postal code is." Dangerous and inequitable patchwork system Currently, only Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and British Columbia have mandated standards of care that closely align with Diabetes Canada's guidelines. Diabetes Canada is urgently calling on all other provincial/territorial governments to implement a mandatory standard of care for all school boards to adopt and implement. In the absence of clear policies, students are experiencing preventable health emergencies (setting the stage for long-term health complications), being excluded from class activities, and missing learning opportunities. Families are being asked to fill the gapsleaving work, stepping in as caregivers during the school day, or even removing their children from school entirely. "The lack of consistent policies in these jurisdictions has resulted in a dangerous patchwork system where a child's access to the support they need depends on where they attend school," Syron emphasized. "The solution is clearall provinces and territories must mandate a standard of care for all schools." Stories from families Children with type 1 diabetes live with a life-threatening medical disability, yet school supports are too often delayed or unavailable. No child should be unsafe at school because of diabetes; care is not optional, it is life or death. When supports arent in place, children are singled out, families are forced to fill the gaps, and kids miss out on equal access to education all while their short and long-term health is put at risk. - Scott MacMillan, whose daughter Rosemary lives with diabetes (New Brunswick) Managing my daughter's type one diabetes while at work full-time is intimidating and overwhelming. She is in daycare and my husband, and I are grateful to the help that she receives when it comes to treating low blood sugars, but we still make a daily trip to see her midday to give her insulin for lunchtime. As she moves to grade school, I worry that the increased distance between us will make administering her insulin more difficult and stressful. Grade school will also be a more uncontrolled environment where things like recess and gym class will affect her blood sugars. We hope she will be able to receive the support that she needs to keep her safe and maintain adequate blood sugar control. - Micaela Bradford, whose daughter Makinley lives with diabetes (Manitoba) I asked my veteran type 1 grade 7 child what it's like to manage his diabetes at school. He responded in typical fashion for a kid his age, "Hard. Difficult.", and I couldn't help but think it sums up quite well what it's like managing type 1 in general. Add in the fact that Saskatchewan has little to no support for kids in school regardless of how long they have been diagnosed or how old they are and I figured I would add a third word, "Impossible". - Kellie Biden, whose son lives with diabetes (Saskatchewan) Diabetes Canada urges all Canadians, especially those in provinces and territories without standards, to support this crucial initiative by contacting their provincial representatives. Learn more about this campaign and how to get involved. Long Beach, CA, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Long Beach Community College District (LBCCD) Board President Uduak-Joe Ntuk has been appointed to the Community College League of Californias (CCLC) Advisory Committee on Legislation, a statewide body that advises on legislative priorities impacting Californias 73 community college districts and 2.1 million students. In this new leadership role, President Ntuk will help shape the Leagues positions on key legislation advancing higher education access, equity, workforce development, and student success. The committee provides recommendations to the CCLC Board of Directors and plays a pivotal role in guiding the Leagues advocacy in the state legislature. Im honored to represent Long Beach City College and the students, faculty, and staff who make our system so vital to Californias future, said President Uduak-Joe Ntuk. Community colleges are the gateway to opportunity for millions of Californians, and our policies must reflect that promise ensuring affordability, innovation, and equity remain at the center of our work. A graduate of Long Beach City College, California State University, Long Beach, and the University of Southern California, Ntuk has served on the LBCC Board of Trustees since 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. Under his leadership, LBCC has expanded student support services, strengthened workforce training partnerships, helped to secure a historic $30 million donation from author and philanthropist McKenzie Soctt, opened the North Long Beach Higher Education Center, and launched initiatives like the Framework for Reconciliation to address racial equity. The CCLC Advisory Committee on Legislation (ACL) comprises trustees and presidents from across Californias community colleges. The committee reviews legislation and related issues requiring legislative resolution, develops appropriate legislative solutions, and recommends appropriate League advocacy priorities. The Community College League of California (CCLC) is a nonprofit public benefit corporation whose mission is to strengthen the leadership and effectiveness of Californias community colleges. Its the professional membership association of all 73 districts, the League advocates for sound public policy and supports professional development for college leaders across the state. Learn more at https://www.ccleague.org # # # About Long Beach City College Long Beach City College consists of two campuses with an enrollment of more than 35,000 students each semester. The education programs primary purpose is to prepare students for transfer to baccalaureate-granting institutions, entry into work or career development, and to support businesses in economic development. Long Beach City College serves the cities of Avalon, Lakewood, Long Beach, and Signal Hill. Long Beach City College promotes equitable student learning and achievement, academic excellence, and workforce development by delivering high-quality educational programs and support services to our diverse communities. Visit www.LBCC.edu for more information on Long Beach City College. SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SmartDV, a leading provider of flexible, highly configurable, and customizable semiconductor Design IP (intellectual property) and Verification IP (VIP), today announced that multiple customers have licensed its MIPI SoundWire I3S IP portfolio, which supports both the newly adopted I3S 1.0 specification and the draft 1.1 specification. The portfolio includes Controller (Manager & Peripheral) IP and Verification IP, enabling SoC and ASIC teams to confidently design, verify, and prototype next-generation audio and control interfaces in alignment with the evolving SWI3S standard. Highlights: SmartDVs MIPI SoundWire I3S IP suite is gaining rapid traction, with multiple customers on board and new engagements underway. The portfolio includes: Controller IP Manager and Peripheral roles, supporting flexible data/control transport with precise synchronization. Verification IP Comprehensive protocol coverage with configurable timing and corner-case checks. Advanced IP configuration and customization options, with tailored deliverables, including FPGA and emulation applications. Full compliance with MIPI SoundWire I3S 1.0, with forward compatibility and early feature enablement for I3S 1.1 (draft). Seamless integration across major EDA environments and compatibility with all leading simulators. The rapid adoption of our SoundWire I3S IP portfolio demonstrates the industrys trust in our ability to deliver standards-aligned design-ready IP solutions for next-generation SoCs, said Deepak Kumar Tala, CEO and Managing Director, SmartDV. By supporting both the adopted 1.0 and draft 1.1 specifications, were enabling designers to future-proof their audio and sensor architectures as the MIPI SoundWire standard evolves. SmartDVs MIPI SoundWire I3S IP portfolio enables seamless integration of digital audio and control signals within SoCs and ASICs. Designed for mobile, consumer, automotive, and IoT applications, the IP delivers high bandwidth, low latency, and exceptional noise immunity through a compact two-pin, multi-drop architecture, providing a unified and power-efficient interface for next-generation embedded audio systems. SmartDVs MIPI SoundWire I3S IP solutions are available globally for immediate licensing. Please visit the following product pages for additional technical details: For questions or to request licensing information, contact us today at info@smartdvtech.com. SmartDV will be highlighting its new MIPI SoundWire I3S IP portfolio at SEDEX 2025, taking place October 2224 in Seoul, Korea. If you are attending, we invite you to visit our booth #C424 to learn how our IP solutions can accelerate your next-generation semiconductor designs. Our team will be available to provide detailed insights and discuss how SmartDVs solutions can support your upcoming projects. About SmartDV At SmartDV, we believe theres a better way to approach semiconductor intellectual property (IP) for integrated circuits. Weve been focused exclusively on IP since 2007, so whether youre sourcing standards-based design IP for your next SoC, ASIC, or FPGA, or seeking verification solutions (VIP) to put your chip design through its paces, youll find SmartDVs IP straightforward to integrate. By combining proprietary SmartCompiler technology with the knowledge of hundreds of expert engineers, SmartDV can customize IP to meet your unique design objectives: quickly, economically, and reliably. Dont allow other suppliers to force one-size-fits-all cores into your chip design. Get the IP you need, tailored to your specifications, with SmartDV: IP Your Way. Learn more about SmartDV at www.smartdvtech.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. SmartDV, SmartDV Technologies, SmartDV NA, SmartCompiler, IP Your Way, and the SmartDV logo are trademarks of SmartDV Technologies India Private Limited. Any and all other trademarks present in this release are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Media Contact Becky Raymond Marketing Partner, SmartDV press@smartdvtech.com Woodland Hills, CA, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smile Roofing, a fully licensed and insured California C-39 roofing contractor based in Woodland Hills, announced the expansion of its residential roof replacement services across Southern California. With a focus on clear communication, upfront pricing, and premium workmanship, the company is redefining how homeowners approach roof repairs and full replacements in Los Angeles and surrounding counties. Smile roofing LA With over eight years of experience serving Los Angeles County and communities up to 100 miles beyond, Smile Roofing focuses on what matters most to property owners reliable craftsmanship, fair pricing, and a stress-free customer experience. The companys approach combines modern project management with traditional integrity, ensuring every client receives updates, clear expectations, and a finished roof that lasts for decades. Simplifying Roof Replacement for Homeowners Roof replacement is one of the largest and most stressful projects homeowners face. Smile Roofing was founded on the belief that it doesnt have to be. The companys team provides every client with three tailored options Good, Better, and Best allowing customers to choose the materials and warranties that match their goals and budget. To simplify the process even further, Smile Roofing maintains open communication from start to finish. Homeowners receive daily photo updates and have direct access to the crew through a shared group chat, ensuring complete transparency on progress and any adjustments needed along the way. This personal, service-driven approach has earned Smile Roofing exceptional customer loyalty and repeat referrals across the region. A Proven Track Record of Quality Smile Roofings expertise covers shingles, tile, and flat/torch-down roofing systems for residential properties. The companys reputation for excellence is supported by hundreds of completed projects, each backed by extended Owens Corning warranties and a 10-year workmanship guarantee. The teams precision and consistency have made them a top choice for homeowners seeking reliable roof replacements without hidden costs or delays. Their pricing typically in the range of $600625 per square for shingles reflects a balance of affordability and high-quality materials. Every project is performed with strict safety and compliance standards under the companys C-39 license. Building Long-Term Value and Peace of Mind At the heart of Smile Roofings success is a mission to make every customer feel confident in their investment. Our goal is simple: to replace your roof with zero stress, at a fair price, and with workmanship you can trust for decades, said company representative Aviel Barshishat. By prioritizing clear communication and quality over speed, the company ensures that each roof is built to last. Homeowners often cite the crews professionalism, punctuality, and attention to detail as reasons they recommend Smile Roofing to family and friends. The consistent flow of five-star reviews on Google reflects this dedication to service and satisfaction. Trusted Across Southern California Smile Roofing proudly serves homeowners across the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding counties, including Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside. Its central office, located at 6430 Variel Avenue, Unit 202, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, provides a convenient base for coordinating projects throughout the region. The companys service area encompasses both new and established neighborhoods where aging roofs often require upgrades or full replacements to protect against Californias changing climate. Whether addressing leaks, storm damage, or complete tear-offs, Smile Roofing offers a dependable solution built on experience, certification, and genuine customer care. For visitors and clients, the companys verified location can be found on Google Maps, helping ensure seamless communication and visibility for local customers seeking nearby, trustworthy roofing professionals. A Reputation Built on Honesty and Reliability Smile Roofings business model is centered on transparency from upfront quotes to detailed post-project inspections. Every customer receives a complete roofing estimate outlining labor, materials, and warranty coverage before work begins. This commitment to clarity eliminates the surprises and uncertainty that often accompany large-scale home projects. The companys long-standing partnerships with top material suppliers, including Owens Corning, enable Smile Roofing to offer extended 50-year material warranties that provide unmatched protection and value. Combined with a decade of workmanship coverage, these assurances underscore the companys belief that roofing should be a one-time investment that provides decades of comfort and confidence. Delivering Excellence in Every Detail Behind every successful project is a team that values precision, efficiency, and respect for the homeowners property. Smile Roofings technicians are trained to maintain a clean and safe job site, minimizing disruption while ensuring thorough completion. From preparation to final inspection, each step is handled with professionalism and care. The companys focus on communication also extends to after-service support. Clients are encouraged to reach out with maintenance questions or future inspection requests, strengthening long-term relationships and community trust. Looking Ahead As Smile Roofing continues to expand its service area across Southern California, it remains grounded in the principles that built its reputation integrity, quality, and customer satisfaction. The companys consistent five-star feedback and word-of-mouth referrals demonstrate how a commitment to doing the right thing can set a business apart in a competitive market. Homeowners seeking affordable roof replacement, professional repairs, or a free inspection can rely on Smile Roofing to deliver exceptional results without the stress. Whether the need is a minor repair or a full-scale replacement, the company stands ready to bring durability and peace of mind to every roof it builds Smile roofing LA - Team at work About Smile Roofing Smile Roofing is a licensed and insured roofing contractor serving Los Angeles and surrounding Southern California communities. Specializing in residential roof replacement, repair, and inspection services, the company combines expert craftsmanship with transparent communication and competitive pricing. Smile Roofing is proud to hold a California C-39 license and to partner with Owens Corning to provide extended material warranties and superior customer protection. Address: 6430 Variel Ave Unit 202, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, USA Website: https://smile-roofing.com Google Maps: View Location Phone: (888) 334-1141 Email: smileroofingla@gmail.com Media Contact Aviel Barshishat Smile Roofing Phone: 888-334-1141 Email: smileroofingla@gmail.com Brooklyn, NY, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mold Water Remediation, a licensed and insured restoration company located at 1419 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230, announced the successful completion of several high-profile restoration projects throughout New York City, including work at Rockefeller Center and the Sofitel Hotel. The companys expanding portfolio highlights its role as a trusted expert in mold removal and water damage restoration for both residential and commercial properties across the five boroughs. Mold Water Remediation Mold Water Remediation serves all five boroughs of New York City, offering a complete range of services that include mold removal, mold remediation, water damage restoration, structural drying, and post-damage cleaning. Known for its prompt response, licensed technicians, and detail-oriented approach, Mold Water Remediation helps clients restore property safety while working directly with insurance providers to simplify the claims process. Reliable Restoration for Homeowners and Businesses Water damage and mold issues can cause significant property and health concerns if left untreated. Mold Water Remediation approaches each project with urgency and care, ensuring affected spaces are restored quickly and safely. The teams proven experience extends to a diverse client base from New York homeowners to major management firms responsible for landmark buildings. Mold Water Remediation has proudly completed restoration projects for several high-profile sites, including Rockefeller Center, Sofitel New York, and SoFive. This track record demonstrates its capability to handle both large-scale commercial projects and private residential cases with the same precision and dedication. Our focus is to provide reliable solutions and peace of mind for every customer, said a company representative. Water damage and mold growth can be stressful, but our licensed professionals manage the process from start to finish, helping clients recover faster with minimal disruption. Services That Protect Health and Property Mold Water Remediation provides a full spectrum of professional restoration and cleanup services designed to protect property value and occupant well-being. Key offerings include: Water Damage Restoration: Emergency response for leaks, flooding, and burst pipes, using advanced drying and dehumidification equipment to prevent secondary damage. Mold Inspection and Removal: Safe detection and elimination of mold using industry-approved containment and cleaning methods. Structural Drying and Moisture Control: Identifying hidden moisture with precision tools to prevent mold regrowth. Cleaning and Disinfection: Thorough sanitation of affected areas, removing odors and airborne contaminants. Insurance Claim Assistance: Helping clients document damage, file claims, and secure coverage efficiently. Each project begins with a full on-site assessment to determine the source of the issue. The companys technicians use high-grade air filtration systems and eco-friendly cleaning materials to ensure safe, lasting results that meet or exceed state and federal standards. A Reputation Built on Trust and Results Over the past seven years, Mold Water Remediation has grown primarily through referrals and repeat business. Clients consistently highlight the companys professionalism, responsiveness, and transparency throughout the restoration process. Its Google Reviews reflect a pattern of customer satisfaction, emphasizing reliable service and honest communication. This reputation has made the company a trusted resource for both homeowners and property managers throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Whether handling an emergency call after a flood, heavy rain or even plumbing damage or a routing Mildew and mold spores inspection, the team provides the same level of care and accountability every time. Commitment to the Community and Environment Mold Water Remediation takes pride in its environmentally responsible methods and its contribution to safer living spaces throughout New York. By using green cleaning agents and modern remediation technologies, the company minimizes chemical exposure while maintaining strict safety and health standards. The firms commitment to education extends to clients as well. Customers receive guidance on preventing future issues through moisture control, ventilation improvements, and regular maintenance. This proactive approach supports the companys mission to create cleaner, healthier environments for New York families and businesses. Strengthening Local Presence in Brooklyn As part of its community outreach and customer support, Mold Water Remediation encourages Brooklyn residents and property owners to visit or contact the local office for consultations and service inquiries. The companys location near Coney Island Avenue provides quick access to neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn and nearby boroughs. Local Business Details : Business Name: Mold Water Remediation Address: 1419 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Phone: (212) 432-5803 Email: contact@moldwaterremediation.com Website: www.moldwaterremediation.com Service Areas: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, and surrounding New York metropolitan regions Mold Water Remediation team at work About Mold Water Remediation Mold Water Remediation is a licensed and insured restoration company specializing in mold removal, water damage restoration, and property recovery services throughout New York City. With over seven years of professional experience, the company works with residential clients, commercial facilities, and property management firms to restore safety, comfort, and long-term value to every project. Media Contact Business Name: Mold Water Remediation Address: 1419 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Phone: (212) 432-5803 Email: contact@moldwaterremediation.com Website: www.moldwaterremediation.com San Diego, CA, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The rules of digital growth are shifting fast as AI-driven discovery is rewriting how consumers find products and services. Even long-standing giants are feeling the impact. Google's search market share dropped below 90% in Q4 for the first time since 2015.1 At the same time, Gartner projects that organic search traffic could decline by 50% by 2028.2 For brands, this is a signal that old acquisition playbooks are losing their edge. The culprits are clear: customer acquisition costs are rising, platforms are fragmenting, and AI is advancing faster than most teams can adapt. This widening divide between marketing spend and profitable growth is what many in the industry are calling the performance marketing gap. For entrepreneurs and venture-backed founders, the question is no longer whether to spend on marketing. The question is how to do it profitably. Why Cardiff Ventures Invested in The Agency Founded by former Google advertising executive Charleen Kao, The Agency has built a reputation for helping high-growth companies scale efficiently with AI-driven strategies, unified measurement, and full-funnel marketing. Cardiff Ventures sees this partnership as an opportunity to accelerate The Agency's impact, enabling more brands to execute strategies that align marketing spend with real business outcomes. The Agency's approach focuses on three key areas that help brands bridge the performance marketing gap: Cross-Channel Strategy: Full-funnel campaigns designed to align marketing with business goals, not just top-of-funnel metrics. Measurement and Analytics: Unified performance tracking across channels, connecting marketing and sales with clear KPIs and actionable insights. AI/LLM-Driven Performance: Campaign optimization leveraging AI and large language models to improve targeting, creative, and ROI. By combining these elements, The Agency equips brands to move quickly, stay nimble, and make data-driven decisions in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Thats exactly where Cardiff Ventures focuses its energy. The firm backs founders who are tackling the most pressing challenges in technology and growth, with an eye toward companies reshaping how business gets done. More than capital, Cardiff brings strategic partnership, helping entrepreneurs turn industry disruption into sustainable opportunity. It's investment ensures The Agency can scale these successes to more companies, helping founders close the gap between marketing spend and meaningful growth. Future-Ready Marketing Brands face several hurdles in today's environment: Marketing and Sales Misalignment: Teams often work in silos with conflicting definitions of qualified leads and disconnected KPIs. KPI Confusion: Fragmented reporting can obscure what actually drives revenue. Channel Fragmentation: Managing Google, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn in isolation misses opportunities to integrate insights. AI Adoption Lag: Many companies recognize AI's potential but lack the expertise to implement it effectively. The Agency's methodology tackles these challenges head-on, providing founders with a clear roadmap for profitable growth. With backing from Cardiff Ventures, The Agency is positioned to help brands future-proof their marketing strategies. AI-targeting, LLM-driven discovery, privacy changes, and emerging short-form video platforms are reshaping how companies connect with customers. Brands that act now to unify strategy, measurement, and execution will be best positioned to turn disruption into a competitive advantage. "Investing in The Agency allows us to empower founders to navigate the most complex marketing landscape in history," said William Stern, Managing Partner at Cardiff Ventures. "Charleen and her team are building systems that not only close the performance marketing gap today but ensure long-term, sustainable growth." The Future of Growth The companies that dominate the next decade will be those that close the performance marketing gap now. Cardiff Ventures' partnership with The Agency underscores a shared mission of helping brands scale with intelligence, precision, and future-ready strategies. By combining Cardiff's support with The Agency's expertise, founders can confidently navigate the digital marketing landscape and turn investment into measurable growth. The next 12 months will be some of the most disruptive in digital marketing history: AI- targeting and LLM-driven discovery will redefine how brands reach buyers. Privacy changes will require new measurement strategies and frameworks. Platform fragmentation will accelerate as short-form video content and AI-driven search upend old playbooks. Firms like The Agency are already helping to shape this shift. It has gained visibility through client results and thought leadership. At the Real Business Growth Summit, The Agency shared the stage with executives from Google, YouTube, LinkedIn, and HubSpot to present best-in-class strategies. It also collaborates with entrepreneur Brad Lea, host of the Dropping Bombs podcast, to deliver growth insights to business leaders globally, in addition to serving as the growth partner for Brad Lea's training company, Lightspeed VT. In today's AI-driven landscape, growth isn't about spending more. It's about future-proofing and building systems that unify strategy, measurement, and performance. The brands that close the performance marketing gap now will be the ones turning disruption into their greatest competitive advantage. 1https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share 2https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-12-14-gartner-predicts-fifty-percent-of-consumers-will-significantly-limit-their-interactions-with-social-media-by-2025 WILLIAMS LAKE, British Columbia, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) announced today the re-release of the St. Josephs Mission (SJM) Indian Residential School and Onward Ranch Investigation: Interim Report of Findings as part of its continued work toward truth, healing, and revitalization at the former St. Josephs Mission site. The Interim Report will soon be available for wider public access through Kindle, Apple Books, and OverDrive at participating public libraries across Canada. This work is heavy. Its emotional. But its also sacred, said Chief Willie Sellars. The investigation has brought painful truths to light, and we are re-releasing our interim report to ensure those truths are never forgotten. Our community has come so far, but we cant do this alone. Healing the land, and the people connected to it, will take sustained commitment and real investment from all levels of government. WLFN underscores that uncovering truth must be matched with tangible, sustained investments in healing. Survivors, intergenerational survivors, and families need safe spaces to gather, reflect, process grief, and receive cultural, spiritual, and mental wellness supportson their own terms. Continued partnership from all levels of government will be essential to ensuring this work leads not only to answers, but to lasting healing and justice. In anticipation of the re-release of the Interim Report , WLFN invites all Canadians to read the report, sit with its truths, and stand with the Nation in ensuring that this work leads not only to answersbut to action, healing, and justice. The findings of the Interim Report represent one step in a much longer journeya journey that requires care, courage, and meaningful support. WLFN would like to acknowledge that information regarding Indian Residential Schools could be triggering for some people. A crisis support line at the Indian Residential School Survivors Society can be reached at 1-866-925-4419 and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For further information in relation to this release, or to discuss opportunities for media engagement, please contact: Singapore, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abelle, a new faith-inspired jewelry brand, has launched its debut collection of intricately crafted enamel cross necklaces on Kickstarter, inviting believers to wear their faith boldly and joyfully. Model wearing Abelles Dawn necklace, featuring hand-painted flowers and birds. The name Abelle joins the Hebrew idea of breath with belle, meaning beautybecause everything that has breath is made by God and bears His beauty. Each cross is hand-painted in colored enamel on brass and finished with 18K gold plating, created to be a quiet reminder of how great our God is and how wondrous His works are. With only 99 pieces ever made per design, Abelle encourages wearers to pause, breathe, and notice the beauty of His creation in everyday life. Crafted in His likeness. Abelles design philosophy reflects the belief that God is the first craftsmanthe One who formed creation with intention and care. In that spirit, every Abelle cross is masterfully painted, brushstroke by brushstroke, so petals, leaves, birds, and branches echo the detail of the Creators hand. With every breath, creation is singing, says the Abelle team. Abelle was born from that awe. No two alikeby design. Because each piece is carefully hand-painted, subtle variations make every cross a one-of-a-kind masterpiecea reminder that each wearer is uniquely made and deeply loved. Every one is a beloved child of God, and the cross we carry is a daily reminder of His love and goodness. Abelles nine debut designs capture the tender details of blooming flowers, birds, branches, and vinesnatures motifs that mirror His artistry. Supporters who pledge for the complete set will unlock an exclusive mystery piece available only through the campaign. The necklaces make thoughtful gifts for Christmas, baptisms, confirmations, birthdays, and anniversariestangible expressions of hope and thanksgiving. The Abelle Kickstarter campaign is more than a product launch; it is a celebration of faith made visible through craftsmanship. Backers can explore the collection, view the craft process, and secure their limited-edition pieces at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2042603299/abelle From sketch to masterpiece every Abelle cross begins as a hand-drawn design before being hand-painted and brought to life. About Abelle Abelle celebrates Gods creation, transforming its beauty into design. Each limited-edition cross is hand-painted enamel with 18K gold platingcrafted to be a daily reminder of His love for us and His goodness. Media Contact With love, Chloe, Abelle Team hi@abelle.com Columbia, Missouri , Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Midway Electric, a trusted name in Mid-Missouri electrical services for more than 20 years, today announced a new local partnership between founders Brandon and Michele Spry and Savannah Rush, a Missouri native and experienced business leader. The partnership secures Midways local legacy while positioning the company for continued growth and service to the community for decades to come. Rush, who grew up in Springfield, Missouri, around her familys small roofing business, was drawn to Midway for its reputation for craftsmanship, integrity and deep community roots. After earning her MBA from Harvard Business School and advising companies nationwide as a management consultant at McKinsey, Savannah wanted to bring her experience home to Missouri. Growing up around small businesses, Ive always believed that the most meaningful work happens when people take care of their neighbors and their employees, said Rush. Im proud to be partnering with Brandon and Michele to build on what theyve created, and to be part of the next generation of women helping drive growth in the trades. Founded in 2001, Midway Electric has grown from a small, family-run operation into one of the regions most respected providers of residential and commercial electrical services. Brandon Spry said the partnership ensures Midways long-term future while preserving its local focus. From the start, it was clear Savannah cared deeply about our people and our customers, said Brandon Spry. She understands that Midways strength has always been our reputation for doing the right thing. Were confident that under her leadership, Midway will continue to grow while staying true to what has always made us special. Michele Spry added that the partnership represents both continuity and progress: Weve always taken pride in serving Mid-Missouri with honesty and heart, she said. Savannah brings that same spirit, along with new ideas and energy for the future. Rush noted that she has been working closely with Midways operations leader, Jake Tamm, who will continue to play a critical leadership role at Midway. Midways success has always been about the team and culture, Rush said. Jake and our technicians make that possible every day. Looking ahead, Rush intends to continue to make Midway a long-term fixture in the Columbia area, and a trusted acquisition partner for other home-service and electrical business owners in the region who are approaching retirement or seeking a steward for their legacy. We want Midway to be the kind of company that business owners are proud to join forces with; one that values employees, treats customers fairly and keeps ownership local, Rush said. Were also growing, so if youre a skilled electrician who takes pride in your work and wants to be part of a company that invests in its people, wed love to hear from you. About Midway Electric Founded in 2001, Midway Electric provides residential and commercial electrical services across Mid-Missouri, including Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton, Boonville and neighboring communities. Known for reliability, craftsmanship, and integrity, Midway has built its reputation on quality work and long-term relationships with customers and contractors throughout the region. For more information, visit www.midwayelectricinc.com. Media Contact Savannah Rush Email: savannah@fundedventures.com Phone: 612-702-2406 Austin, TX, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cicero Institute applauds Gov. Greg Abbott's announcement today that he is "dedicated to making Austin safer and cleaner by relocating homeless individuals and removing encampments in and around the capital city and state property." Texas is moving decisively to address, with compassion, the city's humanitarian crisis. Once cleared, encampment sites are being cleaned, and homeless individuals are being redirected to safe shelters where they can receive services. Recent polling shows a bipartisan majority of Texans support these types of strong action. "Gov. Abbott has answered the White House's call for states to take back our cities from the crime and disorder permitted by misguided progressive policies," said Cicero's Public Safety Policy Director Devon Kurtz. "Enforcement is an essential step towards not only cleaning up our streets, but getting the most vulnerable homeless away from predatory drug markets and connected to the help and support they need." The operation, which began late last week, reports having cleared 48 encampments, more than 3,000 pounds of debris, and seized more than 125 grams of narcotics. It also identified 10 individuals with outstanding warrants and arrested 24 repeat felony offenders. "Texans should not endure public safety risks from homeless encampments and individuals," said Gov. Abbott. "Weapons, needles, and other debris should not litter the streets of our community, and the State of Texas is taking action. I directed state agencies to address this risk and make Austin safer and cleaner for residents and visitors to live, travel, and conduct business." About the Cicero Institute: The Cicero Institute designs and promotes public policies that solve some of America's toughest challenges. Our homelessness work is focused on actionable research that empowers lawmakers to build healthier, safer communities. Austin, TX, USA, Oct. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Custom Market Insights has published a new research report titled Foundry Equipment Market Size, Trends and Insights By Type (Semi-Automated Equipment, Manual Equipment, Fully Automated Equipment), By Application (Metal Casting, Metal Heat Treatment), By End-User (Automotive, Aerospace, Machinery, Others), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 2025 2034 in its research database. "According to the latest research study, the global Foundry Equipment Market size and share were valued at approximately USD 4.17 billion in 2024, are expected to reach USD 4.29 billion in 2025, and are projected to grow to around USD 5.68 billion by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 3.16% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034." Click Here to Access a Free Sample Report of the Global Foundry Equipment Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/request-for-free-sample/?reportid=74414 Overview According to industry experts at CMI, the implementation of new strategies and technologies by the manufacturers presents lucrative opportunities for players in the Foundry Equipment Market during the forecast period. Furthermore, we expect the growing significance of organized retailing to drive the market's future growth. Key Trends & Drivers Adoption of Industry 4.0 and Smart Foundries: The integration of the Industry 4.0 technologies is transforming the traditional foundries into smart, data-driven facilities. The IoT-enabled sensors coupled with the AI-driven monitoring and predictive maintenance are improving the equipment performance as well as reducing the downtime and ensuring the consistent product quality. The real-time data analysis allows the foundries to optimize the processes and achieve higher productivity with minimal waste. Automation and robotics are improving safety, along with reducing reliance on manual labor. Such digital transformation is not only boosting efficiency but also enabling traceability and compliance with strict quality standards, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors. As industries demand greater precision, smart foundries are becoming a major growth trend globally. Rising Demand for Lightweight Alloy Casting: A leading trend that is propelling more specialized foundry equipment is the worldwide trend toward lightweight parts or components, particularly in the automotive and aerospace industries. With more electric vehicles and fuel-efficient aircraft entering the marketplace, demand for aluminum, magnesium, and titanium castings continues to grow. Specialized foundry equipment capable of processing these alloys with high-volume demands is necessary. In addition to reducing the overall weight of the product, lightweight materials increase fuel efficiency and product performance. These applications are prompting foundries to upgrade their equipment to improved lightweight molding, melting, and finishing systems, which is driving market growth in both developed and developing countries. Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Initiatives: The environmental concerns and regulations are compelling foundries to utilize energy-efficient technology that is environmentally conscious. New melting furnaces, air filtration systems, and sand reclamation systems keep emissions and waste to a minimum. In addition to the environmental benefits, energy-efficient equipment strictly saves operating costs, which is a secondary benefit to foundries. Customersautomotive and aerospace customers in particularare asking for green supply chains, and in turn, such demand is leading foundries to more sustainable options. When a manufacturer invests in environmentally responsible technology, they will set themselves apart from their competition, making sustainability a unique growth driver for foundry equipment for the future. Request a Customized Copy of the Foundry Equipment Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/request-for-customization/?reportid=74414 Expansion of Infrastructure and Industrialization: The rapid expansion of infrastructure and industrialization, particularly in emerging markets, is leading to a strong demand for foundry equipment. Major capital projects in construction, rail, energy, and machinery manufacturing require high quality castings, which is encouraging investment in new foundry equipment. Supported by government policies and funding, the industrial development and the increase in production capacity is producing even more demand for investment in more modern casting. This is becoming more common in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, where urbanization and industrialization is ramping up. Increasing Automation and Robotics Integration: The emergence of automation is expected to propel the growth of the foundry equipment market. The robotics along with the automated handling systems, are being broadly developed and deployed for tasks such as molding, pouring, and finishing, with increased accuracy and reduced reliance on manual labor. The automation improves the worker safety by minimizing the exposure to the hazardous surroundings, while also improves the productivity by enabling continuous production at high-speed cycles. Additionally, the automation helps in providing consistent product quality which is critical in industries such as automotive and aerospace. Furthermore, as global labor costs rise, the presence and use of automation will continue to drive growth. Growing Demand for Customization and Flexible Solutions: Foundries are frequently looking for equipment that offers flexibility for varying product requirements and production runs. The demand for equipment capable of producing both small quantities and large volumes has increased due to the rising use of custom castings in industries such as aerospace, defense, and renewable energy. The manufacturers are now offering the modular systems which can easily be reconfigured based on the assembly needs. Customization helps operational versatility but also creates opportunities for equipment manufacturers in niche and specialized applications. Report Scope Feature of the Report Details Market Size in 2025 USD 4.29 Billion Projected Market Size in 2034 USD 5.68 Billion Market Size in 2024 USD 4.17 Billion CAGR Growth Rate 3.16% CAGR Base Year 2024 Forecast Period 2025-2034 Key Segment By Type, Application, End-User and Region Report Coverage Revenue Estimation and Forecast, Company Profile, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors and Recent Trends Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South & Central America Buying Options Request tailored purchasing options to fulfil your requirements for research. (A free sample of the Foundry Equipment report is available upon request; please contact us for more information.) Our Free Sample Report Consists of the following: The updated report for 2025 includes an introduction, an overview, and an in-depth industry analysis. Provide detailed chapter-by-chapter guidance on the Request. Updated Regional Analysis with a Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2025 Includes Tables and figures have been updated. The most recent version of the report includes the Top Market Players, their Business Strategies, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis Custom Market Insights (CMI) research methodology (Please note that the sample of the Foundry Equipment report has been modified to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.) Request a Customized Copy of the Foundry Equipment Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ SWOT Analysis Strengths: The markets strength lies in its broad application base. The foundry equipment is required to manufacture the metal components across various markets such as automotive, aerospace, industrial machinery, and construction. There is an increasing demand for the lightweight and strong components, especially in the automotive markets for electric vehicles (EVs). The combination of Industry 4.0 technologies, including automation, robotics, AI-driven process optimization, and predictive maintenance, is essential. Weakness: The market is largely reliant on the condition of capital-intensive end-use industries (automotive, construction, etc.). A global economic slowdown or reduction in manufacturing will lead to a cut in capital expenditures by these industries, which will result in reduced demand for new foundry equipment. Small and medium-sized foundries, in particular, do not have the capital resources to support these capital expenditures, limiting the market potential and creating dependence on significant industrial projects. Opportunities: The ongoing evolution and adoption of AI and digital twin technology can transform the market. AI has applicability in predictive maintenance, quality control, and process optimization. The digital twins can be exploited to simulate and optimize complete foundry layouts and processes, providing major efficiencies for end-users. There is enormous potential in retrofitting and upgrading legacy foundries with new, more efficient, sustainable equipment. Threats: The market depends on the complicated global supply chain for raw materials, components, and electronics. The disruptions being caused by the geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, and logistical challenges can hamper the supply chain, which may cause the production delays and increasing costs. Furthermore, the cyclical nature of the markets makes them sensitive to economic uncertainty. Any economic headwinds might cause end users to delay or cancel capital expenditure, which would have a direct relationship to market growth. Request a Customized Copy of the Foundry Equipment Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ Key questions answered in this report: What is the size of the Foundry Equipment market, and what is its expected growth rate? What are the primary driving factors that push the Foundry Equipment market forward? What are the Foundry Equipment Industry's top companies? What are the different categories that the Foundry Equipment Market caters to? What will be the fastest-growing segment or region? In the value chain, what role do essential players play? What is the procedure for getting a free copy of the Foundry Equipment market sample report and company profiles? Key Offerings: Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20252034 Market Dynamics Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Leading Trends Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by Types of Services, by End-User Services, and by regions Competitive Landscape Top Key Vendors and Other Prominent Vendors Buy this Premium Foundry Equipment Research Report | Fast Delivery Available - [220+ Pages] @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ Regional Analysis The Foundry Equipment Market is segmented by key regions and includes detailed analysis across major countries. Below is a brief overview of the market dynamics in each country: North America: The North American foundry equipment market is being driven by the automotive, aerospace, and machinery sectors, with the U.S. and Canada contributing significantly to the demand. The increasing adoption of automation, along with energy-efficient furnaces and advanced molding machines, is reshaping the industry. The increasing investments in the infrastructure and defense coupled with the stringent environmental regulations, are encouraging the modern and eco-friendly foundry solutions. The manufacturers are focusing on smart equipment with IoT-enabled monitoring and predictive maintenance for improving efficiency. The market growth is also being fueled by the shift towards the lightweight materials in automotive and aerospace applications. US: The automotive, aerospace, and defense industries primarily influence the U.S. foundry equipment market. The increasing demand for the lightweight and high-performance components has increased the investments in the advanced molding along with casting and heat treatment equipment. The stringent environmental regulations boost the adoption of the energy-efficient and sustainable foundry solutions. Automation, coupled with digitalization, is the key trend, with robotics and IoT-based monitoring systems improving productivity and reducing downtime. The infrastructure projects, along with the industrial expansion, further support the growth. The domestic manufacturers are continuously upgrading the facilities for meeting the global quality standards, which makes the U.S. a technologically mature and strategically important market for the foundry equipment with both high demand and innovation-driven adoption. Canada: The Canada foundry equipment market is expected to grow significantly being supported by the automotive, aerospace, mining, and heavy machinery industries. The demand for the precision-cast components along with the energy-efficient equipment is increasing, being driven by environmental regulations coupled with the sustainability initiatives. Canadian foundries are increasingly adopting semi-automated and fully automated equipment to improve productivity, reduce labor dependency, and ensure consistent quality. The infrastructure development and industrial modernization projects further stimulate the market growth. Furthermore, the partnerships with global equipment manufacturers enable access to advanced technologies which enhance the capabilities in handling lightweight alloys and complex designs. Europe: Robust automotive, aerospace, and industrial machinery sectors support the European foundry equipment market. Germany, France, and the UK are leading the demand for advanced systems for casting, molding, and heat treatment. The emphasis on environmental regulations and energy efficiency is promoting the use of eco-friendly and automated equipment. The region is also witnessing the increased demand for the lightweight material castings used in the electric vehicles and aerospace. The rising investment in the infrastructure and modernization of the industry will also drive demand for high-performance equipment. Germany: The German foundry equipment market is a center for developing automotive and industrial machinery manufacturing and a leading market for foundry equipment. There is increasing demand for high-precision cast components, particularly in lightweight and high-strength alloys. Foundries in Germany are embracing semi-automated and fully automated systems, as well as energy-efficient furnaces to drive productivity and reduce costs. The environment, as well as stringent quality controls, promotes the adoption of sustainable and high-tech equipment. Modernization of the industry, along with a culture of strong R&D competencies, enables German foundries to remain competitive in global markets. UK: The automotive, aerospace, and construction sectors drive the UK foundry equipment market. Foundries are modernizing with semi-automated and automated equipment to gain production efficiencies, reduce labor dependency, and ensure precision in the casting process. The use of energy efficient, and compliant-to-environmental-regulations solutions is growing as regulations become more rigid. Increasing development of infrastructure and industrialization are helping to generate further demand for more durable and more complex cast components. Furthermore, further cooperation with the global suppliers of the foundry equipment gives access to the newer technologies and training solutions. France: The French foundry equipment market is dependent on the automotive, aerospace, and heavy machinery manufacturing industries. The increasing use of the automated and semi-automated equipment is increasing the precision, efficiency, and safety of the casting process. Factors such as environmental regulations and sustainability targets are increasing the demand for energy-efficient furnaces, sand reclamation systems, and eco-friendly filtration solutions. Demand for high-quality cast parts due to modernization in industrial components and structures is also contributing. The foundries in France are also focusing on the lightweight alloys for the automotive and aerospace applications, which is driving investment in new equipment. Request a Customized Copy of the Foundry Equipment Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ Asia Pacific: Rapid growth in the Asia-Pacific foundry equipment market is being driven by ongoing industrialization, urbanization, and growth in the automotive and machinery sectors. China, India and South Korea are investing heavily in the development of infrastructure and require cast components of the high durability which are produced using modern equipment. The semi-automated along with the fully automated systems are increasingly adopted for improving the productivity and quality control. There is growing demand for energy-effective and sustainable solutions in line with global environmental trends. The electrification of the automotive industry and aerospace development are driving the demand for light-weight alloy casting equipment. Japan: The Japan foundry equipment market is quite advanced and caters to the automotive, aerospace, and electronics manufacturing industries. The increasing demand for the precision and lightweight casting components is driving the production of fully automated machines with energy-saving technology. The Japanese foundries focus on integrating data along with predictive maintenance and process optimization for improving productivity and efficiency. The strict environmental laws, along with the commitment to sustainability continues to drive investments into environmentally sound machinery. Japans focus on R&D in both government- and industrial-led initiatives fosters innovation in the casting, molding, and heat treatment procurement and processes. South Korea: As its automotive, shipbuilding, and heavy machinery industries grow, so does the South Korean foundry equipment market. Foundries are increasing their use of semi and fully automated equipment for improved productivity, consistency, and operational efficiencies, as well as for cost reductions. The environmental regulations along with the sustainability initiatives, are pushing investment in the energy-efficient furnaces, filtration systems, and waste reduction processes. The increased interest in lightweight and high-performance alloys, particularly in the automotive and aerospace industries, is another key factor boosting the need for modern casting and heat treatment systems. Australia: Mining, construction, automotive, and industrial machinery support the Australian foundry equipment market. The requirement for the durable, cast metal components drives investment into the semi and fully automated equipment which increases the efficiency and consistent product quality. Energy efficiency considerations, along with conformity to environmental regulations, are also important drivers in equipment selection. The infrastructure projects majorly urban development and industrial development in the metro areas, also impact the markets growth. Furthermore, the foundries in Australia are beginning to implement the digital monitoring along with the predictive maintenance solutions which improves the quality of their output and minimize downtime. LAMEA: The LAMEA foundry equipment market is expected to grow at a significant rate, being fueled by the industrialization, infrastructure development, and expansion of the automotive and machinery sectors. Countries such as Brazil, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia are investing in industrial modernization and infrastructure projects, thereby creating a demand for high-quality cast components. The foundries are increasingly adopting semi-automated, energy-efficient equipment to improve productivity and meet environmental regulations. The region presents opportunities for the global equipment manufacturers through joint ventures, technology transfers, and after-sales support. Brazil: The Brazil foundry equipment market is being driven by the automotive along with construction and machinery, sectors. Rapid urbanization and industrial development drive the demand for cast components such as engine blocks, structural parts, and heavy machinery components. The foundries are adopting semi-automated and automated systems to improve efficiency, ensure product quality, and reduce operational costs. The environmental and energy-efficiency regulations are encouraging investments in modern furnaces and sustainable casting solutions. Additionally, the collaborations with the international equipment manufacturers facilitate the technology transfer coupled with training and after-sales support. Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Arabia foundry equipment market is expanding owing to the industrial diversification along with the infrastructure development and energy sector modernization. The heavy machinery, construction, and petrochemical industries are key drivers requiring high-quality cast components. The foundries are increasingly adopting semi-automated and fully automated equipment to improve productivity, ensure consistency, and comply with environmental standards. The investments in the energy-efficient furnaces, molding machines, and digital monitoring systems improve the operational efficiency. The government's initiatives to support industrialization and local manufacturing also stimulate market growth. We customize your report to align with your specific research requirements. Inquire with our sales team about customizing your report.) Still Looking for More Information? Do you want data for inclusion in magazines, case studies, research papers, or media? Email Directly Here with Detailed Information: support@custommarketinsights.com Browse the full Foundry Equipment Market Size, Trends and Insights By Type (Semi-Automated Equipment, Manual Equipment, Fully Automated Equipment), By Application (Metal Casting, Metal Heat Treatment), By End-User (Automotive, Aerospace, Machinery, Others), and By Region - Global Industry Overview, Statistical Data, Competitive Analysis, Share, Outlook, and Forecast 2025 2034 Report at https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ List of the prominent players in the Foundry Equipment Market: Apex Tool Group LLC Artisan Foundry Buhler AG Crowder Supply Co. LLC Dandong Fuding Engineering Co. Ltd. Freeman Co. GIBA Hitachi Ltd. Inductotherm Group Kelsons Engineers and Fabricators KueNKEL WAGNER Germany GmbH Laempe Massner Sinto GmbH Loramendi S.Coop. Madison Industries McEnglevan Industrial Furnace Co. Inc. MESH Automation Inc. Morgan Advanced Materials Plc Nabertherm GmbH Norican Group Oskar Frech GmbH Co. KG Others Click Here to Access a Free Sample Report of the Global Foundry Equipment Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ Spectacular Deals Comprehensive coverage Maximum number of market tables and figures The subscription-based option is offered. Best price guarantee Free 35% or 60 hours of customization. Free post-sale service assistance. 25% discount on your next purchase. Service guarantees are available. A personalized market brief by the author. 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Which Trends Are Causing These Developments? Who Are the Global Key Players in This Foundry Equipment Market? What are the company profiles, product information, and contact details for these key players? What Was the Global Market Status of the Foundry Equipment Market? What Was the Capacity, Production Value, Cost, and PROFIT of the Foundry Equipment Market? What Is the Current Market Status of the Foundry Equipment Industry? What's the market's competition in this industry, both company-wise and country-wise? What's Market Analysis of Foundry Equipment Market by Considering Applications and Types? What Are Projections of the Global Foundry Equipment Industry Considering Capacity, Production, and Production Value? What Will Be the Estimation of Cost and Profit? What Will Be Market Share, Supply, and Consumption? What about imports and exports? What is a Foundry Equipment market chain analysis of upstream raw materials and downstream industries? What is the economic impact on the Foundry Equipment industry? What are Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis Results? What Are Global Macroeconomic Environment Development Trends? What Are the Market Dynamics of the Foundry Equipment Market? What Are Challenges and Opportunities? What Should Be Entry Strategies, Countermeasures to Economic Impact, and Marketing Channels for Foundry Equipment Industry? Click Here to Access a Free Sample Report of the Global Foundry Equipment Market @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ Reasons to Purchase Foundry Equipment Market Report Foundry Equipment Market Report provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market based on segmentation involving economic and non-economic factors. Foundry Equipment The Market report outlines market value (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment. This report indicates the region and segment expected to witness the fastest growth and dominate the market. Foundry Equipment Market Analysis by geography highlights the consumption of the product/service in the region and indicates the factors affecting the market within each region. The competitive landscape incorporates the market ranking of the major players, along with new service/product launches, partnerships, business expansions, and acquisitions in the past five years of companies profiled. Extensive company profiles comprise a company overview, company insights, product benchmarking, and SWOT analysis for the major market players. Recent developments, including growth opportunities and drivers, as well as challenges and restraints in both emerging and developed regions, shape the industry's current and future market outlook. Foundry Equipment Market: Includes in-depth market analysis from various perspectives through Porter's five forces analysis and offers an overview of the market through the value chain. Reasons for the Research Report The study provides a thorough overview of the global Foundry Equipment market. Compare your performance to that of the market as a whole. Aim to maintain competitiveness while innovations from established leaders drive market growth. Buy this Premium Foundry Equipment Research Report | Fast Delivery Available - [220+ Pages] @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ What does the report include? Drivers, restrictions, and opportunities are among the qualitative elements covered in the worldwide Foundry Equipment market analysis. The report covers the competitive environment of current and potential participants in the Foundry Equipment market, along with their strategic product development ambitions. This study conducts a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Foundry Equipment market based on the component, application, and industry vertical. Additionally, the report provides comparable data for the key regions. The report provides actual market sizes and forecasts for each segment mentioned above. Who should buy this report? Participants and stakeholders worldwide Foundry Equipment market should find this report useful. The research will be useful to all market participants in the Foundry Equipment industry. Managers in the Foundry Equipment sector are interested in publishing up-to-date and projected data about the worldwide Foundry Equipment market. Governmental agencies, regulatory bodies, decision-makers, and organizations want to invest in Foundry Equipment products' market trends. Analysts, researchers, educators, strategy managers, and government organizations seek market insights to develop plans. Request a Customized Copy of the Foundry Equipment Market Report @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ About Custom Market Insights: Custom Market Insights is a market research and advisory company delivering business insights and market research reports to large, small, and medium-scale enterprises. We assist clients with strategies and business policies and regularly work towards achieving sustainable growth in their respective domains. CMI is a one-stop solution for data collection and investment advice. Our company's expert analysis digs out essential factors that help us understand the significance and impact of market dynamics. The professional experts advise clients on aspects such as strategies for future estimation, forecasting, opportunities to grow, and consumer surveys. Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube Contact Us: Frank Gittens CMI Consulting LLC 1333, 701 Tillery Street Unit 12, Austin, TX, Travis, US, 78702 USA: +1 737-734-2707 APAC: +91 20 46022736 WhatsApp No : +1 801 639 9061 Email: support@custommarketinsights.com Web: https://www.custommarketinsights.com/ Blog: https://businessresearchindustry.com Blog: https://www.briinsights.com/ Blog: https://cmimarketresearch.com/ Buy this Premium Foundry Equipment Research Report | Fast Delivery Available - [220+ Pages] @ https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/foundry-equipment-market/ MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- October marks Menopause Awareness Month, a time to focus on the physical and emotional changes that affect more than 1 million American women each year. 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While rhubarb binds primarily to beta estrogen receptors, copaiba interacts with both alpha and beta receptors as well as the CB2 receptors of the endocannabinoid systeman area increasingly recognized for its role in stress response and mood regulation. The unique botanical formulation provides a broad and complete targeting of the ER alpha and ER beta receptors, balanced CB1 and CB2 activation, along with modulation of the NK3R receptor supporting advanced temperature controlall providing for a more complete and balanced response. Women deserve solutions informed by the latest science, giving them real, comprehensive support instead of relying on outdated formulas, said Meagan Purdy , naturopathic doctor, brand manager and educator at Blueroot Health , the parent company of Fairhaven Health. By pairing copaiba with rhapontic rhubarb, were supporting the bodys natural communication pathways involved in hormonal balance and emotional resilience. In a pilot clinical study, Complete Menopause Relief was shown to provide significantly greater symptom relief than similar studies using rhubarb alone, with 90% of women reporting up to 80% improvement in menopause symptoms in as little as seven days. Complementing symptom relief, Menopause Multivitamin Essentials is designed to support long-term health during the peri- and postmenopausal years.* The one-per-day formula targets key concerns such as bone, heart, and brain health with nutrients including vitamins D3 and K2-7, methylated B vitamins, berberine, and green tea extract. Menopause isnt a single moment, its a transition that affects multiple systems in our body over time, said Purdy. Our goal is to help women feel supported both in immediate symptom management and in maintaining long-term vitality. Nearly 80% of women experience symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep issues, or mood changes during menopause, yet fewer than 1 in 5 feel they have adequate support or information to manage them effectively. With women spending up to one-third of their lives in menopause , access to comprehensive, evidence-based care is becoming increasingly essential for long-term health and quality of life. Fairhaven Healths hormone-free, clinically supported solutions are trusted by healthcare practitioners who rely on evidence-based approaches to support womens health at every stage of life. Fairhaven Healths Complete Menopause Relief and Menopause Multivitamin Essentials are available at www.fairhavenhealth.com and through healthcare providers. About Fairhaven Health Fairhaven Health is a trusted leader in womens health, offering clean, hormone-free, science-backed nutritional solutions recommended by health care practitioners worldwide. From menstruation to menopause and beyond, Fairhaven Health empowers women with the knowledge, inspiration, and nutritional support needed to take charge of their health with confidence. Learn more at https://www.fairhavenhealth.com . About Blueroot Health Blueroot Health is a consumer health company with a diverse portfolio of brands that fuel lasting happiness and health for people and the planet. The companys industry-leading brands including Vital Nutrients , Bariatric Fusion , and Fairhaven Health offer a suite of clean, innovative, and clinically relevant nutritional supplements that work. The portfolio includes specialized solutions for womens health, metabolic health, and weight management, along with a full range of clinically relevant, specialized formulas and single ingredients trusted by health care practitioners, patients and consumers worldwide. Blueroot Health is committed to making a lasting, positive impact on the communities it serves, without leaving a negative footprint on the planet. Learn more at: https://blueroothealth.co . *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9617e3c-15b2-47bb-849c-5affc80d46fb https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7a90321c-609a-4b80-9a57-b0fba234540d https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6428b083-fcc0-4a27-a516-e7dab6ab5742 Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or for dissemination in the United States Toronto, Ontario, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avante Corp. (TSX.V: XX) (Avante or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Companys five nominees set forth in the Companys management information circular dated September 15, 2025 (the Circular), being Daniel Argiros, Wade Burton, Robert Klopot, Emmanuel Mounouchos and Bruce Bronfman, were all elected as directors of the Company at the annual general and special meeting of shareholders held today (the Meeting). Each of the directors elected at the Meeting will hold office until the next annual general meeting of the Company or until their successor is duly elected or appointed, unless their post is vacated earlier. At the Meeting, shareholders also approved the re-appointment of Deloitte LLP as the auditor of the Company until the close of the next annual meeting, as well as the ratification of the Companys stock option plan. Further information with respect to the matters considered at the Meeting can be found in the Circular, which is available under Avantes issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca . About Avante Corp. Avante Corp. is a Toronto based leading provider of security operatives and technology enabled security solutions to residential and commercial clients. Avantes mission is to deliver an elevated level of security globally, with white-glove mentality to high- net-worth families and corporations alike, through advanced solutions and methods of detecting conditions that require immediate response. The Company has developed a diversified security platform that leverages advanced technology solutions to provide a superior level of security services. With an experienced team and proven track record of solid growth, Avante is taking steps to establish a broad portfolio of security businesses and solutions for its customers through organic growth complemented by strategic acquisitions. Avante acquires, manages and builds industry leading businesses which provide specialized, mission-critical solutions that address the security risks of its clients. Avante is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker XX. For more information, please visit www.avantecorp.ca and consider joining our investor email list. Avante Corp. Emmanuel Mounouchos Founder, CEO & Board Chair, Avante Corp. 416-923-6984 manny@avantesecurity.com Pardeep Sangha Investor Relations 604-572-6392 pardeep@angadcapital.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. ("Exchange") nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: New York, N.Y., October 21, 2025. Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) resulting from allegations that Freeport may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Freeport securities 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=45553 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 September 24, 2025, Freeport issued a press release entitled Freeport Provides Update on PT Freeport Indonesia Operations. It stated that Freeport announced today an update on the status of the previously reported mud rush incident at the Grasberg Block Cave mine (GBC) in Indonesia. On September 20, 2025, PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) located two team members who were regrettably fatally injured in the September 8th incident. On this news, Freeport stock fell by 16.95% on September 24, 2025. 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 Washington, USA, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DeLeion Capital , a leading digital asset management company specializing in blockchain-based investment strategies, today announced the launch of its new suite of asset management plans designed for investors in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and XRP. This strategic expansion marks a major step forward in the companys mission to bridge traditional finance with the fast-growing world of digital assets. As the digital economy continues to evolve, DeLeion Capitals latest offering aims to provide institutional-grade asset management services to both retail and professional investors seeking secure, diversified, and transparent exposure to the top-performing cryptocurrencies. Bringing Structure and Trust to Digital Asset Management: With the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain technology, and tokenized investments, the global demand for secure and professionally managed crypto portfolios has reached an all-time high. Recognizing this shift, DeLeion Capitals new asset management plans focus on three of the most influential digital assets, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP, each representing unique opportunities within the broader blockchain ecosystem. Bitcoin (BTC) : Known as the worlds first decentralized digital currency, Bitcoin remains the gold standard for long-term crypto investors. DeLeion Capitals Bitcoin plan emphasizes capital preservation, gradual accumulation, and yield optimization through advanced custody and rebalancing strategies. : Known as the worlds first decentralized digital currency, Bitcoin remains the gold standard for long-term crypto investors. DeLeion Capitals Bitcoin plan emphasizes capital preservation, gradual accumulation, and yield optimization through advanced custody and rebalancing strategies. Ethereum (ETH) : The Ethereum management plan is designed for individuals seeking exposure to the expanding smart contract and decentralized application (DApp) ecosystem. With the upcoming Ethereum upgrades and ongoing institutional adoption, DeLeion Capitals ETH strategy focuses on staking, network participation, and long-term growth potential. : The Ethereum management plan is designed for individuals seeking exposure to the expanding smart contract and decentralized application (DApp) ecosystem. With the upcoming Ethereum upgrades and ongoing institutional adoption, DeLeion Capitals ETH strategy focuses on staking, network participation, and long-term growth potential. XRP: As one of the most efficient and scalable blockchain assets for global payments, XRP has gained significant traction among financial institutions. DeLeion Capitals XRP asset management plan offers clients the opportunity to leverage XRPs cross-border transaction utility while benefiting from professional oversight and risk management. Each plan is backed by DeLeion Capitals robust analytical frameworks , proprietary algorithms, and experienced asset management team dedicated to optimizing returns while minimizing volatility in the unpredictable markets. A New Era of Institutional-Grade Crypto Management: DeLeion Capitals CM, Roger M. Lambdin commented on the launch, saying: Our mission is to simplify digital asset management and make it accessible through trusted, well-managed solutions. We understand that many individuals want to participate in the economy but are held back by volatility, security risks, or lack of knowledge. With our structured plans for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP, were removing those barriers and offering clients a secure gateway into the future of finance. DeLeion Capitals proprietary technology infrastructure enables seamless account management, real-time portfolio tracking, and on-demand performance reports. The company employs rigorous due diligence and multi-layered security protocols to protect investor assets, including cold storage, third-party custodians, and insurance coverage against potential breaches. Key Features of DeLeion Capitals Digital Asset Custody Service: Robust Security Architecture DeLeion Capital secures client assets through advanced multi-layer encryption, the use of both hot and cold wallet segregation, and a multi-party authorization frameworkprotecting against both internal and external threats. Optimized Yield Generation Clients can earn passive income by allocating their ETH, BTC or XRP to DeLeions proprietary yield strategies, offering annualized returns of 3% to 12%, based on market conditions and chosen investment plans. Transparent and Flexible Asset Management Individuals have 24/7 access to their holdings via real-time dashboards and on-chain verification tools, ensuring complete transparency and a fully auditable asset management process. Institutional-Grade Risk Management A team of global blockchain analysts and quantitative experts actively manage all portfolios, utilizing sophisticated risk controls and liquidity strategies to protect and optimize client returns. Inclusive Access for All Individuals With low minimum requirements and daily interest accruals, DeLeion Capitals custody service is designed to accommodate both individuals and institutions, allowing clients to start earning immediately. Transparency, Regulation, and Professionalism: One of DeLeion Capitals defining features is its commitment to transparency and regulatory compliance. The company operates under strict financial standards, ensuring all investment strategies adhere to industry regulations and best practices. Clients receive regular performance updates, audited reports, and access to real-time data through a secure dashboard . Furthermore, the companys risk management framework includes active portfolio monitoring, market exposure analysis, and automated rebalancing tools to maintain optimal asset distribution. By combining human expertise with AI-powered analytics, DeLeion Capital provides a balanced, data-driven approach to cryptocurrency investing. Designed for All Types of Individuals: DeLeion Capitals asset management plans are structured to cater to diverse investor profiles: Beginners Those new to digital assets can start with a low-entry portfolio focused on stable and secure growth in Bitcoin or XRP. Those new to digital assets can start with a low-entry portfolio focused on stable and secure growth in Bitcoin or XRP. Intermediate For those with moderate experience, Ethereum-based portfolios offer a higher-risk, higher-reward structure tied to DeFi and Web3 trends. For those with moderate experience, Ethereum-based portfolios offer a higher-risk, higher-reward structure tied to DeFi and Web3 trends. Institutional and High-Net-Worth Clients DeLeion Capitals bespoke plans allow large-scale investors to customize allocation ratios, apply risk hedging strategies, and gain exposure to multiple digital assets simultaneously. The company also provides dedicated account managers, portfolio consultations, and market insights to help clients make informed decisions. Driving the Future of Digital Finance: Since its inception, DeLeion Capital has been at the forefront of digital wealth management, leveraging blockchain innovation to reshape how investors interact with digital assets. The new asset management plans align with the companys broader vision , to create a seamless connection between traditional finance and the decentralized economy. By combining sophisticated technology with expert human oversight, DeLeion Capital continues to redefine whats possible in digital wealth creation. About DeLeion Capital: DeLeion Capital is a US-based digital asset management company specializing in blockchain-based asset management strategies, and institutional-grade custody solutions. The companys mission is to empower individuals to securely navigate the evolving digital economy through innovation, transparency, and strategic asset allocation. For more information on DeLeion Capitals new asset management plans, visit www.deleioncapital.com . Media Details: Roger M. Lambdin Company Email: info@deleioncapital.com Website: https://deleioncapital.com Attachment NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of investors in liquid staking tokens (called stETH and rETH) sold by Consensys Software, Inc., resulting from allegations that Consensys may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased stETH or rETH tokens from Consensys 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=45318 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 June 28, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published a release entitled SEC Charges Consensys Software for Unregistered Offers and Sales of Securities Through Its MetaMask Staking Service. The release further stated that since at least January 2023, Consensys has offered and sold tens of thousands of unregistered securities on behalf of liquid staking program providers Lido and Rocket Pool, who create and issue liquid staking tokens (called stETH and rETH) in exchange for staked assets. Further, the release stated that while staked tokens are generally locked up and cannot be traded or used while they are staked, liquid staking tokens, as the name implies, can be bought and sold freely. Investors in these staking programs provided funds to Lido and Rocket Pool in exchange for the liquid tokens. The SECs complaint alleges that Consensys engages in the unregistered offer and sale of securities by participating in the distribution of the staking programs and operates as an unregistered broker with respect to these transactions. 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 Scottsdale, Arizona, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qinary, a pioneering force in next-generation marketing systems, is proud to announce a groundbreaking initiative led by its CEO, Buck Wise. This new venture is set to revolutionize how entrepreneurs establish leadership in their respective markets through advanced AI search capabilities. Qinary, CEO, Buck Wise In an era where digital presence is paramount, Qinary's latest blueprint offers med spas and real estate professionals a strategic edge. By leveraging AI-driven insights, these businesses can ensure they are the first choice for potential consumers seeking expertise in their fields. This initiative underscores Qinary's commitment to integrating human creativity with operational intelligence, simplifying workflows, and enhancing decision-making processes. "Our mission at Qinary is to transform creative chaos into intelligent clarity," said Buck Wise, CEO of Qinary. "With this new blueprint, we're empowering entrepreneurs to not only compete but to lead in their markets. By harnessing the power of AI, we're providing them with the tools to be seen and chosen first by consumers." Qinary's innovative approach connects every aspect of modern marketingpeople, data, and platformsinto a cohesive ecosystem. This integration is designed to eliminate confusion and bottlenecks, enabling creators and teams to operate at peak performance. The new AI search blueprint is a testament to Qinary's dedication to fostering a seamless marketing experience for its clients. As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, Qinary remains at the forefront, offering solutions that are not only cutting-edge but also practical and effective. The company's vision is to support creators, agencies, and brands in shaping the new economy, ensuring they have the resources needed to thrive in a competitive environment. For more information on Qinary's AI search blueprint and how it can benefit your business, visit Qinary's official website. About Qinary Qinary is a next-generation marketing systems company built for the creators, agencies, and brands shaping the new economy. We combine human creativity with operational intelligenceusing AI to simplify workflows, enhance decision-making, and scale creative performance. From campaign strategy to content delivery, Qinary connects every moving part of modern marketingpeople, data, and platformsinto a single intelligent ecosystem. Our mission is to eliminate confusion and bottlenecks so creators and teams can move faster, think clearer, and perform at their highest level. In short: Qinary turns creative chaos into intelligent clarity. Press inquiries Qinary https://instagram.com/aboutbuck Buck Wise buck@qinary.com PMB 102 8390 E VIA de VENTURA F-110, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85258 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, October 20, 2025 - George Sanders, President of Goldcliff Resource Corp. ("Goldcliff" or the "Company") (GCN:TSXV)(GCFFF:OTC PINK) is pleased to announce a proposed non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $730,000 (the "Private Placement"). The Private Placement will consist of the issuance of: (i) up to 4,000,000 units (each, a "NFT Unit"), at a price of $0.06 per NFT Unit (the "NFT Unit Offering"), with each NFT Unit comprising one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one half of one non-transferrable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder to acquire an additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.08 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the Closing Date (as defined herein); and (ii) up to 7,000,000 flow-through shares ("FT Shares"), at a price of $0.07 per FT Share (the "FT Share Offering"), with each FT Share comprising one Common Share which qualifies as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-105"), the securities sold under the Private Placement will be offered 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"). Subject to the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"), the securities issuable from the sale of Units to Canadian resident subscribers will not be subject to a hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document (the "Offering Document") related to this Private Placement that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at www.goldcliff.com. Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision. Proceeds from the NFT Unit Offering will be applied to reimbursement of advances to an insider of the Company in connection with the property payments on Aurora West and Kettle Valley projects, and to general working capital. Proceeds from the FT Share Offering will be applied to drilling at Kettle Valley, and site preparation and trenching at the Ainsworth silver project, as Canadian exploration expenses that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and which will be incurred on or before December 31, 2026 and renounced with an effective date no later than December 31, 2025 to the initial purchasers of FT Shares. Both projects are located in British Columbia. The Private Placement is anticipated to close on or about November 7, 2025 ("Closing Date"), or such other date(s) as the Company may determine. Closing of the Private Placement is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSXV. Goldcliff advises that insiders of the Company may participate in the Private Placement, which subscriptions will be completed pursuant to available related party exemptions under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions and will be subject to the TSXV hold period. At Closing, the Company may pay a cash finder's fee equal to 7% of gross proceeds introduced by eligible finders. Also, the Company may grant to eligible finders, finder's warrants equal to 7% of the number of NFT Units and/or FT Shares introduced by the finder on the same terms and conditions as the Warrants comprising the NFT Units. This Offering (including the Offering Document) is not an amendment to, or an extension of, the offering announced in the Company's news release dated August 25, 2025 (and the associated offering document dated August 25, 2025) and which subsequently closed on October 1 and October 9, 2025. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. For further information, please contact George W. Sanders, President, at 250-764-8879, toll free at 1-866-769-4802 or email at sanders@goldcliff.com. GOLDCLIFF RESOURCE CORPORATION Per: "George W. Sanders" George W. Sanders, President Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the anticipated closing of the Private Placement, the anticipated size of the Private Placement, the receipt of all regulatory approvals in respect of the Private Placement, including approval of the TSXV, the participation of insiders, the expected use of proceeds from the Private Placement, certain expenses qualifying as flow though mining expenditures, and the expected timing for incurrence and renouncement of expenses. Although Goldcliff believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, general economic and market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, the ability of Goldcliff and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Goldcliff's proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Goldcliff does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: Goldcliff Resource Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Vancouver - Canary Gold Corp. (CSE: BRAZ | Frankfurt: K5D) ("Canary Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it is preparing to mobilize a field crew to its newly acquired Talisman Project in Rondonia State, Brazil, contingent upon receipt of the necessary exploration permits. The upcoming fieldwork will include ground reconnaissance, geological mapping, and sampling designed to refine priority drill targets and expand the Company's regional understanding of gold-bearing stratigraphy within the Madeira River Gold Province. Advancing Multi-Front Exploration in the Madeira River Gold Province The Talisman reconnaissance will complement ongoing preparations for the Company's flagship Rio Madeira Project, located within the broader Madeira River Gold Province - a geologically favorable yet underexplored region of western Brazil. Since its IPO, Canary Gold has transitioned rapidly from acquisition to active exploration. Key milestones include: Completion of a 1,950 m aircore drilling program confirming the presence of the targeted Mocururu stratigraphy; A 457 m sonic drilling campaign achieving continuous core recovery through unconsolidated auriferous sediments, with visible gold grains observed in pan concentrates during sampling; Establishment of an in-country sample-preparation facility in Porto Velho, enabling faster turnaround and improved QA/QC control; and Delineation of two principal geological and radiometric domains (B and C) interpreted to host gold-bearing horizons across the Company's extensive tenement package. These milestones provide preliminary geological indications that the target stratigraphy extends continuously across multiple tenements and warrants further systematic evaluation through drilling and assay testing. Highlights District-scale land position: Over 160,000 hectares (? 618 sq. mi.) encompassing multiple high-priority gold targets. Dual-front exploration: Planned reconnaissance at the Talisman Project and ongoing preparation for the 20,000-meter Drill Program at Rio Madeira. Major drill campaign: Approximately 15,000 m of aircore and 5,000 m of screw-auger drilling designed to systematically test the 80 km-long Mocururu horizon. Preliminary field observations: Visible gold grains in pan concentrates support continued exploration; assays pending to determine grade significance. In-country infrastructure: Sample-preparation facility established in Porto Velho to support rapid turnaround and QA/QC control. Well-funded programs: Oversubscribed private placements position the Company to fully execute its 2025 exploration plans. Finalizing the Drill Program The Company is in the final stages of contracting and logistics planning for its upcoming multi-rig drill program at Rio Madeira, scheduled to commence in November. The campaign will include approximately 15,000 m of aircore drilling and 5,000 m of specialized screw-auger drilling - a variation of diamond coring designed to recover high-integrity samples from water-saturated, unconsolidated, and semi-consolidated formations. Samples will be submitted to an accredited laboratory for fire-assay and multi-element analysis under standard industry QA/QC protocols. District-Scale Opportunity Canary Gold now controls more than 160,000 hectares (? 618 sq. mi.) along the Madeira River corridor - one of Brazil's most prospective yet underexplored gold regions. This land position provides the Company with the scale necessary to evaluate multiple mineralized systems within a single contiguous district. The exploration model targets near-surface, gold-bearing sedimentary horizons interpreted to be geologically similar to the historic Mocururu Conglomerate and comparable in style to the Witwatersrand Basin (South Africa) and Jacobina Group (Bahia State, Brazil) - both renowned for their quartz-pebble conglomerate-hosted paleoplacer gold deposits. Canary's integration of geological mapping, radiometric interpretation, and systematic drilling provides a modern framework for evaluating this emerging gold province. Click Image To View Full Size Executive Comment "Our technical and exploration teams are advancing aggressively on multiple fronts," said Mark Tommasi, President of Canary Gold Corp. "The Talisman program will expand our regional footprint and enhance target generation, while the upcoming drill campaign represents an important step toward assessing the district-scale potential of the Rio Madeira Project." Click Image To View Full Size Two figures accompanying this release illustrate geological and radiometric domains reflecting the interpreted location of the targeted stratigraphy (Domains B and C) across Canary's tenements in the Rio Madeira Project area. (Figures 1 and 2: Regional geological and radiometric interpretation maps of the Rio Madeira Project, Rondonia, Brazil) Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Andrew Lee Smith, B.Sc., P.Geo., ICD.D, Executive Chairman of Canary Gold Corp., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Smith has verified the exploration data disclosed herein, including drilling, sampling, and field observation procedures. References to "visible gold" are based on field observations only. Such qualitative descriptions should not be interpreted as confirmation of grade, continuity, or economic potential until supported by laboratory assay results. All exploration information presented herein is preliminary and conceptual in nature. The Company has not yet determined that any of its properties contain mineral resources or reserves as defined by NI 43-101. About Canary Gold Corp. Canary Gold Corp. is a Canadian public exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of gold projects in Brazil. The Company holds an option to earn up to a 70% undivided interest in the Rio Madeira Project through a series of staged exploration expenditures and milestone payments. In August 2025, the Company further advanced its regional strategy by entering into a definitive agreement to acquire a 100% interest in ten additional mineral tenements totaling approximately 94,700 hectares from Talisman Venture Partners Ltd., a private British Columbia corporation. The total consideration of CAD $1.7 million is being satisfied through staged cash and share payments, a portion of which remains to be completed in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Talisman retains a 1.0% net smelter return (NSR) royalty on future production from the acquired tenements, one-half of which (reducing the NSR to 0.5%) may be repurchased by the Company at any time for CAD $1.0 million. Together, these interests provide Canary Gold with a dominant and strategically consolidated land position in the Madeira River region of Rondonia State - one of Brazil's most prospective yet underexplored gold provinces. For Further Information, Please Contact: Canary Gold Corp. Mark Tommasi, President Tel: (604) 318-1448 www.canarygold.ca Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipates", "expects", "believes", and similar expressions, or their negatives. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this release - including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's planned exploration and drill programs and the potential significance of results - are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the risks detailed in the Company's prospectus and in its continuous disclosure filings made with securities regulators from time to time. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Such information, though considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect, and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Vancouver - Vanguard Mining Corp. ("Vanguard" or the "Company") (CSE: UUU | OTC: UUUFF | Frankfurt: SL51) is pleased to announce that its common shares traded on the OTC Markets Group in the United States, under the symbol " UUUFF", are now "DTC eligible" with The Depository Trust Company ("DTC"). DTC is a New York chartered trust company and subsidiary of Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation ("DTCC"), serves as the U.S. central securities depository within the National Market System, providing electronic clearing and settlement for publicly traded securities. DTC eligibility for Vanguard's common shares streamlines U.S. electronic trading by enabling faster, more efficient clearing and settlement; this is expected to enhance liquidity, improve accessibility for institutional and retail investors, and simplify trading of the Company's shares on the OTC market under the symbol UUUFF. Investors in the United States can find current financial disclosure and the full depth of book with Real-Time Level 2 Quotes for Vanguard at otcmarkets.com. "We're pleased to confirm Vanguard Mining is now DTC-eligible-a key milestone that improves the visibility, accessibility, and liquidity of our shares in the U.S. capital markets," said David Greenway, Chief Executive Officer. "DTC eligibility streamlines electronic clearing and settlement on the OTC under UUUFF, simplifying trading for U.S. investors and supporting our broader strategy to expand Vanguard's market presence." About Vanguard Mining Corp. Vanguard Mining Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and development of high-value strategic minerals. The Company is currently advancing exploration projects in Argentina, Canada and Paraguay, with a focus on identifying and developing assets critical to the global energy transition. Vanguard is committed to responsible exploration and value creation through the acquisition and advancement of highly prospective uranium properties. All Stakeholders are encouraged to follow the Company on its social media profiles on LinkedIn, X.com, Facebook and Instagram and sign up for updates at Vanguardminingcorp.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors "David Greenway" David Greenway, CEO For further information, please contact: Vanguard Mining Corp. Brent Rusin Phone: +1 672-533-0348 E-Mail: brent@vanguardminingcorp.com Website: vanguardminingcorp.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, intentions, objectives, strategies, future performance, and anticipated events or results. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, estimates, and assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied. There can be no assurance that the events anticipated in forward-looking statements will occur, or, if they do, what benefits Vanguard will obtain from them. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, exploration results, availability of financing, commodity prices, permitting and regulatory risks, operating risks, and other risks described in the Company's public disclosure. Forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof, and Vanguard undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. ### Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Vancouver, October 21, 2025 - Homeland Uranium Corp. (TSXV: HLU) (OTCQB: HLUCF) (FSE: D3U) ("Homeland" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Homeland President and CEO Roger Lemaitre is scheduled to present at the Kinvestor Day 2025 Virtual Investor Conference ("KD25") on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 10:40AM PT / 1:40PM ET. More details below. KD25 is a premier virtual conference showcasing innovative small and mid-cap public companies primarily within the mining and energy sectors. Moderated by Arlen Hansen, host of The Kinvestor Report on YouTube, KD25 will also feature a dynamic roundtable panel where top industry experts explore current trends in mining, energy, and commodities. Register today to access this unique opportunity to catch the latest developments from presenting companies and engage in a live Q&A-style dialogue with Roger Lemaitre and other executive-level presenters. Presentation Details: Date: October 23, 2025 Presentation Time: 10:40AM PT / 1:40PM ET Presenter: Roger Lemaitre, President & CEO Register now at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2917561481689/WN_TzgjuGbhQ4CleIWd_xXRBA About Kinvestor Kinvestor creates powerful opportunities for investors to connect with both established and up-and-coming public companies in the mining, technology, and energy sectors on a free to join virtual platform. Kinvestor is powered by Kin Communications Inc, a full-service investor relations agency with over 14 years of experience across multiple industries. Our goal is to foster long-term relationships with investors, thought leaders and the media through our virtual conferences and interview series The Kinvestor Report. For more information visit kinvestor.net. About Homeland Uranium Corp. Homeland is a mineral exploration company focused on becoming a premier US-focused and resource-bearing uranium explorer and developer. The Company is the 100% owner of the Coyote Basin, Skull Creek/Cross Bones and Red Wash uranium projects in northwestern Colorado. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271269 High Tide Resources Corp. . ("High Tide" or the "Company") (CSE: HTRC) is pleased to provide an update on activities at its flagship Labrador West Iron Ore Project located in the prolific southern Labrador Trough. The Company has recently shipped approximately 5.6 tonnes of coarse reject drill core samples from its 2022 drill campaign for beneficiation and metallurgical testing. The testwork will focus on producing a Direct Reduction ("DR") grade pellet, an increasingly sought-after sale product in low-carbon steelmaking. The samples have been delivered to Studiengesellschaft fur Eisenerzaufbereitung GmbH & Co. KG ("SGA") in Germany, which will conduct the testwork. Founded in 1922, SGA is a globally recognized service and research centre specializing in iron ore beneficiation, pelletizing, sintering, and metallurgical testing. Operated as a joint venture of the German steel industry, SGA provides industry-leading facilities, technical expertise, and decades of experience in the processing of iron ore feedstock for blast furnace and direct reduction applications. Steve Roebuck, Director & CEO of High Tide states; "This represents an important milestone for the Company and its Labrador West Iron Ore Project. The results from this testwork will form a critical input to the upcoming PEA, paving the way for swift project advancement." Beneficiation and Metallurgical Testwork This work aims to test the ability of the Labrador West deposit to produce a DR-grade pellet product while maximizing iron recovery and lowering deleterious elements to within specifications required by major steel producers. The DR-grade pellets will also be tested to confirm their performance in the Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) process. The upcoming testwork program will include, crushing and grinding to liberate the iron minerals and mineral separation using magnetic separation, gravity separation and froth flotation. Future metallurgical testing will use proven technologies that rely on natural gas as the main energy source and reductant. In addition, the DR-grade concentrate, and pellets will be tested in next-generation green iron processes that use hydrogen as a clean energy source and reductant. Labrador West Iron Project The Labrador West Iron Project hosts a NI 43-101 inferred iron resource of 655 Mt @ 28.84% Fe and is comprised of one mineral licence (99 mineral claims), 2,475 hectares in size. The area was explored and drilled by Rio Tinto Exploration from 2010 to 2012, and then by High Tide Resources in 2020 & 2022. To date, approximately 7,500 m of core in 27 completed holes has been drilled on the property. Located less than 20 kilometres northeast of Labrador City, the Project is proximal to all the critical infrastructure required to explore and develop a major new iron deposit in the heart of the southern Labrador Trough. Experience by major producers operating in the Labrador Trough indicates that hematite and magnetite in this geological setting are readily recoverable using modern, industry standard beneficiation methods, that produce high purity, desirable iron concentrates. Iron and the Western Labrador Trough Infrastructure Advantage The Labrador Trough of western Labrador and adjoining Quebec constitutes Canada's primary iron producing district and is host to world-class deposits that have been mined for more than half a century. These have produced over 2 billion tonnes of iron ore to date and are considered to have very significant growth potential. The high quality of the deposits in the region allows for a wide range in product diversity, which includes premium fines, concentrate and pellet grades. The Property is strategically located near the mining communities of Wabush and Labrador City in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador and Fermont in Quebec. The area is home to Champion Iron Ore's Bloom Lake Mine, ArcelorMittal's Mont-Wright Mine, Tacora Resources' Scully Mine, and Rio Tinto IOC's Carol Lake Mine. The Wabush and Labrador City region is very well served with skilled labour and a highway as well as access to abundant low-cost hydroelectricity and a common carrier railway. The railway has 80 million tonnes per year of capacity for transport of iron products to the deep-water port of Sept Isles, Quebec, which provides year-round access to global markets. About High Tide High Tide is focused on and committed to the development of mineral projects critical to infrastructure development using industry best practices combined with a strong social license from local communities. High Tide owns a 100% interest in the Labrador West Iron Project which hosts a NI 43-101 Inferred iron resource of 655 Mt @ 28.84% Fe and is located adjacent to IOCC's Carol Lake Mine in Labrador City, NL. This resource is exposed at surface and was pit constrained for an open-pit mining scenario. The Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on April 6, 2023 and was authored by Ryan Kressall M.Sc., P.Geo, Matthew Herrington, M.Sc., P.Geo, Catharine Pelletier, P.Eng. and Jeffrey Cassoff P.Eng. The Company also owns a 100% interest in the Lac Pegma copper-nickel-cobalt deposit located 50 kilometres southeast of Fermont, Quebec. Further details on the Company, including a NI 43-101 technical report on the Labrador West Iron property can be found on the Company's website at www.hightideresources.com. Qualified Person The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Steve Roebuck, P.Geo., Director, President and CEO of High Tide, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects." For further information, please contact: Steve Roebuck Director, President & CEO Email: sroebuck@hightideresources.com Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward looking information This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, developing the Labrador West Iron Project into the next producer , the acquisition of low cost and potentially high reward lithium projects, the ability to keep exploration costs low, expected access to regional lithium processing hubs, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: commodity prices supply chain disruptions, restrictions on labour and workplace attendance and local and international travel, failure to receive requisite approvals in respect of the foregoing, failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law. TUCSON, Oct. 21, 2025 - Liberty Star Minerals ("Liberty Star" or the "Company") (OTCQB: LBSR) is pleased to announce the successful completion of induced polarization (IP) and resistivity testing over known gold-bearing veins at its wholly owned Red Rock Canyon Gold Project within the Hay Mountain Project in southeast Arizona. Key Highlights from IP Test Survey The geophysical test performed in July 2025 has proven highly successful in detecting and characterizing gold-bearing veins. The three major takeaways from the IP test demonstrate: Gold-bearing veins are readily detected, easily mapped, and can be characterized with electrical geophysics. The gold-bearing veins exhibit higher resistivity than the hosting limestone due to their siliceous, jasperoidal character, making them detectable using simple resistivity even where soil cover has rendered them invisible. Additionally, the gold-bearing veins display higher IP values than the hosting limestone, confirming their association with sulfide mineralization including pyrite and arsenopyrite, characteristic of Carlin-style deposits. Enhanced Exploration Capabilities The close-spaced data intervals of 3 meters (10 feet) allow precise quantification of vein thickness, strike and rough dip, significantly enhancing pre-drilling grade estimation. The association of IP with detectable sulfides enables selective grading of anomalous veins by their amplitude of IP response, which will prove invaluable in siting drillholes. Volumetric estimates of gold content may be achievable with grid-style surveys, and the confirmation of the relationship between IP and gold-bearing veins raises the importance of older IP anomalies that may warrant detailed surveys. The full report will be available soon on the Liberty Star website. Management Commentary "We are pleased and excited to report that this geophysical test has exceeded our expectations," said Dr. Jim B. Fink, CTO and geophysicist with Sub Rosa Monitoring LLC who conducted the survey. "The data did exactly what a calibration test should do-light up what we already know is there. The ability to readily detect, map, and characterize these gold-bearing veins using electrical geophysics represents a significant advancement in our exploration capabilities. The close correlation between IP response and gold mineralization provides us with a powerful tool for targeting future drilling programs. This may be the most positive IP survey results I've completed in my entire career." Pete O'Heeron, Chairman of Liberty Star, commented, "These breakthrough de-risking results validate our systematic approach to exploring the Red Rock Canyon Gold Project. The successful application of IP technology to map our gold-bearing veins underground not only advances this project toward development but also aligns with the nation's imperative to secure domestic sources of strategic minerals and streamline permitting under US infrastructure and energy transition frameworks. This technology will allow us to optimize our drilling programs and potentially identify additional high-grade targets that were previously undetectable due to soil cover." About Liberty Star Minerals Liberty Star Minerals is a U.S. exploration company focused on strategic and commercially important critical minerals. The Company's flagship Hay Mountain Project, which includes the Red Rock Canyon Gold Project, is located in southeast Arizona within a regionally significant porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system. Liberty Star is actively pursuing joint venture partnerships to advance both projects and is committed to establishing U.S. mineral independence through domestic exploration and development. Forward-Looking Statements Forward-Looking Statements: ?This release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the U.S. ? Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. ? These statements involve risks, uncertainties, and factors beyond the Company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. ? Forward-looking statements may include projections, expectations, plans, and assumptions regarding exploration results, mineral resources, and future operations. ? For a detailed discussion of risk factors, refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC. ? Regulation S-K 1300 Compliance: ?Liberty Star is classified as an "Exploration Stage Issuer" under Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K. ? The Company currently has no exploration results, mineral resources, or mineral reserves to report under this regulation. ? U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part of the Company's mineralized properties will be converted into measured or proven reserves. ? Contact: Liberty Star Minerals Tucson, Arizona www.libertystaruranium.com Follow Liberty Star Minerals on Facebook, LinkedIn & [X]Twitter GoldHaven Resources Corp. (CSE: GOH | OTCQB: GHVNF | Frankfurt: 4QS) ("GoldHaven" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the successful completion of its second diamond drill hole (COP-002) at the East Target of its 100%-owned Copecal Project, located in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Highlights: Second diamond drill hole (COP-002) completed to a depth of 121 metres. Enhanced alteration and veining intensity observed relative to COP-001. Intersections include zones of silicification, biotite, quartz veining, sericite-chlorite, and weak carbonate alteration - features commonly associated with hydrothermal gold systems. Geological and structural logging underway; sampling in progress for gold and multi-element analysis. Drill rig mobilized to third pad, 100 metres west along strike from COP-001 and COP-002. Drill hole CP-24-002 was advanced to a total downhole depth of 121 metres, intersecting lithologies consistent with those observed in the nearby first hole (COP-001). Importantly, the second hole displayed notable enhancements in alteration and veining intensity, including broader zones of silicification, localized biotite alteration, and quartz veining accompanied by sericite-chlorite and weak carbonate alteration. These alteration assemblages are often indicative of hydrothermal fluid activity associated with gold mineralizing systems. Detailed geological and structural logging of both COP-001 and COP-002 is currently underway. Sampling for gold and multi-element geochemical analysis will follow immediately after the logging process. All samples will be prepared at ALS Laboratories' facility in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso, and subsequently analyzed at the ALS analytical laboratory in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Figure 1: GoldHaven team completes 2nd diamond drill hole on Copecal Gold project The drill rig has now been mobilized to the third drill pad, positioned approximately 100 metres west along strike from the collar locations of the first two holes. This next hole will continue to test the continuity of the East Target's mineralized corridor and further evaluate the geological controls on alteration and veining observed to date. Figure 2: GoldHaven core being readied for transport in Brazil to ALS Global Labs "We're encouraged by the geological consistency and strengthening alteration we're seeing in our first two drill holes at Copecal," stated Rob Birmingham, President and CEO of GoldHaven Resources. "These early results support our interpretation of a large, structurally controlled system with the potential to host gold mineralization. With the drill now turning on our third hole, we look forward to expanding our understanding of the East Target and delivering steady news flow as we advance this exciting project." GoldHaven will continue to provide regular updates as drilling progresses and as assay results become available. About the Copecal Gold Project: A Brief History The Copecal Gold Project is strategically situated within the Alta Floresta Gold Province, a historically productive region that has yielded substantial gold discoveries since the late 1970s. GoldHaven's tenements cover a total of 3,681 hectares in a geologically favourable setting within the Juruena Gold Province of Brazil. The Juruena Gold Province, also known as the Juruena Magmatic Arc, is an orogenic belt highly prospective for mesothermal shear-related and intrusion-related gold deposits, such as G-Mining's Tocantinzinho deposit. Additionally, the region hosts recently identified porphyry-style deposits (e.g., Serabi, Jaca) and epithermal-style deposits (e.g., X1, Aura). The presence of multiple deposit styles, along with the confirmation of large-scale gold deposits in the Juruena Province of Brazil, underscores the significant potential of the Copecal Gold Project. Recent exploration programs, including geochemical soil sampling, drone-mounted magnetometry surveys, and historical drilling data, indicate the presence of multiple gold-bearing structures. Notably, AngloGold Ashanti previously conducted systematic exploration on the property from 2010 to 2016, including auger and air-core drilling, geophysical surveys, and rock geochemistry, identifying multiple zones of anomalous gold mineralization. The Copecal Gold Project benefits from extensive historical work, with AngloGold Ashanti's exploration confirming gold and arsenic anomalies, indicative of significant mineralization potential. Soil sampling grids and follow-up auger drilling in key areas revealed consistent gold values over wide zones, further supporting the presence of a substantial mineralized system. Figure 3: Location of the Copecal Gold Project within the prolific Juruena Gold Belt About GoldHaven Resources Corp. GoldHaven Resources Corp. is a Canadian junior exploration Company focused on acquiring and exploring highly prospective land packages in North and South America. The Company's projects include (i) the flagship Magno Project, a district-scale polymetallic property adjacent to the historic Cassiar mining district in British Columbia; (ii) the Three Guardsman Project, which exhibits significant potential for copper and gold-skarn mineralization; (iii) the Copecal Gold Project, a drill-ready gold project located in Mato Grosso, Brazil with a 6km strike of anomalous gold in soil samples; and (iv) three critical mineral projects with extensive tenement packages totalling 123,900 hectares: Bahia South, Bahia North and Igautu projects located in Brazil. Qualified Person: The scientific and technical information disclosed in this document has been reviewed and approved by Jonathan Victor Hill, B.Sc. Hons, FAusIMM, an independent Qualified Person consistent with NI 43-101 and Country Manager of GoldHaven. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Rob Birmingham, Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Rob Birmingham, CEO www.GoldHavenresources.com info@goldhavenresources.com Office Direct: (604) 629-8254 The CSE and Information Service Provider have not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company and the Property. The forward-looking information reflects management's current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Such risk factors may include, among others, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation and environmental regulation; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and the other factors. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; and (ii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Company's management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4bc52a2f-f27e-41d0-80bc-b4d3e1ad2c08 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5ab43184-b967-4f65-acb4-5bf2b4f4c4d3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94900235-91fc-4001-8f36-5b74c45e5a48 Calgary, October 21, 2025 - Suncor Energy (TSX: SU) (NYSE: SU) will release its third quarter financial results on November 4, 2025 before 5:00 p.m. MT (7:00 p.m. ET). A webcast to review the third quarter will be held on November 5, 2025 at 7:30 a.m. MT (9:30 a.m. ET). A question and answer period with analysts will follow brief remarks from management. To listen to the webcast please follow the instructions provided at https://www.suncor.com/en-ca/investors/events-and-presentations. The event will be archived for 90 days. Suncor Energy is Canada's leading integrated energy company. Suncor's operations include oil sands development, production and upgrading; offshore oil production; petroleum refining in Canada and the U.S.; and the company's Petro-CanadaTM retail and wholesale distribution networks (including Canada's Electric HighwayTM, a coast-to-coast network of fast-charging EV stations). Suncor is developing petroleum resources while advancing the transition to a lower-emissions future through investments in lower emissions intensity power, renewable feedstock fuels and projects targeting emissions intensity. Suncor also conducts energy trading activities focused primarily on the marketing and trading of crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products and power. Suncor's common shares (symbol: SU) are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. For more information about Suncor, visit our website at suncor.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271310 Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (CNSX: ARS) ("Ares" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the second and final tranche of its previously announced offering of units (each, a "Unit") by issuing 12,221,889 Units at a price of $0.45 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $5,499,850 (the "Second Tranche"). On October 10, 2025, the Company announced a non-brokered private placement offering of Units at a price of $0.45 per Unit pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions (the "LIFE Offering"). On October 17, 2025, in connection with the LIFE Offering, the Company filed an amended and restated offering document (the "Amended Offering Document") to amend the terms of the LIFE Offering and offer up to 12,222,220 Units at $0.45 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $5,499,999 (the "Amended LIFE Offering"). To date, the Company has raised an aggregate amount of $10,499,850.45 under the LIFE Offering and Amended LIFE Offering. Each Unit shall consist of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half (1/2) of one non-transferable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable into one (1) Common Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.55 per Warrant Share for a period of two (2) years following the date of issuance. In connection with the closing of the Second Tranche, an aggregate of $267,965.98 was paid in cash and a total of 595,480 finder's warrants (each, a "Finder's Warrant") were issued as finder's fees to arm's length parties. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (a "Finder's Warrant Share") at a price of $0.55 per Finder's Warrant Share for a period of two (2) years following the closing date of the Second Tranche. The Finder's Warrants are subject to a 4-month hold period from the date of issuance. The Company also wishes to correct its news release dated October 17, 2025 which announced the closing of the first tranche (the "First Tranche") of the LIFE Offering (the "Initial News Release"). The Initial News Release incorrectly states that each Finder's Warrant issued in connection with the First Tranche (each, a "First Tranche Finder's Warrant") is exercisable into one Finder's Warrant Share at $0.45 per Finder's Warrant Share. The correct exercise price of each First Tranche Finder's Warrant is $0.55 per Finder's Warrant Share. Concurrently with closing the Second Tranche, the Company entered into certain hedging arrangements with Sorbie Bornholm LP ("Sorbie") governed by an ISDA Master Agreement dated August 23, 2024 and a sharing agreement dated October 20, 2025 (the "Sharing Agreement"). Pursuant to the terms of the Sharing Agreement, the gross proceeds payable by Sorbie for Units pursuant to the Amended LIFE Offering (being $1 million) (the "Posted Support") were used to acquire UK government bonds as credit support to secure the Company's maximum potential exposure under the Sharing Agreement, with Sorbie retaining control and direction of such proceeds (including both the economic benefit and the risk resulting from fluctuations in the bond pricing and foreign exchange) until they are released back to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Sharing Agreement. The hedging transactions governed by the Sharing Agreement will be determined and payable in 24 monthly settlement tranches based on the volume weighted average price of the Common Shares for the 20 trading days prior to each monthly settlement date measured against a benchmark price of $0.63 (the "Benchmark Price"). On each such settlement date, Sorbie will release a portion of the Posted Support determined in reference to such volume weighted average ($41,667 per month). If the measured Common Share price is equal to the Benchmark Price for each of the 24 monthly settlement tranches, the Company will receive cash payments totaling $1 million. If the measured Common Share price exceeds the Benchmark Price, the Company will receive more than 100% of the settlement payable that month on a pro rata basis. Similarly, if the measured Common Share price is below the Benchmark Price, the Issuer will receive less than 100% of the settlement payable that month on a pro rata basis, with the result that if the measured Common Share price is below the Benchmark Price for a period of time, the Issuer will receive less than $1 million. To date, Ares has received approximately 12% extra cash under the two previous and ongoing Sharing Agreements with Sorbie, without issuing any additional shares. None of the securities issued in connection with the Amended LIFE Offering will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and none of them may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state where such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ARES STRATEGIC MINING INC. James Walker Chief Executive Officer and President For further information, please contact James Walker by email at jwalker@aresmining.com DISCLOSURE AND FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the Amended LIFE Offering, including the total anticipated proceeds, the expected use of proceeds and the closing (including the proposed closing date) of the balance of the Amended LIFE Offering. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information, including the assumption that the Company will use the proceeds of the Amended LIFE Offering as anticipated. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of the Company's management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include: the risk that the Company does not use the proceeds from the Amended LIFE Offering as currently expected; risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined and the risk that exploration and development activities will cost more than the amount budgeted for such activities by the Company; risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals; risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions; access and supply risks; risks associated with the Company's reliance on key personnel; operational risks; regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks; title and environmental risks; and risks relating to the failure to receive all requisite regulatory approvals. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES President-elect Donald Trump and incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer share a common goal of fixing our nation's infrastructure. That's a welcome note of bipartisanship, given the obvious state of disrepair of our public works: roads and bridges deteriorating, water and wastewater systems requiring billions of dollars in new investments, and ports, waterways and schools in need of major capital infusions.What Trump, Schumer and other federal elected officials will need to understand is that the only way to truly fix our infrastructure will be to combine any new appropriations with reforms of federal regulations that retard investment, penalize efficiency in construction and operation, mute innovation, inflate overhead costs and neglect project maintenance. Current procedures built in large part around tax-exempt borrowing favor a uniquely inefficient method of governmental construction involving sequential RFPs for design and build, often ignoring maintenance costs and obstructing the efficiencies of private management.By some estimates, there is over $100 billion in private capital waiting to be deployed to fix our crumbling public works. If access to tax-exempt financing were driven by whether a project is a public good and not by how much private activity goes into producing or operating it, that $100 billion could produce five to 10 times that much value.Federal regulations penalize private-sector involvement and solidify outdated and inefficient practices by limiting the circumstances in which private project management can be combined with tax-exempt, lower-cost capital. Modifying these regulations would allow local and state governments to reform their procurement practices, moving to ones that simply ask for a result -- a road or water plant -- and that force the bidders to combine design, construction, operation and financing, aligning incentives across all phases of a project to create a low-cost, high-quality asset. If we want jobs anytime soon from infrastructure, these kinds of projects are quicker to get off the ground, have dramatically accelerated construction schedules and transfer risk to the private sector, away from taxpayers.Similarly, removing the many obstacles in the way of private management contracts would not only improve the quality of an operation but also would unlock value now diverted into operating subsidies that could instead be invested in infrastructure. Currently, private acquisition can trigger repayment of federal grants and force the immediate and costly retirement of existing tax-exempt debt, thus reducing dollars a city or state could plow back into its infrastructure.When a public official can work around these rules, the results are dramatic. As a mayor, a deputy mayor, a professor and a consultant, I have worked on or studied dozens of public-private partnerships over the last 25 years, and most share a common result with the country's first large wastewater privatization that we completed in Indianapolis.In that case, private management reduced operating costs by 40 percent, savings that we then used to service the debt on several hundred million dollars of new capital investments. The new private managers continued to work with the city's public-employee union, serving as further proof that P3 savings come from innovation, technology and management know-how, not necessarily from reductions in blue-collar salaries. P3s, often viewed as hostile to public workers, can in fact be structured to incorporate that labor even while achieving productivity gains.Private risk-taking and expertise can unlock critical funds latent in infrastructure assets. Then-Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels demonstrated this in 2006 when he leased out the Indiana Toll Road for an astounding $3.8 billion. He deployed those funds to accelerate repairs to other elements of Indiana's aging infrastructure. Similarly, then-Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley negotiated a long-term operating lease at the Port of Baltimore in 2010 that required the concessionaire to deepen the port to accommodate larger ships, all funded from the resulting increased capacity of the facility.Despite these successes, federal laws, regulations and heavy-handed procedures make P3 innovation difficult. Transit agencies, for example, face a blizzard of rules that freeze in place outdated labor policies and slow conversion to more responsive and flexible vehicles. Federal infrastructure faces even more complex obstacles since the federal government operates without a capital budget and with arcane budget-scoring rules that harm taxpayers and users by allowing infrastructure to deteriorate past a prudent moment to intervene. The Treasury generally requires potential project user fees to be sent to it, thus preventing a private operator from proposing a fee-based solution like the one that worked so well in Baltimore.Congress and the White House should broadly review all of the current impediments to private innovation in funding and management, removing obsolete labor and capital requirements and giving authority to local and state governments, which will unlock much more value than we could ever produce in appropriated dollars alone. Back in June, Google announced Android 16 with a slew of new features and improvements. Live Updates was one of the headlining features with its dynamic notifications for ongoing activities like navigation, ride-hailing, and food delivery and the feature is now making its way to Google Wallet. Android 16 Live updates This means that users now get key travel info for journeys, including flights, train trips, and events, all on their lockscreen, without having to open any additional apps. In related news, Samsungs Now Bar has also gained the ability to display travel info from Google Wallet. Samsung devices running One UI 8, running Google Play services version 25.41, will now be able to display key travel info. Source | Via The iPhone 17 Pro Max had just about 1 month of being able to call itself the best Pro Max around! The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max may be a corny namestealer, but it's about as serious on the specs front as you can get. What immediately grabs the attention is the rear screen, so let's talk about it. It's absolutely top-notch - a 120 Hz LTPO OLED panel with a peak brightness of 3,500 nits. On the software side, the rear screen isn't very useful. It technically supports third-party apps, but mostly Chinese ones are allowed for now (and Spotify). Hardly surprising, since the phone is only available in China and the global version is still a couple of months away. What the rear screen excels at is being a viewfinder for the triple camera system. It opens up main camera selfies and ultawide selfies, something we loved on the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra back in the day. Main-cam selfies for everyone Like the iPhone, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max packs a flat glass front and a 6.9-inch 120Hz display. You get a bit more actual screen on the Xiaomi thanks to the lack of face-scanning hardware and a pill-shaped notch. Xiaomi's display is excellent, though it lacks an anti-reflective glass on top. The software is HyperOS 3, based on Android 16. Similar to vivo, Xiaomi has gone with a new design that's more than a little like iOS 26. You get a very colorful interface with big UI elements with transparent effects here and there. We got our Xiaomi 17 Pro Max from a store in China. The phone comes with a simple plastic case, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and a 100W charger. There's no word from Xiaomi on when the global debut of the 17 series will take place, but we'll still want to test this one thoroughly while we wait! The 2026 race for the attorney general is heating up, with current Guam Memorial Hospital Authority counsel and former assistant attorney general Jordan Pauluhn on Monday confirming his intent to run for AG. The rumors are true that I intend to become a candidate for attorney general, Pauluhn told the Pacific Daily News. Pauluhn said Guam needs a back to basics approach at the Office of the Attorney General. We need to get back to focusing on making sure people are safe at night when they go to sleep and making sure we have an economy that works for everybody, he said. The in-house lawyer for GMH, Pauluhn touted his government legal experience at the hospital, AGs office, and elsewhere. I think that my generation is going to be the one left holding the bag a couple decades from now. So its our turn to step up and take a seat at the table, he said, adding that he brings a fresh face and new ideas to the political arena. Pauluhn has 13 years of legal experience on Guam and in the states. He came to the island in 2017 as a research attorney for the Supreme Court of Guam, worked in the Litigation Division of the AGs office, and has been counsel for GMH since 2023. The GMH attorney will face at least two other opponents in the 2026 race for the AGs seat. Confirmed candidates include former senator and long time defense attorney Tom Fisher, as well as former prosecutor and current public defender Peter Santos. Incumbent AG Douglas Moylan has yet to firm up a reelection bid, and has said hes weighing a run for governor as much as a run to keep his seat. Retaining prosecutors, civil attorneys Pauluhn said one of his biggest focuses, if elected, will be recruiting and keeping experienced prosecutors on staff to prosecute crime. I cant handle every case that comes through there myself. Im going to need to build a team of people and recruit a talented and experienced team of people, he said. Keeping a good staff on the civil side of the AGs office will also be a priority, he said, to keep government projects and services for residents and local businesses running smoothly. The pool of attorneys nationwide and locally is small, he said, with the number of active attorneys on Guam shrinking from around 400 to between 250 and 300 just in the past five years, he said. But theres local talent that will take up the job if the mission is clear, Pauluhn said. It doesnt happen overnight, but I think focusing back on the basics of public safety and government and community support, people will hear that calling and come flocking back to the AGs office, he said. Crime, meth I think everybody feels the rise of crime in the last couple of years, very particularly, Pauluhn said. At the same time, he said that the system should be tailored to hold those who are dangerous while awaiting criminal trial, and monitor those who arent. Putting people in overcrowded prison systems creates a hotbed of other issues, Pauluhn said. Whether rising crime was an issue in sentencing or in pretrial detention for those with a high-risk of reoffending, he said, I would challenge anybody to tell me that they feel safer today than they did maybe two and a half years ago. As for the issue of methamphetamine, Pauluhn said the AGs office has to work closely with local and federal partners to find and stop meth at its source. We can prosecute as many meth users as we can but we also need to stop the flow of those drugs, he added. Deportation, commutation On the subject of deporting non-citizen criminals from the island, Pauluhn said he believes that those who do crime on Guam should pay their debt to society before theres any thought of removing them from the community. I dont think that theres any benefit of commuting a sentence or deporting people to just enjoy freedom elsewhere when theyve committed very serious crimes, he said. Abortion ban question Asked about the now frozen 1990 abortion ban on Guam, which AG Moylan has sued to be able to enforce, Pauluhn said he left the matter to the Legislature and the courts. I think that the Supreme Courts made it pretty clear that that decision is up for the people in their legislatures at the moment, and so I dont concern myself a whole lot on that particular issue, Pauluhn said. I havent spent much time recently thinking about what the courts going to do with a decades-old injunction. An elderly employee in a federally funded program has accused Tamuning Vice Mayor Albert Toves of subjecting her to daily harassment, humiliation, and verbal abuse for two years, but Toves denied the allegations of harassment and attributed the conflict to what he claims as the workers poor job performance. The complainant was employed under the Senior Community Service Employment Program, SCSEP, that provides part-time, paid community service jobs to adults 55 and older who meet income requirements and face employment barriers. SCSEP is run by the Guam Department of Labor, and the complainant was assigned to the Tamuning Senior Center. Following the workers reassignment on Oct. 8, the Guam DOL intervened. Tamuning Mayor Louise Rivera confirmed receiving harassment complaints regarding the vice mayor. I did receive a report in regards to being harassed, and of course, I always do my best to take care of it in-house and to talk to these individuals, Rivera told the Pacific Daily News. Rivera, who had been in Manila on medical leave for nearly a month, added, I know that if I was there on Guam, it wouldnt have escalated to what it has. Guam DOL special projects coordinator Janela Carrera confirmed receiving the complaint and said the issue has been handled. We looked into the matter and discussed it with the mayor and have addressed all the issues. The participant has been reassigned to a different location and the matter was resolved to everyones satisfaction, Carrera said. The complainant, who said she has a disability, alleged mistreatment from Toves in her written complaint. Ever since I worked here, Tamuning Senior Center, he (Toves) was always mean to me, she wrote. She described an increasingly hostile environment, worsened by a misunderstanding about the chain of command. He watches my every move, he would take pictures and videos of me, and talk about me to others behind my back, she said. I can also hear his conversation because he is right next to me. She added that Toves yelled at her for volunteering extra hours, even though she had received approval from the mayor. She reported that he accused her of speaking inappropriately to clients, publicly confronted her, and labeled her as lazy and unproductive in front of others. Despite having medical conditions, the worker said she consistently fulfilled her duties with the mayors permission to rest when needed. However, she alleged that Toves and his associates continued to treat her with disrespect. She claimed that one of the vice mayors friends frequently spent time at the center, either in the kitchen or outside, and would belittle her and laugh at her. She became aware of this behavior through other clients who overheard their conversations and witnessed the mockery. Reassigned She believed that Toves had used his connections to influence her reassignment. Because of how he treated me, I was called by the Department of Labor for a meeting. At the meeting, I was given a new duty other than the Tamuning Senior Center, she said. Why do I have to be reassigned? What did I, an innocent person, do? The worker described the emotional toll of the alleged harassment as severe, saying it caused her significant stress, depression and anxiety. Vice mayor has made me feel low and unwanted, like an animal, he made me feel worthless. All I do is come to work, attend to my duties, and help where help is needed, she said. I dont feel that I did anything wrong to deserve being treated like that and from him. She concluded her complaint with a plea for accountability, hoping that Toves and anyone who assisted him would face justice for the mental, verbal, and discriminatory mistreatment. Poor job performance Toves denied the accusations, reiterating that the conflict is connected to the workers poor job performance. I will not talk to the individual. I made it a point not to talk to the individual from the get-go, the vice mayor told the PDN. If somebody is going to be working here and being paid for the job that theyre supposed to be doing here, then do the kind of job. If not, theres somebody else coming. Toves claimed the employee failed to meet janitorial and training expectations. You go down to the senior center now and you find out that theres dust all the way around, just like you tell me shes doing her work, and that upsets you, he said. He cited an incident where the worker began clearing a counter before the scheduled time, causing him to intervene. The vice mayor said the recreation leader denied instructing her to do so. I told the caseworker at that time that if she works, then hes okay, but if she doesnt, Im going to return her back, Toves said. Shes being returned back. And yet, there was a hold back on that one where the mayor said no. Toves disputed timesheet accuracy and said the employee was paid for days she didnt work. According to the evaluation that was sent down, shes a good worker, he said. But you go down to the center now, you tell me what shes doing, because shes not. He clarified employees under SCSEP do not receive paid time off. In the mayors office, theres no such thing as PTO, he said. Youre sick, youre sick. Were all basically every employee thats in here are all unclassified. Theres no such thing as PTO. He also questioned disability claims. If you put an application to work anywhere, it doesnt matter wheredont put in an application saying you can do it, and then turn around and say you cannot do it because you have this disability and that disability. Its all going to be noted down, he said. She would cry to me Recreational leader Danny Cave Jr., who supervises at the center, confirmed the harassment and called the work environment hostile. He said the employee, who has physical and mental disabilities, endured two years of verbal abuse before her removal on Oct. 8. She would cry to me, I dont see what I did wrong. I said you didnt do anything wrong, Cave told the PDN. He recalled the final incident that ultimately led to her transfer. What upset him most, he said, was how she was forced to wait outside in the heat instead of being allowed to sit inside while waiting for her ride. I dont see why he had to do that, but he did it, and he then even called the cops to get her out, he said. Cave said the abuse was often public, explaining that while the vice mayor usually raised concerns with supervisors, the most troubling part was when he spoke about her loudly within her hearing, leaving her unable to respond or defend herself. Countering Tovess claims of poor work ethic, Cave described her as a dedicated and committed worker. She does work here more than what she would need to every day. She only has a four-hour job, but shes here for like six to eight hoursShes an excellent employee, he said. She does take a lot of breaks, but shell complete it. I dont worry about any of that. Cave said he supported her decision to file a complaint. I said to her if thats what you want to do, and I even confirmed it with her. Said, if you say, if you want to put it out, put it out, let me know Ill be right behind you. Calming tensions Mayor Rivera, meanwhile, described the conflict between the worker and Toves as emotional and said she tried to calm tensions. Theyve come to the point where theyre just, you know, getting on each others nerves, Rivera said. She urged focus on duties to prevent further issues. If you all have your own duties, then nothing will bother you. If youre busy and doing what youre supposed to be doing, then nothing will bother you. No one should be able to bother you, the mayor said. Rivera said she strives for a cooperative workplace. I always try to make everybody work in peace and harmony. But everybodys set in their own ways, and so I do my best to try to make them understand why its better this way. Lets not bring each other down. Lets be positive, the mayor said. Do our best to work together. Haiti - FLASH : The battle will go to the end says the leader of the Bel-Air gang Kempes Sanon (46 years old), leader of the Bel-Air armed gang, one of the most violent in Haiti, recently sanctioned by the United States https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46010-haiti-flash-the-usa-sanctions-two-major-haitian-terrorists.html , declared during an interview with EFE, the world's largest Spanish news agency, at his residence, heavily guarded by gang members and located in Bel-Air, "[...] the gangs will continue the fight in Haiti until they overthrow the system [...] The battle will go to the end. Even if they launch drones at us [...] the battle will not stop." It should be noted that the Bel-Air gang is one of the most violent in the capital and is accused of attacks against public institutions and the civilian population. He is a member of the "Viv Ansanm" terrorist coalition led by former police officer Jimmy Cherizier, aka "Barbecue" for whom the United States is offering a $5 million reward. The United States, Canada, and France "have seen that we are fighting against their interests. That's why they will always include us on their terrorist lists," explains Sanon, accusing these three powers of "bleeding the blood" of Haiti, which, he asserts, "will continue to be mired in insecurity and poverty" as long as this situation persists. Sanon seems convinced that the "fight" led by "Viv Ansanm" aims to bring about change so that "the country can embark on the path to development," because Haiti "needs a breath of fresh air" and the gangs can "help the country get out of the situation it is in." He claims that the Haitian State is not meeting the needs of the population and that it is the two men of "Viv Ansanm" who take care of their neighborhood, which is why he wants to overthrow this system, he asserts. Qualifing the 9 members of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) as "thieves" who, according to him, "prioritize insecurity to make money and stay in power longer..." SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Security: Monitoring of the latest targeted operations of the GSF (ex MSS) Over the past week, the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45891-haiti-flash-the-security-council-has-voted-for-the-new-gang-repression-force.html , in collaboration with the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the Haitian Armed Forces (FADH), conducted several targeted operations and focused patrols in the Artibonite Department to clear the Petite-RiviereLiancourtPont Sonde route. GSF also facilitated transportation of PNH officers and their stores /supplies to St. Marc to ensure enhanced security in the area. One such major operation took place on 17 October 2025, from 0630 hrs to 2200 hrs. Despite resistance from elements of the Gran-Griff gang, the joint GSF/PNH team remained steadfast in achieving its primary mission: to clear the main road between Pont Sonde and Verret in the Liancourt area, making it safe and accessible for local residents and ensuring the successful delivery of armored vehicles for Pont Sonde, Petite-Riviere and Liancourt police stations. These vehicles will significantly enhance the security posture in the region. The team successfully removed multiple barricades along the main road. Toward the final stretch, gang members attempted to reinforce their defenses by digging trenches and occupying tall buildings along both sides of the road, from which they launched Molotov cocktails. Their efforts were swiftly neutralized by joint GSF and PNH specialized units that included BIM and UTAG units. Contrary to some misleading reports circulating on social media, no Kenyan officer was killed during the operation. The GSF sincerely thanks the Haitian population for their continued cooperation. Meanwhile, in Port-au-Prince, joint GSF/PNH/FADH day and night patrols continued across Kenscoff, Downtown, Furcy, Vivy Mitchell, Belvil, Bellevue, Taras, IGPNH, the airport area, Pacot, and the National Police Academy, with the following key objectives : Conducting intelligence-led, targeted counter-gang operations to neutralize, isolate, and deter criminal groups from committing acts of violence or threatening civilian populations and state authority. Securing critical infrastructure sites and key transit routes. Enhancing and supporting the operational capacities of the PNH and FADH. Combating illicit arms trafficking and diversion. Assisting the PNH in maintaining law, order, and public safety. Apprehending suspected gang leaders, members, and collaborators. Clearing barricades along major supply routes. Conducting dominance patrols to ensure continued peace and stability. Building the operational capacity of the PNH and FADH through joint actions and experience sharing. Finally, the GSF commends all gallant officers who continue to serve with dedication and sacrifice in the mission to restore peace, security, and the lost glory of Haiti. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Agriculture : More than 70% of farmers in Haiti are women Vernet Joseph, Minister of Agriculture, in a joint statement with Pierre Vauthier, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - Haiti), revealed that more than 70% of farmers in Haiti are women, pillars of agrifood production, who face significant constraints in accessing land, credit, and quality supply chains. The International Day of Rural Women recently highlighted that the future of Haitian agriculture cannot be built without concrete actions aimed at fully integrating this immense female driving force, by strengthening women's participation in agricultural sectors and supporting the "Madan Sara" the true linchpins of national food distribution. The Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - Haiti) work daily to transform this potential into an engine of economic and social development. In 2025, several FAO initiatives, in collaboration with the MARNDR, and direct support to nearly 70,000 people living from agriculture, helped preserve and revive their production, while generating a broader impact on the population, including in areas affected by insecurity, such as Artibonite, the Central Bas-Plateau, and the West. As part of the National School Feeding Program (PNCS), strongly supported by the Ministry and the World Food Program (WFP), more than 82,500 small producers, grouped within 219 agricultural organizations, are committed to ensuring that 70% of the meals served each day to 600,000 schoolchildren supported by the WFP come directly from Haitian agriculture, strengthening both children's nutrition and boosting the local economy. This contributes to the government's overall objective of reaching 1.4 million students by 2025 and ensuring 100% local purchases for school canteens by 2030. In the North and Northeast, an Integrated Nutrition and Local Purchasing Program, already funded to the tune of US$10 million, is being extended to other departments with an additional US$13 million in funding, enabling a greater number of producers to participate in this dynamic of promoting national production. HL/ S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... HOPE-HELP Act : The White House writes to Congress On Monday, on a radio station in the capital, James Monazard, Secretary of Commerce and Industry confirmed that the White House has officially written to the U.S. Congress to express its support for the renewal of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership for Encouragement (HOPE) Act and the extension of the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act. France : 2 Million Donation for Deportees The French Embassy in Haiti is providing 2 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support the reintegration of deported Haitians. This support covers border assistance, food aid, access to healthcare, and the creation of income-generating activities. Voodoo : National Vigil for Peace The Kingdom of Voodoo of Haiti announces a national vigil, on the occasion of the feast of the Guedes (spirits of the dead) on November 1st and 2nd, to restore peace in Haiti. Les Cayes : First International Commercial Flight According to municipal authorities, the Antoine Simon International Airport in Les Cayes is preparing to welcome its first commercial flight between October 28th and November 2nd, 2025. To be continued... France-Haiti : Economic Cooperation Antoine Michon, French Ambassador to Haiti, met with the board of directors of the Franco-Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "A fruitful exchange to strengthen economic exchanges between France and Haiti and support businesses that create jobs and value in our two countries." Inter-University Football Results On Sunday, October 19, 2025, as part of the Inter-University Peace Tournament, the Institute of Advanced Business and Economic Studies (IHECE) faced GOC University (Olivier Group and associates) on the pitch at Parc Sainte-Therese in Petion-ville. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. HL/ HaitiLibre China contributes innovative power to global fusion development Xinhua) 10:18, October 21, 2025 CHENGDU, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- At the confluence of global efforts to harness fusion energy, China is solidifying its role as a pivotal innovator and reliable partner. Pietro Barabaschi, Director-General of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is one of the international leaders in the field who praise China's substantial contributions. He acknowledged China as "a very strong partner" during the recently-concluded Second Ministerial Meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) World Fusion Energy Group and 30th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. "China's contribution has been ever-growing, not only in the delivery of components but also, most significantly, in the assembly of ITER by Chinese companies," he noted. "Countries do not always get along, but when it comes to ITER, you will see everybody working with the same objective," Barabaschi remarked, adding that ITER is a project of hope, and a project of peace. The IAEA had also recognized China's contribution. Speaking of the IAEA's first collaborating center for fusion energy research and training, which is inaugurated during the event and led by the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP), China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that they have recognized the distinction of Chinese institutions like SWIP, which have been at the forefront of these efforts for many years. "They are now the first international collaborating center of the IAEA in the area of fusion." Fusion energy, a crucial direction for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, offers prominent advantages compared to fission energy, including higher energy density, abundant raw material resources, lower radioactive contamination, and inherent safety. It is one of the key directions for future development in clean energy. China attaches great importance to the development of fusion energy, stated Shan Zhongde, director of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) at the meeting. The country has constructed multiple large-scale scientific facilities and is actively fostering deeper integration of industry, academia, and research, alongside strengthening international cooperation, Shan added. China will work together with the IAEA, the ITER, and all nations to continuously advance global energy innovation and sustainable development, promote the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to building a clean, beautiful, and sustainable world, allowing fusion energy to better benefit humankind, Shan noted. As one of the key partners of the ITER project, China has always abided by its international commitments and implemented with high quality the design and manufacture of 18 key components and systems it undertook, as well as the installation of core equipment, according to Shan. Recent milestones include the successful installation of the vacuum vessel module and the timely delivery of critical components like the magnet support system, blanket shield modules, and feeder systems. In April, the final set of Correction Coil In-Cryostat Feeder components was shipped to the ITER site in France, marking the completion of all super-large components needed for ITER's magnet feeder system. This contribution has been made possible thanks to domestic innovation. China has established a comprehensive nuclear industrial system and is advancing its fusion research through major scientific facilities. A landmark achievement was reached in 2025 when the HL-3 tokamak, an "artificial sun" facility in Chengdu, achieved atomic nucleus and electron temperatures both exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius, marking a new phase of combustion experiments. Furthermore, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) in Hefei, another "artificial sun," set a new world record by maintaining a steady-state high-confinement plasma operation for 1,066 seconds. Demonstrating its commitment to open science, China has opened the HL-3 facility for global collaboration, which is now recognized as the only ITER satellite device in China. This aligns with China's broader policy of fostering partnerships -- the country has established cooperative relationships with over 140 nuclear fusion research institutions across more than 50 countries. The challenging development of core components like the first wall, which faces plasma at extreme temperatures, exemplifies China's technical prowess. Chen Jiming, the ITER first wall project leader at CNNC, noted that addressing these unprecedented challenges has resulted in significant technological advancements and has spurred industrial growth. By integrating its robust domestic research and development with steadfast international collaboration, China is actively contributing its wisdom and solutions to the global quest for a sustainable and clean energy future powered by fusion. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Amazon's cloud service, Amazon Web Services (AWS), was experiencing disruptions that are having a global impact. As a result, numerous internet services couldn't be used. These included Amazon's own streaming services for Echo devices and video streaming on Prime. Other services include the Epic Games Launcher. Continue after ad Initially, outages of the Signal Messenger were noticed in the German-speaking region. Signal President Meredith Whittaker explained the outage on Bluesky attributes the larger outage to Amazon Web Services (AWS). We are aware that Signal is not working for some people. This appears to be related to a larger AWS outage. Please be patient. More extensive service disruptions However, other services were only partially usable or not at all. For example, we could confirm the outage of at least some Amazon Prime content delivery nodes, meaning video titles couldn't be played on Fire TV sticks after successful selection. The same applied to Amazon's Echo devices. They recognized voice commands, but playing playlists failed. The Epic Games Launcher was also unusable. Some Apple services also seemed to be affected. On their respective status pages, Atlassian and Docker reported issues, too. Perplexity was also down due to the AWS outage, reported CEO Aravind Srinivas. The Irish Independant reported on further internet services hosted on AWS that were impacted by global outages: Snapchat, Fortnite, Duolingo, Roblox, and Canva are listed by the medium. On the Amazon Service Status Page, the company only reported an interrupted service in North Virginia, an Amazon DynamoDB. However, the report also stated that multiple services were impacted. The region US-EAST-1 has been said to be impacted. Affected users were unable to create support tickets, among other things. Amazon added further affected AWS services to the trouble ticket. (Image: Screenshot heise medien) In the meantime, Amazon added more than 80 connected AWS-services to the issue status. Those are dependent on the DynamoDB, obviously. Amazon reported to have applied mitigations at 11:22h MEST which showed significant effects on service recovery. We can confirm that Amazon Echo devices play music again and first Signal messages find their way to their recipients. Continue after ad At 12:35h MEST Amazon wrote: "The underlying DNS issue has been fully mitigated, and most AWS Service operations are succeeding normally now. Some requests may be throttled while we work toward full resolution. Additionally, some services are continuing to work through a backlog of events such as Cloudtrail and Lambda." (dmk) 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 quarterly increase of 4.3 percentage points was the sharpest in the bloc. On an annual basis, the rise totalled 7.8 points, also the highest in the EU. The eurozone average stood at 88.2% while the EU average was 81.9%. Finland recorded the largest increase in public debt-to-GDP ratio among all EU member states in the second quarter of 2025, according to data published by Eurostat. The ratio reached 88.4% by the end of June, up from 84.2% in the previous quarter and 80.6% a year earlier. The total value of Finlands general government debt reached 245.9 billion by the end of June. The countrys debt level is now the highest in its recorded history, both in absolute terms and relative to GDP. Finlands economic contraction during the second quarter contributed significantly to the rising debt ratio. According to Eurostats seasonally adjusted estimates, the countrys GDP shrank by 0.4% compared to the previous quarter. No other EU country experienced a deeper quarterly decline. Germany, the second-worst performer, contracted by 0.3%. The EU countries with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios at the end of the second quarter were Greece (151.2%), Italy (138.3%), and France (115.8%). While these ratios remain higher than Finlands, most of those countries reported smaller quarterly increases or even declines. Greece, for example, recorded an annual drop of 8.9 points. Among the top risers alongside Finland were Latvia (+2.7 points), Bulgaria (+2.6), Portugal (+1.8), and France (+1.7). Only twelve EU countries saw their debt-to-GDP ratios fall from the previous quarter. The composition of debt across the EU remained largely unchanged. Debt securities accounted for 84.2% of total debt in the euro area and 83.7% in the EU. Loans made up 13.2% and 13.8% respectively. Currency and deposits remained at 2.5% of total government debt for both zones. In Finlands case, the structure was more loan-heavy than average, with loans making up 21.4% of its total public debt. Debt securities made up 66.8%. Currency and deposits contributed 1.5%, in line with most EU member states. Countries with the lowest debt levels relative to GDP at the end of June included Estonia (23.2%), Luxembourg (25.1%), Bulgaria (26.3%), Denmark (29.7%) and Ireland (33.3%). Many of these countries also saw improvements over the previous quarter. Ireland posted one of the most significant quarterly drops in debt ratio, falling 1.2 points. Greece and Luxembourg each decreased by 1.1 points. Lithuania posted the sharpest quarterly drop of 1.4 points. Despite Finlands rising debt levels, its absolute burden remains lower than that of several larger economies. Frances public debt stood at 3.42 trillion at the end of June. Italy followed at 3.07 trillion, and Germany at 2.73 trillion. Overall government debt across the euro area reached 13.68 trillion in the second quarter. The EU total was slightly higher at 15.05 trillion. These figures represent increases of 0.5 and 0.4 percentage points respectively from the previous quarter. HT The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched the attacks in response to what it described as a "blatant violation" of the truce by Hamas fighters in Rafah, where two Israeli soldiers were killed by an anti-tank missile. Hamas denied responsibility, stating it had no contact with any fighters in the area since March. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in effect since 10 October, has come under renewed pressure following a series of Israeli strikes that killed at least 45 Palestinians on Sunday, and further deaths reported in Gaza City on Monday. Aid deliveries into Gaza were suspended for 24 hours before resuming on Monday under pressure from the United States and other international mediators. The recent escalation prompted US President Donald Trump to dispatch Vice President JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Israel to prevent the collapse of the ceasefire and push forward the next stage of the administrations 20-point Gaza peace proposal. This is going to take a very long time, but were making progress, Vance told reporters in southern Israel. Theres a lot of work left to do. Israel dropped 153 tonnes of bombs across Gaza following Sundays incident, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told parliament the military was responding firmly to ceasefire violations. He said, One hand holds a weapon, the other is stretched out for peace. On Monday, four Palestinians were reportedly killed east of Gaza City. The IDF said troops opened fire on several terrorists who crossed the so-called Yellow Line a demarcation separating Israeli-controlled areas from the rest of Gaza. The line covers 58 percent of the enclave, and its enforcement has led to deadly incidents, including the killing of a family of 11 in Gaza City last Friday. Palestinian civilians have expressed confusion over the location of the Yellow Line. The Israeli army has since begun placing visible markers to indicate its boundaries. Despite growing tensions, Hamass chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said the group remained committed to the truce. Speaking to Egypts Al-Qahera News from Cairo, he said Hamas intended to "fully implement" the ceasefire and had been assured by the US and mediators that the war was over. Hamas has so far handed over 13 of the 28 bodies of deceased Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire terms, along with 20 living captives. The most recent return was of Major Tal Haimi, confirmed by Israeli authorities late Monday. Hamas said it needed heavy equipment to retrieve the remaining bodies from beneath collapsed buildings. Israeli officials have criticised Hamas for not meeting the agreed deadlines. The Israeli prime ministers office stated the group was required to uphold its commitments. Trump has warned that Hamas would face eradication if it violates the ceasefire again. Speaking from the White House, he said, Theyre going to behave. Theyre going to be nice. If not, well go in and end it. Palestinian casualties since the start of the ceasefire now number 97, according to Gazas health authorities. Over 230 have been wounded in multiple incidents involving both Israeli airstrikes and gunfire near the Yellow Line. The White House has avoided direct criticism of Israeli actions, continuing to place blame for renewed violence on Hamas. A spokesperson said, We want to ensure peace holds, and that all parties comply with the agreement. In Gaza, residents continue to face shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. The UN World Food Programme said 530 lorries had crossed into Gaza with 6,700 tonnes of aid, enough for 500,000 people for two weeks. The agency stated its daily target of 2,000 tonnes was not being met due to limited access. We need to use every border crossing to meet the scale-up, spokesperson Abeer Etefa said in Geneva. Only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings are currently open. Rafah remains closed, blocking medical evacuations. A planned evacuation of 50 patients was delayed again on Monday. Thousands more are still waiting for treatment, according to Gazas Health Ministry. Many families have been displaced by Israeli strikes or have fled areas now considered too dangerous due to proximity to the Yellow Line. The eastern half of Gaza has been almost completely emptied, forcing residents into overcrowded areas in the central and western parts of the Strip. Hamas officials say they submitted a list of more than 40 names for an interim government to Egyptian and US mediators, seeking international recognition for a new Palestinian technocratic authority in Gaza. But internal differences remain unresolved. In a Reuters interview, Hamas spokesman Mohammed Nazzal said the group intended to maintain security control for a transitional period. The IDF says Hamas fighters in Israeli-controlled zones must leave immediately or be treated as combatants. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas leaders would be held personally responsible for any ceasefire breaches. Vice President Vance is scheduled to meet Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Talks will focus on resuming the second phase of the Trump plan, which remains on hold until all hostages bodies are returned and questions around Hamass future in Gaza are settled. In a message to Netanyahu, Trump said: This deal is the best chance for sustainable peace. Dont let it fall apart. HT Trump and Putin last spoke on the phone on Thursday. According to officials, they discussed potential terms for a ceasefire. Trump said they had agreed to meet in Hungary within two weeks. That meeting is now off the table. A planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been shelved, with White House officials confirming there are no immediate plans for the two leaders to meet. The announcement came days after Trump had suggested holding talks in Budapest to address the ongoing war in Ukraine. According to Reuters, a senior White House said that the summit will not happen in the immediate future and declined to provide further explanation. Sources also said a preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, initially scheduled for this week, has been postponed. The cancellation follows a week of diplomatic tension. Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House last Friday, where discussions reportedly turned heated. Multiple sources told the Financial Times that Trump urged Zelensky to consider ceding full control of the Donbas region to Russia as a step towards ending the war. Trump denied making such a demand. Instead, Trump has proposed a ceasefire based on current front lines, saying let it be cut the way it is. He has since gained support from several European leaders, who issued a joint statement backing the idea of freezing the conflict along existing territorial positions. Finland is among the countries that signed the statement, which also calls for increased pressure on Russias economy and defence sector. Putin, for his part, has dismissed any ceasefire that fails to address what the Kremlin calls the root causes of the conflict. Lavrov reiterated Moscows position on Tuesday, demanding Ukraines demilitarisation and full Russian control over the Donbas. These are terms Kyiv and its allies reject outright. Zelensky called the debate over ceasefire borders the beginning of diplomacy, but added that Russia was doing everything to avoid diplomacy. He also claimed that it was the threat of the US sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine that forced Moscow into recent dialogue. The Tomahawks were a strong investment in diplomacy, Zelensky said, suggesting the weapons talks gave Washington leverage over Moscow. Despite Putins initial openness to discussions, Moscow has now taken a step back. Lavrov and Rubio spoke by phone on Monday, but Lavrovs deputy Sergei Ryabkov later told Russian media that there had never been a confirmed plan for their face-to-face meeting. We cannot delay something that was never agreed, Ryabkov said. Still, US officials described the call between Rubio and Lavrov as productive. Meanwhile, on the ground, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Strikes in the Chernihiv region left hundreds of thousands without electricity, according to Ukraines energy ministry. Repair efforts have been hampered by continued drone activity and missile threats. In parliament, Ukraine approved an additional $7.7 billion for defence spending. The measure passed with broad support. Zelensky is now set to travel to London for a meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, convened by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The virtual participant list includes Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who will join by video link. The coalition aims to coordinate military and economic support for Ukraine and maintain unified pressure on Russia. A joint statement released ahead of the summit declared that international borders must not be changed by force and called for a just and sustainable peace. The European Council is expected to continue discussions later in the week. HT A copy of Pride and Prejudice from Prince Alberts private library, which he read aloud to Queen Victoria, is on public display for the first time at Windsor Castle. Visitors can see a display of books drawn from the Royal Library as part of celebrations marking Jane Austens 250th birthday this October half-term. George IVs specially bound copy of Emma, which Jane Austen personally dedicated to the King (then Prince Regent), will also be displayed. While she was recovering from measles in July 1853, Queen Victoria recorded in her journal how Albert began reading to me Miss Austen's Pride and Prejudice in the evening. He continued to read it over several days, and the Queen was evidently hooked, describing it as very amusing, admirably written and interesting and entertaining. Another well-read first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice, possibly once part of the Servants Library before entering the present Royal Library, is also on public display for the first time. Pride and Prejudice remains one of the most popular novels in the English language, and the first edition sold out within the first year after it was published anonymously in 1813. George IV was an avid reader of novels, keeping a set of Jane Austens works in each residence. The copy of Emma on display was dedicated to the then Prince Regent by his librarian, James Stanier Clarke, after Austen was given a tour of his London residence, Carlton House. The three-volume work was specially bound for presentation with gold tooling and sent to him before Christmas 1815, when it was placed in his library at Carlton House. Two Regency costume and fashion illustration books published in the same period as Austens works, Costume of England and Costume of the Ladies of Paris, will also be displayed. The books are all drawn from the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, which cares for over 240,000 items and is a record of the books collected and read by centuries of monarchs. The display is in the Queens Drawing Room once one of the most important reception rooms at the Castle which today forms part of the Royal Library. The family activities at the Castles Pug Yard Learning Centre include a Georgian-themed dressing-up box and arts and craft activities. Children visiting can create their own silhouette portrait, a popular feature of the Georgian period, or use a trail to learn more about the Georgians as they explore the Castle. This autumn and winter, visitors can also view the opulent State Rooms, which were the private apartments of George IV, featuring a selection of furnishings and fittings taken from Carlton House. 1 tickets are available for visitors who receive Universal Credit and other benefits. Standard Castle admission includes the activities and the display, with other concessions also available. Children aged 5 17 get half price, free entry for under-5s and a Young Person discount for 1824-year-olds. Families visiting this half-term can also convert their admission ticket into a 1-Year Pass, offering unlimited re-entry to Windsor Castle for 12 months. Passholders can return for free to enjoy festive family activities at Christmastime, and a year of historical adventures and seasonal celebrations. JAMES Farnhams novel, Bayeux, will take readers back to the Henley area in the Sixties. The author, who has spent most of his career working in and around the Thames Valley, now lives in Milton Abbot, Dorset, but says he was born and bred in the Thames Valley . I grew up in Cookham, and I lived in Marlow and Bisham and then I spent a lot of time in Henley with a sister who lives there. That was all for the first 15 years of my life, I guess, he says. I used to go to Henley very frequently, two or three times a month for quite a few years. I rowed there a few times because that used to be a sport of mine. The 58-year-old, who is divorced with two grown-up children, says he has been coy about mentioning specific places out of respect. He says: I grew up in the Thames Valley near Henley in the Sixties and saw some things a child should never see at some of the outrageous parties that raged in that era. It was a fast-living, highly intoxicated time populated by some exotic characters people in television, sport and members of the establishment. They were mostly in their forties or fifties at the time and may still be alive, so out of respect it seems only fair not to point to any precise locations in the area best to present the story as fiction, which of course it is. Its not very specific, so for example in one of the scenes theres a journey from the little branch line that goes on to the main line into Paddington. That could just as easily be Henley as Marlow but very much in terms of the Chalk Hills sitting above the Thames Valley and trips into town, its definitely along that stretch and I think anyone knowing the area would recognise this: the little branch line that joined the main line into Paddington had been spared in the Beeching cuts. There will be many local people who will remember what it was like living in and around Henley during the Sixties. Bayeux will bring back memories of what it was like to enjoy the bustling of the town by its famous stretch of river, the commuting in and out of London and the endless parties many people held in their homes. Reading the novel will enable people to reminisce about how different everything was then, in a world without internet and mobile phones and when every restaurant and railway carriage was full of cigarette smoke and people rarely swore in public. However, says James, the novel contains light and shade. Bayeux is not merely a rose-tinted view of the past, because it deals with family joys and tensions that are universal and timeless, such as the complex power play within families between mothers and teenage daughters, and how parents choose to navigate their domestic responsibilities who looks after the children, who earns the money, who runs the house. The story also has added complexities such as the impact of child adoption on family dynamics and the unsettling effects of toxic patriarchal influence. The action focuses primarily on Elizabeth, who has spent nearly 20 years trying to forget the trauma she experienced in Bayeux after the D-Day landings when she was forced to give up her child for adoption. When we get to the main story in 1967, Elizabeths comfortable family life with her daughter Helena is disrupted by being hurtled back into the buried past she has tried to conceal from everyone. It is only through her own resilience and Helenas precocious ingenuity that they both find happiness in the end. The Swinging Sixties became famous for ushering in dramatic changes between the generations. It was a very interesting time in that you still had the throwback to the post-war rationing days. I think a lot of readers will remember that cusp between the old world and the new and it really was, in terms of doing the right thing, a very stuffy time in some quarters. Obviously, with the arrival of 67, things were starting to be turned on their head. So, Elizabeth, the main protagonist, is hanging on to some of the old values but is actually ahead of the time in bringing up her own child, Helena. She is recognising that times are changing and doesnt want to stifle her daughters development by being too much rooted in the old world. So, thats very much the backdrop to the family drama itself, navigating the wider world but at the same time there is the minutiae of daily life in the family and the little conflicts that happen at breakfast. Readers can augment their experience by visiting the website, which has links to music which is referenced in the book, as the character of Helena is a cello player. James says that the book is available in physical format only, in support of local bookshops. He adds: Im not naturally contrary but I do tend to zig when the rest of the world is zagging. There are people who are keeping that tradition alive, so I thought it would be nice. Ive been into the Bell Bookshop in Henley a couple of times and theyre great in there. They are a key local stockist and they are able to order more copies at a days notice from their wholesaler. l Bayeux, by James Farnham, is available from the Bell Bookshop in Henley now, priced 9.99. For more information, visit bayeux.blog THE chairman of the Henley branch of the Royal British Legion has returned from touring serving British soldiers around the El Alamein battlefield. Richard Pinches, 60, led 27 servicemen and women around the Egyptian site, which saw a landmark victory for the Allies in the Second World War. Mr Pinches put together a bespoke tour for the Princess of Waless Royal Regiment, the Tigers, who found out about his work online. The second Battle of El Alamein took place from October and November 1942 and was a turning point in the North African campaign. While Mr Pinches is an experienced battle tour guide, this was his first time touring a group of serving British soldiers. The tour involved following in the footsteps and visiting the graves of the Desert Rats who were awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery. Many of the officers had chosen a soldier to research and read their medal citation, either by their grave in the cemetery or, in instances where the medal winner survived, the location of their brave act. The soldiers had limited time to tour the battlefield and Mr Pinches had to condense his normally week-long tour into a day. Locations included the train halt at Tel el Eisa where the battle began, the military museum and Kaponga Box, where dugouts can still be seen, as well as tins that may have contained Hardtack biscuits. One lesson he was pleased to pass on to the soldiers was the origin of the word sniper, standing in a location at Kidney Ridge that was nicknamed Snipe. Mr Pinches said: I found it highly amusing that I was able to explain the sniper meaning while standing in the feature called Snipe, with Woodcock not far away. Both are small game birds but especially snipe has a very unusual zigzag flight pattern and hence is very hard to shoot. The old school game shooters who were able to do this were called snipers. This was something none of the group knew. Mr Pinches interest and connection to the war largely stems from hearing the stories of his father, Peter Ginger Pinches, who served with the British 8th Army as a Desert Rat in 1942. His late father was born in Marlow and moved to Henley in the late Fifties. Mr Pinches said: I grew up always listening to his stories of his time in the desert. He always said he had a good war he was a driver, not a member of the infantry, so he didnt witness some of the atrocities some of the infantry had. Being a young lad going off to war, who had hardly left his home town, he visited 15 different countries in total during the Second World War and, not being in the infantry, he was able to recall his experiences without the equivalent of PTSD. When his father died 10 years ago, Mr Pinches interest in the conflict grew. He said: Post my father dying I felt I wanted to give something back. I started helping with the Poppy Appeal and was then invited to become chairman. I have really enjoyed it. Mr Pinches sometimes wears a replica of his fathers uniform to Legion events, in his memory. A photographer by trade, Mr Pinches has recorded the stories of veterans, including his fathers, to keep their memory alive. He added: I hope that we continue to preserve these stories for future generations. THE gravedigger at the Henley Woodland Burial Ground has been recognised with a national award. Jonny Yaxley, 56, was named Gravedigger of the Year for the second time at the Good Funeral Awards in September. He was celebrated at an awards ceremony held at the National Space Centre in Leicester by the Association of Green Funeral Directors. Mr Yaxley, who lives in Drayton, has been digging graves at the burial ground in Greys Road for 14 years and first won the award in 2014. This year, he was nominated by Leedam Natural Burials, which runs the burial ground, Henley Town Council, which owns Fairmile Cemetery, where he also digs graves, and two families of people he has buried. Mr Yaxley said: I was just blown away to be honest. Im lucky to get it a second time and its an honour. He started gravedigging more than 20 years ago, when it was part of a groundskeeping contract he had with South Oxfordshire District Council. Mr Yaxley said: When I first started digging graves, I wasnt sure about it for about a month or so. Its not what I wanted to do when I was a little boy but Ive definitely found what I want to do in life. Its not even a job anymore its just what I do. People think it might be depressing but I think its an honour and someones got to do this. I try to make the most of it and do it as well as I can. To be part of something thats bigger than you, thats a beautiful thing. Its a legacy for future generations to enjoy. Ive been here from the start, watching the burial ground grow and develop into a natural woodland. Its fantastic because Im up here all the time and get to see all the changes. He added: Were creating something for the future, for other people. Leedam Natural Burials has a focus on sustainability, with graves dug among trees native to the UK, planted at random with a gap to allow sunlight through. The deceased are laid to rest in biodegradable coffins, with boards of plaques instead of gravestones. Were also working with the wildlife, Mr Yaxley said. We have lots of ground nesting birds like skylarks so fence areas off and stop people walking their dogs where theyre nesting. The burial ground will eventually become 40 acres of woodland. Mr Yaxley said: These are the sorts of places people come back to. Weve had people come here in the summer and bring a camping chair to set up at the foot of a grave, with a bottle of wine and a book and weve had people come down for Mothers Day picnics. You wouldnt get that at a normal cemetery. Its not sombre. Theres a place for both and I get that but if you ask me which one I prefer, its here. He said people who are buried at the site are often artists, musicians and athletes, as well as those who dont feel the need to have a headstone and who want to give something back to the environment. Mr Yaxley said he takes the time to get to know people who have chosen to be buried at the site, as well as their loved ones who lay them to rest. He said: Its important to know who you are burying. I wouldnt dig a grave for someone if I didnt know their name. You have to have that link. I build friendships with people whose loved ones Ive buried. Its nice to see how they get on with their lives. I like to say I put people to bed for the last time and its an honour. Phil Pawley-Kean, custodian of the burial ground, said: Beyond his technical competence, which is very good, its Jonnys attitude. People know him hes friendly, they come and chat to him and get to know him as the one who is putting their loved ones to rest. Mr Pawley-Kean, who lives in Sonning Common, said his job looking after the grounds and showing people round is the best Ive ever had. He said he enjoys working with Mr Yaxley to look after people and the burial ground. and hopes to welcome schools and students of agriculture to the site to help their studies. Mr Yaxley said involving the community in this way could help facilitate conversations around death. He said: Its the only thing that is guaranteed to happen to all of us, so can we just talk about it more? ACTOR Simon Williams has joined fellow stars of the stage and screen in a plea to save a theatre that is fighting for its life. Sally Hughes, the owner of the Mill at Sonning, is crowdfunding 125,000 to give it a cash injection ahead of the busy winter period and is being supported by Dame Judi Dench, Debbie McGee and Brian Blessed. The theatre found itself in financial difficulty following increased maintenance costs and National Insurance contributions and a long, hot summer deterring audiences. Williams, who starred in Upstairs, Downstairs and plays Justin Elliott in BBC Radio 4s The Archers, is one of many faces to have appeared on stage at the Mill. Occasionally, Williams has starred alongside his wife, actress Lucy Fleming, daughter of Peter Fleming and niece of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The couple, who live in Nettlebed, staged their production Posting Letters To The Moon at the Mill, where they read aloud wartime letters between Ms Flemings father and her mother, actress Celia Johnson. Williams said: Ive worked at the Mill with my wife, which was a joy. Ive worked with some really top-class actors and have had the pleasure of interviewing Dame Judi Dench on stage there. I think all actors who have worked there will all be right behind Sally as she leads the charge to save the theatre. Its the best audience because its like a community coming to the theatre. Its a wonderful audience at the Mill. The Mills unique experience offers a dinner service before every production, included in every ticket. Williams said knowing whether an audience is a good one is somehow intuitive, adding that audiences at the Mill benefit from having enjoyed a good meal. He said: If its a bad, wet night, or theyve struggled to find a babysitter or theyve just heard income tax is going up, they might not be in such a good mood. But its a community at the Mill. They come together as one person. The lights go down and the play begins. They let their troubles fall away. Everyone seems to know each other its a shared experience. He said theatres are important for the social aspect they offer, which can foster connection. Williams said: Having a theatre to go to is so important to people. To find yourself, not watching television alone or reading a book alone, but experiencing a live performance, is crucial for your wellbeing. I think watching things with other people sad things, controversial things, funny things, is very therapeutic. I love to go there because I love the food, and I love being entertained. Its a glorious experience. I have never seen a bad performance there. The Mill at Sonning is described as an intimate theatre which seats 217 in the semi-round, to allow the audience to feel involved in performances. Williams said: There is such a lot to be said for watching something in a smaller theatre. When you got to a 200-seat theatre, its a really close and intimate relationship. I would hate for Sonning to lose that. The situation is dire. I just wish everyone could understand that the theatre is fighting for its life. Having watched multiple members of his family perform at the Mill, the actor said if the theatre were to close, it would be a personal loss. Williams said: It was very touching to watch Lucy in The Reluctant Debutante, in a role which has been played by her mother [actress Celia Johnson] years ago. So that was very sentimental. I have laughed at the comedies, I have cried at the sad plays, I have seen friends perform and both of my children on stage there. It would be a terrible personal loss. We are doing everything we can to help them fight back. Williams questioned whether one way to boost finances could be to separate the dining and theatre experiences. Currently, audiences can only buy a combined ticket for a meal and a show, pushing up the price of watching a production. Williams said: I often want to discuss with Sally whether she would separate the two so you can just see a play and not have dinner. Sometimes, young people cant afford the ticket with the meal included. A playwright as well as an actor, Williams has had plays of his own staged at the Mill, including Double Death, Kiss My Aunt and Laying the Ghost. He said: You live with a play youre writing, and you see the characters, you visualise them and know them so well. To see live people embodying them, you hand their lives over to them when you hand the play to the actors. They belong to them. Its brilliant to watch. I owe the Mill a lot and I hope it survives. To donate, visit tinyurl.com/7pzt7tsr AN in-home care service in Henley forced police to reopen an investigation after it uncovered CCTV footage of a man suspected of damaging its front door. Staff at Henley Care were locked out of their offices in Greys Road on the morning of Thursday, July 30. They arrived at work at 8.30am to find that the buildings lock had been filled with glue so it could not be opened with a key. They were left waiting in Warings Bakery shop for about two hours, unable to access their systems which enable them to monitor the care delivered to their clients around Oxfordshire, some of whom have very complex needs. An emergency locksmith arrived at 10am and they were finally able to enter the premises at 10.30am when the lock was opened and replaced at a cost of 600. Henley Care has been operating in the town since 2011, providing round-the-clock support for adults and the elderly through Care Quality Commission-regulated carers. Despite the incident occurring at the end of July, the police issued a public appeal two weeks ago after staff sourced CCTV footage from South Oxfordshire District Council. Izabela Paluszkiewicz, manager and owner of Henley Care, initially reported the incident to Thames Valley Police on the day it occurred but was told that they were going to close the case three hours later due to a lack of information. In its response to Ms Paluszkiewicz the police apologised and said it had explored all reasonable lines of enquiry but had not been able to find enough evidence to bring a potential suspect to justice. Police said that they had shared the details of the crime with the relevant officers and conducted research on its police system. They told Ms Paluszkiewicz they had considered obtaining CCTV and finding a witness but had not pursued this. In response, Ms Paluszkiewicz called around shops in the area to see if they had any CCTV footage of the incident. Staff at the Sue Ryder shop in Duke Street provided a number for the CCTV department at the district. Lizzie Cloyens, Henley Cares quality and compliance manager, contacted the council and the next day it confirmed it had footage of the incident. Ms Cloyens was provided with a description of the footage which shows a man at 6.37am walk from Greys Road and stop near the door of Henley Care, take something out of his pocket and then leave. He then walks along Duke Street, into Market Place and through Greys Road car park and back up Greys Road. Ms Cloyens reported the discovery to the police which reopened the case having been provided the footage from the council. Ms Paluszkiewicz said: The police were very, very quiet for about three weeks and so I sent them a reminder email. After Ms Paluszkiewiczs email on Monday, September 8, the police called her on Wednesday, September 17 to say they were not able to identify the man from the CCTV. She said: I asked them, Why havent you done a public appeal if you have the pictures? and on the same evening they did this. Ms Paluszkiewicz is now appealing to residents who may recognise the man or may have captured footage of him in Greys Road on private doorbell cameras that could help identify him. She was disappointed by the response from the police and said that the incident had caused significant upheaval to the companys care and nursing services. Ms Paluszkiewicz said: We had to do our own investigation. The police were not interested at all. After two hours they sent an email to say that the case would be closed. They didnt see if the council had CCTV, they said, because it's inconvenient. They have no idea how that has affected our operation. We look after vulnerable people, and we dont have access to our office. Its about much more than just about the cost. Im not very happy because I was doing their job for them. I have my own job, and I dont want to do an extra one. Without computer access, the staff at Henley Care were unable to co-ordinate its carers and co-ordinate support in case of a delay or an emergency. Ms Paluszkiewicz said: Someone could be on the floor, they could be injured. Someone could be left without their medicines, or they could have suffered complications, and sometimes carers call us for support. We would like to catch that criminal and bring him to justice. A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said: Our investigation on this criminal damage incident is ongoing and the appeal is still active. We do not comment publicly about grievances, as it would be inappropriate to do so. The individual in this case has not made a formal complaint to us, but we would encourage them to do so if they have concerns about our actions. COUNTERTERRORISM police are to investigate whether the Manchester synagogue attacker made death threats against Henleys former MP more than a decade ago. John Howell, who was the Conservative MP for Henley and Thame from 2008 until last year, received a number of threatening emails over his views on Israel in 2012. The correspondence came after Mr Howell, a former member of the Parliamentary Group Conservative Friends of Israel, spoke about Israels right to defend itself when it came under rocket fire. The Times reported that one of the emails was from a Jihad Alshamie, who wrote: It is people like you who deserve to die. The paper understands that the correspondence will form part of Greater Manchester polices investigation into Thursdays synagogue attack, in which two people were fatally stabbed. The attack came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar, and is being treated by police as a terror incident. The Times said officers will now try to determine whether the attacker, named by police last night as Jihad Al-Shamie, is the same person who wrote to Mr Howell in 2012. Following the threats, Mr Howell was offered police protection and was forced to remove the details of his constituency office from his website. He said he feared for his life. The death threats were sent after his email exchange with a constituent, about Israels military action, were posted on Facebook. The constituent had sent Howell an email asking what he would do to see that Israel halts the military actions that are taking place in defiance of international law and basic human decency. He attached a photograph of an exploding building, purportedly of a recent attack in Gaza, although other reports say the picture was in circulation in 2009. Mr Howell responded, asking for his constituent's view on the 100 rockets which have landed in Israel over the weekend? The Jerusalem Post, which covered the incident at the time, reported that Howell recovered around 30 emails after the exchange was placed on Facebook, some of which he described as worrying. The post reported that the former MP received a series of emails from someone calling himself Jihad Alshamie, who told him: It is people like you who deserve to die. The Times say it is unclear whether police tracked down the senders of all the emails and it has been reported that those issues are being determined in the present investigation. In an update yesterday, counterterrorism police said that based on what was currently known and their records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to Al-Shamie. It confirmed that three suspects are currently in custody and have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. Mr Howell declined to comment. AS the Conservative Party conference wrapped up in Manchester, two former ministers laid out their visions to return the party to power at the Henley Literary Festival. Conservative peer Michael Heseltine, who was MP for Henley from 1974 to 2001, urged his party to distance itself from far-right party Reform UK to secure votes. The former deputy prime ministers appearance at Phyllis Court came a day after he had warned Tory leader Kemi Badenoch about parroting Reforms anti-immigration rhetoric during a conference speech. Lord Heseltine said growing intolerance was one of the hardest issues facing the party. He said: You cant escape, and it is one of the hardest issues facing the Conservative party, you have got growing across Europe and indeed in the United States an intolerance of the stranger. You all know what Im talking about and there is nothing new about it. It was the Jew in the Thirties, when the fascists came to power in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Mosley marched his fascists through the East End of London. Enoch Powell made a monstrous feature about the rivers of blood in the Sixties in this country, and yes, its all happening again. Lord Heseltine urged his party to expose the far-right party for what it is. He said: If you cant see the similarity with that and what is happening with immigrants today and the language it isnt just Donald Trump who talks about them as being rapists and people damaging civilised behaviour this is the underlying message that people like Farage want you to believe. The Tory party has got to win back its votes from that party and never come to terms that involve some sort of partnership. It has got to face up to that man and that party and expose it for what it is. Lord Heseltine spoke about his successor in Henley, Boris Johnson, whose role he said was critical in selling the country the delusion that it had a future outside Europe. He said: I like Boris, I got along very well with him, he was a very supportive placement when I was in my last time as Member of Parliament here. He has one weakness he hasnt a shred of moral integrity. He will say anything, do anything, for cheap applause. On Thursday last week, former chancellor Jeremy Hunt spoke about his book Can We Be Great Again? After a party conference during which 20 councillors had defected to Reform, the MP for Godalming and Ash said: I was someone who was brought in to solve the problems the last time we had a chancellor who made unfunded commitments in a budget. Well, thats a walk in the park compared to what Nigel Farage is promising. I think that we are in a very difficult situation now, Reform is a very big challenge. Right now, people are in no mood to look at us again but, as we get closer to the next election, they will be asking which party is offering the best solutions to the problems we face. That is the job of an opposition to be responsible in working out what those solutions are. Gavin and Stacey star, Joanna Page, who lives near Henley, discussed her autobiography Lush! last Friday. She told of her troubles with retaining the Welsh accent and often losing out on roles to Keira Knightley. Since beginning her acting career at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), in her twenties, she said she had never been accepted due to her thick Welsh accent. Laurence Olivier, who worked to soften Margaret Thatchers public image, worked with Page to rid her of hers. She said. After the first term, everyone walked around with amazing posture and the only way to talk with an received pronunciation accent was to get very low. I basically walked around being a bit like Margaret Thatcher the whole time I was there. She returned to RADA after graduating in 1998 to perform monologues for agents, where she was told that they thought she was bad at acting, but in fact, it was just her accent. When Page left RADA, she found regular work but lost out to Knightley for roles in Bend it like Beckham and Pirates of the Caribbean. She said: I just couldnt go that extra mile. I either didnt have the right accent or voice, or I didnt have famous parents or wasnt with the right people. For years, I couldnt watch her in anything and it was only recently when I started watching Black Doves on Netflix and I absolutely loved it and loved her. After being rejected for a part in Dirty Dancing, Page took herself away for a night in the Savoy, devouring all the contents of the mini-fridge, before returning to her job in the Crocs shop. Two weeks later, her agent sent her a script for Gavin and Stacey. She said: I remember sitting in my bedroom when I opened the front page and I remember reading it and thinking This is my voice, its me. Dame Mary Berry, who lives in Henley, took to the stage at Phyllis Court on Saturday. She spoke about her new book, Mary 90, a career-spanning collection of recipes which she said are practical but would still impress. Dame Mary said: Everybody is working and busier and busier. I think, with your Deliveroo and all of these boxes and things, that you can do a bit of cooking. There is nothing wrong with those but [I prefer] to actually know where your food comes from. Were so lucky in Henley, we have a market on Thursday, you have a wonderful butcher, good supermarkets and if you choose a simple recipe, its much better to make it at home. I like to know where my food comes from, dont you? Berry, who was 75 when the BBC approached her to become a judge on Great British Bake Off, recalled the process of casting her co-judge, Paul Hollywood. She said: They got in several male chefs and I had to go into a kitchen [and make a recipe] and then they said at the end of it who would you like? I said, its not who I want, its who goes well with me, and I got Paul Hollywood and good job that I did. He is so different, quite tough and he loves someone to have a little tear. HENLEY Mayor Tom Buckley travelled to twin town Leichlingen in Germany to open its refurbished bridge. Cllr Buckley cut the ribbon with mayor-elect Maurice Winter to officially open Henley Bridge following a 1.7m rebuild. It is one of three crossings in the town, which lies between Dusseldorf and Cologne and spans the Wupper, a tributary of the Rhine. Henley Bridge, which was first built in 1990 to mark the 10th anniversary between the two towns, was closed in October 2019 after falling into disrepair. The refurbishment was completed after an excavation of the site of the old bridge started in November last year. The project was beset with delays caused by the covid pandemic and severe flooding of the Wupper in 2021, which damaged a lot of the towns infrastructure. The 44m long and 5m wide crossing can be used by pedestrians and cyclists and connects the town hall with the Market Place. While the bridge is owned by Leichlingen Town Council, 90 per cent of the project was funded by the German government. Earlier this month Cllr Buckley met with Cllr Winter, who was chosen as the towns new mayor during the North Rhine-Westphalia municipal elections in September. The elections also brought in a new town council and he will succeed current mayor, Frank Steffes, in November. The two mayors cut a banner with the words Henley Brucke and, despite the rain, visitors enjoyed a performance by a jazz band from the Leichlingen Music School. The bridge opening coincided with the biennial visit to the town organised by the Falaise Leichlingen Twinning Association. About 15 guests from Henley arrived on Thursday, October 2 and stayed with guest families until Sunday, October 5. To celebrate the opening of the new Henley Bridge, a party was organised at Leichlingens town hall with the towns three twinning societies, Henley, Marly-le-Roi in France and Funchal, Madeira. The twinning societies offered the guests traditional beverages from their towns, including Pimms and non-alcoholic beverages. Cllr Buckley described the event as a privilege to attend. He said: It was not something I expected to be doing but what a privilege it was so cool. During the opening of the bridge, it hammered it down with rain, which was typically English. They couldnt have done more to welcome us. Cllr Buckley said he would like to thank Sue Fitzsimons and Trevor Howell, from the Henley association, for helping to co-ordinate the trip. He said: We got the train almost all the way from Henley to Leichlingen, which was about six trains, and we stayed with a host family who were really nice. These are people who have been doing this for 30 years and we really want to try and help people join. A spokeswoman for Leichlingen Town Council said: In 2019 the old wooden Henley bridge started to show signs of age-related damage. The council decided to tear it down and rebuild a new, optimised and bigger version made of more resistant steel instead of investing in a costly renovation of the old bridge. The original plan was to rebuild the bridge in the following year. But the outbreak of the covid pandemic in 2020 delayed the plans. After the preliminary planning and work stages were accomplished, the old bridge was torn down in July 2021. Shortly after, Leichlingen was hit by heavy rain and a consecutive flooding of the Wupper. This natural disaster caused heavy damage to the citys infrastructure, many municipal buildings needed expensive and complex renovations. Therefore, the bridge project was delayed again in favour of more pressing renovations of municipal buildings that were more important for the overall infrastructure of Leichlingen. Those renovations are still ongoing to this day. None-theless the rebuilding of Henley Bridge has finally been accomplished. The delay to the project was used to update the construction plan to make the new bridge more resistant to possible future flooding events. While the bridge was out of action, residents had to use a longer diversion to travel between the town hall and the centre of town. The spokeswoman said: The new bridge is also a huge improvement for the town hall staff, who can reach the city centre faster during lunch break. Since the bridge is solely used by pedestrians and cyclists it also offers a safe and low-traffic passage for children and elderly to cross between the two halves of the city centre. Leichlingen values its twinning connections greatly. The three bridges spanning the Wupper have been named after the three twinning towns. They serve as a symbol and constant reminder of the deep bond between us. l Additional reporting by Sue Fitzsimons A PHOTOGRAPHER from Peppard Common won his second international award at a competition in Italy. Chris Harrison, 34, was honoured for his misty morning drone shot at the Siena Awards on September 27. The image, The Long Shadow, depicts a leafless tree casting a shadow on to low-lying mist, as the sun rose above a small hill in Brightwell Barrow. Mr Harrison, who won in the landscape category at the British Photography Awards last year, said the image looks simple but contains details to be studied. He said: Its that combination of simplicity and photography but, when you look closer, you really get the detail and little nuances. The trees are without leaves, where you can see the mist filtering through and you can see the ground has just been ploughed recently. Miraculously, everything is lined up, taking the impactful initial view into something you can really study. Driving up to the location, Mr Harrison had a feeling the conditions would be just right. However, initially, he thought another photograph he took, Above the Mist, would work better than the award-winning one. He said: I was driving there in the early morning and knew it was going to be misty, as I could still see it hanging in the air. I had initially planned to go into the woodland nearby but, when I arrived, I saw the mist sitting below the trees on the hill, so I sent the drone up because its not very common to get one of these phenomena. The sunrise reached a point where the shadow emerged, which only lasted a minute as it changes so fast, so I had to get the drone in the right position to be able to capture it and compose it in the way that I liked. The other image from the ground was captured with my camera using a long lens, which really captures all the pastel orange and pink colours. I really love that picture but I couldnt tell how good the long shadow was until I got it on to a bigger screen. When I reviewed it and could see the dark and light parts of the photograph and the shadow itself, I knew it was an image that would be worthy of at least sharing on Instagram but Im glad I entered it. Mr Harrisons The Long Shadow also made it into the top 101 images at the International Aerial Photographer of the Year and was shortlisted for the 2025 British Photography Awards in the drone category. He described receiving the award in Italy as a humbling experience. Mr Harrison said: It was in this beautiful old theatre, which was beautifully painted, decorated and full of people. When it got to my category, they plucked me out of the audience and took me away. I bumped into people whom I knew from social media, who are really prominent in international photography competitions but we didnt know why we were there, until they said, Oh, youve won. We were all laughing at each other and couldnt believe it, and I felt so humbled as I walked up the gold carpet, where we all collected our glass trophies, dressed up in black tie on the stage. I had no idea that I would actually win. Even if I were to get highly commended, I would have been over the moon. It was a surprise to be in the mix with some of the best photographers in the world. Mr Harrison looks ahead to hopefully receiving an award at the British Photography Awards on November 3 and capturing the changing red and orange leaves of autumn in nearby woodlands. He will display his award-winning photograph during the Henley Arts and Crafts Guild exhibition held in the town hall in Market Place, which starts today (Friday) and runs to October 28. RABBLE Theatres production of Glitch The True Story of the Post Office Scandal is going on tour. Written by Zannah Kearns and directed by Gareth Taylor, it is the story of Pam Stubbs, a sub-postmistress from Barkham in Berkshire, who stood her ground when facing false accusations by the Post Office, based on information provided by the Horizon computer system that it introduced. More than 900 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses across the UK were wrongly prosecuted for stealing, while hundreds of others made up apparent financial shortfalls out of their own pocket. Stubbs kept meticulous records and raised concerns, but eventually lost her business. The play will tour the UK, including Wiltons Music Hall in London. On Tuesday, March 24, the play will be performed at the Kenton Theatre in Henley and from Tuesday, April 7 to Saturday, April 18 it will be performed at the Minghella Theatre at Reading University. For more information, visit rabbletheatre.com/ support-rabble Feature: Stepping into timeless Liangzhu where civilizations meet across borders Xinhua) 10:19, October 21, 2025 HANGZHOU, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- As rain misted the over 5,000-year-old Liangzhu Archaeological Ruins, the vibrant traditional attire of Maria Guadalupe Espinosa Rodriguez, director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site in Mexico, provided a striking visual metaphor for a dialogue between civilizations. "It's my first time in China, and I'm very glad to be here. It's such a beautiful country with remarkable historical sites and heritage," she said. Inside the park, the "Cultural Roots: Timeless Wisdom and Contemporary Value of Ancient Civilizations" forum, a sideline event of the third Liangzhu Forum, was underway, bringing together experts and scholars from Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico and other countries to Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. Against the backdrop of Liangzhu -- a site that embodies China's 5,000-year-old civilization -- the participants explored new paths of dialogue and cooperation, seeking ways to jointly safeguard the roots of human heritage in the modern era. "I believe this is one of the most important sites in the world, because the museum, the infrastructure, and the installations all have the characteristics of a true World Heritage Site," she said. Espinosa Rodriguez, a renowned specialist in archaeological site management, was among several international delegates who visited Liangzhu not as tourists, but to deepen their understanding of the site. For a scholar whose career spans excavation trenches, museum galleries and large-scale heritage management, Liangzhu offered a concentrated lesson in the intricate art of conservation, with monuments, museums, visitor centers, buffer zones and urban surroundings all coordinated to safeguard a site she described as "a leading example for our times." That blend of historical depth and contemporary management is exactly what drew experts to the forum which concluded Monday. Liangzhu is more than a collection of pottery and polished stone; it is an archaeological landscape whose Neolithic achievements, including early wet-rice agriculture, advanced jade carving and emerging social complexity, helped shape East Asian civilization. "Now I understand why Liangzhu is one of the most important cultures in China," Espinosa Rodriguez said. What impressed her most during the site tour was what she described as Liangzhu's rare combination of proximity to urban areas and thoughtful protective design. Unlike many world heritage sites that are isolated from modern life, Liangzhu sits near a growing city, yet planners have created a substantial buffer of forests, pathways and interpretive zones to shield the archaeological site from urban pressures. "The buffer is very important because it's very close to the city," Espinosa Rodriguez said. "The integration of the heritage area with the surrounding forest is excellent. Something that many sites around the world simply don't have." When asked how stories of ancient civilizations could foster connections between people from different countries, she spoke of the shared human curiosity that drives archaeology. "Archaeology is an exciting field," she said, "because it helps us uncover the work of the past, understand the present, and plan for the future." She believes that through exhibitions, guided tours and storytelling, people everywhere can connect over the same fundamental questions about how our ancestors worked, worshiped, farmed and created. These narratives, she said, link Liangzhu's ancient rice fields and polished jade artifacts to the early civilizations that once flourished across the world. By the time Espinosa Rodriguez left the park, she took with her more than just impressions. She carried plans, including ideas for carrying-capacity studies to pilot in Mexico, protocols for buffer-zone design to test at smaller sites, and a renewed conviction that archaeology's most urgent task is not merely to catalogue the past but to preserve it in a way that remains meaningful for future generations. If heritage is a conversation across time, the forum showed that it can also be a conversation across borders, practical, sometimes heated, but ultimately rooted in a shared commitment to keeping the world's earliest stories alive. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) US Vice President JD Vance landed in Israel on Tuesday to shore up a fragile Gaza ceasefire deal, after President Donald Trump warned Hamas it would be wiped out if it breached the truce. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were already in Tel Aviv, where they met Israeli hostages released by Hamas after two years of captivity in Gaza. "Welcome to Israel, Vice President Vance," Israel's foreign ministry posted on social media, along with a photo of Vance and his wife stepping off the plane. "Together, the Promised Land and The Land of the Free, can secure a better future, including the release of the remaining 15 hostages," it added. Vance is to meet Witkoff, Kushner and US military experts monitoring the truce. According to Israeli media reports he will meet Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in Jerusalem. After Israel said Hamas killed two soldiers on Sunday and accused the group of stalling the handover of hostages' bodies, it unleashed a wave of strikes on the territory -- later saying it had "renewed enforcement" of the ceasefire. The United States is now redoubling efforts to cement the fragile Gaza deal Trump helped to broker. "The dynamic keeps going back and forth," Mairav Zonszein, senior analyst on Israel for the International Crisis Group (ICG), told AFP. "Trump is on the one hand letting Israel do what it wants, and on the other hand, at the end of the day, he wants the ceasefire to hold," she said. "Netanyahu is playing both approaches... He's talking about peace and giving peace a chance... And at the same time, he's bombing Gaza and he's trying to condition aid again," she added. Trump says he believes the deal is still holding and that Hamas militants understand what will happen if they breach it. "They'll be eradicated, and they know that," he told reporters at the White House. Hamas has denied any knowledge of Sunday morning's deadly violence in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Israel responded after the soldiers' deaths with an intense wave of bombings the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said killed 45 Palestinians. Egypt's intelligence head Hassan Rashad was also in Israel on Tuesday to reinforce the truce, according to Netanyahu's office and Egyptian state-linked media. The spy chief will also meet with US envoy Witkoff, Extra News reported. US ally and fellow truce mediator Qatar accused Israel of what its leader called the "continued violation" of the now 11-day-old ceasefire. "We reiterate our condemnation of all Israeli violations and practices in Palestine, particularly the transformation of the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human life," Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told legislators. Hamas's Gaza leader, in Cairo for talks with Egypt and Qatar, issued a statement expressing confidence the truce will hold. "What we heard from the mediators and from the US President reassures us that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has ended," Khalil al-Hayya said. Hayya insisted Hamas was serious about retrieving the 15 remaining hostage bodies, but warned that the search has been hampered by the level of destruction in the territory. Both sides say they are committed to the truce despite the weekend's violence, and Israel confirmed Hamas handed over the body of a deceased hostage on Monday, taking the total to 13 of the 28 it had pledged to return. Netanyahu's office said: "We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the deceased hostages, every last one of them." On Monday, Netanyahu -- who is under pressure from hardliners in his government to abandon the deal and resume the fighting -- said he and Vance would discuss "the security challenges we face and the diplomatic opportunities before us". The ceasefire, which went into effect on October 10 also proposed an ambitious roadmap for Gaza's future, but its implementation has quickly faced challenges. Under Trump's 20-point plan, Israeli forces have withdrawn beyond the so-called "Yellow Line". This leaves them in control of around half of Gaza, including the territory's borders, but not its main cities. The war, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,229 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN considers credible. The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. Hamas's 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Abhilash Matam joins as the Multi Property Hotel Manager for Courtyard by Marriott Kochi Airport & Port Muziris, Kochi, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel effective from 13-10-2025 Abhilash is a highly motivated and accomplished hospitality professional with extensive expertise in strategic operations across luxury, midscale, and budget hotels. He has successfully led international hotel management teams and is particularly proficient in Rooms Division operations, ensuring the seamless day-to-day functioning of hotels. Before taking on his current role, Abhilash was associated with Kochi Marriott, as Director of Operations where he played a key role in enhancing operational excellence. Other than Marriott International, Abhilash has contributed his expertise to globally renowned brands such as Accor, Oberoi, and IBIS and Adagio in Doha. Passionate about hospitality and driven by results, Abhilash is admired for his ability to inspire and motivate teams while leading with vision and purpose. He views every challenge as an opportunity for growth, consistently seeking ways to enhance operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. Through his forward-thinking approach, he has been instrumental in implementing improvements that not only boost efficiency but also create lasting value for both guests and the business. Kew Green Hotels are thrilled to announce that, after a year of strong and steady leadership by our Interim CEO, James Kim, the CTG Board of Directors has officially appointed David Taylor as the new Chief Executive Officer of Kew Green Group, effective 13th October 2025. David brings a wealth of experience leading businesses across national and international markets, from innovative start-ups to global brands. With a proven track record of delivering exceptional results, he is passionate about creating a positive, results-driven culture that inspires teams and drives excellence across all areas of the business. David's deep understanding of hospitality, paired with a strong advocacy for teamwork, strategic growth and delivering outstanding guest experiences, makes him the ideal leader to guide Kew Green as we continue to execute on our ambitious growth strategy. In his new role, David will oversee Kew Green Hotels' portfolio of over 50 hotels across the UK, spanning key brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, voco, Courtyard by Marriott and independent properties. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment in the company's development, as Kew Green Hotels continues to drive forward its ambitious plans for expansion, innovation and sustainability. Looking ahead, Kew Green Hotels are confident that David will build on the strong foundation that has been laid and will lead them toward an even brighter future. Together, they will continue to advance Kew Green Group's mission, delivering value for their customers, employees, and stakeholders. For more information, please visit: https://www.kewgreenhotels.com/news-stories/david-taylor-appointed-as-new-chief-executive-officer/ Azora acquires Medplaya Hotels in Spain Spanish real estate investment trust Azora, via its European Hotel & Lodging Fund, has acquired Spanish owner-operator Medplaya Hotels. The deal includes six owned hotel properties in Spain - situated in Catalonia and the Costa del Sol - with a total of more than 1,500 rooms, as well as the operating company that manages an additional nine hotels. Azora plans to renovate the properties and reposition them. In 2019, Azora acquired seven hotels from Medplaya while keeping the company on as the operator through lease agreements, meaning that Azora now owns 13 of Medplayas 15 hotels. Premia Properties to acquire Gaia Palace and Gaia Royal in Greece Greek real estate investment firm Premia Properties has entered an agreement to acquire the five-star, 156-room Gaia Palace Hotel and the four-star, 284-room Gaia Royal Hotel in Mastichari on the Greek island of Kos. Situated next to each other, the properties are located a short walk from the beach east of Mastichari. Both hotels include a restaurant, bar and swimming pools. Premia plans to renovate both properties, with completion expected in May 2027. The total investment, including renovation costs, is set to amount to 73 million (165,500 per room). Swedish operator Nordic Leisure Travel Group will manage the properties under a long-term, 20-year, triple-net lease. Cofinance Group acquires Vintage Paris Gare du Nord French real estate investment company Cofinance Group has acquired the 48-room Vintage Paris Gare du Nord in France. The property is situated in Paris 9th district between the Gare du Nord train station and the Basilica of Sacre Cur de Montmartre. Cofinance aims to extensively renovate the property and reposition it as a four-star hotel. In September 2025, Cofinance sold the five-star, 103-room Les Cures Marines in Normandy, as reported in this newsletter. About HVS HVS, the world's leading consulting and services organization focused on the hotel, mixed-use, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries, was established in 1980. The company performs 4,500+ assignments each year for hotel and real estate owners, operators, investors, banks and developers worldwide. HVS principals are regarded as the leading experts in their respective regions of the globe. Through a network of some 60 offices and more than 300 professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. hvs.com. Russell Kett Chairman, HVS London +44 20 7878 7701 HVS When the lights dim and hotel guests settle down for the night, a different reality often emerges for female workers. For many women especially shift workers fewer daylight hours brought about by winter can increase risk of harassment, intimidation, or violence. Despite being an industry defined by warmth and welcome, hospitality still faces a hidden crisis: violence against women and girls (VAWG). This challenge must be confronted with urgency and compassion. Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is any form of violence disproportionately perpetrated by men against women and girls. Deeply linked to womens inequality, it can encompass harassment, assault and discrimination. In hotels, VAWG can take many forms, including assault of staff by guests, abuse from colleagues, increased safety risks during night shifts, and other vulnerabilities. While many aspects of working in hospitality can affect women and contribute to higher VAWG risks, the end of daylight-saving time when the clocks go back means women are required to adjust their routines quietly, navigating darker mornings and evenings when travelling to and from work. Research from the UK Statistics Authority suggests that 82% of women feel unsafe in public spaces after dark. This risk often becomes more pronounced in the night-time economy, particularly in hospitality settings such as hotels, bars, and restaurants. London-based security provider, Mitie, found that nearly three-quarters of people change their behaviour once the clocks go back. One in five people feel their employers should do more to keep them safe. And, at Soroptimists, we recognise that while winter affects all, it poses unique risks to womens safety. Hotels and other hospitality venues play a crucial role in recognising and addressing seasonal disparities when it comes to their duty of care for women. Especially as hotel employees are particularly vulnerable to VAWG due to close interactions with guests, isolated work conditions, and long shifts. Beyond the human cost, theres an economic impact too by undermining womens safety, workforce morale and staff retention decrease, potentially narrowing the pool of talent available during recruitment. The Situation Travelling to and from work can be daunting for many women, full stop. For those in the hotel industry, it often means one of two scenarios: journeying to a remote location with poor transport links and dimly lit car parks, or navigating a busy city centre after dark, where drunken behaviour and harassment can feel unavoidable. In both cases, safety concerns are real. Remote sites leave staff isolated with limited options for getting home safely, while city-centre venues may mean a 20-minute walk alone through crowded streets or down dark alleyways. Research by UN Women UK shows that 71% of women have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. Similarly, findings from the British Transport Police reveal that more than one in three women have been victims of sexual harassment or sexual offences while commuting to or from work. Women are also more likely to experience workplace harassment, bullying, and discrimination. The consequences can be far-reaching, contributing to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as hindering long-term career progression. For some, the lack of safety at work prompts them to leave their positions entirely. Safety concerns can increase not only due to darker nights, but also because hospitality staff are stretched to their limits during award and party season. Winter is busy and often understaffed. Hotels often rely on agency or seasonal staff who may lack important safeguarding or VAWG training. Reduced vigilance, combined with higher guest volumes, creates conditions where incidents can go unnoticed. Employers need to recognise these seasonal challenges to foster inclusivity, protect wellbeing, and enable all hospitality staff to participate safely and equally year-round. How Employers Can Help Soroptimists are urging the hospitality industry to implement Gender Impact Assessments (GIAs) to examine how darker nights and seasonal shift patterns affect both staff and guests. It might sound like bureaucratic jargon, but at its core, its simply about asking, Is this process fair for everyone men and women alike? In winter, a GIA can identify gaps that leave women vulnerable to unwanted attention or unsafe situations when alone at night. It can highlight shortcomings in processes such as closing procedures, lighting, and transport arrangements to ensure staff can travel home safely. This process can begin with a survey aimed at staff, and guests, to ask about their experiences and feedback on the ways they could feel safer. Using this as a foundation, employers can create an action plan with practical steps, well-defined procedures, and collaborative partnerships that deliver tangible improvements in your venue. Top Tips for Hotels Heres a few ways a GIA can help ensure a balanced overview to support all workers: Surveillance and security: Assess lighting, CCTV coverage, and visibility on surrounding streets, car parks and exits after dark. Check whether female staff and customers must walk through poorly lit or isolated areas and try to mitigate this. Assess lighting, CCTV coverage, and visibility on surrounding streets, car parks and exits after dark. Check whether female staff and customers must walk through poorly lit or isolated areas and try to mitigate this. Staff rotas and closing procedures: Review shift patterns, decrease lone working and ensure staff can access reliable transport home. Review shift patterns, decrease lone working and ensure staff can access reliable transport home. Clear harassment reporting protocols: Ensure staff are trained and know who to contact immediately. Introduce security involvement introduce panic buttons or alarm systems for anyone working alone late at night. Ensure staff are trained and know who to contact immediately. Introduce security involvement introduce panic buttons or alarm systems for anyone working alone late at night. Local taxi company partnership: Partner with a trusted local taxi company and help guarantee safe, reliable transport is accessible to all staff and customers. Partner with a trusted local taxi company and help guarantee safe, reliable transport is accessible to all staff and customers. Experiment with new initiatives: Encourage employees who commute similar routes to travel together or trial a dedicated hotline for housekeeping, front desk or bar staff to report harassment anonymously at any time. Encourage employees who commute similar routes to travel together or trial a dedicated hotline for housekeeping, front desk or bar staff to report harassment anonymously at any time. Campaigning for Purple Flag status: This accreditation from the Association of Town and City Management is given for excellence in managing the evening and nighttime economy in your town or city. As a venue, you can look into advocating for Purple Flag status by contacting your local authority. By reviewing this information, you can ensure, as an employer, you are inclusive and prioritise womens safety fully. Impact assessments arent limited to seasonal changes this is just one example. GIAs can be applied to evaluate a wide range of factors affecting staff and guests. Be The Change Organisations that embed GIAs tend to strengthen team cohesion, improve employee retention, and enhance innovation by cultivating equitable, future-ready work environments. Hospitality venues can make winter safer and more inclusive for women. By addressing seasonal challenges proactively, they not only protect staff and guests but also foster a lasting culture of safety and respect. If youd like to learn more about implementing a GIA into your venue, contact your local Soroptimists club for guidance and support: https://sigbi.org/club-finder/ Blanket-sending discount codes only target low-spending guests. High-spending guests respond to offers that resonate, incentivize, and make them feel noticed. Hotels that take promotional offers one step further to hone in on strategic discounts for high-value guests see their Find, Book, and Grow strategies flourish with revenue. Discount codes dont automatically bring bookings and soaring profits. Thats because a generalized, one-size-fits-all discount code doesnt leave a lasting impression with the most valuable audiences. If an offer doesnt make someone feel like it was specifically intended for them, theres no sense of connection, and little reason to take notice. Hotels know personalization is key in this day and age. Research shows that 61% of consumers are willing to spend more with companies that offer a personalized experience. Despite this, only 23% of consumers report having a personalized experience after recent hotel stays. But ditching the discount blasts in favor of a more targeted approach is about more than this. Its also about strategy. As a hotel, gaining discounted bookings from the lowest-spending guests who buy the cheapest rooms and no ancillaries doesnt make great business sense. Yet being more targeted and rewarding guests who are likely to spend more is a savvier approach. And it leads to sustainable, long-term growth. Realize the value of your database The customers in your database have more potential value than new customers. Returning guests will spend more at your hotel than new guests. And you dont need to pay for clicks, social media advertising, and use other paid marketing assets to get them through the door. These are well-established facts, backed up by research. Acquiring new customers costs five to 10 times more than selling to a current customer. Not to mention the fact that current customers spend 67% more on average than those new to your business. Hotels have more data on guests who have already stayed meaning they understand their needs so much better. Catering directly to these needs often means guests will spend more, and theyll create more visibility too, as theyre more likely to interact with the hotel on social media. Youve already done the hard work to get each guests first booking. Now its time to keep them coming back. Loyal guests are incredibly valuable, and you need to sweat this asset. Nurture, connect, and entice until you secure repeat visits. Realizing that your database is your centerpiece and probably a partially untapped resource is an important first step. Segmentation comes next. You could cut and slice your audience in many ways, but what will bring your hotel the best returns? Targeting high-value guests. These are guests who have already stayed at your hotel before. You know theyre willing to spend money with you. And with the right incentives, you can encourage them to spend even more. Give your guests a target Offering a discount to guests who reach a certain level of spending with you is a powerful way to secure revenue. And it comes from the kind of guests you want to be doing business with. Take our concept for a Big Spender 15 campaign as an example. When a guest reaches a total lifetime spend of $5k with your hotel, you can reward them with a 15% discount code, personalized to them. This reward could be a free night, a bottle of champagne, or something else you think will resonate with your guests. Its a way to say thank you, build positive associations with your brand, and encourage future business with guests who you know with certainty are valuable to your hotel. If corporate travelers reach this threshold, theyre more likely to return for a personal trip with their discount code, strengthening loyalty. Instead of a bottle of wine, this approach is more impactful and directly tied to their engagement with the hotel. For the best results, youll need to launch a campaign to raise awareness of the reward guests will get when they meet this threshold. This gives guests a target something to incentivize them and aim for. An almost there trigger campaign can keep the momentum up. It drives them to book more in the meantime, so they reach the $5k target. Incentivizing high-value guests Choosing a partner that offers the ability to generate single-use codes can help hotels take advantage of this smarter way to reward guests. The value of segmenting audiences is clear, and the right technology makes it possible to pick and choose who you target and incentivize, down to very granular details if you want it. Be sure to ask your technology partner if they provide this capability, as it enables hotels to generate single-use codes automatically triggered by criteria you set. So how do you run a campaign like this to target high-value guests with personalized discount codes? Its actually really simple. Generate the single-use discount codes. Your CRS or booking engine will do this for you in the dynamic pricing rules section. Just choose how many single-use codes you want, and whether they can be applied to the room only, to the total price, or to particular rate plans. Set up the emails. Import your discount codes into your CRM, and create your email template as usual. Ensuring a unique discount code appears for each recipient works in the same way as personalization codes, e.g., dear [name] just choose the discount code tag instead, which will appear when you import the discount codes. Choose your audience. This is the part that will revolutionize your emails. Create a new audience by selecting guest contact information, followed by money spent as being $5k or more. And hey presto, youll have a list of guests who meet this criteria. (Tip: look through all the other options for segmenting audiences while youre here we guarantee itll spark ideas for more highly targeted, segmented campaigns). Set it to automateand sit back. Next up, set up an automation to send an email out with a discount code every time someone hits the $5k spend threshold. You can set up an alert if your discount codes get low, giving you the option to extend the campaign if its working well. A strategic approach to attracting guests Taking a couple of extra simple steps in your discount code emailing strategy can propel your hotel forward. A personalized, targeted approach isnt hard work or complicated. Figuring out who your high-value guests are can be done in a couple of clicks. And this leads to certainty. Rewarding high-value hotel guests means you will Find your loyal, repeat bookers who add tangible value to your hotel. It means they will Book again and again. And this will Grow your brand, business, and balance sheet, keeping your hotel on the radar of the guests who are key to your longevity. About Cendyn Cendyn is a global hospitality cloud-based technology company that enables hotels to drive revenue, maximize profitability, and create deeper connections with guests through its integrated solutions. Serving hoteliers for nearly 30 years, Cendyn drives commercial success for hotels through its Find, Book, Grow promise: find the right guests, drive them to book direct, and grow loyalty and revenue across the spectrum of digital guest interactions. Cendyn has over 35,000 customers worldwide in more than 150 countries generating more than $20 billion in annual hotel revenue. The company supports its growing customer base from locations across the globe, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangkok, and India. To find out more, visit cendyn.com View source U.S. Hotel Industry Faces Uncertainty but Eyes Strategic Growth in 2026 - Image Credit Unsplash+ Economic Uncertainty Challenges the Hospitality Sector The hospitality industry has been grappling with significant uncertainty throughout the year, primarily due to fluctuating international travel trends and rising costs of materials and food. Hotel executives at The Lodging Conference highlighted the impact of unpredictable policy shifts in the U.S., which have created challenges for business planning and execution. Joe Berger, President and CEO of BRE Hotels & Resorts, emphasized the difficulty of navigating the current environment, stating, "What's tough on our industry always is uncertainty." Leeny Oberg, CFO and Executive VP of Development at Marriott International, noted that frequent tariff announcements and international policy changes disrupt the sequential planning process necessary for hotel project execution. Impact of Policy and Travel Trends The decline in Canadian travel to the U.S., influenced by political rhetoric, has been a significant concern. Tourism Economics projected a 20.2% decrease in Canadian visitors to the U.S. in August. Beth McMahon, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada, expressed hope that ongoing meetings between U.S. and Canadian officials might lead to improved relations and stability. Kamalesh Patel, Chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association for 2025-2026, highlighted the inconsistent return of corporate travel across different markets. He stressed the importance of adaptability and patience in navigating these uncertain times. Opportunities and Optimism for 2026 Despite the current challenges, industry leaders remain optimistic about 2026. Joe Berger sees the same uncertainty that troubled the industry this year as a potential opportunity for growth. He believes that focusing on demand dynamics and adapting to a volatile environment will be crucial for success. Kevin Davis, CEO of JLL Hotels & Hospitality Americas, expressed cautious optimism for improved transaction activity in 2026, citing substantial capital reserves and active debt funds in the hospitality sector. He noted the disconnect between capital markets and the real economy, emphasizing the industry's reliance on consumer and business activity. Strategic Investments and Market Dynamics Arash Azarbarzin, CEO of Highgate, observed that while hotel rates and costs are rising, there is still potential for a strong return on investment. He emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships and value addition in asset acquisitions. Justin Knight, CEO of Apple Hospitality REIT, highlighted the potential for strategic shifts in a quiet hotel deals environment. He pointed out that current market conditions offer opportunities to acquire assets at favorable prices, allowing for long-term portfolio growth. Discover more at CoStar. Scandic Hotels to Open Third Property in Hamburg, Germany in 2028 - Image Credit Scandic Scandic Hotels has signed a long-term lease agreement for a new 328-room hotel in central Hamburg, set to open in 2028. Scandic Hotels has announced plans to open its third hotel in downtown Hamburg, Germany, as part of a long-term lease agreement. The new hotel will be located near the citys central train station, integrating into a redevelopment project that includes offices, restaurants, event spaces, and additional hotels. The hotel will feature up to 328 rooms and is scheduled to open in 2028. The location will provide direct access to Hamburg's bus terminal and several subway and commuter train lines, enhancing connectivity for guests. This development aligns with Scandic's broader strategy to increase its room capacity by approximately 15,000 by the end of 2030, focusing on key destinations in Germany. The project is a collaboration with B&L Group, which will construct the hotel. Scandic will operate the hotel, catering to both business and leisure travelers. This new location will complement Scandic's existing presence in Hamburg, which includes the Scandic Emporio and a planned 430-room hotel near the Berliner Tor station, expected to open in 2030. Hamburg, Germany's second-largest city with a population of 2 million, is a significant hub for international trade, logistics, and culture. The city records over 16 million hotel nights annually, driven by both business and leisure travel. Scandic's expansion in Hamburg is part of a broader growth initiative, with plans announced earlier in 2025 to open eight new hotels in the Nordic countries and Germany, adding more than 1,600 rooms to its portfolio. The development in Hamburg's St. Georg district is part of the StadtKontor scheme, which aims to revitalize the area by converting existing office spaces into modern environments. This initiative is expected to contribute to the district's growth and appeal as a dynamic urban center. How You Can Turn Guest Data Chaos into Revenue with a Golden Profile - Image Credit TrustYou Do your guests ever feel like strangers to your hotel, even when theyve stayed with you multiple times? It might happen, for instance, when they walk up to your front desk, expecting recognition, only to be greeted like its their first visit. Theyve actually stayed with you before, booked through different channels, and even visited your spa last month. But none of that history is visible when theyre checking in. The problem isnt your staff. Its your data. Every system knows a little bit about them, but not the whole story. Your PMS knows their room type. Your booking engine knows their email. Your spa system remembers their last massage. But none of it connects; which winds up making your guests feel invisible, leaving them with the feeling of an unremarkable, impersonal stay. But what if your hotel could actually know each guest, across every touchpoint, every time? What if all that data could come together to form one clear, reliable view of every single guest? Thats what we call a Golden Profile, and its quietly changing how smart hotels do business. The Hidden Cost of Messy Guest Data Fragmented guest data makes stays feel impersonal, but it also hits your bottom line. Hotels that rely heavily on OTAs can lose up to 30% of booking revenue in commissions. Even worse, without unified data, you give away the relationship as well as the insights that build loyalty and personalized experiences. More than half of hospitality companies (57%) admit they cant unify their customer data. Decisions are made on fragments, opportunities are missed, and revenue leaks quietly out the door. Thats exactly why hotels are turning to Golden Profiles. When you can unify every piece of guest data into a single, reliable view, all those missed opportunities start to disappear. Its what enables hotels to move from being property-centric (How do we fill this room?) to guest-centric (How do we keep this guest coming back?). So, What Exactly Is a Golden Profile? Think of it like this: a Golden Profile is the one single source of truth about your guest. It combines all the scattered data from your systems into a single record, unifying everything you know about a person: their stay history, spending habits, favorite room type, even how they interact with your emails. Its your hotels way of saying, Hey, we actually know you. In other words, think of a guest that stays at your hotel four times a year for business. She also books the spa through your website on weekends and attends your rooftop yoga class. Yet, your systems treat her as three different people. Now, with a Golden Profile, those identities merge. Suddenly, she isnt just a booking ID but a loyal guest to whom you can deliver recognition, personalized offers, and maybe even that corner suite upgrade she secretly hopes for. Essentially, a Golden Profile allows you to personalize every touchpoint with your guest, build ROI-positive marketing campaigns and deliver better guest experiences. How the Golden Profile Actually Works The Golden Profile is built by your CDP, which connects all your systems (PMS, POS, booking engine, website, surveys, and so on) and turns the chaos into clarity. It collects, cleans, and organizes every data point to create one accurate profile per guest. Heres what it does behind the scenes: Connects the dots: It automatically pulls data from all touchpoints and systems, building a unified single source of guest truth. Cleans the mess: It merges duplicates, fixes errors, and filters out noise (like those masked OTA emails). Builds intelligence: Learns from guest behaviors and preferences. Activates that intelligence. It sends that unified view to your marketing tools, your CRM, your front desk so that everyone gets the same, updated story. The result is clear: your teams finally speak the same language about your guests. Marketing can send relevant offers, the front desk can deliver personalized welcomes, and revenue managers can price smarter. Why It Matters: Turning Data Into Loyalty and Direct Revenue Heres the big shift: the Golden Profile transforms guest data from something you store into something you use. With it, you can use that knowledge to drive actual revenue. When you get your data out of silos and connect it, everything else follows: 1. Bring OTA guests back to you Your CDP identifies guests who booked through third parties and lets you target them with personalized direct-booking offers. While its true that each direct conversion saves you money on commissions, the real win is regaining that relationship and their data. 2. Make personalization easy and profitable When you know what guests like, you can anticipate their needs. For instance, if a guest browses your dining page before arrival, you can send a timely dinner offer. And if they booked a spa treatment last time, offer a discount to book again. This kind of precision often increases total spend by 10 to 20 percent. 3. Build loyalty that lasts The Golden Profile shows a guests total value, not just what theyve spent for their rooms. Youll see every touchpoint, from restaurant visits to special requests. That helps you recognize your real VIPs and reward them in ways that keep them coming back. And the numbers back it up: personalized marketing can increase conversion rates by up to 20%, and even a small bump in retention can boost profits by as much as 95%. The Missing Piece for Hospitality AI Often, the fact that AI tools dont work well when the data you feed them is messy, gets overlooked. You can have the most advanced AI agent on the market, but if its working with outdated, scattered, or incomplete guest data, youll get messy results. Like recommending a family suite to a solo business traveler, or sending a Welcome back! email to someone whos never actually stayed with you. With TrustYous CDP Golden Profiles, however, your AI tools feed on solid information. These provide the clean, complete foundation your AI needs to make intelligent decisions. When guest details, from preferences, booking history, spend, sentiment, and survey feedback, are unified, AI agents act like a great guest service agent. Heres what that looks like in practice: Smarter predictions: AI can accurately identify which guests are likely to return, when to send offers, or whos at risk of churning. AI can accurately identify which guests are likely to return, when to send offers, or whos at risk of churning. Personalized automation: A guest asks your AI Agent, Does the suite have a balcony? The system instantly pulls their Golden Profile, recognizes their past preferences, and instantly replies with a personal touch. A guest asks your AI Agent, Does the suite have a balcony? The system instantly pulls their Golden Profile, recognizes their past preferences, and instantly replies with a personal touch. Consistent service: Every interaction, across every channel, feels like one seamless conversation, not a fragmented back-and-forth between disconnected systems. Without that unified data layer, even the smartest AI stumbles. But with it, your hotels technology stays always on brand, and always ready to serve. TrustYou: Your Platform for Golden Profiles, Unified Data, and AI-Powered Hospitality The TrustYou Customer Data Platform unifies data from every system and guest touchpoint into one reliable source of truth. With Golden Profiles at its core, TrustYou ensures that every guest interaction (across marketing, operations and service) is based on accurate and consistent information. TrustYou provides hotels with the foundation for truly connected guest experiences by combining advanced data integration, comprehensive data management, and intelligent AI Agents. From personalized communication to predictive insights, your teams can make faster, smarter, and more data-driven decisions. TrustYou also offers expert guidance and seamless implementation support to help you integrate your existing systems efficiently while unlocking the full potential of AI in hospitality. About TrustYou TrustYou is the #1 Hospitality AI platform. Since 2008, the company has supported hotels and hotel groups worldwide in turning guest feedback, customer data, and automated interactions into measurable results. The platform unifies three core products in one system: At the core of TrustYous platform are three powerful solutions: Cust omer Exper ience Plat f orm C XP: Centralizes all reviews and surveys, applies AI-driven analysis, and automatically responds to feedback with ResponseAI. Hotels gain deeper insights into the guest experience, strengthen their online reputation, and make more informed service decisions. Centralizes all reviews and surveys, applies AI-driven analysis, and automatically responds to feedback with ResponseAI. Hotels gain deeper insights into the guest experience, strengthen their online reputation, and make more informed service decisions. Cust omer Dat a Plat f orm CDP: Consolidates all guest data into so-called Golden Profiles, integrates consent management, and enables precise audience segmentation. This powers personalized marketing campaigns, drives more direct bookings, and fosters long-term guest loyalty. Consolidates all guest data into so-called Golden Profiles, integrates consent management, and enables precise audience segmentation. This powers personalized marketing campaigns, drives more direct bookings, and fosters long-term guest loyalty. AI Agents: Handle 100% of inbound communication24/7, in any language, and across all channels. They deliver instant, context-aware responses, support upselling, and free up operational teams. With TrustYou, hotels invest in a future-ready platform that makes the Always-Reply Future a reality: better guest experiences, more direct revenue, and more efficient operations. For more information please visit www.trustyou.com. Gaia Palace Hotel - Image Credit Gaia Hotels A summary of European hotel transactions provided by HVS Azora acquires Medplaya Hotels in Spain Spanish real estate investment trust Azora, via its European Hotel & Lodging Fund, has acquired Spanish owner-operator Medplaya Hotels. The deal includes six owned hotel properties in Spain - situated in Catalonia and the Costa del Sol - with a total of more than 1,500 rooms, as well as the operating company that manages an additional nine hotels. Azora plans to renovate the properties and reposition them. In 2019, Azora acquired seven hotels from Medplaya while keeping the company on as the operator through lease agreements, meaning that Azora now owns 13 of Medplayas 15 hotels. Premia Properties to acquire Gaia Palace and Gaia Royal in Greece Greek real estate investment firm Premia Properties has entered an agreement to acquire the five-star, 156-room Gaia Palace Hotel and the four-star, 284-room Gaia Royal Hotel in Mastichari on the Greek island of Kos. Situated next to each other, the properties are located a short walk from the beach east of Mastichari. Both hotels include a restaurant, bar and swimming pools. Premia plans to renovate both properties, with completion expected in May 2027. The total investment, including renovation costs, is set to amount to 73 million (165,500 per room). Swedish operator Nordic Leisure Travel Group will manage the properties under a long-term, 20-year, triple-net lease. Cofinance Group acquires Vintage Paris Gare du Nord French real estate investment company Cofinance Group has acquired the 48-room Vintage Paris Gare du Nord in France. The property is situated in Paris 9th district between the Gare du Nord train station and the Basilica of Sacre Cur de Montmartre. Cofinance aims to extensively renovate the property and reposition it as a four-star hotel. In September 2025, Cofinance sold the five-star, 103-room Les Cures Marines in Normandy, as reported in this newsletter. HVS is the world's leading consulting and valuation services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs more than 4,500 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant. HVS principals are regarded as the leading professionals in their respective regions of the globe. Through a worldwide network of over 50 offices staffed by 300 experienced industry professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. For further information regarding our expertise and specifics about our services, please visit www.hvs.com. AI's Role in Travel: Booking.com and Expedia's Growing Influence Raises Concerns - Image Credit Unsplash+ Major travel platforms like Booking.com and Expedia are embedding themselves into AI-driven systems, potentially becoming dominant gatekeepers that control the travel booking process. If unregulated, this could result in independent hotels being marginalized, forced to pay commissions to reach their guests. AI's Growing Influence in Travel The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the travel industry is accelerating, with major players like Booking.com and Expedia taking a leading role. These companies are embedding themselves into AI platforms, significantly impacting how travelers search, discover, and book accommodations. This development raises concerns about the potential formation of an AI duopoly, where a few companies control the digital travel landscape. The Role of the Digital Markets Act The European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to regulate the power of big tech companies, ensuring fair competition in digital markets. While the DMA targets major corporations such as Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, it does not yet extend to stand-alone AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity. These AI tools are increasingly acting as gatekeepers, influencing travel decisions and bookings. Potential Impact on Independent Hotels Without regulatory oversight, AI platforms could dominate the travel funnel, marginalizing independent hotels. Large online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com and Expedia could secure preferential placement within AI systems, forcing hotels to pay commissions to access guests. This scenario mirrors past challenges faced by hotels during the OTA era, where control over guest interactions was largely in the hands of intermediaries. AI's Control Over the Travel Journey AI assistants are not merely answering questions; they are controlling the entire travel journey, from inspiration to transaction. They determine which hotels appear in search results, the order of listings, and the pricing. This level of control creates a powerful distribution monopoly, currently being consolidated by a few key players. Regulatory Oversight and Policy Recommendations To address these challenges, there is a call to extend DMA protections to AI assistants acting as distribution gateways. Proposed measures include mandating non-discriminatory access for suppliers, requiring transparent ranking and labeling of paid placements, and limiting cross-context data use. These steps aim to ensure fair competition and prevent monopolistic practices. The Future of Travel Distribution The trajectory of AI in travel suggests a future where AI assistants shape how travelers discover, compare, and book accommodations. With the proliferation of AI agents across various platforms, there is a risk of hotels becoming permanent renters in a controlled ecosystem. To prevent this, policymakers and industry leaders must act to maintain competitive markets and protect the interests of independent hotels. A Call to Action There is a need for collective action to influence policy and reclaim control over the guest journey. By extending regulatory frameworks like the DMA to cover AI assistants, the travel industry can ensure fair competition and innovation that benefits all stakeholders. The time to act is now, as the rapid evolution of AI in travel presents both challenges and opportunities for the future. Discover more at PhocusWire. October Ghost Tour at Ventfort Hall LENOX, Mass. Join Robert Oakes, author of "Ghosts of the Berkshires," who will lead tours through the rooms and halls of the historic estate sharing tales of its alleged hauntings. The tour will take place at 7 pm on Saturday, Oct. 26. This is not an active investigation. Admission is $30 and minimum age to attend is age 12. Reservations are strongly recommended as tickets are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations, visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call 413-637-3206. Note that all tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event. Robert Oakes is an author, teacher, storyteller, and performing songwriter. He has written three books, "The Ghostly Tales of the Berkshires" (2023), "Ghosts of Northwestern New Jersey" (2022), and "Ghosts of the Berkshires" (2020), all published by Arcadia Publishing. Since 2010, Robert has led ghost storytelling experiences at historic locations in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, including Ventfort Hall and Edith Wharton's The Mount. He has also given talks and readings and led a writing workshop at Arrowhead, home of Herman Melville. He has appeared on Syfy's Ghost Hunters, Jeff Belanger's New England Legends series on PBS, and The Apple Seed show on BYUradio and has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Berkshire Eagle, and numerous other media outlets. BRPC Awarded Grant to Launch Mental Health Program at PHS PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) announced it has been awarded a $10,000 Community Impact Grant from Fallon Health. This one-time award will fund the pilot of the Active Minds Curriculum at Pittsfield High School. "We're pleased to award grant funding to Berkshire Regional Planning and the SPARK initiative to help support early intervention programs for children and youth, said Cheryl Schmaltz, Community Engagement Manager. By focusing on teen mental health and substance use prevention, we can eliminate barriers to health care for this important population and enhance outcomes."" The Active Minds Curriculum is a national peer-to-peer mental health program designed to foster mental health awareness among students by empowering them to connect and support one another. This initiative aligns with recent 2025 student data, which identifies increased mental health awareness as a critical factor in preventing substance use among youth, stated a press release. Upon the completion of the 13-lesson curriculum, BRPC anticipates that at least 80 percent of the 19 participating students will serve as peer mental health supports for the Pittsfield High School student body. "Our goal is to empower young people in our community with the knowledge and tools to support one another effectively, and to recognize when professional help is needed," Noe Gonzalez Ortiz, Public Health Planner with BRPC said. The long-term goal is to establish an official national Active Minds chapter at Pittsfield High School by the end of the academic year, with plans to expand the model to Taconic High School . Candidates Anthony Maffuccio and Katherine Nagy Moody debate in this screenshot from Pittsfield Community Television. PCTV's Bob Heck was the moderator. Pittsfield Ward 7 Candidates Mull Mosquito Control, Homelessness Anthony Maffuccio is seeking to return as Ward 7 councilor. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Candidates for Ward 7 found common ground on a couple of topics during Thursday's debate sponsored by Pittsfield Community Television and iBerkshires. Anthony Maffuccio and Katherine Nagy Moody agreed that the city does not have enough support for unhoused community members and oppose the city's contracting with the Berkshire County Mosquito Control Project for mosquito control. Maffuccio has petitioned against the program in the past. "I think it's a waste of taxpayer money," he said. "I don't think we get the benefit out of it, from what they tell us. I don't think the scientific data is there to prove that spraying takes care of the mosquito population. They have a lot of unanswered questions." Moody's campaign page says, that if elected, "I do solemnly swear to use all my science skills and powers of debate to defund the Berkshire County Mosquito Project's poison spraying program." "I served on the mosquito advisory board under the Bianchi administration. We were tasked with figuring out if spraying adulticide into the air from the back of trucks is an effective and safe method of mitigating the mosquito population," she said. "My research and data show that not only is the adulticide sprayed from the back of the trucks not safe, it is a carcinogen, it does not mitigate adult mosquito populations, and not only that, the adulticide kills every bug in sight." The council voted to discontinue mosquito spraying in 2021, and it has been a contentious issue. The city's mosquito plan triggers adulticide spraying when isolates are detected for two or more consecutive weeks within one focal area, or a moderate risk for human infection is assigned by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The debate in Berkshire Community College's Boland Theater was moderated by Bob Heck, PCTV and WTBR's coordinator of advancement and community production. Maffuccio served five non-consecutive terms in Ward 7 and was ousted in the election. He works as an associate with the Aldi Corp. and is returning because he missed serving the community and ward residents. "I would like to put this out there so everybody knows: I'm in good health," he said. "I did have a spot where I missed three months, three and a half months, because I had some medical issues in my last term, but you had the confidence in me to support me for 10 years serving as your Ward 7 councilor." Moody was raised in Ward 7, "the stomping ground of my youth and my place of peace in adulthood," and wants to serve its constituents. She is an engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense and takes great pride in serving the United States and ensuring service members have the tools they need. "With my degree in biology, I bring research and scientific training with nearly 20 years of IT and engineering experience," she said. "I'm adept at project management, long-term planning, making decisions based on facts, data, and research, and budget control." Both candidates agreed that the city doesn't have enough resources available for unhoused community members, and that the city must establish a place where people are allowed to camp before enacting a camping ordinance. "Those bad choices are already illegal, and we should be enforcing those bad choices and bad activities." She would like to see the city's Opiate Settlement funds used to help folks who are in the most need of it. Kathy Moody was raised in Ward 7 and says she will bring her research and scientific skills to office. "I believe that the authorized encampment zone that I am proposing should be partially funded by those dollars, and that a way of self-policing of the population there could be managed," she said. Regarding resources, Maffuccio said Pittsfield has never had enough. "It's a growing issue throughout the whole United States. We have a big issue in the city of Pittsfield with homelessness. It started in 2020, and it's just been escalating, and then it keeps on escalating year after year. Do I have the answers? No," he explained. "We need more resources. We need more mental health services. We need more shelter beds. We need things put in place so that we're able to secure enough resources. The problem is, those resources are scarce, also, so there is no clear answer here." He would also like to see an encampment zone established. "The thing is, how do we get there? Who's going to be responsible for the enforcement in that encampment, if we have that encampment? But something needs to be done," Maffuccio said. " There are some laws in place now that can punish bad behavior. That we have to take into consideration, and that bad behavior needs to be punished." Maffuccio was asked about his 2021 resignation from the Homelessness Advisory Committee. "The reason why I stepped down from the homeless committee at the time is because they developed the homeless committee, which I helped spearhead, because at the time it was during COVID, and we had that population, and we had that open up the St. Joe's shelter," he said, referring to the temporary shelter opened in the former St. Joseph's High School. "I resigned from that board because I did not think that they were being useful to the homeless community. As far as I was concerned, when I sat on that board, watched those meetings, I think those meetings were a waste of time. By the end of it, we never came to a resolution. There was just a bunch of talk, and that was it. No resolutions, no plans to move forward." Moody believes that when you join a committee, you have a commitment to stick around. "And when things get tough, you need to stay and do your best to affect change from within," she said. "So when I am appointed to committees, I will not be resigning because I don't like the way they're going. I will be using my leadership skills to guide the committee towards effective and helpful resolutions." Clarksburg Officials Ponder Independence From School Union CLARKSBURG, Mass. The Select Board is questioning how equitable the Northern Berkshire School Union is in terms of costs and representation. The town covers 54 percent of the administrative costs for the union but has the same votes as the other four school districts and, in some cases, may pay more in terms of services for certain positions. "Is there a benefit if we did explore independence?" asked Select Board member Colton Andrews at the most recent School Committee meeting. "We're kind of at a crossroads, and every year it's this financial back and forth ... "I think to an extent, to either quiet some of the discourse, is to look at what I think Option A would be to continue on the path we're on, Option B force some sort of reallocation or redistribution of voting power within the School Committee or Option C, we break off and basically explore independency." He said officials had to get more creative because every year the school budget is the No. 1 issue and "everybody's looking for a reason to throw a stone somewhere." Superintendent of Schools John Franzoni said the options couldn't be done quickly, as they would likely require a study that would take time. He pointed out that the couple years it had taken for the school union and three other school districts to just begin talks on a study to regionalize secondary education. "Should Clarksburg go it alone? It's a pretty significant stat ... it's kind of going against what people are saying we should do, which is work together more and have a regional group," he said. Franzoni said the union shares full-time professionals and if the school broke away and tried for part-time help, "they're going to leave and take a job someplace else, because they can get a full-time job." School Committee member Cindy Brule asked if they could have some figures on changing the school's share of resources before presenting anything to the 12-member school union committee, which is made up of all members of the four school committees of Clarksburg, Florida, Rowe (and Monroe) and Savoy. Andrews said it would be "redistribution of the percentages" which he expected would be shot down. "At that point, I think that would initiate a further conversation of, OK, you said no to adjusting the percentages. Now we're forced in another direction to look at other viable options," he said. Assistant Superintendent Tara Barnes asked if a more equitable representation would amenable to the board. "But are you putting those two things on the table at the same time, either lowering the percentages or adding the representation?" she asked. Andrews responded that "I think I would, because at that point, there's no incentive for them to agree to either one, because they lose either way. But you gave them two options, and they turned down." Franzoni said the union agreement has been in place for nearly a century and was last amended when Rowe joined 10 or 12 years ago. "I don't feel like it would be put a lot more on some of these other towns, like, just for instance, if we each other town took on 3 percent more, that would reduce us by 12 percent, which would make a big difference," said board Chair Daniel Haskins. "I'm just throwing that just like a quick math on something like that." Committee member Mary Giron said they couldn't just walk in and ask for the town's cost to be lowered, "how is it going to be advantageous to them?" It might be dirty politics, said Andrews, but Clarksburg controls the money as the town is the fiscal agent for the union. "I think the real issue we need to look at, and I've mentioned this many times over my time in this position, is that we need to look at is the structure that this school has been under for decades," said Franzon. "Is that the best structure to continue going forward with? Because with all the changing needs of the population that we serve, we don't have the space to do it in this building." Andrews agreed that they needed to have those hard conversations but they also had to look at the options now. "I feel like we should go about this, like have some kind of percent structure that we think would be a good fit ... just let them know that we're just investigating different avenues," said Haskins. "We feel that we're getting a little top heavy for it. Something needs to be readjusted. ... We can mention the voting power. I guess you could say also in that meeting, and tell them, we're hoping to get this percentage down, because if not, we're going to possibly start looking through a study to breakout." 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 Taiwans defence ministry has issued new guidelines for when and how its soldiers can shoot down drones as military threats from China continue to grow. In a report released last week, the ministry said it was looking to procure anti-drone weapons systems amid incursions from mainland China and training troops to shoot down unmanned aircraft. Noting the addition of drones to Chinas grey-zone tactics, assaults stopping short of a direct attack, the ministry said it had developed a strategy to spot, identify and shoot down unmanned aircraft approaching the island. The report comes at a time when Taiwan is ramping up military preparedness on land, at sea and in air with drills rehearsing multiple scenarios of engagement with Chinese forces in the event of an attack. Taiwans outlying islands, which lie closer to China than to Taiwans main island, often face Chinese drones. open image in gallery Taiwanese soldiers take part in a drill at the Hukou military base in Hsinchu ( AFP/Getty ) According to testimony by US intelligence and military leaders, Chinese president Xi Jinping has instructed the Peoples Liberation Army to be ready to invade or coerce Taiwan by 2027, the centenary of the armys founding. China considers Taiwan its own sovereign territory, calling it a breakaway province, and doesnt rule out reunifying the self-governing island with the mainland by force. The newly released guidelines require Taiwanese troops to first identify and track any unidentified drone, and report it to commanding officers while ensuring no danger to civilians, according to the South China Morning Post. If the flying object continues to approach, they must use warning flares or sirens to alert surrounding units and local law-enforcement agencies. Once they ensure the area is safe, they are authorised to engage the drone using light weapons or jamming guns. The guidelines are designed to ensure soldiers respond and fight immediately, using soft-kill and hard-kill methods, according to the report. Anti-drone systems were a top priority, the ministry said, and soldiers on the outlying islands were also practising night shooting in the course of the training. open image in gallery Taiwanese soldiers simulate a tactical withdrawal as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises in New Taipei ( AFP/Getty ) The ministrys spokesperson, Major General Sun Li-fang, said Taipei was continuing efforts to identify and use effective anti-drone systems in response to threats from China. Developments in drone and anti-drone technologies and strategies were very fast, and based on todays situation theres different progress every day, he said. This is one of our key points in our military preparedness efforts. Taiwan is also tracking Chinas preparedness for establishing a blockade around the island, a display of Beijings grey zone tactics. The CCP has significantly increased joint combat readiness patrols, maritime and air blockades, joint firepower strikes, the ministry said in the report, referring to Chinas preparations. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A mother died while rescuing her baby from an apartment fire in South Korea that began when a neighbour tried to kill a cockroach with a makeshift flamethrower, police said. The blaze broke out after a woman in her 20s, who lived on the second floor, sprayed a flammable substance at a cockroach and ignited it with a lighter, according to local media. The flame spread through the nearby bed and piles of trash, the police said. The incident occurred around 5.35am on Monday in the city of Osan, south of Seoul in Gyeonggi province, the police said. The fire spread rapidly through the buildings fifth floor, filling the stairways with thick smoke. Police said the woman, who has not been named, will be charged with negligence resulting in death. The victim, a Chinese woman in her 30s, lived in the same building with her husband and two-month-old baby. As the fire engulfed their apartment, the couple called for help from a window before handing the infant to a neighbour in an adjacent block less than a metre away The womans husband managed to climb across to safety, but she fell while trying to follow him. She was taken to the Ajou University hospital but died five hours later. The baby survived unharmed. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within about 40 minutes but eight other residents were also treated for smoke inhalation. Investigators believe the couple tried escaping through the window after finding the corridor blocked by smoke and flames. The five-storey building contained shops on the ground floor and 32 residential units above. Authorities said the suspect had used the same pest-control method before without incident. Police are examining whether safety codes or building materials contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. Makeshift flamethrowers, typically using lighters and aerosol sprays, have become a popular DIY pest-control trend on social media. In 2018, an Australian man set his kitchen ablaze while attempting to kill cockroaches the same way. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Air quality in Delhi collapsed into the hazardous range on Tuesday morning as smoke from Diwali fireworks blanketed the Indian capital, pushing air-quality readings above 1,000 at several monitoring stations. The Hindu festival of Diwali was celebrated across India on Monday by lighting lamps, including a world-record display in the northern city of Ayodhya, and heavy fireworks. Fine particles released from the fireworks mixed with seasonal pollution and stagnant weather conditions to send air quality plummeting across much of the country. open image in gallery ( REUTERS ) According to IQAir, real-time readings at Mandir Marg and Lodhi Road in central Delhi surged past 1,300 while many other areas recorded values beyond 900. The toxic haze also reduced visibility around major roads and historical monuments. The Central Pollution Control Boards monitoring system, which caps the national index at 500, classified most of the city in the severe air category, stations such as Anand Vihar, Wazirpur and Jahangirpuri reporting AQIs over 400. Anything above 400 on Indias Air Quality Index falls in the severe or hazardous range, a level at which air is considered unhealthy for everyone, not just those with respiratory or heart problems. open image in gallery Morning after Diwali in Delhi ( REUTERS ) Several stations in Delhi breached even that scale on Tuesday, with the levels of fine particulate matter PM2.5 measured between 500 and 1,800 micrograms per cubic metre, up to 120 times the WHOs daily safe limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre. Air quality data showed that 36 out of 38 monitoring stations in the capital were in the red zone, meaning people could experience coughing, throat irritation and tightness in the chest within hours of exposure. The spike came after Indias Supreme Court allowed limited use of green fireworks for two days over the Diwali weekend despite warnings from medical groups about worsening winter smog. The move came after years of ineffective ban on fireworks during Diwali. open image in gallery People walk amid morning smog near India Gate amid a day after Diwali in Delhi, India ( AP ) The court said its decision sought to balance industry interests and public health, while restricting fireworks use to two-hour windows on the eve and the day of the festival. However, people began burning fireworks days before and continued to throughout the night of Diwali. The green fireworks, developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute were designed to emit 30-40 per cent less particulate matter and sulphur dioxide as well to limit noise below 120 decibels. open image in gallery ( AFP via Getty Images ) Only fireworks with certification from the research institute were officially permitted for sale. But critics remained sceptical. A 2022 joint study by the Delhi Technological University and IIT Roorkee found that even certified green fireworks released vast quantities of particles smaller than 100 nanometres, capable of penetrating deep into the lungs. In the weeks before the festival, Delhis poor air quality had prompted measures by the government to curb pollution levels, including restrictions on construction activity and the use of diesel generators. open image in gallery ( AFP via Getty Images ) Delhi and the broader metropolitan region, home to over 30 million people, routinely ranks among the worlds most polluted cities, particularly during winter months when Diwali fireworks coincide with cooler weather and smoke from farmers burning crop residue in nearby states. According to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, air pollution is cutting the life expectancy of the citys residents by about 12 years compared to the WHO guidelines. 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 grandmother who was sentenced to the death penalty for drug-trafficking will be freed from one of Indonesias most notorious prisons and returned to the UK, ending a 12-year ordeal for her family. Lindsay Sandiford, 69, could be free to return home from Bali on Tuesday after an Indonesian government source told AFP that an agreement had been reached with the UK government. The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side of the transfer is agreed, the source said. Shahab Shahabadi, a 35-year-old British national who was arrested in 2014 and later imprisoned on drug charges, will also be released. Sandiford, from Teesside, was arrested at Bali airport in 2012 after customs officers discovered a haul of cocaine worth an estimated 1.6m in a hidden compartment of her suitcase when she arrived from Thailand. She was sentenced to death the following year. Sandiford claimed that a British gang had forced her to smuggle drugs from Thailand to Bali and threatened to kill one of her two sons if she refused to cooperate. open image in gallery Lindsay Sandiford has spent the last 12 years on death row ( AFP/Getty ) Indonesia has some of the strictest drug laws in the world, with multiple foreign nationals facing death row over the years for drug offences. A statement by the Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correction confirmed a press conference was scheduled later on Tuesday to announce the release of two British nationals. Sandiford has been held in the Kerobokan Prison, one of Indonesias worst jails that holds 1,000 more inmates than the 357 it was built for in 1979. ABC News said in a 2017 report from inside Kerobokan that almost 80 per cent of its prisoners are in on drug charges. Kerobokan has seen several riots in the past decade alone, some of them deadly. open image in gallery Sandiford arriving at a court in Denpasar, Indonesia, in 2013 ( AFP/Getty ) The New York Times reported that staff are bribed by wealthier inmates to give them drugs and even let them out on trips. While the prison is high-security, breakouts have occurred. Notably, in 2017 four foreign inmates escaped by digging a 50ft tunnel under the prison walls from an open courtyard. The prison saw another major breakout in 1999 when prisoners set fire to their mattresses and overwhelmed the guards trying to contain the flames. Almost 300 prisoners escaped. open image in gallery Inmates share a cell inside the notorious Kerobokan prison ( ABC News ) At the time of Sandifords arrest, there were 90 prisoners awaiting execution in Kerobokan. Indonesias strict laws surrounding drug trafficking have resulted in international tensions with other countries. In 2015, Jakarta faced a diplomatic crisis when two Australians convicted as part of a heroin smuggling squad were executed by firing squad. Sandiford launched an appeal to have her sentence reduced, but it was rejected, which is often the case for drug appeal cases in Indonesia. 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 Myanmars military has dismantled a significant online scam operation close to its border with Thailand, state media confirmed on Monday. The crackdown led to the detention of over 2,000 individuals and the confiscation of numerous Starlink satellite internet terminals. The country has gained notoriety as a hub for sophisticated cyberscam rings, which defraud victims globally through romantic deceptions and fraudulent investment schemes. These illicit centres are also infamous for luring foreign workers with false job promises, subsequently holding them captive and coercing them into criminal enterprises. Scam operations were in the international spotlight last week when the United States and Britain enacted sanctions against organizers of a major Cambodian cyberscam gang, and its alleged ringleader was indicted by a federal court in New York. According to a report in Mondays Myanma Alinn newspaper, the army raided KK Park, a well-documented cybercrime center, as part of operations starting in early September to suppress online fraud, illegal gambling, and cross-border cybercrime. It published photos displaying seized Starlink equipment and soldiers said to be carrying out the raid, though it was unclear when exactly they were taken. KK Park is located on the outskirts of Myawaddy, a major trading town on the border with Thailand in Myanmars Kayin state. The area is only loosely under the control of Myanmars military government, and also falls under the influence of ethnic minority militias. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for the military government, charged in a statement Monday night that the top leaders of the Karen National Union, an armed ethnic organization opposed to army rule, were involved in the scam projects at KK Park. open image in gallery Myanmar Scam Centers The allegation was previously made based on claims that a company backed by the Karen group allowed the land to be leased. However, the Karen, who are part of the larger armed resistance movement in Myanmar's civil war, deny any involvement in the scams. Myanma Alinn said the army ascertained that more than 260 buildings were unregistered, and seized equipment, including 30 sets of Starlink satellite internet terminals. It said 2,198 individuals were detained though it did not give their nationalities. Starlink is part of Elon Musks SpaceX company and the terminals link to its satellites. It does not have licensed operations in Myanmar, but at least hundreds of terminals have been smuggled into the Southeast Asian nation. The company could not be immediately reached for comment Monday but its policy bans conduct that is defamatory, fraudulent, obscene, or deceptive. There have been previous crackdowns on cyberscam operations in Myanmar earlier this year and in 2023. Facing pressure from China, Thailand and Myanmars governments launched an operation in February in which they released thousands of trafficked people from scam compounds, working with the ethnic armed groups that rule Myanmars border areas. 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 grandmother who was facing a death sentence in Bali for smuggling a large haul of cocaine into the island will be freed, more than a decade after her arrest. Lindsay Sandiford, 69, is currently being held in the notorious Kerobokan prison, which holds around 1,000 inmates. Sandiford, from Redcar in Teesside, could be free to return home as soon as Tuesday after an Indonesian government source told AFP that an agreement had been reached with the UK government. Here is everything we know about Sandiford and why she was given a lengthy sentence. Who is Lindsay Sandiford? Sandiford was arrested at Balis Denpasir National Airport in 2012 after customs officers discovered a haul of cocaine worth an estimated 1.6m in a hidden compartment of her suitcase when she arrived from Thailand. The grandmother-of-two claimed that a British gang had forced her to smuggle the drugs - and threatened to kill one of her two sons if she refused to cooperate. open image in gallery Lindsay Sandiford has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling ( AFP/Getty ) Sandiford was later found guilty of smuggling 4.8kg of cocaine hidden in the lining of her suitcase on a flight from Bangkok. Prosecutors sentenced her to death. Police had accused her of being part of an international drug network that imported drugs from several countries including Peru, Colombia and Thailand. Timeline of Lindsay Sandifords arrest and imprisonment Early 2012 Lindsay Sandiford set up home in India, having moved from Gloucestershire, England. 17 May 2012 Sandiford allegedly met two members of a drug syndicate in Bangkok, Thailand and collected a suitcase packed with cocaine. 19 May 2012 Sandiford was arrested after cocaine was found in her luggage as she arrived into Bali from Bangkok. Police accuse her of being at the centre of a drugs rings involving three other Britons. 20 May 2012 Sandiford starts co-operating with police and gives them information about the drug syndicate. She insisted that she had been coerced into bringing cocaine to Bali. 22 January 2013 Sandiford is sentenced to death for smuggling 10.6lb of cocaine from Thailand. The prosecution had recommended 15 years imprisonment but a panel of judges sentenced her to death by firing squad. open image in gallery Lindsay Sandiford (L) speaks with her sister Hillary Parsons (R) at holding cell after her trial at a court in Denpasar on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on January 22, 2013. ( AFP/Getty ) 29 January 2013 Julian Ponder is cleared of smuggling but convicted of possessing 23g of cocaine. He was one of the three Britons detained after Sandiford was arrested for smuggling cocaine. 31 January 2013 Sandiford loses her bid to get the UK government to fund a lawyer for her appeal against the death penalty. 15 February 2013 The British consulate in Bali submitted a statement to Sandifords appeal. A spokesperson for the FCDO said: It continues to be the longstanding policy of the United Kingdom to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and we will do all we can to assist British nationals facing the death penalty. open image in gallery Lindsay Sandiford (C) arrives for her trial at Denpasar district court in Bali, Indonesia, 07 January 2013 ( AFP/Getty ) 8 April 2013 Sandiford lost her first appeal against her death sentence. The appeal judges ruled that the original decision was accurate and correct. 30 August 2013 Sandiford loses her second appeal in Indonesias highest court. The decision is unanimous, said chief judge Artidjo Alkostar. 12 September 2015 Sandiford meets her granddaughter Ayla for the first time, MailOnline reported. The then-two-year-old girl was born seven months after Sandiford went to prison. She visited her grandmother in prison. 22 February 2019 Sandiford gave an interview to MailOnline from prison and said that in spite of everything, I feel blessed. I have been blessed to live long enough to see my two sons grow up into fine young men and blessed to have been able to meet my two grandchildren. A lot of people dont get that in their lifetime, she said. open image in gallery Lindsay Sandiford sits next to her evidence at custom office in Denpasar, Bali, ( AFP/Getty ) 18 May 2019 Sandifords fellow inmate, Heather Mack, tells The Mirror that Lindsay spends all day pretty much alone in her cell and doesnt mix so much with the other prisoners. She snaps at me for no reason but I still make an effort with her. She has said she wants to die, Mack added. Heather Mack was jailed in 2015 for helping her boyfriend murder her mother. The pair wrapped her mothers body in tape, stuffed it in a suitcase and tried to flee. 15 March, 2024: Human rights barrister Felicity Gerry KC, who visited Sandiford in 2015, called for her return to the UK. Gerry said the Indonesian government should be taking active steps to facilitate her return to the UK, either to serve a sentence near her family or to consider her release. 21 October, 2025: Sandiford, now aged 69, could be free to return home along w after an Indonesian government source told AFP that an agreement had been reached with the UK government. The other foreign nationals imprisoned in Bali Sandiford is not the only foreign national to be imprisoned and threatened with the death sentence in Indonesia. In 2005 a group of Australians, later called the Bali Nine, were arrested while attempting smuggle over 8kg of heroin from Bali. The two ringleaders, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed in 2015, sparking diplomatic tensions and leading Australia to recall its ambassador in protest. Of the remaining members, the groups sole woman, was released in 2018, while another member died of cancer the same year. Five have since returned home to Australia, as Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, and Michael Czugaj returned home in December 2024. "These Australians served more than 19 years in prison in Indonesia. It was time for them to come home," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. 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 Look on the bright side - being happy could reduce your risk of chronic diseases. Thats according to researchers who have found being happier could mean being healthier. Heart disease, cancer, asthma and diabetes, are all chronic or non-communicable diseases which account for three-quarters of global mortality. While there are genetic, environmental, and lifestyle choices that all influence a person's risk of disease, researchers have suggested how happy a person is also plays a role following a new study. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health broadly, including mental and social flourishing, suggesting that happiness might influence disease risk. But public health often focuses on quitting smoking, poor nutrition, and inactivity. Happiness is not just a personal feeling but also a measurable public health resource, said first author Professor Iulia Iuga at the University of Alba Iulia, in Romania. While there are genetic, environmental, and lifestyle choices that all influence a person's risk of disease, happiness could also play a role, research suggests ( Getty/iStock ) In the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, researchers used data from 123 countries between 2006 and 2021 from different health organisations, global development statistics, and public opinion polls to find out at what point happy means healthy on a life ladder. The life ladder can be imaged as a simple zero to ten happiness ruler, where zero means the worst possible life and ten means the best possible life, explained Professor Iuga. People imagine where they currently stand on that ladder. A score of 2.7 can be found towards the lower end of the ladder, and people or countries finding themselves there are generally considered unhappy or struggling. An adjective that fits this level could be barely coping, said Professor Iuga. But, at this point, improvements in happiness begin to translate into measurable health benefits. Once the threshold is surpassed and a countrys collective happiness rises above it, the study found that each 1 per cent increase in subjective wellbeing is linked to an estimated 0.43 per cent decrease in that countrys non-communicable disease mortality rate. This rate refers to the percentage of deaths due to non-communicable diseases among individuals aged between 30 and 70. Within the observed range, we found no evidence of adverse effects from excessive happiness, Professor Iuga added. Below the 2.7-point threshold, small improvements in happiness (for example, from a score of 2 to 2.2) do not translate to measurable reduction in non-communicable disease deaths, researchers found. But countries that exceeded this happiness level appeared to spend more per person on health, in comparison to the countries falling below it. The average life ladder score across the examined countries during the study period was 5.45, with a minimum of 2.18 and a maximum of 7.97. Researchers suggested several ways governments could boost their countries happiness score above 2.7, by expanding obesity prevention and tightening alcohol availability, improving the environment through stricter air-quality standards, and increasing their per capita health spending. Although it is unknown why happier people have a lower disease risk, experts have suggested a sense of wellbeing may lower risk factors of heart disease such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. People who experience symptoms of depression are more likely to go on to develop heart disease or suffer a stroke than those who report good mental health, according to the British Heart Foundation. One study found a positive mindset after experiencing a stroke or heart disease diagnosis could significantly lower the risk of future health problems. A separate study on women found higher levels of hope were protective against angina, which is chest pain caused by heart disease. 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 Cuts to the worlds biggest funder of malaria prevention, including by the UK government, could lead to almost a million more deaths by 2030 including 750,000 children, a report has warned. It could also drive losses of $83 billion (62bn) in national economies across Africa, and cost billions in extra trade with the rich countries making up the G7. On 21 November the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which provides 59 per cent of all international malaria funds, will hold a summit with the aim of raising $18bn (13.5bn) for the next three years. The event will be co-hosted by the UK and South Africa. Historically one of the funds biggest contributors, the UK is widely expected to cut its contribution this year, amid major cuts to foreign aid. A report by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and Malaria No More UK estimated that if the Global Fund could no longer pay for malaria prevention, only treatment, almost one million more people would die by 2030 with 750,000 of them being children under five. In the event that the Global Fund raised 80 per cent of what it did last time, that would still amount to more than 80,000 additional deaths. The disease kills roughly 600,000 people a year, with the vast majority being children under five. We are really at a very momentous time in human history, said Joy Phumaphi, executive secretary of AMLA and former health minister of Botswana. There are tools that are available that can actually facilitate the elimination of malaria, she said, including new vaccines, more effective insecticide- treated bed nets and the use of drones to kill mosquito larvae in standing water. But, she added, one of our biggest challenges at the moment is financing. The thing with a disease like malariawe don't have to drop by very much in terms of investments in order for [cases] to spiral out of control, Ms Phumaphi said. If we don't sustain the same level of coverage, we are going to have a crisis. open image in gallery Malaria vaccines are part of hopes to eliminate the disease. ( AP ) When Donald Trump slashed virtually all foreign aid spending, his administration said it would protect lifesaving work including malaria drugs. But the US cut much of the staff, transportation and other systems needed to get the medicines to people. You having the life-saving intervention, but not having the vehicles that are going to deliver it to that little baby in the rural areas is not really going to be very helpful to that little baby, Ms Phumaphi said. In some countries, parents are left being asked to pay out of pocket for treatments they cannot afford. And while African governments are trying to take over, most do not have the funds to fully plug the gaps left by the withdrawal of aid. Aziza, a school teacher in western Kenya, said children in her class were often unable to get medicine when they developed bouts of malaria because their parents could not afford it. In many cases they would be given only paracetamol. By the end of the week, you might be having 15 learners being absent, out of a class of roughly 70 children, she said, leading to low academic performance Some of them have high fever and they will be sweatingthey cannot concentrate. So you'll see the child all the time sleeping in class. And some of them who love school actually, they will come complaining, Teacher, I have not been at school because I was sick, but I want to do this and thisI want to be a doctor, Aziza recounted. Watching a child die from malaria is one of the worst traumas that you could possibly have, Ms Phumaphi explained. I've seen so many children dying from malaria, and it's painful, and you can imagine what it is like for the mother. While the toll of these funding gaps can be measured most painfully in lives lost, Ms Phumaphi is also keen to stress the loss of income to individual families and of productivity to economies. Children, lose school days and their performance declinesthis is going to show itself then in earning potential in later life. The vast majority of the Global Funds budget comes from governments, but this year it is making a bid for greater contributions from private industry and philanthropy. The private sector really should be alert to these issuesbecause this has got potential in terms of their own productivity, Ms Phumaphi said. Malaria causes povertyAnd that reduces their market, she added. Gareth Jenkins, Managing Director at Malaria No More UK, said: Full investment in the Global Fund can save millions of children's lives, unlock billions in growth, and make the world safer. This not only saves lives around the world but also helps bolster the UKs trading relationships with some of the worlds fastest-growing economies in Africa. African officials draw poverty alleviation experience in China's Ningxia Xinhua) 10:34, October 21, 2025 YINCHUAN, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A total of 45 African officials from partner countries of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the African Union participated in a training course focused on poverty alleviation, held in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from October 19 to 26. During the event, they will engage with local experts, scholars, entrepreneurs and frontline workers. The program will include special lectures, on-site visits, and educational sessions covering topics such as poverty alleviation and reduction, economic and trade cooperation, rural revitalization and green development, according to the organizers. Ningxia is one of main battlefields of China's poverty reduction efforts. Over the years, continuous efforts of anti-poverty from the national and regional governments lifted all 1,100 impoverished villages out of poverty. A total of 803,000 people have shaken off poverty since 2011. In the meantime, active exchanges between Ningxia and Africa have been maintained over the years. Since the first medical team sent from Ningxia in 1978 to provide medical assistance in the Republic of Benin, more than 660 doctors in 28 batches have been dedicated to the country's medical service -- three even sacrificed their lives. Ningxia's trade volume with Africa reached 1.61 billion yuan (226.8 million U.S. dollars) in 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of 27 percent. The regional enterprises have carried out industrial and mining investment and infrastructure construction in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia and Ethiopia. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) 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 Vulnerable prisoners inside one of the countrys most overcrowded prisons are being put at risk, a watchdog has warned, after 16 self-inflicted deaths in three years. HMP Leeds recorded the highest number of suspected suicides of any adult mens prison in England and Wales between 2022 and 2025. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor found weaknesses in care on arrival, unacceptable delays in transfers to hospital under the Mental Health Act and insufficient day-to-day support is leaving prisoners at risk. He called for the needs of vulnerable and mentally unwell inmates to be prioritised to end the unacceptable numbers of suicides at the prison. Two more prisoners have taken their own lives since inspectors visited the prison in July, although deaths are classed as self-inflicted until a coroner has ruled them a suicide. Almost eight in ten people held in the Category B reception prison are forced to share cramped cells designed for one person. Although the Victorian jail is only certified for 655 prisoners, it held 1,088 inmates when inspectors visited. open image in gallery Most prisoners in HMP Leeds, built in 1847, are forced to share a cell designed for one person ( PA ) Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, blamed chronic overcrowding at the prison for putting lives at risk. If there had been 16 self-inflicted deaths in three years in any other state facility, there would be a national outcry and calls for a public inquiry, she said. What is being done to keep people safe? The urgent need for bold action to reduce the prison population is inescapable. This prison is holding 500 more men than, by its own measure, it can hold in safety and decency. Prison leaders have recently introduced random CCTV checks to ensure staff carry out mandatory checks on prisoners at risk of self-harm. It comes after the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman warned this summer of widespread falsification of vital checks on vulnerable prisoners. However, inmates at Leeds told inspectors that, while they appreciated wing staff checking in on them, most officers did not give them time to talk and prisoners felt they did not care. Around 40 per cent of inmates spend at least 22 hours in their cells with limited access to education, work and other activities, inspectors found. Almost six in ten prisoners report feeling unsafe at some point during their stay. The use of force had soared by 114 per cent since the last inspection in 2022, the report found, with 1,029 incidents recorded in the last 12 months. In the sample of cases inspectors reviewed, efforts to de-escalate clashes were too limited before officers resorted to force. open image in gallery Prisons inspector Charlie Taylor said some staff were disengaged and unhelpful ( PA Media ) Thirty-seven per cent of surveyed prisoners said they had a drug or alcohol problem and 18 per cent said they had developed a drug or alcohol problem while at the jail. Inconsistent staff relationships were a further challenge. Mr Taylor said: While some staff demonstrated care and professionalism, others were disengaged or unhelpful. One-to-one work with prisoners had stalled, with fewer than 3 per cent of planned sessions delivered in the previous six months, and far too little had been done to tackle the very high levels of homelessness on release. Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said the findings lays bare the human cost when prisons cannot meet the needs of their most vulnerable prisoners. She added: The report highlights familiar patterns in prisons struggling to provide safe, respectful, and purposeful conditions: overcrowding, minimal meaningful activity, high levels of drug use, and limited support for constructive staff-prisoner relationships all made worse by a highly transient population. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said:This concerning report underlines the crisis this Government has inherited in our prisons. We are already taking urgent action to address the number of self-inflicted deaths at HMP Leeds, including improved staff training, and creating new specialised cells which ensure constant oversight of prisoners who may be at risk. "We know there is more to do across the prison estate which is why we are also delivering the largest prison expansion since Victorian times and implementing landmark sentencing reforms to ensure prisons never run out of space again. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branchIf you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you 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 probe into the Ministry of Defences Afghan data breach was dealt with through a few unrecorded meetings and a handshake, an MP has claimed in a damning assessment of the regulators role in the scandal. The catastrophic breach exposed the details of thousands of Afghans who said they were in danger from the Taliban because of their links to UK forces and wanted to escape to Britain. The leak, which occurred when a spreadsheet with 33,000 lines of data was emailed to someone outside government, triggered a huge secret evacuation programme. The truth of what happened was only revealed after a court battle lasting almost two years, in which national media including The Independent challenged an unprecedented superinjunction. The UKs data regulator, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), which was responsible for probing the MoDs response to the leak, chose not to launch a formal investigation into what had gone wrong, a decision that was met with criticism after the breach came to light. The ICO was one of the few official bodies that knew about the leak, while the public and MPs were kept in the dark for nearly two years. Now it has emerged that the ICO did not take any contemporaneous notes of its decision not to launch an official probe of the catastrophic data loss, claiming officials were unable to record anything due to the classification of the secret information, which one MP claimed was bandied about like confetti. Information commissioner John Edwards told MPs that he stood by the decision not to investigate the Afghan data breach ( Parliament TV ) Information Commissioner John Edwards told MPs on the science, innovation and technology on Tuesday that the ICO did not officially investigate but was relying on honesty from MoD officials. He said the ICO had occasional meetings with MoD officials and would feed in their observations about lines of inquiry, adding: I understand that those were received with gratitude. The ICO decided in June 2024 that the MoD had done enough to ensure the bad data practices wouldnt happen again. Tory MP Kit Malthouse said he was surprised that no formal investigation had taken place, given the severity of the breach. He told Mr Edwards: What youve broadly said to us, is that it was dealt with with a few unrecorded meetings and a handshake. See ya, nothing to see here. It seems extraordinary to me given the severity and the impact of it... The picture youve painted of the way the ICO handled it seems alarming. Dr Lauren Sullivan MP added: It sounds like your method of investigation relies a lot on the honesty of the person you are investigating. Mr Edwards responded that there were tools the ICO could use to investigate government departments but that these werent necessary in this case because no formal investigation was launched. He explained: We didnt investigate, yes we were relying on honesty. Had we later found we were misled we could have investigated. Chair of the science committee, Dame Chi Onwurah MP, said: When I saw some of the details of the Ministry of Defence data breach, I was astounded that that could be part of government data practice. 33,000 line Excel file, with top secret information, bandied about like confetti. This is not an individual failure ... it was an institutional failing. She said she was not comforted by assurances that the MoD is finally acting on bad data procedures, saying the failings had taken place under the information commissioners watch. Mr Edwards admitted there were not enough staff at the ICO with developed vetting to handle top secret information, but said it would not have mattered in this case because the regulator had decided not to launch an investigation. He told MPs: We are able to investigate top secret matters. We chose not to because it would have tied up resources which would have been better used elsewhere. He said that the ICO had carried out a formal investigation into a smaller data loss at the same MoD department, when a mass email was sent to 245 Afghans who had worked with the UK government. Mr Edwards said that when the major Afghan data leak was reported to the ICO we were confident that the ministry was taking it seriously. 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 police force has issued an apology to the family of a woman found dead at a convicted sex offenders residence following a watchdogs findings of failings in their initial investigation. Kelly Faiers, 61, died at the address of Richard Scatchard, 70, in Minehead, Somerset, on October 15, 2023. Officers attended the property and engaged with Scatchard, who possessed a history of sexual offence convictions in which he administered drugs to his victims. An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) inquiry revealed that despite officers' concerns over Scatchard's conduct and their consideration of an arrest, they were ultimately advised against it by CID. The following day, a decision was made to treat Ms Faiers death as murder, prompting officers to revisit the address, only to find Scatchard had absconded. His body was later found in a caravan near Cleeve Hill in Watchet on April 4 2024. Ms Faiers family made a series of complaints about Avon and Somerset Polices conduct following her death. On Tuesday, the IOPC said it had found the service provided by the force to be unacceptable in relation to three out of the seven complaints. The actions and decisions of three officers fell below expectations but there was no evidence to indicate they had breached police standards of professional behaviour, it added. In response, a spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police apologised to Ms Faiers family and said it had taken their concerns seriously. We would like to apologise to Kelly Faiers family for the impact of several of the decisions made by Avon and Somerset Police during the course of our inquiries into her death, he said. open image in gallery Richard Scatchard was wanted for questioning over the death of Kelly Faiers at his home in Somerset ( Avon and Somerset Police/PA ) Ms Faiers death in Minehead on October 15, 2023 was initially considered to be non-suspicious. An operational decision was made the following day to then treat Ms Faiers death at Richard Scatchards home as suspicious and that it should be investigated as a murder inquiry. This update was not relayed to the family for a further 48 hours, in part due to being unable to locate trained family liaison officers to meet Ms Faiers family and deliver the update in-person. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) determined that the service level was unacceptable because of that delay, and an alternative option could and should have been considered to ensure the family knew that information sooner. Similarly, we recognise the additional distress experienced by Ms Faiers family at learning of Mr Scatchards criminal record through an online search and by not disclosing sooner he was at the address and spoken to by officers when police initially attended. This was information that should have been privately communicated to Mrs Faiers family in a sensitive way and at an appropriate time. The IOPC also found the service level was unacceptable in terms of the decision made not to arrest Mr Scatchard at the scene of Ms Faiers death. The spokesman said it would not be appropriate to give further comment about that decision due to ongoing proceedings by the coroner. He added that no conduct or unsatisfactory performance matters were identified relating to any police officers or staff, while no organisational learning was identified. open image in gallery The IOPC criticised the decision made not to arrest Mr Scatchard at the scene of Ms Faiers death ( Nick Potts/PA ) Following the death of Ms Faiers, Avon and Somerset Police warned that Scatchard posed a serious risk to women with whom he formed relationships and that he had been a regular user of dating apps. He had previous convictions for sexual offences in which he drugged his victims to abuse them. Scatchard was wanted on recall to prison, as well as in connection with the murder investigation into Ms Faiers death. In a statement, the IOPC said an investigation had found the level of service provided to the family of Kelly Faiers was unacceptable, after we determined there were failings in the forces response to her death. Derrick Campbell, director of the IOPC, said: Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family of Kelly Faiers for their loss. Avon and Somerset Police could and should have done better in the tragic circumstances of this case. We found the service provided by the force was unacceptable regarding three individual officers, whose actions and decisions fell below expectations. While we did not find any evidence to indicate they may have breached police standards of professional behaviour, justifying disciplinary proceedings, we decided the officers should reflect and learn from the failings we identified and they will undergo the reflective practice review process (RPRP). Scatchard and Ms Faiers went out for the evening on October 14 2023. He called paramedics to his home address at 4.15am on October 15, reporting that Ms Faiers was critically ill. She was pronounced dead by paramedics. A post-mortem examination to determine the cause of Ms Faiers death was inconclusive but it is being treated as suspicious by police. Scatchards cause of death was also reported as inconclusive, though police said they were not aware of any suspicious circumstances surrounding it. 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 Food influencer Big John says he will no longer vote for Reform UK at the next election after an online row with Zia Yusuf. The social media star, real name John Fisher, was accused by the former Reform UK Chairman of being a counter signal to fellow Essex native and social media influencer, Tom Skinner. Both Mr Fisher and Mr Skinner are known for their large social media presences and use of the catchphrase bosh. Mr Yusuf posted on X: Still cant believe the media found some guy who also says bosh and put him everywhere to spread their propaganda and counter signal @iamtomskinner. Fans immediately jumped to Big Johns defence, asking how Reform could expect to be taken seriously when they believe the social media star, who reviews Chinese takeaways for a living, is part of some wider media conspiracy. open image in gallery Zia Yusuf resigned as Reform UK chair this summer (Jordan Pettitt/PA) ( PA Wire ) Responding to a fan, he said: This is spot on. I was actually going to vote reform at the next election as a protest against the big 2 but this shows just how dangerous they are. No thank you @reformparty_uk. Mr Fisher, who self describes as The Boshfather, defended himself against Mr Yusufs claims, pointing out that most of his friends and family were planning to vote for his party in the next election. Just shows how out of touch this bloke is most of my friends and family are going to vote reform and he calls me a left wing plant, he added: Just because I dont believe in racial attacks you couldnt make it up. What a plonker this bloke is. He continued that parties from across the political spectrum had reached out to him and hed rejected meeting them because he didnt want any role in the politics. Is this because I was asked to meet @Nigel_Farage by @reformparty_uk and said no ? Well FYI I was also asked to meet Starmer and said no. I dont want any part with you politicians. This is why, he said on X. open image in gallery Big John is known for his love of Chinese takeaways ( Getty Images ) Despite originally becoming popular for reviewing takeaways to his audience of 690,000 followers on Instagram, Big John recently made headlines when he defended a Chinese restaurant in Yorkshire that experienced racist vandalism on Newsnight amid the Raise the Colours operation linked to the far right. I think the lady had been running it for 15 years, shes lived here, shes worked hard, he said of the Dragon House in Yorkshire. Im associated with Chinese takeaways, but I would have felt the same if it had been an Indian, Caribbean, Mexican, Greek, Turkish. People who are working here shouldnt be targeted like that. No one should be targeted like that. I love my country, Im a proud Englishman, he said. And when you see the flags going up, I can see why people are doing it because a lot of institutions around the country wont put up the flags, so people are sort of taking it amongst themselves, and theres normal people doing it. But every now and again it all blows over and you get the isolated incident which isnt good and thats upsetting. The Independent has contacted Reform UK for comment. 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 Chagossians should have a self-determination vote, MPs have heard. Nigel Farage, Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh and Liberal Democrat Europe spokesman Al Pinkerton were among the backers of a referendum for Chagossians, who were evicted from the Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for a UK-US military base. Opposition MPs suggested that a referendum should become part of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill, which, once passed, will see London cede the archipelago to Mauritius as part of a deal reached earlier this year. But Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said the islands that make up the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) have never been self-governing, and no question of self-determination for a population, therefore, arises now. Mr Pinkerton called on the Government to pause its agreed plan with Mauritius to wind up the current governance of the BIOT until it had tried to seek a right of return and referendum for Chagossians. My grave concern is that the treaty to be given effect by this Bill fails to rectify that historic and ongoing injustice, he said. Not only does it fail to provide adequate protection for their rights, it also fails to establish a legally binding right to return or a binding programme of resettlement of the islands for Chagossians. The Lib Dem frontbencher added: The treaty that has emerged, not only falls short in addressing past injustices, it introduces new injustices of its own. He said the United Nations promotes self-determination of peoples, as part of its charter, yet for the Chagossian people, that right has been denied for more than half a century. Sir Edward tabled his own, separate proposal for an advisory referendum of Chagossians residing in the UK, seeking their opinions on the treaty signed with the Government of Mauritius and the provisions of the Bill. Surely, we in this House have a moral duty to the Chagossian people, not to bureaucratic convenience or diplomatic horse-trading, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough told the Commons, as he described his plea as very moderate, very sensible. Sir Edward twice said: Britain should not repeat the sin of dispossession under the guise of decolonisation. Reform UK leader Mr Farage was listed as a backer of his proposed new clause, who said he felt great sympathy for the Chagossians. He continued: They got a rotten deal 50 years ago, theyre perhaps getting an even worse deal in many ways now. So they should be consulted. The fact theyre not being, I think, is shameful, for a Government that goes on endlessly about human rights and the international rule of law. Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said he understood the historical treatment of Chagossian communities and concerns about resettlement, but rejected calls for a referendum. He told MPs: I understand and share the strength of feeling on the wider subject and the historical treatment of Chagossian communities, and thats why the Government has put at the heart of this Bill the preservation of nationality rights. And I am sympathetic regarding the concerns put forward regarding resettlement, and I understand the intention of amendment nine (Mr Pinkertons amendment), but it isnt necessary, because under the agreement, weve already agreed that Mauritius will be able to develop a programme of resettlement on islands other than Diego Garcia. The minister added: I also understand the questions on consultation, but as Ive said, these negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius. The islands that make up BIOT do not have and have never had a separate population, and have never been self governing, and no question of self determination for a population, therefore, arises now. Labour backbencher Calvin Bailey earlier said he recognised the deep injustice which Chagossian people faced. We cannot turn back the clock on this, however much we might want to, the Leyton and Wanstead MP said. He later added: There are reasons why international treaties are negotiated by the Government and subjected to democratic scrutiny through this House and the procedures that we are going through now. What the Liberal Democrats are proposing amounts to making a UK foreign and defence policy dependent on a referendum, including vital defence interests that are shared with the US and other allies. Mr Bailey said he thought the Lib Dems more than anyone would have learned from the disastrous experience of Brexit, that making foreign policy by referendum is not the wisest course of action. MPs rejected Mr Pinkertons proposal by 319 votes to 83, majority 236. They did not vote on Sir Edwards proposal. 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 She wanted all her suffering to have accomplished something, writes Amy Wallace, Virginia Giuffres collaborator, at the beginning of her bombshell posthumous memoir, Nobodys Girl. Whether Prince Andrew relinquishing his titles amid heightened pressure over her accusations of sexual abuse was one of the aims, no one will ever know. But what is known, from reading the 400-page diary-style book, is that Giuffre, who died by suicide aged 41 in April this year, was determined to tell her story of how power, corruption and alleged sex abuse colluded to leave victims, like her, scarred after years of alleged abuse. Her harrowing and sometimes explicit testimony mentions Andrew 88 times, while also laying out detailed claims of how she was abused at the hands of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. As the book is published, The Independent looks at the biggest revelations. Giuffre meets Andrew for first time in London Aged 17, Giuffre wrote that she was staying at Epsteins former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwells house in London when Maxwell told her that Prince Andrew would be dining with them. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince, she wrote. For live updates on the news relating to Prince Andrew ahead of the publication of Virginia Giuffres book Nobodys Girl click here to visit our blog open image in gallery A picture showing Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre, said to have been taken at Ghislaine Maxwells house in London ( United States District County for the Southern District of New York ) After spending the day shopping for outfits with Maxwell, Andrew, then aged 41, arrived at the townhouse, and the group, including Epstein, chatted in the entryway before Giuffre asked Epstein to take a picture of the pair, she wrote. The group, she wrote, went out for dinner and then to a nightclub called Tramp, where she described Andrew as a bumbling dancer. When they headed back to Maxwells home, Maxwell told her you are to do to for him what you do for Jeffrey, she wrote. At the house, Giuffre wrote that she had sex with Andrew, who said thank you in his clipped British accent afterwards. Reflecting in the book, Giuffre wrote: He was friendly enough, but still entitled as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright. The next day, Maxwell told her, you did well, the prince had fun, Giuffre wrote. Later, Epstein gave her $15,000 for servicing the man the tabloids called Randy Andy, she said. Giuffre has sex with Andrew for second time in New York Around a month later, Giuffre wrote, she met Andrew at Epsteins New York home. Writing abou the alleged meeting, she resurfaced allegations that Andrew was presented with a puppet of himself by Maxwell and allegedly put his hand on the breast of another accuser, Johanna Sjoberg. Giuffre wrote that she saw symbolism in the use of a puppet, adding: Johanna and I were Maxwell and Epsteins puppets, and they were pulling the strings. She wrote that she was sent to a bedroom to have sex with Andrew for a second time. Giuffre takes part in orgy with Andrew with approximately eight other young girls Giuffre wrote that she does not know exactly when she had sex with Andrew for a third time, but she knew it was at Epsteins Caribbean island of Little Saint James, also referred to as Little Saint Jeffs by those who knew Epstein. open image in gallery Virginia Giuffres posthumous memoir refer to Andrew on 88 occasions across 400 pages ( BBC/Panorama ) She repeated allegations made in a sworn declaration in 2015 in which she said all girls seemed to be under the age of 18. She wrote: Epstein, Andy, and approximately eight other young girls, and I had sex together. The other girls all seemed and appeared to be under the age of 18, and didnt really speak English. Epstein laughed about how they couldnt really communicate, saying they are the easiest girls to get along with. Death of Princess of Wales left her scared Giuffre wrote that conspiracy theories surrounding Dianas death impacted her after she allegedly had sex with Andrew for the first time, because she was surrounded by people who wielded vastly more clout than I ever would. I hadnt wanted to have sex with the prince, I said, but I felt I had to, she wrote, saying she believed there was no way to free herself from Epstein and Maxwells grip. She said her then-boyfriend, Tony Figueroa, was scared that I was alone in a foreign country with people so powerful; he said he understood why I felt powerless. She wrote: Less than four years earlier, Lady Diana had died in a car accident, prompting some conjecture (never proven) that the royal family had somehow been involved. She added: Tony and I agreed that, especially while I was abroad, I needed to keep Epstein and Maxwell happy. Seeing Andrew with Epstein after conviction left her shocked After Epstein had been released from prison for procuring a minor for prostitution, Giuffre wrote that she was shocked to see a photograph of Andrew with him in New Yorks Central Park in 2011. Seeing this new photo of Prince Andrew at Epsteins side made Randy Andy seem even more arrogant to me, she wrote. A week later, the first article on Giuffres story about being trafficked by Epstein was run in the Mail on Sunday, with the picture of her and Andrew. She received $160,000 for use of the picture, and agreeing not to talk to anyone else for three months, she wrote. Reflecting on the deal with the publication, she wrote: Ive been cast as a person who made things up for profit, when in fact I naively thought that being paid for telling your story was typical. Ive never been paid for an interview again. Andrews denial on BBC Newsnight gave hopes for legal case against the royal Giuffre wrote that as she was considering filing a lawsuit against Andrew in 2019, she saw the royal had done a sit-down interview with Emily Maitlis on BBC Newsnight, on which he said he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre. He also denied having sex with her in March 2001, saying he was at Pizza Express with his daughter Beatrice on the day in question. Giuffre wrote: As devastating as this interview was for Prince Andrew, for my legal team it was like an injection of jet fuel. Its contents would... help us build an ironclad case against the prince. open image in gallery Andrew speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight host Emily Maitlis ( PA ) She continued: We werent quite ready to sue yet, but this interview gave us a lot more to work with than wed had before. Legal suit that Andrew raped and battered me is launched but with initial difficulties In August 2021, Giuffres team launched a legal suit that alleged she wrote, that Prince Andrew had raped and battered me when I was a minor, causing me severe and lasting damage. She wrote that when action was launched, papers could not be served on Andrew because of his fleeing to Queen Elizabeths Balmoral Castle in Scotland and hiding behind its well-guarded gates. However, after a US judge accused Andrew of playing hide and seek and Giuffres legal team got a break when a witness came forward to say she had seen Giuffre and Andrew together at Tramp nightclub in London, the case progressed, she wrote. But in her memoir, Giuffre claimed Andrews team tried to hire internet trolls to target her online. open image in gallery Nobodys Girl, Giuffres memoir, was published months after she died by suicide ( PA ) After casting doubt on my credibility for so long Prince Andrews team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well, she wrote. I dont regret it Giuffre on 14 years of telling the world her story Concluding her story in the final chapter of the book, Giuffre wrote that she had made public her allegations against Epstein and Andrew in the hope of preventing others suffering. She wrote: I dont regret it, but the constant telling and retelling has been extremely painful and exhausting. With this book, I seek to free myself from my past. She said that money from her out-of-court settlement with Andrew, reported to be more than $12m, had gone toward developing her Reclaim (Soar) foundation to combat human trafficking. I look forward to disseminating some of the Crowns money to do some good, she wrote. She dedicated her book to my Survivor Sisters and to anyone who has suffered sexual abuse. Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673) If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you 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 Pressure is mounting on Prince Andrew to give up his Windsor mansion and take himself off to live in private as a group of MPs urges the government to formally strip him of his dukedom. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the public is sick of the disgraced royal, after it emerged he had paid only a peppercorn rent on his 30-room mansion for more than 20 years. Andrew announced he will give up use of his royal titles amid renewed focus on his links to Jeffrey Epstein. The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Virginia Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir Nobodys Girl was officially published on Tuesday, was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by the billionaire financier. Hes embarrassed the royal family time and again, Mr Jenrick said, adding that Andrew has behaved disgracefully. He should really now leave public life forever, stop having any subsidy from the taxpayer whatsoever and go and lead an entirely private life. The public are sick of Prince Andrew and the damage that hes done to the reputation of our royal family and this country. Activists from the anti-monarchy group Republic protest on Tuesday at the gates to Royal Lodge where Prince Andrew lives ( Getty ) Meanwhile, SNP MPs at Westminster have lodged an early day motion calling for the government to take legislative steps to remove the dukedom granted to Prince Andrew. Andrew and his family have a 75-year lease of the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor, allowing them to live in the property until 2078. The latest revelation will pile pressure on the scandal-mired royal to give up the Royal Lodge, which sits on an estate of 98 acres in Windsor Great Park and is leased from the crown estate. Details of the leasehold agreement show that Andrew signed a 75-year lease in 2003. He paid 1m for the lease, and beyond that, rent was set at a peppercorn if demanded. The agreement also contains a clause which states the crown estate would have to pay Andrew around 558,000 if he gave up the lease. Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury committee, told BBC Radio 4 that where money flows and particularly where taxpayers money is involved or taxpayers interests are involved, parliament has a responsibility to have a light shone upon that and we need to have answers. The Independent understands that the Treasury committee currently do not have any plans to launch a piece of work looking at Royal Lodge. No 10 said on Tuesday that it is up to the public spending watchdog as to whether or not the lease is re-examined. A Downing Street spokesperson said: The National Audit Office reviewed the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge in 2005. And in its report, which was published at that time, it concluded that the crown estate does not have any special procedures when negotiating agreements with the royal family. An independent evaluation concluded that the transaction with Prince Andrew and Royal Lodge was appropriate. Another parliamentary group, the public accounts committee, told The Independent that the lease is a policy matter for the royal household, and said that it is the committees understanding that these arrangements were accurately disclosed to the National Audit Office as part of its annual and most recent audit of crown estate accounts. The spending watchdog, the NAO, will be looking at the crown estates annual report and accounts in the next financial year as part of its regular work, a spokesperson for the committee said. Under the terms of the Royal Lodge lease, Andrew must ensure the exterior of the mansion is repainted with two coats of paint every five years and the outside stone and cement work is cleaned and repointed. He must also repaint the interior also with two coats of paint every seven years. The prince is also required to paper polish decorate and treat the inside of the seven-bedroom home respectfully. The Liberal Democrats have called for Andrew to show some contrition by returning every penny of rent that hes not paid while disgracing his office. The partys cabinet office spokesperson, Lisa Smart, said: The longer this whole sorry saga goes on, the more his presence in public life is an insult and increasingly an embarrassment. Also in the wake of her memoir, Giuffres brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, have called on the police watchdog to review the decision by the Metropolitan Police not to continue its investigations into her allegations against Andrew. They have urged the force to reopen a probe into Giuffres claim that she was forced to have sex with the royal when she was aged 17, adding that if the police would not take action they feel the Independent Office for Police Conduct should review the decision. 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 Prince Andrew has not paid rent on his Royal Lodge for more than two decades, according to the tenancy agreement released by the crown estate. The agreement, which was sent to The Independent, states that Andrew paid 1m for the lease, along with at least 7.5m for refurbishments in 2005. He has paid only one peppercorn (if demanded) in rent per year since 2003. The revelation has prompted renewed calls for transparency over the terms of the royals residence, amid growing calls for Prince Andrew to be stripped of his dukedom following another week of scandal for the beleaguered royal. Andrew and his family have a 75-year lease of the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor, allowing them to live in the property until 2078. The latest revelation will pile pressure on the scandal-mired royal to give up the Royal Lodge, which sits on an estate of 98 acres in Windsor Great Park and is leased from the crown estate. The prince announced on Friday that he will no longer be known as the Duke of York, following continued accusations about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Chair of the Treasury select committee Dame Meg Hillier suggested that parliament would have an interest in looking into any aspects that involve taxpayer money. She told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday that where money flows and particularly where taxpayers money is involved or taxpayers interests are involved, parliament has a responsibility to have a light shone upon that and we need to have answers. Meanwhile, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday that the princes lease is a matter for His Majesty the King but said that the King has acted decisively. open image in gallery The Royal Lodge in Windsor where Prince Andrew lives under a deal signed with the crown estate in 2003 ( Alan Hunt/Geograph ) Speaking to Sky News, business secretary Peter Kyle said: Those are matters for His Majesty the King. The lease is with the crown estate and those are matters for the King. And I think weve seen in recent days, the King has acted pretty decisively when these things get on to his desk. MPs are continuing to voice concerns over Prince Andrew, with one senior Tory saying on Tuesday that the Kings brother should lead an entirely private life. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Breakfast that the public are sick of Prince Andrew and the damage that hes done to the reputation of our royal family and this country. Meanwhile, the SNP have lodged an early day motion calling for the government to take legislative steps to remove the dukedom granted to Prince Andrew. As of Tuesday morning, the motion has 13 supporters, all of whom are SNP or Plaid Cymru MPs. Early day motions are submitted for debate in the Commons, but have no date fixed to them, and as a result, very few end up being discussed in the House. Virginia Giuffres posthumous memoir is set to be released on Tuesday and contains more on allegations that they had sex on three occasions. Prince Andrew has always stringently denied allegations involving Giuffre. On Monday, there were demands among some MPs for parliament to remove his titles, while pressure was also growing on the estate to reveal more about the tenancy agreement amid heightening calls for him to move out. Norman Baker, a royal author and former Liberal Democrat minister, said details of the contract should be made public to see if there is a possibility he could be moved out. open image in gallery Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick says the public are sick of Prince Andrew and the damage that hes done ( PA ) He told The Times: All leases have some kind of break clause, so the public must know how he has been able to remain there, and on what terms he could be forced to leave. Speaking to the same outlet, royal author Andrew Lownie said: I think it is important for transparency that the full details of that arrangement are made public and why the property in effect public property was only offered to him. In response to an inquiry on the issue, the crown estate sent The Independent a copy of the lease struck in 2003, on which Andrew paid 1m, and was required to carry out 7.5m-worth of refurbishment on the grade II-listed property. The contract can be forfeited by the estate if any rent is not paid for 21 days, or if there is any breach of a tenant covenant, the contract states. The document also states that the tenant must keep and preserve the grounds in good and proper order, and that the building be repainted every five years. The crown estate also has the right to inspect upon reasonable notice. Some details about the agreement were already known through a National Audit Office (NAO) report in 2005, which said the decision on the lease was made as it was appropriate in view of the overriding need to maintain close management control over Royal Lodge. open image in gallery MPs are calling for Andrew to live an entirely private life ( PA ) The report said Andrew approached the crown estate over the property following the death of the late Queen Elizabeths mother. At the weekend, ex-royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the BBC that Prince Andrew had a cast-iron deal to stay at Royal Lodge. She said: Should he be dislodged from Royal Lodge, where he lives, this large house in Windsor, well, he has a pretty cast-iron tenancy agreement and that is difficult, the King has been trying to get him out. Andrew likes us all to believe he has a tendency to be rather too honourable. Well, I do think the honourable thing might be to say, I will relinquish not only my titles... but I will also relinquish this rather large home. But I dont see that happening. The crown estate said it made the decision to share a copy of the lease on Monday, adding that the document contained information already available through the Land Registry and the NAO report. The only exception was a schedule of dilapidation, it said, which it was now seeking to confirm if it could be shared without breaching security considerations. It said the 7.5m in refurbishments, as set out in the contract, were completed in 2005. 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 Widely purported to have been the late Queens favourite child, Andrew has suffered a sharp fall from grace over the last decade - with the King now having formally started the process to strip him of all his titles. The controversy has since deepened as new emails leaked from paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein appear to have confirmed a now-famous photo of Virginia Giuffre with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is real and that the former prince had pleaded with him to deny his involvement in any allegations. Andrews links to the disgraced financier continue to cause controversy and he has since he agreed to leave Royal Lodge. The Palace said he will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Here, The Independent takes a look at a timeline of Andrews fall from grace and his retreat from the public eye. Queens favourite open image in gallery The Queen with her son in 2019 ( Neil Hall/EPA ) The Queen stood by Andrews side even when he was caught up in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in 2019 and stepped back from royal duties for the foreseeable future. In October 2021, it was claimed the monarch intended to spend millions of pounds privately funding her sons defence against allegations of sexual abuse made by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. She also signalled her support for her disgraced son by arriving alongside him for Prince Philips memorial service in March 2021. Andrew provided a steady arm for the Queen as she walked into Westminster Abbey to remember the life of her husband, just a few weeks after he reached a multimillion-pound out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre. Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell open image in gallery Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein ( Channel 4 ) During his 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, Andrew said he had known British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of media magnate and former MP Robert Maxwell, since she was at university. She introduced Andrew to her then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein in 1999. The trio enjoyed a close friendship, even after Epstein was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute in 2008. Andrew is alleged to have personally invited the couple to Balmoral, the Queens Scottish residence, in 1999. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June this year following a New York sex-trafficking trial for procuring teen girls for Epstein for him to abuse. An image shown during the trial appeared to show Maxwell and Epstein lounging on a bench outside a log cabin on the Balmoral estate. Andrew continued to visit Epstein in New York after the financiers conviction for child sex offences in 2008. open image in gallery Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of child sex offences ( New York State Division of Criminal Justice/EPA ) Epstein received an 18-month sentence but was allowed to go on work release to his office most days and was released on probation after 13 months. Andrew faced criticism when pictures emerged of him opening the door of Epsteins palatial East Side townhouse in December 2010 and the pair strolling through Central Park. In his 2019 BBC interview, the royal claimed he had gone to New York to break off their friendship and regretted staying at Epsteins house while there. 2019: Virginia Giuffre sex abuse case open image in gallery Andrew pictured with Maxwell and Virginia Roberts ( US Department of Justice/PA ) In 2019, Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan alleging she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17 and a minor under US law. While the royal has always strongly denied the allegations, going so far as to settle in court over it, accusations of sexual abuse reared their head again after Ms Giuffre died in 2025 when her memoir was posthumously published. Ms Giuffre described Andrew in the book, Nobodys Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice, as friendly enough, but entitled as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright. She had sex with him on three separate occasions, including while staying at the house of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins former girlfriend, near Hyde Park, London, in March 2001. The extract states: Maxwell woke me up that morning by announcing in a sing-songy voice: Get out of bed, sleepyhead! It was going to be a special day, she said. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince! 2019: BBC Newsnight interview open image in gallery The former Duke of York speaking about his links to Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis ( Mark Harrison/BBC/PA ) Andrew was criticised for a car crash BBC Newsnight interview that aired on 16 November 2019. During the interview, he denied he slept with Ms Giuffre, saying an encounter could not have taken place because he was at a branch of Pizza Express in Woking with his daughter Princess Beatrice. He also said Ms Giuffres claim he was sweaty at a nightclub was untrue because an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands war had left him unable to sweat. The royal faced a public backlash, with equality campaigners claiming he was too stupid to even pretend concern for Epsteins victims. 2019: Step back from public duties Four days later, Andrew announced the Queen had given him permission to step back from public duties in the wake of the interview. He said it had become clear to him in recent days that his association with Epstein had become a major distraction to the royal familys work. The royal said he regretted his association with Epstein and deeply sympathises with his victims. 2022: Stripped of royal titles and military affiliations open image in gallery Andrew is not expected to return to public life ( John Thys/AFP via Getty Images ) In January 2022, the Queen stripped Andrew of his military titles and royal patronages in the wake of a US judge allowing Ms Giuffres civil sexual abuse case against her son to move to trial. He stopped using his HRH (His Royal Highness) style his roles including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, one of the oldest regiments in the British army were handed to other members of the royal family. His other military titles included honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth; colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment; colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps; commodore-in-chief of the Fleet Air Arm; royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers; deputy colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths Own); and royal colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. 2022: Out-of-court settlement In March 2022, Andrew paid Ms Giuffre a multi-million-pound out-of-court settlement, meaning both sides avoided the case going to trial. As part of the agreement, he was due to pay damages to Ms Giuffre and a donation to a charity in support of victims rights. Andrew has faced calls to confirm how he funded settlement - which is reported to be as much as 12m - and whether the Queen or even King Charles, then Prince of Wales, contributed to the sum. open image in gallery Andrew allegedly met Cai Qi three times ( Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal People's Government ) December 2024: Confidante banned from UK over Chinese spy allegations open image in gallery An email exchange between Andrew, Epstein and Maxwell was published on Wednesday (US House Oversight Committee/PA) In December 2024, it emerged a close confidante of the royal lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds. The man, Yang Tengbo, was detained under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act in 2021 where correspondence was found on his digital devices that implied he was working for the United Front Work Department a shadowy arm of the Chinese Communist Party which led him to be barred from the UK. Mr Yang appealed to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, which dismissed his appeal and made his case public. The judgement cited evidence provided by the Home Office alleging Mr Yang was a close confidant of the prince, acting on his behalf with investors in China. January 2025: New messages reveal ties with Epstein continues for months after New York visit Newly surfaced messages revealed the Duke of York remained in contact with Epstein until February 2011 despite having claimed to have cut him off in December 2010. Emails between Andrew and Epstein handed to a court in London reportedly show they were still exchanging messages until at least late February 2011, when the duke wrote: Keep in close touch and well play some more soon. Messages were exchanged between the pair on the same day a photograph of Andrew with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell who is currently behind bars for recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein was published, Bloomberg reports. The emails were obtained by Bloomberg after being disclosed in a filing by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), defending an appeal by former Barclays boss, Jes Staley, who is challenging its decision to ban him from the finance industry for misleading regulators on his ties to Epstein. open image in gallery Prince Andrews sex accuser Virginia Giuffres posthumous memoirs shine a further spotlight on his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) ( PA Wire ) October 2025: Repeated meetings with Chinese spymaster In October 2025, it was reported that Andrew met with a senior Beijing official at the heart of the China spy scandal at least three times between 2018 and 2019. Cai Qi, currently the first-ranked member of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) and de facto chief of staff to Xi Jinping, was suspected of being the recipient of sensitive information allegedly passed to China by two British nationals accused of spying for Beijing. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped charges against suspected spies Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash last month, citing a lack of evidence. Both have denied any wrongdoing. He met the senior CCP figure at least three times, according to The Telegraph, in both London and Beijing during the time period when Mr Berry and Mr Cash were allegedly recruited for espionage. Early October 2025: Andrew forced to renounce Duke of York title Andrew was forced to end his use of titles, including the Duke of York and Knight of the Garter, as his former friendship with Epstein threatened to overshadow the work of the royal family. Andrew gave up his title as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. He also agreed to stop using his Duke of York title, although he can only be formally stripped of it by an act of Parliament. He released a statement saying that he, the King, and his family have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family. Late October 2025: King starts formal process to remove Andrew of his prince title and he moves out of Royal Lodge open image in gallery Andrew is set to move to Sandringham ( REUTERS ) Buckingham Palace announces that the King has begun the formal process to strip the titles from Prince Andrew who will move out of his Windsor home to Sandringham. The statement said Andrew has agreed to leave Royal Lodge as his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continue to cause controversy. In a statement, the Palace said: Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. The statement added: Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse. It is understood that although the King initiated the process of formally removing his titles and honours, Andrew did not object to it. Formal notice was given to Andrew to surrender the lease at the Royal Lodge on Thursday and it is understood that his move to Sandringham will take place as soon as practicable. November 2025: Fresh emails leaked reveal Andrew pleaded for Epstein to deny his involvement open image in gallery Emails between Epstein, Maxwell and Andrew have been published ( US Congress Oversight Committee/PA Wire ) A fresh email chain released in November from March 2011 saw Andrew pleaded with Maxwell and Epstein to make it clear he was not involved in any allegations against them. The documents show Maxwell was forwarded a press inquiry from the Mail On Sunday on March 4 2011, by somebody named Mark Cohen, who told her: FYI, following up on my email of this morning. Again, I have no intention of responding unless you direct otherwise. After Andrew asked Epstein how he planned to respond to a press inquiry, Epstein can be seen responding: Im (sic) not sure how to respond, the only person she didnt have sex with was Elvis. At one point the former prince said: Please make sure that every statement or legal letter states clearly that I am NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations. I cant take any more of this my end. Epstein appeared to follow up with the former duke two days later, saying: You OK? These stories are complete and utter fantasy. I dont know and have never met Al Gore, he added. Clinton was never on the island the telephone book is not mine, it was stolen by my houseman that is currently in prison for doing so. Epstein also appeared keen to ask a journalist to investigate Andrews accuser because Buckingham Palace would love it. In his email in July 2011, Epstein can be seen talking about Andrews accuser and asking someone to send a reporter or reporters to investigate. open image in gallery Epstein encouraged the journalist to investigate Ms Giuffre ( BBC ) The email reads: same as strauss khan (sic) is Andrews accuser, criminal record, total liar. It continues: Send a reporter or reporters to investigate the palace would love it, the girl in the photo, was nothing more than a telephone answerer, she was never 15, according to her version she worked for trump (sic), first at that age, at Mar-a-Lago. Its ridiculous. He said that the girl who accused Prince Andrew could be proven as a liar, later cited as Virginia Roberts, who he called a fraud, saying that she had fled the country with an outstanding arrest warrant. The validity of a photo of Andrew with Giuffre was seemingly confirmed in the new emails, after he said: The da (sic) after she accused others, said in writing that she has no credibility, she was never 15 years old working for me, her story made it seem like she first worked for trump (sic) at that age and was met by ghislaine maxwell (sic). Total horses***, the daily mail (sic) paid her money, they admitted it, with the statement that it took money to coax out the truth. Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have. Close Virginia Giuffre speaks about Prince Andrew in resurfaced Panorama interview: 'I was a toy' 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 Unseen footage of a BBC interview with the late Virginia Giuffre has aired, in which she reflected on her introduction to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. I was a toy. I was there to be passed around, she said. But I was still a human being with feelings and emotion and sadness. And to know that this man had daughters, that he was still capable of abusing me. It's... it just doesn't make sense. In the interview, which featured on BBC Panorama on Tuesday night, the late Ms Giuffre told the story of how she met Andrew in London in 2001 when she was 17 years old. The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Ms Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein. Ms Giuffre told the BBC: "He knows what happened, I know what happened. And there's only one of us telling the truth." Andrew was formally stripped of his remaining royal titles on Thursday. A statement from Buckingham Palace said Andrew continued to deny all allegations against him. 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 Disgraced Prince Andrew sought the help of the Metropolitan Police and one of Queen Elizabeth IIs most senior aides in a campaign to smear Virginia Giuffre, according to reports. Leaked emails seen by the Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew handed over Ms Giuffres social security number and date of birth to his Met Police bodyguard. Andrew reportedly told Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth's deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of his close protection officers to find out information about Ms Giuffre. It would also seem she has a criminal record in the [United] States, Andrew wrote to Mr Perkins. I have given her DoB [date of birth] and social security number for investigation with XXX, the on duty ppo [personal protection officer]. It is not clear whether the bodyguard complied with Andrews instructions. The Met Police told The Independent it was looking into the claims. Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment. open image in gallery The Met Police is looking into the claims ( PA ) The extraordinary revelations come a day after Prince Andrew gave up the use of his titles and honours, including the Duke of York title, following a sex abuse case involving convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which has lasted more than a decade. His relinquishment came just days before Ms Giuffres memoir is set to be published, which exposes details of further attention on the allegations of abuse against the disgraced prince and his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement released on Friday night, Prince Andrew said: "In discussion with the King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family. The decision came amid growing pressure from King Charles who is said to be glad that he is gone. open image in gallery Giuffres family has called for an investigation ( PA Wire ) Ms Giuffre has accused Andrew of having sex with her three times when she was 17. She claims that he sexually abused her on Epsteins private island, Little St James, as a teenager. The prince has always denied the claims. In March 2022, Andrew paid Ms Giuffre millions of dollars to settle a civil lawsuit, accusing him of sexual assault when she was a teenager. As part of the agreement, he was due to pay damages to Ms Giuffre and a donation to a charity in support of victims rights, despite saying he had never met her. Ms Giuffres family said she did not have a criminal record, and is requesting a full investigation as to how Andrew obtained the confidential information released to Mr Perkins. Andrew allegedly refused to explain how he obtained Ms Giuffre's social security number, the Mail on Sunday said. Her family is also renewing their call to the King to take out the prince in the' Andrew and strip him of his princedom. Despite relinquishing his titles, Andrew remains a prince. When he was born in 1960, he was automatically a prince as the son of a monarch, and this could only be changed if a Letters Patent was issued by the King. Ms Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, told ITV News: "I want to commend the King and I want to commend the UK for taking some action. "While it may not be enough, in a lot of ways that the survivors view it, it's still a lot more than what we've been given from our own government here, even though we possess the Epstein files. "Now, for the King, I think there's more that he could do. He does have the ability to strip him even further of the prince title, which we would call upon. "I think we've already taken all these necessary steps. Why not just take it another step further and relinquish him of his prince title as well?" 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 Reform UK candidate who sued over her election defeat - using fake AI-"hallucinated" legal authorities to back her case - has lost and been handed a 19,000 court bill. Liz Williams was beaten to the post in dramatic scenes by Green candidate Hannah Robson in a rural Worcestershire election after recounts left them tied on 889 votes in May. It led to the election being decided by random, with two ballot papers placed in a box and Mrs Robson's name being pulled out, securing victory for the Green candidate, who took her seat on the county council. Mrs Williams launched a High Court petition challenging the result, citing the bizarre name out of the hat-style random draw, as well as allegations of irregularities at polling stations. open image in gallery Hannah Robson ( Champion ) But her case was dismissed last week because it had been filed too late, with a senior judge also noting that it had been backed by legal authority none of the lawyers had heard of. Mr Justice Martin Spencer said no record could be found of the authorities cited by Mrs Williams, with one of them supposedly dating back to before the First World War. "It appears it may have been an invention, indeed a hallucination, of AI," he said. He also ordered her to pay 19,000 towards the costs of the case, a ruling which Mrs Williams said left her feeling "oppressed and silenced" and which would "destroy my life." The court heard Mrs Williams and Mrs Robson were rival candidates for the Littletons ward - which comprises three tiny villages - of Worcestershire County Council in May when the unlikely dead heat occurred. According to Mrs Williams' petition, several counts at the Pershore Leisure Centre resulted in the rivals being tied on 889 votes, with traditional party candidates behind. "The declared result was determined only by folding and placing two used election ballot papers into a ballot box and the deputy returning officer pulling one out," she says. open image in gallery Liz Williams ( Champion ) "The petitioner believes this process was not carried out in accordance with due process of law, open to fraud and corruption and did not allow time for independent legal advice to be obtained when being pressured into accepting the process in principle. "I did not feel able to witness the entire process without obstruction, nor my concerns to be heard at the time. "I could not see the box for all of the preparation and was not included in that. "I did not agree to a third person shuffling the papers. Once in the ballot box, only the returning officer should have had their hand in the box." Mrs Williams also complained of "fraud," citing irregularities on voting day, with campaigning allegedly occurring on the grounds of polling stations. However, the case was dismissed after lawyers representing the returning officers pointed out that her petition had been filed a day outside of the 21-day limit following an election. Mrs Williams claimed that she was within the time limit, claiming that time started running only when the winner was declared, not when voting took place. As part of her case, she cited two cases - titled "R v Hackney ex parte Sidebotham 1912" and "The Mayor of Tower Hamlets v Electoral Commission 2015" - which were said to provide vital legal precedents in election disputes. However barrister for the returning officers, Timothy Straker KC, said he had done an extensive search for the cases, and found nothing online or on paper. The judge said the issue had been raised before the hearing with Mrs Williams, who acknowledged there were "errors" in the documents she originally filed. He said the legal authorities - previous court decisions used by lawyers to back their cases - appeared to be AI-generated, and said he would not be criticising her. But throwing out Mrs Williams' petition, he said the law provides for a 21-day limit for challenges to be filed after elections - and that she had missed that deadline. "The petition wasn't presented within the time limit prescribed by Section 129 (1) [of the Representation of the People Act 1983]," he said. "The primary legislation doesn't provide any power to the court to extend time for the presenting of a petition. "In my judgment, the respondents' application succeeds. The petition wasn't presented in time and I consider that it should be dismissed." Having found against her, he also ordered Mrs Williams to pay 19,000 towards the returning officers' lawyers' bills. Although very rare, it is not the first time a council election in the UK has ended in a dead heat between two candidates, leading to the winner being picked at random. In Blyth in 2007, the winner in one ward was chosen by the drawing of straws, while a candidate in Yorkshire in 2022 offered to play poker to decide the winner, before going on to draw straws too. Electoral Commission guidance to returning officers states: "When two or more candidates have the same number of votes, and the addition of a vote would entitle any of those candidates to be declared elected, you must decide between the candidates by lot. "Whichever candidate wins the lot is treated as though they had received an additional vote that enables them to be declared elected." 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 A Tory MP who is seen as a possible future leader of the party has been condemned for calling for the deportation of legally settled families in order to make the UK mostly culturally coherent. In comments that have been dubbed deeply concerning and unpatriotic, Katie Lam said she thinks large numbers of people with legal status in Britain should go home. Her remarks drew cross-party criticism, with Labour MP Richard Quigley saying they show how far the Tory party have fallen. Green Party leader Zack Polanski told The Independent that the comments were yet another example of Farage saying jump and the old parties saying how high?, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Tory leader Kemi Badenoch to condemn the comments. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Ms Lam had said: There are also a large number of people in this country who came here legally, but in effect shouldnt have been able to do so. open image in gallery Green Partys Zack Polanski questioned what Lam meant by culturally coherent ( PA ) Its not the fault of the individuals who came here, they just shouldnt have been able to do so. They will also need to go home. What that will leave is a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people. Hitting back at her comments, Mr Polanski said: If we want to talk about coherency, what does this even mean? Who gets to decide what is or isn't culturally coherent? And how can they call themselves conservatives when they want to erode the fundamental idea that its totally unfair to change the rules once someone has made this their home? He added: This is yet another example of Farage saying jump and the old parties saying how high? Ms Lams proposals are similar to policies outlined by Nigel Farage, who has promised to scrap indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which would leave tens of thousands of people who have legally settled in Britain at risk of deportation. The Labour government has also promised to reform ILR, making it available only to those who have been in the UK for 10 years and who can prove they have made a contribution to society. Responding to Ms Lams comments, Mr Quigley said: This perfectly represents how far the Tory party have fallen and how desperate for relevance they are. Being called a rising star in the current Conservative Party is the equivalent of saying you have installed wing mirrors on the space shuttle. She should worry more about being politically coherent than attacking people that are legally settled here. People like Katie are exactly what is wrong with our politics. Ambition above all else. Fellow left-wing Labour MP Rachael Maskell also hit out at Ms Lam for her remarks, telling The Independent: There is a good reason why the Conservatives are not in power and are totally unelectable, when they seek to divide our communities and threaten people who are contributing to our economy and country. If people are granted the right to be in the UK, we must recognise the enormous contribution that they bring and ensure that they and their children are properly integrated into our communities. open image in gallery Lam was accused of pandering to Nigel Farage in his desire to scrap indefinite leave to remain ( PA ) As things stand, our NHS and social care system would fall over if such a policy were to be introduced." In a letter to Mrs Badenoch, Sir Ed dubbed her remarks deeply concerning and unpatriotic, adding: People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to go home. This is their home. The Lib Dem leader said Ms Lams suggestion of removing thousands of people who are in the UK legally shows just how far your party has moved away from the fundamental values of decency, tolerance and respect for the rule of law that the vast majority of people in our country hold dear. He urged Mrs Badenoch to clarify whether the MPs comments reflect the partys position, asking who the party thinks shouldnt have been able to come to the UK legally. What does a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people mean and how would this be set out in the Conservative Partys immigration rules? he asked. 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 Rishi Sunak is becoming a weekly columnist for The Sunday Times, expressing his desire to engage in a weekly conversation with readers. The former Conservative prime minister, who currently serves as the MP for Richmond and Northallerton, will contribute to the newspaper's business section. His column is set to cover a range of subjects including technology, politics, and the economy. It will appear in both print and digital editions from this weekend. As a long-time reader of The Sunday Times business pages, Im honoured to be joining a great team as a columnist, Mr Sunak said. In an era of profound change, Im really looking forward to a weekly conversation with readers about the forces reshaping the world economy, from global politics to technology. open image in gallery Former prime minister Rishi Sunak ( PA Archive ) Ben Taylor, the editor of The Sunday Times, added: I am delighted to welcome such an illustrious and respected figure to the team. Rishis vast expertise and brilliant mind will help readers navigate what is an increasingly challenging and complex business landscape. His experience is unrivalled on the world stage and in government and we feel confident that he will be appointment to read every weekend. Mr Sunaks fee will be paid to The Richmond Project, an education charity founded by the former prime minister and his wife Akshata Murty. open image in gallery Rishi Sunak with his wife Akshata Murty ( PA Wire ) It seeks to transform young lives through the power of improved numeracy. His new role as a columnist has been cleared by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which provides advice for ministers and senior civil servants on taking up appointments after leaving office. In January, Mr Sunak announced he was taking up two new jobs in the UK and America. He said he would be joining Oxford Universitys Blavatnik School of Government as a member of its World Leaders Circle. He also took up a visiting fellowship at the Hoover Institution, a think thank based at Stanford University in California, where he first met his wife. 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 Robert Jenrick has been accused of anti-British comments after he suggested he would ban the burqa in Britain. The shadow justice secretary, tipped as a potential successor to the struggling Kemi Badenoch, pointed to Italy where prime minister Giorgia Meloni had recently proposed outlawing the traditional Muslim dress in public places. Labour MP Sam Rushworth hit back, denouncing the comments that put Mr Jenrick at odds with Conservative Party leader Ms Badenoch as anti-British and going against what our nation stands for. open image in gallery Robert Jenricks comments on the traditional Muslim dress are at odds with his party leader ( Getty/iStock ) Ms Badenoch has previously rejected the idea of a ban, saying the move wont fix the problem of cultural separatism. Mr Jenrick told his Ring Rob programme on Talk: I probably would ban the burqa. He said there were basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them. He added: Where youre seeing them fraying at the edges or frankly being completely destroyed whether its Sharia courts or wearing of the burqa these are issues were going to have to confront if we want to build the kind of society that we want to hand on to our kids and grandkids. open image in gallery Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick ( PA ) Ms Badenoch has suggested that employers should have the right to stop staff wearing them in the workplace earlier this year, but argued against a countrywide ban. She said: France has a ban and they have worse problems than we do in this country on integration. So banning the burqa clearly is not the thing thats going to fix things. The Tory leader added that she wouldnt let people into her constituency surgeries if they wore face veils because she has strong views about face coverings. Former prime minister Theresa May previously said the government should not tell women what to wear when it came to the burqa. Mr Jenrick was recently at the centre of a furious row after he complained he didnt see another white face during a 90-minute visit to Handsworth, Birmingham, this year. Thats not the kind of country I want to live in, he said, before adding it was not about the colour of your skin or your faith, but about people living alongside each other. Earlier this month, Italys ruling Brothers of Italy party said it planned to introduce legislation seeking to ban the burqa, saying it was a move against Islamic separatism. Recently elected Reform MP Sarah Pochin also called on Sir Keir Starmer to ban the burqa earlier this year. But a Reform spokesperson later clarified that banning burqas was not party policy, sparking calls from the far right for Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to adopt the proposals. And, in an extraordinary row, the chair of Reform branded her dumb for making the request. Zia Yusuf took to X, formerly Twitter, to say it was dumb for a party to ask the prime minister if they would do something the party itself wouldnt do. 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 Parts of Somalia are at real risk of famine at the start of 2026, a Somali minister has warned with the number of people classified in food emergency having tripled in the countrys South West State this year. Nasir Arush, minister of humanitarian affairs in South West State, told The Independent that the crisis was driven by cuts to humanitarian aid in the country, which have been felt particularly accutely in his state. South West State is one of the most vulnerable states in Somalia, and this year aid agencies have reduced the food assistance available for families, he says. The situation has deteriorated month-on-month, and it now looks like we could see a food catastrophe at the start of next year. His comments come as data from the Food Security and Nutrition Assessment Unit (FSNAU) a cross-agency-funded food security assessment service in Somalia shows that the number of people facing critical levels of hunger in South West State has soared this year. The number of people assessed to be at the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) level of IPC 4, or food emergency. has increased from 72,000 in the first quarter of the year, to 227,000. That is in a state with a population of 4.2 million. The last time parts of Somalia were deemed to be at the food catastrophe level of IPC 5 which is when famine occurs was in 2011, during a famine in which an estimated 260,000 people died. The 2011 famine was also centred on parts of South West State, which is an area of the country that is particularly vulnerable to drought, and which has also continued to suffer as a result of conflict with the Al-Shabaab terrorist group. According to Mr Arush, it is normally when areas are ranked at IPC 4 that humanitarian organisations really step in and increase their support. But this year, things feel different. Normally when its an emergency, donors will do something called reprogramming, which will see donors redirect some resources to address the emergency, he said. But this time around, very little of this is happening. In both 2017 and 2022, a catastrophic food crisis was avoided thanks to help being offered, he added. But it is less clear now who is going to step up: There always used to be available resources from the UK and US governments , but now we do not know where the support will come from, he added. I want to stress too that we are very grateful for the donor community for the support we have received since civil war broke out in 1991, and we understand there is donor fatigue, but we really do need help, he said. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which coordinates humanitarian responses around the world, shows that in Somalia, currently just 21 per cent of the $1.4 billion humanitarian response requested by NGOs has been funded so far this year. The total funding is around half the level that was achieved at this time last year, according to Crispen Rukasha, head of office at OCHA Somalia. Partners are extremely constrained, especially the local NGOs, as a result of funding cuts, he said, adding that there is massive pressure on remaining infrastructure. It might be that there were 10 clinics in an area, and now there is only one, which puts huge pressure on resources. Across Somalia, UN data puts the number of people at IPC 3 and IPC 4 at 4.4 million. Most worryingly, some 1.9 million children under five are facing acute malnutrition across the country, and of those, some 400,000 children under five are facing life-threatening severe acute malnutrition which requires urgent medical intervention. Some 170 clinics, which treat health problems as well as malnutrition across the country, have shut across the country this year due to aid cuts, according to Mr Rukasha. We are seeing women travel 20km or 30km (12 to 19 miles) to find a clinic for their children, which is compounding malnutrition". Humanitarian crises in Somalia are driven by a number of factors, including protracted civil war, weak health and nutrition infrastructure, and the escalating risk of climate shocks, including drought and flooding. The Independent has previously reported that aid cuts are increasing existing vulnerabilities across the country . The fact that the crisis in South West State has come in the wake of a relatively good rainy season recorded in the state in May indicates just how significant an impact aid cuts have had on the humanitarian situation. The second rainy season of the year, which runs from October to November, has just started, however, and Mr Arush warned that the prospects are grim. We can see that the rain is not happening, which will lead to a lower harvest and weaken livestock, and which makes use particularly worried about what will happen at the start of 2026, he said. Whats more, while the impacts of aid cuts on Somalia have become more pronounced as the year has progressed, they are set to worsen in the new year. The impact of changes to aid funding is set to be felt more severely in the first or second quarter of next year, Mr Rukasha said. For now, Somali authorities and NGOs will continue to lobby foreign governments with the hope that more donors will step in to avoid catastrophe. We continue to travel to embassies in Nairobi and Mogadishu to tell our partners what is happening and make sure that they are fully informed, Mr Arush said. And when they have all the information, all we can do is hope that they step up and help. 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 standard 9-to-5 may no longer be enough to compete in Silicon Valleys high-stakes artificial intelligence boom. Increasingly, young tech firms are embracing the so-called 996 work schedule 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Once a hallmark of Chinas intense tech industry, the 72-hour workweek was banned there in 2021, but in California, its gaining new attention. Workers are posting about it on LinkedIn and X, using it as a badge of ambition and dedication, according to the New York Times and Bloomberg. The rise of 996 threatens to reshape talent markets. Employees unwilling or unable to commit to such grueling hours may be excluded, narrowing the diversity of experience and exacerbating turnover and stress. Who is doing it? Several AI startups are normalizing extreme work hours, with companies like Cognition demanding 80-hour weeks and Rilla warning candidates of 70-hour weeks, according to Forbes. open image in gallery The 72-hour '996' workweek is gaining popularity in Silicon Valley, but research suggests it may actually reduce productivity and harm workers ( Getty/iStock ) Rilla explicitly warns job candidates not to apply unless theyre ready to be "working ~70 hrs/week in person with some of the most ambitious people in NYC, the outlet says. At Googles AI division, cofounder Sergey Brin views 60 hours per week as the sweet spot for productivity. What do experts say? While the 996 model may produce short-term output gains, experts warn of long-term costs. Historian Margaret OMara at the University of Washington told theTimes that the 996 model was like an intensified version of a decades-long Silicon Valley work ethic, rooted in high-pressure environments dating back to the 1960s. Carolyn Chen, a sociologist at UC Berkeley, added that a heroic masculine culture in tech reinforces the expectation that workers should always be on. Hustle culture can be particularly challenging for those with caregiving or other outside responsibilities, potentially making the tech industry even less diverse. For workers able to push nonstop, the rewards can be enormous, especially with the influx of AI investments, but many tech employees now feel less secure than in Silicon Valleys more prosperous past, with layoffs impacting the sector in recent years. open image in gallery Research shows that shorter workweeks, such as four-day schedules, can increase productivity ( Getty/iStock ) The dangers Research shows that 996-style schedules are not just exhausting, theyre dangerous. Working more than 55 hours a week, compared with a standard 3540-hour week, is linked to a 35 percent higher risk of stroke and a 17 percent higher risk of death from heart disease, according to the World Health Organization. Productivity also suffers. A British study shows that working beyond 60 hours a week can reduce overall output, slow cognitive performance, and impair tasks ranging from call handling to problem-solving. The flip side Shorter workweeks, in contrast, appear to boost productivity. Microsoft Japan saw a roughly 40 percent increase in output after adopting a four-day work week. In a UK trial, 61 companies that tested a four-day schedule reported revenue gains, with 92 percent choosing to keep the policy, according to Bloomberg. 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 U.S. Border Patrol agents operating in Chicago have now been equipped with body cameras, a development confirmed on Monday during a court hearing addressing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. This initiative follows a judge's order amid complaints of increasingly combative tactics and over 1,000 arrests. Last week, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis mandated that uniformed agents must activate cameras where they are available during arrests, frisks, building searches and deployments to protests. Kyle Harvick, deputy incident commander with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, informed the judge that every Border Patrol agent involved in Operation Midway Blitz now has a body-worn camera. He added that 201 Border Patrol agents are stationed in the Chicago area, with other federal agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also participating in the operation. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis mandated that uniformed agents must activate cameras where they are available during arrests, frisks, building searches and deployments to protests. ( AP ) The hearing was the latest test in a lawsuit by news organizations and community groups witnessing protests and arrests in the Chicago area. Ellis said earlier this month that agents must wear badges, and she banned them from using certain riot control techniques against peaceful protesters and journalists. Then last Thursday, she said she was a little startled after seeing TV images of street confrontations in which agents used tear gas and other tactics. Harvick defended the use on tear gas on protesters in a Chicago neighborhood on October 12, saying residents who had gathered would not allow agents to leave the scene. The longer we loiter on a scene and subjects come, the situation gets more and more dangerous, Harvick said. And that's a safety concern, not just for my brother Border Patrol agents but the detainee and other people who come out to see what's going on. Government attorneys said Shawn Byers, deputy field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would also appear in court. News media and community groups submitted five pages of proposed topics for the hearing. They covered a variety of subjects, from the number of agents in the Chicago area to questions about training, tactics and justification for widespread immigration strikes. It's not clear what the judge will allow to be asked. The government has bristled at any suggestion of wrongdoing. The full context is that law enforcement officers in Chicago have been, and continue to be, attacked, injured, and impeded from enforcing federal law, U.S. Justice Department attorney Samuel Holt said in a court filing Friday. Separately, President Donald Trump's administration has been barred from deploying the National Guard to assist immigration officers in Illinois. That order expires Thursday unless extended. The administration also has asked the Supreme Court to allow the deployment. 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 The mom of the five-year-old girl who fell overboard on a Disney cruise ship while posing for photos over the summer will not face criminal charges. The family made headlines after the girls dad jumped 49 feet off the Disney Dream ship to save his daughter on June 29. He was marked a hero for grabbing hold of his daughter and treading water as the ship's crew came to retrieve them on a rescue boat. It was previously unclear what led to the girls fall as the ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from the Bahamas. Now, shocking details reveal the moms alleged role in an incident that the Broward County State Attorney's Office has called merely accidental, according to a memo obtained by The Independent. Authorities have not named the family. The family had been walking on Deck 4 of the ship at 11:30 a.m. local time as the mom was snapping some photos of her daughter, according to the memo from Assistant State Attorney in Charge Melissa Kelly, dated July 31. When the girl climbed onto a railing and sat down facing her mom, she lost her balance and fell backward, out of a porthole into the ocean. open image in gallery The mom of the five-year-old girl who fell overboard on a Disney cruise ship while posing for photos over the summer will not face criminal charges ( TikTok ) The mom had told police she didnt believe her daughter fell into the water at first since she assumed there was a glass barrier on the porthole, and then once she realized what happened, she screamed for help, according to the memo. When the mom screamed, the dad, who was about 10 feet ahead of them, turned around to see his daughter in the water, the memo says. After the couple attempted to get help from the crew, the dad sprang into action, jumping overboard to save his daughter. After the dad jumped off, the ships Man Overboard protocol was initiated, and a rescue boat was sent at 11:40 a.m. About 10 minutes later, the boat retrieved the dad and his daughter. They were subsequently taken to the ships medical center. At a medical follow-up evaluation after the ship docked, the girl was reported to have mild hypothermia and minor lactic acidosis, which is when lactic acids build up in your blood when your tissues are deprived of oxygen. But her dad had two spinal fractures, along with lactic acidosis and hypothermia. open image in gallery The family made headlines after the girls dad jumped 49 feet off the Disney Dream ship to save his daughter ( Diana Zalucky/Disney via Getty Images ) The mom told police she had taken many photos in front of multiple other windows and portholes on their trip, and initially had assumed that this porthole, like many of the others she had observed throughout the ship, was equipped with a window or Plexi-glass barrier, the memo read. Police did observe multiple large open windows on Deck 4 that were not guarded by any material, according to the memo. Kelly said she declined to charge the mom with a count of Child Neglect Without Great Bodily Harm as she was innocently taking photos of her daughter, believing that there was some sort of protective barrier between the railing and the water. This was an isolated incident, and all evidence shows that it was merely accidental, Kelly said. open image in gallery Following the incident, Disney commended its crew for getting the dad and daughter out of the water, saying, We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests ( David Roark/Disney via Getty Images ) The prosecutor also noted the mom was supervising her daughter, and the girl did not sustain any injuries. While the defendant's conduct is arguably negligent and irresponsible, it does not rise to the egregious level of conduct necessary to establish criminal culpable negligence, Kelly said. At the time of the incident, a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson told USA TODAY, We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols." 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 Google employees working at the tech giants New York office were told to stay home following a possible bed bug outbreak. Workers received an email on Sunday alerting them to the problem, after exterminators and a sniffer dog found credible evidence of their presence, according to an email obtained by WIRED. The outbreak may be linked to a number of large, stuffed animals on the Chelsea campus which cost around $2.1 billion to build on the site of a historic 1930s rail terminal sources told the outlet, though this has not been confirmed. The Independent has contacted Google for comment about the outbreak. The email, sent to all Google employees in New York on behalf of the companys environmental, health, and safety team, told them to avoid the office until treatment was complete, though some returned Monday. open image in gallery Google employees working at the tech giants New York office were told to stay home following a possible bed bug outbreak ( Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) The company is reportedly performing additional inspections at other Google campuses in New York out of an abundance of caution, per WIRED. Citing the email, the outlet also reported that Google asked its employees to submit a report if they experienced symptoms of bed bug exposure" and added that they should report any sightings of bed bugs on-site. Google employees were told to contact professional exterminators if they found bed bugs at home. Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate due to a number of factors, including their rapid reproductive cycle, resilience to common pesticides and ability to adapt. open image in gallery Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate due to a number of factors including their rapid reproductive cycle, resilience to common pesticides and ability to adapt. ( Getty Images/iStockphoto ) The parasites are also known for being easily spread and can quickly infest new areas by hitchhiking on luggage, clothing, and other belongings. This means that even if you successfully treat one location, theres a risk of reintroduction if you bring infested items into your home or travel to a place with a bed bug infestation, according to The Bed Bug Experts. Googles New York offices were previously infested with bed bugs in 2010 at the tech giants 9th Avenue office, which came as part of a wider spread of the parasites in the Big Apple. 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 Houston residents have protested as construction crews removed two rainbow crosswalks from an intersection in the Montrose neighborhood. Crews began working on the removal at around 2:30 a.m. local time Monday and had replaced the bright colors with fresh asphalt by sunrise, according to local CBS affiliate KHOU 11. Dozens of protesters gathered near the intersection early Monday morning, KHOU 11 reported. Several were moved to the sidewalks as barricades were installed to prevent them from entering the roadway, according to Fox 26 Houston. Houston police told The Independent four people were arrested for blocking the roadway. Authorities said charges against them are pending but would not specify which charges. open image in gallery Houston residents have protested as construction crews removed two rainbow crosswalks from an intersection in the Montrose neighborhood ( Moises Avila/AFP via Getty Images ) open image in gallery Four people were arrested for blocking the roadway on Monday morning ( Moises Avila/AFP via Getty Images ) The rainbow crosswalk removal comes after Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation earlier this month to ensure counties and cities remove any and all political ideologies from our streets. To keep Texans moving safely and free from distraction, we must maintain a safe and consistent transportation network across Texas, Abbott said in an October 8 press release. He threatened to withhold or deny state and federal road funding if cities did not comply. open image in gallery Houston residents have protested as construction crews removed two rainbow crosswalks from an intersection in the Montrose neighborhood ( Google Earth ) Protester Ethan Hale explained the significance of the rainbow crosswalks. This is a memorial for someone who was killed in a hit-and-run, he told KHOU 11. This is more than just the LGBT community. Other protesters argued the crosswalk removal was just a distraction and a waste of time and money. We know we have some of the worst air quality, we have people disappearing in the bayous, we have urgent matters that need to be attended to, and we are wasting time on a distraction and a vilification of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans people, Andy Escobar told KHOU 11. Brenda Franco told the outlet while holding up a transgender rights sign, This is just a distraction. We are wasting time and money. Houston isnt the first city to see its rainbow crosswalks vanish. In August, the rainbow crosswalk honoring the 49 victims of the deadly 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting was removed from an Orlando street. open image in gallery In August, the rainbow crosswalk honoring the 49 victims of the deadly 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting was removed from an Orlando street ( Gerardo Mora/Getty Images ) Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes, in an X post at the time. In July, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged governors in a letter to support a national SAFE ROADS initiative to help eliminate distractions on roadways. Duffy noted traffic deaths in 2024 decreased 3.8 percent from the year before, but said, We still have more work to do. While Duffys letter didnt explicitly say the initiative includes the removal of rainbow crosswalks, he said as much in a follow-up X post. Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks, the secretary said. Political banners have no place on public roads. Im reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that its limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. Its that simple. 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 flight bound for LA was forced to turn around after its pilot mistakenly believed that passengers were trying to break into the cockpit. The jet took off from Omaha, Nebraska, at 4.40 pm on Monday but turned back just 20 minutes later, according to FlightAware. American Airlines Flight 6469 had suffered from a breakdown on its intercom system, leaving the planes pilots only able to hear static over the communications device, an American Airlines spokesperson told ABC News. Meanwhile, the pilots could hear hammering on the door, which led them to believe that passengers were trying to gain access to the cockpit. This rumor was repeated across social media, reports KTLA. In the interest of passenger safety, the pilots brought the Embraer ETJ 175 plane back to Omahas Eppley Airfield. open image in gallery An American Airlines flight was forced to land after its pilots thought that passengers were trying to break into the cockpit ( Getty/iStock ) Upon landing, the jets captain apologized for the unexpected landing. "We weren't sure if something was going on with the airplane, so that's why we're coming back here," the captain said. "It's gonna be a little bit. We have to figure out what's going on." Passenger videos showed emergency services heading for the plane after it landed back on the tarmac. Officers later boarded the plane but concluded that the banging on the door had actually been the flight crew. Shortly after the incident, Omaha Airport released a brief statement updating passengers about the investigation. There was no security-related incident at Eppley Airfield this evening, the statement reads. open image in gallery The jet was forced to land suddenly back Eppley Airfield, where it had taken off from less than an hour earlier ( Google Streetview ) Just a day earlier, another plane heading to Los Angeles was forced to land after a smoky odor was detected in the cabin. Delta Flight 898 was diverted to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where it landed with two pilots, five crew members, and 219 passengers. Although authorities have not shared details about the origin of the smell, a spokesperson for Delta Airlines stated to CBS News Atlanta. "The safety of our customers and people is of utmost importance. That's why our flight crew followed standard procedures to return to Atlanta after a smoky odor was detected in the cabin," the Delta spokesperson said. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels." open image in gallery Two other planes bound for LAX have been diverted in the last week ( AP ) And, just a week earlier, a plane heading for LAX was diverted due to its windshield cracking in the air. The United Airlines flight was just 50 minutes into a flight to Denver before pilots decided to land in Salt Lake City. The jet landed safely, with the passengers safely deplaning and boarding a second plane to Los Angeles. They were delayed by around six hours. The Independent has approached Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines for comment. 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 woman was in shock after she returned from vacation and discovered her dog was cremated while in the care of a pet sitter. Eilyn Jimenez of Miami Shores, Florida, told Local 10 she entrusted her three dogs including her 12-year-old maltese-shitzu, Aria to sitter Barbara Paz while on vacation in August. She found Paz through Rover, an app that connects pet owners with pet sitters. At first, Paz was sending her regular updates, Jimenez said. During the trip, I had been checking in with her, asking how everything was going and she was like, No, everything is fine, everything is wonderful. Sending me videos of the dogs, perfect, she told the outlet. When Jimenez returned from vacation on August 31, Paz allegedly told her Aria died in her sleep and that she was cremated. Jimenez claims Aria was cremated without her or her husbands permission, and suspects it was done to cover up the truth, Local 10 reports. It's been really hard, because I think nobody ever thinks that the scenario is going to happen, Jimenez told The Independent. open image in gallery Eilyn Jimenez says her 12-year-old maltese-shitzu, Aria, died in August in the care of a Rover petsitter. When she returned from vacation she was given the dogs cremated remains. ( Eilyn Jimenez/Instagram ) Paz allegedly allowed another person, Daniel Cruz, to pay Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials and Cremation to have Aria cremated on August 29, Local 10 reports. Joseph Castronovo, a staff member at the animal funeral company, said Cruz claimed it was his dog. The guy came in and said it was his dog. He wanted it cremated immediately. He paid 400 extra dollars to cremate it that moment when he brought it into the office, Castronovo told Local 10. When Local 10 asked why someone would want a rush cremation job, Castronovo said, Destroy of evidence, thats why. The company told Jimenez that Aria had her scalp separated from her skull and an eye popping out, and that Cruz said Aria was attacked by a bigger dog, according to Local 10. Now, Jimenez says shes filed a report with the Miami Shores Police Department. She also received an apology from Rover and $1,000, but she didnt accept the money. I don't want to take anything that assumes that I am okay with the way this is handled, Jimenez told The Independent. Its been very difficult, because we've had this information for a while, and to be honest, all we want is accountability, she later added. It's almost like I wish she did pass in her sleep, because at least that would give me peace of mind. When approached by Local 10 for comment, Paz said she spoke with Arias owners but did not answer the outlets questions about Arias cause of death. A Rover spokesperson told The Independent that Paz has been removed from their platform. Upon learning of this incident, Rovers 24/7 Trust & Safety team conducted a thorough investigation into Arias passing, the spokesperson said. The sitter involved has been deactivated from our platform without the option to appeal. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation should they become involved. The Independent has contacted Cruz, Rover, Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials and Cremation and the Miami Shores Police Department for comment. 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 There was an awkward moment during Donald Trumps meeting with Anthony Albanese on Monday at the White House when the US president told Kevin Rudd, Australias ambassador to America, I dont like you and I probably never will. The comment, delivered across the Cabinet Room table, sparked laughter from Albanese, other Australian officials, and the journalists present there. Although he had once described Rudd as not the brightest bulb, Trump suggested he did not know the ambassador when a journalist asked if their past relationship had caused the lengthy delay in finally meeting the current Australian prime minister. open image in gallery Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance listen to Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese speak in the Cabinet Room at the White House ( AFP via Getty ) I dont know anything about him if he said bad [things] maybe he would like to apologise, Trump said. The US president turned towards Albanese, who was sitting on his right, to ask did an ambassador say something bad about me? Albanese smiled in response. Dont tell me, I dont want to know, Trump quickly joked. The US president then turned to Albanese, asking if the individual in question was still with the government. Albanese chuckled and gestured across the table toward Rudd. You said bad? Trump asked Rudd. The ambassador started to clarify that his criticisms came before assuming the ambassadorial role, but Trump cut in, saying, I dont like you either. And I probably never will, he added. In November 2024, after Rudd was confirmed as Albaneses choice for US ambassador, a 2021 interview resurfaced in which the former PM had called Trump a village idiot and not a leading intellectual force. Rudd had also referred to Trump as destructive and a traitor to the West. He later deleted his old social media posts criticising Trump. Opposition leader Sussan Ley immediately called for Rudds removal, saying: Im a bit surprised that the president didnt even know who the Australian ambassador was, and that in itself tells you what the relationship is like. She told Channel Seven: When the ambassador is the punchline of the joke and the prime minister is actually laughing at him, I think it tells you all we need to know about the fact its probably not reasonable he continue in the role. The Guardian reported sources later confirmed that Rudd offered an apology to Trump after the media left, with the president replying, all is forgiven. Albaneses visit delivered concrete diplomatic results for Australia. Trump endorsed the AUKUS security partnership and signed an $8.5bn rare earths deal with the country. Foreign minister Penny Wong praised Rudds role in facilitating the talks. Kevin did an extremely good job, not only in getting the meeting, but doing the work on the critical minerals deal and AUKUS and the success of [the] meeting reflects that work, she told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. open image in gallery The Australian ambassador reportedly offered Trump an apology off-camera ( Getty ) A copy of the agreement released by both governments said the two countries will each invest $1bn over the next six months into mining and processing projects as well as set a minimum price floor for critical minerals, a move that Western miners have long sought. A White House statement on the agreement added that the investments would target deposits of critical minerals worth $53bn, although it did not provide details on which types or locations. In about a year from now, well have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won't know what to do with them, Trump told reporters. Chinas foreign ministry did not comment directly on the deal but said on Tuesday that market and business choices form the global production and supply chain. Key mineral resource countries should play an active role in ensuring the safety and stability of the industrial and supply chain, and ensure normal economic and trade cooperation, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing. 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 Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has said that Donald Trumps electoral success lies in acknowledging the system is broken in America. The left-wing politician appeared on Jon Stewarts The Daily Show last night to cheers and applause, while the audience chanted his name. Sanders has been a vocal critic of the president throughout Trumps first and second administrations. But now the left-wing firebrand is urging his party to acknowledge the same truths that Trump has become adept at exploiting. Donald Trump, he may be crazy, he may be a pathological liar, but hes not stupid, Sanders said. The message that he gives off is: The system is broken and only I can fix it. The truth is: The system is broken. He is making it worse, but the Democrats have got to acknowledge that the system is broken. open image in gallery Bernie Sanders appeared on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and said that Democrats need to realise that Trump's popularity lies in acknowledging that the 'system is broken' ( YouTube/@Daily Show ) The veteran senator went on to say that the Democratic Party needs to acknowledge the bloody reality of how powerful Trump is becoming and how he has been able to drag the country so far into line with his policies. So when you see Donald Trump go to them and say, Youre giving me ten percent of your company if were helping you out? Or, were going to do that, but heres the thing: youre not going to charge these people anymore? Does that change the calculus now for Democrats to govern with more balls? Stewart asked. I think it does. Theyve seen a boldness in Trump using his power in a way weve never seen before, Sanders replied. He also claimed that the current campaign donation system, which allows wealthy donors to give unlimited amounts through Super PACs, is broken, too. Sanders alleged that this makes parties reliant on wealthy backers and not on voters. Do you go with the money is, where the billionaires are, where the Super PACs are, and kind of do what these guys want? he said. Or do you go where the working class, where the middle class are, and those are people who are hurting? open image in gallery Bernie Sanders has been touring the country with Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez under their Fight Oligarchy bnner ( REUTERS ) Sanders has been touring the country alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez under the banner Fight Oligarchy, where the pair have voiced support for progressive causes such as free healthcare and free higher education in the United States. During his appearance, Sanders repeated some of the main talking points of his tour by suggesting that higher taxes on the super-rich could fund better public services in America. The system he proposed is similar to those employed in Europe. Youve got to finally say to the oligarchs - who have never, ever had it so good, theyre making hand over fist - Sorry guys, a billion dollars is enough, he said. You aint gonna have 200 billion or 300 billion. Try to survive on a mere billion. You can start paying your fair share of taxes. Sanderss comments were met with sweeping applause from the audience. Although the senator has ruled out a presidential run in 2028, he has become a de facto leader of the No Kings movement. The No Kings protests are a series of ongoing mass demonstrations against Trumps attempts to unleash the National Guard on Democratic cities and his threats to run for an unprecedented third term in office. open image in gallery Millions of Americans marched in No Kings protests on Saturday, with thousands listening to Sanders speak at one rally in Washington D.C. ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) He spoke at the Washington D.C. march, which was attended by over 200,000 people, and told Stewart that it represented people saying no to Trumpism and no to authoritarianism. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez, Sanderss close political ally, is gearing up to run for either the presidency or for the Senate in 2028, according to various reports. Monica Crowley, a former public affairs official in the Treasury Department, told Fox News that Ocasio-Cortez had real grassroots support. Just a word of warning to the Republicans, to my party: Do not underestimate AOC. Shes young, shes vibrant, shes attractive, Crowley said. 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 Joe Bidens former White House press secretary faced a tough line of questions about her ex-boss 2024 decision making during an interview Monday, and largely found herself deflecting blame and claiming ignorance of the problems that plagued the last administration. Karine Jean-Pierre participated in a pair of interviews to begin the week as she kicks off a press tour for her book, Independent, which is out Tuesday. The formerly Democratic press secretary explained the title earlier this year, stating that shed left the party after its institutional failure in 2024. During interviews on the anti-Trump news site The Bulwark and CBS Mornings, Jean-Pierre took some of the toughest questions yet to be faced by anyone who was at Bidens side during the collapse of his presidential campaign and the disastrous debate in June when he appeared confused, often lost track of what he was saying and appeared faint, even whispery compared to Donald Trump. Her appearances coincide with Harris own media tour, which began in September as Harris promotes the tale of her ascendancy to the top of the Democratic ticket in 2025. Jean-Pierre struggled in both settings to defend her old bosss decision-making, particularly under a barrage of questions from The Bulwarks Tim Miller regarding an anecdote from Harriss 107 Days memoir in which the vice president detailed a pre-debate phone call from Biden complaining that members of her team were supposedly criticizing him. According to Harris, she was unsure if her own boss was in that moment trying to deliberately sabotage her by psyching her out or, merely doing so unintentionally. open image in gallery Karine Jean-Pierre testified about Bidens acuity to the House Oversight Committee in September ( REUTERS ) Miller, in his line of questioning, pressed Jean-Pierre to explain how her former boss prioritized the election over his own ego and public image, if he did so at all. I look back at [the questions of loyalty to Biden] and think, man, wasn't there too much emphasis on Joe Biden and Joe Biden's legacy? And not enough on setting the party up to succeed, on setting Kamala Harris up to succeed? Miller asked, noting that many in Harriss circle (including the candidate herself) seemingly felt that way. Jean-Pierre responded that she couldnt speak to her experience, before Miller pressed her for answers. As an example of how Biden supposedly put his own self-interest above Harriss after stepping aside from the Democratic ticket, Miller said: he story-- he called her before the debate to say that people were being mean to him? Like what is happening? What is happening? That is insane! That is an insane thing to do! Hold on a second, Tim, she responded. Youre talking about her experience-- I cant speak to that. But you were around, Miller replied, with some sarcasm. Jean-Pierre could respond only by saying that Bidens legacy was not her focus as his press secretary, which she said had been on the administrations work for the American people. But she was similarly evasive on CBS when asked about something she should be able to speak to: her own perception of the president as she traveled with him on Air Force One ahead of the campaign-ending June debate with Donald Trump. Jean-Pierre claimed that she didnt really see him until after the debate, a statement that would be hard to believe coming from any press secretary but particularly from one set to speak for the president as he returned from a foreign trip and was preparing for a major televised clash with his political opponent. Gayle King, reading from Jean-Pierres book, explained that she had just one simple question in response to the press secretarys claim that she hadnt seen Bidens noticeable mental and physical decline, seemingly picked up on by millions of Americans not in the room: How?! So really, I want everybody to know that I take this question incredibly seriously, responded Jean-Pierre. I was his White House press secretary, which means I had a role that saw him practically every day. open image in gallery Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked to explain why her boss called Kamala Harris to complain hours before her debate with Donald Trump ( YouTube - The Bulwark ) But, she added, I never saw someone who wasnt there. I saw someone who was always engaged. I saw someone who understood policy; pushed us on the policy. And also understood history. Her statements, if an accurate depiction of her experience, only serve to reinforce the narrative that Joe Bidens presidency and campaign was isolated at the highest levels from the true extent of the presidents declining mental acuity and ability to present himself to the public, as well as the earnestness of the criticism surrounding those issues. Theres still no real explanation from anyone inside Bidenworld as to why it was too late to save the party from defeat by the time anyone in that circle was listening to the deafening calls for a new candidate, weeks after the president declared onstage to millions of Americans that his administration beat Medicare. Those questions are widely thought to have contributed to Harriss decision not to run for governor of California next year. Shes still considered a possible contender for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2028, but has gone nearly a year since her defeat without answering tough questions from journalists about her last year in the Biden administration. Other Democrats who worked in top positions in the former the administration are now similarly dodging interviews. The former vice president wrote in her book that she felt that Bidens team including the press shop of which Karine Jean-Piere was a member hung her out to dry, explaining that she found getting anything positive said about my work or any defense against untrue attacks [to be] almost impossible. Worse, I often learned that the presidents staff was adding fuel to negative narratives that sprang up around me. One narrative that took a stubborn hold was that I had a chaotic office and unusually high staff turnover during my first year, claimed Harris in 107 Days. Their thinking was zero-sum: If shes shining, hes dimmed. None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well. Biden, who recently entered radiation therapy treatment for prostate cancer, spoke about his decision to step down earlier this year. I dont think it would have mattered had he dropped out sooner to let the Democrats find another candidate, the president said. "Things moved so quickly that it made it difficult to walk away. And it was a hard decision...I think it was the right decision...[But] it was just a difficult decision." 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 American taxpayers paid over $2.6 million to cover the security costs for Charlie Kirks huge memorial service, according to a new report. The event last month in Glendale, Arizona which was attended by over 100,000 people included protection from ARCUS Group, LLC, a full-service event management and security company. Documents obtained by TMZ showed that the U.S Secret Service paid the group $2,677,416.19 to secure the perimeter at State Farm Stadium, where the ceremony took place on September 21. The Independent has contacted the U.S. Secret Service for comment regarding the cost of security measures. As well as the 90,000 mourners inside the stadium and thousands more gathered outside, Kirks memorial was attended by a host of high-profile figures including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Kirks widow, Erika, also delivered a powerful eulogy. open image in gallery American taxpayers paid over $2.6 million to cover the security costs for Charlie Kirks huge memorial service, according to a new report ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) open image in gallery Tens of thousands of mourners gathered inside the State Farm Stadium to mourn Charlie Kirk. ( Getty ) Pictures of the event showed snaking lines stretching back from the stadium, and memorial planners were forced to send attendees to Desert Diamond Arena one block north, which has a capacity of 20,000. ARCUS, which also provides disaster response services, specializes in event design and production, event programming, and internal and perimeter security, according to their website. The company has extensive experience of providing security at high profile events, including Trumps second inauguration earlier this year. It provided the security for both national political conventions in 2024, as well as the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter and former President Joe Bidens inauguration. open image in gallery Pictures of the event showed snaking lines stretching back from the stadium, and memorial planners were forced to send attendees to Desert Diamond Arena one block north, which has a capacity of 20,000 ( REUTERS ) open image in gallery People wait in line before a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ( AP ) Kirks memorial, which took place less than two weeks after he was fatally shot during a speaking arrangement in Utah, went off largely without a hitch, though one man was arrested a day before the event. Joshua Runkles was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and taking a weapon into the stadium, though a spokesperson for Kirks political organization Turning Point USA later said he was known to them. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said on X that Runkles "was doing advance security for a known guest planning to attend the memorial service tomorrow. open image in gallery Kirks memorial was attended by a host of high-profile figures including president Donald Trump and the MAGA commentators wife Erika Kirk ( Win McNamee/Getty Images ) We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious, however the advance was not done in proper coordination with the TPUSA security team or US Secret Service, Kolvet added. It was not specified who Runkles was providing security for. His arrest came before the site had been fully sealed and locked down, Kolvet said. Tyler Robinson, 22, faces seven charges relating to Kirks death, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. 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 Fox News host made the wild claim that New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to eliminate the Jewish community in the city. In response to a comments made by popular New York Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, who claimed that Mamdani poses a danger to Jewish residents, Lawrence Jones said the number of Jews in the city that were expressing support for the Democrat ahead of the election was shocking. I would say to the Rabbi, you have to go out there and talk with some of the Jews in New York, Jones said on Fox & Friends. Have you seen the polling thats supporting Mamdani within the Jewish community? It is shocking to me. Jones added: I cant fight for you harder than you fight for yourself. He wants to eliminate your entire community. Doesnt even believe in a Jewish state. Yet, he still has a lot of support within the community. open image in gallery A Fox News host made the wild claim that New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to eliminate the entire Jewish community in the city ( Angelina Katsanis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images ) In remarks made to worshippers Saturday, that were played on Fox & Friends, Cosgrove said: I believe Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community. Mamdanis refusal to condemn insightful slogans like globalize the intifada, his denial of Israels legitmacy as a Jewish state, his calls to arrest Israels prime minister should he enter New York, and his thrice-repeated accusation of genocide in Thursdays debate. For these and so many other statements past, present, and unrepentant, he is a danger to the Jewish body politic of New York City, he added. Mamdani told business leaders during a July meeting that he would not use the phrase globalize the intifada, according to the New York Times. He previously refused to condemn it during the Democratic primary, despite critics saying it encouraged violence against Jews. In addition, Mamdani explicitly said during a debate in June that Israel has a right to exist as a state with equal rights. open image in gallery A new survey from AARP and Gotham Polling found that Mamdani (right) holds a 43.2 percent lead, with Cuomo (left) in second place at 28.9 percent, and Curtis Sliwa (center) last with 19.4 percent If elected, Mamdani said he would honor an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu, should the Israeli prime minister visit New York. Experts told the Times that the plans would be both impractical and potentially illegal. Despite being heavily accused by those on the right of antisemitism, polls show that Democrat Mamdani still holds a comfortable lead over his rivals, former state Governor Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, as the race enters its final stages. A new survey from AARP and Gotham Polling found that Mamdani holds a 43.2 percent lead, with Cuomo in second place at 28.9 percent, and Sliwa last with 19.4 percent. The Independent has contacted Mamdanis campaign for comment in response to the remarks made by Jones. 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 Ex-New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who had his seven-year prison sentence commuted by President Donald Trump last week, has offered an apology to his former constituents. Santos, 37, was expelled from Congress in 2023 for lying about his past and sentenced to 87 months behind bars in April after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, only to be pardoned by the president after serving just three months at FCI Fairton in New Jersey. Trumps actions also mean he will no longer have to pay $373,750 in restitution to his victims. open image in gallery Former New York Republican Rep. George Santos is interviewed by Sean Hannity on Fox News on Monday October 20 2025 days after being pardoned by President Donald Trump ( Fox News ) In a new interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, Santos expressed contrition, especially when the presenter mentioned that the GOP man had been his former representative. You may not know this, but at one point, you were my former congressman, Hannity told Santos. I lived in Oyster Bay. Sean, Im very aware, the ex-congressman replied. Centre Island. That was where you lived. And thank you for having me. Its a pleasure. To a former constituent, so, uh and again, I owe you an apology, Sean. I owe the American people an apology. But most importantly, constituents, and I know you were one of them. And its a pleasure to be with you today. I do believe in redemption, Hannity said. I believe in repentance. I went to Catholic school for 12 years. The word for repentance means, in Latin, to change ones heart. So, I have a question that no one has asked you You dont have to pay back anything. It was an amount of restitution for victims of over $373,000. There was another incident where you had repeatedly charged contributions of credit cards without peoples authorization. Two donors transferred money to a liability company. These are things that you pled guilty to. Heres my question. Even though youre not compelled with this commutation to pay it back, you think you should? Santos answered: You know, Sean, Ive put a lot of thought into that. And Ive spoken to my legal team. I think that the right thing to do is to explore a way to make it right. Part of actually squaring away with everything that has happened in my life is to start fresh, and starting fresh, if it means we find a way to do it, sure. open image in gallery Santos leaves Central Islip Federal Courthouse in New York on April 25 after being sentenced ( Reuters ) Announcing his decision on Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: George Santos was somewhat of a rogue, but there are many rogues throughout our country that arent forced to serve seven years in prison. The president went on to repeat debunked claims about Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthals military service before adding: At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life! In an open letter of gratitude to the president published subsequently in the New York newspaper The South Shore Press, Santos wrote: I have faced my share of consequences, and I take full responsibility for my actions. But no man, no matter his flaws, deserves to be lost in the system, forgotten and unseen, enduring punishment far beyond what justice requires. His lawyer, Joseph Murray, urged the media to give Santos space over the weekend, saying he was decompressing after what had been a traumatic experience for him. He was, nevertheless, roundly mocked on NBCs Saturday Night Live shortly afterwards. Santos has since complained that he was degraded and dehumanized by prison wardens in a post about his jail time on X, naming the two officials he blamed for his treatment. 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 ICE is scrambling to hire doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers after a surge in detainee deaths and lawsuits over medical neglect. Online job listings showed at least 45 open positions within the agency's Health Service Corps as of Monday, ranging from dental hygienists through psychiatric nurse practitioners to medical risk managers and data scientists. "Provides direct patient care during ICE removal missions and DHS operations, including emergency response and medical oversight in austere environments," said one advert for a physician to travel between multiple detention facilities. "Delivers psychiatric care to ICE detainees, including evaluations, treatment plans, medication management, and crisis intervention," said another for a psychiatric provider. The recruiting drive, first reported by Politico, comes after a spate of lawsuits alleging that ICE has failed to provide proper medical care to the people it detains, with officials warehousing prisoners in rapidly built temporary detention centers as they race to fulfill Donald Trump's mass deportation drive. Last week, Washington representative Pramila Jayapal, the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that monitors ICE, said that 20 people have died in its custody since Trump took office. That's nearly as many as in the entire Biden presidency although still lower as a percentage of the total number of people detained. ICE detainees at an immigration detention facility run by private prison company GEO group in Adelanto, California, which has been accused of neglecting and mistreating its residents ( Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty ) Experts say the massive increase in detentions under Trump has increased the risk of unsafe conditions at ICE detention centers, which have already faced allegations, including sexual abuse, medical neglect, and even forced sterilization, dating back long before 2025. "Compared to the population that is traditionally seen in the immigration system, the level of trauma and psychological distress of those caught up in this new abduction machine will be much greater, Jonathan White, a former U.S. Public Health Service Corps commander who worked with detainees during Trumps first term and is now running for Congress as a Democrat, told Politico. "These people are proportionally much more likely to have the most severe psychological reaction to being removed, because they have many years in this country, roots in their communities, and U.S. national children who theyre being separated from. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has previously denied accusations of medical neglect. Any claim there are 'inhumane' conditions at ICE detention centers are false," she said last month. "All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members. "It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This is the best healthcare that many aliens have received in their entire lives." Nearly 60,000 people were being detained by ICE or its sister agency CBP as of September 21, according to the detention tracking service TRAC. That same month, Trump's border czar Tom Homan told reporters the system was "almost at capacity". Many of those people have been held at impromptu detention complexes such as Texas's Fort Bliss or Florida's notorious 'Alligator Alcatraz', both of which have been accused of inhumane conditions. At the latter, detainees are kept packed together in metal cages inside gigantic heavy-duty tents in the midst of the sweltering Everglades swamp. Detainees and their families have reported worm-infested food, routine medical neglect, unreliable air conditioning, and inadequate toilets that overflow and cover the floor with feces. Detention centers in multiple states have sometimes refused to allow unannounced inspections by members of Congress and their staffers, which Democrats contend is illegal under federal law. In some cases, legislators or local officials have even been arrested while trying to inspect detention centers or monitor immigration courts. Last month, Trump also laid off hundreds of federal workers responsible for overseeing detention conditions. "More people are going to die in custody as a result, because there are not going to be the same level of checks and balances internally," one former worker told NPR. 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 ICE has spent more than $70 million on new weapons in the first nine months of President Donald Trumps second term, a 700 percent increase on the same period in 2024, according to a report. Citing records from the Federal Procurement Data System, Popular Information reports that the immigration force, which answers to Kristi Noems Department of Homeland Security, spent $71,515,762 on purchases of small arms, ordnance and ordnance accessories manufacturing between January 20 and October 18. That compares to $9,715,843 in the equivalent period in 2024 under Trumps predecessor, Joe Biden, and an average annual spend of just $8.4 million in the current presidents first term between 2017 and 2021. open image in gallery ICEs spending on weapons is up 700 percent year-on-year as the Trump administration ramps up its operations ( Getty ) Small arms refers to armor, explosives, chemical weapons, pistols, and rifles while ordnance and ordnance accessories manufacturing denotes other materials like artillery, barrels, extractors, and mounts. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Independent that reporting that some of ICEs spending had gone on guided missile warheads and explosive components was false. ICE buying its law enforcement officers guns and non-lethal resources is a non-story, she said. It should come as no surprise that we purchase and acquire firearms for law enforcement especially amid the increased onboarding of 11,000 agents thanks to President Trumps Big Beautiful Bill. McLaughlin urged the press to cover the 1,000 percent increase in assaults against law enforcement including terrorist attacks, cars being used as weapons, and officers having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them. While the majority of the money has been spent on guns and armor for field agents, the outlay has also seen ICE purchase guided missile warheads and explosive components, according to Popular Information. The Independent has also contacted the White House and ICE for comment. Despite the rapid uptick in investment, officials from the agency claimed that more money from Congress would be needed to expand the use of bodycams, the Associated Press reports. The comments came from Shawn Byers, deputy field office director for ICE, at a hearing on Monday as he addressed complaints that ICE agents are using increasingly combative tactics. Trumps mission to bring about the largest mass deportation program in history by rounding up and removing undocumented immigrants in the United States illegally has seen ICEs role greatly expanded and the agency flooded with federal funding. open image in gallery People march in protest against ICE in Chicago earlier this month ( AFP/Getty ) It currently estimates that it has approximately 20,000 active agents but Assistant Secretary McLaughlin recently said it has received more than 175,000 applications to join its ranks as a result of an ad blitz on platforms like Spotify, X, Meta, YouTube, and LinkedIn, with more than 18,000 tentative job offers issued. McLaughlin added that the departments incentive processing, such as signing-on bonuses, will continue during the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, which she blamed Democrats for. Official data published at the end of September reported that there are currently 59,762 people being held in ICE detention centers. The agencys increased prominence has brought increased criticism over its methods, however. In June, its operations in downtown Los Angeles attracted mass protests, prompting Trump to activate the National Guard against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who warned it would escalate the existing tensions. ICE has also attracted a deluge of unwanted headlines for the administration, including the recent revelation that it has arrested at least 20 children who are American citizens this year, two of whom had cancer. Reports of operations involving armed agents traumatizing mothers and children and firing pepper balls at a priest attending a demonstration have not helped their publicity drive. What were seeing is a general escalation of violence and the use of excessive force by ICE officers, Ed Yohnka of ACLU Illinois told NPR recently. Yohnka has filed a lawsuit on behalf of protesters who believe that ICEs tactics have violated their constitutional rights, stating: All over the country, federal agents have shot, gassed, and detained individuals engaged in cherished and protected activities. The suit accuses ICE and other federal agencies of the dangerous and indiscriminate use of near-lethal weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper-balls, flash grenades, and other unwarranted and disproportionate tactics. 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 January 6 rioter, pardoned by President Donald Trump, has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a report. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested Sunday after texting that he planned to eliminate Jeffries while he spoke at the Economic Club of New York Monday, according to court documents, obtained by CBS News. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan, who was pardoned in January by Trump, reportedly wrote in the message. Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future, he allegedly wrote. Moynihan was one of more than 1,500 Trump supporters charged with crimes connected to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison. open image in gallery Christopher Moynihan pictured at the US Capitol during the Jan 6 riot. He was arrested after texting that he was going to "eliminate" the top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a public event Monday in New York City ( Department of Justice ) open image in gallery Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 ( Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) Prosecutors said Moynihan was one of the first Trump supporters to breach police barricades and enter the Capitol. At the time of his sentencing, prosecutors said that while inside the Capitol building, Moynihan rifled through a notebook on top of a Senators desk, saying, Theres gotta be something in here we can f***ing use against these scumbags. Moynihan faces a new felony charge of making a terroristic threat, prosecutors said Monday. He was arrested by New York State Police in Clinton, a small town in the Hudson Valley, about two hours north of Manhattan. An investigation into the incident was started by the FBI, according to CBS. Moynihan was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond or an $80,000 partially secured bond, state police said. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday in Dutchess County. open image in gallery Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested Sunday after texting that he planned to eliminate Hakeem Jeffries while he spoke at the Economic Club of New York Monday ( A New York man was arrested after texting that he was going to "eliminate" the top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a public event Monday in New York City ) While Moynihan is not the first pardoned Jan 6 rioter to be subsequently arrested on unrelated charges, he is the first to face charges of making a violent threat against a member of Congress, according to CBS. After returning to office this January, one of Trumps first official acts as president was commuting the sentences of hundreds of Jan 6 rioters, many of whom were convicted of violent offenses against members of law enforcement. One police officer was killed and nearly 150 other officers were injured in the attack. Rioter Ashli Babbit, 35, was shot and killed, while 50-year-old Benjamin Phillips, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Rosanne Boylan, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia, died from medical emergencies during the attack. The White House and Jeffries office did not immediately return a request for comment from The Independent. 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 Fox News host Jesse Watters has slammed No Kings protesters as ignorant trend-chasers who had "no idea why they're there" after admitting that his own mother was among their ranks. Between 4.5 million and 6.5 million people are estimated to have marched in a second day of nationwide anti-Trump demonstrations on Saturday, reportedly including celebrities such as Pedro Pascal, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cusack, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, and Nancy Pelosi. Those numbers would potentially make it the largest single-day protest in the nation's history, rivaling the estimated 3.3m to 5.6m people who attended the 2017 Women's March, which was also against Trump. That cut little mustard with Watters, who accused the protesters of having "lost their minds" on Fox News's The Five on Monday. "I know my mom was there," he admitted. "Can you believe my mom was there? Sometimes I think I was adopted." open image in gallery 'Democrats love kings!': Jesse Watters discusses 'No Kings 2' on Fox News on Monday and admits that his own mother was among their ranks ( Fox News via YouTube ) He went on: "They do these things: the Women's March, BLM, the Musk stuff. The issues change, but the one thing that stays the same is Trump. "They think this guy's like crack cocaine. They get these big bursts of energy every once in a while, but long term this has been bad for their health. "They've lost the culture, they've lost the media, they've lost two of the last three elections, they've lost all power in Washington, and they've lost their minds... "You go into these rallies and you interview these people: they have no idea why they're there. I mean some of do; my mom knew. "But if you stick a mic in front of their face, they have no clue. They're just kind of walking around. This is far from the first time Watters has skirmished with his Democrat-voting mom over about politics. In fact, at times he's read out their text exchanges in a regular segment called "Mom Texts". In July 2023, on his first night after replacing Tucker Carlson, she told him: "Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you, and we want no lawsuits, OK? open image in gallery The protest in New York City drew more than 350,000 people, organizers said ( REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz ) "I want you to seek solutions, versus fanning the flames... perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other peoples bodies." In 2024 he said he had not been invited to Thanksgiving following Trump's second election victory, saying his mom had told him there "wasn't enough room". Organizers have estimated that about 7m people attended Saturday's protests, while independent data journalist G. Elliott Morris and Atlanta-based science news outlet The Xylom put the total lower at probably around 5m. open image in gallery The second No Kings protest featured a wide range of inflatable animal costumes, from frogs to bears to dinosaurs and Pokemon ( REUTERS/Jaimi Joy ) In at least 2,500 rallies in cities and towns across the country, demonstrators marched in colorful costumes including the inflatable animal suits made famous by anti-ICE protesters in Portland, Oregon. Organizers called the protests overwhelmingly peaceful, though there were scattered reports of violence and arrests, especially in Portland and Chicago where crowds protested outside ICE facilities. open image in gallery Anti-ICE protesters clash with federal agents outside an ICE facility in Portland on Oct. 18 ( Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images ) Trump responded by insisting he was "not a king", before posting an A.I.-generated video of himself wearing a crown while flying a KING TRUMP fighter jet and bombing a crowd of No Kings protesters with brown liquid. Watters' reaction was at least less scatological. "Democrats love kings! They love the government telling them what to do," he said. "'Give me a shot! Take over my healthcare! Tell me what not to stay!'... Democrats love it! They love to submit. They love to conform. It's what they do... "And Trump's no king! If Trump was a king you wouldn't have had a rally like this. You wouldn't have people going on TV calling him a Nazi, and you wouldn't have the government shut down." 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 a wave of indictments against Donald Trumps enemies, the presidents allies in Congress are now pushing the Department of Justice to file criminal charges against Barack Obamas former CIA director John Brennan, who they have accused of lying to Congress. In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan claimed Brennan knowingly made false statements to the panel during an interview in May 2023. The allegations against Brennan, who led the nations intelligence agency during a federal investigation into allegations of Russian interference in U.S. elections in 2016, center around the so-called Steele dossier, a series of largely discredited documents compiled by a former British intelligence officer which accused the president and his allies of conspiring with the Kremlin. Christopher Steele handed his memo to the FBI in 2016, and a summary of allegations were included in an intelligence report ordered by the Obama administration following Trumps election. Brennans assertion that the CIA was not involved at all with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts, Jordan wrote Tuesday. open image in gallery House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan is asking the Department of Justice to criminally prosecute former CIA director John Brennan over his testimony on Russiagate in 2023 ( AFP via Getty Images ) His testimony was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts, the Ohio Republican wrote. Brennan, who emerged as a high-profile Trump critic after leaving the agency the moment Trump was first sworn into office in January 2017, has long been a target of the president, who is seeking political retribution against Democratic figures and others tied to a federal probe into his 2016 campaign. Criminal referrals from Congress typically carry little, if any, weight in the hands of federal prosecutors, particularly those that involve evidence that has been publicly available for years. But the Justice Department now appears to be inextricably linked to the presidents personal campaign against his perceived enemies. Former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were indicted in rapid succession following Trumps commands last month. After last months indictment against Comey, Brennan said he would not be intimidated by Trumps threats and the corruption and a perversion of the justice system within the executive branch. Im not going to be intimidated by the likes of Donald Trump. I have always tried to speak my mind and do what I thought was right, he told MSNBC at the time. I think more and more people have to speak out, and Im waiting for those Republicans in Congress to come to their senses, because the damage thats being done to this country and the dangerous times that were in, I think too many Americans do not appreciate the extent of that, Brennan said. open image in gallery Before House Republicans referred him to the Justice Department to face criminal charges, Brennan said he refused to be intimidated by the Trump administrations threats of prosecution ( Getty Images ) The Steele dossiers sensational allegations were largely uncorroborated, while Republicans held up the memo to allege a bogus, Democratic-led conspiracy to undermine Trumps campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies, however, ultimately determined that Russian-backed interference in 2016 sought to boost Trump while damaging his then-opponent Hillary Clinton with a flood of disinformation. In his testimony to the House Judiciary committee in 2023, Brennan said he was not involved in analyzing the dossier at all. I said the first time I actually saw it, it was after the election, he said, according to the transcript Jordan included in his letter to Bondi. And the CIA was not involved at all with the dossier. You can direct that to the FBI and to others. Jordan alleges that the findings in the conclusive intelligence report are false, and that Brennan made the ultimate decision, along with then-FBI Director James Comey, to include information from the dossier in the report. The Republicans referral follows indictments against three Trump enemies, all of whom have dismissed the allegations against them as politically motivated and baseless. Comey is similarly accused of lying to Congress over testimony involving the so-called Russiagate investigation. He has pleaded not guilty. Trumps former national security adviser-turned-prominent critic John Bolton has also pleaded not guilty to charges against him. James, the New York attorney general, is expected to be arraigned in federal court this week. 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 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to justify her recent decision to respond to a reporters question with your mom by posting a screenshot of the text exchange that led to the moment and accusing the reporter of being a left-wing hack. The screenshot, shared on X Monday, shows HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Date asking Leavitt why President Donald Trump is choosing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary. Is the president aware of the significance of Budapest? In 1994, Russia promised, in Budapest, not to invade Ukraine if it gave up the nuclear weapons it inherited when the Soviet Union dissolved. Does he not see why Ukraine might object to that site? Who suggested Budapest? Thanks, Date texted Leavitt on October 16. Leavitt promptly responded with, Your mom did. When Date texted Leavitt back to ask if she thought the question was funny, the White House press secretary gave a lengthy, insulting response. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on her recent dismissive your mom response to a reporter ( Getty Images ) Its funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just dont tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls*** questions, Leavitt texted Date. Date ultimately wrote a story about Leavitts response that received national attention. The White House press secretary said Monday she was sharing the screenshot to show her full response to Dates inquiry and provide context about him. She claimed Date is not a journalist interested in the facts and that he constantly bombards her phone with Democrat talking points. Date has been a reporter for three decades, previously working at the Associated Press, NPR and the Palm Beach Post, according to his author biography. He wrote a book, titled The Useful Idiot, about Trumps handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Feel better now? Date responded to Leavitt on Monday. Now can you answer the question? Please and thank you. The Trump administration has utilized social media and meme culture to its full capacity to promote and defend the presidents agenda. The Department of Homeland Security uses memes to brag about the number of immigration arrests and deportations theyve made and recruit people to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump often reposts memes or artificial intelligence-generated videos on his social media platform, Truth Social, that galvanize supporters. 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 The man picked by President Donald Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel admitted to fellow Republicans that he has a Nazi streak in a series of vile and racist texts, a new report has revealed. Paul Ingrassia, who faces a Senate confirmation hearing later this week, also said that Martin Luther King Jr Day should be eliminated, according to a Politico report. Ingrassia, if confirmed, would lead the office that investigates federal whistleblower complaints along with discrimination allegations. MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd, and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs, Ingrassia allegedly wrote in the chat, which was seen by Politico. He also said that holidays which traditionally honor Black Americans should be eviscerated, while using an Italian racial slur. No m******n holidays From kwanza to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth, he wrote. Every single one needs to be eviscerated. Ingrassias lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, tried to suggest the messages were jokes to target liberals, then denied the nominee was the one sending them in the group chat. open image in gallery Paul Ingrassia allegedly admitted to having a 'Nazi streak' in a Republican Party group chat ( U.S. Department of Homeland Security ) Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis, Paltzik first told Politico. In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi. The lawyer later added a further statement. In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult, Paltzik told the outlet. What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages. In January 2025, Ingrassia was appointed the Trump administrations liaison to the Department of Justice before moving to the Department of Homeland Security. Just a few months into the job, in May 2024, he allegedly wrote a message to a Trump campaign staffer claiming that she did not show enough respect to the Founding Fathers based on their being white. We should celebrate white men and western civilization and I will never back down from that, Ingrassia stated in the chain. In response, a Republican staffer said that Paul belongs in the Hitler Youth with Ubergruppenfuhrer Steve Bannon. The Ubergruppenfuhrer was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany. I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit, Paul allegedly replied. Another person in the group chat made a joke that suggested Ingrassia could star on a podcast with Nick Fuentes, a far-right influencer described as a white supremacist in court documents. Ingrassia responded Lmao to the chat. When confronted in the chat about the tone and coming off like a scumbag, Ingrassia did not back down in the chat. Nah its fine Dont be a boomer I dont mind being a scumbag from time to time, he wrote. open image in gallery The news comes just a week after reports alleged that Republican offices had received flags with swastikas printed on them ( Getty ) The revelation of the alleged text messages has drawn condemnation from Democrats, including Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who hit out at Ingrassia on X. He spoke so freely about consigning the MLK holiday to hell, Africa being a s-hole continent, and never trusting a chinaman or an Indian, Raskin wrote. What gave him the idea hed be welcomed in the Trump Administration? When he confessed a 'Nazi streak,' was this on his resume or in his cover letter? Trump has a staff infection. The Ingrassia report comes on the heels of another Politico story about a series of text messages sent by members of the Young Republicans in which members described rape as epic and praised Adolf Hitler. Former president of the New York State Young Republicans, Peter Giunta, allegedly said that anyone who did not vote for him to become the chair of the organizations National Federation would be sent to a gas chamber. Everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber, Giunta allegedly said. And everyone that endorsed but then votes for us is going to the gas chamber. Im going to create some of the greatest physiological torture methods known to man. We only want true believers, Giunta allegedly added. Annie Kaykaty, the New York member of the national committee, allegedly added that she is ready to watch people burn. 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 President Donald Trump may deploy the Oregon National Guard into Portland, despite objections by local officials, a federal appeals court said Monday. A divided three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the administration, claiming Trump lawfully exercised his statutory authority when he attempted to deploy the Guard to the city amid anti-immigration raid protests. On the panel, two Trump-appointed judges agreed the administration relied on evidence that fell within a range of honest judgement to determine the National Guard was needed to execute the laws of the United States. In September, Trump attempted to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to protect federal agents that he sent into the city, claiming Portland was war ravaged and under siege from attack by Antifa. Trump has often made Portland, a progressive city with a long history of protests, the target of insults and threats. State and local officials have disputed Trumps characterization of Portland. A district court judge sided with those officials earlier this month, when she temporarily halted the administration's deployment of the National Guard. open image in gallery Protests opposing Trumps expansive use of his executive authority have spurred clashes between civilians and federal law enforcement in Portland ( Getty Images ) open image in gallery State and local officials have disputed Trumps characterization of Portland ( Getty Images ) open image in gallery Oregon or Portland could appeal the decision to the Supreme Court or ask an 11-judge panel on the 9th Circuit to review the three-judge panels decision ( AP ) The district court judge stated that the president did not have a legitimate argument for deploying the Oregon National Guard, citing that the protests were generally peaceful with occasional confrontations between civilians and federal law enforcement. The judge said local law enforcement was equipped to handle those small incidents. But lawyers for the government argued to the 9th Circuit judges that the guard was necessary because protests in Portland have gone on for months with occasional civil disobedience that local enforcement cannot control. They cited several incidents throughout the summer, including some where protesters threw rocks and sticks at an ICE facility guard shack, attempted to set a U.S. flag on fire in the driveway of the ICE facility, and one shot officers with a paintball gun. open image in gallery Protests conducted outside of a Portland ICE facility have becoming increasingly more confrontational as federal agents sent to protect immigration law enforcement use tear gas and other tactics to control crowds ( Getty Images ) open image in gallery ( AP ) Ultimately, two of the three judges on the 9th Circuit agreed with the administration. Even if the President may exaggerate the extent of the problem on social media, this does not change that other facts provide a colorable basis to support the statutory requirements, the judges wrote. Trump has continuously invoked a rarely-used presidential power that allows the president to take control of a states National Guard in the event of an invasion, a rebellion against the government or when the president cannot execute laws with regular force. Over the summer, he sent the California National Guard to Los Angeles amid anti-immigration raid protests. However, a federal judge later determined the administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which prevents the military from being used for domestic law enforcement. open image in gallery Among the more aggressive actions protesters have taken, is burning a flag which is a form of protected speech in the US ( AP ) Trump has also sent the National Guard to Chicago, against the wishes of state and local officials for similar reasons. A legal battle over the matter has been escalated to the Supreme Court. The president deployed National Guard members in Washington, D.C., as well. However, Trump has more authority over the D.C. National Guard than other states due to jurisdiction. National Guard troops are expected to be deployed elsewhere around the U.S. as Trump seeks to impose his deportation agenda and crackdown on crime in other cities. Mondays ruling is likely not the last word on the matter. Oregon or Portland could appeal the decision to the Supreme Court or ask an 11-judge panel on the 9th Circuit to review the three-judge panels decision. 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 The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a bid from President Donald Trump's administration concerning a federal law that prohibits individuals who use illegal drugs from possessing firearms. This statute is notably among those under which Joe Biden's son, Hunter, was charged in 2023. Justices will consider an appeal by the Justice Department against a lower court's decision in a Texas case involving Ali Hemani, a dual American-Pakistani citizen. Hemani was accused of violating the gun restriction, which the lower court deemed largely inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. A ruling from the Supreme Court is anticipated by the end of June. open image in gallery This statute is notably among those under which Joe Biden's son, Hunter, was charged in 2023. ( Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images ) The case stems from an illegal gun possession charge that federal prosecutors brought against Hemani, described as a regular marijuana user, after the FBI found a pistol belonging to him during an unrelated 2022 raid of the home he shared with his parents in Denton County, Texas. Authorities did not allege that Hemani was intoxicated at the time he was found with the gun. In a filing to the Supreme Court, the Justice Department said Hemani's actions had "drawn the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" and it mentioned his travel to Iran, his brother's attendance at an Iranian university and comments by his mother about her sons. The filing did not explain the reason for the raid at the family home. The Justice Department said agents found a Glock 9mm pistol, 60 grams of marijuana and 4.7 grams of cocaine. The 2023 indictment did not include any charges beyond the one related to Hemani's gun possession and unlawful drug use. Hemani moved to dismiss the charge, claiming it violated his Second Amendment rights. He also cited the stringent test the Supreme Court set in a 2022 decision requiring that gun laws be "consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation" in order to comport with the Second Amendment. Zachary Newland, a lawyer for Hemani, expressed disappointment that the court agreed to hear the Trump administration's appeal. open image in gallery Hemani moved to dismiss the charge, claiming it violated his Second Amendment rights. ( AP Photo/Lisa Marie Pane ) "However, we are hopeful that the government's case will be denied once the Supreme Court is able to hear Mr. Hemani's case on the merits," Newland said. "Mr. Hemani's case implicates important fundamental constitutional rights that we believe will be vindicated in the end." The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The prohibition on gun possession by users of illegal drugs was part of the landmark Gun Control Act of 1968. One of the charges against Hunter Biden in an indictment obtained by Special Counsel David Weiss in September 2023 accused him of violating this statute. Prosecutors accused the president's son of lying about his use of narcotics when he purchased a Colt Cobra handgun in October 2018. Hunter Biden was found guilty in June 2024 by a jury in Wilmington, Delaware, becoming the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. Joe Biden, a Democrat, issued a presidential pardon in December 2024 to his son, a recovering drug addict who became a frequent target of Republicans, including Trump. In the Hemani case, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in January dismissed the illegal gun possession charge, ruling that "there is no historical justification for disarming a sober citizen not presently under an impairing influence." Trump's administration appealed to the Supreme Court, urging the justices to adopt a rule that would allow illegal gun possession charges to be brought against "habitual users" of unlawful drugs. 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 Trumps Department of Justice is moving swiftly to prosecute alleged members of Antifa after the president signed an executive order declaring the militant antifascist movement a domestic terrorist organization. Last week, two people facing attempted murder and weapons charges over an ambush at an immigration detention center in Texas this summer were hit with additional terrorism-related offenses. A trial is tentatively scheduled to begin next month. The charges against Autumn Hill and Zachary Evetts are the first against anyone accused of being a member of Antifa, a longtime boogeyman for the Trump administration as it searches for legal tools for a broader crackdown against left-wing dissent and protests. Administration officials have repeatedly tied acts of political violence to Antifa, while also claiming without evidence that the movement is being financially supported by groups that support Democratic candidates what critics fear is an attempt to criminalize political opposition itself. The latest indictment signals that the Justice Department has opened a wider investigation into the movement, which Trump and prosecutors are calling a criminal enterprise that can be prosecuted like the Mafia. open image in gallery The Trump administration appears to have opened a wider investigation into a militant antifascist movement that critics fear will be used to criminalize political opposition ( Reuters ) Evetts and Hill, who is named in the indictment as Cameron Arnold, were among 10 people arrested this summer after a shooting outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4. A 12-page indictment accuses Evans and Hill of providing material support to terrorists as well as attempted murder and firearms offenses. Neither are accused of firing at officers, but prosecutors say they were part of a North Texas Antifa Cell that planned and coordinated the attack using encrypted messaging apps. The indictment describes Antifa as a militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups, primarily ascribing to a revolutionary anarchist or autonomous Marxist ideology. That enterprise calls for the overthrow of the United States government, law enforcement authorities and the system of law, according to prosecutors. The use of the word enterprise is raising alarms for legal experts. An enterprise investigation opens the door for federal law enforcement to dig into the finances, membership, communications and overall structure of a targeted group. But Antifa encompasses individuals and loosely affiliated groups in a broader militant subculture often physically confronting far-right groups in the streets rather than a specific organization. Thomas E. Brzozowski, the former counsel for domestic terrorism in the Justice Departments national security division, told Raw Story that investigating Antifa as an enterprise gives the FBI the resources to investigate anybody that would in their view fall under this bucket, which is pretty broad, even if you are not involved in perpetrating violence in the furtherance of this ideology. Brzozowski, who served under the Biden and Obama administration as well as Trumps first administration, warned that the governments amorphous definition of Antifa encompasses such a wide array of ideologies, that is a broad spectrum of people that are otherwise unconnected. Thats a problem, in my view, he said. open image in gallery Two people accused of aiding an attack on an ICE facility in Texas this summer are the first to face terrorism-related charges after Trumps Antifa order labeled the movement a domestic terrorist organization ( AP ) A federal inquiry could end up focusing not only on people who are accused of committing acts of violence but anyone who appears remotely connected, including people who attended the same protests, and the left-leaning nonprofit groups and political figures who support them. Republican officials have already spent years repeatedly smearing protests as the work of Antifa or paid protesters, often lumped in as one and the same, working in lockstep with Democratic elected officials. The Department of Homeland Security was recently forced to delete several public statements about a Democratic congresswoman who is accused of assaulting federal officers during a chaotic scrum outside an ICE facility in New Jersey. Last month, the administration baselessly accused LaMonica McIver of Antifa-aligned domestic extremism a statement that was removed from Homeland Securitys website after her attorneys brought a federal judges attention to it. In his executive order designating Antifa a domestic terror organization, Trump directed all relevant executive departments and agencies to utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt and dismantle any and all illegal operations especially those involving terrorist actions conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa, or for which Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa provided material support, including necessary investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who fund such operations. Chip Gibbons, policy director at Defending Rights & Dissent, said the order appears to be a greenlight to law enforcement and intelligence to spy on and investigate left-wing political speech. The order is sweeping in its rhetoric yet almost certainly empty of formal legal effect, Brzozowski wrote in Lawfare earlier this month. That emptiness is by design. The damage is in the announcement, he wrote. Even if the order doesnt survive legal challenges, it can still do the work of law in the streets, on bank compliance desks, and across social media platforms, according to Brzozowski. The chilling effect is not hypothetical; it is the point. State officials are also taking notice. Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton directed state law enforcement to identify, investigate, and infiltrate these leftist terror cells. There can be no compromise with those who want us dead, he said. open image in gallery Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel appear to have opened a wider probe into Antifa following the presidents executive order targeting the movement as a criminal enterprise ( AFP via Getty Images ) The Trump administration is also considering designating Antifa a foreign terrorist organization, which could expose alleged members to a wider array of sanctions and investigations, as well as watchlisting, surveillance, and criminal liability under counterterrorism statutes, according to Brzozowski. The chilling effect would be immediate and profound, he wrote last week. When anti-fascism itself becomes suspect, the states power to monitor and silence expands dramatically On July 4, the group wore masks and black clothing as they descended on the outskirts of the facility, armed with fireworks and 10 firearms four of which were purchased by an unnamed co-conspirator. That co-conspirator allegedly fired an AR-style rifle, striking a police officer working at the facility in the neck. Only one member of the alleged Antifa Cell described in court filings as Co-conspirator-1 is accused of firing at law enforcement on July 4. The Justice Department previously named the gunman as Benjamin Hanil Song, who is being separately charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents. Song has not been prosecuted as a member of Antifa. The indictment accuses Evetts and Hill of aiding and abetting the attack. The Independent has requested comment from their attorneys, who have disputed the governments allegations and stated that prosecutors have not presented evidence linking them to an Anfifa Cell. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the charges on social media, claiming that they prove Antifa is a left-wing terrorist organization. They will be prosecuted as such, she added. Were arresting anarchists who seek to harm law enforcement, said FBI director Kash Patel. Antifa isnt a protest movement, its a domestic terrorist organization, he wrote. The media can pretend otherwise. We wont. 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 President Donald Trump is reportedly demanding the Justice Department pay him $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him a settlement that could ultimately face approval by one of his former lawyers, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Trumps demands, reported first by the New York Times Tuesday, are related to two complaints, made through an administrative claims process that he submitted regarding probes by the Justice Department. One, submitted in 2023, seeks damages for violations of his rights regarding the special counsel and FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, sources familiar with the matter told the Times. The other, filed in 2024, raises complaints that the FBI violated the presidents privacy while searching his Mar-a-Lago residence in 2022 for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Its possible the settlements approval could land in front of a key Justice Department official whom Trump has known for years. Before joining the administration, Blanche defended Trump in his New York criminal trial, in which he was found guilty of falsifying business records. He also defended Trump in his federal classified documents case and election interference case. open image in gallery President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking a $230 million settlement from the Justice Department for prior investigations ( Getty Images ) The White House deferred questions about the matter to the Justice Department. Chad Gilmartin, a spokesperson for the Justice Department, said in a statement: In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials. When asked about the potential settlement at the White House, Trump told reporters Well, I guess they probably owe me a lot of money. They probably owe me a lot of money, but if I get money from our country, I'll do something nice with it, like give it to charity or give it to the White House while we restore the White House, Trump added. For years, Trump has railed against the prior administration and Democrats for weaponizing the Justice Department to pursue criminal cases against him for political reasons. What they did was criminal, Trump told reporters last week. They raided my house in Florida, it was an illegal raid. The president appeared to reference his complaints with the Justice Department during that press conference, in which Blanche, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were present. open image in gallery Documents uncovered at Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence reportedly contained national defense secrets Trump pleaded not guilty on allegations of mishandling classified documents ( US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/AFP via ) I have lawsuit thats doing very well. When I became president I said, Im sort of suing myself, I dont know how how do you settle the lawsuit? Ill say give me X dollars and I dont know what to do with the lawsuit, its a great lawsuit, Trump said. The president has often complained about the Mar-a-Lago raid in which federal agents found 300 classified documents, some related to national defense secrets classified under the Espionage Act, among a trove of boxes stored in a bathroom, ballroom and storage room. His administrative complaint to the department reportedly accuses former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director Christopher Wray and former special counsel Jack Smith of malicious prosecution in addition to violating his privacy. The classified documents case against Trump and two co-conspirators, was thrown out by a Trump-appointed judge in Florida last year. open image in gallery Trump appearing in Manhattan Criminal Court in 2024, alongside his former personal attorney, Todd Blanche (right) ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images ) Although the presidents complaints, submitted via a Standard Form 95, are not technically lawsuits, they can precede lawsuits if a settlement is not reached. Per the Justice Department manual, any settlement of claims that exceed $4 million must be approved by the deputy attorney general. There does not appear to be a specific rule about the Justice Department disclosing settlements of administrative complaints. A former Justice Department official told the Times that if or when the department pays out millions to the president, it may not be immediately clear. Democrats railed against Trump upon reading the Times article. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said, Donald Trump wont help Americans, but hell sure help himself. In less than a year, hes turned the taxpayer into his personal piggy bank. While he refuses to extend tax credits to prevent massive health care cost increases for 22 million Americans, hes trying to get the government to pay him $230 million in legal damages using taxpayer dollars. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote on X, @POTUS is ordering the government he runs to pay him. In other countries the leaders at least try to hide win they steal money from the citizens. 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 clandestine group comprising dozens of federal officials, including intelligence personnel, is assisting President Donald Trump in his stated aim for retribution against perceived adversaries, according to government records and an informed source. Operating under the name the Interagency Weaponization Working Group, the body has been convening since at least May. Its ranks draw from a wide array of government departments, including the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Justice and Defense Departments, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Communications Commission, among others, as revealed by two official documents. The group's formation follows an executive order issued by Trump on his inauguration day in January. This directive instructed the attorney general to collaborate with other federal agencies "to identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the federal government related to the weaponization of law enforcement and the weaponization of the Intelligence Community." Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard publicly announced the establishment of internal agency groups. Their stated purpose is to "root out" individuals they claim have misused government power against Trump. Shortly after Reuters asked the agencies for comment on Monday, Fox News reported the existence of the group, citing Gabbard as saying she "stood up this working group." Key details in the Reuters story are previously unreported. open image in gallery Tulsi Gabbard confirmed the existence of the group during an appearance on Fox News this week ( AP ) Several U.S. officials confirmed the existence of the Interagency Weaponization Working Group to Reuters in response to the questions and said thegroup's purpose was to carry out Trumps executive order. None of this reporting is new, said a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity. ODNI spokeswoman Olivia Coleman said, Americans deserve a government committed to deweaponizing, depoliticizing and ensuring that power is never again turned against the people its meant to serve. The existence of the interagency group indicates the administrations push to deploy government power against Trumps perceived foes is broader and more systematic than previously reported. Interagency working groups in government typically forge administration policies, share information and agree on joint actions. Trump and his allies use the term weaponization to refer to their unproven claims that officials from previous administrations abused federal power to target him during his two impeachments, his criminal prosecutions, and the investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election. The interagency group's mission is "basically to go after 'the Deep State," the source said. The term is used by Trump and his supporters to refer to the president's perceived foes from the Obama and Biden administrations and his own first term. Reuters could not determine the extent to which the interagency group has put its plans into action. The news agency also could not establish Trumps involvement in the group. Biden, Comey, others reportedly discussed Among those discussed by the interagency group, the source said, were former FBI Director James Comey; Anthony Fauci, Trump's chief medical advisor on the COVID-19 pandemic; and former top U.S. military commanders who implemented orders to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for servicemembers. Discussions of potential targets have ranged beyond current and former government employees to include former President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, the source said. A senior ODNI official disputed that account and said there was no targeting of any individual person for retribution. IWWG is simply looking at available facts and evidence that may point to actions, reports, agencies, individuals, etc. who illegally weaponized the government in order to carry out political attacks, the official said. Lawyers for Comey and Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and there was no immediate response from Fauci. Reuters reviewed more than 20 government records and identified the names of 39 people involved in the interagency group. Five of the records concerned the interagency group, five pertained to the Weaponization Working Group that Bondi announced in February, and nine referred to a smaller subgroup of employees from DOJ and several other agencies that remain focused on the January 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol. The source said an important player in the interagency group is Justice Department attorney Ed Martin, who failed in May to win Senate support to become U.S. attorney for Washington after lawmakers expressed concern about his support for January 6 rioters. Martin, who also oversees Bondis DOJ weaponization group, is the departments pardon attorney. Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. open image in gallery Former FBI director James Comey ( AP ) Other people working in or with the group include COVID-19 vaccine mandate opponents and proponents of Trumps false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, according to a Reuters review of their social media accounts and public statements. A Justice Department spokesperson acknowledged that Bondi and Gabbard were ordered by Trump to undertake a review of alleged acts of weaponization by previous administrations but did not comment specifically on the Interagency Weaponization Working Groups activities. Reuters could not determine whether the group has powers to take any action or instruct agencies to act or if its role is more advisory. Russia probe and January 6 prosecutions were issues The source said ODNI official Paul McNamara was a leading figure in the interagency group. McNamara is a retired U.S. Marine officer and an aide to Gabbard. Two other sources said McNamara oversees Gabbards Directors Initiatives Group (DIG), as first reported by the Washington Post. He is among at least 10 ODNI officials associated with the interagency group, two documents show. McNamara did not respond to an email making a request for comment. Senators from both parties have already raised questions about the DIGs operations, with Republicans and Democrats approving a defense budget bill this month containing a measure requiring Gabbard to disclose the groups members, their roles and funding and how they received security clearances. The source recalled the group being told that the ODNI, which oversees the 18-agency U.S. intelligence community, had begun using what they called technical tools to search an unclassified communications network for evidence of the deep state and hoped to expand its search to classified networks known as the Secure Internet Protocol Router, or SIPRnet, and the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System, or JWICS. The ODNI official disputed this as inaccurate and not how the systems operate. Reuters could not obtain independent information about the tools. A "big pillar they pushed" at the interagency group, said the source, was purging officials involved in investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and in compiling a 2017 multi-agency U.S. intelligence assessment that determined Moscow attempted to sway the race to Trump. Gabbard said in July that the DIG had found documents showing former President Barack Obama ordered intelligence agencies to manufacture the 2017 assessment charges an Obama spokesperson rejected as bizarre. open image in gallery Former President Barack Obama ( AP ) The 2017 assessments conclusion was corroborated by a bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report released in August 2020 and by a review ordered earlier this year by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Another focus for the interagency group was retribution for the prosecution of the Jan. 6 rioters, said the source. Bondi tasked the DOJ Weaponization Working Group with reviewing the J6 prosecutions. Some of the documents seen by Reuters show that a smaller sub-set of employees from across the government have been convening on the topic. The Justice Department denied in its statement to Reuters that a separate January 6 group exists. Among other issues the source recalled being discussed were the Jeffrey Epstein files, the prosecutions of Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, and the possibility of stripping security clearances from transgender U.S. officials. Reuters could not independently confirm these were the subject of discussions. The White House official said the Epstein files have not been part of the conversation. The official also disputed Reuters characterization of what the working group has focused on. The senior ODNI official also denied the group discussed the Epstein files, revoking security clearance for transgender officials or Bannon and Navarros cases. Bannon did not respond to a request for comment. Navarro said his case was an example of Bidens weaponization of government. Many people involved have been devoted Trump backers The five documents pertaining to the interagency group indicate the involvement of at least 39 current and former officials from across the government. In one document written before a spring gathering of the interagency group, ODNI official Carolyn Rocco said she hoped participants could help each other understand current implications of past weaponization. Reuters could not determine Roccos position at the ODNI; the office only makes public the names of top officers. The source identified her as one of two former U.S. Air Force officers involved with the group who work for Gabbard and have been vocal opponents of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the military. Rocco signed a January 1, 2024, open letter pledging to seek court-martials for senior military commanders who made the shots mandatory for service members. Rocco did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Some people on the list Reuters compiled from the documents it reviewed related to the interagency group have amplified Trumps false election fraud claims. One is former West Virginia secretary of state Andrew McCoy Mac Warner, according to two documents. Now an attorney in the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, Warner alleged while running for West Virginia governor in 2023 that the CIA stole the 2020 election from Trump. Warner did not respond to a request for comment. Other names found in two of the documents include at least four White House officials, an aide to Vice President JD Vance, and at least seven Justice Department officials, including former FBI agent Jared Wise, who was prosecuted for joining the Jan. 6 assault and is now on Bondis DOJ weaponization group. Wise did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Two of the documents show the involvement of two CIA officers but Reuters could not determine what roles they may have played in the interagencygroup. The CIA is legally prohibited from conducting operations against Americans or inside the U.S. except under very limited and specific circumstances. The CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials from other federal agencies that have some involvement in the interagency working group, including the FCC, the FBI and the IRS, did not respond to requests for comment. The DOD did not respond to a request for comment. A DHS spokesperson said the agency is working with other federal departments to reverse the harm caused by the prior administration. 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 Lindsey Halligan, Trumps hand-picked prosecutor, reached out to a reporter about her coverage of New York Attorney General Letitia James indictment in what became a 33-hour exchange and then insisted the conversation was off the record. Last month, Trump tapped Halligan to serve as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after her predecessor resigned and reportedly found insufficient evidence to criminally prosecute James. Overseen by Halligan, James was accused earlier this month of making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a loan for a property she purchased in 2020. She has denied any wrongdoing. The New York Times then published an expose about James Norfolk, Virginia, home in question. Lawfare reporter Anna Bower tweeted screenshots of the article, which seemed to poke holes in the James indictment, and added her own commentary. In an unusual move, Halligan reached out to Bower through the encrypted app Signal. Prosecutors rarely discuss ongoing cases. Still, the pair went back-and-forth and at the end, Halligan insisted everything was off record. By the way - everything I ever sent you is off record. You're not a journalist so it's weird saying that but just letting you know, the prosecutor wrote, according to the exchange published by Lawfare. Lindsey Halligan is doing an outstanding job making Virginia safe again and wont be distracted by lazy reporting from a blogger uninterested in the facts, a Justice Department spokesperson told The Independent in a statement. open image in gallery Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-picked interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, reached out to a reporter to discuss her coverage of Letitia James indictment and then demanded the conversation was off record. ( AP ) The exchange began after Bower tweeted segments of a Times article that seemed to contradict parts of the indictment against James. The indictment accuses James of misrepresenting the purpose of the home; James sought a loan to use the property as a second residence, but she instead used it as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family, prosecutors say. The family member, the Times reported, testified to a separate grand jury in June that she had lived in the Norfolk home for years and hadnt paid rent. James makes regular visits to the residence, the paper reported. Bowers screenshotted these details, calling them important exculpatory evidence in tweets that caught Halligans attention. Halligan then reached out to Bower to tell her that her reporting was inaccurate. You are reporting things that are simply not true. Thought you should have a heads up, Halligan wrote. Bower then clarified that she was commenting on the Times reporting and asked if she wrote something inaccurate in one of her tweets. You're assuming exculpatory evidence without knowing what you're talking about. It's just bizarre to me. If you have any questions, before you report, feel free to reach out to me. But jumping to conclusions does your credibility no good, Halligan replied. Bower continued to ask what she could correct but needed to know specifics, noting she would be willing to retract her statements but I can't do that if I don't know what the supposed error is. Halligan told her to read the indictment, quoting where it states James had received thousands of dollars in rent. The reporter again asked for clarification: Though the indictment says there were thousands of dollars of rent paid *at one point,* I dont see that as inconsistent with her testimony as reported by the NY Times. The prosecutor replied: You're biased. Your reporting isn't accurate. I'm the one handling the case and I'm telling you that. If you want to twist and torture the facts to fit your narrative, there's nothing I can do. Waste to even give you a heads up. open image in gallery Prosecutors have accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of fraud and making false statement. She has denied any wrongdoing ( AP ) The following day, Bower reached out with additional questions about the case and other related media reports. Thats when Halligan demanded their exchange be off record. I'm sorry, but that's not how this works. You don't get to say that in retrospect, Bower shot back. Halligan pushed: Yes I do. Off record. Bower then said if she had asked, they could have spoken off the record and inquired whether Halligan had any comment for the story. It's obvious the whole convo is off record. There's disappearing messages and it's on signal, Halligan replied. What is your story? You never even told me about a story. The 36-year-old prosecutor has also overseen the indictment of another one of President Donald Trumps perceived political enemies: former FBI director James Comey. The indictment accuses him of making false statements and obstructing justice during congressional testimony he gave in September 2020. He has pleaded not guilty. This week, Comeys attorneys filed to dismiss the indictment against him. In part, they argued Halligan was invalidly appointed to serve in her post. She had no prosecutorial experience before being appointed to the role. Halligans predecessor had been appointed to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who, by law, can only serve 120 days. He exceeded the 120-day limit before resigning; if that 120-day limit expires, the district court is required to appoint a U.S. attorney to fill the vacancy, according to the law. Pam Bondi appointed her, but she lacked authority, the attorneys argued. Last month, Trump posted on Truth Social, in what was reportedly intended to be a private message to Bondi, complaining that nothing is being done against James, Comey, and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who are all guilty as hell. Editor's Note: This article was updated October 21 at 1:45pm EST to include a response from the Justice Department. 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 President Donald Trumps foreign policy appeared to be teetering on the brink of collapse as of Monday. Over the weekend, Israel launched strikes that killed at least 45 people and temporarily shut off aid to Gaza. A spokesperson for Israels military said that a terrorist had fired and killed two Israeli troops in Rafah on Sunday. Hamass armed wing insisted it did not know about the conflict in Rafah. But Israels hard-right minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order the IDF to fully resume combat in the Gaza Strip with maximum force. Meanwhile, Trumps Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are already dispatched to Israel, with a good chance that Vice President JD Vance might have to heard to the Middle East. Its a stunning turn of events when compared to last week, when Trump took a victory lap in Israel to celebrate the return of the final Israeli hostages. Even as the truce between Israel and Hamas looked fragile from the start, Trump began to make the case that the ceasefire legitimated him earning the Nobel Peace Prize he covets. President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives for a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 17, 2025 ( TOM BRENNER/AFP via Getty Images ) As the president said about health care back in his first presidency, nobody knew peace between Israel and Palestinians could be so complicated. The Middle East is not the only place bedeviling Trump. On Friday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It seemed like a chance for the president and Zelensky to continue repairing their relationship after Trump and Vance berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office in February. Zelensky has hoped that Trump would provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles to win its war against Russia. Trump has recently found himself frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures, Trump said he expected that Ukraine would make territorial concessions in its war against Russia. And then on Monday, during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trump again cast doubt on Ukraines ability to win the war. They could still win it, I don't think they will, he said. But they could still win it. I never said they would win it. I said they could win anything can happen. It should be noted that last week, Trump had a very productive call with Putin and said that they discussed the use of Tomahawk missiles. Of course, Trumps chat with Putin comes as Trump has attempted to salvage whatever hope he has of wrapping up the war in Ukraine after his in-person meeting with the Russian president in Alaska did not yield the results that he hoped. Trump regularly brags about how he has solved numerous wars, even going as far to say that his steep tariffs on other countries have stopped some other wars, a claim for which there is little substantiation. Hes also complained that he has had to finish wars that began under his predecessor Joe Biden, though, unlike his first presidency, he does not have to deal with wrapping up any major conflicts in which U.S. troops are directly involved, as was the case with the war in Afghanistan. Still, he finds finishing these long-term military engagements tedious and a distraction from his main focuses: consolidating power at home, clamping down on illegal and legal immigration alike as well as his trade wars. But while Trump has been able to wave a piece of paper and say that he has signed some preliminary trade agreements and hail them as major deals, hes learned the Middle East, as well as Putin does not cooperate the same way. Meanwhile, his approval numbers continue to drop and he has shown no interest in working with Democrats to reopen the government. Trump has learned that Hamas, Netanyahu, Putin and Zelensky are not the House Freedom Caucus, Mike Johnson or John Thune. They will not literally defend his worst impulses and contort themselves to please him. He will actually have to work hard to achieve his dreams of peace. 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 The White House is walking back President Donald Trumps plan for talks on ending the three-year-old Russian war against Ukraine just days after he claimed he would meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest next month. A White House official told The Independent there are no plans for a sit-down between Trump and Putin in the immediate future because Secretary of State Marco Rubio had conducted a productive call with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which made an in-person meeting between the two top diplomats not necessary. Trump later told reporters at a Diwali celebration late Tuesday that he did not want to have a wasted meeting or a waste of time but did not rule out a meeting in the future. Well see what happens, he said, adding later that there could be updates on a possible sit-down in the next two days. News of the scrapped meeting plans comes just days after what Trump described as a similarly productive call with Putin on the eve of last Fridays visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. At the time, Trump wrote on Truth Social that great progress was made in his push to end the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict and claimed he would meet with Putin in the Hungarian capital to discuss a peace settlement following a preparatory meeting between Rubio and Lavrov. News comes just days after Donald Trump claimed he would meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest next month ( Getty/EPA ) The choice of Budapest as a venue had raised questions because it was the same location as a 1994 conference at which Russia pledged not to invade Ukraine in exchange for Kyiv giving up nuclear weapons it had inherited after the fall of the Soviet Union. The venue was also potentially problematic because Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, though the Hungarian government was unlikely to cooperate with the warrant as it is in the process of leaving the court. Earlier in the day, Russia had admitted it has no idea when a highly-anticipated summit between Trump and Putin would take place. The two leaders last met in August in a hastily-arranged summit at Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting ended without any significant diplomatic breakthroughs, and Trump had in recent weeks grown more hawkish towards Russia in his comments about the ongoing war. But last weeks call with Putin and the subsequent sit-down with Zelensky the next day appeared to show Trump backtracking towards the reflexive pro-Russia stance he has taken since returning to office this past January. Zelensky arrived in Washington with hopes that Trump would authorize the transfer of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles that would allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russian territory. The Ukrainian leader had argued such strikes would help compel Putin to take Trumps calls for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war more seriously. Trump had told reporters traveling with him to Israel on Sunday that he had planned to discuss the Tomahawks with Putin as a way to pressure him to end the war. However, Trump did not authorize transfer of the cruise missiles and Zelensky left Washington empty-handed and has instead pushed for Putin and Zelensky to enact a ceasefire that would lock in the current lines of control after more than three years of war. Trumps position has attracted endorsements from European leaders, including the heads of government from the UK, France, Germany, Ukraine and the European Union, all of which issued a joint statement of support for the presidents plan. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the statement said. At the same time, the European leaders called to ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and defense industry until Putin is ready to make peace and to use the full value of Russias immobilized assets to fund more weapons for Ukraine. 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 Experts say a United Airlines jet whose windshield cracked open at 36,000 feet was likely hit by a weather balloon. The plane had originally taken off from an airport in Denver on Thursday night before making an emergency landing in Salt Lake City. Although investigators are still investigating how United Airlines 1093s windshield broke, John Dean, CEO and co-founder of WindBorne Systems, has claimed that one of his weather balloons is the culprit. "I think this was a WindBorne balloon," he said. "We learned about UA1093 and the potential that it was related to one of our balloons at 11 pm PT on Sunday and immediately looked into it. At 6 am PT, we sent our preliminary investigation to both NTSB and FAA, and are working with both of them to investigate further." The CEOs post on X replied to another social media user, who suggested that the bizarre marks on the front of the plane made it look as though it had been sandblasted. Here's what the operational part of the @WindBorneWx weather balloon looks like - they use sand as ballast, Scott Manley, a self-described Internet Rocket Scientist and a pilot, wrote. And here's the plane, I now understand why the paint on the window frame looks like it's been sand blasted. The investigation into the possible collision is ongoing. After deplaning in Salt Lake City, all passengers safely boarded a second flight to LAX. One pilot was treated for minor injuries after the incident. Although Dean says that his balloons are designed to not pose a risk to human life, he also said that he is not okay with the alleged collision causing the pilot's injury. A United Airlines plane was allegedly hit by a weather balloon at 36,000 feet, with the CEO of WindBorne Systems suggesting it may have been one of his companys devices ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Airplane windshields are designed with multiple layers, which allows them to sustain damage from debris, severe weather, or bird strikes while in the air. Last week, United Airlines gave The Independent a statement about the incident. On Thursday, United flight 1093 landed safely in Salt Lake City to address damage to its multilayered windshield, the statement read. We arranged for another aircraft to take customers to Los Angeles later that day and our maintenance team is working to return the aircraft to service. WindBorne Systems said that the collision occurred shortly after the company rolled out changes to minimize time spent between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. "We are working closely with the FAA on this matter, the spokesperson said. We immediately rolled out changes to minimize time spent between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. These changes are already live with immediate effect. Additionally, we are further accelerating our plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid planes, even if the planes are at a non-standard altitude. We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce impact force magnitude and concentration. Thousands of weather balloons are launched every day in various parts of the globe to help scientists monitor atmospheric conditions. Each balloon carries vital equipment that measures wind speed, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. According to the aerospace companys website, WindBorne Systems balloons are part of its mission to build a planetary nervous system that tracks the most immediately destructive aspects of climate change. The Independent has contacted United Airlines and John Dean. 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 retail bank employee in Australia has been granted the right to work from home all the time by the countrys workplace tribunal. The Fair Work Commission, whose decision on the case is being closely watched in Australia, ruled in favour of Karlene Chandler, who challenged her employer, Westpac, which said that she must work from a corporate office two days a week. Chandler is employed part-time in Westpacs mortgage business and has been with the bank for 23 years. The ruling said Westpac had allowed Chandler to work remotely, but reversed this earlier this year. A Westpac spokesperson said the bank was considering the commissions ruling, adding that its return to office policies were designed to ensure meaningful collaboration within teams while providing flexibility to work from home. Australias financial sector has been moving towards having staff back in the office more often than not, but the shift has been slow at retail banks, with hybrid working popular. Westpac is considering the commissions ruling after losing the tribunal ( AP ) Staff at investment banks are typically back more in the office than their retail banking counterparts. Chandler argued she lived out of Sydney and that travelling to a Westpac corporate office would take almost two hours. The commissions ruling said that Chandler was told by a Westpac manager that working from home is no substitution for childcare. The commission said there was no reasonable ground for Westpac to refuse Chandlers remote working request. The commission can allow appeals of its decisions. Reuters was unable to contact Chandler through the solicitor who represented her at the Fair Work Commission. 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 new report has now revealed the cause of the Lisbon funicular crash, which killed 16 people and injured 21 others. The official preliminary report, published on Monday, stated that a failed steel cable and maintenance flaws contributed to the derailment on Wednesday, September 3. All Lisbon trams have been ordered to be kept of service until safety checks are put in place, according to the BBC. The report advised that the braking systems need to be reviewed to assess whether they can stop the carriages if the cable fails - which had not been the case in the accident on the Gloria line. The century-old trams, a popular funicular attraction travelling steep hills in tandem, suffered one of Lisbon's worst recent tragedies. In the tragic incident, the tram hurtled down the hill before coming off the rails on a bend and smashing into a building, leaving the wooden cabin a crumpled wreckage. Police said that 11 of those killed were foreigners. Sixteen people died and 21 were injured in the crash ( AP Photo/Armando Franca ) The Office for Air and Rail Accident Prevention and Investigation, a government body, said in the report the underground steel haulage cable which connected the two cars and balanced out their weight, wasn't strong enough for the job. It wasn't certified for public transport nor installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, according to the report. The cable had been in use for less than a year. The investigation identified five instances when the maintenance program referred to "non-existent, inapplicable or outdated standards," the report said. After the cable broke, safety systems cut power to the tram, meaning that the pneumatic brake no longer worked and the manual brake wasn't strong enough to stop the car hurtling down the hill. The preliminary report is not intended to determine liability or establish blame, the investigating body said. A fuller and more detailed final report resulting from closer analysis of the accident is expected next year. 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 Law enforcement often catch thieves like the robbers who stole crown jewels from the Louvre but cops struggle to recover the priceless goods, police and art experts say. Only a small number of criminals would be capable of a job like Sunday's audacious robbery in Paris, and they may already be known to police, the specialists say. But the objects themselves could be quickly broken down into component parts and sold on, making it extremely difficult to recover them. "If I steal a Van Gogh, it's a Van Gogh. I can't dispose of it through any other channel than an illicit art market," Marc Balcells, a Barcelona-based expert in crimes against cultural heritage, said. "But when I am stealing ... jewellery, I can move it through an illicit market as precious stones." A French Forensics Officer examines the cut window and balcony of a gallery at the Louvre Museum after a robbery at the world famous museum ( Kiran Ridley/Getty Images ) The brazen heist of crown jewels from the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, has been decried by some as a national humiliation and sparked security checks across France's multitude of cultural sites. "If you target the Louvre, the most important museum in the world, and then get away with the French crown jewels, something was wrong with security," said art investigator Arthur Brand. "It's one of the biggest manhunts in French history." Officials at the Louvre, home to artworks such as the Mona Lisa, had in fact already sounded the alarm about lack of investment. And at least four French museums have been robbed in the last two months, including gold stolen from the Natural History Museum in Paris, according to media reports. Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, which tracks stolen art, said such museum heists were on the rise across Europe and further afield. He cited cases in the Netherlands, France, Egypt. "If you have jewels or gold in your collections, you need to be worried," Marinello said. WHODUNNIT? Paris prosecutors have entrusted the investigation to a specialised Paris police unit known as the BRB, which is used to dealing with high-profile robberies. Former cop Pascal Szkudlara, who served in the unit, said the BRB handled the 2016 Kim Kardashian probe, when Paris thieves stole her $4 million engagement ring, as well as a recent spate of kidnappings of wealthy crypto bosses. He said the BRB has about 100 agents, with over a dozen specialised in museum thefts. Investigators will look at video footage, telephone records, and forensic evidence, while informants will also be activated. "They can have teams working on it 24/7 and for a long period," Szkudlara said, expressing "100%" confidence the thieves would be caught. Police will be poring over security footage going back weeks, looking to identify suspicious people casing out the joint, Brand said. Corinne Chartrelle, a cop who previously worked at the French Police's Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property, said the jewels could feasibly end up in a global diamond centre like Antwerp where there "are probably people who aren't too concerned about the origin of the items." The diamonds could also be cut into smaller stones and the gold melted down, leaving buyers unaware of their provenance. If the thieves feel the net closing, they could chuck or destroy the loot altogether. Police are clearly in a race against time. "Once they're been cut into smaller jewels, the deed is done. It's over. We'll never see these pieces again intact," said Marinello. "It's a very small percentage, recovering stolen artworks. When it comes to jewellery, that percentage is even less." Any theory about the objects being ordered up by a mysterious buyer was laughable, said Brand. "That's unheard of," he said. "You only see it in Hollywood movies." Cultural authorities across Europe will be looking at how to better secure museums at a time of tight public finances. Brand said it was impossible to properly safeguard a museum, so the best thing was to slow down the time it takes to steal objects and escape, giving police longer to respond by making windows thicker or adding more doors. "They know they have only five, six minutes to get away with it because after six minutes, the police show up. So if they go into a museum ... and they find out that it takes more than six, seven, eight minutes, they will not do it," he said. Finland's National Gallery Director General Kimmo Leva said financial realities meant tough decisions. "A tightening everyday economy is, naturally, not the best basis for making the investments needed to mitigate potential threats," Leva 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 France's Culture Minister has insisted that the Louvre's security system functioned "properly" during a weekend heist that saw priceless Napoleonic jewels stolen from the world-renowned museum. The audacious theft, which occurred on Sunday morning, involved thieves using a basket lift to scale the Louvre's facade, forcing a window, and smashing display cases before making off with the historic treasures. This incident has naturally raised significant questions regarding the museum's security protocols and the potential failure of its surveillance cameras. Addressing lawmakers in the National Assembly, Minister Rachida Dati insisted: "The Louvre museums security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact... The Louvre museums security apparatus worked." She confirmed the launch of an administrative inquiry, alongside a police investigation, to ensure full transparency. However, Ms Dati provided no explanation as to how the thieves executed the robbery if the security cameras were indeed operational. Soldiers patrol as people queue to enter the Louvre museum that remains closed for the day after Sunday's jewels robbery. ( AFP via Getty Images ) But she described it as a painful blow for the nation. The robbery was a wound for all of us," she said. "Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the worlds largest museum. Its a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony. On Monday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the museum's alarm was triggered as the window of the Apollo Gallery was forced. Police officers arrived on site two or three minutes after they were called by an individual that witnessed the scene, he said on LCI television. Officials said the heist lasted less than eight minutes in total, including less than four minutes inside the Louvre. Nunez did not disclose details about video surveillance cameras that may have filmed the thieves around and in the museum pending a police investigation. There are cameras all around the Louvre, he said. Sundays theft focused on the gilded Apollo Gallery, where the Crown Diamonds are displayed. Alarms brought Louvre agents to the room, forcing the intruders to bolt, but the robbery was already over. Eight objects were taken, according to officials: a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonapartes second wife; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugenies diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch, a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble. 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 Nicolas Sarkozy shared a last kiss with wife Carla Bruni as he left home to begin his five-year jail sentence on Tuesday, marking a stunning downfall for the former French president. The conservative politician was convicted last month for his role in a conspiracy to illegally raise campaign funds from Libya. Sarkozy is the first former French leader to be jailed since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Petain after the Second World War. Before his arrival at the prison, he was seen leaving his home hand-in-hand with Ms Bruni. He was greeted by a crowd of supporters chanting his name and singing La Marseillaise. Shortly after, he published a message on X, claiming he was a victim of revenge and hatred. I want to tell [French people], with the unshakable strength that is mine, that it is not a former president of the Republic who is being imprisoned this morning it is an innocent man, he said. I am very proud of him, proud that he is going to prison with his head held high, and absolutely convinced of his innocence, his brother, Guillaume Sarkozy, told BFM TV. He was among relatives and supporters who cheered the former president on his way to jail. open image in gallery Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy ( Reuters ) Sebastien Cauwel, who heads up the high-profile La Sante prison in Paris where Sarkozy will be jailed, said the former president would be held in isolation. He will be able to access the exercise yard on his own, twice a day, he will have access to an activities room while on his own and he will be alone when inside his prison cell, Mr Cauwel told RTL Radio. Access to TV, landline and private shower Sarkozys conviction capped years of legal battles over allegations that his 2007 campaign took millions in cash from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was later overthrown and killed during the Arab Spring uprisings. While Sarkozy was found guilty of conspiring with close aides to orchestrate the scheme, he was acquitted of personally receiving or using the funds. open image in gallery Nicolas Sarkozy, with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, leaving his home to present himself to La Sante prison ( AFP/Getty ) He has consistently denied wrongdoing and called the case politically motivated, saying judges were seeking to humiliate him. He has appealed, but the nature of his sentence means he must go to jail as his appeal process plays out. Im not afraid of prison. Ill keep my head held high, including at the prison gates, Sarkozy told La Tribune Dimanche newspaper ahead of his incarceration. The former president has already been convicted in a separate corruption case, in which he was found guilty of trying to obtain confidential information from a judge in return for career favours, serving that sentence by wearing an electronic tag around the ankle. Sarkozys isolation unit at La Sante prison in Paris, which in the past has held leftist militant Carlos the Jackal and Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, features inmates who are housed in single cells and kept apart during outdoor activities for security reasons. open image in gallery French police secure the area near La Sante prison ( Reuters ) Conditions are similar to the rest of the prison: cells measure 9-12sqm (100-130sqft) and, following renovations, now include private showers. Sarkozy will have access to a television for a monthly fee of 14 euros ($16) and a landline telephone. The Count of Monte Cristo on reading list Sarkozys lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois told Franceinfo radio that Sarkozy was getting ready for prison by bringing along jumpers and earplugs. He has put together a few bags in which he has put some pullovers as prisons can be cold and some earplugs as there could also be a lot of noise, said Mr Darrois. Sarkozy had also told Le Figaro he would take three books for his first week behind bars, including Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo the story of a man unjustly imprisoned who plots his revenge against those who betrayed him. The decision to jail a former president has sparked outrage among Sarkozys political allies and the far right. open image in gallery A supporter of Nicolas Sarkozy pictured at a protest ( Reuters ) However, the ruling reflects a shift in Frances approach to white-collar crime, following reforms introduced under a previous Socialist government. In the 1990s and 2000s, many convicted politicians avoided prison altogether. To counter perceptions of impunity, French judges are increasingly issuing provisional execution orders requiring sentences to begin immediately, even as appeals are pending legal experts and politicians told Reuters. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for office under the same provisional execution provision, pending an appeal early next year. According to a 1 October Elabe poll for BFM TV, 58 per cent of French respondents believe the verdict was impartial, and 61 per cent support the decision to send Sarkozy to jail without waiting for the appeal. President Emmanuel Macron, who had warm relations with Sarkozy and his wife, said on Monday he had met Sarkozy ahead of his incarceration. Justice minister Gerald Darmanin, who is close to Sarkozy, told France Inter radio he would go and visit the former president. 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 former Satanist and occultist is among seven people made a new saint by Pope Leo XIV. Bartolo Longo was canonised during a ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday alongside a layman killed in 1945 for advocating monogamous marriage. About 70,000 people attended the announcement as portraits of the seven saints were unfurled from windows over the square. The first US pope walked out from St Peters Basilica dressed in ceremonial white cassock with a mitre on his head. open image in gallery A portrait of former Satanic priest Bartolo Longo ( REUTERS ) Today we have before us seven witnesses, the new Saints, who, with God's grace, kept the lamp of faith burning," Leo said at the Vatican. May their intercession assist us in our trials and their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness. Longo, was was born in 1841 and died in 1926, was ordained as a Satanic priest before later re-converting to Catholicism. Longo was born to parents who were devout Catholics. His father died in 1851 and his mother remarried a lawyer. Longo went on to study law in 1961 at the University of Naples. open image in gallery The Pope announced the new saints in the Vatican on Sunday ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) During Longos time at university, the Church in Europe was competing with popularity for spiritualism and occultism, meaning many students took part in public demonstrations against the pope and believed in witchcraft. After some study and several spiritual experiences Longo was ordained as a Satanist. A decade later, Longo had renounced spiritualism and became a Dominican tertiary, taking the name Rosario in 1871. He rejoined Catholicism and went on to found the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii. open image in gallery Tens of thousands of people turned out to witness the announcement, with portraits of the saints hanging high ( Reuters ) In 1873 Longo began restoring a dilapidated church and sponsored a festival in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary. Alleged miracles began to be reported and Longo promoted the rosary until his death at age 85 in 1926. Throughout his life, Longo advocated for social justice. He founded schools, orphanages and charitable institutions. In particular, he focused on the children of prisoners as he believed in the power of education and mercy to transform lives. Another notable new saint was Peter To Rot, born 1912 and who died in 1945, a lay catechist in Papua New Guinea who was martyred during the Japanese occupation in World War II. To Rot was left in charge of the village after its Catholic priest was taken to a Japanese labour camp. Despite Japanese oppression, To Rot worked in secret to keep the faith. He ultimately was arrested and sent to a manual labor camp before he was killed by lethal injection for his martyrism of the Catholic faith. The other new saints include Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan (1869-1915), Jose Gregoria Hernandez (1864-1919), Maria Troncatti (1883-1969), Maria del Carmen Rendiles Martinez (1903-1977) and Vincenza Maria Poloni (1802-1855). 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 What a relief that Vladimir Putin is more of a bully than a strategist. Had he been as savvy as Benjamin Netanyahu, he would have suckered the US president into backing a ceasefire that meant a victory and impunity. Instead the White House has announced that planned talks between Donald Trump and Putin to be held in Budapest are off. They were cancelled after the US president said that the current front lines should be frozen as part of an immediate ceasefire. Putin had reason to believe that hed renewed backing from the US president for his demand that Ukraine must hand over more territory than Russia has already stolen as part of a deal to stop the shooting because Trump had earlier said as much. But now that the Europeans and the UK have made it clear that, alongside Ukraine, a ceasefire can only happen where the fighting actually is going on at the moment, Putin has decided to snub the summit in the Hungarian capital, which had been expected in the next few weeks. According to the Bloomberg news agency, there are now plans for a European proposal modelled on the Trump-inspired Gaza plan, which would give him the chair of a peace board to oversee a ceasefire. open image in gallery Ukrainian servicemen ride a military buggy, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in the Donetsk region ( Reuters ) Ukraine has long agreed up front to an immediate end to fighting and then progress to longer-term peace talks. Some experts, like Field Marshal David Richards, believe that Ukraine cannot defeat Russia, which has captured about 20 per cent of its territory in the east, while Putin has been indicted for war crimes. Ukraine may now be tilting towards accepting this as a long-term status quo, but maintaining its legal claims to territories that Moscow has already illegally annexed. Kyiv would only do so if it had cast-iron security guarantees. In Budapest, if Putin had turned up, he may have been able to persuade Trump that eastern Ukraine is naturally part of Russia because it was won at war, and because its population mostly speak Russian. Steve Witkoff, Trumps guileless and clueless envoy to the Middle East and Russia, has repeatedly accepted this canard. Trump described Netanyahus destruction of Gaza as a victory and claimed he had brought peace to the Middle East after 3,000 years. Israel and the Palestinians have been in conflict only since 1947, but global leaders have allowed Trump to bask in false glory because the slaughter in Gaza has, mostly, stopped. Leaders like Keir Starmer seem to have forgotten that Netanyahu is also under indictment for war crimes. But Putin cannot enjoy Netanyahus benefits now. He cannot even get a pause in the fighting to be used as a breather and an opportunity to rearm and replenish his forces before forging on into the parts of the Donbas and other regions that he still covets in Ukraine. open image in gallery Trump may now even agree to sell Tomahawk missiles for use by Ukraine in an effort to force Putin back into talks ( AP ) Ukraine, Canada, the European Union and the UK are now trying desperately to cement Trumps support for their scheme because it is seen as the least bad outcome for Kyiv. Trump may now even agree to sell Tomahawk missiles for use by Ukraine for deep strikes against Russia in an effort to force Putin back into talks that are less obviously favourable to the Kremlin. But while Ukraine is not winning the war, it isnt, as president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, losing either. On visits to the front lines near Kramatorsk and Zaporizhzhia, it is clear that Russias advances are being bought at a gigantic human cost to Putins motherland. Drone warfare has taken the edge off its ability to send thousands of men against machine guns into meat grinder assaults. Some 40 per cent of Russias economy is dedicated to the war effort, it is staggering under the weight of economic sanctions, and could be further hobbled by stopping fuel imports from Moscow to Hungary and Slovenia. open image in gallery President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on 17 October ( AFP/Getty ) Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire because it would only do so if there are clear and real signs that other nations are going to genuinely protect Kyiv against further Russian attacks. Doing so would be a massive undertaking that would absorb the 100m that the UK has pledged for a future security force in a few days. To keep Russia out of more of Ukraine, and out of the other parts of Eastern Europe that Putin wants back under Moscows yoke, would take the sort of total effort that Lord Richards says Europe cannot manage. It might be cheaper to actually help Ukraine defeat Russia outright by giving it the total support it needs to make war, not secure peace. Russias forces in Ukraine are poorly motivated and badly led. But they are learning the art of drone warfare fast and will have an understanding that eclipses any other nation in the world on how to make war in the 21st century, other than Ukraine. Their command structures are weak. Ukraine has shown it can break its logistics chains with deep strikes against Moscow. Russias forces can be collapsed in the Donbas, and if a defeated Russian army went home and toppled the dictator that sent them to kill their neighbours, that would be a worthwhile second-order effect of actually giving Ukraine the means to avoid a ceasefire until it is free of invaders. Soldiers here are exhausted and tired. Many are avoiding military service and would be relieved by a ceasefire now. None believe it would end their war, or protect Europe any more than Trump has brought peace to the Middle East. 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 Russia launched a blistering assault on Ukraine overnight, killing at least six people and injuring 35. Some 430 drones and 18 missiles targeted the country, Ukraines president said, calling the strikes a deliberate and calculated attack aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure. Ukraines air force said most of the drones and missiles were shot down, but officials said falling debris and fires damaged high-rise apartments, a school, a medical facility and administrative buildings across nine districts in the city of about three million. "At that moment you don't know what to do first: save yourself, your child, or run to help people, because so many people were screaming and needed help," said Anastasia, 29, whose apartment block was hit. The attacks came just two days after Russias foreign ministry indicated it was ready to resume direct talks with Ukraine on ending the war in Istanbul. An official told TASS the ball is in Ukraines court. Russia continues to escalate its strikes on Ukraine while coordinating its messaging to present a show of good faith to the United States. Nearly four years since the invasion, the Kremlin maintains its maximalist designs on Ukraine. Zelensky said that Ukraine was responding to the strikes with long-range strength, and called for greater sanctions to be imposed on Russia. open image in gallery The overnight attacks hit residential buildings, despite Russias insistence it does not target civilians ( AFP/Getty ) Russia has waged a devastating aerial campaign against Ukraine since its all-out invasion of its neighbour nearly four years ago. US-led diplomatic efforts this year to stop the fighting have so far come to nothing. Friday's aerial assault, which also targeted Odesa in the south and Kharkiv in the northeast, was mostly aimed at Kyiv, where drones and missiles smashed into high-rise apartment blocks, according to Zelensky. Mariia Kalchenko said it was a miracle she survived after her building was hit. "I didn't hear anything, I just realised that my hair was on fire," the 46-year-old volunteer rescue dog handler said. In the Odesa region, Russian drones struck a busy street on market day in Chornomorsk, killing two people and injuring 11 others, including a 19-month-old girl, regional military administration chief Oleh Kiper said. Moscow denies targeting civilian areas, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying Friday it carried out an overnight strike on Ukraine's "military-industrial and energy facilities." Analysts nevertheless accuse Russia of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in order to wound morale. open image in gallery Eight of the capital's 10 districts reported damage. Emergency crews fought fires in apartment blocks, debris from explosions was strewn across yards and cars parked in the streets were set ablaze ( Reuters ) Natia Seskuria, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said that the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure was a central element of Russias strategy, designed to terrorise the Ukrainian population and erode public morale. The underlying calculation is that a war-weary society subjected to sustained attacks might exert pressure on the government to accept almost any settlement that promises an end to hostilities, she told The Independent. Thus far, however, this strategy has proven ineffective, as Ukrainians have demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination in the face of ongoing aggression. Fridays attack was the biggest on Kyiv in almost three weeks. Most recent Russian aerial attacks have aimed at electricity infrastructure around the country ahead of the bitter winter months. With no sign of the war abating, millions of Ukrainians face one of the harshest winters in years as humanitarian organisations scramble to deliver essentials to the frontlines and affected areas. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned on Friday that people whose livelihoods have been destroyed by the war are entering the winter with no financial buffer to support themselves. open image in gallery At least six people were killed in the strikes overnight, Ukrainian officials said ( Reuters ) Frequent power cuts continue to plunge neighbourhoods into darkness, cut heating and force hospitals to use emergency power. For older people and vulnerable people in high-rise buildings, blackouts can mean hours or days of isolation without elevators, heat, and often without food or medicine, the IFRC warned. Almost four years of conflict have eroded peoples resources. Many families are entering this winter with no financial buffer seven out of ten people said they dont have any savings left, said Jaime Wah, Deputy Head of Delegation for IFRC in Ukraine. We have been providing support to people for several years, but our resources are also running thin, Wah added. The scale of the needs is overwhelming, and with each passing day, those needs only grow. Keir Giles, a fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, told The Independent that Moscows attacks are designed to cause the maximum possible misery and suffering among the civilian population. Thats the principle we saw applied in Syria, in Chechnya and in countless others of Moscows wars dating back decades and centuries, he said. Mr Giles said Ukraine was the victim of Russias attempts to demoralise its victims through inhumanity. Thats the reason for attacks on maternity hospitals, and nurseries, targeting the most vulnerable in society, as well as for the systematic torture and starvation of Ukrainian military and civilian captives not for any objective purpose other than deliberate and demonstrative cruelty. These attacks continue despite Russias insistence that it is open to talks moving towards a ceasefire. open image in gallery ( Reuters ) Foreign ministry official Alexei Polishchuk said on Wednesday that Russia was ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. No face-to-face talks have taken place between the two sides since they met in the Turkish city on July 23. Overtures towards peace come after a proposed summit between Russias Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump broke down in October, reportedly over Moscows intransigence over its demands. The two leaders have not met since August, when a summit held in Alaska failed to produce a deal. Mr Trump said the meeting was very productive, but the diplomatic push to end the war has yet to yield any results. 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 A Mexican restaurant in New York City is raising eyebrows among locals over its controversial name. Whitexicans, in Queens, have been the subject of a social media outcry over what some said could be considered racist terminology amid the Trump administrations immigration crackdowns. But the restaurants Colombian owners have insisted the name is satire and chosen as a positive response to the political climate in the country. Mateo Gomez Bermudez and Manuela Mesa, who own Whitexicans together, said they wanted the space to feel safe, inclusive for everyone, no matter your race, your nationality, or your status. Whitexicans, the meaning for us is that everybody belongs here, Gomez Bermudez told The Gothamist. We don't care who you are, your sexuality, your gender, your race, or anything. The Jackson Heights restaurant has responded to criticism ( Google Street View ) Used as pejorative slang, the word Whitexicans can refer to privileged, light-skinned Mexicans who enjoy significant social and educational advantages. The name has caused a stir on social media, with some accusing the owners of ignorance and using the controversial term for marketing. Cristina Furlong, a community activist and co-founder of the group Make Queens Safer, warned it could come across badly amid heightened immigration enforcement and people self-deporting. Its very stressful in America right now to live under the Trump administration and live with such fear that our community is going to be threatened by ICE coming in, Furlong said in an interview, according to The Gothamist. Its just not nice or kind to joke about what some people consider racist terminology. She isnt the only one. Posts on Facebook and Reddit have attracted hundreds of comments, with one writing: This has to be a joke..is this a gentrified Taco Bell?. Is it intended this way? It seems like such a dangerous name in todays culture lol, another commented. Another wrote: Im not sure it is racism, but what a stupid name neverthelessmarketing/branding 101. Gomez Bermudez has responded to the criticisms at length on social media, saying he knew the name would cause a stir but that he wanted to give a strong message. The name Whitexicans is a satire due to everything that is happening socially and we want to stand inclusion and send a message to the community that we are all the same, he wrote on Facebook. I know the name is very strong the meaning and the design, are totally different we are a business about inclusion and will show you pictures of what is coming to the neighborhood this is a latino owned business who loves the community and wants to give back, with some humor but with a strong message. Gomez Bermudez said he was also aware the sign would put eyes on the eatery. When I see people driving, they start taking pictures, Gomez Bermudez said. They laugh. Some people ask, why the name? That gives you a little bit of marketing, too. Co-owner Manuela Mesa pointed out the All humans are legal sign that welcomes diners as they enter the restaurant. Whitexicans is love, Mesa told The Gothamist. Whitexicans is inclusion. The Independent has contacted Whitexicans for comment. 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 The British army will send a senior commander and a small number of troops to support Gaza ceasefire enforcement efforts led by the US, the defence ministry has said. Attempts to stabilise a fragile ceasefire have been stepped up by mediators, including the US, Egypt and Qatar, as they look to push forward US president Donald Trumps 20-point plan. A small number of UK planning officers have joined the Civil-Military Coordination Centre, or CMCC, including a two-star officer who will assume the role of deputy commander, Mr Healey told business leaders at an event in London, according to Sky News. The UK defence ministry said in a statement that the deployment would ensure the UK remained involved in US-led plans for a post-conflict settlement in Gaza. open image in gallery Jonathan Healey said the UKs specialist skills have been offered to contribute to ceasefire efforts ( Aaron Chown/PA ) Mr Healey said the UK has specialist experience and skills that we have offered to contribute, and that while the UK will contribute, efforts will be led by others. We have also, in response to the American request, put a first-rate two-star officer into a civilian-military command, as the deputy commander, he added. So Britain will play an anchor role, contribute the specialist experience and skills where we can. We dont expect to be leading... but we will play our part. The US has said it will provide up to 200 troops to support CMCC, but they will not be actively deployed into Gaza itself. The CMCC will be introduced to ensure security in Gaza, although its composition and legal status are yet to be agreed. US officials have said they are also speaking to Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute. There are growing concerns about the ceasefire , which over the weekend appeared at risk of collapse when the Israeli military unleashed a wave of military strikes across Gaza, killing dozens, as both sides accused each other of breaching the terms of the truce. Washington has sent US officials to Gaza as they look to progress the ceasefire deal, which Israel and Mr Trump said had been resumed on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, the US president again warned Hamas to do what is right and thanked the countries that are assisting with ceasefire enforcement. He said in a post on Truth Social: If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help. open image in gallery US vice-president JD Vance speaks to the media as Jared Kushner looks on, in Kiryat Gat, Israel, on Tuesday ( AP ) US vice-president JD Vance landed in Israel for a two-day visit. In a press conference on Tuesday, he reiterated Mr Trumps warning a day earlier that Hamas needs to behave or face severe repercussions. He also claimed the implementation of the ceasefire was going better than expected and that the Israeli government had been remarkably helpful. The vice-president urged a little bit of patience over Hamass return of the remaining dead hostages bodies in Gaza, adding that the bodies have proven difficult to locate. Hamas handed over the bodies of two more deceased hostages on Tuesday evening, and they have now crossed the border back into Israel. Israel said the two were Aryeh Zalmanovich, who was 85 at the time of his 2023 death and abducted from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz before being killed in captivity, and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar, a member of Nir Ozs security team who was killed during the 7 October attack at the age of 38. Their return means Hamas has handed back 15 of the 28 deceased captives and hostages, bringing the number remaining in Gaza down to 13. Mr Vance downplayed suggestions that he had rushed to Israel in order to keep the ceasefire in place, adding that he feels confident that were going to be in a place where this peace lasts. He is expected to stay in the region until Thursday and meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. Jared Kushner, Mr Trumps son-in-law and one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, who is also in Israel, noted the complexity of the agreement. Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture, he said in the press conference. US secretary of state Marco Rubio plans to travel to Israel later this week or over the weekend, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing US and Israeli officials. 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 The anti-Hamas Palestinian militiamen, speaking from behind Israeli lines in Gaza, have a message for the militants and for the world. We are the sons of Gaza, and young men against Hamas; now is the time to cleanse Hamas from Gaza. Abu Awad, a commander and spokesperson for Popular Forces, is talking from eastern Rafah, southern Gaza, an area occupied by Israeli forces near the border with Egypt. Less than 10km away, Hossam al-Astal is running a different armed faction called the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force, also behind Israeli lines, this time in the east of Gaza. He tells The Independent he is already in touch with the Trump administration about post-war Gaza, and wants to work with Tony Blair. Today, were the ones who are there with credibility, he says. We are determined and capable. In the near future, it will be us, not Hamas. These anti-Hamas militias, allied but part of separate fiefdoms, are two of multiple factions set up after the start of war in October 2023 that have since been accused of being armed, funded or supported by Israel. They are now located within the yellow zone: an area Israeli forces withdrew to and control as part of a Donald Trumpbrokered truce deal, but which makes up more than half of the destroyed Strip. Both groups deny accusations of collaborating with Israel, but say they are coordinating to maintain a presence behind their lines. As violence within Gaza has soared, they are eager to broadcast similar messaging: Hamas, wrestling to take back control of the Strip, they claim, is on its way out. Internal violence soars in Gaza amid famine, destruction After two years of Israels unprecedented bombardment and siege of Gaza which has killed over 67,000 people according to local officials and destroyed swathes of land pressure on pre-existing divisions within its society has reached breaking point. As famine and desperation has set in, the looting of aid, theft and violent activity by gangs, clans and armed groups became widespread. In tandem, anger against Hamas, which led the bloody 7 October attacks on southern Israel killing over 1,000 people and triggering Israels latest deadly offensive has also grown. Battles between Hamas and its rivals have surged. Such violence has only escalated in the euphoric aftermath of Trumps ceasefire deal. Since then, clashes have erupted as Hamas have emerged from their tunnels to wrestle back control of areas where the Israeli military has withdrawn. Over two years, hundreds of Palestinians have died as a result. open image in gallery Hossam al-Astal, leader of the anti-Hamas Counter-Terrorism Strike Force, poses with armed militia fighters ( Facebook ) In fact, since October 2023, researchers from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (Acled) say they have recorded more than 245 violent incidents between Palestinians, separate from the war with Israel, which have resulted in around 400 Palestinian deaths. Among them were police officers, clan members and gang leaders, looters, anti-Hamas activists, alleged collaborators, and merchants accused of profiteering. Acled, which recently published a new report, says nearly half of these violent events involve Hamass Sahm (meaning arrow) and Radea (meaning deterrence) police units, which were formed in 2024 and, according to their social media pages, are tasked with hunting down alleged collaborators and outlaws. One of their chief targets, according to Acleds data, is the Popular Forces factions and their allies in the east and north of Gaza. open image in gallery An image reportedly showing Popular Forces militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab directing aid in south Gaza ( Facebook ) Who are the anti-Hamas militias? The Popular Forces were formed by the nebulous militiaman Yasser Abu Shabab, who hails from the prominent Tarabin Bedouin tribe and who was reportedly in Hamass jails for drug smuggling when the war broke out in October 2023. Speaking to The Independent from inside Rafah, Popular Forces spokesperson Abu Awad claims this group now has 5,000 men, without providing any evidence. There have been multiple reports including in Israeli media of their forces looting aid, getting Israeli support, and then apparently manning controversial Israeli-run aid distribution sites. Abu Awad dismisses the accusations as Hamas propaganda, claiming only to have indirect contact with the Israelis through Arab mediators. We have five times the soldiers of Hamas and we are ready to attack: we will send them and their family members to hell, he adds ominously. East of Khan Younis, again behind Israels military-controlled yellow line, is Hossam al-Astal, who says he is in touch with the Trump administration and wants to work with Blair, who has been tapped up by the US president to oversee a transitional period of the destroyed enclave. Until 2015, Al-Astal was a security official with Hamass rival, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and intermittently in exile. He says he returned to Gaza in 2021 but Hamas jailed him for two years and sentenced him to death for allegedly being a collaborator, which he denies. After initially being linked to the Al-Majaydah clan which has opposed Hamas in Khan Younis he launched the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force to the east of the city. We are the new administration of Gaza, he says, sharing videos of himself handing out sweets to children in his area, where he says 70 families now live, presumably side-by-side with Israeli soldiers. open image in gallery Hossam al-Astal hands out sweets to children east of Khan Younis behind Israels withdrawal line ( Hossam Al-Astal ) Theres communication between us and the Trump administration, he adds, claiming he is also in touch with troops that will make up the International Stabilisation Force slated to take over security of the Strip in Trumps plan. We love and would like to cooperate with Tony Blair and Donald Trump and anyone who calls for peace. We are with peace. A third faction in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza also within the yellow line is an apparent offshoot of the Popular Forces, formed by another figure called Ashraf al-Mansi. Sky News recently published footage it verified, allegedly showing al-Mansis north Gaza faction apparently driving supplies from an Israeli base. Hamas, Gazas clans and soaring violence As Trump declared a new dawn for the Middle East in Jerusalem earlier this month, in Gaza disturbing footage started to emerge apparently showing summary executions by Hamas against members of a clan. Gaza has dozens of these clans which is a loose translation of the Arabic word hamula. Over the last two years, Acled has recorded battles between Hamas and members of the Abu Samra clan in the central Deir al-Balah region, the Hellis clan in the Shejaia neighbourhoods of Gaza City, and in the east with the Al-Majaydah clan around Khan Younis, which Al-Astal says he was originally helping. In the most recent bloody and murky battle just over a week ago, medical sources said at least 27 people, including Palestinian citizen-journalist Saleh al-Jafawari, were killed in a fight between Hamas and members of the Doghmush clan, who are based in the Sabra district of Gaza City.Doghmush family members have a chequered history: some were part of Jaysh al-Islam, which kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston in 2007. Disturbing videos were later posted online showing masked militants publicly shooting seven men identified as Doghmush members, who were bound, blindfolded and kneeling, while crowds cheered. The posts, shared on Sahm-affiliated Telegram accounts, accuse the men of collaborating with Israel: an allegation the Doghmush family vehemently denies. In a statement, the family said 700 of their members had died defending Gaza and that they had stood firm in the face of Israeli aggression. They called an emergency meeting of other clans to discuss the violence. open image in gallery This image grab from a video released by the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV's Telegram channel on 13 October 2025, shows armed Hamas fighters standing behind blindfolded, bound and kneeling men in Gaza City ( Al-Aqsa TV/AFP/Getty ) In separate footage, masked Hamas police units are seen shooting men they accuse of being looters and collaborators in the legs and breaking limbs, as the victims scream. This is the path of every traitor to the homeland and to religion, reads one post. The Trump administration weighed in, with the State Department saying on X/Twitter that they had credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza. Without going into detail, the warning coincided with Sundays expiry of an amnesty Hamas announced last week to criminal gangs and armed groups to hand themselves in. Hamas said the US claims were prompted by misleading Israeli propaganda. They defended their bloody crackdown as their national duty and instead accused Israel of forming, arming and funding criminal gangs that have carried out killings, kidnappings, theft of aid trucks, and robberies against Palestinian civilians. open image in gallery Hamas fighters secure an area before handing over an Israeli-American hostage to a Red Cross team in Gaza City in February ( AFP/Getty ) How did we get here? The Israeli military has been quick to utilise this internal violence to portray Hamas as the new Isis. The Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani even shared the graphic video of the Doghmush execution on X, declaring, This is Hamas. But experts warn that some of the violence has been engineered by the Israelis, who benefit from a weakened Hamas and Palestinian factions tearing each other apart. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a social media video in June that Israel had deliberately activated clans in Gaza to oppose Hamas. Acleds report also points to the breakdown in security being in part due to Israels aim to weaken Hamas civil authorities responsible for managing daily life. Since the start of the war, Acled has recorded nearly 100 Israeli airstrike events targeting individuals and facilities linked to Hamass governance, municipalities, police forces and judiciary. It also says the military has continued to target Hamass police officers, including those tasked with securing aid convoys and preventing looting. open image in gallery Palestinians collect water from a truck amid the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City ( AP ) Meanwhile, there are growing reports of Israel arming some of the anti-Hamas groups. The Times of Israel reported that the countrys opposition leader and ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman accused Netanyahu of this in June. Netanyahu pushed back, asking, Whats wrong with this? The Independent approached the Israeli military and government for comment but has yet to receive a reply. It also reached out to Hamas but has received no reply. Nasser Khdour, Acleds Middle East assistant research manager, says they had gathered reports also published in Israeli media alleging that Israel permitted groups like the Popular Forces to control and seize aid, and then later to secure supply lines. Abu Shabab appeared in a photo in May in body armour, apparently directing aid around the Kerem Shalom crossing. Based on other reports, weapons were confiscated from Hamas during the war and... were given to these groups, says Khdour. There was fury in Israel when Israeli media outlet Mako reported that post-ceasefire Hamas had seized at least 45 pickup trucks, hundreds of machine guns, and even grenades that Israel earmarked for anti-Hamas groups. open image in gallery Experts have gathered reports alleging Israel permitted anti-Hamas groups to seize aid ( Reuters ) What will happen next? Netanyahu has made clear he will not tolerate a Palestinian state. He has been accused of pursuing a divide-and-rule strategy: intermittently propping up or undermining Hamas and the PA in the occupied West Bank, to exploit their divisions. Khdour says this is more urgent than ever for Israel, because of discussions about the revival of a two-state solution involving the PA in a post-war Gaza. They found Hamas, after October 7, a dangerous actor that should not remain in power in Gaza. So they have started to look for other actors, he says. Part of this was the clans and these groups. In the middle of this, Hamas has vowed to hunt every last collaborator. This does not apparently worry the Popular Forces, who shared a list of names of Hamas fighters across the Strip they have compiled and are waiting for the green light to attack. There will soon be international forces in Gaza, and Hamas will be forcibly disarmed. They are effectively finished, adds Abu Awad. From his base in the east of Gaza, behind the yellow line, Al-Astal says he has built a humanitarian city for the displaced and insists his faction are not gangs or militias. No one will help Gaza except us. Neither the [Palestinian] Authority will help us, nor Israel will help us, nor the Americans will help us. They will cooperate with us. But it must come from here, from within. I tell you, we are the new Gaza. 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 Satellite imagery has revealed the construction of a new airstrip on Zuqar Island, a volcanic outcrop in the Red Sea off Yemen's coast. This development is believed to be the latest project by forces aligned against the country's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The facility adds another crucial link to a growing network of offshore military bases in a region vital for global shipping. Houthi militants have already attacked over 100 vessels, sinking four and causing at least nine mariner deaths amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Such an airstrip could grant a military power extensive aerial surveillance capabilities across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the strategically narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, connecting these waterways between East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. However, the precise trigger for its potential military deployment remains unknown. Requests for comment from the United Arab Emirates, known for constructing similar regional runways, went unanswered. Yemen's anti-Houthi factions, fragmented by internal conflicts and unable to mount a unified assault despite intense American and Israeli bombing campaigns targeting the rebels, also declined to respond. In recent months, the anti-Houthi forces have been able to interdict more cargo bound for the Houthis, something that having a presence on Zuqar could aid. The possibility of a new Yemeni offensive against the Houthis, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, cant be ruled out, although I dont see it as approaching, said Eleonora Ardemagni, an analyst at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies who long has studied Yemen. Theres a more important point in my view regarding the build up in Zuqar: the countering of Houthis smuggling activities, with particular regard to weapons, she said. A runway on a strategic island Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press show the construction of a nearly 2,000-meter (6,560-foot) runway on Zuqar Island, which is some 90 kilometres (55 miles) southeast of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida, a key shipping hub. The images show work began in April to build out a dock on the island, then land clearing along the site of the runway. By late August, what appears to be asphalt was being laid across the runway. Images from October show the work continuing, with runway markings painted on in the middle of the month. open image in gallery This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows an airstrip being built on Zuqar Island, Yemen, in the Red Sea. No one has claimed the construction. However, ship-tracking data analysed by the AP show the Batsa, a Togolese-flagged bulk carrier registered to a Dubai-based maritime firm, spent nearly a week alongside the new dock at Zuqar Island after coming from Berbera in Somaliland, the site of a DP World port. DP World declined to comment. A Dubai-based maritime company, Saif Shipping and Marine Services, acknowledged receiving an order to deliver the asphalt to the island likely used in the airstrip's construction on behalf of other UAE-based firms. Other Emirates-based maritime firms have been associated with other airstrip construction projects in Yemen later tied back to the UAE. The UAE is believed to be behind multiple runway projects in recent years in Yemen. In Mocha on the Red Sea, a project to extend that citys airport now allows it to land far larger aircraft. Local officials attributed that project to the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There is also now a runway in nearby Dhubab. Another runway is on Abd al-Kuri Island, in the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. And in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait itself, another runway built by the UAE is on Mayun Island. An anti-Houthi secessionist force in Yemen known as the Southern Transitional Council, which has long been backed by the UAE, controls the island and has acknowledged the UAE's role in building the airport. Targeting of Houthi shipments Zuqar Island is a strategic location in the Red Sea. Eritrea captured the island in 1995 after battling Yemeni forces. An international court in 1998 placed the island formally into Yemen's custody. The island again found itself engulfed by war after the Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and began a march south, when the rebels took Zuqar. Saudi Arabia and the UAE entered the war in 2015 on behalf of the country's exiled government, stopping the Houthi advance. They also beat back the Houthis from Zuqar, retaking the island, which has become a staging ground for naval forces loyal to Tariq Saleh, a nephew of Yemens late strongman leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. open image in gallery Houthi supporters dance as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, in Sanaa, Yemen. ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The younger Saleh, once allied to the Houthis before his uncle switched sides and the rebels killed him, has been backed by the UAE. Since then, the front lines of the war have been static for years. What changed was the Houthis' taking their campaign globally with attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. That continued even after a weeks-long campaign of intense airstrikes known as Operation Rough Rider launched by the United States and continued strikes by Israel, which appear to be getting closer to the Houthis' top leadership despite the rebels' penchant for secrecy. The Houthis, like any insurgent group, win by not losing, wrote Gregory D. Johnsen, a Yemen expert, in June. It is how the group has survived and grown from each of its wars. While a loose confederation of anti-Houthi groups exists, it remains fragmented and did not launch any attacks during the U.S. airstrikes. But the growing network of air bases around Yemen comes as anti-Houthi forces have made several significant seizures of weapons, likely bound for the rebels including one large haul that was praised by the U.S. military's Central Command. A likely Emirati airstrip in Zuqar could serve to improve surveillance and monitoring off the Hodeida coast to better support Yemeni forces in tackling smuggling, Ardemagni 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 has claimed US allies in the Middle East have offered to send heavy force into Gaza to straighten out Hamas. In a post on Truth Social, the US president wrote that unnamed leaders in the region had told him explicitly and strongly that they would act against the militant group if they continue to act badly. There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help, he wrote. Trump did not clarify which of the Middle Eastern countries had offered to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and the US have all been involved in diplomatic negotiations but it is unclear whether they will provide military help. The UK defence ministry said a small number of British troops, including a senior commander, have travelled to Israel to support US-led efforts to stabilise what has proven to be a fragile ceasefire in the war-ravaged enclave. open image in gallery JD Vance repeated Donald Trumps warning to Hamas at a press conference in Israel on Tuesday ( Reuters ) Trumps comments came as his vice-president JD Vance landed in Israel for a two day visit to try and progress the US ceasefire deal in Gaza. During a press conference, Vance reiterated Trumps warning on Monday that Hamas must behave or face severe repercussions. He threatened that Hamas would be obliterated if they did not play ball, although he reiterated there would be no US boots on the ground in Gaza. Vance also downplayed the significance of recent violence, with Israel killing scores of people in Gaza after accusing Hamas of breaching the ceasefire, claiming the implementation of the ceasefire was going better than expected and that the Israeli government had been remarkably helpful. He also tried to downplay any idea that his visit was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place. My visit had nothing to do with the events of the past 48 hours, he said, during his first visit to Israel as vice-president. open image in gallery Trump says the US will draw on its Middle Eastern allies to fight Hamas if need be ( AP ) The vice-president conceded the location of some of the dead hostages bodies in Gaza remains unknown and urged a little bit of patience amid Israeli frustration over Hamas' pace of returning remains. Hamas handed over the bodies of two more deceased hostages on Tuesday evening, bringing the number of dead captives and hostages remaining in Gaza down to 13. Vance warned Hamas must disarm or very bad things are going to happen during his comments to reporters, although he declined to place a deadline on the group, saying: I dont think its actually advisable to say this has to be done in a week. President Trump wants Hamas and other factions to disarm and Gaza to be demilitarised as part of his peace deal. But the group has never accepted this and says mediators have not yet officially started discussing the issue with it. At least 97 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, according to Gazas health authorities, since a ceasefire was announced on 11 October. open image in gallery The Gaza war lasted two years until a fragile ceasefire came into place on 11 October ( AP ) The Israeli military said it fired at terrorists who crossed an invisible yellow line in Rafah on Sunday, which marked a withdrawal point for Israeli troops who remain occupying 53 per cent of the Gaza Strip. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the exchange, according to the Israeli military. Israel temporarily cut off aid in response. Hamas said it had no knowledge of individuals operating in the Rafah region and had not been in touch with groups there since March. Israel demands that the body of every hostage be returned. Hamas has requested specialist equipment to find the remains. The militant group has drawn increased criticism after it executed seven Palestinians last week for collaborating with Israel. Following the announcement of a ceasefire, Israel-backed militias, armed clans and Hamas factions have began fighting each other amid a power vacuum in the Strip. Two of the groups The Independent spoke to denied accusations that they were backed or supported by Israel. open image in gallery Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner has been involved in the presidents peace deal ( Reuters ) Hossam al-Astal, running an armed faction called the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force, also behind Israeli lines, told The Independent he is already in touch with the Trump administration about the plan for a post-war Gaza, and wants to work with Tony Blair. Today, were the ones who are there with credibility, he says. We are determined and capable. In the near future, it will be us, not Hamas. US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, landed in Tel Aviv on Monday to work on the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire agreement. Kushner, a businessman, boasted about his strong relationships with countries in the Middle East, stating that his strong cultural awareness created a relationship of trust. We have trusted relationships in the Arab world and even in Israel, where weve both done business in the past. But that means they trust us, he told 60 Minutes. We understand their cultures. We understand how they work. And were able to use that knowledge and skill set to try to do things that advance the world. The pair met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss developments and updates in the region, having played a leading role in the first phase of 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 Palestinian woman was nearly clubbed to death by a masked Jewish settler while she was picking olives, in a desperate sign of ongoing tensions between the two groups. The 55-year-old woman, Afaf Abu Alia, locally known as Umm Saleh, was taken to hospital after being hit over the head on Sunday by a masked settler. The brutal encounter was captured on video by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel, who was with a Palestinian farmer at the olive festival. When the pair tried to leave, armed settlers blocked the exits. He asked Israeli soldiers nearby for help, who he said initially agreed but then got in their vehicles and drove away. It was at this point that a settler with a club began running after him and his friend, he told The Independent: Thats when the settlers just appear, they really came out of nowhere. open image in gallery It was the single worst individual act of violence Ive seen: A settler in the West Bank appearing to have clubbed a Palestinian woman ( Jasper Nathaniel ) Im running for my life at this point ... The guy with the club was chasing me, and when I get in the car he starts clubbing it and attacking the windshield. Then from the car we see the woman standing there, and we honestly think hes going to run by her but then he clubs her, and I see her knocked unconscious with the first strike, but then he hits her again after the first strike. It was the single worst individual act of violence Ive seen. Ive seen incidents where more people were injured, Ive seen places where people were shot, but just on the level of both the woman being clubbed and the sheer number of settlers coming out and chasing, both of those things, Ive never seen something so extreme. In a statement, the Israeli Defence Force said the incident was resolved after soldiers came to stop the settler. A report was received of disturbances that included vehicle arson and physical violence near the Shilo settlement, in the Samaria District, carried out by Israeli civilians, the IDF said. open image in gallery US journalist Jasper Nathaniel ( Jasper Nathaneil ) Upon receiving the report, IDF and Israel police forces rushed to the scene to disperse the disturbances. When forces arrived, the clash was dispersed. A spokesperson for the Israel polices Judeo and Samaria district confirmed police opened an investigation into the incident. However, Nathaniel, a freelance journalist from Brooklyn, said no authorities showed up straight after the incident: They did not arrive at the scene. He added that after the attack at the Turmusayya olive fields, people began to run away and once he and others got closer to a Palestinian village, the settlers stopped chasing them but set some cars on fire before leaving. open image in gallery Armed men blocking the road in the West Bank ( Jasper Nathaniel ) In the footage, the attacker can be seen holding a wooden stick with a knot at one end. He swings it overhead and strikes Abu Alia. She is later seen bleeding and carried into a vehicle bound for a hospital. Nathaniel confirmed Abu Alia was recovering. Heres the woman the settler clubbed, 55-year-old Umm Saleh Abu Alia. Shes up and talking, he wrote on X (Twitter). She says shed gotten in a car when she heard settlers attacking, but got back out to check on two kids whod been hit with stones thrown by settlers. open image in gallery Cars on fire in the West Bank ( Jasper Nathaniel ) Since October 7, settler attacks have increased significantly. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported in 2025 that more than 3,200 Palestinians had been injured from attacks across the West Bank. In April 2024, settler attacks were sparked after an Israeli teenager, 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair, was thought to have been killed in a Palestinian attack. The body was found in the occupied West Bank, which prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a terrorist attack. Jewish settlers entered a nearby Palestinian village and set houses and cars ablaze despite a plea from defence minister Yoav Gallant, who urged Israelis not to take the law into their hands. Last week, US citizen Kamel Musallet, the father of 20-year-old Sayfollah, spoke out after his son was brutally beaten by settlers, but died before the ambulance was allowed to reach him. 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 President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a significant critical-minerals deal at the White House, as the U.S. seeks to secure Australias rich rare-earth resources amidst Chinas increasingly stringent export regulations. The agreement, described by both leaders as an $8.5 billion pact between the allies, was the culmination of several months of negotiations, according to Trump. Albanese stated that the deal was just taking the relationship between the U.S. and Australia to the next level. This development follows Beijing's recent announcement that foreign companies will now require Chinese government approval to export magnets containing even trace amounts of rare-earth materials originating from China or produced with its technology. Trump's Republican administration views this as granting China extensive control over the global economy by dominating the technology supply chain. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sign an agreement on rare earth and critical minerals ( REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque ) Australia is really, really going to be helpful in the effort to take the global economy and make it less risky, less exposed to the kind of rare earth extortion that were seeing from the Chinese, Kevin Hassett, the director of the White Houses National Economic Council, told reporters on Monday morning ahead of Trumps meeting with Albanese. Hassett noted that Australia has one of the best mining economies in the world, while praising its refiners and its abundance of rare earth resources. Among the Australian officials accompanying Albanese are ministers overseeing resources and industry and science, and Australia has dozens of critical minerals sought by the U.S. The prime minister's visit comes just before Trump is planning to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month. For Albanese's part, the prime minister said ahead of his visit that the two leaders will have a chance to deepen their countries' ties on trade and defense. Another expected topic of discussion is AUKUS, a security pact with Australia, the U.S. and the United Kingdom that was signed during U.S. President Joe Bidens Democratic administration. Trump has not indicated publicly whether he would want to keep AUKUS intact, and the Pentagon is reviewing the agreement. Australia and the United States have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in every major conflict for over a century, Albanese said ahead of the meeting. I look forward to a positive and constructive meeting with President Trump at the White House. The center-left Albanese was reelected in May and suggested shortly after his win that his party increased its majority by not modeling itself on Trumpism. Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future, Albanese told supporters during his victory speech. A Miami man who identified himself as an ICE agent questioned the nationality of a Black police officer who pulled him over for driving recklessly with his children in the car. Scott Thomas Deiseroth, 42, was stopped near the Florida Keys after he was reported for reckless driving. After being pulled over, officers noticed a smell of alcohol and Deiseroth gave confused information about his location. During the interaction with officers, he asked one are you Haitian? The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has charged him with DUI and two counts of child endangerment, as his two children, aged 7 and 9, were found in his vehicle. What I spend on Christmas: I would imagine that my total will be about 2,000 and the majority of my budget will be on my own kids Five ways bank scammers get your cash and how to protect yourself Argentina's central bank and the US Treasury signed a currency swap line for $20bn, a vote of confidence for president Javier Milei ahead of a crucial midterm election. But with details still scarce, bonds erased initial gains and the peso weakened. The deal, announced by the Argentine monetary authority yesterday, is a key pillar of a sweeping rescue package Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put together for Mr Milei in a whatever-it-takes approach to stabilise the volatile South American economy. Beyond the swap, the US has been buying Argentine pesos for the past two weeks, and Mr Bessent said he is coordinating another facility worth the same amount as the swap that would be financed by banks and other private institutions. Television reviews The original crew of the USS Enterprise pledged to boldly go where no man has gone before. It is ironic then that TV has spent the decades since not so boldly going where lots of men have been before by constantly reviving that familiar format. Trivial focus on keepie-uppies and ice-cream is undermining publics faith in the democratic process Even if we cant get inspired by this Presidential race, we must stay engaged for elections that really matter Eddie Punch on the family farm at Cratloe, Co Clare. Photo: John Kelly Eddie Punch Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Its hard to know what to make of the Presidential election from a farming perspective. Farmers are no different to the rest of society but they will wonder what relevance the election has to key farming issues. Candidate leans into Fine Gaels traditional rural base in final days of presidential race Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys (centre), with Former IFA president Eddie Downey, as she meets with farmers at Downey Farm in Monknewtown, Slane, Co Meath, during campaigning for the Irish presidential election. (Photo by Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images) With time running out and polls against her, Heather Humphreys has moved to lock down Fine Gaels rural heartland in the final days of the presidential race by turning to some of the sectors most recognisable figures in farming to shore up her campaign. Bogus doctor who was on bail for botched procedure on child when he circumcised seven young boys launches appeal against his sentence Philip Ogbewe was arrested in 2018 in relation to a circumcision of a child, who was hospitalised, and was on bail for this offence when he carried out these crimes Philip Ogbewe Fiona Magennis Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 20:19 A bogus doctor, who was on bail for a botched procedure on a child when he circumcised seven young boys, has launched an appeal against his jail sentence, arguing he was not given sufficient credit for seeing the light and recognising the wrongfulness of his actions. Yoga student claims he was discriminated against after being banned from studio over alleged outburst on his opposition to Christmas Yoga teacher Niamh Glackin told the tribunal Mr McKeon had been aggressive and very, very irritated and riled up Workplace Relations Commission Stephen Bourke Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 17:18 A yoga student who found himself banned for life from his teachers studio after an alleged outburst about his opposition to Christmas last year has accused her of discriminating against him on religious grounds. Brutal killer harassed a cafe worker same age as victim upon most recent release Jill Bishop was just 18 years old when she was beaten to death and had a 1 coin shoved down her throat A convicted murderer who was put back in prison after harassing a young cafe worker shortly after serving a life sentence has failed in another bid to get parole. In 1991 Michael Dean McLoughlin, who is now in his mid-50s, beat Bray teenager Jill Bishop (18) to death after meeting her at a Halloween disco at a hotel in the Co Wicklow town. McLoughlin also forced a 1 coin down her throat during the attack. Paudie, Aoife and Andrew Moloney are set to appear on this week's episode of 'Gogglebox Ireland'. Photo: Virgin Media Two of the best-loved contestants from The Traitors Ireland will be making a special guest appearance on this weeks episode of Gogglebox Ireland. Father-son duo Paudie and Andrew Moloney will take to the sofa on Wednesday night, swapping the cloaks, plotting and betrayal of The Traitors for a night of TV commentary. Fire safety risks found at University Hospital Galways adult mental health unit, report reveals Inspectors said some patients complained about a lack of privacy University Hospital Galway Eilish O'Regan Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 An expert examination of fire doors at the adult mental health unit in University Hospital Galway was three months overdue, an inspectors report has revealed. LATEST | Citywest violence: Gardai prepare for five more days of disorder as locals opposed to asylum centre tell protesters stay home Public order gardai with riot shields will be deployed for third night31 people arrested, 23 of which have appeared before the District Court.Four gardai hospitalised over the last two nights after receiving injuries Five boys aged under 18 were arrested and later released15 e-scooters and e-bikes were seized Citywest violence: Gardai release bodycam footage as part of investigation Robin Schiller, Conor Feehan, Sarah O'Mahony, Eoghan Moloney and Adrianna Wrona Wed 22 Oct 2025 at 20:40 Gardai have said they are preparing for five more days of potential violence, although the protests on Thursday night outside the asylum centre in the former Citywest Hotel in west Dublin were much smaller and bore no resemblance to the extreme violence of the previous two nights. Great first step advocates react to new national endometriosis framework Plans include the introduction of more training, more surgeries, a new payment scheme for surgeries abroad to tackle the painful condition More than one in 10 Irish women is believed to suffer the painful condition. Stock image: Getty Sarah O'Mahony Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Campaigners are optimistic about the new endometriosis framework, but say it is not without its flaws after it was published by the Government in recent days. It was far from diplomats I was reared new British ambassador on her Irish husband, naming her daughter Saoirse and her cupla focal Ms Owen met her husband, William Tierney, from Galway, when he was a serving member of the Irish Defence Forces Kara Owen is the new British ambassador to Ireland (Pic credit: British Embassy) Darragh Nolan Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 18:10 The new British ambassador to Ireland has received a warm welcome since her arrival last month, thanks in large part to her use of the cupla focal. A man was stabbed following a row at a Cork residential property last night. The man - who is aged in his 30s - suffered stab injuries following a dispute at a house off Noonan's Road near Greenmount, less than 1km from Cork city centre. Doctors in Ireland ultimately remain responsible for their decisions in the treatment of their patients and like any other diagnostic tool, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) should add to rather than replace, clinical decision-making, according to new guidance from the their regulatory watchdog. Phishing emails driven by AI are the biggest cyber concern for office workers, but only half feel confident they could identify an attack, according to a new study. New research by Accenture has found that identity theft through the misuse of AI is the second-biggest fear for Irish staff. Deepfake threats are also a major worry, according to the survey of 1,000 office workers. There is "no correlation between the location of IPAS centres and crime levels in a community, Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan has said after the alleged sexual assault of a young girl in Saggart, west Dublin. In a statement this evening, Mr OCallaghan said there is no further threat to the local community and that he has been fully briefed by An Garda Siochana on the incident. Fionnan Sheahan: Dont mention the banks the left is unified in ignoring Catherine Connollys repossession cases Presidential candidate is caught in a Chappaquiddick moment as her supporters are explaining and losing Catherine Connolly. Photo: PA Fionnan Sheahan Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Back when Ted Kennedy challenged the then sitting US president Jimmy Carter for the 1980 Democratic ticket, his campaign faltered for two reasons. The first was a failure on Kennedys part to explain why he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his assassinated brothers John and Bobby in seeking to occupy the White House. Fine Gael has repeatedly lashed out at Catherine Connolly over her previous work for banks as a barrister Louth TD Paula Butterly said it was a good question when asked if she should have disclosed she worked as a barrister when debating justice issues in the Dail Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan, on introduction of the Defamation Bill, disclosed that he had worked on defamation cases in the past Catherine Connolly has been accused of hypocrisy over her criticism of banks in the Dail when she has acted for lenders in the past. Photo: Brian Lawless It has become an increasingly bitter flashpoint in this presidential campaign and one Fine Gael has pursued relentlessly in order to inflict the maximum damage to Independent TD Catherine Connolly as its own candidate Heather Humphreys trails in the polls. The debate around elected representatives and the cases they have taken in the past in the course of their legal work as barristers has led to one very public rebuke from the Bar Council of Ireland, an intervention from the Justice Minister, and has raised further questions about just how much TDs should disclose on the record in the Dail as politicians. Ms Connolly has been accused by the Fine Gael camp and Ms Humphreys of hypocrisy over her criticism of banks and home repossessions in the Dail, having previously acted for lenders while practising as a barrister during the economic downturn. Ms Connolly has repeatedly pointed to the cab-rank rule, a duty on barristers to accept, or pick up, cases they are asked to take on. The Bar Council has said the rule ensures that everyone is entitled to access to justice and is central to trust in the Irish legal system and the rule of law. That was echoed by Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan yesterday who said while he was not going to catapult himself into the presidential election just days out from the vote, it was not correct or fair to criticise lawyers because of the actions of their clients. Catherine Connolly has been accused of hypocrisy over her criticism of banks in the Dail when she has acted for lenders in the past. Photo: Brian Lawless News in 90 Seconds - October 21st Labour and the Social Democrats, both of which are backing Ms Connollys Aras candidacy, have lashed out at Fine Gael, which has pursued its criticism of the Independent, releasing an attack video about her work as a barrister in Galway when she was a councillor. It is difficult for every one of us to qualify every single thing we say in the Dail, in terms of our own experiences Those backing Ms Connolly have said she has answered questions about her work as a barrister appropriately, with Green Party leader Roderic OGorman telling the media today that it is difficult for every one of us to qualify every single thing we say in the Dail, in terms of our own experiences. I dont see how thats doable, to be quite honest, Mr OGorman said, shortly before Labour leader Ivana Bacik would claim voters were disgusted by the tactics of Fine Gael and its negative campaigning. Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman has defended Ms Connolly. Photo: Gerry Mooney The central thrust of the Fine Gael criticism of Ms Connolly is that she did not disclose that she represented banks during the recession but was later vociferous in her criticism of those same institutions. The white heat of the campaign aside, the focus on the cab-rank rule has led to scrutiny over how much TDs acting as barristers now or in the past should disclose when speaking on certain topics. No hard-and-fast rule exists for members of Dail Eireann, and some say it depends on the nature of the topic on which they are speaking. Last November, before he was Justice Minister and had given up practising as a barrister, Mr OCallaghan told the Dail upon the introduction of the Defamation Bill that he had represented many people who have taken defamation claims. Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan, on introduction of the Defamation Bill, disclosed that he had worked on defamation cases in the past I have also represented many media organisations that have defended defamation claims, Mr OCallaghan said, disclosing that as a barrister he had what he described as insight into how defamation law has developed in Ireland. Louth TD Paula Butterly in May last year made a series of contributions during a debate in the Dail on justice issues, raising the long-standing issue of counselling notes being used in court as evidence in rape and sexual assault cases. Ms Butterly, until recently a practising criminal barrister, did not disclose she was a barrister during that debate, nor during a later debate where she raised the issue of barrister fees with Mr OCallaghan. Louth TD Paula Butterly said it was a good question when asked if she should have disclosed she worked as a barrister when debating justice issues in the Dail She told the Irish Independent she had never represented a client in a rape case, but conceded it was a good question whether she should have disclosed her previous position as a practising barrister while commenting on the justice system. It's a valid question irrespective of whether you're a barrister or not, Ms Butterly said. She argued raising questions of improvement to the justice system as a TD was to the benefit of both the public and those working in the legal profession. The grey area extends further to Dail committees. Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan, a barrister by profession, previously represented the commissioner of An Garda Siochana in a case in 2023, but did not disclose this at a committee in June this year when raising justice matters with former garda commissioner Drew Harris. A spokesman for Fine Gael declined to respond to queries asking why this was not disclosed during a meeting of the justice committee. Fine Gael TD Barry Ward, a senior counsel, said he had no problem with a TD like Ms Connolly representing banks and then criticising them publicly, but said: If you're doing that, you should tell me that you have previously represented banks. Just days out from polling, a number of contradictions remain in candidates statements on topical issues Throughout the presidential campaign, Catherine Connolly has been questioned about a range of issues relating to her own record and global outlook. But just days out from polling, a number of contradictions remain in her statements on some of those issues. Ksenia Samotiy: Irish voters take note Donald Trumps actions represent everything a president shouldnt be US leader spews out AI trickery to mock No Kings protesters, proving he is the embodiment of a political culture that confuses ridicule for strength US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP Ksenia Samotiy Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Thousands of people across the United States, including Hollywood actor Pedro Pascal, took to the streets on Saturday under the banner No Kings. Catherine Connolly may have some reservations about certain aspects of the EU, but she spoke for the majority of the Irish electorate after the Nice referendum in 2001 and the Lisbon Treaty in 2008. Elizabeth Cullen, Kilcullen, Co Kildare Apathy leaves the future of our country in hands of the few who could be bothered We are told that low turnout in second-order elections is a worrying sign for democracy (Not casting a vote is a quiet decision with loud consequences, Irish Indpendent, Editorial, October 20). In truth, it is something more subtle: voters doing quiet cost-benefit analysis. When they believe the result is a foregone conclusion, or that nothing real is at stake, they stay at home. That is not ignorance. It is calculation. But calculation can become corrosion. The risk is not that people are angry it is that they are unmoved. When democracy is treated as optional maintenance rather than essential infrastructure, the future does not go to the loudest ideology, but simply to whoever still bothers to show up. My concern is not for the result of Fridays election, but for what is being rehearsed a political culture where relevance must be manufactured before responsibility is exercised. If participation falls below civic instinct and becomes merely a reaction to crisis, then sooner rather than later, someone will realise that manufacturing crisis is the most efficient electoral strategy of all. Apathy, not extremism, is the true opponent. Staying home sends no message. It merely leaves the future to those who dont. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh Humphreys has shifted from campaigning to a populist rhetoric crusade There seems to be a remarkable degree of confirmation bias in how people are judging the presidential candidates, and Heather Humphreys campaign is increasingly happy to play into it. Catherine Connollys work as a barrister, potentially representing clients in eviction cases, is treated as a moral outrage, while Heather Humphreys background as a credit union manager, where dealing with debt defaults came with the territory, is somehow seen as valuable, real-world experience. Flaws become strengths and strengths become flaws, depending entirely on the framing. The greater risk is that this drifts beyond campaigning into populist rhetoric, where barristers are expected to refuse clients, rehabilitated prisoners are to be denied employment, and presidents are meant to smile and nod to appease allies. Democracy depends on intellectual honesty, not selective outrage that fits the political agenda. Peter Elst, Donabate, Co Dublin Spoiling your ballot paper will only leave disgruntled even more disillusioned There appear to be a lot of disgruntled voters at this presidential election. Disgruntled conservatives that Maria Steen didnt get a nomination. Disgruntled Fianna Failers at having no candidate. Disgruntled PAYE workers at getting a slap in the face from a wet fish in the budget. This disgruntlement is leading some to proclaim that they are going to punish the Government by either staying at home or spoiling their ballot. Sadly, they cant and wont be punishing the Government. However, as disgruntled voters tend to be on the socio-economic right, by staying at home or spoiling their ballot, they will be helping a left-wing candidate get elected. If disgruntled voters are disgruntled now, how disgruntled will they be at having to look and listen to a left-wing president for the next seven years? Jason Fitzharris, Swords, Co Dublin Heathers scrappy tactics are simply not befitting of our future head of state Heather Humphreys is bidding to become our next president. With this tremendous honour comes tremendous responsibility. The responsibility to be noble, sympathetic, empathetic and, dare I say, regal? While I have no great regard for either candidate in this election, I have to say that Humphreys is looking like a street scrapper doing all she possibly can to discredit her opponent. Casting aspersions on your opponent may be all well and good in the cut and thrust of politics, but not in this arena. As a result, I will be voting for Catherine Connolly. Eamon Kearney, Baldoyle, Dublin 13 Descent into desperate mudslinging in race to the Aras is a sad state of affairs Isnt it a sad state of affairs that instead of rising above it, the contenders for the high office of president have gone down in the mire to the extent that all they can resort to by way of justification for said position, is mudslinging. Surely our votes could be won more so by words of kindness and positivity towards each other. As WB Yeats said: You have disgraced yourselves, again. And it is indeed a disgrace that the whole government coalition of convenience is right down there in the mire with them. Not an iota of discretionary decency, not an ounce of intellectual integrity, not a modicum of decorum to be found. Patrick Cuddihy, Carrigaholt, Co Clare Trauma of learning Irish is certainly the reason why Im so bad at speaking it As a follow-up to Tommy Roddys letter (Trauma lies at the heart of most peoples inability to pick up Irish language, Irish Independent, October 18), Im one of those people. I remember Irish being drummed into us in the classroom, for one reason only, in order to pass exams, including the Leaving Cert. In the 1960s you had to pass your Irish exam or you failed your Leaving Cert. I passed my Irish Leaving Cert exam with flying colours, but to my shame I cannot understand or speak a word of Irish. There lies the trauma. Brian Mc Devitt, Glenties, CoDonegal How the Grinch stole Christmas by sacking a Santa for being too fat A Santa in the UK has been sacked for being too fat. Being of a similar build, I can sympathise with the need for being as healthy as possible, but this is a job where you are portraying a fat person and thus he should be more suited than most to wear the red suit. LaplandUK is trying to provide a great festive show, but it looks like it is taking on the role of the Grinch. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia Connolly gets warm welcome on Wexford canvass but no sign of former Labour leader on home patch With a national campaign ongoing urging members of the public to spoil their votes in the upcoming presidential election, a Wexford Fianna Fail TD has defended his call for people to vote for a candidate that has already infamously pulled out of the race. Fianna Fail TD, Malcolm Byrne has called on the public to vote for Jim Gavin, despite the Dublin man dropping out of the race over two weeks ago, on Sunday, October 5. While Jim Gavins name will appear on the ballot, and could technically be deemed elected, Byrne says that any notion he could win the election are in the realm of imagination. Its always up to the electorate to decide who they want to vote for there are often candidates who put their names on a ballot paper who have no hope of winning or may just want to make a point, he said. Deputy Byrne said he made the call in the context of encouraging voter turnout when asked about concerns of turnout in a recent interview with Newstalk. There are certainly concerns that there will be a low turnout, and I think it's important that people go out to vote. In this case, I'm concerned that a lot of Fianna Fail members and supporters who are disappointed over the fiasco that was the Fianna Fail campaign. I can understand that disappointment, but I still think it's important for them to go out and vote, he said. Jim Gavin withdrew from the race two weeks ago (PA) He further said that a number of Fianna Fail supporters were now reluctant to go out and vote and said they wouldnt be happy not giving a first vote preference to a Fianna Fail candidate. If somebody said to me, I'm a Fianna Fail supporter I can't give my first preference to anybody but a Fianna Fail candidate, then what I've been saying to them is, give your first preference to the Fianna Fail candidate [Jim Gavin], and then give your second preference to Heather Humphreys, he said. Fianna Fail party leader, Micheal Martin recently said he plans to vote for Heather Humphreys, which Byrne addressed in relation to his plea to vote for Jim Gavin. It's effectively the same, but it's trying to get those people who've said to me that they can't vote for anybody but a Fianna Fail candidate - this is a way to ensure that happens. I think the electorate are intelligent enough to know what I'm saying, and I think there is a concern a lot of Fianna minded voters won't go out to vote, and if this is a way of encouraging them to come out to vote, then I think it's important, he added. Byrne said although the presidency does not have a lot of power, its an important office that represents the image of Ireland to the rest of the world. It is important on Friday that no matter who you're voting for, that you do come out and cast your ballot. Voting for the 2025 Presidential Election will take place on Friday, October 24. I was 49 years old when I decided to give up my comfortable life to become a prison counsellor Sarah Templeton gave up her nanny recruitment agency to become a prison counsellor and soon discovered an undiagnosed ADHD epidemic among the prisoners she worked with Sarah Templeton gave up her nanny recruitment agency to retrain as a prison counsellor Sarah Templeton Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 I was 49 years old when I decided to give up my comfortable life running a nanny recruitment agency in the English Home Counties. Yes, it gave me a good income, but it no longer brought any kind of satisfaction. I only found that when I was helping people in desperate circumstances. I had spent the previous 15 years as a volunteer, mentoring young homeless people and recently released offenders in London, and thats what truly fulfilled me. Samuel Ramani: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putins peace demands to Ukraine would set up another war that Russia would win Handing territory over would make it easier for Russian tanks to move west Residents stand near their apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike on Sunday. Photo: Reuters Samuel Ramani Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 US president Donald Trumps chief envoy Steve Witkoff has a plan to end Russias invasion of Ukraine. During a recent Oval Office meeting, Witkoff proposed that Ukraine surrender its eastern region of Donetsk in exchange for peace. Witkoff justified this prescription by citing the predominance of Russian language speakers in Donetsk. Red Cross workers arrive at the site where members of Hamas work on searching for bodies of the hostages in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photo: AP Eight days ago, US president Donald Trump was given a heros welcome in Israel after securing a ceasefire in Gaza amid the lined-up exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Sadly, but with a certain sense of inevitability, every day since then has shown the precarious nature of that ceasefire. The past weekend brought the biggest test to this brittle absence of war, rather than any real sense of peace. Allegation and counter-allegation of ceasefire breaches were swiftly exchanged as a deeply war-weary people in Gaza suffered profoundly yet again. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched a series of deadly strikes across Gaza, after two soldiers were killed in an attack it blamed on Hamas, and an Israeli security official announced the suspension of aid deliveries. By yesterday it seemed renewed US pressure had ensured the truce was not derailed and that Israels crossings with Gaza could be reopened. But much continues to depend on the US mediators contacts with Israel, and key Middle Eastern leaders and Turkish contacts with Hamas. So many issues on the future of Gaza and Hamas remain unsettled and we must avoid confusing a peace settlement with a fragile ceasefire. Focus must now be on preserving the ceasefire and flooding Gaza with desperately needed aid By yesterday, Trumps special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were due back in the region, as Hamas negotiators met Egyptian mediators and other Palestinian factions in Cairo. The focus now must be on the second phase of Trumps 20-point peace plan. This involves deploying an international stabilisation force in Gaza, the eventual withdrawal of the IDF, and critically and probably most problematically, the eventual disarmament of Hamas. Many obstacles lie ahead for there to be a tenable peaceful outcome. Yesterday, as EU foreign ministers gathered in Luxembourg, Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris said EU focus on the Middle East must now be on preserving the ceasefire and flooding Gaza with desperately needed humanitarian aid. Trump said the ceasefire was definitely still in place. He attributed Hamas violence to rebels within the organisation rather than its leadership. Trump did not say whether he thought the Israeli counter-strikes were justified. Problems turn around the failure of Hamas to transfer the remains of 28 dead hostages, and Israels response of halting aid deliveries, curbing vital food, water and medical help. Hamas accused the Israeli forces of repeated violations, alleging, without verification by any other source, that 46 people had been killed in recent days. Israeli strikes on Sunday killed at least 26 people in Gaza, including at least one woman and one child, according to local residents and health authorities. Al-Awda hospital said it received 24 bodies from Israeli strikes in the Nuseirat and Bureij camps in central Gaza, but the military later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire. Hamas has said it remains committed to the ceasefire and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu notably did not threaten a return to war. But things remain finely poised in a ceasefire so worthy of defending. Foroige, the national youth development organisation, has announced the appointment of Togher man Eric OBrien as its new Chief Executive Officer. Mr OBrien is now the fourth person to lead the organisation in its 73-year history, and with over two decades worth of experience spanning from his early days as a youth worker to now, he has witnessed every side of youth work. Mr OBrien has worked in communities across the country and helped shape national programmes aimed to empower young people to realise their potential. From delivering local youth services and mentoring initiatives to overseeing large-scale regional operations, his journey reflects the heart of Foroiges mission - to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their own development and in the development of society. From my early days in Foroige in Blanchardstown to managing services nationwide, Ive seen every side of youth work. "Every step taught me something new about what young people need and what great youth work looks like. "Those experiences have shaped how I lead today, said Eric OBrien. Throughout his career, he has remained passionate about the people who make youth work possible - the volunteers and staff who dedicate their time to helping young people thrive. What makes youth work powerful is that it ripples out, it lifts young people, strengthens families, and connects communities. Its not abstract to me, its real and tangible. Its a young person finding their voice, a volunteer or staff member making that one connection that changes a life. Thats what keeps us doing this work, he added. Mr OBrien said his vision as the CEO of Foroige is to build on its 73-year legacy. The CEO role for me is about bringing all that experience together - the frontline understanding, the management insight, and the belief in people - to build on Foroiges incredible legacy and strengthen it for the future. This role is an opportunity to shape what comes next, to make sure Foroige continues to be a place where innovation, inclusion and impact thrive, he added. Chairperson of Foroige, Dr Wayne Travers, said the organisations small number of CEOs throughout its history speaks volumes about its stability. His commitment to supporting staff, volunteers and young people alike reflects the very best of Foroiges values. Having only had four CEOs in 73 years speaks volumes about the organisations stability, and were confident that under his leadership, Foroige will continue to grow, evolve and make a lasting impact on young peoples lives across Ireland, he said. Growing complexity of need in housing and family support, Coolmine treatment service says Coolmine CEO Pauline McKeown and chairperson John Gleeson at the launch of the service's 2024 annual report. Photo: Robbie Reynolds A drug and addiction treatment service in Dublin has reported a sharp rise in demand, with 1,427 people accessing treatment in the first nine months of the year. Coolmine, one of Irelands national drug and alcohol treatment providers, said cocaine remains the leading substance driving treatment demand in the capital, accounting for 39pc of presentations. Alcohol follows at 28pc, while cannabis, heroin and benzodiazepines each make up around 8pc to 9pc. Residential programmes at Ashleigh House and Coolmine Lodge in Dublin operated at full capacity throughout the year. Meanwhile, outreach services saw a 22pc increase, supporting 615 clients through Traveller community initiatives and emergency accommodation schemes such as the Pact and Genio programmes. Were seeing sustained high demand for cocaine treatment alongside growing complexity of need, particularly in housing and family support, Anita Harris, deputy head of services at Coolmine, said. Our team continue to respond with compassion, flexibility and expertise Our team continue to respond with compassion, flexibility and expertise. Coolmine said these services reflect rising social and housing pressures among Dublins most vulnerable groups. The organisations annual report for last year, published this morning, shows that over 3,000 people sought help nationwide, a 35pc rise on the previous year. Coolmine CEO Pauline McKeown and chairperson John Gleeson at the launch of the service's 2024 annual report. Photo: Robbie Reynolds Ireland is witnessing an unprecedented rise in people seeking help for addiction. This reflects both growing need and greater willingness to reach out for support, Pauline McKeown, chief executive of Coolmine Therapeutic Community, said. Last year alone, more than 3,000 people turned to Coolmine Last year alone, more than 3,000 people turned to Coolmine. Each one represents a story of courage and hope. Our mission is to ensure that every person, regardless of background, has access to compassionate, evidence-based treatment that helps them rebuild their lives. She added that the staff at Coolmine are at the heart of the organisations success in helping individuals access support. In total, Coolmine supported 3,293 individuals and their families last year. The figures, published in the 2024 annual report, Building Recovery Pathways, underline a growing national need for accessible, evidence-based addiction treatment. The rise also reflects a shift in public willingness to seek support for substance misuse. Of those supported, 1,396 were women, an 11pc increase on 2023, which Coolmine said reflects reduced barriers to treatment such as stigma, childcare responsibilities and domestic violence. The organisation also provided direct support to 326 families, including counselling, parenting and education services. Meanwhile, 365 parents completed the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) programme, a 28pc increase from 2023, demonstrating the value of family-based interventions. Fifty-two children were also supported, entering womens residential services with their mothers and each receiving a personalised care plan and dedicated key worker. A driver was transferred to the hospital after a road traffic collision in Galway involving a car and a truck. The incident occurred this afternoon, Tuesday October 21, at around 2.40pm on the N67 inbound at Carrowmoneash, Oranmore. The incident involved two vehicles, a truck and a car. The driver of the car was transferred to University Hospital Galway as a precaution. The Irish Independent understands the road was closed and traffic was diverted following the crash. However, the area has been cleared and the road is expected to reopen shortly. In a statement to the Irish Independent, a garda spokesperson explained: Gardai received a report of a two-vehicle road traffic collision on the N67 inbound at Carrowmoneash, Oranmore, Co Galway, which occurred at 2.40pm on October 21, 2025. The incident involved a truck and a car. The driver of the car was transferred to University Hospital Galway as a precaution. No further information. The annual food fair will run from Thursday, November 6 to Monday, November 10 Anticipation is building for the 30th edition of Listowel Food Fair, which will host several star speakers and hold heaps of food-focused events. Immunologist professor Luke ONeill, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and celebrity chef Kevin Dundon are among those who will feature at this years festival. Numerous events aiming to educate on food-related topics will also take place. Chairperson of the Food Fair, Jimmy Deenihan, told The Kerryman that this years edition will be one of the best yet. Weve an awful lot going on. Its the longest running food fair in the country, and it has influenced a lot of similar events, Mr Deenihan said. Were placing a huge emphasis on education. There will be workshops and events for schools too. Some of the highlights of the upcoming Food Fair will include an opening night event with Luke ONeill, who will offer his expertise on the immune system at Listowel Arms Hotel, and a Samhain Harvest Lunch buffet the following day. The Saturday of the fair (November 8) will include a presentation on native honey bees and a black tie gala dinner which will see chef Kevin Dundon presented with the events Lifetime Achievement Award, previously won by the likes of Dennis Brosnan, Francis Brennan, Darina Allen. The Sundays events will include a food fair and craft hall event, featuring artisan Irish products, at the Arms Hotel, which will also host a live jazz lunch. Penned in for the Monday, the final day of the Food Fair, is the Frank Hayes Memorial Farming Seminar, featuring the Minister for Agriculture, Kerry Dairy Ireland CEO Pat Murphy, and Kerry Dairy Ireland category controller Olga Mulvey. Where schools are concerned, the Fair will hold nationwide sensory analysis webinars titled The Flavour Adventure: A fun journey through tastes presented by TJ OConnor for primary and secondary level institutes on its opening day. A workshop teaching the essentials of seafood cookery and everyday nutrition will also take place at Presentation Secondary School on that day. For those who like to get out and about, the annual Food Fair Parkrun will go ahead in the town park on the morning of the Saturday. Engaging walking trails, including visits to Listowels restaurants and food outlets where participants can sample a variety of locally prepared foods, are also scheduled. To find out more about the upcoming festival, visit: www.listowelfoodfair.ie Jim Finucane was awarded the prestigious honour from the Ukrainian Government at a special ceremony Kerry man Jim Finucane from Tralee is first in Ireland to receive Ukrainian honour for helping refugees. Photo by Domnick Walsh Tralee man Jim Finucane said it was humbling to have been appointed as the countrys first ever Honorary Consul of Ukraine at a special ceremony on Monday afternoon. The former Fine Gael councillor and Mayor of Kerry, born in Tarbert, was appointed to the Consul role for the South West of Ireland by the Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland, Gerasko Larysa, at the newly opened Ukrainian Consular Office on Ashe Street in Tralee. Mr Finucane received the honour for the work he has done helping Ukrainian refugees integrate into Irish society. He has helped the refugees get housing through the Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme and also been involved with Kerry ETBs teaching of English to them. You are trying to help people make a life for themselves until the situation [ends]. Hopefully at some stage theyll have the options to return home if they can beat off the aggressor, Mr Finucane told The Kerryman. He said his appointment ceremony, which doubled as the official opening of the Consular Office representing Kerry, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, was a nice occasion. The appointment had to be agreed by both governments, signed off by both foreign ministers. I was the first person appointed as an Honorary Consul by Ukraine. Its humbling, Mr Finucane said. After retiring from serving as a councillor for 29 years in 2023, he was approached by the Ukrainian ambassador and asked if he would continue to help Ukrainian refugees escaping the Russian invasion of their country. Its something I believe in. Its a very vicious war, where civilians are being targeted. I found it hard to say no, Mr Finucane explained. Its a battle for democracy. We have to stand up and be counted as Europeans. We all look at Europe and sometimes we give out about it. But we can hop on to the airport in Kerry and go to Faro or Alicante and young people can study through Erasmus. We are used to all this freedom of movement. Its part of the European experiment. I believe in that. At the same time there is a battle here for democracy and we have to stand up and be counted. Mr Finucane said his appointment as Honorary Consul of Ukraine has motivated him to continue his work helping Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. Im looking forward to the challenge ahead, he said. Riley Burdock's design is one of those which utilised the local river. Quinton Kelly's design was one of the those exhibited at Derrynane House on Friday. L-R: Michael Bones O'Connor (local resident) Architect students Holly McClew, Quinton Kelly, Jackie Riley. Dr Kevin Busby and local resident and architect Donogh O'Riordan. Photo by Ruth Brophy. Derrynane House hosted an inspiring presentation of architecture student projects titled Re-imagining Cahedaniel on Friday. The exhibition, run as part of Architecture Kerry 2025, featured design concepts created by third-year architecture students from the Cork Centre for Architectural Education. The students projects, exploring themes like sustainable design, coastal resilience, community space and rural identity, were not intended as plans for change. They were, however, aimed at sparking conversation about how small villages like Caherdaniel can evolve while keeping their character. The presentation at Derrynane House took place after Caherdaniels community group, Coiste Pobail Chathair Donal, approached Cork Centre for Architectural Education. Under Professor Kevin Busby, tutors and 35 architectural students visited the village in October last year. Fifty years ago, Caherdaniel was a hive of activity, home to a hotel, two pubs, several restaurants and a small shop which was the centre of the community. Today, however, only the Blind Piper pub and restaurant survives and the villages main thoroughfare has many vacant buildings. The architecture exhibition at Derrynane House showed what could be possible in the village in the future. Community members, local groups, and visitors came along to view the exhibition and chat with the students. Professor Kevin Busby said we hope that our ideas will plant a seed to develop and prosper. Student architect Quinton Kelly said his work, and that of his fellow-students, was inspired by the passion of Caherdaniel residents for their locality. The enthusiastic architectural students projects explored utilising the local river, connecting roads and pathways and developing community spaces. Projects also targeted the use of vacant buildings and land sites to benefit the community and boost tourism. An RNLI crew in Co Donegal carried out a dramatic rescue of two kayakers who had capsized off the coast of Co Sligo. An RNLI crew in Co Donegal were involved in a dramatic rescue of two kayakers who had capsized off the coast of Co Sligo. Bundoran RNLI responded to a Mayday on Saturday afternoon, October 18, 2025 after two kayakers capsized off Inishmurray, off the coast of Sligo. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 12.45pm by Malin Head Coast Guard who had picked up a faint VHF Mayday, initially thought to be off Fintra Bay. The Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 118, from Sligo was also tasked to the scene. The lifeboat helmed by Richard Gillespie and with Rory OConnor, Owen Murphy and Finn Mullen onboard, launched immediately and made its way to the scene. While conditions at the time of launching were calm in Bundoran, the crew observed a noticeable change to a choppy 4-5ft swell as they made their way to the scene where the kayakers were located by the helicopter crew between Inishmurray and Cliffoney Beach. On arrival, the kayakers who were in a double kayak when they capsized due to the change in sea conditions, were being winched by the helicopter crew. The lifeboat crew were then requested to find a third kayaker and also to retrieve the long double kayak so it would not pose a navigational hazard. The crew proceeded to locate the third person who was safe and well and making their way to the shore unaided. Speaking following the call out, Daimon Fergus, Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said, We would like to commend our colleagues in Malin Head Coast Guard for picking up what was a faint Mayday and for coordinating the rescue. "We would like to commend Rescue 118 and wish both kayakers well. "Both casualties were wearing the correct gear including drysuits and lifejackets and they had a means to communicate to raise the alarm which are all important." We would encourage those planning a trip to sea in a kayak or canoe to also consider bringing an EPIRB or smoke flares which can greatly assist those searching in being able to reach the specific location. "We would also encourage people to let someone on the shore know where you are going and when you are due back, said Mr Fergus. If you find yourself in an emergency situation or spot someone else in trouble, you should call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard. The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has highlighted serious farmer concerns over the proposed route of the Sligo, Leitrim, Northern Counties, Railway (SLNCR) Greenway. Photo: slncr-greenway Farming bodies North and South have come together to oppose the planned Sligo, Leitrim, and Northern Counties Railway (SLNCR) Greenway It comes following a joint meeting between the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and Irish Farmers Association (IFA) with both organisations strongly opposed to the recent progress on the Sligo, Leitrim, and Northern Counties Railway (SLNCR) Greenway. The Greenway project, which is proposed to run from Sligo to Enniskillen, has moved to phase three and work has begun to test the suitability of their chosen route. UFU deputy president John McLenaghan said the UFU stand with farmers in their opposition to the SLNCR Greenway project and condemn any move to override the landowner opinion using vesting powers. "This proposed corridor is unsuitable as unanimously voiced by all affected landowners in the area at a recent meeting. "It has the potential to divide large areas of farmland, uproot farmers who have worked hard to build their farm business, and see large amounts of private property disrupted - this cannot be allowed to happen, said Mr McLenaghan. The union said the project, which will see a greenway established along an old 75km railway line, has created a great deal of anxiety amongst landowners in the area who foresee their livelihoods being disturbed. The UFU believe greenways should be done predominantly on public land to reduce the impact on private land, but this proposed project will largely affect private landowners and is to follow an abandoned railway route which most farmers have legally incorporated as part of their farm, continued Mr McLenaghan. A cross-border greenway is a positive move, but it must be executed in a fair way, taking into consideration the landowners and their rights and we cannot not condone the act of strong-arming landowners with a threat of vesting powers, particularly for amenities like these. "Landowners have made clear their position, their concerns are valid and in good conscience, must not be overlooked, added Mr McLenaghan. Chair of Sligo IFA Michael ODowd and Leitrim IFA Chair Liam Gilligan said the IFA is opposed to any compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) for amenity projects like Greenways and also opposed to the severance of farms. The impact of the proposed Greenway on private farm lands and farming enterprises is very severe. "Greenway projects like the SLNCR should maximise the use of public lands and minimise the impact on private lands, in line with the Government Strategy for the Future Development of Greenways and the Greenways Code of Best Practice. This is clearly not the case with the proposed Sligo/Leitrim Greenway as the vast majority of the lands on the emerging proposed route are not public or State-owned lands and are in fact farmland. "This is unacceptable and extremely challenging for the landowners, they said. The Council have proposed that the Greenway would follow the old railway route. However, the IFA claim that in practice farmers now farm and use most of the land where the abandoned railway line was. The IFA said the reality is this is no longer a rail line and is now part of active farms and may include houses and farmyards. The old, abandoned railway line is long gone and this land is now active farmland, making it unsuitable for a Greenway. Other key issues highlighted by the IFA included farm viability; severance; access issues; privacy; safety and security; anti-social behaviour; dogs; litter; animal disease and wildlife; and environmental issues. The Sligo and Leitrim IFA County Chairs said IFA had met with Sligo and Leitrim County Councils along with the ARUP consultants on a number of occasions and outlined all of the issues and concerns of farmers regarding the proposed Greenway. The award was presented by founding patrons of the Naughton Foundation, Dr. Martin Naughton, and his wife Carmel, who were joined by Minister Jack Chambers, to present winning students with their awards and cheques. Supporting academic and innovative excellence in Irish students, the Naughton Foundation Scholarship Awards are an investment in the future of Ireland's reputation as a country with outstanding graduates promoting the study of engineering, science, and technology at third level. The County Sligo winner, Francis Donoghue, has accepted a place at University College Dublin studying Engineering. Since its establishment in 2008, the Foundation has presented over 8 million in scholarships to over 450 young people in publicly funded institutions across the island of Ireland. The scheme started in three counties and has continued to expand annually to become a nationwide scheme in 2016. There is one guaranteed scholarship (25,000) for each participating county, with some counties awarded more than one scholarship and each scholarship is worth 6,000 for each year of a students three- or four-year undergraduate degree. Francis joins 37 other exceptional Irish students who were awarded third level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science, technology, and maths. The prize winners former secondary school, Summerhill College, Sligo was awarded a prize of 1,000 towards its science facilities, for their support of their winning student. Speaking about the growth and development of the programme over the past seventeen years, Dr. Martin Naughton commented; Both Carmel and I are delighted by the growth of this program and the incredible community of alumni who are doing extraordinary work in education, research and industry at home and abroad. "Today we are delighted to welcome a new cohort of wonderful young people to join this group and to support and encourage them. When we meet these young engineers, researchers, and mathematicians, I am very happy knowing that we have invested in Irelands wealth creators and leaders of the future. Interview: Egyptian official eyes closer cooperation with China to combat desertification, enhance water security Xinhua) 10:38, October 21, 2025 Hosam Shawky, president of the Egypt's Desert Research Center (DRC), receives an interview with Xinhua in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) CAIRO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Egypt seeks to deepen cooperation with China in combating desertification, managing water resources, and boosting agricultural productivity, drawing on China's expertise in greening arid lands and sustainable development, an Egyptian official said recently. Hosam Shawky, president of the Desert Research Center (DRC), one of Egypt's oldest research institutions and affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, highlighted China's successful experience in controlling desertification -- particularly in the Taklamakan Desert -- as a valuable model for Egypt. "China's green belt and large-scale restoration projects are models we look up to," Shawky told Xinhua in an interview on Sunday, adding that Egypt is eager "to draw on China's expertise in sustainable land and water management." Cooperation between the two countries is already underway through scientific and academic exchanges. Noting that many Egyptian researchers have earned master's and PhD degrees in China in fields related to the environment, agriculture, and desertification control, Shawky said these researchers now serve as "a bridge linking Egyptian and Chinese institutions." Last week, several Egyptian and Chinese research centers, including the DRC, signed a cooperation protocol to promote scientific research, academic collaboration, and the exchange of expertise. As part of the agreement, a regional office of the China-Africa Research Center will be established in Cairo at the DRC to enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation among Chinese, Egyptian, and North African research institutions. The office will also oversee joint training programs to build the capacity of African professionals. Speaking about the new office, Shawky said it "will extend training and awareness programs to African partners," expressing hope that the Egypt-China collaboration will become a model benefiting other African countries facing similar environmental challenges. The DRC is also working with Chinese investors and scientists to cultivate non-traditional, high-yield crops that can thrive in saline and dry conditions, he added. "Our focus is on achieving the highest productivity with the least water consumption." According to Shawky, Egypt faces "a huge challenge" in meeting the food demand of a growing population amid severe water scarcity and limited arable land. "Egypt has already exceeded the level of water poverty," he said, noting that each citizen now has access to only 500 cubic meters of water per year -- well below the international benchmark of 1,000 cubic meters that defines water scarcity. To bridge the gap between water supply and demand, Egypt has adopted advanced technologies such as desalination and wastewater treatment, though high costs remain a challenge. "Each year, Egypt loses land due to desertification, drought, and shifting dunes," he said. "This makes cooperation with China in green belt and reforestation projects vital, not only to protect the environment but also to safeguard investments in new urban and agricultural areas." Highlighting the shared commitment of Egypt and China to sustainable development, Shawky said that through technology, research, and international cooperation -- especially with China -- Egypt can secure water resources, enhance food security, and safeguard the future of coming generations. Hosam Shawky, president of the Egypt's Desert Research Center (DRC), receives an interview with Xinhua in Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Some 2,300 individuals are on the waiting list for ophthalmology services in south Tipperary, including hundreds of children who have never been treated, the Dail was told recently (stock image) Two key healthcare posts in south Tipperary will be filled in the coming weeks following engagement with the HSE and Health Minister by three local TDs. Independent TDs Mattie McGrath and Seamus Healy, and FG TD Michael Murphy have campaigned for the roles of consultant ophthalmologist and optometrist to be filled in south Tipperary, given the backlog of patients. Following a retirement last year, the waiting list for ophthalmology services increased to 2,300 people. The concern was that the position had been advertised as temporary, not permanent, and accordingly did not attract sufficient candidates to apply for the job. On Monday, Deputy McGrath said he had raised concerns earlier this month when it emerged that the consultant ophthalmologist post for South Tipperary was being advertised as a temporary position, a move that risked deterring qualified applicants. When it became clear that the post was not being offered on a permanent basis, I immediately raised the issue with the HSE and the Minister for Health, said Deputy McGrath. I am pleased to confirm that the post has now been approved for permanent filling, which has already resulted in a substantial number of applications being received in the most recent recruitment campaign, he added. The HSE has indicated that the recruitment process is progressing, with interviews expected shortly and standard procedures such as reference checks and garda vetting to follow. In a separate but equally important development, Deputy McGrath said he also received confirmation that the long-awaited optometrist post for South Tipperary has been approved by both the local and regional employment control groups. The position is now in the HSE recruitment pipeline and is expected to be advertised in the coming weeks. These are vital steps forward for eye care services in South Tipperary which has been neglected for over 12 months now, said Deputy McGrath. The filling of both posts will help to clear the ever-growing backlogs of children requiring eye care in South Tipperary. I will continue to monitor the progress of both posts to ensure that recruitment is completed without further delay and that children in our region receive the timely and quality eye care they deserve, he added. On October 15, independent Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Taoiseach for an update on when community ophthalmology services would resume in Tipperary as thousands of children and vulnerable patients are left waiting. Deputy Healy told the Dail that the people of south Tipperary have had no ophthalmology service - no eye service - for more than 12 months. Some 2,300 individuals are on the waiting list, including hundreds of children who have never been seen, he said. Hundreds more are adults with glaucoma, who have either never been seen or are awaiting follow-up treatment and, in some cases, may be facing blindness. The HSE has advertised the permanent post on a temporary basis, making it difficult, if not impossible, to fill it, and so it has turned out. It has again advertised the permanent post on a temporary basis. Why has this happened? We cannot get an answer. Perhaps the Taoiseach can get one for us. The fear in south Tipperary is that the HSE plans to downgrade or transfer the service. When we will have a consultant-staffed service operating again in south Tipperary? added Deputy Healy. Deputy Michael Murphy submitted a parliamentary question to Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asking her to provide an update on the recruitment process to fill the post vacated by a doctor, an update on the current interim arrangements in place to ensure continuity of paediatric ophthalmology services for families in south Tipperary, and whether patient files have been transferred to Waterford as suggested by the HSE. Deputy Murphy also inquired about the steps being taken to ensure that children previously assessed as high-risk are prioritised in scheduling appointments. Paul Goff of the HSE responded on October 14 on behalf of the Minister. I can confirm that a second recruitment campaign for the permanent filling of the consultant ophthalmologist post (South Tipperary) was commissioned, with a closing date of 24 September 2025, stated Mr Goff. A substantial number of applications have been received for the community consultant ophthalmologist position. I wish to advise that the normal processing timeframe for recruitment is approximately 10 working days following the closing date to issue invitations for interview. A further period of approximately four weeks is typically required after interview to complete reference checks, garda vetting, and to allow for any leave that may be taken by the successful candidate prior to commencing the new post. Pending the appointment of the new consultant ophthalmologist, urgent eye care issues for patients from the South Tipperary area may be referred, via their general practitioner, to the eye department service at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) through the emergency department pathway. Should a patient require their file be forwarded to University Hospital Waterford, this may be done so on request by the patients family or by UHW. The assessment and management of routine and urgent patients will be a matter for the incoming consultant ophthalmologist upon appointment, added Mr Goff. Traditional Irish music was the heartbeat of the Eugene ONeill International Festival of Theatre last week as local musicians showcased their talents during Friday nights concert, Music of Carrig-on-Bannow, in St Michaels Theatre. Performances from Bar of Lough, the Danescastle Music Group, John, Pip, Tanya and Oliver Murphy with Fergal OHanlon, PJ Sinnott, Ryan Stafford, Mick Harper, Sinead Cassidy, and Cillian Cullen received thunderous applause throughout the night. At its centre were Tulua, a dynamic group now performing around the world, blending tradition and innovation, much like Clannad did in their day. Rooted in Carrig-on-Bannows proud history, Tulua stand on the shoulders of great traditional musicians such as John and Pip Murphy, whose father, the legendary Phil Murphy, is honoured annually with a festival in his name. A particularly moving moment came with a special presentation to John and Pip Murphy, sons of the late Phil Murphy, honouring their remarkable contribution to the traditional musical heritage of the Carrig-on-Bannow area. The brothers were presented with two sculpted pieces by Mark Maher, in recognition of their enduring impact on Irish music and their role in passing the torch to a new generation of musicians. The Ceili Housestyle transferred seamlessly from TV to stage, which was hosted by RTEs Kieran Hanrahan as the night captured the true spirit of Irish music and its power to bring people together. The festival began with the world premiere of Sheila Forseys The Memory Room which is a poignant, immersive story that deeply touched audiences. It was an excellent night in New Ross for the world premiere of Sheila Forseys The Memory Room at the Eugene O'Neill International Festival of Theatre. A well-structured and immersive story of a mother drifting into dementia and family secrets Kudos to director Eric Fraisher Hayes for the surprises in the second act and the acting of Geraldine Plunkett (Glenroe, Fair City) and American actor, Donald Sage Mackay (Girl From The North Country) with their spellbinding performances, wrote critic Liam Murphy, in The Munster Express. The weekend concluded with Eugene ONeills The Hairy Ape, performed by an extraordinary international cast under the direction of Eric Fraisher Hayes. The production drew acclaim for its intensity, visual power, and emotional resonance which was a fitting tribute to ONeills enduring legacy and the festivals ongoing mission to unite artists from both sides of the Atlantic. The Eugene ONeill Festival, after another successful year, continues to connect Ireland and the US by celebrating stories, songs and humanity. An iconic Wexford maritime display for children that was vandalised during the summer has been restored by its local residents. The Danny boat, that sits on the greenery on the outskirts of Duncannon village, was vandalised in August, where the structure was smashed and childrens artefacts were taken. Although there was no monetary value to what had been stolen, the locals were outraged by the damage that was caused, particularly because of The Dannys representation of the strong maritime heritage in Duncannon, and it was put in place for children to enjoy. The Duncannon Village Renewal committee has confirmed this week that Cormac "Red" Flynne and his treasure trove are now back in action, with the display being fully restored, with some additional features. In addition to the fully-restored treasure chest, the Duncannon pirate is revealing a hidden treasure map for eagle-eyed children to spot. He's also packing a couple of blunderbuss pistols to ward-off any more baddies, said a spokesperson from the Duncannon Village Renewal Committee. With dark evenings encroaching, the display's organisers have also added the new feature of a rigged up a lighting system below deck that allows visitors to view the display through the Perspex window, covering the forward hatch. Next to the hatch is an information placard mounted on the deck that tells the fabled story of the origins of the Duncannon pirate resting below. The pirate display's organisers said: We are delighted with the support we received from the general public since the incident occurred in August. Its said that resilience is part of the DNA of the Duncannon community which has faced and overcome many occasions of great adversity down through the centuries, and in this case, we look forward to more families and children enjoying the maritime monument we have built and re-built, and we hope it remains in place for generations to come, the organisers concluded. Higher Education Minister James Lawless has pointed the finger of blame squarely at Wexford County Council for the latest in a string of delays in establishing a state-of-the-art university campus in Wexford town. A site stretching from Killeens to Whiterock Hill in Wexford town has already been chosen and it felt like progress was finally imminent back in June, when it was revealed that a legal challenge to Wexford County Council's compulsory purchase of the lands for the university had been struck out before the High Court. Almost exactly a year after it was revealed that funding had been allocated for the appointment of a long-awaited consultant neurologist at Wexford General Hospital, the role has finally been advertised online. The announcement was made last October by then Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who stated that neurology services at the hospital were to receive a complete overhaul. Minister James Browne also welcomed the allocation of some 2 million in funding to the HSEs National Clinical Programme for Neurology, which was also to see a clinical support member join the staff in Wexford. Having met several advocates for improved services, including the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Parkinsons Irelands Wexford branch and MS Ireland South Wexford, he was delighted with the development. The HSE are hopeful of appointing someone to the role, on a temporary basis at first, in the coming weeks after it was advertised carrying an annual salary of 233,527. A HSE spokesperson confirmed: A new Consultant Neurologist post serving Wexford General Hospital is to be filled in a temporary capacity, pending a permanent appointment to the position. In the HSE Dublin and South East region, this funding for expansion of services includes the initiation of a hub and spoke neurology service between Wexford General Hospital and University Hospital Waterford (UHW). Wexford General Hospital (WGH) is one of five hospitals nationally where an additional Consultant Neurologist will now be based, the spokesperson confirmed. The post at WGH will ensure seamless access from the hospital to the necessary multi-disciplinary team and subspecialty expertise in UHW, towards further development of a safe and effective neurology service for the South East. In Ireland, around one in six people have a neurological condition, including the likes of Parkinson's, MS, back pain, headaches, pinched nerves and stroke. Going forward, these patients in Wexford will now finally have access to appointments at their local hospital, rather than having to travel elsewhere. Transition Year students from St Gerards, Bray, have managed to almost triple their fundraising target following a night spent under the stars in a chilly Greystones, on Friday, October 10. What began as an idea shared among just 10 students at the school quickly grew into a powerful movement as more than 40 students came forward to sign up for this years Shine-A~Light Sleep-Out fundraiser for Focus Ireland, a call to action by the charity which is held on the second Friday of October each year. The student-led initiative at St Gerard's, created to answer that call and raise awareness and funds for homelessness, has now brought in an impressive total of 14,057 from a target of just 5,000, which the group had set only a couple of weeks ago. Commenting on the event, one of the student organisers, James Farrell, said the volunteers met in Greystones to take some time to reflect on the issue of homelessness before splitting into smaller groups and sleeping out in the cold. "The experience gave participants a brief but eye-opening glimpse into the harsh realities faced by thousands of people across Ireland every night, he said. Focus Ireland is a national charity dedicated to ending homelessness, supporting individuals and families through housing services, advocacy, and prevention work. Their mission is simple yet vital to ensure everyone has a right to a place they can call home. Not only did this initiative highlight the ongoing homelessness crisis, but it also offered students the chance to engage meaningfully with one of Irelands most pressing social issues. This article was amended on October 22 at 5.20pm to correct a name Wicklow man branded a monster with depraved perversions jailed for indecent assault of young girl Doyle was jailed for three years for the indecent assault which happened over 30 years ago Ambrose Doyle (57) sentenced to 3 years at Wicklow Circuit Court for indecent assault of young girl at a house in Bray over 30 years ago. Photo: Collins Courts Sean McCarthaigh Wicklow People Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 18:34 A Wicklow man branded a monster with depraved perversions has been jailed for three years for an indecent assault of a young girl in Bray, Co Wicklow over 30 years ago. The tight-knot communities of Laragh and Carnew are in mourning after the unexpected passing of Aidan Lynham at home following a short illness. Aidans brother Michael is the founder of Lynhams Hotel of Laragh, where Aidans wake will take place. Aidan was the beloved husband of Tuija and the devoted father of Suvi-Tuuli and Sini-Kukka. Originally from Laragh, he lived in Carnew and passed away on Thursday, October 16. Aidan will be reposing at Lynhams Hotel, Laragh on Tuesday, October 21, from 4pm to 8pm. His removal takes place on Wednesday, October 22, in St Kevins Church, Laragh, followed by his interment in the adjacent cemetery. On Friday, October 17, Lynhams Hotel posted an emotional tribute to Aidan stating: It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved family member, Aidan Lynham. We greatly appreciate the kindness, understanding, and support shown by our friends and community during this difficult and sad time. Tributes were also led by Laragh GAA Club, who posted: All at Laragh GFC would like to offer their deepest condolences to the Lynham family after the passing of Aidan Lynham. We are thinking of Aidans wife Tuija and their two daughters as well as his extended family and friends at this sad time. Ar dheis go raibh a anam. Aidans death notice on rip.ie has been flooded with messages of support for his bereaved family from throughout the county, as well as some from further afield including America and Australia. One mourner wrote: So saddened to hear of Aidans passing. Rest in Peace cousin, you were such a lovely person. Thinking of all the Lynhams, especially Aidans wife and adored girls. Another tribute read: I offer my sincere condolences to all on the sad passing of Aidan. Treasured memories of the great times we all shared in his company and your family back in the day. May his gentle soul RIP. Treasured memories of a great man and patron of all the business that you people have brought to this area. Aidan will be sadly missed by his loving wife, children, brothers Michael, Seamus, John and Eamon. Sisters Catherine and Bridget, mother-in-law Eira and father-in law Esko, brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and neighbours. His family have requested family flowers only. Alleged McCann stalker cannot be Madeleine, forensic expert tells court Julia Wandelt (24) has claimed to be the missing girl, sending emails, making phone calls and turning up at the familys address Forensic experts say Julia Wandelt cannot be a child of Kate and Gerry McCann. Photo: Elizabeth Cook/PA Sophie Robinson Press Association Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 The alleged stalker of the McCann family does not match a DNA sample from Madeleines pillowcase taken from her home in the days after she disappeared, a forensic expert has told a court. Blind patients can read and recognise faces again with a revolutionary bionic chip that is said to signal a new era for artificial vision. The implant is an ultra-thin wireless microchip, measuring 2mm by 2mm, which is inserted under the retina and links to a video-camera attached to a pair of augmented-reality glasses. Buckingham Palace has grave concern over latest Virginia Giuffre allegations against Prince Andrew Prince Andrew's life 'being eroded because of his past behaviour' says Giuffre memoir co-author Maroosha Muzaffar UK Independent Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 07:30 New allegations against Britains Prince Andrew by Virginia Giuffre in her memoirs are of very serious and grave concern, a Buckingham Palace source says. Father Ted writer Graham Linehan to face no further action over posts about transgenderism Investigation of non-crime hate incidents to end, says Met Police Comedy writer Graham Linehan was arrested last month over posts made on social media. Photo: PA Ellie Ng Press Association Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Britains Metropolitan Police has announced that it will stop investigating non-crime hate incidents after it emerged that Father Ted creator Graham Linehan will face no further action over social media posts about transgender issues. Nicolas Sarkozy said he would use his time behind bars to write a book. Photo: Getty Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived at La Santa prison in Paris on Tuesday to start a five-year prison term. Sarkozy, who was the conservative president of France between 2007 and 2012, was sentenced for allegedly conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya. Police gather on the Louvre Pyramid spiral staircase, after the theft of Napoleon collection jewellery pieces at the museum. Photo: Reuters France will review the protection of cultural sites across the country and beef up security if needed, officials said yesterday as a manhunt was under way for the four people who staged an audacious daylight robbery at the Louvre museum. President stays diplomatic despite Tomahawk missile disappointment Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to reporters in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, following a meeting with US president Donald Trump, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his reportedly tense meeting with US president Donald Trump last week was positive even though he did not secure the Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine and emphasised what he said is continued American interest in economic deals with Kyiv. US President Donald Trump speaks to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky, from left, as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice President JD Vance listen (Alex Brandon/AP) Russian troops have pushed into the east Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk - and immediately begun the casual commission of war crimes with the murder of at least three civilians trying to flee the invaders. In footage seen, an elderly woman lies on the verge of a road by a level crossing, not far from the train tracks on the outskirts of the city, wounded, and still. US steps up diplomatic efforts to keep Gaza truce intact Violent flare-ups have left 30 dead and threatened to derail the ceasefire Palestinians pray over the bodies of people who were killed in an Israeli military strike on Sunday, during their funeral at Awda Hospital, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Nidal al-Mughrabi and Steven Scheer Reuters Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 06:30 US envoys met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday aiming to corral Israel and Hamas to get the Gaza ceasefire plan back on track after an explosion of violence over the weekend that threatened to derail the week-old truce. Nicholas Rossi, who claimed to be Irish orphan and fled to Scotland to avoid US rape charges, jailed for at least five years Rossi had claimed it was a case of mistaken identity and claimed his name was Arthur Knight and that he was of Irish origin and an orphanOne victim said he had left a trail of fear, pain and destruction behind him. Nicholas Rossi (Andrew Milligan/PA) Ryan McDougall Press Association Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 08:13 A man who fled from the United States to Scotland after he appeared to fake his own death to avoid rape charges, has been sentenced to at least five years in prison. The pilot diverted the plane after receiving cuts to his arm when the windshield smashed. Stock image A flight in the US was forced to make an emergency landing last Thursday after a piece of suspected space debris smashed into its windshield. The pilot of United Flight 1093 from Denver to Los Angeles reportedly suffered cuts to his arm after glass flew into the cockpit, though none of the 130 passengers on board were injured. Chennai Investment Brief: What Makes the City a Top FDI Hub Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has evolved beyond its automotive roots. Its ability to attract foreign investment lies in the confluence of infrastructure, human capital, policy support, and supply-chain depth, which makes Chennai a key gateway to Indias southern growth corridor. For investors and companies seeking to tap Indias dynamic market and export-oriented manufacturing base, Chennai is a location worth serious consideration. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, stands among Indias most diversified and globally connected industrial cities. With a well-developed infrastructure network, strong human capital, and growing inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), Chennai has emerged as a leading destination for advanced manufacturing, innovation, and logistics in South India. The citys geographic advantage on the Coromandel Coast, complemented by excellent access to nearby industrial and innovation hubs, makes it a cornerstone of Indias southern growth corridor. City overview: Economic strengths and industrial heritage Chennai has long been recognized as the Detroit of India, owing to its extensive automotive and auto component ecosystem. Over time, however, the city has transcended its automotive identity to host a diverse portfolio of industries from electronics and IT to renewable energy, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals. According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Tamil Nadu is one of Indias leading FDI-receiving states; it ranked fifth nationally in FY 2024-25, receiving INR 311.03 billion in foreign equity inflows. Chennai accounts for a substantial share of these inflows due to its strategic coastal location, skilled workforce, and pro-business policies. Major industries operating in the Chennai metropolitan area include automotive, electronics, IT and business process outsourcing (BPO), financial services, logistics, and renewable energy. Surrounding satellite towns such as Sriperumbudur, Oragadam, and Mahindra World City further extend the industrial footprint, offering plug-and-play infrastructure, connectivity to ports, and access to industrial land with state support. Tamil Nadus Investment Appeal In September 2025, the Tamil Nadu government reported that a recent overseas investment mission to Europe (Germany and the UK) yielded INR 155.16 billion in investment commitments, with 33 MoUs and the potential creation of 17,600 new jobs. Among these, 10 new companies have committed to invest in Tamil Nadu, and six entities plan joint ventures in MSME and higher education sectors. Infrastructure and connectivity Ports and maritime trade Chennais maritime infrastructure anchors its export-oriented economy. The Chennai Port, Indias third-oldest port, began commercial operations in 1881. It is among the countrys busiest government-run ports, handling containerized, breakbulk, and automobile exports. Nearby, the Kamarajar (Ennore) Port functions as a deep-draft facility catering to bulk cargo, liquid fuels, and roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) automobile shipments. Together, these twin ports give the city unmatched access to global shipping routes, including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa. Industrial estates and SEZs along the GST Road and NH 45 corridor enjoy direct connectivity to these ports, minimizing logistics turnaround time for exporters in electronics, automobiles, and engineering goods. Airports and air cargo Located in Tirusulam in Chengalpattu district, in the Greater Chennai Metropolitan Area, and around 21 km (13 mi) southwest of the city center, Chennai International Airport serves as a major passenger and cargo hub for southern India. Handling over 20 million passengers and nearly 400,000 tonnes of freight annually, the airport supports global connectivity for technology, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical firms. To meet rising demand, a greenfield airport project at Parandur (Kanchipuram district) has been approved, though delays around land acquisition may push completion date to 2030. Spanning more than 4,500 acres the new airport will handle up to 100 million passengers per year upon completion. It is expected to bolster Chennais logistics and MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) capabilities, reinforcing its attractiveness to high-tech and export-driven sectors. Urban transit and industrial corridors Chennais Phase II Metro expansion, covering 118.9 kilometers (73.9 mi), is under implementation and will significantly improve urban mobility and connectivity between industrial clusters, residential areas, and the airport. The city also serves as the eastern gateway to the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), one of Indias flagship infrastructure projects. This corridor connects Chennai to Bengaluru and extends toward Mumbai, forming part of the national industrial corridor network. The corridor integrates road, rail, and port infrastructure helping industries around Sriperumbudur, Oragadam, and Ranipet move goods seamlessly across southern India. Additionally, the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) and Outer Ring Road projects will decongest the citys urban core and improve freight and multimodal logistics movement between ports (Ennore, Kattupalli) and industrial hubs (for example: Sriperumbudur and Oragadam). Recent foreign investment highlights in Chennai Foreign investors are increasingly choosing Chennai for both advanced manufacturing and technology-driven innovation. Several recent projects, spanning sectors as diverse as energy, aerospace, logistics, and retail technology, collectively reinforce Chennais image as a high-value and innovation-driven investment destination. Hitachi Energy: In October 2025, Hitachi Energy announced a INR 2,000 crore (US$240 million) expansion of its Global Technology and Innovation Centre in Chennai, creating approximately 3,000 high-value technology jobs. The center serves as one of Hitachis global hubs for energy transition research, grid automation, and transformer design, managing over 1,000 projects across 46 countries. In October 2025, Hitachi Energy announced a INR 2,000 crore (US$240 million) expansion of its Global Technology and Innovation Centre in Chennai, creating approximately 3,000 high-value technology jobs. The center serves as one of Hitachis global hubs for energy transition research, grid automation, and transformer design, managing over 1,000 projects across 46 countries. Walmart: Walmarts India tech arm (WM Global Technology Services India Pvt Ltd) has leased around 465,000 sq ft of office space in the International Tech Park Chennai (ITPC), making it one of the companys largest tech footprints in South India. The expansion underscores Chennais growing talent pool and cost efficiency in comparison with Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The deal reinforces Chennais increasing attractiveness for global capability centers, especially in the technology, services, and R&D space. Walmarts India tech arm (WM Global Technology Services India Pvt Ltd) has leased around 465,000 sq ft of office space in the International Tech Park Chennai (ITPC), making it one of the companys largest tech footprints in South India. The expansion underscores Chennais growing talent pool and cost efficiency in comparison with Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The deal reinforces Chennais increasing attractiveness for global capability centers, especially in the technology, services, and R&D space. TASE Global: Headquartered in Chennai, TASE Global has announced a US$30 million expansion combining an organic brownfield facility in Sriperumbudur (investing US$18 million) and the acquisition of an aerospace firm in Arizona (US$12 million). This project reflects Chennais deepening role in global aerospace and defense supply chains. Trusted AeroSpace Engineering TASE Global already supplies precision aerospace components (sheet metal, machining, casings & housings) for aerospace, medical and industrial applications from its Indian unit. Its clients include Boeing, Airbus, and Honeywell. Its Chennai units focus on machining and surface treatment. Headquartered in Chennai, TASE Global has announced a US$30 million expansion combining an organic brownfield facility in Sriperumbudur (investing US$18 million) and the acquisition of an aerospace firm in Arizona (US$12 million). This project reflects Chennais deepening role in global aerospace and defense supply chains. Trusted AeroSpace Engineering TASE Global already supplies precision aerospace components (sheet metal, machining, casings & housings) for aerospace, medical and industrial applications from its Indian unit. Its clients include Boeing, Airbus, and Honeywell. Its Chennai units focus on machining and surface treatment. Michelin: The tire manufacturer continues to expand its Chennai production unit, investing an additional INR 5.64 billion to upgrade facilities and manufacture passenger-car radial (PCR) tires. The total investment to date in the Chennai plant is reported to be around INR 28.4 billion. The tire manufacturer continues to expand its Chennai production unit, investing an additional INR 5.64 billion to upgrade facilities and manufacture passenger-car radial (PCR) tires. The total investment to date in the Chennai plant is reported to be around INR 28.4 billion. IndoSpace: The logistics and warehousing developer has already invested approximately US$380 million in Tamil Nadu and plans to raise that to about US$536 million. Of IndoSpaces 15 Tamil Nadu parks, 14 are located in or around Chennai, reflecting sustained demand for industrial and e-commerce logistics facilities. Chennais strategic proximity to key industrial hubs A major reason for Chennais attractiveness lies in its geographic centrality within southern Indias industrial triangle. A dense network of industrial linkages allows investors in Chennai to benefit from shared supply chains, labor pools, and innovation ecosystems without duplicating capital infrastructure across multiple cities. Sriperumbudur and Oragadam: Located approximately 4050 km from central Chennai, these areas form the heart of Tamil Nadus automotive and electronics manufacturing ecosystem. They host major global players such as Hyundai, Foxconn, Daimler, Renault-Nissan, and Flex. Their connectivity to the Chennai Port via the Outer Ring Road ensures smooth export logistics. Located approximately 4050 km from central Chennai, these areas form the heart of Tamil Nadus automotive and electronics manufacturing ecosystem. They host major global players such as Hyundai, Foxconn, Daimler, Renault-Nissan, and Flex. Their connectivity to the Chennai Port via the Outer Ring Road ensures smooth export logistics. Mahindra World City (Chengalpattu District): Positioned about 60 km south of Chennai, this integrated industrial township houses global firms like BMW, Infosys, Fujitec, Renault-Nissan, and Lincoln Electric. Its proximity to both the GST Road and the upcoming PRR makes it ideal for export-oriented manufacturing. Positioned about 60 km south of Chennai, this integrated industrial township houses global firms like BMW, Infosys, Fujitec, Renault-Nissan, and Lincoln Electric. Its proximity to both the GST Road and the upcoming PRR makes it ideal for export-oriented manufacturing. Siruseri and OMR IT Corridor: The Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) corridor, just south of the city, serves as Chennais technology and knowledge hub. It hosts software parks, R&D centers, and business campuses of global IT firms including Cognizant, TCS, Capgemini, and Amazon. The Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) corridor, just south of the city, serves as Chennais technology and knowledge hub. It hosts software parks, R&D centers, and business campuses of global IT firms including Cognizant, TCS, Capgemini, and Amazon. Bengaluru (approx. 350km west of Chennai): The new Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway expected to be fully operational in 2026 will reduce travel time between the two cities to less than four hours. This corridor strengthens Chennais integration with Bengalurus innovation ecosystem, enabling cross-regional collaboration in R&D, electronics, and start-ups. The new Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway expected to be fully operational in 2026 will reduce travel time between the two cities to less than four hours. This corridor strengthens Chennais integration with Bengalurus innovation ecosystem, enabling cross-regional collaboration in R&D, electronics, and start-ups. Tuticorin and Hosur: While Tuticorin (Thoothukudi) serves as a complementary deep-water port further south, Hosur (on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border) functions as a satellite industrial town within a days logistics reach from Chennai, offering diversification options for manufacturers. With its deep-water port, logistics advantages, and state-backed industrial parks, Thoothukudi is positioning itself as a gateway for export-led manufacturing and green industry growth in South India. The city has evolved into a diversified industrial hub anchored by maritime, electronics, and renewable energy sectors. Major investors include Sembcorp (INR 213.4 billion in renewables), Reliance Consumer Products (INR 11.56 billion FMCG facility), Cochin Shipyard and Mazagon Dock (INR 300 billion combined shipyard projects), and Kaynes Circuits (INR 49.95 billion electronics plant). At the 2025 investors conclave, 41 MoUs worth over INR 325 billion were signed. Hosur has emerged as a major industrial hub driven by strong automotive, electronics, aerospace, and renewable energy sectors. The region hosts global and domestic firms such as Tata Electronics, Kanthal (Sweden), Panattoni (EU), and Ascent Circuits, with investments in advanced manufacturing, logistics, and high-tech production. In September 2025, Tamil Nadu signed MoUs worth over INR 243 billion for new projects in Hosur, expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs. Its proximity to Bengaluru, robust infrastructure, and investor-friendly policies make Hosur a preferred destination for global supply-chain and manufacturing expansion Policy environment and incentives The Tamil Nadu government has cultivated a reputation for stable, investor-friendly governance. Its strong fiscal discipline and policy continuity provide confidence for long-term investors; a key advantage compared to other fast-growing states. Through its Guidance Tamil Nadu agency, the state provides a single-window clearance system for industrial approvals and customized incentives for large investments. Key policies that benefit Chennai-based investors include: Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy 2021: Offers structured incentives for priority sectors, including electronics, electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and aerospace. Offers structured incentives for priority sectors, including electronics, electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and aerospace. EV Policy 2023: Provides capital subsidies, reimbursement of SGST, and power-tariff concessions for EV and battery manufacturers. Provides capital subsidies, reimbursement of SGST, and power-tariff concessions for EV and battery manufacturers. Data Centre and FinTech Policies: Facilitate land allotment, reduced electricity tariffs, and incentives for IT and digital infrastructure developers. Key sectors for investment Chennais economy offers several high-growth sectors that attract both domestic and international investors. Strategic government incentives, robust infrastructure, and strong export orientation make these sectors particularly attractive: 1. Automotive and EVs: Chennai remains Indias leading automotive hub, hosting global OEMs like Hyundai, Renault-Nissan, and BMW. The city is rapidly evolving into an EV manufacturing base, supported by the Tamil Nadu EV Policy 2023, which offers incentives for EV production, battery assembly, and component manufacturing. Local R&D centers are also developing next-generation mobility technologies, making Chennai integral to Indias clean transportation roadmap. 2. Electronics and semiconductors: The Sriperumbudur-Oragadam belt has emerged as one of Indias top electronics manufacturing clusters, housing companies such as Foxconn, Flex, and Dell. The states Electronic Hardware Manufacturing Policy and integration with Indias PLI schemes for mobile and semiconductor manufacturing position Chennai as a vital node for global electronics supply chains. 3. Information technology (IT), BPO, and FinTech: The Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) / Rajiv Gandhi Salai, also known as the IT Expressway, is home to top global IT service providers, including TCS, Infosys, Paypal, Cognizant, Capgemini, Wipro Technologies, and commercial hubs like the Tidel Park, ELCOSEZ in Sholinganallur, and Chennai ONE IT Park. Chennais emerging FinTech ecosystem, bolstered by the Tamil Nadu FinTech Policy, offers opportunities in digital payments, AI-driven financial services, and cybersecurity solutions. 4. Global capability centers (GCCs): The citys engineering expertise and workforce strengths make Chennai home to several hundred GCCs, including Walmart, Caterpillar, Hitachi Energy, Societe Generale, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Roche, Ford, Renault Nissan, Adidas, Mizuho, UPS, Harman, Deloitte USI, AT&T, Standard Chartered, and World Bank Group (the largest outside its HQ). 5. Renewable energy and cleantech: Tamil Nadu leads India in renewable energy capacity, particularly wind and solar. Chennais industrial ecosystem supports manufacturing of renewable components, smart grids, and battery storage solutions. Investments by Hitachi Energy and other clean-tech multinationals highlight the citys growing reputation as a hub for sustainable technology innovation. 6. Aerospace and defense manufacturing: Chennai is part of Indias expanding aerospace and defense value chain, with firms like TASE Global and Ashok Leylands defense unit contributing to both domestic and export-oriented production. The governments Aerospace and Defense Industrial Policy encourages investments in MRO, avionics, and precision engineering facilities near Sriperumbudur and Hosur. 7. Pharmaceuticals, BioTech, and medical devices: With established industrial zones and R&D infrastructure, Chennai is a leading exporter of formulations, APIs, and medical devices. The nearby Oragadam and Chengalpattu regions (part of the larger Chennai Metropolitan Area) host life sciences parks and manufacturing facilities catering to both domestic demand and global supply chains. 8. Logistics, warehousing, and industrial real estate: As a key port city (major ports of Chennai Port and the Kamarajar Port (Ennore Port) and minor port of Kattupalli Adani Port) with strong multimodal connectivity, Chennai offers immense potential in logistics and warehousing. Developers such as IndoSpace and ESR are scaling up operations to serve the growing e-commerce, manufacturing, and cold-chain logistics markets. The citys proximity to industrial corridors enhances its appeal for integrated industrial townships. 9. Start-ups and technology innovation: Chennais start-up ecosystem, supported by initiatives like the Tamil Nadu Start-up and Innovation Mission (TANSIM), is gaining momentum in sectors such as AI, robotics, IoT, and SaaS. Collaborations between academia, industry, and government are strengthening its innovation pipeline and attracting venture capital interest. Our market entry strategy services guide companies through the full processhelping them design an optimal corporate structure, navigate regulatory environments, and build efficient supply chains tailored to their expansion goals. Reach our experts at: India@dezshira.com India Climate Risk Advisory: Localizing Your Business Continuity Plans Indias economy is fast-growing but also prone to natural and environmental risks, from cyclones and floods to heatwaves and water scarcity. Businesses can safeguard operations by developing localized Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) tailored to regional hazards, infrastructure challenges, and regulations. Indias economy, projected to grow 6.6 percent in 2025, is supported by accelerated industrial output and rapid digital expansion. Yet the same factors driving growth also expose businesses to high environmental risks. According to the Climate Risk Index 2025 by Germanwatch, India ranks sixth globally for being affected by extreme weather events. Further, according to a World Risk Report published in 2024, 60 percent of Indias land is prone to seismic activity and 80 percent of its coastline is exposed to cyclones conditions that directly affect operations, supply chains, and workforce safety. For companies expanding in India, resilience has become a strategic necessity. Tailored business continuity plans (BCPs) help anticipate local hazards, maintain operations during crises, and safeguard long-term competitiveness in this dynamic but risk-prone market. India Briefing explains how companies can build localized, resource-focused BCPs that strengthen resilience, ensure compliance, and support long-term operational stability in a complex regulatory landscape. Business exposure and preparedness gaps Businesses in India are prone to underestimating the scale and frequency of disruptions. As per a 2024 report by Think Teal, an IT analyst firm, 40 percent of Indian enterprises lack a formal Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) strategy, and nearly half review their plans only once every three years. This limited preparedness leaves companies vulnerable to prolonged downtime, supply disruptions, and workforce displacement. Without clear recovery frameworks, organizations risk financial losses and reputational damage that can erode investor confidence and weaken long-term competitiveness. Organizations that fail to strengthen continuity systems risk losing both market share and stakeholder trust when natural or infrastructure shocks occur. Impact of Indias Environmental and Climatic Risks Indias diverse geography exposes businesses to a wide range of environmental hazards. Floods, cyclones, droughts, and landslides routinely disrupt industries from agriculture and textiles to retail and technology. In 2024, Cyclone Remal caused extensive damage along the eastern coast, halting manufacturing and logistics in parts of West Bengal and Odisha. In the northeast state of Assam, floods destroyed transport links and affected agricultural output, while landslides in Kerala disrupted supply chains and communications in the southern region. Urban centers face growing systemic risks as well. Indias Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, continues to struggle with water scarcity, threatening the citys tech and services sectors, while the National Capital Region (NCR) yearly endures heatwaves and pollution-induced restrictions that slow operational efficiencies and strain energy infrastructure. Together, these events demonstrate how climate stress and rapid urbanization are creating new layers of business risk, making localized, proactive continuity planning a necessity rather than an afterthought. From hazard-focused to resource-focused planning Traditional business continuity planning in India has often focused on single hazards, i.e., earthquakes, floods, or power outages, treated as isolated events. While these plans address immediate threats, they fail to capture the growing reality of a poly-crisis environment, where simultaneous disruptions, such as pandemics, heatwaves, and energy shortages, compound one another and strain conventional continuity systems. A single event, such as a cyclone, can trigger cascading impacts; flooding that damages warehouses, disrupts logistics, and coincides with labor shortages or cyber incidents. In such conditions, resilience depends less on predicting each hazard and more on maintaining flexibility across operations. Localizing the business continuity plan for India Indias diverse geography and complex administrative setup require firms to adapt their continuity strategies to local realities, addressing regional hazards, infrastructure gaps, and workforce diversity. Risk-based scenario planning Continuity planning should begin with a dual-layer approach that considers both regional hazards and cyclical risks. Coastal states such as Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu require cyclone and flood preparedness protocols, while northern regions need seismic safety audits and structural resilience checks. Urban centers like Delhi-NCR and Mumbai face recurring monsoon floods and pollution emergencies that can halt operations and logistics. Conducting location-specific risk assessments allows companies to design playbooks that respond to the unique vulnerabilities of each site rather than relying on generic procedures. An example of climate-related business disruption occurred during the 2015 Chennai floods, which severely impacted the citys industrial and manufacturing base. Over 10,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) suffered production halts, leading to estimated losses exceeding INR 17 billion (US$193.11 million) and widespread job displacement affecting over 50,000 workers. Prolonged rainfall and flooding also forced major automotive manufacturers in the region to temporarily suspend operations, further amplifying economic losses. The event made transparent the need for stronger disaster resilience planning across the private sector. Subsequent preparedness measures, such as coordinated response teams, standby medical units, and emergency equipment helped mitigate risks during later weather events like Cyclone Roanu in 2016. Businesses are not only among the first to suffer during extreme weather events but also play a pivotal role in enabling cities to recover and rebuild more effectively. Infrastructure contingencies Infrastructure disruptions, such as power outages, damaged communication lines, or transportation bottlenecks, are among the most immediate threats during crises. Companies should invest in backup power supplies, alternative communication channels, and cloud-based data recovery systems to keep critical functions running. Local decision-making authority is equally important. Empowering site managers to act independently when headquarters are unreachable ensures timely responses and minimizes downtime. Inclusive communication Effective communication determines how quickly teams can respond and recover. In Indias multilingual workplace, relying solely on English is insufficient. Businesses should establish multilingual alert systems that deliver emergency updates in English, Hindi, and relevant regional languages. These updates can be sent via SMS, internal apps, or designated phone lines. Making instructions clear and accessible to all employees reduces confusion and strengthens coordination during an emergency. Community and stakeholder collaboration Building resilience also requires collaboration beyond company boundaries. Firms can coordinate with local authorities, embassies, and industry associations to access shared resources, evacuation support, and updated risk information. Participation in local disaster management initiatives or mutual aid networks enhances both response speed and goodwill. By aligning corporate crisis plans with broader community efforts, companies can help accelerate recovery for the regions in which they operate. Aligning with Indias regulatory and investment climate An effective BCP in India must go beyond operational safeguards. It needs to align with the countrys evolving regulatory and investment frameworks. Indias business environment is shaped by a multi-layered system of central and state government regulations, each governing critical aspects of finance, labor, environment, and data management. Integrating regulatory requirements into crisis response frameworks helps firms recover faster and maintain credibility with regulators and investors. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) provides mechanisms for corporate recovery and debt resolution during financial distress. Organizations should understand how insolvency triggers and creditor claims interact with business interruption events to ensure timely action and safeguard assets. Similarly, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) sets stringent rules for data storage, transfer, and breach reporting. Firms must incorporate cybersecurity and data resilience into their BCPs, ensuring secure backups, rapid recovery, and adherence to local data residency requirements. Environmental regulations also play a central role. Companies in the manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy sectors must comply with federal and state pollution control laws and environmental impact assessments, which can directly affect post-disaster recovery and reconstruction timelines. At the same time, Indias policy landscape offers strong incentives for long-term investment and industrial growth. Companies leveraging initiatives like Make in India and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes should align their continuity plans with the safety, sustainability, and localization standards required for incentive eligibility. Embedding regulatory awareness into continuity planning not only minimizes compliance risks but also strengthens corporate credibility in Indias reform-driven market. Ultimately, a continuity plan grounded in legal, environmental, and policy realities builds resilience that is both operationally sound and strategically aligned. (US$1 = INR 88.03) (With inputs from Archana Rao.) India Public Holidays 2025: Official Calendar and Business Planning Guide Available language Indias official public holiday calendar for 2025 includes mandatory Gazetted holidays, optional Restricted holidays, and numerous state-specific observances. All companies must observe three national holidays Republic Day (Jan 26), Independence Day (Aug 15), and Gandhi Jayanti (Oct 2). Generally, organizations should also plan for any designated election days, which are paid holidays for registered voters. Businesses should plan operations, payroll, and employee schedules around these dates for smooth functioning. Managing operations across multiple states? Our specialists can help you structure compliant holiday policies and optimize workforce planning. Contact us at: India@dezshira.com. Why holiday planning matters for businesses in India Strategic holiday planning is a critical component of business operations in India, where the diversity of festivals, regional observances, and state-specific public holidays can significantly influence workforce availability and commercial activity. Companies that proactively align their operations with the national and local holiday calendar gain a competitive advantage by minimizing disruption, maintaining productivity, and enhancing employee morale. For multinational companies and foreign employers, understanding these dynamics is especially important. Indias workforce is culturally and regionally diverse, and many employees place high importance on celebrating traditional festivals with their families. Offering flexibility through restricted holidays or accommodating region-specific observances not only boosts employee satisfaction and retention but also strengthens a companys reputation as an inclusive and culturally aware employer. Operationally, well-planned holiday schedules allow organizations to allocate resources more effectively from workforce deployment and project timelines to inventory management and customer support planning. Sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and retail often see fluctuating demand patterns around major holidays, while service industries may need to coordinate closely with client calendars to avoid delivery delays. Moreover, understanding the official holiday calendar is essential for compliance. Certain holidays, including Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti, are mandated under the National and Festival Holidays Act, requiring business closures or prior authorization for operations. Non-compliance can lead to regulatory penalties and reputational risk. In short, holiday planning is not merely an HR exercise it is a strategic business function that underpins operational continuity, workforce engagement, legal compliance, and market responsiveness. Organizations that treat holiday scheduling as part of their annual business planning process are better positioned to manage costs, meet delivery commitments, and sustain long-term growth in the Indian market. Public holiday categories: Gazetted, restricted, and state holidays Indias official public holiday calendar is categorized into three types: Gazetted, Restricted, and holidays specific to individual states and union territories. Managing the countrys diverse holiday schedule can be challenging, especially for foreign HR managers, as central and state governments account for the cultural and regional diversity of over 1.42 billion people across 28 states and 8 union territories. In India, many companies close their offices on Gazetted holidays and offer employees a selection of optional holidays, allowing them to choose non-Gazetted holidays to observe. Some businesses, however, align their holiday schedules with those set by the management of their office building. Managing holiday schedules and legal requirements Find Business Support HR and Payroll Support in India Managing holiday schedules in India remains flexible, with most companies offering between 8 and 14 public holidays based on historical practices, industry standards, and state-specific regulations. Companies interacting with state or government bodies must follow the respective official holiday calendars. For instance, government offices in the National Capital Territory of Delhi are expected to observe 17 gazetted holidays in 2025, along with 24 restricted (optional) holidays. Key employment laws governing holiday entitlements Holiday entitlements in India are largely regulated by several key laws: The Weekly Holidays Act, 1942; The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946; The National and Festival Holidays Act, 1963; The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1981; The Companies Act, 2013; and The Shops and Commercial Establishments Act Of these, the National & Festival Holidays Act is applicable to all establishments nationwide, mandating closures on three national holidays: Republic Day, January 26; Independence Day, August 15; and Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. All organizations in Indiawhether public, private, or multinationalare required to observe these holidays. Those needing to operate on these dates must obtain prior approval from the relevant authorities. List of official gazetted holidays in India 2025 The following list of 2025 holidays in India is based on the circular issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions. List of Public Holidays in India in 2025 Month Date and day Gazette holiday January 26 (Sunday) Republic Day February 26 (Wednesday) Maha Shivratri March 14 (Friday) Holi 31 (Monday) Id-ul-Fitr April 10 (Thursday) Mahavir Jayanti 18 (Friday) Good Friday May 12 (Monday) Budhh Purnima June 7 (Saturday) Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) July 6 (Sunday) Muharram August 15 (Friday) Independence Day 16 (Saturday) Janmashtami September 5 (Friday) Milad-un-Nabi (Id-e-Milad) October 2 (Thursday) Gandhi Jayanti 2 (Thursday) Dusshera 20 (Monday) Diwali (Deepavali) November 5 (Wednesday) Guru Nanaks Birthday December 25 (Thursday) Christmas Day Source: DoPT Circular, National Portal of India Restricted and optional holidays in India in 2025 Non-Gazetted/Restricted Holidays in India in 2025 Month Date and day Holiday January 1 (Wednesday) New Years Day 6 (Monday) Guru Gobind Singhs Birthday 14 (Tuesday) Makar Sankranti /Magha Bihu /Pongal February 2 (Sunday) Basant Panchami 12 (Wednesday) Guru Ravi Dass Birthday 19 (Wednesday) Shivaji Jayanti 23 (Sunday) Birthday of Swami Dayananda Saraswati March 13 (Thursday) Holika Dahan 14 (Friday) Dolyatra April 16 (Sunday) Ram Navami May June July August 15 (Friday) Janmashtami (Smarta) 27 (Wednesday) Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayaka Chaturthi September 5 (Friday) Onam 29 (Monday) Dussehra (Saptami) 30 (Tuesday) Dussehra (Mahashtami) October 1 (Wednesday) Dussehra (Mahanavmi) 7 (Tuesday) Maharishi Valmikis Birthday 10 (Friday) Karaka Chaturthi (Karwa Chouth) 20 (Monday) Naraka Chaturdasi 22 (Wednesday) Govardhan Puja 23 (Thursday) Bhai Duj 28 (Tuesday) Pratihar Shashthi or Surya Shashthi (Chhat Puja) November 24 (Monday) Guru Teg Bahadurs Martyrdom Day December 24 (Wednesday) Christmas Eve Source: DOPT, The Indian Express State-wise and union territory holidays in India The list of state and union territory holidays is quite large. Please click here https://www.india.gov.in/state-and-ut-holiday-calendar to review local holidays that apply to your place of business. Understanding dry days in India In addition to office closures, governments in the state and union territories often observe dry days or days when the sale of alcohol is not permitted on Gazetted, state, and union territory holidays. Dry days also routinely occur on local election dates. During the course of the year, local governments may declare additional or fewer dry days at its discretion. (For Indias Public Holidays in 2024, click here.) Delhi: AQI crosses 350 after night of firecrackers ( Image credit : AI generated | The air across major Indian cities deteriorated sharply after Diwali celebrations ) Mumbai, Haryana, Punjab: Coastal and regional air quality declines ( Image credit : AI generated | In Delhi, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 360 on Tuesday ) Kolkata and Howrah: Firecracker violations on Kali puja night ( Image credit : AI generated | Mumbai also recorded its worst air since October 10 ) The air across major Indian cities deteriorated sharply after Diwali celebrations, as widespread bursting of firecrackers pushed pollution levels to dangerous limits. Despite regulations and court orders to use only low-emission or green crackers for a limited period, residents of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Howrah ignored the restrictions, resulting in heavy smog, low visibility, and very poor air quality.Authorities and environmentalists have expressed concern that the combination of festival-related emissions, vehicular pollution, and seasonal factors could have serious health implications, particularly for the elderly, children, and people with pre-existing respiratory issues.In Delhi, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 360 on Tuesday, following a night of firecracker bursting across the city and its suburbs. The AQI measures PM 2.5 concentrations, fine particulate matter that can penetrate the lungs and cause respiratory and cardiovascular issues. Levels between 101200 are considered moderate, 201300 poor, 301400 very poor, and above 400 severe. Some parts of Delhi recorded PM 2.5 levels almost 24 times higher than the 24-hour limit recommended by the World Health Organization.The worsening of Delhis air quality comes amid its usual winter pollution challenges, including stubble burning in neighbouring states, dust, and vehicular emissions. Low wind speeds trap pollutants near the ground, making the air particularly hard to breathe.Although firecrackers have been banned during Diwali since 2020, enforcement was weak. Shops continued to sell fireworks, and residents burst them beyond permitted hours. The Supreme Court last week relaxed the ban, allowing green crackers that emit 2030% less pollutants. Experts, however, warn that even these emit harmful substances and could undermine public awareness about air pollution.Delhi authorities activated the next stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), restricting diesel generator use and the burning of coal and firewood to try to improve air quality. Yet residents woke up to a thick, toxic haze blanketing the city.Mumbai also recorded its worst air since October 10, with an overall AQI of 212 (poor). Certain areas such as Bandra Kurla Complex (375), Colaba (346), and Mazgaon (309) fell into the very poor category. The deterioration was attributed to heavy firecracker use, low wind speeds typical of early winter, and La Nina climate conditions, which slow pollutant dispersion. Authorities including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board have begun ward-level monitoring and deploying mobile air quality vans.Haryanas cities also faced significant pollution spikes. Bahadurgarh reported an AQI of 358, Jind 350, Gurugram Sector 51 348, Rohtak 343, Bhiwani 307, and Faridabad 249. Punjab cities such as Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana recorded poor to very poor air quality, ranging from 212 to 268.Kolkata and Howrah experienced severe air quality deterioration during Kali Puja as firecrackers were burst beyond the permissible 8 pm10 pm window. AQI readings at Victoria Memorial reached 186, while Belur in Howrah touched 364. Other locations in Howrah such as Padmapukur and Ghusuri registered AQIs of 361 and 252, respectively. In Kolkata, Ballygunge recorded 173 and Jadavpur 169, while Rabindra Bharati University in northern Kolkata saw 167.Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh reported frequent and high-decibel firecracker use across the city, from Kashipur, Sinthi, Jorasanko, and Maniktala to Kasba, Tollygunge, Regent Park, Behala, and Jadavpur. He criticized the police and West Bengal Pollution Control Board for failing to enforce the rules. Naba Dutta of Sabuj Manch echoed the concern, highlighting that elderly residents, children, ailing persons, and pets were exposed to both air and sound pollution.As Diwali celebrations conclude, Indian cities are confronting the predictable yet severe consequences of festive air pollution. Experts warn that continued non-compliance with regulations could further aggravate the health risks during the winter season when pollutants remain trapped near ground level. Residents and authorities will need stricter monitoring and public awareness campaigns to prevent similar spikes in pollution in the coming years. Trump is reportedly considering Diddys early release ( Image credit : White House | Diddy's team reportedly reached out to Trump ) Diddys conviction and sentence explained ( Image credit : X/@PopBase | Diddy sentenced for Mann Act violation, acquitted of sex trafficking charges ) Trumps history with high-profile commutations ( Image credit : X/@LostTemple7Diddy's | commutation could spark celebrity justice debate ) Donald Trump is reportedly mulling over a commutation for Sean Diddy Combs 50-month prison sentence and it could happen sooner than anyone expected. Sources close to the White House told TMZ that Trump has been discussing the move privately and could act as early as this week.According to the report, Diddys legal team reached out to senior White House officials shortly after his sentencing to request clemency. Trump has since acknowledged that hes aware of the request, telling reporters hes looking into it. However, those close to the situation say the former president is still undecided, with some advisers urging him not to move forward. But as one aide reportedly put it, Trump usually does what he wants.If granted, the commutation could see Diddy walking free months if not years earlier than expected, reshaping not only his own legal fate but potentially his entire music empire.Diddy was sentenced on October 3, 2025, after being convicted of violating the federal Mann Act, a law that prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution or illegal sexual activity. He was found guilty on two counts of the charge while being acquitted of more serious accusations involving racketeering and sex trafficking.The case drew massive media attention, with prosecutors painting a picture of coercion and abuse, and Diddys defence team insisting he was unfairly targeted. In the end, the judge handed down a 50-month prison sentence, along with a $500,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Diddy has already served around 13 months.The charges stemmed from incidents involving two former girlfriends who claimed they were forced into drug-fuelled encounters that were filmed and sometimes involved others transported across state lines. While the sentence was far lighter than prosecutors had requested, it still represented a stunning downfall for one of hip-hops most powerful figures.If Trump follows through, it wouldnt be his first time granting clemency to a headline-making figure. Just last week, he commuted the prison sentence of former Congressman George Santos, who had been serving seven years for fraud and identity theft. Trump said Santos had been treated unfairly, a statement that drew both outrage and praise online.During his time in office, Trump has frequently used his clemency powers to free or pardon notable names from political allies to controversial public figures. Hes also reportedly considering additional commutations for non-violent offenders, though critics say his choices often appear politically motivated or designed to capture public attention.No official date has been set for Diddys possible commutation, but multiple insiders have hinted that a decision could come very soon. However, if Trump does move forward, it will likely reignite conversations about celebrity justice, as Diddy's 'short sentence' has already sparked significant backlash. Rumours of Lucy Martinez being fired circulate online NEW: Nathan Hale Elementary in Chicago has taken down its website after one of its teachers was accused of mocking the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Teacher Lucy Martinez is accused of making the gesture at a West Beverly protest in Chicago yesterday. Nathan Hale Elementary is pic.twitter.com/vPFVaXJGcK Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 19, 2025 ( Image credit : X | @CollinRugg | Rumors Claim Lucy Martinez Was Fired After Viral Protest Video ) Calls for firing intensify as school faces online backlash ( Image credit : X | @CollinRugg | Viral Video Sparks Calls for Firing ) Viral Instagram reel sparks outrage after protest clip surfaces ( Image credit : X | @coff3e416 | Claims That Teacher Lucy Martinez Was Fired Over Charlie Kirk Protest Video Remain Unverified ) A woman identified as Lucy Martinez is facing intense backlash after a viral video showed her appearing to mock the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk during a recent 'No Kings' protest. Believed to be a teacher at Nathan Hale Elementary School, Martinez is now at the center of online claims suggesting she has been terminated by Chicago Public Schools over her actions. Additionally, a user named @Saintmonay pointed out that Grok has also corroborated the rumours around Lucy Martinezs firing. Let's find out what the truth is.According to, the xAI chatbot has referenced an Instagram post by @safe.campus claiming that Lucy Martinez, a teacher at Nathan Hale Elementary School in Chicago, was fired after making offensive gestures and mocking Charlie Kirk's death during the October 18 'No Kings' protest.Despite the circulatingrumours, there has been no official confirmation of Martinezs termination. Neither Nathan Hale Elementary nor Chicago Public Schools (District 299) has released a statement addressing the incident. Additionally, there is currently no verifiable evidence supporting the claim that Martinez was dismissed in response to the controversy.However, in the midst of the backlash, the school's official website has been taken down officially, and its X (formerly called Twitter) account has also been deleted.The push to remove Chicago teacher Lucy Martinez has gained momentum online after a viral video showed her allegedly mocking Charlie Kirk's assassination. As criticism towards Nathan Hale Elementary grows, the school has reportedly taken down its website and deactivated its X account.Many, including Colin Rugg (@CollinRugg), shared the news of the recent developments on X. "She can say or gesture whatever she wants. But she can also lose her job because she is sick and evil and should be nowhere near children," he wrote.One wrote, "Reading that teacher Lucy Martinez has been fired, but only seeing secondary sources. Anyone seeing a primary source repeating the same?""How long until she starts a GoFundMe and acts like a victim?" another added.The controversy began when Instagram user @that84bullnose posted a Reel mocking demonstrators at the recent No Kings protest in Chicago. In the video, the user drove through the protest area with a flag labeling Charlie Kirk a hero.During the clip, a woman later identified as Lucy Martinez, appears to mock the assassination of the late Turning Point USA founder by making a gesture resembling being shot in the neck.The user then called on the public to help identify the woman seen in the video. From mansion to prison: A high-profile arrest ( Image credit : Instagram/charliemanif| Sarkozy left his Paris villa early Monday morning, hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy ) Inside La Sante: Isolation, yet comfort ( Image credit : Instagram/la_residence_baragnon| Sarkozy will serve his term in the prison's isolation wing for his own safety ) The campaign finance case that shocked france ( Image credit : Instagram/frenchhistoryphotographed| Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy starts five-year sentence over claims his 2007 campaign took funds from Libyas Muammar Gaddafi ) Historical and political significance ( Image credit : Instagram/benjamingirette| Sarkozy is the first French president in modern history to be jailed ) Lessons for the world: Power and justice collide ( Image credit : Instagram/la_residence_baragnon| Sarkozys case echoes worldwide: even powerful leaders face justice. ) In a historic moment in French history, former President Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison sentence for conspiring to fund his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The 70-year-old conservative leader is the first French ex-president to be jailed since World War II-era leader Philippe Petain in 1945.Sarkozy departed his Paris residence in the upscale 16th arrondissement early Monday morning, accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, as approximately 100 supporters cheered. His sons appealed for public calm, urging the crowd to show "love, nothing else, please."He was driven to La Sante jail in Montparnasse under tight police surveillance. The journey received widespread coverage, with supporters and media lining the streets. During the journey, Sarkozy said on X (previously known Twitter) that "it is not a former president they are locking up this morning - it is an innocent man."Sarkozy will serve his term in the prison's isolation wing for his own safety. His cell, about 9-11 m (95-120 sq ft), has a toilet, shower, desk, small TV, and fridge. He is permitted one hour of daily exercise alone in a separate yard.He carried two books with him: a biography of Jesus and The Count of Monte Cristo, which represent resilience in the face of adversity. Despite being in effective solitary confinement, he retains the right to family visits, phone calls, and outside news, allowing him to maintain limited contact with the outside world.Sarkozy's conviction resulted from his association with advisers Brice Hortefeux and Claude Gueant, who allegedly solicited campaign funds from Gaddafi's regime via contacts with Libyan intelligence. Despite the fact that Sarkozy was absolved of directly accepting the money, the court imposed the five-year term citing the "exceptional seriousness of the facts".He has challenged the verdict, and his attorneys have asked for a temporary release, estimating that he will remain in prison for three weeks to a month before a decision is made. Meanwhile, the Bygmalion case, which involves illicit campaign expenditures during his 2012 re-election bid, is currently before France's highest administrative court.Sarkozy is the first modern French president to face imprisonment. President Emmanuel Macron visited with Sarkozy prior to his imprisonment, describing it as a humane gesture and reaffirming judicial independence. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin will ensure his safety at La Sante.Analysts argue that Sarkozy's arrest represents a shift in political elite accountability. For decades, French presidents were considered untouchable; the conviction demonstrates that the judiciary is willing to challenge even the most prominent figures in French politics.Sarkozy's case garnered international attention, highlighting the significance of transparency, lawful campaign financing, and accountability for the world's leaders. His imprisonment demonstrates that legal institutions can hold previous leaders accountable, a message that resonates throughout democracies where political corruption is often unchecked.As France watches this historic moment, the story of a former president in prison highlights the contradiction between political authority and the rule of law, a narrative with far-reaching consequences. ( Image credit : AI generated | The Orionid Meteor Shower 2025 will peak between October 21 and 23 ) What is the Orionid Meteor shower ? ( Image credit : AI generated | The Orionid Meteor Shower 2025 is set to reach its peak from Tuesday ) When and where to watch Orionid Meteor shower 2025 ( Image credit : AI generated | Each meteor can travel at nearly 148, 000 miles per hour ) How to get the best view The Orionid Meteor Shower 2025 is set to reach its peak from Tuesday, October 21, through Thursday, October 23. The timing aligns perfectly with moonless nights, providing clear and dark skies for one of the brightest celestial events of the year. NASA and the American Meteor Society predict that during the peak, viewers could witness around 20 meteors per hour streaking across the sky at extraordinary speeds.According to NASA, each meteor can travel at nearly 148,000 miles per hour, leaving glowing trails that may linger for several seconds. The Orionids are among the most reliable meteor showers annually, known for their fast and luminous meteors that originate from the debris stream of Halleys Comet.The Orionid Meteor Shower occurs every October when Earth passes through the trail of dust and debris left by Halleys Comet. The comets inbound debris produces the Orionids in autumn, while its outbound trail gives rise to the Eta Aquariid shower each spring.The meteor activity begins in early October, but its mid-month when Earth crosses the densest portion of the debris stream, leading to the peak around October 2123. Typically, skywatchers under dark, clear skies can see 15 to 20 meteors per hour. Though rare, some years have seen this number triple, but such enhanced activity is not expected in 2025.NASA notes that the Orionids are particularly known for their speed and brightness, sometimes producing long-lasting streaks and occasional fireballs as particles burn up in the atmosphere.The best time to view the Orionids in the United States will be between 1 a.m. and dawn from October 21 to 23, according to the American Meteor Society. Observers in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will have a chance to witness the event, though the radiantthe point in the sky from which the meteors appearwill be higher for northern viewers.From dark rural areas with minimal light pollution, up to 20 meteors per hour can be visible during the showers peak. The meteors start becoming visible after 10 p.m. local time, once the radiant in the constellation Orion rises above the eastern horizon. The viewing improves as the radiant climbs higher than 30 degrees above the horizon, around 1 a.m.Skygazers in the Southern Hemisphere can also enjoy the view, though the radiant appears lower in the northern sky from their perspective.To watch the Orionid Meteor Shower 2025, experts recommend finding a dark, open location far from city lights. Viewers should lie back in a reclining chair and face south or southeast for a broader view of the sky. It usually takes around 30 minutes for eyes to adjust fully to the darkness, so patience helps in spotting more meteors.NASA suggests looking about halfway up from the horizon rather than directly overhead for the best chance to see more meteors. Apart from the Orionids, observers might also notice slower Taurid meteors or swift streaks from Gemini and Leo Minor, each producing a few meteors per hour. Random sporadic meteors unrelated to any shower also appear at about 10 per hour during this period.With clear skies and minimal moonlight, the Orionid Meteor Shower 2025 promises a brilliant display of cosmic activity, continuing until dawn for those willing to stay up and watch natures light show. ( Image credit : X/ @phillipnorton | Pizza Hut in Kingswood-Closed with immediate effect ) BREAKING: Pizza Hut is to close 68 restaurants - with the loss of more than 1,200 jobs - after the company behind its UK venues fell into administration.@JayneSeckerSky has the latest Read more https://t.co/ipGVS7fUAz Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/xCdCg6Cuq5 Sky News (@SkyNews) October 20, 2025 Yum! Brands steps in ( Image credit : X/ @MarianRaglan007 | Yum! Brands rescues UK Pizza Hut outlets ) Impact on staff and communities ( Image credit : X/ @FoodCouncil | Majority of Pizza Hut UK saved through strategic acquisition ) Looking ahead Why is Pizza Hut shutting 68 dine-in venues across the UK? It's dine-in arm in the UK has hit a massive roadblock: DC London Pie Limited, which operates Pizza Huts UK restaurants, appointed FTI Consulting as administrators on Monday. The 67-year-old chain has said it will pic.twitter.com/SWiUa3YyNJ City A.M. (@CityAM) October 21, 2025 Pizza Hut has announced that 68 of its UK restaurants are set to close, including seven locations in Greater Manchester, such as Bolton, Ashton, Rochdale, Oldham, Urmston, Wigan, and the Manchester Fort outlet. In addition, eleven delivery outlets across the country will shut down, leaving a total of 1,210 employees facing potential job losses.The shutdowns come after the collapse of DC London Pie, the company that operated Pizza Huts UK dine-in outlets. FTI, a corporate finance firm, was appointed as administrator of the company on Monday after it went into administration, citing difficult trading conditions and increased costs, and cash flow pressures related to tax.American hospitality powerhouse Yum! Brands, the worldwide owner of Pizza Hut, has stepped in with a pre-pack administration deal, taking over the remaining UK operations. This deal is set to save 64 restaurant sites and around 1,277 jobs. Nicolas Burquier, managing director of Europe and Canadas Pizza Hut, called the acquisition targeted, aiming to safeguard guest experience and protect jobs wherever possible.Our top priority now is operational continuity at the acquired locations and supporting colleagues through the transition, Burquier added, stressing the companys focus on stability amid a challenging period for the UK dining industry.The move in administration comes less than a year after DC London Pie had purchased Pizza Huts UK operations from insolvency. Administrators have promised employees who are being impacted by the redundancies that support will be provided during the transition.The shutdown affects a broad range of cities, including Brighton, Bristol, Hull, Edinburgh, Leeds, Edinburgh, and Cardiff, highlighting the widespread challenges faced by the casual dining industry in the UK, where changing consumer habits and rising costs have placed additional strain on restaurant operators.While the closures mark a significant shake-up, Yum! Brands acquisition secures the majority of Pizza Huts UK operations. The move highlights a growing trend among multinational chains to protect core assets and jobs while shedding underperforming outlets.As the company moves forward, the focus will be on stabilizing the remaining outlets and maintaining customer trust, even as many as thousands of staff face uncertainty. For the communities affected, the shutdown serves as a stark reminder of the pressures on high-street dining in the current economic landscape. NOW: Vice President @JDVance and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel pic.twitter.com/w7EF9QhLDW William Martin (@VPCommsDir) October 21, 2025 Hostage identification and ceasefire progress VP Vance is wheels down in Jerusalem! Warmly greeted by Deputy PM & Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Welcome, Mr. Vice President! @JDVance @VP pic.twitter.com/QbuJr6fOQW One Jewish State (@onejewishstate) October 21, 2025 New clashes reported despite truce Regional and humanitarian reactions Remind me, who runs America ? JD Vance is literally escorted by jewish handlers. pic.twitter.com/hZDTtxvorO Jeff Epstein (@JeffreyxEpstein) September 14, 2025 Looking ahead U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, as the Gaza ceasefire faced renewed strain following a series of deadly incidents. His visit aims to reinforce U.S. efforts in sustaining the truce and to coordinate next steps with regional leaders and mediators.Vance, who is accompanied by his wife Usha, will remain in the region until Thursday. He is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and address the press in Jerusalem. The Vice President will also meet families of hostages who remain missing or whose bodies were recently returned from Gaza.On the same day, Israel confirmed that Hamas had handed over the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed during the October 7, 2023 attacks that triggered the war. Haimi, aged 42, was a fourth-generation resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak and part of its emergency response team. He is survived by four children, one of whom was born after his abduction.Under the ongoing ceasefire terms, Hamas is still expected to return the remains of 15 deceased hostages. Thirteen have been handed over since the truce began. Meanwhile, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya told Egypts Al-Qahera News that the group remains committed to ending the conflict once and for all. He said the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, mediated by Egypts President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump, marked the end of the war in Gaza.Al-Hayya added that Hamas received assurances from mediators about aid delivery but urged Israel to provide additional medical and shelter supplies ahead of winter.Despite the ceasefire, violence flared again in southern Gaza. On Sunday, October 19, Israels military reported that militants had fired on troops near Rafah, killing two soldiers. Retaliatory Israeli strikes killed 45 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which said at least 80 people have died since the truce began.Similar incidents were reported in Gaza City and Khan Younis on Monday, where Israel accused militants of crossing the designated yellow line separating control zones. The Israeli military said it is reinforcing the boundary with concrete markers to prevent further violations.Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani criticized Israel for what he described as continued breaches of the ceasefire, while reaffirming Qatars role as mediator.Meanwhile, Gazas Health Ministry accused Israel of returning bodies of Palestinians that bore evidence of torture. Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, the ministrys general director, called for a UN-led investigation, citing signs of binding, burns, and other injuries. Israels prison authority denied the claims, stating all detainees were treated in accordance with the law and given medical care.As part of the ceasefire, Israel has so far returned 150 Palestinian bodies and released over 1,900 prisoners. Only 32 of the returned bodies have been identified so far, according to Gazas Health Ministry.Vances visit comes as U.S. officials work to stabilize the ceasefire and prevent further escalation. With hostages still unaccounted for and tensions high, Washingtons focus remains on sustaining dialogue between Israel, Hamas, and mediating nations. Streamer openly threatens to rape women on live video ( Image credit : X | @TheSquind | Aryan Dev Neekhra ) Aryan Dev Neekhra giving rape threats online. Over to you @DelhiPolice pic.twitter.com/TVF3xcUcBk Squint Neon (@TheSquind) October 20, 2025 Disturbing video sparks major public outrage online ( Image credit : X | @TheSquind | Incident Sparks Major Outrage ) Who is Aryan Dev Neekhra? ( Image credit : X | @TUJunction | Aryan Dev Neekhra is a content creator ) Comment byu/K-9X from discussion inMaharashtra In a deeply disturbing incident that has sparked widespread outrage across social media platforms, a live streamer identified as Aryan Dev Neekhra has come under fire after a video surfaced in which he is seen openly issuing rape threats to random women online. The video, which quickly went viral, has ignited intense backlash from netizens who are calling for immediate legal action against him. Many are questioning how such behaviour continues to go unchecked, demanding accountability and justice. As public anger mounts, one question dominates the conversation, who is Aryan Dev Neekhra? Let's find out.The deeply troubling footage has rapidly circulated across the social media platforms and has now drawn outrage from the users demanding accountability and swift action.In the viral clip, the streamer Neekhra is heard saying, "Tomorrow is Diwali. Let's see if Ram comes to save you when I rape you. Let's see if any God comes to save you when I rape you. Let's test it out to see if there is any God."As soon as the video surfaced on social media, it quickly sparked a debate, with rising concerns about his arrest. One Reddit user wrote, "Please report this to cyber police.""Dude's mentally ill and stays alone probably. Family issues. Big time mental issues. Dude needs help before he harms anybody living or dead," another added.One said, This guy should be reported to Cyber police, if it was X ( Twitter ) I would have tagged the concerned authorities. He is the same guy who made fake video to get into news during Pune Porsche case.One user X noted, These types of psychopaths needs to be dealt with! Be it a prank or not, he needs to rot behind bars.He is the same person who pretended to be the minor in the Pune Porsche case. @DelhiPolice please do the needful. This time he shouldnt be spared.Aryan Dev Neekhra is a content creator and meme marketer based in Delhi. He is known for his controversial presence online. He also operates under the alias Cringistaan; he is recognised for creating prank videos and satirical content on social media. Moreover, he is the same guy who was booked by the Pune Cyber Cell for his satirical and parody videos related to the Pune Porsche case and has released a video appealing to authorities to drop the case against him.He claimed he lacks the financial means to travel to Pune and appear before the police on May 27. Meanwhile, according to a Reddit user, I recently learnt that his name is Aryan Dev Neekhra, who runs a YouTube channel called Cringistaan2 (all his videos and streams are private now).Last year, a case was reportedly filed against him for a rap related to Punes Porsche case, where he allegedly used similar language. Hes been known for making such disturbing remarks and jokes about sensitive issues for quite some time, yet there still seems to be no accountability. ( Image credit : X | @profilopolitics | Billy Joe Cagle Arrested at Atlanta Airport After Threatening Attack With Semi-Automatic Rifle ) Family tip and AR-15 found outside airport ( Image credit : X |@profilopolitics | Suspect Arrested After Planning to Shoot Up Atlanta Airport With Semi-Automatic Rifle ) Screaming suspect restrained with double handcuffs BREAKING: ATTEMPTED MASS SHOOTING FOILED AT ATLANTA AIRPORT An individual armed with an AR-15 was arrested today at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, after allegedly threatening to shoot up the terminal. Sec. Noem: I am pic.twitter.com/UTBk5PZMxO Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 20, 2025 Tragedy Averted after armed threat at Atlanta airport Who is Billy Joe Cagle? ( Image credit : X | @JLRINVESTIGATES | Man Who Planned to Shoot Up Atlanta Airport ) In a shocking incident, a man was arrested on Monday for allegedly plotting a shooting at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest airport. According to 24NewsNow, authorities have identified the suspect as 49-year-old Billy Joe, whose video is now circulating on social media. The Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum revealed that the arrest took place after Cartersville police informed the Atlanta Police Department of a potential threat around 9:40 a.m. Let's find out more about who Billy Joe is.The police also revealed that Billy Joe Cagle's family had alerted the authorities of Cartersville that he was on his way to the airport and had made threats to carry out a shooting. They also reported that Cagle had been livestreaming the whole thing on social media shortly before entering Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport at around 9:30 a.m.Although he was unarmed when he walked into the terminal, officers later discovered an AR-15 assault rifle in a pickup truck parked outside the airport. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum stated that Cagle appeared to be scoping out the terminal and was likely planning to return to his vehicle to retrieve the weapon, suggesting a potential attempt to attack the crowded airport.The police bodycam footage showed officers using two pairs of handcuffs to restrain Billy Joe Cagle, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound man, who was heard screaming during the arrest. As part of a security sweep around the airport's outer perimeter, officers located Cagle's parked pickup truck. Inside, they reportedly found a loaded AR-15 rifle with 27 rounds in the back seat.The firearm was secured, and the area was declared safe. When asked about Cagles cooperation or statements during questioning, Police Chief Schierbaum said the investigation is still ongoing and declined to provide further details.Authorities found Billy Joe Cagle inside Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport around 9:42 a.m. and promptly arrested him. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens emphasised that a major tragedy was narrowly avoided, suggesting that more than 27 lives could have been in danger. He also noted that Cagle appeared to be suffering from a mental health episode during the incident.Billy Joe Cagle, a 49-year-old resident of Cartersville, Georgia, was arrested on October 21, 2025, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. His family had alerted authorities after he reportedly threatened to shoot up the airport during a livestream on social media.Cagle faces charges including terroristic threats, attempted aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Who is Michelle Ritter? ( Image credit : Steel Perlot | Michelle Ritter, Eric Schmidt's ex-girlfriend ) What are Ritter's allegations against Eric Schmidt? ( Image credit : Columbia.edu | Google's ex-CEO Eric Schmidt ) What Schmidt has to say on the allegations Allegations by Schmidt against Ritter ( Image credit : Yahoo | Eric Schmidt and wife Wendy Schmidt ) Schmidt's dating life: 70-year-old billionaire is known for dating younger women At the age of 70, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is found himself embroiled in a messy legal battle with Michelle Ritter, who is reportedly his 31-year-old former mistress and business partner. What began as a romantic relationship between the tech billionaire and the young entrepreneur has now come down to accusations of stalking, abuse, digital surveillance as well as financial manipulation.Michelle Ritter, 31, is a Columbia Law School graduate (Class of 2021) and founder of the AI startup Steel Perlot, which was heavily financed by Schmidt. Once a rising personality in the world of technology, she hailed herself as an advocate for innovation and women in tech.However, several reports from Forbes and The Information among others reveal a completely different story. Steel Perlot has been alleged of disorganisation, several staff complaints and erratic leadership behaviour within the firm. Some employees have even claimed that Ritter had asked them to buy prescription drugs without a doctor's order. Some others said that she was unpredictable in meetings. Ritter also co-managed Audem Management, a company linked to Schmidt's properties and run by her father.According to court documents obtained by The New York Post, Michelle Ritter accused Schmidt of creating a "toxic and abusive environment" and using his stature and power and influence and control her life. Her main allegations include:Ritter claimed Schmidt using his tech knowledge and subjected her to "an absolute digital surveillance system" which made it impossible for her to have private phone calls or emails.She alleged Schmidt locked her out of her own startup Steel Perlot, an AI-focused venture into which he had invested $100 million.Ritter said Schmidt demanded that she sign a gag order denying any sexual assault or harassment allegations.She claimed her parents were followed by private investigators, which were allegedly hired by Schmidt's security team.Ritter said she was locked out of homes and belongings in New York, Miami, and Aspen after their fallout.Schmidt has denied all claims. In an 82-page legal response filed on October 8, Eric Schmidt's lawyers have strongly denied all claims by Ritter. They called her lawsuit "demonstrably false" and "a blatant abuse of the judicial system." His legal team, which is led by prominent LA attorney Patricia Glaser has accused Ritter of misrepresenting facts and using the courts to gain leverage in their ongoing financial dispute. Most of Schmidt's rebuttal has been redacted but sources close to him say the filings depict Ritter's accusations as part of a "pattern of manipulation." Schmidt's spokesperson and legal representatives have declined to publicly comment on the matter citing ongoing legal proceedings.Schmidt's legal filings allege that Ritter's complaint is not only false but part of an orchestrated attempt to damage his reputation. His team argues that the legal claims were filed to pressure Schmidt into further financial settlements following their break-up and breakdown of professional ties.His lawyers have also filed a motion to seal all related court documents as the case involves sensitive financial and personal details ahead of a scheduled December 4 court hearing.Eric Schmidt has long been dubbed "Silicon Valley's Casanova" for his high-profile relationships with women who are generally decades younger than him. The billionaire has been in an open marriage with his wife Wendy Schmidt for over 45 years now and has dated fashion designers, socialites as well as entrepreneurs.In 2019, Schmidt gifted his then-girlfriend Alexandra Duisberg, a medical school graduate who was 32 years his junior, a 10-carat pink sapphire ring, which led to rumours that he got engaged to her. Schmidt had once joked that AI could ruin dating for men. Now it seems his own love life has come under scanner long before artificial intelligence entered the picture. Sherrilynn Hawkins is escorted in the Montgomery County Courthouse after being sentenced to state prison in the murder of her son. Read more A Montgomery County judge sharply rebuked a Dresher woman Monday before sentencing her to 25 to 50 years in state prison in the murder of her son, telling her that she failed in her fundamental duties as a parent by allowing him to waste away to just 59 pounds. During the hearing before Judge Wendy Rothstein, Sherrilynn Hawkins, 43, wept, calling Tylim Hatchett her first love and best friend while pleading guilty to third-degree murder, neglect, and related crimes in his September 2024 death. Advertisement She described how the 21-year-old fought all his life to overcome cerebral palsy, blindness and other debilitating medical issues, and required constant care to, among other things, feed himself. I made Tylim a promise to keep him safe, and after 21 years, I failed and broke that promise, Hawkins said. And I will always be sorry for that. Despite Hawkins professed remorse, prosecutors said, in the last three weeks of her sons life, she frequently left him alone in her apartment, sometimes for 24 hours at a time. All the while, she accepted funding from Aveanna, a home healthcare agency, to work as her sons primary caregiver. She also included Lorretta Harris, one of her friends, on that payroll to receive a portion of the money to care for him part-time. In reality, neither woman spent much time with Hatchett and falsified their records with the agency, despite being paid more than $48,000 combined, according to evidence presented in court Monday. Harris, 49, pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person earlier this year. Her sentencing is scheduled for December. In handing down Hawkins sentence Monday, Rothstein said Hawkins had betrayed her sons trust and, even worse, had prioritized scamming Aveanna for financial gain. You utilized state funding and let your child die, she said, telling Hawkins that her conduct was despicable. And you did all this while driving around in a Mercedes. Id like to say more, but Im left speechless that a parent could do this. Hatchett was found dead Sept. 18, 2024, inside his mothers apartment at the Residences at the Promenade, according to investigators. Police were called to the apartment by the mans father. An autopsy found that he was severely malnourished and dehydrated. Evidence pulled from Hawkins phone by detectives showed that in the weeks leading up to her sons death, she spent the majority of her time with her younger son, whom she brought with her to her boyfriends house in Philadelphia, according to the affidavit or probable cause for her arrest. During this time, she texted Vernon Hatchett, her sons father, telling him this might be it for their son, and later that she would let him know when to make funeral arrangements. The elder Hatchett, 40, has been charged with neglect, abuse, and conspiracy. However, he has been a fugitive from justice for more than a year and is currently being sought by the U.S. Marshals Service. Hawkins also lied to concerned family members, saying she had taken her son to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to prosecutors. But First Assistant District Attorney Ed McCann said Monday that the only time Hawkins sought medical care for her son in 2024 was at the beginning of the year, when he weighed 90 pounds. Hatchett, McCann said, had lost more than third of his body weight between then and his death and had been left alone in that apartment to die. Its horrific. It doesnt have anything to do with being a parent; it has everything to do with being a human being, he said. I think the defendant failed at the fundamentals of being a human being by allowing this to happen. Hawkins family members and friends took turns Monday imploring Rothstein to be lenient. They told the judge that Hawkins had struggled with fertility issues in her youth and that she had endeavored to keep her son healthy and happy through his many medical issues. They said that she had frequently asked for assistance in caring for Hatchett and that those pleas had been ignored. Hawkins attorney, Joseph Schultz, said she is a caring and loving mother that had simply become overwhelmed. Today, she took responsibility, and shes going to have to live with this the rest of her life, Schultz said. Alycia Marshall speaks at a forum during her daylong interviews as a finalist for president of Community College of Philadelphia. She was selected for the job on Tuesday. Read more Alycia Marshall, who has been serving as interim president of Community College of Philadelphia since April, was unanimously endorsed for the permanent role Tuesday. The board of trustees, at an 8 a.m. meeting, approved making an offer of employment to Marshall, who had served as provost and vice president for academic and student success at CCP for nearly three years before stepping into the interim role. Advertisement Marshall was among four finalists for the job. Congratulations, Board Chair Harold T. Epps said to Marshall during the Zoom meeting, which lasted about 10 minutes. You have earned it through a very tough and challenging process. We look forward to working with you. READ MORE: Community College of Philadelphia is poised to select its next president Tuesday Epps cited Marshalls stellar work through the interim period as a factor in the boards decision and said she had the full confidence of the board. Im a little bit emotional, Marshall said at the meeting. Im very excited. Im honored. Im deeply humbled, pleased, ecstatic, and looking forward to the road ahead and the journey ahead. I am fully committed to this institution, to our students, most importantly, and to the college community. Epps said contract negotiations with Marshall would begin immediately to lead the college, which had an enrollment of 12,400 credit students and 1,381 noncredit students last spring. No terms or salary of her employment were released. Marshall will follow former CCP President Donald Guy Generals, who led the college for 11 years and was forced out of the job in April and placed on paid administrative leave through the end of his contract. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker congratulated Marshall in a statement. The Parker administration supports CCP, Dr. Marshall, and the board in its mission, she said. Maria Baez, student government president, was on the search committee and said while she liked all four candidates, Marshall was her first choice. As a student, I see her passion for the students, Baez said. I see how connected she is with the students. Her heart is for the students. Junior Brainard, co-president of the faculty and staff union, said: As a union, we are looking forward to Dr. Marshall finally making good on the agreement we signed back in March, referring to a contract agreement. That includes SEPTA passes for all students, smaller class sizes, and improvements to health, safety, and working conditions that will be figured out through various committees. During a finalist forum, Marshall addressed free SEPTA passes for students. While the college couldnt offer the benefit to all students it would cost about $2 million a pilot will begin in the spring at the colleges West Philadelphia site, she said. Brainard said the college has to do better. The pilot only serves half the students at the West Philadelphia site and just 3% of the student body, he said. Marshall said in an interview Tuesday afternoon that the goal is to find alternative funding sources and expand the program to the entire college. She said among her priorities will be increasing and strengthening transfer partnerships, with the recently announced program with Cheyney University, an historically Black college in Delaware and Chester counties, as a model. Many of our students have transportation issues and perhaps reasonably cannot drive the 25 miles to Cheyney University, she said. So Cheyney at CCP is going to provide opportunities to complete a bachelors while staying on our campus. Its symbolic of where I would like to work together with faculty, staff and the administrators and the board ... on really strengthening those pathways. She cited workforce development and strengthening partnerships with K-12 schools, too, including expanding dual enrollment opportunities and reaching into areas of the city that the college currently is not penetrating enough. When Marshall was named as interim, Epps cited her academic and organizational leadership, along with her extensive expertise in STEM, her focus on mentoring and serving underrepresented student populations. READ MORE: Community College of Philadelphia announces four finalists for president, including its current interim leader Marshall, 51, received her bachelors in mathematics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, her masters in teaching from Bowie State University, and her doctorate in mathematics education from the University of Maryland. A native of Maryland, she started her career as an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, near Annapolis, and later became a full tenured professor and chair of the mathematics department. READ MORE: CCP board appoints provost as interim leader after ousting president She was promoted to associate vice president there and founded the African American Leadership Institute and spent a total of nearly 23 years at the Maryland community college. Shes also a rising presidents fellow with the Aspen Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at creating thought leaders in their fields to address critical challenges. READ MORE: CCP board removes president, voting not to renew contract and placing him on immediate paid leave At a campus interview session for the job, Marshall said she would lead both internally and externally, focusing on faculty and staff satisfaction as well as building relationships with funders and donors. She said she has already met more than 20 City Council members and state legislators. Marshall acknowledged that an employee satisfaction survey she commissioned when she became interim president showed low morale and promised to address it through ensuring transparency and frequent communication. The results of that survey havent been publicly released. Marshall said that over the last six months, she learned to be comfortable not knowing what will happen next. After a board meeting earlier this month, a consultant who is the liaison to the presidential search committee said on a still-active microphone that Marshall had not been well-received on campus. Marshall said at the interview session that she did not agree with that and that she has developed relationships with people across the college. If you have worked directly with me, you will know I am here for the students and I am here to support faculty and staff, she said. Marshall, who maintains a residence in Maryland, said she would move to the city full time if selected for the job. The other finalists for the job were: Jesse Pisors, former president of Pasco-Hernando State College in Florida; Jermaine Wright, vice president for student affairs at City University of New York-Lehman College; and Lisa Cooper Wilkins, vice chancellor of student affairs at City College of San Francisco. The Community College of Philadelphias Board of Trustees is preparing to select a new president, possibly as soon as Tuesday morning. A special meeting has been scheduled for 8 a.m. on Zoom to approve an offer of employment to a presidential candidate, according to the boards website. Advertisement The selection follows daylong interview sessions with the four finalists, who came to campus earlier this month and met with faculty, staff, students, and board members. READ MORE: Community College of Philadelphia announces four finalists for president, including its current interim leader Each comes with their strengths and weaknesses, said Sandra Gonzalez-Torres, CCPs director of articulation and transfer, who attended meetings to hear all four candidates. At this time, the college really needs strong leadership that will guide us to a strong future. The college needs strong fundraising and ways to support our students in retention and graduation. Two have limited experience as a college president, including the interim CCP president. Three are candidates of color. One candidate has extensive fundraising experience, and another is a native Philadelphian who once worked at the college and has a background in counseling. Candidates addressed the colleges low morale and said they had the skills to help it heal following the forced departure of former president Donald Guy Generals after 11 years in the post. Heres a look at the four candidates: READ MORE: CCP board appoints provost as interim leader after ousting president Lisa Cooper Wilkins Lisa Cooper Wilkins touted more than 25 years of higher education experience, from faculty member to dean to her current position as vice chancellor of student affairs at City College of San Francisco where she has worked since 2020. I consider myself to be a very collaborative leader and one that leans into communication as one of the primary strategies to work effectively across constituencies, said Cooper Wilkins, a first-generation college student who grew up in a single-parent home. READ MORE: Ousted CCP president alleges in court complaint that board chair pressured him to direct CCP business to political allies and vendors Cooper Wilkins, who previously worked at San Joaquin Delta College and the University of the Pacific, cited her background in counseling as a plus. She described herself as a very calming presence, which could be helpful in leading CCP out of a tumultuous time. She is the only candidate who is a native of the Philadelphia region, having attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and later CCP. Cooper Wilkins also served as a dean at CCP from 2008 to 2010, during which time she said she made a point of visiting the regional centers. She said she would continue to devote time to them if she became president. Ive worked at institutions where, unfortunately more often than not, they feel like an afterthought, she said. She also was assistant director and senior counselor for student support services at Drexel University in the mid-1990s. READ MORE: CCP settles contract dispute with former president Cooper Wilkins acknowledged that her fundraising experience has been limited but that she had some experience during her time at CCP. She received her bachelors degree from Goucher College, masters degrees from Marymount College and Villanova University, and her doctoral degree in higher education administration from George Washington University. Alycia Marshall Alycia Marshall, who has been serving as interim president since Generals departure, leaned heavily on her experience in the role and how she stepped in to keep the college running smoothly just weeks before commencement. Having someone who is understanding about the particular state that the institution is in, who sees where the opportunities are, who is supportive and about ensuring a culture of inclusivity, of collaboration would be a critical piece" for the next president, she said during an interview session. Marshall, who was the colleges provost and vice president for academic and student success for nearly three years before becoming interim president, said she would lead both internally and externally, focusing on faculty and staff satisfaction as well as building relationships with funders and donors. She said she has already met more than 20 City Council members and state legislators. She acknowledged that an employee satisfaction survey that she commissioned when she became interim president showed low morale and promised to address it. Things that would be a priority to me [are] insuring transparency and frequent communication, she said. A native of Maryland, Marshall started her career as an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, near Annapolis, and later became a full tenured professor and chair of the mathematics department. She was promoted to associate vice president at the Maryland community college, where she spent 23 years and founded the African American Leadership Institute. Marshall said that over the last six months she learned to be comfortable not knowing what will happen next. After a board meeting earlier this month, a consultant who is the liaison to the presidential search committee said on a still-active microphone that Marshall had not been well-received on campus. Marshall said at the interview session that she did not agree with that and that she has developed relationships with people across the college. If you have worked directly with me, you will know I am here for the students and I am here to support faculty and staff, she said. Marshall received her bachelors in mathematics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, her masters in teaching from Bowie State University, and her doctorate in mathematics education from the University of Maryland. Jesse Pisors Jesse Pisors most recently served as president of the 10,000-student Pasco-Hernando State College, a community college in the Tampa Bay area, but resigned after less than 18 months on the job. His resignation came after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Department of Government Efficiency found that the college was doing poorly in student retention and the board accused Pisors of hiding information, according to news reports. The political situation in Florida had devolved to a point where I felt I would not be able to continue to be effective as president, Pisors told the audience at one campus meeting. He acknowledged about a half percentage point drop in retention. That is exactly why one of our top 10 priorities in the strategic plan ... had improving retention, he said. We were working on that. But he said hes still proud of his time there, noting the creation of a strategic plan and an increase of more than 8% in full-time equivalent enrollment. Citing the need for CCP to bring in more money at a time when public funding is tight, Pisors touted his experience in fundraising and marketing, noting his previous positions as a vice president at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and the University of Houston. He also had served as executive director of development and alumni relations at the University of Pittsburgh. Though he is the lone white candidate, he noted that he had served as a principal of a school in Mexico is fluent in Spanish, and is married to a native of Mexico. Pisors has 27 years of educational leadership experience, from kindergarten through the college level, which he said gives him wide exposure and broad understanding. Community colleges kind of live in the middle, said Pisors, who got his bachelors in history from Oral Roberts University, a masters from Oral Roberts, and his doctoral degree in higher education administration from Texas Tech University. They reach back into high school. They reach forward into universities. Jermaine Wright Jermaine Wright, who is vice president for student affairs at City University of New York-Herbert H. Lehman College, said he was drawn to CCP by its mission and its students who have a similar background to his. He said hes a first-generation college student and an immigrant who became a naturalized citizen. His father worked as a porter. and his mother and grandmother cleaned office buildings. I am CCP, said Wright, who has worked at Lehman for five years and previously held administrative positions at Southern Connecticut State University and City University of New York. CCP is me. He cited his experience in workforce development and work in programs that help underrepresented students succeed. Asked to describe his vision for the college, he cited increasing enrollment, finding different funding streams, ensuring academic excellence, and creating a more inclusive campus environment. But he cautioned that any new vision would have to be developed with faculty and staff to get full support. He also cited experience in fundraising and said success can be achieved by knowing where people are and meeting them there. We need to have constant face time, he said. Wright said he wouldnt mind if members of the board of trustees showed up at the college a lot. That means they care just as much as I do, he said. Once an adjunct lecturer at Rutgers-Newark, Wright got his bachelors degree from Binghamton University, a masters from CUNY, and his doctoral degree in public administration from Rutgers-Newark. The exterior of Northwood Academy Charter School, on Castor Avenue in Frankford. The school, which opened in 2005, educates about 800 students in grades K through 8. It has had significant administrative turnover in recent years; some staff and parents take issue with the amount of money spent on a contractor. Read more For years, Northwood Academy Charter School was a stable Philadelphia charter the kind of place where teachers and administrators stayed for decades, and children thrived. But in the last few years, the school, on Castor Avenue in Frankford, has cycled through dozens of administrators and teachers, and test scores have dropped. Academics have suffered, according to interviews with a number of parents and staff, who say the school feels less safe, and staff morale is low. Advertisement The schools five-year charter expires this year, but Northwoods renewal is on hold, The Inquirer has confirmed, because the Philadelphia School District Office of Inspector General is reviewing information about Northwood. The exact nature of the investigation is unclear. The Inquirer spoke to and reviewed testimony from more than a dozen parents and current and former Northwood staff. Nearly everyone interviewed requested anonymity for fear of reprisal; some who spoke out at meetings have received cease-and-desist letters threatening litigation from a consultant who provides human resources services to Northwood. When we first got there, there was stability at the school everyone was there since almost the beginning, one parent said. Now, in the last five years, we have had 20 administrators change over. The kids cant get comfortable with the teachers, because they dont know if theyre going to be there a long time. Northwood, which opened in 2005, educates 800 students in grades K through 8. As a charter, it is independently run but publicly funded; the Philadelphia school board authorizes its funding but does not manage its operation. School officials say the Northwood turnover is not excessive, but rather a function of its board of trustees move to steer the school to better outcomes. Our goal here is to just move forward and help our students achieve, said Kristine Spraga, a longtime board of trustees member who now serves as the boards treasurer. The boards challenge, human resources consultant Tracee Hunt said, is getting the person who has that strategic focus, who doesnt necessarily operate more like a principal than a CEO. What happens is weve hired what we thought were great hires, and then if they decide, This is a little bit too much for me, the board doesnt have any control over that. The board this month hired former Central Bucks School District Superintendent Steven Yanni to lead the school. A pivot point Northwood handled human resources in-house in its early days. When a principal left in 2018, there was some unrest among faculty after a number of teachers were shifted around. Shortly thereafter, one board member suggested bringing in Total HR Solutions, a New Jersey-based provider that had worked with some other Philadelphia charters, to manage those services. That was a pivot point for the school. Hunt was charged with examining the schools practices. She found a lack of fair and equitable hiring practices, she said in an interview earlier this month, a massive amount of nepotism, and inadequate staff diversity the school educates mostly Black and Latino students but its staff was mostly white. Through natural attrition, we have the opportunity to have fair and equitable hiring practices so that then you improve in your areas of diversity in just a natural way, vs. feeling like you have to displace people, Hunt said. Some current and former staff see things differently. The earlier version of Northwood wasnt perfect, they said, but it was cohesive, and under Total HR, that changed. Adam Whitlach, a longtime Northwood school counselor, said Total HR came in with the idea of demolish, and re-create something from nothing. They were mixing it up for the sake of mixing it up. They treated it like it was a turnaround school, but it wasnt, there was an existing community. They attempted to sell them a story that our school was failing and racist, but people didnt believe that. In 2021, the schools longtime CEO, Amy Hollister, abruptly left Northwood with no notice to the staff and families with whom she had built a strong rapport. It was out of the blue, and then everybody else started leaving, another Northwood parent said. As with others, the parent asked not to be identified for fear of blowback. Parents began attending board meetings at one, Hunt stood up, the parent said, and began to tell us how the teachers want a more diverse school, and thats the reason why all this upheaval was happening. The parent, who is a person of color, said they were not bothered by the staffs demographic balance. Those teachers loved our children. Everybody knew you, you didnt have to go past security, and they welcomed every parent, every child. There werent a lot of discipline issues, because they had relationships with our kids, the parent said. More departures Changes accelerated after Hollister left. Parents were grabbing me by the arm and saying, Whitlach, tell me whats going on here, the former counselor said. The bullhorns came out, the security guards dressed all in black came out. (Whitlach was ultimately fired after 15 years at the school after, he said, he complained publicly about the school pushing staff out. Students walked out in protest of his departure.) The departures affected academics, too. A third parent said she was frustrated by no curriculum, no books. Administrations came and went. Audrey Powell came to Northwood as an assistant principal in 2023, following then-CEO Eric Langston, who has since left; Langston left this summer, and Powell resigned soon after. The reason for her departure? I just didnt agree with the direction or the choices of the board, Powell said. She repeatedly brought concerns to the board that were ignored, she said. In particular, she was alarmed by the boards relationship with Total HR and Hunts overreach at Northwood, Powell said. I dont think there were enough checks and balances, Powell said. I feel like [Total HRs] contract incentivizes there to be turnover she directly financially benefits from there being turnover. Northwood paid Total HR $1.4 million between 2020 and 2023, according to public records. That included base fees for Total HRs services, including an HR generalist who works at Northwood but is paid by Total HR, and also per-position search fees for administrative positions and board seats. The constant turnover is a misuse of taxpayer dollars, and its a disservice to kids, to the teachers, Powell said. There cant be progress when there is that much turnover. Its two steps forward and four steps back. Hunt dismissed the notion that she was simply out to make money. We have these contracts that are negotiated, said Hunt, whose firm works across industries. Everything that I bring to Northwood, I bring below market rate. The school districts charter chief, Peng Chao, said Northwoods spending on human resources appears to be more than is typical. This level of spending is not what we usually see for this type of scope of work, Chao said. While we recognize the staffing challenges that schools are navigating, it is important for schools to remain mindful of fiscal constraints as we all work through an uncertain budget environment. Yanni, who began as Northwoods CEO Oct. 6, said while Total HR provides services, ultimately, hiring and firing decisions rest with the CEO. HR is an adviser to us, so HR doesnt make the hiring and firing decisions, they provide the guidance from the place of compliance and the law, Yanni said. Beyond frustrated Staff and parent concerns about Northwood are not new. At board of trustees meetings, speakers often give impassioned testimony on the subject. At a recent trustees meeting, kindergarten teacher Emily Parico told the board that something nefarious is going on at Northwood, and you sit by, silent and complicit. Northwood used to be a learning sanctuary. It wasnt perfect, but it was a place where students, staff, and families felt safe and loved. Parico is the Northwood teachers unions vice president. Most city charter teachers are not unionized; Northwoods voted to form a union in 2023 amid turmoil at the school. Kim Coughlin, a fourth-grade teacher and the union president, said the school continues to be roiled. Every day, teachers and staff are thinking of walking away, and two just did yesterday, Coughlin said. And our families are beginning to look elsewhere, because they feel the shift. The school that we once knew and loved has become unrecognizable. Questions and threats of legal action When Langston, the CEO prior to Yanni, left suddenly in August, dozens of families and staff asked the board for answers, but none were forthcoming, said Kevin Donley, the schools psychologist. Im beyond frustrated, said Donley, who is secretary of the union. And deeply disappointed by the manner in which the board of trustees has governed our school in recent months and years. At least 50 people sent letters to the board of trustees expressing concern about further turmoil after Langstons departure, Donley said. As far as he knows, not one person heard back, either in a letter or in any kind of message. Both Hunt and the board have sent letters threatening some who speak out with legal action; Hunt said she won a legal challenge against one parent who falsely said she had been fired by a previous client. (The client, Hunt said, moved HR services in-house and did not fire her.) Its not uncommon to have a few naysayers, but eventually when you start seeing the fruit of all this boards labor, the reason I stick in here is because I watch them stay so focused on the kids, Hunt said. School officials told The Inquirer that the staff and parents who have spoken out represent a very small number of people who are quite passionate, but not representative of all staff and parents. I dont see that the vast majority feel the same, said Spraga, the board treasurer. Otherwise, we would have those indicators in things like the engagement surveys, right? Spraga, Hunt, and board president Warren Young said staff and community engagement surveys do not match the sentiments expressed at board meetings. New leadership under Yanni The Northwood CEO job is Yannis first foray into the charter sector; he was previously superintendent in the Lower Merion, Upper Dublin, and New Hope-Solebury school systems. Yanni was terminated as the Central Bucks superintendent in mid-October over allegations that he mishandled child abuse allegations in a special education classroom a contention he denies. Yanni said he is thrilled to be at Northwood, where class sizes are small 23, typically and theres a feeling of welcome. Theres passion here, Yanni said. And its not just the staff, its the kids, too this is their school. Kids really feel like Northwood is their home, and we have engaged families. Northwood is completely full, with a wait list of 200 students per grade level, Yanni said, and applications are already coming in for the 2026-27 school year. In the 2018-19 school year, 64% of Northwood students met state standards in reading, and 30% in math; in the 2024-25 school year, the last year for which scores are publicly available, 31% of Northwood students hit the mark in reading and 11% in math. In 2018-19, Northwood beat Philadelphia School District scores (35% proficiency in reading, 20% in math) and in 2024-25, the district did better (34% proficiency in reading, 22% in math). Yanni said Northwood is a school on the rise and is beginning to implement positive behavioral supports to improve school climate. It is also in the early days of an academic intervention process to identify and target individual students skill gaps. I think were going to see dramatic gains this year, said Yanni. Northwood is a school that people stick with, he said. And though the city has plenty of choices for families, were going to start a strategic planning process, and really kind of blow the doors off. You hear about KIPP, and you hear about these large charter networks and then theres little tiny Northwood. How do we make it the beacon, the flagship? Despite strong pressure from the Trump administration, including a call with the White House on Friday, colleges and universities are largely rejecting the presidents offer of preferential treatment for funding in exchange for compliance with his ideological priorities. Six of nine universities offered the deal earlier this month had publicly said no to the White House request by Mondays deadline. Advertisement The administration has said it is seeking to make sure the countrys schools are merit-based, but many universities and higher education advocates said the White Houses proposed agreement would undermine the merit-based process currently utilized to award research grants. The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education is a new attempt by the administration to get schools to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies and ensure more conservative viewpoints and values are integrated into campus life. The Trump administration offered it to nine colleges earlier this month, casting it as a means to gain competitive advantage for federal and philanthropic benefits and invitations to White House events in return for what the administration described as compliance with civil rights law and pursuing Federal priorities with vigor. The ideological tension was reflected during a call on Friday, which the White House organized and presented as a chance to workshop the terms of the compact in partnership with colleges and universities that had not yet responded, according to a person close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. From the Trump administration, Education Secretary Linda McMahon; White House Domestic Policy Director Vincent Haley, Special Assistant Eric Bledsoe and adviser May Mailman; Josh Gruenbaum of the General Services Administration; and billionaire Marc Rowan were on the call, the person said. But within a day of the call, University of Virginia and Dartmouth College rejected the compact, joining ranks with MIT, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California. The University of Texas at Austin was invited to sign on and the chair of the University of Texas System Board of Regents expressed enthusiasm. The University of Arizona and Vanderbilt University have not publicly responded. Echoing a term that has been often used by the Trump administration, U-Va.s president said the agreement violated the merit-based nature of the competition for federal research funding. The federal government currently awards billions of dollars in research grants based on peer reviews and scientific merit. On Saturday, Dartmouth President Sian Beilock wrote to McMahon, Mailman and Haley that she welcomed further engagement on enhancing the partnership between the federal government and research universities and ensuring that higher education stays focused on academic excellence. But, she wrote, I do not believe that the involvement of the government through a compact-whether it is a Republican- or Democratic-led White House-is the right way to focus Americas leading colleges and universities on their teaching and research mission. White House spokeswoman Liz Huston described the Friday call as productive. The Administration hosted a productive call with several university leaders. They now have the baton to consider, discuss, and propose meaningful reforms, including their form and implementation, to ensure college campuses serve as laboratories of American greatness, Huston said in a statement. These leaders are working steadfastly to improve higher education and have been invited to the table to share ideas with the Administration, and we look forward to discussing transparent ways that, together, we will produce future generations of American excellence. A White House official, speaking anonymously to discuss private conversations, said universities will not lose their federal funding because they decided not to engage in the compact. The sweeping terms of the compact called on schools to adopt the administrations priorities, including pledging to freeze tuition for five years, cap international enrollment at 15 percent of a colleges undergraduate student body, and bar the consideration of factors such as gender, race and political views in admissions and other areas. Some legal scholars said the terms were unconstitutional. Trump administration officials have insisted they are protecting free speech by compelling universities to reject a culture that suppresses far-right thought. Officials asked for limited, targeted feedback in writing no later than Oct. 20, with hopes of a signed agreement by Nov. 21. As schools turned it down, citing similar concerns - Christina H. Paxson, Browns president, wrote in a letter to the White House that provisions in the compact restricting the universitys academic freedom and institutional autonomy would impede its mission - the Trump administration invited more universities to participate. Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Kansas and Arizona State University joined Fridays call. In a Monday statement, Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin said he had not endorsed or signed on to the compact but agreed to discuss it with the Trump administration. We believe it is in the best interest of our university, and higher education more broadly, for us to participate constructively, share our experience and expertise, and help inform policies that strengthen the nations research and education ecosystem, Martin said. Some of the wording in the compact is vague. But the magnitude of the stakes is clear: The Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars of federal research funding at multiple colleges that it has accused of violating federal civil rights laws for issues such as having diversity, equity and inclusion policies and allegedly not doing enough to prevent antisemitism. At Harvard University, which has filed two lawsuits to fight the governments actions, the administration has tried to bar international students and scholars from campus, threatened to revoke the universitys tax-exempt status and has begun an effort to block the school from receiving any federal grants. Faculty, alumni and students at many of the nine schools urged university leaders not to sign. Rallies against the compact occurred on multiple campuses, and student leaders from seven of the nine original schools issued a joint statement opposing it. More than 30 higher education associations issued a statement of opposition Friday, saying the conditions it outlines run counter to the interests of institutions, students, scholars, and the nation itself. A coalition formed of alumni groups opposed to the compact. President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the administration would continue efforts to swiftly enforce federal law at universities that continue to illegally discriminate based on Race or Sex, but that those Institutions that want to quickly return to the pursuit of Truth and Achievement were invited to enter into a forward looking Agreement with the Federal Government to help bring about the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education. CHOP is in court over a government subpoena for patient info of children getting gender-affirming care. Read more The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia called new evidence presented by President Donald Trumps administration weak and untrustworthy in a blistering legal response to federal efforts to investigate its doctors providing gender-affirming care. CHOPs response, filed late Monday in federal court in Philadelphia, came in defense of accusations by the U.S. Department of Justice that its investigating fraudulent billing practices at the hospital. Federal officials say theyre looking into whether CHOP doctors were fudging or lying about diagnoses to get private and public health insurance companies to cover off-label drug prescriptions used to treat patients with gender dysphoria a medical condition in which a persons body does not match their gender identity. Advertisement In its filing, CHOP lawyers called the DOJs allegations unreliable, and urged U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney to disregard claims that are threadbare, of dubious origin, and so heavily qualified and caveated as to offer the court no meaningful information. CHOP and the DOJ are locked in a legal battle over a sweeping federal subpoena sent to the hospital in June. The subpoena seeks patient names, Social Security numbers, addresses, diagnoses, and treatment notes, in addition to doctor emails and encrypted text messages. In July, CHOP filed a motion to limit the scope of the subpoena to protect patient privacy. Judge Kearney is now weighing CHOPs motion. In the latest filing, CHOPs lawyers argued the DOJs new evidence against the hospital was unfairly shoehorned into a separate but related case filed last month by a group of CHOP patients and their families who also want Kearney to block the release of private medical records to the DOJ. That new evidence should not be considered because it is not before the Court in this case and is unreliable in any event, CHOP lawyers wrote in the filing. The government (still) cannot establish that its need for extraordinarily sensitive and personal patient information outweighs the highest-order privacy interests on the other side of the ledger. The DOJ did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. Feds seek patient information from CHOP In April, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo, entitled Preventing the Mutilation of American Children, in which she tasked the DOJ with enforcing measures targeting gender-affirming care for youth. About two months later, the DOJ sent subpoenas to CHOP and at least 19 other hospitals nationally that are under scrutiny for treating transgender youth. The subpoenas sparked legal opposition playing out in federal courts in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The DOJs key focus is how doctors are prescribing puberty blockers and hormones off-label, meaning for a condition not specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Once a drug is approved by the FDA, it is legal for doctors to prescribe it to treat other conditions that could benefit from the medication. Off-label prescribing is a common and widely accepted medical practice, especially in pediatrics. Gender-affirming care for children and adolescents has been deemed medically appropriate by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other major medical and mental health organizations. Research shows young people with gender dysphoria suffer higher rates of suicide, self-harm, depression, and anxiety. READ MORE: Transgender kids lives are on the line as CHOP fights Trump over patient medical records, parents say CHOPs Gender and Sexuality Development Program, created in 2014, is one of the nations largest such clinics and provides medical care and mental health support to hundreds of new families each year. CHOPs legal fight for patient privacy Late last month, families and patients joined in CHOPs fight against the federal subpoena by filing a separate motion to protect their privacy rights. That motion was filed on behalf of five parents with transgender children and one adult who received care at CHOP. In response to that case, the DOJ filed a Declaration, or sworn statement, from Lisa Hsiao, acting director of the DOJs Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch, formerly known as the Consumer Protection Branch. In it, Hsiao said the government has new evidence particular to CHOP that raises concern that federal healthcare offenses may be occurring there. Hsiao said the government analyzed CHOPs insurance claims and found that between 2017 and 2024, CHOP providers diagnosed 250 minors with central precocious puberty at age 10 or older, including numerous teenagers aged 14 to 18. This is well beyond the age at which children are typically diagnosed with precocious puberty, Hsiao stated. The government, she said, suspects doctors are improperly using the precocious puberty diagnosis to get insurance coverage for treatment of gender dysphoria. In Mondays court filing, CHOP lawyers accused the DOJ of attempting to shoehorn its new evidence into CHOPs case through the other case. CHOP also argued Hsiaos declaration provides nothing to support its contentions surrounding precocious puberty diagnosis. Moreover, the government fails to contextualize the findings of its rudimentary analysis, offering no comparator for the use of the code for precocious puberty at peer hospitals, let alone hospitals that, like CHOP, have providers who specialize in treating endocrine disorders, CHOP lawyers wrote. The source of the data set is entirely unknown, CHOPs lawyers noted, adding the declaration never says how many patients were treated for gender dysphoria during that time frame. The CHOP lawyers also criticized Hsiao for writing in her sworn declaration that the government was aware of a lawsuit filed against CHOP that alleges doctors hastily prescribed puberty blockers and hormones to a minor who later regretted it. Hsiao later refiled the declaration to remove any reference to a lawsuit after learning that it hadnt been filed. CHOP lawyers wrote they believe the lawsuit reference came from a news article about a former CHOP patient. The article said the patient was suing the hospital. However, CHOP was unaware of any such lawsuit. The similarities between the report and the allegations in the Hsiao Declaration including the reference to a lawsuit raise suspicions that, in looking to justify its investigative interest in CHOP, the government simply searched the internet for stories fitting its narrative and presented the one it found as fact without adequately scrutinizing its veracity. Immunologist E. John Wherry is the director of the Institute for Immunology & Immune Health and Colton Center for Autoimmunity at the University of Pennsylvania. Read more University of Pennsylvania professor E. John Wherry is good friends with Fred Ramsdell, who was recognized earlier this month with a Nobel Prize for his research in immunology. Wherry recalled sitting with Ramsdell, a scientific adviser for the California-based biotech company Sonoma Biotherapeutics, in a meeting two months ago and picking his brain about the future of autoimmunity research. Advertisement What are the opportunities? Where is the field going? Wherry recalled asking. He said Ramsdells advice to stay focused on supporting the foundational academic research is helping to inform the scientific direction and programming at Penns Colton Center for Autoimmunity, which Wherry directs. The center opened in 2021 and is now the centerpiece of Penns recently launched $376 million research facility focused on immune health, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases. Wherry was happy to see Ramsdell awarded a 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared among three scientists, for his research into peripheral immune tolerance, a process that prevents the immune system from attacking the body. It could not have happened to a nicer guy, he said. The Nobel Prize-winning discovery is especially important for understanding autoimmunity, he emphasized, and could be leveraged to treat autoimmune diseases. We now have the power to push the immune system in different directions, not only to treat those diseases, but also to tell us about where the diseases are going, Wherry said. Penns new research facility, which will span seven floors of an office building at 3600 Civic Center Blvd. in University City, is focused on using immunology to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases. Wherrys lab is moving into the space this month. We are in the most exciting time in my lifetime for immunology, he said. The Inquirer spoke with Wherry to learn more about the future of immunology research at Penn in a conversation lightly edited for length and clarity. How will this new center change how immunology research is carried out at Penn? We have the Colton Center for Autoimmunity, with really wonderful philanthropic support from Judy and Stewart Colton. Theyre giving us resources to make bets on high-risk, high-reward science, and to do that at a pretty good scale. We made some big bets on CAR-T cells and autoimmunity, on mRNA therapeutics, on high-throughput screening, and on AI drug discovery. We have this Immune Health Platform lab. The idea is that we should be capturing samples theoretically from every patient we treat, ideally around the time they get a new treatment or theres some change in their disease. Once weve built a model using this data and understand the rules by which the immune system functions, we can separate the model from the primary data. You can fine-tune the model and make predictions about other diseases, clinical trials that a company might want to do, and other health systems data. Our large database contains about 3,000 patients worth of data. We hope to get to 10 or 20,000 patients worth. Who will be part of this new research facility? There are about 25 immunology labs moving in. They include disproportionately younger labs, people who have just arrived at Penn in the last two to three years. We have enough space for probably around 35 to 37 labs, so we would like to recruit and bring new ideas in. The way things happen in science is because people talk. Weve created a physical workspace thats going to force people to interact in new and different ways and just create more opportunities for serendipity. What are some of the new projects that have been funded? We have someone funded to work on the way the immune system recognizes our own DNA or RNA. lf the DNA in the nucleus of any cell in your body gets out of the nucleus, its a really bad thing, because that looks like a bacteria or a virus [to your immune system]. It triggers massive inflammation. The sensors for that can get miswired, and when they do, it can often lead to really devastating autoimmune disease, sometimes a fatal autoimmune disease within just a few years. We have a great researcher named Jonathan Miner whos identified what happens when those proteins get mutated, and has also developed drugs that basically adapt the mutation to not be as pathogenic. We have some other really interesting studies on being able to regulate the way our bodies make antibodies, since that can be the pathogenic event in autoimmunity. If you make an antibody against proteins in your nerve ending, you can have diseases that end up causing muscle weakness. Were starting to identify the way the immune system gets triggered to make antibodies against the wrong things. READ MORE: A cold triggered an autoimmune disease in a Pa. man. Now hes channeling his challenges into advocacy for people with rare diseases. And then we have some really cool projects on CAR-T cells and autoimmunity, where were using standard CAR-T cells from cancer to get rid of B cells, which are cells that make antibodies in autoimmune diseases. We also have people inventing new kinds of CAR-T cells to help address other challenges in autoimmunity. What is the focus of your labs research? In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I became very interested in how the immune system deals with chronic infections. When you cant fully eradicate an infection, what does the immune system do? Why doesnt the immune system clear things like HIV or hepatitis B, and what are the mechanisms behind that failure? During our studies, we identified a process called T cell exhaustion. T cells are the part of the immune system that fights viruses and also tumors. Our core is always to understand this idea of immune exhaustion. It plays a role in infectious disease, it plays a role in cancer, and it definitely plays a role in autoimmunity. What are some of your current projects? Were trying to understand the heterogeneity in different autoimmune diseases. To give an example, one is a really challenging kind of blistering inflammatory skin disease called Hidradenitis suppurativa, where theres just massive inflammation of immune cells in your skin, and it causes really hard-to-treat skin lesions. We now are profiling all of the immune cells in the tissue in the skin and identifying new targets for therapeutics. Were also interested in this idea that the immune system sees everything thats happening in your tissues, meaning it acts like a biosensor. If we understand the things the immune system is seeing, we can start to predict trajectories of disease. The inspiration for our study on infant health [not yet published] came from a neonatologist who came to the lab and said, These really premature infants have this kind of lung inflammation that we dont understand. We realized that somewhere around 10 or 20% of those really premature infants get infected while theyre in the ICU. And we were able to identify what those infections look like early in life. We think we can start to piece together ways that we might be able to use the immune system more effectively, or at least treat the damaging inflammation that might come from an early-life infection. What bets are you making on AI drug discovery? Were very excited about an AI-based approach for drug discovery and drug repurposing that is being led by David Fajgenbaum, the physician who had Castleman disease and essentially cured himself. He has a big infrastructure to basically look at all FDA-approved drugs and identify ways to repurpose them for diseases they werent originally intended for. We can do AI predictions, take the top list of drugs from that, and then put that into a high throughput screening facility where Sara Cherry, who is brilliant and amazing, can now screen to identify which of those drugs might be able to provoke the effect we want from cells involved in autoimmunity. Genesis Pimentel-Howard holds a photo of her late cat, Mobi, beside a lovingly crafted "ofrenda" in her Philadelphia home on Monday. The altar glows with candlelight, welcoming the spirits of her beloved departed pets. The ritual is part of a growing tradition tied to Dia de los Muertos. Read more The spirits of the pets come first, treading home on soft, shadowy paws, making their way by the light of altar candles and guided by the eternal tie of love. They are welcomed with offerings of favorite treats and fresh water, and by the careful placement of old toys and worn collars that have become cherished mementos. Advertisement Its a new tradition connected to the Day of the Dead, the ancient Mexican holiday where people honor and celebrate the lives of family members at a time when the wall between worlds melts. Now, in Philadelphia and elsewhere, people have begun to recognize not just human relatives but those with wings and whiskers, the departed dogs, cats, birds, and other animals that enriched their lives. And who, like family, continue to be mourned and missed. The souls of pets are said to return on Oct. 27, a few days before the Dia de Muertos on Nov. 1 and 2. The day, said Gerardo Coronado Benitez, manager of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia, is not about death, but about celebrating and remembering people, keeping memories alive. Of course many people want to keep alive the memories of their pets. He is helping organize a big Day of the Dead event at the Italian Market on Nov. 2, where people will be able to place photos of relatives and pets on a community ofrenda a decorated altar at Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. Others have set up altars in their homes. These ofrendas may be adorned with traditional marigolds, with candy skulls, paper skeletons, and photographs. But they may also feature a snatch of fur or a whisker left behind. Genesis Pimentel-Howard created an ofrenda for her cat, Mobi, on a bedroom shelf of the West Philadelphia home she shares with her husband, Yaphet Howard. Its hard for her to talk about Mobi, who died suddenly in May at only 4 years old. He was, she said, an adorable menace. Mobi loved to poke at and play with the couples other cat, Sannin, though Sannin didnt always appreciate the attention. Mobi sometimes stole food from the trash. And he managed to push over and break Pimentel-Howards flat-screen TV. Still, she said, he followed her everywhere. She couldnt even use the bathroom without him trailing her inside. A sweet mommas boy, she said. Always next to me. On the ofrenda, Pimentel-Howard placed her grandmothers pearls. And photos of her family dogs, Ella and Red, and her hamster, Shia LaBeouf. She added a shadow box that holds Mobis collar and an impression of his paw. Ill stay up as late as I can to welcome him, she said. I like to think hell be around. The roots of the Day of the Dead go back 3,000 years, to Aztec and Mayan traditions. It is celebrated not only in Mexico but also in wider Latin America and in communities across the United States. Dogs have always played an important role. The ancients considered them sacred, guides that led souls through the afterlife. They revered the Mexican Hairless dog, the Xoloitzcuintle, or Xolo for short. Its a Xolo dog, Dante, that guides Miguel to meet his ancestors in Coco, the popular animated Disney movie. And its a song from the movie, "Remember Me," that has become the soundtrack for countless social media posts about departed pets. In Philadelphia, the Italian Market festival welcomes all who wish to take part in its Day of the Dead event to South Ninth Street between Federal and Christian Streets from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 2 The Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia also will hold a big Day of the Dead celebration. Everyone is invited to help with final preparations for the ofrenda from 2 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 31, and to come to the Day of the Dead event the next day. The animals, thats family, too, said Maria De Los Angeles Hernandez Del Prado, the artist who led the creation of the Fleishers large, three-part ofrenda, which includes a section devoted to pets. Theyre the same as us, they just dont talk the same language. Pimentel-Howard knew after Mobi died that she would find a way to honor him, along with the other animals she has loved. You dont know what its like to lose an animal, she said, until youve lost one. Mahmoud Khalil spoke to supporters outside Philadelphia's federal courthouse after appellate judges heard arguments in his ongoing legal fight to remain in the country. Read more President Donald Trumps administration on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court in Philadelphia to overturn an order that has, for the moment, blocked authorities from deporting pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil the latest development in a complex legal saga that began when the administration was seeking to crack down on anti-Israeli college campus protests earlier this year. During a hearing before a three-judge panel in a Center City courtroom, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign said the earlier order, issued by a federal judge in New Jersey, was indefensible for several reasons including that it was issued in the wrong jurisdiction, and that it was effectively helping Khalils lawyers improperly fragment the various legal proceedings against him and seek venues that might issue favorable rulings. Advertisement Khalils attorneys, however, said the judges should uphold the lower courts ruling because the government had illegally targeted the 30-year-old for removal over his political views something they called a clear First Amendment violation and a situation that could have wider implications amid Trumps push to increase deportations. Speaking outside the courthouse after the hearing, Khalil, a legal permanent resident who was born in Syria, told a crowd of supporters he planned to continue his legal fight to remain in the United States. This shows how my case is actually just a test for everyones rights here across the country, he said. Not only one place, not only for specific people, for immigrants or documented or undocumented people, its for everyone across the country. The case against Khalil began in March, when he was arrested by immigration authorities at Columbia University, where he had recently completed a masters degree and had become a prominent figure at pro-Palestinian protests. Authorities detained Khalil and then pushed to deport him, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing an obscure legal statute in contending that Khalils rhetoric and continued presence in the country could undermine U.S. foreign policy interests. Khalils lawyers quickly challenged the administrations actions in court first in New York, where he lived and was arrested, then in New Jersey, where he was detained in the immediate aftermath of his arrest. Within days, however, Khalil was transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, where he was held for more than three months (he was living there this spring when his wife, an American citizen, gave birth to their son in New York). The issue of where Khalil was located was something Ensign, the government attorney, said was important for the appellate judges to consider: Because Khalil was primarily detained in Louisiana, Ensign said, any legal challenge seeking to have him released should have taken place in that jurisdiction. And in Ensigns view, that meant the June ruling by a judge in New Jersey that ordered Khalil released and temporarily blocked his deportation should be overturned. Several judges appeared skeptical of the jurisdictional aspect of Ensigns argument. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, a Trump appointee, pointed out that authorities were moving Khalil to various jurisdictions over a weekend and suggested attorneys couldnt be forced to wait until the work week to file emergency challenges to what they viewed as wrongful detention. The lawyers didnt know where Khalil was, Bibas said. They had to do their best. The judges seemed more receptive to another of Ensigns arguments: That Khalil is currently the subject of a complex web of legal cases, with various claims being weighed in various courts. In addition to the matter being argued in Philadelphia on Tuesday, his immigration case remains pending in Louisiana because of a separate issue: In September, an immigration judge there ruled that Khalil be removed to Syria or Algeria because he failed to disclose information about his past work with pro-Palestinian groups on his green card application. While his attorneys have appealed that ruling, the appellate panel on Tuesday questioned whether it was appropriate for different jurisdictions to be weighing different aspects of his various cases particularly when many of the legal issues in them are generally similar. Circuit Judge Thomas M. Hardiman asked whether doing so would give Khalil a second bite at the apple to challenge rulings that dont go his way. It remained unclear Tuesday how or when the judges might rule. Khalil, meanwhile, said outside the courthouse afterward: We are in the fight until the end. KIRYAT GAT, Israel Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called progress in Gazas fragile ceasefire better than anticipated but acknowledged during an Israel visit the challenges that remain, from disarming Hamas to rebuilding a land devastated by two years of war. Vance noted flare-ups of violence in recent days but said the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that began on Oct. 10 is going better than I expected. The Trump administrations Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time. They visited a new center in Israel for civilian and military cooperation as questions remain over the long-term plan for peace, including when and how an international security force will deploy to Gaza and who will govern the territory after the war. Advertisement Vance tried to downplay any idea that his visit his first as vice president was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place. He said he feels confident that were going to be in a place where this peace lasts, but warned that if Hamas doesnt cooperate, it will be obliterated. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumps son-in-law and one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, noted its complexity: Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture. Vance is expected to stay in the region until Thursday and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. On Tuesday, Netanyahu fired his national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, but gave no reason for the decision. Israeli media said Hanegbi had opposed the renewal of Israels Gaza offensive in March, and Israels failed attempt to assassinate Hamas leadership in an airstrike in Qatar in September. In a statement, Hanegbi noted times of disagreement with Netanyahu. Hamas hands over remains of 2 more hostages Late Tuesday, Israels military said the remains of two more Gaza hostages had been returned to Israel, where they would be identified. Since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. Another 13 still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over. On his visit to Israel Tuesday, Vance urged a little bit of patience amid Israeli frustration with Hamas pace of returning the hostages. Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are, Vance said. Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each dead hostage, according to Gazas Health Ministry. It said Tuesday that Israel had so far transferred 165 bodies since earlier this month. As he faced journalists questions over the ceasefires next steps, he said a lot of this work is very hard and urged flexibility. Once weve got to a point where both the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security, then well worry about what the long-term governance of Gaza is, he said. Lets focus on security, rebuilding, giving people some food and medicine. Although some 200 U.S. troops were recently sent to Israel, Vance emphasized that they would not be on the ground in Gaza. But he said officials are beginning to conceptualize what that international security force would look like for the territory. He mentioned Turkey and Indonesia as countries expected to participate. The flags of Jordan, Germany, Britain, and Denmark were on the stage where he spoke. Britain said late Tuesday it would send a small contingent of military officers to Israel to assist in monitoring the ceasefire. While the ceasefire has been tested by fighting and mutual accusations of violations, both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the deal. Aid into Gaza increases, while prices rise International organizations said they were scaling up humanitarian aid entering Gaza, while Hamas-led security forces cracked down against what it called price gouging by private merchants. The World Food Program said it had sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. Thats well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war. The WFP also said it had reinstated 26 distribution points across Gaza and hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points as soon as possible. Residents said prices for essential goods soared on Sunday after militants killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with strikes that killed dozens of Palestinians. Israel also threatened to halt humanitarian aid. At a market in the central city of Deir al-Balah, a 55-pound package of flour was selling for more than $70 on Sunday, up from about $12 shortly after the ceasefire. By Tuesday, the price was around $30. Mohamed al-Faqawi, a Khan Younis resident, accused merchants of taking advantage of the perilous security situation. They are exploiting us, he said. On Monday, Hamas said its security forces raided shops across Gaza, closing some and forcing merchants to lower prices. Hamas also has allowed aid trucks to move safely and halted looting of deliveries. Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gazas private truckers union, said there was no stealing aid since the ceasefire started. But other significant challenges remain as Gazas financial system is in tatters. With nearly every bank branch and ATM inoperable, people pay exorbitant commissions to a network of cash brokers to get money for daily expenses. On Tuesday, dozens of people in Deir al-Balah spent hours in line at the Bank of Palestine hoping to access their money but were turned away. Without having the bank open and without money, it does not matter that the prices [in the market] have dropped, said Kamilia Al-Ajez. Gaza doctors say bodies returned with signs of torture A senior health official in Gaza said some bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel bore evidence of torture and called for a United Nations investigation. Muneer al-Boursh, the health ministrys general director, said on social media late Monday that some had evidence of being bound with ropes and metal shackles, and had deep wounds and crushed limbs. It was not immediately clear if any of the bodies had been prisoners; they are returned without identification or details on how they died. The bodies could include Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken out of Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated, saying it had followed legal procedures and provided medical care and adequate living conditions. Israeli hostages released from Gaza have also reported metal shackles and harsh conditions, including frequent beatings and starvation. In the 2023 attack on Israel that started the war, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as hostages. The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. In front of a wall of portraits of former bishops, Rev. Carolyn Cavaness greets members of the congregation during a fellowship reception the day after historic Mother Bethel A.M.E Church appointed her the first female pastor in its history. Read more The Rev. Carolyn Cavaness is adjusting to her new life as a celebrity. Any pastor of the historic Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church might get stopped and asked for a picture while walking down the street, as she sometimes does. The church is a national historic landmark, long celebrated for its role as a hub for Black activism and the oldest church property in the United States to be owned continuously by Black people. Advertisement But in November, Cavaness, 42, was appointed as the first female pastor in the churchs 238-year history. She is a fourth-generation A.M.E. preacher from Newark, N.J., and previously led the Bethel A.M.E. Church of Ardmore for 10 years, also serving as its first woman pastor. Cavaness took over for the Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, who had left Mother Bethel after 16 years. Some days I have this moment where I say, Wow, Carolyn, you are the pastor of Mother Bethel. Youre in the big chair. What if somebody else was in this spot? What would they be doing in this moment? she said. While Cavaness brings a new perspective, she is also focused on honoring the legacy of the 52 pastors and their congregations who came before. She said that the churchs first members knew immediately that they were a big deal who would matter greatly to the Black community. Two centuries later, that is still the case. Here I am in this 21st century and having to be the caretaker, but also being called to action, Cavaness said. So what becomes our contribution? Cavaness spoke with The Inquirer about her first year at Mother Bethel, what it has meant to take on her trailblazing role, and how the churchs tradition of resilience inspires her and the congregation. This conversation has been edited for clarity. Your first sermon at Mother Bethel was an emotional one, about your familys deep Philly roots and great achievements born out of the Black struggle, even though you were only notified about your appointment just the day before. What do you remember about that day? What have you learned about what Mother Bethel means to people over the past year? It was surreal. I mean I literally found out less than 24 hours before. But that is being an itinerant preacher [of] Methodist tradition. Youre here to serve. I had very much the sentiment of I wish my dad and my grandmothers were here to see this. I think about when I walked into the pulpit for the first time, how the congregation stood up. I think about the smiles, the hugs. I think about the flowers they gave me. And the sacred trust that Ive been given. Its been an amazing first year, definitely life-transforming, being entrusted with this national, this international treasure. I have just been captivated by the testament and the hope that she bears. Theres this connection, this affinity for her. Weve gotta be intentional about being the light, about being a place of love, sanctuary, refuge, that people feel safe. Thats a real thing for me. The people Ive come to know, the smiles, their new sense of hope it is possible, you know? People have a sense of joy, and you can feel that and see that. Sometimes when youre a leader, youre in a vacuum. And so to hear and to see people smiling more, that does something. As a pastor, thats a gift. You feel that youre making a difference. You are the first woman pastor at Mother Bethel A.M.E. How has it felt to hold that distinction, and how have people received you? People have been very supportive. Its about building trust and relationships. All I knew, I could only be Carolyn. I cant be anybody Im not. I like to laugh, I like to joke. I think I have surprised people by being accessible. Many people have reminded me, You know, reverend, youre a historical figure. Amongst the 53, theres gonna be that picture of you." Its very humbling. I went to New Orleans and an older gentleman walked up and he said, Hello, good to meet you. Youre pastor of Mother Bethel. Fifty years ago, that would have been a different conversation. I have two twin nephews. They had a womens history project, and they wrote about me being the pastor of Mother Bethel. My 5-year-old nephews are esteeming me. That was special. When you were appointed last year, Donald Trump had just won the election, and many of your congregation were fearful of what was to come. What is Mother Bethels role during this time? We are resilient people. This is not the first time that we have had pharaohs and tyrants and dictators. Here is an institution providing, a way in which government ought to, esteem and affirm and care for [people]. Democracy has ideals, but here, this place, Mother Bethel, is where its realized. Where youre a safe haven and a sanctuary. The principles and the ideals of the Free African Society. We come from that legacy, from that line where we have always taken care. We have always filled a gap. Weve always been out front. Another has definitely been around how we honor our history and legacy. I was honored to give the eulogy for Ruby Boyd she was the first African American librarian in the city of Philadelphia. She lived to be 105, and shes one noted for putting into a book, On This Rock, of Mother Bethel, the history of many of the stained glass window collection, pictures and little vignettes about the pastors. And so in my eulogy, I talked about that we have a responsibility to tell the story and to make it accessible. This regime of erasure has really amplified my efforts as the spiritual leader and also just how important Mother Bethel is. What are you looking forward to in year two? Im looking forward to the [Semiquincentennial], the 250th. Definitely the larger preservation plan, there are some conversations that we as a congregation are gonna be having about her preservation and how accessible [it is]. And to continue to tell this story. I think also around community engagement. Just seeing people becoming more strengthened in their sense of witness. A.D.A. Lewis Middle School on Tuesday. On Saturday, police found the body of Kada Scott on the school grounds. The 23-year-old Mount Airy woman was missing for two weeks. Read more When it opened in 1973, Ada H.H. Lewis Middle School was a source of deep pride for East Germantown, the kind of state-of-the-art educational facility that only suburban kids had at the time. But on Saturday, when police found Kada Scotts corpse buried in a shallow grave in the woods of the long-ago vacated school grounds, ending a two-week search for the missing 23-year-old Mount Airy woman, the Rev. Chester H. Williams saw only decades of failure. Advertisement Its a disgrace, said Williams, a pastor who runs a neighborhood civic group. We were very hurt to hear that this happened. On top of the shock, Scotts kidnapping and murder has renewed animus in some quarters about the Philadelphia School Districts failure to repurpose the blighted property, one of dozens of schools shuttered by the district over the last 20 years. Since Lewis closed in 2008, local officials and civic leaders said the sprawling seven-acre campus has become a magnet for squatting, illegal dumping, and other criminal activity. City officials have cited the school district 10 times since 2020 for overgrown weeds, graffiti, and piles of trash that blanketed the property, public records show. And four years ago, the district passed on an opportunity to reverse course on the blight. A proposal to redevelop the land into new homes, championed by neighborhood leaders like Williams, sat before the school board for approval. But the district abandoned the plan at the eleventh hour without public explanation, which the developer alleged was due to meddling by City Councilmember Cindy Bass a contention Bass denies. The school district, for some reason, we dont know why, they put a block on anything being built there, Williams said. Philadelphia Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. extended deepest sympathies to Scotts family and friends in a statement, and said the districts operations and safety departments will review the vacant-property portfolio to create and maintain safe and healthy spaces in every neighborhood. While some call Lewis abandoned, the district is careful to call the building vacant, one of 20 such properties in the districts portfolio. It says maintenance and inspection logs are kept about work on vacant properties; details were not immediately available. The debate over Lewis comes at a crucial time for the district: It is preparing to release recommendations about its stock of 300-plus buildings and likely add to the list of decommissioned schools-turned-vacant public buildings. The districts master planning process will contain recommendations for school closures and combining schools under one roof, officials have warned. A fizzled redevelopment In 2011, then-City Controller Alan Butkovitz said the districts vacant buildings were catastrophes waiting to happen. Butkovitz, in a report released that year, said district inaction around such structures was dangerous and noted that the schools were magnets for criminal activity. Just before the pandemic hit in 2020, after years of pushback over Ada Lewis, the school district began accepting applications to redevelop the crumbling middle school. Germantown developer Ken Weinstein was one of three developers to place bids. He sought to buy the property for $1.4 million and build 76 new twin homes, at a density that neighbors felt complemented the surrounding area and resolved concerns about density brought by apartment buildings. Weinstein said he gathered letters of support from 60 neighborhood residents and elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans and then-State Rep. Stephen Kinsey. The school board seemed eager to move ahead and set a final vote for the proposal in May 2021. The vote never happened. The only explanation given that day was that the Board had concern about what the long-term plan is for developing schools for the 21st century, according to a district spokesperson. According to Weinstein, some school board members received calls from Bass asking them to table the vote. Bass has faced criticism for interfering in development projects, including other proposals made by Weinstein, as vacant properties languished for years in her district. Her district includes the Lewis property and parts of North and Northwest Philadelphia, where Weinstein has focused his development work. Bass, in an interview Monday, denied meddling in the vote. She acknowledged that she did not support Weinsteins proposal because of the price of the homes averaging around $415,000 which she said would have triggered immediate gentrification in the neighborhood. But she said she had no involvement in the boards reversal. That was up to the school district, Bass said. I dont sit on the school board. While community groups in her district supported Weinsteins project in 2021, Bass said she objected to market-rate housing as the sole alternative for East Germantown, arguing that it amounted to the district and developers saying you should just take any old thing just so its not vacant. A tragic turn for the property In a letter dated Friday, Bass called on the school district to demolish the vacant school, saying she was troubled by the evidence that led investigators to the property during the search for Scott. The continued presence of this unsecured and deteriorating structure is simply unacceptable, the Council member wrote in a statement, noting the site is now associated with tragic violence. Cell phone records and tips from the public first led police to the former Ada Lewis school last week, where they found Scotts pink phone case and debit card, but nothing else. Then, late Friday, police received a new tip saying that they had missed something on their first search of the grounds, and that they should look along the wooden fence that divides the school from the neighboring Awbury Recreation Center. Officers returned to the property Saturday and found Scotts body, buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area behind the school. Prosecutors expect to charge Keon King, 21, with the murder, though police continue searching for others who they believe may have helped dispose of evidence. Bass took office in 2012, when the school was already vacant. She said she pushed the school district for several years to take action, as nuisances piled up at the property. She said she still hopes that another institution could replace Lewis. I think that having something that the community wants is not hard to figure out, Bass said. This is what the communitys interested in theyre interested in another institution. She said a proposal for a charter school is now in the works, though she said she was unable to provide details. A glut of vacant schools The school district still views Lewis as a potential swing space a building that could be used to house students if another district building is closed due to environmental problems. There is precedent: The district has used other school buildings for such purposes, like Anna B. Pratt in North Philadelphia, which was also closed in 2013, to house early-childhood programs, and then students from other North Philadelphia schools whose buildings were undergoing renovation. Still, it remains unclear how much it would cost to bring the Lewis building back to an inhabitable state. The school system currently has about 70,000 more seats throughout the city than students enrolled. Though officials have said their first preference is to have closed schools reused for community benefit, its unlikely that all will be able to serve that purpose. And the timetable will surely be slow. City officials at times have expressed frustration with the pace at which the district is making decisions about how to manage its buildings. School leaders have said the wait is necessary given the districts capacity and the need to make correct choices and not rush the process. Weinstein said the tragedy that culminated at Lewis reflected the conventional wisdom that blight breeds crime. Theres always consequences to shutting down a proposal that the community supports, Weinstein said. In most cases, nothing bad happens. In this case, something very bad happened. Staff writer Ellie Rushing contributed to this article. Picket signs outside Temple University Hospital on North Broad Street in September as the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents the health systems nurses and techs, held a protest amid negotiations for a new three-year contract. Read more In winning a new contract on Oct. 12, Temple University nurses and technicians didnt just get pay raises. They won more protections from violence. Its an extraordinary moment when basic safety becomes a bargaining issue. But thats the reality for emergency room workers who continue to face rising levels of physical, verbal, and sexual assault. Touted as heroes during the pandemic, these workers now show up in risky environments that are wired to create more violence. Advertisement One simple yet little-used strategy is to ask frontline nurses and doctors what works, and what doesnt, to prevent assaults. We did that, and the answers cited below may surprise you. Tougher laws by themselves havent worked. The airline industry has laws that protect staff from assaults in the workplace: If a passenger attacks an airline crew member, they are removed from the airline and could face a fine or criminal charge. It is not so straightforward in healthcare. Safety protections vary state by state for workers who face a stigma for reporting an event, and no guarantee their concerns will reach employers or authorities. Most crucially, a violent patient differs from an unruly airplane passenger. Most patients need care and support when they become violent. As emergency room clinicians, we know patients come to us during their most vulnerable moments. Their medical challenges, coupled with worry, compounded by prolonged waiting room times and care delays, create the perfect recipe for rising ER violence. The larger frustrations patients experience get offloaded onto the clinician before them. Workplace violence is a top reason why nurses leave healthcare jobs, and it contributes to their burnout and job dissatisfaction. Dangerous conditions can harm their physician colleagues, as well. In the U.S., it is largely up to hospitals and their leaders to uphold safety measures for workplace violence. No federal policies exist to protect healthcare workers from assaults or regulate how hospitals should prevent violence. Most states pass laws that fall into two broad categories: 1) establishing penalties (charges, fines) for assaulting healthcare workers, and/or 2) requiring hospitals to establish measures to prevent and address violence. Most state policies fall into the latter. In May, the Pennsylvania House passed the Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention Act. If it passes the state Senate, the bill would require that all healthcare facilities in the state establish workplace violence committees to perform annual risk assessments and identify strategies to prevent attacks. It also requires facilities to post signage indicating that assault of a healthcare worker is a felony. These policies represent an important first step, but again, if you were to ask our ER colleagues if a sign would make them feel safer, you can only imagine their responses. Should hospitals invest in more security? Less security? Train clinicians on self-protection? What should we focus on? To answer some of these questions, we conducted a study that put nurses and physicians in discussions together to find out what could work. We interviewed 23 emergency room nurses and physicians in a Philadelphia Level I trauma center for their priorities. What works? Establishing in-the-moment procedures to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations and support clinicians who experience an assault in real time. Like a Code Blue, some hospitals have created overhead page calls that summon coworkers when violence occurs. No federal policies exist to protect healthcare workers from assaults or regulate how hospitals should prevent violence. Other hospitals have designated violence de-escalation teams with special training who aid staff in proven ways to deter violence. These hospitals are proactive, and others should follow. Its no coincidence that Temple nurses are demanding safer patient-to-nurse staffing ratios in the context of workplace violence. When nurses care for too many patients at a time, they cant attend to their patients in a timely manner. Extended delays can trigger violence. As one nurse in our study stated: Patients go hours where theyre like, What the heck, what am I waiting for? Theres no updates because nurses have more patients than we can reasonably be expected to manage. And so patients become frustrated because theyre not being served well, because the nurses are stretched so thin. Whether through hospitals own action or state bills establishing minimum staffing rules (like the proposed Pennsylvania Patient Safety Act, stalled in the Senate), nurses demand safer patient-to-nurse staffing ratios so they can give high-quality care to patients. When medical professionals are assaulted, their reports must be monitored by their employers. These people need support, with time away from work after an assault and support time for legal action. Policy safeguards like the violence prevention bill would hold hospital executives accountable for mandated reporting and strategies to reduce violence. But nurses and doctors need to be a part of the solution to stem the violence epidemic. Jane Muir and Anish Agarwal are senior fellows at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Muir, an emergency nurse by training, is a practicing family nurse practitioner and an assistant professor at Penn Nursing in the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research and the Penn Medicine department of emergency medicine. Agarwal is an ER physician and assistant professor of emergency medicine. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks at a news conference on Monday regarding the killing of Kada Scott. Read more The killing of Kada Scott is tragic on many levels, but hopefully, some lessons can be learned to honor her life. Scotts death is all the more painful for her family and friends because it could have been prevented. Thats because it appears District Attorney Larry Krasner and the Philadelphia court system failed her. Advertisement The man accused of abducting Scott had been previously charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend twice in the last year, but prosecutors withdrew the charges after the victim did not show up for court. After Scotts disappearance, Krasners office admitted its handling of the earlier cases was a mistake. If the district attorneys office had instead prosecuted Keon King, 21, then perhaps Scott, 23, would still be alive. We couldve done better, Krasner said at a news conference Monday, echoing earlier comments from Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski, who said last week, Everyone involved at this point, including the [initial prosecutor], agrees that we wish this happened differently. To be sure, hindsight is 20/20. But a review of Kings legal entanglements indicates a series of miscues may have enabled Scotts death. The case also offers a window into the challenges of filing domestic abuse charges, and underscores the need for prosecutors to be more aggressive in going after the accused while doing more to ensure the safety of victims. READ MORE: Environmental and energy concerns are crucial in data center development | Editorial For starters, Kings initial assault charges last November were handled by an inexperienced assistant district attorney who was juggling multiple cases. During that incident, prosecutors said, King grabbed an ex-girlfriend by the neck and tried to strangle her after she refused to lie on the bed with him, according to the affidavit. But after initially cooperating with the authorities, Kings accuser stopped responding to calls from prosecutors. After she failed to appear at three court hearings, the district attorneys office withdrew the case. In January, King tried to break into the womans home, but fled before police arrived, according to an affidavit. He returned later in the day and dragged the woman by her hair, shoved her in a car, and drove away before dropping her off on the side of the road. This time, the woman and her friend captured video of King trying to get into her home. He was arrested again and charged with kidnapping, strangulation, and other charges. But once again, the victim and her friend refused to cooperate with prosecutors, so the charges were withdrawn in May. This is not unusual, as victims of domestic violence often live in fear of the perpetrators. Reviewing the period between 2010 and 2020, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that 70% of victims of domestic violence cases failed to appear in Philadelphias courts. A big part of the problem is that the accused are often out on bail and still threatening the victims. In Kings case, after the second set of assault charges, prosecutors requested bail of $1 million, but the magistrate lowered it to $200,000. King posted the necessary 10% or $20,000 and was released in April. Krasner blamed the magistrate for lowering the bail, but his office could have appealed the ruling. There is a fine line in detaining suspects accused of crimes for months on end until a trial. But in domestic violence cases, the current system is not working and needs to be revamped. Prosecutors and judges must do everything possible to guarantee the safety of victims. Victims need more support within the criminal justice system to ensure their safety. More broadly, additional preventive steps are needed to reduce violence against women, including standing up to rape culture, empowering women, and teaching boys to respect women. READ MORE: Give Trump full credit for the Israel-Hamas hostages deal. But will a lasting peace take hold? | Editorial Black women disproportionately experience higher rates of domestic abuse, including rape and homicides, studies show, further underscoring the need for more awareness, training, and preventive measures. In this instance, given that King had been charged once before, the magistrate and Krasners office dropped the ball. And although the victim refused to testify, the district attorneys office could have used the video evidence to move forward with Kings prosecution though not having the witnesses testify certainly would have made for a tougher case. To his credit, Krasner, a former defense attorney who faces reelection next month and has been criticized for being soft on crime, admitted his office was ultimately to blame. The buck stops here, he said. Sadly, a young, vibrant woman full of promise has died, and another woman was previously assaulted and traumatized. Krasner said the public played an enormous role in Scotts case, and asked for anyone with information to call 215-686-TIPS. The only positive outcome will be to ensure justice is served, and a broken legal system in which victims are afraid to testify is fixed, so others do not experience the same horrific outcome. Governor Josh Shapiro at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphias Hub for Clinical Collaboration Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. Read more As nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians brace for the loss of their food assistance next month due to the federal government shutdown, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is pinning the blame on Republicans on Capitol Hill. States administer the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides support to low-income people, including families with children. But as the standoff in Congress prevents federal funding from flowing to states, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiros administration entered the messaging battle over the cause of the disruption to benefits. Advertisement Because Republicans in Washington D.C., failed to pass a federal budget, causing the federal government shutdown, November 2025 SNAP benefits cannot be paid, reads a pastel orange banner on the DHS website from Friday, alerting recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to the impending changes. The message reflects the mounting impacts of the government shutdown, which is in its third full week, and the growing political tensions between Republicans and Democrats on the state and national levels after lawmakers failed to pass funding to avert a government shutdown by Oct. 1. Shapiro has frequently gone head-to-head with the Trump administration, but the use of a state government website is a notable escalation. The governor said in a news release Monday that Congress already had kicked off hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians from Medicaid and SNAP when it passed President Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July. Now, Republicans are once again threatening vital support for Pennsylvania families and children its time for them to pass a federal budget and end this shutdown. Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh added that Inaction from Republicans in Congress jeopardizes the well-being of Pennsylvanians. A significant impact will be felt next month in Philadelphia, where half a million people will not receive SNAP benefits. The program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serves households including elderly people, individuals with disabilities, and children. Another Democratic-led state, Illinois, also referred to the lapse in funding as the Republican federal government shutdown on its benefits webpage. Other Democratic-led states near Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, have not posted political messages on their states SNAP benefits pages. Republicans in Pennsylvania criticized the use of the DHS website for a partisan message. Public service isnt a political weapon and using a government website to fuel your partisan agenda is indefensible, the Pennsylvania GOP wrote Monday in a post on X. However, the Trump administration has also been using its official government websites for partisan rhetoric on the national level, potentially raising red flags related to federal ethics laws. The shutdown is Democrat-led, says the Trump administrations State Department website. The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government, declares a bright red banner on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development homepage. The rising political pressure comes as the Trump administration began rolling out highly politicized messaging to the public and federal employees after the government shutdown began earlier this month. Last week, Philadelphia International Airport and other airports refused to play a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that inculpates Democratic members of Congress for the shutdown. And some federal workers nonpartisan civil servants who have been coping with plummeting morale and either being furloughed or working without pay during the shutdown have been on the receiving end of politicized messaging, too. A message to federal employees ahead of the Oct. 1 funding deadline proclaims that Trump opposes a government shutdown. Any lapse in appropriations, the message continues, is forced by Congressional Democrats. Gov. Josh Shapiro during an interview at the Pennsylvania Energy & Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Read more Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will release a memoir next year detailing his career and personal life, including when a man firebombed the governors mansion while Shapiro and his family slept inside and his place on the short list for Kamala Harris vice president. On Tuesday, Harper an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing announced the release of Shapiros forthcoming memoir, Where We Keep the Light: Stories From a Life of Service, which will hit shelves on Jan. 27, 2026. Advertisement Shapiro is the latest potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender to announce a book deal, another step in building and defining a national profile. Shapiro, 52, has worked in some level of government for his entire career: on Capitol Hill as a staffer, in Montgomery County as a commissioner, and in Harrisburg as a state representative, attorney general, and now governor. He has noted that he has never lost an election, going back to his election as student body president his freshman year at the University of Rochester. Along the way, elected officials have whispered about his talents as a politician, orator, and rumored presidential ambitions. READ MORE: Josh Shapiros rise wasnt accidental. Just ask those who helped him get here or felt betrayed along the way The Montgomery County native has become a key player in the national Democratic Party, touting a brand as a governor of a split legislature in the most sought-after swing state. His administrations motto is Get Stuff Done, which he defines as bringing Democrats and Republicans together to accomplish long-delayed reforms, or restarting residents trust by improving their interactions with state government. (Pennsylvania still has not finished its state budget, which was due July 1, as legislators from the Democratic-controlled House and GOP-controlled Senate cannot agree on how much they should spend this fiscal year and causing school districts, counties, and nonprofits to take out significant loans to continue offering services during the 113-day budget impasse.) Shapiros rise through the Democratic Party ranks skyrocketed last year, when he became a front-runner for vice president during Harris whirlwind, 107-day presidential campaign, in which she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Harris also released a book this year, which includes stories from her interview with Shapiro for the role. READ MORE: Overly ambitious: New book about the 2024 election details why Kamala Harris passed over Gov. Josh Shapiro for VP While book deals are often signifiers for officials hoping to take another step up in government, Shapiro still faces reelection next year. He will likely face Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican who has already captured the state GOPs endorsement. Garrity is a retired U.S. Army colonel, and has focused some of her criticisms of Shapiro thus far on his presumed eye for higher office. However, Shapiro still maintains a high approval rating in Pennsylvania, a state President Donald Trump won last year. Shapiros memoir will also detail the arson attack on the governors mansion, in which, just hours after Passover earlier this year, Cody Balmer set the home ablaze with incendiary devices. Balmer pleaded guilty last week to attempted murder. READ MORE: The arson at Gov. Josh Shapiros mansion erupted within minutes. The impact lingers. Shapiro, who was born in Kansas City, Mo., before moving to Montgomery County, has credited his upbringing by his parents his father a pediatrician, and his mother an educator as laying the foundation for his life in public service. Shapiro has four children and is married to his high school sweetheart, Lori. He and his family still live in Abington Township and split their time between their family home and the governors mansion in Harrisburg. An image depicts food that can be ascertained in the SNAP program. Read more Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians including 500,000 Philadelphia residents wont receive SNAP benefits in November if the federal government shutdown continues, state officials said. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides $366 million a month to low-income people in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services (DHS). Most households that receive SNAP benefits consist of elderly people, children, or individuals with disabilities, according to hunger experts. Advertisement This is the first federal shutdown in at least 20 years in which SNAP will not be made available, said George Matysik, executive director of the Share Food Program, a food bank that serves 500,000 people living in the region. Its like a horror movie where the call is coming from within the house, Matysik said in an interview last week. Our own federal government is making the choice to take benefits from Pennsylvanians, who are among 42 million people nationwide who participate in the program. In Philadelphia, Share has seen a 120% increase in food need over the last three years, Matysik said. And that was with SNAP, he added, saying the city faces a greater food crisis now than it did during the pandemic. In an email Monday, the Pennsylvania DHS blamed Republicans who control the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, and the White House for failing to pass a budget and causing the current difficulties Americans endure. We urge Republicans in Congress to reopen the government and protect vulnerable Pennsylvanians at risk because of this inaction, the email said. Gov. Josh Shapiros office could not be reached for comment. In May, Shapiro said that the commonwealth would be unable to replace lost funding for SNAP should the federal government fail to pay. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, did not return calls for comment. The White House issued a statement that the shutdown is affecting personnel in its press office, delaying responses. The statement blamed Democrats for the governments closure: Please remember this could have been avoided if the Democrats voted for the clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government open. To receive SNAP benefits, individuals carry EBT (electronic benefits transfer) cards that are loaded monthly with the amounts to which they are entitled. The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress could not reach a compromise to allow funding to continue. The regions 46,000 federal workers found themselves without paychecks. The Trump administration, meanwhile, began laying off federal workers, with a goal of sacking 4,000 of them. A federal judge in California intervened to halt the layoffs. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Like other states, New Jersey faces the same funding difficulty. If the federal government remains closed by Nov. 1, about 800,000 people will be without SNAP benefits. Elderly people who rely on SNAP will suffer throughout Pennsylvania because, for them, food is medicine, said Allen Glicksman, director of research at the Eastern Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society in Newtown Square. Without it, theres the chance of a health catastrophe that will cost more money in Medicaid and in emergency room visits. There are 234,638 Philadelphians age 65 and older, 104,972 (45%) of whom live below the federal poverty line ($21,150 for two individuals in a household), Glicksman calculated. Brian Gralnick, executive director of the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of Elders (CARIE) in Center City, agreed. Consequences will be devastating. Without federal government dollars, ending or even addressing hunger in the region will be as successful as draining the Delaware River using Eagles helmets. For children, the potential shortage of SNAP benefits will be no less calamitous, said sociologist Judith Levine, director of the Public Policy Lab at Temple University. Food is a necessary element for brain development and growth, she said. And theres a clear connection between hunger and the ability to perform in school. This is a complete crisis we are facing. One in four Philadelphia children experiences food insecurity lack of enough food over the course of a year to live a healthy life according to a City Council report. In the neighborhoods, the word about the halt to SNAP benefits is circulating. Fear and confusion had already been growing after the Trump administration announced changes to the SNAP program that would make it more difficult for some people to access benefits. Among the changes: Some SNAP recipients ages 18 to 54 who are able to work and do not support a child under 18 are now required to report at least 20 hours of work, training, or volunteering per week, or 80 hours per month, to keep their benefits. Despite the revisions to the program, however, many people these days are more worried about what happens if SNAP halts. People are very anxious about that, said Pastor Tricia Neal, director of the Feast of Justice food pantry at St. Johns Lutheran Church in the Northeast. The anxiety level is driving more people to come here, and, because we serve 5,500 households, we are well beyond the capacity of what we can support. Its really horrendous to look at whats happening here. That much is clear, according to Rosemary Diem, who tries to stave off hunger for her and her husband by combining SNAP benefits with visits to Feast of Justice. Everything at the pantry is running low, said Diem, 60, who is disabled, as is her husband, Joseph, 63. I see us getting hurt without SNAP. There wont be money for milk and eggs. How am I going to get through? Tony Walter, 59, of Abington, owner of Lores Chocolates, hands a customer his purchased items in their domestic made paper bags at Lores Chocolates in Philadelphia. Read more Philadelphia lawmakers are for the third time trying to pass legislation requiring that stores charge customers a fee for paper bags. And for the third time, its facing opposition from the mayor. A City Council committee on Monday advanced legislation requiring all grocery stores, convenience shops, and other retailers in the city charge 10 cents per nonreusable bag. The goal is to update the citys already existing ban on the plastic variety and encourage shoppers to bring their own bags. Advertisement The full Council could vote on the new legislation in the coming weeks. It is cosponsored by a majority of Council members, meaning it is likely to pass the chamber. City Councilmember Mark Squilla, the architect of the plastic bag ban that first passed in 2019, said during the hearing Monday that hes aiming to change behavior. The city says the use of paper bags has skyrocketed since the plastic bag ban took effect studies show that while they are recyclable, unlike plastic, paper bags are still less energy efficient than reusable ones. Squillas original plastic bag ban legislation included a required 15-cent fee on paper bags, but he stripped it from the bill after opposition from former Mayor Jim Kenneys administration. In 2023, Council passed legislation to institute it, but Kenney issued a pocket veto, meaning he left office without taking action on the legislation, effectively killing it. READ MORE: Will Philadelphia see new paper bag fees? It wasnt clear at the time if Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who was the incoming mayor, would support the legislation if it were reintroduced. She made cleaning and greening the city a top campaign promise, and environmental advocates hoped shed support efforts to reduce single-use bag reliance. But one of Parkers top officials testified in opposition to the legislation Monday. Carlton Williams, the director of Parkers Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, called Squillas effort well-intentioned. But he said charging bag fees could disproportionately impact low-income Philadelphians experiencing high grocery costs, especially given the current economy. He also said the fees could push shoppers out of the city and harm mom-and-pop businesses that already operate with low margins. If the legislation passes Council, Parker could sign or veto it. She could also let it lapse into law without her signature. If she vetoed the legislation it would be her first since taking office last year Council could override her veto with 12 votes out of the 17-member chamber. When the paper bag bill was introduced in 2019, members of Kenneys administration also said at the time that they were concerned that fees on paper bags would hurt the poorest Philadelphians. Former City Councilmember Maria Quinones Sanchez similarly described it as akin to a regressive tax. However, proponents of the legislation said Monday that they dont think the argument holds up. Maurice Sampson, the eastern Pennsylvania director of the environmental group Clean Water Action, said prices on essentials such as food could rise for everyone if stores absorb the costs of paper bags. There is no foundation or basis, he said, in the idea that fees on bags will hurt low-income people." President Donald Trump shakes the hand of Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference in Alaska on Aug. 15. Read more WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is on hold, a U.S. official said Tuesday, the latest twist in his stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The meeting was announced last week and was supposed to take place in Budapest, Hungary, in the near future. However, the idea was paused after a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to the official, who wasnt authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Advertisement The decision to hold off on a meeting between Trump and Putin will likely relieve European leaders, who have accused Putin of stalling for time with diplomacy while trying to gain ground on the battlefield. READ MORE: Trump says hes doubtful Ukraine can win the war with Russia as he prepares for Putin meeting The leaders including the British prime minister, French president and German chancellor said they opposed any push to make Ukraine surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Trump has occasionally suggested. They also plan to push forward with plans to use billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraines war efforts, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. Trump has not yet commented publicly about the change in plans for his meeting with Putin. They previously met in Alaska in August, but the encounter did not advance Trumps stalled attempts to end a war that began almost four years ago. The Kremlin didnt seem to be in a rush to get Trump and Putin together again either. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that preparation is needed, serious preparation before a meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been trying to strengthen Ukraines position by seeking long-range Tomahawk missiles from the U.S., although Trump has waffled on whether he would provide them. We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace, Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a Telegram post. He noted that Putin returned to diplomacy and called Trump last week when it looked like Tomahawk missiles were a possibility. But as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue, Zelenskyy said. Trumps stance on the war has shifted throughout the year. He initially focused on pressuring Ukraine to make concessions, but then grew frustrated with Putins intransigence. Trump often complains that he thought his good relationship with his Russian counterpart would have made it easier to end the war. Last month, Trump reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to give up land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. But after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are in the more than three-year war. On Sunday, Trump said the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be cut up, leaving most of it in Russian hands. Trump said Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, hes now doubtful it will happen. Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Trump on their side. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the leaders statement said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Zelenskyy said Monday would be a week that is very active in diplomacy. More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defense industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, Tuesdays statement said. On Friday, a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine is due to take place in London. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a valuable resource in todays economy with the potential to reap great rewards in many avenues of business. However, as with any developing technology, it comes with new challenges. In a recent study by The Hartford, nearly half of the business leaders surveyed said they have risk concerns about using AI. Whether its hesitation about software liability or integration concerns, companies want to understand and mitigate their risk as they build AI tools for their businesses and partnerships. After defining the business problem and assessing the AI project benefits, companies need to outline the possibilities of failure. A key component of a companys plan should be an emphasis on how to integrate the many silos or departments for optimal results. AI and Risk Management Looking at AI from a risk management perspective reveals a need for nuance. There are currently no global standards for developing AI, and best practices are still developing. Today, the field is self-policing with unbridled property, financial, and casualty risks. So, its increasingly important to focus on risk management techniques to improve data quality, testing, warnings, checks, and other processes that will help reduce or mitigate exposure to your business if something does go wrong. Early Collaboration Enhances AI Quality Today, most large businesses run on sophisticated technology and some type of AI model. According to the Stanford Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) Institute, in 2024, the percentage of survey respondents reporting AI usage by their organizations jumped to 78% from 55% in 2023. If that technology, including AI, fails to produce accurate and practical results, it can impact functions across the company. For instance, if project leaders are not aware ofand able to accessall data across departments, they cannot instruct AI technology to include it. That means the end user will think they are making decisions based on all available information, when they are not. Fostering an atmosphere of cooperation across the company can help protect the time and money invested in AI and pinpoint issues as it is implemented. It is important to ensure that collaboration comes from across the entire company at the very beginning of the AI implementation journey. Otherwise, a company can run the risk of wasting valuable time and resources and may have to start projects over from the beginning. Connecting the Data Departments that operate in silos limit the capacity of AI to interpret, analyze, and share data. To address these new challenges, modern strategies value collaboration across company departments at the outset of a project, preventing the inefficiencies and breakdowns that can hinder progress and compromise the result. Relying on siloed data when attempting to blend multiple sources of learning can create inefficiencies, miscommunications, and compromised data quality. The need for interconnectivity isnt native to projects implemented with AI, but it is critical in this arena as any breakdowns from the beginning can render the full scope of a project ineffective. For all the effort placed on an AI project, changing the silo mentality is worth the time. Connecting the People To really use AI at its highest level, companies need to have buy-in from their employees and an agreement among departments to share and explore this new technology. Top-down messaging from leaders can jumpstart the process. Dont just announce the rollout of AI in the workplace. Explain how it fits into the companys goals and how it helps address issues and needs across departments. Make sure to loop everyone in along the way. These tips can help with planning for AI collaboration across departments: Identify stakeholders: This should begin and end with risk managers but also include all business units and other departments, such as compliance and legal. This should begin and end with risk managers but also include all business units and other departments, such as compliance and legal. Create subcommittees: Communities of employees with a vested interest in AI can help establish objectives and promote information sharing. Include a variety of stakeholders to create smoother implementation processes and set up these communities with reoccurring meetings to ensure plans and executions are hitting the necessary marks. Communities of employees with a vested interest in AI can help establish objectives and promote information sharing. Include a variety of stakeholders to create smoother implementation processes and set up these communities with reoccurring meetings to ensure plans and executions are hitting the necessary marks. Develop a plan of action: AI projects need outlines and clear objectives stating what falls within and what is out of scope, so that all parties know exactly how the project is expected to run. Just like AI learns as it goes, so should the team. Managers need to be prepared for all outcomes and pivot as needed. Most companies understand the need to start testing AI in order to stay ahead of their competition. How to manage the risk associated with this technology is the challenge. Connection across departments and communities is a key piece of success. Its essential to be risk-conscious moving forward. And yet, with the increased speed of technology and AI changes, the bigger risk is doing nothing at all. Artificial intelligence is transforming the landscape of insurance and risk management. Explore additional perspectives and insights on business technology. Topics InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence A New York City construction firm will pay $1.5 million to settle charges that it violated state workers compensation laws, retaliating against injured workers, and failing to address sexual harassment in the workplace. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the settlement with Alba Services, Inc., its owner Andrew Horan, and a network of related New York City construction and demolition companies. James said an investigation by her office uncovered unlawful practices dating back nearly a decade and impacting more than 700 workers. OAG found that between 2016 and 2024, Alba failed to report hundreds of workplace injuries to the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) as required by law and explicitly instructed employees not to file eligible claims. Of the injuries Alba was legally required to report, OAG said it found that Alba reported less than half, which helped to reduce its insurance costs and giving it an unfair advantage over competitors. According to the affidavit signed by Horan, Alba retaliated against employees who sought to file claims through harassment, threats, and financial incentives to stay silent. The company posted flyers publicly naming workers who had filed claims, accusing them of fraud and offering $5,000 for information leading to their arrests. Horan would also send text messages to his foremen unlawfully exposing the workers names and offering cash rewards for information about them. The OAG documented at least 60 instances in which Alba unlawfully disclosed workers names. The investigation further revealed that Alba would sometimes interfere with medical treatment by sending company representatives to accompany injured workers to urgent care centers or hospitals and misrepresent how and where the injury occurred. Alba directed its workers to specific clinics it had agreements with to conceal workplace injuries. In addition, OAG found that Alba failed to prevent sexual harassment and retaliated against employees who reported misconduct. At least two workers described repeated harassment by a foreman who sent inappropriate messages, made unwanted comments on their appearance, and engaged in physical contact. Under the terms of the settlement, Alba must pay $1.4 million in restitution to current and former Alba employees and adopt reforms to comply with New Yorks labor and human rights laws. In addition, Alba must pay $100,000 for a settlement administrator. In addition to Alba Services, the order affects Alba Carting & Demolition, dba Compac Industries 2, Alba Environment Al, Alba Core & Shell, Alba Electric Corp., Arc Contracting Inc., Caledonia Carting Services, CSC Services Corp., Gurteen Business Solutions, Volk Industrial Services Corp., and Alba Management Inc. Topics New York Construction It took just seven minutes for robbers armed with disc grinders to get in and out of the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris with a stash of royal necklaces, tiaras and earrings. They left the nearby 140-carat Regent diamond untouched, dropped a crown with more than 1,000 diamonds, and fled, abandoning a yellow vest with DNA traces giving hope to shamefaced politicians and police that a massive security lapse wont lead to a permanent loss. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he was hopeful that we will very quickly find the perpetrators and, above all, the stolen items. At around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, two perpetrators parked a furniture hoist and set it in motion, according to Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau. The pair, aided by two accomplices, climbed to a first-floor window and broke into the Apollon Gallery at 9:34 a.m., threatened guards and cut their way into two display cases. Read more: Frances Louvre Museum Closes After Jewels Stolen in Robbery Their haul included a tiara, a sapphire necklace and matching earrings from the collection of Queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings belonging to Marie-Louise; a reliquary brooch; and a tiara and large corsage bow of Empress Eugenie. Back on the street, the gang fled on TMax scooters. We failed, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on France Inter radio, acknowledging that the heist gives a deplorable image of France. Benjamin Camboulives, spokesman for the Alternative Police union, said Louvre security is meant to rely on video surveillance and patrols outside the museum yet no one noticed a furniture elevator arriving on a Sunday when no work was scheduled. Still, Camboulives also sees hope in the robbers amateurism, notably their dropping of Empress Eugenies crown set with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds during the getaway. The Brigade de Repression du Banditisme, a special police unit, is reviewing CCTV footage and other leads, including the vest, a blanket with DNA traces, and the furniture elevator that the gang tried and failed to burn. Inside the museum, security protocol appears to have been followed. The culture ministry said that alarms connected to police triggered when the window and display cases were broken, and the five staff members on duty focused on moving visitors to safety. Thats typical, according to Marc Hocquard from the UNSA police union, who says that private security agents arent meant to put themselves in harms way to prevent a heist. While these staff members are likely among the first to be interviewed by BRB officers, Beccuau gave some insights into the leads authorities are following. Either it is an assignment from a collector, in which case if we identify this collector and sponsor, we will find the jewelry in good condition, she said in a Sunday interview with BFM TV. Or, as we have seen on various occasions, it is an assignment from people who have only identified the jewelry because of the stones, pearls, and rare metals they are made of. President Emmanuel Macron said he hopes it will be the former and that we will recover the artworks and the perpetrators will be brought to justice, he said in a post on X. Le vol commis au Louvre est une atteinte a un patrimoine que nous cherissons car il est notre Histoire. Nous retrouverons les uvres et les auteurs seront traduits en justice. Tout est mis en uvre, partout, pour y arriver, sous la conduite du parquet de Paris. Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 19, 2025 Its not the first time the Louvre has been the scene of an audacious theft exposing shortcomings in its security. The most infamous came on 21 August 1911, when a thief removed Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa from the wall, wrapped it in his clothing, and walked out through the door. The museum was closed that day a Monday and staff didnt notice the disappearance until the following morning. It took more than two years to recover La Gioconda. More recently, French authorities just recovered five out of seven precious snuffboxes snatched from the nearby Cognacq-Jay Museum last year. Despite the success of the operation, Nunez has called for better anticipation and preparedness in response to what he described as a fairly new form of robbery. We are working on measures to strengthen security in all museums, as there is a vulnerability, the interior minister said in a franceinfo interview. That will begin with an audit of existing security measures around museums and other cultural institutions and suggestions for improvements that Nunez ordered after a crisis meeting on Monday with his counterpart at the culture ministry. Meanwhile, as the Louvre probe continues, the museum remained closed on Monday. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. An operation was underway on Monday to salvage the liquefied petroleum gas tanker MV Falcon, which remains on fire and adrift in the Gulf of Aden following an October 18 explosion on board, maritime security sources said. The Cameroon-flagged vessel was fully laden when the explosion occurred at 0700 GMT as it was sailing off Yemen, forcing most of its 26 crew members to abandon the vessel. The cause of the blast is unclear, but early indications suggest it was an accident related to its cargo, the European Unions naval mission Aspides and the sources have said. Read more: LPG-Laden Tanker on Fire off Yemen, EUs Naval Force Says Two of its crew members are still unaccounted for. The rest, recovered by passing merchant vessels, have been safely transferred to Djibouti. A private company has taken on the salvage operation, Aspides said. Maritime security sources said that a firefighting vessel was alongside the MV Falcon on Monday. Efforts to salvage the vessel are still underway, one of the sources said. The MV Falcon was traveling from Omans Sohar Port to Djibouti when the blast occurred. A Houthi defense ministry official said the group had no connection to the incident, the Houthi-run Saba news agency reported. Yemens Iran-aligned Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile strikes on ships in the Red Sea region since 2023, saying their attacks are acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Israels war in Gaza. Aspides has advised vessels sailing in the area to exert caution due to the incident, which posed a navigational hazard. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou; editing by Jan Harvey) A massive fire at the import cargo complex of Dhaka airport has caused extensive damage to goods and materials belonging to major garment exporters, with losses and impacts on trade likely to run into millions of dollars, industry leaders said on Sunday. The blaze broke out on Saturday afternoon in the import section of the airports cargo village, forcing a temporary suspension of flights. Smoke continued to rise from the charred remains of the facility on Sunday as firefighters and airport officials assessed the damage. The fire gutted storage areas used for imported raw materials, ready-to-export apparel, and product samples all essential to Bangladeshs $47 billion garment industry. This incident has caused serious damage to the countrys export trade, especially the garment sector, said Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). High-value goods and urgent air shipments have been destroyed including garments prepared for shipment, raw materials for production, and, most importantly, product samples. He warned that the loss of samples could jeopardize future business. These samples are essential for securing new buyers and expanding orders. Losing them means our members may miss out on future opportunities, he added. Essential Samples Burned in Fire BGMEA has begun gathering information from affected exporters to determine the extent of the losses. We have asked all members to submit detailed lists of damaged goods, and an online portal has been launched to speed up data collection, Khan added. The airport cargo village is one of Bangladeshs busiest logistics hubs, handling more than 600 metric tons of dry cargo daily a figure that doubles during the October to December peak season. Every day, around 200 to 250 factories send their products by air, Khan said. Given that scale, the financial impact is significant. The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, and an investigation is underway. The incident marks the third major fire reported in Bangladesh [last] week. A fire on Tuesday [October 14] at a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people and injured others. On Thursday [October 16], another burned down a seven-story garment factory building in an export processing zone in Chittagong. Bangladesh is the worlds second-largest exporter of apparel after China. The sector, which supplies major global retailers such as Walmart, H&M, and Gap, employs about 4 million workers and generates around $40 billion a year more than a tenth of the countrys GDP. The fire, which struck during the peak export season, is expected to delay shipments and pose additional challenges in meeting international delivery deadlines. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; editing by Louise Heavens) Companies on deck to go public in the US are powering forward with unconventional IPO plans despite the lingering government shutdown, taking many on Wall Street by surprise. Travel software startup Navan Inc. and electric plane-maker Beta Technologies Inc., two candidates for initial public offerings before the November Thanksgiving holiday, offer contrasting examples of why the fix offered by the shuttered regulator a 20-day marketing period is growing in popularity, with three more companies late Friday joining the group, for a total of seven. Bankers and investors agree that the path to going public during the shutdown requires some creativity, as well as the willingness to venture into uncharted territory. With little sign of negotiations in Washington as the shutdown nears three full weeks, and a stock market near its record high, IPO candidates are increasingly likely to see whether the frameworks advanced by Navan and Beta could work for them, too. IPO activity during the shutdown has been higher than I wouldve anticipated, said Gregor Feige, co-head of Americas equity capital markets at UBS Group AG. My sense is the deals that are going have done extensive testing-the-waters meetings, while others perhaps have a bit of fatigue around the IPO process overall and are looking to go sooner than later. Navan has had a long path to a listing, having been close to confidentially filing IPO paperwork more than three years ago, Bloomberg News reported at the time. The company has opted to use a tight price range of $24 to $26, and is expected to begin formally marketing the deal with investors this week before selling shares. Navan and some of its shareholders are selling stock in the IPO raising as much as $960 million in aggregate, with some of the proceeds earmarked to repay the companys outstanding debt. Beta is a relatively unproven bet on a new technology. The electric aircraft company reported less than $20 million in revenue for the first six months of this year as net losses grew to $183 million from $137 million in the same period in 2024, a filing shows. The $6 spread on its price range of $27 to $33 per share is wider than Navans. Still, prospective investors confidence is likely to be buoyed by the presence of five cornerstone investors, who have signed on to take as much as $300 million of what would be a $825 million raise at the top of the price range. With a combined $2.9 billion if the offerings price at the top of their respective ranges, the deals would substantially add to an already-solid year. US IPOs have raised $34.7 billion through Oct. 17, excluding financial vehicles such as blank-check firms, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Thats already above the total raised in all of 2024. For companies which remain publicly on file with US regulators but not yet with marketing under way, such as Andersen Group Inc., the tax and advisory firm led by former partners of the firm that collapsed as a result of the Enron scandal, and BitGo Holdings Inc., the debate between pushing ahead with an IPO that utilizes the current workaround is partly a question of whether going public before Thanksgiving is better than risking a wait until next year. If things align where the shutdown ends and theres time around the holidays you could see some companies push ahead, but were probably looking at the vast majority opening up in 2026, said Shari Mager, a partner with KPMGs deal advisory practice. Its such a short window between Thanksgiving and Christmas. For now, dealmakers are potentially looking at a very busy stretch starting in the end of October when these 20-day windows end, and debuts that would have been spread throughout the month plus any more than are tempted to tap the SECs workaround cram into early November. The idea that its a relatively favorable market is definitely weighing on the desire to just go out and take care of it now, said Hillary Holmes, co-chair of Gibson, Dunn & Crutchers capital markets practice. If right now is an acceptable market, youll take a certain amount of risk or even downside economic impact to just get the deal done at an acceptable level because that uncertainty can bring a lot of downside, especially if its months out. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. The pace of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions picked up during the third quarter of 2025 but as of Sept. 30, M&A is down 7% this year compared to last year. According to investment banking and financial consulting firm OPTIS Partners, there were 520 insurance agency deals during the first three quarter of 2025, with 188 deals in Q3 2025, up 5% from Q2 2025 but down 13% from the same period last year. OPTIS Partners M&A database counted 741 transactions in the last 12 months. Steve Germundson, a partner at the insurance-industry focused, Minneapolis-based firm, said it expects M&A activity in the last three months of 2025 to be equal to or slightly below Q4 2024, thus continuing the trend of the last three years. Property/casualty insurance agencies are the primary sellers, accounting for 336 transactions, or 65% of the total. Continuing a long trend, private equity-backed/hybrid brokers dominated deal activity, with 72% of all transactions as of Sept. 30. PE firm Broadstreet Partners led all buyers with 57 transactions, down from 72 as of Sept. 30 a year ago. There are interesting dynamics underway. A few new investors are in the market for the first time, said OPTIS managing partner Timothy J. Cunningham. However, there are fewer active buyers among both private-equity and privately owned categories. Other than brokers like Broadstreet, buyers now include family offices, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds. All but one (Leavitt Group) buyer in the top 10 most active are private equity/hybrid brokers. Alera Group and HighStreet Partners picked up the pace in deals the most over the last 12 months, OPTIS said. Hub International and Inzone Insurance Services have also been active as of Sept. 30 with 38 and 29 deals, respectively. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions The North Carolina Supreme Court has decided that it will not, after all, review another legal filing by convicted insurance entrepreneur Greg Lindberg. The Oct. 17 ruling lets stand a 2023 decision by the state Court of Appeals, which found that Lindberg and some of his affiliated companies were liable for fraud by misleading life insurance companies and a reinsurance firm that he once owned. We hold the trial courts conclusions of law were supported by findings of fact based on competent evidence, the appeals court judges wrote in the 2023 opinon. The high court in December 2023 had agreed to review the appeal courts order, at Lindbergs behest. But after hearing oral arguments, the Supreme Court justices changed their minds, noting that discretionary review was improvidently allowed by order on 13 December 2023. No further explanation was offered. But with multiple criminal and civil proceedings stemming from the bribery conviction of and the regulatory crackdown on Lindberg, the appeal courts 24-page opinion offers a valuable recount of some of the main aspects of the voluminous litigation involving Lindberg since 2016. Simply put, Lindberg created a scheme in which he caused $1.2 billon held for Plaintiffs policyholders to be invested into other non-insurance companies that he also owned or controlled, the appellate judges wrote in the opinion in Southland National Insurance Corp., et al, vs. Greg Lindberg, et al. It all began in 2014 under previous North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, the court explained. Lindberg sought to re-domesticate Southland, Bankers Life Insurance Co., Colorado Bankers Life Insurance Co., and Southland National Reinsurance Corp. to North Carolina. Lindberg struck a special agreement with Goodwin, allowing Lindberg to break what has often been considered a cardinal rule for insurance companies keeping adequate reserves on hand and under the control of the insurance carrier. Instead, Lindberg was allowed to invest up to 40% of the insurance companies assets into affiliated business entities, and Lindberg soon invested hundreds of millions into non-insurance firms he owned or controlled. In 2016, Mike Causey defeated Goodwin in the election and took over as insurance commissioner. Causey moved swiftly to reduce the cap on affiliated investments back to 10%, the court explained. Lindberg in early 2018 attempted to bribe Causey with heavy campaign contributions, hoping for a relaxation of the rules as he struggled to untangle his affiliated investments, the appellate judges noted. Causey cooperated with federal authorities and wore a recording device during the meeting with Lindberg. Lindberg was convicted of bribery in 2020, had his conviction overturned due to improper jury instructions, then was convicted again in 2024. Hes still awaiting sentencing. Meanwhile, in late 2018, while Lindbergs prosecution was pending, it became obvious that Lindbergs affiliated companies would not meet their obligations to restore funds to cover the life insurers policyholder liabilities. NCDOI placed Southland and the other insurance companies under administrative supervision. An out-of-state consultant was put in charge, and deadlines were set for repayment of the assets. With it becoming clear that Lindbergs affiliated firms would not meet the deadlines, Southland and the other insurance companies signed a memorandum of understanding and other agreements, restucturing the financial obligations, providing a $40 million line of credit to a company owned by Lindberg, and making the affiliated firms subsidiaries of a newly created holding company, the court explained. In 2019, Lindbergs affiliated firms failed to meet the restructuring agreements goals and failed to make the affiliated businesses part of the holding company. Southland filed suit, charging fraud. The trial court in Wake County largely agreed, and the appeals court upheld the lower courts ruling. Defendants attempt to convince this Court that the MOUs main purpose was not only to rehabilitate Plaintiffs companies, but to ensure Lindberg would continue to benefit from the overall transaction, the appellate judges wrote. This argument ignores another of Defendants motivations: to make money using capital provided by hardworking, North Carolina policyholders. Lindbergs team claimed that the memorandum of understanding was unenforceable. The appeals court didnt buy that argument. Defendants and Lindberg have enjoyed the benefit of millions of dollars of debt relief provided by Plaintiffs, yet continue to claim the MOU is unenforceable, the court wrote. On other arguments the court was equally critical of Lindbergs assertions. Put plainly, Defendants made representations about their ability to perform under the MOU, then just two weeks before performance was due, cited those exact representations as the reason why they could not perform, Judge April Wood wrote in the opinion. And because Lindberg understood the intricacies of the affiliated businesses structures, he knew that performance under the MOU was impossible, yet made representations that induced Plaintiffs to enter into the contract. For those reasons, we hold the trial court did not err in finding Defendants actions satisfied the elements of fraud. The appeals court remanded part of the case to the lower court to determine remedies available to Southland and the other plaintiff insurance companies. In November 2024, Lindberg pleaded guilty to $2 billion in fraud in a related prosecution. In July of this year, a federal judge approved a plan to distribute $318 million from the sale of a Lindberg-owned software firm to the life insurance policyholders. In early October, the judge allowed the release of policyholder information so that a special master in the case could finally begin distributing funds to the victims of the fraud. Read more about Lindbergs bribery conviction here, and other court rulings here. Topics Fraud North Carolina Liability Its not unusual in todays housing market to own a home valued at $1 million or more. Its also not that rare for the insurance coverage on a high-end home to carry a $100,000 wind deductible. Mission, a group of specialty underwriters and program administrators based in Alpharetta, Georgia, this month announced a new program designed to ease the burden of a large deductible: ShelterWind provides a hail and all-wind deductible-buyback plan for middle and high-market homeowners, the company said in a news release. The policy is available in all 50 states but is optimal in coastal areas vulnerable to windstorms, for properties valued at up to $50 million, the company said. Its backed by Certain Underwriters at Lloyds of London. Deductible buybacks and financing programs have been available for decades. Vertus Insurance Partners and Zurich North America expanded their buyback products to Southeastern states in 2020. ShelterWinds program aims to make it more affordable and more available than simply reducing the deductible amount on a primary homeowners policy. In many cases, property insurance carriers in coastal areas now require large deductibles of at least 5% or more on primary policies. ShelterWind provided this hypothetical example: A home with a $100,000 wind deductible would see that deductible reduced to $20,000 with the buyback program. The premium on the program may be about $1,800 a year. At that rate, it would take more than four decades for homeowners to reach the cost of retaining the exposure themselves. Florida insurance agency leaders said they are not aware of any agents that are offering the buyback program at this time. They noted that some parametric policies may be available for similar coverage. Mission is led by CEO Jim Dwane. Simon Hudson is CEO of ShelterWind. Topics Homeowners Every year, some Irish farmers are unable to bear the bureaucratic burden of the online area-based application for income supports, mostly funded by the EU. Around 700m of the support for 2025 has now been paid out, but nothing went to at least 78 farmers, because they failed to make the application in time. The 2025 application period opened in early February, and farmers could become eligible for 100% of their payments by applying before May 15. A late application period up to early June allowed laggards to qualify for payments, but subject to a percentage penalty increasing to 100% at the final deadline. This year, 132 farmers' applications were refused, because of a 100% penalty for applying after June 6. The application is needed by around 120,000 farmers claiming a total of approximately 735m of Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payments. Alternative income schemes It is also needed for the Complementary Income Support for Sustainability total of 118m, also paid to 120,000 farmers. Some 98% of these farmers also benefit from the Eco-scheme, with funding of 297m annually, if they apply on time. The same goes for the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers worth approximately 35m to 6,500 applicants. The Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, previously known as the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, has funding of some 250m annually for almost 100,000 farmers, if they apply correctly. There are several other lucrative schemes open to farmers if they correctly carry out the area-based application between February and early June. However, many fail to do so each year. In 2024, 270 applications were received too late, and were refused. This year, 124,195 applied correctly, and 117,597 were deemed eligible. The number of eligible applications (with entitlements) for 2025 will increase, as application processing is finalised for farmers who applied for a new herd number, or a change in farm structure, such as setting up a company. Eligibility Not all area-based applicants are entitled to payment; for example, not all applicants hold payment entitlements. Some applications may be submitted only to facilitate payment under another scheme, such as the Areas of Natural Constraints scheme. The DAFM says the primary reason for payments not issuing is because the applicant does not hold entitlements, or may have indicated that they are not farming the land. "The primary reason an otherwise eligible applicant is refused payment is that the application was submitted late", said the DAFM. Appeals But all was not lost for the applicants who submitted after June 6 in 2024 and 2025. In 2024, 120 of the 270 whose late applications were refused appealed the refusal, and 102 were successful. In 2025, so far, 35 of the 132 late applicants appealed, with 19 successful and one unsuccessful. In both years, many of the late applications came from counties Galway and Mayo, totaling 60 in 2024 and 30 in 2025. THE development of solar energy farms on prime agricultural land was criticised in the Senate. Calls were made for the introduction of effective planning controls and guidelines for such projects. Galway East Senator Anne Rabbitte (FF), who raised the issue, said she knows of farms of 1,000 acres of arable land being used for solar farms. When we do not have regulation, they go rogue, she said, claiming many areas around the country are being scourged by the conversation around the regulation of solar farms. I accept there is a real need for an increase in energy capacity. The issue concerns the conversation around solar farms, the lack of regulation and the review of wind farm guidelines, she said. Senator Rabbitte called for a debate with the Minister with responsibility for regulation and provision. We need energy but maybe we need a conversation about small nuclear reactors. We are bringing in power generated by nuclear power through the interconnector so we need a grown-up conversation about what the solution might be as opposed to killing our countryside. I am by no means an advocate for nuclear power, but I see how communities are being split, divided and torn apart and this is wrong, she said. Leader of the House Senator Sean Kyne (FG), Galway West, said public meetings would be packed whether they were about solar, wind, or even nuclear power if it came to it. People are not happy with the impact of such projects whether they are onshore or even offshore, he said, promising to request a debate with Climate Minister Darragh O'Brien on the issue. Cork East TDs James OConnor (FF) and Noel McCarthy (FG) also sought updates in separate Dail questions on when solar farm guidelines will be published. Minister of State John Cummins (FG), Waterford, said there is a commitment in the Programme for Government to introduce planning guidelines for solar energy developments. The Department has begun an initial scoping process to identify the component factors relevant to the preparation of planning guidelines for solar energy projects. These include any appropriate environmental reporting and public consultation requirements, and the possible timeframe for publication of the guidelines. Minister Cummins said the scoping process remains at an early stage. Guidelines, once completed, will issue as a National Planning Statement, following the commencement of the relevant provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2024. In the interim, there are currently no specific planning guidelines in place in respect of solar energy development, he said. The Minister added that proposals for individual solar energy developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. These are in the same manner as other proposed developments, with planning applications made to the relevant local planning authority, or An Coimisiun Pleanala on appeal. Meanwhile, the focus on using good land for solar farms has increased in recent months. Deputy Padraig O'Sullivan (FF), Cork North Central, noted in the Dail in July that large solar farm proposals are now being seen in the absence of any guidelines or any instruction from the Government. The Minister has said it is in the programme for Government that we will be bringing forward guidelines. They cannot come soon enough. There is concern that some communities are being swamped by these. Nobody here is saying we do not need solar farms. They are indisputably part of what we need to do in generating energy for the future. Deputy OSullivan, who raised the issue on the back of a question from his Cork East colleague James OConnor, said the nature of the developments is erratic and concerns are being expressed by communities. There are multiple applications. These farms are transforming the landscape from largely agricultural to what we would argue is a commercial enterprise, he said. Deputy OSullivan said the landscape is being transformed by these developments in front of their eyes. We are not saying we are against solar farms; we are clearly not. They are as necessary as wind energy, he said. Mr O'Sullivan said the Ministers concern should be about the knock-on effects on the agricultural and food sectors. There is a scoping exercise and there will be a public consultation on the guidelines, but that will take two or three years. Meanwhile, there will be dozens more of these applications with essentially no guidelines in place. That is the most concerning thing for us, he said. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness (SF), Waterford, said the issue of solar farms on prime agricultural land is a critical one in parts of his county. We all see the advantage of solar power, including solar farms and solar on rooftops. Farmers in rural communities are in favour of this and see the advantages and benefits of it. However, we cannot have development of large solar farms on prime agricultural land take place in what is essentially a legislative and guidance vacuum. We need to see guidelines, and they need to be based on consultation with stakeholders in rural communities. We need to understand the impact this will have on agriculture as a sector, but also on the family farm into the future, he said. Continuing the series of profiles of the Irish Angus School Competition 2024 finalists, we meet the all-boys team from Newport College in Co Tipperary. The Newport team, consisting of Sam Caplis, Kyle Gow and Cillian Marren, made it through to the final with their project titled: Sustainable Farm Technology. The team were inspired after talking to a finalist team at the Ploughing and decided to put their hat in the ring. All from farming backgrounds, Cillian hails from a beef farm, and Sam and Kyle both have backgrounds in dairy farming. Following the finalists' announcement and residing their five Angus calves, Cillian housed them at the home farm. The calves were named following a colouring competition at the local primary schools and were affectionately named Coco, Bella Giayi, Jessy and Jimbo by the winners. During their stint at the Marren residence, the calves were looked after by the team. The calves feed was sponsored by Dairygold, and amounts were tailored to the animals weights and were dosed where necessary. Taking inspiration from their interests in machinery and tech, the Newport team focused on farming technologies that could be utilised to improve sustainability on farms. We all had a keen interest in farm machinery and technology, and we said, why not narrow it down to that? So we ended up settling on sustainable farm technology, and really enjoyed looking into it more, explained Sam. The Tipperary teams focus on their project was to research what technology farmers could implement on their farms, researching the value this tech could give farmers, and helping farmers understand the costs associated with adapting to this new technology. The team also wanted to highlight the importance of farm planning and the tools needed to complete a farm plan, as well as researching what a beef farm should do to operate within a successful, environmentally friendly practice. From left: Cillian Marren, Kyle Gow, and Sam Caplis at Teagasc Dairy Calf to Beef Sustainable Farm Walk in Kilkenny. The team attended several discussion group meetings, conducting surveys with the farmers involved and settled on focusing on grass-based technologies from their feedback. We looked at GPS tech on fertiliser spreaders, or using dribble bars over splash plates to understand and showcase how farmers could be more sustainable with slurry and fertiliser applications, said Sam. Through their project, the boys even picked up a new skill, with the help of Kyle's dad, Andrew Gow, and working with Teagasc, the boys participated in and learned the methods and benefits of grass measuring at farm walks. Were hoping to join up with Michael Daly in Teagasc and try to organise more farm walks or discussion group meetings showing farmers how to grass measure if they dont already do it at home, Cillian explained. The team attended the Sustainable Dairy Calf to Beef Farm Walk in Kilkenny. At the farm walk, they met with Stephen Connolly from ABP and spoke with farmers from all over Ireland attending the event about the benefits of the sustainable farming technology. All three boys spent a couple of days on a local farm, also gaining first-hand experience putting their new skills to use and working hands-on on a local farm implementing GPS fertiliser spreading and grass measurements. We want to bring awareness to what we're doing, and kind of display some of the technologies there, such as the plate needed for grass measurement, and get some more responses to our survey and show them the results we've got already and what other farmers are doing. So maybe they can look at that and say, Oh, if farmer X is doing that, why can't I do that, Kyle said. The team will also be returning to their local mart, where their research for the project began, to share their findings from their research and work over the last 18 months with the farmers in attendance, and holding a raffle with all proceeds going to Bothar. Hoping to close the information loop by their presentation in the mart, the team hope to educate their local farmers who helped inspire their project by giving a presentation about sustainable technologies and supports available to implement these technologies, lowering the barriers preventing wider adoption of these practices. From left: Kyle Gow, Cillian Marren, and Sam Caplis in Brussels. The teams highlight from the competition was also the Brussels trip, with the boys highly recommending it to transition year students who want to get involved. I think you definitely have a lot of free time [in TY], and it keeps you busy, explained Kyle. Students looking to try and replicate Newport Colleges success, the team advised prospective teams to just get stuck in and go with it. Get your team together, get your theme for your project together, and get your Ag science teacher on board, Cillian advised, with Sam adding: Start broad, and then you can always narrow it down. What we did was start broad with sustainability, and then narrowed it down to farm technology. So just have a good mindset for it, and think outside the box. With mental health for farmers everywhere slowly becoming more openly discussed, UCDs Agri Mental Health Group hopes to drive research and awareness. Established in 2022, the group was originally a collaboration between University College Dublins (UCD) School of Agriculture and Food Science and the School of Psychology. It has grown exponentially to now include professionals from South East Technological University (SETU) and Technical University Dublin (TUD) among its staff. The stakeholder steering group also includes farmers, contractors, consultants, GPs, MEPs, counsellors, IFA chairs and HSE policy leads, among others, within mental health advocacy and agriculture. Initial research carried out by the group in 2022 found that out of 256 farmers surveyed, ranging from ages 21 to 70 years old, the survey identified 23.4% of respondents were at risk of suicide. This meant that at the time of the survey, 60 of the responding farmers reported having suicidal thoughts and/or urges over the past two weeks. A replication study conducted in 2024 with 457 responses found 22.8% of farmers were at risk of suicide, translating to 104 farmers having suicidal thoughts and/or urges over the past two weeks. From that 2022 study, it was found 55.5% of respondents experienced moderate to extremely severe depression, 44.1% respondents reported experiencing moderate to extremely severe anxiety, and 37.9% reported experiencing moderate to extremely severe stress. Dr Tomas Russell, programme director for the masters in agricultural extension and innovation, is a co-director of the mental health group. Through his masters programme, students are trained and equipped to work as agricultural advisers and within the agricultural industry. Students highlighted via their assignments the mental health issues of farmers and reported feeling ill-equipped to help guide farmers. With this insight, and the reported need for an agricultural-specific mental health group, Dr Russell formed the group, sharing the director role with Professor Louise McHugh from the School of Psychology at UCD. Following funding from the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) alongside the group's expansion, it now covers several funded projects and research. Through the groups research, they were able to identify some of the top stressors for farmers the two main stressors were Government policy and climate change. "When we delved a bit deeper into that, we found that it wasn't necessarily the policies themselves, but it was actually the fact that farmers felt they didn't have a voice in those policies That in turn established the Sow What project, which is looking at a communication loop between policy makers, farmers and advisors around climate change, and with a sort of a mental health focus, Dr Russell told the Irish Examiner. The Sow What and Farming Minds project are the two main ongoing funded projects with Farming Minds, aiming to develop evidence-based interventions to enhance farmers' mental health. The Farming Minds project in particular is a collaboration between UCD, SETU and the HSE funded On Feirm Ground farmers' health training programme. Other smaller projects running in the background are the Dying to Farm Phase 2, which is funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention, and the other project is funded by the FBD Trust to develop testing for the feasibility and effectiveness of scalable mental health interventions for Irish farmers. The UCD Agri Mental Health Group is also collaborating with the likes of Macra na Feirme on its Make the move programme and working alongside DCUs associate professor Siobhan OConnor and Dr Anna Donnla O'Hagan. Work-family conflict A recent study published alongside DCU looked into work-family conflict on family farms. With 99.7% of farms in Ireland being classified as family farms, work and home life are intrinsically linked. The study found work-family conflict is common among farmers and their families. Work-family conflict was reportedly higher if the farmers were younger, male, had children under five, were dairy or mixed farmers, had a larger farm size, worked longer hours than the average, had a higher attachment to the farm, and experienced more farm-specific stressors. Mental health, alongside those factors, was significantly correlated with low social support and lower levels of psychological skills. Part of the groups work is to train and host workshops for Teagasc advisers and private consultants to help provide services for farmers to work through stressors and increase psychological flexibility, via acceptance therapy. As part of the ongoing research, the training will progressively spread across the country after the initial success of a few focus groups. The research aims to build on advisers' skills and experiences and train them to deliver psycho-education to farmers. Research argues that farmers will be more open to support from those who know and understand farming contexts. The aim is for advisers to be able to deliver support to farmers through discussion groups, to give farmers the skills to manage stress and pressures, Dr Russell explained. Through anonymous surveys, the UCDs Agri Mental Health Group is able to collect data from farmers, the anonymity also enabling more honest answers from farmers who can respond in the privacy of their own homes. In all the work that we are doing, we have always had good engagement with the farming community and industry. Farmers recognise the significance of the issue in the farming community and appreciate the need for research and support in this area. If you or someone you know may need support, there are services available. For mental health services, Pieta offers a 24-hour crisis helpline as well as services provided by the HSE and Samaritans. Bereavement or injury support services are available via Embrace Farm, and the Irish Farmers Association operates a confidential debt support helpline. Farmers can also contact their Teagasc advisers if seeking more information on support services. Farmer-shareholders of the New Zealand meat processor Alliance Group have voted in favour of the strategic partnership with Dawn Meats. Alliance is New Zealands largest processor and exporter of sheep meat, and a key producer of pasture-fed premium beef, with its quality produce exported to more than 65 countries. Owned by about 4,300 shareholders, the company operates six processing plants in New Zealand. Dawn Meats has welcomed the decision of the farmer-shareholders who voted in favour of the proposed 132m strategic partnership. This result means Dawn Meats will now proceed to acquire a 65% shareholding in Alliance Group, with farmer-shareholders retaining a 35% stake. A total of 2,675 shareholders voted, representing over 92 million shares or more than 88% of all shares on issue. Of these, more than 87% voted in favour of the proposal, meeting the threshold required under the Takeovers Code. Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne said: We are pleased and excited by the outcome of the vote by Alliances farmer-shareholders and we now look forward to maximising the potential of the new opportunities this strategic partnership will unlock in the future for both Dawn Meats and Alliance. Dawn Meats already has a strong operations network in Ireland, the UK and in the EU. Having the ability to now grow in partnership with some of New Zealands leading farmers and create a year-round supply for our customers between the northern and southern hemispheres is a fantastic opportunity and one our customers are already responding to. We believe this partnership will create a dynamic industry competitor with a unique combination of customer relationships, resources, skills, routes to market and industry knowledge, giving both Dawn Meats and Alliance a powerful competitive edge, locally and globally, Mr Browne added. Alliance Group intends to invest about NZ$200m (98.5m) to be used to reduce the groups short-term working capital facility, with the balance directed toward accelerating the boards strategic capital expenditure programme. Farmer-shareholders will also benefit from distributions of up to NZ$20m in both the current financial year and next financial year. In this financial year, 45% will be paid as a dividend and 55% as a supply-based rebate. In the next financial year, 75% will be paid as a rebate and 25% retained as earnings. Rebate payments will be calculated on a three-year rolling average of supply and capped at the current shareholding. Alliance Group chair Mark Wynne said the result demonstrated strong farmer confidence in the companys future direction. Our farmer-shareholders have given a clear mandate for Alliance to move forward in partnership with Dawn Meats. This is a vote of trust in our people, our operations and our vision By combining Alliances lamb expertise and global reach with Dawn Meats strength in beef and market access across Europe and the UK, we can unlock significant commercial and operational synergies, Mr Wynne said. Following the announcement of the investments into the company and farmer-shareholders, Mr Wynne said: "This outcome provides Alliance with a strong foundation for the future We are now well-positioned to thrive alongside a complementary partner like Dawn. Together, we will deliver enduring profitability, significant global opportunities and capture greater value for our farmer-shareholders. Jeff Mills memories of his first performance in Cork are a blur. It was 1996 and the Detroit DJ, producer and composer then known as the wizard of electronic music was touring his acclaimed Liquid Room set, a genre-defining blend of minimalist house music that would come to be heralded as a techno bible. I did not know much about Cork and Ireland and certain parts of England and things like that, because I just had never been there before. The Liquid Room recording is very interesting, because that was the music that I was taking everywhere basically to introduce not only myself, but what this music was all about, he says of a set later released as the iconic Live at the Liquid Room Tokyo album, with cuts from Mills himself and innovators such as Joey Beltram and Surgeon. It was a collection of a lot of different things from everywhere, from southern Italy to Belgium to Detroit and Chicago. A combination of what was happening in the world in the year 1995. Thirty years later, Mills returns to Cork on Sunday, October 26, when he brings his Tomorrow Comes the Harvest project to the Opera House as part of the citys Jazz Festival. Having started as a get together with the late afrobeat drummer, Tony Allen, Tomorrow Comes The Harvest has mutated into a semi-improvised blend of jazz, funk and ambient music and will release a new album, The Forbidden Planet, in February. What it shares with his 1990s work is a spirit of adventure and daring the difference is that, instead of standing behind two turntables, Mills is collaborating with Indian tabla player Prabhu Edouard and French-Guyanese keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary. The promise with Tomorrow Comes the Harvest is that no two concerts are the same. Each night, Mills, Edouard and Dary soak up the vibes of the room and of the audience and set off for musical parts unknown beginning with a groove or a keyboard line, they might whip up a storm of funk or pivot into a jazz instrumental. Theres no telling they certainly have no idea and that is part of the excitement. Its in the spirit of jazz. Freedom its in the spirit of that. But is it classic jazz? It could be. Is it electronic music? It could be, Mills says from his home in Miami, where he spends part of the year (he also has a base in Paris). Is it many other things? The potential is always there. Mills has always been about big concepts. With Liquid Room and the Sir Henrys gig, he aimed to introduce listeners to the incredible house music bubbling up in Detroit and Chicago. In the case of Tomorrow Comes the Harvest, the goal is to encourage the audience to live in the moment. So much of culture today is injected into our eyeballs: we are encouraged to constantly scroll and swipe for the next distraction. With Tomorrow Comes the Harvest, Millss message is simple: take a breath and exist, if only a moment, in the here and now. Youre able to express yourself in the moment, he says meaning that he and his fellow musicians can put their cares to one side and think about nothing but the music they are making at that instant. And I guess not really having to think about it later and not have to deal with the consequences of it. Tomorrow Comes The Harvest: Jeff Mills, Prabhu Edouard and Jean-Phi Dary. Tomorrow Comes the Harvest is also about human connection. Mills is from the American Midwest and the fading heartland of the US motor industry. At the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, they will be worlds away from where they grew up and yet they will stand among friends as they deliver an improvised performance that nobody will ever hear again. There is something very special about that, Mills feels. Finding ways to be able to connect to people that you did not grow up with, that's not in your community, that's not in your environment but yet, you have to communicate and find a way to be able to connect to them and build these bridges. We are on the stage playing our instruments. I'm not using a computer. Approaching it in a more hands on and a more natural way, without the assistance of anything behind it is interesting. Mills was among the first generation of producers and DJs to emerge from the Detroit techno scene, along with peers such as Derrick May and Juan Atkins. Their music was hugely influential without it, the dance revolution that subsequently sent shockwaves across Ireland and the rest of Europe would not have occurred. But in America, their contribution was overlooked and even written out of popular history. Detroit techno was multicultural, and America has always preferred its music along stark racial divides.When it finally did embrace dance music with EDM, it was in the whitest way possible, with DJs, often from Europe, playing to a middle-class frat boy audience. Mills isnt surprised by any of this. Welcome, he says, to the story of the United States. In America, we have this bad habit of not paying attention and not giving certain things recognition when they come from certain people. Its a bad habit. It was the same with jazz and many other things. So this country has many times in the past missed the opportunity. And Europeans and people outside the country recognise that this [Detroit techno and Chicago house] was something special. They connected to it and enhanced it, and matured it. They created scenes, industries, art forms, and everything. That led to the advancement of electronic instruments and software and all types of things. America could have embraced these artists. It chose not to. These are things that the Americans could have. Because of the way this country and the people are connected to one another, it continues to prevent a lot of things from happening and a lot of possibilities. And then, you know, we are a capitalist country. We have no problems confessing that we're about money and industry - but to a certain limit, to a certain extent. "Dance music, electronic music should have been something that Americans dominate. But because of the media apparatus and the way that the public is informed, a community of black guys from Detroit it is never going to be good enough. As someone who lives on the cutting edge, he has watched with fascination the rise of AI in music. The subject is hugely controversial today though it is interesting that, just a few years ago, experimental artists such as Holly Herndon were utilising machine learning as a creative tool. Nowadays, confessing publicly to using AI is likely to have a musician burned at the figurative stake. Its frightening and exciting, Mills says. What we're dealing with is something that is going to bridge us into the future of the way that were going to be. Obviously this technology is going to be used at the latter part of the century. To be able to be dealing with it now in these early stages is exciting seeing how it's becoming more and more intelligent, its developing more how people find ways how to use it. Its completely different." Mills adds that he would never have imagined this in the 1980s. "Its incredibly exciting and I think we need to be careful not to think less of ourselves because the technology is thinking more of ourselves. I think we need to think of other things to do and to maybe find other ways to make ourselves more useful. A young man who left his ex-girlfriend with lifelong injuries after he tried to murder her by stabbing her 50 times has been jailed for 14 years and warned not to contact the victim. Sentencing Josh OBrien, aged 22, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring described the violence he used on 21-year-old Niamh Kelly as breath-taking. Her survival was nothing short of a miracle, the judge said, but she now lives a totally different life and will face limitations and challenges nobody should have to endure. Ms Justice Ring added: All of this was avoidable. All of it flows from the actions of Josh OBrien. At the time of the attack, Ms Kelly had gone to get ready for a concert the following day. She never made it to that concert, and those carefree days are gone too. However well she rehabilitates, Ms Justice Ring said the victims clock will only go forward and what she has lost will never be returned... she is confined to her new circumstances for the rest of her life. While noting that OBrien has no previous convictions, the judge said she is conscious of significant violence to partners and ex-partners by persons without a criminal background. OBrien, she said, has a history of mental health issues, but he did not look for or follow a mental health regime prior to the assault. 'Manipulation, abuse, and violence' Relationships, the judge said, should be based on love, respect, and trust, not manipulation, abuse, and violence. Women are predominantly the victims, she said, and lives are often lost or as in this case profoundly changed. Headline sentence of 19 years Having regard to the level of violence used, the fact that O'Brien stabbed his victim with a knife he had been carrying for some time and that the victim suffered life-altering, permanent injuries, the judge set a headline sentence of 19 years. 21-year-old Niamh Kelly speaking to media outside the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin after Josh OBrien, of Walkinstown Avenue, Crumlin, Dublin 12, pleaded guilty to attempted murder of Ms Kelly at Firhouse Rd, Firhouse, Dublin 24 on September 19, 2024. Picture: Collins Courts After considering OBriens immediate admission to gardai, his early guilty plea, his lack of previous convictions, his age, and his mental health background, she reduced the sentence to 15 years and six months, with the final 18 months suspended. O'Brien must keep all appropriate appointments with the probation services following his release and must not contact Ms Kelly for five years either directly or via Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok or any other form of electronic messaging, the judge warned. Ms Justice Ring wished the victim well in her ongoing recovery. OBrien, of Walkinstown Ave, Crumlin, Dublin 12, pleaded guilty earlier this year to the attempted murder of Ms Kelly at Firhouse Rd, Firhouse, Dublin 24, on September 19, 2024. Survivor's life is 'changed forever' Outside court Ms Kelly told media that she had hoped for a heavier sentence but was happy that O'Brien is "not walking away and getting away with anything he's done to me". She said she respects the judge's decision. She said she continues to require physiotherapy to help strengthen her leg and requires a wheelchair when going long distances. However, she feels grateful that she has the opportunity to stand here, and wants to get stronger for her son. In her victim impact statement at a previous hearing, Ms Kelly said her life changed forever, both physically and mentally after being stabbed. She said: I was defenceless... Only for an off-duty paramedic, I would have been left to die. She told the court that she has struggled to sleep since then, so she was put on medication to help her sleep, but she still gets flashbacks. When I woke up in hospital after the incident and was told about all my injuries, I didnt want to believe it. "All the things I wanted to do with my life are gone. I cried and cried, believing my life was over, she said. As a 21-year-old, I feel that my future has been destroyed. A former Irish Examiner columnist and author was abducted and threatened with death while travelling in Tanzania. Dan MacCarthy was held hostage by five men in the "kidnappers' paradise" of Dar es Salaam on Thursday morning after a bogus taxi collected him to bring him to the airport after 5am. Once in the car, large men got in and pinned his wrists to the seat. They told him they would kill him if he did not give them his money. Travelling for two months across Africa before he was abducted, he had hiked to Kilimanjaro, up to the source of the Nile and the Rwenzori Mountains and kayaked down a river in Madagascar. He was on route to Malawi and a pre-paid trek across the Kalahari when he was taken hostage. A man on the street struck up a conversation with him as he was walking back to his hotel and said if he ever needed a taxi to give him a call. Mr MacCarthy said he "made the mistake" of booking that taxi to the airport the following morning. When his 'driver' arrived the next morning with another man also in the car, he explained that an extra driver was needed as Dar es Salaam can be "very dangerous at night". Mr MacCarthy was told that people "can get attacked and abducted". We drove about 100 meters, and he pulled into an alleyway and jumped out and three of his henchmen came in," Mr MacCarthy said. He said hand over your phone and wallet, give me the code [to the cards] or we'll kill you'. So I gave him the codes and he jumped out to an ATM. In seven minutes, he took nine transactions of 150. Surrounded by five men who had threatened to kill him, he was then forced to set up an account on the money transfer app Remitly which he later learned has operations in Cork to transfer more money to the criminals. Ejecting him in a shantytown as light was breaking, he was handed his passport, 16 and bank cards and told to go to the airport. His camera, other electronics and his shoes were also stolen. Mr MacCarthy went straight to the police station to report the crime and said the police were helpful. But crime is so rife in the city that police wore flak jackets, helmets and carried Kalashnikovs to patrol in armoured cars. That's the life on the ground in Dar es Salaam, he said. Mr MacCarthy is now safely back in Ireland. He warned people travelling to Tanzania to avoid Dar es Salaam. Anyone planning on hiking Kilimanjaro can access it from other, safer places like the city of Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport, he said. Dar es Salaam is a kidnappers' paradise, Mr MacCarthy said. "Theres a motorway to the airport and they're hunting cars up and down that motorway, hunting tourists. Dan MacCarthy. File picture: Denis Minihane My hotel said, if you're getting the taxi the next day, make sure the windows are blacked out because if you're stuck at traffic lights, the window could be smashed, you could be pulled out, your car could be rammed, you'll be abducted'. It happened the week before to a diplomat. An EU diplomat coming in from the airport, his car was bumped from behind and he got out to check what happened. Four or five other cars stopped, and he was surrounded by 25 people. So they have loads of techniques. They're very good at it. They're very quick and violent if they need to be. These criminals prey on any gap in your defences." The Irish Embassy in Tanzania and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade were hugely helpful to him, he said. The embassy told me that these abductions like mine are called 'express kidnappings'. They usually get about 5,000 from them. That could be based on the theory that people might have two or three cards on them and the maximum they can get out is about 1700. Travelling in darkness is a vulnerability, he said, with nobody around to notice if you are in trouble. He advised people in the city to never take a street taxi and to only book through your hotel or a reputable taxi company. Dar es Salaam, where Mr McCarthy was abducted, is the commercial capital and largest city in Tanzania. With a population of more than seven million people, it is the largest city by population in East Africa and the fifth-largest in Africa. Mr MacCarthy, who is from West Cork, wrote a popular column on the islands of Ireland for the Irish Examiner. He also wrote about hillwalking, mountaineering and cycling for the Irish Examiner and he worked as a subeditor for the publication. His book, Cycling Munster Great Road Routes, published by Collins Press, helped readers find new and beautiful cycling routes through Munster. Mr MacCarthy is also an avid traveller. The Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for comment. League tables highlighting how each local authority deals with vacancy and dereliction will be discussed by Cabinet on Tuesday morning. Housing minister James Browne will bring a memo to Government examining levels of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) at a local council level. Sources said the minister saw dereliction as a form of anti-social behaviour and he has fired the warning shot for people sitting on properties and not bringing them back into use. The tables will show 13 councils did not acquire any derelict sites through CPO last year. Cork County and Cork City councils acquired eight sites between them. Councils who did not use CPO powers to acquire sites includes Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Galway County and City Councils, Kerry County Council. and South Dublin County Council. In total, 136 sites were compulsorily acquired last year, up from 120 in 2023. In total, 6,159 properties across the State entered the CPO activation programme last year. One Government source noted CPO was not the be all and end all but it can be done, and some are doing more than others. Overhaul of State spending rules Meanwhile, public expenditure minister Jack Chambers will tell ministers there will be a major overhaul of the rules and guidance for State spending. He will outline the review of the Public Financial Procedures, which will set out expenditure management rules, and how this should be applied in day-to-day decision-making within Government departments. The review will target improvements in budgetary discipline within departments, clarity around accountability for decisions taken, and driving a more evidence-based approach to expenditure decisions. Elsewhere, Tanaiste Simon Harris will tell his colleagues that Irelands presidency of the European Council next year could see it host the first-ever European housing summit. A public consultation process will be launched in the coming weeks to help determine Ireland's priorities for the presidency, which starts in July 2026. The Government has already agreed a list of up to 22 informal ministerial meetings to be hosted. Plans for a 'super casino' in the Cork suburb of Ballincollig have been approved after the planning appeals body, An Coimisiun Pleanala, overturned a decision by Cork City Council planners to reject the development. Coalquay Leisure Ltd lodged plans in April of 2024 with the City Council seeking permission to convert a currently vacant 520-square-meter unit, which previously operated as a gym and fitness centre, at the Westsite Retail Park, into a gaming arcade with 347.5 square meters dedicated to amusement machines on the ground floor and 172.5 square meters for storage on the mezzanine level. No external alterations are planned except for updated signage, and the arcade is set to operate from 9am to 1am daily. In the plans, the applicants stated they were operators of gaming/amusement arcades around the country, with Goldrush Casinos established in Cork, Dublin, and various town centres such as Carlow, Naas, Ennis, Athy, and Wexford. However, the plans had met with significant local opposition, with dozens of objections lodged, raising a number of concerns. In June 2024, Cork City Council refused permission for the development, citing the arcades adult-oriented nature as incompatible with the family-friendly retail park. They also raised concerns about its location away from main thoroughfares, predicting low footfall and inadequate passive surveillance, which could lead to nuisance, especially during late hours. The council further argued that the arcade, combined with the nearby Jaykay Leisure Casino (250 meters away), would create an excessive concentration of such uses, undermining the areas regeneration goals. In their appeal, Coalquay Leisure countered these claims, emphasising that the arcade would enhance the night-time economy and prevent urban decline by filling a vacant unit. They noted the arcades indoor nature, coupled with regulatory oversight similar to bookmakers, would minimise disturbances. Local residents lodged 22 submissions to the appeals body, arguing it would attract antisocial behaviour, litter, and crime, while clashing with Ballincolligs family-oriented character. Concerns were raised about its proximity to schools, a church, and residential areas, with some labelling it a super casino. However, a planning inspector dismissed claims of excessive concentration, noting that Ballincollig, with a population of more than 19,000, would have only one or two such premises, unlike Cork Citys 11 gaming venues. They also said the arcade would diversify Ballincolligs leisure offerings, reactivate a vacant unit, and would not negatively impact adjacent retailers. The inspector also assessed the development as a gaming arcade rather than a casino. They recommended that planning permission be granted, but that the opening hours would be restricted to 11pm at night. The appeals board agreed with the inspector's report to grant permission but allowed the 1am closing time, which they considered reasonable. Two of US President Donald Trumps envoys have travelled to Israel to shore up the ceasefire in Gaza, a day after deadly violence gave the fragile deal its first major test. The truce appeared on track as Israel received the remains of another hostage in Gaza, and Israel allowed aid deliveries to resume to the devastated territory. United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric did not say how much aid was getting in. Israel on Sunday had threatened to halt shipments of humanitarian aid, and its forces killed dozens of Palestinians in strikes across Gaza after accusing Hamas militants of killing two soldiers. Israel later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire. Israeli tanks move along the Israeli-Gaza border as seen from southern Israel on Monday (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about developments in the region. US vice president JD Vance and the second lady, Usha Vance, are scheduled to visit on Tuesday and meet Mr Netanyahu, the prime minister said in a speech. Mr Netanyahu also warned Hamas that any attacks against Israeli forces would be met with a very heavy price. Asked about maintaining the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Mr Trump said the US will give the situation a little chance in hopes that there will be less violence. He put the blame on Hamas and said the militant group must behave or face consequences. They have to be good, and if theyre not good theyll be eradicated, he said. The US-proposed truce aimed at ending two years of war took effect on October 10. On Sunday, Mr Trump told reporters that Hamas had been doing some shooting. He also suggested that the violence might be the fault of rebels within the group. Hamas security forces have returned to the streets in Gaza, clashing with armed groups and killing alleged gangsters in what the militant group says is an attempt to restore law and order in areas where Israeli troops have withdrawn. On Sunday, Israels military said militants had fired at troops in areas of Rafah city in southern Gaza that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines. Mourners attend the funeral of a hostage (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed 45 Palestinians, according to the territorys Health Ministry, which says a total of 80 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. Hamas, which continued to accuse Israel of multiple ceasefire violations, said communication with its remaining units in Rafah had been cut off for months and we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas. The Israeli military said on Monday it was using concrete barriers and painted poles to more clearly delineate the so-called yellow line in Gaza to where troops have withdrawn and several instances of violence have occurred. Earlier in the day, Israel said one of its fighter jets struck and killed several people it said had crossed the yellow line in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, approached troops and posed an imminent threat. In a similar incident on Monday in a neighbourhood of Gaza City, the military said it struck several people who crossed the line there and posed an immediate threat to its troops. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 dead hostages. Thirteen have been turned over. The ceasefires next stage is expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory. The US plan proposes the establishment of an internationally backed authority. In an interview with CBS 60 Minutes news programme over the weekend, Mr Kushner said the success or failure of the deal would depend on whether Israel and the international mechanism could create a viable alternative to Hamas. If they are successful, Hamas will fail, and Gaza will not be a threat to Israel in the future, he said. A Palestinian man carries a box of food (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) A Hamas delegation led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was in Cairo to follow up on the implementation of the ceasefire deal with mediators and other Palestinian groups. Palestinians in Gaza fear the deal may fall apart. Funeral services were held on Monday for some of the dozens of people killed by Israeli strikes. There should be concerns as long as the matters have yet to be settled, said Hossam Ahmed from the southern city of Khan Younis. A major concern is how much aid Israel is letting into Gaza. To facilitate more aid, mediators are working to ensure the opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, a senior Qatari official said on Monday. The opening of the Rafah crossing remains essential to scaling up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza, Qatars minister of state for international co-operation, Mariam bint Ali Al-Misnad, told the Associated Press. In their attack on Israel on October 7 2023 that sparked the war, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as hostages. The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross. Ukraines president and European leaders have accused Vladimir Putin of stalling for time in diplomatic efforts to bring his invasion of Ukraine to an end and opposed any move to make Kyiv surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace. Eight European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer and senior European Union officials said in a joint statement they intend to go ahead with plans to use Moscows billions of euros of frozen assets abroad to help Kyiv win the war, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. The statement expressed support for Donald Trumps peace efforts in Ukraine as he prepares to meet Mr Putin in Budapest, Hungary in coming weeks. But it also laid down a marker by saying the leaders remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction Mr Trump last month reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to concede land and said it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. However, after a phone call with Mr Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, Mr Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are in the more than three-year war. Mr Trump said on Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, he is now doubtful it will happen. Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Mr Trump on their side. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the statement said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. The dynamics of Mr Trumps engagement with Europes biggest conflict since the Second World War have zigzagged as he searches for a peace deal. Workers repair power lines damaged in a Russian attack (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP) Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Mr Zelensky would be a week that is very active in diplomacy. More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, Tuesdays statement said. On Friday, a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine is due to take place in London. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy left his home in Paris hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni on Tuesday morning to go to the capital's La Sante prison to start a five-year prison term. Crowds cheered and chanted the French national anthem as he waved and greeted them. Sarkozy will be put behind bars for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya. Read More Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison sentence for conspiracy Budapest hosts China-CEEC forum on libraries' future Xinhua) 10:51, October 21, 2025 This photo taken on Oct. 20, 2025 shows a scene at the 4th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Curators' Forum of Libraries Union in Budapest, Hungary. The 4th China-CEEC Curators' Forum of Libraries Union opened Monday at Hungary's National Szechenyi Library, bringing together experts to discuss the future of libraries in the digital age. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) BUDAPEST, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 4th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Curators' Forum of Libraries Union opened Monday at Hungary's National Szechenyi Library, bringing together experts to discuss the future of libraries in the digital age. The two-day forum gathered about 70 representatives from libraries across China and CEEC member states, including Hungary, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Poland and Croatia, as well as delegates from international and European library associations. Judit Gerencser, acting director general of the National Szechenyi Library, said at the opening ceremony that libraries today face rapidly changing user habits, the challenges of digital transformation and the rise of artificial intelligence. "The library of the future can only be born if we build and shape it together," she said, expressing hope that the forum would build consensus, strengthen cooperation and jointly shape the future of libraries. Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Gong Tao said China is ready to work with CEEC to deepen pragmatic cooperation under the Global Civilization Initiative. He called for new cooperation forms and diversified cooperation content, so that libraries can "play a greater role in connecting civilizations and enlightening minds." "The library as an institution that preserves human cultural heritage, is one of the indispensable links in the international cultural exchange chain," said Adam Imre Szucs, deputy state secretary of Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He said Hungary attaches great importance to cooperation between China and CEEC as well as to the Belt and Road Initiative, and will continue to promote exchanges in the library sector to enhance resource sharing, cultural heritage protection, and technological cooperation. Keynote speakers, including Helen Mandl, deputy secretary general of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and Andrew Cranfield, director of the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations, discussed innovation, inclusion and the transformation of libraries in the digital era. With the theme of "Connection, Creation, Interaction, Inspiration -- The Future of Libraries", the forum features keynote sessions and roundtable discussions on topics such as preservation and digitization, education and lifelong learning, artificial intelligence and new technologies, and public awareness and promotion of libraries. Since its establishment in 2018, the China-CEEC Libraries Union has held three curators' forums, creating a platform for academic exchange and cultural cooperation among 63 member institutions from 16 countries. Adam Imre Szucs, deputy state secretary of Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, delivers a speech during the 4th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Curators' Forum of Libraries Union in Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 20, 2025. The 4th China-CEEC Curators' Forum of Libraries Union opened Monday at Hungary's National Szechenyi Library, bringing together experts to discuss the future of libraries in the digital age. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) Helen Mandl, deputy secretary general of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, speaks during the 4th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Curators' Forum of Libraries Union in Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 20, 2025. The 4th China-CEEC Curators' Forum of Libraries Union opened Monday at Hungary's National Szechenyi Library, bringing together experts to discuss the future of libraries in the digital age. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Plans are on hold for President Donald Trump to sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to talk about resolving the war in Ukraine, according to a US official. The meeting had been announced last week and was supposed to take place in Budapest, Hungary, although a date had not been set. 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. ( Middle East Monitor ) The latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have once again exposed the frailty of what the world had hoped would be a lasting truce. Barely days after the so-called Gaza Plan was endorsed in Cairo as a new framework for postwar reconstruction and governance, the region is back to the grimly familiar cycle of escalation. Israeli warplanes struck targets across the strip, claiming retaliation for Hamas attacks that killed two soldiers, while Hamas accused Israel of using minor security incidents as a pretext to bomb civilian neighborhoods. Whatever the justification, the result is undeniable, dozens of Palestinian civilians are dead, aid convoys have halted again, and the prospect of peace has faded into yet another mirage. The Gaza Plan, announced with much fanfare at a regional summit in Egypt, was meant to be the first coordinated attempt to stabilize Gaza after years of devastation. It was framed as a multi-phase roadmap, restoring humanitarian access, rebuilding essential infrastructure, and eventually paving the way for limited self-rule under international supervision. Arab states pledged financial and logistical backing, the European Union promised technical assistance, and even Israel cautiously signaled willingness to cooperate, so long as its security concerns were addressed. For a brief moment, the plan seemed to capture a rare alignment of interests between regional actors long at odds over Gazas fate. Yet the optimism was always fragile, and this weeks renewed fighting demonstrates why. The plan assumed a degree of restraint and mutual trust that simply does not exist between Israel and Hamas. Each side continues to view the other not as a negotiating counterpart but as a mortal enemy. For Israel, Hamas remains a terrorist organization whose elimination is a matter of national survival. For Hamas, Israels control of Gazas borders, airspace, and economy is proof that the occupation never truly ended. The Gaza Plan, designed as a technocratic blueprint, could not bridge this fundamental divide. The United States, long the traditional mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been conspicuously absent in recent weeks. Washington endorsed the Cairo initiative but chose not to take the lead, perhaps weary of another diplomatic failure or distracted by domestic politics. President Bidens administration has urged both sides to exercise restraint, a phrase so worn that it now rings hollow. Without firm American engagement, Israel feels little external pressure to moderate its military responses, while Hamas sees no credible arbiter capable of securing concessions from Israel. The result is a vacuum in which violence fills the diplomatic silence. Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar have attempted to fill that vacuum, but their leverage is limited. Cairos priority is border stability, not long-term political reconciliation. Doha can fund reconstruction, but it cannot impose compliance. Ammans influence is largely moral rather than material. The absence of a strong mediator has allowed both Israel and Hamas to maneuver freely within their narratives, Israels of defense against terror, Hamass of resistance against occupation. Each can justify escalation as self-defense, and each knows that international outrage will eventually fade. The deeper problem lies in the Gaza Plans design itself. On paper, it envisioned an orderly sequence, ceasefire, aid, reconstruction, and eventually governance reform. In practice, every step depends on the next, creating a fragile chain easily broken by mistrust. The ceasefire must hold for aid to flow, yet aid cannot flow unless border crossings remain open, and Israel will not keep them open if it believes Hamas is rearming. The reconstruction effort requires stable security conditions, but reconstruction itself becomes a target of suspicion when materials like cement and steel are seen as dual-use for tunnels and weapons. What seems like a rational roadmap from a diplomatic table in Cairo collapses under the weight of realities in Gaza City or Khan Younis. Moreover, the plan underestimated the domestic pressures on both sides. Israels government, dominated by right wing and nationalist factions, cannot appear weak after suffering one of the worst military embarrassments in its history. Any compromise with Hamas is framed by its opponents as appeasement of terror. Hamas, for its part, governs a population traumatized by siege and bombardment, where armed resistance is still seen as the only form of dignity left. To negotiate openly with Israel risks eroding its legitimacy among Palestinians and rival factions. Thus, both sides are trapped in a political logic that rewards confrontation more than compromise. The tragedy is that ordinary Palestinians and Israelis pay the price for this impasse. Gazas civilian infrastructure is collapsing once again, with hospitals running on dwindling fuel and shelters overcrowded beyond capacity. The temporary halt in humanitarian aid has reignited fears of famine and disease. On the Israeli side, communities near the border remain under constant threat of rocket fire, their lives suspended between alert sirens and brief moments of calm. The Gaza Plan promised relief, but for those living through the renewed bombardment, it feels like a cruel illusion. Looking ahead, it is difficult to see how the Gaza Plan can survive without profound changes in both the political environment and the balance of trust. The most optimistic scenario is one in which both sides, exhausted by years of mutual destruction, decide to treat the Cairo framework as a pragmatic necessity rather than a peace ideal. That would require Israel to allow meaningful reconstruction without using security fears as a perpetual veto, and Hamas to accept an extended truce without turning it into an opportunity to rearm. It would also demand international actors, especially the United States, to re-engage not merely as donors or observers but as guarantors of compliance. File photo by hosny salah from Pixabay Yet the more realistic projection is grim. The repeated breaches of the ceasefire have already eroded confidence in the plans viability. Each new strike, each retaliatory rocket, pushes both parties further from the table. In political terms, Israel may soon argue that Hamas has proven incapable of upholding any truce, justifying a prolonged military presence in Gazas perimeter. Hamas, meanwhile, will likely double down on its rhetoric of resistance, portraying the Gaza Plan as a foreign scheme to weaken its control. The plans backers in Cairo and Brussels will find themselves defending a framework that neither principal actor truly believes in. This is the paradox of peacebuilding in Gaza, the more elaborate the plans become, the less they correspond to realities on the ground. International diplomacy tends to treat Gaza as a humanitarian crisis to be managed, not a political conflict to be resolved. But as long as the core issue, the unresolved relationship between Israel and Hamas, remains unaddressed, no amount of reconstruction funding or ceasefire monitoring will produce lasting calm. The Gaza Plan may rebuild roads and schools, but it cannot rebuild trust where none exists. For now, the cycle of ceasefire and retaliation seems destined to continue, each round eroding what little hope remains. The latest strikes have turned yet another peace document into ashes, reminding the world that stability in Gaza cannot be drafted in conference halls while bombs fall on its streets. Without accountability, empathy, and sustained diplomacy, the future of Gaza and Israel will remain trapped in repetition, a peace imagined on paper, and a war lived in reality. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment. Ronny P Sasmita is Senior Analyst at Indonesia Strategic and Economics Action Institution. Middle East Monitor By Christoph Nedopil, Griffith University (The Conversation) The price of partnership with the United States has changed. Washington is now using assurances of defence and trade access to pressure allies in Europe and Asia to buy more of its fossil fuels under decades-long contracts. The scale is immense. The European Union intends to import up to A$1.15 trillion of US energy mostly liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2028. That would be more than four times its current imports, though analysts are sceptical it will eventuate. Indonesia has signed up for $24 billion in US energy imports and Japan is exploring a similar option. These deals arent based on free trade. They represent the Trump administrations geopolitical play using trade and security carrots and sticks to lock in long-term fossil fuel profitability and dominance. The goal: prop up energy sources facing cost pressures from clean technology, strengthen US control of the energy flows, and shut out China, the worlds top manufacturer of clean tech. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets US President Donald Trump this week, he will face pressure to boost US fortunes complicated by the fact that Australia is itself a major LNG exporter. (Buy) America First For decades, the US has relied on energy imports as its own oil production slowed. But the fracking boom changed everything. By 2019, the US had gone from importer to net exporter. In 2023, it became the top LNG exporter, passing Qatar and Australia. The Trump administrations efforts to force its allies to buy more and more fossil fuels draws on a straightforward America First logic. Here are three reasons for the push: 1. Preserving business The US now produces 22% of the worlds oil and 25% of its gas well ahead of Russia and Saudi Arabia. But fossil fuels are projected to begin declining by 2030. The Trump administration wants to convert a risky commodity market facing long-term decline into a stable, decades-long subscription model. New gas plants or import terminals will only be viable if intended for long-term use. 2. Maintaining dominance US dominance has long rested on control of global energy flows, both by protecting shipping lanes and by providing the currency to settle oil trades. Decentralised renewables and clean technologies such as batteries and electric vehicles weakens that grip. By tying allies to US gas, Washington wants to keep its ability to use energy as leverage. 3. Kneecapping China China controls more than 70% of the worlds global solar, wind and battery manufacturing, positioning itself as the emerging energy superpower. Under Trump, the US has switched from competing on clean tech to defending fossil fuels, rejecting the transition and cancelling major domestic renewable projects. By forcing allies to buy gas, Washington seeks to delay the green shift and block China from gaining influence over energy. A related strategy is to vilify China over human rights abuses in its green supply chain. Gas lock-in will cost US allies dearly The consequences will be profound. These unfair deals will make US allies less competitive. The main use for LNG is to burn it to produce electricity. But for almost a decade, solar and and wind have been the cheapest way to produce power, consistently outcompeting all fossil fuels. As the cost of grid-scale batteries plummets, renewables are becoming even more competitive as daytime solar can be stored for the evening peak. Gas-dependent economies will face higher and more volatile energy costs, undermining competitiveness. Worse, these deals threaten national security. Thats because relying on external suppliers for fuels reduces energy sovereignty. For instance, nations such as Nepal are embracing EVs to cut reliance on unreliable fossil fuel suppliers. But the most critical issue is climate. Any fossil fuel infrastructure built today will keep running for decades at a time when fossil fuel use needs to taper off sharply to hold climate change under 2C. The billions spent on new LNG facilities are billions that cant be spent on clean tech. Australia embodies the contradiction, as a competing LNG exporter and one of the nations expected to be worst hit by climate change. The annual cost of climate-related disasters is projected to rise almost tenfold from $4.5 billion to $41 billion by 2050 roughly the value of current gas exports. If Australia aligns with the US pro-gas agenda, it will mean favouring short-term profits for a few over national economic stability and climate security. Which con job? Trump last month declared climate change a con job in a speech at the United Nations. But this was a strategic distraction. The real issue is his administrations pressure on partners to sacrifice their long-term economic future and climate goals for the benefit of US fossil fuel interests. Its not inevitable. Asian economies and Australia can respond by accelerating their own green transitions, thereby securing cheaper power, greater energy independence and a long-term economic advantage. Australia and Indonesia have large lithium and nickel resources, while China, Korea, Vietnam and others have the industrial might. This could anchor a regional supply chain for batteries, EVs and renewables. Photo by Odile on Unsplash Australias huge solar and wind potential can power large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia production useful in making low-carbon iron and steel. Cross-border electricity trade would further strengthen the system. Linking Asias regional grids would smooth intermittency, lower power costs and boost mutual energy security. Early steps such as Laos ramping up hydropower exports to Vietnam point to how integration can work. Americas goals are not the worlds goals The current US administration wants to protect fossil fuel profits, slow the clean energy transition and curb Chinas influence whatever the cost to allies or the climate. The rational response for Asian and Australian policymakers is equally clear: reject the fossil trap and invest in the future. Shifting decisively toward renewables will deliver cheaper power, greater energy independence and heightened resilience. It will also position the region at the forefront of the next great industrial transformation. Christoph Nedopil, Director, Griffith Asia Institute and Professor of Economics, Griffith University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. By Mehmet Rakipoglu and Ibrahim Ozcosar | Exeter, UK and Mardin, Turkiye (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) In the aftermath of 7 October 2023 when Hamass surprise Al-Aqsa Flood attack and Israels devastating genocidal war on Gaza shook global politics Western academia has entered its own crisis. From the United States to Europe, professors and students who criticise Israel or show solidarity with Palestinians have been smeared, silenced, and even suspended. Administrators, under pressure from wealthy donors, lobby groups, and governments, increasingly act as enforcers of a hegemonic narrative that allows no dissent. What we are witnessing is a new wave of McCarthyism on campus: a systematic attempt to police speech and thought. As Antonio Gramsci would recognise, this is cultural hegemony in action the ruling blocs effort to enforce intellectual orthodoxy and make pro-Israel sentiment appear as common sense. Yet this repression has sparked a backlash. We need a form of epistemological resistance an intellectual uprising to challenge the knowledge system that disregards the humanity of Palestinians. This epistemic resistance would seek to dismantle entrenched narratives in universities, journals and public discourse. Silencing dissent The suppression of pro-Palestinian voices is not new, but it has intensified dramatically since October 2023. A notorious example is Canary Mission, an anonymously run website that blacklists students and professors deemed anti-Israel. It compiles online dossiers falsely branding activists as antisemitic or sympathetic to terrorism. Far from harmless trolling, these lists have been used by Israeli authorities and even U.S. immigration to interrogate, deny entry, or deport individuals. Or by check: Juan Cole P. O. Box 4218, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548 USA (Remember, make the checks out to Juan Cole or they cant be cashed) Western universities have also capitulated to political pressure. At Columbia University, Palestinian American professor Joseph Massad was vilified for contextualising Hamass attack, while a Cornell professor was suspended for remarks perceived as sympathetic to Palestinian resistance. The chilling message to faculty is clear: fall in line or face punishment. A recent survey found that 81% of U.S.-based Middle East studies scholars now feel compelled to self-censor their criticism of Israel, with 72% saying this pressure spiked after October 7. Students have faced even harsher clampdowns. In spring 2024, Columbia students staged a sit-in demanding divestment from companies aiding Israels war on Gaza. The response was draconian: dozens were arrested by police, the campus was shut down for days, and administrators imposed mass suspensions. Across the U.S., over 3,100 students were arrested in the largest campus mobilizations since Vietnam often punished with expulsions and bans on student groups. In the UK, the climate has been similarly repressive. Universities cancelled Palestine-related events, restricted student societies, and even reported their own students to the police over social media posts. An open letter by BRISMES documented widespread censorship, while in Germany, authorities banned rallies and shut down a Palestine literature event in Berlin. Philosopher Slavoj Zizek lambasted the double standard, warning that suppressing moral outrage at genocide risks fuelling the very antisemitism it claims to fight. Perhaps the most striking symbol of this repression was the viral image of German police dragging away a Jewish peace activist at that event for the crime of protesting Israels actions in Gaza. The irony could not have been clearer. Knowledge and power Why this sweeping repression? At its core, it is a struggle over who controls knowledge and narrative. Edward Said famously observed that Palestinians have been denied permission to narrate their own history. Western media and academia privileged the Israeli perspective for decades, rendering Palestinian voices marginal or illegitimate. Todays gagging of pro-Palestinian scholars is a stark continuation of this pattern. Facts never speak for themselves; they require a narrative framework. By choking off Palestinian perspectives or demonising them as hate speech the gatekeepers of academia preserve a socially acceptable narrative that largely exonerates Israel. As Michel Foucault argued, power produces knowledge. The suppression of panels, the policing of terminology (such as conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism through the IHRA definition), and the blacklisting of scholars are all ways of governing reality itself. Never miss an issue of Informed Comment: Click here to subscribe to our email newsletter! Social media will pretend to let you subscribe but then use algorithms to suppress the postings and show you their ads instead. And please, if you see an essay you like, paste it into an email and share with friends. Universities, ostensibly neutral forums for debate, have revealed their complicity. At Columbia, administrators acted more like corporate managers protecting elite donors than stewards of free inquiry. This betrayal of academic freedom undermines not only Palestinians but the very mission of the university as a critical institution. As Jurgen Habermas argued, the public sphere requires open debate; without it, democracy itself suffers. Unfortunately, even Habermas has not lived up to his own ideals. Epistemological Resistance Despite the repression, resistance is building. The silencing of Palestinian perspectives has provoked a counter-movement determined to reclaim the narrative. Signs of this intellectual uprising are multiplying. In 2023, dissident academics launched the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism to create space for research on Zionisms colonial and racial dimensions. Student movements like Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace have grown in strength, organising teach-ins, die-in protests, and coalition actions across campuses. Jewish academics and students, too, have rejected the idea that Israel speaks for them, insisting that conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism endangers rather than protects Jewish communities. File photo of London Demonstration July 24, 2025, by Harrisun S on Unsplash History suggests such repression cannot last. During the civil rights and Vietnam War era, universities also tried to clamp down on dissent yet those students helped reshape public opinion. Figures once blacklisted, like Norman Finkelstein, continued their work and today find their critiques of Israel validated by mainstream human rights organisations. Edward Said, vilified in his time, is now canonical for understanding imperial narratives. The truth, as history shows, eventually breaks through. Why it matters Israels war on Gaza has provoked outrage across the world, but universities which should be at the forefront of difficult debates on genocide, colonialism and resistance have often chosen silence or complicity. Each act of censorship undermines the integrity of scholarship and corrodes democratic values. At the same time, the heavy-handed repression has sparked a moral awakening. Students and faculty are building new alliances, creating independent platforms, and refusing to be silenced. They are, in effect, constructing a new epistemic common beyond the ivory tower. This is the paradox of the current moment: Zionist repression in academia has never been more brazen, yet it has also never provoked such determined resistance. The Epistemological Resistance is not just a metaphor it is an unfolding reality, a wave of critical scholarship and peaceful activism challenging entrenched power. As Edward Said urged, Palestinians must have the permission to narrate their reality and scholars must have the freedom to teach it. Anything less makes a mockery of the academy. The fight for a free mind is inseparable from the fight for a free people. If the walls of censorship begin to crumble on campus, it may hasten the fall of walls of oppression beyond. After all, every revolution begins with a shift in consciousness. And today, on campuses from New York to London, that intellectual resistance has already begun. A date is engraved in large letters on the plaque 25 February 2022, the day the bridge was blown up. A new road to Kyiv is roaring nearby, just separated from the destroyed bridge by a noise barrier. The Romanivskyi Bridge can only be visited upon request. The wrecked bridge, in the first weeks of the Russian full-scale invasion, has become a symbol for the residents of Irpin, Bucha and surrounding towns. The Ukrainian military blew it up to stop Russian columns from advancing on Kyiv, the capital city, less than an hour drive. At the same time, the bridge became also a gate to salvation. People would leave their cars, cross the river under fire and carry out the wounded. Today, it is preserved as a memorial. Ceremonies are held here on commemorative days. Foreign delegations and war researchers come here. A metal structure with a QR code has been installed in front of the precipice of the destroyed bridge. It leads to a website about places of remembrance of the start of the Russian invasion in the Kyiv region. Irpin, pioneer city for memorialization Irpin was partially occupied between late February and 28 March 2022. During this period, the city sustained extensive damage, and many residents found themselves caught up in the middle of the hostilities. According to various reports, several hundred people were killed in the city, including civilians, Irpin defenders, and residents of nearby villages. Today, the city is not only rebuilt but also coming to terms with what it has been through by creating areas of remembrance. This aspect is being handled by the memorialisation department of Irpin City Council, the first officially established division of its kind in Ukraine. Sofia Martyniuk, an artist, is the head of this project. Born in Irpin, she returned home after the de-occupation, joined volunteer and art initiatives, and later engaged in shaping the municipal remembrance policy. Our conversation with her explores the ways in which Irpin approaches memorialisation. Martyniuk explains that the current display of the bridge site was created by the Kyiv regional administration. But the city has a broader vision. Irpin plans to turn this space into a dedicated memorial complex. It will include the bridge, an adjacent park, footpaths and the Romanivskyi culture house, which will become a cultural and tourist centre. We want to work with the entire area as a single entity. It should not just be a place of remembrance, but a vibrant neighbourhood a place where memories are preserved, but where life goes on, Martyniuk says. She plans to launch a call for proposals. Architects, ecologists, and engineers will be invited to participate. Their objective will be to find a balance between preservation of authenticity, structural safety, and the river ecosystem. And most importantly, to convey the accurate narrative of this site. According to Martyniuk, the requirements of the call for proposals should include first and foremost the human dimension of the rescue. When crossing the river, people would pass the threshold between danger and relative safety. Some were walking from occupied villages, others were escaping under fire. And when people would get on the evacuation buses, there would be a moment of relief a brief feeling that they had managed to survive. Mutual aid was another important aspect. Military personnel, civilians, and volunteers had gathered here. They were coordinating the defence, delivering humanitarian aid, and maintaining communication with Kyiv. This place should preserve the authentic atmosphere of that time and allows us to go back to that period and feel what people were going through, Martyniuk adds. For example, those who experienced the evacuation recall that the water in the river was freezing cold at the time. To capture this feeling, there is an idea to create an interactive element an area with water that will remain cold even in hot weather. This location has its own stories. One is about a car that remains under the bridge. The story is that on the day after the bridge was blown up, a driver was driving at high speed and fell into the river. The man survived, but the car remained at the bottom of the river, Martyniuk recounts. After the de-occupation, he wanted to get it back. But the car was purchased for the sake of keeping everything as it was. It is a reminder of the evacuation chaos. On 25 February 2022, the Ukrainian army blew up the Romanivskyi Bridge to block Russian troops from reaching the capital. For the residents of Irpin, this destroyed bridge has become a symbol, with its unique stories. Thus, the car that fell into the river was bought by the municipality to preserve the memory of the chaos of the evacuation. Photo: Gre4ka The car cemetery, a testament to the road of life? After the liberation of Irpin, while clearing the access roads to the bridge, municipal services would take burned-down vehicles in a place located near the Romanivsky Bridge. Most of them were destroyed by shelling during the evacuation. This is how a space that locals call the car cemetery emerged. It is one of the most powerful visual metaphors of war: a pile of burned-down car shells, damaged by explosions, has become a testament to the road of life. What to do with this place is still an open question. The team of the memorialisation department is considering various options: turning it into a museum or an art installation. According to Martyniuk, the primary objective is to preserve its authenticity: This place can be cleaned up in a single day. But then, if recreated, it will become somewhat artificial. The future site, she adds, should not be part of the citys everyday life. It should be a place that people consciously choose to visit. The concept suggests a physical separation of the car cemetery to avoid constant reminders and residents re-traumatisation. Foreign artists and trauma A completely different story is about the artistic rush following Banksys famous visit to the Kyiv region. Artists from different countries were eager to leave their mark on places that had made global headlines. At that time, a group of foreign artists painted sunflowers and abstract patterns on the shells of burned-dawn cars. Formally, a permission was granted by the city council. But now they admit that there was a lack of professional discussion to evaluate the ethical risks. After all, for many families, these cars represent personal losses. Its a semi-conflict situation, Martyniuk explains. Sometimes artists try to earn reputation credits on trauma. But sometimes its the opposite: powerful artistic actions, as in Banksys case, help the world see something important. The Irpin art commission was established to ensure that such initiatives are not random. It includes independent experts architects, gallery owners, and art critics, and provide recommendations on public projects in the field of culture and memorialisation. The aim is to avoid ethical mistakes and develop a mature approach to working with remembrance. Culture house and layered drawings Just like the car cemetery, the Irpin Culture house, destroyed by a missile strike, became a canvas for spontaneous artistic experiments after de-occupation. One after another, new layers of drawings would appear on its facades. The artists who followed Banksy to the Kyiv region first painted large tridents, then sunflowers. Later, black-and-white abstractions appeared with figures that could be interpreted as a headdress, a missile or a bear. So much was done in a hurry and without explanation to the community, Martyniuk says. Is it appropriate in a city that has endured occupation? Would it make more sense for artists to talk about Irpin and Ukraine from their homes? The context of war is our everyday reality. The decision was made not only to rebuild the Culture house, but to preserve it as a witness to the war. Part of the destroyed building with traces of shelling is already preserved under a glass dome. As part of the reconstruction, it is planned to keep as much of the authentic brick walls, made at a local brick factory. A temporary artistic element has appeared next to the ruins a sculpture by Japanese artist Yoshio Yagi entitled Meditation Space for a Monk. It is a courtesy of the Ukrainian art community ChervoneChorne, which hosts international sculpture symposiums every year. In 2023, when museums closed their exhibitions due to the war, the community curator launched a project to bring art back to the people. The sculptures were displayed in the open air in Stryiskyi Park in Lviv. At that time, Martyniuk asked for one of the works to be donated to Irpin. Yagis work symbolises the path to inner peace the stairs that a monk climbs to reach a place of meditation. In Irpin, it has taken on a new significance: it symbolises the path to recovery. The sculpture was placed right in the crater left by the explosion. We kept the crater deliberately, Martyniuk explains. Its also symbolic: through a cultural act, we are reminding people of a destroyed, crippled culture. Banksys gymnast still dances Among Irpins new memorial sites, Banksys work a girl gymnast balancing on the ruins of a building destroyed by war has a special place. The building on which the drawing appeared in 2022 was beyond repair. It was dismantled, and part of the wall was moved. A fragment of the wall with shelling marks was preserved as an installation. Now it is under protective glass. The structure was designed to preserve the context the hole in the wall that became a ball under the gymnasts feet. A square with a recreation area is to be created around it. According to Martyniuk, the main idea is to make the place a symbol of resilience and life: This injured gymnast still dances. We want this place to live on as well. The idea is to reinforce Banksys original concept. Banksy was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Irpin. Among Irpins memorial sites, a drawing by Banksy a gymnast balancing on the ruins of a building destroyed by war occupies a special place. Here is an installation showing the drawing by the England-based street artist and activist who came to Ukraine in 2022. Photo: Gre4ka Commemorating sites of resistance One of the focuses of Martyniuks team is the memorialisation of resistance sites in Irpin. Her team is currently meeting with the defenders of each checkpoint to gather testimonies, compare different perspectives, and create an urban narrative. We record interviews with commanders, Martyniuk explains. Many people were involved, and all of them have their own stories. There are those who were at the checkpoint for only five days but speak out vividly. And there are commanders who could see the big picture. After these conversations, I realised that the defence was not chaotic, as it is often believed. They acted in a coordinated manner and maintained contact with intelligence. One such important location is the Giraffe checkpoint on the border between Irpin and Bucha. It got its name from a nearby supermarket. During the occupation, it was an important defensive position. This is a strategic high ground, basically the edge of Irpin, Martyniuk says. Bucha starts right after the traffic lights. And this street continues with Vokzalna Street, where a column of Russian military equipment was burned down. It intersects with Yablunska Street, where torture and executions took place. Irpin decided to preserve these sites of resistance. Each site will have a QR code with a link to the specific locations defence story. The honorary burial sector, symbol of a bright memory Along with memorialising civilian casualties, a sector for the honorary burial of military personnel is under development in Irpin. The project began with extensive meetings with the families of the deceased. They were gathered several times for public hearings and open discussions. These conversations were difficult. It was hard to explain why all the graves had to be standardised, Martyniuk recalled. We also insisted on light colours being predominant in the concept. It symbolises a bright memory. It should be a place for reflection and gratitude, not a depressing space that you would want to escape from. People welcomed this idea. The project was approved based on the principle of one family, one vote. All gravestones will have the same design Cossack crosses made of white Spanish granite. Portraits will be depicted on sepia-coloured glass. The plaques will also have QR codes that will lead to a digital archive about the fallen soldiers. Biographies, photos, and honours will be available for viewing. A ceremonial area and flagpoles with flags of different military forces will be installed within the sector. Above, a photograph of the current cemetery built in honour of the soldiers. Below, a computer-generated image representing the future memorial project. Photo: Gre4ka Art, architecture, history and dialogue In Ukraine, the memory of fallen soldiers is usually commemorated with memorial plaques on the facades of schools or houses where they lived. After the full-scale invasion began, plaques also began to appear at the sites of their deaths. To give these initiatives a unified form, an updated visual concept was developed in Irpin. One of the first new plaques is in honour of a Belarusian volunteer who died defending the city. It is made of stainless steel and features his portrait, name, call sign, and a QR code that links to the soldiers story, along with the red and white national flag of Belarus. Irpin is introducing new approaches to preserving memory. The experience of what the city has gone through is being addressed through art, architecture, history and dialogue. The projects carried out show that memory can be alive, compassionate, and contemporary. This report was produced thanks to a grant by Fondation Hirondelle/Justice Info. A full version of this article was published on July 23, 2025, in "Gre4ka". Russian strikes caused widespread blackouts and cut off phone networks in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernigiv, with repairs stalled by ongoing drone attacks on Tuesday. Ukraine has restricted electricity consumption across the country in recent weeks following systematic Russian strikes on energy sites and the rail network. The Chernigiv region, which was briefly occupied when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, has come under particularly heavy bombardment in recent weeks. Its main city, also called Chernigiv, had an estimated pre-war population of 283,000 people. "Critical infrastructure like hospitals have had to turn to autonomous power supply," a spokesman for the regional authorities told AFP, adding the severe outages began late Monday. "There are also water problems for those living on the upper floors. The whole city and the surrounding area in the north is blacked out," Andriy Podorvan, the representative of Chernigiv regional military administration said. The Ukrainian energy ministry said repair crews were unable to begin restoring damaged facilities due to "relentless" Russian drone attacks. "The Russians deliberately launch unmanned aerial vehicles that continuously fly over damaged facilities, making it impossible to safely carry out repairs and intentionally prolonging the humanitarian crisis," it said in a statement. Oleg, a vet in Chernigiv, told AFP he was working without electricity. "There is no heat, and the animals are cold. There is no water to give them to drink. There is nothing to clean the premises with. There is no way to clean our instruments either," he added. The Kremlin claims its forces only target military facilities and have blamed continued civilian suffering on Kyiv for refusing Russian terms for ending the war. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has issued arrest warrants for top Russian army officials for the "war crime of causing excessive" harm to civilians by striking Ukrainian energy sites. The Court issued a separate arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over his authorities' alleged abduction of Ukrainian children from areas occupied by Moscow. United Nations rights work is being disproportionately targeted for cuts amid a deep UN funding crisis, posing an "existential threat" to vital investigations and accountability efforts, a report warned Tuesday. Washington's failure to pay UN membership fees, coupled with Chinese and Russian efforts to defund rights bodies, could deal a death-blow to the UN battle against rights abuses, the NGO report said. "At a moment of sweeping UN reform and financial crisis, these efforts... pose an existential threat to the UN's human rights system," the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) cautioned. Already, a high-level war crimes investigation ordered by the UN Human Rights Council into violence sweeping the Democratic Republic of Congo has failed to launch due to lacking funds. And other investigations warn cuts could leave them severely crippled. - Liquidity crisis - The UN is mulling reforms including a 15-percent cut across its 2026 budget to tackle chronic liquidity problems exacerbated by US President Donald Trump's policies. The United States, the UN's biggest contributor, paused funding after Trump returned to power in January. As of September 30, Washington owed $1.5 billion in unpaid UN membership fees, including $300 million in arrears from previous years, according to the ISHR report. China, the second-highest contributor, has fuelled the crisis by paying its dues "extremely late", the report said. Beijing only completed last year's payment on December 27, essentially rendering the funds unusable since UN financial rules require budget amounts not spent by year-end to be returned to member states, ISHR said. UN chief Antonio Guterres' UN80 reform proposal aims to spread cuts across the body's three pillars: peace and security; human rights; and sustainable development. But ISHR warned the cuts would "disproportionately hit the human rights pillar due to years of underfunding". The human rights segment receives less than one percent of the total UN budget. - 'Huge gap' - Cuts being discussed could take a heavy toll on the UN rights office OHCHR, which has already seen tens of millions of dollars in US voluntary funds evaporate this year. The agency has received just 73 percent of member states' promised regular budget contributions for 2025, leaving $67 million unpaid. "It's a huge gap," spokeswoman Liz Throssell told AFP. Concretely, she said, "this is about victims who are less protected, people who can't get accountability". "We have now reached the critical threshold of efficiency of the system. If it goes down further, it becomes very, very, very concerning." Kaoru Okuizumi, deputy head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, warned that proposed cuts could see the probe lose 27 positions -- a third of its staff. "It's huge," she told AFP, warning that specialised teams, including one investigating sexual and gender-based crimes, "may be cut entirely". - 'Weaponised' - Targeted efforts to defund rights investigations during UN budget negotiations could deepen the crisis, ISHR warned. Russia and China especially "have weaponised UN budget negotiations to serve their own interests and shield allies from scrutiny", said Madeleine Sinclair, head of ISHR's New York office. During UN negotiations, the two countries repeatedly introduced proposals to slash rights funding, with backing from other "authoritarian states", the report said. In the name of efficiency, they seek to cut funds for OHCHR and for investigations into abuses in countries like Russia, Belarus and North Korea. The proposals "are clearly about crippling the OHCHR," report author Angeli Datt told journalists. "They are not about efficiency." Many countries fold to the pressure, with some even agreeing to block funding for investigations they themselves supported establishing, she said. James Cox Fianna Fail MEP Barry Cowen has submitted a series of amendments to the European Parliaments draft report on the housing crisis in the European Union. The MEP for Midlands North-West described them as having the potential to "vastly accelerate affordable housing delivery across Europe". Mr Cowen, a member of the European Parliaments Special Committee on the Housing Crisis, said his amendments - which have received support from European colleagues - focus on: Reform of EU State aid rules to remove barriers to public and affordable housing investment in countries like Ireland. Streamline administrative systems and planning procedures. Improve access to finance for small and medium-sized developers. Encourage Member States to share and adopt best practices in the area of planning and permitting. MEP Cowens amendments also acknowledge housing as a national competence while encouraging European cooperation in adjacent areas such as finance and regulation. In recent months, Mr Cowen has raised the issues in Brussels, highlighting the need for the EU to "enable rather than hinder Member States housing efforts". Earlier this year, he wrote to Minister for Housing James Browne, urging him to prepare Irelands housing policy to take advantage of the upcoming EU reforms to State aid rules. Mr Cowen has called for a more flexible approach to housing finance that would allow Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and smaller developers to play a greater role in meeting national housing targets, something he said the propposed amendments would advance. Mr Cowen said: These amendments are about making sure European policy becomes a driver of housing delivery rather than a drag on it. We need an EU framework that recognises what works on the ground and helps Member States to act faster. Current State aid rules are limiting our ability to invest in affordable and social housing. Reforming them could have a transformative impact on delivery across Ireland and Europe. This is an area where the EU can make a real difference." He added: Planning delays, excessive bureaucracy and inconsistent permitting rules are slowing down projects everywhere. By promoting best practices and simplifying processes, we can help unlock new homes far more quickly. Irelands housing crisis is part of a wider European challenge. The solutions we are proposing at committee level will help Member States learn from one another and ensure that European financing tools are used to their full potential, particularly for SME developers." By Ellie Ng, PA The Metropolitan Police has announced that it will stop investigating non-crime hate incidents after it emerged that Father Ted creator Graham Linehan will face no further action over social media posts about transgender issues. The 57-year-old Irish comedy writer was arrested at Heathrow Airport after flying in from Arizona in September by the Met Police on suspicion of inciting violence over three posts he had made on X. The arrest sparked controversy, with Conservative politicians and Harry Potter author JK Rowling among those who criticised the arrest. The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September. After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn't even bother to attend) the Crown Graham Linehan (@Glinner) October 20, 2025 The head of the Met Police said at the time that officers are in an impossible position when dealing with statements made online. Following Linehans announcement on Monday that the probe into his posts has been dropped, a spokesperson for the police force said: We understand the concern around this case. The commissioner has been clear he doesnt believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position. As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations. Non-crime hate incidents are incidents that do not count as crimes but are perceived to be motivated by hatred towards certain characteristics such as race or gender. We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection Metropolitan Police spokesperson The Met spokesperson continued: These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality. We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection. Linehan announced on social media on Monday afternoon that police had told his lawyers that he faces no further action over the Heathrow arrest. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed the evidence and concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction, it is understood. A CPS spokesperson said: Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to a man in his 50s who was arrested on September 1 2025. BREAKING: The @metpoliceuk have dropped their investigation into Graham Linehans tweets. After weeks of police bail subject to unlawful conditions, including a ban on posting on X officers have told @Glinner that prosecutors say there isnt sufficient evidence to support The Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) October 20, 2025 The Free Speech Union (FSU) said it has instructed lawyers to sue the Met Police for wrongful arrest. Linehan posted on X: With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender-critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men. While the FSU said: Police forces cannot continue to suppress lawful free speech without facing consequences. Weve instructed a top flight team of lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest, among other things. Graham deserves an apology but, more importantly, the police need to be taught a lesson that they cannot allow themselves to be continually manipulated by woke activists. The Met came under fire after Linehans arrest, with Rowling claiming it was totalitarianism and deplorable. Conservative politicians also levelled criticism last month, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch saying the arrest showed values of free speech are being slowly eroded by people weaponising the law and using it for petty squabbling. Linehan appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court last month (Ben Whitley/PA) Meanwhile, Sir James Cleverly said the arrest looked like a real overreaction to what was self-evidently a joke and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick described the incident as a complete waste of police time. But Green Party leader Zack Polanski told BBC Newsnight the posts were totally unacceptable and the arrest seemed proportionate. One of the posts that Linehan was arrested over 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, and a follow-up post saying: I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em. The arrest came days before he appeared in court accused of harassing a transgender woman. The writer, who now lives in the United States, has denied one count of harassing activist Sophia Brooks on social media between October 11th and October 27th last year, and a further charge of criminal damage of their mobile phone on October 19th last year. The trial was adjourned and will resume on October 29th, with Linehan released on bail. Serious gaps exist in the care of people with an incurable and painful skin disease, an independent report has found. An examination of supports for the 300 people in Ireland living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) revealed that home nursing services are affected by staff shortages, high turnover and limited training. The rare condition, also known as Butterfly Skin, is caused by an absence of proteins between the skin layers, causing it to tear and blister at the slightest touch. It requires painful bandaging to prevent infection, which in severe cases must be changed daily. Patients living with the condition, and others caring for family members with EB, will outline their concerns about the shortfalls in care to TDs and Senators in Leinster House on Wednesday. The EB Butterfly Review, commissioned by national charity Debra, found serious systemic gaps are limiting patients quality of life, and that access to essential wound care materials and medication is inconsistent. Ireland lacks a national bandage scheme, which means those with less severe forms of EB often bear the financial burden. Psychological and dental support are described as severely lacking, with financial and welfare supports complex and exhausting. The Ernst & Young report recommends delivery of high-quality home nursing services, making it easier to apply for financial support and improving access to, and affordability of, medications and wound care. Debra CEO Jimmy Fearon said there have been some positive developments in recent years and the charity has been working with the Government and HSE to secure ring-fenced, annual funding which would make a world of difference to the EB community. This could be used to build integrated and sustainable nursing care to alleviate some of the heavy burden of the lifelong condition and provide additional psychological support at St Jamess Hospital to safeguard the mental health of EB patients, he said. One mother living with EB says the lack of co-ordinated care makes her feel invisible to the State. Youre punished in every single way, said mother-of-one Amanda Nugent, 47, from Newbawn in Co Wexford. Because of my type of EB, I cant access medical cards. Im not entitled to long-term illness, to disability, yet I have one of the rarest conditions in the world. She is forced to borrow plasters and bandages from her 12-year-old son Ruaidhri, who also lives with EB simplex, along with over 20 relatives in her extended family. Ms Nugent, who was diagnosed at age 37, says she grew up experiencing excruciating blisters, one the size of a duck egg, on her feet. She was absolutely devastated when her son was also born with the condition. It is devastating too for my mental health because there is a feeling that I gave that to him, she said. Dubliner Liz Collins, whose daughter Claudia Scanlon lives with one of the most severe types of EB, said that every chapter of life brings new challenges, and dressings have to be carried out 365 days a year. Its a horrible place to be, like being stuck in a hole you cant get out of, she said. Carers often feel like prisoners because the current level of care is fragmented, fragile, and not properly co-ordinated. A community care co-ordinator would go a long way to resolving that. Six people were arrested as Irish police were attacked with missiles and fireworks after violence flared outside a Dublin hotel used to house asylum seekers. A police vehicle was also set on fire as a large crowd gathered at the Citywest Hotel on Tuesday evening. Irish Premier Micheal Martin condemned the scenes, stating there could be no justification for attacks on gardai. Members of the public order unit were deployed. Protesters were displaying Irish flags, chanting and throwing missiles. The Irish police service, An Garda Siochana, said one of its members received medical attention for a foot injury. It said garda cordons sustained attacks including physical violence, bricks thrown and fireworks discharged at gardai, as well as the burning of a garda van. There were also attempts to charge the garda line with horse-drawn sulkies. Meanwhile, the garda helicopter overhead was targeted with lasers. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who visited the scene in the aftermath of the violence, said: This was obviously not a peaceful protest. The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against Gardai. I utterly condemn the attacks on Gardai who did their jobs professionally and with great courage to keep people safe. He added: We will now begin the process of identifying those who committed crimes and we will bring those involved in this violence to justice. As he spoke with gardai close to the charred remains of the burned out Garda van just after midnight, Commissioner Kelly could be heard telling them how proud he was of their efforts in responding to the disorder. During the earlier disturbances, a large crowd remained in the area until late in the night and public order officers with shields, and some on horseback, moved protesters back. A line of gardai prevented the protesters from getting to the hotel. A number of those involved in the disturbances had their faces covered. The Luas Red Line services between Belgard and Saggart were suspended ahead of the protest. Later, the glass at the Luas stop at Saggart was smashed. Nearly 300 members of An Garda Siochana were on duty in response to public disorder in Dublin. This included more than 125 uniformed gardai, 150 members of the public order unit and a water cannon, as well as the mounted and dog units supported by members in the Air Support Unit and the Regional Control rooms. The public order units were deployed in full protective equipment and utilised pepper spray to repel sustained physical attacks. A senior investigating officer has been appointed to probe the incident. It was the second night in a row a protest has been held outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. Monday nights demonstration passed without significant incident. The gatherings outside the hotel come after an alleged sexual assault in the vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning. Acting Deputy Garda Commissioner Paul Cleary said they would be relentless in our pursuit of those involved in the disorder. We know that even though people may have been wearing hoods or masks, we still have the ability to identify them and bring them before the courts, and we will pursue that relentlessly, he told RTEs Morning Ireland. He said Tuesday nights protest included a mix of some peaceful protesters, youths on horses and scramblers and violent thugs who were there purely to incite violence and promote fear. Mr Cleary said that such incidents are very dynamic and dangerous, and while gardai are prepared, you can never prepare for everything. The fact that we were able to bring the incident under control within approximately two and a half hours I think one of the main objectives was to prevent spread and we did that. He said of the garda van that was burnt out: When you have control it doesnt mean you have zero damage. What we witnessed last night went far beyond protest. It was a violent riot driven by thugs intent on violence, and it wasnt just an attack on Gardai, it was an attack on community safety, and we wont tolerate that. Mr Martin said he had been briefed on the violence. In a statement, the Taoiseach said: I strongly condemn the violent disorder that unfolded in Citywest in Dublin this evening. I pay tribute to the frontline gardai who acted courageously and quickly to restore order. The Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner have briefed me on the operation, and I thank everyone for their work. An Garda Siochana protect us all and have a proud tradition of service to the Irish people. There can be no justification for the vile abuse against them, or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people. Irelands deputy premier Simon Harris said there was no excuse for the violent thuggery witnessed outside the hotel. I condemn the violent attacks on members of An Garda Siochana outside Citywest last night, said the Tanaiste. There is understandable shock and horror right across our country over the alleged incident that is now before the courts. The full facts must and will be established as people rightly expect. But there is no excuse for this type of violence and thuggery against the men and women who serve to protect us and victims of crime every day. Irelands Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan has said those involved in the violence will be brought to justice. He said: The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest tonight must be condemned. People threw missiles at gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire. This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the gardai. Those involved will be brought to justice. The minister said a man had been arrested and appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault. He added: While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area. Unfortunately, the weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected. The gardai are prepared for this, but attacking gardai and property is not an answer, and wont help to make anyone feel safe. It is clear to me from talking to colleagues during the day and this evening that this violence does not reflect the people of Saggart. They are not the people participating in this criminality, but rather the people sitting at home in fear of it. Mr OCallaghan said attacks on gardai will not be tolerated. He added: Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not. There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed tonight. Fianna Fail TD for Carlow/Kilkenny, Peter Chap Cleere, has stated that it is shameful that St Columbas Hospital has not had a Speech and Language Therapist for three years. By way of QPL, Deputy Cleere asked the question to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue who was standing in for Minister Carroll McNeill. In a response to the PQ, the HSE provided the Deputy with a written response, reaffirming their commitment to hiring a Speech and Language Therapist for St Columbas, whilst also highlighting the challenges of filling the post. In their response, the HSE informed me they have attempted on several occasions to recruit someone to fill the post in St Columbas, but to no avail, said Deputy Cleere. THREE YEARS It has been three years of vacancy for that particular post, and it is shameful to say that this is still the case. Deputy Cleere went on to highlight how one of his constituents has had to pay out of their own pockets for a Speech and Language Therapist when recovering from a heart attack. READ: ST COLUMBA'S PERFORMS STRONGLY IN HIQA REPORT A constituent of mine whose husband had a heart attack was attending St Lukes Hospital. As he started to improve, he moved out of St Luke's in Kilkenny to St Columbas in Thomastown for rehabilitation, he said. When he was in St Lukes he had access to a speech and language therapist, however when he moved to Thomastown no such person was in place. The wife of the man who was ill had to privately employ a Speech and Language Therapist at her own cost of 300 and the therapist had to travel from Kildare, so travel costs incurred here alongside the initial fee. Deputy Cleere concluded by saying the HSE must prioritise filling this post which has lay vacant for far too long, to prevent further undue costs on patients. Every patient who needs access to Speech and Language Therapists should be able to avail of that support in St Columbas, the Fianna Fail TD said. It is almost surreal to think a post can be left vacant for such a long period of time when there is such a need for them in the community. I encourage the HSE to fill the post as a matter of urgency. I am voting Heather Humphreys number 1 on Friday because I believe the Office of Uachtarain na hEireann is an incredibly important position. Whoever is elected on Friday will become Irelands Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence Forces. When I was 17 years old, I signed an Oath of Allegiance to the Irish State and while I may no longer be a serving member of the Defence Forces the love and allegiance, I hold for our country is stronger now than ever. As a mother of three teenagers, I care greatly about the future direction of our country and who we elected as our next Head of State is vitally important in determining that direction. Fridays election matters, your vote matters, your voice matters and how you would like Ireland to be represented in the world matters. READ MORE KILKENNY VIEWS AND OPINION HERE We can all recognise the current world we live in is a turbulent place with increasing level of hostility and mistrust so we need a President who will bring countries together, who has a listening ear, a willingness to understand difference, an experienced voice to speak about all that is good about Ireland whilst also acknowledge the challenges we face as a society and as a member of the European Union. Ireland's president needs to be experienced enough to recognise that one cant simply point to what is wrong, one needs to work with others for the common good. READ NEXT: Kilkenny Senator Patricia Stephenson on why she will be supporting Catherine Connolly I know Heather, and I know from her upbringing in the border county of Monaghan she is acutely aware of the subtleties of successfully and effectively navigating the cultural intricacies that exist between different communities who each have a common goal peace. We all want to live in a peaceful world and while some will continually insist on talking, Heathers first instinct is to listen. IMPORTANT Ireland is a small country geographically, but we are an important part of Europe, we are stronger when we stand with our friends against the threats posed by wars and unexpected international shocks or disturbances like Brexit and the Covid pandemic for example. Heather Humphreys has proven her mettle by standing up for Irelands businesses during Brexit and has represented Ireland abroad on countless occasions, leading over a dozen international trade missions to the US, the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, China, South Africa, Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan. Throughout her career, Heather has worked hard to build relationships and enhance Irelands reputation abroad. I trust her to continue to do that as President and indeed when we visited Kilkenny design centre recently, she outlined how she always brought beautifully produced and designed Irish gifts to those she visited to highlight all that is unique and wonderful about Ireland and if elected president this is something she will insist on doing when hosting or indeed travelling on behalf of Ireland and its citizens. While I know the role of President is above politics, as a rural TD representing Carlow-Kilkenny its important for me to point out that during Heathers time as Minister for Rural and Community Development, she supported rural communities right across the country investing in facilities and organisations. Heather Humphreys loves this country and its people, she is a person I trust to represent me at home and abroad. As a TD who cares about everyone living in Carlow-Kilkenny, I believe the people of this constituency deserve a President with integrity and experience, who listens to understand and who works to make the land we share from townsland, to parish, to county, to province better for everyone. Heather is putting herself before the people as a centre ground, common sense, pro-European candidate and she has my number 1. Id like to finish with a quote from Seamus Heaney: Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: whats said and whats done. READ NEXT: Kilkenny Senator Patricia Stephenson on why she will be supporting Catherine Connolly China donates 3.5 mln USD for food relief program in Zambia Xinhua) 10:52, October 21, 2025 LUSAKA, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The launch ceremony of the Zambia Food Aid Project, funded by China through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund in partnership with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), was held in Lusaka, Zambia's capital, on Monday. Under the project, China provided 3.5 million U.S. dollars to help Zambia purchase approximately 5,641 metric tonnes of maize locally. The grain will be distributed over three months to 188,057 beneficiaries, or around 37,000 households, in the most drought-affected districts of Southern and Western Provinces. The handover ceremony was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Han Jing, Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango, embassy officials, and other government representatives, alongside officials from the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) and the WFP, which are implementing partners of the program. In his remarks, Han said the food assistance program strengthens the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Zambia, highlighting the enduring friendship forged by their founding leaders and nurtured by successive generations. Han highlighted that the program, jointly implemented by China, Zambia, and the WFP, represents a new model of partnership that integrates bilateral assistance into a broader multilateral framework, showcasing China's proactive and constructive role within the United Nations system. According to Han, the fund has supported over 190 projects in more than 60 countries in collaboration with more than 20 international organizations, benefiting over 30 million people worldwide in areas including food security, healthcare, maternal and child health, and vocational training. He emphasized that China will continue to mobilize resources through multiple channels to support Zambia's development, citing numerous instances of timely aid in recent years. On her part, Nalumango expressed gratitude to China for its timely and impactful support, noting that continued assistance across various sectors reflects the mutual and cordial relationship between the two countries. She said Zambia remains actively implementing its drought response and food security plan to provide humanitarian aid to affected households, with China's donation significantly relieving drought-stricken communities. According to the vice president, approximately 9.9 million people across 84 of Zambia's 116 districts have been affected by the drought. Li Shuyin, deputy director general of CICETE, reaffirmed China's commitment to implementing efficient and high-quality food aid projects in Africa, explaining that CICETE, which manages China's cooperation projects with international organization, is currently overseeing the food aid program in Zambia. Byenkya Kabasuuga, WFP representative and country director for Zambia, said that local maize purchases will not only feed affected populations but also strengthen market linkages for surplus-producing districts and boost incomes for smallholder farmers. She praised the project as a collaborative effort promoting sustainable outcomes and advancing shared commitments. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Ottoline Spearman Catherine Connolly has been questioned about her previous job as a barrister, where it is alleged that she helped banks remove people from their homes. Speaking on RTE Primetime on Tuesday evening in the final debate before the presidential election on Friday, Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys asked Independent Catherine Connolly if she represented banks to help repossess Irish homes. This came after a question from RTE's host, who said that on the campaign, Ms Connolly had avoided answering questions to this end, and claimed that an Irish Times journalist had specifically asked her this question seven times. Ms Connolly responded that she had never avoided a question in her life, but that she didn't want to get into the specifics of cases, and owed a "duty of confidentiality" to clients. She said that voters could "expect openness and accountability" from her as a president, stressing the separation of powers between the government and the courts. Ms Connolly also said "the barrister represents the client as best they can, and courts will make decisions based on government policy", blaming the Government for the policy and not the lawyers. In response, Ms Humphreys said: "she's avoiding the question. It's a very simple question." Ms Humphreys said that Catherine Connolly spoke against the banks and against repossession in Galway City Council and in the Dail. Ms Connolly then specifically acknowledged that she had represented the banks before, to which Ms Humphreys replied that she was "speaking out of both sides of your mouth". In her opening speech, Ms Connelly said: "I represent a different type of Ireland. Heather is more of the same." She said that she would serve the people of Ireland to the best of her ability, and represented "care, compassion, solidarity". Heather Humphreys said that she didn't promise perfection, but that she stood for "honesty, compassion and service." Tom Tuite A 17-year-old boy charged with the murder of Ukrainian youth Vadym Davydenko, who was in care in Dublin, has been further remanded in custody pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The teenager, who is Somalian, arrived at the Childrens Court on Tuesday amid heightened security for his second hearing, and was surrounded by five gardai in helmets and protective gear. Vadym, 17, was stabbed during an incident at about 11am on October 16th at a 24-hour facility in an apartment building in Donaghmede. He had been placed there alongside other young people separated from their families and seeking international protection. Vadym recently graduated from high school in Kyiv, travelled to Ireland and arrived about three days before he was fatally injured. Gardai and other emergency services responded to a call for assistance at the premises. The boy, who would have turned 18 in November, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The accused had been hospitalised after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. On Friday, he was arrested and detained at a Dublin garda station, where he made no reply at being charged with murder in connection with the fatal incident. On Saturday, the accused, who cannot be named because he is a minor with a legal right to anonymity, was remanded to the Oberstown Detention Campus in Dublin with an order that he receive urgent psychiatric and medical attention. Dressed in a white T-shirt, black tracksuit bottoms and slippers, he sat quietly and whispered during his latest court appearance on Tuesday. Both his arms were bandaged from the elbows to the hands, which were restrained. Detective Sergeant Mark Quill of Coolock station applied for a four-week adjournment to appear via video link on November 18th, with defence solicitor Andrew Walsh confirming that this was on consent. Judge Shalom Binchy remanded the teenager, who has yet to indicate a plea, in continuing custody as requested, for the DPPs directions rather than specifically for a book of evidence. She said that while it was a forgone conclusion, gardai must first obtain the directions. Mr Walsh stated that his client had a medical appointment next week and asked the court to recommend that An Garda Siochana provide logistical assistance to the Oberstown detention centre. Is that to ensure safe transport to and from? Judge Binchy enquired, and the solicitor replied, Correct, Judge. She said that although she could not make it an order, she recommended that gardai facilitate his safe travel to and from that appointment. An interpreter then translated for the teenager, who nodded before being escorted from the courtroom. Legal aid was assigned. The judge also directed that an interpreter be available for the next hearing. Two representatives from Tusla, the child and family agency, also attended the proceedings to act as responsible adults for the accused. The Children Act states that a parent or guardian must attend a juvenile's criminal cases. LAOIS County Fire and Rescue Service, along-side Simon Walton (Deputy Chief Executive of Laois Co Council and Cllr Paschal McEvoy (Leas-Cathaoirleach of Laois Co Council), proudly launched a new training vehicle aimed at promoting Community Fire Safety. Broadly, the campaign is aimed to equip residents with essential knowledge in relation to fire safety in their homes, which can be obtained by scanning the QR code on the vehicle. This brings you to our free fire safety in the home booklet which is available in several languages and offers helpful tips and advice. The vehicle also has a message to remind households to test their smoke alarms. Laois County Fire and Rescue Service promote this message weekly with Test It Tuesday messages across their social media and the training vehicle will act as an additional reminder to the public of this important message. The idea to redesign the training vehicle and use it to promote Community Fire Safety came from Simon Rogers a firefighter in Abbeyleix Fire Station. The graphics were developed in-house and we worked with Rolando Cedeno and his team in Esmark Finch Vehicle Engineering to bring the project to fruition. Public education and information are critical components of fire prevention and we all have a role to play in keeping our homes and communities safe. Last week was Fire Safety Week and firefighters across the eight fire stations held information evenings in collaboration with local libraries to give practical advice and information to the public. They also ran an active social media campaign sharing information all week to try and reach as many people as possible. Residents and business owners are encouraged to visit www.laois.ie for more information and safety checklists. A free fire safety in the home booklet is available to download in a number of languages from here: https://laois.ie/emergency-services/fire-prevention-and-safety/fire-safety-guidelines Eva Osborne A campaign seeking to establish an Academy of Fine Arts in the GPO on OConnell Street in Dublin is nearing its signature goal. Launched by Alan Clarke, the campaign argues that the proposal is not only for the creation of a new educational institution, but also to "catalyse the renewal of OConnell Street". Addressed to Micheal Martin, Simon Harris, Dublin City Council, An Post, Fianna Fail, and Fine Gael, the petition currently has over 1,500 signatures on its journey towards 2,000. Clarke said that the establishment of an Academy of Fine Arts will provide three profound and tangible benefits of enduring value for Ireland. The first of which concerns O'Connell Street itself, which Clarke said will be transformed into a "vibrant centre of learning, culture, and civic pride". "In doing so, it will act as a catalyst for the renewal of that part north inner cityan area that has suffered years of neglect." The second proposed benefit is the redefinition of art education in Ireland, as it seeks to offer an alternative model rooted in "fundamental transferrable skills, the principles of beauty, and the cultivation original thought". "This skills-led approach will provide a more comprehensive and balanced education than that currently available in our existing fine art colleges." Finally, Clarke claims that the establishment of an Academy of Fine Arts in the GPO would give Ireland an institution that will "stand as a symbol of our national pride and our national identity". It will enable Ireland to take its "rightful place" among the great nations of Europe, he added. Cousin Maudes Visit, the Dec. 11, 1971, episode of the groundbreaking CBS comedy series All in the Family, introduced TV audiences to the unforgettable Maude Findlay, the outspoken, liberal and feminist cousin of Edith (Jean Stapleton) who took no guff from conservative Archie (Carroll OConnor) even when he called her a big-mouth buttinski. Producer Norman Lear recalled that the episode was airing on the East Coast when he got a call from the networks programming head, Fred Silverman. Silverman told Lear that Maude, brought vividly to life by Bea Arthur, deserved a series of her own. Advertisement And Lear couldnt have agreed more. Lear, whose autobiography, Even This I Get to Experience, was recently published, had seen Arthur in a 1955 off-Broadway show, The Shoestring Revue. She sang a Sheldon Harnick song called Garbage, said the multi-award-winning writer-producer-political activist. She was standing under a streetlight at night singing about a guy who treated her like garbage. I used to do The George Gobel Show, and I used to bring her out to guest star. Lear knew the tall, husky-voiced actress would be perfect as Maude, who never met a grudge she couldnt hold. What I learned from my own family life was that there was nothing like a relative with an ancient grudge, Lear said. They picked it up off the floor and across 20 years. Advertisement Maude made one more appearance on All in the Family in spring 1972 with Marcia Rodd as her daughter, Carol, before CBS premiered Maude that fall. The first spinoff of All in the Family became an instant hit with audiences. Besides Arthur, the series starred Bill Macy as her fourth husband, Walter Findlay, the owner of Findlays Friendly Appliances in Tuckahoe, N.Y.; Adrienne Barbeau replaced Rodd as her divorced daughter and young mother, Carol, who lived with them; Esther Rolle as the bright, no-nonsense maid, Florida, who would get in her own spinoff, Good Times, in 1974; Conrad Bain as Walters conservative friend Arthur and later Rue McClanahan as his wife, Vivian. On Tuesday, Shout Factory is releasing the six seasons of the sitcom on DVD complete with such extras as Cousin Maudes Visit, two unaired episodes of Maude and a new featurette with Barbeau and Macy. Though the series premiered 43 years ago, Maude is surprisingly fresh and relevant. The comedy tackled such taboo sitcom subjects as mental illness Maude was diagnosed as bipolar alcoholism and racism. And though Maude was much closer to Lears own liberal political bent, he wasnt shy in sending up liberals. These are human problems that we dont seem to beat, said Lear. Maude had been on only two months when the series aired the controversial two-part Maudes Dilemma episodes. The 47-year-old had learned she was pregnant and eventually made the agonizing decision that she would have an abortion. When the episodes, written by Susan Harris, aired, abortion had recently been made legal in New York but the Supreme Courts Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion was two months away. We had to do two episodes, recalled Lear. We couldnt get it done in one. This is where program practices was helpful. If I remember correctly, there was a great guy in New York who ran program practices at the time. As a result of a conversation with me, we invented a friend of Maudes she was only in one show who had four children and was pregnant with her fifth. Advertisement She couldnt afford the four she had, but there was no way in the world she would have an abortion. That was the strongest way we could present the other side. The reason Lear could discuss such hot-button topics, said Barbeau, was that he was doing it with humor. They were funny. He was never knocking the audience over the head with some socially significant issue he wanted to advance. He was entertaining them, making them laugh and hopefully making them think a little bit. Maude was Barbeaus first TV series. She had been playing Rizzo in the musical Grease on Broadway when she was cast in the sitcom. One of the reasons I was hired was because they saw something in me that complemented Beas delivery, said Barbeau, who remained close to the actress until Arthurs death in 2009. Almost everything I know about comedy came from Bea. I loved her dearly. Bea set the tone. She was first the first one in the rehearsal hall in the morning and the last to leave. Like Arthur and Barbeau, Macy also came from the New York theater. Lear had seen him in 1966 in an off-Broadway comedy American Hurrah and was taken with a comedic scene in which Macys character was choking on a chicken bone. The audience was screaming, said Macy. It was a very funny moment. After doing a short guest spot on All in the Family as a cop, he was cast as long-suffering Walter, who during the course of the series is forced to come to grips with his drinking problem and even falls into a depression when he loses his job. Advertisement Bill Macy and Bea together were just priceless, said Lear. Macy recalled one evening shortly after the series began when he and Arthur were sharing a slow elevator at CBS Studios on Beverly Boulevard. We were strangers at the beginning, said Macy, who would bring the actress pastrami sandwiches every Friday. One night Bea and I were on the elevator going down and it took forever. In the middle of the silence she looked at me and said, Bill, you are a rock. Despite your lack of humor, youre a rock. I never forgot that. Follow Classic Hollywood on Facebook Rapper Playboi Carti, whose real name is Jordan Terrell Carter, is facing serious accusations after an alleged violent outburst involving a limousine driver in Park City earlier this month. According to police reports and dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, the incident happened on October 2 while Carti was on his way to a tour rehearsal. He was traveling with his girlfriend, Giovanna Ramos, when an argument reportedly broke out between them inside the vehicle. The limo driver, Carl Reynolds, told police he stepped in to calm the couple down. That's when he claims Carti punched him in the face. Fearing for his safety, Reynolds pulled over in nearby Heber City and called police. Soon after, another limo driver, Lance Hayeswho works for the same company, ALC A Limousine Connectiontold officers that Carti also threatened him. According to dispatch audio, Carti allegedly said he would "hit and shoot" Hayes before fleeing the scene in a vehicle. Playboi Carti allegedly threatened to shoot his limo driver, as new dispatch audio reveals. https://t.co/cNRBhhCByh pic.twitter.com/xX9icxPuJC TMZ (@TMZ) October 20, 2025 Carti Faces Court in December for Alleged Driver Assault Police located Carti a short time later down the street. He was cited for misdemeanor assault in connection to allegedly hitting Reynolds. However, no charges have been filed related to the alleged shooting threat toward Hayes. Wasatch County investigators recorded Reynolds' injuries, but Carti was not taken into custody, PageSix reported. Instead, he was given a citation and is expected to appear in court this December. Carti's security team reportedly got involved during the incident to separate the parties. Witnesses at the scene backed up parts of the driver's account, according to law enforcement. So far, neither Playboi Carti's team nor the Park City Police Department has issued an official comment. This isn't the first time the Atlanta rapper has had trouble with the law. Carti has previously faced several legal issues, including a 2017 domestic battery charge and a 2019 fine in Scotland for allegedly assaulting a tour bus driver. In 2020, he was arrested in Georgia after police said they found drugs and guns in his car. Most recently, in 2022, he was arrested for allegedly choking his then-pregnant girlfriend during an argument. Originally published on Music Times Have you ever found yourself present in a moment and realized you were witnessing something historic? It is not an exaggeration to say that is what many of the 2,700 in-person attendees felt who were present for Clio cofounder and CEO Jack Newtons keynote address that opened the 13th annual ClioCon conference last week in Boston. Two people told me they literally teared up during his talk. Others said they felt chills down their spines. While Newtons past keynotes have typically been punctuated by whoops and cheers as he laid out new products and features, this years audience was so quiet during most of the talk you could hear a pin drop. Their faces conveyed rapt attention, fixated on Newton and the giant images illustrating his words. Afterwards, people told me they felt an array of emotions: shell-shocked, thrilled, numbed, elated, energized, frightened. So many said they needed time to process his words, to think about what it all meant for them and their practices or their companies. Related posts: Even Newton himself acknowledged this. In his remarks closing the conference the next day, he said that one consistent piece of feedback he had received was that so many people told me theyre still processing what we announced and that they felt a sense of overwhelm and almost were shell shocked. On one hand, Im sorry, Newton said. But on the other hand, Im also really excited by that feedback because that tells me that we delivered a lot of value and that is pretty profound. It does take some time to process not just how this will change your day to day and make it a little better, he continued, but how this technology might fundamentally rewire and rewrite how you run your law firm. Even I, who have covered legal tech for 30 years, who has been to every ClioCon and heard every Newton keynote, as well as the keynotes of so many other CEOs at so many other conferences, felt moved. It was a moment at which everything everyone had ever envisioned for legal tech seemed finally to be becoming tangible and real. In fact, becoming is not even the right word, because much of what Newton described is already here. Intelligent Legal Work Platform So what was going on here? Ill admit, to attempt to convey any of this in a news report is daunting. No doubt many of you reading this will think I have lost my mind. If I had not heard the same reaction repeated by so many who were there, I would probably agree with you. But it seemed evident to everyone in that room that we were present at an almost-tangible inflection point in the evolution of legal tech. This inflection point this new chapter is one that aims to dissolve the line between the business of law and the practice of law and to redefine how legal work itself gets done. And what is enabling this new chapter, the key that is unlocking it, the glue that is holding it all together, is generative AI. Let us remember that Clio is a company that helped pioneer the cloud revolution in law when it started 17 years ago. This years keynote felt like a sequel of even greater magnitude: the dawn of an AI-driven, fully connected legal ecosystem that Newton called the intelligent legal work platform. Simply from a product perspective, this years announcements which included the launch of the new Clio Work and Clio for Enterprise and the companys most aggressive integrations of legal AI yet represented the most ambitious set of announcements in Clios history. But beyond the products, Newtons keynote advanced a broader vision: a legal future built not on systems of record, but on systems of action. From Cloud Revolution to AI Reinvention Newton began his keynote with a retrospective on Clios origins in 2008, when he and cofounder Rian Gauvreau introduced one of the first cloud-based legal practice-management systems at ABA Techshow. Back then, putting your practice in the cloud was a revolutionary and even heretical idea. Seventeen years later, Clio has grown from serving solos to more than 200,000 legal professionals worldwide, dominating the small-firm practice-management market, making notable inroads on the mid-firm market, and now setting its sights on the enterprise market. That expansion, Newton announced, would come through a new dedicated division, Clio for Enterprise, and a new suite of AI-driven tools designed for global firms and corporate legal departments. Setting Sights On Big Law Building on its billion-dollar acquisition of vLex (which has yet to be finalized pending approval by regulatory authorities in Spain, where vLex is headquartered) and its acquisition in March of ShareDo, Clio announced a new enterprise division of the company and the launch of a suite of products housed within that division, Clio Operate, Vincent by Clio, Clio Library and Clio Docket. Clio Operate, built on the foundation of ShareDo, formerly a U.K.-based enterprise platform, is described as an adaptive work-management platform capable of connecting workflows, analytics and collaboration across global teams. Newton called it Clio Manages big brother, a system configurable enough for 1,000-lawyer firms yet still grounded in Clios hallmark usability. The engine driving this enterprise suite is Vincent by Clio, the gen AI platform Clio inherited through its vLex acquisition. With vLex already deployed at eight of the worlds 10 largest firms, according to Clio, Vincent is able to deliver enterprise-grade legal AI grounded in a verified global legal corpus of over one billion documents spanning 110 jurisdictions. That makes Clio one of only three companies in the world, alongside Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis, with such depth of legal data. Newton unveiled three notable innovations built on Vincent: Vincent Studio, a no-code environment for lawyers to build their own AI tools. Vincent Drafting, which generates complex contracts from firm precedents. Deep Integrations with document-management systems such as iManage, NetDocuments and SharePoint. Together, these offerings mark Clios most aggressive move yet into the larger-firm market, signaling a bid to compete not only on usability but on depth, data and sophisticated AI. From System of Record to System of Action While the enterprise announcement illustrated Clios market ambitions, Newtons introduction of the concept of the Intelligent Legal Work Platform defined its philosophical ones. For decades, he told the crowd, practice-management software has been defined by one essential role serving as a law firms system of record, the place where they store everything about their practice. But in the era of AI, he said, firms need systems that do not just record what happens, but that make things happen. As Newton framed it, Clio is now becoming a system of action that is a proactive participant in legal work, automating tasks, anticipating next steps, and converting context into outcomes. In a system of record, you enter a deadline, he said. In a system of action, AI adds it to your calendar, alerts your team, and will even draft a client update on your behalf. A system of action takes action and does work on your behalf. That transformation is embodied, Newton said, in a four-pronged integration of AI within Clios product suite: Clio Manage AI, automating docket extraction, billing, and client updates. Clio Grow AI, screening leads, running conflict checks, and scheduling consults automatically. Clio Draft AI, transforming firm templates into full workflows in minutes. Clio Work, a new workspace uniting research, drafting, and reasoning under a single AI layer. Collectively, they form what Newton repeatedly referred to as the Intelligent Legal Work Platform, the ecosystem for the full lifecycle of legal work intake, scheduling, research, drafting, tracking, billing all connected, all powered by AI. An AI-Native Legal Ecosystem Central to Clios new product universe is Clio Work, a workspace that combines a lawyers matter data with the vLex legal library to deliver research, analysis, and case strategy lawyers can rely on. Unlike generic AI tools that summarize, speculate and wait for direction, a Clio press release said, Clio Work understands. It integrates directly with Clio Manage to draw live data from documents, emails, and notes; cross-references that with Clio Librarys verified law; and provides precise, cited recommendations in real time. The result is what Newton called context engineering AI that mirrors the way lawyers think by understanding the relationships among facts, law and intent. Context engineering is about giving AI the same complete picture youre carrying around in your head, so it doesnt need to interpret text in an island, but it grasps meaning and relationships and intent, because it has all the context necessary to make the right conclusions, he said. This is where our approach to AI really sets itself apart from what others in the industry are doing, because Clio already connects every piece of your practice together in a unified system of record, and we can bring all of that information to bear as context for our AI. Clio Works capabilities include drafting motions, analyzing evidence, extracting claims and timelines, and even transcribing depositions with built-in legal analysis. For transactional lawyers, it reviews contracts for risk and inconsistency and suggests negotiation strategies. Sold as an additional product at $199 per user per month, Clio Work delivers an entire legal intelligence suite, Newton said, which includes Vincent AI, Clio Library and deep integration with Clio Manage. Merging Legal Business and Practice Perhaps the most resonant theme of the keynote was Newtons assertion that the traditional division between software for the practice of law and the business of law is obsolete. For 50 years, he noted, those two domains have been served by separate technologies, such as LexisNexis and Westlaw for research on the practice-of-law side, and Clio and others for practice management on the business-of-law side. AI, he argued, is now collapsing that divide. Through AI, were bringing together the practice of law and the business of law to create an entirely new category of solution for you today a single context-aware platform where one AI understands how the pieces fit together. In Newtons telling, every major milestone in technology Microsofts creation of its Office suite, Googles launch of its collaborative cloud tools, Apples hardware-software synergy has been defined by convergence. Clio, he argued, is now driving that same unification in legal technology. This is what we saw as the opportunity to bring Clio and vLex together. We truly saw it as a one plus one equals 10 opportunity. Grounding AI in Legal Intelligence A central thread in Newtons keynote and a central justification for Clios acquisition of vLex was the differentiation between generic AI products as represented by foundational models such as OpenAI and Claude and what he called legal intelligence AI grounded not in the open web but in reliable legal data sources such as case law and statutes. In legal, the performance of AI depends entirely on the quality behind its answers, and thats why vLex is so important to Clio, he said. Because Vincent is anchored in vLexs 1 billion document corpus, it can achieve 3.7 times greater accuracy and a 38 percent productivity lift across key workflows, Clio claims. That grounding, Newton argued, is not just about precision, but about trust. Every insight Vincent provides to you, he said, is supported by verified citations and sources you can trust. Newton also framed AI as not merely an efficiency tool but as a catalyst for expanding the entire legal market. Citing data from the World Justice Project, he noted that 77 percent of legal problems worldwide go unaddressed by lawyers. If AI-enabled lawyers can serve even a fraction of that unmet need, he argued, the total addressable market for legal services could grow from $1 trillion to $4 trillion annually. AI is not here to replace legal professionals, Newton said, AI is here to amplify your impact. A Turning Point for Clio Over nearly 90 minutes, Newton painted a portrait of Clio not simply as a SaaS vendor, but as the nucleus of a new legal-AI infrastructure one that spans solo practitioners, small firms, mid-sized firms, multinational firms and corporate legal departments alike. The Clio for Enterprise launch moves the company into direct competition with entrenched enterprise providers; the Intelligent Legal Work Platform positions Clio as a potentially category-defining AI company rather than simply a practice-management tool; and Clio Work embodies the vision many have had of contextual, actionable AI for legal professionals. In doing so, Newton seemed to be suggesting, Clio has completed its evolution from the cloud-based startup that liberated lawyers from servers to the AI-driven platform that may soon liberate them from administrative drag altogether. and for Legal Practice? The philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal once famously said that if he had more time, he would have written a shorter letter. I feel that way about this post. But, then again, I am attempting to report a nearly 90-minute keynote and share some inkling of why it felt so impactful. In the end, I think the reason so many in that audience were so moved or so shell-shocked is that the implications of what Newton laid out are profound. If Clio succeeds in executing on all this, it moves AI from the periphery of legal work to its core. It renders AI able to interpret, anticipate and act across every layer of a firms operations. For the broader legal-tech industry, Newtons keynote sets a new benchmark for integration and ambition. It is a direct challenge to incumbents that have yet to fuse research data, workflow automation and AI into a single cohesive experience. And for the profession at large, Clios product agenda hints at a future where technology finally narrows the gap between legal demand and supply where lawyers, armed with context-aware AI, can serve more clients, with higher quality, at lower cost. This isnt the end of the story, Newton concluded. This is the beginning of a new one. Every product, every innovation, every step along the way has been leading us here to the first chapter of a new era for legal technology, a chapter that will redefine how legal work gets done. Although I have written this story about a specific keynote given by a specific CEO of a specific legal tech company, I truly believe that what happened last week was not just about one man or one company. It was about a moment in history that signified something happening on a far-broader scale a turning point for the entire legal profession and for everyone whom that profession serves and everyone it should be serving but is not. Elise M. Jones has been hired as the principal of Fountain Hill Elementary School. Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Area School District The Bethlehem Area School District has named Elise M. Jones as the new principal of Fountain Hill Elementary School, bringing more than 15 years of public education experience to the role. Jones previously served as principal at Easton Area Middle School and led Paxinosa Elementary School for six years before that appointment. Her background includes leadership positions at both elementary and middle school levels, with experience as both a principal and assistant principal. We are excited to welcome Ms. Jones to Fountain Hill Elementary, said Jack P. Silva, superintendent of schools. Her leadership experience, instructional expertise, and commitment to building strong school communities make her an outstanding addition to the BASD team. The new principal holds a masters degree in educational leadership from Wilkes University and a bachelors degree in psychology with elementary education certification from Moravian University. During her career, Jones has implemented initiatives focused on closing achievement gaps, trauma-informed practices, and building partnerships with families and communities. The district describes her leadership style as collaborative and student-centered. Jones plans to focus on building relationships within the Fountain Hill community while supporting high expectations and a sense of belonging among students. Her leadership approach will emphasize academic growth, inclusive practices, and family engagement as she begins her new role. The district said Jones has a strong background in literacy instruction, inclusive education, and creating positive school cultures. She is committed to maintaining safe, supportive, and engaging learning environments for all students. Generative AI was used to structure and organize the content for this story, based on data provided by the Bethlehem Area School District. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com staff. The "City of Easton" sign in council chambers on Aug. 27, 2024. Chelsea Kun | For Lehighvalleylive.com Easton City Council is set to discuss a resolution Wednesday night supporting immigrant communities. It will also call on the Trump administration to take action on immigration reform. The resolution, introduced by Councilman Roger Ruggles and co-sponsored by all other council members, emphasizes the nations history of welcoming immigrants and the contributions they have made to American society. It calls on the federal government to recognize the societal value of undocumented immigrants and to develop a clear and easily managed pathway for them to become U.S. citizens. The measure also urges federal officials to ensure humane conditions for those arriving at the border, maintain family unity and assist in determining legal pathways for entry. It is not an ordinance and would not be part of the citys law, but merely suggests how city employees should handle immigration. The resolution suggests that no city official or employee should request, record or disclose information about a persons citizenship or immigration status unless required by law, court order, or regulation. It also suggests that city resources should not be used to provide information to immigration enforcement officials without explicit authorization. The council of the City of Easton opposes the separation of law-abiding families and does not support actions that disrupt the lives of its residents, the resolution reads. It further asserts that denying individuals due process contradicts the principles of justice and fairness. If adopted, the resolution would be sent to President Donald Trump, U.S. Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick, and Representative Ryan Mackenzie. It will also be shared with 21 other city councils nationally with a request that they consider adopting similar resolutions, plus request for 10 additional city councils do the same. Since February, Councilwoman Taiba Sultana has pushed for an ordinance meant to protect immigrants in Easton following a string of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. Under this ordinance, city employees would have been prohibited from inquiring about or recording a persons immigration status unless required by law or court order. It also would have restricted cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies, such as sharing personal information, except when mandated by state or federal law. The ordinance was on city councils agenda in August, but was later pulled. Members were concerned that the ordinance would give immigrants a false sense of security. There was an additional concern that it would put a target on Eastons back. City council will vote on the proposed resolution at its meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers on the third floor of City Hall, 123 S. 3rd St. Catasauqua police said they responded Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, to Innovative Arts Academy, 330 Howertown Road, after school officials had secured a firearm reported to be in a student's possession. Mike Nester File Photo | lehighvalleylive.com contributor The Catasauqua Police Department seized a firearm reported to be in a students possession Tuesday at a charter school in the Lehigh County borough. Innovative Arts Academy Charter School CEO Brad Schifko confirmed police responded to the school at 330 Howertown Road for what he called an unfortunate incident. The Catasauqua Police Department was contacted promptly and the situation is under control, he said in an email. Police in a news release said officers were dispatched about 2 p.m. to the school for a report of a student found to be in possession of a firearm. School officials secured the firearm prior to police notification, the release states. Officers responded and took possession of the firearm. The investigation is ongoing and there is no threat to the public or school community. Authorities were not immediately releasing further information. Our internal protocols and training determined this situation quickly and avoided a potentially more serious situation, Schifko wrote to lehighvalleylive.com. We value the safety and security at the school and are continuing to work with the Catasauqua Police as they investigate and will continue to ensure a safe environment for our students and staff. Supervising reporter Kurt Bresswein contributed to this report. Reach him at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. The Mansion House Pedestrian Bridge photographed in October 2023 carries the D&L Trail over the Lehigh River in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Planning is underway to connect the September 11th National Memorial Trail from the D&L in Jim Thorpe west to Pottsville, through a project known as the Anthracite Connector. Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com Planning is underway for a northeastern Pennsylvania section of the September 11th National Memorial Trail that is designed to connect users to not just through local communities. Two public workshops are scheduled this week on the project known as the Anthracite Connector between Jim Thorpe in Carbon County and Pottsville, Schuylkill County. The project manager, Rob Armstrong, described the effort as in the feasibility and planning stage. The work launched in February and featured an earlier public meeting, held in June, focused on this section of the trail honoring those lost in the 9/11 terror attacks nearly 25 years ago. Its going to take time, he said of the phases and years that completing this leg of the trail will require. But I think that it will really attract people and be a game-changer for these towns in Schuylkill and Carbon counties. The 9/11 National Memorial Trail is a 1,500-mile system of trails and roads linking the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City; the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia; and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, according to its website, 911trail.org: The trail serves as a tribute to the fallen heroes who perished on September 11, 2001, and the many heroes who committed themselves to the response for their country. In the Lehigh Valley region, the trail headed east from Manhattan passes through northern Warren County and the Slate Belt to Easton, then picks up the D&L Trail north to Jim Thorpe. An interactive map of the route can be found at 911trail.org. Led by Philadelphia-based WSP USA, planning for the Anthracite Connector aims to take advantage of off-road paths like the Switchback Gravity Railroad Trail headed west out of Jim Thorpe and low-speed, low-volume roads through Summit Hill, Lansford, Coaldale, Tamaqua, Middleport, New Philadelphia and Port Carbon toward Pottsville. The idea is not to create an all-off-road experience but to tie-in to each community, while also celebrating the natural beauty of the area and its rich heritage of providing the anthracite coal that powered the United States. The feasibility study focuses on limiting the trail to grades of 5% to encourage use by a variety of people, from young to old, while also identifying right-of-way landowners along this 30-mile section, Armstrong said. We want this to be about economic development and revitalization for some of the smaller towns, Armstrong told lehighvalleylive.com. He noted the opportunity here to help neighboring communities take advantage of the intense tourist pressure on Jim Thorpe during this time of year, as visitors flock to enjoy the quaint downtown amid changing fall foliage, and to introduce them to new attractions like the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum in Lansford. Signage for the September 11th National Memorial Trail is shown at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Photo Courtesy September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is supporting the planning effort with a grant to the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance, according to Armstrong. WSP, as the planning contractor, is also known for designing the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. DCNR has contributed nearly $1 million in grants through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program to complete and improve sections of the trail in Pennsylvania. Leading up to the 2026 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed some 3,000 people, Gov. Josh Shapiro last month announced a new initiative to complete legs of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail through 25 Pennsylvania counties and 129 municipalities. Shapiro directed the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and DCNR to work with local governments to designate on-road and off-road segments as part of the trail and announced his administration sent letters to over 100 municipalities to encourage them to join this effort. The September 11 National Memorial Trail represents the life my daughter, Deora, and I had we loved spending time together in nature, Debby Borza, board member of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail Alliance, said in a September news release from Shapiros office. The trail gives families like mine the opportunity to walk the path and remember our loved ones that we lost on September 11, 2001, and enjoy the beauty of Pennsylvania. My hope is that it continues to serve as a place of reflection and education. With the signs we hope to place along the path, everyone who walks, hikes, cycles, or visits will be reminded of its significance and honor those we lost. This weeks public workshops are scheduled as follows: 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Alvernia Universitys Pottsville CollegeTown, 500 Progress Ave. in Pottsville. 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 in the Panther Valley Junior Senior High School Auditorium, 912 Coal Region Way, Lansford. Participants are asked to RSVP with Claire Hutchinson at 860-534-0008 or claire.hutchinson@wsp.com. Or they can just show up, Armstrong said. The workshops are designed to promote interaction between community members and planners, and will feature design boards and a 15-to-20-minute PowerPoint presentation. Jeffrey McCauley, president of the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance, said the trail is envisioned as a world-class experience ... to honor those who gave their all for freedom on September 11, 2001; and for their families and first responders. The Alliance looks forward to working with partners and stakeholders to implement this feasibility study to improve the region and the lives of everyone who lives around and between Pottsville and Jim Thorpe, he said in a statement to lehighvalleylive.com. The Alliance believes once the 9/11 Trail is developed in this region it will provide a positive economic impact to the region. A double killer who claimed records were falsified and a charge made up to cover up his alleged mistreatment in jail has failed in a bid to overturn his conviction for threatening to burn down a prison officer's home. Stephen Penrose, who is aged in his 40s, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for threatening to damage the property of the prison officer at Cloverhill prison on 4 March 2016, having been convicted by unanimous jury verdict. Detective Sergeant Sean Cosgrove told the trial in 2023 that Penrose told prison staff he knew where the officer lived and would pour petrol through their letterbox and burn their house down. Penrose told the Court of Appeal on Monday that his right to a fair trial was breached because the state had failed to seek out and produce contemporary prison logbooks ahead of his trial. This is a case where the Garda and the Irish Prison Service hindered or refused assistance to my disclosure application, causing irretrievable damage to my defence, he said. I believe this court has the right to receive fresh evidence. Failing to seek that out is to not hear this appeal fairly, he added. They falsified this document here and I ask that the original be brought before the court, he said. Kathleen McGillycuddy BL, for the State, said that Penrose had sought the material in a request for further disclosure after taking over his own defence during his trial in 2023. Initially we were told those logs were destroyed; that turned out not to be the case. Mr Penrose was told in Court 7, before the trial commenced, that those journal entries were in an archive, they were not indexed, counsel said. They had not been found at that point, but Penrose said he was happy to proceed, Ms McGillycuddy said. At the trial we made efforts to find the documents. Judge [Elva] Duffy explained that the journal entries may not come to hand; again Mr Penrose said he was happy to proceed, she said. Ms McGillycuddy said the journal entries ultimately came to hand on the day of Penroses sentencing, at which point Mr Penrose had claimed the entries were falsified. She said Garda interview notes recorded Penrose as saying that he didnt make a threat, didnt threaten to kill anyone, and he was letting off steam. At trial, he moved on and stated he was being mistreated by the prison authorities; that he was assaulted, she said That night, hed set fire to his cell, the sprinklers were activated, and he was left soaking wet in a freezing cold cell with the windows open, and [the appellant argued] that the threat was made up to cover up, she said. However, she added that the prison officers who testified at the trial had all given evidence that no sprinkler went off. Penrose said that one witness did give an indication that a fire alarm went off. When a fire alarm goes off, the sprinklers go off, he said. If a sprinkler went off, which I said it did, the officer would have written in that box [in the journal], Penrose said. Before the judges rose to consider the appeal, Penrose said he had been absent from the media for some time and asked the judges to place an injunction on the press from reporting on the instant matter as he had other convictions under appeal. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, sitting with Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy and Mr Justice Brian OMoore, said the Court would make no order and that it was a matter for the media. Delivering judgment on Monday afternoon, October 21, Justice McCarthy said the unambiguously clear evidence before the trial court was that the documents would not have recorded anything about a fire extinguisher going off or water seeping into the landing. He added that if there had been any consideration in writing of what had been alleged it would have been a serious matter had it not been available. One might say once Mr Penrose decided to proceed, notwithstanding that this material was not available that is the end of the end of the matter. We are not minded to leave it like that, he said. We have been furnished with the documents in question on perusal, they say nothing which could have undermined the testimony of the prison officers to the effect that the document would not have contained what is suggested by Mr Penrose, he said. It seems to us that having engaged with the material, there was no reasonable possibility of a material impact. Such a thing has simply not been established, he added. We dismiss this appeal on all grounds, he said. Penrose had also claimed there was a failure to disclose CCTV which the State said had been taped over; that witnesses lied during his trial, and that he ought not have been charged with threatening to damage property after being arrested based on an alleged threat to kill. An Garda Siochana is investigating serious public disorder in Dungarvan, county Waterford, from October 17 to 19, 2025, during which seven Garda members were assaulted and injured in three separate, violent incidents. On Friday, October 17, at approximately 10pm, Gardai responded to an incident at a domestic residence following a request for assistance from the National Ambulance Service. Upon arrival, Gardai encountered an aggressive and intoxicated female. READ NEXT: Man in his 20s charged with indecent assault of 10-year-old girl in Dublin As Gardai attempted to arrest her, a group of individuals at the scene physically assaulted three Garda members. Despite the sustained attack, the female was arrested and taken to Dungarvan Garda Station. All three Gardai were deemed unfit for duty following medical assessments and one required further treatment at an Emergency Department. Two remain off duty at this time. In a separate, unrelated incident on the same day, two other Garda members were assaulted at Dungarvan Garda Station by a male who had been arrested under the Public Order Act. Both Gardai required hospital treatment and remain off duty. READ NEXT: ALERT! Motorists warned to check registration plates as Gardai hand out hefty fines A third incident occurred shortly after 10pm on Sunday, October 19, when two Garda members responded to a disturbance involving two adult males on Sexton Street, Dungarvan. Both were assaulted in responding to the incident. Use of Force options were deployed by Gardai to restrain and arrest both individuals. These two Gardai remained on duty. An Garda Siochana has initiated a full investigation into all circumstances surrounding these incidents. The full support of local management, including the Employee Assistance and Welfare services has been offered to all members involved. Following the serious events on October 17, policing arrangements for the area were managed by the Regional Control Room and supported by neighbouring Garda units to ensure continued public safety. Speaking about these incidents Chief Superintendent Anthony Pettit, Waterford/ Kilkenny Garda Division said: READ NEXT: Have you seen Elisabeta? Gardai concerned for welfare of missing 17-year-old "Attacks on members of An Garda Siochana are deplorable. Emergency service personnel, including An Garda Siochana and the National Ambulance Service, respond to incidents to help citizens. It is unacceptable that any of them should be assaulted while on duty. These incidents will be fully investigated. "My thoughts are with the Garda members involved, who will receive all available support. The public can be assured that full policing services will be maintained. I commend the dedication and support of the members who have made themselves available to assist their colleagues at this time." Laois County Councillors have expressed their frustrations surrounding the time taken to introduce road safety measures to the N80 junction at Moneyquid, Killeigh. Fianna Fail Cllr Seamus McDonald argued that the works must be undertaken 'as a matter of urgency'. "It's a year and a half since I met Laois County Council officials with some of the residents living in that area," Cllr McDonald said. "There have been two accidents there since that time. Seven years ago, a man lost his life at that dangerous junction, and we all realise how busy the N80 is," he said. Pictured: the dangerous junction near the Laois / Offaly border, Killeigh. Photo: Maps "This junction at Moneyquid is seriously dangerous. I would request Rory, to make every effort to ensure that this work is carried out as soon as possible, before other people lose their lives," Cllr McDonald stressed. Laois County Council's Road Design Office replied that they are liaising with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on works at this location. "A traffic count / speed survey is currently ongoing at this location. The results of this will be assessed with the TII with a view to progressing these works subject to funding," the Road Design Office said. Mountrath Independent Cllr James Kelly supported Cllr McDonald in his motion. "As Cllr McDonald said, that meeting was over 18 months ago, and the N80 is a very busy road," Cllr Kelly said. "There are long stretches of road there and there's fierce speed on them. Road users are taking chances on that road unfortunately. It's Moneyquid, and we need the money, we need the funding. The sooner, the better," he said. Durrow based Independent Cllr Ollie Clooney was critical of TII, arguing that they are 'not playing ball'. "I want to support Cllr McDonald as well. I think that the roads in the western area have gone down, there's no question about that," Cllr Clooney said. "We will have to have a serious look at it. But what's the success of the TII? Because my success with them is nil," he said. "No merit whatsoever. They couldn't even put in safety measures there where they did a bit of work. There was some safety measures there, and they covered them over. So, they are certainly not playing ball with Ollie Clooney, no way," Cllr Clooney argued. Mr Rory O'Callaghan, Senior Executive Engineer with Laois County Council, replied that the Council's Area Office has no direct involvement with TII. "It's the Road Design office here who deal with all of the national routes, and the TII," he said. Cllr Kelly reminded Cllrs that once the traffic count and speed survey is carried out, they can then make representations to TII for approval. This motion was tabled at the October sitting of Laois County Council's Borris in Ossory / Mountmellick Municipal District. Staff and students of Heywood Community School are bursting with pride this week, following the awarding of the prestigious Naughton scholarship to past pupil Daniel Aylward. The Spink Comhaltas member attended the award ceremony on Saturday, October 18, where the 25,000 scholarship was presented by Dr Martin Naughton, and his wife Carmel, and Minister Jack Chambers, TD. The Abbeyleix-based student joined 37 other exceptional Irish students who were awarded third level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science, technology, and maths. After completing his Leaving Cert at the Ballinakill school, Daniel won a place at the University Of Limerick studying Engineering. Pictured: Carmel Naughton, Heywood CS Deputy Principal Peter Malone, winning scholar Daniel Aylward, Minister Jack Chambers TD and Martin Naughton at the 2025 Naughton Foundation Scholarship awards held at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. Photo: Kieran Harnett Heywood Community School was also awarded a prize of 1,000 towards their schools science facilities, for their support of their winning student. "Everyone in Heywood is extremely proud of Daniel's achievement at the weekend," Principal Eamon Jackman told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. "The Naughton Foundation supports exceptional students across Ireland, and receiving this award places Daniel among the top young minds in the country. We extend our warmest congratulations to Daniel and his family on this remarkable achievement," Mr Jackman praised. "Their success is a source of pride for the entire school community and serves as an inspiration to current and future students. The school was delighted to be represented at the ceremony by Mr Peter Malone (Deputy Principal) on Saturday and celebrate this incredible achievement with Daniel's family," he finished. This scholarship is just one of many awards and feats achieved by Daniel. "During his TY year, Daniel and a few classmates entered the Senior Enterprise Competition. For this competition, Daniel designed and produced a product they called 'Hurlr', which was an attachment for carrying a hurl on a bike," the student's mum Una Aylward told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. Pictured: Naughton scholarship winners with Minister Jack Chambers TD, Carmel and Martin Naughton at the scholarship awards ceremony. Hurlr won first place in the Laois heat, and with the continued help and support of a team of teachers in Heywood, Hurlr went on to place third in the national competition held in Croke Park. "Daniel continued to run Hurlr from his shed at home, and sold many Hurlrs throughout the country. He only recently decided to close the website due to other commitments," Daniel's Mum explained. At the 6th year awards night this year, Daniel was delighted to receive six separate awards, including the Senior Traditional Music contribution award, two subject awards for DCG and Physics and a senior perfect award. "Daniel was one of five students to be nominated for the Bank of Ireland Student of the Year and was also very honoured to receive the coveted Selisian award for Outstanding Leadership," Ms Aylward praised. Throughout Daniel's time in school, he has participated in the school trad group and has preformed many solos at carol services, school masses and events. Daniel has also travelled to Rome where the school choir and trad group preformed in Basicillas and surrounding churches, under the guidance of Miss Julia Woods. Pictured: Spink Comhaltas member Daniel Aylward with his Uileann Pipe medal The scholarship winner's musical roots run deep, having been a member of Spink Comhaltas since the age of six. "Over the course of his 12 years with Spink, he has participated in many groups and band competitions achieving County and Provincial success. In individual competitions, Daniel has also achieved County, Provincial and All Ireland success on a yearly basis,"Ms Aylward explained. At the age of nine, Daniel came second in the All Ireland Flute Slow Air competition and went on to win two more under 12 medals for the Flute and the Uilleann Pipes at All Ireland level. "Daniel was also the first u15 Laois competitor to win an Uilleann Pipes Slow Airs All Ireland medal, and continued his winning streak the following year, earning second place in the U18 competition," Ms Aylward finished. Up to recently Daniel has also been a member of Leinster Youth Orchestra and preformed on many stages throughout the country and abroad. The group also recorded a CD on which Daniel preforms a solo. Congratulations to the Heywood student on his resounding success! A councillor for the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) has once again called for temporary closure of two archways in Newbridge, citing safety concerns. It comes after Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender launched a petition last month calling on Kildare County Council (KCC) to close the Francis Street and Thomas Street archways off the Main Street in Newbridge. At the time, Cllr Pender also outlined the closure request specifically, he asked KCC to "commence the statutory process under the Roads Act 1993 and the Road Traffic Act 1994 to: publish a Notice of Intention to permanently close the arched sections of Francis Street and Thomas Street to vehicles; to carry out the required public consultation and Garda consultation; and to make the necessary orders to ensure these archway roads are pedestrian-only, with exceptions for emergency access if required". At the latest MD meeting, which took place on Wednesday, October 15 last, Cllr Pender motioned for KCC to commence the process under Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 "to permanently close the arched sections of Francis Street and Thomas Street, Newbridge where they meet Main Street, to vehicular traffic". READ NEXT: Kildare gardai investigating criminal damage incident involving two cars He also requested for KCC to temporarily close the lanes on safety grounds (pending completion of this process), but "with access for emergency services retained". Cllr Pender's motion was seconded by his party colleague, Cllr Pat Balfe. Speaking further on his motion, Cllr Pender told KCC that the Area Based Transport Assessment plan for Newbridge, or ABTA plan, indicated that the lanes in the area should be closed to vehicular traffic. "I've been told that it could add three minutes onto the journey times of some commuters, but personally, I don't care, if it means saving a child's life," he added. Cllr Pender also pointed out that one death had taken place in the region in the past, referring to the late Ann Bathe, a mother of two who was killed on Thomas Street in 2020. Concluding his points, Cllr Pender warned KCC: "To not close the archways would be negligent." Fine Gael Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer also said that she supported Cllr Pender's points, and added that she previously used the archways in the past for school runs, but stressed that, in her view, many people are now using the archways incorrectly. The Mayor of the MD, Fianna Fail Cllr Noel Heavey also said: "It should go without saying that people can still access the region through Eyre Street." READ NEXT: On yer bike ! - Kildare residents urged to cycle more In response to Cllr Pender's motion, KCC said via the report it presented at the meeting: "KCC can assess the feasibility of closing these accesses to vehicular traffic in line with relevant policies and plans." KCC further said: "If it is deemed to be feasible, then the use of the Section 38 process to close the accesses can be explored." In addition, KCC's Senior Executive Officer, Transport, Mobility and Open Spaces, Mark McLoughlin, was present at the meeting and told Cllr Pender that he has spoken to the Senior Engineer about the matter and he would relegate the comments made by the councillors to the Senior Engineer. When Cllr Pender asked if the matter could be put to a vote at the meeting, Mr McLoughlin responded: "We need to see if a Section 38 is required [for this region first]." "I will revert back to you on the temporary closure; I'm not sure if it will be feasible," Mr McLoughlin added. Cllr Pender took issue with this, and replied: "We are doing it with another road in Kildare... a temporary closure does not require a lot of work." This comment garnered support from Mayor Heavey, who told the representative: "It is clear that urgent action is needed." Mr McLoughlin then told the councillors who were present that he would come back to them with an answer "as soon as possible". Cllr Pender thanked the Mr McLoughlin for this assurance. In addition, Cllr Pender asked KCC to place the matter on a progress report. File photograph of Cllr Chris Pender READ NEXT: Appeal issued in relation to alleged serious assault of girl near Kildare border A woman moved to a nursing home located in The Curragh in order to be with her husband due to poor transport links. That's according to Social Democrats councillor Chris Pender, who made the comments at the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) meeting, which was held on Wednesday, October 15 last. He made the comments in relation to a motion which was submitted by Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer. In her motion, Cllr O'Dwyer motioned for Kildare County Council (KCC) to "write to the National Transport Authority to ask if they could assess the provision for a Local Link service from The Curragh to Newbridge". Cllr O'Dwyer's motion was seconded by her party colleague, Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer. In response to her motion, KCC said via the report it presented at the meeting: "The Transport, Mobility and Open Spaces Department has engaged with Local Link, who have advised that Transport for Ireland Local Link Kildare South Dublin are currently concluding a procurement process to provide a Connecting Ireland standard, seven days a week service from Kildare town Train Station to Newbridge Train Station via Suncroft." KCC added that this Department will provide a further update to the members when further information is available". In turn, Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer asked KCC if the route mentioned in its report would go through The Curragh Camp. READ NEXT: Appeal issued in relation to alleged serious assault of girl near Kildare border CROSS-PARTY SUPPORT The Mayor of the MD, Fianna Fail Cllr Noel Heavey, also expressed support for Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer's motion. Another local representative who supported the motion was Cllr Pender, who told KCC that the service "absolutely needs to be prioritised" for locals. He also told KCC that he recalled a time he spoke to a woman in a nursing home in Suncroft, who moved up there "because she could not get a bus to see husband", who was in Suncroft. KCC's Senior Executive Officer, Transport, Mobility and Open Spaces, Mark McLoughlin, was also present at the meeting and told Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer that he would get confirmation from Local Link regarding further details about the route. He added: "I would think that it would go through The Curragh." Cllr Chris Pender (LEFT), who made the comments about the woman in the nursing home, and (RIGHT) Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer, who submitted the original motion. READ NEXT: Kildare gardai investigating criminal damage incident involving two cars Leitrim councillors were dismayed to discover that generators will not be in place for the coming storm season after Cllr Gary Prior asked for an update on when three promised generators would be in place. "We are heading for November and in storm season," he told the meeting. Cllr Prior was told that the council was informed that three emergency generators will be allocated to each local authority and it is expected that the tender will be concluded by the end of 2025 and the generators will be in place by Q1, 2026. Dave Minton, director of services, noted that when Storm Amy hit last week, the response saw over 140 instances responded to over 24 hours across three crews and emergency services dealt with 25 instances. "The response was really effective in Leitrim," he said. Cllr Ita Reynolds-Flynn described the news as "disappointing" saying that "it is an urgent matter and they should be in place for 2025; I never dreamt it would be 2026 and the communities have the hubs ready to go and every one has worked hard; they allocated the theatre here and all they really need is the generator." Cllr Brendan Barry asked if the funding will be provided to the community hub groups "so that when the generators do arrive, will they may able to go straight into the buildings." Mr Minton replied that funding will be provided to selected hubs to ensure all costs are covered for the installation of the generators. "The challenge here is that the procurement of the generator is being done nationally so there's a generic installation requirement for each of these hubs that has to be followed." READ MORE: Samhain at Leitrim Organic Centre returns next week He added: "I'd expect the consultation to proceed now and the selection and fit out of the hubs to be ready forwhen the generators are delivered and installed." Cllr Paddy O'Rourke asked where Leitrim "sat, in terms of the pecking order, in the delivery of these generators because no county in Ireland suffered more than we did following Storm Eowyn and to a lesser extent, with Storm Amy." He noted that Carlow County Council is acting on behalf of the Local Government Sector on overseeing the procurement process and commented that that part of the country was much less affected than Leitrim. Cllr Roisin Kenny noted that she had no electricity for 15 days and said it wasn't "acceptable that we have to wait until next March; it's outrageously poor planning and I am not blaming Leitrim County Council at all; they have done trojan work." Cllr Prior said there was a lot of anxiety out there among residents at the moment. "People are living alone and afraid of storms. A woman told me that she had a freezer in her garage and lost 250 worth of food and didn't apply for the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS). I told her that hopefully we will have generators in place. The community is not going to be forgiving on us as representatives on the ground; could we lease a generator or two?" He added: "If we had a power point ready to go, it's not a big job or costly." Cllr O'Rourke said that he is going to contact Deputy Dara Calleary as "this has to be done at senior level". Cllr Prior asked if the council could contact the department as a matter of urgency. Mr Minton said the generators are "heavy industry generators" and need to be installed in a precise manner. He said: "If we can get guidelines for the installation, we can look at alternative generators that can be installed as well as part of that process; for now, we need to make sure that we are installing the appropriate infrastructure into each hub in order to facilitate the national hub." Mr Minton suggested writing to the minister expressing their concern around the national procurement. He added: "We can write to Carlow to see where we are in the pecking order for the receipt of the infrastructure. From my perspective, if we can get the guidelines for the installation requirements, that will allow us to respond locally as well." Cllr Prior commented "this is something that can be done in weeks not months and we won't have these generators until March? A lot of young children and adults were without power for 16 days and we don't want to go back there again." On Saturday, Leitrim students Dylan Kabaya and Iollan Morahan were awarded a Naughton Foundation Scholarship worth 25,000 at a ceremony in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. The awards were presented by founding patrons of the Naughton Foundation, Dr. Martin Naughton, and his wife Carmel, who were joined by Minister Jack Chambers, TD to present winning students with their awards and cheques. The Naughton Foundation Scholarship Awards, aimed at supporting academic and innovative excellence in Irish students, are an investment in the future of Ireland's reputation as a country with outstanding graduates promoting the study of engineering, science, and technology at third level. READ MORE: From Abba to Johnny Cash Leitrim's Island Theatres set for an unforgettable season The County Leitrim winners, Dylan Kabaya, a former student of St. Clares Comprehensive School, in Manorhamilton and Iollan Morahan, a former student of Carrick on Shannon Community School, have accepted places at University College Dublin studying Computer Science. Dylan and Iollan join 36 other exceptional Irish students who were awarded third-level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science, technology, and maths. Both prize winners former secondary schools, St. Clares Comprehensive School and Carrick on Shannon Community School, were awarded a prize of 1,000 towards their schools science facilities, for their support of their winning students. Speaking about the growth and development of the programme over the past seventeen years, Dr. Martin Naughton commented; Both Carmel and I are delighted by the growth of this program and the incredible community of alumni who are doing extraordinary work in education, research and industry at home and abroad. Today we are delighted to welcome a new cohort of wonderful young people to join this group and to support and encourage them. When we meet these young engineers, researchers, and mathematicians, I am very happy knowing that we have invested in Irelands wealth creators and leaders of the future. READ MORE: You would have been laughed at to say a day like this could happen for our club Flynn leads Leitrim Gaels to historic win Since its establishment in 2008, the Foundation has presented over 8 million in scholarships to over 450 young people in publicly funded institutions across the island of Ireland. The scheme started in three counties and has continued to expand annually to become a nationwide scheme in 2016. There is one guaranteed scholarship (25,000) for each participating county, with some counties awarded more than one scholarship and each scholarship is worth 6,000 for each year of a students three- or four-year undergraduate degree. Plan fast-tracks HK's development China Daily) 10:57, October 21, 2025 The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) a policy road map shaping key areas of national socioeconomic development holds "historic significance" for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, primarily in its clear outline of the city as a global hub in eight key areas, industry and community leaders have said. They made their comments as the plan nears the end of its final year and draft proposals for its successor, the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), are being discussed at the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which kicked off in Beijing on Monday. The "unprecedentedly clear directions for Hong Kong" set in the current plan, as lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai described, have provided the city's stakeholders at all levels with "explicit, easy-to-follow guidance" for local development and deeper integration with national strategies. Launched in 2021, the plan designated Hong Kong's role in eight key areas, including as a center for international finance, trade, innovation and technology, and cultural exchange. Hong Kong has since yielded significant results in various fields aligned with the central government's development priorities, Wong noted, crediting the SAR government's proactive and rigorous implementation of the national framework. Wong, an associate dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, pointed to what he called "the most significant, beneficial shift" for Hong Kong's innovation and technology sector in recent years: the SAR government's "decisive, concrete move" to steer the sector's development within the city. He cited the promulgation of the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint in 2022 and the subsequent surge in government investment in innovation as evidence of this strategic pivot to government-led growth. This substantial funding injection has tangibly improved research financing, talent recruitment and commercialization outcomes, while also boosting the local private sector's confidence to invest in I&T ventures, he said. Lo Hiu-fung, a Hong Kong district councilor, stressed the 14th Five-Year Plan's vital role in the city's social development, particularly through its objectives to instill patriotism among residents and deepen social integration with the Chinese mainland. Lo highlighted the city's intensified cross-border educational exchanges with the mainland, spearheaded by the SAR government, calling this leadership "an invaluable addition to previously grassroots-led initiatives", which has delivered impressive outcomes. He noted a growing trend of local schools opting for mainland destinations for their exchange programs over overseas options, aiming to help young people understand the nation's development and foster a greater sense of national pride. "Hong Kong youth are pursuing study and working opportunities on the mainland more nowadays," he said. "They've increasingly recognized that their future development has been extended beyond Hong Kong to the entire Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and other mainland regions." Angus Ng Hok-ming, chairman of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Association, agreed that Hong Kong's younger generation with a more extensive understanding of the nation's strategic development is evolving from a traditional bridge role to that of a dynamic "dual-converter", assuming greater responsibility across sectors in support of the region's collaborative progress. As attention turns to the 15th Five-Year Plan, representatives anticipate more guidance in the coming iteration regarding Hong Kong's accelerated national integration, specifically through measures that further reduce cross-border collaboration barriers. Wong identified the Northern Metropolis a mega urban transformation project spanning 30,000 hectares across Hong Kong's North and Yuen Long districts, bordering Shenzhen as one of the key future nodes for Greater Bay Area integration, expecting the new plan to specify the project's role in further breaking down walls. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) -LACRA Launches Digital Traceability for local coffee to boost exports; One million seedlings initiative on Course Bories, the farm above, is ready for harvest and at the same time, we are carrying irrigation to start transplanting Govt Outlines Vision for Renewed U.S. Partnership Says Liberia Is No Longer a problem, but part of the solution LIMERICK'S cultural landscape took centre stage as the city honoured the Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) with a mayoral reception to mark its 30th anniversary. The ICO first relocated to Limerick from Dublin back in 1995 when the Irish World Academy was being established at the University of Limerick. The ICO has since toured the world, recording and showcasing local and national creativity on a global stage. It has toured extensively across the world and made history as the first Irish orchestra to hold a three-year residency at Germanys Heidelberg Fruhling Festival. Supported by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaion and Limerick City and County Council, the ICO operates as both an orchestra and a charitable organisation, ensuring that many in Limerick city have access to free music education in schools. READ MORE: Ghostly games and ghoulish treats return at annual County Limerick event Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, said: Im very proud to celebrate 30 years of the ICOs extraordinary presence in our city. In many ways, their journey over the last three decades mirrors our own transformation in Limerick. CEO of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Gerry Keenan, added: Weve grown with this city, and we look forward to nurturing the next generation of musicians and audiences over the next 30 years. The ICO has forged landmark collaborations with some of Irelands most iconic artists including Sinead OConnor, and The Cranberries. The mayoral reception coincided with the ICO's 30th anniversary gala concert at University Concert Hall, on Saturday. FOUR new interactive signs providing targeted messaging to visitors to Limerick over Christmas are to be installed on the approaches to the city centre. The news was confirmed by Cllr Daniel Butler, who chaired a meeting which aims to make improvements to the city centre. The four so-called variable messaging signs - or VMS - will provide information on activities taking place in and around the city in the lead up to Christmas. READ MORE: Search kicks off for new manager of Limerick development company They will be place for between four to six weeks, and its proposed they are located at Dock Road, Condell Road, Ballysimon Road and the old Dublin Road. Councillor Butler has welcomed the initiative to support traders and promote Limerick. These digital message signs will not only help promote Christmas in Limerick but also provide useful information for people coming into the city. This is a practical and creative way of enhancing communication and supporting our traders during this key period. Meanwhile, further details of the only confirmed large-scale Christmas event in Limerick City have been revealed. A light-up Limerick Christmas parade is to take place on the evening of Saturday, November 22. The council has advised of a series of road closures, predominantly on the southside of the river to facilitate it. Areas affected include Pery Square, Barrington Street, the Crescent, OConnell Street, Nicholas Street, Merchants Quay, Sarsfield Bridge and Arthurs Quay. Metropolitan councillors approved the event licence this week. Relatives of those killed in the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash have delivered a handwritten letter to Downing Street saying they have endured decades of grief, unanswered questions and institutional silence. They are also seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to voice their concerns in person. The Chinook Justice Campaign has launched a petition which has been signed by more than 47,000 people calling for a public inquiry. Twenty-five intelligence experts and four special forces crew were killed when the helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, en-route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, on June 2 that year. The incident was initially blamed on pilot error before this was overturned in 2011. The Ministry of Defence says the tragic accident has already been subject to six inquiries, including an independent judge-led review. The handwritten letter was delivered by Nicola Rawcliff from Norfolk, whose brother Chris was killed in the crash. The letter to Sir Keir says: We are writing once again to appeal for a public, judge-led inquiry into why our loved ones were allowed to board a helicopter that was not airworthy and why key documents relating to the crash have been sealed for 100 years. For over three decades we have endured grief, unanswered questions and institutional silence from the Ministry of Defence. The campaign had earlier published a list of 110 unanswered questions about the crash, including one on who authorised the mission. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said earlier: The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. We understand that the lack of certainty about the cause of the crash has added to the distress of the families. We have now received the Chinook Justice Campaigns formal claim for a judicial review of our decision to reject the demand for a judge-led inquiry into the circumstances of the crash. Our focus is on responding to that claim and to the allegations contained within it and we are unable to comment further at this time. The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review. New Delhi: Singapores Keppel Ltd has bought energy major Shell Plcs 49% stake in pan-Asian solar developer Cleantech Solar in a deal valuing the equity at around $200 million taking full control of the company. It next plans a sale of Cleantech for around $400 million, said two people aware of the development. Both requested anonymity. Keppel already owns 51% stake in Cleantech. Keppel Corporation Ltd, Keppel Asia Infrastructure Fund LP (KAIF) and a co-investor of KAIF, through Cloud Alpha Pte Ltd, had acquired 51% equity in Cleantech Renewable Assets Pte. Ltd for $150 million in 2021. The balance 49% stake was held by Shell. Keppel Corp. was renamed Keppel Ltd early in 2024. Cleantech Renewable Assets is the holding company of Cleantech Solar. Cleantech Solar has a 1.2 giga watt (GW) portfolio of solar and wind assets in operations, construction and development stages in India, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam; of which 1 GW is operational. Spokespersons for Shell and Cleantech Solar confirmed the sale. Shell Singapore Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, has agreed to sell its 49% stake in Cleantech Renewable Assets Pte Ltd to an affiliate of Keppel Ltd. This decision is consistent with Shells business strategy and enhanced focus on performance, discipline, and simplification," a Shell spokesperson said in an emailed response. Keppel Ltd. and its managed fund, Keppel Asia Infrastructure Fund, have agreed to acquire Shell Singapore Pte Ltd.s 49% stake in Cleantech Renewable Assets Pte Ltd. This is an exciting new chapter for Cleantech Solar. The company is well-positioned for growth and success, with support from committed shareholders and partners, and more importantly, a strong and dedicated team," a Cleantech Solar spokesperson said on email. Queries emailed to a Keppel spokesperson on Thursday evening remained unanswered. Also Read | Cleantech Solar promoters ready to sell majority stake Deals abound This deal comes in the backdrop of Shell's plans to sell Sprng Energy group, which it acquired in 2022 from Actis Llp at an enterprise value of $1.55 billion. (Enterprise value or the total economic value of a company includes its equity value, debt, and other obligations net of cash and its equivalents.) We continuously review our portfolio to deliver upon our strategy. We will not comment on market speculation. Sprng remains focused on safe, reliable operations," the Shell spokesperson added in response to a query about status and value of the Sprng Energy group transaction. This also comes as global oil majors including Shell, Total of France, Thailands PTT Group and Malaysian state-run Petronas unit Gentari Sdn Bhd have established a presence in Indias green energy sector as the conventional hydrocarbon space undergoes disruptions. There is a growing interest in green energy the Indian commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, with the latest case in point being the country's' largest oil refiner and marketing company Indian Oil Corp.s renewables unit Terra Clean Ltd planning to acquire a 50% stake in renewable energy firm Fourth Partner Energy Pvt. Ltd in a deal having an equity value of around $400 million, as reported by Mint earlier. Analysts note the action in the C&I-focused large green energy space in India. With the C&I segment comprising 45-50% of Indias electricity demand, achieving 20% RE (renewable energy) penetration over the next five years would necessitate 100 GW of RE capacity implying a CAGR of 30%. This marks a substantial scale-up from the current estimated open access capacity of 25-30 GW. In recent years, large RE platforms with a portfolio of more than 1 GW, focused on the C&I market, have emerged in the sector," ratings agency ICRA wrote in a report. Also Read | Indian Oil unit Terra Clean in talks to buy 50% stake in Fourth Partner Energy Rapid scale-up Indias C&I segment has attracted strong investor interest, given the regulatory landscape being supportive with rules allowing large power users to source energy from the open market rather than the costlier grid. C&I projects are also shielded from risks such as power procurement curtailment by state-run power distribution firms. Also, the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions' implementation of Time of Day tariffs, which vary depending on demand and time, for large C&I category consumers has helped sustain the investors interest. There are several green energy deals in play, with the investment thesis guided by scale. India has an installed renewable energy capacity of 245 GW, of which solar and wind power account for 116 GW and 52 GW, respectively. India plans to add 50GW of green energy capacity annually to reach 500GW by 2030. Given the country's green energy transition trajectory and the net-zero target by 2070, the plan is to add 1,800 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2047 and 5,000 GW by 2070. Some of the transactions as reported by Mint include Morgan Stanley and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) in October launched the sale process of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP)-owned Vena Global Group Pte Ltds exit of its Indian green energy platform Vena Energy India in a deal having an enterprise value of around $1 billion. Also, European alternative asset manager EQT has dropped the plan to sell renewable developer Zelestras India operations and instead transferred it to its Asia Pacific infrastructure team headed by Hong Kong-based partner Ken Wong. EQT will also invest around $600 million to develop the portfolio and has brought in Parag Sharma, former chief executive officer and co-founder of EQT and Temasek-backed O2 Power, to head the company, replacing incumbent CEO Sajay K V. (Bloomberg) -- Stellantis NV Chief Executive Officer Antonio Filosa is meeting with Italian labor unions on Monday as weak demand prompts the maker of Fiat and Alfa Romeo cars to pause output at several factories. Unions such as FIM-CISL and Fiom have said they want Filosa to clarify his intentions for manufacturing in Italy after a prolonged slump in local car production raises questions over the future of sites such as Cassino and Termoli. They also want more clarity on plans for the ailing Maserati brand. Late last year, Stellantis pledged to make new models the overhauled Fiat 500 small car in Italy as part of a push to repair relations with government following the tenure of former CEO Carlos Tavares, who had pushed to move production to cheaper countries such as Morocco. A few days after his ouster, Stellantis pledged to invest 2 billion ($2.3 billion) in Italy this year. Stellantis didnt immediately respond to a request for comment to on the meeting. Like its rivals, Stellantis is contending with excess capacity in Europe, where Chinese manufacturers led by BYD Co. are expanding with competitively priced cars. The company has committed to 6 billion in orders from local suppliers and vowed to shut down no Italian plants. In Europe, Stellantis has temporarily shut down several sites because of lackluster demand for some models, with repercussions on local suppliers. Forvia on Monday said its facing costs of several tens of millions of euros in sales this year because of the production stoppage. Filosa has scraped some European investments and vowed to invest $13 billion in the US, a critical market, over the next four years, further adding to European unions worries. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) announced a landmark achievement on Tuesday, reporting that its Nandini sweets brand registered sales of 1,100 metric tonnes, generating a remarkable revenue of 46 crore across the recent Dasara and Diwali festive season. This result signifies a substantial 38% increase in turnover compared to the equivalent festival period last year, establishing a significant new milestone for the cooperative dairy network, KMF said in a statement. The federation had initially set a conservative target of 1,000 metric tonnes for the year, following the previous years successful sale of 725 metric tonnes, which was valued at 33.48 crore. View full Image Livemint The federation credited this outstanding success to comprehensive pre-festival logistical planning and tight coordination with its member milk unions to ensure they could meet the escalating consumer demand for confectionery during the festivities. Reaching an impressive 1,100 metric tonnes of sweets, resulting in a total turnover of 46 crore, is a proud milestone for KMF and our member unions, the statement said, noting that the record reflects the purity, quality, and trust that Nandini products have earned among consumers over the years. KMF procures one crore litres of milk daily from farmers The federation, which procures approximately one crore litres of milk daily from farmers across Karnataka, currently sells nearly 65 lakh litres of liquid milk, curd, and Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk every day across the state and in other markets outside the region. Under the Nandini label, KMF boasts a portfolio of over 175 different dairy products, including ghee, butter, paneer, milk powder, sweets, and beverages. These products are widely available not only throughout Karnataka but also across numerous other Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Delhi, and Assam, as well as in select overseas destinations. This remarkable achievement stands as a testimony to the unity, hard work, and commitment of Karnatakas dairy farming community, KMF said. Last month, the Karnataka Co-operative Milk Producers Federation revised the price list for Nandini milk products following the implementation of GST reforms. The notice regarding the same was issued on 20 September, in which the prices of a total of 21 Nandini milk products were revised. These included Ghee, Paneer, Cheese, Ice creams, Chocolates and others. Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Indias largest telecom operator by market share, has no immediate plans to increase mobile phone tariffs, belying market expectations, choosing instead to grow revenue by driving users to consume more data. Jio and its closest rival Bharti Airtel Ltd recently removed their entry-level plans to bump up their average revenue per user (or Arpu, a key performance metric for telecom operators), triggering expectations that the telecom operators would increase tariffs towards the end of the year or in early 2026. We are nudging consumers to consume more and happily pay more, but no immediate plans for the tariff (hike)," said Anshuman Thakur, head of strategy at Reliance Jio Infocomm, during an earnings call with analysts. In the September quarter, Jios monthly average revenue per user rose 1.2% to 211.4 from 208.8 at the end of June, with growth slowing due to promotional 5G offers, according to the company. Following Jios decision to remove its entry-level pack, analysts had expected it to both raise tariffs and focus on premium services to close the gap with Bharti Airtel, which leads the industry in terms of Arpu ( 250 at the end of June). Airtel is yet to declare its September-quarter earnings. If Reliance were not to increase tariffs in the next few months, its [year-on-year] Arpu growth for the March quarter would likely be 4% (at say 214/subscriber)," J.P. Morgan analysts said in a note dated 19 October. Investors continue to expect Jio to raise telecom tariffs ahead of the proposed IPO of Reliance Jio (likely by June 2026)." Jio net added 8.3 million mobile subscribers during the September quarter, taking its subscriber base to 506.4 million. At the end of September, Jio had 234 million 5G subscribers, up from 213 million in the preceding June quarter. 5G now accounts for 50% of Jios total wireless traffic. Key Takeaways Despite expectations of another price hike, Reliance Jio is holding rates steady for now. The company aims to lift revenue by encouraging heavier data use and expanding 5G services, rather than charging users more upfront. Jio is accelerating its fixed broadband rollout, adding over a million homes every month through both fiber and wireless connections. With 23 million subscribers already, its targeting 100 million home broadband users to strengthen its digital ecosystem. Jio is partnering with its parents new arm, Reliance Intelligence, to create AI-based products and services. While RI builds core AI capabilities, Jio will deploy them across its platformsenabling faster innovation, cost savings, and deeper integration across the Reliance ecosystem. Leading tariff hikes When telecom operators raised tariffs in July 2024 after a gap of over two years, it was Reliance Jio that took the lead with a 1225% price hike. But while Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd have been vocal about the need to hike tariffs to increase the return on capital employed (RoCE, a measure of profitability and efficiency), Jio has refrained from openly talking about increasing tariffs. We (the industry) are operating with the lowest Arpus and the lowest rate per gigabyte. Yet you have to make money," Bharti Airtels managing director and vice chairman Gopal Vittal said at an industry event earlier this month, adding that there was room for raising telecom tariffs. In fact, Vittal had earlier called for a change in the telecom tariff structure, by reducing data allowances on some telecom packs and charging for more data. Though RIL (Reliance Industries) is non-committal on possible tariff hike, management indicated they have other levers like unlimited 5G slab increase, etc., to drive Arpu growth along with the accelerated roll out of FTTH (fiber-to-the-home)/FWA (fixed wireless access)," Antique Stock Broking analysts said in a note dated 19 October. Also Read | Jio Platforms IPO could see another tariff warto hike telecom rates Jios broadband focus Jio, during its earnings call last week, said it was looking to add more home broadband subscribers faster. It added more than 1 million new homes each month during the July-September quarter, taking its total fixed broadband connections to 23 million. Jio has set a target of 100 million home broadband customers, with no specified timeline. The rate for connecting new homes has been increasing and the technology is working well," Thakur told analysts during the call. A lot of these new connections are being done wirelessly, and therefore the implementation itself is simpler, faster, and we are expecting that we will be able to scale this up quite significantly from where we are today." Jio is leveraging its unlicensed band radio technologythe 5G Air Fibre and fiber routeto provide home broadband internet. Also Read | India talks up 6G ambitions even as its 5G bet is yet to pay off Reliance Intelligence and Jio In August, Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani launched Reliance Intelligence, the companys artificial intelligence arm, and announced expanded partnerships with shareholders Google and Meta Platforms for AI applications and services. On the role of Jios parent, Jio Platforms Ltd, in this arrangement, Thakur said, Jio is going to develop its own products and it is going to work with Reliance Intelligence to bring its solutions to the market." Jio Platforms houses the telecom and digital services business of Reliance Industries. Reliance Jio Infocomm is a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, accounting for most of its business. Reliance Intelligence will develop and invest in creating AI products, Thakur explained, adding that this would require a lot of infrastructure and computing needs such as graphic processing units (GPUs). Reliance Intelligence is not looking to do its own LLMs (large language models) at this point in time, but (it is looking at) AI-based products and solutions using its own infrastructure, its own people, its own capabilities," Thakur said. While Jio will have an open slate to work with companies such as OpenAI, Meta and Google, Reliance Intelligence will compete with these global tech giants, he said. This dual structureRI (Reliance Intelligence) developing core AI capabilities and Jio leveraging them across its platformsensures lower incremental investment needs, stronger integration, and long-term cost efficiency, positioning Reliance to monetize enterprise AI workloads and India- specific digital services in the coming years," the Antique Stock Broking analysts said in their note. Jio Platforms reported a 12.8% year-on-year growth in net profit to 7,375 crore for the September quarter. Revenue from operations rose 14.6% to 36,332 crore. NEW DELHI : Premiumization, exclusive brand tie-ups, and an enhanced in-store experience helped Shoppers Stop Ltd increase footfalls in the three months ended 30 September after several weak quarters, even as it continues to invest in its value and beauty formats with a capex of 160-200 crore for 2025-26. For years I heard people say department stores are not the in format, but we had a very clear strategy to drive around premiumization and create a differentiation around experience," said Kavindra Mishra, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of The K Raheja Corp.-backed multi-brand store chain, in an interview with Mint on Friday. We had a 6% like-for-like customer entry increase in our stores, and because were premiumizing, we are able to create a space in consumers minds. Many brands are only available through Shoppers. This means that within a given brand, the percentage of exclusive lines for Shopper has improved 300-400 basis points. Those are the building blocks we are working on. They have started adding value," he said. The 111-store department chain had reported a 1% decline in footfalls in the year-ago period. Shoppers Stop also runs 10 home-concept stores, a large beauty business comprising 84 beauty stores for brands such as Estee Lauder, M.A.C, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Jo Malone London, Nars, Armani Beauty, apart from 78 stores for its value-focussed fashion brand Intune. Its sales grew 10% year-on-year to 1,175 crore, with premiumization's contribution rising to 69% during the quarter. Its private brands, at 161 crore, contributed 13% to the overall sales and 17% to the apparel business. Its Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) rose 11% to 173 crore. Average selling price (ASP) rose 6%, average transaction value (ATV) 8%, and items per transaction (IPT) 2%. Core business revenuecomprising the department, beauty, home-concept stores, and SS.com operationsincreased 7% to 1,346 crore during the quarter. Beauty sales surged 22% on-year to 331 crore, and Intune recorded a 170% on-year jump in sales to 70 crore. The multi-brand retailer opened three beauty outlets during the quarter. The results were broadly above estimates, said analysts at Antique Stock Broking Ltd. Revenue grew backed by premiumization and brand investments. Margin was maintained owing to cost rationalization; however, it was offset by higher brand investments during the quarter. After a couple of weak quarters for Intune, management highlighted sequential improvement with 1% like-for-like growth during 2Q," they said in a 20-October note. Store revamp The retailer has been investing in improving in-store experience with cafes, gaming zones, and kids' play areas at high-street locations to fend off competition and draw consumers to its stores. Department stores, which sell a diverse assortment of goods and brands, have faced the onslaught of single-brand retailers, such as global fast fashion brands Zara, H&M and Uniqlo. Competition from value formats has also intensified over the past couple of years, with more retailers targeting middle-income shoppers in both large and small cities. For instance, homegrown value format Zudio, part of Tata-backed Trent Ltd, too, has been expanding at a steady pace. As of March 2025, Zudio had 765 stores across 235 cities. Recently, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd announced plans to rebrand its value fashion format Style Up to OWND! to appeal to younger, gent shoppers. It plans to open 100 stores in 2025-26. In the segment, Shoppers Stop's Intune sells at a sub- 999 price point with an average selling price of 400-450, focusing on young families, not Gen Z shoppers, Mishra said, commenting on the competition. The company recently refreshed these stores with brighter facades, improved lighting, and refreshed merchandise on a weekly basis. Its still a very young brandabout 18 months oldso it will take time to build. But Intune is a growth business well keep investing in, while Shoppers Stop remains the mothership that is generating cash for expansion," the CEO said. The retailer plans to open an additional 15 Intune stores in the second half of 2025-26. To be sure, it missed the earlier guidance of 7-8 Intune stores in the September quarter, with only three new stores opened. On a positive note, management expects double-digit growth to continue, led by a stronger festive and wedding season, according to analysts at Antique. Shoppers Stop is also strengthening its premium portfolio by partnering with global labels, which typically partner with a retailer for a shop-in-shop format, rather than stand-alone stores. We have launched New Balance, Asics, Armani Exchange, and Guess handbags, and will soon launch Boss and G-Star," the CEO said. As we speak, we are talking to other players in the fashion and accessories space. It will be all premium." BENGALURU : Irish-American financial services firm Stripe Inc. has indefinitely postponed its planned mid-2025 relaunch in India due to stricter licensing and compliance requirements, according to three people aware of the development. The payments firm, which received in-principle approval for a payment aggregator licence in 2022 and final authorisation to facilitate domestic transactions in January 2024, switched to an invite-only model requiring Indian merchants to join a waitlist later that year, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed stricter know-your-customer (KYC) norms. Also Read | Titan to enter financial services for small, medium biz after boost from GoDaddy In a May 2024 post on its website, the company said it would support only a select set of Indian businesses focused on international expansion and aimed to onboard more users by the second half of 2025. By July that year, the over-$100-billion multinational also surrendered the cross-border payment aggregator licence it had received just three months earlier, according to the three people mentioned above. However, the San Francisco- and Dublin-headquartered firms plans to offer both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) payments in India and compete with the likes of Razorpay, Cashfree, and PayU are now on hold. The company had been evaluating an expansion beyond cross-border payments offered to Indian merchants, and it onboarded UPI (Unified Payments Interface) as an option in 2024," said a payments executive on condition of anonymity. But tighter rules for merchant onboarding by payment aggregators have spoiled Stripes plans to launch a full-stack payments platform here." Meanwhile, Stripe reiterated its support for Indian users in its response to Mints queries. We remain committed to supporting our users, including those wanting to expand globally or to reach customers in India." Indias cross-border payments market has expanded rapidly due to services exports, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and global freelancing. This has drawn fintechs and payment aggregators that help small and medium enterprises invoice, collect, and reconcile overseas flows. Key players include Skydo, XFlow, BriskPe and Razorpay, as well as banks and global payment service providers such as PayPal. India set a new remittance record in 2024-25, receiving $135.46 billion, up 14% year-on-year, according to the latest RBI data. According to a recent industry report by global payments provider Worldline Global, these inflows now account for over a tenth of gross current account receipts. RBI spanner in the works The company's unique selling proposition has been instant merchant onboarding and the ability for businesses to start accepting payments on websites and apps almost immediately. However, that model is no longer viable in India, as the banking regulator now requires payment aggregators to conduct full KYC for every merchanteven if the merchant has already completed the process with a bank. In April 2024, the central bank released draft directions for payment aggregators and gateways, proposing changes to merchant due diligence norms, settlement practices, and the maintenance of escrow accounts. It also proposed tighter KYC requirements, triggering a sector-wide re-verification of merchant detailsincluding bank accounts and business credentialsto ensure settlements flow only to the rightful, linked entity. The regulator finalized a new framework by September 2025. Key directives include mandatory RBI authorization for non-bank payment aggregators by 31 December 2025, new capital requirements, and enhanced merchant due diligence, including KYC. This emphasis on rigorous merchant KYC and document verification to weed out fictitious operators has increased compliance costs for aggregators, said a fintech founder on the condition of anonymity. The RBI has made it clear that all existing and new merchants onboarded by payment aggregators must undergo reKYC," the person said. This is adding to compliance costs as each reKYC carries a permerchant expense that shows up directly in operating spend." Besides, Indias data localization requirements and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) framework further expand compliance scope for global players, the person added. Shashwat Sharma, senior partner and financial services lead at global management consulting firm Kearney, said the RBI tightened norms after a spate of misusefraudulent transactions, laundering risks, and flows routed to gambling and offshore lending appsacross the payment ecosystem. The regulator wants more accountability from payments aggregators for verifying merchant identity, business legitimacy, and fund flows on an ongoing basis, he added. Stripe's workaround In the absence of a broad domestic rollout, Stripe is supporting a limited set of exporters through partner railslicensed payment aggregators and banks onboard merchants and conduct full KYC, while Stripe integrates as a referral and technical layer. Also Read | Pharmexcil seeks data from exporters to resolve unpaid, delayed foreign payments This approach, sometimes described as a merchant-on-record" or submerchant model under the licensed entity, allows select Indian businesses to accept international card payments compliantly without Stripe acting as the primary onboarder. What Stripe is likely doing right now is partnering with a licensed aggregator or a bank that onboards the merchant, does the KYC, and treats Stripe as a referral or integration layer," said the fintech founder quoted earlier. Its not a loophole, and is an acceptable construct where the licensed entity is the merchant on record and Stripes merchants operate as submerchants under that umbrella." Stripe does offer an MOR model globally; however, this is not the model used in India. Stripe India processes cross-border/export transactions for Indian merchants as a licensed payment aggregator, a Stripe spokesperson told Mint. However, Sharma of Kearney added that the stricter KYC wasnt a paperwork exercise, it was a response to real risks. When merchantonrecord constructs were abused, money found its way to gambling, offshore lending apps, and dubious operators. The RBIs message was clearaggregators are responsible for who they onboard and where the money goes, with full KYC and continuous monitoring baked in from day one." Stripe, whose valuation reportedly climbed to $106.7 billion in September, saw its 2024 revenue rise 34% to $5.1 billion and posted a pretax profit of $102 million, a sharp turnaround from a $1.2 billion loss a year earlier, according to a Forbes report. New Delhi: America's new tariffs on transshipped goods could disrupt Asia-Pacific supply chains, including India's, jolting production networks deeply linked to China and worsening export compliance challenges for South-East Asian nations, Moody's Ratings cautioned on Tuesday. In a report titled Trade: Asia-Pacific, the US focus on origin of imports increases risks for Asia-Pacific supply chains, the New York-headquartered organization said. The reciprocal tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump apply to goods deemed to have been rerouted through third countries to evade country-specific duties, effectively introducing a two-tier trade regime. Also Read | Moodys sounds alarm on private funds for individuals While Washington has not clearly defined transshipment, the measure appears aimed at Chinese products shipped through lower-tariff economies, Moodys said in the report. The tariff will be credit negative for various sectors globally, particularly in South and South-East Asia (S&SEA), given the region's high dependence on Chinese inputs. Vietnam (Ba2 stable), Malaysia (A3 stable), and Thailand (Baa1 negative) are among the countries most exposed because of their deep integration with Chinese supply chains, while the main exposed sectors include electronics, electrical equipment, solar energy, machinery, automotive, and semiconductors, it said. While these developments could add pressure to supply chain diversification efforts away from China, we expect the China+1 strategy to remain largely intact, it added. Under the China+1 strategy, sparked by the Washington-Beijing trade tensions, and accelerated by the pandemic, companies retain some of their manufacturing in China while shifting the rest to other countries to minimise risks. Transshipment typically refers to transferring cargo between different modes of transport and routes when no direct route to the final destination exists. South-east Asias export-led economies, especially the 10-nation Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bloc, are facing fresh uncertainty from Trumps escalating trade war, as Washington moves to penalize goods routed through third countries to sidestep tariffs on China. When the Trump administration first imposed a 30% tariff on Chinese goods earlier this year, it also announced a 40% duty on transshipped products, items rerouted through third countries to evade US tariffs, as the logic was clear: penalties for circumvention must exceed the base tariff to act as a deterrent, said Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a think tank. Now, with president Trump declaring on 10 October that the US will impose an additional 100% tariff on imports from China starting 1 November, the implications for transshipped goods are far more severe, he said, adding that if implemented, the surcharge on re-routed Chinese products could logically exceed 130%, maintaining parity with or surpassing the direct tariff. In effect, Chinese-origin goods re-exported through hubs such as Vietnam, Malaysia, or Mexico could face prohibitive tariffs, possibly exceeding their declared value, severely straining global supply chains. Under an executive order issued in August, imports deemed to have been transshipped will attract a punitive 40% tariff, along with penalties and applicable country-of-origin duties, if flagged by US Customs and Border Protection. However, the lack of clarity around what qualifies as transshipment poses significant risks for Asean economies, the Moodys Ratings report said. If the US maintains a narrow interpretationtargeting only goods imported from China, minimally processed or relabeled and re-exported to the USthe economic impact on regional economies may be limited, it said. However, a broader and more punitive interpretationwhere goods with any significant Chinese input are also deemed in violationcould prove economically damaging for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) supply chain, it added. The report said that determining the origin of goods is already complex, and the USs ambiguous criteria could further complicate supply chains that depend on Chinese components. Exporters may now need to demonstrate substantial transformation in production to avoid penaltiesa process that demands greater documentation and due diligence, it said. The transshipment tariff will likely create major compliance issues for ASEAN's private sector, Moodys said, adding that exporters would face higher costs from stricter certification and verification requirements. Deep exposure across Asean Moodys estimated that transshipped goods accounted for around 13% of Aseans total exports to the US in 2024, with Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand emerging as key connector economies. If these goods had been shipped directly from China, they would represent roughly 9% of Chinas total exports to the US, suggesting that much of the apparent diversification away from China may in fact reflect trade rerouting, it said. Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand are particularly vulnerable because of their high integration with Chinese supply chains, and relatively low domestic value-added in exports. By contrast, India and Singapore, with higher value-added shares, are better positioned to withstand scrutiny, it added. Moodys noted that the sectors most exposed to transshipment scrutiny by the US are machinery, electrical equipment, and optical products. These sectors are also those with the lowest domestic value-added, heightening the risk of punitive US tariffs and reputational damage. In price-sensitive industries such as consumer opticals, motor vehicles, and textiles, the ability to pass on higher costs is limited, leading to margin compression and demand volatility, the report added. Limited near-term impact on competitiveness Despite the heightened uncertainty, Moodys said Aseans manufacturing competitiveness remains largely intact. Lower labour costs compared to China, coupled with a widening tariff differential between the US rates on China and those on most Asean economies, continue to make the region attractive for investment. While these developments add pressure to supply chain diversification efforts, we expect the China+1 strategy to remain largely intact, Moodys Ratings said. Governments across the region have begun tightening export verification regimes in response. Singapore has imposed stricter disclosure rules and monitoring of shell companies, while Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have stepped up scrutiny of high-risk export categories and certificates of origin. In the near term, Moodys expects the Asean regions dense manufacturing ecosystem centered around China to remain resilient. Similarly, as India looks to increase energy trade with the US amid the ongoing bilateral trade talks, oil imports from the US have also seen a jump in October. Imports from the US have steeply increased to 647,000 bpd of oil this month (as of 16 October) from 207,000 bpd in September, per Kpler. Indias merchandise exports rose 6.7% year-on-year to $36.38 billion in September, even as shipments to the USits largest marketfell sharply due to steep tariffs. It was the first full month affected by the US duties, which came into effect on 27 August. Exports also rose sequentially from $35.10 billion in August, highlighting the resilience of Indian exporters as they navigate an increasingly fragmented global trade environment. Mint takes a look at the road ahead amid tightening global demand and rising geopolitical pressures. How did Indias exports fare in September? Indias goods exports reached about $36.4 billion, up from $34.1 billion a year ago, according to government data. The increase represents one of the strongest on-year gains in 2025-26. Imports, however, surged nearly 17%, pushing the trade deficit to a 13-month high of $32.15 billion. While the export growth is modest, it is notable given headwinds from US tariffs and slowing global demand. Key growth drivers included electronics, petroleum products, engineering goods, rice, marine products, and drugs and pharmaceuticals. Overall, India exported goods and services worth $67.20 billion and imported the same worth $83.82 billion, widening the overall trade deficit to $16.61 billion in the month, compared with $8.60 billion a year ago. How did US tariffs impact Indias shipments? The US, accounting for roughly 17% of Indias exports, has imposed steep tariffs of up to 50% on many goods, including textiles, jewellery, and machinery. As a result, exports to the US fell nearly 12% to $5.47 billion, down from $6.87 billion in August. Imports from the US rose 11.78% on-year to $3.99 billion, up from $3.6 billion in August. Labour-intensive sectors such as apparel and handicrafts have been among the hardest hit. In September, readymade garment exports fell 10.1% annually to $997 million, while cotton and handloom exports declined 11.7% to $930 million, reflecting ongoing challenges amid shifting global sourcing patterns. Yet, these losses were partially offset by gains in other markets and product lines. View Full Image In September, readymade garment exports fell 10.1% to $997 million, while cotton and handloom exports dropped 11.7% to $930 million amid shifting global sourcing trends. If exports to the US fell, which markets drove the growth? Indias exporters appear to be diversifying rapidly. Shipments rose sharply to China, Brazil, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), alongside smaller but fast-growing markets in Africa and Southeast Asia, reflecting strategic redirection and emerging opportunities. Electronics, marine products, and rice, sectors less exposed to US duties, recorded robust growth. Exports to Germany, Italy, and the UK also rose, reflecting continued demand for engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and apparel despite global headwinds. To be sure, anticipating the impact of the 50% US tariffs, the government and exporters had already started devising mitigation strategies.Reflecting the impact of the additional US tariffs, merchandise exports to the US grew -11.9% on-year to $5.5 billion in September after growing by 7.1% in August," Crisil Ratings said in a recent report. Had it not been for the front-loading of shipments, the decline would have been steeper. In contrast, exports to non-US markets grew 10.9% on-year, outpacing the 6.6% growth in August. This suggests that while the tariffs have dampened US-bound exports, Indias exports to other countries are bearing fruit," it added. Are these gains sustainable? Some of Septembers uptick may reflect front-loaded shipments, as exporters rushed goods out before tariff deadlines took full effect. A recent research report by economist Garima Kapoor of Elara Capital noted that the surge could be transitory, potentially fading once seasonal demand ebbs and crude oil prices decline. On the policy front, ongoing trade negotiations with the European Union are progressing well and could support export diversification into high-value segments. Additionally, India-US trade discussions, likely to take place in Q3FY26, may provide scope for partial tariff relief and improved bilateral trade dynamics," Kapoor said. Key risks to our external outlook include further escalation of tariff barriers, potential curbs on rare-earth exports, and rising global shipping costs stemming from increased US-China port fees," she added. Also Read | Trump will not let the world move on from tariffs Meanwhile, imports continue to surge, widening the trade deficit. In September, gold, silver, fertilizers, and electronics imports rose sharply. Gold imports nearly doubled to $9.6 billion from $4.6 billion in August, with import volumes increasing to 102 million tonnes from 61 million tonnes. What does this mean for Indias trade? The September data underscores Indias gradual pivot from dependency on select markets toward a more diversified export footprint. Challenges remain: with US tariffs likely to persist and global growth slowing, sustaining high export growth will require productivity gains, competitive pricing, and deeper trade ties across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. For now, Indias exporters have shown they can weather the tariff storm, at least in the short term. A potential deal with the US could further ease pressures. At a press briefing after the release of the latest trade data, commerce secretary Rajesh Agarwal said India is open to purchasing more oil and gas from the US, provided prices remain competitive. Our team is currently in the US, holding discussions with American counterparts on energy trade and related cooperation," he added. Also Read | Why Trumps tariffs have not crippled the global economy yet Bihar Elections: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections on Monday. The development effectively ended the prolonged seat-sharing negotiations within the opposition's Mahagathbandhan or the 'Grand' alliance. The announcement of names of candidates from Rashtriya Janata Dal the INDIA bloc's largest alliance partner comes without any official announcement of seats shared between the parties. And as things stand within the alliance, the RJD is contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining constituencies in the 243-seat contest are likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP, as per an informal arrangement. Political Conspiracy: JMM withdraws The opposition alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections at the last minute on Monday, the last day of filing nominations for the second phase of voting. The announcement by JMM came days after the Jharkhands ruling party announced its six candidates for the Bihar polls The party has accused its INDIA bloc partners the RJD and the Congress of a "political conspiracy" that has led to it being deprived from seats as part of the Mahagathbandhan coalition in Bihar. Senior JMM leader Sudivya Kumar said his party will review the alliance in Jharkhand with the Congress and RJD, and give a befitting reply to the "snub." "The RJD and the Congress are responsible for depriving JMM from contesting the election as part of a political conspiracy. JMM will give a befitting reply to this, and review its alliance with RJD and Congress, Kumar told reporters on Monday. In Bihar election 2020, too, the JMM was assured of three seats by the RJD and Congress, but later they divided the seats among themselves, deceiving us, said Kumar who is also a minister in Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government. In last year's Jharkhand polls, the JMM left a respectable number of seats for the Congress, RJD and the Left, but the party was humiliated again in the 2025 Bihar election," Kumar said. Elections to 243 seats of the Bihar assembly will be held on November 6 and November 11. The results will be announced on November 14. The Jharkhand minister Kumar said that a meeting regarding seat sharing was held on October 7 in Patna which he and his his colleague Vinod Pandey attended. From October 7 to October 20, the RJD engaged in manipulation, and the Congress supported them in this behavior, he said. All is not well within INDIA bloc Clearly, all is not well within the opposition INDIA bloc in poll-bound Bihar. The Congress and the Left were engaged in high-level talks until last moment to resolve the issue that arose due to multiple nominations filed in at least 11 contentious seas, according to media reports. One of the key points of contention among the allies remained the multiple nominations filed by leaders of the alliance partners on Lalganj, Vaishali, Rajapakar, Rosera, Biharsharif, Bachhwara, Tarapur, Kahalgaon, Chainpur, Gaura Bauram and Kargahar, according to a report in Hindustan Times. NDA vs INDIA bloc The Bihar Elections 2025 is expected to be a contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan. The NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United), the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The Mahagathbandhan led by the RJD also included the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj is also contesting on all 243 seats of the state in the upcoming two-phase voting. No such thing called friendly fights: Chirag Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan slammed the opposition Mahagathbandhan saying that there is no such thing called friendly fights. Paswan said the dispute within the INDIA bloc over seat sharing will benefit National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates on many seats in upcoming Bihar polls. Paswan, who leads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), is part of the NDA. His party is contesting 29 seats in the upcoming Bihar election. The RJD and the Congress are responsible for depriving JMM from contesting the election as part of a political conspiracy. Speaking to the reporters in Patna about the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress fighting friendly contests, Paswan said, "There is nothing called as friendly fight, either you are friends or fighting with each other. The friendly conflict does not happen in politics; this is wrong terminology." For now, the nominations have ended for both phases. In case there is change in any candidate, there is option of withdrawing the nomination for the second phase by Thursday, October 23. Bihar Election: Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has slammed the opposition's grand alliance or Mahagathbandhan saying that there is no such thing called friendly fights. Paswan said the dispute within the INDIA bloc over seat sharing will benefit National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates on many seats in upcoming Bihar polls. Paswan, who leads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), is part of the NDA. His party is contesting 29 seats in the upcoming Bihar election. Speaking to the reporters in Patna about the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress fighting for common seats, Paswan said, "There is nothing called as friendly fight, either you are friends or fighting with each other. The friendly conflict does not happen in politics; this is wrong terminology." What is a friendly fight? Friendly fight is often referred to contests in which the alliance-partners field multiple candidates but actually support one party's candidate behind the scenes. Paswan's remarks came on the last day of nomination process for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections and as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. The Union Minister's comments assume significance amid reports that the Mahagathbandhan alliance is contesting a friendly fight on many seats. With this announcement the shape of the Mahagathbandhan is also clear with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI (ML) 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections. While this is an informal arrangements alliance partners such as Congress have fielded candidates against the RJD on many seats. NDA vs Mahagathbandhan The Bihar Elections 2025 will have the main contest between the ruling NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. The NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United), the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Also Read | Tej Pratap Yadav booked for MCC violation for using police-logo vehicle The Mahagathbandhan led by RJD includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. When is voting in Bihar? Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. The BJP has equated the unity of the NDA alliance to that of the "Pandavas". Responding to a question that how the five constituents of the NDA alliance would fair in the Bihar polls, Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha said that the verdict has already been decided. Also Read | JMM will not be contesting Bihar assembly elections amid rift with INDIA allies "As in Mahabharat it was known who will emerge victorious, the same is in the Bihar Elections. The voters will decide the numbers. NDA will form the government with a comfortable majority," Kushwaha told news agency ANI. (With agency inputs) Netflix is taking its monster animated musical hit 'KPop Demon Hunters to the next level, announcing a groundbreaking partnership with toy giants Mattel and Hasbro. Fans of the global phenomenon will soon be able to enjoy a wide array of toys, dolls, games, plushies, and role-playing products, set to hit stores in the spring of 2026. Dual Co-Master Licences: A First for the Industry In an unusual move, Netflix has named both Mattel and Hasbro as global co-master toy licensees for the franchise. Industry insiders suggest that having two major competitors sharing master toy rights for a single property is unprecedented. Netflix believes the decision reflects exceptional demand for KPop Demon Hunters merchandise. Also Read | KPop Demon Hunters returns to cinemas for special Halloween re-release Netflix said in a statement, The range of licensed merchandise from Mattel and Hasbro will allow fans of all ages to drink up the characters, music and world of the film in new and fun ways. Mattels Dolls, Figures, and Collectibles Mattel plans to market and develop an extensive line of products, spanning dolls, action figures, accessories, collectibles, playsets, and co-brand collaborations worldwide. As a sneak peek, Mattel will launch a presale three-pack of Huntr/x fashion dolls, available for preorder from November 12 via Mattel Creations, with shipping scheduled for 2026. Hasbros Plushies, Games, and Role-Play Hasbros merchandise portfolio will include special-feature plushies, youth electronics, and role-playing products. The company will also create crossovers with existing properties, such as Hasbro Games, Wizards of the Coast, Nerf, and Furby. The first product under this agreement is Monopoly Deal: KPop Demon Hunters, priced at $12.99 and available for pre-order starting October 21 on Amazon, Target, and Walmart, with shipments beginning January 1, 2026. The Phenomenon Behind the Merch Netflixs push for merchandise follows the movies record-breaking success. Since its debut on June 20, 2025, KPop Demon Hunters has become Netflixs most popular film of all time, amassing over 325 million views in just 91 days. The soundtrack also topped the Billboard 200 Albums chart, with 8.3 billion streams globally, and the single Golden became the longest-running No. 1 hit by a girl group on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 21st century. The films cultural impact extended to Halloween as well, with all five main characters ranking as the top five most-searched-for costumes this year, according to Netflix. Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 21 (ANI): Among a few actors who managed to carve a niche for themselves in the golden era of Hindi cinema, Govardhan Asrani, fondly known as Asrani, became a beloved figure across generations. The actor passed away on Monday after battling health issues for a long time. While tributes continue to pour in, veteran actor Raza Murad also offered his final respects, further reflecting on collaborating with the late actor and his cinematic journey. Speaking to ANI, Raza Murad said, "An era has come to an end with the passing of Asrani Sahab. An era that spoke with pride for almost six decades. I don't think there would be any artist with the same versatility that Asrani Sahab had, except for two or three artists. You could give him comic roles, you could give him villainous roles, you could give him serious roles; he also appeared as a hero in many Gujarati and Hindi films. whatever role he played, he did it very successfully." The veteran actor remembered his old ties with Asrani, revealing being a student under him at the Film and Television Institute of India in 1969. "I had many other relationships with him. First, there was a guru-disciple relationship, then I was his co-actor; we worked together in Namak Haram. After that, I worked under his direction in the film Dil Hi To Hai. We also did many shows together," he shared. Remembering Asrani's celebrated film career, Raza Murad stated that the late actor was born to not just act but also entertain people. "He lived a wonderful life, played all kinds of roles with great ease, and kept making people laugh, kept entertaining people, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. And one of his iconic roles, the jailor of the British era, became an immortal role," he added. CHONGQING, ChinaEvery Friday and Saturday morning, hundreds pour into a hilltop park in this southwestern Chinese city looking for love. Its a real-life version of a dating appexcept the people swiping" are mostly retirees eager to find spouses for their adult children. They call it a xiangqin jiao, which translates to matchmaking corner." In English, its often dubbed a marriage market." It involves paper resumes that function as dating profiles. Theres the standard information: gender, age, height, job and what they want in a partner. But some include details that would be taboo in the U.S., like weight, earnings and whether the parents have pensions. Many dont include a photo or name. One volunteer matchmaker, an older woman known as Sister Gao, comes each week with dozens of profiles for attendees to browse. She spends much of her time reassuring parents who dont understand why their children havent gotten hitched. Our generations concept of marriage just isnt the same as todays," Gao said. In our generation, people put up with a lot. Today, young people think, why should I settle?" View Full Image The market at Peoples Park is so packed at times that the crowd of mainly seniors have to shuffle along the walkway to browse profiles. ( Gilles Sabrie for WSJ) View Full Image Some profiles contain information that would be considered taboo in the U.S., like weight and whether the parents have pensions. (Photo: Gilles Sabrie for WSJ) Kids these days, you might have heard, arent getting married. The picture in China is particularly bleak. In the country of more than a billion, just 6.1 million couples registered their marriages in 2024, according to government data, down about 21% from the previous year and a record low. That also means fewer babies, contributing to a shrinking population that has prompted the country to offer child care subsidies to incentivize births. For wannabe-grandparents, marriage markets offer somewhere to channel their angst. My parents are more anxious than I am," said Zhou Jinshan, 33, who works in the restaurant industry and came to the market on his day off after much nagging from mom and dad to find a wife. Im getting old." The first modern-day marriage market popped up in Beijing around 2004, according to state media. It spread to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other smaller cities. They are largely self-organized by residents. On a recent Saturday in Chongqings Peoples Park, parents held out the printed or handwritten profiles of their children for passersby. Some taped them onto open umbrellas as makeshift display stands. Rows of laminated profiles lined the ground and walls. It was so packed at times that people could only shuffle along the walkway. When a profile caught their attention, theyd stop to talk and add each other on WeChat, Chinas do-everything communication app. One womans profile included her monthly salary (about $560), that she owns a house and car, and that she needs her spouse to be under 29 years old, shorter than 5-foot-8, weigh around 145 pounds and have no bad habits." She might make a good match for a 26-year-old whose profile displayed nearby said he met all the physical requirements and is looking for a spouse who has no tattoos, a college degree and isnt too chubby." (She didnt list her weight.) The aftermath of Chinas one-child policy has created unique difficulties for singles. Men outnumber women, due to a traditional cultural preference for sons. But women who are the only child generally received better education and resources than previous generations, raising their expectations for a partner. Zhang Jing, a 34-year-old in sales, was one of the handful of people under 40 at the Chongqing market searching for spouses. She is looking for a husband between 34 and 40 who is 5-foot-7 or taller, doesnt have children, has a stable job and owns a house. She said men often dont make the cut with women like her who earn decent money and own a house. It isnt that were picky," Zhang said. They arent good enough." Huang Weiming, 36, came to the Chongqing market for the first time after learning about it on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. View Full Image Men outnumber women in China, but womens standards have risen. (Photo: Gilles Sabrie for WSJ) View Full Image An ad for a 30-year-old woman includes her height, weight, monthly salary and the fact that her parents have pensions. (Photo: Gilles Sabrie for WSJ) His stats: 5 feet 7 inches tall, owns a house and a car, works in marketing and earns roughly $17,000 a year. His requirements: Thin," he said, then paused to think. And someone who shares my values." He has checked out the dating platform Zhenai.com, but was turned off when asked to buy a matchmaking package for about $3,000. He figured if women on the platform were willing to pay that much, they must have high standards. Theres an expectation that men have to do this or that to meet womens requirements," he said. Theres a lot of toxic chicken soup," he added, using Chinese slang for negative online content. Huang said he would keep looking for a wife until he turns 40. After that, hed rather stay single. Im holding on to hope, so I came here to take a look," he said. View Full Image Stories about successful matches are largely unheard of. (Photo: Gilles Sabrie for WSJ) Marriage-market success stories are largely unheard of, yet the events remain highly attended. One theory: the meetups are also an excuse for retirees to hangout and gossip. One man said his child was already married, but he came to check out the market anyway. Another was looking for a wife for his 25-year-old son, but said it was also a great way to make friends. By noon, the park started clearing out. Zhang, the 34-year-old, had only managed to exchange WeChats for a few promising leads. Her assessment of potential spouses at the marriage market that day? Not great." Write to Hannah Miao at hannah.miao@wsj.com Bank holiday today: Banks in some parts of the country will be closed on Tuesday, 21 October for Diwali Amavasya, Deepawali and Govardhan Pooja, according to the state-wise holiday calendar of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Diwali bank holiday: Region-wise list On 21 October, banks are scheduled to remain closed in Belapur, Bhopal, Gangtok, Guwahati, Imphal, Jammu, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur and Srinagar for Diwali Amavasya, Deepawali and Govardhan Pooja. Diwali 2025 Diwali, also known as Deepawali or Diwali Amavasya, is one of the prominent Hindu festivals, marking the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. It is believed that Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya on this day after defeating King Ravana, a victory celebrated by lighting lamps. Also Read | Why banks are not worried about RBI's new stress recognition plan Diwali 2025 date Traditionally, the date of Diwali is determined as per Amavasya Tithi. This year, the Amavasya Tithi falls over two days, starting on October 20 and ending on October 21, 2025. Notably, according to the Hindu calendar, Diwali was celebrated on October 20 in most parts of the country, while some regions are observing this festival today. Govardhan Pooja 2025 Notably, some banks across the country are closed for Govardhan Pooja. Celebrated after Diwali, this festival honours Lord Krishna's act of lifting the Govardhan hill to protect the villagers of Vrindavan from heavy rainfall and storms sent by Indra. When are banks closed? Banks are typically closed in various parts of the country to mark national, religious, and regional observances. In addition to festivities, banks are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays and all Sundays of the month. Next bank holidays in October 2025 October 22: Banks will be closed in Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Gangtok, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai and Nagpur for Diwali, Vikram Samvant New Year Day, Govardhan Pooja, Balipadyami, and Laxmi Puja. October 23 - Banks will be closed for Bhai Bij, Bhaidooj, Chitragupt Jayanti, Laxmi Puja (Deepawali), Bhratridwitiya and Ningol Chakkouba in Ahmedabad, Gangtok, Imphal, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Shimla. Also Read | Hedge funds slash energy, bank stocks amid sharp stocks selloff October 27 - Banks will be closed in Kolkata, Patna and Ranchi for Chath Puja. October 28 - Banks will remain shut in Patna and Ranchi for Chath Puja. October 31 - Banks will be closed in Ahmedabad for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Birthday. What banking services are available on a bank holiday? On bank holidays, online banking services are most likely to be available across the country to ensure access to banking services that can be used by customers for convenient financial transactions. Indian drugmakers are expected to post steady earnings growth for the quarter ended 30 September, gaining from continued traction across global markets, although domestic sales may have been hurt by the recent GST rate cuts. Brokerages BNP Paribas, Kotak Securities, and HDFC Securities estimate the sectors second-quarter revenue to grow 9-11% from a year earlier, and ebitda to grow 8-12%. Ebitda, or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation, is a key measure of operational efficiency. For 2QFY26, we expect most of the US-focused companies to witness a margin profile reset to lower levels on exhausting most of their FY26 gRevlimid production quota," BNP Paribas research analyst Tausif Shaikh said in a note dated 10 October. The brokerage expects a 70 basis points year-on-year decline in aggregate ebitda margins for Indian pharmaceutical companies. Several Indian pharma companies, including Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd, Zydus Lifesciences Ltd, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, and Aurobindo Pharma Ltd, will see sales of blood cancer drug Revlimid decline quarter-on-quarter, as the companies near the loss of exclusivity rights for the drug. These companies are expected to report their second-quarter earnings in early November. Since 2022, Indian companies had reached settlements with the innovator of Revlimid, Celgene (which was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2019), to sell the drug in restricted quantities until its patent expires in January 2026, and have cashed in on the blockbuster drug. However, lower Revlimid sales and pricing pressure in the US is expected to be offset by steady traction in key products and new launches. Ebitda margins for the pharma segment are expected to remain flat (+14bps YoY), as price erosion in the US and expected increase in R&D," HDFC Securities said in a research note on 8 October. The NIFTY Pharma index has declined 5.14% year-to-date, underperforming the benchmark Nifty 50, which has gained 8.28%. Continuous news flows related to US tariffs have kept the stocks of Indian pharma companies volatile, said BNP Paribas. While US President Donald Trumps recent announcement of 100% tariffs on pharma imports skipped generic drugs, uncertainty over the decisions overarching impact continues to be a drag. Domestic pharma sales: GST effect In the first quarter of 2025-26 (April-June), strong domestic sales buoyed overall pharma industry earnings as pricing pressure in the US market continued. However, for the second quarter (July-September), pharma sales in the domestic market are expected to be impacted by GST rate cuts, as distributors focused on de-stocking inventories with old prices while holding back on new orders. Apart from a short-term disruption in domestic primary sales, we expect receivable days for pharma companies to increase over the near term, as they support distributors to offset the impact of the higher recovery period for input credit of GST (on existing inventory, which remained in their stock, before the lower GST becomes applicable)," Kotak Securities analysts said in a note dated 6 October. The analysts expect domestic pharma sales to grow in the range of 714% year-on-year, with growth impacted by 50-200 basis points due to lower sales on account of the GST rate cuts. Key launches in focus New drug launches such as that of the generic version of Entresto (Novartiss heart medicine that lost its patent in India in September)by Alkem Laboratories Ltd, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Zydus, and Dr Reddysand that of blood thinning medicine Xareltoby Aurobindo Pharma and Lupin Ltdas expected to offset pricing pressure in the US. For Lupin, the launch of a generic version of Tolvaptan (to slow kidney function decline) is expected to boost quarterly earnings. The company launched Tolvaptan in the US in May and has 180-day exclusivity for the drug. Cipla saw strong market share gain for asthma inhaler Albuterol (over 20%) and its market share for key drug Lanreotide remained steady at 20%, said BNP Paribas. Sun Pharmas growth will continue to be driven by key products in its innovative medicines portfolio, according to the brokerage. Sun Pharmas US business is expected to grow 4% quarter-on-quarter, led by the launch of alopecia medicine Leqselvi. We expect some pressure on EBITDA margin (150bp decline y-y) due to investments into the launch of the two new specialty products," said BNP Paribas. Foreign-owned companies can now be treated as carrying on business in India even without active contracts, a physical office, and employees, the Supreme Court recently ruled, providing clarity for foreign firms with project-based or intermittent operations. The judgment, delivered on 17 October by a bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Joymalya Bagchi, clarified that a temporary lull in business does not amount to cessation. What matters is whether there is a continuing business connection and demonstrable intent to operate in India. The ruling allows non-resident entities to claim tax deductions, carry forward unabsorbed depreciation, and set off losses during periods of inactivity. The ruling came in a case involving Pride Foramer SA, a French offshore drilling company that had a 10-year contract with Indian oil explorer ONGC in the 1980s and early 1990s. After the contract expired, the company had no active projects for several years but continued administrative operations, paid expenses, and bid for new contracts. Its claim on deductions over expenses and depreciation carried forward was denied by the Income Tax department, which argued the company had ceased business in India. In an era of globalisation, whose lifeblood is transnational trade and commerce, the High Courts restrictive interpretation that a non-resident company making business communications with an Indian entity from its foreign office cannot be construed to be carrying on business in India is wholly anachronistic with Indias commitment to Sustainable Development Goals relating to ease of doing business across borders," the judgment noted. The case involved Sections 37(1) and 32(2) of the Income Tax Act, which allow companies to deduct business expenses such as salaries, rent, or administrative costs, and to carry forward unabsorbed depreciation to future years if it cannot be fully used in a given year. Also Read | Centre asks tax dept to drop tax appeals below new thresholds in 3 months Tax lawyers said the ruling provides long-overdue clarity for project-based foreign companies in sectors like oil drilling, construction, consultancy, and engineering. Continuity of business is recognized even between contracts, preventing tax authorities from denying deductions or carry-forward of depreciation during idle periods. Preparatory activities such as correspondence, bidding, or maintaining readiness to execute contracts will be accepted as carrying on business," said Rahul Charkha, Partner, Economic Laws Practice. According to Ankit Jain, partner, Ved Jain and Associates, the ruling helps companies under goods and services tax laws also because they can keep unused tax credits during short pauses as long as they plan to restart business. This shows that tax benefits depend on the business continuing, not just while being active. Input tax credits let businesses reduce tax liability by claiming credit for tax paid on purchases to avoid double taxation. Background of the case French drilling company Pride Foramer had a 10-year contract with ONGC from 1983 to 1993. After the contract expired, the company had no active projects for several years but continued administrative operations, paid expenses, and bid for new contracts. For assessment years 1996-97, 1997-98, and 1999-2000, Pride Foramer sought deductions and carry-forward of unabsorbed depreciation. The Income Tax Department turned down the claims, arguing the company had ceased business. While the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, a quasi-judical body that's the first option to appeal tax disputes, sided with Pride Foramer, the Uttarakhand High Court reversed the decision and denied the company the tax benefits. This led the company to challenge its ruling in the Supreme Court. Lawyers caution that while the ruling allows tax benefits, it could also increase tax exposure. It exposes project-based or episodic foreign operations to potential Indian tax liability even during intervals between contracts, provided a demonstrable link to Indian operations persists," said Tushar Kumar, an advocate in the Supreme Court. Companies are advised to maintain detailed records showing where decisions are made, where contracts are executed, and how business is controlled. While domestic law provides benefits under the Income Tax Act, conflicts may arise under international treaties such as double taxation avoidance agreements, or DTAAs, which require a so-called permanent establishment (PE) in India. In tax parlance a PE is a fixed place where business is carried out and depending on the income or value addition, it becomes a taxable presence in a foreign jurisdiction. The determination of what makes for a PE has been a big tussle between tax authorities and multinational companies, leading to long-standing legal disputes. Recently, in July 2025, the Supreme Court denied tax exemption to Hyatt International Southwest Asia, a UAE hotel advisory firm, ruling that Hyatts Indian PE was indeed taxable regardless of the companys global profitability. Hyatt argued only its parent companys profits should be taxed. Simply put, having business activity and control in India is enough for tax, even if staff arent permanently based there. In October 2025, NITI Aayog proposed an optional presumptive tax scheme for foreign companies to improve tax certainty and predictability. The think tank noted that unclear rules on PE and profit attribution have caused confusion, heavy compliance burdens, and long court disputes, often lasting up to12 years. The proposed scheme aims to simplify taxation for multinationals and encourage greater foreign direct investment by reducing ambiguity and litigation. It is not clear whether the NITI Aayog proposal will lead to change in law or the income tax department's approach on the matter. Also Read | Go First moves NCLT to seek release of aircraft parts from Adani-owned Air Works Disney is gearing up to go big for Americas upcoming milestone. The company confirmed to Fox Business that its new initiative - Disney Celebrates America - will stretch from Veterans Day through the Fourth of July weekend. It is a full-scale salute to the countrys 250th anniversary, filled with themed experiences, storytelling, and all-out patriotic flair. The events centerpiece will be Soarin Across America, a reimagined flight attraction set to debut at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California by next summer. According to Disney, the new ride will take guests on a breathtaking journey through sweeping American landscapes and iconic city skylines - from coastlines and mountains to recognizable monuments. Also Read | Disney+ and Hulu gain more subscribers despite a sharp rise in cancellations All about Disney Celebrates America Disney CEO Robert A. Iger said the companys vision for the celebration ties deeply to the ideals that built both the country and the Disney brand. At its heart, Americas story is one of imagination, ambition, and possibility the same ideals that have guided Disney since the beginning. This celebration honors both a nation and a spirit that never stops dreaming about whats next, Iger said in a statement shared with Fox Business. Across its parks, the company has already started rolling out military-inspired collections through Disney Consumer Products, available at select retail spots. Starting in May, visitors can shop a larger Americana merchandise line both in parks and online at DisneyStore.com. Disney to support military families with major donation In keeping with the theme of unity and service, Disney will also donate $2.5 million to Blue Star Families, a nonprofit that supports military households through local community connections. The organizations mission, as highlighted on its website, is to help military families thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors. Disney said the contribution is part of its broader effort to give back during the anniversary campaign. Between the cross-country park experiences, new merchandise, and philanthropic tie-ins, the companys 250th celebration looks designed to blend nostalgia with national pride - in true Disney fashion. FAQs 1. What is Disney Celebrates America? It is a company-wide event marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. 2. When will the celebration take place? From Veterans Day 2025 through Independence Day weekend in 2026. 3. Whats the main attraction during the celebration? A new flight experience called Soarin Across America, opening at both Disney parks. Pan-India focused UltraTech Cement announced the fourth phase of its capacity expansion alongside its September quarter (Q2FY26) results last week. The plan envisages 22.8 million tonnes (mt) of incremental capacity in phases from FY28 onward, with 18 mt in north India and 4.8 mt in the west. UltraTech will spend 10,255 crore on this expansion, largely funded through internal accruals. This implies an enterprise value (EV)/tonne cost of around $52, an attractive level that provides long-term visibility of market share gains, according to ICICI Securities. However, its concentration in the norththe industrys most profitable regioncould stoke a capacity race, the brokerage cautioned in its 20 October note. Target: 32% market share Once all phases are complete, UltraTechs grey cement capacity in the north will rise from 36.3 mtpa (million tonnes per annum) currently to 60 mtpa by March 2028. Its domestic grinding capacity will reach 235.4 mtpa by FY29 from 186.9 mtpa, while clinker capacity will expand to 148 mtpa. The company aims to lift its market share from about 28% now to 32% in the coming years, maintaining industry-leading volume growth. On a 10-year CAGR basis, UltraTech has seen volume growth of around 12% versus 5% of industry aided by capacity additions. Lately, UltraTech increased exposure in south India via acquisitions. On the flipside, Ultratechs hunger for market share would mean more pricing pressure for the sector, keeping realisations growth muted. According to DAM Capitals 19 October report, competitive intensity in the northern belt is set to surge as JK Cement and Wonder Cement expand into Jaisalmer (~12 mtpa by FY28), JSW Cement enters the region with ~6 mtpa by FY2627, and Ambuja Cement is expected to announce a ~5 mtpa capex in Marwar-Mundwa, Rajasthan. This influx may strain realisations and margins, particularly for north-focused companies such as JK Cement, JK Lakshmi Cement, and Shree Cement, potentially leading to valuation re-ratings, DAM warned. Also Read | Why cement companies need a concrete pricing fix more than just a GST cut Stock performance In CY25 to date, UltraTechs stock has gained 8%, versus 9% gains in the Nifty50 index. In Q2FY26, higher-than-expected operating costs led to a sharp miss in consolidated Ebitda, prompting earnings cuts for FY26 across brokeragesdespite a 7% year-on-year volume growth in what is typically a seasonally weak quarter. Also Read | Five cement stocks that are riding the growth wave Key near-term triggers include managements guidance of a 100/tonne cost reversal in Q3FY26, a likely price hike in H2FY26, and achieving its 200 mt capacity target by FY26-end. Every summer, the blazing heat makes air-conditioners an indispensable part of our daily lives. What follows next are hefty electricity bills. You can install a rooftop solar (RTS) system at your home for some relief. The central government provides a subsidy on the installation cost of grid-connected systems under its PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM Surya Ghar Yojana). Those with high power consumption can recover the installation cost within a few years time. That apart, it can give you the satisfaction of contributing to a cleaner environment. Also Read | Avaada Electro eyes full solar supply chain to cut imports What you essentially need is adequate roof space (a 1 kWp system requires 10 square metres) and the ability and willingness to bear the upfront installation cost. If you live in a flat, this may not always be the case. Upendra Singh, ex-governing council member of the Bengaluru Apartment Federation, highlights a few challenges. Its very difficult to get all residents to agree to rooftop solar projects due to lack of awareness and the fact that additional funds have to be collected for this. While owners are more cooperative towards big-ticket investments, those who have rented out their flats are less interested," explains Singh. He also highlights structural issues. View Full Image Mint spoke with a few people who have RTS power systems at their homes independent houses with their own roof space. Weak structures or lack of terrace area can also pose a problem. Generally, taller buildings (10-15 floors) have less roof area in comparison with the number of housing units. This makes the investment unviable," adds Singh. Mint spoke with a few people who have RTS power systems at their homes (independent houses with their own roof space). Make hay while the sun shines Dhani Ram Gahlot, a retired bank manager, said he spent 1.2 lakh (after subsidy) on installing a 3.5 kWp (kilowatt peak, an indicator of maximum power capacity) RTS system at his house in Kurukshetra in Haryana in 2021. I have already recovered this cost. Earlier, my electricity bill (for two months) in the summer months used to be around 35,000. With solar power, this has come down to 16,000," he says. Gahlots family runs four ACs almost day and night. One of these provides cooling for his sons crypto mining work. Devansh Jain, a management student, spoke to us about the RTS system that his father, Sumit Jain, installed at their Indore home in January 2024. The family spent 2 lakh on a 3 kWp system. They received a subsidy of 78,000 later, which brought the final cost down to 1.2 lakh. For Vishal Bedse, a Nashik-based investment advisor, the decision to go solar in May 2024 was driven more by social rather than purely financial motives. He wanted to do his bit for a cleaner environment. The familys 3 kWp solar power system has been generating more power than they have been drawing from the state grid, resulting in nil or minimal power bills and accumulation of electricity credits. To make the most of his investment in rooftop solar power, Bedse says his family has gradually made some shiftsfrom using a gas stove to an induction stove, and from using a petrol scooter to an electric one. Their next move is to buy an electric car. Big savings in power bills Thanks to their RTS installations, Gahlots and Jains families have managed to save quite a bit on electricity costs (see graphic for more details). Note that these systems supply solar power to the state grid (tracked by an output meter). For their own use, they draw power from the state grid (tracked by an input meter). So, if there is a power cut, their solar power wont serve as a back-up. This is primarily done for economic or environmental concerns, and is not a reliability instrument unless paired with battery storage," says Ashwin Gambhir, Fellow at Prayas (Energy Group), a non-profit organization focussed on energy sector research. In Jains' case, however, the RTS system directly powers a few of their heavy electronic appliances (backed by battery storage) and the rest of their needs are met from the state power grid (backed by an inverter with battery to support a few fans and lights). In all three cases, the household pays for their net consumption (power drawn from the state grid minus the solar power supplied to the grid). If a household produces more power than it consumes, electricity credits get generated, which get adjusted against future consumption. Finally, if there are any accumulated credits remaining at the end of the year, the consumer gets paid for these at a rate fixed by the state. How to get the subsidy To encourage more and more people to adopt solar power, the central government has been offering subsidy on the installation cost under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana. The scheme was launched in February 2024 and subsumed other existing subsidy schemes under it. You can get a maximum subsidy of 78,000 under the scheme (see graphic). You can apply for a rooftop solar power system on the PM Surya Ghar website (https://pmsuryaghar.gov.in). This involves signing up, checking for the feasibility of your rooftop, selecting a vendor and so on until you finally place a subsidy request. Most people we spoke with instead straightaway approached a vendor based on recommendations from friends and family. The vendor took care of the online registration. In Gahlots case, the vendor billed him after deducting the subsidy amount. Bedse and Jain, on the other hand, paid the full cost to their vendors. They received the subsidy from the state power distribution company (discom) later in their bank accounts. Note that, the subsidy applies only to on-grid RTS systems, that is, those connected to the state grid. Also, you can avail of the subsidy only once. Gahlot is considering increasing his existing RTS capacity. But as he points out, he wont be eligible for a subsidy this time. Whom does it make sense for In the end, the decision to opt for an RTS system is largely a function of your power consumption. Those with significant power consumption are likely to fall in the higher power tariff slabs of their state discom. For such consumers, solar power can be a cost-effective option. They can recover the installation cost within a few years. On average, an RTS system generates around 120 units of power per month for every kWp of capacity installed. It has a life of at least 25 years, though exposure to sun and other environmental factors impacts the generation efficiency over time. According to Gambhir, an RTS system may not make sense for someone consuming fewer than 100 units a month. At that consumption level, you may be able to buy cheaper electricity from your discom depending on the tariff structure," he says. Chennai weather today: Heavy rains lashed Chennai on Tuesday along with several other districts in Tamil Nadu, as the IMD predicted that more rains are likely to occur in isolated places of the state. The Tamil Nadu weather today remained rainy as Northeast monsoon intensified across the state. Chief Minister MK Stalin along with top officials inspected the situation on Tuesday and directed them to implement precautionary measures in view of the heavy rains in Chennai and other places. Waterlogging was reported from a few areas in Rameswaram, while 250 cusecs of water from the Cooum River barrage was released at Avadi and Pudhuchathiram after heavy rainfall. Chennai weather: IMD issues red alert in 8 districts Following the heavy rainfall and gloomy Chennai weather, the IMD issued a red alert in eight districts of Tamil Nadu. The IMD issued red alerts for Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram, an official of the Regional Meteorological Centre said. Heavy rain is likely in the entire north coastal belt, but extremely heavy rain is expected in the above districts, the official said. Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari have been placed under an orange alert. A view of partially submerged structures following heavy rainfall, in Uthamapalayam, Theni district, Tamil Nadu Low-pressure area in Bay of Bengal The Chennai rains and Tamil Nadu weather are triggered by a low pressure area that has formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal at 5:30 pm today, under the influence of an upper cyclonic circulation over the South Andaman Sea and the southeast Bay of Bengal, said RMC Chennai Director B Amudha. It is likely to move northwestwards and concentrate into a depression over the southwest and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal of north Tamil Nadu and South Andhra coast by the afternoon of 22nd October, 2025, she told news agency ANI. Yesterday's well-marked low-pressure area over the southeast Arabian Sea persisted over the same region at 8:30 hours IST today, the IMD official added. This low-pressure area is likely to move slowly westwards and concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours. From the depression stage, it is likely to become a deep depression, she said. Also Read | Tamil Nadu Weather: Heavy rain brings misery to Chennai and other districts For today and tomorrow, we have given an extremely heavy rainfall warning to the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea from 21st to 25th October, Amudha added. Tamil Nadu weather: CM Stalin takes stock Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin took stock of the situation in view of the Chennai weather, and held a meeting with district collectors through video conference He directed them to keep relief camps ready for people affected by rain. Stalin asked officials to keep essentials including food, drinking water and medicine ready for people affected by the Tamil Nadu rains. As India celebrated the Diwali, pollution levels skyrocketed in Delhi, with netizens across the national capital reporting AQI figures at 1000 or even higher. Apart from alarmed citizens who flooded social media, even Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale even shared a screenshot showing an AQI reading of 1975 at the Mandir Marg monitoring station at 1.30 am on Tuesday. Images of smog-obscured streets circulated on social media on Tuesday morning seemed to cement peoples' apprehensions that air pollution in Delhi-NCR had reached catastrophic levels in the aftermath of Diwali celebrations. But, did it? It's not a straightforward answer. Did AQI in Delhi cross 1000 after Diwali? Yes, and no. Most of the screenshots shared by social media users seemed to be using the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s method of calculating the AQI, which allows for figures much higher than 401-500 range of "severe" air pollution we usually see in India. Indian government agencies use the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)'s method to calculate AQI, which defines the "severe" category as falling between 401-500. The difference between having a system which lacks an upper limit and the CPCB's method is that international air quality monitoring platforms such as IQAir often report values much higher than official Indian figuresa location which has an AQI value of 1000 as per an international platform could well have an AQI value of 500 or even less as per CPCB. For instance, IQAir reported an AQI value of 1365 for Lodhi Road on Tuesday morning. Lodhi Road AQI But the CPCB reading for the same Lodhi Road monitoring station showed 327. Lodhi Road AQI Other locations showed similar variations. The IQAir reading for Mandir Marg on Tuesday morning was 1479. Mandir Marg AQI The CPCB reading from Mandir Marg, meanwhile, showed an AQI reading of 317. Mandir Marg AQI As can be seen from the images above, the difference between the US AQI method used by IQAir and the CPCB's own figures is quite large, and is attributable to methodological differences. Thousands of motorists were allowed free passage on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Fatehabad district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday after workers, angered by a low Diwali bonus, staged a protest and lifted all the toll barriers. The action caused significant disruption to toll services and traffic flow, requiring the intervention of police to restore order. What is the dispute? The dispute arose when 21 staff members at the Fatehabad toll plaza, which is managed by the firm Shri Sign & Datar, expressed dismay at receiving a Diwali bonus of only 1,100. The company, which assumed management of the toll operation in March of this year, has encountered difficulties and disputes concerning the calculation and distribution of bonuses. In demand of a higher bonus, the workers ceased working and opened all the toll lanes, effectively allowing vehicles to pass without charge. As thousands of vehicles crossed without making payment, the toll management sought to deploy replacement personnel from other sites. However, the protesters blocked the arrival of these staff, exacerbating the situation and leading to a prolonged stoppage. Resolution reached Police were swiftly dispatched to the scene to maintain order and broker discussions between company officials and the agitating workers. Following negotiations, the firm provided staff with assurances of better working conditions and immediately announced a 10 per cent pay rise as an interim measure. After receiving this guarantee, the employees returned to work, restoring normal operations after a two-hour stoppage. Shri Sign & Datar stood by its decision regarding the restricted Diwali bonus, arguing that as they only took over management in March, offering a full-year bonus was not feasible. Fatal crash on expressway kills two Meanwhile, on 17 October, two Thai nationals were killed in a fatal road crash on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Unnao, police confirmed. The tragedy unfolded in the Bangarmau area on the evening of 16 October. The two men were travelling back to Delhi after a business engagement with a Thai-origin woman who resides in Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh, according to Santosh Kumar Singh, the Circle Officer for Bangarmau. The woman, identified as Prokob Wangsombun, had been travelling with the two men and has reportedly been living in a temple in Shravasti for approximately fifteen years. The circumstances of the collision were explained by Singh: "The pair of foreign citizens had pulled their vehicle over onto the hard shoulder and stepped out to take a brief roadside break. At that point, an oncoming car suffered a catastrophic tyre burst and immediately collided with them." The officer added that the striking vehicle dragged the two men for several metres before rolling into a ditch. Heavy rains struck Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, a day after Diwali, with thunderstorms being reported in Thane and other parts of Maharashtra. Areas including Nerul, Belapur, Vashi, Seawoods, Sanpada, and Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai witnessed heavy showers, leaving a number of roads partially waterlogged and causing traffic snarls during peak commuting hours. The India Meteorological Department has issued warnings of thunderstorm accompanied by moderate to light rainfall in several parts of the state, including Raigad (21, 23, 24, and 25 October), Ratnagiri (21-25 October), Sindhudurg (21-24 October), Pune (21, 23-25 October), Kolhapur, and others. Light rains and thundershower has been predicted for Mumbai. Dadar, Bandra, Lalbaug, Powai, Byculla, Kurla, and several other areas received showers, which were accompanied by gusty winds. Also Read | Delhi AQI worsens: Tips to stay safe amid rising air pollution Mumbai and areas around the city were reeling under increased humidity since Tuesday morning. While the sudden rain brought relief, it also inconvenienced Diwali shoppers and shopkeepers. The sudden rainfall during Laxmi Pujan, one of the key rituals of the ongoing Diwali festival, inconvenienced people out for shopping and street vendors. Several social media users have also started posting videos of the Navi Mumbai rains, with one X account dedicated to Mumbai's weather saying, Huge thunderstorms forming over East and tracking towards West will give very intense rain for next 1-2 hours and rain speed will be high.. 70-80 mm/hr . Check out warnings issued for Maharashtra's districts in the coming days right here: View full Image Maharashtra rainfall warnings (21-24 October). ( IMD ) View full Image Maharashtra rainfall warning (25 October). ( IMD ) The IMD has also listed impacts expected from the rains, which include possible uprooting of weak trees, localised inundation, flow of water over low-lying roads and bridges, and the possibility of cloud to ground lightning during thunderstorm events, among others. The public has been advised to check for traffic congestion on their routes before travelling, avoid staying in vulnerable structures, avoid taking shelter under trees, and keep away from all objects that conduct electricity. Rains in several parts of Tamil Nadu Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu also witnessed heavy rainfall on Diwali. The regional weather office in Chennai has issued heavy rainfall alerts for a number of districts in the state. A Low Pressure Area that formed over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a Well Marked Low Pressure Area, the Regional Meteorological Centre said in an update. Jaipur: A 22-year-old medical student from Rajasthan, who was fighting for his life in Kazakhstan after suffering a brain stroke, was airlifted to Jaipur on Monday evening and admitted to a government hospital for advanced treatment, officials said. According to news agency PTI, Rahul Ghosalya, a resident of Shahpura in Jaipur district and an MBBS student in Astana since 2021, suffered a brain stroke on October 8. He had been on ventilator support at a hospital in Kazakhstan for several days. He was brought to Jaipur in an air ambulance and rushed to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, where a special team of doctors and district administration officials received him. Rahul has now been admitted to the Medical ICU, where a team led by SMS Medical College Principal Dr Deepak Maheshwari has begun his treatment. Hospital officials said a four-member medical panel has been constituted to oversee his care. A special critical care ambulance and a dedicated medical team from SMS Hospital were deployed to facilitate his transfer from the airport to the hospital. Rahuls family had earlier taken to social media to appeal to both the central and state governments for help in bringing him back to India for advanced medical care. Several social organisations also supported the familys efforts, helping coordinate his evacuation and return to Jaipur. The body of a niece of Sanjay Roy, the man convicted in the rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has been found following an alleged suicide. The deceased, a class 6 student, was found hanging inside a cupboard in her Vidyasagar Colony residence, where she stayed with her father and her stepmother. The residence falls under the Alipore police station's jurisdiction. The body was taken to the SSKM Medical College, where she was declared dead on arrival. A case of unnatural death has been registered, as per ETV Bharat. The publication cited sources in the Kolkata Police headquarters to reveal that the deceased's mother had also died by suicide some years ago. Her stepmother is her mother's sister, who married her father after the former's death, and had been taking care of her stepdaughter since then. How the body was discovered The victim's mother was not in the house when the incident occurred, as she had gone out to buy firecrackers for Diwali. After returning, she had to break into the home upon not getting any response from the girl despite calling out the latter's name several times. Once she managed to enter, she discovered the young girl's lifeless body. The police were soon informed. What the police are saying Police have claimed the incident as a case of suicide after initial investigations. A formal police complaint has not yet been filed. Family members, friends of the deceased, as well as neighbours will be interrogated as part of the investigation, the publication reported, which also said that locals have reported the teenager was under mental stress as she was frequently scolded. Also Read | West Bengal Police arrest fourth accused in Durgapur gangrape case A senior official of the Kolkata Police told the publication, "All aspects of the case are being investigated. The real cause of death will be clear once the autopsy report is received. A case of unnatural death has been registered at the local Alipore police station after the incident." Victim's grandmother casts doubt Although the police are claiming the death as a case of suicide, the victim's grandmother, who lives separately, has cast her doubts regarding the same. Tamil Nadu rains: Amid a heavy rainfall alert for several districts in the state as the Northeast monsoon intensified, the administration on Tuesday declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai on October 22. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has predicted heavy rainfall in the coastal districts and issued red, orange and yellow alerts for various parts of the State. A low pressure area that formed over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a well-marked low pressure area and is located approximately 400 km from Chennai, said B Amudha, Director of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Chennai. "By noon tomorrow, there is a possibility that the system will strengthen into a Depression. This is expected to occur off the coasts of north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh," reported PTI quoting B Amudha. Regional Meteorological Centre has issued orange alert for Chennai. Red alert issued for these places Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai. Orange alert sounded for these places Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur. A red alert indicates extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours. An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm. Fishermen and coastal residents have been asked to stay vigilant and adhere to official safety advisories. Rains in Puducherry Alert has also been sounded for Puducherry union territory. Due to heavy rainfall warnings, schools and colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal will also remain closed on October 22. Also Read | Red alert issued in 8 Tamil Nadu districts amid heavy rains - check IMD forecast CM MK Stalin reviews situation Chief Minister MK Stalin reviewed measures to tackle the situation after heavy rains lashed Chennai and other parts. I conducted an advisory meeting today through a video conference regarding the measures to tackle the heavy rains currently lashing Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram & Chengalpattu districts. I have instructed that immediate action be taken on complaints received from the public and that rice procurement operations be carried out without any lapses, and I have inquired about the precautionary measures that have been taken, said CM Stalin in a post on X. He added that people's representatives and the entire government machinery will work tirelessly in the field, and we will protect the people. Also Read | Will Delhi govt conduct artificial rain this weekend amid worsening AQI? Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin conducts inspection Udhayanidhi Stalin conducted field inspections to review precautionary and preventive measures. Taking to X, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that he along with the official conducted an inspection at the temporary shelter set up in a private school in the Velachery area, temporary accommodation camp set up in the Schoolkaram I.I.T residential area, and inquired about the facilities there. He added that the government has set up camps at various locations to rescue and provide shelter to the public from low-lying areas. US President Donald Trump has said that Washington's allies in the Middle East have told him that they are willing to go into Gaza and straighten out Hamas' if the organisation does not stop the continuing violence in the Gaza Strip, even after the ceasefire deal was signed with Israel to bring peace to the Middle East. Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and straighten our Hamas if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us, the US President claimed in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold!, he claimed, adding, I told these countries, and Israel, NOT YET! There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!, the US President warned. Also Read | Israel resumes Gaza ceasefire deal post heavy weekend fighting and accusations Both Israel and Hamas have been accusing each other of breaches of the truce since it was signed eight days ago, with flashes of violence and accusing each other over the return of hostages' bodies, bringing in aid, as well as opening borders. The US President has issued a similar warning earlier during a press conference. Take a look: JD Vance in Israel US Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Their meeting is expected to be on the 20-point ceasefire plan by Trump, which will require going beyond the existing ceasefire, which is shaky, to a more concrete one involving the disarmament of Hamas. The Hamas, whose side in Cairo is being argued by their exiled leader Khalil al-Hayya, is also looking towards the next phase of the truce, as per a report by Reuters. Hamas' role in Gaza post-ceasefire An official from Palestine close to the ceasefire talks has told Reuters that Hamas agreed to the formation of the technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international board to manage the affairs in Gaza, with Hamas itself playing no role. Also Read | Trump says he will not send US troops to Gaza after kill warning to Hamas Delhi woke up to toxic air on Tuesday morning as pollution levels soared across the national capital after Diwali festivities. This prompted the state government to invoke GRAP 2 measures to curb pollution that poses risk even to healthy individuals besides those already suffering from respiratory diseases and asthma issues. On Monday, the national capital recorded an AQI of 357, according to Central Pollution Control Board data at 1:20 PM. Since October 19, Graded Response Action Plan Stage 2 is effective in Delhi-NCR as the AQI crossed 300 on Sunday. falling in the "very poor" category. Every year, Delhi government faces the problem of hazardous air pollution during this time. However, it is time to revisit Delhi government's pollution combat measures. Also Read | Delhi air causes breathing troubles for Redditor; netizens suggest him to leave Delhi govt's pollution combat measures post Diwali Few days before the festival, Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa had asserted that the Delhi government is fully prepared to induce artificial rain in a bid to reduce air pollution around Diwali. This announcement was made after four days of cloud seeding trial flights were conducted over the target area in northwest Delhi. At the time of the announcement, the project awaited a final green signal from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Our aircraft is ready at Meerut. The pilots have familiarised themselves with the flight path. Were only waiting for IMDs green signal and the right cloud conditions. If all goes well, the first trial could happen even on the day-after Diwali or the following day, if conditions are suitable, Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on October 15. Will Delhi govt conduct artificial rain this weekend amid worsening AQI? For administration of artificial rain, aircraft is stationed at Meerut, and pilots completed familiarisation with the flight path. The implementation of these landmark measures depends on weather conditions and IMD's approval. If approved, the first trial could take place anytime soon. What is Cloud seeding? Cloud seeding refers to the process of dispersing silver iodide (AgI) and other such substances such into clouds to boost their ability to produce rain. This artificial rain induction project is being carried out in collaboration with IIT Kanpur. Cessna-206H aircraft has been modified for this purpose. For a successful attempt ideal conditions that enable and facilitate the seeding project involve Nimbostratus clouds, which are typically between 500m and 6,000m above ground. However, these ideal clouds must contain at least 50% moisture. Roadblocks in conducting artificial rain Lack sufficient moisture or cloud density can delay the artificial rain procedure. Biocon Founder and Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at his residence on Tuesday morning, 21 October. Later, she visited Karnataka Minister MB Patil at his residence in Bengaluru as well, ANI reported. The visit created social media buzz, coming just days after Shaw and Shivakumar had heated exchanges over Bengaluru's infrastructure, which made headlines. The row began when Shaw and other key voices like former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, flagged poor road conditions and civic neglect in Bengaluru often dubbed the Silicon Valley of India. Visuals from outside Deputy CM DK Shivakumar's residence While Shaw has not commented publicly on the visit yet, Shivakumar shared a picture of their meeting on X, captioning: It was a pleasure to meet Ms. @kiranshaw, entrepreneur and Founder of Biocon, at my residence today. He added in the caption that they discussed Bengalurus growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnatakas growth story. Visuals from MB Patil's residence MB Patil spoke to the media on meeting the Biocon Founder, regarding which he said She came to invite me to her nephew's wedding on the 9th of November. Speaking about Shaw's earlier tweets, he said, When the work is going on, at that time such comments are not necessaryIf we weren't doing the work, then it would have been a different matter, but since we are doing the work, then the matter ends thereShe discussed a lot of things with me and was proud of us and we are very proud of her too... We look forward to her support Days earlier, Shaw had voiced her frustration over Bengaluru's poor roads and garbage issues. She posted on X: I had an overseas business visitor to Biocon Park who said Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesnt the Govt want to support investment? I have just come from China and cant understand why India cant get its act together especially when the winds are favourable?@siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar @PriyankKharge [sic]. Shivakumar responded to her remarks, saying, If she wants to develop them (roads), let her do it. If she comes and asks, we will give her the roads, ANI reported. He also accused her of having some personal agenda against the state government, asking Why didn't they open their mouth during BJP regime, referring to Mazumdar-Shaw and Mohandas Pai. On October 21, Delhi recorded its worst Diwali air quality in four years. Pollution levels spiked sharply at night. PM2.5 concentration peaked at 675, the highest since 2021. Meanwhile, a Reddit user shared an AI image of the Himalayas visible from Delhi. Delhi if Kejriwal was CM right now, the user wrote. It in unclear if it is a sarcastic take or not. I miss him so much, the user wrote. Some social media users have been vocal about the difference between AAPs preventive measures to control Delhis Air Quality Index (AQI) and the BJPs. The Reddit discussion included perspectives from all corners. I hope this is sarcastic because frankly, it wasn't really the case when he was in power either. Both have done a sh*t job as controlling pollution. So I'm not buying that, one user posted. At the same time, a majority of users spoke about Delhis AQI concerns. Non-smokers in Delhi are basically doing passive chain smoking 24/7, wrote one of them. Also Read | Delhi AQI worsens: Tips to stay safe amid rising air pollution None of the politicians give a sh*t. They just blame it on each other. People need to wake up and make posts about their inadequacy to hold them accountable, commented another user. Aadha Dilli BJP-AAP krte krte lung cancer se marega (Half of Delhi will die of lung cancer while arguing about BJP and AAP), came from another. Another user wrote, The polluting environment and the crumbling infra don't care about your religion or caste or who you voted for; it affects everyone equally. We need an educated, enlightened authoritarian government like Singapore to curb the uneducated and malicious. Nothing less will do, commented another user. Delhi AQI on Diwali 2025 Delhi recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 345 on Diwali 2025 (Monday, October 20) at 4 PM, PTI reported. The air pollution was in the very poor category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Throughout the night, the AQI remained above 340 and rose to 359 by noon on Tuesday, October 21. PM2.5 levels also reached the worst figures in four years, peaking at 675 micrograms per cubic metre, far above safe limits. The figure compares with 330 in 2024, 218 in 2023, 312 in 2022 and 382 in 2021. Some climate experts alleged that peak-hour data went missing. Govardhan Puja 2025: Govardhan Puja, one of the most significant festivals in the Hindu calendar, is celebrated a day after Diwali to honour Lord Krishna and Govardhan Hill symbols of protection, nature, and gratitude. Every year, devotees across India perform this sacred ritual to seek blessings for prosperity, rain, and well-being. But this year, many are confused about the exact date of Govardhan Puja 2025 is it October 21 or October 22? Heres what the Panchang says, along with the story, traditions, and deeper meaning behind this festival. Govardhan Puja 2025: Date and Shubh Muhurat According to the Hindu lunar calendar, Govardhan Puja is observed on Pratipada Tithi of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of the moon) in the month of Kartik. In 2025, the Pratipada Tithi begins at 5:57 pm on October 21 and ends at 8:18 pm on October 22. Since the Tithi will be valid during sunrise on October 22, most priests and astrologers agree that Govardhan Puja should be celebrated on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Govardhan Puja 2025 Muhurat: Pratipada Tithi begins: October 21, 2025 5:57 pm Pratipada Tithi ends: October 22, 2025 8:18 pm So if youre unsure which day to mark your celebrations, the auspicious time is October 22, 2025. Also Read | AQI stays in poor category for fifth day as Delhi prepares for Diwali Why Govardhan Puja Is Celebrated Govardhan Puja commemorates the day Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill** on his little finger to shield the people and animals of Vrindavan from torrential rains sent by Lord Indra, the god of thunder and rain. Its a celebration of faith, humility, and harmony with nature and a reminder that devotion and gratitude are more powerful than pride or arrogance. On this day, devotees worship Govardhan Hill, Lord Krishna, and natures bounty that sustains life. It is also believed that offering food, giving charity, and sincere prayers on this day bring prosperity, happiness, and divine blessings. The Story Behind Govardhan Puja According to Hindu scriptures, villagers in Vrindavan once worshipped Lord Indra every year to ensure good rainfall for their crops. But a young Krishna questioned this practice and taught them that Govardhan Hill and the land around it** which nourished their cows, crops, and lives deserved their reverence. Offended by this, Indra unleashed a furious storm on the village. To protect everyone, Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill with his little finger, providing shelter for seven days and nights. Humbled, Indra eventually bowed to Krishnas divine power. Since then, Govardhan Puja has been celebrated to honour this miracle and its lesson to respect nature and remain humble before the divine. Rituals And Traditions Of Govardhan Puja The celebration of Govardhan Puja is marked by devotion, colour, and elaborate offerings. While traditions vary across regions, the core rituals remain the same: Creating Govardhan Hill: Families make a symbolic model of Govardhan Hill using cow dung, soil, or clay, decorating it with flowers, leaves, and miniature figures of Lord Krishna, villagers, and cows. Annakut (Mountain of Food): The highlight of the festival is Annakut, which means mountain of food. Devotees prepare a grand feast often 56 dishes or more (Chappan Bhog) and offer it to Lord Krishna as a gesture of gratitude for natures abundance. Worship and Aarti: Devotees light diyas, perform aarti, and offer prayers to Lord Krishna and Govardhan Hill, seeking blessings for rain, protection, and prosperity. Sharing Prasad: After the rituals, the Annakut food is shared as **prasad** with family, friends, and neighbours symbolising unity, gratitude, and divine blessings. Spiritual Significance Of Govardhan Puja Beyond the rituals and celebrations, Govardhan Puja is a powerful reminder of our connection with nature. By worshipping Govardhan Hill and offering food to Lord Krishna, devotees express gratitude for the earth, water, and all living beings that sustain life. The US Supreme Court is poised to decide whether President Donald Trumps global tariffs amount to an illegal $3 trillion tax on American businesses, Bloomberg reported. Small firms have urged the apex court to uphold lower court rulings, arguing that the tariffs exceed Trumps authority. The case focuses on the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows the president to impose financial measures during national security, foreign policy, or economic emergencies. What law is at the centre of the case against Trump's tariffs? The dispute revolves around the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which permits the president to impose financial measures during national security, foreign policy, or economic emergencies. The Court must decide whether Donald Trump acted within these legal powers or bypassed constitutional limits. The US Supreme Court is preparing to determine whether President Donald Trumps global tariffs constitute an illegal $3 trillion tax on American businesses Why do small businesses object to Trump's Tariffs? Learning Resources Inc, one of the companies challenging Donald Trump's tariffs, said in a brief on Monday: In the months since, he has raised and lowered, paused and resumed, and threatened and unthreatened tariffs at will, for a grab bag of reasons. By the governments own account, those actions amount to an over $3 trillion tax increase on Americans over the next decade. Also Read | How India's exports defied steep US tariffs in September The brief argues that Trump effectively usurped Congresss power to levy taxes by issuing tariffs in February and April under an emergency law not designed to impose duties. Which tariffs of Trump are under scrutiny? The appeal covers Donald Trumps April 2 Liberation Day tariffs, which imposed levies of 10%-50% on US imports, depending on origin. It also includes tariffs targeting Canada, Mexico, and China for failing to address migration and fentanyl trafficking. Donald Trump justified the measures under IEEPA, declaring that US trade deficits and border crises are national emergencies. What does the Trump administration say? The White House has not commented publicly on the litigation. Meanwhile, administration officials downplayed the impact, noting that the government imposed some tariffs under other legal statutes, including steel, aluminium, and automobile levies, which were unaffected by this appeal. What about other challengers to Trump's Tariffs? In a separate brief, a group led by wine distributor V.O.S Selections Inc argued: The government contends that the president may impose tariffs on the American people whenever he wants, at any rate he wants, for any countries and products he wants, for as long as he wants simply by declaring longstanding US trade deficits a national emergency and an unusual and extraordinary threat. The president can even change his mind tomorrow and back again the day after that. Additionally, a coalition of Democratic-led states has filed challenges against the tariffs. Michelle Ritter, 31, has accused the former Google CEO Eric Schmidt of stalking, abuse, and promoting "toxic masculinity." In court filings submitted in Los Angeles late last year, she claims he subjected her to relentless digital surveillance while they secretly competed for money, a failed AI startup, and access to a Bel Air mansion, according to a report by The New York Post. Michelle Ritter, who was allegedly in a relationship with Eric Schmidt, filed a temporary restraining order against the 70-year-old tech executive late last year, the report said, citing court documents. Michelle Ritter Ritter and Eric Schmidt, whose net worth stands at $44.8 billion, as per Bloomberg estimates, entered into a written settlement agreement in December. The agreement mandated the tech titan make substantial payments to Ritter, though the specifics are still under seal, as noted in a 8 September filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the report added. Also Read | Bombay High Court says single instance of following is 'not' stalking However, a week later, on 11 December, Ritter filed a domestic violence restraining order against Schmidt. She withdrew it three weeks later, on 6 January, after the two sides seemingly reached a new agreement, court documents highlighted. In the withdrawn order, Ritter alleged that Schmidt had previously locked her out of her startup Steel Perlot's website, an AI-focused venture firm into which Schmidt had invested $100 million, the report said, quoting a person aware of the development. Please note Erics technical background, Ritter said in the filing. I literally cannot have a private phone call or send a private email without surveillance," she added. Ritter further claimed in the filing that Schmidt demanded that she agree to a gag order on any sexual assault or harassment allegations and sign a knowingly false declaration that any such allegations never happened. LiveMint could not independently verify the report. Former Google CEO's response On 8 October, Schmidt's lawyers in an 82-page response argued that Michelle Ritters demonstrably false Complaint is a blatant abuse of the judicial system. However, they redacted most of the legal reply before a court hearing scheduled for 4 December in downtown Los Angeles. The billionaires legal team, led by LA litigator Patricia Glaser, submitted a motion on 8 October to seal the court documents. However, no final decision has been made on the request yet. Ritter, in a December filing, claimed, Unfortunately, my former partner is extraordinarily powerful and capable and has used every means to block me from getting access to secure data, devices, finances, or businesses, or to simply live my life in peace. The filing revealed that Ritter had been residing at 1060 Brooklawn Dr, a 15,000-square-foot mansion in Bel Air, purchased by Schmidt for $61 million from the Hilton hotel heirs. In the document, Ritter requested exclusive access to the luxurious estate and sought court protection for her German Shepherd, Henry. However, Ritter, a 2021 Columbia Law School graduate who recently represented herself in the case, listed an address for what seemed to be a modest apartment in Beverly Hills. The Donald Trump administration on Monday issued a clarification on the H-1B visa fee, a month after it announced a shocking $100,000 charge on the worker visa. In its latest notice, the US clarified who needs to pay the exorbitant $100,000 fees and who doesn't. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued the guidelines on Monday, in an attempt to clarify the exemptions to President Donald Trump's September 19 proclamation, Restriction on entry of certain nonimmigrant workers. The USCIS on Monday also launched a payment portal and said that applicants who hold a receipt showing the $100,000 H-1B visa fee can move forward with their application. The USCIS clarified who is exempt and who is not, with regards to the $100,000 H-1B visa fees. H-1B visa fees: Who is exempted from paying $100,000? The USCIS in its clarification said that not every foreign citizen seeking US visa or having the H-1B visa will have to pay the $100,000 or 88 lakh fee. The $100,000 H-1B visa fee is not applicable for those who already hold the visa. The Trump administration further noted that those who applied for the H-1B visa prior to to 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time as of September 21 will not have to pay the fees. "The Proclamation does not apply to any previously issued and currently valid H-1B visas, or any petitions submitted prior to 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025," the USCIS said. Those who already hold a US visa, including international students on F-1 visas and professionals on L-1 visas, will not have to pay the $100,000 H1-B visa fee when they go for a status change. The USCIS said that the H-1B fee does not apply to a petition filed at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025, that is requesting an amendment, change of status, or extension of stay for an alien inside the United States where the alien is granted such amendment, change, or extension. A beneficiary will not be considered to be subject to the payment if they subsequently depart the US and apply for a visa based on the approved petition and/or seek to reenter the US on a current H-1B visa, it said. It added that the proclamation also does not prevent any current H1-B holder from travelling in and out of the US. Who has to pay $100,000 H-1B visa fee? According to the rules, an employer has to pay the H-1B visa fee for applicants who are applying for the visa for the first time from outside the US. The H-1B visa fee will also apply if the USCIS determines that person is ineligible for a change of status or an amendment or extension of stay. The $100,000 charge will apply if the applicant is not in a valid nonimmigrant visa status or if the alien departs the United States prior to adjudication of a change of status request. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, the first Indian-American to head the agency, faced a wave of online backlash in the United States after extending Diwali greetings on social media. Mr Patel, who made history earlier this year when he took charge of the FBI and took his oath of office with his hand on the Bhagavad Gita, posted a simple message on X on Monday to mark the festival. Happy Diwali celebrating the Festival of Lights around the world, as good triumphs over evil. A very Happy Diwali to all, he wrote. Check out the viral post here: While the message was welcomed by many, it also sparked a torrent of hostile responses from some users in the US. Sir, please don't promote the festivals of foreign gods in America, one user wrote. Another said, This is not a thing here. Stop trying to make it a thing. Some replies were even more overtly hateful. How about no. In America we are Christian, read one post. I want to live in America, not India, another commented. One user wrote, We need to deport all Hindus. Mr Patels appointment was widely celebrated as a milestone for the Indian-American community. However, this is not the first time he has faced criticism online. Last month, he drew attention during a Congressional hearing on political violence when a handwritten note linked to the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein went viral on social media. Shared by journalist Aaron Rupar, the note written in blue ink and placed beneath the FBIs black-and-white logo with Director Patel printed below featured a list of motivational phrases. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the note read like affirmations and included lines such as, Good fight with Swalwell. Hold the line. Brush off their attacks. Rise above the next line of partisan attacks. The message, widely circulated online, sparked debate about Kash Patels approach and mindset during the hearing. Also Read | Kash Patel ducks TrumpEpstein questions in fiery Senate hearing Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate running for the US Senate in Maine, who defended a series of controversial Reddit posts he made between 2013 and 2021, said they were intended to provoke reactions rather than reflect his true beliefs. That was me trying to get a rise out of people on the Internet, Platner told Tommy Vietor on Pod Save America. Those werent even reflective of my opinions back then. He added that voters in Maine would see past the controversy when they meet him in person on the campaign trail. People are going to recognize that this is not at all the person that they have come to know, and come to interact with in reality, he said. Apology and acknowledgment of mental health struggles Despite his defense, Platner issued an apology in a video posted Friday on social media. He said the posts were made shortly after leaving the Army in 2012 and reflected his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. I still had the crude humor, the dark, dark feelings, the offensive language that really was a hallmark of the infantry when I was in it, he said. Im sorry for this. Just know that its not reflective at all of who I am. I dont want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today. Platner has also shared additional Reddit posts showing him encouraging veterans to seek mental health support and criticizing homophobia and misogyny in the military. One post described his disillusionment with rampant misogyny and weirdness in the Marines, where he also served. Campaign fallout and staff resignation The resurfacing of the posts has caused internal turmoil in Platners campaign. His political director, Genevieve L. McDonald, resigned after the controversy. While I am empathetic to Grahams experiences and respect his personal journey and growth, I cannot overlook the volume and nature of his past comments, many of which were made as an adult, not as a young man, McDonald said in her resignation statement. These statements were not known to me when I agreed to join the campaign, and they are not words or values I can stand behind in a candidate for the United States Senate. Response from Collins Campaign Sen. Susan Collins campaign weighed in on Friday, saying Platners past remarks disparaged everyone from people living in rural areas, to the police, and the disabled. The statement also suggested the controversy reflected deeper divisions within the Democratic Party. Continued campaigning amid controversy Despite the setback, Platner has continued campaigning across Maine, focusing on his policy agenda. The Democratic primary for the US Senate seat, which also features Maine Gov. Janet Mills, is expected to be one of the most closely watched races in the state next year. Also Read | Mamdani hands out sweets across Queens on Diwali amid swirling controversies NASA may decide to sideline SpaceX for a moon landing operation later this decade and choose a different company to land its astronauts, acting space agency chief Sean Duffy indicated during his television appearances on Monday. Duffy raised concerns about SpaceX's progress on its $2.9 billion contract to develop the Starship vehicle for NASA's Artemis III to ferry astronauts to the moon's surface, is lagging behind schedule. This delay, Duffy argued is jeopardising NASA's efforts to return humans to the moon before China, amid a new space race. They push their timelines out, and were in a race against China, Duffy told CNBC on Monday morning, confirming his intent to open up the contract and invite other space companies to compete with SpaceX for the lunar landing. Scrutiny mounts over starship development NASA awarded SpaceX the Artemis III contract in April 2021, selecting Starship as the vehicle for the historic moon landing mission. As of 2025, Starship remains in the early stages of development, having logged three in-flight failures alongside a few successful suborbital test flights so far, CNN reported. Duffys comments come as space industry leaders increasingly scrutinize NASA's 2021 decision. Critics argue that Starship's complex logistics could jeopordaize the mission and cost the US its lead in the lunar race. NASA currently plans to launch Artemis III moon-landing mission no earlier than mid-2027, marking the first crewed lunar landing in over fifty years. What could happen next? While the exact timeline for NASA to potentially alter its contract with SpaceX or bring on a new contractor remains unclear, Duffy said hes in the process of opening that contract up, referring to the Artemis lunar lander agreement. NASA already has a second contractor in the picture, which is Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin is developing a lander called Blue Moon, which is scheduled to support missions later in the programme, such as Artemis V. Also Read | Cards Against Humanity and Elon Musks SpaceX reach settlement over alleged trespassing in Texas In a statement, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens confirmed that the space agency has given both SpaceX and Blue Origin time until 29 October to present acceleration approaches for lunar lander development. President Trump and Secretary Duffy have a mission to beat China back to the Moon. Thats why they are harnessing the power of the American space industry and seeking solutions to develop more ways to land on the Moon. When pressed, Duffy suggested that Blue Origin could potentially take over SpaceXs position in the Artemis III mission. However, he warned that the competition could also extended to providers that do not yet have contracts. If SpaceX is behind, but Blue Origin can do it before them, good on Blue Origin, Duffy said. But were not going to wait for one company. Were going to push this forward and win the second space race against the Chinese, he told CNN. Paul Ingrassia, US President Donald Trump's pick to lead the White House Office of the Special Counsel, has been reportedly found to have a "Nazi streak", something that is very likely to affect his chances for the post. Following Politico's expose of a Young Republicans Telegram group teeming with racist jokes last week, the publication on Monday reported on a series of racist texts by Paul Ingrassia, which have understandably shaken political circles in the US. According to the publication, which accessed an entire text chain by Ingrassia, the Republican attorney and political commentator had, on several occasions, disparaged people of colour. "Never trust a chinaman or Indian (sic)," was one of the texts sent by Ingrassia in 2024 in an apparent reference to then-Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. In another exchange from January 2024, Ingrassia wrote, "MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs (sic)," following up on an earlier text wherein he said, "No moulignon holidays From kwanza to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth. Every single one needs to be eviscerated (sic)." Perhaps the most blatant admission by Ingrassia came in response to a discussion about a Trump staffer, where the Republican wrote, "I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it (sic)," prompting pushback from other members who were part of the chat. Not supporting him Ingrassia's Senate confirmation hearing is slated to take place this Thursday but it is unclear whether it will move forward, given the latest revelations about the US attorney. As Ingrassia's views came to light, Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida outrightly denounced the Trump nominee, saying, "Im not supporting him. I cant imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. Its wrong." Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, too, is understood to have a similar view: HuffPost reported that Johnson, who is on the Senate committee, is calling for Ingrassias name to be pulled in light of the recent revelations. Also Read | Trump warns Hamas of eradication if Gaza truce fails Meanwhile, the office of Republican Senator Rand Paul, the chair of Senate Homeland, has referred comments to the White House regarding the latest revelations about Ingrassia. The White House, thus far, has not commented. Who is Paul Ingrassia? A 1995-born American attorney and political commentator, Paul Ingrassia has been serving as the White House liaison to the United States Department of Homeland Security since February this year, following a brief stint with the Department of Justice. A Cornell Law School student who graduated in 2022, Ingrassia reportedly interned at the White House during Trump's first presidency, and is, in his own words, President Trumps favorite writerthe 30-year-old runs a Substack that has reportedly been read by Trump since April 2024. Ingrassia is also no stranger to controversy: the Republican attorney's Senate hearing was slated to take place in July this year, but was reportedly postponed in part over concerns about Ingrassia's association with far-right figures like Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes. A SkyWest flight from Omaha, Nebraska, to Los Angeles made an emergency landing minutes after takeoff on Monday night when pilots mistakenly believed someone was trying to breach the cockpit. The SkyWest Flight 6469, operated by American Airlines, had departed Omahas Eppley Airfield around 7:45 p.m. when the pilots declared an emergency and turned back to the airport. Communication mix-up triggered confusion In a statement, SkyWest said the aircraft returned to Omaha out of abundance of caution after experiencing communication issues with a flight crew mic. An American Airlines spokesperson clarified that the incident stemmed from a technical error with the intercom system used by pilots and flight attendants. The intercom pilots and flight attendants use to speak to each other had been left on by accident, the spokesperson said. Unable to communicate with the cockpit, the cabin crew began banging on the cockpit door to get the pilots attention, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Pilots feared a cockpit breach The unexpected banging led the pilots to fear an attempted cockpit intrusion, prompting them to declare an emergency and return to Omaha. Airport emergency dispatchers initially received a report of people trying to get in to the cockpit and called for officers to meet the plane on arrival. Moments later, however, the dispatcher canceled the alert, saying, Advised no emergency There was a staffing issue. Flight resumes safely After the misunderstanding was cleared, no injuries or threats were reported, and the aircraft was inspected. The flight later continued to Los Angeles without further incident. SkyWest and American Airlines both confirmed that passenger safety was never at risk, emphasizing that the decision to return was made purely out of an abundance of caution. US President Donald Trump issued a series of escalating statements on Monday as trade tensions between the United States and China deepened. Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 155% tariff on Chinese goods beginning 1 November, warning Beijing against retaliating against foreign companies supporting American industry. Trump accused China of punishing US farmers by halting soybean purchases, asserting that his administration will not allow China to punish our farmers. He further declared that China would face big trouble if it refused to conduct business with the United States, underscoring his readiness to counter any economic threats. Also Read | Li Chenggang removed from WTO post amid rising US-China trade tensions Trump suggested that Beijing could respond by restricting rare earth exports, a critical component of global manufacturing, but insisted that his administration would meet such measures with higher tariffs. The president also hinted at the possibility of aircraft export controls as part of a broader strategy to pressure China into trade concessions. Despite the sharp rhetoric, Trump expressed optimism that the United States and China would ultimately reach a strong trade deal, adding that he believed he and President Xi Jinping would get along with regard to Taiwan. Despite the sharp rhetoric, Donald Trump expressed optimism that United States and China would ultimately reach a 'strong trade deal' Trump made these comments during a meeting with Australian PM Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office, where the two leaders signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on critical minerals and defence cooperation. Donald Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping Donald Trump also shared more details about his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, showing optimism about their relationship and the potential for a trade deal that benefits both sides. "I am meeting with President Xi. We have a very good relationship; we are going to be meeting in South Korea in a couple of weeks... I think we are going to work out something which is good for both the countries," he said. Hoping for a fair and mutually beneficial agreement, Trump said, I think when we finish our meetings in South Korea, China and I will have a really fair and really great trade deal together. I want them to buy soybeans... It's going to be fantastic for both countries, and it's going to be fantastic for the entire world. A lot of countries took advantage, says Trump Trump said several countries had long taken advantage of the US, but said that "they are not able to take advantage anymore. "A lot of countries took advantage of the US and they are not able to take advantage anymore. China's paying 55 per cent and a potential 155 per cent come November 1st unless we make a deal," he said. 100% tariffs on China Previously, in a post on Truth Social, Trump announced an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods. The US Army has invited major private equity groups, including Apollo, Carlyle, KKR, and Cerberus, to pitch strategic projects to support a $150bn overhaul of its infrastructure, according to the Financial Times. US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent convened a forum with about 15 of Wall Streets top buyout firms last Monday to discuss potential deals. Driscoll told the British news outlet, Hey, here are all the assets we have in our arsenals and our depots that we are underutilising What are those types of deals where we can work with you and invite you in? He also urged the investors to propose clever financing models or unique financing models to help meet the Armys infrastructure requirements, emphasizing, We actually just want meaty projects. Potential projects Driscoll as per the news report suggested projects could include data centers and rare earth processing facilities, potentially involving creative government-private arrangements. Instead of paying us with cash for the land, you pay us in compute, he said, referring to computer processing power. One forum attendee noted, the report stated, that ideas included building data centers on army bases and entering lease agreements with the government to accelerate construction and reduce capital costs. Conflict of interest and Cerberus Cerberus, founded by Steve FeinbergTrumps deputy secretary of defenseattended the meeting. Feinberg pledged to divest his interests in the firm after assuming his government role, the report said. Funding gap and Army transformation initiative Driscoll, with a background in investment banking, explained that the Army faces a massive funding gap. We are in a hole that we are not going to be able to dig out of without creative solutions coming in from outside parties, he told the news publication. While the Armys budget for infrastructure over the next decade is $15bn, Driscoll is aiming for $150bn to modernize equipment and facilities. While a participant described the forum as serious and very wide ranging, involving ways to find cost-efficient capital for the armys supply chain. Another reportedly noted, It was pretty clear Bessent and Driscoll are serious about working with private capital. The initiative, dubbed the Army Transformation Initiative, seeks to integrate new technologies and encourages partnerships with Big Tech and defense start-ups. I can say unequivocally that the Silicon Valley approach is absolutely ideal for the army, Driscoll was quoted as saying in a speech to the Association of the United States Army. Equity and critical minerals The Army is also exploring the possibility of taking equity stakes in companies and developing a stockpile of critical minerals. Driscoll noted that such measures are partly motivated by Chinas restrictions on rare earth exports. Should we hold them and then sell them to our suppliers to use and then sell back to us for the final product? All of those options are on the table, he was quoted as saying. Driscoll said the Army expects submissions for possible investments and will conduct due diligence in the coming weeks, planning to finalize multiple deals by the end of the year. Other participants at the forum included Advent International, BDT & MSD, and several large family offices. Firms including Apollo, Advent, BDT & MSD, Carlyle, Cerberus, and KKR declined to comment, Financial Times said. Key Takeaways: Army seeks private equity support: US Army invited Apollo, Carlyle, KKR, Cerberus, and others to pitch projects for a $150bn infrastructure overhaul. Funding gap: Current budget $15bn; Army aims for $150bn through creative financing and partnerships. Potential projects: Data centers, rare earth processing, and other tech-focused initiatives. Creative financing: Suggestions include government-private arrangements, e.g., paying with computing power instead of cash. Army Transformation Initiative: Focus on modernization, Big Tech and defense start-up partnerships. Equity & critical minerals: Army exploring stakes in companies and stockpiling rare earths amid China export restrictions. Timeline: Submissions expected soon; multiple deals to be finalized by year-end. Conflict of interest: Cerberus founder Steve Feinberg pledged to divest after joining government. The United States entered the 20th day of its government shutdown on Monday after the Senate once again failed to advance a funding resolution. This marked the 11th unsuccessful vote amid escalating political tensions and nationwide protests. The 50-43 vote fell short of the threshold required to end the impasse, prolonging one of the longest government shutdowns in US history. What triggered the latest Senate failure? The stalemate continues to hinge on a dispute over healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at years end. Senate Democrats refused to back the Houses continuing resolution, demanding that it include provisions extending those subsidies. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson kept the chamber closed in an extended recess, arguing that this strategy will pressure Senate Democrats into passing the House bill without policy additions. Also Read | Millions could go hungry by Thanksgiving as US food aid runs dry Johnson, appearing at a press conference alongside Republican leaders including House Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris, dismissed Democratic opposition as politically motivated. It is exactly why Chuck Schumer is pandering, in this whole charade. Weve explained from the very beginning, the shutdown is about one thing and one thing alone: Chuck Schumers political survival, Johnson said. The comments came after a weekend of No Kings protests, where millions of demonstrators across the country denounced authoritarianism and political corruption. How are Republicans responding to internal criticism? Despite Johnsons insistence that the strategy will succeed, cracks are emerging within the Republican ranks. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene openly criticised the speakers approach, calling on the House to resume work immediately. The House should be in session working, Greene wrote on X. We should be finishing appropriations. Our committees should be working. We should be passing bills that make President Trumps executive orders permanent. I have no respect for the decision to refuse to work. Her remarks, echoing frustration within the partys right flank, highlight growing unease over an extended congressional recess that has left the House idle since 19 September. How long could the US Govt shutdown last? The US government shutdown, which began on 1 October, is now the longest full government shutdown in US history and will soon become the second-longest overall if it continues beyond Tuesday. Only the 35-day partial shutdown during Donald Trumps presidency (201819) lasted longer. The economic and administrative consequences are deepening. On Monday, the Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) began furloughing around 1,400 federal employees, many of whom are responsible for maintaining and modernising the US nuclear weapons arsenal. A spokesperson for the department confirmed that Energy Secretary Chris Wright would address the furloughs in a press conference in Las Vegas later in the day. What are the broader impacts of the US govt shutdown? The federal workforce is bearing the brunt of the crisis. Senate staffers have been informed that they will no longer receive pay for the duration of the shutdown. At the same time, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has defended its decision to pause over $11 billion in projects under the Army Corps of Engineers, citing a need to reorient federal funding. Also Read | Will Trump ramp up actions if shutdown drags on? US adviser warns Transportation woes are also growing. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported longer-than-usual wait times at major airports, including Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, as staff shortages increased due to workers calling in sick or seeking temporary employment. Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker criticised the furloughs at the NNSA, arguing that the decision undermines national security. What are the political reactions in Washington? Kevin Hassett, the White House economic adviser, expressed cautious optimism on CNBC, suggesting the gridlock might soon end. I think the (Senate minority leader Chuck) Schumer shutdown is likely to end some time this week, Hassett said. He speculated that some Democrats had delayed negotiations until after the No Kings protests, which drew millions of demonstrators nationwide. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip John Thune proposed a bill to pay federal workers affected by the shutdown. However, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries rejected the measure, calling it a political ploy to pick and choose which employees receive pay. It appears to be more like a political ploy to pick and choose which employees get paid, Jeffries said. Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville opposed the idea as well, arguing that paying workers now would take the pressure off lawmakers to negotiate a way out of the shutdown. What else happened in Washington today? Despite the ongoing deadlock, US President Donald Trump hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, where the two leaders signed a rare minerals agreement aimed at strengthening US-Australia cooperation on critical supply chains a move that could heighten tensions with China. Separately, an appeals court granted the administration permission to deploy National Guard troops in Portland, a ruling hailed by Trump officials as a significant victory in their ongoing legal battles over executive authority. Where does the US govt shutdown go from here? With each failed vote, the path to reopening the government becomes more uncertain. Lawmakers face mounting pressure from federal workers, contractors, and the public, as the consequences of prolonged inaction ripple across the economy. The 50-43 tally with no new defectors from the Democratic side underscores how deeply entrenched the political divide has become. As the shutdown threatens to eclipse historical records, Washington remains at an impasse. Colombias President Gustavo Petro sparked controversy with remarks about US President Donald Trump, suggesting the American leader could be replaced if necessary to achieve better diplomatic outcomes. During an interview with Univisions Daniel Coronell, Petro said, as per The New York Post report: Humanity has a first offramp, it is to choose to change Trump in various ways. The easiest way may be through Trump himself. If not get rid of Trump. Petro clarifies comments After the interview, Petro took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that he was not issuing a threat. I did not threaten Trump, I only said that Trump should change his heart, from defending death policies in the world like the genocide in Palestine, to life policies, he wrote. He added, If there is no such change, then the American people themselves will change Trump, because one cannot go toward general suicide. He further emphasized the democratic principle, stating, In the 21st century, some believe they can become kings and viceroys, but in republics, it is not possible. Here, the heads of kings are cut off if they come with a kings attitude. Dispute over US strikes on alleged drug boats The tension between the two leaders stems from a September 15 US strike on an alleged drug boat in Colombian waters. Trump defended the attack, saying it targeted confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela operating in international waters. Petro, however, insisted the boat was Colombian and used for fishing, claiming US forces violated Colombian sovereignty. US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters. The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. We await explanations from the US government, he said on X. Trump slams Petro Trump slammed Petro on Sunday, labeling him a very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America and calling him an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs. Christopher Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, New York, a Trump-pardoned US Capitol January 6 rioter, was arrested for allegedly sending text messages threatening the life of House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Moynihan was among more than 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack, where Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to block certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory. Conviction In February 2023, Moynihan was sentenced to 21 months in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony. Pardon He was subsequently pardoned by Donald Trump on his first day in office, along with nearly all other individuals criminally charged in connection with the attack. Recent arrest: Threats against Hakeem Jeffries Arrest details: Moynihan was arrested by New York state police for a Class D felony charge of making a terroristic threat. Alleged threats: According to the complaint, Moynihan sent text messages stating: "Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live. ... Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. ... I will kill him for the future." Legal proceedings: Moynihan was arraigned in state court and pleaded not guilty. Law enforcement confirmed that the messages placed Jeffries in reasonable fear of imminent murder. Political reactions Hakeem Jeffries: The Democratic leader called Moynihan a dangerous individual and criticized the January Trump pardon for enabling such threats. "Since the blanket pardon...many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country," Jeffries stated. Republican response: House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned the threat: Anybody who threatens to kill any political official we denounce it absolutely. We ought to have justice fall upon their head. Key facts about Christopher Moynihan Age: 34 Residence: Clinton, New York Jan. 6 involvement: Participated in US Capitol attack, obstruction conviction Prison sentence: 21 months (February 2023) Pardoned by: Donald Trump Current charge: Making a terroristic threat (Class D felony) US President Donald Trump is considering commuting the 50-month prison sentence of rapper and music mogul Sean Diddy Combs as early as this week, TMZ reported, citing a high-ranking White House official. According to the report, Trump is vacillating on whether to issue the commutation. Some of the W.H. staff are urging Trump not to commute the sentence, the source told TMZ. However, the source added, Trump will do what he wants, suggesting the decision could come soon. Trump confirms Diddys pardon request Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump acknowledged that Combs had asked him for a pardon. Referring to the rapper by his famous moniker Puff Daddy, Trump said he was aware of the request but did not indicate whether he would grant it. Diddys legal team reached out early According to TMZ, Combss legal team contacted a senior White House official almost immediately after the sentencing earlier this month. Strained history between Trump and Diddy While Diddy supported Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign a move that soured his relationship with Trump sources told TMZ that the President has not ruled out showing leniency. Its now squarely on the table, the report stated. Diddys sentence and time served Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence for violating the Mann Act, a federal law prohibiting the transportation of individuals across state lines for illicit purposes. He has completed 13 months of his term and, with credit for good behavior, could be released in approximately two years. Diddys lawyers seek rehab program Meanwhile, Combs legal team has requested that the hip-hop mogul serve his four-year, two-month federal prison sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, citing the facilitys drug treatment program as key to his rehabilitation. In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian on Monday, Combs attorney Teny Geragos urged the court to strongly recommend placement at Fort Dix, which houses one of the federal systems residential drug treatment programs. Geragos wrote that the placement would allow Combs to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts. Combs reflects on time in jail Combs, who has been in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest, emphasized personal growth and rehabilitation in a letter to the court. He wrote: I thank God that Im stronger, wiser, clean, clear and sober. Im committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person. With time served in Brooklyn deducted from his sentence, Combs could be released in about three years. Judge yet to act on request Judge Subramanian has not yet acted on the request for Fort Dix placement. The Bureau of Prisons ultimately decides where inmates serve their sentences, taking into account factors such as offense severity, security requirements, and programming needs. Key Points: -President Trump may commute Sean Diddy Combs prison sentence this week. -Trump acknowledged Combs request for a pardon but gave no indication of approval. -Combs lawyers contacted a senior White House official soon after sentencing. -Combs has served 13 months of his 50-month Mann Act sentence; possible release in ~2-3 years with good behavior. -Lawyers want Combs placed at FCI Fort Dix for drug treatment and rehabilitation. -Combs emphasizes being clean, sober, and non-violent in a court letter. A routine question posed to the White House over US President Donald Trump's proposed meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has left Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt red-faced, with the 28-year-old's childish response going viral on the internet. It all began on Thursday when New York-headquartered news outlet HuffPost inquired as to why Budapest had been picked for the proposed summit between Trump and Putin. "Is the president aware of the significance of Budapest? In 1994, Russia promised, in Budapest, not to invade Ukraine if it gave up the nuclear weapons it inherited when the Soviet Union dissolved. Does he not see why Ukraine might object to that site? Who suggested Budapest? Thanks (sic)," S V Date, a senior White House correspondent at HuffPost, asked over text to Leavitt. Minutes later, the White House Press Secretary responded, "Your mom did". But that wasn't all: after HuffPost published an article titled 'White House Gives Wild Response To A Simple Question Asked By HuffPost Reporter', Leavitt went a step further, uploading a screenshot of her text conversation with Date. "Is this funny to you,?," was the senior journalist's follow-up question to the White House Press Secretary. "It's funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don't tell you that to your face (sic)," was Leavitt's response. The White House Press Secretary concluded with, Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls**t questions. In her post on X, Leavitt reiterated, For context, S.V. Date of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points. Just take a look at @svdates feed, it reads like an anti-Trump personal diary (sic). Undeterred, Date commented, "Feel better now? Now can you answer the question? Please and thank you." While this drama was unfolding online, HuffPost also put out a second article, wherein the publication detailed the exchange between Leavitt and Date, as well as White House communications director Steven Cheung's response to the querywhich was, incidentally, also "Your mom". Highlighting Leavitt's post on X and her allegations against Date, the HuffPost article noted sombrely, "She did not, however, answer the original question." Are you demented?: Leavitt faces backlash Meanwhile, the act of uploading the text change on social media led to more questions for the White House Press Secretary, as netizens jumped in on the discussion. "Are you demented? This was a legit question. US pledged to stand by Ukraine if it got ever attacked for giving up their nukes," wrote one user. "You are a press secretary for the most influential country in the world. This is absolutely absurd. Its not funny, its f*****g weird at this point. Stop trying to relate to the younger generation by making these jokes. Millions of lives are being ruined by deadly wars all around the world and you think a your mom joke is appropriate in relation to this subject. The world is laughing their asses off at us. We are the United fucking States ffs. Get your god damn s**t together, Im a 22 year old and even I act more professional than you. Christ I cant believe this is what the country has turned into," wrote another evidently enraged user. "You actually posted this thinking it made you look good? This is why record numbers of republicans are leaving the party," said a third. While many raged at Leavitt's response as a representative of the United States government, others ridiculed the 28-year-old and the Trump administration. "Screenshotting a 'yo momma' insult then posting it like a dunk. From the same guys who wanted the Nobel Peace Prize, LAST WEEK , (sic)" wrote one user. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy reached a prison in Paris on Tuesday to begin serving a 5-year sentence for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya a historic moment that makes him the first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned. Sarkozy, 70, was greeted by hundreds of supporters when he walked out of his Paris home hand-in-hand with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. He embraced her before getting into a police car. On his way to prison, Sarkozy released a statement on social media declaring that an innocent man was being locked up. Minutes later, the vehicle passed through the gates of the notorious La Sante prison where Sarkozy will now serve his sentence in solitary confinement. Sarkozy was convicted last month for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya. He contests both the conviction and a judges unusual decision to incarcerate him pending appeal. His lawyers said Tuesday that they filed an immediate request for his release. Its an ominous day for him, for France, and for our institutions, because this incarceration is a disgrace, Sarkozys lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois told reporters soon after his incarceration, AP reported. Solitary confinement Sarkozys lawyers said he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons. Sarkozy told Le Figaro newspaper that he would bring three books the maximum allowed including Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge. His lawyers said he packed a bag with a few sweaters because the prison is cold and earplugs because its noisy. Christophe Ingrain, another of Sarkozys lawyers, denounced a serious injustice." "Its a very difficult time, but the president has stood strong," Ingrain said, as per AP, adding, He doesnt complain, hasnt asked for anything, no special treatment. Sarkozy will be allowed to go outdoors one hour per day alone in the prison yard and to get three visits per week from his family, Ingrain said, adding that he is planning to write a book about his prison experience. An outpouring of support for the ex-president Sarkozy's journey from the presidential Elysee Palace to La Sante prison has captivated France. After leaving their home, Sarkozy and his wife walked slowly to join family members, including his children and grandchildren, outside his home. Im very proud to share his name, and very proud of how hes reacting," said his brother, Guillaume Sarkozy. "Im truly convinced that he is innocent. Hundreds of supporters applauded and chanted Nicolas, Nicolas and sang the French anthem. Two French flags were hung on a nearby fence, with the words Courage Nicolas, return soon and true France with Nicolas. Parisian resident Virginie Rochon, 44, came in support of Sarkozy, calling it scandalous to see a former president being taken away while still presumed innocent, AP reported. Another supporter, Veronique Maurey, 50, said its just not possible. And on top of that, calling it a criminal conspiracy kind of makes all of us feel like criminals too because we voted for him. Its not right to say that." Meeting with Macron Embattled centrist President Emmanuel Macron hosted the conservative Sarkozy at the presidential palace last week. I have always been very clear in my public statements about the independence of the judiciary in my role, but it was normal on a human level to receive one of my predecessors in this context,'' Macron said Monday. Sarkozy has been retired from active politics for years but remains very influential, especially in conservative circles. Im not afraid of prison. Ill hold my head high, including in front of the doors of La Sante, he told La Tribune Dimanche newspaper last week. Ill fight till the end. The Paris court ruled that Sarkozy would start to serve prison time without waiting for his appeal to be heard, due to the seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offense. In its Sept. 25 ruling, the court said Sarkozy, as a presidential candidate and interior minister, used his position to prepare corruption at the highest level from 2005 to 2007, to finance his presidential campaign with funds from Libya then led by longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Under the ruling, Sarkozy was able to file a request for release to the appeals court only once behind bars. Judges have up to two months to process it. In a jewellery shop in China, a young employee accidentally broke jade bangles worth 1.23 crore (one million yuan). Then, the owners response surprised many. The incident, caught on CCTV, showed the employee moving a table when he accidentally knocked over a box of jade bangles. The bangles crashed after hitting the floor. Realising the damage, he tried to pick up the pieces before breaking down in shock. The owner responded with kindness instead of anger. The owner, Cheng, revealed that more than 30 of the 50 bangles were destroyed, according to the South China Morning Post. At that time, Chinese actor Tan Kai was at the shop filming a product video. The accident occurred after he had asked the employee to move the table. Tan, who has 6.7 million followers on social media, now feels guilty. If it werent for my request, this wouldnt have happened. I am now contemplating how to salvage the broken jade and recover some of the owners losses, he said. The rare Russian nephrites were uninsured, leaving him with the entire loss. Yet, Cheng refused to make the employee pay. Everyone makes mistakes, and compassion matters more than money, he said. According to Chinese media outlet Jimu News, the employee involved in the jade bangle incident was a recent university graduate who had only been working at the jewellery shop for a few months. Broken pieces of the jade bangles In an interview, he admitted feeling scared and anxious while picking up the shattered pieces. Grateful for the owners kindness, he said, Chengs leniency preserved my hope for the future. He now promises to work harder to repay the owners generosity. Social media reaction The owners reaction has gone viral on social media. While heartbreaking, the shop owner, clerk and customer have all demonstrated kindness and responsibility, SCMP quoted a social media user as commenting. Also Read | Viral video shows massive brawl at Texas fast food outlet over wrong order The broken bangles could be polished into beads and sold as bracelets, helping to recoup some of the losses, posted another user. The summit in Budapest, Hungary, where US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were set to meet to discuss the latter's ongoing conflict with Ukraine, has been called off after a phone conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as per a report by the Associated Press. A US official told the news agency that there will be no meeting between the two leaders in the immediate future. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson from Kremlin, said that there should not be any urgency for a meeting betweeen the two leaders as preparation is needed, serious preparation. Also Read | EU nations agree to ban all Russian gas imports by end of 2027 The US President, in September, reversed his position that Ukraine would have to concede territory to Russia and suggested that Kyiv could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. However, after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelensky on Friday, Trump once again shifted his position and called on both countries to stop where they are in the more than three-year war. Where Europe stands Meanwhile, Zelensky and other European leaders have accused Putin of stalling talks in order to carry on his invasion. They are also opposed to Trump's idea of Ukraine surrendering parts of its territory to Russia for a ceasefire to take effect. They said that they remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force. Eight leaders from across Europe, along with senior officials of the European Union, released a joint statement saying that they are willing to go ahead with plans of using frozen Russian assets in their region to help Kyiv fight the war. However, questions of legality hovers around such a step. They are also trying to keep Trump on their side, saying, We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, adding, We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction." The EU is holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday, where they will discuss more sanctions on Russia. Tomahawks could have been peacemakers? Zelensky is of the opinion that Putin had agreed to return to the negotiating tables, and had called Trump last week as the possibility of the US supplying Russia with Tomahawk missiles arose. An AI fiasco in an Australian project by Deloitte raises the question of whether the global consultancy industry is being left vulnerable by its use of artificial intelligence. Deloitte was commissioned by Australias Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) last December to carry out an independent assurance review" of its targeted compliance framework, an automated system that penalizes jobseekers who failed to meet their mutual welfare obligations. The contract was worth around US $290,000. A researcher from Sydney University, Chris Rudge, observed that Deloittes 237-page report, which was submitted in July, was riddled with references to non-existent sources and experts. Also Read | All Generative AI output is essentially a hallucination After examining it, Deloitte confirmed that some of its footnotes and references were inaccurate and acknowledged using Azure OpenAI GPT-4o, a generative AI system, to produce parts of the report. The fabricated quotes and references were snipped out and an amended report was submitted in September. Deloitte also agreed to partially refund its consulting charge. Fabricated references by GenAI arise from the hallucinations that AI tools are found to suffer. Examples abound of AI falsehoods. Shortly after ChatGPTs launch, Samantha Delouya of Business Insider asked it to rewrite an article about a Jeep factory left idle by rising production costs. ChatGPT produced an almost flawless piece, but included fictitious statements from Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Jeep-maker Stellantis. These seemed plausible, akin to what a CEO might say when confronted with the difficult task of terminating employees. Yet, they were entirely fictional. In early 2023, ChatGPT was asked by two journalists of pollster FiveThirtyEight to write a piece on public perceptions of AI chatbots. The chatbot cited a 2021 Pew survey, saying that 71% of Americans believe that the increased capability and sophistication of computers and robotics will benefit society, typically, while only 27% think otherwise. However, the Pew survey it cited didnt exist. The FiveThirtyEight crew found a 2021 Pew survey with the opposite conclusion: only 18% reported feeling more excited than worried, 37% said they felt more concerned than excited, and 45% said they felt equally excited and concerned. AI-fed media falsehoods have been a scandal in the US, but hallucinations have impacted other fields too. Two New York lawyers were sanctioned in 2023 for submitting briefs with ChatGPT-generated non-existent cases. This June, a senior UK judge warned lawyers they could face criminal charges if they use fictitious AI-generated cases for arguments. Air Canada was held accountable in 2024 after a passenger received misleading policy advice from its website chatbot. Concerns about AI fabrication have also led to academic publishers retracting thousands of papers. What leads AI tools to hallucinate? Data is AIs lifeblood. It learns, adapts and makes decisions based on data. A frequently stated estimate is that GPT-4 was trained with 7.5 trillion words, for example. To train language models, AI developers use high-quality data from scholarly publications, books, news stories, Wikipedia and filtered internet content. Still, this is not enough. Blog entries, social media posts and website comments comprise the remaining data, which is of low quality and may be biased or prejudiced. Also, remember that GenAI models are stochastic parrots and not truth-identifying machines. They only make probabilistic assessments of what answer to give without any sentient grasp of what their statements actually mean. Thus, a bots reasoning may not always be correct. So AI-generated untruths may be caused by more than just inaccurate inputs; even if the model is trained on truthful material, GenAI output can still be untruthful. Why is the Deloitte incident significant amid a deluge of AI hallucination cases? It had an impact on a national government: Australias. While Canberras DEWR emphasized that the fundamental study of the countrys welfare system was not affected and that Deloittes conclusions and suggestions were still relevant, it compelled Deloitte to publicly admit the use of GenAI for a paid government report. The Australian government has since hinted that more stringent AI-usage provisions might now be included in its future consulting contracts. The Deloitte AI debacle should serve as a warning to professional services across every economy. Despite the clear temptation to use AI for quick drafts and thus pack in more work with fewer human resources, the rush to automate reports and the like may harm their reputations. With better oversight and accountability, Deloittes report could have met expectations. But somehow, a report with unvetted AI inputs was sent to a government whose policy choices impact billions of welfare payments and millions of people. The allure of AI is irresistible, but we must never forget that it must amplify human expertise to be of value. The use of AI as a substitute for human intelligence, rather than as a collaborator, is a dangerous path. Humans must stay accountable for AI-aided work. The author is professor of statistics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. In March 2003, the Supreme Court passed a historic verdict that filled a legislative gap. It made the disclosure of wealth details and criminal records of election candidates mandatory, via self-sworn affidavits. It based its verdict on the right of voters to know, so that they could make informed decisions. These affidavits would have self-declared information that was far more reliable than the grapevine and press reportage; unless reported by a candidate, any data dissemination could potentially attract defamation charges. Politicians eventually welcomed the change after a few grumbles that the judiciary had invaded the legislative turf. One senior politician and minister, who was known to be wealthy and had a clean image, protested that the revelation of his wealth would expose him to extortion. But that was a mild protest. Everyone agreed that such disclosures were in the public interest and that, on balance, this outweighed the privacy protection concerns of individual candidates. Politicians are in public life, and their privacy claims do not have priority over public accountability. After all, transparency and accountability are the very foundation of good governance and robust democracy. So, although the right to vote is not a fundamental right, the right to know about candidates has acquired constitutional status. The Right to Information (RTI), a landmark law that codified a constitutional right, was born two years later in October 2005. As we observe its 20th anniversary this month, there is alarm that its potency has gotten significantly diluted in practice. Also Read | How RTI can help you resolve your EPF issues As an aside, we may note the similar fate of another landmark law, the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Code of 2016, whose effectiveness has been watered down over the years thanks to weak enforcement and a gridlock of judicial challenges. The lynchpin of this law, its strict time limit for bankruptcy resolution, has been breached repeatedly, undermining the law itself. The RTI, regarded as one of the best transparency (or sunshine) laws in the world, empowers every citizen to ask questions of the government, which is obliged to provide answers. Over the past two decades, it has helped expose corruption, enforce accountability and incentivize proactive disclosures, while giving marginalized citizens a tool to challenge an opaque state. Yet, despite its achievements, legislative changes and institutional inertia are risks to its power. Frequent denials of information, rising RTI request pendency and long vacancies in appointments to Information Commissions (ICs) are reducing its effectiveness. As of 30 June, more than 400,000 appeals and complaints were pending before all 29 ICs at the state and central levels. Of these, 18 reported waiting periods of more than a year. Six ICs have been non-functional for long and two are entirely defunct; three of them, including the Central Information Commission, were functioning without a head. Appointment delays and the resultant inertia may be linked to an RTI law amendment in 2009 that compromised the autonomy of ICs, which are meant to be constitutional bodies. A more serious threat to the RTI has come from the passage of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023. Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI law allowed for a denial of personal information" unless the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information." The RTI law was amended to remove its public-interest overrider. This removal was justified on the basis of judicial principles derived from landmark cases, especially the Puttaswamy case of 2017 that recognized privacy as a fundamental right. Undoubtedly, there has always been a conflict between individual privacy and the public right to know. But the RTI was not an ideal sunshine law to begin with. It was the culmination of a decades-long countrywide campaign by civil society activists. The law was thus contested, incremental and hard-won. Also Read | The judiciary cannot turn into a haven for the corrupt The DPDP amendment of the RTI turns a discretionary balancing test into a default veto: public authorities can more easily refuse even serious disclosures by invoking privacy. It gives bureaucrats unbridled power to deny information, fundamentally altering the balance between privacy and public interest. Without a clear framework to assess and override privacy claims, the RTIs efficacy stands endangered. What was once an exception (privacy) will become a default bar. This reversal shifts the burden onto citizens to argue their case. Many public information officers will simply refuse disclosure, citing privacy, and ICs may not be in a position to police each demand rigorously. The rules that make the DPDP law operational have not been notified yet. To save the RTI, it is important for the apex court to interpret the privacy law in harmony with it. It must reaffirm that public interest in exposing corruption, maladministration or abuse of power can trump privacy. If privacy harms override the public interest, these harms must be precisely articulated. Proactive disclosures by public authorities should be mandated and priority accorded to filling vacancies in all ICs, adopting digital tools and reducing pendency. The Right to Information will wither if nobody can enforce it. More than 100 RTI activists have been murdered, reminding us that transparency exacts a heavy price. The RTI is a crucial instrument in improving Indias democracy. Diluting it through stealth amendments instead of a democratic debate risks undoing all the gains of this sunshine law. The author is senior fellow with Pune International Centre The global Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage that knocked thousands of websites and apps offline, from the US to India, is a warning for companies that are rapidly scaling for the artificial intelligence (AI) era. As companies move massive AI workloads to the cloud, reliance on a handful of large cloud providers called hyperscalersAWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azurecan make the cloud a single point of failure for critical AI infrastructure. Mint explains why this risk is one software as a service (SaaS) and AI-native companies cant afford to ignore. What is the AWS outage all about? On Monday, Amazons cloud computing arm, AWS, suffered a major global outage that impacted thousands of online platforms from social media and gaming to streaming and financial apps not only in North America but also from the UK, Australia, and India. AWS attributed the downtime to a domain name server (DNS issue) which prevents devices like computers and smartphones from locating websites even though they are still running since the DNS system translates website names (like livemint.com) into internet protocol (IP) addresses that computers can understand. E-commerce delivery expert ParcelHero estimates retailers across the UK, Europe and the US would have lost around $1 billion because of the global outage. While AWS says it has successfully resolved the issue, such outages raise a bigger concern as AI companies increasingly shift more training (when AI learns) and inference (uses that learning to, say, identify a cat in a new image) workloads to the cloud. Were there similar big outages in the past? Major cloud outages have repeatedly compromised the internet. In February 2017, an AWS outage due to an internal human error disrupted Slack and Quora, while Google Cloud experienced big outages in June 2019 and November 2021 that affected Gmail and YouTube too. Azure experienced similar outages in 2021, but the major one was in July 2024 when a faulty CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor update disrupted 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide, impacting aviation, banking, and government systems. How dependent are companies and governments on the cloud today? Just three cloud services providers--AWS, Microsoft and Google--cumulatively service more than 60% of the world's cloud infrastructure needs. April-June 2025 enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure services increased to almost $99 billion worldwide, up over $20 billion from the second quarter of 2024, as per data from Synergy Research Group. The revenue includes infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and hosted private cloud services. With generative AI (GenAI) being the major driver of this growth, cloud providers have seen their quarterly revenues jump by $36 billion since the beginning of 2023. Amazon remained dominant in the market in the April-June quarter with a 30% market share, followed by Microsoft (20%), and Google Cloud (13%), according to Synergy Research. Small cloud providers include CoreWeave, Oracle, Databricks and Huawei. Also Read | Mint Explainer: Vibe hacking and why it is the next big cybersecurity threat But how could AWS alone crash half the internet? AWS may hold just 30% of the cloud infrastructure market but many globally popular apps, including social media platforms, gaming services, streaming sites, and financial apps (like Alexa, Snapchat, Venmo, Reddit, Coinbase, WhatsApp, Signal, Zoom, and Perplexity), rely on its services. Hence, when a key region or service fails, millions of users are affected (some airlines, too, like Delta Airlines and United Airlines encountered disruptions, as per Down Detector), regardless of its overall market share. The impact is amplified by the Metcalfe's law which underscores the network effect: services often depend on AWS application programming interfaces (APIs), databases, authentication, or DNS, meaning that even apps hosted elsewhere can break if they call AWS components. Additionally, companies tend to consolidate workloads in a few regions or providers for efficiency and cost savings, creating single points of failure and making it seem like half the internet" is offline. How reliant is AI on the cloud? Cloud AI integrates AI with cloud computing, allowing organizations to seamlessly align their day-to-day operational activities with AI tools, algorithms, and cloud services. The global cloud AI market size, which was valued at $78.36 billion in 2024, is forecast to rise from $102.09 billion in 2025 to $589.22 billion by 2032, as per Fortune Business Insights (www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/cloud-ai-market-108878). The reason is that every major AI breakthrough relies on scaling cloud computing. AI foundation models, including OpenAI's GPT-5, Meta's LlaMa, Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude require cloud infrastructure for their massive computational, storage, and networking needs. AI workloads are the primary driver of infrastructure demand growth, pushing cloud providers toward specialized AI chips, containers, and services. This is enabling the next platform shift, involving the combination of ubiquitous cloud access and embedded AI capabilities to create entirely new software categories and business models. How to address redundancy? Cloud providers do have a comprehensive disaster-recovery framework but many businesses choose availability within region" and not full multi-region or multi-cloud architecture because of the associated costs and complexity involved. To reduce downtime risks in the AI era, companies must adopt a multi-layered strategy. Relying on a single cloud provider or region creates single points of failure, so spreading workloads across multiple regions or even multiple cloud vendors can ensure continuity if one service goes down. Critical systemsdatabases, APIs, and authentication servicesshould have active failover and redundancy, with regular testing to confirm that backups work under real-world conditions. Applications should be decoupled from any one service to prevent cascading failures, and designed to offer partial functionality rather than complete shutdown during outages. Continuous monitoring and chaos testing help identify vulnerabilities before they become critical. However, moving workloads across vendors or regions comes with significant costs, including higher cloud bills, integration complexity, and potential data transfer fees. Companies must weigh these expenses against the risk of downtime, especially as Gen Z users and enterprises alike demand fast, uninterrupted AI services. OpenAI has banned users from generating celebrity deepfakes using its Sora app. Notably, the new app was launched alongside the Sora 2 model last month. Since then, there have been widespread concerns about the AI video app being used to create realistic deepfakes of individuals without their permission. The matter came to light after Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston complained about users generating videos that featured his likeness and voice without his consent. He raised the issue with SAG-AFTRA, the American labor union representing over 170,000 media professionals. I was deeply concerned not just for myself, but for all performers whose work and identity can be misused in this way. I am grateful to OpenAI for its policy and for improving its guardrails, and hope that they and all of the companies involved in this work respect our personal and professional right to manage replication of our voice and likeness, Cranston said in a release on Tuesday. SAG-AFTRA then joined forces with Cranston and three other major talent agenciesUnited Talent Agency, Creative Artists Agency, and the Association of Talent Agentsto demand better protections for individuals from Sora. Apart from Cranston, families of Robin Williams, George Carlin, and other deceased celebrities have also complained to OpenAI about their likeness being used in the Sora app. For its part, OpenAI says it has an opt-in policy for using the voice and likeness of a living person and regretted the unintentional generations via its AI video generator. The company says it is strengthening guardrails around replication of voice and likeness when individuals do not opt in. Notably, Sora's Cameo feature allows users to add an AI avatar of themselves in the video, which has been used to generate deepfakes of many famous personalities. The Sora app has been available only via invites since its launch on September 30. It is available on iOS with support for Android to follow suit later on. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On October 20, XPENG officially moved into its new headquarters in Guangzhou's Tianhe Smart City. Company founder He Xiaopeng marked the occasion on his Weibo account, writing that "entrepreneurship often begins with a move, and each relocation marks a symbolic leap forward." Located on the eastern side of Keyun Road in Tianhe Smart City's Cencun area, the new XPENG campus spans more than 500,000 square meters, with a total floor area of about 364,500 square meters. The project's land acquisition cost was approximately 1.507 billion yuan, translating to a floor price of roughly 9,300 yuan per square meter. Inspired by the brand's signature "X" motif, the building's sweeping glass facade gives the complex a strikingly futuristic presence that mirrors XPENG's identity as a forward-looking mobility innovator. Photo credit: He Xiaopeng's WeChat account Beyond its core headquarters functionsoffice, R&D, and exhibition facilitiesthe campus also integrates key automotive operations such as vehicle engineering, design review, and new model testing. Reflecting XPENG's technological ambitions, the site even includes a dedicated takeoff and landing pad for its flying car division and an independent flagship retail store. The new campus functions almost like a "mini city," complete with an 80,000-square-meter park and a 20,000-square-meter mega canteen offering 5,000 seats and more than 400 dining options. Additional amenities include cafes, supermarkets, a community medical center, as well as barbershops and gymscreating an all-in-one ecosystem for employees' work and daily life. In addition to the Guangzhou base, XPENG plans to expand and upgrade all of its offices nationwide, covering key cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. The relocation comes as XPENG accelerates on a strong growth trajectory. In September 2025, the company delivered 41,581 smart EVsup 95% year-on-year and 10% month-on-monthsurpassing the symbolic 40,000-unit monthly threshold. For the third quarter, deliveries totaled 116,007 vehicles, a 149% year-on-year surge. Cumulatively, XPENG delivered 313,196 units in the first nine months of 2025, representing a 218% surge from the same period last year. Netflix has confirmed that Troll 2 will debut worldwide on December 1, 2025, giving the OTT platform one of its biggest international roll-outs of the year. The original Troll, released in December 2022, still holds the platforms crown as the most-watched non-English film in its history - a record untouched even by Under Paris, reports What's On Netflix. Directed again by Roar Uthaug, the new film continues the Norwegian folklore saga that began with a mountain-bound monster awakening from centuries of sleep. Uthaug reunites with writer Espen Aukan and producers Espen Horn and Kristian Strand Sinkerud for Troll 2. At Netflixs International Showcase in late 2024, the streamer locked the 2025 release window and revealed the returning cast - Sara Khorami, Jon Ketil Johnsen, Gard B. Eidsvold, Kim S. Falck-Jorgensen, Aksel Almaas, and Trond Magnum - all back for round two. Netflix has also released the official trailer on October 21, 2025, teasing a darker tone and bigger scale. Watch it here: Also Read | Viral optical illusion: Only the sharpest minds can solve this puzzle on Reddit Troll 2 confirmed after record-breaking debut The first Troll dominated Netflix. On the streamers 91-day metric, the movie racked up 178.6 million viewing hours, roughly 103 million completed views. Using the older 28-day count, it hit 155 million hours - numbers that made a follow-up inevitable. Producer Espen Horn told Whats On Netflix in January 2025 that post-production was nearly finished and that the sequel was set to release in the fall. Netflix later firmed up the December 1 premiere. We approached Troll 2 with Nordic mythological humility - but quickly caught Noras Hey ho, lets go spirit, Horn told Whats on Netflix, while Sinkerud promised laughs, chills, and maybe even a little mischief," Horn added. What to expect in Troll 2 The first film ended with a roar from deep inside the Dovre mountain, hinting that something else was alive beneath the rubble. The sequel picks up from that moment. When a dangerous new troll is awakened, unleashing devastation across Norway, beloved adventurers Nora, Andreas and Captain Kris are thrust into their most perilous mission yet. To stop the creatures ruthless rampage, they must enlist new allies and delve into the countrys ancient history, searching for answers. As the clock ticks and the trolls path of destruction grows wider, our heroes face impossible odds in their fight to save their homeland from falling into darkness," reads Netflixs official synopsis. Troll 2 runs 1 hour 43 minutes and carries a TV-14 rating. FAQs When is Troll 2 coming out on Netflix? It will be released on December 1, 2025. Who is directing the sequel? Roar Uthaug, who also directed the 2022 movie, is back for the sequel. Which actors are returning for Troll 2? Sara Khorami, Jon Ketil Johnsen, Gard B. Eidsvold, Kim S. Falck-Jorgensen, Aksel Almaas, and Trond Magnum are set to return. How well did Troll perform? It remains Netflixs biggest non-English movie ever, logging over 178 million hours watched in 91 days. As the weather in the US takes twists and turns, a tropical wave in the central Caribbean is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Melissa later on Tuesday, October 21, becoming the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Storm development and formation As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the NHC reported a 100% chance that Invest 98L will develop into a tropical storm within the next two days. Overnight, the system became more organized and developed a well-defined center, showing signs of strengthening. The storm is likely to form sometime on Tuesday, as per Fox35. Forecast path: North hook likely According to the Miami Herald, storm tracking models, often called spaghetti models, suggest that Melissas path will likely hook north through the Caribbean islands, rather than moving straight west toward Mexico. However, the exact track remains uncertain, with several islands possibly impacted depending on how the storm develops. Areas at risk According to the latest guidance, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and possibly the Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas could face heavy rain, strong winds, and rough surf. Weather expert Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel noted that the wide range of possible tracks means residents in these areas should prepare for a long period of wind and rain before the storm makes landfall. Monitoring and forecast updates The Air Force Hurricane Hunters are scheduled to fly into the system later Tuesday to gather more data. The NHC will release an official forecast track and cone of uncertainty once Melissa is upgraded to a tropical storm. Florida outlook While the storm is getting stronger and intense in the Caribbean, there is relief for the residents of Florida; the state is not expected to see direct impacts at this time. Residents across the Caribbean are advised to stay alert and keep a check on local updates, to be prepared for heavy rain, flooding, and strong winds as the storm moves through the region. Tropical Storm Melissa again reminds us that the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is still on, and authorities continue to closely track developing systems. FAQs Q1: When will Tropical Storm Melissa form? Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to form later on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, in the Caribbean Sea, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Q2: Which areas are likely to be affected by Tropical Storm Melissa? The storm could impact Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and possibly the Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas. Florida is not expected to see direct effects at this time. Unilever has delayed its plan to demerge ice cream brand Magnum, reports Reuters. According to the company, the US government shutdown is forcing it to push the spin-off at present. The company initially planned to list the shares of its ice cream brand in several markets in Europe and the US starting mid-November. However, it seems to have been postponed further. A Bloomberg report mentioned that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is unable to provide the US registration statement. This is an essential requirement to list the shares of the ice cream brand on the New York Stock Exchange. Unilever-Magnum Ice Cream deal Unilever, also known for its goods like Dove soap, earlier posted on the company website that The Magnus Ice Cream Company (TMICC) is planning to separate from the brand. It will operate as a standalone company, titled TMICC. The company was announced to be incorporated in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, its shares were expected to be listed on the Amsterdam, London, and New York stock exchanges in November 2025. Unilever also mentioned that it will initially hold close to 20% of the ice cream brand, which will be sold off gradually. The demerger was planned to be effective starting Q4. The company has reportedly been planning to split off its ice cream brand since last year. This was being done to revamp the business and attract more revenue, reports Bloomberg. TMICC is headed by Peter ter Kulve, who has already started to build his global team. The supply chain optimization is already in progress. Also Read | Devils Throat waterfall is open for tourists again after brief closure US government shutdown The US federal government went into shutdown starting October 1, following a stand-off between Democrats and Republicans regarding legislation funding. The shutdown has resulted in several IPOs being put on hold for the time being, reported CNBC. Companies avoid being listed on Wall Street during such a time. Despite the delay, Unilever is already in good spirits. The company mentioned that it is already progressing well with the demerger. It also held a general meeting on Tuesday. The shareholders are reportedly in favor of the proposed consolidation. The company will be announcing new timelines for the demerger soon. FAQs 1. Why is the Magnum demerger delayed? The US government shutdown has prevented the SEC from processing necessary registration filings. 2. Where was Magnum Ice Cream supposed to be listed? Shares were to be listed on the Amsterdam, London, and New York exchanges from November 2025. The firearms community was recently taken by surprise after an Instagram account by the name Glockstore claimed that Glock would discontinue nearly all existing models, except the Glock 43, 43X and 48X, reports USA Carry. In an unconfirmed statement, GlockStore stated that new Glock V models would replace most of the existing Glock models on the market. Is Glock discontinuing most existing models? In an Instagram post, Glockstore recently announced to its 191,000 followers that as of November 30th, all Glocks are discontinued except 43, 43X and 48X. To prevent switch conversions, the brands new V models would replace all Glocks, it said, as per USA Carry. We are not representatives of Glock and are looking to see if this is 100% confirmed, Glockstore also added in the caption. Several users raised their eyebrows at the post. Bruh, did I wake up on April Fools? one asked. This is a joke, right? another commented. Meanwhile, one said, Its not April. What is the new Glock V model? Although Glock has yet to make any confirmations regarding the launch of a new V model, USA Carry suggests that the latest model would have internal changes to prevent switch conversions. The new Glock V model would not see any price increases, according to Glockstore. Full list of handguns discontinued by Glock While Glock has not confirmed the launch of the new V model, the official website of the Austrian weapons manufacturer has a list of models the company will discontinue. The firm claimed the decision was driven by a desire for future innovation and growth. The handguns that will be discontinued are: G17 Gen4 G17 MOS Gen4 | Gen5 G17L Classic | Gen3 G17L MOS Gen5 G19 Gen4 G19 MOS Gen4 G20 Gen3 | Gen4 G21 Gen3 | Gen4 G21SF G22 Gen3 | Gen4 | Gen5 G22 MOS Gen5 G23 Gen4 G24 G26 Gen4 G27 Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5 G29 Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5 G29SF G30 Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5 G31 Gen3 | Gen4 G32 Gen3 | Gen4 G33 Gen3 | Gen4 G34 Gen3 | Gen4 G34 MOS Gen4 | Gen5 G35 Gen3 | Gen4 G35 MOS Gen4 G36 G36 FGR G37 Gen3 | Gen4 G38 G39 G40 MOS Gen4 G41 Gen4 G41 MOS Gen4 G49 FAQs Who is the CEO of Glock? Javier Diossa Arango is the CEO of Glock. When will the latest Glock V models come out? Glock has not yet confirmed the launch of the latest V models. The trial of Andre Grier, one of the men facing charges in the 2016 murder of Bianca Horton, begins in Hamilton County. Grier faces the following charges: Jail letter becomes submitted as key evidence in trial tied to 2016 murder of Bianca Horton Bianca Horton, a 26-year-old mother, was found shot to death and left on the side of the road in 2016. She had been scheduled to testify in a trial connected to a shooting that killed her friend and left her infant daughter paralyzed. 1st degree premeditated murder 1st degree felony murder Especially aggravated kidnapping Conspiracy to commit premeditated murder Conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping Horton was shot to death just four months before she was set to testify in court against a gang member in a murder trial, who was accused of paralyzing her daughter in a shooting. Judge Boyd Patterson granted the request for an anonymous jury in March because of the potential threat of gang retaliation. Day 8: Jury continues sentencing hearing 1:08pm - Andre Grier was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He must serve 52 years before that can be an option, according to the Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk's Office. 10:51am - Jury begins deliberations on a sentence. 10:17am - The defense gives closing statements before the jury deliberates on a sentence. [Ms. Weirich has] given every reason in the world to kill my client, but ultimately that decision is not on her, its on you because either way it goes, hes not getting out of prison. The defense attorney lists out each of Grier's family members and asks the jury to "choose life" for them. 9:52am - State prosecutor, Amy Weirich, gives closing statements before the jury deliberates on a sentence. "Now you have the last part of your job to do, to look at everything, all of the evidence that you saw and heard in the first days and everything that you heard yesterday, and answer the final question... you can't get anywhere but the death penalty." 9:36am - The jury is brought in and read the sentencing instructions. Grier could be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty. Day 7: Jury deliberates 6:11pm - Court adjourns for the evening. Local 3 News will return for day 8 starting at 9:00am on Wednesday. 5:46pm - Defense calls Grier's sister to provide a witness impact statement. 5:30pm - Defense calls Grier's sister to provide a witness impact statement. "He was the person I could call on and I knew I could depend on him." The attorney asks how it would effect her if Grier was sentenced to death, she says, "that would crush me." She says, "This is a man that was selfless, a man that would help anyone, a man that would give his last to anyone." 5:17pm - Defense calls the mother of Grier's children to provide a witness impact statement. She tells the jury, "please just give my kids a chance to have their father and also him to have his kids." 4:47pm - Defense calls Grier's cousin to provide a witness impact statement. 3:31pm - Defense calls Grier's aunt to provide a witness impact statement. Says Griers mother rejected him as a child after his father left them. She asks the jury for "mercy", saying he's not that type of person, because he has children of his own, please spare my nephews life. When the state asks if she knows Bianca Horton, she says, "I don't know her." 2:57pm - That state introduces, Hamilton County Chief Medical Examiner, Steven Cogswell to provide a witness impact statement. 2:51pm - The state introduces one of Horton's brothers to provide a witness impact statement. My hurt is not gonna bring my sister back... like I said, it was Gods plan." When asked about Horton's children, the brother says, They were hurt, they wanted to know why." 12:20pm - The jury finds Andre Grier guilty on all counts: GUILTY: 1st degree premeditated murder GUILTY: 1st degree felony murder GUILTY: Especially aggravated kidnapping GUILTY: Conspiracy to commit premeditated murder GUILTY: Conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping After lunch, the sentencing hearing will begin. The three options are life with a change of parole, life without change of parole, or the death penalty. 9:14am - Jury deliberations begin. Day 6: State and Defense rest 6:38pm - Court adjourns for the evening. Local 3 News will return for day 7 starting at 9:00am on Tuesday. 4:42pm - Defense begins closing statements. Kit Rodgers says, "From the very beginning, I told you she was murdered. She was absolutely murdered, just not by Andre. He had nothing to do with it, and they didn't have the evidence to present to you to prove that he made you to do it." 3:37pm - State begins closing statements. Prosecutor, Amy Weirich tells the jury it's now their turn to "tell the truth." "You're never gonna forget what you heard in this courtroom over the last week," said Weirich. "The law also doesn't require you to look at these facts through a straw or look at just one piece of evidence. What the law required you to do, what we've just been instructed by the judge, to do is to look at all of it together. Does it lead you to only one possible answer? That answer is this, the defendant is guilty as charged." 1:56pm - Defense rests their case. 1:23pm - Grier waives his right to testify in the trial. 12:11pm - State rests their case. Grier's attorney, Kit Rodgers argues the jury is, "Left with a bunch of unreliable evidence its all circumstantial evidence and not very reliable. Without any direct evidence to corroborate it or bolster it. It's simply not strong enough for any juror to find without a reasonable doubt that Andre Grier is guilty of pre-meditated first degree murder. The state responded saying, "There were jail calls, words from the defendants own mouth, direct comments and direct conversation there is overwhelming proof in this case to prove most importantly pre-meditated and felony murder of Bianca Horton. Defense's motion for judgement acquittal was overruled. 9:07am - State's 26th witness, Jeremy Winbush, re-takes the stand. Winbush says the first person Grier contacted after his August 2, 2016 arrest, was Charles Shelton. He says Grier called him approximately 3 or 4 times between August 3 and 4 of 2016. Winbush says after hearing phone calls between Grier and Shelton, CPD officers went to Sheltons home to interview him and they seized his cell phone after learning he was using it to communicate with Grier. Winbush says Shelton passed the phone to his mother, who was at the home at the time, and told officers the phone "wasn't his." Winbush and his team used FBI cellphone data from the areas associated with the crime to narrow down suspects in the case. "It was very likely for us, as far as investigative information going forward, that if a phone was at three different towers, or at least multiple towers, more than one during this time period, that that would be a place for us to start as potential suspects. The three phone numbers were associated with "burner phones", but because of cellphone information Charles Shelton provided to his probation officer, Winbush says they found two of the three numbers were associated with him. One of the phones was associated with Grier. Winbush says, "that phone number was listed in the call log of at least one physical phone that was recovered from the Larchmont address during the search. The defense provided Winbush a report from the FBI that determined the tires found on the white econoline van did not match the tread of the tires at the scene of the crime. Defense argues the "other thing" Cortez Sims and Grier are heard speaking about on jail calls could refer to Sims' bond. Winbush says officers knew Shelton to live near the area of the crime scene. "Most people that travel up East 23rd Street, up the ridge, what they call it, toward the tunnel, to go to East Ridge. That's pretty much the most of the traffic. People that go down Elder Street or that take that area usually have to be familiar with the area. It's not a frequently traveled area at all." Day 5: State continues to bring forward witnesses 6:18pm - Court adjourns for the evening. Local 3 News will return for day 6 starting at 9:00am on Monday. 9:12am - State's 26th witness is introduced, Jeremy Winbush, former police officer with the Chattanooga Police Department. Winbush was verified as an expert in gangs and gang culture in Chattanooga. He's asked about the Athens Park Bloods gang, in which Grier is a member. He explains the hierarchy within the gang, You had an OG, original gangster considered the leader. And then you had OYGs original young gangsters who were in the Chattanooga area or incarcerated, they were responsible for, you know, maintaining the organization and leadership structure. And then you have YGs, which is young gangsters. And then you had, like, foot soldiers, or, you know, just ranking members who may have been in the game for a long time didn't have actual, like, leadership status. The prosecution gives Winbush a folder of photos to look through. Winbush was asked how one would become a member of the gang, Traditionally, you would have to, of course, be recommended. Someone would have to agree to allow you in, and then you would have to be beat in which they would consider catching a rack or members of that gang, APB would surround you. You'd have to fight for, you know 126 seconds or 127 seconds, based on which was set to rejoin it, you have to fight members of that gang as an initiation process. Winbush says in order to maintain relevancy in the gang, members would have to put in work. He says if a gang member co-operates with law enforcement, it's frowned down upon, "It's pretty much frowned upon to be a snitch or rat is a way to diminish your respect within the streets." Winbush says hes familiar with Grier and interacted with him during his time with CPD. He says at the time of his arrest, Grier had tattoos that linked him to the gang. The jury is shown a tattoo on Griers right shoulder that depicts Benjamin Franklin with a red bandana over his face. Jury is also shown a photo of Grier with his aliases to the left, reading, "Hollywood, Wood, Hollywood Wiley, Favorite Brother." Winbush says, Cortez Sims refer to him "Favorite Brother". Winbush says, Andre Grier was a known drug dealer, high level drug dealer. He was known to be the money man, person who always had money, known to drive rental cars, make routine trips out of town, possess nice things. So he was known within the gang and others within Chattanooga to be an individual who had money and had resources to be able to buy things I don't know that he, per se, owned vehicles and as far as registration is concerned, but yes, there is documentation that he was routinely seen in different vehicles, specifically unregistered vehicles and rental vehicles. He adds, One vehicle that comes to mind in particular was like a Ford Fusion, Buick Lacrosse, think he was even documented having access to a Chevrolet Impala, Econoline Van, but I don't particularly know of him having vehicles registered to him with the state of Tennessee. Winbush says Grier barricaded himself in an apartment on Larchmont Street when he and other officers came to arrest him. The apartment belonged to a woman Grier had a relationship with at the time. Winbush says the apartment was trashed when they entered. "Lots of documents and phones and things like that. The cell phones in particular, they were broken, several traditional flip style phones that were broken in half, smart smartphones like you know, touch screen phones that was like broken and shattered all over in different areas of the house. Winbush recovered a bag placed under the boxspring of a bed in the Larchmont home. Inside the bag is a pistol, gloves, and antibacterial wipes. He says the ballistics from the gun found did not match those of the one examined by the FBI. He also found another firearm in an air duct in the floor. The jury is shown a call log showing incoming calls to one of the phones found at the Larchmont address where Grier was arrested. Several of the phone calls came from one of the three phone numbers shown to have been in or around the area where Hortons body was found and where she worked. Winbush says Grier was arrested on August 2, 2016. He says he also frequently monitored jail calls to gain any information into the investigation and intel on gang activity. The state played an audio recording of a jail call between, another gang member, Cortez Sims mother, and Andre Grier on February 8, 2016. The gang member tells Sims mother, Call [Grier] and ask him if he gon' free the motherf*cker he sent up in this motherf*cker or is he just gon' let the homie go down on his watch? Is the n*gga gon free the homie, or be a sellout? Sims mother calls Grier and says, Is y'all gon free the lil homie, cause y'all making him look bad on y'all watch Grier says, We gon' try to do what we can do. In a three-way phone call with Cortez Sims, Sims' sister, and Grier, Grier tells Sims, "We gon' strike gold n*ggas don had a few times to slide, but the time aint been right." The state played an audio recording between Grier and a fellow gang member from April 11, 2016. Grier says, Aint nobody helping me, Im only one person," the gang member replies, You cant get no b*tch out there to do it? Grier responds, I dont trust no b*tch! Winbush opens the kite, or jail letter, he intercepted when Grier was in the Hamilton County Jail. In the letter, Grier writes to a fellow gang member who was co-operating with police, A blood, I read that affidavit. I wouldve never known you would wack out. And thats why these folks on a n*gga bumper. Not kool you lied to me and got family f*cked up in process. I dont know the mark you become. But if you get on that stand or cooperate any further with these people its personal wit us I love you as a brother. Dont kross the mob. Let by gones be by gonesand this paperwork disappear. A patch up. Day 4: State continues to bring forward witnesses 4:22pm - Court adjourns for the evening. Local 3 News will return for day 5 starting at 9:00am on Saturday. 3:30pm - State's 25th witness is introduced, Carla Rexing a special agent with the FBI. Rexing works in the CAST Unit which collects, analyzes, and maps cellular network data to aid in criminal investigations 12:18pm - State's 24th witness is introduced, Lara Adams, an FBI Forensic Examiner in the DNA Case Unit. Adams says she uses multiple types of testing: serological testing, which is the testing for possible presence of bodily fluids, and DNA testing, which she says is, looking at DNA profiles derived from evidence comparing to DNA profiles from a known person of interest. She says she collected DNA reference items collected from 12 subjects that were sent to her for comparison, totaling more than 200 items. One of those subjects was Horton and "11 other individuals of interest" in the case. Fingernail clippings from Horton, items from Ringgold road, items from the white van, and clothing articles from Marcell Christopher were used in her examination. She says it takes roughly a week for DNA testing to be completed before she can interpret the results. She says a swab from the steering wheel of the van was congruent with the DNA of Charles Shelton. The likelihood ratio is 6.1 million. That means the DNA profile obtained from the swabbing of the steering wheel is 6.1 million times more likely if Mr. Shelton is a contributor of the DNA versus if another unknown, unrelated person is a contributor of the DNA. So that number means that there's extremely strong support for inclusion of Mr. Shelton as the contributor of DNA obtained from the swabbing of the steering wheel and gear shift. When asked by the defense if any of Horton's DNA was found on any of the items tested from the econoline van, she said no. 11:15am - State's 23rd witness is introduced, Marisa Bender, a physical scientist and latent print examiner with the FBI. Bender says she received and processed over 150 items related to the case. Of those, she tells the prosecution 13 items resulted in a total of 23 finger prints. Bender reads from her examination report of the 13 items and says, P2 was identified to the number two finger, which is your right index finger of record, bearing the name Andre Sean Grier." She adds, P1 being a fingerprint, meaning that that came from the end joint of your finger, and P2 being a handprint means that it contained both some portion of the palm and finger in that impression On item 10, P1 it was identified to the number four finger, or the right ring finger to a card that bore the name Andre Sean Grier. She identifies another item as being linked to Grier, Item 21 had one fingerprint of value that was identified to the number one finger or right thumb of card bearing the name Andre Sean Grier. Bender says, a variety of chemicals, light sources, or fingerprint powders can be used to make finger prints visible. She says she used super blue fuming and dye stain to detect any latent prints on the items tested Bender opens a family dollar bag containing a bottle of cleaning wipes, cleaning spray, and a pack of wipes that were found in the white van registered to Grier. Of the bag, she says, I detected four fingerprints of value, and all four fingerprints were identified to a card bearing the name Charles Shelton. The prosecutions shows the jury images of the fingerprints identified as Grier's. Bender says there were two pistols processed for analysis, but no latent prints of value were detected. Day 3: Jury views evidence photos 4:38pm - Court adjourns for the evening. Local 3 News will return for day 4 starting at 11:00am on Friday. 4:29pm - State's 22nd witness is introduced, Deputy Jorge Araiza with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Araiza says he intercepted a kite, which is a jail letter, in court holdings - the holding cells beneath the court house on August 16, 2016. He says, "I made a copy of that letter, gave a copy to the courtroom, specifically to Deputy Cavazos, and then took the original and gave it to the Deputy." 1:59pm - State's 21st witness is introduced, Dr. Steven Cogswell, chief medical examiner for Hamilton County. Cogswell says Hortons body was brought to the medical examiner's office on the morning of May 25, 2016 and the autopsy was started the next day. The jury is shown several images of Horton's body from the autopsy while Cogswell explains how she was shot. Since she was quite obviously the victim of multiple gunshot wounds, or at least gunshot wounds, that automatically made her a medical examiner case," says Cogswell. Cogswell says while he sometimes he can't say anything about circumstances, it was clear multiple gunshot wounds were the cause of her death, "and the manner of death was homicide." 1:39pm - State's 20th witness is introduced. In 2016 he was the manager of an auto painting company. The witness says they specialized in, "inexpensive bodywork and painting and they would get the jobs done expeditiously. The prosecution presents a document that shows the white van was paid for and picked up on May 20, 2016. 1:37pm - State's 19th witness is introduced, Robert Welch a U.S. probation officer specialist. 11:54am - State recalls a previous witness, Sgt. Christopher Blackwell with the Chattanooga Police Department. Blackwell says he and another officer found the white van on the O'Leary property belonging to one of the state's earlier witnesses. Prosecution asks Blackwell how he knew the van they found was related to the crime, he said, By the vin number, the vehicle identification number. It matched to some paperwork that was found earlier that had the defendants [Grier] name on it. 11:06am - State's 18th witness is introduced, a lawyer. He was assigned to the homicide of Talitha Bowman, Horton's friend. The witness says he called Bianca Horton and Marcell Christopher as the two were present when Bowman was killed. He recalls the day of Horton's testimony against Sims in juvenile court. The witness says, Horton was strong, seemed to understand the importance of why she was there, she seemed strong, my observation was that she was ready to testify. He says his observation of Christopher was arrogant, extremely young I remember not being sure he was going to have the courage to testify that day. He was sort of resistant to being there. "Bianca tried to impart on [Christopher] the importance of why they were at juvenile court and that his testimony was important. The witness went to Elder Street on the day Hortons body was found to help confirm it was her. I remember law enforcement thinking that the body they had recovered was Biancas but they werent 100% sure at the time I went and it was Bianca. He tells prosecutors, Hortons death had an impact of Sims September 27, 2016 trial date. The witness says they used Horton's recorded testimony from Sims pre-trial in his trial the following year. 10:59am - State's 17th witness is introduced, a retired investigator. He investigates jail phone calls following Horton's murder. 10:23am - State's 16th witness is introduced, Special Agent Reanna O'Hare, a member of the FBI's evidence response team. The prosecution asks OHare what she and her team were looking for in their August 2016 investigation, she says, We were asked to process a van and we were trying to place a person inside the vehicle, so that means looking for hairs and fibers, looking for fingerprints, looking for any type of bodily fluids that would place a person inside the vehicle. Says approximately 10 people worked on the investigation and they were in Chattanooga for two days. Prosecution shows images of the items inside of the van, including a hammer, gloves, jackets, shirts, sweatshirts, zip ties, chains, and cleaning supplies. The van only had two seats, the drivers seat and the passenger seat. The entire back of the van was open. 9:50am - State's 15th witness is introduced, a rental property owner. The witness owned a property on OLeary street in Chattanooga, TN. He noticed a white van 3 or 4 times on the property, and then noticed it disappeared. He tells prosecutors, I remember it being clean and tidy... I told detectives it looked like a good clean work van, itd be nice to have. 9:28am - State's 14th witness is introduced, Chattanooga Police Department homicide investigator, Taylor Walker. Walker says he spoke with the state's previous witness twice in 2018. Walker told prosecutors, [The witness] advised the arresting officer he had some information pertaining to some homicides in Chattanooga we arranged for him to come the following morning to speak with us about that information. The witness gave Walker information about the murder of Horton, and Walker tells prosecutors, the witness appeared to be truthful in both interviews. The prosecution then played a video from the witness 2018 interview with Walker. The witness is heard telling Walker, I know a little bit about the Bianca Horton case. The reason why they had her killed is because she was about to go to court on Sims. I knew it was going to happen. They grouped up and talked about it, and had the van and everything. They left me and went and did it. It was [Courtney High], [Andre Grier], and [Charles Shelton]. They were in [Grier's] van. It was just them three. They said she cant go to court and we gotta handle this situation. [Grier] tried to get me to help him clean the van. As the video of the witness played, Grier was taking notes on a notepad. 9:15am - State's 13th witness is introduced, the member is a current member of the gang Grier is affiliated with. When asked by the prosecution, he says he does not know Andre Grier, Charles Shelton, Courtney High, Cortez Sims or Bianca Horton. The witness denies any questions related to knowing anything about Horton's death, nor events leading up to her death. Prosecution asks witness if he remembers an interview with police from 2018. He says no and denies giving information regarding Hortons murder to police. The prosecution asks him, you don't remember, or that did not happen?, the witness responds, that did not happen. Day 2: State continues to bring forward witnesses 4:46pm - Court adjourns for the evening. Local 3 News will return for day 3 starting tomorrow at 9:00am. 4:09pm - State's 12th witness is introduced, former Chattanooga Police Department officer, Matthew Hennessey. Hennessey says he spoke with the witness who was a former member of the gang, who earlier said he didn't know who Andre Grier was. Hennessey says at the time of their conversation, the witness was there under his own free will with an attorney. The prosecution played an audio recording between the witness and the officer from 2018. In the recording the witness says, It was a conversation about Cortez gotta go to court, and uh, that [Horton] had to not go. They talked about how they was gon do it, and I said nah, I said nah, I aint participating in that. When the prosecutor asked him who "they" referred to, he said, It was uh, Shelton and Grier. I said I dont want no parts of that, because its too sloppy. Hennessy was also heard asking about the details of the event. The witness says, The details were kidnap her and I guess get rid of her drop her off somewhere When asked if witness was approached to participate in the murder he said, Yea, but I said nah." The witness also was heard saying, I remember somebody mentioning something about hopping the gate and cutting some cameras. 3:36pm - State's 11th witness is introduced, Derrick McClarin, a Physical Scientist-Forensic Examiner with the FBI in Quantico, VA. 2:20pm - State's 10th witness is introduced, Officer Tracy McGhee. McGhee was a former officer with the Chattanooga Police Department. He responded to both the Elder Road location where Horton's body was found and her apartment complex. 1:57pm - State's 9th witness is introduced, Sgt. Christopher Blackwell with the Chattanooga Police Department. In 2016, Blackwell was a homicide investigator, and one of the investigators in Hortons death investigation. When Blackwell was asked about whether or not he believed one of the earlier witnesses had been untruthful in what she told him he said, I did not, because of the evidence we had. 1:38pm - State's 8th witness is introduced. This witness says he is a former member of the gang Grier is affiliated with. The prosecution listed off the names of people affiliated with the gang, including Courtney High, Charles Shelton, Andre Grier, and the witness denied knowing any of them. The witness also denied knowing of Bianca Horton in 2016 and says he doesnt know who killed her. He says he somewhat remembers having a conversation with a state prosecutor. He was asked if he recalled speaking with someone on the phone about the kidnapping and killing of Horton and who was responsible, but he says he doesnt remember having said conversation. Throughout the entirety of the witness testimony, Grier is taking notes. 12:04pm - Jury in recess until 1:30pm. 11:24am - State's seventh witness is introduced. She lived at the same apartment complex as Horton and their children played with one another. When she got home from work on the morning of May 25, she noticed residents and police gathering around Hortons car. The prosecution read transcripts from a conversations the witness had with police in 2018 where she allegedly told law enforcement she had seen a white van parked at the complex for several days leading up to Hortons murder. But, she says, I dont remember them asking me about a white van The prosecution asks, Do you recall telling police that the van was backed in to which she responds, I don't remember talking to the police about no van or whatever youre trying to say. I do not remember half of the stuff that happened 10 years ago. The prosecution played the audio recording of that conversation between the witness and police. There was a white van, but this van stood out because it wasnt dirty, it was clean. Somebody was sitting in the van, this was the day before this [the murder]. Someone was sitting in the van. They wasnt close to Hortons [apartment], they was kind of like in the middle of the parking lot. That van had been sitting there for 2 or 3 days. You could see somebody sitting in it, but I didn't want to stop and look. When the defense cross-examined, she maintained she doesnt remember saying the things on the recording. Thats me, I hear me, but I dont remember having that conversation. 10:49am - State's sixth witness is introduced. She was a property manager for the Stone Ridge Apartment Complex. In 2016, she was a property manager for the Stone Ridge Apartment Complex. She recalled the morning of May 25, 2016 for the jury, One of the residents had been killed and I didn't know what had actually happened, and I was away from the property at the time. When I returned, that's when I saw all the people in the community. I questioned the police and he stated there had been an incident that had occurred there. After Horton's death, she continued to speak with law enforcement as they came to the property. She says police took the two cameras that were on the property. She says the two cameras were located on the front of the building and in the back near the swimming pool, but they didnt actually cover the units themselves. Before Horton's death she says she discovered the cameras had been broken, I remember looking at the camera inside my office and it wasnt picking up anything, then I went outside and saw they had been pulled down. It looked like it had been pulled from the wall. The prosecution showed the jury an image of the device that opens and closes the entry and exit gates. The witness identified that a bolt was missing from one of them. 9:36am - State's fifth witness is introduced. She lived at the same apartment complex as Horton and the two were friends. The morning of May 25, 2016, she says neighbors of the complex crowded around Horton's car as the news broke. She recalled seeing Horton's items scattered on the ground, and a "crime scene investigator" car pull up to where her car was parked. She says she was "hurt and upset" when she found out what happened to Horton. 9:10am - State's fourth witness is introduced. She was the babysitter for Horton's four children. She says the night Horton went missing she was babysitting for her while Horton was at work. She says Horton called her around 10:45pm letting her know she was on her way to relieve her for the evening. When Horton didn't come home that night, the babysitter says she was concerned and called Horton several times. The babysitter, who lived at the same apartment complex, took Horton's children home that night, and the next morning she reached out to Horton's godmother to ask where she may be. The godmother informed her the police had found Horton's body that morning. When the prosecution showed the witness an image of Horton's body she was visibly shaken and began to cry. Day 1: Trial begins for Andre Grier 3:14pm - Court adjourns for the evening. Local 3 News will return for day 2 starting tomorrow at 9:00am. 3:08pm - State introduces their third witness. This witness lived at the same apartment complex as Horton. Their identity cannot be revealed. On the night that Horton was kidnapped, the witness says she saw items belonging to Horton scattered on the ground near her vehicle. 2:55pm - State introduces its second witness. This witness was a patrol officer with Chattanooga police at the time of Horton's death. Their identity cannot be revealed. The officer says he received a call from Hortons babysitter, who filed a missing persons report for her after she didn't come home to relieve her the previous night. He was dispatched to Hortons apartment the morning after her death. He was then notified of a body found, and a connection was made between the missing persons report from earlier. 2:35pm - State introduces its first witness, Jason Wood, an officer with the Chattanooga Police Department. Wood was one of the first patrol officers to respond to the scene where Horton's body was found. 2:17pm - Defense concludes opening statements. 2:08pm - Defense begins opening statements. Attorney, Kit Rodgers says, the state's argument of Horton being a "target" doesn't hold up, and that they have no real evidence against Grier. He argues, because she had already testified against Sims, this wouldn't be reason for Grier to want her dead, alleging it would clearly implicate him if he had done so. Rodgers said, "The only way it would help them would be to change their testimony, cause killing her secures her testimony, doesn't it?" 2:07pm - State concludes opening statements. 1:34pm - State begins opening statements. They present the jury a text thread depicting texts between Grier and Cortez Sims, another APB member who Horton was set to testify against in the shooting death of her friend, Talitha Bowman, and the shooting of herself, her daughter, Zoey, and rival gang member, Marcell Christopher. The text from Sims reads, "The lawyer is paid. Gotta that other thing paid off. Gotta get them paid off. It's the most important thing.. because she can't come to court." 1:32pm - Grier pleads "not guilty" to all five charges. 12:56pm - The Anderson County, TN jury is brought into the Hamilton County courtroom. 12:50pm - Judge Boyd Patterson explains to the media that because the state's theory is that Horton was was murdered for testifying against a fellow member of the Athens Park Bloods, no lay witnesses identifies can be broadcast, nor is streaming allowed. 12:45pm - Andre Grier is brought out to the Hamilton County courtroom. Trump meets Albanese, nailing down rare earth deal; move cannot change supply landscape soon due to refinery bottleneck: expert 14:54, October 21, 2025 By Zhang Han, Ma Tong ( Global Times US President Donald Trump met visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday at the White House, nailing down a rare earth agreement, but Chinese observers noted the deal cannot shake China's dominant status in supply chain in short term, as the thorny issue is advanced refining technologies rather than reserves. Citing Australia's cheer for White House's vague promises on AUKUS and hype of its intrusion in the South China Sea, analysts reminded that Canberra may miss the big picture and suffer long-term losses if keeps being a staunch ally of the US. Trump and Albanese signed a rare earth minerals agreement, which will see $1 billion in investments from the US and Australia over the next six months to get started on projects "immediately," BBC reported. In his opening remarks, the US president said that the US and Australia will be signing an agreement on critical minerals and rare earths. Without revealing any details about that deal, he claimed that within a year, "we'll have so critical minerals and rare earths that you won't know what to with them," per BBC. The signing of the critical minerals deal was seen as a major strategic win by Australia, reported the Guardian. A framework agreement circulated by the Australian government said it would see the two countries work together on "coordinated investment to accelerate development of diversified, liquid, fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths." The agreement says they will work together on mining and processing, including mobilizing government and private sector support through guarantees, loans, or equity and offtake arrangements, said the Guardian report. Both the US and Australia are interested in expanding processing capacity outside of China, but doing so is expected to require significant investment, including on the part of government, according to BBC. Yu Lei, a professor from the Department of International Politics and Economics at Shandong University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the core issue behind the rare earth and critical mineral agreement signed by the US and Australia lies in technology rather than resources. Rare earth resources are not in short supply globally; the real challenge is the extremely high technical threshold for rare earth purification. China is one of the countries mastering the most advanced technology in this high-precision purification technology and achieved large-scale industrial production while also maintaining advantage in cost control, according to Yu. Australia has actively responded to the US call in terms of policies and is willing to cooperate with the US in imposing blockades on China in key resources and technologies. However, Australia also faces two practical dilemmas, Yu warned, "first is the market issueits rare earth products lack sufficient export markets, and US domestic demand is far from enough to absorb Australia's production capacity; second is the technological bottleneckAustralia currently cannot meet the requirements for high-purity refining. The cooperation between the US and Australia cannot shake China's dominant position in the rare earth supply chain in the short term, but reminds China of necessity to accelerate the layout and reserve of critical metal resources on a global scale, Yu noted. The deal came amid the US' eager move to decrease dependence on Chinese rare earths. After China announced rare earth export control measures, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently called on US allies to "work together to de-risk and diversify our supply chains away from China as quickly as possible." Chinese Foreign Ministry responded on October 16 that Chinese competent authorities have stated on multiple occasions China's position on the export control measures on rare earths. China's export control measures are consistent with international practice and are taken to better safeguard world peace and regional stability, and to fulfill China's non-proliferation and other international obligations, spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing. During their meeting, Trump also allayed fears from Australia that the US would not commit to the trilateral AUKUS agreement signed together with the UK in the previous administration, telling reporters AUKUS is moving "full steam ahead" and that there are only minor "clarifications" left to be ironed out, BBC reported. Asked if the AUKUS agreement deters China, the US president said yes, but added "I don't think we're going to need it" with China. The US has the best military in the world, and nobody wants to mess with it, he said, "We're going to get along great with China. Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, said on Tuesday that Australia may have cheered over the news, but the US' expression was quite vague. The submarine deal, even if passes the ongoing review by the US administration, may not be fulfilled in full term as stipulated and the submarines cannot be delivered on time, considering the US' manufacturing capacity can hardly meet its domestic needs. Bloomberg reported in September 2024 that the US Navy's new Virginia-class submarines slipped two to three years behind schedule and are projected to run $17 billion over their planned budget through 2030. Chen told the Global Times that Albanese administration needs to secure some achievements during this meeting with US president amid pressure from domestic opposition saying he messed up Australian ties with the US, and assert Canberra's strategic significance for Washington. Chen said the rare earth deal also serves as a pledge of loyalty to the US, similar to the Australia warplane intrusion and hype of the incident. An Australian P-8A aircraft on Sunday intruded into China's territorial airspace over the Xisha Qundao, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to track and monitor the Australian aircraft, warn it away in accordance with laws and regulations, a military spokesperson said on Monday. Australia hyped the PLA reaction as "unsafe and unprofessional," shifting the blame to the victim,a military affairs expert commented. Chen Hong said that Australia is facing diplomatic dilemmas and frustrations. Australia shares a broad foundation of common interests with China. However, as a staunch ally of the US, it also exhibits a strong dependency inertia toward the it and faces practical "ally obligations." Chen described Albanese' Washington visit as "band-aid diplomacy" with the US; however, Australia should also bear in mind the big picture and long-term interests for itself. "The amount of the rare earth deal is dwarfed by the benefits of maintaining a sound relationship with China; and being the US ally should not be at the expense of stability in Asia-Pacific," the expert said. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Longford County Council has officially opened a new sensory room at Ballymahon Library, marking a significant step forward in making library services more accessible to people throughout the county. The dedicated space offers a calm, supportive environment for people with sensory processing needs, autism, and other conditions that can make traditional library settings challenging. The room provides a carefully designed environment where families can access library services in comfort. Read more: Planners give go ahead for construction of county Longford glamping park Funding for the project was provided by Longford County Council. Multisensory Ireland designed and fitted the sensory room project with Healthy Longford playing a key role through its ongoing collaboration with Longford Libraries. The initiative forms part of a collective response across the county to create supportive, inclusive environments for all families. The launch took place during National Breastfeeding Week 2025, reinforcing the shared commitment across multiple agencies to support families at every stage. Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Garry Murtagh, said, "This sensory room represents our determination to ensure every person in Longford can benefit from what our libraries offer. By creating spaces that work for people with different needs, we're sending a clear message that everyone belongs here. Libraries sit at the heart of our communities, and this facility ensures no family is left outside that circle." Read more: Over 300,000 funding available to Longford to build low carbon communities Chief Executive of Longford County Council, Paddy Mahon, added: "We recognise that traditional spaces don't work for everyone. This sensory room is a practical recognition of that reality. It allows families who might previously have found library visits difficult to access books, resources, and community connection. That matters enormously, both for the people who will use this space and for the broader community. Inclusion isn't an add-on it's fundamental to how we deliver services." The opening was attended by representatives from Ballymahon Vocational School, the Children and Young People's Services Committee (CYPSC), Longford Community Resources, and the Public Participation Network, alongside students and staff who will benefit from the new facility. Lisryan Community First Responders Group on October 10 had a cheque presentation night, where much needed funds were raised by 31 people who climbed Djouce Mountain in September 2025. Presented on the night was a cheque that amounted to 6,600. The committee of Lisryan Tidy Village was started as an idea proposed to establish a group of community first responders in the rural area. An expression of interest was put out to community members and as always, the local residents responded. Community First Responders (CFR) are volunteers who are trained to a minimum level of basic life support in CPR and the use of an AED/defibrillator, who attend a potentially life threatening emergency such as a cardiac arrest, heart attack, stroke or choking. Read more: Urgent action needed on wastewater treatment plants in Midlands and country Their aim is to reach a potential life threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrives. Their role is to help stabilise the patient and provide the appropriate care while awaiting the arrival of the more highly-skilled ambulance crew. 13 volunteer responders have signed up and gone through the rigorous process of Garda Vetting and training supported by the National Ambulance Service Community Engagement Officer and Yvonne Leslie, the leader of the North Longford Community Responders Scheme. The group has access and responsibility to maintain 5 public access defibrillators in the catchment area. These AEDs will be registered with the National Ambulance service. These five public access defibrillators are in the following areas: Lisryan Crossroads, Killasonna NS, Lismacaffrey NS, Streete Gun Club and Streete Parish Park. The group will respond to emergencies arising within a defined radius of 8k spanning from Lisryan crossroads. The group will go live with the National Ambulance Service in 4 to 6 weeks. The group has had great support from the surrounding community. Sponsorship was received from local companies. Alongside this, 31 climbers scaled Djouce Mountain in September 2025 and raised significant funds for this worthy cause. A cheque presentation night was held in Murphys Crossroads Inn Lisryan Friday, October 10, with refreshments and live music afterwards as a token of thanks to all that supported. The group presented tokens of thanks to those who made it possible: a bouquet of flowers to Angela Mulligan, chairperson Lisryan Tidy Village committee and organiser of the climb, bottles of whiskey to Micheal Gettings and Eugene Fitzpatrick for the sponsorship of the t-shirts for the climbers and a bouquet of flowers to Yvonne Leslie, the leader of the North Longford Community Responders Scheme. There is still time to donate or support. Ongoing contributions are always welcome as the group continues to maintain equipment and refresh on their skills and training. Read more: Longford careless driving accused sent forward for trial after two-vehicle crash Please scan the relevant QR code or make donations in our buckets in Lisryan Crossroads Inn, Quinns Supply Stores Granard, Mackens Filling Station Granard, Super Valu Granard and Kearneys filling station Granard. This impressive figure will help with the responders moving forward for better access to medical help. Catherine Connolly will be visiting Longford and Westmeath on Wednesday, October 22. In the morning she will be visiting Cavan and Monaghan, and is set to hit Longford town at 5pm, where there is a planned street canvass, for Catherine to meet as many people on the way. Read more: Request for emergency Longford County Council meeting over disturbing phone call She will then be heading to Athlone for approximately 6:20pm for another street canvass with Athlone activists and will then visit TUS Students Union Midlands for a talk with the Students Union, staff and students, all are welcome. Lastly Catherine will make her way to Mullingar, where there will be a gathering in Chambers Bar from approximately 8:20pm to 9:30pm. The Longford-Westmeath branch is encouraging all people to come out and support Catherine. Read more: The little-known Budget 2026 measures you might have missed including 325 payment For more information, the page is available on Instagram: @lw_for_catherineconnolly The branch also encourages people to come out to vote on the October 24. Mahmoud al Muhtadi (circled) with another DFLP member in a photo included in the US Department of Justices criminal complaint. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that it had arrested 33-year-old Mahmoud Amin Yaqub al Muhtadi in Louisiana. The DOJ alleged that Muhtadi was a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestines (DFLP) so-called armed wing and had participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in southern Israel. The DOJ stated that Muhtadi was a member of the DFLPs Martyr Omar al Qassem Brigades, a small but well-established terrorist organization aligned with Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups. The criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Louisiana included evidence from Mahmouds social media accounts demonstrating that he participated in DFLP activities. The complaint states that on October 7, when Muhtadi learned that Hamas and its allies had launched an attack on southern Israel, he armed himself, recruited other Palestinians to join him, and infiltrated Israeli territory from one of the many breaches at the Gaza-Israel border. The complaint asserts that evidence collected against Muhtadi showed that his mobile phone had connected to an Israeli cell tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where Hamas and its allies killed civilians, including four Americans. The DOJ further alleges that following the October 7 attack, Muhtadi fraudulently obtained a visa in Egypt and was approved to enter the United States. According to records from US Customs and Border Protection, he entered American territory on September 4, 2024. On October 20, the Muhtadi family issued a statement condemning what they described as a smear campaign against Mahmoud, who they stated had no political or party involvement before leaving Gaza. The Muhtadi familys statement emphasized that he departed legally during the war with full coordination from the US Embassy in Cairo, obtained an official US visa, later joined relatives who are American citizens, and began a lawful professional life in the United States. The family called on US human rights groups, media, and the public to oppose discrimination and support Mahmouds right to remain with his family and maintain his legal residency. A review of Mahmoud Muhtadis online footprint by FDDs Long War Journal found additional information on his past vocation in Gaza and some potential links to the DFLP. Muhtadis formerly public Facebook profile (now set to private) showed two DFLP-related posts in which another Facebook user tagged (notified) Muhtadis account. One of the tagged posts mourns the death of an operative who belonged to the DFLP. In February 2023, Muhtadi appeared on a radio program called The Youth Radio, where he joined a panel to discuss a range of issues affecting young Palestinians. The host of the program introduced Muhtadi (in a grey jacket) and another guest as the owners of Saltaa Burger, a food stand in Gaza themed after the popular animated TV series SpongeBob SquarePants. Footage published by local Palestinian media on February 15, 2023, showed Muhtadi preparing food during an interview. The DOJ has released significant evidence against Muhtadi, but some questions about his ties to the DFLP and travel remain unanswered. For example, it is unclear how he traveled to Egypt when significant restrictions were imposed on individuals exiting the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing following the start of the war between Hamas and Israel. People attempting to leave Gaza had to pay a fee that reportedly cost approximately $5,000 per adult and $2,500 per child. Furthermore, it is unknown whether Muhtadi continued to engage in activities in the United States on behalf of the DFLP. The DFLP was listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US in 1997 for a brief period but was delisted two years later. However, the group is designated by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. Muhtadi is currently the only individual who has been arrested in the US on charges of terrorism in connection with the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East. Manchester, VT (05254) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Anna's Taqueria is offering its "super" sized burritos for $3.50 in honor of the chain's newest store opening. Courtesy of Anna's Taqueria Annas Taqueria, the Boston areas beloved homegrown taqueria, is celebrating the opening of its newest location by bringing back their $3 super sized burritos. Annas Taqueria will sell the 12-inch burritos at the original price of $3.50 at the brands new Downtown Crossing location, which opens Tuesday, Oct. 21. The 12-inch customizable burritos come with customers choice of main filling, cheese, rice, beans, lettuce, pico, hot sauce and jalapenos, all wrapped in a hot flour tortilla. The $3.50 burritos are available for dine-in only at the Summer Street location all day. They are limited to one per person. Premium add-ons come at an extra cost. The new Annas Taqueria is located on the corner of Summer and Devonshire streets, at 84 Summer St. The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The 1,800-square-foot space joins the local chains four other Boston spots as well as restaurants in Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, Natick and Woburn. Annas Taqueria also plans to add stores at Legacy Place in Dedham, in South Boston and in Cranston, Rhode Island in the near future. Despite previous plans to demolish the Watertown Mall in favor of new life science laboratory space, the mall will be sticking around for the foreseeable future. Newton-based National Development purchased the mall property at 550 Arsenal St. this month for $100.25 million, four years after lab developer Alexandria Real Estate Equities bought it, according to documents filed with the Middlesex County Registry of Deeds. Alexandria, based in California, paid $130 million for the 24.5-acre property in 2021, according to land records. The company had planned to convert it into more than 970,000 square feet of lab, retail, office and other commercial space across eight buildings, according to plans submitted to the city in 2023. However, no work had yet been done at the site. National Development Chief Investment Officer Andrew Gallinaro told the Boston Globe this week that the new owners would be keeping the mall as-is at least for now. We will continue to make improvements and operate it as a first-class shopping center, Gallinaro told the newspaper. Its an extremely high-quality location and a great community. Over the longer term, there may be other avenues to explore. But for the time being, were very focused on operating as a first-class shopping center. Watertown Mall is currently home to Target, Best Buy and a branch of the Registry of Motor Vehicles, among other, smaller tenants. Gallinaro told the Globe the mall is currently 96% leased. He said National Development does plan to upgrade storefronts and signage at the mall. National has developed more than 30 million square feet of property in Greater Boston and beyond, including retail, housing, office, lab, industrial and other projects, according to its website. Veterans of the biotech business sometimes talk about surviving various winters for their industry periods when funding drops and companies cut jobs or shut down entirely. Theyre living through a bitterly cold stretch now, with recent layoffs at companies such as Takeda Pharmaceuticals, BioNTech, and Arena BioWorks, all of which have Massachusetts sites. But there are some sudden sprouts of hope, with $1 billion in new funding announced last week by just two Boston-area startups, Kailera Therapeutics in Waltham and Lila Sciences in Cambridge. I also spoke to a first-time founder, Jean Pham, who is in the process of closing a smaller funding round for her Charlestown-based startup, Cellens. Heres what theyre working on. A pill for managing obesity, developed and tested in China The biggest of the recent funding rounds $600 million went to Kailera, a company that had also raised $400 million last October. It has two key products: an injectable weight loss drug that could prove more effective than those already on the market, and a once-a-day pill that Kailera CEO Ron Renaud said could help people whove hit their target weight stay there. Those two drugs were developed and tested on patients with obesity and Type-2 diabetes in China, by a company called Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. Kailera has licensed the products from Jiangsu Hengrui, and will work to get them approved in the U.S. and other countries. Why is the company bringing in a drug that was developed in China? Renaud said China has been focused for the past decade on ensuring that drugs developed inside its borders are tested in accordance with global regulatory standards, so that results from clinical trials are considered reliable. When you take that and then you combine it with the speed and lower expense to do things in China, it really makes them a tremendous partner ... They can move quickly. Theyre incredibly innovative, he said. Renaud said the company had about a dozen employees a year ago. The company has since grown to about 140 employees, who work in Massachusetts and a second office in San Diego. Some employees work remotely, Renaud said. But while the company has leased office space in Waltham, it doesnt have a lab for running experiments, since all that research and development work was done in China. This is the first company Ive run that doesnt have a lab, said Renaud. The company plans to manufacture its products in the U.S. to avoid potential tariffs on imported drugs. Artificial intelligence and robot-run experiments Lila Sciences was hatched in the Cambridge offices of Flagship Pioneering, an investment firm that helps to incubate new companies. Flagship is probably best known for launching Moderna Therapeutics, the Cambridge vaccine-maker. Lila has an ambitious vision: creating a new kind of highly automated lab that will leverage artificial intelligence to design and run scientific experiments. The company is focused not just on developing new medicines, but tackling challenges in other industries such as energy and materials development. The company announced this month that it had raised $350 million from a group of investors including Flagship, NVIDIAs venture capital arm, and IQT, an investment firm created by the Central Intelligence Agency. (It has raised $550 million in total.) Lila Chief Executive Geoffrey von Maltzahn said the company believes that AI models trained on the right kind of data sets will be able to solve lots of unsolved problems, by running scientific experiments faster than ever before. He said a properly designed AI system could be like a polymath across all materials, chemistry and life science, and become super-intelligent by doing what every scientist around the world and throughout human existence has done, which is to model the world, design experiments, test hypotheses, run those experiments, interpret the results and keep going. Von Maltzahn doesnt think that will render human scientists obsolete, but instead free them from grunt work what he calls the the 99% of Edisonian perspiration, [like] pipetting small fluids around for years on end. Creating this kind of new AI-fueled science factory, if it works, could be the ultimate competitive advantage in science, and therefore it is critical that the US and our allies win this, von Maltzahn said. The company currently has 230 employees, and another 50 open roles listed on its website. Lila recently leased a large office in the Alewife section of Cambridge one of the biggest biotech leases of 2025. It also has an office in San Francisco, and plans to open another in Europe soon, von Maltzahn said. Lilas chief technologist and chief scientist, Andy Beam and George Church, are both highly regarded professors at Harvard University. Better cancer diagnostics Cellens is developing a new technique for detecting cancer. The startup is first focusing on identifying recurrences of bladder cancer by testing urine rather than relying on a current test that is more invasive. Jean Pham, the companys CEO and co-founder, said Cellens is in the midst of completing a financing round this month. She called it an incredibly tough market for fledgling companies hunting for their first few million dollars. The technology, initially developed at Tufts Universitys School of Engineering, uses machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, to spot cancerous cells in a urine sample. How? With a device called an atomic force microscope, and a very sharp probe that acts like a nano-scale finger, Pham said. This tiny finger touches the surface of cells. It turns out that cancer cells do have very distinct physical properties compared to normal, healthy cells, she said. Pham said the company, which has eight employees, got a sweet deal on lab space in Charlestown, given the high vacancy rates in greater Boston. Looking ahead I caught up with four veterans of the biotech industry to ask if they were seeing any signs that this winter was thawing. The most dour of them didnt want to talk on the record. But he said that until more biotech companies started paying back their investors by going public or getting acquired the industry would be hurting. Jonathan Gertler, CEO of the consulting firm Back Bay Life Science Advisors, pointed to a lot of money that was raised by venture capital firms to invest in biotech in recent years but is still sitting in their bank accounts. You cant sit on that capital forever, he said. Gertler said this industry downturn feels better than previous downturns because of that dynamic. But Gertler said its still a chaotic time, with regard to policy and with regard to the challenges to science, which include cuts to research funding from agencies like the National Institutes of Health, as well as anti-vaccine messaging from the Department of Health and Human Services. Bigger pharmaceutical companies have started buying biotechs with promising products, observed Anna Protopapas, a director of several Massachusetts biotech companies. (Earlier this month, pharma giant Bristol Myers Squibb paid $1.5 billion for a Cambridge company developing new cell therapies.) Those kinds of deals are a good sign, she said. But while some companies, such as Kailera, are hunting for Chinese-invented drugs that have shown signs of promise at a bargain price, Protopapas also views China as a serious competitor that is seeking to keep cultivating its own biotech industry, with far cheaper labor and manufacturing costs than the US. That will require US-based companies to find ways to operate more frugally: I think we have to become much, much smarter about moving things forward in a capital-efficient way, she said. Volatility will remain, as the chaos of Washington isnt likely to go away anytime soon, said Bruce Booth, a partner at Atlas Venture, a Cambridge venture capital firm. He mentioned the current government shutdown the Food and Drug Administration isnt currently accepting paperwork from companies that want it to review new drugs or medical devices as well as debates around how and whether to change the pricing of prescription drugs. But Booth pointed to a biotech stock index that has been rising since April, and said theres lots to be optimistic about. A JetBlue flight on its way to Las Vegas from Boston returned to its gate Monday night after a non-compliant passenger became verbally abusive, according to Massachusetts State Police. Massachusetts State Police troopers were notified by JetBlue around 10 p.m. that flight 777, on its way to Las Vegas, was returning to the gate. Police issued a summons for a 37-year-old Louisville, Kentucky man on a charge of interference with a flight crew. The summons orders the man, whom police did not name, to appear in Boston Municipal Court in East Boston. The other passengers aboard the plane were able to disembark safely, police said. Tracking data on FlightAware shows the flight was scheduled to leave Boston just after 7 p.m. Monday, and arrive in Nevada just after midnight Eastern time. But the flight actually departed Boston just before midnight, arriving in Las Vegas around 5:30 a.m. North Andover Police Officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons during her arraignment at Essex Superior Court on Aug. 28, 2025. She was shot and wounded in June after police say she pointed a gun at another North Andover Officer. (Ben Pennington for The Boston Globe) Kelsey Fitzsimmons, the North Andover police officer accused of pointing a gun at a fellow officer serving her a restraining order obtained by her fiance, is petitioning the full Supreme Judicial Court to reverse a lower courts order jailing her. The appeal filed by attorney Tim Bradl on Tuesday comes days after a single justice of the court denied Fitzsimmons petition to be released on conditions, finding a lower court judge did not make any errors of law in her ruling. Fitzsimmons, 28, was jailed in September after she sought relief from court-ordered alcohol testing that required her to breathe into a tube attached to a SCRAM device. Her lawyers said the injuries Fitzsimmons sustained after being shot by one of the officers serving her the order made it difficult for her to complete the test without pain. Judge Kathleen McCarthy-Neyman then reversed her order granting Fitzsimmons release. Bradl filed a motion seeking reconsideration of the order, which was denied, before appealing to a single justice of the states highest court. Justice Elizabeth Dewar found McCarthy-Neyman did not commit an error of law or otherwise abuse her discretion. She noted that nothing prevented Fitzsimmons from moving for relief a second time if she can show a change in circumstances. Bradl is now petitioning the entire court to review the case. In their appeal to the SJC, Fitzsimmons lawyers blasted McCarthy-Neymans decision to revoke Fitzsimmons release and to deny a motion for reconsideration. At the Sept. 11 hearing, Fitzsimmons and her lawyers were greeted with hostility, interruptions, obtuse posturing, presumptive skepticism, willful blindness as to the availability of other methods of testing, and grossly injudicious behavior, culminating in the court walking off the bench during the middle of argument. Prosecutors accused Fitzsimmons and her lawyers of taking a cavalier approach to the removal of the condition of alcohol testing. They also backed McCarthy-Neymans claim that Fitzsimmons team manipulated the process. There is no explanation for [Bradls] failure to question a parole officer about alternative testing or to mention the possibility to the court when given ample opportunity, Assistant District Attorney Marina Moriarty wrote. Moriarty suggested it was a reasoned tactical decision by a seasoned defense attorney seeking to release the defendant from alcohol testing entirely. Fitzsimmons, a North Andover police officer, is accused of pointing a gun at a fellow officer on June 30, when officers arrived at her home to serve her a restraining order taken out by her fiance. The order required Fitzsimmons to turn over her guns and separated her from her infant son. What happened inside the home is a question at the heart of the case against Fitzsimmons. Police say she pulled out a gun and tried to fire it at an officer, leaving him with no choice but to shoot Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons, through Bradl, has said she attempted suicide. Fitzsimmons was eventually indicted on a single charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident. A grand jury returned a no-bill on a charge of armed assault with intent to murder, meaning it did not find sufficient evidence to support the claim that Fitzsimmons tried to kill a fellow officer. Following the birth of her son, Fitzsimmons suffered from postpartum depression and was briefly involuntarily committed. But she had recently won her gun license back and was set to return to work just days after the armed confrontation with other officers in her department. A hearing in her case is scheduled for November, when a trial date is likely to be set. Rebecca Gayheart, left, and Eric Dane arrive at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the JW Marriott on Saturday, April 20, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Famous actor Eric Dane, best known for his work in Greys Anatomy and Euphoria, has a new TV role that is inspired by his own medical journey. Dane will be making an appearance on an upcoming episode of Brilliant Minds season two, episode nine, according to People. Hell play Matthew, a heroic firefighter who struggles with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new role comes after Dane revealed his diagnosis with ALS in April and since has been open about the challenges he faces. I have one functioning arm, the 52-year-old said in an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired in June on "Good Morning America." My right side [has] completely stopped working, Dane said. While the actor still has mobility of his left arm, he added that he is slowly starting to lose function of it as well. Its going, Dane said. I feel like maybe a couple, few more months and I wont have my left hand either. The actor is walking fine right now, but is already thinking about how the disease will impact his legs. I wake up every day and Im immediately reminded that this is happening, he told Sawyer. Its not a dream. ALS, otherwise referred to as Lou Gehrigs disease, impacts the nervous system. The non-curable disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually causing paralysis and restricting essential bodily functions such as speaking, eating and breathing, according to the Mayo Clinic. The CDC estimates roughly 33,000 people are fighting ALS in the U.S. Dane called his battle with ALS sobering. His journey started when he first started experiencing weakness in his right hand more than a year ago. The actor didnt think much of it at first, until it worsened over the course of a few weeks. Dane then went from hand specialist to hand specialist, then neurologist to neurologist. After nine months of being in the dark, Dane was finally diagnosed with ALS. The actor, who shares two teenager daughters with actress Rebecca Gayhart, said he is focused on his family and work. All I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can, Dane said. I dont think this is the end of my story. I just dont feel like, in my heart, I dont feel like this is the end of me. Brilliant Minds airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. GLP-1 drugs are cited as a major contributor to health insurers mounting financial strains. Niall Carson/Getty Images Massachusetts second largest health insurer, Point32Health, laid off an additional 254 employees earlier this week in a second round of layoffs amid financial pressure from medical and pharmaceutical costs. The latest cuts represent 6.7% of the companys workforce of more than 3,700 people, The Boston Globe reports. The cuts follow 110 layoffs implemented in March. Point32Health, the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, said the reductions aim to control administrative expenses while medical care costs continue climbing. Our members are at the center of everything we do, and it is critical that we address costs within our control, Chief Executive Patrick Gilligan told said in a statement obtained by MassLive. As responsible stewards of our members health care dollars, we will continue to manage our administrative costs as effectively as possible as we navigate the ongoing industry challenges. Read more: Caring Health Center opens new site after last was damaged by out of control driver The workforce reductions come as Point32Health, which insures nearly 2 million people, reported a $96 million operating loss on $4.9 billion in revenue through June, The Globe reports. The company attributed the losses primarily to high spending on expensive medications including GLP1s, targeted immunomodulators like Skyrizi and Dupixent, oncology drugs, and treatments for cardiac amyloidosis. According to The Boston Business Journal, rising medical costs such as prescription drug costs, hospital prices and economic conditions have all contributed to health insurance company hardships. Glenn MacFarlane, Point32s interim CFO, told the outlet earlier this month that insurers increase premiums to help combat those costs but often have underestimated the increased drug costs thrown their way. The trend has caught every major health company by surprise, MacFarlane told the outlet. GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy surged in popularity in recent years and health care insurance companies say theyve contributed to increased health care spending. Point32 spent $70 million on GLP-1 drugs in 2024 alone, while Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts attributed 20% of its total pharmacy costs on these drugs last year, The Boston Business Journal reports. While Blue Cross Blue Shield has not initiated layoffs yet, the company admitted it could be a possibility in the future. Sarah Iselin, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, told the Business Journal layoffs are not off the table and was even offering voluntary buyouts to roughly 750 workers. A group of 15 high school runners who went missing Monday afternoon during a cross-country event in Sturbridge were all found safe, according to Sturbridge Police Chief Earl Dessert. The incident took place at the Trek Sturbridge trails near Old Sturbridge Village, Dessert wrote on Facebook. The Tantasqua Regional High School was hosting a cross-country meet there, with eight schools participating in the event. During the event, 15 runners strayed from the course and lost contact with the main group, according to Dessert. The Sturbridge Police Department and Sturbridge Fire Department launched a search for the missing runners and they were found soon afterward. At no point were the runners in any danger, Dessert wrote. I want to personally thank all the officers, dispatchers and members of the Sturbridge Fire Department for their professionalism and rapid response, as well as everyone who assisted in ensuring a safe outcome, the chief wrote on Facebook. A Danvers woman who worked as a clerk magistrate in Salem District Court is facing charges after prosecutors say she misused thousands of dollars in bail funds and forged a form to cover up her crime. Michelle Bowman, 51, was indicted on charges of fiduciary embezzlement and unwarranted privilege and forgery and uttering, Attorney General Andrea Campbells office announced Tuesday. In May 2024, staff at Lawrence District Court discovered $25,000 in bail funds had never been received and were missing while attempting to process a bail forfeiture. Prosecutors say Bowman submitted a forged recognizance form to the court for the missing bail, trying to create the appearance the money was received more recently than it actually had been. A Trial Court audit discovered eight bails were missing and had never been turned over to the various courts. Prosecutors say Bowman took all eight, for a total of $71,000. The audit also found Bowman held some bail funds longer than allowed by bail magistrate rules, according to Campbells office. In one instance, prosecutors say she kept a $75,000 bail for more than six months before paying it to the relevant court. A review of Bowmans financial records showed several withdrawals from her bail account had been used for personal expenses, Campbells office said. Prosecutors say she made nearly $15,000 in payments to American Express, $14,000 in payments to her landlord and more than $8,500 in cash withdrawals. During the timeframe, Bowman traveled to Las Vegas, Barbados and Aruba and purchased jewelry, designer perfume, high-end clothing and event tickets, prosecutors said. Bowman was arraigned in Essex Superior Court Tuesday, where she was ordered to turn over her passport. She will return to court on Dec. 12. Love Connemara Cottages, one of the wests leading self-catering marketing agencies, is delighted to announce the acquisition of Connemara and Mayo Coastal Cottages, a long-established and highly respected holiday-letting agency based in Letterfrack, Co Galway. This strategic acquisition brings together two of the most recognised names in the Connemara holiday market, enhancing the range and reach of self-catering properties available along Irelands iconic Wild Atlantic Way. Terry OToole, Managing Director, Love Connemara Cottages explains: We are very excited to expand our self-catering offering on this part of Irelands Wild Atlantic Way. The new hosts (and their unique properties) greatly complement our existing ones. We wish to thank Siobhan for a smooth transition and wish her all the very best in her new endeavours. Siobhan Bennett, Owner and Manager, Connemara and Mayo Coastal Cottages said: It has been a privilege to work with welcoming owners from across Connemara and Co Mayo. I am delighted to be transitioning my business to Love Connemara Cottages. They are a fellow Irish-owned company based in Clifden. They have a strong market presence and will take over the next part of the journey for Connemara and Mayo Coastal Cottages. Founded in 2014, Love Connemara Cottages has grown to include a diverse portfolio of over 120 high-quality cottages, houses, and apartments across the Connemara region of County Galway. With a dedicated team of five full-time staff, the company has built a reputation as the premier self-catering marketing agency in Connemara, attracting guests from around the world seeking authentic, memorable stays along the Wild Atlantic Way. Established in 1995 by Julia Awcock, Connemara Coastal Cottages is one of Irelands longest-running self-catering agencies, representing more than 70 properties across Connemara and County Mayo. Siobhan Bennett acquired the business in 2018, later expanding it in 2020 with the launch of Mayo Coastal Cottages. After more than 30 years serving the regions tourism sector, the business and its portfolio will now transition to Love Connemara Cottages, ensuring continued support for local property owners and visitors alike. READ MORE: Minister Calleary turns the sod on a major redevelopment of the former Sisters of Mercy Convent site in Westport Louisburgh man Ciaran Staunton of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform and Karen McHugh of Safe Home Ireland, which is based in Mulranny, made a presentation at a cross-party briefing on Issues Affecting Returning Irish Citizens in Leinster House last Thursday. Mayo TDs Rose Conway Walsh TD and Paul Lawless TD were among nearly 20 Oireachtas members who attended the briefing. The presentation addressed a comprehensive range of obstacles facing Mayo natives and other Irish citizens returning home from abroad, including the recognition of foreign qualifications, voting rights for Irish citizens abroad, the proposed US-Irish driver's license exchange, housing challenges, visa provisions for non-Irish spouses, and third-level education fees for children of Irish-born citizens. With many Mayo families having members living abroad, particularly in the United States, the issues raised have particular relevance for the county. The advocates referenced numerous emails received in advance outlining individuals' circumstances and called for the review and implementation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade-commissioned Indecon Report on "Addressing Challenges Faced by Returning Irish Emigrants." The briefing, organised by Deputy Johnny Guirke TD (Meath West), resulted in commitments from attendees to advance several key recommendations, most notably the establishment of a Cross-Party Oireachtas Committee on Returning Irish Citizens. Following the main briefing, the advocates met separately with Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien and Neale Richmond TD, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, along with Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald and Senator Frances Black. Both ministers reaffirmed their support for the initiatives and "expressed their desire to get the first States processed as soon as possible" regarding the driver's license exchange program. The briefing drew representatives from constituencies across Ireland, demonstrating broad political support for addressing the challenges facing returning emigrants and their families in Mayo and throughout the country. READ MORE: The hardest part is most sepsis deaths are preventable - Mayo man seeks to change law in United States of America Westport-based Ryan Structural Steel have won Best Finished Project' at the Irish Steel Awards 2025 for their work on Bracetown Hub A01 in County Westmeath. We put a lot of work into the quality of what we do, and it's nice to have somebody come along and say, Yeah, that's really, really good. Best in class, a jubilant Des Ryan, Managing Director of Ryan Structural Steel, told The Mayo News. It's fantastic because the Irish Steel Awards are relatively new. They've been going for three or four years now, this is the second time we've won an award, and it's a fantastic opportunity to get recognition from your peers. The curved windows of its winning entry are particularly striking. A view of the curved windows from inside the Bracetown Hub A01 in County Westmeath. We did all of the structural steel work and the cladding. The cladding was quite complex as there were a lot of different colours and a lot of different kinds of styles and effects. It proved quite tricky but the building turned out to look really well. So we're very happy with it, Ryan told The Mayo News. The Lodge Road headquartered company specialises in commercial structural steel detailing, fabricating and erecting, combining cutting-edge expertise, vast experience and high quality workmanship to deliver exceptional solutions to major projects nationwide. Over the last 21 years, the steel company has gone from strength to strength and now employs 30 people across its workshops in Westport and Strokestown, detailing office in Northern Ireland and sister company in the Isle of Man. Some of its previous projects include Silverbridge Shopping Centre in Claremorris, and the Connacht Gold Superstores in Westport, Scoil Phadraig Westport and St Brendans in Belmullet. A specific diabetes drug (SGLT-2 inhibitors) has more positive impact than the sulfonylurea medication. Trusted Source Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases: population based cohort study Go to source Trusted Source TOP INSIGHT Did You Know? New insights: #SGLT2_Inhibitors may lower the risk of #autoimmune diseasesindependent of age, sex, #HeartDisease, or #Obesityshowing consistent benefits across all groups. #immunology #type2diabetes #hearthealth #medindia Advertisement Analyzing the Data of 2 million Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Advertisement Limitations and Potential: Link Between SGLT-2 Inhibitors and Autoimmune Diseases Advertisement The Need for Future Research, Replication, and Clinical Practice Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases: population based cohort study - (https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj-2025-085196) ).The results are based on a study from South Korea, published in The BMJ. Inflammation is caused in the body, when the immune system strikes on own body cells or tissues.and damage to other organs are some of the serious consequences of chronic inflammation, leading to, which are called as autoimmune diseases.Previous studies have shown that SGLT-2 inhibitors can inhibit the bodys immune response, but whether these effects are clinically meaningful remains unclear.To address this, researchers used the Korea National Health Insurance Service database to analyse 2,032,157 adults with type 2 diabetes (average age 59; 60% men) who started taking either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a sulfonylurea from 2012 to 2022.Potentially influential factors such as age, sex, income level, existing conditions and drug treatments, healthcare use, and lifestyle factors were taken into account, and two control outcomes (genital infections and herpes zoster) were also included to assess the risk of bias.Over an average follow-up period of 9 months, SGLT-2 inhibitors were associated with an 11% lower risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases compared with sulfonylureas, with incidence rates per 100,000 person years of 52 and 58, respectively.Findings were largely consistent among subgroups analysed by age, sex, type of SGLT-2 inhibitor, baseline cardiovascular disease, and obesity status. The results for control outcomes also suggested that bias was likely minimal.This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the authors acknowledge that follow-up was relatively short, and other unmeasured factors may have affected the results.However, they say this was a large study that applied rigorous methods to nationwide data, and, as such,However, this potential benefit should be carefully weighed against known adverse events and concerns about tolerability, they write. Replication in other populations and settings, as well as studies in patients with existing autoimmune rheumatic diseases, are warranted to confirm and extend these observations.While in isolation, this study is unlikely to change practice, it is the first full length publication to suggest that SGLT-2 inhibitors reduce the risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, say researchers from Canada in a linked editorial.Although this intriguing finding warrants replication in different populations, this study sets a foundation for future research and provides preliminary evidence to support an additional reason to use an SGLT-2 inhibitor over a sulfonylurea for the management of type 2 diabetes, they conclude.Source-Eurekalert Pollution and choking smoke increased the climate crisis, which navigates global heating and droughts, leading to vigorous wildfires. Trusted Source State of Wildfires 2024-2025 Go to source Trusted Source TOP INSIGHT Did You Know? Eight billion tons of #CO belched into the air, which is the highest in the decades. Need for prompt exertion to cease #wildfires and protect our #environment. #coemissions #wildfires #globalheating #environmentalcrisis #medindia Advertisement New Report Warns: Wildfires Now a Major Global Threat Advertisement Wildfires Expose Deaths, Evacuations, and Billions in Losses Summary of Extreme Fire Season A total of 3.7 million km2 an area larger than India was burned by wildfires globally in 2024-25. 100 million people and US $215 billion worth of homes and infrastructure were exposed to wildfire (i.e. were in the vicinity of fires). Emissions from fires reached over eight billion tonnes of CO2 around 10% above the average since 2003 driven by unusually large and intense forest fires in South America and Canada. The wildfires in Los Angeles in January 2025 caused 30 deaths, forced 150,000 evacuations, destroyed at least 11,500 homes and resulted in economic losses totaling $140 billion. in January 2025 caused 30 deaths, forced 150,000 evacuations, destroyed at least 11,500 homes and resulted in economic losses totaling $140 billion. Canada saw its second successive year of CO2 emissions over a billion tons, with wildfires in Jasper National Park alone causing over US $1 billion in damages. saw its second successive year of CO2 emissions over a billion tons, with wildfires in Jasper National Park alone causing over US $1 billion in damages. Bolivia had its highest CO2 emissions total this century (700 million tons), as did four states of Brazil, three states of Venezuela, and over 20 states across Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Ecuador. had its highest CO2 emissions total this century (700 million tons), as did four states of Brazil, three states of Venezuela, and over 20 states across Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Ecuador. In the Brazilian Pantanal , the worlds largest wetland, and the neighboring Chiquitano dry forests of Bolivia, fires were three times larger than usual and CO2 emissions reached six times the average. Concentrations of particulate matter PM 2.5 were up to 60 times the World Health Organization air quality standards and the Pantanals agribusiness sector lost over $200 million. , the worlds largest wetland, and the neighboring dry forests of Bolivia, fires were three times larger than usual and CO2 emissions reached six times the average. Concentrations of particulate matter PM 2.5 were up to 60 times the World Health Organization air quality standards and the Pantanals agribusiness sector lost over $200 million. Elsewhere around the world, there were 100 deaths in Nepal, 34 in South Africa, 23 in Cote dIvoire, 16 in Portugal, 15 in Turkey, and two in Canada. Advertisement Land Surface Models Reveal Dual Role of Climate in Extreme Fire Events Strong Climate Action Could Prevent Fire Surge in Congo Warming Means More Wildfires, but Action Can Limit the Rate A Pathway to Prevention: Policy and Practice Can Reduce Wildfire Damage Reducing deforestation Managed burning in some areas to reduce the build-up of vegetation that could act as fuel for wildfires Putting buildings away from areas at high risk and having fire breaks Protecting and restoring habitats such as wetlands Enhancing early warning systems and fire detection systems Public campaigns to reduce accidental fires. State of Wildfires 2024-2025 - (https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/5377/2025/) ).In Los Angeles, there are fires twice as likely and 25 times larger. In South Americas Pantanal-Chiquitano region, fires had blown up to 35 times bigger than their usual size.Unprecedented conflagration seized even the Amazon and Congo.However, it is still too early to tell how much climate change contributed to the impacts of the wildfires.The new report warns that more severe heatwaves and droughts are making extreme wildfires more frequent and intense worldwide, resulting in increasing threats to peoples lives through fire and polluting smoke as well as property, economies and the environment.The second annualreport has been co-led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the UK Met Office, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).and the role that climate and land use change played.UKCEH land surface modeler Dr. Douglas Kelley, who co-led this years report, said: Our annual reports are building unequivocal evidence of how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme wildfires. Without human-driven warming, many of these wildfires, in Pantanal and Southern California, for example, would not have been on an extreme scale.The scientists advanced modelling identified the respective roles of weather, vegetation density and ignition sources in determining the most extreme events.Report co-lead Dr. Francesca Di Giuseppe of ECMWF explained: Climate change is not only creating more dangerous fire-prone weather conditions, but it is also influencing the rates at which vegetation grows and provides fuel for the fires to spread.Our analyses detected the critical role of both extreme weather and fuel in the Los Angeles fires, with unusually wet weather in the preceding 30 months contributing to strong vegetation growth and laying the perfect foundations for wildfires to occur when unusually hot and dry conditions arrived in January.The amount and dryness of vegetation also played a critical role during the extreme wildfires in Amazonia and Congo, where abnormally dry forests and wetlands allowed fires to spread faster and further.The report authors warn that In the Pantanal-Chiquitano region, extreme fire seasons like 2024-25, which once might have occurred only once or twice in a lifetime, could happen every 15-20 years by the end of the century if global greenhouse gas emissions continue on their current path.However,Meanwhile, there could be a five-fold increase in the extreme fires seen in the hardest-hit areas of the Congo Basin in July 2024. Strong climate action could limit the rise to 11%.The annual reports of global wildfires provide important evidence about wildfires, their extent, causes and impacts in different parts of the world, and how this is changing over time.said Dr Andrew Hartley of the Met Office, a co-author of the study.Whatever global action is taken on climate change, there will still be more wildfires across the world in future due to the warming that has already happened.However, large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will mean the predicted increases in frequency and severity of fire will be at a much-reduced rate.Report co-lead Dr. Matt Jones of the University of East Anglia said: We urge world leaders at COP30 to make bold commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions rapidly this decade. This is the single most powerful contribution that most developed nations can make to avoiding the worst impacts of extreme wildfires on living and future generations.Land and fire management policies and practices can also help to mitigate damage. Measures to limit the risk of fires spreading include:Dr. Maria Barbosa, a wildfire scientist at UKCEH and co-author of the report, added: It is not too late to act to prevent a dramatic escalation in wildfires in regions across the world, and limit the risks to people, property, infrastructure, economies and biodiversity.Source-Eurekalert Trial explores advanced brain monitoring to enhance epilepsy diagnosis and management. Trusted Source Innovative Clinical Trial Launches to Enhance Seizure Monitoring and Revolutionize Epilepsy Diagnosis Go to source Trusted Source TOP INSIGHT Did You Know? Not all #seizures shake or convulse. Some are silent, invisible to the eye, and only long-term #EEG monitoring can reveal them. How many go undiagnosed? #epilepsy #brainhealth #medindia Advertisement Limitations of Traditional Epilepsy Diagnostic Methods Advertisement Introducing UNEEG EpiSight: Long-Term Brain Monitoring Technology Advertisement Building on Promising Previous Research Purpose and Potential Impact of the New Trial Expert Insights from Clinical Leaders Support and Perspective from Epilepsy Ireland Shifting Toward Precision Medicine in Epilepsy Care Innovative Clinical Trial Launches to Enhance Seizure Monitoring and Revolutionize Epilepsy Diagnosis - (https://bioengineer.org/innovative-clinical-trial-launches-to-enhance-seizure-monitoring-and-revolutionize-epilepsy-diagnosis/) A multinational clinical trial is evaluating how).The study spans several European centers, with Irish participants representing more than half of those enrolled.In Ireland, it is being conducted through RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Beaumont Hospital, and Cork University Hospital, under the guidance of consultant neurologists Professor Norman Delanty and Dr. Daniel Costello.. Short-term EEGs (typically around 30 minutes) and seizure diaries can be unreliable, especially when seizures are infrequent or hard to classify.While inpatient video-EEG in Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) remains the gold standard, it is resource-intensive and difficult to access. Ireland has just six dedicated EMU beds, and patients often require hospital stays of up to eight days.The trial, in collaboration with, focuses on the use of, a subcutaneous EEG (sqEEG) system that enablesin people with epilepsy.Designed as a complementary tool within epilepsy services, the UNEEG EpiSight records continuously, including during sleep , and transmits data wirelessly to support clinical decision-making., carried out by Consultant Neurosurgeons Mr. Kieron Sweeney at Beaumont and Beacon Hospitals, and Mr Wail Mohammad at Cork University Hospital, along with their expert teams.The innovation builds on promising findings from a previous study led by Professor Delanty, Consultant Neurologist at Beaumont Hospital, FutureNeuro Investigator and Honorary Clinical Professor at RCSI, recently published in Epilepsia, which showed that an earlier version of the technologyin patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.This trial will assess whether long-term, outpatient sqEEG monitoring can address these challenges., particularly those that happen at night, support earlier diagnosis, and reduce the need for repeated hospital visits.Professor Delanty said:"FutureNeuro's involvement reflects our commitment to embracing the huge progress in the safe use of technology in clinical practice.This trial will help us better understand the clinical impact of long-term brain monitoring, with the potential for significant downstream benefits such as reducing inpatient admissions, shortening time to diagnosis, and avoiding unnecessary treatments.By improving diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, this type of technology couldfor patients."Dr Daniel Costello added: "This diagnostic tool holds significant potential for clinical care. It could help detect seizures that go unrecognized, provide a clearer picture of seizure frequency, and reveal the cumulative impact on brain function. Just as importantly, it may offer reassurance when seizures are well-controlled and help distinguish between epileptic seizures and other events.Peter Murphy, Epilepsy Ireland CEO, commented: "We are excited by the potential of this trial and delighted that so many Irish patients are involved, highlighting the world-class epilepsy research taking place here. Epilepsy is highly individual, and finding the right treatment often requires trial and error.This innovative technology could provide that insight without long hospital stays or lengthy waiting lists, improving quality of life for people with epilepsy while easing pressures on hospital services. We will follow this important trial closely and look forward to its findings."This trial represents a fundamental shift toward precision medicine in epilepsy care, where treatment decisions can be based on comprehensive, objective data rather than limited traditional monitoring methods.The strong Irish participation in this international study reflects FutureNeuro's established position in translating brain research discoveries into clinical practice, demonstrating how Irish research centres are driving innovation in global epilepsy care.Source-RCSI An Expert's Guide "What is the best hair transplant clinic(Now Hair Time) in Turkey?" This is the most important question on the minds of thousands of people suffering from hair loss and looking for a solution. However, there is no single answer to this question. The concept of "best" is personal, and the right clinic depends on your needs, expectations, and research. This article has been prepared by a team of health communication experts, not to give you the name of a clinic directly, but to explain step-by-step how to make the right decision. In recent years, Turkey has become the global capital of health tourism, particularly for hair transplantation. Every year, tens of thousands of people from all over the world come to Turkey with the hope of regaining their lost hair. But what are the secrets behind this popularity, and how can you find the right clinic for you among so many options? This guide will shed light on your journey, offering impartial and detailed answers to all these questions. Section 1: Why is Turkey a World Leader in Hair Transplantation? Turkey's success in the field of hair transplantation is no coincidence. The combination of several key factors has brought the country to an unrivaled position in this sector. Understanding these factors will help you better understand what to focus on when choosing a clinic. 1. Excellent Quality-to-Price Ratio The most well-known advantage is that hair transplant procedures in Turkey are much more affordable than their counterparts in Europe and America. However, this does not mean that quality is compromised. Low operating costs, a competitive market structure, and the advantage offered by the exchange rate allow for high-quality services to be offered at more accessible prices. Patients have the opportunity to receive world-class treatment at a fraction of the cost they would pay in their home country. 2. High Quality and Experienced Specialists Clinics in Turkey perform a large number of procedures every day. This intensity allows doctors and healthcare teams to gain enormous experience and practical skill. Many Turkish doctors are professionals who have received international training, closely follow scientific developments in their field (e.g., articles published on platforms like PubMed), and specialize in cosmetic surgery or dermatology. This experience makes a difference, especially in aesthetically critical aspects such as designing a natural hairline and implanting follicles at the correct angle. 3. Advanced Technology and Modern Techniques Reputable hair transplant in Turkey invest heavily in technology. Techniques considered the most current and effective, such as FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), Sapphire FUE, and DHI (Direct Hair Implantation), are widely used. These modern techniques are distinguished by being less invasive, speeding up the healing process, and providing more natural results. Clinics constantly update their equipment and methods to achieve the best results. 4. Comprehensive Health Tourism Packages Clinics in Turkey offer "all-inclusive" packages that simplify the entire process for patients from abroad. These packages usually include: VIP transfers between the airport, hotel, and clinic Accommodation in comfortable hotels Interpretation services Medications, shampoos, and lotions needed after the procedure These services allow patients to focus solely on their healing process, without having to worry about logistical details. The fact that the agencies offering these packages are approved by TURSAB (Association of Turkish Travel Agencies) is an important indicator of reliability. Section 2: How to Recognize a "Good Hair Transplant Clinic"? Fundamental Criteria With hundreds of options on the market, finding the "best hair transplant clinic" can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, by focusing on the right criteria, you can narrow down your options and make a reliable decision. 1. Doctor and Team Expertise: Who Will Perform Your Procedure? This is the most critical factor. A hair transplant is not a simple cosmetic procedure but a surgical intervention. Therefore, it is essential that the operation is planned and managed by a doctor (Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist). Unfortunately, in some places, the entire operation may be performed by technicians without adequate medical training. In a good clinic: You will personally meet the doctor during the consultation and planning phase. Your hairline will be designed by the doctor. Critical stages, such as opening the channels where the follicles will be implanted, are performed directly by the doctor. The team consists of experienced and certified healthcare professionals working under the doctor's supervision. 2. Clinic and Operating Environment Standards The hair transplant procedure must be performed in a sterile environment to minimize the risk of infection. Ministry of Health Approval: The clinic must operate within a medical center or hospital authorized by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey. It is absolutely necessary to avoid unauthorized places, often referred to as "under-the-table" operations. The clinic must operate within a medical center or hospital authorized by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey. It is absolutely necessary to avoid unauthorized places, often referred to as "under-the-table" operations. Sterilization and Hygiene: The sterilization of all instruments used, the hygiene of the operating room, and the use of disposable materials are of vital importance. Performing the procedure in a fully equipped hospital environment provides an additional guarantee in terms of the ability to intervene in case of an emergency. 3. Techniques Used and Personalized Planning There is no "best technique"; there is the "most suitable technique for you." A good clinic will not impose a single technique on you but will analyze your hair structure, type of loss, the condition of your donor area, and create a personalized plan for you. FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction): This is the most common method, where hair follicles (grafts) taken from the donor area are inserted one by one into opened micro-channels. This is the most common method, where hair follicles (grafts) taken from the donor area are inserted one by one into opened micro-channels. DHI (Direct Hair Implantation): This is a technique where grafts are extracted with a special pen called a "Choi Pen" and implanted directly without the need to open channels. It is generally preferred for densification and for unshaven transplants. The clinic should be able to explain to you with logical and scientific reasons why they recommend a particular technique. 4. Patient Reviews and Realistic Before-and-After Photos Clinic websites and social media usually show the most successful results. When evaluating, you need to dig deeper: Realistic Photos: Request unretouched photos taken from different angles and in the same lighting conditions. Photos showing results at 6 and 12 months are more valuable than those taken immediately after the procedure. Request unretouched photos taken from different angles and in the same lighting conditions. Photos showing results at 6 and 12 months are more valuable than those taken immediately after the procedure. Video Testimonials: Videos where patients share their own experiences can be more reliable than written reviews. Videos where patients share their own experiences can be more reliable than written reviews. Independent Platforms: Examine reviews on Google, international forums, and health tourism portals. However, be aware that not all reviews may be authentic, and fake reviews, both positive and negative, can exist. 5. Post-Operative Follow-up and Support A good clinic's service does not end when the procedure is over. The success of a hair transplant also depends on post-operative care. A reliable clinic will provide you with a clear follow-up schedule: It shows how to perform the first post-operative wash or performs it directly. It explains what to expect during the healing process (shock loss, scabbing, etc.). It assigns a consultant or team that will answer your questions and support you throughout the process. It follows the process by requesting your photos at regular intervals (1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th month). Section 3: The Hair Transplant Process: What to Expect Step by Step Knowing the process reduces anxiety and allows you to be better prepared. A typical hair transplant journey consists of the following steps: First Consultation and Planning: This usually takes place online via photos or in person at the clinic. Your hair condition is analyzed, the suitability of the donor area is checked, the number of grafts to be implanted is determined, and most importantly, a natural hairline suitable for your face is designed. This usually takes place online via photos or in person at the clinic. Your hair condition is analyzed, the suitability of the donor area is checked, the number of grafts to be implanted is determined, and most importantly, a natural hairline suitable for your face is designed. Day of the Procedure: It lasts an average of 6-8 hours. The process includes preparation, local anesthesia, graft harvesting from the donor area, channel opening (in FUE), and graft implantation. Thanks to local anesthesia, you will not feel pain during the operation. It lasts an average of 6-8 hours. The process includes preparation, local anesthesia, graft harvesting from the donor area, channel opening (in FUE), and graft implantation. Thanks to local anesthesia, you will not feel pain during the operation. First Few Days Post-Op (1-10 days): You will have a bandage on your head after the procedure. The next day or the second day, the first wash is performed at the clinic, and the bandage is removed. During this period, scabbing in the transplanted area and slight discomfort in the donor area are normal. You will have a bandage on your head after the procedure. The next day or the second day, the first wash is performed at the clinic, and the bandage is removed. During this period, scabbing in the transplanted area and slight discomfort in the donor area are normal. Shock Loss (2-8 weeks): A few weeks after the procedure, most of the transplanted hair will fall out. This is a completely normal part of the process and nothing to worry about. The hair follicles are in place and will begin to produce new hair. A few weeks after the procedure, most of the transplanted hair will fall out. This is a completely normal part of the process and nothing to worry about. The hair follicles are in place and will begin to produce new hair. New Hair Growth (3-6 months): After the shock loss, the new hair begins to grow thin and weak. Over time, it will thicken and strengthen. After the shock loss, the new hair begins to grow thin and weak. Over time, it will thicken and strengthen. Final Result (12-18 months): It can take 12 to 18 months for the hair to fully mature, thicken, and reach its final appearance. Patience is the key to this process. Section 4: 10 Crucial Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Clinic When you contact a clinic, asking the right questions will give you the chance to see the reality behind the marketing promises. Here is what you must ask: Who will lead the surgery? What is the doctor's name, title, and experience? Will the entire procedure be performed by the doctor or by technicians? What exactly is the doctor's role in the operation? Is the clinic licensed by the Ministry of Health? Does the operation take place in a hospital environment? Which hair transplant technique (FUE, DHI, etc.) do you recommend for my case and why? How many grafts are planned to be implanted, and how was this number determined? Do you guarantee the number of grafts? Do the before-and-after photos you show belong to your own patients? Can I see more examples from different angles and with different lighting? What exactly is included in the quoted price? (Accommodation, transfers, medications, post-op products, etc.) Will there be any additional costs later? How does the post-operative follow-up process work? Is there a contact person I can reach 24/7 in case of an emergency or if I have a question? What is your procedure in case of a possible complication (infection, necrosis, etc.)? Are the treatment costs covered? Do you provide a written guarantee or certificate? If so, what exactly are the contents and scope of this document? Clear, transparent, and confident answers to these questions will give you important clues about the clinic's professionalism and reliability. Conclusion: The "Best Clinic" is the One That's Right for You In your search for the "best hair transplant clinic in Turkey," the most important thing to remember is that this is a personal journey. The best clinic for you is one that fits your budget, understands your expectations, answers your questions with patience and transparency, entrusts your procedure to an experienced doctor, and makes you feel safe throughout the process. Price alone should not be a criterion. There is nothing more valuable than your health and your aesthetic appearance. Therefore, do not rush your decision. Do thorough research, talk to multiple clinics, check references, and above all, work with professionals who inspire your trust. With the right research and the right choice, it is possible to get the hair of your dreams in Turkey. Legal Disclaimer: This article has been prepared for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is strongly recommended to always consult a specialized doctor or a qualified healthcare professional to make the most appropriate decision regarding the hair transplant process and clinic selection. Before making any decision regarding your health, always consult a medical specialist. ADEN, Yemen Houthi rebels released five Yemeni United Nations staff members and allowed 15 international ones to move freely within the U.N. compound after detaining them there in Sanaa over the weekend, a U.N. spokesperson said Monday. Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesperson, also said Houthi security forces had left the compound after the latest of such raids on international organizations. The Houthis have a long-running crackdown against the U.N. and others working in Yemen's rebel-held areas, including capital Sanaa, the coastal city of Hodeida and rebel stronghold in the northern province Sadaa. The rebels have repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that the detained U.N. staff and employees of other organizations and embassies were spies, which the U.N. has denied. Dozens of people have been detained. A World Food Program worker died in detention earlier this year in Sadaa. Dujarric also told reporters Monday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with the foreign ministers and leaders of Iran, Yemen and Saudi Arabia earlier in the day regarding the detainment of staff. He said that as the U.N. engages in the sensitive negotiations with the Houthis, it is important for member states who have influence in the region, like those three countries, to use their leverage to assist in the release of international and national staff. Funeral for military chief Earlier Monday, the Iran-backed rebels held a funeral for their military chief of staff who was killed in a recent Israeli strike, with more than 1,000 people gathered in Sanaa. The Houthis acknowledged last week that Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with other rebel leaders. The Houthis did not say when the strike took place. The death further escalated tensions between the rebels and Israel. Nearly two months ago, Israeli airstrikes killed senior Houthi government officials in Sanaa, including their prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi. The Houthis said al-Ghamari was killed along with his 13-year-old son, Hussain, and several of his companions, according to the rebel-controlled SABA news agency, which didnt provide further details. Many in the funeral crowd on Monday vented their anger at Israel. One mourner, Ayham Hassan, said Israel is the biggest enemy for Arabs and Muslims. He spoke to The Associated Press by phone from Sanaa. The U.N. sanctioned al-Ghamari for his leading role in orchestrating the Houthis military efforts that are directly threatening the peace, security and stability of Yemen, as well as cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned him in 2021 for his responsibility in orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces impacting Yemeni civilians and said he had been trained by Lebanons militant Hezbollah group and Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The U.S. and Israel had launched an air and naval campaign against the Houthis in response to the rebels missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis have said they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians over the war in Gaza. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods pass each year. ___ Khaled reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed from the United Nations. WASHINGTON (AP) In less than two months, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth say the U.S. military has killed 32 people in seven strikes against drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea. Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. He has asserted the U.S. is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels, relying on the same legal authority used by the Bush administration when it declared a war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks. But as the number of strikes has grown, a debate in Congress has escalated over the limits of the president's power. The attacks have occurred without any legal investigation or a traditional declaration of war from Congress, and some lawmakers have raised questions about the lack of hard evidence to justify the killings. Meanwhile, an unusual naval buildup off South America has stoked fears of invasion in Venezuela and speculation that Trump could try to topple President Nicolas Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S. Here is a timeline of the U.S. military actions and the concerns among some lawmakers: Jan. 20 Trump signs an executive order on his first day back in the White House that paves the way for criminal organizations and drug cartels to be named foreign terrorist organizations. They include Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang. The U.S. intelligence community has disputed Trumps central claim that Maduros administration is working with Tren de Aragua and orchestrating drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the U.S. Feb. 20 The Trump administration formally designates eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations. The label is normally reserved for groups like al-Qaida or the Islamic State that use violence for political ends not for profit-focused crime rings. Aug. 19 U.S. officials confirm the military deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of Trump's effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. The naval force in the Caribbean grew within weeks to include three amphibious assault ships and two other U.S. Navy vessels, about 6,000 sailors and Marines in total. The amphibious assault ships have a variety of aircraft on board, and the U.S. deployed F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in September. A Navy submarine also is operating off South America and is capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles. Sept. 2 The U.S. carries out its first strike against what Trump says was a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by Tren de Aragua. Trump says 11 people were killed and posts a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames. The video does not show any large or clear stashes of drugs inside the boat. Sept. 10 In a letter to the White House, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and two dozen other Democratic senators say the Trump administration has provided no legitimate legal justification for the strike. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, says in a floor speech that week that the U.S. military is not empowered to hunt down suspected criminals and kill them without trial. Sept. 11 In Venezuela, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accuses the U.S. government of murder, while questioning how the people on board the targeted vessel were linked to the gang. And how did they identify them as members of the Tren de Aragua? Did they have, I dont know, a chip? Did they have a QR code and (the U.S. military) read it from above in the dark? Cabello said. They openly confessed to murdering 11 people. Sept. 15 The U.S. military carries out its second strike against an alleged drug boat, killing three people. Asked what proof the U.S. has that the vessel was carrying drugs, Trump told reporters: We have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was spattered all over the ocean big bags of cocaine and and fentanyl all over the place. Sept. 19 Trump says the U.S. military carried out its third fatal strike against an alleged drug smuggling vessel. The president says the attack killed three people and that intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics. Several senators and human rights groups continue to question the legality of the strikes, describing them as a potential overreach of executive authority. Oct. 2 Trump declares drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the U.S. is now in an armed conflict with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press. The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the U.S. amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force. The memo drew criticism from some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. He said only Congress has the authority to declare war and characterized the memo as a way to pretend like the administration is notifying lawmakers with a justification for the strikes. Oct. 3 Hegseth says he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat he accuses of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela. He says the strike killed four men but offers no details on who they were or what group they belonged to. Trump says in his own social media post that the boat was loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE and implied it was entering American Territory while off the coast of Venezuela. Oct. 8 Senate Republicans vote down legislation that would have required the president to seek authorization from Congress before further military strikes on the cartels. The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51, with two Republicans, Paul and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voting in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voting against. Oct. 14 Trump announces the fifth strike against a small boat accused of carrying drugs, saying it killed six people. The president says intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, associated with narcoterrorist networks and on a known drug trafficking route. Oct. 15 Trump confirms he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and says he was weighing carrying out land operations on the country. The president says the administration is looking at land as it considers further strikes in the region. He declines to say whether the CIA has authority to take action against Maduro. Oct. 16 The Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the region says he will retire in December. Adm. Alvin Holsey became the leader of U.S. Southern Command only last November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. These types of postings typically last between three and four years. Oct. 16 Trump says the U.S. struck a sixth suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean, killing two people and leaving two survivors who were on the semi-submersible craft. The president later says the survivors would be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, for detention and prosecution. Repatriation avoided questions about what their legal status would have been in the U.S. justice system. Oct. 17 The U.S. military attacks a seventh vessel that Hegseth says was carrying substantial amounts of narcotics and associated with a Colombian rebel group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN. He says the strike killed all three terrorists on board. When Hegseth announces the strike on Oct. 19, he does not provide any evidence for his assertions but shares a brief video clip of a boat engulfed in flames. Oct. 20 Rep. Adam Smith, a ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, calls for a hearing on the boat strikes. Never before in my over 20 years on the committee can I recall seeing a combatant commander leave their post this early and amid such turmoil," Smith said in a statement of Holsey's impending departure. I have also never seen such a staggering lack of transparency on behalf of an Administration and the Department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump cast doubt on Ukraines ability to defeat Russian forces, backing off an earlier upbeat assessment as he looks to bring the war to an end and prepares for another meeting with President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks. I dont think they will, but they could still win it, Trump told reporters in the White House on Monday. I never said they would win it. I said they could win. Anything can happen. The remarks marked another shift in tone for Trump, who has repeatedly changed his outlook on Ukraines chances and the degree to which hes willing to support President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government. Last month, Ukraines supporters hailed it as a major shift when Trump took to social media to say the country is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form. Zelenskyy was in Washington last Friday to try to persuade Trump to send Ukraine Tomahawk missiles and other support. But Putin got to Trump with a phone call the day before that meeting, and the two leaders agreed to meet in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks even though a previous meeting in Alaska ended with little progress on ending the war. Since that call, Trump has backed away from the strong language of his September social media post, pressing both sides to make a deal, and calling for the fighting to stop right now at the battle line. Hes also equivocated over military aid to Ukraine and the threat of new sanctions on Russia. Later Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters the Senate will hold off considering new sanctions legislation on Russia until after Trumps planned meeting with Putin. Last week, before Trump spoke to Putin, Thune had said he would schedule a vote on the measure in the next 30 days. Zelenskyy had hoped the White House talk would be a chance to ratchet up pressure on Putin as he pressed the U.S. to sell his country Tomahawk cruise missiles. Instead, he left Washington empty-handed after Trump declined to arm Ukraine with weapons powerful enough to reach Moscow and targets deep inside Russia. Zelenskyy also said Budapest wasnt the best place for talks to end the war in Ukraine because of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbans Russia-friendly stance, but that hed still come if invited. The perception that Russia is supposedly winning on the battlefield exists in certain circles in the United States, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Monday. It seems to me that among those who constantly promote the idea of Russias so-called unconditional advantages in this war is the current prime minister of Hungary. Still, Zelenskyy said hed consider an invitation to Budapest. If its an invitation in a format where the three of us meet, or, as its called, shuttle diplomacy, where President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me then, in one format or another, well agree to it, he said. The EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday also criticized the choice of venue for a summit. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the presence of Vladimir Putin on EU soil only makes sense if it allows for an immediate ceasefire without conditions. French President Emmanuel Macron said later that leaders of countries in a coalition that supports Ukraine would meet in London on Friday. The U.S.- Russia summit plan has unsettled European officials, who fear being sidelined as Trump pushes to negotiate directly with Putin against their advice and on their territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday and discussed implementing agreements Trump and Putin reached during their Thursday call, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in a statement. Rubios office said he emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia- Ukraine war. _____ 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A federal appeals court on Monday cleared President Donald Trump to for now send Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, lifting a previous lower court ruling that barred him from doing so following that blocked the move after months of violence outside a federal immigration building. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump likely acted within his authority when he ordered 200 Guard members into federal service for 60 days to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workers and property at the Lindquist Federal Building. The Department of Justice appealed a previous order and received a 2-1 ruling in their favor from a panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judges said the president made a reasonable judgment based on the facts and the law. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, earlier this month issued two temporary restraining orders. One prohibited Trump from calling up, sending troops to Portland; another prohibited him from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all after Trump attempted to deploy California troops across state lines, according to the Associated Press. Judges said Trump had good reason to believe federal officers could not keep order on their own. They noted that local police refused to assist and that federal officers were stretched thin. The court said blocking the presidents order would harm the governments ability to protect its employees and enforce the law. Violence Outside ICE Building What began as small protests in June grew into nights of chaos. Protesters set fires, threw fireworks, and hurled rocks at federal officers. One officer was hurt when a mortar exploded nearby. Others were followed home and photographed. A demonstrator blows bubbles during a protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) The building was boarded up for weeks after demonstrators tried to break through the front doors. At one point, protesters built a guillotine outside. Local police refused to respond to immigration calls, saying they would only handle life-threatening emergencies. The Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon for help after what it called coordinated attacks by violent groups. Trump used a federal law, 10 U.S.C. 12406, that allows the president to call up the National Guard when regular forces cannot enforce federal law. When Oregons governor rejected the notion, Trump went ahead and ordered the Guard to federal duty. The state and city of Portland sued, saying he overstepped his authority and violated states rights. Next Round of the Fight The ruling lets Oregon Guard troops deploy while the case moves forward. The states lawsuit continues, but the decision gives the president the advantage for now. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, said he would ask for a broader panel of the appeals to reconsider the decision. Todays ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification, Rayfield said, according to the AP. We are on a dangerous path in America. Similar court fights are underway in California and Illinois. Legal experts say the battle over who controls the Guard could reach the Supreme Court. Jeremy Glazier is proud of his father, a Vietnam War veteran. As the Vietnam veteran population continues to age, Glazier didnt want stories like his fathers experience to fade into distant memory. So, Glazier decided to do something about it. He filmed a documentary sharing their stories. Specifically, the filmmakers documentary, From Iowa and Back, is about Iowa Vietnam War veterans, focusing on soldiers from Glaziers home state. Glaziers father, John Glazier, was in the U.S. Air Force, and Glazier was born on a base in Japan. Hes had a desire for some time to discover more about his dads military service. Whether hes interviewing a Marine Corps grunt who endured heart-wrenching battles in the jungles of Vietnam or those who didnt fire a rifle, serving in the rear, Glazier believes each story is worth preserving. My father served during that time. He wasnt in combat, but I was always really proud of his service, Glazier told KCRG in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Like many veterans, Glaziers dad hadnt talked much about his wartime experiences. However, his fathers silence only prompted Glazier to want to learn more. The filmmaker reached out to Brucemores Artisan Studios, a historical preservation society in Cedar Rapids, to help create his documentary. I just kind of wanted to tell the story of what its like to go, as the title is, from Iowa and Back, which is, you know, a lot of these guys grew up in really small towns, Glazier said. A Film Inspired By Tragedy After getting the green light to produce the film, Glazier was all set to interview the first veteran, his father. Then tragedy struck. His dad endured a medical emergency akin to a stroke, stripping away his ability to talk. Once that episode happened, you could tell that he wanted to say what he wanted to say, but he just couldnt get it out, Glazier said. Through rehab work, however, his fathers speech slowly returned. It gave Glazier the opportunity to hear his fathers story and get it all on tape. In March 2024, Glaziers dad died. Thankfully, I got to record him, Glazier said. He didnt actually get to see the film finish, but he is in there. So thats great. U.S. service members assigned to the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard conduct an Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-laying Ceremony in honor of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, April 25, 2025. The Vietnam Veterans of America Association hosted the wreathe laying ceremony. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Justin Rachal) Filing a Void in Veteran Appreciation Once he was able to record his fathers story, Glazier was inspired to talk to other Iowa Vietnam veterans. The interviews also provided an opportunity for him to thank these former soldiers for their service, a moment of praise most didnt receive after returning home from an unpopular war more than five decades ago. Everybody talks about World War II, they talk about Korea, and then they hop over and go to Desert Storm. And were still kind of forgetting those Vietnam era veterans, Glazier said. A lot of those guys are in their seventies and eighties. And so, its really way past time, but its really time to capture as many of those stories as we can. Unique Experiences Glaziers film runs two hours, sharing tales of Iowa veterans who volunteered for military service. The documentary focuses on the challenges of being deployed overseas, coming back home and trying to reassimilate into civilian life. Some of the guys were in Hawaii, some were in the Philippines. My dad was in Japan. And then a good number of the guys were actually in Vietnam, Glazier said. Glaziers documentary gives these aging veterans a voice. It shows someone caring to hear their story, which many veterans kept bottled up for decades. Studies have shown that sharing stories of trauma can improve mental health. If they never had an opportunity or nobody ever asked them about it, I want to be the person that says, Hey, lets just talk about your experience, Glazier said. The Next Step: A Book It turns out Glaziers work couldnt be contained in one film. Hes currently writing a book highlighting more veteran stories. I offer a portrait, which the portraits are scattered throughout the film. And then what Im going to do is put those into a book and then just use that as a way to kind of preserve our Iowa veterans history, Glazier said. Veterans interested in being interviewed for his book project can contact Glazier through his website. The Braves have signed catcher Austin Nola to a minor league deal, according to USA Todays Bob Nightengale. The contract contains an invitation to Atlantas big league spring camp. Nola appeared in 345 MLB games with the Padres and Mariners from 2019-2023, posting some very solid numbers at the plate before his production tailed off badly by the 2023 campaign. Nola spent the 2024 season with the Royals Triple-A affiliate without getting any more playing time in the Show, and he moved on to sign a minor league deal with the Rockies last winter. The early part of Nolas 2025 campaign was spent battling injuries, but he played well enough at Triple-A to earn a selection to Colorados active roster. Nola didnt fare nearly as well, hitting .184/.225/.211 over 41 plate appearances and 14 games with the Rox before being designated for assignment and then outrighted off the 40-man roster in August. He elected free agency rather than accept that outright assignment, so Nola has had a bit of extra time to line up his next stop. Atlanta is set at the MLB level with Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy as their catchers, but Chuckie Robinson is the only other backstop in the system with any big league experience. Nola can provide some depth for the Braves in camp, and could even chip in as a reserve first baseman. Now entering his age-36 season, time may be running out for Nola to re-establish himself as even a backup in the majors, but a good showing in Spring Training could win him a Triple-A job with the Braves or perhaps a look elsewhere with a team with a less stable catching situation. Grand Rapids police have arrested a 36-year-old man for a Leonard Street NE credit union robbery. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids police have arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with a robbery at a Leonard Street NE credit union. The man is to be charged with bank robbery and armed robbery, police said. The robbery happened about 9:40 a.m. Monday, Oct. 20 at Lake Michigan Credit Union, 1820 Leonard Street NE. Police said a man implied he had a weapon and was able to escape the credit union with money. The amount was not disclosed. The circumstances surrounding his identification and arrest were not released. MARQUETTE, MI Theres no doubt about the growing evidence that cougars roam the wildest reaches of Michigans Upper Peninsula. Last year, state wildlife officials recorded 23 confirmed cougar sightings the most in a year since humans hunted the species out of existence in Michigan more than 100 years ago. Both Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials and Yooper residents agree there have recently been more photographs and videos captured of cougars than ever before. The question is whether thats because there are more of the top feline predators in Michigan - or if humans are simply getting better at spotting them. State experts and Michigan outdoor enthusiasts say both could be true. Counting big cats Michigan DNR officials have confirmed 20 cougar sightings so far this year, which includes March 6 when a pair of cougar cubs were found in Ontonagon County. An anonymous Yooper shared this photograph from March 6, 2025, with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, where scientists confirmed it is a cougar cub. Michigan Department of Natural Resources That adds up to 21 confirmed animals this year, which is still fewer than last years record number. Albeit, we still have November and December to go. So, were close, said Brian Roell, DNR large carnivore specialist. That puts Michigan in the running for three consecutive years for record numbers of official cougar sightings, but only if three more are confirmed before Jan. 1, 2026. Officials said that doesnt make it a major population, though. Were not talking large numbers; were still talking individual cats. At this point, its just a novelty, and its neat that we have a large carnivore on the landscape, said Roell, a wildlife biologist. This cougar was spotted Oct. 9, 2023, in Marquette County using trail camera equipment owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Michigan DNR Nevertheless, confirmed cougar sightings have trended upward the last six years, according to DNR data. The first double-digit year was in 2019 when 11 of the animals were spotted. In the last five years, DNR officials have at least six times confirmed different cougar sightings in two places on the same day. Cougars are considered critically imperiled in Michigan and are ranked as an endangered species under state law. The DNR provides photos of confirmed sightings, something that has become more frequent in recent years. Related: Wolves in Michigans U.P. are getting their closeups Trail camera popularity has certainly grown in the last 10 years, and thats a nationwide phenomenon. The price point of those things has come down significantly, Roell said. We know people that are running 30-plus cameras year-round. Its a hobby now to see what you can catch on a camera. Roell said that regardless of how many cameras are in the woods, that doesnt entirely explain the growing number of cougar sightings, even if some instances are the same animal spotted by different people. Theres likely also been an uptick in the number of the big cats in Michigan, Roell said. Are they breeding? Wildlife officials have for years thought cougars spotted in the U.P. were young males that had migrated into the region from expanding western populations in the Dakotas. However, the set of cougar kittens found earlier this year indicated that an adult female must be in the area. Researchers believe those cubs were proof of the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin. Still, biologists could only assume the cubs were born in Michigan but not necessarily bred here. Related: Cougar cubs found in Michigan for first time in more than a century Now, trail camera data may be supporting the notion that a female cougar has made the western U.P. her official stomping grounds. There are significant hot spots of cougar activity, Roell said. We dont know if we have a resident cat there, he said. Its suggesting that we do because we keep getting repeat sightings in the same area in the last few years, saying that maybe a cat has set up shop. That news wont surprise every Yooper. In fact, there are plenty of U.P. residents who believe theres been a breeding population there for years. Hands down theyre breeding here, said Jeremy Applekamp, an avid outdoorsman who lives near Marquette and serves on a state citizen advisory committee for the Lake Superior fishery. This cougar was photographed on March 15, 2024, in Houghton County with trail camera equipment owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Michigan DNR Applekamp said he runs a social media page about wild predators in the U.P., so locals often send him photos of cougars, which are sometimes called mountain lions or pumas. He thinks there are plenty of the big cats around. We have a breeding population here that the DNR does not want to admit or manage. They have no funds to do so, Applekamp said. He hears stories about Yoopers spotting cougars, observing tracks, and even hearing chirping noises thought to be female cougars vocalizing. Locals know more about where these animals are at, Applekamp said. Another Yooper outdoorsman, Eli Schaefer of Houghton, is responsible for the states 18th and last confirmed cougar sighting in 2023. He captured thrilling trail camera video of a cougar attacking a small deer on the Keweenaw Peninsula. This week, Schaefer said he believes there simply must be more cougars in the Michigan wilderness than the number DNR officials are able to confirm. The timing of everybodys photos and the amount of photos wouldnt make sense if they were right, he said. Cougars are large tan cats that average between 6.5 and 7.5 feet long with a long tail, about one-third of their body length. The species prefers forested or partly forested landscapes near streams or rivers and requires a healthy prey base of primarily white-tailed deer but will also consume smaller mammals. Related: 200 miles apart, U.P. farms model divide in Michigan wolf hunt debate Anyone in Michigan who spots physical evidence of a cougar, such as scat, tracks or a carcass, is encouraged not to disturb the area and include photographs with a report made online. Wildlife experts said anyone who encounters a cougar in the wild should: 9 Bean Rows bakery and farm market in Suttons Bay is as close as you're going to get to European pastries without using your passport. Photo courtesy of 9 Bean Rows SUTTONS BAY, MI - Once you step inside 9 Bean Rows bakery and its cozy cafe near Suttons Bay, you might feel like youve unexpectedly used your passport - and arrived somewhere delightful. Youll be forgiven if you look behind you, to see if youve left a cobblestone French street when you came through the doorway. Let your senses wander and youll swear youre in a boulangerie or patisserie, with a little fresh farmers market on the side. Across the counter, big rounds of fresh-baked breads are waiting to be bagged and handed to a steady stream of locals and visitors alike. The desserts behind the glass case look too pretty to eat, but you know youll do it anyway. Jen and Nic Welty have spent the last decade building and expanding 9 Bean Rows into not only a Northern Michigan travel destination, but a spot that feeds the community, draws thousands of tourists and is interwoven into so many area businesses. Their spot - just a short, winding drive from Suttons Bay - is part bakery and restaurant, and the home base for the familys farm operation and popular year-round CSA. Local headlines through the years have labeled this hospitality power couple as innovative, and as champions of Northern Michigans growing agritourism scene. After talking to both of them in the last year, we know that the Weltys dynamic business model boils down to something heartfelt: They love to grow and create good food. And they want to partner with people who do the same. And then they want to share it all with others - lots of others. I love what I do, and knowing were leaving our mark on the community, Jen Welty said. Vegetables grown at the farmstead at 9 Bean Rows are used in the on-site restaurant, go into the weekly CSA orders, and are sold at the local farmer's market. Photo courtesy of 9 Bean Rows They work with farmers whose meats and cheeses are for sale in their cooler, with artisans whose gift products line their shelves, and with other growers whose ingredients make the food they sell even more delicious. During our recent trip there, we were able to peek inside the 80,000-pound wood-fired Spanish bread oven thats the heart of their bakery business, helping them turn out 150,000 loaves of bread each year. Theyre also known for their huge assortment of European-style pastries. Bite into one of the signature croissants and youll have to briefly close your eyes to enjoy whats basically poetry + butter. In the high season, 9 Bean Rows talented team is baking 3,000 of these sweet, flaky goodies each day. Jen Welty is enthusiastically open about how they handle their multiple businesses. For the most part, Nic stays out of the kitchen, she laughed. Her husband juggles the always-evolving list of new projects on the property (wine courtesy of Aurora Cellars, anyone?). He also operates the CSA farm on site, handles the paperwork, and is Mr. Personality Plus for the tour groups who stop to visit. An Early Spark The couple met at Ohio State. Jen Welty said she was fascinated by the cute guy with the tight 80s-style rolled-up jeans whose pattern was to drop into her horticulture class, stay five minutes, then leave. He had booked three classes in the same period, Jen remembers. He was a genius. He was just like this enigma. At the end of the semester, Nic was looking for a place to live and Jens rental had an available room. Three weeks later there is a knock at my door and hes holding a duffel bag, she said. They soon started dating. But their dates were very Nic-and-Jen. They talked about farming. They went on adventures. They perfected their couple rhythm while paddling a canoe. Nic grew up in a farming community in northern Ohio but had never been to Michigan. Jen, who grew up in Rockford, wanted to head back to The Mitten. I guess were going, he told her. A hefty and glossy loaf of Challa bread, one of several kinds available at this Suttons Bay bakery and farmstead. Photo courtesy of 9 Bean Rows A Life Up North Their Northern Michigan evolution began at Black Star Farms, an award-winning winery and inn near Suttons Bay that has served as a supportive incubator for a handful of well-known local businesses. The pieces that became 9 Bean Rows were first planted here. They started their first farm there, growing a Community Supported Agriculture model of weekly shares that has developed a deep fan following. A trained baker, Jen started the bread business there, adding pastries to round out the offerings and appeal to the local farmers market crowds. For a while, the Weltys took over the lease on a tiny Front Street spot in Traverse City to sell their wares, and later opened a farm-to-table restaurant in Suttons Bay. With each evolution, they made more partnerships and refined their plans. Finding a Home Their current incarnation began in 2014, when they bought the old Covered Wagon farm market on East Duck Lake Road. It was a quaint country spot that served up doughnuts and pies. The owners were retiring. The Weltys saw an opportunity in the unused land around the small market building. We knew we wanted our bakery and our farm all in the same area, Jen Welty said. They opened in March of that year. In the first week, we knew wed made the right decision. All the sudden, there was literally a line of people out the door. What was bringing the crowds in? The array of crusty breads, some with the earthy tang of sourdough. An expanse of delicate pastries that have only grown in breadth over the last decade. And the kind of entrepreneurial dreaming that cant be turned off. Brunch offerings are a big hit at the restaurant. Photo courtesy of 9 Bean Rows For inspiration last year, Jen took two of the bakerys pastry chefs to France. In her spare time, she thinks about how to write grant proposals to fund a grain mill that could help local farmers as well as expand her supply of bread ingredients. And recent years have seen the addition of a wood-fired pizza oven, an outdoor bar area and patio, and the interior renovation that made room for the cafe. Taking a break on her couch upstairs, Jen talked about a good loaf of bread being her first love - and why she finds it so easy to lean into the European flair in her baking and her pastry menu. Its also the food that I want to eat, she said. It is always a mix of what talent do I have in the kitchen to perform what we need to do." And a menu full of local ingredients is always her best starting point. Whats in a Name The story of how the Weltys 9 Bean Rows got its name is as personal as it is poetic. Its a hat-tip to a line in The Lake Isle of Innisfree by Irish poet W.B. Yeats. The poem itself is about living a simple life at one with nature. Jen Welty, who comes from a family of English majors, remembers the time when they really could not figure out a good name for their business. She was sitting outdoors one day when her father and sister just broke into the Yeats poem, reciting it together, line by line. While they were speaking in their cadence, it was so passionate, she said. It turned out, that one phrase plucked from this simple poem was a perfect fit. Delectable choices await when you peruse the bakery case at 9 Bean Rows. Photo courtesy of 9 Bean Rows Here is the first stanza: The Lake Isle of Innisfree, by William Butler Yeats I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made; Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. A Michigan State Police trooper was injured on Sunday, Oct. 19, when their patrol vehicle was struck on I-96. Photo provided by Michigan State Police DETROIT, MI The Michigan State Police trooper who was injured on Sunday, Oct. 19 while investigating a crash has been released from the hospital. The trooper was investigating a crash on the shoulder of the road near I-96 and Fullerton Avenue when a 55-year-old driving a Jeep Cherokee struck the back of the patrol vehicle, according to a news release from MSP. The incident took place around 11 a.m. The trooper was inside the patrol car at the time of the crash. They were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment. MSP announced Monday that the trooper was released from the hospital and is home. Two passengers in the Jeep Cherokee also suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A DTE Energy truck outside the Beer Depot in downtown Ann Arbor on Sept. 17, 2023. After some DTE customers' property was damaged during a power surge, they say the utility denied fault but offered partial payment for their losses conditioned on confidentiality. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com) Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News Home Turf Gym filled with smoke. Outside, a downed power line hung over another connected to the building. The mishap on the grid fed power back into the small Royal Oak gym one morning in August 2024, and a fire started in a closet inside, according to a fire department report. Firefighters contained the blaze, but smoke pervaded the building, per the report. Co-owner Erin Szaroleta, along with her business partner, had to close the gym for four months, cleaning or replacing everything inside. We had to drain our savings to get back open again, she said. Insurance kicked in but didnt cover all the expenses or lost revenue, she said. Szaroleta asked DTE Energy, the owner of the power lines outside, to cover the remaining costs. But the utility refused, claiming the incident had stemmed from a weather event outside its control, she said. It had rained that morning. While DTE denied fault, it offered her a payment, amounting to 4% of her five-figure losses, she said. To accept, shed have to sign an agreement releasing DTE from all claims related to the incident, also agreeing to keep strictly confidential and not disclose the terms of the settlement. If anyone asked, shed have to respond only that the matter had been resolved to the satisfaction of the parties, declining to discuss it further, according to the DTE agreement reviewed by MLive. Szaroleta is one of an unknown number of DTE customers offered payouts conditioned on confidentiality after experiencing power surges and property damage. Some question the practice, saying it encourages customers to stay mum about their stories and leaves Michiganders in the dark about potential issues on the power grid of the states largest electric utility, long plagued by reliability concerns. Photos included with a Royal Oak Fire Department report show a charred utility closet and melted vacuum cleaner after a fire at Home Turf Gym on Aug. 2, 2024. A downed DTE Energy power line fell on top of the service line to the gym, feeding power back into the building, according to a fire department report. Provided by Erin Szaroleta Szaroleta doesnt believe the compensation offer was fair, and the non-disclosure provision didnt sit right with her. She hasnt signed. That feels gross to me, she said, adding she viewed the offer as an appeasement payment for you to be quiet. DTE declined to comment on the specifics of her case. MLive reviewed two DTE agreements offering customers payments for damage claims where the utility had denied fault. Each required the customer to sign a release of claims and confidentiality agreement to accept. It does seem intended to silence peoples ability to talk about what theyre experiencing, to be able to share how they negotiated with the company, said Liz Jacob, lead staff attorney with the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit. She represents low-income clients in conflicts with DTE and confirmed shes observed the practice in disputes relating to both property damage and billing. DTE Energy resolves all claims with its customers in a fair and impartial manner based on the details of each particular claim, said DTE spokesperson Dana St. Coeur in a statement. That could include whether damages resulted from storms or weather conditions, equipment failure beyond the utilitys reasonable control or interference from animals or third parties, she said. On its website, DTE lists those situations as grounds to deny a claim. St. Coeur did not respond to an MLive inquiry about when DTE does consider itself at fault. Depending on the facts of the situation, DTE does occasionally offer payments as goodwill gestures to support customers. These payments are not admissions of liability and are subject to signed releases, which is standard across the industry, she said. Signed releases are voluntary and customers are free to decline the offer if they choose. Some DTE customers struggle to get full compensation for damage The settlement offers have still frustrated other DTE customers who dealt with property damage after incidents on the grid and tried to recoup their losses. In January, Ann Arbor resident Katherine French heard two large explosions on her block. Power surged through her home, scaring her dog and cat, she said. The lights went out. When she peeked outside, DTE contractors working to replace utility poles on her street shooed her back inside, and the police arrived. French could see downed power lines. Later, after the power was restored, she realized her furnace wasnt kicking on. French discovered its circuit board had been fried, in addition to the vent over her stove. She spent some $3,200 on repairs, she said. French filed a claim with DTE and a complaint with state regulators. DTE maintained the incident had been a planned outage, part of the utility work on her block, she said. But French felt the explanation contradicted what she had experienced. She collected wire casings and other debris left behind on her block from the explosions, which she believes are evidence of a mistake by the utility workers. Ann Arbor resident Katherine French collected a box of debris from her street after she heard explosions and experienced a power surge that she said damaged appliances in her home. A DTE Energy contractor had been replacing utility poles outside. French said DTE claimed the incident was a "planned outage" and denied fault for the damage. Provided by Katherine French She shared her photos with DTE. The utility continued to deny responsibility, but a representative did offer her a one-time $663.20 customer relations payment, according to correspondence reviewed by MLive. It came with a release for French to sign and a non-disclosure requirement. She declined. I thought 20% was a lousy figure, she said. DTE declined to comment on her case. DTE may benefit from reduced transparency, experts say Legal experts consulted by MLive said it is difficult to say how often utilities like DTE, or other corporations, offer confidential settlements to customers, but it may benefit DTE to deal with damage claims privately and quietly. The lack of publicity may mean fewer people bring claims, and it could avoid setting precedent that other customers may use in negotiations with the company, said Charity Fort, a Michigan State University law professor. Compared to going to court, the process could be less expensive for both sides, she said, and it may reduce the potential for class action lawsuits against DTE. Non-disclosure agreements are fairly common in settlements reached after lawsuits are filed in court, said Norman Bishara, a professor of business law and ethics at the University of Michigan. They are often intended to reduce reputational damage or avoid providing a roadmap for others who might litigate, he added But a publicly-regulated utility using them to settle small consumer claims is more unusual and seems more problematic from a transparency and accountability standpoint, he said in an email. My guess is that the company asks for the NDAs to discourage claims and to avoid being transparent about the damage and the fact that sometimes they make payouts, Bishara said. The experts couldnt say how common the practice is among utilities, and state energy regulators said they did not have data on how it is used by utilities in Michigan or other states. Consumers Energy, Michigans second largest power provider, maintains a process to review property damage claims individually, according to spokesperson Brian Wheeler. It typically requires customers to sign a standard release of claims when a payment is issued for a substantiated claim, but non-disclosure agreements are not typically required as part of this process, he said in a statement. Consumers will occasionally provide a payment as a good-faith gesture without admitting responsibility for damage, Wheeler said, but in that case non-disclosure provisions are also not normally required. Some customers get nothing Its unclear when DTE chooses to offer payments to customers with damage issues. The utility didnt answer MLive questions about its exact policy, how much it paid out in these settlements last year and whether they are drawn from ratepayer funds collected through power bills. MLive spoke with three DTE customers whose appliances and electronics were damaged after power surges or outages but were never offered compensation when they filed claims with the utility. Chris Wolff and his wife awoke early on a May morning in 2023 to loud boom and a flash of light outside their Ann Arbor home. The power went out. The next day, their dishwasher didnt work, a bidet toilet was damaged and the screen on his electric water heater was blank, with charred and melted cables behind it, according to photos he shared. Wolffs repairs totaled roughly $8,000, he said. He filed an insurance claim, pursued a complaint with state regulators and also sought reimbursement directly from DTE. The utility responded that the outage had been caused by a tree growing on private property falling on a power line about a mile away, something it could not control, and it wasnt DTEs fault the equipment couldnt contain the outage, Wolff said. He was never offered compensation. Had an offer been extended, he would have accepted an amount that covered his insurance deductible, but he would have thought twice before signing a non-disclosure agreement, Wolff said. DTE sets its own damage claim rules Its up to DTE to set its own damage claims process. State regulators with the Michigan Public Service Commission play a pivotal role in determining when the for-profit utility can raise rates and overseeing its grid planning. But they lack any authority under the law to regulate customer damage claims, according to spokesperson Matt Helms. Regulators can investigate utilities over whether they meet reliability and technical standards, but those guidelines are largely silent about property damage. The state recommends customers file claims directly with their utility, pursue claims under home insurance policies or take disputes to court, Helms said in a statement. The utility is effectively self-regulating most of the damage issues. And its them determining whether or not there is a claim, said Jacob, the Sugar Law Center lawyer. Customers can choose to get regulators involved, she said, but doing so may not easily lead to compensation. They can bring informal complaints to the Public Service Commission, which are then sent to utilities to investigate and resolve, with commission staff reviewing their response. Another option is a formal complaint, heard in a trial-like setting before an administrative law judge, but it requires customers to name a specific regulation that has been broken. Most are dismissed, according to reporting by the Detroit Free Press. Mounting a formal complaint is a challenge when the states rules dont address damage claims, Jacob said, and doing so often puts customers up against DTE lawyers. People can bring the issues forward in small claims court, where neither side is represented by an attorney and damages are capped at $7,000, she said, or higher courts in more serious damage cases. But it can be difficult or pricey to get legal advice to navigate the process successfully. Still, a claim in court at least leaves behind public record of the issue, whereas a settlement directly with the utility happens in secret, and few customers have a lawyer to advise them if an offer is fair, she said. It is a huge transparency concern that we as the public dont even have a sense of the scope and scale of this issue, Jacob said. This is a monopoly utility with a very unique and favorable position to be able to have this customer base that cant make other choices, and we should make be making sure the company works for its customers, is meeting the needs of residents and is providing safe and consistent access to energy. But if were having these consistent damage issues, and we as the public dont even know and cant even begin to address the problem, thats really concerning to me, she said. Szaroleta, the gym owner, has another reason to be wary about DTEs payment offer. I think that signing an NDA for compensation feels a little unethical to me, she said. There might be people in my situation, or a similar situation, that are seeking compensation from (DTE), and I cant say anything. I cant help them. (Updated with comment from the Michigan Department of Corrections and the attorney representing the prisoners) WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI A $500 million lawsuit claiming Michigans womens prison was engaging in state-sponsored voyeurism has been dismissed. Washtenaw County Probate Judge Julia B. Owdziej granted an order for summary disposition Oct. 15, throwing out the lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections that argued recording strip searches violated the rights of hundreds of incarcerated women. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. Attorney Todd Flood representing the prisoners stated his firm intend to appeal the dismissal. This case is meritorious on all fours and unfortunately, we have to exhaust the judicial remedy of going to the court of appeals to have a second look, Flood wrote in a press release. In total, 37 MDOC officials and employees were named in the lawsuit as well as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The department remains committed to protecting the privacy and dignity of those under our supervision, said MDOC Public Information Officer Jenni Riehle in an email. All standard unclothed searches of women, which are necessary for the safety and security of those working and living at WHV, are conducted by trained female officers. In addition, only qualified female staff are allowed to be assigned in areas where women may be in a state of undress. Owdziej granted the dismissal finding the plaintiff failed to state a claim on which relief can be granted. The lawsuit was filed May 5 on behalf of 20 women, all listed as Jane Doe, at the Womens Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti. It claimed the state allowed invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sex-based discrimination and violations of Michigan constitutional rights when it created a policy permitting the use of body cameras to record strip searches in prisons. The lawsuit highlighted a Michigan law that states it is illegal to surveil or record someone when they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. The suit estimated the state was guilty of hundreds of felony counts, which would total $500 million in fines, according to the lawsuit. In the motion to dismiss, the defense argued privacy for the plaintiffs in the case is almost non-existent as they are all prisoners of the state and have no expectation of privacy, court documents show. Attorneys for the state called the lawsuit meritless, noting in their motion to dismiss that the prisoners chosen for the suit were not a random sample but rather a convenient sample. Additionally, the lawsuit failed to show sufficient evidence or case law showing how the prisoners had been harmed through MDOCs use of body cameras, court records show. Current department policy requires body worn cameras to be inactive during these (strip) searches at all facilities, unless a qualifying event occurs such as the discovery of contraband, Riehle wrote. If cameras are activated during a qualifying event, access to that video is highly restricted. Body-worn camera technology improves safety and increases accountability for both officers and those in our facilities. For more news about the Michigan Department of Corrections, click here. Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nimish Ganatra speaks as Ronnie Magbray appears before Washtenaw County District Court Judge Erane Washington at Washtenaw County 14A-1 District Court in Pittsfield Township on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Jacob Hamilton | jhamilt3@mlive.com WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - A Washtenaw County prosecutor is suing his office and a current attorney general candidate, alleging they retaliated against him for raising concerns over misconduct. Nimish Ganatra, chief of the criminal division of the Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office, alleges Eli Savit and the office resigned him to workplace Siberia, stripping him of his responsibilities and investigating his conduct, according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court Michigan Eastern District on Sept. 30. This is not the way he wanted to go out toward the latter stages of his career, said Nicholas Roumel, Ganatras Ann Arbor-based attorney. Ganatra and the prosecutors office had attempted to resolve the matter before the suit was filed, he said. The lawsuit is entirely meritless, said Michelle Billard, the attorney representing the prosecutors office. She declined to comment further. As has always been the case, the Prosecutors Office remains committed to transparency, accountability, and fulfilling its responsibility to the People of Washtenaw County, she wrote in an email to MLive/The Ann Arbor News. The lawsuit centers around an investigation Ganatra says was retaliatory in nature. Savit, who is running for Michigan attorney general, is accused of launching the bad faith investigation, reducing Ganatras duties and shunning him, the lawsuit claims. Ganatra and another attorney filed a grievance with the Attorney Grievance Commission in November 2024 against an assistant prosecuting attorney with the county, alleging she had committed multiple acts of misconduct in two different cases. The grievance alleges the prosecutor, referred to in the complaint as Jane Doe, had tried to hide evidence in a homicide case and did not to update a judge on a failed warrant authorization, according to the complaint. In that complaint to the commission, he included an unsent email from a judicial coordinator indicating a man had been held in the Washtenaw County Jail for nearly a week without an arrest warrant. When Victoria Burton-Harris, the chief assistant prosecuting attorney for the county, questioned Ganatra concerning where he had gotten the email, Ganatra said he wasnt sure and that he would have to check his records, the complaint reads. Ganatra alleges he showed Savit the note was included in public court records. The prosecutors office, however, alleges it was concerned Ganatra had gained unauthorized access to internal documents of a judges chambers. In a motion filed in response to Ganatras complaint, the office points to a letter from 14A-1 District Court Judge J. Cedric Simpson and his judicial coordinator raising concerns about how the unsent email was obtained. My only conclusion is that this email was provided to someone in the Prosecutors Office after I had deleted the email by someone compromising my email, wrote Simpsons judicial coordinator in a letter signed by herself and the judge, which was included in the prosecutor offices motion. Ganatra claims the prosecutors office misrepresented his confidence in the origin of the note and did not give him adequate time to check his records. To believe that Mr. Ganatra obtained the document fraudulently, one would have to believe he would choose to do something illegal and unethical rather than simply obtained it from the bind over packet, which he was authorized to access, the complaint reads. Ganatra was placed on leave Dec. 16, 2024, and Burton-Harris indicated the office would be involving its IT department, according to the complaint. He says no investigation happened until after Ganatra indicated he planned to sue the office. The office hired Dykema law firm to investigate Ganatra, although the exact nature of the investigation was unclear to Ganatra, he said in the complaint. The timing and manner of the Dykema investigation suggests additional evidence of retaliation, only after counsel and the union get involved, and advocated on Mr. Ganatras behalf, the complaint reads. That investigation was closed May 15 and did not uncover any proof he obtained the note fraudulently, according to the complaint. Ganatra returned to work May 19, although claims his duties in the office had been cut back. Others in the Washtenaw County law enforcement and court system noticed Ganatras absence, Roumel said. There were questions about what he had done, Roumel said. Ganatra is claiming the prosecutors office violated his First Amendment right, as well as discriminated against him because he is of South Asian descent. Neither the other attorney who signed the complaint nor the attorney who allegedly committed misconduct were investigated or disciplined, he claims. Both other attorneys are white. The prosecutor is seeking vindication and accountability, Roumel said. Ganatra is still employed by the Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office, Roumel confirmed. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page. A terminated University of Michigan professor is suing the University of Michigan, alleging she was racially discriminated against in a 2024 investigation which preceded her termination. Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com ANN ARBOR, MI The University of Michigan is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit from a former diversity, equity and inclusion administrator three months after she alleged UM violated her civil rights when she was fired in late 2024. Rachel Dawson, a Black woman, was previously director of UMs Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives and ousted after the university investigated accusations she made antisemitic comments at a conference earlier in the year. In its motion, UM alleged it received a credible report that Dawson told two women at the conference the university is controlled by rich Jews, including rich donors and Jewish board members who had power of then-UM President Santa Ono, and that her office didnt work with Jews because they are wealthy and privileged and take care of themselves. The university has maintained Dawson was appropriately terminated and a spokesperson reiterated this in a Tuesday statement. A representative for Dawson could not be immediately reached as of late afternoon on Tuesday, Oct. 21. She first filed an intent to sue the university this year in the Michigan Court of Claims before filing a complaint against UMs Board of Regents in U.S. District Court in mid-July, alleging she was racially discriminated against when UM revoked a written warning and instead caved to pressure to fire her despite concerns she raised about experiencing bias. On Oct. 14, the university filed the motion to dismiss Dawsons federal complaint, denying plausibility of Dawsons claims that the university exhibited discriminatory intent under Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Those sections of the federal statute cover general discrimination and employment discrimination. Dawsons court of claims suit, which did not yet appear to be on the docket as of Tuesday, Oct. 21, would cite similar allegations under state statute, according to her legal counsel. She reportedly engaged in a private conversation with the two women at a conference organized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities in March 2024. According to Dawsons complaint, the other women allegedly accused UM of fostering an antisemitic environment, and upon disagreeing, Dawson said she pointed to the then-recently opened Raoul Wallenberg Institute and support organizations like Hillel that were available to Jewish students. Dawson contends she was then asked questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before she, as the complaint describes, left the encounter feeling shaken up by the two womens hostility. After accusations from the conference emerged, the Anti-Defamation League later sent a letter to Ono about Dawson, who denied the comments as described and believed shed been wrongfully accused. In September 2024, Dawson reportedly learned the university tapped law firm Covington & Burling LLP to investigate the issue. She alleged the counsel concluded it couldnt be determined whether she made the remarks and that it was likely the substance of the conversation fell somewhere between her recollection and that of the other women. Over the course of several weeks, Covington conducted an investigation that included interviews with Dawson and the two professors about their conversation at the March conference, UM states in its motion. After completing their investigation, Covington concluded that the weight of available evidence indicated Dawson made the statements attributed to her in the ADLs August 2024 letter. Dawson claimed she received a warning in October 2024 before the university placed her on leave Nov. 1. Administrators later told her, her suit claims, that other past conduct at a student protest that August was a factor in the decision to fire her. Amid the war in Gaza, a pro-Palestinian group organized a die in protest at a UM student organization recruitment event. Although some students were arrested, charges were eventually dropped. Dawson claimed she acted as a liaison between UM police and students. What she called a sham disciplinary review conference followed in early December last year. It was only at the review, the university claims, that for the first time Dawson shared concerns that discrimination and bias may have informed UMs decision. The motion to dismiss called Dawsons discrimination claims baseless, adding they reflect a continuing and fundamental misunderstanding of the university and its values. Dawsons termination also came just a few months before UMs massive rollback of DEI programs and closure of related offices under Ono, who departed in May. Grand Rapids is planning to reconstruct Cesar E. Chavez Avenue from Hall Street to Tenhaaf Court next year. (MLive file photo) (MLive File Photo) GRAND RAPIDS, MI Grand Rapids is planning another reconstruction project on a busy roadway on the citys southwest side. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue will be closed for reconstruction from Hall Street to Tenhaaf Court for about four months starting next spring. The Grand Rapids City Commission is set to approve an agreement with the Michigan Department of Transportation and authorize $2.5 million in local funds for the project at its 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Oct. 21. The project will include pavement reconstruction, sidewalk replacement, street light improvements, water main replacement, and upgrades to the storm sewer, landscaping and more. The roadway will be closed to thru-traffic during construction, but motorists will still be able to access local businesses on the street during the work. This is the last of four reconstruction projects that have taken place along Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in the last few years. The most recent was the reconstruction of a half-mile stretch from Clyde Park Avenue to Hall Street that wrapped up last fall. Before that, the roadway was reconstructed from Beacon Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Street (formerly Franklin Street) in 2023, and from Martin Luther King Jr. Street to Logan Street in 2018. Commissioner AliciaMarie Belchak, who represents the First Ward where the project would take place, shared concerns shes heard from residents about how long Cesar E. Chavez Avenue has been under construction. This is an area thats been heavily impacted by construction over the last several years, she said at Tuesdays community development committee meeting. There were some business owners that really suffered last year. While Belchak acknowledged the benefits of replacing water lines along Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, she urged the city to recognize the negative impact construction has on the local businesses and residents. When I talk to residents of this neighborhood, they feel very targeted, she said. They feel like theyve been disrupted multiple years in a row compared to other parts of the city. The neighborhood is going to need a lot of extra love and care when its done, she said. Interim City Engineer Jeff McCaul said this stretch of the project will have better connectivity to the local businesses compared to previous projects. Deputy City Manager Kate Berens said the city places signs on the affected roadways to remind motorists that local businesses are still accessible to traffic. Belchak recommended also placing signs in Spanish. The stretch of roadway that will be under construction stretches around 0.3 miles. The local share of the project costs will be covered by city funds for roads, water systems and street lighting. The 118-unit building in downtown Grand Rapids is expected to open in June 2027, offering doctors in training a housing solution near their workplace. (Rendering provided by Corewell Health) Courtesy GRAND RAPIDS, MI Medical school graduates who are completing training at Corewell Health will have a new housing option in Grand Rapids starting in 2027. The health system is set to break ground Tuesday, Oct. 21 on the Karl and Patricia Betz Resident Physician Living Center. The six-floor, 118-unit apartment building with ground-floor retail space will be located at 648 Ottawa Ave. NW. Candace Smith-King, vice president of academic affairs at Corewell, said finding housing can be challenging for resident physicians moving to Grand Rapids. The new building is designed to make the process easier. By addressing one of the most immediate challenges for residents and fellows, we are creating a smoother, more supportive experience to pave the way for a physicians life-long career in Michigan, Smith-King said. Alexis Bolo Neal, a senior communications specialist at Corewell, said the health system is not disclosing the cost of the project, which is expected to be complete in June 2027. The building was named after longtime Corewell donors Karl and Patricia Betz, who provided the lead gift for the development. Bolo Neal said Corewell is not disclosing the amount of the gift. The Betz family founded Betz Industries, a Walker-based manufacturer of iron castings, in 1933. This leadership gift by Karl and Patti Betz will forever be linked to the growth of our physician workforce, said Kelly Dyer, president of the Corewell Health Foundation West Michigan. They recognized the importance of supporting our next generation of health care providers and attracting top physician talent to Michigan. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity. The new apartment building is located just east of Corewell Health Place, the health systems $98 million administration building that opened last year. Once open, the building is expected to include a mix of 118 studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments. The apartments will offer flexible short- and long-term living arrangements tailored to the varied rotational schedules and financial needs of Corewell Healths resident and fellow physicians in West Michigan, according to a release. Bolo Neal said the rental rates will be competitive and that the apartments will provide attainable housing at a great value. She said exact rental rates have not yet been determined but are expected to be finalized as the project nears completion. In addition to apartments, the building will have 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. A tenant for the space has not been selected, but Corewell is open to a variety of retail options, Bolo Neal said. Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley (left) is being challenged by Kent County Commissioner Monica Sparks (right) in Kentwood's mayoral election on Nov. 4. (MLive.com) MLive photos KENTWOOD, MI Kentwoods incumbent mayor is being challenged by a county commissioner in the citys Nov. 4 mayoral election. Mayor Stephen Kepley is running for reelection for the four-year seat, which expires Dec. 31. He is currently serving his third term as Kentwoods mayor since he was first elected to the seat in 2013. Kent County Commissioner Monica Sparks is challenging Kepley for the open seat. She is currently serving as a county commissioner after being elected to the four-year term in 2024. She represents Kent Countys District 12, serving residents in Kentwood, Grand Rapids and Wyoming. The winner on Nov. 4 will serve as Kentwoods mayor for the next four years. Kentwood has a strong-mayor form of government, which means the mayor is also the head administrator for the city, managing day-to-day operations. Kentwood is one of the largest Grand Rapids suburbs, with over 54,000 residents according to American Community Survey estimates. Kepley, 60, served as Kentwoods director of engineering and inspections for 11 years prior to being elected as mayor in 2013. Before that, he worked in the private manufacturing design and construction industry. He earned his bachelors degree in engineering from Virginia Tech. His campaign website is linked here. Sparks, 53, is the owner of The Urban Sparks, a real estate firm, and Body Sculpt Better Body Bar, a wellness spa that offers ancient self-care techniques with modern science and technology. She earned her bachelors degree in business from Capella University. Her campaign website is linked here. If Sparks won Kentwoods mayoral election, the Kent County Board of Commissioners would appoint someone else to serve in the seat until a permanent successor would be elected in the 2026 midterms. MLive/The Grand Rapids Press interviewed both candidates about why theyre running for the seat and what their top campaign priorities would be if elected. Below is an edited version of their responses. Kepley: Why are you running for reelection? Kepley said he is running for reelection to continue the work that he has accomplished over the last 12 years. His focus of a fourth term in office would be overseeing completion of major infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Kentwood Community Center and the planned extension of Breton Road, to ensure the citys long-term financial health and continued growth. Kepley pointed to his proven record of fiscal stewardship, including securing a fully funded pension plan and helping the city pay off its library debt 10 years early, saving the city $1.36 million in interest. Similarly, he said the city plans to retire bond debt for the community center project in 10 years, saving $3.82 million in interest. Kepley said the community center, a $31 million facility set to open in 2026 at 4755 Walma Ave. SE, will be financially sustainable by generating its own revenue through amenities like an all-sports simulator, community spaces that can be rented out for events, and several tiers of membership options. That revenue will help subsidize the citys parks and recreation department by $600,000 a year, Kepley said. Theres so many things that we have done, strategically, to put Kentwood in a very strong financial picture, he said. For me, its making sure that these projects that are a heavy lift, are finalized and put in the right place for success. The proposed extension of Breton Road has been a long-standing goal for the city of Kentwood, and Kepley hopes to see that come to fruition soon. The project would connect Breton Road from where it currently ends at 52nd Street through a new extension stretching to 60th Street, as well as adding a new 216-unit housing development. In September, the city commission approved a Brownfield TIF (Tax Incremental Financing) plan for the project, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is now reviewing the project plans. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026, according to the city. Sparks: Why are you running for Kentwood mayor? Sparks said Kentwood has incredible potential as one of the largest cities in West Michigan, but that she doesnt feel the city is living up to that potential. She feels the city would benefit from a new, fresh perspective in the mayors office. The county commissioner said she is running for Kentwood mayor to sound the alarm on several issues where she feels Kentwood is falling behind, including its declining population and lack of investment from the state compared to neighboring cities. Right now, according to the U.S. Census, were in depopulation, she told MLive. When I look at the trends of the last three to four years, according to how much money has gone through state appropriations, Kentwood is not getting the millions of dollars that Grand Rapids, Wyoming, or even little Cascade is getting. If elected as mayor, Sparks said she would be committed to rebuilding relationships at the state level and help securing funding streams to reinvest in city infrastructure. She also identified challenges such as unaffordable housing, city employees working without contracts, and a sense of disinvestment on the citys west side that she wants to address if elected as mayor. Kepley: What are your top accomplishments from your time in office, and what still needs to get done? Kepley said he is most proud of influencing the corporate culture in Kentwood, focusing on four key leadership areas: Prioritizing safety, ensuring Kentwood remains open for business, providing high-quality infrastructure and parks, and promoting unity in the diverse community. As mayor, Kepley has focused on changing the citys governance to focus on leading with a servants heart. People see us as servant leaders and that were here to serve, and not to be served, he said. I think thats so important and that by working together and growing together, we move forward with an incredible city to live in. Other than seeing the completion of the community center and Breton Road extension, Kepley said he has goals of getting a solar farm developed on the landfill behind city hall. Sparks: What are your top priorities if elected? Under her 180-day action plan, Sparks would start her time as mayor by holding a listening tour to meet with all city departments and review budgets to understand the current situation. Sparks said some of her top priorities if elected as mayor would include improving police-community relations, overhauling the citys website to improve communications with the public, working with local schools to create a Junior Council to strengthen civic engagement, and opening a grants management office at the city level. She has created a S.P.A.R.K.S. Plan of Action outlining her top priorities if elected, which include: S: Safety - Enhance community policing and invest in first responders. P: Partnership - Collaborate with businesses, nonprofits, schools, and government to drive growth and improve lives. A: Advocacy: Prioritize attainable housing, small business support, and environmental equity. R: Resources - Increase access to vital resources that improve daily life for Kentwood residents. K: Knowledge - Lead with transparency, public education, and community input. S: Servant Leadership - Lead with integrity, accountability, and a people-first approach. Also on Kentwoods Nov. 4 election ballot: Kentwood voters will also select a new clerk in the Nov. 4 election. Cameron Duffey and Ana Jose are both running for the open, four-year seat, which is currently held by Dan Kasunic. There are also three uncontested races on the November ballot for the Kentwood City Commission. Clarkston Morgan is the sole candidate running for Kentwoods 1st Ward seat, Jessica Ann Tyson is the sole candidate for the 2nd Ward seat, and Betsy Artz is the sole candidate for the At-Large seat. The sun sets on Kalamazoo City Hall, 241 W. South St. City commissioners selected a candidate for Kalamazoo's next city manager during a meeting on Monday, Oct. 20. Audrey Whitaker KALAMAZOO, MI Malcolm Hankins will be Kalamazoos next city manager. The Kalamazoo City Commission offered Hankins the job during its Monday, Oct. 20 meeting and he accepted. Hankins, the assistant city manager in Des Moines, Iowa, has more than 35 years of local government experience in Iowa, Arizona and Colorado. The commission still needs to negotiate with Hankins before the deal is done. Contract details will require commission approval at an upcoming meeting. The vote was 6-1, with Qianna Decker as the only no vote. However, during discussion, four commissioners were in favor of Hankins (Alonzo Wilson, Don Cooney, Stephanie Hoffman and Chris Praedel) and three were in favor of Kalamazoo COO Laura Lam (Decker, Vice Mayor Jeanne Hess and Mayor David Anderson). Lam was the only internal candidate among the four finalists. City Manager James Ritsema is retiring Nov. 18. He was appointed to the role in 2013. His 34-year career includes serving as finance director in Marshall and Battle Creek and time as Battle Creeks assistant city manager. The commission interviewed four candidates for the position on Thursday, Oct. 16, following a four-month nationwide search process. Kalamazoo had four finalists in its city manager search: (Left to right) Laura Lam, Malcolm Hankins, Elle Cole and Odis Jones. Courtesy of city of Kalamazoo Odis Jones dropped out on Friday, Oct. 17, narrowing the field to three Hankins, Lam and Elle Cole. The city manager is responsible for all administrative appointments, delivering services to residents and the day-to-day operations of city government, per the citys website. Hankins career includes leadership in neighborhood services, housing, planning and zoning, civil and human rights and community relations. My leadership approach is one that strives to be a servant leader, Hankins said during his interview. My goal is to not take what youve done and disregard it, but instead to take the good thats already been done and build upon it. Hankins identified affordable housing, economic development and community engagement as key opportunities for improvement in Kalamazoo based on his research and interaction with locals. Hankins has experience addressing homelessness in pretty much every community he has worked in, he said, and cited his role as a housing inspector early in his career. Lam has worked for the city since 2009 as community planning and development director, assistant city manager and deputy city manager. While some commissioners and residents lauded Lam for her long-term service and familiarity with the city, other leaders questioned whether it was time to welcome a new voice to the city managers office. I dont think that its right for us to remain who we are, Praedel said. I think its right to challenge ourselves to become the next level. In order for that to happen, I think my choice would be Malcolm. Lams skills and experience in city leadership is still key to the citys future, Cooney said. The team of Hankins and Lam will move this city to its destiny, Cooney said. Greatness. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. Kratom in its beverage and tablet forms, available for sale without regulation throughout Michigan. (Jake May | MLive) (Jake May | MLive.com) BAY CITY, MI Bay City officials are sounding a clarion call regarding an unregulated drug thats leading to an increase in addiction and overdose deaths. This problem has been brewing for the last five to 10 years and nobody wants to talk about it, said Dr. William J. Morrone, chief medical examiner for Arenac, Bay, Iosco, Midland and Tuscola counties. The problem in question is the substance kratom. Kratom, an herbal extract from Southeast Asia, is sold in party stores and head shops across Michigan as a supplement to boost energy and induce relaxation. Its sold in beverage, capsule, and powder forms, with those containing the metabolite 7-OH marketed as stronger. There are no federal or state-enforced age restrictions to purchase or use kratom or 7-OH. Bay City, though, has joined a growing movement seeking to change that. The Bay City Commission on Oct. 20 voted 7-1 to approve a resolution to call upon the State Legislature to put meaningful regulation in place that allows adults to continue to purchase Kratom while prohibiting anyone under 21 years from purchasing or possessing this supplement. Dr. William Morrone, medical examiner for Bay, Midland, Iosco, Tuscola, and Arenac counties. Cole Waterman Commissioner Ben Tenney, 4th Ward, proposed the resolution, his sixth to pass this year. First Ward Commissioner Laura Kubit offered the lone dissenting vote. Tenney was prompted to write the resolution after a resident reached out to him expressing concern over minors being legally allowed to buy the substance. This is not something that has been widely studied like cannabis or opiates, Tenney said. Until we have something, at a minimum, I think we need to not sell it to minors. Tenney consulted with the citys attorney to see if a local prohibition on kratoms sale to minors could be enforced. The attorney told him this was impractical and such a ban would be symbolic. Bay City 4th ward commissioner Benjamin B. Tenney listens during a regular Bay City Commission meeting at Bay City Hall on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com It would have basically been an emphasized ask of gas stations, Tenney said. We figured itd be more meaningful to ask state legislators to pass regulations. Dr. Morrone attended the Oct. 20 meeting and said he was pleasantly surprised to see the commission taking the kratom issue seriously. In the last year, hes seen three people between the ages of 25 and 40 fatally overdose on kratom, one each in Bay, Midland, and Tuscola counties. And that doesnt tell you how many people are addicted, Morrone said. It just tells you how many people have taken enough to die. He described kratom as a two-phase drug. Taken in low doses, it generates energy in the user. But in higher doses, it functions more similarly to morphine. As a central-nervous system depressant, it can cause death by stopping the users breathing, Morrone said. The Mayo Clinic describes kratom as unsafe and ineffective. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July recommended the Drug Enforcement Administration classify 7-OH as a Schedule I controlled substance. The federal government considers Schedule I drugs to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. In Morrones experience, those who are addicted to kratom typically began buying it as a performance enhancer. Everybody is going to it because theyre tired, he said. My most recent patients have all been employed. They think it helps them, then sooner or later, they go from taking it once or twice a week to taking it every two hours and now its interfering with their job. When addicts try to stop using kratom, they experience withdrawal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and panic attacks, Morrone said. Naloxone, an opiate antagonist, is effective in treating an overdose, the doctor added. He encouraged users to seek suboxone therapy and in conjunction with counseling. Hes hopeful legislators will enact a ban on minors being able to legally buy and use kratom. We gotta keep this stuff away from the kids, he said. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C., have banned kratoms psychoactive components, while 18 additional states have varying regulations on kratoms sale and use. Numerous nations across Europe and Asia also ban or regulate the substance. A 2023 bill to regulate kratom in Michigan died in committee in the state House of Representatives. An American Airlines flight taxis from the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, July 1, 2025. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com Pilots aboard an American Airlines flight returned to a Nebraska airport after they mistakenly thought someone was trying to breach the cockpit. ABC News reported that the bizarre incident occurred during an American Airlines flight from Omaha to Los Angeles on Monday. Apparently, the misunderstanding happened after the intercom that pilots and flight attendants used to speak to each was left on by accident. The pilots heard static sound over the intercom, which they mistakenly thought meant someone was trying to break in and take control of the aircraft, according to ABC News. The flight was operated by SkyWest, which flies regional routes for American and other airlines. The plane was an Embraer ERJ 175. SkyWest apologized for the incident and said in a statement that the plane returned out of an abundance of caution after experiencing communication issues with a flight crew mic. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the plane landed safely after declaring an emergency when the pilot could not contact the cabin crew. Disneyland and Walt Disney World will celebrate coast to coast with the summer 2026 opening of Soarin Across America." Walt Disney World Disney is getting patriotic for the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Walt Disney Company announced, Disney Celebrates America, a company-wide celebration of the stars and stripes running from Veterans Day to the July 4, 2026 weekend. The celebration will feature special programming, storytelling, and experiences across its brands and businesses, but the most notable difference is coming to a fan-favorite Disney ride. Coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World in summer 2026 is Soarin Across America, an immersive new flight experience aboard the beloved Soarin attractions at Disney California Adventure Park and EPCOT. Soarin Across America will take guests on a breathtaking journey, highlighting some of the countrys natural beauty and iconic cityscapes. At its heart, Americas story is one of imagination, ambition, and possibility the same ideals that have guided Disney since the beginning, said Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. This celebration honors both a nation and a spirit that never stop dreaming about whats next. Actor Patrick Warburton, who plays the flight attendant in the various Soarin rides, helped announced the overhaul. Soon, as you sail through our spacious skies, you may see amber waves of grain, he says in the video. Purple mountain majesties. Thats right were going to be soarin across America. What better way to celebrate the countrys semiquincentennial than with a limited-time sea-to-shining sea itinerary? Americas packed a lot into her 250 years, so youll want to pack a lot of party favors into your rollaboard. This includes Betsy Ross flags, hot dogs, apple pies, bald eagles, bunting, pocket constitutions, powdered wigs and, of course, [picks up a pair of patriotic Minnie ears] these little beauties. ... Happy 250th, America. Soarin has long been a favorite among fans due to its spectacular production and unique ride experience. Guests are elevated into the air into a 180-degree, 80-foot IMAX digital projection dome. A simulated hang glide with artificial scents, sounds and wind then begins as the flight takes guests to numerous locations in six of the worlds continents. Australias iconic Sydney Harbour, the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India, Iguazu Falls in South America and the Eiffel Tower in Paris are among the locations. The overhauled ride will feature the same approach, just with locations across America. The celebration will culminate on the July 4th weekend with a 24-hour, multi-platform broadcast, Disney Celebrates America, ending with a special evening fireworks broadcast from Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Complete highlights can be found here. The weather situation is going to increase thunderstorms this afternoon. These quick thunderstorms could produce marble size hail and brief 60 mph gusts. Heres where the Storm Prediction Center has outlined the potential for gusty, hail-producing thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Forecast for location of severe wind gusts around 60 mph this Tuesday afternoon, October 21. Storm Prediction Center Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, Saginaw and Bay City could all have a quick thunderburst. As the small thunderstorms move into southeast Michigan, there could be brief wind gusts up to 60 mph. These gusts would be isolated, and shouldnt be a widespread severe weather outbreak. The isolated nature means the gusts can sneak up on you quickly. Here is the always-updated, actual radar from White Lake, MI. The radar forecast shows the expansion of thunderstorms through about 6 p.m., and then a gradual decrease in the storms after sunset. Radar forecast from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. today, October 21. NOAA Get ready for very quick changes in the weather this afternoon and evening. Your area could go from sunny to cloudy with a gusty thunderstorm and small hail in just a matter of minutes. If you have a car you want to protect from hail, put it in the garage now. This is also a sign the upper-atmosphere is cooling down. Eventually this cooldown aloft will mean more chilly temperatures over the next week. China accelerates innovation to drive high-quality development 15:46, October 21, 2025 By He Yin ( People's Daily A student tests a new brain-computer interface device as part of the world's first multi-center clinical trial for severe neurological disorders, recently launched in Tianjin. (Photo/Shen Yue) China has risen to the 10th position in the global innovation ranking for 2025, up one spot from the previous year, marking its first entry into the top 10, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Since 2013, China has risen 25 places, making it one of the fastest-rising economies in innovation. This progress reflects steady advances in basic research, breakthroughs in key and core technologies, leadership in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence and renewable energy, and the deep integration of digital and real economies. These achievements stem from China's innovation-driven development strategy and its efforts to build a science and technology powerhouse. WIPO Assistant Director General Marco Aleman stated that reaching the global top 10 highlighted China's prominent role as a global leader in innovation. Recent milestones include the regular operation of the Tiangong space station, the Chang'e-6 mission's return of the first samples from the far side of the moon, and the Haidou-1 submersible's descent to more than 10,000 meters below the sea surface. Major scientific and technological advances - from large-scale 5G deployment, BeiDou's global positioning services to brain-computer interface applications - demonstrate how scientific and industrial innovation are converging, with benefits reaching millions of households. Students control a robot at the Hangzhou Bay Embodied Intelligence Innovation Center in Shangyu district, Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang province. (Photo/Zhu Shengjun) China now has the world's largest R&D workforce and has led globally in both international journal publications and Patent Cooperation Treaty applications for five consecutive years, reinforcing its position as a global innovation hub. Robust policy support and a dynamic innovation ecosystem underpin this growth. China has prioritized basic research, encouraged breakthroughs in key technologies, and enhanced its national innovation system to strengthen scientific self-reliance. In 2024, R&D investment exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan (about $500 billion), ranking second in the world, with 249.7 billion yuan invested in basic research. Supportive policies - ranging from tax incentives and public procurement to enterprise participation in national R&D projects - have catalyzed corporate innovation. China is now home to over 500,000 high-tech enterprises. In 2024, 524 companies from the Chinese mainland were listed among the world's top 2,000 industrial R&D investors, injecting sustained momentum into the economy. China's innovation appeal is underpinned by its commitment to openness and international cooperation. As a builder and contributor to the global innovation network, China actively promotes open scientific and technological cooperation for the common good, expands platforms for international exchange, strengthens intellectual property protection, and advances more proactive and inclusive talent policies, accelerating the development of a globally competitive open innovation ecosystem. An engineer calibrates intelligent testing equipment at an intelligent device manufacturer in Shapingba district, southwest China's Chongqing municipality. (Photo/Sun Kaifang) To date, China has established sci-tech cooperation relationships with more than 160 countries and regions and signed 119 intergovernmental sci-tech cooperation agreements. Through the Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan and the establishment of "Belt and Road" joint laboratories, China is paving new pathways for collaborative innovation and reinforcing its role as a key pillar of global innovation. As noted by Wirtschaftswoche, a German weekly business news magazine, China's technological capabilities and diversified demand for foreign investment have become a source of confidence for global investors. Innovation remains the primary engine of development. With accelerating momentum, China will inject new vitality into the world economy, collaborate with other countries to foster a more open and inclusive global innovation network, and contribute greater strength to addressing global challenges and advancing peace and development. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) MC Education Desk Read the latest and trending news on CBSE, board exams, NEET, JEE, CUET, competitive exams, scholarships, college admissions, education policies, and more. Saurav Pandey 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 4 / 13 In the photos, Kriti Sanon is seen enjoying a lavish Diwali celebration at her house with her closest friends. She looked radiant as she posed in front of warm lights and glowing diyas while wearing a gorgeous red embroidered sharara set. Kriti is seen smiling as she enjoys the evening with her friends and her rumoured boyfriend Kabir Bahia. The joy and excitement of her celebration were aptly captured in her caption, "Ghar wali Diwali Love, lights, laughter... Isn't it the best time of the year?" Mouni Roy celebrates Diwali with husband Suraj Nambiar and Disha Patani in a glow of love and light 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. 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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 Adrija Chatterjee is an Assistant Editor at Moneycontrol. 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I Accept 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 Aryaman Gupta 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 2020 Delhi riots: Court raps prosecution over handling of case, asks police commissioner to take remedial action Charred remains of vehicles set ablaze by rioters during communal violence, outside an auto showroom in Northeast Delhi in February 2020. (Courtesy: PTI file photo) Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. 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I Accept 'All potholes in Bengaluru must be filled in a week', says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Rewati Karan 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 Smriti Mishra 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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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 People walk in the morning near the India Gate monument amidst morning smog a day after Diwali festival in Delhi, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. (Image: AP Photo) Rewati Karan 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 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. 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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It also highlighted the absence of functional creches, which hinders gender equality in the legal profession. The submissions were made in a PIL filed by lawyer Rajeeb Kalita. Low-pressure area forms over southwest Bay of Bengal, heavy rainfall forecast for parts of Andhra Pradesh The system developed at 5.30 am over the southwest Bay of Bengal following the cyclonic circulation that prevailed over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal on Monday 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. 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I Accept Celebrations were held across the world on the occasion of Diwali on October 20 Smriti Mishra 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 Arjun Kumar is a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication. Melukote, in Karnatakas Mandya district, has a past so tragic that even festive occasions serve as reminders of dark deeds. (Source: Arjun Kumar) Namrata Agarwal 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 Orionid Meteor Shower 2025 at its peak: When and where to watch the dazzling fireballs for the best view Orionid Meteor Shower: The Orionid meteor shower peaks on October 2021, producing bright meteors from debris of Halley's Comet. (Image: Canva) Sheetal Kumari 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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Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti 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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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 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. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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(Image: Facebook) Priyanka Roshan 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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(Photo by Lintao Zhang and SAUL LOEB / various sources / AFP) Abhinav Gupta 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 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. 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I Accept Sanae Takaichis rise: First female PM to take oath, what it means for Japan Pradeep Tripathi 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 The Louvre jewel heist, explained: how four thieves pulled off a 10-minute robbery in Paris Pradeep Tripathi 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 Arishaa Izaj 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 India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (R) and his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi shaking hands during a bilateral meeting in New Delhi. (Photo by India's Ministry of External Affairs / AFP) Abhinav Gupta 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 US H-1B visa relief for Indian students and techies: USCIS clarifies $100,000 fee and exemptions | Explained H-1B visa fee: USCIS clarifies who is exempt from $100,000 payment and how to apply 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 US Vice President JD Vance was also due to visit Israel on Tuesday, with Netanyahu saying the pair would discuss regional challenges and opportunities. Arindam Roy 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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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 Sanae Takaichis rise as Japans first female prime minister marks a nationalist turn in Tokyo politics Pradeep Tripathi 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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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 Trumps meeting with Putin in Hungary is alarming Europe Pradeep Tripathi 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 Why Trumps new deal with Australia aims to counter Chinas dominance over critical minerals Pradeep Tripathi 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 October 21, 2025 EU-NATO Retreats From Ukraine Is Winning To Begging For A Ceasefire This war will be won on the battlefield. Ukraine will prevail and rise back even stronger WeAreUkraine, Apr 10, 2022 This war will be won on the battlefield, said [EU foreign policy chief Josep] Borrell on Twitter. Ukraine will prevail and rise back even stronger. And the EU will continue to stand by you, every step of the way. Speech by President [of the European Council] Charles Michel to the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv Consilium, Jan 19 2023 We are determined to help you win on the battlefield. When President Zelenskyy called me on February 24th, he said, Charles, we need weapons, we need ammunition. Three days later, we formally decided to provide lethal equipment to a third country for the first time in the history of the EU. Boris Johnson vows Ukraine will win as he visits Kyiv on two-year anniversary of war Independent, Feb 24 2024 Mr Johnson said: On this grim second anniversary of Putins invasion I am honoured to be here in Ukraine. With their indomitable courage I have no doubt that the Ukrainians will win and expel Putins forces provided we give them the military, political and economic help that they need. Ukraine Must Win, Regain Full Territory: Germanys Merz Kyiv Post, Jan 21 2025 Merz said he wants peace in Ukraine but not at the price of submission to an imperialist power and stressed that Ukraine must win the war. To me, winning means restoring territorial integrity, said Merz, whose conservative CDU-CSU is leading in polls ahead of Germanys Feb. 23 election. Winning also means that Ukraine must have complete freedom to choose its political and, if necessary, military alliances. A few months later and the delusion of winning is gone Joint statement on Ukraine: 21 October 2025 Statement by President Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Starmer, Chancellor Merz, President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Prime Minister Tusk, President von der Leyen, President Costa, Prime Minister Stre, President Stubb, Prime Minister Frederiksen, Prime Minister Sanchez and Prime Minister Kristersson on Peace for Ukraine. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations. Therefore we are clear that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position before, during, and after any ceasefire. Russia will of course not agree to this ceasefire nonsense. During the Minsk agreement, which included a ceasefire in east Ukraine, the time was used to arm Ukraine and to prepare its army for further attacks. Russia wont fall for the same trick twice. Lavrov Rejects Ceasefire: Russia Says Halting War Would Preserve the Nazi Regime in Ukraine Novinite, Oct 21 2025 Speaking to reporters, Lavrov criticized a joint statement by European leaders who reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and backed US President Donald Trumps recent diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting. A ceasefire now would mean only one thing that a vast part of Ukraine remains under the control of a Nazi regime, he said. It would be the only place on Earth where an entire language is legally banned, not to mention that it is an official UN language and spoken by the majority of the population. Borell and Michel were right when they said that the war will be decided on the battlefield. But it wont be Ukraine that will be winning. Russia has introduced a new version of the universal guidance kit attached to dumb bombs of previous ages. They now can reach up to 100 kilometer from their release point. Their precision is truly impressive (vid). Over the last week the Russian airforce dropped more than 250 of those per day! Russian Geran drones have evolved further. The Geran-2 has a 90 kg warhead, night vision and some autonomous targeting capabilities. It can also be manually controlled via repeaters even over longer distances. The new Geran-3 with a jet engine is just coming in. It has a range of 700 km and carries a 250 kilogram warhead. It is cheaper than ballistic Iskander missiles while fulfilling a similar purpose. After the Alaska summit between the Presidents Trump and Putin the Russian side had agreed to a ceasefire on long range infrastructure targets. Unfortunately Ukraine never held up to it. It continued to attack Russian refineries and electricity station. After a pause Russia countered with a major campaign against Ukraines energy and railway infrastructure. It will continue until Ukraine agrees to cease and desist from strikes on Russia. Unless that happens Ukraine is in for a cold and very dark winter. Pakistan-China Fashion Show strengthens cultural ties 18:24, October 20, 2025 By Huang Kechao, Zhang Kaiwei ( People's Daily Online The Pakistan-China Fashion Show, co-hosted by the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing and the China International Cultural Communication Center (CICCC), took place on Oct. 19, at the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing. Models walk the runway to showcase outfits crafted by Pakistani designers at the Pakistan-China Fashion Show in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2025. (Photo provided by the organizer) The event aimed to promote mutual understanding between Chinese and Pakistani cultures and further strengthen the friendship between the two nations. A model poses at the Pakistan-China Fashion Show in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Xu Jingwen) A model poses at the Pakistan-China Fashion Show in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2025. (Photo provided by the organizer) Pakistani designers Maheen Khan, Moazzam Abbasi, Ayesha Tariq, Rizwaullah, and Zain Hashmi showcased collections created exclusively to blend Pakistani and Chinese fashion aesthetics. Meanwhile, Aqeel Chaudhary, a Pakistani designer based in China, presented his jewelry line. Models walk the runway to showcase outfits crafted by Pakistani designers at the Pakistan-China Fashion Show in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2025. (Photo provided by the organizer) Speaking at the event, Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's ambassador to China, said the majestic Badaling Great Wall served as a fitting venue to celebrate the enduring spirit of the Silk Road. Today, he added, that spirit is reflected in a modern bridge of textiles, art, and friendship between China and Pakistan. Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's ambassador to China, talks to designers backstage at the Pakistan-China Fashion Show in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2025. (Photo provided by the organizer) Hashmi highlighted the event's special significance, noting that it coincided with the 60th anniversary of the first visit by a Pakistani dignitary to the Great Wall. He emphasized that the fashion showcase was built on three core pillars: cultural fusion, commercial value, and the vitality of Pakistani fashion. This, he added, not only demonstrates the natural synergy between Pakistani creativity and the Chinese market but also helps forge new commercial bridges for the two nations' shared future. "The Pakistani Embassy in China plans to organize cultural events, such as food and music festivals, in multiple Chinese provinces in the future," the ambassador concluded. "These initiatives aim to expand cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and further deepen mutual understanding between the two nations." Long Yuxiang, chairman of the CICCC, praised the fashion show, noting that the Great Wall stands as an iconic symbol of Chinese cultural heritage, one that carries rich history and exemplifies exquisite craftsmanship. Long Yuxiang, chairman of the China International Cultural Communication Center, speaks with People's Daily Online backstage at the Pakistan-China Fashion Show in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Xu Jingwen) "The fashion show offers an outstanding opportunity to showcase the fruitful outcomes of China-Pakistan cultural exchanges," Long said. "All the exquisite costumes crafted by Chinese and Pakistani designers embody cultural fusion, and through this, they will further expand the global influence of traditional Chinese culture." When discussing the China-Pakistan partnership, Long praised the success of bilateral cooperation across various fields and expressed hope for even closer ties between the two nations. "China and Pakistan are neighboring countries with a long history of cooperation," Long concluded. "CICCC strictly follows the guidance of the Chinese government to advance people-to-people exchanges, and these efforts lay a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation in other sectors." As the silk and threads of Chinese and Pakistani designs intertwined at the Badaling Great Wall, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing people-to-people exchanges and cherishing the legacy of their long-standing friendship, a bond that continues to grow stronger. Diplomatic envoys to China from Argentina, Jordan, Bahrain, Maldives, Sri Lanka and other countries, along with Chinese and Pakistani fashion figures, corporate representatives and media representatives, attended this event, with a total of over 300 participants. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Wu Chengliang) Dogs protect us if we go to Hell. Thats why we worship them The Times Where do your pumpkins come from? Illinois keeps the crown Investigate Midwest Why is Halloween starting so much earlier each year? A business professor explain The Conversation Cocoa prices are high: How can consumers save on Halloween candy? Yahoo! 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The change specifically limits DOJ prosecutors from criminally charging pic.twitter.com/gm2XzkZeCZ GenXGirl (@GenXGirl1994) October 18, 2025 Donald Trump DEMOLISHES part of the White House to make way for his new golden ballroom Daily Mail Weimar Republic Police State Watch Our Famously Free Press Independent newspapers disappear as private investment firms take over Axios Accelerationists Capitalism Is Undermining Democracy Tribune Now this is a proper novelty. pic.twitter.com/a0uRsOkwo0 Adrian (@blagojevism) October 19, 2025 Imperial Collapse Watch Big Brother Is Watching You Watch Healthcare? Democrats en deshabille Of course the DNC is trying to torpedo his campaign: You shouldnt have to fight in stupid foreign wars, get injured, and watch your friends die to be lucky enough to get health care and support.@grahamformaine just gets it man. Theres no other way to say it. pic.twitter.com/ujLeQVekU6 Maine (@TheMaineWonk) October 20, 2025 Antitrust AWS outage exposes Achilles heel: central control plane The Register AI Fashion This man simply walked into the fashion show wearing a garbage bag and no one thought it was strange until security found him pic.twitter.com/pZCRWyMNJ5 Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) October 20, 2025 Zeitgeist Watch Google Has a Bedbug Infestation in Its New York Offices Wired Antidote du jour (via): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. Conor here: Trump imposed the $100,000 fee for H-1B visas the same day he revoked the sanctions waiver for Irans Chabahar Port, both of which hit India hard and create the impression these moves are part of pressure campaign against New Delhi.So theres a decent chance Trump reaches one of his famous TACO deals soon, and these $100,000 fees go away or are reduced. The following details how the H1-B Visa (and the same applies for H2-A for agriculture workers and H2-B for those guest laborers in non-agricultural fields that Trumps businesses rely on) depress domestic wages. By Pia Malaney, Co-Founder and Director of The Center for Innovation, Growth and Society and Senior Economist at the Institute for New Economic Thinking. The Center works to build new approaches to integrating the innovation economy with broader US markets and relevant policy for encouraging innovation-led growth in the service of society. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking. On September 1921, 2025, the administration announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions. Major U.S. tech and consulting employersmany among the programs largest sponsorsargue the fee undermines competitiveness and throttles innovation; some are openly modeling whether to shift more work into India-based Global Capability Centers. Indian industry and officials, for their part, warn of disruption for a population that consistently receives about 70% of all approved H-1Bs, and local media trace market jitters to the fee. Even sympathetic voices in tech leadership call the price tag too high relative to the policy goal. That reaction reprises the familiar frame in U.S. debates over high-skill immigration: do visas fill critical talent gaps that fuel innovation, or do they depress pay for domestic STEM workers? Empirical and official assessments have long acknowledged the wage channel; early 2000s analyses, for example, described foreign IT inflows as a moderating force on wage increases, and Alan Greenspan later argued that tight skilled-immigration quotas had propped up a privileged elite and that easing such constraints would reduce skilled wage premia. But there is a more consequential reading of the history. Years before todays headlines, an INET Working Paper highlighted research making an extraordinary claim: in the run-up to the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT90)the law that created the H-1Bproponents and employers allegedly agreed with labor on the wage effects, at least behind closed doors (Weinstein 2017). According to that account, the actual rationale for H-1B and IMMACT90 was to tamper with the wage mechanism on which native workers rely for their ability to earn, and weaken the bargaining power of domestic STEM workers by augmenting labor supply via demographic panic. An internal NSF analysis captured the logic succinctly: A growing influx of foreign PhDs into U.S. labor markets will hold down the level of PhD salaries to the extent that foreign students are attracted to U.S. doctoral programs as a way of immigrating to the U.S. Although todays proponents often dispute that wage mechanisms adequately clear STEM labor markets, the NSF economist in the internal study explicitly credited market wages with resolving past shortages: There have been numerous instances during the last 45 years in which high-ranking national figures have called for national action to increase the flow of college students into NS&E fields These shortages, however, were swiftly eradicated without major focused policy initiatives through market forces and minor adjustments by employers. Myles Boylan, Internal 1986 NSF/PRA study On this telling, the purpose of H-1B was to interfere with that wage-clearing mechanismintroducing a parallel compensation channel (a visa) that has value to foreign workers but not to natives, thereby suppressing cash wages for U.S. STEM workers. According to this account, NSF commissioned two studies with complementary public/private functions at a time when internal projections suggested STEM PhD salaries could reach $100,000 by ~2000 (the pessimistic scenario in internal documents). One was an esoteric internal study (Boylan, 1986, NSF/PRA) containing detailed demand curves which explicitly allowed for market-clearing wage increases. The other, however, was a public study that was crafted as a demographic narrative, stripped of market mechanisms, which framed the problem as a looming shortfall caused by the smaller Generation X cohortthereby creating urgency for legislative action without foregrounding wage adjustment as the remedy. By removing the wage-adjustment machinery from the public analysis, the argument was made, and the need for higher compensation could be recast as a structural shortage, bolstering the case for an expanded high-skill visa channel. Read through this lens, the present controversy over the new $100,000 H-1B fee is not merely a reprise of the do visas hurt or help wages? debate. Rather the foundational premise of the H-1B framework was already an acknowledgmentshared by all sides in privatethat increasing foreign STEM supply would restrain U.S. wage growth. The debate then is not really about whether wage pressure exists but rather about how explicitly policy should admit, harnessor counteractit. So what has the actual effect been of this program? While it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of the visa program on wages, we can do some back of the envelop rough, exploratory calculations on the magnitude of the effect on the tech labor market. First, let us review the mechanisms through which the contemporary pipeline works. The United States doesnt just hire through H-1B; it draws from multi-year channels. F1 and M1 visas bring in foreign students for academic or vocational training. After graduating from a US institution students can apply for an Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa, which allows international students on F-1 visas to work in the U.S. for up to 12 months after completing their degree, gaining practical experience in their field of study. Students in STEM fields may qualify for a 24-month extension, allowing for a total of 36 months of work authorization. This can be seen as the pre-H1B stage of the pipeline. There is also a program for gifted skilled people, which is separate. According to US government data, in 2024 there were approximately 381,140 people with work authorization through a form of practical training, with approximately half of these being in computer science or engineering. Meanwhile, despite the stated cap of 85,000 visas, US Customs and Immigration Services approved almost 400,000 H-1B petitions in FY-2024 with about 70 to 75% of these being for computer related and engineering jobs. Put together that is roughly half a million jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the size of the US workforce in STEM occupations to be approximately 10.7 million. This suggests that these channels represent about 5% of the US STEM labor force. Regardless of ones belief about the positive or negative effects on the economy, it is hard to make the argument that this is not a significant shift of the labor supply curve. The claim that is sometimes made, that the flow is too small to move wages is not credibleespecially in metro-concentrated markets where software dominates the occupational mix and where there are few buyers. Despite its manifest effects on domestic labor markets, proponents of the H1B visa program often make the argument that it is a way for US employers to access the best and the brightest. After all industry giants like Elon Musk, Satya Nadella and Sunder Pichai all came in on these visas. This argument is worth a careful assessment. If wages are broken down into five levels, with Level 3 representing the median local wage for an occupation, prevailing H1B wage rules allow employers to meet compliance at Level 1 or Level 2wage levels that sit below the local median. Analyses by the Economic Policy Institute and others document that a majority of positions are certified at those lower levels; the Department of Labors wage framework was not built to ensure median-plus pay, and in practice it does not. This doesnt mean all H-1B workers are underpaid; it does mean the system permits staffing models inconsistent with the star talent narrative thats used to sell the public on the program. If employers truly need once-in-a-generation talent, the law already provides a mechanism that does not rely on lottery luck or entry-level wage bands: the EB-2 National Interest Waiver9 (NIW). USCISs January 2025 policy update re-clarified the Dhanasar test (national importance, well-positioned, and on-balance benefit) and tightened the articulation of underlying EB-2 eligibility. For genuine stars, NIW is the straightforward pathand it is inherently more honest about who deserves a fast track. H-1B, by contrast, is a mass program that hasby designbecome a staffing channel for ordinary (if valuable) roles. Policymaking should reflect that difference. A disturbing effect of the structure of this visa program that is often ignored is the potential for abuse of power. Tying status to a specific employerwhile a person waits in an employment-based green-card queue measured in years to decades for many H1B holderschanges the nature of workplace bargaining. Workers can switch jobs in theory, but the per-country caps and backlogs make the option costly and risky, particularly for Indian and Chinese nationals who dominate the queue. That structural dependency is why the indenture analogy resonates for many practitioners, even when everyone is in formal legal compliance. If we broaden the lens beyond wages and power to macro consequences, the research literature is somewhat mixed and nuanced. Some papers find that more H-1Bs raise ethnic patenting and spillovers to innovation; others identify crowding-out of similarly situated domestic workers or distributional effects that vary across cities, firms, and cohorts. What the literature does not do is resolve the policy question for us: it shows that immigration can both foster innovation and reallocate incomeoften in ways that are hard to see if we only track headline GDP or patent counts. The sign on innovation is frequently positive; the sign on wage incidence for close substitutes is often negative or ambiguous, and local labor markets matter. An understanding of the political economy driving the debate around H1B requires us to be candid about who benefits. The winners are not only India-headquartered IT services firms like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizantlong rumored to dominate filingsbut also U.S. tech and finance giants that lead the sponsor tables in recent data. In the first half of 2025, for instance, Amazon led approvals, with TCS close behind; and Congress has noticed a dissonance between heavy program use and domestic layoff cycles. Debating whether foreign consulting firms or Big Tech benefit more misses the broader point: both ecosystems have optimized around the same labor-supply valve. Seen from India, the sending country for almost two thirds of H1B holders, the picture is complicated. Industry groups and families who built plans around U.S. jobs see disruption and worry about nearterm income and remittances, which remain a significant household buffer. But there is also a notable counternarrative: if the United States prices more work off its shores, Indian firms and global capability centers stand to absorb a greater share of highvalue tasks at home. That shift would blunt classic braindrain dynamics and deepen local ecosystems in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Puneexactly the kind of capacitybuilding that can compound over time. In that framing, the fee is not simply a hurdle; it is a catalyst for rebalancing where value is created, with India capturing more of the upstream design, data, and platform work rather than only downstream implementation. Chinas reaction underscores a different lesson: frontier talent is now treated as strategic national infrastructure. Beijing has long invested to keep highly trained scientists and engineers anchored domestically, and commentary around DeepSeeks launch was laced with reports and rumors that core engineers faced travel restrictions or even temporary passport surrenders after the model debuted. Whatever the specific facts in any one episode, the signal is unmistakablehuman capital is being securitized alongside intellectual property. For the United States, that should concentrate the mind: openness to extraordinary global talent must be matched by serious policies to cultivate and retain our own, or we will simply arbitrate a zerosum contest in which others grow the capabilities we choose not to build. One largely invisible piece of the H-1B story is how deeply U.S. firms have built talent pipelines in India (and, earlier, China)from campus recruiting and endowed partnerships to full-blown engineering and R&D centerswhile industrys direct funding of research at U.S. universities remains relatively modest. India now hosts roughly 1,7001,800 Global Capability Centers (GCCs) for multinationals, generating about $6465B in annual revenue and employing approximately 1.92.0M staff; these centers increasingly do knowledge-intensive engineering and R&D, not just back-office work. U.S. and other multinationals also run long-standing R&D labs inside Indias top academic ecosystems, for example IBM Research India, and sign memoranda of understanding with IITs that bundle joint research, internships, and hiring pipelines. Campus recruiting at IITs by global tech firms is routine, with recurring high-end offers and pre-placement arrangements. Meanwhile, at home, industry accounts for only ~6% of total U.S. university R&D funding (FY2023), with the federal government still shouldering the majority. That asymmetry makes it rationalif uncomfortableto buy training where its cheap and abundant, then hire or transfer talent to U.S. teams, rather than invest proportionately in U.S. graduate-training. The result is a neat loop: build and test talent at scale offshore, import a slice on H-1Bs, and keep U.S. university funding at arms lengtha model that complements firms cost control goals and helps explain why the wage channel keeps reappearing in the debate. Conclusion The archival record matters. If, as the contemporaneous materials suggest, the very purpose of the H1B framework was to hold down the cash wages of domestic STEM workers by expanding a parallel channel of compensation that natives cannot access, then todays change is notable less for its size than for its candor. The new $100,000 fee does not resolve the deeper design choices that depress wages and tilt bargaining powerbut it does mark an explicit public acknowledgment that the program has price effects on the U.S. labor market. Seen that way, the fee is a first step, not a fix. By bringing the fully loaded cost of a new H1B hire closer to what the local market would require to recruit and retain comparable talent, it narrows the wedge between visa-enabled staffing and hiring Americans at market rates. As employers internalize more of the true cost, wage offers for domestic candidates should strengthenand with them, the incentive for bright young Americans to invest in the years of training that computer science and engineering demand. Now, more than ever, American Universities need support in offering that training. Finishing the job will require aligning channels with stated goals. If the true goal is to have access to the best and brightest of global talent, employers can use EB-2 National Interest Waivers to fast-track truly exceptional contributors. Retaining the H1B visa program at all requires an explanation, to the American public and specifically to native technical STEM talent as to why they should not enjoy the full benefits of the bargaining table leverage in a capitalist market economy. At a minimum, if the visa program is retained at all, H1B must be reserved for genuine specialty roles paid at considerably higher than the local median and the government must relieve the employment-based green-card backlogs that turn temporary status into dependence. This can be done in parallel with expanding domestic capacityfunded graduate seats, employer training consortia, and regional apprenticeship pipelinesso that rising wages translate into a deeper U.S. bench rather than a scramble to offshore work. A policy born to suppress wage signals may not be corrected overnight. But this fee is an overdue admission that prices matter. If policymakers pair that acknowledgment with median-plus pay standards, real mobility, backlog relief, and a merit channel for true stars, the United States can remain open to extraordinary global talent while rebuilding the home-grown pipeline on honest terms. Conor here: Perhaps Im missing something, but this issue has always seemed relatively straightforward: the fact that this practice involves the exchange of money means power dynamics are in play. Even if we accept the authors assertion that, The desire for a child is primal, one of the most natural urges in the world (evidence suggests thats a myth), must we act on all such natural urges? Does a poor woman or poor couple have the same ability to act on that urge as a wealthy one? What about the desire not be exploitedyes, even if its all there in the contract? As Ihor Pechonoha of the Swiss-based BioTexCom, which runs baby factories in Ukraine, says, We are looking for women in the former Soviet republics because, logically, [the women] have to be from poorer places than our clients. By Ferrukh Faruqui, an Ottawa- based family physician, writer, and essayist who focuses on medical ethics. She was a 2025 Fellow at the University of Torontos Dalla Lana Fellowship in Journalism and Health Impact. Originally published at Undark. In 2000, a Canadian woman named Sally Rhoads-Heinrich carried and delivered a set of twins for a Maryland couple. It was her first experience as a surrogate, she told me, and she found it so rewarding that, a year later, she established the agency Surrogacy in Canada Online, which helps connect intended parents with potential surrogates. Between 2002 and 2008, she recalls that she underwent eight more IVF cycles to help other infertile couples become parents. Instead, she ended up miscarrying four times. None of these subsequent attempts produced a baby. Her final attempt at surrogacy left her with a life-threatening twin ectopic pregnancy that landed her in the hospital, Rhoads-Heinrich said. She survived emergency surgery but lost her left fallopian tube in the process. As an agency owner, Rhoads-Heinrich has also witnessed the dangers other surrogates face. She described negative outcomes such as hemorrhages at birth and numerous placental abnormalities. She explained, however, that some complications have decreased over time, as fertility specialists have switched from the practice of multiple embryo transfers, which often result in twins or triplets, to single-embryo transfer protocols that aim for one baby. Rhoads-Heinrich told me that she understood the medical risks of carrying genetically unrelated babies for commissioning parents, and so do the surrogates she works with. Its all there in the contract, she said, adding that the contract specifies all the different things that can happen and all the pregnancy risks. With her remaining fallopian tube intact, Rhoads-Heinrich was able to have two more children of her own. She calls surrogacy an absolutely beautiful way to create families. With infertility affecting nearly one in six adults around the world, Global Market Insights reports that the worldwide surrogacy business is currently worth more than $22 billion. Its projected to grow nearly 10 times that amount by 2034. But the health risks faced by surrogates bring up thorny ethical issues. Earlier this month in Geneva, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls presented her report on surrogacy to the UN General Assembly, concluding that the practice is harmful and exploits women and girls. She recommends that UN member states take steps to abolish all forms of surrogacy both traditional surrogacy (in which the surrogates own egg is used) and gestational (in which an unrelated embryo is implanted). The desire for a child is primal, one of the most natural urges in the world. So why, surrogacy advocates ask, shouldnt a woman create a baby for someone who wants one? This plea sidesteps the real question: How ethical is it to prioritize someones wish for parenthood over the well-being of a woman at risk of suffering harm while she produces that child? On the surface, surrogacy seems like a nearly perfect solution to both biological and social infertility (which affects single people without partners and same-sex couples who desire children). But at its core, even with regulation, I believe that surrogacy exploits womens bodies for the benefit of others. Surrogacy practice differs around the world. Its banned outright in many European countries including France, Spain, and Italy. Australia and Canada permit altruistic surrogacy, which means surrogates can only be paid for pregnancy-related expenses. Some U.S. states, including California and New York, have legalized surrogacy for hire. Women are conditioned to be nice and to sacrifice ourselves for others, wrote activist Julie Bindel in a commentary for Al Jazeera that questioned why having a biological child is considered a right when surrogacy is needed. Pregnancy is a major endeavour, and surrogacy can cause complications and carries health risks, wrote Bindel. To prepare her body for pregnancy, a gestational surrogate typically takes estrogen for two to three weeks to thicken the lining of her womb. She also takes progesterone. This hormone enhances endometrial blood flow and primes it to embrace a lab-conceived embryo that is genetically unrelated to her. Doctors then transplant the five-day-old embryo into the surrogates womb, where it implants and grows into a baby. Research findings published last year by McGill University reproductive endocrinologist Maria Velez confirm that gestational carriers (an industry term some critics call dehumanizing) experience higher rates of maternal complications than women with spontaneous pregnancies or those carrying their own embryos created via in vitro fertilization. Velezs widely circulated paper examined maternal complications among all singleton pregnancies past 20 weeks gestation in Ontario, Canada, from 2012 to 2021. She found that severe maternal morbidity, including hemorrhagic shock and uterine rupture, occurred 3.3 times more frequently among gestational carriers than in spontaneous pregnancies. Her results also showed increased rates of preterm births under 37 weeks gestation among surrogates. Norbert Gleicher, medical director at The Center for Human Reproduction in New York, wrote in The Reproductive Times last year that doctors already know anecdotally why gestational surrogates face a higher risk of obstetrical complications: Theyre carrying an embryo that is completely unrelated to them genetically. (Gleicher is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Reproductive Times.) In 2017, Irene Woo and colleagues studied perinatal outcomes among 124 California surrogates who had also had their own spontaneous pregnancies. They found that surrogate babies had higher rates of premature birth and low birth weight, and the surrogates themselves suffered increased rates of pregnancy-induced hypertension and diabetes. These researchers concluded that assisted reproduction techniques such as IVF, without which surrogacy is impossible, could increase maternal and neonatal risk. Surrogacy critic Kallie Fell, a perinatal nurse who is executive director of the conservative-leaning California-based Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, told me she battles what she calls Big Fertility a vast conglomerate of pharmaceutical companies, physicians, and surrogacy agencies that preys on vulnerable, often impoverished women reduced to their useful body parts. (Fell spoke on the topic at a Make America Healthy Again Institute event in July.) When we spoke last October, she recounted the story of Kelly Martinez, a three-time South Dakota surrogate who has said she nearly died of liver failure while carrying twins for a couple from Spain. In 2017, Martinez told her story before the United Nations, saying the couple was unhappy with receiving two boys instead of the boy-and-girl set for which they had paid extra fees to the surrogacy agency. According to Martinez, the couple took the babies, who were born prematurely, and left her with unpaid medical bills, a crumbling marriage, and the feeling of being used and discarded. U.S.-trained Toronto fertility specialist Prati Sharma juggles surrogacy risks every day when matching surrogates with interested couples. In Canada, where only one surrogate is available for every 100 couples who want babies, it can take 18 months to make a match. In those U.S. states where surrogates are paid, matching carriers to couples can take only three to six months. Sharma described to me how tough it is to balance maternal risk against approving surrogates. Sometimes, she said, Canadian fertility clinics can be more flexible with accepting surrogates who maybe are less than ideal. She acknowledged that the risk of complications can be higher, depending on how strictly the clinics adhere to medical criteria, which include limiting the number of a surrogates previous cesarian sections and premature births, as well as choosing surrogates who dont exceed a healthy weight. Sharmas admission is worrying. If the pressure to produce babies for prospective parents trumps the well-being of women who take on the risks, what does that say about our priorities? The surrogacy debate, complicated by the mounting evidence of health risks, underscores what old-school feminists, worried about a shiny new world where anyone can get whatever they please, never mind the fallout, have been saying all along. Ghislaine Gendron, the Canadian co-coordinator of Womens Declaration International, is alarmed by Velezs findings, and said in an interview that surrogates sign contracts without fully grasping the risks. Gendron called surrogacy the opposite of freedom: a commercial transaction for delivery of what she apologetically calls a product which in this case is a child. According to Gendron, the woman generating that product, no matter how fervently she believes shes exercising her reproductive rights, is reduced to a human incubator. Others say this blanket perspective on surrogacy is paternalistic. Melbourne fertility lawyer and former surrogate Sarah Jefford, who told me she used her own egg to conceive a baby girl for a grateful male couple, also told me some aspects of global surrogacy are exploitative and require better regulation. But she added the caveat that thats not universally the case, especially in places like Australia where women have agency. Jefford doesnt believe in infantilizing grown women who have the right to control their own bodies. In Australia, expert panels review each medical file and reject candidates deemed too risky, she said. Theyre not after babies at any cost but want surrogates to remain alive and well at the end. Gleichers takeaway isnt that surrogacy itself should be interrogated. Instead, he urges doctors to be clear about the health risks with intended parents and their carriers and to tighten their screening of carriers to ensure only the healthiest qualify for surrogacy. Velez also says she hopes her study findings promote regulation of this industry. Creating new life is a wondrous act. But not every advance is a step forward. Even with regulation, the risk of surrogacy seems too great. We need to hit pause, to listen to what the evidence is saying. Otherwise, were failing the very women who sacrifice their own health to gift strangers the joy of parenthood. CNN has even published an article highlighting the dark history of the CIA and regime change, not just in Latin America but around the world. Almost exactly two months ago to this day, we published a post on the real motivations behind Washingtons latest show of force against Venezuela. As we noted at the beginning of that post, the ostensible casus belli of this massive mobilisation of forces to take down drug trafficking organisations in Latin America, now classified by the White House as narco-terroristas didnt remotely pass the smell test: Anyone who believes or supports this latest pretext for war against a country the US has tried to regime change at least twice so far this century and which has been subject to more than a decade of crippling US sanctions is either exceptionally gullible or an apologist for empire. The narrative became yet more absurd as the US began striking small speed boasts in the Caribbean that it alleged were transporting drugs to the US without presenting a shred of evidence. Members of NCs commentariat with basic knowledge of boating quickly trashed the idea, pointing out that such small vessels could never make it even close to Florida. Even if the people on the vessels were transporting drugs, their summary execution is completely illegal. To date, the US strikes have claimed seven vessels and an estimated 30 lives. Trump admits he ordered a summary execution the crime of murder. Drug traffickers are not combatants who can be shot on sight. They are criminal suspects who must be arrested and prosecuted. https://t.co/bCGD2KNmhg Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 2, 2025 2/ Senate report: "Official torture and SUMMARY EXECUTION violate standards accepted by virtually every nation. The universal consensus condemning these practices has assumed the status of customary international law."https://t.co/Nly2vmtsVB Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) September 6, 2025 Now, two months later, the US and Western media, after helping to manufacture consent for the build up of forces in the Caribbean and the US extrajudicial attacks on the high seas, are finally admitting what was glaringly obvious from the very start: Trumps mobilisation of forces against Venezuela has nothing to do with the war on drugs, and everything to do with regime change. The New York Times was one of the first to make the move, conceding in an October 9 article that the flow of drugs to the US would not be stopped by attacking Venezuelan vessels: Mr. Trumps focus on Venezuela is at odds with reality: The vast majority of cocaine is produced and smuggled elsewhere in Latin America, according to data from the United States, Colombia and the United Nations. And Venezuela does not supply fentanyl at all, experts say. The Trump administration has pressed Mexicos government to do more to stop drugs from entering U.S. territory, but former diplomats and regional analysts say that American claims notwithstanding the boat strikes off Venezuela appear to have a different aim. Some suggest that they may instead be intended to put pressure on Venezuelas president, Nicolas Maduro, or end his rule altogether. Trump officials have called him an illegitimate leader and accused him of running a cartel. He denies any involvement in drug trafficking. Whatever effect the strikes have in Venezuela, these experts say they are unlikely to alter the flow of the deadly drugs fueling Americas crisis. James Story, the American ambassador to Venezuela from 2018 to 2023, said even if the United States achieved limited success, traffickers would regroup. And using military might to take out small trafficking boats, Mr. Story said, is like using a blowtorch to cook an egg. The FTs Mental Gymnastics Yesterday (October 19), the Financial Times published an article that also called into question the official narrative. Citing US officials and Venezuelan opposition figures who have been working closely with the Trump administration, the article posits, bizarrely, that the objective of the massive military build-up in the Caribbean, which now represents more than 10% of the US entire naval fleet, has shifted from fighting drug traffickers to regime change: Donald Trumps military build-up off the coast of Venezuela is aimed at convincing President Nicolas Maduro and his inner circle that staying in power will be more costly than leaving, according to Venezuelan opposition figures and analysts. When the US ordered its largest deployment of warships and fighter jets to the Caribbean in more than 30 years, the mission was initially billed as a war on drug trafficking. Attacks to destroy small boats that the American president said were smuggling drugs soon followed. But the focus has shifted. The priority now is to force the departure of top Venezuelan government figures, preferably via resignation or an arranged handover but with the clear threat that if Maduro and his inner circle cling to power, the Americans may use targeted military force to capture or kill them. The mental gymnastics the FT writers put themselves through to explain how the Trump administrations war aims have evolved from fighting drug cartels to toppling Venezuelas government in the space of just two months is truly something to behold. As we noted in early September, the so-called Cartel de los Soles of which Maduro is claimed to be the leader, is not even mentioned in the DEAs own Drug Threat Assessment reports. Nor is it mentioned in the reports published by the EU and the UN. We cited an article by former UN anti-drugs agency director Pino Arlacchi that offered a brutal take down of the Trump administrations Venezuela narco-state narrative: Among many other documents, it cites the 2025 World Drug Report, which, piece by piece, dismantles the geopolitical lie built around the Cartel de los Soles, which is useful for justifying sanctions, blockades and threats of military intervention against a country that, incidentally, sits on one of the planets largest oil reserves. Last week, Jordan Goudreau, the US-Canadian former Green Beret who led the failed Bay of Piglets mercenary invasion of Venezuela in 2020, told Max Blumenthal that it was common knowledge, and even a source of mirth, in intelligence circles that the Cartel de los Soles was created by the CIA in the 1990s. Some FT readers were equally unimpressed by the FT articles logical inconsistencies. Obebe writes that it seems that the FT is only now saying what was found by many independent observers much earlier on (perhaps hes also an NC reader): that the purpose of all that fanfare had nothing to do with drugs, but to provoque (sic) a coup de etat. Is it all? Of course not, but FT waits until things happen to present the news. I believe the purpose is to change regime also in Cuba. Is that all? No. The purpose is to take control of South America to expel Chinas investments and interests. The novelty seems to be that the way the Global North understands Democracy is that it is whatever is convenient for their interests. The Financial Times piece does not just change the script on Venezuela; it changes the sales pitch: At stake in Venezuela are the worlds largest proven oil reserves and valuable deposits of gold, diamonds and coltan. A US ally in the last century, the South American nation moved into the orbit of Russia, China and Iran under Hugo Chavez, the ex-army officer who led a Bolivarian socialist revolution from 1999 until his death from cancer in 2013. Maduro, a Cuban-trained former bus driver who now has a $50mn bounty on his head from the US, was his chosen successor. For Trump, who has given the western hemisphere more attention in nine months than any US president since Bill Clinton in the 1990s, Venezuela is a priority. He regards Caracas as unfinished business, having tried and failed to oust Maduro during his first term by imposing maximum pressure economic sanctions and recognising an alternative opposition-led government. Its clear that the mission is evolving to become more of a regime collapse or regime change operation, said Ryan Berg, head of the Americas programme at the CSIS think-tank. More and more were banking on Maduro hightailing it out of Caracas . . . and a clean-out of the top 25 to 50 Chavistas, adherents of Chavezs ideology. As FT reader cato 1308 notes, the FTs dispassionate reporting on the US imperial designs in Venezuela is fundamentally at odds with its breathless denunciations of Russias violations of Ukrainian sovereignty or Chinas constant threats against Taiwan: Maybe the FT can write about Russias invasion of Ukraine with similar circumspection without delving into the legalities of regime change, foreign interference and meddling in another sovereign states internal affairs. Perhaps the FTs next piece could be on how China could manage regime change in Taiwan and get them to reunite with their motherland? CIAs Not Very Covert Involvement Arguably the most definitive proof yet that the USs mobilisation of forces in the Caribbean has absolutely nothing to do with combatting drug cartels (and may actually have the opposite goal) came with Trumps announcement last week that he had given the CIA authorisation to operate in Venezuela, as if it hasnt been doing so since its very inception. The New York Times interviewed members of the Trump administration, reporting that American officials have been clear, privately, that the end goal is to drive Mr. Maduro from power. [Trump has ordered the CIA] to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela The Trump administrations strategy on Venezuela, developed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with help from John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, aims to oust Mr. Maduro from power. As Ben Norton notes, Rubio is a lifelong neoconservative war hawk who has spent his entire political career pushing for regime change not only in Venezuela, but also in Cuba and Nicaragua. No other institution on the planet has wielded more influence over the modern global drugs trade than the CIA, including in Venezuela itself. Drug trafficking by the CIA in collaboration with the Venezuelan National Guard! 1993 report by CBS 60 Minutes. The US government is not only the worlds biggest drug trafficker, but also spends billions fighting narcotics smuggling! pic.twitter.com/x4olPXz2U6 S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) September 11, 2025 The CIA has been implicated in the narcotics trade in all of the worlds most important drugs hotspots, including in the Golden Triangle that straddles Thailand, Laos and Myanmar; Colombia, where the countrys largest ever cocaine trafficker Pablo Escobar allegedly worked for the agency; and Mexico, where local reports suggest the CIA played a key role in the torture and execution of DEA agent Kiki Camarena. Heres the New York Times admitting in 1998 that the CIA allowed the transfer of crack cocaine into the US during the Iran Contra affair. A common tactic of fact-checkers is to intentionally misrepresent an argument so they can conflate it with something not in discussion. The CIA never "sold" crack; per its own admission, it allowed its transfer into America.https://t.co/kB5rpKWlB1 https://t.co/yg7WxDnrP9 pic.twitter.com/fhNjLEFBCs Robert Skvarla (@RobertSkvarla) June 18, 2022 A year later, the late Robert Parry documented that reports issued by the CIA and the Justice Department contained broad admissions that the CIA not only knew about the contra-cocaine smuggling, it also obstructed criminal investigations and systematically covered up evidence that might have been politically harmful to President Reagans pro-contra policies. The Republican-controlled Congress then did everything it could to keep everything under wraps. Back to the present, Trumps recent announcement of a covert operation by the CIA in Venezuela somewhat defeats the purpose of said operation, especially in a country and region where the CIA is so broadly reviled. Nevertheless, it provided a propaganda coup for Maduro, who seized on the opportunity to provide Venezuelan civilians with a timely roundup of the CIAs brutal legacy in Venezuela, Latin America and the world at large: A speech they wont show you on US corporate media: Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro blasts the Trump Administration for approving CIA operations in Venezuela to attack his government, and lists just a few examples of US-backed coups in Latin America pic.twitter.com/X5Vxak9jef Going Underground (@GUnderground_TV) October 17, 2025 Warnings About CIA From (Checks Notes) CNN The most surprising script rewrite weve come across so far came from CNN. Its October 17 piece, Trumps Moves Against Venezuela Sound Familiar for a Reason, by Zachary B Wolf, not only notes that the US government appears on paper to be assembling parts for a regime change in Venezuela, two months after the fact, but also highlights the dark history of the CIA and regime change, not just in Latin America but around the world: While the Venezuelan opposition might see hope in US military intervention, anyone who has paid much attention to the history of the CIA in Latin America will be extremely skeptical. I talked to Tim Weiner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of multiple histories of the CIA, including, recently, The Mission, about the CIA in the 21st century. Weiner noted that what when Trump acknowledged he had authorized CIA covert action in Venezuela, it undercut the covert part of any action. He also pointed to the firing in May of Mike Collins, a longtime intelligence professional who was acting head of the National Intelligence Counsel, which had written an intelligence assessment that undercut the administrations argument linking the Tren de Aragua gang to Maduros regime, a link that is key to Trumps invocation of the 1789 Alien Enemies Act as a tool to more quickly deport some Venezuelans in the US without due process. Those are two ingredients in a recipe for disaster, Weiner said. The third ingredient is that the history of CIA-backed regime change is not a happy one, not just in Latin America, but throughout the world. The reason CNN is publishing these truth bombs about US foreign policy is that it is Trump who is leading the charge to war against Venezuela. There has not been a single major US war of aggression of the past 50 years that the corporate network has not wholeheartedly supported. However, as Ben Norton points out, because CNN is an anti-Trump media outlet, it has been willing to challenge some of the administrations blatant lies about Venezuela. At the same time, opposition to the Trump Administrations war mongering is growing, both in Washington and globally. The US Senate has already held one vote to limit Trumps war powers in the Caribbean which failed 48-51, and is scrambling to hold another. Lawmakers say the administration still has not shared evidence to justify the boat strikes, which some believe are illegal and unconstitutional. Its imperative that we make it clear that war powers reside with Congress, not the president.https://t.co/n6UG6L2kRg Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 17, 2025 As NC readers are probably well aware, the Commander of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey abruptly announced his departure from the position on October 17 without explanation. In his role as SOUTHCOM commander, Admiral Holsey was charged with carrying out the orders to blow up the boats. While there is no official explanation for his departure, the NYT reports that Holsey had raised concerns about the mission. Perhaps Trump could bring back former SOUTHCOM commander Laura Richardson out of retirement to take back the helm. Dopey US General Laura Richardson, head of US "Southern Command", reveals the real motives (lust to control the resources of other peoples) behind Washington's aggression against #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/iF21Dzx4yf tim anderson (@timand2037) October 17, 2025 Anger about the military strikes by US forces against boats in the Caribbean is also on the rise in the region directly affected amid reports that the dozens of victims include innocent fishermen from Trinidad and Tobago and Colombia. In an interview with The Guardian family members of the victims from a Trinidadian fishing village condemned Trump for killing poor people, arguing that he simply wants to take their gas and their oil. Brazil MST leader Stedile: "To the gringos: Don't you dare enter Venezuela. We will close ranks with Venezuela. The Brazilian people and all the peoples of Latin America. We will fight until the last navy soldier returns home in a grave."pic.twitter.com/332Ng1u7BV COMBATE | (@upholdreality) October 20, 2025 Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the US of killing a Colombian citizen in one of its attacks on the so-called narco boats. The citizen in question, Alejandro Carranza, was a fisherman with no ties to narcotics smuggling, according to Petro. Colombian media travelled to Carranzas village and spoke with relatives of the victim, who claimed he was not involved in drug trafficking. Some reports suggest Carranza was involved in a weapons heist in 2017. The Colombian president added that the boat was adrift and sending distress signals, accusing the US of violating the countrys sovereignty. US officials have committed an assassination and violated the sovereignty of our territorial waters, Petro wrote on social media. We await the US governments explanations. Trump responded by escalating his months-long standoff with Petro. In a tweet published on Friday, the US president announced the cancellation of all aid to Colombia (whose name he predictably misspelt), and also threatened to invade the country if it doesnt close up its cocaine killing fields. The Trump administration has already revoked Petros US visa after the Colombian head of state delivered a scathing critique of the actions of both the Netenyahu regime and the Trump administration at his last address to the UN General Assembly in September. Washington has also decertified Colombia as a trusted partner in its fight against the drug cartels. The Petro government, like its counterpart in Venezuela, is no friend of the Netanyahu regime, and was one of the first in the world to cut diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv and impose sanctions on the Israeli economy. Every time a leader in the Global South stands up for Palestine, the empire finds a new "security concern." Gustavo Petro called for Palestinian liberation, and suddenly Colombia becomes a "narco state." Its the same playbook they used against Gaddafi, Chavez, Maduro, Ortega, https://t.co/3nR67gVd8G Sony Thang (@nxt888) October 19, 2025 In the meantime, Corrina Machado has not only signed a strategic agreement with the Likud party but also once asked Israel (and, bizarrely, Argentina) to intervene militarily in Venezuela and oust the Maduro government. And here she is expressing her support for Neyanyahus multi-front war on Iran and its proxies just days after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize: Machado: "Venezuela'daki Maduro rejiminin bas destekcisi Iran'n Hamas, Hizbullah, Husiler gibi teror orgutlerini desteklemesi tesaduf degil" "Bu hizalanma, ozgurluk ile otoriterlik arasndaki mucadelenin kuresel dogasn gozler onune seriyor" Netanyahu'yla telefon pic.twitter.com/bLofOyBvTP The Cradle Turkiye (@cradleturkiye) October 18, 2025 A long-time CIA asset who is just gagging to sign away Venezuelas natural resources to US corporations, including the worlds largest deposits of oil, Machado would be the perfect replacement for Maduro. [The Timess recent claims that Maduro offered to give up everything, including his ties to China, Russia and Iran, in a last-ditch bid to placate Trump, based purely on unnamed US sources, doesnt pass the smell test, in this humble bloggers opinion]: Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, a US-funded far-right coup leader, vowed to privatize Venezuela's oil and give it to US corporations. "We are going to privatize all our industry", she told Donald Trump Jr. US companies "are going to make a lot of money", she said pic.twitter.com/NcL6svAeWA Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) October 14, 2025 Fox News Sean Hannity even suggested that if Machado can be installed as Venezuelas new leader, Venezuela, once the ranchito of the Rockefellers oil empire, could become the US 51st state, presumably ahead of Canada. Hannity suggests that if the US can bring the Nobel "Peace" Prize winner to power in Venezuela, then the oil-rich country could become the 51st state of the US pic.twitter.com/IMQLWoExxM Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) October 21, 2025 There are, of course, many other reasons why the US is waging an unprovoked war against Venezuela, including the Maduro governments aforementioned ties to China, Russia and Iran, the US three most important strategic rivals; its opposition to Israels war in Gaza; and the Trump administrations desperate need to distract its MAGA base from the ongoing Epstein scandal, over which it was bleeding support from high-profile figures such as Joe Rogan. But the biggest goal, as always, is to regain and maintain control over Venezuela and neighbouring Guyanas vast mineral wealth: As weve been warning since Trumps re-election, the US is in the messy process of imperial retrenchment, as illustrated by Trumps ham-fisted attempts to extricate the US from the conflict in Ukraine. If successful, this process may bring certain benefits to distant regions, but it will also mean a much greater focus by Washington on its direct neighbourhood. We are already beginning to see the consequences of that as the Caribbean Sea is turned into a death trap for fishermen and B-52 bombers capable of dropping nuclear weapons fly in circles off Venezuelas coast in an attempt to intimidate Maduros Chavista government. All the while, the Western legacy media continue to play their role crafting and honing the sales pitch for another imperial misadventure. New subscriber benefit! Copied to clipboard Out of gifts for the month Unfortunately you've used all of your gifts this month. Your counter will reset on the first day of next month. Share this article paywall-free Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos is steadily proving himself to be among cinemas masters of pitch-black comedy. He did it in particular with period pieces The Favourite (2018) and Poor Things (2023), both of which earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. His latest, Bugonia his fourth collaboration with generational talent Emma Stone and his first with screenwriter Will Tracy isnt quite as ornate or sophisticated as those films. Instead, its more of a piece with his earlier features The Lobster (2015) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017): wry, modern and gruesome, dreamlike and occasionally surreal but with a patina of realism. Bugonia R, 120 minutes Opening in 35 mm Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Belcourt; expanding wide Oct. 30 Stone here plays Michelle Fuller, the CEO of soulless Georgia-based pharmaceutical company Auxiloth. Shes impossibly fit and obnoxiously type-A the final boss of girl bosses, waking at 4:30 each morning to engage in a suite of anti-aging tactics before virtue-signaling her way through phony diversity initiatives and photo ops. Jesse Plemons, in what is perhaps his most dynamic performance yet, plays Teddy a grimy, disheveled conspiracy theorist and low-level employee at Auxiloth. Teddy and his hapless cousin and colleague Don (newcomer Aidan Delbis) decide to kidnap Fuller, convinced shes an extraterrestrial with designs on conquering earth. Teddy is misguided, unstable and dangerous, fixated on the sorts of nonsensical contemporary conspiracy theories that many young men find themselves plunging down rabbit holes after. But theres plenty hes right about. Hes right that rampant corporate greed is eating away at our social fabric. Hes right that ostentatious overtures at progress by people like Fuller are largely hollow. Hes right that the bees are dying. As Teddy puts it, ideologically speaking, he went grocery shopping while hungry and bought everything in the store alt right, alt lite, leftism, Marxism before settling on the truth: that Fuller and her fellow Andromedons are to blame for all of it. Adapted from relatively little-seen 2003 Korean film Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia is, according to fellow Scene film critic Ken Arnold, probably the best attempt at remaking a Korean film I have seen yet. Like its Korean counterpart, Bugonia centers on a protagonist who is seemingly in the throes of psychosis, brought on in part by his mothers comatose state a result of experimental treatments by Auxiloth. (Unlike the Korean film, this one features an incredible Green Day needle-drop.) Throughout Bugonia, Lanthimos and his cinematographer, frequent collaborator Robbie Ryan, alternate between wide-angle establishing shots and tight, almost claustrophobic close-ups. Its also a movie on a much smaller scale than Lanthimos other recent efforts. Most of the action takes place in Teddys home, and aside from Fuller and her two captors, the only significant characters are local cop Casey (played by comedian and podcaster Stavros Halkias) and Teddys invalid mom Sandy (Alicia Silverstone). According to the conspiracies Teddy buys into, what happens with Fuller will impact the whole of human civilization but his entire universe is contained in his weathered rural home. Bugonias themes arent small, however. Its action isnt small. Its full of shocking surprises, steady laughs and captivating moments from Plemons and Stone, powered by screenwriter Tracys tight dialogue. (Tracys got an enviable resume, having written for The Onion, Last Week Tonight and Succession before penning the scripts for The Menu and Bugonia.) Its all about the payoff, which of course you wont find spoiled here. This director takes risks, and risks are bound to confuse, annoy or plainly piss off plenty of moviegoers. One audience member at the end of my screening turned to a friend and said, Holy fuck, with no further follow-up. This is a film that takes big swings. Some very big swings. But when Lanthimos is the one holding the bat? I say swing away. Gaza ceasefire collapses: Israel and Hamas trade fire, risking wider conflict The fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas unraveled on Sunday, Oct. 19, following a deadly exchange of fire in Rafah, with Israeli airstrikes killing at least 44 Palestinians and Hamas denying responsibility for the initial attack that left two Israeli soldiers dead. The U.S. military deployed armored vehicles and personnel to southwestern Gaza, ostensibly to protect aid deliveries. This move has introduced a volatile new dynamic, with analysts warning that Israeli forces may not hesitate to engage American troops if they perceive interference in their operations. The immediate trigger for Sunday's violence remains contested. The IDF stated that Hamas fighters launched an anti-tank missile at Israeli forces in Rafah, while Hamas denied any role in the attack. The discrepancy underscores deep mistrust between the two sides. The ceasefire's collapse comes amid broader geopolitical tensions, including Iran's accusation that Israel assassinated its president, Ebrahim Raisi, and the risk of a multi-front war involving Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian proxies. Israel's blockade of food, water and medical supplies has left hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk of starvation. The U.S. State Department warned of Hamas potentially violating the ceasefire by attacking Palestinian civilians, but Hamas dismissed this claim as absurd. A fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas unraveled Sunday, Oct. 19, after a deadly exchange of fire in Rafah, with Israeli airstrikes killing at least 44 Palestinians and Hamas denying responsibility for the initial attack that left two Israeli soldiers dead. The escalation has raised fears of a full-scale resumption of war, even as U.S. troops arrived in southwestern Gazaa move that could further inflame tensions in a conflict already teetering on the brink of regional explosion. The violence erupted when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accused Hamas militants of firing an anti-tank missile and gunfire at Israeli troops near Rafah, prompting retaliatory strikes. Hamas denied involvement, calling Israel's claims a "fabrication" to justify further aggression. By evening, Israel had blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, deepening a famine crisis that has left hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation. Meanwhile, the U.S. military's deployment of armored vehicles and personnelostensibly to protect aid deliverieshas introduced a volatile new dynamic, with analysts warning that Israeli forces may not hesitate to engage American troops if they perceive interference in their operations. The ceasefire, negotiated under President Donald Trump's peace plan, had already been strained by disputes over prisoner exchanges and the return of remains. Now, with far-right Israeli ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir demanding a return to "full-scale fighting," and Hamas accusing Israel of sabotaging the truce, the prospect of a lasting peace appears increasingly remote. A ceasefire in tatters: Who violated first? The immediate trigger for Sunday's violence remains contested. The IDF stated that Hamas fighters launched an anti-tank missile at Israeli forces in Rafah, killing two soldiers. In response, Israel conducted airstrikes across southern Gaza, including areas near the newly constructed U.S. emergency pier, where American troops have begun offloading aid. Hamas, however, denied any role in the attack. Izzat al-Risheq, a senior Hamas official, told reporters that the group "has no information about any incidents or clashes in Rafah," which he noted is under Israeli occupation control. The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, issued a statement saying it had "lost ties" with armed factions in Rafah last March, implying that any resistance activity there was beyond its command. The discrepancy in accounts underscores the deep mistrust between the two sides. Israel has long accused Hamas of using civilian areas as cover for military operations. At the same time, Hamas and human rights groups argue that Israel's indiscriminate bombing campaigns have targeted non-combatants, including women and children. The United Nations has reported that over 70 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are displaced, with many facing starvation due to Israel's blockade of food, water and medical supplies. The U.S. State Department, in a Saturday statement, warned of "credible reports" that Hamas might violate the ceasefire by attacking Palestinian civiliansa claim Hamas dismissed as "absurd." If such an attack were to occur, the State Department said, it would constitute a "direct and grave violation" of the Trump-brokered agreement. Yet the ceasefire's collapse comes amid broader geopolitical tensions. Iran, a key Hamas backer, has accused Israel of assassinating its president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crasha charge Israel denies. With Iran vowing retaliation, the risk of a multi-front war involving Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq looms large. U.S. troops in Gaza: Human shields or humanitarian gesture? The arrival of U.S. armored vehicles in southwestern Gaza marks the first direct deployment of American military personnel into the conflict zone since the war began. Ostensibly, their mission is to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid after weeks of Israeli restrictions and attacks by extremist settlers on aid convoys. Footage emerged last week showing Israeli civilians intercepting and trampling food supplies meant for starving Gazansan act one U.S. official called "diabolical." But the deployment carries profound risks. Hamas, which views the U.S. as complicit in Israel's military campaign due to Washington's $14 billion in military aid to Israel since October, may see American troops as legitimate targets. Meanwhile, Israel's history of disregarding U.S. interests in pursuit of its military objectivesmost infamously in the 1967 attack on the USS Liberty, where Israeli forces killed 34 American sailorssuggests that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government may not hesitate to engage U.S. forces if they obstruct operations in Rafah. With U.S. troops now on the ground, the potential for a direct clash between American and Israeli forces has never been higher, BrightU.AI's Enoch suggests. Should Israeli strikes kill U.S. personnel, the political fallout could be catastrophic, forcing the Trump administration into an impossible choice: condemn a key ally or risk appearing complicit in the deaths of its own soldiers. As the ceasefire collapses, the geopolitical stakes could not be higher. For the people of Gaza, the question is no longer if the war will resume, but how much worse it will get before the world forces an end to the bloodshed. Watch the video below that talks about the ceasefire collapse as the IDF continues its military campaign in Gaza. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com Politico.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Houthis detain 20 UN employees in Yemen amid escalating crackdown on aid workers Yemen's Houthi rebels detained 20 UN employees (five Yemenis, 15 international workers) in Sanaa, accusing them of espionagea claim the UN strongly denies. The arrests disrupt critical aid operations in Yemen, already devastated by war and famine. The Houthis confiscated UN communications equipment, severely hampering relief efforts. The UN and Yemen's internationally recognized government condemned the detentions, calling them "dangerous and unacceptable." The UN denies spying allegations and demands staff release. This is part of a longstanding Houthi campaign against international organizations, with 53 UN/NGO workers still detainedsome since 2021including one who died in custody. The detentions coincide with Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked ships in solidarity with Gaza. The UN warns that continued repression threatens millions of Yemenis reliant on aid, urging global action. Yemen's Houthi rebels detained 20 United Nations employees in the capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, Oct. 19, following a raid on a UN residential compound. The detained stafffive Yemeni nationals and 15 international workerswere accused of espionage, allegations the UN vehemently denies. This latest crackdown further jeopardizes humanitarian operations in a country already ravaged by war and famine, raising concerns about the safety of aid workers and the future of critical relief efforts. Jean Alam, spokesperson for the UN resident coordinator in Yemen, confirmed the detentions, stating that negotiations are underway to secure the employees' release. The Houthis also seized all communications equipment from the facility, including phones, computers and servers, severely hampering UN operations. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemned the arrests as "dangerous and unacceptable," warning that such actions "seriously jeopardize the safety of UN personnel and undermine life-saving operations." The UN has repeatedly denied Houthi claims that its staff are spies working for the U.S. or Israel. Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani accused the UN of failing to protect its employees by maintaining operations in Houthi-controlled territory. In a post on X, he called for the immediate relocation of the UN headquarters to Aden, the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government. "The detentions are part of a broader Houthi campaign targeting international organizations in Yemen. Since seizing power in 2014, the Iran-backed group has detained dozens of UN personnel, NGO workers and diplomats, often accusing them of espionage without evidence," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. According to the UN, at least 53 staff members remain in custodysome since 2021including a World Food Program employee who died in detention earlier this year. The crackdown has forced the UN to suspend operations in some areas, including Saada province, and relocate key personnel to Aden. Despite these measures, humanitarian efforts remain precarious, with millions of Yemenis dependent on aid for survival amid one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Broader geopolitical tensions fueling the conflict The detentions come amid heightened regional tensions, as the Houthis continue their attacks on Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza. The group has framed its actions as resistance to Israeli "genocidal acts," despite retaliatory U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. The UN's predicament underscores the challenges of operating in Houthi-controlled territory, where international law is routinely disregarded. With diplomatic pressure mounting, the UN has called for the immediate release of all detained personnel and the return of confiscated assets. As Yemen's humanitarian crisis deepens, the detention of UN workers threatens to further destabilize an already fragile aid network. The international community faces mounting pressure to take decisive actionnot only to secure the release of detained personnel but also to hold the Houthis accountable for their escalating violations. Without swift intervention, Yemen's suffering will only worsen, leaving millions at risk of starvation and disease. Watch the video below where the Houthi spokesperson claimed they targeted Israel airport with hypersonic ballistic missile. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com AlJazeera.com APNews.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Microsoft warns of AI-driven cyber espionage surge from China, Russia targeting U.S. China and Russia are using AI to enhance cyberattacks, including AI-generated disinformation, phishing scams and deepfake impersonations of officials, making attacks harder to detect. Microsoft blocked 1.6 million fake accounts per hour, highlighting the massive scale of the threat. Beijing's top targets include U.S. defense infrastructure, South China Sea disputes and critical national assets, aiming to steal military and economic secrets while disguising operatives as Americans online. Beyond Ukraine, Russia now targets NATO allies and small businesses aiding Kyiv, while Iran ramps up attacks on shipping firms to disrupt global trade. Hackers increasingly bypass security by recruiting insiders or stealing credentials, particularly in AI, quantum computing, biotech and defense sectors. Password attacks surged 30 percent in early 2024, accounting for 97 percent of identity breaches. Microsoft urges governments and businesses to adopt AI-driven security tools, improve employee training and proactively counter phishing/social engineering as cyber warfare becomes a strategic tool for hostile nations. Foreign adversariesparticularly China and Russiaare rapidly deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to amplify cyberattacks against the United States, Microsoft warned in its annual Digital Defense Report. The tech giant detected a sharp rise in AI-generated disinformation, phishing scams and impersonation schemes, with the U.S. bearing the brunt of these operations. State-backed hackers are leveraging AI to craft convincing fake emails, clone government officials' voices and fabricate digital identities, making their campaigns harder to detect and trace. Microsoft blocked an astonishing 1.6 million fake account creation attempts per hour across its platforms, underscoring the scale of the threat. The report highlights China's aggressive cyber espionage targeting U.S. defense infrastructure, the South China Sea disputes and critical national assetswhile Russia expands its attacks beyond Ukraine to NATO allies and small businesses supporting Kyiv. AI has revolutionized cyber operations, enabling hackers to automate phishing emails, generate deepfake audio of political leaders and mass-produce fraudulent social media profiles. Microsoft identified over 200 instances of AI-generated disinformation by state actors in July 2024 alonea fourfold increase from July 2023. "Everyonefrom industry to governmentmust be proactive to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated attackers," said Amy Hogan-Burney, Microsoft's vice president for customer security and trust. "AI makes operations easier to scale, more effective and harder to trace." "China remains the most prolific cyber aggressor, conducting extensive espionage across the U.S., Asia and Latin America to gain economic and military advantages," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. Meanwhile, Russia has widened its focus beyond Ukraine, targeting NATO members and businesses aiding Kyiv. Iran has also escalated attacks on shipping firms to disrupt global commerce. China's stealthy infiltration tactics Microsoft uncovered a troubling trend: Chinese-linked operatives masquerading as Americans by listing U.S. locations, posting patriotic slogans and engaging in domestic political debates. These tactics suggest a coordinated effort to blend in while gathering intelligence or sowing discord. China's top cyber priorities include: The South China Sea (amid territorial disputes with neighboring nations) The U.S. defense industrial base (seeking military and technological secrets) Critical infrastructure (potentially laying groundwork for disruptive attacks) North Korea has taken a different approach, deploying thousands of state-linked IT workers to infiltrate foreign companieseither stealing data or extorting employers when caught. Hackers are increasingly bypassing firewalls by exploiting insiderseither recruiting them or stealing their credentials. China and Russia have targeted professionals in AI, quantum computing, biotech and defense sectors through academic or business affiliations. "Rather than breaking in, adversaries are signing in," Hogan-Burney noted. Password attacks surged by nearly a third in early 2024, accounting for over 97 percent of identity breaches detected by Microsoft. As AI-powered cyber threats escalate, Microsoft urges governments and businesses to bolster defenses, adopt AI-driven security tools and enhance employee training against phishing and insider risks. The report underscores a sobering reality: Cyber warfare is no longer confined to shadowy hackers but is now a strategic tool wielded by nationswith the U.S. squarely in their crosshairs. "The breadth and scale of Chinese targeting operations continue to stand out," Microsoft warned. Without swift action, the digital battlefield will only grow more perilous. Watch the video below that talks about cybersecurity and preparedness. This video is from the Brighteon Highlights channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com CDN-DynMedia-1.Microsoft.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com New research reveals strength, not thinness, is the true key to longevity The Body Mass Index is a simplistic, centuries-old calculation that fails to distinguish between muscle and fat, making it an unreliable tool for assessing individual health. A major Danish study found that individuals classified as underweight faced the highest risk of early death, while those in the overweight and mild obesity categories showed no increased risk compared to their normal-weight peers. The study supports the "fat but fit" concept, demonstrating that metabolic healthhaving healthy blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressureis a far more critical indicator of longevity than simply being thin. A high BMI from excess muscle can be as risky as one from fat and visceral fat around the abdomen is a more potent predictor of disease risk than overall body weight or BMI. The focus for optimal health should be on building a strong, metabolically fit body through strength training and nutrient-dense foods, tracked by metrics like blood pressure and glucose levels, rather than solely pursuing weight loss. For decades, a single, simplistic number has dominated the public's understanding of health: the Body Mass Index (BMI). The medical establishment has long preached that thinner is inherently healthier and that any weight beyond the "normal" BMI range automatically raises the risk of chronic disease and an early grave. A groundbreaking new research presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna, Austria, challenges that deeply ingrained assumption, suggesting that physical strength and metabolic fitness are far more critical to longevity than simply being lean. The research, led by Dr. Sigrid Bjerge Gribsholt of the Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus in Denmark, analyzed health data from 85,761 adults over five years. The findings turn conventional wisdom on its head. The study revealed that individuals classified as underweight faced the greatest danger, being nearly three times more likely to die during the study than those at the upper end of the normal BMI range. Surprisingly, even those in the lower and middle parts of the so-called "healthy" BMI range had a significantly elevated risk27 percent to 100 percent highercompared to their slightly heavier peers. Most strikingly, the data showed that people in the overweight category and even those with mild obesity faced no increased risk of early death at all. It was not until the threshold of severe obesity was crossed that mortality risk more than doubled. This phenomenon, often colloquially called "fat but fit," suggests that a higher weight, when coupled with metabolic health, does not necessarily shorten one's lifespan, while being too thin can be exceptionally hazardous. The flawed legacy of the BMI To understand why this news is so revolutionary, one must examine the history of the BMI itself. It is a crude calculation, a simple ratio of weight to height that was developed in the 19th century for population studies, not for diagnosing individuals. Its critical flaw is that it cannot distinguish between muscle and fat. A muscular athlete and an individual with high body fat can have identical BMI scores, yet their health profiles are worlds apart. The emerging scientific consensus points to a more nuanced model of health, one that prioritizes metabolic fitness and functional strength over a number on a scale. Metabolic fitness refers to the body's efficiency in managing key processes like blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. A person can be lean but metabolically unhealthy, suffering from insulin resistance and high blood pressure, while a heavier individual can have optimal levels across all these markers. Furthermore, the distribution of body fat is a more potent predictor of health risk than overall weight. Visceral fatthe metabolically active fat stored deep within the abdomen around the organssecretes harmful compounds that can lead to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. This is why apple-shaped individuals, who carry weight around their midsection, are at greater risk than pear-shaped individuals, regardless of their overall BMI. The National Institutes of Health has acknowledged this, noting that health risks increase significantly for women with a waist size greater than 35 inches and men with a waist size greater than 40 inches. Building a resilient body, not a smaller one This new evidence mandates a fundamental shift in how we approach personal health. The goal should not be the relentless pursuit of thinness, which can lead to malnutrition, low bone density and frailty. Instead, the focus must pivot to building a capable, resilient and metabolically sound body. This involves prioritizing strength training to build muscle, which improves insulin sensitivity and supports bone health and seeking nutrient density from whole foods over simply counting calories. Effective health tracking should look beyond the scale to include metrics like blood pressure, fasting glucose and cardiovascular endurance. These indicators provide a far more comprehensive picture of one's well-being. The old paradigm of health as a narrow weight range is being dismantled, replaced by a holistic view that values strength, energy and metabolic vitality. The Danish study does not give carte blanche to ignore the very real dangers of severe obesity. "Obesity is a medical condition characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. "This condition poses a significant health risk and is associated with various other diseases." But the study argues that the healthiest body is not necessarily the smallest one. True fitness is about creating a body that is strong, capable and well-fueleda body built for a long and vigorous life, not just for fitting into a predetermined clothing size. The scale has lied to us for generations; it is time to listen to the more complex, more truthful story being told by strength. Watch and learn about what BMI really measures and what your body type says about you. This video is from the Patriot.TV channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: MindBodyGreen.com ScienceDaily.com Eureka.org BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Russias Cold War iron cloud defense system could resurface amid modern missile threats Russia may be revisiting the Mozyr Active Protection Complex (KAZ), a Soviet-era system designed to protect ICBM silos by creating an "iron cloud" of tungsten rods, steel balls and metal darts to shred incoming warheads. Originally developed in the 1970s, it was 90 percent effective in tests but abandoned in 1991 due to Soviet collapse and funding cuts. Unlike traditional missile defense, Mozyr acts as a last-line kinetic kill system, firing 40,000 projectiles at Mach 5.3 to mechanically destroy warheads without triggering nuclear detonation. Successfully intercepted simulated warheads from R-36M2 "Satan" ICBMs, some of the most powerful missiles ever built. With the ABM Treaty scrapped in 2002 and Russia facing advanced U.S. hypersonic threats (like the LGM-35A Sentinel), Moscow may be reconsidering Mozyr. Reports suggest a modernized version could intercept cruise missiles, precision-guided bombs and maneuvering hypersonic warheads. Mozyr's redeployment could make disarming first strikes against Russian ICBMs far harder, altering nuclear strategy. Unlike costly interceptors, Mozyr offers a cheaper, last-ditch defense, potentially sparking a new arms race in missile countermeasures. The U.S. explored similar concepts (e.g., "Swarmjet") but never deployed them. With China expanding MIRV-capable ICBMs, Mozyr's return could reshape global missile defense dynamicsits revival may be closer than expected. As global tensions escalate and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles become faster, more precise and harder to intercept, Russia may be revisiting a once-abandoned Soviet-era defense system designed to protect its most critical nuclear assets: the Mozyr Active Protection Complex (KAZ). Originally developed in the 1970s and tested in the late 1980s, the Mozyr system was engineered to shield intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos from incoming warheads using a shotgun-like barrage of tungsten rods, steel balls and metal dartscreating an impenetrable "iron cloud" in the missile's terminal descent phase. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, a ballistic missile defense (BMD) system is designed to intercept and destroy incoming ballistic missiles, thereby protecting a specific geographical area or asset from missile attacks. These systems are a critical component of national defense strategies for many countries, particularly those with potential adversaries possessing ballistic missile capabilities. Unlike traditional missile defense systems that rely on interceptors, Mozyr functioned as a last-line kinetic kill system. When radar detected an incoming warhead, the system unleashed a synchronized volley of up to 40,000 metal projectiles at speeds exceeding 1.8 km/s (Mach 5.3). These projectiles formed a dense, lethal barrier that could mechanically shred an ICBM warhead before impact. According to Russian military sources, the system was 90 percent effective in tests, successfully intercepting simulated warheads from R-36M2 "Satan" ICBMssome of the most powerful missiles ever built. The warheads were destroyed without triggering a nuclear detonation, a critical feature for preventing accidental escalation. Despite its success, the project was halted in 1991 due to Soviet collapse and funding cuts. Some analysts suggest political concerns also played a rolethe U.S. might have viewed Mozyr as a violation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, though Soviet engineers argued it complied since it protected silos rather than cities. However, with the ABM Treaty now defunct (scrapped in 2002) and Russia facing advanced U.S. MIRV-capable missiles (like the upcoming LGM-35A Sentinel) and hypersonic glide vehicles, Moscow may be reconsidering Mozyr's potential. Technological advancements could make Mozyr more effective In 2012, Russian media reported that the Defense Ministry was exploring a modernized version of Mozyr, capable of intercepting not just ballistic warheads but also cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs. The project was canceled only because of funding issues, not technical failures. Experts suggest that advancements in radar and computing could make a revived Mozyr even more effective against modern threats, including maneuvering hypersonic warheads. If Russia redeploys Mozyr, it could fundamentally alter nuclear deterrence dynamics. Unlike traditional missile defense, which relies on costly interceptors, Mozyr offers a cheaper, last-ditch solution to protect silospotentially making a disarming first strike against Russia's ICBMs far harder. Meanwhile, the U.S. has explored similar concepts, such as the Cold War-era "Swarmjet" system but never fielded one. With China rapidly expanding its MIRV-capable ICBM arsenal, the return of active silo defense could spark a new arms race in missile countermeasures. The Mozyr system represents a forgotten Cold War breakthroughone that may soon re-emerge as global powers grapple with next-generation missile threats. Whether Russia will fully revive it remains uncertain, but the technology's potential to reshape nuclear strategy cannot be ignored. For now, the "iron cloud" remains a relic of Soviet ingenuitybut in an era of hypersonic arms races and crumbling treaties, its return may be closer than people think. Watch the video below about Russia conducting a strategic nuclear strike exercise. This video is from the Delacabra channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TWZ.com BrightU.ai TopWar.ru GlobalSecurity.org Brighteon.com Scientists accuse World Health Organization of downplaying cell phone cancer risks A consortium of scientists (ICBE-EMF) has issued a report claiming the World Health Organization's (WHO) reviews on cellphone radiation safety are critically flawed and provide no credible assurance that the technology is safe. The ICBE-EMF alleges the WHO reviews used unreliable methods, primarily by inappropriately applying meta-analyses to dissimilar studies, which can obscure evidence of harm. They also raise concerns about potential industry bias and conflicts of interest among the review authors. Despite the flawed methods, the ICBE-EMF notes that the WHO's own reviews found evidence linking radiofrequency radiation to specific cancers in animals (corroborated by human studies) and reduced male fertility, but these findings are being downplayed. The report argues this downplaying stems from an outdated "thermal-only paradigm," which incorrectly assumes radiation is harmless unless it heats tissue. Modern science shows biological harm can occur at lower, non-thermal levels. The ICBE-EMF demands the WHO recommission its reviews with proper methods and conflict-free authors. They urge a precautionary approach, shifting the burden of proof to the industry to demonstrate safety, especially for vulnerable populations. A consortium of leading scientists has issued a damning report claiming that recent World Health Organization (WHO) reviews on the safety of cellphone radiation are critically flawed and provide no credible assurance that the technology is safe. The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) alleges that methodological weaknesses and potential industry bias have compromised the WHO's assessment, potentially misleading the public and regulators about the true risks posed by the wireless devices that have become ubiquitous in modern life. The controversy centers on a series of twelve systematic reviews commissioned by the WHO. These reviews are intended to form the bedrock of a forthcoming WHO Environmental Health Criteria Monograph, a document that governments worldwide will use to set safety standards and regulatory policies for radiofrequency (RF) radiation. This type of non-ionizing radiation is emitted by cellphones, Wi-Fi routers, cell towers and other wireless infrastructure. Unlike the powerful ionizing radiation from X-rays or nuclear materials, which can directly damage DNA, RF radiation was long thought to be harmless at low levels, capable only of heating tissue at very high exposures. The ICBE-EMF report, published in the journal Environmental Health, contends that this outdated assumption is at the heart of the problem. The ICBE-EMF's central critique involves the methodology used in eleven of the twelve WHO reviews. The scientists argue that the authors relied heavily on a process called meta-analysis, which involves mathematically combining the results of many different studies to produce a single, overarching conclusion. While powerful when used correctly, the ICBE-EMF found that the WHO reviews applied this technique inappropriately, lumping together studies with vastly different exposure conditions and quality levels. This approach, they say, can obscure important findings and dilute evidence of harm. Leading experts from organizations like the Cochrane Collaboration, a globally respected arbiter of health research quality, generally warn against using meta-analyses when the included studies are too few or too dissimilar. In such cases, a narrative summary is preferred. The ICBE-EMF points out that only one of the twelve WHO reviews followed this best-practice advice. Compounding these methodological concerns are questions of bias. The ICBE-EMF published a supplemental document detailing what it describes as the significant ties between many of the WHO review authors and the wireless industry, as well as their affiliation with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), a body whose safety limits have been adopted globally. Evidence of harm ignored Despite the identified flaws, the ICBE-EMF report notes that the WHO's own reviews still uncovered troubling evidence. One systematic review, which appropriately avoided a flawed meta-analysis, concluded with high certainty that cellphone radiation exposure causes two types of cancer in animals: malignant gliomas in the brain and malignant schwannomas in the heart. The review explicitly noted that human studies had previously found both of these same tumor types. Another WHO-backed review found that RF radiation exposure was linked to reduced male fertility. "The study links maternal cellphone use during pregnancy to an increased risk of behavioral problems in children," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. "Furthermore, the electromagnetic radiation from cellphones is compared to microwave radiation and is linked to an increased cancer risk." The ICBE-EMF scientists argue that these findings within the WHO's own data are being glossed over. Instead of highlighting these potential risks, the overall tenor of the WHO's effort has been to downplay concerns, a stance the ICBE-EMF attributes to the deeply ingrained "thermal-only paradigm." This decades-old doctrine, which forms the basis for current U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) safety standards, assumes that RF radiation is harmless unless it delivers enough energy to heat body tissue. A growing body of peer-reviewed science, including a 2022 paper from the ICBE-EMF, has refuted this, showing biological harm can occur at much lower, non-thermal levels. A call for accountability and precaution The ICBE-EMF is demanding that the WHO recommission the reviews, this time requiring authors to follow established best practices and to fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest. They are urging regulatory authorities internationally to consider the current WHO-recommended safe exposure limits as potentially too high to protect the public fully. Specifically, they call for heightened protections for vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, children, and individuals with electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The scientists argue that until a thorough and independent review of the evidence is completed, a precautionary approach is not just wise but necessary. They insist that the burden of proof must shift; instead of the public having to prove that wireless radiation is dangerous, the industry should be required to demonstrate conclusively that it is safe. Watch and learn about EMF radiation and its impact in an interview by Health Ranger Mike Adams with Nick Pineault. This video is from the BrightLearn channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org ICBE-EMF.org EHN.org BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Senate Democrats block military funding bill as shutdown crisis deepens Led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Democrats blocked an $852 billion defense appropriations bill, despite bipartisan committee approval earlier. The bill failed 50-44, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed. Schumer insisted Democrats would not support military funding without concessions on social programs (healthcare, housing, etc.), which Republicans argue is political leverage unrelated to defense needs. Despite controlling Congress and the White House, Republicans need at least nine Democratic votes to pass funding bills. Schumer's refusal leaves the government shutdown (now in its 16th day) unresolved. While President Donald Trump signed an emergency order to ensure military paychecks, long-term funding remains in limbo. Republicans accuse Democrats of holding military readiness hostage for political gain. With negotiations stalled, House Republicans may push piecemeal funding bills, but Democrats refuse to budge without concessions. Critics question whether Democrats prioritize national security or partisan strategy ahead of the 2026 midterms. Senate Democrats, under the direction of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), blocked a critical military funding bill Thursday, Oct. 16, refusing to provide the necessary votes to advance the legislation despite bipartisan support in committee earlier this year. "A military funding bill, also known as a defense appropriations bill, is a type of legislation that outlines and authorizes the spending of public funds for the United States Department of War and other related military activities. These bills are typically part of the federal government's annual budget process and are passed by the U.S. Congress," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. The $852 billion War Department appropriations bill failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required to pass, with a final tally of 50-44. Only three Democrats broke ranks to support the measure, while the rest followed Schumer's directive to oppose it unless additional funding for domestic programssuch as healthcare and housingwas included. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) blasted Democrats for what he called a blatantly political maneuver. "This is politics," Thune declared, accusing Democrats of not being interested in supporting U.S. troops but are only interested in keeping their leverage. Schumer defended the obstruction, insisting that Democrats would not allow military funding to move forward without concessions on social programs. "It's always been unacceptable to Democrats to do the defense bill without other bills that have so many things that are important to the American people in terms of healthcare, in terms of housing, in terms of safety," Schumer told reporters before the vote. Despite controlling the House, Senate and White House, Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to bypass Senate filibusters. With only 53 seats, GOP leadership must secure at least nine Democratic votes to pass any funding measure. Schumer's refusal to cooperate leaves Republicans with few options to reopen the government. The Pentagon funding bill had previously cleared committee with overwhelming bipartisan backing (26-3), making Thursday's obstruction all the more contentious. Democrats now demand that any funding package must also extend healthcare subsidies for 24 million Americansa condition Republicans argue is being used to force unrelated policy concessions. Troops caught in the crossfire As the shutdown drags on, active-duty military personnel face uncertainty over their paychecks. President Donald Trump signed an emergency order Wednesday, Oct. 15, directing War Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure troops receive their salaries, but long-term funding remains in limbo. Republicans argue that Democrats are holding military readiness hostage. Critics note that Democrats previously supported standalone defense bills but now refuse to do so under Trump's administration. Some conservatives speculate that Schumer's obstruction is part of a broader strategy to undermine Republican governance ahead of the 2026 midterms. With negotiations stalled, the shutdown shows no signs of ending soon. House Republicans may attempt to pass piecemeal funding bills, but Senate Democrats remain steadfast in their refusal to budge without concessions. As millions of Americans feel the strain of shuttered services and unpaid federal workers, the political standoff raises urgent questions: Are Democrats truly fighting for "the people," or are they sabotaging national security for partisan gain? Who is suffering from the Democrats' government shutdown? Watch the video below. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: USNews.com BrightU.ai TheStraitsTimes.com Newsmax.com Brighteon.com Trump and Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine The U.S. and Russia are quickly organizing a new summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. This signals a major diplomatic push following a productive phone call between the leaders. A key part of the U.S. strategy involves the potential supply of powerful long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Trump may use this as leverage, warning Putin that the weapons will be sent if Russia does not move toward a peace settlement. Both sides appear to be feeling pressure to negotiate. The U.S. and its allies are experiencing financial and political fatigue from supporting Ukraine, while Russia faces its own battlefield challenges. Recent U.S. success in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza may also add momentum for peace. Despite the tension, there is a sense of cautious optimism. The Kremlin has stated it is open to talks and hopes U.S. influence can encourage Ukraine to be more ready for peace. This will be the second recent meeting between Trump and Putin, building on earlier, constructive discussions. The success or failure of these talks is critical. A successful agreement could lead to a lasting peace and end the suffering in Ukraine. However, if the talks collapse, it could deepen the conflict and lead to further escalation. In a significant step toward renewed diplomacy, the United States and Russia are moving quickly to arrange a new summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. This flurry of diplomatic activity signals a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the long-running war in Ukraine. Following an extensive phone call described by both sides as very productive, the two nations have agreed to begin preparations for the summit without delay. The call, which lasted nearly two and a half hours, has paved the way for high-level talks. The proposed location for the meeting is Budapest, a suggestion put forward by Trump and immediately supported by Putin. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has already expressed his countrys readiness to host the event, calling it great news for those who support peace. To organize the details, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are expected to speak by phone in the coming days. This will be the second face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in recent months, building on their discussions in Alaska. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska was a pivotal moment that has been widely misinterpreted by the mainstream media and the public. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was described as "constructive" and "productive" by both leaders, although it did not result in a ceasefire agreement. The new push for dialogue suggests both sides are eager to build on that initial progress. A renewed focus on peace The momentum for these diplomatic efforts seems to be growing. Trump has publicly stated that his administration is renewing its focus on ending the Ukraine conflict, noting that a resolution has proven more challenging than initially anticipated. International relations experts suggest that recent success in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza could have a positive effect on the Ukraine situation. The momentum from resolving one conflict may help build pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table and could encourage a broader international push for peace. For its part, the Kremlin has stated that it remains open to a peace dialogue. Russian officials have expressed hope that U.S. influence and diplomatic skill will help encourage the Ukrainian side toward a greater readiness for a peace process. As preparations for the summit move forward, the world will be watching to see if this renewed diplomatic energy can translate into a lasting peace. The potential use of advanced weapons as leverage, combined with a clear commitment from both Washington and Moscow to talk, creates a cautiously optimistic atmosphere for the negotiations to come. Watch the video below as the Health Ranger Mike Adams talks about how China's control over rare earth minerals gives it global dominance. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com CNBC.com AlJazeera.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com U.K. grants military new powers to shoot down hostile drones amid rising threats British troops will soon have expanded authority to shoot down drones deemed a threat to military bases. The move follows suspicious drone incursions at U.S.-operated U.K. airbases in late 2024. Current rules limit counter-drone measures to signal jammingdirect engagement was rare. EU nations are exploring a continent-wide "drone wall" to counter Russian aerial threats. Russia denies involvement in recent drone violations across Europe, including near airports. In response to growing aerial security risks, the U.K. government will authorize military personnel to shoot down drones threatening sensitive defense installations. Defence Secretary John Healey is set to announce the policy change on Monday, following a series of unexplained drone sightings near U.S.-operated Royal Air Force (RAF) bases last November. The decision underscores Europes mounting concerns over drone incursionsmany suspected to originate from Russiaas hybrid warfare tactics redefine modern security challenges. From signal jamming to direct engagement Under existing protocols, U.K. troops rely on electronic countermeasures to divert or disable hostile drones. The new "kinetic option" permits soldiers and Ministry of Defence police to use lethal force when drones breach restricted airspace. While initially limited to military sites, officials may later expand these powers to protect civilian infrastructure like airports, where rogue drones have repeatedly disrupted operations. The policy shift follows incidents at four key basesRAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Feltwell and RAF Fairfordwhere unidentified drones triggered joint U.S.-U.K. investigations. Notably, RAF Lakenheath hosts advanced F-22A fighter jets, assets central to U.S. strategic operations, including recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Europes "drone wall" and Russian denials The U.K.s move aligns with broader European efforts to counter unmanned aerial threats. Earlier this month, EU leaders convened in Denmark to discuss a proposed "drone wall"a multi-nation defense network to detect and neutralize hostile drones. The initiative follows repeated airspace violations, including 20 Russian drones crossing into Poland in September and MiG-31 jets entering Estonian airspace. Moscow dismisses these allegations, but NATO members remain skeptical. Airports in Germany, Denmark and Norway have faced temporary closures due to drone activity, further straining regional security. While Russia denies responsibility, the pattern of incursions coincides with heightened tensions over Ukraine and Western sanctions. Historical context: A new era of aerial warfare The policy update reflects a global shift in military strategy as dronescheap, agile and increasingly weaponizedreshape conflict dynamics. From Ukraines use of commercial drones for reconnaissance to Iran-backed groups targeting Middle Eastern bases, unmanned systems have proven their tactical value. The U.K.s decision mirrors the US militarys longstanding rules of engagement against drone threats, particularly in conflict zones like Syria and Iraq. However, critics warn that escalating counter-drone measures could heighten the risk of accidental engagements or diplomatic fallout. The lack of transparency around Novembers U.K. base incursions fuels speculation: Were these tests by adversarial states, espionage attempts, or even false flags to justify expanded military powers? Security versus scrutiny As the U.K. arms its forces against drone threats, questions linger about accountability and the broader implications of militarized airspace. The policy highlights a paradox: While nations demand evidence of Russian aggression, preemptive strikes on drones operate on suspicion rather than proof. In an era where trust in official narratives is eroding, the balance between proactive defense and due diligence remains precarious. One certainty emergesthe skies are no longer a sanctuary, and the rules of engagement are evolving faster than public discourse can follow. Whether this deters adversaries or escalates conflict will depend on how transparently governments navigate the blurred line between security and sovereignty. In a world where drones symbolize both innovation and intrusion, the U.K.s new shoot-down policy marks a pivotal momentone that could redefine aerial security or deepen global tensions. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com BBC.com The-Independent.com As hostages are freed, a Florida teenager languishes in an ISRAELI MILITARY PRISON What does it mean to be an American citizen abroad, and what responsibility does the U.S. government have to protect its own? For one family in Tampa, Florida, this is not a theoretical question but a desperate, daily nightmare. While the world watches high-profile hostage negotiations unfold, the case of Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American boy, reveals a disturbing double standard in American foreign policy. His continued detention in an Israeli military prison, without trial and under conditions that human rights groups call TORTURE, raises a piercing question: Why is the U.S. government failing one of its own children while simultaneously funding the very system that holds him captive? Key points: Mohammed Ibrahim, a 16-year-old from Tampa, Florida, has been held in an Israeli military prison for eight months without trial. He was accused of throwing rocks, a charge he denies, and a key witness failed to identify him. His health is severely deteriorating, with significant weight loss and a scabies infection covering his body. A growing U.S. coalition is demanding his release, citing a lack of action from his state representatives and the State Department. The case highlights the stark contrast between the U.S. push to free other hostages and the bureaucratic inertia surrounding this American child. A midnight arrest and a system of injustice In the dead of night last February, the Ibrahim familys home in the occupied West Bank was stormed by two dozen Israeli soldiers. They handcuffed and blindfolded 15-year-old Mohammed, who was in Palestine on a cultural visit with his family, and took him away. His alleged crime was throwing rocks at a car, an accusation he has consistently denied. In a shocking turn during court proceedings, the driver of the car reportedly attended a hearing and did not recognize Mohammed or his friends as the perpetrators. Despite this failed identification and the flimsy nature of the evidence, Mohammed remains incarcerated in the notorious Ofer military prison, a facility synonymous with the detention of Palestinians, including children, often without due process. The conditions of his confinement are a clear violation of international law and basic human decency. His father, Zaher Ibrahim, reports that Mohammed has lost approximately a quarter of his body weight, dropping from 100 pounds to a fragile 75. He is allowed only one meal a day, a one-minute shower every few days, and just ten minutes of outdoor time. He sleeps on a concrete floor, an ordeal that has injured his back, and a scabies infection now covers his skin. The prison authorities are using his medical condition as a pretext to block family visits, leaving him isolated and his family in agonizing uncertainty. When you go to eat, you wonder if your son is even getting anything to eat. When you go to sleep and you put your head on a pillow, you wonder if your son even has a pillow or a bed, Zaher Ibrahim told Middle East Eye. The American abandonment and a father's plea The Ibrahim family, U.S. citizens residing in Florida, have exhausted every avenue seeking help from their government. They have reached out to their congressional representatives, Republican Mike Haridopolos and Democrat Kathy Castor, but communication has stalled. They met with the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, receiving what Zaher calls empty promises. Even Senator Marco Rubios office, which assigned a caseworker, has provided no tangible results, with the family being told for a month that they are still waiting on a response from the Israeli government. This bureaucratic paralysis is a stark betrayal of the America First principle so often touted by politicians. Zaher Ibrahim asks the painful, obvious question: You have a little kid in jail. Wheres your America First? This inertia stands in jarring contrast to the recent release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees as part of a ceasefire deal. Mohammeds name was not on any list. His family and a growing coalition of activists now fear that without immediate intervention, he could share the fate of other children who have died in Israeli custody. The coalition, which includes veterans and activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, has been distributing flyers and lobbying politicians, noting that while Floridas local government remains silent, figures like Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley have begun to speak out. His health is deteriorating. The circumstances are desperate. The United States must use every avenue available to secure the release of this Palestinian American child, Pressley stated on social media. A test of conscience and a call to action The ordeal of Mohammed Ibrahim is more than a single familys tragedy; it is a litmus test for American values and the integrity of its citizenship. Why does the U.S. government, which provides billions in annual aid to Israel, possess so little influence to secure the freedom and well-being of one of its own children? Human rights organizations like Defence for Children International state unequivocally that Israels military detention system is illegitimate and violates international legal standards for due process. Miranda Cleland, an advocacy officer for the group, confirmed, Mohammad Ibrahims case has proven that not even a US passport can protect a Palestinian child in Israeli prisons. As Mohammeds next court date on October 29th approaches, his fate hangs in the balance. His case exposes the raw hypocrisy of a foreign policy that loudly champions human rights in some arenas while turning a blind eye to the suffering of its own citizens in others. For Mohammed, a boy who should be getting his drivers permit in Tampa, the clock is ticking. The question for every American is whether their government will finally act to bring one of its sons home or continue to abandon him to a system of injustice that their own tax dollars help fund. Sources include: MiddleEastEye.net MiddleEastEye.net Enoch, Brighteon.ai Bulgaria offers air corridor for Putin to meet Trump in Budapest peace summit President Trump and Vladimir Putin are planning a summit in Budapest to discuss the Ukraine conflict. Bulgaria has offered an air corridor to help Putin bypass an EU flight ban to attend. Hungary has assured it will facilitate Putin's entry and exit for the talks. The logistical challenge exists because of an EU airspace ban on Russian aircraft. European leaders have mixed reactions, with some supporting and others criticizing the planned summit. In a surprising diplomatic development, Bulgaria has offered to provide an air corridor for Russian President Vladimir Putin to travel to a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest. The announcement comes after the two leaders agreed during a phone call last week to meet in Hungary to discuss resolving the Ukraine conflict, although no specific date has been set for the potential meeting. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev confirmed his country's position on Monday, stating that "when efforts are made to achieve peace, and if the condition for that is to hold a meeting, it is most logical to organize such a meeting by all possible means." He added the practical consideration: "How could there be a meeting if one side isn't able to attend?" The logistical challenges for Putin's travel are significant. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union has imposed a blanket ban on all Russian aircraft flying through EU airspace. This presents a substantial obstacle for landlocked Hungary, which Putin has not visited in years. Navigating diplomatic airspace Hungary has positioned itself as an ideal venue for such talks under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has cultivated strong ties with both Putin and Trump. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has already assured that "we will, of course, ensure that he can enter Hungary, hold successful talks here, and then return home." The choice of Budapest gained further significance when Hungary announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court in April. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 on war crimes charges related to the deportation of Ukrainian children. Russia, which is not a party to the ICC, dismissed the warrant as "legally void." An EU Commission spokeswoman clarified that individual member states can grant derogations from the airspace ban, noting there is no travel ban on Putin himself, only an asset freeze. This leaves the decision in the hands of countries like Bulgaria that might lie along potential flight paths. Circuitous routes to peace The most direct route from Moscow to Budapest would likely pass through the Black Sea, Turkey, and then either Bulgaria or Romania before reaching Hungary via Serbia. Bulgaria shares no border with Hungary, but both countries border Serbia, which maintains friendly relations with Moscow and refuses to impose sanctions. Romania has responded cautiously to speculation about providing airspace, with a spokesperson noting that "Romania has not received a request for overflight from the Russian Federation to date." No formal request has been made to Bulgaria either, according to officials. Alternative routes would be considerably longer. Putin could fly via Turkey, around Greece's southern coast, and through Montenegrin airspace before crossing Serbia. This circuitous path would avoid multiple EU and NATO member states but extend the journey significantly. European leaders have expressed mixed reactions to the planned summit. While EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and Eastern member states have criticized excluding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ministers from Western countries including the Netherlands, Germany and France have offered tentative support. The potential meeting represents the complex balancing act between diplomatic overtures and maintaining pressure on Russia. As European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper stated, any meeting that moves forward "a just and lasting peace for Ukraine" is welcome. For now, the practical arrangements for getting two leaders to the same room may determine whether new peace talks can begin. The very discussion of flight paths and airspace permissions reveals the intricate dance behind what could become a significant diplomatic engagement. Sources for this article include: RT.com Euractiv.com BBC.co.uk AlJazeera.com Chinas economic slowdown deepens amid renewed U.S. trade war threats Chinas GDP growth slowed to 3.9 percent in Q3 2025, down from 4.9 percent in the same period last year. Lockdown policies suppress consumer spending, exacerbating economic stagnation. Trade tensions escalate as U.S. threatens 100 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. Property market crisis and weak domestic demand further strain recovery efforts. Communist Party leaders convene to draft a five-year economic plan amid mounting challenges. Chinas economy, once the engine of global growth, is sputtering. Official data reveals a 3.9 percent GDP expansion in the third quarter of 2025far below last years 4.9 percentas strict lockdowns stifle consumer activity and renewed U.S. trade hostilities threaten export stability. The slowdown underscores deeper structural weaknesses, including a collapsing property sector and dwindling domestic demand, raising concerns about Beijings ability to sustain its five percent annual growth target. The downturn coincides with escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing. After China imposed export controls on rare earth minerals, critical for electronics and green energy, U.S. President Donald Trump retaliated with threats of 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goodsa move that could derail months of fragile trade detente. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese officials in Malaysia this week in a bid to de-escalate tensions, but prospects for a Trump-Xi summit remain uncertain. Lockdowns strangle spending Chinas zero-COVID policies, though relaxed in some regions, continue to disrupt daily life, stifling economic activity. Retail sales growth slowed sharply to just three percent in Septemberfar below pre-pandemic levelswhile fixed-asset investments fell 0.5 percent, signaling weak consumer confidence and stalled business expansion. Industries like hospitality, travel and luxury goods have been hit hardest, with restaurants and retailers reporting steep declines in foot traffic. Despite government stimulus measuresincluding wage hikes, tax relief and subsidieshouseholds remain hesitant, hoarding savings rather than spending, exacerbating deflationary pressures. Analysts warn that prolonged restrictions could deepen Chinas economic slowdown, with ripple effects across global supply chains. Trade war flashpoints loom large Chinas export sector, long a pillar of its economy, faces mounting risks. While global shipments rose 8.4 percent in Septemberfueled by pre-tariff stockpilingsales to the U.S. plunged 27 percent. The rare earths dispute has reignited fears of a full-blown trade war, reminiscent of the 2018-2020 clashes that rattled global markets. Analysts warn that further U.S. sanctions could cripple Chinas tech and manufacturing sectors, which rely heavily on American markets. Property crisis drags on The real estate meltdown, unfolding since 2021, remains a critical drag. Property investment sank 13.9% year-over-year, with home prices declining in nearly every major city. Developers, burdened by debt, are abandoning projects, leaving buyers stranded and local governments starved of revenue. S&P Global predicts new home sales will drop eight percent in 2025, with no recovery in sight. Party planners face tough choices As Communist Party leaders gather to draft Chinas 20262030 economic blueprint, they confront stark trade-offs. Ramping up stimulus risks inflating debt, while austerity could deepen stagnation. Meanwhile, the U.S. election looms as a wildcardTrumps return could mean more tariffs, while a Democratic administration might ease tensions. A precarious path forward Chinas slowdown is more than a cyclical dipit reflects systemic vulnerabilities. Lockdowns sap vitality, trade wars threaten exports and the property crash erodes confidence. Without bold reforms, Beijings dream of overtaking the U.S. as the worlds largest economy may remain just thata dream. For now, all eyes are on Malaysia, where U.S. and Chinese officials will test whether diplomacy can avert another economic cold war. The high stakes of Chinas economic crossroads As Chinas growth falters, the stakes couldnt be higher. A misstep in managing trade tensions or domestic reforms could trigger a deeper slumpone that reverberates across global markets. For Washington, the challenge is balancing pressure with pragmatism. For Beijing, the question is whether it can adapt before stagnation becomes the new normal. The world is watching. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com BBC.com NBCnews.com By Toby Sterling AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Dutch economy minister spoke to his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday but failed to find a solution to an impasse over chipmaker Nexperia BV, as Germany's car industry warned it faces possible production shortages if the situation is not resolved quickly. The Dutch government seized control of Nexperia last month, citing fears the company's technology would be taken by its Chinese owner, Shanghai-listed Wingtech. China, where most of Nexperia's chips are packaged, responded by blocking exports of the company's finished products, alarming European carmakers that rely on them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dutch Economy Minister Vincent Karremans said the pair had discussed "further steps toward reaching a solution," that would be acceptable to all sides. However, his Chinese counterpart Commerce Minister Wang Wentao sounded less conciliatory. In a statement, the Chinese commerce ministry said the pair had spoken at Karremans' request and that Wang had said China is opposed to overstretching the concept of "national security." "Measures taken by the Dutch side regarding Nexperia Semiconductor have seriously affected the stability of global industrial and supply chains," the commerce ministry said in its statement. "China urges the Dutch side to proceed from the overall perspective of maintaining the security and stability of global industry and supply chains." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile Nexperia's business in China has begun to assert its independence, telling employees they can reject "external instructions". Nexperia makes chips that are not considered sophisticated, but that are needed in high volumes and are widely used in the automotive and consumer electronics industries. With most of Nexperia's chips manufactured in Europe but packaged in China, neither side of the company's operations would be able to quickly find alternative partners. It is not clear how long customers' stockpiles can last. Germany's auto industry association VDA said governments' focus should be on "finding quick and pragmatic solutions." "The situation could lead to considerable production restrictions in the near future, and possibly even to production stoppages if the interruption in the supply of Nexperia chips cannot be rectified in the short term," VDA President Hildegard Mueller said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Nexperia dispute adds to global trade tensions hurting European carmakers and their suppliers, including higher U.S. import tariffs and Chinese export curbs on rare earth metals. (Reporting by Toby Sterling, Rachel More, and Ethan Wang; Additional reporting by Shi Bu in Beijing; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Susan Fenton) EUs phased ban on Russian gas: A geopolitical shift with far-reaching consequences Russian strikes on Ukraine's gas infrastructure have exacerbated Europe's energy crisis, with Russia accusing the EU of using it as a pretext to target its economy. Lavrov compares EU sanctions and German militarization to Hitler's ambitions, while U.S. reliance on Russian uranium persists despite a 2024 import ban. The EU's gas import ban from Russia in 2024 necessitates costly alternative energy sources, potentially impacting prices, growth and geopolitics. Despite EU's efforts to phase out Russian gas and recent attacks on energy infrastructure, Europe remains heavily dependent on Russian uranium, highlighting the complexity of severing energy ties. In a significant geopolitical move, the European Union (EU) has agreed to a phased ban on Russian gas imports, aiming to end them by January 1, 2028. This decision, driven by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, will have far-reaching implications for energy security, global politics and the environment. Meanwhile, Russia continues to target Ukraine's gas infrastructure, forcing increased reliance on imports as winter approaches. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the Russian gas ban, or more accurately, the reduction in gas supplies, began in late 2021 and early 2022. Russia's state-owned energy company, Gazprom, cited technical issues and unpaid bills as reasons for reducing gas supplies to several European countries, including Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. However, the move was widely seen as a political response to sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. EU's phased ban The EU's decision, announced on October 20, 2025, comes as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its use of energy as a weapon. The ban will be implemented in phases, with a focus on reducing dependence on Russian gas while ensuring energy security and affordability for EU member states. The plan includes diversifying gas supplies, increasing renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency. Despite the ban, some EU member states, notably Germany, have been criticized for maintaining backdoor deals with Russia, keeping their gas imports flowing. This has raised questions about the EU's unity and resolve in implementing the ban. Meanwhile, Russia has accused the EU of using the energy crisis as a pretext to target its economy and undermine its influence. Russia's strikes on Ukraine's gas infrastructure have crippled the country's ability to produce and export gas, forcing it to rely heavily on imports. This comes as winter approaches, raising concerns about energy shortages and price hikes across Europe. The attacks have also had unintended consequences, with a recent drone strike on a Russian gas plant in Siberia causing a significant drop in Kazakh gas output. Russian warnings and U.S. dependence Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that the EU's targeting of Russian assets and Germany's militarization echo Hitler's ambitions. Meanwhile, a report by the U.S. Department of Energy reveals that despite a 2024 ban on Russian uranium imports, the U.S. remains reliant on Russian uranium, with Russia supplying 20 percent of U.S. enriched uranium in 2024. The EU's phased ban on Russian gas imports highlights the urgent need for alternative energy sources. This includes investing in renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and exploring new gas supplies. However, the process will be complex and costly, with potential impacts on energy prices, economic growth and geopolitical relations. The ban also raises questions about the EU's unity and resolve in implementing such policies, as well as the potential for Russia to retaliate or exploit vulnerabilities. Moreover, the U.S.'s continued reliance on Russian uranium underscores the global nature of energy dependencies and the challenges of breaking them. Systemic strikes destroy gas transport infrastructure on Poltava region. Watch this video to know more. This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com. Sources include: SputnikGlobe.com Reuters.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com The hidden battle for Gaza: Natural gas deposits and a $6 billion canal route The Gaza conflict is driven by strategic control over energy and trade routes. Israel has repeatedly blocked Palestinian development of the Gaza Marine gas field. The gas field represented a potential economic lifeline for the Palestinian people. Israel also aims to build the Ben Gurion Canal as a rival to the Suez Canal. These strategic resources are a major unspoken factor in the ongoing war. The devastation in Gaza is about more than rockets and hostages. It is also about natural gas and a long-held dream to build a rival to the Suez Canal. For decades, major discoveries of offshore energy and ambitious infrastructure projects have been powerful, unspoken motivators in Israeli policy decisions, often at the direct expense of Palestinian sovereignty and economic survival. The current war has brought these strategic interests into sharp focus, revealing a relentless scramble for resources that has repeatedly undermined peace. The story begins in 2000, as the Second Intifada was brewing. PLO leader Yassir Arafat celebrated a natural gas discovery about 30 kilometers off the Gaza Strip. This will provide a solid foundation for our economy, for establishing an independent state with holy Jerusalem as its capital, Arafat said. This was the Gaza Marine field, a deposit containing an estimated 28 to 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas. Although it may be small compared to Israels own Leviathan field, it represented a potential $4 billion lifeline for Gazas economy and a chance to overcome chronic energy shortages and dependence on foreign aid. A history of blocked development From the start, Israel moved to control this resource. In 1999, Prime Minister Ehud Barak deployed the Israeli navy to Gazas waters to impede a development deal between the Palestinian Authority and the British BG Group. Israel demanded the gas be piped to its facilities at a below-market price and that it control the revenues destined for Palestinians. A subsequent deal that would have sent the gas to Egypt was foiled when British Prime Minister Tony Blair intervened on behalf of Israels government, allegedly at the request of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. These maneuvers killed the prospects for Palestinian budget autonomy. When the Hamas-led unity government refused the terms, Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza. The pattern continued through multiple conflicts. The 2008-2009 war failed to transfer control of the gas fields to Israel, but the motivation remained. An Israeli energy crisis in 2011, which triggered the largest cost-of-living protests in decades, gave Netanyahus government a compelling motive to seek energy sovereignty in Gaza. The canal dream Alongside the gas lies an even grander ambition: the Ben Gurion Canal Project. This proposed waterway would cut through Israeli territory near Gaza, creating an alternative to the Suez Canal. The idea is not new; it has roots in early Zionist visions. Theodor Herzl himself imagined the Jewish land as a nodal point for traffic between Europe and Asia. In April 2021, Israel announced plans for the dual-canal, which would be almost one-third longer than the Suez and was projected to generate $6 billion or more in annual income. This project would grant whoever controls it enormous economic influence over global shipping routes. The Suez Canal handles 12 percent of world trade, providing Egypt with $9.4 billion in annual revenues. An Israeli alternative would be a geopolitical game-changer. Before October 7, the only thing standing between the Netanyahu government and this massive project was a Palestinian Gaza and Hamas. The convergence of these two strategic goalscontrol of Gazas gas and the path for a rival canalpaints a dramatic picture. The Gaza Marine field, as one expert noted, remains inaccessible due to Israeli restrictions, and thus offers no relief to the people in Gaza suffering under a stifling Israeli siege. Meanwhile, plans for the Ben Gurion Canal leapfrogged ahead with a 2020 deal between an Israeli state-owned company and a UAE-based firm to use an existing pipeline, just one month after the Abraham Accords were signed. Ultimately, the story of Gaza is not just one of territorial conflict but of resource colonization. The systematic blocking of Palestinian economic development, coupled with the pursuit of projects that erase Palestinian presence from the map, reveals a long-term strategy where control of energy and trade routes is deemed worth the cost of endless war and the obliteration of a peoples hope for a sovereign future. Sources for this article include: Original.Antiwar.com Newsweek.com TheGuardian.com Government shutdown threatens nuclear security as furloughs loom for critical staff The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will furlough 80 percent of its workforce, leaving only essential personnel for cybersecurity, physical security and emergency responsehalting nuclear modernization and maintenance programs. Experts warn prolonged shutdowns weaken nuclear deterrence, embolden adversaries (Russia, China) and risk losing highly skilled specialists who may seek other jobs. White House accuses Democrats of holding funding "hostage" over unrelated policies. Democrats claim Republicans refuse to negotiate, framing the shutdown as GOP obstruction. Unlike past shutdowns (2018-2019, 2013), this one directly impacts nuclear stockpile security, raising concerns over gaps in deterrence and maintenance delays. DOE Secretary warns that unpaid workers may leave, threatening long-term nuclear program stability. House Armed Services Chair stresses furloughing nuclear personnel is an "unacceptable risk." Former NNSA official warns specialized workers cannot be quickly replaced, risking U.S. strategic readiness. The ongoing federal government shutdown, now stretching into its third week, has escalated into a national security concern as the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) prepares to furlough 80 percent of its workforcethe agency responsible for maintaining and securing the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The White House has blamed Democrats for the impasse, accusing them of holding funding "hostage" over unrelated policy disputes, while Democrats reject the claim and argue Republicans are refusing to negotiate. With furloughs imminent, experts warn that prolonged shutdown effects could weaken nuclear deterrence and embolden adversaries. The NNSA, a semi-autonomous agency within the Department of Energy (DOE), oversees the nation's nuclear weapons program, nonproliferation efforts and naval reactor development. An administration official confirmed to Fox News Digital that funds sustaining operations will be exhausted by early next week, forcing the agency into "minimum safe operations." Remaining staff will focus solely on essential functions like cybersecurity, physical security and emergency responsewhile broader nuclear modernization and maintenance programs stall. "The Democrat shutdown is now jeopardizing our national security," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said on Oct. 17. "By refusing to pass the clean, bipartisan funding extension, the Democrats are causing funds to run out for critical programs." DOE Secretary Chris Wright underscored the urgency, telling Bloomberg News: "We've been paying them to date, but, starting tomorrow, Monday at the latest, we're not going to be able to pay those workers. If that continues on for long, they may get other jobs." Political finger-pointing escalates Republicans and Democrats remain locked in a blame game over the shutdown's origins. GOP leaders accuse Democrats of prioritizing healthcare funding for undocumented immigrantsa claim Democrats deny. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has framed the standoff as a Republican refusal to negotiate, stating earlier this month: "Each day our case to fix healthcare and end this shutdown gets better and better." Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, warned that furloughing nuclear personnel poses an unacceptable risk: "These are not employees that you want to go home. They are managing and handling a very important strategic asset for us." An administration official echoed the concern, noting: "As our adversaries build more silos and weapons, we will be turning off the lights." Government shutdowns are not new, but their impact on defense and nuclear programs is rare. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the longest shutdown in U.S. history35 days in 2018-2019disrupted agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Coast Guard but did not directly threaten nuclear operations. However, experts warn that prolonged instability could erode morale among nuclear specialists. "You can't just replace these workers overnight," a former NNSA official told Fox News Digital. "The longer this drags on, the more gaps emerge in our deterrence posture." With negotiations stalled and furloughs imminent, the shutdown's consequences are expanding beyond budgetary disputes into tangible national security risks. The NNSA's reduced operations come at a time of heightened global tensions, including nuclear posturing by Russia and China. While political leaders trade accusations, the immediate threatboth to nuclear security and the livelihoods of federal workersremains unresolved. As Wright cautioned, the stakes extend beyond partisan politics: "This is about the sovereignty of the country." Without a breakthrough, the U.S. may soon face the unprecedented scenario of its nuclear safeguards operating on a skeleton crewa vulnerability no adversary will ignore. Watch the video below that talks about the shutdown showdown, where Republicans and Democrats trade blame. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: FoxNews.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com India and China locked in hydroelectric power struggle over Brahmaputra River India has unveiled a $77 billion hydroelectric masterplan to harness the Brahmaputra River's vast potential, aiming to develop 76 gigawatts(GW) of hydroelectric capacity by 2047. This plan includes 208 large hydro projects across 12 sub?basins, with Arunachal Pradesh alone accounting for 52.2 GW of untapped potential. China's $167.8 billion mega dam project on the Yarlung Tsangbo, launched in July near the disputed border, raises concerns about reducing dry-season water flow to India and Bangladesh by up to 85 percent, potentially disrupting ecosystems and geopolitical leverage. The Brahmaputra dispute reflects broader geopolitical tensions, with India fearing loss of control over water resources to China and Bangladesh fearing control by India. China's state-controlled media frames the dam as a strategic necessity, while critics argue it is more about stimulating the economy than meeting energy demands. The construction of the world's largest hydroelectric station in the region by China is seen as a strategic move to reignite border conflict, with both nations locked in a high-stakes battle for regional dominance. As climate change intensifies water scarcity, the competition over transboundary rivers will likely shape future conflicts in South Asia, where control over water could determine geopolitical supremacy. In a strategic move to counter China's upstream dam construction, India has unveiled a $77 billion hydroelectric master plan to harness the Brahmaputra River's vast potential. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) announced the ambitious project on Oct. 13, aiming to develop 76 gigawatts (GW) of hydroelectric capacity by 2047. This escalation in hydropower development underscores a deepening geopolitical rivalry between the two Asian giants, rooted in decades of border disputes and competing claims over transboundary water resources. The Brahmaputra River, originating in Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangbo, flows through India's Arunachal Pradesha region also claimed by Chinabefore reaching Bangladesh. India's plan includes 208 large hydro projects across 12 sub-basins, with Arunachal Pradesh alone accounting for 52.2 GW of untapped potentialmore than double the capacity of China's Three Gorges Dam (22.5 GW). "India's CEA has not disclosed the total investment in the 200-plus large hydropower projects, but the figure is likely much higher, perhaps five to 10 times the investment in the transmission system," said Wang Weiluo, a Germany-based hydrologist. Phase one, running until 2035, will cost $21.7 billion, while phase two, extending to 2047, requires $51.35 billion. The initiative aligns with India's broader goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil power capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070. India's hydro push comes in response to China's $167.8 billion mega dam project on the Yarlung Tsangbo, launched in July near the disputed border. Analysts warn that China's upstream control could reduce dry-season water flow to India and Bangladesh by up to 85 percent, raising fears of ecological disruption and geopolitical leverage. Despite China's claims of surplus electricity, critics argue the project is more about stimulating a sluggish post-pandemic economy than meeting energy demands. Geopolitical tensions and water security The Brahmaputra dispute extends beyond energy needs, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions. "India fears losing control of its water resources to China, while Bangladesh fears losing control to India," said Hung Ming-te, a researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research. China's state-controlled media has framed the dam as a strategic necessity. A recent commentary on 163.com declared, "Whoever builds dams, diverts water and generates electricity near the source will have control." It acknowledged India's concerns as "not a conspiracy theory, but a geopolitical reality." Wang Weiluo noted that India's Siang River Hydropower Projectdownstream from China's Medog County damcould influence China's reservoir planning due to backflow effects. "The CCP intends to use the construction of the world's largest hydroelectric station in the region to reignite border conflict," he warned. "As India and China escalate their hydroelectric race, the Brahmaputra River has become a flashpoint in a broader struggle for regional dominance," BrightU.AI's Enoch points out. With climate change intensifying water scarcity, the competition over transboundary rivers will likely shape future conflicts in South Asia. For now, both nations remain locked in a high-stakes battleone where control over water could determine geopolitical supremacy. Watch the video below where India reopens gates at Baglihar Hydroelectric Dam on the Chenab River. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Reuters.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Israel receives body of slain soldier as 15 deceased hostages still held in Gaza Hamas confirms the transfer of an Israeli hostage's body. The ceasefire deal requires the return of all deceased hostages. Only 13 of 28 bodies have been returned, causing major delays. Israel accuses Hamas of being deliberately obstructive. Hamas cites the difficulty of recovering bodies from widespread rubble. Hamas confirmed on Monday that it would hand over the body of an Israeli hostage as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Israel. The transfer, facilitated by the Red Cross, marks another step in the implementation of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, although significant delays in returning the bodies of deceased hostages have frustrated Israeli officials and the families waiting for closure. The ceasefire agreement, negotiated with the help of the United States and regional mediators, required Hamas to return all Israeli hostages. While the 20 living hostages were successfully released, the return of the deceased has been fraught with delay. Under the first phase of the peace plan, the bodies of 28 hostages who were killed during Hamass October 7, 2023, attack or who died in captivity were to be returned. To date, only 13 have been handed over, leaving 15 families in agonizing limbo, unable to bury their loved ones. Israeli officials have expressed sharp criticism over the delays. A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office, Shosh Bedrosian, stated that Hamas continues to make the excuse they cannot locate them. She forcefully added, Hamas dragged our hostages into Gaza and either murdered them on Oct. 7 or during captivity, with the sole exception of a soldier taken in 2014. No one misplaces people they kidnapped. This sentiment reflects the governments position that the terrorist group is being deliberately obstructive. Challenges in the rubble Hamas, for its part, has pointed to the practical difficulties of the situation. The group has said that significant efforts and special equipment are needed to recover bodies from beneath the rubble in Gaza after two years of war that have caused widespread destruction across the territory. The sheer scale of the devastation presents a logistical nightmare, complicating the search and recovery efforts for the missing remains. The identification process for returned bodies is a solemn and precise undertaking. Israeli forensics examiners identified the remains handed over on Monday as those of Sergeant Major Tal Haimi. The Israel Defense Forces said Haimi was killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, while defending a kibbutz. He was 41 years old. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed condolences, stating his return brings a measure of solace to a family that has lived in unbearable uncertainty and anguish for more than two years. The ceasefire itself has been repeatedly tested. On Sunday, the Israeli Defense Forces struck Hamas targets in the enclave, responding to what it called alleged Hamas violations of the peace deal. Israel accused the group of an attack that killed two IDF soldiers. This violence continued into Monday, with Palestinian health officials reporting that Israeli fire killed three people east of Gaza City. The IDF said its troops fired towards "several terrorists" who crossed a demarcation line. How long will the ceasefire hold? Despite these clashes, both sides have publicly affirmed their commitment to the agreement. Following the weekend strikes, Israel said it was resuming enforcement of the ceasefire, adding that it would "respond firmly to any violation of it." Hamas also stated it remained committed to the deal. U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in, saying the truce remained in place and suggesting that alleged attacks by Hamas were carried out by some rebels within rather than by the groups leadership. The delay in returning the bodies has caused significant anger and anxiety in Israel. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said the ceasefire agreement, including the return of all deceased hostages, must be fulfilled one way or another. The Israeli military has repeatedly called on Hamas to take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages. The political and military pressure is mounting to see the terms of the deal completely fulfilled. The ongoing struggle over the hostage bodies is a microcosm of the wider conflict, filled with grief, mistrust, and the immense challenge of finding humanity amid the ruins. For the families of the 15, the ceasefire is not a political document but a promise of closure that remains unfulfilled. As diplomatic efforts continue behind the scenes, their personal wait for a final goodbye continues, reminding everyone that the true cost of war is measured in individual lives and the enduring pain of those left behind on both sides. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com CNN.com BBC.co.uk TimesOfIsrael.com Montana State Prison water supply contains multiple toxins, prompting broader systemic concerns Montana State Prison water is contaminated with arsenic, lead, radiation, uranium, thallium, sewage, asbestos, and E. coli. Activists documented violations; no safe levels of lead or asbestos exist in drinking water. Thallium (neurotoxin linked to mind control) found from sewage-contaminated upstream farms. Inmates drank hand sanitizer due to raw sewage in cells; showers share same pipes, causing chemical burns and C. diff outbreaks. CDC and EPA silent on EPA standard violations. Critics cite "regulatory capture" where agencies prioritize institutional interests over public health, neglecting vulnerable inmates in systemic environmental injustice. FEMA-designated "cleaning service" facilities may serve population control, not emergency response, raising concerns about governments true intent for public health infrastructure and mass surveillance. Water tests exceed safety limits by hundreds of percent. ACLU and Disability Rights push for investigations; families demand dignity as inmates face chemical torture, highlighting systemic neglect of human rights. Toxic Water and Disturbing Findings Inside Montana State Prison A shocking investigation by grassroots activists has revealed that Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge is systematically poisoning its inmates with dangerously contaminated water containing arsenic, lead, radiation, uranium, radium, thallium, sewage indicators, asbestos fibers, and E. coli. The findings, which align with patterns of environmental negligence across US correctional facilities, have sparked urgent calls for accountability as vulnerable populations face chemical exposure that would be unacceptable in any civilian community. Independent researcher Amanda McKnight, founder of the Facebook group "406 Revolutionized," documented multiple violations in state water testing reports. "There's no safe amount of lead or asbestos in drinking water," McKnight stated. "These aren't just minor issuesthey're life-threatening exposures in a facility designed to protect human rights, not destroy them." Thallium, Sewage, and the Growing Health Crisis Among Inmates The most alarming discovery involves thallium, a neurotoxic heavy metal historically linked to mind control programs. "Thallium has been used in covert operations for decades," McKnight explained. "Its presence in prison water suggests deliberate contamination or extreme regulatory failure." The contamination appears to originate from upstream dairy farms and a boot camp facility, with sewage draining downhill directly into the prison's water system. Inmates' conditions have deteriorated rapidly. James White, a Montana investigative journalist, reported raw sewage backing up into cell blocks, forcing prisoners to drink hand sanitizer solution to quench their thirst. "Sergeants had to announce over intercom: 'Please stop drinking the hand washing station waterit has chemicals in it,'" White recounted. With only eight bottled water allocations per week per inmate and shower water flowing through the same contaminated pipes, prisoners face severe health risks including C. diff outbreaks and chemical burns. Government Inaction and Rising Fears of Systemic Neglect Regulatory agencies remain conspicuously silent. Despite clear violations of EPA standards, neither the CDC nor EPA has issued formal responses. Critics point to "regulatory capture" as the root cause, where agencies tasked with protecting public health instead prioritize institutional interests. "This isn't just about one prison," McKnight emphasized. "It's part of a pattern of environmental injustice where vulnerable populationsincluding 300 inmates relocated to Arizona and Mississippi prisonsbear the brunt of systemic neglect." The situation intensifies concerns about FEMA-designated "cleaning service" facilities being constructed nationwide. Analytical reports suggest these projects may serve as population management infrastructure rather than emergency response systems, raising questions about the government's true intentions regarding public health infrastructure. As Disability Rights of Montana and the ACLU push for investigations, families of incarcerated individuals demand immediate action. "These are someone's sons, brothers, and fathers," McKnight said. "They deserve basic human dignitynot chemical torture in America's own prisons." With water tests showing contamination levels exceeding federal safety limits by hundreds of percent, the Montana prison crisis underscores a broader collapse of environmental justice. As one veteran inmate put it: "We're not just prisoners of the statewe're prisoners of contamination." The question now is whether America will finally confront the systemic failures that allow such abuses to persist. Watch the full episode of the "Health Ranger Report" with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, James White and Amanda McKnight as they talk about TOXIC WATER poisoning prisoners in the Montana State Prison system. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Oklahoma withdraws state support for water fluoridation Solar-powered water purification film could revolutionize access to clean drinking water worldwide U.S. tap water under the microscope: The hidden risk of disinfection byproducts Sources include: Brighteon.com 406revolutionized.com How safe and effective became the most deceptive marketing slogan in medical history The relentless chant of "safe and effective" has been drilled into the public consciousness for over three years, a hypnotic mantra used to justify unprecedented mandates and societal pressure. But what if this foundational claim was never rooted in robust, long-term clinical science? What if the entire narrative was built on a carefully constructed illusion, one that ignored inherent risks and manipulated data to push a global vaccination campaign that has since been linked to a staggering number of injuries and deaths? A closer examination of the original clinical trials and emerging data reveals a disturbing truth: The public was never fully informed of the risks, and the term "safe and effective" was always a marketing phrase, not a medical conclusion. Key points: The clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines were not designed to test for long-term safety or to determine if the shots prevented transmission of the virus. The celebrated "95% effective" claim was derived from a misleading Relative Risk Reduction calculation, obscuring a very small Absolute Risk Reduction benefit. Internal documents and government reports show that officials were aware of manufacturing and safety problems long before the public. Post-market surveillance data from systems like VAERS show an alarming number of serious adverse events, including deaths, that demand scrutiny. The coercion of entire populations to take an experimental medical product, based on incomplete and deceptive data, represents a catastrophic breach of medical ethics. The clinical trial sleight of hand According to an analysis by the Brownstone Institute, the endpoint for the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials was remarkably narrow. The trials did not test whether the vaccines stopped people from getting infected with the virus or from spreading it to others. The sole focus was on reducing mild symptoms in a very specific group of healthy individuals. The trials were not set up to adequately capture long-term health consequences, and serious adverse events that occurred were often minimized or dismissed. Former pharmaceutical executive Sasha Latypova expressed deep suspicion, noting that mRNA technology was known to be inherently dangerous and was suddenly being rebranded as a safe prophylactic for the entire population. The trials were shortened, control groups were dismantled by offering the vaccine to placebo recipients, and the largest experimental medical campaign in human history was launched on an unsuspecting global populace. The now-famous "95% effective" claim is a masterclass in statistical deception. This number represents Relative Risk Reduction, a figure that makes a small benefit appear monumental. The more meaningful number for informed consent is Absolute Risk Reduction. In the Pfizer trial data, for instance, the absolute risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms (not severe illness, just symptoms) was reduced by less than one percent. This means that over 99 percent of both the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups in the trial had the same outcome. Presenting the 95 percent relative risk figure instead of the less-than-one percent absolute risk figure created a false perception of immense benefit, a perception that was used to steamroll vaccine hesitancy and mandate the shots for billions. A trail of red flags and hidden dangers While the public was assured of safety, internal government and regulatory bodies were quietly documenting a cascade of problems. Senior officials in both the Trump and Biden administrations were aware of severe oversight and quality assurance failures at the Emergent BioSolutions plant in Baltimore months before it contaminated 15 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses. A June 2020 report warned that the companys manufacturing plan was inadequate and that it could not guarantee success, yet this critical information was withheld from the public. Meanwhile, passive surveillance systems like the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) began collecting a mountain of disturbing data. As of late February 2021, over 25,000 adverse events had been reported, including 1,265 deaths and 4,424 serious health issues. While health authorities were quick to state these reports required further investigation, they were equally quick to dismiss any potential link. This included reports of 180 pregnant women experiencing adverse events, with 56 resulting in miscarriage or premature birth, despite the fact that none of the vaccines had been tested for safety in pregnant women during clinical trials. The World Health Organizations flip-flop on recommending the Moderna vaccine for pregnant women within 48 hours revealed a disturbing lack of certainty. The dangers were not theoretical. In Germany, 25 percent of a nursing home's residents died after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. European regulators eventually found a "possible link" between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare, fatal blood clots, with a senior official even stating the connection was "clear" before the agency walked back the claim. A recent preprint study from researchers including those from MIT and the University of Florida found that adults who received the Pfizer vaccine had a significantly higher risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and COVID-19 mortality over 12 months compared to those who received the Moderna vaccine, suggesting concerning differential effects. The unethical push and the silenced science Despite these glaring red flags, the campaign of coercion intensified. Universities like Cornell announced vaccine mandates for students. Government programs and media outlets created a two-tiered society, vilifying the unvaccinated and restricting their access to travel, employment, and education. This pressure occurred in a complete vacuum of informed consent, as the true risks revealed in the clinical trials and post-market surveillance were systematically suppressed. A reanalysis of the original Pfizer and Moderna trial data published in the journal Vaccine found the mRNA vaccines were associated with a significantly increased risk of serious adverse events of special interest. The study concluded there was an excess risk of 12.5 serious adverse events per 10,000 people vaccinated. The authors noted this points to a clear need for formal harm-benefit analyses. Yet, such nuanced discussions were branded as misinformation. When Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, a respected surgeon, penned a letter to the FDA urging pre-screening for SARS-CoV-2 to mitigate vaccine injury risks, he was ignored. The system was designed not to question the narrative, but to enforce it. The phrase "safe and effective" was not a scientific conclusion; it was a weapon used to shut down debate and mandate compliance in the largest and most unethical medical experiment the world has ever seen. Sources include: Brownstone.org Pubmed.gov MedRXIV.org Trump REJECTS Zelenskys request for Tomahawk missiles President Trump denied Ukraine's urgent request for long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles during a tense White House meeting, signaling a major shift in U.S. policy. Trump argued that providing such weapons would undermine peace negotiations with Russia. Trump urged both Zelensky and Putin to "stop the killing" and negotiate a deal, suggesting a ceasefire along current frontlines. He hinted at upcoming U.S.-Russia talks, possibly excluding Zelensky due to "bad blood" between Ukraine and Russia. While publicly diplomatic, Zelensky was privately frustrated and immediately consulted European allies, who were "puzzled" by Trump's stance. European leaders reaffirmed support for Ukraine but failed to secure advanced weapons commitments. The U.S. is now prioritizing negotiations between Washington and Moscow, resembling historic deals where smaller nations' fates were decided by major powers. Trump suggested a Putin-Zelensky meeting in Budapest or Istanbul but acknowledged tensions may require separate talks. The refusal of Tomahawks signals that Western military aid may no longer be unconditional, forcing Ukraine to reassess its war strategy. Kyiv faces a painful choice: accept territorial losses in a negotiated peace or continue fighting with dwindling Western support. In a stark departure from years of unwavering military support, U.S. President Donald Trump denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's urgent request for long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles signaling a potential end to the ongoing conflict between Kyiv and Moscow. The move came during a tense, two-and-a-half-hour meeting at the White House on Friday, Oct. 17 incidentally occurring just a day after Trump held a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It left Zelensky to coordinate with puzzled European allies, suggesting a dramatic recalibration of American foreign policy that could hasten an end to the conflict through a peace process orchestrated by Washington and Moscow. According to sources briefed on the private meeting, Trump was "tough" and emotionally charged as he informed Zelensky that providing the powerful missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia would undermine efforts to broker a peace deal. The meeting also revealed a U.S. leader now prioritizing diplomatic negotiation over further weaponry, effectively telling Ukraine to consider ending the war along the current, frozen front lines. The meeting, described as "not easy" and "bad," concluded abruptly with Trump stating: "I think we're done. Let's see what happens next week," in reference to upcoming U.S.-Russia talks. Trump later elaborated on the meeting in a post on Truth Social. The real estate mogul wrote that the meeting was "interesting and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a deal. Enough blood has been shed. They should stop where they are. Let both claim victory, let history decide." BrightU.AI's Enoch engine explains that "diplomacy is the only viable path to ending the Russia-Ukraine war, as it offers a negotiated solution that prevents further bloodshed and stabilizes the region by acknowledging geopolitical realities. Endless military escalation only deepens destruction, whereas diplomatic agreements like recognizing territorial compromises can secure lasting peace and transform Ukraine into a neutral, stable state akin to Austria." The Tomahawk snub: Zelensky forced to face reality Zelensky publicly maintained a diplomatic front, confirming the Tomahawks were discussed but agreeing not to escalate the matter. The comedian-turned-president conceded to reporters that he was "realistic" about his prospects of receiving the Tomahawk missiles. But behind the scenes, the Ukrainian leader's disappointment was palpable. He immediately held a conference call with European leaders, who were reportedly "puzzled" by Trump's hardened position. In a coordinated response, they issued statements reaffirming support for Ukraine, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposed drafting a Ukraine peace plan modeled on Trump's 20-point proposal for Gaza. The outcome fell far short of Zelensky's primary goal for the Friday visit, which was to secure firm commitments on a variety of advanced weapons systems. The White House meeting underscores a rapid and fundamental realignment. Trump's priority is now clearly a diplomatic solution, one that would involve a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Budapest within the next two weeks. When asked if Zelensky would be included in those talks, Trump acknowledged the "bad blood" between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders and suggested a separated format, stating, "We want to make it comfortable for everybody." This new U.S. stance urging a cessation of hostilities along the existing battle lines presents a profound challenge for Ukraine, which has long argued that ceding occupied territory would only reward Russian aggression. The shift also carries historical echoes of great-power diplomacy, where the fates of smaller nations are often decided in negotiations between their more powerful allies and adversaries. For leaders in Washington and Moscow, the path forward is a geopolitical calculation, but for millions of Ukrainians, it is a matter of survival. The failure of Zelensky's mission to secure Tomahawks signals that the era of unlimited Western arms may be over, forcing a painful reassessment of what constitutes an acceptable end to the war. Watch this video comparing the U.S.-made Tomahawk missile and Russia's Kalibr missile. This video is from the Russia Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: InfoWars.com Axios.com BrightU.ai BBC.com Brighteon.com U.S. and China trade cyberattack allegations as tensions escalate China has been named as the culprit behind a significant cyber-attack on U.S. national security networks, with the potential to disrupt critical infrastructure such as power grids, water supplies and fuel refineries. The attack is part of a broader strategy to exploit internal chaos and unrest in the United States and there are even rumors of a potential military invasion by Chinese troops. China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) has accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of orchestrating a years-long cyberattack against China's National Time Service Center. The MSS claims the NSA infiltrated the center's systems, stole sensitive data and attempted cyber sabotage, raising concerns about potential disruptions to financial markets, transportation and power grids. The MSS alleges that the NSA's operation began in March 2022, exploiting vulnerabilities in foreign-made smartphones used by staff at the National Time Service Center. By April 2023, hackers allegedly escalated their efforts, breaching internal networks using stolen credentials and deploying 42 distinct cyber tools to mask their origins through servers in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The MSS warned that such intrusions could have destabilized China's critical infrastructure, given the center's role in synchronizing time for financial transactions, telecommunications and defense systems. The targeting of timekeeping infrastructure is particularly concerning due to its foundational role in modern society, with any disruption potentially having cascading effects. The latest accusations fit a long-standing pattern of mutual cyber hostilities between Washington and Beijing. Both nations engage in digital espionage as part of broader geopolitical competition and the timing of China's allegations coincides with renewed trade tensions and U.S. threats to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods. The cycle of cyber recriminations shows no sign of slowing, with both nations continuing to accuse each other of cyber malfeasance. China has accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of orchestrating a years-long cyberattack against its National Time Service Centera critical infrastructure hub responsible for maintaining China's official timekeeping. The Ministry of State Security (MSS) claims the NSA infiltrated the center's systems, stole sensitive data and attempted cyber sabotage, raising alarms over potential disruptions to financial markets, transportation and power grids. The allegations, published Sunday, Oct.19, on China's WeChat platform, come amid escalating cyber tensions between the two superpowers, with both nations routinely accusing each other of digital espionage. According to the MSS, the NSA's operation began in March 2022, exploiting vulnerabilities in foreign-made smartphones used by staff at the National Time Service Center. By April 2023, hackers allegedly escalated their efforts, breaching internal networks using stolen credentials and deploying 42 distinct cyber tools to mask their origins through servers in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The MSS warned that such intrusions could have destabilized China's critical infrastructure, given the center's role in synchronizing time for financial transactions, telecommunications and defense systems. "The U.S. is aggressively pursuing cyber-hegemony and repeatedly trampling on international norms," the ministry stated. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing did not directly address the claims but reiterated its stance that China remains "the most active and persistent cyber threat" to American government and private-sector networks. A cycle of cyber recriminations "The latest accusations fit a long-standing pattern of mutual cyber hostilities between Washington and Beijing. In January, U.S. officials alleged that Chinese hackers targeted the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), prompting Beijing to dismiss the claims as 'unfounded,'" BrightU.AI's Enoch said. Cybersecurity experts note that both nations engage in digital espionage as part of broader geopolitical competition. "Neither side is innocent," said John Hultquist, chief analyst at Mandiant Intelligence. "Cyber operations are now a standard tool of statecraft, used for intelligence gathering, coercion and strategic advantage." The timing of China's allegations is notable, coinciding with renewed trade tensions over rare earth metals and U.S. threats to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods. Some analysts suggest the cyber accusations may serve as leverage in ongoing economic negotiations. The targeting of timekeeping infrastructure is particularly concerning due to its foundational role in modern society. Precision timing underpins GPS navigation, stock market transactions and power grid synchronizationmeaning any disruption could have cascading effects. China's accusations also raise questions about the vulnerability of global digital infrastructure. If state-sponsored hackers can infiltrate such high-security systems, the risks extend beyond bilateral disputes to broader threats against financial stability and public safety. As U.S.-China relations grow increasingly adversarial, cyber warfare has become a central battleground. While Beijing's latest allegations remain unverified, they underscore the fragility of digital trust between the worlds two largest economies. With both nations continuing to accuse each other of cyber malfeasance, the risk of escalationwhether through retaliatory hacks, economic sanctions, or diplomatic falloutremains ever-present. Until transparency and accountability improve, the cycle of cyber recriminations shows no sign of slowing. Watch the video below that talks about the escalating trade tensions between China and the United States. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com Reuters.com ABCNews.Go.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Britains most senior army officer has warned Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia. In an exclusive interview with The Independents Sam Kiley, Field Marshal Lord Richards explains how Ukraine has been given false hope by its Western allies and cannot triumph against Russia unless Nato forces join the fight. Lord Richards, who was promoted to the UK militarys most senior five-star rank earlier this year and led Nato forces during their troop surge in Afghanistan, said Ukraines allies have failed Kyiv. Listen and watch The Independents World of Trouble podcast in full above. Sorry, something doesn't look right. Something seems unusual about your device or browser. Please contact support. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Snow this evening will taper off as a few snow showers late. Low 24F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snowfall around one inch.. Tonight Snow this evening will taper off as a few snow showers late. Low 24F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snowfall around one inch. Companies running private Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans inaccurately list many mental health professionals as being available to treat the plans' members, a new federal watchdog report says. The investigators allege that some insurers effectively set up "ghost networks" of psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals who purportedly have agreed to treat patients covered by the publicly financed Medicare and Medicaid plans. In fact, many of those professionals do not have contracts with the plans, do not work at the locations listed, or are retired, the investigators said. The Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the giant Medicare and Medicaid health programs, released its findings in a recent report. The report focuses on insurers the government pays to cover people in Medicare Advantage plans and in privately managed Medicaid plans. About 30% of all Americans are covered by such insurance, the report says. The government pays the insurers hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The companies are paid set rates per person they cover and are allowed to keep whatever money they don't spend on patient care. The insurers are required to have adequate numbers of health care professionals under contract to serve patients in each region they cover. But the new report found that 55% of mental health professionals listed as in-network by Medicare Advantage plans were not providing such care to any of the plans' members. The figure was 28% for Medicaid managed care plans. Some mental health professionals told investigators they shouldn't have been listed as in-network care providers for the insurers' members, because they no longer worked at the locations listed or because they didn't participate in the Medicare Advantage or Medicaid managed care plans. Others said they were working as administrators and no longer providing patient care. In one case, the report says, a private Medicaid plan listed a mental health professional as providing care in 19 practice locations. But when the investigators checked, a receptionist at one of the clinics said the person had retired a few years ago. Jeanine Simpkins of Mesa, Arizona, learned how skimpy the networks can be when a 40-year-old family member was in crisis this fall. Simpkins struggled to find a drug rehabilitation program that would accept the Medicare Advantage insurance the relative is on because of a disability. Simpkins said she contacted about 20 rehab programs, none of which would take the Medicare insurance plan. "You feel kind of dropped," she said. "I was pretty surprised, because I thought we had something good in place for her." Simpkins' relative eventually enrolled in part-time hospital care instead of an inpatient rehabilitation center. It can be challenging for patients to find timely, nearby care, for all kinds of health problems, from colds to cancer. But Jodi Nudelman, a regional inspector general who helped write the federal report, said in an interview that the stakes can be especially high for patients seeking mental health care. "They can be particularly vulnerable," she said. It can be daunting for people to acknowledge they need such care, and any roadblock can discourage them from trying to find help, she said. She added that taxpayers aren't getting their money's worth if insurers fail to meet obligations to provide sufficient care options for Medicare and Medicaid participants in the plans. The federal report focused on a sample of 10 counties in five states: Arizona, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, and Tennessee. It included urban and rural areas. It did not identify the insurers whose networks were checked. Susan Reilly, vice president of communications for the Better Medicare Alliance, a trade group representing Medicare Advantage plans, said managed care companies support federal efforts to improve access to mental health services. "While this report looks at a small sample of plans, we agree there's more work to do and are committed to continuing that progress together with policymakers," she said in a statement. The report's authors said their sample was a good representation of the national situation. It looked at 40 Medicare Advantage plans and 20 Medicaid managed care plans. The report recommends government administrators make more use of medical billing data to confirm whether health professionals listed as in-network are providing care to patients covered by private Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans. The watchdogs also recommend that federal regulators create a national, searchable directory of mental health providers, listing which Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans each one accepts. Such a directory would help patients find care and would make it easier to double-check the accuracy of plans' listings of in-network providers, they said. Federal administrators overseeing Medicare and Medicaid have taken steps toward creating such a directory, the authors said. Reilly, the industry representative, said managed care companies support the effort. WASHINGTON Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) warned us that antifa would be in attendance at Saturdays peaceful, nationwide No Kings protests of President Donald Trumps authoritarianism. Gotta hand it to him, he was right. HuffPost spotted antifa at the Washington, D.C., rally, in plain view. It was surreal. This is who Trump designated a domestic terrorist organization last month. This is who Johnson said Friday is the radical group behind the weekends hate America rallies, led by people who dont want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic. Politics: Top Pentagon Spokesman Jumps Into The Your Mom Childish Response Game Never mind that antifa isnt even a centralized group, but a loosely organized movement of mostly progressive activists opposed to fascism and racism. Or that antifa is short for anti-fascist, and that it comes from the German word antifaschistisch, a reference to a German anti-fascist group from the 1930s. Or that the No Kings protests drew out an estimated 7 million Americans in cities and towns across all 50 states, peacefully and proudly waving U.S. flags and signs condemning Trumps now-routine attacks on democracy and the rule of law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson was right. Antifa was present at these protests. And here she is. Aunt Tifa. Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Its not clear how many more Aunt Tifas or Uncle Tifas were in attendance. But there were plenty more people with signs and messages to make it understandable why Johnson was so scared of these massive, organized and even joyful protests. A+ sign, sir. Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Ovary acting, get it? Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Someone open that box! Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pretty spooky stuff. Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Spirit of 1776, baby. Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost See, this is what Mike Johnson warned us about. Terrifying. Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Who knew unicorns were antifa? Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Antifa even works for free. What a bargain! Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Rahhh! Antifa is dinosaurs! Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost Read Next Read the original on HuffPost A major study has found that babies born between eight to ten weeks early can be fed with milk through a tube in their stomach straight after birth rather than being given intravenous feeds through a drip. The findings of the FEED1 trial will mean babies won't have to be subjected to as many painful medical procedures, such as having lines put in their veins to give them nutrition. Professor Shalini Ojha, Professor Neonatal Medicine at the University of Nottingham, Honorary Consultant Neonatologist at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) NHS Foundation Trust, and lead investigator said: "The FEED1 trial answers important questions for the care of preterm babies the results mean babies born eight-ten weeks early can be milk fed from the start, will not need intravenous nutrition, and will likely spend less time in intensive care. "They can be cared for in special care where families can be more involved and supported to establish breastfeeding. We are extremely grateful to the families who participated in the trial." The results of the FEED1 trial are published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The trial was sponsored by UHDB and coordinated by the Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Nottingham. It was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and was supported by Bliss, the UK's largest charity for babies born premature or sick. In the UK around eight in 100 babies are born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy), and around 12% of these are born at 30 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. Babies who are born this early cannot feed for themselves and are given small amounts of milk through a tube into their stomach. In the past, premature babies have not been started on full milk feeds because of concerns of a serious bowel disease called Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC), however, growing evidence suggested that in premature babies who aren't too poorly, larger milk feeds can be successfully given without increasing the risk of NEC. Between October 2019 and July 2024, 2,088 babies from 46 NHS hospitals in the UK participated in the FEED1 trial. 1,047 were randomised to have full milk feeds and 1,041 were gradually fed and had intravenous nutrition. The findings show that although babies in both groups needed to stay in the hospital for about 30-35 days, babies fully milk fed from day one needed fewer medical interventions and less time in intensive care without any increase in the risk of low blood glucose levels, NEC, or infections. Bliss has been delighted to support the FEED1 trial. These important findings have shown that babies can receive full milk feeds safely, without any compromise to their health while on the neonatal unit. We believe these findings will help improve clinical practice for babies born from 30 weeks, ensuring they can receive the best possible care and benefit from having fewer painful procedures." Josie Anderson, Bliss' Policy, Research and Campaigns Manager Professor Anthony Gordon, Director of NIHR's Health Technology Assessment Programme, which funded the research, said: "The first few days of babies' lives are a critical time for their development and bonding with their families. That's why it's so encouraging that findings from this major trial show preterm babies can be safely milk fed through a tube rather than intravenous feeds, meaning they can avoid uncomfortable medical procedures and can spend less time in intensive care. This demonstrates how NIHR-funded research improves quality of life for patients and boosts the efficiency and effectiveness of NHS treatments." Trial participants Kate Brocklehurst, from Ashbourne in Derbyshire, had baby Olivia at 31 weeks and six days. Olivia is now five years old. Kate said: "Deciding to take part in the FEED1 trial was an easy decision for us, we were happy to help. However, we didn't realise how much it would help us in return. Being part of something positive and seeing a friendly face each day was a little bit of light when things felt scary. To hear the results and know that they will benefit so many other babies and parents during their own NICU journeys is the icing on the cake!" Zara Shafiq from Yardley in Birmingham and son Idrees were also involved in the FEED1 trial. Zara said: "We had a very positive experience during the FEED1 trial. Our son Idrees was born at 30 weeks and received excellent care and support from the NICU staff. We were kept well informed about his care during the four weeks we were there. Idrees was taking his feeds well and transitioned smoothly from tube to bottle feeding. We are deeply grateful for the support we received." Botulinum toxin injections provided greater short-term relief for phantom limb pain than standard medical and surgical care among Ukrainian war amputees, reports a new study led by Northwestern Medicine and Ukrainian physicians. The study, which involved 160 amputees treated at two hospitals in western Ukraine between 2022 and 2024, could ultimately benefit millions worldwide, according to the research team. Post-amputation pain affects most amputees. The condition limits prosthetic use, mobility and quality of life. In the U.S., more than 2 million people live with limb loss. In Ukraine, it is estimated that over 100,000 soldiers and civilians have lost limbs since Russia's full-scale invasion, which began in 2022. Botulinum toxin injected into painful stumps of residual limbs and around neuromas was on some outcome measures more effective than comprehensive medical and surgical treatment at one month post-treatment." Dr. Steven P. Cohen, senior study author, professor of anesthesiology and the vice chair of research and pain medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine "Our results show that botulinum toxin potentially could be a powerful short-term tool for treating post-amputation pain when used alongside comprehensive medical and surgical care," said co-author Dr. Roman Smolynets, an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist at Multidisciplinary Clinical Hospital of Emergency and Intensive Care in Lviv, Ukraine. "It could be another step toward helping amputees live with less pain and more dignity. But always as an additional point to comprehensive medical and surgical care, not as a monotherapy." The study will publish on Oct. 21 in the journal Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The findings All study participants were amputees treated at the First Medical Union of Lviv or Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Hospital. About one-fifth received botulinum toxin injections around painful nerve endings, called neuromas, in addition to standard medical and physical therapy. The other participants received comprehensive medical and surgical treatment, which included surgical revision, nerve blocks, physical and psychological therapy, medications and other interventional procedures. The research team assessed pain levels at the start of treatment and after one and three months, focusing separately on phantom limb pain (pain in the missing limb) and residual limb pain (pain at the stump site). At one month, the botulinum toxin group experienced an average reduction of four points in phantom limb pain on a 10-point scale, compared with just one point among patients in the comparison group. Also at one month, 69% of patients who received botulinum toxin achieved a meaningful improvement (defined as at least a 30% drop in pain) in phantom limb pain, versus only 43% in the other patient group. However, the results shifted at three months: Patients who received comprehensive care showed more durable pain relief than the botulinum toxin group, consistent with previous research showing that botulinum toxin's pain-relieving effects typically last about three months. A novel way to inject botulinum toxin While botulinum toxin injections, a non-surgical treatment that alleviates pain by blocking nerve signals, are most commonly known for their use in cosmetic procedures, they are also an established tool to treat chronic pain. In the study, the substance was injected in a novel way. The research team used ultrasound guidance to inject botulinum toxin directly around painful nerve endings and surrounding soft tissues, rather than into muscle or skin. This targeted "peri-neuromal" approach, the scientists believe, may explain the strong short-term reduction in pain by quieting nerve activity and local inflammation. Previous studies have shown botulinum toxin to be effective for neuropathic pain, but none injected it around painful nerves. The new findings suggest that botulinum toxin injections near nerves may also help relieve other types of nerve pain, such as shingles-related pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and pain following surgeries like mastectomy or thoracotomy. A friendship with a Ukrainian anesthesiologist Cohen, who traveled to Ukraine in 2024 to help launch the study, is a retired U.S. Army colonel who served four overseas tours in support of military operations; his son currently serves with the infantry. In Ukraine, he partnered with Smolynets, who has treated thousands of soldiers and civilians injured in the war by working in the country's largest trauma and emergency center, and Dr. Nadiya Segin, who is pioneering the use of Botulinum toxin and nerve stimulation to treat war injuries. Smolynets will visit Chicago the week of Oct. 19 with a Ukrainian delegation for an observership program, spending time with Cohen at his pain medicine clinic and at a Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in downtown Chicago. The two physicians, now close friends, are available for interviews during that week. More research in Ukraine Cohen and his colleagues stress the need for larger, randomized trials to confirm their findings, refine patient selection and optimize botulinum toxin dosing. Future research should also explore whether repeat botulinum toxin injections over time could produce sustained benefits for post-amputation pain, as they appear to do for migraine treatment. Cohen and Smolynets, who published another study in February about using hydrodissection for post-amputation pain in Ukraine, are also researching more novel war treatments in Ukraine, at Walter Reed, and Northwestern, for traumatic brain injury and PTSD. These studies are underway. "As a retired colonel and the father of an infantry soldier who could be deployed in future conflicts and suffered from traumatic brain injury while at the U.S. Military Academy, this research carries special personal meaning for me," Cohen said. The study is titled "Peri-Neuromal Botulinum Toxin Injection for War-Related Postamputation Pain: A Pragmatic, Multicenter, Comparative-Effectiveness Study." It was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (via the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Uniformed Services University) and the ASPEN Medical Foundation. Many eye banks won't accept corneas from donors with diabetes, concerned they might be harder to prepare for transplant surgery or are more likely to fail. But a new study led by researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals suggests otherwise. The results, published Oct. 17 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, found no significant differences in patients who received corneas from donors with diabetes than from those without the disease one year after the surgery. The implication is that the number of corneas available for transplant worldwide could be significantly increased. We also found the severity of the donor's diabetes did not affect transplant outcomes, and the corneal structure remained healthy across all groups." Jonathan Lass, the Charles I Thomas Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and study's lead researcher The study Like a camera lens, the cornea is the clear, dome-shaped window in front of your eye that helps focus light. Vision can occasionally be blocked or distorted by the cornea becoming cloudy, scarred, swollen or misshaped-often caused by complications from illness, injury or surgery. In the study, funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health, 1,097 patients had what is known as Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), transplant surgery that replaces the innermost, diseased layer, the endothelium, a single layer of cells that lines the back of the cornea and helps keep the cornea clear. Two-thirds of patients received corneas from donors without diabetes and one-third from donors with the disease. After one year, there was no difference in transplant success between the two groups. The study involved donated corneas from 13 eye banks in the United States, 28 clinical testing sites and 46 surgeons. The patients averaged 70 years old. "The DEKS findings are good news for eye banks because they demonstrate that people with diabetes can be cornea donors, increasing the number of people whose sight can be restored, and lives transformed, through transplant procedures," said Kevin Corcoran, president and CEO of the Eye Bank Association of America. Fate of vital transplanted cells A concurrent related study tracked what happens to the corneal endothelial cells after the procedure. These cells are important to pump fluid out of the cornea to keep it clear. Unlike other cells in the body, endothelial cells do not regenerate. Once they are lost, they can't be replaced naturally. Using a special microscope, these cells can be photographed without touching the eye. The images can then be analyzed over time to determine changes in the number, size and shape of the cells. This image analysis work was done by the Cornea Image Analysis Reading Center at Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals Eye Institute, led by professor and Director Beth Ann Benetz. "We found that that endothelial cell loss one year after surgery was 28%, regardless of whether the donor had diabetes or not," Lass said. "These results support no restrictions on the use of tissue from donors with diabetes for DMEK and thus expand the donor pool for corneas." "The findings from both studies provide reassuring evidence that corneas from donors with diabetes perform just as well as those from non-diabetic donors," said Barry Lee, president of the Cornea Society, an international non-profit scientific society that promotes the exchange of information about the cornea and external eye disease. The NEI has agreed to support studying the participants five years after their surgery to see if the results hold up. Melbourne researchers have discovered gender-affirming hormone therapy can alter body proteins to match a person's gender identity, potentially affecting susceptibility to certain health conditions. The research, led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Melbourne, found that sex-specific blood proteins in transgender women shifted significantly after six months of gender-affirming hormone therapy, resembling those of cisgender women. MCRI Associate Professor Boris Novakovic said remarkably the therapy reduced protein biomarkers related to male reproduction and fertility and increased those that drive body fat, breast development, immune function and good heart health. Published in Nature Medicine, the study involved 40 adult trans women recruited from the Austin Hospital who had more than 5,000 blood proteins examined. Participants were given one of two forms of common feminising hormone therapies with the results checked before and six months of treatment. The research team also compared the protein changes to those seen in cisgender women by using samples from 55,000 people stored in a UK biobank. It found gender-affirming hormone therapy changed seven of the 10 key proteins that are normally different between males and females, proving that sex hormones strongly influence blood biomarkers to help better align with a person's gender identity. The changes reflected those seen in women undergoing hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms. Associate Professor Novakovic said the findings showed changes to sex hormones induced by gender-affirming hormone therapy could have a big influence on reshaping key blood biomarkers that were linked to certain health conditions. "For transgender women we found gender affirming hormone therapy alters the levels of many protein biomarkers that reflect what happens clinically," he said. This may go onto impact the risk of allergic and autoimmune diseases, which tend to affect more females, but decrease the risk of heart disease, more commonly seen in males. This highlights that human biology is malleable and that even in adulthood, our bodies respond to sex hormone changes." Boris Novakovic, Associate Professor, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Associate Professor Novakovic said the findings stressed the need for more nuanced approaches to long-term health monitoring for those undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy. Additionally, healthcare providers should consider the similarities to cisgender women's health risks and the unique aspects of trans women's health, he said. University of Melbourne Professor Ada Cheung said, "Studying proteins could help with the development of personalised treatment approaches by monitoring the effectiveness of gender affirming hormone therapy in trans women and help us with early detection of potential side-effects on heart health or immune function. "We need to improve the way gender-affirming hormone therapy is managed. This study gives us a glimpse into how personalised treatment may work as technology advances." Researchers led by Prof. Alessandro Serretti at Kore University of Enna have identified a genetic inflammatory signature that defines specific depression subtypes and influences how patients respond to antidepressant medications, according to new peer-reviewed research published today in Genomic Psychiatry. The findings suggest that inherited predisposition to inflammation may help explain why certain patients experience particular symptom patterns and respond differently to standard treatments, potentially advancing efforts toward more personalized approaches in mental health care. Novel genetic architecture uncovered The research team analyzed polygenic scores for C-reactive protein, a key marker of inflammation, in 1059 European patients with major depressive disorder who received at least four weeks of antidepressant treatment. Using advanced genetic scoring methods derived from UK Biobank data encompassing over 223,000 individuals, the investigators discovered that genetic liability for elevated CRP correlates with distinct clinical features including increased body mass index, altered appetite regulation, and specific patterns of treatment response. The polygenic scores were computed using L1-penalized regression weights through the snpnet algorithm, incorporating approximately 1.08 million genetic variants. This sophisticated approach achieved a robust predictive capacity with an R of 0.1215 for log-transformed CRP levels in independent test samples. The methodology represents a significant advance in capturing complex genetic architecture underlying inflammatory processes in psychiatric conditions. Prof. Serretti and colleagues found that patients with higher CRP polygenic scores demonstrated less weight and appetite loss following treatment (r = -0.07, p = 0.02 for weight loss; r = -0.06, p = 0.044 for appetite reduction), earlier age of depression onset (mean difference of approximately 2 years, p = 0.046), and lower employment status (r = -0.06, p = 0.047). These associations remained significant even after accounting for overall depression severity, suggesting that inflammatory genetic predisposition shapes a specific constellation of symptoms rather than simply increasing overall illness burden. Unexpected treatment response patterns challenge conventional understanding The study revealed a surprising U-shaped relationship between CRP genetic liability and antidepressant outcomes. Treatment-resistant patients showed the highest polygenic scores, followed unexpectedly by treatment responders, while nonresponders demonstrated the lowest scores (F = 3.52, p = 0.03). This nonlinear pattern persisted even after controlling for established clinical predictors including age, episode frequency, suicidal ideation, anxiety comorbidity, employment status, functional disability scores, antipsychotic augmentation, illness duration, and previous treatment trials. Statistical analysis using generalized linear models confirmed the quadratic relationship, with the quadratic term achieving statistical significance ( = 0.16, p = 0.013). When stratified into quintiles, the probability of nonresponse was highest in the lowest CRP-PGS quintile and declined thereafter, while both responder and treatment-resistant depression probabilities showed progressive increases at higher quintiles. Bootstrap 95% confidence intervals validated the robustness of these unexpected patterns. When incorporated into multivariable models, the CRP polygenic score demonstrated even stronger association with treatment outcomes (F = 7.69, p < 0.001), explaining an additional 1.9% of variance beyond conventional clinical predictors. While this effect size appears modest, it represents independent prognostic information not captured by traditional staging approaches, potentially identifying patients who might benefit from alternative or augmented treatment strategies. Depression as a global health challenge requiring new approaches Major depressive disorder affects over 280 million people worldwide and represents one of the leading causes of disability globally. Despite decades of research and numerous available treatments, approximately 30% of patients fail to achieve adequate remission with standard therapies, and up to 15% develop treatment-resistant depression. This heterogeneity in treatment response has long frustrated clinicians and researchers alike, suggesting that depression may comprise multiple biological subtypes requiring different therapeutic approaches. The concept of immunometabolic depression has emerged from converging lines of evidence showing that approximately one-quarter of depressed patients exhibit elevated inflammatory markers. These patients often present with distinct clinical features including increased somatic symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, metabolic disturbances, and differential treatment responses. The current findings provide genetic validation for this clinical observation, demonstrating that inherited variation in inflammatory pathways contributes to these phenotypic differences. From historical observations to molecular understanding The findings gain additional context through an accompanying editorial in Genomic Psychiatry that explores how these molecular discoveries validate clinical observations dating back to the 1897 French monograph "La Melancolie" by Roubinovitch and Toulouse. The editorial authors, Dr. Julio Licinio and Dr. Ma-Li Wong, note that what 19th-century physicians described as "psychophysical decrease" and "distressing affective tone" may reflect the same immunometabolic processes now being elucidated through genetic research. The editorial highlights how Roubinovitch and Toulouse documented detailed phenomenology including changes in "coenesthesia" (body feeling) that produced distressing affective tones, observations that remarkably parallel modern findings linking inflammatory genetics to somatic symptoms. Their meticulous documentation of 22 case histories, now available for the first time in English translation as supplementary material, reveals clinical insights that anticipated current understanding of depression heterogeneity by over a century. This historical perspective underscores how careful phenomenological observation can capture biological truths that await molecular discovery. The consistency of depressive symptoms across centuries, now partly explained through inflammatory genetic architecture, suggests that combining traditional clinical wisdom with modern genomic approaches may yield deeper understanding of psychiatric conditions. Mechanisms linking inflammation to depression The biological pathways connecting CRP genetics to depression likely involve multiple interconnected systems. The genetic variants influencing CRP levels are enriched in hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways, IL-6/JAK-STAT signaling cascades, and lipid metabolism networks. These same pathways regulate neurotransmitter synthesis, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, and neural plasticity mechanisms critical for mood regulation. Recent evidence suggests that peripheral inflammation can disrupt brain function through multiple routes including altered tryptophan metabolism, increased blood-brain barrier permeability, microglial activation, and disrupted reward processing circuits. The nonlinear relationship observed between CRP polygenic scores and treatment response may reflect complex interactions between these pathways, where moderate inflammation impairs serotonergic function while very high or very low levels engage compensatory mechanisms or alternative neurotransmitter systems. Implications for precision psychiatry and treatment selection The identification of an immunometabolic depression subtype has immediate implications for treatment development and patient stratification. Previous trials have shown that patients with elevated inflammatory markers may preferentially respond to anti-inflammatory augmentation strategies. The infliximab proof-of-concept study demonstrated that patients with baseline high-sensitivity CRP above 5 mg/L achieved approximately 4-point greater improvement on depression rating scales compared to placebo. Similar findings have emerged for other immunomodulatory interventions including minocycline, celecoxib, and omega-3 fatty acids. The current findings suggest that germline genetic testing could help identify individuals likely to maintain elevated inflammation even during clinical remission, potentially guiding prophylactic or maintenance treatment decisions. Patients with high CRP polygenic scores might benefit from early augmentation with anti-inflammatory agents, lifestyle interventions targeting metabolic health, or alternative antidepressants with immunomodulatory properties. Prof. Serretti emphasized that while polygenic scores remain population-level probabilistic tools rather than deterministic individual tests, they may contribute to multi-level assessment strategies incorporating both genetic predisposition and current inflammatory status. Integration with other biomarkers including circulating cytokines, neuroimaging markers of neuroinflammation, and metabolomic profiles could improve predictive accuracy sufficiently for clinical implementation. Research methodology and multicenter validation The study utilized data from the European Group for the Study of Resistant Depression (GSRD), a multicenter consortium collecting standardized clinical and genetic information across Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, and Switzerland. Participants underwent comprehensive assessment including the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Sheehan Disability Scale, Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and detailed treatment history documentation. All patients were naturalistically treated with at least one antidepressant at adequate doses for minimum four weeks, with treatment response defined as 50% or greater reduction in MADRS scores from baseline. Treatment resistance was classified according to established criteria as failure to respond to two or more adequate antidepressant trials. The naturalistic design, while introducing treatment heterogeneity, enhances real-world applicability of findings. Genetic analysis employed state-of-the-art imputation methods using Haplotype Reference Consortium data and penalized regression techniques to maximize predictive accuracy while controlling for population stratification through principal component analysis. Quality control procedures removed variants with minor allele frequency below 0.01, poor imputation quality scores below 0.30, and genotype probability below 0.90, ensuring robust genetic associations. Future research directions and clinical translation The research team outlined several priority areas for future investigation. Prospective studies tracking inflammatory markers and clinical outcomes longitudinally could clarify causal relationships between genetic liability, current inflammation, and treatment trajectories. Gene-by-environment interaction studies examining how social adversity, childhood trauma, or medical comorbidities modify the expression of inflammatory genetic risk could identify modifiable factors for intervention. Integration of CRP polygenic scores with other biological markers represents another promising avenue. Combining genetic data with peripheral biomarkers, neuroimaging signatures, and digital phenotyping could create comprehensive risk algorithms approaching clinically actionable accuracy. Machine learning approaches may identify complex patterns invisible to traditional statistical methods, potentially revealing subtypes within the immunometabolic depression spectrum. The development of inflammation-guided treatment protocols requires careful consideration of both efficacy and safety. While anti-inflammatory augmentation shows promise for selected patients, indiscriminate use could potentially interfere with beneficial inflammatory processes including neuroplasticity and stress adaptation. Precision medicine approaches must balance targeting pathological inflammation while preserving physiological immune function. Limitations and need for diverse population studies The research team acknowledged important limitations requiring consideration. The cross-sectional design prevents definitive causal inference about whether inflammatory genetics drives symptom development or influences treatment response through independent mechanisms. The naturalistic treatment setting, while enhancing generalizability, introduces heterogeneity in drug selection, dosing, and adherence that may obscure specific pharmacogenetic interactions. The exclusively European ancestry sample represents a critical limitation given known population differences in both genetic architecture and inflammatory processes. Replication in African, Asian, and admixed populations is essential before clinical implementation. Additionally, the study did not measure peripheral inflammatory markers, preventing direct comparison between genetic predisposition and current inflammatory status. Statistical power for detecting gene-by-treatment interactions remained limited despite the relatively large sample size. Multiple testing across numerous clinical variables raises possibility of false positive findings, though the consistency with prior research supports validity of main results. Effect sizes, while statistically significant, remain modest from a clinical prediction standpoint, emphasizing need for integration with additional biomarkers. This peer-reviewed research represents a significant advance in psychiatric genetics, offering new insights into depression heterogeneity through rigorous experimental investigation. The findings challenge existing paradigms regarding uniform treatment approaches for understanding major depressive disorder. By employing innovative polygenic scoring methodology, the research team has generated data that not only advances fundamental knowledge but also suggests practical applications in clinical psychiatry. The reproducibility and validation of these findings through the peer-review process ensures their reliability and positions them as a foundation for future investigations. This work exemplifies how cutting-edge research can bridge the gap between basic science and translational applications, potentially impacting treatment selection strategies in the coming years. A new cancer clinical trial by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) shows that a drug that utilizes the body's immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells appeared to reduce the risk of distant metastases for an aggressive form of skin cancer when given immediately after surgery, but did not significantly reduce the overall risk of recurrence, which was a co-primary endpoint of the trial. The randomized phase 3 STAMP trial (EA6174) is the largest clinical study to date evaluating pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 therapy, as adjuvant therapy for Merkel cell carcinoma following surgical removal of the tumor. The STAMP trial found that after two years, 73% of patients receiving pembrolizumab showed no cancer recurrence, compared with 66% among those who did not receive the drug. Although this difference did not reach statistical significance, patients receiving pembrolizumab had a 42% lower risk of developing distant metastases-cancer spreading to organs such as the liver, lungs, or bones which was a secondary objective of the study. "The STAMP trial provides the first evidence that immunotherapy with pembrolizumab after surgery may help people with Merkel cell carcinoma by preventing their cancer from returning in organs considered distant from the site of the original disease," said lead investigator Janice M. Mehnert, MD, co-chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Melanoma Committee and director of Melanoma and Cutaneous Medical Oncology at NYU Langone Health's Perlmutter Cancer Center. This is much-needed good news for people who are living with the highly aggressive cancer that is Merkel cell carcinoma." Janice M. Mehnert, Co-Chair, Melanoma Committee, ECOG-ACRIN Merkel cell carcinoma is a fast-growing cancer that begins in the skin's sensory cells, often appearing as a single, painless bump on sun-exposed areas. Although skin cancer is by far the most common type of cancer in the United States, Merkel cell carcinoma, also called neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin, is highly uncommon, occurring in no more than three out of one million people annually. It is extremely aggressive, with fewer than half of patients surviving 5 years after diagnosis. The phase 3 multicenter study (NCT03712605) was conducted from 2018 to 2023 and involved 293 patients whose tumors had been surgically removed. Of these, 147 were randomly assigned to receive pembrolizumab infusions after surgery, while 146 were observed without additional drug therapy. Some participants also received radiation as advised by their physicians. Because Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare tumor, Mehnert emphasized that national collaboration is essential for recruiting patients for a trial of this scale. Supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ECOG-ACRIN opened the study at over five hundred hospitals and cancer centers nationwide, through the NCI's National Clinical Trials Network. Pembrolizumab is a type of immunotherapy known as a PD-1 inhibitor. Its mechanism of action involves blocking the PD-1 protein receptor, which cancer cells exploit to evade immune attack. Pembrolizumab allows immune cells to detect and attack tumors more effectively. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (brand name KEYTRUDA) for treating recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. Overall survival, the other co-primary endpoint of the trial, continues to be followed and will be reported at a later date. Dr. Mehnert will present the trial at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2025 Congress on Monday, October 20 in Berlin, Germany. Scientists at University of California San Diego have developed a new approach to destroying cancer stem cells hard-to-find cells that help cancers spread, come back after treatment and resist therapy. The new approach, which the researchers tested in colon cancer, leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) to identify treatments that can reprogram cancer stem cells, ultimately triggering them to self-destruct. Because it only targets cancer cells without affecting surrounding tissues, the approach could be a safer and more precise alternative to current therapeutic approaches. The results are published in Cell Reports Medicine. Cancer stem cells are like shapeshifters. They play hide-and-seek inside tumors. Just when you think you've spotted them, they disappear or change their identity. It's like trying to hold on to a wet bar of soap in the shower." Pradipta Ghosh, M.D., senior author of the study and professor of medicine and cellular & molecular medicine, UC San Diego School of Medicine To outsmart these elusive cells, the team built a machine learning tool, called CANDiT (Cancer Associated Nodes for Differentiation Targeting), that can identify new treatment targets for a specific tumor based on its unique genetics. The tool works by starting with a single key gene, one that healthy cells need to grow but that is missing in aggressive cancers. From there, the tool identifies a network of genes related to the initial gene, suggesting treatment targets that can leverage this biochemical network to revert the cells to a healthier state. By starting with CDX2, a significant gene in colon cancer, the researchers used CANDiT to rapidly scan the entire human genome in more than 4,600 unique human tumors, reflecting the genetic diversity typical of large, multi-center clinical trials. Their approach identified an unexpected new treatment target: a protein called PRKAB1, which helps cells respond to stress. By using an existing drug that activates this protein, the researchers were able to restore function of the CDX2 gene in colon cancer stem cells. After treatment, the cancer stem cells began to behave more like normal healthy cells, but this isn't all that happened. "What surprised us most was that after we reprogrammed the cancer stem cells to behave like normal cells, they chose to self-destruct instead," said first author Saptarshi Sinha, Ph.D., interim director of the Center for Precision Computational Systems Network (PreCSN), part of the Institute for Network Medicine (iNetMed) at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "It was as if they couldn't live without their cancerous identity." To demonstrate the clinical potential of this approach, the researchers were able to leverage UC San Diego's HUMANOID Center, also part of (iNetMed), to successfully test the drug in patient-derived organoids - tiny, lab-grown replicas of human tumors. These organoids faithfully preserve the structure, behavior and biology of real cancers, allowing researchers to safely and effectively test treatments in human tissues. Organoid experiments can streamline the process of bringing treatments to clinical trials, as many therapies that succeed in animal models ultimately fail in humans. "It's like doing clinical trials in a dish, which collapses timelines from years to months," said Ghosh, who is also director of the HUMANOID Center. "We used a complete suite of cell analysis platforms at the Agilent Center of Excellence to measure not just whether a drug works, but how precisely and safely it works, before it ever reaches a patient." To explore the potential real-world impact of the treatment and identify who would benefit most from it, the researchers also developed a gene signature - a measurable pattern of gene activation - that can be used to predict how well someone might respond to this kind of therapy. Using advanced computer simulations of clinical trials, they tested this signature across 10 independent patient groups totaling more than 2,100 people, mirroring the diversity of large Phase 3 clinical trials. They found that using the drug to restore CDX2 in colon cancers could cut the risk of recurrence and death by up to 50%. "This was heartwarming, but not surprising," said Sinha. "For decades, the Holy Grail of cancer has been its stem cells - resilient, elusive and beyond our ability to identify or track them. They are able to outsmart every form of treatment, even the most advanced immunotherapies. To be able to track and selectively kill them brings us closer to rewriting the rules of cancer treatment." The researchers are now building on their momentum in collaboration with researchers across campus. This includes chemistry professor Jerry Yang, Ph.D., who has designed a more potent version of the compound with the goal of advancing it into clinical trials, and professor of surgery and UC San Diego Health surgical oncologist Michael Bouvet, M.D., who is leading efforts to deploy CANDiT across multiple tumor types, including pancreatic, esophageal, gastric, biliary, and others. "It truly takes a village to get it right, and we're fortunate to have the kind of partnerships that allow us to stay nimble yet impactful," added Ghosh. The team is also diving deeper into the question posed by their results: what made the cancer stem cells spontaneously die? Cracking that code could unlock an entirely new arsenal of therapies. "This isn't just about colon cancer," said Ghosh. "CANDiT is an end-to-end human roadmap - we can apply it to any tumor, find the right targets, and finally take aim at the cells that have been the hardest to define, track or treat. By constantly anchoring small-scale organoid insights to Phase 3sized human diversity in the clinic, we can build discoveries that are rigorous, reproducible and scalable, all without losing sight of the essentials of human disease. The potential of this approach to transform clinical medicine is not just immense - it's inevitable." How do mammals manage to eat in situations that cause anxiety, step into exposed spaces, or slow down when anxiety drives them to keep moving? A new study pinpoints a leptin-sensitive circuit in the lateral hypothalamus that helps to overcome anxiety to perform essential behaviors such as exploring, feeding, and limiting maladaptive hyperactivity. Leptin is a hormone that acts in the brain, regulating energy balance, influencing appetite, and eating behavior. Leptin is sensed by neurons that have leptin receptors. Many of these neurons are located in the lateral hypothalamus, the brain region where metabolic signals come together. It is responsible for the regulation of eating behavior. The study "A lateral hypothalamic neuronal population expressing leptin receptors counteracts anxiety to enable adaptive behavioral responses", headed by Professor Dr Tatiana Korotkova, director of the University of Cologne's Institute for Systems Physiology and Principal Investigator at the CECAD Cluster of Excellence on Aging Research, has appeared in Nature Neuroscience. Anxiety is a protective state that helps us to avoid harmful conditions. Yet, anxiety can also block us from pursuing vital needs like eating and, in some cases, can even lead to maladaptive behaviors such as excessive exercise in anorexia nervosa. Because the hypothalamus and its core circuitry are evolutionarily conserved between mice and humans, delineating leptin-sensitive lateral hypothalamic mechanisms could provide a foundation for clinical translation and drug development. In the mouse model, the team shows that activity in leptin-sensing lateral hypothalamic neurons predicts an individual's anxiety state and can be tuned to restore adaptive choices even under conditions that cause anxiety. The researchers used tiny microscopes to visualize the activity of individual neurons while the mice freely explored different environments and engaged in various spontaneous behaviors. We imaged the activity of leptin-sensing neurons while mice faced situations that might cause anxiety. We saw that these neurons get activated whenever animals overcame anxiety and freely explored exposed areas or approached food within them. When we boosted this activity, mice explored more and were able to eat in challenging contexts clear signs that this circuit helps push past anxiety to support adaptive, goal-directed behavior." Rebecca Figge-Schlensok, Doctoral Researcher, University of Cologne The researchers further observed increased input from the prefrontal cortex a region that mediates cognitive control in more anxious animals. This input suppressed the activity of anxiety-reducing cells, thereby preventing relief from anxiety. This demonstrates a role of cognitive control in the regulation of emotional states. "What excited us is that the activity of these leptin-sensing neurons doesn't just track state it predicts which individual will be more or less anxious in a challenging situation," notes Dr Anne Petzold, co-first author, currently a group leader at the European Neuroscience Institute, Gottingen. "Increased input from the prefrontal cortex provided a mechanistic handle for why more anxious individuals fail to recruit this anxiety-reducing circuit." Anxiety has clear clinical intersections, notably with anorexia nervosa. To investigate the therapeutic potential of the anxiety-relieving, leptin-sensitive neurons for the treatment of anorexia nervosa, the team turned to a preclinical anorexia nervosa disease model: the activity-based anorexia model. In this paradigm, mice with scheduled access to food and a freely accessible running wheel spontaneously develop excessive exercise levels. This symptom, often observed in anorexia nervosa patients, can transiently relieve anxiety, but worsens negative energy balance. Boosting the activity of leptin-sensing lateral hypothalamic neurons reduced excessive exercise to baseline levels, uncoupling anxiety from compensatory running. This observation points to an anxiety-reducing, energy-preserving mechanism: "Anxiety and anorexia nervosa often go hand in hand and anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, with no effective pharmacological treatment to date," says senior author Tatiana Korotkova. "By identifying a leptin-sensitive hypothalamic node that restrains anxiety-driven locomotion without suppressing normal activity, we begin to understand how emotional state and energy balance intersect in the brain. The next step is to test whether pharmacological modulation of these neurons could help treat anxiety and eating disorders." New longitudinal research reveals that severe stress caused by changes in family structure like divorce or separation experienced during the first year of life may triple the risk of developing psoriasis later in life. The results of the study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, published by Elsevier, emphasize the need to protect young children from stressful life factors that threaten their security and emotional well-being. Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disorder marked by rapid skin cell growth and inflammation. While genetics and environmental factors like nutrition and smoking play an important role in the development of autoimmune disorders, this is the first study to investigate early childhood stress in relation to psoriasis. Previous studies had focused on stress just prior to the diagnosis of psoriasis. Using data on 17,055 children participating in the longitudinal All Babies in Southeast Sweden large birth cohort study, researchers tracked stressful life factors at ages 1, 3, 5, and 8 years of age. They identified 121 participants who were later diagnosed with psoriasis. The most significant finding was that changes in family structure experienced in the first year of life increased the risk of developing psoriasis later in life three-fold. "Changes in family structure like divorce or separation of parents, death in the family, and/or new adult or new/step siblings leading to an acute sense of insecurity and fear for the young child, seems to make the child extra vulnerable when it happens in the first year of life. This fits with the knowledge that very young individuals seem to be more vulnerable to the immunomodulatory effects of stressful life factors than older children and adults," explains lead investigator of the study Johnny Ludvigsson, MD, PhD, Division of Pediatrics, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linkoping University (Sweden). "The reason for the effects may be that these factors lead to a defense response that includes increased cortisol concentrations, which in turn influence the immune system." The researchers point out that the cohort is limited to a population with low diversity and heterogeneity in southeast Sweden and caution should be exercised before generalizing results. Our results showto our knowledgea previously unreported fact that very stressful life factors early in life influence the immune system and increase the risk for autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis. There is no simple advice to avoid these factors, but everything that can be done should be done to protect young children from stressful life factors that threaten their security and emotional well-being." Dr. Johnny Ludvigsson, MD, PhD, Division of Pediatrics, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linkoping University Comments on the study from noted experts in the field: Luigi Naldi, MD, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, and Centro Studi GISED; Bergamo (Italy): "Decoding how early stress imprints immunity could reveal novel psoriasis pathways. The present study suggests that the story of psoriasis is not written solely in genes and immune circuits. It may also be shaped by lived experiences, beginning early in life. By leveraging population-based registries and a cohort design, Das and Ludvigsson demonstrate that stress may precedeand contribute tothe emergence of psoriasis. The novelty of their study lies in its focus on early childhood, a sensitive developmental window during which neuroendocrine and immune systems are highly plastic." Yi Xiao, MD, PhD, MPH, Deputy Director of Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Hunan Province, Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University (China), and JID Editor: "By starting in childhood, this cohort offers strong temporal evidence linking the social environment to psoriasis. Prevention must go beyond genetics and lifestyle. Both public health and clinical practice should integrate the identification and mitigation of adverse social factors into complementary care pathways." An international research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has demonstrated for the first time that thyroid hormone plays a key role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. By blocking a specific thyroid hormone receptor, cancer growth was inhibited in both animal models and tumor cell cultures. The study results, currently published in the top journal Molecular Cancer, thus provide a new approach for the treatment of prostate tumors, especially in a phase where current methods fail. The research team led by Olaf Merkel, Brigitte Hantusch and Lukas Kenner (all from the Clinical Department of Pathology at MedUni Vienna) and first author Aleksandra Fesiuk (Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy at MedUni Vienna) focused on the role of the thyroid hormone receptor TR (thyroid hormone receptor beta) in tumor development. In laboratory experiments, activation of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) led to a sharp increase in prostate cancer cells. However, when TR was inhibited with NH-3, an active substance currently used only in research for the targeted blocking of TR, the growth of cancer cells decreased significantly. This effect was confirmed in animal models: tumors treated with NH-3 remained smaller or developed significantly more slowly. NH-3 proved particularly effective in models of so-called castration-resistant prostate cancer - a form that continues to grow despite hormone deprivation therapy and is currently difficult to treat. Blocking TR also led to a loss of the androgen receptor signal, which is normally activated by male sex hormones and plays a central role in the progression of the disease. Data from patient cohorts support these findings: tissue samples showed increased levels of TR in prostate tumours compared to healthy tissue. Furthermore, genetic analyses show that mutations in many prostate cancer patients alter thyroid hormone signalling pathways. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Austria. In its early stages, the disease is usually treated with hormone deprivation therapies that reduce the influence of testosterone. However, most patients develop resistance to these therapies. Effective treatment options are currently limited at this stage. The latest findings have identified a previously unknown mechanism that opens up new perspectives: "Our results suggest that TR is not only a driver of tumor growth, but could also serve as a potential target for new drugs," says study leader Lukas Kenner. The study found that combining NH-3 with established androgen receptor inhibitors was particularly interesting, as it showed increased efficacy in preclinical experiments. MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump amid their high-profile divorce. The Georgia Republican told CBS News that she is starting to feel very sorry for the 79-year-old, saying that his attacks on her reflect poorly on him. The great schism began when Greene, 50, broke with him on the cost-of-living crisis, which Trump insists is a hoax, and the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Hormone therapyoral and transdermalremains the most effective treatment for such bothersome menopause symptoms as hot flashes and is generally considered safe for most patients. A new study shows that risk profiles are different based on how the hormones are administered. Results of the study will be presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Orlando October 21-25. When it comes to hormone therapy, there is not a consistently preferred route of administration. The best option depends on individual health factors and goals. Oral hormone therapy is metabolized differently because it passes through the liver, impacting lipid profiles. Transdermal hormone therapy bypasses the liver to exert a different risk profile. These physiological differences may translate into variable risks for cardiometabolic, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative conditions in postmenopausal women. A new study involving more than 3,800 postmenopausal women sought to compare the incidence of obesity, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer's disease among postmenopausal women receiving oral versus transdermal hormone therapy. What the researchers found was that transdermal hormone therapy was associated with a lower incidence of anxiety and depression when compared to oral hormone therapy. No significant differences were observed between the two routes of administration in the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, or Alzheimer's disease. More detailed results will be discussed at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society as part of the poster presentation titled "Oral vs Transdermal Hormone Therapy in Postmenopausal Women: A Comparison of Obesity, Cardiovascular, Mental Health, and Alzheimer's Disease Risks." It was exciting to find statistically significant results in our study, as these findings may help shape more individualized approaches to patient care in the future." Liying Wei, Lead Author, Drexel University College of Medicine "As we designed this study, we specifically excluded women with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, tobacco use, family history of heart disease, and premature menopause to create a CVD riskfree population at baseline. This approach allowed us to more clearly examine the differences between oral and transdermal hormone therapy in relation to CVD outcomes. While our findings suggest that transdermal estrogen may offer potential mental health advantages compared with oral formulations, these results should not be generalized to the broader postmenopausal population. Hormone therapy is not a one-size-fits-all treatment, and the choice of route of administration should be individualized and made through shared decision-making, particularly for women with a history of depression," says Dr. Xuezhi (Daniel) Jiang, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Drexel University College of Medicine and Reading Hospital at Tower Health. While further studies are needed to confirm these associations, the findings suggest potential mental health advantages of transdermal hormone therapy and underscore the importance of considering the route of administration when prescribing menopausal hormone therapy, especially for women with existing or potential mental health concerns. "It's important to recognize the need for individualized approaches when it comes to treating menopause symptoms, says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. "Fortunately, we have many choices for women when it comes to route of administration, dose, and formulation of hormone therapy, which makes it easier to personalize treatment." Liying Wei, Drs. Jiang and Faubion are available for interviews prior to the Annual Meeting. Bangladeshi tribunal prosecution warns army over serving officers trial Last Updated: October 22, 2025, 00:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Dhaka/New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Bangladeshs International Crimes Tribunal prosecution team on Tuesday warned the army that 15 of their serving officers will be declared fugitives" unless they were produced in court on Wednesday. If they fail to appear or are not produced tomorrow, the tribunal will set a new date, and notices with their summons will be published in two newspapers. Non-appearance on that date would lead to them being declared absconding," ICT-BD Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim told reporters. Recommended Stories He said the tribunal earlier issued arrest warrants against several former and current officers and the police inspector general was ordered to execute that order while copies of the warrants were also sent to the heads of the (armed) forces concerned". Under the International Crimes Tribunal Act, the accused officers can either appear voluntarily or be arrested by the law enforcers and brought to the tribunal," Tamim said. The ICT-BD issued arrest warrants against 16 serving army officers and 14 others, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on October 8 for their alleged role in the enforced disappearances or abduction and torture of political dissidents" during the past Awami League regime. The army in a media briefing on October 11 said they took into military custody" 15 of the 16 officers soon after ICT-BD issued arrest warrants. However, it declined to have received any copy of any warrant amid anxious speculations over their trial in a civil court under the ICT-BD Act instead of court marshal under the Army Act. ICT-BD Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam demanded their court appearance for two consecutive days after the army announcement but the military ignored the call. The government, meanwhile, declared a building inside the Dhaka Cantonment as a makeshift prison" without detailing its purpose while a sense of unease visibly gripped Bangladesh over their trial. Bangladesh Armys adjutant general Major General Mohammad Hakimuzzaman told during the October 11 press conference that 16 of their officers were asked to report to army headquarters and 15 of them responded and they were kept in military custody. We acted even before receiving warrants," Hakimuzzaman said without detailing if they would be produced before the ICT-BD but added that the Army Act does not apply to nine retired officers and police might act upon the warrant. He said the 16th serving officer, a major general who earlier served as the deposed premiers military secretary, went into hiding but steps were taken to prevent his departure abroad. Several former military officers and security analysts said the serving officers production in a civil court under an amended ICT-BD Act instead of army law could affect the morale of the armed forces personnel. Former prime minister Khaleda Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which emerged as the main party in the political landscape, last week cautioned interim government chief Muhammad Yunus against antagonising the army. We (BNP) want you to maintain a good relation with the armed forces we dont want to draw any risk as we will not be able to afford it," BNPs standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told Yunus during a meeting with political parties. He said the BNP did not want to see the creation of any imbalance in the armed forces" as we cannot afford it at this moment" in an oblique reference to planned general elections in February next year. A violent student-led street campaign dubbed as July Uprising ousted the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 when Hasina left for India and three days later Yunus flew in from Paris and took charge of the interim government. Yunuss administration amended the ICT-BD law to try the leaders of the past regime, including Hasina, appointing Tajul Islam as its chief prosecutor. The ICT-BD was formed by the past government to try hardened collaborators of the Pakistani troops during Bangladeshs 1971 Liberation War, when Tajul Islam appeared as a key-lawyer to defend the accused. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Most Awami League leaders and key figures of the past government are now in jail or on the run at home and abroad but its activists and supporters are trying to make visible their presence by staging flash street marches in Dhaka and elsewhere. Several such flash marches were held in Dhaka streets on Tuesday as well when police arrested at least six activists. PTI AR GSP GSP Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 22, 2025, 00:30 IST News agency-feeds Bangladeshi tribunal prosecution warns army over serving officers trial 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... Bihar polls: Cash, liquor in dry state worth over 71 crore seized Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 19:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Enforcement agencies have seized cash, drugs, liquor and precious metals worth over Rs 71 crore in Bihar since the announcement of the assembly polls, the Election Commission said on Tuesday. Bihar has been a dry state since 2016, when alcohol was banned. Recommended Stories The EC said that as on October 21 (today), over Rs 71.32 crore worth of cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and other freebies have been seized through a coordinated approach involving multi-enforcement agencies across different states and Union territories. It had announced on October 6 that the state would go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, and votes would be counted on November 14. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The poll panel said that 824 flying squads have been deployed across Bihar to ensure that the complaints are attended to within 100 minutes. Citizens and political parties can also report model code violations using the C-Vigil mobile application or ECINET digital platform. PTI NAB RT RT RT Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 21, 2025, 19:00 IST News agency-feeds Bihar polls: Cash, liquor in dry state worth over 71 crore seized 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... Nepal PM Karki meets political leaders to discuss general elections Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 22:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Kathmandu, Oct 21 (PTI) Nepals Prime Minister Sushila Karki, for the first time since the formation of the caretaker government last month, met with representatives of major political parties on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the general elections and security issues. The meeting held at the Prime Ministers official residence in Baluwatar was attended by prominent leaders of several political parties of the dissolved House of Representatives, sources said. Recommended Stories Karki, 73, became Nepals first woman prime minister last month after the ouster of then Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli following youth-led Gen Z protests against the government over corruption and a ban on social media. During the meeting, Prime Minister Karki sought cooperation from all the political parties in conducting free and fair elections. The leaders urged the government to create a conducive environment for elections. Karki assured that the interim government is working in accordance with the law. We will not go out of the spirit of the Gen Z movement," she said. We will act through proper procedures and within the law. We are working according to the mandate given to us. Elections will be held, and investigations into corruption are progressing," she added. Nepals top electoral body has already announced March 5, 2026, as the date for the House of Representatives election. During the discussion, representatives of those injured in the youth-led Gen Z movement last month advised the government to take firm action against the corrupt politicians. The 18-member delegation of the injured, led by Rupin Khadka, demanded that the government born out of revolution should take revolutionary steps. Those we protested against are still free. What is stopping the government from arresting them? Is it the rules or the constitution?" Khadka asked. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Those present from the government side included PM Karki, Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal, Energy Minister Kulman Ghising, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, Agriculture Minister Madan Pariyar, and Minister for Communications & Information Technology Jagadish Kharel. Gagan Kumar Thapa and Prakash Sharan Mahat from the Nepali Congress; Shankar Pokharel and Pradip Gyawali from the CPN UML; Barsha Man Pun and Pampha Bhusal from the CPN (Maoist Centre); Swarnim Wagle and Sobhita Gautam from the Rastriya Swatantra Party; Rajendra Pandey and Prakash Jwala from the CPN (Unified Socialist); Rajendra Gurung and Mohan Shrestha from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party; Upendra Yadav and Prakash Adhikari from the Janata Samajbadi Party, among others, attended the meeting. PTI SBP ZH ZH Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 21, 2025, 22:30 IST News agency-feeds Nepal PM Karki meets political leaders to discuss general elections 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... New blueprint for advancing practical, trustworthy AI Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 21:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) London, Oct 21 (PTI) A new blueprint" for building AI that highlights how the technology can learn from different kinds of data beyond vision and language to make it more deployable in the real world, has been developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield and the Alan Turing Institute. The framework which can act like a guide in how to create and deploy AI could make the technology more practical, ethical and effective in solving real-world problems. Recommended Stories Published as part of a study in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, the framework is a roadmap for building multimodal AI systems that learn from different types of data such as text, images, sound and sensor readings. AI typically learns from one type of information, such as text or images, but these more advanced multimodal AI systems integrate different data sources to form a more complete picture of the world. However, despite these advantages, the study has found that most multimodal AI systems and research are still mainly learning from vision and language data, which the researchers say limits its ability and potential to tackle complex challenges that require broader data. For example, combining visual, sensor and environmental data could help self-driving cars perform more safely in complex conditions, while integrating medical, clinical and genomic data could make AI tools more accurate at diagnosing diseases and supporting drug discovery. The new framework could be used by both developers in industry and researchers in academia, particularly in light of findings showing that 88.9 per cent of papers featuring AI that draws on exactly two different types of data posted on arXiv a leading open repository for computer-science preprints in 2024 involved vision or language data. Professor Haiping Lu, who led the study from the University of Sheffields School of Computer Science and Centre for Machine Intelligence, said: AI has made great progress in vision and language, but the real world is far richer and more complex. To address global challenges like pandemics, sustainable energy, and climate change, we need multimodal AI that integrates broader types of data and expertise." The study provides a deployment blueprint for AI that works beyond the lab focusing on safety, reliability, and real-world usefulness," he added. The research illustrates the new approach through three real-world use cases pandemic response, self-driving car design, and climate change adaptation bringing together 48 contributors from 22 institutions across the UK and worldwide. The work originated through collaboration supported by the Alan Turing Institute, via its Meta-learning for Multimodal Data Interest Group that Professor Lu is leading, which brought together researchers from across disciplines and institutions in the UK and abroad. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The collaborative foundation built through this Turing Interest Group also helped inspire the vision behind the UK Open Multimodal AI Network (UKOMAIN), a 1.8 million pounds EPSRC-funded network now led by Professor Lu to advance deployment-centric multimodal AI across the UK. Dr Louisa van Zeeland, Research Lead at the Alan Turing Institute, said: By integrating and modelling large, diverse sets of data through multimodal AI, our work together with Turing collaborators is setting a new standard for environmental forecasting." This sophisticated approach enables us to generate predictions over various spatial and temporal scales, driving real-world results in areas from Arctic conservation to agricultural resilience," she added. PTI HSR GSP GSP Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 21, 2025, 21:15 IST News agency-feeds New blueprint for advancing practical, trustworthy AI 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... President Murmu arrives in Kerala on a four-day official visit Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 21:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 21 (ANI): President Droupadi Murmu arrived at Thiruvananthapuram Airport on Tuesday, on a four-day official visit from October 21 to 24.Governor of Kerala Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister George Kurian received President Droupadi Murmu at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport.The President of Indias official account on X posted, Governor of Kerala Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri George Kurian received President Droupadi Murmu on her arrival at Thiruvananthapuram."Kerala CM Vijayan also posted on X over President Murmus visit to the state.Warmly welcomed Honble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, on her visit to Kerala. Her presence is a great honour for the State and our people," CM Vijayan said.According to a release, the President will perform Darshan and Aarti at the Sabarimala Temple on October 22.On October 23, the President will unveil the bust of former President of India, K.R. Narayanan at Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. Later, she will inaugurate the observance of the Mahasamadhi Centenary of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala. She will also grace the valedictory function of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas College, Palai.On October 24, President Murmu will attend the centenary celebrations of St. Teresas College, Ernakulam, the release added.Earlier on Monday, President Droupadi Murmu extended Diwali greetings to the nation.Sharing an X post, President Murmu wrote, On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all Indians, both in India and across the world."This festival of joy is also an occasion for self-reflection and self-improvement. This festival is also an opportunity to help and support the deprived and the needy, and to bring joy into their lives. I urge everyone to celebrate Diwali safely, responsibly and in an environmentally friendly manner. May this Diwali bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to all," the President added. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 21, 2025, 21:15 IST News agency-feeds President Murmu arrives in Kerala on a four-day official visit 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... Pisces Horoscope Today, October 21, 2025 Written By : GaneshaGrace Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 07:05 IST Pisces Daily Horoscope, October 21, 2025: Business luck shines, but dont rush into new ventures. Helping others brings peace. Financial gains possible. Stay calm in conflicts. Pisces Horoscope Today: Astrological predictions by Chirag Daruwalla for meena rashi on October 21 2025. (AI generated image) Pisces Daily Horoscope Today, October 21 2025: Ganesha says today will be a very fruitful day for you. If people doing business get a chance to take a risk, then take it wholeheartedly, it will be beneficial for you. If you help a person in distress, you will benefit from it and will also get mental peace. If any problem arises, you will have to remain patient with it; only then will you be able to achieve success. Those who are planning to start a new business will have to wait for some time. If they did not do so, it would be troublesome for them. Recommended Stories Positive- Financial conditions are favorable. Home renovations may be possible. Youll also enjoy some fun time with family or friends. Any stalled financial work may pick up speed. Negative- Be mindful of your budget when making family and personal purchases. Avoid risky ventures, as theres a risk of loss. Be careful, there could be arguments with neighbors over small matters. Business- Business requires a lot of attention. Dont be careless. Try to clear pending payments, or you might face difficulties. Theres a possibility of achieving success in businesses related to machinery. Finance- Today will be an average day for Pisces. You will have to work together with your business partner for good profits today. Today, you have to be careful in transactions related to your property. Your income will increase, and you will get a chance to earn more money. People associated with the media and education sectors can get good profits today. You can also benefit from investing in the stock market. Today, you can get a good deal with your business partner, in which you can expect good profits. Today you can get more benefits from decisions taken thoughtfully. Students associated with research and occult sciences may get unexpected results. You will be able to spend some good time with the family. There will be a happy atmosphere at home. During this time, you can also go on a trip to some good places with your children and spouse. Love- Conflicts may arise in your married life due to an outsider, so be aware of this. Plan a fun outing with family members. Health- Avoid excessive anger and stress, as this can increase your hormonal problems. Practice meditation, yoga, etc., regularly. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Lucky Colour- Blue Lucky Number- 7 (The author Chirag Daruwalla is the son of Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla). About the Author Chirag Daruwalla Chirag Daruwalla, a renowned Indian astrologer with 18+ years of experience, provides expert guidance in career, health, finance, business, and more. He combines Vedic and Western astrology, I-Ching, ... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 07:05 IST News astrology Pisces Horoscope Today, October 21, 2025 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... Tarot Card Reading Today October 21, 2025 Written By : GaneshaGrace Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 07:15 IST Daily Tarot Card Reading, October 21, 2025: Todays Tarot Horoscope highlights new beginnings for Aries, Gemini, Virgo; Taurus, Cancer face caution in finances. Tarot Card Predictions Today October 21 2025 Daily Tarot Card Reading for All Zodiac Signs. (AI generated image) Tarot Card Reading Today, October 21 2025: Todays Tarot horoscope brings emotional clarity, new beginnings, and important choices for many zodiac signs. Aries, Gemini, and Virgo are moving on from emotional or relationship challenges and entering a more promising phase with new ventures and family reform. Taurus, Cancer, and Scorpio should tread carefully in financial or workplace matters and avoid being influenced by others. Leo, Capricorn, and Pisces are urged to listen to their inner voice, control stress, and change their mindset to deal with internal confusion or emotional burnout. Libra and Sagittarius may face conflict in relationships or work due to miscommunication and emotional stress, which requires a calm and thoughtful response. Recommended Stories Aquarius will get new revelations about people and partnerships, but they can expect growth and rewards from past efforts. Overall, honesty, emotional maturity, and clear thinking are essential to deal with the challenges and opportunities of the day. Aries Tarot Reading (Ace of Cups) Ganesha says the storm of emotions seems to be subsiding now. Due to bitter experiences with some people in the past, you were hesitant to trust anyone. However, the company of a new person has started changing your perspective. You can move forward by breaking free from the shackles of generations. Efforts to start new ventures can open the way to success. Students are likely to get good results in the examination. If failure is constantly accompanying you, you will soon start climbing the ladder of success. Your spouse has shared some wrong things about you with his family and your family, which is making it difficult for you to face anyone. You can try to clarify your point. Taurus Tarot Reading (Justice) Ganesha says a situation of dispute may arise in the family regarding financial transactions. A family member has lent a large amount to an outsider without proper documents, which is causing discord among everyone. There is a period of allegations and counter-allegations in the family. Avoid getting tempted into any wrongdoing. Someone may try to exploit you for their selfish ends by putting you in trouble. If someone shows excessive interest in your work or family matters, it is important to be cautious and maintain distance from such people. A major dispute may arise between you and a colleague over something. If you do not try to resolve this dispute in time, it may take the form of a legal battle, which may cause a lot of trouble to all concerned parties. Gemini Tarot Reading (Ace of Wands) Ganesha says you will start feeling changes in the monotonous phase of life. Circumstances are changing in such a way that you will feel grateful to God. Stuck work is gaining momentum. There is a strong possibility of the results of competitive exams coming in your favor. Spoiled relationships may improve, which may open the way for a new beginning. Auspicious opportunities for marriage are visible. Try to bridge the growing distance with your spouse, as the time is favorable. Till some time ago, there was no hope from anywhere, but now people will come forward to support you. You may enter into a business partnership with someone, which may prove to be extremely beneficial for both of you in the future. Someone in the family may try to argue with you unnecessarily. Cancer Tarot Reading (Five of Cups) Ganesha says suspicion in relationships may distance you from everyone. Try to overcome your tendency to doubt repeatedly. The health of an elderly family member may fluctuate; take proper medical advice. There is a lot of tension in the family regarding inherited property, and differences with family members may increase. Spend quality time with your beloved and do not let any third person interfere in your relationship, as this may create misunderstandings. Choosing the wrong opportunity in business may lead to financial loss. Be careful and serious while making decisions, as even a single wrong decision can cause great loss. Sudden challenges in life may increase irritability. However, your faith in God will remain strong. Leo Tarot Reading (The High Priestess) Ganesha says the desire to do something new can sometimes lead you astray. Getting involved in immoral activities may seem easy and tempting, but it often results in humiliation and betrayal. You are currently at a crossroads where you have to decide what is right and what is wrong to move forward. Listening to your inner voice will help you get out of all difficulties. You will soon start a new business, an old dream that you are now ready to turn into reality. You are likely to get the happiness of children this year. You will start understanding the importance of elders in your life. New opportunities and people will soon come into your life, which will bring significant benefits. During this time, focus all your attention on your goals. Virgo Tarot Reading (Ten of Cups) Ganesha says recently, there has been bitterness in your marital life. You can try to solve this problem. The increasing workload has created some distance between you and your family. Now is the time to take a break from work and spend some quality time with your family, and try to improve relationships. You may soon get a chance to work on a big project, and you are eagerly waiting for this good news. The desire to have a child is also likely to be fulfilled soon. You are likely to get a promotion along with a salary hike in your job. You may move to a new property with your parents. This is the right time to remove bitterness in relationships. Efforts made now for a new task or plan will give favorable results in the future. Libra Tarot Reading (Five of Pentacles) Ganesha says avoid resorting to lies in any relationship. Do not lie to your partner in love relationships or hide anything, as this can break the relationship. You may feel quite frustrated due to struggling with financial constraints for a long time. Despite this, you have constantly faced every situation with courage. Your faith and belief in God have always brought you success. You are confident that you will soon find a way to overcome this financial crisis. There has been a lot of loss in business, and to overcome this, you may have to seek financial help from others. You have suffered a lot of financial loss due to someone close to you. This can cause inner unrest and impatience. Haste in completing tasks can create obstacles. Scorpio Tarot Reading (The Devil) Ganesha says sometimes people close to you inadvertently hurt you with their harsh words, causing you emotional pain. It is not always easy to distance yourself from such people; rather, your affection towards them can decrease. Your relationship with your lover is not getting approval from his family, which is delaying your marriage proposal. However, your partner is determined to marry you, but is feeling helpless in front of his family at this time. Increasing challenges in your workplace are causing a lot of stress. You are trying to get a transfer to another place with the help of your superiors, and you are confident that the situation will improve soon. Helping a friend can inadvertently put you in trouble, so proceed with caution and complete tasks carefully. Some people may get angry with your behavior, but it is not necessary to please everyone. Sagittarius Tarot Reading (Three of Swords) Ganesha says there was increasing tension with your spouse due to some bad association, and suddenly, this tension turned into a scuffle, which can cause you emotional distress. You may feel like boiling lava inside. People around you are blaming you, while you know that the fault is with others. This is the time to speak openly, instead of silently tolerating everything. Seeing the cases increasing against you due to politics in the workplace, you can put your point in front of your superiors. There is a possibility that you may be transferred to some other place. The present time is not in your favor, so it would be better not to increase disputes with anyone. Moving to a new place can improve the current situation. Soon, the circumstances will start turning in your favor. Capricorn Tarot Reading (Two of Swords) Ganesha says haste in making decisions can now create confusion. Due to repeated pressure from someone, you had to make a hasty decision, which you now regret. You may feel the need to make some changes to start a new business. You may plan a trip to a new place with your colleagues to make work-related plans. There is a conflict going on in your mind. Try to connect with your conscience. To differentiate between right and wrong, it is important to understand the thoughts of your mind. You are ready to start a new life in a new place with your spouse. Your job search is also over. This is the time to control your thoughts and speech. Avoid getting angry over small things. Control your speech. Trust your decisions. Although it is important to listen to others, how much to follow their advice is entirely up to you. Aquarius Tarot Reading (Judgment) Ganesha says while helping someone, do not expect that he/she will do the same for you in return. This may hurt your feelings sometimes. Someones mask has suddenly come off, exposing their real intentions. You had trusted them a lot, and their selfishness has hurt you. The truth of a relationship will come out in a way you never imagined. You should be thankful to God that he saved you from big trouble. The time is favorable. The hard work you have done in the past may soon yield good results. Promotion and a higher position may be attained at work. Instead of getting angry at the other persons mistake, it would be wise to forgive him and give him a chance to correct it. There may be a major twist in the partnership, which may also lead to a legal case. Pisces Tarot Reading (Four of Swords) Ganesha says excess of anything is harmful, whether it is greed for money or passion for work. Doing the right thing at the right time gives good results of success. Many times, due to work pressure, we ignore our responsibilities towards the family. Recently,y you have come out of a difficult situation. At this time, there is a lot of turmoil in your thoughts. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all To give peace to the mind, you can take a break from work, so that you can bring energy and positivity to your thoughts before starting any new plan. There have been many disagreements with loved ones. Everyone seems a little distant. It is time for a change. Change your thinking and behavior. Be polite with your loved ones. You may feel defeated and tired. (The author Chirag Daruwalla is the son of Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla). About the Author Chirag Daruwalla Chirag Daruwalla, a renowned Indian astrologer with 18+ years of experience, provides expert guidance in career, health, finance, business, and more. He combines Vedic and Western astrology, I-Ching, ... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 07:15 IST News astrology Tarot Card Reading Today October 21, 2025 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... Forced Me To Undress: Bengaluru Dermatologist Held For Sexually Harassing Woman At Clinic Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 15:46 IST The victim in her police complaint said she had gone to Dr Praveen's clinic on October 18 to consult him regarding a skin infection. The woman immediately informed her family, who lodged a complaint at Ashok Nagar Police Station.(Representative Image) In a shocking incident, a dermatologist allegedly sexually harassed a 21-year-old woman during a consultation at his private clinic in Bengaluru. As per media reports, the accused, identified as Dr Praveen, was arrested by Ashok Nagar police and has now been remanded in judicial custody. Recommended Stories The victim in her police complaint said she had gone to Dr Praveens clinic on October 18 to consult him regarding a skin infection. She claimed that during the examination, the doctor forced her to undress and subjected her to inappropriate touching, hugging, and kissing. She said that he allegedly touched her inappropriately and continued to harass her for nearly 30 minutes. He also allegedly made indecent remarks and suggested meeting her later at a hotel to spend time with her in private. She added that she typically visited the clinic with her father, but he was unable to accompany her that day. The woman immediately informed her family about the incident, after which a complaint was lodged with the police. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Police registered a case under Sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused was subsequently taken into custody. Following the arrest, local residents and the victims family staged a protest outside the clinic, demanding strict action. Police said further investigation is ongoing. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 15:46 IST News bengaluru-news Forced Me To Undress: Bengaluru Dermatologist Held For Sexually Harassing Woman At Clinic 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... Breathing In Delhi's Toxic Air? Here Are Ways To Protect Your Lung Health Amid Worsening AQI Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 13:07 IST Delhi woke to thick smog after Diwali fireworks, with AQI hitting 359 and areas like Bawana and Jahangirpuri in the severe zone, raising health risks despite CAQM measures. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Many residents in Delhi complained of breathing difficulties on Tuesday. (Image: ANI) Residents of the national capital on Tuesday woke up to a think blanket of smog after a night of fireworks on Diwali. Delhiites complained about breathing difficulties and irritation in eyes as the the air quality deteriorated to the very poor category, with most of the monitoring stations marked in the Red Zone of pollution. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 359 as of 10 am today. Recommended Stories In many areas the air quality slipped to severe" category as Delhiites ignored partial restrictions and burst firecrackers to mark Diwali, placing public health at risk. As per the CPCB, Bawana recorded AQI of 432 as of 10 am, followed by Jahangirpuri with 405 AQI, Ashok Vihar with 408 AQI and Wazirpur with an AQI 408. An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe. As Delhis AQI hits dangerous levels, experts warn that vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, and people with breathing problems face, a very high risk of health issues, including severe breathing trouble and heart problems. Here Are Some Precautions To Take Amid Air Pollution: Residents and commuters are urged to limit outdoor activities, especially for children and older adults. Use air purifiers and protective masks when going outside to reduce exposure to polluted air. People can hang succulent pants inside their houses which can help to purify the air for proper oxygen circulation and reduce indoor pollutants. Drinking hot water frequently can help soothe the respiratory system. Fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, poses serious health risks to everyone. Avoid getting exposed to that. People are encouraged to use public transport whenever possible and keep windows closed during morning and evening hours, when smog is dense. Anticipating a rise in seasonal pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had earlier enforced Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to curb pollution through preventive and control measures. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Further, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that citys weather is unlikely to improve soon. With weak winds and temperature inversions trapping pollutants near the ground, smog continues to hang over the city. The aftermath of Diwali 2025 has once again highlighted Delhis recurring winter pollution crisis the struggle to balance festive celebrations with the need to protect public health and the environment. Despite Supreme Court regulations, green cracker allowances, and government control measures, Delhis air quality has plunged to dangerous levels, leaving residents to cope with thick smog and increased health risks. 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: October 21, 2025, 13:07 IST News new-delhi-news Breathing In Delhi's Toxic Air? Here Are Ways To Protect Your Lung Health Amid Worsening AQI 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... Niece Of Sanjay Roy, Convict In RG Kar Rape-Murder Case, Found Dead At Her Alipore House Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 13:25 IST A minor girl, niece of Sanjay Roy, was found hanging in a wardrobe at her Alipore home. Police registered an unnatural death case and began investigation. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google A representative image for a crime scene (PTI) The niece of Sanjay Roy, the convict in the RG Kar rape-murder case, was found dead inside a wardrobe at her home in Alipore in West Bengals South 24 Parganas on Sunday. The girls body was reportedly found hanging from a noose inside the wardrobe. According to the preliminary post-mortem report, she died due to hanging. Recommended Stories According to a report in ETV Bharat, the victim was a Class 6 student. The minor girl was immediately rushed to the nearby SSKM Hospital, where doctors declared her dead upon arrival. The report mentioned that no one was at home when the incident occurred, as the victims stepmother had stepped out to buy crackers for Diwali. According to sources in Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, the victims mother had died by suicide a few years ago, after which her father married his sister-in-law. Since then, the girl had been under the care of her aunt. Neighbours told police that frequent arguments were often reported at the victims house. On the day of the incident, when the stepmother returned from the market, she got no response from the girl despite repeatedly calling out to her. After breaking into the house, she couldnt find the girl anywhere, but upon opening a cupboard, she discovered her lifeless body. The police were immediately informed, the report stated. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Following a preliminary investigation, police suspect it to be a case of suicide but have not ruled out the possibility of murder. The family is yet to lodge a formal complaint. Officials said that family members, neighbours, and the victims schoolmates will be questioned to uncover the truth behind the death. Further, a case of unnatural death has been registered. An investigation into the case is underway. More details are awaited. 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: October 21, 2025, 13:25 IST News cities Niece Of Sanjay Roy, Convict In RG Kar Rape-Murder Case, Found Dead At Her Alipore House 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... Srinagar Shines Bright: Hundreds Of People Gather At Lal Chowk For Grand Diwali Celebration Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 10:55 IST Srinagar's Lal Chowk glowed with thousands of lamps as people from diverse communities celebrated Diwali, reflecting unity and harmony. CM Omar Abdullah extended festive greetings. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google People from different communities came together to celebrate Diwali in Srinagar. (Image: X/@Amarrrrz) As people across the country celebrated Diwali with religious fervour, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir also witnessed vibrant celebrations, with homes and streets adorned with dazzling lights and earthen lamps. Reflecting the spirit of unity, hundreds of people gathered at Lal Chowk for the Deep Utsav celebrations. Thousands of earthen lamps illuminated the city square, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Recommended Stories Srinagar: People gather at Lal Chowk during Deep Utsav celebrations pic.twitter.com/JgJin4LuUo IANS (@ians_india) October 20, 2025 In a heart-warming display of brotherhood, people from different communities came together to celebrate the festival of lights. The city centre, which usually bustles with tourists during the day, came alive in the evening as the market glowed in festive illumination. Special prayers were held at temples, where large numbers of devotees gathered to offer their obeisance. VIDEO | Srinagar: Lal Chowk Clock Tower glows as devotees light diyas celebrating Diwali.(Full video available on PTI Videos https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/N9Lu4SB4Rz Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 20, 2025 The historic clock tower at Lal Chowk was also decorated with tricolour lights. Several visuals surfaced on social media showing the city centre glowing under the festive decorations. In a post on X, user @GoJammukashmir described the festival as pure magic." Diwali in Lal Chowk, Srinagar, is pure magic!The heart of Kashmir glowing with diyas, families uniting in joy and the spirit of harmony lighting up the night. A beautiful reminder of our shared celebrations and unbreakable bonds. Happy Diwali, Kashmir! pic.twitter.com/73p69dShXD Go Jammu and Kashmir (@GoJammukashmir) October 20, 2025 Diwali in Lal Chowk, Srinagar, is pure magic! The heart of Kashmir glowing with diyas, families uniting in joy and the spirit of harmony lighting up the night. A beautiful reminder of our shared celebrations and unbreakable bonds. Happy Diwali, Kashmir!," the post read. Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir shines bright this Diwali! For the first time, Lal Chowk lit up in grand celebrations lamps, lights and joy filled the streets.From the Valley to the rest of Bharat, Diwali truly became a festival of unity and light.#Diwali2025 #Srinagar #Kashmir pic.twitter.com/awQ8dxtl7r Amr (@Amarrrrz) October 20, 2025 Another user shared pictures from the celebrations with the caption: Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir shines bright this Diwali! For the first time, Lal Chowk lit up in grand celebrations lamps, lights and joy filled the streets. From the Valley to the rest of Bharat, Diwali truly became a festival of unity and light." This #Diwali2025 at Lal Chowk is historic!! For years, this square witnessed silence, curfews, and conflict. Today, thousands have gathered at Ghanta Ghar, not just to celebrate #Diwali2025, but to send out a loud, message of peace!!," a third user wrote. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier on Monday, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah extended greetings on the occasion of Diwali, praying for happiness and peace for all. Wishing everyone a bright, joyful, and safe Diwali! May the festival of lights bring happiness, prosperity, and peace to you and your loved ones," CM Abdullah tweeted. 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 : Srinagar, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 10:55 IST News srinagar Srinagar Shines Bright: Hundreds Of People Gather At Lal Chowk For Grand Diwali Celebration 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... 133 Million Girls Remain Out Of School Worldwide: UNESCO Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 15:16 IST Women are also under-represented in leadership positions, with only 30 per cent of higher education leaders worldwide being women, the UNESCO report stated. The report highlighted that the Beijing Declaration called for comprehensive transformation beyond enrolment.(Representative/File Photo) Over the past thirty years, the world has made significant progress towards achieving gender parity in education. However, UNESCOs Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team reports that at least 133 million girls worldwide are still out of school. The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action aimed for the full and equal participation of women in all areas of life, including education. While substantial progress has been made over the past three decades, UNESCOs latest data underscores the continuing challenges, reported PTI. Recommended Stories Since 1995, notable progress has been achieved in gender parity in education. Girls now enroll in primary, lower, and upper secondary school at rates similar to boys. Globally, there are 91 million more girls in primary education and 136 million more in secondary education than thirty years ago. Womens enrolment in higher education has also surged, increasing from 41 million to 139 million. These figures represent decades of collective efforts to break down barriers and expand opportunities. Yet, 133 million girls remain out of school today. The GEM team pointed out that progress varies greatly by region. Central and Southern Asia have reached parity in secondary enrolment, whereas sub-Saharan Africa continues to lag behind. Oceania, which once had parity, now sees girls at a disadvantage. In Latin America and the Caribbean, boys are less likely to advance through secondary education compared to girls. The disadvantages intensify when poverty and location intersect with gender; for instance, in Guinea and Mali, almost no poor young women attend school. The report highlighted that the Beijing Declaration called for comprehensive transformation beyond enrolment. Despite progress, it remains uneven. Sexuality education is mandatory in about two-thirds of countries at the primary level and around three-quarters at the secondary level, leaving many youths without essential knowledge and skills. In many contexts, textbooks continue to reinforce stereotypes rather than challenge them. Furthermore, although women make up the majority of teachers, they are under-represented in leadership positions, with only 30 per cent of higher education leaders worldwide being women. These systemic gaps undermine the potential of education to genuinely promote equality. The UNESCO team stressed that while the Beijing Declaration was a significant milestone, lasting progress requires moving beyond milestones towards meaningful change. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Governments must ensure that curricula, teaching, and counselling are gender-transformative, and strengthen pathways for women into educational leadership. They also need to expand sexuality education, protect learners from school-related violence, and invest in data to enable informed action and accountability. The unfinished business of girls education is not just about rights; it concerns the futures of women, their children, and societies. The promise made in Beijing can still be fulfilled, but only if evidence is matched with action. 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: October 21, 2025, 15:09 IST News education-career 133 Million Girls Remain Out Of School Worldwide: UNESCO 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... NMC Approves 10,650 New MBBS Seats; Overall Seat Count To Stand At 1,37,600 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 11:38 IST Currently, India has a total of 137,600 MBBS seats, with substantial contributions from both government and private sectors. There are now 73,300 MBBS seats in government colleges.(Representational Image/Pexels) Over the past decade, India has significantly increased the number of medical colleges and their available seats. The central government has introduced several schemes and policies aimed at establishing one medical college in every district." The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 10,650 new MBBS seats for the academic year 2024-25. This will raise the total number of MBBS seats nationwide to 137,600. This increase is a major relief for millions of students preparing for the NEET medical entrance exam and marks a milestone for the healthcare sector by making medical education more accessible. Recommended Stories India currently has a total of 137,600 MBBS seats, with significant contributions from both government and private sectors: Government Medical Colleges: There are now 73,300 MBBS seats in government colleges, which are preferred by most students due to their lower fees and higher value. Private Medical Colleges: Private institutions account for 64,300 MBBS seats, leading to intense competition. Students often seek admission through quotas or loans. Some states have seen a particularly significant increase in MBBS seats. The following states have the most seats: Tamil Nadu: 11,825 seats Karnataka: 11,695 seats Uttar Pradesh: 11,250 seats Maharashtra: 10,695 seats The addition of 41 new medical colleges has raised the total number of medical institutions in the country to 816, reported PTI. According to NMC Chief Dr Abhijat Sheth, of the 170 applications received for expanding undergraduate (UG) seats, including 41 from government colleges and 129 from private institutions, 10,650 MBBS seats have been approved. For postgraduate (PG) courses, the NMC has received over 3,500 applications for new and renewed seats. Dr Sheth mentioned that the commission expects an increase of about 5,000 PG seats, bringing the total to 67,000 PG seats nationwide. The overall increase in both UG and PG seats this year will be approximately 15,000. These major states contribute a significant portion of the countrys total medical seats. However, the government is now focusing on expanding medical colleges to other parts of the country to reduce regional disparities. Increasing the number of MBBS seats will have several positive impacts on Indias healthcare system: Improving the availability of doctors: This will help achieve the doctor-patient ratio of 1:1000, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Benefits to rural areas: More doctors will allow for expanded medical services in rural and semi-urban areas. Access to education: Students will have the opportunity to enrol in medical colleges near their home state, reducing the need to travel far for their studies. 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: October 21, 2025, 11:15 IST News education-career NMC Approves 10,650 New MBBS Seats; Overall Seat Count To Stand At 1,37,600 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... Bihar Polls: Amid Talks Of Rift, Mahagathbandhan To Address Joint Press Briefing Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 23:40 IST Despite recent tensions over seat-sharing arrangements and campaign strategies, leaders of the alliance are expected to present a united front at the press briefing. Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav. (File) Amid speculations of internal rift within the alliance, the oppositions Mahagathbandhan is poised to showcase a united front as it will hold a joint press conference in Patna on Wednesday. The event will also mark the formal launch of its election campaign for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls. Despite recent tensions over seat-sharing arrangements and campaign strategies, leaders of the alliance are expected to present a united front at the press briefing. Recommended Stories The constituent parties, including the Congress, RJD, VIP, and others, will outline the campaign roadmap and highlight key constituencies as they prepare to hit the ground running, aiming to consolidate voter support ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Despite multiple meetings and behind-the-scenes talks, coordination among the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties remains disjointed. Clashing candidate nominations suggest underlying rivalries that may undermine the alliances chances in crucial constituencies ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. The central deadlock revolved around the number of seats for the Congress. While the RJD, the dominant partner, was reportedly firm on offering around 58 seats, the Congress was adamant about contesting more than 60, ideally 65, citing its status as a national party. The poor strike rate of the Congress in the 2020 elections (winning only 19 of 70 seats) had fueled the RJDs reluctance to concede a higher number. The tensions further intensified after RJD announced a candidate against Congress state president Rajesh Ram for the Kutumba (reserved) Assembly seat in Aurangabad. The RJD and the Congress are locked in direct contests on six seats, while the CPI and Congress will face each other in four constituencies. In addition, Mukesh Sahanis Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and the RJD will clash on two seats: Chainpur and Babubarhi. The situation became clearer after the RJD released its list of 143 candidates on Monday, which included six seats where the Congress has also fielded candidates. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to the Election Commission, a total of 1,314 candidates remain in the fray for the first phase, in which 121 of the 243 assembly constituencies will go to the polls on November 6. This follows the withdrawal of 61 nominations and the rejection of more than 300 during the scrutiny process. Bihar will vote in two phases, on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 23:40 IST News elections Bihar Polls: Amid Talks Of Rift, Mahagathbandhan To Address Joint Press Briefing 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... Bihar Polls: Prashant Kishor Alleges 3 Candidates Of His Party Withdrew Under BJP's Pressure Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 17:30 IST Prashant Kishor accused BJP of intimidating Jan Suraaj Party candidates to withdraw nominations in Bihar Polls 2025. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor addressed a press conference on Tuesday. (PTI) Bihar Polls 2025: Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday accused the BJP of intimidating" his partys candidates and forcing them to withdraw their nominations from key constituencies in Bihar. While addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the poll strategist-turned-politician said that three candidates of his Jan Suraaj Party in the Bihar elections withdrew their nominations under pressure" from the BJP. He said that the BJP was using pressure tactics because it feared losing ground in the upcoming assembly polls, news agency PTI reported. Recommended Stories Directly naming Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Kishor said that they kept a candidate with him for one full day so that he could not file his nomination. He claimed that in Danapur, the BJP detained Jan Suraaj candidate Mutur Shah and prevented him from filing his nomination. According to him, he was allegedly kept the entire day with senior BJP leaders, including the Home Minister and the state election in-charge. Earlier, there was a common notion that whoever wins the election, the BJP will form the government. The horse trading practice is not hidden from anyonehow lawmakers are whisked away to resorts and hotels. But now, the top BJP leadership is involved in holding the peoples choice candidates of JSP, with no past baggage and a clean image, hostage," he said. VIDEO | Patna: Addressing a press conference, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor says, There is a model code of conduct for threatening and luring voters, but not for threatening and keeping opposition leaders as hostages. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Bihar BJP pic.twitter.com/NfcJaTKLBJ Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 21, 2025 If the home minister forces someone to be with him, what can that person do? Wheres the Election Commission? Two central ministers are surrounding Jan Suraaj candidatefrom here, we will go to the Election Commission to file an official complaint," he added. Kishor said the NDA does not fear Mahagathbandhan because they know the Oppositions candidates include bahubalis and sand mafia". They will tell the people that they should vote for them to prevent the return of jungle raj. But they fear good people, doctors, traders, educationists and social workers," he said. Democracy is being murdered. There has been no such precedent in the country," he alleged, urging the Election Commission to ensure the security of the candidates. The BJP is trying to replicate the Surat model, in which their candidate got elected unopposed, as all other nominees were coerced to pull out. The BJP does not realise that voters had punished it across the country for it, and it won just 240 seats, though it had bragged that the tally would be 400-plus in last years Lok Sabha polls," he added. VIDEO | Patna: Addressing a press conference, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor says, The BJP has built an image in the last few years that no matter who wins elections, it is the BJP that forms the government. A party that once called Jan Suraaj a spoiler and denied our pic.twitter.com/vYke3XuXaa Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 21, 2025 The candidates who withdrew from the race are: Mutur Shah from Danapur, Satya Prakash Tiwari from Brahampur, and Shashi Shekhar Sinha from Gopalganj. However, there was no immediate response from the NDA and the BJP. Kishors party had announced candidates for all 243 seats in Bihar. With the withdrawal of three candidates from the race, it will now fight on 240 seats as the last date for filing of nominations has already passed. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Bihar assembly elections will be held on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 14. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 17:30 IST News elections Bihar Polls: Prashant Kishor Alleges 3 Candidates Of His Party Withdrew Under BJP's Pressure 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... There's No Such Thing As Friendly Fight: Chirag Paswan Mocks RJD Over Bihar Candidate List Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 08:47 IST Taking a swipe at the opposition over seat-sharing disputes within the INDI alliance, Paswan dismissed the idea of a friendly contest between coalition partners. Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan. (IMAGE: PTI) Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Monday hit out at the oppositions Mahagathbandhan, questioning its ability to govern Bihar while struggling to manage its own alliance partners. Addressing a public gathering, Paswan highlighted the National Democratic Alliances (NDA) timely seat-sharing announcement, calling it a very positive message" for voters ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. The atmosphere is one-sided and we will perform better than our expectations NDA completed the seat sharing on time, which has sent a very positive message As the Mahagathbandhan is unable to keep its flock together, we are expected to win more seats. The alliance that cannot take care of its alliance partners, how could they take care of the state? The public of Bihar is asking these questions to the leaders of Mahagathbandhan The leaders of NDA will celebrate Diwali again on 14 November" he said. Recommended Stories Earlier in the day, Paswan attended the NDA nomination and blessings rally for LJP(R) candidate Uday Singh Yadav along with Union Minister Nityanand Rai and Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal. He reiterated that the NDA aims to transform Bihar in the next term through better healthcare, education, and industrial development. Our Prime Minister and Chief Minister have a vision of how we can empower each individual in society, and with that vision, we are working to move forward. Were going to write a golden history in the next five years. For the next five years, well work to transform Bihar from industrialisation to better education and health, so that no Bihari has to leave Bihar. Were working in this direction I wont rest until I make Bihar first and Biharis first," Paswan said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Taking a swipe at the opposition over seat-sharing disputes within the INDI alliance, Paswan dismissed the idea of a friendly contest" between coalition partners. There is no such thing as a friendly fight, either you are friends or fighting with each other. The friendly conflict does not happen in politics; this is wrong terminology," he told reporters in Patna. Polling for the Bihar Assembly elections will be held on November 6 and 11, with results scheduled to be declared on November 14. About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, including electi... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 08:47 IST News elections There's No Such Thing As Friendly Fight: Chirag Paswan Mocks RJD Over Bihar Candidate List 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... A Special Diwali For PM Modi On Board INS Vikrant Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 20, 2025, 18:49 IST PM Modi had a very extensive set of engagements on board INS Vikrant. He went to the flight deck, surrounded by the MiG-29K fighters PM Modi delivered an inspiring address to the Navy personnel on board INS Vikrant and gave them sweets. (Photo: X/narendramodi) Every year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrates Diwali with Army personnel deployed in border areas. The year 2025 was special and different too. This Diwali was marked by his visit to the high seas to celebrate with the courageous naval personnel of the Indian Navy. On the eve of Diwali, PM Modi left for Goa in a discreet manner from Delhi. From Goa, he went to INS Vikrant off the coast of Goa. This entire journey and visit were carried out in a very discreet manner. Recommended Stories PM Modi had a very extensive set of engagements on board INS Vikrant. He went to the flight deck, surrounded by the MiG-29K fighters. He witnessed the air power demonstration of the Navy, watching the take-off and landing of MiG-29 fighters on a short runway both during the day and at night. He sat along with the naval staff and enjoyed a vibrant cultural programme. The officers and sailors of INS Vikrant sang various patriotic songs, including a special one written by naval personnel to commemorate the success of the Indian Armed Forces in Operation Sindoor. PM Modi was deeply moved by this experience and shared in his X post: Will always cherish the cultural programme on board INS Vikrant last evening. The naval personnel are truly creative and versatile. They penned a song Kasam Sindoor Ki, which will remain etched in my memory." Will always cherish the cultural programme on board INS Vikrant last evening. The naval personnel are truly creative and versatile. They penned a song Kasam Sindoor Ki which will remain etched in my memory. pic.twitter.com/3S6bruQAkT Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 20, 2025 PM Modi had dinner with the extended family of naval personnel during the Bara Khana. And on Diwali morning, he joined a yoga session on the deck of INS Vikrant. He also witnessed a spectacular steam past and flypast. Bara Khana is an integral part of the armed forces traditions. At INS Vikrant last evening, took part in the Bara Khana with naval personnel. pic.twitter.com/y0MsHsuYvQ Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 20, 2025 Later, PM Modi delivered an inspiring address to the Navy personnel on board INS Vikrant and gave them sweets. INS pic.twitter.com/HEPZMSweDM Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 20, 2025 PM Modi and INS Vikrant A Close Association PM Modi had the honour of commissioning INS Vikrant into the Indian Navy in September 2022. This is an indigenous aircraft carrier, the largest warship indigenously constructed in India. INS Vikrant is the principal combatant that carries the entire naval aviation capability of the Indian Navy, including the MiG-29 fighters. Naval Might of the Western Fleet on Full Display The warships that took part in the steam past included INS Vikrant, INS Vikramaditya, INS Surat, INS Mormugao, INS Chennai, INS Imphal, INS Kolkata, INS Tushil, INS Tabar, INS Teg, INS Betwa, INS Deepak, and INS Aditya. The flypast included Chetak (with flag and naval ensign), MH-60R, Sea King, Kamov 31, Dornier, P-8I, and MiG-29K aircraft. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all INS Vikrant is Indias pride!This is the largest warship constructed indigenously. I recall the programme in Kochi when it was commissioned. And now, today, I had the opportunity to be here to mark Diwali. pic.twitter.com/FRCh3K7hJ9 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 20, 2025 After his return to Delhi, PM Modi shared his memorable time spent on INS Vikrant in an X post: INS Vikrant is a pride for India. Built with Swadeshi technology, this is Indias largest warship. I still remember the day when it was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Kochi. On Diwali, I feel proud to come here on the pious occasion of Diwali." First Published: October 20, 2025, 18:49 IST News india A Special Diwali For PM Modi On Board INS Vikrant 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... Bengaluru School Shocker: Mother Alleges 9-Year-Old Son Beaten With PVC Pipe By Principal Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 10:09 IST When the frightened child tried to flee, a teacher identified as Chandrika allegedly held him down, enabling the principal to continue the beating. Representative image (PTI) In a disturbing case from Bengaluru, a mother has accused the management of a private school in Sunkadakatte of brutally assaulting her nine-year-old son with a PVC pipe while the school owner allegedly watched without intervening. According to the police complaint filed by Divya Shankar (30), a resident of Hoysalanagar, her son, Nayan Gowda C S, a Class 5 student at St. Marys Public School on Pipeline Road, was beaten inside the school premises on October 14 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Recommended Stories Divya alleged that the school principal, Rakesh Kumar, assaulted her son with a plastic PVC pipe, leaving him injured and bleeding. When the frightened child tried to flee, a teacher identified as Chandrika allegedly held him down, enabling the principal to continue the beating. The complaint also states that the school owner, Vijayakumar, was present during the incident but did not intervene. Instead, he allegedly stood by as the assault continued. Divya said her son has been left physically injured and mentally traumatised by the ordeal. When she confronted the school authorities, Divya claimed she was warned not to ask too many questions" and was threatened with retaliation if she spoke out. The management allegedly told her to take her sons transfer certificate (T.C.) and leave the school. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all She has requested police protection for her family and demanded strict action against the principal, the teacher, and the school owner. Police confirmed that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway. Officials said the child will undergo a medical examination to assess his injuries, and CCTV footage from the school is being reviewed as part of the probe. 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: October 21, 2025, 10:09 IST News india Bengaluru School Shocker: Mother Alleges 9-Year-Old Son Beaten With PVC Pipe By Principal 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... Beyond Borders: Decoding India's Push To Make Rupee A Trade Powerhouse Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 15:54 IST India is treading cautiously but wants the rupee to be the benchmark for international transactions, which would reduce pressure for maintaining huge foreign reserves Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google The RBI is mulling and working at taking steps to permit free trade partners to settle transactions more easily if the Indian rupee is used. In yet another attempt to make Indias voice matter globally, the government has plans to make the rupee reign in the world, become the main transaction trade currency, and be valued beyond the Indian territory. The move mirrors a similar attempt by China, which has been working on this for years and has ended up upsetting American President Donald Trump. Trump is also miffed with BRICS as he has accused the grouping of trying de-dollarisation and launching their own currency. Recommended Stories India, for sure, doesnt want to give this impression to Trump and antagonise him. Yet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government are keen that India has a currency of its own that is recognised globally. What government sources have told News18 is that India is treading cautiously but wants the rupee to be the benchmark for international transactions. This would mean India wont be under pressure for maintaining huge foreign reserves. However, sources say this is a long-term plan and India wants to popularise the rupee as an important currency across borders. It would also mean no pressure to maintain huge gold reserves and this would ease pressure on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The RBI is mulling and working at taking steps to permit free trade partners to settle transactions more easily if the Indian rupee is used. This would encourage Indias trading partners to use the rupee easily, lowering the risks for industry and making the countrys economy less vulnerable to external pressure and shock. Some countries India is reaching out to are Peru, UAE, Oman, and European Union. While all this could take some time to become a reality, when it does, the rupee could resonate across the world. About the Author Pallavi Ghosh Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. S... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 15:54 IST News india Beyond Borders: Decoding India's Push To Make Rupee A Trade Powerhouse 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... Centre Issues Gazette Notification Listing Gallantry Awardees, Including Op Sindoor Heroes Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 23:15 IST President Murmu approved 127 Gallantry awards and 40 Distinguished Service awards for Armed Forces, honoring heroes like Colonel Koshank Lamba and Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht. Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeting militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (IMAGE: SOURCED) The central government has published a Gazette notification honouring Gallantry awardees from defence forces, including Operation Sindoor. The citations included in the Gazette are mainly of the Indian Air Force and Indian Army personnel. One of the awardees is Colonel Koshank Lamba of 302 Medium Regiment who displayed flawless leadership and at a short notice executed first ever air mobilization of a specialised equipment battery, thereby ensuring timely inter command induction for Operation with utter secrecy". Recommended Stories He has been awarded the Vir Chakra for displaying exceptional bravery, valour and courage under fire reflecting the traditional martial ethos of Indian Army," the notification stated. Another Vir Chakra awardee is Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht. During an Operation Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht as Officer Commanding, displayed exceptional courage, leadership and operational brilliance. He led his unit to resounding success by causing complete destruction of terrorist camps," the order said. Another Vir Chakra Awardee is Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu (Pilot). top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all During an operation, his squadron equipped with the formidable fighter aircraft, was chosen for strike missions over a predetermined target. His squadron subsequently conducted successful strikes over the targets and achieved the desired objectives," the order said. Group Captain Animesh Patni (Pilot) was also awarded the prestigious award. During an operation, the officer was stationed at a forward airbase, commanding a strategic Surface to Air Missile (SAM) squadron. On the designated day, he demonstrated exceptional leadership, guiding his team with precision and flair, resulting in a decisive blow to the capabilities of adversaries, inflicting significant losses without suffering any damage," the notification said. First Published: October 21, 2025, 22:36 IST News india Centre Issues Gazette Notification Listing Gallantry Awardees, Including Op Sindoor Heroes 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... Delhi Sweet Shop Owner Requests Rahul Gandhi To Get Married: 'Want Wedding Order' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 10:00 IST The Ghantewala sweet shop owner stated stated that he would himself make mithai for Rahul Gandhi's wedding. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi making sweets at historic Ghantewala sweet shop in Old Delhi. (Image: X/@RahulGandhi) As the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, visited the iconic Ghantewala sweet shop in Old Delhi on the occasion of Diwali, the shop owner Sushant Jain requested the Congress MP to get married soon so that he can bag the weddings mithai order. On the occassion of Diwali, Rahul Gandhi stopped by the historic sweet shop to buy sweets for his family and friends. He later shared a video of him trying his hands at making imarti and besan laddoo at the famous shop. Recommended Stories Speaking to news agency ANI, Jain called Rahul Gandhi Indias most eligible bachelor" and revealed that his shop has been serving sweets to the Gandhi family since ages. All of India is talking about him being the most eligible bachelor. I said, Rahul ji, please get married soon were waiting, so that we can get the order for your wedding sweets too," Jain was quoted as saying. The Ghantewala sweet shop owner further stated stated that he would himself make mithai for Rahul Gandhis wedding and in fact will taste them too. He further stated that Rajiv ji too liked imarti. Late Rajiv ji, really liked imarti, so I said, sir, you should try that. So he made imarti. He really likes besan laddus too, so I said, sir, you can make those as well. So he made these two items," the shop owner added. Rahul Gandhi also posted the video of his shop visit on X and said the true sweetness of Diwali lies not just in the thali, but also in relationships and community. Tried my hand at making imarti and besan laddoo at the famous and historic Ghantewala sweet shop in old Delhi." The sweetness of this centuries-old, iconic shop remains the same pure, traditional, and heartwarming," the Leader of Opposition said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all , , pic.twitter.com/bVWwa2aetJ Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 20, 2025 In another post on X, Gandhi extended greetings to the people of the country on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. May India be illuminated with the lamps of joy, may the light of happiness, prosperity, and love spread in every home," he wrote. 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: October 21, 2025, 10:00 IST News india Delhi Sweet Shop Owner Requests Rahul Gandhi To Get Married: 'Want Wedding 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... Finding It Difficult To Breathe? Here Are Masks To Protect You From Delhi's 'Hazardous' Air Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 15:47 IST Doctors recommend wearing either N95 or N99 masks in heavy smog and, in a situation when breathing becomes difficult, N100 masks are advised Doctors and health experts recommend the use of masks as a protective measure while stepping outside in Delhi's highly toxic air. (Image: News18) Delhis air quality has deteriorated to hazardous" levels a day after Diwali celebrations, with readings on Tuesday the highest in the world. According to Swiss group IQAir, this is partly due to the use of fireworks during Diwali. Its reading for New Delhi was 442, making it the worlds most polluted major city. Recommended Stories Last week, the Supreme Court relaxed a ban on firecrackers in New Delhi, permitting the use of green crackers" for a maximum of three hours each on Sunday (October 19) and Monday (October 20). Delhis PM 2.5 concentration was more than 59 times the World Health Organizations recommended annual guideline. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into the lungs, risking deadly diseases and cardiac problems. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) also rated the national capitals air quality very poor" with an air quality index (AQI) measurement of 350. An AQI of 0-50 is considered as good. ALSO READ | AAPs Artificial Rain Check Draws BJP Fire Over Stubble Burning Amid Post-Diwali Delhi Smog Coupled with vehicular emissions and smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring states like Punjab and Haryana, Delhi-NCR is unlikely to get relief in the coming days. The earth sciences ministry forecast air quality will remain in the very poor to poor" category with AQI between 201 and 400. A thick smog covers Delhi and neighbouring areas every winter as cold and heavy air traps pollutants, leaving many of its residents struggling with respiratory illnesses. Doctors and health experts recommend the use of masks as a protective measure while stepping outside in Delhis highly toxic air. Other measures include the use of air purifiers inside homes, keeping windows closed during peak pollution hours, hydration, and proper nutrition. This is especially important for those with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart conditions, alongside their regular medication and inhalers. Some experts said awareness and preventive measures play a critical role in safeguarding respiratory and cardiovascular health, so that there is no long-term harm from seasonal pollution. Pulmonologist Dr Karan Mehra, who has previously spoken to News18, has explained the different kinds of masks that can be used to protect your lungs from severe levels of air pollution. WHICH MASK IS MOST EFFECTIVE? From cloth masks to N95 and N99 masks, many protective masks emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr Mehra said N95 masks are considered the most effective for protection against Delhis hazardous air, as these are specifically designed to filter out up to 95 percent airborne particles. Similarly, he said, N99 masks provide protection against up to 99 percent of airborne particles. Doctors recommend wearing either N95 or N99 masks in heavy smog and, in a situation when breathing becomes difficult, N100 masks are advised. These masks offer the highest level of protection, blocking up to 99.97 percent airborne particles, Dr Mehra said. Overall, N95 masks are the most suitable option for navigating smog, effectively preventing harmful gases such as benzene and carbon monoxide from entering the body. They also provide protection against pollutants, including PM10 and PM2.5. Experts suggest the use of P95 and R95 masks as well, which are specifically designed to filter out oil-based particles and are commonly used in industrial settings. Surgical and cloth masks, which were widely used during Covid, offer only basic protection. Wearing the right mask can make a difference. Here are the options you should consider: N95/N99 masks: These masks are designed to filter out at least 95% (N95) or 99% (N99) of airborne particles, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and even smaller particles. They are best on days when Delhis air is highly toxic, and for outdoor activities as well as general protection. They are widely available, easy to use and affordable but can be slightly uncomfortable if worn for extended periods. N100 masks: Only when you are finding it extremely difficult to breathe outside, should you use an N100 mask that filters out 99.97 percent of airborne particles. They are more effective than N95 and N99 masks, but doctors recommend their use only in situations of breathing difficulty. P95 and R95 masks: These masks filter out airborne particles, much like N95 masks, but mainly differ in how resistant they are to oil-based particles and in how long they can be used around such aerosols. They filter out at least 95% of airborne particles, including many bacteria, dust, and some viruses like N95 masks but they differ in oil resistance. These masks are resistant to oil (limited use, up to eight hours in oily environments), especially effective in industrial settings with oil mists or lubricants, heavy industry, painting, chemical processing among others. While R95 masks are for short-term protection in such settings, P95 masks are more heavy-duty, reusable longer in oily or chemical environments. These masks filter out airborne particles, much like N95 masks, but mainly differ in how resistant they are to oil-based particles and in how long they can be used around such aerosols. They filter out at least 95% of airborne particles, including many bacteria, dust, and some viruses like N95 masks but they differ in oil resistance. These masks are resistant to oil (limited use, up to eight hours in oily environments), especially effective in industrial settings with oil mists or lubricants, heavy industry, painting, chemical processing among others. While R95 masks are for short-term protection in such settings, P95 masks are more heavy-duty, reusable longer in oily or chemical environments. PM2.5 pollution masks: These masks are specifically designed to protect against particulate matter (PM2.5) and often come with replaceable filters. They can be used daily during moderate pollution levels and are great for outdoor activities. They are, however, not as effective as N95 or N99 for very high levels of pollution. These masks are specifically designed to protect against particulate matter (PM2.5) and often come with replaceable filters. They can be used daily during moderate pollution levels and are great for outdoor activities. They are, however, not as effective as N95 or N99 for very high levels of pollution. Activated carbon masks: These masks use a layer of activated carbon to filter out harmful gases like volatile organic compounds and toxic fumes, in addition to particulate matter. They are best for people living in highly polluted areas or those who need protection from both particulate matter and harmful gases like carbon monoxide. But, the carbon filters in these masks degrade over time, and they need to be replaced regularly. WHY DO WE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BREATHE WHEN THE AIR IS TOXIC? The respiratory tract is lined with cilia or hair-like projections that move microbes and debris up and out of the airways. While the cilia in the nose and bronchi trap some of the pollutants, the immune system tries to expel them by causing inflammation. But some pollutants succeed in evading this mechanism and reach the pulmonary air sacs. This may adversely affect the lungs. Research has indicated that these particles can enter a persons brain, and even the placenta and the foetus in pregnant women. Particles of PM10 or less can penetrate into the lungs, causing irritation, inflammation and damaging the lining of the respiratory tract. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The smaller the particulate matter, the more health-damaging they become. PM2.5 or less can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the blood system, affecting all major organs of the body, causing lung cancer and strokes. Studies have shown that there has been a rise in lung cancer diagnoses among non-smokers in Delhi. In 1988, when nine out of 10 cases of lung cancer were due to smoking, in 2018, at least 50 percent lung cancer patients are non-smokers. 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: October 21, 2025, 15:18 IST News india Finding It Difficult To Breathe? Here Are Masks To Protect You From Delhi's 'Hazardous' Air 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... Deported Hindi Scholar Francesca Orsini Was Blacklisted Since March For Visa Violation: Sources Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 21:03 IST Francesca Orsini, SOAS Professor Emerita, was denied entry into India at Delhi airport despite valid visa Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google London-based Hindi scholar Francesca Orsini. (File photo via X/@lhrlitfest) Francesca Orsini, a renowned London-based scholar of Hindi and South Asian literature, was reportedly denied entry into India on Monday despite holding a valid tourist visa. Sources told News18 that Orsini has been blacklisted since March this year for allegedly violating visa conditions. She was travelling on a tourist visa but was found to be in breach of visa rules. Being blacklisted for such violations is a standard global practice," the source said. Recommended Stories They source further added that misuse of a visa can lead to restrictions, even if a valid visa is held. According to reports, Orsini, Professor Emerita at SOAS, University of London, landed at Delhi airport on October 21 via Hong Kong after attending an academic conference in China. However, immigration officials stopped her at the airport and sent her back to London, also via Hong Kong, instead of a direct return rout. Her husband, Peter Kornicki, emeritus professor at the University of Cambridge, confirmed to ThePrint that Orsini was not given any explanation by immigration authorities at the airport. She was subsequently placed on a return flight to London via Hong Kong, instead of being allowed to take a direct route back. According to The Wire, Orsini had planned to visit friends during her stay and had last travelled to India as recently as October 2024 without incident. This also incident makes Orsini at least the fourth academic reportedly denied entry into India in recent years despite holding a valid visa. Orsini is widely known for her influential 2002 book, The Hindi Public Sphere 19201940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism," and has dedicated much of her academic life to the study of Hindi language and Indian literary culture Her deportation has drawn sharp criticism from scholars and public figures online. Historian Ramachandra Guha posted on X: Professor Francesca Orsini is a great scholar of Indian literature, whose work has richly illuminated our understanding of our own cultural heritage. To deport her without reason is the mark of a government that is insecure, paranoid, and even stupid." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Professor Francesca Orsini is a great scholar of Indian literature, whose work has richly illuminated our understanding of our own cultural heritage. To deport her without reason is the mark of a government that is insecure, paranoid, and even stupid.https://t.co/j5Fz1uOphS Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) October 21, 2025 TMC MP Sagarika Ghose called the move shocking and sad", writing: Francesca Orsini is a world renowned scholar of South Asian literature and Hindi who has been deported despite her valid visa. The narrow-minded and backward looking @narendramodi regime is destroying the open-minded scholarship and excellence India has always stood for." 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: October 21, 2025, 21:01 IST News india Deported Hindi Scholar Francesca Orsini Was Blacklisted Since March For Visa Violation: 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... Once A Tea Seller, Bihar Man Turns Cyber Fraud Kingpin; Police Seize Rs 1.05 Crore, Gold Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 08:31 IST Police reported that the main suspect, identified as Abhishek Kumar, previously operated a small tea stall before allegedly joining a cybercrime. During the search, the Police recovered Over Rs 1 crore in cash, gold and several items linked to online fraud, (Representative image) The Bihar Police has confiscated over Rs 1.05 crore in cash and a significant amount of jewellery from the residence of a tea seller in Gopalganj, arresting two brothers allegedly involved in an interstate cybercrime network. Responding to a tip-off, police raided a house in Amaithi Khurd village late on Friday, October 17. During the search, they found Rs 1,05,49,850 in cash, 344 grams of gold, 1.75 kg of silver, and several items connected to online fraud. Recommended Stories Cyber DSP Avantika Dilip Kumar disclosed that the seized items also included 85 ATM cards, 75 bank passbooks, 28 chequebooks, Aadhaar cards, two laptops, three mobile phones, and a luxury car, India Today reported. Police reported that the main suspect, identified as Abhishek Kumar, previously operated a small tea stall before allegedly joining a cybercrime racket. He subsequently moved to Dubai, from where he is believed to have managed fraudulent operations, while his brother Aditya Kumar oversaw transactions and logistics in India. Initial investigation indicates the gang transferred fraudulently obtained money into various bank accounts and later converted it into cash," DSP Avantika Dilip Kumar was quoted as saying by India Today. Police suspect the network spans beyond Bihar, possibly having connections with other states. Several other individuals linked to the gang are being tracked. It was noticed that most of the seized bank passbooks were issued in Bengaluru, prompting investigators to extend the probe across states. Officials are investigating whether the accounts were tied to any national-level cyber network. Following the raid, teams from the Income Tax Department and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) joined the investigation to verify the source of funds and potential links to organised cybercrime. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The arrested duo, Abhishek Kumar and Aditya Kumar, have been interrogated for two days. Police are analysing the data from seized devices to identify more members of the network. 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 : Bihar, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 08:21 IST News india Once A Tea Seller, Bihar Man Turns Cyber Fraud Kingpin; Police Seize Rs 1.05 Crore, Gold 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... Bengaluru Infra In Focus As Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Meets Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar Amid Bad Roads Row Reported By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 14:33 IST The meetings came after the Biocon founder recently expressed concern over the condition of Bengalurus roads. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw met Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar amid the Bengaluru bad roads row. Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Tuesday called on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar meetings that come amid a growing debate over whether Bengalurus infrastructure is hurting businesses. Mazumdar-Shaws recent social media post, detailing a foreign guests unpleasant experience on what she described as pothole-ridden, garbage-strewn roads, drew wide attention online. The post also prompted a strong response from the state administration, which defended the work carried out under the ruling Congress government. Recommended Stories The Biocon founder met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and discussed steps towards Bengalurus growth, innovation, and the path ahead for the states growth story following her X post on the poor condition of Bengaluru roads. While Mazumdar-Shaws meet with Siddaramaiah was discribed as a personal visit" and the Chief Ministers Office stated that she invited the Chief Minister to a wedding in the family. The meeting came after the Biocon founder recently expressed concern over the condition of Bengalurus roads after hosting a guest from China at her office. Why are Bengalurus roads so bad?" she questioned the Congress-led government sparking widespread debate across social media and civic circles. Biocon Chief Meets Shivakumar Days after Kiren Mazumdar-Shaw pointed out the deteriorating condition of the roads in Bengaluru, the Biocon founder met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday and discussed steps towards Bengalurus growth, innovation, and the path ahead for the states growth story. Taking to X, Shivakumar shared a photo with Mazumdar-Shaw and wrote, It was a pleasure to meet Kiran Majumdar-Shaw, entrepreneur and Founder of Biocon, at my residence today. We had an engaging discussion on Bengalurus growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnatakas growth story." It was a pleasure to meet Ms. @kiranshaw, entrepreneur and Founder of Biocon, at my residence today. We had an engaging discussion on Bengalurus growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnatakas growth story. pic.twitter.com/NsEkos6tFS DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) October 21, 2025 Meanwhile, sources close to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister informed that the meeting been Shivakumar and Mazumdar-Shaw was fruitful. Additionally, the Deputy Chief Minister assured teh Biocon founder that he will visit places in Bengaluru and discuss with the industry on how to improve the roads situation in Bengaluru. Following this, Shivakumar also asked the Biocon chief to not get into controversial statements, sources informed. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Meets CM Siddaramaiah top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In adddition to this, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw also met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his official residence. Sources close to the CMO stated that the Biocon chief came to invite the Chief Minister to a wedding in the family. No discussion on infrastructure issues took place, the sources informed, saying, It was purely a personal visit." Mazumdar-Shaw also wished Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the occasion of Diwali. About the Author Rohini Swamy Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18s digital platform. She has previously wor... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 11:33 IST News india Bengaluru Infra In Focus As Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Meets Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar Amid Bad Roads 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... Stampede-Like Situation At Siddaramaiahs Event In Karnataka's Puttur; 13 People Fall Ill Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 14:26 IST As per the instructions, the people were asked to gather at 9:30 am on Monday; however, it was reported that the food was not served till 3 pm. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurating an event in Puttur. (Image: X/Siddaramaiah) A major crowd chaos erupted at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs public event, where at least 13 people, including women and children, fell ill due to suffocation, dehydration, hypoglycemia, and mismanagement. The incident took place during the Ashoka Jana Mana event at Kombettu Ground at Puttur on Monday. Recommended Stories Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attended the event, organised by Puttur MLA Ashok Rai, to distribute plates and clothes to the public for Deepavali. As per the instructions, the people were asked to gather at 9:30 am on Monday; however, it was reported that the food was not served till 3 pm. The programme reportedly started late and concluded by 4 pm. As the crowd exceeded the capacity of the stadium, several people, especially women and children, felt suffocated and fell ill soon after the Chief Minister left the venue. The sources reported that the incident occurred because of the delay in serving lunch and distributing gifts. Women fell ill because of dehydration. Three women were given intravenous fluids, while others were discharged. All are out of danger. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Those who attended the event said there was no proper drinking water facility. 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 : Karnataka, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 14:26 IST News india Stampede-Like Situation At Siddaramaiahs Event In Karnataka's Puttur; 13 People Fall Ill 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... Alia Bhatts Diwali Look In Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla Goes Viral For Its Simplicity Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 16:19 IST Alia Bhatt redefined festive minimalism in an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla chikankari kurta and chiffon skirt-saree for Diwali celebrations at her home. Alia Bhatt was styled by Rhea Kapoor and Sanya Kapoor. While most of Bollywood stepped out in maximalist couture for Diwali, Alia Bhatt chose to celebrate quietly and stylishly at home. The actor hosted an intimate get-together with Ranbir Kapoor, her sister Shaheen Bhatt, and close friends, including filmmaker Ayan Mukerji. But what caught everyones eye wasnt the guest list; it was Alias effortlessly elegant ensemble by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, a lesson in how to do festive wear with quiet confidence. Alia Bhatts outfit blurred the lines between traditional and contemporary. She donned a pastel pink chikankari kurta paired with a chiffon draped skirt, striking a perfect balance between comfort and couture. Recommended Stories View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alia Bhatt (@aliaabhatt) Known for her fuss-free festive style, Alia once again leaned into subtlety. Her light pink chikankari kurti featured intricate white threadwork, a soft see-through texture, and a flattering high-low flared hemline. The silhouette flowed easily, accentuating movement rather than structure. Underneath, she layered a plunging sleeveless blouse adorned with delicate sequins, just enough shimmer without overpowering the look. Styled by Rhea Kapoor, Alia paired the kurta with a butter-yellow chiffon skirt-saree, bordered with rich golden patti embroidery. The draping at the front mimicked saree pleats, merging tradition with a contemporary silhouette that was both breathable and statement-worthy, making it a smart post-Diwali styling choice that feels festive yet relaxed. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Alias makeup echoed the same understated elegance. Her jewellery was minimal but impactful, with a pearl-studded floral choker and a single statement ring, both in gold tones that complemented her pastel palette. Her hair, parted at the centre and half-tied with delicate gajras, added a soft, old-world charm to her modern ensemble. For makeup, Alia stayed true to her signature barely there aesthetic with glossy pink lips, winged eyeliner, glowing skin, and feathered brows, letting her natural luminosity take centre stage. In a season dominated by glittering lehengas and maximalist metallics, Alia Bhatts Diwali look was a refreshing reminder that elegance doesnt need excess. By pairing Indian craftsmanship with modern styling, she turned minimalism into the ultimate festive statement. Whether you call it a saree, skirt, or something in between, one things certain Alia Bhatt has made a strong case for slow, mindful festive fashion thats as comfortable as it is captivating. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 16:19 IST News lifestyle fashion Alia Bhatts Diwali Look In Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla Goes Viral For Its Simplicity Kriti Sanon Glimmers In Red Sharara For Diwali From Her Sister's Fashion Label Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 10:27 IST Opting for the classic red and gold combination on Diwali, Kriti Sanon stunned in a rich crimson red sharara set from her sister Nupur Sanon's brand - Label Nobo. Kriti Sanon celebrated Diwali with her family and friends. For Diwali 2025, Kriti Sanon embodied festive charm and sisterly pride in a resplendent Label Nobo ensemble designed by her sister, Nupur Sanon. The actor, known for her effortless elegance and luminous smile, opted for a rich crimson red sharara set adorned with intricate gold embroidery. The look perfectly balanced tradition and glamour. Captured against the backdrop of her Diwali celebrations at home, Kriti Sanon radiated joy and warmth, becoming the very picture of festive perfection. Recommended Stories What Kriti Sanon Wore For Diwali 2025 The deep red sharara set from Label Nobo was a celebration of handcrafted luxury. The sleeveless kurta featured delicate zari motifs and gota work, exuding a classic festive aura while maintaining a modern silhouette. The flowing sharara pants, accentuated with embroidered hems, added movement and drama to the ensemble. A sheer dupatta draped gracefully over her shoulders completed the outfit, adding a layer of softness and romance. Every detail, from the golden threadwork to the intricate borders, showcased Nupur Sanons vision of blending traditional craftsmanship with contemporary appeal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kriti Sanon (@kritisanon) Styling: Understated Yet Impactful Kritis styling for the evening leaned into understated sophistication. She paired the vibrant outfit with gold jhumkas and stacked bangles, keeping accessories minimal but statement-worthy. Her softly tousled hair and glowing makeup with bronzed cheeks, nude lips, and kohl-rimmed eyes enhanced her natural radiance. The result was a look that felt festive without being overpowering making it perfect for intimate Diwali celebrations where comfort and style walk hand in hand. Fashion With A Personal Touch What made this appearance extra special was the emotional connection behind it. Wearing a creation by her sisters label added a layer of sentiment to Kritis look. It wasnt just a fashion statement. It was a celebration of family, creativity, and festive togetherness. The Label Nobo ensemble beautifully reflected the synergy between the Sanon sisters. It felt timeless, confident, and refreshingly real. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Kriti Sanons Upcoming Projects Meanwhile, on the film front, Kriti is preparing for the release of Aanand L Rais romantic drama Tere Ishk Mein, co-starring Dhanush. Set to release on November 28, the film has already generated excitement following the teasers launch. She is also shooting for Cocktail 2 with Rashmika Mandanna and Shahid Kapoor. Produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films and directed by Homi Adajania, the sequel promises a fresh take on romance, friendship, and emotional dilemmas. Cocktail 2 also marks Kritis first collaboration with Rashmika, while reuniting her with Shahid after their 2024 hit Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 10:27 IST News lifestyle fashion Kriti Sanon Glimmers In Red Sharara For Diwali From Her Sister's Fashion Label Indias Sweet Spot: How Soft Serves Are Scooping Up A New Dessert Era Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 14:58 IST Indias sweet tooth is getting a modern upgrade as global dessert trends meet timeless local favourites in a swirl of innovation. The Indian dessert landscape is changing. The dessert scene in India is in the middle of a delicious transformation. From old-school ice cream parlours and traditional mithai shops to sleek, global-style dessert bars, the countrys sweet tooth has never been more adventurous. The latest addition to this evolving palate is the comeback of soft serve. As Indias frozen dessert market heats up, international players are no longer serving just indulgence. Theyre dishing out innovation with a local heart. Few understand this better than Sumer Sethi, Founder of Unify Foodworks, who has brought Carvel, the American brand that invented soft serve ice cream, to India. India has a sweet tooth, and for Indians, there is always something sweet after every meal," Sethi says. Recommended Stories Global Heritage, Local Heart For decades, soft serve has symbolised carefree joy the perfect swirl of creamy texture and nostalgia. But in India, that nostalgia comes with a distinctly local twist. The new wave of frozen desserts is as much about cultural comfort as it is about global indulgence. At Carvel India, we researched intensely to figure out the taste preferences of Indias target audience and developed flavour profiles in tandem with the supply chain," says Sumer. The result: a line-up that blends the familiar with the new Gulab Jamun Lava Sundaes, Filter Coffee Dashers, Tutti Frutti Carvelanches, and Mango Soft Serve, flavours that bridge the gap between traditional mithai nostalgia and contemporary dessert culture. A Treat For Every Generation Indias love for desserts cuts across age groups, and that inclusivity has shaped the brands strategy. There are only a few taste profiles that the consumer from 8 to 80 years old enjoys, and weve focused on exactly that. The offering needs to have something for everyone," says Sethi. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As the frozen dessert space in India grows, its clear that the next wave of indulgence is both familiar and fresh. With a mix of nostalgia, innovation, and accessible pricing, soft serve is no longer just a childhood treat, but its becoming a lifestyle experience. Whether its a mid-day pick-me-up or a late-night celebration, Indias dessert evolution has found its sweet spot, one swirl at a time. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 14:58 IST News lifestyle food Indias Sweet Spot: How Soft Serves Are Scooping Up A New Dessert Era When: November 20 @ 7:30 - 9:00 AM PDT Check your local times using this date/time converter. Cost: Free. Suggested donation of $10 USD. While we provide an option to attend this event for free, as a nonprofit we depend on donations and your contribution is greatly appreciated! You can no longer register for this event The Community Resiliency Model (CRM) Workshops introduces participants to six wellness skills. CRM Workshops help create trauma-informed and resiliency-informed individuals and communities that share a common understanding of the impact of trauma and chronic stress on the nervous system and how resiliency can be restored or increased using this skills-based approach. The two fundamental goals of CRM are to help adults and children learn to track their own nervous systems in order to bring the body, mind and spirit back into greater balance, and to encourage people to pass the skills along to family, friends and their wider community. CRM can be used as self-care for those community members who are the front-line workers, responding to crisis situations or who live in highly traumatized and/or marginalized communities. In addition, CRM can be taught as a peer-to-peer program, called the Teacher Training program, where community members can be trained to help themselves and others. Facilitators Elaine Miller-Karas is a prominent figure in the field of trauma resiliency, serving as the Co-Founder and Executive Director Emeritus at the Trauma Resource Institute. She is also the author of the book titled Building Resiliency to Trauma, the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models, 2nd Edition (published in 2023). Her work has had a profound impact globally, as she has dedicated herself to promoting healing in communities around the world. Miller-Karas' innovative trauma resiliency models have been introduced in 75 countries across Asia, Africa, North America, Australia, the Middle East, South America, and Europe. Her expertise as an international speaker and author has led her to present the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) at prestigious events like the Skoll World Forum and the United Nations. Remarkably, her book has been recognized by the United Nations, and her publisher, Taylor and Francis, curated online library as a valuable resource contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. Laura Burgis is the president of The Human Values Center (HVC), a nonprofit CBO dedicated to student development in K-12 and higher education, focusing on resilience-building programs rooted in nature-based curricula and aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Inner Development Goals (IDGs). The work of the HVC supports collaboration among university partners to engage in regional service-learning programs for eco-impact at scale. Before forming her team at HVC, Dr. Burgis spent 25 years in academia, serving as Associate Dean at Arizona State Universitys W. P. Carey School of Business and later as the founding Executive Vice President of Claremont Lincoln University. Her current research agenda examines inner-development curricula and pedagogy in nature-based contexts, indigenous ways of learning, and community development for students in the local community. She is passionate about raising consciousness and the potential of collective well-being as a collaborative movement, where harmony may be restored and all beings flourish. In that spirit, Dr. Burgis volunteers locally with Compassionate Pomona initiatives. Laura is co-chair of the 2025 Southern California Regional Collective Wellbeing Leadership Summit & Public Exhibit; and is a trustee of Baltazar & Rose, an LA-based social enterprise supporting refugees and former gang members with job skill training and love. Dr. Laura Burgis is a certified CRM trainer. Chhath Puja Fasting: What A 36-Hour Waterless Fast Does To Your Body Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 12:39 IST As Chhath Puja nears, devotion meets discipline, but is a 36-hour waterless fast a test of faith or a health risk? Experts weigh in on this sacred tradition Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Extended periods without food or water can cause sudden drops in blood sugar or significant fluctuations in blood pressure, potentially leading to serious complications. (News18) Following Diwali, preparations for the Chhath festival are underway across the country. This four-day festival of devotion and discipline will be observed from October 25 to October 28 this year. Chhath Puja is celebrated with great fervour, particularly in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Nepal. A significant ritual during Chhath is the 36-hour nirjala (waterless) fast observed by women, dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. Recommended Stories This demanding fast, involving complete abstinence from both food and water, is seen as an act of deep devotion. However, medical experts warn that while fasting can offer certain health benefits, a waterless fast of this duration may also pose health risks. What Happens To The Body During Fasting? Dr Sonia Rawat, Director of the Preventive Health and Wellness Department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, told News18 that fasting, when done properly, can be beneficial. When we stop eating, the digestive system enters rest mode, reducing the production of gastric juices. This gives the digestive organs a much-needed break and helps in detoxifying the body," she explained. Fasting may also have positive effects on mental well-being by calming the mind and reducing stress levels. However, Dr Rawat cautioned that prolonged fasting without water can be harmful. Is A 36-Hour Waterless Fast Risky? According to Dr Rawat, the human body requires at least 2 to 3 litres of water daily to function efficiently. Going without water for 36 hours can lead to dehydration, which may result in headaches, fatigue, dizziness, low blood pressure, and dark-coloured urine. Prolonged dehydration may also disturb the bodys electrolyte balance, causing weakness and discomfort. Additionally, some people may experience bloating or digestive issues during extended fasts. Only individuals in good health should attempt such a rigorous fast. It is advisable to increase water intake in the days leading up to the fast, ideally beginning four to five days in advance, to improve hydration levels and reduce the risk of dehydration during the fast. Who Should Avoid Waterless Fasting? Medical professionals strongly advise people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, high or low blood pressure, heart disease, or kidney issues to consult a doctor before undertaking a 36-hour waterless fast. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Extended periods without food or water can cause sudden drops in blood sugar or significant fluctuations in blood pressure, potentially leading to serious complications. Fasting during Chhath is both a spiritual and physical discipline. While it is a powerful expression of devotion, it should be approached with caution, especially by those with existing health concerns. Consulting a medical expert beforehand and preparing the body with adequate hydration are essential steps to ensure safety and well-being during this sacred observance. First Published: October 21, 2025, 12:39 IST News lifestyle health-and-fitness Chhath Puja Fasting: What A 36-Hour Waterless Fast Does To Your Body Post-Diwali Pollution And Its Effects On Your Eyes: Risks, Remedies And When To See A Doctor Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 13:26 IST Post-Diwali pollution can irritate and damage your eyes. Learn symptoms, home remedies, whos at risk, and when to see a doctor. Many residents in Delhi complained of breathing difficulties on Tuesday. (Image: ANI) The rise in air pollution caused by firecrackers after Diwali can pose a serious risk to your eyes. The air becomes filled with smoke, dust, and chemicals that may cause redness, itching, watering, and a burning sensation. People at higher risk including those with existing allergies, contact lens users, and individuals with dry eyes are more prone to discomfort, irritation, and even infections during this period. Recommended Stories Dr. Pawan Gupta, Senior Cataract and Retina Surgeon, Eye 7 Hospital, Lajpat Nagar & Vision Eye Clinic, New Delhi, shares, After the festivities of Diwali, pollution can lead to various eye issues due to smoke, dust, and toxic chemicals released during firecracker use. Common symptoms include redness, itching, burning sensation, watering, and dryness. Fine particulate matter can trigger allergic conjunctivitis, swelling, and irritation. In severe cases, it may lead to blurred vision or corneal inflammation." Those with pre-existing eye conditions or who wear contact lenses are more susceptible to discomfort and infections during the post-Diwali pollution period. How to Stay Safe and Protect Your Eyes To limit risk and stay safe, try to: Avoid outdoor activities when pollution levels are high. Wear protective eyewear to shield your eyes from smoke and dust. Rinse your eyes with clean water after being outdoors. Use lubricating eye drops to relieve dryness and irritation. Apply a cold compress to soothe burning or itchy eyes. Keep your home ventilated and consider using an air purifier to reduce indoor pollution. When to See a Doctor top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all If you experience persistent redness, pain, blurred vision, or swelling, its important to consult an eye specialist right away. Ignoring these symptoms may worsen the condition or lead to infection. As Dr. Gupta advises, Even simple preventive steps can make a big difference in protecting your vision during the high-pollution days following Diwali. Awareness, caution, and timely medical attention are key to keeping your eyes healthy." About the Author Swati Chaturvedi Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she's a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in N... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 13:26 IST News lifestyle health-and-fitness Post-Diwali Pollution And Its Effects On Your Eyes: Risks, Remedies And When To See A Doctor Aneet Padda Confirmed In Shakti Shalini, Abhinav Kashyap Calls Salman Khan 'Insecure' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 21:45 IST Aneet Padda stars in Shakti Shalini, Abhinav Kashyap criticizes Salman Khan, Assam CID probes Zubeen Gargs death in Singapore. Here are the newsmakers of the day. Buoyed by the success of her debut Saiyaara, actress Aneet Padda is gearing up for a major role in Shakti Shalini, the latest installment in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe. Scheduled for release on December 24, 2026, the film sees Aneet stepping into the titular role of Shakti Shalini, a character described as the creator, the destroyer, and the mother of all." Read full story here: Saiyaara Star Aneet Padda Confirmed In Maddock Horror Universes Shakti Shalini Recommended Stories Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap has once again made headlines for his outspoken remarks about Salman Khan and his family. In a recent interview with Bollywood Thikana, Kashyap described Salman Khan as insecure" and alleged that the superstar reduced his brother Arbaaz Khans role in the 2010 film. He further claimed that the brothers had a significant argument on the films sets, adding that Salman reportedly hates" Arbaaz. Read full story here: Salman Khan Is Insecure, Hates Brother Arbaaz: Dabangg Director Abhinav Kashyap In a big development in Zubeen Gargs death investigation, the Assam Polices SIT/CID team has now reached Singapore and will meet the police authorities there on Tuesday. Led by Special DGP (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta, the two-member team arrived in Singapore on Monday, October 20 and is now set to take the probe forward. It is also expected to hold discussions with the officials of the Singapore Police Force. Read full story here: Zubeen Garg Death Investigation: Assam CID Reaches Singapore, To Meet Police Authorities Love seems to be blooming again for Pavitra Punia. The actress, who had previously made headlines for her whirlwind romance and subsequent breakup with Bigg Boss co-contestant Eijaz Khan, appears to have moved on. Reports suggest that Pavitra is now dating a Mumbai-based businessman, and the couple has been spending considerable time together, sparking speculation about their budding relationship. Read full story here: Pavitra Punia Finds Love Again In Businessman After Breakup With Eijaz Khan Rani Mukerji is gearing up to reprise her iconic role as the fearless cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in Yash Raj Films Mardaani 3. The third installment of the blockbuster franchise marks her return to the police officers uniform, thrilling fans who have followed the series since its inception. Ahead of the films release, Rani took a moment to honour the Indian Police Force on Indian Police Day 2025, extending a heartfelt salute to the men and women serving the nation. Read full story here: Indian Police Day 2025: Mardaani 3 Actress Rani Mukerji Salutes Their Courage And Selfless Spirit First Published: October 21, 2025, 21:45 IST News movies bollywood Aneet Padda Confirmed In Shakti Shalini, Abhinav Kashyap Calls Salman Khan 'Insecure' Ranveer Allahbadia Officially Confirms Relationship With Juhi Bhatt After Breakup With Nikki Sharma Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 20, 2025, 16:20 IST Ranveer Allahbadia confirms his relationship with Juhi Bhatt after breaking up with Nikki Sharma. Ranveer Allahbadia is now dating Juhi Bhatt after split from Nikki Sharma. YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, popularly known as BeerBiceps, has officially confirmed his relationship with influencer Juhi Bhatt, months after his separation from actress Nikki Sharma. The announcement coincided with Diwali celebrations on Monday, October 20, when Allahbadia shared glimpses from his festive setup. While he did not directly reveal Juhis identity, Ghibli-inspired AI-generated images subtly indicated his new romance. On Instagram, Ranveer posted photos of his Diwali celebrations, captioning them, Happy Diwali. Having a grown man Diwali this year. First time I decorated my own place, thanks to some divine help. Lifes good when you begin your day with a LIVE Rasraj Ji Maharaj Bajrang Baan. And end it with some Soft 1960s music." Recommended Stories View this post on Instagram A post shared by Juhi Bhatt (@juhi.bhatt) Shortly after, Juhi Bhatt shared an image of what appeared to be the same floral rangoli featured in Ranveers post, along with a bouquet of pink roses, hinting that the pair celebrated the festival together. Fans noticed that they follow each other on Instagram, adding to the dating speculation. Ranveer had previously been in a relationship with actress Nikki Sharma. While he often posted pictures of her on social media, he kept her identity private by covering her face with a sunflower emoji. Rumours of their breakup began circulating after Ranveer unfollowed Nikki on Instagram. Earlier this year, Ranveer was also involved in a controversy stemming from an episode of Samay Rainas show Indias Got Latent. During the show, he asked a contestant, Would you rather watch your parents have sex for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?" This prompted multiple FIRs against him, Samay Raina, and other panel members. Ranveer later issued a statement to the police, admitting his mistake, apologising, and committing to exercising more caution in the future. First Published: October 20, 2025, 16:20 IST News movies bollywood Ranveer Allahbadia Officially Confirms Relationship With Juhi Bhatt After Breakup With Nikki Sharma Opinion | Asrani: The Punctuation Mark Of Hindi Cinema Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 13:48 IST Asrani reminded us that gentleness could be radical. He was the quiet conscience of comedy a man who made the art of timing feel like the art of living Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Indian Bollywood actor Asrani passed away at the age of 84 on October 20, 2025. (IMAGE: AFP) Govardhan Asranis face was the punctuation mark of Hindi cinema: the comma that gave rhythm to chaos, the ellipsis that made room for laughter. A fine actor and a finer human being, Asranis presence added layers to any narrative. There wasnt a genre he couldnt excel in or an actor he couldnt complement. His death on Diwali, after greeting his fans and succumbing to age-related ailments, marks the end of a legend who stood as the bridge between eras. Most people remember Asrani as a comic genius. The temptation is easy to confine his brilliance to laughter. Actors like Walter Matthau or Jack Lemmon were granted leading-man respectability in Hollywood Oscar nominations, top billing, critical reverence while Asrani, occupying the same artistic territory, never received equivalent spotlight. Limiting Asranis brilliance to comedy and timing is a reductive view that misses something fundamental: doesnt every actor need timing? Recommended Stories Imagine a dramatic performer delivering a reaction ten seconds early, deliberately throwing a co-star off seasoned stars have done this to unsettle younger rivals. Or consider an action hero whose punches land three seconds late. Timing isnt a comic virtue; its an acting fundamental. Asrani simply mastered it so thoroughly that he made difficulty look like ease. My earliest memory of him is not in a comic role at all. It is Khoon Pasina, where he plays the upright, faintly henpecked husband of Aruna Iranis fiery landlords daughter a man whose Gandhian pacifism collides with his wifes impulsive temper. Asranis restraint in that small part was a revelation. He could have coasted on far easier terrain. In the 1970s, comedy was the safest haven for character actors: a parallel track detached from the heros burden, a self-contained film within the film. By the 1980s, these subplots peopled by Asrani, Jagdeep, Kader Khan, and Shakti Kapoor had almost become an ecosystem of their own. Yet Asrani always located dignity in the absurd. The more you studied his filmography, the more you saw how eagerly the industry loved to slot him. Born on New Years Day 1941 in a middle-class Sindhi family in Jaipur, the son of a carpet merchant who migrated after Partition, Asrani was never meant for show business. He studied at St Xaviers, acted on All India Radio to fund his education, and joined FTII in 1964 at Hrishikesh Mukherjees urging. While looking for work, he taught at FTII for a while; Jaya Bhaduri was among his students. For years afterwards, Bhaduri and Amitabh Bachchan still addressed him as Sir". Even as he rose in Bombay, he carried the humility of a teacher, later heading FTII between 1988 and 1993. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who first encouraged him, kept promising him a proper" part. Each time Asrani asked, the director said: Milega, milega." The phrase became an inside joke, and though the role remained elusive, the friendship endured. To appreciate Asranis genius, you had to notice what he left unsaid. His art was built on paradox: precision that looked effortless. Watch the micro-beats the half-pause before a punchline, the refusal to oversell a gag, the way the eyes did the heavy lifting so the voice could stay unhurried. This wasnt comedy; it was dramaturgy disguised as lightness. His early work in Mere Apne and Satyakam was serious, shaded, and quietly modern. In an industry that often confused volume with vitality, Asrani understood economy. He knew where humour ended and cruelty began and landed just shy of the latter. Through the 1970s and 1980s, he adapted with ease. In Abhimaan, Bawarchi, Chhoti Si Baat, Chupke Chupke, Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar and Karm, he occupied that elusive space neither comedian nor second lead nor character actor". He directed himself in Chala Murari Hero Banne and became a bona-fide star in Gujarati cinema. He formed partnerships across five decades with Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar, and filmmakers from the South such as D. Rama Naidu (who gave him a career-reviving role in Taqdeerwala, 1995, after a lull in the early 1990s), K. Bapaiah, Dasari Narayana Rao, and K. Raghavendra Rao before Priyadarshan cast him again in the 2000s. One of his final roles was in Priyadarshans Haiwan. Actors like Asrani are the connective tissue of popular cinema. They bear the burden of continuity. Walter Matthau had a similar fate in Hollywood a man of crumpled charm and tragicomic intelligence who, unlike his handsome peers, was allowed to age into leading-man respectability. In France, think of Michel Serrault the everyman whose wit and melancholy made him indispensable to directors as different as Chabrol and Molinaro. The difference is that Matthau and Serrault were ultimately permitted centre stage; they were celebrated for being precisely what they were. Hindi cinema, however, has rarely extended such grace. It kept Asrani in its heart but not always in its spotlight. He operated in an ecosystem of specialists: Mehmood overshadowed leading men; Jagdeep embodied the Johnny Walker tradition; Deven Verma became the genteel second lead. Asrani carved his own space chameleon-like, matching pace with every leading man from Rajesh Khanna to Govinda and Akshay Kumar. He became the bridge between eras from Mehmoods theatrics to Paresh Rawals realism and made transition itself look effortless. His scenes from films like Dhamaal and De Dana Dan endlessly clipped, looped, and celebrated across Instagram reels and YouTube shorts stand as a testament to his timelessness. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all That may be his true legacy. In a cinema that often mistook exaggeration for energy, Asrani reminded us that gentleness could be radical. He was the quiet conscience of comedy a man who made the art of timing feel like the art of living. The writer is a film historian. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. About the Author Gautam Chintamani Gautam Chintamani is a voracious cinephile attuned to writing on the world cinema, Bollywood and everything in between. An unapologetic pursuer of art in something as zany as popular Hindi cinema, he ... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 13:48 IST News opinion Opinion | Asrani: The Punctuation Mark Of Hindi Cinema 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 | The Strategic Genius Of Netaji & Why October 21 Should Be India's True Independence Day Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 23, 2025, 22:55 IST USA, Bangladesh and many others have shown that the declaration of independence is a day decided not by those leaving the shores Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Travel back in time a few months after Japan catapulted into the Second World War on December 7, 1941. For the allies, the red flags were tagged as with lightning speed, Japan dribbled past Malaya, overran Rangoon and took over Singapore. Simultaneously, Germany and allies were dealing shattering blows to enemies of Europe and someone needed to intervene the points on the circle. Roosevelt and Chiang Kai Shek prevailed upon the British for the Indian scenario and thus was deputed Sir Stafford Cripps to win over the Congress. Cripps promised dominion status and rights of provinces to secede, which was not in line with Congresss demand for full transfer of power and without any secession. The curtains were drawn leading to Gandhi defining it as a post-dated check on a crushing bank". The proposal unknowingly did a favour though. Recommended Stories Failure of the mission had a catalytic effect on the mood of the official leadership of the Congress. That perhaps gave rise to the slogansQuit India and Do or Die. At last Gandhi and Netaji converged. Subhas wanted to take advantage of the war while Gandhi did not. This convergence was the most significant landmark in the march of Indian people to freedom. So, while the Quit India movement was taking small footsteps, Subhas was on the prowl. Alongside, brothers in the Far East were also involved for the same purpose with Rash Behari Bose starting the Indian Independence League while a branch of the same organisation was established by Swamy Satyanand Puri at Bangkok in 1936. It was in Bangkok that a representative conference of around Eleven Nations was held at the Silapkon Theatre from June 15-23, 1942. To gather impetus, a proper structure of the IIL was also floated headed by a Council of Action steered by President Rash Behari and four members comprising of N Raghavan, Captain Mohan Singh, KPK Menon and Col Gillani. There someone gave an idea that a gentleman was lurking around somewhere in Germany and perhaps would be much more dangerous in the Eastern flank. Point No. 20 of the Bangkok Resolution thus requested Sjt Subhas Chandra Bose to be kind enough to come to East Asia and appeal to the Imperial Government of Japan to use its good office to obtain the necessary permission from the Govt of Germany to enable Sjt Bose to reach East Asia safely." The Indians abroad needed a flame to take their political arousal to the next level and destroy the last vestige of the unhappy rule. So, on July 5, 1943, as Netaji announced the arrival of his Azad Hind Fauj to the world, it was as if Singapore was lifted by a magic wand. Courtesy the charisma of Subhas and more importantly, his ability to walk the talk. Next week, he stood upright amongst a crowd of 60,000 of which around 25,000 were women. The outpouring of love there only had the heavy rains to compete. Not a soul moved. Not an umbrella needed. This led Prime Minister Tojo to prophesise that Azad Hind Fauj would be counted in future amongst the greatest of armies. Three days later on the 12th, the womens wing was established. With blue-bordered sarees and guns above the head in hand, Netajis glowing words inspired them from the ardour burning in his own breast. Eyebrows were raised in some quarters with C in C of the Southern Expeditionary army Count Hisaichi Terauchi, for one, feeling that the Fauj should be left in Singapore and that only espionage and propaganda groups be used in war forms. For Netaji, any liberation secured through Japanese sacrifice was worse than slavery and he would not settle for anything less than INA to be the spearhead. The balance was drawn and the Japanese at last consented to the employment of one INA regiment as a trial. That was the Subhas Brigade under Shah Nawaz Khan. Subhas Chandra Bose met Premier Tojo and Foreign Minister M Shigemitsu of Japan on July 15, 1943, and conveyed to them his plan, securing the governments assurance the very next day. Next, he put forward his plea for setting up a Provisional Government to Japanese officials, which Tojo during his visit to Singapore in the first week of July duly approved. Netaji now was awaiting the declaration of independence of Burma and Philippines to announce an appropriate date. The Japanese-sponsored second Philippine Republic began operations on October 14, with Jose P Laurel Sr as its President. The liaison office, Hikari Kikan, was initially hostile to the plan as it was likely to affect its power and importance adversely and the process, therefore, took a little time to reach an understanding. On October 9, 1943, the Supreme Military Headquarters of Japan took some important decisions regarding the Provisional Government. The decision read: In case Subhas Chandra Bose will organise the Provisional Government of India, the Imperial Government of Japan will disclose the intention to recognize it for the purpose of strengthening the activities towards India, particularly for the aggressive propaganda. In connection with the above disclosure, formal international relationship of course should not be commenced." On October 17, 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose called Ehsan Qadir, Director of Azad Hind Radio, for appointment as the Military Secretary. Qadir asked for time to consider the matter, and later conveyed his agreement three days later. That finalised his cabinet. In the words of SA Iyer, a fellow cabinet member, the night before the D Day, Bose took a handful of blank paper and started writing swiftly in pencil, sheet after sheet." There was never a backward glance, or a correction; the manuscript went to the typist page by page as it was finished and when it was typed there was not a word or a comma to alter. He wrote his statement on the Proclamation in the same swift, absorbed way, his eyes never leaving the paper. It was nearly 6am by the time he completed it: he had been sipping black coffee since midnight." Coffee was the symbol of night work: his staff could tell now late he would sit up by the number of cups after dinner." On October 21, 1943, the Grand Auditorium of Cathay Cinema, Singapore, was venue to the 5th Conference of the Indian Independence League. Delegates from all parts of South-East Asia, including Malaya, Java, Sumatra, Siam and Hong Kong participated. In forming the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind, Netaji claimed to have the fullest support, not only of the Indian civilian population, but also of a large section of Britains Indian Army. He spoke to the effect that he had not the slightest doubt when Indias frontier was crossed and the national flag on Indian soil unfurled that the real revolution will begin. In gratitude, he offered Japans Government the price of 10 military aircraft. At this point, he was visibly moved, his eyes glistened with tears, his voice failing him. Between him and his audiences stood a few seconds of silence. With bated breaths in tense expectation, they waited for him to overcome his emotions. I shall remain always a servant of India, and to look after the welfare of thirty-eight crores of Indian brothers and sisters shall be for me my highest duty. Even after winning freedom, I will always be prepared to shed even the last drop of my blood for the preservation of Indias freedom." Netaji spoke at length, moving everyone present into a deluge of emotions. Finally, as it was the time for cabinet formation, Subhas Chandra Bose declared himself as the Head of the state, Prime Minister and Minister of War, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army. Accompanied by Capt. Miss Lakshmi Swaminathan (Womens Organization), SA Ayer (Publicity and propaganda), Lt Col AC Chatterjee (Finance), Lt Col Aziz Ahmed, Lt Col NS Bhagat, Col JK Bhonsle, Lt Col Gulzara Singh, Lt Col MZ Kiani, Lt Col AD Loganthan, Lt Col Ehsan Qadir, Lt Col Shah Nawaz (Representatives of the Armed Forces); AM Sahay, Secretary (with Ministerial Rank); Rash Behari Bose (Supreme Advisor), Karim Gani, Debnath Das, DM Khan, A Yellappa, J Thivy, Sardar Ishar Singh (Advisers), AN Sarkar (Legal Advisor). Each took the oath of allegiance to India and to Netaji, in turn, amidst outbursts of cheering and shouts of Subhas Bose Ki Jai, Azad Hukumat Ki Jai and finally Jana Gana Mana. To the thousand delegates and to the people who witnessed the proceedings on October 21, 1943, it was almost the day of Freedom. At the family house in Elgin Road, the lights glowed much brighter that night in admiration for the epoch-making event. Germany, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Burma, Manchukuo and Philippines promptly gave it their seal of authenticity. Neta-ji was of the view that having a proper Government impresses the enemy far more than a struggle carried on by a few leaders and that it can negotiate with another Government on the matters of help for finance, armament, equipment, location of bases etc. Most significantly, a recognition by other nations gives it an international status having bearing on political, diplomatic and international law. On the following day, i.e. October 22, 1943, Netaji Bose gave a lunch at the Syonan Club in honour of the delegates who had come from the various branches of Indian Independence League in East Asia and included Lt Col Kitabe of Hikari Kikan. Had I formed this Government before, the people might have thought that it was all nonsense. I see this from the historical point of view. In the last war also, a similar attempt was made, but there was not enough power behind it. But now in this war the conditions are different. If Japan had not started this war in East Asia and had not crushed the British, this would not have been possible. I am pleased to see that we are taking one step after another on the right track for the achievement of our objective. Firstly, the Indian Independence League was formed, then our army came into being and, last of all, our Provisional Government has been formed. All things necessary for a revolution are complete and now we must be ready for the last phase of the struggle. Behind the events of the last few years, I can see the hand of God, for history has been unfolding itself according to a plan which is clearly designed by a power higher than man." The first meeting of the Council of Ministers was held at the official residence of Netaji at 9pm on October 22, 1943. The first item on the agenda was a resolution, paying homage to all those who were carrying on a heroic struggle inside India and those who had laid down their lives in the cause of Indias freedom. Meanwhile, the next day, the Japanese Board of Information announced at 11am on October 23 that the Japanese Government had recognised the Provisional Government of Free India. The second meeting was at midnight, also at the official residence of Netaji on October 23/24, 1943.The cabinet placed on record its deep appreciation of the message conveying the news of the recognition by the Imperial Government of Nippon of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind. And then at 5 minutes past midnight last night, we declared war on the British and the USA" thundered Netaji to an audience of 50,000 Indians on the meadows opposite the stately Municipal Building of Singapore at 4pm on October 24. The air was rent with lusty shouts of Inqilab Zindabad", Azad Hind Zindabad" and Netaji Ki Jai". Interestingly, the BBC and Voice of America too broadcast the news just two hours later, signifying the attention Azad Hind Fauj were attracting. I want you to demonstrate to the world that you are resolved as one man to follow up this declaration with action that will show to the world that you mean bloody war when you declare war. The British know very well that I say what I mean and that I mean what I say. So, when I say War I mean WAR- War to the finisha war that can only end in the Freedom of India." Immediate launching of a military offensive was the next logical thing for maintaining his credibility. A war on Indias Eastern frontiers resulting in an INA victory would no doubt serve as a great morale-booster to the patriots in India. It would also be an indication of Netajis stand that the British Empire was now tottering on its last legs. However, can this government gain full legitimacy without a territory? Netaji thus started pressing Japan for handing over the control of Andaman & Nicobar Islands to his government. It was a matter of deep gratification for all Indians in East Asia that during the Tokyo Conference, General Tojo, while reiterating his governments unwavering support, took the opportunity to announce his governments decision to place the Andaman & Nicobar group of islands under jurisdiction of the Provisional Government of Free India, with immediate effect. The Provisional Government was additionally in possession of another territoryZiawadi in Burma. This was a big estate inhabited by an overwhelming majority of Indians with a large sugar, textile and a woollen mill. The owner of this vast estate measuring over 50 square miles was a Bihari family headed by a great patriot, named Shri Paramananda, who donated the entire land with all its belongings to the Provisional Government who set up a large military hospital. As Netaji meant war in its truest sense, he shifted his headquarters from Syonan to Rangoon in January 1944, moving the bulk of the Indian National Army to Burma, mostly by overland route via Thailand. Netaji went on a tour of the front line to conduct an on-the-spot study of the developing situation and devise an appropriate strategy. Immediately on his return from the frontline, marching orders followed. That INA came second best in this war was due to various factors, including natural and intelligence. However, the intensity of the battle of Imphal-Kohima triumphed over more celebrated battles of D-Day and Waterloo and was chosen as Britains greatest battle in history in a contest organised by National Army Museum, London. Authentic documents from British archives with signatories such as Viceroy Field Marshall Viscount Wavell, the C in C Sir Claude Achinleck and other functionaries of the Intelligence Department and the then Secretary of State for India Lord Patrick Lawrence clearly alludes to Netaji and the INA and the resulting disintegration in the army as actual reasons of quitting India in spite of winning the war. These seminal documents apart from the famous Attlee Interview to Justice PB Chakraborty in 1956 are of top authorities directly involved with the grant of independence. These facts cant be kept under wraps for too long. While the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783, it was seven years back on July 4, 1776, that 13 North Americans declared themselves independent. Similarly, Mujib declared March 26 as Independence Day and not December 16 when, after a series of guerilla warfare with military support from India, the Pakistan army was defeated. Thus, USA, Bangladesh and many others have shown that the declaration of independence is a day decided not by those leaving the shores. India remains a sad exception in spite of having own day of declaration. **************************** The day I choose came out of the blue. I was determined to show, I was the Master of the whole event. When they asked, had we set a date, I knew it had to be soon. I thought it had to be about Aug or Sept and I then went out to the 15th of August. Why? Because it was the second anniversary of Japans surrender. Lord Mountbatten top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Freedom at Midnight Parthiv Dhar is a Kishore Kumar biographer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. About the Author Parthiv Dhar Parthiv Dhar First Published: October 21, 2025, 16:06 IST News opinion Opinion | The Strategic Genius Of Netaji & Why October 21 Should Be India's True Independence Day 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: October 21, 2025, 09:11 IST 1 / 8 As festive spirit grips India, people light earthen lamps at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on the occasion of Diwali on Monday. (Image: PTI) + Follow us On Google 2 / 8 On the occasion of Diwali, the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in Delhi was adorned with earthen lamps and lights to give a mesmerising look. (Image: PTI) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 8 Amid festive cheer, BSF personnel light candles during Diwali festival near India-Bangladesh border, in Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal. (Image: PTI) 4 / 8 Students light earthen lamps during the Diwali festival in Varanasi on Monday. (Image: PTI) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 8 A student of Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir performs 'Mallakhamba' as fireworks light up the sky on Monday. (Image: PTI) 6 / 8 Students of Cotton University light earthen lamps around rangoli to celebrate Diwali in Assam's Guwahati. (Image: PTI) ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 8 The Golden Temple illuminated with lights on the occasion of the Diwali festival and the eve of the 'Bandi Chhor Divas', in Amritsar on Monday, (Image: PTI) Congress Leader Says His Party Will Contest BMC Elections Alone, Uddhav Sena Reacts Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 22, 2025, 10:24 IST As per sources, the grand old party is reportedly unhappy with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray over his increasing closeness with his estranged cousin. Bhai Jagtap said that the issue was discussed at a meeting of a newly formed committee with Maharashtra in charge, Ramesh Chennithala. The oppositions Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) seems to be heading for another internal tussle after Congress refused to ally with Raj Thackerays MNS in the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra. Former Mumbai Congress chief and Maharashtra MLC Bhai Jagtap on Tuesday said that the party will not ally with Raj Thackeray in the upcoming polls, but would rather contest independently. Recommended Stories Jagtap said that the issue was discussed at a meeting of a newly formed committee with Maharashtra in charge, Ramesh Chennithala. However, there has been no official announcement in this regard. As per sources, the grand old party is reportedly unhappy with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray over his increasing closeness with his estranged cousin. Amid the growing unease, the Congress MLC has asserted that the party will contest the upcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra alone. Shiv Sena (UBT) Reacts Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey has reacted to Jagtaps statement, and said, The decision on alliance will be taken by senior leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Uddhav Thackeray." Do not challenge us. We are Shiv Sena and in the last election we contested alone and defeated the BJP. We respect our alliance partners but are also ready to contest the elections alone," Dubey added. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday mocked Congress president Rahul Gandhi, claiming his Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) has fallen apart in Maharashtra, following a similar trend in Bihar. BJP spokesperson Pradip Bhandari tweeted, Rahul Gandhis Mahagathbandhan breaks in Maharashtra also! Till yesterday Sanjay Raut & Uddhav Thackeray were Sonia Gandhis biggest admirers. Rahul Gandhi has a unique ability: to break anything he touches. Opposition leaders reject Rahul Gandhi!" Rahul Gandhi's Mahagathbandhan breaks in Maharashtra also!Congress vs Uddhav Sena ahead of BMC PollsTill yesterday Sanjay Raut & Uddhav Thackrey were Sonia Gandhi's biggest admirer.Rahul Gandhi has a unique ability:" To break anything he touches"Opposition leaders pic.twitter.com/5qaMj73GHf Pradeep Bhandari( ) (@pradip103) October 22, 2025 Congress Upset With Thackerays Cousins Closeness? The Congress and Uddhav Thackerays party have been allies since 2019 an alliance crafted by Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar against the BJP in Maharashtra. However, Uddhav Thackerays renewed closeness with his estranged cousin could make things more complicated in the MVA. The meetings between Raj and Uddhav have become more frequent after their joint July 5 victory" rally to celebrate the Maharashtra governments rollback of its contentious orders on three-language formula for students of classes 1 to 5 amid charges of imposition of Hindi in the state dominated by Marathi speakers. Recently, both leaders met at the naamkaran" ceremony of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Rauts grandchild in Mumbai. Later, in an unannounced development, Raj drove to Uddhavs residence, Matoshree, and held a closed-door meeting with his brother amid alliance buzz. Last month, the former Chief Minister visited the MNS presidents residence Shivtirth in Dadar to meet the latters mother, Kunda mavshi (mothers sister). Both Raj and Uddhav are maternal as well as paternal cousins. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Uddhav visited Shivtirth in August too, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. In July, Raj visited Matoshree to wish the latter on his birthday. Although Raj quit the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005, blaming Uddhav for his exit, the drubbing of their parties in the 2024 assembly polls appears to have pushed the rivals to improve ties. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 23:02 IST News politics Congress Leader Says His Party Will Contest BMC Elections Alone, Uddhav Sena Reacts 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... 'He Chose Bharat': Nara Lokesh On Sundar Pichais Tamil Link Over Google Investment Row Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 19:57 IST The comment was made in response to AIADMKs remarks that Sundar Pichai, who is originally from Tamil Nadu, had overlooked his home state in choosing Andhra for the project Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. (File photos via AP/PTI) A quiet but sharp comment from Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday added new heat to the political row between Tamil Nadus ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK over tech giant Googles $15 billion investment in an artificial intelligence and data hub in Visakhapatnam. Reposting a news report about the political war of words between DMK and AIADMK over Googles new investment on X, Lokesh wrote just three words, He chose Bharat." Recommended Stories The comment was made in response to the AIADMKs remarks that Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who is originally from Tamil Nadu, had overlooked his home state in choosing Andhra for the project. The AIADMK has used Googles decision to attack the DMK government, arguing that Tamil Nadu missed out on a major investment opportunity. Senior AIADMK leader and former minister RB Udhayakumar said the ruling party had failed to reach out to Pichai, calling him a son of the soil." If the DMK government had approached him and offered him a formal invitation, Google would have chosen Tamil Nadu. But, the Tamil Nadu government has lost such a huge opportunity," Udhayakumar told reporters. The AIADMK senior also accused the MK Stalin-led government of being passive in attracting big investments and mocked states Industries Minister TRB Rajaa for publicising figures on social media without offering concrete proof. Whenever we ask for a white paper on total investments, he gives a blank one," Udhayakumar said. In contrast, he praised Andhra Pradeshs approach under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose government reportedly used a 4P" strategy People, Public, Private, Partnership to bring in Google. Based on this strategy, they have received this investment from Google and hereafter Vishakapatnam will grow at rocket speed in attracting new investments," he added. Last week, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian had announced a project that will become the companys largest AI hub outside the United States. The development will feature a 1-gigawatt data centre campus, new renewable energy infrastructure, and an expanded fibre-optic network, in partnership with the Adani Group. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The investment is expected to generate around 6,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs, and bring in 10,000 crore in revenue annually for Andhra Pradesh. (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 : Andhra Pradesh, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 18:00 IST News politics 'He Chose Bharat': Nara Lokesh On Sundar Pichais Tamil Link Over Google Investment 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... Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Focuses On Fine Changes With A Bigger AI Push Again Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 13:05 IST Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is getting better and durable design, same-ish displays, the new Tensor G5 chip and more AI updates. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold looks the same but has some definite changes Googles Pixel foldable journey continues and while its competition is going for serious refinements and overhaul, Google is happy to play the slow game. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold looks a lot like its predecessor, the first model that was introduced in India last year. Samsungs Z Fold 7 model this year has finally given us the confidence in foldables (as well as the Vivo X Fold 5). They are sleek, lightweight but have ample power under the hood. The Google mantra seems to be focused on making hardware to show off its AI prowess and thats where the new Pixel 10 series also fits into the scheme of things. But for a price of Rs 1,72,999 the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is fighting in the premium arena where the rivals have evolved. So, where does the new Pixel 10 foldable stand in the pack? Heres what we tell you over here. Recommended Stories Not Sleek But Durable Googles new Pixel foldable is the first to feature IP68 rating and a more durable hinge mechanism which ensures the unfolded process doesnt feel rigid. The frame is made from aluminium and the space-grade solidity makes you believe the Pixel 10 Pro Fold can last a little longer than its previous iteration. Having said that, the new version is thicker and heavier than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and much much more than Samsung and Vivos latest foldable versions. The book style form factor is once again the focus of Googles foldable which means you have a wider screen profile and a chunky unit overall which is not best suited for people with small hands. Google is using Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for the front and protection on the glass back body with a frosted finish. Lighting Up The Screens Like the regular Pixel 10 devices, the foldable version also comes with brighter displays, both on the cover and the inner unit. The 6.4-inch OLED screen on the outside doesnt get LTPO but offers 120Hz refresh rate. The 8-inch OLED LTPO inner foldable panel supports up to 3000 nits of peak brightness. Having these upgrades mean you can use the Pixel 10 Pro Fold screens quite nicely in harsh outdoor conditions when the light can be bright. The panel is crisp and the colours are punchy which makes watching videos/movies quite pleasing, albeit with the same 1:1 ratio limitations for the content. The one thing you might be let down by is the size of the bezels and these can become an eye sore for a premium device. As well as the crease on the display which continues to exist on the Pixel foldable in 2025. We really hope the Pixel 11 Fold is Googles Galaxy Z Fold 7 moment next year. The Tensor (Lack Of) Impact Tensor G5 is at the center of all the Pixel 10 series models and that includes the Fold. The performance levels of the new chipset isnt that different from the G4 SoC and it lags quite far behind last years flagship hardware in the market. But Google is building its Tensor SoCs with AI as the main highlight for its tuning, rather than what Apple does with the A-series and the M-series silicon. To be fair, the daily use is not going to feel any different from most devices but it is the long term usability of the 10 Fold that leaves us apprehensive. You do have 16GB RAM as the standard but in India Google continues to limit its ambitions and only offer the 256GB storage variant. Having the higher variants would have unlocked faster transfer speeds but thats not officially available once again. The performance is good but it is not premium-grade just yet. However, the software is still the high point for the Pixels, and the 7 OS upgrade cycle is the standard to match or beat for its rivals. The platform is slick, comes without any bloatware and no nagging ads either. The Gemini AI suite flourishes under the Tensor G5 regime and also lets the data process on-device. The Same-ish Pixel Cameras Google has been quite consistent with the camera quality across different Pixel generations but once again the Pixel 10 Pro Fold gets an inferior setup compared to the Pixel 10 Pro and the 10 Pro XL. What you get is a triple system with a 48MP wide main sensor with OIS, a 10.8MP telephoto lens with OIS and a 10.5MP ultrawide lens. The similar nature of Pixel cameras have been lauded before but now the company has gone past the sell-by date for the features and it needs more than just new sensors to match up to the best out there. We have seen many brands surpass what Googles computational photography can offer and the results are becoming rather too obvious in the last few years. Even the selfie cameras are the same, and Google has not made any changes to the sensor for the 10 Pro Fold. The choice of sensors for the 10 Pro Fold is quite intriguing, especially for its most premium device in the lineup. Battery Holds Up At Last Pixel 10 Pro Fold is heavy but it does get the biggest ever battery on a Pixel device. The 5,015mAh unit shows Google breaching the 5K mark for the first time but the charging speeds are still quite slow at 30W in the wired mode and up to 15W in the Qi2 wireless charging mode. The improvements are immediately noticeable and it seems the Tensor G5 does handle the heat better and does not let the battery get affected. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all We easily got the Pixel 10 Pro Fold to run through a days use with around 20 percent juice in the tank which is not the best by any means but within the Pixel-sphere these results were acceptable. The PCMark battery score of 16 hours is nowhere close to the best numbers but the all-round usability of the device gives us better assurance than the previous Folds. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold has become better but the competition has gone a few levels up this year and with a premium price tag the stakes are even higher. About the Author S Aadeetya S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and ... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 13:05 IST News tech Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Focuses On Fine Changes With A Bigger AI Push 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... Breakup Gone Wrong: Woman Hires Witch To Take Revenge On Ex Heres What Happened Next Curated By : Local18 Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 16:34 IST After a painful breakup, this UK woman hired a witch to curse her ex, but instead, she was advised therapy and self-love, turning revenge into reflection Talula Roz thought magic could fix heartbreak, but the tantriks advice to focus on therapy and self-love went viral, inspiring thousands online (Image: Representational) If a person is betrayed in love, their heart breaks, and in anger, they may do something they will regret for the rest of their life. A similar thought came to a girl after her breakup with her boyfriend. What this girl did to take revenge on her ex-boyfriend is nothing less than a film story. This case is about a young woman from Britain, Talula Roz, who hired a witch by giving money to perform a magic taunt on her ex, but you will be surprised to hear what happened to her. According to The Mirror, Talula Roz shared a video on her social media showing that she was very upset after her breakup with her boyfriend. I was devastated then," she said. I felt I should take revenge on him, and I thought, what would a common person do? So I hired a tantrik from Etsy." Etsy is an online platform where people sell various items. Some sellers also offer magic or prank services on this platform. Talula said that she gave the tantrik the money and explained the whole story of how badly her ex-boyfriend had treated her. She hoped that the tantrik would teach her ex a lesson by performing magic. Recommended Stories Talula wanted the magic taunt on her ex, but the story took a sudden turn. According to The Mirror, Talula said, I thought the tantrik would tell me which candle to light or what ritual to perform. But she immediately sent me a long message saying that she would not do magic and started explaining that I needed therapy." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The tantrik made it clear that this was not a matter of magic but a mental health issue, related to trauma and self-worth. She advised Talula to learn about trauma therapy" and limrens" (a condition in which a person becomes overly emotionally attached to someone). The tantrik went on to say to Talula, I am returning your money, and you should learn to focus on yourself and love yourself without thinking too much about your ex." This video of Talula is going viral on social media, attracting a lot of reactions. One user wrote, If you think your breakup was very bad, it cannot be worse than mine." Another wrote, This is the real tantrik who really helped." A third commented, Please tell me the name of that tantrik, it looks right." 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: October 21, 2025, 16:34 IST News viral Breakup Gone Wrong: Woman Hires Witch To Take Revenge On Ex Heres What Happened Next 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... Happy Diwali Netflix Email Triggers Canadian Engineers Rant, Sparks Backlash Online Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 10:46 IST Marty Belanger's post, which took a swipe at immigrants, drew mixed reactions. Some agreed about missing Christmas emails, while others mocked him, calling him homeless and trash Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Marty Belanger criticised Netflix for not knowing that he does not celebrate Diwali, despite having his personal data. (News18 Hindi) A Canadian man faced heavy trolling on social media after he angrily responded to a Diwali greeting email with abusive language. Marty Belanger, a professional engineer from Alberta, reportedly expressed his annoyance over receiving the email from Netflix and insulted Indians in his response. Diwali, a festival celebrated widely in Canada due to its significant Indian immigrant population, recently saw Prime Minister Mark Carney attending a celebration in the Greater Toronto Area, highlighting the festivals message of the triumph of light over darkness. Recommended Stories Belanger, however, was not pleased. He criticised Netflix for not knowing that he does not celebrate Diwali, despite having his personal data. He stated, I am a middle-aged white man from Alberta who likes war movies, science fiction, and real crime documentaries. Stop sending me this nonsense." Marty wrote, I dont care if third-world immigrants enter my country and celebrate." His post drew mixed reactions. Some Canadians said they never got such Christmas emails, while others mocked him for overreacting to something he couldve ignored. Many called him homeless and trash for his outburst. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The controversy comes amid several Diwali-related discussions in Canada. A few days ago, a photo of Diwali-themed chocolates on sale in a Canadian store sparked controversy online. Recently, Mississauga City Council decided against banning fireworks during Diwali, opting instead for stringent regulations to manage noise, injuries, and property damage. The new rules include limiting fireworks to between 6 PM and 10 PM on holidays, except on New Years Eve, when theyre allowed from 11 PM to 1 AM, banning Roman candles, shortening sales periods, and requiring licensed vendors to maintain inventory and sales records. Fireworks sales are now prohibited on holidays to prevent last-minute purchases. Location : Canada First Published: October 21, 2025, 10:46 IST News viral Happy Diwali Netflix Email Triggers Canadian Engineers Rant, Sparks Backlash Online 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... Open Just 9 Days A Year, This Temple In India Makes Every Visitor 'Truly Lucky' Curated By : Local18 Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 15:05 IST Karnatakas Hasanamba Temple opens only nine days during Diwali. Devotees flock here, believing their wishes are fulfilled and blessings of prosperity await Every year devotees line up at Hasanamba Temple during Diwali, seeking blessings and witnessing the miracle of lamps and flowers that remain fresh until next year (Image: Sri Hasanamba Temple Hassan) There are many temples in India that are famous for one reason or another, but there is one temple in Karnataka that is open only for seven or nine days during Diwali. It is believed that all problems are removed by visiting this temple. There are many small and large temples in different states of India, known for their divine beliefs. One such temple in Karnataka is open only for nine days in a year, where devotees visit and express their wishes in writing. Located in the Hassan district of Karnataka, Hasanamba Temple is revered across the country. Recommended Stories This temple is associated with various forms of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, and just visiting it is believed to purify all sins and bring blessings. The temple is specially decorated during Diwali, and people from far and wide come to visit on this special occasion. All the goddesses are here It is said that a demon named Andhakasura was blessed with invisibility. The demon received this boon after performing intense penance to Lord Brahma. Due to his invisibility, the demon began to wreak havoc, targeting saints and Brahmins. In such a situation, to end the demon, Lord Shiva used his powers to summon Yogeshwari, who destroyed Andhakasura. The Yogeshwari powers, born from the power of Lord Shiva, include Varahi, Indrani, Chamundi, Brahmi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, and Vaishnavi. In this context, the goddesses also had to be given a place, so they chose Hassan and settled there. Special Features of Hasanamba Temple Hasanamba Temple is also special as it is open only for 7 to 9 days during Diwali and remains closed on the rest of the days. Whenever the temple is open, devotees throng to have a darshan of the Goddess. The temple is said to have been built by the Hoysala dynasty in the 12th century. It also has a unique tradition of offering greetings by submitting letters. Every year during Diwali, the Hasanamba Utsav is held in the temple, during which devotees offer their requests to the deity in the form of letters. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Why Are The Doors Of The Temple Are Open Only For Nine Days? When the doors of the temple open, devotees believe that the wishes made here are always fulfilled, and the blessings of wealth and prosperity await. It is believed that during Diwali, lamps are lit in the temple and the interior is decorated with flowers. When the temple reopens the following year, the lamps are lit and the flowers are still fresh. Devotees come from far and wide to witness this miracle. 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: October 21, 2025, 15:05 IST News viral Open Just 9 Days A Year, This Temple In India Makes Every Visitor 'Truly Lucky' 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... A Tectonic Shift In Narrative: Pakistans Army Chief Blames India For Internal Turmoil | Exclusive Details Reported By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 22:01 IST By blaming India, the military establishment gains a convenient external scapegoat Top intelligence sources and security analysts view Field Marshal Munir's statements as a calculated and familiar 'textbook diversion' from profound internal crises. (Representational pic/Reuters) Pakistans security crisis, marked by surging militant violence and deteriorating law and order, has prompted a high-level intervention by the countrys military leadership, CNN-News18 has learnt. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Army Chief, has adopted a combative stance, unequivocally blaming India for sponsoring terrorism in the highly restive provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Recommended Stories The Official Line: Indian Proxies During a visit to Balochistan amid rising security concerns, Field Marshal Munir alleged that India is actively working to destabilise Pakistan on two fronts." He designated the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as Indian proxies", labelling them with loaded religious and ideological terms: the BLA as Fitna-ul-Hindustan (Treachery/Strife of Hindustan) and the TTP as Fitna-ul-Kharij (Treachery/Strife of the Kharijites). The Army Chief vowed that all necessary steps will be taken to eliminate terrorist proxies", framing the security challenge as an externally sponsored campaign of anti-people propaganda" and violence. While in Balochistan, he also engaged in a patriotic overture, calling the province the pride of Pakistan" and urging the youth to play a role in its development and stability. The Counter-Narrative: A Text-Book Diversion Top intelligence sources and security analysts, however, view Field Marshal Munirs statements as a calculated and familiar textbook diversion" from profound internal crises. This strategic externalisation of blame comes at a time when Pakistan is reeling from multiple domestic failures: Internal Failures: The country is facing the blowback from its perceived failures in Afghanistan, a severe economic collapse, internal rifts with religious-political groups like the TLP, and rapidly growing anti-army sentiment in ethnic regions like Balochistan and KP. The Armys Role: Analysts suggest the militarys repeated operations and widespread practice of enforced disappearances in these provinces have triggered mass discontent, creating the very vacuum that militant and separatist groups exploit. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all BLA and TTP as Internal Products: The counter-narrative posits that both the BLA and the TTP are fundamentally products of Pakistans internal contradictions"a result of historical political marginalisation (in Balochistan) and a state policy of nurturing Jihadi groups (in the tribal belts). International terror-tracking agencies and intelligence reports, they argue, trace the TTPs ideological roots directly to Pakistans own vast Deobandi and Salafi madrasa networks, not to Indian influence. By blaming India, the military establishment gains a convenient external scapegoat, which serves the dual purpose of justifying the ongoing security operations and repressive measures while simultaneously deflecting public criticism and shoring up the armys political dominance at a critical juncture. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: October 21, 2025, 22:01 IST News world A Tectonic Shift In Narrative: Pakistans Army Chief Blames India For Internal Turmoil | Exclusive Details 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... As Soon As Pressure Eased: Zelenskyy Says Putin Stalled Talks After Trump Held Off Tomahawks Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 23:43 IST Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Putin returned to diplomacy after his American counterpart Trump hinted at supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google US President Donald Trump welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House in Washington, DC, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin returned to the path of diplomacy last week after US President Donald Trump teased that he would sent Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. As soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue," Zelenskyy said. Recommended Stories Trump said as recently as last month that he believed Ukraine could take back all its territory but a day after agreeing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a new summit, the Republican had changed his tune. Trump said on social media that their talks were very interesting, and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL!" They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!" he posted online, while flying to Mar-a-Lago. Upon landing, he told reporters that Ukraine and Russia should stop right now at the battle line." Go by the battle line wherever it is or else it gets too complicated," he added. Zelenskyy on Tuesday maintained that pressurising Putin can end this war, which is poised to enter its fourth year in February 2026. We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace," he said. European leaders as well as senior European Union officials said in a joint statement they intend to go ahead with plans to use Moscows billions of dollars (euros) of frozen assets abroad to help Kyiv win the war. Zelenskyys remarks come as European leaders joined him in backing US President Donald Trumps call for an immediate halt to fighting in Ukraine, while stressing that Kyiv must approach any peace talks from a position of strength. In a joint statement released Tuesday, the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Norway and top European Union officials said they supported a just and lasting peace" in Ukraine. The statement marks a coordinated European response to Trumps renewed push for a negotiated end to the war. We are all united in our desire for a just and lasting peace, deserved by the people of Ukraine," the leaders said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Ukrainian and European leaders are trying hard to keep Trump on their side. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations," the statement said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction." About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 23:39 IST News world As Soon As Pressure Eased: Zelenskyy Says Putin Stalled Talks After Trump Held Off Tomahawks 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... Ay yay yayWatch That!: Trump Scolds Cameraman For Knocking 400-Year-Old Mirror Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 07:38 IST The incident happened as Trump sat alongside Australian PM Anthony Albanese, announcing $8.5 billion critical minerals deal between the two nations. US President Donald Trump (R) speaks during a meeting with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC. (IMAGE: AFP) A high-profile White House press conference briefly descended into farce on Monday when US President Donald Trump halted mid-sentence to scold a cameraman who accidentally struck a 400-year-old mirror in the Cabinet Room. The interruption occurred as Trump sat alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, announcing a landmark $8.5 billion critical minerals deal between the two nations. The pact aims to bolster supply chains and reduce dependence on Chinese exports of rare earth materials vital to defence and clean energy production. Recommended Stories Trump had been outlining the scope of the partnership when a sudden clatter drew his attention. Were here to talk about trade, submarines, lots of other military equipment," he began, before abruptly stopping. Turning to the source of the noise, he exclaimed, Oh, you got to watch that. Watch that. Youre not allowed to break that. That mirror is 400 years old. A camera just hit the mirror. Ay yay yay!" The president then defused the tension with a quip in his trademark style, I just moved it up here, special from the vaults, and the first thing that happens is the camera hits it. Hard to believe, isnt it? Hard to believe, but these are the problems in life." Laughter rippled across the room as Trump resumed his remarks. MIRROR MISHAP: President Trump scolds a reporter who accidentally bumps a 400-year-old mirror with a camera:TRUMP: "Youre not allowed to break that! That mirror is 400 years old"I just moved it up here special from the vaults, and the first thing that happens is a camera pic.twitter.com/8DcHvzseZh Fox News (@FoxNews) October 20, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The press event was intended to showcase a strategic minerals agreement seen as key to diversifying global supply chains. This deal has been in the works for several months," Trump said, calling it a major win for both nations." Prime Minister Albanese described the accord as a step that takes the US-Australia partnership to the next level," highlighting its significance in ensuring economic and technological resilience amid rising global competition. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 07:38 IST News world Ay yay yayWatch That!: Trump Scolds Cameraman For Knocking 400-Year-Old Mirror 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 Protect Those Without People's Mandate': PML(N) Withdraws Support From PoK Govt Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 22:24 IST A no-confidence motion is likely to be tabled soon in the PoK assembly by the PML(N) or the PPP to choose a new leader of the house Earlier in the month, the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee led protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (Image: ANI) The ongoing political crisis has deepened in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, as the ruling party withdrew its support from the government in the region. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), or the PML(N) announced that it was parting ways with the government in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and intends to sit in the opposition. Recommended Stories Cant protect a prime minister or government that doesnt have the peoples mandate," the PML(N) said. The prime minister of PoK is Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq an independent, who took charge with the support of the Forward Bloc, PML(N), and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). A no-confidence motion is likely to be tabled soon in the PoK assembly by the PML(N) or the PPP to choose a new leader of the house. Recent protests by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) have raised questions and concerns about the current government. Protesters have demanded Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haqs removal. Now, the ruling party in Pakistans federal government has withdrawn its support amid growing unrest. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier this month, violent clashes broke out between the police and protesters in PoKs Muzaffarabad on Neelum Bridge, along with Bagh districts Dhirkot and Mirpur over three days. Police had resorted to shelling and aerial firing on protesters leaving at least 15 dead and several injured. The protests were led by JKJAAC with a sustained call against the authorities. The agitation left the region paralysed with markets, shops, and local businesses closed, and transport services suspended. About the Author Oindrila Mukherjee Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing im... Read More Location : Islamabad, Pakistan First Published: October 21, 2025, 22:24 IST News world 'Can't Protect Those Without People's Mandate': PML(N) Withdraws Support From PoK Govt 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... Does Earth Have 2 Moons Now? Meet Our New Celestial Companion | Explained Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 17:25 IST NASA reports that this 'companion moon' has orbited alongside Earth for 60 years and will continue until 2083, after which it will gradually drift away Rapid Read + Follow us On Google NASA assures that this asteroid poses no threat to Earth but presents a valuable opportunity for scientific exploration. (AI Generated/News18 Hindi) NASA has confirmed the existence of a new companion moon for Earth, a small asteroid named 2025 PN7. However, scientists clarify that it is a quasi-moon, an object that orbits the Sun at nearly the same speed as Earth. The small asteroid, measuring 18 to 36 metres in diameter, roughly the height of a small building, holds significant interest for researchers. According to NASA, 2025 PN7 has been moving alongside Earth in space for the past 60 years and will continue to do so until 2083, after which it will drift away. Recommended Stories Though not bound by Earths gravity like the Moon, scientists liken it to a runner staying in step on the same track without ever colliding. How It Was Discovered Discovery of 2025 PN7 was made by astronomers at the University of Hawaii in August 2025 using the Pan-STARRS1 telescope. Upon examining old astronomical images, researchers identified glimpses of the asteroid dating back to 1957, indicating it has been in sync with Earth for decades. According to scientists, the asteroids orbit around the Sun is so similar to Earths that it sometimes appears ahead of or behind our planet. At its closest, it comes within 2.5 million miles (about 4 million km), roughly ten times the distance of the Moon. The Smallest Quasi-Moon NASA reports that only eight quasi-moons have been confirmed around planets like Earth, with 2025 PN7 being the smallest and least stable. Its 19-metre diameter makes it difficult to observe, with limited visibility windows where it can be seen at specific times and angles. An Opportunity, Not A Threat top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all NASA assures that this asteroid poses no threat to Earth but presents a valuable opportunity for scientific exploration. According to expert Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, Small, nearby asteroids could serve as ideal testing grounds for future unmanned space missions." While 2025 PN7 will not be visible like the Moon, it will remain in orbit around Earth for the coming decades, traveling alongside the planet as a quasi-satellite. First Published: October 21, 2025, 17:25 IST News world Does Earth Have 2 Moons Now? Meet Our New Celestial Companion | Explained 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 Pressured Zelenskyy To Cede Parts Of Eastern Ukraine To Russia: Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 21:53 IST Donbas, located in eastern Ukraine, mainly covering the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is widely regarded as the wartorn nations industrial heartland. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google US President Donald Trump welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, DC, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS) Ukrainian officials on Tuesday alleged that the US President Donald Trump exerted pressure on Kyiv regime, led by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to give up the Donbas region to Russia. Donbas, (short for Donets Basin) is widely regarded as Ukraines industrial heartland, and mainly covers the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which are located in the eastern part of the country. Recommended Stories The development also comes before a possible summit between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Zelenskyy has not been invited but he earlier said he is eager to join. The Kremlin has said that no dates have been decided for the summit, citing that serious preparations needed to be made. Ukraines Donbas is rich in coal, iron ore, and other minerals, which historically made it the center of heavy industry, mining, and metallurgy during the Soviet era. Major industrial cities include Donetsk, Luhansk and Mariupol. Mariupol was besieged and captured by Russian forces in 2022 after weeks of urban combat, causing massive destruction and thousands of civilian deaths. The development also comes as 11 leaders, including Zelenskyy, signed a statement which called for freezing the current front line as a prerequisite to begin talks on ending the war that will enter its fourth year in February 2026. UK Prime Minister Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reaffirmed their unity in pursuing a just and lasting peace that the people of Ukraine deserve" by signing the statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force," the statement read. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the idea of halting the conflict at the current contact line. Moscow was only interested in long-term, sustainable peace", Lavrov said, signalling that halting the conflict at the current contact line will lead to temporary ceasefire. Zelenskyy noted that Putin returned to diplomacy, calling Trump last week after the American president said he might supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. But as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue," Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a Telegram post. We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Trump last month reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to concede land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. However, after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are" in the more than three-year war. Trump, earlier Sunday, said that Donbas should be cut up," leaving most of it in Russian hands. He said that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, hes now doubtful it will happen. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Kyiv, Ukraine First Published: October 21, 2025, 21:14 IST News world Trump Pressured Zelenskyy To Cede Parts Of Eastern Ukraine To Russia: 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... From November 1, 155% Tariffs Will Be Imposed On China: Trump Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 22, 2025, 07:03 IST Donald Trump justified 155% tariffs on China from November 1, blaming past Presidents, and announced plans to visit China next year amid ongoing US China trade tensions. US President Donald Trump celebrates Diwali at the White House. (White House) Amid rising tensions between the US and China, President Donald Trump on Tuesday attacked past Presidents and said imposition of 155% tariffs on Beijing from November 1 was justified as they had been very rough with us over the years because we had presidents that werent smart from a business standpoint". Right now, as of November 1st, China will have about 155% tariffs put on it. I dont think its sustainable for them. I want to be nice to China. But China has been very rough with us over the years because we had presidents that werent smart from a business standpoint They allowed China and every other country to take advantage of us," Trump said at the White House. Recommended Stories The President on Tuesday hosted a Diwali celebration with members of the India-American community at the White House. I made a deal with the European Union. I made a deal with Japan and South Korea. A lot of these deals are great deals Its about national security. I was able to do it because of tariffs. Were getting hundreds of billions, even trillions of dollars paid into the United States Well start paying off debt," he added. Previously, in an interview with Fox Business Network, Trump was asked whether the steep tariffs levied by both countries could continue indefinitely. Its not sustainable," he said, adding, Thats what the number is, its probably not, you know, it could stand but they forced me to do that." #WATCH | Washington, DC | On being asked by ANI if tariffs would be imposed on China for buying crude oil from Russia, US President Trump says. Right now, as of November 1st, China will have about 155% tariffs put on it. I dont think its sustainable for them. I want to be pic.twitter.com/WGtOBK3HiF ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2025 On Monday, Trump said that he would travel to China early next year and expected to seal a trade deal in South Korea with President Xi Jinping later this month despite a recent row over tariffs. Ive been invited to go to China, and Ill be doing that sometime fairly early next year. We have it sort of set," Trump told reporters as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The comments come as the trade war between the worlds two largest economies continues to rattle global markets. Washingtons import duties on Chinese goods have climbed to as high as 145 percent, sparking concerns about supply chains and slowing growth. Although both sides agreed to a 90-day truce earlier this year, that pause is set to expire on November 10 unless extended. Earlier, Donald Trump warned that the US could impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese products by November 1 if negotiations did not progress. Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 22, 2025, 04:19 IST News world From November 1, 155% Tariffs Will Be Imposed On China: Trump 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... 'I Don't Like You Either': Trump's Awkward Exchange With Australian Envoy Kevin Rudd | Watch Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 07:17 IST Trump confronted Ambassador Rudd over past criticism after signing a multibillion-dollar rare-earth and critical minerals deal with Australian PM Anthony Albanese. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google US President Donald Trump (R) speaks during a meeting with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC. (IMAGE: AFP) US President Donald Trump on Monday confronted Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd who criticised him in the past, shortly after he signed a multibillion-dollar agreement on rare-earth and critical minerals with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Did an ambassador say something bad about me?" Trump asked Albanese, who was sitting next to him, when a journalist brought up the Australian Ambassadors earlier remarks criticizing him. Where is he? Is he still working for you?," he further asked Albanese. Recommended Stories Albanese replied that Rudd a former prime minister and Australias top diplomat in Washington since 2023 was seated across the table, prompting Trump to follow up, You said bad?" Funniest. President. EVER.REPORTER: The Australian ambassador said something bad about you. TRUMP: Where is he? You said something bad? AMBASSADOR: Before I took this position TRUMP: I dont like YOU either. I probably NEVER WILL! *Room erupts in laughter* pic.twitter.com/cVvnplejds Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 20, 2025 As the Ambassador began to explain that he had made the reparks before assuming his diplomatic post, saying, Before I took this position, Mr. President," Trump cut him off mid-sentence. I dont like you either. I dont. And I probably never will," Trump told Rudd before asking a reporter to ask another question. The video of the confrontation was widely shared on social media. In 2021, Rudd described Trump as the village idiot," among several other derogatory comments, also calling him the most destructive president in history." Earlier in the day, Albanese and Trump had signed an agreement aimed at enhancing cooperation in the mining and processing of rare-earth and critical minerals. The deal included a combined $2 billion in investment commitments to reduce Chinese dominance in the global supply chain. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The agreement came in response to Chinas recently announced trade policies requiring companies to obtain approval before exporting materials made with these minerals such as magnets, batteries, and semiconductors which prompted Trump to threaten a 100% tariff if Beijing fails to reverse course. China currently accounts for more than two-thirds of the worlds rare-earth mining, vital for high-tech manufacturing, and controls roughly 90% of global processing. 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 : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 07:17 IST News world 'I Don't Like You Either': Trump's Awkward Exchange With Australian Envoy Kevin Rudd | Watch 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... 'I Don't Speak Hindi': New Zealand-Born Teen Faces Deportation To India Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 21:26 IST Navjot Singh, born in Auckland to Indian parents, faces deportation to India after losing New Zealand residency. Teenager Navjot Singh faces deportation after New Zealand government denied his residence bid. (Representational) A New Zealand-born teenager, who never set foot outside the country, is now facing deportation to India after losing his bid for New Zealand residency. Born to Indian parents in Auckland in 2007, Navjot Singh, 18, is considered an overstayer under current immigration laws as his parents overstayed their work visas. Under a 2006 law that ended birthright citizenship, children born in New Zealand to parents without lawful immigration status are not recognized as citizens. Recommended Stories As per media reports, Singhs father was deported when he was just five days old, and his mother lost her legal immigration status in 2012, when Singh was five. Having never left the country and never attended school due to his undocumented status, Singhs situation has drawn public concern. His request for residency through ministerial intervention was denied last week by Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported. With no other legal pathway available, the teenager is now facing deportation to a country (India) he has never visited. Singh said he got to know about his situation when he was eight years old as he learned that he would never get access to education, healthcare, and basic rights in New Zealand, the report added. I asked my mum why I wasnt at school, and then she had to tell me," he said, adding, Ever since, Ive been living in fear. I couldnt even be honest with my friends." Singh said he is terrified of moving to India, where he has no support network and does not speak Hindi. I dont think Ill survive in India," he said, adding, I dont speak Hindi. Ive heard that people with higher qualifications cant find jobs there, so what would I do?" top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all His immigration lawyer, Alastair McClymont, called the governments decision to deport him inhumane" and said it fails to recognise the realities faced by young people like Singh. It makes no sense to deport children who have grown up here to a foreign country," McClymont told RNZ. He urged the government to reform immigration laws in line with countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, where children who have lived in the country for a decade can be granted citizenship. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More Location : New Zealand First Published: October 21, 2025, 18:49 IST News world 'I Don't Speak Hindi': New Zealand-Born Teen Faces Deportation To India 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... If Hamas Don't Honour The Deal, They'll Be Taken Care Of Very Quickly, Says Trump Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 22, 2025, 03:34 IST Trump praised Middle East peace efforts, warned Hamas to honour the ceasefire. Hamas has been accused of shooting so-called collaborators and carried out executions out in the open US President Donald Trump celebrates Diwali at the White House. (White House) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the Hamas are violent people" and they could be put out in two minutes" but they were being given chance to honour the ceasefire deal. We are forging peace all over the world Were getting everybody to get along. I just got a call from the Middle East. Were doing very well there. We have many countries signed on to peace in the Middle East, and nobody thought theyd ever see that happening," Trump said during a Diwali celebration at the White House. Recommended Stories He further said: The Hamas situation, theyre pretty violent people. We could put that out in two minutes. Were giving them a chance. They agreed that theyd be very good and straight. They wouldnt be killing people." If they dont honour the deal, theyll be taken care of very quickly. It is total peace in the Middle East; we have levels of friendship with everybody. Every country that hated each other now loves each other. Nobody ever saw anything like it," he added. #WATCH | Washington DC | US President Donald Trump says, We are forging peace all over the world Were getting everybody to get along. I just got a call from the Middle East. Were doing very well there. We have many countries signed on to peace in the Middle East, and nobody pic.twitter.com/NPBfzwsArV ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2025 Hamas has been accused of shooting so-called collaborators and allegedly carried out executions out in the open. Israeli soldiers told Haaretz that they could not stop Hamas since they had no jurisdiction following the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israeli forces dropped 153 tonnes (337,307 pounds) of bombs on targets in Gaza in response to what it said was a ceasefire breach by the Palestinian group Hamas. Earlier, the President threatened to have the group eradicated" if ultimately necessary. In a post on social media, he said: Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and straighten our Hamas" if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us." The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, NOT YET!" There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help. Also, I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the U.S.A. TO EVERYONE, thank you for your attention to this matter!" he added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the US-backed truce despite the weekends violence, and Israel confirmed that Hamas handed over the body of a hostage on Monday, taking the total to 13 of the 28 it had pledged to return. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said in a statement that Hamas had to make good on its commitment to return the remains of all the hostages in order to implement the ceasefire agreement. Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 22, 2025, 03:33 IST News world If Hamas Don't Honour The Deal, They'll Be Taken Care Of Very Quickly, Says Trump 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... India Upgrades Its Technical Mission In Afghanistan's Kabul To Full Embassy Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 18:47 IST Move follows Afghan FMs visit to India and marks restoration of full diplomatic presence in Kabul. The Government of India has upgraded its Technical Mission in Kabul to the Embassy of India, restoring full diplomatic presence in Afghanistan. (IMAGE: X) India has restored the status of its Technical Mission in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy, signalling renewed diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan. In keeping with the decision announced during the recent visit of the Afghan Foreign Minister to India, the Government is restoring the status of the Technical Mission of India in Kabul to that of Embassy of India in Afghanistan with immediate effect," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday. Recommended Stories New Delhi last week upgraded its ties with Afghanistans Taliban administration by announcing the reopening of its embassy in Kabul. The mission had been closed since 2021, after the Taliban whose Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India earlier this month took control of the country. This decision underscores Indias resolve to deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest. The Embassy of India in Kabul will further augment Indias contribution to Afghanistans comprehensive development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives, in keeping with the priorities and aspirations of Afghan society," the statement further added. The decision to upgrade the status of the technical mission was taken during Muttaqis meeting with Union Minister Of External Affairs S Jaishankar in New Delhi. The meeting focussed on security concerns surrouding the embassy. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Notably, Amir Khan Muttaqi, told News18 in a global exclusive interview in 2022 that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan would pay special attention to the safety and security of the Indian embassy and consulates. I believe that the relations between Afghanistan and India will be strengthened in the near future. Their embassy would function in our country and our embassy would function in their country," Muttaqi told News18 in the 2022 interview. India and Afghanistan are nearby countries in the region and we should have economic, political and diplomatic relations with each other which would be beneficial to both." About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Kabul, Afghanistan First Published: October 21, 2025, 18:17 IST News world India Upgrades Its Technical Mission In Afghanistan's Kabul To Full Embassy 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... Jewish Settler Thrashes Palestinian Woman Who Was Picking Olives Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 22, 2025, 07:03 IST Afaf Abu Alia was attacked by a masked settler in Turmus Ayya while harvesting olives. Israeli authorities condemned but disputed journalist reports. The woman who was injured in the attack.(@infinite_jaz/X) A 55-year-old Palestinian woman was hit on her head by a masked Jewish settler while she was picking olives. According to BBC, the unprovoked attack, which took place on Sunday morning in the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank, was captured on video by US journalist Jasper Nathaniel. Recommended Stories Israeli Deputy Commissioner Moshe Pinchi sent a message to other commanders, ordering them to find and stop an Israeli man who had attacked and seriously injured an elderly Palestinian woman in the West Bank who had been out harvesting olives.He added An image that kept me pic.twitter.com/3mXCPxtxMB Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 20, 2025 The journalist said the settler had knocked the woman, Afaf Abu Alia, known locally as Umm Saleh, unconscious with a stick and continued to hit him when she fell on the ground. Speaking on the incident, Nathaniel said: Its the most vivid image thats ever been seared in my mind. He swings it one time and I saw her body go completely limp. And then he stood over her and hit her twice more." According to BBC, the woman, mother of five, could be seen bleeding the video when she was being carried into a vehicle to the hospital. BBC quoted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as saying that the confrontation was dispersed after its forces arrived, and that it strongly condemns any form of violence" by settlers. However, the journalist rejected Israels claims and said no Israeli forces showed up to the attack at any point". He further said that the Israeli soldiers were on-site prior to the attack and had lured" him and others into an ambush". He said soldiers sped off" before the settlers launched the assault. ICYMI @JillFilipovicthis is video of a Jew (me) being hunted by Israeli settlers. https://t.co/ttuQy7SvXi pic.twitter.com/sR3wF1mrUc jasper nathaniel (@infinite_jaz) October 21, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a series of posts on social media, Nathaniel said that though he was a US citizen, the US embassy told him that they were not in a position to offer to protect him nor the US citizens in Turmus Ayya. According to BBC, the attack was part of a wider incident in which at least 15 masked settlers were seen hurling stones and attacking other Palestinians who were harvesting olives as well as activists who had arrived to support them. Location : Israel First Published: October 22, 2025, 00:47 IST News world Jewish Settler Thrashes Palestinian Woman Who Was Picking Olives 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... Keep Dreaming: Irans Ayatollah Khamenei Rejects Trumps Claim Of Destroying Nuclear Sites Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 13:18 IST Trump told Israels Knesset that the US had obliterated Iranian nuclear sites during joint strikes with Israel in June. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | AFP Image Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday dismissed US President Donald Trumps claim that American airstrikes had destroyed Irans nuclear facilities, telling him to keep dreaming." In a statement published on his official website, Khamenei questioned Trumps authority to say what a country should or should not have if it possesses a nuclear industry," calling the US leaders remarks improper, wrong, and bullying." Recommended Stories Last week, Trump told Israels Knesset that the US had obliterated" Iranian nuclear sites during joint strikes with Israel in June. So we dropped 14 bombs on Irans key nuclear facilities, totally as I said originally obliterating them and thats been confirmed," he said. In a separate Fox News interview, Trump described the operation as the most beautiful military operation," claiming it ended Irans status as the bully of the Middle East." However, the actual extent of the damage remains unclear. The Pentagon later stated that the June strikes may have delayed Irans nuclear programme by one to two years, contradicting an earlier classified intelligence report that estimated only a few months of disruption. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The US-Israel bombing campaign occurred just days before the sixth round of nuclear negotiations was set to resume between Washington and Tehran. Talks have since stalled, with Iran insisting it will only return to the table if the US guarantees it will refrain from future military action. Tehran and Washington held five rounds of indirect nuclear talks, which ultimately collapsed after the 12-day air war in June, when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Irans nuclear sites. 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: October 21, 2025, 13:05 IST News world Keep Dreaming: Irans Ayatollah Khamenei Rejects Trumps Claim Of Destroying Nuclear Sites 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... May Our Partnership Flourish: PM Modi Thanks Netanyahu For Diwali Wishes, Sends Birthday Greetings Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 11:21 IST PM Modi said, "May India-Israel Strategic Partnership continue to flourish in the years to come. PM Modi with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters File Image) Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after receiving Diwali wishes from his counterpart. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, Thank you, my dear friend, for your warm Diwali greetings. I also extend my heartiest wishes on your birthday. Wishing you good health and success. May India-Israel Strategic Partnership continue to flourish in the years to come." Recommended Stories PM Netanyahu sharing his greetings on X said, Wishing my friend @narendramodi & the people of India a very Happy #Diwali! May the Festival of Lights bring hope, peace & prosperity to your great nation," he wrote. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Israeli Prime Minister added, Israel & India stand together. Partners in innovation, friendship, defence and a brighter future." Diwali, the Festival of Lights, symbolises the triumph of light over darkness. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 21, 2025, 11:21 IST News world May Our Partnership Flourish: PM Modi Thanks Netanyahu For Diwali Wishes, Sends Birthday Greetings 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... Never Trust Indian: Trump Nominee Paul Ingrassia Faces Backlash Over Racist Remark Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 12:30 IST Paul Ingrassia is a 30-year-old attorney and political commentator who currently serves as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. Trump Nominee Paul Ingrassia. (Photo: X) Paul Ingrassia, US President Donald Trumps nominee to lead the White House Office of the Special Counsel, is facing severe backlash after reports revealed a string of racist and extremist remarks attributed to him. The revelations, published by Politico, have cast serious doubt over his upcoming Senate confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday. What did Paul Ingrassia say? Recommended Stories According to Politico, the Republican attorney and political commentator had shared a series of offensive messages in a Young Republicans Telegram group and private text chains. Among them was a message from 2024 in which Ingrassia wrote, Never trust a Chinaman or Indian," apparently referring to then-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. In another disturbing exchange, Ingrassia compared Martin Luther King Jr. to George Floyd, calling him the 1960s George Floyd" and suggesting that his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell." He further wrote, No moulignon holidays from Kwanzaa to MLK Jr Day to Black History Month to Juneteenth. Every single one needs to be eviscerated." Perhaps most shocking was his admission in a separate discussion, I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it." The remark reportedly prompted pushback from others in the group. The publication of these messages has caused outrage across political lines. Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida was among the first to condemn the nominee, saying, Im not supporting him. I cant imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. Its wrong." Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, a member of the Senate committee reviewing the nomination, has also reportedly called for Ingrassias name to be withdrawn. Meanwhile, Senator Rand Pauls office has referred all comments to the White House, which has yet to issue an official statement. Who is Paul Ingrassia? Born in 1995, Paul Ingrassia is a 30-year-old attorney and political commentator who currently serves as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. A Cornell Law School graduate, he interned at the White House during Trumps first term and has described himself as President Trumps favourite writer." Ingrassias Substack newsletter, reportedly followed by Trump since April 2024, has been a platform for his political commentary. His career, however, has already been dogged by controversy. His Senate hearing, initially scheduled for July, was delayed amid scrutiny of his ties to far-right figures such as Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes. Paul accused of sexual harassment top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Ingrassia was also previously accused of sexual harassment by a woman who alleged that he cancelled her reservation during a trip to compel her to share a room with him. Although the allegation was later withdrawn, the incident contributed to the unease surrounding his nomination. With mounting criticism and senators distancing themselves, Ingrassias confirmation now appears increasingly uncertain. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 12:30 IST News world Never Trust Indian: Trump Nominee Paul Ingrassia Faces Backlash Over Racist Remark 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... No Trump-Putin Meet In The Immediate Future, Says White House Amid Hungary Summit Buzz Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 22:22 IST The Kremlin had earlier said that no dates were decided for the possible summit between US President Trump and his Russian counterpart Putin in Hungary. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk to a joint news conference following their meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE) American officials said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump has no immediate plans to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, despite Trumps recent claim that the two leaders would meet soon in Budapest. There are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future," a Trump administration official told Reuters. Recommended Stories The Kremlin also signalled that no such summit was imminent, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying it would require serious preparation." A meeting between the presidents would typically be preceded by talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but it remains unclear when the two will connect. Officials told the Associated Press that the summit was postponed after Trump and Putin spoke by phone. Peskov said Lavrov and Rubio would need to coordinate a call to address many pre-summit issues," including forming negotiating teams and agreeing on an agenda. There are many questions, negotiating teams need to be determined, and so on," he said. Everything will be done in stages, but, of course, the presidents will is there. The summit could indeed take place within two weeks or a little later. Theres a general understanding that nothing should be put off." We cannot postpone something that has not been finalised. Neither President Trump nor President Putin have given exact dates. Preparation is needed, serious preparation," Peskov added. The development also comes amid allegations made by officials in Ukraine that Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cede parts of eastern Ukraine to Russia. After a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are" in the more than three-year war. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On Sunday, Trump said that the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be cut up," leaving most of it in Russian hands. Trump said Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, hes now doubtful it will happen. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 22:06 IST News world No Trump-Putin Meet In The Immediate Future, Says White House Amid Hungary Summit Buzz 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... Priceless Jewels Stolen In Paris Louvre Heist Worth Nearly Rs 900 Crore Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 23:03 IST The stolen treasures include tiaras, necklaces, earrings, and brooches from the collections of Queen Marie-Amelie, Queen Hortense, and Empress Eugenie Rapid Read + Follow us On Google The Louvre pyramid courtyard is seen almost completely empty following the announcement that the museum will remain closed for a second day. (AFP photo) The financial loss from the daring jewellery heist at Pariss Louvre museum has been estimated at nearly Rs 900 crore (around $102 million), a French prosecutor said on Tuesday. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the museums curator had assessed the value of the stolen royal jewels at this huge sum. She cautioned, however, that the thieves would gain far less if they tried the very bad idea" of melting down the priceless items. Recommended Stories The robbery, which took place on Sunday, saw thieves break into the Louvres Galerie dApollon in broad daylight, making off with eight precious pieces belonging to French royalty. The thieves climbed an extendable ladder to reach an upper window overlooking the Seine river and escaped within seven minutes. The stolen treasures include tiaras, necklaces, earrings, and brooches from the collections of Queen Marie-Amelie, Queen Hortense, and Empress Eugenie. Notably, the crown of Empress Eugenie was found abandoned near the museum, apparently dropped by the robbers during their getaway. The Louvre was closed for two days following the heist but reopened on Tuesday, leaving many tourists disappointed. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all French police have stepped up their search for the culprits as questions mount over security at the countrys cultural institutions. (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 : Paris, France First Published: October 21, 2025, 22:47 IST News world Priceless Jewels Stolen In Paris Louvre Heist Worth Nearly Rs 900 Crore 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... Meet Sanae Takaichi: Japans First Female PM Is A China Hawk And A Heavy Metal Drummer Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 12:00 IST Takaichi becomes Japan's first female prime minister, winning majority at both houses in Parliament.Inspired by Thatcher, she brings conservative and nationalist views to the role. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google A former economic security and interior minister, Takaichi has long cited Thatcher as her political inspiration. (Image: AP/file) In a historic moment for Japan, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Sanae Takaichi has been elected as the countrys first female prime minister. Marking a shift in a political landscape of the East Asian nation long dominated by men, both houses of Japans Parliament voted in her favour. The 64-year-old conservative, known for her outspoken criticism of China, won 237 votes in the Lower House, comfortably clearing the majority threshold in the 465-seat chamber, according to the BBC. Recommended Stories In the run-off vote, the Upper House also chose Takaichi, who received 125 votes just one more than needed for a simple majority. Inspired by Britains late leader Margaret Thatcher, a hardline conservative, Takaichi, rose to the top after a whirlwind of political manoeuvring, becoming the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader and subsequently winning a parliamentary vote to take the nations highest office. Takaichi won Japans ruling partys presidency on October 4, becoming the first woman ever to secure the post, after her third attempt. Who Is Sanae Takaichi? A former economic security and interior minister, Takaichi has long cited Thatcher as her political inspiration. She met the late British prime minister at a symposium in 2013 and often praises her strong convictions and womanly warmth." Like Thatcher, Takaichi hails from humble beginnings her father worked at a car company, her mother was a police officer an unusual background in an LDP stacked with political dynasties, according to news agency Reuters. Education And Political Journey Takaichi graduated from Kobe University with a degree in business management and later served as a congressional fellow in the US Congress, experiences that shaped her pragmatic approach to governance. She entered Japans parliament in 1993 as an independent and joined the LDP three years later. The sexagenarian has been a heavy metal fan for most of her life. She started drumming in a college band and idolizes legendary bands such as Iron Maiden and Deep Purple. She played so hard that she always kept four pairs of drumsticks as backups in case they broke, according to Japanese media. Yet, Takaichis fiscal approach sharply contrasts with Thatchers frugality. A staunch supporter of Abenomics," the late Shinzo Abes pro-spending economic policies, she has called for higher government expenditure, tax cuts, and greater control over the Bank of Japan. Her big-spending stance, however, has raised concerns among investors wary of Japans mounting debt. Takaichis conservative worldview and nationalist leanings have made her a polarizing figure. A frequent visitor to Tokyos Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japans war dead including convicted war criminals she has drawn criticism from China and South Korea. She also supports revising Japans pacifist constitution and has floated the idea of a quasi-security alliance with Taiwan," a stance that could further strain relations with Beijing. Socially, Takaichi remains deeply conservative. She opposes same-sex marriage and the right of married couples to use separate surnames both of which enjoy broad public support in Japan. Though she has vowed to appoint more women to her cabinet, polls suggest her views resonate more strongly with male voters than with women. The Human Touch Behind The Hardliner Despite her tough political persona, those who know Takaichi describe a warmer side. Her friends in her hometown of Nara recall her as approachable and thoughtful. Her former hairdresser, Yukitoshi Arai, even dubbed her signature look the Sanae Cut," explaining, It has a sleek, sharp, and stylish look. The sides are long, but she deliberately tucks them behind her ears as a way of showing that she listens carefully to other people," Reuters reported. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Now, as she prepares to host US President Donald Trump next week, Takaichi faces the formidable task of steering Japan through economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension all while proving that a woman can wield power at the pinnacle of Japanese politics. Whether hailed as a reformer or criticized as a nationalist, Sanae Takaichi has already made history and, much like her idol, the Iron Lady," she seems ready to reshape it. 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 : Tokyo, Japan First Published: October 21, 2025, 11:58 IST News world Meet Sanae Takaichi: Japans First Female PM Is A China Hawk And A Heavy Metal Drummer 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... South Korean Woman Sets Apartment On Fire While Trying to Kill Cockroach Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 22, 2025, 01:26 IST A South Korean woman caused a deadly Osan city fire using a flamethrower to kill a cockroach, leading to a Chinese national's death and possible charges of negligence Blasting cockroaches - with blowtorches or homemade flamethrowers - has emerged as a novel way of getting rid of house pests, made popular by videos on social media, BBC reported. (Representative Image) A South Korean woman has set her apartment building on fire while trying to kill a cockroach with an improvised flamethrower. One of the womans neighbours died after falling to the ground while trying to escape through a window. According to BBC, the woman, who is in her 20s, told police that she tried to torch the cockroach with a lighter and a flammable spray, adding that she had used the method before. However on Monday, items in her home caught fire. Recommended Stories Police said they will be seeking an arrest warrant against the accused and she could be charged with accidentally starting a fire and causing death by negligence. BBC reported that the woman who died in the Osan city fire, a Chinese national in her 30s, lived on the fifth floor of the building with her husband and two-month-old baby. According to reports, when the family realized about the fire, they opened their home window and called for help. They managed to hand over their baby through the window to a neighbor and the husband also was able to climb over. However, the woman fell from the window while climbing down. She was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Blasting cockroaches with blowtorches or homemade flamethrowers has emerged as a novel way of getting rid of house pests, made popular by videos on social media, BBC reported. A similar case was reported in 2018 when an Australian man set fire to his kitchen while trying to kill cockroaches with a homemade flamethrower made with insect spray. Location : South Korea First Published: October 22, 2025, 01:26 IST News world South Korean Woman Sets Apartment On Fire While Trying to Kill Cockroach 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... Taliban Says Ties With India 'Independent', Dubs Pakistan's 'Proxy War' Claims Illogical Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 20:20 IST Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said Afghanistan maintains relations with India based on national interests while preserving good-neighborly ties with Pakistan. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Afghan Defence Minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid and Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif sign documents of a ceasefire agreement, during a negotations meeting mediated by Qatar and Turkey, in Doha, Qatar. (IMAGE: REUTERS) Afghanistan Defence Minister, from the ruling Taliban regime, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, dismissed Pakistans claims that India was involved in recent tensions as groundless" and illogical." He said Kabuls policy will never allow its territory to be used against other countries and stressed that ties with India are independent, guided solely by Afghanistans national interests. Mujahid added that while Afghanistan seeks to maintain good-neighbourly relations with Pakistan, the country aims to expand cooperation, not fuel conflicts. Recommended Stories Mujahid made the comments in Doha in an interview with Qatar-run broadcaster Al Jazeera. These accusations are groundless. Our policy will never involve using our territory against other countries. We maintain relations with India as an independent nation and will strengthen those ties within the framework of our national interests," Mujahid said. At the same time, we will preserve our relations with Pakistan based on good neighborliness. Our aim is to expand relations, not create tensions. Pakistans accusations are unfounded, illogical, and unacceptable," he further added. Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan broke out after explosions in Kabul on October 9. The Taliban government blamed the blasts on its neighbour and launched a retaliatory border offensive, prompting Islamabad to vow a strong response. After further clashes left soldiers and civilians dead, the two sides declared an initial 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday. New Pakistani strikes hit Afghanistan on Friday, with Islamabad saying it was targeting armed groups that the Taliban harbours and allows to launch attacks on Pakistani territory a claim that Kabul denies. Taliban alleges that Pakistan also harbours and provides support to Islamic States local wing, the Khorasan group. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The two sides approved a second ceasefire on Sunday, to the relief of many along the border. After the peace talks in Doha, Qatars foreign ministry said the ceasefire deal provides for the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace", but their details have not been disclosed. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Doha, Qatar First Published: October 21, 2025, 20:20 IST News world Taliban Says Ties With India 'Independent', Dubs Pakistan's 'Proxy War' Claims Illogical 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... They Have To Be Good: Trump Warns Hamas Of Eradication If Gaza Truce Fails Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 06:57 IST Trumps remarks followed Israels announcement that it had begun renewed enforcement of the Gaza ceasefire after conducting air strikes in retaliation for alleged Hamas attacks. US President Donald Trump. (Image: AP/file photo) US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Hamas of eradication" if it violated the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza, a day after Israel accused the militant group of breaching the truce. Speaking at the Oval Office, Trump said Hamas must be good" and behave" to avoid facing severe consequences. We have peace in the Middle East for the first time ever. We made a deal with Hamas that, they gonna be very good. Theyre going to behave, theyre going to be nice, and if theyre not were going to eradicate them if we have to. Theyll be eradicated and they know that," Trump said. Recommended Stories He accused Hamas of past violence and claimed the group no longer enjoys the same level of support from Iran or other nations. They went in and killed a lot of people. Theyre violent people. Hamas has been very violent. But they dont have the backing of Iran anymore. They dont have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if theyre not good, theyll be eradicated," Trump said. President Trump is not playing games with Hamas.Listen to this scorching warning he just sent them: Theyre going to behave. Theyre going to be nice. And if theyre not, were going to go and were going to eradicate them if we have to. Theyll be eradicated." They got pic.twitter.com/77cPDdwV2M Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 20, 2025 The President clarified that the United States would not deploy troops for any such action, saying there would be no involvement of US forces." His comments came during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office, where both leaders signed a multi-billion-dollar deal on critical minerals and defence cooperation. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Trumps remarks followed Israels announcement that it had begun renewed enforcement" of the Gaza ceasefire after conducting air strikes in retaliation for alleged Hamas attacks. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the strikes targeted weapons storage sites, firing positions, and tunnels used for planning assaults. Meanwhile, the Gaza Media Office reported that 97 people have been killed and over 230 injured since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, accusing Israel of committing 80 blatant and clear breaches" of the truce and international law. About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, including electi... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 06:57 IST News world They Have To Be Good: Trump Warns Hamas Of Eradication If Gaza Truce Fails 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... Threat Posed By Khalistani Groups Is Canadas Problem, Not Indias: Envoy Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 07:07 IST Envoy Patnaik dismissed claims linking Indian diplomats to criminal activities in Canada. India's new High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K. Patnaik. (File photo: X) Indias new High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has said that the growing threat posed by Khalistani groups in Canada is a domestic challenge for Ottawa, not an Indian problem. The Khalistani issue is not an Indian problem," Patnaik said. It is for Canada to fix what is happening inside Canada." Recommended Stories In a forthright interview with CTVs Question Period, Patnaik dismissed allegations of Indian involvement in criminal or extraterritorial activity as preposterous and absurd," while urging Canada to take greater responsibility for its internal security. Canada cannot look at Khalistani issue as an Indian problem Speaking to host Vassy Kapelos, Patnaik said that both governments have been discussing the entire security situation," including the disruptive influence of Khalistani groups. What we are talking about now are the different security scenarios that are happening in this country," he explained. Security scenarios where there is a group of people who are actually terrorising, keeping the relationship hostage. How do we deal with them? How do we deal with the law-and-order situation?" The envoy made it clear that the issue originates within Canada. Canada cannot look at this situation as an Indian problem. Its a Canadian problem. There are Canadians who are creating this problem," he asserted. Canada security concern Highlighting the tense environment, Patnaik voiced concern over the need for personal protection amid alleged threats from extremist elements. I find it strange that a high commissioner here has to be under protection. Im under protection. I should not be under protection in a country like this," he said. Patnaik noted that the security dialogue between both nations also covers the safety of Canadians in India," underscoring that cooperation on public safety must be mutual. India-Canada diplomatic strain Relations between India and Canada deteriorated sharply after Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus 2023 claim of credible" Indian links to the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Following the accusation, Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats a move mirrored by New Delhi. Canadian authorities later accused Indian officials of engaging in clandestine activities," including homicides and extortion. Patnaik reiterated Indias rejection of those charges: We are still waiting for any evidence to be given. These allegations are preposterous, absurd and unsupported by facts." He added firmly, Extraterritorial action by India is never done." Despite tensions, Patnaik said both sides are working to rebuild trust through renewed security dialogue. In June, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme called talks with Indian officials good and positive," while senior security advisers from both countries met in New Delhi last month to address respective concerns." Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, when asked whether Indian diplomats return posed a risk, declined to comment directly. We will do what it takes to ensure the safety and security of Canadians," he said, adding that bilateral relations must be grounded in trust and accountability." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all CTV reported that the RCMP has yet to respond to Patnaiks remarks that India is still awaiting evidence from Canada. Patnaiks remarks underline New Delhis frustration with being repeatedly implicated in Canadas domestic challenges. His comments mark a renewed Indian push to frame the Khalistan issue as a question of Canadian governance, even as both countries tentatively reopen diplomatic dialogue. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Canada First Published: October 21, 2025, 06:55 IST News world Threat Posed By Khalistani Groups Is Canadas Problem, Not Indias: Envoy 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... 'End Will Be Fast, Furious & Brutal': Trump Warns Hamas Against Violating Gaza Truce Terms Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 23:53 IST Trump says several Middle East allies have told him they are ready to enter Gaza with a heavy force to straighten Hamas if the group violates truce terms. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Trump claims Middle East allies are enthusiastic to act against Hamas at his request, but says he has told them, NOT YET! (IMAGE: REUTERS) US President Donald Trump claimed that several of Americas NOW GREAT ALLIES" in the Middle East and surrounding regions have told him they would be willing, at his request, to enter Gaza with a heavy force" and straighten our Hamas" if the group continues to act in violation of its agreement with the US. The Republican earlier in the day threatened to eradicate" Hamas if it breached its ceasefire deal with Israel as his deputy, Vice President JD Vance, landed in Israel. Recommended Stories In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and straighten our Hamas if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold!" Trump added that he has so far told these countries, and Israel, NOT YET!" He said there was still hope that Hamas would do what is right," but warned that if the group fails to comply, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!" Hamas has been accused of shooting so-called collaborators and allegedly carried out executions out in the open. Israeli soldiers told Haaretz that they could not stop Hamas since they had no jurisdiction following the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israeli forces dropped 153 tonnes (337,307 pounds) of bombs on targets in Gaza in response to what it said was a ceasefire breach by the Palestinian group Hamas. Israel also said it had launched a wave of air strikes against targets in Gaza after two of its soldiers were killed in an attack by Hamas. The Palestinian group denied any knowledge of the attack. Both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the US-backed truce despite the weekends violence, and Israel confirmed that Hamas handed over the body of a hostage on Monday, taking the total to 13 of the 28 it had pledged to return. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said in a statement that Hamas had to make good on its commitment to return the remains of all the hostages in order to implement the ceasefire agreement. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the deceased hostages, every last one of them," the statement said. Hamas has said it needs more time and technical assistance to complete the recovery of the bodies. No US Army In Gaza US Vice President JD Vance said that he had great optimism" the Gaza truce would hold, during a visit to Israel aimed at shoring up the ceasefire, with Washington piling pressure on Hamas. In a sign of the fragility of the agreement, Vance said Washington would not set a deadline for Hamas to disarm as required under the terms of the deal. .@VP: "We know that Hamas has to comply with the deal, and if Hamas doesn't comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen in order for us to give it a chance to succeed, we've got to be a little bit flexible." pic.twitter.com/msu2IRoZf9 Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 21, 2025 Im not going to do what the President of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult," Vance said of disarming Hamas. Vance also said that US troops would not be deployed in Gaza but that the United States would take part in useful coordination". Praise For Indonesia Trump also expressed gratitude, singling out Indonesia and its wonderful leader" for their support, writing: I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help. Also, I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the U.S.A. TO EVERYONE, thank you for your attention to this matter!" top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Shortly after his Gaza-focused summit remarks in Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month, audio picked up Prabowo asking Trump if he could meet with his son Eric, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization. Both appeared unaware of the live microphone. Trump replied, Ill have Eric call. Should I do that? Hes such a good boy. Ill have Eric call." It was unclear whether the conversation involved the Trump Organization or any business dealings. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 19:47 IST News world 'End Will Be Fast, Furious & Brutal': Trump Warns Hamas Against Violating Gaza Truce Terms 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... White House Agrees To Forgive Student Loans For Millions Of Borrowers. Here's What It Means For You Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 09:55 IST If the forgiveness occurs this year, it wont trigger federal income tax for most borrowers under this deal, removing the 'tax bomb' risk Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google US President Donald Trump. (Image: X/@WhiteHouse) The Donald Trump administration, in a major policy shift, has said it will cancel student debt for millions of borrowers under federal loan forgiveness plans. According to The Washington Post, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the US Department of Education reached a courtfiled settlement that revives studentloan forgiveness processes for certain longstanding incomedriven repayment (IDR) programmes. As part of the deal, borrowers enrolled in IDR plans such as IncomeBased Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and IncomeContingent Repayment (ICR) will have their applications processed for forgiveness as they become eligible. Recommended Stories Fox Business reported that the government agreed that borrowers whose loans are cancelled in 2025 will not face federal taxes on the forgiven amount. The deal includes monthly reporting obligations to the court on how many applications are processed. Earlier in 2025, the administration had paused or restricted access to certain IDR plan enrolments and forgiveness processing, leading to legal action by the AFT. According to CNBC, the timing of the move is critical because a tax exemption for forgiven student loans under the American Rescue Plan Act expires on December 31 this year after which forgiven debt may again become taxable. Why Does It Matter? The most significant outcome of the move would be relief for millions of borrowers. The deal could restore a pathway to forgiveness for borrowers who have been waiting years despite meeting payment or servicerequirements under IDR plans. It also signals that the Department of Education is under both legal and political pressure to process relief rather than delay it indefinitely. Apart from this, one of the most consequential aspects is the removal of the tax bomb" risk for the time being. If forgiveness occurs this year, it wont trigger federal income tax for most borrowers under this deal. However, if it is delayed into 2026 or beyond, the forgiven amount might count as taxable income, raising significant potential liability, CNBC reported. What You Should Know Are You Eligible: If you have been enrolled in an eligible IDR plan (IBR, PAYE, ICR) and you have met the payment/yearsofservice requirement, you may now have your application processed for forgiveness. The specifics vary by plan. If you serve in public service and qualify under Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), parts of the deal also cover buyback" periods (for instance, time in forbearance or deferment that should count toward the 120 payments), The Washington Post reported. Tax Strategy: If youre likely to qualify in 2025, filing or enrolling early may help ensure your forgiveness is counted as occurring in 2025 rather than 2026, thus avoiding the potential tax bill. Some borrowers reportedly had to optout" by a certain date in some communications from the Department. Be Meticulous: Keep detailed records of payments, plan enrolments and servicer communications. You may need to prove eligibility in case delays or disputes arise. Be Patient: Relief will not be instantaneous for all. The Department will still need to process applications, verify eligibility, and coordinate with servicers. Some backlog remains. Also, the law may change in the future, meaning the path forward might look different for new borrowers or new loans. Enrolling now or sticking with an eligible plan may help preserve your eligibility under the current framework. The Crux top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Trump administrations move is a meaningful win for many federal student loan borrowers, especially those in longterm incomedriven repayment plans who were facing an uncertain future. The agreement restores relief pathways, shields many from tax liability (for now), and signals policy track correction. However, timing matters, eligibility is planspecific, and uncertainty remains about future changes. If youre in one of the relevant plans, it may be wise to review your status, gather documentation, and consider acting sooner rather than later. About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, ... Read More Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 09:55 IST News world White House Agrees To Forgive Student Loans For Millions Of Borrowers. Here's What It Means For You 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... Who Is Lucy Martinez? Chicago Teacher Mimics Charlie Kirk Killing At No Kings Protest Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 09:22 IST The dramatic act mocked Kirks death in September at Utah State University, sending shockwaves across social media. Chicago Teacher Faces Backlash After Mimicking Charlie Kirk Assassination at Protest A woman at a Chicago-area No Kings" protest has sparked widespread condemnation after appearing to act out the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. What do we know about the incident? Recommended Stories Lucy Martinez, an elementary school teacher at Nathan Hale Elementary, was captured on video miming the killing of Kirk during the demonstration. The footage shows Martinez making a gun gesture to her neck as a vehicle passed by displaying a flag labelling Kirk as a hero. The dramatic act mocked Kirks death in September at Utah State University, sending shockwaves across social media. The video quickly went viral, prompting an immediate backlash from both parents and the general public. Many labelled the gesture deranged" and raised concerns about the implications for professional conduct among educators. In response, Chicago Public Schools issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to maintaining a safe and inclusive learning environment. However, the district did not clarify Martinezs current employment status. Following the controversy, Nathan Hale Elementary took down its website and suspended social media accounts, heightening speculation about possible disciplinary measures. The district has emphasised that it will adhere to standard procedures for investigating allegations of misconduct. Whether Martinez faces formal action remains unclear, but the incident has sparked a wider conversation on what constitutes appropriate behaviour for teachers, both in and outside of the classroom. 'DERANGED': A woman at a Chicago-area No Kings" protest is taking heat for appearing to act out the assassination of Charlie Kirk. pic.twitter.com/h5mOefQ7ig Fox News (@FoxNews) October 20, 2025 No Kings" protests top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The demonstration was part of a larger wave of No Kings" protests taking place across the United States and internationally. Organisers of the movement oppose what they describe as authoritarian tendencies under former President Donald Trumps administration. Central to their message is the rejection of concentrated, unchecked power, drawing on the American ideal that there are no kings" in the country. The protests largely focus on promoting democracy and constitutional governance. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Chicago, United States of America (USA) First Published: October 21, 2025, 09:22 IST News world Who Is Lucy Martinez? Chicago Teacher Mimics Charlie Kirk Killing At No Kings 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... Your Mom Did: Karoline Leavitt Snaps At Reporter Over TrumpPutin Summit Question Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 21, 2025, 08:13 IST The date for the Trump-Putin meeting, which is expected to take place in Budapest in the coming weeks, has not been finalised yet The White House press secretary posted a screenshot of the message (AP) White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday lashed out at a reporter, calling him a left-wing hack" after responding to his text about the upcoming TrumpPutin summit with the remark, Your mom did." The exchange came after HuffPost journalist S.V. Date asked Leavitt who had chosen the location for the reported meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Leavitt later posted a screenshot of their conversation on X, accusing the reporter of bias against the President. Recommended Stories For context, S.V. Date of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points," Leavitt wrote. Just take a look at SV Dates feed it reads like an anti-Trump personal diary. Here is my full response to his inquiry. Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to Al Jazeera, no date has yet been finalised for the TrumpPutin summit, which is expected to take place in Budapest in the coming weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is willing to join the talks if invited, though he voiced concern over Hungarys close ties with Moscow. Zelenskyy told reporters, If I am invited to Budapest in a format where we meet as three, or as its called shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me then, in one format or another, we will agree." About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, including electi... Read More First Published: October 21, 2025, 08:13 IST News world Your Mom Did: Karoline Leavitt Snaps At Reporter Over TrumpPutin Summit Question 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... TDT | Manama Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com The Cabinet expressed its gratitude to the private sector for its positive contributions in response to the royal directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, instructing the Ministry of Labour to provide three job opportunities to every registered Bahraini job-seeker before the end of 2025. Chaired by His Excellency Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday at Gudaibiya Palace, the Cabinet also extended its appreciation to the Ministry of Labour for its dedicated efforts and swift implementation of these directives. It also commended the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) for its facilitation of job opportunities, actively supporting employment goals and the Kingdoms development. Partnership The Cabinet commended the community partnership and participation in supporting National Tree Week, reflecting the Kingdoms awareness and commitment to environmental preservation and sustainable development. It reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture in this regard. The Cabinet extended its congratulations on the success of the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit, marking the agreement secured to end the war in the Gaza Strip. The Summit, attended by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was hosted by Egypt and was co-chaired by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and the US President Donald Trump with the participation of leaders from more than twenty countries from around the world. TDT | Manama Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com A devastating train accident in eastern Ethiopia early Tuesday has claimed at least 14 lives and left 29 others injured, according to local state media reports. The collision occurred around 2 a.m. as a passenger train was making its 200-kilometre journey from Dewele, near the Djibouti border, to the city of Dire Dawa. Local officials confirmed the fatalities and said that several passengers sustained both serious and minor injuries. Dire TV, a state media outlet, reported the tragedy in a Facebook post, noting: An accident that happened on the Dire DawaDewele line has killed 14 people and caused serious and light injuries to 29 others. The post did not elaborate on the cause of the crash. Photos shared by the outlet revealed a grim scene overturned carriages lying on their sides, some visibly mangled from the impact. Emergency teams were seen working through the wreckage in the early morning hours to assist survivors. Train accidents are uncommon in Ethiopia, a nation of over 130 million people. However, the country has witnessed one of Africas deadliest rail disasters before in 1985, when more than 400 people were killed and 500 injured after a train travelling from Djibouti to Addis Ababa plunged into a ravine. Authorities have yet to release the cause of Tuesdays derailment, but an investigation is underway as Ethiopia mourns yet another heartbreaking chapter in its rail history. OTTAWA, ON | TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG, Oct. 21, 2025 /CNW/ - A diverse roster of EY Canada spokespeople is available to Canadian media outlets producing coverage before, during and following the tabling of the 2025 federal budget. All identified spokespeople are available to provide insights into key sectors expected to be addressed by the government including national defence, AI sovereignty, major infrastructure projects, mining & critical mineral exploration, trade & tariffs, manufacturing & supply chain issues and more. Federal Budget, EY Hero Image (CNW Group/EY (Ernst & Young)) Firstly, a trio of EY Canada tax leaders is available to weigh in on tax-specific issues and their impact on Canadian businesses: Ameer Abdulla EY Canada Partner, Tax EY Canada Partner, Tax Stephane Leblanc EY Private Partner, Tax EY Private Partner, Tax Fred O'Riordan - EY Canada National Leader, Tax Policy Additionally, EY Canada's broader roster of industry-specific subject matter leaders includes: Clean energy investment tax credits, major energy infrastructure, LNG exports and energy markets Dr. Lance Mortlock - Managing Partner, Industrials & Energy - Managing Partner, Industrials & Energy Jennifer Ward Partner, Industrials & Energy Tax Leader Artificial intelligence, digital transformation and emerging technologies Biren Agnihotri Chief Technology Officer Trade, tariffs, CUSMA and interprovincial trade affairs Sylvain Golsse National Global Trade Leader Major infrastructure projects (Building Canada Act and national interest projects) Nicole Wang Partner, Infrastructure Advisory, Strategy & Transactions National defence and security Jeff Hamilton Director and Senior Advisor for Defence and Security Mining, critical minerals and the energy transition Theo Yameogo - EY Americas Metals & Mining Leader Hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, wind projects and grid infrastructure modernization Moz Salim - Partner, Power and Utilities leader Canadian economic growth, innovation and macroeconomic impacts Mauricio Zelaya , National Economics Leader Canadian manufacturing and supply chain nearshoring (steel, automotive, chemical, aerospace and transportation) Paul Vail - Advanced Manufacturing and Mobility Leader Immigration and cross-border talent mobility Batia J. Stein EY Law LLP Managing Partner, Business Immigration Golsse, Leblanc and O'Riordan will be attending the official budget lock up on Tuesday, November 4 after which EY Canada will host a webcast at 6:00 pm ET to share insights and analysis. Register for the event here. To learn more about the Canadian federal, provincial and territorial budgets or explore EY's Tax Alerts, click here. About EY EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multidisciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories. All in to shape the future with confidence. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/ca/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com/ca. SOURCE EY (Ernst & Young) To engage a spokesperson, or for more information, please contact Rafael Figueroa, [email protected], 514 879 6596. The US and its hyperscalers are spending more money on AI and AI data centers. The US hyperscalers have huge capacity for $400 billion on capital expenditure and hundreds of billion on research. The US hyperscalers have more free cashflow to expand AI investments towards $1 trillion per year and beyond. China is getting Nvidia H100 caliber chips made domestically. China is also working on HBM memory. These are great achievements but the US has Nvidia B200s that are about 5-10X better than H100s. There will be Nvidia Ruben chips coming out in the second half of 2026. Being 100X behind in compute is about a 30-50% gap in AI performance on the leading edge. China is able to maintain itself as a close follower to the US leading edge of AI. China has most of the worlds top AI researchers. In 2025, Chinas total AI capital expenditure could reach up to $98 billion. The government is a leading driver of this investment, contributing an estimated $56 billion through various funds. Chinese tech giants are also investing heavily in AI infrastructure. In 2025, internet companies are projected to contribute up to $24 billion, with major firms like Alibaba and Tencent announcing multi-billion dollar investment plans. In 2023 and 2024, more than 500 new data center projects were announced across China, in places such as Inner Mongolia and Guangdong. These amounts still lag behind the USa. In 2024, U.S. private AI investment grew to $109.1 billionnearly 12 times Chinas $9.3 billion and 24 times the U.K.s $4.5 billion. China is spending $5070 billion in annual subsidies for AI chips and data centers via the Big Fund III. China is focused on 7nm nodes for AI training/inference. Domestic chips power ~3040% of Chinas AI compute by 2026, up from less than 10% in 2024. China semiconductor yields are ~7080% versus 90%+ for TSMC. This inflates costs 2050%. They have no access to 5nm+ without EUV tools. There are lags in Chinas fab construction and scaling. They are racing for advanced AI-relevant nodes (57nm) and are about 35 years behind leaders like TSMC. Volume expansions are on track with 18 new global fabs starting in 2025 and ~40% in China. Cambricon Technologies reported H1 2025 revenue of 2.88 billion yuan. Thats a 4,347% year-over-year increase. Customers dependent on Nvidia suddenly needed alternatives. They found Cambricons Siyuan 370 chips offered acceptable performance for specific workloads at lower cost. Baidu deployed a 30,000-card Kunlun P800 cluster. First Chinese company operating domestic AI accelerators at hyperscale for LLM training. More telling: Baidus Intelligent Cloud won a 1 billion yuan China Mobile contract for AI inference servers. Kunlun chips captured all three sub-packages in the CUDA-like ecosystem category. September 2025 Alibabas new training chip, Codenamed PPU was spotted. It is using domestic 7nm process and 2.5D Chiplet packaging. Specifications reportedly matching H100 at ~40% lower costs. Chinas tech giants committed 380 billion yuan to AI infrastructure. They are betting on domestic chips as long-term foundations, not stopgaps. Cleanview has a new data center tracker. They are tracking about 550 planned data centers with a combined power capacity of 125 GW. Japan is decades ahead of the rest of the world with an aging and shrinking population. There are some who claim we dont know what will happen with future populations. However, the next 20 years are very clear for population impacts on workforce and retirement. People who will be 20 years older are alive today. China already has about 50% of Japans aging population effects. Real estate price drops and drags on GDP and economy. China has not hit full Japanification, but full Japanification for the next 2 decades is inevitable. The population pyramid show that there is a missing 100 million youth from 0-18. Goldman Sachs projects Chinas property crisis could worsen. They forecast home prices potentially falling another 10% by 2027. This is already the fourth year of the property crisis. By 2035, 400 million people will be 60 years and above and account for 30 percent of the population. China could have 500 million people over 60 in 2048 and the overall population could drop to 1.1 to 1.2 billion in 2050. Japan shrinking workforce is projected to decline further from now to 2050 and beyond. It has shaved 0.7-0.9 percentage points off annual GDP growth, contributing to Japans lost decades of stagnation. Japan has an epidemic of old people dying alone (Kodokushi). This is a growing crisis, with an estimated 68,000 cases in 2024up from 32,000 in 2009and over 17,000 in the first quarter alone. Mostly affecting men over 50 living solo. The bodies often go undiscovered for weeks due to isolation, with decomposition complicating identification. Its tied to economic slumps forcing early retirements. There are reports that the epidemic of old people dying alone in China is about 100,000 cases per year. China having the one child policy increases the risk of no family for old people. By 2040, China could be looking at 500,000 to over 1 million cases per year of dying alone. 4-10% of elderly deaths. Chinas aging and shrinking population is already exerting significant downward pressure on economic growth. China hits super-aged (20% over 65) by 2035 while it happened in Japan in 2025. China aging shock will hit harder and faster without Japans decades of gradual adjustment. Chinas workforce peaked at about 1.01 billion in 2015 and has since declined by roughly 5-6 million annually. This is contributing to labor shortages in manufacturing, construction, and services. This has reduced potential GDP growth by an estimated 0.5-0.7 percentage points (pp) per year currently, according to IMF. Fewer workers mean lower productivity and consumption. Combined with an old-age dependency ratio rising to 22% (from 13% in 2010), it strains pension and healthcare systems, diverting fiscal resources from investment. The property sector, once 25-30% of GDP, contracted by 10-15% in 2024-2025, dragging overall growth by 1-2 pp. New home sales fell 20-25% year-over-year in early 2025, inventory surplus hit 700 million sqm (enough for 3-4 years of demand), and prices dropped 5-10% in major cities. Between 2030 and 2035, Japan will potentially see one-third of all homes sitting vacant. Household wealth erosion is equivalent to 10-15% of GDP in losses. This has curbed consumption, with retail sales growth at just 3-4% vs. pre-crisis 8%. 2025 GDP growth of around 4.5% (below the 5% target) with structural drags totaling 1.5-2.5 pp. Local governments face $9-10 trillion in hidden debt from land sales collapse, forcing austerity. The drags are expected to intensify as the workforce shrinks faster by 25 million cumulatively from 2025-2030. The population will decline by about 15 million. Aging will could be a 1.1-1.4 pp total drag by 2030 per AMRO and World Bank models. This is about $300 billion in foregone output annually. Productivity losses from fewer innovators and consumers could shave another 0.3-0.5 pp, pushing per capita growth below 3%. Real estate woes will worsen with demand falling 15-20% further due to fewer young buyers. Unsold inventory may double, leading to more developer defaults. Youth unemployment rates hovering around 15-20% in recent years. Real estate woes will worsen with demand falling 15-20% further due to fewer young buyers. Unsold inventory may double, leading to more developer defaults (Evergrande-style crises). This could subtract 1.5-2.5 pp from growth yearly. This is causing banking problems with non-performing loans at 5-7% and construction employment is down 10-15%. Chinas demographic pyramid is terrible. There is a huge drop in the 0-18 ages and this is not some forecast. This is what has already happened. Any major turnaround is over two decades away. China is aging twice as fast as Japan. Its over-65 share rose from 7% in 2015 to 15% in 2025. Japans rose 12% to 29% over the same 2015-2025. Chinas fertility at 1.0 versus Japans 1.2-1.3. Chinas population could drop 200 million by 2050 and outpace Japans 16% decline 2025-2050 decline. Chinas real estate prices have fallen 20-30% from peaks. China has about 30 million vacant units versus Japans 9 million. The next 20 years of work force decline are locked-in. The aging of the median age of the overall population from 41 to 50 is pretty much locked-in. As of October 21, 2025, Blue Origin has conducted only one New Glenn launch to date. The maiden flight occurred on January 16, 2025, from Cape Canaverals SLC-36, successfully reaching orbit with a prototype Blue Ring payload, though the first stage was lost during reentry. The second Blue Origin launch of New Glenn is taking nearly a year. NASAs ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) Mars mission is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than November 9, 2025, aboard Blue Origins New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This would mark a cadence of roughly 10 months between launches so far, reflecting the vehicles early development phase rather than operational frequency. The ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) missiontwo NASA Mars orbiters studying the planets magnetospherewas originally scheduled for launch on Blue Origins New Glenn rocket in October 2024. Blue Origin New Glenn is over one year late for the ESCAPADE mission. Blue Origin aims to ramp up to multiple launches per year once reusability is proven (booster landings targeted for the second flight), but no additional flights have occurred yet. Future missions include Telesats Lightspeed satellites in 2026. Build Time for a Standard MK1: Blue Origin is already constructing a second MK1, estimated at 6-8 months behind the first (assembly completion around mid-2026 if the lead vehicle flies on schedule). This suggests a production timeline of 6-12 months from order to rollout for a new unit, leveraging an established assembly line at their Florida facility. The process includes fabricating the BE-7 engine cluster (7 engines for descent), integrating the VORTEX propellant system, and avionics/avionics testing. For a Mark 1.5 Variant: The hypothetical Artemis 3 version could have minor mods for HLS acceleration as Blue Origin has begun preliminary work on a modified MK1 for potential crewed use. Build time would likely extend to 8-14 months, adding 2-3 months for design iterations, software updates, and qualification tests. The company might accelerate via parallel assembly if NASA funds it, drawing from MK2 elements (larger fairing compatibility). This might shave to 6-9 months with existing tooling. Blue Origin could easily take to 2029 to get three launches to certify a new human rated lander. The first test launch could be 2027 or later. There is an intensifying race to return humans to the Moon, pitting the US against China and now NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy will have SpaceX race Blue Origin and other bidders. China is aiming for a crewed lunar landing in 20292030. There are developing a Long March 10A super heavy lift rocket (70 tons), the Mengzhou crew capsule and Lanyue lander. There are early engine tests underway but no full system integration or unmanned tests yet. China has two human-rated systems: Shenzhou caspule and an earlier Long March working since 1999. China has been launching one crewed mission every months to their Tiangong space station. SpaceX has been developing the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) for Artemis 3. They have iterated 11 Starship prototypes in tests. SpaceX has excelled in rapid human-rating. The Crew Dragon certified in 6 years. It was only one year (2019) from the uncrewed test and first successful crewed flight. It took 10 years for Falcon 9 to get human rated. Blue Origin previously entered a lawsuit against NASA after losing the initial NASA contracts for unmanned lunar landers. Bezos is obsessed with the moon and is clearing pushing politicians and decisions makers to open up the lunar landing contract. New Glenn rocket is the orbital Blue Origin rocket. The first orbital flight was delayed for years but flew January 2025. The second Blue Origin orbital flight planned for Nov. 9, 2025. Blue Origin delayed the NASAs EscaPADE Mars mission by one year. blue Origin might show a cadence of one launch every ~1012 months. However, Blue Origin must speed up and launch about 20 times in 2026 to meet commercial launch backlog and their NASA and other commitments. They have to launch dozens of commercial/NASA launches (e.g., Amazon Kuiper satellites, AST SpaceMobile). No second orbital flight yet. Human rating any lunar landing system will require about 5+ uncrewed tests (3 lunar). Wilmington, Delaware, October 21st, 2025, CyberNewsWire Sendmarc has announced the appointment of Dan Levinson as Customer Success Director North America, furthering the companys regional expansion and commitment to providing expert, locally aligned support to organizations across the continent. Levinson will lead the development of customer success programs that help businesses strengthen their email security and achieve full compliance with Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC). With over 15 years of experience spanning email security, email deliverability, account management, product management, and leadership, Levinson brings deep expertise in implementing and managing email authentication protocols, including Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and DMARC. He has helped organizations apply these standards effectively to reduce impersonation risks and improve deliverability. His work has also driven measurable operational improvements, including a 25% reduction in support cases during a period of 20% year-over-year customer growth. In his new role, Levinson will focus on building a customer success team designed to provide responsive, expert-level support to Sendmarcs North American clients. His team will work closely with customers to strengthen the adoption of DMARC and related standards, enabling advanced protection and improved visibility across their email environments. Joining Sendmarc has allowed me to continue an incredibly rewarding career in cybersecurity. The position affords me an opportunity to remain on the front lines, engaging directly with customers, as well as draw on my leadership experience to build a high-performing team to expand our North American presence, said Levinson. Sendmarc has built every capability modern DMARC users expect, without compromising on standards or email deliverability best practices that are often overlooked by other providers in the space. What Im most impressed with, though, is the dedication and subject matter expertise across the global customer success team. Most team members have had successful careers in other areas of cybersecurity, which strengthens the care and support our customers receive. I honestly couldnt ask for more when I consider the capabilities and sophistication of the platform, the dedicated staff, and the incredibly trusting leadership group here. Sendmarc is the DMARC solution that the North American market should be very excited about. Rob Bowker, North America Region Lead at Sendmarc, commented: The DMARC space is crowded with a lot of noise, but every now and then, you find the people who cut through it. Ive had the good fortune of working alongside Dan not once, but twice and this time, were doing it with the right platform and the right leadership. Im very excited about this second chance to get it right. About Sendmarc Sendmarc is a global leader in safeguarding email communications through DMARC. Built with a partner-first approach, its platform empowers MSPs and VARs to deliver trusted protection against impersonation, phishing, and other email-based threats. In addition to preventing fraud, Sendmarc improves email deliverability, ensuring legitimate business communications reach their intended recipients. Trusted by enterprises and partners worldwide, Sendmarc provides the tools and expertise needed to help customers achieve full DMARC compliance quickly and effectively. Contacts North America Customer Success Director Dan Levinson Sendmarc [email protected] North America Region Lead Rob Bowker Sendmarc [email protected] NASAs acting administrator Sean Duffy says he plans to open up the contract SpaceX holds to land astronauts on the moon for the Artemis 3 mission because the company has fallen behind schedule. Duffy previously maintained that Artemis 3 would launch in 2027, the agencys official target, even as multiple Starship test flight failures earlier this year made that timeline increasingly unlikely. President Gwynne Shotwell, assured him Starship would be ready for Artemis 3. In his Oct. 20 interviews, Duffy acknowledged that Artemis 3 likely would not launch in 2027. One of the competitors Duffy mentioned was Blue Origin, which has a separate HLS award to develop its Blue Moon Mark 2 lander for missions beginning with Artemis 5. Blue Origin has studied ways to adapt its smaller Blue Moon Mark 1 lander for a crewed mission, although one industry source described those concepts as jury-rigged and noted that Mark 1 currently cannot lift off from the lunar surface with any useful payload. Blue Origin Plans NASA has requested acceleration approaches from Blue Origin by October 29, 2025, potentially awarding a modified contract worth up to $1-2 billion to adapt Blue Moon for Artemis III. To qualify, Blue Origin must evolve its current uncrewed MK1 cargo lander (capable of delivering up to 3 metric tons to the lunar surface via New Glenn) into a fully crewed system meeting NASAs stringent HLS requirements for transporting two astronauts from Orion (in Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit) to the lunar south pole, supporting surface operations, and returning them safely. They would need to leverage the larger Mark 2 (MK2) design elements (awarded $3.4 billion for Artemis V in 2023) while compressing timelines. Below are the key steps, grouped by category, based on NASAs Statement of Work (SOW) for HLS and Blue Moons status. 1. Technical Development and Upgrades Blue Moon MK1 is a single-stage cargo lander focused on precision landings (anywhere on the Moon) using Blue Origins BE-7 engine cluster, but it lacks crewed elements like an ascent stage or life support. Develop Crewed Architecture: Integrate an ascent propulsion system (e.g., additional BE-7 engines for lunar takeoff) and a descent/ascent vehicle capable of carrying 2 crew + ~100 kg of samples/tools. Add a pressurized crew cabin, docking port compatible with Orions passive docking system (or an Active-Active Docking Adapter for Gateway), and interfaces for EVA suits (supporting 4+ hours of surface activity with 2 km walk-back capability). Enhance Propulsion and Landing Systems: Upgrade the Main Propulsion System (MPS) and Reaction Control System (RCS) for cryogenic propellant management (liquid hydrogen/oxygen boil-off control, slosh mitigation), precise powered descent to 84S90S latitudes within 100 m (3-sigma accuracy), and ascent to NRHO. Demonstrate fault-tolerant thrust vectoring and abort capabilities during reorientation/translation. Incorporate Core Subsystems: Build Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for cabin pressurization, CO2 scrubbing, temperature/humidity control, and 90+ days of consumables (oxygen, water, food). Add Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) for autonomous rendezvous/proximity operations/docking; thermal protection for lunar day/night cycles; and power systems (solar arrays/batteries) for 30+ days of surface ops. Software and Avionics: Develop Class A/B flight software per NASA standards (NPR 7150.2), including GNC algorithms, fault detection, and human-in-the-loop interfaces. Provide NASA access for Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V). These upgrades could draw from MK2s design, which already targets crew/cargo precision landings, but require rapid prototyping using existing BE-4/BE-7 hardware. 2. Testing and Demonstration Milestones NASA mandates a test-like-you-fly approach, starting with uncrewed demos.Uncrewed Lunar Landing Test: Conduct a risk-reduction flight by early 2026 (leveraging MK1-SN001, currently assembled and entering vacuum testing at Johnson Space Center), landing in the south pole region with 2 hours of post-landing telemetry. Verify GNC, propulsion health, and interfaces via end-to-end simulations. Ground and Integrated Testing: Perform Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) at Blue Origin facilities, including thermal-vacuum, vibration, and electromagnetic compatibility tests. Conduct joint simulations with NASAs Orion/Gateway emulators and at least 5 integrated crew training sessions using high-fidelity mockups. Crewed Qualification: Follow with a crewed orbital test (potentially 20262027) demonstrating docking, ECLSS, and abort scenarios, building toward lunar ops. Blue Origins New Glenn rocket (second launch planned for late 2025) must achieve 3 successful flights in a common configuration to certify as the HLS launcher 3. Certification and Safety Assurance Human spaceflight certification is rigorous, emphasizing failure tolerance and risk mitigation.Design Reviews: Complete Preliminary Design Review (PDR) by mid-2026, Critical Design Review (CDR) by late 2026, and Design Certification Review (DCR) by L-9 months (early 2027), proving maturity, margins (e.g., 20% propellant), and verification plans. Submit System Safety Assessments, Reliability Predictions (>99% success probability), and Hazard Analyses (using FMEA/FTA). Safety and Reliability: Address planetary protection (Category II-L), micrometeoroid/orbital debris shielding, and human factors (e.g., Decompression Sickness protocols, radiation monitoring). Achieve Flight Readiness Review (FRR) at L-2 weeks, including Lunar Orbit Checkout Review (LOCR) for in-orbit health checks. Operations Integration: Develop ConOps, Flight Rules, and training plans aligned with NASAs Mission Control Center-Houston. Co-locate flight teams for real-time ops, with NASA retaining Go/No-Go authority for critical events (e.g., descent initiation). 4. Operational and Programmatic Steps Proposal and Contracting: Submit a detailed acceleration plan by October 29, 2025, outlining cost, schedule compression (e.g., via off-ramps for simpler MK1 mods), and risk reduction. Blue Moons advantages include no on-orbit refueling (unlike Starship) and use of proven hydrolox propulsion, potentially enabling faster certification. However, scaling MK1 to crewed ops requires ~12 years of intense development, plus $500M$1B in investment. What Does SpaceX Have to Do for HLS for NASA Artemis 3 Below are the key remaining steps, drawn from NASAs HLS requirements, recent GAO assessments, and program updates. These focus on evolving Starship from suborbital/orbital tests to a certified, crew-rated lunar lander. 1. Technical Development and Upgrades Starship HLS requires adaptations for crewed lunar ops, building on the baseline Starship (methane/oxygen Raptor engines, ~1,200 m volume). SpaceX has completed ~24 HLS-specific milestones, including power, comms, and guidance hardware tests, but full integration lags. Crew Accommodation and Life Support: Finalize pressurized cabin with ECLSS (Environmental Control & Life Support System) for CO scrubbing, humidity control, and 7+ days of consumables (O, water, food). Integrate radiation shielding, EVA airlocks for Axiom Space suits, and human factors like seating for microgravity/launch. Docking and Interfaces: Develop NASA Docking System (NDS)-compatible port for Orion transfer (up to 4 hours), plus Active-Active adapters if needed. Add sample return lockers (~100 kg capacity) and surface tools. Propulsion Enhancements: Upgrade Raptors for lunar vacuum (throttle to 20-100%), add RCS for precise NRHO maneuvering, and cryogenic systems for boil-off control during 6-day transit. Target 20% propellant margins for aborts. Landing Gear and Surface Systems: Deployable legs for soft landing within 100 m accuracy at 84-90S latitudes; thermal radiators for lunar day/night; solar arrays/batteries for 30+ days idle if needed. 2. Testing and Demonstration Milestones Orbital Flight Reliability: Achieve 3+ consecutive full orbital missions (launch, stage separation, reentry, splashdown) by mid-2026, proving Block 3 maturity. Current cadence: ~1/month, needs to scale to bi-weekly or weekly for refueling. In-Orbit Refueling Demo: Launch a propellant depot to low Earth orbit (LEO), followed by 4-8 tanker Starships to transfer ~1,200 tons of methalox (methane/liquid oxygen) to HLS. Initial ship-to-ship transfer test NET Q1 2026 (delayed from mid-2025); full campaign (multiple transfers) by late 2026. This is the biggest threat to timeline, requiring cryogenic fluid dynamics validation. Uncrewed Lunar Demo: Launch HLS prototype to LEO, refuel via tankers, perform translunar injection, coast to NRHO, and execute powered descent/landing at South Pole (no ascent needed). NET 2027, delayed from 2025; includes 2-hour surface ops telemetry and hazard avoidance. Integrated Ground Tests: Conduct vibration/thermal-vacuum at Starbase/JSC; end-to-end simulations with Orion mockups (5+ crew rehearsals); propellant slosh and long-duration storage tests. 3. Certification and Safety Assurance Human-rating demands >99% reliability; SpaceX must pass phased reviews amid scrutiny from NASAs Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), which flags significant delays possible without 2025-2026 progress. Design Reviews: Complete Critical Design Review (CDR) by Q4 2025 (Preliminary Design Review done); follow with System Definition Review and Flight Readiness Reviews. Submit hazard analyses (FMEA/FTA), reliability predictions, and planetary protection plans (Category IVb for South Pole). Safety Protocols: Demonstrate abort modes (e.g., during descent or docking), micrometeoroid shielding, and decompression sickness mitigation. Achieve Flight Certification via independent NASA IV&V for software/avionics. Risk Reduction: Address ASAP concerns like engine-out tolerance and launch cadence; co-develop ConOps/Flight Rules with NASA for Mission Control integration. 4. Operational and Programmatic Steps Launch Infrastructure: Certify Starbase for HLS ops. Coordinate with Kennedy Space Center for Orion integration. Partnership Coordination: Joint tests with Lockheed Martin (Orion) and Axiom (suits); secure secondary payloads and end-of-mission disposal (deorbit to avoid debris). Timeline Acceleration: Submit NASA-requested path to 2027 plan by October 29, potentially via off-ramps (simplified refueling). GAO notes parallel Artemis II (NET Feb 2026) as a pacing item. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe In an interview with Dynamic Business, Sean Fagan explains how Neuono captures precise body measurements from phone, addressing fit issues and overproduction Whats happening: Australian luxury fashion house THDR Group has launched Neuono, an AI-powered app that creates made-to-measure clothing using smartphone-based 3D body scanning. Why this matters: The made-to-order model aims to tackle poor fit and overproduction waste in the fashion industry. The app represents a growing shift towards technology-driven personalised fashion that eliminates traditional retail and tailoring processes. Australian fashion technology company THDR Group has launched Neuono, a smartphone app that uses AI and 3D body scanning to produce made-to-measure garments without requiring customers to visit stores or attend fittings. Dynamic Business sat down with Sean Fagan, Co-Founder and Technology Lead at THDR Group, to discuss how the platform merges fashion with technology, following the 2021 launch of their luxury menswear label THEODORE and its AI sizing app, PocketTailor. Multiple AI systems The technology behind Neuono integrates several AI platforms with proprietary systems developed by THDR Group. In our interview, Fagan explained the technical foundation underpinning the apps capabilities. Neuono is powered by technology weve developed at THDR Group, and its AI sizing app, PocketTailor, Fagan says. It brings together leading AI models from OpenAI and Google with our own proprietary technology, including 3D body mapping and our generative AI engine, SenseThread. The process begins when users complete a body scan using their smartphone. The app analyses multiple data sources to generate personalised garment recommendations. When a user completes their scan, the app builds a 3D digital model of their body and then analyses their style preferences, local climate, and demographic information based on what the user feeds into their account, to suggest designs that genuinely make sense for them, Fagan explains. The AI looks at everything from global fashion trends from the internet, to individual taste seen within the users social media profiles and followers, to produce a made-to-measure garment, complete with AI-generated visuals of the user and detailed descriptions. The resulting output aims to match clothing to individual circumstances beyond just physical measurements. The result is clothing that fits not just your measurements, but your lifestyle and personality too, Fagan says. Millimetre-accurate measurements A key technical challenge for any smartphone-based body scanning system is achieving measurement accuracy comparable to traditional tailoring methods. Professional tailors typically take detailed manual measurements, a process that requires training and physical presence. When we asked Fagan about accuracy, he claimed their technology can replicate this precision digitally. The 3D body mapping captures over a hundred precise data points from just a few smartphone photos, accurate within millimetres of what a professional tailor would take in person, Fagan says. Its that same level of precision, but now available to anyone, anywhere, without fittings or store visits. Once users finalise their design within the app, the garment enters production as a made-to-order item, with direct shipping to the customer. Fagan describes this as modernising traditional tailoring practices rather than replacing them entirely. Once your design is finalised, the garment is made-to-order and shipped directly to your door, he says. With Neuono, we wanted to bring the craftsmanship of traditional tailoring that is seen within THEODORE, into the modern age, making it faster, easier, and more accessible, while still delivering a luxury-level fit. Limitless creative possibilities Beyond accurate sizing, Neuono offers extensive customisation options. Users input their desired garment type, and the system generates designs incorporating personal style preferences, body measurements, and environmental factors. Its a completely personal experience, Fagan tells us. After the scan, users can enter what they want, say, a relaxed linen blazer or a sharp dinner jacket, and the AI generates a one-of-a-kind design based on their preferences, measurements, and even their local weather. The app provides visual feedback before any physical production occurs. Users can see AI-generated images of themselves wearing the proposed garment and make real-time adjustments to the design. The app then shows an AI image of the user wearing the garment, so they can tweak things like the cut, fabric, or colour in real time, Fagan explains. Behind the scenes, Neuono can pull from over 70 billion combinations of fabrics, linings, threads, and buttons, so the creative possibilities are almost limitless. The scale of possible combinations far exceeds what traditional retail or even bespoke tailoring operations typically offer. Fagan positions this technological capability as addressing fundamental problems within the fashion industry. Weve built Neuono to solve two of fashions biggest challenges, poor fit and overproduction, he says. By designing everything to order and to fit, we reduce waste and completely reshape the customer experience. The made-to-order model eliminates the need to produce inventory speculatively, potentially reducing waste associated with unsold stock. It also aims to resolve the fit issues that occur when customers purchase standard-sized ready-to-wear garments. Through this technology, the fashion possibilities become limitless, Fagan says. For a single jacket, Neuono can pull from over 70 billion combinations of fabrics, linings, threads, and buttons. That level of personalisation just hasnt existed in ready-to-wear fashion until now. Diverse early adopters Since launching across three countries, Neuono has attracted users with varying motivations for trying AI-generated custom clothing. The app is currently available via the App Store and Google Play in Australia, the UK, and the US. When we asked about adoption rates, Fagan shared early metrics from the platforms launch. Weve seen over 10,000 downloads across Australia, the UK, and the US so far, with a really diverse mix of users, Fagan reports. There are early adopters who love experimenting with AI design, and others who simply want perfectly fitting clothes without the hassle of shopping or tailoring. Early demographic patterns show a concentration among younger users, with more female than male users, though geographic distribution has been more evenly spread across the available markets. The demographic mix for now has been majority 18 to 25 year olds, more females than male, but geography-wise it has been a real mix of across the world, Fagan says. Custom garments average $400 AUD, with final pricing dependent on the specific fabric and design choices users make within the app. The price point positions Neuono between mass-market ready-to-wear fashion and traditional high-end bespoke tailoring services. Fagan frames the technology as streamlining access to custom clothing that was previously more time-consuming and expensive to obtain. Neuono streamlines the entire process of creating custom clothing, making it easier, faster, and more accessible, he says. Weve always believed there had to be a better way to bring made-to-measure into the modern age. So we built one, intuitive enough for anyone to use, powerful enough to deliver high-end results. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We explore how Australian small businesses can use AI advertising tools to save 7.3 hours weekly, featuring practical examples and accessible platforms. Whats happening: New research from Amazon Ads shows 87% of Australian small and medium-sized business marketing leaders believe AI advertising tools will drive future growth by freeing up time for strategic priorities. Why this matters: Australian SMBs estimate they could save 7.3 hours weekly using AI to manage advertising campaigns, equivalent to 45 working days annually. New research from Amazon Ads shows that 87% of Australian small and medium-sized business (SMB) marketing leaders believe AI advertising tools will drive future growth by freeing up time for strategic business priorities. SMBs estimate they could save 7.3 hours per week, equivalent to about 45 working days annually, using AI to create and manage advertising campaigns. While nearly three-quarters of SMBs are currently using or testing AI tools, 45% admitted feeling overwhelmed by the number of AI advertising tools available, and 50% didnt know where to start. Unlocking future growth The Amazon Ads research shows that 72% of SMBs are already using or actively testing AI tools for advertising purposes. Businesses plan to use their time savings in several ways: 28% intend to focus more on sales activities, 28% on developing team skills, and 28% on exploring new marketplaces and channels they previously lacked time to pursue. SMBs also expect a 27% reduction in advertising costs over the next year thanks to AI-enabled efficiencies, including reduced time on data analysis (39%), better predicted campaign performance (25%), improved campaign reporting and optimisation (28%), and media planning support (31%). AI in advertising today Of the SMBs currently using or testing AI advertising tools, many are already seeing tangible benefits. Those implementing these tools report improvements through automated visual creation (13%), improved performance forecasting (9%), and automated ad copy generation (8%). SMBs also anticipate future gains including improved audience reach (44%), accelerated creative content generation (39%), and automation of repetitive advertising operations (30%) (Amazon Ads, 2025). For SMBs seeking additional AI capabilities, several external platforms offer accessible solutions. For example: Meta Business AI provides sales automation, customer interaction support, and a chat-based assistant within Ads Manager for personalised advertising guidance. Canva offers AI-driven design tools for creating professional visuals without a dedicated designer. Jasper provides AI-generated copy and content templates for a range of marketing needs, starting at $39 per month with free trials. Madgicx includes an AI Ad Generator and bidding optimisation for Meta ads, starting from $31 per month with a seven-day free trial. These platforms illustrate how SMBs can combine AI-powered tools with existing workflows to increase efficiency without needing extensive technical expertise. Confidence gaps remain Despite widespread adoption, SMB confidence varies. The Amazon Ads study found that 45% of marketing leaders feel overwhelmed by the number of tools available, 50% are excited about AI in advertising but unsure where to start, and 44% admitted feeling like they are faking it when using AI. This highlights the need for user-friendly AI solutions that do not require steep learning curves. SMBs also want to maintain human oversight in key advertising decisions. According to Amazon Ads, 38% want final creative approval, 32% want control over budget allocation, and 31% want to ensure cultural and emotional context is considered. Willie Pang, General Manager Australia at Amazon Ads, said, For SMBs, time is a precious resource. Every hour saved is time that can be spent growing the business or serving customers better. Thats why weve built AI capabilities into familiar tools to make the process simple and effective. Our AI-powered tools such as Image Generator and Video Builder help businesses easily produce standout ads, letting them get back to what they do best: building their business. Australian SMBs are navigating a period of optimism about AIs potential and practical challenges in adoption. Success appears to depend on selecting accessible AI tools that complement existing workflows, combining automation with human expertise. While Amazon Ads provides core data on adoption, other platforms like Meta, Canva, Jasper, and Madgicx offer additional pathways for SMBs to experiment with AI in advertising. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. As U.S. authorities unravel one of the largest alleged cryptocurrency-laundering operations in history, new details are emerging about how Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhis Prince Group expanded across more than 30 countries, blurring the line between legitimate enterprise and a global cybercrime network. Chen, 37, was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of money laundering, fraud, and operating forced-labor "scam compounds" in Cambodia. Prosecutors say his conglomerate earned billions through online investment and cryptocurrency schemes that exploited trafficked workers. The DOJ has seized about 127,271 Bitcoin, worth nearly $15 billion at current rates, in what it called the largest asset confiscation in American history. FBI Director Kash Patel described the case as "one of the largest financial fraud takedowns in history," The Guardian reported. Sprawling global network Prince Group began as a property developer in Phnom Penh in 2014 before expanding into banking, finance, tourism, logistics and consumer services. According to corporate records and regional media, it now encompasses more than 100 subsidiaries operating in over 30 countries. Among its core businesses are Prince Real Estate Group, Prince Huan Yu Real Estate Group and Prince Bank. One subsidiary, Canopy Sands Development, launched Ream City, a $16 billion real-estate megaproject in Sihanoukville, valued at nearly 35% of Cambodias 2024 GDP. To design Ream City, Canopy Sands hired SJ Group, a subsidiary of Singapores state-owned investment company Temasek, to handle urban planning and coastal engineering. SJ Group later confirmed its role ended in 2022 and that it holds no ownership or operational stake in Prince Group. Beyond Cambodia, the groups financial footprint extended to South Korea. The Korea Times reported that Prince Group executed 52 transactions worth 197 billion won ($138.5 million) through five branches of Korean banks in Cambodia. Roughly 90 billion won ($64 million) remains in accounts at KB, Jeonbuk and Woori Bank, according to South Koreas Financial Supervisory Service. The scam Investigators allege that Chens network lured victims through social-media and messaging-app outreach, promising high-return cryptocurrency investments. Once victims transferred their funds, the money was siphoned off and laundered through complex blockchain techniques: large sums were fragmented into small transactions across hundreds of digital wallets before being reconsolidated to mask their origin. At the human level, U.S. authorities accuse Prince Group of running forced-labor scam compounds in Cambodia. Thousands of people, many trafficked under false job offers of "easy, high-paying work," were confined behind walls and barbed wire and compelled to make fraudulent investment calls. According to U.S. documents, Chen personally oversaw the operations and kept detailed records of each site, including so-called "PhoneFarms," automated rooms filled with thousands of smartphones used for mass online scams. He allegedly ordered subordinates to punish uncooperative workers, instructing them not to "beat people to death." Cambodias response Cambodias Ministry of Interior said last week that Chens citizenship had been granted "in accordance with the law." Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak added that Cambodia "does not protect individuals who violate the law" and urged the U.S. and U.K. to present solid evidence under international law, AP reported. Chen was awarded the royal honorific Neak Oknha in 2020 for his philanthropic work through the Prince Foundation, which donated to hospitals and schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. His companies have not responded publicly to the latest charges, and since Oct. 16, Prince Groups previous online statements denying wrongdoing have been inaccessible. John Stamos is defending his former Full House costar Lori Loughlin after her separation from husband Mossimo Giannulli. 40 years Ive known [Lori]. You can see through people after a few years, but this womans a saint. Its hard to see, Im just heartbroken for her right now, Stamos, 62, said during a Monday, Oct. 20, appearance on Josh Pecks Good Guys podcast. Stamos and Loughlin, 61, played love interests Jesse Katsopolis and Rebecca Donaldson on Full House, which aired on ABC from 1987-1995. News broke earlier this month that Loughlin and Giannulli, 62, had separated after 27 years of marriage, and Stamos thinks Giannulli is to blame. I know [Loris] just devastated. For a girl who has lived her life really well a good person, a good mother, a good wife, I know all this for a fact to be thrown into this separation [thats] blowing up her family this way, I just hate to see her go through this, the actor said. Lori Loughlin and John Stamos in 2016. Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP Stamos went on to call Giannulli a terrible narcissist. He believes that Giannulli was behind the decision to pay $500,000 in bribes to have his and Loughlins daughters, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade, accepted to USC as members of the rowing team although neither of them were rowers. Both Loughlin and Giannulli served time in prison for their involvement in the college admissions scandal. With the college scandal, Im not gonna debate whether [Lori] had much to do with it or not. I know she didnt, Stamos claimed. I know that she took a lot of the heat that her husband brought to that family. Mossimo, never been a big fan of that guy. Stamos then recalled Loughlin being in the dark when the scandal first made headlines. Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli in 2019. AP I called her. She was in Canada doing something for Hallmark [Channel] at the time. She goes, Mossimo handles all that stuff, Stamos said. She goes to fing prison for this a--hole for three months. She didnt deserve to be dragged through that. I believe I know for a fact it was all him. Many Full House fans have long speculated that there was a real-life romantic spark between Loughlin and Stamos. Before he married Caitlin McHugh in 2018, Stamos said during a 2013 interview with HuffPost Live that Loughlin could be the one that got away. During Mondays episode of Good Guys, Stamos elaborated on the comments, comparing Loughlin and his first wife, Rebecca Romijn, to different versions of Sandy from the musical Grease. READ MORE: TV stars wife breaks silence on his sexual assault allegation: Disturbing Lori was Sandy before the leather, and Rebecca Romijn was Sandy in the leather and there was a moment where I had the choice [between them], I think, Stamos said. And I was more into the rebellious [thing]. Lori was so sweet and I loved working with her, but she was too nice for me. While things never worked out for them romantically, Stamos said that hes been there for Loughlin amid her separation, which his wife has been good about. I told [Lori], I said look, Whatever negativity or hardships youve been through in your life, its connected to this guy, Stamos said, noting that he will never talk to Mossimo again. Whatever he did to her, it busted her up to the core. She put up with a lot over the years with this guy. I think when you have a wife like that and a family, how do you bust that up? The Newark Public Library's board of trustees announced the appointment of Sarah Wiggens as interim director to temporarily fill the position vacated by the removal of Christian Zabriskie in August. The library's main branch on Washington Street is seen here in 2020. Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media After ousting the Newark Public Librarys executive director without explanation in August, the board of trustees announced Monday that it had named an interim director who had headed the public library system in neighboring Orange. Sarah Wiggins will lead Newarks seven-branch system, including its main branch on Washington Street, while a search continues for a new permanent director. Wiggins will oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization and report directly to the NPL Board of Trustees, the announcement stated. Her leadership will guide the library through this transitional period while maintaining continuity in services and programs. Wiggins temporarily fills the position previously held by Christian Zabriskie, who had been in the $180,000-a- year job for two years when the board voted him out during a special meeting on Aug. 8. Board President Aisha Cooper said the search committee had not begun accepting applications for the permanent directors position. She said the interim director, who holds a masters degree in library science and has also worked in Pennsylvania and New York, was welcome to seek the job. Shes certainly eligible to apply for it, Cooper said, adding that the board had not set a target date to complete its nationwide search. The trustees did not provide a reason for Zabriskies ouster during the public portion of the August meeting, which was videotaped and posted on the librarys Facebook page, although it was no longer available on Monday. Zabriskie did not speak in his defense and left the meeting immediately when it adjourned. He could not be reached. Zabriskies tenure in Newark included overseeing the creation of resource rooms for people with hearing and visual impairments, a celebration of the citys LGBTQ+ community, and the librarys role in a citywide literacy program announced by Mayor Ras J. Baraka two weeks after Zabriskie was hired. But trustees expressed frustration with Zabriskies performance in recent months, including what they saw as a lack of transparency regarding an expansion project at the Springfield Branch and failure to provide advance copies of a new labor contract before the July meeting, when they were asked to approve it, TapInto reported. Leaders of the librarys union generated headlines in fall 2024, with public appeals to the City Council for additional funds, complaining of low pay, staff vacancies, and crumbling and closed branches. Heights University Hospital, formerly Christ Hospital, is losing $1.5 million per week, according to its owners. Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal A Jersey City hospital on life support has received a $2 million cash infusion to help fund critical services. Its a short-term solution for the cash-strapped Heights University Hospital in Jersey City, formerly Christ Hospital. While the funding is appreciated, President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nizar Kifaieh said there are still dire financial challenges facing the hospital, most of which we inherited from the previous operators. The stop-gap funding comes a little more than three weeks after the hospitals parent company, Hudson Regional Health, announced it would have to suspend services unless it received financial support from the state and other partners in government. Legislators from Hudson County are expected to sponsor a supplemental appropriation of $25 million for the struggling hospital during whats called the lame duck legislative session. However, state Sen. Raj Mukherji said the money cant be a blank check without guardrails. If Im going to support state aid, there needs to be strong clawback protections against the system if the hospital were to close, labor neutrality provisions, robust transparency, the state monitor needs to stay, and if theyre going to change local zoning to monetize these beautiful views, a hospital must remain, Mukherji said in an Instagram reel posted Sept. 29. The future of Heights University Hospital is dependent on that money, according to hospital leadership. Without additional funding from the state, Kifaieh said the hospital will have to suspend services and, eventually, close. We look forward to continuing a collaboration with our elected officials, unions, essential workers, and community stakeholders that we hope will ensure a sustainable, long-term healthcare delivery system in the Heights, said Kifaieh in a press release. Its a rocky start for the newly formed Hudson Regional Health network. The four-hospital network includes Bayonne University Hospital (formerly Bayonne Medical Center), Hoboken University Hospital (formerly Hoboken University Medical Center), The Heights University in Jersey City (formerly Christ Hospital), and Secaucus University Hospital (formerly Hudson Regional Hospital). The hospitals in Bayonne, Jersey City and Hoboken were previously owned by CarePoint Health, a Hudson County nonprofit health care system plagued by financial problems. CarePoint filed for bankruptcy in November 2024 after accruing a debt of $300 million, which threatened to close half of Hudson Countys six hospitals. When Hudson Regional Health stepped up to take ownership of the hospitals, it seemed like things were finally turning around. The company spent more than $300 million modernizing facilities, providing pay raises to unionized employees, reopening shuttered service lines, and paying debts. Despite this investment, Heights University Hospital continues to lose over $1.5 million per week, according to a company press release. Amid this financial unraveling, hospital employees said the company is threatening layoffs. The employees union, a local of Health Professionals & Allied Employees, said Hudson Regional Health assured a bankruptcy court and government regulators just six months ago they had the resources necessary to take over and operate the hospital. A New Jersey police union issued a statement providing guidance to local police officers and chiefs about the lack of test results following the allegations earlier this year. (Forbes) A New Jersey law enforcement association has called for the results of a police examination to be withheld pending a full investigation into cheating allegations from earlier this year. In light of concerning allegations of cheating on the Police Sergeant examination on March 1, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police is urging the states Civil Service Commission to refrain from releasing the results of the test until a full and transparent investigation is undertaken, NJSACOP President Andrew Caggiano said in a statement. The police chiefs association reported the cheating allegations to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, according to Caggianos statement, and called for a thorough investigation, with swift results, to ensure this exam remains a credible method to assess law enforcement and the potential for promotion. The state Attorney Generals Office is aware of the cheating allegations, but would not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation, according to a spokesperson. A representative from the civil service commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Governor Phil Murphys office declined to comment on the alleged cheating incident. In a statement posted online Monday, the New Jersey State Police Policemans Benevolent Association said communication with the NJCSC has lacked transparency. Immediately after being made aware of the allegations, the New Jersey State PBA contacted the New Jersey Civil Services Commission and informed them of the same, NJPBA President Peter Andreyev wrote in a letter to local officials and union members. Since that time, there hasnt been much transparency or communication regarding the allegations or how the CSC would address them. Andreyevs letter noted that the NJCSC typically releases scores in mid-October, but that the NJPBA appeared confident that no scores were forthcoming at the moment. The letter also provided guidance to local police officers and chiefs of police on how to fill vacant administrative positions while score results are delayed. Caggiano said the NJSACOP is in lockstep with the state Police Benevolent Association in suggesting a full investigation to ensure fair results. I have demanded that the proper action is taken to guarantee that you all receive those fair results, Andreyev wrote in his letter. Andreyev said that officers who took the exam should continue checking the NJCSCs Law Enforcement Status Report for any updates. Meanwhile, police chiefs can fill vacancies from lists of eligible officers, according to Andreyev. And if those lists have expired, chiefs can appoint supervisors through provisional appointments that automatically expire once a new eligibility list is published. A spokesperson for the Governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. What path should Vietnamese universities take to get into world's top 100? Vietnamese universities are still far from reaching world top 100 levels, and this will require policy support and reforms to boost research and internationalization and improve teaching quality. Resolution 71 passed by the Politburo to achieve breakthroughs in education and training sets the goal of having at least eight higher education institutions in Vietnam ranking among Asia's top 200. There are five now, according to the two most prestigious rankingsQS World University Rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm, and Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by the THE. They include Duy Tan University (127th), Vietnam National University Hanoi (161st) and Ho Chi Minh City (184th) and Ton Duc Thang University (199th) in the QS ranking and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (136th) on THE. In subject-specific rankings, Vietnamese universities are only in the 301400 band on THE and rank 363 at best on QS. Some niche fields like Performing Arts and Petroleum Engineering have institutions ranked in the 51100 band, but these are not counted as broad academic disciplines. The Politburo resolution targets having by 2030 at least one Vietnamese university in the world's top 100 in select areas, and five by 2045. Nguyen Vinh San, a representative of the Vietnam University Ranking research group, said the resolution also calls for modernizing and elevating higher education, achieving breakthroughs in developing high-quality human resources and talents, leading in research and innovation, and promoting international cooperation. But he emphasized the need for specific policies to implement these strategies. "The most important thing is to concentrate resources and strategically invest in strong universities with high potential and strong commitment." He suggested launching a program like "10 Elite Vietnamese Universities," selecting a group of schools for targeted investment with output-based accountability. Students from the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi in a clean room where semiconductor chips are produced. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy Professor Nguyen Loc, a higher education expert, agreed on the need for a dedicated national university ranking program, complete with KPIs and funding categories, similar to the approaches taken by South Korea and China. Unlike current practices that favor a few advantaged universities, such a program should be open to all institutions, public or private, that wish to participate. Meanwhile, the government needs to increase spending on higher education from the current 0.20.3% of GDP, which is far below the 1%+ recommended by the World Bank, he said. Greater autonomy is essential Loc, San and Prof. Nguyen Dinh Duc, former chair of the University Council at VNU Hanoi University of Engineering and Technology, emphasized that granting universities stronger and more comprehensive autonomy is another key requirement. This includes allowing institutions to make their own decisions on academic matters, organizational structures, personnel, and finances, they said. Duc said: "Japans experience with university autonomy starting in 2004 is a valuable lesson. Before [that] Japan had only two universities in the worlds top 100. Shortly afterward the number rose to five." Closing the performance gap At the university level, Loc stressed the importance of improving three key indicators used by major ranking organizations, which are international publications and related metrics (with academic integrity), student-to-faculty ratio and internationalization (percentage of international students and faculty). The gap between Vietnamese universities and the worlds top 100 remains significant. For example, the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), ranked around 100 in both QS and THE 2025, produced around 50,000 international publications over the past five years. In contrast, top Vietnamese universities only produced about 10,000. Copenhagen also has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5:1, and some 10% of its students and 30% of its faculty are international, all 810 times higher than at most good Vietnamese universities. Loc said universities must recognize that participating in rankings requires a major investment of all kinds of resources. For instance, a dedicated department is needed to coordinate data collection and prepare submissions professionally, but many Vietnamese universities have just one or two individuals for this task, he said. To increase international publications, Prof. Le Bao Long, a full professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research, University of Quebec, Canada, emphasized the need to invest in facilities, particularly laboratories and research institutes. He also highlighted the importance of training talented students and graduate researchers, who are often the primary contributors to research output. Universities must ramp up internationalization and partnerships with both global institutions and the private sector, he said. These indicators encourage universities to recruit professors from various countries, attract international students, engage in collaborative research, and implement student exchange programs, he said. "This way, universities become more recognizable and build international reputations, the key to scoring well in global ranking surveys." But he acknowledged that Vietnamese universities face major financial constraints. Graduate training and research funding at top international universities can run into hundreds of millions of dollars annually, he noted. A lack of financial investments also hampers the recruitment of world-class faculty, he said, pointing out that leading universities in Singapore, China and South Korea offer highly competitive packages to attract global talent. President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable meeting on antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP A pair of panelists clashed over President Donald Trumps history of racism during a heated exchange Monday night on CNN NewsNight. The argument broke out amid a discussion about Politicos new reporting on racist and antisemitic text messages sent by Paul Ingrassia, Trumps nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel. Political commentator Keith Boykin said the president has a history of racism himself, and that he did not expect Trump to condemn Ingrassia. Journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon, a self-proclaimed MAGA lefty disputed Boykins claim. No, thats not true, Ungar-Sargon said. Are you kidding me?!? Boykin countered, his voice rising. Donald Trump started his career with racism. Boykin: Donald Trump has a history of racism himself. Ungar-Sargon: No, that's not true. Boykin: Are you kidding me. Donald Trump started his career with racism. He was sued for housing discrimination. In the 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination. He pic.twitter.com/FcRDwNv2Zl Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Boykin, a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, proceeded to name several well-documented incidents from Trumps past. In the 1970s he was sued for housing discrimination, Boykin said. In 1989, he led the lynch mob against the Central Park Five. In the 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination. He led a five and a half year campaign against Barack Obama for allegedly not having an accurate birth certificate. Donald Trump came into office talking about he was he was going to ban Muslims." Ungar-Sargon said she did not agree with Boykins assessment of Trump at all. Trump has not commented on Ingrassias leaked texts, which came to light one week after Politico exposed a trove of racist and misogynistic messages sent in Young Republicans group chats. Ingrassia wrote that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell and described himself as having a Nazi streak, according to texts viewed by Politico. He also used an Italian slur to refer to Black people and said that holidays such as Juneteenth or kwanzaa should all be eviscerated. Paul Ingrassia of the "Nazi streak" leaked texts has shown up in lawsuit filings from fired FBI agents. Earlier this year, Ingrassia was the White House loyalty enforcer at DOJ, asking FBI agents whether they'd voted for Trump or "a Democrat in the last five elections" pic.twitter.com/M8PhspMlzA Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) October 21, 2025 In the wake of Politicos report, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Trump should pull Ingrassias nomination to lead the office of special counsel. Thune was among several GOP congressmen who condemned Ingrassia. I dont plan on voting for him, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told reporters. I cant imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. Trump had not withdrawn his nomination of Ingrassia as of Tuesday afternoon. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is scheduled to hear from Ingrassia on Thursday. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., addresses reporters on day 17 of the government shutdown with no resolution in sight to the crisis, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republican leadership on Tuesday held a press conference with reporters as the federal government shutdown entered its 21st day. Amid growing frustration, Johnson has indicated he will not recall lawmakers to Washington for votes until the government is reopened. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a Republican-backed continuing resolution for the 11th time. Following the failed vote, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) suggested it may be time for the House to reconvene. It remains unclear how long the stalemate will continue, as hundreds of thousands of federal workers are set to miss another paycheck in the coming days. Several states have begun warning that key federal programs could soon be suspended entirely. This article contains live updates from Johnsons press conference, which ended around 10:30 a.m Tuesday. Johnson casts blame on Democrats Johnson opened the news conference just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, saying the U.S. is now in Day 21 of the Democrat shutdown. Its now three weeks since the Democrats decided to shut down the federal government, Johnson said. And yet again, Senate Democrats voted to prolong the pain and keep the government closed. So far what this shutdown has caused to the people of this country is really unconscionable and the U.S. economy has now lost hundreds of billions of dollars. We have federal workers who are desperate for pay and uncertain the they will get their next paycheck. Johnson added that the Democrats seem not to care. Speaker repeats false claim about Democrats healthcare proposal Johnson again claimed that Democrats are demanding for taxpayer-funded health benefits to be restored to illegal aliens. He singled out Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries for giving into the demands of their far left base in New York and around the country. And theyre demanding that we spend billions of dollars overseas for ridiculous programs that American people do not support, Johnson continued. It is unforgivable. During the shutdown, Democrats have called for reversing the Medicaid cuts and extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire in December. The Democratic proposal would restore access to federally funded health care for lawfully present authorized immigrants, but would not extend coverage to individuals without legal status, as Johnson and his GOP allies have claimed. Johnson: Republicans are trying to fix the problems Democrats created Johnson: They are decrying the so-called forthcoming health care crisis. It's the one that they themselves created. The Democrats created Obamacare. Republicans are trying to fix it. They are trying to blame Republicans for the crisis they themselves created pic.twitter.com/VascvVlMLH Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Johnson shifts focus to Epstein files The Speaker shifted the focus momentarily to the ongoing controversy surrounding the release of sealed federal files related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Bipartisan House Committee on oversight is conducting its investigation into the heinous crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, Johnson said. And it has continued, it has not stopped. You have some of, as Id like to say, the toughest bulldogs in Congress, on the Republican and Democrat side, who are united in this cause for maximum transparency. Johnson on Epstein: We want maximum transparency. That is exactly what the American people are getting right now. pic.twitter.com/tbuuipA5Q4 Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Johnson said that some Democrats, sadly even a couple Republicans, have tried to make this a political issue. They seem to be more interested in trying somehow to lay a glove on the president than securing justice for these victims, the Speaker added. I think thats shameful. Last month, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed a discharge petition with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a floor vote compelling the Justice Department to release sealed files related to the Epstein investigation. The petition, which needs 218 signatures to proceed, is currently one short of the threshold as Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) waits to be sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Johnson has stated he will delay the swearing-in ceremony until the government shutdown ends, leaving the petition on hold until Grijalva is able to add her signature. Comer: Evidence tied to Epstein case does not implicate Trump Following Johnsons opening remarks, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) briefly took the podium to defend Donald Trump as Democrats continue to scrutinize the presidents documented relationship with Epstein. Comer: The evidence we gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way. Public reporting, survivor testimony, and official documents show that Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein pic.twitter.com/p2SYkexCI1 Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Trump has expressed concern to allies about the potential mention of his associates in the Epstein documents, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter. He has also reportedly worried that the files could be doctored to be used against him. McClain takes aim at nationwide No Kings rallies Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) condemned last weekends nationwide No Kings protests, which Johnson had previously called hate America rallies. McClain: While Democrats were marching with their radical mobs, Republicans were actually meeting with Americans. pic.twitter.com/xQnQLaW0fL Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 While Democrats were marching with their radical mobs, Republicans were actually meeting with Americans, McClain said, listening, helping and learning. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) reacted to McClains statement in a post on X: One side is fighting tooth and nail to bring down health care costs for the American people. And the other is taking a month-long vacation. Millions of protestors turned out last Saturday for the No Kings demonstrations to decry the Trump administrations immigration tactics and its push for federal and military intervention in Democratic-led states. On Saturday, Trump posted what appeared to be an AI-generated video of him flying a fighter jet over the United States while dumping feces on protesters. Johnson escalates claims of left-wing violence after Capitol rioters arrest A Capitol rioter who was previously pardoned by Trump was arrested over the weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) Asked by a reporter about the threat made on Jeffries life, Johnson said he did not know any of the details on this at all. Anybody who threatens political violence against elected officials or anyone else should have the full weight and measure of the Department of Justice on their head, Johnson continued. I hope that happens. I hope it will. According to court documents obtained by CBS News, Christopher Moynihan was taken into custody on Sunday after sending text messages stating his intention to eliminate Jeffries ahead of the congressmans scheduled appearance at an event in New York City on Monday. While addressing the reporters question about Jeffries, Johnson alleged that the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. The rhetoric you saw on display Saturday, we highlighted yesterday, plays into this, he continued. There are people that get triggered deranged people in society when they hear elected officials participating in a rally that was paid for by (George) Soros and sponsored by communists. Right-wing extremist violence has accounted for the majority of U.S. domestic terrorism fatalities since 2001approximately 75% to 80% according to analyses from the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Anti-Defamation League. Johnson on pardoned Capitol rioter charged for making threats towards Hakeem Jeffries: I will tell you this, the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. The rhetoric you saw on display Saturday, we highlighted yesterday, plays into this. pic.twitter.com/Gw7Mwh2fDQ Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Johnson lists off media headlines about shutdown effects Johnson read off a number of headlines from multiple media outlets that have reported on the harmful effects of the shutdown. Yesterday from NBC News, heres the headline: Air traffic control staffing issues cause flight delays across the country, Johnson said. Secretary of Transportation (Sean Duffy) said 53% of flight delays are now due to staffing issues, and usually that number is 5%. The Speaker continued: From Colorado, Food banks face growing crises as shutdown impacts become a reality. Thats the headline from Sky-Hi News. What are Colorados two Democrat senators doing? Johnson said the Democrats are to blame for the harm that shutdowns caused hardworking Americans while 99.5% of the House Republicans understand exactly what we are doing. Reporter: Some of your members are uncomfortable for being out on recess for a month so why not bring the house back. Johnson: First of all 99.5% of the house Republicans understand exactly what we are doing. They agree with it. We'll have another conference call later. They pic.twitter.com/h5PDFtYfNR Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 A recent YouGov/The Economist poll showed that a greater share of respondents blame Trump and the GOP for the shutdown than they do Democrats. According to the poll, 39% of Americans hold the president and congressional Republicans responsible for the government, while 33% blame congressional Democrats. An additional 20% said both parties share equal blame, and 8% were unsure. In response to Johnsons news conference, Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Penn.) said the Speaker needed to get a strategy to end the inaction of House Republicans. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Mostly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 11F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 11F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. The bishop from New Jersey began his first day in New Orleans the day he would be introduced as the city's archbishop in waiting with an e Louisiana Supreme Court justices William J. Crain, left center, and Cade R. Cole, right, help Justice Piper D. Griffin, with going down the steps at Jackson Square as a procession of legal officials and professionals walk into St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans for a Red Mass on Monday, October 6, 2025. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune) Tropical storm Fengshen has killed seven people as it swept through the northern and central regions of the Philippines, causing severe damage, according to a report released on Monday by the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The fatalities included two females and five males, while one individual was reported injured and two remain missing. As many as 37,825 families, or 133,196 individuals, were affected by the storm across nine provinces and 35 cities and municipalities. At least 13,710 people were displaced, with 7,511 individuals staying in 166 evacuation centers and 6,199 sheltering elsewhere, the NDRRMC noted. Flooding hit 48 areas across four regions: Central Luzon, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas. One city or municipality has declared a state of calamity. The storm also disrupted key infrastructure, with 12 road sections and 10 bridge sections affected. Around 77% remain impassable, while the rest are open to one-lane traffic. At sea, 60 seaports were affected, leaving 4,178 passengers, 1,433 rolling cargoes, 13 vessels, and 26 motorboats stranded, the council added. Residents in Laos are being urged to prepare for widespread heavy rainfall as Fengshen approaches, bringing potential landslides and flash floods. The storm is expected to cross Vietnam before entering Laos, bringing light to moderate thunderstorms across the country, along with heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds in certain regions from Oct. 23 to 24, according to a report from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology under the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Families and children are all welcome to the fun-filled Bideford Family Festival this Saturday (October 25) with plenty to see and do from high octane action to live music, model displays, stalls, Lego and much more. The event is being organised by Bideford Rotary and will be part of its continuing centenary celebrations with a special theme 100 years of Bideford Rotary. The festival marks the start of the October half term and will be held in Bideford College Devon Hall from 11am until 4pm, with free parking and free entry. Above and below: There will be plenty of activities including Lego and model displays at Bideford Family Festival. Activities will include an arena with model radio controlled car racing, demonstrations and opportunities for the public to have a go too. There will also be model trains and tanks displays, a Lego building display and much more. School and adult bands will be performing, plus there will be food, craft and modelling stalls as well as a large prize draw. Food will include a hog roast, burgers and vegetarian options. All proceeds raised at the event will go to Rotary Club local and international good causes. You can find out more and keep up to date via the event website at https://bidefordfamilyfestival.co.uk News of 22.7million in Government funding for North Devon District Hospital has been welcomed by North Devon MP Ian Roome, but he says this is only the first step. Yesterday (Monday, October 20) it was announced Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was receiving the money to redevelop two staffing accommodation blocks at the hospital in Barnstaple, replacing ageing buildings. The work will start on October 27 as part of Phase 1 of the Our Future Hospital Programme, which will also include a new MRI scanner suite. Mr Roome has campaigned for better funding for the hospital since he was elected and stepped it up further when the Labour Government announced earlier this year that a redevelopment of the whole hospital, promised by the previous government, had been put back until at least 2035. The campaigned helped secure a visit from health minister Karin Smyth after Mr Roome launched a successful community petition with thousands of signatures and he has questioned the Prime Minister multiple times alongside Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey about urgent upgrades needed to keep services local and safe. So while he was pleased by yesterdays news, Mr Roome has said more needs to be done and sooner. He said he had spoken to NHS leadership and many staff members working at the hospital, who had emphasised to him the pressing need for urgent investment in some of the hospitals most critical infrastructure. READ NEXT: North Devons hospital gets 22m confirmed for new staff accommodation Mr Roome added: This is a real result for our campaign, and Im pleased ministers have finally listened. But more must be done and quicker. Im still pushing for the full package, including an upgraded ICU, modernised operating theatres and a new MRI suite. Ill keep the pressure on until we get that. North Devon staff go above and beyond every day. They deserve up-to-date equipment and properly funded wards. Above: North Devon MP Ian Roome with Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey during a visit to North Devon District Hospital to hear about plans for the new MRU unit. Credit: Alison Stephenson-LDRS The health trust said some temporary disruption was unavoidable while the old accommodation was being demolished and construction work was taking place, but said it would be working closely with contractors to keep disruption to a minimum and ensure the safety of all hospital users. Some parking restrictions will be temporarily put in place in the main patient car park to allow for movement of heavy goods vehicles. The trust said these will be limited to outside of main outpatient hours whenever possible. Once complete the new residences will provide 120 ensuite bedrooms, including four fully accessible family apartments and six single fully accessible ensuite rooms, with shared kitchen, living and dining spaces alongside various amenity spaces. Flight VN661 of Vietnam Airlines, en route from Hanoi to Singapore, made an emergency landing at Noi Bai International Airport to promptly assist a passenger with health problems. According to the national flag carrier, shortly after the flight took off on the morning of Oct. 19, a passenger from the Philippines suddenly suffered a seizure and lost consciousness. The cabin crew immediately requested onboard medical support, while administering first aid and providing oxygen to the 52-year-old passenger. As the passenger's condition failed to improve, the captain decided to turn the aircraft back to Hanoi and coordinated with ground staff to prepare an emergency response. Upon the landing, the passenger was taken to a local medical facility for further treatment. Flight VN661 later resumed its journey to Singapore. Guests pose for a group photo during the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) HONG KONG, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. The occasion gathered nearly 200 representatives from contracting parties and signatories of the Convention on the Establishment of the IOMed, as well as people from various sectors of the HKSAR. In her opening remarks, Hua Chunying, vice minister of Foreign Affairs of China, emphasized that the speed of IOMed from Convention-signing to inauguration is "unprecedented in the history of establishing international organizations" and speaks to the fact that the establishment of the IOMed "echoes the core of our times and responds to the aspirations of the international community for the peaceful settlement of international disputes." "The vision behind the establishment of the IOMed is highly consistent with that of the Global Governance Initiative," she said, believing that the organization will "give a boost to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity" and help Hong Kong forge the new title of the "capital of mediation." Addressing the occasion, John Lee, chief executive of the HKSAR, said Hong Kong enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage, and boasts an established tradition of the rule of law. Hong Kong takes pride in being a "super connector" and "super value-adder", and is honored to serve as the Organization's home, Lee said, pledging full support for the development of the IOMed and dispute settlement efforts. Teresa Cheng, the newly elected secretary-general of the IOMed, said the organization cherishes and practices multilateralism, serving as a global public good and vital pillar in the field of peaceful settlement of international disputes. Representatives from the contracting states including Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Republic of the Congo, Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya and Dominica delivered speeches. They lauded the significance of the IOMed and expressed their expectation to take this platform to promote the peaceful settlement of international disputes and contribute to building a more fair and reasonable international order. The signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) was held on May 30, 2025, and the Convention officially entered into force on Aug. 29, 2025. So far, the total number of signatory states has reached 37. Eight countries have ratified the Convention, including China, Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Republic of the Congo, Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya and Dominica. Having been converted from the Old Wan Chai Police Station, a heritage building, the headquarters of the IOMed is equipped with meeting rooms and discussion rooms for mediation work and capacity-building. Hua Chunying, vice minister of Foreign Affairs of China, addresses the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), addresses the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) Teresa Cheng, the newly elected secretary-general of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), addresses the inauguration ceremony of the IOMed in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) Editor: WSH Pan Yinxing (1st, R), a lecturer from Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, teaches international students to use a steelyard in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Pan Yinxing (1st, L), a lecturer from Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, teaches international students to take the patient's pulse at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Kerbouche Abdeldjalil, an international student from Algeria, learns to identify the traditional Chinese herb Huangqi, or Astragalus root, at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Juru Richmore, an international student from Zimbabwe, learns to identify the scent of traditional Chinese herb Huangqi, or Astragalus root, at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Kerbouche Abdeldjalil (L, front), an international student from Algeria, takes a Chinese class at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Algerian student Kerbouche Abdeldjalil (R) and Zimbabwean student Juru Richmore (C), learn Chinese herbal medicines under the guidance of lecturer Pan Yinxing at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Leng Qiao Hui, an international student from Malaysia, practices martial arts at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Pan Yinxing (L), a lecturer from Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, explains acupoints to students in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 16, 2025. More than 140 students from around the world are systematically learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory at the School of Humanities and International Education Exchange at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. The school provides bilingual courses combining TCM theories and clinical practice for international students. Meanwhile, various cultural activities have been organized for them to enhance their understanding of TCM. So far, some graduates have returned to their home countries and are working in local healthcare services. (Xinhua/Du Yu) Editor: WSH How Trump Is Using Fake Imagery to Attack Enemies and Rouse Supporters Generated by A.I. The era of A.I. propaganda is here and President Trump is an enthusiastic participant. After nationwide protests this weekend against Mr. Trumps administration, the president posted an A.I.-generated video to his Truth Social account depicting himself as a fighter pilot, careening through major cities and dropping excrement on protesters. It was the latest example in a yearslong shift by Mr. Trump to deploy fake imagery, generated by artificial intelligence, as part of his social media commentary. Mr. Trump has posted A.I.-generated images or videos at least 62 times on his Truth Social account since late 2022, according to a review by The New York Times of his posts to the social network. The fake imagery has included blistering attacks on his political rivals, flattering depictions of himself, and misleading political campaign materials made entirely by A.I. tools. Overall, he has attacked his opponents, including top Democratic leaders and his Republican rivals, with A.I. imagery at least 14 times. 14 fake images and videos attacking opponents Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. In the run-up to the 2024 election, Mr. Trump posted at least 19 A.I. images or videos in support of his presidential campaign, including an image of Elon Musk next to a D.O.G.E. logo long before the cost-cutting idea became reality. 19 fake images and videos about his campaign Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Mr. Trump posted at least seven times this year attempting to score political points by bringing to life his policy ideas, mocking criticism against them or celebrating his administration. 7 fake images and videos about his policies and administration Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. And, most of all, Mr. Trump posted at least 21 fantastical reimaginings of himself rendered, for example, as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize or even a king. 21 fake images or videos about himself Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Generated by A.I. Some of the posts were likely to mislead viewers or amplify political divisions. Others were jokes with obvious markers of A.I. trickery. Political experts said that even the most anodyne uses of A.I. by the president would normalize the tools as a potent new part of modern political propaganda. Trump is the most notable person sharing this content, but this is really becoming an international, new form of political messaging, said Henry Ajder, an expert on A.I. and the founder of Latent Space Advisory, an A.I.-consulting firm. Its designed to go viral, its clearly fake, its got this absurdist kind of tone to it. But theres often still some kind of messaging in there. The White House has responded to questions over Mr. Trumps use of A.I. imagery by suggesting it was part of his successful social media strategy. No leader has used social media to communicate directly with the American people more creatively and effectively than President Trump, Liz Huston, the White Houses assistant press secretary, said Friday in an emailed statement. Mr. Trumps use of the technology has evolved alongside the tools, which have rapidly improved from producing obviously fake images in 2022 to more lifelike renderings including video and audio this year. In countries around the world, the tools have offered new ways for politicians and candidates to bring to life their partisan arguments. Politicians have, for instance, used A.I. to imagine futures they want voters to fear, such as punctuating anti-immigrant messages by using A.I. to depict classrooms overcrowded with immigrants. For Mr. Trump, the tools helped him to visualize the supposed effects of open borders during his campaign, contrasting two A.I. images: one an idyllic scene, the other an overcrowded one with trash piled out in the open. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The content can be rapidly created by typing descriptions of the desired images and videos into A.I.-generating tools like Grok or ChatGPT. Some videos were made using multiple A.I. tools, such as a video of Robert De Niro that Mr. Trump shared last year: Someone replaced the actors lip movements with A.I.-rendered manipulations to match a voice soundalike that was also created by A.I. audio tools. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The New York Times used tools designed to detect A.I. images to help identify the fakes, alongside manual review. Content that could not be clearly identified as A.I., and posts that appeared to primarily show real videos that had been edited by A.I.-powered filters, were excluded. Mr. Trumps use of A.I. content began in earnest during his re-election bid, when the tools became sophisticated enough for amateur creators to produce realistic images of famous people, including Mr. Trump. Last September, after his first debate against Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee and then the vice president, Mr. Trump claimed that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating cats and dogs a racist conspiracy theory for which there was no credible evidence. Mr. Trump responded to the backlash that followed by posting a flurry of A.I. images depicting him embracing cats, ducks and dogs. His supporters shared the images widely online. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The more ridiculous the photo or video, the more likely it is to dominate our news feeds, said Adrian Shahbaz, vice president of research and analysis at Freedom House, a nonprofit focusing on democracy and liberty around the world. A controversial post gets shared by people who enjoyed it and people outraged by it. Thats twice the shares. Mr. Trumps embrace of A.I. content has accelerated since he re-entered the White House in January, increasing in sophistication alongside tools that can now generate superrealistic A.I. videos and audio. It was not clear in most cases whether the imagery was posted by Mr. Trump or by a member of his team, but the message-conscious president is famous for controlling his own social media accounts. It was also not clear in many cases whether the A.I. imagery was created by Mr. Trump or someone in the White House, or whether it originated elsewhere and was simply reposted by Mr. Trump's account. The president has used A.I. imagery to highlight policy ideas and appeared to joke about issues that were roiling the public. For instance, when he appointed himself as the head of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, he published an image of himself depicted as a conductor. He also posted an image of himself atop a mountain, next to the Canadian flag, punctuating his suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. In recent months, Mr. Trump has demonstrated a willingness to use A.I.-generated content to skewer opponents and stoke deeper tensions. This month, he posted a video depicting the Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, in stereotypical Mexican garb. The video used A.I. to replace the voice of the Democratic Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, making it seem as though he was disparaging the Democratic Party. In a televised statement, Mr. Jeffries criticized the video as racist. Then, in another post, Mr. Trump posted that interview, edited with A.I. tools to include four A.I. versions of the president as members of a mariachi band. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The original clip was trimmed to show only the part generated by A.I. Mr. Trump was also widely criticized for a video he posted in February depicting Trump Gaza, a futuristic version of the war-torn region rendered as a beachfront paradise with a gold statue of Mr. Trump at its center. Democratic lawmakers and advocates for Palestinian rights called the video insulting and disturbing. The White House responded: Trump is a visionary. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The backlash has not slowed the presidents use of the technology, especially during moments of national outrage. He posted a video showing himself shaking hands with a figure in the Cracker Barrel logo after an uproar among conservatives over the companys plans to remove an older white man from its logo in favor of a text-only version. As he toyed with plans to send the National Guard to Chicago, he posted an A.I.-generated image of himself imagined into the film Apocalypse Now above the title Chipocalypse Now and a caption that read, in part, Chicago about to find out why its called the Department of WAR. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The memes and videos have deceived some social media users, who replied to his posts asking whether they were real or fake. After Mr. Trump posted a video that included a fictitious, A.I.-generated arrest of former President Barack Obama, a few users on Truth Social signaled that they were not sure whether the footage was real. Whoa. Did this really happen? wrote one user. Is this real footage of Obama being arrested???? wrote another. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The original clip was trimmed to show only the part generated by A.I. A.I. tools have been embraced by scammers and conspiracy theorists, who have used the technology to make too-good-to-be-true videos of news reports about miracle medicines or astounding discoveries. Mr. Trump posted one such video last month about a news report concerning medbeds, a fictional health product described as a cure for a variety of illnesses. Medbeds have been an obscure conspiracy theory among internet users. It was not clear why Mr. Trump posted the video or whether he knew it was A.I.-made, and the video was soon deleted from his account. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said during a news briefing that the president saw the video and posted it, but offered no explanation. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. In at least some cases, generating A.I. fakes has proved effective at seizing Mr. Trumps attention. After Mr. Trump did not win a Nobel Peace Prize, despite openly lobbying for one, he posted an image originally posted by the Israeli government depicting him receiving the prize amid applause and confetti. After the government shut down over a funding fight this month, Mr. Trump posted a video depicting himself and members of his cabinet in ominous cloaks reminiscent of the Grim Reaper. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Generated by A.I. Note: Generated by A.I. label and red slash were added by The New York Times. The video was created by Dilley 3000 Meme Team, a guerrilla messaging outfit that is deeply loyal to Mr. Trump and has produced dozens of videos skewering Democrats and praising Mr. Trump. The group is run by Brenden Dilley, a podcaster and former congressional candidate, and a team of content creators who organize online. Mr. Dilley declined to comment. The truth no longer matters, all you have to do is go viral, Mr. Dilley wrote on X during Mr. Trumps re-election campaign. A sound expert at the University of Bristol in the UK created a special song designed to enhance the sweetness and intensity of chocolate. The Sweetest Melody is the result of over 60 years of scientific research into a phenomenon known as multisensory integration, where taste and hearing influence each other. Apparently, music with soft melodies and in major keys can enhance the sweetness and silkiness, sharp notes highlight bitterness, and fast-paced music is more suitable for pairing with fast food rather than dessert. Knowing this, Natalie Hyacinth, a sound expert at the University of Bristol, teamed up with UK chocolate brand Galaxy Chocolate to create a song that makes chocolate taste better for the listener. The 78-BPM track, aptly dubbed Sweetest Melody, is 90 seconds long the time that it takes chocolate to melt on your tongue and features piano for sweetness, strings for a smooth finish, and a harp for a smoother, more pleasing texture. Galaxy Chocolate claims that the song transforms chocolate from a simple dessert into a symphony of the senses. This initiative shows how enjoying chocolate can be a multisensory experience that goes beyond taste to engage all senses. The power of music to enhance our enjoyment of chocolate is a thrilling prospect, the sound expert said. Just in case you want to enhance your multisensory experience, Sweetest Melody is available on YouTube and Spotify. Kevin Davidson The United States today is deeply riven by polarization and politicization, and the healthcare industry certainly isnt immune. Issues such as insurance coverage, reproductive rights, drug pricing, vaccine mandatesor lack thereofscientific integrity and government funding have become flashpoints in the broader cultural and political divide, often overshadowing efforts to find common ground on patient care and public health. Patients, policymakers and providers alike are navigating an era where the scientific and medical considerations behind public health policy and patient care are frequently ensnarled with partisan rhetoric, making it increasingly challenging to implement long-term, consensus-driven solutions. This environment has heightened mistrust among stakeholders and underscored the challenge of advancing policies that balance access, affordability and quality while avoiding ideological pitfalls. More than ever, organizations in the health ecosystem face an increasingly high-stakes communications dilemma: determining when to speak publicly and when silence is the wiser choice. From the corporate communications perspective, todays healthcare environment may be fraught with potential pitfalls, but its also full of opportunity. Sweeping changes to federal agencies, politically charged policies and shifting enforcement priorities mean that every public statement carries both potential value alongside real risk. Speaking out recklessly can expose any organization to selective scrutiny; yet remaining silent at the wrong moment can erode connectivity among stakeholders. The challenge isnt only deciding if to speak, but how to frame messages that align with mission, resonate with the intended target and minimize the risk of unintended fallout. This article is featured in O'Dwyer's Oct. '25 Healthcare & Medical PR Magazine Rather than speaking directly about contested issues such as reproductive health, vaccine mandates or gender-affirming care, many experts are deliberately reshaping the lexicon into terminology that avoids conversation shutdown. For example, organizations may use broader phrases like patient-centered access or community wellness initiatives instead of more polarizing phrasing. This shift reflects a growing need to balance advocacy with risk management: advancing core health priorities while avoiding punitive measures, funding cuts or public backlash. In effect, healthcare communications are evolving to where word choice is as much about political survival as it is about clarity. When commenting on policy changes, companies are increasingly using neutral, patient-centered framing rather than potentially polarizing partisan language. For example, during past administrations, companies who would have said We oppose proposed Medicaid cuts have now shifted to statements such as Proposed funding reductions risk disrupting care for X million beneficiaries and could force closures of Y hospitals. Health equity has been largely sidelined by individual responsibility. At the same time, many pharmaceutical companies havent retreated from their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion, even as the broader corporate landscape has seen heightened scrutiny. While the healthcare sector hasnt yet experienced the same intensity of backlash directed at consumer-facing brands, leading firms continue to frame DEI as integral to their operations and culture. Pfizer, for example, has emphasized its approach by explicitly spelling out diversity, equity and inclusion in its materials while also underscoring merit-based advancement to preempt criticism. Bristol Myers Squibb highlights its efforts under the banner of Global Inclusion & Diversity, supported by a detailed suite of programs and initiatives. AstraZeneca, likewise, keeps inclusion and diversity prominently positioned in its corporate messaging, while Regeneron integrates the concept into inclusion & culture, reinforced through employee resource groups and community-building efforts. These approaches illustrate an important lesson in healthcare communications: organizations must define the terms of engagement on sensitive topics before external forces do so for them. By choosing language and frameworks that align with organizational values while anticipating areas of vulnerability, companies can maintain credibility and continuity even in polarized environments. As one seasoned communications leader observed, the key lies in choosing the waves you can ride successfully, focusing on conversations where the organization can authentically contribute and shape outcomes, rather than being swept into reactive cycles of controversy. Companies and organizations in healthcare shouldnt default to the assumption that staying silent is safe. Rather, sometimes silence can be more damaging than a misstep. Yet, its not necessary for a company to make sweeping endorsements of the MAHA agenda. Instead, focus on elements that are backed by evidence and proof points and are relevant to your organization, then speak out about how your efforts are in line with that part of the discussion. For example, commending a concerted federal focus on chronic disease management and treatment isnt the same as endorsing a particular officeholder; its about rising above the political divide. Take emotion out of decision-making when it comes to deciding next steps in communications. Develop a rubric framework and customize it per issue. Key questions to ask are: Does this issue have direct relevance to the companys industry and stakeholders? Do stakeholders have a high expectation that you should speak out? Is this topic strongly aligned with the companys established values and track record? Perhaps most important: be keen to discern the distinction between offering a naked point of view, versus one thats backed by behavior in the relevant context. For instance, when Florida made the move to roll back pediatric vaccine mandates, a company might feel compelled to insert itself into the conversation. If the organization doesnt operate in Florida, we would strongly counsel against this, as it would needlessly insert itself into a volatile debate, absent any opportunity to build equity through behavior. Since then, several organizations and their trade associations have wisely committed at the national leveland in their own marketsto maintain their vaccine coverage policies throughout 2026. Take note of one subtle characteristic in such a response: theres nothing per se critical or controversial about it. No administration member or policy is being taken to task; its simply a statement of what the organization believes in and its determination to act on that belief. It adheres to what surveys have said for years: The vast majority of Americans seek accessible, affordable, quality healthcare above the political fray. Before making a go-or-no go decision, it always pays to evaluate the alternative of taking a stand with others. It may be your trade association or the Chamber of Commerce or another group in the community. Solidarity could also come from like-minded CEOs or other executives. This can provide multiple benefits such as avoiding selective scrutiny and gaining greater media interest in the position. In this climate, healthcare communicators must weigh not only the message but also the messenger, medium, timing and likely interpretations. When to speak out When company operations or patients are directly impacted. If federal action threatens your ability to serve patients or sustain your business model, a public statement isnt just justifiedit may be necessary. For example, payer groups have openly lobbied against cuts to Medicaid and ACA subsidies, citing direct threats to members and customers. Communicators should frame such advocacy around patient impact first, business second. One option worth considering is to align your statement with that of one or more medical societies, nationally or in your markets. Defending core mission and values. When silence would undermine the credibility of your organizations missionfor instance, if patient safety or equitable access is at riskspeaking out helps reinforce trust. Communications leaders should tie messages to longstanding commitments, not the politics of the day. In response to stakeholder expectation. If employees, patients, investors or other key stakeholders are demanding clarity, absence of a statement may erode trust. The communications role here is to listen first, gauge internal and external pressure, and then ultimately craft a response proportionate to the expectations. When silence could be interpreted as agreement. On morally charged issues, staying quiet may be perceived as tacit approval. Communicators should advise leadership when reputational risk from silence outweighs risk of speaking. When holding back may serve you best If the issue is not directly relevant. Commenting on issues far removed from your core business or marketplace can dilute your voice and expose you needlessly. Communicators should stress relevance: Does this issue directly affect our patients, workforce or vertical? When the retaliation risk is too high. For smaller organizations or those heavily dependent on federal contracts, public opposition to administration policies may invite scrutiny. In such cases, a quieter approach working through trade associations or private channels may be more effective. When messaging risks inconsistency. If recent corporate actions dont align with a proposed statement, or if the issue is so politically charged that nuance will be lost, communicators should push for alignment first. When impact will be minimal. If its clear that a policy decision is already locked in and a public statement wont change the outcome, consider saving reputational capital for battles where you can make a difference. Whether speaking out or holding back, dont forget to prepare for internal communications. Employees are often the first audience to ask, Why did weor didnt wespeak up? Aligning internal messaging with external statements, or silence, is critical to maintaining trust. Keep on the pulse. The dynamics are ever-changing. In short: speak when it matters most, stay silent when it matters least and always ensure that words match values. *** Kevin Davidson is an EVP Brand and Corporate Communications, JPA Health. Brenda Craig DTE Energy, which is in Detroit, names Brenda Craig CCO, effective Oct. 30. Craig joins DTE from Henry Ford Health, where she served as VP of integrated communications and was responsible for enterprise-wide communications and PR strategies. She succeeds SVP corporate communications, DTE Foundation and corporate citizenship Paula Silver, who will retire at the end of October. At DTE, Craig will lead all aspects of the company's communications and brand strategy. "Brenda shares our passion for service, and with her proven track record of effective and caring leadership, I'm confident she will continue to deepen and strengthen our connections among our customers, communities and team members as we apply new technology to improve our work," said DTE president and CEO Joi Harris. Jasper Hamill Proven Media Solutions hires Jasper Hamill as director of content, a newly created position at the firm. Hamill previously served as technology and science editor at British newspaper The Sun and online platform Metro. His work has also appeared in Forbes and the New York Post. He has been a consultant for such clients as McKinsey, Accenture and EY, and contracted with British agencies including Eclat and Code Red. At Proven Media Solutions, Hamill will lead all content and media operationsfrom crafting and editing op-eds and press releases to pitching journalists, securing interviews, and building long-term media relationships. He knows how to turn ideas into stories that win coverage, change perceptions, and make real differences in the world, said Proven Media Solutions founder Dustin Siggins. Hes the right person to elevate our entire media operation as we continue to serve clients across industries. (L-R) Alexis Diaz, Lindsay Singleton High Lantern Group, a strategic advisory firm, appoints Alexis Diaz as COO and Lindsay Singleton as managing director in its Washington, DC office. Diaz has served as principal since 2019 at executive coaching and advisory services firm Hillstar Advisory. She has also been VP and general counsel at Keystone Strategy. At High Lantern, Diaz will enhance the firms operational framework across talent management, business development and client service delivery. Singleton has served as chief development officer at ROKK Solutions and most recently founded Singularity Public Relations. Her public affairs, diplomatic and social impact background will strengthen High Lantern Group's communications capabilities in Washington, DC and globally. "Alexis will be instrumental in building the operational foundation we need to scale, while Lindsay expands our ability to help clients succeed in today's complex government and stakeholder landscape," said High Lantern Group founder Daniel Casse. Not a Subscriber? Join O'Dwyer's & Get RFP Access Stop wasting time tracking down RFPs. O'Dwyer's connects you with organizations looking for PR firms & services. Get new business with O'Dwyer's! Join O'Dwyer's MMC, a part of Omnicom PR group, is elevating its beauty business into a dedicated practice. The new unit will be led by Cris Gordon, who has run her own firm, CB Communications, since 2017 and before that was PR director for French beauty brand Sisley. As head of MMC Beauty, Gordon will report to MMC CEO Olga Fleming. MMC Beauty will also operate as an internal beauty think tank, tracking emerging trends and new creative approaches, as well experimenting with ways to make beauty more accessible and future-forward. By elevating MMC Beauty into its own dedicated practice, we're creating a flagship destination for the industry's most creative, disruptive, and culture-defining brands, at a time when beauty is being redefined, said Fleming. Longacre Square Partners, which focuses on contested and special situations, corporate relations, and crisis management, forms a strategic partnership with AI-Powered InvestorSight. Longacre has made an initial investment in the company and is committed to an integrated, long-term partnership. As part of the partnership, InvestorSight co-founder Mark DesJardine has been added to the Longacres advisory board. InvestorSight uses AI tools and models to provide companies and investors with a higher level of predictive intelligence and accuracy supporting critical decision making. InvestorSights models currently cover more than 250 variables and are able to predict shareholder engagement outcomes with more than 80 percent accuracy. Mark and his colleagues have built something that uniquely sits at the intersection of contested situations, corporate governance and machine learningmaking them an ideal complement to our areas of expertise, said Longacre Square Partners managing partner DanZacchei. Greentarget and client BRG (Berkeley Research Group) were jointly awarded a gold medal at the 2025 MarCom Awards in the Publications | Magazine | Corporate category for their work on BRGs ThinkSet magazine, particularly its Spring 2025 Antitrust Across the Atlantic issue. The issue considered whether a new era of antitrust and competition policy is on the horizon, with nine articles from 12 BRG experts around the world and a podcast with David Teece, BRGs cofounder and chairman emeritus. Each quarter, BRG releases an issue of ThinkSet featuring Q&As, infographics, op-ed style pieces and more, devoted to analyzing an emerging theme from different angles in the business landscape. The MarCom awards are administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. Our goal, in collaboration with Greentarget, is to craft clear, succinct and engaging content that doesnt waste our business audiences most valuable assettime, said editor-in-chief of ThinkSet and senior content manager at BRG Matthew Caselli. The next issue of ThinkSeta 2026 outlook serieswill be released later this fall. A FARMER and community champion from Offaly is to be installed as President of a major European Union forum this Thursday. Seamus Boland, who is CEO of Moate based Irish Rural Link (IRL), will be installed as President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) at a ceremony in Brussels. From the Island, Ballycumber, in Rahan parish, Mr Boland has an impressive career in the community and voluntary sector, spanning several decades. The 69-year-old finished school before he was 14 and credits Macra na Feirme with providing him with a third level education. He worked with the Travelling community before becoming CEO of IRL and also held positions as chairman of the Wheel, a national co-ordinating body representing charities. READ NEXT: Bord na Mona in healthy state as big profit recorded Mr Boland was also chairman of the Peatlands Council and of Pobal, the State body that administers funding to community groups. He became involved with the EESC in 2011 through his work in comunity groups across the State. Since then he regualarly attends meetings with European leaders, including the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The EESC is a consultative body of the EU established in 1958. It is an advisory assembly composed of representatives from employers' associations, trade unions and civil society organisations. Established by the Treaty of Rome of 1957 in order to unite different economic interest groups to establish a Single Market, it is mandatory for the committee to be consulted on those issues stipulated in the Treaties and in all cases where the institutions deem it appropriate. The Treaty of Maastricht considerably enlarged the committee's domain. Its influence now extends to matters such as social policy, social and economic cohesion, environment, education, health, customers protection, industry, Trans-European Networks, indirect taxation and structural funds. On certain issues the EESC works in partnership with the Committee of the Regions. In latter years, the committee has taken up the challenge of civil society, opening up its forum to representatives of all sectors. READ NEXT: Two Offaly farmers lead the way in nature-friendly farming Currently, EESC membership numbers 329 with the number of members per EU state varies according to the population of each state. Ireland has nine members, the same breakdown as for the Committee of the Regions. Members of the EESC are divided into three groups of equal number, employers, employees and a third group of various other changing interests such as farmers, consumer groups, professional associations and so on. Members are appointed by the council (by qualified majority) following nominations made by the government of the respective Member State. However, once appointed, the members are completely independent of their governments. They have a renewable term of office of five years. The President of the EESC, is elected for a two and a half year term. Photo taken on Oct 19, 2025 shows autumn-gilded poplar forests at their peak viewing season in Mogao Town, Dunhuang City, northwest China's Gansu Province. Visitors immerse themselves in the golden landscape perfect for photography. (Zhang Xiaoliang/Guangming Pictures) Photo taken on Oct 19, 2025 captures a silver bullet train passing by golden poplar forests in Mogao Town, Dunhuang City, northwest China's Gansu Province. The high-speed rail modernizes travel through ancient desert landscapes. (Zhang Xiaoliang/Guangming Pictures) Photo taken on Oct 19, 2025 features tourists wandering through golden euphrates poplar groves in Mogao Town, Dunhuang City, northwest China's Gansu Province. The autumn transformation creates ideal conditions for outdoor recreation. (Zhang Xiaoliang/Guangming Pictures) Editor: ZAD Four stores in Offaly have been named as amongst the best Gala Retail stores in Ireland at the 2025 Gala Retail Delivering the Difference annual conference. Held at the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney, two Offaly Gala stores also picked up the big awards on the night, with Dolan's Gala, Tullamore named as Social Media Champion of the year and a worthy runner-up in the Chilled Retailer category. Darcy's Gala, Mount Lucas, was a worthy runner-up in the Brand Champion category. Both stores were celebrated as Gala Retail Excellence Award winners, joined by Mulrooney's Gala, Birr and Maunsells' Gala, Tullamore, who each achieved Gala Retail Excellence Awards. Mulrooney's Gala, Birr Sports broadcaster, Jacqui Hurley, was MC for the Gala celebratory evening event, and speakers Bernard Jackman and Geoff Ramm featured at the morning conference. The Gala Excellence Awards are presented to Gala stores that are deemed outstanding following a comprehensive and independent assessment process. More retailers than ever before achieved the standard, which is reflective of the Groups focus on quality, community-centric and innovative retailers. Gala Retail stores in County Offaly consistently feature as some of the best performing stores across the Group, explains Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail Mr Desmond adds: Im delighted to see our Offaly retailers getting the recognition they deserve and would like to thank each of the Gala store owners and their teams for their loyalty, hard work and dedication to quality convenience retailing. Our theme at this years conference was Delivering the Difference and these stores make a difference to their shoppers and communities every day. At the Gala Retail conference, it was announced that over 100,000 of Gala Greener Grants have been gifted to retailers by the convenience retail group part of a 500,000 fund thats been created to help retailers transition to energy-efficient and sustainable retailing of the future. A WOMAN stole a bottle of red wine by hiding it behind an umbrella in the store, a recent sitting of Tullamore District Court was told. Sharon Ryle, 23, Ard na Greine, Tullamore pleaded guilty to stealing a bottle of red wine worth 13.50 in Leavy's Centra, Henry Street, Tullamore on September 30 last. Sergeant Brendan Kearns told the court that the defendant tried to conceal the bottle behind her umbrella as she was leaving the store but it was detected by CCTV. She had six previous convictions, including drink driving and a number of thefts. The defending solicitor Patrick Martin said his client has two children, aged 16 and 18, and is not working at the moment. She wishes to apologise for her behaviour, remarked Mr Martin. Judge Andrew Cody commented that it was unfortunate that Ms Ryle had undergone a 12 week programme to tackle problems in her life, but only a few weeks after the end of the course had gone into a Centra store and stolen a bottle. Judge Cody convicted and sentenced the defendant to a month in prison, suspending the sentence for two years. READ NEXT: Tik Tok post about Offaly Garda 'disgusting and unacceptable' Judge READ NEXT: Tullamore man told to avoid unpleasant name-calling by District Court Judge A BULGARIAN man was acquiring tobacco illegally from his country of origin and selling it for profit from his home in Tullamore, Tullamore Circuit Court heard. Lazar Mihaylov (57), Water Lane, Tullamore received concurrent two-year suspended sentences for offences relating to the unlawful keeping of specified tobacco products, including 50,000 cigarettes and 1.15kg of fine cut tobacco. He was also guilty of keeping the products for sale and evading excise duty. There was another charge of money laundering involving 4,000 cash and Judge Sinead McMullan was also told the man Mr Mihaylov had a 151 Mercedes. An officer with customs and excise told the court two parcels had been examined at an address in Dublin on March 17, 2024 and they had arrived from Sofia, Bulgaria for Mr Mihaylov at Water Lane in Tullamore. The sender's name was the same as that of the accused and the parcels contained 12,400 in untaxed cigarettes in total. Three days later a controlled delivery took place to the man's address on Water Lane and he accepted the parcels and put them into a Mercedes vehicle which was registered to him at his address. A warrant was obtained for searches and two packets of untaxed cigarettes were found in the vehicle. A search of the man's home resulted in a find of 38,020 untaxed cigarettes and 1.15kg of fine cut tobacco. Also found was 4,000 cash and two diaries which had to be translated into English from Bulgarian but had records of sales and payments for tobacco products. A notebook had over 100 pages of diary entries relating to the sale of cigarettes. The court heard Mr Mihaylov told the officers the parcels belonged to him and he was aware of the excise. He said he would bring the parcels from Bulgaria and sometimes sell the products to friends. The man's phone had messages on it advertising the cigarettes for sale. READ NEXT: Nearly 62,000 voters in Offaly but low turnout expected A man with no previous convictions, he told the officers he had received 4,000 from his mother and also received money for cigarettes. He had no previous convictions for revenue offences and lived in Tullamore with his wife and son. Revenue said there were a total of 50,420 cigarettes involved in the offence committed on March 20 and they were valued at 41,065. The potential loss to the State would be 32,800, the court was told. The officer's assessment was that Mr Mihaylov was acquiring cigarettes illegally and selling them and making a profit. The diaries indicated the activity dated back to October 19, 2023 and was likened to a tick list with names of clients and amounts. Examples given were 39 paid for five packets of cigarettes and on the man's phone people were requesting cigarettes, saying they could come in about five minutes for brands like Rothmans or Marlboro Gold. Pictures of cigarettes were on the accused man's phone and an indication that the price had gone up because the price in Bulgaria had gone up. Suzanne Dooner, BL, defending (instructed by Patrick Martin, solicitor) said Mr Mihaylov had arrived in Ireland in 2018 and worked in Carroll Cuisine. He had been under financial pressure in 2022 because he suffered from a rare illness and started getting involved in the offending. His medical condition, for which he is still being treated, results in narrowing of the blood vessels and his kidneys were affected. He had been coughing up blood and while on holidays in Bulgaria in August this year he had to go to hospital and it seemed that a tumour on his lung was discovered. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: Dark evenings when clocks go back... but does it set you back too? Ms Dooner said he had committed the offences because he was not in a position to provide for his family and had been asked to leave his accommodation. While the offending was serious, a probation report prepared for the sentencing hearing indicated the accused would be suitable for probation supervision. Ms Dooner asked Judge McMullan to give the man a period of supervision by the probation service instead of a custodial sentence. Handing down her sentence two days after the hearing, the judge noted that Mr Mihaylov had two life threatening illnesses and he hoped to get a non custodial sentence because of the severity of those illnesses. It appeared the tumour he had was malignant and while he accepted responsibility for his actions it appeared from the probation report that he had limited insight into his offending. The maximum sentences for the various offences varied from four to 14 years and she had to take into account the fact that a lot of money was involved. In mitigation, the man had pleaded guilty, had health problems, had no previous convictions and fully engaged with the probation service. She imposed three concurrent two-year suspended sentences and one suspended 18-month sentence for the various offences. The judge said that but for the man's grave health concerns she would not have suspended the sentences. They remain suspended for two years provided he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years and attend all appointments with the probation service. Judge McMullan ordered forfeiture of the cash and said she would leave a decision on what to do with the car to the judge who is designated for the Midlands Circuit, Judge Keenan Johnson. He's being given a chance here mainly because of his health, remarked the judge. The accused was granted legal aid after Ms Dooner said he was earning 252 on average each week and his earnings were limited because of his severe medical difficulties. Theres a famine of compassion Midnight Oil When we moved into our new house, the small piece of hardware mounted next to the garage door caught my eye. It was similar to the one on my childhood porch, where our family hung the flag on holidays. That changed when Iranian militants took Americans hostage in 1979. Some families tied yellow ribbons around trees; our family flew the flag to show solidarity with those in harms way. I carried that tradition forward with my children. After 9/11, we flew our flag daily as the nation worked through its grief. For a while, it hung alongside the Gadsden flag Dont Tread on Me felt like the right message for a country determined not to bow to terror. As the months wore on, our Old Glory faded in the California sun and was replaced with a new one. My kids learned flag etiquette as we respectfully retired it in flames, a ritual of honor and respect. Those memories now sadden me as I look at the hardware attached to my new house. The second Trump presidency has shaken my belief in what the flag represents. Trump proved in his first term that he had no allegiance to the Founders promise that all men are created equal. His actions on January 6, 2021, showed that his own power mattered more than the foundations of our democracy. Yet a plurality of my fellow Americans ignored, or even embraced, this and sent him back to the White House. It is hard to feel patriotic watching immigrants, people who came here willing to work hard for a better life, being violently swept off the streets. It is harder still to watch the Supreme Court shrug as Trump's agents question people based on the color of their skin, the type of work they do, or the thickness of their accent. Should there even be a place in this world for a country that can not find compassion for a child battling cancer? The flag should unite all Americans, but the MAGA movement has twisted it into a banner of allegiance to one man. Even worse, patriotism itself has been redefined no longer pride in country, but submission to Trump. Flags at half-mast at the Washington State Fair (Image by Carl J. Petersen) Details DMCA The debasement continues. Last month, Trump ordered the flag flown at half-mast to honor a man who had said the passage of the Civil Rights Act was a huge mistake, called on an amazing patriot to bail out the person who viciously attacked Paul Pelosi, and called George Floyd, who died at the hands of the police, a "scumbag. If this lowering of the flag had honored all victims of violence, I would have welcomed it. However, this would not be feasible given the Republican Party's refusal to do anything meaningful about the problem; the flag would never make it more than halfway up the flagpole if each violent death were honored. A statement against political violence would have also been welcomed -- about three months ago, when two members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were shot. Melissa Anne Horman, along with her husband, died of their injuries. Instead, Trump used the lowering of our flag to elevate a figure who promoted bigotry against the LGBTQ+ community, blacks, and women. A flag holder left empty for now (Image by Carl J. Petersen) Details DMCA So while I will continue to do my patriotic duty by resisting the path Trump and his MAGA supporters have set us on, I cannot raise a flag that has been twisted into a symbol of intolerance and blind loyalty to one man. Patriotism should never be about submission to power. Instead, it should be about striving toward justice, equality, and compassion for all. Rather than fly a banner that now divides, I am seeking a symbol that reflects the America I believe in: one that welcomes the stranger, protects the vulnerable, and honors the dignity of every person. That is the patriotism I claim and the vision of America I will continue to fight for. Perhaps something like this: Dr. Diane Ravitch has recognized education advocate Carl Petersen as a valiant fighter for public schools . A former Green Party candidate for the LAUSD School Board, Petersen is a passionate voice for special education, shaped by raising two daughters with severe autism. He recently relocated to the State of Washington to embrace his role as Poppy to two grandsons. Explore more at www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com Amidst anti-gender push, hope pins on ICFP 2025 to shift gears towards SRHRJ for all SHOBHA SHUKLA CNS Gender equality and right to health are fundamental human right, says Shobha Shukla, CNS Founder head (Image by CNS) Details DMCA Despite right to health and gender equality being fundamental human rights, the world is off the track from delivering on these goals in next 62 months (by 2030). Anti-rights and anti-gender pushbacks have made the situation even more grim. Activists are pinning hope on an upcoming global meet to galvanise a stronger and equitable response to deliver on these goals. Worlds largest meet on sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice (SRHRJ) would open in next two weeks in Colombia on the theme: Equity through action, advancing SRHRJ for all. Formally called the International Conference on Family Planning or #ICFP2025, this meet also marks 30 years since Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action were adopted in 1995. 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting was held last month to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women (where Beijing Declaration 1995 was adopted along with its Platform for Action). The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is the most ambitious global political commitment on womens rights ever achieved. It affirmed that the rights of women and girls are not separate, secondary, or negotiable - they are human rights. It has helped to power advances in some critical areas legal protection, political participation, education, maternal mortality, recognizing the need to tackle violence against women as a global priority, and more. But progress has been slow and uneven, and no nation has achieved full equality for women and girls and gender diverse peoples, said Shobha Shukla, Host of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity & Rights) and Lead Discussant for SDG-3 at the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF 2025). Separating signal from the noise International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP 2025) has received a record number of 5174 abstract submissions highest-ever in its history. This means that there were many more ideas competing for attention. Bigger responsibility was for the organisers and different ICFP committees to separate the signal from noise itself. There are signals emerging across the scientific programme and community agenda from the ICFP 2025. For example, you will see there are topics around climate SRHRJ popping up everywhere and from the heat supply chains or displacements to financing, resilience, shrinking civic spaces, among others. Topics like youth leadership has moved into the core ICFP 2025 programme. There are a lot of youth-focused sessions including a youth pre-conference which is 100% led by the young people from all over the world. Youth sub-committee meetings have taken place every month in the lead up to ICFP 2025, said Dina Chaerani, Host of Sex O'Clock News, Family Planning News Network (FPNN) and YIELD Hub. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). European Union continues to support Serbian opposition while simultaneously feigning a desire to maintain good relations with the current Serbian government. Despite the Serbian government is demonstrating a willingness to negotiate with the opposition, implement reforms, establish dialogue with society, and combat corruption, the EU officials express dissatisfaction with Serbian authorities. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Serbia to take concrete steps toward joining the European Union, specifically by ensuring the rule of law, reforming the electoral system, and ensuring media freedom. She made this statement on Wednesday, October 15, in Belgrade, speaking at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vui. The EC President emphasized that the reforms necessary for EU accession require patience and perseverance. She also called on Vui to pursue a more inclusive approach and lay the foundation for a more stable and peaceful society. She underlined that the EU needs to see progress on the rule of law, the electoral framework, media freedom and greater alignment with EU foreign policy. She also directly stated her plans to meet with the representatives of the civil society organizations, which are opposed to Aleksandar Vui. She admitted that Europes commitment is not only in words, but also in deeds, real change on the ground. Apparently she meant the European Union programs aimed to support the so-called Public Service Journalism in Western Balkans. One of them is The Innovation. Media. Minds Programme (IMM). The Innovation. Media. Minds. Programme, funded by the European Union, announced this year its call for Production Grants. These grants aim to support independent media outlets and media organisations in the Western Balkans to promote pluralism of expression, strengthen cooperation with public service media (PSM), and enhance audience-relevant reporting. Eligible applicants are independent media outlets or media organisations legally established in one of the following IPA beneficiaries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, or Serbia. Until the completion of the Programme, a total of EUR 900,000 will be distributed within several grant schemes. Independent Media are usually those who criticize current authorities. Thus, within the framework of this program, under the guise of funding independent journalism, the organization directly finances Serbias opposition media. Brussels can't help but understand the power of the media. Does it hope that this will mobilize the protest electorate and bring people to the streets? Given the accelarating downward trajectory of democratic rule in erstwhile leading democracies, the situation demands nothing less than an "all hands on deck," global clarion call. Most, if not all our fragile African Democracies were cynically cobbled together, in service of imperial interests Consequently, Africa has the most to lose with the collapse of worldwide democracy; despite being the least belligerent and aggressive of people's, in world history. In this connection, I would like to add my voice to the chorus of dedicated activists standing against autocracy. Trump = America's King Uzziah King Uzziah (783-742 BC) reigned in the ancient kingdom of Judah. His contempt for entrenched, settled norms and traditions of governance propelled him to usurp the established authority of the priesthood, whose sole prerogative it was to burn incense to God in the temple. Uzziah took it upon himself to sabotage this sacrosanct duty by entering into the temple and burning incense to God himself. His actions threatened the balance of power within the Kingdom, thus God struck Uzziah with leprosy. The popular king was from thenceforth consigned to a life of national shame, and relegated to the status of permanent outcast, becoming at once a pariah and byword. Uzziah corrupted and challenged the legitimate role of the priesthood, whose pivotal functions impacted and shaped existential issues of personal and national life. His aberrant conduct made public mockery of and denigrated, both priestly and kingly institutions thereby, laying the groundwork for chaos and anarchy to ensue. Uzziah's reckless, self-serving behaviour could have precipitated a descent into widespread societal upheaval buoyed by trickle-down rampant lawlessness. In essence, rebelliousness was being promoted by the highest office in the land. Furthermore, Uzziah could have provoked an open general revolt of the populace who were cognizant of his betrayal and villainy. Indeed, the people would have felt disrespected and hard-done by, as Uzziah was not authorized, or qualified, to serve as a mediator on their behalf in matters pertaining to the Divine. Left unchecked, the nation could have plunged into a burning conflagration that might have resulted in utter self-annihilation. Uzziah overturned the established, time-honoured balance of power within the nation, driven by a sense of boundless entitlement, deep-seated hubris and certifiable megalomania. Anyone blessed with a discerning mind and an attentive spirit cannot fail to draw striking parallels between King Uzziah and Donald Trump, the 47th President of the US and de facto leader of the free world. The issue is that if hard-won democratic gains soaked in the blood and sacrifice of world heroes and multitudes of unheralded democracy protagonists, falls to autocratic forces in the US; how far and fast will the deadly infection spread, and how devastating will the fall-out be from the global contagion? Trump rides roughshod over a compliant, cowardly and corrupt Republican-led US Congress and a supine, obeisant Republican-majority US Supreme Court. Ergo, I am led to believe that as he stares besottedly at his reflection in the mirror, he is totally convinced that he is a paragon of perfection on every level, envisioning himself a close second to Narcissus of Greek mythology fame, renowned for his striking beauty and self-obsession. Alas, for proponents of global democracy, Trump fails to see himself as a gross, grotesque, caricature after the Order of King Uzziah. - Large crowds come out for 'No Kings' protests in Miami-Dade Large crowds gathered throughout South Florida for Saturday's 'No Kings' protests held across the country. READ MORE HERE: ... (Image by YouTube, Channel: WPLG Local 10) Details DMCA A quiet early fall morning in downtown Hollywood made way for a joyous celebration of democracy at ArtsPark at Young Circle on Saturday morning. But hours before hundreds of protestors lined the west side of the Circle from Tyler Street to Harrison Street, City of Hollywood crews picked up debris deposited by Friday night revelers at local bars and restaurants on Hollywood Boulevard and Harrison Street. At about 8:30 a.m., an hour and a half before the No Kings protest began, Timothy was busy cleaning up Harrison Street. He didnt know about the upcoming protest, but insisted, We shouldnt have a king here. Were a democracy. Around the corner, at the Octopus Bar, which opens at 7 a.m., April, a bartender, was busy serving a small crowd eager to get a drink. The protestors are welcome to stop by later, she said, if they want to be happy. An elderly gentleman, a former downtown bar owner, wasnt so inviting. Youre darn right I like Trump, he told me, a pipe in one hand. Send them over, he basically suggested; Ill give them a punch. Car traffic was sparse as Octopus customers enjoyed their drinks, although it picked up considerably as the protest reached 11 a.m. Cars rounding the circle eventually set off honking horns one after another. Some people in the cars held cell phones out the window to document the event, while others displayed signs and American flags. HPD Worked with Organizers Lt. Charles Burrows, of the Hollywood Police Department, was busy conferring with a yellow-vested protest organizer before people packed Young Circle. Burrows acted as the Incident Commander for the protest. He told me, This group is very well organized, which makes our job much easier. Officers, Burrows said, are essentially there to protect the rights of protestors and keep any counter-demonstrators away from people who got a permit to voice their feelings about their government. Communication is important, he said, adding he also spoke with organizers in the run-up to the event. I counted six HPD SUVs stationed on the south side of Young Circle. I also found two more police SUVs parked at a high-rise building on Harrsion Street and 19 Avenue. Of course, other officers in SUVs were nearby, in the downtown bar and restaurant district. The protest went off without violence; no National Guard troops or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE) were spotted. HPD and local organizers both honored our cherished right to speak freely and let government know what we think. We Love This Country Which is why Elvira came from Pembroke Pines to speak out against kings. A native of Peru, she became a U.S. citizen after moving here in mid-life. She worked for a decade at a Florida Winn-Dixie after loosing a corporate sales job in Peru. Elvira came with a Visa and already had family here which made it easier for her to become a citizen, she said. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). The Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee approved draft law No. 14103, which increases 2025 state budget expenditures by UAH 325 billion, as a basis for voting by the Verkhovna Rada at a plenary session on Tuesday, October 21, the head of the committee, Roksolana Pidlasa, reported. "I call on all Members of Parliament to support this bill today, both in the first and final readings, since the funds for monetary allowances must be transferred to the troops on November 1-2. There have been no delays throughout the entire period of the full-scale invasion," Pidlasa wrote on her Facebook page on Tuesday. She recalled that Bill No. 14103 proposes increasing expenditures for the national security and defense sector by UAH 324.7 billion. Of this amount, UAH 210.9 billion is earmarked for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), UAH 99.1 billion for the production and purchase of weapons and ammunition, and UAH 8.1 billion for the National Guard. The bill proposes allocating UAH 4.3 billion for drone procurement carried out by the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, UAH 1.3 billion for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), UAH 918 million for the State Special Transport Service, and UAH 83 million for the State Border Guard Service. In addition, UAH 28.8 million is to be allocated to the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense, and another UAH 8 million to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. At the same time, Pidlasa reminded of the sources to cover these expenditures the largest being UAH 294.3 billion from international assistance, including EUR 6 billion in non-repayable ERA loans from the European share. Another UAH 10.4 billion is expected to be raised through cuts in non-military expenditures. The most significant of these include UAH 6.45 billion in projected savings on public debt servicing and UAH 3 billion in savings on state guarantee obligations that do not need to be paid this year, as well as nearly UAH 1 billion based on proposals from certain government agencies. In addition, UAH 20 billion will be covered by the expected increase in revenues from personal income tax and the military levy, stemming from the payment of military allowances in November-December (as the total payroll fund rises, so do personal income tax receipts). Meanwhile, MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak (the Holos faction) noted that the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine refused to make further spending cuts to free up additional funds for the army. Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa concluded his first official visit to Moscow since assuming power last year, marking a significant step towards normalizing and recalibrating the relationship between the two nations following the overthrow of the former regime. The high-level talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, described by Russian experts as "pragmatic," covered a comprehensive range of issues, including security guarantees, military cooperation, economic support, and the future of Russian military bases in Syria. Security and Military Dimensions The Syrian delegation, which included Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, sought crucial assurances from Moscow, according to Reuters. A primary concern for Damascus was obtaining guarantees that Russia would not re-arm remnants of the former regime's forces. Furthermore, the delegation requested Moscow's assistance in rebuilding a new Syrian army. Discussions also included a proposal from President al-Sharaa to President Putin for the re-deployment of Russian police to prevent any new incursions by the Israeli military. The Kremlin confirmed that the future of Russian military bases in Syria was a major focus. The talks addressed the status of the Hmeimim Air Base in Latakia and the Tartus Naval Base on the Syrian coast, as well as the Russian military presence at Qamishli Airport in the northeast. The two bases, which have been Russia's key projection of power in the Mediterranean, are expected to be renewed under a new contractual framework, with a potential role in distributing Russian aid to African countries. Agreements are also anticipated for re-arming the Syrian army, with a special focus on enhancing its air defense capabilities. Al-Sharaa affirmed Syria's commitment to all previous agreements with Moscow, aiming to "re-calibrate" the strategic and political relationship with the Russian Federation due to the "historical ties" between the two nations. Analysts noted that confirming the status of the military bases is a crucial component of the new pragmatic framework. Economic and Reconstruction Priorities A central theme of the discussions was the dire need for economic support and reconstruction in Syria. President al-Sharaa is seeking direct Russian aid, notably the resumption of concessional wheat supplies and compensation for war damages, Reuters reported. In July, Shibani visited Moscow to finalize an agreement between the Russian firm Goznak to print new Syrian currency. Syrian Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh said the new currency sought to strengthen customer confidence and to ease foreign transactions, calling the move a necessity. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that Russian and Syrian officials discussed potential cooperation in the energy sector, including oil projects in Syria, noting that the oil shortage is a major problem for Syria's post-conflict reconstruction. Russian companies are reportedly keen on developing the transport infrastructure and rehabilitating the energy system, much of which was originally built during the Soviet era. Damascus invited Tatneft and other firms from Russia to resume local energy operations. Syria has an under-explored offshore area in the Levantine Basin, with potential for both oil and gas. The Syrian government opened up offshore bids in 2011, but exploration and development were stalled by the conflict. Russian firms were granted licenses to two offshore blocks, Block 1 and Block 2, during the conflict, but activity has not begun. Novak revealed that the talks, which lasted over two and a half hours, focused on several areas including: Humanitarian aid. Energy and oil projects. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner on Tuesday signaled her willingness further dial back Oregons public pension systems big bet on private equity. Elizabeth Steiner campaign State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner on Tuesday signaled her willingness to further dial back Oregons public pension systems big bet on private equity. Oregon is among the most reliant on the opaque and risky investments, which have underperformed of late. On Tuesday, Steiner sent a letter to the Oregon Investment Council, the six-person board that sets investment policies for the states more than $100 billion pension fund. Steiner, whos also a medical doctor, is one of the five voting members of the council. As a physician I believe strongly in making evidence-based decisions, Steiner wrote. Treasury staff have reduced the percentage of the funds assets in private equity investments from 28% to 26% in the past two years, she wrote. It should hit 25% by the end of this year. Steiner is open to further reductions. In an environment of high interest rates and stubborn inflation, it is important to balance risk and growth, she wrote. I am open to shifting our allocations in the future based on a wide range of inputs to navigate this environment. Steiner, who came into office in January, previously said Oregon should pare back on the pension funds investments in fossil fuel infrastructure some of it through private investment funds as those could decline in value because of global warming. She supported a bill that passed this year requiring the council to analyze and manage the risks of climate change on the funds investments. But she opposed another that would have placed a moratorium on such investments. In an interview this summer with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Steiner said placing limits on the council was inconsistent with its responsibility to maximize returns to the pension fund, and focusing on private market returns in the last few years is misleading. We are investing on a 40-year time horizon, she said. Looking at the past three years is certainly important to do, but its not necessarily illustrative of our overarching performance in any particular sector of our portfolio. Private equity investments are typically made by firms that buy companies, manage them, then sell them for profits after a few years. In her letter, Steiner laid out four investment principles that she said will guide her work, including diversification, balancing risk and growth, taking advantage of opportunities in clean energy and seeking input from fund beneficiaries. The five voting members of the council will set the states next four-year investment strategy late next year. Mervin January and Sarita Hill represented themselves in federal court where competing claims of defamation were ultimately dismissed after a bench trial. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media They sat on either side of the staid federal courtroom in Portland, ready to argue their case. Neither was a lawyer. After U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon instructed them how the half-day trial would go, opening statements began. U.S. Army veteran, church pastor, father, published author, information tech professional for over 30 years, 55-year-old Mervin W. January began. The Portland pastor accused the mother of his now-adult son of defaming him, citing a Facebook page that features Januarys photo under the heading Deadbeat Dad. He blamed her for the social media post, saying it deeply damaged his reputation, harmed his credibility as a leader of the Saved to Serve Ministries, turned congregants against him and has made it impossible for him to hold a steady job. Sacred to Serve Ministries offers online worship, as well as marriage counseling, its website says. The mother, Sarita J. Hill, 49, denied anything to do with the social media post. She quoted the definition of deadbeat from Merriam-Websters dictionary and said it fit her sons father. He owes her $117,245.16 in back child support payments, she said, and presented the child support documents as evidence. One who persistently fails to pay personal debts for expenses, she said, reading the dictionary definition. One who persistently does not pay his obligation. When January took the stand as his own witness, she asked him: Does that, in effect, make you a deadbeat father? He replied: Thats an opinion of someone who wrote a definition. I was incapable of meeting that requirement. The back-and-forth testimony and the parents questioning of one another in court resembled a scene out of TVs Judge Judy, not one that typically plays out in federal court among white-collar criminals, drug traffickers and civil rights violators. At one point, Hill became frustrated when she couldnt get a desired yes or no answer from January and turned to the judge to ask him to instruct January to respond with one word. Simon told her, Thats the way it works on television, not in real life. You asked the question. He gets to answer. Hill said she recognized the damage the blast on social media has caused January Im sorry you went through that, she said, I just didnt do it. January said he knew Hill for maybe four or five months. They were both living in Arizona at the time and he would see her on weekends because he was often traveling for work, he testified. She never participated in his church congregation. Their son was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March 2004, Hill told the judge. January was unable to cite the date or year of his sons birth. She said January wanted her to get an abortion; he did not dispute that in court. They both went to her pastor at the time, but January wanted nothing to do with a relationship with her, she said. He wasnt there for their sons birth and then January just walked away, a friend of Hills testified. I stopped talking about you and me the day he was born, Hill said of January. She said she worked multiple jobs in Arizona, cleaned houses and became a full-time real estate agent to raise her son. She said she took their son back and forth to school, picked him up, took him to doctors appointments and after-school practices. She said she never sued January for the owed child support, although some months she received as little as $20. January initially was ordered to pay $482.25 a month in child support for their son in October 2007. That amount was adjusted to $608 a month in 2021. He owes $117,245.16, according to Hills testimony. In total, hes paid about $14,000 over 18 years, she testified. I simply wanted him to do his part, she said. I did not want him put in jail. January accused Hill of being a gold digger, money grabber and trickster in a letter to their son that was filed in court. On the stand, he accused her of not believing in God. Thats just not appropriate, the judge cut in. After more than three hours of arguments, Simon ruled from the bench, telling January that the law is not on his side. The truth is the defense to a defamation claim, the judge said. Simon found no evidence that Hill published the social media post and dismissed Januarys defamation claim. In turn, he dismissed Hills counterclaim of defamation against January for the letter to their son, noting that it offered more of an insulting opinion but not facts. Hill is right when she relies on the dictionary definition of deadbeat, Simon said. From a legal perspective, deadbeat means you owe a debt that you havent paid, he told January. I get that you cant pay what you dont have. But that doesnt mean you dont fit within that definition of someone who owes an obligation and doesnt pay it. Not only does January owe more than $117,000 to Hill, he owes more than that amount to another woman who had a daughter fathered by January also in 2004, according to court testimony. When you have children, you run the risk of owing child support, Simon said. The judge urged January and Hill to move on and work in the best interests of their son. But January wasnt done. Now that the smoke has cleared, he asked Simon, how in the heck do I get this madness removed? The judge recommended that January accept his circumstances and be honest that he owes child support but cant pay what he owes. Youre not going to get any better justice by going to court, Simon said. Oregon is one of 16 states and the District of Columbia that sued the Department of Health and Human Services, which wants to prohibit gender ideology lessons funded by the Personal Responsibility Education Program, known as PREP, and Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program, called SRAE. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) AP A federal judge in Oregon said shes leaning toward blocking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from pulling funding for sex education that includes references to diverse gender identities. At one point during a hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken pointedly asked the federal governments lawyer how its threat of halting the funding isnt just blatant sex discrimination? Assistant U.S. Attorney Susanne Luse responded, Because were not excluding anybody from these programs. Were just simply saying, You cannot teach that boys can be girls and girls can be boys. Luse argued that the federal department is seeking to clarify that federal money must support medically accurate sex education, not ideological concepts. The statutes that established the grant-funded programs make no mention of gender ideology or gender identity, federal lawyers argued in court papers. Oregon is one of 16 states and the District of Columbia that sued the Department of Health and Human Services, which wants to prohibit gender ideology lessons funded by the Personal Responsibility Education Program, known as PREP, and Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program, called SRAE. The federal grants are used to teach about abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The federal department threatened to cut the grant funding by this coming Monday unless states remove any reference even a passing one to inclusive gender ideology. The departments notice to the states said that the grants do not authorize teaching students that gender identity is distinct from biological sex ... or that there is a vast spectrum of genders that are disconnected from ones sex. Therefore, gender ideology is outside of the scope of the statutory authority for this award. In addition, any costs associated with gender ideology are not allowable expenditures of federal grant funds. The states argued that the new grant conditions would violate federal law and the separation of powers that bestows such spending decisions on Congress. The termination of funding under the two programs could result in a loss of at least $35 million to the states, according to their suit. At another point during the hearing held by phone, Aiken didnt hide her apparent exasperation with the federal governments argument that sex education shouldnt include a psychological focus. If youre going to talk about how someone gets pregnant, gender or gender identity is not going to be a factor. It is the biology. It is explaining how people get pregnant, Luse argued. Aiken cut her off, interjecting, Oh, for crying out loud, no. That argument makes no sense. The judge, noting her prior experience as a state Juvenile Court judge, said sex education most definitely must focus on the physical and emotional well-being of children and adolescents as they go through puberty. She further cited the sworn declaration submitted by an expert for the states, Dr. Kate Millington, who said an inclusive sexual health education reduces high-risk sexual conduct. Millington is a pediatric endocrinologist at Hasbro Childrens Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, and an assistant professor of pediatrics and clinician educator at Brown University. Aiken said it appeared the governments move to alter funding requirements for the two programs in the midst of a school year looked arbitrary and capricious. Luse said gender ideology doesnt comport with the educational programs designed to teach abstinence and use of contraception. Is it possible that trans youth can get pregnant? Aiken asked. Is it possible that individuals who are non-binary get STIs (sexually transmitted infections)? Is it possible that any or all of those diverse youth can become self-harming, suicidal or drug affected or drug using? Are those high-risk behaviors that can happen with students? In arguing for the states, Marsha Chien of the Washington states attorney generals office said that trans youth are our neighbors, they are our family members, they are our friends and they are our partners. Comprehensive sexual health education that recognizes gender identity ensures that both cisgender and trans youth who are sexually active are educated when making decisions about their sexual health, Chien said. So this extends both to cisgender who have relationships with trans youth. This is beneficial to all. Aiken said she expected to issue her written ruling soon but gave no date. School board chair Eddie Wang speaks at the reopening of Benson High School in 2024. Wang is supportive of raising the threshold for public contract review to $250,000, which he says will allow for more efficiency and streamlining. Beth Conyers Members of the Portland Public Schools board are weighing whether to allow district staffers to sign off on contracts with outside vendors for up to $250,000 without scrutiny from the school board or the public. The current requirement is that board members publicly approve any contracts that exceed $150,000. Proponents of increasing the contracting threshold, including school board chair Eddie Wang, have said doing so would significantly streamline operations and bring the board into alignment with other public entities that already have a $250,000 threshold for contract review, including the Beaverton and North Clackamas school districts. Wang has also pointed out that the $150,000 line was set in 2010, but inflation has since significantly diluted how much that can buy. Contracts above $150,000 are listed on the school boards printed agenda and are typically approved without much discussion. Recent examples include a $6.4 million contract with Multnomah County to provide afterschool programming at elementary schools throughout the district, almost $200,000 for Portland State University to provide senior inquiry classes at Roosevelt and Jefferson high schools and $710,000 for an annual licensing fee on the software system used by the districts human resources department. But contracts below that threshold fly even further under the public radar, despite the perennial calls to curb non-student-facing spending that typically reach their peak when budgets are tightest and during contract negotiations. Both of those conditions are currently in place. District budget leaders have said they expect to cut at least $32 million worth of positions and programs from the 2026-2027 budget, and possibly significantly more. And the Portland Association of Teachers current contract expires at the end of June, with negotiations over the next contract set to kick off in January. Via a public records request, The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained a complete list of contracts that have been at or under the $150,000 threshold for the past three years. The results show that during the 2023-24 school year, under former Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero and then Interim Superintendent Sandy Husk, the district initiated 647 contracts at or below the $150,000 threshold worth up to $20.2 million. The following year, the first full term for current Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong, it inked 496 more contracts under the school board approval threshold worth a collective $17.2 million. And in July and August of this year, it added 14 more contracts worth nearly $900,000. In a school district with an operating budget of $868 million, that means outside service contracts that fall under the threshold for public review amount to about 2% of the overall budget. In the mix of contracts that fell under the threshold that were initiated during that time, many directly benefitted students and had low price tags, like $850 for the Oregon Childrens Theatre, which has hosted field trip for elementary students, and $1,000 to the Independent Publishing Resources Center, which provides access to tools for the creation of zines, comics, prints, posters and books. Others are for specialized legal services, for tutoring, or for highly specialized maintenance services, for example. But some of the contracts that fell under that threshold add up, including some that are repeatedly renewed, or are not student-facing, or both. For example, under Armstrong, the district spent $481,000 over the last 15 months on a school district-oriented executive coaching program called The Scholar First, run by Tammy Campbell, the former superintendent of the Federal Way School District in Washington. Campbell left that position in 2021, after spending seven years at the district, one of the most diverse in Washington state. Prior to the pandemic, about 45% of the districts students were scoring at high enough levels on state reading tests to show that they were on track to graduate ready for college or a career; about 34% were meeting that marker in math. Last April, in the first of two contracts signed with The Scholar First that month, the district agreed to pay Campbells firm $80,000 to cover 26 hours of executive coaching for Armstrong and Chief Academic Officer Kristina Howard plus facilitation of 16 hours of meetings for the superintendents full cabinet, made up of her senior leaders and advisers, during the current school year. With travel and lodging expenses factored in, thats about $1,900 per session, though the contract allows for Armstrong to request additional time as needed and does not specify how much time The First Scholar might spend on the districts needs outside of those meetings. The goals, according to the contract, were to position leaders to shift mindset and culture within their department, outline the key moves senior leaders make to enact effective systems change, co-construct success criteria for team success for the 2025-2026 school year and name explicit department leadership actions for coherence. The second contract, worth $147,500, expands the coaching to district administrators who supervise building principals, providing a total of around 100 hours of direct services, including 14 remote sessions. The contract calls for an additional 48 hours of preparation from First Scholar, for a total of about $1,000 per hour. Among the goals: To establish clarity and calibration on what we should see in every classroom across the district. In another example of multiple contracts being signed with the same company, the school district has also paid about $300,000 over the last three years to a public firm called MKTBOX, including a $75,000 contract for a campaign during the 2024-2025 school year designed to boost Armstrongs efforts to spotlight early literacy programming. That campaign included short videos posted to the districts social media channels that highlighted reading initiatives, a district-sponsored bookmobile that visited schools and a literacy event at OMSI. Another contract, signed in June of this year, was with technology consulting firm The Gunter Group for $138,000. The firm was tasked with evaluating the districts information technology operating model and capabilities, with an eye towards identifying critical challenges and developing recommendations for improvements. Two months later, the district hired The Gunter Groups managing consultant, Peter Janowick, as the new leader of its Office of Technology and Information Services. The proposed increase in the contracting threshold is up for discussion Monday at a meeting of the school boards subcommittee on policy. Meanwhile, a recent review of a 2020 internal audit of the districts contracting practices found that 29 of auditors recommendations have been implemented while nine remain in progress five years later. That audit found some evidence of inadequate oversight over how district staff were managing contracts and suggested providing them more guidance and clearer expectations. The $150,000 threshold has already been called into question this fall amid pushback from the Portland Association of Teachers and others over a just-below-the-threshold contract for LumiStory AI, an artificial intelligence firm started by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Under the terms of that $149,000 contract, about 4,100 students across nine schools will pilot Lumis platform, which allows students to work with an AI-powered chatbot to create their own stories and comic books. Another just-below-threshold contract of $149,500 was awarded last June to a Texas-based construction oversight firm that was charged with coming up with a quicker and less costly plan to build a new Jefferson High School. The same firm later got a $487,500 contract extension from the district approved by the school board, before it had produced its full report on any cost-and-time savings plans. Modernization plans for Jefferson are currently estimated to cost $465 million. Procedeos complete report is due to the district this week. Domaine Serene Winery in Dayton, Oregon was encased in smoke from the 2020 Labor Day fires. The winery was one of dozens that sued PacifiCorp over crop damages resulting from the soot and smoke landing on its crops. The utility has reached $125M settlement with the wineries and vineyards. Michael Alberty Electricity provider PacifiCorp has agreed to pay $125 million to dozens of Oregon wineries and vineyards who sued the utility over the deadly Labor Day 2020 wildfires, alleging the smoke and soot had damaged their grapes and reduced their harvest and sales. The settlement on behalf of 93 wineries and vineyards was announced Monday. Most of the plaintiffs in the suit are located in the Willamette Valley, home to two-thirds of Oregons wineries and vineyards and the oldest wine region in the state. The wineries and vineyards had accused the Portland-based utility of negligence, alleging its decision to not preemptively shut off power during the Labor Day windstorm contributed to blazes. The smoke particles from those fires, in turn, had blanketed the grapes, leading the fruit and its juice to become infused with smoke. That undesirable smoke aroma and flavor then made it through the entire production system into wine bottles. Efforts to cleanse the soot and smoke from the grapes were not successful, the vineyards said. As a result, the vineyards could not sell their grapes to winemakers and wineries were unable to sell the wines they had already produced with the defective grapes, resulting in lost revenue and damaged reputations, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. PacificCorp said in a statement that it has settled approximately 2,700 wildfire-related claims since 2020 with individuals, businesses and government entities. PacifiCorp is glad to have this matter resolved, the utilitys spokesperson, Simon Gutierrez, said in a statement. The wineries settlement brings the total figure paid via settlements by PacifiCorp to nearly $750 million, according to San Francisco-based BakerHostetler, Eugene-based Arnold Gallagher and Texas-based Watts Law Firm, the law firms that represented the wineries. In other cases that have gone to trial, Oregon juries in multiple verdicts have ordered PacifiCorp to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to victims. The utility has now been ordered to pay nearly $500 million to individual plaintiffs following a 2023 class-action ruling that found it liable for negligently causing four major wildfires by failing to shut off power during extreme fire conditions. PacifiCorp has appealed those verdicts. Ongoing litigation and several thousand additional victims who are waiting for their cases to be heard could leave the utility on the hook for billions. The 2020 Labor Day weekend fires were among the most destructive in Oregons history, killing nine people, destroying 5,000 homes and other structures and burning over a million acres. Gutierrez, the PacifiCorp spokesperson, said the company remains willing to settle all outstanding reasonable claims related to three fires Echo Mountain, 242 and South Obenchain. But the company would dispute claims regarding the Beachie Creek/Santiam Canyon fire, he said, since a Department of Forestry report concluded in March that its power lines did not cause the spread of large fires in Santiam Canyon. FILE - Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. listens to deputy chief of staff Stefanie Spear speaks to him during a hearing the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections vaccines, milk safety and fluoride have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An Associated Press investigation found that the wave of legislation has cropped up in most states, pushed by people with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The effort would strip away protections that have been built over a century and are integral to American lives and society. Around 30 bills have been enacted or adopted in 12 states. Trump administration officials are directing activists to push anti-science legislation in the states where public health authority rests with the ultimate goal of changing laws and minds nationally. The effort normalizes ideas fueled by the anti-vaccine movement that Kennedy has helped lead for years. His Make America Healthy Again agenda masks anti-science ideas while promoting goals such as making food more natural or reducing chemicals. Meanwhile, vaccination rates continue to fall, allowing the infectious diseases measles and whooping cough to make comebacks as Kennedy has sought to broadly remake federal policies on public health matters including fluoride and vaccines. Kennedys allies dispute that their agenda is anti-science or driven by conspiracy theories, but many experts disagree. The march of conspiracy thinking from the margins to the mainstream now guiding public policy should be a wake-up call for all Americans, said Devin Burghart, president and executive director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, who has tracked the anti-vaccine movement for decades. People are literally going to die from it as a result. Ashlee and Erik Dahlberg hold a photo of their late son, Liam, in their home in Lowell, Ind., on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld Ashlee and Erik Dahlberg of Lowell, Indiana, lost their 8-year-old son, Liam, to a vaccine-preventable disease in April. I thought having the vaccines would protect our children, Erik Dahlberg said. Unfortunately, it did not because other kids, other adults, need to be vaccinated as well in order for it to work. Liam was particularly vulnerable because he had severe asthma and allergies. He was vaccinated against Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, but it caused his brain to swell and killed him less than two days after he complained of a headache. Hib is transmitted by respiratory droplets, often spread by coughs and sneezes. Doctors said Liams case likely stemmed from someone unvaccinated, Ashlee Dahlberg said. With two other children, the Dahlbergs worry about living in one of the many U.S. communities with low immunization rates. State statistics show one in five kindergartners in their county dont meet vaccination requirements. Theres no pain that is worse than the pain of losing a child, said Ashlee Dahlberg, who brings an urn with Liams ashes on family camping trips so he wont be left out. I do not and cant live through the loss of another. Hundreds of anti-vaccine bills The Dahlbergs and others are fighting a strong anti-science movement that stresses health freedom but disputes proven health measures. Experts say global vaccine efforts have saved more than 150 million lives since 1974, cavities have declined dramatically since community water fluoridation began in 1945, and milk pasteurization has saved millions from foodborne illness. Despite those successes, activists spread false conspiracy theories, some dating back decades, that safe vaccines injure or kill large numbers of people, that fluoride is used to poison the population, or that pasteurization makes milk less nutritious and primarily benefits the dairy industry. FILE - Bottles of raw milk are displayed for sale at a store in Temecula, Calif., on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. AP Photo/JoNel Aleccia, File In its analysis of legislation, AP focused on these three public health policies, which have clear medical evidence behind them and are targets of the Make America Healthy Again movement. AP searched 2025 legislation in all 50 states, analyzing more than 1,000 bills collected by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the bill-tracking software Plural for whether they undermined science-based protections for human health. Anti-vaccine bills 350 of them were by far the most common. They come at the issue from various angles: barring discrimination against unvaccinated people, creating the criminal offense of vaccine harm, requiring blood banks to test for evidence of vaccinations and instituting a 48-hour vaccine waiting period. Legislators acknowledge they sometimes draw inspiration from other states: Bills in numerous places target mRNA vaccines, which were credited with saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two bills in Minnesota falsely designate them as weapons of mass destruction. Since vaccines became more politicized during the pandemic, more extreme vaccine bills have passed, said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert at UC Law San Francisco. At times of uncertainty and trouble, conspiracy theories have more of a wedge, Reiss said. Most bills havent passed some died and others are pending but at least 26 anti-vaccine laws have been adopted in 11 states this year. Most of those bills were supported by at least one of four national groups connected to Kennedy: MAHA Action, Stand for Health Freedom, the National Vaccine Information Center and the Weston A. Price Foundation. The groups also opposed dozens of science-driven bills, including one that would protect people by tightening rabies vaccine requirements for pets. AP Illustration. Source: SB 6 of the State of Arkansas 95th General Assembly. AP Theres a web of connections among the groups and Kennedy. MAHA Action has been run by people close to him, including his longtime book publisher, Tony Lyons, and former campaign staffer Del Bigtree. Stand for Health Freedom was co-founded by Sayer Ji, who now advises the group and volunteers with MAHA Action. The group Kennedy used to lead, Childrens Health Defense, was a sponsor of conferences held by NVIC and Weston Price. Kennedy has been a featured speaker for both groups. When Kennedy purged the federal committee that advises on vaccines, he picked NVICs research director as a new member. While the groups dont always agree or coordinate efforts, they sometimes work together. NVIC, Stand for Health Freedom and Weston Price collaborated on a June letter to President Donald Trumps Religious Liberty Commission, asking that the federal government stay out of state public health lawmaking including religious exemptions for vaccines. Anti-vaccine activists have noticed the tide turning away from science-driven legislation, and there has been a reversal: NVIC said that in 2015, it opposed six times as many bills as it supported. Last year, it supported more than twice as many bills as it opposed. In an email to AP, NVIC leader Barbara Loe Fisher called the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic heavy-handed but a wake-up call in state legislatures, where lawmakers understood the danger to liberty posed by vaccine mandates in a way they had not understood it before. She said mandatory vaccination is bad public health policy. FILE - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is broadcast on a large screen as he speaks during an anti-vaccine rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File The groups AP tracked send out alerts, organize phone campaigns, flood lawmakers inboxes and social media, hold Zoom calls with activists nationwide, and send members to testify in statehouses. Lyons told AP the point of the calls is to educate people. He objected to the use of the terms anti-science and conspiracy theories, saying, Its just an inflammatory statement meant to get millions of people to think something bad is happening. The groups work reflects the small anti-vaccine movements growing clout, said Northe Saunders, president of American Families for Vaccines. Advocates know how to raise money for candidates and create anti-vaccine champions, he said, and use legislative maneuvers to hold up some bills and help others past hurdles. Theyre really a sophisticated political operation as opposed to just a couple of parents that dont want to vaccinate their kids, Saunders said. In Indiana, Republican Rep. Bruce Borders sponsored two bills at the request of the group Hoosiers for Medical Liberty. One would allow people to opt out of employer vaccine mandates; another would require vaccine manufacturers to conduct certain safety studies. Borders, who owns an insurance company and works as an Elvis impersonator, said hes driven by concern about his grandson, who he believes developed autism after getting vaccinated though theres no credible scientific evidence thats possible. He said these bills arent anti-science and that he respects doctors but believes some medical questions deserve more scrutiny. Ive done tons of research on this issue because of my grandson, Borders said. I would say that my study on these issues would equal that of many people in the medical field. FILE - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands among students during an event announcing proposed changes to SNAP and food dye legislation, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Martinsburg, W. Va. AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File Other anti-science bills People are often drawn into anti-science ideas in a roundabout way, Reiss said. They might come to the MAHA movement with legitimate concerns about nutrition, for example, then be exposed to others who believe forces are conspiring to keep people sick. Misinformation is infectious, she said. The overlap in conspiracy-driven ideas is evident in the slate of bills supported by some groups riding MAHAs popularity. MAHA Action and Stand for Health Freedom both supported legislation to ban fluoride in drinking water. Stand for Health Freedom and Weston Price both opposed a North Carolina bill they said threatened raw milk sales. Their arguments often rely on the idea of staying healthy naturally. Stand for Health Freedom, which did not respond to APs requests for comment, told its followers, Water should hydrate not medicate while pushing an anti-fluoride bill. Weston Price runs a campaign for raw milk, which it calls real milk, and the groups website contains unproven claims it can help treat asthma, allergies and eczema. AP found more than 70 bills that would roll back access to fluoride or make it easier to sell or consume raw milk products. Many fluoride bills would prohibit its addition to water systems outright. One in Pennsylvania was dubbed the Fluoride Choice Act by its sponsor, who said individuals would be empowered to make informed health decisions and could get fluoride supplements or topical treatments instead. On raw milk, bills would allow for sales beyond farms in Arkansas, decriminalize its sale in Hawaii and let Oklahoma farms sell raw donkey milk. Sally Fallon Morell, president of Weston Price, told AP the benefits of raw milk are immense and the risks minimal, denying that such beliefs are conspiracies. Though she shared studies touting benefits, experts say drawing direct links is difficult. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says pasteurized milk offers the same nutritional benefits without the risks. Meanwhile, raw milk continues to spark outbreaks, with one in Florida sickening 21 people in August. In response, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said he supports peoples decision to consume raw milk for potential benefits. Floridians have the freedom to make informed health choices, he wrote on social media. Other anti-science ideas are also in full bloom in Florida. Along with Utah, Florida banned fluoride in public drinking water this year. Experts stress that fluoride not only prevents tooth decay but staves off problems and even heart issues. A coalition including MAHA Action, Stand for Health Freedom and Childrens Health Defense backed a slate of bills that went after vaccines, fluoride and other parts of the MAHA agenda. It organized buses to bring people to the Capitol for a legislative day. MAHA Action has held regular Zoom calls since the summer featuring Trump administration officials and Kennedy advisors who emphasize the importance of advancing MAHA priorities in the states. In Zoom chats obtained by AP, activists ask for talking points and to get connected to local groups. Kennedys deputy chief of staff, Stefanie Spear, told activists on one call that its critical to get activated in state government: That is going to be when we move the needle enough to enact federal legislation. A spokesman for Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services would not comment to AP for this story. On the same call, Ji celebrated a new Florida law making geoengineering a felony. Its sponsor explained the bill addresses constituents concerns about chemtrails, invoking a conspiracy theory that the condensation trails that appear in the sky behind jets are actually chemicals theyre spraying into the atmosphere. Ji told AP the bill reflects legitimate public concern ... not something that should or can be cynically dismissed as conspiracy theory. The positions I advocate for on issues like fluoride, vaccines, and environmental health are rooted in credible scientific literature and the publics right to make informed choices, Ji wrote in an email. Meanwhile, Kennedy is elevating anti-science ideas nationally. This spring, a wellness influencer shared video of Kennedy doing shots of raw milk with him at the White House. Less than a week later, Emily Marris toddler, Brooklyn, was hospitalized and nearly died after drinking raw milk. The Southern California mom did research online, finding a homesteader Facebook group and buying raw goats milk from a seller who called it clean and tested. Retail sales are legal in California. Brooklyn ended up on dialysis and a ventilator, suffering three cardiac arrests before finally turning a corner. She now has high blood pressure and walks with a limp. Marris believes its a dangerous path to make raw milk more available. Youre going to have the average mom like me that thinks theyve done their research, think theyre doing something to help their baby and end up hurting their baby, she said. Ashlee Dahlberg takes photos of her daughters Ava, left, and Khloe, on the first day of school in front a memorial for their brother, Liam, in their yard in Lowell, Ind., on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld The cost Lawmakers fighting for science-based policies say whats missing in the discussion is concern for the public good. Rep. Andy Vargas, a Massachusetts Democrat, has been sponsoring legislation since 2019 to eliminate religious exemptions from childhood vaccines. Despite high vaccination rates in Massachusetts, Vargas said, pockets in every county have lost herd immunity for measles. People who want to participate in public life have responsibilities to others, he said. Its just part of the social contract. In Indiana, Democratic State Rep. Maureen Bauer, of South Bend, said these issues are often falsely framed as parents rights and individual freedom. If your personal decision puts others at risk, it is no longer a personal decision, she said. You are impacting the freedom of others. Ashlee Dahlberg said that includes her son Liam. Though theres no way to know for sure who exposed him, research shows unvaccinated people are more likely to carry Hib and spread it. Severe cases dropped by over 99% after the federal government recommended the vaccine in 1991. In recent years, however, overall vaccination rates have dropped. After Liam died, the Dahlbergs learned that vaccine policies vary by state. Hib shots are recommended, not required, to enter pre-kindergarten in Indiana, though they are required in Illinois, a 10-minute drive from home. These states and nearly every other allow parents to opt children out of vaccine mandates for nonmedical reasons such as religion. Ashlee Dahlberg channeled her anger into purpose, starting a change.org petition to eliminate religious exemptions in public schools nationally. While most feedback has been positive, she said, theyve received hateful messages, including: Your son deserved to die. But, Dahlberg said, I want to reach those parents who are on the fencepost about vaccinations. The Dahlbergs feel its up to them to protect their two surviving children from vaccine-preventable diseases. They cant rely on their government anymore. Theyve considered homeschooling 6-year-old Ava and 11-year-old Khloe. For now, theyve made arrangements with Avas school to ensure every student in her class is vaccinated. Like her brother, she has severe asthma. In common areas such as hallways or buses, she wears a mask. On the first day of school this year, Dahlberg called Ava to the kitchen to take puffs from her twice-a-day inhaler before ushering the girls outside for first-day pictures. They walked past the collection of mementos reminding them of Liam his handprint, a photo of him with his dirt bike, a plaster cast of his hand in his moms. The girls held a photo of their brother as they stood near a flowering crab apple tree planted in his memory. Shortly before the bus came, Ava broke her mask, ran inside and grabbed another. Dahlberg instructed: You are to wear that on the bus. You do not take it off. Bus 21 finally made its way down their street. As Ava got on, her mother nervously waved goodbye. --By MICHELLE R. SMITH and LAURA UNGAR Associated Press The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Beginning around 5 p.m. Monday, children and adults trickled into a large, brightly lit hall at the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir in Tigard. Tables were neatly arranged with bright tablecloths and trays holding rice grains, flowers, candles and other items used in a centuries-old ritual marking the Hindu New Year. By the time the ceremony began at 5:30 p.m., more than 250 people had gathered for Chopda Pujan, a sacred Diwali tradition in which devotees sanctify their account books, ledgers and even laptops for the year ahead. Its really a journal of your positives and negatives for the year, said Avi Patel, communications and outreach coordinator for the temple. What youre doing is symbolically closing those books and blessing the books for the upcoming year. The emphasis behind this is that youre praying to Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi to bless you with prosperity, honesty and wisdom in the upcoming year. Laptops and notebooks sit arranged at the front of the temple stage. The Diwali ritual blesses tools of work and study for the coming year. Chiara Profenna Chopda Pujan is performed on the third day of Diwali, the actual day of the festival. The day is often seen as a bridge between material and spiritual well-being. Traditionally, business owners bring their financial ledgers to be blessed before starting a new accounting year. In modern times, the practice has expanded: Students bring their school notebooks, and professionals often place their laptops or tablets on the table, each item representing the work they hope will flourish in the months to come. The BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir, part of an international network of temples within the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha organization, has been a fixture in Tigard since 2004. With more than 200 regular members, it serves as both a spiritual center and a cultural hub for the areas Hindu community. Patel said larger celebrations such as Diwali often draw more than 1,000 visitors. On Oct. 18, just two days before Chopda Pujan, the temple hosted its Annakut festival, where hundreds of vegetarian dishes, a symbol of the years harvest, were offered to God and later shared among the congregation. Over a billion people across the world celebrate this festival, Patel said. Its not only Hindus, but Hindus, Sikhs and also Jains and Buddhists celebrate Diwali the celebration of light symbolizing the triumph for good over evil. Its a time for joy and festivities. In an upstairs room at the center, a group of children sat in a smaller room, participating in a condensed version of the ritual led by volunteers. They each brought their own school notebooks or tablets to bless for the academic year. Bijal Patel, an outreach volunteer for BAPS, attended the event with her two daughters. Her youngest daughter participated in the childrens ritual. Children participate in a condensed version of the Chopda Pujan ritual, blessing their school notebooks for the upcoming year. Chiara Profenna Its like sowing the seed, Bijal said. As they get older, well fertilize that with giving them all of the teachings, and then theyll hopefully understand that this is a centuries old tradition that they now have the duty to keep alive so that their children can enjoy it in the future as well. After both rituals were performed, the Chopda Pujan ceremony concluded with an arti, a traditional offering of light using a small flame. Families then gathered for a communal meal of traditional Indian vegetarian dishes: puri, deep-fried flat bread; bataka nu shaak, spiced boiled potatoes; channa shaak, chickpeas in a tomato sauce gravy; and daal, a mix of tomatoes, pigeon peas and lentils. The meal served as a reminder of the holidays significance in Hindu tradition. The Chopda Pujan ceremony concludes with an arti, a traditional offering of light using a small flame. Chiara Profenna It is a time of gathering for family and friends, Avi said. All of these rituals have tremendous spiritual and emotional ties for folks because it is a way for them to connect with their family, with their friends, with their community at large, and spread the message of unity and love and prosperity. Bijal echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the temples message of openness and inclusion. This isnt just for the Indian community, she said. Its for anyone seeking spirituality or a sense of belonging. This years Diwali theme at BAPS was the Festival of Unity. Where there is unity, there is light, Avi said. Especially in times of our current climate and political divisions and challenges, there is this sense of unity that we must still have, and we want to definitely spread that. The Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content. The most exclusive overnight experiences in Oregon arent necessarily found in five-star hotels or even glamping resorts theyre found in historic fire lookouts perched on remote mountain peaks. These unique accommodations, highlighted in a recent Peak Northwest podcast episode, offer amenities that some may find more valuable than luxury: history, solitude and panoramic views. Generative AI was used to summarize a recent episode of the Peak Northwest podcast. This story was reviewed and edited by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Vickie Connor, a visual journalist for The Oregonian/OregonLive, recounted her recent experience in a fire lookout, which was part of a long road trip through southeast Oregon. As Connors adventure reveals, these coveted stays require both persistence to book and willingness to embrace rustic conditions. Its so hard to book one of these fire lookout cabins, Connor explained on the podcast. If youre not on recreation.gov at 7 a.m. on a certain date, six months out, no luck. The competition is fierce because, unlike campgrounds with multiple campsites, its one cabin that youre trying to race against many, many, many other people trying to also book it. Drake Peak fire lookout is located in Southeastern Oregon and is available to rent for overnight stays. Vickie Connor | The Oregonian/OregonLive Oregons fire lookouts, which are managed by the U.S. Forest Service, are available to book online six months in advance. Those reservation windows often close as soon as they open, with people snatching up spots the moment they become available. Connor said she ultimately secured her reservation at Drake Peak Lookout through a Facebook group where people exchange reservations they cant use a pro tip for those struggling with the standard booking system. This fortuitous reservation became the cornerstone around which she built her entire Southeast Oregon journey. What awaits those lucky enough to secure such bookings? Connor dispelled any misconceptions about luxury accommodations: I would describe staying at this fire lookout as camping with a few walls around you, like a heightened camping experience. This is not glamping by any means. Reporter Jim Ryan and Brooke Gemmell haul up a bundle of wood using a pulley system at a fire lookout cabin in Mt. Hood National Forest. Brooke Herbert/The Oregonian/OregonLive The Drake Peak Lookout features bare-bones accommodations: a couple of cots, a propane stove, a wood fireplace and a few board games left by previous guests. Visitors bring their own bedding, food, and anything else needed for comfort. The real luxury comes in the form of 360-degree views and night skies undiminished by light pollution. The history behind these repurposed structures adds another dimension to the experience. Fire lookouts like Drake Peak were built primarily in the 1930s and 40s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, creating a network of staffed observation points crucial for early wildfire detection before modern technology. Today, many have been decommissioned from their original purpose but preserved as unique overnight accommodations. Listen to the full episode here: Federal agents detain and drag Quinn Haberl, who is 4-foot-6 and legally blind, outside the Portland ICE facility on Saturday, October 18, 2025. Dave Killen/Special to the Oregonian Quinn Haberl believes his disability and diminutive stature are precisely why six federal agents descended upon him during a protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement facility in South Portland last weekend and dragged him into the building. I think they wanted to make a point, said Haberl, who is 4-foot-6 and legally blind. So they picked the weakest person they could find and made a big show out of it. Haberls detention Saturday, captured in jarring photographs and video footage, is among the latest instances of federal law enforcement officers employing aggressive tactics against Portland demonstrators who dont appear to present a clear physical threat. What happened to me is not OK, Quinn Haberl told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview Monday. Whats happening to others is not OK. Dave Killen/Special to the Oregonian It was also the second time in a single week that federal officers used physical force against Haberl while he was seated by himself on the sidewalk near the driveway of the ICE facility, a frequent flash point in the monthslong clash over President Donald Trumps immigration policies. Still, the 36-year-old said he was undeterred and would soon return. What happened to me is not OK, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview Monday. Whats happening to others is not OK. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Monday. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security posted a response on social media that showed video clips of Haberl shouting insults and threats at agents on other occasions. In one instance, a clip shows him saying, I hope somebody kills you guys, and we should give them the Medal of Freedom. In a second video clip, shot while a pair of agents inside the ICE building cuff Haberls hands behind his back, he is heard using a racist slur. Haberl, who was born with congenital glaucoma, said he began showing up to protest at the ICE building about two-and-a-half weeks ago. He said he takes the Portland Streetcar most evenings from his downtown home to the South Waterfront neighborhood. I have friends that have been stopped outside, harassed by ICE, ordered to show their proof of citizenship just because of the color of their skin, said Haberl, who moved with his wife to Portland from Minneapolis about a year ago to work for an Oregon nonprofit. Im not against immigration reform. What Im against is deporting people from this country because their only, quote, crime is being here. Thats awful. I think its wrong. I think its a waste of money. A DJ plays music as protests continue outside the ICE facility in South Portland on Oct. 16, 2025. Samantha Swindler/ The Oregonian Further fueling his motivation to take to the streets is Haberls own personal experience. As a minority myself and as somebody who is disabled, Ive lived my life feeling like the system doesnt care about me, he said. This administration, with the things theyve said, the things they do, just reinforces that. Equipped with a green safety vest, white mobility cane and powder blue teddy bear, Haberl said he prefers arriving to protest at the ICE facility around 6 or 7 p.m. most evenings because thats when the music and merriment usually begins. To be totally honest, my favorite song to dance to thus far has been Baby Shark, he said. Hes often been among the small group of demonstrators who take up space along the sidewalk leading to the ICE buildings driveway, careful not to cross a strip of blue paint that marks the beginning of the property. Protestors gather at Portland's ICE facility on Saturday, October 18, 2025. Dave Killen/Special to the Oregonian Last Tuesday night, in what he described as a mild act of civil disobedience, Haberl said he decided to remain seated along the line even as federal agents came out of the building to clear the driveway of people. They typically do this before vehicles enter or exit. I was going to hold my ground. I was not going to fight them, he recalled thinking. Soon after, video shows, a pair of federal agents yanked up Haberl, walked several feet along the sidewalk and then dropped him on the concrete as people shouted that the man they had carried off was blind. They just threw me to the ground, Haberl said. I almost hit my head on a cement wall. That didnt stop him from taking up a spot along the blue line Saturday. This time, according to Haberl and video footage, he scooted off to the side of the driveway before agents emerged. Quinn Haberl was in custody for about 75 minutes Saturday after six federal agents detained and dragged him during a protest outside the ICE facility in South Portland. A half dozen of the federal officers then turned his way. Thats when they grabbed me, he said. Video and photos show the agents dragging and carrying Haberl back up the driveway and into the ICE facility as he bucked and flailed. I remember screaming for somebody to help me, he said. I thought I was going to die. Haberl said he was detained for about 75 minutes. During that time, he said he learned little about why but was eventually told he was being accused of failure to comply with federal police. They never yelled at me to move off the blue line. I moved off when somebody said they were coming out, he said. My hands were at my sides. My feet were in front of me. Eventually, Haberl said he was released and escorted back outside. I was crying. I think a lot of it was shock, he said. People kept coming up to me and saying I was brave. They were like, Youre a hero. I dont feel like I did anything. Protesters gathered at Portland ICE facility on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Dave Killen/Special to the Oregonian Haberl later went to the hospital where he was treated for contusions on his shoulders, hands and arms, he said. While his physical injuries were relatively minor, he said that he needs another week or so before hell be ready to return to the protests. I still need to heal emotionally, Haberl said. But Im going back because I have to go back. Last week, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) reduced its U.S. dollar sales on the interbank market by $131.6 million (17.9%) to $602.7 million. Meanwhile, the hryvnia's depreciation slowed to 12.8 kopecks from 37.4 kopecks the previous week. According to the NBU, the average daily negative balance of buying and selling foreign exchange currency by legal entities increased from $36.6 million to $74.2 million in the first four days of last week, totaling $297 million. Meanwhile, the cash market saw a decrease in foreign exchange currency purchases by the population: from Saturday to Thursday, the negative balance was $21.3 million, compared to $29.6 million the previous week. The purchase of non-cash foreign exchange currency exceeded its sale throughout this period. The official hryvnia exchange rate to the U.S. dollar started last week at UAH 41.6027/$1 and weakened to UAH 41.7607/$1 over three days, but ended the week at that level. Over the past week, the U.S. dollar exchange rate on the cash market varied along the trajectory of UAH 41.7565/$1, and the hryvnia's overall weakening amounted to about 25 kopecks: purchase approximately UAH 41.70/1$, and sale approximately UAH 41.80/$1. Last week, Bloomberg reported that the International Monetary Fund was pressuring Ukraine to increase the rate of hryvnia devaluation. However, there is no information yet on the impact of this factor, except that the hryvnia fell slightly on the first day of trading this week, reaching UAH 41.7624/$. "The Ukrainian foreign exchange market remains under the influence of the National Bank of Ukraine's strategy of controlled flexibility. Since the beginning of October, the hryvnia has gradually weakened against the U.S. dollar. The exchange rate on the cash market is changing at a similar pace," according to experts from KYT Group, a major participant in the cash foreign exchange market. They added that there was a noticeable increase in demand on the interbank market in October, forcing the NBU to increase interventions. According to experts, this trend is seasonal because companies need more foreign exchange currency in the fall to make payments. Additionally, the hryvnia was influenced by the increased shelling of Ukraine's energy and gas infrastructure, which led to an increase in gas and energy equipment imports. KYT Group's forecast for the exchange rate on the cash market is as follows: "Short-term (11.5 weeks): base range UAH 41.441.9/$1 with a probable tendency to the upper limit of the forecast." In the medium term (two to three months), its experts predict that the exchange rate will be in the range of UAH 41.3042.00/1$. They believe that if the Fed cuts rates in October and the risk of a trade war between the U.S. and China weakens, the U.S. dollar's fundamental movement on the international market may strengthen, which would also affect the exchange rate in Ukraine. However, continued large-scale shelling of infrastructure, deterioration of the energy situation, and high import volume expectations in Ukraine may contribute to faster dollar strengthening on the Ukrainian foreign exchange market. "In the long term (6+ months), the scenario of gradual hryvnia devaluation persists. Assuming regular receipt of international aid, the benchmark is UAH 43.2044.40/$1 by mid-2026, considering the current situation in Ukraine," according to the KYT Group. "I have repeatedly called on the Trump administration to tell the public exactly what mission he expects National Guard members to do," Gov. Tina Kotek said at a press conference Monday. screenshot Gov. Tina Kotek said National Guard troops stationed in Oregon under President Donald Trumps earlier orders remain in limbo, despite a federal court ruling Monday that sided with Trump. We have approximately 200 Oregon National Guard members still at Camp Rilea in limbo, as well as the California National Guard members at Camp Withycombe, no idea of the mission, no idea of the timeline," she said. The comments came in a 3 p.m. press conference Kotek called in response to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision Monday that rejected a lower courts temporary restraining order against the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. A second temporary restraining order remains in effect, meaning Mondays ruling wont immediately clear the way for troops to arrive in Portland. I have repeatedly called on the Trump administration to tell the public exactly what mission he expects National Guard members to do, Kotek said. These citizen soldiers have been pulled away from their families and their jobs for weeks to carry out some kind of mission in Oregon, but the Trump administration has been silent on the answer to my questions right now. Kotek joined other Oregon Democrats in reiterating her stance that National Guard intervention in Oregon is unnecessary. I still urge the Trump administration to send all the National Guard members home, she said. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, pictured during a press conference on April 23, 2025, this week is asking a federal court to dismiss a Marion County lawsuit seeking state sanctuary law clarification. Beth Nakamura Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield this week asked federal court to dismiss a Marion County lawsuit seeking clarification on whether county officials are allowed to comply with immigration enforcement subpoenas. Rayfield said Oregons sanctuary law clearly spells out that Marion County, like other public and law enforcement agencies in the state, can provide information to immigration authorities only if they have an order signed by a judge for the information. Immigration officials typically seek information on immigrants through administrative subpoenas that the federal government generates. They arent signed by a judge. Rayfield said the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already ruled that there is no conflict between our sanctuary law and federal law. Public bodies cant use state resources to help enforce federal immigration law, he said in a statement. Thats been the law for nearly four decades, and it is a law that has coexisted peacefully under seven presidential administrations. Theres nothing confusing about that. Oregon became the first sanctuary state in the nation in 1987, and its sanctuary laws generally prohibit local law enforcement cooperation with federal authorities for immigration enforcement. Marion County Counsel Steve Elzinga disagreed with Rayfield. The states assertion that there is no legal uncertainty fails a basic smell test when there is an obvious federal-state clash over subpoenas requesting public records of violent criminals, he said Tuesday in an email. And the majority of Oregons sheriffs and counties who are caught in the middle say that legal clarity is needed. Marion County in mid-August filed a lawsuit in federal court in Portland after receiving federal subpoenas on Aug. 1 seeking information on four people on parole for sex crimes, kidnapping and robbery, according to the lawsuit. It wasnt clear if a fifth subpoena involved a separate individual. The lawsuit didnt name the individuals. Federal authorities alleged that the people were in the U.S. illegally and sought to find them to deport them. They were seeking records, which included home addresses during the period of supervision, phone numbers, drivers license information and employment addresses. Marion County officials in August said they had collected records responsive to the subpoenas, which are public records that would be available to any person who makes a public records request. Marion County officials are asking a federal judge to determine whether the county is prohibited or allowed to provide responsive records requested by the federal subpoenas, according to the lawsuit. Earlier this month, 20 of Oregons 36 counties signed on to a letter sent to Rayfield, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, supporting Marion County in seeking clarification about whats allowed under the states sanctuary law. The letter lists the names of the counties on its signature. Legal uncertainty harms everyone and benefits no one, according to the letter. It is currently unclear how Oregons Sanctuary Promise Act, Oregons Public Records Act, and federal laws interact and apply due to apparent conflicts, including in situations where a local government is served with an administrative subpoena The month before, the Oregon State Sheriffs Association sent a letter signed by 34 of 36 sheriffs across the state, seeking similar clarification, but not joining the lawsuit. Our system respects state sovereignty, federal authority, and public safety while keeping local resources focused on local priorities, Rayfield said. There is simply nothing for the court to resolve here. Earlier this month, the federal government sued four Oregon counties, including Marion County, over administrative subpoenas. Its not clear if it involves the same set of subpoenas Marion County received in August or if they are new subpoenas. Federal authorities are asking a federal judge to require officials in Marion, Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties to provide information on 10 people convicted of crimes targeted by immigration officials for deportation. In the latest legal move after a dizzying day of court actions over the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops in Portland, the federal Justice Department late Monday asked U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut to lift her second broader temporary order that bars the president from placing any National Guard under federal control in Oregon. The Justice Departments action followed Mondays ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that put a hold on Immerguts initial temporary restraining order that barred the presidents federal deployment of only Oregon National Guard members to Portland. The Justice Department urged Immergut to immediately dissolve or place on hold her second temporary restraining order because they argued it rested on the same reasoning she used to justify her first order. The 9th Circuits decision is a significant change in law that plainly warrants dissolution of Immerguts second order, U.S. Justice Department lawyer Jody D. Lowenstein wrote. Lowenstein asked Immergut to take immediate action without awaiting the states response to the extent it overlaps with the first order that applies solely to the Oregon National Guard. Given that the second order rests on the same grounds, it must fall on the merits" with the first one, Lowenstein wrote, quoting from the majority ruling of the three-judge 9th Circuit panel. Immergut, who last week anticipated such an action should the 9th Circuit place a hold on her first restraining order, gave the state 24 hours to respond to any motion by the federal government. On Oct. 4, Immergut granted her first temporary restraining order barring Trump from sending the Oregon troops to Portland. She found that the Trump administration lacked any legal justification to mobilize troops, noting no threat of rebellion exists in Portland, that local police can handle the protests at the ICE building and federal officers are still able to enforce federal laws with regular forces. Immergut ruled that Trumps mobilization hadnt met any of the criteria set out in federal law Title 10, Section 12406 that he cited to invoke his authority. The federal government appealed to the 9th Circuit -- and the next morning, Trump sent about 200 California National Guard members to Portland and planned to send Texas National Guard members to Portland as well. The Oregon attorney generals office scrambled to file an amended lawsuit adding the state of California as a plaintiff against the Trump administration and an emergency motion to block the out-of-state troops from federal service in Portland. Immergut held an unusual Sunday night hearing by phone on Oct. 5 and granted a second temporary restraining order prohibiting the relocation, federalization, or deployment of any National Guard within Oregon. Immergut last week extended her two orders for two more weeks and set an expedited three-day trial for Oct. 29 on the underlying lawsuit filed by Oregon and the city of Portland against Trumps troop deployment. Immergut had extended both orders for another two weeks, the first to Nov. 1, involving the Oregon National Guard, and the second to Nov. 2, involving all National Guard deployments to Oregon. The appeals court ruling Monday has blocked the initial restraining order, but the second one remained in place as of Monday night. The 9th Circuits Senior Judge Susan P. Graber, who wrote the dissenting opinion in the 2-1 appellate ruling earlier Monday, argued that the majoritys ruling on Immerguts more narrow restraining order places a hold on it but doesnt dissolve it -- and that the hold certainly does not require dissolution of the second order. She noted that Immergut granted the second order after the state of California joined in an amended suit with Oregon and followed newly submitted declarations to Immergut. When President Donald Trump mobilized the Oregon National Guard last month, military officials acknowledged it could take a little over a week to deploy troops to Portland. Now after more than three weeks of uncertainty, Mondays 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision favoring Trump means the president is one big step closer to sending troops to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Portland. The deployment could, at least in theory, come within days, based on discussions among lawyers and a judge in federal court. Members of the Oregon and California National Guard are said to be stationed and waiting at one or two Oregon military training centers. They could conceivably arrive within hours of Trump winning another plea before a federal judge or the wider 9th Circuit. But the reality is, its unclear when or if troops will arrive or what would happen if they do. The Oregonian/OregonLive reached out over the past week, including on Monday, to the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Oregon Military Department, Portland Mayor Keith Wilsons office and Gov. Tina Koteks Office to ask about logistics and how soon troops could arrive. They either didnt respond, said they didnt know or said they were not authorized to answer questions specific to this story. Following Mondays legal decision, Kotek again called for the Trump administration to explain how National Guard members would be deployed in Oregon. Referring to military training areas on the Oregon coast and in Clackamas County, the governor said during a news conference, We have approximately 200 Oregon National Guard members still at Camp Rilea in limbo, as well as the California National Guard members at Camp Withycombe. No idea of the mission, no idea of the timeline." State Rep. Paul Evans, a Monmouth Democrat, said troops are likely prepared to depart training facilities at Camp Rilea in Warrenton and Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley on a moments notice. That means that once the legal dust settles, troops could be in Portland within hours of an official directive, he said. Evans, a member of the Oregon National Guard from 1997 to 2013, is basing his best guesses on the Guard connections hes maintained and the work hes done recently to try to restructure Oregon law. He tried to pass legislation earlier this year that would have made it more difficult for Trump to wrest control of the National Guard. Before troops could end up in Portland, heres what would need to happen: First, the federal government would need to ask the lower court judge U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut to dissolve a second temporary freeze on Trump sending National Guard troops from any state, including California, to the ICE facility. Officials did that Monday Immergut said shed then give the city of Portland and the state of Oregon 24 hours to respond to that motion. Trump administration lawyers asked Immergut Monday not to wait for the local response. A larger swath of judges on the 29-judge 9th Circuit could review the three-judge panels ruling from Monday. Moments after the ruling, the city and the state vowed to request such an appeal. A senior 9th Circuit judge also asked his colleagues to vote on whether to rehear the case. Its unclear how realistic the citys and states chances of success are. When Trump called for troops last month, the Oregon National Guard said it would take time to mobilize them because officials would need to select the soldiers to deploy, confirm they are able to step away from work and make sure they are medically able to be mobilized. It also needed to train them for the specific tasks theyd be deployed to do. Officials have said 200 Oregon and California National Guard troops are now just a short distance from Portland. Camp Rilea, on the Oregon coast, is less than a two-hour drive. Driving to South Portland from Camp Withycombe, in Happy Valley, takes just 30 minutes. Trump called up 200 to 300 California National Guard troops sending at least some of them to Camp Withycombe in early October. But, aside from Koteks statement Monday, its unclear where they actually are with California Gov. Gavin Newsom saying on Oct. 5 that they will soon be heading home. Since late September, Trump has described Portland as out-of-control, using phrases such as war ravaged, hell hole and like a third world country that has been burning night after night for years. In his Sept. 28 memo calling for Oregon National Guard members to be federalized and deployed to Portland, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote that Guard members would protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and protect Federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur. On Sept. 11, a motorist shot a video of ICE agents arresting Victor Jose Brito Vallejo on a Northeast Portland street. Brito Vallejo pleaded for air as one agent lay on top of him and three other kneeling agents held him down. In the video, Brito Vallejo didnt appear to be resisting. I cant breathe, he told the agents in Spanish five different times. Immigration officials declined to comment on Brito Vallejos case. His wife, who asked not to be named given her legal status, could be heard on the video screaming, Help me, help me as she sat in the car in the middle of the street near the intersection of Northeast Clackamas Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The two were on a DoorDash delivery run at the time, she said. The confrontation is an example of the Trump administrations increased immigration crackdown in Oregon in recent months, which The Oregonian/OregonLive detailed on Saturday. This month, ICE officers also pushed into a Gresham apartment where a 24-year-old woman and her 3-month-old baby were staying with her stepfather and brother. ICE agents drew their rifles at the family and arrested the stepfather and brother, even though they werent who they were searching for. ICE agents also held a group of teenagers at a Dutch Bros Coffee in Hillsboro at gunpoint this month, according to local law enforcement records. In the case of the Northeast Portland arrest, the 34-year-old mother of three said her family fled Venezuela in 2023 because her husband was facing persecution. The couple and their children had only been in Portland for about five months after moving here from New York, she said. New York is a sanctuary state, but they came here because Oregon is a sanctuary state where they believed they would have more protections, she said. After her husbands arrest, she and her children ages 15, 12 and 8 moved out of their place and lived in their car for about three weeks. Theyre now staying in someones basement, but her children havent gone to school for nearly a month, she said. I have a lot of fear, she said. Elizabeth Cox, the Portland resident who filmed Brito Vallejos arrest, said she was driving home from a doctors appointment when she saw multiple vehicles on the street. Her instincts told her to turnaround. It didnt seem normal. You could see it was unmarked cars, she said. I could see as I was driving past that someone was being pulled out of a car. Cox said she decided to film the episode because shes heard that the most helpful thing to do if you encounter ICE arrests is to record them so the people involved have it for their lawyers. I just wish that I had gotten the entire event on film because the act of pulling him out of his car as I was driving by did feel just incredibly violent, she said. The arrest of an Alabama woman who wore an inflatable penis costume to a No Kings protest has blown up into a debate about free speech. Jeana Renea Gamble, 61, faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after the incident Saturday in Fairhope, Alabama. Police arrived after receiving complaints about traffic hazards in the area, Fairhope police said in a Facebook post Monday. An officer saw a woman wearing a phallic costume and asked her to remove the costume, deemed obscene in a public setting, but she refused. Cellphone video shows police arresting Gamble as she lies on the ground. Leave her alone, shes not doing anything, one onlooker yells during the video. She was walking away, other people say. Im not going to have somebody out here dressed like this, one of three officers involved in the arrest says in the video. On Monday, Fairhope City Council President Jack Burrell said Gamble resisted arrest and was wearing an outfit that is not appropriate in public, AL.com reported. The costume did not meet Fairhopes community standards, Burrell said, adding that it might be more appropriate on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The group that organized the protest, Indivisible of Baldwin County, called the arrest indefensible, morally and legally. Public officials must take seriously their duty to uphold the First Amendment, the group said in a statement Monday. Their complete failure to do so in this situation runs against the free expression of values that created the City of Fairhope and against the liberty guarantees enshrined in Alabama law and the United States Constitution. Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with a nonprofit civil liberties group called the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told AL.com that such an arrest normally should result in disciplinary action for the officers involved and a pledge to retrain the police department for violating someones First Amendment rights. There are very narrow exceptions to the First Amendment, and among them are obscenity, Steinbaugh said. But obscenity is something that is, in some sense, erotic. That is not this. Its a political speech at a political demonstration. That context alone should sound alarm bells in that police department that youre crossing some clear First Amendment lines here. Burrell, the council president, also addressed the First Amendment concerns. We want to make sure we dont violate someones constitutional rights, he said, and I hope the police have enough evidence that they stand behind the charges. Patchy fog will hang around until morning then Portland will see sunny skies. Oregonian file photo. Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Many metro neighborhoods woke to fog early Tuesday. Once that fog clears out, the day will be mostly sunny and warm with light winds. The National Weather Service says the area of high pressure over Oregon is weakening Tuesday and will keep us clear one more day before giving over to a series of wet systems approaching the region. Portlands patchy fog should lift before 11 a.m., and high temperatures Tuesday should reach near 68 degrees. The first in a line of fronts moves into the region early Wednesday breaking from a large low in the Gulf off Alaska. This system looks to be the weakest of the bunch with light or no rain expected except along the coast. Portland has a 20% chance of rain Wednesday after about the lunch hour. Skies will be a mix of clouds and sunshine. The high temp should reach about 67 degrees. Chances of rain continue into the evening. Portland will see a break in the rain Thursday, but it wont last long. Skies will be mostly cloudy, and the high temperature will be near 66 degrees. Rain should move back in late Thursday night or early Friday and this system is expected to be soggy with strong south to southwesterly winds and colder air. Portland will see steady rain much of Friday with showery precipitation at times. High temps will dive to about 62 degrees. Current rain total predictions show inland areas racking up 1.50-2.25 inches of rain through Friday night. The coast and Coast Range could see as much as 4 inches, and the Cascades will pick up anywhere from 2.50-3.75 inches. Winds could also be a worry. At this time models are not in agreement, but valley winds could gust anywhere from 20-50 mph on Friday afternoon and into Saturday morning. With many trees still in full leaf, this could cause broken limbs and possible power outages. Extended forecasts are also warning of low snow levels beginning Saturday night. The weather service expects snow down to 3,500-4,500 feet by Saturday night and in some scenarios, levels could drop as low as 3,000 feet. In any case, that means snow on Cascades pass roadways. Snow levels are expected to stay low through Monday. and the word affair had rung so hollow that when I answered in the negative it didnt even feel like a lie.The dark woods in Stopping by Woods tend to strike readers as also I saw a woman arrive in clunky boots covered in snow and replace them with a pair of dolls shoes she had in her handbag.Churner showed me the notes and indexes Schneemann mad ranging from Kant and Hegel to Marx to Wittgenstein to contemporary action theory (that said: unless youre a scholar in the field.I saw its big doe eyes blinking (or did I? Oddly enough (for the number of times I am there) your ghost fills up Mikes often in spite of the fact that it was only two (or three?) times that we talked and you always ha a resilience in relation to the flow of the text that changeslike the stones in the Bay of Ficajolathe conditions of their context.under the influence of which one migh You just needed to pick up three pebbles and toss them between your legs befor The project to build Units 5 and 6 with American AP1000 reactors at the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) is currently in an active planning phase, and Westinghouse intends to begin construction quickly once the war ends, said Dan Lipman, President of Westinghouse's Energy Systems business unit. "Unfortunately, there's been no progress on building KhNPP-5 and 6 because the war is still ongoing... But once the war ends, we will start immediately, and I can assure you I'll be the first Westinghouse representative to come to Ukraine," Lipman said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. He noted that building the new KhNPP units requires substantial preparatory work, and Westinghouse is currently cooperating with Energoatom to identify the steps needed in the early stages to ensure the project can move forward efficiently later on. In addition, Westinghouse is working closely with the U.S. Export-Import Bank on financing for KhNPP-5 and 6, which will be necessary to launch the project's next engineering phase. According to Lipman, the U.S. government is actively supporting the implementation of the KhNPP-5 and 6 construction project. "As President of Westinghouse's Energy Systems business unit, I communicate and work with U.S. government representatives almost daily. My contacts in the U.S. Administration, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the White House are people I interact with frequently. Each of them is well aware of our cooperation with Ukraine and with Energoatom," he explained. Lipman said all of his U.S. government counterparts support the future export of Westinghouse's AP1000 technology to Ukraine once the war is over. "I'd say everyone understands that once the war ends, Ukraine will need to make enormous efforts to rebuild, and the energy sector, particularly nuclear energy, will be a key part of that recovery," Lipman stressed. As reported, Energoatom and Westinghouse agreed to build nine new AP1000 power units in Ukraine. In April 2024, the project to construct infrastructure for the first AP1000 unit KhNPP-5 began, and construction of KhNPP-6 using the same technology is also planned. high-production action sequence is key to why we love Tom Cruiseto why hes credited with keeping the movies alive not just materially (at the box office) but also spirit there arent many things that teenage boys consume on such a regular basis duri as evidenced in the video he showed me of himself in little black underwear shaking like someone being exorcised.including assuming the management of Lamb House when Henry f to cycle on a FUCKING LIME BIKE to that cunt Simons house for a FUCKING HOUSE PARTY and he DOESNT EVEN FUCKING LIKE HER.Or if it was the result of expansion necessitated by t Whitney Mallett is the founding editor of The Whitney Review of New Writing and the coeditor of Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey.follows two elderly friends who Each weekend a new crowd or two would drive down from Saint Louis or Kansas Ci And if I am giving you back now a reflection of your enthusiasms it is nothing more than the little Bible always tending towards improvementA shockingly inflamed eyeball at once rectified by a single injection.2020); and an increasin Elena Saavedra Buckley goes to a TriBeCa gallery opening for an exhibit of collaborative paintings by two Swedish hip-hop artists.nursery-isolated childhood of the Englis But the Ozark country with its gentle green hills and clear lakes and rivers d Agro Gas Trading (AGT), which operated the state-owned Odesa Port Plant (Pivdenne, Odesa region) under a tolling arrangement in 20192021, has submitted an official application and full set of documents, and paid the registration fee to participate in the November 25, 2025 privatization auction of Odesa Port-Side Plant. The starting price has been set at UAH 4.48 billion. "This privatization round is a real opportunity to bring Odesa Port-Side Plant out of stagnation and put it on a path of sustainable development, to make it an efficient and competitive industrial asset. We are entering the auction with a clear plan to modernize production, improve operational efficiency, and ensure stable operations," said AGT partner Oleksandr Horbunenko, as quoted in the company's press release on Tuesday. AGT has signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on its part and is awaiting countersignature from state authorities. The company noted that the current privatization round could succeed if the auction is conducted under transparent rules, with unrestricted access to energy resources and logistics, fair risk allocation, and guarantees of uninterrupted production during the transfer of ownership. According to AGT, stable Odesa Port-Side Plant operations would help balance Ukraine's domestic fertilizer market and strengthen the country's export position. "In 20192021, we invested substantial resources to support Odesa Port-Side Plant's restart and operations. That disrupted privatization process demonstrated one clear thing: to preserve the plant's strategic role, what's needed is not temporary partnership but responsible long-term management with transparent commitments to the state and the workforce," said AGT partner Volodymyr Kolot. AGT stated it has extensive practical experience in gas, mineral fertilizers, agricultural commodities, and logistics markets; a successful history of cooperation with Odesa Port-Side Plant; and the capacity to scale that experience into systematic energy-efficiency, modernization, and port-infrastructure development solutions for the plant. "The company's goal is to create a modern hub for capital and expertise in the Black Sea regionone that accelerates Ukraine's recovery and boosts its competitiveness on global markets," the release concluded. During its cooperation with Odesa Port-Side Plant in 20192021, AGT supplied 1.42 billion cubic meters of natural gas, enabling production of 1.735 million tonnes of urea and 187,000 tonnes of ammonia, over 90% of which was exported. AGT also made additional payments to the plant, allowing it to reduce debt to Naftogaz Group by UAH 68.1 million. Odesa Port-Side Plant had been idle since April 2018, when operations halted due to a contract dispute between the tolling company Ukrainian Energy Company and Ukrtransgaz. In August 2019, the plant resumed production under a tolling arrangement with AGT, selected through a competition, and restarted one ammonia and two urea units. Other bidders included IBE Trade Corp (the United States), Maddox SA (Switzerland), OKKO Contract LLC, Socar Energy Ukraine LLC, and Yug-Gaz LLC (all Ukraine). OKKO and SOCAR were denied participation for lacking fertilizer-sales experience. The tolling contract was extended several times, but attempts to change the tolling partner via new tenders proved unsuccessful, despite repeated State Property Fund (SPFU) announcements and leadership changes. As a result, Odesa Port-Side Plant again shut down in September 2021. In late September 2025, the SPFU announced the sale of a 99.5667% stake in Odesa Port-Side Plant through an online auction on the Prozorro.Sale platform, scheduled for November 25, 2025. Bids are accepted until 8 p.m. on November 24, with a guarantee deposit of UAH 224.43 million. The asset package includes 45 units of real estate and infrastructure, such as a greenhouse complex, wellness center, the Carpathian Zori resort in Yaremche, and a rowing-training base. Total building space amounts to 285,400 sq m, while 32 land plots cover 262.9 ha (252.4 ha under permanent use). As of June 30, 2025, the plant employed 1,436 people. Odesa Port-Side Plant generated UAH 322.63 million in revenue in JanuaryJune 2025 but posted a net loss of UAH 280.79 million. In 2024, revenue rose to UAH 944.22 million from UAH 494.57 million a year earlier, yet net losses widened to UAH 1.839 billion from UAH 1.094 billion. As of mid-2025, the plant's wage arrears stood at UAH 184.39 million, tax debts at UAH 182.44 million, and overdue payables at UAH 16.62 billion. The auction winner must maintain core operations for at least five years, invest a minimum of UAH 500 million, settle wage and tax arrears within a year, gradually repay overdue debts, and provide guarantees for employees and environmental compliance. Acting CEO Yuriy Kovalsky told NV Business in August 2025 that the plant's management attempted to restart one of its two ammonia units in August 2024, but the effort failed. Odesa Port-Side Plant subsequently shifted to grain transshipment, which became its only revenue source until late June 2025, when Russian airstrikes severely damaged warehouses, halting operations. According to Kovalsky, Odesa Port-Side Plant's grain-handling partner is trader V Agro LLC. In the 20242025 marketing year, about 638,000 tonnes of grain were handled, including 625,000 tonnes of corn and 12,700 tonnes of soybeans. The acting CEO added that Odesa Port-Side Plant has significantly reduced costs, sold non-core assets, and is actively negotiating with creditors, including Naftogaz Ukrainy, to prepare a viable debt structure of about UAH 2.5 billion for the future investor. For security reasons, Odesa Port-Side Plant does not plan to resume production in the near term but is maintaining full technical readiness to restart quickly once feasible. Kovalsky estimated the cost of restarting the plant at roughly the price of 30 million cubic meters of gas. Aside from the state's 99.5667% stake, 0.0021% is owned by Concorde Capital LLC and 0.4312% by individual shareholders. Ukraine has made multiple failed privatization attempts. In 2009, Nortima, a company linked to former PrivatBank owner Ihor Kolomoisky, won the UAH 5 billion tender but was later disqualified by the tender committee for alleged collusion and underpricing. In 2016, the government twice offered its 99.567% stake: first in July at UAH 13.175 billion, then in December at UAH 5.16 billion, both times without success. The lack of investor interest was partly due to over $250 million in debt owed to Dmytro Firtash's companies, confirmed by the Stockholm Arbitration Court. In July 2018, the SPFU appointed a consortium led by Pericles Global Advisory, including White & Case LLP, Kinstellar, KPMG Ukraine, and SARS Sarita I, as advisors for the Odesa Port-Side Plant privatization. Before the pandemic, the sale had been tentatively scheduled for August 2020, later postponed to 2021, but never materialized. In the years before the war, fertilizer production at Odesa Port-Side Plant continued intermittently under tolling arrangements. A favorite Harrisburg Mexican restaurant has been named one of the best hole-in-the-wall establishments in Pennsylvania. Tres Hermanos Mexican Restaurant & Grocery Store at 712 S. Cameron St. is on Masheds Best Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants list alongside Johns Roast Pork in Philadelphia, Rice & Noodles in Lancaster and 1905 Tavern in Scranton. Pennsylvanias capital can sometimes get overlooked between the larger cities to the east and west, but if you find yourself in the midstate area, reviewers say Tres Hermanos is one of the best places to find authentic Mexican food, according to Mashed, an online publication dedicated to food and dining. Mashed said its list highlights lesser-known restaurants that arent necessarily the best to look at but boast a diversity of fresh flavors and delicious bites. Tres Hermanos has operated for about two decades. Owners Ricardo and Anabel Ortiz opened it in Steelton, and they relocated to the South Cameron Street location in 2010. The business combines a sit-down restaurant with a grocery store, allowing customers to order tacos, burritos and fajitas while also shopping for essentials, including condiments, produce, meats and Mexican pastries. Its no-frills dining, but loyal patrons say youll want to plan a return trip, Mashed said. The publication quoted favorable reviews including this one from TripAdvisor: Dont look at the neighborhood, dont look at the building, enjoy the food because its good Mexican. Beware it aint fancy, it aint pretty and you cant get Cerveza or a marg but the food is worth it. The couple also operate a Tres Hermanos at 79 E. Main St. in Mount Joy. Tres Hermanos is open 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. Petit Domaine, Sparkling Winery & Estate, will officially open for business on Friday, Oct. 24, in Virginias Loudoun County. The ribbon-cutting at the winery, located at 37938 Charles Town Pike in Hillsboro, is set to begin at 3 p.m. Tastings and tours are planned from 3:20 to 4:30. A several-month-long soft opening featured visits by reservation only, and that will continue. However, the tasting room hours will expand to 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday through Sunday. Per the press release, Petit Domaine is the first of its kind in Virginia, focused exclusively on sparkling wine. It also features a refined tasting room, a curated food program developed under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Eric Ziebold of Kinship and Metier in Washington, D.C., and a limited-production sparkling portfolio crafted by head winemaker Shai (pronounced Shy) Van Gelder." A sparkling winery brings a different energy to the wine experience, said J Snyder, a Loudoun native and founder of Petit Domaine, in the release. We are specialists in the wine, but were also a place for celebration and an elevated hospitality and lifestyle experience. Our goal is to add that dimension to the regions already remarkable wine landscape. Petit Domaine in Virginia's Loudoun County will hold its official opening on Friday, Oct. 24. Petit Domaine Facebook Added Ziebold, Its an exciting opportunity to be involved with a winery that is as purposeful and intentional about their food program as they are about their sparkling wine. Van Gelder said that a well-known local consultant winemaker recommended that he meet with Snyder, who shared his idea for the project. That led to a few meetings and a visit to the property, and ultimately, Van Gelder said, he was sold on the vision for the place. Since starting on the project with J in May 2025, I have considered myself incredibly fortunate to be a part of this journey, from carpentry and tiling floors in the tasting room, to fruit site selection, and ultimately the winemaking, he said. I met Ziebold at his restaurant Kinship on Sept. 18 this year for a chef pairing that J had arranged. It was an immersive experience, and I could tell that there was careful consideration into every intentional decision. ... The wines and the pairings have wonderful synergy, and multiple wines work well for each dish with different reasons; it was a special experience to be able to participate in. Counting his education and professional stops, Van Gelder has been making wine for more than 15 years. He was drawn to the profession, he said, because it requires a great deal of chemistry, patience, romance, and artistry. As someone who loves to work with my hands, I fell in love with the concept of creating something from bud to bottle that can be used to share in the happiness and celebration of others. Another, more personal reason: while fighting in the second Lebanon war in 2006, the only dream that I could recall having during the five weeks of hell was wine-centric. It was so vivid and powerful that it felt prophetic. After the war was over, I started to look into tracks to pursue a formal education in winemaking. God showed me the way; I just listened. He said that he started working and volunteering in vineyards and cellars throughout California during his time in the Enology program at Fresno State, and his first job after graduating was in the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, California. Since moving to Virginia in 2015, he has worked at Barrel Oak Winery & Brewery and Blue Valley Vineyard and Winery both in Delaplane in addition, he said, to consulting on several projects in their vineyard management and winemaking practices. Van Gelder said hes no stranger to producing bubbly. The tasting room of Petit Domaine, Sparkling Winery & Estate, will welcome visitors by reservation only on Thursdays through Sundays. Petit Domaine I made a sparkling wine base in 2010 for my Enol163 [fermentation] final examination at Fresno State. The base was made using fruit from Santa Cruz Mountains, and after completing traditional method bottling, I remember saying to myself, This is the kind of winemaking that I want to do. In nearly every vintage since then, I have experimented with sparkling wine production, including carbonated piquette, white and rose frizzantes, pet-nats, and traditional method wines. I am elated at the opportunity to focus my attention on specializing in 100% Virginian-grown traditional method sparkling wines, Van Gelder said, and am confident that we will contribute to Virginias rising profile in quality winemaking on the worlds stage. Pricing for the bottles will be as follows: Brut $115/bottle, $81/bottle club member Blanc de Blancs $130/ bottle, $91/club member Rose $130/bottle, $91/club member Magnum of Blanc de Blancs $270, only available for club members. Van Gelder: As a wine aficionado, J belonged to multiple wine clubs but became unimpressed with the standard offerings. His goal with Petit Domaines club is to shake up the industry standard club discount of 10-20% and we aim to focus on membership benefits with 30% discounts on bottle and glass purchases, and incredible club-exclusive events like a Ferrari test drive experience on Nov. 6 and IWC watchmaking class on Nov. 20. Many more high-caliber events are being scheduled to reflect a luxurious experience for our club members. Van Gelder said that Petit Domaine will offer an introductory tasting (2-ounce pours) or immersion tasting (5-ounce pours) of its three wines. All wines are available by the glass or bottle for enjoyment on site, in addition to purchase and bring home. The tastings are focused on the wine, and the food items are available for purchase, he said. 'A sparkling winery brings a different energy to the wine experience,' said J Snyder, a Loudoun native and founder of Petit Domaine. Petit Domaine Van Gelder and Snyder have more in common than their love of wine and optimism that this project can give consumers a unique destination. They are both also fathers of three, from toddlers to school-age. It makes for a wonderful family-first dynamic, Van Gelder said, and we both understand when the other needs to be pulled away from work for family situations. I call it six under 6. The company took this action after one of its creditors filed a Chapter 7 petition against it earlier this month. (Getty Images) Getty Images A company thats been a key player in the wine and spirits industry has filed for bankruptcy. This bankruptcy filing occurred earlier last week, and involves up to millions in liabilities. According to The Spirits Business, Staggemeyer Stave a Caledonia, Minnesota-based business that produces white oak barrel staves for the production of wine and whiskey voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 17. This action, The Spirits Business adds, was taken after Decorah Bank & Trust Company one of Staggemeyer Staves creditors filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition against the company on Oct. 3. The banks petition accused Staggemeyer Stave of generally not paying its debts as they become due. Staggemeyer Staves filing lists between $1 million and $10 million in assets. It also notes that the company has between 50 and 99 creditors, and liabilities also between $1 million and $10 million. The businesss website explains how Staggemeyer Stave has been working behind-the-scenes in the wine and spirits industry for about half a century. With roots in Missouri, it eventually made the move to the Gopher State in 1958. Today, we continue our proud tradition of supply exceptional quality barrel staves to the premium wine and whiskey industries, the website reads. But our company pride doesnt stop there. Being a local family-owned company, we have a home-grown sense of responsibility towards the woodlands we utilize. The Staggemeyer Stave Company fully supports the found management of forests for future generations to use and enjoy. Our commitment to the environment has been ongoing from the beginning, in all aspects of our business. Further information on Staggemeyer Staves bankruptcy as well as its future remains pending, A city in Rhode Island, on the other hand, is the number one safest. (Getty Images) Getty Images A new report has come out about which United States cities are the safest and, by consequence, the unsafest. And one in Pennsylvania has fallen into the latter category. Conducted and published by WalletHub, the report listed Philadelphia in 174th on a list of 182 cities total, making it the ninth unsafest city in America. Pittsburgh the only other Keystone State city included in the study also didnt do so hot in the 138th overall spot. WalletHub researchers created this study after assessing each city across three main categories: Home & Community Safety; Natural-Disaster Risk; and Financial Safety. Relevant sub-metrics bucketed under these categories Assaults per Capita and Share of Uninsured Drivers among them were also factored in. New Orleans, Louisiana, was thus found to be overall least safe city in the U.S. On the slip side, Warwick, Rhode Island, was found to be the absolute safest. Warwick, [Rhode Island], is the safest city, with the third-lowest number of aggravated assaults per capita and the 32nd-lowest number of murders out of the 182 cities in our study, the report reads. It also has the seventh-lowest number of thefts per capita, so residents can worry less about both violent and non-violent crimes. When it comes to natural disasters, Warwick ranks as the city with the seventh-lonqest risk of hail, 10th-lowest risk of wildfires, 23rd-lowest ricks of tornadoes and 29th-lowest risk of earthquakes. When people think about safety in a city, their minds probably immediately go to things like the crime rate, auto fatality rate or risk of natural disasters, said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. The safest cities in America protect residents from these threats of bodily harm and property damage, but on top of that, they also secure peoples financial safety. Financial safety includes things like minimizing the risk of fraud and identity theft, keeping the population employed and insured, and combatting homelessness. WILLIAMSPORT Term limits will be back on the agenda for the next Williamsport City Council meeting. Council President Adam Yoder said a vote to override Mayor Derek Slaughters veto of the ordinance will be on the agenda for the Oct. 30 meeting. The mayor, without explanation, on Friday vetoed the ordinance that the council passed the night before by a 6-0 vote, with Councilwoman Bonnie Katz absent. It will take a two-thirds majority to override the veto. The ordinance would limit consecutive four-year terms for the mayor to two, and for the treasurer, controller and members of council to three. Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter, without explanation, on Friday vetoed the ordinance council passed the night before. City of Willliamsport If the veto is overridden Slaughter could not seek a third term in two years and Katz, who has been on the council since 2012, could not seek reelection. Council chose not to accept the suggestion of city solicitor Austin White to amend the ordinance to allow those currently in office to run for another term even if it exceeded the term limits. Councilman Jon Mackey who proposed the ordinance, expressed disappointment the mayor did not speak with council before issuing his veto. Slaughter missed Thursdays council meeting because he was attending a fundraiser for a non-profit organization. The only exchange Mackey said he had with the mayor since introducing the ordinance was a text. Council members discussed the ordinance at length before voting to adopt it, he noted. Yoder also noted Slaughter had not participated in councils debate. I dont know why he vetoed it, he said. PA Media Group celebrated individuals and organizations dedicated to peace, tolerance and humanitarian compassion Tuesday at the fifth-annual Peace & Justice in PA Awards. The event is part of PennLives live journalism event series. It was an event that began at Penn State Harrisburg in the Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre in Lower Swatara Township, only to be interrupted by a power outage that affected the entire campus. The events keynote speaker, Sarah Towle, author of Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands, gave her speech from the PennLive office later Tuesday afternoon. Towles book examines the U.S. immigration system, following her journey as she goes to the U.S. southern border and uncovers the broken immigration system. Her book is an expose, a call to action, and a celebration of the acts of those who have tried to reform the immigration system. Towle decried the deliberate cruelty of Americas immigration system during her speech and stressed the importance of acting. These days will end. They always do. And when they do, we can be ready if we act today. Right now, Towle said. The livestream of that speech can be heard at PennLives Facebook page. The program was presented by PennLive and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), the states civil rights enforcement agency. It honors groups and individuals fighting for diversity and inclusion, racial justice and equity. The individual award recognizing the extraordinary efforts of one person to advocate for refugees and immigrants was given to Phuong Truong, executive director of the International Service Center. The organizations five ideals are compassion, industriousness, civility, loyalty and righteousness, or fair judgment. The center is a refugee resettlement agency, which has recently worked to help Afghan refugees after President Donald Trump said he would not renew temporary protected status to the 200,000 Afghan refugees in the U.S. The Trump administration also halted funding to Truongs agency, leaving him to use reserve funding to help families resettle. Truong is a Vietnamese refugee who was forced to flee his country in 1967. Hes led the International Service Center since its conception in 1976. The organizations honored were Church World Service (CWS) in Lancaster and Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition (PIC). CWS works to provide food, a voice, and a home to immigrants and refugees. The faith-based organization provides up to five years of service and support to immigrants and refugees, including legal knowledge. PIC leads and supports immigrant rights campaigns at the local, state and federal levels. Their values include unity, solidarity, human rights and dignity, respect and safety. The event was led by PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter, who provided a report on efforts to protect Pennsylvanians from discrimination and extremist violence. As daunting as this moment is, the struggle for justice is not new. This time, its just our moment, Lassiter said. Our great opportunity is now, and it is to be the modern-day builders of our Nehemiah wall, simultaneously fighting and building. Lassiter stressed that the PHRC works with every Pennsylvanian, striving towards peace and justice for every citizen of the commonwealth. The event was livestreamed on PennLives Facebook and Youtube accounts. Ocean City permanently discontinued its Boardwalk tram service, marking the end of a 60-year tradition, news sources said Monday. The decision comes after a 2-year-old boy was fatally struck on the Boardwalk in August 2024, according to a report from WMAR-2. Police said the toddler was hit while crossing the southbound tram lane of the Boardwalk near Dorchester Street. The fatal incident caused officials to suspend the service for the 2025 season, but they have now confirmed it will not return. This decision was not made lightly, an Ocean City spokesperson told WMAR-2 in a statement. The Town acknowledges the long-standing tradition and the fond memories many residents and visitors have of the Boardwalk tram. However, after thoughtful review and extensive discussion, the trams will not return in their previous form. The loss is expected to cost Ocean City $1.56 million. Ocean Citys transportation expenses are expected to drop by $460,000, or 12.3%, in the upcoming fiscal year, according to a report from The Baltimore Sun. No funding has been allocated for tram operations in the 2026 budget. Officials are currently looking at alternatives to help visitors navigate and enjoy the Boardwalk safely. The Town is actively exploring ways to reimagine the Boardwalk without the trams and the goal is to introduce new attractions and experiences to connect visitors along the Boardwalk in a safe and enjoyable way, the Ocean City spokesperson told WMAR-2. Ocean Citys Boardwalk tram began service in 1964, originally costing just 25 cents and using open-air cars pulled by converted jeeps, according to the Ocean City website. Until recently, it transported visitors along the 2.5-mile Boardwalk from 27th Street to the inlet parking lot, operating between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Last year, the fare was $5 per ride, and passengers could board or exit anywhere along the route. A rendering of Coronet Park, an outdoor venue scheduled to open at 21 S. Second St. in Harrisburg in spring 2026. Provided By next spring, an outdoor event space will liven up downtown Harrisburg. On Monday, Harristown Enterprises Inc. announced it is constructing Coronet Park at 21 S. Second St., south of Market Square. A groundbreaking is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday. In a press release, Harristown said the 3,300-square-foot venue will host a variety of outdoor events and activities. It will feature a stage, seating, a plaza of pavers, planters and other amenities. The park is a shift from Harristowns original plan to build a six-story building with retail, office space and residential units at the site. The park is being constructed at the former Coronet Restaurant that was damaged by fire in 1994. Harristown, owner of Strawberry Square, eventually purchased the building and demolished it in 2018-2019. The developer said the park project is supported by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. Harristown is also renovating the first floor of the adjacent Menaker Building, where Denim Coffee will open a shop in early 2026. The Menaker was converted from offices to apartments, a project Harristown completed in 2022. Sarah Towle, award-winning author of "Crossing the line: Finding America in the Borderlands," will be keynote speaker at the Peace & Justice in PA forum on Oct. 21 at Penn State Harrisburg. Submitted photo By Sarah Towle History is repeating itself in the United States. The horrors and headlines we are confronted with daily regarding the wretched excesses of the Trump regimes deportation agenda did not emerge out of nowhere. Theyre the end point of a project built on rotten foundations by politicians of both parties over the course of decades. Thats the fundamental theme of my book, Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands," which my publisher just relaunched as second edition because, in her words, It is now more urgent than ever. The idea for Crossing the Line came over me in a rush. It was early 2020. I was in the U.S. borderlands, bearing witness to the human costs of a presidential administration that wore immigration cruelty like a badge of honor. I thought to document this history. I sought to sound an alarm. I hoped that by celebrating grassroots warriors of welcome, the work would become a handbook for a more humane world when the nation, finally, turned the page on Trumpism. Pastor Anna Layman-Knox (second from right) and supporters of more humane policies in addressing immigration issues hold a vigil at the state capitol after hearing from Sarah Towle, author of "Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands." Towle spoke at Grace United Methodist Church right before the Nov. 5 electionsl Joyce M. Davis But on Nov. 5, 2024, the narrative became darker still, and the machinery of misery I aimed to expose metastasized. The banal, everyday brutality you will encounter in my journey of discovery was as much crystal ball-gazing as historical chronicle, foretelling the depths of inhumanity to which another Trump term would so swiftly descend. On Day One, they went after the rights of the most vulnerable among us, making my books original working title, The First Solution," perhaps now more apt: a nod to my literary hero, Toni Morrison, who stated in 1995, Let us be reminded that before there is a final solution, there must be a first solution, a second one, even a third. The move toward a final solution is not a jump. It takes one step, then another, then another. It was all too fitting, therefore, that when my publisher suggested we update Crossing the Line, with an author foreword and a revised epilogue reflecting on the second Trump regimes first 100 days, I was in Berlin. German Chancellor Adolf Hitler, left, talks with Minister of Defence Colonel-General Werner Von Blomberg and Minister of Propoganda Dr. Joseph Goebbels outside the Opera House, Berlin, Feb. 26, 1934. (AP Photo) AP The German capital was the hub of European fascism under Hitler. From Berlin, plans for the Final Solution were hatched and the first, second, and third solutions, etc., were directedmuzzling the media, purging the courts, undermining democratic norms and laws, consolidating power, and building an infrastructure of prison camps, transportation networks, and an enforcement apparatus to systemically hunt, corral, deport, and incarcerate all those targeted with dehumanizationuntil an estimated 11 to 12 million people were disappeared off the face of this Earth. The "Anne Frank the Exhibition" during its opening on International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Center for Jewish History, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) AP In Berlin, every cobblestone has a story to tell; every memorial reminds us of the tragic fruit that blooms from fascist ideology. The German Resistance Memorial Center, housed in a complex used by the Nazi equivalent of the US Department of Homeland Security, introduces us to those who, like protagonists in Crossing the Line, were criminalized for their humanity. FILE - In this March 30, 2020, file photo, the Pariser Platz square in front of the German landmark Brandenburg Gate is deserted in Berlin, Germany. Labs were quick to ramp up their testing capacity and now experts say up to 500,000 tests can be conducted in Germany per week. That quick work, coupled with the country's large number of intensive care unit beds and its early implementation of social distancing measures, could be behind Germany's relatively low death toll. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File) AP Democracy Must Be Remembered, proclaims the banner at the gates of what was once the headquarters of Hitlers secret police. The Topography of Terror Museum, now standing on that site, traces the rise of the Third Reich. The stories of Hitlers henchmenGoebbels,Goering, Himmler, Frankmirror those of Trumps malign inner circleMiller, Homan, Bondi, Noem. Berlin demands that we recall the worst of humanitys worst impulses. Yet in todays United States, citizens, elected officials, and the morbidly rich alike have blindingly, hauntingly forgotten what happens when a regime bans books, halts the teaching of history, and creates an alternate-reality indoctrination apparatus to support its own evil ends. On how fascism starts, Bertrand Russell tells us, First they fascinate the fools. Then, they muzzle the intelligent. The plunge into lawlessness and corruption of Trumps MAGA-party regime recalls the plunge into lawlessness and corruption that Germany experienced less than 100 years ago. History is repeating itself in the so-called Land of the Free. And the cruelty that is driving is simply not okay. Sarah Towle author of "Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands" speakd about America's immigration policies at Grace United Methodist Church in Harrisburg shortly before the Nov. 5 elections. Joyce M. Davis I hoped Crossing the Line would help convince enough people to choose democracy in 2024. But that was not to be. In just 100 days, Trumpism unbound destroyed the legal right to seek asylum in the United States; left the already beleaguered immigration system in tatters; terminated the much-lauded Refugee Admissions Program; rolled back such governmental promises as Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole; activated arcane wartime powers in response to a made-for-TV invasion; and tapped previously off-limits personal data sources to create a digital surveillance network. He also unleashed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) goons, with the aid of an alphabet soup of policing entities employing Gestapo-like tactics, to abduct and disappear our colleagues, community members, family, and friends into gulags both inside the United States and out, then flouted court orders to bring these people back. Trump & Co harnessed immigration to drive our democracy into crisis. Crossing the Line is more than an expose. It is an exhortation to stand up against the evil that Trumps fascism represents. It is also an invitation to join the choir, if you havent already, singing ever louder in glorious harmony, This is not the people we wish to be! On Nov. 5, 2024, my handbook transformed, in one readers words, into a manual for the movement for just migration. As evidenced by the roughly 100 tales of resistance and resilience spotlighted in these pages, we are better than the result of the last election. If we all choose to emulate my story collaboratorseach of us doing our small part, every day, to thwart the cruel machinery of the Border Industrial Complex and the security agencies and institutions it has turned against usthen we can become the many tiny grains of sand that jam the gears and keep them from turning until these dark days are finally behind us. It will be a long, traumatic journey to throw off the criminal actors who, like autocrats since time immemorial, are consolidating the levers of power to unshackle the worst of humanitys worst impulses once again. But we must believe that we can, and that we will. And that when we do, we will be ready to build a more humane world from the ashes. Stay strong, my friends. The only way through this is ... together. Sarah Towle is the keynote speaker for the 2025 Peace & Justice in PA forum and awards that will be held noon Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Kulkarni Theatre on the campus of Penn State Harrisburg. The event will be livestreamed to PennLives social media pages. Some 2 million Pennsylvanians who rely on federal food assistance under the SNAP program will not receive their benefits next month because of the federal government shutdown. FILE/PennLive Some 2 million Pennsylvanians who rely on federal food assistance under the SNAP program will not receive their benefits next month because of the federal government shutdown. The USDA notified Pennsylvania earlier this month that it would not be able to fund the benefits without the government reopening and the state said late Monday it cannot backfill the costs. Republicans failure to pass a federal budget in Washington, D.C. is having a direct impact on our Commonwealth and now, this federal shutdown is threatening critical food assistance for two million Pennsylvanians who rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families, said Gov. Josh Shapiro in a news release. In July, Republicans in Congress voted to knock 310,000 Pennsylvanians off Medicaid and 144,000 off SNAP, all in order to give a tax cut for people who dont need it. Now, Republicans are once again threatening vital support for Pennsylvania families and children its time for them to pass a federal budget and end this shutdown. Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh said the disruption in life-sustaining food assistance threatens the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians. I urge our leadership in the U.S. House and Senate to come together for a solution that protects people most at risk, she said. Since 1964, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has provided food assistance to low-income families. The federal government has fully funded SNAP, distributing more than $366 million every month to Pennsylvania. The Department of Human Services said those recipients with unspent funds on their EBT cards will still be able to use them and SNAP benefits are good for the rest of the year. DHS said it will continue to process applications for SNAP and other benefits during the shutdown. The agency said recipients should report case changes, submit any reviews or renewals they receive and update their cases for the new federal work reporting requirements that begin Nov. 1. Those who need help finding food and other resources can use PA Navigate, call 211 or visit www.pa211.org. For assistance finding local food banks visit www.feedingpa.org. The state also urges those who can help to donate to their area food banks. Photo: https://t.me/GeneralStaffZSU Special Operations Forces (SOF) fighters eliminated several enemy assault groups in Pivnichno-Slobozhanske direction, the SOF press service reported. "Group A of the 1st Detachment of the 144th Special Operations Forces Center conducted special operations in Pivnicnno-Slobozhanske direction. Thanks to the decisive actions of the operators and the coordinated work of the UAVs and mortar crews, several more enemy assault groups were destroyed. As a result of these special operations, the deaths of 13 Russians have been confirmed!" the message reads. As reported, the special operations forces crossed beyond the outer Ukrainian positions and entered enemy-controlled territory. After conducting further reconnaissance, they carried out a raid, eliminating Russians in a dugout and at firing positions. "Following the ACE (Ammunition, Casualties, Equipment) report, the Special Operations Forces decided to remain overnight at the captured positions and ambush enemy reinforcements there," the message reads. Rep. Scott Perrys most likely 2026 opponent is calling on him to apologize after Perry said Democrats hate the military and only serve in the armed forces for political clout. Perry, the Republican who represents the Harrisburg region, told conservative radio host Chris Stigall last week that military service is only a credential that they get when they want to run for office, speaking of Democratic officials. The comments were first reported Monday afternoon by the New York Times. They join the military, they serve a little bit, they get the credential and then they run for office and wear the uniform and say, look at me, I support America. But lets face it, all their votes say they dont support America, Perry said. Perry served in the U.S. Army and retired from National Guard service with the rank of brigadier general, a record that has featured heavily in his past political campaigns. First elected in 2012, Perry has survived several close attempts by Democrats to unseat him. His 2024 opponent, Janelle Stelson, is already mounting another well-funded challenge. It is shameful that Congressman Scott Perry questions the patriotism of the men and women who are serving our country, Stelson said in a Monday news release. Rep. Perry owes the military veterans in our district and his veteran colleagues in Congress an immediate apology. Perrys comments were made in the context of the ongoing federal shutdown, with Stigall raising the possibility of the Senate bringing up a stand-alone defense funding bill. Democrats dont care about the Pentagon, they dont care about the Constitution or the nations defense, Perry said, predicting that the federal budget stalemate will continue. Perry and other hardline conservatives are staunchly opposed to renewing certain Affordable Care Act subsidies that Senate Democrats have demanded in order to avoid a filibuster. Many Republicans, including Perry, arent in a rush to reach a deal, viewing the shutdown as a way to help Trump eliminate unnecessary parts of the federal government, even as the stoppage of federal funding threatens to collapse some social services in Pennsylvania and beyond. Americans dont realize that they actually dont need a lot of the federal government, Perry told Stigall. This is an opportunity to get government at the right size, and the Democrats, God bless them, have given Trump President Trump that opportunity. Stelson, a former TV reporter and anchor, lost to Perry in 2024 by a spread of just over a percentage point, or about 5,000 votes. She has already gained the endorsement of Democratic leadership to run again, although at least one other prominent Democrat Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas is also seeking the nomination. Stelson has posted some of the strongest campaign fundraising numbers in the nation, announcing her re-match campaign in July and pulling in $1.2 million through the end of September, according to federal campaign finance data. This was nearly double what Perry raised in the third quarter of 2025, although Perry still has a cash-on-hand advantage from prior fundraising. Rural Pennsylvania could face new challenges in filling critical healthcare staffing as a result of a new $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, a program that allows educated foreign workers to fill labor shortages in the United States. Photo provided Rural Pennsylvania could face new challenges in filling critical healthcare staffing as a result of a new $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, a program that allows educated foreign workers to fill labor shortages in the United States. President Donald Trump announced the proposal in a recent proclamation, part of his administrations broader effort to restrict immigration in all forms. Experts and lawyers warn that some changes may not be legal and could have unintentional consequences for communities already struggling to recruit medical professionals. Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, said the issue ties into broader demographic trends. With population aging and with lower fertility rates, the number of people in their working ages in the United States isnt increasing, Gelatt said. So, the U.S. economy is really dependent right now on immigrants for growing our labor force. How does this impact you? The H1B visa program, created 35 years ago, was designed to fill U.S. labor shortages in fields such as science, technology and engineering by bringing highly skilled, foreign workers on a temporary basis. Except for certain exempt organizations like nonprofits and educational organizations, theres an annual cap of 65,000 visas, with an additional 20,000 reserved for applicants with a graduate degree or higher. A 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics report found that foreign-born workers are more likely to be employed in manual labor and service jobs, particularly in construction, maintenance and transportation. Still, studies show that immigrant labor remains vital to the U.S. economy as a whole. H-1B visas, however, fill a more specialized need. In medicine, for example, the flow of doctors from urban to rural areas has been in decline, worsening a national physician shortage in underserved areas. Adding to that, recent federal budget cuts from the Trump administration and Pennsylvanias state budget impasse have further strained resources for rural hospitals. Dr. Heather Beauparlant, president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians, said H-1B visas are often essential for keeping these hospitals staffed. A lot of our urban docs, its not unusual, especially in specialty [medicine], for you to stay where you trained and you have your network there, Beauparlant said. So most rural job postings offer visas. Residents in parts of rural Pennsylvania already travel long distances for surgical and emergency services. In Pike, Wayne and Susquehanna counties, one of the regions only community hospital providers recently closed its outpatient facilities and scaled back regular services because of the recent federal funding cuts. This year, 9,930 H-1B visas were approved in Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data. In 2022, 911 H-1B recipients were working in medicine across the state, according to a Journal of General Internal Medicine report released this year. Beauparlant said some physicians are working well into their 80s to fill gaps in care. This is all very concerning because the big thing is going to be maintaining quality of care, Beauparlant said. To give these vulnerable communities the best access to high quality care, especially when they dont have the network of specialists in these more rural communities. A quick recap of what happened this year On Sept. 19, a Friday evening after business hours, President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation creating a new $100,000 fee for H1B visas. The orders language was vague, with no specifics about who would be subject to the fee or how often it would be charged. Attorney Matt Hirsch, a partner at Solow, Hartnett and Galvan with more than 30 years of experience in immigration law, remembers that night vividly. His inbox, he said, was flooded with messages from employers, human resources representatives, H-1B visa holders and their families. The initial reaction was one of chaos, like it was a tsunami, Hirsch said. People who were abroad were hastening to buy airline tickets at any price to get back into the United States before the imposition Sunday morning. An NBC report found that a flight to Dubai was delayed in San Francisco for three hours after several passengers chose to leave the aircraft following news of the H-1B announcement. In the hours that followed, conflicting messages came from the White House and other officials. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that night that employers would have to pay the fee every year, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that it was a one-time charge for new visas only. The next afternoon, at 2:58 p.m. Saturday, the White House rapid response account also used X to reiterate Leavitts clarification, though the White House website still makes no mention of those details. Are we a country of laws or are we a country of proclamations where laws are made by proclamation? Hirsch said. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the president has broad authority to suspend the entry of immigrants if doing so is deemed detrimental to U.S. interests. But Hirsch said the new policy could face legal challenges because the law deals specifically with the arrival of people from outside the U.S., not those who are already in the country. Another immigration attorney, Thomas J. Pivnicny of Kitay Law Offices in Wyomissing said the uncertainty of the past few weeks has made advising clients difficult. From a legal standpoint, its kind of hard to advise people what they should or shouldnt do when essentially the goalpost is getting moved at times from one day to the next, Pivnicny said. Julia Gelatt from the Migration Policy Institute said its also unusual for the executive branch to impose new visa fees outside of the normal process. [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] already increase their fees every two years, Gelatt said. Normally they would also take more care in writing the executive order or the proclamation before issuing it so that there werent so many clarifications needed afterwards, Does restricting visas actually increase American labor in the workforce? Companies across the country are already considering how to move forward if more restrictions are placed on foreign-born workers. Studies show that immigrant workers, especially those with specialized education, drive economic growth in the United States and contribute more in taxes than they receive in government benefits. Gelatt said its a reminder the U.S. labor market isnt black and white, but a complex and evolving system. Maybe that [visa restrictions] could allow some jobs to go to U.S. workers instead of foreign workers, Gelatt said. But we will also see jobs disappear from the United States altogether. Companies might move their operations overseas because they arent able to expand their operations in the way they want to. They might hire more remote workers. Attorney Pivnicny said that long-term effects on American workers could be staggering. Its got the possibility to significantly affect essentially what many businesses throughout the United States economy have relied on for a long time in terms of filling roles that are necessary to the operations of many businesses, Pivnicny said. Many critics of the H-1B visa have cited fraud as a reason to scale it back. The truth of the matter is regardless of what system were talking about, theres always going to be folks who look to exploit where they can exploit, Pivnicny said. Just like in any industry, its pretty unlikely that youll ever completely eliminate fraud. Historically, research has shown that U.S.-born and foreign-born workers tend to complement each other in the labor market rather than compete directly. I can see some of the shortages already impacting people in rural Pennsylvania, Beauparlant said. And with the higher fee, it could become a very substantial lack of access to care for a lot of our patients and our communities. The new $100,000 H-1B visa fee took effect on Sept. 21, 2025 and applies to all new petitions filed after that date. Peter Giunta, then chair of the New York State Young Republicans Club, speaks at the group's annual Teddy Roosevelt Dinner at the Destiny Embassy Suites Hotel in Syracuse, July 27, 2024. Provided photo When the New York State Young Republicans Club disbanded Friday amid an uproar over its racist and antisemitic rhetoric in a group chat, the club left behind unpaid bills from extravagant social gatherings. At two of those events, the club ran up bills of more than $23,000 over a weekend at a Syracuse hotel spending big on a three-course plated dinner with filet mignon and open bars but then didnt pay, according to records obtained by syracuse.com. The Embassy Suites Hotel at Destiny USA hosted the clubs summer awards dinner last year, making a rare exception to its rule for customers to pay in advance of using its banquet facilities. But the hotels goodwill quickly evaporated as its managers spent four months trying to collect what it was owed, according to billing documents and dozens of internal emails reviewed by syracuse.com. The hotels increasingly urgent emails requesting payment were met with a series of excuses by Peter Giunta, 31, the club president who gained national notoriety last week for his I love Hitler group chat. Giunta resigned just before Politico reported that his group had not paid off a bill of more than $14,000 for a holiday party in December 2023 at the National Womens Republican Club in Manhattan. The Young Republicans previously unreported debt in Syracuse followed on the heels of the Manhattan party and a trip by Giunta and club leaders to Nashville last year when he was campaigning for a position to lead the Young Republicans on a national level. In a since-deleted social media post, a former Donald Trump campaign staffer alleged the group owed $7,000 to Redneck Riviera, a bar and live music venue in Nashville, according to Politico. Danielle Neuser, former director of sales at the Destiny Embassy Suites, confirmed the problems in collecting payment from Giunta and the club. Neuser said she didnt know about the clubs history of unpaid bills before its annual Teddy Roosevelt Dinner in Syracuse. But after Giunta showed up without a check to pay for the weekend events from July 26-28, 2024, Neuser said, she sized him up immediately. Im not surprised youre writing this story, Neuser said when contacted by a syracuse.com reporter. I just knew based on how he handled us that he was doing that in many different places. I think this kid is so full of BS and just was making up answers to kind of keep people at bay. Neuser, president of the Greater Syracuse Hospitality and Tourism Association, said it was only the second time in her 30-plus years in the business that she could recall a client making so many excuses over a prolonged period for not paying their bill. I saw through him from the day before the event, where he said he was going to come with a check, she said. And then he had like 13 excuses: That somebody forgot the checkbook and he didnt have it. Then there was a fraud. And their bank account was compromised. It was like this kid had every excuse in the book. Benedicte Doran, the former Onondaga County Republican Committee chair, said she tried to intervene and convince Giunta to pay up even though her group had no responsibility for the event. The county committee regularly hosts election night watch parties at the hotel. I did everything I could to get the guy to do the right thing, and he didnt do it, Doran said. Hes just a bad guy. Months later, after the hotel banned Giunta and club members from future visits to the property and threatened a lawsuit, he came up with sporadic payments that eventually whittled the debt down to $7,257.14, the documents show. When the Destiny Embassy Suites was sold to a private equity firm in Arlington, Va. in November, its managers decided to end their collection efforts, Neuser said. Now its unclear whether Destiny Embassy Suites or any other creditors to the club will be able to recover what they are owed. New York Republican Party leaders voted Friday to dissolve the club, whose goal was to recruit future GOP leaders between the ages of 18 and 40. After suspending its authorization for the New York State Young Republicans Club to operate at a statewide level, party leaders said their hope is to reconstitute the club under new leadership. What remained unanswered are questions about the groups finances and what happened to the money it collected from membership dues and the sale of tickets to its events across the state. New York Republican Chair Ed Cox acknowledged the clubs management problems, without providing details, in a statement Friday. The Young Republicans was already grossly mismanaged, and vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations, Cox said. David Laska, a New York Republican Party spokesman, told syracuse.com that the state organization is under no obligation to pay off the clubs debts. The New York State Young Republicans are a separately incorporated legal entity, Laska said. That entity owes that debt. Giunta did not respond to a phone call and emails from syracuse.com asking about the unpaid bills. After Giunta resigned last month, the New York Young Republican Club, a separate New York City chapter, issued a statement that said it had uncovered evidence of serious potential financial misconduct within the parent club. Our concerns include potential failures by the prior administration to follow basic internal control procedures in accounts payable and apparent unexplained material unpaid obligations, the statement said. Without offering specific examples of the financial problems, the New York City club asked for a transparent accounting of the state organization and said it will take all actions necessary to hold the responsible parties accountable. At the same time, the state clubs new vice chair promised to investigate. I am shocked and saddened by the alleged past wrongdoings that we have uncovered, and it is my duty to the members of and donors to this organization to restore its financial stability, Becky Oliveira said in a statement issued Sept. 26. After Giunta resigned, the club filed a series of late financial disclosure reports dating back to last year with the state Board of Elections. The most recent report from last month shows the club in the red, with unpaid debts of $38,560. Although the Young Republicans reported raising $50,310 during the period, the club spent $49,993, according to the filing. Giunta previously told Politico that the accusations of unpaid bills were nothing more than a sad and pathetic attempt at a political hit job. About three weeks after Giunta resigned, Politico reported that it obtained almost 3,000 Telegram chat messages involving a dozen club members, including Giunta. Those messages were filled with racist, violent, homophobic and antisemitic comments. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) catches a touchdown pass in front of Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) AP The Tennessee Titans have released wide receiver Tyler Lockett after he requested to be cut from the team, according to multiple reports. Now, Lockett will be free to sign wherever he wishes to go, and that could include the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lockett, 33, has just ten receptions on the year in what has become a poor Titans offense. Now, he wants to find a home where he can contribute to a playoff push at some point this season. The Seattle Seahawks cut Lockett back in March after retooling their team and signing Cooper Kuppto replace him. Of course, Pittsburgh traded for D K Metcalf, which gives Lockett a direction connection to the Steelers organization. Lockett played in all 17 games but had just 600 receiving yards on 49 receptions this last season. That was his worst season since 2017. Along with the emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks decided it was time to move on. He has not followed that up with a sterling start this season, so how much does he really have left in the tank? That will be the big question the Steelers have to answer if they would want to pursue Lockett. Lockett is a three-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler and has over 8500 receiving yards throughout a solid career with the Seahawks. On top of that, he has over 4000 return yards, though that part of his game has faded with age. Photo: https://www.kmu.gov.ua/ Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko discussed energy sustainability, agricultural sector and de-shadowing with members of the Verkhovna Rada during a meeting of the Coalition Council, the website of the government portal reports. "We regularly collect and process requests from parliamentarians in various formats to address issues in their communities. Where necessary, we strengthen our efforts. We hold meetings with the relevant bodies and use assignments to work more effectively on the ground. We also go on regional trips together with MPs, paying special attention to frontline communities," the release on the government portal website said. Svyrydenko thanked the parliamentarians for supporting government initiatives and being open to dialogue. In turn, Danylo Hetmantsev, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, reported that the main issues discussed at the Coalition Council meeting were energy sustainability, the agricultural sector, and de-shadowing. "Energy sustainability: The main emphasis is on the country's readiness for winter, including modular boiler houses, local heat sources, and support for critical generation. Priority is given to financing solutions that provide stability, even in the event of new attacks. The agricultural sector is another priority. Support for farmers affected by drought and development of land reclamation and adaptation to climate change. De-shadowing: Control of imports, processing and storage of raw materials, and combating smuggling," he wrote on Telegram. He noted that the meeting was held in a question-and-answer format. The first topic of discussion was the 2026 budget. "But not only that. We also discussed the implementation of priority areas of state policy in the format of a live dialogue between MPs and government representatives," Hetmantsev noted. "We must continue this format," he added. David Arakhamia, the leader of the Servant of the People faction, also took part in the meeting. Defense forces destroy 58 out of 98 enemy targets during night attack, with 37 UAV hits recorded at 10 locations - Air Force Last night, the Ukrainian Defense Forces neutralized 58 out of 98 enemy targets that attacked Ukraine. Hitpoints were recorded at 10 locations, including two ballistic missiles and 37 UAVs, as well as debris at 10 locations, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. "According to preliminary data, as of 08:30, air defense forces shot down or suppressed 58 enemy Shahes, Gerberas, and other types of UAVs in the north, south, and east of the country," the message reads. In total, on the night of October 21 (from 19:00 on October 20), the enemy attacked with two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Bryansk region, four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles from Kursk region, 98 Shaheds and Gerberas attack UAVs and other types of drones from the directions of Kursk, Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk of the Russian Federation, Chauda, Hvardiyske - Crimean TOT, about 70 of them were Shaheds. The air attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire teams of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Missile strikes and hits on 37 attack UAVs were recorded at 10 locations, as well as the fall of downed UAVs (debris) at two locations. The attack continues, with several enemy UAVs in the airspace. A German One-Two in the Latest 888poker $100K Mystery Bounty Main Event Matthew Pitt Senior Editor Copy link Germany's "tamtrigiac" came back from being fifth in chips at the start of the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event final table to become the latest 888poker player to be crowned this event's champion. In fact, it was a German one-two this week, with "Seko1917" finishing as the runner-up. Between the two Deutschland-based grinders, they took home $16,487 of the $100,000 prize pool. Including re-entries, 945 players bought in for $109, leaving 888poker to make up the guarantee's shortfall. Twice as many players are required for the October 26 edition of the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event because its buy-in is being halved to $55 during the 888poker Sale Week. Day 1 saw the near four-figure crowd reduced to an eight-handed final table. Denmark's "Dvingminator" was the lucky player who opened the $10,000 jackpot mystery bounty, doing so before crashing out in 28th place for a total haul worth $10,774. Brazilian "Rafaelgalo49," who won this event a couple of weeks ago, enjoyed plenty of bounty luck, opening an envelope containing $3,000, then adding another $2,253 in bounties. They reached the final table with the chip lead in tow, although their 45 big blind stack was not as large as some other chip leaders' in recent weeks. $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Chip Counts Rank Player Country Bounties Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Rafaelgalo49 Brazil $5,253 2,671,108 45 2 Streusalz $249 2,419,184 40 3 BilliON Ukraine $328 2,128,397 36 4 Seko1917 Germany $698 2,126,417 35 5 tamtrigiac Germany $780 1,961,565 33 6 Tigger8890 Canada $249 1,204,332 20 7 Jfaw14 United Kingdom $1,089 1,192,319 20 8 swe_cs Sweden $1,364 471,678 8 Sweden's "swe_cs" had fewer than eight big blinds in their stack at the start of Day 2, making them the shortest stack. Immediately after play resumed, "swe_cs" open-shoved their short stack with pocket sevens. "Seko1917" called with king-queen suited, and a queen on the flop sent the Swede to the showers. Another coinflip as the half-hour mark approached sent another player home. "tamtrigiac" min-raised with queen-jack of diamonds before calling the 18.5 big blind shove from "Jfaw14," which they made with pocket sixes. The sixes remained best until a queen landed on the river, leaving only six players in the hunt for the title. Fifth place went to "Streusalz," who won the $110,000 RAKELESS edition of this event in August. The former champion raised preflop with pocket kings and bet all three streets of a queen-high board, including jamming for slightly more than half pot on the river. Unfortunately for "Streusalz," "tamtrigiac" had turned a set of nines, and they called the shove to bust "Streusalz." After the remaining four players returned from a scheduled break, "Tigger8890" of Ukraine min-raised with ace-five of spades from an 11.5 big blind stack. "Seko1917" woke up with the dominating ace-king on the button and they three-bet all-in for a little over 14.5 big blinds. The initial raiser called and busted in fourth when the board ran in such a way that "Seko1917"'s king-kicker played. "Tigger8890" freerolled their way into this event and turned that free entry into almost $3,300. The Mystery Bounty Main Event progressed to the heads-up stage after "Rafaelgalo49" went from hero to zero. The Brazilian chip leader had more than twice as many chips as their nearest rival at the start of three-handed play, yet they still fell in third. Nothing really went the Brazilian's way, as was evident by getting their last chips in as a slight favorite but still losing. "Seko1917" jammed from the small blind with king-jack, and "Rafaelgalo49" called all-in for 7.2 big blinds with ace-six. A jack on the turn and a king on the river busted the once-chip leader, and heads-up play was set. "tamtrigiac" held a 41.3 to 29.5 big blind lead over fellow German "Seko1917" going into heads-up. They discussed a deal, which "Seko1917" agreed to, but "tamtrigiac" rejected the ICM deal, meaning play continued as normal. The final hand saw "Seko1917" jam for 26.5 big blinds with ace-seven, and "tamtrigiac" called with ace-nine. "tamtrigiac" paired their nine on the river to clinch the title and a $9,429 top prize, leaving "Seko1917" to collect a $7,058 consolation prize. $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Results Rank Player Country Bounties Prize Total Prize 1 tamtrigiac Germany $1,289 $8,140 $9,429 2 Seko1917 Germany $1,008 $6,050 $7,058 3 Rafaelgalo49 Brazil $5,253 $4,375 $9,628 4 Tigger8890 Canada $304 $2,975 $3,279 5 BilliON Ukraine $328 $1,975 $2,303 6 Streusalz $249 $1,435 $1,684 7 Jfaw14 United Kingdom $1,089 $1,000 $2,089 8 swe_cs Sweden $1,364 $750 $2,114 The next $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event runs at 888poker on October 26. As mentioned earlier, the online poker giant selected this event to be part of its Sale Week promotion, meaning entrants will only pay $55 to enter instead of the usual $109. If ever you were going to take a shot at this event, this weekend is the time to do it. Share this article PokerStars Brings the NAPT Back to Resorts World Las Vegas Tyler Boyer Editor and Digital Media Executive Copy link PokerStars and the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) is returning to Resorts World Las Vegas for the third consecutive year, from November 312, 2025, for ten days of thrilling poker action on the Las Vegas Strip. This years schedule has something for every player, featuring buy-ins starting at just $360 alongside massive High Roller events and fan-favorite formats like PLO and Mystery Bounty, all leading up to the highly anticipated $5,300 Main Event. The $5,300 Main Event The crown jewel of the festival is of course, the $5,300 NAPT Main Event, which kicks off on November 6 and runs through November 12. The tournament boasts a $3 million guaranteed prize pool, three separate Day 1 flights, and a deep, player-friendly structure. Late registration will stay open until the start of Day 2, giving players plenty of flexibility to find their spot in the field. Last years Main Event generated a massive $4,340,750 prize pool from 895 entries, making it one of the most successful NAPT stops in recent memory. When the dust settled, it was Nick Marchington who emerged victorious. The British pro came into the final table as a commanding chip leader and never looked back, using relentless aggression to control the action from start to finish. In a fitting finale, Marchington needed just one hand of heads-up play to seal the deal and claim the $765,200 top prize. With a larger guarantee and even more momentum behind the series this year, all eyes will be on Resorts World to see who can follow in Marchingtons footsteps. 2024 NAPT Las Vegas Main Event Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Nick Marchington United Kingdom $765,200 2 Joel Micka United States $478,450 3 Jeff Madsen United States $341,750 4 Marco Johnson United States $262,900 5 Curt Kohlberg United States $202,250 6 Masato Yokosawa Japan $155,550 7 Brock Wilson United States $119,650 8 Matt Affleck United States $92,000 The High Rollers For those chasing the highest stakes, the NAPT Las Vegas stop features not one, but two marquee High Roller events. Leading the charge is the $50,000 Super High Roller, running from November 57, which is expected to attract a small but elite field of top-tier pros. This marks the first $50K Super High Roller in NAPT Las Vegas history, doubling last years $25K buy-in. In 2024, Stephen Song outlasted 60 entries to take down $439,400, and this years jump to $50K promises even fiercer competition and significantly larger paydays. Later in the series comes the $10,300 High Roller, which bridges the gap between the Super High Roller elite and the upper-mid-stakes grinders. In 2024, Sam Soverel won this event, besting 170 entries for $385,750. This years $10K is expected to deliver another deep field packed with seasoned pros, online crushers, and fearless satellite qualifiers looking to make a name for themselves. Both high rollers will feature slow, longer structures and are expected to draw some of the toughest lineups of the week. Options for Everyone While the headliners command most of the attention, the NAPT Las Vegas schedule shines for its diversity. Across ten days, players will find a full slate of No-Limit Holdem, PLO, Mystery Bounty, and specialty events designed for every bankroll and skill level. The Womens Event returns with a $330 buy-in and a boosted $50,000 guarantee, reflecting PokerStars ongoing commitment to creating space for women in the live poker scene. Theres also a $1,100 Womens High Roller, which provides a higher-stakes alternative and typically draws a strong, competitive field. Pot-Limit Omaha fans will find plenty to love as well, including an early-week $1,100 PLO and a $5,200 PLO Single Re-Entry for those who like their action a bit wilder. These events tend to bring out a colorful mix of Vegas locals, traveling pros, and PLO specialists who are always ready to gamble. Then theres the ever-popular $550 Mystery Bounty, featuring a $200,000 guarantee and plenty of envelope-chasing excitement. With surprise bounties often rivaling final-table payouts, these tournaments add a shot of adrenaline to the schedule and attract both casual and serious players alike. Beyond those highlights, the festival will be filled with affordable daily events and satellites, including multiple $360 No-Limit Holdem re-entries, ensuring that everyone, from first timers to seasoned pros, has a seat at the table. 2025 NAPT Notable Event Schedules Dates Event Guarantee November 3-6 $1,100 PokerStars Open $500,000 November 5-6 $2,200 PokerStars Open High Roller November 5-7 $50,000 NAPT Super High Roller November 6-12 $5,300 NAPT Main Event $3,000,000 November 9-10 $330 NAPT Women's Event $50,000 November 10 $1,100 NAPT Women's High Roller November 10-12 $10,300 NAPT High Roller November 10-12 $550 NAPT Mystery Bounty $200,000 Share this article US Treasury Secretary: Europe should take lead on increased G7 economic pressure against Russia Photo: https://x.com/SecScottBessent US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insists that European countries "take the lead on increased G7 economic pressure against Russia." He wrote about this on a social network following talks with EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis. "During my talks with European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, I underscored Americas commitment to a lasting, durable peace in Ukraine, and the need for Europe to take the lead on increased G7 economic pressure against Russia," he wrote on the social network X on Tuesday. He also "highlighted the need for a unified global response to Chinas reckless imposition of export controls, and the importance of diversified supply chains." The G7 is an informal international club that brings together the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan and the United States. UK 'ready to spend over GBP 100 mln' on possible deployment of British troops in Ukraine defense secretary Photo: https://news.sky.com The UK is ready to spend "significantly more" than GBP 100 million on a possible deployment of British troops in Ukraine if Donald Trump concludes a peace deal with Russia, said British Defense Secretary John Healy during a lecture at London's Mansion House, Sky News reports. Healey used a lecture at Mansion House in London to talk about efforts led by the UK and France to build a "coalition of the willing" of more than 30 nations to form what he called a "Multinational Force Ukraine" over the past six months. The Defense Secretary's plan involves training military personnel to join a multinational force that would be sent to secure Ukraine's borders if the US president brokers a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. He said British troops could be ready to deploy as soon as that happens, and added that this could include ground troops. The force would help secure Ukraine's air and sea space and prepare its troops if Russia agreed to end a full-scale war. Healy announced Britain's support for Ukraine, including a record GBP 4.5 billion in aid this year, and taking over from the U.S. the co-chairmanship of a wider group of countries that send arms and money to Kyiv. Reporter Lamaur Stancil writes about government, business, schools and entertainment in York County. He can be reached at 803-687-3436 or at X at @LamaurStancil PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 08:15:10 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 899 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / Agronomics (LSE:ANIC), the leading listed company in the field of clean food, is pleased to announce that its portfolio company Geltor, Inc. ("Geltor") has received a 'No Questions' Letter from the US Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), confirming the Generally Recognized As Safe ("GRAS") status of its PrimaColl ingredient - the world's first biodesigned vegan collagen polypeptide.Geltor is a California-based biodesign company producing sustainable, animal-free proteins through precision fermentation. This regulatory milestone enables the company to advance its commercial expansion into global nutrition and wellness markets.Jim Mellon, Executive Chair of Agronomics, commented:"This FDA recognition marks a pivotal moment for both Geltor and the broader field of sustainable protein innovation. Collagen is a multi-billion-dollar global market still dominated by animal-derived products. As demand continues to rise, PrimaColl represents a meaningful step toward producing this essential ingredient without dependence on industrial agriculture, offering a more ethical, traceable and environmentally responsible alternative. Agronomics see these kinds of biotechnological advances as key to building a more secure and resilient global food system, fully aligned with our mission to back companies driving the transition to clean, sustainable food." Agronomics first invested in Geltor on 21 February 2022, and to date has invested a total of 7.2 million, which, subject to audit, is currently carried at approximately 237,617. This position represents around 0.16% of Agronomics' most recently reported Net Asset Value of 145.3 million as of 30 June 2025.The full announcement is set out below, with no material changes:Geltor's PrimaColl Becomes First Biodesigned Collagen Polypeptide Cleared for Food & Beauty, Redefining Longevity Inside and OutFDA GRAS clearance (no questions letter) and global topical availability position PrimaColl as the first commercially viable biotech-derived collagen alternative spanning beauty, wellness, and nutrition.Geltor, the leader in biodesigned proteins for beauty and wellness, today announced the commercial arrival of PrimaColl, the first and only biodesigned collagen polypeptide available for both ingestible and topical applications. As the first collagen to be added to the FDA inventory since 1999, its FDA "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) clearance in the U.S. and worldwide topical availability, PrimaColl represents a major milestone for the collagen category and a turning point for science-backed longevity ingredients.PrimaColl is designed to mimic an amino acid sequence of avian Type 21 collagen, making it ideal for food and nutrition applications. First introduced in 2021 and successfully scaled to full commercial production in 2022, PrimaColl has already proven the industrial viability of biodesigned proteins. Now, with FDA clearance and large-scale economics, PrimaColl delivers a single collagen solution across two massive markets - food & beverage and beauty & personal care.Why PrimaColl Matters NowInsightAce Analytic values the beauty ingestibles market in 2024 at $4.2 billion, underscoring the accelerating demand for beauty-from-within solutions where PrimaColl is uniquely positioned to lead.Consumers are increasingly seeking proactive, science-backed solutions that support living better for longer. Collagen sits at the center of this movement. PrimaColl offers brands and consumers a future-proof alternative, with precision design, high purity, reliable, and consistent supply.Ingestible: Clinical studies have shown that daily consumption improves skin elasticity, firmness, and moisturization, while also reducing wrinkle depth.Topical: Shown to promote collagen and support skin renewal. For hair, it enhances hair manageability via film-forming properties that reduce frizz and resist humidity. Available globally for beauty and personal care applications.Inclusive & Sustainable: Produced through precision fermentation, PrimaColl is 100% animal-free, certified Vegan, Halal, Kosher, and non-GMO."PrimaColl has received the FDA's 'no questions' response to its GRAS notification, making it the first biotech collagen to achieve this milestone. With its proven scalability and ability to serve both food & beverage, as well as beauty & personal care applications, it represents a pivotal step forward at the intersection of beauty, wellness, and longevity. I am excited to see the transformative products our partners will create with it," said Alex Lorestani, CEO and Co-founder of Geltor.Availability PrimaColl is now open for sampling and formulation. Brands and formulators can experience it firsthand at California Suppliers' Day, October 29-30, Booth #479, schedule a meeting at sales@ geltor.com , or request samples at www.geltor.com/primacoll Notes to EditorsAbout Geltor Geltor, headquartered in San Leandro, CA, is the category leader in biodesigned proteins, creating sustainable, high-performance ingredients for the world's most innovative beauty, food, and wellness brands. By harnessing the power of precision fermentation, Geltor enables a new era of clean, functional, and scalable proteins that meet the evolving needs of consumers worldwide.Its PrimaColl collagen, granted FDA GRAS clearance and available worldwide, is the first collagen added to the FDA inventory since 1999, marking a breakthrough in science-backed longevity ingredients. Visit us atwww.geltor.com About Agronomics Agronomics is a leading London-listed company focused on investment opportunities within the field of cellular agriculture. The Company has established a portfolio of over 20 companies developing technologies that produce food and materials, historically derived from animals, offering solutions for improved sustainability, human health, and food security.A full list of Agronomics' portfolio companies is available at https://agronomics.im For further information, please contact:Agronomics LimitedBeaumontCornish LimitedCanaccord GenuityLimitedCavendish CapitalMarketsLimitedPeterhouseCapitalLimited33SecondsLimitedThe CompanyNomadJoint BrokerJoint BrokerJoint BrokerPublic RelationsJim MellonDenham EkeRoland CornishJames BiddleAndrew PottsHarry PardoeGiles BallenyMichael JohnsonLucy WilliamsCharles GoodfellowJack FerrisAmber Carr+44 (0) 1624 639396info@ agronomics.im +44 (0) 207 628 3396+44 (0) 2 PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 01:45:18 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 470 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2025 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have untilOctober 21, 2025to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against C3.ai , Inc. ("C3" or the "Company") (NYSE:AI), if they purchased the Company's securities between February 26, 2025 to August 8, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of C3 as above and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ai/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court byOctober 21, 2025 .About the LawsuitC3 and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On August 8, 2025, the Company disclosed disappointing preliminary financial results for 1Q 2026 and reduced its revenue guidance for the full fiscal year 2026, attributing its poor sales results and lowered guidance to "the reorganization with new leadership" as well as the health ailments of its Chief Executive Officer.On this news, the price of C3's shares fell from a closing price of $22.13 per share on August 8, 2025 to $16.47 per share on August 11, 2025, a decline of about 25.58%.The case is John Liggett Sr. v. C3.ai , Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-07129.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 20:00:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 380 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Working together to protect residents, Ventura Law and the City of Danbury achieved a significant PFAS settlement that ensures cleaner water and a healthier future for their community.DANBURY, CONNECTICUT / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / The City of Danbury will receive a settlement award of nearly $3.5 million as part of a nationwide settlement addressing contamination of public water from PFAS pollutants-commonly known as "forever chemicals." The settlement stems from multibillion-dollar agreements with 3M, DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva, the companies that produced and distributed the toxic substances for decades.PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used since the 1940s in products such as firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, and waterproof fabrics. These chemicals do not degrade in the environment and have been linked to cancer, immune disorders, and other health risks."The settlement awards achieved through this national litigation ensure that polluters, not taxpayers, bear the costs of cleanup and remediation," said Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves.Nationally, 3M agreed to pay up to $12.5 billion, while DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva collectively agreed to pay up to $1.19 billion. Settlement funds are being distributed to public water systems across the country for both past and future testing, treatment, and infrastructure improvements.The City of Danbury has recently received payments amounting to approximately 65% of its settlement, with the remaining distributions to come over the next four years. Mayor Alves reaffirmed the City's commitment to maintaining safe drinking water in his statement:"We are committed to protecting public health and will continue monitoring Danbury's water to ensure safety and quality. These funds will help us invest in long-term infrastructure so residents can feel confident that their water is clean." This action, which was filed in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2873) in South Carolina, consolidated thousands of PFAS lawsuits nationwide and took more than seven years to resolve."Danbury had the foresight and leadership to take action against companies that contaminated our water systems. Because cities like Danbury stood firm, 3M will stop producing these harmful chemicals, a historic win for public health and the environment," said Augie Ribeiro, CEO of Ventura Law, who represented the City of Danbury in this action.Contact Information Joseph ChoniskiMarketing Director, Ventura Law joseph@ venturalaw.com (203) 800-8000 https://www.venturalaw.com/ SOURCE: Ventura Law Some EU leaders want to attend planned Putin-Trump meeting in Budapest media Photo: https://www.foxnews.com Several European leaders intend to secure the presence of US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the upcoming meeting in Budapest, Politico reported on Tuesday. Some EU leaders will be lobbying to attend the Trump-Putin meeting as well as to ensure Zelenskyy has a seat at any negotiations, the publication reports, citing an unnamed diplomat. For Europeans, the big fear is that Trump will again side with Putin in determining what peace will look like and will pressure Zelenskyy to accept Russian terms potentially ceding swaths of territory in the east of the country, Politico states. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on October 16. Trump subsequently announced that the two countries would organize high-level talks, followed by a meeting between the two presidents in Budapest. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, for his part, announced that he had already ordered the formation of a committee to organize the summit. PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 20:00:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 324 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / ERA Industries, a BTX Precision Company, is excited to announce that as of October 1, 2025, Chuck Mamich has succeeded Hubert Bieniewski as President. Mamich brings a dynamic blend of operational expertise, a relentless focus on quality, and a proven track record in driving productivity across complex manufacturing. With a career rooted in excellence and innovation, he is poised to lead ERA into its next chapter of success. Chuck Mamich President of ERA Industries"We are thrilled to welcome Chuck to the helm at ERA," said Rick McIntyre, Group CEO for BTX Precision. "His strategic vision and deep appreciation for culture and refined operational process will be instrumental as ERA seeks to further scale the distinguished capability set which has long been their calling card." Hubert will retire in the coming months after a transitional support period, but over the course of the past twenty years, he has been a pillar of strength and leadership, guiding ERA through transformative growth and fostering a culture of integrity and technical excellence. "Hubert has left an indelible mark on the ERA organization," said McIntyre. "We are deeply grateful for his service and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement." This transition marks not just the natural leadership lifecycle, but a renewed commitment to the values that define ERA - technical excellence, ultra-high precision, impeccable quality and operational excellence.About ERA Industries: ERA was founded in 1982 and serves customers in most durable goods end markets, namely aerospace, space, and defense. Currently, ERA operates out of three facilities, one in Elk Grove Village, IL (HQ), as well as Wheeling, IL and Phoenix, AZ. Between the three manufacturing sites, ERA boasts approximately 180,000 square feet of precision manufacturing space and employs more than 300 workers.Media Contact: Jamie Goettler, Chief Revenue Officer, email: jgoettler@ btxprecision.com Contact InformationJamie GoettlerChief Revenue Officerjgoettler@ btxprecision.com 5169965682SOURCE: BTX Precision PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 03:45:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1079 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATESVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2025 / George Sanders, President of Goldcliff Resource Corporation ("Goldcliff" or the "Company") (GCN:TSXV)(GCFFF:OTC PINK) is pleased to announce a proposed non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $730,000 (the "Private Placement").The Private Placement will consist of the issuance of: (i) up to 4,000,000 units (each, a "NFT Unit"), at a price of $0.06 per NFT Unit (the "NFT Unit Offering"), with each NFT Unit comprising one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one half of one non-transferrable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder to acquire an additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.08 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the Closing Date (as defined herein); and (ii) up to 7,000,000 flow-through shares ("FT Shares"), at a price of $0.07 per FT Share (the "FT Share Offering"), with each FT Share comprising one Common Share which qualifies as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada).Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-105"), the securities sold under the Private Placement will be offered 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"). Subject to the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"), the securities issuable from the sale of Units to Canadian resident subscribers will not be subject to a hold period under applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document (the "Offering Document") related to this Private Placement that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at www.goldcliff.com . Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision.Proceeds from the NFT Unit Offering will be applied to reimbursement of advances to an insider of the Company in connection with the property payments on Aurora West and Kettle Valley projects, and to general working capital.Proceeds from the FT Share Offering will be applied to drilling at Kettle Valley, and site preparation and trenching at the Ainsworth silver project, as Canadian exploration expenses that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and which will be incurred on or before December 31, 2026 and renounced with an effective date no later than December 31, 2025 to the initial purchasers of FT Shares. Both projects are located in British Columbia.The Private Placement is anticipated to close on or about November 7, 2025 ("Closing Date"), or such other date(s) as the Company may determine. Closing of the Private Placement is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSXV. Goldcliff advises that insiders of the Company may participate in the Private Placement, which subscriptions will be completed pursuant to available related party exemptions under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions and will be subject to the TSXV hold period.At Closing, the Company may pay a cash finder's fee equal to 7% of gross proceeds introduced by eligible finders. Also, the Company may grant to eligible finders, finder's warrants equal to 7% of the number of NFT Units and/or FT Shares introduced by the finder on the same terms and conditions as the Warrants comprising the NFT Units.This Offering (including the Offering Document) is not an amendment to, or an extension of, the offering announced in the Company's news release dated August 25, 2025 (and the associated offering document dated August 25, 2025) and which subsequently closed on October 1 and October 9, 2025.This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.For further information, please contact George W. Sanders, President, at 250-764-8879, toll free at 1-866-769-4802 or email at sanders@ goldcliff.com GOLDCLIFF RESOURCE CORPORATIONPer:"George W. Sanders"George W. Sanders, PresidentNeither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this news release.Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the anticipated closing of the Private Placement, the anticipated size of the Private Placement, the receipt of all regulatory approvals in respect of the Private Placement, including approval of the TSXV, the participation of insiders, the expected use of proceeds from the Private Placement, certain expenses quali PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 14:30:26 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 861 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 The new name, Kultura Brands, embodies the Company's strategic evolution from a labor-services association to a dynamic branding enterprise focused on culture, community, and brand-led growth. "Kultura" underscores our belief that building great brands begins with building shared culture and values.JACKSON, WY / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / Labor Smart, Inc. (OTCID:LTNC) today announces that the State of Wyoming has approved the Company's name change to Kultura Brands Inc.. Following shareholder feedback, the Company is moving forward with filings and intends to submit the ticker change with FINRA, thereby aligning our corporate identity, branding strategy, and investor communications under a unified platform.A Name That Reflects Our FutureThe new name, Kultura Brands, embodies the Company's strategic evolution from a labor-services association to a dynamic branding enterprise focused on culture, community, and brand-led growth. "Kultura" underscores our belief that building great brands begins with building shared culture and values.Statement from the Leadership"This name change marks a foundational shift for the Company," said Tom Zarro, Chairman of the Board. "By transitioning to Kultura Brands, we make clear to shareholders, partners, and the marketplace that we are serious about building brands that resonate, scale, and endure. I believe this is an exciting move for our company, our people, and our investors." "Our team has worked hard behind the scenes, guided by what we heard from our shareholders," said Brad Wyatt, Chief Executive Officer. "Turning our name into Kultura Brands is not just a cosmetic change - it's a statement of intent. We're committed to execution, integrity, and delivering growth, and this is a strong step in the right direction." What This Means for ShareholdersThe legal entity remains unchanged - only the name is changing, so your ownership remains the same.We will continue to keep shareholders updated on the effective date of the ticker change once FINRA has confirmed our filing.The Company intends to reflect the new branding across our website, investor-relations materials, email communications, and social-media handles in the coming weeks.Next StepsWith shareholder feedback in mind, the Company has now completed the state-level name change to Kultura Brands Inc.The next step is submitting our name and symbol-change request to FINRA for a new ticker at the earliest filing opportunity.Following FINRA approval, we will work with the OTC Markets Group and market-data vendors to ensure the new name and ticker are updated, and we will announce the effective date publicly.Internally and externally, the Company will roll out the new branding: website update, new corporate email domains, refreshed investor-relations deck/messaging, updated social-media profiles, and other stakeholder communications.About Kultura Brands Inc.Kultura Brands Inc. (formerly Labor Smart, Inc.) is a Wyoming-based public company (OTCID:LTNC) focused on identifying, building, and scaling culture-driven brands. With a foundation rooted in operational discipline and services, our refreshed strategy moves us into brand acquisition, development, and community-led growth, aimed at creating long-term value for consumers and shareholders alike.Safe Harbor StatementThis press release includes statements regarding the Company's intentions and strategic direction. Although the Company has taken steps as described, many of the matters referenced (including the timing and receipt of regulatory approvals and listing/ticker changes) are subject to risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that requests will be approved in the timeline or manner described. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any statements in this release, except as required by law. This press release contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future performance, including our financial performance and projections, revenue and earnings growth, and business prospects and opportunities. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as "may," "should," "expects," "anticipates," "contemplates," "estimates," "believes," "plans," "projected," "predicts," "potential," or "hopes" or the negative of these or similar terms. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: (i) potential failure to meet projected development and related targets; (ii) changes in applicable laws or regulations that may impact our products and business; and (iii) other risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in other reports and other public filings with OTC Markets. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur.Contact: Investor Relations - ir@ laborsmartinc.com SOURCE: Kultura Brands Inc., formerly Labor Smart, Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 04:00:14 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 390 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2025 / Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers is proud to announce that attorneyChristina Stonehas been honored with induction into the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a distinction reserved for trial attorneys who have achieved multi-million-dollar results for their clients. This recognition underscores Ms. Stone's commitment to justice, her exceptional trial skill, and her dedication to North Carolina families. Attorney Christina Stone, Riddle & Riddle Injury LawyersMs. Stone earned this honor following a $2,175,000 settlement secured on behalf of the family of a man tragically killed in a side-swipe collision involving an asphalt truck on Highway 70 in Johnston County. The truck driver initially blamed the victim, alleging he failed to maintain his lane. Refusing to let the truth be distorted, Ms. Stone immediately launched a comprehensive investigation.Working with a top accident reconstruction expert, Ms. Stone uncovered gouge marks in the roadway proving the truck driver had actually crossed out of his lane and struck the victim's vehicle. She also obtained critical body camera footage from the responding officer, capturing on-scene witness statements that indicated the truck driver was at fault.Despite the defense's attempts to challenge the value of the claim - citing the victim's advanced age, health conditions, and retirement status - Ms. Stone remained unwavering. When settlement talks stalled, she promptly filed suit and initiated discovery. Shortly after deposing the truck driver, she secured the multi-million-dollar resolution for the victim's widow and adult children, without the need for a jury trial."Our aggressive litigation strategy in this case helped us bring justice and closure to our client's family. Although a wrongful death settlement can never fully compensate for the loss of a loved one, I am committed to fighting for North Carolina injury victims and their families. My clients are at the center of everything I do," Attorney Christina Stone said.Attorney Stone's induction into the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum reflects not only her litigation success, but her steadfast dedication to standing up for those who cannot fight for themselves.For more information about Attorney Christina Stone or Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers, please contact:Media Contact:Company Name: Riddle & Riddle Injury LawyersAddress: 4600 Marriott Dr., STE 500City: RaleighState: North CarolinaZip: 27612Country: United StatesPhone: (919) 876-3020Website: https://justicecounts.com/ Contact InformationGene RiddleManaging Partnercontactus@ justicecounts.com (800) 525-7111SOURCE: Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-21 14:00:34 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 498 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 With Its First U.S. Patent Awarded, Shop48 Returns to SEMA 2025 With Vapor Trapper: The Only Rechargeable Billet Aluminum Charcoal Canister on the MarketGILBERT, ARIZONA / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2025 / Shop48 announces that the U.S. Patent Office has registered the first of several patents for Vapor Trapper, the rechargeable charcoal vapor canister designed for fuel tanks that vent to the atmosphere. Machined from high-quality 6061 billet aluminum and anodized for a durable finish, Vapor Trapper delivers long-lasting performance adaptable to most applications. LIMITED EDITION Vapor Trapper - Premium Install Package SEMA Celebrate SEMA with Shop48's new limited-edition Vapor Trapper. This package includes an exclusive red anodized finish, available only while supplies last. Engineered to eliminate fuel odors and bring timeless quality to your classic ride.Engineered for high-performance vehicles and classic cars, the made-in-USA Vapor Trapper features a rechargeable charcoal core that provides a lasting solution to gas odors venting from fuel lines in classic cars, trucks, and boats. 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As the only rechargeable billet aluminum charcoal vapor canister on the market, Vapor Trapper eliminates fuel odors from vent lines.Attendees can visit Central Hall, Booth #24169, to see why Vapor Trapper products are trusted by automotive professionals. The booth will feature Pot-O-Gold's latest build, a 1963 F100 by Shannon Manley, proudly equipped with a Vapor Trapper system.About Vapor TrapperVapor Trapper is the only patented, serviceable line of charcoal vapor canisters providing vapor management solutions for classic cars, modern vehicles, and boats.Visit SEMA 2025, Las Vegas, Nov. 4-7, Booth #24169, Central Hall, Racing & Performance.Company Contact Tom MischkeShop48480-964-3488 www.vaportrapper.comtom@shop48.co Contact InformationTom MischkeOwnertom@ shop48.co 480-964-3488SOURCE: Vapor Trapper Nigerias aviation sector is facing a manpower crisis as the number of qualified air traffic controllers continues to dwindle, raising concerns about the smooth running and efficiency of flight operations in the country. Officials of the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) issued the warning on Monday during the commemoration of the International Day of the Air Traffic Controller in Lagos. The agency is raising the alarm that Nigeria may lose over 70 experienced air traffic controllers in few years time, in the absence of urgent and coordinated intervention. Speaking at the event, NATCAs president, Amos Edino, and its deputy president, Shettima Babagan, warned that the country risks a severe staffing crisis if urgent actions are not taken. Mr Babagan explained that a study conducted in 2022 revealed that Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Nigerias busiest, required about 120 air traffic controllers to efficiently manage its five operational units, including area control, terminal area control, aerodrome control, and ground control. At that time, we had barely 55 controllers handling operations, less than half of what was required. The reality has not changed much since then, even though air traffic has grown significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic, the NATCA chief stated. He added that increased travel demand is placing additional strain on existing personnel and systems, making intervention more urgent. Within the Nigerian context, the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) system, which provides surveillance data for air traffic control, came into use around 2008, with full coverage achieved in 2013. But thats over a decade ago and technology has since moved on, Mr Babagan said. He added that the association has consistently engaged aviation authorities and the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to highlight infrastructure deficiencies and provide updates in line with global standards. You cannot retain an experienced controller without adequate motivation and up-to-date working tools, he said. The manpower crisis, however, is not unique to Nigeria. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also been struggling to keep up with recruitment and capacity development demands. According to reports by the US National Air Traffic Controllers Association, more than 1,200 controllers are currently in training across various facilities, yet the system still faces critical staffing shortfalls. In the same vein, a 2023 study by the US Department of Transportations Inspector General revealed that the FAAs staffing shortage poses a risk to the efficiency of the National Airspace System, with some control centres recording trainee ratios as high as 40 per cent. The shortage of air traffic controllers is not a Nigerian problem alone; it is a global issue. But what matters is how each country responds, Mr Edino remarked. It takes a minimum of three years to train an air traffic controller to proficiency. So even if recruitment starts today, we wont feel the impact until three years down the line. One of the biggest challenges to bridging Nigerias manpower gap is the limited training capacity of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, the countrys only institution responsible for producing air traffic controllers. Replacing retiring staff is equally weighing on efficiency. The agencys internal data shows that between 60 to 70 controllers could retire from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and other related agencies in the next five to six years. That dire condition may require that some retired controllers be recalled or the current retirement age of their outgoing counterparts be extended, Mr Babagan suggested. A delegation of Nigerian capital market stakeholders has engaged financial institutions and digital asset experts in Switzerlands Crypto Valley to explore blockchain-based investment opportunities strategically, Nicky Okoye, an Investment Advisor, has said. The visit, which recently took place in Zurich, Geneva, and Zug in Switzerland, was convened by Mr Okoye, Founder and President of the Global Investment Advisory (GIA) Community. Mr Okoye, in a statement on Tuesday, said the initiative brought together representatives from Nigerias capital market ecosystem, including regulators, investment executives, and fintech innovators. Supported by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Nigerian team was led by the Senate Committee on Capital Markets Chairman Osita Izunaso. Sulaiman Adedokun, Group Chief Executive, Meristem Group, and Elizabeth Ebi, Group Chief Executive, Futureview, were among the Nigerian delegation. Corporate participants included executives from Meristem Group, Oando Plc, Futureview, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), and CardinalStone Partners. Building blockchain pathways for Nigerian assets Across multiple sessions, Mr Okoye said the delegation met with blockchain infrastructure firms, crypto-native institutional investors, and Swiss private banking executives managing tokenised portfolios for global high-net-worth investors and family offices. One of the sessions, led by Chief Economist of the Swiss Banking Association, Martin Hess, examined how Nigerian assets could be structured for tokenisation and integrated into internationally compliant digital investment products. Similarly, Axel Lehmann, a former Credit Suisse Chairperson, also offered insights on how African real-world assets could be positioned to attract institutional interest from European markets. Tokenisation workshops and institutional mapping Further technical workshops were hosted at EU Business School, Geneva, focusing on tokenising real-world assets from emerging markets. Industry contributors included: Pan Theo Grosse-Ruyken (PTGR AG), Allison Fromm (Foundation for New Creative Economies), Rui Pedro Duarte (Loop Future) and Stef De Jong, Dean, EU Business School The discussions highlighted how asset-backed digital products could be structured for cross-border investment flows with the support of regulated platforms. Emerging directions and early commitments According to the GIA Community, preliminary commitments were made between selected digital asset institutions and Nigerian stakeholders to explore potential asset tokenisation pilots. Efforts are expected to leverage established infrastructure providers like Noumena Digital and brokerage platforms like Bitcoin Suisse as technical partners. Mr Okoye said the engagement reflects a growing interest in positioning Nigerian investment assets within emerging global digital markets. Tokenisation is becoming a core part of how future capital flows will be structured. He stated that our engagements in Zug and across Switzerland aim to ensure Nigeria is not left behind in that evolution, he stated. All eyes are on the new military regime that replaced the government of former President Andry Rajoelina, who fled Madagascar after several weeks of mass demonstrations. Malagasy are anxious to see whether the junta is a reincarnation of the past Mr Rajoelina himself took power in a 2009 coup or if it will deliver on its promises to work with the people to address their problems. On 25 September, youths describing themselves as Gen-Z took to the streets of the capital Antananarivo and other big cities, protesting against incessant electricity blackouts, water shortages and spiralling corruption. Their demands escalated to include political reforms and Mr Rajoelinas resignation. After an initial security crackdown proved ineffective, Mr Rajoelinas talks with the Gen-Z movement collapsed. The support and protection of protesters by the powerful Army Corps of Personnel and Administrative and Technical Services (CAPSAT) gendarmerie unit forced the president to flee Madagascar. On 14 October, parliament voted 130-1 to impeach Mr Rajoelina for abandonment of office. The High Constitutional Court upheld the decision and appointed CAPSAT leader Michael Randrianirina as head of state. Mr Randrianirina was sworn in as president on 17 October. Despite the court advising him to implement a 60-day transition, he pledged a two-year transition and a constitutional referendum. Meanwhile, the exiled Mr Rajoelina continues to claim the presidency. The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) responded swiftly to the crisis, suspending Madagascar from all AU activities on 15 October, citing an unconstitutional change of government. The PSC called for a rapid return to constitutional order through an inclusive civilian-led transition and elections. It had already, on 13 October, asked AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf to appoint a special envoy to Madagascar and reactivate the 2011 roadmap. The AU decision to sanction Madagascar has angered many Malagasy, who see the junta as a legitimate government that came to their rescue. By contrast, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) opted for a more conciliatory approach. On 14 October, the chair of its Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Malawis newly elected President, Peter Mutharika, announced that SADCs Panel of Elders and Mediation Reference Group would be sent to mediate. Madagascars crisis challenges the AU and regional economic communities mutually agreed principles of democratic governance. SADC is in a particularly awkward position because Madagascar represented by its president holds the SADC chair until 2026. The AUs reactive approach to coups and unconstitutional changes of government reveals its inability to deal with countries facing governance challenges and popular protests. As a result, the AUs zero-tolerance policy often appears to indirectly protect ousted civilian heads of state even in the face of their blatant constitutional and electoral manipulations. Gen-Zs grievances reflect a much deeper malaise. As of 2022, 75 per cent of Madagascars 31.9 million people live below the poverty line, while the United Nations Development Programme ranks the country 183rd out of 193 on the Human Development Index 2024. Graft compounds these hardships. Madagascar ranks 142 out of 180 countries (among the 20 most corrupt in Africa) on Transparency Internationals 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index. With a gross domestic product of just over $17 billion and a per capita income of $545, Madagascar is one of the worlds poorest countries. This dismal economic outlook has aggravated Madagascars troubled political history. Since independence from France in 1960, political transitions have been punctuated by violence, making the Indian Ocean island vulnerable to insurrections. The current crisis was initially driven by socio-economic grievances, as happened in movements that arose in Kenya in 2024 and 2025. Madagascars youth movement was a powerful mobilising force, but its limited organisational structure left it vulnerable to manipulation by political actors and the military, who have now hijacked the process. As the countrys recent history shows, there is no guarantee that the transition will deliver a competent and accountable government that provides essential social services. For the AU, the coup revives the enduring question already raised during the Arab Spring of how to address political crises stemming from fundamental governance deficits. The situation also exposes the AUs early warning deficits and poor communication between its entities. For example, in August, Mr Youssouf appointed a high representative to Madagascar. Sometime after that, the PSC recommended the closure of some AU liaison offices, including in Madagascar. This type of miscommunication is concerning. Why was the brewing crisis missed by the AUs Continental Early Warning Mechanism? And what was the capacity of the liaison office to anticipate and exercise preventive diplomacy? The issue also tests the relationship between the AU and regional economic communities. SADC traditionally tries to limit the AUs involvement in its subregion, often resulting in different positions on political and security issues. Examples are the 2018 election crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the deployment of SADC troops to northern Mozambique in 2021. In this case, Mr Mutharika in his SADC role pledged unconditional solidarity with the Malagasy people, which could undermine the AU and result in deadlock between the two institutions. Although outsiders describe recent events as a coup, many Malagasy including an Antananarivo-based civil society leader who spoke to ISS Today anonymously see it as a peoples victory in removing Mr Rajoelina. However, they do insist on a return to fresh non-aligned civilian democratic rule. Madagascars protests reveal the growing influence of Gen-Z. Many African countries could face the same, as already experienced in Nigeria, Kenya, and, more recently, Morocco. The civil society leader said many young Malagasy felt the AU reacted only to coups, while ignoring governance issues like the 2023 election boycott and the previous governments growing authoritarian nature. The AU and regional blocs have their work cut out for them. They must be better prepared to respond to a future spread of the Gen-Z movement. Many heads of state are aware of this. In 2025, they asked the AU Commission Chair to review the AU Peace and Security Framework to ensure that it adequately addresses contemporary threats. The AUs zero tolerance against coups should be matched by a similar attitude towards the type of poor governance that provokes youth protests. Should the AU not adjust, it will continue to grow unpopular to the point where its relevance is questioned. Martin Ewi, Southern Africa Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator, ENACT, Paul-Simon Handy, Regional Director East Africa and AU Representative, ISS and Zenge Simakoloyi, Research Officer, ISS Addis Ababa (This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish). The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State Branch, has decried the alarming shortage of medical doctors across government-owned hospitals in the state. The Oyo State NMA Chairperson, Happy Adedapo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Monday, that the situation is appalling and dangerous for effective healthcare delivery. Mr Adedapo lamented that several general hospitals across Oyo State are operating with only one or two doctors, while some facilities have none at all. He noted that out of more than 20 general hospitals reviewed, six hospitals Okaka, Iresa-Adu, Ikoyi-Ile, Sepeteri, Lanlate, and Ayete currently have no doctors on ground. He said others such as Igbeti, Igboho, Iganna, Iwere-Ile, Iseyin, Ago-Amodu, Ago-Are, Lagun, Eruwa, and Igboora each have just one doctor managing hundreds of patients. A few facilities, including Kisi, Okeho, and Tede, are staffed by two doctors each, while Apata General Hospital in Ibadan stands out with four doctors the highest number recorded among the general hospitals, he said. The Government House Clinic also has one doctor, while the School of Hygiene Clinic operates without any. Mr Adedapo noted that in the past, every general hospital in Oyo State used to boast of at least between five and seven doctors unlike now that some general hospitals dont even have any doctor currently. He added that the best one could get now for a general hospital might be one, two or three for those that are fortunate. Those ones that have up to three or four will not be up to five hospitals in the entire Oyo State, he said. The association calls on the state government to urgently look into it. LAUTECH Teaching hospital Ogbomosho used to boast of about 150 doctors in the past, but now there are not up to 60. The reality is that doctors are overworked, burdened, and poorly remunerated. Though recently Governor Seyi Makinde paid a working visit to LAUTECH Ogbomosho and made promises which we are hopeful will materialise. The government has made some positive pronouncements for the hospital, but we still need to hear more plans for the University part. Mr Adedapo further said that medical students at the College of Medicine, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso have been on strike for three months. Moreso, the japa scourge is also not helping matters, the government should urgently better the lots of doctors, he said. Things like Medical Residency Training Fund, review of the implementation of the CONMESS should be looked into. The CONMESS is being reviewed at the federal level now, this must also transmit to our members in Oyo state. Car loans, housing loans, proper equipment for healthcare are all needed. Government should please do the needful, if not, we will continue to lament the poor healthcare delivery system in Oyo State, he said. (NAN) Terrorists, locally known as bandits, have abducted at least 73 locals from Buzugu and Rayau villages in the Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Makama Zagazola, a counterinsurgency publication, disclosed this in a security alert posted on X Monday evening. It said the terrorists launched midnight attacks on the villages on 18 October, kidnapping the unsuspecting villagers. Zagazola learnt that the incident occurred at about 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 18, when armed bandits in large numbers, wielding sophisticated weapons, invaded the two villages and whisked away the victims to an unknown destination, the publication posted. Sources said efforts were ongoing to ensure the safe rescue of all abducted persons and to restore normalcy in the affected communities, it added. However, Yazid Abubakar, the police spokesperson in Zamfara, said he was out of the state. I will confirm with the divisional police officer (DPO) and get back to you, he said. Recent attacks in Zamfara Zamfara has become an epicentre of violence where local farmers and travellers are targeted. The state has witnessed many underreported killings and abductions. Earlier this month, the terrorists, during a daytime attack, kidnapped 30 people from a village in the Zugu district of the Bukkuyum LGA. A few days before that attack, the terrorists also kidnapped two councillors and an imam from a village in Gusau LGA. Last month, terrorists killed about five worshippers in a mosque in Yandoto village, Tsafe LGA. They also kidnapped an unspecified number of people. In August, at least two people were killed and 100 others, including women and children, abducted in an attack on the Gamdum Mallam in Adafka, Bukkuyum LGA. Kidnap for ransom economy A report by SBM Intelligence showed that 4,722 people were kidnapped across Nigeria between July 2024 and June 2025, with N2.57 billion paid in ransoms. The North-west region was spotlighted as the epicentre of the crime, with Zamfara having the highest cases of kidnapping. A total of 1,203 were kidnapped in the state, followed by Kaduna and Katsina. SBM Intelligence warned that the kidnap industrys profitabilityfueled by weak law enforcement, economic hardship and community-level extortion dynamicswill persist without targeted disruption of networks and financing flows. EU envoys have agreed on a draft initiative to provide a "reparation loan" to Ukraine at the expense of frozen Russian assets, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing a document. "EU ambassadors informally agreed draft European Council conclusions seen by POLITICO that call on the Commission to put forward a proposal that is underpinned by appropriate European solidarity and risk-sharing," the report notes. The European Commission "has been waiting for the explicit blessing of European heads of state and government" before it moves ahead with a concrete proposal. The publication acknowledges the possibility that this could occur at the EU summit on October 23. At the same time, Politico notes that, even after EC approval, negotiations with EU governments could take weeks. The publication recalls that, among EU member states, Belgium where the Euroclear depository, which stores these funds, is located has taken the most "cautious approach" to using the blocked Russian funds. However, a source in Belgian diplomatic circles told Politico that the country will not object to the EC's proposal regarding the use of the assets at the October 23 summit. Previous reports indicated that the European Commission is considering using approximately EUR 170 billion of frozen Russian assets held in the Euroclear financial depository in Brussels. It is expected that EUR 140 billion of these funds will be allocated to a "reparation loan" for Ukraine. This issue is expected to be discussed at the EU summit on October 23-24. Over the past three months, security forces from the Lake Chad Basin countries Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon have announced the arrest or killing of key figures in Boko Haram factions. Although these gains will weaken the terrorist groups, they have shown an ability to outlast their leaders and reinvent themselves. Security forces must therefore remain vigilant and proactive. In August, Chadian police announced the arrest in the capital NDjamena of Muslim Yusuf, son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf. Muslims older brother Habib Yusuf, also known as Abu Musab al-Barnawi, is the current leader of the Boko Haram faction Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). In the same month, the Nigerian Army announced the killing of Bakura Doro, head of the other Boko Haram faction, Jamaatu Ahlus-Sunna LiddaAwati Wal Jihad (JAS). Also in August, Nigerian security services arrested Mahmud Usman and Mahmud Al-Nigeri the two leaders of Ansaru, a JAS splinter group. Along with these actions against group leaders, dozens of Boko Haram fighters have been killed in military operations across the region. The security forces are clearly able to target leaders a tactic that will cripple the groups until replacements are found. In the interim, disorder and more demobilisation of combatants and non-fighting Boko Haram affiliates is likely, as happened when JAS leader Abubakar Shekau was killed in 2021. Another advantage is that the arrested leaders could provide useful strategic intelligence in the ongoing fight against violent extremism. Gains have also been made in other areas. Military operations such as Nalewa Dole (in Niger) and Hadin Kai (in Nigeria) are yielding results. In Nigeria, increased air strikes and greater responsiveness have considerably slowed down ISWAPs Camp Holocaust campaign. Cameroons Rapid Intervention Battalion repelled several attacks as part of the campaign, such as that on a military camp in Fima (in Fotokol), which killed more than a dozen ISWAP fighters. To date, ISWAP has not acknowledged Muslims arrest and JAS has denied Bakura Doros death. No other independent source has confirmed his death, and to date, no new leader has emerged. Even if true, history shows that removing leaders does not necessarily lead to the dissolution of affected groups. When Shekau died, JAS was expected to fall apart, but Bakura Doro quickly emerged as its new leader. Despite JAS human and material losses and the military pressure exerted by rival ISWAP on its positions, Bakura Doro managed to gradually loosen ISWAPs stranglehold and rebuild his factions strike force. Three years since Shekaus death, JAS has reconstituted itself as a significant threat. The challenge now facing the regions armies is to capitalise on recent security gains in order to really cripple the factions. In the case of Chad, Muslim seems to have been arrested by chance. He infiltrated the country with a small group, conducting criminal activities including armed robberies and kidnappings for ransom to raise funds for ISWAP. His presence demonstrates the groups continued attempt to establish sleeper cells and operations in NDjamena. Muslim was arrested with four other people, including one from the Chadian security forces, according to authorities. Other ISWAP members are likely still at large in the city. Of all the Lake Chad Basin capitals, NDjamena is closest to the conflicts epicentre. Together with Maiduguri, capital of Nigerias Borno State, it was attacked at least twice by Boko Haram in 2015. The current situation mirrors those dynamics, which saw the group set up a cell to coordinate the logistics for the June 2015 attacks. The arrest of Muslim and his accomplices will certainly prevent a repeat of the events of 2015, but vigilance remains essential. This is especially true given that, according to a 1 October Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) statement, ISWAP is conducting surveillance operations around prisons and detention centres in NDjamena with a view to freeing Muslim from jail. In response to these losses, both Boko Haram factions will probably initiate retaliatory strikes to show their continued capacity to cause harm. ISWAP may choose to directly threaten NDjamena. And if Bakura Doro has indeed been killed, the new JAS leader is expected to initiate dramatic actions to make his mark. This will further strain armies and communities in the Lake Chad Basin. Security force pressure in the four countries should not ease up. Together with the MNJTF, they must maintain the upper hand and enhance intelligence gathering to stay ahead of the Boko Haram factions. This includes capitalising on the presence of high-profile prisoners like Muslim and his accomplices, who could provide valuable intelligence. Remadji Hoinathy, Senior Researcher, Central Africa and Lake Chad Basin, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) (This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish). The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has urged the United States not to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom, arguing that such a move would hurt ongoing efforts to promote dialogue, national healing, and interfaith understanding under the current Bola Tinubu administration. Speaking at the launch of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACIN) 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom in the World at the Augustinianum Hall in Vatican City, Bishop Kukah said although Nigeria remains deeply troubled by violence, discrimination, and insecurity, there are encouraging signs of progress that should be strengthened, not punished. Re-designating Nigeria a Country of Concern will only make our work in the area of dialogue among religious leaders even harder, Mr Kukah said. It will increase tensions, sow doubt, open windows of suspicion and fear, and simply allow the criminals and perpetrators of violence to exploit. What Nigeria needs now is vigilance and partnership, not punishment. Nigeria has sinned and fallen short, but progress is visible Kukah The cleric, long recognised as one of Nigerias leading voices on human rights and interfaith relations, acknowledged that the country had failed in many respects to protect citizens rights to worship freely. He said that under former President Muhammadu Buhari, religious persecution, particularly against Christians, was visible and egregious, marked by exclusionary policies and the capture of federal power by northern Muslims. The Buhari administration marked the worst phase in the history of interfaith relations in Nigeria, Mr Kukah said. That government gave oxygen to jihadists through policies that overtly favoured Islam and northern Nigeria. However, he said the Tinubu administration has so far shown a willingness to listen and to act inclusively. He cited the appointment of Christians to strategic national positions including the Chief of Defence Staff, the Director of the State Security Service, the INEC Chairman, and the National Chairman of the ruling party as confidence-building measures that inspire a sense of belonging. Mr Kukah also commended President Tinubu for visiting Benue State after the recent Yelwata killings, describing the visit and his empathy for victims as a departure from Buharis silence and indifference. Religious persecution remains real, but not total Kukah While acknowledging that Christian minorities in northern Nigeria still face discrimination including denial of land for church buildings, refusal to rebuild destroyed places of worship, and restricted access to religious education the bishop said Nigerias reality cannot be simplified as state-backed religious oppression. We are not dealing with people going around wielding machetes to kill me because I am a Christian, he said. I live in Sokoto, in the womb of Islam, and I move freely in my regalia. The Sultan of Sokoto himself attended our events and provided support for our work. This is not to say there are no problems, but the daily realities of interfaith life in Nigeria are far more complex. He said while terrorists and extremist groups have targeted Christians, they have also attacked Muslims who reject their ideology, turning large parts of Nigeria into a tragic killing field. The bishop warned against the simplistic labelling of Nigeria as a country of religious oppression, arguing that such narratives overlook the multifaceted nature of its crisis one driven by weak governance, poverty, ethnicity, and organized crime as much as by religion. Mr Kukah urged global institutions to recognise the complexity of Nigerias struggle and assist in rebuilding trust among its diverse communities. He recalled that the United States had previously placed Nigeria on the Countries of Particular Concern list under the Donald Trump administration but later removed it under President Joe Biden. While acknowledging the role of international watchdogs, he said another designation now would only undermine fragile interfaith efforts. Nigeria must stand before the mirror and decide how to create a country of common citizenship, he said. The goal should be to help us reform, not to stigmatize. We need encouragement to build peace, not labels that isolate us. The bishop appealed for constructive international engagement, including support for Nigerias military to combat jihadists and bandits. He accused the Barack Obama administration of having blocked Nigerias access to weapons under President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that decision pushed back the fight against Boko Haram. I appeal to President Donald Trump, who is already working hard for peace in the Middle East, to lift the restrictions and help Nigeria access the tools it needs to defeat terror, he said. A window of hope under Tinubu Despite Nigerias concerning human rights record, Mr Kukah expressed optimism that the current governments inclusiveness and the symbolic interfaith makeup of the First Family with the President as a Muslim and the First Lady a Pentecostal pastor offer a window of hope. He called on the Tinubu government to deepen reforms, enforce constitutional secularism, and challenge the adoption of Sharia law by 12 northern states, which he described as unconstitutional and dangerous. The President should go to court to have the adoption of Sharia law declared unconstitutional, Mr Kukah said. This is the only way to end mob justice and restore confidence in Nigerias secular state. Concluding his address, Mr Kukah urged religious and political leaders to seize the moment to restore national harmony. Despite our challenges, Nigeria can still make a great contribution to world peace if we rid our country of religious extremism, he said. We should be supported and encouraged, not punished. He described the ACIN report, which shows that 5.4 billion people globally live without full religious freedom, as a wake-up call, not a verdict of condemnation. Let Nigeria be judged not only by its wounds, but by its willingness to heal, Mr Kukah said. The trigger for Mr Kukahs remarks In recent months, US Senator Ted Cruz and a group of Republican lawmakers have renewed pressure on the US State Department to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. They argue that Nigerian authorities have tolerated or failed to stop widespread persecution of Christians by extremist groups and that officials who enable such violence should face sanctions. Senator Cruzs proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 seeks to make the CPC status mandatory and impose penalties on officials complicit in religiously motivated killings or the enforcement of blasphemy and Sharia laws. Nigeria was first placed on the CPC list in 2020 under the Trump administration but removed in 2021 by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The new congressional campaign follows inaccurate of ongoing attacks on churches and faith-based communities, with Mr Cruz claiming, without evidence, that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009. Supporters of the move say it would compel Nigeria to uphold religious freedoms, while critics, including rights monitors, note that much of the countrys violence stems from terrorism, banditry, and communal conflict rather than state-sponsored persecution. The Nigerian government has strongly rejected the accusations, insisting that it does not persecute any religious group and that the crisis is rooted in insecurity and governance failures, not faith-based repression. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, and the House of Representatives have dismissed the American lawmakers proposal as an unfair and misleading depiction of Nigerias situation, warning that it undermines national sovereignty and ongoing efforts at interfaith dialogue. Nigerian officials say both Christians and Muslims have been victims of extremist violence. BELOW IS THE FULL STATEMENT BY BISHOP MATHEW HASSAN KUKAH Comments at the Launch of the ACIN 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom in the World . A Plea & Testimony from Nigeria By Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria, Delivered at the Augustinianum Hall, on October 21st, 2021, Vatican City. 1: I want to thank Aid to the Church in Need for their kind invitation to me to speak in response to the release of their biennial report on, Religious Freedom in the World. The report itself is a huge document of 1248 pages. It covers the state of Religious Freedom around the entire world between Jan 2023 & December 2024. According to the authors, the report reveals a worrying decline that shows more than 5.4 billion living today in countries without religious freedom. It is important to note that this report neither targets a particular country nor a particular faith. It cuts across all faiths and focuses only on the degree to which countries comply with this fundamental human right. The report identifies authoritarianism, religious extremism, ethno-religious nationalism and organized crime as drivers of religious persecution. To rephrase Leo Tolstoy therefore; Every victim of persecution is persecuted differently. 2: There have been serious concerns nationally and internationally over the deterioration of security matters in Nigeria. The reports have focused on the tragic outburst of violence that has turned huge swaths of the Nigerian landscape into a huge killing field. For over 15 years now, these murderous gangs of Islamicists and jihadist groups have found their way into our country, wreaking havoc, destroying lives and properties, ravaging farmlands and leaving huge parts of the country empty of human existence. Along with this, a culture of uncontrolled banditry, thousands of communities have been destroyed, with thousands of lives lost. The country has witnessed an unacceptable surge in internal displacement in most parts of the north especially around the middle belt states. 3: The biggest challenge for us is the appropriate language to use in describing this tragedy. The reactions have been confusing. Early narratives spoke of farmer-herder clashes, climate change, cattle rustling, outright criminality, etc. With the emergence of Boko Haram and the targeting of Church structures, destruction of schools, hospitals, the kidnapping of priests, the religious, seminarians and other pastoral agents, the murderous gangs invoking the words like, allahu akubar as their anthem of death, there was no other way of speaking of persecution of Christians by these jihadist groups rather than calling them religious persecution targeted at Christians. Then came the sacking of communities and the occupation of swaths of lands by these terrorist and murderous groups. These groups would later target Muslims who did not believe in their brand of Islam. Today, the floods of blood in Nigeria have no boundaries. This is why the debate over what is happening to us has become so confusing within and outside Nigeria. Although we cannot find the right words, the simple truth is that Nigerians are dying for a living. 4: The confusion over the appropriate language is understandable. The greatest area of concern is how much this tragic turn of events has disrupted years of Nigeria being a colourful tapestry of wonderful human relationships marked by great friendships among our people, across faiths and ethnicities. For example, I live in Sokoto, right in the womb of Islam. If we were dealing with outright persecution of Christians on grounds of identity, both myself and my small flock would not exist. For example, on September 8th, 2011, the ceremony of my ordination and installation as the Bishop of Sokoto was marked by this exemplary show of collaboration between the Diocese, the state government and the Sultan who personally enthusiastically provided accommodation for my guests during the occasion. I received the gift of a new Prado Jeep from a Muslim friend of mine who said to me, Bishop; This is my gift to you for your pastoral work in your vast Diocese! On the 30th of September this year, the Sultan himself was physically in the premises of our Secretariat where we commissioned an ICT facility with almost 300 computers for youth and children. This is not to say that there are no problems, but our daily lives should be defined by a better narrative. 5: We are therefore not dealing with cases of people who are going around wielding machetes and looking for me to kill because I am a Christian. I travel in my official regalia as Bishop in and out of Sokoto. We carry out our religious services with no molestations. However, what is important is not to create the impression that we have no problems. We do have serious problems but these have escalated because the federal and state governments have, over the years allowed these problems to fester. The inability of the federal government and its security agencies to end these killings has created the condition for the genocide that has taken over many communities today. By whatever names we choose, the fact is that Nigerians are dying unacceptable deaths across the country. In many cases, they are targeted because of their beliefs but also because of their ethnicity. We are in the cusp of a weak state with clear lack of capacity to arrest the descent into anarchy. 6: Nigerians feel vulnerable and unprotected irrespective of their faiths, ethnicity or social classes. A significant part of our social life has literally collapsed as many citizens now fear large gatherings for social events or prayer. It is important to restate that things were never really always like this. The last 8 years of the Buhari administration marked the worst phase in the history of interfaith relations in Nigeria, especially relating to violence against Christians and their exclusion from power. That administration gave oxygen to jihadists by virtue of its policies which overtly favoured Islam and northern Nigeria. The President himself was a Muslim, ensured that the Senate President, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the entire leadership of security was entrusted to the hands of only Muslims, almost all from the north. This was a departure from the sensibilities that had characterized power sharing in Nigeria. I argued then that in reality, the difference between President Buhari and the Jihadists was that he was using a pen while the jihadists were using weapons of violence against Christians. I also stated that under Buhari, to gain power, it was more important to be a northern Muslim than to be a citizen of Nigeria. 7: Today, sadly, Nigeria is still bleeding. However, I see a window of opportunity that we could use to restore harmony among our people. The Report acknowledged that the First Family is an example of what should give hope in Nigeria; with the President being a Muslim and his wife being a Pastor in a Pentecostal Church! The President and the Vice President are Muslims, yet Christians have not felt alienated. The Chief of General Staff of the Nigerian Army, the Director of State Security Services among others are Christians. The President just appointed a Christian as the leader of the ruling Party. He also has appointed a Christian as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. These are confidence building measures aimed at inspiring confidence in the citizens about having a sense of belonging. Our situation is far from perfect. We are still in a bad place, but there are signs of a government willing to listen. In response to the tragedy of the horrible killings in Yelwata, Benue state, the President physically paid a visit and had interactive sessions with the victims and the state government. It also pledged financial assistance to the victims. Such actions are different from the Buhari period where the President largely simply looked the other way without empathy. 8: The report indicates some decline in terrorist attacks quoting the Global Terrorism Index Report for2025 which states that terrorist attacks in Nigeria declined by 37% in 2024. However, the report still notes that; During the reporting period, innumerable attacks in Nigeria were documented in which the victims religious affiliation played a contributing or decisive role. Religious identity, particularly Christian identity in the northern states, matters intensely because it renders Christians (and moderate Muslims) particularly vulnerable to violence, persecution, and displacement.Religious freedom in Nigeria is under grave threat, principally due to legal measures that support discrimination against Christians in the northern states, as well as severe and relentless atrocities committed throughout the country. It is therefore deeply discouraging to note that prospects for religious freedom in Africas most populous nation remain extremely grim. 8: This Report is not meant to make anyone side happy or sad. It is a wake-up call for Nigeria. The report offers Nigeria and opportunity to stand in the mirror and decide how it wants to create a country of common citizenship. President Bola Tinubu ordered Nigeria to return to its old national anthem, emphasizing that one of the stanzas says, we want to; build a country where no one is oppressed. Now is the time to live up to these principles. There is an urgent need to bring all laws, I am mean all, under the purview of the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. 9: For years, the agents of state have stood by as individuals took the law into their hands, destroying churches and killing Christians over the last forty years, killing innocent citizens of both faiths on grounds of blasphemy laws with the Hisbah groups seeking to enforce Islamic laws by the backdoor, all with no repercussion. The dubious decision by 12 northern states to adopt Sharia law in a Democracy in 2000, opened the door to Islamicists who saw this as a sign that Islam was on the ascendancy. Things must change. The President should go to court to have the adoption of the Sharia law by the 12 northern states declared unconstitutional as the only way to arrest the tendency to mob justice which continues to claim innocent lives of citizens such as Deborah Samuel (Sokoto), Bridget Agbahime (Kano). The secular state anticipated by the Constitution must be enforced. 10: In the experiences of Christian minorities in northern Nigeria, what constitutes persecution is not necessarily just violence. It is also the perceived denial of their rights to access to places of worship in public institutions, refusal of state authorities to allocate lands for the building of churches, not reconstructing destroyed churches when fanatics raze them down, denial of employment opportunities and promotion in public institutions, lack of access to religious education for Christian children in public schools etc. The right to what constitutes persecution belongs to the victim. It is left for the state to gauge these claims against the Constitution. 11: Finally, I want once again to thank ACIN for their tireless work towards the restoration of human dignity in the fulfilment of Gods gift to humanity, the right for all to worship him without let or hindrance. I believe that over the years, Nigeria has sinned and fallen short. Under the Buhari administration, its egregious persecution of Christians was visible. I accepted and encouraged the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Concern. In their statement dated December 11th, 2020, (a day after the Human Rights Day) the Trump administration said: Governments whose leaders have allowed perpetrators of vicious persecution to act with impunity pose a national security threat to the United States and the world. 12: I do believe that today, acts of impunity still persist, but it is my view that re-designating Nigeria a Country of Concern will hurt the initiatives we are working on with the current government to collectively resolve the nagging problems of first, the persecution of Christians and of course the larger issues of ending the mindless killings of our citizens. Designating my country, Nigeria, a Country of Concern will only make our work in the area of dialogue among religious leaders in our country and elsewhere with the Nigerian state even harder. It will only increase tensions, sow doubt, open windows of suspicion and fear and simply allow the criminals and perpetrators of violence to exploit. What Nigeria needs now is a more vigilance by the organisations such as the ACIN and civil society groups to continue to press for change and to deliberately work to end impunity. 12: I believe that the Obama and Biden administrations were complicit in the way they handled the fight against Boko Haram under the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. The country was already making progress. The decision to block Nigerias access to the required weapons to end this violence by the Obama administration and their drive to impose President Buhari on Nigeria pushed back this fight. I therefore appeal President, Donald Trump who is already working hard to show that a peaceful world is possible with his historic achievement in the Middle East to lift the ban and allow Nigeria access the military tools it requires to free our country from the stranglehold of these evil men. I believe this will set us on a course to end the violence that extremist groups and merchants of death have inflicted on us. 13: Thankfully, in his new Encyclical, Dilexi Te, the holy father, Pope Leo has said: I am sure that preferential option for the poor is the source of extraordinary renewal both for Church and society. Happily, our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent a delegation of the Catholic Bishops for the burial of our beloved holy father, Pope Francis. He personally took the historic decision to be at the inauguration of the holy father, Pope Leo, X1V. We believe that despite our challenges, there is a window of opportunity to the religious leaders in Nigeria to map out the best strategies towards national harmony and integration. With the historic developments in the Middle East coming in this year of Hope, the world has a chance to reverse the vicious hold of all forms of religious extremism threatening a peaceful world order. Nigeria, a country of well over 200 million people of faith can make a great contribution towards this quest for world peace if we can rid our country of the virus of religious extremism. We should be supported and encouraged in this effort and not punished. On our part, the Nigerian government must urgently design a robust template to restore confidence in our country by taking the concerns expressed in this Report in good faith. Thank you very much. A tanker carrying petrol has exploded at a village on the Bida-Agaei road in Niger State, killing an unspecified number of people. The accident, according to a Facebook post by one Muhammad Somanji, occurred in Essa village, Katcha LGA. At the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire has not been determined. The exact number of fatalities is also yet to be confirmed by emergency officials. Several individuals who sustained varying degrees of injuries were rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention, Mr Somanji wrote. Emergency response teams are currently on ground working to manage the situation and assist affected victims. He added that authorities have launched an investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the explosion. In a video Mr Somanji uploaded, residents could be heard calling out names of loved ones suspected to be missing at the time of the incident. Fire service confirms incident The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Niger State Command, Aishatu Saadu, confirmed the incident in Minna on Tuesday, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria. Ms Saadu revealed that 35 persons lost their lives while 46 others sustained various degrees of injuries. She, however, said that her men were already conducting a rescue operation at the scene of the accident. Ms Saadu said the incident caused traffic gridlock on the ever-busy expressway, particularly due to the bad nature of the road. The Bida-Agaei road has been in bad shape since 2017. Although the road is being reconstructed, travelers worried that the contractors are slow since they started working about five years ago. According to Ms Saadu, the deplorable state of the road slowed down response for rescue operations. The cause Ms Saadu said preliminary investigations revealed that the crash was a lone accident resulting from loss of control by the tanker driver. However, she blamed the residents who attempted to scoop fuel from the fallen tanker. It is God that gives wealth. People should avoid greed and be content with what God has given them, she advised. According to her, injured victims were being treated at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Bida. The Niger State Chairman of the Tanker Drivers Association and National Ex-Officio of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Farouk Kawo, told NAN that the tanker was conveying petroleum products from Lagos to the northern part of the country. Mr Kawo revealed that more than 30 tankers had been involved in accidents on the same route in October alone, attributing the frequent crashes to the deplorable condition of the road. The community youths have continued to scoop products from accidented vehicles. Just last Sunday, a tanker conveying groundnut oil also crashed and its contents were scooped, he said. Mr Kawo appealed to the Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago, to urgently intervene by grading the bad portions of the road to ease movement and reduce accidents. If the bad spots are repaired, it will go a long way in preventing further loss of lives and property, Mr Kawo said. Previous tanker explosions in Niger State In January alone, Niger State recorded at least four tanker explosions that killed more than 100. On 18 January, a deadly tanker explosion claimed more than 70 lives in Dikko, a popular town in Niger State. This was followed by two other explosions along Lapai-Agaei road. In February, another tanker explosion rocked the state, destroying properties worth millions of naira. The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to investigate the utilisation of over $4.6 billion in health grants and assistance received by Nigeria from the Global Fund and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) between 2021 and 2025,. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by Philip Agbese (APC, Benue), the deputy spokesperson of the House, during plenary. The motion came as a result of concerns over Nigerias persistent poor health outcomes despite the huge financial inflows The countrys health system has long faced scrutiny over the management of donor funds. Despite being among the largest recipients of Global Fund and USAID assistance in Africa, reports continue to highlight weak accountability frameworks, fund leakages, and delays in programme implementation. Presenting the motion, Mr Agbese noted that Nigeria received an estimated $1.8 billion from the Global Fund between 2021 and 2025 to fight HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria, in addition to $2.8 billion in health assistance from USAID covering various health threats such as HIV, malaria, polio, and tuberculosis between 2022 and 2024. He added that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, established in 2002, was created to accelerate global efforts to end these epidemics, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, through pooled financing and partnerships. Mr Agbese further stated that Nigeria has also benefited from over $6 billion in assistance from the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) between 2021 and 2025 for HIV/AIDS control and strengthening health systems across the country. Nigeria also received over $6 billion dollars in health assistance from the US Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief from 2021 to 2025 to fight HIV/AIDS and build capacity of Health and community Systems, he said. The lawmaker expressed concern that despite these significant interventions, Nigeria continues to bear one of the highest global burdens of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. According to the data he cited, in 2023 alone, about 15,000 children (aged 014 years) died from AIDS-related causes in Nigeria, while 51,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded nationwide, placing Nigeria third globally in HIV deaths and with the highest number of HIV cases in West and Central Africa. In tuberculosis, Mr Agbese noted that Nigeria ranks first in Africa and sixth in the world, accounting for 4.6 per cent of the global TB burden, while in malaria, the country bears the highest burden worldwide, representing 26.6 per cent of global cases and 31 per cent of global malaria deaths. He expressed worry that the alarming statistics raise questions about the transparency, coordination, and impact of the grants, especially given that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is responsible for implementing USAID-funded projects, while the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) Nigeria oversees Global Fund programmes. Mr Agbese lamented that there has not been a coordinated and robust oversight by the National Assembly on the utilisation of these grants, despite its constitutional powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution to summon officials and demand accountability from ministries, agencies, and even non-governmental implementers. He warned that unless urgent steps are taken to reevaluate and reassess how the grants have been implemented, especially as the Global Fund prepares its 8th Replenishment phase, Nigeria risks failing to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of eliminating HIV, TB, and malaria by 2030. House resolution Without debate, the House mandated its Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control to investigate the utilisation of the grants received by Nigeria between 2021 and 2025 for the fight against HIV, TB, and malaria. The committee was directed to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action. The House also resolved to mandate the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare to provide details of the implementation plan and National Assembly approvals for the utilisation and expenditure of the grants. The University of Ilorin will award certificates to 11,886 graduates at its 40th convocation ceremonies, which will be held in Ilorin on Tuesday and Wednesday. Speaking at a press briefing in Ilorin on Monday, the Vice Chancellor, Wahab Egbewole (SAN), said 316 of the graduands bagged First Class degrees. According to Mr Egbewole, 4,120 graduated with Second Class (Upper Division), 5,939 with Second Class (Lower Division), 1,078 with Third Class, while 11 will graduate with Pass degrees. He said President Bola Tinubu would commission seven newly completed projects as part of the convocation activities. He listed the projects as the Faculty of Social Sciences Building, Lecture halls for the Faculties of Social Sciences and Management Sciences, English Drama Studio for the Faculty of Arts, Renovated Blocks 110, Renovated Department of Geography and Environmental Management building, Remodelled and developed UNILORIN Innovation Hub and Technical and Entrepreneurship Centre Road. Mr Egbewole said the university has maintained its position among the leading institutions in Nigeria, attracting significant research and infrastructural grants. He revealed that Unilorin received 2.5 billion from TETFund in 2025, in addition to a Special High Impact Project (SHIP) grant of 4 billion for upgrading facilities at the College of Health Sciences and 750 million for the construction of a new hostel at the college. The award was presented to the university by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, on April 29, 2025, he said. The vice chancellor highlighted the universitys research achievements. Ismail Odetokun, an Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, was recently listed among the worlds most cited scholars on Google Scholar, with 11,826 citations. The vice chancellor reaffirmed the universitys commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and community service, noting that UNILORIN remains a centre of academic distinction in Nigeria. The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese (APC, Benue), has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against joining the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in its ongoing strike, saying such action could jeopardise ongoing reforms in the education sector. Mr Agbese said the reforms, being implemented by the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, were already yielding positive results and needed time to stabilise. His remarks followed the four-week ultimatum issued by the NLC to the federal government to resolve outstanding disputes with university-based unions or face joint industrial action. NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, warned that the Congress would activate all necessary instruments if the federal government failed to conclude negotiations with the tertiary education unions within the stipulated time. The warning comes amid renewed agitation by ASUU over unmet demands, including withheld salaries, funding shortfalls, and unfulfilled agreements with the government. However, speaking to journalists after Tuesdays plenary, Mr Agbese appealed to the NLC, ASUU and other stakeholders to show restraint and allow the education system to recover from years of disruption. In developed countries, when a government begins to perform well in certain sectors, citizens usually give it some time; a holiday of sorts, to observe and consolidate on the progress made. That is what we need to do now for the education sector, he said. The lawmaker urged the unions to support, rather than sabotage, the bold and far-reaching reforms initiated by the Minister of Education, aimed at repositioning Nigerias education system for global competitiveness. Mr Agbese highlighted several initiatives under Mr Alausa, including reforms in university administration, efforts to improve funding transparency, and the promotion of research, innovation and digital learning. He said the government had increased the annual admission capacity in tertiary institutions from 750,000 to one million students, while harmonising tuition policies through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to ensure fairness and accessibility. The deputy spokesperson described the launch of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) Roadmap as a major step toward transforming the sector, alongside the implementation of the Students Loan Scheme, which he said had expanded access to higher education for students from less privileged backgrounds. Mr Agbese also cited the World Banksupported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project as another milestone under the ministers leadership. The programme, he said, provides conditional cash transfers, upgrades school facilities, and equips adolescent girls with life and digital skills to overcome social and economic barriers. According to him, these initiatives are beginning to yield visible results and should not be derailed by another round of industrial action. As stakeholders, we must see ourselves as part of the Nigerian project. Strikes have never solved our problems; they only make matters worse. These issues can always be brought before the National Assembly, where there are mechanisms for dialogue and intervention, he said. Mr Agbese added that the current Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, understands the struggles of the academic community and is always ready to intervene when necessary. He urged ASUU to move beyond what he called the same old formula of repeated strikes and instead adopt a constructive approach by contributing ideas that could strengthen education policy and governance. The worst hit each time ASUU goes on strike are the poor teachers children and those from low-income homes who attend public schools, he lamented. The Honourable Minister himself understands these challenges because he has lived through them. That is why we must give him the support needed to complete these reforms. Mr Agbese reaffirmed the commitment of the National Assembly to act as a bridge between the government and education stakeholders, ensuring that disputes are resolved through dialogue rather than confrontation. Our doors are open. Lets work together to strengthen the system instead of shutting it down, he added. On Monday, protesters led by Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, stormed the streets of Nigerias capital city, calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from custody. Mr Kanu has been in detention since 2021 as he faces trial on terrorism charges which stemmed from his separatist activities calling for the independence of the South-east region as a sovereign state. The Nigerian government accused him in the trial that dates back to 2015 of inciting violence that has led to wanton killings and destruction of properties in the region. But protesters led by Mr Sowore, the 2019 and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, maintained that Mr Kanus detention is unjust and politically motivated and called for the IPOB leaders unconditional release. In Abuja, protesters marched from the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in the Maitama District, through Wuse to Berger and down to Utako. The protest subsequently continued at Apo down to Gudu area of Abuja before Mr Sowore finally led a few remaining protesters to the FCT Police Command in an attempt to secure the release of some arrested protesters. In Abia State, several residents marched around major areas and roads in Umuahia, the state capital. In video clips reviewed by this newspaper, Abia protesters were seen chanting Mr Kanus names and demanding his release from detention as they marched on foot, tricycles, motorcycles and bicycles. In Enugu, Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi, the streets were deserted on Monday. In Ondo State, Igbo-owned businesses shut down, signaling solidarity with the protest calling for the release of detained Mr Kanu. Despite a court order approving of the planned protest, the police forcefully dispersed protesters using tear gas in many instances in Abuja. Fear, gridlock, and disruptions On Monday, Abuja residents woke up to palpable fear of the protest interfering with their daily activities. Unverified information had been circulating the night before, asking residents to stay home and observe the atmosphere before leaving their homes. As early as 6 a.m., before protesters gathered at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, the meeting point of the protest, police had mounted roadblocks on major routes leading to the National Assembly, Federal Secretariat, Eagles Square, Aso Rock and the Court of Appeal. The presence of increased security personnel around the city also raised fear among residents. Good morning Abuja, wherever youre going this morning, make sure to leave the house early. Most of the places in the city are blocked, Abuja street, a popular Abuja traffic blog, posted on X. This police barricade slowed down vehicular movement around the Central Business District (CBD), gradually creating a gridlock that only eased a few hours later. Residents coming to the city centre from the Nyanya-Karu axis endured the gridlock. Many commuters were left stranded, and some, unable to tolerate the situation, chose to return home. I trekked from Mararaba this morning to get to Abacha Barack in Asokoro, just to get to work, said Samson Chukwu, a resident of Mararaba, describing how he became stranded and had to walk several kilometers to reach his workplace in Wuse. Activities were grounded in parts of Abuja as a result of the protest and police roadblocks on Monday. The demonstration paralysed activities at the Federal High Court in Abuja, stalling hearing in a case filed by the police involving Mr Sowore and others linked to the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest. Protest, teargas and arrests Meanwhile, at the Hilton Hotel, where the protest began, protesters grouped and chanted numerous solidarity songs, such as Holy Holy Holy, Nnamdi Kanu is another saviour. However, police fired tear gas at the protesters, dispersing them at the location multiple times, forcing the caravan of protesters away from the area. The police also fired teargas at journalists and civilians around the AP filling station opposite the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. The police briefly arrested a journalist with the Agence France-Presse (AFP), PREMIUM TIMES gathered. Residents going about their day were forced to take alternative routes as a result of the effect of the teargas. Shortly after, around 9 a.m., the protesters regrouped and moved towards Berger down to Jabi in the Utako district of the capital city. Again, the protesters were dispersed by teargas-firing police officers at a building material plaza in Jabi. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the management of the plaza was forced to shut it down, crippling business activities. Mr Sowore addressed protesters in the Jabi/Utakoo axis describing Mr Kanus detention as a symbol of Nigerias deepening social injustice as he warned that public anger could soon erupt into a massive nationwide movement. Undeterred, the protesters regrouped again at Apo and marched to Gudu before the crowd gradually thinned and the demonstration fizzled out. Mr Sowore, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, led a few remaining protesters to the FCT police command in a bid to secure the release of some arrested protesters. According to Mr Sowore, 13 protesters have been detained, including Nnamdi Kanus lead lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor and Mr Kanus brother, Emmanuel Kanu. Shockingly, the protesters have been taken to the notorious SARS Abattoir detention and torture facility in Abuja, a place long associated with human rights abuses, unlawful detentions, and unspeakable cruelty. Their only offence was standing for justice and freedom and protesting peacefully, he posted on his Facebook page. Meanwhile, counter-protesters opposing Mr Kanus release held their rally around Labour House Bridge in the central area without police harassment. Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the use of force, including confiscation of cameras and reckless use of tear gas to disperse protesters. Once again, the Nigerian authorities have failed to respect and uphold peoples right to freedom of assembly, AI Nigeria said in a short statement on its X page. All incidents must be investigated impartially and the suspected perpetrators brought to justice through fair trials. Sowores call Mr Sowore began mobilising for the protest earlier this month, starting with a social media call out of South-east politicians and leaders to join him in the struggle. The politicians he called upon include the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; former president Goodluck Jonathan; Governors of Anambra and Abia states, Charles Soludo and Alex Otti, respectively; as well as some members of the National Assembly from the region. (The) time for action is now. Lets march to Aso Rock Villa. Every governor, senator, member of the House, traditional ruler, priest, Eze, Igbo person, and every Nigerian who believes in Kanus freedom, come out and do more than talk. I will lead this peaceful march, he wrote in one of his numerous posts on Facebook. The Nigerian government tackled him for calling for a protest and accused him of attempting to incite disorder under the guise of a protest. Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanugo, went ahead to describe Mr Sowore as an anarchist masquerading as a rights activist. When he fixed 20 October for the protest, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) filed an ex parte motion before the Federal High Court in Abuja, praying that the court order the protesters to stay away from sensitive government sites, specifically the three armed zones of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The court granted the request but approved the protest in other areas outside of sensitive government sites, including Aso Rock Villa, the National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way. Yet, the police fired teargas at protesters multiple times in areas outside of the limit, including the Hilton hotel area and in Jabi area of the FCT. But the protest intended to be held nationwide only took a significant hold in Abuja and sparsely held in a few other places. The Kano State Hisbah Board has announced its plan for the wedding of two popular TikTok content creators, Idris Mai-wushirya and Basira Yar-guda, after a magistrate court directed it to marry them off within 60 days. The courts order followed recent viral videos by the TikTokers, which the state Films and Censorship Board deemed immoral and indecent. The videos showed the content creators sharing romantic gestures, which authorities deemed contrary to the states moral and religious values. On Monday, a magistrate, Halima Wali, ruled that failing to conduct the marriage within the specified timeframe would be considered contempt of court. The court also mandated the Chairman of the Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board to oversee the implementation of the marriage order. The two TikTokers were recently arraigned in court for allegedly producing and distributing obscene content on social media. Mr Mai-wushirya was earlier remanded in prison after the clips showing him engaging in what authorities described as immoral and demeaning acts with the female content creator went viral. The state censorship board stated that the videos violated state laws prohibiting the production and distribution of sexually suggestive or obscene materials. Wedding plan The hisbah commander, Aminu Daurawa, said hisbah had invited the parents of the TikTokers as part of the wedding arrangements, as directed by the court. READ ALSO: Popular Bauchi musician is dead Mr Daurawa said the relatives of the groom have responded to the invitation. However, they are still waiting for the parents and or relatives of the bride from Zamfara State for their consent before the wedding. Mr Daurawa said the intending couple will undergo a medical check-up and drug test as mandated by Kano State laws before finalising the wedding. The hisbah can finalise the wedding in two weeks, announcing that a volunteer has deposited N250,000 as bride price as part of his donation. A Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Muyiwa Agunbiade, has said about 70 per cent of properties in Lagos, Nigerias commercial nerve centre, are not captured in the governments registry. Mr Agunbiade also disclosed that no Nigerian state has a cadastral map which provides exact locations and ownership of landed properties. He said Nigerians only mistake base maps for cadastral maps, insisting that their interchangeable use is not only inappropriate but also deceptive. Mr Agunbiade spoke recently at a workshop organised by UNILAGs Faculty of Environmental Sciences. It was part of the activities to mark the universitys 2025 edition of the annual International Week programme. He said the failure of the government to get these properties properly captured has also denied the government access to supposedly accruable revenues, adding to the poor accountability on the part of tax collectors. He spoke on the theme: Digital Innovations and Property Tax in Lagos. The programme, which was organised in partnership with the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), featured the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the University of Manchester-based organisation, Diana Mitlin, a professor; ACRCs Co-Research Fellow, Tim Kelsall, and the ACRC Lead in Ghana, Farouk Braimah, who participated as panellists. Also on the panel were the Director of the Lagos State Valuation Office, Kunle Awolaja, and the Representative of Aphabeta Consulting Limited Liability Partnership, Abayomi Yusuf. The Director of Finance and Accounts at the Lagos State Ministry of Housing, Adefunke Adewale, represented the ministrys Commissioner, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai. Unregistered properties According to Mr Agunbiade, land development and administration have so much to contribute to the effectiveness of property tax globally, noting that the existing system in Lagos, though regulated by planning laws, is outdated and has given room for informal growth. He said that though innovations such as remote sensing and smart zoning could help to address the challenges, he identified poor infrastructure as a significant factor for poor control. No cadastral mapping The expert said that with functional cadastral mapping, scanning a property document will show a location that is properly georeferenced and the attributes of the landed property. So, we have a resemblance to the cadastral map in Abuja. Lagos has also been on this thing for quite some time now, maybe since around 2006 or so. When former Governor Babatunde Fasola was in office, I know they made some attempts, but because it is a very tricky and risky thing to do, because you really need to have the areas mapped out, you have to know the boundaries, describe the size, the use, and ownership before you claim you have a complete cadastral map, nothing much has been done, he said. On AI Impact Mr Agunbiade advised Nigerians not to follow the bandwagon on the touting of the use of artificial intelligence, saying that beyond the fad of the new trends are issues of infrastructure and governing rules. He said: In Nigeria, sometimes ago we were talking about Sustainable Development, and then jumped to smart city, and from smart city we are discussing AI. All these things are mere words; what will drive them is infrastructure which we dont have. What we have is either not appropriate or inadequate. So, because the infrastructure is not there, it becomes difficult to do things. So, when you speak about smart cities, AI, and all those big grammars, the basic thing that is needed is infrastructure. And it is not about the infrastructure alone, but also about commitment and our mindset to make things happen. If you dont get things done properly, then another term will come, and we will rush to it again without achieving anything. Talking about a smart city, could we be smart without data and infrastructure to obtain the data? ACRCs take Meanwhile, in her contributions, the ACRC CEO, Mrs Mitlin, holds the view that property tax is a source of revenue for the government, which is expected to be used for the provision of infrastructure for the use of the people. She said if a government prioritise judicious use of taxes collected, people will be encouraged to fulfil their obligations by paying taxes regularly and following the due processes. The professor commended UNILAG for what she described as its deep commitment to moving forward with planning and development in the city of Lagos. She said: We have heard today that there have been a lot of challenges with tax compliance, and specifically, property tax is not easy. I think one of the best ways is our commitment to using new forms of technology, the digital innovations. I think that is clearly important. But I also think what people have shared here is getting the relationships right. I think the state government can support the revenue generation drive by developing the right tools and having a dialogue about what is possible and how everyone can contribute most effectively. Commissioner, Dean speak In their separate remarks, the states Commissioner for Housing, Mr Akinderu-Fatai, agreed that in many developing states like Lagos, manual systems, incomplete records, and limited coverage hamper property taxation. He noted that the state is currently piloting a digital house numbering and addressing system to assign every property in Lagos a unique digital identity. He said, Digital innovation in property tax is not merely about boosting revenue; it is about equity, transparency, and governance. The dean of the faculty and host of the event, Olumide Adenuga, a professor, commended the speakers at the event for sharing their thoughts on such an important subject of property tax, noting that, In a rapidly urbanising city like Lagos, the challenge of sustainability, on managing land property and infrastructure is immense. Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday called for renewed industrialisation across Northern Nigeria, saying the region must convert its natural and agricultural resources into industries that create jobs and drive sustainable growth. Mr Shettima made the call in Katsina at the graduation ceremony of the first batch of fellows of the Dikko Social Innovation Academy (DSIA) and the maiden edition of the Katsina MSME Awards, both designed to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the state. The academy, established under the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA), trained 18 young people in social entrepreneurship, design thinking, and community-based problem-solving. Katsina is fast becoming a beacon of creativity and resilience in Northern Nigeria, the Vice President said. This state is reviving its legacy of craftsmanship and scholarship by empowering its young people to solve real problems. A model for Northern Nigerias economic renewal Mr Shettima said the revival of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) across the North was essential to addressing unemployment and insecurity. He urged state governments to prioritise industrialisation by processing local raw materials such as cotton, hides, and millet into finished products. Governor Raddas model is a reminder that innovation is not limited to big cities. What Katsina is doing should inspire other states to rethink their economic strategies, he said. The vice president also praised Governor Dikko Raddas efforts to unify political and traditional leaders in the state, saying it was the kind of partnership needed to sustain development. Inside Katsinas innovation experiment Governor Radda said his administration launched the Dikko Social Innovation Academy to nurture a generation of innovators capable of creating locally relevant solutions to social and economic challenges. When we came into office, we decided that the best way to fight poverty was to empower people through enterprise and innovation, the governor said. That decision gave birth to KASEDA, which today stands as one of Nigerias most vibrant enterprise institutions. He explained that the DSIA model was inspired by Ugandas globally recognised Social Innovation Academy and adapted for Katsinas context, where youth unemployment and limited access to finance remain major barriers. These 18 fellows represent the first set of trained innovators from rural communities. Many began with little confidence but are graduating as changemakers, he said. Mr Radda said the academy has already launched its second cohort of 30 fellows, while a third set is scheduled to begin in January 2026. 1bn in youth and MSME interventions The governor also unveiled the states first Katsina MSME Awards, which recognised 21 entrepreneurs and five special awardees. He announced a car gift for the overall best MSME awardee and called on private firms and development partners to support future editions. He said the state government has disbursed 500 million to youth and women entrepreneurs, and is implementing a 542 million partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support MSMEs in conflict-affected areas. Other initiatives include the ongoing MSME Census and Cluster Mapping Project and the establishment of the Dikko Business Development Service Corps to help small businesses access financing and expand sustainably. Our goal is to make Katsina the home of enterprise and innovation, Mr Radda said. We are not only celebrating ideas we are investing in people who will build our future. KASEDA marks two years of enterprise growth The Director-General of KASEDA, Aisha Aminu, said the agency has trained over 300 entrepreneurs in two years and is expanding into new areas such as climate-smart business and rural innovation. She said the DSIAs 18 fellows developed nine innovation projects across health, climate, and agriculture, while plans are underway to open new academy centres in Funtua and Daura. Our vision is to make social innovation a tool for solving everyday community problems, Ms Aminu said. She added that the MSME Awards attracted over 2,000 entries, with the winners selected transparently by an independent jury. A quiet reform in the North Analysts say the Katsina model underscores a quiet but growing shift in Northern Nigerias development strategy from dependence on federal allocations to home-grown innovation and skills-based enterprise. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), more than 53 per cent of Nigerias youth are unemployed or underemployed, with Northern states worst affected. Experts have long warned that insecurity in the region is tied to economic stagnation and joblessness. What Radda is doing in Katsina is building an economic identity around youth and innovation, said a policy analyst familiar with the initiative. Its a reform that can be scaled across the North. The event drew high-profile guests, including former Governors Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Shehu Shema, Ministers Ahmed Dangiwa (Housing) and Hanatu Musawa (Art, Culture and the Creative Economy), and members of the National and State Assemblies. Mr Shettima, who extended his stay in Katsina to attend the event, described the innovation initiative as proof that leadership can turn ideas into impact. The story of Katsina is not just about graduation, he said. Its about rebuilding Northern Nigerias legacy of enterprise. President Donald Trumps hopes for a quick meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin may be stalled after sources familiar with the matter told CNN that an expected pre-meeting between the world leaders key foreign affairs aides this week had been tabled, CNN reports. It is noted that on October 16 Trump said after a call with Putin that the two agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week. The United States initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated, he wrote on Truth Social. Anticipated meeting between Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov has been put on hold for the time being, a White House official said. It was not immediately clear why the meeting was no longer taking place this week, though one of the sources said Rubio and Lavrov had divergent expectations about a possible end to Russias invasion of Ukraine. In particular, yesterday, on October 20, they had a phone call and discussed next steps to follow up on the call between their two presidents last week about a possible end to the conflict in Ukraine. Rubio emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, in line with President Trumps vision, the message reads. However, a source familiar with the situation said that after the call, officials believe that Russia's position on the war in Ukraine has not changed enough. The source said, Rubio is not likely to recommend the Putin-Trump meeting move forward next week, but Rubio and Lavrov could speak again this week. Abiodun Aremu, a former labour and civil society leader and socialist fighter, widely known as Comrade Areemson, who died this month, will be buried on Thursday, 23 October. The internment is to be conducted at his residence near Ijako Sugar Bus Stop along the LagosAbeokuta Expressway in Ogun State, his family and associates have announced. In a statement jointly endorsed by Funmi Sessi, the chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, and Lanre Arogundade, the executive director of the International Press Centre, the burial committee said the funeral rites for the departed activist, renowned for leading rallies and street protests, will hold in three parts. The first event, an afternoon of tributes themed Celebrating the Life of a Steadfast Peoples Revolutionary, will take place from 12 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, 22 October. The location is the NURSES HOUSE (National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives Lagos State Secretariat), 19 Amaraolu Street, near Pearlworth Hotel, close to the New African Shrine, off Agidingbi Road, CBD I, Lagos. Leading human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who also heads the burial committee, is to chair the tribute session. Representatives of mass organisations, including labour unions, pro-democracy groups, human rights bodies and the Cuban Embassy are expected to speak at the session. Later on in the night, the associates and friends of Comrade Areemson will converge at his residence for a candlelight procession and vigil. The lying-in-state holds on Thursday, 23 October at his residence from 7 to 10 am in the morning, after which a two-hour session of funeral orations and family tributes will begin before the interment proper. Comrade Aremu was born in 1960 and passed away on the evening of 12 October after being struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing a road near his home in Ota, Ogun State. He breathed his last as doctors strived to rescue him after being taken to the hospital. READ ALSO: Popular Bauchi musician is dead A well-known figure in the Nigerian labour movement, Mr Aremu served as the secretary of the Joint Action Front, a coalition of pro-labour civil society groups that champions workers rights and democratic reforms. He was also a former secretary of the Labour and Civil Society Coalition and student union leader at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin. A Nigerian lawyer, Victor Nwadike, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the presidential pardon granted earlier this month by President Bola Tinubu. The suit filed on 15 October names the president and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, as defendants. Mr Fagbemi heads the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, which recommended the clemency extended to 175 persons. The list included about 50 convicted traffickers of illicit substances such as cocaine, heroin, cannabis, tramadol, and Indian hemp. Many of the convicts have barely spent a year in prison for their grievous offences. The list sparked public outrage after it was made public following the Council of States approval on 9 October. According to a copy of the court filings seen by PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, Mr Nwadike, argued that the power of the prerogative of mercy under Section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution is not absolute. It must be exercised with due application of mind and for constitutionally relevant purposes, consistent with the rule of law and public interest. He added that any exercise of this power that is arbitrary or based on legally extraneous or irrelevant considerations is ultra vires the Constitution and therefore void. Following the outpour of rebuke of the pardon from many Nigerians, the AGF said in a statement on 16 October that the list was not final and was still undergoing a review. Mr Fagbemi said no inmate had been released from prison based on the pardon yet. Mr Nwadike contended in his suit that the pardon was issued without proper consultation with the Council of State, in breach of Section 175(2) of the Constitution. He urged the court to declare that an arbitrary exercise of prerogative of mercy is void and prayed the court to specifically declare that the October pardon was invalid for lacking proper consultation with the Council of State. The lawyer also prayed for, among other pronouncements, an order of mandatory injunction setting aside the pardon and clemency after declaring them null, void, and of no legal effect. Civic duty In an affidavit filed in support of the motion and sworn by Mr Nwadike, the plaintiff stated that he had filed this action in the public interest to challenge Mr Tinubus exercise of prerogative of mercy based on what he described as irrelevant considerations. He also said it done in a manner that offends the rule of law and public interest and contravention of Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Mr Nwadike said he brought the action in good faith to preserve the rule of law and constitutional order, while he maintained that he has a professional and civic duty to uphold the rule of law and the sanctity of the Nigerian constitution. He urges the Attorney General of the Federation and, by extension, the Comptroller General of Prisons to refrain from releasing any of the persons named in that list or from giving effect to the said prerogative of mercy pending the hearing and determination of this suit. The court document stated that the defendants have 30 days from service of the summons to enter an appearance, either personally or through a legal practitioner, at the Federal High Court in Abuja. PREMIUM TIMES, however, learnt that the suit has not yet been assigned to any judge. Clemency enmeshed in controversy President Tinubu granted clemency to 175 individuals, including posthumous pardons for historical figures such as Herbert Macaulay and Mamman Vatsa. The pardons followed recommendations from the, chaired by Attorney-General Fagbemi. The clemency covered 82 current inmates, 15 former convicts, including 11 posthumous cases, and seven death row inmates whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. The government cited factors such as remorse, good conduct, old age, ill health, and rehabilitation as reasons for granting clemency. But public reactions have been mixed, with some praising the administration while others criticised the announcement. About 50 drug offenders were among those pardoned, drawing criticism from opposition figures and rights groups, who warned it could undermine Nigerias anti-narcotics campaign and send the wrong message to law enforcement. Following public outrage sparked by the list, Mr Fagbemi said in a statement on 16 October that the process remains at the final administrative stage, which includes a standard review to ensure that all names and recommendations fully comply with established legal and procedural requirements before any instrument of release is issued. The Nigerian Army says a joint task force, including its operatives, has raided a bandits camp in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, recovering arms and ammunition. The spokesperson for Operation Enduring Peace, Samson Zhakon, disclosed this in a Facebook statement on Monday. Mr Zhakom, a major, said the troops raided Rawaya, a village where a bandit kingpin operates close to Kazok in Barkin Ladi LGA, where a cache of weapons was stockpiled. Although the suspect fled before soldiers arrived at his hideout, a search led to the recovery of weapons. According to the army, two AK-47 rifles, one G3 rifle, a revolver pistol, four AK-47 rifle magazines, and three G3 rifle magazines were found. Others include 1,198 rounds of 7.62 mm (Special) ammunition, four rounds of 7.62 mm (NATO) ammunition, three mobile phones, and other sundry items. The recovered items are in custody for further action, the army said, adding, efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing bandit and his collaborators. The army said Operation ENDURING PEACE will remain decisive in its onslaught against criminal elements, while efforts to keep the Joint Operations Area safe will also be sustained. Violence in Plateau Primarily troubled by a resource-based conflict, turning farmers and migrant herders against each other, Plateau is also facing the problem of gun proliferation, which makes access to firearms by warring parties easy. A PREMIUM TIMES timeline of conflict in the state showed that nearly 5,000 people have been killed in the endless violence between different ethnic groups since 1994. Data show that the conflict revolves around political, ethno-religious, and resource-based struggles, where militia factions of indigenous locals and Fulani herders have waged endless wars against each other, killing soft targets and wreaking havoc. The recent killings in Plateau stemmed from a confrontation between Mwaghavul farmers and Fulani herders in Mangu LGA, a violence that spiraled to other places, including Barkin Ladi and Bokkos LGAs, where attacks and counterattacks dubbed as the Christmas Eve massacre claimed more than 300 lives. The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved to intervene in the recent industrial dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Refinery. This followed a motion urging for the protection of strategic private investments from what lawmakers described as adversarial unionism. The motion, titled Need to protect strategic private investments from adversarial unionism, was sponsored by Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano) and Abdussamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto). It comes in the wake of the strike action by PENGASSAN that disrupted operations at the $20 billion Dangote Refinery, Africas largest single-train refinery over a labour dispute. The dispute occurred while the lawmakers were on recess that lasted over two months. Disruption at the Dangote Refinery While presenting the motion, Mr Doguwa told the House that the strike had severe economic consequences, including a temporary halt in operations and a significant drop in crude production. The industrial action led to a disruption in Nigerias crude oil production, with a reported daily loss of approximately 200,000 barrels over a period of three days, he said. He noted that the industrial action worsened the already fragile fuel supply situation across the country, resulting in scarcity and long queues in several states. The lawmaker emphasised that the Dangote Refinery was a private investment of immense national importance, with the potential to guarantee Nigerias energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products, create thousands of jobs, and conserve foreign exchange. Legal protection under NEPZA Act Mr Doguwa also cited provisions of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) Act, particularly Section 18(5), which stipulates that employment within a Free Trade Zone shall be governed by the Authoritys rules and not subject to general labour laws. This means that labour disputes or strikes within such zones fall under NEPZAs jurisdiction, not the broader national labour framework, he said. He expressed concern that actions by unions that disregard these legal protections create a hostile investment environment that may discourage both local and foreign investors. If private investments of strategic national importance are continually subjected to unlawful disruptions by adversarial unionism, Nigeria risks not only the failure of key economic assets but also the erosion of investor confidence necessary for national growth and development, Mr Doguwa warned. Debate Supporting the motion, the co-sponsor Mr Dasuki stressed the need for Parliament to defend the sanctity of laws protecting investments in Free Trade Zones. He described the Dangote Refinery as a landmark project and the single largest private investment in Africa, adding that Nigeria had long depended on imported refined products despite being a major crude producer. Quoting Section 18(5) of the NEPZA Act, he reminded lawmakers that: There shall be no strikes or lockouts for a period of 10 years following the commencement of operations within a zone, and any trade dispute arising within the zone shall be resolved only by the Authority. Mr Dasuki argued that by succumbing to union pressure, the government had acted contrary to the law. Any potential investor coming to Nigeria will look at our laws. Are we implementing our laws first? So we have to be seen to be implementing our own laws. Objection over pending litigation However, Cyril Hart (PDP, Rivers) cautioned that the House should not deliberate on the issue, claiming it was already before a court. Mr Doguwa disagreed, insisting that the matter was not sub judice. Its not in court, he maintained, while Mr Hart countered that the information was already public knowledge. To resolve the disagreement, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary, advised that the House proceed with the motion on the assumption that it is not in court, pending any confirmation to the contrary. House adopts motion Following deliberations, the House adopted the motion and resolved that its leadership should take charge of mediating the dispute between PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery. The council to handle the mediation will be headed by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, and will include other members of the House leadership. Recent PENGASSAN developments This motion comes amid a flurry of developments surrounding the dispute. According to earlier reports by this newspaper, PENGASSAN recently suspended its nationwide strike after reaching an agreement with Dangote Group management and the federal government. The truce included assurances that dismissed workers would be reassigned within the Dangote Group without loss of pay. However, the union warned that it would immediately resume the strike if any of the agreed terms were violated. PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, said the association would resume the strike without notice if the commitments made by management and government were not honoured. In a separate report, Dangote Refinery was said to have offered payment equivalent to five years of salaries to affected workers as part of efforts to restore industrial harmony. The Federal Government, however, cautioned the union against further disruptions, insisting that Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN and warned that such actions could harm the national economy. I heard gunshots, so I thought. For a second, my mind was blank. I recall lying flat beside my colleague on the freshly mowed lawn at the entrance of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. I became mindful after a passerby shouted at us to keep moving instead of lying flat on the ground. Twice in less than a month, I became a victim of the indiscriminate use of teargas by the Nigerian police. The first incident occurred last month while I covered the resumption of Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Senate from a six-month suspension, accompanied by her crowd of supporters. The senators backers marched in solidarity with her from the FCT High Court in Maitama to the gates of the National Assembly in the Three Arms Zone, Abuja. Unprovoked, the police suddenly began firing teargas at the crowd outside the National Assembly gate, which included numerous journalistsmyself among themwho were waiting after Mrs Akpoti Uduaghan had entered accompanied by his aides. While the first experience was unexpected, on this second occasion during Mondays #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in the capital city, I looked forward to the indiscriminate use of teargas or other forms of harassment by the police; it had become their modus operandi in policing a crowd. Though Monday morning traffic is typically heavy on my regular routes, this edition was out of this world. I was en route to cover the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest expected to kick off around the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. Demonstrators, led by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, gathered at the location to advocate for the release of separatist Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Along the way, I noticed the presence of soldiers at Maitama junction, opposite Mpape junction. The usual taxis that transported commuters from the junction to Gana Street or AP filling station at the Hilton Hotel junction were nowhere to be found. Commuters, unable to find shuttle cars, had to trek down to Habiba Plaza to get a taxi. My colleague and I took a taxi, but police roadblocks prevented the driver from taking us to the specific protest venue. We had to trek the rest of the way. We attempted to approach the police officers barricading the road leading to the Federal Secretariat area, but they would not budge and forced us to turn back. As we navigated the chaotic area to find our other colleagues deployed to cover the protest, we came across a small cluster of #FreeNnamdiKanu protesters attempting to regroup. The police earlier dispersed the vast crowd using teargas. We tried to capture these protesters on camera. They were chanting Holy, holy, holy Nnamdi Kanu is another saviour. However, nothing prepared me for the crack of teargas canisters; it sounded like gunshots. In a split second, my colleague pulled me down as she dived on the lawn in front of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. While on the ground, I peeped and saw a police armoured van patrolling the road and an officer standing in the vehicles turret, firing tear gas. At that moment, my apprehension dissipated; I was somewhat relieved they were not firing guns. It was a relief, but it stays as a memory that will continue to provoke questions. When will Nigerian police and security forces ever outgrow responding harshly to civil actions? Wont this Hilton experience just be the last? The Supreme Court has reserved judgement in a suit filed by governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the 18 March declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu. A seven-member panel led by John Inyang Okoro on Tuesday reserved judgement after parties adopted their processes. Tuesdays hearing comes more than one month after the six-month-long emergency rule lapsed on 17 September. Many Nigerians criticised the Supreme Court and the entire Nigerian judiciary for failing to hear tens of suits filed to challenge the presidents action while the emergency rule was in place. The perceived lethargy to hear the case was attributed to the judiciarys undue reverence for Mr Tinubu or fear of being in his bad book if striking down the emergency rule became unavoidable. The plaintiffs, whose suit the Supreme Court finally heard on Tuesday a month and five days after the emergency rule ended are the attorneys-general of 11 states then under the control of the PDP, while the defendants are the federal government and the National Assembly. The number of PDP governors has since declined to eight, with the recent defection of Governors Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and Peter Mbah of Enugu State to the All Progressives Congress (APC), followed by Governor Duoye Diris resignation from the PDP. After President Tinubu declared the state of emergency, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the state assembly, the PDP-led states challenged the action at the Supreme Court, arguing it violated Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution. The AGF, in a preliminary objection, questioned the courts jurisdiction to hear the suit. Hearing At Tuesdays proceedings, the fifth plaintiff, Delta State, withdrew from the suit. The counsel for the federal government, Lateef Fagbemi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), did not oppose the withdrawal. The lawyer representing the plaintiffs, Eyitayo Jegede, a SAN, said the case did not challenge the Presidents power to proclaim a state of emergency. He said it rather questioned the extent to which the proclamation could affect the offices of the governor, deputy governor, and State House of Assembly. Responding to the courts question on whether there was a threat warranting the proclamation, Mr Fagbemi defended the presidents decision. He noted that Rivers State was facing a crisis involving the governor and executives, which prompted the presidents action. He added that the governor, deputy governor, and the House of Assembly of Rivers were not removed but suspended as part of extraordinary measures to restore decorum. Mr Fagbemi further noted that the President had a duty to act as he did and urged the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety. Counsel for the National Assembly, Charles Yoila, aligned with the AGFs submission and urged the court to dismiss the case. After hearing the parties, the court reserved judgement till a date to be communicated to the parties. Lifting the emergency rule on 17 September, Mr Tinubu reinstated Governor Fubara, the deputy governor, and state lawmakers to their positions. He acknowledged the controversy surrounding the declaration but said its aim of restoring peace in the state had been achieved. Background Mr Tinubu declared the emergency rule on 18 March, citing prolonged political instability, constitutional breaches, and security threats. He placed the governor, deputy governor and members of the state House of Assembly on a six-month suspension. The president appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice-admiral, as sole administrator to govern the state while the emergency rule lasted. In response, 11 PDP-led states, Adamawa, Bauchi, Zamfara, Plateau, Bayelsa, Enugu, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Taraba, and Oyo, filed a suit at the Supreme Court. The plaintiffs said the declaration did not comply with Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution, which regulates emergency powers. They sought to have the emergency rule and the appointment of the sole administrator declared null and void. In response, the federal government filed a preliminary objection, questioning the Supreme Courts jurisdiction to hear the suit. It argued that the matter did not fall within the courts original jurisdiction because it did not involve a dispute between the federation and a state or between states. It also said the plaintiffs lacked legal standing, describing the suit as hypothetical, academic, and speculative. Zamfara terrorism kingpin, Bello Turji, has released another set of kidnapped persons following another meeting with local authorities and some Islamic clerics in the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Residents said Mr Turji released dozens of kidnapped persons, mostly residents of the Shinkafi local government council, following the ongoing peace initiative by the local authorities. The victims were handed over to the local government chairperson, Ibrahim Musa, who participated in the peace meeting with the bandits in the Shinkafi forest. The local government information officer, Nasiru Shehu, announced the devey in a statement on Facebook. He said the captives were released as part of the ongoing peace effort in the area. Another resident, Lawal Adamu, told PREMIUM TIMES that about 70 captives were released in batches. Mr Adamu said local government officials, Shinkafi community leaders and Islamic clerics engaged Mr Turji in the peace meeting who agreed to release the captives. He said the Shinkafi axis has enjoyed relative peace, and the locals are cultivating their farmlands without fear of being kidnapped since Mr Turji accepted the peace offer. In August, the terrorist also released captives and surrendered arms after the intervention of Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Musa Yusuf. In the previous meeting, Mr Yusuf said the clerics were still trying to persuade Mr Turji to accept total peace, but they did not ask him to surrender all his arms so as not to make him vulnerable to attack by other groups opposed to the peace process in the state. He said that while the deal with Mr Turji would not end terrorist attacks in Zamfara, the communities in his axis were enjoying peace. The cleric commended President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, and Senator Shehu Buba for supporting a non-kinetic approach in addressing the security challenges of the area. In October, Mr Turji warned that peace would continue to elude Zamfara State until the security forces and vigilante groups stopped attacking the Fulanis. This is why we are calling on all of you to come and collaborate with us for peace to reign and stop the bloodbath in Zamfara. Guns and airstrikes will not stop us because we are not afraid of death, Mr Turji had said. The Federal High Court in Abuja will on 31 October deliver judgement in a suit seeking to stop the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over alleged violations of rules. The judge, James Omotosho, on Tuesday fixed the date for judgement after hearing arguments for and against the case filed by three aggrieved members of the party. The claimants are the chairperson of the Imo State chapter of the party, Austin Nwachukwu; his Abia State counterpart, Amah Nnanna; and the partys Secretary for the South-South zone, Turnah George. They asked the court to halt the planned 15 and 16 November convention of the PDP scheduled to hold in Ibadan, Oyo State, where new national officers are expected to be elected. They alleged breaches of the partys constitution. The nine defendants sued in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the PDP; and the partys National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu. Others are the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; the National Working Committee (NWC); the National Executive Committee (NEC); the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; and two members of the party, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi. Hearing At Tuesdays proceedings, the judge, who had at the previous sitting urged all parties to maintain the status quo regarding the convention, reaffirmed that his earlier order must not be violated. Mr Omotosho first gave the order on 16 October following a complaint by PDPs lawyer, Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), that his client was being held back by the said order. The judge warned that he would not hesitate to nullify any step taken by any of the parties while the case is pending. After the judges reiterated warning on Tuesday, the plaintiffs lawyer, Joseph Daudu, also a SAN, urged the court not to treat their complaints as internal affairs of the party but as an effort to enforce compliance with the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the PDP constitution. He argued that the Nigerian Constitution makes it mandatory for the INEC to monitor political parties congresses before they can be deemed valid. He said the plaintiffs complaint was that no valid congresses were held in 14 states before the PDPs NWC and NEC issued the notice for the planned convention. The PDP national chairmans lawyer, Paul Erokoro, also a SAN, asked the judge to decline jurisdiction, arguing that issues concerning conventions and congresses are internal party matters. Lawyer to the partys NWC and NEC, Eyitayo Jegede, a SAN, aligned with that position, insisting that the court cannot interfere in the internal affairs of a political party. After listening to the parties lawyers, the judge fixed 31 October for judgement. Despite the seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, the House of Representatives at plenary on Tuesday approved the establishment of four new universities in Borno, Imo, Kaduna and Kano States. This followed the adoption of reports on four bills, laid for consideration by the Chairman, House Committee on University Education, Abubakar Fulata (APC-Jigawa). The bills include an Act to repeal the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna Act and establish the Federal University of Technology, Kaduna. A bill for an Act to repeal the Nigerian Army University, Biu, (Act 2020) and enact the Federal University, Biu, Borno State. Also, a bill for an Act to establish Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, as well as a bill for an Act to establish Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano. Presenting the report earlier, Mr Fulata said that when established, the Federal University of Technology, Kaduna, will provide training and teaching instruction in all aspects of education. He explained that other fields of applied learning, relevant to the development of education in the country, such as matters of administration and discipline of students, will be catered for. He explained that the Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, when established, will provide for the promotion and development of teacher education. He said that it will make comprehensive provisions for the management and administration of the university and related matters. In line with legislative procedures, the bills will be sent to the Senate for concurrence and then to the President for assent to become effective. There are about 52 universities in the country, with some states hosting more than one. READ ALSO: Reps deputy spokesperson warns NLC against joining ASUU strike Nigeria has about 72 federal universities, 42 federal Polytechnics, and 28 colleges of education, in addition to hundreds of state-owned and private tertiary institutions, as well as specialised schools. However, no fewer than 200 bills to establish public universities are before the two chambers of the National Assembly. In August, the federal government imposed a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, citing the proliferation of under-listed institutions, overstretched resources and a decline in academic quality. Recently, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) began a two-week warning strike to protest the governments inability to meet its demands. The 2009 agreement has been the source of dispute between the government and university-based unions. The agreement contains the academics conditions of service, funding and autonomy for the universities. Yesterday was 20 October, the fifth anniversary of the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre, aftermath of the #EndSARS youth protest in Lagos. Scores of young persons were reportedly killed, maimed, made to inhale tear gas, or jump into the Lagoon and till date there has been no full closure on that event, despite attempts by the Federal and state governments to investigate what exactly happened, and make some form of restitution in some of the states. It was the equivalent of a Gen Z protest in Nigeria, an expression of youth affirmation and protest, similar to what has now happened in Nepal in September 2025. In Nepal, angry youths practically removed a government from office after protesting over social media ban and government corruption. The Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli had to step down. Other government officials fled. Those who tarried were humiliated. There have been similar protests by young people in recent times in Madagascar, Peru, and Morocco. As in Nepal, the government in Madagascar was also toppled, providing an opportunity for the military to seize power, yet another major setback for democracy in the continent. In the face of these youth-led protests in Africa, Asia and South America, the governments are frightened. The issues may differ: police violence and misconduct in Nigeria, social media ban and corruption in Nepal, economic disempowerment in Bangladesh in 2024, misplaced priorities, need for social services reforms as stated by the GENZ212 movement in Morocco, tax bill and cost of living crisis in Kenya, election issues, inequality, corruption in Mozambique in the words of GENZ Mozambique, and demand for better wages and pensions in Peru. A common denominator is the rise of youth power, and the determination by young people who constitute the majority of the populations in Africa, Asia and South America seeking to take charge of their own destinies, and demand the exit of non-performing governments. They ask for transparency, accountability, good governance, reforms and change. They come across as leaderless, a movement using both their voices and technology to get heard, and reject traditional political systems. In Nigeria, the slogan was Sorosoke (speak out loud and be heard), Moroccan youths used their countrys international dialling code: 212. The youths of the world seem to be taking cues from each other, inspiring a wave of global protests. They remind us afresh of Occupy Wall Street in 2011, the Arab Spring in 2010 -2012; the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong in 2014, and the all-dominating power of social media. Are the leaders listening, frightened as they appear to be? Not quite. In Peru, one person died, 100 were injured; 72 persons were killed in Nepal in September, persons also died in Morocco (more than three) and Mozambique (more than 33 killed, 15 injured) and in Madagascar, more than 22 persons were killed. The standard response of the incumbent authoritarian governments is to meet the peoples revolt with accustomed high-handedness. This raises concerns about the destiny of democracy and the fortunes of leadership and governance in otherwise representative systems. Our main concern is how the emerging global trend is all too present and alive in Nigeria. The state either in Peru, Madagascar, Lagos or Abuja acts out of fear. In Lagos, to mark the fifth anniversary of #EndSARS alleged massacre in Lagos (please note that the word alleged is used allegedly), Opeyemi Adamolekun, a seasoned civil society activist who runs an active group known as Enough is Enough (EiE), yesterday had brought a bouquet of flowers to lay as a wreath at the Lekki Toll Gate in memory of those who fell at that location in 2000. Security operatives harassed her, and asked not to lay any wreath. No flowers. She was not carrying any weapon. Just flowers. But the state operatives of Nigeria were afraid of ordinary bush shrubs. What could have been frightening about ordinary flowers? The state is so scared it cannot even deal with ordinary symbolism. They pushed the poor lady. They asked her to get lost with her flowers. Flowers oh. The assailants wore brown uniform. There are so many agencies whose officials wear all kinds of uniforms in Nigeria, it is difficult to keep count or know their true identity. Can someone please help? Have they created an anti-flower bearing squad in Lagos? What part of state law makes it a crime to hold flowers on the streets of Lagos? They grabbed the flowers from Adamolekun and shared among themselves. Did they think the leaves would make good addition to their wives pots of soup? It is a crazy country, and the people in uniform are the most afflicted. They are victims themselves. They are poorly and rarely paid. When they retire, they rarely receive their pensions, but the moment they wear that uniform of whatever colour, their quick instinct is to oppress their fellow citizens. The same drama played out in Abuja yesterday at the protest summoned by Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC). Sowore is a professional civil society activist and pro-democracy campaigner. In the past week, he had tried to mobilise all categories of citizens to come forward to campaign for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who has been standing trial since 2015, for criminal charges relating to terrorism, treason, defamation, and conspiracy to commit violence. He was released from detention in 2017, and was later re-arrested in Kenya in June 2021 by Interpol and extradited to Nigeria. He has been in state custody since then. He was accused of jumping bail. Sowore wants him released: #ReleaseNnamdiKanu. His plan was to put one million people on the streets of Abuja on Monday, October 20, to protest from the Transcorp Hilton, the convergence point, to be joined by all online protesters, activists, citizens, and allies everywhere to turn every platform into a space for truth and resistance. In a tone reminiscent of the youth rebellion in Nepal, Sowore wrote: From today, the internet becomes our rally ground, a united digital front for freedom and conscience. We are online, we are everywhere, and we are unstoppable. Those words are ominous. A week ago, Sowore had announced that he had the consent of prominent national figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, President Goodluck Jonathan, Femi Falana SAN, and Senator Shehu Sani. He also called on South East leaders: Mr. Peter Obi, and the Governors bCharles Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra) Alex Otti (Abia), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi) Peter Mbah (Enugu), Hope Uzodinnma (Imo), Ndigbo in general and other voices of conscience. He asked Igbo leaders and others to turn rhetoric into action. Yesterday, the protest held. As early as 6.30 am, the protesters had trooped onto the streets of Abuja: the Three Arms Zone, Transcorp Hilton, Jabi and elsewhere, they were out in their numbers. Nobody sighted any prominent Nigerian among the protesters, but Aloy Ejimakor, Kanus counsel was among them. Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Presidential Spokesperson, has complained about the ugliness of a lawyer who is representing his client in a pending matter in a court of law also resorting to self-help on the streets. It is indeed an infamous act of a high proportion, and the whole exercise, by that objective fact alone, would seem like an attempt to intimidate and overwhelm the court. Nnamdi Kanu has an on-going case at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The Court of Justice James Omotoso had ruled, most recently that Kanu has a case to answer in response to a No Case application by his lawyers; on the basis of which his trial is scheduled to begin on Thursday. On the surface of it therefore, the judicial process in the matter has not been exhausted. But this is also what makes the matter delicate and complicated. There is an even an international dimension. Nigeria has a Mutual Legal Assistance pact with other countries including Finland where Simon Ekpa, associated with the Kanu charges has now been convicted. Should Nigeria abort the trial of Kanu, midway, on the basis of street sentiments? The state security services felt obliged to defend the city of Abuja against the protesters. They barricaded the streets and unleashed cannisters of tear gas on the protesters, It has even been reported that when that was not enough, they resorted to live bullets. The protesters ran so fast in all directions, many of them lost their footwears. Abuja residents became hostages in their own city. Vehicular movement and businesses were affected. It must be re-emphasised that the right to protest, the right to assemble and the right to express an opinion are constitutional rights. The expression of those rights should not be met with bullets. By the same token, however, the same rights should be exercised within the bounds of reason and sanity. The protesters reportedly called for revolution and change. At this time, there had been speculations about the threat of coup-making, coup-thinking in Nigeria. This then would seem like the very wrong time to suggest anything remotely revolutionary. Nonetheless, that would not justify the excessive use of force even as dire as the situation in the Federal Capital Territory may have been: the 5th anniversary of #EndSARS and the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest, both converging as potent threats to the seat of government on the same day. There were no open protests elsewhere, but the entire South East was quiet. In Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, and Imo, the markets were closed. People stayed at home. In Abuja, the police harassed the protesters and arrested many, including journalists. Journalists do not deserve to be demonized, harassed or punished for doing their work. They should be released immediately. The protesters should be allowed to go too: non-violent protest is not a crime and there is nowhere in the books where a peaceful protest is a threat to the state. The security agencies can claim that they did not want a blow out, and having achieved that, they should allow the detained persons to go. Two more things. The first is that there is a touch of irony to the Sowore-inspired protest. Sowore is an Ilaje Yoruba man, Arogbo-Ijaw from Ondo State. In this country, the politics of ethnicity and regionalism is at the heart of almost every relationship. His involvement in the Kanu struggle shows that the struggle for justice is above ethnic or regional considerations. It also exposes the contradictions at the heart of Igbo politics and the hypocrisy of the Igbo leadership elite. On the Nnamdi Kanu question, Igbo leaders are very good at diplomacy and rhetoric, none of them will ever dare identify pro-actively with Sowores revolutionary tactics. They would rather toe the line that I had identified earlier: that Nigeria has an obligation not to be seen to be sabotaging a live judicial process, or supporting mob action to truncate a judicial process. The court says Nnamdi Kanu has a case to answer, and that he is healthy enough to stand trial: Would it not be a better idea to wait for the process to run its course and then insist on Presidential pardon subsequently? Secondly, this in itself is a proposal that many would pooh-pooh because we have reached a point in this country where nobody, including those running the same government, trusts government anymore. This is borne out of the haphazard manner in which government is run. In the days to come, the Tinubu administration is likely to be reminded that the argument about legal process and international legal co-operation cannot stand coming from a government that has just pardoned or commuted the prison sentences of 175 persons in line with Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution. The correlation between the number of pardoned persons and the actual section of the law shows a curious juvenile reasoning behind the exercise, made worse by the fact that most of the persons on the list are convicted murderers, drug traffickers, kidnappers, drug addicts, economic saboteurs and human rights criminals. President Tinubu is therefore confronted with a moral question: why not Nnamdi Kanu, since this is a season of clemency, and he, the President has the powers within the Constitution to turn black into white, and make persons whole again? This is the urgent question of the moment in the eyes of Sowore and his band of protesters. But they may have to wait till sometime close to the 2027 general elections when President Tinubu may decide to use the Kanu matter as a potent political game changer in Nigerias game of chess and opportunism. Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, writes from Lagos. The Verkhovna Rada, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, appointed Tetiana Berezhna to the post of Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine, Minister of Culture of Ukraine. At a parliamentary session on Tuesday, 266 members of parliament voted in favor of the appointment. Berezhna received her bachelor's degree in law and a master's degree in jurisprudence at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. In 2025, she also completed the program at the School of Strategic Architects at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, receiving a qualification in management and administration. Since 2011, she has worked at the Vasil Kisil & Partners Law Firm. In 2017, she received her license to practice law. From 2017 to 2021, she was included in the list of recommended lawyers in Ukraine by the international legal directory Chambers Europe in the field of taxation, particularly in tax disputes. From June 17, 2022, she served as Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and on July 23, 2025, she was reappointed as Deputy Minister of Economy in the unified Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine. On July 28, the Cabinet of Ministers appointed Berezhna as Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, as the Rada failed to appoint a new Minister of Culture during the government reshuffle on July 17 due to the lack of an agreed-upon candidate. On Thursday, October 23rd, 2025, Yaba College of Technology will host a major event to honor Comrade Hassan Sunmonu. It is not just a case of honoring a great alumnus but of honoring a preeminent labor leader who contributed significantly to the making of modern Nigeria. A truly iconic figure, his name should be on one of the countrys stamps. The outcome of this initiative is the empowerment of the Hassan Sunmonu Center for Leadership and Governance, where his models will be studied, extended, reformed, and used by the current and next generations of Nigerian youth. It is a blessing that he is alive, and a pleasure that we will all gather to celebrate him. Comrade Sunmonu is an individual whose activism can only be appreciated by understanding the crises of African decolonization. His youth coincided with the euphoric period of independence, which masked the enduring colonial structures in postcolonial African governance. The emerging African states favored features of domination of power, exploitation of labor, and extraction of resources. He had no choice but to confront the colonization of power and the marginalities it produced. It was in this sort of environment that Adebayo Sunmonu found himself after joining the Federal Ministry of Works and Survey as a staff member in 1961. The ministry, just like the colonial government, exhibited hierarchical alienation and detachment of the typical worker. The prior experience he had gained as a technical officer and as a General Secretary of the Association of Technical Officers provided him with a template that governance had only evolved in form, not in character. Therefore, he was able to understand that the African elites only replaced the colonial masters whilst sustaining and operating their system of inequality. He must now face the monstrous power of the postcolonial state. When Sunmonu led the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), his demands were better wages and democratization of development. He had a clear ideology that the entrenchment of poverty through the implementation of colonial hierarchies diminishes the purpose of democracy. Building on this, he achieved several feats, including the National Minimum Wage Act of 1981 and the recognition of May Day as a national holiday for workers. Feats like these signify how he has helped to localize the democratization of rights in the Nigerian economy. He faced the militarization of the postcolonial. He understood the connection between the battle for democracy and economic justice. Therefore, when the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo dissolved four labour centers to form the Nigerian Labor Congress in 1978 as a body to repress the rise of radicalism amongst workers, partly, he was elected as its first President. Sunmonus election to this position witnessed the refusal of co-optation by workers. It also saw the launch of his Workers Charter of Demands in 1980, where he stated that equal access to national wealth must be included in democracy. His leadership of the NLC became a moral force that insisted that workers are the backbone of national productivity; hence, they should not be the last beneficiaries of development. However, after several decades, corruption, elite dominance, and poor governance continue to feature in African societies, suggesting that democracy in African states remains in the captivity of the few over the many. Therefore, elections have become a substitute for accountability, and administrative power has become a means of siphoning resources rather than distributing them. This situation begs the rhetoric, Does democracy in Africa promote inclusive development or does it serve only as protection for elite interests? As the General Secretary of the Organization of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU), Sunmonus tenure coincided with a period where African states were plagued by strict policies embedded in economic reforms from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These economic reforms imposed austerity measures, privatization, and currency devaluation on African states, while repressing labour movements. Sunmonu and his colleagues recognized these programs as a form of economic recolonization. Although African societies had attained political independence, they were economically tied to the aprons of international financial institutions. Therefore, the dictates of neoliberal economics betrayed the promise of democracy in this context. This raises another rhetoric, Can economic freedom exist without genuine political democratization? Through Sunmonus advocacy in the OATUU, he tried to reassert Africas voice in global economic discourse. He understood that political democracy remained a facade if countries had no control over production, trade, and finance.Going further, he understood the gimmicks of the institutions that claim to promote democracy, like the IMF and World Bank, and how their policies often erode it by tacitly imposing national policies on African states, thereby promoting neoliberal reforms and restructuring African economies to benefit global rather than domestic well-being. Sunmonu and his pan-African labour diplomacy thus became part of a larger intellectual and moral struggle to reclaim Africas right to chart its own economic and political course. His stance was rooted in a vision of democracy grounded in self-reliance, human dignity, and social justice. A contradiction in African development is that its abundant resources often undermine its democracy rather than strengthen it. Naturally, a societys mineral resources should fund its growth, but in reality, it breeds corruption, elite capture, and state violence. A good example of this can be cited from Nigerias oil industry. The struggles of Sunmonus trade union during the oil boom era of the late 1970s and early 1980s are connected to this contradiction. Having witnessed firsthand how the prosperity from the oil business disrupted the relationship between the state and its citizens, how accountability declined as the government relied more on petrol revenue and less on taxation. He understood that dependence on natural resources weakened democratic accountability, and that administrative powers prioritized international oil interests over domestic welfare. Sunmonu often referred to the outcome of this situation as democracy without development a setting in which elections coexist with underdevelopment, unemployment, and poor infrastructure. In societies of this setting, labor remains the last pillar of morality, with the ability to demand accountability from the government through collective bargaining and strikes, which serve as tools to remind the government that democracys effectiveness lies in redistribution.In the late twentieth century, as global capitalism penetrated African societies under the guise of democracy promotion, it deepened the already widening gaps in inequality. Privatization policies enriched a handful, deregulation weakened public services, and the free market displaced social justice. Several African intellectuals, including Sunmonu, rightly called this development a neoliberal betrayal of democracy. Sunmonus perspective is that democracy easily becomes a dictatorship when justice is absent in the system. Thus, his activism thrived on the ideology that citizens must feel social democracy in their day-to-day activities. In some of his later reflections, he noted that Nigerias federalism was as central as it was expensive, thereby bearing profound similarities to a colonial dictatorship in the guise of democracy. To this end, he called for a restructuring that returned power to regional autonomy and incorporated participatory governance. This call was made from his ideology that for democracy to be genuine, it must be locally embedded, economically viable, and socially accountable. Comrade Sunmonus legacy offers a profound reflection on the moral and institutional directions of African democracy. It also pushes the notion that democracy is a process of constant negotiation between power and people, justice and privilege. Sunmonu and his generation fought for the realization of a democracy that would liberate the African worker from poverty. Several years later, however, postcolonial African societies remain plagued by inequality, foreign dependency, elite domination, and corruption. Therefore, the current challenge is to decolonize democracy and make it favor the masses over the elites. Comrade Sunmonu embodies integrity, collectivism, and Pan-Africanism. These values should be embedded in African democracy to make it a catalyst for development. African democracy must allow free access to production and distribution, restore the moral purpose of governance, and base progress on human dignity. Sunmonu sees the urgency of repeatedly demanding that Africas development must be embedded in economic justice and ethical leadership. We must all be his followers in fighting for an African democracy that is meaningful only when developed around the welfare of Africans. Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland. We are therefore not dealing with cases of people who are going around wielding machetes and looking for me in order to kill me because I am a Christian. I travel in my official regalia as Bishop in and out of Sokoto. We carry out our religious services with no molestations. However, what is important is not to create the impression that we have no problems. We do have serious problems but these have escalated because the federal and state governments have, over the years, allowed these problems to fester. I want to thank Aid to the Church in Need (ACIN) for its kind invitation to me to speak in response to the release of its biennial report on, Religious Freedom in the World. The report itself is a huge document of 1,248 pages. It covers the state of Religious Freedom around the entire world between January 2023 and December 2024. According to the authors, the report reveals a worrying decline that shows more than 5.4 billion people living today in countries without religious freedom. It is important to note that this report neither targets a particular country nor a particular faith. It cuts across all faiths and focuses only on the degree to which countries comply with this fundamental human right. The report identifies authoritarianism, religious extremism, ethno-religious nationalism and organised crime as drivers of religious persecution. To rephrase Leo Tolstoy therefore; Every victim of persecution is persecuted differently. There have been serious concerns, nationally and internationally, over the deterioration of security matters in Nigeria. The reports have focused on the tragic outburst of violence that has turned huge swathes of the Nigerian landscape into a huge killing field. For over 15 years now, these murderous gangs of Islamicists and jihadist groups have found their ways into our country, wreaking havoc, destroying lives and properties, ravaging farmlands and leaving huge parts of the country empty of human existence. Along with this culture of uncontrolled banditry, thousands of communities have been destroyed, with thousands of lives lost. The country has witnessed an unacceptable surge in internal displacement in most parts of the North, especially around the Middle Belt states. The biggest challenge for us is the appropriate language to use in describing this tragedy. The reactions have been confusing. Early narratives spoke of farmer-herder clashes, climate change, cattle rustling, outright criminality, etc. With the emergence of Boko Haram and the targeting of church structures, destruction of schools, hospitals, the kidnapping of priests, the religious, seminarians and other pastoral agents, the murderous gangs invoking words like allahu akubar as their anthem of death, there was no other way of speaking of persecution of Christians by these jihadist groups rather than calling them religious persecutions targeted at Christians. Then came the sacking of communities and the occupation of vast swathes of lands by these terrorists and murderous groups. These groups would later target Muslims who did not believe in their brand of Islam. Today, the floods of blood in Nigeria have no boundaries. This is why the debate over what is happening to us has become so confusing within and outside Nigeria. Although we cannot find the right words, the simple truth is that Nigerians are dying for a living. The confusion over the appropriate language is understandable. The greatest area of concern is how much this tragic turn of events has disrupted years of Nigeria being a colourful tapestry of wonderful human relationships, marked by great friendships among our people, across faiths and ethnicities. For example, I live in Sokoto, right in the womb of Islam. If we were dealing with the outright persecution of Christians on the grounds of identity, both myself and my small flock would not exist. For example, on 8th September, 2011, the ceremony of my ordination and installation as the Bishop of Sokoto was marked by this exemplary show of collaboration between the Diocese, the state government and the Sultan, who personally enthusiastically provided accommodation for my guests during the occasion. I received the gift of a new Prado jeep from a Muslim friend of mine who said to me, Bishop, this is my gift to you for your pastoral work in your vast Diocese! On the 30th of September this year, the Sultan himself was physically in the premises of our Secretariat, where we commissioned an ICT facility with almost 300 computers for youth and children. This is not to say that there are no problems, but our daily lives should be defined by a better narrative. We are therefore not dealing with cases of people who are going around wielding machetes and looking for me in order to kill me because I am a Christian. I travel in my official regalia as Bishop in and out of Sokoto. We carry out our religious services with no molestations. However, what is important is not to create the impression that we have no problems. We do have serious problems but these have escalated because the federal and state governments have, over the years, allowed these problems to fester. The inability of the Federal Government and its security agencies to end these killings has created the condition for the genocide that has taken over many communities today. By whatever names we choose, the fact is that Nigerians are dying unacceptable deaths across the country. In many cases, they are targeted because of their beliefs but also because of their ethnicities. We are in the cusp of a weak state with a clear lack of capacity to arrest the descent into anarchy. Nigerians feel vulnerable and unprotected, irrespective of their faiths, ethnicities or social classes. A significant part of our social life has literally collapsed, as many citizens now fear large gatherings for social events or prayers. It is important to restate that things were never really always like this. The last eight years of the Buhari administration marked the worst phase in the history of interfaith relations in Nigeria, especially relating to violence against Christians and their exclusion from power. That administration gave oxygen to jihadists by virtue of its policies, which overtly favoured Islam and Northern Nigeria. The President himself was a Muslim, and he ensured that the Senate President, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the entire leadership of the security apparatuses were entrusted to only Muslims, almost all from the North. This was a departure from the sensibilities that had characterised power-sharing in Nigeria. I argued then that in reality, the difference between President Buhari and the Jihadists was that he was using a pen, while the jihadists were using weapons of violence against Christians. I also stated that under Buhari, to gain power, it was more important to be a Northern Muslim than to be a citizen of Nigeria. Our situation is far from perfect. We are still in a bad place, but there are signs of a government willing to listen. In response to the tragedy of the horrible killings in Yelwata, Benue State, the President physically paid a visit and had interactive sessions with the victims and the state government. It also pledged financial assistance to the victims. Such actions are different from the Buhari period when the President largely simply looked the other way without empathy. Today, sadly, Nigeria is still bleeding. However, I see a window of opportunity that we could use to restore harmony among our people. The Report acknowledges that the First Family is an example of what should give hope in Nigeria; with the President being a Muslim and his wife being a Pastor in a Pentecostal Church! The President and the Vice President are Muslims, yet Christians have not felt alienated. The Chief of General Staff of the Nigerian Army, the Director of State Security Services, among others, are Christians. The President just appointed a Christian as the leader of the ruling Party. He also has appointed a Christian as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). These are confidence-building measures aimed at inspiring a sense of belonging in citizens. Our situation is far from perfect. We are still in a bad place, but there are signs of a government willing to listen. In response to the tragedy of the horrible killings in Yelwata, Benue State, the President physically paid a visit and had interactive sessions with the victims and the state government. It also pledged financial assistance to the victims. Such actions are different from the Buhari period when the President largely simply looked the other way without empathy. The report indicates some decline in terrorist attacks, quoting the Global Terrorism Index Report for 2025, which states that terrorist attacks in Nigeria declined by 37 per cent in 2024. However, the report still notes that during its reporting period, innumerable attacks in Nigeria were documented in which the religious affiliation of victims played a contributing or decisive role. Religious identity, particularly Christian identity in the northern states, matters intensely because it renders Christians (and moderate Muslims) particularly vulnerable to violence, persecution, and displacement. Religious freedom in Nigeria is under grave threat, principally due to legal measures that support discrimination against Christians in the Northern states, as well as severe and relentless atrocities committed throughout the country. It is therefore deeply discouraging to note that prospects for religious freedom in Africas most populous nation remain extremely grim. This Report is not meant to make anyone side happy or sad. It is a wake-up call for Nigeria. It offers Nigeria an opportunity to stand in the mirror and decide how it wants to create a country of common citizenship. President Bola Tinubu ordered the country to return to its old national anthem, emphasising that one of the stanzas says, we want to build a country where no one is oppressed. Now is the time to live up to these principles. There is an urgent need to bring all laws, I am mean all, under the purview of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For years, agents of the state stood by as individuals took the law into their hands, destroying churches and killing Christians over the last forty years, killing innocent citizens of both faiths on grounds of blasphemy laws, with the Hisbah groups seeking to enforce Islamic laws through the backdoor, all with no repercussion. The dubious decision of 12 Northern states to adopt Sharia law in a democracy in 2000, opened the door to Islamicists who saw this as a sign that Islam was on the ascendancy. Things must change. The President should go to court to have the adoption of the Sharia law by the 12 Northern states declared unconstitutional as the only way to arrest the tendency to mob justice, which continues to claim the innocent lives of citizens such as Deborah Samuel (Sokoto), and Bridget Agbahime (Kano), etc. The secular state anticipated by the Constitution must be enforced. In the experiences of Christian minorities in Northern Nigeria, what constitutes persecution is not necessarily just violence. It is also the perceived denial of their rights to access to places of worship in public institutions, refusal of state authorities to allocate lands for the building of churches, not reconstructing destroyed churches when fanatics raze them down, denial of employment opportunities and promotion in public institutions, lack of access to religious education for Christian children in public schools, etc. The right to what constitutes persecution belongs to the victim. It is left for the state to gauge these claims against the Constitution. I do believe that today, acts of impunity still persist, but it is my view that re-designating Nigeria a Country of Concern will hurt the initiatives we are working on with the current government to collectively resolve the nagging problems of, first, the persecution of Christians and, of course, the larger issues of ending the mindless killings of our citizens. Designating my country, Nigeria, a Country of Concern will only make our work in the area of dialogue among religious leaders in our country and elsewhere with the Nigerian state even harder. Finally, I want once again to thank ACIN for its tireless work towards the restoration of human dignity in the fulfilment of Gods gift to humanity, the right for all to worship him without let or hindrance. I believe that over the years, Nigeria has sinned and fallen short. Under the Buhari administration, its egregious persecution of Christians was visible. I accepted and encouraged the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Concern. In its statement dated 11th December, 2020 (a day after the Human Rights Day), the Trump administration said: Governments whose leaders have allowed perpetrators of vicious persecution to act with impunity pose a national security threat to the United States and the world. I do believe that today, acts of impunity still persist, but it is my view that re-designating Nigeria a Country of Concern will hurt the initiatives we are working on with the current government to collectively resolve the nagging problems of, first, the persecution of Christians and, of course, the larger issues of ending the mindless killings of our citizens. Designating my country, Nigeria, a Country of Concern will only make our work in the area of dialogue among religious leaders in our country and elsewhere with the Nigerian state even harder. It will only increase tensions, sow doubt, open windows of suspicion and fear and simply allow the criminals and perpetrators of violence to exploit. What Nigeria needs now is a more vigilance by the organisations such as the ACIN and civil society groups to continue to press for change and to deliberately work to end impunity. I believe that the Obama and Biden administrations were complicit in the way they handled the fight against Boko Haram under the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. The country was already making progress. The decision to block Nigerias access to the required weapons to end this violence by the Obama administration and its drive to impose President Buhari on Nigeria pushed back this fight. I therefore appeal to President Donald Trump, who is already working hard to show that a peaceful world is possible with his historic achievement in the Middle East, to lift the ban and allow Nigeria access the military tools it requires to free our country from the stranglehold of these evil men. I believe this will set us on a course to end the violence that extremist groups and merchants of death have inflicted on us. Thankfully, in his new Encyclical, Dilexi Te, the holy father, Pope Leo has said: I am sure that preferential option for the poor is the source of extraordinary renewal both for Church and society. Happily, our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, sent a delegation of the Catholic Bishops for the burial of our beloved holy father, Pope Francis. He personally took the historic decision to be at the inauguration of the holy father, Pope Leo, X1V. We believe that despite our challenges, there is a window of opportunity to the religious leaders in Nigeria to map out the best strategies towards national harmony and integration. With the historic developments in the Middle East coming in this year of Hope, the world has a chance to reverse the vicious hold of all forms of religious extremism threatening a peaceful world order. Nigeria, a country of well over 200 million people of faith can make a great contribution towards this quest for world peace if we can rid our country of the virus of religious extremism. We should be supported and encouraged in this effort and not punished. On our part, the Nigerian government must urgently design a robust template to restore confidence in our country by taking the concerns expressed in this Report in good faith. Matthew Hassan Kukah is the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria. This is the text of remarks delivered at the launch of the ACIN 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom in the World at the Augustinianum Hall, Vatican City, on 21st October, 2025. Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has pledged that his administration will provide the necessary budgetary support to boost cancer awareness, early detection, and treatment across the state. The governor made this known on Tuesday when he received a Cancer Awareness and Screening team in Abeokuta during the commissioning of a free Breast Screening Centre the second of its kind in the country. The delegation included the wife of the Governor of Imo State, Mrs Chioma Uzodimma; wife of the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Bagudu, who also serves as the President-elect of the Union for International Cancer Control; wife of the Ogun State Governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun; as well as the General Manager of Roche Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Company, and the Ogun State Commissioners for Health and Women Affairs and Social Development, among others. Governor Abiodun emphasised that cancer is no respecter of status, wealth, or affluence, stressing the importance of early detection and treatment to save lives. Nothing can be more proactive than ensuring all hands are on deck for early detection and treatment, as some cancer variants are treatable if discovered early, he said. The governor assured that the state government would collaborate with relevant stakeholders to strengthen cancer prevention and management, adding that other companies operating within the state would be encouraged to include the establishment of cancer awareness and treatment centres as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Government cannot do it alone, and I can confidently assure you that as a state government, we will support you in that regard. We will provide the necessary support, including budgetary provisions, because that is very important, he stated. Governor Abiodun also revealed plans to explore the inclusion of cancer screening in the Ogun State Health Insurance Scheme to ensure wider accessibility. Earlier, Mrs Uzodimma explained that the teams visit was part of a broader campaign on breast cancer awareness, conducted in partnership with Roche Healthcare and the Ogun State Government. We have come together to create awareness in our various states, pay hospital bills for cancer patients, and engage in advocacy work. Roche has been our major partner for years, and we urge the state to include cancer screening in its health insurance scheme and establish a Cancer Health Fund, she said. In her remarks, Ogun State First Lady, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun commended Roche Healthcare for donating a free Breast Screening Centre to the Oba Ademola Hospital, Abeokuta, describing the gesture as a significant boost to healthcare delivery in the state. Dr Ladipo Hammed, General Manager of Roche Healthcare, noted that the company seeks partnerships during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to support healthcare systems nationwide, emphasising that early detection remains a key factor in reducing cancer mortality. Also speaking, Dr Zainab Bagudu called for continuous follow-up, sustainability, and the institutionalisation of cancer awareness and screening programmes in Nigerias health policies and legal frameworks. Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has stated that malnutrition is not only a health crisis but an economic barrier and a profound threat to human capital development. The governor launched the Zamfara State Nutrition 774 Initiative on Tuesday at the council chamber of the government house in Gusau. A statement by the governors spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the Nutrition 774 Initiative is a community-driven, multi-sectoral programme created to enhance nutritional results throughout Nigerias 774 Local Government Areas. The statement added that the State Council on Nutrition oversees and directs the implementation of sustainable nutrition activities in Zamfara. In his remarks at the launch, Governor Lawal assured that the inauguration of the State Council on Nutrition will spark a transformative plan to strengthen societys foundation by prioritising the health and well-being of Zamfara children. He said, We cannot build a secure, resilient, and prosperous Zamfara on a foundation of poor nutrition. An investment in the first 1,000 days of a childs life is the single most significant investment we can make in this states future. He added: This is why the Nutrition 774 (N774) Initiative is timely and essential. Its community-based, multi-sectoral approach rightly recognizes that nutrition is connected to health, agriculture, education, social protection, and WASH. By focusing on strengthening our local nutrition efforts and empowering our women, the N774 Initiative aligns with our states Rescue Agenda. To that end, I am proud to announce that we have formally constituted the Zamfara State Council on Nutrition and our full commitment to the N774 Initiative. The governor further stressed that the Zamfara State Council, composed of key commissioners and leaders, has his complete authority to set policy, coordinate efforts, and supervise all nutrition activities. He stressed: One of the councils primary tasks is to drive the N774 Initiative to every local government in our state. This launch today is therefore a call to action. To our partners in the national team, we are ready to work and rely on your support to build our local teams capacity for a smooth rollout. My administration is committed to this partnership, providing leadership and resources to ensure the success and sustainability of the N774 Initiative in Zamfara State. Therefore, with great optimism for the future and a profound sense of duty, it is my singular honor to officially inaugurate the State Council on Nutrition and officially launch the Nutrition 774 (N774) Initiative in Zamfara State. Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Mrs Uju Rochas Anwukah, commended the performance of Governor Dauda Lawals administration, especially in the health sector. Mrs Uju said the N774 Initiative aims to build a well-nourished, healthy Nigeria by strengthening local and national nutrition efforts. A magistrate court in Kuje, Abuja, on Tuesday, remanded Indigenous People of Biafra (IOPB) leader Nnamdi Kanus lawyer and brother alongside 10 others in the custody of Kuje prison for alleged breach of public peace and other charges. Mr Kanus lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, announced his remand on X (formerly Twitter) following his arraignment by the police alongside his co-defendants before the court on Tuesday. The Magistrate refused to listen to our submissions, Mr Ejimakor wrote on the microblogging site, adding, He insisted on remanding us till Friday and got his way. For context: Keep in mind that they bypassed several Magistrate courts in town and headed to this one in Kuje. The magistrate ordered him and others remanded at Kuje correctional centre in Abuja on Tuesday after a night in police custody. Mr Ejimakor and other defendants were arrested by the police during Mondays #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest around the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in the Maitama District of Abuja. The demonstrators, led by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, took to the streets on Monday to demand an unconditional release of detained Mr Kanu, who is standing trial on terrorism charges over his secessionist campaign for the independence of Nigerias South-east region as a sovereign Biafra state. The police arraigned Mr Ejimakor alongside Mr Kanus brother, Emmanuel Kanu, and 10 others for criminal conspiracy, disobedience of a lawful order and inciting disturbance of public peace during the protest. Other defendants similarly ordered by the magistrate to be remanded in prison are Joshua Emmanuel, Bishop Anyalewechi, Okere Kingdom (an Abuja-based lawyer), Clinton Chimenze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom and Godwill Obiama. According to the charge contained in a first information report shared on Mr Sowores Facebook page, the group allegedly incited disturbance, and breach of public peace in disobedience to a court Order, denying other citizens the freedom of movement, disrupting free flow of traffic while chanting war songs and requesting for the release of Nnamdi Kanu who is undergoing lawful trial at the Federal High Court in a manner that threatens National Security. Mr Sowore said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that lawyers filed a bail application for Mr Ejimakor and Mr Kanus brother, Emmanuel, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, but that the police refused to accept service of the application. Earlier on Friday, the Federal High Court in Abuja approved the protest in a ruling on an ex parte motion filed by the Nigeria police. However, the court barred the protesters from sensitive government areas, including Aso Rock Villa, the National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way. The police explained that they arrested the defendants because they were protesting on Shehu Shagari Way, which is one of the areas the court had prohibited demonstrations from taking place. But the protesters insisted they were never served the court order up till when the protest started at about 7 a.m. on Monday. Since 2021, Mr Kanu has been in detention after he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria to continue facing his terrorism trial, which dates back to 2015. The Nigerian government accused the IPOB leader, who is agitating for an independent Biafra, of inciting violence and killings in the South-east to actualise the independence of the region along with parts of the neighbouring states as a sovereign nation. Amid growing calls for Mr Kanus release, Mr Sowore, about two weeks ago, began mobilising for a nationwide protest to put pressure on the federal government to free the IPOB leader. But the protest only took a significant hold in Abuja. Police crackdown Around 8:00 a.m. on Monday, the police fired teargas at the protesters who started their march from the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. While the demonstrators tried to regroup, the police again dispersed them. This prompted their convergence at multiple locations, including Utako and Jabi where the police again fired teargas, disrupting business activities in the neighbourhood. The protest subsequently continued at Apo down to the Gudu area of Abuja before Mr Sowore finally led a few remaining protesters to the FCT Police Command in an attempt to secure the release of the arrested protesters. The Ondo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has destroyed over 10,143 kilograms of cannabis popular known as Indian hemp, in the state within the last 10 months. Nanzing Sallah, who is the state commander of the agency, told journalists in Akure, the state capital, on Monday that the action was in the efforts against drug abuse and trafficking in the state. He said the achievements were made possible through the synergy with other security agencies, the media, and community stakeholders. According to Mr Sallah, the agency seized 10,143.053 kilograms of cannabis sativa, 1.702 kilograms of methamphetamine, 2.193 kilograms of psychotropic substances, 363.8 kilograms of scooches, and 10.137 kilograms of monkey tail a locally brewed alcoholic mixture laced with drugs. He said, In addition to the seizures, the command destroyed 74.786 hectares of cannabis farms across various parts of the state. If such land were used for agriculture, it would have contributed immensely to food production and food security in Ondo State. Instead, the cultivation of cannabis degrades the soil and destroys the forest ecosystem. Mr Sallah further revealed that the NDLEA also seized four vehicles, one motorcycle, and 282,320 cash, all of which have been forfeited to the federal government. Additionally, 25 vehicles, 13 motorcycles, and 2,363,670 are currently under interim forfeiture pending court decisions, he said. The command, he said, recorded 135 pending cases before the Federal High Court and secured 52 convictions within the period under review. Mr Sallah, however, appealed to the state government for greater logistical support, especially in areas such as rehabilitation and counseling of drug users. He also urged traditional rulers and religious leaders to help monitor their communities and discourage the cultivation and consumption of illicit drugs. We all have a moral duty to protect our youths and safeguard the future of our society, he said. The fight against drug abuse cannot be won by the NDLEA alone. We need the cooperation of all stakeholders, including the media, to spread the message that drug use destroys lives and communities. The commander reaffirmed the agencys commitment to making Ondo State a drug-free society through continuous enforcement, sensitisation, and collaboration with the public. READ ALSO: NDLEA probes death of its commander in hotel Recently, the agency destroyed no fewer than 53,250 kilogrammes of skunk on a 21.3-hectare cannabis farm in Ilawe-Ekiti. It also recovered 70 bags of the same substance, weighing 1,140kg, during an operation that lasted between 12 and 13 October. Those arrested during the operation were Matthew Emmanuel (26), James Moses (27), and Israel Samuel (20). Another 17,400kg of skunk on 6.96 hectares of farmland at the Aponmu Forest Reserve, Akure, Ondo State was destroyed on 12 October. - Bringing together more than 50 market and craft experts and researchers from 12 countries around the world - Researching Cheongju as a best practice for a craft-based experiential economy CHEONGJU, South Korea, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Administrative and cultural experts from around the world will gather in Cheongju, a city in the Republic of Korea that is currently hosts the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025 . The Cheongju Craft Biennale Organizing Committee (Chairman: Cheongju Mayor Beomseok Lee; hereinafter referred to as the Biennale) announced that it will host the World Craft Expert Forum at 10 a.m. on October 30, 2025 (Thu) at Culture Factory. The forum provides an opportunity for administrative and cultural leaders from around the worldwho are developing urban cultures and economies centered on craftto examine the case of Cheongju and explore ways to live and grow together. It will also serve as a global networking event attended by more than 50 experts representing delegations from 12 countries, including Australia, China, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan. More specifically, key visitors from Central Asia, such as the Mayor of Kokand, Uzbekistan and the Deputy Mayor of Taraz, Kazakhstan, are among the delegations to make a field visit to Cheongju, a successful case of urban regeneration and branding focused on craft, and to incorporate lessons learned from Cheongju into their own urban policies. This forum features the theme of "Crafting Cities, Weaving a Shared Future" and shares cases of experiential economies focused on craft around the world, while studying the case of Cheongju, which has sought urban development based on craft and culture as a driving force. The forum will also reflect on the Cheongju Craft Biennale 2025, which runs until November 2, and discuss the current state and future direction of contemporary craft. Participants will also visit Cheongju University to explore ways to foster a cooperative relationship between local governments and universities. "Representatives from different cities will share a common perception of the value and potential of craft in developing integrated and creative cities," said Cheongju Mayor Beomseok Lee, who serves as the Chairman of the Cheongju Craft Biennale Organizing Committee. "Based on solidarity with craft cities and organizations around the world, we will enhance the global profile of Korean craft and fulfill the role of Cheongju as a global craft leader to establish craft as a sustainable culture in the lives of citizens." This forum, where city administrative leaders and cultural experts around the world will come together to discuss solidarity, cooperation, and shared growth for global craft cities, will be held from October 30 (Thu) to October 31 (Fri), 2025 at Culture Factory in Cheongju, the Republic of Korea, where the 2025 Cheongju Craft Biennale currently takes place. SOURCE The Organizing Committee of the Cheongju Craft Biennale(South Korea) Media Are Invited to Virtual News Conference to be Held on October 27 DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Agrilytics, a leading agronomy technology company, unveiled the details of a new white paper, "The Nitrogen Efficiency Breakthrough: How Digital Tools Cut Corn Nitrogen Emissions by 21% Without Sacrificing Yield." Cover of the new Advanced Agrilytics "The Nitrogen Efficiency Breakthrough" white paper. The publication provides detailed findings from a field-based analysis of data from three growing seasons (2022 through 2024) across more than 750,000 acres managed by Advanced Agrilytics. The study confirms that improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) can deliver both environmental and economic value, without compromising yields. The full white paper is available for download here. Better NUE Provides Economic and Environmental Benefits Earlier analyses by Advanced Agrilytics had shown that their corn grower customers had a median NUE of 0.75 lb. N/bu, which is significantly better than the industry benchmark of 1.01.2 lb. N/bu. The objective of this analysis was to quantify economic and environmental benefits of the improved NUE across the corn acres that Advanced Agrilytics manages. The study confirms that these benefits are substantial: 23.5% reduction in Carbon Intensity (CI) score: 21.2 g CO2e/MJ vs. Industry baseline of 27.72 20.6% reduction in nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions: 10.7 g CO2e/MJ vs. Baseline of 13.47 Reducing nitrous oxide emissions is especially important because N2O is a potent greenhouse gas, which is 273 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in terms of its warming potential 1 272,262 metric tons of avoided CO2e emissions annually N2O emissions reduction of 423,641 kilograms (115,654 metric tons of CO2e) annually These emission reductions are equivalent to2: Removing more than 63,000 gasoline-powered vehicles from the road each year Offsetting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 26+ million gallons of diesel fuel The carbon removed by 4.5 million + tree seedlings, grown for 10 years The analysis also quantifies the actual economic cost of decreased NUE. On average across the acres analyzed, a loss of NUE equivalent to 0.15 lb. N/bu can result in a gross revenue loss of $80.42 per acre, due to higher nitrogen input cost and lower yield performance (whether from over application, mis-timed nitrogen application, or nitrogen loss in saturated areas). When extrapolated across the 750,000-acre dataset used in this analysis, this equates to a total potential annual gross revenue impact of approximately $60 million. In addition, improving NUE can also help growers qualify for incentive payments from both public and private conservation and sustainability programs. The white paper explains how Advanced Agrilytics' TerraFraming platform, which provides sub-acre spatial analysis using patented algorithms, allows for nitrogen and nitrogen stabilizers to be applied with precision, in terms of rate, location, and timing. By proactively managing risk and tailoring nutrient applications to each microenvironment within a field, growers can reduce nitrogen loss while improving crop resilience and yield consistency. "Our predictive agronomic approach is a smarter, more efficient way to produce crops and improve farming operation sustainability," said Jon Fridgen, Chief Science Officer at Advanced Agrilytics. "Now we have hard data to show the economic and environmental benefits the Advanced Agrilytics' methodology delivers higher nitrogen use efficiency, lower emissions, and more profit per acre." Advanced Agrilytics launched this new white paper as part of the company's participation in the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue event, which is taking place this week in Des Moines, Iowa. The company hosted a Deep Dive panel discussion entitled, "Think Differently. Farm Smarter. A More Sustainable Way to Feed The World." For more information on the speakers and related content, click here. NEW! Virtual News Conference for Media Journalists who were not at the Borlaug Dialogue event can register for a virtual news conference about the new white paper and analysis, below. This event will be held on Monday, October 27 at 2 p.m. CST. The virtual news conference will feature: Advanced Agrilytics CEO Kenny Avery Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Kess Berg Chief Science Officer Jon Fridgen Vice President of Sustainability Jane Stautz Click here to register for the virtual news conference. About Advanced Agrilytics Advanced Agrilytics is a leading agronomy technology company delivering sub-acre agronomic intelligence at scale. Through a flexible ecosystem of data, software, and value-added services, we empower growers, consultants, retailers, and manufacturers to make smarter, more profitable decisions. Our business spans four complementary areas: agronomy services, software licensing, applied research, and sustainability and funding support, including Section 180 residual fertility valuation reports. Our proprietary spatial agronomy methodology, delivered through products like TerraFraming, is proven to increase yield consistency, reduce variability, and enhance long-term resilience across every acre. Founded in 2015 in Huntington, Indiana, and headquartered in Indianapolis, we remain committed to helping partners improve profitability and sustainability while building a legacy for generations to come. Learn more at http://www.advancedagrilytics.com and follow us on social media. Sources 1 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Sixth Assessment Report: The Physical Science Basis, published 2021, reported that nitrous oxide had 273 times the GWP of CO 2 over a 100-year period, and that agriculture was the leading source of anthropogenic N 2 O emissions globally. 2 Equivalency calculations derived by using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. Accessed on July 6, 2025. SOURCE Advanced Agrilytics LONDON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bizcap, together with its US affiliate NewCo Capital Group , is proud to announce that it has acquired 8fig and that it has become part of the Bizcap Group, marking a major step in the fintech company's global expansion and leadership in technology-led business funding. Founded in 2020, 8fig has delivered more than $500 million in funding to online sellers and developed its pioneering "AI CFO" tool, enabling small businesses to plan, forecast, and scale with confidence. By joining Bizcap's global ecosystem, 8fig will retain its independence under its existing brand and leadership, while gaining access to Bizcap's capital strength, global reach and operational expertise. For Bizcap, the partnership highlights its strength in integrating high-growth fintechs, reinforcing its global leadership in non-bank lending. Bizcap Global's Co-Founder and Co-CEO Albert Gahfi said 8fig's vision for e-commerce innovation aligns with Bizcap's mission to empower small businesses with tools and capital for growth. "We're impressed not just by 8fig's technology, but by how it's built with a strong focus on customer needs, adaptability, and long-term success," he said. "8fig has the right platform, the right people, and the right mindset to make a global impact, and we're excited to combine that strength with Bizcap's reach and expertise to broaden our product offering and accelerate market penetration." A global ecosystem for growth Bizcap and its affiliates have delivered more than $3 billion in funding to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) worldwide. Operating in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe and with expansion plans for Mexico Bizcap continues to broaden its product suite, including its line of credit offering. The partnership with 8fig enhances Bizcap's strengths in automated underwriting, AI-driven funding, and intelligent business tools. SMEs will gain smarter solutions for cash flow, inventory, and growth planning, while brokers and partners will access broader options, from working capital and credit lines to structured growth financing. Together, these advancements will deliver faster, more tailored access to capital across regions, solidifying Bizcap's position as the partner of choice for business finance. Where funding meets intelligence 8fig's advanced technology and AI-driven innovation will position Bizcap at the intersection of commercial funding and financial intelligence, helping SMEs to access smarter and faster funding solutions. Zalman Blachman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bizcap Global, said 8fig's automated underwriting and servicing platform will accelerate Bizcap's ambitions. "8fig turns complexity into speed, accuracy, and intelligence. Their innovation amplifies our mission to deliver fast, flexible capital and positions Bizcap at the forefront of the future of small business lending," he said. Bizcap will integrate 8fig's AI-driven systems, enabling the rapid development of cheaper, longer-term funding products and further expanding its global market share. Meanwhile, Bizcap's global scale, operational expertise, and access to capital will fuel 8fig's next phase of growth. Yaron Shapira, CEO of 8fig, said the partnership will accelerate growth by expanding technology, entering new markets, and forming strategic alliances without budget limits. "Our mission remains the same: empowering SMEs and e-commerce businesses to scale globally. With Bizcap's talented team beside us, we're ready to take that mission to new heights," he said. About Bizcap Bizcap is a global non-bank financing provider offering fast, flexible funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, US (as NewCo Capital Group), Canada, the UK, and Europe. Founded in 2019, Bizcap empowers SMEs by offering approvals in as little as three hours, with same-day funding available. Bizcap has funded more than 66,000 SMEs, totalling AUD$3 billion, while holding a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating. For more information, visit bizcap.com.au About 8Fig 8fig is an AI-driven funding and cash flow planning platform for e-commerce sellers. The company was founded in 2020 by co-founders Yaron Shapira, Assaf Dagan and Roei Yellin. Its "AI CFO" combines continuous, flexible growth capital with planning tools across cash flow, inventory, and supply chain which helps online sellers forecast and scale with confidence. To date, 8fig has delivered more than US$500 million in funding to online sellers. Applicants must have prior college credits, typically an associate's degree or equivalent, including approved prior learning and life experience credits. GLENSIDE, Pa., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadia University is proud to announce the launch of its fully online Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. This globally minded, career-focused program offers a streamlined, purposeful pathway to degree completion for students who have an associate's degree or are returning to finish their studies. A degree that balances life, work, and learning Recognizing that many adult learners juggle career responsibilities with family and other obligations, Arcadia's online format and affordable program costs let students progress on their own timeline while engaging with realworld content. Courses emphasize practical knowledge in management, marketing, finance, operations, and economics, while strengthening skills in communication, ethical decisionmaking, and critical thinking. Through immersive projects, business simulations, and global case studies, students gain hands-on exposure to contemporary business challenges. Unique to the program and inherent in an Arcadia education is a focus on global perspectives; students will engage with international business practices, hear from speakers from around the world, and collaborate across diverse perspectives to hone their adaptability in an interconnected marketplace. Pathways and progression Arcadia's program design acknowledges the credits and experience students already possess. Students must have earned an associate's degree or a minimum of 57 credits, including prior learning and life experience, as determined by the University. Arcadia accepts these transfer credits, allowing students to accelerate their progress without duplicating efforts. Once the BA is complete, graduates may continue seamlessly into Arcadia's online MBA program, furthering their credentials and career trajectory. "Working adults deserve an educational path that meets them where they are," said Raghu Kurthakoti, PhD, associate professor of Marketing and director of graduate and online Business programs. "This new online BA in Business Administration directly addresses the needs of learners balancing multiple responsibilities. By combining affordability, flexibility, and a global business lens, we're opening doors for many who previously believed finishing their degree was out of reach." Click here to learn more about the Online Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration at Arcadia University and to apply. About Arcadia University Arcadia University is a top-ranked private University in Greater Philadelphia that provides a values-based, authentic educational experience by placing students at the center. Learn more about our vibrant community at www.arcadia.edu . SOURCE Arcadia University Photo: https://me.gov.ua The EFI Group investment company, founded by Ihor Liski, together with its partners, announced the start of construction of the Feednova Center plant (the Feednova brand) for the production of high-protein feed additives and animal fats in Cherkasy region. "Despite the war, Ukrainian business is investing EUR 14.4 million in the first stage of the project. And the total investment is planned to exceed EUR 20 million," the release said on Tuesday. According to it, the majority investor is EFI Group together with a strategic partner, leading Dutch and Danish manufacturers of technologies and equipment in the processing industry. The enterprise will include four production lines, enabling the processing of over 150 tonnes of raw materials per day and the production of more than 50 tonnes of finished products, including meat-and-bone, feather, and blood meal, as well as animal fats. The plant is scheduled to launch in Q3 2026. According to Samvel Ramazyan, director of Feednova Center LLC, the plant design has already been completed and a general contractor has been selected, though the name was not disclosed in the release. The Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture said in its Tuesday release that Feednova Center will become the first project in Ukraine to receive compensation for the cost of constructed engineering and transport infrastructure as early as 2025, with the total state support estimated at UAH 172.1 million. As of now, the Ministry of Economy has provided the investor with a conclusion on the feasibility of the project, and the order to sign the agreement between the state and the investor is currently under review by the central executive authorities. The ministry noted that the agreement between the investor and the state will be signed in the near future. The new facility will be the second plant under the Feednova brand following the successful launch of the first enterprise in Lviv region in 2021, the release states. The company exports over 80% of its products to EU countries and continues its own development through the introduction of new production lines and the implementation of energy efficiency projects. "The second plant for the production of high-protein feed additives is critically important for the modern meat-processing industry. We are building infrastructure for efficient processing that simultaneously reduces environmental risks, creates jobs, and generates added value within the country. Cherkasy region is the ideal location for this plant: it has strong agricultural enterprises, logistics, and, most importantly, support from the local community," the release cites Liski. The release notes that the enterprise will create over 80 jobs in the community and is expected to impact the development of agro-industrial complexes in the region, as it will be the first plant in central Ukraine to process raw materials from external suppliers. "The Feednova Center project is a prime example of how state incentives under the investment support program for major projects can be effectively combined with private initiative," commented Vitaliy Kindrativ, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, on the start of construction. WORCESTER, Mass., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Assumption University is advancing educational opportunities for healthcare professionals and receiving national recognition for academic and programmatic excellence. In January, Assumption welcomed its first cohort of 40 physician assistant (PA) students to the 28-month program, which includes instructional coursework on campus, in the anatomy lab at the UMass Chan Medical School, and hands-on clinical experience through 13 rotations with clinical site partners throughout the region. This new program addresses a pressing shortage of healthcare providers that is only expected to grow. With the Association of American Medical Colleges projecting a shortage of up to 124,000 medical doctors by 2034, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates PA employment will increase 27% between 2023 and 2032 far greater than the average for all occupations according to the American Academy of Physician Associates. The University also recently graduated its first cohort of students in its accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing (ABSN) program, which enables students with other bachelor's degrees to earn their nursing degree in as little as 16 months. Assumption's nursing program as a whole was ranked the best in Massachusetts by RegisteredNursing.org, an online resource for current nurses and prospective students, in its 2025 rankings. Similarly, the University's clinical counseling psychology program will receive the Award for the Outstanding Training Program from the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, marking the first time it has been awarded to a master's program. In April, Assumption announced a new certificate in healthcare leadership empowering graduate-level students to develop essential skills as effective leaders in the healthcare industry. The program consists of four courses, each taken for three credits each, that can also be applied as electives towards earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Through these programs and achievements, Assumption University is leading in healthcare education, forming students with a strong academic foundation and a focus on care for the whole person as informed by Assumption's Catholic mission. About Assumption University Assumption University, founded in 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption, is a premier New England university for high-quality education, integrating career preparation and education of the whole person, drawing upon the best in the rich and centuries-long tradition of Catholic higher education. Assumption's graduates are known for their intellectual seriousness, thoughtful citizenship, and devotion to the common good. The University offers 37 majors and 49 minors in the liberal arts, sciences, business, nursing, professional studies, and other areas, as well as graduate degrees and professional credentials. For more information about Assumption University, please visit assumption.edu or follow us @AssumptionUMA. Contact: Olivia Boudreau Public Relations Specialist Assumption University Email: [email protected] 508-767-7110 SOURCE Assumption University VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Augusta Gold Corp. (TSX: G) (OTCQB: AUGG) ("Augusta Gold" or the "Company") announces that at the special meeting (the "Special Meeting") of Augusta Gold stockholders held today, Augusta Gold stockholders voted in favour of the resolution (the "Merger Resolution") approving the Merger (as defined below) pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 15, 2025 (as amended from time to time, the "Merger Agreement") by and among Augusta Gold, AngloGold Ashanti (U.S.A.) Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Parent"), Exploration Inc., a Nevada corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Sub"), and joined by AngloGold Ashanti Holdings plc, a public limited company existing under the laws of the Isle of Man ("HoldCo"), for the limited purposes specified in the Merger Agreement, pursuant to which Parent, Merger Sub and Augusta Gold intend to effect a merger of Merger Sub with and into Augusta Gold (the "Merger"), with Augusta Gold surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Parent and Merger Sub are indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of AngloGold Ashanti plc ("AngloGold Ashanti") and HoldCo is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of AngloGold Ashanti. 59,884,859 shares of Augusta Gold common stock (the "Common Shares"), representing approximately 69.69% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares as at the record date of September 12, 2025 (the "Record Date"), were voted at the Special Meeting either in person or represented by proxy. The Merger Resolution was approved by (i) approximately 69.44% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares as of the Record Date and; (ii) approximately 99.37% of the Common Shares voted at the Special Meeting, after excluding votes from certain related parties required to be excluded in accordance with section 8.1(2) of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. Details of the voting results from the Special Meeting will be filed on Augusta Gold's profile on both SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Closing of the Merger remains subject to certain customary closing conditions and, assuming the satisfaction of these customary closing conditions, the Merger is expected to close on or around October 23, 2025. Following completion of the Merger, Augusta Gold expects the Common Shares to be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange and to cease to be quoted on the OTCQB. Augusta Gold stockholders who have questions or require assistance with submitting their Common Shares in exchange for the consideration pursuant to the Merger may direct their questions to Computershare Trust Company of Canada, which is acting as the exchange agent under the Merger. Further information regarding the Merger is available in the definitive proxy statement/management information circular of Augusta Gold dated September 17, 2025, which is available on Augusta Gold's profile on both SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Application to Cease to be a Reporting Issuer in Canada The Company also announces that it has applied to the British Columbia Securities Commission, as principal regulator, and the Ontario Securities Commission for a joint order (the "Order Sought") to cease to be a reporting issuer in all jurisdictions of Canada in which it is a reporting issuer following closing of the proposed Merger. If the Order Sought is made, following closing of the proposed Merger, the Company will cease to be a reporting issuer in any jurisdiction in Canada and will no longer be subject to the disclosure requirements of a reporting issuer under Canadian securities laws. Upon closing of the Merger, the Company also expects to be making certain filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to terminate its reporting obligations in the United States. About Augusta Gold Augusta Gold is an exploration and development company focused on its Reward and Bullfrog gold projects located in the prolific Bullfrog mining district approximately 120 miles north-west of Las Vegas, Nevada and just outside of Beatty, Nevada. The Company is led by a management team and board of directors with a proven track record of success in financing and developing mining assets and delivering shareholder value. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and information contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements", and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These statements appear in a number of places in this news release and include statements regarding our intent, or the beliefs or current expectations of our officers and directors, including statements with respect to the timing for the completion of the proposed transaction. When used in this news release words such as "to be", "will", "planned", "expected", "potential", "anticipated" and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to vary materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including risks that the conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction will not be achieved in a timely manner, if at all, and the satisfaction of other conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction on the proposed terms and schedule, and the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators and the SEC. Such forward-looking statements are based on various assumptions, including assumptions made with regard to general business and economic conditions, metals prices, the timely receipt of necessary approvals, the Company's ability to comply with the terms and conditions of the Agreement, and no unplanned delays or interruptions. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Except as required by applicable law, we assume no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward- looking statements. If we update any one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. You should not place undue importance on forward-looking statements and should not rely upon these statements as of any other date. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. SOURCE Augusta Gold Corp. BambooHR Compliance Training, Powered by EasyLlama, Delivers Seamless Access to 300+ Courses Across Key Risk Areas at No Additional Cost DRAPER, Utah, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BambooHR , the easiest-to-use people platform for HR, payroll, and benefits, today announced the expansion of their compliance suite with the launch of BambooHR Compliance Training, powered by EasyLlama , giving small and medium-sized businesses integrated access to world-class compliance education. With over 300 courses offered in 10 languages, this new integration enables organizations to meet legal requirements, mitigate risk, and foster safer, more inclusive workplaces, all within BambooHR. As global regulations expand, from OSHA and HIPAA to GDPR and the EU AI Act, small and mid-sized businesses are disproportionately vulnerable. According to Globalscape , Non-compliance costs businesses in the U.S. alone billions of dollars annually in fines, lawsuits, and lost productivity, with a single incident averaging nearly $15 million when legal fees and reputational damage are included. BambooHR Compliance Training expands BambooHR's compliance offering to level the playing field by giving every customer tools to protect themselves from reputational risk. Customers are already seeing the benefits. "EasyLlama takes the headache out of compliance," said Emily Fieser, Director of Culture & Development at Natural Retreats. "I can send training invitations in minutes, track progress in real time, and rely on automatic reminders." "The stakes for compliance have never been higher. Whether you're a five-person shop or a global company, staying ahead of regulatory expectations is critical," said Brian Crofts, Chief Product Officer at BambooHR. "BambooHR Compliance Training, powered by EasyLlama, makes it simple for our customers to protect their people, their reputation, and their future, at no extra cost." EasyLlama's proven track record underscores the impact: in the past year alone, the company trained 1.7 million employees and delivered 2.7 million trainings across 5,700+ customers. "Compliance training is one of the most universal pain points for HR teams," said Samuel Devyver, CEO of EasyLlama. "Our mission is to make training easy, engaging, and effective, so employees don't just check a box; they understand and apply what they've learned. By bringing EasyLlama's training natively into BambooHR, we're ensuring businesses everywhere can meet the necessary requirements while building stronger, safer workplace cultures." BambooHR Compliance Training is fully integrated into the BambooHR platform, allowing HR teams to assign, track, and manage training directly from their dashboard with no extra logins or systems to juggle. Access varies by plan: Core: Harassment prevention training Harassment prevention training Pro: 15-course bundle tailored by country 15-course bundle tailored by country Elite: Unlimited access to over 300 courses in 10 languages To learn more about BambooHR's suite of compliance tools, including Compliance Training, powered by EasyLlama, visit: https://www.bamboohr.com/platform/compliance/ About BambooHR BambooHR is the leading HR software platform that sets people free to do great work. Intuitively designed and user-friendly HR, payroll, and benefits administration in one unified ecosystem means less focus on process and more on growing what matters mostpeople. With AI-powered insights and comprehensive reporting, HR leaders gain the data they need to craft strategies to enhance employee engagement and retention while effectively measuring success. Trusted by HR professionals in over 30,000 companies across 190 countries and 50 industries, BambooHR supports millions of users throughout their employee journey. About EasyLlama EasyLlama is an all-in-one compliance and learning platform helping companies reduce risk, protect their business, and increase employee productivity with AI-powered compliance and learning solutions. Our mission is to create safer and more productive workplaces where people are empowered to do their best work. More than 5,700 businesses trust EasyLlama to deliver engaging and effective learning experiences that are designed to match how people like to learn today. Learn easier with EasyLlama. SOURCE Bamboo HR LLC LatinFinance awards Banorte as the Best Infrastructure Bank of the Year in Mexico and Port Financing of the Year in Latin America. MEXICO CITY, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Financiero Banorte is awarded by the international publication LatinFinance in the 2025 Project & Infrastructure Finance Awards (2025 Project and Infrastructure Finance Awards) as the Infrastructure Bank of the Year in Mexico and Port Financing of the Year in Latin America. Carlos Hank Gonzalez, Chairman of the Board of Grupo Financiero Banorte, said: "We know that infrastructure is the engine that drives Mexico's development and improves the quality of life of families. That is why at Banorte, we are committed to joining the great national works, as well as the local infrastructure of municipalities and communities. Banorte was selected as the Best Infrastructure Bank of the Year for its essential role in financing high-impact infrastructure projects in key sectors such as transportation, energy and urban development. The institution was also awarded Port Financing of the Year for its participation in the financial structuring of the Semi-Specialized Container and Cargo Terminal project in the North Bay of the Puerto de Veracruz. This transaction, in the amount of US$210M, set a precedent in the national port sector as it was the first bank transaction for this type of project. These awards consolidate Banorte's position as a key player in the financing of strategic projects that drive the country's economic and social development. The institution has demonstrated a solid capacity to innovate and adapt to the needs of its clients, offering financial solutions that respond to Mexico's current challenges. About LatinFinance LatinFinance is one of the leading sources of specialized financial intelligence and analysis in Latin America and the Caribbean. Based in New York and Miami, the publication has been documenting the evolution of capital markets and banking in the region for more than 35 years. Its coverage encompasses key topics such as debt, equity, structured finance, syndicated loans, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, as well as multilateral financing, strategic talent movements and secondary market transactions. About Banorte Grupo Financiero Banorte (GFNorte) offers financial services to individuals and businesses through its banking, brokerage, mutual fund management, insurance, pension, leasing and factoring, warehousing, portfolio management, and remittance businesses. GFNorte also includes Afore XXI Banorte, the largest pension fund manager in the country by assets under management. GFNorte is a publicly traded company listed on the main index of the Mexican Stock Exchange and has 34,447 employees, 1,205 branches, 11,650 ATMs, 228,826 point-of-sale terminals, and 19,503 correspondent locations. LinkedIn: Grupo Financiero Banorte X: @GFBanorte_mx Facebook: Grupo Financiero Banorte YouTube: Grupo Financiero Banorte SOURCE Banorte Baoting: A County-Level Test Field for China's NDC As the only county-level entity in China included in the ChinaEU Green and Digital Innovation Cooperation Zone, Baoting leverages the Hainan Free Trade Port's policies of zero tariffs, low tax rates, and a simplified tax regime, as well as facilitated cross-border data flows, to create unique advantages for international cooperation and green-digital transformation. Positioned within what will become the world's largest free trade port, Baoting has already established a solid foundation for advancing green and digital transition. Baoting's core practices in zero-carbon transition include: Promote electrification, energy efficiency retrofits, and integrated energy services across key sectors, including industry, building, transportation and tourism, to cut carbon intensity; Strengthen rainforest and river-valley carbon sinks to balance reduction and sequestration; Build a "carbon account + carbon budget" platform aligned with global standards; Pilot mutual recognition with the EU CBAM to offer compliant, low-cost supply chain solutions. Global Climate Leaders Speak Highly of the "Baoting Solution" Xie Zhenhua, China's First Special Envoy for Climate Change Affairs, pointed out that under the framework of China's new round of NDCs and the Joint EU-China Press Statement on Climate, Baoting's practical cooperation with European partners is not only a key measure to advance its own sustainable development and the goals of building Hainan Free Trade Port and a zero-carbon island, but also a contribution of the "Baoting Solution" to the global vision of zero-carbon development through the implementation of concrete projects. pointed out that under the framework of China's new round of NDCs and the Joint EU-China Press Statement on Climate, Baoting's practical cooperation with European partners is not only a key measure to advance its own sustainable development and the goals of building Hainan Free Trade Port and a zero-carbon island, but also a contribution of the "Baoting Solution" to the global vision of zero-carbon development through the implementation of concrete projects. Laurence Tubiana, COP30 Special Envoy to Europe and CEO of the European Climate Foundation, emphasized that achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement must rely on strong local action. She commended Baoting as an inspiring example, recognizing the project's value in fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration across government, academia, industry, and European partners, and noted that Hainan's experience could serve as a model for other island economies.. At the roundtable session "Shaping a New Paradigm for Global Future Cities and Climate Governance," Beate Trankmann, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, joined Cai Yaoze, Mayor of Baoting; Ji Weidong, Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Co-Chair of the United Nations University Global AI Network; Peter Ling-Vannerus, Chief Representative of SEB Beijing; Cong Ronggang, Professor at Beijing Institute of Technology; Gary Zhao, General Manager of BRE China; and Duncan Yu, General Manager for Asia at Withings. Together, they engaged in an in-depth discussion on five "Commitment-to-Action" pathwaysIndicators, Finance, Technology, Governance, and Scenariosexploring how to translate global climate ambition into city-level solutions that are quantifiable, financeable, implementable, governable, and experienceable. "AI+" Empowering ChinaEU Climate Cooperation The conference emphasized the key role of artificial intelligence in climate governance. "AI+" solutions, exemplified by the "Zidong Taichu" large -scale AI model, are being widely applied in fields such as county-level governance, proactive health, digital economy, and green finance. Flagship projects introduced at the conference include: Promote intelligent building design across the full life cycle to foster green, healthy, and smart living environments; Integrate medical-grade wearable devices into communities, workplaces, and hospitals, creating an end-to-end pathway from technology validation to commercial application that supports European digital health enterprises entering the Chinese market. " 3+7+4" Flagship Projects Build a ChinaEU Green and Digital Innovation Ecosystem A "European Partners Acceleration Camp" at the conference saw the signing of the "3+7+4" flagship projects: 3 Top-Level Mechanism Projects: Establishing a replicable "OceanIsland Zero-Carbon Resilience" development model and a comprehensive toolbox for policy, standards, law, finance, and knowledge-sharing. Establishing a replicable "OceanIsland Zero-Carbon Resilience" development model and a comprehensive toolbox for policy, standards, law, finance, and knowledge-sharing. 7 International Industry Projects: Focusing on digital therapeutics, green and low-carbon building and community standards, all-age smart health communities, integrated green energy systems, and AI-enabled carbon and building management, co-developing leading international standards and demonstration projects with European partners. Focusing on digital therapeutics, green and low-carbon building and community standards, all-age smart health communities, integrated green energy systems, and AI-enabled carbon and building management, co-developing leading international standards and demonstration projects with European partners. 4 Flagship Pilot Projects: Advancing cross-border healthcare, negative-carbon wellness, natural therapy, and proactive-health technologies to build global standard-setting infrastructure. European cities and institutions are invited to join the second batch of partners. (Link: https://gdip.cgsda.org/) Action Roadmap: From Vision to Implementation Li Meng, Chairman of the Chinese Society for Sustainable Development and Former Vice Minister of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, outlined four priorities-- mutual recognition of standards, legal frameworks, financial innovation, and ethical safeguards for AI climate applications, and further outlined Baoting Innovation Zone's key action plan for the coming year , which include: launching the Hainan Proactive Health Science Infrastructure and Clinical Research Translation Platform project, project, developing and deploying the Baoting Carbon Management Digital Platform 2.0 , , introducing the ChinaEU 1.5C Healthy Community Certification Label , and , and releasing the Baoting Green Digital Innovation Index. Expert Insights Mu Kerui, Party Secretary of Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County, Hainan Province, shared innovative explorations and pilot practices in developing urban climate resilience models of Baoting for marine and island regions from the perspective of urban governance and sustainable development. shared innovative explorations and pilot practices in developing urban climate resilience models of Baoting for marine and island regions from the perspective of urban governance and sustainable development. Qiao Jie, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Executive Vice President of Peking University, introduced the impact of climate change on reproductive and child health, explained the important application of AI-enabled full-life-cycle health promotion in the context of global climate change, and proposed that the practice of the Baoting Innovation Zone will help create a new paradigm for full-life-cycle proactive health management. introduced the impact of climate change on reproductive and child health, explained the important application of AI-enabled full-life-cycle health promotion in the context of global climate change, and proposed that the practice of the Baoting Innovation Zone will help create a new paradigm for full-life-cycle proactive health management. Yuan Feng, Vice Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University , starting from the relationship between "emission reduction and health", put forward the concept of "design thinking + proactive health" architectural intelligent agents, helping Baoting build a global demonstration of proactive health and climate healing. , starting from the relationship between "emission reduction and health", put forward the concept of "design thinking + proactive health" architectural intelligent agents, helping Baoting build a global demonstration of proactive health and climate healing. Jonas Tornblom , Founding Chair of the SwedenChina Green-Tech Alliance and Co-Director of the ChinaEurope Innovation Center for Sustainable Development (CEIC) , said CEIC will advance mutual recognition of carbon standards, digital twins, green finance, blue economy, and low-carbon healthcare. , , said CEIC will advance mutual recognition of carbon standards, digital twins, green finance, blue economy, and low-carbon healthcare. Xu Bo, Director of the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, demonstrated the broad application scenarios of the "Zidong Taichu" multimodal large model in county-level governance, with "AI+" providing an engine for zero-carbon Baoting. demonstrated the broad application scenarios of the "Zidong Taichu" multimodal large model in county-level governance, with "AI+" providing an engine for zero-carbon Baoting. Peng Yiting , Chairman of Asia Allied Infrastructure Holdings , emphasized principle of "planning first and standards-led development," calling for a dual drive of digital and green transformation to build Baoting into both an "innovation factory" and a "showcase hall" for green technologies. , , emphasized principle of "planning first and standards-led development," calling for a dual drive of digital and green transformation to build Baoting into both an "innovation factory" and a "showcase hall" for green technologies. Tang Hua , Director General of the Hainan Bureau of International Economic Development , highlighted that Hainan's modern "4+5+3+2" industrial system will create broad opportunities for international cooperation. , , highlighted that Hainan's modern "4+5+3+2" industrial system will create broad opportunities for international cooperation. Erik Berglof, Chief Economist of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), advocates for public-private collaborative investment in natural infrastructure, addresses climate change through the linkage of "climate-nature-human health", and expresses recognition for Baoting's integrated solutions based on natural assets. Two Closed-Door Meetings Launch Working Groups for Key Areas: Mutual Recognition of Carbon Standards: A Neutral and Inclusive Paradigm for AI Urban Governance , launched the Asia Regional Working Group on Carbon Standard Mutual Recognition. , launched the Asia Regional Working Group on Carbon Standard Mutual Recognition. Sustainable Legal Mechanisms for Oceanic and Island Regions, established the Island Climate Legal Research Working Group. Conclusion Ten years ago, the Paris Agreement enshrined a shared pledge-- to limit global warming to within 1.5C. Today, a decade on, Baoting in Hainan answers that call through its new NDC commitment and the momentum of the Hainan Free Trade Port's 2025 customs closure, extending to global partners an invitation to co-build zero-carbon counties. It is a call to turn commitments into action, let technology take root, and transform green dividends into tangible real benefits for the peoples of China and Europe. See you in Baoting. See you in Europe. See you at COP30. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801324/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801325/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801326/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801327/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801328/image.jpg 21 % more press release views with Request a Demo // NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES // VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BioVaxys Technology Corp. (CSE: BIOV) (FRA: 5LB) (OTCQB: BVAXF) ("BioVaxys" or the "Company") announces the conversion of outstanding unsecured convertible debentures of the Company ("Debentures") pursuant to a notice of conversion received from a certain holder of the Debentures (the "Conversion"). On September 15, 2025, the Company issued Debentures for an aggregate principal amount of $335,670 convertible into common shares in the capital of the Company ("Shares") at any time, at the option of the holders thereof, at the closing price of the Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") on the day notice of conversion is received by the Company, subject to the pricing requirements in the policies of the CSE. The Debentures bear interest at a rate of 10% per annum. A holder of certain Debentures has elected to convert the entire principal amount of $25,000, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon, resulting in an aggregate of $25,239.73 (the "Principal and Interest") payable by the Company. To satisfy the Principal and Interest, the Company will be issuing an aggregate of 148,468 Shares at a conversion price of $0.17 per Share. All securities issued in connection with the Debentures shall be subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including acceptance of the CSE. The Debentures converted were owned by an insider of the Company. Specifically, James Passin, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company, elected to convert his Debentures. The above-described transaction with Mr. Passin is considered a related party transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that participation by such insider of the Company in the transaction will not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization, as calculated in accordance with MI 61-101. In addition, the Company announces that it has granted 550,000 stock options (the "Options") to certain directors, officers, consultants, and employees of the Company, pursuant to the Company's omnibus equity incentive compensation plan. The Options are each convertible into a Share at an exercise price of $0.25 until October 20, 2030. The Options vest as to 1/3 on October 20, 2025 (the "Grant Date"), 1/3 on the date that is six months from the Grant Date, and 1/3 on the date that is twelve months from the Grant Date. The Options are subject to the policies of the CSE. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy of any securities in the United States, or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities described herein 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 except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to available exemptions therefrom. About BioVaxys Technology Corp. BioVaxys Technology Corp. (www.biovaxys.com), a biopharmaceuticals company registered in British Columbia, Canada, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving patient lives with novel immunotherapies based on the DPX immune-educating technology platform and it's HapTenix tumor cell construct platform, for treating cancers, infectious disease, antigen desensitization for food allergy, and other immunological diseases. Through a differentiated mechanism of action, the DPX platform delivers instruction to the immune system to generate a specific, robust, and persistent immune response. The Company's clinical stage pipeline includes maveropepimut-S (MVP-S), based on the DPX platform, and in Phase IIB clinical development for advanced Relapsed-Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and platinum resistant Ovarian Cancer. MVP-S delivers antigenic peptides from survivin, a well-recognized cancer antigen commonly overexpressed in advanced cancers, and also delivers an innate immune activator and a universal CD4 T cell helper peptide. MVP-S has been well tolerated and has demonstrated defined clinical benefit in multiple cancer indications as well as the activation of a targeted and sustained, survivin-specific anti-tumor immune response. BioVaxys is also developing DPX+SurMAGE, a dual-targeted immunotherapy combining antigenic peptides for both the survivin and MAGE-A9 cancer proteins to elicit immune responses to these two distinct cancer antigens simultaneously, DPX-RSV for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, DPX+rPA for peanut allergy prophylaxis, and BVX-0918, a personalized immunotherapeutic vaccine using its proprietary HapTenix 'neoantigen' tumor cell construct platform for refractive late-stage ovarian cancer. BioVaxys common shares are listed on the CSE under the stock symbol "BIOV" and trade on the Frankfurt Bourse (FRA: 5LB) and in the U.S. on the OTC Markets (OTCQB marketplace). For more information, visit www.biovaxys.com and connect with us on X and LinkedIn. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "James Passin" James Passin, Chief Executive Officer Phone: +1 740 358 0555 Cautionary Statements on Forward Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, the conversion of the Debentures, including the issuance of the securities of the Company, and the receipt of all requisite approvals, including acceptance of the CSE. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, primarily the assumption that BioVaxys will be successful in developing and testing vaccines, that, while considered reasonable by BioVaxys, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies including, primarily but without limitation, the risk that BioVaxys' vaccines will not prove to be effective and/ or will not receive the required regulatory approvals. With regards to BioVaxys' business, there are a number of risks that could affect the development of its biotechnology products, including, without limitation, the need for additional capital to fund clinical trials, its lack of operating history, uncertainty about whether its products will complete the long, complex and expensive clinical trial and regulatory approval process for approval of new drugs necessary for marketing approval, uncertainty about whether its autologous cell vaccine immunotherapy can be developed to produce safe and effective products and, if so, whether its vaccine products will be commercially accepted and profitable, the expenses, delays and uncertainties and complications typically encountered by development stage biopharmaceutical businesses, financial and development obligations under license arrangements in order to protect its rights to its products and technologies, obtaining and protecting new intellectual property rights and avoiding infringement to third parties and their dependence on manufacturing by third parties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to obtain necessary approvals, including the approval of the CSE. BioVaxys does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws. The CSE has not reviewed, approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1430981/5573460/BIOVAXYS_Logo.jpg SOURCE BioVaxys Technology Corp. CANTON, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC is pleased to announce that John J. Rambacher has joined the firm as Senior Counsel in its Canton office. With more than three decades of legal experience, John brings a wealth of knowledge and a strategic, solutions-oriented approach to the firm's clients. John's practice spans a broad range of legal areas, including commercial and residential real estate, mergers and acquisitions, estate and trust planning, business formation and succession planning, labor matters, and commercial litigation. He is particularly experienced in Section 1031 transactions, zoning issues, and tax valuation proceedings. "John's depth of experience and his thoughtful, analytical approach to problem-solving make him a tremendous asset to our team," said Steve Dimengo, Managing Partner. "We are excited to welcome him and look forward to the value he will bring to our clients and our firm." A graduate of The University of Akron School of Law, John served as Articles Editor for The Akron Law Review. John began his legal career at a large law firm, where he practiced for 20 years before co-founding a firm and later transitioning to solo practice in 2019. Licensed as a title insurance agent since 1990, John is adept at resolving title and closing issues. He is a long-standing member of both the Ohio State Bar Association and the Stark County Bar Association, where he chaired the Finance Committee in 2024. He also serves on the Plain Township Zoning Commission. About Buckingham Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC is a full-service law firm with offices in Akron, Canton, and Cleveland, Ohio. For over a century, Buckingham has provided trusted legal counsel to businesses, institutions, and individuals throughout the region. Contact: Laurel Rawley Marketing Manager 330-643-0248 [email protected] SOURCE Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC "With this new series, we're introducing more powerful electric forklifts designed to meet the demands of today's fast-paced operations," said Luca Ghiotto, Manager of Product Marketingat Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas. "The new CAT Lift Trucks Q Series Electric Cushion is built to deliver exceptional performance, especially in high-reach, heavy-duty applications where operator confidence matters most." The New CAT Lift Trucks Q Series Electric Cushion Now Powered by Electric CAT Lift Trucks introduces the Q Series Electric Cushion, a powerful, zero-emissions forklift designed to match or exceed the rugged performance of IC models. The Q Series Electric Cushion delivers on the CAT Forklift Trucks' standard of productivity, reliability, and uptime, engineered for demanding shifts and tight warehouse environments. Every detail is designed to maximize operator confidence, efficiency, and performance in every lift. Key Benefits of the CAT Lift Trucks Q Series Electric Cushion: Class 1 Electric Counterbalance Truck IC-level toughness, zero-emissions Engineered for reliable performance and proven durability Supported by the CAT dealer network you already trust dealer network you already trust Lifts up to 16 ft/min faster loaded lift speed Turns up to 14" shorter than 8,000 lb. competitors Lifts full 5,000 lb capacity at 187" with SSFP Lifts full 5,000 lb capacity at 187" with SSFP With the launch of the Q Series Electric Cushion, CAT Lift Trucks offers robust construction and high-quality performance that operators rely on, helping them work confidently and safely, shift after shift, year after year. To learn more about Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas and its network of dealers, please visit www.logisnextamericas.com. About Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Inc., and its group companies have helped customers Move The World Forward for over 100 years. A technology-driven manufacturer, Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas offers scalable solutions from material handling to automation and extensive fleet support. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, its complete portfolio of advanced solutions spans across five leading brands Mitsubishi forklift trucks, Cat lift trucks, Rocla AGV Solutions, UniCarriers Forklifts and Jungheinrich warehouse and automation products. All products are backed by an extensive dealer network offering industry-leading customer service and product support. Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Logisnext Co. Ltd. For more information, visit www.LogisnextAmericas.com. About Cat Lift Trucks Cat lift trucks is one of the most trusted forklift brands in the World. For more than 55 years, customers have relied on the Cat lift trucks brand for quality and reliable forklifts backed by exceptional service and support through its trusted dealer network. With capacities ranging from 2,500 to 15,500 pounds, Cat lift trucks delivers fuel-efficient lift trucks for greater productivity and advanced electric forklifts with longer run times and a lower total cost of ownership. Cat lift trucks are manufactured and distributed by the Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas group, one of the largest lift truck manufacturers in the World. For more information, visit www.logisnextamericas.com/cat. SOURCE Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas - Houston LONDON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- causaLens today announced the launch of its Digital Worker Factory, a breakthrough platform that enables enterprises to build and deploy AI-driven Digital Workers capable of running complete workflows in days, not months. Unlike single task-based agents or copilots that hallucinate, these Digital Workers are designed to take on end-to-end processes from accelerating clinical trial analysis to providing on-demand marketing intelligence. This allows teams to scale output without adding headcount, decrease their reliance on fragmented SaaS tools, and eliminate the risks of fragile outsourcing. Grounded in causaLens' heritage as a research lab pioneering causal AI, the Factory delivers enterprise-grade Digital Workers with embedded causal reasoning. Reliability is layered in by design, from their proprietary cLAIRE (Causal Logic in AI Reasoning models) LLM and Judge Agents, to online learning capabilities, ensuring every Digital Worker remains safe and explainable in the most high-stakes environments. "It is becoming unthinkable to run enterprises with humans alone. Digital Workers are joining workforces and enabling enterprises to be more efficient and have higher margins," said causaLens' founding CEO, Dr. Darko Matovski. How it works With the Digital Worker Factory, customers can deploy Digital Workers in as little as 24 hours using pre-built, industry-proven blueprints for end-to-end processes. World-class, forward-deployed engineering teams work with customers to ensure that Digital Workers have reliability built in from the start. The Digital Worker Factory enables customers to deploy Digital Workers, multi-agentic systems capable of reliably taking on end-to-end processes that are entirely observable, auditable, and built to align with the customer's enterprise-grade guardrails and processes, satisfying compliance teams and ensuring positive outcomes. Early deployments have shown a significant operational impact, with customers reporting measurable efficiency gains that often result in saving hundreds of hours each month by replacing highly repetitive manual labor, saving $Mns by removing single point-SaaS solutions, and allowing customers to reshore their processes, replacing often-fragile outsourcing. The Digital Worker Factory seamlessly integrates directly into existing systems of record, with ROI payback in as little as three months. Leading global enterprises are already adopting the Digital Worker Factory: "We typically scale analysis by hiring large teams. With causaLens agents, we can do this in a day, not a month, which speeds up time to treatment for patients and ROI for the company," said Juan Carlos Araque, Process Science and Modeling, Johnson & Johnson. "Agents allow us to combine human input and democratize insights. They accelerate model development and empower our strategic business teams," said Annie Hou, Global Head of Data & AI, McCann. As organizations face pressure to do more with less, causaLens positions the Digital Worker Factory as a practical standard for building scalable, reliable AI workforces that pay for themselves in weeks. It strengthens today's workforce while shaping the future of work. About causaLens causaLens delivers Digital Workers that enterprises can truly rely on. Soon, competing without Digital Workers will be impossible. They've built the first factory for creating, deploying, and governing Digital Workers. Trusted by leading companies like J&J, Cisco, IPG Group, and Syneos Health. Backed by over $50M in funding from world-class investors, including Molten Ventures (formerly Draper Esprit), Dorilton Capital, and IQ Capital, plus visionary angel investors such as the CEO of Revolut. SOURCE causaLens From hands-on internships to entrepreneurial initiatives, Chartwells' programs help students gain real-world skills and make lasting campus and career impacts CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chartwells Higher Education is paving new pathways for experiential education by integrating innovative learning and professional development opportunities into campus programs. Through strategic partnerships and customized educational experiences, Chartwells is redefining the role of dining services. It is further engaging students in hands-on learning opportunities that emphasize collaboration, creativity, and personal growth. These programs enrich the college experience and empower students to make meaningful impacts on their campuses, careers, and communities. "Every partnership we build is about more than dining. It's about creating opportunities for students to learn through connection," said Eva Wojtalewski, CEO of Chartwells Higher Education. "When we design experiences that blend education, community and care, we're helping students develop skills and relationships that last far beyond their time on campus." Here are five programs leading the way in experiential learning: IGNITE: The First-Of-Its-Kind Student Advisory Board. As the industry's first national student dining advisory board, IGNITE enables students and Chartwells leaders to brainstorm new ideas and concepts related to technology, event programming, mental health initiatives, and more. Chartwells welcomed its largest class ever this year with new additions such as the Brew Tank, which serves as a forum for Chartwells leaders to pitch new innovations and dining concepts for students to refine and evolve in real-time. Student Success Internships: Building Career Readiness. Offering 10 career focused tracks, this internship program has graduated hundreds of students since its launch in 2017. Many alumni have transitioned into full-time roles with Chartwells and are still here many years later, showcasing investment in long-term professional growth. Illinois College Teaching Kitchen Series: Culinary Education in Action. With over 270 participants, this program merges hands-on cooking with academic reflection. Students earn convocation credits through participation, which not only supports their progress toward graduation requirements but also helps them develop lifelong, transferable career skills. Incorporating reflection questions, this series reinforces the learning process, fosters self-awareness among students, and connects their culinary experiences to broader health and wellness goals. Carnegie Mellon University Restaurant Builder Course: From Concept to Creation. This innovative course gives students the opportunity to bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life by designing, branding, and launching their own dining concepts. Merging business theory with real-world hospitality operations, the program challenges students to think like restauranters, balancing creativity, strategy, and guest experience. The success of the student-run Capital Grains, a salad and grain bowl dining concept that's in its sixth semester of operation, played a major role in developing this course. Babson College: Student-Led Roger's Pub & Grille. Roger's Pub & Grille serves as a platform for student entrepreneurship and culinary innovation. Chartwells created a ghost kitchen within the pub to host student pop-ups, giving them hands-on opportunities to bring their food concepts to life. One standout, Desi Eats, a fast-casual, health-focused Indian concept, was developed by a current student through an 18-month collaboration with Chartwells that refined procurement, recipes, marketing, and operations. The semester-long takeover showcased authentic flavors and creativity while providing students with real-world leadership and management experience that extends beyond campus. "It's incredible to see how far Student Success has come since we first imagined the concept and launched the pilot," said Kristin Frazier, founding member and the program's current Director. "We've built this by truly listening to students, refining, evolving, and strengthening it with their feedback. Watching it grow into something that's changing lives and launching careers has been nothing short of inspiring." Chartwells Higher Education is revolutionizing the campus dining landscape by intertwining it with experiential learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. By fostering collaboration, innovation, and hands-on involvement through initiatives like the IGNITE and the Student Success Program, Chartwells is committed to nurturing student growth and entrepreneurship. As they continue to empower students to make lasting impacts within their communities, Chartwells is not just redefining dining services; they are enriching the overall educational journey. To learn more, visit https://chartwellshighered.com/. About Chartwells Higher Education Chartwells is the recognized leader in contract food service management, hospitality, and guest service at over 320 colleges and universities in the United States. Chartwells is re-inventing the on-campus dining experience by investing in high-tech, food-infused social spaces that bring students and people together to promote meaningful relationships and interactions. The company's excellence in culinary, nutrition, technology, and sustainability brings truly unique dining experiences to every campus. Learn more about how Chartwells is creating joy in campus dining and preparing students for success at www.ChartwellsHigherEd.com, www.DineonCampus.com. SOURCE Chartwells Higher Education Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine - Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetyana Berezhna supports changing the name of the circulation coin "kopeck" ("kopiika" to "shag" ("shag") "Regarding the circulation coin: I, of course, support everything that distances us from imperial symbols. We understand from which word the word "kopeck" comes. I absolutely support "shag" as the Ukrainization, decolonization, de-Sovietization, de-imperialization of the coin," Berezhna said during the consideration of the issue of its purpose in the Verkhovna Rada. As reported, the people's deputies propose to the Verkhovna Rada to change the name of the circulation coin "kopeck" to "shag." It is noted that changing the name of the coin "kopeck" (one hundredth of a hryvnia) to the historically justified "shag" will allow to revive the national traditions of Ukraine in the monetary nomenclature and complete the monetary reform begun in 1996. In September 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine initiated a change in the name of the currency coin from "kopecks" to "shags." In January 2025, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINP) expert commission stated that the NBU's initiative to change the name of the currency coin deserves support. The head of the (UINP) Oleksandr Alferov states that the name of the currency unit "shag" has been used in the territory of present-day Ukraine since the 17th century and was specifically Ukrainian. Former head of the UINP Anton Drobovych supports the NBU's initiative to change the name of the currency coin from "kopecks" to "steps". The National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC) did not support draft law No. 14093 on de-Sovietization, which provides for changing the name of the Ukrainian currency from "kopeck" to "shag", as it has no economic justification and feasibility, but is only a diversion of state resources from the needs of security and protection of the state from an aggressor country. BEIJING, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily China has made remarkable progress in systemic governance for its green transition, with even more expected during the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), according to international experts. Attendees exchange ideas during the 2025 Annual General Meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development in Beijing on Thursday. On Thursday, experts and officials from the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development gathered in Beijing to share insights on China's green transition in the coming five years, contributing their expertise to sustainable development both in China and throughout the world. Beate Trankmann, resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China, said the nation's green transition efforts over the next five years will not only shape its domestic trajectory, but also influence international trends. Zhao Yingmin, a CCICED member and former vice-minister of ecology and environment, said China's experience over the past decade demonstrates that the green transition is both a challenge and an opportunity. "It is the only policy path for the global community to address the ecological and climate crises we all face," he said. "How the 15th Five-Year Plan is shaped is significant not only for China, but also for the world," Zhao added. At a time when multilateralism faces challenges, China's experiences and planning provide an important answer to whether the green transition should be pursued. According to Ren Yong, leader of the core expert group of the CCICED High-Level Task Force, assessments show that China's green transition is accelerating across the board, and green development has become a defining feature of China's high-quality economic growth in the new era. "China's green industries have played a major role in driving GDP growth," Ren said, citing the country's world-leading renewable energy system as well as the most comprehensive and complete new energy industry chain globally. He emphasized that China's approach to green development follows a systematic "Chinese solution", integrating theory, action, institutions and capacity. Gim Huay Neo, managing director at the World Economic Forum and CCICED special adviser, praised China for integrating energy and environmental goals into industrial policy and leveraging technology and innovation to drive the transition. She added, "Because China's integration of energy policy into industrial policy has proven highly competitive, it should not, however, become a barrier to collaborative efforts." China's evolving role in green transition over the past decade has made it significant for global sustainable development in the future, according to experts. Miranda Schreurs, chair of climate and environmental policy at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, noted that as global progress in the green transition stalls, China has the potential to make it a reality. "China plays a central role in demonstrating how green transformation can become a stronger part of the United Nations' activities," she said, while stressing the importance of multilateralism in today's world. Dirk Messner, president of the German Environment Agency, added that China has evolved from a learner to a pioneer in green transition. "Instead of viewing it as a zero-sum game, we can explore ways to make it a positive-sum game," he said. Looking ahead, Ren emphasized that China should maintain its strategic resolve in promoting the green transition, which should ensure the achievement of domestic green goals while strengthening certainty in global sustainable development. Experts also emphasized the need for a more just transition that extends the benefits of green development to a broader population. SOURCE China Daily Corra Group has been applying AI to improve efficiency and insight to improve its customer experience while ensuring human oversight preserves accuracy, compliance, and trust. EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week at Dreamforce 2025, Agentic AI autonomous, proactive systems that act independently captured industry attention across sectors, highlighting the next wave of AI-driven innovation. As AI transforms background screening, Corra Groups human expertise remains essential to interpret data and ensure sound decisions. Futurist Amy Webb also describes the moment we're in as a "technology supercycle," where AI, biotechnology, and connected devices are reshaping how society and business operate. For Corra Group, a comprehensive background check company, that means embracing AI not as a trend, but as a powerful tool to elevate the customer experience without losing the human judgment that keeps background checks reliable. "AI has been working alongside us for years in search engines, spam filters, even the autocorrect on our phones," said Nick Gustavson, Corra Group Cofounder and President. "At Corra Group, we've been on board with this shift from the start. What matters now is using it the right way, and to make background checks smarter, faster, and more human-centered." Corra Group has seen firsthand the limits of AI when used without human review. Algorithms can misinterpret records, miss context, or produce incomplete results. "Human oversight is essential," said Gustavson. "It ensures fair, accurate outcomes especially for social media review, which are critical in a highly regulated industry." To meet these challenges, the team at Corra Group trains AI systems using advanced prompts, pilots new tools, and continuously monitors emerging trends. Every AI-assisted finding undergoes rigorous human validation to guarantee accuracy, compliance, and ethical standards. "Balancing AI with human expertise is the responsible approach," added Gustavson. "It allows us to leverage AI's scale and efficiency while ensuring decisions are based on verified, contextual information. Clients can trust that their background checks are accurate, fair, and reliable." By combining forward-looking AI adoption with rigorous human oversight, Corra Group ensures employment screening is accurate, compliant, and aligned with the evolving technological landscape, giving its clients both efficiency and confidence. Corra Group offers a number of background check services including Social Media Background Screening, Criminal Checks, Nationwide Registered Sex Offender Search, Drug Testing & Alcohol Screening, Motor Vehicle Records, and Employment Verification. About Corra Group Corra Group is a full-service background screening company that provides background checks and employment screening to clients throughout the United States and around the world. With over 20 years of experience, Corra Group's goal is to help clients make informed decisions and provide a first-class candidate experience during the hiring process. It is also one of the few companies that will answer the phone. To learn more, visit CorraGroup.com. SOURCE Corra Group SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Costa Rica took part in SEMICON West 2025, the world's most prestigious trade show for the semiconductor industry, held in Phoenix, Arizona, which brought together thousands of leading companies in the field of microprocessors and integrated circuits. The event gathered more than 1,000 companies, industry leaders, researchers, and global decision-makers. This year's edition focused on innovation, sustainability, talent development, supply chain resilience, and new opportunities for trade and investment. Costa Rica's delegation was composed of the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX) and the Trade & Investment Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER). Their participation aimed to strengthen strategic alliances through meetings with industry representatives, highlight Costa Rica's favorable investment conditions and potential, and reinforce the country's position as a key partner in the global semiconductor value chain. Monica Umana, Head of Foreign Direct Investment at PROCOMER, emphasized that Costa Rica has earned credibility as a competitive partner in the semiconductor ecosystem thanks to its strong track record in advanced manufacturing, favorable business climate, legal certainty, and highly skilled and continuously developing talent. "For these reasons, it's essential for us to continue positioning the country in high-level industry events like this one, which allow us to showcase the work already being done in the sector," Umana noted. The main highlight of the forum was the CEO Summit, featuring executive sessions under the theme "The Road to the Trillion: Shaping a Sustainable Future in Talent, Technology, and Trade." Besides the United States, Costa Rica was the only country to deliver an official presentation during the event, with Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Tovar participating in executive panels. Distinguished global companies such as NVIDIA, EMD Electronics, IBM, Merck KGaA, TEL America, and TSMC joined Minister Tovar as panelists in various discussions. Costa Rica is already home to several of the companies present at SEMICON West, including Intel, Advantest, Teradyne, and Applied Materials. The continued presence of these global firms in the country has strengthened Costa Rica's integration into global value chains, contributing technological expertise and sustainable business practices. As an active member of SEMI, the leading global association representing the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries, PROCOMER promoted Costa Rica's value proposition with sustainability and human talent as its core differentiators. SOURCE PROCOMER Abre is a single platform that unites fragmented technology and data to help districts save money, connect stakeholders, and accelerate strategic outcomes CINCINNATI, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a year of significant academic progress - including improved STAAR scores and narrowing opportunity gaps across student groups - Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) recently expanded its partnership with Abre , K-12's leading modern data platform. Moving beyond financial and operational data in Abre, Dallas will further modernize the district's data systems, strengthen decision-making, and deepen student impact districtwide. Joining other Council of Great City Schools (CGCS) districts in partnering districtwide with Abre, Dallas ISD will both centralize and act on data in one platform. "We're excited for Dallas ISD leaders and staff to further their great work by aligning strategy, monitoring initiatives, and evaluating impact across priorities - as well as share insights with all district stakeholders, including parents and the larger community," said James Stoffer, CEO of Abre. "It's important for us as a district to show our community what we are doing for our students," said Ed Ramos, CFO of Dallas ISD. "When families can clearly see the outcomes we're delivering for every student, it builds confidence in Dallas ISD and reinforces their decision to entrust us with their children's education. That transparency is a huge strength for us." With 250+ integrations across common edtech tools, Abre consolidates over 20,000 different types of data fields including student, staff, operations, and finance into one secure AI-enabled platform supporting strategic planning, leadership teams, and staff in the areas of academics, operations, finance, HR, student services, and community engagement. Districts using Abre have reduced chronic absenteeism by 35%+, streamlined MTSS workflows to save hundreds of staff hours, achieved 80%+ parental engagement, and cut technology costs by hundreds of thousands annually. "Understanding how technology can transform the student learning experience is critical. Abre creates a complete picture of each student (a single pane of glass) while supporting operational efficiencies," said Sean Brinkman, Assistant Superintendent of Enterprise Applications at Dallas ISD. "I'm a true believer that the more efficient we get and every dollar we can save can be put back into the classroom, and that just enhances the student experience. That's what we are all trying to achieve." Listen to the latest episode of the Open Insights podcast, where Ed and Sean share their excitement about partnering with Abre. They're joined by James Stoffer (CEO), Chris Rose (Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer), and Zach Vander Veen (Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer) to discuss the collaboration and its impact on Dallas ISD. Abre partners with more than 215 districts across 33 states, including 10 Council of Great City Schools members. To learn more about Abre, please visit abre.com . About Abre Abre is K-12's #1 modern data platform. With Abre, districts simplify operations, improve decision-making, save money, and focus on what matters most (the students). Learn more at abre.com . Media Contact Stephanie Grau [email protected] +1 954 368 9804 SOURCE Abre CARLISLE, Pa., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dickinson College will welcome leaders from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for a public conversation, "Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition to Low-Carbon Solutions," on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed and recorded for broader access. Additional information is available at dickinson.edu/EDF. The event will feature a conversation with EDF's Jon Goldstein, associate vice president, energy transition; Natasha Vidangos, associate vice president, innovation and technology policy; and Morgan Rote, senior policy director, fuels and feedstocks. Neil Leary, director of Dickinson's Center for Sustainability Education, will serve as moderator. EDF is the 2025 recipient of The Sam Rose '58 and Julie Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism at Dickinson College. This annual $100,000 prize is awarded to individuals or organizations significantly impacting responsible action for the planet and its people. With more than 3.5 million members, supporters and activists, EDF creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Working across the globe, EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to turn solutions into action. It works for progress on methane pollution, clean electricity, clean transportation, forests, fisheries and oceans, healthy communities, fuels and feedstocks, agriculture, water, food, carbon markets and other critical environmental challenges. EDF pioneered groundbreaking corporate partnerships, including Walmart's successful effort to cut a billion metric tons of climate pollution and GM's plan to sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2035. In 2023, the organization helped secure commitments from 50 oil and gas companies, representing 40 percent of global oil sales, to reduce their methane pollution by 90 percent by 2030. In 2024, EDF launched MethaneSAT, a satellite to measure and map methane pollution and help usher in a new era of climate accountability. It was a primary advocate for the overhaul of America's chemical safety laws in 2016 and the passage of historic climate investments in 2022. The public conversation is part of a multi-day residency where EDF staff will visit classes and engage with the Dickinson community. Previously, the Rose-Walters Prize has honored climate advocates including Katharine Hayhoe, Tara Houska and Bill McKibben and organizations including the Our Children's Trust and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. SOURCE DICKINSON COLLEGE PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- doTERRA, the global leader in essential oils and natural wellness products, is proud to announce its membership status with the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT). As a UEBT member doTERRA reinforces its commitment to a world in which all people and biodiversity thrive. UEBT is a non-profit association that works to regenerate nature and secure a better future for all people through ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity. For more information, please visit www.uebt.org . As a newly recognized member, doTERRA joins a global community of companies actively committed to responsible sourcing practices. In accordance with its approved membership, doTERRA continues its journey to advance sourcing practices that promote regeneration of nature and secure a better future for all people. "Our membership with UEBT perfectly reflects our values and deep commitment to Co-Impact Sourcing," said Taylor MacKay, doTERRA's Vice President of Strategic Sourcing. "From the fields where our botanicals are grown to the communities who cultivate them, we strive to be a force for goodstriving to create lasting, positive impact through our ongoing commitment to ethical business practices." "We are happy to have doTERRA join us and their committed industry peers in the UEBT membership program. Membership in our vibrant platform means doTERRA has committed to sourcing with respect, undergone a desktop review of their sourcing systems, and developed a workplan to gradually promote responsible sourcing practices in prioritized botanical supply chains. We look forward to working with them in the coming years," said Rik Kutsch Lojenga, UEBT's Executive Director and a global expert on the ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity. Through its global Co-Impact Sourcing model, doTERRA partners with local producers in more than 40 countries to improve livelihoods and create meaningful impact throughout its supply chain. doTERRA recently attended the UEBT Sourcing with Respect Conference in Amsterdam where company leaders from around the world gathered to advance conversations on responsible sourcing and biodiversity. The event provided an opportunity to collaborate with other members and connect with like-minded organizations to turn challenges into opportunities through the pursuit of responsible sourcing practices. Additionally, conference attendees and speakers addressed the responsibility we all share in building a more sustainable and equitable worldpractices doTERRA continues to model through its Co-Impact Sourcing efforts. For more information about doTERRA's sourcing practices and sustainability efforts, visit www.doterra.com/co-impact-sourcing . About doTERRA doTERRA International is an integrative health and wellness company and the world leader in the global aromatherapy and essential oils market. doTERRA sources, tests, manufactures, and distributes CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade essential oils and essential oil products to over 10 million Wellness Advocates and customers. Through its new Wellness Made Simple programdoTERRA's science-backed approach to laying a strong wellness foundationthe company empowers individuals to take charge of their health. Like and follow doTERRA on Facebook and Instagram . Learn more at www.doTERRA.com . SOURCE doTERRA International, LLC NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- E-J Electric Installation Co. is proud to announce that William Dayton, Corporate Safety Director, has been honored for his outstanding leadership and contributions as Co-Chair of the Building Trades Employers' Association (BTEA) Safety Committee. In his role, Dayton has been instrumental in driving forward safety initiatives that set higher standards across the construction industry. His collaborative approach, commitment to innovation, and dedication to workforce well-being have strengthened safety practices not only within E-J Electric but across the broader BTEA community. "Safety is at the core of everything we do," said Dayton. "It's an honor to work alongside industry peers to create safer job sites and ensure every worker goes home safe each day." As Co-Chair, Dayton has played a key role in developing and promoting best-in-class safety programs, training opportunities, and policies that continue to shape the future of safety in construction. His leadership reflects E-J Electric's longstanding commitment to safety excellence and industry leadership. E-J Electric congratulates William Dayton on this well-deserved recognition and looks forward to continuing to advance safety initiatives under his guidance. About E-J Electric Installation Co. The E-J Group is active in all facets of electrical contracting bringing experience, expertise and a national reputation on projects that vary in size to over $300 million. Typical installations include rail systems, transit facilities, office buildings, hospitals, power, renewable and clean energy, co-generation facilities, roadway and outdoor specialty, airports, industrial facilities, data centers, chip plants, universities, sport stadiums, extra high voltage distribution, utility, and gas infrastructure. At E-J, three family generations of practical expertise have created an organization keyed to the most modern technological advances by providing rapid and efficient solutions to today's lighting, power, energy, and communication needs. E-J has a 126-year reputation for unparalleled integrity, quality, and service in the electrical field. Please visit www.ej1899.com to learn more about the company. Media Contact: Katie Nilsen Vice President, Development & Strategy E-J Electric Installation Co. 917-807-9496 [email protected] SOURCE E-J Electric Installation Co. NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ACORD Solutions Group, the leading provider of digital data exchange solutions for the global insurance industry, announced today that Echo Re has begun using the ADEPT platform to receive digital accounting and claims messages from Gallagher Re, pioneering cutting-edge methods for this type of data exchange. ADEPT (ACORD Data Exchange Platform and Translator) enables real-time digital exchange of placing, accounting, and claims data across the global (re)insurance ecosystem, integrating directly with insurers' and brokers' existing systems regardless of geography, data formats, or level of digital maturity. Echo Re has leveraged ADEPT to streamline communication processes by eliminating the need for manual downloads and allowing all digital messaging from Gallagher Re to integrate seamlessly into their downstream systems. This implementation of next-generation digital technologies has resulted in a 50% reduction in the time required by Echo Re teams to handle Gallagher Re portfolios. "The Gallagher Re implementation is Echo Re's largest one-off e-messaging rollout to date, enabling seamless digital exchange with all B2B-enabled carriers of Gallagher Re and boosting our messaging volume by over 35%," said Nicole Kos, Head of Technical Accounting & Claims at Echo Re. "Despite the scale, the rollout was smooth and issue-free thanks to our prior ADEPT experience, close collaboration on data pre-cleanup, and thorough process alignment. Strong engagement from technical accountants on both sides ensured operational excellence from day one." "Echo Re was an integral part of our inaugural cycle of B2B carrier implementations under the Gallagher Re brand," added Gallagher Re Operations Director Terry Calthorpe. "This achievement represents a significant milestone and underscores our unwavering commitment to advancing the adoption of ACORD Data Standards and Ruschlikon best practices. The collaboration between our teams was exemplary, and the journey from initiation to production was truly a rewarding experience." "By integrating ADEPT into their operations, Echo Re and Gallagher Re are not only accelerating their core processes, but also redefining collaboration across the reinsurance industry," said Chris Newman, CEO of ACORD Solutions Group. "ADEPT is vital in facilitating secure, efficient communication and data exchange between these global organizations." About Echo Re Echo Re was founded in 2008 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the DEVK Group, one of Germany's largest mutual insurance groups with over 4 million policyholders. Its treaty reinsurance portfolio covers all P&C and a broad range of specialty lines of business from cedents in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. About Gallagher Re Gallagher Re is a full-service global reinsurance broking and advisory firm operating across the risk and capital spectrum. By combining analytics capabilities with reinsurance expertise, strategic advisory services, and transactional excellence, we help clients drive greater value from their businesses, negotiate optimum terms, and achieve their risk transfer objectives. Our global client base includes all the world's top insurance and reinsurance carriers, as well as national catastrophe schemes in many countries around the world. About ACORD Solutions Group ACORD Solutions Group was created to solve critical industry challenges by delivering next-generation digital solutions and services. Our enterprise-class solutions optimize the speed, cost, and accuracy of data exchange, connecting stakeholders regardless of geography, role, and legacy constraints. ACORD Solutions Group is an extension of ACORD, the standards-setting body for the global insurance industry. Learn more at www.acordsolutions.com. Contact: Beth Jarecki Omnia Paratus [email protected] SOURCE ACORD The 1st Xuemo World Literature Forum, hosted by Ruxue International Media, took place at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid the swirl of new titles and industry deals at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, one event stood apart for its soul-searching depth: the inaugural Xuemo World Literature Forum, themed "Eternal Love: Creating Meaning in the Void." Xuemo World Literature Forum 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair Hosted by Ruxue International Media, the forum brought together writers, scholars, publishers, and artists from China, Germany, the U.K., Norway, and Turkey. At its heart was a question rarely asked in such a setting: What can literature offer a world accelerating into an AI-driven future, gripped by a data deluge and spiritual dislocation? The forum opened with the release of two new works by Chinese author Xuemo: Eternal Love (English edition), a philosophical novel exploring death, transformation, and spiritual freedom, translated by Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-Chun Lin. The Way Out: Women's Spiritual Awakening in the Age of AI (Chinese edition), a meditation on female empowerment and resilience in the algorithm age Xuemo then delivered a keynote speech calling on creators to become "lamps" in a darkening world. "Death is inevitable," he said. "But meaning is a choice." "Emptiness is not apathy, but the freedom born of awakened love." His call to embrace compassion over control, and wisdom over computation, received an emotional response from the audience. The forum featured prominent voices from over 10 countries, including Toby Levin (Researcher at Harvard's Hutchins Center and feminist scholar), Cord Eberspacher (Sinologist and historian at the University of Bonn), Nora Frisch (Founder of Germany's Drachenhaus Verlag), and many other distinguished guests. Levin praised Xuemo's portrayal of women in works like Desert Rites, calling them "voices long buried beneath patriarchal silence, now brought to life." She connected Xuemo's fiction to global movements against gender-based violence, including campaigns against FGM and the legacy of foot-binding. Eberspacher pointed out the philosophical resonance between Xuemo and European thinkers: "His notion of 'creating meaning in the void' echoes Kant's moral imperative and Martin Luther's famous vow to 'plant an apple tree on the eve of the world's end.'" Philippe Werck, reflecting on the role of literature in a distracted digital world, said: "Social media screams. Literature listens. Xuemo's work is a refuge." The forum concluded with Xuemo signing multilingual translation agreements for Serbian and Croatian editions of his work, expanding his literary influence to more than 20 countries. As the forum closed, the name of his latest book still echoed: Eternal Love does not fall. Media Contact: Ida Liu 773-562-0064 [email protected] SOURCE Ruxue International Media Inc Meijer team members chose more than 500 local organizations across the Midwest to support GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Meijer is proud to announce it has completed its fifth annual Meijer Team Gives campaign, reinforcing the retailer's commitment to strengthening communities across the Midwest. Meijer is proud to announce it has completed its fifth annual Meijer Team Gives campaign, reinforcing the retailers commitment to strengthening communities across the Midwest. Since the inception of Meijer Team Gives in 2021, each Meijer store, distribution facility, and supply chain location has been given the opportunity annually to donate $10,000 to a nonprofit in its community. Team members work together to identify and support nonprofit organizations making an impact in the neighborhoods where they live and work. Since 2021, nearly $15 million has been donated to local nonprofits through Meijer Team Gives, with team members choosing where every dollar was donated. "Meijer Team Gives is one of our team's favorite programs because it lets us play a lead role in supporting non-profits that are doing amazing work in our communities," said Brian Dunigan, Store Director at the Youngstown, Ohio, Meijer. "Inspiring generosity and building stronger communities is at the core of our values, and Meijer Team Gives invites every team member to play an active role in identifying and supporting the organizations that matter most to them." To date, Meijer Team Gives has provided nearly $15 million to thousands of nonprofit organizations, ranging from community food banks and youth resource centers to animal rescue programs and healthcare programs. The 2025 campaign continues that legacy, with local team members selecting a local nonprofit to receive a $10,000 donation or two organizations to receive $5,000 each. "Our organization is deeply honored to have been selected as a recipient of a generous donation from Meijer as we rely solely on the support of donations to continue our mission of rescuing and caring for dogs in need," said Cheri Wallace, co-director of Every Dog Matters Rescue located in Northeast Ohio. "This gift from Meijer not only helps us continue our work but also reminds us of the invaluable role our community partners play in making rescue possible. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our community for their continued generosity and support." Meijer remains dedicated to fostering meaningful change and investing in the neighborhoods it serves. The ongoing success of Meijer Team Gives is a testament to the enthusiasm and compassion of its more than 70,000 team members, who continue to create positive, lasting impacts throughout the Midwest. About Meijer: Meijer is a privately owned, family-operated retailer that serves customers at more than 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, and express locations throughout the Midwest. As the pioneer of the one-stop shopping concept, more than 70,000 Meijer team members work hard to deliver a friendly, seamless in-store and online shopping experience featuring an assortment of fresh foods, high-quality apparel, household essentials, and health and wellness products and services. Meijer is consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work and annually donates at least 6 percent of its profit to strengthen its communities. Additional information on the company can be found by visiting newsroom.meijer.com. SOURCE Meijer Photo: https://www.facebook.com/vzaluzhnyi The only way to integrate Ukraine into the European defense system, primarily air and missile defense, is to continue cooperation with NATO and its members that share borders with the Russian Federation or remember the lessons of the past, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Valeriy Zaluzhny has said. "This is almost the only way to bypass both political and other blockades within the EU, although such a step carries serious geopolitical risks for member states," Zaluzhny said in an article, titled "How to Avoid War?" commissioned by the Polish security think tank Eastern Flank Institute and published on its website in Polish. According to Zaluzhny, by 2030 the EU will rely exclusively on NATO and, accordingly, the United States to ensure its own security. The EU will probably increase the share of its own weapons, including those produced jointly with Ukraine, in parallel, but the formation of a new European security architecture is probably not considered a priority until 2030. "In this regard, in its foreign policy, the EU will focus on preserving the current formula for ensuring its own security, trying first of all to keep the USA at the center of its attention. The inclusion of Ukraine as a full-fledged player in the future European security architecture is not considered either formally or in essence, with the exception of partial use of combat experience and assistance in the war with Russia, in accordance with the strategy of avoiding war by supporting a neighbor who is already at war," the ambassador observed. In the article, Zaluzhny analyzed the security situation in Europe and gave a recipe for avoiding war, talked about the advantages and disadvantages of the new EU defense strategy, and how to reform the security sector of the European Union. At the same time, according to the ambassador, Ukraine can help EU states improve their defense strategies. He noted that only one programmatic security document has been developed at the European level - the "Joint White Paper on European Defense - Readiness 2030", published on March 19 of this year, which for the first time focused on the need for Europe's strategic autonomy in the face of growing competition from the United States, contains an action plan and proposes to take a number of measures, with a special emphasis on the European defense industry. "However, analyzing this document, looking at it from our and European perspectives, it should be noted that the declared distribution of financial resources is clearly not enough to achieve its main goal. Unfortunately, Europe needs both political will and time," he said. The ambassador also noted that the success of any initiatives will depend on the political will of all 27 member states. "The implementation of the basic principle of a centralized approach to the formation of one's own security under such an assumption is certainly impossible," he stressed. According to Zaluzhny, Ukraine's experience in waging war indicates that the definition of security and its achievement is based on three stable concepts: political will and readiness to take unpopular measures to ensure security, well-trained and modern armed forces, and the defense industry. He called the problem of previous leaders "postponing unpopular measures in favor of short-term popularity and populist promises." "Of course, in order to accelerate institutional readiness for defense in a democratic society, it is necessary to conduct a dialogue with this society. Who will start this dialogue first - European governments or the Russian army - depends on ourselves and our partners," Zaluzhny said. He stressed that the EU itself currently lacks clear mechanisms of coercion. "As a result, there are no grounds for the implementation of political will. Therefore, the implementation of the requirements specified in this document (White Paper IF-U) will be based on "motivation" and "encouragement", without creating a binding mechanism. This, of course, encourages large states such as France, Germany and Italy to further develop national projects. Others will not receive such opportunities. How this will affect the declared capabilities of other national armed forces of EU states is still unknown," Zaluzhny said. He emphasizes that the White Paper for the period up to 2030 does not provide for the main goal - the creation of joint military structures within the EU and bodies and structures capable of managing them, so Europe's security will practically remain dependent on the US, although the document itself provides ample opportunities for promoting our individual interests. LAS VEGAS, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - A significant shift is underway in American business ownership. Millions of Baby Boomerswho own more than half of privately held small businesses in the U.S.are reaching retirement age, yet many have no family succession plan. This looming "Exit Wave" represents one of the largest generational transfers of business ownership in history and an opportunity to enter the business brokerage industry. More than 12 million Baby Boomerowned businesses are expected to change hands over the next decade, representing over $10 trillion in assets. Few owners have a succession plan or representation. That's where First Choice Business Brokers steps in. Nationwide, they help business owners successfully value, market, and sell their businesses. "The Exit Wave is real, and it's accelerating," said Jeff Nyman, CEO of First Choice Business Brokers. "We're seeing record demand from business owners who need help navigating their sale. At the same time, we're offering a business opportunity for entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals who want to build a high-impact, high-reward business of their own by becoming a First Choice franchise owner." The franchise model is designed for entrepreneurs seeking to operate a service-based business with high revenue potential, low overhead, no build-out, no inventory, and flexible scalability. Franchise owners benefit from the company's 30+ years of proven systems, training, proprietary tools, and national brand recognition. One of those professionals is Tim Johnson, a franchisee of First Choice Business Brokers in Hampton Roads, Virginia, who transitioned from a successful corporate management career. "Owning a First Choice office has been the perfect fit for my background," Johnson said. "After years in corporate franchising, I wanted to use my real-world experience to help others succeed in selling their businesses and moving on to the next chapter of their lives." As Baby Boomers prepare to retire, the opportunity has never been greater. First Choice is calling on entrepreneurs to join our franchise network. Top markets still available. Media Contact Melissa Sallyer EVP Franchise Development [email protected] Schedule a Call (800) 940-9109 About First Choice Business Brokers Founded in 1994, First Choice Business Brokers has listed and managed more than $15 billion in businesses for sale and is recognized as one of the largest business brokerage organizations in the U.S. Learn more about franchise opportunities, visit franchise.fcbb.com SOURCE First Choice Business Brokers ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- What began as a humble family dream has become a national wellness movement. When the Le family arrived in Arlington from Vietnam in 1995, they carried little more than determination and hope. Their father, once a First Lieutenant in the Armed Forces of South Vietnam, endured seven years in a "re-education camp" after the fall of Saigon. That sacrifice shaped the brothers' drive to succeed in America. In their new home, Tom, Kevin, and Brian earned advanced engineering and computer science degrees, while Danny became a cardiologist in Arlington. All proudly graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington, proving that perseverance and education could unlock the American Dream. From Arlington Ingenuity to National Impact: How the Le Brothers and Luraco Turned a Local Success Story into a Wellness Movement The Le Brothers Engineering Success In 2005, the brothers founded Luraco Technologies in Arlington. Early contracts with the U.S. militaryincluding work tied to Black Hawk and Apache helicopters and the F-35 fighter jetproved their engineering skill and earned credibility in one of the most demanding industries in the world. Their commitment to quality soon earned them recognition as a Top 40 Defense Contractor in Tarrant County, along with 43 U.S. patents, multiple Fast 50 Asian American Business Awards, and a Dallas 100 Award. Built in America, Built for Health As children, the Le Brothers dreamed of seeing "Made in the USA" labels on more products. Determined to make that vision real, they designed something no one else had: the world's only massage chairs designed, engineered, and manufactured in America. What began as a solution to unreliable imported pedicure chairs soon evolved into a health breakthrough. Today, Luraco's medical massage chairs are licensed in Texas as Durable Medical Equipment (DME), scientifically proven to deliver measurable health benefits, and exported worldwide. The flagship i9 Max Plus represents the ninth generation of continuous, American-made innovation. The Care Chair Program For the Le Brothers, success is about more than business. With wellness advocate Robert Nelson, they launched the Care Chair Program to bring relief and recovery to first responders and emergency workers who carry the heaviest burdens. A donation to Arlington's 911 Dispatch Center was described as "miraculous" by dispatchers. Other gifts have included a $10,000 chair to the Department of Homeland Security, a chair to the USO at DFW Airport, and a matching grant to support Garland's Police Department Wellness and Recovery Room. In 2025, the Department of Homeland Security was named winner of Luraco's National Care Chair Contest, receiving a top-of-the-line medical massage chair for its Billings, Montana office. Opportunities for Departments The Care Chair initiative doesn't stop with contests. Through Luraco's sponsorship of the Lexipol Grant Assistance Service, police, fire, and other departments across the country can receive professional support in securing funding for wellness equipment. By helping agencies nationwide, the Le Brothers are making first responder wellness more accessible than ever. Their hometown has noticed: in recognition of their generosity, the City of Arlington proclaimed October 8 as "Luraco Day." A Call to the Community From humble beginnings to global recognition, the Le Brothers embody the American Dreamturning struggle into innovation and using their success to care for those who care for us. They believe Arlington can set the standard for the nation, rallying businesses, civic partners, and citizens to support the health of first responders. Stress and burnout put entire communities at risk; solutions like the Luraco Care Chair help safeguard the people who safeguard us. The Le Brothers' story is proof that resilience, education, and ingenuity can change livesand industries. From the battlefields of Vietnam to the labs of UTA to a thriving tech company in Arlington, theirs is a journey of service and innovation. Now, they invite the community to be part of the next chapter: building a culture of wellness that begins in Arlington and inspires the nation. Learn more at CareChairChallenge.com or Luraco.com. SOURCE LURACO Technologies, Inc. DANIA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit Airlines travelers are looking to flock to sunshine, beaches and big-city views this Thanksgiving. The airline today released its top 10 most searched destinations on spirit.com for the peak travel period of Nov. 25 through Dec. 1, 2025. Spirit Guests have an appetite for warm-weather getaways and exploring major cities with destinations like Fort Lauderdale (FLL), San Juan (SJU), Houston (IAH) and Atlanta (ATL) gobbling up top spots on the list. Spirit's Top 10 Searched Thanksgiving Destinations* Spirits 2025 Thanksgiving Travel Highlights Orlando (MCO) Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Las Vegas (LAS) Houston (IAH) Detroit (DTW) Atlanta (ATL) Newark (EWR) New York-LaGuardia (LGA) San Juan (SJU) Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) "This Thanksgiving, travelers are searching for flights to spend the long weekend with the people and places they're most thankful for," said Rana Ghosh, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Spirit Airlines. "Guests heading home or carving out time for a much-needed vacation can count on us to deliver the greatest value on their travels this holiday season and beyond." Spirit's Thanksgiving Travel Highlights More than 3,200 Spirit flights are scheduled to operate during the peak travel period. The carrier will fly more than three million miles, which is over 21.55 billion pumpkin pies laid end to end. The busiest travel days for Spirit will be Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2025. This holiday season, Spirit will offer more premium seats than ever before with its Spirit First and Premium Economy travel options where travelers can enjoy an elevated experience with more space and exciting perks. Guests in the Big Front Seat can sit back, relax and start their Thanksgiving celebration early by feasting before the feast with unlimited snacks and drinks, including alcoholic beverages, while enjoying other benefits included in the carrier's Spirit First travel option. Travelers can book their getaway for Thanksgiving and the holiday season by visiting spirit.com. *Spirit.com web searches made between Sept. 1, 2025, and Oct. 19, 2025, for travel from Nov. 25, 2025, to Dec. 1, 2025. About Spirit Airlines Spirit Airlines is committed to safely delivering the best value in the sky by offering an enhanced travel experience with flexible, affordable options. Spirit serves destinations throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean with its all-Airbus fleet, connecting travelers with the people and places that matter most. Discover elevated travel options with exceptional value at spirit.com. SOURCE Spirit Airlines Agreement includes investment by the U.S. Department of War in the construction of a 100 metric ton-per-year advanced gallium refinery in Western Australia, further advancing self-reliance in critical minerals processing. G50 continues to progress its Golconda project in Arizona, believed to be the most advanced gallium project in the U.S. TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- G50 Corp. Limited (ASX: G50; OTCQB: GFTYF) today welcomed the landmark Critical Minerals Framework agreement signed by President Donald J. Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, noting that it marks the first significant investment by any Western government in critical downstream refining infrastructure for gallium. According to the agreement, the U.S. Department of War (formerly the U.S. Department of Defense) will invest in the construction of a 100 metric ton-per-year advanced gallium refinery in Western Australia, further advancing self-reliance in critical minerals processing. "This is a very welcome development," said Mark Wallace, Managing Director and CEO of G50, which recently announced Phase 2 results from its drilling program at the Golconda Project in Arizona that confirmed and supported earlier drilling showing a large polymetallic discovery of more than 700m including gold, silver, zinc and gallium. Due to the huge need for gallium in the Western World, and China's decision to ban all gallium into the US, G50 has been focusing its efforts on the gallium mineralization at the project. "This investment highlights the increasing urgency among key stakeholders regarding the challenges in sourcing, mining, and refining gallium, especially in light of China's dominant control over 98% of production and recent export restrictions," Wallace said, adding, "we strongly believe our Golconda Project in Arizona, with its strategic location, will play a crucial role in the upstream supply of strategic metals for the U.S. and we are committed to integrating this project into domestic supply chains." G50 Corp (https://www.g50corp.com) is an exploration company focused on the southwestern U.S. The company's flagship Golconda Project comprises both patented and unpatented claims and is ideally positioned near existing mining infrastructure and logistics hubs to meet the United States' growing demand for domestic mineral resources. SOURCE G50 Corp Limited Gift affirms the Pullman Educational Foundation's distinctive model of renewable scholarships with high-touch programs that deliver 95% completion rates and 70% debt-free graduates, ensuring more scholars can earn degrees, achieve career success and assume community leadership. CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The George M. Pullman Educational Foundation (GPEF), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing access to higher education for Cook County students, announced today that philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has awarded the organization a $10 million unrestricted gift. This substantial contribution supports GPEF's endowment, empowering the Foundation to sustain and expand the vital resources it provides its Pullman Scholars. These include renewable scholarships of up to $40,000 over four years alongside an array of wrap-around services designed to help ensure students graduate on time with little or no debt. George M. Pullman Educational Foundation Celebrates 75 Years of Giving Back Meeting the Moment with Expanded Support "Ms. Scott's award is an extraordinary affirmation of our Pullman Scholars' program, which is anchored by a unique ecosystem that has evolved over the years in response to our students' wants and needs. We are profoundly appreciative for this support, which was unanticipated but comes at a significant juncture in our program," George M. Pullman Educational Foundation Executive Director Eric Delli Bovi said. "Our model pairs significant scholarships with high-touch services from individual monthly check-ins and frequent seminars on topics our students identify, to career guidance and a robust alumni network to mentor current scholars," he explained. "We designed it organically, yet also intentionally, to not only fund higher education but also to prepare students for success in work and life. That's why we heightened the impact of our Scholars' program by adding on-demand mental health services through BetterHelp for all Pullman Scholars shortly before the 2025-26 academic year began, as well as increasing our current freshman class by 20%. "This award gives us the breathing room to sustain and deepen our programming while maintaining our commitment to being interactive and responsive to Scholars' needs," Delli Bovi added. "It ensures we can meet students where they are by providing financial support, community and critical skills that allow them to thrive." Building on 75 Years of Proven Impact George M. Pullman Educational Foundation Board President Richard W. Daspit Jr. said the Scott gift validates a legacy of disciplined, hands-on support that has endured and evolved by maximizing its efficacy for three generations. "For 75 years, nearly 12,000 Pullman Scholars have been empowered to graduate on time with low or no debt," Daspit said. "Our model is significant and durable. We don't just provide a small stipend for a year. We award up to $10,000 annually for four years often the last dollar that closes a funding gap and we pair it with relationship-driven services, mentorship and community. That combination has produced consistently high results: 84 to 95% of our students complete their degrees within four years, and 70% graduate debt-free compared with the national average of $37,000 in debt." Daspit noted that more than half of Pullman Scholars are the first in their families to attend college. "Other programs often assume students already have the frameworks to navigate college," he said. "We fill those gaps with structured support like the monthly check-ins, our annual symposium and mental health services. The result is clear: strong academic performance, career momentum and alumni who lead in their communities. This award will help us expand that cycle of impact." Scholar Shares Transformative Experience For Kenechukwu Uwajeh, a 2023 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an alumna of Southland College Prep in Richton Park, the Pullman Educational Foundation changed everything. "I received financial aid offers from many colleges, but none of them would have allowed me to go to school without undertaking significant debt. Pullman was the scholarship that closed the gap," Uwajeh said. "They gave me $7,500 annually, which allowed me to graduate debt-free. That meant I could focus on my education instead of worrying about loans or burdening my parents." Now a senior business development representative at Sprout Social, Uwajeh said Pullman's value went beyond money. "The check-ins were invaluable they wanted to know how we were really doing," she said. "The seminars gave us skills in budgeting and career prep that most students never get. And the community made me feel supported the entire way through. It wasn't just money it was a lifeline." Expanding Access with Foresight and Few Strings Attached Anticipating student need is important to the Foundation and informs the way they have structured and enhanced the Pullman Scholar's Program over the years. This award comes at a time when higher education costs are rising and students face diminishing funding sources , creating headwinds for students as they strive to attend four-year college programs. "These issues will likely make attending traditional four-year institutions more difficult for many students," noted Delli Bovi. "Yet a substantial body of data shows that a college degree yields a significant return on investment . It's the strongest predictor of higher lifetime earnings, economic mobility and generational wealth." Complicating attendance for many students is the fact that most scholarship programs carry restrictions around where students may enroll, what majors they may pursue or how aid may be used. The Pullman Foundation stands apart as one of the few that doesn't require these restraints. Pullman Scholars are free to attend any four-year accredited college or university. The Foundation requires only a 3.0 GPA, does not consider SAT or ACT scores and weighs extracurricular activities, employment and community service. Eligibility is limited to Cook County students, reinforcing a deep local impact. This student-centered approach makes Pullman one of the only programs that combines meaningful scholarship awards with such flexibility. For Cook County students, the impact is transformative. Tracking Results and Measuring Success The Pullman Educational Foundation's results over 75 years illustrate how meaningful aid paired with consistent support changes trajectories. Since 1950, more than 11,500 students have received Pullman Scholarships, attending 759 colleges nationwide. The Foundation has awarded nearly $38 million in scholarships, with $1 million invested annually today. Currently, 109 Pullman Scholars are enrolled at 40 colleges across the country, with 63% pursuing STEM majors. Five of the current Scholars' most popular schools keep talent near Chicago: the University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Michigan, DePaul University and Northwestern University. Graduation outcomes reflect the Foundation's strength. The Class of 2024 achieved an 87% four-year graduation rate with an average GPA of 3.59. Seventy percent graduated debt-free, and the overall average loan debt was just $3,703 a fraction of the national average of $37,000. About the George M. Pullman Educational Foundation: For 75 years , GPEF has fulfilled its mission to enable outstanding Cook County students to pursue bachelor's degrees at the colleges or universities of their choice, graduate on time and launch their futures with minimal or no debt. Nearly 12,000 individuals have received Pullman Scholarships many the first in their families to attend college and alumni from every decade since 1950 have gone on to achieve lasting economic stability and contribute to their communities. The Foundation, rooted in Chicago and guided by the George M. Pullman family's stewardship of his original vision, is among the nation's oldest continuously operating scholarship programs. Its renewable, merit- and need-based scholarships of up to $40,000 over four years are paired with high-touch services including one-on-one guidance, scholar success seminars, an annual symposium, alumni mentoring and mental health support. Though often conflated or confused with the Pullman National Historic Park and the Historic Pullman Foundation, The Pullman Educational Foundation is unrelated to and predates these other entities. Learn more at https://www.pullmanfoundation.org/ . Media Contact: Allie Kuopus [email protected] 262-957-6020 SOURCE George M. Pullman Educational Foundation DETROIT, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- General Motors (NYSE: GM) today reported third-quarter 2025 revenue of $48.6 billion, net income attributable to stockholders of $1.3 billion, and EBIT-adjusted of $3.4 billion. GM is also updating its 2025 full-year earnings guidance: Updated 2025 guidance Previous 2025 guidance Net income attributable to stockholders $7.7 billion - $8.3 billion $7.7 billion - $9.5 billion EBIT-adjusted $12.0 billion - $13.0 billion $10.0 billion - $12.5 billion Automotive operating cash flow $19.2 billion - $21.2 billion $17.0 billion - $20.5 billion Adjusted automotive free cash flow $10.0 billion - $11.0 billion $7.5 billion - $10.0 billion EPS-diluted $8.30 - $9.05 $8.22 - $9.97 EPS-diluted-adjusted $9.75 - $10.50 $8.25 - $10.00 An overview of quarterly results and financial highlights appears below. Visit the GM Investor Relations website to download the company's earnings deck and GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra's Letter to Shareholders . Conference call for investors and analysts Mary Barra and GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson will host a conference call for the investment community at 8:30 a.m. ET today to discuss these results. Conference call details are as follows: 1-800-857-9821 (U.S.) 1-517-308-9481 (international/caller-paid) Conference call passcode: General Motors General Motors An audio replay will be available on the GM Investor Relations website in the Events section. Results Overview Three Months Ended ($M) except per share amounts September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Change % Change Revenue $ 48,591 $ 48,757 $ (166) (0.3) % Net income attributable to stockholders $ 1,327 $ 3,056 $ (1,729) (56.6) % EBIT-adjusted $ 3,376 $ 4,115 $ (739) (18.0) % Net income margin 2.7 % 6.3 % (3.6) ppts (57.1) % EBIT-adjusted margin 6.9 % 8.4 % (1.5) ppts (17.9) % Automotive operating cash flow $ 6,070 $ 7,863 $ (1,793) (22.8) % Adjusted automotive free cash flow $ 4,201 $ 5,834 $ (1,633) (28.0) % EPS-diluted $ 1.35 $ 2.68 $ (1.33) (49.6) % EPS-diluted-adjusted $ 2.80 $ 2.96 $ (0.16) (5.4) % GMNA EBIT-adjusted $ 2,506 $ 3,982 $ (1,476) (37.1) % GMNA EBIT-adjusted margin 6.2 % 9.7 % (3.5) ppts (36.1) % GMI EBIT-adjusted(a) $ 226 $ 42 $ 184 n.m. China equity income (loss)(a) $ 80 $ (137) $ 217 n.m. GM Financial EBT-adjusted $ 804 $ 687 $ 117 17.0 % (a) n.m. = not meaningful General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM's Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry's widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements : This press release and related comments by management may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact and represent our current judgment about possible future events. In making these statements, we rely upon assumptions and analysis based on our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors we consider appropriate under the circumstances. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any future events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors, many of which are described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or other factors that affect the subject of these statements, except where we are expressly required to do so by law. Guidance Reconciliations The following table reconciles expected Net income attributable to stockholders to expected EBIT-adjusted (dollars in billions): Year Ending December 31, 2025 Updated Previous Net income attributable to stockholders $ 7.7-8.3 $ 7.7-9.5 Income tax expense 1.8-2.2 1.6-2.3 Automotive interest income, net (0.1) (0.0) Adjustments(a) 2.6 0.7 EBIT-adjusted $ 12.0-13.0 $ 10.0-12.5 (a) Refer to the reconciliation of Net income attributable to stockholders to EBIT-adjusted and segment profit (loss) for adjustment details. These expected financial results do not include the potential impact of future adjustments related to special items. The following table reconciles expected EPS-diluted to expected EPS-diluted-adjusted: Year Ending December 31, 2025 Updated Previous Diluted earnings per common share $ 8.30-9.05 $ 8.22-9.97 Adjustments(a) 1.45 0.03 EPS-diluted-adjusted $ 9.75-10.50 $ 8.25-10.00 (a) Refer to the reconciliation of diluted earnings per common share to EPS-diluted-adjusted for adjustment details. These expected financial results do not include the potential impact of future adjustments related to special items. The following table reconciles expected automotive net cash provided by operating activities to expected adjusted automotive free cash flow (dollars in billions): Year Ending December 31, 2025 Updated Previous Net automotive cash provided by operating activities $ 19.2-21.2 $ 17.0-20.5 Less: Capital expenditures 10.0-11.0 10.0-11.0 Adjustments 0.8 0.5 Adjusted automotive free cash flow(a) $ 10.0-11.0 $ 7.5-10.0 (a) These expected financial results do not include the potential impact of future adjustments related to special items. General Motors Company and Subsidiaries1 Combining Income Statement Information (In millions) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined Net sales and revenue Automotive $ 44,256 $ $ $ $ 44,256 $ 44,735 $ 26 $ $ (26) $ 44,735 GM Financial 4,337 (2) 4,335 4,031 (10) 4,021 Total net sales and revenue 44,256 4,337 (2) 48,591 44,735 26 4,031 (36) 48,757 Costs and expenses Automotive and other cost of sales 41,937 (1) 41,936 38,768 240 (1) 39,007 GM Financial interest, operating and other expenses 3,542 3,542 3,354 3,353 Automotive and other selling, general and administrative expense 2,038 (1) 2,037 2,544 203 (1) 2,745 Total costs and expenses 43,975 3,542 (2) 47,515 41,312 442 3,354 (2) 45,105 Operating income (loss) 281 795 1,076 3,424 (417) 678 (33) 3,651 Automotive interest expense 206 3 209 206 30 (30) 206 Interest income and other non- operating income, net 473 3 475 379 11 4 394 Equity income (loss) 68 9 77 (132) 10 (122) Income (loss) before income taxes $ 615 $ $ 804 $ $ 1,419 $ 3,465 $ (435) $ 687 $ $ 3,717 Income tax expense (benefit) 127 709 Net income (loss) 1,293 3,008 Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests 35 48 Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders $ 1,327 $ 3,056 Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ 1,297 $ 3,029 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined Net sales and revenue Automotive $ 126,985 $ 1 $ $ $ 126,986 $ 128,007 $ 76 $ $ (76) $ 128,008 GM Financial 12,756 (9) 12,747 11,761 (29) 11,732 Total net sales and revenue 126,985 1 12,756 (9) 139,732 128,007 76 11,761 (105) 139,740 Costs and expenses Automotive and other cost of sales 116,255 163 (2) 116,416 109,958 1,662 (2) 111,618 GM Financial interest, operating and other expenses 10,599 10,600 9,569 (1) 9,568 Automotive and other selling, general and administrative expense 6,054 111 (3) 6,161 6,813 482 (3) 7,292 Total costs and expenses 122,309 274 10,599 (5) 133,177 116,771 2,144 9,569 (5) 128,478 Operating income (loss) 4,676 (273) 2,156 (4) 6,555 11,237 (2,067) 2,192 (100) 11,262 Automotive interest expense 557 30 (27) 560 631 158 (158) 631 Interest income and other non- operating income, net 1,174 2 (1) (23) 1,151 785 29 (1) (58) 756 Equity income (loss) 182 37 219 (366) 55 (311) Income (loss) before income taxes $ 5,474 $ (301) $ 2,193 $ $ 7,366 $ 11,026 $ (2,196) $ 2,246 $ $ 11,076 Income tax expense (benefit) 1,326 2,238 Net income (loss) 6,040 8,837 Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests (33) 132 Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders $ 6,007 $ 8,969 Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ 6,510 $ 8,914 1 Certain columns and rows may not add due to rounding. General Motors Company and Subsidiaries1 Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share (Unaudited) The following table summarizes basic and diluted earnings per share (in millions, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Basic earnings per share Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders $ 1,327 $ 3,056 $ 6,007 $ 8,969 Adjustments(a) (30) (27) 503 (55) Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ 1,297 $ 3,029 $ 6,510 $ 8,914 Weighted-average common shares outstanding 944 1,116 965 1,136 Basic earnings per common share $ 1.37 $ 2.71 $ 6.75 $ 7.85 Diluted earnings per share Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders diluted $ 1,297 $ 3,029 $ 6,510 $ 8,914 Weighted-average common shares outstanding diluted 964 1,131 980 1,147 Diluted earnings per common share $ 1.35 $ 2.68 $ 6.64 $ 7.77 Potentially dilutive securities(b) 6 6 (a) Includes a $593 million return from the preferred shareholders related to the redemption of Cruise preferred shares from noncontrolling interest holders in the nine months ended September 30, 2025. (b) Potentially dilutive securities attributable to outstanding stock options, Performance Stock Units and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) at September 30, 2025 and 2024 were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share (EPS) because the securities would have had an antidilutive effect. General Motors Company and Subsidiaries1 Combining Balance Sheet Information (In millions, except per share amounts) (Unaudited) September 30, 2025 December 31, 2024 Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 15,019 $ 72 $ 7,820 $ $ 22,910 $ 14,470 $ 308 $ 5,094 $ $ 19,872 Marketable debt securities 6,771 21 6,792 7,265 7,265 Accounts and notes receivable, net(a) 16,276 76 1,782 (1,009) 17,125 11,498 22 1,988 (681) 12,827 GM Financial receivables, net(d) 44,902 (381) 44,521 46,760 (398) 46,362 Inventories 15,322 (4) 15,318 14,569 (5) 14,564 Other current assets 2,844 11 5,109 5 7,970 2,816 38 4,799 2 7,655 Total current assets 56,233 159 59,634 (1,390) 114,636 50,618 369 58,640 (1,082) 108,545 Non-current Assets GM Financial receivables, net(c) 45,300 45,300 46,750 (276) 46,474 Equity in net assets of nonconsolidated affiliates 5,178 1,095 6,272 5,896 1,206 7,102 Property, net 51,731 97 110 51,938 51,729 69 107 51,904 Goodwill and intangible assets, net 3,104 1 1,348 4,452 2,642 570 1,339 4,551 Equipment on operating leases, net 33,609 33,609 31,586 31,586 Deferred income taxes 22,940 (1,270) 21,669 21,149 1,899 (1,795) 21,254 Other assets(b) 8,789 52 1,451 10,292 9,340 41 1,323 (2,359) 8,346 Total non-current assets 91,740 150 81,642 173,532 90,756 2,579 80,516 (2,635) 171,216 Total Assets $ 147,973 $ 309 $ 141,276 $ (1,390) $ 288,168 $ 141,374 $ 2,948 $ 139,156 $ (3,717) $ 279,761 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current Liabilities Accounts payable (principally trade)(a) $ 27,543 $ 5 $ 703 $ (933) $ 27,317 $ 25,446 $ 200 $ 714 $ (681) $ 25,680 Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt Automotive(a)(d) 873 7 (457) 424 2,413 7 (279) 2,141 GM Financial 36,053 36,053 37,291 37,291 Cruise(d) 119 (119) Accrued liabilities 24,730 130 4,641 29,501 24,949 548 5,661 (4) 31,154 Total current liabilities 53,146 142 41,397 (1,390) 93,295 52,808 874 43,666 (1,082) 96,265 Non-current Liabilities Long-term debt Automotive(b) 15,619 71 15,690 13,288 2,397 (2,359) 13,327 GM Financial 80,336 80,336 76,973 76,973 Cruise(c) 276 (276) Postretirement benefits other than pensions 3,947 3,947 3,990 3,990 Pensions 5,976 9 5,985 5,772 7 5,779 Other liabilities 16,914 292 3,306 20,512 14,635 297 2,904 17,836 Total non-current liabilities 42,458 363 83,651 126,471 37,686 2,970 79,885 (2,635) 117,906 Total Liabilities 95,604 505 125,048 (1,390) 219,766 90,494 3,844 123,551 (3,717) 214,171 Equity Common stock, $0.01 par value 9 9 10 10 Additional paid-in capital(e) 18,477 1,794 1,137 (1,112) 20,295 19,632 1,187 1,196 (1,172) 20,843 Retained earnings 42,355 (1,990) 16,495 1 56,862 40,203 (2,647) 15,916 1 53,472 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (9,389) (1,403) (10,792) (9,744) (3) (1,506) (11,253) Total stockholders' equity 51,453 (196) 16,228 (1,111) 66,374 50,100 (1,464) 15,606 (1,170) 63,072 Noncontrolling interests(e) 917 1,111 2,028 780 568 1,170 2,518 Total Equity 52,369 (196) 16,228 68,402 50,880 (896) 15,606 65,590 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 147,973 $ 309 $ 141,276 $ (1,390) $ 288,168 $ 141,374 $ 2,948 $ 139,156 $ (3,717) $ 279,761 (a) Eliminations primarily include GM Financial accounts and notes receivable of $0.6 billion due from Automotive; Automotive accounts receivable of $0.3 billion primarily due from GM Financial; and Cruise accounts receivable of $0.1 billion due from Automotive at September 30, 2025; and GM Financial accounts and notes receivable of $0.5 billion due from Automotive; and Automotive accounts receivable of $0.2 billion primarily due from GM Financial and Cruise at December 31, 2024. (b) Eliminations primarily related to convertible note issued by Cruise to Automotive and deferral agreement between Cruise and Automotive as regards to engineering, capital spending, restructuring and other costs incurred by Automotive on behalf of Cruise resulting in a long-term payable for Cruise offset by a long-term receivable for Automotive at December 31, 2024. (c) Eliminations primarily related to intercompany loans due from Cruise to GM Financial at December 31, 2024. (d) Eliminations primarily related to GM Financial accounts receivable due from Automotive and Cruise. (e) Primarily reclassification of GM Financial Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, B and C. The preferred stock is classified as noncontrolling interests in our consolidated balance sheets. General Motors Company and Subsidiaries1 Combining Cash Flow Information (In millions) (Unaudited) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Combined Cash flows from operating activities Net income (loss) $ 4,732 $ (302) $ 1,610 $ $ 6,040 $ 8,944 $ (1,743) $ 1,637 $ $ 8,837 Depreciation and impairment of Equipment on operating leases, net 3,675 3,675 3,633 3,633 Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges on Property, net 6,375 12 25 6,412 4,871 623 29 5,523 Foreign currency remeasurement and transaction (gains) losses 276 9 285 (231) 2 (228) Undistributed earnings of nonconsolidated affiliates, net 433 (37) 396 (232) (55) (287) Pension contributions and OPEB payments (432) (1) (433) (815) (815) Pension and OPEB income, net 21 1 23 49 1 50 Provision (benefit) for deferred taxes (64) 191 127 970 (455) 881 1,396 Change in other operating assets and liabilities(a)(c) 1,787 (511) 594 1,678 3,548 5,618 (175) (1,014) (6,549) (2,120) Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 13,127 (800) 6,067 1,678 20,072 19,174 (1,750) 5,114 (6,549) 15,989 Cash flows from investing activities Expenditures for property (6,054) (2) (27) (6,083) (7,495) (4) (16) (81) (7,597) Available-for-sale marketable securities, acquisitions (1,768) (17) (1,785) (3,467) (3,467) Available-for-sale marketable securities, liquidations 2,398 2,398 2,757 2,757 Purchases of finance receivables(a) (28,246) (5) (28,251) (31,222) 5,358 (25,864) Principal collections and recoveries on finance receivables(a)(b) 29,539 (3,016) 26,524 23,524 1 23,526 Proceeds from sale of finance receivables 2,005 2,005 Purchases of leased vehicles (12,609) (12,609) (11,243) (11,243) Proceeds from termination of leased vehicles 7,780 7,780 8,627 8,627 Other investing activities(b) (3,353) 1 901 (2,451) (1,999) 1 1,256 (742) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (8,777) (2) (1,574) (2,120) (12,473) (10,204) (4) (10,329) 6,535 (14,004) Cash flows from financing activities Net increase (decrease) in short-term debt (10) 23 13 (1) 87 85 Proceeds from issuance of debt (original maturities greater than three months)(b) 2,019 555 35,103 (555) 37,122 64 1,044 38,142 (1,087) 38,163 Payments on debt (original maturities greater than three months) (1,862) (4) (35,502) (24) (37,391) (128) (7) (31,882) 6 (32,012) Payment to purchase common stock (3,512) (3,512) (2,378) (2,378) Issuance (redemption) of subsidiary stock(b) (29) (29) 255 (255) Dividends paid(c) (401) (1,169) 1,050 (519) (408) (1,469) 1,350 (526) Other financing activities (160) (114) (274) (65) (162) (142) (369) Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (3,926) 551 (1,658) 442 (4,591) (2,916) 1,130 4,735 14 2,963 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 163 1 73 237 (84) (67) (151) Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 588 (250) 2,909 3,246 5,969 (625) (547) 4,798 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 14,561 322 8,081 22,964 12,310 1,359 8,249 21,917 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 15,148 $ 72 $ 10,990 $ $ 26,210 $ 18,279 $ 734 $ 7,702 $ $ 26,715 (a) Includes eliminations of $2.7 billion and $5.3 billion in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 primarily driven by purchases/collections of wholesale finance receivables resulting from vehicles sold by GM to dealers that have arranged their inventory floor plan financing through GM Financial. (b) Eliminations include intercompany funding activity from Automotive and GM Financial to Cruise in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024. (c) Eliminations include dividends issued by GM Financial to Automotive in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024. Note: Certain intercompany transactions that are eliminated in consolidation are presented on a net basis. General Motors Company and Subsidiaries1 The following tables summarize key financial information (dollars in millions): GMNA GMI Corporate Eliminations Total Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Total Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Net sales and revenue $ 40,551 $ 3,645 $ 60 $ $ 44,256 $ $ 4,337 $ (2) $ 48,591 Expenditures for property $ 2,011 $ 92 $ 11 $ $ 2,113 $ $ 17 $ $ 2,130 Depreciation and amortization $ 1,703 $ 114 $ 4 $ $ 1,821 $ $ 1,245 $ $ 3,066 Impairment charges $ 1,044 $ $ $ $ 1,044 $ $ $ $ 1,044 Equity income (loss)(a)(b) $ 214 $ 83 $ (16) $ $ 281 $ $ 9 $ $ 290 GMNA GMI Corporate Eliminations Total Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Total Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 Net sales and revenue $ 41,157 $ 3,517 $ 62 $ $ 44,735 $ 26 $ 4,031 $ (36) $ 48,757 Expenditures for property $ 2,128 $ 91 $ 10 $ $ 2,229 $ 3 $ 6 $ 8 $ 2,245 Depreciation and amortization $ 1,491 $ 131 $ 27 $ $ 1,650 $ 6 $ 1,217 $ $ 2,873 Impairment charges $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Equity income (loss)(a)(b) $ 309 $ (132) $ $ $ 177 $ $ 10 $ $ 187 GMNA GMI Corporate Eliminations Total Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Total Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Net sales and revenue $ 117,424 $ 9,398 $ 163 $ $ 126,985 $ 1 $ 12,756 $ (9) $ 139,732 Expenditures for property $ 5,729 $ 274 $ 50 $ $ 6,054 $ 2 $ 27 $ $ 6,083 Depreciation and amortization $ 4,933 $ 347 $ 39 $ $ 5,319 $ 5 $ 3,701 $ $ 9,026 Impairment charges $ 1,044 $ 18 $ $ $ 1,063 $ $ $ $ 1,063 Equity income (loss)(a)(b) $ 469 $ 208 $ (30) $ $ 647 $ $ 37 $ $ 684 GMNA GMI Corporate Eliminations Total Automotive Cruise GM Financial Reclassifications /Eliminations Total Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 Net sales and revenue $ 117,981 $ 9,897 $ 130 $ $ 128,007 $ 76 $ 11,761 $ (105) $ 139,740 Expenditures for property $ 7,220 $ 258 $ 18 $ $ 7,495 $ 4 $ 16 $ 81 $ 7,597 Depreciation and amortization $ 4,415 $ 403 $ 53 $ $ 4,871 $ 18 $ 3,662 $ $ 8,551 Impairment charges $ $ $ $ $ $ 605 $ $ $ 605 Equity income (loss)(a)(b) $ 766 $ (343) $ $ $ 423 $ $ 55 $ $ 477 (a) Includes Automotive China joint ventures (Automotive China JVs) equity income (loss) of $80 million and $197 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and $(137) million and $(347) million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. (b) Equity earnings related to Ultium Cells Holdings LLC, an equally owned joint venture with LG Energy Solution, are presented in Automotive and other cost of sales as this entity is integral to the operations of our business by providing battery cells for our electric vehicles (EVs). Equity earnings related to Ultium Cells Holdings LLC were $213 million and $465 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and $309 million and $788 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. General Motors Company and Subsidiaries Supplemental Material1 (Unaudited) General Motors Company (GM) uses both generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and non-GAAP financial measures for operational and financial decision making, and to assess Company and segment business performance. Our non-GAAP measures include: earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT)-adjusted, presented net of noncontrolling interests; earnings before income taxes (EBT)-adjusted for our General Motors Financial Company, Inc. (GM Financial) segment; earnings per share (EPS)-diluted-adjusted; effective tax rate-adjusted (ETR-adjusted); return on invested capital-adjusted (ROIC-adjusted) and adjusted automotive free cash flow. GM's calculation of these non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential differences between companies in the method of calculation. As a result, the use of these non-GAAP measures has limitations and should not be considered superior to, in isolation from, or as a substitute for, related U.S. GAAP measures. These non-GAAP measures allow management and investors to view operating trends, perform analytical comparisons and benchmark performance between periods and among geographic regions to understand operating performance without regard to items we do not consider a component of our core operating performance. Furthermore, these non-GAAP measures allow investors the opportunity to measure and monitor our performance against our externally communicated targets and evaluate the investment decisions being made by management to improve ROIC-adjusted. Management uses these measures in its financial, investment and operational decision-making processes, for internal reporting and as part of its forecasting and budgeting processes. Further, our Board of Directors uses certain of these and other measures as key metrics to determine management performance under our performance-based compensation plans. For these reasons, we believe these non-GAAP measures are useful for our investors. EBIT-adjusted (Most comparable GAAP measure: Net income attributable to stockholders) EBIT-adjusted is presented net of noncontrolling interests and is used by management and can be used by investors to review our consolidated operating results because it excludes automotive interest income, automotive interest expense and income taxes as well as certain additional adjustments that are not considered part of our core operations. Examples of adjustments to EBIT include, but are not limited to, impairment charges on long-lived assets and other exit costs resulting from strategic shifts in our operations or discrete market and business conditions, and certain costs arising from legal matters. For EBIT-adjusted and our other non-GAAP measures, once we have made an adjustment in the current period for an item, we will also adjust the related non-GAAP measure in any future periods in which there is an impact from the item. Our corresponding measure for our GM Financial segment is EBT-adjusted because interest income and interest expense are an integral part of its financial performance. EPS-diluted-adjusted (Most comparable GAAP measure: Diluted earnings per common share) EPS-diluted-adjusted is used by management and can be used by investors to review our consolidated diluted EPS results on a consistent basis. EPS-diluted-adjusted is calculated as net income attributable to common stockholders-diluted less adjustments noted above for EBIT-adjusted and certain income tax adjustments divided by weighted-average common shares outstanding-diluted. Examples of income tax adjustments include the establishment or release of significant deferred tax asset valuation allowances. ETR-adjusted (Most comparable GAAP measure: Effective tax rate) ETR-adjusted is used by management and can be used by investors to review the consolidated effective tax rate for our core operations on a consistent basis. ETR-adjusted is calculated as Income tax expense less the income tax related to the adjustments noted above for EBIT-adjusted and the income tax adjustments noted above for EPS-diluted-adjusted divided by Income before income taxes less adjustments. When we provide an expected adjusted effective tax rate, we cannot provide an expected effective tax rate without unreasonable efforts because the U.S. GAAP measure may include significant adjustments that are difficult to predict. ROIC-adjusted (Most comparable GAAP measure: Return on equity) ROIC-adjusted is used by management and can be used by investors to review our investment and capital allocation decisions. We define ROIC-adjusted as EBIT-adjusted for the trailing four quarters divided by ROIC-adjusted average net assets, which is the average equity balances adjusted for average automotive debt and interest liabilities, exclusive of finance leases; average automotive net pension and other postretirement benefits (OPEB) liabilities; and average automotive net income tax assets during the same period. Adjusted automotive free cash flow (Most comparable GAAP measure: Net automotive cash provided by operating activities) Adjusted automotive free cash flow is used by management and can be used by investors to review the liquidity of our automotive operations and to measure and monitor our performance against our capital allocation program and evaluate our automotive liquidity against the substantial cash requirements of our automotive operations. We measure adjusted automotive free cash flow as automotive operating cash flow from operations less capital expenditures adjusted for management actions. Management actions can include voluntary events such as discretionary contributions to employee benefit plans or nonrecurring specific events such as a closure of a facility that are considered special for EBIT-adjusted purposes. The following table reconciles Net income attributable to stockholders to EBIT-adjusted and segment profit (loss) (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Net income attributable to stockholders(a) $ 1,327 $ 3,056 $ 6,007 $ 8,969 Income tax expense (benefit) 127 709 1,326 2,238 Automotive interest expense 209 206 560 631 Automotive interest income (220) (274) (611) (688) Adjustments EV strategic realignment(b) 1,592 1,592 OnStar Smart Driver(c) 300 300 Cruise restructuring(d) 25 90 583 Headquarters relocation(e) 16 34 50 34 Ultium strategic realignment(f) 330 China restructuring actions(g) 140 Restructuring actions(h) 190 87 190 GMI plant wind down(i) 43 33 146 Buick dealer strategy(j) 150 321 Total adjustments 1,933 417 2,622 1,274 EBIT-adjusted 3,376 4,115 9,903 12,424 Operating segments GM North America (GMNA) 2,506 3,982 8,207 12,254 GM International (GMI) 226 42 460 82 Cruise (383) (273) (1,284) GM Financial(k) 804 687 2,193 2,246 Total operating segments 3,536 4,327 10,587 13,299 Corporate and eliminations(l) (160) (213) (684) (874) EBIT-adjusted $ 3,376 $ 4,115 $ 9,903 $ 12,424 (a) Net of net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests. (b) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to our planned strategic realignment of our EV capacity and manufacturing footprint to expected consumer demand. (c) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to investigations and litigation associated with our former OnStar Smart Driver product. (d) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to restructuring charges resulting from the plan to combine the Cruise and GM technical efforts to advance autonomous and assisted driving, the indefinite delay of the Cruise Origin and the voluntary pausing in 2023 of Cruise's driverless, supervised and manual AV operations in the U.S. The adjustments primarily consist of non-cash restructuring charges, supplier-related charges and employee separation costs. (e) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to the GM headquarters relocation, primarily consisting of accelerated depreciation and other relocation expenditures. (f) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to Ultium Cells Holdings LLC charges from a strategic realignment to have the right manufacturing and cell capabilities in place to meet EV demand and expected growth. (g) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to restructuring activities associated with our operations in China, including an other-than-temporary impairment and restructuring charges recorded in equity earnings associated with our Automotive China JVs. (h) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to employee separation charges. (i) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to the wind down of our manufacturing operations in Colombia and Ecuador. (j) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to strategic activities to transition certain Buick dealers out of our dealer network as part of Buick's EV strategy. (k) GM Financial amounts represent EBT-adjusted. (l) GM's automotive interest income and interest expense, corporate expenditures, legacy costs from the Opel/Vauxhall Business (primarily pension costs) and certain revenues and expenses that are not part of a reportable segment are recorded centrally in Corporate. The following table reconciles diluted earnings per common share to EPS-diluted-adjusted (dollars in millions, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Amount Per Share Amount Per Share Amount Per Share Amount Per Share Diluted earnings per common share $ 1,297 $ 1.35 $ 3,029 $ 2.68 $ 6,510 $ 6.64 $ 8,914 $ 7.77 Adjustments(a) 1,933 2.01 417 0.37 2,622 2.67 1,274 1.11 Tax effect on adjustments(b) (536) (0.56) (96) (0.08) (606) (0.62) (290) (0.25) Return from preferred shareholders(c) (593) (0.60) EPS-diluted-adjusted $ 2,694 $ 2.80 $ 3,350 $ 2.96 $ 7,933 $ 8.09 $ 9,898 $ 8.63 (a) Refer to the reconciliation of Net income attributable to stockholders to EBIT-adjusted and segment profit (loss) for adjustment details. (b) The tax effect of each adjustment is determined based on the tax laws and valuation allowance status of the jurisdiction to which the adjustment relates. (c) This adjustment consists of a return from the preferred shareholders related to the redemption of Cruise preferred shares from noncontrolling interest holders in the nine months ended September 30, 2025. The following table reconciles our effective tax rate to ETR-adjusted (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Income before income taxes Income tax expense (benefit) Effective tax rate Income before income taxes Income tax expense (benefit) Effective tax rate Income before income taxes Income tax expense (benefit) Effective tax rate Income before income taxes Income tax expense (benefit) Effective tax rate Effective tax rate $ 1,419 $ 127 8.9 % $ 3,717 $ 709 19.1 % $ 7,366 $ 1,326 18.0 % $ 11,076 $ 2,238 20.2 % Adjustments(a) 1,933 536 418 96 2,622 606 1,342 290 ETR-adjusted $ 3,352 $ 663 19.8 % $ 4,135 $ 805 19.5 % $ 9,988 $ 1,932 19.3 % $ 12,418 $ 2,528 20.4 % (a) Refer to the reconciliation of Net income attributable to stockholders to EBIT-adjusted and segment profit (loss) for adjustment details. These adjustments include Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests where applicable. The tax effect of each adjustment is determined based on the tax laws and valuation allowance status of the jurisdiction to which the adjustment relates. We define return on equity (ROE) as Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders for the trailing four quarters divided by average equity for the same period. Management uses average equity to provide comparable amounts in the calculation of ROE. The following table summarizes the calculation of ROE (dollars in billions): Four Quarters Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Net income attributable to stockholders $ 3.0 $ 11.1 Average equity(a) $ 65.2 $ 69.5 ROE 4.7 % 15.9 % (a) Includes equity of noncontrolling interests where the corresponding earnings (loss) are included in Net income attributable to stockholders. The following table summarizes the calculation of ROIC-adjusted (dollars in billions): Four Quarters Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 EBIT-adjusted(a) $ 12.4 $ 14.2 Average equity(b) $ 65.2 $ 69.5 Add: Average automotive debt and interest liabilities (excluding finance leases) 16.1 16.3 Add: Average automotive net pension & OPEB liability 8.7 9.8 Less: Average automotive and other net income tax asset (22.9) (22.7) ROIC-adjusted average net assets $ 67.1 $ 73.0 ROIC-adjusted 18.5 % 19.4 % (a) Refer to the reconciliation of Net income attributable to stockholders to EBIT-adjusted and segment profit (loss) for adjustment details. (b) Includes equity of noncontrolling interests where the corresponding earnings (loss) are included in EBIT-adjusted. The following table reconciles Net automotive cash provided by operating activities to adjusted automotive free cash flow (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Net automotive cash provided by operating activities $ 6,070 $ 7,863 $ 13,127 $ 19,174 Less: Capital expenditures (2,113) (2,229) (6,054) (7,495) Add: Buick dealer strategy 243 100 708 376 Add: Restructuring actions 74 139 74 Add: GMI plant wind down 26 12 35 Add: China restructuring actions 1 10 Less: Ultium strategic realignment (103) Add: Employee separation costs 58 Adjusted automotive free cash flow $ 4,201 $ 5,834 $ 7,840 $ 12,222 Vehicle Sales GM presents both wholesale and total vehicle sales data to assist in the analysis of our revenue and market share. Wholesale vehicle sales data consists of sales to GM's dealers and distributors as well as sales to the U.S. government, and excludes vehicles sold by our joint ventures. Wholesale vehicle sales data correlates to GM's revenue recognized from the sale of vehicles, which is the largest component of Automotive net sales and revenue. In the nine months ended September 30, 2025, 26.4% of GM's wholesale vehicle sales volume was generated outside the U.S. The following table summarizes wholesale vehicle sales by our Automotive operations (vehicles in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 GMNA 840 893 2,516 2,588 GMI 137 140 346 383 Total 977 1,033 2,862 2,971 Total vehicle sales data represents: (1) retail sales (i.e., sales to consumers who purchase new vehicles from dealers or distributors); (2) fleet sales (i.e., sales to large and small businesses, governments and daily rental car companies); and (3) sales of courtesy transportation vehicles (i.e., vehicles previously used by dealers that were sold to the end consumer). Total vehicle sales data includes all sales by joint ventures on a total vehicle basis, not based on our percentage ownership interest in the joint venture. Certain joint venture agreements in China allow for the contractual right to report vehicle sales of non-GM trademarked vehicles by those joint ventures, which are included in the total vehicle sales we report for China. While total vehicle sales data does not correlate directly to the revenue GM recognizes during a particular period, we believe it is indicative of the underlying demand for GM's vehicles. Total vehicle sales data represents management's good faith estimate based on sales reported by our dealers, distributors and joint ventures; commercially available data sources such as registration and insurance data; and internal estimates and forecasts when other data is not available. The following table summarizes industry and GM total vehicle sales and GM's related competitive position by geographic region (vehicles in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 Industry GM Market Share Industry GM Market Share Industry GM Market Share Industry GM Market Share North America United States 4,187 710 17.0 % 4,000 660 16.5 % 12,516 2,150 17.2 % 12,026 1,950 16.2 % Other 1,015 127 12.5 % 985 130 13.2 % 3,008 384 12.8 % 2,884 376 13.0 % Total North America 5,202 837 16.1 % 4,985 790 15.8 % 15,523 2,534 16.3 % 14,910 2,326 15.6 % Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa China(a) 6,901 469 6.8 % 6,585 426 6.5 % 19,299 1,359 7.0 % 18,123 1,240 6.8 % Other 5,598 150 2.7 % 5,536 150 2.7 % 16,603 369 2.2 % 16,310 382 2.3 % Total Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa 12,499 619 5.0 % 12,121 576 4.8 % 35,903 1,729 4.8 % 34,433 1,622 4.7 % South America Brazil 711 72 10.1 % 715 82 11.4 % 1,910 192 10.0 % 1,858 223 12.0 % Other 455 35 7.7 % 365 28 7.7 % 1,266 95 7.5 % 991 82 8.3 % Total South America 1,166 107 9.2 % 1,079 110 10.3 % 3,176 287 9.0 % 2,849 305 10.7 % Total in GM markets 18,868 1,563 8.3 % 18,185 1,476 8.1 % 54,602 4,549 8.3 % 52,193 4,253 8.1 % Total Europe 3,883 1 % 3,724 1 % 12,493 2 % 12,541 2 % Total Worldwide(b) 22,751 1,564 6.9 % 21,910 1,477 6.7 % 67,095 4,552 6.8 % 64,734 4,255 6.6 % United States Cars 658 12 1.8 % 731 38 5.2 % 2,080 44 2.1 % 2,207 141 6.4 % Trucks 1,143 369 32.3 % 1,093 337 30.9 % 3,417 1,115 32.6 % 3,137 987 31.5 % Crossovers 2,387 330 13.8 % 2,176 284 13.1 % 7,018 992 14.1 % 6,683 822 12.3 % Total United States 4,187 710 17.0 % 4,000 660 16.5 % 12,516 2,150 17.2 % 12,026 1,950 16.2 % China(a) SGMS 130 98 381 372 SGMW 339 329 978 868 Total 6,901 469 6.8 % 6,585 426 6.5 % 19,299 1,359 7.0 % 18,123 1,240 6.8 % (a) Includes sales by the Automotive China JVs: SAIC General Motors Sales Co., Ltd. (SGMS) and SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd. (SGMW). (b) Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and certain regions of Ukraine are subject to broad economic sanctions. Accordingly, these countries are excluded from industry sales data and corresponding calculation of market share. As discussed above, total vehicle sales and market share data provided in the table above includes fleet vehicles. Certain fleet transactions, particularly sales to daily rental car companies, are generally less profitable than retail sales to end customers. The following table summarizes estimated fleet sales and those sales as a percentage of total vehicle sales (vehicles in thousands): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2025 September 30, 2024 GMNA 148 127 498 447 GMI 106 107 269 274 Total fleet sales 254 234 767 721 Fleet sales as a percentage of total vehicle sales 16.3 % 15.9 % 16.9 % 17.0 % North America capacity two-shift utilization 118.3 % 109.1 % 115.1 % 106.4 % SOURCE General Motors SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Miller Family Wine Co.'s premium non-alcoholic wine brand, Hand on Heart , is proud to continue its 2025 partnership with Susan G. Komen , the world's leading breast cancer organization. As October marks both NationalBreast Cancer Awareness Month and Sober October, the collaboration takes on special significanceinviting consumers to raise awareness and raise a glass, without compromise. Hand on Heart supports Susan G. Komen highlighting National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Sober October: A Toast to Health, Hope, and Empowerment As the first and only alcohol-removed adult beverage brand to partner with Komen, Hand on Heart is redefining what mindful celebration looks like. Together, the two organizations share a mission rooted in health, empowerment, and community, proving that balance and advocacy can coexist beautifully. "October reminds us how many lives are touched by breast cancer and how vital screening, awareness and action are," said Nicholas Miller, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Miller Family Wine Company. "Hand on Heart is honored to support Susan G. Komen in their mission to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in communities and investing in groundbreaking research. This partnership highlights the importance of prioritizing healthwhile reminding everyone that you don't have to miss out on life's meaningful moments, even if you're choosing not to drink alcohol." Throughout October, Hand on Heart invites customers to join them in raising a glass while raising awareness. Whether participating in "Sober October" or simply seeking more balance, customers purchasing Hand on Heart wines will have the opportunity to donate directly to Komen. Contributions of $1, $3 and $5 quickly add up to make a significant impact, and Hand on Heart will match all customer donations made during the month of October. "Early detection saves lives, and regular breast cancer screening remains one of the most powerful tools we have," said Sarah Rosales, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Susan G. Komen. "Partnering with Hand on Heart means we're helping more people understand their risk, get screened, and access the care they needbecause everyone deserves the chance to live a long, healthy life." Together, Hand on Heart and Susan G. Komen are proving that small choices add up to a powerful difference in the fight against breast cancer. To learn more about Hand on Heart and their commitment to balanced well-being, visit handonheartwine.com . To learn more about Susan G. Komen and support their mission, visit komen.org . Miller Family Wine Company Miller Family Wine Company is a division of the Thornhill Companies the industry-leading umbrella brand of one of California's premier winegrowing families, the Miller Family, who have been farming California's Central Coast for five generations. Miller Family Wine Company includes the prestigious Bien Nacido Estates and acclaimed national branded wine labels such as Butternut, J. Wilkes, Pandemonium, optik, Ballard Lane, Smashberry, Barrel Burner, Volunteer, Hand on Heart (non-alcoholic wines) and Reciprocity organically grown wines, in addition to control label brands for prominent retailers across the U.S. and the French Camp vineyard in Paso Robles. About Susan G. Komen Susan G. Komen is the world's leading nonprofit breast cancer organization, working to save lives and end breast cancer forever. Komen has an unmatched, comprehensive 360-degree approach to fighting this disease across all fronts and supporting millions of people in the U.S. and in countries worldwide. We advocate for patients, drive research breakthroughs, improve access to high-quality care, offer direct patient support and empower people with trustworthy information. Founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy's life, Komen remains committed to supporting those affected by breast cancer today, while tirelessly searching for tomorrow's cures. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at www.komen.org/contact-us/follow-us/. SOURCE Miller Family Wine Company SEATTLE, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- JND Legal Administration--- Proposed Settlements have been reached with William Raveis, Howard Hanna, EXIT, Windermere, Lyon, Charles Rutenberg, My Home, Tierra Antigua, and West USA in two lawsuits known as Gibson v. National Association of Realtors, Case No. 23-CV-788-SRB (W.D. Mo.) ("Gibson") and Keel v. Charles Ruttenberg Realty, Inc., Case No. 4:25-CV-00759 (W.D. Mo.) ("Keel II"). The lawsuits allege the existence of an anticompetitive agreement that resulted in home sellers paying inflated commissions to real estate brokers or agents in violation of antitrust law. Many Defendants in the two lawsuits have already settled. The Settling Defendants named here have agreed to pay, collectively, over $42 million into a Settlement Fund and to implement Practice Changes and provide Cooperation. You are a Settlement Class Member if you: Sold a home during the Eligible Date Range; Listed the home that was sold on a multiple listing service ("MLS") anywhere in the United States; and Paid a commission to any real estate brokerage in connection with the sale of the home. Go to www.RealEstateCommissionLitigation.com to see the Eligible Date Range and to learn more. Settlement Class Members have the following options: File a Claim by December 30, 2025 to receive payment from the over $42 million Settlement Fund and give up your right to sue the Settling Defendants related to commission prices. Note: If you have already submitted a Claim Form in this or related cases for a prior Settlement with other Defendants, you do not need to submit another Claim. If you have not previously submitted a Claim, you must submit a Claim in order to receive your share of these Settlements. You will not be eligible to file a Claim for previous settlements. Exclude Yourself (or Opt Out) by December 30, 2025 to give up your right to receive a payment and keep your right to sue the Settling Defendants related to commission prices. Object by December 30, 2025 if you disagree with the Settlements and want to remain a Settlement Class Member. Do Nothing if you do not want to receive a payment and give up your right to sue the Settling Defendants related to commission prices. The Court will hold a hearing on February 5, 2026 at 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM for Gibson and Keel II, respectively, to consider whether to grant final approval of the Settlements and award fees and costs to the attorneys representing the class ("Class Counsel"). The Court has appointed the law firms of Ketchmark and McCreight P.C.; Williams Dirks Dameron LLC; Boulware Law LLC; Hagens Berman Sobal Shapiro LLP; Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC; and Susman Godfrey LLP as Class Counsel. Class Counsel will ask the Court to award an amount not to exceed one-third (33.3%) of the Settlement Fund, plus out-of-pocket expenses associated with the cases. The Court may award less. Class Counsel may also seek compensation for each current and/or former Class Representative. You will be represented by Class Counsel at the hearing unless you choose to enter an appearance in person or through your own lawyer, at your own cost, or unless you choose to object or opt-out of the Settlements. The appearance of your own attorney is not necessary to participate in the hearing. Contact Information: Visit: www.RealEstateCommissionLitigation.com Email: [email protected] Call: 1-888-995-0207 Write: Real Estate Commission Litigation Settlements c/o JND Legal Administration P.O. Box 91479 Seattle, WA 98111 SOURCE JND Legal Administration RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyper Solutions, a U.S.-based manufacturer of mission-critical digital infrastructure, announced the appointment of Lisa Price as Chief Financial Officer. A seasoned financial strategist and global executive, Lisa brings over 25 years of leadership across finance, M&A, business development, and operational transformation. Lisa Price appointed as Hyper CFO Price began working with Hyper Solutions in early 2025 as a strategic advisor, collaborating closely with the leadership team on long-term growth planning and financial direction. Her appointment as Chief Financial Officer formalizes a role she has already helped shape, steering the company through a period of significant acceleration and opportunity. Her career spans a wide range of industries, including technology, energy, industrials, and financial services. She has held senior positions at GE, Alvarez & Marsal, Goldman Sachs, and Deutsche Bank; leading multi-billion-dollar transactions, complex integrations, and global expansion strategies. Her career highlights include leading GE's $2.6B sale of Industrial Solutions to ABB, serving as CEO of Global Nuclear Fuel, and building GE China's business development efforts while living in Shanghai. "What drew me to Hyper was its clarity of purpose; building smarter, faster, and stronger without compromising values," said Price. "This is a company redefining what American manufacturing can be, and I'm proud to help shape a foundation built on transparency, agility, and results." "Lisa brings a rare combination of strategic foresight, operational discipline, and global perspective," said Vladimir Gulkarov, CEO of Hyper Solutions. "She has already played a crucial role in sharpening our financial strategy, and we're thrilled to have her onboard as we enter our next phase of scale and investment," he added. Dennis Strieter, CRO, echoed the sentiment, noting, "Lisa is the kind of leader who challenges the status quo and moves fast without losing sight of what matters. Her leadership will be instrumental in helping us scale with intention, navigate complexity, and stay financially sharp as we continue disrupting the infrastructure space." Price holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech, where she was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna of the College of Engineering and served on the College of Engineering Advisory and the Engineering International Programs Boards. She remains actively engaged with her alma mater as a member of the Virginia Tech Department of Chemical Engineering Advisory Board. A proud Hokie, Price continues to champion initiatives that inspire and support the next generation of engineers. With Lisa Price's appointment, Hyper Solutions strengthens its executive bench with seasoned financial leadership: positioning the company for long-term success in a rapidly evolving digital and energy ecosystem. About Hyper Solutions: Hyper Solutions (Hyper) is a pioneering Private Manufacturer of Mission Critical Digital Infrastructure Solutions, leading the charge towards a Sustainable Manufacturing Network where production is brought closer to construction. Leveraging Scalable Uniformity, Privatized Supply Chains, and Agnostic Sourcing Redundancy, we tap into the latent potential of North American manufacturers to deliver unparalleled results. Our innovative Customer Portal, HyperSpace, optimizes high-volume, high-quality manufacturing processes, ensuring our clients, including Hyperscale, AI, and Colocation data center operators, benefit from scalable sourcing, accelerated lead times, and enriched customer life-cycle experiences. Learn more at https://hyper.com. SOURCE Hyper Solutions, Inc SHANGHAI, NANJING, China and PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025/PRNewswire/ -- IASO Biotherapeutics ("IASO Bio"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of innovative cell therapies, today announced the Clinical Trial Notification (CTN) for its independently developed fully human anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapy was approved in Japan. The approval of the CTN in Japan for this product indicates that Japanese regulatory authorities have recognized the clinical research data it completed in China. Based on this approval, IASO Bio can conduct a small sample size clinical study in Japan. The data generated from Japan clinical study, in combination with the existing clinical data from China, can be directly submitted to support the New Drug Application (NDA). This efficient clinical development pathway is expected to reduce R&D costs and shorten the regulatory review timeline. Ms. Jinhua Zhang, Founder, Chairperson, and CEO of IASO Biotherapeutics, stated: "The CTN approval for our BCMA CAR-T product in Japan marks a significant milestone in our 'go global' strategy. As the world's third-largest pharmaceutical market, Japan maintains rigorous regulatory standards and high barriers to entry. This approval not only demonstrates recognition of its clinical value, but also establishes an efficient pathway for global development leveraging data from China. We are committed to accelerating the advancement of this innovative, China-developed CAR-T cell therapy to benefit patients across Japan and wider international markets." SOURCE IASO Bio Photo: https://x.com/antoniocostapm European Council President Antonio Costa has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend a European Council meeting on October 23. A senior European diplomat told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of the meeting. "The President has invited President Zelenskyy to attend the European Council meeting and we hope he will be able to do so in person," he said. The European Council meeting will begin at 10:00 (Brussels time) on Thursday, he said, with leaders holding a discussion with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. The leaders will then discuss the situation in Ukraine with Zelenskyy and continue the discussion of the Ukrainian issue after the Ukrainian president leaves the meeting. NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, the non-profit Energy Vision presented Leadership Awards to innovators in the biogas industry and related fields who are advancing food rescue, beneficial uses of organic waste, and methane emissions reduction. The winners are: Divert, Inc. , a U.S. circular economy company whose nationwide infrastructure and innovative technologies rescue and distribute edible food and convert food "waste" to renewable natural gas (RNG) and organic fertilizer. a U.S. circular economy company whose nationwide infrastructure and innovative technologies rescue and distribute edible food and convert food "waste" to renewable natural gas (RNG) and organic fertilizer. Cummins , Inc. makers of the X15N, the first 15-liter compressed natural gas engine, designed to perform across a range of heavy-duty and long-haul trucking applications, which can be powered with RNG. , makers of the X15N, the first 15-liter compressed natural gas engine, designed to perform across a range of heavy-duty and long-haul trucking applications, which can be powered with RNG. FedEx Freight, one of the largest national logistics providers, which is buying trucks equipped with the X15N for use in its fleets and fueling them with RNG. one of the largest national logistics providers, which is buying trucks equipped with the X15N for use in its fleets and fueling them with RNG. EnviTec Biogas AG , a German-based global leader in the design, construction and operation of anaerobic digesters and gas upgrading equipment. , a German-based global leader in the design, construction and operation of anaerobic digesters and gas upgrading equipment. Durwood Zaelke, founder/president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, a leading advocate for a binding global agreement to cut methane emissions to slow near-term global temperature rise. "We're getting close to working with 8,000 food retail stores, large food manufacturers, and distributors around the country," said Chris Thomas, Divert VP of Public Affairs. Divert's partners include Kroger, Albertsons, CVS, Blue Diamond Growers, United States Cold Storage and more. It has so far facilitated food donation equivalent to 14 million meals, and processed 3.3 billion pounds of non-donatable food. It plans to build 30 plants so they're within 100 miles of 80% of the US population. Cummins introduced its powerful 15-liter X15N natural gas engine last year. "[It] meets fleet operators' needs for power, torque, range, sustainability and reliability in the heavy-duty market," said David King, Cummins' North American On-Highway Product Manager for Natural & Renewable Gas Engines. "[X15N trucks] can slip seamlessly into fleet operations with no compromises on performance." "Our longtime strategy at FedEx has been 'right truck, right route, right fuel,'" said Joe Oleson, Managing Director of Fleet Maintenance, Support & Equipment for FedEx Freight. "The X15N promises to deliver all three." EnviTec has built more than 800 anaerobic digester and gas upgrader systems worldwide and owns/operates 91 of them, including some of the world's most advanced. "Our flagship BioEnergie Park in Gustrow, Germany captures methane and makes RNG, and ultimately transforms agricultural residues into Bio-LNG, food-grade liquid CO2, and high-quality fertilizer," said Lars von Lehmden, Managing Partner, EnviTec Biogas AG. "It demonstrates the full value chain at a single site and shows what circular economy looks like." Each of these strategies deeply cuts methane emissions, which Durwood Zaelke, founder and president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, called "The fastest way to turn down near-term warming. It's the key to keeping the planet safe, at least in the near term. We have many promises and pledges, but it's time to move to mandatory [methane] mitigation measures." www.energy-vision.org Contact: Stephen Kent, [email protected], 914-589-5988 SOURCE NGO Energy Vision WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers proudly announces the upcoming retirement of General President Eric Dean, effective December 31, 2025. Dean's retirement marks the culmination of a distinguished career spanning more than four decades of dedicated service to the union and the men and women who build the backbone of North America. The Iron Workers' General Executive Council has unanimously elected General Secretary Kevin Bryenton as the next General President of our great organization, effective January 1, 2026. This decision reflects the Council's confidence in Bryenton's leadership and vision for the future of the union. "Eric Dean has been a tireless advocate for ironworkers and working families everywhere," said Bryenton. "His leadership has strengthened our union, advanced opportunities for our members, and raised the standard of safety, skill, and solidarity in our trade. I am proud to continue the pathway to a better tomorrow". Under Dean's leadership, the Iron Workers experienced growth in membership, strengthened pension and health funds, expanded its influence on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the U.S. and Canada. Dean will continue to serve as General President until the end of 2025, ensuring a smooth transition. "Serving as General President of this great union has been the honor of my life," said Dean. "Ironworkers built this country's bridges, skylines, and landmarks and they deserve strong representation, good wages, safe workplaces, and a secure future. I'm proud of all we've accomplished together and confident the union will continue to thrive in the years ahead." Bryenton, who has served as General Secretary since 2024, brings extensive experience and commitment to the role. Beginning his career as an ironworker in Toronto in 1987, where he graduated as outstanding apprentice for his year. Brother Bryenton rose through the ranks and has been instrumental in advancing apprenticeship programs, strengthening labor-management partnerships, and advocating for worker safety and benefits. Brother Bryenton's leadership is recognized for fostering solidarity and driving positive change within the industry. The Iron Workers Union is confident that Bryenton will continue advancing our organization, while staying true to our principles and looking out for all our members. The Iron Workers General Executive Council will continue to work closely with Bryenton and Dean to ensure a seamless leadership transition. The Iron Workers Union (IW) represents 130,000 ironworkers in North America who work in construction on bridges; structural steel; ornamental, architectural, clean energy, and miscellaneous metals; rebar; and in fabrication shops. SOURCE Iron Workers Union DALLAS, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Real Estate, the $88 billion global real estate investment platform of Invesco Ltd., today announced two strategic leadership appointments. Chase Bolding has been named Head of North America, Invesco Real Estate. Charlie Rose, Global Head of Real Estate Credit, Invesco Real Estate, has additionally been named CEO of Invesco Commercial Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc. (INCREF) and appointed to its board of directors. Both executives will now report directly to R. Scott Dennis, CEO of Invesco Real Estate, and join Invesco Real Estate's Global Executive Committee. "For over four decades, Invesco Real Estate has been focused on building a world-class global platform dedicated to helping clients redefine success in commercial real estate," said Mr. Dennis. "We're pleased to announce Chase and Charlie's new roles, furthering our ability to deliver client excellence and meet the evolving needs of institutional and individual investors." Mr. Bolding joined Invesco Real Estate in 2010 and has played a critical role in shaping the platform over the past 15 years. He has been a driving force behind successful initiatives including leading the firm's US opportunistic business for seven years, launching and building Invesco's first non-traded REIT, and serving as Chief Investment Officer of Invesco Real Estate US for the past two years. "We believe real estate is entering a new cycle and we're well-positioned for the opportunities ahead," said Mr. Bolding. "I'm excited to step into this role alongside an experienced and talented team, with the shared goal of delivering results to our investors." Mr. Rose joined Invesco Real Estate in 2017 and has been instrumental in expanding its real estate credit business. Over the past nine years, he launched the firm's first dedicated real estate credit fund and led an acquisition to further establish the platform's European presence. Mr. Rose also served as President and Lead Portfolio Manager of INCREF prior to his new appointment as CEO of INCREF. He remains Global Head of Real Estate Credit, Invesco Real Estate. "Invesco Real Estate is positioned for significant growth as a result of our broad proprietary originations channels, data informed approach, and distinctly collaborative culture," concluded Mr. Rose. "These factors form the bedrock of our platform which we believe uniquely positions us to deliver innovative solutions for our global clients." About Invesco Real Estate Invesco Real Estate is a global leader in the real estate investment management business with $88 billion in real estate assets under management, 603 employees and 21 regional offices across the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific as of March 31, 2025. With over a 40-year history, Invesco Real Estate invests across the risk return spectrum, from core to opportunistic; in equity and debt; listed and direct; locally and globally. Invesco Real Estate is a business name of Invesco Advisers, Inc., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. About Invesco Ltd. Invesco Ltd. is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive, and alternative investment capabilities. With offices in more than 20 countries, Invesco managed $2 trillion in assets on behalf of clients worldwide as of June 30, 2025. For more information, visit www.invesco.com. SOURCE Invesco Ltd. BASEL, Switzerland, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Jungbunzlauer, a global leader in high-quality, sustainable ingredients, is expanding its mineral portfolio with the introduction a fully-reacted magnesium bisglycinate. The new product will launch during SupplySide Global 2025 in Las Vegas, with a simultaneous presentation at CPHI Frankfurt, showcasing Jungbunzlauer's commitment to meeting global demand for premium, science-based mineral solutions. Young woman relaxing by the lake "Consumers worldwide are showing growing interest in incorporating magnesium into their daily routines, which is reflected in the rising global demand for magnesium bisglycinate," explained Markus Gerhart, Senior Director of the Mineral and Solutions portfolio at Jungbunzlauer. "We're proud to offer this high-quality ingredient that combines high bioavailability with superior technical properties. Our magnesium bisglycinate is specifically designed for excellent flowability and compressibility, making it well-suited to tablet and capsule manufacturing where consistent performance and formulation efficiency are essential." Produced with the same reliability, expertise and high-quality that define Jungbunzlauer's wider minerals product portfolio, this magnesium bisglycinate is designed to ensure optimal bioavailability while meeting label-friendly and sustainable formulation requirements. This launch completes Jungbunzlauer's magnesium portfolio, offering a full suite of high-quality, bioavailable magnesium solutions within our broader minerals range. Visit Jungbunzlauer's booth at SupplySide Global 2025, 2930 October, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (Booth 2965) to learn more about how Jungbunzlauer's magnesium bisglycinate can perform in your formulations. Our team will also be available at CPHI Frankfurt, Messe Frankfurt (Hall 8, Booth Q55) to discuss technical specification and production applications. About Jungbunzlauer Jungbunzlauer is a leading producer of high-quality, sustainable ingredients from natural sources, serving industries from food and beverage, to nutrition, health, home and personal care, among others. Leading the way in developing naturally better ingredients that enhance everyday life, we are a trusted partner offering a diverse portfolio of texturants, acidulants, sweeteners, minerals, and tailored solutions to meet our customers' evolving needs. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with state-of-the-art facilities including large-scale fermentation operations across Europe and North America, we proudly serve more than 130 countries worldwide. Founded more than 150 years ago, Jungbunzlauer has grown into a CHF 1.3 billion company, driven by nearly 1,400 dedicated colleagues committed to a healthier, more sustainable future. Learn more at www.jungbunzlauer.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801357/Jungbunzlauer.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2729543/5574002/Jungbunzlauer_Logo.jpg SOURCE Jungbunzlauer KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brace yourselves for the strangest and most exciting event of the year as The Oddities and Curiosities Expo , the ultimate celebration of all things peculiar and extraordinary, returns to Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, MO on November 15th and 16th. Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased at https://oddities.com The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is a one-of-a-kind traveling showcase that brings together hundreds of oddity vendors and artists from across the country, creating a playground for the strange and unusual. Here, the weird, wonderful, and downright bizarre unite in a fascinating display of the extraordinary, providing a platform for vendors and artists to connect with a community of like-minded individuals. The event will travel coast to coast, visiting 40 cities in the United States and Canada in 2025. Attendees can browse and shop for rare and unique items, including taxidermy, preserved animal specimens, dark artistry, original horror and Halloween-inspired artwork, antiques, metaphysical accoutrements, handcrafted oddities, skulls, bones, and funeral collectibles. Beyond shopping, the expo offers an immersive experience with photo opportunities, tarot readings, sideshow performances, and various concessions to keep attendees entertained throughout the day. Founded in Oklahoma by Michelle and Tony Cozzaglio, The Oddities and Curiosities Expo has hosted hundreds of events across North America, recognizing a growing demand for this unique large-scale gathering. "We created this expo to give odd small businesses and artists a space where they can thrive," said Michelle. "Our goal is to build a community where people feel safe to be themselves, surrounded by like-minded folks who appreciate the weird and wonderful." With its strong DIY ethos and a commitment to excellence, the expo continues to grow year after year. "Our success comes from working with the best exhibitors in the world and curating every event to deliver exactly what our attendees want to see," Michelle added. "We're always looking for ways to evolve and make the experience even better for both our exhibitors and our guests." As the original, curated event of its kind, the Oddities and Curiosities Expo remains the leading destination for the wonderfully weird. Guests of The Oddities and Curiosities Expo can also purchase tickets to a day-long taxidermy class where they can learn to make their own full-sized taxidermy mount, which will vary by city, or insect pinning classes. In all classes, hosted by The Sleeping Sirens, students will work with sustainably sourced specimens to learn the basics of taxidermy and entomology and will be provided with a variety of tools and materials. It is important to note: All animals in the taxidermy class and other parts of the show like preserved specimens are sourced ethically and died of natural causes. EVENT INFO The Oddities and Curiosities Expo will take place Saturday, November 15th from 10am to 6pm and Sunday, November 16th from 10am to 4pm at Kansas City Convention Center at 301 W. 13th St, Kansas City, MO 64105. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Children 12 and under are free. The event is all ages - however, parents are advised to use their best judgment about if their children should attend. Tickets can be purchased at https://oddities.com The Jackalope Taxidermy Class will be held on Saturday, November 15th, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM for $225. The Beetles and Spiders Beginner Entomology Classes will be held on Sunday, November 16th, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM and again from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM for $150. All classes will be hosted by Heather Clark of Sleeping Sirens Art & Oddities with built in breaks for lunch and exploring the expo. Materials and tools are provided, and tickets include admission to the expo. For additional information, follow The Oddities and Curiosities Expo on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Contact Dayna Castillo [email protected] SOURCE Oddities & Curiosities Expo Women-founded, YC-backed company, Knowtex brings ambient AI to the nation's largest integrated healthcare system SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Knowtex, a leading provider of ambient clinical intelligence, announces that it has been awarded a $15 million contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and was a top 3 Winner of the 2024 AI Tech Sprint for Ambient Scribe. In October 2025, Knowtex will deploy its AI-powered documentation platform across the VA health system. This partnership represents a major milestone for Knowtex as a premier federal partner and reflects the growing demand for scalable, secure, and specialty-specific AI solutions in healthcare. As the largest integrated health care system in the United States, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) includes 170 medical centers along with 1,193 outpatient clinics and other sites of care, and serves more than 9.1 million veterans each year. The decision to bring Knowtex onboard underscores the company's ability to deliver enterprise-grade speed, compliance, and interoperability at national scale. "Our platform was built from day one to handle the complexity of real-world medicine across every specialty from oncology to orthopedics to mental health to primary care while identifying opportunities for better care delivery through accurate coding, automated order entry, relevant clinical trials, and AI-powered quality evaluations that ensure no veteran's story or care opportunity is lost in translation. We built this company on the belief that clinicians should never be limited by their EHR. That's why our platform is EHR-agnostic, specialty-specific, and designed to free providers from the burden of documentation so they can focus on what matters most: caring for patients, "said Caroline Zhang, CEO of Knowtex. VA CTO and Chief AI Officer Charles Worthington testified to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs that the "strategic vision is to make VA a leader in AI, providing faster services, higher quality care, and more cost-effective operations." The deployment within the VA network will further Knowtex's mission to create a more human-centered healthcare system by reducing administrative burden, improving accuracy, and empowering clinicians with technology that fits their needs. Knowtex's ambient AI platform generates complete, high-quality clinical documentation, including notes, codes, and orders. By embedding directly into physician workflows and integrating seamlessly with electronic health record systems, Knowtex helps providers capture patient data with accuracy, speed, and context. Unlike one-size-fits-all solutions, Knowtex offers specialty-specific models that ensure documentation meets the unique needs of each clinical practice area. "As a female-founded, Y Combinator backed startup, we are deeply honored to have Knowtex's pioneering technology innovation be recognized at the national level, " said Jocelyn Kang, CTO of Knowtex. "The VA's selection validates our vision for a future where every patient's story is fully heard and acted upon, powered by the trusted, invisible backbone of clinical documentation that allows providers to spend less time charting and more time focusing on individual care." About Knowtex Knowtex is a 2022 women-founded company led by Stanford AI scientists that is headquartered in San Francisco, building ambient clinical intelligence to transform how clinicians capture and use medical information. Designed to be EHR-agnostic, specialty-specific, and deeply integrated into workflows, Knowtex enables providers to generate complete, accurate notes, codes, and orders in real time. By combining clinical-grade AI with enterprise-grade security and speed, Knowtex helps health systems and providers reclaim time, reduce burnout, and deliver comprehensive patient care. Knowtex is backed by Y Combinator, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the UCSF Rosenman Institute, and MedTech Innovators among others. To learn more, visit Knowtex. Media Contact: [email protected] (858) 422-6268 SOURCE Knowtex Inc SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), which operates America's leading digital marketplace bank, will host and webcast its company Investor Day from 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (6:00 a.m. Pacific Time) to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (11:00 a.m. Pacific Time) on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, in New York, NY. The event will include presentations from members of the LendingClub executive leadership team about the company's strategic direction, growth initiatives, technology and data capabilities, and long-term financial objectives. Webcast Information A live webcast of the event will be available at http://ir.lendingclub.com under the Events & Presentations menu. To participate, register using this link: LendingClub Investor Day Virtual Registration (https://icr.swoogo.com/virtual_lending_club). Replay An archive of the event will be available at http://ir.lendingclub.com under the Events & Presentations menu. About LendingClub LendingClub is reimagining what a bank can be by building our business around a simple belief: when our members win, we win. Leveraging innovative technology and engaging mobile-first experiences, our integrated suite of financial products helps people keep more of what they earn and earn more on what they save. Our 5+ million members love us for providing quick and easy access to affordable credit and rewarding their smart financial choices, like making on-time payments, saving regularly, and taking control of debt. Getting credit right is a key driver of our success. Our advanced underwriting models are informed by over 150 billion cells of proprietary data, derived from tens of millions of repayment events across economic cycles. Our leading credit expertise combined with our resilient bank foundation, capital-light loan marketplace, decades of lending experience, and talented team have enabled us to deliver lasting value to members, loan investors, and shareholders alike. And we're just getting started. LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC) is the parent company and operator of LendingClub Bank, National Association, Member FDIC. For more information about LendingClub, visit https://www.lendingclub.com. CONTACT: For Investors: [email protected] Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE LendingClub Corporation LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LINE FRIENDS, the fan favorite global character brand known corporately as IPX, is once again joining forces with the internationally popular group ATEEZ to debut their new MIGHTEEZ character collection with US-exclusive items online and at the 'Press, Start! Enter the MIGHTEEZ POP-UP' in the United States on October 24th. MIGHTEEZ Press, Start! Enter the MIGHTEEZ POP-UP US exclusive products This latest partnership highlights LINE FRIENDS' unique creative capabilities in the K-pop IP business, with all eight ATEEZ members contributing to each characters' development. The characters, hongyo, ddeongyo, tyuyo, ddangyo, saniyo, mingyo, kkamyo and jjongyo, each possess distinct superpowers designated by the ATEEZ members: time control, intuition and foresight, spatial control, all-purpose helper, digestion, sage wisdom, teleportation and weather manipulation, respectively. This fresh lineup conveys each ATEEZ members' signature identities, allowing a new avenue for US fans to connect to the artists. To celebrate the US debut, LINE FRIENDS will host immersive MIGHTEEZ experiences as part of the 'Press, Start! Enter the MIGHTEEZ POP-UP' at its flagship LINE FRIENDS SQUARE stores in Los Angeles (6922 Hollywood Blvd) and New York City (1515 Broadway in Times Square), running October 24 through November 12, 2025, where the full line up of merchandise will be available to purchase. Fans can also shop the US-exclusive MIGHTEEZ collection online at LINE FRIENDS SQUARE US webstore starting on October 24. The collection features an assortment of limited-edition items inspired by the characters including plush dolls, plush keyrings, stickers, apparel and other special items designed specifically for US fans, with merch from the global POP-UP becoming available to the US early next year. Adding to the excitement, starting on October 24, the 'Press, Start! Enter the MIGHTEEZ POP-UP' at the Los Angeles and New York stores will showcase ATEEZ's handprints and photo walls so fans can place their hands where ATEEZ did, along with a free take home polaroid keepsake. Fans can also enjoy interactive activities at each store, including a photo booth with a LINE FRIENDS-exclusive MIGHTEEZ photo frame. Plus, the first 100 customers to purchase ATEEZ or MIGHTEEZ products during the first three days of the pop-up will receive a free US-exclusive MIGHTEEZ sticker. The Los Angeles store highlights include a live DJ set featuring ATEEZ music on Saturday, October 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., as well as an opportunity to connect with fellow ATINY at the photocard decoration and trading table. Meanwhile, the New York store will feature a fan message wall where ATINY can send personal messages to the ATEEZ members. A LINE FRIENDS official stated, "We hope that through this 'Press, Start! Enter the MIGHTEEZ POP-UP', fans will have a meaningful experience communicating with the artist in a new way within MIGHTEEZ's original universe," and "We hope that the special stories MIGHTEEZ creates will be delivered to fans worldwide as positive energy and joy, and LINE FRIENDS will continue to lead the global IP business in celebrating domestic and international K-POP fandom." This pop-up is highly significant as the starting point for the long-term MIGHTEEZ IP business that LINE FRIENDS and ATEEZ will jointly develop. Previously, a pop-up store commemorating the release of ATEEZ's 12th mini-album 'GOLDEN HOUR : Part.3' was held at LINE FRIENDS Square Sinsa, Japan, the USA, and China last June, and it successfully concluded with great enthusiasm from fans due to the collaboration between LINE FRIENDS, which possesses strong K-pop IP business capabilities, and ATEEZ, which boasts a global fandom. Meanwhile, the 'Press, Start! Enter the MIGHTEEZ POP-UP' first opened at the K-POP Square Hongdae branch and Busan Shinsegae Centum City Hyper Ground from October 11th to October 19th, and will continue to meet overseas fans through pop-ups sequentially held in China, Hong Kong, the USA and Japan into November. The global POP-UP merchandise will be available in the US early next year. For more information on the MIGHTEEZ US pop-up and to shop the US-exclusive collection, visit LINE FRIENDS SQUARE official website and follow @linefriends_us on social media. About LINE FRIENDS (corporately known as IPX) LINE FRIENDS is a global character brand that originally started from Original Characters including BROWN, CONY, SALLY created for us as stickers for the leading mobile messenger app LINE and its 200 million active users worldwide. LINE FRIENDS has been accelerating its strategy to expand its IP business by diversifying its IP portfolios targeting all ages and advancing its digital and retail business. With its diverse IP experiences, LINE FRIENDS is willing the hearts of over 50 million Millennials and Generation Z worldwide. LINE FRIENDS currently operates in 18 markets worldwide including Seoul, New York, LA, Tokyo, and Shanghai, and operates in 8 online sales platforms. For more information, please visit https://www.LINEFRIENDS.com/ Media Contact: Emily Fletcher Public Haus Agency [email protected] SOURCE LINE FRIENDS PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Longevite Palm Beach is partnering with luxury fashion brand Veronica Beard for an exclusive VB Gives Back shopping event benefiting the Touch a Heart Foundation, a South Florida-based nonprofit that supports underprivileged children and families in need. VB Gives Back - Veronica Beard x Longevite Palm Beach The event will take place on Friday, October 24th, from 4-6 p.m. at Veronica Beard, 340 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach, FL. Guests are invited to meet Michelle Kavall, Founder and Functional Medicine Specialist at Longevite Palm Beach, who will be in attendance to connect with the Palm Beach community and share insights on personalized, root-cause medicine for women's health and longevity. As part of the VB Gives Back initiative, Veronica Beard will donate 15% of event proceeds to the Touch a Heart Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to improving the lives of children in South Florida through education, mentorship, and community programs. "Veronica Beard embodies the same values we hold at Longevite: empowerment, confidence, and authenticity," said Michelle Kavall, FNP-C, FMACP. "This event is a wonderful way to bring together wellness and style while supporting a meaningful local cause that truly reflects the Palm Beach spirit." Founded by sisters-in-law Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, Veronica Beard is known for its sophisticated, effortlessly chic clothing that celebrates the modern woman's confidence and individuality. The brand's VB Gives Back initiative highlights female leaders and changemakers who are making an impact in their local communities. Longevite Palm Beach, a woman-owned concierge medical practice with locations in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, specializes in Functional Medicine, Gut Health, and Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). The clinic focuses on helping women identify and treat the root causes of imbalancerestoring health, energy, and vitality through personalized, science-based care. Guests are encouraged to attend, shop, and support a meaningful cause. Those unable to visit in person may call the Palm Beach Veronica Beard store at (561) 453-0820 to place a phone order, which is eligible to be included in the donation. Event Details: What: VB Gives Back Veronica Beard x Longevite Palm Beach When: Friday, October 24, 4-6 p.m. Where: Veronica Beard, 340 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach, FL Beneficiary: Touch a Heart Foundation Media Contact: Longevite Palm Beach West Palm Beach location: (561) 208-5610 Boca Raton location: (561) 403-1611 [email protected] www.longevitepalmbeach.com SOURCE Longevite Palm Beach PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Louisiana Gateway Port (LGP), in partnership with the Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry (PABI), hosted its annual State of the Port Luncheon today at Cafe Hope in Gretna, Louisiana on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. The event drew more than 100 attendees, including Port commissioners, elected officials, industry executives, and regional business leadersunderscoring growing momentum around Louisiana's expanding role in global commerce. Global Vision, Local Impact Louisiana Gateway Port jurisdiction Louisiana Gateway Port Executive Director, Charles Tillotson, addresses Luncheon attendees. Guided by a vision to be the leading U.S. international gateway port in the Gulf of Mexico, LGP's Master Plan advances operational excellence, job creation, and global recognition through short- and long-term goals designed to reduce costs, enhance revenues, and increase cargo tonnage year-over-year. The Port collaborates with a wide range of partnersincluding the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the City of Gretna, Union Pacific, and the U.S. Coast Guard, and Plaquemines Parish Governmentto strengthen multimodal connectivity and ensure Louisiana's leadership in Gulf trade. Strategic Investments and Innovations Highlights shared at the event included: ISO 9001 Quality Initiative led by Bureau Veritas North America, ensuring quality consistency, transparency, and audit readiness. led by Bureau Veritas North America, ensuring quality consistency, transparency, and audit readiness. SmartPort Technologies integrating real-time AIS vessel tracking, GIS mapping, and automated billing systems to improve operational efficiency. integrating real-time AIS vessel tracking, GIS mapping, and automated billing systems to improve operational efficiency. Safety and Security Upgrades including a full vulnerability assessment, joint marine safety exercises, and collaboration with federal and local law enforcement. including a full vulnerability assessment, joint marine safety exercises, and collaboration with federal and local law enforcement. Infrastructure and Real Estate Development to expand capacity, attract tenants, and support long-term economic diversification. Driving Economic Growth for Louisiana and Beyond According to research by Dr. Loren Scott, the Port's operations generate millions in annual tax revenues supporting Plaquemines Parish schools, infrastructure, and public safety. LGP activity sustains thousands of direct and indirect jobs with above-average wages and contributes billions in statewide economic output, fueling Louisiana's energy, manufacturing, and logistics sectors. "A rising tide raises all ships," Charles Tillotson, Louisiana Gateway Port Executive Director, said. "Our progress is shared by the communities and businesses we serve." Looking Ahead LGP's leadership reaffirmed its commitment to continued innovationadvancing automation, expanding international partnerships, and investing in technology to support sustainable growth. A new Louisiana Gateway Port YouTube Channel will launch soon to highlight key projects, community initiatives, and workforce stories. About Louisiana Gateway Port The Louisiana Gateway Port, located at the mouth of the Mississippi River, is a leading maritime hub along the Gulf Coast. With its strategic location on the Mississippi River, the Port plays a pivotal role in fostering economic growth, supporting local industries, and connecting communities. Equipped with modern terminals and facilities, the Port handles a diverse range of cargo and implements environmentally sustainable practices. The Port owns and operates the ferry system in Plaquemines Parishan essential connectivity asset. Through its operations, the Port generates employment opportunities, stimulates regional economic diversification, and fuels long-term prosperity. SOURCE Louisiana Gateway Port at Plaquemines Parish The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine is working on updating Ukrainian fonts, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy - Minister of Culture Tetyana Berezhna has said. "Regarding fonts. This is exactly the imprint that we will leave behind. Therefore, the visual symbols that we see in front of us have a very important role, as well as what we put into them," Berezhna said during the consideration of the issue of her appointment in the Verkhovna Rada. She added that currently, on the instructions of the Prime Minister, a working group has been created at the Ministry of Culture to update Ukrainian fonts, and the results will be demonstrated in the near future. As reported, in August 2023, a group of people's deputies registered a bill proposing to the Verkhovna Rada to stop using fonts of Russian origin, in particular "Izhytsia," in the work of the Ukrainian parliament. In addition, the People's Deputies consider it necessary to recommend to the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and other state bodies, as well as enterprises, institutions and organizations to stop using fonts of Russian origin, in particular the font called "Izhytsia" and its derivatives. In September 2023, the then Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy Rostyslav Karandeyev stated that Ukraine plans to launch a bank of Ukrainian fonts at the state level. Studies highlight insights and innovations to advance lupus care WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) and its funded researchers will unveil the latest advances in patient-centered research at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2025 meeting in Chicago, IL, taking place October 24-29. The presented research will spotlight bold efforts to broaden representation in lupus clinical trials, harness digital health innovations, and accelerate the future of lupus research and care. "The Lupus Foundation of America is thrilled to showcase a broad range of lupus research at ACR this year, from digital tools and education programs to studies amplifying the voices of people with lupus," said Joy Buie, PhD, MSCR, RN, Vice President of Research, the Lupus Foundation of America. "Each abstract shows how we're moving the field forward and making sure every person with lupus can feel represented in the future of lupus research and care." Increasing Representation in Clinical Trials The study " Increasing Participation in the FT819 Cell Therapy Trial Amongst People Living with Lupus: A Focus Group Study ," conducted by the LFA, is the first in a series of focus groups with people living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to explore attitudes and perceptions toward CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials, specifically the Fate Therapeutics FT819 product. Focus group participants highlighted perceived benefits such as improved quality of life, potential for remission, and a relatively short hospital stay, while also expressing concerns regarding potential side effects, chemotherapy or mycophenolate requirements, long-term effectiveness, logistical and financial challenges, and hospital care quality. In the study " Improving Participation in The Lupus Foundation of America's Research Accelerated by You (RAY) Patient Registry By Understanding Patient Preference in Communication Strategies ," researchers examined racial disparities in RAY registry representation. Despite Black/African American (B/AA) individuals making up 30 43% of the overall population living with lupus, only 16% of RAY participants identify as B/AA. Through focus groups and interviews, the study found that building trust, ensuring clear communication from healthcare providers, and using culturally relevant messaging and imagery are essential to making clinical research more accurate, accessible and inclusive. The survey " Assessing Participation in the Lupus Sister Circle Support Group " evaluated the LFA's virtual support group, launched in 2021 to meet the unique needs of Black/African American women living with lupus who have historically had the poorest outcomes and carry the highest burden of the disease. Responses revealed high levels of satisfaction, with an average rating of 4.61 out of 5, emphasizing the important role that culturally tailored peer support groups play in improving quality of life. Dr.Joy Buie will moderate the presentation " Improving Participation in Clinical Trials Among Underrepresented Populations ." This session will describe challenges in recruitment and participation in rheumatology clinical trials among underrepresented populations including Hispanic and Indigenous populations, with ideas on increasing patient representation to improve health outcomes in diverse populations. Digital Health Innovations The poster " Implementation of a Lupus Self-Management mHealth App: Using Incentives to Drive Engagement " will highlight the LFA's Strategies to Embrace Living with Lupus Fearlessly (SELF) app. The study ran two promotions on social media to raise awareness and encourage engagement on SELF. The first promotion recruited over 1,700 new users and the second increased retention among all participating users. By understanding the best way to raise awareness and engagement on mobile health apps, the LFA increases opportunities for people with lupus to learn ways to better manage their disease digitally. An abstract titled " Assessing the Reach of a Virtual Education Program: Lupus & You: Answers. Advocacy. Action. " reviews the growth of the LFA's Lupus & You virtual education series. Over the past four years, the program has reached more than 20,000 registrants. Results underscore the ongoing need for accessible, virtual educational opportunities for people with lupus and those connected to the disease. Shaping the Future of Lupus Research Results from " Creating an EHR Lupus Outreach Dashboard to Address Care Gaps ," a multidisciplinary study led by Dr. Christie Bartels at University of Wisconsin-Madison and included the LFA's Dr. Buie among other experts, describes the adaptation of a proven HIV care intervention into a lupus-specific electronic health record dashboard. The tool identifies patients overdue for visits or lab work and incorporates outreach letters and reminders tailored for people with lupus. This innovative approach has the potential to transform lupus care delivery and close persistent gaps in access to high-quality care. Finally, the LFA, in partnership with Wayfinder Health Strategies and Emory University, will be presenting a session titled " Implementation Science in Action: Peer Support Strategies for Digital Lupus Self-Management Programs ." Building from a past lupus case study, the discussion will show how implementation science can be applied across rheumatology to close the gap between research and practice. The session will also demonstrate how strategies such as peer support can sustain digital health programs and improve care. Supporting Early Career Scientists Additionally, studies from the LFA-funded researchers will be presented during the annual meeting including: During the ACR Meeting, the Lupus Foundation of America will share real-time updates on groundbreaking scientific initiatives, trending research, and breaking news. Stay connected with the latest conference highlights and key findings by following the LFA on LinkedIn . About the Lupus Foundation of America The Lupus Foundation of America is the premier patient advocacy organization devoted to solving the mystery of lupus , a devastating autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks organs throughout the body, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. Through a comprehensive program of research, education, and advocacy, we lead the fight to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus. Learn more about the Lupus Foundation of America at lupus.org . Contact: Mike Donnelly [email protected] (202) 349-1162 SOURCE Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, TCab Tech has achieved a significant breakthrough in R&D phase with the successful completion of the first manned flight test of E20 eVTOL. The test was carried out by company's Chief Test Pilot, with Founder & CEO Yon Wui NG onboard. This flight test not only demonstrates the company's confidence in its eVTOL aircraft but also verifies the reliability of the aircraft systems. The company will continue to advance subsequent flight tests and airworthiness certification, aiming to achieve its certification goals according to plan. "The test flight was in overall very smooth. Sitting inside the cabin, the noise was much lower than a helicopter. It was a proud and exciting moment to ride in an eVTOL developed and manufactured by our own team. I kept filming with my phone throughout; an unforgettable experience," said Yon, Founder and CEO of TCab Tech, who was happy with the E20's safety, comfort, quietness, and stability. The success of this manned flight test signifies that TCab Tech continues to maintain a leading position in the global eVTOL sector. Moving forward, TCab Tech remains committed to rigorous R&D and steady progress, striving to deliver a green, efficient, and accessible Chinese solution for global air mobility. Contact: [email protected]; Website: https://www.tcabtech.com/en/ SOURCE TCab Tech BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mapa Broker (@mapabroker) participated in the World Leaders Congress held at Harvard on October 910. During the event, Erika Rodriguez, Mapa's co-founder, delivered a talk titled "The Business of Second Chances: Car Auctions," offering a transformative perspective on the automotive industry and the power of reinventionin business and in life. Mapa Broker Took Part in the World Leaders Congress at Harvard, Presenting Its Innovative Alliance with Copart and the Prototype of the New Mapa App In her presentation, Erika compared vehicles that go to auction with the second chances people have to start over, highlighting how Mapa's vision has enabled thousands of Latinos in the United States to understand, participate in, and grow within the car auction business. "Just as cars have a second chance at auctions, people also have the power and the right to reinvent ourselves," said Rodriguez to an audience of business leaders and entrepreneurs from various countries. One of the most significant moments of the forum was the announcement that Mapa Broker has become Copart's first Latin partnerCopart being the largest car auction company in the United Statesfor the development of an app that will revolutionize Hispanic community access to this market: the Mapa App. During the talk, the team unveiled the app's visual prototype through an interactive landing page that allows users to explore its functionality and design. The first version, available in December 2025, will integrate AI developed by Mapa to provide clear, Spanish-language, real-time information on vehicles listed on Copart. It will also feature personalized guidance from Mapa representatives, ensuring that any personwithout needing to be a dealer or hold a licensecan participate and purchase directly in auctions. The second version, scheduled for May 2026, will add advanced tools such as a cost calculator, a digital wallet, and the ability to place bids directly from the app, thereby delivering a complete, transparent, and accessible experience. Mapa's participation at Harvard represents not only a business milestone but also a step forward in its mission to democratize the car auction world and create more opportunities for the Latino community in the United States. "Reaching the prestigious Harvard University with a project that was built from scratchwith dedication, purpose, and communityis living proof that dreams can't be bought: they are built with effort, consistency, and faith." Erika Rodriguez, co-founder of Mapa Broker With this advancement, the company reaffirms its commitment to innovation, education, and digital inclusion within the automotive sector. Mapa Broker and Copart: technology, community, and second chances in service of Latino growth. For more information, visit mapabroker.com or follow @mapabroker on all social platforms. Photos: Click here MEDIA & INTERVIEW CONTACT New Concept PR Fabiola Malka [email protected] SOURCE Mapa Broker Spicy fan-favorites feature a real Carolina Reaper cheese blend, returning nationwide for a limited time TOLEDO, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Marco's Pizza, one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands, announced today the return of its Fiery Flavors pizzas and breads back by popular demand and available nationwide for a limited time. Spice lovers spoke and we listened the Fiery Flavors Menu is back to bring the heat just as the temperatures cool down Post this Marcos Pizza brings back its unique Carolina Reaper cheese blend spice up your next order by trying the fan-favorite pizzas and CheezyBreads, or add it as a topping to your personal favorite. Once again, only at Marco's, fans can spice up their favorite menu items with this unique Carolina Reaper cheese blend. This spicy cheese takes center stage with its craveable, bold flavors and just the right kick of heat added to limited-time offerings including Fiery Pepperoni Pizza, Fiery Old World Sausage & Peppers Pizza, Fiery CheezyBread and Inferno CheezyBread. The new Carolina Reaper cheese blend can also be added as a topping to any pizza or pizza bowl, letting customers add spice to their personal favorites. "Spice lovers spoke, and we listened the Fiery Flavors Menu is back to bring the heat just as the temperatures cool down," said Vice President, Brand and Field Marketing, Marta DeAguiar. "From the bold kick of our unique spicy cheese blend to the craveable lineup of pizzas and breads, we're delivering the quality and fresh taste our fans can't get enough of with a kick." At the heart of the Fiery Flavors experience is Marco's NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend, infused with Carolina Reaper, habanero and jalapeno peppers. Consumers can enjoy the fiery kick across four limited-time favorites: Fiery Pepperoni Pizza Featuring crispy, cupped Old World Pepperoni and NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend on house-made dough with original sauce and signature three cheeses fresh and never frozen. Finished with a garlic sauce crust. Featuring crispy, cupped Old World Pepperoni and NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend on house-made dough with original sauce and signature three cheeses fresh and never frozen. Finished with a garlic sauce crust. Fiery Old World Sausage & Peppers Pizza Loaded with bold Old World Sausage, fresh sliced red onions and green peppers, and the NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend, layered over original sauce and three fresh signature cheeses. Finished with a garlic sauce crust. Loaded with bold Old World Sausage, fresh sliced red onions and green peppers, and the NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend, layered over original sauce and three fresh signature cheeses. Finished with a garlic sauce crust. Fiery CheezyBread Marco's signature CheezyBread topped with NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend. Marco's signature CheezyBread topped with NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend. Inferno CheezyBread Made with an extra portion of our NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend and topped with jalapenos for an extra kick. Made with an extra portion of our NEW Carolina Reaper cheese blend and topped with jalapenos for an extra kick. Side of Jalapeno Ranch Both breads are served with a side of Jalapeno Ranch dipping sauce for a little more kick. Consumers can heat up mealtimes with spicy savings and try Marco's new Fiery Pepperoni Pizza starting at $10.99 or Fiery Sausage & Peppers Pizza starting at $12.99*. The $5 Fiery CheezyBread and $6 Inferno CheezyBread will be available for purchase on the Marco's More Menu**. All menu items are available now for a limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. The popularity of spicy toppings and spicy food options continue to gain traction across U.S. menus. According to a 2024 Mintel Survey***, about 33% of consumers express interest in spicy menu items, with this interest being particularly strong among younger generations such as Gen Z and millennials, who are eager to explore bold and unfamiliar flavors like ghost pepper and furikake. Marco's Fiery Flavors menu builds on the success of this summer's addition of the Hot Honey Magnifico Pizza and Hot Honey topping, both of which have since earned a permanent spot on the Marco's menu. While Hot Honey is here to stay, the Fiery Flavors lineup is available for a limited time only giving pizza lovers the chance to savor even more heat-packed creations before they're gone. Together, these offerings underscore Marco's commitment to innovation with high quality, craveable flavors that excite loyal fans and spark new passion for the brand. For more information about this offer, Marco's Pizza, and where to find your nearest location, visit www.marcos.com or download the Marco's app, available on the App Store or Google Play. ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,200 stores in 35 states and Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Most recently, Marco's was recognized as America's Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category by Nation's Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2024 data. Other recent accolades include being recognized by QSR as one of the "16 Best Franchise Deals for 2025", ranking No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2024 "Franchise 500" ranking, earning a coveted spot as the only top 5 pizza chain to rank on Newsweek's 2025 "America's Best Customer Service" in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR's Top 50, and being featured on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 500" ranking. * Valid for Large pizzas only for a limited time at participating stores. Prices may be higher at certain locations. See your store's Hot Deals for specific pricing and applicable code for this offer. Not valid with other offers or discounts or through 3rd-party delivery apps. No substitutions. Price does not include extras/additional toppings. Not valid on catering orders. Delivery fee/tax extra (varies by store). Other restrictions may apply - see store or marcos.com for details. **MINIMUM SPEND AND TIERED PRICES HIGHER AT CERTAIN LOCATIONS. Use code MOREMENU. Valid on the Marco's More Menu only with minimum $7.99 spend (min. $8.99 spend required at some locations - use code GETMORE). For a limited time at participating stores. Order must include all required items. Not valid on catering, with other offers or discounts, or through 3rd-party delivery apps. Price, product availability, and delivery fee may vary. Lowest price of menu or MMM tier price prevails. Other restrictions may apply. See store or marcos.com for details. *** Source: Mintel, "Spring/Summer Flavors and Ingredients on the Menu US," 2024 According to Technomic's 2024 America's Favorite Restaurants data, Marco's Pizza secured the top spot in the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 53.4% composite top-box rating, indicating the share of recent guests who gave the brand the highest possible rating for each of the guest experience attributes. Data for America's Favorite Chains comes from Technomic Ignite Consumer, which collects information about how brands impact consumers and how consumers interact with those brands, via online surveys. See here for more information: www.technomic.com/ignite-consumer. SOURCE Marco's Pizza ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mark Spain Real Estate is excited to announce David Zanaty as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. This marks a pivotal moment for the firm as it enters a new phase of growth, building upon the strong foundation and culture that founder Mark Spain has passionately developed. David Zanaty Mark Spain led a nearly year-long search to find the right leader to take Mark Spain Real Estate into the future. This transition will allow Mark Spain to step forward into a new strategic role as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, where he will focus on long-term vision, innovation, and strategic guidance. Mark remains deeply committed to the company's core values, clients, and team as he supports this leadership evolution. "We conducted an extensive 12-month search to find the right leader to join forces with our team and take Mark Spain Real Estate to the next level," said Mark Spain. "David's proven track record and shared vision make him the perfect fit to accelerate our growth while preserving the culture that makes us unique." David Zanaty brings more than 25 years of transformational leadership in real estate, having driven growth and operational excellence at companies like Roofstock, Mynd, and Opendoor. His expertise in scaling organizations and delivering results aligns seamlessly with Mark Spain Real Estate's ambitions. "I couldn't be more excited to join Mark Spain Real Estate," said David Zanaty. "With Mark's ongoing vision and a talented team that has outperformed the market across cycles, we will write the next chapter of innovation and scale while delivering even greater value to our clients and agents." David has an impressive background scaling operations and driving growth in a variety of asset classes and geographies. He will help Mark Spain Real Estate accelerate its expansion, innovation, and position as a market leader. This leadership transition is designed to propel momentum and unlock new opportunities for Mark Spain Real Estate. With Mark's continued strategic involvement as Executive Chairman and David's leadership as CEO, the company is well-positioned to reach new heights. Together, their combined leadership will ensure stability while driving progress, empowering employees, and enhancing the client experience. About Mark Spain Real Estate - Mark Spain Real Estate is the most trusted name in real estate, earning more 5-star reviews than any other U.S. firm. It has been named a top real estate team in the U.S. for closed transactions for nine straight years, including being the number one real estate team in the U.S. for five consecutive years by the Wall Street Journal and Real Trends. The company is also a nine-time Inc. 5000 recipient, an annual list honoring the fastest-growing private companies in America. Additionally, the brokerage has been named an Inc. 5000 Regional honoree for the Southeast as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the region three times. Mark Spain Real Estate has also made the Real Trends 500 list of top-producing real estate firms for six consecutive yearsan honor reserved for the top half of 1% of all brokerages in the country. The company has been honored as one of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Top Workplaces six times since it was founded in 2016. It has also earned the Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award for seven years, as one of metro Atlanta's top 100 fastest-growing, privately held companies. Mark Spain Real Estate has made eight appearances on Atlanta's Top 25 Real Estate Companies annual list, was named to Nashville's Top 25 residential real estate list, has been included in Raleigh's Top 25 real estate list twice, and made its fourth appearance on the Charlotte list this year. Additionally, Mark Spain Real Estate was named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle's list of Best Places to Work for four consecutive years. As a company leader with cutting-edge ideas like its Guaranteed Offer program, Mark Spain was honored in 2022 for a second year as a Real Estate Newsmaker. Compiled by RISMedia, a leading residential real estate industry information provider, the Newsmakers list includes 300 industry professionals in North America. Mark Spain was also recognized as one of the PropTech 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate and has been named to Real Estate Almanac/Swanepoel Power 200, a list of the most impactful industry leaders. The firm had a record sales year again in 2024, with more than $3.2 billion in gross sales volume. In line with its core value of leading with a servant's heart, Mark Spain Real Estate also has ongoing partnerships with charitable causes to give back to the communities the company serves. SOURCE Mark Spain Real Estate NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MidCap Advisors, a leading lower to middle-market investment bank, is pleased to announce it acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Innovative Insurance Group in its recent sale to ALKEME Insurance, one of the nation's fastest-growing independent insurance brokerages. New York, NY In a competitive market defined by consolidation and innovation, this transaction showcases how entrepreneurial agencies can unlock new growth and value through strategic alignment. By joining forces with ALKEME, Innovative Insurance Group gains further scale and enhanced infrastructure of a national platform while preserving the client-first culture that has fueled its success for a decade. Founded in 2015 through the merger of several Virginia-based agencies, Innovative Insurance Group has built a reputation for its deep carrier relationships, consultative expertise, and leadership in employee benefits, HR, and ACA compliance. The firm's strong East Coast presence and experienced leadership team position it as a cornerstone of ALKEME's expanding benefits platform. "Joining ALKEME is an exciting step forward for our agency and our clients," said Samuel Irby, Co-Founding Partner of Innovative Insurance Group. "We share ALKEME's commitment to innovation, service, and putting people first." "It was a privilege to lead the Innovative team on this deal. Transactions like this show just how vibrant and opportunity-rich the insurance M&A landscape remains, especially when agencies with strong regional roots join forces with a group like ALKEME, which brings a distinctive approach to building and supporting agency partnerships," stated Ryan Sanford, Managing Director at MidCap Advisors. MidCap Advisors' Insurance Practice continues to represent high-performing agencies nationwide, guiding owners through pivotal and complex transactions and partnering with them to identify the right strategic and cultural fits for long-term success. About Innovative Insurance Group Innovative was formed in 2015 through the merger of Benefits Group, Inc., Insurance Services of the South, Inc., Weaver & Weaver Insurance Agency, Inc., and Dennison Insurance Agency, Inc. Headquartered in Virginia, Innovative Insurance Group provides group, employee benefits, individual, and senior health insurance solutions to brokers and employees across the East Coast. Since its founding, the firm has been recognized for its consultative approach, operational excellence, and unwavering commitment to client success. About ALKEME Insurance ALKEME Insurance is a Top-35 national insurance brokerage, with more than 60 offices across 29 states. ALKEME offers commercial, personal, and employee benefits solutions, empowering agency owners with flexible partnership models, shared resources, and the freedom to grow on their own terms. About MidCap Advisors MidCap Advisors is a boutique investment bank specializing in lower- to middle-market mergers and acquisitions and strategic consulting, offering both sell-side and buy-side advisory services. With offices nationwide, MidCap is dedicated to understanding what matters most to each client leveraging its deep industry expertise to structure transactions that protect their legacy, maximize value, and achieve their strategic objectives. Media Contact: Hannah Figueroa [email protected] 646.442.8366 SOURCE MidCap Advisors BELLEVUE, Wash., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Full-service multidisciplinary consulting firm MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) will be rearchitecting their analytics approach with Microsoft Fabric in partnership with digital engineering firm, CloudMoyo. MSA is a 100% employee-owned consulting firm of over 500 professionals in 18 offices nationwide, recognized for delivering innovative engineering, architecture, environmental, planning, landscape architecture, funding, GIS, and surveying solutionswith a focus on the sustainable development of communities. Microsoft Fabric is an enterprise-ready, end-to-end analytics platform that unifies data movement, data processing, ingestion, transformation, real-time event routing, and report building. Recognized as one of the best platforms for data and AI, Microsoft Fabric will empower MSA to rearchitect their data analytics, reduce operational costs, enhance efficiency, and establish a scalable foundation that evolves with business growth. Bellevue-based CloudMoyo will support MSA in this project, ensuring they continue solving today's complex and multi-faceted challenges for public and private clients across the United States. Founded in 2015, CloudMoyo is a Microsoft partner with over 50 AI experts and more than 100 analytics and cloud experts on staff. Along with extensive experience across Microsoft technologies, their teams have completed over 400 projects within their digital services arm. "Microsoft technologies have left a huge impact on the world of work today, and they continue to change the possibilities of what can be done with AI, data analytics, and more," says Manish Kedia, CEO and Co-Founder of CloudMoyo. "We're excited to support MSA in the rearchitecture of their analytics approach, especially utilizing the seamless, user-friendly SaaS experience of Microsoft Fabric." Media Contact Joy Bartolome Marketing Lead +1 (425) 908-0880 About CloudMoyo CloudMoyo is a global digital engineering firm headquartered in Bellevue, WA, with an innovation center in Pune, India. At the intersection of cloud and AI for enterprises across industrial, retail & CPG, healthcare & life sciences, TMT & consulting, and more, the company helps enterprises modernize their data ecosystems and infuse AI across the business to drive real-time insights, decision-making, and autonomy at scale. With deep expertise in large language models, proprietary generative AI-based platforms, reusable frameworks, and AI accelerators, CloudMoyo focuses on unlocking tangible business valueby unifying fragmented data and enabling self-service BI as well as deploying generative AI for summarization, content generation, and intelligent automation. Complementing their data & AI focus, the company also brings deep expertise in Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), offering end-to-end services spanning pre-implementation strategy, platform rollout, and post-implementation intelligence. The company's strategic partnerships with Icertis, Microsoft, and Snowflake enable them to deliver integrated, enterprise-grade solutions tailored for scale. As a reflection of CloudMoyo's FORTE values, the company has been honored as the Icertis Partner of the YearForte Values in 2021. Recognized by Seattle Business Magazine as a "Top Company to Work For" for the sixth consecutive year, ranking #1 on the prestigious list for 2024, CloudMoyo has also been awarded the 2024 Highest Delivery NPS Award at the 2024 Icertis Partner Summit. SOURCE CloudMoyo Industry leaders convene to shape the continent's digital future through three days of keynotes, summits, and roundtables KIGALI, Rwanda, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As GSMA MWC25 Kigali opens today, industry leaders, innovators and policymakers from across Africa and beyond are gathering to explore how mobile technology can accelerate inclusive growth and drive Africa's digital future. The event takes place as Africa stands on the brink of a digital revolution set to unlock unprecedented opportunities across the region. However, to unlock this opportunity, the GSMA spotlighted three urgent priorities for policymakers: handset affordability, inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) language models and energy resilience calling for bold policy reforms and investment to make the next steps in Africa's digital transformation a reality. Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, said: "Africa's mobile sector is one of the most dynamic in the world, but we must tackle persistent barriers such as high device costs, energy availability issues and the lack of inclusive AI. By working together, governments, industry and development partners can make digital inclusion affordable, sustainable and meaningful for every African." For the third consecutive year, His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, formally opened MWC Kigali, which runs for three days and features a packed programme of sessions , summits , and speakers from international organisations and government. The GSMA Mobile Economy Africa 2025 Report The GSMA Mobile Economy Africa 2025 Report, launched today, shows how mobile connectivity is fuelling economic growth, innovation and inclusion across the continent. Key insights: The mobile sector contributed $220 billion to Africa's economy in 2024 (7.7% of GDP) , projected to reach $270 billion by 2030 (7.4%) . , projected to reach . The ecosystem supported around 8 million jobs (5 million direct, 3 million indirect) and generated $30 billion in public funding in 2024. (5 million direct, 3 million indirect) and generated in 2024. 416 million people in Africa now use mobile internet, expected to rise to 576 million by 2030 (33% of the population) . in Africa now use mobile internet, expected to rise to . 4G adoption will increase from 45% to 54% , while 5G connections are forecast to surge from 2% to 21% by 2030 . will increase from , while are forecast to surge from . The coverage gap across Africa is below 5% , yet a usage gap of 960 million people persists 790 million in Sub-Saharan Africa alone , the largest usage gap in the world. , yet a persists , the largest usage gap in the world. Between 2024 and 2030, operators will invest $77 billion in new networks, with revenues expected to reach $79 billion by 2030. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1882833/5574247/GSMA_Logo.jpg SOURCE GSM ASSOCIATION ALLENTOWN, Pa., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Norris McLaughlin, P.A. is pleased to announce that their Allentown office is growing, introducing Peter G. Manakos, Esq. as an Associate in the Liquor Law, Licensing, Manufacturing, and Distribution Practice Group and Vivian S. Hadian, Esq. as an Associate in the Real Estate and Finance Practice Group. Peter G. Manakos, Esq. and Vivian S. Hadian, Esq. Manakos brings a multifaceted background in regulatory compliance and litigation support. Before joining Norris McLaughlin, P.A., Manakos worked at a boutique medical malpractice firm where he drafted motions, managed discovery, and created a digital case management platform to improve workflow efficiency. Manakos' experience is a unique combination of legal training and firsthand insight into the business side of the hospitality industry. Raised in a family-run restaurant, he experienced the challenges with Pennsylvania's complex PA liquor laws and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) regulations. "Peter's combination of legal skill and lived experience in the hospitality industry adds a powerful dimension to our liquor law practice," said Theodore J. Zeller III, Esq., Chair of the Liquor Law Practice Group. "He understands the stakes for our clients and brings a level of empathy and insight that's hard to teach." Hadian was a summer associate for the firm in 2024, later joining the firm as a law clerk. Upon passing the Pennsylvania Bar Exam, she was elevated to an Associate. Hadian is eager to build her career in real estate law, assisting the firm's highly regarded group. "We're thrilled that Vivian has passed the bar and officially joined us as an attorney," said Scott R. Lipson, Esq., Chair of the Real Estate Law Group in Pennsylvania. "She's already demonstrated a strong work ethic and a genuine interest in real estate law, and we're confident she'll continue to grow and make meaningful contributions to our team." Manakos earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where he concentrated in Business of Innovation, Law, & Technology and focused on Business Compliance & Sustainability. While pursuing his J.D., Manakos volunteered with the Children's Miracle Network, Alzheimer's Association, and Pitt Pantry. He holds a B.S. in Neuroscience, graduating cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh, and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania. Hadian obtained her B.A. in Political Science from Temple University as a member of the National Political Science Honor Society. She received her J.D. from Widener University Delaware Law School and graduated cum laude. In law school, Hadian was an editor on her school's law review and active member of the Student Division of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is a multi-practice, commercial law firm with offices in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, delivering legal solutions to clients wherever they conduct their business, including nationally and internationally. The firm's nearly 130 attorneys practice in more than 25 legal disciplines and industry-focused groups and serve a wide range of clients, including small businesses, middle-market companies, and Fortune 500 corporations, as well as the private individuals and families who may own, lead, and/or manage those companies. Norris McLaughlin is a member of Meritas, a global alliance of leading independent law firms. To learn more, visit www.norrismclaughlin.com . Contact: Skylar Daley Communications Coordinator (908) 252-4214 [email protected] SOURCE Norris McLaughlin, P.A QUINCY, Mass., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Northeast Recovery LLC ("Northeast Recovery") today announced that it has assumed operations of three of New England's most trusted providers of substance use and mental health treatment - Bedrock Recovery Center in Canton, Spring Hill Recovery Center in Ashby, and Spring Hill Recovery Outpatient Center in Quincy - all located in Massachusetts. This transition marks a renewed commitment to patient-centered care, community partnership, and long-term recovery. By bringing these respected centers under one organization, Northeast Recovery is ensuring continuity of care for patients, stability for staff, and a foundation for future growth that prioritizes people first. The Northeast team is grateful to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for its ongoing support and partnership in helping bring this important initiative to life. "Our mission is to help individuals and families rebuild their lives through compassionate, evidence-based treatment," said Jane Bombardier, Chief Executive Officer of Northeast Recovery. "This next chapter allows us to focus all of our energy on what matters most providing exceptional care and strengthening the recovery community here in New England and across the country." Both Bedrock and Spring Hill will continue to offer their full range of evidence-based programs, led by the same clinical, medical, and support teams patients know and trust. All employees have been retained in the transition, ensuring seamless continuity of services and support. "Every patient who comes to us has a unique story, and our responsibility is to honor that," said Dr. Amy Fitzpatrick, Chief Medical Officer of Northeast Recovery. "Our clinical and medical teams are deeply committed to meeting each person where they are, providing the highest standard of care, and surrounding them with a community that believes in their ability to heal and thrive. Recovery is a shared journey, and we're here to walk it together." Saman Shams, a principal of Northeast Recovery, added, "We're proud to carry forward the strong legacy of these programs while expanding access to life-changing care throughout the region and beyond." About Northeast Recovery Northeast Recovery is dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve lasting recovery through compassionate, evidence-based treatment. With operations in Massachusetts and leadership rooted in nationally recognized programs, Northeast Recovery partners with local communities to deliver the highest-quality care for substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders. SOURCE Northeast Recovery The European Council will formulate a framework for the European Commission's further work on legislative proposals on future financial support for Ukraine, in particular on the so-called reparation loan with the main part of immobilized Russian assets. A high-ranking European diplomat involved in the preparation of the European Council announced on Tuesday in Brussels about such a possible decision of the meeting of European Union leaders, which will be held on Thursday. Noting that the issue of further support for Ukraine is at the top of the agenda, in particular in terms of financial support, the interlocutor of journalists noted that "EU leaders will focus particular attention on Ukraine's financial needs, in particular over the next two years." "There was a discussion of the Commission's draft (proposal) for a reparations loan. In this case, the European Council will not develop a proposal, it is not the responsibility of the leaders. We hope that the European Council can formulate a general framework for a proposal that will be put forward, elaborated and presented by the Commission shortly after the European Council and then discussed at Council level," the diplomat said. "The idea is to have a broad political rationale, instructing the Commission to work on a proposal that would also include a possible gradual use of the cash balances related to the immobilized (Russian) assets." "The idea is not to draw preliminary conclusions, but to formulate a solution that the Commission can work on and to formulate a mandate for the Commission. Of course, it is still difficult, discussions are still ongoing, but we think it is important," the diplomat said. At the same time, the interlocutor clarified that under the conditions in the European Council he means respect for international law, risks and solidarity at the EU level, burden sharing with G7 partners. "This is exactly the framework conditions that the European Council will discuss and, I hope, agree on," the diplomat said. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacify Health, a leading provider of a multimodal maternal health platform offering members access to in-person and virtual doula care, and 24/7 virtual lactation support, today announced a strategic collaboration with Community Care Plan (CCP). The collaboration will provide specialized, wraparound maternal health services to CCP members with the aim of addressing gaps in maternal health in the region. This collaboration will increase access to comprehensive, evidence-based, doula-led support through Pacify's network of certified doulas and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) to pregnant and postpartum individuals across 19 Florida Counties. Addressing Critical Maternal Health Needs in Florida Pacify Health, leading provider of doula care and lactation support, announces collaboration with Community Care Plan. Post this This collaboration comes at a critical time as, not unlike the rest of the country, Florida continues to face gaps in providing access to maternal health support at scale. According to the most recent data from the CDC, the U.S. maternal mortality rate was 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, showing an improvement from 22.3 in 2022. Florida's ongoing efforts to address these rates make enhanced maternal care services an urgent priority as maternal mortality remains a pressing concern, with the state reporting a maternal mortality rate averaging 24.1 per 100,000 live births from 2018-2022, and a slight increase in preterm births reported in 2023 according to the 2024 March of Dimes report. Incorporating doula support is an opportunity to address these challenges and has been shown to: "Community Care Plan's commitment to improving maternal health outcomes aligns perfectly with Pacify's mission to provide accessible, evidence-based support throughout the pregnancy journey and beyond," said Jennifer Sargent, CEO at Pacify Health. "By collaborating with Community Care Plan, we can reach more families who need these vital services, particularly in communities facing healthcare disparities and in rural areas where access to maternal care services remain limited." The Florida Department of Health has established initiatives like the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative to address maternal mental health needs, recognizing that good mental health before, during, and after pregnancy positively impacts the health of both mother and child. The department has actively worked to strengthen knowledge related to maternal mental health and expand services throughout the state. Evidence-Based Care for Healthier Families Through this collaboration, eligible CCP members will gain access to Pacify's multimodal maternal care platform, which includes: Virtual prenatal support with certified doulas Birth planning guidance 24/7 on-demand infant feeding support with IBCLCs Postpartum recovery assistance Access to in-person doula support in select areas Access to a library of educational resources, and messaging and scheduling tools through the app, which supports both English and Spanish speakers Research consistently demonstrates that doula support is associated with better birth outcomes. A nationwide study involving Florida participants found that individuals receiving doula care were more likely to have improved health outcomes, including lower rates of cesarean births and higher breastfeeding initiation rates. Yet, despite these benefits, nationwide surveys estimate that only about 6% of births involve doula support . Expanding Access to Wraparound Care "At Community Care Plan, we are dedicated to providing best-practice wraparound care that supports healthier families across South Florida," said Dr. Miguel Venereo, SVP and Chief Medical Officer at Community Care Plan. "Together with our Before Baby & Beyond program, the collaboration with Pacify reinforces our commitment to enhancing access to essential maternal health services and addressing the unique needs of our members during pregnancy and postpartum." Community Care Plan, established in 2000 and jointly owned by Broward Health (North Broward Hospital District) and Memorial Healthcare System (South Broward Hospital District), serves over 160,000 members across various health plans and managed care programs. "This collaboration represents a significant step forward in supporting Florida's ongoing efforts to improve maternal health outcomes," added Dr. Miguel Venereo, SVP and Chief Medical Officer at Community Care Plan. "By increasing access to doula and lactation support services, we're providing essential care that can help reduce maternal mortality rates and support healthier beginnings for Florida families." Community Care Plan is a managed care plan with a Florida Medicaid contract in Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Sarasota, Seminole, and St. Lucie counties. The benefit information provided is a brief summary, not a complete description of benefits. For more information, contact the Managed Care Plan. Limitations, copayments, and/or restrictions may apply. Benefits, formulary, pharmacy network, premium and/or co-payments/co-insurance may change. About Pacify Health Pacify Health is a leader in tech-enabled maternity care solutions, providing families with guidance from certified in-person and virtual doulas and lactation consultants, leveraging an innovative digital platform aimed at improving patient experience and satisfaction. Committed to improving healthcare equity, Pacify breaks down barriers in maternal health by offering personalized, accessible support to parents throughout their pregnancy and postpartum journey with a network of culturally compassionate, and specially trained providers. For more information, visit www.pacify.com. About Community Care Plan Community Care Plan, the health plan with a heart, was created in 2000 as South Florida Community Care Network and is based in Sunrise, Florida. We are owned by two large, well-respected hospitals, Broward Health (North Broward Hospital District) and Memorial Healthcare System (South Broward Hospital District). We serve over 165,000 members in Florida Healthy Kids, Medicaid, self-insured employee health plans, and uninsured programs (managed by SydCura , our third-party administration division). We strive to ensure that every community has access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. For more information, please visit www.CCPcares.org. Pacify Contact: Kaitlyn Tuson [email protected] Community Care Plan Contact: Suzanne Tamargo [email protected] References Hoyert, D. L. (2025). Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023. NCHS Health E-Stats. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2023/Estat-maternal-mortality.pdf Florida Department of Health. (2018). Florida Health Working to Improve Maternal Mental Health Outcomes. Retrieved from https://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2018/10/100318-maternal-mental-health-pr.html The Lancet. (2022). Doula care across the maternity care continuum and impact on maternal health: Evaluation of doula programs across three states using propensity score matching. eClinicalMedicine. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(22)00261-9/fulltext Declercq, E.R., Sakala, C., Corry, M.P., Applebaum, S., & Herrlich, A. (2013). Listening to Mothers SM III: Pregnancy and Birth. New York: Childbirth Connection. Referenced in DC Metro Doulas (2021): https://dcmetromaternity.com/statistics-about-birth-in-the-united-states/ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (2022). Doula Care and Maternal Health: An Evidence Review. Issue Brief No. HP-2022-24. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dfcd768f1caf6fabf3d281f762e8d068/ASPE-Doula-Issue-Brief-12-13-22.pdf Broward Health. (2024). Community Care Plan. https://www.browardhealth.org/pages/community-care-plan Florida Department of Health. (2022). Maternal Deaths - Florida Health CHARTS. Retrieved fromhttps://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsReports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=InfantDeath.DataViewer&cid=0392 SOURCE Pacify ST. LOUIS, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody (NYSE: BTU) will discuss its third quarter 2025 financial results in an investor conference call on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. Interested participants may access the call using the following phone numbers: U.S. Toll Free 1 833 816 1387 Canada Toll Free 1 855 669 9657 International Toll 1 412 317 0480 The call will also be webcast and accessible via the homepage at www.peabodyenergy.com or by clicking here. Following the live event, a replay will be available on the site. Peabody's third quarter 2025 earnings release will be distributed via PR Newswire before the market opens on Oct. 30 and will be posted to the company's website at that time. About Peabody: Peabody is a leading coal producer, providing essential products for the production of affordable, reliable energy and steel. Our commitment to sustainability underpins everything we do and shapes our strategy for the future. For further information, visit PeabodyEnergy.com. Contact: Vic Svec / Kala Finklang [email protected] SOURCE Peabody NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmunoBrain, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, to its board of directors. Dr. Collins, a pioneering physician-scientist, served as the 16th director of the National Institutes of Health under three United States presidents. In this role, he guided the nation's biomedical research, from basic science to clinical trials, as well as a historic series of research partnerships that included addressing Alzheimer's disease, cancer, precision health, neuroscience, and COVID-19. In addition, Dr. Collins led an active research group at the University of Michigan and the NIH for 41 years, doing groundbreaking research on type 2 diabetes and discovering the gene misspellings that cause cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, progeria, and several other disorders. A former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Dr. Collins coordinated an international consortium of laboratories as part of the Human Genome Project to produce the first complete sequence of the human DNA instruction book in 2003. He has been recognized for his many contributions to science, medicine, and society with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Templeton Prize. Reflecting on his career as a researcher, Dr. Collins shared that addressing Alzheimer's disease remains a top personal priority and one of the greatest medical challenges and opportunities of our time. "This is a condition that has been a source of great suffering for individuals and their families. Alzheimer's disease needs attention, new ideas, and progress," said Dr. Collins. "Much of the effort over the last 30 years has been focused on amyloid and tau, and that approach has made progressbut other insights are needed to develop truly effective therapeutics. Rigorous analysis of genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease has revealed a number of signals pointing to the immune system. This seems to be a clue to something fundamental about the condition that might lead to insights about treatment. When I heard about the work that Professor Michal Schwartz has been doing for over two decadeslooking at the role of the immune system and inflammation, and coming up with some very intriguing treatment interventions based upon careful, peer-reviewed experiments done in micethis seemed like it might be one of the answers we've been looking for. By joining the board of ImmunoBrain, I hope I can help us get those answers." Dr. Collins joins the board as the company is conducting a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with Alzheimer's disease, with encouraging interim study data. Its lead drug candidate, IBC-Ab002, is a proprietary antibody, tailored to AD and other forms of dementia, that targets an inhibitory immune checkpoint pathway. "I have always admired Dr. Collins for his bold pursuit of scientific advancement and the path he paved for numerous medical breakthroughs in service of humanity." said Avraham Kadar, MD, chairman of the board. "It is a privilege to welcome Dr. Collins to the ImmunoBrain board as we explore new therapeutic approaches to neurodegenerative diseases, and as we near Phase 2 of our clinical trial in patients with Alzheimer's disease. His boundless curiosity, wisdom, and commitment to rigorous research will make Dr. Collins an indispensable partner in this critical work." About ImmunoBrain Founded in 2015, ImmunoBrain builds on over 25 years of research led by Scientific Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Professor Michal Schwartz, PhD. Together with her team at the Weizmann Institute of Science, she discoveredcontrary to the prevailing dogma at the timethat the brain is tightly dependent on support from the immune system for its maintenance and repair. Her research further revealed that age-related decline of immune function plays a key role in brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. These discoveries led to the development of IBC-Ab002, a proprietary Fc-modified anti-PD-L1 antibody, designed and optimized by ImmunoBrain for the treatment of neurological diseases, based on the understanding of its mechanism of action in preclinical studies. The company is currently evaluating IBC-Ab002 in a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with Alzheimer's disease [NCT05551741], supported in part by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer's Association. Topline data from the completed study is expected in Q1 2026. Disclaimer: Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging, Award Number R01AG071810. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2770434/5574793/ImmunoBrain_Logo.jpg Contact ImmunoBrain Investor and Media Relations i[email protected] SOURCE ImmunoBrain The international research findings could contribute to better therapies as well as more information to plan for future pandemics AMES, Iowa and NEW YORK and PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- An international team of researchers led by scientists at Iowa State University, Weill Cornell Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has found that an orphan gene in the SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for exacerbating COVID-19 severity. The findings not only present a potential target for future therapeutic interventions for COVID-19 but also underscore the importance of orphan genes in viral evolution and how that information may inform the study of future pandemics. The findings were recently published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. Orphan genes are only found in a specific species or group of closely related species and are rarely studied in detail. Prior studies have identified orphan gene, ORF10, in SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. However, the role ORF10 played in COVID-19 outcomes in humans remained unknown. As part of the work being done by the COVID-19 International Research Team (COV-IRT), this study combined lab experiments, analysis of thousands of patient samples, and genetic data from millions of SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Together, these efforts revealed how ORF10 has evolved, how it affects mitochondria and the immune system, how it is turned on in different tissues and cell types, and that patients with certain ORF10 structure altering mutations tended to have milder cases of COVID-19. "While many orphan genes remain understudied, we know that thousands of orphan genes have contributed to more dangerous and deadly organisms and viruses," said first study author Jeffrey Haltom, PhD, a bioinformatic scientist with the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine at CHOP who began this research at Iowa State University. "Since we are beginning to learn more about the evolution of viruses via their orphan genes, we wanted to apply that line of questioning to SARS-CoV-2 to determine whether its orphan gene could provide us with clues about what makes the virus so dangerous to humans." The study found that millions of ORF10 sequences of SARS-CoV-2, from the Alpha to Omicron variants of concern (VOC), are identical to their ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 haplotype, the strain of the virus that was first identified in Wuhan, China in 2019. When studying the VOC the variants of SARS-CoV-2 that were responsible for more infections, hospitalizations and deaths the researchers found that less than 5% of genomes carried any mutations of the ORF10 orphan gene, meaning that the gene was mostly preserved as the virus evolved and continued to infect humans. In fact, four ORF10 mutations were associated with less severe clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients, and no mutations were linked to increased severity. Researchers also found that ORF10 transcript levels can differ from other SARS-CoV-2 genes depending on the tissue, and was linked to disruptions of gene expression related to oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) the key process by which mitochondria generate cellular energy as well as immune network disruptions. Additionally, fully functional ORF10 is present in multiple SARS-CoV strains but absent from less severe SARS-CoV-1-like strains, suggesting a stronger connection to more severe strains of the virus. This study was supported by the National Science Foundation award IOS 1546858, National Institutes of Health grants NIAID 2R01AI107301, NIDDK R01DK121072, R01GM133810 the American Heart Association, the Irma Hirschl Trust Research Award Scholar, Department of Defense grant W81XWH-21-1-0128, the Gates Foundation Grant INV-046722, and Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) supported by National Science Foundation ACI-1548562, through Bridges HPC environment TG-MCB190098 and TG-MCB200123. Haltom et al, "Importance of de novo gene evolution to emerging viral threats: the ORF10 strain-restricted orphan gene of SARS-CoV-2 promotes pathogenesis." Mol Biol Evol. Online October 1, 2025. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaf211. About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network , which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. CHOP also operates the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia, the Behavioral Health and Crisis Center (including a 24/7 Crisis Response Center) and the Center for Advanced Behavioral Healthcare , a mental health outpatient facility. Its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu. Contact: Ben Leach Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 609-634-7906 [email protected] SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia CASTRIES, Saint Lucia, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This winter, Saint Lucia is calling travelers to feel the Caribbean in a deeply meaningful way with its new destination campaign: "Come To Your Senses." Rooted in inspiration from the island's lush landscapes, undeniable romance and tranquil wellness rituals, the campaign calls on travelers to dive into a world where adventure, connection, and sensory discovery meet in perfect harmony. Celebrated as the Caribbean's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination 2025 and Caribbean's Leading Honeymoon Destination 2025 by the World Travel Awards, Saint Lucia promises unforgettable experiences that ignite every sense and create lasting memories. Explore Saint Lucia like never before, where every sight, sound, and taste awakens your senses. With crystal-clear waters, lush rainforest trails, and the twin peaks of the iconic Pitons rising above, Saint Lucia, named after Saint Lucy, offers an immersive journey that engages all five senses. The campaign invites visitors to see majestic landscapes, feel the rush of warm waves beneath them, hear the rhythm of local music and cascading waterfalls, taste the island's vibrant Creole flavors, and smell the tropical blooms that perfume the air. "Come To Your Senses" is more than a campaign, it's a call to disconnect from the everyday and reconnect with what matters most: nature, adventure, romance, and self. Whether you're a couple seeking a secluded retreat and a wholesome health journey or thrill-seekers craving new heights, come to Saint Lucia and let her inspire you with her world-class resorts, volcanic beaches, hiking adventures, revitalizing mud baths and hot springs, and a cultural heartbeat that is uniquely her own. Romance Redefined As one of the Caribbean's top destinations for weddings, honeymoons, and anniversaries, Saint Lucia continues to capture the hearts of lovers from around the world. With breathtaking backdrops, from sunset sails to mountaintop vistas, the island is a sanctuary where love stories are written in the ocean breeze. Adventure Awaits For the curious and courageous, the island offers a playground of possibilities, from snorkeling in reef-filled coves to ziplining through the rainforest canopy. Adventure here isn't just about adrenaline; it's about discovery, perspective, and unforgettable memories. Welcome Wellness Travelers seeking balance and bliss can find an abundance of wellness offerings on Saint Lucia, as she invites you to slow down and soak it all in. Breathe deeply as you sink into healing mud baths, stretch toward the sky in open-air yoga studios, and let the island's rhythms restore your spirit. Here, wellness isn't just a retreat, it's a state of being, woven into the warm breeze, the lush hillsides, and the gentle pace of paradise. "In Saint Lucia, your senses don't just guide your experience, they awaken your spirit," said Dexter Percil, Director of Global Marketing for the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. "From the moment visitors set foot on our shores, they're surrounded by a landscape that ignites the soultowering Pitons, lush rainforests, hidden waterfalls, and golden beaches. But what truly sets Saint Lucia apart is the way it blends natural beauty, rich culture, romance, and adventure into one unforgettable journey. This campaign is a celebration of everything that makes Saint Lucia not just another Caribbean Island, but a destination unto itself." For more information, visit www.stlucia.org or follow @TravelSaintLucia on social media. About Saint Lucia Saint Lucia, the only country in the world named after a woman, is renowned for its stunning natural beauty and vibrant culture. Situated in the Eastern Caribbean Sea, the island is famed for its lush rainforests, pristine beaches, and the iconic Pitons a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can explore the island's rich history and popular festivals, such as the Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party, Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, Lucian Carnival, and Creole Heritage Month. Signature activities include the highly Instagrammed mud baths at Sulphur Springs Park and heritage chocolate making. The island is recognized as the World's Leading Honeymoon Destination and the Caribbean's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination, and Olympic gold medalist Julien Alfred proudly serves as a Tourism Ambassador. Learn more at www.stlucia.org and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Media Contact: Laura Libert, Account Manager llibert@omc.com (512) 983-4470 SOURCE Saint Lucia NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent advertising agency, SALUK & CO., with offices in Long Island City, Queens won an OMMA Award for "Best Native: Campaign or Single Execution" for its work with Widow Jane Bourbon, beating out Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Direct TV in the category. (The agency was also a finalist for "Best Content Marketing Campaign"). The work featured Widow Jane's distillery in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and told the story of how the small-batch craft distillery is at the cutting edge of crafting fine spirits, while establishing its legacy as one of the cornerstones of the Red Hook, Brooklyn neighborhood. SALUK & CO. President, Peter Saluk, accepting the OMMA Award for "Best Native: Campaign or Single Execution" for client, Widow Jane Bourbon "You can't do great work without great clients." said agency President, Peter Saluk, when accepting the award. "Widow Jane's ethos of operating through a lens of attitude and intensity, and giving a middle finger to the mundane, matched our agency's constant pursuit of creative ways to tell a brand's story." The OMMA awards, now in their 21st year, honor the best in Online Media, Marketing and Advertising for the year, with 58 categories across the media & marketing space. The awards feature agencies and brands of all sizes, and the awards event took place in the legendary Cutting Room in Manhattan, New York City. SALUK & CO. is an agency founded by ex-PepsiCo marketer, Peter Saluk, who also spent time at Grey Advertising, Deutsch Advertising, esteemed design studio Karlssonwilker, and Team Detroit (Ford's agency rebranded to GTB.) SALUK & CO. specializes in media planning & buying, specifically in the CPG, Liquor, Wine, Spirits, Hospitality and Tourism advertising. The agency prides itself on merging human talent with AI and data to produce campaigns that are genuinely engaging and deliver brand awareness, perception, and most importantly, sales. To view the award-winning Widow Jane advertising program, please click here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/widow-jane/at-the-edge-of-brooklyn-whiskeys-new-frontier.html For more information on SALUK & CO. and their roster of work please visit https://www.salukandco.com For all media inquiries, please contact: Peter Saluk 347-640-0179 [email protected] SOURCE SALUK & CO. NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Board of Directors BARK, Inc. 120 Broadway, Floor 12 New York, New York 10271 Dear Members of the Board of Directors, As one of the largest shareholders in BARK, Inc.(NYSE: BARK), I write to you today with an unwavering commitment to the long-term success of our company and a profound sense of urgency regarding the strategic path forward. As strong believers in the transformative power of your brand to revolutionize the dog care industry, we believe the company is at a crucial point in time to make bold decisions and take strong actions to maximize shareholder value. Your management teams disciplined execution has been exemplary: maintaining adjusted EBITDA positivity through turbulent markets, meticulously building a beloved brand and scalable platform that resonates with millions of dog parents, and steadfastly prioritizing prudence and profitability over reckless expansion. These achievements are nothing short of remarkable, and I commend you for steering BARK into a position of undeniable strength. I also commend the board's recent decision to elevate Michael Black to President, Core Business, handing him the responsibility of leading the direct-to-consumer & commerce segments on their path to renewed growth. That said, now is the moment for bold, decisive action to reward the loyalty of shareholders and unlock the full potential of this extraordinary company. The company's strong balance sheet acts as a financial fortress in these uncertain times, boasting $85 million in cash reserves and $98 million in fully paid-for inventory, equating to a staggering $183 million in liquid assets and tangible holdings. After accounting for debt and other prepaid expenses, this nets out to approximately $150 million in equity value, well in excess of the current market capitalization of $137 million . BARK is trading at negative equity, handing the market a thriving, growth-oriented, adjusted EBITDA-positive business for free. The sheer absurdity of this valuation is a call to armsI demand that the Board act with the immediacy this crisis warrants. To that end, I urge the swift implementation of the following three key initiatives, with emphasis on advancing the first two without delay. Time is of the essence; hesitation here would be unforgivable. First and foremost, the board should immediately authorize and execute a minimum $25 million share buyback program . With the stock languishing in negative equity territory, repurchasing shares at these depressed prices would be an act of profound stewardship, accretive to every remaining shareholder and a direct rebuke to the market's irrational disregard for BARK's intrinsic value. The deep value embedded in this equity is irrefutable: by repurchasing shares, you are acquiring a high-quality, data-rich business at a discount that defies logic. Do not let another trading day pass without deploying capital to use this massive dislocation to the advantage of long-term shareholders. Act now to affirm your commitment to shareholder value and ignite the re-rating this company deserves . This can be done through a traditional share buyback program or through a tender offering to buy back shares. We will not tender to sell a single share. Second, secure and deploy inventory financing against the $98 million in paid-for inventory to liberate this trapped capital . It is needless to tie up such a large sum in non-earning assets when it could fuel aggressive growth initiatives, marketing firepower and further innovation. BARK's balance sheet is a war chest begging for optimization: borrow against this inventory immediately, at favorable terms, and redirect the freed-up liquidity to high-ROI opportunities that will accelerate revenue and margins. This is low-hanging fruit that demands immediate execution, and the opportunity cost of inaction is eroding value every day. Move on this with the speed and resolve it requiresyour shareholders are counting on it. Third, to capitalize on BARK's unparalleled moat, strategic plans must be drawn up at the Board level to aggressively expand the company's product categories to include vitamins & supplements, DNA testing kits for dogs and other wellness products while ramping up product experimentation across the portfolio. With proprietary data on over 6 million dogs across the United Statesone of the most valuable pet datasets in existence BARK must monetize this data goldmine more aggressively . Leverage this database for personalized health recommendations, targeted R&D, and new revenue streams that deepen customer lifetime value. Experiment boldly: test new offerings, iterate rapidly, and grow the top line without compromising your hard-won profitability. This is the natural evolution of your platform into a comprehensive pet health ecosystem, and it must begin in earnest. The time for moving slowly is over. I am not writing as a distant observer but as a major stakeholder whose fortunes are inextricably tied to BARK's trajectory. Your track record inspires confidence, but confidence without action breeds complacency. I demand that the Board convene urgently, deliberate these initiatives with the gravity they merit, and announce concrete progress on the buyback and inventory financing within the coming weeks. Your measured steps have yielded a stable foundation; now, seize this moment for prudent actions that will benefit all shareholders and cement BARK's legacy. I stand ready to engage further and await your prompt response. Sincerely, Eric Ebert Shay Capital SOURCE Shay Capital LLC BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Simply Business, LLC , the leading digital marketplace for easily finding, comparing, and buying tailored small business insurance in the U.S., today announced the launch of its first-of-its-kind AI-powered insurance advisor, transforming the insurance buying process for entrepreneurs. The AI-powered advisor uses proprietary technology, built on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) model, to deliver a hyper-personalized, conversational experience that makes the insurance buying process faster, clearer, and more intuitive. The tool assists the small business owner throughout the buying process - answering questions about coverage types, and providing guidance on coverage limits. The system leverages AI and large language models (LLMs) to intelligently infer user intent and match queries to a robust, human-verified knowledge base ensuring that answers are not only instant but also accurate. The technology features continuous learning capabilities powered by real-time feedback loops, creating a virtuous cycle of self-improvement. "Our AI-powered insurance advisor is another milestone in our efforts to simplify the insurance buying process for small business owners," said Dana Edwards, Group CTO at Simply Business. "Importantly, the tool marries advanced technology with the human touch by providing access to our highly skilled agents. We are not just implementing AI; we are pioneering responsible, effective, and scalable solutions that empower entrepreneurs to make confident decisions quickly." Since its beta launch, the advisor has led to a 20% higher purchase rate among engaged users. The tool is especially powerful for low-intent visitors. When this group engages with the AI advisor three or more times, the tool acts as an intent multiplier, resulting in a 9% lift in a Request for Quote (RFQ). This demonstrates how it empowers entrepreneurs by cutting through confusion, providing the clarity needed in the insurance buying process. Simply Business's dedication to innovation has earned industry recognition, including a Gartner case study spotlighting its insurtech advancements as well as shortlist nominations for 'AI Implementation of the Year' from Insurance Insider and for 'Best Insurtech' from US FinTech. About Simply Business Simply Business is dedicated to making small business insurance simple and accessible. The company's robust digital marketplace allows small business owners to find and buy the insurance they need online, matching them with coverage from multiple top carriers to offer transparency, choice, and value. Simply Business's product offering includes general liability, professional liability, business owner's policy, workers' compensation, cyber insurance, and more. An insurtech pioneer, Simply Business has over 20 years of experience supporting the needs of small businesses, with over one million active customers. Founded in the UK in 2005, Simply Business launched its U.S. operations in 2017 and today employs over 1,000 people across offices in London and Northampton in the UK and Boston in the U.S. Media Contact: Jillian Reid [email protected] SOURCE Simply Business SK Biopharmaceuticals forms a joint venture, Mentis Care, to develop an integrated epilepsy care ecosystem through AI-driven platform commercialization. SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SK Biopharmaceuticals, Co., Ltd., a biotech company focusing on research, development, and commercialization of treatments for disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) and oncology worldwide, today announced the establishment of Mentis Care, Inc., a joint venture with a leading Brazil-based pharmaceutical company, Eurofarma, with presence in 24 countries, including North America, Latin America and Africa, to commercialize an AI-based epilepsy management platform. The company hosted a launching ceremony on October 20 (EDT) in Toronto, Canada, to celebrate its full-scale expansion into digital healthcare beyond its innovative drug development portfolio. Executives celebrate the launch of Mentis Care, a joint venture established by SK Biopharmaceuticals and Eurofarma. From left: Rodrigo Pereira (Global Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Digital, Eurofarma), Shelley Carroll (Toronto City Councillor & Budget Chief), Donghoon Lee (CEO, SK Biopharmaceuticals), Honorable Victor Fedeli (Ontario Province Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade), Hassan Kotob (CEO, Mentis Care), Stephen Lund (CEO, Toronto Global), Khawar Nasim Since 2018, SK Biopharmaceuticals has built its proprietary expertise in AI-driven electroencephalography (EEG) and wearable device technologies with seizure detection and real-time monitoring. Mentis Care will leverage these technologies to develop a comprehensive digital platform that combines real-time seizure detection and prediction algorithms with clinical decision support tools, creating an integrated system for personalized patient care. Mentis Care is located in the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Canada one of North America's largest innovation hubs bringing research institutions, startups, and investors in life sciences and healthcare together. The company plans to expand its local team, strengthen academic and industry collaborations, and pursue clinical validation of its AI algorithms. As a pharmaceutical company representing Latin America, Eurofarma leads business strategy planning and AI data learning of the venture. SK Biopharmaceuticals has collaborated with Eurofarma since 2022 to develop and commercialize its anti-seizure medication, cenobamate (U.S. brand name: XCOPRI) in Latin America. The partnership extends into digital healthcare through the joint venture establishment. Mentis Care has appointed Hassan Kotob, former Chief Executive Officer of Brain Scientific, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Kotob, a veteran healthcare and technology executive with a proven track record across high-growth and emerging technology companies, will lead Mentis Care's development of a first-of-its-kind, AI- and data-driven platform for predictive brain health transforming how seizures and other neurological events are forecast and managed. "Mentis Care is an AI-driven digital health company with the mission to help patients with epilepsy live safer and more independently through AI-powered seizure prediction and monitoring," said Hassan Kotob, CEO of Mentis Care. "By combining the innovation capabilities of our partners, SK Biopharmaceuticals and Eurofarma, we aim to establish a new standard in digital epilepsy management for patients worldwide." "For Eurofarma, the JV represents the future we envision for healthcare, combining digital technologies and medicines for a transformative and positive leap in patients' lives. We are a reference in central nervous system treatments in Latin America, with a broad portfolio of medicines and close relationships with psychiatrists and neurologists. For some years now, we have added digital innovation investments to our R&D activities, and since 2022, we have maintained a small operation in North America. With this new partnership, we will strengthen these fronts in a single move," says Rodrigo Pereira, Global Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Digital at Eurofarma. "SK Biopharmaceuticals is expanding beyond pharmaceuticals into digital healthcare to open new possibilities in patient care," said Donghoon Lee, CEO of SK Biopharmaceuticals. "Through Mentis Care, we will advance toward patient-centered innovation by integrating AI and clinical data to improve epilepsy treatment." About SK Life Science, Inc. and SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. SK Life Science, Inc., with headquarters in Paramus, New Jersey, is a U.S. subsidiary of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., a pioneering South Korean company in drug development and commercialization. Together, they are advancing innovative treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and oncology, with eight compounds currently in development. Utilizing target-based drug discovery, high-throughput organic screening/high content screening, computer-aided drug design, and combinatorial chemistry, the companies drive R&D efforts in biology/discovery, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical development. For more information, visit www.SKLifeScienceInc.com. SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. is part of SK Group, South Korea's second-largest conglomerate. SK Group is a collection of global industry-leading companies driving innovations in energy, advanced materials, biopharmaceuticals and digital business. Based in Seoul, SK invests in building sustainable businesses around the world with a shared commitment to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. SK companies combined have $151 billion in global annual revenue and employ more than 100,000 people worldwide. SK Group is one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023. SK Inc., the parent company of SK Biopharmaceuticals, continues to enhance its portfolio value by executing long-term investments with a number of competitive subsidiaries in various business areas, including pharmaceuticals and life science, energy and chemicals, information and telecommunication, and semiconductors. In addition, SK Inc. is focused on reinforcing its growth foundations through profitable and practical management based on financial stability, while raising its enterprise value by investing in new future growth businesses. For more information about SK Inc., visit https://sk-inc.com/en/main/mainpage.aspx. For more information about SK Biopharmaceuticals, visit www.skbp.com/eng. About Eurofarma Founded in 1972, Eurofarma operates in the healthcare sector through the production and commercialization of products and services aimed at improving people's quality of life. With a focus on generating shared value, the company covers key pharmaceutical segments such as prescription drugs, generics, hospital, oncology, OTC, personal care, and animal health, in addition to providing contract manufacturing services. With broad coverage across therapeutic classes, its portfolio includes over 4,000 SKUs, serving nearly all medical specialties. Eurofarma is the leader in medical prescriptions in Brazil, where it also holds second place in the generics market. The company is present in 24 countries, with full coverage across Latin America and retail leadership in the region. It also maintains operations in the United States and Africa, with more than 13,500 employees and 11 manufacturing facilities. In 2024, Eurofarma produced 600 million units. That same year, the company invested over R$ 800 million in innovation projects and achieved net revenue exceeding R$ 11 billion. About Mentis Care, Inc. Mentis Care is an AI-driven health company transforming neurological care through the first predictive AI platform for brain health. The platform is designed to detect and forecast seizures and other neurological events in real time. By combining advanced machine learning with clinical expertise, Mentis Care aims to give patients and families greater safety, confidence, and peace of mind while setting a new global standard in brain health and digital neuromonitoring. About XCOPRI (cenobamate tablets) CV Cenobamate is an antiseizure medication (ASM) discovered and developed by SK Biopharmaceuticals and SK Life Science. Cenobamate reduces neuronal excitability through a unique dual mechanism of action, preferentially inhibiting the persistent sodium currentand enhancing GABAergic inhibition at the type A -aminobutyric acid (GABAA) ion channel. The precise mechanism by which cenobamate exerts its therapeutic effect is unknown. Cenobamate is marketed under the brand name XCOPRI in the U.S. by SK Life Science, Inc. Additionally, XCOPRI is commercialized in Canada and Israel by SK Biopharmaceuticals' partners, Paladin Labs Inc. and Dexcel Ltd. Cenobamate is marketed as ONTOZRY by Angelini Pharma S.p.A. in Europe, the UK, and Switzerland. Cenobamate is also being developed for commercialization by SK Biopharmaceuticals' partners in many other countries to meet the needs of patients living with epilepsy, including Dong-A ST Co., Ltd., Eurofarma Laboratorios S.A., Hikma MENA FZE, Ignis Therapeutics, Inc. and ONO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION FOR XCOPRI (cenobamate tablets) CV DO NOT TAKE XCOPRI IF YOU: Are allergic to cenobamate or any of the other ingredients in XCOPRI. Have a genetic problem (called Familial Short QT syndrome) that affects the electrical system of the heart. XCOPRI CAN CAUSE SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, INCLUDING: Allergic reactions: XCOPRI can cause serious skin rash or other serious allergic reactions which may affect organs and other parts of your body like the liver or blood cells. You may or may not have a rash with these types of reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away and go to the nearest emergency room if you have any of the following: swelling of your face, eyes, lips, or tongue, trouble swallowing or breathing, a skin rash, hives, fever, swollen glands, or sore throat that does not go away or comes and goes, painful sores in the mouth or around your eyes, yellowing of your skin or eyes, unusual bruising or bleeding, severe fatigue or weakness, severe muscle pain, frequent infections, or infections that do not go away. Take XCOPRI exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. It is very important to increase your dose of XCOPRI slowly, as instructed by your healthcare provider. QT shortening: XCOPRI may cause problems with the electrical system of the heart (QT shortening). Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of QT shortening including fast heartbeat (heart palpitations) that last a long time or fainting. Suicidal behavior and ideation: Antiepileptic drugs, including XCOPRI, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying; attempting to commit suicide; new or worse depression, anxiety, or irritability; feeling agitated or restless; panic attacks; trouble sleeping (insomnia); acting aggressive; being angry or violent; acting on dangerous impulses; an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania); or other unusual changes in behavior or mood. Nervous system problems: XCOPRI may cause problems that affect your nervous system. Symptoms of nervous system problems include: dizziness, trouble walking or with coordination, feeling sleepy and tired, trouble concentrating, remembering, and thinking clearly, and vision problems. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how XCOPRI affects you. Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines that can make you sleepy or dizzy while taking XCOPRI without first talking to your healthcare provider. DISCONTINUATION: Do not stop taking XCOPRI without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping XCOPRI suddenly can cause serious problems. Stopping seizure medicine suddenly in a patient who has epilepsy can cause seizures that will not stop (status epilepticus). DRUG INTERACTIONS: XCOPRI may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how XCOPRI works. Do not start or stop other medicines without talking to your healthcare provider. Tell healthcare providers about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. PREGNANCY AND LACTATION: XCOPRI may cause your birth control medicine to be less effective. Talk to your health care provider about the best birth control method to use. Talk to your health care provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if XCOPRI will harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking XCOPRI. You and your healthcare provider will decide if you should take XCOPRI while you are pregnant. If you become pregnantwhile taking XCOPRI, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic medicine during pregnancy. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888233-2334 or go to www.aedpregnancyregistry.org. Talk to your health care provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if XCOPRI passes into breastmilk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while taking XCOPRI. COMMON SIDE EFFECTS: The most common side effects in patients taking XCOPRI include dizziness, sleepiness, headache, double vision, and feeling tired. These are not all the possible side effects of XCOPRI. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch. DRUG ABUSE: XCOPRI is a federally controlled substance (CV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep XCOPRI in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away XCOPRI may harm others and is against the law. INDICATION: XCOPRI is a prescription medicine used to treat partial-onset seizures in adults 18 years of age and older. It is not known if XCOPRI is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age. Please see additional patient information in the Medication Guide. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your condition or your treatment. Please see full Prescribing Information. About Epilepsy Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder. There are approximately 3.4 million people living with epilepsy in the United States, with 150,000 new cases each year in the country.1,2 Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but often the cause is completely unknown. Having seizures and epilepsy can affect one's safety, relationships, work, driving, and much more.3,4 People with epilepsy are at risk for accidents and other health complications, including falling, drowning, depression and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP).3,4 Despite the availability of many antiepileptic therapies, almost 40 percent of people with epilepsy are not able to achieve seizure freedom, meaning they have epilepsy that remains uncontrolled.5 XCOPRI and ONTOZRY are registered trademarks of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Media Contact: SK Biopharmaceuticals Public Relations Team [email protected] References 1. Cleveland Clinic. Epilepsy. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17636-epilepsy.Accessed May2025. 2. Epilepsy Foundation. Facts & Statistics About Epilepsy. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/about-epilepsy-basics/epilepsy-statistics. Accessed October 2025. 3. Epilepsy Foundation. Staying Safe. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/seizure-first-aid-and-safety/staying-safe. Accessed October 2025. 4. Epilepsy Foundation. Complications and Risks. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/challenges-epilepsy. Accessed October 2025. 5. Chen Z, Brodie MJ, Liew D, Kwan P. Treatment outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy treated with established and new antiepileptic drugs: a 30-year longitudinal cohort study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29279892. Published online December 26, 2017. SOURCE SK Biopharmaceuticals. Co., Ltd. AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithers Quality Assessments Division has achieved first place in the International Automotive Oversight Bureau's (IAOB) External Balanced Scorecard (EBSC) Program for 2025. This prestigious recognition underscores the division's commitment to excellence in automotive supplier certification and quality assessment services. The EBSC serves as a critical performance evaluation tool utilized by major automotive manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, to assess and rate their suppliers' capabilities and performance standards. The IAOB oversees the certification system for automotive suppliers and manages performance complaints when suppliers receive inadequate EBSC ratings, making this achievement particularly significant within the industry. "We are honored to be acknowledged by such a critical program that drives trust and accountability in the global automotive manufacturing industry. This is a shining example of the dedication and expertise of our teams in both the North American and Asia Pacific regions working together to achieve this recognition. It reflects our commitment to excellence in the third-party conformity assessment space, as well as our role in supporting the highest performance standards for the global automotive industry," said Jeanette Preston, President, Smithers Quality Assessments Division. Marty Willem, Automotive Sector Manager at Smithers Quality Assessments Division, said, "Earning first place in the IAOB's 2025 External Balanced Scorecard Program is a proud moment for our team. It underscores our dedication to helping automotive suppliers meet the industry's highest standards and our commitment to driving quality and trust across the supply chain." The recognition comes at a time when automotive manufacturers are increasingly focused on supply chain reliability and quality assurance. Smithers Quality Assessments Division's first-place finish demonstrates its ability to deliver superior assessment services that align with the evolving needs of the automotive sector. For more information about Smithers, please visit https://www.smithers.com/ About Smithers Founded in 1925 and headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Smithers is a multinational provider of testing, consulting, information, and compliance services. With laboratories and operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, Smithers supports customers in the transportation, life science, packaging, materials, components, consumer, cannabis, dry commodities, and energy industries. Smithers delivers accurate data, on time, with high touch, by integrating science, technology, and business expertise, so customers can innovate with confidence. Smithers is an authorized C3PAO and can be found on the Cyber AB Marketplace. SOURCE Smithers Sweden is increasing its support to the World Bank's Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform Trust Fund (URTF) by SEK 385 million (approximately EUR 35 million), the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service reported. "The fund makes it possible to address the most urgent needs and strengthen Ukraine's resilience and long-term recovery," the ministry said in a social media post. SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 19, the 2025 Antai College Advisory Board Meeting of Antai College of Economics and Management (ACEM), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), was held at the SJTU Xuhui Campus. Nearly forty domestic and international guests from the political, academic, and business sectors attended the meeting, sharing valuable insights to support the high-quality development of the college. The 2025 Antai College Advisory Board Meeting Convened The meeting was held in conjunction with the 2nd Shanghai Forum on Proactive Healthcare, the 20th anniversary of the C.Y. Tung Institute of Intelligent Management and Logistics, and the Antai International Corporate Day. Guests from the global political, academic, and business communities gathered to discuss the developmental trajectory of business schools amid technological advancements and the evolving international landscape. In the newly introduced keynote speech sessions, attendees shared insights on the forefront of artificial intelligence and strategic opportunities for the nation. In an interview, Chen Fangruo, Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasized that management is also a form of productivity. Over the past few decades, China's management practices have undergone profound transformations. By systematically summarizing these practices, theoretical development can be advanced, propelling it to the forefront of global management research. In recent years, Antai College has innovated its institutional mechanisms, adopting the development strategy of "Two types of scholarship, horizontal (academic) and vertical (industry), reinforcing each other and connecting theory with practice". This approach has enabled the college to dismantle barriers between academic research and industry practices, resulting in the establishment of a new business education ecosystem that deeply integrates industry, academia, and research. Leveraging its strengths in interdisciplinary studies and think tank research, the college has demonstrated a leading role in serving national strategies and supporting regional development. Through high-level talent cultivation and scientific research innovation, Antai College actively contributes to the modernization and advancement of the Chinese development model. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801213/1.jpg Shawn Anderson: "There's no better way to make a difference than volunteering for an organization that moves our hearts." LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 1, over 500 cities across America will declare Extra Mile Day and celebrate the impact of volunteerism in their local communities. This year, mayors from all 50 states have come together with one joint declaration: volunteers make a difference. In association with Extra Mile America, Extra Mile Day is a movement dedicated to highlighting the power of volunteerism in connection with the "go the extra mile" message. The day's popularity continues to take root in cities across the United States. Created in 2009 with 23 inaugural cities, over 500 mayors are expected to make the 2025 declaration. According to Shawn Anderson, the motivational author and visionary behind the day's declaration, "Volunteerism matters. It's the time that parents freely give to their local PTA to assure a successful fundraiser. It's that one hour volunteered each week to help a local animal shelter get pets adopted. It's the selflessness of delivering food to a person no longer able to go shopping. Having volunteers who 'go the extra mile' is often what allows many community-driven organizations to succeed in their mission." Mayor Jan Kulmann continues to make the November 1 "Extra Mile Day" declaration matter in Thornton, Colorado. Mayor Kulmann recognizes the difference-making contribution of the extra-mile residents in her city. "In cities such as Thornton, we recognize those individuals who not only are contributing but are doing so in a way that is clearly an effort to 'go the extra mile.' Thornton's success is built on the efforts of these people." For the 12th year, Pompano Beach, Florida, is recognizing the "Extra Mile Day" message. According to Mayor Rex Hardin, "On Extra Mile Day, we proudly recognize the individuals who selflessly give more, who uplift neighbors, strengthen our community, and inspire hope. Their efforts are the true spirit of our city, and we thank them for going the extra mile every day." Dover, Delaware, is another returning "Extra Mile Day" city. Mayor Robin R. Christiansen uses the day's declaration to encourage others to live the "go the extra mile" message. "On Extra Mile Day, I encourage everyone to go beyond what's expected. If you walk one mile, add two more. If you lend a hand, extend it further. It's those extra miles that create stronger communities and brighter futures." Extra Mile Day founder Shawn Anderson makes it clear, however, that the "going the extra mile" message and its importance extend far past November 1. "I love the chance to celebrate amazing volunteers, yet 'Extra Mile Day' is more than one day during the year to recognize the impact of volunteerism. It's also a reminder that every day is a chance for each of us to do more, give more, and add more value to create the positive changes we seek. And there's no better way to make a difference than volunteering for an organization that moves our hearts." Media Contact: Shawn Anderson 3104024826 [email protected] SOURCE ExtraMileAmerica.org LISBON, Portugal, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Textile and garment manufacturers worldwide are facing growing pressure to maintain continuous production while improving efficiency, reducing waste, and meeting sustainability targets. ManWinWin Software, a leading provider of computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), is helping factories transform their maintenance strategies and embrace the future of connected, predictive maintenance. The Future of Maintenance in Textile & Garment Manufacturing: ManWinWin CMMS Leads the Way High-speed production lines, from spinning and weaving to dyeing and finishing, are highly sensitive to equipment failures. A single broken loom, misaligned roller, or overheated dyeing tank can halt operations, delay deliveries, and impact product quality. ManWinWin CMMS offers a comprehensive solution to anticipate failures, schedule preventive interventions, and centralize maintenance operations, ensuring maximum uptime and operational efficiency. "In the textile and garment sector, maintenance is no longer just reactive it is strategic," said Rodrigo Saraiva Cabral, General Manager of ManWinWin Software. "Our CMMS enables manufacturers to predict problems before they occur, optimize resources, and transform maintenance into a key driver of productivity and sustainability." ManWinWin integrates advanced IoT monitoring, mobile access, and cloud-based analytics to provide real-time insights into asset performance. Maintenance teams can generate automated work orders, track spare parts usage, and analyze performance trends to make data-driven decisions. The result is reduced downtime, lower energy consumption, and improved product quality all critical factors in a highly competitive global market. The software also supports sustainability initiatives, a growing priority for textile and garment manufacturers. Efficient maintenance reduces waste, extends equipment lifespan, and contributes to environmental compliance, helping factories meet strict international eco-certifications and brand standards. Proven across numerous textile and garment clients worldwide, ManWinWin has consistently delivered measurable results: up to 30% fewer unplanned stoppages, higher maintenance team efficiency, improved spare parts control, and enhanced decision-making through detailed KPIs and dashboards. To learn more about how ManWinWin is shaping the future of maintenance in the textile and garment industry, read the full article here: https://www.manwinwin.com/the-future-of-maintenance-in-textile-garment-manufacturing For more information about ManWinWin Software and its CMMS solutions, visit: https://www.manwinwin.com About ManWinWin Software ManWinWin Software is a global leader in computerized maintenance management systems, providing innovative solutions to help manufacturers across multiple sectors optimize asset performance, reduce downtime, and improve operational efficiency. Trusted by clients worldwide, ManWinWin combines proven functionality with digital innovation to meet the evolving demands of modern industry. Media Contact: Jose Fernandes ManWinWin Partner [email protected] +351 934309100 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801497/ManWinWin_Software.jpg SOURCE ManWinWin Software College of the Atlantic #1 on Top 50 Green Colleges List NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princeton Review today posted the 2026 edition of its annual Guide to Green Collegesa free online resource the company has published since 2010 for college applicants interested in attending colleges that practice and promote environmental responsibility. Accessible at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide , the 2026 edition of the Guide profiles 388 colleges that The Princeton Review editors selected out of 401 institutions the company surveyed for this year's project. The Guide also features a ranking list of the Top 50 Green Colleges of the 388 colleges profiled. The top 25 schools that made this list are indicated below. The full list is viewable here. The Princeton Review selected the 388 schools for the Guide and tallied its Top 50 list primarily based on data from the company's surveys of administrators at the colleges in 202425. The 25-question survey requested information about each institution's sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. The company also surveyed students attending the colleges about their experiences at their schools including administrator and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts on the campus. More than 25 survey data points were analyzed to tally Green Rating scores for the schools. Developed to provide a measure of a school's performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution, the Green Ratings are reported on a scale of 60 to 99. (The Green Rating methodology is described here.) The 388 colleges chosen for the Guide earned Green Rating scores of 80 or higher. They are listed in alphabetical order in the Guide. Their annually updated profiles on PrincetonReview.com include application and admission information, as well as their Green Rating scores and details of their sustainability-related campus distinctions and practices. On the Top 50 Green Colleges ranking list, the school that ranked #1and for the 10th consecutive yearis the College of the Atlantic (Brunswick, ME). Renowned for its commitment to environmental sustainability, the college awards bachelor's and master's degrees exclusively in Human Ecology. In 2007, it became the first college in the U.S. to achieve carbon-neutrality, and it has committed to becoming a fossil fuel-free campus by 2030. The College of the Atlantic is also #1 on The Princeton Review list Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation, one of 50 categories of ranking lists in the company's book, The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition (August 12, 2025). American University (DC), #2 on the Top 50 Green Colleges list, also has an extraordinary record of green distinctions. In 2010, it committed to become carbon-neutral by 2020 and it attained that goal in 2018two years ahead of its target. Its Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030 outlines the university's 113 goals across six focus areas. The methodology for the Top 50 Green Colleges list is explained here. "Since we debuted our Green Guide in 2010, we have seen dramatic growth in the number of colleges committing to sustainability practicesfrom constructing green-certified buildings to sourcing food locally," said Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief, The Princeton Review. "We applaud each one of the colleges that made our Guide's 2026 edition, and we highly recommend these schools to students who want their 'best-fit' college to also be a green one." Franek noted growing interest The Princeton Review has seen among college applicants in attending green colleges. "Of more than 7,000 students that participated in our 2025 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 59% said having information about a college's commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend the school." Franek also noted The Princeton Review's release of its Guide to Green Colleges annually coincides with Campus Sustainability Monththe Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)'s annual international celebration of sustainability in higher education. "We join with AASHE in promoting environmental sustainability and shining a light on the colleges and universities (and their students) that demonstrate exceptional commitment to it." As a group, the 388 schools in The Princeton Review's 2026 Guide to Green Colleges have highly impressive "green" statistics: 18% of their energy comes from clean and renewable sources 38% of their waste is diverted from incinerators or solid-waste landfills 94% have a sustainability officer 98% offer a sustainability focused undergraduate major or degree Of the 388 schools in the Guide, 322 are in the U.S., 33 are in Canada, and 33 are in 16 other countries abroad. Thirty-seven of the 388 schools earned a Green Rating score of 99 (the highest possible score). They are named to The Princeton Review's Green Honor Roll that appears on PrincetonReview.com as well as in the company's book, The Best 391 Colleges (August 12, 2026). The top 25 schools on The Princeton Review's Top 50 Green Colleges list for 2026 are: College of the Atlantic (ME) American University (DC) Lehigh University (PA) Loyola Marymount University (CA) Bennington College (VT) University of California, Santa Cruz University of California, Merced University of Cincinnati (OH) University of MassachusettsAmherst Stephens Institute of Technology (NJ) University of Vermont University of North Carolina at Asheville Grand Valley State University (MI) Randolph College (VA) Bates College (ME) State University of New YorkStony Brook Bentley University (MA) Macalester College (MN) New York University (NY) University of CaliforniaIrvine University of St. Thomas (MN) Northeastern University (MA) Dickinson College (PA) Luther College (IA) University of New Hampshire About The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate schoolbound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; a line of more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. Founded in 1981, the company is now in its 44th year. The company's Tutor.com brand, now in its 25th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 28 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, headquartered in New York, NY, is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com. Follow the company on Instagram (@theprincetonreview), LinkedIn (the-princeton-review), YouTube (@ThePrincetonReview), and TikTok (@princeton.review). WEBSITE: www.princetonreview.com SOURCE The Princeton Review JEROME, Ariz., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Once a crumbling relic of Arizona's copper boom, The Little Daisy Jerome has been restored as one of the state's most distinctive private estates. The 25,000-square-foot mansion, originally built in 1918 by copper baron James "Rawhide Jimmy" Douglas, has been reimagined as a private venue combining historic character with contemporary amenities. The Revival of the The Little Daisy: Arizonas Storied Mansion Reimagined for the Era of Experiential Luxury Under the direction of managing partner Brian Grooms and his father and business partner F. Andrew Grooms, Little Daisy's marble halls and sunlit atrium now host milestone birthdays, art-filled retreats, and multi-day weddings that unfold like modern folklore. "People don't just want to go somewhere anymore," said Brian Grooms. "They want to belong somewhere, even if it's just for a weekend. The Little Daisy offers that a place where every guest becomes part of its century-old story." Shifting Definitions of Luxury The estate's revival aligns with broader trends in travel and hospitality. According to Airbnb's 2024 Travel Trends Report, group bookings for entire homes have increased by 80 percent since before the pandemic, while Expedia identifies "together travel" as a leading segment in the luxury market. The Knot projects that the United States will host approximately 2.5 million weddings in 2026, with destination events and multi-day celebrations continuing to grow in popularity. Responding to this shift, The Little Daisy Jerome curates personalized experiences that emphasize connection and local culture. Offerings include private chef dinners, wine tastings featuring regional producers, and guided tours through the Verde Valley. Architecture and Experience Every room within The Little Daisy seems designed for storytelling. A light-filled atrium doubles as an art gallery, a chef's kitchen inspires intimate dinners, and a billiards room and upstairs lounge beckon guests long after the desert sun sets. Accommodations include 19 guests in the main house and up to 33 when The Geologist's House and Villa Contenta are included. Privacy remains central to the property's design. Only one group is hosted at a time, ensuring exclusive use of the estate. For weddings, The Little Daisy Jerome offers custom-designed packages tailored to each couple's vision, combining art, heritage, and intimacy. Recent guests describe the experience as distinctive and deeply personal. "We turned The Little Daisy into a weekend-long wedding with our closest family and friends," said bride Melissa Brown. "From the early planning to the final day, the team made sure every detail ran smoothly so we could be fully present. The history, the beauty, and the intimacy of the estate cannot be replicated it's even more magical in person than any photo could show.""It was the most epic celebration of love and friendship," added Jeri Miuccio, "set against the most breathtaking backdrop I could have ever imagined." Ways to Experience The Little Daisy Jerome Custom Weddings & Celebrations Bespoke, multi-event gatherings designed for connection and storytelling. Corporate & Creative Retreats Private think tanks and artistic getaways where collaboration thrives. Family Reunions & Milestone Events Generational gatherings in a private setting. Wellness, Culinary & Wine Experiences Yoga, art, private chefs, and curated wine-country adventures in the Verde Valley. The Little Daisy Jerome at a Glance Built: 1918 by copper baron James "Rawhide Jimmy" Douglas Size: 25,000 sq. ft.; sleeps 19 in the main house, 33 with two guest homes Features: Sunlit atrium, yoga and fitness studio, billiards room, upper lounge, chef's kitchen Use: Exclusive private stays, weddings, retreats, milestone celebrations, creative residencies History: Past owners include Douglas, inventor William Earl Bell, and the Ackers, before the Grooms family reimagined the estate in 2020 Coming in 2026: Custom wedding packages and national TV debut From its hillside perch overlooking the Verde Valley, The Little Daisy Jerome stands as a testament to thoughtful preservation and design. The property bridges Arizona's industrial past with a new era of experiential hospitality. For more information and booking, interested parties can visit www.thelittledaisyjerome.com. Contact Holly Morgan [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2802134/The_Little_Daisy_Jerome.jpg SOURCE The Little Daisy Jerome Make Every Candy Purchase Count CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This Halloween, World Business Chicago (WBC) is encouraging everyone who calls the Chicagoland region homeor holds it close to heartto make every candy purchase count by choosing and purchasing Chicago-made candies and snacks for this year's trick-or-treating and celebrations. I bought Chicago-made candy for Halloween. Show your pride. Support local jobs. From the factory floor to neighborhood storefronts, tens of thousands of Chicago-area workers power the nation's favorite treats from Tootsie Rolls, Butterfingers, and CRUNCH bars to M&M's, Snickers, Skittles, Lemonheads, Nerds, and Sour Patch Kids, with hometown icons like Garrett Mix and HARIBO Goldbears sweetening the story. CALL TO ACTION: Buy local candy this Halloween and support Chicagoland. Whether it's filling trick-or-treat bags, office bowls, or holiday gift baskets, every purchase of a Chicago-made sweet helps protect local jobs, strengthen families, and preserve a legacy of craftsmanship that has defined the city for more than a century. "When people buy locally made candy, they're doing more than satisfying a sweet tooth they're helping sustain good jobs, strengthen local supply chains, and keep Chicago's proud manufacturing heritage alive," said David Boulay, President of Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center. "Each purchase is a simple but powerful way to show pride in our city and support the people who make it great." A Legacyand a WorkforceBuilt on Sweet Success Chicago's love affair with candy began in the kitchens of immigrant entrepreneurs who brought recipes and craftsmanship from Europe nougat from France, dragees from Italy, and hard candies from England. By the 1940s, their collective ingenuity had transformed Chicago into the Candy Capital of America, producing more than 556 million pounds of candy per year. The city had all the right ingredients for sweet success: a skilled and diverse workforce, a central location perfect for distribution, and a cool climate ideal for candy-making long before refrigeration. "Chicago became the melting pot of candy," said historian Beth Kimmerle, author of Candy: The Sweet History. "Literally, the copper pot became the melting pot of candy." Over the decades, many of these companies evolved into world-renowned brands that helped shape Chicago's identity. From the Wrigley Building and its gum empire to the Brach's and Mars factories on the West Side, Chicago's candy makers didn't just create confections they built communities, careers, and civic pride. Today, that legacy endures in a new generation of companies from heritage icons to modern disruptors redefining the future of snacking: Ferrara Candy Company Founded in Chicago's Little Italy by Salvatore Ferrara in 1908, the company gave the world Red Hots, Lemonheads, Atomic Fireballs, and now produces Trolli, Nerds, and Laffy Taffy. Founded in Chicago's Little Italy by Salvatore Ferrara in 1908, the company gave the world Red Hots, Lemonheads, Atomic Fireballs, and now produces Trolli, Nerds, and Laffy Taffy. Mars (Wrigley) From Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gum to Snickers, M&M's, and 3 Musketeers, the Wrigley and Mars families turned Chicago into the epicenter of American candy-making innovation. Today, Mars continues to expand that legacy through new ventures like Hotel Chocolat, which is growing its U.S. presence from its Chicago base. (Wrigley) From Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gum to Snickers, M&M's, and 3 Musketeers, the Wrigley and Mars families turned Chicago into the epicenter of American candy-making innovation. Today, Mars continues to expand that legacy through new ventures like Hotel Chocolat, which is growing its U.S. presence from its Chicago base. Brach's Once producing over four million pounds of candy weekly, Brach's revolutionized the industry with its wrapping machines and remains synonymous with Halloween thanks to its beloved Candy Corn. Once producing over four million pounds of candy weekly, Brach's revolutionized the industry with its wrapping machines and remains synonymous with Halloween thanks to its beloved Candy Corn. Curtiss Candy Company Creator of Baby Ruth and Butterfinger, Curtiss helped invent modern marketing when founder Otto Schnering famously dropped candy bars from airplanes to promote his brand. Creator of Baby Ruth and Butterfinger, Curtiss helped invent modern marketing when founder Otto Schnering famously dropped candy bars from airplanes to promote his brand. Tootsie Roll Industries The company produces over 64 million Tootsie Rolls daily and is led by Ellen Rubin Gordon, one of the first women to helm a company traded on the NYSE. The company produces over 64 million Tootsie Rolls daily and is led by Ellen Rubin Gordon, one of the first women to helm a company traded on the NYSE. Frango Mints Once a Marshall Field's exclusive, Frangos became a Chicago icon and are now owned by another local favorite, Garrett Popcorn Shops. Once a Marshall Field's exclusive, Frangos became a Chicago icon and are now owned by another local favorite, Garrett Popcorn Shops. Garrett Popcorn Shops Home of the world-famous Chicago Mix, pairing caramel and cheese corn in perfect harmony. Home of the world-famous Chicago Mix, pairing caramel and cheese corn in perfect harmony. Mondelez International With its global headquarters in Chicago, Mondelez leads the future of snacking through beloved brands like Oreo, Ritz, Swedish Fish, and Sour Patch Kids. With its global headquarters in Chicago, Mondelez leads the future of snacking through beloved brands like Oreo, Ritz, Swedish Fish, and Sour Patch Kids. HARIBO Creator of the iconic Goldbears and other beloved gummy candies, HARIBO has made its U.S. home in Rosemont, Illinois. From its Chicagoland headquarters, the company continues its century-long tradition of delighting candy lovers. Creator of the iconic Goldbears and other beloved gummy candies, HARIBO has made its U.S. home in Rosemont, Illinois. From its Chicagoland headquarters, the company continues its century-long tradition of delighting candy lovers. Feastables One of America's fastest-growing startups, co-founded by global creator and entrepreneur MrBeast, now proudly headquartered in Chicago. Together, these companies represent more than a century of innovation, craftsmanship, and community impact. They employ thousands across Chicagoland from legacy candy makers to next-generation food innovators reinforcing why the candy economy is so significant here across Chicagoland. "Chicagoland doesn't just make candy, it makes an impact," said Phil Clement, President & CEO of World Business Chicago. "With global leaders like Mars, Ferrero, and others investing and innovating here, Chicago has long been the heartbeat of America's candy and snack industry. Candy production generates over $1.6 billion in economic impact across our region, supporting jobs, family livelihoods, and community pride. Chicagoland truly equals Candyland." Innovation and Inclusion Drive Chicago's Food Future This call to action comes on the heels of World Business Chicago's flagship Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Food, which spotlighted the region's leadership in food innovation, manufacturing, and sustainability. At the Summit, WBC's Research Center released its latest report, Innovation in Chicagoland's Food & Ag Industry, revealing that: Chicagoland is the #1 food manufacturing hub in the United States , generating $11.8 billion in annual output and employing more than 72,000 people across food and beverage manufacturing. Nearly 40% of firms are located outside Cook County, underscoring the region's far-reaching economic impact. Within that sector, candy production employment is projected to grow by 6% by 2030 , generating in annual output and employing more than across food and beverage manufacturing. Nearly 40% of firms are located outside Cook County, underscoring the region's far-reaching economic impact. Within that sector, The Chicagoland sugar and confections industry ranks #1 among all U.S. metro areas, with a 16% increase in real GDP since 2017, a total contribution of $1.1 billion to the regional economy a fitting reminder of why we proudly call it Sweet Home Chicago. World Business Chicago encourages consumers, families, and businesses to choose Chicago-made treats this Halloween and throughout the holiday season and to share their favorites on social media using #SweetHomeChicago and #ChicagolandCandyland. About World Business Chicago World Business Chicago drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports business expansion, and promotes Chicago as a leading global city and region. Through collaboration with civic, corporate, and community partners, WBC works to attract investment, strengthen key industries, and advance shared prosperity across Chicagoland and beyond. SOURCE World Business Chicago FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- eosera Foundation Staff -- Three women entrepreneurs are practicing their presentations and gearing up for a competition next month that could transform their businesses with $42,500 in seed funding. In its fourth year, the eosera Foundation Pitch Competition will host a live, Shark Tank-style pitch competition at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth on Nov. 13. eosera Foundation 2025 Pitch Competition Finalists CEO of eosera, Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, talks with event emcee Kellie Rasberry, co-host of the KHKS 106.1 Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, during the 2024 eosera Foundation Pitch Competition. This year's competition will take place on Nov. 13 at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. (PRNewsfoto/Eosera) Annika Lundstrom: ReMinded Cherie Turner: Mommy Scrubs Joanna Shu: Cartwheel The competition provides female-founded ventures a funding opportunity to support their business. CEO of eosera, Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, knows how vital this funding is. The clinical trial that launched eosera was funded by the proceeds from a pitch competition she won, which she then turned into a multi-million-dollar business. "Less than two percent of venture capital funding makes it into the pockets of female founders," Dickerson said. "The pitch competition exists to give women an opportunity for funding that might change the path of their venture, just like it did for me." The initial round of the 2025 competition had more than 260 applicants. To be eligible, each business must be majority female owned, have less than three years in operation and have a strong pitch to back it. For CEO of Mommy Scrubs, Cherie Turner, the finalist selection provides more than just a funding opportunity. "It is such an honor and affirmation that my purpose-driven work with Mommy Scrubs is being seen," Turner said. "It validates not just my product, but my mission to empower breastfeeding moms in scrubs to balance work and motherhood with confidence." Turner and the other finalists will deliver their respective pitches live in eight minutes or less to a panel of judges from executive leadership in various industries. The finalists come from a variety of backgrounds and some already have experience pitching on stage. "Every pitch reinforces why we do this," CEO of Reminded, Annika Lundstrom, said. "To move one step closer to improving the lives of millions affected by stress-related disorders and cortisol imbalance. Being selected [as a finalist] is another opportunity to show others, especially young women scientists, that you don't need permission to start." The competition allows finalists to win up to two cash prizes. The first-place award offers $30,000, followed by $5,500 for second place and $2,500 for third place. Audience members are also able to impact the vote, and any finalist can go home with an additional $2,500 if they win the vote for the People's Choice Award. The live competition is expected to draw in more than 200 guests and will hold a happy hour starting at 5:00 p.m. where light bites and drinks will be available before the competition begins at 7:00 p.m. Those interested in attending can grab a free event ticket online , get a chance to take home a gift basket valued at $2,500 and possibly witness the start of the next big business in the making. "Elyse and eosera represent the kind of company we aspire to be and our vision of the future," CEO of Cartwheel, Joanna Shu said. "Winning would be both inspiration and affirmation that we're on the right path." SOURCE Eosera The new offering gives consumers months-long car access without the burdens of traditional ownership SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Turo , the world's largest car sharing marketplace, today launched an affordable, convenient, low-commitment alternative to traditional car ownership. This new offering features a seamless way to browse thousands of makes and models available to book for a month or more, as well as the flexibility to extend or shorten bookings whenever you want. Consumers will also be able to pay for their bookings in monthly installments and will see all-inclusive pricing up front, removing any surprise costs that come with traditional car ownership, like routine maintenance, down payments, and depreciation. Turo is addressing a consumer shift toward favoring car access over car ownership because of increased sticker prices, insurance premiums, and repair costs. According to a recent survey , 57% of American car owners are interested in accessing a vehicle for extended periods without the financial burden of ownership. Reflecting this trend, trips lasting three or more months are Turo's fastest growing segment January to September 2025 with triple digit year over year growth. "A car should be a symbol of freedom, but it's become a source of financial stress for many. We're here to change that," says Tim Rossanis, SVP of Turo US. "Turo gives car shoppers a new, more flexible way to access the exact car they need, for as long as they need it, without the headache of multi-year leases. For our host community, it's a powerful new way to sustain steady cash flow and grow their businesses. It's a win-win for all." By providing a new low-commitment alternative to car ownership, Turo empowers car shoppers to skip the dealership and access a vehicle of their choice directly from their phone, all from the comfort of their own home. The launch of these new features advances Turo's mission to put the world's 1.5 billion cars to better use by helping consumers meet their mobility needs through existing vehicles, rather than contributing to the mass production of cars that sit idle 95% of the time. As one of the most flexible options on the market, Turo is expanding its disruptive business model beyond short term car rental and challenging the conventions of traditional car ownership. You can now book trips for a month or more on Turo across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. To learn more and explore cars, visit turo.com/home/monthly . About Turo Turo is the world's largest car sharing marketplace, where you can rent the perfect car for wherever you're going from a vibrant community of trusted hosts across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and France. Flying in from afar or looking for a car down the street, searching for a rugged truck or something smooth and swanky, you can skip the rental car counter and choose from an extraordinary, totally unique selection of nearby vehicles shared by local hosts. Entrepreneurs can take the wheel of their futures by becoming hosts and building car-sharing businesses on Turo, leveraging our established platform to scale their businesses to meet their goals. With an unwavering mission of putting the world's 1.5 billion cars to better use, Turo unlocks the hidden value in idle and underutilized assets, empowering anyone to get in the driver's seat. Find your drive on Turo. To learn more about Turo, please visit www.turo.com . Media Contact: Alexandria Mao [email protected] SOURCE Turo Inc. PHOENIX, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ubiik, a leading provider of private network technologies, is pleased to announce that Anterix has awarded key designations for their flagship Pyxis 5G LPWA router and goRAN+ base station. These designations signify that Ubiik's end-to-end pLTE Solution is ready for use on Anterix 900MHz (B106) spectrum supporting 4G LTE networks. As the largest holder of licensed spectrum in the 900MHz band (896-901/935-940 MHz) throughout the contiguous United States, plus Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, Anterix tests Anterix Active Ecosystem (AAE) member equipment to confirm the technology meets Anterix's criteria for operation on 900 MHz private wireless broadband networks. Ubiik has been awarded Anterix Active badges for its Pyxis 5G LPWA RA810 model and goRAN+ base station. It also has been awarded an Anterix Capable badge for the high-power 28dBm variant of the Pyxis router (RA320X model) which will significantly extend the coverage of the Band 106 networks from the standard 23dBm LTE module. "We are pleased to add our private network offering - from base station to routers - to the growing Anterix ecosystem supporting 900MHz," said Mark Fecci, VP Sales US at Ubiik. "With the Anterix Active badge, our customers can be assured they are buying products which have been tested by Anterix for operation on networks leveraging Anterix 900 MHz spectrum." 900 MHz, a licensed 3GPP designated band, empowers utilities with the ability to support mission-critical applications supported by reliable, more secure, private wireless broadband networks. "We are excited to continue our collaboration to help accelerate infrastructure and devices for utilities with Ubiik's private network portfolio," said Steve Ryan, Anterix Vice President of Ecosystem and Partnerships. As the latest equipment with the Anterix Active badge designation, the Pyxis 5G LPWA and goRAN+ variants offer interoperability with a range of industry standard private network equipment from 3rd parties. "Customers can therefore choose to deploy Pyxis 5G LPWA as part of a macro-cell private network deployment or pair it with Ubiik's goRAN base stations," said Mr Fecci. Pyxis 5G LPWA RA810 and RA320X Supporting a range of utility applications such as SCADA, DER, and distribution automation, the Pyxis 5G LPWA family offers several interfaces to connect with both IP and non-IP equipment. Offering a powerful platform built on a dual-core ARM processor, Pyxis 5G LPWA brings intelligence to the network edge, making it the ultimate choice for future-proof deployment of pLTE Utility networks. RA810 - With its iSIM and ability to failover to public cellular or even ISM or NTN, RA810 is Ubiik's router of choice when roaming is a priority. This model has also been tested by Anterix and has been awarded the Anterix Active badge. RA320X - Offering 28dBm transmit power, our RA320X router is the ideal choice for connectivity across longer distances. It is expected to receive FCC certification and Anterix Active badge in the coming months. goRAN+ LTE Base Station- a mid-range base station working on Anterix 900MHz and the unlicensed ISM bands with an optional built-in EPC to complement the macro cell coverage of other vendors or to boost cost-effectiveness for deployments. For more detailed information on the Pyxis 5G LPWA and goRAN+ for Anterix 900MHz, go to www.ubiik.com. About Ubiik Ubiik delivers high-performance wireless connectivity solutions for mission-critical utility and industrial applications. Ubiik continues to innovate in the private LTE and IoT space, addressing coverage limitations and cost barriers that hinder widespread IoT adoption. With a track record of over one million AMI device deployments, Ubiik is leading provider of private LTE (pLTE) network solutions in delivering scalable, secure, and cost-effective connectivity solutions. Ubiik acquired Mimomax Wireless in 2023, bringing 15 years of knowledge and experience of mission-critical SCADA and voice deployments into the Ubiik group. For more information, visit www.ubiik.com. SOURCE Ubiik Under New Letter of Agreement, Teamsters to Receive Retrofitted Package Cars WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- To help expedite delivery of 28,000 air-conditioned vehicles under the current national contract, United Parcel Service (UPS) has signed a new letter of agreement with the UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee to begin retrofitting 5,000 package cars with air conditioning for the hottest delivery zone in the country. "The Teamsters Union appreciates UPS's recognition that our members in Zone 1 need real relief from the heat, and they need it now," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "The rank-and-file at UPS are essential workers who move the American economy. In 2023, the Teamsters secured historic heat protections for our members, and there can be no further delay in the implementation of these safeguards. We look forward to working with UPS to ensure this retrofitting is completed on schedule to get our members the relief they deserve." The 5,000 package cars will be retrofitted with air conditioning by June 1, 2027, and dispatched to the Teamsters' hottest delivery areas in mostly Southern and Southwest states. The first 2,000 vehicles readied under the agreement will be retrofitted by June 1, 2026. The agreement also designates that 100 package cars will be upgraded with air conditioning vented into the cargo compartment under a new pilot program to evaluate strategies for greater heat relief. This is an evolution of UPS's commitment under the 2023 National Master Agreement to ventilate cargo compartments with retrofitted air ducts. The results of the pilot program will be reviewed by the joint Teamsters/UPS Package Car Heat Committee. "Since our union ratified the National Master Agreement, the Teamsters heat committee has been working with UPS to study the best ways to retrofit vehicles for better ventilation. We are eager to start testing A/C in the cargo compartment, inarguably the hottest part of the package cars," said Karla Schumann, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 104 in Phoenix, Ariz., and Chair of the Package Car Heat Committee. "This is a positive step for UPS to speed up delivery of air-conditioned vehicles by utilizing retrofitting for our most affected members." The retrofit of 5,000 package cars will contribute to UPS's obligation under the current Teamsters contract to deliver 28,000 new vehicles equipped with air conditioning. Zone 1 applies to UPS Teamsters in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters. Contact: Kara Deniz, (202) 497-6610 [email protected] SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters Photo: https://t.me/chernigivskaODA Four civilians of Novhorod-Siversky (Chernihiv region) died as a result of a massive drone attack by Russian occupiers on Tuesday, Head of Chernihiv Regional Military Administration Viacheslav Chaus has said. "A massive attack on Novhorod-Siversky. The Russians struck with Shahed UAVs, about 20 flights. Four dead are already known. All civilians two men and two women. My condolences to the families," Chaus said in Telegram channel. According to him, seven sought medical help, including one child. "Preliminarily, seven people were injured. These are those who have already sought medical help. Among them is a child, a ten-year-old girl, she is being transported to the children's regional hospital. One injured person is in serious condition, the rest are in moderate condition," the regional administration's head said. Chaus also said there was a lot of destruction in the city as a result of the attack, but did not specify details. MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- VXI Global Solutions proudly announces that it has been named the Grand Winner for Top Employer of the Year at the 2025 Asia CEO Awards, one of the most prestigious business recognitions in the region. In addition, VXI was also honored with a Circle of Excellence Award for Wellness Company of the Year, underscoring the company's holistic commitment to employee growth, well-being, and engagement. The Asia CEO Awards celebrate organizations that drive leadership excellence and contribute meaningfully to nation-building. The Top Employer of the Year award recognizes companies that have demonstrated exceptional people and culture practices, innovation in human resources management, and measurable impact on employee satisfaction and retention across industries. VXI emerged as the Grand Winner among an impressive group of finalists, including companies like Amazon, Hewlett-Packard, HSBC, JP Morgan Chase, Lexmark, and Shopee. "Our recognition as the Top Employer of the Year in the Philippines is an extraordinary honor," said Eppie Titong, SVP of Operations, VXI Philippines. "This distinction, achieved among leading companies across multiple industries not just within the BPO sector reflects the strength of our Employee Value Proposition and our deep commitment to creating an environment where people can grow, belong, and make an impact. It's a true testament to the culture we've built together at VXI and a foundation that will continue to strengthen our market position in the Philippines and beyond." VXI's Circle of Excellence recognition for Wellness Company of the Year further highlights its dedication to employee well-being. Through programs focused on mental health, physical wellness, financial literacy, and community engagement, VXI continues to raise the bar for how organizations support their people both inside and outside of work. "This is more than an award it's validation of our purpose-driven culture and the passion of every VXI employee who makes this company what it is today," added Titong. "Congratulations to our entire team for making this possible." About VXI Global Solutions VXI Global Solutions is a BPO leader in customer service, customer experience, and digital solutions. Founded in 1998, the company has 40,000 employees in 43 locations in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. VXI delivers omnichannel and multilingual support, software development, quality assurance, and CX advisory, automation, and process excellence to the world's most respected brands. VXI is backed by private equity investor Bain Capital and is one of the fastest growing, privately held business services organizations in the United States and the Philippines. For more information, visit www.vxi.com. SOURCE VXI Global Solutions, Inc ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity SeminoleApopka today announced a historic $1 million investment from Wharton-Smith to transform affordable housing in Central Florida. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity SeminoleApopka, the Sanford, FL-based construction services firm will help create Legacy Point, a 19-home community designed to provide safe, stable, and affordable housing for hardworking, qualifying families. L to R: Pat Hewitt, COO Water Wharton-Smith; Mike Alexakis, VP Operations Wharton-Smith; Stephanie Pompeo, CFO Wharton-Smith; Darin Crafton, COO Commercial Wharton-Smith; Jill Wingate, VP HR Wharton-Smith; Tim Smith, President & CEO Wharton-Smith; Penny Seater, CEO Habitat; Susan Rich, EVP and CCO One Florida Bank, Habitat Board; Kelly Pisciotta, COO Habitat; David Johnson, Seminole County Property Appraiser, Habitat Board Chair; Lisa Junkerman, CGO Habitat; Idalia Nunez, Program Director Habitat Legacy Point, located in Historic Sanford, represents both a financial contribution and investment from Wharton-Smith. The community will serve as a blueprint for how private-sector investment can meaningfully address affordable housing across the region. The project is estimated to contribute more than $14 million to the region's GDP. "Affordable housing is one of Central Florida's most pressing challenges," said Tim Smith, CEO of Wharton-Smith. "This $1 million transformational gift represents more than just financial support; it mobilizes people, skills, and resources to uplift lives for generations to come, creating economic, employment, and community stability benefiting all of us." Key Milestones Ahead Include: Wall Raising Ceremony: March 2026, with community leaders and families. Volunteer Build Days: Wharton-Smith employees and Habitat volunteers joining forces on-site. Model Home Tours: Summer 2026 open to the public. Home Dedications: Celebratory events as families receive the keys to their new homes. "Legacy Point will help 19 families fulfill the dream of homeownership," said Penny Seater, CEO of Habitat for Humanity SeminoleApopka. "This is corporate leadership at its finest showing what's possible when industry invests in community. For nearly 35 years, we've been helping families break free from the cycle of rent and step into homeownership. Legacy Point accelerates that mission, and we're honored to partner with Wharton-Smith to help more families build equity, stability, and generational wealth." To learn more about this please visit www.habitatseminoleapopka.org/Legacy-Point About Wharton-Smith Wharton-Smith builds communities. For over 40 years, Wharton-Smith's mission has been to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live, work, and play. Founded on a clear set of core values that still hold true today, Wharton-Smith is dedicated to being the Construction Group of Choice for our employees, our clients, and the communities we serve. For more information, visit www.whartonsmith.com About Habitat for Humanity SeminoleApopka Habitat SeminoleApopka has been building brighter futures and stronger communities in Central Florida for over three decades. Through financial support, volunteer participation, and business partnerships, Habitat constructs and develops affordable homes that are sold to families with low-to-moderate incomes at no profit, financed with modest mortgages. Homebuyers invest in their futures by completing financial education and helping to build their own homes as well as those of other families through earned "sweat equity" hours. Learn more at: www.habitatseminoleapopka.org Media Contact: Lisa Junkerman [email protected] SOURCE Habitat for Humanity - Seminole Apopka BEIJING, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- When 2025 North Bund Forum opened Sunday, Shanghai caught much attention from global attendees with its endeavors to build more green shipping corridors with overseas partners. Currently, the green shipping corridors built together with several European and American ports are advancing intensive application of emission-reduction technologies and multiple-party participation to establish a testing field for global shipping industry transformation. For instance, Shanghai port is co-founding a green ro-ro shipping corridor together with port of Barcelona in Spain and port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium. Other Chinese ports are building similar green shipping corridors with German and French ports. After a year-long operation, the "Shanghai-Hamburg green shipping corridor" unveiled in 2024, has forged ahead in sustainable development. Apart from the regular shore power service, Shanghai port's container berths can now refuel LNG and green methanol, while Hamburg port's berths with 100 percent green shore power service plans to start methanol injection service this year, ready to co-craft an emission-reduction model for Eurasian shipping routes. Between ports of Shanghai and Hamburg, two regular shipping lines that meet requirements of the IMO carbon intensity indicator have been operated by COSCO Shipping Lines to proactively practice low-carbon shipping. Against the backdrop of increasingly trending low-carbon development philosophy, more upstream and downstream institutions joined construction of the green shipping corridor, including Det Norske Veritas, China Classification Society, and Maritime Technology Cooperation Center, Asia. Prior to the corridor, another one between Shanghai port and ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that kicked off in 2022 made new progress in the past year, including 100-percent shore power coverage, deployment of ships with full life-circle low-carbon emission and more injection services of clean marine fuels. At the forum, an international green shipping corridor cooperation initiative was released, proposing to foster low-carbon vessel development, build zero-carbon ports, improve green fuel supply and share related best practices to jointly establish the "transoceanic zero-carbon bridges". Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission and the operator of Melbourne port also issued a joint green shipping corridor initiative, vowing to focus on decarbonization transformation and ecology friendly practices such as use of clean technology and renewable resources to maximumly cut the ecological footprint of shipping activities. Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/347958.html SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road Company to Spotlight Comprehensive Hip & Knee Portfolios and Latest Advancements in Robotics, Including the mBos System Following Recent Acquisition of Monogram Technologies WARSAW, Ind., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZBH), a global medical technology leader, today announced that it is highlighting bold innovations across its broad robotics and musculoskeletal portfolio at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS). During the meeting, the company's booth will prominently feature its broad knee and hip portfolio of customer-centric solutions and infection solutions, along with the latest robotic technologies and data solutions to meet a vast array of surgeon techniques and preferences. Zimmer Biomet will also showcase the surgeon-guided robotic technology recently acquired through the Monogram Technologies Inc. acquisition. "Orthopedics is at a pivotal moment," said Ivan Tornos, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zimmer Biomet. "As the population ages and expectations rise, patients are demanding more: less disruption, faster recovery and care that fits their lives. Surgeons need solutions that match this urgency, and that's why we've engineered next-generation hip and knee implants and curated an ecosystem of robotics, digital platforms and AI. This isn't incremental innovation it's the most ambitious innovation cycle in our company's history, positioning Zimmer Biomet to deliver the industry's most comprehensive and adaptable suite of orthopedic robotics and navigation technologies designed to elevate surgical precision and transform patient outcomes." The highlights at the Zimmer Biomet booth (#1206) include: Digital and Technology Solutions mBos TKA System : a CT-based, semi-autonomous, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) robotic technology that received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance. A surgeon-guided fully autonomous version of this technology is currently in clinical trials. : a CT-based, semi-autonomous, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) robotic technology that received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance. A surgeon-guided fully autonomous version of this technology is currently in clinical trials. ROSA Knee with OptimiZe : the newest version of the ROSA Knee System that customizes and looks to enhance the surgeon's experience with personalized and intelligent surgical planning, new positioning, tracking and alignment features to improve accuracy 1 and reduce user variability, 2 pending U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance. : the newest version of the ROSA Knee System that customizes and looks to enhance the surgeon's experience with personalized and intelligent surgical planning, new positioning, tracking and alignment features to improve accuracy and reduce user variability, pending U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance. TMINI Miniature Robotic System : a state-of-the-art miniature, handheld, wireless CT-based robotic system designed to enable accurate and precise implant placement. : a state-of-the-art miniature, handheld, wireless CT-based robotic system designed to enable accurate and precise implant placement. ZB Edge Analytics : a data platform that delivers intra-operative, mobility and outcome insights directly on a smartphone application, enabling surgeons to objectively assess performance and understand the potential impact of clinical decisions on patient recovery. : a data platform that delivers intra-operative, mobility and outcome insights directly on a smartphone application, enabling surgeons to objectively assess performance and understand the potential impact of clinical decisions on patient recovery. mymobility Care Management Platform : a digital care management platform that delivers continuous data and patient-reported feedback to facilitate care, outcomes and satisfaction about patients' surgical preparation and recovery. Knee Reconstruction Technologies Oxford Cementless Partial Knee : the only FDA-approved mobile cementless partial knee implant in the U.S. that has been shown to be efficient 3,4 in the operating room and has been proven to have excellent survivorship 5,6 worldwide. : the only FDA-approved mobile cementless partial knee implant in the U.S. that has been shown to be efficient in the operating room and has been proven to have excellent survivorship worldwide. Persona OsseoTi Keel Tibia : a cementless tibia for TKA with a 3D printed porous tray that provides stable initial and biological fixation and intra-operative versatility. 7 : a cementless tibia for TKA with a 3D printed porous tray that provides stable initial and biological fixation and intra-operative versatility. Persona SoluTion PPS Femur : a knee implant component designed to serve as an alternative metal for patients with certain metal sensitivities like nickel and cobalt-chrome (Co, Cr, Ni) and bone cement that features a porous coating for cementless fixation and leverages a proprietary surface treatment designed to enhance wear performance. 8,9 : a knee implant component designed to serve as an alternative metal for patients with certain metal sensitivities like nickel and cobalt-chrome (Co, Cr, Ni) and bone cement that features a porous coating for cementless fixation and leverages a proprietary surface treatment designed to enhance wear performance. Persona IQ The Smart Knee : a first-to-world smart knee implant that captures patient-specific gait and range of motion metrics directly from the knee during patient monitoring to provide post-operative recovery insights10,11 and trends, allowing care teams to monitor and personalize the TKA patient experience.10-12 Hip Reconstruction Technologies Z1 Femoral Hip System : offers an expansive size range and three distinct neck options designed to address a variety of patient anatomies and reconstructive needs. : offers an expansive size range and three distinct neck options designed to address a variety of patient anatomies and reconstructive needs. OrthoGrid Hip AI : an AI-powered, fluoroscopy-based technology that provides direct anterior hip surgeons with intuitive and instantaneous intra-operative tools to assist surgeons in achieving the desired surgical outcomes for component positioning. 13 : an AI-powered, fluoroscopy-based technology that provides direct anterior hip surgeons with intuitive and instantaneous intra-operative tools to assist surgeons in achieving the desired surgical outcomes for component positioning. HAMMR Automated Hip Impaction System : designed to address surgeon strain, fatigue and repetitive motion associated with the traditional mallet. For more information about Zimmer Biomet events at 2025 AAHKS, visit https://www.zimmerbiomet.com/en/aahks2025.html. About Zimmer Biomet Zimmer Biomet is a global medical technology leader with a comprehensive portfolio designed to maximize mobility and improve health. We seamlessly transform the patient experience through our innovative products and suite of integrated digital and robotic technologies that leverage data, data analytics and artificial intelligence. With 90+ years of trusted leadership and proven expertise, Zimmer Biomet is positioned to deliver the highest quality solutions to patients and providers. Our legacy continues to come to life today through our progressive culture of evolution and innovation. For more information about our product portfolio, our operations in 25+ countries and sales in 100+ countries or about joining our team, visit www.zimmerbiomet.com or follow on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/zimmerbiomet or X at www.x.com/zimmerbiomet. Important Safety Information for Oxford Cementless Partial Knee: The Oxford Cementless Partial Knee System is indicated for use in unilateral knee procedures with osteoarthritis or avascular necrosis limited to the medial compartment of the knee. It is intended to be implanted without the application of bone cement for patients whose clinical condition would benefit from a shorter surgical time compared to the cemented implant. The Oxford Partial Knee is not indicated for use in the lateral compartment or for patients with ligament deficiency, or for use in simultaneous bilateral surgery or planned staged bilateral procedures. Potential risks include, but are not limited to, loosening, dislocation, fracture, wear and infection, any of which can require additional surgery. For a full list of product indications, contraindications and warnings, please see the associated product Instructions For Use (IFU). Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Zimmer Biomet's expectations, plans, prospects, and product and service offerings, including new product launches and potential clinical successes. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. For a list and description of some of such risks and uncertainties, see Zimmer Biomet's periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in Zimmer Biomet's filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Zimmer Biomet disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers of this news release are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements, since there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Laboratory and animal studies are not necessarily indicative of clinical performance. THINK Surgical and TMINI are trademarks of THINK Surgical, Inc. Persona IQ: The objective kinematic data generated by the CSE with CHIRP System are not intended to support clinical decision-making and have not been shown to provide any clinical benefit References: 1 Data on File. DVaR-DS250106-01 ROSA Knee System v1.5 Validation Report. 2 Data on File. FER-EMS230714-01 Formative Evaluation Report - July Lab 2023. 3 Pandit, H., et al. "Improved fixation in cementless unicompartmental knee replacement: five-year results of a randomized controlled trial." JBJS 95.15 (2013): 1365-1372. 4 Stempin R, Kaczmarek W, Stempin K, Dutka J. Midterm Results of Cementless and Cemented Unicondylar Knee Arthroplasty with Mobile Meniscal Bearing: A Prospective Cohort Study. Open Orthop J. 2017 Oct 31;11:1173-1178. doi: 10.2174/1874325001711011173. PMID: 29290853; PMCID: PMC5721307. 5 NJR- UK . The National Joint Registry 22st Annual Report 2025 London, 2024 [Available from: https://reports.njrcentre.org.uk/Portals/0/PDFdownloads/NJR%2022nd%20Annual%20Report%202025_Knees.pdf. 6 AOANJRR. Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR). Hip, Knee & Shoulder Arthroplasty: 2023 Annual Report Adelaide, AOA2024 [updated 2024. Available from: https://aoanjrr.sahmri.com/documents/10180/1798900/AOANJRR+2024+Annual+Report.pdf/9d0bfe03-2282-8fc8-a424-b8d9abb82b1f?t=1727666185313. 7 Mueller J.K., et al. Persona OsseoTi Keel Tibia Provides Stable Initial Fixation 4027.2-GLBL-en. November 2022. 8 Improved Abrasion Resistance of Nitrogen-Hardened Titanium Alloy Surfaces. Current Topics in Orthopaedic Technology. Zimmer. Vol. 3, No. 6 (1991). 9 Zimmer ZRR_WA_2537_12. 10 Cushner FD, Yergler J, ElashoffB, Aubin PM, VertaP, Scuderi GR. Staying Ahead of the Curve: The Case for Recovery Curves in Total Knee Arthroplasty. The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2024;doi:10.1016/j.arth.2024.07.039 11 Cushner FD, Sculco PK, Long WJ. The Talking Knee Is a Reality: What Your Knee Can Tell You After Total Knee Arthroplasty. J OrthopaedicExperience and Innovation. 2022;2022 12 Cushner FD, Schiller P, Gross J, Mueller JK, Hunter W. A Total Knee Arthroplasty Prosthesis Capable of Remote Patient Monitoring. OrthopaedicProceedings. 2021/06/01 2021;103-B(SUPP_9):18-18 doi:10.1302/1358-992X.2021.9.018 13 Cardenas JM, Gordon D, Waddell BS, Kitziger KJ, Peters PC Jr, Gladnick BP. Does Artificial Intelligence Outperform Humans Using Fluoroscopic-Assisted Computer Navigation for Total Hip Arthroplasty? Arthroplasty Today. 2024 May 27;27:101410. doi: 10.1016/j.artd.2024.101410. PMID: 38840694; PMCID: PMC11150909. SOURCE Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. The Slovak Republic will host a conference dedicated to Ukraine in Bratislava in November 2025, focusing on European integration and postwar recovery, according to the Office of Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. "In November 2025, the Slovak Republic will host a conference dedicated to Ukraine in Bratislava to create a platform for strengthening bilateral cooperation on European integration and postwar recovery on a 'win-win' basis," the Office said following the third round of joint consultations between the Ukrainian and Slovak governments. The agenda includes the development of joint projects within the Ukraine Investment Framework, expansion of the Carpathian Initiative (UkrainePolandSlovakia), coordination of approaches to agricultural imports, support for the updated DCFTA agreement, and the signing of a memorandum on cooperation in sustainable development and forestry. As reported, joint intergovernmental UkrainianSlovak consultations were held on October 17 with the participation of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The court found a 43-year-old Kharkiv resident guilty of high treason (Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), who, on behalf of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), spied on the construction of defensive lines near the city, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. According to the State Security Service Bureau of Ukraine (SBU), the man was part of the Russian FSB agent network neutralized by the Ukrainian special services in September last year. "Then, Ukrainian special services detained three Russian agents-correctors of air attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv. In the spring and summer of this year, two of the detainees have already received prison terms," the SBU said. As it was established, to carry out the tasks of the Russian curator, the Kharkiv resident got a job in one of the construction teams that was engaged in fortifications in the region. Under the guise of a construction worker, the agent had access to the relevant coordinates, which he sent to the curator. Later, the Russian military used this information to prepare strikes on defense facilities with guided aerial bombs. During the air attack, the Kharkiv resident was supposed to receive a signal from the curator to leave the potential zone of attack. It was also established that the man established contacts with local residents in order to covertly ask them for information about the bases of UAV operator training centers. SBU officers detained him while he was conducting additional reconnaissance near a defense facility. 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 Defense Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal held a conversation with his Spanish counterpart Margarita Robles. "Russia does not stop terrorizing Ukrainian cities, trying to destroy our energy sector. Therefore, Ukraine now critically needs to strengthen Ukrainian air defense, in particular by providing missiles for Patriot, NASAMS and IRIS-T. We discussed the possibility of such assistance from Spain," Shmyhal said in the Telegram channel, following the conversation. In addition, the parties discussed promising joint industrial projects, in particular, repair and production of equipment in Ukraine and Spain, as well as the possibility of Spain joining the PURL initiative. "I thanked Spain and Ms. Robles for their unwavering and strategic support for our state. I invited them to visit Kyiv to discuss a mutually beneficial partnership between our defense industries," Shmyhal said. In Russia, a railway track was blown up on one of the sections of Pskov-St. Petersburg railway, which is used for the enemy's military logistics. As sources in Ukrainian military intelligence told Interfax-Ukraine, the explosion also caused a partial fire in the rolling stock of a freight train. Responding to the emergency, Russian special services immediately went to the scene. Mobile Internet in the area of the incident did not work. Sources in the Intelligence Agency said that as a result of the explosion, logistics and movement along the enemy's railways were stopped, which will negatively affect the supply of the Russian occupation army. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/orbanviktor Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will not participate in the discussion of the Ukrainian issue because he will be late for the European Council meeting due to the celebration of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, joining the leaders only in the afternoon of Thursday. His interests will be represented by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. A senior European diplomat told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of the European Council meeting, which will be held on October 23. He said the Prime Minister will be late, as he has a celebration of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956; he will arrive in the middle of the day. The doplomat mentioned that Prime Minister Fico will be Orban's representative while he is away at the meeting. A senior European diplomat explained that this is why Prime Minister Orban will not participate in the discussion on Ukraine, because he is only arriving in the middle of the day, and the discussion of Ukraine will be the first item. Thus, it will start at half past ten, and hopefully with President Zelenskyy present. As for the mood (of other EU leaders) in the Council, it is very clear. He said there is a strategic divergence (with others), which Prime Minister Orban clearly stated, and it still exists. The mood of the other 26 is to move forward with support for Ukraine, and the reparations loan is the key point of discussion on Thursday. If the European Council manages to give the (European Commission) a mandate formulated with some important conditions for the member states, so then they would make a significant contribution to advancing this debate and be able to have a sustainable, viable and reliable financial solution for Ukraine over the next few months, the source added. Photo: https://www.facebook.com Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand invited her Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha to the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of the G7 countries. "I thanked Minister Anand for the invitation to the upcoming G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting and expressed hope for further important decisions in support of Ukraine," Sybiha said on the X social network on Tuesday. The Foreign Minister welcomed Canada's chairmanship of the G7, noting that Ukraine is counting on decisive steps to provide Ukraine with additional equipment, energy resources and air defense means to increase its resilience on the eve of the winter season. The minister also thanked the Canadian side for inviting Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk to the G7 Energy Ministers' meeting in Toronto this month. Separately, the ministers discussed increasing sanctions pressure on Russia and using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's defense and reconstruction. "During our meaningful call, I informed my Canadian colleague Anita Anand about our peace efforts and Russia's terror against energy infrastructure. Being unable to achieve results on the battlefield, Moscow tries to use winter as a weapon against Ukrainians, deliberately depriving people of power and water. We can counter this terror together through increased support for Ukraine, including urgent energy assistance," Sybiha said. The G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting will be held on November 11-12, 2025 in Niagara region, Ontario, Canada. This will be the second such meeting under the Canadian chairmanship in 2025 (the first was held in March). Canada began its one-year presidency of the G7 on January 1, 2025, and will hold the presidency until the end of the year. Westinghouse intends to maximize the local content provided by Ukrainian energy equipment manufacturers in the construction of Unit 5 and Unit 6 at KhNPP, Dan Lipman told Interfax-Ukraine. "Westinghouse has a philosophy: we buy where we build. We strive to purchase or produce a significant portion of equipment and components in the country where we work and build our reactors," he said. Lipman said Westinghouse is discussing with Energoatom the prospects for producing certain modules in Ukraine, sets of equipment assembled from multiple components. "Modular construction is how you build airplanes, submarines or ships, and it's also how we build AP-1000 reactors. And many types of these modules can be made in Ukraine, even now," he said. He believes Ukraine could already start producing such components. "Energoatom has indicated there are sites in western Ukraine where these components could be manufactured even during the war, and accordingly, if this happens, after the war it will be possible to combine the portion of equipment that Energoatom purchases from Westinghouse with what will have been produced locally by that time," the executive said. He said this approach would accelerate construction timelines. "This is one of the issues I have been working on with Energoatom for more than a year. We must decide which equipment can and should be produced in Ukraine in parallel with production outside the country," Lipman said. He explained that the duration of AP-1000 construction is determined not by on-site building time but by the time required to manufacture and deliver equipment. "You need a plan for who will supply what, how and when to deliver it to Ukraine, and what will be produced here. When that plan is developed jointly with Energoatom, it will be clear how many units it will be possible to construct simultaneously," Lipman said. Gaza ceasefire after weekend violence allows humanitarian aid in again: UN Xinhua) 08:10, October 21, 2025 A heavy machinery removes debris from a street in Gaza City, on Oct. 19, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to honor all their commitments, ensure the protection of civilians and avoid any actions that could lead to a renewal of hostilities and undermine humanitarian operations. UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The world body is encouraged that the fragile Gaza truce has resumed, after a burst of apparent weekend breaches, allowing humanitarian aid to resume, a UN spokesperson said on Monday. "We are encouraged that the parties have reaffirmed their commitments to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and commend the steadfast efforts of the mediators," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "We remain concerned by all acts of violence in Gaza and the reported attacks and strikes that took place yesterday." Dujarric urged the parties to honor all their commitments, ensure the protection of civilians and avoid any actions that could lead to a renewal of hostilities and undermine humanitarian operations. "We reiterate the Secretary-General's call for the release of the remains of all the deceased hostages," he added. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said its partners successfully resumed the distribution of food parcels to thousands of families in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis for the first time in months. The office said that for the first time, Israeli authorities on Sunday allowed the United Nations to deploy monitors at the Kissufim crossing and that the office welcomes the development for the much-needed visibility into that segment of the humanitarian pipeline. OCHA said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher wrapped up his visit to the Gaza Strip over the weekend. On Saturday, he visited a UN Children's Fund nutrition center and witnessed some road clearance projects run by the UN Development Programme. Fletcher left the strip later on Saturday through the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing. On Sunday, he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, where they discussed the massive humanitarian needs in Gaza, the 60-day aid scale-up scheme, the importance of sustaining the ceasefire, the situation in the West Bank and the path to long-term peace, said OCHA. In Jerusalem on Monday, Fletcher met with the UN humanitarian country team of the occupied Palestinian territory, bringing together about 15 UN entities and representatives of some 200 international and local nongovernmental organizations. Fletcher and the Minderoo Foundation of Australia announced a contribution of 10 million Australian dollars (about 6.5 million U.S. dollars) from the Minderoo Foundation for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, delivered in close coordination with the 60-day plan. In the West Bank, OCHA said that between Oct. 7 and 13, 71 settler attacks were documented, half of which were related to the current olive harvest season. The incidents, affecting Palestinians in 27 villages, included attacks on harvesters, theft of crops and harvesting equipment, and vandalism of olive trees, resulting in casualties and property damage. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) New sea link drives over 50 pct growth in Shanghai's trade with Peru Xinhua) 08:43, October 21, 2025 Intelligent equipment lifts containers at Chancay Port, Peru, on Nov. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Mengxin) SHANGHAI, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The "Chancay-Shanghai" shipping route handled 154,000 tonnes of import and export cargo valued at 3.97 billion yuan (about 559.37 million U.S. dollars) during the first three quarters of this year, fueling a 56.9 percent year-on-year surge in Shanghai's trade with Peru to 13.42 billion yuan, according to Shanghai Customs on Monday. Compared with the first half of 2025, when the route transported 78,000 tonnes of goods worth 1.72 billion yuan, the latest figures point to accelerated growth, cementing the route as a "new bridge" for trade between China and Peru. Recently, the first shipment of exhibits for the upcoming 8th China International Import Expo arrived at Shanghai's Yangshan Port, having been transported from Peru's Chancay Port. The consignment consists of 764 items, including alpaca dolls and pottery crafts. Notably, this marks the first time that expo goods have been transported via this shipping route since the launch of the new land-sea corridor across the Pacific, which connects Latin America with Asia, in late 2024. Chancay Port, a deep-water hub and South America's first smart and green port, is a flagship Belt and Road cooperation project between China and Peru, which has shortened the sea voyage between the two countries from more than a month to around 23 days, while cutting shipping costs by at least 20 percent. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Longyang Gorge area develops distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry Xinhua) 09:35, October 21, 2025 A worker sorts newly-harvested silver fish in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 18, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) A fisherman casts a fishing net in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 17, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) Workers sort newly-harvested silver fish in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 18, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) Fishermen weigh newly-harvested silver fish in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 18, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) A fisherman docks a boat in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 17, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) Tourists take photos at a homestay in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 17, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) A worker processes dried silver fish in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 18, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) A homestay is pictured in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 17, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) A drone photo taken on Oct. 17, 2025 shows fishing light attractors in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 18, 2025 shows fish drying nets in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) A drone photo taken on Oct. 17, 2025 shows a tourist resort in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) A worker prepares newly-harvested silver fish for drying in the Longyang Gorge area in Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Oct. 18, 2025. Each year from late August to late November, fishermen in Longyang Gorge are busy harvesting silver fish. In recent years, the Longyang Gorge area has taken advantage of its abundant water resources and favorable ecological environment to develop a distinctive silver fish fishery and tourism industry. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Caldecott Honorwinning author-illustrator Brian Lies recently went on tour in the Northeast to present his new picture book Cat Nap (Greenwillow). The book, which has earned seven starred reviews, follows a cat-and-mouse pursuit inspired by artwork from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Lies created 56 pieces of original art in the book ranging from oil paintings, carved hieroglyphics, an illuminated parchment, stained glass, and more. PW rounded up highlights from Liess travels. Lies (c.) kicked off the tour in Duxbury, Mass., with a publication day event at the Duxbury Senior Center and Duxbury Free Library, with book sales by local indie Booked. Here, Lies with attendees at the senior center event, showcasing a piece of original art that is featured in the book. Lies and his wife, Laurel, traveled in a custom-wrapped Subaru featuring art from the book, along with a roof-mounted picture frame, complete with the books gray cat leaping inside. Lies made an appearance at Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn., on October 1 to present the book. Here, he showcases a sculpted dog figurine he created, modeled after a ceramic canine by an unknown maker in Veracruz, Mexico, circa 700800 A.D. During his October 2 event at Barnes & Noble High Ridge in Stamford, Conn., Lies was joined by (from l.) his editor, Greenwillow VP and publisher Virginia Duncan, joined him for a stock signing, along with store manager Pam Dodson and bookseller Brian Zwolinski. At an event at Childrens Book World in Haverford, Pa., on October 3, Lies was greeted by former HarperCollins sales executive Annette Hughes. Childrens book creators Matt Phelan (l.) and Gene Barretta also made an appearance at the event at Childrens Book World and checked out his new book. On October 11, Shermans in Portland, Maine gave Lies a warm welcome for his event where he signed copies of his books and greeted fans. Here, Lies (l.) with two readers in front of the Cat-mobile. Guests who attended Liess event at G. Willikers in Portsmouth, N.H., on October 12 were treated to up-close-and-personal looks at original art from the book. Rabbi Arthur Ocean Waskow, a progressive activist in faith and in politics, died Monday at his home in Philadelphia. He was 92. He was the author of more than two dozen books, a teacher and guide for Jews in celebrating the rituals of their faith, and a model for taking Jewish values to the streets and the ballot box. His death came just months from the January publication date for his memoir, Tales of Spirit Rising and Sometimes Falling: An Activist Life (Monkfish). Waskow came to national attention in 1969 when he wrote The Freedom Seder, originally published by Ramparts magazine. It is a guide to the symbolic Passover meal that melds the liberation struggles of modern times with the Israelites' freedom from slavery in Egypt. His 1982 book Seasons of Our Joy (Jewish Publication Society) took a contemporary, eco-friendly approach to celebrating the Jewish holidays. Many of his books, such as 1997's Down-to-Earth Judaism: Food, Money, Sex, and the Rest Of Life (HarperCollins), encouraged laypeople to take on the rituals of the faith themselvesoffering not only a "how-to" but a "why to" be Jewishthen step into action. For Waskow, action meant fighting racism, oppression, and nuclear armament, and paying attention to the dignity of all species and the health of the earth itself. His obituary on the Jewish Telegraphic Agency wire mentions he was arrested more than two dozen times. The photo shows the aged rabbi being hauled away by police at a protest against a tax bill benefiting the ultra rich. According to the JTA, Waskow celebrated his 92nd birthday on October 12 in hospice care with a Zoom launch for both the memoir and another book, a collection of essays by Jewish activists called Handbook for Heretics and Prophets: A New Torah for a New World. The forthcoming Handbook will get a private printing by the Shalom Center, which Waskow founded in 1983 to be "a prophetic voice in Jewish, multireligious, and American life." In the final chapter of his memoir, written during the dark, despairing days of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Waskow still found signs of God and redemption. He wrote about people who would turn "each spring to sow seeds toward the next sprouts of justice and of peace" and "renewed commitment to Jewish values." He offered an outline for "a new form of Judaism that struggles toward and fits into a just, democratic, and compassionate planetary society." Elizabeth McGovern discusses a secret order with Nicholas Denton in a sneak preview of Anne Rice's Talamasca: The Secret Order, released Monday ahead of the show's Oct. 26 premiere on AMC and AMC+. ADVERTISEMENT The series, which exists in the same Anne Rice universe as Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches books, follows Guy Anatole (Denton), whose life is upended when he learns about the secret group that protects humans from "supernatural beings." "Shoot your shot," he says to Helen (McGovern), who helms the New York Motherhouse, in Monday's preview. "We're a private organization that has been around a long time, a very long time," she begins. The series also stars William Fichtner, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Celine Buckens, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Bogosian and Justin Kirk. AMC also released the titles of episodes 1 and 2 -- "We Watch and we are Always There," and "A Wilderness of Mirrors." Both premiere Oct. 26. Michael Fassbender will portray Joe Kennedy Sr. in Kennedy, a new drama series about the iconic family. ADVERTISEMENT The show will examine the family's "lives, loves, rivalries and tragedies" during the 1930s, an official synopsis states. Casting for Joe's wife, Rose, and their nine children, have not yet been announced. The series is based on JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956, written by Fredrik Logevall. "The story of the Kennedys is the closest we have to American mythology -- somewhere between Shakespeare and The Bold and the Beautiful," showrunner Sam Shaw told Netflix's Tudum. "But Fredrik Logevall's stunning, nuanced biography pulls a veil on the human strivings and burdens behind the myth, revealing as much about our present moment, how we got here and where we're going, as about the Kennedys themselves." China emerges as global leader in advanced vessel construction People's Daily Online) 10:43, October 21, 2025 An aerial drone photo taken on April 6, 2025 shows Adora Magic City berthing at the Qingdao International Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) China has launched its first domestically built electromagnetic catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, the Fujian, completed and put into operation its first large homegrown cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, and become a global leader in the construction of large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China became the world's only country capable of fully constructing all three major types of high-end vessels: aircraft carriers, large cruise ships, and large LNG carriers, collectively known as the "Three Pearls on the Crown" of shipbuilding. China's shipbuilding industry has demonstrated comprehensive, world-class strength in building ultra-large, high-tech and high-value-added vessels. Liu Ersen, deputy director of a research center at China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), pointed out three factors underpinning this achievement: innovation-driven development, clustered development, and coordinated industrial development. "China's shipbuilding industry has led the world for 15 consecutive years," Liu noted. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Chinese shipyards accounted for 64.2 percent of global new ship orders, an increase of 15.1 percentage points compared with the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), according to Liu. Since 2021, China's shipbuilding industry has accelerated its transformation and upgrading. Digital inspections, painting robots, and other intelligent technologies are increasingly empowering ship construction. High-end vessels such as large LNG carriers, ultra-large container ships, and car carriers now account for 9.3 percent, 18 percent, and 6 percent of the market, respectively. The "Al Mas'habiyyah," an LNG carrier with a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters, was delivered to Qatar Energy's LNG transportation project in July. It was the sixth LNG carrier supplied to the project by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the CSSC, bringing the company's total LNG carrier deliveries to 51. "From 2021 to 2025, our global market share rose from 8 percent to about 20 percent," said Song Wei, chief engineer at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. A major driving force of this progress is the rising localization rate of key equipment. "The first LNG carrier relied on just over 20 Chinese suppliers, and today more than 130 domestic companies support the entire industrial chain," said Weng Hongbing, general manager of the company. At the company's production base on Changxing Island, Shanghai, annual production of insulated containers has reached 400,000 units, with the localization rate of components rising from 62 percent at the end of 2020 to 75 percent today, Weng added. As the global shipping industry accelerates its shift toward sustainability, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. is extending its expertise in cryogenic storage and transportation technologies to new areas. "Green vessels now account for 80 percent of total orders we receive," said Song. China's second domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Flora City, has begun outfitting at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., another CSSC subsidiary. Compared to its predecessor, the Adora Magic City, the Adora Flora City's construction timeline is more than two months shorter. According to Chen Gang, general manager at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., the core challenge in building a large cruise ship lies in managing a project of massive scale. "At peak times, up to 4,000 workers operate simultaneously across 20 decks," Chen said. "China's cruise market has enormous potential. We need to strengthen independent design capabilities and ensure that Chinese aesthetics are reflected as these ships venture into the open seas," said Chen. According to Liu, the construction of the three ship types reflects China's breakthroughs in system integration, advanced materials, precision manufacturing, digital design and production technology. These advances have greatly enhanced the nation's capacity for independent innovation in high-end equipment and boosted the overall competitiveness of the industrial chain. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) 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! Springfield Armory has introduced four California-legal versions of its Echelon modular 9mm pistol family! The lineup includes two full-size and two compact variants: the 4.5F (4.5-inch barrel), the 4.5F Comp (4.5-inch with an integral compensator), the 4.0C (4.0-inch compact), and the 4.0C Comp (4.0-inch compact with an integral compensator). All four ships with California-required safety features and a 10-round magazine capacity. Central to the Echelon is a serialized, self-contained chassis Springfield calls the Central Operating Group. That chassis is removable and transferable between grip modules, and the pistol ships with three interchangeable backstraps. Springfield specifies the 4.5F models include a medium grip module, and the 4.0C models include a small grip module with additional grip modules in different sizes and colors sold separately. Every Echelon pistol also uses the Variable Interface System for optics. The system employs self-locking pins that are intended to apply lateral pressure on an optics mounting surface as the mounting screws are torqued, which Springfield says reduces left/right movement. The pins can be positioned to fit more than 30 common optic footprints, allowing a direct-mount interface between slide and red-dot. The Echelon optic system has proven to be robust and easy to use in our testing. The Echelon also ships with U-Dot iron sights (U-notch Tactical Rack rear and a tritium/luminescent front dot). Controls on the Echelon are fully ambidextrous. Magazine release and slide release are both totally ambidextrous from the factory and can be used right-handed or left-handed without switching parts or changing setup. All four California models include a loaded chamber indicator and a magazine disconnect to comply with state requirements. The Echelon quickly set a new standard for modern, striker-fired duty pistols at its launch, said Steve Kramer, Vice President of Marketing for Springfield Armory. With these new 4.5F and 4.0C variants, California residents now have access to this unparalleled 9mm pistol. Echelon 4.5F 9mm CA Compliant MSRP: $694 Echelon 4.5F Comp 9mm CA Compliant MSSP: $765 Echelon 4.0C 9mm CA Compliant MSRP: $694 Echelon 4.0C Comp 9mm CA Compliant MSRP: $765 In the final stretch of Chiles presidential election campaign, with the vote scheduled for Sunday, November 16, one of the phenomena drawing the attention of analysts is the surge of the radical right. Republican candidate Jose Antonio Kast, who is into his third presidential bid, is polling at an average of 23.26%. Johannes Kaiser, a lawmaker for the National Libertarian Party who has surpassed Kast in the radical nature of his proposals, comes in at 11.95%. Together, their support level reaches 35.16%, more than double that shown for Evelyn Matthei, of the moderate right, who is polling at 15.9% with less than a month to go before the first round of voting. Matthei has climbed into third place in recent months. Although thats not enough to advance to the second round, her support of around 10% would still allow her to prop up the parliamentary candidates from Chile Vamos the party of the historical right and the centrist Yellow and Democratic parties. However, Kasts upward trend worries them. Although the leader of the center-right party Evopoli, Juan Manuel Santa Cruz, stated this Monday that Matthei has managed to narrow the gap with Kast and that both candidates are in a technical tie, Kaiser is closing in on her according to polls released over the weekend. Although the candidate is appealing to responsible and sensible voting, many voters in Chiles mandatory voting system will make up their minds at the last minute, and its not being ruled out that Matthei could even finish in fourth place. Evelyn Matthei in Santiago, Chile, on October 14. SOFIA YANJARI Even Jeannette Jara, President Gabriel Borics ruling party candidate and a Communist Party member, addressed the issue this Monday, when she debuted at her weekly press conference. Kast tried to move toward Matthei, and Kaiser grew on his side, asserted the candidate for the left, center-left, and Christian Democrats. Although Borics former labor minister is leading the polls averaging 29.54% support she has failed to surpass the 30% threshold that the current government has historically enjoyed. Given the strength of the opposition in the runup to the 2025 presidential elections, it will be difficult for Jara to win the runoff on December 14. The ruling party maintains that anything can still happen a last-minute mistake by Kast, for example but for a long time now, the left has privately considered this presidential election to be already lost. The fact that the far-right parties led by Kast and Kaiser are outnumbering Matthei, at least according to the polls, shows that Chilean voters are demanding a change from the current leftist administration. This has been the case in all recent administrations: no president since 2006 has handed the presidential sash to a successor of the same political persuasion. But voters arent just looking for change, theyre also looking for radical proposals. In an election marked by three key issues crime, migration, and the economy Kaiser, for example, has said regarding the education of migrant children that if there are foreign children who are in Chile illegally, our obligation is to return them to their country of origin. Its not to keep them here. Kast, meanwhile, is borrowing from the playbook of Argentinas Javier Milei and wants to take a chainsaw to the state: he seeks to cut $6 billion in government spending in 18 months, and there has been a virtually general consensus that this cannot be done without affecting social rights. Its not doable because more than 85% of public spending is set by law. And, within what is set by law, the largest items are associated with social rights, with policies that transcend any administrations horizon, Mario Marcel, Borics former finance minister, told EL PAIS. Its clear that Kast doesnt know how to cut the $6 billion. The radical nature of Kasts proposals has been evident in recent days with an opinion column by his chief strategist, Cristian Valenzuela, describing public officials as parasites. Matthei, whose time is running out, is trying to portray herself as the candidate who offers the country the greatest certainty. In recent years, Chile has gone from one set of stumbles to another and from one extreme to another. We can bring stability, she asserted this weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition 'We sent just 500 people from India to the US on H-1B visas. There is no dependence on H-1B visas.' India's largest information technology services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been in the news for the past three months, first for laying off around 12,000 employees and more recently over the H-1B visa issue. In an interview with Shivani Shinde/Business Standard in Mumbai, Chief Executive Officer K Krithivasan discusses the layoffs, visa challenges, AI strategy, and the company's next major focus on data centres. You mentioned that TCS performed well in the second quarter despite macro challenges, yet uncertainty persists. How do you see the next two quarters shaping up? There is a small positive bias, as the number of deferrals -- where projects are being paused -- has come down slightly sequentially. Almost all verticals, except the consumer business, have turned positive. Across geographies, all except the UK have performed well. In the UK, we faced a specific situation in an insurance claim where the price per policy saw a steep decline. What's also making us confident is our big-bet strategy. Almost all service lines are driving growth, particularly AI and data, albeit from a small base. The recent US decisions on H-1B visas have significantly impacted the industry. What's your perspective on this environment, and what implications does it have for the largest IT services player? We have 31,000 to 32,000 employees in the US, of whom only 11,000 to 12,000 are on H-1B visas, while the rest are on other types of visas. We have been progressively increasing local workforce participation, which will continue because the way of work has changed with new kinds of projects and AI coming into play, where you need to work closely with the customer and need different skill sets. It is not just about engineering skills anymore; there is a growing demand for creative thinking and prompt engineering skills. In FY26, we sent just 500 people from India to the US on H-1B visas, which means we can survive without them (H-1B visas). There is no dependence on H-1B visas. But, for a long period, H1-B visas were part of not only the cost policy but also the retention policy... Times have changed. There was a time when this was a significant retention policy, but over the past four-five years, it has been on a declining trend. It is now far less of a retention policy than it once was, and we should not be assessing today's scenario through yesterday's lens. Can you comment on the letter from US Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin which questions TCS for laying off over 12,000 employees globally while simultaneously hiring more than 5,500 H-1B workers? I was neither happy nor unhappy. It gave me an opportunity to articulate our positions more clearly and to address the senators' questions about the H-1B issue. First of all, we discussed the figure of 5,500. Most of these numbers relate to people who are amending or renewing their petitions; they are not fresh approvals. Fresh approvals are much lower, probably around 2,500. However, everything is recorded as an application or petition, which often causes confusion. It also allowed me to explain what we are doing, including the steps we are taking to work with local academia, where we are deeply involved. In the US, we train and recruit people. We hae a large training centre in Cincinnati. We work with schools and tell students that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education is an important career choice. TCS aims to become the largest AI-driven technology services company. But what does that really mean? We have been focused on this for some time. We discussed how we have been training all our associates and the platforms we have been building based on client demand. We have also been working with MIT to explore what could be the next frontier. Our strategy rests on five pillars: Internal transformation, transformational services, workforce transformation, and the transformation of both value chain and broader ecosystem. We've strengthened our leadership and brought in Aarthi to drive all service lines. We got Amit Kapoor, previously heading the UK operations, to lead the AI unit. Janardhan Santhanam was appointed CIO to lead internal cultural transformation, while Mangesh Sathe took on the role of overall strategy officer to steer mergers and acquisitions. Why are you focusing on data centres? We do it because it gives the opportunity to offer an end-to-end solution. In India, we are providing sovereign cloud as an offering, and for some customers, we are providing private cloud. There are many clients with whom we are undertaking significant AI work in India. Having a data centre allows me to create a private cloud for them and offer it as a service. It helps working with the hyperscalers. They want this pure play; AI players want it, and so do deep-tech companies. There is considerable synergy, with benefits flowing in multiple directions from being a central player in the ecosystem. Even some of these hyperscalers are keen to collaborate with us. The structure we are proposing is a mix of equity and debt. For the equity portion, we are looking for financial partners to come on board. About 150 Mw will require an investment of $1 billion. This is planned over 5 to 7 years. Many employees have said they didn't see these redundancies coming, especially given this is the Tata group. How would you respond to that? Two groups of people have been impacted: Those on the bench for three to six months, and those affected by underperformance. I don't believe the Tata group, while humane, would have retained employees with performance issues. Additionally, we have relieved individuals where we see a skill mismatch for the future. The company is pivoting to be future-ready and a big player in the AI ecosystem. If someone doesn't fit into the scheme of things, we need to exit them gracefully. This approach, I believe, does not conflict with our ethos. There's also concern that bench players are under scrutiny, so the 2 per cent could end up being slightly higher... Two per cent was the estimate at the time. I also want to differentiate between people on the bench who have not been able to deploy themselves and those who face a skills and capability mismatch, where they may not fit in for the future. These are two different sets. If someone is unable to be allocated within a certain period, we believe the responsibility lies with both the organisation and the individual. They need to be deployable and engaged with the customer; in that sense, I would consider it more of a performance issue. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff 'There are no additional benefits for banks and market participants to use CBDC...' Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff With commercial banks still in the process of developing technology to trade through the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), it may take two to three years for large-scale adoption of the digital rupee, according to a senior official from the Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL). In addition, trading via CBDC has limited benefits. CCIL facilitates the settlement of secondary market transactions in government securities and call money market transactions, using the digital rupee. This includes both outright purchases and repurchase agreements (repos). According to the official, while trading in CBDC, the settlement takes place transaction by transaction, while the net settlement takes place at the end of the day. "There are no additional benefits for banks and market participants to use CBDC... Moreover, banks have yet to develop the system to operate via CBDC," the official said. CBDC is a legal tender issued by a central bank in digital form. It is similar to sovereign paper currency, but takes a different form. It is exchangeable at par with existing currency, and can be accepted as a medium of payment, legal tender, and a safe store of value. It appears as liabilities on a central bank's balance sheet. In a recent speech, Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar said the regulator is in no hurry to launch CBDC nationwide, as its best use case -- cross-border payments -- requires other countries to simultaneously introduce their own CBDCs for it to be effective. At the same time, the pilot is progressing well, with the user base in India now expanding to about 7 million, he said. Money market participants highlighted that most private sector banks are unwilling to trade in government securities and call money market via CBDC, owing to lack of additional incentives and the long process of transaction settlement. A dealer with a public sector bank said, "Except 2 to 3 private banks hardly any other private bank trades via CBDC. Though public sector banks do trade in CBDC due to moral suasion. This has contained the volumes in CBDC trades." 1 To broaden the scope of wholesale CBDC, RBI has expanded the pilot by including four standalone primary dealerships. However, dealers at primary dealerships said they face operational challenges. "Primary dealers use a leveraged balance sheet, which means most of their assets are funded through repo borrowing. As a result, they do not have unpledged securities available and often face a shortage of funds in real time," said a dealer with a primary dealership. The RBI began pilot projects for both retail and wholesale CBDCs in late 2022. According to its annual report, as of end-March, the retail CBDC pilot had expanded to 17 banks and 6 million users since its inception in December 2022. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff Developing relations with the Taliban is needed, but plunging headlong into Afghanistan without due thought will be akin to the rooster entering a KFC outlet, warns Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd). IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi, October 10, 2025. Photograph: S Jaishankar/X Considerable dismay is generated over Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving an invitation from US President Donald J Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fateh El-Sisi for the Gaza peace summit in Egypt, but sending a minister of state, not even External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. This, despite Modi lauding Trump's Gaza peace plan on multiple occasions, directly communicating this to Trump also, with his tweet in multiple languages to let the world know. Discounting the bogey of 'short notice', did Modi think he would be embarrassed at the summit, is it linked to Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's India visit or does Modi need more preparation time to confront Trump at the next ASEAN Summit (October 26-27) in Malaysia? How did the United Nations give a 'temporary exemption' from the travel ban to Muttaqi to visit India for a week remains a mystery. Could this be without the indulgence of America; part of the Great Game the US is playing in the Middle East and South Asia? Did we ever realise that the date the US handed over Afghanistan on a platter to the Taliban-cum-Pakistan in 2021 was August 15, which was no mere coincidence but a calculated punch on India's nose. Also, that this was consequent to US-Pakistan talks in Qatar. View this with Modi and Jaishankar personally receiving Qatar's Emir Thani at the airport during his recent India visit. Muttaqi's India visit, including to the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, where he met Afghan students, drew a sharp reaction from UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who says this amounts to supporting human rights violations; conspiring against Gautam Buddha's message of peace and friendship; an insult to women and children by aligning with the Taliban's ultra regressive misogynistic policies against women and children. But there has been no reaction from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, who along with Modi, keep giving the clarion call for Hindutva and a Hindu Rashtra. Was Muttaqi's Deoband visit aimed at securing Muslim votes in Bihar and West Bengal elections? Was it green-signaled by the RSS? IMAGE: Amir Khan Muttaqi at the Darul Uloom in Deoband in Saharanpur, October 11, 2025. Photograph: ANI Video Grab Muttaqi was part of the Taliban government in power when the then BJP government handed over terrorists, Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Zargar to the Taliban at Kandahar airport post the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in December 1999. Notwithstanding this, the Modi government needs to examine how it would handle the mix of its Hindutva with the Taliban's hardcore Islamic ideology. The Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan both aim for a global Islamic emirate and the rule of Sharia. ISIS and ISKP are operating in Afghanistan. Taliban supporter al-Qaeda's offshoot AQIS is active in South Asia. IMAGE: Amir Khan Muttaqi speaks during a discussion at FICCI in New Delhi, October 13, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Have we examined how the Hindu and Sikh populations have dwindled in Afghanistan and why? Afghanistan will continue to be part of the Big Powers play, including China and the US. Developing relations with the Taliban is needed, but plunging headlong into Afghanistan without due thought will be akin to the rooster entering a KFC outlet. Lieutenant General Prakash Katoch (retd), PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SC is a former Special Forces officer. He is a third generation army officer and participated in the 1971 India-Pakistan War and in Operation Bluestar. He commanded a Special Forces Battalion in Sri Lanka, a Brigade on the Siachen Glacier, a Division in Ladakh and a Strike Corps in the South Western Theatre. These are the general's personal views. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff India should simultaneously prioritise domestic exploration and production of more oil and gas in the country and ensure we retain diversified suppliers for imports, points out former foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, September 1, 2025. Photograph: Suo Takekuma/Pool via/Reuters The optics of the meetings between the leaders of India, Russia and China at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit led to many instant analyses about geopolitical realignments. They overshadowed the Russian announcement of an energy agreement of global importance -- on the 'Power of Siberia 2' pipeline, for supply of 50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per annum to China for 30 years. The planned pipeline, from the Yamal peninsula in Western Siberia to China via Mongolia, will be one of the largest and most capital-intensive energy projects in the world, according to Alexei Miller, the chief executive officer of the Russian gas company Gazprom. The Chinese side is yet to confirm the Russian statements, but not because of any concerns about western sanctions. The price of gas and other technical aspects of the deal (discussed for over a decade) are still to be finalised. But when concluded, the agreement will mark a geopolitically significant tieup between China and Russia in a Eurasian continental energy nexus, which could also impact the global seaborne trade in liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Power of Siberia 1, built in 2018 and now being expanded, along with pipelines from Sakhalin, can raise Russian pipeline deliveries to China from 38 bcm to around 48 bcm. Adding supplies from Power of Siberia 2 could thus increase Chinese pipeline imports from Russia alone to almost 100 bcm. To put that figure in perspective, it may be noted that China's total imports of gas in 2024 stood at about 180 bcm -- 107 bcm as LNG and 72 bcm by pipeline -- mainly from Russia, Turkmenistan and Myanmar. LNG suppliers that expected continuing expansion of sales to China may have to revise their calculations. Some United State LNG projects being planned on the basis of projections of growing Chinese demand could be hit. For Russia, the conclusion of a long-term supply contract with China will help offset some of the loss it faces in the drastic reduction of its European market. Russian gas exports to Europe have fallen from around 155 bcm in 2021 to about 39 bcm; and the European Union plans to stop all imports after 2027. The giant Nordstream pipelines, sabotaged in 2022, themselves had the capacity to transport 110 bcm of gas from Russia to Germany. That is why they had become such a potent geopolitical symbol, and a target for powers opposed to Russia-Germany continental synergy. China benefitted greatly by getting bargain prices in earlier pipeline contracts, and the continuing negotiations on commercial aspects of Power of Siberia 2 suggests it is seeking the same now. However, while Russia's need to clinch the contract may be more pressing, China too may find it beneficial as a signal to the US that it would not require more LNG from the latter; and to keep its main supply lines free of risk at maritime chokepoints. US companies supply only about 5 per cent of China's LNG, but they had been planning to double exports to China before the tariff war led China to curtail LNG purchases from the US. China's price-setting power for gas imports will now be greater. In addition to retaining industrial competitiveness, it could even use gas to replace coal, if required, to achieve its commitment of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10 per cent by 2035, which President Xi Jinping dramatically announced at the United Nations recently. (The US achieved 17 per cent reduction in emissions this way between 2005 and 2020.) India's plan to increase the share of gas in the energy basket to 25 per cent by 2035 is vital for economic reasons, and also to ensure we do not become an outlier on global efforts towards decarbonisation. This will call for a huge increase in gas availability at affordable prices. At present, LNG imports from Qatar, the US, United Arab Emirates, and others including Russia, account for 50 per cent of India's gas requirements. Increased LNG offtake will, however, depend on global prices remaining affordable for our cost-sensitive market. The US' LNG sales to the EU more than doubled (to 51 bcm) between 2021 and 2024; they are set to go up further, as the EU-US framework trade deal announced in July commits the former to importing US energy worth $750 billion by 2028. To get anywhere near that unrealistic target, the EU's annual LNG imports from the US ($20 bn at present) -- along with other products -- will have to rise very sharply. India and other Asian countries also plan to buy more LNG as part of trade agreements with the US. The US' domestic demand for gas, to generate electricity to feed booming data centres for artificial intelligence (AI) industries, also remains elevated. However, the impact of these upward pressures on prices is not clear at present, as new LNG export capacity is being built in Russia, Mozambique, Qatar, Canada and other countries, and increased pipeline supplies will moderate China's LNG imports. It is also not clear US President Donald Trump's proposed ambassador to India is also designated as special envoy for Central and South Asia. If this appellation has an energy dimension, and the old, geopolitically driven strategy - of building a gas pipeline from Central Asia to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan -- is revived, we have to be wary. The takeaway for India is that we should simultaneously prioritise domestic exploration and production of more oil and gas in the country, and ensure we retain diversified suppliers for imports. We should even keep open the option of undersea pipelines from the Gulf for importing natural gas into India. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff 'It was from him I learnt that if you gave the student the freedom to find his own path, he would be more courageous to experiment.' IMAGE: Professor Omar Yaghi in his lab at the University of California, Berkeley, in an undated photograph. Professor Yaghi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, alongside Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne and Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University on October 8, 2025. Photograph: Brittany Hosea-Small/UC Berkeley/Handout/Reuters There is a lot of excitement among the Indian scientific community after the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was announced. Two scientists from India did their post doctoral work under two of the Nobel Laureates; Professor Rahul Banerjee did his post doc under Professor Omar Yaghi and Professor Tamas Kumar Panda under Professor Susumu Katigawa. Incidentally, Professor Tamas Panda did his PhD under Professor Rahul Banerjee. IMAGE: Professor Susumu Kitagawa addresses a press conference in Kyoto, Japan, October 8, 2025, after winning the 2025 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Photograph: Kyodo/via Reuters Professor Rahul Banerjee is now a Professor in the Department of Chemical Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Kolkata. In this interview with Shobha Warrier/Rediff, he remembers his mentor, Professor Omar Yaghi under whom he did his post doc at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 20 years ago. "It was in his lab that I learnt what we as scientists needed the most, intense work. There are no short cuts in research, you have to work really, really hard till you get the results," recalls Professor Rahul Banerjee. IMAGE: Professor Rahul Banerjee with Professor Omar Yaghi in Sweden. Photograph: Kind courtesy Professor Rahul Banerjee Wanting to do a post doc on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) While I was doing my PhD on structural chemistry under Professor Gautam R Desiraju at Hyderabad University, I started thinking what I should do for my post doc. It was by accident that I happened to read a scientific paper by Professor Omar Yaghi on something called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Remember it was in 2005, 20 years ago and I had no knowledge of what metal organic frameworks were! What attracted me about the article was the beautiful pictures of MOFs in bright colours! Though I had no idea what the subject the professor was talking about, I wanted to work on MOFs, simply because I was attracted by the images he had created. Unlike the students of today who plan everything about their lives, I was totally clueless about the subject I wanted to study for my post doc! But I was sure about one thing: I wanted to do my post doc under the gentleman who wrote the article and drew those pictures. And he was Professor Omar Yaghi. Photograph: Kind courtesy kitagawagroup/@NobelPrize/X I found that he was a professor at the University of Michigan. When I told my PhD mentor Professor Desiraju that I wanted to do my post doc under Professor Omar Yaghi, the first question he asked me was, will you be able to handle him? I asked him, why? He said, Professor Yaghi is an absolute livewire! I had no idea what to expect but I was still sure about one thing, I wanted to do my post doc under him. Then, my supervisor said, If you really want it, apply to him. But also apply to some other universities too, in case, he said no to you. So, I applied to him and some others also. IMAGE: A screen displays the 2025 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry: Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M Yaghi as they are announced at a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, October 8, 2025. Photograph: TT News Agency/Fredrik Sandberg/Reuters Writing to Professor Yaghi I wrote a simple mail to Professor Yaghi saying I was a PhD student at Hyderabad University who was about to submit my thesis to Professor Desiraju. I also admitted in the mail that I was fascinated by the images he had drawn in his scientific paper. I then asked him whether I would be able to do my post doc under him. I was taken aback to get a reply from him within 12 hours. I didn't open the mail for some time as I was sure that it was a rejection saying he had no money to have any more post doc students. But I was in for a huge surprise! In the mail he said, he had a place open and he would like me to have it. But he wanted my professor to write a recommendation letter. I just couldn't believe my eyes! That was the first application I had sent and I got a positive reply, that too from the professor I wanted. This was when my friends were complaining about not getting any reply from the professors they had applied to. I immediately showed the mail to my supervisor. He said, he would be meeting Professor Yaghi at the Pacifichem conference in Hawaii in a few days, and he would talk to him directly. A week after Professor Desiraju spoke to him, I got an offer letter from Professor Yaghi as his post doc student. Without any interview. Professor Yaghi wrote to me that he was no longer at the University of Michigan and was about to join the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). IMAGE: Professor Omar Yaghi in his lab at the University of California. Photograph: Brittany Hosea-Small/UC Berkeley/Handout/Reuters Joining Professor Yaghi's group at UCLA 19 years ago I joined Professor Omar Yaghi on the 4th of August 2006 as his post doc student 19 years ago. It was my trip to anywhere outside India. I didn't know what to expect. Everybody told me it was going to be very expensive living in Los Angeles. So, the constant worry I had was, where would I find an affordable place to stay. It was indeed a nightmare to find an accommodation next to the university. Initially, I stayed in a small hotel close to the university and I had to shell out $60 a day! That was almost 20 years ago! Finally, I found a studio apartment in Santa Monica, and I had to travel an hour to reach the university. I went to the university on the first day itself, but Professor Yaghi was not there, he was attending some conference. I saw there were around 30 people in his group, and everybody appeared super busy with their work. Somebody showed me where my seat was. IMAGE: 'Feeling very lucky to work with Prof Kitagawa as a JSPS Postdoctoral fellow. Wonderful memory in my canvas. Kitagawa research group is a brand and happy to be part of this group' Tamas Panda posted on X. Photograph: Kind courtesy @tamaschem/X Meeting Professor Omar Yaghi I started coming to the lab from the next day but had not yet met Professor Yaghi. He was still at the conference. Professor Yaghi was 40 years old then, already a professor and an extremely successful and renowned scientist in the field of chemistry because of the work he was doing on MOFs. I was told by one of the group members that if I wanted a bottle of cold water, I could get from Professor Yaghi's room. So, one day when I went to collect water, one gentleman opened the door. And it was Professor Omar Yaghi, a young man with very sharp features and full of energy. When I introduced myself, he said, hello, come in. I will give you some projects to do. While he gave me instructions on what to do, nothing registered in my mind as I was still worrying about finding an affordable place to stay. Only after seeing him, did I realise what Professor Desiraju meant by 'live wire'. Professor Omar Yaghi was indeed a live wire! IMAGE: Omar Yaghi created a very stable MOF and showed that it can be modified using rational design, giving it new and desirable properties. Photograph: Kind courtesy @NobelPrize/X Starting to work in the Yaghi group on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) Once I started as the post doc, I realised that behind the beautiful pictures which made me join him, there was a lot of hard work. One thing Professor Yaghi used to say was, our research should be unique, and people should feel after reading our papers, wish we had thought about this! But that was the time nobody believed in what he was talking about, creating a new material called metal-organic framework. He used to tell us; this is the idea. It is your job to make sure that it works. It was in his lab that I learnt what we as scientists needed the most, intense work. There are no short cuts in research, you have to work really, really hard till you get the results. When you are doing research, both your body and mind would be working. Your strategies will fail. Then, you have to find new ways. That also may fail. You may fail many times. By the time you reach home every day, you will be drained both physically and mentally. But you have to energise yourself to work again and again... till you succeed. It is a very hard and long journey to success. Most of us used to start work in the lab at 7 in the morning and worked till 9 at night. Professor Yaghi also was at the work by 7.30. Monday to Sunday, we worked like that, every single day. Sometimes, we even stayed in the lab itself. IMAGE: Professor Omar Yaghi works with students in his lab at the University of California in an undated photograph. Photograph: Brittany Hosea-Small/UC Berkeley/Handout/Reuters Style of working: Find your own path When you are stuck in your research, who will show you the path? Professor Yaghi's policy was, we have to find the path ourselves through trial and error, through intense work. Whenever I went to him with a result, he would ask, what is it good for? I would say I have no idea. He would then say, find out what you will do with it. It is for you to find it out. It was from him I learnt that if you gave the student the freedom to find his own path, he would be more courageous to experiment. As the mentor, you need only to see that he doesn't lose the direction. This is what I tell my research students too. The work I did was on Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) (a subclass of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are formed by the self-assembly of transition metal ions). Finally after one year, he was satisfied with my result. He told me the project was over, and that I should stay in the next seven days in the lab and write the draft. Then I published the paper in a science magazine. My research with him continued for another two years. 'Addictive chicken' at Professor Yaghi's home Professor Yaghi was very happy when my paper got published. To celebrate it, he invited the authors of the paper to his home for dinner. After every such publication, he would invite the authors to his place for dinner. What is special about the dinner was an exclusive dish he prepared for us,. And he called it 'addictive chicken'. It was over dinner that he would talk to us about the difficult childhood he had, growing up in a very poor, large family. He also would talk about the need to work on MOFs as he believed the future lay in those materials. You have to remember that 20 years ago, nobody believed that MOFs would be a big thing. Majority of the people criticised the new metals we spoke about. They called it absolute garbage! The critics said when you have so many other materials, what use does this have? But Professor Yaghi believed in what he was doing. He believed it would work and it would be accepted one day. IMAGE: Professor Rahul Banerjee delivers a talk at the S N Bose Centre for Basic Sciences. Photograph: Kind courtesy @AbulHas60118814/X As the only Indian scientist at the Nobel Symposium Every two years, the Nobel committee organises a symposium on a subject that has a chance to win a Nobel Prize, and they invite scientists from all over the world. In 2023, I was invited to join the symposium in Karlskoga in Sweden as the only scientist from India. Professor Omar Yaghi was also there to talk about MOFs. After the conference, when we were chatting I said, 'Sir, I was the first Indian student who did his PhD in India, to work under you.' His reply was, 'the first and the best!' Probably, he was being polite. Anyway, he made me happy! He is still a live wire with the same energy and passion for science. Maybe age has physically slowed him down a bit. He is 60 now. But mentally, he is the same energetic live wire! IMAGE: A selfie with Professor Omar Yaghi in Sweden. Photograph: Kind courtesy Professor Rahul Banerjee Nobel Prize in 2025 When the Nobel Prize was announced, I was not surprised at all. I was certain that he was going to win the Nobel Prize. The question was whether it would be today, tomorrow or day after. I would say MOFs are the hottest subject in chemistry now, and these are the most exciting times for all of us. I wrote him a congratulatory mail with a footnote, 'I know you would be very busy. So, please don't bother to reply'. But he did. He wrote, Dear Rahul, Thank you so much for your incredibly kind and generous words. Your heartfelt congratulations mean a great deal to me. It is deeply gratifying to know that my work has inspired dedicated scientists like you. I truly believe that passion, perseverance, and dedication are the keys to making meaningful contributions in science, and it is encouraging to hear that this message resonates with you. I am honored to have played a small part in inspiring the next generation, and I look forward to seeing the amazing discoveries from you. With my deepest gratitude and warmest regards, Omar Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/ Rediff.com Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com The police registered a case against a private school in Bengaluru after a Class five student was allegedly beaten and confined in a room by the school authorities. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo According to the police, the incident took place in the school located on Sunkadakatte, Magadi Road, on October 14. The boy's mother alleged that principal Rakesh Kumar and teacher Chandrika assaulted her son with a PVC pipe and locked him in a room till late evening on October 14. The police questioned the principal and later released him on bail. Officers said he admitted to assaulting the child, reportedly over irregular attendance. In a similar incident, a student in a traditional 'Pathashala' (school) was beaten up by a teacher for making a phone call to his grandmother. The school at Nayakanahatti village in Chitradurga is related to a temple. The viral video shows the teacher kicking and beating up a fifth standard boy. The teacher has been identified as Veeresh Hiremath. The education department has started an investigation into the matter. Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Tuesday met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar and greeted them on the occasion of Diwali, official sources said. IMAGE: Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw meets Karnataka deputy DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru, October 21, 2025. Photograph: Courtesy DK Shivakumar on X Shaw has been critical of Bengaluru's infrastructure woes by highlighting them through her social media posts, and has been repeatedly urging the state government to intervene. "Biocon chief Kiran Muzumdar-Shaw visited Cauvery (CM's official residence) and wished Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Diwali. Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti was present on the occasion," the CM's office said in a statement. Shah met Shivakumar at his Sadashivanagar residence in Bengaluru, the Deputy CM's office said. The state government has come under criticism over the poor state of roads and traffic issues in the city for some time now, with industry veterans like former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Shaw repeatedly openly urging the state government to immediately intervene. Faced with mounting criticism from industry leaders, Shivakumar, who is also the Minister in-charge of Bengaluru development, had recently urged them to stop "hurting" the city and the state that have contributed to their growth. Stating that the government was making all efforts to fix the issues, he had appealed to industry leaders not to forget their "roots"'--Bengaluru, Karnataka, and its people--and asked them to be patient, stressing that "there is a limitation for everything." With the deputy CM subsequently alleging that she and Mohandas Pai had some "personal agenda", as they did not raise any issues relating to Bengaluru infrastructure during the BJP regime, Shaw, rejecting it, had posted on 'X', "Not true. Both T V Mohandas Pai and I have criticised deteriorating infrastructure in our city to previous BJP & JDS Governments. Our agenda is clear, clean up and restore roads. Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday alleged that three candidates of his Jan Suraaj Party were forced to withdraw from the Bihar elections under "pressure" from the Bharatiya Janata Party. IMAGE: Jan Suraaj Party Chief Prashant Kishor addresses a press conference on Bihar assembly elections, in Patna, Bihar, October 21, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Addressing a press conference, Kishor alleged that the ruling NDA was so scared of losing the elections that it was threatening opposition candidates to withdraw from the race. "Democracy is being murdered. There has been no such precedent in the country," he alleged, urging the Election Commission to ensure the security of the candidates. The candidates who were forced to withdraw were fielded in the Danapur, Brahampur, and Gopalganj seats, he said. Kishor said Jan Suraaj's Brahampur candidate Satyaprakash Tiwari, who runs a clinic in Patna, was actively campaigning till Sunday, but surprisingly withdrew his nomination on Monday morning. Showing a photo of Tiwari with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is the BJP election-in-charge for Bihar, he claimed that it was taken a day before the deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers. "Pradhan went to Tiwari's home to put pressure on him to withdraw... and the very next day he withdrew his candidature," he alleged. Kishor claimed the BJP is trying to ensure the victory of the NDA candidate, LJP (RV)'s Hulas Pandey in Brahampur, who is a local strongman. "The BJP is afraid of candidates who are doctors, educators, activists and social workers, filed by Jan Suraaj Party," he claimed. Kishor said his party had fielded Shashi Shekhar Sinha in the Gopalganj seat. "The candidate told me that BJP leaders were putting pressure on him. A BJP MLC, along with his supporters, met our candidate and ensured that the Jan Suraaj nominee withdrew his nominations... and he did it," he claimed. Kishor said Jan Suraaj had fielded Akhilesh Shah alias Mutur Shah in Danapur. "RJD's Ritlal Yadav is seeking re-election in the seat. BJP leaders spread a rumour that Shah was missing on the day of filing of his nomination papers, and Yadav was involved in his disappearance," he alleged. Showing a photo of the Jan Suraaj candidate with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Pradhan, he alleged, "He was forced to withdraw from the race and not allowed to file his nomination papers. He was under political and economic pressure from the BJP's leadership" Kishor claimed the BJP spread a rumour that the RJD candidate abducted the Jan Suraaj nominee, while in fact, he was with the central ministers. He said the Election Commission must intervene to prevent such incidents, otherwise, the trust of the people in it will weaken. "If you are not able to protect the candidates, how will you protect voters?" he said, targeting the EC. "The BJP is trying to replicate the Surat model, in which their candidate got elected unopposed, as all other nominees were coerced to pull out. The BJP does not realise that voters had punished it across the country, and it won just 240 seats, though it had bragged that the tally would be 400-plus in last year's Lok Sabha polls," he added. Kishor's party had announced candidates for all 243 assembly seats in Bihar. With the withdrawal of three candidates from the race, it will now fight on 240 seats as the last date for filing nominations has already passed. Reacting to the allegations, the BJP claimed that since Kishor was "not getting much attention", he was targeting its leaders to come into the spotlight. "Prashant Kishor is a 'painted jackal' whose colour is fading as the polling dates approach. He won't be seen in Bihar after November 14," BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok told PTI. The elections will be held in two phases, on November 6 and 11. The votes will be counted on November 14. On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, left his home to begin a five-year prison sentence at Sante prison for criminal conspiracy over attempts to raise campaign funds from Libya. Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, is the first former French leader to be incarcerated in modern times. His conviction stems from a trial that concluded in September 2025, where he was found guilty of conspiring to obtain illicit financing for his electoral bid. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters IMAGE: A supporter holds a poster with a portrait of Nicolas Sarkozy and the slogan 'Strong France' as they attend a gathering called by the former French president's sons in support of their father on the day he begins his five-year prison sentence. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters IMAGE: Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy before heading for prison. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff The right-wing leader has been acquitted on appeal nearly three months after the initial 12-year sentence; victims plan to appeal to the Supreme Court for a final ruling The criminal case against Alvaro Uribe Velez, the first former president of Colombia to be criminally convicted in more than half a century, has been resolved on appeal in record time. The Bogota Superior Tribunal has acquitted the right-wing leader in a case that has shaken Colombian politics with its twists and turns over 13 years. On August 1, a judge sentenced the former president to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and procedural fraud, to be served immediately at his home. Uribe was released 20 days later when the same Superior Court annulled that order. Now, a three-judge panel has acquitted him of bribery and procedural fraud charges. On Tuesday morning, Uribe attended the hearing for the reading of a summary of the appellate ruling, in which the judges reviewed, one by one, the five incidents for which he was convicted in the first instance. The review began with the three bribery cases: that of former paramilitary Carlos Enrique Velez, known as Victor; the testimony of Euridice Cortes, alias Diana; and the statement of Juan Guillermo Monsalve. In all three cases, the court found the testimonies contained inconsistencies and contradictions. The mere existence of a gift is not enough; illicit intent must be proven, read Judge Manuel Merchan in the Monsalve case. In Velezs case, the court found that he never claimed the former president intended to bribe him to change his testimony. The magistrate emphasized the dishonesty of the witness and even ordered copies of his testimony to be sent for further investigation for perjury. Merchan was especially critical of the evaluation of evidence by Judge Sandra Heredia, who issued the initial conviction, stating that her ruling introduced facts unrelated to the accusation, violating the principle of congruence and the right to defense. Among the courts arguments is that Uribes knowledge of [his lawyer Diego] Cadenas actions alone does not constitute bribery. Regarding the former presidents relationship with the lawyer, the court noted that Mario Uribe a second cousin who was convicted for his ties to paramilitaries introduced him to Cadena in a meeting where no criminal activity was proven. There is no evidence of functional subordination or that the legal mandate implied criminally relevant obedience. Interceptions show Cadena reporting on actions already taken, with no signs of pressure or criminal inducement by the accused. At the end of the hearing, the magistrate stressed that some witnesses testified about events they were unaware of, guided by expectations of benefits. Merchan noted that these motivations were significant given that Monsalve and Velez were in prison and had an interest in obtaining benefits under transitional justice. The conviction gave full credibility to adverse testimonies without evaluating underlying interests, suggesting a market for information, the magistrate read, adding that the interest of senator and presidential hopeful Ivan Cepeda in the outcome should have been considered along with other evidence. After dismissing the three bribery cases, the magistrate addressed the two procedural fraud incidents for which the first-instance court concluded the former president had tried to alter the process. The first involved Cadenas efforts to have ex-paramilitary Juan Guillermo Monsalve retract his statements against Uribe and claim he had been pressured by Senator Cepeda. The second concerned the testimony of drug trafficker Juan Carlos El Tuso Sierra, who was also contacted by Cadena while in a U.S. prison to write a letter favorable to Uribe. In that letter, the former paramilitary denied any links between Uribe and paramilitarism and accused Cepeda of attempting to manipulate witnesses. The court found no evidence that Uribe had committed a crime, as the first ruling should have proven whether Sierra lied willfully, concluding Uribes responsibility based merely on the benefit obtained, without robust proof that the idea [to manipulate testimony] originated with Alvaro Uribe Velez. The magistrates of the Bogota Superior Tribunal, led by Manuel Antonio Merchan, explained that the appellate ruling spans more than 700 pages, analyzing the evidence in the case file and Judge Sandra Heredias reasoning in the first-instance decision. In their review, they invalidated the telephone interceptions of Uribes communications in 2018. That year, the Supreme Court had ordered the interception of then-congressman Nilton Cordoba Manyoma for the Cartel de la Toga case (a judicial corruption scandal involving top magistrates), but an alleged typing error led to the surveillance of Uribe Velezs conversations. Although Judge Heredia had validated this evidence, Magistrate Merchan noted that the court excluded it. The interception renders the information obtained illicit, null and void by law, he read, while the initial ruling argued that the evidence should not be excluded even though it originated from an error, because once its content was identified, the Attorney Generals Office could use it as it revealed potential criminal acts. Alvaro Uribe on August 23 in Bogota. Diego Cuevas A long process with one final stage The second-instance ruling comes two months after the unprecedented conviction of Uribe, a former president who still leads Colombias main right-wing political force. If the initial sentence felt like a political earthquake ,Tuesday s decision delivered amid a pre-electoral climate marks another dramatic turn in a saga that has already seen several twists. On August 1, Judge Heredia sentenced Uribe to 12 years of house arrest and, in an unusual move, ordered the sentence to be enforced immediately, without waiting for the outcome of the defenses appeal. The conservative leader filed a constitutional injunction to regain his freedom, and on August 19, the courts ruled in his favor, finding that the house arrest was disproportionate and violated his right to the presumption of innocence. That ruling gave Uribe new political momentum. Just hours later, he reappeared in Antioquia his home department and electoral stronghold and threw himself back into the presidential campaign. With that renewed drive, the leader of the right-wing Democratic Center party later waived the statute of limitations in the case, which would have expired on October 15 and allowed him to avoid a final ruling. Uribes decision contrasted with Judge Heredias claim that he had deliberately sought to delay the process to reach prescription an accusation that both the politician and his lawyers consistently denied. His waiver extended the deadline for the courts decision until October 2027, though the judges needed far less time to resolve one of Colombias most closely watched criminal cases in decades. With this second-instance ruling in his favor, only one legal path remains: a possible appeal by the victims to the Supreme Court through an appeal cassation. If admitted, the case would return to the same court where it all began 13 years ago. It was there, in 2012, that Uribe accused Senator Ivan Cepeda of witness tampering an investigation that, six years later, the high court closed against Cepeda and instead opened against Uribe. In 2020, the former president resigned from his Senate seat to avoid being tried by the Supreme Court, but over the years, his criminal case has found its way back to where it started. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A professor associated with the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London was deported from the IGI Airport over alleged violation of visa conditions, a government source said on Tuesday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo Francesca Orsini, a scholar of Hindi and professor emerita at SOAS, was deported Monday, soon after she arrived from Hong Kong, the source in the Ministry of Home Affairs said. "Francesca Orsini was on a tourist visa, but she has been violating visa conditions," the source said. According to the person, Orsini has been on a 'Black List' since March 2025 for violation of visa conditions. "This is a standard global practice that if a person is found violating visa conditions, he/she can be black listed," the source said. The scholar is known for her book, The Hindi Public Sphere 1920-1940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism. Reacting to her deportation, historian Ramachandra Guha termed Orsini a great scholar of Indian literature, "whose work has richly illuminated our understanding of our own cultural heritage." "To deport her without reason is the mark of a government that is insecure, paranoid, and even stupid," Guha wrote on X. Mukul Kesavan, another historian, said the "visceral hostility" of the NDA government to scholars and scholarship is something to behold. "A government ideologically committed to Hindi has banned Francesca Orsini. You can't make this up," Kesavan wrote on X. Orisini had reportedly last visited India in October 2024. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that while there is instability on the borders, new types of crime, terrorism and ideological wars are emerging within society. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during Police Commemoration Day at the National Police Memorial, in New Delhi, October 21, 2025. Photograph: Atul Kumar Yadav/ANI Photo Laying a wreath at the National Police Memorial here on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, Singh also said that the military and police function on different platforms, but their mission is the same -- to protect the nation. To have a Viksit Bharat by 2047, the minister said, balancing the external and internal security of the nation is more important than ever. A joint parade of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Delhi police was held as part of the event. On the present-day challenges, the defence minister said that while there is instability on the borders, new types of crime, terrorism and ideological wars are emerging within society. Crime has become more organised, invisible and complex, and its purpose is to create chaos in society, undermine trust and challenge the stability of the nation, he said. Singh commended the police for carrying out their official responsibility of preventing crime while fulfilling the moral duty of maintaining trust in society. "If people are sleeping peacefully today, it is due to their confidence in our vigilant armed forces and alert police. This confidence is the foundation of our country's stability," he said, addressing the police personnel who attended the event. Drawing attention to the Maoist problem, which had been a major internal security challenge for a long time, Singh asserted that the concerted and organised efforts of police, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force and local administration ensured that the problem did not escalate and the people in the left-wing extremism affected areas breathed a sigh of relief. Exuding confidence that the Maoist problem will end by March next year, he said that due to the tireless efforts of the security forces, this problem is now on the verge of becoming history. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has declared that the Maoit menace will end by March 2026. "Several top Maoists have been eliminated this year. Those who previously took up arms against the state are now surrendering and joining the mainstream of development. The number of districts affected by left-wing extremism has come down drastically," he said. "Areas that were once Maoist hubs are now becoming educational hubs. Areas that were once known as the red corridor have now transformed into growth corridors. Our police and security forces have contributed significantly to this success," the defence minister said. Singh reiterated the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's commitment to ensuring national security. "For a long time, we, as a nation, didn't fully recognise the contributions of the police. However, under the leadership of PM Modi, the government established the National Police Memorial in 2018 to honour the memories of our police forces," he said. "In addition, the police have been provided with state-of-the-art weapons and improved facilities. They now have modern equipment such as surveillance systems, drones, forensic labs and digital policing," he added. Police Commemoration Day is observed every year in memory of 10 Central Reserve Police Force personnel who were killed on this day in 1959 in an ambush by Chinese troops in Ladakh's Hot Spring area. Asserting that more than 100 anti-terrorist operations are being carried out on daily basis across Jammu division, a top police officer on Tuesday said the presence of foreign terrorists in the dense forests is a major challenge and efforts are underway to neutralise them. IMAGE: File image of security personnel carrying out search operation in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir. Photograph: ANI Photo Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti said the terrorists and criminals are using new technology like drones in an attempt to break the security grid but the security agencies are two steps ahead of them to maintain the internal security. He was speaking to mediapersons after leading a wreath-laying ceremony at Police Martyrs Memorial near Jammu railway station and later at a function at Gulshan Ground in police headquarters to pay tributes to bravehearts who have sacrificed their lives for the country on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day. The day is observed in commemoration of 10 valiant martyrs of the CRPF who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on October 21, 1959. They laid down their lives in an ambush laid by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs, Ladakh, at an altitude of 4681 metres. For the past two years, foreign terrorists have been a major challenge (in Jammu). But we are strengthening our counter-terrorism and border protection grid. I hope that soon we will be able to deal with the foreign terrorists hiding in forest areas and neutralise them, the Jammu police chief said. He said around 120 counter-terrorist operations are launched in the Jammu zone every day. This is our daily duty, whether it is a speculative operation or a precise information-based operation, it is ongoing, he said, adding that fighting terrorism is an important part of their duties. The number of people who have been martyred fighting terrorism in the Jammu zone is just one part of our duty. Apart from this, we also perform other duties. For example, we should not forget those comrades who have been martyred after being run over while performing traffic duties or fighting criminals. Fighting terrorism is a prime duty, but there is a wide spectrum of duties. We salute all our brave comrades who have been martyred, Tuti said. Paying his tributes to all police personnel who laid down their lives for the country, the IGP said the force is always grateful to their families. Strategy and tactics cannot be discussed in public but I want to assure the people that J-K Police is aware of its duty and responsibility, and will not leave any stone unturned to ensure their safety and security, the IGP said. Asked about the use of technology like drones by terrorists, he said they also do not lag behind in adopting modern gadgets. The terrorists and criminals are changing tactics in their bid to break the security grid but we are taking counter measures and our effort is to remain two steps ahead of them, the police officer said. He said policing has transformed over the years and their focus is data-driven and evidence-based policing at a minimum cost to ensure efficient and effective policing. "Our job is to maintain internal security and we are ready to make any sacrifice to perform our duties. We have been fighting terrorism for the last more than three decades and we will continue to fight the menace till it is completely wiped out," he said. On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir police organised a blood donation camp as part of the Police Commemoration Day at police headquarters here. A total of 125 personnel from various wings, battalions, and district units across Jammu Zone voluntarily donated blood. Meanwhile, commemorative events were held in all ten districts of Jammu including Sher-i-Kashmir police academy Udhampur, with a large number of senior police officers, retired personnel, members of martyrs' families, and representatives of civil society participating in the solemn functions. Weeks after a 22-year-old merchant navy cadet from Dehradun went missing off the Sri Lankan coast while serving onboard an oil tanker, the company on Tuesday said the independent surveyor engaged by it has determined that the cadet's last known location was "near the portside lifeboat area" of the vessel. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters The investigators have also said the location of Deck Cadet Karandeep Singh Rana was "consistent with his assigned duty of taking routine photographs for the daily work report", according to a statement issued by the firm. The deck cadet went missing on September 20 when the vessel was en route to China from Iraq via Sri Lanka, his father Narendra Singh Rana said earlier this month. On October 10, the firm had said it had engaged an "independent surveyor" to ensure a "thorough and impartial investigation" in the matter. In a fresh statement on Tuesday, it said following Rana's unfortunate disappearance from MT Front Princess on September 20, the Executive Ship Management has received the "findings from Haijiang Surveyors and Adjusters Co., Ltd, the independent marine investigators appointed to review the incident". The investigators have confirmed that extensive search operations were carried out by all relevant authorities and coordinated by the MRCC-Colombo, the statement said. "Continuous Man Overboard alerts were broadcast to all vessels transiting the area, requesting vigilant lookouts and immediate reporting of any possible sightings. Despite these sustained efforts, no sighting of Deck Cadet Rana was reported," the statement said. The firm said the "investigation determined that the cadet's last known location was near the portside lifeboat area, consistent with his assigned duty of taking routine photographs for the daily work report". The guardrails and safety chains in the area were found to be "in good condition and properly designed" to prevent accidental falls. This section of the vessel is "outside the coverage of CCTV cameras, and a detailed review of the available recordings revealed no irregular activity", it said. The firm said it remains deeply concerned for the well-being of Rana's family. "We continue to stay in close contact with them and extend our heartfelt support during this difficult time. The independent investigation reaffirms that all reasonable measures were taken by the vessel and authorities, and we hope that these findings provide clarity and a sense of closure," it said. The family had earlier appealed to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the Centre for help in finding Rana. Immediately upon learning of his disappearance, a "full-scale search and rescue operation was launched" by the ship in coordination with maritime authorities, coastal rescue coordination centres and aerial surveillance units, the firm said on October 10. Two other merchant navy vessels joined the search efforts, along with helicopters deployed by Sri Lankan authorities, it had said. "Despite extensive search operations by sea and air for over 96 hours, Cadet Rana has regrettably not been located," the firm had said. The Punjab police on Tuesday said it has nabbed two terror operatives and seized a rocket-propelled grenade along with the launcher, which was intended for a "targeted" attack. IMAGE: The rocket-propelled grenade along with the launcher recovered from the terror operatives. Photograph: Courtesy Punjab DGP on X "In an intelligence-based operation, Amritsar Rural Police, in close coordination with central agencies, apprehends two terror operatives Mehakdeep Singh @ Mehak and Aditya @ Adhi from #Amritsar and recovers one Rocket Propelled Grenade (#RPG)," Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said in a post on X. "Preliminary investigation reveals that the accused were in contact with #Pakistan's ISI operative who had sent the weapon, and with Harpreet Singh @ Vicky, currently lodged in #Ferozepur Jail," he said. The DGP further said the RPG was intended for a "targeted terror attack". Meanwhile, a police statement said Mehakdeep Singh alias Mehak is a resident of Wadali in Amritsar and Aditya alias Adhi is a resident of Bhaga Chhina village in Amritsar. Police have also impounded a motorcycle that they were riding. The statement quoted the DGP as saying that a preliminary probe has revealed that the accused were in contact with an operative of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who had sent the consignment from across the border via drone. The DGP said further investigations are underway to establish forward and backward linkages in the case to unearth the entire network. Sharing operational details, senior superintendent of police, Amritsar Rural, Maninder Singh, said acting on intelligence inputs about the retrieval of an RPG-22 Netto anti-tank rocket launcher by Mehakdeep and Aditya on the directions of Harpreet alias Vicky, police teams arrested both the suspects when they were on their way to deliver the consignment. Investigations are on to identify those who were supposed to receive the consignment, the SSP said, adding that Harpreet alias Vicky will also be brought here from the Ferozepur Jail on a production warrant for further questioning. An FIR was registered on Tuesday under the provisions of the Explosives Substances Act and section 113 (terrorist act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Gharinda police station in Amritsar Rural. Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Satendra Sah was arrested immediately after filing his nomination papers from Bihar's Sasaram assembly seat on Monday, officials said. Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: ANI Photo Officers of the police station concerned maintained that Sah was arrested by Jharkhand Police as a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was pending against him. His supporters were clueless about the developments. "As Sah reached the office of the circle officer concerned to file his nomination papers from Sasaram seat, Jharkhand Police officers arrived there to execute a NBW which was pending against him. He was allowed to file his nomination papers... But soon after, he was arrested," a senior officer of Rohtas district said. Jharkhand Police said he was an accused in a 2004 bank robbery case at Chirounjiya More in Garhwa district. Sunil Tiwari, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station in Jharkhand's Garhwa, said, "A permanent warrant was issued against Satendra Sah in that case in 2018. Police records indicate that more than 20 cases related to robbery, dacoity, and violations of the Arms Act are pending against him in various police stations." The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, with results set to be announced on November 14. This was the third such incident of contesting candidates of the constituents of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) being arrested after filing their nomination papers. Prior to this, Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist Liberation's candidates from Bhore and Darauli seats, Jitendra Paswan and Satyadeo Ram, respectively, were arrested after filing their nomination papers. CPI-ML Liberation has issued a statement condemning the arrests. 'We strongly condemn the politically motivated arrests of Comrade Jitendra Paswan and Comrade Satyadeo Ram... They were arrested right outside the nomination centres immediately after filing their papers. These arrests, under fabricated and baseless charges, clearly reveal the fear and panic among the NDA leaders, who feel threatened by the rising assertion of the masses and the people's determination to bring change in Bihar,' the party had said. Unable to confront the growing anger against its failed 'double-engine' government, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (United) alliance is resorting to repression, intimidation, and misuse of police and administrative machinery to silence democratic opposition and suppress people's voices, it had said. A day after Israel claimed that Hamas had violated the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, United States President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) issued a stark warning to the militant group, saying it would face 'eradication' if it violated a truce in the region. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reutres Speaking on the recent developments in the Middle East at the Oval Office, Trump emphasised that the militant group must 'be good' and 'behave' to avoid severe consequences. "We have peace in the Middle East for the first time ever. We made a deal with Hamas that, they gonna be very good. They're going to behave, they're going to be nice, and if they're not... we're going to eradicate them if we have to. They'll be eradicated -- and they know that," the US President said. He accused Hamas of past violence and suggested the group no longer enjoys significant external backing, particularly from Iran. "They went in and killed a lot of people. They're violent people. Hamas has been very violent. But they don't have the backing of Iran anymore. They don't have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they're not good, they'll be eradicated," Trump added. The US President also stressed that Washington would not deploy troops for this purpose, stating that there would be 'no involvement of US forces'. Trump's remarks came during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office, where both leaders signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on critical minerals and defence cooperation. Earlier on Sunday, Israel stated that it has announced a 'renewed enforcement' of the ceasefire agreement following a series of air strikes in Gaza, launched in retaliation for what it claims to be attacks on its forces by Hamas. Following this, top White House officials US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, as reported by the Times of Israel. Meanwhile, US Vice-President J D Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, are also set to visit the country on Tuesday. In a post on X on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated, 'In accordance with the directive of the political echelon, and following a series of significant strikes in response to Hamas' violations, the IDF has begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire, in line with the terms of the agreement. The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it.' The IDF reported that it had carried out air strikes targeting dozens of Hamas-linked sites across Gaza. These included weapons storage facilities, firing positions, terrorist cells, and approximately 6 kilometres of underground tunnels allegedly used for planning attacks against Israel. The strikes follow an escalation by Hamas militants in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, as claimed by the IDF, where the defence forces claim that an anti-tank missile and gunfire were directed at IDF troops operating to dismantle terror infrastructure, in accordance with the ceasefire terms. Till Sunday, the Gaza Media Office reported that 97 people have been killed and 230 others injured since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10. In a statement posted on Telegram, the office accused the Israeli military of carrying out 80 violations since October 10, calling them 'blatant and clear breaches' of the ceasefire agreement and international humanitarian law. According to Al Jazeera, citing hospital sources in Gaza, at least 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli military fire in multiple areas across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect. The pilot who pulled off what Kyiv considers a coup tells EL PAIS his battalion had been pursuing the objective for some time, although a stroke of luck was also involved Activity on the front lines of the disputed city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine is once again dominated, for yet another day, by the movement of drones, which have become the main protagonists of the war. An unusual event is about to take place. A small kamikaze unmanned aircraft takes off from Ukrainian positions, equipped not only with an explosive charge but also with a camera that allows its flight path to be observed in real time. Shortly afterward, it encounters a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter, which the Ukrainian pilot manages to hit. Almost immediately, the enemy aircraft plummets to the ground in a fiery mess. With actions like these, the Ukrainian army is trying to maintain its positions despite the diplomatic vicissitudes surrounding the conflict, with Kyiv once again under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to give in to Russia at the negotiating table. Baltika (a military nom de guerre), the 27-year-old pilot and architect of the attack, explains to EL PAIS by phone from his position how he succeeded in downing the helicopter: We had already tried several times. The last time was just a few days before. That morning, we launched the FPV [first-person view] drone, not specifically to shoot down the helicopter, but to search for any other targets. At first, we saw a Ka-52 [another type of Russian helicopter], but its speed was too much, and our FPV couldnt reach it. As we turned around, we came across the Mi-8. Very, very lucky [...] We remained calm, focused on our job. We saw the drone approaching [the Russian aircraft], and the image disappeared at the moment of impact, he says, referring to an attack that occurred on September 29. The images, recorded by several Ukrainian surveillance drones flying in the same area, then went viral, and congratulations poured in for the feat, including from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Almost as important as shooting down the helicopter was obtaining detailed videos of the attack, which delighted Ukrainian troops and were widely reported by the media. This Ukrainian David taking down the Russian Goliath offers a small reason for optimism and euphoria, which, as the Ukrainian military themselves acknowledge, should not lead them to forget that they are facing one of the most complicated and fiercely contested scenarios of the conflict. Tanks and other military vehicles have been losing ground, and their space is being occupied by drones from both sides in an ever-expanding combat zone. Towns near the line of contact between the two armies, such as Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, and Kostyantynivka, are under constant threat from such aircraft. A few days ago, a small drone killed French reporter Antoni Lallican, who was at least 12 miles from the front. Baltika and his colleagues confirmed their suspicions of the downing a few seconds after impact, thanks to the transmissions from the other surveillance drones. The screens show the helicopter, first moving forward in flames, and then, on the ground, the burning wreckage and even the body of one of the crew, also engulfed in flames, a few dozen meters away. We were happy, shouting, laughing, and congratulating each other, Baltika recounts three days after the attack. We havent seen any helicopters take off since then, he adds somewhat sarcastically. To successfully bring down the helicopter with the small drone, which is approximately half a meter long, they explain that several conditions must be met, such as the speed of both aircraft and the absence of rain or strong winds. Ukrainian military authorities have not been able to confirm the number of soldiers traveling in the helicopter. Maxim (who did not give his last name), commander of the Air Predators battalion within the 59th Brigade and the drone pilots superior officer, believes there were at least three or four soldiers on board, and that none survived. Sitting in his office, the 31-year-old highlights the fact that a drone worth around $800 was able to destroy a helicopter valued at no less than $7 million. Both he and Baltika insist that this is the first documented case of the Ukrainian military managing to completely destroy an enemy helicopter in this way. The new reality is that Ukraine already produces millions of drones a year, of all types and ranges, and that the price of a missile to shoot down an aircraft such as an Mi-8 can reach around 1 million ($1.16 million) per unit. Hence, Zelenskiys desire to exchange drones with Trump for long-range Tomahawk missiles. A Ukrainian military vehicle equipped with anti-drone protection, en route to the town of Dobropillya, near the eastern front. Luis de Vega Typically, drone units manage to hit other types of targets, such as vehicles, warehouses, homes, or even rocket launchers. But never before have they achieved anything like this, says Maxim proudly, who estimates that the drone must have directly hit the fuel tank. I wasnt at the command post at the time of the attack. I usually tell my pilots that they have orders to hit at least one Russian vehicle every day. That day, they told me via message that they hadnt hit any, but that they had shot down a helicopter, he recalls. Are you joking? I asked. At that moment, I realized this was an extraordinary attack, and I went into shock he continues. My feelings were similar to what I felt when we liberated Kherson (at the end of 2022), also with the 59th Brigade. This is a great motivation for everyone. For a few moments, we forgot about our problems, our fatigue This was a new page in this war for us, he says with a smile. He shows the attack on his cell phone screen several times. He gloats, pausing the video just before impact, when one of the Russian soldiers can be seen, with the helicopter door open, helplessly watching the FPV drone arrive. The attack on September 29 took place between the Russian-controlled towns of Nadiivka and Kotlyarivka, southwest of the disputed city of Pokrovsk. The FPV drone took off from a distance of about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), a common distance for this type of operation. We have proven that these achievements are possible. I understand that it cant be done frequently, but I also hope it wont be the last time. It was a dream come true, Maxim says. The elimination of the Russian Mi-8 is, however, only a small chapter in the battle raging in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian troops control around 70% of the area. Part of the territory around Pokrovsk, occupied by the Russians in August, has been liberated, and many of the remaining invading troops in this area are blocked and surrounded, but the fighting remains difficult, according to the drone battalion commander. Russian sources acknowledge on Telegram channels, with information from military personnel on the ground, that their men are barely able to move in small groups beyond skirmishes on foot or on motorcycles, and that the logistics of maintaining their positions are difficult to sustain. Despite all this, they manage to maintain pressure on towns like Dobropillya, from whose outskirts the Ukrainian army is trying to hold back the invading troops at a time of year, autumn, when the cold and rain will soon make combat conditions even more difficult. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Snow showers this evening. Clearing skies later. Low near 15F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 40%.. Tonight Snow showers this evening. Clearing skies later. Low near 15F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 40%. The conservative politician, the first former head of state to be incarcerated since World War II, has been sentenced to five years for conspiracy in a case involving campaign financing from Libya Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy became the first post-war former head of state to cross the threshold of a penitentiary on Tuesday to serve a sentence behind bars. He entered the Sante prison in Paris and hopes to be released as soon as possible, as he will most likely request parole quickly. He has already appealed the September 25 sentence, which handed down five years for criminal conspiracy in a case investigating the illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the Libyan regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, 70, was scheduled to arrive at 10:00 a.m. He was permitted to report to the prison by car, not on foot like other detainees. There are 754 inmates at the Sante prison, in excess of its capacity, but Sarkozy will be taken directly to an isolation area so he will not come into contact with other prisoners. He was scheduled to be received by the prison governor. Despite the protocol to make his arrival as discreet as possible, the event was heavily covered in the media. One of his sons, Louis Sarkozy, provided the clue, making a call on social media at 8:30 a.m. to all those who wanted to show support for his father. He even revealed the address. He was followed by a procession of motorcycles with cameras. Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his house with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on the day of his incarceration at the Sante prison. Sarah Meyssonnier (REUTERS) After being convicted, Sarkozy denounced a coup by the rule of law. He maintains his innocence and has received support from some in the political class. French President Emmanuel Macron received him last Friday at the Elysee Palace. On Monday, a day after the unprecedented robbery at the Louvre Museum, Macron justified himself by stating that it was normal on a personal and human level to receive one of his predecessors. I have always expressed my position regarding the independence of the judiciary, the head of state added after being asked about the issue during a trip to Slovenia. On Monday, Sarkozy received a visit from former prime minister Edouard Balladur (1993-1995), and even Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said he would visit him in prison to verify the security conditions he would be under. I go to prisons several times a week, he said, justifying his statement following criticism from the judiciary unions, which have denounced preferential treatment. Far from keeping a low profile, Sarkozy has used these past few weeks to proclaim his innocence and even posted a video on social media thanking the French people for their support. Some media outlets are already calling him Saint Sarkozy, the martyr. Im not afraid of going to prison, he has repeatedly said. Le Figaro reported that he is taking a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo with him to the jail. Supporters of Nicolas Sarkozy attend a gathering called by the sons of the former French president, Paris, France, October 21, 2025. Benoit Tessier (REUTERS) A Paris court sentenced Sarkozy to five years after finding it proven that, between 2005 and 2007, he maneuvered to obtain support from the Gaddafi regime to finance his campaign for the Elysee Palace. He was then Interior Minister. It was proven that he attempted this, but not that the money ultimately reached him, so he was acquitted of charges of corruption and embezzlement. The court ordered his imprisonment, despite his appeal, due to the exceptional gravity of the facts. He was not, however, forced to report immediately to jail so that he could resolve his professional affairs, and was summoned last week to be notified of the day he would be entering prison: October 21. Despite being implicated in several cases and having already been sentenced to one year in prison (which he served under house arrest, with an electronic tag), Sarkozy has received support from a section of the right-wing political class. Even far-right leader Marine Le Pen has come to his defense. Sante prison is one of the few penitentiaries equipped in terms of security to house a former president. It was recently remodeled and has somewhat more comfortable individual cells. The fact that Sarkozy is being held in isolation is part of a protection protocol. Several officers will accompany him throughout his movements, and whenever he goes, he will be prevented from crossing paths with other detainees. He will have access to the gym and the library. He isnt expected to spend much time behind bars, as his lawyers can request parole from the day of his incarceration, although the decision could take several weeks. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition After 15 years at Microsoft, Asia channel sales director Sarah Bowden is set to embark on a new adventure. In a LinkedIn post, Bowden wrote she has worked in New Zealand, Australia and Asia during her career with Microsoft. Ive had the privilege of supporting thousands of customers across diverse industries and market segments, she said. Working alongside Microsofts extensive partner ecosystem, from startups and ISVs to telcos, scale solution providers, hybrid cloud providers, distributors, and system integrators, together weve helped to unlock new opportunities and drive meaningful outcomes for our customers. Bowden joined Microsoft in 2010 as an account manager for the public sector. After nearly four years in the role, she became a partner development manager for Dynamics, working with partners in New Zealand. She then went on to hold a number of roles at Microsoft New Zealand, including small and medium business leader, as well as small, medium and corporate business leader. In 2019, Bowden took on the role of director of commercial and partner business in New Zealand, replacing the outgoing Phil Goldie. In that position, she was tasked with building new relationships with partners across the country, while managing 1,200 major Kiwi partners and driving growth across services and platforms such as Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365. EU leaders will task the European Commission on October 23 with drawing up a legal proposal to leverage 176 billion euros ($204 billion) of frozen Russian state assets for a loan to Ukraine -- a move that could cover most of Kyivs financial needs for the next three years. European diplomats who spoke with RFE/RL believe there is a chance the whole scheme can be agreed upon by the end of this year and that it would help fill the shortfall expected if the United States is no longer willing to finance Kyiv to the same extent as before. The idea is not to confiscate the Russian assets, largely held in the Belgian-based financial markets company Euroclear, but rather to replace them with bonds issued by the European Commission and backed by EU member states and potentially other Group of Seven (G7) countries and other partners. The money would then go to Kyiv in 2026-2028 as a so-called reparations loan, which Ukraine would only need to repay once Russia pays war reparations. Roughly speaking, three issues still need to be worked out and will be negotiated in the coming weeks. First, there are legal questions, raised mostly by Euroclears host country, Belgium. Then there are debates about what Ukraine can spend the money on, largely driven by France. And finally, there is a broader discussion about who will take part, how, and what risks that entails. Belgium's Concerns Belgium fears that some non-EU countries -- such as China, for example -- would start withdrawing their sovereign wealth in Euroclear amid fears that it might be seized for political reasons. This is a concern that has also been voiced by the European Central Bank (ECB). The European Commission has, however, made it clear in a discussion paper seen by RFE/RL that taking these steps is not confiscation, as the principal money would still remain untouched. It is also a one-off, temporary measure. Belgium is also fretting that it might have to repay the money by itself if Russia takes it to court and wins, although the European Commission has pointed out that Russian court orders arent enforceable in the EU. More importantly, a system of bilateral guarantees from individual member states has also been proposed, which would be replaced in 2028 when the new long-term EU budget comes into force. Then there is the question of how Ukraine should be allowed to spend the roughly 45 billion ($52 billion) it would receive each year. Implemented Without Unanimity? France has been vocal in its insistence that the cash should be mainly used for defense procurement in Europe while others have urged more flexibility. The European Commission has suggested a compromise of two legs-- with one part of the money being spent on Ukraines defense technological and industrial base and its integration into the European defense industry, including through the procurement of defense material, and the other part being used for classic budgetary support. Now, the issue is whether all 27 EU member states will back the plan. Unanimity is not required for signing off on the reparations loan but the more member states that sign up, the wider the risk is shared. Brussels ideally wants to have some of the G7 countries on board so as to ensure that this is not solely an EU venture, given that there are Russian central bank assets elsewhere as well. It would also help prevent the potential flight of assets held in euros if, for example, Britain and Japan also committed. One EU official told RFE/RL that if, say, Hungary and Slovakia dont come onboard this could be offset by a few wealthy non-EU countries stepping up instead. Welcome to Wider Europe, RFE/RL's newsletter focusing on the key issues concerning the European Union, NATO, and other institutions and their relationships with the Western Balkans and Europe's Eastern neighborhoods. I'm RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, and this week I'm drilling down on two issues: A preview of this weeks EU summit and Brussels' plan to train Ukrainian soldiers on their own soil. Briefing #1: An Agreement On Russia Sanctions But Little Else As EU Leaders Gather In Brussels What You Need To Know: EU leaders will gather in Brussels on October 23 for their regular fall summit, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy likely to attend. But apart from potentially agreeing in principle on more sanctions on Russia, they are unlikely to make much progress on finding more money for Kyiv or advancing the countrys EU membership prospects. Instead, the big talking point might be a meeting few of them will attend -- the impending Budapest summitbetween the US and Russian presidents. Expect the host, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has often held views contrary to the rest of the bloc on Ukraine and Russia, to give a short update at the summit about the preparation of the meeting in his capital. Deep Background: On sanctions it is perhaps indicative that the draft EU summit conclusions, seen by RFE/RL, have two bracketed options on the latest raft of punitive measures against the Kremlin: "the European Council [welcomes the][calls for a swift] adoption of the 19th package of sanctions." The sanctions proposal, which was presented by the European Commission in mid-September, includes the complete ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by the start of 2027 and also targets the Russian shadow fleet and banks, including some in Central Asian countries. While all 27 EU member states are in agreement with the thrust of the general sanctions, Slovakia has still not given its green light. Austria had also expressed reservations as it wanted to remove some Russian oligarchs that have been on the blacklist for years in order to help Raiffeisen Bank, an Austrian lender, with legal issues in Russia. Eventually, it folder, as all other EU member states were against Vienna's proposal. It will, however, be harder to convince Slovakia regarding its objections, as its prime minister, Robert Fico, wants to have a discussion about the bloc's decision to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. This has absolutely nothing to do with the latest package of sanctions, but, in Brussels, various issues tend to get tangled up and are part of the inevitable horse-trading. The draft summit conclusions on the Green Deal, the EUs ambitious goal to emit zero greenhouse gases by 2050, are already now written to soften the blow for member states with a considerable automotive sector -- like Slovakia. The conclusions note that the "European Council recalls the need to intensify collective efforts to ensure Europes industrial renewal and decarbonization in a technologically neutral manner. It underlines in this context that particular attention should be paid to traditional industries, notably the automotive, shipping, aviation, and energy-intensive industries, such as steel and metals and chemicals, so that they remain resilient and competitive in a global market." What is likely to happen is that Bratislava will be able to extract more reassurances going forward, including a review of the 2035 combustion engine ban, and that Slovakia will eventually wave through the latest package of Russia sanctions. Drilling Down: On the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU, there will be little progress given that Hungary has long made clear that it will veto any move to allow Ukraine (and by extension Moldova) to join -- a stance that is unlikely to change before parliamentary elections in the Central European country in April 2026. But other countries are moving forward with the preparatory work, and there are hints in the proposed EU summit text that things could proceed quickly if Budapest gives its green light. In previous summits, the communique mentioned the opening of one out of six negotiation clusters for Ukraine. Now, there is a mention of two more clusters -- and the same language is used for Moldova. In essence, that could mean that if accession talks got going, they could do so in a wide array of policy fields immediately. But perhaps the most pertinent discussion will be on the future financing of Ukraine, especially as the United States might spend less in the future. Kyiv's needs for this year are already covered but, from 2026 onwards, things are less clear. The latest European Commission proposal is to leverage the roughly 174 billion euros ($203 billion) of frozen Russian assets in the EU into a reparation loan for Ukraine. Most of this money is being held in Euroclear, a Belgium-based financial market infrastructure group. Belgium has been lukewarm about the proposal so far, even though it hasnt blocked it entirely. Officials from Belgium want more legal clarity, and the country is also keen that other EU member states, as well as possibly G7 countries, share the potential future financial burden. in the EU into a reparation loan for Ukraine. Most of this money is being held in Euroclear, a Belgium-based financial market infrastructure group. Belgium has been lukewarm about the proposal so far, even though it hasnt blocked it entirely. Officials from Belgium want more legal clarity, and the country is also keen that other EU member states, as well as possibly G7 countries, share the potential future financial burden. Regarding the "reparation loan," France also wants Ukraine to be bound to spend some of the money on defense equipment made in the EU. It is still expected that the European Commission, after the October 23 summit, will flesh out a proper legal proposal on the loan and that is something that can be agreed when the leaders meet again in December. Crucially, the European Central Bank, which initially wasnt happy with the proposal, is now playing a constructive role. Another positive sign, in terms of getting the deal done, is that most EU member states back it, with Germany already on board. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, under a new government, might hesitate but there's unlikely to be many more dropping out. And if non-EU countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan join the effort, the reparations loan proposal could very well fly in the next couple of months. Briefing #2: EU Edging Closer To Training Missions In Ukraine What You Need To Know: The European Union is edging closer to training Ukrainian troops inside the country itself and to expanding other forms of support -- including border monitoring, assistance for war veterans, and boosting Ukraines cybersecurity. Brussels is also considering establishing forward positions in Ukraine in case of a future cease-fire. Thats according to strategic reviews seen by RFE/RL of the EUs two missions dealing with Ukraine: the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM), which focuses on strengthening the civilian security sector; and the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM), which has so far trained 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers on EU soil. The reviews come as the EU is still working out what security guarantees it can offer Kyiv if the war stops. The documents also note, however, that Russia "maintains its objective to redraw the European security order" and that Moscows "military aggression and approach to the diplomatic process demonstrate that its ultimate goal to subjugate Ukraine has not changed." Deep Background: Deploying troops to Ukraine -- regarded by many as the ultimate security guarantee -- remains a national decision, but EU training missions allow Brussels to provide wide-ranging support to Kyiv. Changing the mandate of both EUMAM and EUAM requires unanimity, however, and this is what both reviews are actually pushing for. EUMAM, which was launched in late 2022 as a direct response to Russias full-scale invasion, has been one of the EUs success stories when it comes to supporting Ukraine. Fifteen full combat brigades have been trained in 18 EU member states offering 1,750 different types of training modules, including practice with F-16 and Mirage jets -- all for a relatively modest budget of 360 million euros ($420 million). Kyiv, however, has repeatedly called for some of the training to take place on Ukrainian soil. It also aims to increase the number of trained soldiers from 4,000 to 20,000 per month. The strategic review of EUMAM notes that three training centers have already been established in the western part of Ukraine, but that none of them are fully operational due to a lack of adequate infrastructure and qualified external trainers. Drilling Down: The text points out several drawbacks to the EU missions lack of a presence on the ground in Ukraine, such as the logistical burden and the danger of Ukrainian troops having to travel far from the front line for training. It also notes that training on EU soil, in a peacetime environment, hampers the use of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems and electronic warfare assets, which are utilized extensively in this conflict. It also states that there is a risk of non-EU troops moving in to provide training if Brussels is reluctant. Yet, the paper acknowledges that moving some or all parts of EUMAM to Ukraine would imply that a cease-fire or any form of truce should be in place. It also says that the deployment should be coordinated with a US contribution or backstop to security guarantees. To allow a quick move into Ukraine -- effectively a change in the missions mandate -- the strategic review proposes a two-step process: first, to agree on the new strategic direction and revise the mission plan now; and second, to vote on and approve the required amendments once conditions on the ground permit. Whereas EUMAM is a relatively new mission and not present inside Ukraine, EUAM has been based in several Ukrainian cities since just after the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, which ushered pro-European forces into power in Kyiv after the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. And it has remained in place despite the full-scale invasion, even though it had to leave its offices in Kharkiv and Mariupol due to the war. Around 400 mission members are currently working alongside civil security sectors, such as the police, the national guard, the state prosecutors office, and the state border guards. The main goal is still to work on reforming these institutions to match European Union standards when it comes to civilian oversight and governance, in order to prepare the country for eventual EU membership. But the strategic review of the EUAM also suggests new areas for the mission, such as supporting Ukraines ability to monitor its borders with Russia and Belarus, as well as being present on any potential future contact lines in the event of a cease-fire. Other new ideas based on Kyivs needs and requests include assistance on cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructure. According to the document, nearly 600 people linked to Russia were apprehended for subversive activities in Ukraine over the past year. Brussels has also indicated that it is ready to help with the reintegration of war veterans across the civilian security and civil protection sectors. Looking Ahead There is a full European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg this week and there should be lots of Belarus-related news coming out from the chamber. Opposition leaders Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Syarhey Tsikhanouski will address the lawmakers, who will also debate and vote on a resolution about the fifth anniversary of the fraudulent presidential election in the country. On top of that, it's expected that Andrzej Poczobut, an imprisoned Polish-Belarusian journalist, will win the Sakharov Prize, one of the top human rights awards that the European Parliament gives annually. That's all for this week! Feel free to reach out to me on any of these issues on X @RikardJozwiak, or on e-mail at jozwiakr@rferl.org. Until next time, Rikard Jozwiak If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition subscribe here. Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance was letting Ukraine down by failing to deliver enough support during 2023-24, describing a defeatist mood in Washington and European nations failing to make promised arms deliveries. Stoltenberg, who was head of the western military alliance from October 2014 until October 2024, makes the criticisms in a new book, On My Watch, Leading NATO In A Time Of War, to be released on October 23. The book covers his entire period in office, including NATOs defeat in Afghanistan in 2021 and Russias initial aggression in Ukraine in 2014. It also ponders the future of the alliance following the election of Donald Trump as US president in 2024. The tone among the allies is sometimes sharp, Stoltenberg, who is currently Norway's finance minister and a former prime minister of the Nordic nation, writes. However, the [US] administrations views on security policy and NATO cooperation are recognizable. China continues to be considered the United States most important challenger and strategic competitor; the pivot towards the Indo-Pacific region is ongoing and intensifying. Demands that Europe and Canada spend more on their defense are far from new. But Stoltenbergs recollections of meetings with senior officials ahead of and during Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 offer some of the most revealing insights. Prelude To War His account of the run-up to the attack details Russias lack of interest in genuine talks, in particular a meeting in New York in September 2021 in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was constantly interrupting him while his spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, groaned and rolled her eyes whenever Stoltenberg spoke. In mid-October 2021, he writes, a NATO intelligence officer told him that Russia intended to invade. The reason, he believes, was fear of the "political threat" posed by a "democratic and ever more West-facing Ukraine." Stoltenberg also describes how Russian President Vladimir Putin changed, becoming increasingly isolated -- particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This account tallies with that given by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel in her memoirs, released earlier this year, where she says Putin didnt come to the G20 summit in 2021 because he was afraid of catching the virus. She has said this isolation may have been among the main factors behind Putins reason to invade. Despite this, Stoltenberg writes, key NATO countries France and Germany were in denial, just as they had been when Russian troops seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Both occasions illustrated the deep disagreement among NATO nations in their views of Russia, he writes. These divergent views occur repeatedly as the narrative progresses. Woken By War Full-scale war in Europe, the largest since World War II, began for Stoltenberg with a 4:25 a.m. phone call. Shortly afterwards, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin voiced concern about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling Stoltenberg: We fear for his life. Four days later, Stoltenberg finally got on the line to Zelenskyy, who repeatedly requested a NATO-imposed no-fly zone. The request was denied. The conversation, notes Stoltenberg, was painful. Later, he writes that there had been a widespread perception in NATO that Kyiv would fall within days. NATO countries did impose wide-ranging economic sanctions and began shipping arms, as well as providing Ukraine with economic and humanitarian aid. Millions of Ukrainian refugees received sanctuary in Western countries. According to the Kiel Institute, in Germany, European nations provided 177 billion euros ($206.4 billion) of aid to Ukraine between January 2022 and August 2025, while the United States provided 115 billion euros over the same period. Within this, Washington is the biggest supplier of military aid, with some 64.6 billion euros worth of arms and armaments. Germany is second, at 17.7 billion. Shipments have included Patriot missile-defense systems, tanks, artillery, and fighter jets, as well as British and French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. But critics have long argued that enough has not been done and that the help provided has often come too late. Stoltenberg agrees. 'Passive And Defeatist' Recalling preparations ahead of the NATO summit in July 2024, he writes there was something passive and defeatist about our partners in Washington. They risked little, they failed to take the offensive, and they hid away their president. Stoltenberg says that then-US President Joe Biden was deterred from making decisions by his concerns about what the other guy would say, referring to Trump. But it wasnt just the US which was letting Ukraine down, he writes. The EU had promised to provide Ukraine with a million artillery shells from March 2023 to March 2024, but less than half had been delivered. Russia, backed by China economically and North Korea militarily, had more resources than Ukraine in a war of attrition, Stoltenberg writes. Yet some NATO nations, instead of tipping the balance, simply offered the bare minimum of support. Its just over a year since Stoltenberg stepped down as NATO chief. In February, the 66-year-old took a new position as finance minister in his native Norway. Speaking at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 17, he said NATO countries were still giving too little, too slowly. This, he said, has a direct link to a planned meeting in Budapest between Trump and Putin. We have to talk to the Russians. But when you talk to the Russians it has to be based on strengththey have to know that we are supporting the Ukrainians. The stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger their hand will be at the negotiating table, he added. Germanys ongoing effort to pursue Ukrainian citizens it suspects of being behind explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines faces its next battle in the high-security bunker courtroom at Bologna prison in northern Italy on October 23, following a series of recent legal and political setbacks. The suspect identified by German prosecutors as Serhii K. won an appeal court ruling on October 15, preventing his extradition to Germany following his arrest on a European arrest warrant while on holiday in Rimini in August. That was followed two days later by a verdict in Poland releasing another Ukrainian man, Volodymyr Z., whose extradition Germany was also seeking. German prosecutors say the men were part of a group of divers who used a hired yacht to sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, seven months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Serhii K.s extradition was blocked largely on procedural grounds. His legal team believe the ruling in Warsaw will strengthen his case. 'The Polish Precedent' The novelty lies in the Polish precedent concerning an alleged co-offender in the same facts of crime, which I consider binding, said Serhii K.s lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, in written comments to RFE/RL. Nord Stream, majority-owned by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom corporation and co-financed by major European energy companies, was constructed to deliver Russian gas directly to Germany, bypassing transit states such as Ukraine and Poland, which had strained their relations with Moscow. The suspected sabotage and subsequent gas leaks caused the pipelines to become inoperable. German prosecutors have not said that the group was operating under orders from the Ukrainian government or other state authorities, and Kyiv has denied involvement. However, the Polish court ruling said that "the person being prosecuted, if he was the perpetrator, is entitled to functional immunity, which covers an act committed in connection with his activities for the Ukrainian state." Senior Polish officials have gone out of their way to voice opposition to extraditing the suspect. When a foreign aggressor is bombing your country, you may legitimately strike back by sabotaging the aggressors ability to finance the war. It is called self-defense, wrote Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on social media on October 17. 'Acts Of War' Canestrinis defense is couched in similar terms. The defense will recall the context of martial law in Ukraine and of the international armed conflict in which the events are alleged to have occurred, arguing that they should be considered acts of war carried out under superior orders, covered by functional immunity, he said. The alleged offences, he added, should be considered political offences that precluded extradition. Nord Stream has been a longstanding source of friction in Germanys relations with Poland and Ukraine, which have seen it as a bilateral deal between Berlin and Moscow that ignores their interests. In the past, Sikorski has even compared it to the secret Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement, under which Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union carved up Poland in 1939. German officials have reacted cautiously to the extradition rulings, emphasizing that they do not seek to interfere in court proceedings. But the legal and political blowback has also led to questions in Germany. Commentators in the German media have suggested the cases are embarrassing for the German government. Roderich Kiesewetter, a legislator from Chancellor Friedrich Merzs CDU party, said it was possible that prosecutors would abandon the extradition efforts -- and that he quite understood the Italian and Polish rulings. Germany should show more dignity towards our partners, especially Poland, and focus more on clarifying the misguided and fatal Russia policy of (previous) German governments. The mistake was that Nord Stream was built in the first place, he tweeted. His words echoed earlier comments by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said the problem is not that Nord Stream 2 was blown up, but that it was built. By coincidence, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who sealed the deal to begin construction with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2005, was giving evidence about it to a regional German legislature on the same day that Volodymyr Z. was freed. The 81-year-old insisted he had no regrets about the project. Russia wanted to sell gas. Germany wanted to buy gas, he said. Western governments originally accused Russia of carrying out the blasts on the pipelines, while Moscow rejected the allegations and instead blamed the United States, Britain, and Ukraine. There are no plans for US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet "in the immediate future," a senior White House official said on October 21, days after Trump had indicated that another summit was being arranged with his Russian counterpart. Trump said the possibility of a "wasted meeting" had led him to put plans for a summit with Putin on hold. But Trump reiterated that he believes both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy want to end the war and alluded to ongoing diplomacy. "A lot of things are happening on the war front," Trump also told reporters at the White House, saying more would be known "in the next few days." A spokeswoman for NATO chief Mark Rutte said earlier on X that Rutte would visit Washington on October 21-22 and would meet with Trump. A source quoted by Reuters said he would present European views on a cease-fire and any subsequent peace negotiations. Separately, Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said on X that preparations for a summit were ongoing. "Media is twisting comment about the 'immediate future' to undercut the upcoming Summit. Preparations continue," he said. Earlier on October 21 a senior White House official said "there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future" after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a "productive call" but opted against an in-person meeting. Moscow's rejection of an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine appeared to have been the sticking point. Lavrov repeated Russias opposition to an immediate cease-fire, saying it is necessary to find a solution that eliminates what the Kremlin calls the wars root causes." The Russian foreign minister said however that he and Rubio had agreed to continue telephone consultations "to better understand where we are and how to move in the right direction." He said Russia's war aims remained unchanged and that its "special military operation" would achieve its objectives. Ukraine's military said late on October 21 that its forces had struck an important chemical plant in southern Russia's Bryansk region. A statement from the General Staff said Storm Shadow air-launched missiles were used in a combined missile and air strike that successfully penetrated Russian air defenses. It described the plant as "an important component of the military-industrial complex of the aggressor country" producing gunpowder, explosives, and rocket fuel and said damage caused by the operation was being assessed. Trump said on October 20 that attempts to reach an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war were ongoing and warned that if an agreement is not reached, the consequences will be serious. Zelenskyy 'Ready' For Budapest The idea for a Trump-Putin summit in Budapest emerged during a call between the two leaders last week. Trump then met with Zelenskyy at the White House to discuss the potential that the United States could provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. The meeting turned out to be largely inconclusive. Zelenskyy said that the US administrations decision not to green-light Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine had weakened diplomatic leverage. In his evening address he said Russia "continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy -- and as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us -- for Ukraine -- became less immediate, Russias interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically." Zelenskyy and senior European Union officials have repeatedly expressed doubts about Putin's willingness to end the war, and released a joint statement on October 21 underlining this. "Russia's stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace," said the statement, signed by Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, and others. "We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction," they added. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy has said that he's "ready" to sit down for peace talks in the Hungarian capital even though the venue selection has been criticized by the European Union given an International Criminal Court arrest warrant outstanding against Putin. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that if Putin tried to fly across Poland to Hungary, the Polish Air Force might force his plane to land. I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court won't order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand the suspect to the court in The Hague, he told Radio Rodzina. Lavrov said this would be a "terrorist act." Amid the controversy, Hungary appeared to be moving ahead with plans for the summit. Its foreign minister told a briefing in Budapest that he would travel to the US capital on October 21 but gave no details of the trip. Zelenskyy said on social media that there will be "many meeting and negotiations in Europe this week" amid media reports that he will fly to London on October 24 where a meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, comprising over 20 Western allies of Ukraine, is to gather. Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos called on Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro to show restraint Monday after their verbal clash over the weekend. The U.S. president accused his South American counterpart of being an illegal drug leader after the latter complained about a military attack on an alleged trafficking boat in Colombian waters. In the fight between the worlds largest drug producer and the worlds largest drug consumer, only organized crime wins, said Santos, who spoke with Jan Martinez Ahrens, editor-in-chief of EL PAIS, at the World in Progress (WIP) forum being organized in Barcelona by the PRISA Group, publisher of EL PAIS. Both peoples lose, emphasized Santos, who currently leads The Elders, a group of world leaders dedicated to promoting sustainability and good governance. In Bogotas case, he noted, trade dependence on the U.S. is extremely high, and Trump has threatened to cut off collaboration programs with Colombia; a country that, he added, has historically been one of Washingtons allies in the region. I hope that institutionality is rescued and the instruments of international relations prevail, he said. Santos focused on the personalities of Trump and Petro: As long as we have two presidents who insult each other on Twitter [now X] every day, it will be more difficult. Both leaders, the Nobel Prize winner argued, have their own agendas in this clash. Petro has been seeking a confrontation with Trump for some time. His very aggressive speeches against the U.S. aim to portray him as a martyr or as the leader of anti-imperialism; thats an advantage for him, he stated. Regarding the U.S. president, Santos pointed out that this gesture demonstrates strength to his citizens in the fight against drugs. The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who sealed the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas, has been cautious regarding U.S. incursions into Venezuelan and Colombian waters. I think theyre trying to pressure the [Venezuelan] regime to see if it breaks down internally or if we achieve what weve all wanted for a long time: a peaceful solution, he noted. These military operations, in his opinion, raise serious questions about respect for international law. The awarding of this years Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was greeted as good news by the former president of Colombia. She is a woman who has taken many risks, shown immense courage, and stood up to a repressive regime like few others, he said. In recent days, since the award decision was announced, the repression has intensified. Santos, who governed from 2010 to 2018, has defended his peace agreement in Colombia and blamed his successors, Ivan Duque and Petro, for the lack of greater progress in implementing it. He asserted that the former was more influenced by the ideological opposition to the demobilization of the FARC, while the current president has opted for his commitment to total peace, which he sees as a failure, as evidenced by the loss of state control in areas formerly occupied by the guerrillas. Accords usually fail after five years, and were nine years in. And even today, more than 85% of the agreement remains in place, he stressed, referring to the fact that 85% of the guerrillas who laid down their weapons have reintegrated into civil society. There are still six years left, and I hope the next government assumes responsibility, he concluded. Santos also advocated for multilateralism and cooperation between countries to address what he has called existential risks to humanity, one of the concerns of The Elders. Among these, for example, he has mentioned the possibility of nuclear war. The former president was invited to unveil the latest calculation of the Doomsday Clock, an initiative launched by Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer to symbolize the proximity of humanitys self-destruction, which is at its worst indicator in 77 years: 89 seconds to midnight (the moment that, on the metaphorical clock, symbolizes the end of the world). The risk of nuclear war has increased significantly, not only because of the increase in the number of atomic bombs, but also because of the technology to launch missiles and the vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence, he said. This theoretical apocalypse is also closer, he added, due to deforestation, climate change, and the risk of a new pandemic, among other factors. No country is capable of solving the problem on its own, insisted Santos, who advocated for responsible, long-term leadership that is detached from electoral calculations and willing to accept making the right decisions even if it comes at a political cost. He also called for a revival of multilateralism. The United Nations is not doing what it should be doing: preventing wars, preventing conflicts, enforcing international law, enforcing human rights, he concluded. World In Progress (WIP) is an international forum for reflection and debate organized by PRISA, EL PAIS, and, as a media partner, Cadena SER. It is supported by the Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, BBVA, Cellnex, Fundacion la Caixa, Glovo, Mango, Moeve, Naturgy, OEI, PWC, Redeia, Sabadell, Santander, Veolia, and Vueling. Foment del Treball Nacional, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and Cidob are also collaborating. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Anxiety is running high in Colombia. U.S. President Donald Trump did not carry out his threat to impose new tariffs on the Andean countrys exports this Monday, but he hasnt withdrawn it either. Quite simply, his priorities are elsewhere, such as addressing the fragile ceasefire he secured for Gaza. Meanwhile, in Bogota, President Gustavo Petro recalled his ambassador in Washington, gave an extensive interview on Monday in which he announced he would ask the Republican administration for explanations, and closed the day with a private meeting with John McNamara, the superpowers acting ambassador, or charge daffaires, in Colombia. Upon finishing, neither of them made any statements. Although the meeting shows that communication channels are not broken, the risk of a severe economic blow has not been left behind. This is a particularly serious risk for Colombia: the United States is the destination for 26% of its exports and its main source of foreign investment and security assistance. A century of political alignment has not passed in vain, nor have 25 years of deep military assistance, since the creation of the so-called Plan Colombia, which was fundamental to the recovery of what some once described as a failed state. The link is so strong that Petro himself defended the existence of a free trade agreement between the two nations this Monday on X, despite the fact that this agreement has been criticized for years by the Colombian left, which he represents. There shouldnt have been any tariffs because there was an international free trade agreement between the two countries, he said in a recent interview, referring to the tariffs that the U.S. imposed on April 2 on all countries, although Colombia came out less affected than many of its neighbors and competitors. Some export sectors, such as coffee, have explored strategies to take advantage of this unexpected competitive advantage, but uncertainty has limited their ability to capitalize on it. This is even more the case given the difficult relations between two governments with opposing ideologies, led by loquacious presidents prone to rhetorical excesses and hot-headed reactions. The early clash over the deportation of chained Colombians, which led the two presidents to announce a trade war, has underscored both mutual distrust and Trumps weapon of choice. Then came an escalation in September. On the 15th, the U.S. government decertified Colombia in its fight against drug trafficking; on the 23rd, the Colombian leader issued a fierce condemnation of Trump at the United Nations General Assembly; on the morning of the 27th, he spoke at a street rally in New York and called on soldiers to disobey Trump regarding Israel; that same night, the U.S. State Department announced it was revoking Petros visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions. The new clash involves a third actor, one of particular importance to Colombia. This third party is Venezuela, the neighbor with which Petro has the closest historical ties and with whom he has maintained an uneasy relationship since Nicolas Maduro declared himself the winner of the July 2024 presidential election without showing proof of it, while opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalezs campaign produced copies of 83.5% of the voting records, indicating his victory by more than 30 points. Petro initially demanded that Maduro reveal the records, avoided attending his inauguration, and kept Colombias doors open to the wave of Venezuelan refugees and asylum seekers fleeing the political repression of the following months, but he has maintained diplomatic relations throughout. In his Monday interview, the journalist Daniel Coronell asked him about his position on Maduro, and the president avoided a direct answer, opting for a long detour through the history of Colombian-Venezuelan relations, the problems of oil-dependent economies, and his contempt for traitors who call for an invasion of their own country (a reference to Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado). Over the past two months, Trump has increased pressure on the Maduro regime with an unprecedented display of force in the Caribbean and at least seven missile attacks on vessels he accuses of transporting drugs to the U.S. The clash with Petro is related to this: in a message delivered last Saturday, Petro accused the Americans of having hit a Colombian fishing vessel, presumably in Colombian waters. It was in response to these accusations that Trump reacted furiously: he called Petro an illegal drug leader who incentivizes the mass production of drugs, announced the immediate suspension of all aid to the Andean country, and, hours later, stated that his decision on the tariffs would be announced on Monday. That hasnt happened, and so Colombia remains on tenterhooks. Without any known details of the conversation between McNamara and Petro, who told Coronell that the meeting was not to concede anything, but to make demands, the uncertainty remains. Five days before Petros movement chooses its presidential candidate for the May 2026 elections, Colombia continues to await an announcement from Trump, while it grapples with the political shock of the upcoming appeal verdict in the witness-tampering trial for which former right-wing president Alvaro Uribe was convicted in July. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The first public consultation event on a planned waterfront park project at Hodson Bay will take place on Thursday, October 23rd. The flagship tourism project involves the development of a reimagined marina with floating boardwalk, shore length promenade and water play experience. The non-statutory public consultation event will take place in the Hodson Bay Hotel on Thursday, October 23rd between 2p.m. and 7p.m.. The event will include a project overview presentation; a display of maps and design options and an open Q&A and feedback session. A three week online community survey will also be launched on the day. Funding of 1.39m has been approved for the development of the project which is being managed by Roscommon County Council in partnership with Waterways Ireland and Failte Ireland. Failte Ireland has approved 1.07m of funding under the EU Just Transition Fund with the funding balance being provided by the council and Waterways Ireland. Ken Foxe RTE spent more than 800,000 on taxi fares, mileage costs, and car hire services for staff and guests in the first half of this year. The broadcaster said the biggest spend was on mileage, with just over 384,000 paid to employees across the organisation. The vast majority of that went on broadcast activities, which included a variety of travel to and from work locations. Just under 268,000, or around 45,000 per month, was spent on taxi fares for staff and guests in Ireland, as well as on trips overseas. RTE paid just over 151,000 for car hire, again split between hire vehicles used within the country and abroad. The biggest bill was in news and current affairs, where travel costs topped 320,000, while around 150,000 was spent in sport. There were costs of nearly 176,000 from the content department, a 59,000 bill from Radio 1 and a travel tab of 28,500 from RnaG. The broadcaster said they would not provide itemised detail on 765,000 of the spending on mileage, cabs, and car hire. They said it related to the broadcast function of RTE and was therefore exempt from release under Freedom of Information laws. A decision letter said: The costs were incurred for a variety of reasons, e.g. guest transportation, travel to and from locations for work, BIK [benefit in kind] etc. The software does not readily allow for a split between home and overseas taxi or car hire costs, so it is not possible to provide such information. RTE did provide more granular detail on transport costs involving its commercial operations and the Director Generals Office (DG). That covered around 39,000 worth of expenditure between January and June, with the DGs office accounting for around 2,545 of that. There were also bills of around 7,200 from product development, 3,759 from production services and 1,968 from property and services. Asked about the expenditure, an RTE spokesman said: [We are] committed to driving value for money across [our] operations, including expenditure on travel, whether related to RTE broadcasts or otherwise. RTE continues to keep travel and other expenses under review. The government is overhauling a fly production complex in Chiapas to make it the worlds most modern facility of its kind, capable of manufacturing millions of sterile specimens as a chemical-free form of pest control In 1991, the Mexican state of Chiapas was the epicenter of the first eradication of the cattle screwworm infestation in history. An old sterile fly plant, which operated for about seven years in Chiapa de Corzo about nine miles from the capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez once produced millions of flies that achieved that initial victory over the pest. Now, 34 years later, the same disease is causing alarm in North and Central America. The Mexican government is preparing a major response to this problem. The Ministry of Agriculture and the United States government are converting a 14-hectare complex in the Chiapas municipality of Metapa de Dominguez into the most modern facility in the world: Moscamed, as the factory is called, will begin manufacturing 100 million sterile flies by July 2026. Until now, the sterile flies that are spread throughout the country to combat the screwworm plague (100 million each week) are brought from a plant managed by the Panama-United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of the Cattle Screwworm (Copeg), in Panama, where they have been working at maximum capacity to control the pest since January 2025. Copeg is, for now, the only plant that manufactures sterile flies of the species Cochliomya hominivorax, more commonly known as screwworm fly, and whose larvae are responsible for causing myiasis disease in warm-blooded species, including humans. The sterile insect technique is a form of birth control for the population; it tries to prevent more insects from being born Geneticist Salvor Meza On the Chiapas side, in the large Metapa de Dominguez complexlocated just over a mile from the border with Guatemala and about 19 miles from the city of Tapachulaa large scientific and technical community made up of geneticists, agronomists, veterinarians, and other professionals work every day to manufacture millions of sterile Mediterranean flies, a species that damages more than 250 types of fruits and vegetables, a plague that Mexico is so far free of, although if it were to reach national territory it would be a commercial and food catastrophe. A worker collects Medfly eggs at the reproduction center in Metapa, Chiapas. Rodrigo Oropeza Sterile Mediterranean flies before being stored and transported for release, at the MOSCAMED program packaging area in Tapachula, southern Mexico. Rodrigo Oropeza A worker collects sterile specimens of the Mediterranea fly (Medfly) at the Chiapas center. Rodrigo Oropeza Sterile specimens of Medfly at the MOSCAMED reproduction center in Chiapas. Rodrigo Oropeza A worker collects sterile Mediterranean flies at the MOSCAMED reproduction center. Rodrigo Oropeza Sterile specimens of the Mediterranean fly. Rodrigo Oropeza Workers collecting speciments of the Medfly at the MOSCAMED center in Chiapas. Rodrigo Oropeza This complex was inaugurated in 1979 with funding from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and for more than 40 years it was an international benchmark in the fight against one of the 10 pests considered the most lethal in the world: the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata). In 2021, the Mexican government built a new plant there, arguing that it was still necessary to protect national fruit and vegetable production, which includes more than 250 plant species and was valued at $19 billion in 2024 in domestic consumption and exports, according to official data. Human, economic, and governmental efforts around the facility, called Moscamed, have had to be reoriented since the screwworm myiasis disease re-emerged in Costa Rica in July 2023 and spread rapidly northward. Two years later, in July 2025, Mexican Secretary of Agriculture Julio Berdegue inaugurated work on the conversion of part of the Moscamed complex. This building, 28% of which was completed as of October, has been completely dismantled and emptied. In a few months, it will become Panamas replacement for the production of sterile screwworm flies on national soil. Workers collect sterile Mediterranean fruit fly in Tapachula, Chiapas. Rodrigo Oropeza Although it is still in its infancy, authorities from the National Service of Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality (Senasica) are optimistic and estimate that by July 2026 this space where sterile Mediterranean flies were formerly manufactured will be fully operational for the production of the screwworm species. Hunberto Gomes Velasques, Moscamed program coordinator, explained: An analysis was made according to the viability of this property for the production of sterile screwworm flies and we found three advantages: one of them is that this property has a BSL-2 laboratory [of 4 that exist] and has 2,016 square meters of biocontainment area, which means that it is restricted for the entry and exit of materials, and we also have a Cobalt 60 irradiator that, with certain adjustments, can be adapted to [the new] production. Moscamed opens the door Its early morning and at Tapachula International Airport, several small planes belonging to Servicios Mubarqui S. de R.L. de C.V. are preparing to receive the cargo from the Moscamed packing facility in the same city. The flies have arrived in metal containers and will be dropped from the sky. For several hours, the flies have been kept in cooling rooms at temperatures between 0 and 3 degrees Celsius, which keeps them dormant or lethargic until they are loaded onto the aircraft. Twice a week, these small planes release sterile flies, in flights typically lasting an average of four hours there are 3.6 million flies per flight in so-called release zones, the areas of the country where the pest is present: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, parts of Guerrero, and, most recently, Queretaro. Jose Luis Quintero Fong, coordinator of the Moscamed operational program, recalls that the first eradication of the screwworm pest in the country took almost two decades. He adds: We hope the screwworm fly pest will be eradicated from Mexico in less than 19 years. We are working toward that goal, and we hope we can do it in a much shorter timeframe. [...] This will be possible if we spread the word. The more we know about the pest, the more informed we are, the easier it will be to prevent its spread. SENASICA personnel load a small plane with containers carrying sterile Mediterranean fly in Tapachula. Rodrigo Oropeza By the time they are released, the Mediterranean flieswhose eggs are provided by another program facility, El Pino, located in Guatemala are already sterile and have gone through complex processes in Metapa. These include incubation, feeding, growth, larvae collection, feeding, dyeing to differentiate them from wild fliesand irradiation with Cobalt 60, the technique that nullifies their reproductive capacity. The sterile insect creation process, which lasts about 21 days, takes place in this gigantic complex where dozens of interconnected buildings house the long, tall rooms acclimatized to different temperatures to accommodate each life stage of the insect. Geneticist Salvor Meza explains: Our production is focused on creating a biological barrier to prevent insects from entering the country. The sterile insect technique is a form of birth control for the population; it tries to prevent more insects from being born. It is environmentally friendly, completely ecological, and avoids the use of thousands of liters of pesticide; this is the function of this plant. All the processes that take place at Moscamed, although currently monopolized for sterile Mediterranean flies, will be carried out in very similar ways for the production of screwworm flies in a few months. The project to convert this new, exclusive space for the screwworm fly is backed by a joint investment between Mexico and the United States of $51 million, of which the Mexican government contributes $30 million and the United States $21 million. The goal is to strengthen the control and eradication strategy, which began in mid-2024. According to Quintero Fong, the new plant in Metapa is expected to start with a production of between 30 and 60 million sterile flies per week, a figure that will increase to reach 100 million additional insects to those manufactured by Copeg. With the other leg of the project, the construction of a manufacturing plant for these flies in Texas, international efforts project a production of up to 500 million flies per week, which will be released throughout the region. If international cooperation continues, myiasis could be eradicated in less time than the first time. Some representatives of Senasica have even talked about achieving this goal in five years. Sterile screwworm fly specimens. Rodrigo Oropeza The crisis in numbers Information from Senasica indicates that cases of myiasis caused by the screwworm in Mexico have decreased by 28% compared to September 11, when the incidence peaked. The agencys most recent data indicates a total of 7,943 positive cases recorded in Mexico, representing 0.02% of the national livestock herd. From November 2024 to August 31, 2025, the cost of the health deployment to combat the screwworm amounted to 1.128 billion pesos, more than $60.34 million. Furthermore, Senasica estimates that 700,880 head of live cattle have not been exported to the United States as a result of the disease. The lost exports due to the closure of the northern border represent $642 million. The impact on cattle ranchers from selling in the Mexican market instead of exporting is estimated at $103.4 million (approximately 2,022.50 million pesos). Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar Mourns the loss of Govardhan Asrani: Had just shared the warmest of hugs He was a very lovely person he had the most legendary comic timing, he added. Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar Mourns the loss of Govardhan Asrani, Latest News: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has expressed grief at the passing away of Govardhan Asrani, known for his unparalleled comic timing. Speechless with grief at the passing of Asrani ji, Akshay Kumar said, adding, We had just shared the warmest of hugs just a week back at the shoot of Haiwaan. Advertisement He was a very lovely person he had the most legendary comic timing, he added. Reflecting on the films they worked in together, Akshay said, From all my cult films Hera Pheri to Bhagam Bhag to De Dana Dan, Welcome and now our unreleased Bhoot Bangla and HaiwaanI had worked and learned so much from him. Both the upcoming films are by Priyadarshan. He called the passing away of Govardhan Asrani an absolute loss to our industry. Advertisement God bless you, Asrani Sir, for giving us a million reasons to laugh. Om Shanti, Akshy Kumar added in a post on his Instagram story. Govardhan Asrani passed away at the age of 84. He had worked in more than 400 films. According to the report, the late actor had been admitted to Bharatiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital in Juhu four days before his death. Advertisement "Asrani sahab was admitted to Bharatiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital in Juhu four days ago. From what the doctors told us, there was fluid (water) accumulation in his lungs. He died today, October 20, around 3:30 pm. The last rites have already been completed, his personal assistant, Babubhai, shared with India Today. The veteran actor was last seen in the films 'Non Stop Dhamaal' and 'Dream Girl 2', which were released in 2023. (For more news apart from Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar Mourns the loss of Govardhan Asrani: Had just shared the warmest of hugs stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Punjab Emerging as World's Preferred Investment Destination: CM Mann Invites Bengaluru Industrialists The Chief Minister further said that bravery, hard work, and an enterprising spirit are embedded in every grain of Punjab's soil. Punjab Not Only Emerging as Indias but the Worlds Preferred Investment Destination: CM Mann Punjab Emerging as Worlds Preferred Investment Destination: CM Mann Invites Bengaluru Industrialists: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann interacted with Karnataka industrialists, showcasing Punjab as the most preferred investment destination. He urged them to invest in the state, boosting both Punjabs economy and their own businesses, according to a press release issued by the Chief Minister's Office. Advertisement While interacting with representatives from the industrial sector in Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann welcomed the attendees and stated that Bengaluru is known as the Information Technology Hub of India and the Silicon Valley of India. CM Mann extended an invitation to entrepreneurs to invest in Punjab, stating that the state is blessed by Gurus, saints, and martyrs and has a rich cultural heritage. The Chief Minister further said that bravery, hard work, and an enterprising spirit are embedded in every grain of Punjabs soil. He noted that the state has long played a vital role in defending the nations borders as well as ensuring the country's food security, and that for these reasons, Punjab is known as the Food Bowl and Sword Arm of India. Advertisement Praising the industrious people of Punjab, the Chief Minister said they are known for their dedication and perseverance, making the states bond with industry and enterprise exceptionally strong. He stated that Punjab is steadily making progress in industrial growth and that investments are being drawn to the state, citing its industry-friendly policies, transparent governance, and a conducive business environment. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is indeed heartening that Punjabs atmosphere of harmony, peace, and goodwill has greatly boosted industrial investment, according to the press release. Advertisement Massive Investment in Punjab Since 2022 to Boost Employment in the State Punjab has received investment proposals worth Rs 1.23 lakh crore since March 2022, which, the CM stated, would generate employment for around 4.7 lakh youth. CM Mann noted that sectors such as food processing, textiles, auto components, hand tools, bicycles, IT, and tourism are positioning Punjab as a role model for other states. Advertisement He further highlighted that leading global companies like Nestle, Claas, Freudenberg, Cargill, Verbio, Danone, and others have set up their units in the state, which he said is a matter of pride. Ludhiana Commercial Capital of Punjab; Punjab the Worlds Preferred Investment Destination: CM Mann The Chief Minister highlighted that Tatas second-largest steel plant in India, after Jamshedpur, is coming up in Ludhiana district. He added that Ludhiana, known globally as an industrial hub, plays a vital role in the states economy and is rightly considered the Commercial Capital of Punjab. The state continues to attract investments from developed nations such as Japan, the USA, Germany, the UK, the UAE, Switzerland, France, and Spain, the CM said. CM Mann stated that he firmly believes Punjab is not only emerging as Indias but the worlds Preferred Investment Destination, adding that the state government has delivered on many of the guarantees given to industrialists within just three and a half years. He further added that Punjab now holds a top position in Ease of Doing Business, citing the concerted efforts of his government. Fast Track Punjab Portal Indias Most Advanced Single-Window System Speaking further at the interaction session, Chief Minister Mann noted that the Fast Track Punjab Portal is Indias most advanced single-window system, offering more than 150 business services with the notable advantage of eliminating the need for offline applications. He (Chief Minister Mann) said that under the Punjab Right to Business Act, the state government grants in-principle approval within three days to projects with an investment of up to Rs 125 crore. Bhagwant Singh Mann further said that a time limit of 45 days has been set for granting approvals, and if approvals are not issued within this period, they are automatically treated as deemed approvals, the press release read. The CM said that assistance to investors is regularly provided through WhatsApp, AI chatbots, and call centers, adding that the period for fire NOC renewals has been extended, and the process for leasehold-to-freehold conversion has been vastly simplified. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government firmly believes that real industrial progress is possible only when the government and industry work shoulder to shoulder, the press release further read. He said that investors and entrepreneurs are regarded as key partners in shaping Punjabs industrial future. The state government has established committees for 24 different industrial sectors to draft targeted strategies and roadmaps for each, the CM said. He praised the dedicated and committed officers of Invest Punjab, saying they are always available to extend every possible support to industrialists. Sixth Progressive Punjab Investors Summit in March 2026 During the interaction, the Chief Minister apprised investors that the sixth Progressive Punjab Investors Summit is scheduled to be organized in Mohali on 13th, 14th, and 15th March 2026. He invited them to the event, saying the summit would provide a common platform for industrialists, policymakers, and innovative thinkers to exchange ideas and share their visions. Bhagwant Singh Mann urged all industrialists to actively contribute to formulating industry-friendly policies and share their valuable suggestions, the press release said. Concluding, the CM said that Punjab holds immense potential for economic and industrial growth, but he pointed out that without the support of industrialists, the state cannot move forward. The CM underscored that with their partnership, his government would take Punjab to new heights of prosperity and progress. Bhagwant Singh Mann exuded confidence that together, they will soon fulfill the dream of transforming Punjab once again into a vibrant and thriving land, Rangla Punjab, the press release further read. (For more news apart from BollPunjab Emerging as Worlds Preferred Investment Destination: CM Mann Invites Bengaluru Industrialists stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa Booked for Son's Murder, Alleged Affair With Daughter-in-Law Aqeel was the son of of former Punjab Minister Razia Sultana and former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa. Former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa Booked for Sons Murder, Alleged Affair With Daughter-in-Law Latest News: A case has been registered in Haryanas Panchkula against former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Mohammad Mustafa for the murder of his son, Aqeel Akhtar, and criminal conspiracy. Along with him, his wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law have also been accused of participating in the conspiracy. Thirty-five-year-old Aqeel Akhtar was the only son of former Punjab minister Razia Sultana and former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa. Advertisement According to reports, their neighbour, Shamsuddin, has made serious allegations and claimed that Aqeels wife and father had an illicit relationship, in which Razia Sultana was also involved. Shamsuddin reportedly filed a complaint with the Panchkula Police Commissioner, based on which the Panchkula MDC Police Station has now registered a case against Mohammad Mustafa, his wife and former minister Razia Sultana, their daughter, and daughter-in-law in connection with Aqeel Akhtars death. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted by the police to investigate the case. Advertisement Aqeel Akhtars Death According to a report by The Indian Express, Aqeel Akhtar, an advocate at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, was found dead at his residence on October 16. He was a resident of Sector 4, MDC, Panchkula. An FIR under Sections 103(1) (punishment for murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was lodged at the MDC Police Station in Panchkula against Mustafa, Sultana, Akhtars wife, and his sister on October 20, four days after the murder. Advertisement According to Srishti Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Panchkula, cited in the report, Akhtars family members informed the police when his body was found at his residence and statements were recorded. The report added, citing the DCP, that since no foul play was suspected initially, a post-mortem examination was conducted and the body was handed over to the family for the funeral procession. Subsequently, certain social media posts and videos surfaced, purportedly made by the deceased prior to his death, alleging personal disputes and apprehensions about threats to his life, DCP Gupta is quoted as saying in the report. Advertisement Police stated that, on October 17, a complaint was received from Shamsuddin of Malerkotla, Punjab, alleging conspiracy in the incident. The report said that the family found Akhtar at his Sector 4 MDC residence in an unconscious state and that he was immediately rushed to Civil Hospital, Sector 6, but doctors declared him brought dead. Akhtars funeral procession was held at his ancestral village, Harda Kheri, in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur district. The viscera samples have been sent to the forensic department to identify the substance consumed by the deceased, the report said, citing police. However, it noted that the report is expected to take two to three months. (For more news apart from Former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa Booked for Sons Murder, Alleged Affair With Daughter-in-Law, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Japan's Newly Elected PM, Sanae Takaichi According to reports, the 64 year old is known as Japa's Iron Lady. This was her third attempt at becoming the Japanese leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Japans Newly Elected PM, Sanae Takaichi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Sanae Takaichi, on being elected as the Prime Minister of Japan. PM Modi wrote, "I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the IndiaJapan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond." Sanae Takaichi has become the countrys first woman prime minister. Advertisement According to reports, the 64 year old is known as Japas Iron Lady. This was her third attempt at becoming the Japanese leader. Sanae Takaichi won 125 votes in the Upper House and got 237 votes in the Lower House, more than the required majority of 233. (For more news apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Japans Newly Elected PM, Sanae Takaichi, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) The story of Zhi Dong Zhang is more reminiscent of a Cold War double agent than a Chinese fentanyl kingpin. Accused of moving thousands of kilograms of drugs and laundering millions of dollars through a criminal organization with tentacles around the world, Zhang was arrested last fall in Mexico City. He is a priority target for the United States, and everything seemed set for his imminent extradition. But this past summer he escaped, and began a journey through several countries in a desperate attempt to escape U.S. justice. Mexican official sources have confirmed to EL PAIS that Brother Wang, one of his aliases, is currently in Cuba, where he arrived with a false passport after being denied entry into Russia for the same reason. Mexico is waiting for Cuban authorities to complete his interrogation before receiving him in Mexico and, according to the same sources, automatically deporting him to the United States. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been pursuing Zhang for some time, accusing him of leading a criminal network that has worked for both the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel since at least 2016. Zhangs organization is based in Los Angeles, California, and Atlanta, Georgia, but it has ties to Central and South America, Europe and Asia. His escape from Mexico City, confirmed on July 11, generated much controversy. He was being held in a maximum-security prison until a judge granted him house arrest, from which he escaped despite being in military custody. The judges decision was criticized even by President Claudia Sheinbaum. In the midst of negotiating a security agreement with the U.S., which considers fentanyl its public enemy number one, the Mexican president came out to defend her governments progress in combating crime, and criticized the judicial decision. The judge, without any supporting arguments, because the Prosecutors Office was presenting all the arguments, granted him house arrest. That ruling should never have come from a judge. How was that possible? said the president, who argued that her government has been insisting on the corruption of the judiciary. The same judge who issued the controversial order to place Zhang under house arrest did the same with former Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam, accused of forced disappearance and torture in the Ayotzinapa student massacre case. The Chinese drug lords escape also occurred at a particularly sensitive time. Six days earlier, a federal court in Georgia had issued new charges against Zhang. Specifically, he is accused of laundering at least $20 million in the United States between 2020 and 2021 alone, through a complex network of more than 150 shell companies and 170 bank accounts. Mexican cell, Chinese cell The noose around Zhang tightened after the recent arrest of one of his operators, Ruipeng Li, whose hundreds of banking documents linked to Zhang were seized. According to the Georgia court complaint, to which this newspaper has had access, Li explained to U.S. authorities how the criminal business was organized. On the one hand, a Mexican cell was responsible for collecting the money from drug sales to the final traffickers. On the other, a Chinese cell was dedicated to receiving this dirty money and laundering it through the network of companies and bank accounts. The complaint contains an exhaustive list of the payments made to various accounts in different states: Georgia, California, Illinois, New York and Michigan. Always for sums under $100,000 and always to reputable institutions such as Bank of America, JP Morgan or Wells Fargo. According to the complaint, this was because these banks are accustomed to receiving large sums of money without asking too many questions. Most of the transactions were made to Mnemosyne International Trading Inc., one of the front companies linked to Brother Wang. The DEA investigation includes wiretaps, text messages, and surveillance of the safe houses where the drugs were stored. Zhang used code words to communicate with his accomplices. Coffee meant fentanyl. Food meant cocaine. The total amount of drugs the organization transported from Mexico to the U.S. is estimated at more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine and nearly 2,000 kilos of fentanyl. The legal complaint also includes a description of Zhang. Born in Beijing in 1987, he is just over 57 tall and weighs approximately 175 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Aliases: Brother Wang, El Chino, Tocayo, Pancho, and Nelson Mandela. The enigmatic Chinese drug lord used various identities and false passports to move undetected between the Americas, Asia, and Europe. That is, until his escape from Mexico City and his attempted entry into Russia and subsequent journey to Cuba. This time, Zhangs adventures appear to be closer to landing him in a U.S. prison. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition October 21, 2025 UPDATE A roundup of local and world news October 21, 2025 UPDATE Newsroom, 21.10.2025, 20:18 VISIT Romanias President, Nicusor Dan, will be participating in the European Council proceedings in Brussels on Thursday. The meeting agenda includes several topical issues such as Ukraine, the Middle East, European Defence and Security, the Unions competitiveness and double transition, the access to housing, migration and the Republic of Moldova. On Wednesday, the Romanian president will be attending the working dinner staged by the European Council President, Antonio Costa with the participation of the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on the sidelines of the EU-Egypt institutional summit aimed at strengthening the partnership between the bloc and Egypt. Also on the sidelines of the aforementioned proceedings, the Euro Summit in enlarged format will have high on the agenda, the economic situation at EU level with emphasis on the Economic and Monetary Union and the digital Euro. SRI The Romanian Intelligence Service, also known as SRI, says that jointly with national and international partners, it managed to prevent a new sabotage operation masterminded by the Russian Federation on the Romanian territory, consisting of an attack against a Bucharest-based company. According to the sources, the two Ukrainian citizens who were involved in the operation were under the direct coordination of representatives of the Russian Secret Services and their mission was to destroy by arson Nova Post offices in Bucharest. Nova Post is the biggest Ukrainian delivery company. Over October 14 and 15, the SRI identified and monitored two Ukrainian nationals who came to Romania from Poland and who deposited two parcels at the Nova Post headquarters, which contained home-made remote-controlled ignition systems hidden in headphones and car parts, as well as GPS tracker devices. The SRI expert teams managed to discover the parcels in time and neutralize the devices. According to the intelligence, the two Ukrainian agents are part of a large-scale network of saboteurs operating in European countries, a network controlled by Russia. ELECTION Parties in the ruling coalition in Bucharest, made up of the PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR on Tuesday set the election date for the Bucharest mayor seat, which remained vacant after the former mayor had been elected the countrys president. Citizens are expected to cast their ballot for the Bucharest mayor on December 7. According to some political sources, several candidates will be vying for the mayor seat. MEETING Romanias Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, received, on Tuesday, the visit of the Head of the Chancellery of South Koreas President, Kang Hoon Sik, who is on an official visit to Bucharest. He is accompanied by a delegation made up of government officials and representatives of strategic South Korean companies. The meeting takes place in a symbolic context, in which Romania and the Republic of Korea mark 35 years since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations. The discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between Romania and the Republic of Korea, in the context of the strategic partnership between the two countries. The visit of the South Korean delegation aimed to present cooperation opportunities in the field of the defense industry, with an emphasis on South Korean investments in the production of military equipment and on joint technological development projects. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan mentioned that Romania already has a contract in place with Hanwha Aerospace for the acquisition and production of K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers and reiterated the Romanian Governments interest in possible future collaborations with South Korean partners, both in the field of defense and in other economic and technological sectors of common interest. (bill) Reform of magistrates pensions rejected by the Constitutional Court The Constitutional Court of Romania has rejected the reform of magistrates pensions Sursa foto: fb.com / Curtea Comstitutionala a Romaniei Daniela Budu, 21.10.2025, 14:00 After postponing its decision several times, Romanias Constitutional Court on Monday upheld the High Court of Cassation and Justices referral regarding the law on magistrates pensions and ruled that the bill was unconstitutional in its entirety. In their complaint, the magistrates argue that the law violates nearly 40 binding decisions of the Constitutional Court and numerous fundamental principles of the rule of law. In their reasoning, the CCR judges stated that the executive did not respect the 30-day deadline by which it had to wait for the SCMs opinion before assuming responsibility in Parliament, even though this is only advisory. Under these circumstances, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced that the process of adopting the reform of magistrates pensionsfor which the government assumed responsibility in Parliament almost two months agois to be resumed. In a reaction on social media, he stated that the reform of magistrates pensions remains a firm objective for the government because, he says, nowhere else in the world do people retire at 48-50 and receive a pension equal to their last salary. These are not political issues, these are privileges that are socially and budgetary unsustainable. The reform of magistrates pensions remains a priority, said President Nicusor Dan, who expressed his hope that in 2025, this issue will be resolved. This is not a position against magistrates, but rather a correction of an abnormal provision, namely pensions equal to salaries, which the political class regulated poorly a few years ago, he said on social media. According to him, a new legislative text will be drafted that will take into account the decision, whereby magistrates pensions will be corrected in a manner that is fair to society, the head of state added. In the context of numerous political debates, Senate President Mircea Abrudean reiterated that, in his view, the prime minister has no reason to resign and also indicated that the procedure for adopting the bill on magistrates pensions could be resumed. The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the Social Democrat Sorin Grindeanu, also said that a working group would be set up quickly to make the necessary corrections to this law. On the other hand, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, a member of the Liberal Party, believes that the CCRs decision does not have a significant impact on taxation, but will contribute to the achievement of a milestone in the NRRP. On the opposition side, representatives of the AUR believe that, by ruling the law on magistrates pensions unconstitutional, the CCR is only protecting the privileged and wonder what will happen to the legitimacy of the Bolojan government, which promised a reform of state structures. We recall that currently, Romanian magistrates retire at 48-49 years of age, and the average pension in the judiciary exceeds 24,000 lei (almost 5,000 euros). The new law provided for a 10-year transition period, at the end of which magistrates would retire at 65, the standard retirement age in Romania. The length of service required for retirement would increase from 25 to 35 years, and the pension amount would decrease from 100% of the last net salary to 70%. (MI) The European Commissioner for migration, in Bucharest The European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, praises Romania's efforts in managing migration and securing borders. European Commissioner Magnus Brunner meeting PM Ilie Bolojan /Photo: gov.ro Mihai Pelin, 21.10.2025, 13:50 While on a visit to Bucharest, the European Commissioner for home affairs and migration, Magnus Brunner, praised Romania for its contribution to protecting the EUs external borders. The visit is occasioned by the first assessment report after the countrys full Schengen accession, and the EU official had several working meetings on this topic. The meeting with president Nicusor Dan focused on the protection of the EUs external borders, especially in the context of a hybrid war and the way in which member states will work together to handle it, reads a social media post by the Romanian president. The EU official next had talks at the interior ministry, where he said he appreciated Romanias efforts in fighting illegal migration and Romanias professional management of the borders that became part of the Schengen Area. Our duty is to make your life and the tasks that you have to accomplish in Romania and all other member states easier, Magnus Brunner said, and added, We are trying to support you not only financially but also through the operation of Frontex, which has an increased presence in Romania. The European Commissioner also said that there is an agreement with all member states to carry out a reform in the field of asylum and migration, and this will continue until June 2026. In turn, Romanian interior minister Catalin Predoiu stated that the report to be released in November will include positive surprises about Romanias contribution to preserving security in the Schengen area. And Romania will stay on the same firm position from now on, Catalin Predoiu added: Catalin Predoiu: We protect not only Romania, the national territory and the security of Romanian citizens, but we also protect the eastern and southeastern borders of the European Union. Hence the interest in discussing this with the European Commissioner. A first mission to evaluate the way Romania operates the Schengen systems was recently completed. This time, as a Schengen member state, the official report will be made public in November. But I understand from the Commissioner that he would not mind if I already mention publicly that it was a very good visit and that Romania passed this test very well. And the official report will show many positive surprises about our country. It will confirm that we meant what we promised before joining Schengen and that we kept our word and all our commitments after joining Schengen. As both president Nicusor Dan and the interior minister Catalin Predoiu said in the context of the European Commissioners visit, Romania has proved that it acts as a full and responsible Schengen member country, without major deficiencies that require urgent measures. (AMP) RRI broadcast frequencies valid as of October 26, 2025 to March 28, 2026: Eugen Cojocariu and Diana Vijeu, 21.10.2025, 10:00 Dear friends, given the frequent malfunctions reported at the Radiocom transmitters that broadcast RRI programmes, please note that, when such malfunctions occur, Radiocom switches RRI programmes as quickly as possible to a backup transmitter, which operates on alternative frequencies. Please, find these alternative frequencies listed below the traditional ones. When you cannot listen to RRIs English language broadcasts on the usual frequency, please switch to the alternative frequency. Thank you for your understanding! RRI on shortwaves (ALTERNATIVE FREQUENCIES): Listen to English language programming live via the RRI website You can also listen to RRIs English language programming live over the Internet using the same SW broadcast schedule given above. 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Our English language programmes are available via the following AudioNow call-to-listen phone number: 1.425.394.7081. Calling this number incurs no extra charge above the equivalent of a standard US mobile phone call. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a cap that had restricted Boeing's 737 MAX production to 38 aircraft per month since January 2024, allowing the company to increase production to 42 aircraft per month. After an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 was discovered to be missing four crucial bolts during a mid-air emergency, the restriction was put in place. Before authorizing the slight increase, the FAA stated that its inspectors carried out "extensive reviews" of Boeing's production lines, stressing that the modification would be made "safely." The ruling is a significant turning point in Boeing's efforts to bounce back from a protracted safety crisis and win back regulators' and customers' trust. According to a person familiar with the situation, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg of the decision on Friday. Boeing thanked its workers, suppliers, and the FAA for their cooperation and stated that it intends to act swiftly to achieve the new production rate. As it increases production of the 737 MAX, a key model in its commercial aircraft portfolio, the company stated that safety and quality continue to be its top priorities. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Sweden and Denmark continue to have the safest roads in the European Union, according to the bloc's Road safety statistics for 2024. In 2024, 19,940 people lost their lives in road crashes across the EU, according to statistics released by the European Commission. This is a 2 percent decrease from 2023 and marks continued, but slow progress toward the EU's 'Vision Zero' goal of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and getting close to eliminating them by 2050. The overall ranking of countries' fatality rates has not changed significantly. Sweden, with 20 deaths per million inhabitants, and Denmark, close behind with 24 deaths per million, continue to have the safest roads in the EU, while Romania (78 deaths per million) and Bulgaria (74 deaths per million) reported the highest fatality rates in 2024. At 45 deaths per million population, the EU continues to have among the safest roads globally. Notable improvements were recorded in several countries, including Lithuania (-22 percent), Latvia (-19 percent) and Austria (-13 percent), demonstrating the effectiveness of recent road safety interventions. Concerning increases were observed in a small number of Member States such as Estonia (+17 percent) and Cyprus (+21 percent). Provisional data for the first six months of 2025 shows mixed trends across Member States. While some countries like Greece, Czechia, Romania, and Slovakia are giving positive signals with declining fatalities, others face renewed challenges. The Commission said these early indicators underscore that road safety requires constant vigilance and sustained effort, and vowed to continue to monitor these trends closely and support Member States in addressing emerging concerns. European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas said, "While these figures show continued progress, we must always remember that behind every statistic there are families and communities in pain. The fact that nearly 20,000 people lost their lives in road crashes last year is unacceptable. The European Commission will keep supporting all Member States in making roads safer. But this is a shared effort: governments, the industry, and every road user have a role to play in ensuring every trip ends safely." For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Oil prices struggled for direction on Tuesday, after having hit their lowest since early May the previous day amid ongoing concerns over a potential global glut. Benchmark Brent crude futures were down 0.1 percent at $60.97 a barrel in European trade, while WTI crude futures were little changed at $56.98. Supply glut fears continued to drag on prices, following last week's downward trajectory after the International Energy Agency upgraded supply forecasts and lowered demand growth projections, predicting a potential surplus of 3-4 million barrels per day extending into 2026. Trade tensions also spurred demand concerns. U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to China, threatening to impose tariffs of up to 155 percent starting the 1st of next month if a new trade deal is not reached. On the geopolitical front, investor attention has shifted to the upcoming meeting between the presidents of the United States and Russia in Hungary, with EU officials warning that Russian President Putin's presence in Hungary sends the wrong signal. "It's not nice to see a person under an ICC arrest warrant coming to a European country," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Germany's EU minister stressed that Ukraine must be part of any talks or "it will be a failed agreement". For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Americans are seeing some of the lowest prices at the gas pump in more than four years, the White House claimed, quoting news reports. GasBuddy reports the nationwide average for gasoline has dropped to $2.98 per gallon the lowest average intra-day price in four years with prices expected to remain that way for the foreseeable future. "Currently, 35 states have average gas prices below $2.99/gal, and GasBuddy even recorded the first $1.99 cash price at a station in Evans, Colorado, with stations in Oklahoma and Texas not far behind," according to GasBuddy. "Barring any major disruptions, gas prices are likely to remain slightly below year-ago levels and could stay under $3 for much of the next few months." President Trump understands that energy dominance is a key driver for growing our and lowering costs making good on a promise he repeatedly made on the campaign trail after years of Biden-induced economic disaster, the White House said. It added that under President Joe Biden, average gas prices remained above $3 per gallon for nearly the entirety of his presidency. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The 2025 Japan Mobility Show will be a spectacle of new car showcases and unveilings. One of the major highlights of this show is likely to be from the stables of Toyota. If the baby Land Cruiser popped in your mind, youre bang on. Toyota has finally unveiled its much anticipated baby Land Cruiser model and has revived FJ Cruiser nameplate for it. 2026 Toyota FJ Cruiser Revealed Around 2 years ago, Toyota revealed that they would expand Land Cruiser name and its legacy to incorporate more models to appeal to a wider range of audience. It was at this stage Toyota hinted at a baby Land Cruiser in the development, which has been revealed now as the next FJ Cruiser in its production-spec or almost production-spec guise. The name FJ Cruiser is also quite significant for the brand. With the 2026 Toyota FJ Cruiser, the company is reviving this iconic nameplate which was discontinued a couple of years ago after a production run of 17 long years. There will be more versions spawning out of Land Cruiser nameplate in the future to meet societal demands. Design will be the most talked about element of 2026 FJ Cruiser. It is evolved from Toyotas Compact Cruiser EV Concept and boasts a rugged and upright silhouette. Like we saw with Land Cruiser 250, there are two fascias for 2026 FJ Cruiser, depending on the trim level. One gets round headlights, while other gets rectangular ones. Chiseled body panels, chunky and flared rectangular wheel arches, upright stance, tough-looking bumpers, thick C Pillars, tailgate mounted spare wheel, attractive LED tail lights are notable elements. Toyota is also pushing the envelope for customisation. Bumpers are easily removable and there are optional elements like cargo panels and snorkels. Specs & Features 2026 Toyota FJ Cruiser is based on the same platform as Land Cruiser 250, but with a 270 mm shorter wheelbase. This has reduced the turning circle to just 5.5 m. 2026 FJ Cruiser measures 4,575 mm long, 1,855 mm wide and 1,960 mm tall. Ground clearance is 215.3 mm and approach angle is 31-degrees. So, still a dependable off-roader. Interior highlights include a functional dashboard with multiple layers, a 12.5-inch free-standing infotainment screen, physical buttons for the dual-zone climate control, chunky steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, fully digital TFT instrument cluster and a lot of modern features and creature comforts. Powering the 2026 Toyota FJ Cruiser is a 2.7L 4-cyl Petrol engine that kicks out 161 bhp of peak power and around 245 Nm of peak torque. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox and a 4X4 transfer case for off-roading capabilities. Launch will happen next year around mid 2026 in Japan and more markets are likely to follow soon after. Russia tells US and EU leaders that it is not interested in a ceasefire in Ukraine The White House announced Tuesday that, following a conversation between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, there are no plans for a summit in Budapest in the coming weeks. The announcement comes just four days after U.S. President Donald Trump had, with much fanfare, revealed plans for a second meeting with the Kremlin leader within two months. The proposed meeting in the Hungarian capital had been agreed upon during a phone call between the two leaders on Thursday, a day before Trump met at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whom he reportedly pressured to cede the eastern Donbas region to Russia, according to the Financial Times. After that summit, Trump called on both sides via social media to agree to an immediate ceasefire and maintain the current front lines. The Rubio-Lavrov call was intended to prepare the summit Trump had said would take place within two weeks or so. The conversation, however, appears to have highlighted differences too large to bridge, although the White House made no mention of any disagreement between the two governments. Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call, said a White House official granted anonymity to discuss the plans. Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future. Before the cancellation was announced, Trump was continuing to pressure Kyiv to cede Russian-occupied territory in exchange for a ceasefire, while the European Union and Ukraine called in an open letter for an unconditional cessation of hostilities. Moscow, however, opposes such a measure, as its aim is to assert control over Ukraine, either directly or indirectly. Even before the White House announcement, Kremlin officials had hinted at the possibility the summit might not happen. We cannot postpone what has not been agreed upon, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said regarding reports of a postponement. European leaders and Zelenskiy have urged Trump that Ukraine must not cede territory before negotiating peace. Lavrov, however, emphasized that no ceasefire is on the Kremlins agenda. Calls for an immediate ceasefire without addressing the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict contradict the agreements reached by Putin and Trump in Alaska, the Russian foreign minister stressed, noting that Kyiv could rearm during any pause in fighting. The diplomat insists that Moscow wants to address what it calls the root causes of the conflict. In Kremlin terms, this does not refer to the conquest of a specific territory, but rather to the capitulation of all of Ukraine as a sovereign state. At the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, Putin emphasized that his objectives were to disarm Kyiv, leaving it at Russias mercy, and to denazify it a false pretext to replace Zelenskiys elected government with a Russian-backed representative, even though the Ukrainian government was recognized by the Kremlin after the 2019 presidential elections. Russia rejects a pause in hostilities, while Trump is calls for an immediate ceasefire. Let it be cut the way it is. Its cut up right now. I think 78% of the land [in Donetsk] is already taken by Russia, Trump said Sunday after speaking with Putin by phone and meeting with Zelenskiy in Washington in the preceding days. They can negotiate something later on down the line. I said: cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people, Trump added. According to U.S. media, Trump tried to convince Zelenskiy to give up Russian-occupied territories in exchange for an end to the conflict. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that Putin offered Trump a partial concession in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in exchange for Kyiv relinquishing Donetsk and Luhansk entirely. Officially, the Kremlin maintains that the four Ukrainian regions, including areas it does not control, are part of Russia after Putin incorporated them into the Russian Constitution in September 2022. We agreed to keep communication over the phone in order to better understand our positions and determine what actions are needed to move in the right direction, Lavrov said, expressing surprise at CNNs scoop and accusing Western media of being dishonest. Putin and Trump agreed last week that the Rubio-Lavrov meeting would prepare a potential summit between the two presidents. Washington treated the summit as a certainty, while Moscow has been more cautious, referring only to a possible meeting. The main thing is not the location or the timeframe, but the main thing is how we will proceed on the substance of those matters, Lavrov said. The objectives that we agreed upon and reached a broad understanding in Anchorage. Putins spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, refused to disclose Russias demands or concessions ahead of the possible meeting with Trump. Of course, announcing proposals cannot take place in this, you know, shouting-from-the-rooftops manner. This is still quite a discreet process that must remain so in the interests of the process itself and its effectiveness, the official said. Although the future of Ukraine and Europe would be at stake in such a meeting, Moscow refuses to allow Zelenskiy or any European leaders to take part. Its probably too early to talk about this. So far, none of these details have been discussed, said Peskov. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition When Osvaldo Perez, a retired Cuban who has lived in Miami since childhood, saw a man get out of a car with a gun in his waistband near his Miami Beach apartment, he was startled. It felt like I was in the Wild West, says Perez, 67. He learned from a neighbor he told about the incident that, since late last month, Florida has allowed open carry of weapons in the street. The state already permitted carrying weapons as long as they were kept inside a car or somewhere out of public view, but a court declared a 1987 ruling prohibiting open carry unconstitutional. Now, people can walk around with pistols in their waistbands or rifles and submachine guns slung on their shoulders, except in places where it is expressly prohibited, such as businesses or private properties, which decide whether or not to allow it. The practice was already legal in 46 other states. But in South Florida, home to significant Latin American diasporas, carrying guns in public except by police is associated with crime, gangs, or paramilitary groups. This has generated particular controversy, even among those who support the right to bear arms established by the Second Amendment. Its a matter of our culture, because we havent been exposed to owning or carrying guns. American culture is different, says Sigfrido Varela, a 55-year-old Dominican who has lived in Miami for more than two decades and works as a firearms instructor. In Florida, we have a large population from different Latin American countries, where typically only people who have some relationship with the police or the armed forces carry guns openly. In the Dominican Republic, for example, walking around with a weapon like that would be a shock, he notes. Sigfrido Varela, weapons instructor, at the Homestead Training Center in Florida, on October 17. Eva Marie UZCATEGUI In Miami, in recent weeks, images on social media of people on motorcycles with rifles on their backs, or on bicycles with machine guns on their shoulders or the news that a popular local supermarket chain would allow openly carrying weapons into its stores have sparked intense debate. Ileana Alvarez, a 62-year-old Cuban resident of Fort Myers, on the west coast of the peninsula, says it seems crazy to her that people walk around carrying guns because anyone can miss a shot. Alvarez, who has lived in South Florida for 25 years, emphasizes that in a country where there are deaths in schools and so much gun violence, its even more dangerous. That view is shared by Kelly Drane, research director at Giffords, an organization focused on gun violence prevention, in a study of how Hispanic Florida residents perceive gun violence, gun policies, and how their cultural context influences those perceptions, in the wake of a law the state passed in 2023 that allows concealed carry without a permit. The research, published last year, found that gun violence is a substantial concern among Hispanics in the region, particularly regarding family and child safety. Participants in the sample, which included people from Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and other diasporas, overwhelmingly opposed the permit-free concealed carry law, with some noting that in Florida, where its common to pull out a gun during an altercation, more people carrying guns leads to more intimidation and, in turn, more violence. Florida's open carry ban was repealed in September 2025. Eva Marie UZCATEGUI I imagine that, for the Hispanic community in Florida, the concerns they had about carrying weapons without a permit have now been amplified by open carry, Drane said. The majority of respondents indicated that there is not enough information on the topic in Spanish, which is the primary language in more than 22% of households in the state and more than 66% in Miami-Dade. Twenty-six percent of Florida residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to official figures. The issue is controversial even among those who favor open carry. Michael Ferrer, 30, born in Miami to Hispanic parents, says hes had a gun license since he was 21 and is completely against the open carry law. I dont like that people can walk around with AR-15 rifles slung over their bodies, displaying their weapons at their hips. There are a lot of mass shootings, a lot of unbalanced people. Miami is a very big city where a lot of things happen, and there can be road rage. I feel like its easier for a criminal to commit a crime now because people are now allowed to walk around displaying their guns, he said. I feel like its going to cause more problems, that theres going to be more crime, that you see someone and automatically think, That person is up to no good, Ferrer said. Michael Ferrer in Miami, Florida, on October 17. Eva Marie UZCATEGUI Miami-Dade police did not respond to questions about whether there has been any change in crime rates since open carry was allowed. The Miami office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) also did not respond. Others believe its a matter of getting used to it. Varela, the firearms instructor, says there are other states with a large Latino population, such as Texas, where open carry is permitted, that have adapted. Its something we have to learn. In this country, thats how it is, and its not up to us to come from outside to change it. In his 16 years in the business, he says hes taught gun-handling classes to more than 5,000 people, mostly South Florida residents, including some immigrants who havent been in the country long. He also says its not advisable to walk around with a visible gun because in a situation where you fear for your life, you lose the element of surprise, and that if someone is going to commit a crime, they wont have their gun exposed. It doesnt make sense. Sigfrido Varela in Homestead, Florida. Eva Marie UZCATEGUI Peter Dominguez, owner of a gun store in southwest Miami, says he hasnt seen anyone carrying a gun on the street, and that people posting on social media are just trying to get attention. There are many people from countries where theyve seen cases of violence and they associate guns with violence, but in this country, its normal in many states. It has nothing to do with it, he says. According to Drane, gun ownership among immigrants may be associated with cultural assimilation such as adopting other peoples behaviors but she also believes theres a protective instinct. Without straying too far from what we found in the report, I think that at a time when Hispanic people are concerned about their safety for other reasons, such as fear of some of the immigration crackdowns and other forms of racial profiling and prejudice that are occurring in our country, that plays a role. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The federal agencys activity has raised concerns about whether spying on undocumented foreigners will be extended to political dissidents in Washington Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ramping up its surveillance capabilities to advance the governments immigration agenda on an unprecedented scale. According to the federal spending site USASpending.gov, the agency signed contractual obligations in September for a $1.4 billion order the highest in 18 years for the acquisition of new technologies such as an iris-scanning app they plan to use in the field, spyware that can remotely hack smartphones, and location software that can track phone activity without a warrant, including nearly all social media platforms. The plan has drawn criticism from Democratic members of congress, civil rights advocates, and former officials who claim that these programs could be used to attack free expression protected by the First Amendment. In this context, Donald Trump ordered an investigation into Antifa, a designated domestic terrorist organization that, in his words, demands the overthrow of the United States government, law enforcement, and our legal system. The White House has not presented evidence that the violent attacks against Trump supporters or the federal agency are the work of this group, rather than individual actors. Added to all this is the tender for the launch of social media monitoring centers in Williston, Vermont, and Santa Ana, California, which seek to expand the agencys anti-immigrant hunt by collecting data on its targets. The plan (which is subject to change) includes tracking accounts on Facebook, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, WhatsApp, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Flickr, Myspace, and Google+. ICE indicates that undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes are the main target, but also considers domestic terrorism a top priority and establishes that the contractor must shift priorities when necessary. In response to these actions, the United Auto Workers, Communications Workers of America, and American Federation of Teachers unions filed a lawsuit last week against the Departments of State and Homeland Security for ideological surveillance of immigrants in the United States using artificial intelligence (AI), alleging that they seek to punish the views of their opponents. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Abigail Jackson issued a statement alleging that left-wing organizations fueled violent riots, organized attacks against law enforcement officers, coordinated illegal doxxing campaigns, arranged drop points for weapons and riot materials and more. New technologies acquired by ICE Since its founding in 2003, ICE has deployed a sophisticated arsenal of surveillance technologies, ranging from biometric databases to wiretapping tools. How its new acquisitions will be used remains an open question. Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden told The Washington Post that the agency is still drafting usage policies and only gave its staff a briefing on the matter in mid-September. Below is a description of the federal agencys purchases to scale up its operations across the country: Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from five fossil specimens found in the Late Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana, the United States. The new dinosaur species lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous epoch, some 75 million years ago. Dubbed Brontotholus harmoni, the ancient herbivore was approximately 3 m (10 feet) long. It belongs to Pachycephalosauridae, a family of bipedal, dome-headed dinosaurs within the ornithischian clade Pachycephalosauria. The dome-headed ornithischian clade Pachycephalosauria possesses a distinctive suite of morphological features, said Dr. D. Cary Woodruff, a paleontologist at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science and the Museum of the Rockies, and colleagues. They include a bipedal gait, heterodont dentition, ossified myosepta in the tail, together with their iconic thickened frontoparietal domes, and ornamented skulls. The majority of pachycephalosaurid species is known exclusively from cranial remains, and as such the anatomy, functional morphology, and systematic importance of the frontoparietal domes have received the most attention among paleontologists. The clade is exclusively known from the Late Cretaceous of Asia and western North America, with the latter hosting the more diverse assemblage of pachycephalosaurids. The oldest species from North America is the Santonian-aged Acrotholus audeti, and the group apparently diversified in the Middle to Late Campanian, with an abundance of currently recognized species. Five specimens now assigned to Brontotholus harmoni were unearthed in the Two Medicine Formation in Glacier County, Montana. This new species is the first pachycephalosaurid from the Two Medicine Formation, the paleontologists said. Brontotholus harmonis massive dome indicates that it was the third largest North American pachycephalosaurid. Phylogenetic analyses recover this new species distant from both Stegoceras and Pachycephalosaurus, the researchers said. Thus, refuting the hypothesis that this species constitutes any part of an ancestor-descent series between Stegoceras and Pachycephalosaurus. However, the new species not only increases understanding of pachycephalosaurid morphology and diversity, but shows that this clade contained relatively large body-sized species as early as the Middle Campanian. The discovery of Brontotholus harmoni is reported in a paper published on October 9, 2025 in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. _____ D. Cary Woodruff et al. 2025. The first pachycephalosaurid from the Late Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation: effects of the Western Interior Seaway on North American pachycephalosaurid evolution. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 205 (2): zlaf087; doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf087 The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is often seen as an environmental catastrophe. Yet researchers have found that the same melting process could help sustain life in unexpected ways. As the ice retreats, it creates conditions that encourage the growth of algae, the foundation of the Arctic's marine food web. Algae form the base of most ocean ecosystems, but they depend on nitrogen to grow -- and nitrogen is scarce in Arctic waters. Now, an international team led by the University of Copenhagen has discovered that more nitrogen may become available than scientists once believed. This shift could reshape the future of marine life in the region and influence how much carbon the ocean can absorb. A Hidden Source of Nitrogen Beneath the Ice The study is the first to confirm that nitrogen fixation -- a process in which certain bacteria transform nitrogen gas (N 2 ) dissolved in seawater into ammonium -- occurs beneath Arctic sea ice, even in its most remote and central areas. Ammonium not only helps these bacteria thrive but also nourishes algae and, by extension, the creatures that depend on them. "Until now, it was believed that nitrogen fixation could not take place under the sea ice because it was assumed that the living conditions for the organisms that perform nitrogen fixation were too poor. We were wrong," says Lisa W. von Friesen, lead author of the study and former PhD student at the Department of Biology. Less Ice, More Life Unlike most other oceans where cyanobacteria dominate nitrogen fixation, the Arctic Ocean relies on an entirely different group of bacteria known as non-cyanobacteria. The researchers found the highest nitrogen fixation rates along the ice edge -- where melting is most intense. While these bacteria can operate beneath the ice, they flourish along the melting boundary. As climate change accelerates ice retreat, this expanding melt zone could allow more nitrogen to enter the ecosystem. "In other words, the amount of available nitrogen in the Arctic Ocean has likely been underestimated, both today and for future projections. This could mean that the potential for algae production has also been underestimated as climate change continues to reduce the sea ice cover," says von Friesen. "Because algae are the primary food source for small animals such as planktonic crustaceans, which in turn are eaten by small fish, more algae can end up affecting the entire food chain," she adds. Could This Help the Planet Absorb More CO 2 ? This new nitrogen source could also influence how much carbon dioxide the Arctic Ocean takes in. More algae mean more photosynthesis, which enables the ocean to capture greater amounts of CO 2 . "For the climate and the environment, this is likely good news. If algae production increases, the Arctic Ocean will absorb more CO 2 because more CO 2 will be bound in algae biomass. But biological systems are very complex, so it is hard to make firm predictions, because other mechanisms may pull in the opposite direction," explains Lasse Riemann, professor at the Department of Biology and senior author of the study. The researchers emphasize that nitrogen fixation should now be considered in models predicting the Arctic's future. "We do not yet know whether the net effect will be beneficial for the climate. But it is clear that we should include an important process such as nitrogen fixation in the equation when we try to predict what will happen to the Arctic Ocean in the coming decades as sea ice declines," adds Riemann. How Nitrogen Fixation Works In the Arctic, non-cyanobacteria perform nitrogen fixation. These microorganisms consume dissolved organic matter -- often released by algae -- and in turn, produce fixed nitrogen that promotes further algal growth. This exchange creates a small but vital nutrient loop beneath the ice. Algae play a double role in the ecosystem: they are both the starting point of the marine food chain and natural absorbers of CO 2 . As they grow, they pull carbon dioxide from the air, which can later sink to the ocean floor as part of their biomass. Behind the Discovery The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, involved scientists from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Linnaeus University (Sweden), Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany), Aix Marseille University (France), National Oceanography Centre (United Kingdom), Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (Germany), Stockholm University (Sweden), and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden). Their findings are based on two major research expeditions aboard the icebreakers IB Oden and RV Polarstern. Samples and measurements were collected at 13 sites across the central Arctic Ocean, including regions off northeast Greenland and north of Svalbard. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Rob Wagner, president of the United States' Oregon State Senate, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Rob Wagner, president of the United States' Oregon State Senate, on Tuesday in Beijing. Han noted that a series of important consensuses have been reached between the two countries' leaders during phone talks held since the beginning of the year, and said that as they share broad common interests and promising cooperation prospects, China and the United States can and should become partners and friends. China hopes the U.S. will work with it on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win results, and to find the right way for the two major countries to get along in the new era, aiming to benefit the two sides and the world at large, Han said. He said that Oregon has maintained friendly, cooperative relations with China for a long time. China hopes that Oregon State Senate President Wagner and members of the U.S. Congress will continue to enhance communication and exchange between the two sides, deepen people-to-people relations and play an exemplary role in promoting subnational China-U.S. cooperation, Han added. Wagner expressed his hopes for the success of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and said that U.S.-China cooperation at the subnational level is very important, adding that Oregon has passed a bill to continue strengthening its friendly cooperation with China. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Rob Wagner, president of the United States' Oregon State Senate, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) When South Dakota Mines Professor Emeritus Donald Teets, D.A., set out to understand contradictory claims in two calculus textbooks 30 years ago, he didnt expect it to launch a new chapter in his career. His deep dive into the history of mathematics and astronomy has now earned him one of the field's highest honors, the Paul R. Halmos Lester R. Ford Award from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), for his paper Lagrange Points and the James Webb Space Telescope published in The American Mathematical Monthly. In the mid-1990s, Teets discovered two conflicting accounts of a method being presented in calculus textbooks. One textbook attributed the method to German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, the other claimed it was French mathematician Adrien-Marie Legendre. I got so curious about which one was true, he said. I decided to go right to the sources. I found a letter that Gauss had written in 1802 in German. With the help of Karen Whitehead, Ph.D., Mines provost and vice president of academic affairs from 1997 to 2009, whose bachelors degree was in German, he worked to understand the letter, which was related to the orbit of the asteroid Ceres. Thats what got me started in this. I had such success with that so I began to explore these historical connections with the mathematics I was teaching in class, said Teets, who taught at Mines from 1988 to 2023. Since then, I have pursued a number of these studies that focus on the intersection of mathematics, history and astronomy. His paper with Whitehead not only earned him the MAA Allendoerfer Award in 2000 but fueled his decades-long interest in the subject. It opened the door to nearly three decades of very rewarding, very fruitful study within the intersection of mathematics, history and astronomy, he said. If you look at the most famous names in mathematics, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, almost all of them were doing something with astronomy. He has studied the original writings of Johannes Kepler, Sir Isaac Newton, Pierre-Simon Laplace, Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Gauss, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel and others. When Teets discovered that the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest, most powerful and complex telescope ever launched, travels near one of the five equilibrium points first identified by Lagrange, he was intrigued and needed to learn more. These positions, known as Lagrange points, are locations in the Sun-Earth system where a small object, such as the Webb Telescope, can maintain a small halo orbit. I was immediately drawn to the idea that there was no better way to learn about Lagrange points than to read Lagranges original work, he said. The whole theory that makes the James Webb mission what it is was done in 1772. What I find fascinating is that stuff that is relevant today was first done centuries ago. Despite having had several articles published, his Lagrange Points and the James Webb Space Telescope was the first to appear in The American Mathematical Monthly. I thought it was an extraordinary honor just to get published in the journal, and then to receive an award was nothing short of spectacular, Teets said. Despite being retired, Teets has a follow-up paper to his recent award-winning one and is currently writing another. He is also an avid bike rider, covering 2,000 miles on the George S. Mickelson Trail every year for the last several years. Aside from Teets and Whitehead, Travis Kowalski, Ph.D., Mines department head and professor of mathematics, has earned two MAA honors, the George Polya Award and the Chauvenet Prize. VLADIVOSTOK, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- NATO is rapidly mobilizing resources for a war with Russia, said Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service. "We certainly see European members of NATO preparing for a war with our country. The task has been set to quickly provide the NATO Allied Response Force, designated for this purpose, with all necessary resources," read Naryshkin's statement published on the intelligence service's website on Monday. He was speaking at a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States held in Uzbekistan's Samarkand. Naryshkin said European states are expanding their defence industries, conducting regular mobilization exercises and increasing what he described as "propaganda" of a potential Russian threat. Naryshkin said European NATO member states do not have long-term plans for maintaining the security of the continent and accused France and Germany of fostering "Russophobia." London stocks were set to rise at the open on Tuesday following a solid session on Wall Street, as investors mulled the latest UK borrowing figures. The FTSE 100 was called to open 25 points higher. Data released earlier by the Office for National Statistics showed that public sector borrowing in September hit its highest level for the month in five years. Borrowing came in at 20.2bn, up 1.6bn on the same month a year earlier and the highest for September since 2020. Borrowing in the financial year to September was 99.8bn, up 11.5bn on the same period a year earlier. ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: "Last month saw the highest September borrowing for five years. "Debt interest, the cost of providing public services and benefits all increased compared with last year, more than offsetting the rise in receipts from central government taxes and National Insurance contributions. "Likewise, the first six months of the financial year saw the highest overall deficit since 2020." Nabil Taleb, economist at PwC UK, said: "The Chancellor faces an increasingly difficult balancing act ahead of the Autumn Budget, with her fiscal headroom all but exhausted by a mix of weaker growth prospects, higher borrowing costs and rising spending pressures. "An expected downgrade to the OBRs long-term growth forecasts will only add to the squeeze. Despite ruling out another 40 billion tax grab, fresh tax rises and spending cuts now look unavoidable as she tries to rebuild her 10 billion buffer. The IFS estimates shell need to find around 22 billion to do so. "A confident Budget may steady markets and lift consumer sentiment, but the UKs real challenge is raising productivity. The IMF expects the UK to be the second-fastest growing G7 economy this year, yet much of that growth comes from higher labour participation rather than genuine productivity gains. Until the UK starts adding more value, weak per-capita growth and mounting fiscal pressures will continue to persist." In corporate news, consumer goods conglomerate Unilever has been forced to revise the timetable for its planned ice-cream unit demerger due to the ongoing US federal government shutdown which is stalling a legal registration needed to list its shares in New York. The company said preparatory work for the demerger of the Magnum Ice Cream Company is on track and progressing well, adding that it was committed to and confident" of implementing the plan this year. Coca-Cola HBC is to ramp up its presence in Africa after agreeing to acquire one of the brands biggest bottling partners in a $2.6bn deal. The London-listed firm is to buy a 75% stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) for $2.6bn, valuing the Johannesburg-based business a value at $3.4bn. The deal will create the second-largest Coca-Cola bottling partner by volume globally, with leading positions across Africa and Europe, CCH said. Drugmaker GSK made two key updates, with positive phase III trial results for tebipenem HBr, an investigational oral antibiotic for complicated urinary tract infections, and a favourable regulatory opinion for a new prefilled syringe format of its shingles vaccine, Shingrix. GSK and partner Spero Therapeutics said the pivotal PIVOT-PO trial had demonstrated non-inferiority of oral tebipenem HBr versus intravenous imipenem-cilastatin in hospitalised patients with cUTIs, including pyelonephritis. Separately, GSK said the European Medicines Agencys CHMP had issued a positive opinion supporting approval of Shingrix in a prefilled syringe format. Playtech tanked on Tuesday after Evolution said one of its subsidiaries had commissioned "controversial" investigation firm Black Cube to prepare a 2021 report that contained "highly inflammatory and knowingly false claims" about the Swedish maker of online casino games. Playtech tanked on Tuesday after Evolution said one of its subsidiaries had commissioned "controversial" investigation firm Black Cube to prepare a 2021 report that contained "highly inflammatory and knowingly false claims" about the Swedish maker of online casino games. Evolution learned of Playtechs involvement in the report - which it said was intended to "substantially harm the company for anti-competitive reasons" - through legal proceedings, after the New Jersey Superior Court ordered Black Cube to reveal the identity of its client. "It is deeply disturbing to learn that one of our competitors has gone to such extraordinary lengths to damage our business and reputation by hiring Black Cube and paying them over 1.8m to fabricate a report they knew would have extremely harmful repercussions," Evolution said. "The report, which was furnished to regulators by a law firm representing Black Cube, Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP, and purposely leaked to the media, was determined by two state regulators in the US to be lacking in evidentiary support." It pointed out that the New Jersey Superior Court later also determined that the report was untruthful and lacked veracity. "Notwithstanding those findings, dissemination of the report has resulted in multi-billion dollar damage to our company," it said. Evolution pointed out that Black Cube has a "well-documented history" of using deceitful methods to sway public opinion by launching smear campaigns on behalf of clients. "As part of its so-called investigation, Black Cube used highly unethical tactics, including initiating meetings with current and former Evolution employees and board members under false pretences and secretly recording those interactions; using disguises and falsified identities; and cherry picking edited recordings to fabricate evidence to achieve its desired, false narrative," it said. "It is notable that the subjects of Black Cubes report disavowed the allegations and said the report entirely misrepresented their comments. "Although Playtech has finally been identified after years of trying to keep its involvement in this smear campaign a secret, Black Cube continues to evade the Courts discovery orders by withholding relevant information. "We will continue to hold Black Cube, Playtech, and all the other players in this defamatory scheme responsible for their misconduct. We are confident in our legal position and look forward to finally holding Playtech and its accomplices to account for the significant harm they have caused." Evolution said high-level Playtech executives, including chief executive Mor Weizer, communicated with Black Cube about the investigation and report. Now that the identity of the party responsible for commissioning the report is known, the litigation can proceed "in earnest", Evolution, and is expected to extend through 2026. At 1310 BST, Playtech shares were down a whopping 30% at 240p. For its part, Playtech said the suggestion that its subsidiary, Playtech Software Limited (PTS), "engaged in a smear campaign is wholly untrue and is designed to distract from serious questions about Evolution's business practices". It said PTS commissioned an "independent business intelligence firm to investigate credible and repeated concerns" raised by operators, suppliers and regulators about Evolution's activities in prohibited and sanctioned markets, and its supply to unlicensed operators in regulated markets. "The investigation was undertaken lawfully to better understand and verify concerns of significant regulatory and commercial importance," Playtech said. "The report published, as a result of the investigation, clearly evidences that Evolution's business practices undermine lawful and compliant gambling operations. Such conduct damages trust in the credibility of the entire industry and also ultimately impacts government tax collection." Playtech said it stands by the decision to commission the report. "Evolution continues to seek to avoid legitimate scrutiny rather than address longstanding questions about its conduct, including its decision to supply operators in illegal markets and to support unlicensed operators in regulated markets. "Playtech welcomes court examination of the report and its findings. Playtech is confident that these proceedings will confirm the credibility and legitimacy of the investigation and the importance of the issues it seeks to address." Mining stocks came under pressure as the gold price slumped to its biggest fall for five years. Bullion fell 5% to $4,120 an ounce after reaching an all-time high of $4,381 on Monday. However, the safe haven precious metal is still up around 60% over the course of 2025 as investors seek safety from volatility amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Shares in Hochschild Mining, Endeavour Mining and BlackRock World Mining Trust were all lower. FTSE 250 - Risers AO World (AO.) 99.60p 3.64% B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI) (BME) 173.80p 3.64% W.A.G Payment Solutions (EWG) 93.00p 2.88% Big Yellow Group (BYG) 1,164.00p 2.11% TBC Bank Group (TBCG) 4,190.00p 1.95% Ithaca Energy (ITH) 185.40p 1.76% Safestore Holdings (SAFE) 716.50p 1.70% JTC (JTC) 1,320.00p 1.69% Softcat (SCT) 1,569.00p 1.69% Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) 377.20p 1.67% FTSE 250 - Fallers Playtech (PTEC) 255.00p -25.87% Hochschild Mining (HOC) 367.80p -12.84% Endeavour Mining (EDV) 3,096.00p -8.89% Bluefield Solar Income Fund Limited (BSIF) 76.70p -7.92% BlackRock World Mining Trust (BRWM) 649.00p -3.71% Foresight Solar Fund Limited (FSFL) 75.90p -3.68% FirstGroup (FGP) 200.20p -3.56% Raspberry PI Holdings (RPI) 370.40p -3.44% Discoverie Group (DSCV) 575.00p -2.54% Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 62.25p -2.43% BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 100 representatives from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered at a sharing session in Beijing Tuesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China. Taiwan's restoration was a key outcome of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, said Zheng Ping, president of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, at the session. He noted that international legal documents such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan, while the five-decade resistance by people of Taiwan against Japanese rule further proved their Chinese identity. In 1895, after its defeat in a war with Japan, the Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan and Penghu Islands to Japan. Fifty years later, after 14 years of relentless struggle, the Chinese people overcame Japanese aggression during World War II, leading to Taiwan's restoration to the motherland. Lin Ming-cong, a descendant of the patriotic Lin family from Wufeng in Taiwan and head of an association for relatives of patriots in Taiwan, said in a video speech that hundreds of compatriots in Taiwan actively participated in resistance movements against Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945). Their sacrifices paved the way for Taiwan's restoration to the motherland. Several young people from Taiwan also shared their thoughts on this issue. Lu Ying-chu, a student at Minzu University of China, recalled her great-grandfather's story. "Having spent most of his life under Japanese colonial rule, he consistently wore traditional Chinese clothing and faithfully preserved our ancestral courtyard, clan shrine and genealogical records, which he regarded as the root and soul of our family, while longing for the end of the colonial rule," she said. Lin Ching-mao, from Changhua in Taiwan and currently studying at Peking University, said that commemorating Taiwan's restoration is not only about remembering history but also about raising awareness on the island, especially among younger generations, while also serving to refute the secessionist historical narrative that promotes "Taiwan independence." The event was jointly organized by the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, China Daily, Beijing Taiwan Compatriots Association, and the association for relatives of patriots in Taiwan. Corey Taylor of Slipknot performs during Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Amy Harris/Invision/Associated Press) Heavy metal heroes Slipknot filed a federal lawsuit last week, seeking to reclaim the Slipknot.com web address from an anonymous cybersquatter who has controlled the domain for more than two decades. According to a report by Billboard, the band filed the suit on Oct. 15 under the federal Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, while also citing trademark infringement and unfair competition. The cybersquatter registered the domain in 2001, several years after Slipknots formation, and has operated it using only a post office box in the Cayman Islands as contact information, the report said. As per the outlet, for decades, the anonymous domain holder has profited from Slipknots brand through pay-per-click ads that direct visitors to bootleg merchandise. When accessed, the website prompts users to disable their browsers ad blocker. Meanwhile, Slipknot has been forced to use the less straightforward Slipknot1.com as their official website throughout their career, the report said. According to the lawsuit, the domain holder registered the address to profit from Slipknots reputation and mislead fans. The domain name was registered in an effort to profit off of plaintiffs goodwill and to trick unsuspecting visitors under the impression they are visiting a website owned, operated or affiliated with plaintiff into clicking on web searches and other sponsored links, Slipknots attorney Craig Reilly wrote in the suit. Reilly added that fans seeking authorized merchandise would undoubtedly visit the slipknot.com website assuming it belonged to plaintiff and then purchase the slipknot merchandise linked to on the site, causing damages to plaintiff. Legal experts would likely say Slipknot has strong grounds. The Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act allows individuals and companies to assume control of domain names identical or confusingly similar to their own, provided they can prove the domain holder acted in bad faith, the report said. The bands legal team is asking a judge to issue an injunction transferring ownership of Slipknot.com to the group, plus unspecified financial damages for trademark infringement and unfair competition, the report said. The mother of a 5-year-old girl who fell off of the Disney Dream cruise ship in June will not face a criminal charge, the Broward State Attorneys Office decided. The family, who live outside of Florida, were taking photos about 11:30 a.m. June 29 on Deck 4, which features a wraparound exercise track and some areas with porthole windows. The girl climbed onto the railing in front of one of the windows, turned around to face her mother and tumbled backward, 49 feet down into the ocean while traveling from the Bahamas to Port Everglades at about 12 mph, according to a State Attorneys Office close-out memo obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday. Many other portholes on the ship the mother had taken photos with were blocked with glass barriers, and she assumed the openings on Deck 4 were similarly enclosed, the memo says she told investigators after the incident. Vice President JD Vance and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, are locked in a tight hypothetical 2028 presidential election race, according to a new poll from Emerson College. The poll, released Friday, asked voters to choose between Vance and Newsom if the 2028 presidential election was held today. The poll found that voters were largely divided, with 46% choosing Vance, 45% choosing Newsom and 10% undecided. Overall, Newsom has picked up 3 percentage points and Vance has picked up 1 percentage point since Julys poll . However, the October results are basically unchanged from when the poll was last conducted in August, when the two men each clinched 44% support. Vance and Newsom are seen as likely frontrunners for the 2028 presidential race, as President Donald Trump cannot seek a third term in office. No one has officially launched a bid for the White House yet, as speculation swirls over who the Democrats will nominate as their candidate after former Vice President Kamala Harris loss to Trump. The poll also questioned voters on which party they would like to see win the midterm elections next year. Forty-four percent of voters said they plan to vote for Democrats on the generic congressional ballot, while 43% said they plan to vote for Republicans. Another 14% are undecided, according to the poll. The 2026 congressional ballot and the hypothetical 2028 matchup between Vance and Newsom also remain unchanged, suggesting a polarized electorate where individual issues may not be enough to sway overall opinion, said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. It will be interesting to see whether threats to democracy will influence voter attitudes, or if the dominant factor continues to be the economy, which voters, particularly women and younger voters, see as heading in the wrong direction, he added. The poll was conducted among 1,000 registered voters from Oct. 13-14. It has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Members of H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths and local volunteers clean up the North Shore Esplanade, part of a sustained effort to beautify the waterfront and promote youth-led community actionan initiative echoed in the upcoming Staten Island Youth Forum. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A coalition of Staten Island organizations will host a Youth Forum on Oct. 22, 2025, to address the pressing needs and opportunities facing young people in the borough. The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Gerard Carter Center, 230 Broad St., and will feature a keynote address by Staten Island Department of Education Superintendent Dr. Roderick Palton, who will speak on youth empowerment, community engagement, and strategies for building a positive future. The forum is a collaborative effort among several local organizations, including H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths, Central Family Life Center, Bay Street & Beyond, Stapleton Houses Ad Hoc Committee, Healthcare Education Project, Veronica Gambon Project, Neighborhood STAT, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, and The Gerard Carter Center YMCA. Opening remarks will be delivered by Diadrian Clarke Reid of Central Family Life Center and Heather Butts of H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths, whose organization has been actively engaging youth through hands-on community service. Over the past few months, H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths, alongside volunteers and residents, has led cleanups along the North Shore Esplanadean effort to enhance the waterfront and foster deeper community connection. Ranti Ogunleye will moderate the forum, which includes a panel of local experts ready to engage with attendees and answer questions about youth advocacy and support. Confirmed panelists include Michael Williams (ONS), Rachel Ullah (True2Life), Michael DeVito (NYCID), Jocelyn Lebron (Healthcare Education Project), and Jen Larsen (On Your Mark). The event is free and open to all community members. Registration is available at forms.gle/gxsy2yABiJs2hp8Q8. In addition to its advocacy work, H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths hosts a free market and pantry every Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 120 Victory Blvd., Tompkinsville. The weekly event includes cooking classes, recipe sharing, blood pressure screenings, free food distribution, and other resources aimed at supporting youth and families. More information is available at health4youths.org. From YMCAs to public hospitals, New Yorkers have multiple options to protect themselves against this potentially deadly virus without paying a penny. Courtesy of Kristin F. Dalton Flu season is here, and New Yorkers have several options for getting vaccinated -- many at no cost. The flu is a contagious respiratory virus that affects thousands of New Yorkers every year, which can sometimes have deadly consequences. Some common symptoms can include a fever, fatigue, sore throat, cough, and body aches. People can reduce their risk by washing their hands often, disinfecting high-touch surfaces, and avoiding touching their face. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, September and October are the best months for most people to get vaccinated. Clinical testing on New York City residents has shown that influenza can circulate as late as May, making early vaccination important. Flu vaccines are widely available across the Tri-State area. Most health insurance plans cover the vaccine with no out-of-pocket cost. Individuals with insurance can obtain their flu vaccine from places like their primary care provider, local pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS, urgent care centers, and local clinics. According to PIX11, the New York City Department of Health provides an interactive map to help residents swiftly locate flu vaccination sites near them. The map also allows users to filter by age and payment options, making it easier to find a location that works for them. For those without insurance, there are several options to get vaccinated for free: The YMCA of Greater New York offers free flu shots in partnership with Empire BlueCross BlueShield. Vaccines are available to New Yorkers age 3 and older. Individuals do not need to be an Empire member to obtain the shot. Participants are asked to bring a photo ID and insurance card if available. NYC Health + Hospitals clinics also provide free flu vaccinations to patients and the public across the boroughs. Vaccines are available with no out-of-pocket cost to patients vaccinated at their dedicated vaccination locations. Residents can check locations and hours by visiting their website or calling 1-(844)-692-4692. PIX11 also reports that there are several locations across the five boroughs where people can get a flu shot for free, including on Staten Island. Adults 19 and older can walk in at Beacon Christian Community Health Center in West Brighton Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the report. Individuals can also receive their free flu shot at Hylan Care Pharmacy on Hylan Boulevard where children as young as 4 years old can be vaccinated. At a time when flu season is at its peak, its vital for people to stay safe, protected, and vaccinated. Do you know which kinds of speech are protected under the Constitution? The First Amendment offers broad protection for free speech even when that speech is offensive or hateful. But those rights have limits. The Freedom Forum found only 10% of Americans in its most recent annual survey could name all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment without prompting. This quiz challenges you to recognize how far is too far when it comes to offensive language. Can you spew racial slurs and claim First Amendment protection? Do you have recourse if your social media account is censored for hate speech? What can private companies do? What about schools? You may be surprised where the lines can be drawn when it comes to fighting words. Before the November 2024 election, 56% of those responding to the Where America Stands survey said concerns over the First Amendment would impact how they voted. However, the younger the respondent, the less understanding they had about the First Amendment. Leading up to this years election, we will share a new quiz from the First Amendment Academy each week. The Academy offers interactive, accessible courses and quizzes to explore how First Amendment rights affect our daily lives. Topics include: This and other quizzes and courses are produced by the First Amendment Academy, an educational platform designed to deepen public understanding of the First Amendment and its five core freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. The project is a collaboration between the nonpartisan Freedom Forum, Arizona State University, and NEWSWELL. WASHINGTON Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge Monday to dismiss the case against him, calling it a vindictive prosecution motivated by personal animus and orchestrated by a White House determined to seek retribution against a perceived foe of President Donald Trump. The lawyers separately called for the indictments dismissal because of what they said was the illegitimate appointment of the U.S. attorney who filed the case days after being hastily named to the job by Trump. The two-prong attack on the indictment, which accuses Comey of lying to Congress five years ago, represents the opening salvo in what is expected to be a protracted court fight ahead of a trial currently set for Jan. 5. The motions challenge not only the substance of the allegations but also the unusual circumstances of the prosecution, which included Trump exhorting his attorney general to bring charges against Comey as well as his administrations abrupt installation of a White House aide to serve as top prosecutor of the elite office overseeing the case. Bedrock principles of due process and equal protection have long ensured that government officials may not use courts to punish and imprison their perceived personal and political enemies, wrote Comeys defense team, which includes Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. Attorney in Chicago and a longtime Comey friend. But that is exactly what happened here. They said the Justice Department had brought the case because of Trumps hatred of Comey, who as FBI director in the early months of Trumps first term infuriated the president through his oversight of an investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trumps 2016 campaign. Trump fired Comey in May 2017. The two have been open adversaries since, with Comey labeling Trump unethical and comparing him to a mafia boss and Trump branding Comey an untruthful slime ball and calling for him to be punished because of the Russia investigation. The government has singled out Mr. Comey for prosecution because of his protected speech and because of President Trumps personal animus toward Mr. Comey, defense lawyers wrote, adding that such a vindictive and selection prosecution violates multiple provisions of the Constitution and must be dismissed. Comeys defense team had foreshadowed the arguments during his first and only court appearance in the case, where he pleaded not guilty. Though motions alleging vindictive prosecutions do not often succeed, this one lays out a timeline of events intended to link Trumps demands for a prosecution with the Justice Departments scramble to secure an indictment last month just before the statute of limitations was set to lapse. Last month, for instance, he complained in a Truth Social post directed to Attorney General Pam Bondi that nothing is being done on investigations into some of his foes and called for action, specifically referencing inquiries into Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! part of the message said. He installed Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who had been one of Trumps personal lawyers but had no experience as a federal prosecutor, to run the Eastern District of Virginia and replace Erik Siebert, who had resigned as U.S. attorney one day earlier amid administration pressure to charge Comey and James. Comey was indicted days later. Comeys lawyers argued that that social media post represented an admission that the government was prosecuting Comey for an impermissible discriminatory purpose. For many years, President Trump has sought to prosecute or otherwise punish Mr. Comey because of overt hostility to Mr. Comeys protected speech and because of his personal bias against Mr. Comey, the attorneys said. But despite President Trumps yearslong campaign to prosecute Mr. Comey, no career or appointed prosecutor had ever agreed to do so, they added. Thus, Mr. Trump made clear to his Attorney General that the only way to achieve JUSTICE against Mr. Comey was by ousting Mr. Siebert and installing Ms. Halligan. The indictment accuses Comey of having misled the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020, in response to questions from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz about whether Comey had authorized a news media leak. But Comeys lawyers say the indictment misstates his exchange with Cruz, attributing to Comey statements he did not make. The defense team says the indictment omits context from Cruzs question that made clear he was asking Comey if he had authorized his deputy director, Andrew McCabe, to serve as an anonymous source to the news media. The lawyers say the indictment misleadingly suggests the questioning from Cruz concerned another person, a Columbia law professor and Comey friend named Daniel Richman. An earlier FBI investigation into whether Comey had disclosed classified information through Richman concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge either man. Defense lawyers in a separate motion argued that the case was fatally flawed because Halligan was unlawfully appointed before she signed the indictment late last month. The President and Attorney General appointed the Presidents personal lawyer as interim U.S. Attorney in violation of a clear statutory command so that the interim U.S. Attorney could indict an outspoken critic of the President just days before the relevant statute of limitations was set to expire, defense lawyers said. That motion is expected to be heard by a different judge than the trial judge, Michael Nachmanoff. Halligan is not the only U.S. attorney facing a court challenge. A federal appeals court in Philadelphia heard arguments Monday in a case challenging the tenure of Alina Habba as New Jerseys top federal prosecutor. A panel of judges did not immediately rule but questioned the propriety of maneuvers meant to keep Habba in her job. Separately Monday, defense lawyers pushed back in court papers on a suggestion by the Justice Department that Fitzgerald might have to step aside from the case. Prosecutors late Sunday asserted in a court filing that Comeys lead defense counsel had earlier been used by Comey to disclose classified information and might therefore need to be disqualified. The defense team Monday called that allegation provably false and defamatory. Photo taken on Oct. 20, 2025 shows a view of a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) LONDON, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. Nearly 100 representatives from the People's Bank of China, the British government, the City of London, international financial institutions and think tanks attended the event, part of the bank's 2025 Global RMB Internationalization Promotion Series. Discussions focused on expanding the RMB's role in international trade, investment and financial markets. Jenny Young, deputy director of trade and emerging markets at the British Treasury, said London is now home to more than 40 Chinese financial institutions and that Britain values its close cooperation with the Bank of China and other Chinese banks operating in the city. "As China continues to play a pivotal role in the global economy, the development of RMB-denominated products presents real opportunities," Young said. "London has become the largest RMB hub outside Asia, serving as a vital conduit between Chinese markets and global capital, whether through trade finance, clearing, investment or foreign exchange. RMB business in London is helping firms and investors access and engage with the Chinese economy more easily." James Michael Douglas Thomson, deputy chair of policy and resources at the City of London Corporation, said London's financial strength and China's economic influence are becoming increasingly intertwined. Having worked in the financial services sector himself, Thomson said he had witnessed firsthand how pivotal China has become in discussions about global trade and commerce. Thomson cited the City's latest data showing that London's RMB trading volume rose by 43 percent in 2024 to about 172 billion pounds (230.6 billion U.S. dollars), while cross-border RMB transactions increased by more than 20 percent year-on-year. "These figures highlight the steady progress of RMB internationalization and London's vital role in supporting this process," Thomson said, adding that the close partnership with China remains important and will continue to grow stronger. At the event, Bank of China presented RMB Product and Project Awards to eight partner institutions in recognition of their achievements in innovation, service development and market promotion as part of efforts to foster a more open and collaborative global RMB ecosystem. Since helping to launch London's offshore RMB market in 2011, Bank of China's London branch has played a leading role in developing RMB clearing, settlement and bond issuance services. Leveraging London's position as a gateway linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the branch remains among the top Chinese institutions in offshore bond underwriting across these regions. (1 British pound = 1.34 U.S. dollar) James Michael Douglas Thomson, deputy chair of policy and resources at the City of London Corporation, delivers a sppech during a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain, Oct. 20, 2025. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Jenny Young, deputy director of trade and emerging markets at the British Treasury, delivers a sppech during a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain, Oct. 20, 2025. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Photo taken on Oct. 20, 2025 shows a view of a roadshow hosted by Bank of China in London, Britain. Bank of China on Monday hosted a roadshow in London to promote the global use of the renminbi (RMB), as officials, financiers and policymakers from China and Britain explore new ways to deepen cross-border financial cooperation. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Curtis Sliwa the Republican candidate for Mayor of New York City meets with the Advance Editorial Board in the Bloomfield newsroom on Thursday, Sept 25, 2025. (Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon) Jason Paderon STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa faced calls from his boss to drop from the race Monday. Sliwa, a radio show host on WABC-AM, was called upon by John Catsimatidis the owner of the station and radio show host in his own right to pull himself from the race to give independent candidate Andrew Cuomo a better chance at Gracie Mansion. Look, I love Curtis; weve worked together a lot, said Catsimatidis. Curtis has to realize that he should love New York more than anything else, and it certainly looks like Curtis should pull out right now. He could win the next election because people will be proud of him for doing the right thing for New York City, instead of the wrong thing. We cannot take a chance on Zohran [Mamdani] winning and every common-sense New Yorker feels the same way, Catsimatidis continued to say. This is not the first call for Sliwa to bow out from a prominent Republican, either. President Donald Trump has also been critical of Sliwa for his work rescuing cats from New York City streets and kill shelters The Republican goal is to prevent Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor. So instead, Republicans like Catsimatidis are throwing their backing behind Cuomo, as polling increasingly suggests that should Sliwa drop out, Cuomo can pick up the votes needed to beat Mamdani In a poll conducted by Patriot Polling, Mamdani holds the lead at 43%; Cuomo is 11 points away at 32%; with Sliwa trailing behind both candidates at 19%. The poll took place between Oct. 18 and Oct. 19, according to Patriot Polling. On the other hand, a poll taken by AARP between Oct. 14 and Oct. 15 shows Mamdani at 43.2%; Cuomo at 28.9%; Sliwa at 19.4%; with 7.7% claiming that they are undecided about who to vote for come November. The new AARP-Gotham poll shows exactly where this race is headed: in a head-to-head matchup, Andrew Cuomo (41%) and Zohran Mamdani (45%) are now in a dead heat a dramatic 10-point swing since late August, when Mamdani led Cuomo 42-31 head to head," said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi. As New Yorkers see this reality, theyll discard the spoiler Curtis Sliwa and rally behind Cuomo to save the city. Voters dont buy Mamdanis divisive, extreme politics or believe that a 34-year-old whos never held a real job is ready to run the greatest city in the world. Andrew Cuomo has the experience, coalition, and plan to make New York safer, fairer, and more affordable for everyone on day one, he added. But it doesnt appear as if Sliwa will drop out. Curtis Sliwa stands firm and is not dropping out. Todays news does not change anything. Others may have their opinions, but the voters will decide in 15 days. Andrew Cuomo has been absent from public view for 10 days; if he seeks support, he must actively earn it, said Daniel Kurzyna, a spokesperson for the Sliwa campaign. Rex Airlines will be purchased by US-based air services company Air T Inc, with the deal to lift the debt-laden airline out of administration and be recapitalised, ending a period of uncertainty for Australian aviation. The deal, announced late on Tuesday, will provide regional Australia with the first glimmer of stability over its air transportation options after Rex spent more than a year in limbo. Regional Express, better known as Rex, collapsed into administration in July last year. Credit: Kate Geraghty However, administrators E&Y warned that 4800 creditors who are owed a combined $500 million will probably receive nothing. No return to shareholders is anticipated, E&Y said, in a statement, although a further update will be provided ahead of the second meetings of creditors. Whats good, whats bad, and whats in between in literature? Here we review the latest titles. Heather Rose is esteemed by those who award literary prizes but she has the distinction of also being adored by readers of popular fiction. She is restless with her gifts, writing about and across art, politics, contemporary families, is a memoirist, a writer for children and adolescents. His manner is agitated, his skin ashen and when she reaches for his hand she is cut by a short knife covered in blood. She takes it from him and flings it into the Thames. He walks away into the shadows and Caroline, a mere slip of a girl, retreats into a terrible solitude. Praise be. It is not a dark and stormy night as Heather Roses new novel opens but a warm midsummer evening, 1836, London. The moon is full and Caroline, responding to her fathers whistle from the pavement, rushes up the stairs for this unexpected meeting. A Great Act of Love is her sixth adult novel but her first historical, and it cracks along with a masterly gusto. The melodramatic opening, a staged setting detailed with visual cues, sets the pace and the tone. Expectations rise as the curtain swings up, the candlelit stage is poised, the characters enter from upstage and down and often across. But. Whats this? What? You bend forward in your seat. The dress and props are all early Victorian, yet the characters seem to have bent time. These elaborately dressed people might dress with the formality of the past, but they are from the present, from 2025. The Bridgerton influence? How daring. And sometimes, how darling. Within a dozen pages, years have flown and Caroline has a new occupation involving disguises, chess, thievery, money and gender-slippage. She is under the tutelage of her fathers accomplished sister, Henriette, a woman of the future as well as the past. Meanwhile, her father, who in a moment of insanity murdered a woman, has been sentenced to death. The Crown, however, isnt keen on hanging the insane, and he has been transported to Australia, where he will live out the term of his natural life in a grim place on the edge of the world, Norfolk Island. Advertisement Exclusive Eating outComing soon Nomads owner to take over Grossis embattled empire, with plans to add pizza, gelato Many existing staff will remain, but the new owners hope that any sort of cultural issues, therell be a line drawn under them, and we can move forward. Emma Breheny October 22, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share The new owners of Melbournes iconic Florentino restaurant, previously held by the Grossi family, plan to introduce fun dining to some parts of the multi-venue building and rename at least one venue, while seeking to preserve the 97-year-old sites legacy. Edition Hospitality, which operates restaurants Reine & La Rue and Nomad in Melbourne (plus the original Nomad in Sydney), purchased five venues from the Grossi family through a business broker in September. The transaction was one of the most significant changes to dining at the leafy end of Bourke Street in a generation. When this [deal] did pop up, I think I wrote back within two minutes, says Edition chief executive Rebecca Yazbek. Edition Hospitality and its CEO Rebecca Yazbek (centre) have outlined their plans for the Florentino site. The sale includes the celebrated fine-diner Florentino, regarded as Melbournes oldest restaurant and known for its classical murals, and the more casual Grossi Grill at street level. Advertisement Yazbeks initial focus will be on reinvigorating the Grill, with plans to rename the venue Cafe Florentino and give it a more contemporary sensibility by 2026. Like any business that has been running a long time, it has its good days and bad, she says. Yazbek says her team plans to spend several months getting to know Florentinos customers and what they want before making changes. The Grossi family, led by patriarch Guy Grossi, took over Florentino in 1999 and steadily expanded it into its current configuration: Florentino upstairs; Grossi Grill and Cellar Bar downstairs; Venetian eatery Ombra next door; and laneway bar Arlechin at the rear. The Florentino building contains three restaurants, while Ombra is pictured to the right. PENNY STEPHENS Advertisement The venues will overall retain their Italian identity. Whether culinary director Michael Greenlaw (who helped open the Ritz-Carltons Atria) and executive chef Brendan Katich (currently leading Reine & La Rues kitchen) will push the food into a different direction or home in on regional Italian cuisine is yet to be decided. Design and service changes will be a key plank of the reinvention. Significantly, the new owners will take on 80 staff previously employed by the Grossi group 40 full-time and 40 casuals spanning both front and back of house. Reporting by The Age in January revealed a history of sexual harassment allegations raised by female staff and industry leaders against Guy Grossi and his staff. Grossi has denied the allegations. When asked how she plans to address such cultural issues within the staff group Yazbek responded: We deal with complaints pretty rigorously through our people and culture team, and were hoping to build that within what the [Florentino] team already has. Edition employs three members of staff on its people and culture team. Advertisement Hopefully, with any sort of cultural issues, therell be a line drawn under them, and we can move forward. The historic dining room at upstairs fine-diner Florentino in 2022. Bonnie Savage Yazbeks vision for the Bourke Street site is a clearer distinction between that beautiful, beautiful room upstairs and fun dining downstairs. There are plans to open on Sundays. As for Ombra, she says, Id really enjoy having some fun with that and putting our stamp on that, making [it] a really fun pizza and gelato place. Yazbek would not disclose the sum paid for the businesses, but conceded that there was a lot of interest from potential buyers. Industry sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated the price to be anywhere between $800,000 and $4 million. Some claimed the Grossis were initially asking for a much higher price. Advertisement The Grossi family has not given a reason for the sale, but told the Herald Sun: As our family looks to the future, this is not about stepping away but embracing a new chapter. Yazbek, who lives in Sydney but says she spends every second week in Melbourne, says, [Florentino] is already a place that is so loved and cherished. People went there with their grandparents. Im really hoping to listen to the clientele before coming in and ripping it all apart and serving it on a shiny new platter. The fierce competition in Melbourne and a ruthless dining public are top of mind for the new owners. They love quality, and theyre very loyal, Yazbek adds. Yazbeks venues have not been without their own controversies. Advertisement In 2024, Nomad Sydney, Nomad Melbourne, and Reine & La Rue were excluded from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guides after Al Yazbek Rebeccas husband and a director of Edition at the time pleaded guilty to holding a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestine rally. He was not convicted. Edition expects to take possession of the businesses in November, once the liquor licence transfers are complete. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up JERUSALEM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service, met on Tuesday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire. In a statement, Netanyahu's office said the two met in Jerusalem with teams. "They discussed advancing (U.S. President Donald) Trump's plan, Israel-Egypt relations and strengthening peace between the countries, as well as other regional issues," the office said. The rare meeting came amid uncertainty over the ongoing fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and as U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel in a bid to shore up the ceasefire. Both Israel and Hamas have pledged to uphold the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, though each side has accused the other of violating it. On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said two Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas attack in Rafah, southern Gaza, involving an anti-tank missile and gunfire on troops dismantling infrastructure. Hamas denied involvement. In response, the IDF carried out airstrikes and artillery shelling across Gaza, killing at least 44 Palestinians, according to Gaza's hospital sources. Advertisement FoodThe dish Seafood platters to parmas: The Mornington food favourites of local funnyman Jimmy Rees The popular entertainer shares his favourite places to eat in his regional Victorian home, plus his go-to spots around Australia. Jane Rocca October 21, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share He may be best known for capturing the attention of young viewers as Jimmy Giggle on ABCs Giggle and Hoot, keeping kids (and their parents) laughing for a decade until 2019, but since switching his focus to making adults laugh during the not-very-funny pandemic, Jimmy Rees hasnt looked back. Along the way hes garnered more than 1.8 million followers on social media proof that comedic timing is everything. Jimmy Rees continues to keep people giggling and now cooking more at home too. The father of three lives on Victorias Mornington Peninsula with wife Tori and sons Lenny, 10, and six-year-old twins Mack and Vinny, where he draws on his playful persona to create viral videos that take down local politics and has satirical swipes at everything from US politics to generational stereotypes at supermarkets that tickle his and his many fans funny bones. Rees has found his groove at home where he now has a dedicated studio for filming content. He loves nothing more than cooking a simple chicken parmigiana for his kids and hes teamed with HelloFresh to craft simple recipes for home cooks. Advertisement These include a South-east Asian prawn poboy with chilli crisp and lime pepper potato chips, cheesy butter chicken parmigiana and his own spin on a Korean TikTok viral food with gochujang carbonara. Rees gochujang carbonara with cheesy kimchi garlic bread and baby broccoli. Its about creating a menu thats fun to whip up at home, to try something different and get a bit of fusion going on in the kitchen, he says. Here are the places Rees loves to eat at around Australia and what he likes to order when hes not whipping up a pub-worthy parma at home. Eating In Advertisement Signature dish at home Its always a chicken parmigiana with chips. Sometimes we like to be adventurous at home and put pineapple and ham on it. My guilty pleasure Ordering Indian take-away from my local Chutney Bar Mornington. My wife Tori was recently in Melbourne for an overnighter with the boys and I ordered two mains all to myself because I couldnt decide what to eat butter chicken and lamb korma plus rice. The kitchen wisdom I live by Advertisement Dad always made cooking fun when he was in the kitchen. When it was time for fish and chips, hed serve it in paper and wed get super excited as kids. Its about bringing in the props! Jimmy Rees tucks into his plate of fish and chips at The Rocks Mornington. Joe Armao Eating out My hometown favourites The Filling Station in Mornington is my go-to for great fresh sandwiches and coffee. Advertisement The Rocks Mornington is where I go when I want to order a seafood platter to share. They have great oysters and the freshest fish. Loosies is a cool dive bar on the Peninsula where I eat a lot of fried bar snacks like chicken wings and burgers and I always order the fries. Loosies Diner in Mornington does great fries and other American-style food. Dave Le Page I get my flat whites from Commonfolk Coffee Company. They take their coffee making super-seriously. The food is very good. I recommend the eggs Benedict because I love hollandaise sauce. They also make great crab cakes. Favourite takeaway spots on the Peninsula I like Pizza Craft & Pasta Co for a parmigiana its so huge and also a family favourite destination. Advertisement Vinnis Pizza e Pasta in Mount Eliza is another special spot. Weve been dining here ever since I was a kid. Our son Vinny loves going here because they share a name in common and they make the best margherita pizzas. Its a great family-run business. Vinni hasnt aged a day! Rare Hare at Jackalope is a special spot for a meal. A great Australian food dining memory Tori and I spent a few nights at Jackalope [also in Mornington] without the kids which was an amazing getaway close to home. We sat through a degustation menu at Rare Hare and ate fresh oysters, pork belly and bourbon-glazed brisket. My favourite Sydney dining spots Advertisement You line up for ages to go to Malaysian restaurant Mamak Haymarket but its totally worth it. You can see them make roti in the window. The satay is unbelievably good. Id drink it by the jar if I could. Mamak Haymarket is worth queueing for. Mecca Coffee in Alexandria is my regular since the King Street location closed. Its always an order of chilli scrambled eggs with a flat white. Its a toss-up between Maggies in Potts Point and Unas in Darlinghurts for the best schnitz in Sydney, so why not both? I get my Jaeger sauce (creamy mushroom sauce) on the side and just pour it all over it. Fei Jai Potts Point is my favourite Chinese restaurant in Sydney. Its perfect for when you are feeling a bit boujee and have something to celebrate. Advertisement The Artisan Farmer isnt in Sydney, but a few hours north in Nabiac. It makes a great road trip stop. The pies are insane and the pastries probably the best I have had anywhere. Its so good. My Perth favourites If there is a tiki bar on offer, Ill take it. I cant remember the food, but the spiced rum cocktails are awesome at Hula Hula Bar. If youre up for some fancy Japanese in Perth, I would recommend Nobu Perth. Let someone else order and watch it all come to the table. Its my favourite place for a business meeting in Perth. The poached tuna salad with freshly shaved coconut at Short Grain. Markus Ravik Advertisement My Brisbane favourites From the same guy who perfected Longrain in Sydney, Short Grain is so good. The whole crispy fish is incredible. Moo Moo Wine Bar & Grill is just around the corner from the theatre where we sometimes play in Brisbane. The staff are awesome and so are the cocktails. There is one on the Gold Coast too. I am not vegan, but I love to get into vegan meals to see how creative and delicious they can be. Govindas West End in Brisbane is great and its really easy on the credit card. The menu is always changing and it makes you feel good about yourself. Find Jimmys recipes at hellofresh.com.au Advertisement Advertisement Eating outJust open This big-hearted bakery will recreate your grandmothers cake or auntys slice Former MasterChef winner Larissa Takchis new venture, Luca Bakery, aims to foster community through time-tested family recipes. Daniella Scotti October 22, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share She might have won MasterChef but Larissa Takchi found her true calling on a quiet rural road in Sydneys north-west. In 2019, aged just 22, she became the youngest contestant to win the competition. Rather than chasing fame and fortune, Takchi went home, baking from a tiny oven in her kitchen and racing up and down her driveway every hour to keep up with demand from her roadside bakery. The former MasterChef winner Larissa Takchi at her newly opening bakery. Jessica Hromas I realised we dont know who our neighbours are anymore, and this became a way for me to serve my community. I want to know who these people are, I want to connect with them, she says. That first venture, Lilys Local in Arcadia, struck a chord. Now a mother of two and 29, Takchi has opened something bigger but with the same heart. Advertisement Luca Bakery in Castle Hill isnt just about croissants and coffee. Its about creating community. Warm, welcoming, with that country farmhouse aura I want people to feel like theyre at home, Takchi says. Step inside to find an exposed kitchen, flooding the shop with sweet, nutty aromas. The counter brims with whole cakes sliced to order, golden tarts, stacks of sourdough, buttery pastries and piles of biscuits still warm from the oven. The honey cake recipe from a friends grandmother has become one of Luca Bakerys bestsellers. Jessica Hromas That freshness isnt down to chance. As soon as supplies dwindle, Takchi gets baking again. It means youre eating a croissant thats still hot, or a cake so fresh it hasnt cooled yet, she says. And it seems the strategy is working. Since opening, locals have been queuing out the door. Advertisement Black olive focaccia with black garlic and parmigiana is a huge hit, while medovik honey cake and brown butter strawberry cake are also popular (the latter tastes like a hot jam doughnut). Takchi took a year to perfect her brown butter chocolate chip cookies. The menu is built on seasonal produce: citrus, honey, zucchini flowers, strawberries, figs and, soon, peaches. Ive always been raised eating whats in season and supporting local farmers. It was never a trendy thing; its just what we did. Luca Bakery has many fans. Jessica Hromas But perhaps the most personal touch is an open book near the front counter. A pen sits ready for customers to share their own family recipes. Give me your grandmothers cake, your auntys favourite slice, well recreate it in your name, and you can come in to try it for yourself, Takchi says. Advertisement Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up When I was 12, my mother sent me to high school in The Rocks. It was the early 80s and I was following in the footsteps of my sister, who had just completed Year 10. Although we lived in south-west Sydney, my mother thought going to school in the city would broaden our horizons, helping us to understand there was a world beyond our comfortable suburban life. It managed that and more. St Patricks Girls High was behind St Patricks Church in Grosvenor Street. A small, low-fee paying school for roughly 300 students, it serviced families all over the city and inner suburbs, new migrants daughters, factory workers daughters, a ragtag group from the suburbs, and a sizeable contingent from social housing in Millers Point and Woolloomooloo. Our partner school (and Anthony Albaneses alma mater) was St Marys Cathedral College, which, well before its glow-up in the 90s, welcomed a similar demographic of working-class and middle-class parishioners and their sons. Homes in The Rocks and Millers Point may have been gentrified and the neighbourhood has lost some of its vibrancy. Ruth Parks excellent Playing Beatie Bow was on the curriculum for Year 8. A time-travelling novel, it captured The Rocks in the present day (again, the 80s what a time to be alive) and 1873, when the area was at its zenith. The protagonist, Abigail Kirk, who lives in The Rocks, accidentally slips back in time, when the streets were alive with commercial and residential activity. A centre of mercantile activity, the area was interspersed with workers cottages and grander homes, all with direct access to the harbour. How things have changed. News that Millers Point child care centre is due to close at the end of the year is yet another signal that money has squeezed the life out of a part of Sydney that was once thriving. Follow our Sydney weather live coverage here. A hot mass of air that built up over the Pilbara and smashed temperature records in the outback will hit Sydney on Wednesday, unleashing a scorching day that comes with high winds, extreme fire danger, risk of a thunderstorm and a severe heatwave warning for parts of NSW. October heat records were broken on Tuesday in the inland NSW towns of Tibooburra, which hit 42.8 degrees, and Cobar, which reached 42.4 degrees, smashing new highs set just a day earlier. Similar warm conditions are forecast again for central NSW on Wednesday, as the heat reaches for the coast. Sydney is set for an unseasonable scorcher. Credit: Steven Siewert After today, the heat will push out towards the east coast, with the Sydney Metro area and eastern NSW seeing their hottest day on Wednesday, Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology said. Melissa Forbes just wanted to share some books with her neighbours. Little did she know her upcycled street library would be deemed illegal. Honestly, its hilarious, she told this masthead in relation to her being the owner of one of Australias most infamous street libraries. Melissa Forbes illegal book box in Moreton Bay. Credit: Melissa Forbes In January, Forbes erected a book nook on the grass in front of her house, encouraging locals and passersby to give a book, take a book. But it didnt take long for a complaint to be lodged with Moreton Bay Council. A knock at the door then alerted her to the illegal book box she had set up in the suburb of Clontarf. I set out to share some books with my neighbours, maybe help someone discover a new favourite read, she said. I never imagined Id end up as the woman with the illegal book box. The devastated families of a woman and two boys killed in a house fire say they have been forever changed by the tragedy that tore apart their community. Jordana Johnson, 36, her 12-year-old son Jordan Norris and his friend Chazz Mather, also 12, were killed in the October 15 blaze that destroyed a two-storey home in central Queensland. Almost a week later, the victims families have spoken publicly for the first time as the Gladstone community plans to remember the trio at a beachside gathering. Jordana Johnson, 36, centre, with her 12-year-old son Jordan Norris and his friend Chazz Mather, also 12. Credit: GoFundMe Three beautiful souls were tragically taken from us, they said in a statement posted on social media via Gladstone MP Glenn Butcher on Tuesday. Three children were inside a caravan allegedly taken and then crashed into a ditch on the Gold Coast, with their mother pulling them through a skylight after the crash. Police say a 59-year-old man arrived at the property in Glenrowan, on the western fringe of the Gold Coast, about 5.30pm on Tuesday, before attaching the caravan to his 4WD with a ratchet strap. A 40-year-old woman and her three children aged two, five and seven were inside the caravan at the time, according to police. The woman, who police said is known to the man, got out of the caravan before it was towed off, police said. The man accused of receiving child abuse material filmed by alleged Melbourne childcare paedophile Joshua Brown is facing fresh charges of rape and stalking. Detectives swooped on Brown earlier this year after allegedly discovering a cache of child abuse material on the phone of Michael Simon Wilson, who they were already investigating over the rape of a teenage boy in April. This month, Wilson, 36, was charged in a separate case with multiple counts of rape, stalking and unlawful imprisonment. Wilson had been fighting to suppress the details of the new case but he lost his bid on Tuesday. He had argued that his right to a fair trial would be affected by his alleged link to Brown, which was first revealed by this masthead in July. The operators of a Melbourne hospital have been charged over the tragic death of a new mother left unsupervised for 11 hours after her admission to a mental health ward. WorkSafe on Tuesday charged Ramsay Health Care Australia, who run Mitcham Private Hospital, with two counts of failing to ensure the safety of a person who was not an employee. Sarah Skillington was found dead in her hospital room after being admitted for severe anxiety after giving birth. Sarah Skillington, 33, took her own life within days of being admitted to the hospitals Perinatal Mental Health Unit following the birth of daughter Lily on November 6, 2023. Skillingtons death was the subject of a 2025 coronial inquest which heard the architect had developed significant anxiety shortly after giving birth. Her doctor recommended she be admitted to Mitcham Private for extra support. 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 this special series, The Age focuses on Melbournes western suburbs to see how life could improve in Australias fastest-growing region. See all 37 stories . Roji Bhandari is a believer in Sunshine. So much so, that when she decided in 2022 to move her Nepalese food truck business into bricks and mortar, she sold her family home to purchase the building for her restaurant, Tinkune. Bhandari, speaking to The Age from a holiday in Nepal, uses her grandmothers recipes to serve momo dumplings, chatpate (a puffed rice dish) and masala tea, and her eatery has been a hit with the suburbs growing Nepalese community. She hopes to move from the outer west with her husband and two children to Sunshine when they can buy a suitable home. Before, people would say Sunshine is dangerous, but now its very popular and very different, Bhandari says. I can have a full house on weekdays at 9.30pm Every fortnight it seems there is a new business opening. A V/Line train pulling into Sunshine station, which will be redeveloped into a superhub. Credit: Jason South Bhandaris restaurant is opposite Sunshine station, and she hopes the Victorian governments $4.1 billion Sunshine Superhub redevelopment the first step to extending the Metro train network to Melbourne Airport and Melton will be a boon for her and other small business owners. Advertisement The West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance (WoMEDA) has declared in its strategic report, Western Growth: Unlocking Melbournes Economic Engine, that Sunshine should be Melbournes second CBD by 2050. Jewel in the crown Underpinning this is the suburbs geographic location at the heart of the burgeoning west, located just 12 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD. It will also sit at the junction of train lines linking regional Victoria, the new Metro Tunnel and, in the early 2030s, Melbourne Airport. Sunshine could be a natural destination for hotels, conference centres and offices. But Brimbank City Council and community advocates fear the opportunity to transform Sunshine into a place where train travellers stop and stay is slipping through their fingers. Advertisement The Age is strengthening its focus on Melbournes west as part of a special series examining the positives and challenges the region faces. This week, our reporters will moderate a WoMEDA summit to discuss a vision for the western suburbs success. The alliance of university, industry, community and local government experts works to unlock the wests economic potential. The alliance is calling on the government to commit to fostering East Werribee, Footscray, Cobblebank and Sunshine as priority precincts, so that Australias fastest-growing region has the jobs, infrastructure, services and cultural institutions to support it. Sunshine is seen as the jewel in the western crown: a natural transport hub with key anchors such as Sunshine Hospital and Victoria University, and with ample land ripe for development. It is projected to have the capacity to cater for 43,000 extra residents and 30,000 new jobs by 2051, providing employment opportunities to the thousands of western residents who are forced to travel for hours each day to work outside the region. WoMEDA chair Peter Dawkins says business and government services professional jobs in the finance, marketing and legal sectors could flourish in central Sunshine, as well as the visitor economy, including hotels and restaurants. Advertisement To the extent that Melbourne needs a second CBD, its moving west. Thats where the huge population growth is, Dawkins says. To choose a place in Melbourne to be like Parramatta [Sydneys second CBD], Sunshine is the obvious location. Picturing Sunshine as a future economic powerhouse requires some imagination. While central Hampshire Road bustles with shoppers and locals sipping Vietnamese coffee, modern high-rises are sparse, there are vast underused sites, many streets feel tired or unsafe and the train stations that bookend the main strip Sunshine and particularly Albion are rundown. Brimbank councils director of city futures, Kelvin Walsh, is upbeat about Sunshines second CBD potential. He believes the suburb will benefit from the transport projects and has plenty of developable land with a community eager for change. But he is worried and wants clarity on when exactly the state government will deliver the Sunshine Station Masterplan which goes beyond the rail infrastructure to promise a vibrant, greener, safer and well-connected surrounding precinct. The superhubs missing pieces Construction will start on the Sunshine Superhub next year and take until 2030. The bulk of its $4.1 billion budget will be spent untangling a complex web of tracks to enable Melton and Airport Rail trains. Advertisement Sunshine station will get two new platforms for V/Line trains, an extended concourse and a new forecourt. But there is no mention of elements of the masterplan that would be a catalyst for Sunshines transformation: a new bus interchange, pedestrian crossings over the tracks that today cleave the area in two; safer, livelier streets, new civic plazas and green open space. The state Labor government previously committed $143 million to the Sunshine Station Masterplan, but in this years budget papers, its costs and delivery timeline are listed as tbc, pending the procurement of the superhub track works. Meanwhile, Sunshines status as a transport hub has been questioned, given V/Line passengers on the Albury line will still pass through the station, but be unable to stop or transfer there. Albion station arguably among the worst across Melbourne will be rebuilt in 2027. But designs have not been released and a structure plan to revamp the dilapidated surrounds, named Albion Quarter, is yet to be completed. What makes me nervous is its a big project and we need to keep the focus on how important it is to Melbournes west, Walsh says. Department of Transport and Planning documents from 2021 and 2022 emphasise that rail alone will not be enough to realise Sunshines potential, and that the state government must use all tools at its disposal to overhaul the precinct and attract private investment. Advertisement GAZA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Gaza's health authorities said Tuesday that they received the bodies of 15 Palestinians from Israel via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), bringing the total received since the ceasefire to 165. Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza's health authorities, said medical teams would conduct examinations and complete documentation before returning the bodies to their families. He added that the authorities are relying on rudimentary methods to identify the bodies, some of which show signs of "abuse, beatings, handcuffing, and blindfolding." The Israeli army has not commented on this. The Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when a surprise attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. The ensuing Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed 68,229 people and injured another 170,369, according to Gaza's health authorities. Despite the ceasefire, 87 Gazans have been killed and 311 injured since Oct. 11, according to the health authorities. Under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10, the first phase includes partial Israeli troop withdrawals, the exchange of hostages and prisoners, and a significant increase in aid deliveries to Gaza. I think Im going to start murdering people ... the next c--- that crosses me Ill just start murdering c---s. Nick Martin and his wife Amanda. Credit: 9News Perth The assault charges were later dropped by police. Earlier in the trial, a suppression order prohibiting the publication of bombshell evidence from the man allegedly hired by Pye to kill Martin was lifted. It pertained to evidence given last Friday, where the ex-soldier admitted he also carried out other targeted assassinations. The man, whose identity has been suppressed since he was arrested in 2021, made the sensational admission after the judge presiding over the case granted him immunity, meaning his evidence could not be used against him. The former soldier has already pleaded guilty to killing Martin and received a reduced sentence for testifying against Pye in the judge-alone trial. Loading A certificate of immunity was granted to also protect him from prosecution over potential war crimes, after it was also revealed the Australian Federal Police interviewed him in 2021 in relation to foreign incursion or terrorism offences. The 39-year-olds evidence is critical to the prosecutions case, which alleges Pye paid the former soldier $150,000 for the hit on Martin. During cross-examination on Friday, David Hallowes, SC, repeatedly attempted to expose the man as a compulsive liar before exposing inconsistencies he had given to the police in a statement compared to recorded conversations with friends. However, when he was pressed on the issue of whether Martin was the first person he had killed, the soldier said he could not answer the question without incriminating himself. The court later heard the man had previously said he had killed so many people, he didnt know the number. Is this something youre familiar with, building book, making book on targets? Hallowes asked the man on Friday. Yes, he replied. Its something youve done over many years, is it? Yes. Have you done it in Australia or have you just done it overseas? Overseas. Is it the case that in the past you have done reconnaissance on a target and then killed the target? Ive done reconnaissance on targets. Ive not necessarily engaged them afterwards. David Pyes lawyer Paul Holmes and barrister David Hallowes, SC, outside court. Credit: Rebecca Peppiatt So, just to be clear, there have been occasions where you have done reconnaissance on a target and having done that reconnaissance then carried out the execution? Yes. The man also gave evidence that he had once shot someone from the inside of a car through a window. Loading A recorded conversation between the man, an unknown associate, and Pye was played in court on Monday, in which the sniper was asked if any of the killings he had carried out haunted him. No. F--- it, he replied in the recording. When asked how many people he had killed, the man said he did not know. Because when you kill someone, youre like, I dont feel nothing, he was heard saying. And then youre like, I should feel something. Im the normal Oh, whats wrong with me? You know, in movies they freak out. The former soldier also testified that he would only kill a dude if its warranted, and then said during his time in conflict arenas overseas he would capture people and we give them to the locals, and they kill them. Hallowes read out portions of the mans police statement taken in September 2021, in which he said, I have not travelled to Syria and I havent killed anyone else. I worked right up to when I went into labour filming, researching, sending my out-of-office the day before my waters broke. I thought I had ticked all the boxes: a permanent position to return to, familiarity, stability, a plan. Then I had a baby. A colicky baby who did not sleep. Suddenly, I was out of my depth in a job that was nothing like my old one, with no control, no certainty, and no way to work harder for a result. Sometimes I look in the mirror hair unwashed, red-eyed, running late again and wonder: who would sign up for this? I realised I needed support and moved back to WA to be near my mum. My boss said it wouldnt work, I had to be in Sydney, in person. I hung up the phone and felt my whole identity crack. The formula I built my life around work hard, be rewarded no longer applied. I was a new mum, in a new life, with no job and no idea who I was any more. My world shrank to contact naps, feeding schedules and survival mode. My postpartum anxiety was crippling. My partner only had two weeks of paid leave before he had to go back full-time to support us. I called helpline after helpline, desperate for guidance, sitting on hold until Id hang up in tears. Wait lists for months. Same with Centrelink hours on hold. It is the most challenging thing to advocate for yourself and your baby while youre sleep-deprived and running on adrenaline. Everyone said, enjoy it, it goes so fast, but I did not enjoy the newborn phase. Loading It was so hard, and it breaks my heart thinking back on how I felt. I spent hours bouncing on a fitness ball with my baby because it was the only thing that soothed her feeling helpless, invisible, and fuelled by instant coffee rationed carefully. Because, you know, breastfeeding. The truth is, the systems around us are broken. Australia needs more babies, were told, while the system punishes the women who have them. Sometimes I look in the mirror hair unwashed, red-eyed, running late again and wonder: who would sign up for this? Women arent selfish for choosing not to have kids. Theyve seen the sleepless nights, the cost, the lack of support, the mental load and theyve decided they simply cant do it all. Sick leave and parental leave are never enough. Childcare costs more than rent. Waiting lists go on forever. We talk about choice, but there is no real choice when the alternatives are burnout or financial free-fall. If we actually want women to keep having children, we need universal access to affordable childcare, proper paid and legislated parental leave for both parents, and workplaces legally required to offer real flexibility not just lip service. I know this isnt everyones experience. Some women thrive in early motherhood. Some babies sleep. Some families can afford to live on one income. And some parents have it even tougher single mums or dads doing it alone, parents of twins or babies with extra needs. They deserve even more support than our systems currently provide. Loading Were still waking through the night, patting her back, holding our breath when she coughs on the monitor, hoping she wont wake. And when she does, Im up again: bleary-eyed, still breastfeeding, still functioning on scraps of sleep, still showing up, like countless other parents. I work alongside other mums and dads now people who get it, who understand the daycare calls and the mental load. It helps. But it doesnt erase the guilt. I love my daughter more than anything. She is my anchor in the chaos. But I want a better world for her one that doesnt see parenthood as a personal failing to be endured, but as a social good to be supported. Anthony Albanese and his team, including ambassador Kevin Rudd, should be very pleased with their meeting with President Donald Trump. They achieved the main objective, which was to get in and out without mishap. Trump lavished the prime minister with praise and Albanese lavished back without appearing sycophantic. He maintained his dignity with charm and good humour. It was definitely a 10/10 in diplomatic and political terms. Donald Trump lavished Anthony Albanese with praise; the prime minister replied without appearing sycophantic. Credit: Getty Images The agreement on rare earths development and processing is a very good step forward. Australia has been pressing for this for a long time. Back in February 2018, I agreed with Trump, then in his first term as president, that the United States and Australia would work together on the extraction, processing and development of rare earths and strategic minerals but until now, not much progress has been made. Rudds energy will have made a big contribution. But the agreement of 2018 is a reminder that it is easier to announce deals in the White House than it is to actually make them happen. So there is much work to do, although Chinas recent throttling of rare earth exports should ensure the Americans actually deliver the support they have promised this time. But its not because of mutual love and affection. Its because of China. Australia and America have drawn closer this week because of mutual anxiety and hostility towards Beijing. The alliance harmony, in other words, is based on Sinophobic hostility. And if Xi Jinping had wanted this outcome, he couldnt have choreographed it better. Beijing conducted two belligerent acts in the week preceding the Australia-United States summit. By announcing export controls on Chinas rare earths last week, Xi launched an economic nuclear weapon at the US. Rare earths are essential to a modern economy. You cant build a computer without them. Beijing said it would allow some exports, but specified that it would not allow any to be used for foreign military applications, meaning that the US would be unable to build missiles, jets, radars or drones. China processes 92 per cent of all rare earths in the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Only one company in the world refines one of the elements vital for making heat-resistant magnets, and its owned by the Chinese state. Loading Australia, whose bountiful critical minerals include a cornucopia of rare earth elements, was ready with the offer of a solution. So the Australian proposal, which had been on the table for half a year, suddenly was urgent. Trump signed with characteristic hyperbole: In about a year from now, well have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you wont know what to do with them. We wont; itll take longer to build the processing plants. But, to extend the nuclear weapon analogy, the deal creates the possibility of a future shield against Xis threat. The aim is a guaranteed supply chain from Australia to the US, co-financed by the two governments but built by the private sector. Australia stands to benefit not only from the mining and processing but from access to the finished products, such as MRI scanners, wind turbines, EV batteries and computer semiconductors. Without such allied co-operation, Beijing would decide who gets what worldwide. Its claiming global veto over any product that contains even 0.1 per cent of any of its rare earths, and any of the equipment, machinery or technology used to produce it. This is a potential tool for global coercion. Beijings second bellicose action was when its air force conducted a deliberately dangerous interception of an Australian air force plane. It happened in international airspace over international waters the day before Albanese was due to sit down with the US president. The Peoples Liberation Army air force fighter jet fired two flares into the path of the Australian P8 surveillance plane. Defence Minister Richard Marles said it was unsafe and unprofessional. Insult quickly followed injury. Nationalist propagandist Hu Xijin wrote that Australia was a small country that needed to be taught a lesson: Australia must understand that if an incident occurs someday over the South China Sea, their aircraft would be among those most likely technically and politically to become casualties. If there was the least doubt about the common threat that the US and Australia face from the Chinese Communist Party, it was dispelled. Sometimes, says Edel, China makes your arguments for you. Trump gave full support to AUKUS and the plan to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. And when his secretary of the navy tried to defend the Pentagons Colby review of AUKUS as seeking clarifications, Trump overruled him: There shouldnt be any more clarifications because were just, were just going now full steam ahead. Other, lesser, defence acquisitions and investments were approved, too. US President Donald Trump asked the Australian leader for nothing during the three hours the pair were together, according to informed sources. Credit: AP Albanese didnt get everything he wanted. Trump has not relented on tariffs, although the Australian side has not given up and continues to seek relief. Trump didnt get everything he wanted. Albanese refuses to increase Australian defence spending as a proportion of GDP beyond his pre-existing plan. But Trump chose not to make an issue of it and merely complimented Australias efforts and its military. Senior Nationals figures and Barnaby Joyces local members had been waiting several months for the New England MP to declare he would retire, as the party prepares the difficult task of replacing the popular local member for a years-long battle to retain the seat from independent candidates. Former party leader Joyce said on the weekend that he would not contest the next federal election and implied he would separate himself from the Nationals party room in Canberra, citing a personality clash with the man who replaced him as party leader, David Littleproud. Member for New England Barnaby Joyce. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer Joyce has held New England since 2013, coming after independent Tony Windsors 13-year reign in the seat. Climate 200 said there was clearly an opening for a strong independent candidate in the seat after Joyces decision. However, Joyce insisted he would keep his future options open, despite reports that he would join Pauline Hansons One Nation party, most likely as a NSW Senate candidate. Oh, dear. Despite all the careful toadying required to grease the wheels of a prime minister hoping for a successful sit-down at the White House, this one is destined to remembered less for Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses AUKUS and rare minerals triumphs than for the mortification of a former PM: Kevin Rudd. Its long been the way. When the forced-smile picture opportunities and the back-slapping and the declarations of undying loyalty between the US and Australia are all but forgotten, some exquisitely awkward moments have come to define such events for a string of prime ministers. Way back in 1969, in the midst of the spirit-sapping Vietnam War, prime minister John Gorton got carried away at an official White House dinner, gushing to president Richard Nixon that whenever there is a joint attempt not only to improve the material but the spiritual standards of life of the peoples of the world, then, sir, we will go Waltzing Matilda with you. Kieran Foran will begin his coaching career where his NRL playing days started, at the Manly Sea Eagles. Foran, who will hang up the boots after completing his commitments to the New Zealand Test side in the Pacific Championships, will be an assistant to Anthony Seibold for the next two years. The Gold Coast Titans had hoped the veteran playmaker would transition to the clubs brains trust, but he has instead opted to return to Sydney. The 35-year-old will bring with him all the experience he has garnered during a 318-game career that has spanned 17 seasons. Im stoked to be coming back to Manly, I really am, Foran said. Racing Victoria decided earlier this year not to send Forbes to Britain to run its testing regime for international horses planning to run in next months Melbourne Cup. That duty was assigned to UK-based vets David Sykes and Amanda Piggott, who had a history of engagement and communication with international stables. Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron Morrison. Credit: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos Morrison travelled to England before the Royal Ascot carnival in June to meet international trainers in the training centre of Newmarket to discuss Melbourne Cup protocols. A dozen international runners, from five different countries, will compete in Melbourne this spring. Forbes, who was left in charge of the safety protocols from Melbourne, took personal leave in June this year. She declined to comment when contacted by The Age. In an application lodged with the Fair Work Commission in August, Forbes alleged that she was called into a meeting with Morrison and head of integrity Jamie Stier in April and asked to be more flexible when inspecting horses. She accused them of wanting international horses trained by the likes of OBrien and Charlie Appleby to be passed to run in the Cup, regardless of whether they were fit to race. But Morrison said the suggestion that Racing Victoria was not prioritising the welfare of our horses is completely rejected. Our veterinary protocols set a global standard and will not be compromised, he said. You only need to take a look at events over recent days to know how serious we are on horse welfare. Our stewards made the decision to withdraw the favourite for the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup Sir Delius because of strong vets advice that hes at heightened risk of injury. Thats putting the welfare of the horse above all else. Sir Delius joined the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable last year and had won two group 1 races in Melbourne this spring before being stood down by Racing Victoria stewards last week. Loading He failed a CT scan and a follow-up PET scan new technology introduced by Racing Victoria this year. The five-year-old stallion was required to undergo the compulsory testing because he was entered in the Melbourne Cup. He would not have needed to be scanned if he was only running in the Cox Plate. Strict safety protocols were introduced by Forbes team for all Melbourne Cup runners in 2021 after seven horses died across seven years, placing the future of the race under government pressure. The new testing system introduced CT scans of horses legs, which were then reviewed by an independent panel of three vets. The technology was used to identify injury risks such as weakness or small fissures in a horses bone structure. The OBrien-trained Anthony Van Dyck was the last horse to die during the Melbourne Cup after sustaining serious injuries about 600 metres from the finish line. It had finished second in the Caulfield Cup the start before. A subsequent stewards investigation into the fatality found that precautionary diagnostic imaging, such as an MRI or CT scan, may have identified the potential for a future serious racing injury. While OBrien dismissed suggestions Anthony Van Dyck had been unfit to race, the findings led to the introduction of the current safety protocols. OBrien doesnt have a runner entered for this years Melbourne Cup, but his son Joseph has two Australian-owned favourite Al Riffa and former hurdler Goodie Two Shoes, who both passed tests before entering into Australian quarantine. They will be scanned again at Werribee before being cleared to run in the Melbourne Cup. The worry facing Via Sistinas trainer in her back-to-back quest Cox Plate champion Via Sistina avoided the drama of this day 12 months ago, but trainer Chris Waller has another set of worries heading into this years race with the raging favourite. The reigning horse of the year has eight rivals on Saturday as she aims to emulate the last great mare of the Australian turf, Winx, by winning back-to-back runnings of the countrys championship race at Moonee Valley. The veteran mare will start an overwhelming favourite in the $6 million weight-for-age classic, her chances done no harm after the ideal draw of gate five at Tuesday mornings barrier draw. Via Sistina, pictured getting a wash at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning. Credit: Getty Images It was on this day last year when Via Sistinas position in the race was plunged into uncertainty after she sensationally dumped jockey James McDonald and took off, running four laps of the course. Waller cut a more relaxed figure at Moonee Valleys Breakfast with the Best after his mare emerged unscathed from her track gallop but there is one thing bugging him and jockey McDonald as they plot a path to victory. Via Sistina needs a truly run race to be at her absolute best. Unlike last year, there is no tearaway leader like Pride Of Jenni, who set the speed for Via Sistina to break the track record, and the likely pacesetter Globe is under an injury cloud. After winning first-up, Via Sistina has finished third in two slowly run lead-up races, unable to power over horses that settled closer to the pace. I am worried, Waller said on Tuesday morning before the barrier draw. But well ride our own race on Saturday. Shes at her grand final. She needs to make her own luck, make her own sectionals times. Its a Cox Plate, its a grand final. Its like getting sport that brings out good competition. Theres a three-year-old in the race, so theyve got a light weight, theres even some of the four-year-olds carrying less weight. Theyll all think they can win a Cox Plate. Theyll all get going early. Via wont miss the boat Saturday. Star jockey James McDonald aboard Via Sistina on Tuesday morning. Credit: Getty Images The Cox Plate barrier draw is conducted differently to other major races in that connections get to choose the gate once their horses name has been plucked out of the barrel. Troy Stephens, Yulongs racing manager, had the choice of all but barriers three and four, and chose five. Waller has pulled the Winx card with third favourite Aeliana, engaging the services of star hoop Hugh Bowman, who rode Winx in 31 of the champion mares 33 consecutive wins. Like Winx in her first Cox Plate win, Aeliana is also four. Shes a very similar horse to Winx in terms of where shes at when Winx had her first Cox Plate, Waller said. Shes no Winx, but shes not far off. Shes just got to have that continued improvement as she gets older. Second favourite Antino will jump from barrier six, while Treasurethe Moment has the inside gate of one the second-last stall available when her name was called. Trainer Mick Price could wait until as late as Saturday morning to make a call on Globe, a last-start winner of the Might And Power Stakes when only four horses ran. The horse does have an irritation in the off front fetlock. If that horse is not right, Im not happy with him, Im not going to run him. Price told racing.com. We X-rayed it. Its bone clean, but the joint capsule has an irritation where it attaches to the bone. Its more a soft tissue thing. Advertisement InspirationMexico Opinion In a magical town, a shaman used an egg to diagnose me. She was right Kerry van der Jagt Travel writer October 22, 2025 5:00am October 22, 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 8 View all comments The shaman steps forward, a basket of eggs, jars and feathers over one arm and a swatch of dried leaves under the other. Are those chicken bones on her head, I wonder, stealing a glance at the ghostly filaments gleaming amid her grey hair. Keeping my eyes lowered, the heat of the thatched room is making me dizzy, as my three-legged stool rocks in the dirt, its uneven legs threatening to buck me off. A procession on the streets of Oaxaca during Day of the Dead celebrations. Getty Images Drink, she gestures, handing me a jar of sugarcane rum, while indicating that I must spit it out over the leaves. In return, she takes a swig and hisses it on the back of my neck. I have no time to brace before she begins hitting me with the swatch like shes banishing El Diablo himself. Im in the Sierra Juarez mountains in the 1200-year-old Oaxacan town of Capulalpam de Mendez for a Limpia cleansing and a diagnosis by one of the local Curanderos, or female shamans. Advertisement A visit to Capulalpam, one of Mexicos designated Pueblos Magicos, or magical towns, is part of a Day of the Dead tour, a deep dive into cultural traditions with hands-on fun along the way. And its all fun, until she starts on me with the egg. Photo: Jamie Brown Holding my wrist she rubs the egg around my elbow, up my neck and into my ear, giving it a few good cotton-bud twists before moving onto the other ear and down the opposite side. Without warning, she cracks the egg against my skull and tips it into a glass of water. I know I am in trouble when she calls for a second, and third opinion, the sunken yolk triggering a volley of tut-tuts and scowls. Through a series of charades theres little English spoken and my Spanish is rudimentary at best a conclusion is finally reached. Advertisement Sorry senora, you have serious problems with your eyes. So much so, that an older shaman grabs the offending yolk, with its pimple-like growth, and scarpers away to bury it. I leave feeling a little uneasy. Both my mother and grandmother had battled glaucoma. But Ive been seeing an ophthalmologist regularly for years and have been reassured that my vision is fine. What can these healers see or sense that my specialist cant? Turns out quite a lot. Less than 12 months later, during a trip through Vietnam, Im hit by a rare, acute-angle-closure event, where my interocular pressure rises quickly, damaging the optic nerve and leaving me with significant (and permanent) vision loss in one eye. Seven years and four eye operations later, I often wonder if things would be different if Id heeded the warning. Perhaps I could have researched more about the condition, sought a second opinion or started preventative treatments. Advertisement Related Article Opinion Mexico The UNESCO-listed small city voted the best in the world Lee Tulloch Travel columnist Ill never know. What I do know is that when we are far from home, subliminal messages often pop up along the way. Who hasnt felt that tingle when things dont seem right, or has made last-minute changes based on instinct alone? In Indigenous cultures, with their extraordinary knowledge systems and holistic perspectives, intuition is a central part of life. Id travelled to Capulalpam de Mendez in search of magic, but somehow Id missed what this trip was really about. The writer travelled at her own expense. See gadventures.com Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now. Traveller Guides London: European leaders are moving to intensify economic and military pressure on Russia to force it to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine, amid a collapse in the latest effort to set up a summit to broker a ceasefire. The move confirms the financial and military support for Ukraine after the halt to a potential summit announced last Thursday in a bid by US President Donald Trump to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war. US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. Credit: AP We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, said leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, the European Union and five other nations. We are developing measures to use the full value of Russias immobilised sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs. SAO PAULO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from methanol-tainted distilled beverages in Brazil has risen to nine, with another seven deaths still under investigation, the Health Ministry said Monday. The adulteration of distilled drinks such as gin, vodka and whiskey with methanol, an alcohol unfit for human consumption, occurred in September at bars and distributors across several regions, mainly in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo. Police have since launched operations to seize bottles and labels from illicit warehouses. Two more deaths were confirmed compared with last week. According to the ministry, six victims died in Sao Paulo, two in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, and one in Parana in the south. Sao Paulo continues to report the highest number of cases, with 38 confirmed and 19 under investigation. But the short-lived, if intense, Israeli military response, and the walk-back of the threat to shut off the flow of aid into Gaza, suggested the restraining influence of US officials, analysts said. After all, both Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, one of President Donald Trumps top envoys to the Middle East, arrived in Israel on Monday to try to push ahead with the peace plan, a US Embassy spokesperson said. And Netanyahu said Vice President JD Vance will arrive in Israel on Tuesday for a visit on Trumps behalf. We will discuss primarily two matters, Netanyahu said during an address at the Israeli parliament on Monday, the security challenges before us, and the diplomatic opportunities before us. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets US President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv last week. Credit: Getty Images Hes not coming to jointly command Israeli strikes on Hamas, Shira Efron, an Israeli analyst at RAND, said of the vice president. Even Netanyahus right-wing allies accused him of wilting under pressure from the Trump administration, and not for the first time. Enough with the folding, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right minister, wrote on X. Loading Sundays violence was the heaviest wave of Israeli attacks on Gaza since the fragile ceasefire took hold. Other attacks have also punctured the calm. The Israeli military said last week that it had fired on a vehicle in northern Gaza, saying the car had crossed a demarcation line where Israels forces have withdrawn to since the ceasefire the so-called yellow line. Nine people, including children, were killed, according to Gaza officials. Israelis are really outraged about the killing of two soldiers, but its not like there havent been deaths of civilians in Gaza in the past week, Efron said. Both sides have pretexts to argue that the ceasefire has been violated. What keeps the negotiation going is the power that is brought by Trump and the mediators. Pressure is not only being applied on the Israeli government. After Hamas turned over the bodies of just four hostages last Monday out of 28 believed to still be in Gaza mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey passed along Israeli intelligence about the whereabouts of some of the others, prodding the militant group to recover more, according to US officials. As of Sunday, Hamas had turned over the remains of 12 captives. As Hamas distanced itself from the Rafah attack, the groups military wing reaffirmed its full commitment to putting the ceasefire into effect, even divulging that it had lost contact with its fighters in Rafah in March and did not know whether any of them were still alive. An ongoing challenge Though the violence Sunday appeared to amount to a single, contained round, several analysts said they expected more such rounds to follow. Michael Milshtein, an analyst at the Moshe Dayan Centre at Tel Aviv University and a former expert on Palestinian affairs for the Israeli military, said Hamas could be expected to continue to test Israel and see how it responds. And he said the yellow line between Israel- and Hamas-held territory was unmarked and difficult for Gaza residents to heed. Things are very unclear, very fragile and sensitive, Milshtein said. Im afraid that it will lead us during the coming weeks to a kind of attrition almost everyday violations, clashes and crises, big or more limited. And it will be an ongoing challenge. Still, Israeli analysts said the challenge of sustaining the ceasefire paled next to the challenge of advancing the Trump peace plan, particularly given that its call for Hamas to disarm effectively would require the group to renounce its entire ideology of armed resistance. Milshtein said the past week had also taught Israelis an unwelcome lesson about Hamas. Its very hard for many Israelis to admit, but they werent defeated, he said. They still exist, and theyre the dominant player in Gaza. Still, some Palestinian analysts said Hamas appeared eager to preserve the ceasefire agreement and might even be willing to offer more concessions to ensure the end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has shied away from earlier calls for Kevin Rudd to be sacked from his post as Australias ambassador to the United States as disunity broke out within Liberal ranks about the former prime ministers future. Former Coalition frontbencher Jane Hume disparaged her leaders calls for Rudd to be sent home as churlish as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed him following US President Donald Trumps declaration at the White House on Tuesday that he would never like Rudd. Humes decision on Wednesday to defend Rudd, who quickly made up with Trump, directly undercut Leys claim from a day earlier that Rudds position was untenable and opposition trade spokesman Kevin Hogans demand for Rudds posting to be terminated. Hume, who was removed from the frontbench by Ley following the Coalitions disastrous election defeat, told Sky that Rudd should be acknowledged for his good work as ambassador and branded the calls for his removal a little bit churlish. It is now clear that, regardless of his proudly left-wing origins, Albanese has no intention of jeopardising the alliance he recognises as integral to Australias security merely to burnish his status as a hero to his political constituency. Loading That hardly means that his delegation entered Trumps White House oblivious to the confronting character of their ally and its assault on the progressive and liberal democratic version of America that many Australians thought they knew. Instead, the four questions that informed Australian policy when they walked in to face the glare of gilt and cameras would have remained just as much on their minds when they emerged, however relieved, to the light of day. How large and irreversible is the damage this administration is inflicting on the interests of the United States and other democracies? How profoundly and permanently does Australia need the security partnership of even a self-weakened United States? Can this administration muster enough strength and leadership to constrain Chinas bid for regional and global dominance? And notwithstanding Trumps confidence that he has Xi Jinpings measure what exactly is this administrations China policy, which will inform its wider Indo-Pacific strategy and security expectations of Australia? So our delegates in Washington were right to be relieved but would be wrong to be relaxed. Their success was not out of the blue, and the hardest work lies ahead. Trump himself acknowledged the months of effort behind the strategic minerals deal (including presumably the energies of Rudd as well as the patience and professionalism of Australian officials). And while US statecraft in our region has suffered from off-putting rhetoric, aid cuts and unfilled senior appointments, alliance activity has not just continued but intensified, especially in military exercises. SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- No casualties were reported Tuesday in a high-rise building fire in South Korea's capital Seoul, which led to the evacuation of more than 100 people, according to Yonhap news agency. The fire broke out at the 16-storey building near Seoul Plaza in front of the Seoul City Hall at around 9:46 a.m. local time (0046 GMT). The blaze was contained about 44 minutes later, with no casualties found from the building, which had been under renovation. A total of 104 workers who were remodeling fled the building, while three received emergency care. Some 10 construction workers, who failed to evacuate due to heavy fumes, were waiting for rescue at the rooftop. Fire authorities estimated that the fire started from the third floor of the building, planning to investigate the exact cause of the accident. Press Release from Business Wire: NIPPON KINZOKU CO., LTD. (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 TOKYO, Oct 21, 2025 (BSW) - NIPPON KINZOKU CO., LTD. (TOKYO: 5491) (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) is now strengthening sales of its stainless steel "NK-305 Series", which achieves both low permeability (non-magnetic) and high deep-drawing formability, as the sixth installment in its environmentally conscious "Eco-Product" lineup.This product addresses market needs such as improving the reliability of electronic components and supporting the increasing complexity of automotive parts. It contributes to enhancing performance and improving the productivity of our customers' products. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020824470/en/ Our proprietary equipment, designed with accumulated cold rolling expertise, and the industry-leading proprietary technologies developed by it, meet all your needs. Development BackgroundIn recent years, with the miniaturization and higher density of electronic devices and the lightweighting of automobiles, the metal materials used are increasingly required to simultaneously achieve higher levels of both low permeability propertiesthat resist magnetization even after processing and deep drawability that enables the formation of complex shapes. However, achieving both of these properties simultaneously has been a difficult challenge with conventional stainless steel.To meet these market needs, our company has developed the "NK-305 Series" using proprietary technology. We offer two steel grades that deliver optimal performance tailored to specific applications. Features and Benefits of the NK-305 Series1. NK-305S: Extremely low permeability for enhanced reliability of electronic componentsIt significantly suppresses the generation of magnetism during heavy processing, achieving properties that surpass those of SUS316 - a common low-permeability stainless steel. This makes it ideal for camera modules and various sensor components where magnetic interference must be minimized, contributing to the prevention of product malfunctions. Furthermore, cost reduction is possible by replacing SUS316 with NK-305S.(Example applications: camera components, mobile device components, etc.)2. NK-305Y: Excellent deep drawing properties improve productivity for complex-shaped partsExceptionally soft with excellent elongation, it handles demanding deep drawing processes. It facilitates forming complex automotive parts and other shapes that were previously difficult to manufacture, significantly contributing to improved processing efficiency and yieldin customer production.(Examples of applications: automotive parts, electronic component enclosures, etc.) Click here for more details.https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/assets/images/2025/10/Newly-Expanding-Sales-of-the-NK-305-Series.pdf Steel Strip Products Overviewhttps://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/en/corporate-profile/business/cold-rolled-stainless-steel-strip About NIPPON KINZOKU GroupOur products have been used in a range of areas from the precision field to the construction industry. https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/en/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020824470/en/ Contact NIPPON KINZOKU CO., LTD. Production Process & Support DepartmentTEL: +81-3-5765-8113https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/en/inquiry 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Press Release from Business Wire: NTT DATA (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 LONDON, Oct 21, 2025 (BSW) - NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, today announced the acquisition of Alchemy Technology Services, a specialist insurance technology consultancy. The move reinforces NTT DATA's commitment to transforming the global insurance ecosystem, addressing current and emerging challenges around agility, modernization and scalability. In addition to its strong consultancy and Guidewire credentials, Alchemy brings deep expertise in the specialty insurance market, particularly in supporting complex and regulated environments, such as the London Market, the largest (re)insurance subscription market globally. This will further strengthen NTT DATA's ability to serve niche and high-value segments across the global insurance landscape. A shared vision for insurance innovation This acquisition marks a significant milestone in NTT DATA's strategy to lead the digital reinvention of the insurance sector - a market set to reach $230.7 billion in IT spend this year. Building on its strong foundation in the industry, NTT DATA's insurance capabilities are driven by a network of more than 15,000 specialists operating in 26 countries worldwide. With over 300 clients worldwide, the company serves 6 of top 10 insurers by revenues. By combining its global scale and expertise with Alchemy's strong foundation and local roots, NTT DATA is uniquely positioned to address the evolving needs of insurers worldwide. The integration will accelerate core modernization efforts with agility and scalability, support the digital transformation of key markets and foster a smarter, more connected and data-driven approach to insurance. Together, the companies will co-innovate around emerging technologies including AI, automation, sustainability and next-generation insurance products. Enhanced value and empowered talent The acquisition delivers enhanced value to insurance clients through expanded capabilities in core system implementation, digital transformation, testing and application management. It also strengthens NTT DATA's regional presence in the UK and Ireland, offering dedicated expertise across the full insurance lifecycle. The Alchemy team will serve as a Global Centre of Excellence, helping shape and deliver complex transformation programs for insurers worldwide. Alchemy's unique delivery model will be adopted internationally, with its academy training approach extended to support teams in other global locations. Alchemy's pioneering training model, which has developed over 200 professionals since 2018, will be further empowered under NTT DATA's leadership. A unified future NTT DATA and Alchemy are committed to a collaborative, transparent and authentic integration process. The partnership is built on shared values of teamwork, development and innovation, with a focus on delivering positive change for clients, employees and the broader insurance community. Bruno Abril, Global Lead, Insurance Industry, NTT DATA, Inc. said:"Joining forces with Alchemy enhances our ability to accelerate digital transformation in the insurance industry, reinforcing our strategic growth ambitions and the vast opportunities we see ahead. IT modernization in P&C insurance is not a fleeting trend - it's a core market priority attracting sustained investment. Together, we are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. This acquisition is a natural evolution of our shared vision, complementary capabilities and aligned values, empowering us to deliver smarter, scalable solutions that meet the evolving needs of insurers worldwide." John Harkin, Founder and CEO of Alchemy, said:"This is a proud and exciting moment for our team, our clients, and the wider region. Becoming part of NTT DATA unlocks extraordinary opportunities, not just for international growth, but for expanding the reach and impact of the work we do. As someone deeply committed to the north-west of Ireland, I'm especially proud that this move allows us to reaffirm and strengthen our long-term commitment to the area." Will McAllister, Senior Vice President, Managing Director, EMEA at Guidewire Software, welcomed the announcement:"We are delighted to hear the news of Alchemy's acquisition by NTT DATA. This marks an exciting milestone, which we believe will open even greater opportunities to transform the global insurance industry. As a longstanding partner, we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver innovative solutions and even greater value for clients." About NTT DATA NTT DATA is a $30+ billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We are committed to accelerating client success and positively impacting society through responsible innovation. We are one of the world's leading AI and digital infrastructure providers, with unmatched capabilities in enterprise-scale AI, cloud, security, connectivity, data centers and application services. Our consulting and industry solutions help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 50 countries. We also offer clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centers as well as established and start-up partners. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in R&D. Visit us at nttdata.com About Alchemy Technology Services Founded in 2018, Alchemy Technology Services is a specialist in digital transformation and consultancy services for the global insurance industry. The company is a Guidewire Advantage Partner, delivering solutions across core platform implementations, upgrades, testing, and cloud adoption. Headquartered in Northern Ireland, Alchemy also has a presence in London following its acquisition of a UK-based insurance technology firm in 2023. The company is known for its agile approach, client-first ethos and investment in talent development through its bespoke academy model. Alchemy plays a key role in the commercial and London Market, offering strategic consultancy and implementation support for insurers operating in complex, regulated environments. This focus aligns closely with NTT DATA's investment in London and its ambition to scale within global insurance hubs. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021527943/en/ Contact Media contact: Marian Scala: [email protected] Ed Jones-Davies: [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Press Release from Business Wire: Curewell Capital (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 NEWARK, Oct 21, 2025 (BSW) - Wilmington PharmaTech ("WPT"), a U.S.-based specialty contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) focused on custom small molecule API development and manufacturing, today announced a majority investment by Curewell Capital ("Curewell"), a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on building industry-leading healthcare companies. Hui-Yin "Harry" Li, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of WPT, will retain a significant ownership stake and will continue to lead the business alongside the management team. The partnership with Curewell will provide significant growth capital to expand WPT's manufacturing capacity and further scale its end-to-end capabilities in producing a full range of small molecule API in the U.S. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021135557/en/ Founded in 2003, WPT has built extensive expertise across hundreds of novel drug substance programs, spanning complex synthesis, medicinal chemistry, scale-up, and GMP supply. The company offers comprehensive API development, analytical, and manufacturing solutions that seamlessly bridge from early discovery and clinical development through scale up and commercial supply. Headquartered at its 54-acre campus in Delaware, WPT operates two adjacent state-of-the-art facilities with extensive cGMP manufacturing capabilities, including dedicated high potency API (HPAPI) suites, as well as registered starting material (RSM) support and R&D facility in Suzhou, China. The Delaware campus also includes substantial permitted greenfield space for future complex biopharmaceutical manufacturing expansion, positioning WPT as a strategic partner for biopharmaceutical innovators seeking dedicated U.S.-based capacity. "Together with Curewell Capital, we look forward to accelerating our growth strategy by leveraging our core competencies, and we are committed to further expanding our capabilities and capacity to better serve our global biopharmaceutical partners," said Dr. Li. "Wilmington PharmaTech is the ideal partner for innovators seeking to solve complex challenges in process R&D and manufacturing, enhance cost-efficiency, and accelerate the speed of the production process to bring new therapies to patients faster." "We are thrilled to partner with Dr. Li and his outstanding team, who have built an exceptional organization with deep scientific expertise and a strong reputation for excellence within the pharma science community," added Michael Dal Bello, Partner at Curewell Capital. "Our investment will help WPT accelerate its next phase of growth amid strong market demand for specialized development capabilities and dependable, high-quality manufacturing capacity in the U.S." Potter Anderson served as legal advisor to Wilmington PharmaTech. Kirkland & Ellis served as legal advisor to Curewell Capital. About Wilmington PharmaTech With deep scientific experience developed across hundreds of drug substance programs and over 180 IND submissions, Wilmington PharmaTech provides complete small molecule API development and manufacturing solutions for complex and accelerated discovery, clinical, and commercial needs. WPT provides end-to-end support across the entire drug development lifecycle for small molecule API, combining the deep science of a contract research organization with the fast efficiency of a contract development and manufacturing organization including custom synthesis and seamless support from medicinal chemistry to methods and process development, integrated and stand-alone analytical services, starting materials supply and scaled U.S.-based cGMP API manufacturing. Wilmington PharmaTech is headquartered in Newark, Delaware, where it has dedicated clinical and commercial factories at its 54-acre campus, as well as an accelerated development and analytical support facility in Suzhou, China. For additional information, please visit www.wilmingtonpharmatech.com. About Curewell Capital Curewell is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on building industry-leading middle-market healthcare companies headquartered in North America. Drawing upon decades of investment and operating experience across healthcare services, pharmaceutical services, medical devices, and healthcare technology, Curewell seeks to partner with founders and management teams leading premier companies that improve patient outcomes, create efficiencies, and foster innovation. Curewell's proprietary GRO? framework is tailored to each company to drive long-term value through growth and operational excellence. For additional information, please visit www.curewellcapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251021135557/en/ Contact Curewell [email protected] (310) 361-1510 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. OpenAI unveils search browser in challenge to Google San Francisco, United States, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Tuesday announced an "Atlas" search browser, leveraging its artificial intelligence prowess in a direct challenge to Google Chrome. "This is an AI-powered web browser built around ChatGPT," OpenAI chief Sam Altman said in a streamed presentation. OpenAI has ramped up its challenge to Google, which has responded by rapidly building more AI capabilities into search and across its platform. Altman and a team of executives demonstrated an "agent" mode that has a chatbot conduct searches on a user's behalf. Altman said that in agent mode, ChatGPT uses the web browser independently, returning with what it finds. "It's got all your stuff and is clicking around," Altman said. "You can watch it or not, you don't have to, but it's using the internet for you." Atlas will go live Tuesday on computers powered by Apple's operating system free of charge, but agent mode will only be available to users of paid Plus or Pro versions of ChatGPT, according to Altman. "We want to bring this to Windows and to mobile devices as quickly as we can," Altman said, without providing a timeline. "This is still early days for this project." Some Atlas offerings demonstrated in the stream seemed similar to features already incorporated into Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge internet search browsers. - Pressure on Google - Tech industry rivals Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Elon Musk's xAI have been pouring billions of dollars into artificial intelligence since the blockbuster launch of the first version of ChatGPT in late 2022. "OpenAI's browser puts pressure on Google," Emarketer technology analyst Jacob Bourne told AFP. "This is another step in the AI race as tech companies try to make their AI interfaces the first point of contact for internet users." OpenAI has an opportunity to ride the popularity of ChatGPT to win people over to its browser, according to the analyst. However, Bourne noted that Google has a significant infrastructure advantage in terms of providing browser capabilities to billions of users. A big question is how well Atlas will perform when under pressure from the kinds of user volume handled by Google, he added. The debut of Atlas comes on the heels of Google escaping a breakup of its Chrome browser in a major US competition case, but with the judge imposing remedies whose impact remains uncertain just as AI starts to compete with search engines. Judge Amit Mehta, who found a year ago that Google illegally maintained monopolies in online search, did not order the company to sell off its widely-used Chrome browser. Instead, he ordered remedies including requirements to share data with other firms so they could develop their own search products, and barring exclusive deals to make Google the only search engine on a device or service. Mehta himself noted that the landscape has changed since the US Justice Department and 11 states launched their antitrust case against Google in 2020. - Challenges - OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft have been ramping up challenges to Google, which dominates the online search market where it earns most of its revenue through targeted advertising. OpenAI recently unveiled a new feature for ChatGPT, the leading generative AI model with 800 million weekly users, enabling it to interact with everyday apps like Spotify and Booking.com. The new functionality enables ChatGPT to interact with various apps to select music, search for real estate or explore hotel and flight booking sites. Meanwhile, Perplexity AI in August announced a new model for sharing search revenue with publishers. The company's media partners will get paid when their work is used by Perplexity's Comet browser or AI assistant to satisfy queries or requests, according to the San Francisco-based startup. Perplexity is one of Silicon Valley's hottest startups, whose AI-powered search engine is often mentioned as a potential disruptor to Google. Google shares were down slightly more than one percent in trading that followed OpenAI announcing Atlas. Press Release from Business Wire: Yield Engineering Systems (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 FREMONT, Oct 21, 2025 (BSW) - Yield Engineering Systems (YES), a leading provider of advanced process equipment for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) semiconductor applications, today announced that it has received multiple tool orders from a global leader in AI infrastructure solutions. The orders span YES's portfolio of Dry and Wet process systems and will support panel-level manufacturing on glass substrates for next-generation data center and HPC packaging. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020459437/en/ YES VertaCure, VertaPrime, VeroFlex, TersOra, and SURE systems. The systems will be deployed in advanced packaging lines dedicated to hyperscale AI workloads, including training, inference, networking, and co-packaged optics. This award marks a significant milestone in the industry's shift toward glass-based 2.5D and 3D packaging as system performance, density, and thermal requirements escalate. YES will supply a full suite of solutions for the customer's panel-level process flow, including: -- VertaCure?: Fully automated vacuum curing systems providing complete solvent removal, uniform heating, and superior particle performance. -- VertaPrime?: Low-vacuum vapor deposition systems for optimized adhesion and process readiness. -- VeroFlex?FAR: Precision panel-level reflow systems enabling uniform temperature ramping for interconnect formation. -- TersOra?: Advanced edge-zone removal platforms for precise and clean edge definition. -- SURE? Wet Process Platform: High-performance wet etch and clean systems tailored for large-panel applications. "We're excited to deliver a comprehensive suite of glass-panel tools that support the transition to high-throughput, panel-level packaging for AI and HPC," said Rezwan Lateef, President of YES. "Our equipment has already been proven in high-volume manufacturing lines at tier-one IDMs and foundries. With the industry's shift toward larger substrates and co-packaged optics solutions, YES is uniquely positioned as a trusted partner across both wafer and panel-based ecosystems." YC Wong, VP of Sales and Business Development at YES Singapore, added, "Glass is becoming the substrate of choice for next-gen 2.5D and 3D packages due to its dimensional stability and electrical performance. Our presence in Singapore and deep experience in volume manufacturing allows us to closely support our customers as they transition from wafer to panel formats." This order reinforces YES's leadership in panel-level packaging technologies, addressing critical challenges in curing, cleaning, reflow, and deposition for glass-based substrates. As demand for AI infrastructure accelerates, YES remains at the forefront of enabling the industry's next wave of advanced packaging innovation. About YES YES is a leading provider of differentiated technologies for materials and interface engineering needed for a wide range of applications and markets. YES customers are market leaders, creating next generation solutions for a variety of markets including Advanced Packaging for AI and HPC, Memory Systems, and Life Sciences. YES is a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art cost-effective high volume production equipment for semiconductor Advanced Packaging solutions for wafers and glass panels. The company's products include Vacuum Cure, Coat & Anneal Tools, Fluxless Reflow tools, Thru Glass Via and Cavity Etch, and Electroless Deposition tools for the semiconductor industry. YES is headquartered in Fremont, California, with a growing global presence. For more information, please visit YES.tech. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251020459437/en/ Contact Media contact:Alex [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. People visit a global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Oct. 20, 2025. A global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" was launched Monday at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York to mark the United Nations' 80th anniversary. The exhibition features more than 200 stories from 193 countries, highlighting how the world's most crucial international organization impacts people's lives often in "invisible" ways. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo) UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" was launched Monday at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York to mark the United Nations' 80th anniversary. The exhibition features more than 200 stories from 193 countries, highlighting how the world's most crucial international organization impacts people's lives often in "invisible" ways -- supporting peace and security, overseeing regulatory frameworks, providing humanitarian assistance and fostering development, facilitating international conventions on trade, and advancing human rights. The exhibition "tells a remarkable story," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the opening ceremony. "A story that began 80 years ago, when the sun rose on a world scarred by war and the United Nations was born. A story of ambition and resolve, of cooperation and results. A story the women and men of the United Nations are still writing today, in communities across the world, supporting development, humanitarian assistance, peace and security, and human rights." Guterres urged the international community to reflect on three truths: the United Nations is deeply committed to supporting the most vulnerable amid conflict and disaster through sustainable development; international norms and standards, often taken for granted, affect people's lives every day; and multilateralism makes our world a better place. "From peace to humanitarian action to development -- none of the outcomes illustrated here would have come to pass without dialogue and cooperation among States," said the UN chief. He stressed that raging conflicts, deepening inequality, runaway technologies, and a burning planet will not resolve themselves, and no single nation can address them alone. "We must work together -- recognizing our shared humanity, and building our shared future," Guterres added. At the UN headquarters in New York, the exhibition highlights 24 stories. Selections of stories are also being exhibited in other venues worldwide -- 10 confirmed and another 20 tentatively planned in the coming months. An online version featuring all stories is being gradually uploaded until mid-December. The exhibition is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, supported by its 59 information centers, together with the Permanent Missions of Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland to the United Nations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (front) visits a global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Oct. 20, 2025. A global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" was launched Monday at the UN headquarters in New York to mark the United Nations' 80th anniversary. The exhibition features more than 200 stories from 193 countries, highlighting how the world's most crucial international organization impacts people's lives often in "invisible" ways. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the opening ceremony of a global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Oct. 20, 2025. A global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" was launched Monday at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York to mark the United Nations' 80th anniversary. The exhibition features more than 200 stories from 193 countries, highlighting how the world's most crucial international organization impacts people's lives often in "invisible" ways. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo) People visit a global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Oct. 20, 2025. A global exhibition titled "Shared Lives, Shared Future" was launched Monday at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York to mark the United Nations' 80th anniversary. The exhibition features more than 200 stories from 193 countries, highlighting how the world's most crucial international organization impacts people's lives often in "invisible" ways. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo) US appeals court says Trump can deploy soldiers in Portland Los Angeles, United States, Oct 20 (AFP) Oct 20, 2025 A US appeals court said Monday that President Donald Trump can send National Guard troops to Portland, despite objections from Oregon's governor. The ruling is the latest step in a battle pitting the White House against liberal states who have pushed back against what they characterize as Trump's authoritarian over-reach and a creeping militarization of US society. "After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority" when he federalized the state's National Guard, the Ninth Circuit of the US Court of Appeals said. The ruling clears the way for 200 National Guard personnel to be deployed to protect federal buildings, where authorities say protestors -- many dressed in animal costumes -- are impeding immigration enforcement. Portland, along with Chicago, became the latest flashpoints in the Trump administration's rollout of raids, following the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, Washington and Memphis. In such raids, groups of masked, armed men in unmarked cars or armored vehicles target residential neighborhoods and businesses. The state of Oregon took the administration to court to try to prevent its forces being used, obtaining a stay from a lower court that prevented any boots on the ground while the matter was decided. Monday's decision -- by two out of the three justices on the appeals panel -- overturns the stay. Trump has repeatedly called Portland "war-ravaged" and riddled with violent crime. But in her original ruling granting the stay, US District Judge Karin Immergut dismissed his comments as "simply untethered to the facts." Although the city has seen scattered attacks on federal officers and property, the Trump administration failed to demonstrate "that those episodes of violence were part of an organized attempt to overthrow the government as a whole," Immergut wrote. Protests in Portland did not pose a "danger of rebellion" and "regular law enforcement forces" could handle such incidents, Immergut said. Circuit Judge Susan Graber, dissenting from the ruling released Monday, said the administration's seizing of Oregon's National Guard -- a force usually under the control of the state's governor -- was a dangerous erosion of constitutional rights. "Given Portland protesters' well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits, inflatable frog costumes, or nothing at all when expressing their disagreement with the methods employed by ICE, observers may be tempted to view the majority's ruling, which accepts the government's characterization of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," she wrote. "But today's decision is not merely absurd. It erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States' control over their States' militias and the people's First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the government's policies and actions." Oregon's Attorney General Dan Rayfield called for an immediate "en banc" hearing -- a gathering of the most senior judge on the circuit and 10 other justices, who could override Monday's judgment. "Today's ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification. We are on a dangerous path in America," he said. Governor Tina Kotek said she wanted to hear from Trump exactly what he expected National Guard troops to do in a city where people protest peacefully. "The Trump Administration is being dishonest, and these actions to deploy troops are a gross, un-American abuse of power," she said. US, Australia sign rare earths deal as Trump promises submarines Washington, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 US President Donald Trump signed a deal on rare earth minerals Monday with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and said Washington's key ally would get its coveted nuclear-powered attack submarines. The two leaders met at the White House to concentrate on a pair of areas -- defense and critical minerals -- in which Washington and Canberra are cooperating against what they view as an increasingly assertive China. Albanese said the rare earths deal would lead to $8.5 billion in critical minerals projects in Australia and take relations to the "next level." The Australian premier has touted his country's abundant critical minerals as a way to loosen China's grip over global supplies of rare earths, which are vital for tech products. Government figures show Australia is among the world's top five producers of lithium, cobalt and manganese -- used in everything from semiconductors to defense hardware, electric cars and wind turbines. China is easily the world's largest refiner of lithium and nickel, and has a near monopoly on the processing of other rare earth elements. Analysts have said Australia is unlikely to challenge this dominance -- but does offer a reliable, albeit smaller pipeline that lessens the risk of relying on China. The Australian government said it and the US government would each invest more than $1 billion over the next six months, while the White House put the figure at $3 billion between the two countries. Albanese had also been pushing for progress on the stalled 2021 AUKUS submarine deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Washington said earlier this year it was reviewing the deal for at least three Virginia-class nuclear attack subs signed under previous president Joe Biden, but Trump promised Australia would get them. "The submarines that we're starting to build for Australia are really moving along," Trump told reporters as he sat alongside Albanese in the cabinet room of the White House. "We've worked on this long and hard, and we're starting that process right now. And it's really moving along very rapidly, very well." - 'I don't like you either' - The AUKUS deal could cost Canberra up to US$235 billion over the next 30 years. It also includes the technology to build its own vessels in the future. Australia also had a major bust-up with France after it canceled a multi-billion-dollar deal to buy a fleet of diesel-powered submarines from Paris and go with the AUKUS program instead. The nuclear-powered vessels lie at the heart of Australia's strategy of improving its long-range strike capabilities in the Pacific, particularly against China. But the Trump administration said in June it had put AUKUS under review to ensure it aligned with his "America First agenda," saying it needed to ensure the United States had enough of the subs. Albanese meanwhile managed to ride out an awkward confrontation between Trump and Australia's ambassador to Washington -- former prime minister Kevin Rudd. Rudd deleted a series of critical social media posts about Trump following the Republican's election victory last year. "I don't like you either. I don't. And I probably never will," Trump said to Rudd when a reporter pointed out that the ex-premier was in the room and asked the US president whether he minded the comments. Australians have a mostly unfavorable view of the Trump administration, polling shows, though the country relies on the United States to balance China's expanding military clout in the Pacific region. China loomed large over both of the key issues in the talks. Australia has touted itself as a key US ally against China's territorial assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, from Taiwan to the South China Sea. On China, Australia announced plans for a strategic reserve of critical minerals to provide to "key partners" such as Washington to help relax Beijing's chokehold. Trump this month accused China of pressuring trade partners with new rare export curbs and threatened 100-percent tariffs in response. Drone attack hits Khartoum airport area ahead of reopening: eyewitnesses Khartoum, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 A drone attack struck the vicinity of Khartoum International Airport early Tuesday, one day before Sudanese authorities were due to reopen the facility for domestic flights for the first time in over two years. Eyewitnesses told AFP that they heard the sounds of drones over central and southern Khartoum and multiple explosions in the airport area between 4:00 and 6:00 am (0200-0400 GMT). The airport has been shut since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving vital infrastructure across the capital heavily damaged. On Monday, Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority had said the airport would reopen as planned on Wednesday, with domestic flights resuming gradually after technical and operational preparations were completed. While Khartoum has remained relatively calm since the army reclaimed control earlier this year, drone attacks have continued, with the RSF repeatedly accused of targeting military and civilian infrastructure from afar. One eyewitness also told AFP that drones hit northern Omdurman early Tuesday, an area known to host some of Sudan's largest military installations. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes and no information on casualties or damage was released. Tuesday's strike marks the third drone attack on the capital in a week. Last week, drones targeted two army bases in northwest Khartoum over two consecutive days, though a military official said most of the drones were intercepted. Following the army's counteroffensive and recapture of Khartoum, more than 800,000 people have returned to the capital. The army-aligned government has since launched a wide-ranging reconstruction campaign and is moving officials back from Port Sudan, where they had operated during the conflict. Large parts of Khartoum, however, remain in ruins, with millions still experiencing frequent blackouts linked to RSF drone activity. The most intense violence is now concentrated in the west, where RSF forces have surrounded El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under their control. The paramilitary has tried to seize the city for over 18 months, making it the most strategically critical front of the war. If captured, the RSF would control all of Darfur and much of Sudan's south, while the army maintains dominance over the centre, east and north. The wider war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 12 million and created the world's largest displacement and hunger crises. Drone attack hits Khartoum airport area ahead of reopening: witnesses Khartoum, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 A drone attack struck the vicinity of Khartoum International Airport early Tuesday, witnesses said, one day before the army-backed government was due to reopen the facility for domestic flights for the first time in over two years. The airport has been shut since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving vital infrastructure across the capital heavily damaged. Witnesses told AFP they heard the sounds of drones in central and southern Khartoum and sounds of explosions in the airport area from 4 am until 6 am local time (0200-0400 GMT). One eyewitness in the Al-Azhari neighbourhood in southern Khartoum said he "heard the sound of an explosion and then a drone passed overhead". A resident in central Khartoum said he was woken "at 4 am to the sound of drones in the sky. Shortly after, we heard loud explosions in the direction of the airport". On Monday, Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority had said the airport would reopen on Wednesday, with domestic flights resuming gradually after technical and operational preparations were completed. Khartoum has remained relatively calm since the army reclaimed control earlier this year but drone attacks have continued, with the RSF repeatedly accused of targeting military and civilian infrastructure. Another eyewitness also told AFP that "drones bombed northern Omdurman", part of greater Khartoum, early Tuesday, an area known to host some of Sudan's largest military installations. "I saw three drones heading north towards Wadi Sayedna (military) base and I heard the sound of explosions," they said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes and no information on casualties or damage was released. Tuesday's strike marks the third drone attack on the capital in a week. Last week, drones targeted Khartoum on two consecutive days, including strikes on two army bases in the city's northwest. A military official said most of the drones were intercepted. Following the army's counteroffensive and recapture of Khartoum, more than 800,000 people have returned to the capital. The army-aligned government has since launched a wide-ranging reconstruction campaign and is moving officials back from the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, where they had operated during the conflict. Large parts of Khartoum, however, remain in ruins, with millions still experiencing frequent blackouts linked to RSF drone activity. The most intense violence meanwhile is now concentrated in the west, where RSF forces have surrounded El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under their control. The paramilitary force has tried to seize the city for over 18 months, making it the most strategically critical front of the war. The UN warned on Monday of escalating violence in North and West Darfur, with drone strikes and ground clashes reported across both regions. The wider war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 12 million and created the world's largest displacement and hunger crises. Erdogan heads to Doha eyeing Qatari Eurofighter jets Istanbul, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due in Doha late Tuesday as Ankara sought to acquire some of Qatar's used Eurofighter Typhoon jets, a Turkish security source told AFP. Erdogan flew in from Kuwait and was expected to meet Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Wednesday, according to the Turkish leader's office. "Turkey has been trying to negotiate to acquire some of Qatar's used Eurofighters," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to journalists. "In exchange, Turkey has offered access to its new-generation fighter jet, the Kaan, as part of a potential technology transfer arrangement." So far "no concrete progress" had been made with the negotiations still ongoing, the source said. Turkey wants to modernise its air force and has in recent years sought to buy 40 new Eurofighter Typhoons built by a four-nation consortium of Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy. The move came after Washington booted Ankara out of its F-35 fighter programme in 2019 over Turkey's purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system. The purchase had raised fears it would give NATO's main adversary a window into Western jet operations. -'Strategic bluff'- Some defence observers see Turkey's push to acquire the Eurofighters as a strategic bluff aimed at putting pressure on Washington to readmit Ankara to its fighter jet programme. "For Turkey, the main priority remains the F-16 and F-35 programmes," the Turkish source said. In May, Erdogan expressed confidence that the sanctions would quickly be ended, and his meeting last month with US President Donald Trump further cemented those hopes. Washington's Turkey Ambassador Tom Barrack said in June that US sanctions were likely to be over by the year's end. But the Turkish source said it was likely to take a bit longer. "Due to the current political gridlock in the US Congress, progress on these deals is unlikely before the new year." In 2017, Qatar placed an order for 24 Eurofighter jets, and in December, Doha reportedly said it was looking to acquire another 12 more, according to several defence news outlets. Ankara's request might receive a lukewarm reception, according to the Turkish source, in light of Qatar's own defence requirements following Israeli strikes on Hamas figures in the emirate last month. As Russia looms, NATO showcases nuclear drill Volkel, Netherlands, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 A Dutch F-35 jet roared off the runway Tuesday at Volkel airbase in the Netherlands as part of NATO's annual nuclear exercise Steadfast Noon. The long-planned drill, which involves no live nuclear bombs, is routine practice for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to ensure it is ready to use its ultimate weapon if necessary. As tensions have risen with Russia over the war in Ukraine and repeated air incursions, it is now also an unmistakable message to Moscow of NATO's potential might. For the first time, NATO this year allowed a small group of journalists including AFP on site during the two-week exercise. Involving over 70 aircraft from 14 countries and some 2,000 personnel, the 2025 iteration of the drill is focused on the North Sea region. The press invitation was part of the Western political and military alliance's shift away from a deep culture of military secrecy -- up until four years ago it didn't even divulge the name of the nuclear exercise. "We've long not talked about this, but it's certainly time that we talked to our publics about it," said US Air Force Colonel Daniel Bunch, chief of NATO Nuclear Operations. "This is not sabre-rattling. This is about consistently performing our mission and going out and demonstrating the full range of capabilities that the alliance has." NATO's increased openness about its nuclear activities comes as Moscow has adjusted its own nuclear rhetoric in line with the ebbs and flows of the war in Ukraine. Jim Stokes, NATO's Director of Nuclear Policy, insisted that the alliance's increased messaging wasn't "necessarily directed at Russia". "It's about communicating to our domestic audiences," Stoke said. "We want to make sure that folks understand that we're a responsible nuclear alliance, what we're doing is transparent as we can be, we are not acting aggressively." - 'No doubt' - But in typical NATO fashion, the transparency only went so far, given that the operation is one of the alliance's most closely guarded secrets. Journalists watched a string of Dutch and German jets capable of carrying tactical nuclear payloads streak into the skies. But the media was not allowed to see the crews practising prepping the dummy bombs for loading. Such is the sensitivity around a nuclear exercise that none of the planes participating are actually carrying even the mock-up weapons. NATO's nuclear deterrence relies on US weaponry stationed in numerous bases in Europe. While doubts have been raised about Washington's reliability under President Donald Trump, commanders were adamant that nothing has changed. "I don't think anybody should question the American role," said US Colonel Bunch. Russia's recent air incursions in Poland and Estonia, and a string of unexplained drone flights, have rattled NATO. But Marcel van Egmond, head of the Netherlands air combat command, said that security at the bases involved in the exercise was as high as ever. "We haven't taken any specific measures," he said. "Our self-defence has been part of our mission, always." For those involved in the exercise, the weight of training to use such devastating weapons is heavy. "It's a strain. It's hard. It's obviously the biggest violence you can give to a pilot," said Dutch squadron commander Bram Versteeg. But he insisted that "deterrence is all about (how) you have to be capable, you have to be credible, and you have to communicate." "So no doubt in my mind that my people are up to the task," he said. Two Burkinabe press editors freed a week after abduction Abidjan, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 Senior Burkinabe journalists Lamine Traore and Abdou Zoure have been released a week after their abduction by intelligence agents, one of their outlets and an associate told AFP Tuesday. Burkina Faso's military government, which emerged from a September 2022 coup led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, has regularly been accused of repressing figures the junta considers hostile. Measures against them have included forced recruitment to fight on the front line against jihadists, who have been operating in the country for a decade. "The general management of Burkina Yawana informs the public that its editor, Lamine Traore, arrested (last) Tuesday, was released on Monday, October 20," the outlet wrote, having ceased publishing since the day of the abduction. In a statement, the management said it "welcomes the release of its editor and commends the courtesy, professionalism, and attentiveness demonstrated by investigators throughout the process". Additionally, the co-editor and director of Faso7, Abdou Zoure, "was also released yesterday (Monday). He has turned the page on this episode," a close associate told AFP. His outlet did not comment. Three other journalists similarly arrested were released last Wednesday. The junta has been notably unhappy about the leaking of coverage of an interview late last month critical of the military prior to its broadcast on national television on September 28. There has however been no official comment by the military government on the abductions. Four Burkinabe appeals court magistrates are meanwhile missing, assumed abducted, since the start of this month, according to judicial sources. BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Weaponizing visas will not scare off the sober-minded, nor will it hold back the flourishing ties between China and Central American countries, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday. Guo made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on U.S. announcement of visa restrictions on citizens of Central American nations as well as their immediate family members who engage in cooperation with the Communist Party of China and "undermine the rule of law in Central America." Noting China has lodged solemn representations to the United States over the visa restrictions, Guo said the United States, under the guise of "rule of law," is carrying out illegal actions by imposing unilateral sanctions to politically suppress and economically coerce regional countries and individuals. By placing domestic laws above international law and its obligations, the United States is undermining the legitimate rights and interests of other nations, seriously violating the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs, and severely disrupting the international order, Guo said. He said the U.S. inflammatory finger-pointing at Central American countries' exchanges and cooperation with China is entirely groundless and shows its complete lack of respect for Central American countries. This once again reflects how the U.S. is accustomed to bullying others and also reveals relevant politician's deep-seated arrogance and bias, Guo said. China will always be a good friend and partner to Central American countries, and will work with them to promote development and revitalization, and jointly build a China-Latin America community with a shared future, Guo added. The thoughts of Zhu Xi, a Confucian scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), remain relevant for inter-civilizational learning and addressing global governance challenges, as highlighted by sinologists at a conference in Fujian, China. #GLOBALink No stranger to the blow dry concept, father-and-son team Daniel and Luke Hersheson brought us the UKs very first blow dry bar way back in 2006. Situated on the lower ground floor of Topshops flagship Oxford Circus store (remember that Mecca?), you could walk in and pick one of seven styles that reflected current catwalk trends for as little as 19. It was important to be accessible to everyone, said Luke at the time. The basis of Topshop is you dont need to spend that much money to look good, and the same applies to hair. 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 I have all these patients who are blind, and when you see them, they want to know is there anything that can restore vision, he said. And the answer has always been no. After the operation the woman, known only as Patient A, even checked with her doctor to confirm if she had removed all of the implant, to which the doctor said yes. But several months later, the patient learned she would be coming back to the operating table so that surgeons could finish the job. It is our assessment that there is a realistic prospect of serious disorder if it was to go ahead in the proposed location. This is in addition to the disruption that two large protests taking place on a key arterial route through east London would cause. Members of the military take part in the tri-service Gurkha Doko race, carrying a Doko, a traditional Nepalese bamboo basket, weighing 15kg over five kilometres, at the Army Training Centre in Pirbright, Surrey. The Doko race was introduced in 1989 and is regarded as a rite of passage that all Gurkhas must go through to be selected for the British Armys Brigade of Gurkhas. Picture date: Tuesday October 21, 2025. PA Wire Talks are set to continue with countries in the region about potentially acting as third countries to process those who have not been granted asylum in the UK before they are deported, it is understood. He could say, as he has repeatedly, I still deny that I was involved. I still deny that I did anything wrong. However, I was in these houses and I was on that island and I was on the jet, and I saw things and I know how much these women have suffered and I would like to share what I saw. Sanae Takaichi (2nd R, front) attends the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, won the prime ministerial designation vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. While the House of Councillors will also hold a vote shortly afterward, the Japanese Constitution grants priority to the result of the lower house, meaning Takaichi is effectively confirmed as Japan's new prime minister. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) TOKYO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sanae Takaichi, president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, won the prime ministerial designation vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. While the House of Councillors will also hold a vote shortly afterward, the Japanese Constitution grants priority to the result of the lower house, meaning Takaichi is effectively confirmed as Japan's new prime minister. Kristian Frandsen of Denmark shoots an AR-15style rifle at The Range at Austin as he visits for Formula 1, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Visitors in town for Formula 1 try their hand at target practice at The Range at Austin, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Targets are seen hanging for practice shooting at The Range at Austin, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Katie Kim of San Francisco reacts to hearing an AR-15style rifle shot for the first time at The Range at Austin, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Kristian Frandsen of Denmark shoots a handgun during target practice at The Range at Austin as he visits for Formula 1, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Bullet casings are seen on the ground of the shooting range at The Range at Austin, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Kaj Frandsen smiles after shooting a handgun for the first time at The Range at Austin while visiting for Formula 1, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman A Danish family of four is gathered in a stark white room, their hands in their laps. Their faces reveal a quiet mix of excitement and apprehension. On a small table in front of them, a Glock 19 handgun and an AR-15-style rifle lay side by side. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Have you tried Texas barbecue yet? asks Jamey Raley, a firearm instructor at The Range at Austin. Hes making small talk as he sets up his training materials. Not yet, replies Kristian Frandsen, glancing at his younger brother with a grin. Raley smiles warmly. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Guns and barbecue thats what you come here for. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Employee Jamey Raley instructs a family from Denmark about gun safety rules before they shoot at The Range at Austin, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Its the Friday of Formula 1 weekend, and gun ranges across Austin are buzzing. Visitors from Europe, Canada and South America sign liability waivers, choose their weapons, receive basic safety lessons and step into the stalls to begin shooting an activity many describe as the ultimate American experience. Every time theres an F1 race, theres an increase in traffic, said Benjamin Mouser, who works at Shield Wall Range and Training Facility in Southwest Austin. There are a lot of tourists, and they want to try shooting for the first time. F1 weekend ritual For some international visitors, a trip to a Texas gun range has become a tradition. Advertisement Article continues below this ad When we come to the U.S. we always go to the gun range because we dont tend to have them back home, said Andrew Smith, who was visiting from London with three friends. The rules at home are a lot stricter. Smith and his group first came to The Range two years ago during the U.S. Grand Prix weekend. They returned this year to relive the thrill and to enjoy Austins food and nightlife scene. I think its probably one of the nicest cities weve been to in the states, Smith said. For others, the experience is something to check off the list. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Katie Kim and her boyfriend, Alejandro Romero, visited The Range from San Francisco. Romero had been to a gun range before, but it was Kims first time. Ive been wanting to come to a shooting range, Kim said, recording a video of the neatly displayed rifles in the retail section. It feels very Texas. Katie Kim of San Francisco takes a video as she visits a gun range for the first time at The Range at Austin while visiting Austin for Formula 1, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Chris Armstrong brought his wife and young son to the range so he could shoot a pistol for the first time. Armstrong lives in the Falkland Islands, off the coast of Argentina. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It was good fun, he said after his shooting session. Very professional, very well-organized and something Ive always wanted to do. Armstrong was surprised by the sheer variety of guns on display when you walk into the range. I wasnt expecting so much stock to be available, or so many historic weapons, he added, gesturing toward a section of specialized firearms for collectors. Across Texas, gun ranges have leaned into their appeal as tourist destinations, especially during major events like the U.S. Grand Prix. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Highway billboards advertise experiences to visitors and locals alike. Outside of Houston, one well-known sign reads simply: $40 Machine Gun Rentals. The Range at Austin markets itself with the slogan, Do the Texas Thing. The 52,000-square-foot facility has developed a reputation as a high-end shooting destination, offering concierge-style instruction and firearm rentals. International visitors need only a valid photo ID, a signed safety waiver and a rental agreement to participate. Frandsens day out Back in the training room at The Range, Raley performs a demonstration for the Frandsen family. Advertisement Article continues below this ad You pull it into your shoulder and you bring your head down, Raley said, resting his cheek against the stock of an AR-15. You look through here, and youll see a red dot wherever that red dot is, thats where your rounds going to fire. Under Raleys watchful eye, the Danish family learns the correct way to hold each weapon, how to turn the safety on and off, how to load and reload and other rules of the range. On the way to the stalls, Raley emphasizes the importance of wearing eye and ear protection. Do you want to come inside? he asks Karina Frandsen, who hesitates to put on her protective equipment. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She shakes her head, laughing nervously. Ill watch from out here. Behind the observation glass, Karina fiddles with her hands as her husband and two sons step into position. Before that day, she had never even seen a gun in person before. Kristian Frandsen of Denmark is instructed on how to properly shoot an AR-15style rifle at The Range at Austin, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman The sharp crack of gunfire echoes through the range. She flinches with each shot, covering her face with her hand until she peeks through her fingers and sees her son turn around, grinning, to give her a thumbs up. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She exhales and starts to giggle. Travelers wait in a security line that overflowed outside the terminal at AustinBergstrom International Airport on the day after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The Monday after the Formula 1 race is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport with more than 40,000 departing passengers. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Austin-Bergstrom International Airport set a new personal best this week: its highest number of departing passengers in a single day. After a surge of globetrotters came to the Capital City for last weekend's Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix, AUS saw 45,048 passengers depart on Monday. The following day, the airport announced it was an "all-time highest record" for departures. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Wow oh wow! Yesterday, we reached our all-time highest record with 45,048 departing passengers. A huge thank you to all of our travelers for making this happen -- see us again soon, y'all! pic.twitter.com/WrtKbENHXD Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) October 21, 2025 Travelers wait in a security line that overflowed outside the terminal at AustinBergstrom International Airport on the day after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The Monday after the Formula 1 race is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport with more than 40,000 departing passengers. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Lines for TSA screening, ticket counters and other airport services stretched for hours throughout the day. It was so busy that officials allowed both the pickup and drop-off areas to be used interchangeably to keep traffic moving. Travelers wait in a security line that overflowed outside the terminal at AustinBergstrom International Airport on the day after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The Monday after the Formula 1 race is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport with more than 40,000 departing passengers. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Travelers wait in a security line that overflowed outside the terminal at AustinBergstrom International Airport on the day after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The Monday after the Formula 1 race is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport with more than 40,000 departing passengers. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Travelers wait in a security line that overflowed outside the terminal at AustinBergstrom International Airport on the day after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The Monday after the Formula 1 race is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport with more than 40,000 departing passengers. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman The airport thanked its employees and partners on social media for handling the exceptionally busy day, praisng them for ensuring all 45,000-plus passengers departed safely and comfortably. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A heartfelt thank you to our airlines, concession partners, on-airport partners, and Austin Aviation staff who worked in lockstep to serve our record-breaking 45,048 departing passengers yesterday! From check-in to takeoff, they all showed what true Austin hospitality looks like. pic.twitter.com/KC79cb7IIb Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) October 21, 2025 Dante Motley covers breaking news for the American-Statesman. He previously completed a fellowship with the Texas Tribune, worked as an intern for the Sacramento Bee, and interned for chef Jose Andres's media company, helping with cookbooks, TV shows and podcasts. He graduated from Yale University in 2024, where he was managing editor of the Yale Daily News. A demonstrator holds up a sign at the base of the UT Tower during a protest at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, October. 13, 2025. About 150 people gathered to protest Trump's compact, which was sent to UT and eight other schools. If signed, UT will get exclusive benefits but also pledge to follow trump's guidance. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Officials at the University of Texas refuse to say whether they will accept a deal with the president's administration in exchange for federal funding opportunities despite a key deadline passing becoming the only institution that was offered the deal to not publicly indicate its decision or feedback. Seven of the nine schools offered money in exchange for promises to protect conservative voices, cap international student enrollment and teach that there are only two genders rejected the terms. Vanderbilt University said publicly it was open to more discussion but has not accepted or rejected the deal. A spokesman for UT did not respond to questions asking about the schools response, though the deadline to provide feedback to the presidential administration was Monday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad President Donald Trumps administration offered the deal, called the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education to nine universities on Oct. 1, after which the University of Texas System eagerly jumped to review the terms. Since then, higher education organizations, students and faculty have warned that accepting the terms threaten academic freedom and university independence. In a statement Oct. 2, UT Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said UT was proud to work with the Trump administration at this crossroads moment and would immediately start reviewing the compact. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source After four universities rejected the terms, the White House met virtually with higher education leaders, including the University of Texas, to discuss the compact ahead of the Oct. 20 deadline to provide feedback. The deadline to sign the compact is Nov. 21, according to a copy of the compact obtained through open records request. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Administration is committed to a forward-looking vision of higher education that serves our nation by helping the next generation grow into resilient, curious, and moral leaders, inspired by American and Western values, Vince Haley, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at the White House, emailed President Jim Davis Oct. 1, according to the records obtained. 'Corrupting our youth' The declining schools and the critics who urged the rejection said the compact would allow financial awards to be determined for allegiance to political priorities, not just merit of scientific research. Many acknowledged that they agreed with some of the Trump administrations priorities but feared signing the compact is not the way to achieve excellence. UT also already adheres to some principles in the compact, such as institutional neutrality; international student enrollment below 15%; and no diversity statements in hiring. Some UT students protested the compact last week, citing fears it would infringe on their institutions freedom to teach and govern itself freely. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In a Truth Social post Oct. 12, Trump accused higher education of corrupting our Youth and Society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology that serves as justification for discriminatory practices and said the compact would reform education. Conservative Texas lawmakers championed such reform during the last two legislative sessions, banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices, hiring practices and staff in 2023. More recently, lawmakers restricted faculty senates and empowered governor-appointed regents with more control over curriculum, hiring and degrees in Senate Bill 37. Gov. Greg Abbott took a greater interest in higher education this fall, urging the termination of a Texas A&M University professor for teaching about gender identity in a childrens literature course. The universitys president, dean and department head resigned or lost their appointments in the aftermath. Abbott also urged two universities to expel students who allegedly mocked the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation, Abbott said in a post on Sunday celebrating the termination of an academic affairs leader at UT. We must end indoctrination and return to education fundamentals at all levels of education. The American Council on Education, a coordinating body for nearly 1,600 universities and colleges, signed a letter opposing the compact with 35 other higher education organizations. Locally, the UT Austin Chapter of the American Association of University Professors voted to reject the compact, urging leaders to defend UTs independence, and uphold facultys and students academic freedom. The AAUP is a professors union founded in 1915 with more than 500 national chapters. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The AAUP chapter said it fears that accepting the compact will result in the targeting of academic units that the Trump administration perceives as hostile to undefined conservative ideas, such as classes that affirm the existence of transgender individuals. They also fear the tuition stipulations would impede the universitys control over its finances, the resolution states. Those who teach and study at UT Austin are worried, the AAUP resolution on the compact stated. The Compact reflects a grave threat to the mission of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Austin leaders say they were blindsided Tuesday when Gov. Greg Abbott announced he had dispatched state troopers and soldiers to clear homeless encampments throughout the city. The Republican said in a statement that the operation, launched last week, had resulted in the clearing of 48 encampments and the arrests of 24 people though he did not disclose the charges those individuals face. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman A Texas DPS trooper watches Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac and West 5th Street interchange in Austin, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Homeaids Lynne Williams and Kim McCorkle prepare grab bags to pass out to people experiencing homelessness during a City of Austin press conference regarding homelessness in Austin Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Mayor Kirk Watson speaks to the press during a City of Austin press conference regarding homelessness in Austin Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Texans should not endure public safety risks from homeless encampments and individuals, the Republican governor said. Weapons, needles and other debris should not litter the streets of our community, and the State of Texas is taking action. Later Tuesday, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said Abbott did not notify the city about the operation, which came as its Homeless Strategy Office was preparing to launch a similar operation focused on connecting the displaced to social services. I am disappointed today because some of what we're seeing with regard to addressing people living homeless is, frankly, not how it's supposed to work, Watson told reporters at an event held to highlight local efforts to reduce youth homelessness. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Mayor Kirk Watson discusses leading with empathy as he speaks to the press during a City of Austin press conference regarding homelessness in Austin Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman Watson said the state routinely clears areas under highway overpasses but failed to notify city leaders that Tuesdays operation would expand to city property, including the Johnson Creek Trail near downtown. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source The Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the scope of the state-ordered sweep. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On Wednesday, a day after this story's initial publication, Texas Department of Public Safety Press Secretary Sheridan Nolen sent a written statement that said troopers had arrested 31 individuals on charges including criminal trespass, burglary and aggravated escape from custody. DPS did not respond to a request for charging documents related to the arrests. In the statement, Nolen indicated the state operation would continue. "While the department does not discuss operational specifics, efforts remain underway and will continue to take place in multiple areas," Nolen said. Abbott's announcement came a day after the citys Homeless Strategy Office began a long-planned effort to visit encampments and connect residents with shelter and other services amid heightened wildfire risk and ahead of cold weather. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In a memo, Austin Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray said the citys operation resulted in the clearing of 46 encampments. Most residents agreed to leave voluntarily, and several people were connected with shelter and other services, according to the memo. Austin police officers also performed life-saving CPR on one person and made two arrests one for criminal trespass and resisting arrest and another for a drug-related charge. Gray told reporters Tuesday that the citys encampment initiative had been in the works for months, and that officials had kept one key state agency in the loop. For the past six months, Gray said, Texas Department of Transportation officials had joined city leaders on weekly calls to discuss cleanup efforts, but he said the state agency never shared plans to expand state operations. Both Watson and Gray said they welcome state support in clearing encampments, but stressed that coordination is essential to avoid duplicating efforts. Advertisement Article continues below this ad My fear is, if we're not coordinated, it's a waste of resources and taxpayer dollars, Gray said. READ MORE: Nonprofit reports Austin, Travis County double homeless housing capacity A Texas DPS vehicle is parked where Texas State Guard soldiers removed a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Lawmakers in 2021 approved a statewide camping ban, making it a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 to camp in public spaces. Austin voters also approved a similar ban that year. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Advocates for the unhoused say such bans only push people out of sight while criminalizing homelessness. The spat comes as homelessness in Austin is on the rise: a biennial point-in-time count found about 3,238 people roughly 800 more than in 2023 were experiencing homelessness on a given night in the city and Travis County, marking a 36% increase. Meanwhile, a recent report found that the number of shelter and permanent housing beds in Austin has doubled since 2019. Texas State Guard soldiers remove a homeless camp under the Mopac Expressway and West 5th Street interchange in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman Watson on Tuesday emphasized the citys more gradual, service-oriented approach to encampment cleanups. City teams which include paramedics, outreach workers and law enforcement officers often make multiple visits to build trust and connect people with services aimed at ending homelessness. Advertisement Article continues below this ad By contrast, Watson said, the states approach amounted to a show of force. While it may push people to move, he said, its unlikely to help them find stable housing. What you're getting at the state level is short-term action for a long-term issue, Watson said. Editor's Note: This story was updated to include information provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety Walt Shelton is a long-time Professor at Baylor Law School and an assistant pastor at the Church at Highland Park in Austin. Provided by Walt Shelton What can we learn from a prophet who spoke Gods word to his generation almost 3,000 years ago? Amos has a lot to teach us, consistent with what God told Moses about holiness and the heart of Jesuss teachings. Prophecy is often misunderstood as predicting the future. In contrast, true prophets spoke to their own generation in particular historical circumstances, sometimes with potential future applicability. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Bible is often mischaracterized as a book. As a child, I often heard some people say: The Bible is the greatest book ever written. I disagree because the Bible is not a book at all. Rather, it is an important collection of writings in the form of many books, and some of the books have varying sources. One of the most important interpretive tools in understanding a book or a passage in the Bible is its context. With these thoughts in mind, lets consider the book of Amos. Amos the man was a herdsman. He was a commoner and far from a wealthy man, a political leader, or a professionally religious leader like a priest (Amos 7:14). After receiving Gods word, probably through a strong, consistent inclination to speak out that he could not deny, Amos traveled from Judah to Israel in the eight century BC. This was during the time in Israels history known as the divided kingdom, after the one country Israel split into two countries or kingdoms. In the mid-eighth century, Israel (the so-called northern kingdom) experienced secure borders, a strong military, significant wealth (for the fortunate few), and thriving religious worship centers. Those in power and the fortunate people with wealth and good health generally interpreted these characteristics as signs of Gods pleasure with them and their country. Amos crossed the border from the southern kingdom of Judah into the northern kingdom of Israel to decisively declare Gods displeasure. Particularly, Amos chastised them for trampling the poor while living in mansions, and for push[ing] aside the needy instead of helping them (Amos 5:11-12). The poor and needy were victims of injustice. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Any version of what is sometimes characterized as a gospel of wealth and good health implicitly implies that the poor must be unrighteous. In striking contrast, there is a consistently strong thread throughout the Bible of loving and actively caring for the poor and others in need. Key examples include Moses, Isaiah, and Jesus. Consistent with the heart of his Jewish heritage, Jesus taught his followers a gospel of love and inclusiveness, not an inauthentic gospel of wealth and good health as signs of Gods favor. In Leviticus 19, the ethical heart of the Holiness Code, God told Moses on the mountain to tell all the people that they shall be holy, for God [is] holy (Leviticus 19:2). Particular aspects of holiness include sharing food with the poor (19:9-10), not defrauding a neighbor or withholding wages from a laborer (19:13), and loving your neighbor and aliens (foreigners or those who are different) as yourself (19:18,33). Isaiah pronounced Gods judgment on elders and princes who mistreated the poor, and God declared the poor as my people (Isaiah 3:14-15). Jesus prioritized loving others (e.g., Mark 12:31), referred to the poor as blessed (Matthew 5:3), and indicated at the start of his ministry that God anointed him to bring good news to the poor proclaim release to the captives and let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18). Amos, despised as a commoner and foreigner from Judah, told the wealthy, powerful and influential people of Israel that God hates their worship and religious rituals without holy acts of love and care in actual living. Further, Amos emphasized that God refuses to listen to the noise of their songs in such hollow worship. Instead, God insists on letting justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:21-24). Amos spoke to people of his own time. However, is there ever a time when his message is irrelevant? No. God despises religion clothed with supremacy of the powerful and wealthy at the expense of the poor, outcasts, and needy. Are there certain times and contexts when Amoss message from God is especially relevant and demands our urgent attention and love-centric responsive action? Advertisement Article continues below this ad BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Brunei continues to empower its youth, researchers, and innovators as catalysts of change, as their curiosity, courage, and creativity will shape the way technology is harnessed to build a green and sustainable future, a minister has said. "In the era of technological transformation, we are facing global challenges such as climate change, food security, and digital advancement solutions to these complex issues require cooperation, creative innovation and meaningful engagement," said Hajah Romaizah Haji Mohd Salleh, minister of education, at an event. The event brought together scientists, researchers, engineers, industry experts and other stakeholders to propose innovative solutions that can pave the way for a sustainable future. Tens of thousands of protesters march through downtown Austin Saturday for the No Kings rally. Gov. Greg Abbott said last week he planned to deploy the Texas National Guard, claiming the demonstration was "antifa-linked," but no troops were seen at the event. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Protesting is a right Advertisement Article continues below this ad Rather than listen to the voices of half of his constituency, Gov. Greg Abbott demonstrated his fear of opposition by ordering troops to intimidate protesters. Protest is an American right. These protests have been peaceful. Sending troops demonstrates the governor's fear. He called protesters "antifa," a label that is wildly misleading. If being against fascism and authoritarianism is what will get you the "antifa" label, then he should remember that our fathers and grandfathers fought in Europe against that very thing. I doubt they would appreciate being called "antifa." Instead of misleading labels, why doesn't Abbott consider that the protesters have something to say from which he could learn? He works for all Texans, not just those who contribute to his re-election campaign. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Paula Hyatt, Austin Editor's note: Despite the governor's announcement last week that he would deploy the Texas National Guard, no troops were seen Saturday at the "No Kings" rally in Austin. A mistaken premise The "No Kings" protests were cute. Placards, costumes and general gaiety announced to the world that participants are upset that their decisive loss in the 2024 election has achieved its anticipated result. Advertisement Article continues below this ad But duly elected President Donald Trump is not a king. Look around the world. Kings are for pageantry, not governance. For better and for worse, Trump is the major political figure on our planet today. Had he been dictator (which is really what the protestors were trying feebly to say), the government would not be shut down. Dictators would and do prohibit such anti-government protests, but these protestors seemed uninhibited and undeterred by government actions.. I hope they had fun. Don Erler, Georgetown Advertisement Article continues below this ad Robert Springsteen walks out of court in 2009 a free man after prosecutors filed to dismiss the indictments against him and Michael Scott for the 1991 yogurt shop murders. Those murders were horrific, but the wrongful convictions of innocent men are equally frightening, a reader says. RODOLFO GONZALEZ/Austin American-Statesman Terrifying convictions This opinion piece deserved front page coverage. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The yogurt shop murders were horrific, but the wrongful convictions of innocent men are equally frightening. Margie Blevins, Austin Thank you, first responders Now more than ever, we must come together as a community, beyond politics, beliefs or backgrounds to show gratitude for those who keep us safe. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Central Texas Public Safety Commissions Blessing of the Badges, which is happening Wednesday, is a moment to do just that. Every day, our first responders run toward danger when instinct says to turn away. They miss family milestones so we can celebrate ours in safety. Their service often goes unseen, but it should never go unrecognized. Honoring them takes more than kind words, it takes presence. Blessing of the Badges invites community members of all faiths to stand side by side in appreciation, because showing up matters. When first responders see their neighbors and leaders gathered together, they see the truth we must affirm they are not alone. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This event is more than a ceremony; its a collective act of respect. Our city thrives when gratitude moves from word to action. Attending is a simple yet powerful way to say thank you and show that we stand with those who stand for us. That is what community looks like: not division, but solidarity; not just words, but shared commitment to those who protect us every day. Rick Randall, former Austin Police chaplain; and Rabbi Neil Blumofe, Congregation Agudas Achim Should I stay quiet? For quite some time I have obsessed about whether to continue writing opinion pieces and making political posts on social media. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On the one hand, I am being or could be monitored. While I am retired and less at risk than others, what I write can be interpreted as a critique a rational and civil one, in my opinion of the current presidential administration, as well as political leaders who acquiesce to the president. Although no one should be monitored and targeted for disagreeing with those in power, sadly that's the world we now live in. On the other hand, I have vociferously argued that silence is complicity and that the only way to stop what is happening to our nation is to resist, protest and be heard a lesson we learned the hard way from history. In addition, as a teacher of argumentation for more than 40 years, staying silent would be contradictory. No doubt my quandary about what to do is faced by others. Advertisement Article continues below this ad All of us must ask whether we wish to stand up and speak out or remain quiet whether principle or expedience should guide our decision. Richard Cherwitz, University of Texas professor emeritus, Camas, Wash. Finally, much of Texas is seeing a decent chance of rain enter the picture this month, with the potential for some heavy rainfall across wide parts of the Lone Star State. Pivotal Is Texas finally breaking free from the summer-like heat this fall and sliding into a more active, seasonable weather pattern? A pair of weak cold fronts are in the forecast over the next week, offering hope for an end to our month-long dry spell and a return to near-normal temperatures for this time of year. The first front is forecast to arrive in Central Texas on Tuesday morning, but it won't help the intensifying regional drought as this one will come in dry, bringing only a wind shift and slightly lower afternoon temperatures that will remain in the mid- to upper 80s. Winds will be a bit breezy out of the north at 10 to 20 mph, with a few gusts as strong as 25 mph. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A dry and breezy cold front will move across Central Texas on Tuesday with gusts topping 25 mph. Pivotal Persistent dry air and rain-free weather, combined with gusty winds and parched soil, will contribute to an increased wildfire risk Tuesday. The days clear skies will give way to increasing cloud cover overnight and into Wednesday. The Orionids meteor shower will continue, with peak activity early Wednesday, but the increasing clouds over Central Texas may hinder visibility. LOOK UP: Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Wednesday will be dry and sunny with low humidity. Once again, the wildfire threat will remain elevated through the afternoon and early evening. Morning temperatures will start in the upper 50s to low 60s, climbing only into the mid-80s by the afternoon. By Thursday, breezy southerly winds will take over, pumping in moisture from the Gulf Coast. This will lead to higher humidity and warmer temperatures, with highs approaching 90 degrees. Loading... Forecast models are in good agreement that a storm-making system could move into the Lone Star State by this weekend. This system will originate in the Pacific, travel across Southern California, move through the Four Corners region of the American Southwest, and then pass over the southern Plains from Friday to Saturday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It will be easy for us in Central Texas to get excited about this rain potential, as it represents the first solid chance of measurable rainfall for Austin this month. Rain totals look promising, given that storm coverage could be between 40% and 60% across Central Texas, and projected rainfall totals range from a half-inch to an inch. While we desperately need the rain, too much water falling too quickly could lead to localized flash flooding and dangerous road conditions. The National Weather Service's flood forecasters at the Weather Prediction Center have placed the Austin metro are under a level 1 risk, or at least a 5% chance, of excessive rainfall overnight Friday and into Saturday. If Austin finally records rain on Saturday, it will end a 47-day dry streak just one day short of tying a 48-day streak during the record-setting summer of 2011, which holds a top 10 spot for consecutive days without rain in downtown Austin. The record is 65 days, set in the summer of 1993. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Temperatures through the week will remain above the climate-normal daily high of 81 degrees. When compared to the 97-degree high over the weekend, well gladly take mild afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s. Looking ahead, another frontal boundary is expected to arrive next week, possibly bringing an even bigger drop in daytime temperatures to close out October. TOKYO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned with his cabinet on Tuesday, marking an end to the administration that took office just over a year ago. At an extraordinary cabinet meeting held shortly before 9 a.m. local time, ministers submitted their letters of resignation, and the Ishiba cabinet formally stepped down. BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- In 1985, the eastern Chinese city of Xiamen was a study in contrasts. A newly designated Special Economic Zone, it buzzed with the anxious energy of a nation just cracking open its doors to the world. Yet, it was a provincial backwater, a port city where the entirety of its international trade aspirations rested on the shoulders of just two aging gantry cranes. Facing a chorus of competing advice -- some urging the blind imitation of Singapore's development model, others paralyzed by pessimism -- the city's new vice mayor, 32-year-old Xi Jinping, resisted the temptation of easy answers and short-term fixes. It was his first posting in a coastal region and first time managing the complex machinery of a modernizing city. Rather than improvising, he called for a blueprint. Not a makeshift plan designed simply for his term of office, but a generational strategic vision stretching 15 years, to the dawn of 21st century -- the year 2000. It was a move of radical foresight. "We cannot focus solely on the immediate," he later warned his colleagues, arguing that reactive governance would lead to confusion and a loss of direction. The resulting document, the 1985-2000 Xiamen Economic and Social Development Strategy, made an audacious claim. It predicted that the world's economic center of gravity would inevitably shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and that Xiamen, with its deep-water port, was perfectly positioned to become a pivotal hub linking China to rest of the burgeoning Asia-Pacific economy. For a city still figuring out the basics of foreign trade, it was a blueprint for a future that was difficult to imagine. Today, that blueprint is a reality etched in steel and glass. Xiamen Port boasts over 180 shipping routes connecting it to 51 countries and regions, with its annual container throughput exceeding 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units. The city's transformation from a sleepy coastal town into a global nexus of trade is far more than a local success story; it is a narrative that reveals the vision of its architect. To understand Xi's approach to governance is to understand his perception of time -- a perspective rooted in a strikingly longer view than political cycles. "Our understanding of time is measured in centuries and millennia," said Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. This philosophy, marked by strategic foresight, a systemic outlook, and an insistence on thorough execution, is now being applied on the grandest scale imaginable. As the 20th CPC Central Committee convenes its fourth plenary session in Beijing, scheduled from Monday to Thursday, the centerpiece of its deliberations are draft proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), the next chapter in the nation's metronomic march toward modernization. With China serving as the world's most crucial growth engine, contributing roughly 30 percent of global economic expansion, this domestic agenda holds significant implications for the entire world. THE METRONOME OF MODERNIZATION For decades, China's five-year plans have been the primary instrument of its statecraft. Xi describes the system "as an important Party experience in governing the country, and a vital political advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics." These sequential plans function like a temporal carving knife, patiently shaping one of history's most expansive and rapid modernization campaigns. The earliest plans forged an industrial base from the ashes of war. Later ones conquered shortages of food and clothing, methodically dismantled poverty, and delivered a moderately prosperous society for 1.4 billion people. The outgoing 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which launched the new journey toward building a modern socialist country, has already yielded historic results. Its economic increment is projected to exceed 35 trillion yuan (about 4.9 trillion U.S. dollars) over the period, which is more than Germany's GDP in 2024. For the first time, the country has entered the top 10 of the Global Innovation Index and now boasts the largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system in the world. The 15th plan will build on this momentum, designed to perpetuate what China's leaders call the "twin miracles" of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. At the helm of this process is Xi himself. In a clear sign of its importance, he has chaired the drafting groups for the proposals on the 13th and 14th five-year plans, overseeing the work from conception to completion. His leadership on the 13th plan provided the roadmap for achieving the Party's first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by following the new development philosophy, which highlights innovation and sustainability. His guidance on the 14th plan skillfully integrated its five-year targets with the longer-term 2035 vision of China basically realizing socialist modernization, taking high-quality development as the focus of work. Now, the 15th plan will chart the course for a critical five-year period on the path toward the second centenary goal: building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by mid-century. According to Yan Yilong, a professor at Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management, while modernization remains the unwavering theme, the plans are designed for constant adaptation. This advantage of "long-termism," a blend of continuity and flexibility, is something Yan believes "Western countries find difficult to match." Xi's methodology fuses the central leadership with a vast, institutionalized process of mass consultation -- a principle he champions as unifying top-level design with "asking the people for advice." This is a core tenet of what the Party calls whole-process people's democracy. This practice has deep roots. In 1986, while drafting the Xiamen strategy, he supported a city-wide newspaper essay contest to solicit public opinions for the 15-year blueprint. That same spirit is now being applied on a national level. For the 15th Five-Year Plan, a dedicated online portal was opened for one month to solicit public suggestions, receiving over 3.1 million submissions covering a vast spectrum of subjects from technological innovation to social welfare. Xi personally instructed government departments to "seriously study and absorb" these proposals. This followed the precedent set for the 14th plan, for which he personally convened seven different symposiums, gathering input from groups ranging from entrepreneurs and scientists to grassroots representatives to ensure a wide range of views inform the final document. This people-centered approach yields tangible outcomes. It was in the 14th plan document that the goal of common prosperity for all was first given a prominent emphasis, and over one-third of the plan's key indicators were directly related to public well-being. "We must remain true to our original aspiration and take promoting the people's well-being as our fundamental value," Xi has said of the coming five years. FROM WORDS TO WORKS Xi has stressed the importance of sound planning. "Planning mistakes are the biggest waste," he has warned, "and flip-flopping on plans is the greatest taboo." His leadership is defined by a sharply problem-oriented approach, and this ethos is embedded in the making of the five-year plans. To solve long-term structural imbalances in the economy, he championed supply-side structural reform. To preempt foreign restrictions on key technologies, he deployed a national strategy of self-reliance and strength in science and technology. In response to the public's calls for clear skies and clean water, he launched a determined battle against pollution. Central to the next phase of this agenda is the cultivation of new quality productive forces, a concept Xi has championed to drive high-quality development through innovation, with artificial intelligence (AI) at the vanguard. The strategic focus was unmistakable this April, when the CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau held a collective study session on AI, followed days later by Xi's personal inspection of a large-model incubator in Shanghai. At a subsequent symposium, Xi said higher strategic priority must be given to fostering new quality productive forces in line with local conditions in the next five years. Of course, a blueprint is only as good as its execution. Xi has emphasized that when it comes to implementation, the role of those in command is key. "They must shoulder the responsibility, be willing to carry the heaviest burdens, dare to tackle the toughest challenges, and be adept at handling the trickiest tasks," he said. The fight against poverty, a major task in the 13th Five-Year Plan, serves as a powerful example. Xi personally chaired seven central symposiums on poverty alleviation, conducted over 50 inspection tours on the matter, and visited all 14 of the country's contiguous areas of extreme poverty. Under his leadership, more than 3 million officials were dispatched to the front lines as part of a concerted effort that lifted nearly 100 million people out of absolute poverty over eight years. While other countries make long-term plans, Xi has acknowledged that China's system is distinct. "On the basis of research and fact-finding activities, we propose a comprehensive and systematic plan that fully respects the will of the people and conforms to reality," he said, "And we have superb execution capabilities to implement these plans." This powerful execution is ensured by a robust institutional framework. The process begins with extensive public opinion solicitation and a proposal from the CPC Central Committee. The State Council, the country's cabinet, then drafts a detailed outline, which is reviewed and approved by the National People's Congress -- the top legislature -- before being announced and implemented. Development targets of various localities and sectors are closely aligned with the national plan. However, this strategic governance is not intended to supplant the market, but to steer it and offset its defects, according to policy analysts. It is rooted in the philosophy of pairing a vibrant market with a capable government, which the Party sees as a great strength of its system. The five-year plan is "market-friendly" and serves as a guide for allocation of resources, providing policy stability and governance consistency for market actors while steering clear of policy swings seen in some Western economies, said Yan. Xi has called for efforts to ensure sound planning and implementation of the goals, tasks and strategic measures for the 15th Five-Year Plan, "so as to secure decisive progress in basically achieving socialist modernization." In charting its own future, China is presenting not just a plan, but a compelling alternative to short-sighted governance in a world hungry for certainty. At its heart is a statesman who champions the ability to "carry through a blueprint to the end." "As China rises, its five-year plan is gaining importance," said Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura. "It should be watched closely, as strategic thinking and planning have become a rarity among global governments." ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Two coordinated suicide car bombings carried out by al-Qaeda militants struck a local government compound in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Tuesday, killing four soldiers, a military official told Xinhua. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the first explosion occurred when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the main gate of the local government headquarters in Al Mahfid district. Moments later, a second bomber detonated another vehicle targeting the nearby headquarters of the 1st Infantry Brigade. The twin bombings killed four soldiers at the sites, said the official. Following the twin blasts, several militants dressed in military uniforms launched an assault on pro-government forces, sparking fierce clashes that lasted for several hours before the attackers were repelled. The official said at least six al-Qaeda militants wearing explosive vests were killed during the fighting. Ten soldiers were wounded, some critically, and were transferred to the southern port city of Aden for treatment, he added. Witnesses reported that nearby houses, shops, and a medical center sustained heavy damage from the powerful explosions, which sent thick plumes of smoke billowing over the district. The Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), long considered one of the most dangerous branches of the extremist network, has not claimed responsibility for the attack so far. AQAP has taken advantage of Yemen's civil war and the country's fragile security situation to entrench itself in the south. In late 2022, the government, in coordination with the Southern Transitional Council, launched a counter-terrorism campaign in Abyan. However, officials say the group remains active, carrying out bombings and attacks against security forces. Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. Airmen assigned to the 27th Special Operations Wing perform refueling training on an F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter on Aug. 18, 2025, at Cold Bay Airfield, Alaska. (Gracelyn Hess/U.S. Air Force) WASHINGTON The U.S. Air Force has scrapped its plan to create an independent command expected to drive modernization developments. This restructuring will accelerate the delivery of combat power, improve efficiency and shorten the decision timeline, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement. The functions of the provisional Integrated Capabilities Command, or ICC, will be folded into a restructured version of Air Force Futures by April, the Air Force said in a statement Tuesday. As part of the restructuring, the Air Force will establish a new role for a chief modernization officer. Some of the areas of responsibility will include strategy and force design, capability development and requirements, and modernization investment prioritization. In February 2024, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announced plans to create the ICC as part of reoptimization efforts across the service. ICC was to be responsible for integrating weapons development, operations and what should be a priority. The Department remains fully committed to accelerating capability development and delivering warfighting solutions that enhance operational effectiveness, readiness and lethality, the service said. Space Force was to get its own version, known as the Space Force Futures Command, to conduct experiments and war games as well as develop and validate concepts. Despite reports that program also was to be scrapped, a final decision is pending, Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek said in a statement. A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber flies with two U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility on Oct. 15, 2025. (U.S. Air Force) B-52H Stratofortress bombers conducted an attack demonstration off the coast of Venezuela last week, amid a general buildup of U.S. forces in the region and criticism from lawmakers. The long-range bombers, from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., executed the mission on Oct. 15, Air Forces Southern said in a Facebook post, which disclosed only that the demonstration happened in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. Observers used open-source flight tracking data to place the exercise near Venezuela, and U.S. officials confirmed it to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The mission demonstrates the U.S. commitment to proactively deter adversary threats to the U.S. homeland and the region, the post said. A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing flies in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility on Oct. 15, 2025. (U.S. Air Force) A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225 flies alongside a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility on Oct. 15, 2025. (U.S. Air Force) U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers fly with two U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility on Oct. 15, 2025. (U.S. Air Force) A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber flies in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility on Oct. 15, 2025. (U.S. Air Force) Meanwhile, U.S. military helicopters also conducted a training exercise in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean nation close to Venezuela. Experts told The Washington Post that videos on social media appeared to show MH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawks, which are operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The mission happened the same day President Donald Trump confirmed he had authorized the covert operations inside Venezuela and said his administration is looking at land as it considers further strikes in the region. It also came after five known strikes on alleged drug vessels in the region, which were followed by two more strikes on Oct. 16 and 17. A total of 32 people are known to have been killed in the strikes, which has drawn the opposition from some in Congress and the United Nations. The U.S. maritime buildup in the region includes surface warships, a Los Angeles-class submarine, F-35 fighter jets and about 10,000 personnel. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Analysts from the Joint Theater Forensic Analysis Center use chemicals to retrieve serial numbers removed from equipment in Bizerte, Tunisia, April 28, 2025. The center, located at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, recently helped secure evidence leading to a conviction in an arms smuggling case stemming from the deaths of two Navy SEALs in January 2024 off the coast of Somalia. (Dale Barnes/U.S. Army) This story has been corrected A little-known Army forensics team is taking satisfaction in helping convict a Pakistani man, who recently was sentenced to decades in prison for his role in an arms smuggling operation tied to a deadly Navy SEAL raid off Somalia last year. The successful prosecution of Muhammad Pahlawan brings fulfillment and validation of the teams efforts, said Lt. Col. Kyle Thomason, the provost marshal for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa at U.S. Army Garrison Italy in Vicenza. It really helps kind of build me up and (lets me) know that what Im doing is worthwhile, said Thomason, whose work involves law enforcement, security and policing. SETAF-AF oversees the U.S. Army Joint Theater Forensic Analysis Center operating at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Somalias northern neighbor. The group of 14 scientists, experts and supervisory personnel in Djibouti is tasked with supporting Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or special operations personnel as well as other U.S. agencies in Africa. Samantha Beltran, left, a latent print examiner with the Joint Theater Forensic Analysis Center, demonstrates fingerprint analysis techniques at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, June 12, 2025. The center analyzes field evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, firearms and electronic media in support of U.S. agencies operating in Africa. (Marcus Hardy-Bannerman/U.S. Air Force) The behind-the-scenes effort is designed to stay ahead of the enemy and their tactics and techniques that they use to get us, said Greg Sanson, SETAF forensics tech representative. The centers scientists have expertise in DNA, fingerprints, firearms, chemistry and other scientific disciplines used in forensics. They use their knowledge and skills to gather and analyze evidence recovered from interdictions, terrorist activity, attacks on U.S. forces and other situations. Those resources were brought to bear in the case of Pahlawan, who was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison on various charges related to transportation of Iranian weapons to Houthi militants in Yemen, according to court records. Pahlawan was the captain of a small unflagged boat, or dhow, boarded by Navy forces in January 2024 that was carrying a warhead as well as parts for ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles. During the mission, Chief Petty Officer Christopher Chambers lost his grip while trying to board the vessel and fell into the sea. Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped into the water in an attempt to save him. But weighed down by equipment, the two Navy SEALs drowned. In the aftermath, the forensic analysis centers team was called in to identify, secure and process evidence on the boat, ultimately confirming the type of weaponry stashed aboard and establishing its ties to Iran and the Houthis, Thomason said. That work demonstrates their ability to operate in challenging environments, such as at sea. The forensic centers team includes military and civilian personnel and contractors operating under the Armys Criminal Investigation Division. It predominantly is staffed by the Army CIDs Forensic Exploitation Department, which is based in the state of Georgia. It supports annual engagements with partner nations and deploys scientists and experts on six-month rotations, according to the Army. The internationally accredited lab uses state-of-the-art equipment and forensic science to discover the who, what and where of what is happening on the African continent. It also works to determine where adversaries are getting their equipment and training, and uses biometrics to determine the names and locations of culprits, Sanson said. Personnel from U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa do radiological training during an exercise in Bizerte, Tunisia, April 28, 2025. SETAF oversees the Djibouti-based Joint Theater Forensic Analysis Center, which recently provided crucial evidence leading to a conviction in an arms smuggling case over a January 2024 raid off Somalia in which two Navy SEALs drowned. (Dale Barnes/U.S. Army) For example, fingerprints recovered from an interdiction of a ship can be used to identify people involved in drug or weapons trafficking. Recovered pieces of an explosive can be used to identify the radio frequencies used by a terrorist group or narrow down the location of a drone operator. Its important for us to know what frequencies (adversaries are) using because then were able to jam or to work within those frequencies and make sure that we protect our force in that way, Sanson said. Information gleaned from evaluations is then reported to U.S. intelligence for use in supporting commands, he said. Some service members may not know that data and information is gathered by a group of civilians that are living in an austere location working day in and day out to make their lives safer and better, Sanson said. As of early October, the Djibouti facility had been assigned about 208 cases this year. In 2024 and 2023, it received 323 and 292 cases, respectively, the Army said. That pace doesnt include other activities, such as the training of partner nations police, military forces or other agencies in forensic sciences and site exploitation for evidence. For Djibouti lab manager Michelle Boyer, the work to protect U.S. forces has a personal connection stemming from the deadliest terrorist attack on the United States in the countrys history. Her father, who served in the Navy for nearly 30 years, was in the Pentagon when it was hit by a hijacked passenger airliner on Sept. 11, 2001. He was not injured in the attack. That pivotal moment was at the forefront of her decision to work in Djibouti and help prevent something of that magnitude from ever happening again, Boyer said. That is really what gets me motivated, said Boyer, who is on her sixth rotation. An Australian air force P-8A Poseidon aircraft arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 7, 2024. (Leah Jones/U.S. Air Force) Australian officials lodged a complaint after a Chinese military aircraft released flares near an Australian surveillance plane over the South China Sea on Sunday. An Australian air force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft had an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a Chinese Su-35 fighter, Australias Defence Ministry said in a statement Monday. The Australian plane was undamaged and its crew members were uninjured, according to the statement. This was an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver that posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel, the ministry said. Chinas state-run Global Times reported Monday that the countrys Southern Theater Command had warned the Australian aircraft for what is described as intruding into Chinese airspace. We urge the Australian side to immediately stop such provocative moves, Col. Li Jianjian, a spokesperson for the command, said in a statement, according to the newspaper. The troops in the theater are on high alert at all times to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and peace and stability in the region. Australia has carried out maritime surveillance in the region for decades, the Defence Ministry said, noting that patrols are carried out in accordance with international law and the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace. Australia expects all countries, including China, to operate their militaries in a safe and professional manner, the statement said. A similar incident occurred in February, when a Chinese military plane fired flares at an Australian P-8 over the South China Sea. The incident coincided with a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. During their talks, the two leaders reaffirmed their nations growing defense cooperation and signed agreements on critical minerals, defense, technology and investment. The agreements follow moves by China to impose export controls on rare earth minerals used to manufacture electronics, weapons and electric vehicles. PARIS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday arrived at La Sante Prison in Paris to begin serving a five-year sentence. The 70-year-old former conservative leader was convicted of participating in a criminal conspiracy linked to alleged campaign financing from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. In the morning on Tuesday, Sarkozy denounced what he called a "judicial scandal" in a post on social media platform X. "I want to tell the French people, with the unshakable strength that is mine, that it is not a former president of the Republic who is being imprisoned this morning - it is an innocent man," he wrote. His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, confirmed that a request for his release has been filed. On Sept. 25, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced Sarkozy to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy related to alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. Although he has appealed the verdict, the judges ordered the sentence to take immediate effect, citing the "exceptional seriousness" of the offenses. Sarkozy thus becomes the first former French president in modern history to serve a prison sentence. South Korean soldiers stand guard at the Korean Demilitarized Zones Joint Security Area in May. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes) South Korea has paused official tours of the Joint Security Area a site shared with the North in the Demilitarized Zone ahead of President Donald Trumps planned visit to the Korean Peninsula. Tours of the JSA already limited to military officials, distinguished visitors and media will be suspended from the end of October through early November, Ministry of Unification spokesperson Koo Byongsam said Monday at a news conference. Koo said the ministry has no specific information to disclose about the decision and referred additional questions to United Nations Command, which oversees security and tours for the area. The suspension may signal preparations for potential engagement between U.S. and North Korean leaders, the Yonhap News Agency reported Monday, citing unnamed government sources. It also could be intended to deter North Korean provocations ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, or APC, scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, Yonhap reported. CNN, citing two unnamed sources, reported Saturday that the Trump administration has privately discussed the possibility of a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the summit. No serious logistical planning has taken place, and Trumps earlier attempt to contact Kim this year went unanswered, the report said. UNC spokesman Eun Chong Kim, in a Tuesday email to Stars and Stripes, didnt address why the tours were suspended, but said the command would not comment on hypothetical scenarios. All JSA access requests are handled through established protocols to ensure safety and coordination, he wrote. Trump in June 2019 became the first sitting president to enter North Korea within the JSA when he crossed the Military Demarcation Line at Kims invitation. The two had previously met in Vietnam earlier that year and in Singapore in 2018. During an Aug. 25 news conference in Washington with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Trump said he got along with Kim and hoped to arrange a meeting at the earliest opportunity. Kim said last month he was open to meeting with Trump if Washington dropped its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons, according to the Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency. If the U.S. abandons its absurd obsession on denuclearization, acknowledges the reality and seeks peaceful coexistence with us, there is no reason for us not to talk with the U.S., Kim was quoted as saying during a parliamentary session in Pyongyang. He also recalled his previous summits with Trump fondly. Koo reiterated Monday that the government has clarified several times that we strongly support the U.S.-North Korea dialogue but did not provide further details. Also known as Panmunjom named after the village where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement was signed the JSA was once open to public tours but has been restricted since July 2023, when U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King crossed the Military Demarcation Line, the actual border between the two Koreas. The Unification Ministry resumed tours for ministry personnel on Nov. 22, 2023, but suspended them eight days later after North Korean troops began rebuilding old guard posts and arming themselves along the border. Senior U.S. and foreign officials have continued to visit the JSA. The ministry announced plans in March to resume public tours, but those plans did not materialize. This undated photograph shows Maj. Tyler R. Braconi, the pilot killed in the crash of an AH-1Z Viper on Oct. 16 in Imperial County in Southern California. (U.S. Marine Corps) The Marines have released the identity of the AH-1Z Viper pilot killed in a mishap Thursday in Southern California. Maj. Tyler R. Braconi, 35, from California, died in the evening incident in Imperial County, according to a statement by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. A second pilot of the two-seat attack helicopter was injured. His name has not yet been released. The Viper was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron is based out of Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton in California. Braconi was commissioned in the Marine Corps on May 5, 2012, according to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing headquarters at MCAS Camp Pendleton. His decorations include the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four bronze stars, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. He previously served as an exchange pilot to the Australian Army. U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. William Jurney, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, talks with Maj. Tyler Braconi, attack helicopter exchange officer with the Australian Armys 1st Aviation Regiment, at Robertson Barracks, Northern Territory, Australia, Aug. 25, 2023. Jurney visited to observe the capabilities of the rotation and reinforce the U.S.-Australia alliance. (Scott Smolinski/U.S. Marine Corps) Lt. Col. Christopher Hart, the commanding officer of HMLA-369, praised Braconis service. We join the family of Maj. Tyler Braconi in mourning the unimaginable loss of a loved one, Hart said. Our most valued asset is our people, the individual Marine, and Tyler was one of the greats. We mourn the loss of a Gunfighter, brave aviator and leader that served our nation with humility, strength, and purpose. Our focus is supporting Tylers family and loved ones during this difficult time. The AH-1Z was taking part in what the Marines termed routine flight operations in support of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, which is hosted by Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The crash site near the remote desert community of Imperial Gables, Calif., is just northwest of Yuma. The flight launched from MCAS Camp Pendleton. The cause of the incident is under investigation. The Marines said it will likely take several months until the outcome of the investigation is announced. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth walks to the podium during an event following the 250th Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Oct. 18, 2025. (Edgar Rafael/U.S. Marine Corps) The Marine Corps has begun an investigation into how an artillery shell exploded over Interstate 5 in California, raining down pieces of shrapnel as Vice President JD Vance and other top U.S. officials observed a military demonstration. The shell was one of six launched Saturday from an M777 howitzer on a beach at Camp Pendleton, a major military installation bisected by the interstate, two defense officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the issues sensitivity. The most likely cause for the detonation was a fuze failure something Marine Corps leaders saw as a one in a million possibility before it occurred, the officials said. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred during a celebration marking the Marine Corps 250th anniversary. The event also included beach landings by amphibious vehicles, helicopter flights and Navy warships at sea. In addition to the vice president, it was attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan and Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps. The unexpected detonation forced the Marines to halt the live-fire portion of the demonstration. Shrapnel found on the ground was less than one inch in size; it left a dent in the hood of a California Highway Patrol car but caused no harm to any people in the vicinity, officials said. The round was launched by Echo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, part of an infantry unit at Camp Pendleton, defense officials said. Its troops are assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a specialized task force preparing to deploy next year. The investigation will be overseen by the 11th Marine Regiment, an artillery unit, with the commander of Camp Pendletons 1st Marine Division, Maj. Gen. Thomas B. Savage, reviewing the findings, defense officials said. The incident has spawned a tense dispute between Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the Trump administration over whether the safety of California citizens was appropriately considered. Newsom, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, on Sunday accused the president and the vice president of putting lives at risk to put on a show and said that if they want to honor U.S. troops, they should instead open the federal government, which has been partially shut down since Oct. 1. White House officials referred questions about the incident to the Marine Corps. On social media, Trumps aides mocked Newsoms press office for misspelling the word ordnance in a post online. White House spokesman Steven Cheung said, too, that Newsom was dumber than a box of rocks, calling him so dense and moronic to the point he embarrasses himself on the daily. Newsom had threatened to temporarily close the interstate but changed his mind after Marine Corps officials said they thought that no road closures were necessary and that appropriate safety precautions had been implemented. The governor later reversed course, shuttering a roughly 17-mile stretch of the roadway Saturday. Newsoms office said in a statement that it had done so after event organizers asked the California Department of Transportation to post a digital sign over the interstate during a rehearsal Friday night warning motorists that overhead live fire was in progress. Significantly more live artillery rounds were launched over Interstate 5 during Fridays rehearsal, defense officials said, with one estimating the number at 30. Newsoms office did not address why he did not shut down the roadway then, too, but said in its statement that state officials near Camp Pendleton had observed live munitions being fired near the freeway, an apparent practice run. Defense officials said the weapon involved an M795 shell, weighing about 100 pounds, with an M767A1 fuze - is typically considered one of the most reliable in the U.S. military. The shells are approved to be launched over U.S. troops and are occasionally launched over roads and highways, including at Camp Pendleton, the defense officials said. However, they added, flights over Interstate 5 are rare. The maker of the fuze, L3Harris, said in a statement Monday that it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the incident. The company pledged to provide our full support if defense officials seek their help. The fuze involved is one of several that can be attached to the shell and launched. It was not clear whether there was a problem with the hardware or whether Marines had installed the fuze incorrectly. Like Newsom, Californias two Democratic senators condemned the incident, calling it an unnecessary photo op. Sen. Alex Padilla accused the White House of risking Californians safety, arguing that firing live artillery over one of Californias busiest freeways, without coordination with state officials, isnt a tribute to our Marines, its a reckless threat. Sen. Adam Schiff added, Only in Pete Hegseths Pentagon does this apparently need to be said: We should not be firing live artillery over our freeways. Officials with Hegseths team could not immediately be reached for comment. One of the defense officials lamented that Marines spent weeks preparing for the demonstration, only for attention to be dominated by the errant detonation. The mishap, this official said, derailed all the good work put in to prepare. Mariana Alfaro and Isaac Arnsdorf contributed to this report. A screengrab from a video of a boat being struck in the fifth known U.S. attack on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Pete Hegseth/X) MEXICO CITY The Trump administrations justification for blowing up suspected drug traffickers off the Venezuelan coast has been clear and consistent: These people arent just criminals; theyre narco-terrorists smuggling a deadly weapon poisoning Americans at the behest of terrorist organizations. We take them out, President Donald Trump told the nations three- and four-star generals and admirals last month. Every boat kills 25,000 on average - some people say more. You see these boats, theyre stacked up with bags of white powder thats mostly fentanyl and other drugs, too. Claiming the power to summarily kill traffickers as though theyre enemy troops, Trump has authorized the U.S. military to strike at least six speedboats the administration has deemed suspicious, killing dozens of people since the beginning of September. At least half of the strikes and 21 of the killings, locals say, have transpired in the waters between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago - nations so close that on clear days theyre within sight of each other. But records and interviews with 20 people familiar with the route or the strikes, including current and former U.S. and international officials, contradict the administrations claims. The passage, they said, is not ordinarily used to traffic synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, present in 69 percent of drug overdose deaths last year. Nor are the drugs typically headed for the United States. Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean nation more than 1,000 miles south and 1,200 miles east of Miami, is both a destination market for marijuana and a transshipment point for South American cocaine bound for West Africa and Europe, according to U.S. officials, Trinidadian police and independent analysts. The fentanyl seized in the U.S., in contrast, is typically manufactured in Mexico using precursors from China and smuggled in through the land border, most often by U.S. citizens. The military strikes are unlikely, as a result, to cut overdose deaths in the U.S., officials say - but it has brought U.S. forces into striking distance of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Trump has accused the authoritarian socialist, who claimed reelection last year despite ballot audits showing he lost the vote, of leading the Venezuela gang Tren de Aragua to push lethal drugs into America. When I saw [an internal document on the strikes], a senior U.S. national security official said, I immediately thought, This isnt about terrorists. This is about Venezuela and regime change. But there was no information about what it was really about. The official, like others quoted in this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide his candid assessment. The White House declined to share evidence to support the claims that Trump has used to justify the strikes. A spokeswoman defended the killings as necessary to protect Americans. All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narco-terrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. The president will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice. Two family members of the 11 men killed in September in the first attack acknowledged by Trump did not deny that the men aboard had been taking marijuana and cocaine from Venezuela to Trinidad. But they said Trumps allegation in his announcement was inaccurate that they had worked for the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. I knew them all, said one of the family members, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. None of them had anything to do with Tren de Aragua. They were fishermen who were looking for a better life by smuggling contraband. On Tuesday, Trump said, a new strike had killed six male narco-terrorists off the Venezuelan coast. That afternoon, one mother in the Trinidadian community of Las Cuevas received a call from her brother, a fisherman. Her son Chad Joseph, the second of her six children, had been killed in the explosion. Speaking by phone Thursday morning, Leonore Burnley was furious. Her son had been deprived a trial. And she had been deprived of any chance of closure. You cant get the body to bury it, she said. Joseph had spent the past three months in Venezuela working odd jobs, Burnley said. He had written her recently to say he would be returning home. She called Trumps claim that he had been involved in trafficking drugs a lie. They are judging him wrong, she said. He was no drug dealer. Chad was a good boy, anything you want, he would help; he was a loving child. Twenty-six years he have, she said. How cocaine courses through Venezuela In recent years, drug cartels in Colombia and other South American nations have supercharged cocaine production. The rush to bring it to market - largely in the U.S. and Europe, but increasingly West Africa - has transformed the continents criminal landscape, fueling the rise of new transnational gangs and threatening weaker national governments with limited power of state. Venezuela, too, has been swept into the boom. Economically battered by years of socialist mismanagement and punishing international sanctions, a nation that was once Latin Americas wealthiest has become increasingly involved in the trade. Along its border with Colombia, cocaine is now produced for sale and shipment abroad. U.S. federal prosecutors in March 2020 accused senior government officials in the Maduro regime, including Maduro himself, of leading the Cartel de Los Soles - Cartel of the Suns - a criminal network that extorts drug trafficking groups and controls routes and product itself. Venezuela, U.S. investigators say, is now a narco free-for-all filled with armed groups from throughout Latin America. The Mexicans are there, one former Drug Enforcement Administration agent said. The Colombians are there, sometimes on behalf of the Mexicans. Sometimes the Hondurans and Guatemalans have guys there, too. Most of the South American cocaine bound for North America flows through the Pacific, but some does depart Venezuela through the Caribbean, according to U.S. officials and analysts who track drug routes. Much of it courses overland through the western states of Zulia and Falcon before shipping northward to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. Some travels by air, departing clandestine airstrips in Maracaibo or Apure state for Central America and onward to Mexico and the United States. Its less common, investigators say, to ship U.S.-bound cocaine from the northeastern state of Sucre across the narrow Bocas del Dragon channel to Trinidad - the route the administration has targeted. Trinidad is used far more frequently as a gateway to Europe. Spanish authorities seized 1.65 tons of cocaine that had transited through the island, the State Department reported in 2024. Portuguese authorities in June recovered 1.66 tons of cocaine that traversed the same route. When you look at a map, countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname are used as transshipment points of massive amounts of cocaine from Colombia into Venezuela [and then onward] to West Africa and Europe, a former senior U.S. security official said. He added that routes may change based on pressure. One recently retired senior Trinidadian police official, asked whether Sucre traffickers were bringing drugs intended for the United States, chuckled. Why would they use Trinidad and Tobago to transport drugs to the United States, when you have Colombia and Mexico and all of these other places that are closer? The waters between Sucre and Trinidad The Sucre peninsula, known for its paradisiacal beaches and green-thatched mountains, has always been poor. But its fortunes turned decidedly for the worse in recent years, as the economy melted down and the state slipped into lawlessness. With few opportunities to work, fishermen turned to the smuggling route that has long tethered Sucre to Trinidad, a half-hour boat ride away. The former senior Trinidadian police official has investigated the route since 1989. It has historically carried many kinds of contraband: guns, cigarettes, alcohol, honey, exotic animals and people. But in recent years, as more drugs poured into Venezuela, it began to be used as a route to bring over marijuana and cocaine. Its 80 percent marijuana, said one Trinidad criminologist who has studied seizure data. Cocaine is a much, much smaller amount. While Tren de Aragua has had a presence in Sucre, locals and drug trafficking analysts say it doesnt control the trade. The drugs are instead moved by other local gangs. We have found no links between Tren de Aragua and multinational smugglers, said Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of Insight Crime, whose team recently visited the region. There was an attempt by them to penetrate Sucre, but they were ejected by local gangs. The evidence, he added, does not support the claims by the Trump administration. One man who grew up in San Juan de Unare along the Sucre coast, but moved to Caracas after his community plunged into poverty, said his cousin Reibys Gomez was among the first fishermen to take drugs to Trinidad. He said his cousin had a young family to support. People are in need, he said. They live off fishing and hunting, and thats it. Now Gomez is dead, and the man said his family has deteriorated in San Juan de Unare - unable to collect his body and haunted by questions over why the U.S. military killed him. They were going to Trinidad, he said. They werent going to the United States. Herrero reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Schmidt reported from Bogota, Colombia. Ellen Nakashima, Noah Robertson and Warren Strobel in Washington contributed to this report. Books removed for a compliance review sit stacked on a table in the library of Ramstein High School near Kaiserslautern, Germany, in February 2025. (Jasmine Vu) The Pentagons removal of nearly 600 books and lessons on race, gender and identity in accordance with a series of executive orders likely violated Defense Department school students First Amendment rights, according to a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles on Monday ordered the immediate restoration of the restricted materials at five Department of Defense Education Activity schools. DODEA did not seek to remove library books solely for educational suitability but to deny access to ideas determined to be radical or divisive, Giles said in a 44-page opinion. The government may not act to deny access to an idea simply because state officials disapprove of that idea for partisan or political reasons, she wrote, quoting the U.S. Supreme Courts 1982 decision in Island Trees School District v. Pico. The executive orders and, by extension, the book removals, do exactly this, she added. The ruling grants a request for a preliminary injunction filed in May by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of six military families and their 12 children. The plaintiffs had asked for relief across all DODEA schools, but Giles denied the request in part because the Supreme Court recently held that universal injunctions likely exceed the power Congress granted to federal courts, she wrote. Nevertheless, the ACLU said in a statement Monday that the decision sends a clear message that DODEAs censorship of books and curriculum materials is unconstitutional. Agency spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry declined to comment on the decision, citing the ongoing litigation. DODEA remains committed to providing a high-quality, standards-based education for all military-connected students and will continue to follow established procedures, Tackaberry said Tuesday in a statement. The student plaintiffs range from pre-K to 11th grade and attend DODEA schools in Virginia, Kentucky, Italy and Japan. The injunction applies only to the pertaining schools: Crossroads Elementary in Quantico, Va.; Barsanti Elementary at Fort Campbell, Ky.; Aviano Middle-High School in Italy; and Sollars Elementary and Edgren Middle-High School at Misawa Air Base in Japan. The lawsuit was filed in April to challenge DODEA enforcement of three executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in late January. They are titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling and Restoring Americas Fighting Force. The complaint names DODEA and its director, Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as defendants. Materials about slavery, Native American history, womens history, LGBTQ+ identities and history, and sexual harassment and abuse prevention were removed from DODEA libraries and classrooms following the executive orders, and portions of the Advanced Placement psychology curriculum were no longer allowed to be taught in DODEAs high schools, according to an ACLU statement. In ordering the reinstatement of the books, Giles determined that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of the case. DODEA maintained that the books had not been banned but merely removed temporarily for a compliance review. Giles, however, said the agency has not been transparent with the process, and she recently ordered the full list of 596 censored book titles to be filed publicly. Giles also rejected DODEAs argument that its library curation should be exempt from the First Amendment as an expressive act of government speech. DODEA school libraries lack the quintessential elements of government speech, she ruled, adding that students must be free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding. KHARTOUM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Khartoum International Airport and several areas of the Sudanese capital were attacked by drones early Tuesday morning, just one day before the airport was set to resume domestic flights. "Khartoum Airport was targeted by five suicide drones at dawn today," a military source told Xinhua. "Ground-based anti-aircraft systems intercepted and shot down the drones, and limited losses were recorded," said the source, who requested anonymity. Another source at the airport said several maintenance workers and a civil defense officer sustained minor injuries in the attack. Local residents reported hearing explosions across various neighborhoods in the capital. "We heard the sounds of about 11 drones, followed by successive explosions," said an eyewitness from the East Nile area. No official statements have been released so far. On Monday, the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority announced that Khartoum International Airport would resume domestic flights starting Wednesday. The airport sustained heavy damage during the ongoing conflict, having been among the first sites attacked by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) at the outbreak of the war on April 15, 2023. Authorities have since worked to rehabilitate the airport after the army regained full control of Khartoum State in May. An announcement is expected soon regarding the reopening of the airspace between eastern Sudan and Khartoum, which has remained closed since the conflict began. Port Sudan International Airport, in the country's east, remains the only operational hub for international flights, while some local airports continue to operate on a limited basis. URUMQI, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- About a century ago, numerous cultural relics from Turpan -- a vital hub along the ancient Silk Road -- were taken overseas through exploration and excavation. Today, the historic city is fostering international dialogue and cooperation through Turfan studies, which bridge civilizations. Located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Turpan, also known as Turfan, has long been a melting pot where farming, nomadic and oasis cultures converged in the heart of Eurasia. Its arid climate has preserved a wealth of multilingual documents, cave murals and relics. From Oct. 18 to 20, nearly 200 experts and scholars from over 70 universities and research institutes across 16 countries and regions -- including Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States and Japan -- gathered in Turpan for the Seventh International Symposium of Turfan Studies. The topics ranged from heritage conservation to the evolution of Silk Road culture. "Turfan is a wonderful example of the meeting of different ethnic groups and religions in the past, and it remains so today," said Erica Hunter, a scholar from the University of Cambridge in the UK who specializes in relics and Syriac manuscripts excavated from Turpan. "It's only through meeting and dialogue that we gain mutual understanding," she added. Turfan studies emerged as an international academic field in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when explorers and archaeologists from Russia, Germany, Britain and Japan excavated, looted and studied the region's ancient tombs, ruins and artifacts. Peter Zieme, a professor at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, conducted a philological study on a manuscript fragment from Turpan now kept in Berlin. The fragment contains texts in both Old Uygur language and Chinese. He demonstrated how Uygur monks, scholars, poets and writers made independent and significant contributions to Buddhist thought. "Turfan has always been at the crossroads of civilizations," he said, underscoring that an in-depth study of artifacts from Turpan is crucial for understanding the history of human civilizational exchanges. Over the past century, experts and scholars from around the world specializing in classical philology, archaeology, history, linguistics, paleontology and other fields have contributed to Turfan studies. In recent years, new excavations and discoveries at relic sites -- such as the Xipang Jingjiao Monastery (a Nestorian Christian site) and the Tuyoq Buddhist Grottoes -- have infused energy into global research. Meanwhile, a growing number of Chinese scholars are making their mark in the field, deciphering languages once spoken by merchants and travelers along the ancient Silk Road. Drawing on manuscripts discovered in Turpan, Lin Lijuan, an associate professor in the Department of History at Peking University, shared insights into how Syriac Christian texts were translated, circulated locally, and potentially spread to Beijing and southern China. "Through Turpan, a key hub for cultural exchange, Western culture and religion entered other parts of China," she said. According to Zhang Yong, Party secretary of the Turpan cultural heritage administration, dedicated research and collaboration between Chinese and international scholars have transformed scattered fragments of evidence into robust academic achievements. "Turfan studies are not only a treasure of China but also of the world," said Zhang. "The civilizational exchanges in Turpan continue, as Turfan studies remain a shared language for global scholars." KABUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Nine commuters have been confirmed injured, some in critical condition, as a passenger bus collided with a truck in northern Afghanistan's Samangan province, said a news release of the provincial police office on Monday evening. The accident took place on the highway on Monday morning, injuring nine travelers, the news release said, adding all the victims had been shifted to a nearby hospital. Blaming reckless driving for the mishap, the news release called upon the drivers to respect traffic rules and regulations when they are behind the steering wheel. At the just-concluded 77th Frankfurt Book Fair, an executive at a Germany-based publishing house praised deepening collaboration with China. Eugenio Cabezas Moclinejo Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 12:04 Share The Spanish electricity distribution company E-distribucion Redes Digitales (formerly Endesa) has been ordered to pay 107,721 euros, plus interest, to the owners of a farm in Moclinejo in Malaga province which was damaged in a fire caused by "defective maintenance of the power line" and "negligence". The sentence has been passed by the provincial court in Malaga, which has upheld the appeal lodged against the Velez-Malaga court ruling from March 2023. The defendant has therefore been declared liable for the fire on 29 August 2020. According to the final decision, the fire was caused by a sagging cable that came into contact with a fig tree, which produced an electric arc capable of generating incandescent material. When this hot material touched the dry vegetation, it ignited and led to the spread of the fire. The flames damaged avocado and other fruit trees, olive, carob, almond and holm oak trees, as well as irrigation pipes. The ruling states that the fire was caused by a sagging cable that came into contact with a fig tree, producing an electric arc capable of generating incandescent material According to the plaintiffs' lawyer, "the electrical origin of the fire is supported by a wealth of evidence: an official, impartial and specialised expert report, witness statements corroborating the report and the physical evidence of the rubbing of the fig tree against the wires". In addition, the provincial court ruling states that "the rubbing of the trees against the power line reveals a defective maintenance of the power line" and "negligence on the part of the defendant". Maintenance and control "It is the electricity company that must carry out maintenance and checks to ensure the safety of its installations," the ruling says, adding that the company should also carry out work "to prevent damage to third parties". A report by the forest fire investigation brigade "clearly concludes that the origin of the fire was an 'electric arc due to contact with vegetation' due to 'deficiencies in its maintenance'". The investigators analysed photos taken by firefighting helicopters, which showed that the area next to the power line had been 'burnt' The brigade assessed photographs taken by firefighting helicopters, which showed that the area next to the power line had already been "burnt" by the time the flames spread to the stream and the hillside. This helped them determine the root - an area around a "pole with a cable with little tension", which reached the fig tree. The court initially dismissed the claim and acquitted the defendant based on the report provided by the company, which states that "the fire originated in a badly extinguished bonfire and not due to deficiencies in the low-voltage line". In the appeal, it was argued, among other things, that the court had not applied the legal principle of 'qualified probability'. The ruling can still be appealed before the High Court of Justice of Andalucia (TSJA). Tony Bryant Benalmadena Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 13:19 Share The Mayor of Benalmadena, Juan Antonio Lara, accompanied by other members of the local council, as well as a large delegation from Torremolinos town hall, visited on Monday (20 October) the Hindu Temple, located in La Paloma park, to join the Hindu community in celebrating the Diwali festival of lights. The local Hindu community was celebrating the beginning of the new year according to the lunar calendar with various events that Lara said demonstrate that Benalmadena is "a place of reference, integration, peace and friendship". During his visit, the mayor highlighted the importance of the Hindu community in the town and thanked the communitys president, Sunil Tharani, for the excellent organisation of the event. He also commended his contribution to multiculturalism and social harmony in the municipality. This event is a fine example of cultural unity and coexistence in our town. Benalmadena is a place of reference, integration and peace, the mayor said. Irene Quirante Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 15:11 Share National Police officers on the Costa del Sol have arrested a 37-year-old employee of a car parking company located close to Malaga Airport for reportedly ramming the business office with a customer's car in order to steal the safe that was kept inside. The alleged ram raid happened on 31 August. The National Police were alerted to a robbery in a warehouse in the Villa Rosa industrial area. According to the caller, a driver had rammed a car into an office doorway several times. Officers began by checking the cameras in the area, which helped them identify the perpetrator as an employee of the company that had been raided. The police discovered that the suspect had stolen a customer's car that had been left in the safe keeping of his company and used it to carry out the robbery. The employee rammed the vehicle into the office in order to steal the safe. After fleeing, he set fire to the car and abandoned it in a nearby area. The safe was found on the back seat once the fire was extinguished. Juan Cano Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 10:00 Share A crew member of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise has died at Malaga Airport, where he was evacuated by a Salvamento Maritimo rescue helicopter. The NGO ship, which had been docked in the city's port for a few days, reported that one of its crew members was in need of urgent medical attention. Salvamento Maritimo mobilised a boat and a helicopter, which arrived at the scene at almost at the same time. Given the state of the sea, with strong waves, and the urgency of the transfer, it was decided to evacuate the crew member by helicopter in order to reach the hospital as soon as possible. Unfortunately, when the aircraft landed at Malaga Airport, the man had died. Maria Jose Diaz Alcala Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 14:01 | Updated 14:22h. Share A serial thief was arrested by the police in Malaga on 10 October after being identified as the offender in nine thefts in lifts mostly targeting elderly women. The first incident was reported earlier this month. According to the police report, a man struck a 68-year-old woman in the face and on the arm after getting into the lift in her building on Avenida Aurora with her. He managed to snatch her purse and flee. The same 'modus operandi' was used in several other thefts that followed, in different areas of Malaga city: Calle La Union, Gaucin, Horacio Lengo, Pasaje Rio Albaida, Paseo de los Tilos, Jerusalen, Conde del Guadalhorce and Sondalezas. The suspect would offer to share a lift with the victims, usually elderly women, and attack them once they were inside. As part of 'Operation Mohicano' and with the victims' help, the police identified and located the suspect. The thief was arrested and brought before the court and he was jailed. TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday exchanged views on the situations in Gaza and Yemen. In a phone call, the two sides discussed the latest developments in the conflict regions, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The Iranian foreign minister highlighted the international community's responsibility to prevent the "continuation of Israel's violations" of the ceasefire with Hamas and ensure delivery of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza. Araghchi also mentioned the situation in Yemen, condemning Israel's "aggression" against the Arab nation. He called for continued cooperation between Iran and the United Nations to help ensure stability in Yemen and security in the region. Guterres underlined the necessity to continue diplomatic consultations to guarantee stability and security in the region. Pilar Martinez Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 10:39 Share The unstoppable growth of Malaga Airport and the improvement of its air connectivity have made it the main gateway for foreign tourists coming to Andalucia. The monthly report of the Junta's Ministry of Industry and Tourism shows that 81.1% of foreigners who arrive in Andalucia land at Malaga Airport. A total of 13,741,509 passengers have come to the region up to September. Of them, some 11,145,493 entered through Malaga. The report particularly highlights the role of low-cost airlines in passenger increase both in Andalucia and on the Costa del Sol. Almost eight million of the January-September 2025 foreign passengers in Andalucia flew with a company on the lower cost end of the scale, which represents 15.6% of all arrivals in Spain and 9.6% more than in the same period last year. Of these, 6,127,403 entered through Malaga - an increase of 9.6% compared to 2024. By contrast, traditional or flag carriers transported 2,878,803 passengers to Andalusian airports in these first nine months, with a more moderate increase of 3.5%. Of them, 2.5 million passengers landed in the capital of the Costa del Sol, an increase of 3%. 9.6% more international arrivals on low-cost airlines in Andalucia and Malaga Airport The prominence of low-cost airlines makes Malaga Airport the third in the country in terms of international passengers, after Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. In terms of regions, Andalucia is fourth, after Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia. The ministry points out that between January and September Spain received 86.3 million international passengers, registering an increase of 5.6% compared to the same period in 2024, with both Andalucia and Malaga showing greater dynamism with a higher average growth. This means nearly 4.6 million more arrivals, with low-cost airlines accounting for 3.4 million of these. In September, 2.4 million passengers arrived from the UK, accounting for "22.2% of the total flow of arrivals to Spain, with a year-on-year increase of 2.2%". The UK market seems to be popular in Andalucia, Valencia, Murcia and Galicia. However, markets such as Italy and France show a decline. For example, French arrivals have experienced "a significant decline of more than 7%" in Andalucia and the Basque Country. On the other hand, countries such as the Netherlands make up for the loss, with an increase of 6.5%, mainly in Catalonia, Valencia and Andalucia, each with a share of around 19%. Jose Antonio Sau Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 11:23 | Updated 11:29h. Share The Malaga Airport medical service allegedly spent a total of 12 hours without an ambulance to transport the sick and injured on 16 October, sources have reported. However, the airport operator Aena stated that there was medical assistance available at all times on the date and that the emergency services of the Andalusian regional government would have been alerted if necessary. Thursday 16 October was the day when the new concessionaire for the airport's ambulance service was supposed to start. The company has its own medical team and a 24-hour ambulance. The initially scheduled date for the start of the contract was actually 1 October, but there was a delay. Two ambulances had not passed their technical inspection and four more were rejected According to sources, an ambulance with an expired technical inspection licence arrived at midnight and it was rejected. Another one was brought later, but it also turned out to not have passed the ITV inspection. A third ambulance arrived in the morning, but that one had an "engine problem" and was in a poor state. It could not go over 50km/h. In addition, "the life support monitor was not working, the cables were stripped, some of the medicines were out of date and the respirator was not working". The vehicle was turned down around 9.30am. Shortly afterwards, there was a patient with chest pain. Aena recommended contacting the 061 emergency medical services or the Puerta Blanca health centre, as there was no ambulance available. A fourth ambulance was rejected around 2pm, because it did not meet the required standards. The fifth vehicle was finally accepted after 9pm. Almost 12 hours had passed between the third and fifth ambulances. Quality levels According to airport sources, the Malaga facilities have a medical team available and an ambulance 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Malaga Airport representatives said that the reason for the lack of a vehicle on 16 October was that the ambulances sent during the change from one management company to another were being rejected by Aena. While the company was addressing the problem, the airport's own medical services took over minor cases and alerted the Andalusian regional authorities in case of an emergency. Even when there is an ambulance provided by the concessionaire, the Andalusian authorities are notified when there are two emergencies happening at the same time. "It should be noted that at all Aena airports primary care and emergency medical transport are guaranteed by the Spanish state through the general social security system according to royal decree 1030/2006 of 15 September," Aena stated. The worlds of wine and select products came together at the fifth SUR Wines & Gourmet, which was held at the NH Malaga hotel on Monday, 20 October. The exclusive event is aimed at professionals and small and large businesses from all over Spain that want to showcase their products. The event was organised by Malaga en la Mesa and Diario SUR and sponsored by Sabor a Malaga, three Spanish provincial authorities (Malaga, Cordoba and Valladolid), Sabor a Cordoba, Alimentos de Valladolid and Milla de Oro del Vino. This year's event was larger than ever, with 150 companies and more than 500 references of wines and select products. SUR Wines & Gourmet, which has become a meeting point for the sector, was open to all types of professionals, winemakers, distributors and producers from all over the country. All of them highlighted the prominence that Malaga has gained at an international level. Director of the Dehesa Penalba PDO wine estate in Valladolid Isabel Turrado confirmed Malaga's fame within her sector. Her estate showcased three wines that are already being distributed in some restaurants on the coast and that they want to promote in the Costa del Sol capital. For Alberto Gonzales from the small family winery Ogon in Valladolid, SUR Wines & Gourmet is a great marketing opportunity. Like another bodega in Valladolid - Laderas de Valverde - they work with artisanal products. Fatima Marcos from Laderas de Valverde echoed Gonzales' words and said that the event helps them "reach many more people". Kieninger from Ronda works with Austrian grapes, specifically the Blaufankisch. With ten different varieties, the Kieninger family works through an artisanal and organic process, producing varietal, single-variety and young wines on a three-and-a-half-hectare estate, yielding around 15,000 bottles per year and only about 300 of some of the more exclusive ones. Gourmet products A selection of gourmet products complemented the wine offer. Cominport brought a selection of sakes and deep-frozen Japanese oysters at affordable prices; Queso La Laja presented the only cow's cheese made in Malaga; Grupo Pistacyl brought their oil made from pistachios; and Eukel displayed a craft beer made in the Argentinian style in Malaga. The only bean-to-bar chocolate made in Andalucia, Maychoco, also made an appearance. Its workshop is located in Benajarafe. "We are from Malaga and we want to be known in Malaga," said chocolate master Mayte Sanchez. Malaga sultana bonbon or chocolate with Crestellina cheese are some of the products that Mayte Sanchez brought to SUR Wines & Gourmet. She also let us in on the secret that she is currently working on products with custard apple and roasted chestnuts - local supply, like all the other products she uses. Attendees were also able to participate in various tastings and product presentations: Vinos Malaga, esencia en equilibrio; Grandes vinos de Rueda; Aceites peculiares de la DO Priego de Cordoba; Pedro Ximenez: Un vino para cada producto; Sushis y sakes; Gran cata de rosados DO Navarra; Vinos Sierras de Malaga: La excelencia de la diversidad; Sabores de Almeria; and Vinos ganadores del concurso Vino de Museo. A turning point Deputy head of Malaga provincial authority Toni Ledesma, who attended the event, highlighted the role Sabor a Malaga has played in "the agri-food and wine sectors" in the province and in promoting local products. As Ledesma said, one of the objectives is "to make these products known and visible, especially outside the small municipalities where they are born". "From there, the aim is to launch them outside our province," she said. Sabor a Malaga director Leonor Garcia-Agua said that they are working hard, alongside the provincial authority, because now many brands rely on them for promotion more than ever. She recognised the brand's role in making local producers and small family companies known in the rest of the country for the work they put into their products. Garcia-Agua also acknowledged the role of each personal story in promoting brands. Sabor a Cordoba does similar work. "For us, this is a great opportunity. Malaga is a very rich province and a great ally," said Gonzalo Esparza. Sabor a Almeria has been in the process of internationalisation for the last two years. Almeria provincial authority deputy for the agri-food sector Carlos Sanchez announced that they have been able to "double the number of companies exporting abroad", while acknowledging that this motivates them to work even harder. "We are participating in many trade fairs and SUR Wines in a very interesting opportunity to open up the market," he said. Javier Perales from Jaen's agricultural sector promoted his province's potential to export oil and the Degusta Jaen brand, which has more than 300 companies under its umbrella. Francisco Fuentes from the Valladolid provincial authority accompanied Alimentos de Valladolid, which comprises 500 companies, 14 of which participated in the event, and 2,000 certified products. "Malaga is key," he said, adding that they have been to the Costa del Sol event three times and will keep coming. David Palacios from Navarra D.O. also expressed his satisfaction with this type of event: "Malaga is one of our traditional markets. We want to strengthen this connection, especially because of its potential as a tourist destination." Paco Grinan Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 16:29 Share The latest robbery of the century at the Louvre has sent shockwaves around the world's museums. Four thieves and a telescopic work ladder on a truck were enough to demonstrate that security at France's great cultural centre - and one of the most prestigious in the world - is in dire need of improvement, prompting other institutions to review their security protocols. Security is a particularly pressing issue in a city of museums such as Malaga. Just look at the numbers, as the protection of art collections is one of the biggest expenses on the annual bill for upkeep of the city's exhibition spaces. In all the cases analysed by SUR, these services are provided externally by specialised security companies, to which Malaga's art galleries dedicate an ever-increasing total amount from their budgets, exceeding a spend of four million euros in 2025. Until now, the workforce of more than 70 officers and security guards watching over the works of art hanging in Malaga's main museums were mostly on their guard for the type of attacks on paintings that have proliferated in recent years, done as a form of protest for various causes, in addition to supervising visitor traffic and general security without impacting the collections on display. However, following the spectacular theft of the royal jewels at the Louvre last Sunday, the security teams have put this type of threat back at the top of their to-do list, having become acutely aware of the shortcomings in security at one of the world's leading cultural centres. In Malaga, there have been no recorded cases of art theft in the last two decades, although the risk of such an occurrence is one of the obvious fears of museum directors, curators and owners of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and engravings. One need only recall the recent case in Granada: the disappearance of a small drawing by Pablo Picasso during the moving of an exhibition. The piece remains unaccounted for and police are investigating to determine its whereabouts or to verify that it was indeed stolen. Zoom A security guard watches over the iconic Cube at the Centre Pompidou in Malaga. SUR Despite the general policy of cutbacks, investment in museum security in Malaga has increased by 25% this year. While cutbacks are widespread across sectors, security in Malaga does not seem to be affected by budget cuts, quite the contrary, in fact. Thus, the overall budget of 4,063,774 euros to finance the security teams of the six major museums in the Costa del Sol capital represents a significant increase of 26% in this respect, compared to the 3.2 million euros allocated for this same purpose in 2024. The Picasso doesn't say much, but it invests If we break down these overall figures, the Picasso Museum in Malaga (MPM) is the museum that dedicates most financial and human resources to security at its headquarters in the Buenavista Palace. This is logical, given that it is the exhibition centre with the most sought-after works of art from Malaga's collections and the one with the highest visitor numbers in all Andalucia (792,353 people last year). Thus, this particular art gallery on Calle San Agustin is the most aware of the need for this service, having increased its budget - it now costs over two euros per visitor to remain vigilant - and raising its investment in security to 1.6 million euros this year. The Picasso and the Carmen Thyssen are the museums that have most increased their investment in security this year. Although the MPM declines to comment on its security and what happened at the Louvre, the leading museum in Malaga makes it clear on its transparency portal that its commitment to security has improved considerably this year by increasing its budget for this work and raising the total by 61% in 2025, having allocated one million euros to security in the previous year. A significant figure for a museum whose assets amount to a very substantial insurance valuation of 93 million euros. Zoom A security guard at the Carmen Thyssen Museum watches over the collection in one of the galleries. Salvador Salas Next up, just a few paces behind, are three museums with similar figures for security at their facilities: the Russian Museum Collection (a budget of 631,616 euros), the Pompidou Centre (627,126 euros) and the Carmen Thyssen Museum with 605,000 euros allocated to security. Of these three, the largest increase in 2025 was logged by the third art gallery, up 46%, having also increased its investment in this area to match that of its competitors. With similar figures, but one level lower in terms of resource spend on security, are the Casa Natal Picasso (285,108 euros) and the Malaga Museum, with 281,869 euros, completing the list. Together, they have invested millions to prevent their collections from being attacked by art thieves. Paco Grinan Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 17:41 Share His name is not just the most sought-after by collectors at auctions. Or the most visited works of art at exhibitions. Pablo Picasso is also a favourite of thieves. The same type of thieves who carried out the audacious robbery at the Louvre Museum in Parislast weekend. They are especially fixated on this highly-prized artist from Malaga. Just take a look at Interpol's updated list of stolen art to see that the Spanish painter is also the most sought-after on the black market, where a whopping 452 works of art bearing his signature are in circulation. These are the known ones. Those that have been reported by their owners and being sought by Interpol. In short, the creator of the 'Guernica' painting is among the most wanted artists in this fraudulent trafficking of art pieces. Whether for illegal sale or commissioned by a collector for exclusive, personal enjoyment, Picasso is far removed from most of the artists included on Interpol's database of stolen works of art. Therefore leading painters like Van Gogh only appears with seven canvases reported missing by their rightful owners, while another contemporary of Picasso and popular artist, Andy Warhol, has 54 missing pieces. Among those closest to Picasso's total in this criminal list of missing artistic heritage is Salvador Dali, whose stolen works of art amount to approximately 100. This figure, however, is still a far cry from the Malaga-born artist's tally of stolen art. Meanwhile, two other great contemporaries of Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne and Joan Miro, are also present in this inventory with "only" 13 and 23 pieces respectively. Interpol collects all this 'wanted' artistic heritage on the mobile phone app ID-Art , which has already reached the estimated total of 57,000 records of art thefts and disappearances worldwide. This exercise in transparency and dissemination describes each item with the aim of reducing illegal trafficking and trade in these cultural assets. The most frequently cited name on the app is that of Malaga-born Pablo Picasso, with 452 pieces logged, most of which are numbered prints and graphic works. That said, there is still a hefty number of original, exclusive and most sought-after works of art by Picasso: 77 paintings and drawings. They also feature the master's great themes: his women and family, still lifes, self-portraits and bullfighting compositions. Of Picasso's 452 missing pieces, 77 paintings and drawings are original, exclusive and highly prized Most of the reports of missing works by Picasso come from France, although Interpol is searching for paintings valued in the millions of euros almost all over the world, from the United States to Israel, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden and, of course, Spain. Speaking of exclusive, non-serial pieces, here in Spain there have been reports of important pieces being stolen or going missing, such as 'Portrait of a Man', an undated painting that corresponds to his formative years due to its academic style, and 'Portrait of a Woman', an oil painting with the painter's signature at the top of the canvas, which was removed from its original frame. The list also includes highly valuable works, such as a notebook containing some 30 original drawings by the Malaga native's first wife, Olga Khokhlova, and the watercolour 'A Musketeer' (1969), related to the oil painting 'Musketeer with a Sword' (1972), currently hanging in one of the gallery rooms at the Picasso Museum in Malaga. Stolen or legal? All this information is accessible on your mobile phone screen through ID-Art , an easy-to-use tool that, by simply scanning a work of art in front of you, tells you whether you're looking at a stolen or legal piece. This is a very comprehensive database, as this international project has compiled records and reports from 134 countries with the aim of facilitating the recovery of valuable art and objects, ranging from paintings to antiques, sculptures, ceramics, tapestries, furniture, gold and silverware and, of course, jewellery such as those stolen last weekend from the Louvre Museum. If the recent theft of a Picasso in Granada is confirmed, it will join the ID-Art list as number 453 on the list of stolen works of art works by the Malaga-born artist The challenge in the fight against the trafficking of these stolen works lies in the lack of unity among the different laws and legal systems regarding art. "In many countries, there is a lack of awareness of cultural laws, so it is important to assign personnel to work exclusively in this area, in addition to cataloguing cultural heritage and developing the standard by which our database operates," explains Tiziano Coiro, coordinator of Interpol's works of art unit. He emphasises the need to collaborate and "share information" among different police forces, since this type of criminal activity has an international reach and its trafficking often goes beyond the borders of the states where the crime was committed. This is what will happen with the recent drawing by Picasso that disappeared last week from a temporary exhibition in Granada and was valued at 600,000 euros. The case is currently being investigated by the Spanish police. If its theft is confirmed, it will become part of ID-Art's list as number 453 on the Malaga artist's ever-growing list of stolen works of art. Europa Press Orense Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 16:06 Share The Guardia Civil have arrested a 33-year-old resident of Carballeda de Avia on suspicion that he started the forest fire that devastated 3,200 hectares in Orense this past August in northwestern Spain. According to the police, the fire started at 4.28pm on 15 August, in the parish of Vilar de Condes. It affected the municipalities of Carballeda de Avia, Ribadavia, Melon and Orense, with a perimeter of over 43 kilometres. Within the framework of operation 'Covelo', the investigators carried out a technical report which ruled out natural causes and implied human responsibility. The fire put the lives of people "at serious risk", with many having to evacuate. Inhabited areas were confined and the flames caused damage to different buildings, including four houses. In addition, human, land and air resources from different regions and the central government were necessary to fight the flames. The devastating fires in Galicia this summer, especially in the province of Orense, required investigations carried out by multidisciplinary teams. Miriam Antolin Castilla y Leon Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 12:50 Share The Guardia Civil arrested a National Police officer on 14 October as the main suspect in the murder of his 93-year-old mother in Avila. The judge has since then ordered him to be remanded in custody at a prison in Segovia. The victim was found by a passerby who called the emergency services to report the discovery of a body in the area known as Alto de la Paramera, on the N 403 road in Tornadizos. This happened on 12 October. The investigation led to the arrest of the victim's son. "No further information will be provided at this time, in order to preserve the development of the investigation," the government subdelegation in the area stated. Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez is unwilling to give up his fight to make climate change prevention part of defence investment, despite the reluctance of some Nato partners and the European Commission. In the midst of tension with Donald Trump, who is an open denier of the climate emergency, over Spain's refusal to raise military spending to 5% of GDP, Sanchez used his appearance before the media in Slovenia on Monday as an opportunity to announce that he is not giving up his initiative. According to Nato estimates, Spain has already reached 2% of defence spending this year, thanks to an injection of more than 10 billion euros approved by the Spanish government in April, through a mechanism that allowed it to bypass parliamentary authorisation. Now, its commitment to the Alliance is to increase to 2.1% at most, as agreed at the summit in The Hague in June. The other allies agreed to increase spending to 5%, pressed by Trump's demands. The Spanish government has stated that reaching 5% would be unfeasible for many of the countries, while Spain will comply with what it has promised, even though the 2.1% is also controversial. Sanchez has been arguing for months that defence spending in the 21st century should involve wider issues such as cybersecurity, border control and the management of emergencies and natural disasters, already included in the industrial and technological plan for security and defence for 2025. However, just ten days ago, the European Commission said that Spain will not be allowed to count this type of 'green' investment as military spending in order to qualify for loans under the SAFE programme or the fiscal flexibility of the European rearmament plan. National budgets The five-year European rearmament plan aims to provide the EU with a deterrent force that will enable it to guarantee its own defence against the threat from Russia. Among its objectives is becoming independent from relying on the US, considering the risk that Trump might decide to withdraw his military support for Ukraine. Although uncertain, this possibility increased again after the tense meeting between Trump and Zelenski at the White House on 17 October. The bulk of the investment will come from national budgets, but to facilitate disbursement the EU allows member states to borrow without being sanctioned for non-compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact, along with 150 billion euros in repayable loans. In Slovenia, Sanchez sidestepped the question of whether he has been able to garner any support for his position, but stated that Spain's plan for 2025 already envisages that "13%" of the defence budget approved in April will be used to strengthen the role of the armed forces in disasters such as floods or fires. "Indeed, some of these policies can be counted as policies linked to security and defence," he said. SUR in English Malaga Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 16:51 Share Police in the UK have renewed an appeal for information to help locate a convicted drug dealer who is wanted by officers after failing to appear at court for sentencing. Jonathan McAllister was given a 20-year sentence in his absence at Sheffield Crown Court in May 2022 after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, conspiracy to supply ketamine, possessing criminal property, and conspiracy to contravene customs laws. McAllister, who was on bail, failed to appear at court for sentencing which followed an investigation by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU). He is known to have links to Spain. The court heard McAllister played a key role in importing 90 kilos of cocaine and 10 kilos of heroin from the Netherlands to an industrial estate in Ecclesfield, Sheffield. The drugs had an estimated street value at the time of 9.5 million. A further consignment of 11 kilos of cocaine and six kilos of heroin was intercepted before it arrived at an industrial estate in Penistone, Barnsley, and was estimated in court to have a street value of more than 1.25 million. Searches of a lock-up linked to McAllister resulted in the further discovery of 15 kilos of ketamine, while 25,000 in cash was found at his home. The 32-year-old (date of birth 22/10/92), formerly of Finkle Street Lane, Wortley, near Sheffield, who has links to Spain, is described as a white male, of slim build, 5"11' (182cm) tall with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information which may help to locate McAllister is asked to contact South Yorkshire Police by calling 101 in the UK and quoting reference SYP-20251015-0679. Or contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 in the UK or via the website www.crimestoppers-uk.org in Spain. Olatz Hernandez Madrid Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 12:38 Share The European Commission has said that it will study Spain's proposal to put an end to the clock changes that take place twice a year. During the meeting of the energy ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, 20 October, energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said that the EU will soon "carry out an in-depth analysis". Brussels will try to find "a common ground" among the EU-27. In the meantime, the clocks will continue going one hour backwards or forwards, until a decision is reached. At the meeting, Spain's deputy representative in Brussels, Oriol Escalas, referred to 44 studies that have proved that there are almost no energy saving benefits to clock changes in today's modern world. "We only save around six euros a year, but the impact on people's health and well-being is enormous. It is an obsolete and unjustified measure," Escalas stated. Finland and Poland have expressed their support of Spain's proposal. The Finnish ambassador said that changing the clock "affects people's physical health, especially in countries with longer dark hours such as Finland". The Polish ambassador also backed the initiative, stating that clock changes "deregulate people's lives". BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- As the initiator and host country of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), China welcomes more countries to join the IOMed, engage in close cooperation with the organization and together make new contribution to world peace and development, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday. An inauguration ceremony for the IOMed was held on Monday in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, attended by representatives from over 30 founding member states and nearly 200 representatives from various sectors in Hong Kong. The vision of the IOMed has a lot in common with the Global Governance Initiative put forth by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Guo said at a press briefing. The IOMed aims to promote reconciliation, cooperation and harmony, defend fairness, justice and equity, uphold extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and focus on people-centered approach and real results, said Guo, adding that establishing the IOMed is a pioneering act in international rule of law. The IOMed will play a positive role in advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity by promoting the rule of law, and will help make Hong Kong the "capital of mediation," he noted. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the IOMed in Hong Kong on May 30. He signed the convention on behalf of China. Effective from August, the convention now has 37 country signatories and has been ratified by eight of them, Guo said, pointing out that the IOMed has seen its convention signed and put into effect, and started operation within just five months, which is not often the case for international organizations. "This fully shows that the establishment of the IOMed echoes the trend of the times and is supported and welcomed by the international community," Guo said. Potsdam, N.Y. A 19-year-old North Country man was charged after police said he drove erratically through a No Kings protest in the village of Potsdam over the weekend. Gage Chapman was driving a pickup truck during Saturdays No Kings protest on Main Street in Potsdam when police received reports that he was intentionally squealing his tires and creating smoke to disrupt the event, according to Lt. Corbin Gates-Shult, a spokesperson for the Potsdam Police Department. The protest, which drew over a thousand to the village of Potsdam, was part of a national day of action called Return of No Kings, organized by the national Indivisible movement. Gates-Shult said Chapman drove through the crowd twice, prompting alarm from protesters. Police were able to identify Chapman as the driver with the help of photos and video shared by people at the rally, Gates-Shult said. Chapman was charged with two misdemeanors and 18 violations: 2 counts of third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, misdemeanors 2 counts of disorderly conduct, unreasonable noise 2 counts of disorderly conduct, obstruct vehicular/pedestrian traffic 2 counts of disorderly conduct, disrupting a lawful assembly 2 counts of disorderly conduct, creating a hazardous condition 2 counts of unnecessary noise 2 counts of reckless driving 2 counts of no affixed front license plate 2 counts of unnecessary smoke 2 counts of unsafe start When asked about the pickup truck, police declined to confirm whether it bore any political flags, decals or symbols. Gates-Shult said they are investigating reports of similar behavior by other vehicles in the area during the event. Potsdam Mayor Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, who attended the rally with her children and friends, said she didnt witness the incident firsthand but later saw the video circulating. In spite of the dangerous actions and poor judgment on display from the driver in that video, I would describe the atmosphere at Potsdams rally as peaceful and joyous overall, she said in a written statement. People were playing music and singing together there were families, senior citizens, children and members of the clergy chatting and waving signs together," she said. Union members stood together in solidarity. She added that most vehicles passing the demonstration honked and waved in support. The demonstration remained largely peaceful, according to Jacobs Wilke. The No Kings rallies took place in cities and towns across New York and the country, part of a broader push organized by the national Indivisible movement to oppose what they describe as anti-democratic actions by President Donald Trump. Chapman is set to appear in Potsdam Town Court on November 5. When does trick-or-treating start on Halloween? And is there an age limit? Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on Oct. 31, most notably with kids going from door to door in costumes and asking for candy. The fun is based on the traditions of Samhain and All Hallows Eve, evolving into a variety of festivities with trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, spooky stories, scary movies, haunted houses, parties, and more. What time should you trick-or-treat on Halloween? There is no official start and end time for trick-or-treating in most communities, but as a general rule the most popular hours are from 5-8 p.m. on Halloween, Oct. 31. Parents with younger kids tend to start around 5 p.m. when theres still daylight, while most trick-or-treaters begin around sunset between 5:30 and 6 p.m. In Syracuse, sunset is expected to be 5:57 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. People typically hand out candy until they run out, so times can vary from house to house. However, past polls have shown younger children typically stop by 8p.m. while older kids sometimes stay out until 9 especially if the weather is nice or if Halloween falls on a weekend (like this year). Some places, however, like the city of Syracuse, strongly suggest specific times for starting and stopping trick-or-treating. The Neighborhood Watch Groups of Syracuse and the Syracuse Police Department recommend residents hand out candy on Halloween between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Is there an age limit for trick-or-treating? No. There is no rule or law against trick-or-treating at a certain age in New York state, despite some misleading social media posts you may see online. However, the NYS Division of Consumer Protection and the New York State Department of Health say children under age 12 should be accompanied by an adult while trick-or-treating, while older, responsible children should review their route with an adult and agree on a time to return home. In other words, its generally acceptable for kids ages 12 and under to trick-treat on Halloween, but its up to the kids and their parents as they get older. A poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2024 found that 13.5 is the average age that Americans say kids should stop trick-or-treating. Some U.S. towns elsewhere do have specific age restrictions for trick-or-treaters, though. The New York Post reports Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, has banned anyone 14 or older from trick-or-treating (though its rarely enforced). Charleston, South Carolina, reportedly has a limit of 16 years old. And a few towns have set 12 as the age cutoff, including in Upper Deerfield Township, N.J.; Delmar, Delaware; and Portsmouth, Virginia (where trick-or-treating over the age of 12 is a class 3 misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $500). Safety tips for trick-or-treating The Neighborhood Watch Groups of Syracuse recommends the following tips for safely trick-or-treating: Carry a flashlight or glow stick. Adults should accompany young children from house to house. Dont go out alone, use the buddy system. Walk on the sidewalk, not in the road and obey traffic signals. Stay in familiar neighborhoods. Approach only houses with front porch / door lights on. Although tampering is rare, children should bring candy home to be inspected before eating it. This also helps children who may have food allergies. New York state officials also recommend: Use reflective tape as a trim for costumes, outerwear and even treat bags to make them visible to motorists at dusk and in the dark. Cross the street on corners, use crosswalks and adhere to traffic signals. Put electronics down; keep your head up and walk (dont run) while crossing the street. Indoor trick-or-treat options are also popular, especially as a safer option for little ones. In Syracuse, Destiny USA welcomes kids in costume for Spook-A-Thon fun in the malls canyon area and trick-or-treating at participating stores from 3-5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. Some groups have proposed making Halloween a 2-day holiday, moving trick-or-treating to the Saturday before October 31 and designating it National Trick-Or-Treat Day. Halloween, based on the ancient feast All Hallows Eve, would still also be celebrated on the last day of October, creating two days of spooky fun. MORE: Halloween events and haunted houses in Syracuse, Central NY: Scary fun things to do The administration of President Donald Trump has agreed to cancel student loans under programs it had partially blocked, according to CNBC. The move reopens a path to student loan forgiveness for millions. The action is the result of deal between the administration and the American Federation of Teachers, a union, according to CNBC. Under the agreement, the administration said it will again start processing loan forgiveness for eligible borrowers under two income-based repayment plans: the Income-Contingent Repayment plan and the Pay as You Earn plan. The administration will process loan forgiveness under the plans as long as they remain in effect, CNBC said. The massive policy bill Trump and Republicans pushed through Congress earlier this year phases out both programs in 2028. Over 2.5 million people are enrolled in the programs, according to CNBC. This is a tremendous win for borrowers, said Winston Berkman-Breen, the legal director for Protect Borrowers, which served as the AFTs counsel, according to CNBC. The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to follow the law and deliver Congressionally mandated affordable payments and debt relief to hard-working public service workers across the country. The union sued the administration in March, accusing it of blocking borrowers from programs mandated in their original loan terms, CNBC said. The administration had previously paused forgiveness under some income-based repayment plans, saying it was doing so in response to court orders. Income-based repayment plans set borrowers monthly bills as a share of their discretionary income and then cancel remaining debt after a certain period, usually 20 or 25 years, according to CNBC. Borrowers who become eligible for forgiveness this year wont owe federal taxes on the relief, the administration said, according to the New York Post. A spokesperson for the Education Department said in a statement to the Post that it is now processing legitimate loan cancellations once again. The statement described previous efforts to forgive student loans under the Biden administration as illegal. When the New York State Young Republicans Club disbanded Friday amid an uproar over its racist and antisemitic rhetoric in a group chat, the club left behind unpaid bills from extravagant social gatherings. At two of those events, the club ran up bills of more than $23,000 over a weekend at a Syracuse hotel spending big on a three-course plated dinner with filet mignon and open bars but then didnt pay, according to records obtained by syracuse.com. The Embassy Suites Hotel at Destiny USA hosted the clubs summer awards dinner last year, making a rare exception to its rule for customers to pay in advance of using its banquet facilities. But the hotels goodwill quickly evaporated as its managers spent four months trying to collect what it was owed, according to billing documents and dozens of internal emails reviewed by syracuse.com. The hotels increasingly urgent emails requesting payment were met with a series of excuses by Peter Giunta, 31, the club president who gained national notoriety last week for his I love Hitler group chat. Giunta resigned just before Politico reported that his group had not paid off a bill of more than $14,000 for a holiday party in December 2023 at the National Womens Republican Club in Manhattan. The Young Republicans previously unreported debt in Syracuse followed on the heels of the Manhattan party and a trip by Giunta and club leaders to Nashville last year when he was campaigning for a position to lead the Young Republicans on a national level. In a since-deleted social media post, a former Donald Trump campaign staffer alleged the group owed $7,000 to Redneck Riviera, a bar and live music venue in Nashville, according to Politico. Danielle Neuser, former director of sales at the Destiny Embassy Suites, confirmed the problems in collecting payment from Giunta and the club. Neuser said she didnt know about the clubs history of unpaid bills before its annual Teddy Roosevelt Dinner in Syracuse. But after Giunta showed up without a check to pay for the weekend events from July 26-28, 2024, Neuser said, she sized him up immediately. Im not surprised youre writing this story, Neuser said when contacted by a syracuse.com reporter. I just knew based on how he handled us that he was doing that in many different places. I think this kid is so full of BS and just was making up answers to kind of keep people at bay. Neuser, president of the Greater Syracuse Hospitality and Tourism Association, said it was only the second time in her 30-plus years in the business that she could recall a client that made so many excuses over a prolonged period for not paying their bill. I saw through him from the day before the event, where he said he was going to come with a check, she said. And then he had like 13 excuses: That somebody forgot the checkbook and he didnt have it. Then there was a fraud. And their bank account was compromised. It was like this kid had every excuse in the book. Benedicte Doran, the former Onondaga County Republican Committee chair, said she tried to intervene and convince Giunta to pay up even though her group had no responsibility for the event. The county committee regularly hosts election night watch parties at the hotel. I did everything I could to get the guy to do the right thing, and he didnt do it, Doran said. Hes just a bad guy. Months later, after the hotel banned Giunta and club members from future visits to the property and threatened a lawsuit, he came up with sporadic payments that eventually whittled the debt down to $7,257.14, the documents show. When the Destiny Embassy Suites was sold to a private equity firm in Arlington, Va. in November, its managers decided to end their collection efforts, Neuser said. Now its unclear whether Destiny Embassy Suites or any other creditors to the club will be able to recover what they are owed. New York Republican Party leaders voted Friday to dissolve the club, whose goal was to recruit future GOP leaders between the age of 18 and 40. After suspending its authorization for the New York State Young Republicans Club to operate at a statewide level, party leaders said their hope is to reconstitute the club under new leadership in the future. What remained unanswered are questions about the groups finances and what happened to the money it collected from membership dues and the sale of tickets to its events across the state. New York Republican Chair Ed Cox acknowledged the clubs management problems, without providing details, in a statement Friday. The Young Republicans was already grossly mismanaged, and vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations, Cox said. David Laska, a New York Republican Party spokesman, told syracuse.com that the state organization is under no obligation to pay off the clubs debts. The New York State Young Republicans are a separately incorporated legal entity, Laska said. That entity owes that debt. Giunta did not respond to a phone call and emails from syracuse.com asking about the unpaid bills. After Giunta resigned last month, the New York Young Republican Club, a separate New York City chapter, issued a statement that said it had uncovered evidence of serious potential financial misconduct within the parent club. Our concerns include potential failures by the prior administration to follow basic internal control procedures in accounts payable and apparent unexplained material unpaid obligations, the statement said. Without offering specific examples of the financial problems, the New York City club asked for a transparent accounting of the state organization and said it will take all actions necessary to hold the responsible parties accountable. At the same time, the state clubs new vice chair promised to investigate. I am shocked and saddened by the alleged past wrongdoings that we have uncovered, and it is my duty to the members of and donors to this organization to restore its financial stability, Becky Oliveira said in a statement issued Sept. 26. After Giunta resigned, the club filed a series of late financial disclosure reports dating back to last year with the state Board of Elections. The most recent report from last month shows the club in the red, with unpaid debts of $38,560. Although the Young Republicans reported raising $50,310 during the period, the club spent $49,993, according to the filing. A separate report detailing the groups spending from the summer of 2024 listed expenses at several Syracuse bars and restaurants in the days after the conference at the Destiny Embassy Suites. Those expenses included charges for meals at Dave and Busters at Destiny USA ($95.45) and the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que ($38.35) and a tab for $198 at the Gilded Club cocktail bar in Armory Square, all on July 29, 2024. The report also listed expenses for meals the next day (July 30) at P.F. Changs ($112.61) and Texas de Brazil ($84.25), both at Destiny USA. Giunta previously told Politico that the accusations of unpaid bills were nothing more than a sad and pathetic attempt at a political hit job. About three weeks after Giunta resigned, Politico reported that it obtained almost 3,000 Telegram chat messages involving a dozen club members including Giunta. Those messages were filled with racist, violent, homophobic and antisemitic comments. Those in the chat referred to Black people as monkeys and the watermelon people talked about raping their enemies and putting their political opponents in gas chambers, according to the report. In one exchange, Giunta joked, Great. I love Hitler. After the report, Giunta was fired from his job as chief of staff for Assemblymember Mike Reilly of Staten Island. Neuser, the former sales manager at the Destiny Embassy Suites, said her concerns about Giunta and his group began to grow in the weeks before the New York State Young Republicans planned to hold their leadership conference and Teddy Roosevelt Dinner in Syracuse. Among Republican elected officials honored at the dinner were former Syracuse-area Rep. Brandon Williams, the groups congressman of the year, and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, who won the award for municipal official of the year. An invitation obtained by syracuse.com showed tickets to the statewide event started at $200 per person. Neuser said Giunta didnt seem to know how many people would attend, even three days before the event when he was required to pay in full and give the final number for how many people would attend. Giunta told the hotel to prepare 125 dinners, a three-course meal that cost $65 per plate for steak and $38 per plate for chicken, according to bills viewed by syracuse.com. But in the end, less than half the expected crowd showed up, Neuser said. The hotel ended up throwing away 66 dinners that were charged to the New York State Young Republicans. In addition, the club ran up a tab of $5,794 at the open bar that included deluxe cocktails. A separate bar tab totaled $2,052 for the opening night reception, records show. Neuser said that Giunta seemed disorganized when she met him in person on the Friday of the event and didnt seem to care about the expenses the New York State Young Republicans were about to incur. To me, it seemed like he didnt value the organizations dollars, to be honest, Neuser said. Ive seen Republican events run very well and streamlined. This was a young kid throwing a party is what it seemed like. Never would people come in and buy a $65 steak dinner for people they didnt know were even coming. More than a month after the Syracuse event, and after threats of late fees and a lawsuit, Giunta asked hotel officials if they could put the club on a payment plan of $1,000 per month to settle its debt. Giunta didnt explain the reasons for the delay. Again, if I could make this payment in full today, either from the organization or me personally, I would, he wrote in an email to hotel management on Aug. 30, 2024. We are already struggling because of this situation as it stands currently. The hotel gave up trying to collect the rest of the debt after it remained unpaid in November 2024. The chair of the Onondaga County Young Republicans chapter, a separate organization honored at the event, said he was embarrassed by the state organizations behavior. Chair Ethan LaMontagne said he was unaware of the unpaid bills in Syracuse. He said the local chapter suspended its involvement with Giunta and the statewide organization after the groups chat was made public. We are disgusted by the racism, antisemitism, bigotry, and homophobia that was revealed, LaMontagne said in a statement. There is no place for this kind of hatred within the Republican Party or our movement. As Young Republicans, we stand by integrity, respect, and the principles of liberty and opportunity for all. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is facing renewed opposition to his massive compensation plan after Glass Lewis, one of the world's leading proxy advisory firms, urged shareholders to vote against the company's proposed $1 trillion pay package. The recommendation adds to mounting pressure on Tesla's board just weeks before its November 6 shareholder meeting. The latest development follows a similar call from Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which also advised investors to reject the proposal, calling it excessive and misaligned with shareholder interests. The move comes months after a Delaware court struck down Musk's earlier $56 billion pay package, saying the process that approved it was unfair, Reuters said. In its report, Glass Lewis said the new pay plan could significantly reduce shareholder value and raised "serious concern" about its structure and potential impact. The firm noted that Musk could still receive tens of billions of dollars even if he fails to meet most of the company's ambitious performance goals, thanks to the plan's partial-reward system tied to Tesla's stock performance. Tesla, however, strongly disagreed with the recommendation. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the company said, "Glass Lewis has followed ISS in issuing another misguided recommendation that disregards the fundamental purpose of public companies and who they serve the shareholders." Proxy adviser ISS urges Tesla shareholders to reject Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package ahead of Nov 6 vote pic.twitter.com/b7Brd2103q Niranjan Ghatule (@NiranjanGhatule) October 20, 2025 Tesla Says Ignoring Critics Led to 20x Growth The automaker added that shareholders who had previously ignored such recommendations "may have missed out on our market capitalization soaring by 20 times from March 2018 to August 2025," emphasizing Musk's role in Tesla's rapid growth. According to Investing, both Glass Lewis and ISS had also advised against Musk's earlier $56 billion package, describing it as "excessive." Despite that, Musk's leadership has coincided with Tesla's rise to become one of the most valuable car companies in the world, largely driven by its dominance in electric vehicles and clean energy innovations. The current proposal, which Tesla's board describes as the largest corporate pay package in history, ties Musk's compensation to performance goals such as production targets, profitability milestones, and continued stock price growth. The plan also seeks to address Musk's push for greater control and retention amid his growing involvement in ventures like SpaceX, X (Twitter), and xAI. Glass Lewis further recommended that shareholders oppose Tesla's potential investment in Musk's AI startup, xAI, arguing that such decisions should be left to the board rather than put to a shareholder vote. Originally published on vcpost.com Netflix's soaring stock performance in 2025adding $120 billion in valuenow faces a real test. On Tuesday, the company will release its third-quarter earnings, and investors are watching closely to see if its big investments in advertising and video games are actually paying off. Analysts expect a strong showing: revenue is forecast to jump 17.2% to $11.51 billion, while profit is set to rise 27% to $3.01 billion. Netflix is counting on hits like "KPop Demon Hunters," the "Wednesday sequel," and the final season of "Stranger Things" to keep subscribers watching and revenue growing. But behind the strong numbers are concerns. Netflix has stopped sharing subscriber counts, asking Wall Street to focus more on profit. That move has some investors worried growth may be slowing, especially as Netflix bets big on two newer businesses: ads and video games. The ad-supported tier, now with about 94 million users, is gaining traction, making up more than half of new sign-ups. But its revenue impact is still modest. According to Reuters, analysts estimate the tier brought in around $662.3 million in Q3. Netflix has also been experimenting with advanced ad technology, using AI to place interactive ads directly into showssomething not seen on rival platforms. Can $NFLX soar this Q3 with its ad-tier boom & pricing power?https://t.co/lWsDtnjLfN predicts a STRONG BEAT for Netflix's earnings! [Predict aheadhttps://t.co/J0T2dJGS5K] Revenue up from ad adoption, live events, & pricing strength. Margins widen with content efficiency & pic.twitter.com/th5Jp2dfEy Intellectia.AI (@IntellectiaAI) October 20, 2025 Netflix Gaming Adds Less Than 1% to User Activity Gaming, however, is where Netflix's strategy gets tricky. The company has spent roughly $1 billion buying game studios and now offers over 120 mobile games, including titles based on its own shows like "Squid Game: Unleashed." But so far, that investment hasn't moved the needle much. A study from research firm Omdia shows games have added less than 0.5% to total user engagement after four years. Co-CEO Greg Peters compared the effort to Netflix's early struggles in Japan: "It took us a long time... the gaming situation is not dissimilar to that," he said earlier this month. Still, Netflix isn't alone in the challenge. Even other major players like Disney and Amazonboth highlighted alongside Netflix in Zacks Investment Ideas this weekare exploring new digital strategies to drive future growth, Yahoo said. According to Zacks, Netflix is projected to earn $6.89 per share in Q3, up from $5.40 last year. Analysts remain cautiously optimistic, with price targets ranging from $800 to $1,600 per share. Zacks currently ranks Netflix as a #3 (Hold), noting steady earnings expectations but no major upward momentumyet. Originally published on vcpost.com BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's fundamental position on its relations with Japan is consistent and clear, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday, expressing the hope that Japan will work with China to fully advance the bilateral strategic relationship of mutual benefit. Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to an inquiry about the election of Liberal Democratic Party head Sanae Takaichi as Japan's new prime minister. "China noted the result of the vote and considers it to be Japan's internal affairs," Guo said. Noting that China and Japan are each other's neighbors, Guo said China's fundamental position on its relations with Japan is consistent and clear. "We hope Japan will work with China, observe the principles laid down in the four political documents between the two countries, honor its political commitments on major issues concerning history and Taiwan, uphold the political foundation of the bilateral relationship, and fully advance the China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit," Guo said. SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export fell in single digits in the first 20 days of October owing to less business days, customs office data showed Tuesday. Outbound shipment declined 7.8 percent from a year earlier to 30.14 billion U.S. dollars in the cited period, according to Korea Customs Service. The downturn came as the number of working days decreased by two days in the cited period. This year's Chuseok holidays, the South Korean version of Thanksgiving Day, fell in October. Semiconductor export soared 20.2 percent to 8.53 billion dollars, but those for cars, steel products, mobile devices, auto parts, precision machinery and home appliances retreated in double digits. Shipment to the United States tumbled 24.7 percent, with those to Vietnam, the European Union and Japan all sliding in double figures. Import shrank 2.3 percent to 32.99 billion dollars for the first 20 days of October, sending trade deficit to 2.85 billion dollars. Import for natural gas, oil products, semiconductor equipment, coal and mobile devices posted a double-digit slide, but those for crude oil and cars advanced in double figures. Nigerian monarch takes on oil giant in search of environmental justice Lagos, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 Growing up in southern Nigeria during the 1970s, Bubaraye Dakolo would easily catch 20 kilograms of fish within minutes. These days, a fisherman casts nets all night, only to bring back just about three kilograms. Now Dakolo, the monarch of Ekpetiama, a kingdom in the southern coastal state of Bayelsa, a custodian of peace and tradition and a former soldier, has risen to be one of the country's prominent environmental crusaders. When Shell announced earlier this year it was divesting its onshore assets without first addressing decades-long oil pollution, he decided silence was not an option for a royal. He sued one of the world's oil giants to force it to clean up and restore the environmental health of his kingdom. Farming and fishing communities in the Niger Delta, the heartland of Nigeria's crude production, have borne the brunt of pollution. A four-year-long investigation by the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission -- an panel of international experts and prominent figures -- concluded in 2023 that it will cost $12 billion to clean up Bayelsa state. Bayelsa is where oil was first discovered in Africa in the 1950s, and where companies, including Shell, have operated for decades. "We have international-level reports showing that they are culpable, there are other documents showing that they are culpable. And then of course, I have a lot of evidence in my mouth that they are culpable. And I'm going to say it," Dakolo told AFP in an interview in Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos. He recalls walking to school "on naked petroleum pipelines" that criss-cross his kingdom of 1.5 million people to avoid walking along busy tarred main roads. As kids they also played, climbing the pipelines, pretending to be acrobats, he wrote in his autobiography. "I was born into seeing this calamity". At the time "it didn't strike me like atrocities", said the 60-year-old tall and slender king dressed in his multi-coloured ceremonial robes. - 'Ping-pong objections' - Author of five books including a recently published one collating evidence of the "atrocities" committed in the Niger Delta by oil firms, Dakolo said his father's work at a refinery gave him a front row view of oil production operations. Oil companies generally say they operate according to the sector's environmental best practices and blame most spills on sabotage and oil thieves tapping into pipelines. But Dakolo's suit against Shell is due for pre-trial hearing on Wednesday. It seeks to halt the transfer of Shell assets to a Nigerian company, Renaissance, pending an agreement to fund environmental cleanup, decommissioning of obsolete infrastructure and community compensation. "They must come and restore the environment to its pristine tranquility. They have to. You cannot just come and destroy the place, make all the money, and leave us empty. No! "Let's have back our environment." He said studies show there are carcinogenic hydrocarbons "in our blood, in lethal amounts. So we are actually living dead". Dakolo said life expectancy in his kingdom is low at 40 years compared to an average 54 in the Niger Delta region. He is challenging what he called Shell's "surreptitious exit" and seeking to force it to fund the $12-billion clean up -- considered one of the largest corporate environmental liabilities in history. In court he is seeking $2-billion in community compensation for his kingdom which he considers "not enough. What is the value of a human life?". Shell told AFP that Renaissaince is handling the litigation. AFP did not get a response to its query from Renaissance. But Dakolo, who insists he is suing Shell, said, according to his lawyers, Shell is expected to raise preliminary objections during the sitting on Wednesday. "They were on my land for about six decades, destroyed the land and disappeared without due process. They should account for all their bad acts. "All of these ping-pong preliminary objections are part of their strategy of just trying to wear you out". He is determined to fight on. "If you are a traditional leader or ruler and you are not an environmental advocate, then you are not doing part of your work. You owe yourself, your people and nature and the world to protect the environment with all of your being," he said. Nigeria, Africa's leading oil producer, wants to attract more foreign investment since President Bola Tinubu came to office in 2023 with a raft of reforms. Last week Shell announced a $2 billion investment in a new offshore gas project in Nigeria. sn/cw Shell European airlines drop vague promises on carbon offsets Paris, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 European airlines are starting to become prudent when promoting flight carbon-offset measures, such as reforestation, following courtroom losses and stepped-up pressure by regulators. Dutch airline KLM in March last year lost a case about greenwashing -- a practice in which companies are regarded as claiming to be more environmentally responsible than they really are. An Amsterdam court ruled it misled consumers with "vague and general" adverts about efforts to reduce the environmental impact of flying, including painting "an overly rosy picture" about the impact of measures such as adopting sustainable aviation fuel. In March, a German court banned airline giant Lufthansa from saying in its advertisements that passengers could "compensate" for carbon emissions from flights, finding that the claims were "misleading". Lufthansa had already received a red card from British regulators over its ads in 2023, as well as from Belgian regulators in prior years. In 2023, the European consumer rights umbrella group BEUC filed a complaint with the European Commission, accusing European airlines of greenwashing and unfair commercial practices for inflating their green credentials. A year later, the commission opened a probe, which is still ongoing, into 20 firms over misleading green claims. BEUC said earlier this year that some airlines have since removed or changed their climate-related marketing claims. For example, Norwegian Air Shuttle dropped climate claims from its reservation process, while Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air stopped offering passengers the possibility of offsetting their CO2 emissions. "However, these improvements should not hide that greenwashing is still widespread," said BEUC's director general, Agustin Reyna. - Room for improvement - "There is room to change" in airlines' communications, said Diane Vitry, who heads up the aviation section of the NGO Transport & Environment. She said the ideal would be that ads for flights mention the climate impact they have, similar to the health warnings included on tobacco and alcohol labels. "I haven't seen a big improvement" from transport companies, said Garance Bazin, an environment researcher who co-authored a Greenpeace report criticising overt greenwashing in airline ads. She noted, however, that "legal precedents are 'starting' to take hold" and companies were "making less bold statements about certain things that are objectively false". Airlines were "likely paying more attention" to their public communications, said Laurent Timsit, general delegate at the French aviation sector representative body FNAM. Air France no longer offers carbon offsets for flights. Instead, it suggests passengers contribute to the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) which has reduced emissions. Air transport accounts for three percent of global carbon emissions, but it plays a bigger role in global warming because aircraft produce other greenhouse gases and contrails. - Net zero goal - The sector has pledged to reach net zero by 2050 in terms of carbon emissions, mainly through SAF use, but also carbon offsets, despite NGOs criticism of them as ineffective. Timsit, who noted that NGOs had previously pressed for such offsets to be put into French law, expressed disappointment at the BEUC complaint. Marie Owens Thomsen, vice president in charge of sustainable development at the International Air Transport Association, said that "clearly, what we want is all the levers that we will need for being able to decarbonise by 2050". Noting that SAF was not yet available in sufficient quantities, while offsets provided certifiable emission reductions, she said that it was counterproductive to be "dogmatic about which tool is better than which". Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, told AFP at a recent conference of the Airlines for Europe lobby group that some of the court cases were going in "an unfortunate direction". They were "making it more difficult for us to attract our passengers to spend more in order to help the environment", he said. "In our case, now four to five percent of our passengers are willing to pay more to allow us to fly them with sustainable aviation fuels or other ways of compensation," he said, alluding to his airline's "green" fares. "So how can that be bad for the environment to attract attention and visibility?" he asked. tq/ico/apz/rl/rmb/st Air France-KLM Lufthansa Artificial insemination raises hopes for world's rarest big cat Mulhouse, France, Oct 21 (AFP) Oct 21, 2025 The world-first insemination of an Amur leopard in France has lifted hopes of animal lovers for the survival of the Earth's rarest big cat. The spotted felines, native to the banks of the Siberian river of the same name on the Russian-Chinese border, are believed to number in just scores in the wild. So the breakthrough procedure undergone last week by Khala, a 15-year-old leopard at Mulhouse Zoo near the German border, has raised expectations that breeding programmes in captivity could save the species. "This is a world first," said veterinarian Benoit Quintard, director of the Mulhouse Zoological and Botanical Park and coordinator of the European breeding program for the Amur leopard. Before Khala's 35-kilogramme (77-pound) frame could be hauled onto the operating table, she had to be sedated -- with the big cat agitating furiously at the sight of the rifle about to shoot an anaesthetic dart. Minutes later, Khala slept eyes wide open as seven vets set about their work around the leopard, resplendent in black-and-gold fur. On the morning of the operation Khala had mated once again with Baruto, a 14-year-old male. But with their couplings so far fruitless, the veterinarians decided to give nature a little nudge. Baruto, 15 kilogrammes heavier than Khala, was the first on the operating table, with an intravenous drip continuously pumping a cocktail of anaesthetics into his bloodstream to keep him sedated. - '50-50 chance' - As Baruto's long dappled tail dangled in the air, Professor Thomas Hildebrandt, on loan from Berlin's Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, which specialises in the reproduction of endangered species, set about his work. With a small sample of the leopard's semen extracted, it was Khala's turn to be operated on. First the vets carried out an ultrasound to check the cat's uterus. "Good news: she has ovulated. Bad news: there are cysts," Hildebrandt said. As a result, even if Baruto's sperm fertilises Khala's egg, there is a risk it may not be able to attach itself to the uterus walls. Nonetheless the vet pressed on. With a probe inserted and a gentle squeeze of the trigger the procedure was complete. "I think it's about a 50-50 chance that she will be pregnant now," said Susanne Holtze, Hildebrant's colleague from the Leibniz Institute. After a weigh-in and one last jab, Khala was awake and back in her enclosure, and hopefully three months out from giving birth to a rare feline cub. - Inbreeding risks - Classed as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Amur leopard is at risk of habitat loss and the disappearance of some of its prey. As the population dwindles, the surviving felines have fewer potential mates, heightening the risks of inbreeding. Khala and Baruto were not chosen at random -- their genetic makeup was considered varied enough to bolster the species' genetic diversity. Some of Baruto's sample was also kept back by the scientists "so that if anything ever happens to him we still have his genetic pool, potentially for future inseminations", explained Quintard. The about 250 Amur leopards kept in captivity are crucial to the species as they possess a "far more widespread genetic make-up than those still present in the wild", the veterinarian said. On the Chinese side of the border, the national forestry board believes there are reasons to be cheerful. Thanks to a conservation drive launched in 2017, Beijing says that the number of leopards in the wild has nearly doubled, from 42 before it began to 80 in 2025. Yet the elegant felines have become an indirect victim of the war in Ukraine, with a Russian reintroduction programme on pause until further notice. 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 Ben Stiller has said comedy had become challenging during Donald Trumps second term but asked comedians to continue speaking up. In a new interview, the Severance director talked about the political climate and social media making things difficult for comedians to take risks. We live in a world where taking chances with comedy is more challenging, Stiller told Radio Times. Youre seeing that front and centre in our country, he said. But I think it is important that comedians keep doing what theyre doing, speaking truth to power and being free to say what they want. Thats the most important thing. The Zoolander stars comments came about a month after TV talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by his network on 17 September for broadcasting his views about the death of MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk. Stiller was one of the first celebrities to respond to Kimmels suspension. This isnt right, he posted on X at the time. Kimmels show returned on 22 September. Ahead of its airing, Trump threatened to test ABC for putting the host back on air. I cant believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back, he fumed on Truth Social. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! open image in gallery Ben Stiller says comedy is challenging under Donald Trump ( Getty ) Stiller also talked about social media reducing attention spans and making the work of comedians harder. You have things that go out to huge audiences very quickly, he said in the interview. I think weve reduced our attention spans down a little bit. I feel lucky to have grown up in the analogue world. Stiller was one of the many celebrities to show support for last weekends No Kings protests in the US to rally against Trumps presidency. Held in small towns and major cities across the country, the protests saw nearly seven million people take to the streets with creative signs and costumes just a day after the US president insisted he was not a king in an interview with Fox News. Stiller shared an image of a protester holding a sign that declared: No Kings except for Knicks player Jalen Brunson. The actor is currently promoting his Apple TV documentary Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost, in which he examines his relationship with his own parents, the acclaimed comedy double act Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. open image in gallery Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller with their children Ben, centre, and Amy in a scene from Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost ( Apple TV+ ) In the documentary, he opens up about his worst decision ever: cutting his daughter Ella from his 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In a discussion about his perfectionism, which he believes he inherited from his father, Stiller tells his 23-year-old daughter that he struggled to cut her from what would have been her film debut. I cut you out of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Its probably the worst decision I ever made in my life, says Stiller. In response, Ella tells her father she was really scared during filming and accepts that the short scene she was in didnt make sense in the movie. Ella had been set to play a younger version of Odessa Mitty, the sister of Stillers titular character Walter Mitty. She went on to land film and TV credits in projects such as And Just Like That... and Happy Gilmore 2. Stiller said that decision felt like more than a simple edit, explaining: For me, it kind of goes deeper. What it relates to is my own issues with my own obsession with my work, or perfectionism. SYDNEY, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Five men have been arrested over an alleged attempt to import 36 kg of cocaine into Australia from Chile concealed in mining equipment. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Investigations Police of Chile (PDI) said in a statement on Tuesday that a joint investigation began earlier in October when officers in Chile deconstructed two pieces of mining equipment destined for Australia and located 36 kg of cocaine. The drugs, which had an estimated street value of 11.7 million Australian dollars (7.6 million U.S. dollars), were removed and the consignment allowed to be sent to Sydney alongside PDI investigators. In Australia, AFP officers observed a 26-year-old man collect the shipment and transport it to a residential property in western Sydney. The 26-year-old and another man, 37, were arrested after they allegedly tried to cut into the mining equipment to access the cocaine. They were charged with one count each of attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine. Both offenses carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment. Evidence subsequently provided by the AFP led to the arrest of three more men in Chile by the PDI, all of whom were charged with illicit association and drug trafficking offenses. AFP Commander Kate Ferry said that international law enforcement partnerships are making significant strides in disrupting serious organized crime networks and the illicit drug trade. 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 Members of an iconic Harry Potter family have reunited. Oliver Phelps, known for playing Fred Weasley in all eight Harry Potter movies, posted a photo Sunday on Instagram of himself alongside his twin brother James Phelps, who played George, and Bonnie Wright, who played their sister, Ginny. Family dinner in Baltimore, the post was captioned, alluding to the group being siblings in the films, the last of which Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 debuted in theaters in 2011, nearly 15 years ago. But it was an intimate reunion, as several other members of the Weasley family werent present for the dinner. The groups on-screen parents, Julie Walters and Mark Williams, who played Molly and Arthur, were not there, nor were the other siblings in the Burrow Domhnall Gleeson (Bill), Rupert Grint (Ron), and Chris Rankin (Percy). Although Charlie Weasley is one of the middle children in the franchises books written by J.K. Rowling, he did not appear in any of the film adaptations. All three actors played siblings in the Weasley family ( Warner Bros ) The reunion comes a few months after HBO Max revealed the actors portraying the Weasley family in its forthcoming Harry Potter series. The Burrow is nearly full, the streamer wrote on Instagram in August, sharing a selfie of the new cast members alongside the previously announced Alastair Stout as Ron. We warmly welcome Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley, Gabriel Harland as George Weasley, Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley, and Gracie Cochrane as Ginny Weasley to the HBO Original Series Harry Potter, the caption added, noting that the actor playing Charlie will be joining us soon enough. It is also yet to be announced who will take on the role of the eldest Weasley sibling, Bill. While it is not clear how or if the original actors will be involved in the new series, the Phelps twins are still immersed in the Harry Potter world as they host the baking competition show Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, with its second season airing November 2 on Food Network and HBO Max. Meanwhile, Wright has previously been a guest judge during the first season of the baking competition, and also offered advice to the next batch of actors in the franchise. 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. I think every actor stepping into all the roles, I hope, really go from the book and they take their interpretation of the characters from the book as the original source of material, she said in a May interview with People. And I just hope that they do what they wanna do and they make their character who they envision Ginny to be. And I think that's what's cool, she added. That other people can give her character and all the others new life. So I don't think I would I guess the only thing I would say is like, be present in the moment. Enjoy every minute of it, would be the only thing I would say. 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 Eric Dane is returning to television to play a character with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, months after he revealed his own struggle with the neurodegenerative disease. Dane, 52, announced his diagnosis in April, about a year after he said he first experienced symptoms. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, slowly paralyzes patients by destroying nerve cells responsible for muscle movement. There is no known cure. Best known for playing beloved character Dr. Mark Sloan in ABCs hit medical drama Greys Anatomy, Dane has continued to work on new projects following his diagnosis, including a newly announced guest starring role. The Euphoria actor will appear on the NBC show Brilliant Minds, in an episode set to air November 24. Dane will play Matthew, a firefighter struggling to share his ALS diagnosis with his family. Matthew will process the news with the help of Dr. Oliver Wolf, the series lead played by Zachary Quinto. Pictures taken on the set of the episode show Quinto and Dane acting opposite each other. open image in gallery Eric Dane will play an ALS patient on an upcoming episode of Brilliant Minds ( NBC ) open image in gallery Dane has continued to work since he was diagnosed with ALS ( NBC ) Shortly after he announced his diagnosis, Dane spoke about wanting to continue acting as he battles the disease. At the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can, Dane told Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America in June. I dont think this is the end of my story. I just dont feel like, in my heart, I dont feel like this is the end of me. During his interview with Sawyer, Dane also revealed that his right side was no longer functioning and that he expected to lose control of his left hand. Still, he went on to film season three of Euphoria, which he appears in as Cal Jacobs, the dad of Jacob Elordis character Nate Jacobs. The new season is set to air in 2026. 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. Earlier this summer, Dane also starred in Amazon Prime Videos new show, Countdown. However, he was forced to skip out on the Greys Anatomy reunion at this years Emmy Awards following a fall that left him hospitalized. He said the nasty disease caused him to lose his balance in the kitchen. So I was in the hospital during the Emmys getting stitches put in my head, he told the Washington Post at the time. I missed an opportunity I was really looking forward to, he continued, lamenting over missing the September ceremony. It would have been great to see Jesse and get reunited with some of my peers, and to be able to present in front of my colleagues, I thought, would have been a special moment. So I was really upset about it, but you know, there was nothing I could do about it. 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 The late Suzanne Somerss husband, Alan Hamel, has created a new way to keep his wife in everyones thoughts. The Threes Company actor died in October 2023, one day before her 77th birthday, after living with breast cancer for 23 years. In an interview with People published Tuesday, her husband of 46 years has spoken about what he has been doing since Somerss death. Obviously, Suzanne was greatly loved, not only by her family, but by millions of people. One of the projects that we have coming up is a really interesting project, the Suzanne AI Twin, Hamel told the publication. Designed to look exactly like the late actor, the AI robot has been trained by reading all 27 of her books in addition to hundreds of interviews in an attempt to respond the same way Somers would have. After presenting a demo version of the Suzanne AI Twin at a conference earlier this year, Hamel said he is impressed with the technologys success so far. When you look at the finished one next to the real Suzanne, you can't tell the difference, Hamel said about the AI version of his wife ( Getty Images ) It was Suzanne. And I asked her a few questions and she answered them, and it blew me and everybody else away, he said. When you look at the finished one next to the real Suzanne, you can't tell the difference. It's amazing. And I mean, I've been with Suzanne for 55 years, so I know what her face looks like, and when I just look at the two of them side by side, I really can't tell which one is the real and which one is the AI. Despite the newness of AI, Hamel told People this was a project that had been in the works since the 1980s from computer scientist and author Ray Kurzweil, who first introduced the concept of artificial intelligence to them. So it was Suzanne's idea. And she said, I think we should do that. She said, I think it'll be very interesting and we'll provide a service to my fans and to people who have been reading my books who really want and need information about their health, he said. She said, Let's do it. So that's the reason we did it. And so I love being able to fulfill her wish. The next step for Suzanne AI Twin is to put it on SuzanneSomers.com for people around the world to be able to ask the late actor questions. Hamel and Somers tied the knot in 1977 after dating for several years, and remained married for 46 years. While the couple didnt have children of their own, Hamel had two children, Stephen and Leslie, from a previous marriage. Somers also had a son, Bruce Somers Jr., whom she shared with her ex-husband Bruce Somers. In June, Hamel was rumored to be dating his late wifes co-star, Joanna Cassidy, after paparazzi photos published by the Daily Mail showed the two walking arm-in-arm on Carbon Beach in Malibu, California. 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 Ajike AJ Owens was a Black, single mother of four, doing the best she could, raising her children in Ocala, Florida, when she was fatally shot by her white neighbor, Susan Lorincz, in June 2023. While her murder at the time made national news, the case has experienced a resurgence in interest thanks to Netflixs new, award-winning documentary, The Perfect Neighbor, from Geeta Gandbhir. Released October 17, the harrowing film is mostly an edited compilation of extensive police footage, captured during their exhaustive visits to the cul-de-sac, in response to Lorinczs barrage of complaints against the neighborhood children. Heres a timeline of how tensions between Lorincz and Owens escalated, ultimately leading to the latters tragic death. 2021 - 2023: Two years of rising neighborhood tension open image in gallery Susan Lorincz made several 911 calls, complaining about the neighborhood children ( Netflix ) In 2021, less than a year after Lorincz moved into her rental property, situated across the street from Owens home, she began calling the police to complain about the neighborhood children, claiming they were trespassing on her property, playing too loudly, and taunting her. During one police visit, Lorincz claimed she caught Owens son, Israel who was about seven years old at the time trying to put his dog in the bed of her parked truck. When pressed for details about the incident, she told authorities he was wearing a red shirt and his dog was small. Authorities then went to speak to an adult witness, a neighbor, who was outside with the children at the time. The man laughed at Lorinczs accusations, denying the plausibility of her story, saying that Israels dog was a large breed and it wouldve been impossible for him to lift. Besides the numerous 911 calls, Lorincz would also allegedly approach the children herself, harassing them and shouting racial slurs at them. In her 2023 arrest affidavit, she admitted to having used the n-word toward the children and calling them other derogatory terms out of anger. She became known as the neighborhood curmudgeon and was often seen filming or taking photos of the children, presumably to document their alleged behavior. At a 2023 press conference, per The New York Times, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods revealed that his deputies responded to six to eight reports between 2021 and 2023, about Lorinczs ongoing feud with Owens. In footage of one of Lorinczs police station visits, where she sought to file a report, the officer asked if she wanted to see the children go to jail or do some sort of recourse. Yes absolutely, she replied, with the officer telling her honestly that he was only able to write up an official police document because she had no video proof of her claims. 2023: Neighborhood feud reaches a deadly boiling point On June 2, 2023, Lorincz got into a dispute with Israel, in which she allegedly took his tablet and threw a pair of roller skates at him. Shortly afterward, she phoned 911. In a recording of the call, Lorincz claimed, We got kids trespassing, standing there, leaving all the toys around, just screaming, yelling, just being absolutely obnoxious, admitting that she went and threw the roller skates over to the other side. She further alleged that Israel threatened to beat [her] up for throwing the roller skates. When asked if he was still out there, Lorincz claimed, Yeah, there are several kids out there right now, and Im fearing for my life. Im very scared. Owens children were between the ages of three and 12 at the time of the shooting, according to the Ocala Gazette. While Lorincz told the dispatcher that there were no weapons involved in the altercation, she alleged the children threatened to get someone else to kill her. open image in gallery AJ Owens was murdered in 2023 by her neighbor Susan Lorincz ( Netflix ) This is just ridiculous, she added. They just keep badgering me and badgering me. Im just sick of these children. The operator told her to avoid Israel and to keep your doors and windows locked and that an officer would be dispatched as soon as possible. According to several neighbor accounts, Owens angrily went over and banged on Lorinczs doors prepared to confront her about her sons tablet. As the thudding was going on, a woman was screaming like at the top of her lungs, one person told detectives. And then bang. Lorincz fired a bullet through her front door, hitting Owens in the upper chest area. In footage from a neighbors front door, Owens eldest child, Isaac, runs up frantically, begging the neighbor to call 911. Please! She shot my mom, he cries out. In a separate phone call to the police, Lorincz is heard hyperventilating as she says through tears, Oh my God, this lady just tried to break down my door. I shot through the door. Oh my God! She adds, I didnt know what to do. I grabbed my gun and I shot at the door. I thought she was going to kill me. When paramedics arrived at the scene, they tended to Owens wounds before rushing her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Where is Lorincz now? Lorincz was initially taken in for questioning the night of Owens death, but was released hours later while detectives conducted an investigation. Her release was decried by Owens family and other community members, who demanded that Lorincz be arrested and charged. open image in gallery Susan Lorincz was convicted of manslaughter in August 2024 and sentenced to 25 years in prison ( Netflix ) Lorincz maintained that she shot through her door in self-defense out of fear that Owens was going to break down the door and kill her first, citing the states controverisal Stand Your Ground law. The law, recognized in several states, including Alabama, Iowa and Texas, permits the use of deadly force when someone reasonably believe it to be necessary, in order to defend themselves against certain violent crimes. Lorincz, now 60, was eventually arrested and formally charged for the murder of Owens four days later. She stood trial, and was found guilty of manslaughter, with the judge ruling that Lorincz was motivated to shoot Owens more by anger than fear and that at the time she fired the gun through the door, she was safe. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and is currently serving her sentence at the Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida. The Perfect Neighbor is available to stream on Netflix. 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 Once dismissed as a relic of a bygone era, the moustache is confidently re-emerging, championed by a new wave of style-conscious men. From Jacob Elordi to Timothee Chalamet, prominent figures are increasingly showcasing this distinctive facial hair on red carpets. However, cultivating the perfect 'tache demands patience, meticulous care, and, crucially, self-assurance. As November arrives, so too does Movember, transforming upper lips nationwide into symbols for mens health awareness. For those seeking inspiration, a look back at eight of history's most iconic moustaches offers ample guidance. open image in gallery Albert Einstein is the owner of arguably one of historys most famous moustaches ( Alamy/PA ) 1. Albert Einstein Perhaps the most famous moustache in science, Albert Einsteins facial hair was a chevron-style moustache: full, bushy, covering the upper lip and extending past the corners of the mouth. Born in 1879 in Ulm, Germany, Einstein was a physicist who transformed our concept of space, time and energy with his theories on relativity. Despite his reputation as an absent-minded genius, his moustache remained reliably present in almost all his famous portraits. Some accounts say that by the 1930s he actually trimmed it less, letting it grow more freely than earlier in life, forming the wild and wiry tash we now associate with the scientist. 2. Clark Gable Gables moustache is a textbook example of the pencil moustache thin, neat and sharply defined. The style leaves a narrow line above the lip, often with a clean gap to the nose. American actor Gable (19011960), the ultimate leading man of old Hollywood, first grew a moustache in 1930 for a stage role (where a fake one was too unreliable) but afterwards decided to keep evolving it for his film persona. open image in gallery Black and white still from Gone with the Wind of famous moustache wearer Clark Gable ( Alamy/PA ) Gables moustache felt like the finishing touch to his suave and rakish countenance carefully groomed, never overpowering the face, but giving a strong line of character. 3. Freddie Mercury The moustache most associated with 1980s rock and with Freddie Mercurys legendary stage persona was a thick, classic, full moustache, often described as part of the pornstache family (i.e. bold and statement-making). Born in 1946, real name Farrokh Bulsara, Mercury fronted Queen with flamboyance and flair. His moustache became almost as iconic as his vocals. In the 1980s and early 1990s, it punctuated his stage presence: strong, dark and striking. open image in gallery Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was a famous moustache wearer ( Alamy/PA ) Because he often paired it with stubble or light beard growth, the moustache dominated a sign of his enduring confidence and swagger. 4. Lionel Richie Lionel Richie is perhaps less commonly lauded for facial hair, but in the 1980s and early 1990s he sported a full moustache, thick but well-groomed, with neat borders. Born in 1949, Richie rose to fame with the Commodores and then as a solo artist. His moustache offered a smooth contrast to his silky voice a bit of edge around the sides of his soulful expression. open image in gallery Lionel Richie became famous for his facial hair ( Alamy/PA ) While less theatrical than Mercurys, it was nevertheless a strong facial signature in his time. 5. Tom Selleck Tom Sellecks moustache is iconic large, thick, expressive and often called the definitive Magnum moustache. Many regard it as one of the most recognisable in showbiz. Selleck, born in 1945, became a household name via the popular TV drama Magnum, P.I. in the 1980s. His moustache is not delicate or subtle its bold, full and synonymous with Sellecks look. It sits squarely as part of his face, balancing out his bold facial features. open image in gallery Tom Sellecks impressive moustache ( Alamy/PA ) Selleck managed to revive a trend of bushier, masculine moustaches throughout his time on the show. 6. Hulk Hogan Hulk Hogans moustache is textbook horseshoe moustache territory: the full moustache plus vertical extensions down the sides of the mouth, giving an upside-down U- or horseshoe shape. Born Terry Bollea in 1953, Hulk Hogan became a wrestling and pop-culture icon in the 1980s and 1990s. His moustache, coupled with a shaved head and his trademark handlebar-style blondness, became inseparable from his persona. open image in gallery The late Hulk Hogan sported a handlebar moustache ( Alamy/PA ) The horseshoe style is certainly an aggressive statement perfect for a performer whose presence is all about physicality and projection. 7. Timothee Chalamet Chalamets moustache is a little more subtle than Hogans. His sparse upper-lip growth is otherwise known as the shadow moustache: delicate, almost timid but deliberate in style. Born in 1995, actor Timothee Chalamet is often cast in introspective, sensitive roles. His decision to adopt a light moustache in certain appearances (like when channelling Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown) feels like an artistic gesture as opposed to a mandatory masculine accessory. open image in gallery Timothee Chalamet is arguably leading the charge of modern moustache wearers ( PA ) 8. Jacob Elordi The newest addition to the moustachioed hall of fame, Jacob Elordi has helped usher the tash into Gen Z trending territory. open image in gallery Australian star Jacob Elordi also sports facial hair ( Alamy/PA ) The Australian actor best known for Euphoria and his turn as Elvis Presley in Priscilla (2023) has been spotted sporting a sleek, minimalist moustache that feels more Riviera than retro throwback. His style nods to the pencil moustaches of Hollywoods golden age, yet his laid-back styling and slightly scruffy hair gives it a thoroughly modern twist. Elordis upper lip has become something of a cultural talking point, proving that a well-timed moustache can still send social media (and barbers) into overdrive. 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 Cold and flu season is back in the U.S. and doctors are warning Americans to avoid making a common health mistake if they get sick maintaining their workout routines. Exercise may be a great way to boost the immune system before infection but a quick run or trip to the gym can actually make stuffy symptoms even worse and actually prolong illness, experts say. Physical activity can also raise your bodys internal temperature, which is dangerous if you have a fever and even lead to organ malfunction. It can also use up energy the body needs to keep the immune system strong and sweating can leave you dehydrated, causing dizziness and chills. Thats why listening to your body before lacing up those sneakers makes all the difference, said Dr. Donald Brown, an internal medicine hospitalist at Houston Methodist. "The general rule of thumb for exercising while sick is that if your symptoms are above the neck, you can likely continue with your routine but at a lower intensity and shorter timeframe," he said. open image in gallery Working out when sick can make symptoms worse and prolong illness. Thats especially true for more serious infections ( Getty Images/iStock ) Symptoms that are below the neck such as a hacking cough or upset stomach could indicate a more serious infection, according to the American Lung Association. Symptoms above the neck are a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and a minor sore throat, the Mayo Clinic says. If you have a serious respiratory illness, youre going to have trouble breathing to begin with. Even if its just a cough, something is happening thats hurting your lungs, Dr. Brian Labus an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Parade. Working out on top of that can be very taxing on the body and make it harder to recover from the illness. But mild or moderate physical activity is usually safe if you have a common cold and it could even relieve congestion by opening up the nasal passages. You might feel more fatigued than normal, but low-impact exercise for shorter periods of time is considered to be alright. open image in gallery Doctors say some exercise is alright if you listen to your body and stay hydrated ( Getty Images/iStock ) Those exercises include walking, light jogging and yoga done for a period of around 30 minutes. "Listen to your body, if you feel like you can't handle it, take a break and allow the body to rest and heal, Traci Gonzales, a nurse practitioner at UTHealth, said. Whether you decide to rest or work out, make sure you hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Also, be mindful of spreading your germs if you decide to work out in an area with other people. Cold and flu viruses are highly contagious and easily spread, she advised. Experts say that this month is the ideal time to get flu and other vaccines that protect against severe illness. Last year was the countrys worst flu season in 15 years, with 82 million flu cases from October to mid-May. 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 Spending time with friends and family can help reduce an elderly mans risk of frailty, along with going on holiday, reading newspapers and having meals out, new research suggests. Being more sociable can even be beneficial for frailty reversal among the elderly, a study found. Frailty refers to a persons mental and physical resilience, or their ability to bounce back and recover from illness and injury, according to Age UK. Researchers from Newcastle University wanted to examine whether social interactions and loneliness impact frailty. They examined data on more than 2,000 men over the age of 65 who were assessed eight years apart. These assessments included information on their health and their social lives. open image in gallery Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers said that social connections may impact the dynamic trajectory of frailty ( Getty/iStock ) In particular, men were asked how much time they spent with friends and family; did voluntary work; played cards, games or bingo; participated in religious or social clubs; went on holiday and overnight trips; read books or newspapers; wrote letters; ate out in restaurants or visited the cinema, museum or attended sporting events. Among those surveyed were 715 men taking part in the long-term British Regional Heart Study. Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers said that social connections may impact the dynamic trajectory of frailty. They found that people who had a higher level of social activity when they were first assessed had a 31% reduced risk of frailty. Those who increased their social activity during the eight-year period also had a 23% reduced risk of developing frailty, according to the study, which was part-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Meanwhile, a higher level of social engagement and an increase in social activity over time both appeared to be beneficial in the reversal of frailty, the researchers wrote. Among people from the UK involved in the study, a higher level of loneliness at the start of the study and an increase in loneliness during the observation period raised the risk of developing frailty. Senior author of the research, Sheena Ramsay, a professor of public health and epidemiology at Newcastle University, said: Our study shows that frailty is not inevitable. open image in gallery A study found people who had a higher level of social activity when they were first assessed had a 31% reduced risk of frailty. ( Getty Images ) Some people recover from early stages of frailty becoming more socially active could be one of the factors that can make this happen. Dr Ziyi Cai, first author of the study from Newcastle University, added: People who are socially connected may have friends and loved ones supporting them to have healthier lives and access to healthcare, which could ward off frailty. On the other hand, people who are more isolated and feel lonely may be less active, less likely to get the care they need for their health, and sleep and eat less well all of which can increase their risk of living with frailty. Age-friendly communities and networks that foster supportive social ties and activities could contribute to reducing the burden of frailty. Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation and consultant cardiologist, said: This study adds to a growing body of evidence that social activities are good for our health, while loneliness and isolation can be detrimental. Exercise, such as resistance or strength training and maintaining good nutrition, are major factors which can reduce frailty. There is a growing focus in the NHS on social prescribing, which helps people embrace doing new things in their local area. Trying new group activities like volunteering, for those who can, may help to keep living well for longer. According to the British Geriatrics Society, around one in 10 people over the age of 65 has frailty, rising to around a quarter of those aged 85 and over. 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 Jamie Olivers wife Jools has admitted that is is brutal and heartbreaking to parent their teenage daughter. The celebrity chef and former model, who met when they were 18 and have been married for 25 years, share daughters Poppy, 23, Daisy, 23, Petal, 16, and sons Buddy, 15, and River, eight. Jools explained that it is particularly brutal with girls and their mums in the later teens years when emotions in the household are high. My 16-year-old isnt particularly warm to me at the moment and its sort of heartbreaking, she told Good Housekeeping. But Ive done it twice over and I know not to be silly and to try to let it go. Its hard when youre living it, and 10 years is quite a long time to wait for them to come back to you, but they do. Oliver said that his wife understandably takes it personally, and its not that Im seeing it from a great distance, but Ive learnt to step back when I can. The TV chef said that he is also experiencing a shift in his relationship with eldest son Buddy, who released his own cookbook Lets Cook last year and has more than 87,000 followers on his Instagram page where he posts about cooking. Jamie Olivers wife Jools has said parenting their teenage daughters has been brutal and heartbreaking ( Getty ) Hes at an age where [sometimes it feels like] hes almost fighting it because he thinks its imposed by me, Oliver said of his sons burgeoning culinary career. He admitted that Buddys pursuits might have been driven by his own excitement at having a partner in crime to cook with. Oliver was launched to stardom in his twenties on the BBC Two series The Naked Chef after he was noticed by the BBC in the 1997 documentary Christmas at the River Cafe. He first met his wife when a friend convinced him to go on a double date with Jools when they were teenagers living in Essex. They later moved to London as a couple. The chef has previously reflected on their enduring romance, stating: Luckily, we were able to solidify our relationship before it all kicked off. Then we did it together. 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 Rachael Ray is putting rumors to rest about her vanishing from the public eye after two years out of the spotlight. After her eponymous daytime talk show ended in 2023 after 17 seasons, Ray launched her own production company, Free Food Studios, and then penned a deal with A+E Networks in 2024. But fans have been concerned about her seeming to slip into a quieter life after moving to Italy and after a worrying video emerged on social media in 2024. Contrary to online speculation, the 57-year-old former Food Network star says shes busier than ever, choosing to forgo public events because she has too much work to do. I did an event for Ukraine last night, Im doing Burger Bash today, I have another huge event on Sunday, she told US Weekly at Food Networks New York City Wine & Food Festival. I dont know what theyre talking about, she added of the rumors that she disappeared. Rachael Ray has spoken out about claims she disappeared from public life ( Getty ) I work my ass off all the time. And I never left, she continued. I just switched over to A+E and new partners, thats all. But Ive been working constantly. From the time I left the daytime show, I started writing. I write around the clock, and I produce shows with my friends around the clock. So I dont know why people thought I left. I guess we did a crap job of promoting it. When the end of her talk show was announced in 2023, Ray mentioned that her passions have evolved from the talk show format production. I am truly excited to be able to introduce and develop new and upcoming epicurean talent on all platforms, she said in a statement at the time before announcing the launch of her own production company. The deal with A+E gave the network a 50 percent stake in Rays Free Food Studios. Her shows, Rachael Rays Meals in Minutes and Rachael Ray in Tuscany, started airing in 2024, with the former having recently begun its third season. Fans have repeatedly expressed concern for Ray following several public appearances and videos in which she appeared to be exhibiting odd behavior. Most recently, at Food Networks New York City Wine & Food Festival, Ray seemed to be slurring her speech in a similar manner to the 2024 video that initially caused fan concern. But an insider told the Daily Mail that Rays speech pattern was due to a bum wisdom tooth. Meanwhile, the chef said last week that she prefers living in her home in Tuscany, which she purchased in 2021, to living in New York City. My husband loves being in New York. And I tell him, Hey, go as often as you like, stay as long as you want. I come to New York and upstate New York when I have work, I prefer Italy, she told Us Weekly. Its quiet. The dog is much happier. She hates New York City. Bella is not a New Yorker at all. So, for the dogs sake, I spend as much time [in Italy] as I can. 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 man has been arrested with a semi-automatic weapon at Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after threatening to shoot it up, according to police. Shortly before 10 a.m. local time Monday, police found and detained Billy Joe Cagle, a 49-year-old Cartersville resident, inside the bustling airport. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest in the world, with more than 108 million passengers in 2024, according to one estimate. Authorities had been tipped off by Cagles family earlier that morning. The Cartersville Police Department was alerted by the family of Mr. Cagle that he was streaming on social media that he was headed to the Atlanta airport, in their words, to shoot it up, and the family stated that he was in possession of an assault rifle, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a press conference. open image in gallery Billy Joe Cagle, 49, has been arrested with a semi-automatic weapon at Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after threatening to 'shoot it up,' according to police ( Atlanta Police Department ) Cagle arrived at the airports south terminal shortly before 9:30 a.m. and walked over to a TSA security checkpoint. He seemed to be very interested in the TSA check-in area, Schierbaum said, adding that it was heavily, heavily crowded. Cartersville Police notified Atlanta Police of the threat at 9:40 a.m., and they quickly found Cagle inside the south terminal near the checkpoint area. open image in gallery Cagle arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airports south terminal shortly before 9:30 a.m. and was detained just before 10 a.m. local time Monday ( Atlanta Police Department ) Video shared by Atlanta Police showed officers confronting Cagle, who was unarmed. One officer asked Cagle why he was at the airport, and he said, Oh, Im just here. Why? The officer then asked what kind of car he drives. Authorities had put out a BOLO, be on the lookout, for his car, a white Chevrolet pickup truck parked outside the airport terminal. Cagle claimed he got dropped off at the airport, and then the officer said, Okay. We are just looking. We just have a situation going on. Moments later, the officer went to arrest Cagle, telling him to Put your hands behind your back, sir. As the officer and another cop pinned Cagle to the ground and handcuffed him, he let out a wailing scream. open image in gallery As the cops pinned Cagle to the ground and handcuffed him, he let out a wailing scream ( Atlanta Police Department ) When officers located Cagles car, they said they found an AR-15 assault rifle in the backseat. Schierbaum said they found 27 rounds of ammunition with the gun. This individual did have a semi-automatic weapon and this individual was mentally challenged. And when you have those combinations together, it can turn out to be deadly, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at the press conference. Schierbaum called the situation a tragedy averted. Were here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy, because a family saw something and said something, he said. open image in gallery When officers located Cagles car, they said they found an AR-15 assault rifle in the backseat ( Atlanta Police Department ) open image in gallery Police said they found 27 rounds of ammunition with the gun ( Atlanta Police Department ) Cagle was charged with Terroristic Threats, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Criminal Attempt to Commit Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Its unclear whether Cagle has an attorney. Airport operations have since resumed, and police say there are no active threats to the public. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reacted to the incident on X late Monday afternoon. DHS is in communication with our interagency partners and will share more information as soon as it becomes available, she said. I am thankful this individual was taken into custody by law enforcement before harming anyone. BEIRUT, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday. Israeli drones flew intensively and at low altitudes over the villages of Al-Zahrani in southern Lebanon, and over Beirut and its southern suburbs, said the report. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted Hezbollah's "terrorist infrastructure" in southern Lebanon and accused the group of reorganizing in the south of the country. "The presence of the terror infrastructure sites and the activity of the Hezbollah terrorist organization constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the IDF said. A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024, ending months of cross-border clashes that erupted after the start of the Gaza war. However, despite the truce, the Israeli army has occasionally launched strikes inside Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah "threats," while maintaining troops at five positions along the Lebanese border after the deadline for a full withdrawal expired on Feb. 18. 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 An argument quickly escalated into a dangerous encounter over the weekend when a Florida man allegedly accelerated his BMW toward children riding E-Bikes in the street. The confrontation unfolded on Saturday at an intersection in Ocoee, where investigators say Todd Norwood, 45, deliberately drove his red BMW in the direction of the group, allegedly striking a 13-year-old boy. Norwoods wife, 46-year-old Angelique Norwood, who was a passenger in the BMW, was also arrested and accused of battering one of the other children during the altercation. When police arrived on the scene, they spoke to the group of children who said they had been riding their bikes in the area when a BMW drove by and cut them off, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WKMG. The children claimed the passenger, later identified as Angelique Norwood, yelled at them, Get out of the road, (expletive). They said the woman then got out of the car and came at them, looking like she wanted to fight them. open image in gallery Todd Norwood is accused of deliberately driving his BMW toward the group of children ( Orange County Jail ) A 13-year-old boy told police he was trying to cross the street when the BMW struck him before driving off. (The boy) said he was able to jump off his bike in time, preventing injury, according to the affidavit. The same boy told police that Angelique Norwood grabbed one of his friends as he tried to take pictures of the BMW. After letting go (Norwood) approached a female witness who was recording the incident and repeatedly yelled, Delete the video, the affidavit continues. After a verbal argument, (Norwood) walked away toward her residence to meet her husband. Todd Norwood, however, told police that the children had been driving recklessly and swerving in and out of the lane while shouting insults at them. Angelique exited the vehicle to speak with the juveniles, the affidavit states. Todd said the juveniles continued to ride around his vehicle, making him feel threatened, so he decided to drive home. When asked why he left his wife at the scene, he stated that fear clouded his judgment, according to the affidavit. When police later reviewed video footage, they determined it showed that the BMW accelerated into the 13-year-old boy as he tried to cross the road on his E-Bike, which was damaged beyond repair. Norwood was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. His wife, Angelique Norwood, was charged with battery. 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 dispute over trespassing in Florida ended when a man threatened to eat his neighbors dog and later showed up at her home with two knives, authorities said. Minor Catledge, 61, was arrested Friday and charged with aggravated assault after confronting a neighbor who was walking her dog on a public trail near his home in Interlachen, about 105 miles northeast of Orlando. Minor Catledge initially confronted his neighbor who was walking her dog on a public path adjacent to his property. The victim told deputies Catledge believed the property was his and that he would eat her dog if she trespassed again, the Putnam County Sheriffs Office said. Deputies spoke with Catledge about the path being public property, and authorities believed the issue was resolved. However, a little over an hour later, Catledge approached the victim's house with a knife in his hand and began threatening her and other family members, the victim told deputies. open image in gallery Minor Catledge was arrested after he threatened a neighbor with a knife and claimed she was trespassing with her dog on his property, cops say. ( Putnam County Sheriff's Office ) Catledge had two pocket knives on him at the time of the incident, deputies said. An Interlachen Police Officer who arrived at the scene also reported hearing Catledge make threats to the victim. The victim said Catledge threatened to stab her for calling law enforcement. Deputies arrested Catledge and charged him with aggravated assault. While on the way to the Putnam County Jail, Catledge made several statements to the deputy that he was going to beat [the victim] when he got out of jail, the sheriffs office said. Catledge is being held on a $5,000 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 It wasnt a DNA match or a new piece of forensic evidence that finally broke open an eight-year-old murder mystery in Arizona it was a message sent through a GoFundMe page. That online tip led investigators to the man police say stabbed 25-year-old Evin Paulos in Phoenix more than 30 times before vanishing across the border to Mexico back in 2017. On Monday, Phoenix police announced the arrest of 34-year-old Michael Anthony Arredondo, bringing hopes of long-awaited justice to Paulos family. Police say Paulos and Arredondo were friends and traveling together when a fight broke out inside their vehicle on June 3, 2017. The altercation spilled onto the street, where Arredondo allegedly stabbed Paulos multiple times before fleeing. We learned shortly after the incident occurred that he fled to California, Det. Dominick Roestenberg said about Arredondo. He spent a short time there and eventually fled to Mexico, where hes been staying for the last eight years. open image in gallery Evin Paulos was stabbed to death back in 2017 ( GoFundMe ) But for those eight years, there were no answers. Its like being stuck in a room, Paulos sister Eviein Paulos said at the press conference on Monday. Its black. You have no answers, nowhere to go, no nothing. Its just feeling empty. Then came an unexpected break for the family a message from a stranger in Mexico who claimed Arredondo was living in the country. When Paulos mother received the email, she worried it might be a scam, Eviein explained. Eviein was also hesitant about the tip, so she reached out to the Mexican citizen and asked for proof. I told him [the Mexican citizen], Please, I dont know if this is a scam or not. Can you send me some kind of evidence, send me a picture? Eviein said. And it was him [Arredondo]. He was just livin life for eight years. Eviein said she wasnt sure how the man found out about her brothers case and it remains unclear how exactly he knew about Arredondo, but according to records obtained by AZCentral, Paulos told police that Arredondo would often brag about his criminal past. After his arrest, Arredondo was extradited to the United States and reportedly admitted to stabbing Paulos. But specific details about the stabbing were not released, and the motive is unclear. There had to be some rage involved, Roestenberg added, He wasnt really able to explain why. open image in gallery On Monday, Phoenix police announced the arrest of 34-year-old Michael Anthony Arredondo, bringing long-awaited justice to Paulos family ( Maricopa County Sheriff's Office ) Mexican authorities worked with the Phoenix Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Maricopa County Attorneys Office to locate and extradite Arredondo back to the United States. I think it sends a strong message out to the community that even with the passage of time, were still looking for you, were still hunting you down, Roestenberg said. Justice is going to take its course. For Paulos family, they still want to know why. We know the who, the where, the how, Eviein Paulos said. We just dont know the why. Eviein, who describes her brother as generous and one-of-a-kind, said they are hoping this will give them the peace to move on. It hasnt been happy for a very long time, and this is something thats very good for us, she said. We can kinda close it and move on. Arredondo is being held on murder charges with bond set at $1.5 million. 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 man who sent a Facebook message that said, "So I raped you," to a woman he had sexually assaulted in college in 2013 was sentenced to two to four years in prison on Monday. The sentence came more than a year after Ian Cleary was extradited back to Pennsylvania from France over the assault at Gettysburg College and nearly 12 years after the victim first went to police. The judge took into account Cleary's guilty plea, his remorse and his long history of mental illness in giving a sentence below state guidelines. Cleary, 32, said he sent the messages as part of a 12-step program, in hopes of seeking atonement. The victim told the court on Monday that the messages only reopened wounds she had long carried over the assault, which went years without being prosecuted. "The system meant to protect me protected you instead," she said, detailing in a powerful 10-minute impact statement the years she spent pursuing charges, which prosecutors are often reluctant to file in campus sexual assault cases. "This isn't just my story, this is the story of countless women," she said. Cleary faced a maximum of 10 years in prison for the attack, and the two sides had initially proposed a four- to eight-year sentence. Andrea Levy, the victims lawyer, said the sentence was "less than what we expected and certainly less than he deserves," but she said there was relief that the case was over. The victim said Cleary sneaked into her dorm on the eve of winter break, when few people were left on campus, then pushed his way into her room and assaulted her. She was an 18-year-old in her first semester on campus at the time. Senior Judge Kevin Hess said that anyone with daughters or, like him, granddaughters in college would find the crime "horrifying." Nevertheless, he said, "the defendant has admitted his guilt, he's come forward and even though 10 to 11 alarming years have passed in the meantime, we wouldn't be here today but for his hope for some kind of forgiveness and contrition." Cleary left Gettysburg after the attack and ultimately finished college in Silicon Valley, California, where he'd grown up. He then got a master's degree and worked for Tesla before moving overseas. In 2019, he sent the Facebook message to the victim, and she renewed her efforts with police and prosecutors after noticing them a few months later. In 2021, she shared her experience in an Associated Press story on the reluctance of prosecutors to pursue campus sex crimes. open image in gallery Sexual assault suspect Ian Cleary departs from the Adams County Court House in Gettysburg, Pa., May 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Cleary was indicted weeks after the story was published, and following a three-year search, he was extradited from Metz, France, where he had been detained on a vagrancy-related charge in April 2024. In court Monday, Cleary, standing just a few feet away, apologized to the victim and his father."I'm committed to getting treatment for mental health and stuff like that as I go forward," he said. Cleary's family members have declined to comment on the case and did not attend most of his court hearings. The victim has described her repeated efforts to persuade authorities to press charges, starting hours after the assault. "I had been thinking about this moment for 12 years," she said after seeing Cleary in court in July, when he pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault. She called it a surreal moment. Authorities in the U.S. and Europe tried to track Cleary down after the indictment but seemed unable to follow his trail, online or otherwise, until his arrest in the unrelated case. Defense lawyer John Abom maintained that Cleary was homeless at times and unaware of the charges. Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett said he had his doubts but could not prove that Cleary was on the run. "The system that failed me a decade ago finally delivered accountability, but at a cost. Evidence was lost. Time passed," the victim told the court on Monday, noting that results of the rape kit she was given that night had been destroyed by the time of the indictment. "My life moved on, but the impact never went away, not for me, not for my family, not for anyone who had to watch this unfold again and again," she said. 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 Former FBI Director James Comey has asked a federal judge to throw out the Trump administrations criminal case against him, calling it "vindictive" and an "egregious abuse of power". In a motion filed in federal court in Virginia on Monday, Comey's lawyers accused the Department of Justice of giving into President Donald Trump's "personal spite" and "animus" by illegally seeking to punish him for his years of criticism. "The government has singled out Mr. Comey for prosecution because of his protected speech and because of President Trumps personal animus," the lawyers wrote. "Such a vindictive and selective prosecution violates the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and equal protection principles." Anything less than dismissal with prejudice, they added, "would be insufficient in light of the governments flagrant misconduct and the need to deter the government from bringing further unconstitutional prosecutions." In support of their motion, Comey's lawyers attached a list of roughly 188 social media posts by Trump in which he railed against Comey as a "liar", a "dirty cop", and one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to." Former FBI Director James Comey has asked a federal judge to throw out the Trump administrations criminal case against him, calling it vindictive and an egregious abuse of power ( AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File ) In a separate motion, the lawyers accused Trump's federal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan of being improperly appointed to her post without Senate approval. Federal prosecutors have charged Comey with obstruction and lying to Congress in 2020 during testimony over his role in the Trump-Russia investigation four years before. But those charges only came after multiple prosecutors had resigned over their reported refusal to go after Comey, leading Trump after publicly demanding that Comey be prosecuted to finally replace them with his former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan. Halligan then submitted an indictment, signed by her and nobody else, which Comey's lawyers say was highly unusual. A grand jury in Virginia rejected her first charge, approving the other two with a majority of 14 to 23. Comey has pleaded not guilty to both charges. "President Trump ordered the Department of Justice to prosecute Mr. Comey because of personal spite and because Mr. Comey has frequently criticized the President for his conduct in office," Comey's lawyers wrote on Monday. "When no career prosecutor would carry out those orders, the President publicly forced the interim U.S. Attorney to resign and directed the Attorney General to effectuate 'justice' against Mr. Comey. "He then installed a White House aide with no prosecutorial experience as interim U.S. Attorney.... days before the relevant statute of limitations was set to expire." The motion acknowledges that it's rare for federal charges to be dismissed as malicious, because the DOJ has previously "maintained the highest standard of ethics". But here, the motion says, there is "ample" evidence "much of which comes directly from government officials' own public statements and admissions" to prove the case. It notes that Trump first called for Comey to be prosecuted as early as April 2018, and cites a 2022 claim by Trump's former chief of staff Mark Kelly that he had wanted to use the IRS and FBI to target Comey during his first term. Comey's lawyers also mentioned the DOJ's firing of Comey's daughter Maurene Comey this July, arguing that it "provides unequivocal objective evidence of personal animus that has no place in the exercise of government power." But the centerpiece of their argument is Trump's now-infamous Truth Social post last month demanding that his attorney general Pam Bondi prosecute Comey and other perceived enemies, which was reportedly meant to be a private message. "There is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot," Trump wrote. "We cant delay any longer, its killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!" This message, Comey's lawyers wrote, "is a direct admission that the decision to prosecute Mr. Comey was not based on a good-faith application of law to facts... [but] on President Trumps years-long personal antipathy." The DOJ's indictment focuses on Comey's highly cautious testimony to the Senate in 2020, when he told Republican Ted Cruz that he stood by his previous testimony in 2017 while refusing to comment on Cruz's other questions. In the 2017 hearing, he said he had never authorized anyone at the FBI to leak to the press about the Trump investigation or his 2016 probe into Hilary Clinton's emails. Yet the indictment alleges that in fact he had authorized "PERSON 3" to release information anonymously. In their Monday motion, Comey's lawyers said that "PERSON 3" was an old friend of Comey's named Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor turned Columbia Law School professor who was also an official adviser to the FBI. Comey has previously said in Senate testimony that he did ask a friend, later identified as Richman, to serve as an anonymous source for The New York Times about his interactions with Trump at the start of his first term. It's unclear whether Richman ever disclosed any evidence about the specific matters Comey was quizzed about in 2017, nor whether Richman would count as someone "at the FBI". 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 Jeffrey Epstein paid Virginia Giuffre two hundred dollars and said she was a keeper after she was told to massage him while he was naked and then sexually abused, her posthumous memoir claims. In a copy of the book seen by The Independent, Epstein accuser Giuffre said she was introduced to the pedophile financier by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell at his waterfront Palm Beach mansion, when she was 16-years-old. Giuffre recounted how she was instructed to give Epstein, who was 47 at the time, a massage as he lay naked on his front. Maxwell allegedly guided her as he asked questions like Where do you go to high school? and Do you take birth control? Epstein was said to have asked Giuffre to tell me about your first time. open image in gallery Virginia Giuffre said she was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein (right) by Ghislaine Maxwell (left) ( US District Court for the Southern District of New York ) Wanting the job opportunity, she said she recalled a difficult childhood, including abuse by a family friend, which she said Epstein teased her for, calling her a naughty girl. Giuffre said Epstein rolled onto his back and performed a sex act, with Maxwell giving her instructions as the teenager was sexually abused. Maxwell later told Giuffre to wash Epstein in the shower where he said to Maxwell: Shes a keeper, the book claims. Giuffre said she was led to the kitchen, where Maxwell handed Epstein a duffel bag, from which he produced two one-hundred-dollar bills. This is probably what you make in a week at that spa, he said, referring to her day job at Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago club. open image in gallery Giuffre (C) pictured with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell ( United States District Couty for the Southern District of New York ) Giuffre said the pair acknowledged each other as if this were funny, before Maxwell asked her if she could return the next day. She said this continued: Every time I went to Epsteins mansion in those early days, he or Maxwell would pay me, peeling two or sometimes three hundred- dollar bills off the huge stack in his black duffel bag." The memoir recalls how Giuffre met Maxwell while working as a locker room attendant at Donald Trumps club in Florida. She said Maxwell came to the resort one day during the summer of 2000 and introduced herself, saying her wealthy friend was looking for a massage therapist. Giuffre said her father had given her a lift to Epsteins gated property after she was offered an interview. Maxwell came out and told her father they would get her home safe, Giuffre recalled. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, six months after finishing her memoir, which is co-written with author Amy Wallace. open image in gallery Epstein died by suicide on August 10, 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. ( Getty Images ) The Epstein scandal continues to have political ramifications in the U.S., six years after the disgraced pedophiles death in 2019. President Trump has faced ongoing pressure to release the Justice Departments files on Epstein, not least from his own supporters, some of whom have accused the administration of engaging in a coverup to protect influential people. The president himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein but has faced repeated calls to explain his past friendship with his fellow New Yorker, whom he knew socially in the 1990s and early 2000s when they were neighbors in Palm Beach. Trump has insisted the two men fell out long before Epstein was accused of sex trafficking. Nobodys Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice is released on Tuesday. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, in the UK and ROI you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website. 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 pair of hamburglars have been arrested after they were accused of stealing more than 300 pounds of sausage and hamburger meat, Ohio police say. The Union City Police Department recently announced the capture of suspected meat thieves Juan Anguiano and Justin Flint, comparing them to the fictional McDonalds character, the Hamburglar, who tries and fails to steal fast food hamburgers. The Union City Police Department has successfully captured not one, but two local Hamburglars after a daring (and deeply misguided) freezer break-in at the Union City Help Center, police said in a Facebook post from Tuesday. Officers had responded to a report of someone breaking into the help centers freezer and stealing a significant amount of meat. open image in gallery Juan Anguiano, pictured, and another suspect have been arrested and accused of stealing more than 300 pounds of sausage and hamburger meat, Ohio police say ( Union City Police Department ) open image in gallery Anguiano and the other suspect, Justin Flint, pictured, were charged with burglary and theft ( Union City Police Department ) Union City police said 315 pounds of sausage and hamburger meat were stolen, along with a 36-count box of hot dogs, 24 packs of bacon, 24 loaves of bread and 16 pies. Authorities later identified Anguiano and Flint as the suspects. The cops said the duo, after being grilled by investigators, admitted to committing the crime. Union City police told The Independent Anguiano and Flint both face charges of burglary and theft. The help center is a non-profit organization started in 1986 by one church that had a food pantry and another that had a clothing closet. When news broke of the duos arrest, the help center wrote on Facebook, Praise God. open image in gallery Police compared the two suspects to the fictional McDonalds character, the Hamburglar, who tries and fails to steal fast food hamburgers ( Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Primary Wave ) The cops said Flint is also suspected of multiple recent car break-ins. Apparently, when he wasnt on a beef binge, he was out trying to pick up a few side dishes from unlocked cars, Union City police said. Authorities thanked those in the community who helped identify and find the duo. Your cooperation and support keep our city safe and ensure that the only hamburgers being stolen around here are from fast-food drive-thrus legally purchased, of course, the department said. Anguiano and Flint were booked into the Randolph County Jail in Indiana. Its not yet clear if either have legal representation. Union City sits on the Ohio-Indiana border. 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 woman who struck and killed a famed Hamptons realtor on a foggy highway this summer did briefly stop her SUV, but only to disentangle the victim's suitcase from her vehicle's undercarriage, prosecutors have alleged. Amanda Kempton, a 32-year-old marine biologist from Virginia, has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaving the scene of a deadly crash after police say she fatally hit former Netflix star Sara Burack on Long Island at around 2:26 a.m. on June 19. At the time, Kempton's lawyer told the court that she believed she had only hit a traffic cone and didn't notice she was dragging Burack's suitcase behind her until she got home. But in a press release announcing Kempton's indictment on Monday, Suffolk County prosecutors alleged that she had actually stopped "immediately after the crash" to unsuccessfully try to dislodge the suitcase from under her 2004 Toyota Highlander. Instead of trying to help Burack or report the collision to law enforcement, Kempton simply disposed of the suitcase and its contents in a local dumpster, prosecutors claimed. "Leaving the scene of a fatal collision makes a tragic situation even worse," said District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney. Buracks friend and ex Mike White said her family was deeply concerned about her mental health and never gave up on her ( Janette Pellegrini/Getty Images for Hamptons Magazine ) "Rather than rendering help to Ms. Burack, the defendant allegedly left her to die. This indictment is an important step towards justice for Sara and her loved ones." A judge ordered Kempton held on cash or bond until their next scheduled court appearance on November 20. Burack, 40, shot to national fame in the 2020 Netflix reality show Million Dollar Beach House, which followed her and her colleagues at luxury real estate agency Nest Seekers International as they vied with each other to flog multi-million-dollar homes in the Hamptons. Yet by June 2025, Burack's close friend and ex-boyfriend Mike White told The New York Post, she was in the grip of a deep mental health crisis, suffering from paranoia and not eating regularly while spending her time at the library "constantly researching things for no clear reason". White said Burack had sold off her car and her condo to become "homeless by choice", after a period of extreme workaholism where she often took Adderall to work through the night. That is apparently how Burack ended up wheeling her pink suitcase along the side of the West Montauk Highway near Springville Road in Hampton Bays in the small hours of June 19. Prosecutors say that Kempton, who was staying with a friend while visiting her family, left Burack for dead on the side of the road. It wasn't until around 2:45 a.m. that she was spotted by another passing motorist, who stopped and called 911. Burack was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with sever head trauma and multiple broken bones. She died of her injuries later that afternoon. 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 The posthumous memoir of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre has cast fresh light on the scale of abuse carried out by the pedophile financier. Giuffre, 41, died by suicide in April this year while working on the book with co-author Amy Wallace. Released Tuesday, Nobodys Girl explores in often harrowing detail how Giuffre was subjected to abuse by the rich and powerful and how she fought for justice. The books release comes as President Donald Trump remains under intense pressure to release all of the U.S. governments files on Epstein. open image in gallery Virginia Giuffre taking questions from reporters in New York in August 2019 ( AP ) Trump himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to the disgraced financier, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019. Still, he has faced repeated questions about their past friendship. The president is currently suing The Wall Street Journal for reporting that he sent Epstein a bawdy signed doodle for his 50th birthday in 2003 only for the dead mans estate to produce an item closely resembling the newspapers description of the note in compliance with a House Oversight Committee subpoena. Trump has maintained that he did not do the drawing. Heres a look at some of the key questions Giuffre asks in her book that, for now, remain unanswered. Who were the U.S. politicians who Giuffre says abused her? Epstein has been associated with well-known politicians, celebrities, and royals in both press coverage and unredacted court documents. Still, according to Giuffre, many famous connections whose names have not come to light remain. The author writes in Nobodys Girl that she was trafficked to a multitude of powerful men and continues: Among them were a gubernatorial candidate who was soon to win election in a Western state and a former U.S. senator. She does not name either man, neither of whom has been referred to before, but returns to them again later when she explains that she never knew the names of some of the men to whom she was trafficked and, in some cases, could not recognize their faces in photographs. But others, it was as if Id preserved their faces in an airtight vault in my head one that had been waiting to be unlocked, she writes. The former governor of a Western state. A respected U.S. senator. What happened to Epsteins surveillance tapes? Trumps FBI and Justice Department attempted to draw a line under the conspiracy theories surrounding the Epstein case with a joint statement in July. The bureau said an internal review of all government holdings on the pedophile concluded that he left behind no client list of his influential friends and that there was no reason to suspect he did not end his own life in jail. In September, FBI Director Kash Patel testified to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that his organization has released everything that has been lawfully permitted to be released regarding the case. Offering a reflection on Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwells motives, Giuffre writes: One theory is that they trafficked girls to some of their influential acquaintances in the hope of being owed future favors. Another theory which is supported by the fact that Epsteins houses were all outfitted with video cameras in every room is that he wanted to record men in compromising positions in order to blackmail them later. I dont know if that is true, but I do know that Epstein kept a huge library of videotapes that had been recorded inside his houses. In the Manhattan townhouse, Epstein himself showed me the room in which he monitored and recorded the camera feeds. open image in gallery Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide on August 10 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City ( Florida Department of Law Enforcement ) Giuffre writes later that her abuser always suggested to me that those videotapes he so meticulously collected in the bedrooms and bathrooms of his various houses gave him power over others. He explicitly talked about using me and what Id been forced to do with certain men as a form of blackmail, so these men would owe him favors. She returns to the question of the tapes at the end of the book, when she asks: Where are those videotapes the FBI confiscated from Epsteins houses? And why havent they led to the prosecution of any more abusers? The FBI and DOJ statement published after Giuffres death said they had conducted an exhaustive review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein, including the footage taken from his properties. The agencies maintained that the decision not to release large amounts of the files was because they contain images of child abuse and other pornography. They also said they consulted numerous lawyers, analysts, and civil liberties experts before deciding. Who is the minister Giuffre was too afraid to name? In one of the most explicit passages in the book, Giuffre alludes to an unnamed politician who raped me more savagely than anyone had before. He is considered a minister, meaning a parliamentarian rather than a clergyman, and may be one of Epsteins political connections from outside the U.S. She writes: We were on Epsteins island [Little St James] when I was ordered to take this man to a cabana. Immediately, it was clear that this man, whom Ive taken pains to describe in legal filings only as a former minister, wasnt interested in caresses. He wanted violence. He repeatedly choked me until I lost consciousness and took pleasure in seeing me in fear for my life. Horrifically, this man laughed when he hurt me and got more aroused when I begged him to stop. I emerged from the cabana bleeding... open image in gallery Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein pictured together in 1991 ( House Oversight Committee ) For days, it hurt to breathe and to swallow. I got down on my knees and pleaded with him. I dont know if Epstein feared the man or if he owed him a favor, but he wouldnt make any promises, saying coldly of the politicians brutality, Youll get that sometimes. Towards the end of Nobodys Girl, Giuffre reflects that, while she admires people who dare to name their abusers, we must also protect ourselves. You may notice that while Ive named some men in this book, I have not named all the men I was trafficked to, she states. Partly that is because I still dont know some of their names. Partly, too, that is because there are certain men who I fear naming. The man who brutally raped me toward the end of my time with Epstein and Maxwell, for example the man whom Ive called the former minister in court documents I know his name, and he knows what he did to me, even though when others have sought comment from him about my allegations, he has denied them. I fear that this man will seek to hurt me if I say his name here. How much did Epsteins acquaintances really know about the abuse? Several high-profile people associated with Epstein have denied knowledge of his crimes and expressed regret for ever socializing with him. Giuffre cautions readers about such statements, however. Without naming names, she writes: Dont be fooled by those in Epsteins circle who say they didnt know what Epstein was doing. Anyone who spent any significant amount of time with Epstein saw him touching girls in ways you wouldnt want a creepy old man touching your daughter. They can say they didnt know he was raping children. But they were not blind. (Not to mention the fact that many prominent people were still associating with him years after his conviction.) Epstein offered many of the men in his circle sex with the females he and Maxwell trafficked both girls and women. I know because I lived it. But even the men who didnt partake of the favors Epstein offered could see the naked photos on his walls and the naked girls on his islands or by his swimming pools. Epstein not only didnt hide what was happening, he took a certain glee in making people watch. Because he could. And people did watch scientists, fundraisers from the Ivy League and other heralded institutions, titans of industry. They watched and they didnt care. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This free, confidential crisis hotline is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Concerns have been voiced by MPs regarding the reliance of critical UK IT infrastructure on overseas hosting following widespread disruption to Amazon Web Services (AWS). The outage caused significant interruptions for numerous online platforms, including HMRC, Halifax, and Lloyds. The monitoring site Downdetector recorded a surge in reports on Monday, indicating thousands of users experienced service interruptions across AWS itself, HM Revenue & Customs, Snapchat, Starbucks, Slack, and Ring. Customers also reported an increase in outage reports at UK banks including Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland with 6,925 Downdetector outage reports at Lloyds at 9.31am. An error message posted on Halifaxs website read: Sorry, were unable to process your request at the moment. Were currently having some technical problems. Gaming platforms Roblox and Fortnite were also affected. A spokesperson for VodafoneThree said that although its networks were operating normally the outages had affected some of its apps and websites. AWS is the worlds largest cloud computing provider and offers a wide variety of services, including storage, databases, machine learning, and security tools. The Treasury Committee has now queried why Amazon had not been designated a critical third party (CTP). New rules came into force at the start of the year which allowed regulators to intervene to improve the resilience of CTPs which are key service providers to the financial sector. In a letter to Lucy Rigby MP, the economic secretary to the Treasury, the committee of MPs set out a series of questions linked to the outages. They asked why the Treasury had not designated Amazon Web Services, or any other major technology firm, a CTP. Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier also cited speculation that the AWS outage related to its US operations and asked if the Treasury was concerned that seemingly key parts of our IT infrastructure are hosted abroad? The committee also asked what work the Treasury was doing with HMRC, which it said might have been affected by the outages, to look at what went wrong and how to prevent such incidents in future. Reported outages on Downdetector appeared to spike between 9am and 10am for most services, and then decline through Monday, with AWS saying at 10.27am it had seen significant signs of recovery. The Treasury Committee has now queried why Amazon had not been designated a critical third party (CTP) ( REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo ) AWS added at 11.35am that the underlying DNS (domain name system) issue has been fully mitigated although issues were still peaking in the US on Monday evening according to the Downdetector site. Professor Oli Buckley, an expert in cyber security at Loughborough University, said that DNS acted like a phone book for the internet by telling devices where they needed to go to find a particular service. He said that a DNS error can cause thousands of systems to slow down as they attempt to locate the service until they eventually just stop trying. Professor Alan Woodward, of the University of Surrey, said: Once these errors propagate across the internet, it takes a while for the update to reach the far corners of the internet, so the outage can appear longer than you might expect for such minor errors. What this episode has highlighted is just how interdependent our infrastructure is. So many online services rely upon third parties for their physical infrastructure, and this shows that problems can occur in even the largest of those third-party providers. Small errors, often human-made, can have widespread and significant impact. Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN, said the outages highlighted a serious issue with how some of the worlds biggest companies often rely on the same digital infrastructure, meaning that when one domino falls, they all do. Mr Briedis added that the technical fault could provide opportunities for hackers and warned of a possible increase in phishing and malware attacks. An HM Treasury spokesperson said: We are aware of the situation impacting Amazon Web Services. We and the Bank of England are monitoring the situation and are in close contact with firms. MOSCOW, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. As a brief statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted, the two sides held a "constructive discussion" on possible specific steps to implement the understandings reached during the Oct. 16 telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. The ministry did not release more information about the call. QUITO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- An Ecuadorian national who survived a U.S. bombing of a submarine suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea has been released, local media reported Monday, citing the Attorney General's Office. The survivor arrived in the coastal city of Guayaquil on Saturday after being repatriated. He underwent a medical evaluation before the start of legal proceedings. Anti-narcotics officers presented the case to prosecutors, but the Attorney General's Office announced that there were no grounds for his detention since "no crime has been reported within Ecuadorian territory." U.S. forces intercepted and destoryed the submarine near Venezuela's coast on Thursday, suspecting it was transporting illegal narcotics. U.S. President Donald Trump later said on social media that intelligence had confirmed the presence of "fentanyl and other illegal narcotics" on board. Of the four crew members, two died in the attack, while the other two --- one Ecuadorian and one Colombian -- survived and were repatriated for legal processing in their home countries. Ecuadorian authorities have not released further details about the case. 10th Global Mazu Culture Forum to convene in Putian, SE China's Fujian People's Daily Online) 17:35, October 20, 2025 The 10th Global Mazu Culture Forum is scheduled to take place in Putian, southeast China's Fujian Province, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2025, according to a press conference held Oct. 19 at the People's Daily New Media Tower in Beijing. Photo shows the press conference for the 10th Global Mazu Culture Forum, held in Beijing, Oct. 19, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi) Jiang Erxiong, vice governor of Fujian Province, outlined the main agenda and preparatory work on behalf of the organizing committee. Jiang said that Mazu culture forms an integral part of traditional Chinese culture. The forum, he noted, seeks to foster dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations and to contribute Chinese wisdom to global peace and development through Mazu culture, a spiritual legacy shared by all humanity. He emphasized that the event is not only an international cultural gathering but also a concrete measure to implement central government policies, advance cross-Strait integration, and deepen exchanges among civilizations. Jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Macao Special Administrative Region government, and the Fujian Provincial People's Government, the forum will, for the first time, feature 11 domestic and overseas sub-venues across Asia, Europe, Oceania, South America, and Africa. This expansion transforms it from a regional event into a global platform for dialogue among civilizations. The 27th Meizhou Mazu Culture and Tourism Festival, to be held concurrently, will highlight intangible cultural heritage items and feature a variety of activities paying tribute to the Chinese sea goddess, blending cultural celebration, folk traditions and tourism promotion. The forum will also include the naming ceremony of the Mazu ocean satellite and the appointment of the global ambassador for Mazu culture promotion. Organizers will issue an annual report on the inheritance and development of Mazu culture, along with a declaration. Eight thematic sub-forums will explore various aspects of Mazu culture, complemented by activities such as exhibitions of achievements and cultural creative products, as well as folk performances. Notably, this year's event will debut a cross-Strait integration community to create a better environment for Taiwan compatriots in Putian, further promoting integrated development across the Strait. Mazu is the deified form of a devoted woman named Lin Mo, who was born in Putian in the year 960. She lost her life in 987 while rescuing fishermen caught in a storm. Her courage and compassion inspired generations, earning her the affectionate title "Mazu," the Chinese sea goddess. Originating on Meizhou Island in Putian, Mazu culture is an important part of both China's traditional culture and global maritime civilization. Mazu beliefs and customs were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. (Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming) Amid rising protectionism and challenges to global supply chains, China's continued institutional opening-up sends a strong signal of stability, said a German business leader. BERLIN, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, China has demonstrated its ability to turn external shocks into opportunities for long-term upgrading, said a German trade group leader in a recent interview with Xinhua. Michael Schumann, chairman of the Board of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, noted that despite global uncertainties, China has continued to innovate, digitalize and pursue green transformation while maintaining social stability. "Few countries manage such a balance. I would describe these five years as a period of resilient transformation, where challenges became catalysts for modernization," he said. "China's planning has a different quality, as implementation tends to be more consistent, and the people involved are highly trained for execution." "China (has) advanced innovation, expanded digital infrastructure, accelerated the green transition and further improved people's well-being. That combination of structural reform and social stability is truly impressive," he added. He highlighted China's development philosophy, which centers on innovation, coordination, green growth and openness. "It reminds us that GDP figures alone are no longer sufficient; development must be measured by sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience," Schumann said. Building on this vision, he noted, the concept of "new quality productive forces" marks a significant shift in China's development model. "It shows that future growth depends less on low-cost labor and more on advanced technologies, green energy, digital platforms and human capital," he said. "For China, this means unlocking new drivers of modernization. For the world, it reshapes the engines of global growth toward sustainability and shared prosperity." Schumann said he has already visited China three times this year, witnessing the dynamism of the Chinese economy firsthand. During one of his visits to an electric vehicle factory in Beijing, he was deeply impressed by the high-level automation and efficiency, which he said reflected the strong momentum of China's industrial innovation. Such progress, he added, is also reshaping global supply chains and business strategies. Many German firms are expanding in China to tap its market and stay connected to global manufacturing networks. The country's dynamic innovation environment acts as a "fitness room" for foreign enterprises seeking to stay competitive, Schumann said. Amid rising protectionism and challenges to global supply chains, China's continued institutional opening-up sends a strong signal of stability, he added. "At a time when many economies are turning inward, China is doing the opposite and continues to open up," he said, citing the steady growth of the China-Europe Railway Express as a concrete example of how connectivity can translate into shared growth. "The China-Europe Railway is not just about trade; it is about building trust, stability and development. Duisburg, for example, once an industrial city, is now transformed by logistics hubs and new businesses linked to the rail connection. The railway has truly created a ripple effect, boosting the local economy and providing tangible benefits to German communities," Schumann added. Looking ahead, Schumann said that China's Five-Year Plan mechanism remains one of its major institutional strengths, combining long-term vision with operational excellence and ensuring coherence across ministries, regions and industries, which is difficult to achieve elsewhere. As China prepares its 15th Five-Year Plan, Schumann expects the new framework to focus on green growth, digital transformation and the development of new quality productive forces. He also expressed hope that China will continue to deepen international cooperation in areas such as climate technology, sustainable finance and reform of global governance. "I expect to see a China that is even greener, more innovative, and more connected to the world -- a China that continues to foster stability and shared prosperity," Schumann said. MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Tuesday dismissed reports of a postponed meeting between its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying it is premature to talk about the schedule. Russian deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the issue of a meeting between Lavrov and Rubio was not raised in concrete terms during their phone conversation on Monday. "It's an idea. But it's premature to discuss a schedule. Any contact of such significance must be properly prepared," Ryabkov added. U.S. news outlet CNN reported earlier in the day that the planned meeting between Lavrov and Rubio has been "put on hold for the time being," citing its sources in the White House. U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest for talks, following a phone conversation between the two leaders. The Kremlin later said that the summit will be organized in stages, with Lavrov and Rubio initiating work on the issue. The Washington agreement struck by the leaders will materially advance confidence in the capacity of Australia, including our Browns Range project, to materially contribute to the western worlds accelerating and important efforts to move away from a single source of supply of heavy rare earths, Northern Minerals executive chairman Adam Handley, said. The soaring share prices on Tuesday built on a market frenzy for rare earths stocks by local investors. Since April, weve seen demand for rare earth and strategic minerals stocks grow strongly, with October marking a dramatic spike in trades up eleven-fold from September, Ausiex executive Chris Hill, said. US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled the multibillion dollar plan to break Chinas stranglehold on crtitical minerals. Credit: AP This includes Australias $20 billion market giant Lynas Rare Earths also backed by Rinehart which has tripled in price this year as the only rare earths producer that currently processes rare earths outside China. Rinehart owns 10 per cent of Arafura and more than 8 per cent of Lynas. But as Lynas knows, investors in these critical minerals players face a rough ride if Chinas predatory pricing is allowed to set market rates and make it financially impossible for other players to succeed. Loading Lynas relied on funding from Japanese government-backed entities in 2011 to keep it afloat as other operators collapsed when China sent rare earth prices plunging. Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signalled that they will introduce price floors for the critical minerals producers they are backing, to ensure this does not happen. The Participants will work to protect their respective domestic critical minerals and rare earths markets from non-market policies and unfair trade practices, including through the adoption of price floors or similar measures, a statement from the White House said. Even so, Datt warned there were risks for investors piling into critical minerals. Over the long term we often observe that stocks that trade on extremely high valuations can revert back to sector averages, he said. Datt added that just as geopolitical tensions brought about the current boom, the situation could change suddenly. Clearly the US are attempting to diversify their supply of rare earths, however, it seems like strategically theres only been a push to diversify under the current administration, he said. If the party in power changes what does that mean geopolitically? Does that mean international relations become less volatile and that changes the appetite, and the risk is that a Chinese stranglehold on rare earths could become acceptable again. What are critical minerals, and what are they used for? The term rare earths refers to 17 minerals and elements crucial to the manufacture of many hi-tech products such as mobile phones, electric cars, wind turbines and, most crucially, military equipment like fighter jets and nuclear submarines. They are not actually that rare, but require an intensive extraction process, which is costly and produces toxic waste. The US and Australian governments have started funding the mining and processing in recent years as Chinas stranglehold became evident. Australias new F-35 jet fighter requires more than 400 kilograms of rare earth materials, according to a US congressional report. Critical minerals are a broader group of minerals used to make a wide variety of technology including electric cars, batteries and solar cells. Where are they located in Australia? Albaneses announcement said the Australian government was making financial commitments to two priority projects: one from Alcoa and Sojitz in Western Australia, and the Arafura Nolans project in the Northern Territory. There are several other projects in the pipeline in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. What was agreed upon in the Australia-US critical minerals deal? The Australian and US. governments have agreed to a framework that will provide funding to companies in Australia and the US that are planning to mine and process critical minerals and rare earths. The announcement unveils US$1 billion in investments by both governments over the next six months as part of a planned US$8.5 billion pipeline of priority projects in Australia and the US. Loading It will accelerate the supply of processed rare earths from outside China, which has a stranglehold on the crucial minerals. In return for funding, each government will receive guaranteed supply of these elements and minerals via what are known as offtake agreements. The deal announced on Tuesday includes both governments investing in the Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium Recovery Project in Western Australia with offtake agreements. Similar funding deals were announced to advance projects for ASX-listed Arafura Rare Earths, VHM, Northern Minerals and Latrobe Magnesium. It builds on US government funding for other projects, including the processing of heavy rare earths by Lynas Corp in Texas, and a mining project by Australian Strategic Minerals in NSW. Equities analysts from UBS welcomed the plan to re-build the rare earths supply chain outside China, even if Trumps expectation that it would ease supply issues within a year was seen as optimistic. But they warned that this level of government investment in unproven businesses could have consequences. It does raise questions on long-term implications with potentially uneconomic projects being subsidised into production, they said. How does this impact China? Dr Lian Sinclair, an economic geographer at the University of Sydney, said that in the context of Chinas announced export restrictions on rare earths to the US amid its tit-for-tat trade war, greater Australian supply was a positive. If Australia can step up supply, it takes leverage away from China, he said. (But) the view in China will likely be that this deal is just another incremental step. Advertisement Eating outJust open Melbournes first steak frites-only restaurant, by the Rockpool team, is now open 7 Alfred only asks diners to choose if they want their 220-gram Gippsland scotch fillet cooked medium or well done, and what sauce to go with it. Tomas Telegramma Updated October 22, 2025 ,first published October 1, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share As featured in the November 2025 hit list. See all stories . Melbournes first restaurant serving only steak frites as a main course and only one side salad and one dessert is open from today. It comes to Alfred Place in the CBD after Hunter St. Hospitality the group behind Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple, Sake and more launched a Sydney version of the dining concept in July. Steak frites with peppercorn sauce at 7 Alfred. Steven Woodburn Called 24 York for its street address in Sydney, the 200-seat restaurant got off to a flying start. We did just over 500 covers on the first day, says Hunter St. Hospitality cheif executive Frank Tucker. We wanted to prove we could get a steak on the table in 10 minutes and we did. Advertisement Melbourne will get a slice of the steak when its counterpart 7 Alfred, also named for its address, arrives in a grand three-storey space once used for Rockpool events, which was previously home to Stokehouse City and Miettas. The steakhouse will be housed in the building that was formerly home to the iconic Miettas restaurant, and later, Stokehouse City. Kristoffer Paulsen The formula will be identical to that in Sydney: one main, one side and one dessert. The piece de resistance is steak and fries the French bistro classic with 7 Alfred looking to emulate the success-in-simplicity of such restaurants as Le Relais de lEntrecote, which has been all about steak frites since it launched in France in 1959. The star at 7 Alfred is a 220-gram grass-fed scotch fillet with a marble score of two, sourced from Gippsland producer OConnor and served with a sauce, and fries cooked in beef tallow, for $48. Advertisement The same cut of Gippsland beef is on the menu at Rockpool Bar & Grill, decided on after multiple tastings including a blind one to compare flavour and texture between cuts. Related Article With just one dish on the menu, this Sydney restaurant is a cure for decision fatigue By dedicating themselves to a single dish, were trying to take the complexity out at a time when complexity is what is killing businesses, says Tucker. Someone [in Sydney] asked: When will you add another item [to the menu]? We wont. Its not a gimmick. Inside 7 Alfred Melbourne, opening October 22. Kristoffer Paulsen Advertisement At 7 Alfred, you and everyone else will be going for the steak frites. But there are still a couple of choices to make. Medium or well done? And which sauce: chimichurri, peppercorn, veal jus or umami butter? At a time when theres a lot of trepidation [around the cost of dining out], you know what youre going to get, you know what the price is ... and youre not going to break the bank, says Tucker. Plus, theres a guarantee that you can be in and out within half an hour. The upstairs bar at 7 Alfred. Kristoffer Paulsen The menus only extras are an $8 side salad, made with seasonal Victorian leafy greens, and a $12 New York-style cheesecake served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Advertisement Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Like skinny jeans, side parts and ankle socks, leggings are the latest trend caught in the generational crosshairs between Millennials and Gen Z. According to some members of the latter generation on TikTok, leggings specifically the plain black, full length kind are yesterdays news, and a telltale sign of ones age. Vencii Studio founder Veda Rana, right, with friend Nancy Sun. Both wear pieces from the brand. Credit: Max Mason-Hubers In July, trade publication The Business of Fashion declared the reign of leggings is over, writing, Millennials helped crown leggings as the ultimate do-everything uniform, Gen Z is shifting the silhouette entirely, gravitating toward oversized, slouchier workout clothes. While globally, Google search data since 2016 shows the styles popularity has declined, in Australia, that trend seems to be less acute. In just 12 months, HSC modern history student Olivia Lee has covered almost 100 years of dictators, wars, and the best and worst of humanity, from Rosa Parks to Hitler. On Tuesday morning, a century of content was condensed even further. Three hours was all she had to demonstrate she could remember all the dates, facts and statistics shed learnt, alongside 11,131 other students sitting the final modern history exam. Meriden School students Sydney Nguyen, Alyssa Stamson, Alana Ikladios, Olivia Lee and Sophie Tan discuss the exam. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong Modern history is one of those subjects where theres so much content that youre only really tested on a very small proportion of it, Olivia, 18, said. Topics she studied covered Nazi Germany, the Russian Revolution, the Vietnam War and the American civil rights movements all periods which initially appeared entirely separate. ULAN BATOR, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The average price per square meter for second-hand apartments in Mongolia's capital reached 4.7 million Mongolian Tugriks (1,308 U.S. dollars) in September, up 14.7 percent year-on-year, the National Statistics Office said Tuesday. Meanwhile, the average price per square meter of newly constructed apartments in Ulan Bator was 4.8 million Mongolian Tugriks (1,335 dollars) in September, reflecting a 13.5 percent rise from the corresponding period last year. According to experts, the significant increases were largely related to an increase in real estate demand. Mongolia is the world's most sparsely populated country. However, housing is one of the most pressing issues in Mongolia, especially in Ulan Bator, home to over half of the country's population of 3.5 million. More than half of Mongolia's capital residents live in ger districts, with no running water, central heating, or sewerage systems. In this special series, The Age focuses on Melbournes western suburbs to see how life could improve in Australias fastest-growing region. Thousands of inner-west residents will be at risk of breathing in unsafe levels of truck pollution because the West Gate Tunnel Project prioritised sleek design over meeting good engineering practice. The damning findings of a new engineering report commissioned by the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) have prompted calls for the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to consider new evidence suggesting that the design of the tunnels twin ventilation stacks will not prevent noxious fumes from reaching nearby homes. Yarraville resident Sarah Tartakover, who lives near one of the two West Gate Tunnel vents, is calling for filters to be urgently added. Credit: Alex Coppel Last week, Transurban applied to the EPA for its licence to operate the tunnel a final step required to permit the new $10.2 billion toll road to open as planned in December. The truck action group argues that the West Gate Tunnel a project jointly delivered by the Victorian government and Transurban should not operate without pollution filters being installed on the enormous 50-metre vents that sit next to the underground tollway, in Yarraville and Altona North. In this special series, The Age focuses on Melbournes western suburbs to see how life could improve in Australias fastest-growing region. Melbourne is at a crossroads. The number of people who call the west home stands at close to 1 million. By 2050, it is projected to be 1.8 million, twice the size it was in 2021, and bigger than the population of Adelaide. It is the fastest population growth in Australia. A report by The West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance, which was formed to support, provide and carry out activities, facilities and projects for the benefit or welfare of the community in the west of Melbourne, encapsulates what this growth means, not only to the region, the city and Victoria, but to the country. Residents of Melbournes booming western suburbs have ever-growing commuting times. Credit: Joe Armao The report says: Australias economic future critically depends on ensuring that this booming population leads to a booming economy. In recent months, The Age has run articles highlighting and digging deep into life in the west and the issues confronting residents and businesses. Today and tomorrow, The West of Melbourne Summit, presented by WoMEDA with The Age, will be held to outline those issues and discuss how the future for the region should be tackled. The family of a woman missing from Perths western suburbs have put up a $100,000 reward for any information that could lead them to the mother-of-three. Michelle Leahy, 50, was last seen leaving Hollywood Private Hospital in Nedlands around 3pm on Thursday afternoon. A missing poster for Perth mum Michelle Leahy. Credit: Hannah Murphy She was walking to an appointment, but never arrived. Her husband, Murray Leahy, told 6PRs Simon Beaumont he wanted her home as soon as possible. Weve got three kids that are at home, with absolutely broken hearts [who] are desperate to see their mum return safe and sound, he said. And just like that, it was done. Almost a year on from the re-election of Donald Trump and six months on from the re-election of Anthony Albanese, the US president and the Australian prime minister have finally had their first formal meeting in the White House. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese got US President Donald Trump onside. Credit: Bloomberg And while this meeting wasnt exactly what ambassador Kevin Rudd might have hoped for, with the president inadvertently admitting he didnt even know what the former prime minister looked like, when the smoke cleared from that incident, the current PM and president had cemented a relationship. The president and the prime minister inked a deal on critical minerals to unlock a $13 billion pipeline of investment in Australia. Loading It was unclear how much the refinery would cost, but Albanese said it could produce 10 per cent of the worlds gallium supply. Alcoa and Sojitz will make a final investment decision next year. However, WA Greens environment spokesperson Jess Beckerling said she was concerned the gallium refinery could be used to lock in a massive expansion of mining in the states jarrah forests. Alcoas gallium development project and forest mining expansion proposals, and any associated environment and climate impacts, must be assessed independently the risk to our drinking water, the South-Wests unique jarrah forests and the endangered wildlife that call them home is far too important, she said. Labor wants us to believe that a critical mineral deal with the US is going to put us on the path to a clean energy transition, when the truth is that Alcoas forest mining expansion will drag us even further in the opposite direction. Alcoas expansion plans that are currently under assessment risk contamination of our drinking water and would release more than 1.3 billion tonnes of [greenhouse gas] emissions over the life of the project. The US and Australia have agreed to spend about $3 billion together on critical mineral projects in the next six months. The US Export-Import Bank has sent letters of interest to seven companies, alerting them to their intention to offer about $2.2 billion worth of financing to get their projects under way. One of those companies was Northern Minerals, whose Browns Range heavy rare earths project in the East Kimberley could be in line for US$230 million (AUD$352 million) from the USs state-owned bank, which usually only helps fund US company ventures. Northern Minerals will also tap Australian equivalent, Export Finance Australia, for further funding. Northern Minerals executive chairman Adam Handley said a feasibility study completed this month confirmed Browns Range was a globally significant resource, and it was one of the most advanced heavy rare earth projects outside of China. Loading Backed by these Letters from EFA and EXIM, our focus is to secure the right funding solution to enable a Final Investment Decision to be made and construction to start at Browns Range in line with Northern Minerals vision to deliver long-term, sustained value for our shareholders, he said. The other letters were sent to Arafura Rare Earths, Graphinex, La Trobe Magnesium, VHM, RZ Resources, and Sunrise Energy Metals. Rare earths are a series of chemically similar elements crucial to advanced manufacturing, but China has control of much of the global market. A US-Australia critical minerals supply security response group will also be established to identify supply chain issues and vulnerabilities. It will be led by the Australian resources minister and US secretary of energy. Anita Logiudice, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WAs director of policy and advocacy, said the critical minerals deal was a game-changer that would light a fire under efforts to develop the states considerable reserves. WA is already the worlds fourth-largest producer of rare earths, and we possess half of Australias known critical minerals reserves, which are among the biggest on the planet, she said. WA is also a stable and reliable trading partner with the skilled workforce and expertise needed to quickly and safely develop new resources projects. AUKUS on track Cook was also enthused about Trumps stated support for the AUKUS submarine deal to be expedited. AUKUS is a huge deal for Western Australia. It will create 10,000 jobs down in Henderson, which will become a naval maintenance and shipbuilding hub, the biggest in the southern hemisphere, he said. Loading What the comments from President Trump overnight represent is a clear indication that the Trump administration, more broadly, is committed to AUKUS. These are exciting days, and we need to make sure that my government is getting behind these projects, making sure that theyre delivered, and ensuring that we can continue and make and keep Western Australias economy the strongest in the nation. Australia is particularly reliant on AWS. The federal government inked a three-year whole-of-government deal in January 2025, giving federal, state and local agencies streamlined access to AWS services. The government has committed $2 billion over the next decade for AWS to build a Top Secret Cloud to host the nations most sensitive defence and intelligence data. Anthony Albanese at a press conference during the prime ministers June visit to the Amazon Spheres in Seattle. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen More than 140 Commonwealth, state and territory agencies already rely on AWS for critical services in transport, health, education and tax collection. The root cause of this weeks issue hasnt yet been identified, though it appears tied to a DNS (Domain Name System) failure within AWSs US-EAST-1 region, in Virginia. To put it simply, the digital phone book for much of the cloud was broken, and when AWS stumbles, anything or anyone relying on its services stumbles too. This isnt a new story. AWS experienced similar outages in 2023 and 2021, when a five-hour disruption prevented customers from accessing airline reservations and payment apps. And just 15 months ago, the CrowdStrike disaster showed us what happens when critical infrastructure software fails at scale. Loading The July 2024 CrowdStrike incident was different in nature, but similar in its sheer impact. CrowdStrike makes cybersecurity software that runs on individual computers and servers to protect them from hackers. A faulty update caused roughly 8.5 million Windows systems to crash simultaneously, triggering an estimated $US10 billion ($15.3 billion) in global damage. Airlines grounded thousands of flights. Hospitals scrambled to access patient records. Supermarkets effectively shut down and emergency services went dark. The two incidents share a troubling pattern: single points of failure causing cascading global chaos. But theres a crucial difference. CrowdStrike affected individual machines that required technicians to manually fix them one by one. Mondays AWS outage hit centralised infrastructure the very foundation upon which modern digital services are built. Checkouts at Coles in New Farm were offline after the CrowdStrike outage of July 19, 2024. Credit: Cameron Atfield The outage underscores the critical role AWS plays in the functioning of the entire internet. And for one provider to have so much influence is a problem when something goes wrong, far beyond just inconveniences for businesses or customers. When a single provider goes dark, critical services go offline with it, advocacy organisation Article 19 warns. Media outlets become inaccessible, secure communication apps stop functioning, and the infrastructure that serves our digital society crumbles. They have a point. This isnt just about missing a few hours on social media or not being able to respond to your Tinder match. Its about systemic fragility in critical infrastructure that increasingly underpins finance, healthcare and ultimately democracy. To be fair, cloud computing has brought real benefits, and has been one of the most transformative technologies over the last decade, alongside AI. Its made technology cheaper and more accessible, allowing start-ups to compete without buying expensive servers. Its enabled services to scale rapidly to meet demand. And companies like AWS do invest heavily in redundancy back-up systems designed to kick in when something fails. They just dont always work. So, what should we do differently? First, regulators and governments must treat cloud infrastructure like the critical public utility it has become. The internet is too important not to. We dont allow one company to control 30 per cent of electricity generation for good reason and the same logic should apply to the digital infrastructure that powers modern life. This doesnt mean breaking up tech companies, necessarily, but it does mean greater oversight, standards and accountability. Second, governments need to mandate genuine redundancy. And not just within a single providers ecosystem, but across different providers. If your back-up generator runs on the same power grid as your main system, its not really a back-up. Loading Third, we need transparency. When AWS goes down, the public deserves to know immediately what failed, why, whats at risk, and when full service will return. AWS did provide regular updates overnight, but the current system is inadequate for infrastructure this critical. None of this is straightforward or easy, but the status quo isnt working either. The internet has become too important to be this fragile, and too important to be held hostage by any single company. Behind closed doors in Beijing this week, Chinas top officials are meeting to refine a plan to secure its strength in a turbulent world. But two great questions hang over the nations future, even if no one at the meeting dares raise them: How long will Xi Jinping rule, and who will replace him when he is gone? Xi has led China for 13 years, amassing dominance to a degree unseen since Mao Zedong. He has shown no sign of wanting to step down. Yet his longevity at the top could, if mismanaged, sow the seeds of political turbulence: He has neither an heir apparent nor a clear timetable for designating one. Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass on the eve of the 76th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China last month. Credit: AP With each year that he stays in office, uncertainty deepens about who would step in if, say, his health failed, and whether the new leader would stick to or soften Xis hard-line course. Xi faces a dilemma familiar to long-serving autocrats. Naming a successor risks creating a rival centre of power and weakening his grip, but failing to settle on a leader-in-waiting could jeopardise his legacy and sow rifts in Chinas political elite. And at 72, Xi will likely have to search for a potential heir among much younger officials, who must still prove themselves and win his trust. A European diplomat briefed on the White House exchange described it as a mess and said Trump also went on and on about his grievances of not having gotten the Nobel Peace Prize. On the conflict, the message was that Russia only wants Donbas and this is a good deal and Putin wants to end the war, and it can be done quickly, the diplomat said. Zelensky speaks to the media outside the White House after meeting with Trump. Credit: AP Trump, however, emerged from the meeting with Zelensky calling for a ceasefire along the front line, a stance that the Ukrainian president has endorsed publicly, but the Kremlin has not. Parts of the Trump-Zelensky meeting were originally reported by the Financial Times on Sunday. Asked if he urged Zelensky to give up Donbas, Trump later said he hadnt. Let it be cut the way it is. Leave it the way it is now, he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. They can negotiate something later on down the line, he added. But for now, both sides of the conflict should stop at the battle line go home, stop fighting, stop killing people. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to questions on Monday about freezing the conflict along existing front lines, said the issue has been raised repeatedly with various nuances during contacts between Russia and the US. He said Russias position remained unchanged. Putin told Trump during their call that Russian forces had the strategic initiative along the front lines, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. Trumps decision to push Putins demands with Zelensky again quashed European hopes that Washington might come to Ukraines rescue or boost its leverage in talks. It also piles fresh pressure on Kyivs chief backers in Europe to maintain the flow of cash and weapons. European diplomats have long suggested they acquiesced to the idea that Ukraine will have to concede land in any future US-brokered settlement by freezing the front line. But they have backed Zelensky by insisting that Kyiv would not voluntarily cede any territory to Moscow that it does not control militarily. While Russian forces have taken much of Donbas, they have tried and failed to seize the entirety of the heavily fortified Donetsk region in that corner of eastern Ukraine in over a decade of fighting. In his call with Trump, Putin suggested he could give up claims to parts of two other Ukrainian regions that Russia has not entirely conquered, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in exchange for full control of Donetsk, The Washington Post reported. Zelensky said to journalists that he believes Putin wants to show that he won the war and for that, he needs the administrative borders of Donbas. But heres the thing, he added, who says he wont go further in a few years? Who can guarantee that? Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Zelensky says could resume aggression in a few years, even if peace returns to Ukraine. Credit: AP The European official said the White House visit was not as disastrous as an infamous Oval Office public shouting match early this year but that Zelensky, who later held a call with some European leaders, had left disappointed. None of us should put pressure on Zelensky when it comes to territorial concessions, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the meeting. One thing is absolutely clear: Europes solidarity with Ukraine against Russias aggression is today more important than ever before. The first person briefed on the meeting said it remained unclear what exactly had swayed Trump, after the president had talked of Ukraine retaking its full territory and expressed frustration with Putin over stalled negotiations. He can flip back. You never know. The European diplomat, however, said it seemed that Putin knew what he was doing and got through to Trump. There were concerns among Europeans once again that things are backsliding, the diplomat said. Loading For months, the Kremlin and European leaders have jostled for Trumps ear, adjusting to his policy changes on the war and his ambition for a peace deal. Trumps focus on the deal more than the details, has at times left all sides frustrated, while the president has voiced irritation with both Kyiv and Moscow throughout his efforts to stop the conflict. Leaders of the EUs 27 nations will deliberate this week on a response to Trumps latest pivot and on ways to bolster Ukraine, including with a plan to use Russias frozen assets in the form of a reparation loan and with more sanctions against Moscow. Yet agreement to tap into Russian frozen assets could still take time. The plan, strongly condemned by Moscow, has met concern from Belgium, where much of the assets are held, and objections from Hungarys Kremlin-friendly prime minister, Viktor Orban. Also on the European agenda is a possible Trump-Putin summit in the coming weeks. After his call with Putin, Trump said the two could meet soon in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, much to the consternation of many EU leaders except Orban. European foreign ministers reiterated praise of Trumps peacemaking attempts, but some voiced dismay at the idea of Putin visiting Hungary for the talks. 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 For decades, thieves have been slipping past alarms and guards at museums across the world to steal jewels and paintings meant to outlast us all. Theyve scaled walls. Theyve dropped through skylights. Theyve disguised themselves as police officers, curators, even janitors to sneak in and out undetected with valuable artwork and artifacts. Masked men entered the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre after using a van-mounted extendable ladder. Credit: AFP On Sunday, art thieves entered the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre in Paris and left with eight items of jewellery said to be of incalculable worth. Among them: a tiara worn by Empress Eugenie, set with 212 pearls and nearly 3000 diamonds. The theft joined a long line of breaches at museums large and small, pilfering swords, Renoirs and even the Mona Lisa. Here are some of the better known thefts: The Mona Lisa heist, 1911 Advertisement One summer day, Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker at the Louvre, tucked the Mona Lisa beneath his coat and carried it into the Paris streets. For two years, the painting remained missing, increasing its fame around the world. When the painting reappeared after Peruggia tried to unload it in Italy, Mona Lisa was no longer merely a portrait, but a legend. Visitors to the Louvre usually view the Mona Lisa in a matter of seconds from a distance of several metres. Credit: Alonzo Rovere Museum of Natural History, New York, 1964 A man known as Murph the Surf and an accomplice climbed a fire escape and slipped in through a window of the American Museum of Natural History on a Thursday evening. They cut open three cases in the Hall of Gems and Minerals and walked out with a score of diamonds, emeralds and rubies, including the Star of India one of the worlds largest sapphires at about a quarter of a pound. Murph, whose New York Times obituary in 2020 described him as a tanned, roguish, party-loving beach boy was helped by lax security: Windows were open, burglar alarms were not functioning, and the security team was understaffed. New Yorks American Museum of Natural History, the scene of Murph the Surfs 1964 jewel heist. Credit: nna\riwood Unfortunately for the burglars, they were far from expert at covering their tracks. A suspicious clerk at their hotel called police. Their room had a museum floor plan, brochures on the gems and shoes with glass shards on them. An accomplice promptly confessed. Advertisement Murph the Surf had flown to Miami, where the gems were stashed in places like a bus station locker. One gem, the Eagle Diamond, was never found. Murph the Surf whose real name was Jack Murphy served decades in prison both for the theft and an unrelated homicide. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, 1990 Two men dressed as police officers walked into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and left with an estimated $US500 million ($767 million) in art treasures. No one has found any of the 13 works lost in the heist considered the largest art theft in history including a rare Vermeer and three precious Rembrandts. The frames that housed the paintings remain, their emptiness serving as a reminder of the loss. National Museum, Oslo, 1994 Like the robbers at the Louvre, two men in Norway climbed a ladder and broke a window to steal the nations best-known painting, The Scream by Edvard Munch. It took them less than a minute, and they left behind the ladder, wire cutters and a note: A thousand thanks for your poor security. Advertisement Scream no more: The Edvard Munch painting spent three months AWOL from Oslos National Museum. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo The painting was recovered three months later, after the government refused to pay a $US1 million ransom demand. Four Norwegian men were arrested in an elaborate sting operation in which undercover agents posed as representatives of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2000 As fireworks lit up the night skies to welcome the new millennium, a thief or perhaps multiple thieves dropped through a skylight, filled the gallery with smoke, and left minutes later with Cezannes View of Auvers-sur-Oise. It has not surfaced since. Missing: Cezannes View of Auvers-sur-Oise Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 2003 Robert Mang, an alarm technician, climbed up scaffolding, entered the Vienna museum through a window and stole a gold-plated sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini the Saliera, or salt cellar, a Renaissance treasure worth $US60 million. He held it for years, sending ransom notes, until police traced a text message from a newly purchased cellphone. Advertisement Musee dArt Moderne Paris, 2010 Vjeran Tomic, a famed thief known as Spider-Man for his acrobatic burglaries, slipped through a window without setting off the museums alarms. He took five masterpieces: works by Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Braque and Leger. He said later he had intended to take just the Leger, but took the others because he realised he had more time and he liked them. None of the works have ever been found. Vjeran Tomic aka Spider Man arrives for his trial in Paris in 2017. Credit: AP Green Vault, Dresden, 2019 Just before two robbers shimmied through their pre-cut hole in a window grate before dawn, they detonated a homemade firebomb in front of a power distribution box. The blast knocked out streetlights around the Green Vault, a set of basement suites that is now part of a museum in Dresden Castle. Police at the scene of the Green Vault robbery in Dresden, Germany, 2019. Credit: nna\advidler Advertisement Sanae Takaichi (C) bows after winning the prime ministerial designation vote in the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) TOKYO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. In the House of Representatives vote, Takaichi secured 237 votes, defeating head of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party Yoshihiko Noda with 149 votes and other rival candidates. The House of Councillors also held its vote, but no candidate secured a majority in the first round. Takaichi led with 123 votes, followed by Noda with 44. As a result, an unprecedented runoff for the upper chamber, the first in 13 years, was triggered between Takaichi and Noda, with Takaichi ultimately winning the race. By winning in both chambers, she was officially named Japan's 104th prime minister, the first woman in the nation to hold the office. Takaichi was scheduled to finalize her cabinet lineup, take part in an attestation ceremony, and launch the new cabinet later in the day. This photo taken on Oct. 21, 2025 shows a scene during the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Shigeru Ishiba votes during the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Sanae Takaichi (2nd R, front) is pictured during the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 20, 2025 -- HD Hyundai announced that Executive Vice Chairman Chung Kisun has been promoted to Chairman in its latest executive appointments. Chairman Chung holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Yonsei University and an MBA from Stanford University in the United States. He began his career in 2009 in the Finance Team of the Corporate Planning Division at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Since then, he has served as Head of Management Support at HD Hyundai, Head of Ship Sales at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and CEO of HD Hyundai Marine Solution. He currently serves as CEO of HD Hyundai, the holding company, as well as HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for the shipbuilding division. In this latest personnel announcement, Chairman Chung was also appointed Co-CEO of HD Hyundai XiteSolution, where he will lead efforts to overcome the recent downturn in the construction equipment business and establish new growth drivers. Chairman Chung spearheaded the establishment of HD Hyundai Marine Solution in 2016, developing it into one of the group's core businesses with a market capitalization of KRW 11 trillion. In 2021, he led the acquisition of Doosan Infracore, nurturing the construction equipment business into another key growth pillar for the group. As Executive Vice Chairman, he directly oversaw major strategic issues across the HD Hyundai Group. More recently, he has focused on securing the company's future growth engines including artificial intelligence (AI), digital innovation, and eco-friendly core technologies while strengthening cooperation with the United States, which has renewed its commitment to revitalizing the shipbuilding industry, by engaging with key U.S. figures. An HD Hyundai official stated, "This appointment reflects our determination to pioneer a new era under strong leadership amid an increasingly competitive and diversified global business environment," adding "By maintaining our leadership in the shipbuilding industry, HD Hyundai will contribute to the success of the KoreaU.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Project, as well as to the growth of the Korean economy and the advancement of national interests." SOURCE HD Hyundai MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of food poisoning cases has risen to 121, including 66 children, in the Republic of Buryatia in Russia's Far East, local media reported Tuesday. Sixty-seven people, including 40 children, have been hospitalized, said the TASS news agency, citing the regional office of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare. An outbreak of acute intestinal infection was initially reported on Sunday in the city of Ulan-Ude in the region. Local health authorities said the outbreak was linked to poor-quality prepared food produced by a local company. Investigative authorities have opened a criminal case. A production manager at the company has been detained and charged. Fear instilled by Armed Forces brought Pakistan to its knees: PM Modi PM Modi celebrates Diwali with Navy personnel onboard INS Vikrant PANAJI : PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the exceptional coordination among the three armed forces, fear instilled by the Navy, extraordinary skills of the Air Force and bravery of the Army forced Pakistan to its knees during Operation Sindoor in no time. Addressing the Navy personnel onboard INS Vikrant off the Goa coast, he said the indigenously built aircraft carrier was a powerful symbol of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and its handover to the Navy led to renouncement of a major colonial legacy. A few months ago we had seen how INS Vikrant had given Pakistan some sleepless nights. INS Vikrant, the name itself puts an end to the courage of the enemy, Modi said. Modi spent a night onboard INS Vikrant and witnessed the Navys air power at the high seas with MiG 27 aircraft demonstrating its skills on the aircraft carrier built at the Cochin Shipyard. He said that when the enemy is in front and war is imminent, the side that possesses the strength to fight independently always holds the advantage. The fear instilled by the Indian Navy, the extraordinary skill demonstrated by the Indian Air Force, and the bravery of the Indian Army, along with the exceptional coordination among all three services, brought Pakistan on its knees swiftly during Operation Sindoor, the Prime Minister said, adding that the armed forces deserved a special salute for their actions. For the armed forces to be strong, self-reliance is essential, he said, asserting that over the years Indias forces have steadily advanced towards self-reliance. Missiles such as BrahMos and Akash have proven their capabilities during Operation Sindoor. Several countries around the world are now interested in purchasing these missiles, Modi said. He said that the armed forces have identified thousands of items that will no longer be imported, resulting in most essential military equipment now being manufactured domestically. He said that in the last 11 years, Indias defence production has more than tripled, crossing Rs 1.5 lakh crore last year. Since 2014, Indian shipyards have delivered over 40 indigenous warships and submarines to the Navy, Modi said, adding that on an average a submarine or warship produced domestically is being inducted every 40 days. He said India was building the capacity to export weapons and equipment for all three armed forces. Indias goal is to be counted among the worlds top defence exporters, Modi said, adding that over the past decade, the countrys defence exports have increased more than 30-fold. He credited this success significantly to the contributions of defence start-ups and indigenous defence units. PM also commended the Indian Coast Guard for their vital role in national defence and noted their continuous coordination with the Navy to secure Indias coastline day and night. India on verge of eradicating Naxal terror: PM PANAJI, Oct 20 (PTI) INDIA is on the verge of eradicating Naxal-Maoist terror and more than 100 districts freed from this scourge will celebrate Diwali with dignity this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. Addressing the armed forces onboard INS Vikrant off the Goa coast, Modi lauded the bravery of the security forces, saying they have achieved significant successes against Maoist terror and reduced their influence to just 11 districts, from 125 districts a decade ago. It is due to the valour and courage of our security forces that the country has achieved another major milestone over the last few years. This milestone is about eradication of Maoist terrorism. The country is on the verge of liberation from Naxal-Maoist terror, the Prime Minister said. He said that before 2014, nearly 125 districts across the country were in the grip of Maoist violence and this number has now reduced to just 11 districts due to the steps taken by the Government over the past decade. Of these 11 districts, only three districts remain under their influence, he said. More than 100 districts are now free from Maoist terror and are breathing in open air for the first time and celebrating a splendid Diwali, the Prime Minister said. In many such districts, people are celebrating Diwali for the first time. Record sales and purchases are being witnessed in these areas during the GST Bachat Utsav. In districts where Maoist terror once suppressed even the mention of the Constitution, the mantra of Swadeshi now resonates, he said. Modi said it was perhaps for the first time since Independence that the police forces were faced with such a big challenge and in the past 10 years, he believed that the scourge of the last 50 years will be defeated. They (police forces) have achieved 90 per cent success, he said, asserting that fighting the war within the country required a lot of patience to ensure that no innocent life was lost. India, US trade talks make headway but no rush for agreement NEW DELHI : INDIA and the US have made some headway in their trade talks to resolve the tariff issue, even as New Delhi has said that it will not rush into an agreement. Indias trade delegation, led by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, is reported to have held constructive meetings with US officials in Washington last week, a senior official said. While the US under the Trump administration hardened its stand on Russian oil purchases by India, New Delhi has assured Washington that Indian companies would increase purchases of American oil and gas. Since India is the second-largest consumer of oil and gas in the world, these imports would help to reduce the US trade deficit with India, an issue that Washington has flagged. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has stated that while the talks with the US are progressing in a very cordial atmosphere, they are not based on deadlines. There is no agreement unless we fully address the interests of Indias farmers, fishermen, and the countrys MSME sector, the Minister said. US President Donald Trump claimed last week that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him that India will reduce purchases of Russian crude oil. In response to this claim, India also issued a statement on Thursday that the countrys import policy for oil and gas is guided entirely by the interests of the Indian consumer amid a volatile global energy market. India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions, Ministry of External Affairs Minister Randhir Jaiswal said. Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing, he added. LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said Monday that approximately 1,400 employees with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have received furlough notices across the country as the federal government shutdown approached its third week. "Today is the day our ability to deploy funds to pay those workers ended," Wright said during a press conference at the Nevada National Security Site in North Las Vegas, noting that this marked the first furlough in the NNSA's 25-year history. The Department of Energy confirmed the figures in a statement, adding that fewer than 400 federal workers remain on duty at the agency. "This should not happen, but this was as long as we can stretch the funding for the federal workers," Wright said, warning that if the shutdown continued, contractors still on the job could also be furloughed and may begin seeking other employment. Emphasizing the importance of the agency's mission, Wright said, "The humans working on it are critical. We need to open the federal government as quickly as we can," cautioning that modernization efforts and testing could be delayed due to the shutdown. Local media reported that the furloughs also impacted some of the more than 3,000 contractors working for the NNSA in Nevada. Local news outlet KCRA reported that some experts expressed concern that furloughs could undermine safeguards for nuclear materials and waste, potentially posing risks to public safety and national security. The NNSA is a federal agency under the Department of Energy tasked with maintaining the U.S. nuclear arsenal and safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. MOSCOW, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia aims to increase the volume of non-resource, non-energy exports by 66 percent over six years compared to the 2023 level, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Tuesday. Speaking at the 13th International Export Forum "Made in Russia," Mishustin said Russia's non-resource, non-energy exports in the first half of this year accounted for more than 12 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). He noted that Russia is reorienting its exports toward emerging markets, while its cooperation with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America is increasing. Exports to these destinations exceeded 85 percent of the total imports in 2024, compared with 44 percent in 2021, Mishustin said, adding that the country is developing new logistics, including developing international transport corridors in the south and east. GENEVA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The ceasefire in Gaza has enabled the United Nations (UN) humanitarians to reach more people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to stem famine, a UN representative in Geneva said Tuesday. Abeer Etefa, senior regional communications officer and spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that since the ceasefire began on Oct. 11, the agency has delivered over 6,700 metric tonnes of food, enough for nearly half a million people for two weeks. "Daily deliveries continue and now average around 750 tonnes," she said, noting this remains well below WFP's target of 2,000 tonnes a day. "Unless all border crossing points are used, reaching this target is almost impossible." Currently, only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings in the south are open. Severe destruction continues to block access to northern Gaza, where famine was declared in August. "We need Erez, we need Zikkim, we need these border crossing points to open," Etefa stressed. Reaching northern Gaza with large-scale convoys is a priority. "We've cleared roads at scale into the north," she said, "but we need these crossings open to connect to Gaza City, where conditions are especially dire." WFP is restoring its food distribution network, aiming for 145 distribution points across the Strip, of which 26 have reopened. "People are showing up in large numbers, grateful for the efficiency and the dignified way they can collect their rations," Etefa said. The aid is especially crucial for "the most vulnerable," the women, female-headed households, and the elderly, she added. While many are hopeful, "there is cautious optimism" about how long current conditions will last. Many families save part of their rations because they are not confident the ceasefire will hold. "It is a fragile peace," she said. Food prices remain prohibitive, and supplies are still insufficient. "People can find food in the market, but it's out of reach because it's extremely expensive," Etefa warned. WFP is also helping the most food-insecure households through digital payments, enabling about 140,000 people to buy food locally, with plans to double that number soon. But Etefa stressed that humanitarian aid alone cannot solve the crisis, and commercial supplies must enter to complement relief efforts. Only a fully implemented and sustained ceasefire can allow WFP to operate at the scale needed, Etefa said. ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and dozens of others injured in a train crash in eastern Ethiopia, local media reported Tuesday. The accident occurred around 2:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, when the passenger train was traveling from Dewele, a border town near Djibouti, to the city of Dire Dawa, Dire TV quoted local officials as saying. Local authorities confirmed that the accident resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people and left 29 others with serious or minor injuries. Images shared on social media showed the mangled train parts scattered along the Dire Dawa-Dewele route, part of Ethiopia's historic railway line connecting Dire Dawa to Dewele. KAMPALA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Uganda will receive more than two billion U.S. dollars in new concessional financing from the World Bank over the next three financial years to support the East African country's development agenda, a senior government official said Tuesday. Ramathan Ggoobi, permanent secretary and secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, said the financing is part of renewed World Bank support to strengthen infrastructure, agriculture, education, and social protection, among other key sectors. "The World Bank will disburse over two billion dollars of new money to finance our development. The current total investment stands at 4.9 billion dollars," Ggoobi said in a statement. According to the statement, the funds will be directed toward projects such as roads and bridges construction, electricity transmission and last-mile distribution, regional infrastructure, education, information technology, agriculture, irrigation, export guarantees, skills development, and social protection. Ggoobi said the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, will also provide long-term capital to private investors in minerals, renewable energy, agro-industrialization, science, and innovation, as well as co-invest with the government in state-owned enterprises. YAOUNDE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Protests broke out Tuesday in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, as angry crowds accused authorities of fraud in the Oct. 12 presidential election. In several neighborhoods, demonstrators carried placards denouncing "electoral fraud" and a "stolen victory." Police and gendarmes deployed across the city dispersed the protesters with tear gas after brief clashes. Videos shared by local media on social platforms showed protesters alleging that electoral officials "manipulated the vote count" in favor of longtime President Paul Biya. Similar demonstrations were reported in Garoua, the chief town of North Region and hometown of opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who has claimed victory in the vote. The government and traditional leaders have issued several statements, calling for calm and restraint. Earlier Tuesday, the National Commission for the Final Counting of Votes said it had completed tallying ballots and would submit provisional results to the Constitutional Council, which is mandated to proclaim the outcome. Some local outlets reported that Biya was leading with more than 50 percent of the vote. The Constitutional Council is expected to announce the official results by Oct. 27, in line with Cameroon's Electoral Code. BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's economy demonstrated stable growth, with GDP expanding 5.2 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2025, as positive factors accumulated despite global headwinds, official data showed on Monday. China's GDP reached over 101.5 trillion yuan (about 14.3 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showed. In the third quarter, the country's GDP expanded 4.8 percent year on year. The tertiary industry expanded 5.4 percent year on year in the first three quarters, outpacing a 3.8 percent increase of the primary industry and a 4.9 percent increase of the second industry. On a quarterly basis, China's economy expanded 1.1 percent in the third quarter, according to the NBS. Since the beginning of the year, China's economic development has withstood pressure and achieved hard-won, remarkable progress, said a spokesperson with the NBS, adding that economic operation has maintained overall stable performance with steady growth. In the first nine months of this year, China's value-added industrial output increased by 6.2 percent compared to the same period last year. In September, the output expanded 6.5 percent year on year, with manufacturing and mining sectors posting rapid growth. China's value-added service output rose to nearly 59.3 trillion yuan in the first three quarters, accounting for 58.4 percent of GDP, 0.8 percentage points higher than that in the same period last year. China's retail sales of consumer goods went up 4.5 percent year on year to nearly 36.59 trillion yuan in the first three quarters. In September, the retail sales of consumer goods rose 3 percent year on year to 4.2 trillion yuan. The country's per capita disposable income reached 32,509 yuan during the January-September period, marking a 5.2 percent year-on-year increase after deducting price factors. The surveyed urban unemployment rate on average in China stood at 5.2 percent in the first three quarters. The rate went down 0.1 percentage point from August to 5.2 percent in September. China's fixed-asset investment dropped 0.5 percent year on year to about 37.2 trillion yuan in the first three quarters. China's GDP growth in the third quarter moderated by 0.4 percentage points compared with the second quarter, primarily due to a complex external environment and domestic structural adjustment pressures, the NBS spokesperson said. Despite this, the economy maintained overall stability, with third-quarter growth continuing to outpace most major economies. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, China's GDP rose from 103.5 trillion yuan in 2020 to 134.9 trillion yuan in 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 5.5 percent, significantly higher than the global average of 3.9 percent over the same period. Throughout this period, China contributed approximately 30 percent annually to global economic growth, making it the most important driver of world economic development and fully demonstrating the resilience and vitality of a major economy, the spokesperson said. Economist Pan Helin noted in an interview with Xinhua that China's economic resilience stems from both its vast scale and innovation-driven high-quality development, which effectively offset pressures through qualitative improvements. Pan projected that technological innovation and R&D investment will become primary growth drivers in the next five years, alongside a shift from manufacturing-focused growth to a more balanced model integrating manufacturing and services, with the latter emerging as an important source of growth. HARARE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Jenfan Muswere on Tuesday hailed rising Chinese investments for boosting the country's cement production capacity. Addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare, the country's capital, the minister said Chinese companies have invested more than one billion U.S. dollars over the past year in Zimbabwe's cement industry. He said the surge in Chinese investments aligns with the government's efforts to revitalize the manufacturing sector and accelerate the country's industrialization drive. Muswere noted that the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan -- a transitional framework between the expired National Industrial Development Policy and a forthcoming new policy -- has laid a solid foundation for the country's industrialization agenda. He added that the manufacturing sector, which accounted for about 15.3 percent of Zimbabwe's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, emerged as the top contributor to the economy. According to the 2025 midterm budget statement, the manufacturing sector outperformed agriculture and mining, traditionally the main drivers of GDP, reflecting its growing role in Zimbabwe's economic growth. UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 350 families walked around 50 km for four days, fleeing the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, and arrived in the town of Tawila in a dire condition, UN humanitarians said Tuesday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that mostly women, children and older people, some injured along the way, joined on Sunday and Monday the more than 600,000 people displaced from El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and surrounding areas now harboring in Tawila. OCHA said that dozens of young men who fled with the group are still missing, and escalating violence deepens the already devastating humanitarian crisis in Sudan's North Darfur, as the United Nations and its partners continue to scale up their response efforts where access allows. "The UN and its humanitarian partners have provided food, water and basic medical care to the new arrivals, but needs far exceed available resources," the office said. "Many displaced families lack shelter, adequate food or safe water. OCHA is coordinating with authorities, donors and partners to mobilize additional capacity, resources and support." The humanitarians said that repeated attacks continue to imperil civilians in El Fasher. Local sources reported that heavy shelling struck central parts of the city on Monday, endangering thousands of civilians in one of El Fasher's most densely populated areas. OCHA said local authorities reported that more than 109,000 people were displaced across 127 sites in the state capital area, most lacking food, clean water and medical care. In the localities of As Serief and Kernoi, the International Organization for Migration estimated that about 10,000 people were displaced on Sunday due to heightened insecurity. Most fled to nearby locations within Kernoi. The office said drones reportedly struck Khartoum international airport at dawn on Tuesday, a day before it was due to reopen for domestic flights for the first time since the conflict began in April 2023. OCHA reiterated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need. War on Drugs, a collective responsibility | After the Government of Manipurs War on Drugs, neighbouring Mizoram launched a campaign for Operation Against Trafficking and Use of Drugs and Narcotics in Mizoram on September 1, 2025. Media reports say that as many as 115 people from 14 states of India were arrested in Manipur between 2017 and 2023 on charges related to drug trafficking and 42 per cent of them hail from the neighbouring state of Assam. Among all the States of India, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam are at the top of the list along with Punjab when it comes to drug abuse. The menace of drug abuse is often all pervasive and disastrous. All these are unmistakable indications of how the North East region has been entangled in a vicious web of poppy cultivation, drug trafficking and drug abuse. International watch dogs on drugs trade affirm that Manipur is the opium producer for the infamous Golden Triangle. Some of the important factors cited include fertile soil, vast economic disparity and availability of cheap labor in the remote hilly areas of Manipur. Given its proximity to the Golden Triangle, drug trafficking particularly heroin is no longer a local trade. In fact, it is a multi-national, cross-border trade. There are reports of involvement of (apart from local elements), drug mafias from foreign countries such as China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal. They are said to not only have contacts in many remote villages where poppy cultivation are being taken up on a massive scale, but are also investing huge amounts. Lure of big, easy and quick money is the main force behind drug trade. The value of heroin per kilogram in the local market is put in the range of Rs 10 lakh whereas the same quantity could fetch up to Rs 1 crore in the international market. It was this prospect of huge and easy money from illicit drugs that has lured many traffickers from across India to the countrys Northeastern state of Manipur. If militancy forms one side of the coin called Manipur, drug abuse and unemployment constitute the other side of the coin. Drug abuse and unemployment are inter-connected somewhere and these are two socio-economic phenomena which go hand in hand. Unemployment or idleness often push a large number of people, particularly youth, to the jaws of drug abuse which in turn sprawls multiple socio-economic and health issues as is witnessed in the state since many decades back. Proximity to the infamous Golden Triangle is often cited as one major factor for proliferation of different forms of banned drugs into the society. This issue has been further compounded by massive poppy cultivation within the state. It was in the backdrop of these extensive poppy plantations in the hill areas and the all pervasive menace of drugs that the Government of Manipur launched the War on Drugs. Some observers asserted that the large scale violence and aggression launched on May 3, 2023 is directly linked with the Governments War on Drugs. They went on to suggest that it was drug money that funded the sustained aggression which subsided only with the imposition of Presidents Rule. If this is the case, one can safely assume that powerful drug cartels are operating in the state and they are challenging the state authority. It is these drug cartels which the Government and its agencies must deal with a strong hand and firm conviction. The illicit business of drugs is a multi-crore business and any attempt to check such a highly profitable enterprise demands concerted efforts of citizens, particularly civil society organizations and strong political will on the part of the Government. Arresting some drug transporters will never be able to give any substantial blow to the thriving drug cartels. If Manipur is facing an existential crisis because of the all pervasive drug menace, Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland and for that matter, all other neighbouring states cannot remain insulated for long. In another word, fighting the drug menace cannot be the sole responsibility of Manipur. All the neighbouring states as well as the Government of India must fight this war on drugs collectively. The drug menace has already transcended state borders. NSCN(IM) leader calls on Nagas | DIMAPUR, Oct 20: NSCN-IM vice-chairman Tongmeth Wangnao and other leaders of the organisation have called on Nagas to unite and strengthen their resolve. At the Naga National Prayer Day 2025 at CHQ Church, Hebron near Dimapur on Sunday, Tongmeth Wangnao recalled the historic signing of the Framework Agreement. Tongmeth reminded "all to be thankful to God for enabling the Nagas to become bona fide members of the UNPO and for the historic signing of the Framework Agreement." He stated, "Prayer and unity are the first and foremost priorities for the Naga people, through which God will deliver us from all hurdles." Twenty-one Churches and around 1,500 members attended the programme. Singyaola Zimik, member of collective leadership of NSCN-IM, reflected on reconciliation and relationships among the Nagas. She shared her agony over the present situation of the Naga National struggle. To restore unity, the Nagas must "introspect and retrospect." In the process of reconciliation, forgiveness and acceptance are inevitable "if we are to achieve lasting harmony", Zimik said. "We must focus on the greater good rather than our personal interests, setting aside selfish motives. This transformation must begin within each one of us. We must renounce all evil deeds and humble ourselves before God, for the time to do so is now", she added. Newmai News Network 3 pc DA approved | IMPHAL, Oct 20: The Governor-in-Council chaired by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on October 17 approved to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to State Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from October 1, 2025, representing an increase of 3 percentage points over the existing rate of 39 per cent of the Basic Pay/Pension to compensate against price rise. This will benefit about 76,000 State Government employees and 60,000 pensioners, according to a press release issued by the Finance Department, Pay Implementation Cell. KSA alleges | IMPHAL, Oct 20: The Kangleipak Students' Association (KSA) has accused the Manipur University authorities of trying to cover alleged irregularities. In a statement, it accused the university of initiating recruitment of statutory posts without publishing the amended Statute 19(2) of the MU Act 2005 under Section 46(1). It asked why the Dean of Faculty was removed from the Selection Committee's composition and replaced by head/Chairperson of the Department. It further asked if the MU's Act and rules were followed in the institution of selection committee for recruitment of teaching faculties. Asking why recruitment of various non-teaching posts has been put on hold, the KSA also said the university is not clear whether the Cadre Recruitment Rules have been approved by the Visitor. It also alleged that the pay scales of some posts have not been clearly stated. Further alleging that there have been irregularities in the evaluation of the answer scripts for recruitment of non-teaching staff, the KSA also claimed that an SC candidate was short-listed and included in the list of eligible candidates for recruitment of Assistant Professor in Statistics Departments reserved for OBC category. "Peoples campaigns" | IMPHAL, Oct 20: The Meitei Alliance launched a series of bi-monthly, non-political peoples campaigns aimed at guiding the next generation toward integrity and civic responsibility on October 18, 2025. Manipur, a former Asiatic kingdom with a civilization spanning thousands of years, was built through courage, resilience and a unique cultural heritage. But today, this once vibrant powerhouse of South- east Asia faces a profound crisis. Corruption, greed and division have weakened the society, leaving it vulnerable to external and xenophobic forces, the Meitei Alliance said in a press release. It said that real, positive change cannot come from outside Manipur or from the powers in Delhi. It will come from our own people, specially our youth. By reclaiming our values of honesty, unity and responsibility, we can rebuild Manipur from the ground up, the Meitei Alliance said. The alliance has also called upon the youth of Manipur, from every native community, to join hands in this first campaign on Civic Responsibility--Every Citizen has a Duty and help build a peaceful, united Manipur for generations to come. South African Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Johannesburg, South Africa, Oct. 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Bai Ge) JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Global Leaders' Meeting on Women has reaffirmed the international community's commitment to women's empowerment, South African Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga said. "The gathering has shown that nations remain aligned with the principles and program of action adopted 30 years ago," Chikunga told Xinhua in a recent interview in Johannesburg, following her return from the meeting held in Beijing, China, on Oct. 13-14. Marking 30 years since the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Chikunga emphasized the need to assess progress amid pushbacks on some hard-won gains. She highlighted key takeaways from the event, particularly the role of multilateral institutions in advancing women's rights. She noted that at the conference, China presented four proposals to accelerate the process of women's all-round development, and underscored the importance of supporting the United Nations as the central platform for multilateral decision-making and for setting global standards and recommendations. "The United Nations remains the cornerstone of international cooperation," Chikunga said. "If we were to undermine it -- as some voices have suggested -- the world would lose the very mechanism that unites nations and drives collective progress." On advancing gender equality, Chikunga noted that South Africa could learn from China, especially in technology and skills development. "Through BRICS, we have established a strategic program of cooperation that also covers women's issues," Chikunga said. "China is far ahead in technology, and we believe women must be equipped to use such tools to grow their businesses. They need training, support, and access to technology to produce quality products that can compete in international markets." Chikunga also highlighted lessons from China's promotion of women's entrepreneurship and the potential for expanding market opportunities for women-owned enterprises. Reflecting on South Africa's progress in advancing gender equality over the past three decades, she noted, "Today, about 60 percent of university graduates are women, marking a major shift from the past when women were expected to stay home and care for children instead of pursuing higher education." Welcoming China's initiative to invite 50,000 women worldwide for exchange and training programs, Chikunga said the initiative will enhance skills and expand opportunities, emphasizing that it is open to women from all countries. She sees great potential for collaboration between South Africa and China in advancing women's development. "Gender equality cannot be achieved by women alone. It takes men and women working together, and countries coming together to face challenges and seize opportunities, to build a truly equal and inclusive society," she concluded. South African Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Johannesburg, South Africa, Oct. 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Bai Ge) Sanae Takaichi (C) rises to accept a round of applause after winning the prime ministerial designation vote in the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) TOKYO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. In the House of Representatives vote, Takaichi secured 237 votes, defeating head of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party Yoshihiko Noda with 149 votes and other rival candidates. The House of Councillors also held its vote, but no candidate secured a majority in the first round. Takaichi led with 123 votes, followed by Noda with 44. As a result, an unprecedented runoff for the upper chamber, the first in 13 years, was triggered between Takaichi and Noda, with Takaichi ultimately winning the race. By winning in both chambers, she was officially named Japan's 104th prime minister, the first woman in the nation to hold the office. Takaichi was elected LDP president on Oct. 4. The prime ministerial designation vote was originally scheduled for Oct. 15 but was postponed to Oct. 21 as uncertainty following Komeito's withdrawal from its decades-long coalition with the LDP cast doubt on whether Takaichi could secure enough parliamentary support in the PM race. To consolidate her votes, Takaichi held negotiations with several opposition parties, including the Democratic Party for the People and Japan Innovation Party. With Japan Innovation Party ultimately deciding to back her, she was able to effectively lock in her victory on Tuesday. Born in 1961 in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 and has since held a series of senior posts, including minister of internal affairs and communications, minister for economic security, and vice minister of economy, trade and industry. A close ally of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, she is widely regarded as a staunch successor to his political agenda. Takaichi had previously contested the LDP leadership three times. After unsuccessful bids in 2021 and 2024, she claimed the presidency this year by defeating Shinjiro Koizumi in the final round of voting. In the new cabinet line-up, Minoru Kihara will serve as chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi will become internal affairs minister, Shinjiro Koizumi will take the post of defense minister, and Toshimitsu Motegi will return as foreign minister, in a bid to build party unity and ensure policy stability. Yoshihiko Noda (L), head of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, votes during the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Sanae Takaichi (C) rises to accept a round of applause after winning the prime ministerial designation vote in the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Japan's Komeito Party leader Tetsuo Saito (R) votes during the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Sanae Takaichi (2nd R, front) attends the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Sanae Takaichi (L) votes during the extraordinary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (front row, C) arrives for a photo session with members of her cabinet at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (front row, C) poses for a photo with members of her cabinet at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng) Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP/Pool via Xinhua) Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 21, 2025. Sanae Takaichi, leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was officially elected the country's prime minister on Tuesday after winning in both houses of parliament, becoming the country's first female leader. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP/Pool via Xinhua) TOKYO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi and head of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party Yoshihiko Noda will compete in a runoff in the upper house prime ministerial vote on Tuesday after none of the candidates secured an outright majority in the first round. ISTANBUL, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces detained 19 suspects in a large-scale counterterrorism operation against the Islamic State (IS) on Tuesday, authorities said. According to the provincial police department, anti-terrorism units carried out simultaneous raids on 25 locations in the southern province of Adana. The raids followed a 10-month-long technical and physical surveillance of two separate groups allegedly operating on behalf of the IS terrorist organization. During the operation, the police seized an unlicensed pistol, a pump-action shotgun, 18 rounds of ammunition, materials bearing the insignia of the organization, and several banned books promoting extremist ideology. Preliminary investigations indicated that some of the suspects were involved in armed assaults, workplace shootings, and threats carried out in the name of the group, the state broadcaster TRT reported. All detainees were taken to the provincial police headquarters for questioning as the investigation continues. Turkiye officially designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013 and has since been targeted by the group in multiple attacks. In response, Ankara has launched numerous counterterrorism operations both domestically and abroad. THE HAGUE, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Netherlands has confirmed its first case of a new, more transmissible variant of mpox, Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport Jan Anthonie Bruijn said in a letter to parliament on Tuesday. The infection, identified on Oct. 17, is the first time the mpox variant 1b has been detected in the country. "This is the first time that this new mpox-variant has been identified in the Netherlands," the minister said in the letter. He added that the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are "closely monitoring the situation." The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported that the infected man was not vaccinated against mpox and had no recent travel history. The man has been placed in isolation, and the local public health service is conducting source and contact tracing. The minister sought to reassure the public, saying that "the risk of further spread appears to be small." Mpox, which can cause painful lesions, fever, and fatigue, spreads primarily through skin-to-skin contact, according to the RIVM. So far, so good. The Modi governments gamble of going in for tax cuts just before the festive season kicked off has paid off spectacularly. Now comes the harder part. Will consumer splurging taper off now that Diwali is over, or will it continue in the coming weeks and months, providing adequate tailwind to consumption and thereby giving a fillip to economic growth? This is crucial, since the larger game plan of the government hinges a lot on this: helping economic activity stay buoyant in the face of any possible geo-strategic uncertainty (read: Trumps tariff if India doesnt reach a trade deal soon, and China tightening export controls), as well as perhaps an even bigger objective: make Indian businesses, who have been playing hard-to-get complaining of lack of demand, to venture out and invest in capacity addition, now that the demand is going up. While GST reforms were long overdue, what brought matters to a head were the chaotic turn global trade and relations took after Donald Trumps ascension to the US Presidency at the beginning of this year. Trumps tariff tirades soon put India in a corner, with multiple rounds of trade talks failing to thaw the ice between both countries positions. Trump trouble That Trump would be a tough cookie was acknowledged just a few days into his presidency, when Indias union budget was unveiled on February 1, seemingly kowtowing to some of his demands. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also shrewdly unveiled a revision in tax slabs, more than doubling the tax-free exemption to Rs 12 lakh. That, followed by the simplification of GST rates in September, was aimed at spurring the mass market consumer demand, which had never really recovered from the mortal whammy it got from the Covid Lockdowns. The K-shaped trajectory of the economy since then meant that premium products flew off the shelves as the upper classes came into more wealth; however, when it came to the rural economy, and even more significantly, the urban middle and lower classes, recovery still remained a mirage. While good monsoons in the last couple of years seemed to signal a revival in rural fortunes, the same was yet to reflect in urban spending and this is crucial since estimates put 60 per cent of the Indian economy being urban consumption. Tax cuts and double dhamaka With global certainties rolling and thundering on the horizon, the Modi government brought out its brahmastra of sorts: tax cuts, and that too, at the advent of the festive season, pushing the consumer to loosen his purse strings at the double dhamaka of lower prices, coupled with additional festive discounts and offers. While a tapering will be inevitable, you cant expect urban Indians to shop like Diwali-eve all the time; everything will hinge on how much the spending spree will continue in the coming weeks and months. Until New Years, the combo of good weather and a spate of smaller festivals should be able to keep the tills ringing. And as evinced by the sales notched up by car companies like Maruti whose entry-level cars also flew off the ...er... shelves, a phenomenon not seen during the premiumisation trend of the Post-Covid years, the government expects this will hopefully lead to capacity additions by mass market businesses, thereby returning to a volume-led economic growth rather than the value led growth seen in the last few years. Reviving the mass market is important because that is where more jobs, investment, and eventually a larger economic growth, can be achieved. In further escalation of the trade tension between the United States and China, President Donald Trump on Monday warned Beijing of the possibility of imposing a steep tariff of up to 155 per cent if the two countries fail to reach a trade deal. Trump, however, acknowledged that China has been very respectful of Washington and they are already paying tremendous amounts of money to the US in the form of tariffs. "I think China's been very respectful of us. They are paying tremendous amounts of money to us in the form of tariffs. As you know, they are paying 55 per cent; that's a lot of money," he said while talking to the media along with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. #WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "I think Chinas been very respectful of us. They are paying tremendous amounts of money to us in the form of tariffs. As you know, they are paying 55%, that's a lot of money...A lot of countries took advantage of the US and they are not pic.twitter.com/gB75dD0mJJ ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2025 Trump also expressed optimism that he will reach a fantastic deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders meet soon. I think we're going to end up having a fantastic deal with China. It's going to be a great trade deal. It's going to be fantastic for both countries, and it's going to be fantastic for the entire world, he said. Trump is expected to meet the Chinese leader during his upcoming visit to South Korea, although no official confirmation has come from Beijing. The possible meeting is keenly watched across the world as any failure to reach some agreement between the US and China raises the risk of destabilising not only relations between the two superpowers but also the global economy. "I am meeting with President Xi. We have a very good relationship; we are going to be meeting in South Korea in a couple of weeks... I think we are going to work out something which is good for both countries," the US president noted. Earlier, Trump had announced an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods "over and above any tariff that they are currently paying", effective November 1. He had also announced export controls on all critical software. India is gearing up for an important space mission with the launch of the CMS-03 satellite (GSAT-7R), using the powerful LVM3-M5 rocket. The launch is expected to happen in the first week of November, with November 5 being the likely date. This mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shows India's growing strength in space technology and its focus on national security. The LVM3 rocket, India's heaviest launch vehicle, can carry up to 4,000 kg to space and has successfully launched missions like Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon. This will be its fifth operational flight, launching from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The CMS-03 satellite, funded by the defence ministry, is a dedicated military communication satellite made specially for the Indian Navy. Weighing about 2,650 kg, it will work from geostationary orbit, providing non-stop coverage over a large area. This satellite will replace the old GSAT-7, nicknamed Rukmini, which was launched in 2013 and has crossed its 10-year lifespan, continuing to serve the nation beyond its expected operational life. The satellite, which costs around Rs 1,589 crore, uses multiple frequency bands, including UHF, S, C, and Ku bands, allowing it to send voice, video, and data. This will enable seamless communication between naval ships, submarines, and aircraft spread across the Indian Ocean Region, covering up to 2,000 km from India's coastline. The importance of CMS-03 cannot be overstated for modern naval operations. In today's world, where information is crucial, reliable communication satellites are essential for coordinating forces, sharing intelligence, and responding quickly to threats. For India, which has the world's fourth-largest navy and faces challenges from countries like China in the Indian Ocean, CMS-03 is a major strategic upgrade. "The satellite will support critical functions like surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, and weather monitoring, all necessary for maintaining control over maritime areas. Its advanced features, including more powerful amplifiers and sensitive receivers, will provide better capacity and strong resistance to interference, ensuring communications stay reliable even in difficult conditions," explained space analyst Girish Linganna. Space experts point out that for the Indian Navy, CMS-03 is particularly vital because naval operations cover vast ocean areas where traditional communication methods like radio waves can fail due to distance, bad weather, or enemy jamming. CMS-03 will provide secure, real-time links between warships, submarines, aircraft, and shore-based command centers. This means commanders can send orders, share radar information, or coordinate operations instantly without risk of interception. The satellite can support over 50 naval ships and aircraft at the same time, helping different branches of the armed forces work together smoothly. During operations in the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal, or missions like anti-piracy patrols, disaster relief, or monitoring shipping lanes, this capability ensures quick decision-making and can save lives. The Indian Ocean is a region of increasing geopolitical tensions, with growing submarine activity and trade routes carrying vital oil supplies. With Rukmini having crossed its 10-year designed lifespan and operating in extended service, CMS-03 prevents any gaps in coverage that could weaken naval readiness. "When compared to global military communication satellites, CMS-03 is a strong, purpose-built solution for India's specific needs. The United States uses the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) network, a series of high-capacity satellites launched since 2007 that provide broadband communications to troops worldwide with anti-jamming features and very high data speeds. Similarly, the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) provides voice and data for mobile forces with global coverage. China's Beidou system combines navigation and communication, while Russia's military satellites offer secure links for strategic operations. CMS-03, focused on the Indian Ocean region, is more specialised than these global networks but matches them in security features and multi-band operations. India's approach is also cost-effective, with CMS-03 costing less than many Western satellites while delivering comparable performance for naval tasks," added Linganna. As the launch date approaches, preparations are moving ahead smoothly. Recent notices for the launch window from October 24 to November 5 confirm everything is on track. After the LVM3-M5 places CMS-03 into orbit, the satellite will undergo testing before becoming fully operational. Experts say that this mission not only strengthens India's defence capabilities but also establishes ISRO as a major player in global space activities. The launch fits into India's broader plan for self-reliance in space technology under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, joining other defence satellites like GSAT-7A for the Air Force already in orbit. In an era of complex security challenges, CMS-03 represents India's determination to protect its seas through advanced technology. As the satellite enters space, it will serve as a vital link for the Navy's forces across the vast Indian Ocean and will ensure security in strategically important waters. The India Navy top brass will review its operational preparedness on Western and Eastern seaboards and assess the overall security situation in the Indian Ocean region during the second edition of the biannual Commanders Conference, which will be held in New Delhi from Wednesday to Friday. According to the defence ministry, the conference assumes greater significance in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and the Indian Navys high tempo of operations and combat preparedness. ALSO READ: PM Modi Diwali celebrations: How do Indian Navy's MiG29Ks launch and land on INS Vikrants flight deck EXPLAINED Paradigms related to Naval operations, training and resource-availability towards varied operations tasking in the current scenario would also be on the agenda for discussion, the ministry said. The leadership will also look into the Navys roadmap for the future prospects, including key enablers, improved operational logistics and digitisation. "The Navys focus on enhancing combat capabilities, interoperability, and joint Operations with the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and ICG underscores its resolve to deter emerging threats and showcase maritime prowess in the IOR and Indo-Pacific," the ministry said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Cabinet Secretary will address the Naval Commanders and provide a perspective on broader national interests. The Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff will also address the gathering during the event. The conference serves as a platform for close interaction with national leadership and bureaucrats, and fine-tunes the Navys outlook towards mitigating multi-dimensional challenges in the current geo-strategic environment, according to the defence ministry. In a major setback for the Opposition INDI Alliance in Bihar, the Opposition lost its first seat even before the Bihar elections, after the nomination of its candidate for Sugauli, Shashi Bhushan Singh, was rejected by the Election Commission officials. Sugauli sitting MLA Singh had filed papers to contest for the seat, but as a Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) candidate. According to local media reports, since VIP has not been registered as a regional party, norms have it that he file the papers with 10 proposers. However, Singh went by the norms followed by RJD, which is a regional party, by including only one proposer. After scrutiny, his nomination was rejected on the grounds that the number of proposers was not sufficient. Interestingly, the nomination paper of RJD rebel Om Prakash Chaudhary has also been cancelled. He reportedly left several pages blank in the nomination form. That has left the battle a two-pronged one, between NDA candidate Bablu Gupta of the LJP, and a relatively weaker candidate of the Jan Suraaj party. According to political experts, the current situation is highly beneficial for the NDA candidate. The shocking development has brought gloom to the Grand Alliance camp as the seat was a stronghold of the RJD and INDI Alliance. The seat that falls in the West Champaran constituency broke a trend when it elected Shashi Bhushan Singh in 2020, after three consecutive wins by the BJPs Ramchandra Sahni. Before that, the Congress had won the seat three times. The electorate consists of Muslims at 23.40% and Scheduled Castes at 11.22%. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has issued a strict directive to all DMK ministers, MLAs and district secretaries, barring them from foreign travel until the completion of the 2026 assembly elections, media reports said on Tuesday. Stalins instruction came after an internal review of the partys grassroots preparedness revealed that many of the welfare schemes launched in the last four-and-a-half years have not been effectively communicated to the public. The DMK president has been conducting one-on-one meetings with constituency-level administrators at the party headquarters in Chennai over the past several weeks. He has met more than 150 constituency in-charges so far, according to an IANS report. The surveys indicate that the publics connection with the DMK has weakened because MLAs and local administrators have not actively engaged with the people, a senior party functionary told the news agency. #WATCH | Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin today handed over a cheque of Rs 1,70,20,000 (one crore seventy lakh and twenty thousand rupees) to Dravidar Kazhagam President K. Veeramani at Periyar Thidal, Chennai. The amount, contributed by DMK Members of Parliament and MLAs, pic.twitter.com/Hmx9HU01wA ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2025 As per the report, the chief minister is concerned that several ministers and MLAs have become distanced from party cadres and the public. He also feels that the legislators are not fully aware of the real expectations of the people across Tamil Nadu, as quoted by a party source. The DMK chief now wants all the party MLAs to focus on their constituencies, to meet people personally and address their grievances. Ministers will be allowed to travel abroad only for official purposes, and that too, after obtaining prior permission from the party leadership. Elections to the 234-member assembly are expected to be held in April-May 2026. The DMK, which bagged 133 seats in the previous polls, is keen on retaining power even as the political equations in the state have seen a major shift after the entry of actor-politician Vijay-led TVK. Former Punjab Minister Razia Sultana and her husband Mohammad Mustafa, a former DGP of the state, have been booked by the Haryana Police in connection with the death of their son under mysterious circumstances last week. Sultana, a Congress leader, and Mustafa were booked under Sections 103 (1) and 61, which deal with murder and criminal conspiracy charges. The FIR was filed days after their 35-year-old son Akil Akhter was found dead at his residence in Haryana's Panchkula on Thursday. Akhter's wife and sister have also been booked under the same charges. VIDEO | Panchkula: Punjab's former director general of police Mohammad Mustafa, his wife Razia Sultana, a former minister from the state, are among four who have been booked by Haryana Police in connection with the death of their son. DCP Srishti Gupta says, Days after pic.twitter.com/9ic9fgm5x2 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 21, 2025 The Haryana Police have also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of an ACP-rank officer to probe the case. Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta said initial investigation had not indicated any foul play, so the body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination. However, certain social media posts purportedly made by Akhter before his death surfaced later, which had alleged personal disputes and apprehensions about threats to his life. Police also received a complaint from a person by the name Shamshuddin, a resident of Malerkotla in Punjab, alleging foul play in Akhters death. "It is reiterated that the investigation shall be conducted with an open mind and without any prejudice, ensuring that no guilty person is spared and no innocent person suffers. The Panchkula Police remains committed to upholding transparency and justice in this matter," the Panchkula Police said in a statement. Akhter's death had brought to the fore a flurry of allegations, including those of an affair between his father and his wife, reported NDTV. "I have discovered my wife's affair with my dad. I am in a lot of stress and mental trauma. I don't know what to do. I feel everyday that they will frame me in a false case," Akhter was seen saying in a video reportedly recorded in August. He had even alleged that his mother and sister were part of the conspiracy against him. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of very heavy rainfall across Kerala on Wednesday. Three districts will be under red alert on October 22, including Idukki, Palakkad and Malappuram. The Met department has predicted that there will be more than 204.4 mm of rain in the next 24 hours in these districts. IMD warned of waterlogging in urban and low-lying areas. The Idukki district administration has declared holidays for anganwadis, nurseries, schools and higher educational institutions in the district. However, pre-scheduled exams and interviews will not be postponed. The district collector said educational institutions should arrange online classes to make up for the study hours lost due to the holiday. Palakkad district administration also declared holidays for schools on Wednesday. This will not be applicable for residential schools, colleges and Navodaya schools. Today, a strong downpour caused a wall to collapse in Cherupuzha. CCTV footage of the incident has surfaced, showing the wall giving way during heavy rain. Cherupuzha, Kannur, Kerala, India. pic.twitter.com/oS5L76b2xq Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) October 20, 2025 Orange alert was issued for seven districts on Wednesday, including Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Wayanad. Yellow alert was declared for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kannur and Kasaragod. There is a possibility of heavy rains in isolated places with 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm of rain expected in the next 24 hours. On October 23, Kannur and Kasaragod districts will be under orange alert while Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad will be under yellow alert. Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated areas on October 25 and 26. On Tuesday, five districts were under orange alert, including Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram. The remaining districts are under yellow alert. People living in landslide-prone areas have been urged to move to safer places. Residents of low-lying areas where waterlogging occurs regularly have been asked to move to relief camps until notified. The Congress on Tuesday stepped up its attack on the Centre over US President Donald Trumps recent claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised him to stop the import of Russian oil. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that Trump had made the claims three times in the past five days, even as the Ministry of External Affairs denied any conversation between Modi and the US president in this regard. "The matter of India's imports of oil from Russia has been raised by President Trump now thrice in the past five days. And no doubt he will keep increasing this tally as he prepares to meet President Putin in Budapest later in the week, Ramesh said in a post on X. "President Trump says he has spoken to his good friend Mr. Modi and India has promised to stop these imports. The MEA says that it is unaware of such conversations(!) but President Trump has clearly brushed aside the MEA's attempts at denial," he added. The matter of India's imports of oil from Russia has been raised by President Trump now thrice in the past five days. And no doubt he will keep increasing this tally as he prepares to meet President Putin in Budapest later in the week. President Trump says he has spoken to his pic.twitter.com/XrWeT1n0zH Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) October 21, 2025 Trump claimed last week that Modi had assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia, and termed it a "big step" in the efforts to put pressure on Moscow to end the Ukraine war. He's (PM Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship...I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That's a big stop. Now we've got to get China to do the same thing," the President had said. On Monday, Trump doubled down on his claim and even warned that India would continue to pay massive tariffs on its imports to the US if it didnt curb the oil purchase from Moscow. Asked about India's assertion that it was not aware of any conversation between him and Modi, Trump replied: "If they want to say that, then they'll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don't want to do that." LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Health officials across the United States signed a statement on Monday, criticizing false vaccine information from federal officials and urging Americans to get vaccinated as the respiratory virus season approaches. "As leaders of the nation's largest local health departments, collectively serving nearly 50 million people across America's cities, we are committed to providing our communities with every opportunity to support and improve health," said the statement of the Big Cities Health Coalition, a forum for the leaders of the largest U.S. metropolitan health departments. "We are united behind a simple message: get vaccinated," it noted. It said vaccines have eradicated devastating diseases and saved millions of lives, and vaccination helps keep classrooms safe and schools open, allowing children to spend time with friends, and parents and caregivers to work to support their families. "Despite this extraordinary success, vaccination rates are declining in many parts of the United States, and deadly outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio are becoming more frequent," the statement warned. It also expressed deep concern over "repeated false claims about vaccines" from some federal officials, noting that such misinformation has contributed to falling vaccination rates. It also criticized recent changes to the recommended childhood and adult immunization schedules that "unnecessarily limit access to vaccines," urging federal health leaders to follow the lead of pediatricians and medical researchers, and support vaccination to protect children, families and communities. With the respiratory virus season approaching, the statement urged Americans to "tune out the political noise" around vaccines and consult trusted doctors or public health professionals to decide which vaccines are right for them and their loved ones. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy accused officials in the state of protecting the sand mafia, which has resulted in a loss of Rs 400 crore to the exchequer annually. Who is Basavaraj Rayareddy? Basavaraj Rayareddy is a six-time MLA who currently represents Yelburga. He defeated BJP's Halappa Basappa Achar in the 2023 election. In the past he has served as higher education minister and housing department minister. VIDEO | BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Karnataka CMs advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy, says, "Congress means corruption, and the Congress government in Karnataka is a government full of scams. They are involved in multiple scams, now, they are involved in a sand scam. pic.twitter.com/Jmyxlj7AQ9 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 21, 2025 In a letter addressed to the CM, Rayareddy said the officials are hand in glove with the sand mafia. "Corrupt officials and the sand mafia are hand in glove, looting the states natural resources. If we can efficiently collect income tax and GST, why not ensure royalty collection on sand?" he said. He then urged the Siddaramaiah government to implement a transparent system to eliminated middlemen so that homeowners can pay the royalty directly to the government for sand used for construction. Suggesting the formation of a task force headed by the deputy commissioner to monitor illegal mining, Rayareddy said 100 to 150 trucks of sand and jellystones are transported illegally every day from the Tungabhadra river. Rayareddy went on to claim that around 200 people are involved in the racket and alleged that corrupt officials from the Mines and Geology Department are the masterminds of the scam. He sought stringent action against 10 officials, including Senior Geologist Pushpalatha. Some of these officers have been serving in the same areas for more than 10 years and hence should be transferred immediately, he demanded. BJP leader R. Ashoka slammed the Congress government, saying Siddaramaiah's own advisor exposed the Rs 400 crore sand mining scam. "The truth can no longer be hidden," he posted on X. "This is not governance, this is organised loot," he said, adding that the government allowed the mafia to thrive in "broad daylight". US President Donald Trump has sent two of his envoys to Israel in an effort to reinforce a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, following a surge in violence that threatened to unravel the agreement. The visit by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner comes as both sides accuse each other of ceasefire violations, even as they profess continued commitment to the truce. Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance are also expected in Israel today for further high-level talks. Their mission includes ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches civilians, that the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages are recovered, and that the terms of the ceasefire are respected. The ceasefire, brokered earlier this month by the Trump administration, faced its most serious test on Sunday, when Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians in a series of strikes after two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in a Hamas-led ambush. Israel temporarily suspended humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, only to resume them the following day as part of efforts to maintain the truce. On the same day, Israel received the remains of another hostage from Gaza. United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that aid deliveries had resumed, but did not provide specifics regarding the volume or reach of the shipments. US on the ceasefire strain Witkoff and Kushner spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about maintaining the ceasefire and plans for long-term stabilisation. However, in a speech to the Knesset yesterday, Netanyahu sounded combative, warning Hamas that truce violations would be met with severe retaliation. Speaking from the White House, Trump said the United States would give the ceasefire a little chance to hold, but reiterated that Hamas must abide by the agreement or face consequences. He claimed the US could urge Israel to resume full military operations in Gaza to eradicate Hamas if necessary, but preferred to allow the current deal an opportunity to succeed. We made a deal with Hamas. They agreed to behave and be good. If not, well take care of it, and it wont be pretty, Trump told reporters. Vance, speaking before his departure, attempted to downplay Sundays violence. He characterised the flare-up as one of the inevitable hills and valleys in a complex peace process, and suggested that rogue Hamas factionsrather than its central leadershipwere responsible for the ambush. Hamas is not a monolith, he explained. There are roughly 40 cells operating with varying degrees of coordination. Some will observe the ceasefire; others clearly wont. In a related effort, the United States is partnering with Turkey to deploy a team experienced in body recovery, leveraging Turkish expertise from years of earthquake response. Witkoff and Kushner are also tackling unresolved elements of the original ceasefire deal, such as the establishment of a regional stabilisation force led by Egypt and the gradual demilitarisation of Hamas. No timeline has yet been set for these measures. Hamas remains stubborn Egypt, a key mediator, hosted senior Hamas official Khalil Al Hayya in Cairo on Monday to discuss implementation strategies. However, Hamas and allied factions have expressed strong opposition to elements of the Trump Plan, particularly the proposed foreign administration of Gaza and demands for disarmament. Hamas insists that any post-conflict governance must be Palestinian-led, and has so far resisted calls to relinquish its weapons. Under Trumps 20-point plan, Gaza would be overseen by an international technocratic body composed of global powers, led by Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hamas is required to disarm, but it continues to reject both provisions. Trump said he believed Sundays attack was not ordered by Hamass top leadership, attributing it instead to internal divisions and what he described as rebellion within the group. He also referenced internal violence within Hamasincluding reported executions of rival clan membersto illustrate the challenges of enforcing the ceasefire. This is a violent group, Trump said. If they keep acting out, well straighten it outand quickly. While Trump suggested that Washington would take action if necessary, he also stressed that enforcement of the deal now rests with other nations. Arab governments involved in brokering the agreement are continuing negotiations in Cairo, according to a White House official. Right now, its in the hands of others. Fifty-nine countries have signed on, Trump added. The violence continues Privately, several Trump administration officials have voiced concern that Netanyahu may abandon the ceasefire. The current strategy, they say, involves using Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner to dissuade the Israeli prime minister from launching a full-scale assault on Gaza. Despite ongoing efforts to uphold the truce, violence continues in Gaza. Israeli artillery targeted Deir Al Balah on Monday, and two Palestinians were shot dead in Gaza City. Israeli forces maintain control over more than half the territory and have started marking red zones that Palestinians are barred from entering. However, the lack of clear boundaries has caused confusion. On Friday, at least 11 Palestinians were killed after crossing a demarcation line in Gaza City. In his Knesset address, Netanyahu reiterated his governments commitment to the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip. He described the current deal as having met its primary objectives: the return of all living Israeli hostages, military control over most of Gaza, and international backing for Hamas eventual disarmament. A landmark defence deal by Turkey, which will see it sell the SIPER long-range air defense system to Bangladesh, will be a strategic headache for India, analysts claim. As per the defence deal, Dhaka will acquire the SIPER long-range air defense system and potentially co-produce Turkish combat drones. While the decision is reflective of Dhakas resolve to move away from its giant neighbours - India and China-, the deal, for Turkey, is all about projecting power. Md Obaidullah, a Bangladeshi analyst and a visiting scholar at Daffodil International University, Dhaka, claims that the Turkish decision to sign the pact is a new and unwelcome strategic headache for India. In an article that appeared in Asia Times, Obaidullah argues that the Turkish decision to go for the weaponry is necessitated by the civil war raging in neighboring Myanmar has literally spilled across the border. He then justifies the sale, stating that Bangladeshs vulnerability is compounded by the ever-present shadow of India. While the relationship is somewhat stable, no military planner in Dhaka can ignore the overwhelming qualitative and quantitative superiority of the Indian armed forces, he wrote in Asia Times. Turkish media too hailed the move as something that would corner India, adding that Bangladesh has previously added Turkish defense products, including Bayraktar TB2 armed UAVs, TRG-300 missile systems, COBRA-II armored vehicles , and BORAN howitzers, to its inventory. Another Turkish website called it a near-perfect solution to Bangladeshs problems. A report that appeared in TRHaber said the combination of the medium-range HISAR-O+ and the long-range SIPER system not only fills the gaps but also involves building a modern, integrated air defense shield from scratch. By including Turkey, a powerful NATO member with an independent stance, in its inner circle, Dhaka is increasing its influence with all other partners. This sends a clear message that Bangladesh will not fall under anyone's control, the report added. This isnt the first attempt by Turkish media to drag India into the conflicts in the region. A report that appeared on a conservative news website Yeni Akit ran a piece accusing India and Israel of engaging in a silent but profound coup in the region against Turkey and Pakistan. US Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday renewed calls to "break up" Big Techa collective term for tech giants like Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others. ALSO READ | Amazon cloud services hit: Canva, PUBG, Snapchat down in major AWS outage; were Indian users affected? This comes after a massive outage on Amazon Web Services (AWS)Amazon's premier cloud computing platform used by nearly half the internet to power their apps/websites. "If a company can break the entire internet, they are too big," she reasoned in a post on X. If a company can break the entire internet, they are too big. Period. It's time to break up Big Tech. https://t.co/qeeFFKSEHJ Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) October 20, 2025 The AWS outage, which lasted almost 15 hours, sent shockwaves across the world. The problem mainly took place between 11:49 PM PDT on Sunday (12:19 PM IST on Monday) to 2:24 AM PDT on Monday (2:54 PM IST on Monday), and was finally solved at 3:01 PM PDT on Monday (3:31 AM IST on Tuesday). It cut off access to not just popular apps and websites like Canva, PUBG, and Snapchat, but also some government, media, and banking platforms, such as Halifax Bank (UK), HMRC (UK), Paypal-operated Venmo (US), and The New York Times (US). The world's biggest cloud service provider has since said on its status page that the problem first arose at one of its main data centres in Virginiaone of its biggest and oldest data centresafter a technical update of DynamoDB's API. DynamoDB is a vital cloud database service that stores important data for many online platforms, including user information. An API is simply a set of protocols that help connect various applications. The problem began when an error in the update affected the Domain Name System (DNS)the internet's address book system that helps platforms find the correct server addresses. Things went downhill from there. Due to the DNS issue, platforms could not find the server address for DynamoDB's API, and were unable to connect. This led to DynamoDB's outage, bringing down many AWS services with it. More than a hundred platforms in the US were affected as a result, which was reflected in their overseas apps/websites as well. Widespread outrage and shock followed after multiple incidents of human teeth being found in food items surfaced in China. The reports have caused public concerns about food safety. A woman in the Jilin Province (northeastern region) reported on October 13 that she found 3 cojoined artificial human teeth inside a sausage she bought for her kid, South China Morning Post reported. She had bought the grilled sausage from an outdoor stall. The vendor initially denied that the teeth were present in the sausage at the time of sale. However, after local market supervision authorities intervened, the vendor apologised. On the very same day, another woman from the Donguan City in the southern Guangdong province revealed that her father discovered two human teeth inside his dim sum, which he got from Sanjin Soup Dumplings. The woman said that the teeth did not belong to her father. The restaurant said that their dumplings were sourced from the company's central facility, and they could not explain how the teeth appeared in the dish. A day later, at a Sams Club outlet in Shanghai, another customer said that she found an artificial human tooth with a screw embedded in her jujube and walnut cake. Sams Club has over 50 branches in over 20 Chinese cities and is regarded as a company that supplies high-quality food. The cake costs about $4 for a 520-gram box. The customer had taken her dessert back to the store to make a formal complaint. The management at the store offered her $140 as compensation, which she refused. Shanghai Pudong New Districts market supervision department has launched an investigation. This is not the first time artificial human teeth have been found in food in China. In 2022, a woman reported that her uncle discovered 3 teeth inside a Sam Clubs signature Swiss roll from the Fujian province. The cases have created widespread outrage, and Chinese netizens expressed their concerns regarding human remains being found in food. One user on the Chinese platform Weibo said, I hope it's not a horror story of mixing human meat into the ingredients. Others said that the teeth could have been lost by factory workers who dealt with the handling of the items. Previous incidents have ended with customers being compensated by the food sellers and with no investigation results authorities. During Russian President Vladimir Putins visit to Alaska for his historic summit with US President Donald Trump in August, First Lady Melania Trump had handed over to Putin a peace letter expressing concern about the kidnapped child victims of the Russia-Ukraine war. The much-appreciated gesture is now being used by Putin to manipulate Trump, according to an analyst. According to Uriel Epstein, executive director of the Renew Democracy Initiative, Putin responded to Melanias letter by returning several children to Ukraine, which pleased the First Lady, as evident from Melanias statement that came on October 11. She announced earlier this month that after an "open channel of communication" with Putin, Ukranian children displaced in the war had been reunited with families. In March 2016, a Putin ally offered Trump a secret back-channel to communicate with the Russian president. Anyways, here's Melania Trump talking about her own back-channel with Putin. pic.twitter.com/oB6bvsJuCf TrumpFile.org (@TrumpFile) October 10, 2025 Epstein says Melania is now completely satisified with Putins gesture, which is very bad since the President listens to her. The analyst says that Putins gesture has managed to persuaded Melania to tone down her aggressive stance towards Kremlin. He added that Melania has been communicating with Putin for over two months, which means that the Russian leader has effectively reached Donald Trump. Putin returned eight children and that's it. Melania can say she helped return the children. Suddenly it is Putin 'isn't such a devil, you can talk to him'. Before she used to say Russia kidnapped the children, now she's talking about children who 'disappeared.' She's changed her rhetoric," Epstein added. Epstein believes that Melania once exerted strong influence over her husband and was aggressively opposed to Russia. Thats no longer the case now and the Russian leader has won here, Epstein said. Putin is a traditional KGB man. He knows how to influence people. He realised Melania was a key vote for Trump. He offered a small wina few childrenand then Melania calmed down. Meanwhile, thousands of kidnapped Ukrainian children still remain in Russia, he added. Epstein said that Trump was refusing to support sanctions against Russia, despite 80 out of 100 senators supporting them. The US president is likely taking note of his wife's weakening position, he opined. Donald Trumps nominee for the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Paul Ingrassia, had once told other Republican Nominees in a text chain that he has a Nazi streak and that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell. Ingrassia is scheduled for a confirmation hearing on Thursday for a role responsible for safeguarding federal whistleblowers, investigating political coercion. BREAKING: new racist Republican groupchat has been leaked to Politico featuring texts from Paul Ingrassia, Trumps nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel. Ingrassias texts include vile pro-Nazi & racist messages targeting Black people, Chinese people, and Indian people. pic.twitter.com/bxy5ZKdPQn Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) October 20, 2025 According to the texts, which were obtained and reviewed by Politico, Ingrassia made the remarks in a chain text with a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers. In texts from January 2024, Ingrassia said, MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs, to which the chat responded, Jesus Christ. A month earlier, Ingrassia wrote that all holidays that are related to Black people, such as Black History Month or Juneteenth, need to be eviscerated". To say 'Black people', he used an Italian slur. In May 2024, while the chat was talking about a certain Trump campaign staffer, who was hired in Georgia to reach minority voters, Ingrassia said that she didnt show enough deference to the Founding Fathers being white. One member of the chat responded, Paul belongs in the Hitler Youth with Ubergruppenfuhrer Steve Bannon. The term refers to a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany, and Steve Bannon was the White House Chief Political Strategist during Trump's first administration for the first 7 months. Paul's reply was I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it. The text chain was obtained by the outlet from a member of the chat. They had also confirmed that the number belonged to Ingrassia. Edward Andre Paltzik, a lawyer for Ingrassia, had initially said that the text messages were intended to poke fun at liberals. He also said that the texts could be manipulated. In a statement he wrote, However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humour making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis, Who is Paul Ingrassia? Paul Ingrassia, 30, before he was formally nominated to the OSC, served as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. He was admitted to the New York bar only in July 2024, a fact which garnered criticism, with many pointing out his limited legal experience right before his nomination. Last week, he was accused of sexual harassment. A female colleague who was on a business trip with him said that Ingrassia had cancelled her hotel room booking so that she would have to stay in his room. She said that she initially protested the arrangement but then went along with it so as to not cause a scene while they were with other colleagues. The two slept in separate beds in the room. Ingrassia denied the allegations. Paltzik, in a letter to CNBC, said that Ingrassia never harassed any coworkers female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise in connection with any employment. The woman who had filed the complaint later retracted it and said that there was no wrongdoing. There are also other controversial chats and ties. In January 2024, referring to Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, he said, Never trust a Chinaman or Indian. He has been associated with Fuentes, a far-right live streamer known for white supremacist views, and Andrew Tate, a far-right influencer who has been charged with rape and human trafficking. The group had been disabled after the May 2024 texts as people were tired of Ingrassias rhetoric. One chat member said There are enemies in this group. Please take my name out of this thread. My grandfather passed away 30 years ago at the grand old age of 99. When he passed we took many of his boxes of items from his home and moved them from his attic to ours. We didn't really go though said boxes however now is the time for us to downsize and whilst my husband and I were clearing out the attic we came across this wonderful box. It appears to be a gift from the Royal family to my grandfather. Can you tell us more about it? Is it worth much? Shiela, Rotherham. SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO FIND OUT HOW TO GET YOUR MODERN TREASURE VALUED BY DAN. History tin: We unearthed this 1914 gift from my grandfather's belongings Dan Hatfield, This is Money's expert valuer, says: Every week, my inbox fills with photos of items unearthed from lofts, garages and those dusty corners of our homes we're guilty of ignoring. I've become the one stop shop for the downsizer, the de-clutterer and the 'just before I throw it away can you tell me what it's worth-errer'. I get thousands of requests like this. Most of the time it's what you'd expect: forgotten knick-knacks, inherited odds and ends and keepsakes that once meant the world to someone but have long since been shoved in a brown cardboard box, left to gather dust or worse, end up at the tip. And yet, hidden among that clutter, there are often treasures. Sometimes they're worth money, sometimes they carry history, and every so often they're a bit of both. Imagine how many of those objects have been lost forever because someone didn't look closely enough before they chucked it out. That's exactly why I love my job. I get to rescue the things that matter, peel back the layers of time and give forgotten objects their voice back. So, when your email landed in my inbox asking me to uncover the story behind something that had been tucked away, untouched, for generations, it put a big smile on my face and a spring in my step. And what a wonderful piece of history you happened to stumble across. Not just any old tin, but something that's lived through a world war, travelled across continents and carried with it a message from royalty to your grandfather on the front line. Imagine the action it saw, the danger it dodged to end up back in old Blighty. It's a fascinating capsule of social history. Just weeks after the outbreak of the Great War, 17-year old Princess Mary, the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, was so moved by the bravery and sacrifice of those serving that she proposed a simple but powerful idea: to give every man and woman wearing the King's uniform a Christmas present from the nation, a reminder that their country hadn't forgotten them. The mood at home was resolute. The public threw themselves behind the idea and the Princess Mary Christmas Gift Fund was born on 14 October 1914. This wasn't funded by the Crown. Ordinary people, schoolchildren, factory workers, shopkeepers, aristocrats, all dug deep despite their own wartime hardships. By Christmas, some 162,000, around 18million today, had been raised. A huge national effort at a time when everyone was already sacrificing so much. The collective effort of a grateful nation paid off and 2.6million tins were produced. Full set: Tins with all of the items still attached some 111 years on are hard to find What makes the tin so special The official gift took the form of a small rectangular gilt brass tin. It's beautifully made, just a few inches across, compact enough to slip into a tunic pocket. On the lid sits a raised portrait of Princess Mary framed by laurel wreaths, flags and the royal monogram M on either side, with the words Christmas 1914 embossed along the edges. It has a solid, weighty feel, a keepsake built to last, not a throwaway gesture to be used during Christmas week and then tossed aside. The contents varied depending on who received it, but the standard set for British and Imperial troops included: a pack of 20 cigarettes in distinctive gold or yellow paper, a packet of loose pipe tobacco, a bullet-shaped brass lighter made from a spent cartridge, a Christmas card with festive greetings and a photograph of Princess Mary. For non-smokers there was a writing set and sometimes chocolate. Naval personnel, Gurkhas and nurses had their own variations. Inside every tin was a message card: 'With our best wishes for Christmas 1914. May God protect you and bring you home safe. Mary R. George R.I.' This was a was a direct message from the King and Queen to every soldier. At this time loyalty to the Royal Family was unwavering. This would have meant so much to those receiving it. Best wishes: The tin contains a note from the Royal Family Treasures born of war These little tins are hugely sought after by collectors and it's not hard to see why. They represent the best of humanity in the worst of times. A nation united, giving what little it had to bring comfort and joy to those on the front line. Despite millions being made, many never made it home. Countless tins were left behind in the mud and chaos of the trenches, lost or destroyed during the fighting. We must also remember that they were actually used during the war. Soldiers carried them in their tunic pockets, lit their cigarettes from the bullet lighters and held onto the royal cards as tiny reminders of home. Those tins that did survive were often repurposed for tobacco, sewing kits or personal mementos. Over time, their contents disappeared, cigarettes smoked, lighters lost, cards misplaced. That's why complete examples, exactly as they were handed out on Christmas Day 1914, are far rarer than the production numbers suggest, and why collectors prize them so highly. How often they appear and why yours stands out Yes, these tins do appear on the market. Empty tins crop up regularly at fairs and auctions. Partially complete examples are far less common. But complete sets, with the original tobacco, cigarettes, card and lighter all present in good condition, are genuinely rare. Only a handful surface each year through reputable militaria auction houses. Which is why your find is so exciting. Yours is complete and the condition is remarkable for something that's not only survived one of the most brutal wars in history but also more than a century of storage. This isn't just a keepsake. It's a piece of living history. This obviously meant a lot to your grandfather. To have kept it safe, unused and brought it home is touching, humbling and beautiful. So what's it worth Empty tins on their own typically fetch around 20 to 100, depending on condition. Partially complete examples can bring in 150 to 300. But a complete set like yours, in such lovely condition, can comfortably achieve 400 to 600 in the right sale. Yes, you might spot cheaper examples online, but they're usually missing items or show heavy wear. Yours is a proper collector's piece, a wonderful time capsule that has the ability to transport someone back to Christmas Day 1914. Collectors will feel that and pay a premium. There's something profoundly moving about holding one of these tins today. It's not a Faberge egg or a Cartier brooch. It's a humble object, small enough to fit in your hand but it serves as a reminder of millions of lives sacrificed. It's seen conflict that was unimaginable and brutal. Christmas isn't always a happy time. It isn't always spent around the fire opening presents. This is a stark reminder that men in 1914 sacrificed their family Christmases, and in many cases their lives, so we could enjoy our freedom. This little tin represents the story of a young soldier, your grandfather, who carried a piece of royal and national goodwill into the chaos of war. It's the story of a country that came together in its darkest hour. And it's a story your family can now pass down through the generations should you wish to keep it. If you decide to sell I'd recommend going through a reputable militaria auction house or specialist valuer. Proper presentation and provenance can make a real difference to the hammer price. If you choose to keep it, give it the place it deserves, pride of place in your home. Let it rest where its story can be told, where curious eyes can fall upon it and ask the question that brings the past gently back to life. We should never forger those brave men and woman and the sacrifices they made for us all. This wonderful piece of history will help to remind future generations that we owe them all so much. Man City face Villarreal test in Champions League group clash European focus returns for Guardiolas Man City Manchester City travel to Spain to face Villarreal tonight in a Champions League tie that offers both opportunity and intrigue. After being held to a frustrating draw against Monaco on matchday two, Pep Guardiolas side will be looking to reassert their authority in Europe. Citys campaign began with a commanding 2-0 home victory over Napoli, a result that marked Kevin De Bruynes long-awaited return to the Etihad. Yet momentum stalled in Monaco, where Eric Diers late penalty salvaged a point for the French side. The result was a reminder that even the most well-drilled sides can falter under pressure in Europe. Guardiolas focus now turns to Villarreal and the Estadio de la Ceramica, a ground that has built its reputation on intensity and atmosphere. His side arrive with growing domestic confidence after three consecutive Premier League wins, and there is a sense that City are beginning to rediscover their rhythm. Villarreal seek to extend home resilience Under Marcelino, Villarreal have rediscovered the structure and spirit that once made them one of Europes most respected clubs. They sit third in La Liga, five points behind Barcelona and seven off leaders Real Madrid, reflecting a balance between attacking ambition and defensive resolve. Their most recent Champions League outing, a 2-2 draw with Juventus, saw former Chelsea defender Renato Veiga grab a last-gasp equaliser. Before that, they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Tottenham. Both matches showed Villarreals ability to compete with elite opposition, even if their results have not always matched their performances. Marcelinos side will once again lean on experience, with Gerard Moreno and Dani Parejo anchoring the midfield and attack. Both were central to the clubs Europa League triumph over Manchester United in 2021. Meanwhile, the creativity of Nicolas Pepe and the work rate of Ayoze Perez give Villarreal a blend of unpredictability and resilience. Team updates for Champions League encounter Citys preparations have been slightly disrupted by injuries. Rodri, the 2024 Ballon dOr winner, is nursing a hamstring problem and will undergo assessment before kick-off, though he is unlikely to feature. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Abduokodir Khusanov are close to returning from ankle injuries but will also miss out on the trip to Spain. For Villarreal, defensive absences are equally concerning. Willy Kambwala and Logan Costa remain sidelined with long-term injuries, while promising forward Pau Cabanes continues to recover from an ACL tear. The Spaniards will have to rely on tactical discipline and depth to cope with Citys relentless movement and pressing. Guardiola has welcomed back Rayan Cherki, describing him as one of the most talented I have ever seen. His inclusion could add another creative dimension to a side already brimming with attacking options. Prediction and tactical outlook Villarreals tactical organisation and composure make them difficult opponents at home, but Citys technical precision and depth should prove decisive. With Guardiolas side finding their rhythm again and key players returning to fitness, they are expected to control possession and dictate tempo from the outset. Villarreal will aim to frustrate, hitting on the counter through Pepe and Moreno, but sustaining pressure against this City side remains a daunting challenge. Given their recent form and superior squad depth, City should have enough to emerge comfortably with three points. Prediction: Man City to win 3-0. Head-to-head record Villarreal wins: 0 Man City wins: 2 Draws: 0 While Nvidia commands the spotlight, Taiwan Semi quietly makes the entire chip industry possible. As the world's largest and most advanced contract chip manufacturer, TSMC fabricates the cutting-edge semiconductors that power everything from AI accelerators to Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smartphones. With these powerful tailwinds, Nvidia's growth runway looks extraordinary. Some analysts project the company's future market value could reach between $10 trillion and $20 trillion in the long run -- implying more than 300% upside from current levels. But Nvidia's dominance extends far beyond hardware. The company's CUDA software platform has created one of the most tightly integrated ecosystems in the tech industry -- a moat so deep that competitors struggle to disrupt it or convince developers to switch. As hyperscalers like Meta Platforms , Oracle , Microsoft , and Amazon race to expand their AI infrastructure, demand for Nvidia's chips -- particularly its Blackwell architecture -- continues to surge at an unprecedented pace. It's nearly impossible to talk about growth stocks today without mentioning Nvidia -- the company that has become virtually synonymous with the AI boom. Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) form the backbone of the world's most advanced data centers, powering the training and inference of large language models (LLMs), autonomous systems, and next-generation smart devices. Three standouts dominate this next wave of growth: Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM), and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG). Each plays a unique yet indispensable role in the AI ecosystem -- and each still offers significant long-term upside for patient investors. With trillions of dollars of AI infrastructure spending set to reshape the global economy, there may be no better time to put $1,000 to work in the companies driving this transformation. After plummeting by 33% back in 2022, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) has staged a remarkable comeback fueled by one unstoppable megatrend: artificial intelligence (AI). From cutting-edge semiconductors powering hyperscale data centers to cloud platforms deploying generative AI at scale, investors are witnessing the dawn of a new industrial revolution. Nvidia is the undisputed leader the chip industry, perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of the AI revolution so far. Story Continues The company's importance to the global tech ecosystem can't be overstated. Major chip designers -- from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices to Apple -- rely on TSMC's unmatched precision and process innovation. Its leadership in advanced node technology has cemented a commanding lead over rivals like Samsung and Intel -- allowing it to set the pace for the entire semiconductor industry. As worldwide demand for high-performance computing and AI infrastructure surges, TSMC stands to benefit from powerful secular tailwinds driving record levels of capital expenditure (capex) across the chip supply chain. Meanwhile, the company's geographic diversification strategy, including new fabs in the U.S., adds a layer of resilience that should appeal to Western developers and governments alike. For investors seeking a durable pick-and-shovels play in the AI gold rush, TSMC is hard to beat. Image source: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. 3. Alphabet: The overlooked AI powerhouse Alphabet may not be the flashiest AI stock, but it's arguably the most deeply woven into our everyday lives. The company's vast ecosystem -- spanning Google Search, YouTube, Android, and Google Cloud -- gives it unparalleled access to both consumer and enterprise data, creating a powerful foundation for AI-driven innovation. Alphabet is now embedding AI across nearly every corner of its business. Its flagship AI platform, Gemini -- the company's answer to ChatGPT -- is reshaping everything from Google Search queries and Workspace tools like Sheets and Docs to YouTube's recommendation engine. On the enterprise front, Google Cloud continues to gain momentum against rivals like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) -- highlighted by recent megadeals with Meta Platforms and OpenAI. What makes Alphabet so compelling is its ability to monetize AI across multiple verticals -- advertising, cloud computing, and workplace automation software. With one of the strongest data moats and balance sheets in tech, Alphabet isn't just adopting AI; it's redefining how the world interacts with it. The bottom line: 3 AI leaders, 1 long-term opportunity The chart below illustrates trends in the forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios of Nvidia, Taiwan Semi, and Alphabet over the last five years. Nvidia's premium multiple reflects investor conviction in its unmatched dominance as the engine of AI computing. As demand for next-generation GPUs and AI infrastructure continues to surge, the company's earnings growth could easily support even higher valuations. Taiwan Semi, meanwhile, maintains strong pricing power as the world's most advanced chip manufacturer. As AI chip production scales globally and new fabrication capacity comes online, TSMC's profitability and valuation multiples could both see meaningful upside. Alphabet, by contrast, trades at the most modest multiple of the group -- a sign that it may be undervalued relative to its broad, diversified exposure to AI across many use cases and applications. Collectively, all three stocks are trading at or below prior peaks in valuation ratios, despite enjoying more catalysts than ever before. This disconnect suggests room for valuation expansion as AI adoption deepens across every major industry. Should you invest $1,000 in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing right now? Before you buy stock in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, 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 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing 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 $667,945!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,119,558!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,073% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of October 20, 2025 Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Intel, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft, short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft, and short November 2025 $21 puts on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Growth Stocks to Invest $1,000 in Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Decoding the green: China's living lab for grassland restoration Pub Date:25-10-21 10:36 Source:Xinhua Chinese scientists have developed an advanced network to monitor and protect the grasslands of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Editor:Qin Shuying Related News Xinhua Headlines: China's economy shows st... Croatian economist says China's GDP data s... New sea link drives over 50 pct growth in ... Rixin Jianghuai Quests for Innovation |... Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) ranks among the best medical device stocks to invest in. Benchmark began coverage of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on October 10 with a $145 price target and a Buy rating, describing the company as a reliable performer in a dynamic global environment. The firm claims that Abbotts business strategy is unique in that it is not reliant on any one treatment, product, or market. Benchmark anticipates that Abbotts Diagnostics business will pick up speed again in 2026 with the introduction of a new molecular nucleic acid testing platform for blood screening, even if the company is still recuperating from post-pandemic drops in COVID-19 testing and value-based procurement pressures in China. Additionally, Benchmark emphasized Abbotts resilience to potential trade disruptions by pointing to its $500 million investment in new U.S. facilities and expansions for the upcoming year. According to analysts, this move puts the company in a strong position for any upcoming tariff talks. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is a leading global healthcare company that manufactures a wide range of branded generic medications, medical devices, diagnostics, and nutritional items. While we acknowledge the potential of ABT as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Best Magic Formula Stocks for 2025 and 10 Best Retirement Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Gardai have arrested two men who have been on the run for several months having absconded from a prison in the UK. In June, one of the largest police forces in England and Wales issued a public appeal for help in tracing three men, who have strong connections to Ireland. In a public notice, Thames Valley Police said the three men all absconded from HMP Springhill at around 6pm on June 23, last. Thames Valley Police is the largest non-metropolitan force in England and Wales and is responsible for three counties, just outside London - Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. At the time, it said all three men are known to frequent a number of locations in England as well as the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Garda sources say two of the men were arrested during an intelligence-led operation in Dublin earlier this week. READ NEXT: 'Deplorable' - Seven members of An Garda Siochana injured amid 'violent' incidents Monday's operation formed part of ongoing investigations targeting an organised crime group suspected to be involved in burglaries nationwide. "Two males, in their 20s and 30s respectively, were arrested as part of ongoing investigations into a number of burglaries that occurred in County Tipperary, Limerick and Wexford in August 2025," said a garda spokesperson. The younger of the two men has since appeared in court in County Offaly on foot of an outstanding warrant while the man in his 30s remains in garda custody. He's being detained at a garda Station in County Tipperary under the provisions of Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007. He can be held for up to seven days without charge and gardai say investigations are ongoing. It's understood Thames Valley Police have been informed of this week's developments. Packaging solutions company Amcor has announced the installation and operational start of a new machine direction orientation (MDO) line at its facility in Peru. This will expand production of AmPrima Plus films and support sustainable packaging initiatives across Latin America. The new line is intended to enhance production efficiency and supply recycle-ready packaging solutions to meet the regions growing demand for sustainability. AmPrima Plus is an ultra-clear, heat-resistant film designed for recyclability while retaining the performance of conventional flexible packaging. The technology allows customers to shift to recycle-ready solutions without compromise on performance, product appearance or manufacturing throughput. Amcor has already implemented AmPrima Plus technology for products across Latin America, including packaging for liquid baby shampoo in Brazil, dulce de leche in Argentina, wet condiments in Costa Rica, dry fruits in Chile and liquid household products in Costa Rica and Chile. The company added that AmPrima Plus offers notable sustainability benefits compared with multilayer pouch structures such as PET/PE-EVOH, including a 26% lower carbon footprint, a 22% reduction in non-renewable primary energy demand, and a 19% decrease in water consumption. Amcor Latin America marketing director Laetitia Sanchez stated: "We are thrilled to bring this cutting-edge technology to our facility in Peru. The new MDO line not only enhances our production capabilities but also aligns with our commitment to sustainability. We are confident that our customers across Latin America will benefit greatly from the superior quality and environmental advantages of AmPrima Plus recycle-ready packaging solutions." In October 2025, Amcor introduced AmSecure, a next-generation packaging solution for the healthcare industry, as part of its HealthCare portfolio. AmSecure is a proprietary amorphous polyethylene terephthalate-based material designed for thermoformed trays and rollstock in medical and pharmaceutical applications. Amcor recently appointed Stephen R Scherger as its executive vice-president and chief financial officer (CFO), with effect from 10 November 2025. Scherger will succeed Michael Casamento, who is stepping down after ten years as CFO to move back to Australia. "Amcor announces operational launch of new MDO line in Peru " was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand. This morning we share more news to catch up with as we take a look at ongoing investigations, court cases, habitual crime and community outreach from victims. Check TKC news gathering . . . Parents of child who fell to his death from 8-story apartment window sentenced to probation The couple had initially been charged with first-degree child endangerment but took a plea deal. Arson investigation underway after fire at Leeton United Methodist Church Members of the Johnson County Fire Protection District are responding to a significant structure fire at Leeton United Methodist Church. The Kansas City Star's endorsement in the WyCo District 1 race | Opinion The Star's Editorial Board looks at challengers Jermaine "Jae" Howard and Lisa Walker-Yeager in the Nov. 4 Wyandotte County District 1 general election. Extra patrols planned in Jackson County to target school bus safety Extra patrols from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office are planned to target school bus safety. Leawood police, Olathe officers arrest two after gun stolen from car at Country Club Teamwork between police departments helped officers quickly arrest two suspects accused of stealing a gun from a vehicle in Leawood. 'Becoming more and more frequent': Repeat offender admits to weekend car theft Cash'Money Finney admitted to investigators that he stole the car he was pulled over in. Kansas City-area man accused of exposing himself to child at Columbia hotel COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man from the Kansas City area was charged with a felony after authorities say he exposed himself to a child at a hotel in Columbia on Sunday. Kyle Baranowski, 39, of Independence, was charged on Monday with sexual misconduct involving a child younger than 15 years old and misdemeanor trespassing. Independence man, 22, charged with selling drugs that led to girl's 2023 death On Jan. 9, 2023, Blake Sajdak replied to a message on his phone from one of his customers. For the fifth straight day that month, his customer, a female under the age of 18, wanted to buy fentanyl. 4-year sentence handed to man who admitted to fatal Kansas City stabbing A prison sentence has been handed to a Kansas City man who admitted to a fatal stabbing. Family pleads for answers 18 years after Kansas City drive-by shooting Nearly 20 years after 21-year-old Chris Bartholomew was killed in a drive-by shooting at 39th and Broadway in Kansas City's Westport district, his mother is renewing pleas for justice. Developing . . . Recently, Kansas City Mayor Q offered his thoughts regarding the current federal government shutdown and how it threatens the well-being of youngsters throughout the metro. A suggestion from BEST & BRIGHTEST TKC READERS . . . We'll use a quote and his statement as a starting point for the bigger question that voters have to answer before this thing REALLY ends . . . AS THE 2025 SHUTDOWN ENDURES: IS MAGA WINNING OR LOSING SUPPORT??? OR ARE DEMS DESTROYING CHANCES AT MIDTERM COMEBACK?!? Because this is a blog . . . We'll also entertain even better conspiracy theories about how all of this is just another distraction from secret files, global economic crisis or even the talking space monkeys who really run this whole thing. For now . . . Here's the latest demand from Mayor Q . . . "Our leaders in Washington owe our children, our families, and our communities better, said Mayor Quinton Lucas. Closing early childhood care for thousands of Kansas City children and families will have devastating effects on thousands of Kansas City families, workplaces, and most importantly, kids. Cutting early childhood program through Head Start is cruel to Kansas City and American families. Leaders in the U.S. House should get back work and join their Senate colleagues in resolving the budget impasse before more American kids are devastated by their inaction." The full statement . . . Click this link or the image for a bigger, better view . . . Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Government shutdown stretches into 20th day It's been 20 days since the federal government shut down, tying it for the second-longest government shutdown in history. Shutdown forces KC federal workers to take side jobs Federal employees are driving Ubers and visiting food banks as paychecks stop. Trump approval ticks up despite GOP shutdown blame: Survey President Trump's job approval ticked up in recent polling, even as the Republican Party continues to shoulder blame for the ongoing government shutdown - which entered its 21st day on Tuesday. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, which closed on Monday, shows 42 percent of Americans approve of Trump's performance in office, up two points from a... Jeffries rejects Republican bill giving shutdown pay to troops, federal workers Jeffries called the bill a "political ploy," citing the lack of pay for furloughed workers. Government shutdown live updates as Senate prepares for 11th vote to fund government The government shutdown extends into Day 20 on Monday as the Senate plans its eleventh vote on a House-passed measure to fund the government. Follow live updates here. Analysis: What's happening to end the government shutdown? Nothing | CNN Politics Democrats are talking to their voters who are desperate to fight. Republicans rarely reach beyond their base. And President Donald Trump, supposedly the world's greatest dealmaker, is tuned out. Trump vs. Democrats: Who is winning the government shutdown? Republicans say Democrats are using the shutdown for partisan gain, while Democrats say they're protecting health care for the poor. Polls show the blame is nearly split. Developing . . . Sorry . . . But without Fescoe throwing his career in real estate development away . . . There doesn't seem to be a lot of "sizzle" for this deal that would only inspire the angst of so many Leawood McMansion denizens. Check-it . . . "Republican State Senate President Ty Masterson said it was his understanding the only site the Royals were considering on the Kansas side of state line was the old Sprint campus, now known as Aspiria . . Masterson says he believes there are more Royals season ticket holders on the Kansas side than the Missouri side. The Royals haven't commented on that. They also wouldn't comment Monday whether they will be submitting a proposal to Kansas state leaders at the next LCC meeting or not." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Kansas lawmaker expects Royals stadium proposal soon The top lawmaker in the Sunflower State expects a stadium proposal from the Kansas City Royals at an upcoming Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) meeting. Here's a more hopeful fanboi perspective . . . A peek at our favorite preservationists hoping to turn the tide against tear downs . . . Historic Kansas City: SUPPORT THE VALENTINE NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORIC KANSAS CITY supports the Valentine Neighborhood Association, which has applied for the local designation for a new district called the Norman School Historic District. The Proposed Norman School Historic District received unanimous support from Kansas City's Historic Preservation Commission back in June, and the City Plan Commission forwarded the proposal to City Council without issuing a recommendation. TOMORROW, Tuesday, October 21st, the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee of the KCMO City Council will hear Ordinance No. 250871, which would designate the area as a local Historic District on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places. The District encompasses three blocks bounded by 35th Street to Valentine Road and the west side of Pennsylvania to the east side of Summit Street (Southwest Trafficway). The district includes 60 contributing resources constructed between 1902 and 1929, including a diverse collection of homes and apartment buildings. Local historic designation would implement protective measures against additional building demolitions, and it would bring a further level of recognition to our community. The Valentine Neighborhood has also made preliminary steps toward listing on the National Register of Historic Places, which would establish eligibility for property owners to seek state and federal rehabilitation incentives. The new proposed district is just south of the blocks where Kansas City Life Insurance Company recently demolished 23 buildings without any concrete plans for redevelopment; four more buildings, 20 residential units in all, have been demolished in the last two weeks after Kansas City Life Insurance sought to have buildings under their ownership designated by the City as dangerous. ############ Developing . . . In the aftermath of signage shredded, a faithful group of suburbanites shares concern following repeated attacks on their rainbow banner. A note for more context . . . "Police (are) investigating the case based on a sexual orientation bias, according to the Kansas Incident Based Reporting System Handbook." More deets . . . Police in Overland Park are investigating a possible hate crime after a church banner, All are Welcome was vandalized over the weekend. Indian Heights United Methodist Church Pastor Ali Haynes let us know Monday that the banner at the church, located at 10211 Nall Ave., was vandalized around 3:10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . 'Hate crime': Overland Park church says 'All are Welcome' banner vandalized An inclusion banner, designed to bring people that have felt excluded and/or unwelcomed into an Overland Park church continues to be vandalized. Developing . . . Affluence Travels offers premium travel experience with exclusive fares on the top airlines, best accommodation options, and personalized itineraries for your exceptional journeys. (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - October 16th, 2025 - New York, USA [October 16, 2025] As the festive season approaches, Affluence Travels, a trusted name in personalized travel booking, has announced the launch of its Best Holiday Deals 2025 featuring unbeatable discounts on flights and hotels for both domestic and international destinations. The company aims to make festive travel smoother, more affordable, and accessible to everyone through its Book-on-Call service, available toll-free at +1-888-829-1141. Travel brings people together and the holidays are the best time to make that happen, said a spokesperson for Affluence Travels. We wanted to simplify the booking process so travelers can plan their perfect holiday just by picking up the phone. No endless searches, no hidden charges just friendly guidance, honest prices, and great experiences. Hassle-Free Holiday Planning, Just a Call Away With increasing demand for personalized travel assistance, Affluence Travels Book-on-Call service is designed for ultimate convenience. Travelers can now speak directly with experienced travel agents who help them find the best flight fares, hotel deals, and travel packages within minutes. Whether its a family vacation, romantic getaway, or solo escape, Affluence Travels ensures each booking is tailored to the travelers preferences and budget with the added comfort of 24/7 customer support. What Makes These Holiday Deals Special Exclusive festive discounts on major airlines and hotel chains Customized packages for couples, families, and students Personalized service via instant phone booking Transparent pricing with no hidden fees Round-the-clock support before, during, and after your trip Many travelers still prefer human guidance over automated systems, the spokesperson added. Thats why we focus on real conversations our travel experts listen, understand your plans, and find you the best options instantly. Its like having your own personal travel assistant. Connecting People Through Meaningful Travel The newly launched campaign by Affluence Travels celebrates the joy of togetherness. As people plan reunions, honeymoons, or year-end getaways, the agency encourages travelers to make memories instead of stress. From festive family trips to romantic winter escapes or student holiday adventures, Affluence Travels ensures everyone finds a deal that fits both dream and budget. The companys motto this season Book Your Ticket on Call Because Home Is Just a Flight Away perfectly captures the warmth and simplicity it brings to modern travel. About Affluence Travels Affluence Travels is a full-service travel agency dedicated to making flight and hotel bookings effortless and affordable. With a focus on personal support, transparent pricing, and customized itineraries, the company has built a reputation for trust and customer satisfaction across the U.S. and international markets. Affluence Travels helps travelers plan everything from last-minute flights to family vacations, student trips, romantic holidays, and business journeys, all with quick and reliable on-call assistance. For Bookings: Toll-Free: +1-888-829-1141 Website: www.affluencetravels.com ### Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : CHINA OUTBOUND TOURISM MARKET AND FORECAST 2025 2033 Industry: Destinations China outbound tourism market size was accounted for USD 140 billion in 2024 and it is expected to reach around USD 386 billion by 2033 poised to grow at a noteworthy CAGR of 13.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2033. (TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - October 18th, 2025 - China Outbound Tourism Market Growth Drivers Chinas outbound tourism market has witnessed substantial growth over the past decade, positioning itself as a dominant player in the global tourism scene. The rise in disposable income among the Chinese middle class is a significant driver of outbound tourism. As their financial capabilities increase, more individuals are willing to allocate funds towards international travel. Additionally, favorable exchange rates and government policies promoting tourism have further facilitated growth in this sector. Cultural factors also play a crucial role in the expansion of Chinas outbound tourism. A growing appetite for diversifying experiences and a desire to explore different cultures motivate travelers to venture beyond their borders. Moreover, social media influences and travel blogs inspire new trips, while increasing awareness of global destinations drives interest in international travel. In todays digital age, technology significantly impacts travel patterns. Online booking platforms and travel apps have made it easier for Chinese travelers to plan and book their trips, thus enhancing accessibility. Furthermore, improved flight connectivity and expanded airline routes contribute to the seamless travel experience, attracting even more tourists. China Outbound Tourism Market Synopsis This DPI Research report on Chinas outbound tourism market offers a wide-ranging analysis and overview of factors such as drivers, restraints, opportunities, demand, market size, insights, projections, and trends from 2023 to 2033. Furthermore, the report offers historical market information from 2023 to 2024 and projections up to 2033. The report also discover lucrative opportunities by analyzing specific countries, revealing trends in travel spending, purpose of visits, and emerging target markets. A detailed examination of 26 countries enhances understanding of the diverse landscape of the China outbound tourism market. The report offers a clear point of view on present and future patterns in the China outbound tourism sector. The report will act as a foundation for a comprehensive analysis where different models will be fully incorporated. Following an in-depth analysis of both historical and present growth indicators, the growth potential of the China outbound tourism market is established with great accuracy. Key Topics Covered in the Report Thorough Research Approach to the Chinese Outbound Tourism Sector Comprehensive and Thorough Market Analysis with Important Analyst Perspectives Understanding the Market Factors Driving the China Outbound Tourism Sector To Examine the Historical Expansion in the Market Size of Chinas Outbound Tourism from 2023 to 2024 To Assess and Predict the Market Size of the China Outbound Tourism Sector from 2023 to 2033 and Growth Rate until 2033 The Size of the China Outbound Tourism Market with an Eight-Year Projection Delivers In-Depth Analysis on Recent Chinese Outbound Travelers Departing Abroad with Eight-Year Projection Comprehensive Evaluation of Market Share in the China Outbound Tourism Sector with Forecast for Eight Years Comprises a Thorough Examination of Chinas Outbound Tourism Expenditure in the 26 Most-Visited Overseas Nations In-Depth Analysis of Chinese Tourists Traveling to the 26 Most Popular Foreign Destinations Delivers a Complete Overview of the Chinese Tourists Purpose of Visits (Holiday, Visit Friends / Relatives, Business and Others) to the Top 26 Most-Visited Foreign Countries Provides a Comprehensive Examination of Changing Market Trends, Growth, and Limitations of the China Outbound Tourism Sector The Report Examines the Market by Country and Provides the Projection in Terms of Value and Volume for the Upcoming Eight Years. Countries Included in the Report Are: The United States Canada Dubai Hong Kong Macau Philippines Thailand Vietnam Malaysia Indonesia Japan Singapore Cambodia Korea Taiwan India Spain France Germany Italy Turkey The United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Nepal Sri Lanka Key Questions Addressed by the Report: What is the present size of the overall Chinas outbound tourism market? What will the value of this market be between 2023 and 2033? What is the number of outbound tourists in China? Which foreign nation is ideal for Chinese travelers? Which places are the most popular for travelers leaving China? What trends are emerging in Chinese outbound tourism? What is the total number of Chinese tourists who travel around the world? Which country receives the most visits from Chinese Tourists? What are the market shares of outbound tourism visits and market in China? What is the primary objective of trips for tourists traveling from China? What are the key factors and obstacles in the outbound tourism market in China? In what ways will the industry develop throughout the forecast period from 2025 to 2033? In what ways will the growth of Chinese tourism transform the global travel industry? ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Maria Rai Company: DPI Research Phone: +917667648693 Email: sales@dpiresearch.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS Face Tours Morocco, a leading tour operator based in Agadir, announces the expansion of its airport transfer and private excursion services, offering comfort, safety, and personalized experiences for travelers across Morocco. (TRAVPR.COM) MOROCCO - October 21st, 2025 - Agadir, Morocco Face Tours Morocco, one of the most trusted names in Moroccan tourism, is proud to announce the expansion of its private airport transfer and excursion services across major Moroccan destinations, including Agadir, Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, and Fez. The companys new service includes comfortable airport transfers with modern vehicles ranging from sedans to 15-seater minibuses, ensuring smooth, safe, and timely travel for individuals and groups. Whether arriving for a holiday, business meeting, or cruise excursion, Face Tours Morocco guarantees professional service, multilingual drivers, and transparent pricing with no hidden fees. In addition to transfers, Face Tours Morocco offers a wide range of private day trips and multi-day tours from desert adventures in Merzouga to cultural explorations of the Imperial Cities. Each itinerary is fully customizable, allowing guests to experience the true essence of Moroccan hospitality. Manager Anaam Yachou expressed his enthusiasm: Our goal is to provide travelers with authentic Moroccan experiences combined with reliability, comfort, and personal attention. We are dedicated to making every journey memorable. For bookings and inquiries, please contact: info@facetours.ma www.facetours.ma | www.moroccoshoreexcursions.com +212 642 963 259 (WhatsApp available) ### BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. A meeting on the coordination of mobile communication networks between Azerbaijan and Iran was held in Tehran, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Digital Development and Transport told Trend. The meeting was attended by specialists from the ministry, the Agency for Information and Communication Technologies, the State Radio Frequencies Administration, and mobile communication operators. The complexities surrounding the governance of both current and future mobile communication infrastructures in the border regions of Azerbaijan and Iran were extensively deliberated during the meeting, culminating in the establishment of requisite technical accords. Furthermore, the initiatives undertaken pursuant to the accords established in Baku from June 10 through 12, 2025, regarding television and FM radio transmission, as well as the allocation of the 700/800 MHz frequency bands, were deliberated. A strategic decision has been executed to sustain collaborative engagement on the aforementioned matters. To note, the 700/800 MHz frequency bands are ranges of the radio spectrum used for a variety of communication systems, including public safety (police, fire, EMS), commercial wireless services like 4G and 5G mobile broadband, and some private radio systems. These bands are known for good propagation characteristics, allowing signals to travel long distances and penetrate buildings, making them ideal for both wide-area coverage and in-building use. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 20. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has received a request from Azerbaijan to support water supply system modernization, Norio Saito, Senior Director of the Water and Urban Development Sector Office of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said in an exclusive interview with Trend, as he visited Baku. I had very good discussions with the ministries of finance, economy, and Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency. We received a request to strengthen or improve water efficiency, such as rehabilitating existing water treatment plants or refurbishing the existing water transmission pipeline to improve the efficiency of the systems, he said. Saito shared that two months ago, the ADB team did a quick field study, and assessed the urgency of those projects. We studied seven projects, and all are found really necessary and urgent. Now we are waiting for the final guidance coming from the government regarding ADBs support. I understand they approached other development partners as well. Once we receive a clear signal, our team will do more diagnostics to identify the needs, update some cost estimates, and agree on a roadmap on how those improvements can take place, he explained. Saito also talked about three main aspects of possible support to Azerbaijan in this sphere. The first point is efficiency. This is an issue in many Asian countries, including Azerbaijan. Improving the water supply system efficiency will strengthen resilience, because a smaller amount of water can cater to the current needs. The second aspect is inclusivity. In a number of ADB operations, we provide connections to household level for both water supply and sanitation so that everyone can benefit from the system. This is very important when we talk about public health. If some people's public health does not improve, that will affect even other citizens. We want to make sure that inclusive safely managed water supply and sanitation services are given to all citizens, he added. Saito noted that the third aspect is about resilience. So many cities in the world are now suffering from floods, for example. But actually, rainwater or stormwater is an important water resource. In other countries we support groundwater recharge so that rainwater can be recharged in the groundwater or stored in retention ponds, and then when the rainwater becomes necessary, that can be used. These are some of the lessons that can be applicable to Azerbaijan as well, he added. Partnerships with governments and local stakeholders to ensure resilient urban development Saito pointed out that in the public sector operations, ADBs main counterpart is the national government. But many of the urban infrastructure, the local governments or local authorities, municipalities need to play a key role. They can be executing agency or implementing agency. From the planning stage, we involve the local authorities so that they can be the driver to implement the project. Some projects in countries are implemented by national level ministries, but still assets are often handed over to local authorities or local governments. In that case, it's important to really strengthen the capacity of the local governments so that they can provide sustainable services to the citizens over a long time. Another aspect is the stakeholder engagement. It's not just about local governments, but the people. ADB has local stakeholder engagement processes from the project preparation stage so that people are informed about the project and then people can have a say about how the project should be designed and implemented. That's incorporated into the project design, he explained. Key strategies to help cities manage water resources sustainably We need to look at the water resource holistically from source to sea, where the water is coming from, how the water is used, and then how the water is treated safely. Often, in many countries, 80% or more water is actually used for agricultural purposes. And this part is often inefficient. Addressing this part to make the agricultural system, the irrigation system more efficient, is really critical. We look at the water use efficiency in the city level. So non-revenue water reduction also plays an important role. How the water is utilized, whether it's utilized efficiently and effectively, that's another important aspect, said Saito. He pointed out that the last aspect is wastewater treatment: Water is used and then wastewater needs to be treated. But when the water resources become more and more scarce, it's important to consider how to utilize treated used water for industrial, agricultural purposes, or even for drinking purpose. Integrating climate adaptation into urban development projects Saito noted that ADB conducts upstream climate risk and vulnerability assessment in the very upstream of the project preparation. This assessment will identify where the vulnerability is and how this vulnerability can be addressed. It may be a drainage system, it may be some other reasons that cause vulnerability. Then project design incorporates those aspects so that project as a whole, as a system, city as a system, can really strengthen resilience, he explained. By Melanie Burton SYDNEY (Reuters) -Donald Trump's backing of Australia's critical minerals will bring much-needed financial support to the industry, but experts say the U.S. president will have to wait longer to shift the supply chain away from China and weaken its market dominance. In a wide-ranging agreement signed on Monday, U.S. and Australia committed a combined $3 billion to mining and processing projects, and to a price floor for critical minerals, a step long sought by Western miners. The countries will also sign off on financing that includes offtake rights. The White House said U.S. investments into Australia would unlock deposits of critical minerals worth $53 billion, without offering many details. Trump said in a year they would have "so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won't know what to do with them." "They will be worth about $2," Trump told reporters in a news conference later. Global mining industry experts gathered at a conference in Sydney on Tuesday welcomed the news, which they said would open up investment opportunities, but they were sceptical of Trump's time horizon. "The time frame for various projects to be ready even for 2027 would be heroic, and unachievable in the case of many projects," Barrenjoey analyst Dan Morgan told Reuters. "In general in the rare earths industry nothing can happen quickly. I dont think we are going to be swamped with supply growth and theres no way we will be swamped in a year. We might have supply growth in 5-7 years," he said. China accounts for 90% of the world's refining capacity for rare earths which have crucial uses in sectors such as clean energy, defence and automobiles. In a note on Monday flagging risks of supply disruptions, Goldman Sachs noted China also controls 69% of global rare earth mining, and 98% of magnet manufacturing. While rare earths are common in the Earth's crust, China has mastered the technically difficult and environmentally-harmful refining process, comparatively cheaply. With trade tensions and security concerns rising, the U.S. and its Western allies have been looking to loosen China's grip. In April and May, Beijing squeezed global automakers with export curbs on a range of rare earths items and related magnets, and earlier this month expanded its export controls. Benchmark prices in China for the most popular type of processed rare earths, NdPr oxide rallied by 40% to $88 a kilogram in August, after several years of weakness. They have since tailed back to $71, but western world developers are calling for governments to support a higher floor price that will enable them to build production. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Estonia is interested in advancing digital transformation and green projects in Azerbaijan, Estonian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vaino Reinart told Trend on the sidelines of the business forum Central Baltic Azerbaijan held in Baku. The ambassador indicated that a multitude of Estonian enterprises participating in the forum are keen to engage in synergistic collaborations with Azerbaijani counterparts, especially within the realms of digital transformation and sustainable technologies. He observed that enterprises from Estonia are currently engaged in Azerbaijans digital services landscape, encompassing digital identification frameworks engineered with Estonian technological innovations. Reinart articulated that Estonia endorses the advancement of logistical conduits interconnecting the Eastern and Western regions, notably the Middle Corridor traversing Azerbaijan. The envoy underscored that Estonia is poised to engage in collaborative initiatives focused on digital transformation and the integration of cutting-edge technologies, with the execution timelines being dictated by the commercial sector. The bilateral engagement between Azerbaijan and Estonia is characterized by a progressive trajectory and amicable rapport, with formal diplomatic ties inaugurated in 1992. Both nations engage in strategic political collaboration and have instituted formal diplomatic representations. In 2022, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs commemorated the three-decade milestone of diplomatic engagement, articulating a forward-looking perspective on prospective collaborative endeavors. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. As reported, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by Japans Nikkei newspaper on October 21, 2020. Trend presents the interview. - About the Karabakh conflict. Now foreign ministers from both Azerbaijan and Armenia are to visit Washington DC on Friday. What do you expect from that meeting. Are you ready for trilateral talk with some conditions? -Actually, as you know, the United States, Russia and France are three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group which has a mandate to facilitate, to find a solution to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Therefore, its natural that our ministers meet in these three capitals. These kind of meetings happened before, many times. And you know that there have been a visit to Moscow and meeting in Moscow. So, it is a continuation of the discussions on the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Of course, now situation on the ground have changed. The status quo no longer exists, the line of contact does not exist either. Therefore, of course, I think that now Armenian leadership must be more reasonable, and to commit itself to liberation of the occupied territories. So, our main objective at these discussions will be to find out whether the Armenian leadership is ready to liberate our territories or not, and if ready, then when? -Are you also invited to Moscow by President Putin? -No. -If invited are you ready to go? -I have been many times invited by President Putin. And I visited Moscow many times some years even several times a year. Therefore, it is obvious, between partner countries and neighbors these high level contacts are common. And President Putin also visited Azerbaijan many times. -If there is any progress on Friday between the ministers, is it possible to have a trilateral meeting in Moscow with Armenian prime minister also joining? -Well, of course it is possible. Because this kind of meetings happened before. It depends on what will be the agenda if this kind of meeting is going to take place. Because with this Armenian government unfortunately, the prospects for peaceful settlement are very remote. Because very counter-productive and provocative statements and actions on behalf of Armenian leadership made actual negotiations senseless. Because the main topic on negotiation table always has been liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. And when Armenian prime minister declares that "Karabakh is Armenia", when he declares that "Azerbaijan must negotiate with Nagorno-Karabakhs so-called authorities", and when he orders ballistic missile strike on a peaceful city of Ganja and daily attacks on other cities of Azerbaijan, there is not much room for negotiations. Therefore, we had to prove Armenian government that they cannot afford any longer to make these aggressive steps without any punishment. We are punishing them on the ground. We are liberating our territories. Every day almost I announce new cities and villages which have been liberated from Armenian occupation. Armenia is suffering very bitter defeat on the battlefield. Therefore, of course, they must be more reasonable, and definitely, the matter of liberation of the territories is happening. We wanted to achieve it through peaceful talks. But due to Armenian unconstructive position and provocative steps it was not possible. Therefore, we are now liberating our territories on the battlefield. -Would you say the second ceasefire has already failed or ended? Would you say the battles are still going on? -Second attempts to achieve ceasefire failed because two minutes after the time when ceasefire had to be efficient they violated the ceasefire. They again, attacked our peaceful cities, this morning from 6 am until 8 am they launched more than 100 times their shells on peaceful city of Tartar which suffered mostly and they attack our military position. They wanted to regain the territories which have already been liberated. As you know, after the first attempt of ceasefire in less than 24 hours, they attacked from the territory of Armenia with ballistic missile, second largest city of Azerbaijan Ganja, which is a war crime. And the Armenian government will be responsible for that. So, they violate the ceasefire. I always say that ceasefire cannot be achieved unilaterally. If we are attacked, we must not only defend ourselves, but also launch a counter-attack. And I can tell you after they violated ceasefire second time, we liberated the city of Zangilan, and many villages. So, the more time passes on the battlefield, the more territories we liberate. Therefore, Armenian government should think seriously about their behavior and make a strong commitment if they want the ceasefire to be efficient. First, not to violate it, second, not to attempt to regain the territories which we already liberated, and make a commitment about liberation of occupied territories of Azerbaijan. -The ceasefires so far had been for humanitarian purposes, including exchange of captives and bodies. So, do you think that means ceasefire, maybe there will be another one, but it will be over once exchange of captives are done? Is there a substantial ceasefire that will hold or is it just a temporary one, if there is any? -It was announced on humanitarian grounds, and also as you know in Moscow declaration there was a reference to substantive negotiations. And the fact that the format of negotiations is unchanged, which means that there will be no more attempts from Armenian side to try to integrate the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh authorities" on negotiation table. This was rejected by us, and by the Minsk Group. Therefore, of course, if Armenia commits to negotiations and with a strong commitment to liberate the territories which they so far did not announce then, this ceasefire will be a long-termed. Because we want to resolve this problem peacefully. But if, they will try to use ceasefire in order to mobilize their resources, in order to get additional foreign military assistance and to launch a new attack on us, of course, this ceasefire will not last long. It depends on them. -So, in order to get on the table of negotiations would you demand Armenia to agree to withdraw at least some of maybe the seven regions in advance, before any negotiation? -They must make a strong commitment that they will liberate these territories. Because, this is the part of the basic principles which have been agreed between two countries with the facilitation of the Minsk Group. Basic principles say that the occupied territories must be returned to Azerbaijan and our refugees and internally displaced persons must return to all the occupied territories, including territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and including territory of ancient Azerbaijani city of Shusha. Therefore, the Armenian government must clearly declare that they are committed to this principles, they will liberate these territories, and then of course, negotiations will start. We do not put a pre-condition now that territories must be liberated first and then negotiations started. We, at this moment demand from Armenian side, from prime minister personally, the person who is responsible for this violence and is responsible for war crimes against peaceful Azerbaijanis, we demand from him personally saying Armenia will liberate the occupied territories. After that of course, the resolution of the conflict will be transformed from the battlefield to the negotiation table. -Would you be ready for negotiation maybe if Armenia says they are ready to withdraw or liberate five regions first? -All the regions of Azerbaijan must be liberated. All of them. Of course we can talk about the timing and in the basic principles there were certain ideas about timing on which stage the first regions on which stage the second part of the regions. So, this can be discussed. But it is obvious that all the occupied territories must be returned. -And this has to be announced before. -And all Azerbaijanis must return to their ancient lands. -What would you say to Russias proposal of sending monitoring teams, or what about international monitors? -International monitors, our peace-keeping forces is part of the basic principles. But it is the last part, one of the last issues, which had to be addressed and definitely both sides Azerbaijan and Armenia should agree on who will be those international observers, or peacekeepers. Therefore, we did not seriously discuss this issue in the framework of negotiations. I think that the Minsk Group co-chairs, three countries will definitely make proposal on their behalf about what composition, the number of so-called observers, when and where they are going to be deployed? Because it is also important from technical point of view. Because now it is an active phase of combat operations. Where these observers or peacekeepers will be deployed? Their life can be under risk. And what will be their mandate? Who will give the mandate to them? And it is clear that when we talk about that we talk about the territory of Azerbaijan. It is not territory of Armenia. Therefore, of course, we must have a decisive say about that. Therefore, of course, all these issues must be addressed. In principle, we are not rejecting it. But of course, we will put our conditions when time will come. -Speaking of Minsk Group, Turkey criticizes Minsk Group as brain dead. Would you agree? -I said recently that the Minsk Group did not produce any result for 30 years. At the same time, I said that with the facilitation of the Minsk Group, with the previous Armenian governments we managed to make progress, not a big progress but still progress. But if one group of countries for 30 years cannot produce results, it speaks for itself. And also, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group are permanent members of the UN Security Council. And the UN security Council with participation of these countries and with the voting of these countries adopted four resolutions demanding complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories. Thats a question why these resolutions are not implemented because the Minsk Group co-chairs and permanent members are the same countries. It is an open question. -Among the Minsk Group co-chairs, what would you say to Russia? What would you say to Russias role as a leading mediator? How would you say has Russia been fair? -Three co-chairs of the Minsk Group have the same rights, and the same mandate. Therefore, as far as I know among these countries they did not choose a leader. They are all equal and we look at them as mediators. If any country assumes the role of mediator, this country must be neutral. And, if it is not neutral, it cannot be a mediator. The level of neutrality is another question, which of course, will be addressed at the proper time. But, I think the Minsk group co-chairs will play their role, especially now, when Armenia is almost defeated on the battlefield in order to stop violence, and to implement mandate which was for 28 years not implemented. -Do you want Turkey to have more say in the Caucasus affairs and be much more active in this negotiation process? -It depends of course on the political agenda of Turkey. I cannot speak on behalf of Turkey. What I want to say is that of course, we always, strongly support Turkish active involvement in the regional issues and actually, this involvement is obvious. Turkey plays important role now not only in our region, not only in the Caucasus, but in a broader region and in the world. It is a reality, and it is a very good reality for us. Because for us Turkey is a brotherly country, our closest ally and friend. And de facto, Turkey is already involved of course, from the legal point of view also as a member of the Minsk Group. I said once in one of the interviews that Turkey could have been even a co-chair. If today, we would have been selecting the co-chairs definitely, Azerbaijan would have supported the Turkish candidacy and I am sure Turkey would have insisted on being a co-chair. In 1992, unfortunately it didnt happen. So, this is a legal part. And then, a practical part, as you know presidents of Turkey and Russia, their foreign ministers, defense ministers talked, met, discussed this issue. Therefore, if somebody says that Turkey should not be there, as Armenia says, its none of Armenian business, Turkey is already there and must be involved, because it will bring stability. And also, Turkey I think is the only country which has a border with three Caucasian countries. No other country has a border with three of them. Then, of course, Turkey must be actively involved, Turkey is involved and we strongly support it. -Karabakh is by international law Azerbaijans territory. But at the same time there are many Armenian inhabitants. Can you guarantee once Azerbaijan gets back its control, Armenian inhabitants can live safely with equal rights? -Yes, definitely. And I already many times during this active phase of the conflict made statements in this regard that those Armenians who live in Nagorno-Karabakh are our citizens and their security, their rights will be totally provided as long as the rights of all other people of Azerbaijan. And I can tell you that today, in Azerbaijan we have thousands of people of Armenian origin, unlike Armenia, where there is no Azerbaijanis and 99% of Armenia are ethnic Armenians. So, no national minority, can live and survive there. So, they expelled all the nationalities which used to live on the territory of todays Armenian Republic. The biggest community were Azerbaijanis. In the beginning of the 20th century, the city of Yerevan was 70 percent inhabited by Azerbaijanis. They destroyed all our historical, religious monuments. They destroyed the traces of Azerbaijani culture, not only in Yerevan but also in many other regions of todays Armenia. And by the way, Azerbaijani Democratic Republic which was established on May 28, 1918, on May 29th decided unfortunately, that was a big mistake which cannot be justified, to give Yerevan to Armenia as a capital. So, they destroyed all our religious and cultural heritage, they destroyed our mosques, they destroyed our monuments, but here in the center of Baku there is an Armenian church with many Armenian books. And many Armenians, thousands of them live today in Baku and in other parts of Azerbaijan. With respect to the point that you said that many Armenians who lived there, according to our information, the real population of territory which is occupied, including former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous District is around 65 thousand people. It is not a big community. But before the war in the beginning of 1990s there have been more than 40 thousand Azerbaijanis, who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh, mainly in Shusha, but also in Khankandi, in Khojaly, the city which suffered Armenian genocide, genocide committed by Armenians, and many other cities. So, they committed ethnic cleansing against us. We never did it. And even during these clashes, we did not respond the same way. We did not attack with ballistic missiles, neither the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, nor territory of Armenia. And I said that we will take revenge but we will take revenge on the battlefield. So, Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh can be absolutely sure that their security will be provided. And after the criminal junta in Nagorno-Karabakh is thrown away, they, as Azerbaijani citizens will live better. They will live in dignity, they will live in peace, and we will provide all the social and economic advantages for them, as we do for any other people in our country. -When you get back Nagorno-Karabakh would you respect their rights of self-determination as stated in Madrid principles. Do you agree to referendum? No, of course not. There will be no referendum, in Nagorno-Karabakh we will never agree on that. We did not agree on that during the time of negotiations and now, when we regained big part of the territory, it is out of question. With respect to self-determination, Armenian people have already self-determinated themselves. They have an independent Armenian state. Imagine what will happen if Armenians will self-determinate themselves anywhere where they live. How many small Armenias will be in the world? This is a counter-productive approach. Self-determination is an important factor of international law. But it should not violate the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. There are different types of self-determination. There are different types of communities. And they could be cultural autonomy for instance. We see these examples in developed countries of Europe. Where there are certain rights of people in their municipalities, in their communities, as in any part of Azerbaijan of course, Armenians who live in Azerbaijan can have this form of communication. But never we will allow the creation of the second Armenian state on the territory of Azerbaijan. This is out of question. In other words, there will be no referendum, never. -Reportedly, Armenia is recruiting Lebanese, Syrian Armenians. At the same time, NGO namely, Syrian observatory for human rights claims that many ethnic Turkmen fighters from Syria are now in the battlefield alongside with your forces, would you say that is true? -No, this is not true. First, I would like to say the fact that Armenia recruited mercenaries and fighters from the Middle East is not a secret. And even Armenian prime Minister admitted it. But he said that they are native Armenians. First, nobody knows whether they are native Armenians or not, and we have information that representatives of different nationalities are now fighting on Armenian side. And second, if the person is ethnic Armenian but citizen of other country does not mean that he is not a mercenary. Among those who have been eliminated on the battlefield, there are people with Lebanese passport, with Canadian passport. We have evidence about citizens of France, United States of Armenian origin. But citizens of these countries and citizens of some countries of former Soviet Union are fighting against us together with citizens of the countries of the Middle East. Armenia used mercenaries during the first Karabakh War. This is not a secret. Some of them have been eliminated by Azerbaijan and they erased a big monument in their honor, monuments in the honor of international terrorists. This shows that Armenia is a terrorist state. With respect to Azerbaijan, first this so-called Syrian observatory NGO is not a credible organization. We know about many fakes which they spread over with respect to the war in Syria. So, there is no credibility, trust to this politically motivated so-called NGO. First we need to check who is financing and then understand who is behind these rumors. Second, not a single evidence have been presented to us by any country. Only rumors, only unjustified statements, and I demanded proof. I said okay, now its more than twenty days that we are in the active phase of the conflict. Where are there proofs? Give us the proofs. No proofs. Therefore, these rumors must be stopped. Azerbaijan is fighting itself. We dont need any foreign fighters. We have enough people, enough soldiers and officers in our regular army. We have ten million population. If we need additional fighters we will announce mobilization, we will recruit. So, there is no need for that and it is absolutely false information. -So, as you said repeatedly, no jihadists and even no Turkmen? No, there can be people of Azerbaijani origin coming from other countries. We do not exclude it. Because we have many volunteers, people who voluntarily want to defend their country. We cannot exclude that people of Azerbaijani origin from other countries come but it is not the way how it is presented that Azerbaijan invited terrorists in order to fight. This is false information. -Are you aware of those volunteers with Azerbaijani origin? -There can be, I said, I do not exclude. There can be. But we receive many requests, many letters from Azerbaijanis who live outside to come and to fight for their historical motherland. But our position is we dont need it. We have enough people on the battlefield. -Japanese companies joined oil and pipe line projects of Azerbaijan. They are investors here. Do you have concerns over the security of five pipelines? Is there any risk of postponement of the TAP pipeline which is going to be opened very soon within this year? -No, with Tap pipeline everything is on the schedule, it is already done. Its a matter of maybe some additional weeks, not months for official opening of TAP. Everything is ready, the historical pipeline from Baku to Europe have been completed. With respect to other pipelines which we have and particular oil and gas pipelines on the territory of Azerbaijan during all these years since 2006, when Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan was commissioned, we didnt have any accident. Our pipelines on our territory are duly protected. But of course we heard threats from official Armenian representatives that they will attack our pipelines, they will attack Sangachal terminal which is an important terminal for oil and gas transportation, but this is also part of their terrorist nature. Because they openly declare that they will attack civilian infrastructure. And of course, if they do it, they will regret, because they will be punished by us, severely, and also those countries which today provide part of their energy security from Azerbaijan. What will be reaction of those countries? Billions of dollars have been invested in these pipelines. International banks, all the leading international banks like World Bank, EBRD, Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank and other banks invested. So, the Armenian leadership should think twice about this kind of option. And of course, as I said, Azerbaijan itself will punish them severely, and I dont think that they will even dare to do this, another war crime. -Since its very rare occasion for us to meet you. Let us ask, a couple of questions about the future of your country in general. -Yes of course. -So, Azerbaijan is the first commercial oil producer in the world. -Yes, that is true. -But how do you think the country would transfer to the post-oil era. Do you have any expectations from you know, how Japanese companies might be involved in that? -Yes, of course we have agenda of diversification of our economy, and this process is successfully continuing. Even this year, though our GDP is going down not very seriously, its less than 4% decline so far. In comparison with some other countries its not a bad result but with respect to non-oil related industry we have a growth. That shows that our diversification program is being implemented very successfully. Industrial development, business opportunities, tourism, of course before the pandemic was rapidly growing. And innovation sector and agriculture, and of course coming back to the main topic, when we see that now Azerbaijan is liberating the territories, first we liberated very important water storage, which will provide water supply for tens of thousands of hectares of land. Armenia actually committed an ecological terror against us. They were closing the water from the river Tartar and thus hundred thousands of hectares of land were not supplied with water. They were closing in summer, when people need it and they were opening it in winter and making floods. So, the terrorist nature of Armenia is on every, every step. So, after we regained the territories back, and this is a very good soil for growing different products, for breeding cattle, of course, our agriculture will have a new boost. We already started to plan our future agricultural development with respect of the liberation of the territories. Of course, we think that investments in human capital will provide for us good opportunities for development, because oil and gas will come to an end once, though, our reserves are huge. We just started to export large quantities of natural gas, and oil production profile will be more or less stable for coming decades. But non-energy sector of course, is priority. With respect to Japanese companies, they are very active here in the area of energy, with the loans from Japanese banks we built two big power stations, in Baku. Their capacity is close to 800 megawatts. So these power stations provide important part of our consumption and our export. We, by the way, export electric energy also, and we want to see Japanese companies in the area of renewable energy, which is now one of the priorities. We already signed preliminary agreements with some investors. So, we hope that the area which is very promising and has a potential because of a lot of sun and a lot of wind, especially in Absheron peninsula. And in many other areas today Japanese companies provide equipment, machinery, technology also in agriculture. So, we are very satisfied with the level of economic cooperation between Japan and Azerbaijan. -What about political reforms? You have criticism, I mean there are criticism from many western countries that you yourself succeeded your father and now your wife is vice president and so, are you ready to promote democracy and to open up power to oppositions? -I think that the democratic development in the country is going in a positive direction. We have all the major freedoms in Azerbaijan. Freedom of political activity, media freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, religious freedom. So, there is no restrictions on that. We have free internet, by the way, and those who tried to criticize us they should look to the substance and not spread rumors and use the so-called democratic shortcomings of Azerbaijan for political purposes, for the purposes of political pressure. Now, I introduced the new program of political reforms which was supported by absolute majority of all political parties. And that was done by the way before this clash. Now, of course, absolute majority of political parties strongly support my policy on return of the occupied territories. Only two parties are not part of this process. Only two parties are going against national interests of Azerbaijan. This is a Popular Front Party, and Musavat Party. And by the way, these two parties rejected my proposal for political dialogue. I made this proposal several months ago. I said, we need to have a political dialogue, we need to have normal, civilized relations between the government and opposition, between a leading party and other parties. And now I think 50 parties or more supported that. We are in a very active phase of the political dialogue. Only two parties, which have a direct financing from outside, which always were acting against national interests of Azerbaijan, these two parties are responsible for the loss of the territories. Because they were in power in 1992-1993, when Armenia occupied our territories-Popular Front and Musavat. And those people who are responsible for the loss of the territories today are the leaders of these parties for almost 30 years. And nobody talks about democracy, nobody talks about how they keep this position for almost 30 years. Therefore, those who want to criticize us better look at the mirror. In front of our eyes, in front of the international community eyes we see how demonstrations are brutally suppressed in the so-called democracies. How people are being killed at the rallies, wounded, injured. Every week we see it. How police is using you know dogs and horses in order to suppress protestors. You will not see it in Azerbaijan. Never. Therefore, those who criticize us better take care of their own business. With respect to what you said about me succeeding my father, yes it is true. But before I succeeded my father, I was for many years a Member of Parliament, since 1995 until 2003. I was the president of the National Olympic Committee since 1997. I was a deputy and then senior deputy of the leading political party Yeni Azerbaijan Party. And I was a prime minister. So, my political career is known to international observers and of course, they know that it was not like they want to present. And talking about succeeding, why nobody talks about Bush family. How they succeeded each other. Why nobody talks about Clinton family. When the wife became the Secretary of State and then was a presidential candidate. And many other cases like that. Let them look at themselves before raising this issue. With respect to my wife, my wife was a Member of Parliament since 2005. She was very active on the issues related to the social and humanitarian area. She was and is the head of the biggest NGO in the Caucasus the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. She has a strong support among Azerbaijanis, you can ask any person on the street and you will see how they love her and support her. And she was and is a deputy chairman of Yeni Azerbaijan Party. Therefore, her political career also was not a kind of sudden event. And I can tell you that she was not very happy when I suggested this position to her. I can tell you, maybe I tell that for the first time, it took me a lot of time to persuade her. And I had arguments and she didnt want. She is totally involved in social, humanitarian issues. And she wants and she helps tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands. But she does it without any PR, without advertisement, without announcement. So, she is a person our people are proud of. -You mentioned freedom of speech and the internet. But I believe there are some restrictions on the social networking systems. -These are temporary restrictions, these restrictions have been imposed after these clashes have started. And we made announcement to our people that this is for the issues of national security. Because, we need to protect at this time our information system from Armenian provocations. So, this is temporary. As soon as this active phase of clashes stops, all these restrictions will be lifted. But I can tell you that the level of penetration of internet is very high, and more than 80 percent of Azerbaijanis are internet users. So, it is only temporary. -Let me close with the one final question your highness. Lets finish it with the hopeful note. Are you hopeful for a peaceful solution? And what will peace can bring Armenia and Azerbaijan also because Armenia is landlocked. Borders are closed here, borders are closed on Turkish side, their economy is on decline, what can peace bring to both countries? -Of course, peace will change the situation in region completely. And I hope to see the time when the three countries of the Southern Caucasus will have cooperation. Now for instance, level of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia is very high. We are strategic partners, and with current Georgian government we have excellent relations. We support each other and we are good neighbors and good friends. And we implemented look, how many projects together. Oil transportation, gas transportation, energy transportation, railroad connection, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, TANAP and many others. Azerbaijan is, I think, first to second largest investor in Georgia along with Turkey. First to second largest taxpayer and by the way, in the middle of 90s the issue of construction of pipeline was discussed. There were some proposals from the West to have these pipelines through Armenia. But Armenia should have then liberate the territories and then, the pipeline could have gone from Azerbaijan to Armenia and then to Nakhchivan and to Turkey. And that was a shortest route. If you look at the map you will see how the pipeline goes. It is because to bypass Armenia. But Armenians thought that we will not be able to implement this pipeline. Therefore, they said no, and I think now they seriously regret. They became deadlocked because of occupation. They thought that we will not be able to build pipelines, they thought we will not be able to build railroads, they were always advocating for how to say functioning of the Kars-Gumru railroad which existed. But it was closed because our brotherly country Turkey closed the border because of Armenian occupation. So, now Armenia is not landlocked but they dont have border with Turkey, because of aggression against Azerbaijan, and because of territorial claims against Turkey. Maybe you dont know, but in their constitution they have territorial claims against Turkey. One must be crazy now to have claims to such a powerful country as Turkey. But thats substance of their ideology. During the time of negotiations, there have been messages sent to previous Armenian government that if they put an end to occupation, Azerbaijan can implement different social and economic projects in Nagorno-Karabakh. These messages were sent through the Minsk-group co-chairs to former Armenian president and they rejected. Today in Nagorno-Karabakh people live in poverty, you know total unemployment, poverty and destroyed infrastructure. We were ready to invest, but we said liberate the territories and we will help you. Today when we liberate the territories, ourselves, definitely will help those people those Armenians who live in Nagorno-Karabakh and of course Azerbaijanis who will return to rebuild this area. But if Armenia makes the constructive steps and liberate the territories of course, we will open all the communications. I know that, I heard about the position of the Turkish government that they will also open communications if Armenia liberates the territories. Then the situation in the southern Caucasus will completely change. -Has Mr. Erdogan mentioned you about this intention? -Well, maybe we did not discussed it directly. But of course, we know that this is the position that the reason why Armenian Turkish border is closed, because of the occupation. If occupation is lifted, the border will be opened it is official position of Turkish government and Armenians know that. And without normalization of relations with Turkey and with Azerbaijan Armenia has no future. Because the market is small, and is getting smaller. Population is shrinking, migration is very high. According to our information today, real population, how many people there are in Armenia, less than two million. Less than two million. It will go down. Because of no job, especially now when they are deprived of those very productive lands in the occupied territories. If you look at these images from the sky, you will see how they use our land for illegal products. They not only use our land, they use our gold mines in Kalbajar. There are foreign companies whom we will sue, if they dont stop. By the way, soon I think they will stop anyway. So, they will suffer even more problems, because they will be deprived of this important agricultural segment. They will just decline and we will develop. Our population is growing. Turkish population is 83 million, Azerbaijani population is 10 million. Armenian population is less than two million. They should think how they are going to live here in 10 years, in 20 years, in 50 years if they dont be reasonable, if they dont put end to aggression. And they cannot afford this aggression any longer, and we showed them on the battlefield who is who. All their mythology about their brave army, was a kind of fake. Their army is running, we defeat them. We beat them, and we will continue to do it, until they get out of our land. -Thank you very much for this opportunity and it has been always a pleasure to be in Baku. -Thank you. Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 20. On October 21, an official welcome ceremony was held for President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the Akorda Presidential Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, Trend reports. A guard of honor was lined up for President Ilham Aliyev at the Akorda Presidential Palace. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Members of the Kazakhstani delegation were introduced to President Ilham Aliyev, while members of the Azerbaijani delegation were introduced to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The chief of the guard of honor reported to the Azerbaijani President. The national anthems of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were performed. The presidents reviewed the guard of honor. The heads of state posed together for photographs. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. A 5+1 formula in AzerbaijanCentral Asia relations has evolved into a political and historical reality, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev wrote on his X page in relation to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev's visit to Kazakhstan, Trend reports. He said that in the past recent months, President Ilham Aliyev has made three visits to the Central Asian region, including Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. "Today, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev is on a state visit to Kazakhstan. Previously, AzerbaijanCentral Asia relations were often described in a 5+1 formula symbolizing the five Central Asian states plus Azerbaijan as a separate partner. However, today this formula has evolved from a sheer mathematical concept into a political and historical reality even into the matter of chemistry- transforming into a unified 6, reflecting the deepening integration, constituting single geopolitical entity and shared destiny among these nations based on our common history, culture, traditions, ethnic and linguistic kinship," the official added. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. On October 21, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held a one-on-one meeting with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in Astana, Trend reports. Welcoming President Ilham Aliyev, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said: - Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, it is a great honor and pleasure for me to welcome you on an official state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is a very important event from the perspective of further strengthening the strategic partnership and allied relations between our countries. Without any exaggeration, it can be confidently stated that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are not only friendly states but also brotherly peoples and nations. Therefore, for us, this represents a major priority I am referring to the development of multifaceted cooperation with your country. Moreover, Azerbaijan, under your strong leadership, has noticeably bolstered its positions, reinforced its authority on the international stage, and plays a very important role as a regional power in your part of the world. For us, fostering both economic and trade-economic cooperation not to mention advancing our political partnership is an urgent and highly important task. I welcome you to our country. President Ilham Aliyev said: - Thank you, dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich. First and foremost, I would like to thank you for the invitation to visit fraternal Kazakhstan on a state visit, as well as for your hospitality. Thank you for your kind words about Azerbaijan. We share the same sentiments toward the fraternal people of Kazakhstan. We also rejoice in the successes of the fraternal country under your leadership, both in socio-economic development and in strengthening its international positions. Today, Kazakhstan demonstrates a high level of development. The country ensures socio-political stability, and its economy is self-sufficient. We observe with great interest the reforms you are implementing and fully support your course toward modernizing the country and enhancing its potential. Regarding our bilateral relations, you noted their strategic and allied nature. We are focused on strengthening interaction across all areas. Today, as part of our negotiations, as well as during the session of the Supreme Interstate Council, we will once again review the extensive agenda and, naturally, outline further steps to strengthen our partnership. Thank you once again. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: Thank you. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 20. Azerbaijan plays a very important role as a regional power, said President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a one-on-one meeting with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Astana, Trend reports. "Without any exaggeration, it can be confidently stated that Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are not only friendly states but also brotherly peoples and nations. Therefore, for us, this represents a major priority - I am referring to the development of multifaceted cooperation with your country. Moreover, Azerbaijan, under your strong leadership, has noticeably bolstered its positions, reinforced its authority on the international stage, and plays a very important role as a regional power in your part of the world. For us, fostering both economic and trade-economic cooperation - not to mention advancing our political partnership - is an urgent and highly important task," President Tokayev said. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. On October 21, the "Middle Corridor Development" (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) joint project was presented with the participation of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Trend reports. The heads of state received detailed information about the project. The Middle Corridor, as the main transport-logistics route connecting China and Central Asian countries with European states, plays a strategic role in strengthening regional and intercontinental trade. It was noted that shipments from China to Azerbaijan are steadily increasing and are projected to triple by 2030 compared to current levels, further underscoring the projects importance. The heads of state were also informed about specific steps and initiatives aimed at increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of the Middle Corridor. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the great significance of the visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Astana for the further development of strategic partnership between the two countries, Trend reports. Speaking at the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council, the Kazakh head of state said: First of all, I would like to once again welcome your official state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, which holds very important, one might say, critically important significance for the further development of strategic partnership, allied relations, and ultimately for strengthening friendship between our brotherly peoples and states. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. Azerbaijan is a special country for Kazakhstan, a fraternal state, said President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his speech at the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council, Trend reports. We are united by common historical roots, a rich spiritual and cultural heritage, and, ultimately, a shared mentality and outlook on developments. On this unshakable foundation, we are successfully developing our multifaceted cooperation, President Tokayev emphasized. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. At the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed the historical significance of the Washington agreements between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Trend reports. I would like to separately note the historical importance of the declaration on the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. As U.S. President Donald Trump rightly noted, you, being in a very strong position, nevertheless proceeded to sign such a crucial document, which reflects the special status and confidence of Azerbaijan and its people under your leadership, President Tokayev said. He added that the firm political will and strategic vision demonstrated by Azerbaijan serve as a prime example of a wise approach to resolving complex issues and ensuring the well-being of future generations. President Tokayev also highlighted that the agreements reached between the two countries open new opportunities for regional and broader cooperation. Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Imagine working for years only to find out your employer's payroll system thinks you're a newborn. That's what one Reddit user recently discovered after realizing a clerical error had kept them from contributing to their 401(k). The post, shared in r/personalfinance, described how the employee's company entered their hire date as their birthdate. Because of that single mistake, the system decided they were "zero years old" and therefore too young to join the company's retirement plan. The user, who said they were 47, went years without 401(k) access despite repeatedly asking when their contributions would start. Don't Miss: Meet Flippy: The AI Robot Helping Fast Food Brands Cut Tens of Billions in Labor Costs And You Can Invest Early Accredited Investors Can Now Tap Into the $36 Trillion Home Equity Market Without Buying a Single Property A Small Error, Big Consequences The employee explained they were told multiple times by their manager that enrollment would happen "automatically." It never did. When they finally called the payroll company, they learned the error that had blocked their participation all along. Fellow Reddit users quickly pointed out that this type of issue should have been caught much sooner. Employers are required to perform annual compliance reviews of their 401(k) plans and verify employee eligibility. One commenter wrote that the situation amounted to a missed deferral opportunity a term used by the IRS when an eligible employee is wrongly excluded from a 401(k) plan. What the IRS Says About Missed 401(k) Deferrals According to the IRS, if an eligible employee isn't given the chance to contribute, the employer must make things right. That means making a qualified nonelective contribution money the employer deposits into the employee's account to make up for the missed savings opportunity. Trending: Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Heres how you can earn passive income with just $100. Typically, the corrective contribution equals 50% of the amount the employee would have deferred, plus any lost earnings. Employers must also add any matching contributions that would have been owed during that time. If the mistake is discovered quickly, the IRS may allow for a smaller correction under certain safe harbor rules. What Employees Can Do Commenters who had experience in benefits administration shared advice for anyone in a similar situation: ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized Kazakhstans steadfast support for Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity, Trend reports. Speaking at the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council, President Ilham Aliyev stated: For many years, when our lands were under occupation, Kazakhstan consistently expressed support for Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both in bilateral formats and through signed documents, as well as in Kazakhstans stance within international organizations, we have always felt this support, and we are very grateful for it. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. A new era of peace has begun between Azerbaijan and Armenia, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council, Trend reports. Today marks, or I would even say, a new stage - the stage of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Reaching the initialing of a peace agreement less than two years after the last military clashes demonstrates that both countries have shown a high level of political will, the President stated. President Ilham Aliyev also underscored that the role of U.S. President Donald Trump in facilitating the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia deserves the highest recognition. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. A bilateral meeting of the Speakers of the Parliaments of Azerbaijan and Armenia was held in Geneva within the framework of the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a source in the Azerbaijani parliament told Trend. During the discussions, the speakers welcomed the agreements reached at the Washington summit and the measures taken to normalize relations. The speakers highlighted the importance of continuing constructive dialogue and expressed their readiness to support confidence-building measures at the parliamentary level. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. Azerbaijan has lifted all restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia that had been in place since the occupation, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during a joint press statement with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Trend reports. I should also note that the first such transit shipment was a consignment of Kazakh grain to Armenia. I believe this is a clear indication that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia exists not only on paper but also in practice, the President emphasized. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. A bilateral meeting of the Speakers of the Parliaments of Azerbaijan and Armenia was held in Geneva within the framework of the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a source in the Azerbaijani parliament told Trend. During the discussions, the speakers welcomed the agreements reached at the Washington summit and the measures taken to normalize relations. The speakers highlighted the importance of continuing constructive dialogue and expressed their readiness to support confidence-building measures at the parliamentary level. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have immense potential in developing the energy sector, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council, Trend reports. Speech by President Ilham Aliyev - Thank you, dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich, dear friends. First and foremost, I would like to thank you, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich, for your hospitality and for the invitation to pay a state visit to fraternal Kazakhstan. As you have noted, we have had the opportunity, both yesterday and today, to exchange views on a number of issues of our bilateral agenda, as well as many regional and international policy matters. I am pleased with the complete alignment of our views on the topics we have discussed, and with our shared commitment to strengthening our allied cooperation. I would also like to congratulate you and the entire fraternal people of Kazakhstan on the great successes in the country's notable socioeconomic development and the enhancement of Kazakhstan's role and authority in the international arena. We, as your friends and brothers, sincerely rejoice in this and are confident that under your leadership Kazakhstan will continue to follow the path of development and the implementation of an independent foreign policy based on national interests. I would also like to express my gratitude for your assessment of the peace process in the South Caucasus region. Throughout the many years of occupation of our lands, Kazakhstan consistently expressed support for Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, both bilaterally and through signed documents, as well as through Kazakhstan's position in international organizations. We have always felt this support and are very grateful for that. Today, a new stage is beginning I would even say that it has already begun an era of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The initialing of a peace agreement less than two years after the last clashes testifies to the fact that both countries have demonstrated a significant level of political will. And, of course, the role of US President Donald Trump in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia deserves the highest recognition. The Washington summit on August 8 effectively put an end to the long-standing conflict, opening up great prospects for development, including in the broader regional context, of the Eurasian continent. We also exchanged views during a short presentation on the Middle Corridor, and we will continue discussions in this direction today. The opening of the Zangezur Corridor will significantly increase transport and logistics capacity in the coming years. The Intergovernmental Commission recently held a meeting, and it was also very positive. Significant results have been achieved in strengthening trade and economic ties. Our trade turnover is growing, and we are very pleased with that, of course. The joint investment fund we established also has tremendous potential. Several projects are already underway, some concrete projects are under review, along with proposals for joint financing through the joint investment fund. I would also like to express my gratitude for the support in the restoration of the Garabagh region. The Kurmangazy Childrens Creativity Center is now fully operational. We inaugurated it together, and we are very grateful for Kazakhstans gift in the development and restoration of the Garabagh region. Around 100 children are currently studying at this center. Of course, in addition to its practical functionality, it serves as yet another hub for Kazakh-Azerbaijani friendship. Regarding humanitarian cooperation, I would like to note the fact that Kazakhstan Culture Days in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan Culture Days in Kazakhstan were held last year and the year before. I believe that such events should be regular and permanent. Perhaps we could develop a roadmap for cultural cooperation so that cultural days are regularly held in both our capitals and throughout the regions. We also have immense potential in developing the energy sector, using both conventional and renewable energy sources. Last November, we signed a trilateral agreement to build a Caspian subsea electric cable. I trust we will also discuss this topic today. All in all, the agenda is quite extensive. It covers virtually all key areas of cooperation. I would like to once again express my gratitude for the hospitality, for your warm and friendly attitude toward Azerbaijan, and for personally overseeing all matters related to our bilateral cooperation. Thank you. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 22. The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist", on September 27, 2020, in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline. The erupted 44-day Second Karabakh War ended with the liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity. Chronicle of the 26-th day of the second Karabakh war: - On the official Twitter page of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, a publication was posted on ensuring full control over the state border (bordering with Iran). - A publication was posted on the official Twitter page of President Ilham Aliyev, due to the liberation from the occupation of 3 villages of Fuzuli district, 4 villages of Jabrayil district. - President Ilham Aliyev received the Ombudsman of Turkiye. - The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has disseminated information about the latest situation at the front. Volunteers in the Armenian Armed Forces fled, leaving their combat positions. Information was disseminated about the wounding of the commander of the Armenian Armed Forces regiment, the killing of his deputy and the battalion commander. - The Armenian Armed Forces fired 3 ballistic missiles at Siyazan, 2 at Gabala and 1 at Kurdamir. A 17-year-old civilian was wounded as a result of a missile attack by the Armenians on Gabala. - Armenian servicemen refused to fight. Video footage of another captured military equipment of the Armenian Armed Forces was distributed. - Another tactical UAV of the Armenian Armed Forces, which attempted to fly in the direction of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, was destroyed. The Azerbaijani artillerymen continued to deliver precise strikes at the firing points of the Armenian Armed Forces. - The Azerbaijani flag was hoisted in the village of Aghband, Zangilan district. - The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan presented video footage of the destruction of a significant number of personnel and equipment of the Armenian Armed Forces. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are interested in establishing joint ventures, said President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a joint press statement with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports. He added, Both sides have expressed interest in establishing joint ventures, and significant progress has been made in this area. For example, the launch of a joint transformer production is planned. Residential and infrastructure projects are under construction, and joint projects in shipbuilding are being developed. President Tokayev noted that the governments of the two countries have been tasked with monitoring these initiatives and promptly adopting a plan or roadmap for the development of industrial cooperation. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova is currently on a working visit to Geneva to participate in the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the parliamentary press service told Trend. Gafarova chaired the ongoing discussions at the Assembly today. The discussions featured contributions from parliamentary representatives of Australia, Colombia, Mozambique, Serbia, Libya, Finland, Hungary, Spain, Turkiye, Uruguay, Belgium, and other countries. She addressed the Assembly during the first day of discussions on the topic of "Upholding humanitarian norms and supporting humanitarian action in times of crisis." The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments that works to promote peace, democracy, and sustainable development. Founded in 1889, it provides a forum for dialogue and cooperation between parliamentarians worldwide, enabling them to discuss global issues, share best practices, and advocate for parliamentary action. The IPU has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and its members include the parliaments of most countries in the world. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. President Ilham Aliyev is an outstanding figure of historic significance, said President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a joint press statement with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports. "I regard the state visit of the President of Azerbaijan as a critically important event and a step towards strengthening the strategic partnership and allied relations between our countries. Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is an outstanding figure of historic significance. He has made a decisive contribution to the protection and strengthening of the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Thanks to the tireless efforts of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan's authority and influence on the global stage have been significantly enhanced. Under his strong leadership, Azerbaijan has achieved impressive successes in many areas, primarily in terms of socioeconomic development. The results of comprehensive reforms carried out in Azerbaijan are manifested in the countrys sustainable economic growth, the improving well-being of its citizens and the dynamic transformation of your state. The macroeconomic indicators of the Azerbaijani economy are sustainable and provide convincing evidence of the country's progress and the good shape of its economy," said President Tokayev. B&M saw shares crash more than 20pc after Mike Schmidts announced his resignation - Britpix / Alamy Stock Photo The finance chief of B&M has quit after an accounting blunder triggered the discount retailers second profit warning in a month. Mike Schmidt, 45, is leaving the retailer following the companys failure to include 7m worth of freight costs in its latest results meaning B&M overstated its profits. The mistake led to the retailer releasing inflated profit forecasts earlier this month. As a result, B&Ms full-year profits are now expected to be between 470m and 520m instead of 510m and 560m as previously indicated. B&M which sells branded homeware, beauty products, furniture and toys saw shares crash more than 20pc on the announcement, cutting its value by 400m to 1.7bn. Mr Schmidt joined B&M three years ago, having served as finance chief of sofa seller DFS, and was an investment banker for Citi and UBS previously. He will stay at the company until a replacement is found. It marks the second profit warning this month after it cut estimates by 60m because of higher worker costs after the Chancellors tax raid on employers. The accounting error came after an IT upgrade over the spring, with B&Ms finance team having failed to input the freight costs in the new system. The company said it would hire investigators to conduct a review of how the problem occurred. Shares were already down 60pc before the news of the accounting problems on Monday. Bosses held calls with shareholders early on Monday to explain the accounting mistake in an attempt to halt the rout. In February, it also lowered its forecasts for the full year, pointing to the uncertain economic outlook and weaker demand in its British stores. It marks a fresh setback for B&M chief executive Tjeerd Jegen, who has been battling to get shareholders on board with a turnaround after struggling with weaker demand. B&M has pledged to cut prices and slim down its range to win shoppers back, saying the aim was to bring back excitement to our stores. Analysts said Mondays profit downgrade threatened to cast a shadow over revival efforts. Evgeniy Batchvarov, a senior associate analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence said it undermines B&Ms credibility as it tries to progress with a turnaround and stabilise margin. Shore Capital said the update suggested that B&M was less on top of its costs numbers than we would expect. Clive Black, Shores analyst, said the timing of the downgrade so soon after [his] reset is very unfortunate but at least Jegen has the authority and room to properly reset. B&M was previously owned by the billionaire Arora brothers, who acquired the group in 2004 and built it into a billion-pound discount powerhouse with the business thriving during the pandemic. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The Zangezur corridor is of great importance to the EU, EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Marijana Kujundzic told Trend on the sidelines of the Central Baltic-Azerbaijan Business Forum held in Baku. " The Zangezur corridor is of great importance to the EU, but before talking about specific plans for the development of the corridor, it is important to carefully work out all the details," she said. Kujundzic noted that Azerbaijan and the EU are analyzing the results of the dialogue on transport issues and plan to continue discussions in the near future, possibly as early as this year. She also noted that the EU congratulates Azerbaijan and Armenia on the progress of the peace process. We are pleased that this process is finally being implemented, relations between the countries are normalizing, and we are more than happy to see stability and peace in the region, the diplomat added. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Armenia has welcomed the statement by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on lifting restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia, Armenian Prime Ministers press secretary Nazeli Bagdasaryan said, Trend reports. "This step is important for opening regional communications, strengthening mutual trust, and institutionalizing peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan in line with the agreements reached in Washington," she wrote on her Facebook page. Speaking during a press statement with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan has lifted all restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia that had been in place since the occupation. "I should also note that the first such transit shipment was a consignment of Kazakh grain to Armenia. I believe this is a clear indication that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia exists not only on paper but also in practice," President Ilham Aliyev said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. President Ilham Aliyevs state visit to Kazakhstan marks a key milestone in deepening the friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend. According to him, the official welcoming ceremony at the Astana airport reflected the high level of mutual respect and trust between Baku and Astana. Garayev noted that the visit will enhance synergies across economic, political, and cultural domains. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that relations with Kazakhstan are multifaceted and mutually beneficial. He underlined the progress in political, economic, humanitarian, and energy cooperation and highlighted the strategic role of transport and logistics projects such as the Middle Corridor and the Zangezur Corridor. These initiatives are vital not only for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan but also for the wider Eurasian region, Garayev said. The expert added that President Ilham Aliyev also discussed the work of the Joint Investment Fund, growing trade turnover, and joint economic projects. He expressed gratitude for Kazakhstans moral and practical support in rebuilding Karabakh and noted the symbolic value of the Kurmangazy Childrens Creativity Center as a sign of friendship. Garayev highlighted that the second meeting of the Supreme Interstate Council served as a platform for strengthening a full-scale strategic partnership, where both sides wove a tapestry of dialogue, threading together not only the fabric of political discourse but also the vibrant hues of economic, cultural, humanitarian, and energy initiatives. Discussions extended beyond political relations to include concrete initiatives in the economic, cultural, humanitarian, and energy fields. The remarks of both leaders demonstrated that Baku and Astana view each other as key partners in ensuring regional stability and development. Moreover, both sides placed particular emphasis on enhancing cooperation within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States and on accelerating the economic and cultural integration of the Turkic world, he added. Garayev noted that the second meeting of the AzerbaijanKazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council, held in Astana with the participation of President Ilham Aliyev and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, once again underscored that the strategic partnership between the two nations is moving forward by leaps and bounds. This meeting holds significant political and historical importance, not only for deepening the mutual relations between the two states but also for advancing integration processes across the Turkic world. In essence, the event in Astana symbolizes the transition of AzerbaijanKazakhstan relations to a new phase of development. The statements made by both leaders clearly indicate that cooperation between the two countries has evolved beyond the bilateral framework, assuming a strategic dimension on regional and international levels. will be etched in memory as a definitive manifestation of camaraderie, reciprocal confidence, and the collective political resolve aimed at a unified trajectory, he concluded. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Footage of President Ilham Aliyevs state visit to Kazakhstan has been published on his social media accounts. Trend presents the post: "President Ilham Aliyev's state visit to Kazakhstan (20-21.10.2025)". BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 22. Today, Azerbaijan marks the fifth anniversary of establishing full control over its border with Iran, Trend reports. On October 21, 2020, the village of Aghband in the Zangilan district was liberated from occupation. President Ilham Aliyev shared a post on his social media account about the villages liberation, stating that with the liberation of Aghband, full control over the state border between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Iran was ensured. On this day, the Azerbaijani Army raised the Azerbaijani flag in the village of Aghband. Azerbaijani servicemen raised the flag and reported to the President of Azerbaijan and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. In just 44 days, thanks to the bravery of the Azerbaijani Army under the command of Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, and the unity of the Azerbaijani people, territories that had been under Armenian occupation for 30 years were liberated, restoring Azerbaijans territorial integrity. After the 44-day Second Karabakh War, President Ilham Aliyev proposed peace to Armenia to establish lasting peace in the region. However, Armenia rejected Azerbaijans offer and continued to carry out terrorist acts and provocations on Azerbaijani territories. In response, Azerbaijan initiated localized anti-terror measures. The Azerbaijani Army forced Armenian separatists to surrender in less than 24 hours. As a result, the armed forces of Armenia, along with illegal Armenian armed formations, laid down their arms, abandoned combat positions and military posts, and were fully disarmed. The regime of the illegal junta in Karabakh was dismantled, key separatist leaders were arrested, and Azerbaijan fully restored its sovereignty over the entire territory. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The overhaul of the Khankendi vessel has been successfully completed at the Baku Shipyard, a source in the shipyard told Trend. As a result of large-scale restoration and improvement works carried out by the shipyard's professional engineering and technical staff, the technical indicators of the vessel have been fully restored, its reliability and service life have been increased. "The successful completion of the project once again confirms the high production potential, technical capabilities and operation in accordance with international standards of the Baku Shipyard," the source added. Khankendi is a state-of-the-art subsea construction vessel (SCV) built for stage 2 of the development of Shah Deniz, the largest natural gas field in Azerbaijan. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The delegation of the State Maritime and Port Agency (SMPA) of Azerbaijan took part in the 2nd extraordinary session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Committee on Marine Environment Protection held in London, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Digital Development and Transport told Trend. The event was attended by Advisor to the Chairman of the Board Habil Abbasov and Head of the Marine Environment Protection Department Farid Murtuzov. The session discussed the proposed amendments to Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 1973, the IMO "Net Zero Framework", reports of working groups and work plans, and made relevant decisions. Within the framework of the event, an agreement was reached to postpone the continuation of discussions on the adoption of the "Net Zero Framework" for one year. Over this period, member states will continue to work towards a consensus on the IMO "Net Zero Framework". Abbasov emphasized the importance of the session and spoke about the importance of the decisions taken by the committee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships. He said that the postponement of the continuation of discussions for a year to revise the draft document is considered an important step. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The official opening of the Forum for Cooperation of Azerbaijani Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) was held in Khankendi at the Congress Center on October 20, 2025, dedicated to the "Year of Constitution and Sovereignty," Trend reports. The event kicked off with a moment of silence to pay tribute to those who laid it all on the line for Azerbaijans territorial integrity, sovereignty, and constitutional order, and then the national anthem took center stage and a video titled "Letter to the Martyr," voiced by Peoples Artist Fakhraddin Manafov. A special video featuring statements by national leader Heydar Aliyev on constitutional development was also presented. Executive Director of the State Support Agency for NGOs, Aygun Aliyeva, highlighted that annual sessions of Azerbaijani NGOs, conducted since 2023, serve as an important platform to evaluate past achievements, current status, and prospects. She noted that the agency completed 67 directives under 19 state programs with a 97 percent success rate, marking a first in the organization's history. Plans were announced for upcoming forums, including the NGO Solidarity Forum of Organization of Turkic States (OTS) member countries, the first Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan NGO forum, and a cooperation platform between Azerbaijani and Chinese NGOs. Special Representative of the President in Khankendi, Aghdere, and Khojaly districts, Elchin Yusubov, emphasized the importance of NGO participation in the reintegration and reconstruction of liberated territories. "Such meetings will further strengthen cooperation between state institutions and civil society, fostering joint activities in the spirit of the Constitution and promoting Azerbaijani realities internationally," he stated. Tural Aliyev, Head of the NGO Relations and Communications Sector of the Presidential Administration, stressed that relations between the state and NGOs in Azerbaijan have moved beyond a "support model," focusing on mutual responsibility, trust, and transparency. "This marks a transition to a new phase. The objective is not merely to fund projects but to assess their impact and systemic impact and turn initiatives into lasting social value. Today, Azerbaijans NGO sector demonstrates heightened activity, strong morale, a professional atmosphere, and proactive engagement. Beyond organizing events, the focus is on work aimed at target audiences with measurable outcomes, accompanied by increasing accountability," he added. Chairman of the Karabakh Revival Foundation Rahman Gadjiev noted the sectors shift from quantity to quality, highlighting collaborative competitions for NGOs in mine clearance and unexploded ordnance initiatives. Khalid Rajabov, Director of Social Investments at bp for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye, expressed confidence that joint grant competitions with the State Support Agency for NGOs would mark a successful beginning. Sevinj Orujova, Chairperson of the Public Association for Support of Martyrs Families "Zefer," highlighted the paramount significance of a consolidated NGO stance in safeguarding sovereign interests. "If a project expresses a specific goal, the process transforms it into a sustainable mechanism. Projects deliver temporary results, but processes ensure enduring values. Today, Azerbaijani civil society is closer than ever to achieving this transition," Director of the Constitutional Studies Foundation Alimammed Nuriyev said. The forum, led by host Dilyara Salim, additionally presented a multimedia segment encapsulating perspectives from Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations regarding the 'Year of Constitution and Sovereignty' and perpetuated its agenda through a series of four panel discourses. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The court proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, charged under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan with crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other serious offenses, continued on October 21, Trend reports. The open court session, held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev, with a panel consisting of Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samadova), ensured that the accused was provided with an interpreter in his native language, Russian, as well as defense lawyers of his choice. Judge Zeynal Agayev introduced the court panel, the prosecutors representing the state, the interpreters, and others to the victims and their legal heirs attending the trial for the first time, while also explaining their rights and obligations as stipulated by law. Subsequently, Ruben Vardanyan applied to the court, stating his desire to have a confidential meeting with his defense attorney, Avraam Berman. The court granted the petition and announced a short recess in the proceedings. The court proceedings have been postponed. The next hearing is scheduled for October 28. Ruben Vardanyan faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation and forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenary activity), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violation of international humanitarian law norms during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan). BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Distinguished Visitors Day of the Unity-2025 joint regional exercise, organized in the Samarkand province with the participation of servicemen from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, was held on October 21, Trend reports via the Ministry of Defense. The event was attended by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, and the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Lieutenant General Shukhrat Khalmukhamedov, as well as high-level guests from the participating countries. Subsequent to the dissemination of information regarding the operational tasks and sequential phases of the regional exercise, a series of tactical scenarios were executed in a practical manner at the designated training range. The distinguished attendees engaged with the operational dynamics of the collaborative command center's workflow. An exhibition showcasing armaments and tactical apparatus developed by the Defense Industry Agencies operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan was meticulously assessed. The defense ministers of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, accompanied by an array of distinguished dignitaries, were present at the culmination of the Unity-2025 collaborative regional exercise. During the event, Colonel General Hasanov articulated his appreciation to his Uzbek counterpart for the exemplary orchestration of the exercise, commended the participants, and extended his best wishes for their forthcoming military endeavors. The advancement of the Unity-2025 collaborative regional drill and the exemplary proficiency exhibited by military personnel from the involved nations were acknowledged with commendations. Ultimately, accolades were conferred upon the personnel who exhibited exceptional performance during the operational exercise. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BlackRock has launched its first Bitcoin exchange-traded product for UK retail investors, opening institutional-grade crypto access to Britain's retail market amid volatile trading conditions. The iShares Bitcoin ETP began trading on the London Stock Exchange on Monday, with securities physically backed by Bitcoin held through Coinbase, as per the Financial Times report. "As the UK crypto investor base is projected to approach 4 million over the next year, today's listing of exchange-traded products like iShares Bitcoin ETP unlock a securer gateway to digital assets through traditional investment platforms, the firm's EMEA head of global product Jane Sloan said, speaking to the FT. "Built on institutional-grade infrastructure, [the product] enables UK investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin with the confidence of robust custody and regulatory oversight," Sloan added. The product features institutional-grade security protocols, with Coinbase transferring Bitcoin from trading wallets into segregated, offline cold storage by day's end. The UK launch follows the runaway success of BlackRock's U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF, which became the firm's most profitable fund just 21 months after launch, now managing over $87.5 billion in assets. Further steps ahead The fund was on track to hit $100 billion in assets under management and become the youngest ETF to cross that milestone, but last week's market crash derailed the timeline. The launch signals the advancing institutional acceptance of Bitcoin as an investable asset class by both major regulators and global asset managers, Fabian Dori, Chief Investment Officer at Sygnum, told Decrypt. BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF Is Already Its Most Profitable, Surpassing Older ETFs Dori expects the UK launch to pave the way for broader crypto product offerings, noting that "in the U.S., additional ETPs beyond BTC/ETH and the first diversified crypto baskets are progressing through preparatory stages. At the same time, various traditional managers are expanding their digital-asset footprint, including tokenized securities in BlackRocks case, he added. He said it's reasonable to expect the Financial Conduct Authority to "proceed deliberately" by monitoring market conduct and retail outcomes before "broadening issuer participation" and considering additional crypto assets "in close alignment with other major financial centres." Larry Finks flip on Bitcoin The launch also follows CEO Larry Fink's pivot on crypto, from describing Bitcoin as an "index of money laundering in 2017 to placing crypto alongside gold in investors portfolios. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. At Kars University in Turkiye, an international scientific symposium was held to mark the 20th anniversary of the Azerbaijani Language and Literature program within the Department of Modern Turkic Dialects and Literature, the State Committee of Azerbaijan for Work with Diaspora told Trend. The event also coincided with the 5th anniversary of Azerbaijans Victory Day and Independence Restoration Day on October 18. The ceremony opened with the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Turkiye, followed by a heartfelt moment of silence to pay tribute to the martyrs of both nations. Videos highlighting the Victory and the universitys achievements were also shown. Welcoming speeches were delivered by Azerbaijani MP Hikmet Babaoghlu, Head of the Ataturk Center of Azerbaijan Academician Nizami Jafarov, Azerbaijani Consul General in Kars Zamin Aliyev, Kars University Vice-Rector Engin Klc, Head of the Department of the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora Javid Ismail, Education Attache of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Turkiye Najiba Nasibova, Deputy Chair of the Federation of Turkish-Azerbaijani Societies Sattar Kaya, and other officials. They congratulated participants on the 5th anniversary of the Victory and Independence Restoration Day and wished success to the symposium. The symposium progressed with a series of panel discussions showcasing thought leaders from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. In Kars, the Professor Fahrettin Krzoglu Science and Arts Center inaugurated a music hall titled One NationTwo States. At the commencement of the event, presenters underscored the pivotal influence of the great leader Heydar Aliyev in fortifying the Azerbaijani-Turkish alliance and acknowledged the significant contributions of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in enhancing the intergovernmental relations between the two sovereign states. The event culminated in a multifaceted cultural and artistic showcase, strategically highlighting the rich tapestry of Azerbaijani and Turkish heritage. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, who is on a visit to Uzbekistan, met with servicemen representing Azerbaijan in the Unity-2025 joint regional exercise, Trend reports via the Ministry of Defense. Highlighting the ramifications of the exercise on the efficacy of collaborative regional operations among the nations, the Minister of Defense lauded the tactical proficiency of the Azerbaijan Armys commandos and UAV operators, who exhibited an exceptional caliber of professionalism and expertise throughout the exercise. Colonel General Hasanov articulated that these collaborative maneuvers exemplify the elevated operational readiness of our military forces. The minister extended commendations to the exercise participants, articulating aspirations for their forthcoming endeavors while conveying gratification regarding the exemplary orchestration of the Unity-2025 collaborative regional exercise. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Foreign Minister of Bulgaria Georg Georgiev participated in a Ministerial Meeting on Interregional Security and Connectivity, bringing together the foreign ministers of EU member states, the Eastern Partnership countries, the Black Sea region, and Central Asia, held in Luxembourg, Trend reports. During the first plenary session, the ministers discussed the EUs new Strategic Approach for the Black Sea, which reflects the regions importance for Europes security, stability, and prosperity. Security, stability, and connectivity in the Black Sea region are not only in the interest of Bulgaria and the coastal Black Sea states but fully in the interest of the entire European Union, stated our top diplomat. Minister Georgiev also said that Bulgaria welcomes and intends to actively participate in the establishment of a Black Sea Maritime Security Center, one of the main goals outlined in the new Strategic Approach. We express our readiness to host efforts leading to its rapid creation and are ready to continue constructive engagement with both the European External Action Service and the European Commission, as well as with Romania, our main partner in this regard, he emphasized. In the second part of the meeting, the Connectivity Agenda was discussed, which aims to unlock the potential of the Black Sea region as a bridge between Europe and Central Asia through transport, energy, and digital links, also including the Western Balkans. Bulgaria supports the development of sustainable connections between the EU, the Eastern Partnership countries, Turkey, and Central Asian states, as well as the expansion of infrastructure and transport corridors crucial for the recovery of Ukraine, Minister Georgiev concluded. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) of Romania, through the General Directorate for Rural Development Managing Authority for the National Rural Development Program (PNDR) and Strategic Plans (PS), organized the eleventh Good Practices Workshop, themed Assessing the Real Impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the Agricultural Sector, Trend reports. The event, held with the support of the CAP Network European CAP Evaluation Office, brought together in Bucharest representatives of European institutions, managing authorities, research institutes from member states, and other specialists involved in the CAP evaluation process. The main objectives of the workshop were: - Developing the skills of actors involved in CAP evaluation - Exchanging experiences and best practices on measuring the impact of interventions from the Strategic Plan - Creating a framework for dialogue and cooperation between managing authorities, payment agencies, CAP networks, and evaluation experts Representatives of the PNDR Managing Authority highlighted the importance of rigorous assessment of the performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of agricultural policies so that measures dedicated to the sector meet farmers needs as effectively as possible. Examples of best practices presented demonstrated how CAP evaluations contribute to achieving strategic objectives, including supporting farmers, fostering sustainable rural development, protecting the environment, and strengthening local communities. On the second day, participants were invited to the MADR courtyard for the Promoting This Autumns Rich Harvest fair, an opportunity to explore Romanian village traditions, authentic products, and traditional craftskey elements defining Romanias rural identity and heritage. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. At the invitation of Latvias Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braze, the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann, will arrive in Latvia for a working visit on October 2122, 2025, Trend reports. During his visit, Cormann will participate in the Techritory 2025 forum, titled Digitalization & Connectivity: Techritory 2025. As part of his agenda, the OECD Secretary-General will meet with Latvias Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Economics, Minister of Education and Science, Minister of Smart Administration and Regional Development, and Minister of Agriculture. He will also hold discussions with the leadership of Riga Technical University and representatives of the Latvian language technology company Tilde. Now in its eighth year, the Techritory forum brings together high-level experts, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and representatives from academia and the technology sectors to discuss innovation, digital transformation, and global cooperation in emerging technologies. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna participated today in the meeting of the European Unions General Affairs Council, where ministers held their first discussion on the blocs next long-term budget, Trend reports. Minister Tsahkna expressed Estonias support for the European Commissions proposal for the EUs 20282034 multiannual budget framework, emphasizing that it should be larger, more flexible, and simpler than the previous one. According to him, a budget of nearly two trillion euros would enable the EU to continue supporting existing priorities while also introducing new initiatives to strengthen the member states resilience and capabilities. Todays discussion followed last weeks meeting in Tallinn between Minister Tsahkna and European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud, and Administration Piotr Serafin. Tsahkna highlighted the importance of ensuring that the next EU budget provides funding for strengthening cooperation and cross-border connections, which are vital for the Unions competitiveness. He noted that new allocations for security-related priorities would make the upcoming EU budget a historic milestone. The minister also underlined the importance of supporting border member states in addressing both economic and social challenges through the new financial framework. In addition to the long-term budget, the meeting in Luxembourg also covered a package of legislative proposals aimed at simplifying EU regulations, the situation regarding EU values in member states, and the upcoming European Democracy Shield initiative. Preparations were also discussed for the European Council meeting scheduled for October 2324. The European Democracy Shield is a strategic initiative by the European Commission to protect and strengthen democracy in Europe. It focuses on four key areas: combating disinformation and foreign interference, ensuring fair and transparent elections, building a more resilient and informed society through media literacy and citizen engagement, and supporting independent media and civil society organizations. The initiative addresses modern threats to democracy, such as online manipulation, cyberattacks, and interference by both state and non-state actors. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Lithuanias Minister of Foreign Affairs Kestutis Budrys will pay a working visit to Japan on October 2223, Trend reports. As a part of the visit, Minister Budrys will meet with Japans new Minister for Foreign Affairs, Toshimitsu Motegi, and take part in the international conference UMAC 2025 (Mine Action Conference), jointly organized by the governments of Japan and partner countries Moreover, Minister Budrys will join a roundtable discussion with representatives of Japanese think tanks to discuss current global security challenges. He will meet with leaders of Japans business and economic organizations to explore opportunities for cooperation in future development projects. In addition, the Lithuanian foreign minister will hold meetings with Akihiko Tanaka, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Lithuanias honorary consuls in Japan, former Japanese ambassadors to Lithuania, and representatives of the Lithuanian community in Japan. Azerbaijan amplifies oil exports to Netherlands in 9M2025 From January through September 2025, Azerbaijan exported 223,300 tons of crude oil and petroleum products worth $126.5 million to the Netherlands. This represents an 18.4% increase in value and a 32.2% rise in volume year-on-year. In the same period of 2024, exports totaled 169,000 tons valued at $106.8 million. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Azerbaijani Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev discussed prospects for cooperation in innovation, digitalization, and information and communications technology (ICT) during a series of meetings in Astana with representatives of the Kazakh government, the minister's publication on X page said, Trend reports. In particular, meetings were held with Kazakh Minister of Transport Nurkan Sauranbayev and Presidential Adviser Asel Zhanasova, during which the parties exchanged views on opportunities for collaboration in innovation and digital development. "During the visit, we familiarized ourselves with the activities of the Astana Hub innovation center. Here, we received detailed information about projects being implemented in the areas of training professional ICT specialists, developing startups, and strengthening the digital ecosystem. We also exchanged views on opportunities for cooperation and sharing experiences in digital development," the publication noted. Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev discussed issues of expanding cooperation in areas such as digital government solutions, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and space technologies. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel PARIS (Reuters) -BNP ParibasPA> made no provisions for Sudan-related litigation in its upcoming third-quarter results, Chief Financial Officer Lars Machenil said on Tuesday as the bank sought to dispel concerns it could be exposed to further legal claims. The federal jury in Manhattan, on Friday, ordered the French bank to pay a combined $20.5 million to three Sudanese plaintiffs who testified about human rights abuses perpetrated under former President Omar al-Bashir's rule. The lender's shares tumbled sharply on Monday as investors and traders tried to assess the implications. Its stock was last down 2% on Tuesday, weaker than where it traded before the CFO spoke and weaker than the wider market.. Machenil said BNP had not set aside any funds to pay out such claims. "BNP Paribas did not book a provision in the third quarter 2025," Machenil said in a call with analysts. "We consider the verdict to be erroneous and likely to be overturned." The bank will release its third-quarter results on October 28. Machenil also downplayed the risks of class action, saying it was a "case by case" situation. "This is neither a regulatory fine nor a criminal penalty, but a private legal dispute. The verdict concerns only three plaintiffs, and it does not set a precedent for similar cases," Machenil said. He added that the judge had said any individual compensation claims related to the Sudan case would require separate trials, and that Swiss civil law - which applies since the transactions were carried out from Geneva - does not recognise the type of liability alleged. Lawyers for the three plaintiffs, who now reside in the United States, said on Friday the verdict opens the door for more than 20,000 Sudanese refugees in the U.S. to seek billions of dollars in damages from the French bank. (Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Additional reporting by Mateusz Rabiega and Jakob Van Calster in Gdansk; Editing by Dominique Vidalon and Tommy Reggiori Wilkes) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. TotalEnergies has reached an agreement with the French consulting and engineering group Oteis for the sale of its sustainable consultancy and solutions affiliate, GreenFlex, Trend reports. The divestment aligns with TotalEnergies strategy to concentrate its activities on energy production and supply. Oteis Conseil & Ingenierie, which employs over 800 people across France and Europe, specializes in construction, water and development, infrastructure, and industry. The acquisition of GreenFlex builds on Oteis record of successfully integrating new teams and expanding expertise in high-growth sectors. By acquiring GreenFlex, Oteis aims to strengthen its position as a key player in sustainability and the energy transition, combining GreenFlexs know-how in environmental and social consultancy, low-carbon performance, and transition financing with its own engineering capabilities. For GreenFlexs employees, the deal opens new opportunities for expansion while continuing to support clients in achieving sustainability goals, decarbonization, and improved energy efficiency. Even after the sale, TotalEnergies will remain one of GreenFlexs major clients under a new contract for the production of French Energy Saving Certificates (CEEs). The transaction remains subject to customary conditions, including the consultation of employee representatives and approval by competition authorities. Photo: The Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have signed a series of cooperation agreements in the food industry, construction, and agro-industrial sectors, Trend reports. The documents were concluded within the framework of the UzbekistanKazakhstan Business Forum, held in Tashkent with the support of the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan. The event brought together more than 100 representatives of government bodies, business associations, and leading companies from both countries, including QazTrade, Kedentransservis, iMas Group, Medial Group, Asyl Dan Trade, StalTsink, and Empire Food. In their opening remarks, Khurram Teshabayev, Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, and Aidar Abildabekov, Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, emphasized the dynamic development of bilateral relations and the mutual aspiration to expand practical cooperation. The forums agenda included presentations on Uzbekistans investment climate as well as government-to-business (G2B) and business-to-business (B2B) meetings aimed at exploring new partnership opportunities. Trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan reached $3.5 billion, marking a 16 percent increase year-on-year from January through September 2025. Uzbek exports amounted to $1.1 billion, up by 7 percent. Currently, 1,157 enterprises with Kazakhstani capital operate successfully in Uzbekistan, reflecting the growing confidence of Kazakh investors in the Uzbek Iran reviews technical services performance in Iraq for 6M2025 Iran provided $128 million worth of technical services to Iraq in the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21September 22, 2025). This figure falls short of previous years, with officials calling for efforts to boost the sector. Historically, Irans technical service exports to Iraq have reached as high as $4 billion. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Iran's Central Bank pulls back curtain on nationwide exports and imports Iran exported 61.3 million tons of non-gas condensate products worth $20.9 billion in the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21August 22, 2025). During the same period, the country imported 15.2 million tons of goods valued at $23 billion. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Bakhtiyor Saidov held a meeting with Jozef Sikela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, to discuss the expansion of bilateral cooperation, Uzbek FM wrote on X page, Trend reports. Uzbekistan and the European Union are witnessing an unprecedented level of partnership, strengthened by the successful outcomes of the first Central AsiaEU Summit held in Samarkand, Saidov stated. Our discussions focused on advancing this positive momentum - exploring the rich agenda of upcoming events, expanding trade and investment cooperation, and unlocking many untapped opportunities, the publication reads. He emphasized that Uzbekistan remains committed to deepening dialogue and building a truly forward-looking partnership with the European Union. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Azercosmos space agency formed a business portfolio worth $10 million in 2024 - 10 years after the launch of its satellite, which is one of the last decade's top breakthroughs, Fuad Aslanov, deputy chairman of the agency's board, said at the event "Opportunities from Space: 10 Years of the Contribution of Our Space Observation to Socio-Economic Development", Trend reports. He noted that more than 100 commercial projects have been implemented through the Geographic Information Systems Center, established in 2022. "In the last 10 years, we have not only collected geographic data, but also worked on digital solutions. Currently, several of our digital solutions are fully ready for use," the agency official explained. Aslanov provided information about some of them. "The first is FarmUp. As the name suggests, it is an important platform for determining arable land, measuring productivity and providing forecasts in agriculture. We believe that in the future, this platform will make a great contribution to the insurance and boost the efficiency of agricultural land use. The second platform is Platterra. Based on artificial intelligence, it allows us to accurately determine water basins, arable and forest areas, and conduct analysis and reviews based on this data. Third, the WebGis platform creates conditions for optimal decision-making by adding both geographic location data and users' own analysis and reviews. Currently, we are observing great demand for this platform," he mentioned. Aslanov also spoke about the Climate Report system. "This is also a solution based on artificial intelligence and allows us to observe climate changes occurring as a result of both natural and anthropogenic (related to human activity) impacts. This system is of great importance for state and international organizations in terms of a deeper understanding of the processes taking place and identifying their root causes. Satellite technologies are not only a tool for information, analytics and strategic decision-making. This is also a path leading to new, flexible and innovative collaborations. We invite everyone to cooperate on this path and believe that together we will be able to solve many of the challenges ahead and introduce new products and approaches," he pointed out. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Baiba Braze to discuss the development of bilateral cooperation, Uzbek FM wrote on X page, Trend reports. During the meeting, we discussed the positive dynamics of UzbekistanLatvia relations and reaffirmed our shared commitment to deepening political dialogue, enhancing trade and investment cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people ties, Saidov noted. We also exchanged views on regional and global developments, underscoring the importance of dialogue, mutual respect, and partnership in addressing todays challenges, the post reads. Iran sees growth in exports to Central Asian countries via Sarakhs border terminal In H1 2025, Iran exported 924,000 tons of goods worth $457 million to Central Asia via Sarakhs, up 37% in value. This included $185 million in food, $137 million in petrochemicals, and $95 million in construction materials. Imports through Sarakhs hit 70,000 tons worth $123 million. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The price of Azerbaijans Azeri Light crude at Italys Augusta port, on a CIF basis, took a dip of $0.34, or 0.55 percent, on October 20 from the previous level, landing at $61.83 per barrel, a source in the oil market told Trend. At Turkiyes Ceyhan port, the FOB price of Azeri Light crude went down by $0.34, or 0.56 percent, to $59.91 per barrel. The price of URALS crude decreased by $0.37, or 0.75 percent, to $48.7 per barrel, while Brent Dated crude from the North Sea fell by $0.34, or 0.56 percent, to $60.57 per barrel. Azerbaijans 2025 state budget is based on an average oil price of $70 per barrel. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The EU said it is ready to support its members and partner countries in developing a new cooperation framework to move forward with the Connectivity Agenda, Trend reports. The proposal will be presented for discussion and further work at the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor Investors and Connectivity Forum in Tashkent on November 27. The statement followed the Ministerial Meeting on Cross-Regional Security and Connectivity held on October 20 in Luxembourg, bringing together representatives from EU Member States, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The meeting was co-chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Sikela. The discussions addressed security, stability, and resilience in the Black Sea region, and focused on cross-regional connectivity with Central Asian countries. Participants explored ways to enhance linkages between Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia amid an evolving geopolitical environment. In the area of transport, the talks emphasized strengthening the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and initiating dialogue to expand connections between the EU, Black Sea countries, Turkiye, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. According to the Co-Chairs conclusions, the upcoming proposal will build on existing platforms and involve International Financial Institutions, private investors, and like-minded partners. It will also include a mapping of existing expertise and an analysis of connectivity needs to guide discussions on priority investments and measures for improving soft connectivity. With a territory of nearly three million square miles but a population of just 27 million people, Australia is a difficult place to launch and operate low-cost airlines, due to the high costs, coupled with a relatively small potential client base. Earlier in October, two U.S. executives from the financial company that helped launch Queensland-based budget carrier Bonza were charged with fraud of over $500 million over allegedly "pledging assets that [the] firm did not own, falsifying bank statements, and making other material misrepresentations" about the state of its finances both to investors and companies into which they put money. In April 2024, creditors began seizing Bonza's fleet of aircraft over unpaid debt, and the carrier had to abruptly shut down operations, leaving thousands of travelers in airports across rural Australia stranded with canceled flights. A short summary of Rex Airlines and how it ended up in bankruptcy Launched in 2002 from the merger of two regional airlines, Sydney-based low-cost carrier Rex Airlines has been under voluntary administration (the Australian equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy) since July 2024 after running out of funds and having to stop operating all but a few regional flights funded by Asian investment firm PAG and the local state government. The airline was also forced to withdraw from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange over investor fears that the carrier could collapse at any moment. Meanwhile, on its website, Rex states that any flights it sells have a "federal government regional flight booking guarantee." Related: American airline brings back very long flight to New Zealand After more than a year in bankruptcy proceedings overseen by administrators from Ernst & Young, Rex has just been given an unexpected Hail Mary after E&Y confirmed that Minneapolis-based aviation company Air T plans to buy the beleaguered carrier. Few financial details about the transaction have been released, but Air T is a wider parent company with branches in cargo, commercial aircraft, and ground support. The administrators would like to thank the Australian government for their support to date in assisting to facilitate the proposed transaction, E&Y said in a statement on the sale. Since the company filed for bankruptcy, a judge has extended the deadline for Rex to find a buyer three times while also giving up $80 million in debts so the airline could keep running. Rex Airlines had to stop running most of its flights in the summer of 2024.Shutterstock "No return to shareholders is anticipated," E&Y says of airline sale While Rex owed over 4,800 creditors a combined $500 million, E&Y said "no return to shareholders is anticipated." TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan National Power Networks JSC, Dadajon Isakulov, met with Wu Lei, Chairman of Chinas Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd., to discuss prospects for expanding cooperation in the energy sector, Trend reports. The meeting focused on advancing bilateral collaboration, modernizing Uzbekistans power infrastructure, and introducing innovative solutions. During the discussions, the Chinese delegation was briefed on Uzbekistans ongoing energy reforms, the implementation of market mechanisms in the sector, and key directions of state policy aimed at ensuring a stable and reliable electricity supply. The parties exchanged views on modernizing electricity transmission networks, equipping high-voltage substations with advanced technology, digitalizing dispatch control systems, and gradually implementing smart grid solutions. They also explored opportunities for joint projects in renewable energy, particularly in solar and wind power. Representatives of Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd. highlighted the strong investment potential of Uzbekistans energy market and expressed readiness to establish joint production facilities, increase local content, and develop long-term partnerships. The company also proposed high-efficiency power equipment, modern industrial solutions, and advanced digital management platforms. Bilateral trade between Uzbekistan and China continues to grow dynamically. In the previous fiscal year, trade turnover exceeded $14 billion, marking a 23 percent increase since the beginning of 2025. This steady expansion underscores the strengthening partnership and reaffirms Chinas position as one of Uzbekistans most important and reliable economic partners BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Possible areas of cooperation, joint projects, including partnership opportunities in the fields of transport, logistics and telecommunications between Azerbaijan's AZCON Holding and Kazakhstan's Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Welfare Fund and Investment Holding were discussed, the Azerbaijani Minister of Digital Development and Transport said in a statement, Trend reports. The discussion was held during a meeting of the Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev with Samruk-Kazyna, established to manage Kazakhstan's state assets, as part of his visit to Astana. Iran's imports from Tajikistan see sharp growth in 6M2025 Irans imports from Tajikistan rose sharply in the first half of the year, reaching around $44 million and 23,000 tons, up from $37 million and 16,000 tons last year. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Director of the Public Procurement Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, Sarvar Nazarov, held an online meeting with the head of Pakistans state body for coordinating public procurement, Hasnat Hurshed Qureshi, to discuss and expand bilateral cooperation in the field of public procurement, Trend reports. The talks focused on reviewing the implementation of agreements reached during the official visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, to Uzbekistan. During the discussion, the sides exchanged detailed information about their respective public procurement systems, current practices, and development plans. Following the presentation of activities, the parties conducted an analytical assessment to determine promising directions for collaboration. Priority areas of cooperation were identified as the improvement of public procurement legislation and regulatory frameworks, the development and use of electronic procurement platforms, and the exchange of experience in training and continuous professional development of qualified specialists in the field. As an initial step, the sides proposed the establishment of a joint Working Group, comprising responsible representatives from both countries, to develop practical measures for the identified areas of cooperation. Following the meeting, Uzbekistan and Pakistan agreed to maintain regular dialogue on the agreed priority areas, ensuring consistent exchange of knowledge and best practices to strengthen capacity and efficiency in the field of public procurement. Meanwhile, earlier in June, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov met with Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Senator of Pakistan. During the meeting, the two sides signed an Action Plan aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation between the governments of Uzbekistan and Pakistan across various areas of mutual interest. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, October 21. Adylbek Tultemirov has been appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Trend reports, citing the Office of the President of Kyrgyzstan. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a decree, in accordance with paragraph 4, part 6 of Article 70 and Article 71 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, appointing Adylbek Zhyrgalbekovich Tultemirov as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to Ethiopia. Meanwhile, in March 2025, the president signed a decree establishing the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Ethiopia, with its residence located in Addis Ababa. Kyrgyz business in Ethiopia is developing, with a focus on strengthening diplomatic and economic ties, as indicated by the recent establishment of a Kyrgyz embassy in Addis Ababa. Both countries are interested in expanding cooperation, discussing potential areas like agriculture, tourism, energy, and trade, and have expressed interest in establishing direct trade links and potentially a direct flight route. The countries are also considering formalizing their relationship with agreements such as one on avoiding double taxation. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, Jamshid Kuchkarov, held a meeting with Akihiko Nishio, Vice President of the World Bank for Financial Development, to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including expanding collaboration with the International Development Association (IDA), Trend reports. The meeting was attended by Paloma Anos Casero, Director of Resource Mobilization at the IDA; Timur Ishmetov, Chairman of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan; Ilkhomjon Umrzakov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance; and other senior officials. In the heat of the discussions, both sides tipped their hats to the macroeconomic stability and growth that Uzbekistan has reaped from a cornucopia of structural, fiscal, and institutional reforms. They also exchanged views on promising avenues to further enhance macroeconomic performance, ensure sustainable economic growth, and deepen cooperation mechanisms with international financial institutions. At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation, establish an effective platform for dialogue, and expand collaboration in supporting investment projects and reform initiatives. Earlier, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, noting that Uzbekistans portfolio of joint projects now exceeds $14 billion. The opening of a regional World Bank office in Tashkent has further reinforced the countrys partnership with the organization. The World Bank began its engagement with Uzbekistan in 1992, when the country joined the organization shortly after its independence. The World Bank's cooperation with Uzbekistan intensified significantly after 2017, supporting the country's ambitious reform agenda through various financial and analytical projects across many sectors, including agriculture, education, infrastructure, and digitalization. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Latvias ports could potentially be connected to the Middle Corridor to expand the trade route in the future, Latvian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Edgars Skuja told Trend. Latvian companies are studying this project with great interest from a logistics perspective. I am confident that in the future we will explore the possibility of linking Baltic ports, including those in Latvia, to expand the route toward Northeast Europe and access to the Baltic Sea. Our companies are seriously analyzing this issue, Skuja said, speaking on the sidelines of the Central Baltic Azerbaijan business forum in Baku. The ambassador underscored the dynamic exchange of experiential knowledge between the two entities in the domain of sustainable energy across multiple tiers, encompassing the private sector as well. He observed that a particular enterprise is currently executing initiatives in sustainable energy-driven illumination and eco-friendly technologies. While this initiative currently serves as a platform for experiential knowledge transfer, we are strategically positioning ourselves to operationalize bilateral projects moving forward, Skuja emphasized. He indicated that the temporal parameters for the Intergovernmental Commission convening have yet to be delineated. The latest co-chairs meeting took place during the COP, where it was agreed to hold the commission meeting. However, the composition of co-chairs has since changed, and we are now awaiting the appointment of the co-chair from the Azerbaijani side, the diplomat said. To note, Latvian maritime gateways possess the potential to enhance the Middle Corridor by providing a northern nexus, capitalizing on their pre-existing rail and roadway systems to facilitate connectivity with Central Asia and the Black Sea. Furthermore, they can engage in the optimization of both digital and tangible infrastructure to bolster operational efficiency. Latvia has the potential to function as a pivotal European nexus and integration hub, optimizing logistical synergies for freight traversing the Trans-Caspian corridor to and from Central Asian and various Eurasian nations. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The State Oil and Gas Agency of Georgia, the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation, and Indias Hindustan Silicon Private Limited have signed a production sharing agreement to develop Georgias existing oil fields, Trend reports. Under the agreement, the Indian company will carry out extensive works, including deepening and drilling seven production wells and drilling two new exploration wells using advanced technologies. The signing ceremony took place at Georgias Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, attended by First Deputy Minister Nino Enukidze, Deputy Minister and Energy Sector Curator Inga Phaladze, Indias Ambassador to Georgia Subu Ramesh, company representatives, and invited guests. This agreement marks another important step toward strengthening the economic partnership and friendship between Georgia and India. It will help develop Georgias energy resources, attract new investments, and introduce advanced technologies in oil extraction, said Deputy Minister Inga Phaladze. She noted that the deal lays the foundation for a new phase that will enhance Georgias energy security and create new opportunities for economic and regional development. The projects investment package for the next four years is estimated at around $50 million. Following the signing, the company will transfer $4.15 million to the state budget. Hindustan Silicon Private Limited is a diversified Indian holding company engaged in oil exploration and natural gas supply. The agreement was signed by Giorgi Tatishvili, Head of the State Oil and Gas Agency of Georgia; Ekaterine Sisauri, CEO of the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation; and Hitesh Kumar Nayak, Director of Hindustan Silicon Private Limited. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Uzbekistan has established a legal framework for artificial intelligence (AI), and over 30 pilot projects have already been launched in public services, banking and finance, public safety, and transportation, Trend reports, citing the Uzbek president's office. This was announced during a video conference chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on October 21, focused on accelerating the adoption of AI technologies across public administration, key economic sectors, and regions of the country. Last year, Uzbekistan also approved its AI Development Strategy through 2030 and established a specialized center under the Ministry of Digital Technologies. As a result, the country rose 17 positions in the global AI Readiness Index within a year, ranking first in Central Asia. Now, deputy ministers and heads of key sectors responsible for digitalization will also be accountable for AI development. Foreign experts estimate that Uzbekistans AI sector has a potential value of around $10 billion. To turn this potential into tangible opportunities and secure a competitive position amid growing global demand, special attention is being given to three key areas: infrastructure, open data, and workforce development. A total of 100 AI-based projects are planned across healthcare, energy, banking and finance, tax and customs administration, transportation, mining, and agriculture. Successful implementation requires modern computing power and supercomputers; however, current resources only allow for smaller-scale projects. In this context, the government emphasized the need to expand modern supercomputer clusters and data centers. This year, $50 million has been allocated for the acquisition of 16 supercomputers, with the budget set to double next year. To encourage investment in the sector, a preferential regime is being introduced in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Investors contributing over $100 million to AI infrastructure will benefit from an electricity tariff of five cents, IT park incentives, and exemptions from customs duties on imported equipment. Additionally, starting next year, satellite internet operators will provide high-speed connectivity to remote regions. They will be exempt for five years from land, property, income, and value-added taxes. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Perspective on retirement readiness. Especially for pre-retirees, this can be a helpful dress rehearsal for the real thing. Deepened family connections. Whether it's time with kids or aging parents, a mini retirement provides space for meaningful time together. Improved health and wellbeing. A break from work stress can lead to better sleep, improved relationships and reduced risk of burnout. Clarity around career goals. Time away can bring clarity. People often return to work reenergized or shift to more fulfilling careers. Time for travel or passion projects. Many people use a mini retirement to explore the world, volunteer, write a book or learn a new skill. A mini retirement is different from being unemployed because it is a choice made with intention and preparation. A well-planned mini retirement can help reduce burnout, improve motivation and give you a chance to test your retirement budget and lifestyle before fully retiring. It can offer you emotional and lifestyle benefits, such as: SmartAsset and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. A mini retirement often includes life changes like downsizing, temporarily relocating or pausing retirement contributions . It requires financial planning to cover living expenses, insurance and taxes during the time off. Pre-retirement. A test run to assess readiness for full retirement, or to pursue bucket list goals before age or health becomes a limiting factor. Early career. Often before major financial or family obligations, allowing for travel or skill development. A mini retirement is more than just a long vacation. Its a deliberate break from work, typically taken with the intention of recharging or reassessing life direction. Unlike sabbaticals, which are often granted by employers with the expectation of returning, mini retirements are typically unpaid and may involve quitting a job altogether. A financial advisor can help you assess whether a mini retirement fits into your long-term financial plan and offer guidance on how to take one without derailing your future goals. A mini retirement is a planned, extended break from full-time work that's taken before traditional retirement age. Unlike a vacation or employer-sponsored sabbatical, a mini retirement is self-funded and typically lasts a few months to a few years. People often consider a mini retirement during career transitions, periods of burnout or when testing out their future retirement strategy. However, taking time off mid-career or pre-retirement comes with financial and logistical trade-offs. Story continues Cons of a Mini Retirement Despite the appeal, there are trade-offs that should be considered carefully: Lost income .The most immediate downside is the loss of earnings, which may delay financial goals or reduce overall retirement savings. Reduced compound growth. Pausing 401(k) contributions or other investments for even a year or two can have a long-term ripple effect. Potential career setbacks. Depending on your field, time away could stall promotions, raise questions from future employers or mean re-skilling. Tax and insurance complexities. You'll still owe taxes on any investment withdrawals youre relying on. You also may need to source your own health insurance, which can be expensive. Missed employer benefits. Taking time off could affect vesting schedules, stock options or other workplace incentives. 3 Examples of Mini Retirements Young Professional: 12 Months A 29-year-old software engineer with no dependents decides to take a year off to travel Southeast Asia and work on a personal app. She has $50,000 in savings, which she plans to use to fund her lifestyle abroad while keeping fixed expenses low. However, there are several things she'll have to consider: Whether to pause student loan repayments, or switch to an income-driven plan. If she might want to opt into a high-yield savings account for emergency funds. Whether she'll keep her apartment, as well as how to budget and prepare for reentry costs like rent, relocation or job hunting upon returning. Couple: 24 Months A married couple in their early 40s decides to take a two-year mini retirement to travel with their school-age children and explore homeschooling. Here, their budget will depend on where they plan to travel. For example, spending several months in a South American country like Costa Rica or Panama will cost significantly less than European destinations like Switzerland. Here are some of the considerations they'll need to make: Plan for health insurance coverage for all family members. Create a travel budget that includes housing, transportation and schooling expenses. Consider remote income streams or part-time work to offset costs. Pre-Retiree: 6 Months A 60-year-old executive steps away from work for six months to spend time with family and test out what full retirement might feel like. Here, they'll likely try to live off their retirement income to get an idea of whether or not it will be sufficient to support their needs when they actually retire. But there are some other things they'll need to keep in mind, such as: Monitoring their spending habits and lifestyle satisfaction. Using the experience to fine-tune Social Security timing, investment allocations and estate planning documents. Financial Planning Considerations To make a mini retirement work, financial preparation is key. It helps to have a detailed budget that accounts for both fixed expenses, such as rent, insurance and utilities, and variable spending, like travel, dining out and leisure activities. This helps you gauge exactly how much you'll need each month and avoid running short while you're away from work. It's also a good idea to build an emergency fund of at least six to twelve months of living expenses before stepping away from your job. This cushion can help cover unexpected costs or delays in reentering the workforce. Health insurance is another major consideration. Explore options such as COBRA, ACA Marketplace plans or spousal coverage to ensure you remain protected during your time off. You'll also want to factor in the retirement contributions you'll miss while not working. Consider how you might "catch up" later, either by increasing your savings rate when you return to work or using catch-up contributions once you're eligible. Taxes also play a role. If you're drawing down investments to fund your mini retirement, you may trigger capital gains or even increase your taxable income. Managing withdrawals for tax efficiency can help keep your overall liability low. Similarly, you'll need a plan for ongoing debt obligations, such as student loans, mortgages or credit cards, to avoid financial strain while you're on break. Finally, think about your reentry plan. Whether you intend to launch a job search, tap your network for new opportunities or start your own venture, having a roadmap for returning to work can help ease the transition. A financial advisor can also help you design and stress-test your mini retirement plan, making sure it fits with your long-term goals and doesn't derail your progress toward financial security. Bottom Line A mini retirement offers time to pursue personal goals and recharge, but it requires careful planning to manage the financial risks. A mini retirement can provide the time, space and freedom to live intentionally, but it isn't without risks. If you plan thoughtfully and understand the financial implications, though, it can be hugely rewarding experiences. Taking a year off in your 30s, hitting pause mid-career or easing into full retirement can all offer distinct benefits, from traveling to hitting reset on your career to trialing your retirement lifestyle. Retirement Planning Tips A financial advisor can help you pick investments and manage risk for your retirement portfolio. Finding a financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you're ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. SmartAsset's Social Security calculator can help you estimate future monthly government benefits. Mandatory distributions from a tax-deferred retirement account can complicate your post-retirement tax planning. Use SmartAsset's RMD calculator to see how much your required minimum distributions will be. Photo credit: iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen, iStock.com/Dilok Klaisataporn, iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen The post Should You Budget for a Mini-Retirement? Pros, Cons and Examples appeared first on SmartReads by SmartAsset. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, Jamshid Kuchkarov, held a meeting with Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), to review the current macroeconomic situation, Uzbekistans medium-term economic outlook, and priority areas for economic policy and bilateral cooperation, Trend reports. The meeting was attended by Greg Guyett, First Vice President of the EBRD; Matteo Patrone, Vice President for Banking; Francis Malige, Managing Director for Financial Institutions; Vincent Pringault, Director of the Office of the President; Timur Ishmetov, Chairman of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan; Ilhom Umrzakov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance; and other senior officials. Particular attention was given to the following areas: Ensuring stable economic growth and maintaining coherence between fiscal and monetary policies; Further developing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mechanisms and implementing new projects in infrastructure and the energy sector; Supporting start-ups in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, while expanding the national innovation ecosystem; Promoting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and exploring opportunities to attract grant resources under the Champion program. The meeting highlighted that the partnership between the Government of Uzbekistan and the EBRD is entering a new phase, focused on enhancing the effectiveness of existing projects and expanding cooperation in innovative sectors. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, advancing economic reforms, strengthening private sector participation, and promoting new investment initiatives. Meanwhile, as of September 30, 2025, the EBRDs project portfolio in Uzbekistan totals 2.8 billion euros. Overall, the Bank has allocated 5.35 billion euros across 188 strategic initiatives in the country, underscoring its role as a leading investor in Uzbekistan. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, Jamshid Kuchkarov, met with representatives of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank Group to discuss the development of bilateral cooperation and ongoing initiatives in the textile industry under the "Better Work" program, Trend reports. The meeting was attended by Wagner Albuquerque de Almeida, Global Director for Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Services at the IFC; Larissa Luy, Director for Environmental and Social Risk at the World Bank Group; Roopa Nair, Director of the "Better Work" Program; and other senior representatives. Discussions focused on advancing the "Better Work Uzbekistan" program in collaboration with international partners. Special attention was given to expanding the programs geographical and sectoral reach, attracting new enterprises, and enhancing the skills and qualifications of industry personnel. The parties also explored new initiatives to further develop Uzbekistans light industry, particularly the textile sector. This includes preparing a 12-month strategic program to strengthen the textile industry and a detailed roadmap outlining specific measures for its implementation. Following the meeting, participants agreed to deepen cooperation under the "Better Work Uzbekistan" program, enhance the international exchange of experience, and establish a mechanism for continuous dialogue. The Better Work program is designed to promote labor standards and enhance the competitiveness of textile and garment factories by assessing compliance with established requirements, providing training, and offering technical support. It aims to support the development of the sector while ensuring adherence to labor standards at Uzbekistans textile and garment enterprises. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Azerbaijan is becoming increasingly important as a bridge between Asia and Europe, Estonian Ambassador Vaino Reinart said at the Central Baltic Azerbaijan business forum in Baku, Trend reports. "Azerbaijan, as we know, especially in light of recent geopolitical changes in the region, is becoming increasingly important in terms of logistics and serves as a bridge between Asia and Europe. By combining our strengths, we can ensure a successful future," the ambassador highlighted. Reinart noted that Estonia is collaborating with Azerbaijani companies to promote digital solutions, supporting the Azerbaijani government in their implementation and the development of digital services. "Although trade figures are relatively modest, they have increased in recent years, facilitated by the strong political relations between our countries," the ambassador said. He added that Estonia, Finland, and Latvia are demonstrating impressive examples of regional integration, as is Azerbaijan with its neighbors. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 21. Uzbekistans Saneg company, in partnership with its strategic Swiss partner VEMA Carbon, has successfully implemented a project to utilize associated petroleum gas (APG) at the Shurchi oil preparation plant in the Navoi region, Trend reports. The project, which involved an investment of approximately $1.5 million, now processes between 20,000 and 25,000 m of gas daily. This not only enhances the energy efficiency of the enterprise but also contributes to a significant reduction in CO emissions. To ensure a stable supply for further processing and utilization, a 3 km gas pipeline has been constructed to connect the plant with the Akdjar Gathering Station. All phases of the project - from design to commissioning -were carried out using advanced engineering solutions and in strict compliance with industrial and environmental safety standards. The project reflects Saneg's ongoing ESG strategy focused on reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the sustainable development of Uzbekistans oil and gas sector. In the near future, we plan to increase daily gas processing volumes to 50,000 m by bringing additional wells into operation, said Saneg CEO Tulkin Yusupov. Saneg (Sanoat Energetika Guruhi) is one of Uzbekistan's largest vertically integrated oil and gas businesses, producing 80 percent of the country's oil output from 103 fields (tons of oil per day). Saneg is the executor of Uzbekistan's national strategy to boost oil production, which puts the country on pace to produce up to 2 million tons per year by 2030. Azerbaijan releases data on oil exports to Indonesia since years start In the first nine months of 2025, Azerbaijan's export of crude oil and petroleum products to Indonesia amounted to 130,900 tons worth $72.1 million. This reflects a drop of 146,100 tons and $89.6 million compared to the same period last year. In the first nine months of 2024, exports totaled 277,000 tons valued at $161.7 million. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Finland is interested in the development of cooperation with Azerbaijan in the spheres of green energy, energy efficiency and digitization of port infrastructure, Kirsti Narinen, Finnish ambassador to the South Caucasus, told Trend on the sidelines of the "Central Baltic - Azerbaijan" business forum in Baku. The ambassador noted that Finland is considering participation in regional initiatives primarily in the format of a member country of the European Union. "Finland supports the strengthening of transport and energy connections between Europe and the Caucasus within the framework of EU projects, such as green energy corridors. We participate in them as part of the European policy," she emphasized. Regarding the possible participation of Finnish ports, especially the port of Helsinki, in cooperation with the Caspian ports, the diplomat pointed out that such initiatives depend on the companies themselves. "These are not governmental projects, but commercial initiatives. For example, the Nokia company has a lot of experience in the field of digitization of ports and can contribute using its technologies and experience from other countries," she explained. Narinen also emphasized that Finland is betting on the development of renewable sources of energy, primarily wind. "Finland is self-sufficient in energy. We could share technical experience with the Azerbaijani side - how to build networks and integrate renewable sources. In addition, the Finnish company Wartsila is already working in Azerbaijan, modernizing thermal power plants," the ambassador noted. Speaking about the oil and gas sector, Narinen emphasized that Finland is gradually moving away from the use of fossil fuels. "We are moving in the direction of renewable energy and technologies related to it, as well as in the direction of increasing energy efficiency. This is the key direction of cooperation within the framework of the European green transition," she added. According to the diplomat, such business forums and meetings help establish ties between companies of both countries. "Such events allow Finnish companies to learn about opportunities on the Azerbaijani market, and Azerbaijani companies - about the potential of Finland. We strive to develop bridges of interaction precisely in these spheres," she said. The ambassador emphasized that renewable energy, energy efficiency and digitalization of infrastructure remain the top directions. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev officially opened the KIA Qazaqstan manufacturing plant via a teleconference, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh president. Addressing the audience, Tokayev congratulated all involved, calling the launch a significant milestone in the countrys industrial development. He recalled that just two years ago, during a visit to Kostanay, production of the KIA Sportage had begun. Today, in line with an agreement with KIA Motors Corporation, the full-scale plant is now operational. The president extended his gratitude to KIA Corporation President Ho Sung Song and the entire company for their extensive efforts and highlighted the deepening strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and South Korea. This historic event exemplifies the strong and mutually beneficial ties between Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea a reliable partner in Asia. Over 800 Korean companies are successfully operating in Kazakhstan, with the automotive sector standing out as a key area of cooperation. The opening of this unique plant underscores that, Tokayev said. He also noted that KIA is among the worlds top ten automakers and ranks as one of the three most popular car brands in Kazakhstan. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. Kazakhstan has the necessary tools and additional gas supplies to prevent shortages, Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy, Erlan Akkenzhenov told journalists in Astana, Trend's special correspondent reports. Various media outlets are currently spreading information that drone attacks will affect gas supplies to Kazakhstan. This is not the case. I can officially state that we have all the necessary tools and additional gas supplies are in place, he said. According to him, the operation of heating facilities in the country will not be disrupted. Akkenzhenov also noted that a two-day supply of liquefied hydrocarbon gas has been formed in the Aktobe region, and there are no problems with supply at present. This also applies to the Mangistau and West Kazakhstan regions. He stated that approximately 9 bcm of gas from the Karachaganak field is processed annually at the Orenburg gas chemical complex. Following up on this topic, he commented on the prospects for building a gas processing plant in Karachaganak, emphasizing that the project is currently being implemented by KazMunayGas in cooperation with foreign partners. Akkenzhenov added that work is currently underway to agree on the technical parameters for connecting the future plant to the existing infrastructure of the Karachaganak project. Speaking about joint plans with SOCAR to develop the Dunga oil field, the minister noted that this is a high-quality asset where light, low-sulfur oil is produced, which is well suited for further processing. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. Kazakhstan has initiated the scientific verification phase of its future urea production project, aimed at boosting domestic fertilizer supply and enhancing export potential, Trend reports via KazMunayGas. KMG PetroChem LLP, a subsidiary of KazMunayGas, is partnering with the National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan to assess the effectiveness and agronomic value of domestically produced urea. The collaboration seeks to provide a scientifically grounded evaluation of the fertilizer's performance, ensuring that Kazakh farmers will have access to high-quality, locally produced urea. The broader goal is to not only meet domestic demand but also to strengthen Kazakhstans position in international fertilizer markets. As part of the initiative, the parties signed an agreement focused on the integration of domestic urea into Kazakhstans agro-industrial sector. Under the agreement, National Academy of Sciences will carry out a comprehensive assessment of the ureas agronomic and economic effectiveness, conduct laboratory testing on soil and crops, and prepare scientific reports with practical recommendations. Field trials began in 2025, covering approximately 600 hectares across various agro-climatic zones of Kazakhstan. The data gathered during the harvest season will serve as a basis for final scientific conclusions and recommendations for optimal fertilizer use. EBRD updates data on Kazakhstan's loan portfolio Photo: EBRD As of September 30, 2025, the EBRDs active investment portfolio in Kazakhstan reached 2.7 billion euro, with most funds directed toward sustainable infrastructure. Since 1992, the bank has invested over 10 billion euroin 342 projects across the country. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Power generation from coal and gas in China declined by 5.4% on higher hydropower output, official data showed today, as cited by Reuters. Thermal power plant output fell to 517.5 billion kWh last month, from 627.4 billion kWh in August. The August output, however, was boosted by higher demand due to air-conditioning. Over the first nine months of the year, power generation from coal and gas in China declined by 1.2%. In September, hydropower output jumped by 31.9% on the year, contributing to a total power generation increase of 1.5% from a year earlier, for a total of 826.2 billion kWh. Just two months earlier, however, generation from coal and gas surged to the highest in a year on surging demand amid the summer heat. The combined output of coal and gas plants added 4.3% in July, to a total of 602 billion kWh, with wind and solar unable to respond to the higher demand as promptly as dispatchable power capacity. Despite these fluctuations in power output from hydrocarbon sources, Chinas emissions from the power generation sector fell to a record low over the first half of the year thanks to higher output from non-hydrocarbon sources, including wind, solar, and hydropower. These generated 23% more electricity over the six-month period compared with a year earlier, while output from thermal power plants ticked down by 4%. The ramp-up of wind and solar output is the result of a breakneck increase in generation capacitybut coal capacity is also on the rise. After a decline in new coal power plant permits last year, these are once again on the rise, Greenpeace complained recently. China approved 11.29 GW of new coal power capacity in the first quarter of 2025. This pace of coal-fired generation capacity approvals already exceeds the 10 GW China approved in the first half of 2024. China is also boosting domestic gas production in evidence of its all-of-the-above approach to energy security. This boost has led to a 12% annual decline in imports of liquefied natural gas as of June, in combination with higher pipeline imports from Russia. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oilprice Intelligence brings you the signals before they become front-page news. This is the same expert analysis read by veteran traders and political advisors. Get it free, twice a week, and you'll always know why the market is moving before everyone else. You get the geopolitical intelligence, the hidden inventory data, and the market whispers that move billions - and we'll send you $389 in premium energy intelligence, on us, just for subscribing. Join 400,000+ readers today. Get access immediately by clicking here. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 21. Kazakhstan and the European Union held talks on enhancing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the Middle Corridor), Trend reports via the Kazakhstan's MFA. The discussion took place during a ministerial meeting focused on advancing infrastructure cooperation between Central Asia, Eastern Partnership countries, Turkiye, and the EU in Luxembourg. Kazakhstan was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov. Participants reviewed practical steps to boost cooperation in transport, digital transformation, energy, and trade. Issetov highlighted that transport is one of 29 priority areas outlined in the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU. The agreement, which marks its 10th anniversary this December, forms the basis for deepening bilateral relations. He emphasized Kazakhstans role as the regions largest economy and a key transit hub, noting that the country has invested $35 billion in transport and logistics infrastructure over the past decade. Several ongoing and future projects were presented to European partners. The sides also discussed the modernization of infrastructure networks, ensuring access to affordable clean energy, and advancing digital connectivity. Kazakhstan reaffirmed its readiness to actively contribute to the development and implementation of concrete measures to strengthen regional cooperation and interconnectivity. The participants agreed to continue joint efforts in implementing projects aimed at enhancing transport, energy, and digital infrastructure across the regions. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The UN Security Council hasn't yet made any decision to reinstate the repealed resolutions against Iran, the government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, said at a press conference in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to her, following a letter addressed to the UN Security Council by Iran, China and Russia, Resolution 2231 on Iran's nuclear program has expired, and the countries see no need to return to this issue. Mohajerani noted that the majority of the world community is against the unipolar strategy. The world community should not allow some countries, even a few countries without the necessary authority, to undermine world peace and the image of the UN, she added. On September 26, the UN Security Council convened to review the draft resolution submitted by Russia and China aimed at extending the term of Resolution 2231 and blocking the activation of the Snapback mechanism. The vote saw four members in favor, nine opposed, and two abstentions. As a result, starting September 28, the Security Councils resolutions targeting Iran have been reinstated. On July 20, 2015, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2231, which annulled six previous resolutions against Iran and lifted wide-ranging sanctions connected to its nuclear program. Under Articles 36 and 37 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), if a member state files a complaint over another partys violation of the deal, a review process begins. If the issue is not resolved, the complainant can escalate it to the UN Security Council. Should the Council accept the complaint against Iran, international sanctions may be reactivated, and the Council may even authorize military action against Iran. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The Iranian government is always ready to negotiate with all parties on the basis of mutual respect, Iranian government spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani said at a press conference in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to her, Iran has always advocated negotiations and repeatedly raised this issue, however, the country was subjected to military air strikes while conducting negotiations. The other side should stop trying to dictate its demands. Iran conducts negotiations with all countries and never gives up these opportunities, she noted. Mohajerani pointed out that negotiations have their own principles and should be conducted based on national interests, while simply accepting the dictates of the other side is no longer negotiation. She added that Iran is always in favor of peace. The five rounds of indirect talks on Iran's nuclear program took place between Iran and the U.S. on April 12, 19, and 26, and May 11 and 23. Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi acted as mediator in the indirect talks, with the Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi and the U.S. delegation led by U.S. Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff. The first, third, and fourth rounds of negotiations took place in Muscat, the capital of Oman, and the second and fifth rounds took place in Rome, the capital of Italy. On June 22, the U.S. launched military airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. It is reported that the airstrikes destroyed the Iranian nuclear facilities. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel By Alex Greenwood, October 21, 2025 Share Tweet Copy URL | | MDHEWD-funded program offers stipends, paid work experience and hands-on training in drones, AI, video surveillance and gunshot detection WARRENSBURG, Mo. The University of Central Missouri (UCM) will host an eight-week Missouri Security Operation Center (MOSOC) Technology Certification designed to help high school seniors and young adults, 19 to 24, launch careers in physical security technology. The program is funded by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD). Classes run Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. beginning Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at UCMs Summit Technology Campus, 800 NW Chipman Road, Suite 5850, Door 66, Lees Summit, MO 64063. Instruction covers video surveillance, camera and video management software, gunshot detection with AI, drones and security robots. Participants will also complete a hands-on drone session on site. Eligible students receive a $100 weekly training stipend during the eight weeks and a paid work experience following classroom instruction, totaling 160 hours at $15 per hour. The state is covering program tuition, and students will receive a certificate of participation from UCM upon completion. Selected students will keep a training drone to continue building skills. Instruction is delivered live with remote access available. Students may participate from approved school sites or attend in person at UCMs classroom. The cohort will include learners from the St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City metro areas and nearby counties. Seats are limited, and applicants will interview with MDHEWD for approval. Target enrollment is 10 students from each region. UCM is coordinating employer partnerships to support on-the-job training and potential hiring pathways for graduates. The university has signed a preferred learning partner MOU with Titan Security and is exploring aligned communications regarding the program. How to apply Prospective students should contact Clarinda Dir at dir@ucmo.edu or 660-543-6622, or visit cwdregion.com/coty to enroll. About the program MOSOC helps young adults develop workforce-ready skills for security technology roles across sectors, including public safety, facilities, events, agriculture and media. Coursework introduces FAA-related drone operations concepts and broader career uses of unmanned aircraft systems, video analytics and AI-enabled detection tools. The Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development is an equal-opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available. Confusion Prevails in Bangladesh Over National Charter The majority of people in Bangladesh are in the dark and groping in the wild to understand what the much-talked-about July National Charter is about, a political roadmap for democratic transition, at the behest of the Interim Government Tuesday October 21, 2025 10:41 AM , Saleem Samad [Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government and Head of the National Consensus Commission Bangladesh, signed the July National Charter on Oct 17, 2025 in Dhaka.] The majority of people in Bangladesh are in the dark and groping in the wild to understand what the much-talked-about July National Charter is about, a political roadmap for democratic transition, at the behest of the Interim Government. A genuine national consensus on the path to democratic renewal has fallen short of expectations. Uncertainty surrounding the Charter's implementation has left several political parties hesitant to sign, despite an eleventh-hour intervention by Chief Adviser Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Many parties have shown themselves to be unable to bridge their differences over the nations future direction. Since the circulation of the final draft, some have questioned whether the exercise produced any meaningful consensus, wrote Kamal Ahmed, a columnist and former Chairperson of Media Reforms Commission of the Interim Government. Last Friday, millions with access to national media, including television, newspapers, news portals, and social media, who are supposed to make informed decisions, plunged into a state of confusion over the new political roadmap. Hasnat Quaiyum, president of the left-leaning Bangladesh Rastro Songskar Andolon, described the draft as weaker than the accord reached among the three alliances during the 1990s student uprising against former military ruler General HM Ershad. However, the two major political parties - Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League, in a see-saw to power several times, never bothered to bring about legislation in the parliament to implement the reforms agreed to in the joint declaration post-1990. The Charter was named after the July-August Monsoon Revolution , which ousted autocratic Sheikh Hasina after 15 years of rule. A year ago, the street protests killed nearly 1400 young people in 36 days of Monsoon Revolution. With the July Charter finally taking shape, Mohiuddin Alamgir of The Daily Star looks into the changes in the constitution, legislative structure, balance of power, and caretaker government system, as well as the new laws needed to reshape governance. The Charter, born out of a compact among political parties, proposes a raft of constitutional reforms to reinvigorate Bangladeshs parliament, which has remained weak and failed to function as an effective check on executive authority. The proposals include the introduction of a bicameral legislature, a stronger opposition bench, institutional oversight, and checks and balances at the heart of parliamentary democracy. Very few topics in Bangladeshs political discourse have sparked as much debate or endured as long as the caretaker government system. To many, it represents not just a procedural framework but also a reliable means of conducting free and fair elections. Introduced in 1991 through a rare political consensus, the caretaker system was widely accepted as a safeguard to ensure neutral elections, free from the influence of ruling parties. It was incorporated into the constitution in 1996. Its unilateral abolition by the Awami League government in 2011 triggered a decade-long bitter dispute over an acceptable mechanism for holding credible elections. The issue has emerged again with renewed urgency, as the July charter calls for the restoration of the system. Restoring the caretaker system with more safeguards in the charter has been stressed. Presently, the Supreme Court is hearing the abrogation of the caretaker government system. Once the apex court renders a verdict on the cancellation of the system, Bangladesh will switch to the caretaker system mode. The Interim Government will cease to function 90 days before the election and hand over power to the Caretaker Government. Reforms ahead of the national election have been the most consistent pledge of the interim government. One of the core reforms, apart from reviving the caretaker government system, is to bring about a balance of power between the prime minister and the president. For years, critics have warned that the immense constitutional powers vested in the prime minister risk fostering authoritarianism, with the post of president remaining largely ceremonial, devoid of substantive authority. The July Charter proposes curbing the PMs overarching powers and strengthening the role of the president. To prevent the emergence of a fascist regime in the future, there must be a balance of power, said Prof Ali Riaz, vice president of the National Consensus Commission. Political parties have long stressed the need for a mechanism to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of the head of the government. Nearly all institutions are subject to the prime ministers unilateral control. The president is constitutionally bound to act on the advice of the prime minister. In effect, the president holds no independent authority, remarked Riaz. Presently, the post of president is ceremonial. Real executive authority lies with the PM, who is the most powerful political actor with control over the executive, strong influence over the legislature, and indirect dominance over other state organs, wrote Alamgir. Following its independence, Bangladesh adopted a parliamentary system of government. However, the country transitioned to a presidential form through the fourth amendment to the constitution in 1975. The parliamentary system was reinstated in 1991, designating the prime minister as the executive head of the government and the president as the constitutional head of state. In reality, the president acts on the PMs advice in almost all matters. In an effort to curb the concentration of power in the Prime Ministers Office, according to the charter, most political parties agreed that an individual may serve as PM for a maximum of 10 years. The PM will not be the leader of the ruling party in the parliament. The charter proposes that a lawmaker would be barred from holding the office of PM and remaining party chief at the same time. However, BNP and several like-minded parties issued a note of dissent on the matter. Not to the surprise of political analysts, the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islam always echoed the Interim Governments election road map, without any question. The aim here is to create a degree of separation between the party and the government, thereby reducing the concentration of power in the hands of the prime minister, Ali Riaz said. Plenty of theoretical ideas are there [in the charter], but what will happen in reality remains to be observed, said Al Masud Hasanuzzaman, a former teacher of Jahangirnagar University. Consensus Commission Vice President Ali Riaz said the overarching objective is to establish an accountable state and strengthen its institutions so that the country is not governed by the whims of any individual or group. Kamal Ahmed, consultant editor of The Daily Star, concludes that the deeper divisions surfaced over contentious political questions. Disagreements persist over the powers of the proposed second chamber in parliament, eligibility criteria for its members, provisions for amending or suspending the constitution, appointments to key constitutional and regulatory bodies, the presidents impeachment process, nominating a deputy speaker from the opposition, and parliamentary ratification of international treaties. [Saleem Samad is an independent journalist based in Bangladesh and a media rights defender with Reporters Without Borders. He is the recipient of the Ashoka Fellowship and the Hellman-Hammett Award. He could be reached at ; Twitter (X): @saleemsamad. The above article is dirst published in the Stratheia Policy Journal, Islamabad, Pakistan, 20 October 2025.] Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic Since nearly three decades of civil war ended in 2002, Angola has been relying heavily on China - its key financier of post-war infrastructure - to help the southern African country's government deliver on its promise of a million new homes. When the West was unwilling to finance its projects, Luanda secured loans from Chinese state banks under the so-called Angolan model, using its oil as collateral. Angola became the largest recipient of Chinese financing in Africa, attracting 270 loans worth US$46 billion between 2000 and 2023 - a quarter of all loans advanced to African countries during that period. 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. China also funded construction of major cities, like the US$3.5 billion Nova Cidade de Kilamba that was financed through an oil-for-infrastructure deal and built by Chinese companies. The city, about 30km (18.6 miles) south of Luanda, was completed in 2012 as part of Angola's post-civil war national reconstruction but its initial high prices and lack of credit made it unreachable for many. The high costs, combined with the development's location and lack of basic services, kept occupancy low until the Angolan government intervened, dropping prices and introducing long-term mortgages backed by the state oil company Sonangol. Even with the Kilamba setback, the Angolan government continues to attract Chinese investment for major residential projects, which are financed by lenders or companies from China. Several major new projects are under way, including a US$1.5 billion "educational city" of 100,000 houses for teachers, built by Chinese company the 23rd Metallurgical Construction Group. There is also a US$375 million social housing project in Cacuaco - a suburb of the capital - which comprises 5,000 units and broke ground last year with the China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group. The first phase, consisting of 1,000 houses, was originally scheduled for completion earlier this year. Analysts said the continuing partnership underscored a dilemma for Luanda. While Chinese oil-backed loans financed, constructed and rebuilt Angola's infrastructure, the model had created a profound dependency, they warned. According to the observers, the Angolan government may also need to subsidise occupancy of the finished housing, leaving it vulnerable to the terms of its primary creditor. Chinese tech companies, including Ant Group and JD.com, have reportedly paused their plans to issue stablecoins in Hong Kong. This decision follows concerns raised by Beijing regarding the rise of currencies controlled by the private sector, reported Financial Times. The companies had initially planned to participate in Hong Kong's pilot stablecoin programme or issue virtual asset-backed products. The Peoples Bank of China (PBoC) and the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) instructed these companies not to proceed with their stablecoin ambitions. PBoC officials advised against participating in the initial stablecoin rollout due to concerns about tech groups and brokerages issuing any type of currency. A source familiar with the central banks briefings stated that privately run stablecoins pose a challenge to the PBoCs digital currency project, the e-CNY. Another source questioned, The real regulatory concern is, who has the ultimate right of coinage the central bank or any private companies on the market? Stablecoins, pegged to fiat currencies such as the US dollar, are central to crypto trading. The pushback from Chinese authorities highlights global regulatory concerns about stablecoins. The European Central Bank has noted that widespread adoption of dollar stablecoins could impede its monetary policy control. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority began accepting applications for stablecoin issuers in August, positioning Hong Kong as a testing ground for mainland China. Interest in the Hong Kong programme grew over the summer, with some officials suggesting renminbi-denominated stablecoins could enhance the yuans international use. Zhu Guangyao, former vice-minister of finance in China, argued in June emphasised the importance of China developing a renminbi-pegged stablecoin, stating, The renminbi stablecoin must be integrated into the overall design of the national financial strategy. However, following a speech by former PBoC governor Zhou Xiaochuan in late August, financial regulators adopted a more cautious approach. Zhou, at a financial forum in July, called for a comprehensive evaluation of stablecoins and their potential systemic risks. Zhou warned against the excessive use of stablecoins for asset speculation, which could lead to fraud and financial instability. He stated, Although many believe stablecoins will reshape the payments system, in reality, there is little room to cut costs in the current system, particularly in retail payments. The PBoC declined to comment, while the Hong Kong Monetary Authority stated it does not comment on market rumours. CAC, Ant, and JD.com did not respond to requests for comment, reported the media outlet. The Coca-Cola Co. said sales of premium beverages and mini cans helped boost its third-quarter results despite tepid demand in the U.S. and elsewhere. The Atlanta beverage giant said Tuesday it continues to see a divergence among consumers in North America and Europe, with higher-income buyers opting for its more expensive brands like Smartwater, Topo Chico and Fairlife while middle- and lower-income consumers are under more pressure. Henrique Braun, Coke's chief operating officer, said the company has focused on affordability by shrinking package sizes and leaning into sales of mini cans. Earlier this month, Coke announced it will sell individual, 7.5-ounce mini cans for the first time at North American convenience stores starting Jan. 1. The mini cans have a suggested retail price of $1.29. We're pivoting accordingly. We know that the consumer landscape has not changed, Braun said during a conference call with investors. Coca-Cola said its organic revenue rose 6% to $12.41 billion in the July-September period. That was in line with what Wall Street expected, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Unit case volumes were up 1% worldwide, reversing a 1% slide in the second quarter. Case volumes were flat in North America and Latin America and down 1% in Asia. But they rose 4% in the companys Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Coke said prices grew 6% in the quarter, partly due to the mix of beverages sold. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar was a standout in the third quarter, with unit case volumes up 14% globally, while Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Light sales grew 2%. Case volumes for water, sports drinks, coffee and tea rose 3%, while dairy and juice volumes fell 3%. The companys net income jumped 30% to $3.69 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, Coke earned 82 cents per share. That was also higher than the 78 cents analysts forecast. Coca-Cola reiterated its full-year financial guidance, including organic revenue growth of 5% to 6% and adjusted earnings-per-share growth of 3%. Coke also said it continues to expect the impact of tariffs to be manageable. Coca-Cola shares rose 3.5% in morning trading Tuesday. Coca-Cola also said Tuesday it is refranchising its bottling operations in Africa. Coke and Gutsche Family Investments, a private South African company, have agreed to sell a 75% controlling interested in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa to Coca-Cola HBC AG, a major bottler for the company based in Switzerland. The deal is worth $2.55 billion. Coca-Cola will retain a 25% stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa. The transactions are expected to close by the end of 2026. Christoph Geisler Biotechnology company Unlocked Labs Inc. recently graduated from the University of Wyomings IMPACT 307 business incubator, which helps support Wyoming startup enterprises in the early stages of growth. Unlocked Labs is based in Laramie and was founded by Christoph Geisler and James Francis. The company launched in 2020 through the Southeast Wyoming Innovation Launchpad. Were part of a small but growing biotech, research and development, and startup ecosystem that helps diversify the Wyoming economy, Geisler says. Unlocked Labs is developing unique postbiotic supplements. These supplements contain enzyme-rich bacterial husks that are designed to break down compounds with negative health effects. The companys flagship product breaks down oxalate, which is commonly found in foods that include black tea and spinach. Too much oxalic acid can lead to kidney stones, kidney disease and even kidney failure. Unlocked Labs postbiotic supplement is designed to help maintain oxalate at healthy levels. The market is saturated with probiotic, prebiotic and postbiotic products that promise vague benefits, with no clearly defined or understood mechanism of action, Geisler says. Thus, we decided to build purpose-built biotics that are specifically built to enzymatically break down target compounds known to be linked to chronic health conditions. Through the IMPACT 307 business incubator, Unlocked Labs accessed a research lab to develop its innovative probiotic. The company also gained expert mentorship and a place to connect with other entrepreneurs. Knowledge and connections to local resources have been critical in getting Unlocked to where it is today, Geisler says. Unlocked Labs plans to begin selling its products online in early 2026. While the companys first product focuses on oxalate, Unlocked Labs intends to develop additional supplements to regulate other compounds that can be harmful. Unlocked Labs represents a diversification of the economy and innovation ecosystem that supports startups in Wyoming, says Arun Pradhan, acting director of IMPACT 307. As the company grows, it could be a significant contributor to the Laramie and Wyoming economies. Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam. MILAN (Reuters) -Automakers have formed alliances to help them avoid hefty European Union fines on carbon emissions by purchasing credits from electric vehicle companies. Several legacy automakers face potential fines as the transition to EVs in Europe has proved slower than expected in recent years. Here are details about the regulation and alliances for 2025, as of Tuesday: FINES EU fines - which automakers have said could reach up to 15 billion euros ($17.5 billion) - were initially envisaged on 2025 carbon emission levels. In March, however, the European Commission yielded to pressure from automakers and allowed compliance based on their average emissions over 2025-2027. SCOPE All current alliance agreements, identified by the names of their 'pool managers', will expire at the end of this year. They are expected to be renewed in coming years. NISSAN Japan's Nissan in October pooled with Chinese EV giant BYD. KG MOBILITY Another pool was formed at the end of September by South Korea's KG Mobility and Chinese EV maker Xpeng. TESLA In January, Tesla formed a pool with Stellantis, Toyota, Ford, Chinese EV maker Leapmotor, Mazda and Subaru. Japan's Honda and Suzuki joined the pool in March. MERCEDES This pool was also formed in January to include Mercedes, Volvo Car, EV maker Polestar and Smart Automobile. Volvo Car and Polestar are both backed by China's Geely. Geely's Chairman Li Shufu holds a 9.69% stake in Mercedes, making him the group's second-largest shareholder after China's BAIC Group. Smart Automobile is a joint venture between Mercedes and Geely. EV FORECASTS EVs made up 12% of total European light vehicle sales last year, according to consultant AlixPartners, and are expected to reach 15% this year. Their market share is forecast to increase to 24% in 2027 and to 40% by the end of the decade, according to AlixPartners. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari and Alessandro Parodi. Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Mark Potter) The world-first insemination of an Amur leopard in France has lifted hopes of animal lovers for the survival of the Earth's rarest big cat. The spotted felines, native to the banks of the Siberian river of the same name on the Russian-Chinese border, are believed to number in just scores in the wild. So the breakthrough procedure undergone last week by Khala, a 15-year-old leopard at Mulhouse Zoo near the German border, has raised expectations that breeding programmes in captivity could save the species. "This is a world first," said veterinarian Benoit Quintard, director of the Mulhouse Zoological and Botanical Park and coordinator of the European breeding program for the Amur leopard. Before Khala's 35-kilogramme (77-pound) frame could be hauled onto the operating table, she had to be sedated -- with the big cat agitating furiously at the sight of the rifle about to shoot an anaesthetic dart. Minutes later, Khala slept eyes wide open as seven vets set about their work around the leopard, resplendent in black-and-gold fur. On the morning of the operation Khala had mated once again with Baruto, a 14-year-old male. But with their couplings so far fruitless, the veterinarians decided to give nature a little nudge. Baruto, 15 kilogrammes heavier than Khala, was the first on the operating table, with an intravenous drip continuously pumping a cocktail of anaesthetics into his bloodstream to keep him sedated. - '50-50 chance' - As Baruto's long dappled tail dangled in the air, Professor Thomas Hildebrandt, on loan from Berlin's Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, which specialises in the reproduction of endangered species, set about his work. With a small sample of the leopard's semen extracted, it was Khala's turn to be operated on. First the vets carried out an ultrasound to check the cat's uterus. "Good news: she has ovulated. Bad news: there are cysts," Hildebrandt said. As a result, even if Baruto's sperm fertilises Khala's egg, there is a risk it may not be able to attach itself to the uterus walls. Nonetheless the vet pressed on. With a probe inserted and a gentle squeeze of the trigger the procedure was complete. "I think it's about a 50-50 chance that she will be pregnant now," said Susanne Holtze, Hildebrant's colleague from the Leibniz Institute. After a weigh-in and one last jab, Khala was awake and back in her enclosure, and hopefully three months out from giving birth to a rare feline cub. - Inbreeding risks - Classed as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Amur leopard is at risk of habitat loss and the disappearance of some of its prey. As the population dwindles, the surviving felines have fewer potential mates, heightening the risks of inbreeding. Khala and Baruto were not chosen at random -- their genetic makeup was considered varied enough to bolster the species' genetic diversity. Some of Baruto's sample was also kept back by the scientists "so that if anything ever happens to him we still have his genetic pool, potentially for future inseminations", explained Quintard. The about 250 Amur leopards kept in captivity are crucial to the species as they possess a "far more widespread genetic make-up than those still present in the wild", the veterinarian said. On the Chinese side of the border, the national forestry board believes there are reasons to be cheerful. Thanks to a conservation drive launched in 2017, Beijing says that the number of leopards in the wild has nearly doubled, from 42 before it began to 80 in 2025. Yet the elegant felines have become an indirect victim of the war in Ukraine, with a Russian reintroduction programme on pause until further notice. bar-hml/sbk/st Sanae Takaichi was named Japan's first woman prime minister Tuesday, with the social conservative saying she wanted "candid discussions" with US President Donald Trump just days ahead of his visit to Tokyo. Japan's fifth premier in as many years leads a minority government and has a bulging in-tray, not least the scheduled arrival of the US leader next week. But in her first remarks in office, she said her priority was to tackle inflation, a major source of anger among voters, and would soon draft an "economic package" to deal with rising prices. The former heavy metal drummer and Margaret Thatcher admirer became head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on October 4, but its coalition collapsed days later. This forced Takaichi to form an alliance with the reformist, right-leaning Japan Innovation Party (JIP), which was signed on Monday. She was approved by parliament as prime minister on Tuesday and formally took office. Her first challenge will be Trump's visit, during which she plans to discuss bilateral issues as well as the broader Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Ukraine. "I want to build relationships of trust," she told journalists. Being in a minority in both houses of parliament, the new coalition will need support from other parties to push through legislation. Takaichi's many other headaches include Japan's declining population as well as the flatlining economy. "Prices have gone up, and it's tough," said pensioner Satoe Tominaga, saying she was "50-50" about the new prime minister. "Honestly, I mostly shop at 100-yen ($0.66) stores now," the 77-year-old told AFP in Nara, Takaichi's hometown. - US, regional ties - With Trump's visit on the horizon, Takaichi handed the foreign minister role to Toshimitsu Motegi who was credited with handling trade ties with the president's first administration. The US leader wants Tokyo to stop Russian energy imports and boost defence spending. Details of Japan's mooted $550 billion in investments in the US, as part of its latest trade deal with Washington, remain unclear. Takaichi previously said that "Japan is completely looked down on by China", and that Tokyo must "address the security threat" posed by Beijing. But she has since toned down her rhetoric, and last week stayed away from the Yasukuni shrine that honours Japan's war dead, long a flashpoint in Tokyo's regional ties. China's foreign ministry on Tuesday urged Tokyo to "honour its political commitments on major issues including history and Taiwan". China and Japan are key trading partners, but friction over territorial rivalries and military spending has frayed ties in recent years. Japan hosts around 54,000 US military personnel and the close ally of Washington is part of the Quad group, along with Australia and India, which is seen as a counter to Beijing. - 'A woman's perspective' - EU chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Takaichi for "making history" as Japan's first woman premier. Takaichi had promised a cabinet with "Nordic" levels of women, up from two under predecessor Shigeru Ishiba. The record for Japan is five. But she named only two other women in her 19-strong cabinet, with Satsuki Katayama in charge of finances and the Japanese-American Kimi Onoda taking on the economic security portfolio. Japan ranked 118 out of 148 in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report. Around 15 percent of lower house MPs are women. Takaichi has said she hopes to raise awareness about women's health struggles and has spoken candidly about her own experience with menopause. But she is seen as socially conservative, opposing revising a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname, and wants the imperial family to stick to male-only succession. "I'd be happy if we saw more policies from a woman's perspective: support for childcare, and help for women returning to work after having children," student Nina Terao, 18, told AFP in Nara. Yu Uchiyama, political science professor at the University of Tokyo, described Takaichi's appointment as "epoch-making". But "just because she has become the first woman prime minister doesn't mean we will move more toward the direction of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)," he told AFP. Takaichi will also be under pressure to restore the fortunes of the LDP after a string of poor election results that cost Ishiba his job. Smaller parties gaining support include the populist Sanseito, which calls immigration a "silent invasion". bur-stu-aph/rsc (Reuters) -Global drugmakers are rushing to boost U.S. manufacturing and inventory as the Trump administration weighs a 100% tariff on imported branded and patented drugs. Although enforcement is delayed for companies investing in U.S. manufacturing, the policy has already prompted fast-tracked projects, price cuts and direct-to-consumer sales. Pfizer and AstraZeneca secured multi-year tariff exemptions through pricing deals and commitments to the new TrumpRx.gov platform. Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and Merck have pledged billions to expand U.S. operations to avoid penalties. Here's what drugmakers are doing to mitigate supply-chain risks and reassure investors: Pfizer Pfizer reached a deal with President Donald Trump on September 30 to invest $70 billion in research and development and domestic manufacturing, and received a three-year grace period exempting its products from the pharmaceutical-targeted tariffs. GSK The London-based drugmaker plans to invest $30 billion in U.S. research and development and supply chain infrastructure over five years. Eli Lilly The U.S. drugmaker said in September it will invest $5 billion to build a manufacturing facility in Virginia. The facility is the first of four new U.S. plants planned under its $27 billion expansion over the next five years. Johnson & Johnson The drugmaker plans to raise U.S. investments by 25%, totaling $55 billion, over the next four years. It plans to build four plants, including one at Wilson, North Carolina, and another at Tokyo-based Fujifilm Biotechnologies' manufacturing site in Holly Springs, North Carolina, over the next 10 years. Locations for the other plants remain undisclosed. Roche The Swiss drugmaker said in April it will invest $50 billion in the U.S. over the next five years. A month later, it announced an additional $550 million investment to expand its Indianapolis diagnostics manufacturing hub. The expansion will span Indiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and California, creating more than 12,000 jobs. Roche said in May it plans to invest more than $700 million in a new drug manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina. CEO Thomas Schinecker said in July the company had moved around inventories and ramped up production of all the medicines that it already produced in the U.S. in anticipation of tariffs. AstraZeneca The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker will invest $50 billion on U.S. manufacturing by 2030. The investment will fund a new drug substance facility in Virginia, its largest single-site global investment, alongside expansions in Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Indiana and Texas. Isabel Hayes A man who repeatedly raped his young daughter and subjected his former partner to a prolonged, horrific and cruel attack in which she thought she was going to be murdered has been jailed for 18 years. The 44-year-old Dublin man, who can't be named to protect the anonymity of his victims, engaged in a deliberate and calculated campaign of sexual abuse of his daughter, Mr Justice Paul Burns said as he sentenced the man on Tuesday. The nature of the offending was abhorrent and depraved, Mr Justice Burns said of the sexual abuse, noting the effects it has had on the man's daughter, who is still a child. The man was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of five counts of sexually assaulting his daughter and four counts of raping her on dates between February 2020 and February 2022. She was aged between five and eight at the time of the abuse. He was also found guilty of one count of exposing the child to pornography during the same time period. The man was further found guilty by the jury of one count of false imprisonment of his former partner - the child's mother - and one count of threatening to kill her during a prolonged incident on September 28th, 2023, when he subjected her to a vicious and sustained assault in her home while their daughter was present. It was after this incident that the child confided to her mother that her father had been abusing her, a local detective garda previously told the man's sentence hearing. The man pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to his former partner in relation to this incident. The court heard he continues to deny the offense against his daughter and does not accept the guilty verdicts of the jury. This was a horrific, prolonged and cruel attack on a former partner in her own home and whose daughter witnessed aspects of it, Mr Justice Burns said on Tuesday. He said the woman was truly frightened and thought she was about to be murdered. He noted this attack fell under the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act and that higher penalties should apply when sentencing the man as a result. The judge also noted the adverse effects the sexual abuse has had on the man's daughter, noting she is still young and it will likely be some time before the full impact of the offending is known. He handed down sentences of six years for the offending against the woman and 13 years for the offending against the child. He ordered the sentences to run consecutively and he suspended the final year on a number of conditions, including that the man remain under the supervision of the Probation service for three years after his release from custody. In victim impact statements read out at a sentence hearing earlier this month, the woman said the man's continued denials have caused their now 10-year-old daughter enormous hurt. To put his own flesh and blood through this ordeal and to hear that his defence was to say she is lying has been even more damaging for her, the woman said. In her victim impact statement, which was read out by the detective garda, the girl said she didn't know why her dad would lie. He always said he would never lie or hurt me, she said. So I'm a bit confused because he did lie and he did hurt me. The court heard that the sustained assault and false imprisonment of the woman took place when the man came to her home. They had previously been in a relationship for about 16 years, but were no longer togethe,r and the woman was in a new relationship at the time, the court heard. On this occasion, the man and woman were smoking crack cocaine when he flew into a rage and started assaulting her. Over the next 24 hour period, he hit and punched her to the body and face, choked her repeatedly and told her: I'm fucking ending you tonight. At one stage the little girl came to the door asking if mummy is alright and why was she making ch ch ch sounds, which the court heard was a reference to the choking sounds the woman was making. On another occasion in the course of the attack, the man made the woman put on a covid mask so their daughter would not see the extent of her facial injuries. He told her if she called gardai, he would kill her stone dead. The woman was in fear for her life throughout, the court heard. The woman and child eventually made their way to her partner's house. She had bruising to her face, eye, forehead, cheek, neck, chest and arms, the court heard. The child gave a specialist interview to gardai in 2023 in which she outlined what she had witnessed in relation to her father assaulting her mother. In a second interview, she disclosed that she had been sexually abused by her father when she went to stay with him. The court heard the man showed his daughter pornography and asked her to recreate it. He told her to keep it a secret. The court heard the abuse involved inappropriate touching and progressed to rape. The abuse stopped when she told him she didn't want to do it anymore, the court heard. The man has 73 previous convictions, including possession of knives and firearms offences. He has been in custody since December 2024. The maximum terms for the crimes he committed range from five years to life imprisonment, and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) placed his offending in the category of 15 years to life imprisonment, prosecuting counsel said. Paul Murray SC, defending, said his client had a background of drug abuse, including crack cocaine, heroin and tablets. He said his client does not accept the guilty verdicts of the jury. He said the defendant had a history of going clean from drugs and then relapsing. Mr Murray said he disagreed with the DPP assessment of the severity of the case, noting that his client had pleaded guilty to assault and was not convicted by the jury of all counts on the indictment, and the finite period of time in which the abuse occurred. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. Waterford-based Dawn Meats has edged further in its 132 million acquisition of Alliance Group, a New Zealand meat processing co-op. Dawn Meats, a red meat processing company founded in Kilmacthomas, is now set to control 65% of Alliance Group. Alliance Groups farmers and shareholders will control the remaining stakes. Of the 2,765 shareholders in Alliance Group that voted on Monday evening, 87% approved Dawn Meats acquisition. Dawn Meats Chief Executive, Niall Browne hailed Alliance Group as a world-class company that shares our values, ambition and commitment." We believe this joint venture with Alliance will assist in further growing and developing what is an excellent New Zealand business with a proud legacy of processing and exporting the highest-quality grass-fed lamb, beef and venison, Mr Browne said. Dawn Meats already has a strong operations network in Ireland, the UK and in the EU. Having the ability to now grow in partnership with some of New Zealands leading farmers and create a year-round supply for our customers between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is a fantastic opportunity and one our customers are already responding to. Alliance Group recorded a post-tax loss of NZ$95.8 million (approximately 47 million) in 2024. Mark Wynne, Chair of the Alliance Group, said Dawn Meats stood as the best option to secure Alliances future. Last week, a group of shareholders presented an alternative business pitch to Wynne with hopes of preserving Alliances 100% farmer-owned status. Mr Wynne continued to back Dawn Meats. Were really excited about the potential for this partnership and what the future holds for Alliance and Dawn, he said. This essential investment will strengthen our financial position, enhance our operational capability and enable us to capture more value in market for our farmers and the country. "Importantly, the agreement also preserves farmer ownership, with a continuing 35 per cent shareholding and strong governance rights. "I want to thank shareholders for their trust and confidence, and the Alliance team for achieving a remarkable turnaround. The future looks much brighter than it did 12 months ago. Were looking forward to getting down to work. NZ$200 million of Dawns investment is planned to shore up short-term financing. Another NZ$25 million will be distributed as a dividend to the Co-Op following positive projected returns for the current fiscal year. Fine Gael TD for Tipperary-South Micheal Murphy has said that he feels deep concern at the impending cessation of coroner-requested autopsies in University Hospital Waterford (UHW). He said: This development will have devastating human consequences for families in the South-East. Speaking today Sinn Fein spokesperson for health, Deputy David Cullinane said: This is an extremely serious situation. It means that from January 2026, families in Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary could face indefinite delays in burying their loved ones because the Government will have failed to ensure adequate staffing and support for essential pathology services. Coroner-requested autopsies usually occur when the deceased died under suspicious or unexpected circumstances. This can range from concern about the deceased persons medical care or if it is a maternal or infant death. Deputy Murphy pointed out that, sudden and unexpected deaths are often tragic. UHW is responsible for post-mortem autopsies for Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary and Kilkenny. Up to 700 coroner-requested autopsies are conducted each year in Waterford. Deputy Murphy said: Behind every post-mortem is a family in shock. These are not numbers. These are grieving mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters. It is utterly unacceptable. When the service ends on January 1, 2026, there are concerns that grieving families will have long waits for the body to be returned to them for the funeral. In a letter to Deputy Murphy, Ben OSullivan, Chief Executive Officer of UHW said: The reasons for the cessation are diverse and complex. Deputy OSullivan said that there is a global shortage of appropriately qualified pathologists. UHW notified the Department of Justice that a number of pathologists would be willing to stay on in the new year for training and teaching purposes, but there has been no further engagement or progress on the issue. OSullivan noted that the responsibility for the provision of Coroner services lies with the Department of Justice, not the HSE. Deputy Murphy told the Waterford News & Star that he is: Calling on the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice to act urgently and jointly to secure the provision of this service in the UHW. He added that families in the South-East deserve no less. Deputy Cullinane said: This crisis has been known to both the HSE and the Department of Justice for more than a year, yet no action plan has been developed or published. He said: I am calling on the Ministers for Health and Justice to immediately intervene and to ensure everything possible is done to ensure UHW and the South-East will not be left without a functioning coroner service. The South East based group Neville Hotel have announced their new partnership with The Jack and Jill Foundation. The Jack and Jill Foundation charity provides up to 100 hours of specialised nursing care and support to families and children with complex needs. Currently, the charity provides support to eight families in Waterford. The partnership kicks off officially on Halloween weekend across Neville's six hotels, including the Tower Hotel in Waterford City. Over the coming months, Neville Hotels will be introducing a variety of simple and meaningful ways for its guests and staff to get involved - from small donations and thoughtful gestures, to fundraising events and gifted stays. Commenting on the charity partnership, Therese Kelly, Director, Neville Hotels added: "We are delighted to partner with The Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation, a nationwide charity that funds and provides vital care and respite support to families. "This is just the beginning of a collective effort to support families across Ireland. The charity was chosen by our wonderful staff across the organisation who understand that we are in the business of helping families to relax and unwind - we understand the power of respite and rest and we want families who stay with us that weekend to know that by doing so, they are helping the Jack and Jill families to get respite from their challenging situations at home with their loved ones who need extra support. Deirdre Walsh, CEO The Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation said: "We are so grateful to Neville Hotels for choosing to support Jack and Jill through this wonderful initiative. Family is at the heart of everything we do at Jack and Jill, and today we are supporting over 450 families across Ireland with in-home nursing care and respite support. "Its very special that families enjoying a well-deserved mid-term break in the beautiful Neville Hotels locations will also be giving back to other families who urgently need our support. This partnership is a lovely example of community and care in action. By Nora Eckert and Nathan Gomes (Reuters) -General Motors lifted its financial outlook for the year and slightly lowered its expected hit from tariffs, as the automaker settles into a more stable trade landscape while confronting a dynamic electric vehicle market and new supply-chain snarls. The company now expects its annual adjusted core profit to be between $12.0 billion to $13.0 billion, compared with its prior estimate of $10.0 billion to $12.5 billion. The Detroit automaker said tariffs would hit its bottom line less than anticipated, lowering its updated impact to a range of $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion, from a previous $4 billion to $5 billion. Shares rose 6% in premarket trading. GMs quarterly adjusted earnings per share dropped to $2.80, beating LSEG analysts expectation of $2.31. The auto giant earlier this month took a $1.6 billion charge from changes to its EV strategy. At the end of September, a $7,500 tax credit on battery-powered models went away, and there has been further loosening of regulations around vehicle emissions. In a letter to shareholders, GM CEO Mary Barra said she expects the company to incur future charges related to EVs. By acting swiftly and decisively to address overcapacity, we expect to reduce EV losses in 2026 and beyond, she said. Revenue for the quarter ended September marginally fell to $48.6 billion from a year earlier. Barra in 2021 announced the companys ambition to produce only EVs by 2035, a goal she has since stopped referencing publicly, instead saying customer demand will guide the automakers lineup. Sales of EVs were strong for GM and across the industry in the third quarter, as shoppers raced to take advantage of the tax credit, but they still comprised less than 10% of the companys overall sales. To spur on consumer demand, GM planned to offer a program that would have allowed its dealers to continue offering the tax credit on EV leases. It has since backtracked on the initiative following backlash from lawmakers, including Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio. Ford also scrapped its program with the same aim. Other automakers, including Hyundai and Stellantis, are offering incentives to slash the prices consumers pay for their EVs. (Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Nora Eckert; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Nick Zieminski) Waterford City and County Council has announced that St. Josephs House on Manor Hill has been shortlisted in the Safety & Security (Housing) category of the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards 2025. St Josephs House was a former religious convent constructed by the Little Sisters of the Poor in 1874, who dedicated their lives to caring for the elderly. Today, St Josephs House is an age friendly housing development, designed for people aged 55 and over for a minimum of 25 years with a strong focus on tenant engagement. In June 2023, the development on the landmark site of Manor Hill was officially opened by then Minister for Housing, Darragh OBrien TD. The former convent was transformed into 71 dwellings, with 50 units located within the main building and 21 located in the various out-building clusters on the site, while the former chapel on the site has been repurposed as a community space for multiple uses by tenants. Over 4.2 million was approved through the Repair and Lease Scheme, funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The funding was provided under Housing for All A New Housing Plan for Ireland. A spokesperson for Waterford City & County Council said: "The Repair and Lease Scheme was pioneered in Waterford and is a significant driver in providing high quality affordable housing solutions and at the same time has significantly addressed and delivered the return to use of vacant buildings in Waterford." St. Josephs House provides age friendly housing appropriate to the needs of older adults in Waterford in line with Waterford Age Friendly Strategy as well as promoting and supporting independent living and ageing in place. In addition, Waterford City and County Council provides onsite support to tenants through the employment of a Tenant Engagement Officer, whose role includes the development of tenancy supports and co-ordination of community, health and social supports. A tenants forum was also established, which ensures the continued development of a positive sense of community, as well as assisting in the development of supports/services for residents for the future. Now in its ninth year, the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards shine a spotlight on the people, projects, and partnerships driving real change for older people in towns, cities, and rural areas right across Ireland. Each shortlisted initiative has been selected for its impact, innovation, and potential to inspire similar efforts in other communities. The award ceremony takes place in The Galmont Hotel and Spa in Galway on Thursday, October 23 Advertisement BusinessCompaniesRare earths Trumps critical minerals deal unearths a bonanza for Aussie miners Colin Kruger and Elias Visontay October 21, 2025 12:45pm 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 Key points The US and Australian governments announced a multibillion dollar funding deal to break Chinas dominance in the critical minerals sector. Australian critical minerals shares soared, with Gina Rinehart-backed Arafura Rare Earths surging as much as 29 per cent. The move aims to create a resilient supply chain for critical minerals and rare earths, which are used in a range of high-tech products. US President Donald Trump and the Albanese government have put a rocket under the share prices of Australian critical minerals players with a multibillion dollar funding deal designed to break Chinas dominance of the sector. Gina Rinehart-backed Arafura Rare Earths shares soared as much as 29 per cent to a high of 62c on Tuesday, and have risen 300 per cent since last month, after the Australian government and the US governments Export-Import Bank (US EXIM) announced financial backing for one of its projects. The backing announced was part of a deal on critical minerals and rare earths announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump. Under the agreement, each country will contribute at least US$1 billion ($1.5 billion) over the next six months to help fund a proposed multibillion pipeline of investment in Australia and the US. Shares in rare earths players surged on Tuesday after Australia agreed a deal with the US to support the sector. Stephen Kiprillis via Adobe Stock The support extended by US EXIM, in collaboration with the Australian Government, demonstrates a proactive approach to the development of a diversified rare earth supply chain and downstream manufacturing capability, Arafuras chief executive Darryl Cuzzubbo, said. Advertisement Datt Capital founder Emanuel Datt said the deal looked like a genuine commitment to strengthening the resilience of supply chains in critical minerals a market dominated by China. Related Article Mining How China is controlling Australias and the worlds rare earths trade We see this as more than political posturing. This reflects a serious, long-term objective to diversify Western supply chains away from China, said Datt, who manages funds invested in rare earths and critical minerals. Another rare earths group, VHM, saw its stock soar more than 30 per cent, and it has more than doubled since the start of the month. Northern Minerals shares surged 11.1 per cent after it was promised tentative funding for its heavy rare earths project in Western Australia. Heavy rare earths are in high demand for military purposes. Advertisement The Washington agreement struck by the leaders will materially advance confidence in the capacity of Australia, including our Browns Range project, to materially contribute to the western worlds accelerating and important efforts to move away from a single source of supply of heavy rare earths, Northern Minerals executive chairman Adam Handley, said. The soaring share prices on Tuesday built on a market frenzy for rare earths stocks by local investors. Since April, weve seen demand for rare earth and strategic minerals stocks grow strongly, with October marking a dramatic spike in trades up eleven-fold from September, Ausiex executive Chris Hill, said. US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled the multibillion dollar plan to break Chinas stranglehold on crtitical minerals. AP This includes Australias $20 billion market giant Lynas Rare Earths also backed by Rinehart which has tripled in price this year as the only rare earths producer that currently processes rare earths outside China. Rinehart owns 10 per cent of Arafura and more than 8 per cent of Lynas. Advertisement But as Lynas knows, investors in these critical minerals players face a rough ride if Chinas predatory pricing is allowed to set market rates and make it financially impossible for other players to succeed. Related Article Opinion Trade wars Trump brought knives, but China brought a bazooka Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist Lynas relied on funding from Japanese government-backed entities in 2011 to keep it afloat as other operators collapsed when China sent rare earth prices plunging. Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signalled that they will introduce price floors for the critical minerals producers they are backing, to ensure this does not happen. The Participants will work to protect their respective domestic critical minerals and rare earths markets from non-market policies and unfair trade practices, including through the adoption of price floors or similar measures, a statement from the White House said. Advertisement Even so, Datt warned there were risks for investors piling into critical minerals. Over the long term we often observe that stocks that trade on extremely high valuations can revert back to sector averages, he said. Datt added that just as geopolitical tensions brought about the current boom, the situation could change suddenly. Clearly the US are attempting to diversify their supply of rare earths, however, it seems like strategically theres only been a push to diversify under the current administration, he said. If the party in power changes what does that mean geopolitically? Does that mean international relations become less volatile and that changes the appetite, and the risk is that a Chinese stranglehold on rare earths could become acceptable again. What are critical minerals, and what are they used for? The term rare earths refers to 17 minerals and elements crucial to the manufacture of many hi-tech products such as mobile phones, electric cars, wind turbines and, most crucially, military equipment like fighter jets and nuclear submarines. They are not actually that rare, but require an intensive extraction process, which is costly and produces toxic waste. Advertisement The US and Australian governments have started funding the mining and processing in recent years as Chinas stranglehold became evident. Australias new F-35 jet fighter requires more than 400 kilograms of rare earth materials, according to a US congressional report. Critical minerals are a broader group of minerals used to make a wide variety of technology including electric cars, batteries and solar cells. Where are they located in Australia? Albaneses announcement said the Australian government was making financial commitments to two priority projects: one from Alcoa and Sojitz in Western Australia, and the Arafura Nolans project in the Northern Territory. There are several other projects in the pipeline in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Advertisement What was agreed upon in the Australia-US critical minerals deal? The Australian and US. governments have agreed to a framework that will provide funding to companies in Australia and the US that are planning to mine and process critical minerals and rare earths. The announcement unveils US$1 billion in investments by both governments over the next six months as part of a planned US$8.5 billion pipeline of priority projects in Australia and the US. Related Article Opinion Gina Rinehart Profit trumps ideology: Gina Rinehart is printing money on her green bet Elizabeth Knight Business columnist It will accelerate the supply of processed rare earths from outside China, which has a stranglehold on the crucial minerals. Advertisement In return for funding, each government will receive guaranteed supply of these elements and minerals via what are known as offtake agreements. The deal announced on Tuesday includes both governments investing in the Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium Recovery Project in Western Australia with offtake agreements. Similar funding deals were announced to advance projects for ASX-listed Arafura Rare Earths, VHM, Northern Minerals and Latrobe Magnesium. It builds on US government funding for other projects, including the processing of heavy rare earths by Lynas Corp in Texas, and a mining project by Australian Strategic Minerals in NSW. Equities analysts from UBS welcomed the plan to re-build the rare earths supply chain outside China, even if Trumps expectation that it would ease supply issues within a year was seen as optimistic. Advertisement But they warned that this level of government investment in unproven businesses could have consequences. It does raise questions on long-term implications with potentially uneconomic projects being subsidised into production, they said. How does this impact China? Dr Lian Sinclair, an economic geographer at the University of Sydney, said that in the context of Chinas announced export restrictions on rare earths to the US amid its tit-for-tat trade war, greater Australian supply was a positive. If Australia can step up supply, it takes leverage away from China, he said. (But) the view in China will likely be that this deal is just another incremental step. Advertisement Part of the issue is that China is not only the worlds largest miner of rare earths, it also controls most of the processing that is just as critical to the sector. He also flagged another barrier: that manufacturing industries in the US, Europe, South Korea and other allied countries arent large enough to generate demand for much more Australian product, whether raw or refined. We really need to see allied countries investing in their domestic manufacturing industries, he said. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning. Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) goes on the run after an attack carried out by her Left-wing group The French 75 in One Battle After Another. A culture at war with itself is scary to behold, but at least it has produced Civil War, Eddington and One Battle After Another. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share 5 View all comments Say what you will about this period of insanity in the United States, but it is at least giving us some great movies: Civil War, Eddington, One Battle after Another. All speak to the sense of a country fragmenting under the pressure of its internal tensions and contradictions, and all are bold, challenging and often brilliant pieces of filmmaking. A US in freefall has all the vital ingredients for great narrative conflict, peril, uncertainty, tension. Its a pity it has such real consequences for hundreds of millions of Americans, not to mention the rest of us, but it makes for terrific viewing. The big issues are often addressed in American cinema and television obliquely, through metaphor and allegory and myth. The western, superhero movies, film noir all can be read as Hollywood putting the countrys core beliefs under the microscope. After all, what is the Marvel movies mantra with great power comes great responsibility if not America reflecting on its self-appointed role as the worlds policeman? That role, though, has been all but abandoned in Donald Trumps America. So, too, has the core belief in truth, justice and the American way. Those very concepts are now bitterly contested within America. Whose truth? Whose justice? Whose American way? That contest is at the heart of Paul Thomas Andersons One Battle After Another. The worldviews held by the movies antagonists are so diametrically opposed that they could almost be describing alternative universes. If the film has a position, it is arguably the sensible centre. But thats not a view anyone really articulates on screen. Advertisement The multicultural left is, quite literally, on the run here from a right with a white supremacist agenda. A shadowy cabal has infiltrated the corridors of power, a highly politicised police force (whose members are dressed like soldiers) is deployed against immigrants and people of colour, and the country teeters on the brink of authoritarian rule. Anderson starts the story with a lengthy prologue, set 16 years before the main events, in which a leftist group stages attacks against symbols of corporate capitalism, including banks and the electricity grid. Ghetto Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an explosives expert, his partner Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) a highly sexual anarchist who crosses a line when she executes someone during a bank heist. She crosses another when she turns informant on her gang after being captured, and yet another when she skips out of witness protection before she can testify. Leonardo DiCaprio as Pat Calhouns alter ego Bob Ferguson. AP Its impossible to say if the film is set in the present day, a near-present day, or some time a little further down the line, but its tensions feel entirely of the moment. That is remarkable given the fact Anderson has been working on bringing the story, based on Thomas Pynchons 1990 novel Vineland, to screen for 20 years. What is clear is that the left has been neutered. Sixteen years on from that action-packed opening (whenever it is set), Pat is now living under the guise of Bob Ferguson, a pot-smoking alcoholic recluse bringing up his daughter Willa (the superb Chase Infiniti) in a cabin in the woods, clinging to his ideals but struggling to master their gender identity updates (his wrestling with the appropriate pronouns for one of Willas friends is one of the movies funniest moments). The moment the past catches up with Willa (Chase Infiniti) in One Battle After Another. Warner Bros He has raised his daughter to be on alert, to not have a mobile phone (because of the risk of being tracked), to remember at all times the code phrases mostly derived from Gil Scott-Herons 1972 proto hip-hop jazz track The Revolution Will Not Be Televised with which his former colleagues from the activist group the French 75 will make contact in an emergency. Advertisement When the worst happens, though, Bob is a mess. Hes too stoned to remember the passwords, hes forgotten to charge his 1G phone, and he doesnt have the time or inclination to change out of his red tartan dressing gown. He goes on the run, initially to save himself but ultimately to save his daughter, with Sean Penns tightly coiled Colonel Lockjaw in hot (and often hilarious) pursuit. One Battle After Another is a comedy, but its also a tragedy. Its about the costs of failed idealism, the burden inherited by the children of the revolution that never came, and about the gulf that has opened between opposing notions of American identity: a give-me-your-poor inclusiveness on one hand, and an only-the-pure white nationalism on the other. Even at its darkest, though, its always funny; even at its most kinetically comical, its always serious. Much the same is true of Ari Asters Eddington. A pitch-black satire of America during the COVID pandemic, it tackles conspiracy theories, wellness cults, Antifa, bad-faith actors pretending to be Antifa, and far-right gun culture as it strives to paint an all-encompassing portrait of a country at war with itself. Joaquin Phoenix (centre) is the sheriff who picks and chooses which rules to enforce in Eddington. A24 Its opposing forces are represented by the sheriff of the small town of Eddington, Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix), and its mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). Joe is supposed to uphold the law, but his rejection of mask-wearing mandates is just the first step on a journey down the anti-authoritarian rabbit hole that eventually has him in full vigilante mode. Ted is supposed to make the laws on behalf of the people he represents, but theres a sneaking suspicion that he might be more interested in lining his own pockets. As in One Battle , identity politics play a key role here. Debates about structural racism, white privilege, white guilt and white exceptionalism play out on the streets, on TV, in the mayoral campaign that pits Joe against Ted. The supposedly autonomous indigenous Pueblo community, meanwhile, is marginalised throughout. Advertisement Asters overall position appears to be that COVID heightened an already existing fragmentation in American society, with isolation and the increasing reliance on social media pushing people further towards the extremities. The sensible centre collapsed, leaving opposing forces unable to agree on even the most basic concepts, and utterly failing to share a common language. It brings to mind the words of William Butler Yeats Second Coming, a short but intensely powerful poem written in 1919, in the aftermath of The Great War and amid the worldwide influenza pandemic that wiped out millions of people. Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity Those words feel utterly relevant to the present day. The absence of an agreed truth is at the heart of Alex Garlands Civil War, too. Here, he literally has truth seekers journalists, aligned to no cause other than recording, as dispassionately and objectively as possible, the events that are unfolding in the midst of an attempt to overthrow the president. Advertisement Advertisement LifestyleHealth & wellnessMenopause Time of renewal: Why we may be looking at menopause all wrong Paula Goodyer October 21, 2025 2:00am 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 49 View all comments Isnt it time we dumped the idea of menopause as a time of decline? On Forbes magazines 100 Most Powerful Women list last year, most of the women nominated were over 50. They included Ursula von der Leyen, 67, president of the European Union; Mexicos president, Claudia Sheinbaum, 63; Christine Lagarde, 69, who heads the European Central Bank; and Donna Langley, 57, chairwoman of NBC Universal Entertainment and Studios. At 64, Sanae Takaichi has just become Japans prime minister, and if you review the (long) list of women whove won a Nobel Prize for Physics, Chemistry, Medicine or Literature, youll see most are over 48, which suggests that female brain power doesnt take a dive at midlife, even though oestrogen levels drop. In Japanese, the word for menopause, konenke, means time of renewal. Getty Images Its true that some women will really struggle in perimenopause, and we have to wrap our arms around them but I also worry that were stoking the idea that menopause is a time of decline for everyone, says Dr Sarah White, chief executive of Jean Hailes for Womens Health, the not-for-profit organisation that provides health services to women. Theres a lot of catastrophising about menopause coming from commercial entities wanting to sell you something. Theyre preying on womens insecurities about ageing and making women think am I being seen as over the hill when they still have so much more of their lives to live. Advertisement Tales of menopause on social media are often quite skewed, too, because people tend to share cautionary experiences to help others, and not whats going right, she says. We dont share I feel liberated from managing contraception and having a period every month and I cant wait to wear white pants again. Yet there are women who feel a sense of release, especially if theyve had to deal with PMS or migraine around the time of their periods. Theres also evidence that women are generally happier in the years after menopause. And if were in decline at midlife, how come more of us are working after the age of 55? The Australian Industry Group recently reported that participation in the workforce by women over 55 had jumped to 64 per cent in 2025, from 48 per cent two decades ago, White points out. Related Article Sex & relationships Forget the stereotypes: there is plenty to enjoy about sex after 60 Advertisement Menopause is very hard on some women, but theres something outdated about linking it to decline when were living longer and have the knowledge to live better and healthier than in the past. Theres also the good news about 50-something brains that overall mental functioning is at its peak between the ages of 55 and 60. Thats the finding from new research from the University of Western Australia just published in the journal Intelligence. It may help explain why many of the most demanding leadership roles in business, politics and public life are often held by people in their 50s and early 60s, says associate professor of psychology Gilles Gignac, one of the researchers. We can also learn something from Japan where the word for menopause, konenke, means time of renewal. Like second spring, another upbeat term for menopause from Traditional Chinese Medicine, it suggests the beginning of something not the end. This also fits with the grandmother hypothesis, an evolutionary theory suggesting menopause is part of natures plan to boost survival, adds White. Women, wild chimpanzees and some species of whales are the only female mammals that live a long time after they finish reproducing, and the grandmother hypothesis is that menopause frees older females to help keep younger generations safe, she says. Advertisement Its more than a nice idea. Research has found that killer whale grandmothers, like human grandmas in some hunter-gatherer societies, provide grandchildren with a survival advantage. Menopause is a sign of resilience rather than decline. iStock Society needs to see menopause as moving into another phase of womanhood, not a loss, says Tanya Bowe, a psychologist based on the Sunshine Coast who helps women navigate perimenopause. She likens menopause to that other big transition in womens lives going through pregnancy and birth, and becoming a mother. Both can be challenging but with opportunities for growth on the other side. I think you can build a deeper connection with yourself after menopause theres more space for reflection, and you can develop a stronger sense of self and more confidence, she says. Related Article Ageing Do women need their own health rules for better ageing? Advertisement But, as with pregnancy, birth and motherhood, it helps to be prepared. Women could benefit from connecting with themselves to identify any pre-existing emotional struggles, and what they need to make the transition smoother, she points out. Many women arent proactive with their mental health in this way. They keep putting others needs ahead of their own, and it can leave them feeling depleted and resentful at this time in their lives. Learning to communicate how you feel, and asking for what you need, is key and if youre dealing with anxiety or depression, or using alcohol or food to cope, talking to your GP is a good first step. Neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay, author of The Womens Brain Book, also sees parallels with pregnancy: just as some women worry about brain fog in perimenopause, some pregnant women worry about baby brain. In perimenopause, brain fog is a constellation of symptoms that can be different for different women. Some say they cant pay attention, others have difficulty recalling names or words. But its not an early sign of dementia, and for most women its temporary, McKay stresses. The cause isnt clear. We dont have enough long-term studies, and its difficult to disentangle what effect sleep disturbance in perimenopause might have on memory and attention. The good news is that, although changes to oestrogen levels may affect how efficiently our neurons generate energy, which in turn might affect memory and attention, theres also evidence that networks of brain cells become more integrated and compensate for this. Advertisement Its a bit like recruiting more people to do a job and a way of creating a new normal and its a sign of resilience, not decline. Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday. Advertisement NationalVictoriaVictoria Police Wasnt my finest moment: Victorias police chief apologises for using force helicopter to fly to Hobart conference Angus Delaney and Marta Pascual Juanola Updated October 22, 2025 2:23pm ,first published October 22, 2025 4:48am 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 129 View all comments Chief Commissioner Mike Bush spent most of Wednesday apologising after using a Victoria Police helicopter to attend a conference in Tasmania in what he described as an error of judgment that doesnt pass the pub test. Bush started the morning apologising on ABC Radio Melbourne, before issuing a statement, and later holding a brief afternoon press conference outside a Hobart hotel, where he vowed never to make the same mistake again. It creates a poor impression at a challenging time for our organisation, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said. Justin McManus I am particularly concerned about what the public thinks of the Victoria Police. The public of Victoria must trust us, Bush told reporters. Weve got to make the right decisions. This wasnt one of them. I am very prepared to own it, address it, and make sure it never occurs again. Advertisement Bush and a staff officer flew to Hobart on Monday in a police helicopter generally used for police operations such as tracking stolen vehicles or missing person searches to attend a police conference, where the helicopter remained grounded overnight due to a mechanical issue. Related Article Crime Police chief pledges to get officers back on street to tackle major crime problem The police chief said the unplanned overnight stay had added small accommodation costs for the crew, but the flight was otherwise within Victoria Polices contracted monthly flying hours for October and would not result in additional costs for taxpayers. He said the flight hadnt impacted the polices operational capacity or community safety, since it was on board a backup helicopter generally used for training flights, rather than crime-fighting. But still, the perception of this creates issues, and thats why Im here today, Bush said. Advertisement Bush conceded he should have been more patient and put more effort into finding a commercial flight, and listed a busy schedule and a desire to maximise time with colleagues in Tasmania as some of the factors behind the decision to use the police aircraft. He said he realised he had made a mistake when he got on that machine to fly to Hobart. One of Victoria Polices air-wing helicopters being unveiled in 2020. Eddie Jim I was considering, Was this the best option? at the time. Obviously, it was too late to change that decision, he said. Bush, who used the air-wing once before to travel to Porepunkah in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of two police officers, said he had originally planned to travel on the forces fixed-wing aircraft, but strong wind conditions made it unviable. Advertisement Advertisement Police Minister Anthony Carbines did not appear publicly to speak on the matter, with ministers Harriet Shing and Lily DAmbrosio responding to questions on behalf of the government during separate media appearances. Shing said the commissioner was doing an exceptional job.We back him. We respect him. We respect the work that he does and the work that every single police officer does every single day, she said. On Bushs apology, Shing said it was a hallmark of good leadership to not only commit to continuous improvement, but to identify that things havent worked. State Opposition Leader Brad Battin, a former police officer, said it was a bad look when Victorians were facing record levels of crime and police are being told theres no money to cut the lawns or replace the lightbulbs at the station. This is not how taxpayers expect police to spend their money, he said in a statement. What would you say to the victims if that helicopter was unavailable when it was needed most to fight crime? Get alerts on breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert. Advertisement Analysis PoliticsFederalTrump diplomacy Inside Albaneses extremely successful Trump meeting (where I was called a nasty guy) Michael Koziol October 21, 2025 2:57am 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 762 View all comments Washington: There is no way to describe Anthony Albaneses first proper meeting with Donald Trump as anything other than a raging success. With one glaring exception, Albanese achieved everything he came to Washington to do: he inked a landmark critical minerals deal, secured the US presidents emphatic support for the AUKUS defence pact, and shared an apparently genuine camaraderie with Trump - who called Australia an amazing ally. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump appeared to share a genuine camaraderie. AAP Theres never been any games, Trump enthused at one point. There are some games with other countries, but there havent been games with Australia. The meeting was moved at late notice from the Oval Office to the Cabinet Room, where the two leaders could sit next to each other to sign the agreement on critical minerals. Five months in the making, it is set to unlock $US8.5 billion ($13 billion) in rare earth mining and processing, including joint US-Australian projects, US projects in Australia and even multinational endeavours. Advertisement And, in the presence of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Navy Secretary John Phelan, Trump emphatically committed to the AUKUS pact, including the sale of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. In fact, Trump said the deal had been progressing too slowly, and he wants to speed it up. On the thorny subject of defence spending, Trump went nowhere near pressing Australia to do more even when asked about it. He said he would like all countries to do more, but you have to do what you have to do you can only do so much. Loading He went on to praise Australias investments in submarine and ship infrastructure, likely a reference to the governments recent $12 billion announcement about AUKUS-ready upgrades to the Henderson shipyard in Western Australia. There was no immediate tariff relief in sight, with the president noting Australia already paid the lowest rate of any country. Australia maintains its position that it would like the tariffs to go, and that it supports more trade, not more trade barriers. Advertisement Albanese was joined at the table by Australias ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, Resources Minister Madeleine King, Industry Minister Tim Ayres, secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Steven Kennedy and communications director Fiona Sugden. Albanese and Trump speak in the Cabinet Room at the White House. AFP A relaxed Albanese began the meeting by joking about driving the 50 metres or so from his accommodation at Blair House to the White House, as is custom, rather than walking. And later he joked that some of Trumps praise for him was so effusive he would use it in his next political ad. Invited to compare Albanese to predecessors Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull, Trump declined to do so, but said: I think hes doing a really good job ... They [Australia] really have a great prime minister. But most Trump meetings with world leaders have an awkward moment, and this was no different. Indeed, this was more awkward than most. Advertisement Trump was asked by Sky News Andrew Clennell whether the nine-month wait for a bilateral meeting with Australia had anything to do with the countrys position on climate change or Palestine, or the disparaging comments once made by Rudd who was sitting at the table. Related Article Foreign relations Trump says AUKUS is full steam ahead and three other key takeaways from Albanese meeting Perhaps it was inevitable that Trump would be asked about the time Rudd called him the most destructive president in history and a traitor to the west. Rudd deleted the tweets, which he wrote before he became ambassador. Trump responded by saying he didnt know anything about the posts or their author, and queried whether this ambassador was still on the governments payroll. Rudd, sitting almost directly across Trump, had to meekly raise his hand and fess up. You said bad? Trump asked Rudd. Rudd replied: Before I took this position, Mr President. I withdraw those statements. Advertisement Trump then said: I dont like you either, to laughter. And I probably never will. It was not entirely clear if Trump was being serious or speaking in jest. But later, according to people in the room, Rudd apologised again and Trump said all was forgiven. Trump, flanked by Albanese and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, calls on a reporter during the press conference. Getty Images via AFP The run-in with Rudd will no doubt dominate social media and TV coverage of the momentous meeting. And it must have been tremendously difficult for the ambassador and former PM, whom the Coalition has long accused of being a danger to Australias relationship with the Trump administration. But perhaps it was better to get it out in the open and clear the air. After all, the meetings success is a testament not only to Albanese but to Rudd. His concerted efforts in Washington whether in Congress or with senior members of the administration, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have no doubt been pivotal to the critical minerals agreement signed today, and the affirmation of AUKUS. Advertisement And Rudd wasnt the only one to cop it. Trump called this reporter a nasty guy when I tried to ask a second question, while he told another Australian journalist, The Nightlys Latika Bourke that she didnt know anything about the Russia-Ukraine war, and then told her to be quiet. Escaping the White House unscathed is a tough task. But Albanese has done it, even if others have a few scars. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement Analysis PoliticsFederalTrump diplomacy Trump runs his meetings like a TV director. Heres what it was like on his set Michael Koziol October 21, 2025 1:00pm 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 177 View all comments Washington: It started with a bang. A cameraman collided with a large mirror on the wall opposite Donald Trump in the White House Cabinet Room, and he noticed immediately. Ooh, you got to watch that, Trump cautioned. Youre not allowed to break that, that mirrors 400 years old. US President Donald Trump was completely in his element during the question-and-answer session with journalists. AP Then, for those who werent aware what had happened, Trump explained: A camera just hit the mirror. Aye aye aye. I just moved it up here special from the vaults, and first thing that happens, a camera hits it. Trump is a creature of television, and a natural. Just before the meeting started, he was checking with the cameras to make sure they were in the correct position, like a Hollywood director might arrange a film shoot. Advertisement This is a man for whom visuals, and image, are next to godliness. And Anthony Albanese was sure to commend Trump on his taste, thanking the president for a tour of the improved Oval Office, which is now decked out in gold bling. The travelling Australian press pack had been expecting, and eagerly awaiting, a face-to-face encounter in the Oval Office. So there was a streak of disappointment when, instead, we filed into the Cabinet Room. Still impressive, but lacking the full pomp and splendour of the West Wings most famous room. Loading On the Australian side, Albaneses squad included ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd who was about to play a starring role along with Resources Minister Madeleine King, Industry Minister Tim Ayres, Prime Minister and Cabinet chief Steven Kennedy, the PMs chief of staff, Tim Gartrell, and his communications director, Fiona Sugden. On the opposite side: Vice President JD Vance, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Navy Secretary John Phelan and chief-of-staff Susie Wiles. Other than Trump, Albanese, Phelan and, when cornered, Rudd, no one spoke. Advertisement The menu for Anthony Albaneses lunch with US President Donald Trump. I was standing in roughly the centre of the room, directly behind Rudd. I could read the lunch menu over his shoulder; an entree of fall green salad with sunset tomatoes and White House honey dressing, a main of rosemary roast chicken with celery root puree, asparagus, collard greens and Dijon sauce. Photo: Matt Golding Dessert was Red Bartlett pear pavlova, served with candied ginger ice cream and a berry compote. The review from one lunch guest: Very good. Ive watched many Trump news conferences, and been in the room with him several times. There are days when he seems visibly uninterested, or appears to be going through the motions with the guest of honour. Advertisement This was not one of those occasions. Trump sounded genuinely interested in the subject, and he was especially warm towards Albanese. When he said of the United States friendship with Australia that theres never been anybody better, you believed him. Trumps keen engagement was all the more meaningful when you consider he is also dealing with a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, the Russia-Ukraine war and an ongoing shutdown of the federal government at home. Related Article Foreign relations Trump says AUKUS is full steam ahead and three other key takeaways from Albanese meeting Of course, the love-in was momentarily halted when Sky News Andrew Clennell inquired about Rudds past comments describing Trump as destructive, a village idiot and a traitor to the West. Most of the room knew Rudd was sitting right there at the table, but Trump, for 15 excruciating seconds, probed the matter without realising this monstrous critic was in the room. Albanese pointed at Rudd, who guiltily raised his hand. I dont like you either, Trump said to Rudd. And I probably never will. Nearly everyone in the room laughed War Secretary Pete Hegseth especially seemed to love it but it was not clear from his tone if he was being serious or not. Advertisement We were told the two later cleared the air, and Trump said all was forgiven. Based on the dynamic and the body language I witnessed, I believe that. Im not sure Ill be so lucky. Trump called me a nasty guy, for reasons that are unclear. Perhaps he did not like my attempts to force through an extra question about his relationships with various Australian prime ministers. Fair cop; no biggie. Related Article Sketch Trump diplomacy Forget AUKUS - this was the Kevin Rudd mortification show He also admonished another Australian reporter, The Nightlys Latika Bourke, for a fair question on the war in Ukraine, insinuating she didnt know anything about the conflict. It was a reminder that even when Trump is enjoying himself, and under relatively little pressure, he has no tolerance for the slightest criticism or doubt. By the time the press were finally ushered out, it felt like an eternity. Trump had ticked off all the greatest hits the US is the hottest country in the world, Ive ended eight wars, Biden was the worst president ever and there was really nothing left to say. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement PoliticsWACritical minerals What the Albanese-Trump critical minerals deal means for WA Hamish Hastie October 21, 2025 10:45am 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 3 View all comments A US$8.5 billion (AUD$13 billion) critical minerals pact signed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump could pave the way for a major refinery to be built in WAs Peel region as early as next year. WAs resources sector is giddy with excitement at the push to develop critical minerals resources and refine them. Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump have signed a major critical minerals deal. AFP The US Department of Wars investment into aluminium giant Alcoa and Japanese company Sojitz Corporations gallium joint venture is a likely early beneficiary. Gallium is used in computer chips and can be extracted during the bauxite-to-alumina refining process, meaning the material would come from Alcoas strip-mining venture in WAs Darling Scarp. Advertisement The deal signed by Trump and Albanese on Tuesday (Australian time) could see a 100 metric ton-per-year refinery built in Wagerup by next year. China blocked the export of gallium to Japan late last year, which WA Premier Roger Cook said gave the US and Australia the right to step in. The provocation comes from blocking global supply chains of these important products, so we are simply responding to the market, he said. The realities of the market is that theres a scarcity of these products, not from supply levels, but through decisions made elsewhere. Alcoa president and chief executive William F. Oplinger said the support underscored the miners role in supporting the development of the critical mineral supply chain, and the importance of its Australian operations to manufacturing, technology, and defence industries. Advertisement Related Article Opinion Trump diplomacy Ive sat with Trump in the Oval Office, and I give Albanese a 10/10 Malcolm Turnbull Former prime minister It was unclear how much the refinery would cost, but Albanese said it could produce 10 per cent of the worlds gallium supply. Alcoa and Sojitz will make a final investment decision next year. However, WA Greens environment spokesperson Jess Beckerling said she was concerned the gallium refinery could be used to lock in a massive expansion of mining in the states jarrah forests. Alcoas gallium development project and forest mining expansion proposals, and any associated environment and climate impacts, must be assessed independently the risk to our drinking water, the South-Wests unique jarrah forests and the endangered wildlife that call them home is far too important, she said. Labor wants us to believe that a critical mineral deal with the US is going to put us on the path to a clean energy transition, when the truth is that Alcoas forest mining expansion will drag us even further in the opposite direction. Advertisement Alcoas expansion plans that are currently under assessment risk contamination of our drinking water and would release more than 1.3 billion tonnes of [greenhouse gas] emissions over the life of the project. The US and Australia have agreed to spend about $3 billion together on critical mineral projects in the next six months. The US Export-Import Bank has sent letters of interest to seven companies, alerting them to their intention to offer about $2.2 billion worth of financing to get their projects under way. One of those companies was Northern Minerals, whose Browns Range heavy rare earths project in the East Kimberley could be in line for US$230 million (AUD$352 million) from the USs state-owned bank, which usually only helps fund US company ventures. Northern Minerals will also tap Australian equivalent, Export Finance Australia, for further funding. Advertisement Northern Minerals executive chairman Adam Handley said a feasibility study completed this month confirmed Browns Range was a globally significant resource, and it was one of the most advanced heavy rare earth projects outside of China. Related Article Sketch Trump diplomacy Forget AUKUS - this was the Kevin Rudd mortification show Backed by these Letters from EFA and EXIM, our focus is to secure the right funding solution to enable a Final Investment Decision to be made and construction to start at Browns Range in line with Northern Minerals vision to deliver long-term, sustained value for our shareholders, he said. The other letters were sent to Arafura Rare Earths, Graphinex, La Trobe Magnesium, VHM, RZ Resources, and Sunrise Energy Metals. Rare earths are a series of chemically similar elements crucial to advanced manufacturing, but China has control of much of the global market. Advertisement A US-Australia critical minerals supply security response group will also be established to identify supply chain issues and vulnerabilities. It will be led by the Australian resources minister and US secretary of energy. Anita Logiudice, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WAs director of policy and advocacy, said the critical minerals deal was a game-changer that would light a fire under efforts to develop the states considerable reserves. WA is already the worlds fourth-largest producer of rare earths, and we possess half of Australias known critical minerals reserves, which are among the biggest on the planet, she said. WA is also a stable and reliable trading partner with the skilled workforce and expertise needed to quickly and safely develop new resources projects. AUKUS on track Advertisement General Motors has reported a significant decline in net income for the third quarter of 2025, with figures dropping by 57% to $1.32bn from the $3.05bn recorded in the previous year. The automotive giant also experienced a slight dip in revenue, down to $48.59bn from $48.76bn year-on-year. The company's adjusted earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter came in at $2.80, a slight decrease from the $2.96 reported in the third quarter of 2024. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) also saw a downturn, falling 18% to $3.37bn from the $4.11bn achieved a year earlier. The third quarter of 2025 saw GM's net income margin shrink to 2.7% from 6.3% seen in the same quarter the previous year. Automotive operating cash flow followed this downward trend, with a 22.8% decrease to $6.07bn from the $7.86bn recorded in the year-ago period. Despite these challenges, GM has revised its full-year guidance upwards, with a new adjusted EBIT forecast of between $12bn and $13bn, and an adjusted EPS of $9.75 to $10.50. This is an increase from the previous estimates of $10bn to $12.5bn for adjusted EBIT, and $8.25 to $10 for adjusted EPS. The company also anticipates an adjusted automotive free cash flow of $10bn to $11bn, up from the earlier projection of $7.5bn to $10bn. In a letter to shareholders, GM chair and CEO Mary Barra said: Thanks to the collective efforts of our team, and our compelling vehicle portfolio, GM delivered another very good quarter of earnings and free cash flow. Based on our performance, we are raising our full-year guidance, underscoring our confidence in the companys trajectory. In North America, GM's traditionally strong market, the company earned over $2.5bn on an adjusted basis, although the adjusted profit margin decreased from 9.7% to 6.2%. Barra said the automakers top priority is to return to 8% to 10% adjusted profit margins in North America through driving EV profitability, maintaining production and pricing discipline, managing fixed costs, and further reducing tariff exposure. Over the past several years, our portfolio and capacity plans have been shaped by steadily increasing regulatory stringency for fuel economy and emissions. To meet these requirements, we aggressively expanded our electric vehicle capacity. However, with the evolving regulatory framework and the end of federal consumer incentives, it is now clear that near-term EV adoption will be lower than planned. That is why we are reassessing our EV capacity and manufacturing footprint. The work, which is ongoing, resulted in a special charge in the third quarter, and we expect future charges. By acting swiftly and decisively to address overcapacity, we expect to reduce EV losses in 2026 and beyond, Barra added. Richard Roxburgh never thought he would one day be helping an average Aussie family to sell their house. The Australian actor who has played the brilliant but self-destructive Sydney barrister Cleaver Greene in Rake; the Duke of Monroth in Moulin Rouge!; Dracula in Van Helsing; bad guy #2 in Mission Impossible: 2; and a host of other strange characters across movies, theatre and television clearly enjoys diversity. So when real estate agency Ray White asked if Roxburgh would like to be in a property advertisement directed by all-round creative Nash Edgerton (whose work spans directing music videos for Bob Dylan to doing stunts for films such as The Matrix and Star Wars) he thought, why not? I was sent a briefing by my agent that mentioned this wacky, outlandish idea that Nash Edgerton was going to direct a little short film about this particular property, and would I be interested? Roxburgh said. I just thought it was a great kind of creative piece of thinking. Advertisement WorldEuropeRussia-Ukraine war In tense meeting, Trump told Zelensky to concede land, meet Putins demands Ellen Francis , Catherine Belton and David L. Stern Updated October 21, 2025 10:03am ,first published October 21, 2025 8:30am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Brussels: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is rallying the support of his European partners after a bruising meeting last week with US President Donald Trump, in which he was told to make concessions to end the war or risk facing destruction at the hands of Russia. In a tense meeting at the White House, Trump tossed aside maps of the front line and urged Kyiv to concede its entire Donbas region to Russia to clinch a deal, according to people familiar with the exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive diplomacy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. AP He said, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will destroy you if you dont agree now, one of the people said. Zelensky had his maps and everything, and he was explaining it to him but [Trump] wanted nothing to do with it. Trump listened but was not responsive to the Ukrainian message, the person said. It was pretty much like, No, look guys, you cant possibly win back any territory There is nothing we can do to save you. You should try to give diplomacy another chance. Advertisement In remarks released on Monday, Zelensky said it was very important that the Europeans have a unified position with Kyiv and that they would also address the United States in various formats. He told reporters he planned to meet with European allies this week. As European leaders issue proclamations of support for Zelensky, his White House disappointment is set to dominate diplomatic talks this week, including a European Union summit on Thursday. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice President JD Vance at Trumps lunch with Zelensky. Bloomberg Just days after musing about giving Zelensky Tomahawk missiles to strike Russia, Trumps latest swerve on the war appeared to stem from a call with Putin last week. Putin demanded that Kyiv surrender Donbas as a condition to end the war. A European official said Trump moved from talk of long-range missiles before the call to land swaps in his meeting with Zelensky. Now he was saying the US needs Tomahawks and doesnt want to escalate. Advertisement A European diplomat briefed on the White House exchange described it as a mess and said Trump also went on and on about his grievances of not having gotten the Nobel Peace Prize. On the conflict, the message was that Russia only wants Donbas and this is a good deal and Putin wants to end the war, and it can be done quickly, the diplomat said. Zelensky speaks to the media outside the White House after meeting with Trump. AP Trump, however, emerged from the meeting with Zelensky calling for a ceasefire along the front line, a stance that the Ukrainian president has endorsed publicly, but the Kremlin has not. Parts of the Trump-Zelensky meeting were originally reported by the Financial Times on Sunday. Advertisement Asked if he urged Zelensky to give up Donbas, Trump later said he hadnt. Let it be cut the way it is. Leave it the way it is now, he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. They can negotiate something later on down the line, he added. But for now, both sides of the conflict should stop at the battle line go home, stop fighting, stop killing people. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to questions on Monday about freezing the conflict along existing front lines, said the issue has been raised repeatedly with various nuances during contacts between Russia and the US. He said Russias position remained unchanged. Putin told Trump during their call that Russian forces had the strategic initiative along the front lines, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. Advertisement Trumps decision to push Putins demands with Zelensky again quashed European hopes that Washington might come to Ukraines rescue or boost its leverage in talks. It also piles fresh pressure on Kyivs chief backers in Europe to maintain the flow of cash and weapons. European diplomats have long suggested they acquiesced to the idea that Ukraine will have to concede land in any future US-brokered settlement by freezing the front line. But they have backed Zelensky by insisting that Kyiv would not voluntarily cede any territory to Moscow that it does not control militarily. While Russian forces have taken much of Donbas, they have tried and failed to seize the entirety of the heavily fortified Donetsk region in that corner of eastern Ukraine in over a decade of fighting. In his call with Trump, Putin suggested he could give up claims to parts of two other Ukrainian regions that Russia has not entirely conquered, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in exchange for full control of Donetsk, The Washington Post reported. Advertisement Zelensky said to journalists that he believes Putin wants to show that he won the war and for that, he needs the administrative borders of Donbas. But heres the thing, he added, who says he wont go further in a few years? Who can guarantee that? Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Zelensky says could resume aggression in a few years, even if peace returns to Ukraine. AP The European official said the White House visit was not as disastrous as an infamous Oval Office public shouting match early this year but that Zelensky, who later held a call with some European leaders, had left disappointed. None of us should put pressure on Zelensky when it comes to territorial concessions, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after the meeting. One thing is absolutely clear: Europes solidarity with Ukraine against Russias aggression is today more important than ever before. Advertisement The first person briefed on the meeting said it remained unclear what exactly had swayed Trump, after the president had talked of Ukraine retaking its full territory and expressed frustration with Putin over stalled negotiations. He can flip back. You never know. The European diplomat, however, said it seemed that Putin knew what he was doing and got through to Trump. There were concerns among Europeans once again that things are backsliding, the diplomat said. Related Article Updated Russia-Ukraine war Trump and Putin to meet to discuss end to the war in Ukraine For months, the Kremlin and European leaders have jostled for Trumps ear, adjusting to his policy changes on the war and his ambition for a peace deal. Trumps focus on the deal more than the details, has at times left all sides frustrated, while the president has voiced irritation with both Kyiv and Moscow throughout his efforts to stop the conflict. Leaders of the EUs 27 nations will deliberate this week on a response to Trumps latest pivot and on ways to bolster Ukraine, including with a plan to use Russias frozen assets in the form of a reparation loan and with more sanctions against Moscow. Advertisement Yet agreement to tap into Russian frozen assets could still take time. The plan, strongly condemned by Moscow, has met concern from Belgium, where much of the assets are held, and objections from Hungarys Kremlin-friendly prime minister, Viktor Orban. Also on the European agenda is a possible Trump-Putin summit in the coming weeks. After his call with Putin, Trump said the two could meet soon in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, much to the consternation of many EU leaders except Orban. European foreign ministers reiterated praise of Trumps peacemaking attempts, but some voiced dismay at the idea of Putin visiting Hungary for the talks. Advertisement Advertisement Updated WorldEuropeRussia-Ukraine war Trump-Putin summit collapses as Europe tightens screws on Russia David Crowe Updated October 22, 2025 5:11am ,first published October 22, 2025 1:40am 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 143 View all comments London: European leaders are moving to intensify economic and military pressure on Russia to force it to negotiate a peace deal with Ukraine, amid a collapse in the latest effort to set up a summit to broker a ceasefire. The move confirms the financial and military support for Ukraine after the halt to a potential summit announced last Thursday in a bid by US President Donald Trump to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war. US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. AP We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, said leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, the European Union and five other nations. We are developing measures to use the full value of Russias immobilised sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs. Advertisement While Trump did not put a date on a meeting with Putin, which was meant to take place in Hungary, the failure of the plan highlights the objections in the West to the Russian leaders demand for more land from Ukraine in any settlement. When asked early Wednesday AEDT why his planned summit in Budapest was put on hold, Trump said he did not want to have a wasted meeting. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he had not made a determination about the meeting but that he still saw a chance for a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday. AP Trump has changed his view of the war over the past few weeks, saying on Monday that he did not think Ukraine could win and suggesting on Friday that Russia could be allowed to keep the territory it had already taken in eastern Ukraine. The remarks contrasted with his declaration on September 25 that Russia was a paper tiger and that Ukraine might be able to gain territory if the war continued. Advertisement While Trump applied pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cede territory to Russia when the two met in the White House on Friday, multiple reports said Zelensky refused and the US president accepted his position. Zelensky has called for more European support to maximise pressure on Europe, putting the war on the agenda at a meeting of European Union national leaders and a separate gathering this week of the coalition of the willing led by the UK and France. Donald Trump greets Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. Bloomberg In a blow to Zelenskys hopes for more weapons, Trump declined to release Tomahawk missiles for sale to Ukraine after objections from Russia. The halt to American funding has led European leaders to seek more ways to finance Zelenskys plans, including the option of lending Ukraine 140 billion ($250 billion) by using Russian assets in Europe as security. Advertisement The plan would not confiscate the Russian assets which are held by the Euroclear finance agency and have been frozen since the full-scale invasion in February 2022 but would use them as collateral for the loan to help Ukraine buy more weapons. Related Article Russia-Ukraine war In tense meeting, Trump told Zelensky to concede land, meet Putins demands The statement from European leaders, issued on Tuesday, highlighted the plan to use sovereign Russian assets but did not spell out how this would be done. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force, said the statement. Russias stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. Advertisement The joint statement came from Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, Prime Minister Jonas Store of Norway, President Alexander Stubb of Finland, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden. It was also issued by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, as well as Zelensky. Bloomberg reported that European nations were working with Ukraine on a 12-point plan to end the war along the current battle lines. Under the proposal, Ukraine would receive security guarantees, funds to repair war damage and a pathway to rapidly join the European Union, the Bloomberg report said. The proposal also envisaged the return of all deported children to Ukraine and the exchange of prisoners. Both sides would enter into negotiations on the governance of occupied territories, though neither Europe nor Ukraine would legally recognise any occupied land as Russian, it said. Advertisement Russia reiterated its previous terms for reaching a peace deal with Ukraine in a private communique sent to the US over the weekend, according to a Reuters report citing US officials without naming them. Trump and Putin met in Alaska in August. AP Russia demanded that it take control of all of Ukraines Donbas region, one of the US officials said, a stance that effectively rejected Trumps view in recent days that the frontlines should be frozen at their prevailing locations. After Trump and Zelensky spoke on Friday, Reuters and other media outlets reported that US officials told Zelensky of the Kremlin proposal for Ukraine to give up the Donbas region in return for small parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Zelensky pushed back, and Trump later said publicly that the prevailing frontlines should be frozen. Related Article Russia-Ukraine war Let it be cut the way it is: Trump suggests leaving most of Ukraines Donbas in Russian hands Advertisement Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on Monday, but could not make progress towards a summit of their leaders in Hungary. The Kremlin said there was no clear date and that serious preparation for a summit was needed, and that may take time. Listen, we have an understanding of the presidents, but we cannot postpone what has not been finalised, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said neither Trump nor Putin had given exact dates. With Reuters 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. Advertisement WorldNorth AmericaForeign relations Trump says AUKUS is full steam ahead and three other key takeaways from Albanese meeting Michael Koziol and Matthew Knott Updated October 21, 2025 3:05pm ,first published October 21, 2025 2:08am 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 124 View all comments Washington: Donald Trump has ordered American officials to put the AUKUS submarine pact on a fast track in welcome news to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who locked in a $13 billion critical minerals deal in his first meeting with the US President. The head of the US Navy sent Australian officials scrambling for more details after saying that ambiguities in the AUKUS plan still needed to be clarified, and Trump declined to offer Australia any relief from his tariffs, including on steel and aluminium imports. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump shake hands after signing a rare earth minerals agreement during a bilateral meeting in the White House. Getty Images Overall, however, the government was delighted by the meeting after Trump instructed the Pentagon to move full steam ahead with the plan to sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia from 2032, praised the nation as an amazing ally and embraced Albanese as a friend. The share prices of Australian critical minerals companies surged after the announcement of major joint investments, although Beijing insisted its dominance of the strategically crucial sector remained unchallenged. Advertisement In a televised Q&A at the start of the working lunch, Trump was unfussed about Australias level of defence spending despite past pleas for Canberra to spend more and relaxed about Chinese aggression in the region, saying he did not expect President Xi Jinping to make a play for Taiwan. But the meeting was nearly overshadowed by an awkward exchange with Australian ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, who sat opposite Trump at the table, and had to apologise to the president for past tweets calling him a traitor to the West and the most destructive president in history. Heres what Albanese and Trump discussed in the public section of their long-awaited meeting. Trump makes substantial commitment to AUKUS Making his first substantive remarks about the Joe Biden-era agreement to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, Trump said his intention was to expedite the deal, not withdraw from it, despite the Pentagon review which had put the pact under a cloud. Advertisement It was made a while ago and nobody did anything about it, Trump told this masthead. It was going too slowly. We do actually have a lot of submarines, we have the best submarines anywhere in the world. Anthony Albanese received a warm welcome from Donald Trump at the White House. Bloomberg Were building a few more, currently under construction, and now we have it all set. With Anthony [Albanese], weve worked on this long and hard. Were starting that process right now. I think its really moving along very rapidly, very well. Asked to guarantee Australia would get the boats due in the 2030s despite the lagging rate of production, Trump said: Oh, theyre getting them. US Navy Secretary John Phelan was one of half a dozen senior US officials to join the meeting, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Phelan said US submarine production was getting better but hinted at ambiguities in the deal to be sorted out. Advertisement Albanese and Trump sign the rare earths deal. Bloomberg What were really trying to do is take the original AUKUS framework and improve it for all three parties, make it better and clarify some of the ambiguity that was in the prior agreement, he said. So it should be a win-win for everybody. Trump replied: There shouldnt be any more clarifications because were just going now full steam ahead building. Former prime minister Scott Morrison, who spearheaded the creation of AUKUS, said Trumps commitment to the pact was welcome but not surprising. Important to now just get on with it, he said in a post on Linkedin. Advertisement Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove said: Trump has sent the clearest possible signal to the Pentagon and the US system that he wants AUKUS to proceed at pace. If you are a sceptic of AUKUS in the administration, its probably time to focus on other issues. Peter Dean, the chair of military studies at the Australian Defence College, said: Trump has the opportunity to rip AUKUS up or substantially renegotiate it, and that hasnt happened. This has laid the issue to bed. Albanese and Trump unite to combat China On critical minerals, the leaders signed a framework to unlock Australias vast supplies of rare earths and combat the stranglehold China enjoys over the refining and supply of the minerals vital to chips, phones, military equipment, electric vehicles and other goods. Advertisement Albanese said each country would provide $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) over the next six months towards a $US8.5 billion ($13 billion) pipeline of projects involving the mining, separation and processing of rare earths. Australia will start with $200 million in concessional finance for the Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium Recovery Project in Wagerup, Western Australia, and $100 million for the Arafura Nolans project in the Northern Territory. Trump said the deal had been in train for five months. In about a year from now well have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you wont know what to do with them. Theyll be worth about two dollars, he said. The arrangement, though, is not enforceable. A framework document distributed by the parties notes that it does not constitute or create rights or obligations under domestic or international law. Advertisement Chinas state-owned Global Times responded defiantly to the announcement, arguing that the deal cannot shake Chinas dominant status in the supply chain for rare earths because of its pre-eminence in the refining of critical minerals. Former US ambassador Kim Beazley said he was delighted by the critical minerals agreement, saying: The Americans have realised they have an extreme vulnerability and we can almost entirely fill it. The Chinese have overplayed their hand very badly and entrenched a reputation as an unreliable supplier. There was also no immediate sign of tariff relief in exchange for the minerals deal. Trump noted Australia received the equal lowest general tariff rate of any country 10 per cent and said tariffs had been amazing for the US economy. The UK has the same general tariff rate as Australia and lower imposts on steel and aluminium. Advertisement Despite expectations that Trump might press Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, or 5 per cent in line with NATO allies, he showed no interest in pushing the matter when asked. Id always like more, but they have to do what they have to do, he said. You can only do so much. I think theyve been great. Trump also said the shipyards Australia was building for the AUKUS submarines were impressive and expensive. Australia currently spends about 2 per cent of GDP on defence, including a $12 billion investment in submarine shipyards in WA, and is on track to raise it to 2.4 per cent by the middle of next decade using a more stringent measure than NATO countries. Trump told Rudd: I dont like you either, and probably never will. Getty Images Rudd cops it from Trump but is all well that ends well? Advertisement The much anticipated meeting, which took place in the middle of the night Australian time, came exactly nine months after Trump was sworn into office for a second time. The Coalition had criticised Albanese for the long wait, suggesting it indicated a souring of relations. Trump was asked by a reporter whether the delay had anything to do with the Australian governments position on climate change or Palestine, or old tweets by now-ambassador Rudd, who had disparaged Trump during his first presidency. Loading The president indicated he was unfamiliar with the comments and then asked if the ambassador still worked for the government. It was then revealed to him that Rudd was sitting at the table. Related Article Sketch Trump diplomacy Forget AUKUS - this was the Kevin Rudd mortification show Advertisement You said bad? Trump asked Rudd, who replied: Before I took this position, Mr president. Trump cut him off and said to laughter: I dont like you either, and I probably never will. Later, according to Australian sources in the room, Rudd apologised again and Trump told him all was forgiven. The awkward confrontation prompted Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to call for Rudds dismissal, telling Sky News his position as ambassador had become untenable. Overall, this was a success for Albanese The Rudd moment aside, the meeting was greeted warmly by Australias friends in Washington. Advertisement Michael McCaul, a Republican congressman who co-chairs the Friends of Australia Caucus, said it proved the alliance was as strong as ever. Trump greets Albanese outside the White House. Bloomberg The timely new mineral deal will strengthen both of our economies and bolster US national security by reducing our reliance on the Chinese Communist Party, just as it works to wreak havoc by cutting off the West from its critical minerals supply, he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump appeared to share genuine camaraderie. AAP The groups Democratic co-chair Joe Courtney said the powerful endorsement of AUKUS ended the uncertainty hanging over the agreement and ensured that it will be an enduring success for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Advertisement Charles Edel, Australia chair at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told Nine News which owns this masthead the two leaders seemed at ease with each other. Albanese draws a smile from Trump. Bloomberg While there were still details to be fleshed out about the critical minerals deal, it was clearly moving forward, Edel said, while Trumps imprimatur for AUKUS was really important. 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. German brewer C & A Veltins has acquired non-alcoholic malt-drinks brand Karamalz for an undisclosed sum. In a statement, Veltins, which had distributed Karamalz, said it was buying the trademark rights to Karamalz from fellow German brewer Eichbaum with immediate effect. Financial terms were not disclosed. Veltins assumed the distribution rights for Karamalz last year but suspended the deal last October for undisclosed reasons. The deal will see Veltins will take on the production of Karamalz. Dr. Volker Kuhl, Veltins' sales and marketing director, said: "In view of the considerable volume and market importance of Karamalz in the malt drink segment, we can henceforth score points with a veritable brand in our sales channels. "We are convinced that we can definitely achieve growth impulses in this clearly defined variety segment." The Karamalz non-alcoholic malt brand was first sold in 1955 by Henninger Brau. Following a restructuring of Henninger Brau, the ownership of the Karamalz brand moved to Eichbaum in 2001. "German brewer Veltins buys malt-drinks brand Karamalz" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. Photo by Jorge Uzon / AFP via Getty Images General Motors shares jumped as it reported earnings Tuesday morning. Key Takeaways General Motors stock took off Tuesday morning as the car manufacturer adjusted to tariffs more quickly than anticipated, Citi analysts said. Investors didn't seem put off by a $1.6 billion charge tied to GM reevaluating its electric vehicle strategy in response to regulation changes. General Motors shares are racing higher. Progress dealing with tariffs is helping. The Detroit-based auto manufacturer says it's investing $5 billion in scaling up domestic production of engines and 2 million vehicles per yeara move that seems safer thanks to the extension of a policy that offers some relief to U.S. companies with operations in Mexico and Canada. General Motors (GM) scaled back the anticipated cost of tariffs to $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion a year, CFO Paul Jacobson said on a conference call. The company is also moving quicker than expected and may offset the hit by the end of 2026, Citi analysts said. The U.S.'s offset program, which targets medium-and heavy-duty vehicles, "will help make U.S.-produced vehicles more competitive over the next five years, and GM is very well positioned as we invest to increase our already significant domestic sourcing and manufacturing footprint," CEO Mary Barra said in a letter to investors. What This News Means for Investors Investors may be more optimistic about domestic car manufacturers now that GM and Stellantis have shown resilience in the face of changing environmental policies and an evolving trade backdrop. They're slated to get more insight when Ford and Tesla report later this week. GM's revenue fell 0.3% year-over-year to $48.6 billion in its third quarter. Analysts were expecting a more significant decline, to $45 billion, according to Visible Alpha. The company reported $2.80 in adjusted earnings per share, which beat the $2.25 consensus estimate from Visible Alpha. The update sent shares rising some 14% Tuesday, putting the stock up about 9% so far this year and at fresh 2025 highs. Similarly, Stellantis (STLA) shares jumped earlier this month when the domestic car manufacturer reported sales growth after several quarters of declines. Stellantis was up more than 4% today, as was Ford (F), which along with Tesla (TSLA) reports later this week. The company is taking a $1.6 billion loss on its approach to electric vehicles. Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. surged as Americans rushed to buy them before the expiration of a $7,500 federal tax credit, the company said. The loss of that incentivealong with the federal government backing away from stricter emissions standardshas the company "reassessing" its plans, the CEO said. This undated photo provided by the Gallrein campaign shows Ed Gallrein. He is running as a Republican for Kentucky's 4th District U.S. Representative. (Gallrein campaign via AP) Industry talks, Weber listens: NUEX sparks new era of workforce collaboration October 21, 2025 OGDEN, Utah Weber State University is bringing together industry leaders from across northern Utah, offering a forum for employers, educators, and community partners to identify and address critical workforce challenges. This fall, the university hosted the first Northern Utah Employer Exchange event on its Ogden campus. Unlike traditional conferences, NUEX functions more collaboratively, inviting participants to not just observe but actively seek solutions. The genesis for NUEX was really just this desire to listen to industry members, said Shane Farver, director of special projects, marketing, and communications at WSUs Division of Online & Continuing Education. We wanted to show that were serious about understanding employers educational needs and desires. Industry talks, Weber listens. Around 40 employers from healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing, public service, small business, and more worked through structured roundtable sessions to break down workplace challenges. A lot of companies came in describing turnover, said Denise Call, business development manager at the DOCE. But through the process, they discovered the root issue wasnt turnover at all, it was culture. NUEX helped them see what they didnt know they were looking for. Leaders from a variety of fields shared their perspectives and offered candid dialogue during panels. Hannah Pierce, recruiting manager for Young Automotive Group, felt it was beneficial to learn from other business partners and be connected with them through NUEX. I cant think of any other arena where I wouldve connected with the individuals I had the opportunity to meet, Pierce said. I think people sometimes get caught up in their specific industry and think no one in another industry could possibly relate. But in reality, we realized our challenges are pretty shared, they may just translate differently. Organizers are now meeting one-on-one with employers to validate findings and further the conversation. NUEX is not a one-off, Call said. Its just the beginning. The next step is applying this new knowledge. What I love about NUEX is that it opens up those conversations we dont always get to have, said Holly Suisse, business development manager at the DOCE. We can bring that same information back to our faculty, so it actually impacts the classroom. As Weber State prepares for future NUEX events, organizers want to keep it adaptable and industry-led, showing that higher education is truly listening. That just goes to the heart of it, which is that the world is not prepackaged anymore, Farver said. Whatever we learn now will be different in a couple years or less, so that idea of continuous learning, of being able to adapt to industry and student needs, is going to become more and more important. Kabir Jhangiani / NurPhoto via Getty Images Intel is scheduled to report earnings after the closing bell on Thursday. Key Takeaways Intel shares are expected to see an above-average move after the chipmaker reports third-quarter results Thursday afternoon. Thursday's report will be the company's first since it agreed to give the federal government a nearly 10% stake, a deal that's attracted investors like AI chip giant Nvidia and buoyed Intel's stock. Intel (INTC) is set to report third-quarter earnings after markets close Thursday, and traders expect the stock to be unusually volatile following the results. Intel shares are expected to move nearly 10% in either direction the day after this weeks earnings report, according to recent options prices. A jump of that magnitude, based on Monday's closing price, would put shares at about $42, their highest price since April 2024. Alternately, shares could decline 10% to end the week at just above $32. Intel shares have moved an average of 6.5% after its four most recent earnings reports. In July, the stock dropped more than 8% after it reported an unexpected loss and issued a disappointing third-quarter forecast. The last time Intel shares rose on an earnings report was this time last year, when the company touted solid progress on its turnaround plan. Why This Is Important Intel's stock has surged in recent months, boosted by optimism about the federal government's stake in the chipmaker and what it means for its troubled foundry business. Expectations for a large post-earnings move likely reflect the stock's recent run-up and uncertainty about how recent investments will affect operations in the near term. Thursdays report will be Intels first since the federal government took an approximately 10% stake in the company. That deal with the Trump administration may have been a turning point for the embattled chipmaker, which has since received additional investments from Japanese venture capital firm SoftBank and AI chip giant Nvidia (NVDA), with whom Intel will partner on custom hardware. During the post-earnings conference call on Thursday, investors will be hoping for updates from executives on those investments and whether they change the outlook for Intel's struggling foundry business The deals have at least been a lifeline for Intels stock, which was treading water until rumors of White House negotiations began to circulate in early August. Intel shares have risen 90% since the start of the year, and all of those gains have come in the last three months. Still, analysts are on the whole skeptical that the stock can maintain its recent momentum. Five of the seven analysts with current ratings tracked by Visible Alpha have assigned Intel stock a Hold rating, while two suggest selling. The average price target of about $30.60 represents nearly 20% downside from Monday's closing level. Read the original article on Investopedia The much-anticipated all-new Opel Frontera SUV has arrived at Opel dealerships nationwide, with prices and equipment just announced by the brand. Armed with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty as standard for the Irish market, the new Frontera is available in three trims and as a five-seater at launch, with a seven-seat version due before the end of the year. Representing excellent value for money, the new Frontera Electric retails in Ireland from 24,606 inclusive of SEAI grant and VRT rebate, and from 27,995 plus delivery-related charges for the new Frontera Hybrid. Check out your local Opel dealer, Rochford Motors in Ballyhaunis. Rugged, spacious, ultra-modern, and packaged in a range of bright new colours, the striking design of the new Opel Frontera makes it stand out immediately. Proudly bearing the new Opel Blitz emblem in the centre of the Opel Vizor front face, an upright front silhouette, and prominent wheel arches and sills hint at a robust character, suitable for daily family adventures. The modern look and feel continues in the interior where clever design meets comfort and family practicality. Featuring wide-opening rear doors to allow easy access for passengers and baby seats, up to 460 litres of luggage can be stored in the boot, and up to 1,594 litres with the seats folded down. Customers who need to take even more luggage can avail of optional roof rails. A 60/40 split rear bench seat and a second load floor ensure additional versatility for families. Efficient in every way, the new Frontera is powered by a choice of two petrol hybrid versions (100PS and 136PS) and two all-electric versions; a 44kW 113PS 300km range version is available from launch in Ireland, with a 54kW 113PS 400km range version due in 2026. James Brooks, Opel Ireland Managing Director, said: Our new Frontera offers families great packaging and value for money. With its stylish new look, spacious cabin, and a choice of fully electric or petrol hybrid drivetrains and five or seven seats, the new Opel Frontera is destined to become an Irish family favourite. With the first units landing in Opel dealer forecourts this month, we are delighted to now open the Frontera order books ahead of the all-important 261-period. The modern look and feel continues in the interior where clever design meets comfort and family practicality. Retailing from 24,606 inclusive of grants for the electric version or from 27,995 for the petrol hybrid version, standard equipment on the entry level SC trim includes a 10 driver information display plus smartphone station, electronic parking brake and hill assist, LED headlights with automatic high beam, rear park assist, 16 painted steel wheel, manual climate control, alarm, cruise control, lane keep assist, forward collision alert, driver drowsiness alert, and speed sign recognition. Priced from 26,480 inclusive of grants for the electric powertrain or from 30,095 for the petrol hybrid version, standard equipment on the level two Elegance trim includes a 10 HD touchscreen with navigation, Opel Connect, DAB radio, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless charger, natural voice recognition, front USB type C connection, rear view camera, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, rain sensing front wipers, automatic climate control, driver and front passenger Intelli seats, middle console with front centre armrest and hidden storage, 17 alloy wheels. The top-of-the-range GS trim, from 28,354 with grants for the electric version or from 32,095 for the petrol hybrid version, adds as standard front and rear park assist, roof rails, a black roof, high gloss black door mirrors, black front Opel logo, rear privacy glass, power folding rear view mirrors, electro-chrome rear view mirror, LED taillamps and LED foglamps, and side blind spot alert. A 7-seater GS petrol hybrid model will follow later this year, retailing at a 1,500 premium over the five-seater GS petrol hybrid version, from 33,595 plus delivery related charges. The addition of the new Frontera compact family SUV to the Opel stable sees the brand boast one of the freshest SUV ranges on the market: the all-new Grandland SUV arrived in showrooms in early 2025, whilst the facelift Mokka SUV arrived in June. A friend of the late Joe Deacy has received a suspended prison sentence for his part in a malevolent and sinister campaign of harassment. Brendan Rowland, aged 30, a Ballycroy native now living in Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, previously pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to harassing Peter and Anne Byrne of Gortnasillagh, Swinford. Joe Deacy, from St Albans in the UK, was found unconscious outside the Byrne home at 6.45am on August 12, 2017. He later died from head injuries at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and a Garda investigation remains ongoing. The court heard the accused was a friend of Mr Deacys and the young man was supposed to be staying in Rowlands home on the night he died but was unable to do so because of a family funeral. The Byrnes said they received 40 cards over a one-year period and they suspected that more than one person was responsible. Gardai connected Rowland to 14 of the cards received. They were sent between December 14, 2018 and December 31, 2019. The 40 cards sent included Christmas, birthday, wedding, Mothers Day, and anniversary cards. A black rose was also sent to the home but there was no evidence to suggest this was the work of Rowland. The signature on almost all of the cards received was Joe or Joseph. The word conscience was written on a number of the cards. To the Byrne family, hope Santa brings you a conscience, read one of the cards. I hope this Christmas brings you courage instead of cowardice. From Joe, stated another. Have a killer Christmas, read a further message. Gardai traced the purchase location of some of the stamps and CCTV was collected which linked the sale to Rowlands mother. On December 26, 2020, Rowland was arrested and made admissions during interview. He admitted sending cards from England which he asked his mother to post. She did not realise the contents until she opened one of them and then destroyed a number of the cards. However, the accuseds father inadvertently posted some of the cards which had not been destroyed. In a victim impact statement, Peter and Anne Byrne denied any knowledge of what happened to Joe Deacy. Rowland, who works as a site foreman, has 11 previous convictions in the UK. Barrister Dr Laura Byrne, representing Rowland, said emotional pain was no excuse for her clients actions but he was engulfed in grief following the loss of his friend Joe Deacy. The court heard that Rowland was involved in the erection of a bench in Mr Deacys memory at St Albans GAA club in the UK. He is set to take on the Sea to Summit Challenge next month in aid of Mayo Roscommon Hospice. This charity was chosen to reflect Mrs Byrnes status as a cancer survivor. Dr Byrne said her client has proposed that a plaque or bench be erected in Swinford or Bohola in memory of his friend and is open to any suggestions from the Byrne family should they wish to be involved. Judge Eoin Garavan said it was a tragic event for a lot of people involved". This was a malevolent and sinister campaign adopted by Mr Rowland and I suspect others, the judge commented. He said the full extent of campaign cannot rest solely with Mr Rowland", adding that the Byrne family were psychologically tortured by the harassment. He noted that Rowland has accepted responsibility for his actions and is apologetic. The judge imposed an 18-month suspended prison sentence. Rowland was also ordered not to have any communication with Mr and Mrs Byrne and not to come within 500 metres of them or their home for a period of 10 years. Its sad that the memory of Joe Deacy was caught up with this case, the judge concluded. Reading, PA (19601) Today A few evening snow showers and flurries, mostly in the Poconos; otherwise, partly cloudy, cold, and brisk overnight. Wind chills in the teens. . Tonight A few evening snow showers and flurries, mostly in the Poconos; otherwise, partly cloudy, cold, and brisk overnight. Wind chills in the teens. Allentown, PA (18103) Today A few evening snow showers and flurries, mostly in the Poconos; otherwise, partly cloudy, cold, and brisk overnight. Wind chills in the teens. . Tonight A few evening snow showers and flurries, mostly in the Poconos; otherwise, partly cloudy, cold, and brisk overnight. Wind chills in the teens. 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 By Mariam Sunny (Reuters) -Medical diagnostics firm Hologic has agreed to be acquired by Blackstone and TPG in a deal valued at up to $18.3 billion, it said on Tuesday, marking one of the largest healthcare take-private transactions this year. The company, which specializes in women's health diagnostics, including breast and cervical cancer screening, has grappled with waning demand since the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as rising competition. Under the agreement, Blackstone and TPG will pay $76 apiece in cash to buy all outstanding Hologic shares, implying a premium of nearly 6% to the stock's last close. Hologic shares were up nearly 4% in early trading. They have gained 13.5% since Reuters reported last month that Blackstone and TPG revived their interest after intermittent talks between the parties over the past year. Shareholders are also eligible for a non-tradable right to receive up to $3 per share, contingent on certain global revenue goals for its breast health business in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, bringing the total potential payout to $79 per share. In May, the Financial Times reported that Hologic had rejected a $70 to $72 per share offer from the private equity firms. The offer seems "fair for all parties," BTIG analyst Ryan Zimmerman said on Tuesday, adding the deal will be generally positive for the medtech sector. "We view this as generally positive for the sector as it adds to the pool of acquirers but also will result in stronger businesses if/when they re-emerge as public assets," Zimmerman said. The deal, expected to close in the first half of 2026, includes significant minority investments from a unit of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and an affiliate of GIC, Hologic said. (Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan, Sneha S K and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Sriraj Kalluvila) The Hong Kong stock exchange is poised for a blockbuster day next week, as four stocks - including Sany Heavy Industry, China's largest construction machinery manufacturer - are set to debut, positioning the city to reclaim its status as the world's top fundraising venue this year. Among the four stocks launching on October 28, Sany Heavy Industry, already listed in Shanghai, aims to raise the highest amount, targeting up to HK$12.36 billion (US$1.59 billion) by offering 580.42 million shares in its dual-primary listing. About 10 per cent of the shares will be allocated for the Hong Kong public offering, with the remainder designated for the international tranche. 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. Meanwhile, connectivity and data transmission device provider CIG Shanghai seeks HK$4.62 billion, while artificial-intelligence application solutions provider Deepexi Technology aims for HK$710 million. Bama Tea, a premium tea seller, has set its sights on HK$450 million. Retail investors can begin placing orders for all four stocks on Monday. The subscription window is expected to close on Thursday. A crane loads a Sany digger onto a cargo ship at a port in Yantai in east China's Shandong province. Photo: Feature China/Future Publishing via Getty Images alt=A crane loads a Sany digger onto a cargo ship at a port in Yantai in east China's Shandong province. Photo: Feature China/Future Publishing via Getty Images> Sany's share price is currently set between HK$20.30 and HK$21.30, with the final price to be determined on Friday, according to its Hong Kong stock exchange filing. Its Shanghai-traded stock closed largely unchanged at 22.49 yuan on Monday. The company could issue up to 87.06 million additional shares in its Hong Kong offering under an overallotment option, which could increase to 100.12 million shares if the offer size adjustment option is fully exercised. Sany produces a wide range of machinery, including excavators, concrete equipment, hoisting and piling machines, and road construction equipment. Its products are sold globally, with overseas sales contributing over 62 per cent of total revenue last year. The company has said uncertainty and weakness in the macroeconomic environment could affect its operations. It considers China its most critical market, and its business performance and future growth are closely tied to the domestic real estate sector. How cashew nut shells could help Africa make vaccines Waste to wonder: Chemists and scientists are engineering a next-generation vaccine from a surprising and humble source. As the US pulls the funding rug out from under African countries fighting infectious diseases, it is more necessary than ever for Africa to make its own medicine. Health inequity began long before 2025 and it is more critical now that innovation for accessible healthcare be home-grown. An unexpected opportunity emanating from this public health crisis comes in the form of the shell of the humble cashew nut, which is widely farmed across Africa. Cashew nut shells are also waste products, so their use for various industrial and medical applications does not compete with any other applications. How it works This C-shaped nut and the oil extracted from its discarded shell can easily be converted into hydrogenated cardanol. A few simple synthetic steps are then followed to make ionisable lipids, which can be custom-designed and assembled as lipid nanoparticles to carry encapsulated messenger RNA (mRNA) in a vaccine, triggering an immune response. This magic trick can be decoded as follows: Instead of giving your body part of a virus, as was done traditionally, you get a small piece of genetic code (mRNA), wrapped up in a protective bubble (in this case, the lipid nanoparticle made from cashew nutshell oil). This then instructs your cells to produce a harmless piece of the virus or an antigen so that the immune system recognises the protein as foreign and mounts an immune response. The protein is only briefly produced by your own cells. It is a temporary instruction sheet. If the actual virus ever shows up, the immune system is trained to defeat it. Why mRNA vaccines matter These mRNA vaccines can be produced more quickly than traditional vaccines because it is cell-free and a large number of doses can be manufactured in small facilities. This is a game-changer for Africa, making it possible for the African Union to achieve its target of producing 60% of the continents vaccines regionally by 2040. Currently, Africa produces only 1% of the vaccines it uses and even then, this is still under a foreign patent for which the continent pays enormous licensing fees. Professor Patrick Arbuthnot, Director of the South African Medical Research Councils Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit (AGTRU) at Wits, says that the pandemic highlighted the need for scalable vaccine platforms, particularly in South Africa. Arbuthnot and his team quickly pivoted their gene therapy research to prioritise mRNA vaccine discovery. Turning waste into medical gold Together with the Wits School of Chemistry, the AGTRU secured a R7-million grant to develop vaccine-enabling compounds derived from cashew nutshell liquid. Traditional vaccine production is an arduous and time-consuming process. We have discovered that our lipids can be made at a fraction of the price and are as effective as the lipid molecules gold standard [SM102] used by Moderna in their Covid-19 vaccines, explains Dr Robin Klintworth, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Wits School of Chemistry. According to Professor Charles de Koning, the Head of the Wits School of Chemistry, We see that these lipids can indeed deliver delicate genetic material safely and flexibly. Cashew nutshell oil-derived lipids are made in a more sustainable manner than petrochemical-based lipids currently on the market [such as the SM102] and used in mRNA vaccines. Indeed, some of our ionisable lipids have induced a similar immune response to the Moderna lipid SM102. Previously, de Koning and his team of chemists previously found a way to turn the same chemical building block derived from cashew nut shells hydrogenated cardanol into a class of compounds known as triazines that filter harmful UV rays from the sun. This could be a potential ingredient in sunscreen products. mRNAs expanding frontier The beauty of this discovery is that it is flexible the team can alter the mRNA code to tackle other viruses, says Arbuthnot. This is where Dr Kristie Bloom from the AGTRU weighs in. This next-generation vaccine team leader is using mRNA technology to create a prophylactic (disease-preventing) vaccine in the fight against tuberculosis (TB). It seems that the pursuit of these next-generation mRNA vaccines, which were previously seen as the poor cousins of vaccinology, may activate the T-cells needed to fight TB. We have two TB prophylactic candidates currently in advanced discovery and product development stages, she says. While the BCG vaccine is administered to infants as a preventative measure against TB, protection decreases in adolescence. TB incidence, therefore, remains endemic in South Africa, with TB deaths remaining high. The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that TB has catastrophic costs for affected households. The WHOs End TB strategy is a blueprint for countries to achieve 80% fewer new cases of TB, 90% fewer deaths and to eliminate the suffering of TB-affected households by 2030. Towards a health-equitable future A new TB vaccine is urgent and necessary but has been elusive until now. The discovery of the discarded cashew nutshell oil and its transformation into ionisable lipids as an important part of the mRNA vaccine delivery system is one of the ways we can strengthen the continents future pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. This will enhance the continents vaccine sovereignty and ultimately, health security and equity, says Arbuthnot. South African and Swedish research foundations award over R25 million in grants Wits to co-lead Communications Work Package of South Africa Sweden University Forum+ phase. The South African National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) have awarded research grants to the South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF). SASUF is a partnership between 25 South African universities, including Wits University, and 12 Swedish universities to co-create solutions to todays challenges. The NRF awarded 3,5 million SEK (over R6 million) and STINT, 10 million SEK (over R18 million). A total of 13.5 million SEK (R25 million) in new funding will kick of the SASUF+ phase. The funding decisions were announced in June and launched on 22 September 2025. About SASUF+ The SASUF+ phase builds on a strong foundation of strategic collaboration between 37 South African and Swedish partner universities. The SASUF+ phase focuses on deepening collaborative partnerships, promoting joint innovation, and addressing societal challenges through a glocal approach that considers both global and local conditions. The SASUF+ phase began in August 2025 and runs until August 2028. This phase will advance interdisciplinary research into four key thematic areas: Sustainable Health Green Transition Migration and Urbanisation Democracy, Social Justice, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems The themes will play a key role in the new Work Packages (WP) throughout the SASUF+ phase: WP 1: Academia, Industry, Society Dialogues for Impact WP 2: SASUF+ Beyond Borders WP 3: Students as Gamechangers WP 4: Science and Education Policy From Policy to Action WP 5: Communication and Dissemination WP 6: Coordination Wits University and Mangosuthu University of Technology lead SASUF+ WP 5. Professor Aletta Millen, Assistant Dean: Research in the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences and Ms Mbali Mkhize, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at the Mangosuthu University of Technology, are the coordinators of WP 5. This Work Package will ensure the establishment of a comprehensive communication plan to determine target audiences, key messaging, and communication channels such as online platforms, social media, academic publications, and events. The plan will guide the outreach during SASUF+ and enable efficient dissemination of results, increase visibility, and enhance stakeholder engagement. Speaking at the launch in September, Millen indicated that WP 5 would focus on articulating impact, engaging stakeholders, and enhancing SASUFs visibility. Millen said that although Wits and Mangosuthu University coordinate WP 5, its ownership by all WPs is a guiding principle to ensure strategic alignment, transparency, clarity and agility throughout SASUF+. She said that WP 5 would adopt a "digital first" approach to communications channels that target academics, government departments (to influence policy), diplomatic bodies, industry and external partners, and the public, respectively. Johnson says Dems have had plenty of time to end shutdown; Baldwin says GOP is refusing to negotiate (Reuters) -China's economic growth slowed to the weakest pace in a year in the third quarter, matching expectations, as a prolonged property slump and trade tensions hurt demand, keeping pressure on policymakers to roll out more stimulus to shore up momentum. Data on Monday showed gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.8% in July-September, slowing from 5.2% in the second quarter and in line with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise of 4.8%. KEY POINTS * Q3 GDP +4.8% y/y (f'cast +4.8%, Q2 +5.2%) * Q3 GDP +1.1% q/q s/adj (f'cast +0.8%, Q2 +1.0% revised) * September industrial output +6.5% y/y (f'cast +5.0%, August +5.2%) * September retail sales +3.0% y/y (forecast +3.0%, August +3.4%) * January-September fixed asset investment -0.5% y/y (forecast +0.1%, January-August +0.5%) * January-September property investment -13.9% y/y (January-August -12.9%) COMMENTARY ALEX LOO, FX AND MACRO STRATEGIST, TD SECURITIES, SINGAPORE: "It is likely that Beijing will meet its growth target for 2025 of 'around 5%'. The impressive growth record year-to-date suggests little need for more fiscal stimulus at this juncture and Beijing would probably take a hard-line stance in pressing the U.S. to roll back its technology curbs in any potential trade deal. As the Fourth Plenum is underway, we expect USD/CNY to stay in a tight range as the People's Bank of China (PBOC) ensures volatility is kept at a minimum during these big political events." TONY SYCAMORE, ANALYST AT IG, SYDNEY: "Given everything that's going on... my initial read is it's a decent number. "I don't expect there will be any broad-based stimulus measures. I know we've got the 4th plenum and I don't expect there to be anything too significant. From now, we are going to continue to see targeted additional fiscal stimulus. There's probably an idea that the quarter-three GDP number will be the low point in this cycle and that they can try with that additional targeted stimulus. You know the anti-involution, all the rest of those measures to potentially get the Chinese economy back on a firmer footing into year-end." LI HAO, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, CYPRESS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, BEIJING: "Third-quarter GDP growth was in line with expectations. At this stage, achieving the full-year growth target of 5% doesn't appear too difficult, assuming no major geopolitical or macroeconomic shocks. While short-term policy support may not exceed expectations, medium- to long-term efforts to stimulate domestic demand must continue. The project involves several components, including developing the Ratawi oil field, constructing a 1GW solar farm, and building a seawater treatment plant. The first phase of the oil project aims for 120,000 b/d production by early 2026, while the solar component is expected to start delivering power by the end of 2025. Iraqs energy sector is currently going through a renaissance. The Kurdistan Region has exported ~2.5 million barrels of crude since flows resumed on September 27, two-and-a-half years since they were suspended. Exports came to a halt in early 2023 after the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ruled that Turkey had violated a 1973 treaty by buying Kurdish crude without Iraqs consent. Meanwhile, French oil and gas multinational, TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE), has started the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), a multi-energy initiative in Iraq valued at $27 billion, after reaching an agreement with the government of Iraq in 2024 to start the long-delayed energy project . "Delivering KM250 ahead of schedule marks a significant achievement for Crescent Petroleum, Dana Gas, and our Pearl Consortium partners. This accomplishment highlights our ongoing dedication to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, demonstrates our capacity to unlock its vast energy resources, and reinforces our commitment to generating jobs, enhancing local services, and providing cleaner, more reliable energy for the Region and the Country," said Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum. Located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), the project will bolster power generation and industrial growth across the KRI, underpinning the Kurdistan Regional Governments initiative to deliver 24-hour electricity, while boosting power supply to other regions of Iraq. The $1.1 billion project was listed on the Nordic Alternative Bond Market and backed by financing from the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Bank of Sharjah, as well as proceeds from Pearl Petroleum's $350 million senior secured bonds. Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas own 35% stake apiece in the Khor Mor gas field. Iraqs Khor Mor gas field , the countrys largest non-associated gas field, is set to increase output by 50% to 750 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) after the fields key stakeholders, Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas, delivered project KM250 eight months ahead of schedule. KM250 will also produce 7,000 barrels of condensate per day and 460 tonnes per day of LPG, supplementing the current production of 15,200 bbl/d of condensate and 1,070 t/d of LPG. Story Continues Total first signed a deal with the Iraqi government in 2021 that would see the company build four oil, gas and renewables projects in southern Iraq over 25 years with an initial investment of $10 billion. Unfortunately, the giant project was shelved amid disputes and squabbling between Iraqi politicians over the terms of the deal. However, Iraq finally agreed to a smaller 30% stake in the project, setting in motion a deal that could lure foreign investment back into the country. After years of instability, Iraq has been enjoying a period of relative stability, increasing the chances of foreign investors returning to the country. "The government of Iraq confirmed the whole contract, no modification at all ... so that was for me more than good news," Total Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne told Reuters. Meanwhile, British Oil & Gas giant BP Plc (NYSE:BP) is set to begin the development of Iraq's Kirkuk oil and gas fields after finalizing a contract in March 2025. According to Iraqi officials, Kirkuk oil fields are currently producing 245,000 barrels of crude per day. The Kirkuk Field is one of the world's largest onshore oil fields, discovered in 1927, with an estimated recoverable oil of 10,000 million barrels. It is operated by the North Oil Company. Iraq is OPECs second largest producer after Saudi Arabia. Iraq's economy relies heavily on crude oil exports, with crude accounting for more than 90 percent of the country's revenues. Oil prices have come under pressure, dipping to a five-month low after U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up U.S.-China trade tensions, while the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted a supply surplus in 2026. However, commodity analysts at Standard Chartered view the overly bearish sentiment as largely unwarranted, saying compensatory production cuts by Iraq and Kazakhstan will be enough to counter the ongoing unwinding cuts program by OPEC+. The markets largely reacted positively after the eight producers that make up OPEC+ met virtually on 5th October, and with little fanfare announced 137kb/d more barrels to be added to the market in November. As expected, OPEC+ outlined the proposed compensation cuts for overproduced volumes by six members, led by Iraq, which has proposed an immediate 130 kb/d adjustment from August 2025 through January 2026, before slowing to 122 kb/d in June 2026. Commodity analysts at Standard Chartered have noted that Iraq will do most of the heavy lifting in OPEC+s latest round of unwinding, with the countrys cuts alone nearly enough to neutralize the increase by the rest of the members. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oilprice Intelligence brings you the signals before they become front-page news. This is the same expert analysis read by veteran traders and political advisors. Get it free, twice a week, and you'll always know why the market is moving before everyone else. You get the geopolitical intelligence, the hidden inventory data, and the market whispers that move billions - and we'll send you $389 in premium energy intelligence, on us, just for subscribing. Join 400,000+ readers today. Get access immediately by clicking here. French luxury goods company Kering said Sunday it is selling its beauty division to LOreal for 4 billion euros ($4.66 billion). Under the agreement, Clichy, France-based LOreal will acquire the House of Creed high-end fragrance company as well as licenses to create beauty and fragrance products for Kering brands like Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga. The companies said they will establish a strategic committee to ensure coordination between Kering brands and LOreal. Kering and LOreal said they are also exploring joint business opportunities in the wellness and longevity market, combining LOreals innovation with Kerings deep understanding of luxury clients. The deal has some precedence. LOreal acquired the beauty license for Kerings Yves Saint Laurent brand in 2008. Luca de Meo, CEO of Paris-based Kering, said the deal combines LOreals expertise with Kerings luxury reach. Joining forces with the global leader in beauty, we will accelerate the development of fragrance and cosmetics for our major houses, allowing them to achieve scale in this category and unlock their immense long-term potential, as did Yves Saint Laurent Beaute under LOreals stewardship, de Meo said in a statement. Nicolas Hieronimus, the CEO of LOreal Groupe, said Creed is one of the fastest growing players in the niche fragrance market, while Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga are exceptional couture brands with enormous potential for growth. The all-cash deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026. LOreal will also pay royalties to Kering for the use of its licensed brands. The CP's Jeannette Jara, presidential candidate of the Unidad por Chile coalition [Photo: PCCh] In Chiles 2025 presidential race Jeannette Jara, a member of the Communist Party (PCCh) and presidential candidate for the alliance Unidad por Chile (Unity for Chile), is leading in the polls. Novembers election raises the possibility that for the first time in its 103-year history, the Chilean CP will head the executive committee of Chiles ruling oligarchy. Unidad por Chile is a right-wing alliance which includes the pro-1973 coup Christian Democrats, President Gabriel Borics Broad Front, the capitalist Socialist, Radical, Liberal and Humanist parties and some pseudo-left groups. It will continue and deepen the program of pro-market fiscal austerity and police state authoritarianism that has characterized the incumbent coalition Apruebo Dignidad (I Support Dignity). Borics Minister of Labor until April of this year, Jaras signature reforms have had more in common with the International Monetary Funds structural adjustments than any measures to ameliorate social conditions. Long live the individual capitalization system, Jose Pinera exclaimed after Jaras pension reform was passed with overwhelming congressional support last March. Pinera, who served as Minister of Labor for Gen. Augusto Pinochet in the 1980s, was the architect of the privatized pension system, regressive labor laws and other deeply anti-social and anti-working class measures entrenching extreme social inequality. In his magazine, Economia y Sociedad, Pinera highlighted the new laws expansion of the private savings model by 60 percent, consolidating its validity indefinitely and generating an enormous positive impact on capital markets. Pinera is celebrating that the forced private savings of millions of workers in the Pension Fund Associations (AFPs), an amount approximating 70 percent of GDP, was intensified with the reform, further engorging the parasitic Chilean oligarchs and international capital. The Jara alliance will also seek to ingratiate itself with Washington, further integrate Chiles armed forces with the Pentagons Southern Command, and support the NATO military alliance. She will closely follow in the footsteps of Boric who over the last three years attacked Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua as authoritarian to ingratiate himself with US imperialism, which is itself lurching towards dictatorship with Donald Trumps Nazification of the American state. To not offend the current occupant of the White House, Jaras supporters in the liberal and fake left press and the trade union bureaucracies, along with her allied pundits on social media have all muted their pro-forma calls for unity of the left against fascism employed in every general election since 2017, when the Republican Jose Antonio Kast, Jaras leading rival, first ran for president. For several months now, they have steered away from this cynical campaign. This is not because Kast has stopped presenting an immense danger to the working class and the broad mass of the population. He has promised, if elected, to mimic Trump and Milei and rule by emergency decree, place the military on the streets, expel en masse undocumented migrants and refugees, impose sweeping attacks on the working class and cut the taxes for the rich and the corporations. However, it is critical to understand that most of these measures have already been initiated by Boric. It remains to be seen if the Trump administration, which is threatening war against Venezuela and Latin America as a whole, will work with a Communist. But like Boric, who became President Joe Bidens attack dog within South America, speaking at all the international forums on behalf of American foreign policy, Jara will try her hardest to please. Jaras supporters are dutifully toeing the official line of Unidad por Chile, attacking Kast from the right. The present political and electoral thrust of Jaras campaign is to claim that Kast is fiscally irresponsible and untrustworthy because he refuses to detail how he will cut US$6 billion from public spending. Jara, however, has a proven track record of securing business needs. Last July Jacobin America Latina published a glowing appraisal of Jaras patently right-wing political CV and electoral campaign. Written by Karina Nohales and Javiera Manzi, activists of the 8M Feminist Coordination of Chile, it expressed boundless enthusiasm for Jaras extensive political career. In her role as Minister of Labor, Jara epitomized effective government management During the campaign, her constant refrain was to highlight precisely this management capacity, particularly her ability to engage with the business community and the opposition, key players in the negotiation of (her) reforms, they wrote gushingly. They claimed that she was not the favored candidate of the Communist Party but then this distance has ended up strengthening rather than weakening the reach of her campaign. They then quote Jara: I do not want Chile to be subordinated to foreign governments or external models. That is why I will maintain an international policy based on independence and multilateralism, defending human rights wherever they are violated in the world. Jaras claim of Chiles supposed independence is belied by the countrys historythe Communist Party, her party, accounted for up to 16 percent of the thousands killed and disappeared and 21 percent of the tens of thousands detained and tortured by the US-backed 17-year military dictatorship. She repeated the same defending human rights argument Boric used to denounce countries historically oppressed by American imperialism. The Feminist authors speak for a well-heeled milieu obsessed with identity politics, positions and privilege. The Apruebo Dignidad government was a blessing for a whole layer of academics, professionals, trade union bureaucrats and Feminist and LGBTQ+ careerists who were able to enter the corridors of political power. The actual job Apruebo Dignidad was tasked with was saving capitalism from a profound crisis of rule because of explosive strikes and demonstrations that erupted in October 2019, when long-standing and deep-seated opposition to capitalism, the state and the civilian political caste brought millions to the streets of Santiago, Valparaiso, Concepcion, Antofagasta and every other regional city. The mass uprisings three general strikes and the largest demonstrations in the countrys history were also in defiance of President Sebastian Pineras imposition of a state of emergency that left 36 dead, hundreds mutilated and thousands detained and tortured in the ensuing mass sweeps. The ruling class relied heavily upon the corporatist trade unions, the Stalinist Communist Party and the Broad Front to disorient and divert anti-capitalist sentiment behind appeals to replace the authoritarian constitution, the promotion of the parliamentary process and of change through the ballot. The Revolutionary Workers Party (PTR) and the International Workers Movement (MIT), and other Morenoite organizations who profess to be Trotskyist, also lent their efforts to smothering anti-capitalist opposition. Their specific technique for subordinating radicalized youth and workers to parliamentarism was to make cynical demands on the official left and trade union leaders, knowing full well that these ossified bureaucracies avoid, like the plague, anything that requires struggle, let alone against capitalism. In 2021, Boric, the ex-student radical, became Chiles president in runoff elections, garnering 55.8 percent of the vote in a historic turnout of workers, students and youth. In the lead up to the election, all the so-called left parties cultivated enormous expectations in Apruebo Dignidad which was promising to bury neoliberalism, reform the murderous military police and replace the Juntas charter with the most progressive constitution in the world. The left also placed immense pressure on the working class and youth to vote for Boric as the only way to stop Kast, the fascist, from winning. In opposition to the euphoria over the pseudo-lefts election victories, this website noted that Boric had already shifted the axis of his platform to the right during the campaign, picking up talking points on security and other issues from the playbook of his fascistic opponent. The WSWS warned that, sooner rather later, Boric would work to immobilize the struggles of the working class straitjacket any movement against capitalism and at a certain point unleash state repression. Not only state repression, but the scaffolding of a police state dictatorship began to take shape. The pseudo-left governments massive infusion of funds to the state apparatus and a whole gamut of repressive laws: the usurpation law, the Nain-Retamal (trigger happy) law, the law bringing together the various intelligence apparatuses and broadening their spying powers, a revamped Anti-Terrorist law, measures that retroactively protect state agents for the use of lethal forceare unprecedented since the return to civilian rule. Authoritarianism is required to entrench the accumulation of wealth at one pole (and) at the same time accumulation of misery, agony of toil, slavery, ignorance, brutality, mental degradation, at the opposite pole, i.e., on the side of the class that produces its own product in the form of capital, borrowing the words of Marx. In 2025, the net worth of the Luksic-Fontbona family (metals, mining, banking, shipping) is estimated at US$44billion placing it in the top 50 of Bloombergs rich list; the late President Sebastian Pinera and familys net worth is US$2.9billion; the late Horst Paulmann and family (retail) a net worth US$5.5billion; Yarur Rey (banking) a net worth US$1.3billion; Julio Ponce Lerou, Gen. Pinochets son-in-law (chemicals, mining) a net worth US$2.3billion; and the Angelinis (forestry, mining) a net worth US$3.5billion. The combined wealth of these five billionaire families amounts to US$59.9billion. This is equivalent to 16.7 percent of Chiles GDP which is projected in 2025 to reach US$362billion. Defending and expanding this extreme concentration of obscene wealth is the real legacy of Apruebo Dignidad. If she wins the presidential elections, Jara will continue this legacy. Chiles Communist Party, from treacherous Stalinist to outright bourgeois party While Borics Broad Front alliance is increasingly a spent forcehis approval rating hovers below 30 percentthere is a demonstrable popular groundswell around Jara. Or more precisely, there is a significant turn to the left by the working class and the youth despite a reactionary, law-and-order and xenophobic political climate that Apruebo Dignidad has played a large part in creating and despite Jaras pro-business campaign. Support for Jara and a leftward shift is explained by the immense expectations and illusions that have been created almost by default: Jaras association with the nominal Communist Party and the thousand and one myths surrounding the 1970-1973 Popular Unity government of which it formed a key part. The tragedy of the Communist Party is that very early it severed any connection to Luis Emilio Recabarren who was inspired by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and the Russian Revolution to build the Chilean section of the Comintern in 1922. By the 1930s, the Party was completely under the influence of Stalinism and its program of Socialism in One Country, and like all other Comintern sections, became a subservient appendage to the Kremlin bureaucracy and its foreign policy objectives. The Chilean party adopted Stalins two-stage theory of revolution, which at its heart subordinated the working class to the so-called progressive capitalists who would ostensibly overthrow the landed oligarchs and the yoke of imperialism, realizing the tasks of the bourgeois democratic revolution. They also adopted Stalins Popular Front, which argued that the threat of fascism necessitated the Communist Party forming a front with progressive capitalist forces and launching a war to defend bourgeois democratic rule. The Communist Party remained wedded to these theories for four decades, promoting a national exceptionalist myth that Chiles bourgeoise had democratic traditions and adhered to constitutional norms. It rejected any need for revolutionary struggle in favor of the parliamentary road to socialism. These were not mistaken ideas of misguided individuals, but the outlook of an organization that had abandoned the struggle for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and that had been transformed, like Stalinism in every country, into a counterrevolutionary agency of capitalism within the workers movement. This is precisely the role it played when the Chilean working class and youth joined the international revolutionary upsurge of the masses caused by the global capitalist crisis in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. Strikes, occupations and land seizures broke out across the country, posing the question of which class would control the means of production. The Popular Unity governmentthe Communist and Socialist parties, the trade union bureaucracies, the Christian Left, MAPU and the Revolutionary Left Movementwhich came to power in October 1970 on the back of radicalized masses, was, in fact, hostile to developing a revolutionary socialist strategy within the working class. Popular Unity feared more the independent revolutionary activity of the workers than the threat of a military coup. It demonstrated its commitment to the Chilean capitalist state by mobilizing the military and the police to smash the Cordones Industriales, rank-and-file action and defense committees formed to fight employers lockouts, fascist violence and the preparation for another military coup after the failed Tanquetazo attempt of June 1973. Right to the last, President Salvador Allende placed his faith in the capitalist state and the forces of repression, bringing the military brass into his government where they used their positions to launch their coup, unleashing a nightmare lasting more than a decade and a half. Jara personifies the transformation of the PCCh into an openly bourgeois party which took place more than three decades ago, when the Moscow Stalinists dissolved the USSR, plunging the masses into poverty and making oligarchic owners out of the former directors and managers of the privatized state-owned industries. The critical question confronting the Chilean working class and youth is that of revolutionary leadership. A new party must be built based upon the genuine program of revolutionary international socialism fought for by the International Committee of the Fourth International founded by Leon Trotsky. Only this international party has defended the political continuity of Marxism through its implacable fight against Stalinism, Social Democracy, Pabloite revisionism and every other form of nationalist anti-Marxism. As the working class enters new decisive struggles, amid the rise of fascism, the danger of dictatorship and threat of war in the region, it will come into direct conflict with the Communist Party, among Chilean capitalisms oldest and most astute defenders. Workers and youth must learn the lessons of the bitter betrayals and defeats the Stalinists inflicted on the working class in Chile and internationally if it is to be victorious. Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) is one of the best defense stocks in Goldman Sachs portfolio. The companys revenue exposure is diversified across several end-markets, and it benefits from steady demand for systems solutions, IT, cyber, and logistics support from both defense and civil agencies. On October 8, Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) announced the expansion of its two-decade-long partnership with Kazaeronavigatsia, the countrys air navigation service provider, through a long-term contract to modernize the nations air traffic control infrastructure. This contract includes work at four control centers and 21 towers across the country. While the company didnt disclose the monetary value of the contract, it is well-positioned to benefit from the significant growth projected for air traffic volume in Kazakhstan in the coming years. Is Leidos Holdings (LDOS) the Best Defense Stock to Buy from Goldman Sachs' Portfolio? Burben/Shutterstock.com Separately, on September 30, 2025, Truist Securities analyst Tobey Sommer raised the price target on Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) to $195 from $188 and reiterated a Buy rating ahead of the companys third-quarter results on November 4. As part of this, Truist also previewed the Q3 results for other Government Services companies. The analyst noted that this group of companies may face near-term volatility due to weaker book-to-bill ratios (B2Bs), a potential government shutdown (which has already occurred as of the time of writing this article), and delays in reaching a resolution on federal budgets. However, he believes these factors could create a good buying opportunity for long-term investors. Sommer expects order growth and new contract awards to increase in the first half of 2026, with stronger organic growth anticipated between late 2026 and early 2027. Despite short-term political uncertainty, analysts at Truist remain positive on the medium-term outlook, citing an improving funding environment as opportunities under the Overseas Base Budget and Budget Activity (OBBBA) are rolled out. Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) is a U.S. government technology and defense contractor. The company focuses on digital modernization, cybersecurity, logistics, and defense and mission systems for federal agencies, the military, and intelligence clients. While we acknowledge the potential of LDOS 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. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech in Bogota, Colombia, July 16, 2024. [AP Photo/Fernando Vergara] In a major expansion of imperialist warmongering throughout the Caribbean region, US President Donald Trump denounced the president of Colombia as a narcotics trafficker and imposed major economic penalties on the country. Trump said on Truth Social Saturday: President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia. It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America. With his typical gangster vulgarity, Trump said that Petro was a lunatic with a fresh mouth toward America, adding that he better close up drug operations in Colombia or the United States will close them up for him, and it wont be done nicely. Only a few days before, Trump told a press briefing that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro understood that he doesnt want to fuck around with the United States. Petro replied Sunday on X, denouncing what he described as an act of murder. Mr. Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the USA; on the contrary, it has greatly admired its culture. But you are rude and ignorant toward Colombia. He added, Trying to promote peace in Colombia is not being a drug trafficker. He continued, I dont do business like you doI am a socialist. I believe in solidarity, the common good, and the shared resources of humanity, the greatest of all: life, now endangered by your oil. If Im not a businessman, then I am even less a drug trafficker. There is no greed in my heart. Colombian President Gustavo Petro receives US congresswomen Nydia Velasquez (left) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right) at the Casa Narino, Bogota, Colombia, August 21 [Photo: Presidencia de Colombia] Petro is not a socialist but a bourgeois nationalist, part of the Pink Tide of left-talking Latin American politicians who have promised economic and social reforms but have failed to deliver because they remain within the framework of a global capitalism system dominated by the imperialist powers. The social media exchanges between Washington and Bogota were sparked by two US military strikes last week in the southern Caribbean. The first destroyed what the Trump administration claimed was a drug-smuggling submarine, leaving only two survivors, one from Colombia and the other from Ecuador. The second strike killed three people Friday. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed the boat was operated by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group in Colombia, which opposes the Petro government. Petro condemned the second strike, saying the boat belonged to a humble family of fishermen, not to the ELN. All told, the Pentagon has conducted seven military strikes at small boats in the southern Caribbean, killing at least 32 people, since Trump announced that he was declaring war on drug cartels. The drone missile attacks initially hit fishing vessels from Venezuela, whose President Maduro is the target of a CIA regime-change operation that Trump made public last week. But the victims of the missile strikes now include Trinidadians returning to that island nation after working in Venezuela and at least two boats from Colombia. The measures ordered by Trump include an immediate halt in military and economic aid to Colombia, which came to $210 million in the fiscal year that ended September 30. The US is by far the largest backer of Colombias military, providing billions of dollars in aid in recent years, in the name of fighting drug trafficking, suppressing leftist guerrilla movements and, more recently, blocking the transit of immigrants seeking to reach the United States. Trump also ordered a sharp increase in tariffs on Colombian exports into the United States. According to the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce, the US accounts for 35 percent of Colombias exports, and the country is the one of the few in South America that trades more with the US than with China. Moreover, 70 percent of Colombian imports from the US involved products for which there is no domestic source. Colombia already has a $338 million trade deficit with the US for the first six months of 2025. The war of words has already become economic warfare and could erupt into military violence. Press reports indicate that the Pentagon has been restoring and rebuilding Roosevelt Roads, a huge but abandoned US naval base in Puerto Rico, with hundreds of Air Force personnel deployed to repair runways and restore the control tower. According to the Economist, the old base is being revived as a staging ground for US military operations in the Caribbean: A naval flotilla now sits off the coast of Venezuela, boasting three destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser, an attack submarine and amphibious assault ships. F-35 fighter jets, MQ-9 Reaper drones and a handful of advanced spy-planes have also deployed to nearby air bases Curbing the [drug] trade was previously a matter of law-enforcement. Now Mr Trump is throwing the armed forces at it, and riding roughshod over the law The next stages depend on whether American strikes stay limited to picking off boats in international waters, or move to juicier targets deep inside Latin American soil. The Pentagon is reportedly drawing up strike options on potential targets, such as drug labs and gang leaders, inside Venezuela. The US fleet now includes a helicopter carrier, three destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser, a nuclear-powered attack submarine and an amphibious assault ship with a Special Forces unit on board, with a squadron of F35 stealth fighter jets flying cover. Legal and diplomatic experts have criticized the US military incineration of small boats in international waters as violations of international law, more akin to piracy than law enforcement. In that context, the Trump administrations decision to repatriate the two survivors of the so-called drug submarine, to Colombia and Ecuador, rather than bring them to the United States for trial, is revealing. Trump and his fascist inner circle never tire of boasting of the great success of this one-sided warfare of multimillion-dollar missiles against small fishing boats, with Trump even claiming that every strike saves 50,000 lives by destroying large quantities of illegal drugs that would otherwise enter the United States. But the administration has provided zero evidence of these claimsnot an ounce of drugsand now, with the opportunity to parade supposed drug smugglers before television cameras, they have instead chosen to return the survivors of last weeks attack to their home countries. Clearly they wished to avoid the legal complications that would be involved if the survivors were put on trial, including both the lack of evidence and their status as victims of violent kidnapping by the US military. A military color guard arrives during an event with Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to mark the upcoming Marine Corps' 250th anniversary Saturday, Oct 18, 2025, on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Camp Pendleton, Calif. [AP Photo/Gregory Bull] On Saturday, as millions across the United States joined the No Kings demonstrations, the Trump administration staged a chilling display of militarism and intimidation at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. Under the pretext of commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps, Trumps political enforcers organized an immense warlike spectacle involving live-fire artillery, amphibious landings and low-flying aircraft. The deliberate timing of this display, coinciding with the eruption of nationwide anti-authoritarian protests, exposes its real purpose. It was a political demonstration of force, staged to threaten the population. The exercise, which temporarily shut down a 17-mile stretch of Interstate 5 between San Diego and Los Angeles, brought one of the nations most vital transportation corridors to a standstill. Under orders from California Governor Gavin Newsom, the state closed the freeway citing safety grounds as Marines fired 155-millimeter howitzers over the road. Thousands of civilians were stranded for hours, and commercial traffic was paralyzed. The use of live ordnance so close to a public highway underscored the recklessnessand the unmistakable political characterof the event. Vice President JD Vance presided over the Camp Pendleton event, delivering a political address disguised as patriotic celebration. He glorified the warrior spirit of the Marines, denounced partisan politics and diversity quotas in the armed forces and blamed congressional Democrats for threatening soldiers pay by stalling government funding. Vances critique of partisan politics was in fact a call for unquestioning obedience: any dissent, any acknowledgment of civilian oversight or any insistence that the military remain under democratic control was implicitly condemned, subordinating the armed forces to the ambitions of a would-be dictator. Vice President JD Vance, right, participates in a briefing during an amphibious capabilities demonstration on Red Beach at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, as part of the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary celebrations. [AP Photo/Oliver Contreras/Pool] Secretary of War Pete Hegseths remarks removed any pretense that the event was a holiday commemoration. His language was nakedly militaristic, saturated with the ethos of violence and domination that characterizes the Trump administrations drive toward dictatorship. Your strength is in your unity of purpose, he declared. Its in your shared mission. Its in your oath to the Constitution, the same Constitution the Trump administration is trampling. You see, you are set apart. Youre not civilians. Youre devil dogs, leathernecks, United States Marines. In language indistinguishable from fascist propaganda, Hegseth glorified killing and destruction: You are set apart for a distinct purpose. You kill bad guys and break things for a living. You close with and destroy the enemy for a living. The Marine Corps public relations department described the event as a routine training exercise, though its scale1,300 Marines, 4,000 sailors and the use of amphibious craft, howitzers and aircraftwas anything but routine. The location was Red Beach, the site of training for amphibious landings since World War II. According to state officials, California authorities were informed of the overflight of live munitions near Interstate 5 less than 48 hours before the event. The Pentagon claim that this exercise was safe was quickly exposed as a lie. Shrapnel from one of the live rounds reportedly struck a California Highway Patrol (CHP) vehicle in Vances motorcade, narrowly avoiding a disaster that could have killed or injured civilians, exposing both the recklessness of the operation and the utter contempt of the ruling elite for public safety. Governor Newsoms criticisms, widely covered by the media, were not to the militarization itself but to what he called a lack of coordination between federal and state authorities. Anything we can do to celebrate our vets, to celebrate our heroes, Im all for, Newsom stated. Lets just do it in coordination and collaboration with state and local leaders. That continues to be a struggle with this administration. He further elaborated in a message posted to X on Sunday after the CHP report on the incident was released: We love our Marines and owe a debt of gratitude to Camp Pendleton, but next time, the Vice President and the White House shouldnt be so reckless with peoples lives for their vanity projects. Behind this attempt to downplay the significance of the event, there is an ominous subtext. Trump, Vance and Hegseth regard the state of California as enemy territory, no different, from their perspective, than Venezuela or Cuba. The assertion of federal power over the largest US state contains more than a whiff of civil war. The timing and location were deliberate. Closing Interstate 5, a key artery between two major West Coast metropolitan regions, symbolized the militarization of everyday life and the subordination of civil society to the armed forces. Thousands of commuters became an unintended audience to the administrations message: Roads, skies and public spaces are instruments of military power. The nationwide No Kings demonstrations, occurring in hundreds of cities simultaneously, expressed mass opposition to Trumps authoritarian trajectory, including attacks on immigrants, democratic rights and social programs, like Medicare, Medicaid and WIC, as well as efforts to dismantle scientific and health institutions. That the protests coincided with an unprecedented military pageant underscores the ruling classs preparation to confront growing social opposition with force. Trumps politicized use of military spectacle has many precedents: from the July 4, 2019 Salute to America in Washington D.C., to 2020 orders deploying troops against anti-police violence protests. Since summer, he has mobilized forces in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis, signaling a broader domestic militarization. Just as violent operations targeted Chicago residents, the invocation of the Marine Corps amphibious legacy during civil unrest conveys a clear message: The armed forces are being positioned not against foreign adversaries but against the American people themselves. Viewed in the broader social context, the spectacle assumes an even graver significance. Across the United States, cities are being transformed into armed camps. National Guard units patrol neighborhoods under the pretext of maintaining order, while social programs are gutted, education and healthcare starved of funds and billions funneled into the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security. The ruling elite is not preparing for external defense but for class war against the population itself. The complicity of both capitalist parties in this process is unmistakable. Both defend the same class interests: the preservation of capitalist profit, the suppression of working class resistance and the projection of US military power abroad. Behind the patriotic pomp and martial ceremony, the ruling class is gripped by fear. Rising inequality, collapsing public services and deteriorating living standards have created explosive conditions. The No Kings demonstrations were an initial expression of this opposition, and the elites response is repression, not reform. The Camp Pendleton event was not a commemoration but a rehearsal: a live exercise in domestic military coordination involving the vice president, active-duty troops, police and state agencies. The militarization of American life marks a decisive turn. The fusion of military and civilian authoritythe use of armed forces as an instrument of internal controlhas defined every modern authoritarian regime, from the German Freikorps to the Chilean junta. The same process is now underway in the United States. The working class must draw the necessary conclusions. Defense of democratic rights cannot rely on Democrats, state officials or the military hierarchy. It requires independent, organized mobilization, uniting workers of all races and regions against capitalism and war. The Camp Pendleton display is a warning: The same forces that wage endless wars abroad are being turned inward. Only a conscious, socialist working class movement can halt the descent into dictatorship and end the system that breeds militarism and oppression. Rallies were held around Australia on Sunday to oppose the rise of the far right. Organised as counter-protests to the anti-immigrant March for Australia, they drew thousands in major cities across the country, especially young people. The first March for Australia, held on August 31, was the largest far-right mobilisation in the country in years, if not decades. The marches, centrally organised and planned by the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network (NSN), targeted immigrants and refugees as the source of all social problems. The numbers at last Sundays marches were significantly lower. In Sydney, where the first march drew around 15,000, police estimated 5,000 people attended. Melbourne protest against the far-right, October 19, 2025 In Melbourne, counter-protesters far outnumbered the March for Australia and were attacked by a massive police deployment. The widespread hostility to the NSN and exposures of their central role in the first March for Australia protests likely contributed to the smaller turnout. The speakers repeated the same line as at the first rallies, hysterically denouncing foreigners for all social problems. They were attended primarily by older layers of the population. The organisers of the counter-protests, including pseudo-left groups such as Socialist Alternative, have sought to channel opposition back behind the Labor government and the official political establishment. The Sydney counter-protest was endorsed by both Young Labor and the Young Greens. In reality, Labor is centrally responsible for the growth of the far-right. It is scapegoating immigrants and refugees for the housing and social crisis. And by inflicting social pain and the pro-business agenda it is creating the conditions for far-right forces to make an appeal. Labor is also overseeing a far-reaching onslaught on basic democratic rights, centred on its attempts to criminalise mass opposition to the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and its own complicity. The assault on the right to protest was on display in Melbourne. Police have accused some members of the counter-protest of initiating violent clashes. Footage posted to social media, however, shows Victoria Police officers indiscriminately deploying capsicum spray at crowds of retreating protesters. Police also used flashbang grenades and there are reports of at least one protester being shot with a rubber bullet. After the rally, Victoria Police Commander Wayne Cheeseman gave a frothing press conference, denouncing purported left-wing violence. Prominent comments in the press, including the Melbourne Age have demanded the curtailment or abolition of the right to protest. That underscores the point raised by WSWS and Socialist Equality Party campaigners at the counter-protests. We explained that the rise of the far-right, as well as growing authoritarianism by governments of all stripes, is the response of the ruling elite to mounting social and political opposition amid a breakdown of capitalism. The fight against fascism requires the independent mobilisation of the working class, in opposition to the entire political establishment, including the Labor governments, based on a socialist program. WSWS reporters spoke to some of those in attendance. Josie and Jas Josie and Jas, both students at the University of Melbourne, attended the counter-protest in Melbourne. Josie said, Weve come today because weve noticed a very scary uptick in fascism in this country. I think its important to try and combat that in any way I can. Referring to Albaneses remarks that there were good people in the first March for Australia, Josie said: I think its disgusting. It reminds me of what Trump said about Charlottesville many years ago. Its frightening that a leader who is supposedly left-wing could say the sort of thing that Trump, a fascist, did. All of Albaneses comments on the first March for Australia were disgusting. It just showed the complicity of the Labor Party and their willingness to use this as a pillar for their own policies. Jas added, And he has failed to legitimise us and our protests in the same way. Alec Alec, a delivery driver, said there is a general shift towards more conservative politics all over the world. Im from New Zealand, and the same thing is happening there. But I think the intentions of people who go to anti-immigration marches are misplaced on immigration, because there is the problem of wealth inequality. On the situation in the US, he noted, Theres a lot of anger on the part of the American people, but theres a lot of coverage of people associated with the right. I dont necessarily think that is the majority. It's unfortunate how much notice they [the March for Australia] get here in the media. Lain, a floristry student said, Its important to fight back against fascism. I think the world is slowly headed towards end-stage fascism, especially with the US. There are so many similarities between Trump and Hitler and their leadership. And because the US is so powerful, I feel like Australia is following suit. That makes these people think that they can spread their hate. Harry, a writer who works in renewables, told the WSWS, We have seen for a few years now the rise globally of fascism and far right politics, which our politicians at best are not doing anything to fight and at worst actively encouraging both the reaction and inaction. And so its up to just ordinary people to get out on the street and stand up against that. Were only going to see it get worse in the years to come if we dont do anything about it. Asked why this is happening, Harry continued: Over the last 10 or 20 years weve seen more entrenched neoliberal policies, more inequality and inequity through more rampant capitalism. If people are desperate and in desperate times, fascists and opportunists seize upon that, and when our leaders and politicians dont do anything to push back against that, it creates the breeding ground for the worst far-right protagonists to take advantage of that. As things get worse with the climate, we have more climate change refugees, and the way the economy works now is to exacerbate the effects of that. Theres going to be a tipping point. It appears to me that the politicians are poised to put all the blame on immigrants or on refugees rather than fixing up the mess that theyve helped create. We cant turn against each other. We need to push back against the far right and the fascists who try to turn us against each other. On Labor, Harry said: Theyve shifted further and further to the right. Over the last 20 or 30 years, Labor, which was meant to be a party of the workers, has followed that right-wing vote more and more. The Albanese government is the most disappointing government in my lifetime, especially in the wake of the last federal election. Theyre entrenching the problems. Look what happened with the environment. Labor is blatantly in the pocket of the fossil fuel lobby. Russell At Sydneys counter-demonstration, Russell, a student from the University of Technology Sydney, came to the rally because Im an immigrant myself. A lot of my Southeast Asian friends, theyve been hassled, bashed by racists in the past couple of years since COVID, and I feel like it is my moral duty to stand up and fight, especially as an immigrant myself. On Albaneses visit to Trump in Washington, Russell said of the prime minister, Hes a hypocrite. You cant claim to be on the side of labour, while at the same time meeting and shaking hands with the same man who seeks to destroy the labour movement. He continued: [New South Wales Labor Premier] Chris Minns tried to pass a law in parliament to essentially ban these sorts of protests under the guise of combating antisemitism. Artemis Artemis, a student, said, I think that as things get worse across the world, were heading probably towards another depression. You either look at the true face of what is happening, and thats global capital, or you can scapegoat. You can hide behind immigrants and scapegoating other races. Artemis said that in the US, the liberal world order has been proven to be a farce. Palestine is the greatest failure of liberal politics that I think has ever been seen. The easiest turn is towards fascism, towards racism, and that is the epitome of Trumps politics. Racism and fascism have always been tools of capital. The bounty of imperialism no longer works. You see it in Europe, as austerity takes away social safety nets. People become more uncomfortable. That's when you have to put the boot on. Thirty percent of the US population voted for Donald Trumpits not the majority. I think that properly messaged socialism is the majority view. People like being fair, people like feeling accomplished, and I think that socialism is the best way to do that. But you have had the demonisation of socialism through the Red Scare and through the Cold War. Referring to the No Kings demonstrations in the US, Artemis said, This is a massive upswelling and everyone who is fighting in the front lines there is doing their solemn duty. Whatever goes on in the US, you cannot give up. You have to keep fighting. It is awe-inspiring, seeing the crowds. Its easy to go to one protest, shout a bunch, and then go home. The goal cannot be just that. The goal has to be to continue the fight. It has to stay determined, to get organised, to fight as a continuous movement, and not just once. Nazism, big business and the working class: Historical experience and political lessons On October 16, 2025, the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) hosted a webinar examining the historical relationship between Nazism, big business and the working classa discussion with urgent contemporary relevance. The discussion was chaired by David North, chairperson of the International Editorial Board of the WSWS and of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States. He was joined by three distinguished historians: David Abraham, professor emeritus of law at the University of Miami and author of The Collapse of the Weimar Republic: Political Economy and Crisis; Jacques Pauwels, Canadian historian and author of Big Business and Hitler; and Mario Kessler, senior fellow at the Centre for Contemporary History in Potsdam, Germany, whose scholarship focuses on the German Communist Party and European labor movements. The webinar opened with North recounting the vicious academic campaign that destroyed Abrahams career as a historian in the 1980s. After publishing his Marxist analysis of how conflicts within German capitalism facilitated Hitlers rise, Abraham faced attacks from conservative historians Gerald Feldman and Henry Ashby Turner, who accused him of fraud. Abraham explained that the attack stemmed from ideological animus, personal pique, and intellectual know-nothingism. In the discussion, Jacques Pauwels attacked the claim that Hitlers rise was accidental or unconnected to capitalist interests. Hitlers so-called capture of power was merely a transfer or surrender of power, he stated. Without the financial and other support of industry and finance, in other words, big business, the rest of the German power elite, Hitler could never have risen to supremacy. Pauwels described fascism as the stick of capitalism, not to be used at all times, but certainly always ready behind the door. Mario Kessler addressed Hitlers mobilization of the middle classes while preventing their left-wing radicalization toward socialism. He noted that the Nazi Party never succeeded in making consistent inroads into the working class and never achieved an absolute majority of the votes in any Weimar election. Hitlers function was to collect the votes of the unemployed people, the resentment of all who considered themselves losers of what was called the system. Kessler stressed that before Hitler and the German fascists could annihilate the Jews, they had to destroy the German and European labor movement. Pauwels demolished the myth that Hitler improved workers living conditions, documenting how the German workers real wages fell dramatically under Nazi rule while corporate profits soared. He revealed that work accidents and illnesses increased from 930,000 cases in 1933 to 2.2 million in 1939, calling Nazi policy a high profit, low wage kind of policy. The first concentration camp at Dachau was established not primarily for Jews but because regular prisons were full of political prisoners, mostly social democrats and communists. The discussion then turned to contemporary parallels. North drew explicit connections between Weimars collapse and Americas current trajectory under the fascistic Trump administration, noting golds rise from $35 per ounce in 1971 to over $4,000 today as an objective indication of a real crisis of the American economic system. Abraham described the emerging alliance of old right-wingers in the fossil fuel industry with anarcho-libertarians from Silicon Valley, noting that Peter Thiel recently gave lectures invoking Carl Schmitt, the Nazi legal theorist, while identifying workers, leftists, minorities, and environmentalists as civilizations blockage, which Abraham described as a kind of new Judeo-Bolsheviks. North posed a critical question: Do objective conditions create the possibility for a revolutionary orientation? Is fascism inevitable? He argued that the same contradictions driving reaction also create revolutionary potential, citing how World War I produced both catastrophe and the October Revolution. Christoph Vandreier, chairman of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei in Germany, addressed the rehabilitation of Hitler and the Nazis within German academia. He described how historian Jorg Baberowski declared in Der Spiegel that Hitler was not cruel and was not a psychopath, claiming the Holocaust was not essentially different from shootings during the civil war in Russia. Vandreier noted that Baberowski was supported by almost the entire academia in Germany and that such positions are part of the mainstream today, coinciding with Germanys trillion-euro rearmament program. The historians agreed that the struggle against historical falsification is inseparable from political struggle. Pauwels emphasized that history is subversive and that the powers that be dont really want us to know how we got into this trouble. Abraham noted a modest revival of political economy studies after decades in which the right captured Washington, the left captured the English department. North concluded by emphasizing the persistence of the same fundamental contradictions: We are not only talking about the past, but were really discussing the present. The same issues, the same social forces are present today. He predicted an explosive turn by the working class and the most advanced sections of young people and workers toward Marxism, which is the only theoretical framework for which one can understand objective reality and on that basis build a revolutionary movement. Links to purchase literature from Mehring Books: An explosion at the factory Avangard in the city of Sterlitamak in the Republic of Bashkiria, Russia, on October 17 took the lives of three workers. At least six more were wounded. Five of the wounded workers are still hospitalized, one of them in serious condition. The three workers who were killed were all women, one of them as young as 23. The other two leave behind children. Production at the facility, which produces ammunition and military equipment, continued despite the horrific disaster that destroyed an entire building. The Republic of Bashkiria is located between the Ural Mountains and the Volga River. With around 280,000 inhabitants, Sterlitamak is the regions second-largest city and an important industrial center, especially for the chemical industry. Russian factory explosion [Photo: @strkoroche/Telegram] While authorities have not given an official reason for the explosion, they have initiated a criminal case into the neglect of safety practices. Many Russian press reports declared that workers were to blame for the explosion. However, the governor of Bashkiria, Radii Khabirov, implicitly admitted that the disaster occurred due to outdated equipment. He acknowledged that the factory is quite old but fulfills important tasks for the state. He promised that the authorities would aid the factory with maintenance work. Saturdays explosion marks the third significant accident at the factory in just over a year. In early October, a female worker suffered severe burns from a fire. In August 2024, three workers died in an explosion during maintenance work. The explosion is the latest in an unending series of factory disasters throughout the world. Just in the last 10 days, this has included an explosion at a Tennessee munitions factory in the US, which killed 16 workers, a garment factory fire in Bangladesh, which also killed 16, and a construction site collapse in Madrid, Spain, that killed four. Almost 35 years after the Stalinist destruction of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the restoration of capitalism, Russia records a particularly high fatality rate for workplace accidents. According to official figures, as of 2024, Russia has about 3,000 to 4,000 work-related deaths each year, a ratio of five deaths for every 100,000 full-time workers. For comparison, in the US, where the WSWS has extensively documented industrial carnage, the official ratio is 3.5 deaths for every 100,000 full-time workers. Just recently, on August 17, a major factory explosion at a factory in the Riazan region took the lives of at least 28 workers, wounding over 100. The latest factory explosion in Bashkiria sheds light not only on the industrial slaughter in Russia but also on the social relations prevailing in the country amid the war in Ukraine. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by the Putin regime, which was deliberately provoked by NATO, Russia has geared much of its industrial production toward the war effort. The Avangard factory is one of many affected by this shift. Founded in 1943, during the Soviet Red Armys struggle against the Nazi invasion, the Avangard factory has long specialized in the production of equipment, parts and tools for Russias oil and gas industry, but it also produces explosives. Since 2022, it has shifted strongly toward military production and has significantly expanded its workforce. Now, the Avangard fulfills state orders for military equipment and weapons and the creation and modernization of ammunition. In 2023, it was taken over by the state-owned military giant Rostec, which is headed by Sergei Cheremezov, who is also a full member of the Russian Military Academy. Cheremezov is a prime representative of the Russian ruling class, in whose interests the Putin regime invaded Ukraine. Like Putin, Cheremezov worked for the Soviet secret service, the KGB, the principal state agency tasked with defending the social privileges of the parasitic Soviet bureaucracy against the working class. Cheremezov and Putin met while both were working on KGB assignments in East Germany in the 1980s. Soon after the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cheremezov, again alongside Putin, began to work for the administration of Boris Yeltsin, whose shock therapy plunged the vast majority of the working class into abject poverty. In 2007, Putin appointed Cheremezov as the head of the newly formed Russian Technologies Corporation, now Rostec. A major conglomerate, Rostec oversees hundreds of facilities that form part of Russias large military-industrial sector. Cheremezov also serves on the board of several other major state-owned corporations, including Aeroflot Russian Airlines, and the oil giant Rosneft. Revelations by the Panama Papers indicate that over the course of the past decades, he and his family have amassed personal wealth of likely over $1 billion. This wealth was accumulated on the backs and over the bodies of the working class. The oligarchy that arose out of the Soviet bureaucracy simply plundered the state assets that had been produced by the working class since the 1917 October Revolution. A recent study by economists from the Moscow Higher School of Economists found that 66 percent of Russians earn below 40,000 rubles per month, or around $415. As of 2025, the combined wealth of Russias at least 146 billionaires amounts to $625.5 billion, with the top two billionaires holding fortunes of almost $29 billion each. This is the equivalent of 27 percent of the countrys GDP, a much higher level of wealth concentration even than in countries like Brazil, China or the US. These billionaires were able to increase their wealth by some $20 billion in 2024 and 2025, as hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have been dying in a fratricidal war. These same oligarchs have also allowed the relatively advanced industrial and social infrastructure of the Soviet period to fall apart, with deadly consequences for the working class. As in the case with Avangard, the overwhelming part of Russias industrial facilities still date from the Soviet era and have been extremely poorly maintained, a major reason for the high number of workplace accidents and fatalities. Because of the poor maintenance of housing stock, Russia also records one of the largest figures of fire-related deaths each year. In 2023, there were at least 7,500 fire-related deaths, 90 percent of them stemming from domestic and residential fires. The countrys fire fatality rate is 2.5 times the global average. The Avangard factory fire is a stark illustration of the fact that the Putin regime invaded Ukraine not to protect the working class from imperialism but to protect the interests of the oligarchs against what they saw as unacceptable interference with their own profit interests by imperialism. Now, the Putin regime is engaged in negotiations with the fascist Trump administration. Whatever their immediate outcome, these negotiations will neither resolve the existential threat posed by imperialism to the working class, nor the social devastation in both Russia and Ukraine. For the Russian working class, both the fight against imperialist war and the deadly social disaster it faces must proceed through a unified struggle with its class brothers and sisters in Ukraine, the US and across Europe, in complete independence from all factions of the oligarchy and imperialist powers. This report was submitted to the WSWS by journalists from the assembly.org.ua website with the following appeal: The development and continuation of our media depends solely on its audience. Please support our work on this fundraising page for further coverage of topics that are forbidden or invisible to the pro-capitalist press. Many thanks everyone! Broken windows of the Kalush TCR. Source: Ukrainian State TV Since the beginning of the summer, a wave of mass protests has been sweeping across the planet from the United States to South Asia. Ukraine is no exception. At the end of last year, we pointed out, Both Ukrainian and Russian public opinion is currently focused on the presidential elections in the United States, with many having the misguided hope that a Trump victory could provide the basis for a quick, peaceful settlement of the war. It seems that only the failure of these expectations can open the way for mass interest in a revolutionary alternative. We are at a turning point in history. The beginning concentration of antiwar direct action around certain locations marks a new stage in this process. This summer, the region of Volyn became one of the countrys leaders in this regard. Then, on September 19, according to the regional TCR (territorial center for recruitment), its employees fought off a crowd of workers in the town of Kovel with tear gas. While the mans documents were being checked, he fled into the premises of a critical infrastructure facility. The enlistment group followed him but was surrounded by approximately 18 workers, who began resisting, threatening, and attempting to cause bodily harm, harassing the military servicemen and damaging a service vehicle. The Odessa-based left-wing historian Vyacheslav Azarov wrote: In Kovel, this is likely the first recorded case of resistance to the TCR not by individual citizens, but by the labor collective of the Gas Distribution Networks enterprise. According to the military commissars, a draft dodger entered the enterprises premises and a patrol followed him, while the workers refused to allow them into their facility. Given the numerous false stories the TCRs uses to explain its actions, the workers might not believe this version and suspect they are to be detained, despite the exemptions of critical infrastructure [from mobilization]. Only the full, unedited video from the military commissars bodycameras will be able to clarify the situation. But the very fact of the collectives joint defense gives tentative hope that Ukrainians will finally remember the experience of worker solidarity, which was deliberately erased from our society under the pretext of decommunization, in order to throw us to the wolves of corrupt bureaucracy and aggressive capital. Another example of workplace resistance occurred on October 4 in the Kievsky district of Odessa. While checking a citizens documents, the police and the TCR discovered that he also was listed as a draft dodger. His attempt to escape was thwarted, but his girlfriend, a group of other civilians, and ambulance staff blocked the service vehicle. Due to a combination of threats and physical pressure, the abducted man managed to leave the enlistment car. This is not the first case of such resistance from Odessa medical personnel. On June 11 of last year, an ambulance driver came to the same district TCR to update his military registration data. When they refused to let him out, he complained of high blood pressure and called an ambulance. A team responded to the call, but they, too, were not allowed to leave the building. Then, other teams arrived to help their colleagues, engaging in a mass fight with the TCR employees and their civilian-clad voluntary assistants. Eventually, the TCR was forced to release the medics. A criminal case on aggravated hooliganism was opened on the fact of a mass clash. In Vinnytsya, an unsuccessful attempt of an anti-mobilization uprising took place on the evening of August 1. A smaller confrontation happened three weeks later. Then, on September 27, a crowd of people again surrounded a police car in this city, demanding the release of the man sitting inside. Amid chants of Shame! by the crowd, the man eventually got out and was taken away by his relatives. A scene from the conflict with patrol police in Vinnytsia in late September. Source: Social media On September 22, 15-20 people gathered outside the TCR building in Kalush of the Ivano-Frankivsk region; it is the same district where two weeks earlier there was a road blockade against the mobilization of the village chairman. Four of them broke windows and doors, while the others watched. Three of the detainees managed to escape. The Security Service of Ukraine has opened a criminal case for obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces during an extraordinary period. In the same month, in the neighboring Lviv region, servicemen of the repair battalion of the 125th Mechanized Brigade announced their intention to leave the unit without permission due to the commands decision to send them to an assault unit. According to state TV, these are specialists from the former 219th Battalion, who were among the first to begin performing combat missions in 2022 and continue to do so. The combat order concerned 24 people out of about 70. Most of them are over 50 years old. On September 21, it became known that after the outcry, the order was canceled. Thus, the men will continue to serve in their previous place, so it was not desertion but a military strike. Meanwhile, desperate acts of individual violent resistance against the forced mobilization also continue. On September 20, in a village near Novoukrainka in the Kirovograd region, an unknown man opened fire during an identity check with a revolver that had been converted to a combat grade. The chief of the patrol police response sector was wounded in the stomach and had to be hospitalized in serious condition; his colleague was wounded in the arm. The suspected shooter, a local resident born in 1979, was detained the same day. On October 2, a passerby in Krivoy Rog seriously injured with a knife two enlistment agents, aged 36 and 53, during a document check and then fled. Both were taken to the hospital, one in serious condition. The brave man has been identified, but it is not entirely clear whether he has been arrested. Last month, two unusual court verdicts were issued. On September 1, a court in Chernihiv convicted a local resident who fought since 2022 and then went in unauthorized absence (SZCh) to avoid being assigned to a TRC security platoon. He pleaded not guilty: from his words, after returning from treatment, he stated that he wanted to continue his military service, in any other unit, but not in the enlistment office while another unit is difficult to find. The soldier received a 5-year prison sentence. On the other hand, on September 12 in Chernomorsk of the Odessa region, an unemployed local resident received a surprisingly lenient sentence for pepper-spraying a TCR employee during a document check and smashing their service Renault Duster with a hammer from his bag. This happened on November 23 of last year. He got off with a fine of 850 hryvnia (about $20) and 1 year of probation under supervision for hooliganism. A graph depicting the number of criminal cases on SZCh and desertion since 2022. The bars in red indicate the figures of SZCh and the bars in grey the figures for desertions. The left side covers the period January 2022 to September 2024 and the right side January 202 to September 2025. Source: Ukrainian General Prosecutor's Office. And, of course, throughout the entire government-controlled territory of Ukraine, non-violent civil disobedience is spreading like an avalanche. Pro-presidential MP Mariana Bezuhla stated on October 11 that the number of personnel who fled the Ukrainian army equaled the total number of personnel that there was before the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. A few days later, crime statistics emerged, showing that twice as many military servicemen had escaped this year than in the first two and a half years of the war. In total, nearly 290,000 criminal cases for SZCh and desertion were opened during the war. From January 2022 to September 2024, there were nearly 90,000 cases. This means that over the past year alone, an additional 200,000 were opened. It is important to underscore that we are not talking about the number of fugitive persons, but only about the number of registered criminal cases. The permission to travel abroad for boys aged 18-22, largely as a result of them exercising their right to freedom of movement without authorization, also has some consequences. Sergei Lukashov, a company commander of the 46th Airmobile Brigade, who previously headed a district police department in the Dnepropetrovsk region, posted on his Facebook on September 13: I receive information from my former police colleagues that young law enforcement personnel under the age of 23 are resigning from the National Police of Ukraine in dozens and going abroad. Denis Shvydkyi, head of the 28th Mechanized Brigades recruiting section, said on TV on September 29 that after this permission, despite the plans of some who had left to return to the country, the number of youth requests to recruitment centers to voluntarily join the army dropped by approximately 30 percent. Lets return again to the publications from a year ago, namely to the analysis about the building of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees: Objective social conditions, as well as the massive political and social crisis gripping the US and the world, are driving the working class into social struggle. As we see, the disillusionment of the Ukrainian working people with the promises of the fascist Trump administration to bring peace is intensifying the social struggle unfolding before our eyes. This does not mean that this will be an automatic and uninterrupted process. Any public activity moves in fits and starts, and surges are often followed by periods of apathy. What is most important is the very fact that workers are now emerging as a new social force against the war that is being waged by the political followers of World War II-era Ukrainian fascist Stepan Bandera and the Nazi collaborator General Vlasov. How far this process goes depends less on progress in American-Russian peace talks and more on the development of social struggles in Western countries. By Utkarsh Shetti and Mike Stone (Reuters) -U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin raised its 2025 forecast for revenue and profit on Tuesday, driven by sustained demand for its fighter jets and munitions amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Shares of the company initially rose 3.5%, but returned to almost no change in premarket trading in New York. Weapons makers are benefiting from surging demand for arms as a result of simmering conflicts in the Middle East and a protracted Russia-Ukraine war. Lockheed, which makes the F-35 stealth fighters, said its aeronautics segment sales jumped 11.9% to $7.26 billion in the third quarter. It secured a long-awaited $12.5 billion contract from the Pentagon last month, for a total of 296 F-35 jets. Lockheed has also clinched some large agreements recently, including an about $11 billion navy contract to build up to 99 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters, and a nearly $10 billion contract for Patriot missiles. The commitments underscore a growing need for the U.S. government and its allies to replenish stockpiles and load up on new weapons. In contrast, during the second quarter, Lockheed grappled with a $1.6 billion charge, predominantly due to difficulties in its Aeronautics unit and international helicopter programs in its Sikorsky segment, which hurt shares. Lockheed, the largest defense contractor in the world, is also vying for a slice of the Trump administration's $175 billion marquee Golden Dome missile shield, for which the Pentagon began seeking contractors last month. The company's total revenue rose 8.8% to $18.61 billion in the third quarter, above analysts' average estimate of $18.56 billion, per data compiled by LSEG. Profit per share came in at $6.95, also beating expectations of $6.36. Lockheed now expects a profit of $22.15 to $22.35 per share for 2025, compared with its previous estimate of $21.70 to $22.00. The company also raised the lower end of its sales outlook to $74.25 billion from $73.75 billion, while maintaining the higher end at $74.75 billion. (Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli) MANTRA and Inveniam have jointly raised the curtains on the brand new Inveniam Chain, during the Agentic Summit held in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 21 October 2025. Ok. But what is it exactly? Inveniam Chain specializes as a Layer-2 blockchain that manages and uses private real estate data, especially commercial properties, more efficiently. It is the first Layer-2 built on MANTRA Chains WA L1 blockchain and is designed to support global trading of commercial real estate (CRE) derivatives. A recent publication reports that this one move could potentially unlock new investments and bring in liquidity to a massive $27 trillion market in private CRE assets. John Patrick Mullin, CEO of MANTRA stated, By combining MANTRAs RWA-focused Layer 1 infrastructure with Inveniams deep expertise in private market data, Inveniam Chain has the potential to redefine how assets are tokenized, traded, and valued. Chairman and CEO of Inveniam, Patrick OMeara said, Inveniam Chain will be fully connected to Al agents and DeFi ecosystems, acting as the metachain for every digital instrument, whether the asset sits natively on MANTRA (OM), or is traded digitally on Ripple (XRP), Avalanche (AVAX), Hedera (HBAR), ZK Sync (ZK), or Ethereum (ETH). The system connects to Inveniams real-time data tracking tools, called Proof of Origin, Proof of State and Proof of Process, which monitor asset performance at the source. Inveniam, a giant in the decentralized data infrastructure landscape, is already using these tools to monitor billions of dollars in private assets. EXPLORE: 20+ Next Crypto to Explode in 2025 Inveniam Chain Targets Data Silos In CREs Inveniam Chain runs on Inveniams decentralized data platform, Inveniam 10. This platform helps organize, verify and secure large amounts of data related to private market assets. What it does, is take trillions of unique data points, including property details, performance metrics, and financial records, and prepares them so that financial indexes, DeFi apps, AI tools, and data-sharing platforms can use the data as they see fit. Moreover, it does this quickly and efficiently. MANTRA plays a vital role as the other half of this partnership as it is purposefully built to tokenize real-world assets. It combines Virtual Machine (VM) compatibility with fluid interoperability across ETH- based ecosystems, and is therefore the base that this entire project runs off of. Since the announcement, its native token, OM has seen a slight uptick in its price movement, jumping from $0.11 to its current price at . It is currently underperforming when compared to the broader crypto market, but this news could trigger a rally towards its October 14 peak of $0.14. Danish alternative-meat start-up Matr Foods is looking to scale up production after raising 20m ($23.2m) in a Series A funding round. Alongside the funding, the food tech company completed a previously agreed 20m venture debt facility from the European Investment Bank. The equity financing was co-led by existing backer Novo Holdings and new investor the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark, the Copenhagen-headquartered group said in a statement. Matr Foods plans to use the proceeds to expand fermentation capacity at its site in Ansager, Jutland, moving from pilot operations to annual output of 4,000t. The company said the investment will enable a significant step-up in manufacturing to meet demand for its fungi-fermented, clean-label range. Thomas Grotkjr, partner for planetary health investments at Novo Holdings, said: As the largest food-tech fundraising round in Denmark this year, this funding reflects not only our confidence in Matr's organic, fermented products but also recognition that Matr meets consumers' growing desire for foods that have a positive impact on health, climate, and the environment." Matr Foods develops plant-based meat alternatives using fungal fermentation, with ingredients including oats, split peas, lupins, beetroots and potatoes to achieve a meaty texture and flavour. Founded in 2021, Matr Foods supplies Danish online retailer Nemlig.com, Copenhagen-based Almas two stores and Aarstidernes online platform. Its foodservice customers include Gasoline Grill, Sticks n Sushi and Mother Pizza. Randi Wahlsten, Matr Foods' CEO, said: We are very excited to take our production to scale and internationalise the business. A new production line is set to be operational by early 2027, with plans to create around 60 jobs and supply clients in Germany, Switzerland and Denmark. On international expansion, Wahlsten told Just Food it has started to expand" to Germany through a deal with burger chain Freddy Schilling". However, limited pilot capacity has held back further expansion in the country. This is what we are changing now with the production scaling unlocked. With that volume now in line of sight, we have full focus on Germany and Switzerland as well as the full potential of Denmark and neighbours, the executive explained. "Matr Foods secures 20m in Series A to scale up production" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. Shawshank Redemption: Rare stage performance in central Ohio COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Central Ohio fans of The Shawshank Redemption are getting the rare opportunity to see the gritty, stirring prison drama in a live stage production. The story, which began as the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by horror author Stephen King, was then adapted into one of the most popular films of all time. Now, it will be brought to life in a fresh setting at the Willis Theater in Delaware. Director David Hejmanowski shared with NBC4 how a trip this summer to the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, where the Shawshank movie was filmed in 1994, inspired him to delve into the theater rendition. He explained that in his role as Delaware County judge, he helps facilitate an annual legal education seminar that tours the former prison as part of the program. The experience sparked his interest in the stage adaptation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Haunted Ohio: Inside the Ohio State Reformatory Because the movie was filmed there, and I was thinking to myself, Boy, its a shame that theres not a stage version of this story, Hejmanowski said. And as I got home, I thought, You know what? Ive never looked to see if theres a stage version of this story. And so when I got in the house, I got online, and I looked it up, and sure enough, there it is, the stage version of this story. He quickly realized it was an opportunity too compelling to pass up. And, as soon as I knew that, I thought, Oh, we have to do this. I mean, its just such an inspirational classic story, now that its perfect for the stage. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. Photo Courtesy/Arena Fair Theatre Co. The production tells the story of the main character Andy Dufresne, who is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison at Shawshank. Hejmanowski said people familiar with the novella or movie will see many parallels in the stage version. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, all of the elements are there and all the main story points are there, but there will be differences, just in adaptation to make it work for a stage, Hejmanowski said. List: Central Ohios top haunted houses and trails for 2025 Casting for the production was competitive, with 35-40 actors vying for 12 roles. To better understand the storys setting, Hejmanowski said the actors toured the Mansfield facility as part of their research. The Arena Fair Theatre director praised the cast for balancing the plays dark moments with its uplifting portions. I cant tell you how thrilled I am with this cast. They are just so incredibly talented, Hejmanowski said. They have really taken to their roles. I know this is going to be audiences are going to love their presentation, because this is not easy material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hejmanowski also noted that this production is not for children. These are, you know, men in a prison and they use the language that you would expect, in those circumstances, Hejmanowski said. And similar to the movie, which is rated R Andy is assaulted. However, beyond the brutality, Hejmanowski believes audiences will come away feeling moved. Throughout that story, you see multiple points where the average person would give up, and the average person, whatever, whatever, light they had, whatever little flame of hope they still had, would be extinguished by that, Hejmanowski said. And yet theres something about [Andy] and theres something about his character that he never lets that go out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The production runs from Oct. 24 to 26, with evening performances at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday, at the Willis Theater, 74 West William Street in Delaware. Tickets are available online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. For Ashly Reyes, its more than just a swimsuit photo. Her appearance in the 2026 Hooters Calendar fills her with pride, a sense of accomplishment and a responsibility to represent her home country to the world. When I came here, I didn't speak any English at all, and I had to learn it all, says Reyes, 25, who works as a bartender and server at the Naples Hooters. (The calendar) made me feel like I was part of something really special. I want to represent also my country, which is Honduras. I want to make sure that I'm able to inspire other girls that come from different countries and to give them hope that if they want something, they can accomplish it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The annual swimsuit calendar now available in Hooters restaurants nationwide prominently features two swimsuit-wearing employees from Hooters restaurants in Fort Myers and Naples. Reyes is a featured Hooters girl for November. And Fort Myers Hooters bartender Emily Hagedorn is showcased as Miss April. In all, 27 Southwest Florida Hooters employees appear in the 2026 calendar, plus another 38 in the pull-out poster included at Southwest Florida Hooters locations. They work at Hooters restaurants in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte and Bradenton. More than 200 women from across the United States appear in the main calendar every year. 'It was so incredible': Naples, Fort Myers Hooters employees talk about 2026 calendar Naples Hooters bartender/server Ashly Reyes is featured on the November page in the 2026 Hooters Calendar. This will be Hagedorns second time in the calendar. She appeared on the inside back cover last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growing up in Nebraska, she says, she had no idea that the calendar even existed. Now shes been in it twice. Its super-exciting to represent Fort Myers, says Hagedorn, 22, of Fort Myers. I've always wanted to work at Hooters that's always been a dream of mine. And then coming down here, I just went in, got an application, started working there, and then, you know, within seven months, I did my first photo shoot. And then this year, too. So it's super cool. It's more than I could have ever imagined. The Southwest Florida Hooters employees all shot their photos in The Bahamas, mostly in Bimini, in late April 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was my first time being there, Reyes says, and it was so incredible. Hagedorn was the first one to arrive for her photo shoot that morning. Her photographer shot her wearing a cut-off Hooters tank top and standing thigh-deep in the water off the beach. We were kind of on this secluded little beach, like a rocky area super pretty, says Hagedorn, who plans to go to school to become a cosmetologist. And I was the first one to shoot at 5.45 in the morning, so I got up and ready. And, yeah, it was super-early. But we got a really pretty sunrise, and it was awesome. How to buy the 2026 Hooters Calendar Fort Myers Hooters bartender Emily Hagedorn appears as Miss April in the 2026 Hooters Calendar. The calendars sell for $16 at all Southwest Florida Hooters locations, or $25 online. Every in-store calendar includes $100 in coupons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The calendar release coincides with Hooters' annual Give a Hoot fundraising campaign to raise more money for breast-cancer research. One dollar from each calendar sale will be donated to cancer research through the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund. Hooters has raised more than $10 million over the years to support the fight against breast cancer much of it through the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund, according to a Hooters Calendar news release. Reyes says she feels great about being in the calendar, but she also loves being a part of such a good cause. I love everything that Hooters does always giving back to the community, says Reyes, an FGCU student whos pursuing a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. I think that's my favorite part of working there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The calendars are available at Hooters restaurants everywhere and online at hooterscalendar.com. The online versions, however, dont include the poster featuring more Southwest Florida Hooters employees. For more information, visit hootersflorida.com. Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook(@charles.runnells.7), Instagram (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells) This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 2026 Hooters swimsuit calendar features Naples Fort Myers Florida Angela Kinsey and her husband, Joshua Snyder, aren't just married partners they're co-workers. The couple married in 2016, blending their two families. While Snyder has two sons from a previous relationship, Kinsey shares a daughter with her ex-husband, The Office producer Warren Lieberstein. "I certainly didn't think I'd get married again, I don't think Josh did either," Kinsey told Good Morning America in 2021. "We are a blended family and our kids get along so well." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a tribute post for their eighth wedding anniversary in November 2024, Snyder posted a highlight reel from their wedding day with a sentimental message. Lifes got us pulled in every direction right now, but theres no one Id rather be juggling all the chaos with, he wrote in the caption. Heres to finding more time to slow down. Youre still my favorite person, and I couldnt imagine doing it all with anyone else. Heres to many more years of love, laughter, and adventure. ." In October 2025, the pair released their debut cookbook, You Can Make This, which was inspired by their years of cooking together at home. So who is Angela Kinseys husband? Here is everything to know about Joshua Snyder and his relationship with the actress. Snyder has acted in several hit shows Natasha Campos/Getty Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder attend a Diwali Celebration Hosted by Mindy Kaling, Lion Pose, and Dagne Dover at Arth Bar & Kitchen on November 06, 2023 in Culver City, California. Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder attend a Diwali Celebration Hosted by Mindy Kaling, Lion Pose, and Dagne Dover at Arth Bar & Kitchen on November 06, 2023 in Culver City, California. Like his wife, Snyder has starred in several films and TV series over the years, making his on-screen debut in Steve Martins 2005 film, Shopgirl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Snyder went on to land roles in General Hospital: Night Shift, CSI: NY, Days of Our Lives, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and One Tree Hill. Hes a self-taught baker Jordin Althaus/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Host Busy Philipps, guest Joshua Snyder, and guest Angela Kinsey on the set of Busy Tonight Host Busy Philipps, guest Joshua Snyder, and guest Angela Kinsey on the set of Busy Tonight Snyder first started baking as a way to stay on budget with two young sons, per his and Kinsey's baking website. He learned by baking cakes for his children's birthdays and treats for school functions, before taking it more seriously as time went on. Our kitchen really is the center of our home, he told EatingWell in 2022. Its where we share about our day, listen to music and even have occasional dance parties. Cade, Isabel and I love to bake the most. We make Brookies a lot. I love that its something we can do together, and they are becoming great bakers!" Their 2016 engagement was a family affair Tibrina Hobson/Getty Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder attend the 10th annual Oceana SeaChange Summer Party at Private Residence on July 15, 2017 in Laguna Beach, California. Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder attend the 10th annual Oceana SeaChange Summer Party at Private Residence on July 15, 2017 in Laguna Beach, California. When Snyder proposed to Kinsey in August 2016, he enlisted their childrens help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were going out to dinner and my daughter said that first she wanted to show me the fort in the backyard that she and my boyfriends sons had been working on, Kinsey shared on Instagram shortly after becoming engaged. She led me outside and there was a blanket by the pool and she said I had to sit on it. His sons brought me flowers and then he came around the corner with a ring. He had called my mom and asked for her blessing...that would have made my Dad so happy, she continued. He proposed and I said yes, Kinsey added. Not only did Snyder include his children in the marriage proposal to Kinsey, but he also popped the question with a sentimental emerald ring representing all three of their kids' birthstones. Snyder and Kinsey got married in 2016 Angela Kinsey/Instagram Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder at their wedding in November 2016 Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder at their wedding in November 2016 Kinsey and Snyder tied the knot on Nov. 13, 2016, in front of 130 wedding guests in Topanga, Calif. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our wedding was more than just two people coming together, it was a family coming together," Kinsey told Martha Stewart Weddings. "Josh and his sons and my daughter and I. We were so proud of our children. They each wrote something to say during the ceremony. They wanted us to know how much it means to them that we were becoming a family. Kinsey added that the pair planned to save their speeches and frame them. The actress later shared one of her favorite wedding gifts on Instagram: a wrapped bottle adorned with a note reading Im so happy for you two on Dunder Mifflin paper, from The Office star Creed Bratton. Going through our wedding gifts...Creed's card might be my favorite, she wrote. They share three kids Angela Kinsey/Instagram Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder with their kids Angela Kinsey and Joshua Snyder with their kids Snyder and Kinsey became a blended family with their three children in 2016. Snyder is a father to sons Jack and Cade from a previous relationship, and Kinsey shares daughter Isabel with her ex-husband, Warren Lieberstein. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was just me and my daughter, and all of a sudden, there were these rowdy boys in our life and they just made our house a home," Kinsey told Good Morning America in 2021. As for the biggest lesson shes learned from her kids? They live in the moment, she said. "I think that is such a valuable thing." Snyder praised his wife on Mothers Day in 2024, penning a heartfelt tribute on Instagram. It was a few weeks before our wedding and we were just starting out as a family, he wrote. I remember we were so excited, and a little nervous, to step into these new roles as parents. I was able to see first hand what an amazing mom you were, and still are, to Isabel, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the way you took on the role for the boys still makes my heart warm with gratitude. Over the last 8+ years, Ive witnessed what an incredible mom youve been to all three. Most of your work for this family is done in silence and they probably will never know the extent to which you have taken care of them. But I see it, and I know, and I am grateful to have you as a partner, he concluded. Kinsey and Snyder hosted the YouTube cooking show Baking with Josh & Ange David Livingston/Getty Actress Angela Kinsey (L) and husband actor Joshua Snyder visit Hallmark's "Home & Family" at Universal Studios Hollywood on December 7, 2017 in Universal City, California. Actress Angela Kinsey (L) and husband actor Joshua Snyder visit Hallmark's "Home & Family" at Universal Studios Hollywood on December 7, 2017 in Universal City, California. Snyder and Kinsey combined their passion for TV and food and launched their YouTube baking show, Baking with Josh & Ange, in December 2016. The series centered around celebrity guests stopping by their kitchen and learning how to make dishes such as margarita pretzel bars, bread pudding and cranberry turkey chili in short video segments. It also featured several of Kinsey's former The Office costars as guests. Jenna Fischer appeared on the show to help make gingerbread cake pops, Kinseys TV husband, Rainn Wilson, dropped in to whip up vegan avocado brownies and Kate Flannery joined in on the fun, serving up Irish potato candy. While the couple no longer consistently post episodes of the show, they have continued to collaborate on cooking and released a cookbook in October 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "After 2 years of hard work (and 10+ years in the kitchen!) we finally get to hold our cookbook! Its filled with easy to make recipes, family stories and lots of love," Kinsey shared on Instagram. Read the original article on People Merck & Co (MSD) has broken ground on its new pharmaceutical manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Virginia, US, amid looming tariff threats from the Trump administration. The $3bn site, which is located at the pharmas Elkton facility, will test and manufacture a variety of undisclosed small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug products. MSD estimates that 8,000 jobs will be created during the construction of the facility, while 500 full-time roles will be filled at the site once operational. The $3bn investment falls under MSDs wider plan to expand its US R&D and manufacturing footprint, which has seen the pharma giant commit $70bn to projects across the country beginning this year. Under the onshoring push, MSD will build a new $1bn biologics centre in Delaware and a $1bn vaccine production facility in North Carolina. The company will also pour more than $3.5bn into its headquarters in Rahway, New Jersey, which will bolster the sites research and clinical manufacturing capacity. Despite its hefty US pledge, MSD is currently looking to slash $3bn in operational costs by 2027 as part of a multi-year restructuring programme, which will see around 6,000 staff laid off across the globe. Under this cost-cutting scheme, the company also axed its $1bn UK expansion plans, citing a lack of government investment in innovative medicines as a primary factor. MSDs restructuring scheme comes amid a backdrop of mounting pressure from President Trump, who recently threatened to impose 100% import tariffs on branded pharmaceuticals for companies who were not breaking ground on manufacturing facilities within the country. Though these tariffs were due to be implemented on 1 October 2025, they are yet to come to fruition as the Trump administration continues negotiations with the industry. Virginia takes big pharmas fancy While MSD has had a presence in Virginia for nearly 85 years, it has not traditionally been thought of as a key pharma hub. However, tides may be turning for the Southeastern commonwealth, as there has been an uptick in both pharma and biotech interest in the area, experts told Pharmaceutical Technology. Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin echoed this sentiment, noting that MSDs $3bn commitment to the state marks a giant leap forward for Virginias life sciences sector, which he considers an emerging national leader in biopharmaceutical advanced manufacturing. AstraZeneca seems to agree, as the UK-Swedish pharma has pledged $4.5bn to build a manufacturing facility the area, which is the largest investment in the companys history, according to CEO Pascal Soriot. The Charlottesville site will produce APIs across its cardiovascular, metabolic disease, obesity and oncology portfolios. Antonio Banderas couldnt be happier for his daughter Stella Banderas after she tied the knot with Alex Gruszynski in Spain. Antonio, 65, was photographed giving a toast with the press to Stella, 29, at their wedding venue at the Abadia Retuerta estate in Valladolid, Spain on Saturday, October 18. (The actor shares Stella with ex-wife Melanie Griffith. He is also stepfather to Griffiths son Alexander Bauer whom she shares with ex-husband Steven Bauer and daughter Dakota Johnson whom she shares with ex-husband Don Johnson.) Only two days after the big celebration, Antonio took to social media to share a sweet tribute to Stella in honor of her special day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wedding of my daughter Stella has turned into a heartfelt family reunion, emotional, joyful, and full of laughter, Antonio wrote, translated into English, via Instagram on Monday, October 20, alongside several photos of the father-daughter duo throughout the years. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. Melanie Griffith Shares Rare Photos of Her and Antonio Banderas Daughter, Stella Stella announced her engagement to her pre-school sweetheart, Gruszynski, in August 2024. I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!! , she shared via Instagram alongside some throwback photos of the couple including some when they were kids at the Wagon Wheel School. Mega Agency Following the news of their proposal, Antonio gushed about his excitement for the pair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I feel great! Shes happy, Im happy, he told People in September 2024. Hes awesome. Ive known him since he was a little kid. Antonio, who was previously married to Ana Leza from 1987 to 1996, tied the knot with Griffith, 68, in May 1996 after meeting on the set of Too Much one year prior. Antonio and Griffith went on to welcome Stella in September 1996 before announcing their divorce in 2014. Dakota Johnsons Stepdad Antonio Banderas Reveals Project He Wants to Make With Her We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost 20-year marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family, and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together, they wrote in a joint statement to Us Weekly in June 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that year, Antonio started dating investment banker Nicole Kimpel and the couple have been going strong ever since. Dominique Charriau/WireImage Although Griffith and Antonio are no longer together, he revealed that the exes remain very close. I am not married with Melanie anymore, but she is my family, Antonio said in a January 2020 interview with People. She is probably one of my best friends, if not the best friend that I have. My family is there, Dakota, little Estella and Alexander. Griffith, for her part, reflected on some parts of her marriage to Antonio in an April 2023 Instagram post. Antonio Banderas Says Its Happiness Reuniting With Stepdaughter Dakota Johnson in Spain Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement El Cautivo During the 19 years I was married to Antonio one of the many extraordinary experiences he gave to me and the kids was our introduction to and subsequent love for Semana Santa. Holy Week, she wrote at the time.It is a very old tradition, that is so very beautiful. During Holy Week over a hundred thrones representing Christ and the Virgin Mary are carried through the streets of Malaga. Every day and night from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It is a magical and mystical week. Griffith went on to say that many people follow behind the thrones on their sometimes 8 hour long journey. When I first saw Cautivo I was moved to tears. I think of it as a spiritual experience. He is magnificent, she said. He represents the Christ who has been captured. On the way to the cross. So for many many years I was privileged to be one of the 30,000 people who follow behind him on his journey through the city. I send so much love to my family and friends in Spain. Viva Cautivo! Viva Espana! Gracias y amor @antoniobanderas . NEED TO KNOW Antonio Banderas shared an Instagram post, reflecting on his daughter Stella Banderas' "joyful" wedding in his native Spain He said the nuptials "turned into a heartfelt family reunion" Stella, whom Antonio shares with ex-wife Melanie Griffith, married longtime love Alex Gruszynski on Oct. 18 Antonio Banderas is reflecting on his daughter Stella Banderas' "emotional" wedding day. On Monday, Oct. 20, two days after Stella, 29, tied the knot with longtime love Alex Gruszynski on Saturday, Oct. 18, the actor, 65, shared an Instagram post about the nuptials, which were held in his native country of Spain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The wedding of my daughter Stella has turned into a heartfelt family reunion, emotional, joyful, and full of laughter," he wrote in both Spanish and English. He added: "Thank you to everyone who made this possible." His post featured a slideshow of photos of the father-daughter pair, spanning from Stella's childhood to more recent years. BACKGRID Antonio Banderas on daughter Stella Banderas' wedding day Antonio Banderas on daughter Stella Banderas' wedding day Judging by photos of the Babygirl star on the big day, he was a proud father of the bride. Antonio, sporting a classic black tuxedo, could be seen beaming and holding up a wine glass to toast the newlyweds. Ahead of her wedding, Stella whom Antonio shares with ex-wife Melanie Griffith opened up about how she chose her wedding location with her dad in mind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told Hola! magazine that she always wanted her wedding to be held in Spain, and feels deeply connected to her father's roots in Malaga. The bride, who was born in Marbella, Spain, and raised in Los Angeles, ultimately chose the Castilla region for her nuptials. I feel so lucky to be getting married in the country where I was born, she said before the event. BACKGRID Stella Banderas and Alex Gruszynski on their wedding day Stella Banderas and Alex Gruszynski on their wedding day As for Antonio, he told Hola! that having his daughter get married in Spain "fills me with pride." Shes very Andalusian, very much from Malaga, even if she grew up in the U.S.," he said. "This is her way of reconnecting with her roots and sharing her homeland with her future husband and his family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Antonio also shared his happy anticipation about witnessing Stella's wedding, telling the outlet, "Seeing my daughter dressed as a bride will be one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I get to be the father of the bride, and its a role I take on with all the emotion in the world." Melanie Griffith/Instagram Stella Banderas and Alex Gruszynski Stella Banderas and Alex Gruszynski Stella and Gruszynski's story dates all the way back to their early childhood, when they first met as classmates at their L.A. preschool. They announced their engagement on Instagram in August 2024. Alongside a carousel of photos of the couple from over the years, Stella wrote: "I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!! ." One snapshot captured the then-bride-to-be showing off her sparkly engagement ring. 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. Griffith, 68, also shared the news on her Instagram, writing, "He asked. On bended knee she said yes . Stella and Alex are engaged to be married . Their love story began in pre-school! True love, deep love! Congratulations to the beloveds!!! ." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weeks after the engagement, Antonio spoke to PEOPLE about his excitement for the couple. "She's happy, I'm happy," Antonio said, adding of Gruszynski, "He's awesome. I've known him since he was a little kid." Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW At her wedding on Oct. 18, Stella Banderas honored dad Antonio Banderas' roots and her own The daughter of Antonio and Melanie Griffith married Alex Gruszynski in Spain on Oct. 18 Antonio shared his pride for his daughter and her choice to honor her roots with Hola! magazine. Stella Banderas kept her father Antonio Banderas in mind when deciding where to say I do. Along with Stella's mom Melanie Griffith, the Spanish actor, 65, was present as the 29-year-old wed her longtime love, Alex Gruszynski, in Spain on Saturday, Oct. 18. Stella, who was born in the European country but raised in Los Angeles, chose her wedding destination with both herself and her father in mind, she told Hola! magazine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stella always wanted her wedding to be in Spain, and feels connected to her fathers roots in Malaga, she told the magazine. The Marbella-born bride did not, however, end up selecting her fathers home city or her own, both of which are located in Spains Andalusia region. Instead, she chose the Castilla region for her and Gruszynskis nuptials, per Hola! Getting married in a country that holds such significance for her family made the bride feel "lucky," and made her father very proud, according to the magazine. Melanie Griffith Instagram Antonio Banderas, Stella Banderas and Melanie Griffith Antonio Banderas, Stella Banderas and Melanie Griffith I feel so lucky to be getting married in the country where I was born, Stella told Hola! as her father shared that having her get married in Spain fills me with pride. Shes very Andalusian, very much from Malaga, even if she grew up in the U.S., the actor told the magazine. This is her way of reconnecting with her roots and sharing her homeland with her future husband and his family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proud dad also said that seeing my daughter dressed as a bride will be one of the most beautiful moments of my life. "I get to be the father of the bride, he added, and its a role I take on with all the emotion in the world. The stars pride for his daughter was visible in photos from the Oct. 18 ceremony, which showed him holding up a wine glass to toast the newlyweds. He sported a classic black tuxedo as he smiled and soaked up the special moment. 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. BACKGRID Stella Banderas and Alex Gruszynski at their Oct. 18 wedding in Spain Stella Banderas and Alex Gruszynski at their Oct. 18 wedding in Spain Stella and Gruszynski announced their engagement via an Instagram carousel in August 2024, sharing several throwback pictures of the couple from over the years with some dating all the way back to their time together as preschool classmates in L.A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!! ," Stella excitedly captioned the announcement at the time. Griffith, 68, later reacted to the news with an Instagram post of her own, writing, Their love story began in pre-school! True love, deep love! Congratulations to the beloveds!!! . Antonio shared his reaction with PEOPLE the following month. I feel great! She's happy, I'm happy," the star said before adding of Gruszynski, "He's awesome. I've known him since he was a little kid. Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW Hailey Bieber posted a photo on Instagram of her awkwardly sitting in her corseted gown at the recent Academy Museum Gala The Rhode founder, 28, attended the fifth annual gala in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 18 Bieber wore a stunning Schiaparelli Couture gown at the star-studded event, but the look wasn't the most practical once inside the glitzy event Hailey Bieber will prioritize style over comfort any day! On Sunday, Oct. 19, the Rhode founder, 28, posted a funny photo on Instagram of herself unable to sit properly in her corseted gown at the Academy Museum Gala. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the gala on Saturday, Oct. 18, Bieber wore a stunning brown sculpted Schiaparelli Spring 2025 Couture gown with a nude-colored illusion corset and a high thigh slit with crystal embellishments on the skirt. She paired her look with light pumps and sported brown nails to match her dress. In a behind-the-scenes photo shared by the model, however, it appeared that her gown wasnt that practical as she was snapped leaning over to the side and slouched in her seat inside the gala, with the bones of the corset preventing her from sitting normally. Bieber raved about the gala, despite her discomfort, writing in the caption, Always a beautiful night @academymuseum . Hailey Bieber/Instagram Hailey Bieber couldn't sit properly in her dress at the Academy Museum Gala Hailey Bieber couldn't sit properly in her dress at the Academy Museum Gala The mom of one posted several other behind-the-scenes shots of her posing in her Schiaparelli look, including one in which she embraced bestie Kendall Jenner. The skincare mogul was also photographed posing with Kendall, 29, on the red carpet at the event. Hailey Bieber/Instagram Hailey Bieber in Schiaparelli Couture for the Academy Museum Gala Hailey Bieber in Schiaparelli Couture for the Academy Museum Gala 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 day before attending the Academy Museum Gala, Bieber stepped out to support her friend Kylie Jenners Kylie Cosmetics pop-up event in Los Angeles. The event was held in celebration of 10 years of Kylie Cosmetics and the launch of Kylie's "King Kylie" collection from the beauty brand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bieber wore an elegant black corset-style belted dress with another thigh slit, paired with patent black leather Saint Laurent Amalia slingback pumps ($2,050). The party was also attended by Kylie's other friends and family, including her mom, Kris Jenner, and her boyfriend, Corey Gamble, and sisters Khloe and Kim Kardashian. Read the original article on People Kanye West has reportedly sold off his second Wyoming ranch, back to the original owners for $14 million, in the midst of reported money woes. The rapper, 48, returned Bighorn Mountain Ranch, which sprawls across 6,713 acres, to the Flitner family, who first sold the "Gold Digger" hitmaker the land in 2019, after West neglected the ranch. His purchase of the ranch back in 2019 marked his second Wyoming ranch, which he had snapped up in an effort to curb homelessness, and which he listed last year for $12 million and remains on the market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Cowboy State Daily, the sale was notarized by West's wife, Bianca Censori, on Sept. 17. And while the family is thankful they have the property back in their hands, they noted that it is nothing like what it once was. "Unlike Monster Ranch, he did not knock down any of the buildings. I think his original intent for the Mountain Ranch might have been somewhere that his family could go and be away from the rest of the world," Pam Flitner told the outlet. West has reportedly sold off his second Wyoming ranch back to the original owners in the midst of reported money woes. (Realtor.com) The rapper, 48, returned Bighorn Mountain Ranch, which sprawls across 6,713 acres, to the Flitner family, who first sold the "Gold Digger" hitmaker the land in 2019, after West neglected the ranch. (Alessandro Levati/Getty Images for Marni Srl) The ranch has been listed and delisted from the market for the past six years; and according to the Flitners, they have repeatedly tried to contact West's team about the property but had been unsuccessful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A lot of people have said that he was a really, really good guy and that he was really on task a lot of the time. So, none of us can fault him at all for buying it and trying to get something accomplished for himself," Greg Flitner said. The rapper bought the ranch from Greg's father and his wife, David and Paula Flitner. Greg noted that at the time, the sale was "one of those things" that needed to happen. "We went ahead and got ahold of the realtor, and it was kind of a rush thing, because it sounded like the people who they were flying in to look at it, a lot of them were speculators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A big chunk of the ranch sold when the mountain sold. We had to do some real adjustments, and we just werent able, at the time, to buy it back, even if we would have wanted to. So, luckily, by the grace of God, you know, six years later we are in a different position," Pam told the outlet. The ranch, which was founded in 1906, is covered by National Forest lands, and features lush greenery, cattle operations, wildlife, and several cabins and lodges. West's purchase of the ranch back in 2019 marked his second Wyoming ranch, which he had snapped up in an effort to curb homelessness, and which he listed last year for $12 million and remains on the market. (Realtor.com) According to Cowboy State Daily, the sale was notarized by West's wife, Bianca Censori, on Sept. 17. (Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) And while the family is thankful they have the property back in their hands, they noted that it is nothing like what it once was. (Realtor.com) It comes complete with a five-bedroom, four-bathroom cabin with a enough space for several people. He reportedly picked up the ranch with the intention of holding his Sunday Services there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It reportedly includes heated helicopter pads and walk-in saunas. It has been known as his "therapy ranch," because it is where he sought comfort during his divorce to Kim Kardashian, and where he crafted his album, "Donda." The news of the sale is causing many to assume that West may be in suffering from financial issues as this is just the latest home of his to reach the market. Days after one of West's most infamous propertieshis gutted beach house in Malibuwas relisted for $34.9 million, his Hollywood hills home was put up for sale, with both dwellings listed by the same agent: celebrity real estate broker Jason Oppenheim and his eponymous Oppenheim Group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Owned by the rapper from 2003 until 2017, when he sold it for $2.95 million, the property was the site of a much talked-about Sistine Chapel-style mural that West had painted of himself on the dining room ceiling. Dubbed A Life Restored, the mural by Ernie Barnes depicts a lifeless body being carried by an angel, with a winged and shirtless likeness of West hovering above. Angels and regular folks surround them, giving praise. It's reported that the painting celebrated Wests "miraculous recovery" from a near-fatal car crash in 2002. Oppenheim recalls being a guest in the four-bedroom, four-bathroom Hollywood Hills home while West was in residence, and remembers the remarkableand sometimes bizarrestamps that West put on the 4,214-square-foot home to make it his ownincluding the mural, which has since been removed. It reportedly includes heated helicopter pads and walk-in saunas. Days after one of West's most infamous propertieshis gutted beach house in Malibuwas relisted for $34.9 million, his Hollywood hills home was put up for sale, with both dwellings listed by the same agent: celebrity real estate broker Jason Oppenheim and his eponymous Oppenheim Group. (Realtor.com) As for West's former abode in Malibu, the celebrity broker previously revealed to Realtor.com that the dwelling will likely have undergone a dramatic transformation by the time a new buyer emerges. (Realtor.com) Realtor.com records indicate that he paid $1.75 million for it in 2003, renovated it to his exacting tastes, then sold it in 2017, after he'd been married to Kim Kardashian for three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current owners purchased it in 2022 for $3.36 million and added some chic luxury amenities, including an outdoor kitchen with a barbecue, an in-ground spa, a sauna, an outdoor shower, and a dramatic fire pit on the terrace, all surrounded by comfortable built-in seating that takes full advantage of those glorious views. As for West's former abode in Malibu, the celebrity broker previously revealed to Realtor.com that the dwelling will likely have undergone a dramatic transformation by the time a new buyer emergesexplaining that the restoration of the property, which was put on pause when the dwelling went into escrow earlier this year, will be ramping back up again. The last of West's former homes that are currently on the market is located in Hidden Hills; however, all that remains of the rapper's legacy there is the land. In August, it was revealed that the musician's dwelling had been torn down to make way for a new megamansion that is now on the market for a staggering $17 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It stands in stark contrast to the somewhat run-down property that previously occupied the 1-acre plot, which was sold by West for $4.3 million in 2023, just a few months after he married his second wife, Bianca Censori. The six-bedroom home is described in its listing as an "architectural reverie" that draws "respectful inspiration from the Chumash people," a Native American tribe that once occupied the land. "The residence is a spiritual and architectural homage to [the Chumash people's] cosmologythree interconnected worlds: the sky, the earth, and the underworld," the listing notes. "Unlike Western belief systems, the Chumash held that humans could, with great effort, traverse these realms." Kim Kardashian celebrated her 45th birthday in Paris on Tuesday, attending the premiere of Disney+s Alls Fair in an archival piece from Diors spring 2000 collection. The look marked a new venture into early-2000s fashion history for Kardashian, who has increasingly leaned toward vintage references throughout her current press tour for the Ryan Murphy-created legal drama. PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: Kim Kardashian at the 'All's Fair' premiere in Paris on Oct. 21, 2025. Kardashians dress was a floor-length evening gown in an icy blue-green satin fabric with a subtle floral pattern. The dress featured a deep V-neckline, off-the-shoulder sleeves and a fitted silhouette. The gown, designed by John Galliano, was styled by Danielle Levi for the occasion. Kardashian balanced the archival piece with minimal accessories and neutral makeup, opting for a slick bun and diamond earrings. More from WWD PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner at the 'All's Fair' premiere in Paris on Oct. 21, 2025. The Paris premiere marked a continuation of the global rollout for Alls Fair, following earlier events in Los Angeles and London. Kardashian stars as Allura Grant, a high-profile divorce lawyer leading an all-female law firm. Other members of the cast also brought dramatic fashion to the event, including her mom, Kris Jenner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarah Paulson embraced power dressing with a daring twist, wearing a semi-sheer white suit from Schiaparellis spring 2026 ready-to-wear collection. The actress was styled by Karla Welch. PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: Sarah Paulson at the 'All's Fair' premiere in Paris on Oct. 21, 2025. Like Paulson, Teyana Taylor also chose a look from Schiaparellis spring 2026 ready-to-wear collection. In her case, Taylor went for gold in a metallic body-con dress, paired with Rainbow K jewelry. PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: Teyana Taylor at the 'All's Fair' premiere in Paris on Oct. 21, 2025. Naomi Watts also went sheer in a daring look from Valentinos spring 2025 couture collection, which featured a voluminous skirt with a lacy top. She was styled by Jeanann Williams. PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image contains partial nudity.) Naomi Watts at the 'All's Fair' premiere in Paris on Oct. 21, 2025. Niecy Nash, styled by duo Wayman and Micah, opted for an edgy leather dress with a dramatic hat created by Porsche Cooper. PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: Niecy Nash-Betts at the 'All's Fair' premiere in Paris on Oct. 21, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ryan Murphys Alls Fair premieres on Nov. 4 on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ internationally. The legal drama follows a team of female divorce lawyers who break away from their male-dominated firm to start their own high-profile practice, navigating scandalous cases, power dynamics and shifting personal alliances. The series marks Kardashians first leading scripted television role since American Horror Story: Delicate. PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: (L-R) Craig Erwich, President, Disney Television Group, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Teyana Taylor, Kim Kardashian, Niecy Nash-Betts, Naomi Watts and Hlne Etzi attend the "All's Fair" Disney+ Premiere at Maison de La Chimie on October 21, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: Kim Kardashian attends the "All's Fair" Disney+ Premiere at Maison de La Chimie on October 21, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 21: Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner attend the "All's Fair" Disney+ Premiere at Maison de La Chimie on October 21, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) View Gallery Launch Gallery: Kim Kardashian in Vintage Dior, Sarah Paulson in Schiaparelli and More Looks at 'All's Fair' Premiere in Paris Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Alexia Rodrigues, this years Miss America Rhode Island, was guest on this edition of Spotlight New England. Initially appearing on the show in May to share her philanthropic work, Rodrigues discussed her journey to winning the crown, saying it took nine years of competing to reach where she is today. I kept coming back because my platform was something that I was so passionate about, she said. Its called Foster Hope: Adopt a Dream. Its advocating for foster children across our nation. I was a foster child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was adopted when I was seven years old and its never really been lost on me that statistically, I should not be in each room that I walk into, Rodrigues added. Whether its as a soldier now, as Miss Rhode Island or as an advocate, there are so many children who will never get those opportunities. WATCH: Meet your Miss RI 2025 and Miss RI Teen 2025 She also shared her experience competing in Miss America 2025 and representing the Ocean State. The experience is phenomenal. I dont think Ill ever be able to put into words how life-changing it was, Rodrigues said. I was a Quality of Life semi-finalist. So Quality of Life Award is about the impact that you make on your community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When she isnt competing in Miss America or advocating for children in foster care, Rodrigues serves in the Rhode Island Army National Guard as a first generation American. Currently, the Warwick native raises money for Miss Americas Scholarship Foundation in collaboration with the American Heart Associations GO RED, an initiative to raise awareness for womens heart health. Spotlight New England airs weekdays on the WPRI 12+ TV app and WPRI.com. WATCH: Preparing for Miss America 2025 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 The Rhode Show Today Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Originally appeared on E! Online Nicole Kidman isnt just perfecting her practical magic this fall season. Shes also traveling the world with her daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. The 17-year-oldwhom the Bewitched star shares with estranged husband Keith Urbanoffered a look into their trip to Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, and the vibes were tres magnifique. In her Oct. 20 Instagram post, the model posted a candid photo of Nicole, 58, smiling at the camera. Styling her hair in a high bun, the Babygirl actor paired her white shirt with a beige trench coat. After showing off her moms casual outfit, Sunday included several shots of her visiting the Arc de Triumphe and the Miu Miu Spring/Summer show with her cousin Lucia Hawley, 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And true to her high-fashion attendance, Sunday also shared a behind-the-scenes look at her preparing for Diors runway show on Oct 1. For the occasion, she wore a grey blouse adorned with a bow, black flared pants and matching flats. As she fittingly captioned her post, pfw film. More from E! Online Sundays latest appearance on the catwalk was notable, as it came one day after Nicole filed for divorce from Keith on Sept. 30. According to documents obtained by E! News, the Nine Perfect Strangers alumalso mom to daughter Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, 14, with Keith as well as Isabella Cruise, 32, and Connor Cruise, 30, with ex Tom Cruiselisted irreconcilable differences as the reason for their breakup at the time. Marechal Aurore/ABACA/Shutterstock And as the duo continues to focus on the next steps of their divorce, Nicole shared that shes learning to accept new changes in her lifeeven if those alterations are uncomfortable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The best part is the experiences that youve accumulated, she told Harpers Bazaar on Oct. 9. You go, Oh, Ive been here before. I actually know how to handle this now. Or, Maybe I havent been in this place, but I've experienced something similar to this, and I do know that I will get through it. The Big Little Lies actress added, Theres something to knowing that no matter how painful, or how difficult, or how devastating something is, there is a way through. Keep reading for a full look at Nicole and Keiths divorce timeline Beginning of Summer 2025: Split Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban privately separated and started living apart at the beginning of summer, E! News learned. But there were many notable moments over the summer that ultimately led to their divorce filing. May 22, 2025: Keith Urban Begins His Tour His High and Alive World Tour kicked off in Alabama and he spent the summer traveling across the U.S., Canada and Australia. June 20, 2025: Last Public Outing The pair last appeared together publicly at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in Nashville, where they were seen laughing and smiling. June 25, 2025: 19th Wedding Anniversary In honor of 19 years of marriage in June, Kidman posted a photo of the couple with the caption, "Happy Anniversary Baby." Urban commented a heart emoji but did not write a post of his own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement July 1, 2025: Keith Urban Walks Out of Interview After Nicole Kidman Question The country singer raised eyebrows when he abruptly ended an interview after being asked about Kidman's onscreen chemistry with costar Zac Efron in A Family Affair. The first thing I thought of with your beautiful wife, Nicole Kidman, being on so many great movies, TV shows all the time, a radio host said on Australias Mix 102.3s Hayley & Max in the Morning. What does Keith Urban think when he sees his beautiful wife with beautiful younger men like Zac Efron having these beautiful love scenes on TV and radio? Suddenly, Urban disappeared from the call. He's disconnected from Zoom, a radio staffer said. I think his team hung up on us because they didn't want us to ask that question. His rep didn't respond to E!'s request for comment at the time. July 24, 2025: It's Revealed That Nicole Kidman Applied for Residency in Portugal E! News learned that the Practical Magic star had submitted application to become a resident of Portugal, with Urban preparing to do the same himself. Keith was unable to be in Portugal for this appointment as he is currently on tour in the U.S.," a source with knowledge of the situation told E!, "and it is mandatory for applicants to be physically present in order to apply for the visa. He is scheduled to submit his application at a later date that works with his tour schedule." At the time, the source said both planned to maintain a permanent residence in Nashville as well. Aug. 6, 2025: Sunday Rose Shares Insight Into Family Life The couple's eldest daughter Sunday Rose shed light on on their parenting dynamic in an interview, saying that "there are two big rules" at home. "The first was that I couldnt explore any kind of fashion work until I was 16," she told Nylon, "and the second is that school always has to come first, which at first I hated, but I am actually really glad that I have these rules in place because it keeps me in a good mindset." Aug. 19, 2025: Keith Urban Not Pictured in Nicole Kidman's Family Photos Kidman shared a look at her summer memories with her teens Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, but her husband was absent from the Instagram carousel. "Summer memories," the actress wrote. "Now back to school." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aug. 28, 2025: Nicole Kidman's Lawyer Prepares Parenting Plan In August, her lawyer prepared a Child Support Worksheet included in a Parenting Plan stating that Kidman and Urban would be "joint custodians" of their teen daughters Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. However, the Oscar winner was listed as the "primary residential parent," with the girls spending 306 days a year with their mother and 59 days with their father (Urban will have the children every other weekend.). Neither will pay child support, according to the doc obtained by E! News. The mother and father will behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent and nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced, it stated. They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families. Aug. 29, 2025: Keith Urban Signs Paperwork Urban moved forward with their Marital Dissolution Agreement, getting it notorized in August, per the doc obtained by E! News. The document said that Kidman would "institute divorce proceedings against" him due to irreconcilable differences. It also stated that neither party would be getting alimony or spousal support in their split. The same date, he also signed off on the Parenting Plan. Sept. 6, 2025: Nicole Kidman Signs Paperwork A week after Urban, the actress had the Marital Dissolution Agreement notorized as well and signed the Parenting Plan. The same day, a judge signed off on an order that both stars would complete a manditory parenting seminar unless they file for an exemption, per the doc obtained by E! News. Sept. 25, 2025: Nicole Kidman Steps Out Still Wearing Wedding Ring Despite signing the documents, she still wore her engagement ring during an event at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sept. 29, 2025: News Breaks of Their Split Their breakup made headlines as E! News confirmed that the pairwho started dating in 2005had privately called it quits. Sept. 30, 2025: Nicole Kidman Files for Divorce The Big Little Lies star officially filed to end their marriage, listing their date of separation as the date of filing: Sept. 30, 2025. Their Marital Dissolution Agreement and Parenting Plan were officially submitted the same day to be approved by a court in Tennessee. For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App NEED TO KNOW Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg has welcomed her second child with her husband, Nicolas Bagory The baby boy joins the couple's first child, daughter Victoire, born in May 2024 Earlier this month, Princess Alexandra and Nicolas attended the abdication of her father, former Grand Duke Henri, and accession to the throne of her brother, Guillaume Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg and her husband, Nicolas Bagory, are officially parents of two. The royal, 34, gave birth to their second child, a baby boy they named Helie, on Friday, Oct. 17, according to a statement from the Grand Ducal Court. The new addition joins Alexandra and Nicolas' daughter, Victoire, born on May 14, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Helie's arrival came shortly after a major change for Luxembourg's royal family. On Oct. 3, Alexandra's father Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg voluntarily abdicated the throne, making way for his eldest son, the new Grand Duke Guillaume. Didier Lebrun / Photonews via Getty Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg and Nicolas Bagory on Oct. 3, 2025 in Luxembourg Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg and Nicolas Bagory on Oct. 3, 2025 in Luxembourg Princess Alexandra and Nicolas attended the ceremony in Luxembourg City, joining family members on the balcony of the Grand Ducal Palace. Alexandra is the fourth child and only daughter of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. With her father's abdication, she moved up a place in the line of succession to the Luxembourgish throne, making her seventh. She is immediately followed by her daughter Victoire, and now her son Helie is ninth in the line of succession. Patrick van Katwijk/WireImage Luxembourg's royal family on Oct. 3, 2025 Luxembourg's royal family on Oct. 3, 2025 Princess Alexandra was not included in the line of succession until 2011, when Grand Duke Henri issued a decree following absolute primogeniture, which included females in the order. 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! Arnold Jerocki/Getty Grand Duke Henri, Princess Alexandra and Nicolas Bagory on April 29, 2023 Grand Duke Henri, Princess Alexandra and Nicolas Bagory on April 29, 2023 Alexandra and Paris-based businessman Nicolas married in April 2023, with two wedding ceremonies: a civil ceremony in the Town Hall of Luxembourg City on April 22 and a private religious ceremony one week later at Saint Trophyme Church in Bormes-les-Mimosas, Var, France. Read the original article on People LONDON Rhodes Hailey Bieber and Lauren Ratner are taking their billion-dollar beauty brand into new territory outside North America. The next stop is the U.K. with a Sephora opening on Nov. 10. The brand, which was acquired in May by E.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion, made its North America debut at Sephora over the summer. Sales at the beauty retailer broke records, and Rhode and Sephora are already anticipating similar success in the U.K. More from WWD Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhode said it has driven the highest number of customer sign-ups ever for a brand launch at Sephora U.K. Its exciting to see Rhode reach more people, and get it into more hands. Watching people have this IRL experience with the brand [at Sephora] has been super-fulfilling for me, Bieber said in an exclusive interview with WWD. We have obviously been planning with Sephora for a really long time. You can anticipate and hope for how you want it to go, but you dont really know until the launch, and youre in there, said Bieber, adding the U.S. launch has definitely exceeded everybodys hopes and expectations. Priya Venkatesh, global chief merchandising officer of Sephora, said the retailer had its eyes on Rhode since it first entered the industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This will be one of our largest U.K. brand launches to date, and we believe Rhode will not only perform incredibly well commercially, but will also strengthen our position as the ultimate destination for whats next in beauty she added. Hailey Bieber and Lauren Ratner Going Offline The partnership with Sephora marks Rhodes first foray into retail, and gives the brand an opportunity to extend the conversation its been having with customers online. Ratner, Rhodes cofounder, president and chief brand officer, said the first three years of the business have been hyper-focused on building a robust direct-to-consumer channel and relationship with customers. Early signs of success in physical retail quickly became apparent through Rhodes pop-ups in Toronto, London, Ibiza and Majorca, Spain, and New York. Rhode's Peptide Lip line. Theres a global appetite for the brand and we needed a retail partner that had that global presence like Sephora. We also knew our customer was there. In terms of the U.K., its always been a key market for us and it was the first international country where we launched online, Ratner said, adding that on a personal note, shes excited to bring the brand to a permanent space to London, where she grew up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the summer of 2024, Rhodes London photo booth attracted hourlong queues. A further four-day pop-up on Motcomb Street last October was just as successful. This summer, Rhode organized one of its most successful campaigns to date, a Lemontini-themed pop-up in Spain. We have seen great success in driving new customers through the immersive world-building we do. The Lemontini, in tandem with new European market launches, drove significant new customer acquisition and was one of our highest revenue days in company history, Ratner said. Further international expansion with Sephora is on the cards, but Bieber said the brand is taking it one place, and territory, at a time right now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What we do really well at Rhode is think about things holistically and what feels right for us as a brand. We dont play by anybody elses rules, and we dont follow any strategy other than the one that we invent for ourselves as a brand, Bieber said. Sarah Boyd, managing director of Sephora U.K., said Rhodes direct-to-consumer success has already shown its incredible global demand and bringing it to physical retail and more seamless online delivery gives customers the chance to truly experience the brand. Social media has made beauty more borderless than ever; our shoppers dont want to wait months for whats trending in the U.S., they want it now, and vice versa. A Sephora Success When Rhode launched on Sephoras site earlier this year, the brand attracted more than 2 million searches and was slated to be the retailers largest North American launch in history. According to YipitData, Rhode exceeded $10 million in retail sales during its first two days at Sephora. Data provided by Rhode shows it lapped the previous record-holder for biggest launch at Sephora by 2.5 times. Roughly three Rhode items were selling per second. Lauren Ratner photographed in Los Angeles, California on August 6, 2025. The partnership with Sephora marked Rhodes first foray into retail, with net sales topping $212 million in the 12 months ending March 31. It was a big number for what had been a pure direct-to-consumer brand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On launch day, Rhode comprised more than 35 percent of Sephora North Americas online sales. That number leveled off to about 5 percent one week later on Sept. 10, according to web receipt data scraped by YipitData. The feedback has been nothing short of sweet, with Biebers friends, family members and fellow beauty brands rallying behind her. I have friends and people who Im around that are also in Sephora, such as Jen Atkin [founder of Ouai] and Mary Phillips [founder of M.Ph], and I feel really supported by them. Its exciting to go on this journey with other people alongside you who have done it before to the highest level, she said. She added: I have so much respect for other founders because Ive been on this journey and I know how hard it can be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bieber said she grew up with Sephora. As a young ballet dancer, she said it was single destination for cosmetics and beauty. My earliest memories are going to Sephora at my local mall and stocking up on glittery eye shadow for dance recitals and stage makeup, Bieber said. One True Vision Bieber is not compromising on her vision and the the world of Rhode that shes created with Ratner. It took meticulous planning to design the Rhode gondola at Sephora, which takes in the brands signature gray color palette. Weve been really intentional about bringing the visual look and feel of the world of Rhode to life in a consistent way that feels true to the brand. Weve built up these immersive worlds in our pop-ups that we want to continue to bring into retail, Ratner said. Harris Dickinson for Rhode. As we enter into retail, customers will hopefully recognize the signature design language theyve seen in our activations, [campaigns] and pop-ups, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The gondolas surface will be covered in Rhodes shiny texture and filled with mirrors and a product assortment that includes the Peptide Lip line, skin care range and pigmented blush. We think of each person in our community as a creator and we want to give them the opportunity to create within these spaces, Ratner said. Our approach to content, community and commerce has been an important part of our success throughout, and as we launch a new product. We try to build a world that our community feels really emotionally connected to and excited by through sticky messaging, visuals and immersive activations. We hope to give our consumers the tools to storytell about the brand and to foster a real connection, she added. To celebrate the partnership with Sephora, the brand has brought back its limited-edition Peptide Lip permanently in tints of Strawberry Glaze, Salty Tan and Jelly Bean. Rhode will also be dropping its holiday set on the same day as its Sephora U.K. launch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bieber calls the curated edits an essential part of Rhodes growth. Im constantly basing our product range on things that have become and stayed necessary. We could eventually expand one day we recently launched eye patches, she said. Rhode's Peptide Eye Prep campaign. The Peptide Eye Prep is priced at 25 pounds. Rhode has stuck to its accessible pricing from the get-go. The brands price range starts from 20 pounds for a Peptide Lip tint and goes up to 38 pounds for its viral iPhone lip cases. My goal from the beginning was always the accessibility of it. Im not somebody who needs to be putting $300 skin care on the market. I think that a lot of really expensive skin care is also just really good marketing. What we aim to do is give people really efficacious ingredients and great formulas while still being accessible, Bieber said. The Rhode Ahead As Rhode operates under E.l.f. Beauty, Bieber hasnt changed how she works. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her role is chief creative officer and head of innovation, overseeing creative, product innovation and marketing. She also acts as a strategic adviser to the combined companies. Theres so many things that were planning. Im constantly thinking of the next shoot and concept I want to do. Im so big on inspiration and I always have so many mood boards happening, Bieber said, referring to her secret Pinterest account. Rhode's pop-up in London in October 2024. She has been using the social media app religiously for years and pins ideas daily. She has an interior decor and food board. (The last recipe she pinned was for air fryer cinnamon apple rings.) Does that not sound delicious? Bieber said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhodes achievements to date are a testament to the founders dreams, and she remains firm in her ambitions. Nothing is impossible and I dont think anybody could tell you that theres an idea too bizarre, too big or too out of reach. I never, ever, thought that we would be at the place that were at today with Rhode and the way that people have loved it and gravitated toward it, Bieber said. Theres so many people who can see doubt in your mind. I think its very easy for us as humans to be insecure and doubt our own ideas and ourselves. I just dont think anything is impossible at all. Maybe thats some delusion, but there is a level of healthy delusion [too], she added. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Netflix missed the earnings target set by stock market analysts during the video streamers latest quarter, a letdown that the company blamed on a tax dispute in Brazil. The results announced Tuesday broke Netflix's six-quarter streak of posting a profit that eclipsed analysts' projections. The Los Gatos, California, cited an unexpected $619 million expense tied to the Brazilian tax dispute for the earnings shortfall while hailing its lineup of distinctive TV series and films for keeping its audience engaged and delivering a mix of subscriber fees and increased ad sales that helped it deliver revenue that matched analyst forecasts. Investors, though, weren't placated by the explanation as Netflix's shares still fell by about 6% in extended trading after the numbers came out. Analysts varied in their interpretation of the third-quarter report. Investing.com analyst Thomas Monteiro worries Netflix is using the Brazilian tax hit as a way to mask signs of a slowdown in subscriber growth and advertising amid economy uncertainty. The truth is that the company failed to deliver the kind of growth weve grown used to over the past couple of years, he said. But Zacks analyst Jeremy Mullin said he sees little reason for concern, asserting Netflix's underlying story remains solid. Netflix earned $2.5 billion, or $5.87 per share, in its July-September quarter, an 8% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 17% from last year to $11.5 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research had predicted the Los Gatos, California, company to earn $6.96 per share on revenue of $11.5 billion. Delivering solid financial growth has become more important than ever for Netflix as management has steered investors from fixating on how many subscribers its service gains from one quarter to the next. As part of that process, Netflix stopped disclosing its subscribers at the end of last year. The shift has paid off so far, with Netflixs stock price rising about 40% so far this year, although the downturn in extended trading signaled some of those gains are about to evaporate. Although Netflix no longer reveals the specific, this years revenue growth signals that its worldwide subscriber count has increased from the roughly 302 million it had at the end of last year by far the most among video streamers, even as rivals with deeper pockets such as Amazon and Apple expand their programming selections. In the company's quarterly conference call, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the streaming service's total worldwide audience including multiple people living in the same subscriber household is approaching 1 billion. One thing the royals never run short on? Stunning photos. And Im not just talking about the formal, frame-it-on-the-wall portraits (though yes, those are fire too). The real gems are the more candid ones, like those quiet snaps of Prince William solo, moments with King Charles, and even the occasional unexpected Queen Camilla shot. Kate Middleton also has her fair share of gorgeous shotsand thanks to her latest outing, there's a new one to add to the list. Princess Catherine, 43, recently paid a visit to Northern Ireland (alongside William) to tour the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Services new Learning and Development College. For the occasion, she looked stunning in a long, dark green Alexander McQueen coat (a royal rewear), paired with boots and her signature hairstyle, loose curls and an off-center part. But what really stood out? A totally candid mid-laughter moment that stole the show. Chris Jackson/Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the photo, the Princess of Wales is absolutely beaming, caught mid-laugh with the kind of joyful expression you cant fake. If you ask me, its easily her best shot of the week. You can feel the happiness coming through the screen. And honestly, that energy tracked with the whole days vibe. William and Kates unannounced trip to Northern Ireland also included a visit to Mallon Farm, and they wrapped the day with some quintessentially fall activities at Long Meadow Cider. The couple rolled up their sleeves and gave the farms famous potato apple bread a go and the resulting snaps show them fully in their elementsmiling, relaxed, and clearly having a blast. They even went apple-picking, and again, same joyful vibe. With photos like these, I cant wait to see what the royal duo gets up to next. Want all the latest royal news sent right to your inbox? Click here. Prince William & Kate Middletons Body Language at Yesterday's Outing Says a Lot About Their Bond Alica Schmidt, the international superstar and sprinter for Team Germany, stepped off the track and onto the runway during Milan Fashion Week in September. Dressed in all-gray, the Boss brand ambassador turned heads for the fashion-forward staple's show spotlighting the Spring/Summer 2026 collection noted as "The BOSS Paradox." Schmidt demonstrated why she is such a sought-after talent. Alica Schmidt stuns at Boss fashion in Milan MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 25: Alica Schmidt attends the Boss fashion show during the Milan Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 on September 25, 2025 in Milan, Italy. Alica Schmidt stuns at Boss fashion in Milan MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 25: Alica Schmidt attends the Boss fashion show during the Milan Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 on September 25, 2025 in Milan, Italy. Alica Schmidt stuns at Boss fashion in Milan MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 25: Alica Schmidt attends the Boss fashion show during the Milan Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 on September 25, 2025 in Milan, Italy. Alica Schmidt stuns at Boss fashion in Milan MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 25: Alica Schmidt attends the Boss fashion show during the Milan Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 on September 25, 2025 in Milan, Italy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article originally appeared on The List Wire: Olympic sprinter Alica Schmidt at Milan Fashion Week in photos The Female Film Club, the global network for women and non-binary filmmakers, is launching a branch in Bulgaria, FFC Bulgaria, during a gala on Thursday at CineLibri Intl. Film Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria. The initiative allows Bulgarian filmmakers to connect with international filmmakers from the FFC community. It offers access to learning resources, interviews with prominent filmmakers, and more. The new platform is curated by Krassimira Belev from First Draft and Martin I. Petrov of International Film Festival Glasgow, with the support of Nu Boyana Studios, which is offering one of the first 200 members of FFC Bulgaria 50,000 worth of studio use and equipment to help them make their film. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The initiative was born after FFC co-founder Liza van der Smissen attended a Variety curated panel at Cannes where she met Belev and Petrov. Krassimira said: Meeting Liza in Cannes felt like it was meant to be. I truly admire the work FFC has done internationally, and as a woman filmmaker who has faced many of the same challenges, I feel deeply passionate about helping others. My hope is that this organization will give women in Bulgaria the knowledge and support they need to be brave and proactive with their stories. Martin added: It is of great essence to support independent filmmakers at the start of their career and give them proper guidance to enter the industry with confidence. We have a duty as festivals, film funds and established production companies to educate, discover new talent and give them a stage to thrive. Shortly after Cannes, Krassimira and First Draft joined FFCs 10,000 short film fund, announced first in Variety, and the FFC collaborated with Lerner to facilitate financing the film The Red Box at Nu Boyana Studios featuring FFC member Mirabel Stuart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lerner said: The Bulgarian film industry is thriving and it is exciting to continue to work together with the FFC, supporting Bulgarian filmmakers and showing the world the possibilities of filming here. FFC Bulgaria builds on the work of the FFCs Global Short Film Fund, with a 10,000 Euro prize, whose winner, Lisa Cole with her film Filthy, was announced on Friday at the BFI London Film Festival. FFC Bulgaria will officially launch and be open for members from Oct. 23 at the gala at CineLibri Intl. Film Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, during their 11th edition, currently running throughout October. To celebrate the launch the first 100 FFC Bulgaria members can join for free from Oct. 23. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety'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: Press Days after wrapping up a headline tour of the UK and Europe, Bleed From Within have announced a return to England, Scotland and Ireland. The Glasgow groove metal heavyweights will play an intimate run called the Dying Sun tour in March, featuring an overhauled setlist composed of deep cuts and long-unplayed material. Disembodied Tyrant and Baest will serve as support acts, and dates and details can be found below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bleed From Within comment: The Dying Sun tour is something weve been waiting to announce for a very long time. The plan was to get back to our roots and follow a similar kind of routing that we would have done back in our formative years. Between 2007 and 2010, we performed countless times across the country in these cities and it really helped cement the foundations of our band. The name of the tour is a nod to one of our favourite tracks from our latest album [2025s Zenith], but also a teaser of what people can expect to hear at the shows We consider Dying Sun a deep cut and weve already discussed a number of other songs from our catalogue that we would love to bring to the stage that people will not have heard for a VERY long time. To wrap things up, we are very happy to announce Disembodied Tyrant and Baest as the bands that will be joining us. Both these bands are making a real name for themselves in the world of heavy music and we cannot wait for you to see them. If you don't know them already, please educate yourself in advance. This tour is us connecting with the cities and songs that help build us. We hope to see you there! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From September to October, Bleed From Within played some of their largest headline shows to date on a European trek called the Zenith tour. The run included a performance to 2,300 people at a sold-out O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on October 10. Hammer attended the show and gave it a near-perfect four-and-a-half-star review. Bleed From Within hit a new apex tonight, and based on the fact this place was full to capacity, therell probably be a few more of them in the near future, this journalist wrote. In the space of just seven years, this lot have gone from unlikely comeback kids to an undeniable force. Give them another seven and at this rate theyll be one of the biggest things going. The band are currently touring Australia and will support The Ghost Inside at The Gov in Hindmarsh tonight (October 21). Visit the Bleed From Within website to see the rest of their schedule. Bleed From Within 2026 UK/Ireland tour dates: Mar 01: Edinburgh The Liquid Room, UK* Mar 05: Dublin The Academy, Ireland Mar 06: Liverpool O2 Academy, UK Mar 07: Leeds Stylus, UK Mar 08: Nottingham Rescue Rooms, UK Mar 10: Norwich Epic Studios, UK Mar 12: Bristol Electric Bristol, UK Mar 13: Southampton The 1865, UK Mar 14: Birmingham O2 Institute, UK * no Disembodied Tyrant or Baest An eventful Sunday downtown capped a yearlong 40th anniversary celebration for the Motown Museum and offered some key updates to supporters of the Detroit institution. Smokey Robinson, the Temptations Otis Williams and songwriting brothers Brian and Eddie Holland were among the guests at an invitation-only dinner reception Oct. 19 in the Colony Club ahead of a Tempts-Four Tops concert across the street at the Fox Theatre. Along with a crowd of donors and partners, those stars were formally introduced to the Motown Museums new CEO, Kenya Messer, who was hired after a 15-month national search, as the Free Press reported earlier Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Messer was welcomed to the Motown family by Robin Terry, who will continue to lead in the chairwoman role she has held since 2014. Smokey Robinson (left) greets songwriter-producer Eddie Holland at the Motown Museum's 40th anniversary reception at the Colony Club in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Terry delivered some big news about the Motown Museums ongoing $75 million expansion, a project announced nine years ago to the day: The 40,000-square-foot annex now rising on the museum campus will be named The Motown Experience, Terry revealed. Sundays guests got a first look at an animated fly-through video of the complex, which will include exhibit space, a theater, immersive listening experiences and more. The two-story structures steel beams have begun to rise behind the iconic Hitsville, U.S.A., house, with construction set to finish in October 2026 and a grand opening scheduled for spring 2027. An aerial shot shows the construction of the expansion of the Motown Museum photographed on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 in Detroit. Public museum tours will run through Jan. 19, 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Day before pausing to accommodate the final stretch of work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Terry also announced that the museums expansion fundraising has hit the $72 million mark, with $3 million left to reach the goal. Robinson was a surprise guest for most folks on hand Sunday, including Tempts founder Williams, who greeted the My Girl songwriter with a big grin and long hug after rounding a corner in the Colony Club. Donning archivist gloves, the two later joined Terry and the Holland brothers for the opening of a time capsule theyd all helped prepare in November 2005. It included a vintage 45-r.p.m. copy of the Temptations Aint Too Proud to Beg, which prompted Williams to turn to Eddie Holland: You know it, Williams told him. You wrote it! The contents also featured tributes to late museum founder Esther Gordy Edwards who sealed the time capsule 20 years ago including a poem written to her by Robinson and sheet music by the Hollands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was just a taste of the love Sunday for Edwards, who meticulously saved Motown artifacts through the years before opening the museum in 1985 as she recognized public demand. Maybe we made history and didnt realize it, she recounted telling her brother Berry Gordy, as seen in a video segment shown Sunday night. Terry, a granddaughter of Edwards, told the audience: It was Berry Gordys vision that built Motown. It was Esther Gordys heart that preserved it. Motown Museum CEO Kenya Messer, left, and chairwoman Robin Terry address guests at the Motown Museum's 40th anniversary reception at Detroit's Colony Club on Oct. 19, 2025. Messer, the new CEO, was introduced to the crowd by Terry, who noted that the hiring comes as we build our bench. When I stepped into this role, I instantly felt the weight and wonder of what the Motown Museum represents, Messer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: It takes two: New Motown Museum CEO pairs with Gordy family veteran to lead Detroit institution Over at the Fox Theatre, another 40th celebration would happen, as the Four Tops and Temptations marked the anniversary of their dual TNT Tour in a polished, feel-good evening of nostalgic music. For the Tops, it was the first Detroit performance since the 2024 death of Duke Fakir, the groups last original member. Lawrence (Roquel) Payton Jr., son of the quartets late tenor, was an affable master of ceremonies as he and the group ran through a repertoire of 60s and 70s classics. With the Tempts, 83-year-old Williams was an ageless figure onstage as he and fellow members served up slickly choreographed moves and crisply arranged vocals in a rapid volley of hits. Songs included Get Ready and The Way You Do the Things You Do as their songwriter Robinson watched from the seats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And then came the closing number, My Girl, where Robinson delighted fans by joining the Temptations onstage and taking over lead vocal duties to revisit the 1965 masterwork and rolling back the decades to the Motortown Revues on that very Fox stage. Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Motown Museum reveals expansion details at star-studded event A little over 40 years ago, Sister Nancy widely considered the first female dancehall DJ released a song that would transcend genre, her home country of Jamaica and time itself: Bam Bam. Built around a sample of Ansell Collins Stalag 17 riddim, Bam Bam is arguably the most sampled and recognizable dancehall song in music history. From Jay-Zs Bam and Yes Famous to Ms. Lauryn Hills Lost Ones and Lizzos Truth Hurts, Sister Nancys commanding timbre as well as the songs infectious melody and alluring brass has proven irresistible to generations of musicians across genres and regions. In 2024, Janelle Monaes The Age of Pleasure, on which Sister Nancy is both featured (The French 75) and sampled (Water Slide), earned a Grammy nomination for album of the year. More from Billboard Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sister Nancys breakthrough hit initially appeared on her 1982 debut album, One, Two, garnering far more notoriety internationally than in Jamaica. Though not a chart hit upon its release, the song has grown into an indisputable classic around the world, a perennial musical announcement of summers arrival. Since 1991, when Luminate began electronically tracking music sales, Bam Bam has garnered over 185.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 329,000 digital downloads. Sister Nancy relocated to New Jersey in 1996 and didnt put out another album until 2007s Sister Nancy Meets Fireproof but the undying legacy of Bam Bam helped influence several new generations of female dancehall DJs, including icons like Lady Saw (now Minister Marion Hall), Macka Diamond, Spice and Shenseea. By 2016, she retired from her accounting job to return to the stage and her pursuit of music. A few decades removed from the release of Bam Bam, Sister Nancy, 63, finally seized the opportunity to tell her remarkable story on her own terms, resulting in a new documentary titled Bam Bam: The Story of Sister Nancy. Written and directed by Oya Media Group founder Alison Duke, the documentary follows the arc of Sister Nancys life and career, culminating in her victorious battle to win back years of unpaid royalties due to unauthorized samples, through tour performances, interviews, reenactments and archival footage. The film, an official selection at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, is yet another innovative step forward by Sister Nancy on behalf of all women in dancehall, a physical space and musical genre that can be flagrantly misogynistic. If its mine, I am going to fight for it, she stresses to Billboard. Its either I win or lose, but I have to try. And I implore all women to do the same thing. If its just sitting there and you havent claimed it, youre going to lose it. And Im not going to lose. Earlier this year, Sister Nancy teamed up with iconic dub music producer Mad Professor for her newest album, Armageddon. The eight-track offering arrived on Sept. 12, a few months before the dancehall innovator is set to headline The Brooklyn Monarch on Dec. 11. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Below, Sister Nancy speaks with Billboard about her new documentary, why she really appreciated the way Jay-Z went about sampling Bam Bam and her hopes for the genres current iteration. When did the idea of a documentary first come about? My longtime agent was insisting that I write a book, and I was like, Mi nuh have time for it. Mi nuh write no book! Then he said I should give someone the opportunity to write about me, and mi seh, Who? Who yuh fi get fi write bout meh? He said he could get someone, and he introduced me to [Oya Media founder and Bam Bam director] Alison Duke and she fell in love with me. [Laughs.] She told me, Ive been listening to you in basement parties, I never thought Id get a chance to meet you! I felt comfortable with her and knew [the whole endeavor] was worth my while, so I just went ahead with the documentary. What was it like to finally see the final cut of the documentary? Every time [Duke did] something different, she always showed it to me. And she traveled the whole world with me, so I had an idea of what the film would look like before it was finished. Its just a plain documentary; everything you see is one take because I dont repeat myself. I dont like that. Catch me when you can! I have the documentary on my phone so I can watch it every day. Its very nice and its all about me, so its good! Whats your favorite scene? When I sprayed the perfume between my legs. [Laughs.] I was in my bedroom and this guy kept following me. I said, You dont have to follow me everywhere, Im going to the bathroom! Youre going to come in there? And he said, Yes, Nancy, Im going to come in there. When I put my clothes on in my bedroom, I always spray my hair. This time, I did a joke and sprayed it in between my legs too. Whats your favorite song that samples Bam Bam? [2017s] Bam by Jay-Z [and Damian Jr. Gong Marley]. The reality of him taking me with him to shoot the video in Jamaica was amazing. I really appreciated that. Everybody has sampled the song, but he chose to take me with him. Jay-Z is my No. 1. He did the right thing. Everybody else was cheap; they didnt even think about me. At the time, I had just left my accounting job at the bank, so it meant a lot. When did you first hear an unauthorized sample of Bam Bam? Many years before I even came to live in [the United States], I heard Bam Bam on Kris Kross [1993 song] Im Real. Ive been coming here since 1980, but I migrated here in 1996. When I finally arrived, the first place I heard Bam Bam was in the 1998 Belly movie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [The legal fight for compensation] started in 2014 after I heard the song playing in a Reebok commercial. I was in my bedroom, my daughter was in the living room, and she said, Mommy, look at this! I saw this Australian girl [model Miranda Kerr] all over the television, and I thought, Theyve been doing so much with my song, and I cant even buy a pack of cigarettes. I couldnt even buy a Heineken, which I used to love so much. Working my 9-5 at the bank was rough, and my daughter was in high school at the time. I had to depend on my mother so much as well; Im so sorry shes not here to reap what she sowed because I didnt sow it, she did. 2014 is when I decided to fight for what is mine. And nobody complained, because they knew I deserved it. They basically just gave me what I was owed. What was that moment like when you got that first check? As soon as I get it, it finished! It was 90,000 pounds, man. My attorney talked to the publishing company, and the process wasnt hard. They knew I had never been compensated for 32 years. I have to give thanks to Almighty God because without him, it wouldnt be possible for me to stop working and do the thing I love best, which is performing. I know Im a great performer; I love to tour the world. Di people dem love me! Wheres your favorite place youve ever performed? [Outside of] Jamaica California and Rome. I love those places. Why do you think overseas audiences initially latched onto Bam Bam before Jamaicans did? I dont know, but Ive never really heard it played [in Jamaica]. The only time I heard it was when I did it live at Sting in 1990. I aint never hear Bam Bam really played. They like One Two. Bam Bam is not my favorite song on my first album, but its a song that has made a way for me and I really cherish it. Its my signature song, but its not the best song for me. Roof Over Mi Head is my song. My mom is the breadwinner, so I love it. Do you actively mentor any younger female artists in the dancehall space? Every single one of them. Some will not tell you, because women are like that. I even mentor men, because I have a lot of men I used to listen to when I was younger. But I was there. I did it in that dancehall, so all the women after me could do it like that. They have to listen to Sister Nancy at one point or another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My mentor was my older brother, Brigadier Jerry. I also used to listen to Muma Liza. She was the first [woman] I heard on the radio. She and my brother are the ones who made me want to do this. Ive never met her because she was not in the dancehall; she was a recording artist. Its so bad she didnt get what she deserved. Some of us dont have the ability, some of us dont have the drive, and some of us dont have that ting in us to fight but I was born a fighter. When you think of the current dancehall space, what words come to mind? Its never been 100% the way I wanted it from 1982, but itll never be the same thing. Everybody haffi do their own thing. Whatever helps you gain is what I think theyre going to do. If the artists and the DJs choose to do profanity music, they do so because it works for them. I cant tell them not to do it. I just know I wont do it. [Dancehall] music is going a way that I dont like sometimes, but thats why I am here: to make sure it stays focused and to make sure it stays the way I like to see it with the roots and the culture at the center. You cant have everybody leaning towards one thing. The music right now doesnt bother me, people will see which one lives longer. Too much of one thing is good for nothing. And Im here as a testament to that. I am still here. All of these ladies come and go, and Sister Nancy is still here. Im the beginning, and if you start it, you haffi finish. Billboard VIP Pass Best of Billboard Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. General Hospital spoilers for Tuesday, October 21, 2025, feature Tracy battling Ronnie while Kai apologizes to Curtis. And what tempting offer is Alexis about to receive? Key Takeaways: Tracy and Ronnies feud explodes as tensions reach a boiling point. Portia opens up to Dr. Gannon potentially about her failed marriage and maybe her future. Kai apologizes to Curtis, but some secrets are still too dangerous to share. Alexis receives a surprising and very tempting offer that could change everything. Next on General Hospital Tracy versus Ronnie Tuesdays GH will feature two formidable females continuing to battle each other. Tracys war with Ronnie (Erika Slezak) escalates, most likely at the party Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) coordinated to welcome Ronnie to Port Charles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tracy (Jane Elliot) isnt going to let Ronnie get comfortable in her new digs. In fact, she will do whatever it takes to weed the woman out of the house and her town. In GHs weekly video preview, Tracy knows in her bones that Ronnie is hiding something and, obviously, she is determined to find out what it is. Until she does, the tension between the women will intensify. Venting Session Portia (Brook Kerr) and Curtis (Donnell Turner) keep discussing whether their marriage is over or not. However, Portia is pretty definitive on the matter. Theyre done. Shes moving on and shes pursuing things with Isaiah (Sawandi Wilson). When Portia vents to Dr. Gannon, she may discuss her failed marriage. She may even want to bring up the J word. And that is Jordan (Tanisha Harper). Even though nothing is going on between Curtis and Jordan (yet), Portia does love to blame some of her marriage problems on the woman. If Portia doesnt want to vent about her marriage ending, what does she want to talk to Isaiah about? Her pregnancy? Apologies Made Meanwhile, Kai (Jens Austin Astrup) has seen the light when it comes to Congressman Cutthroat. He has tried to make up for his mistakes by stealing and eliminating the leverage Drew (Cameron Mathison) had on Portia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Kai apologizes to Curtis, presumably for being Team Drew so long and throwing the Ashfords under the bus in favor of the congressman. However, he probably will keep a lid on his and Trinas antics on the night of Drews shooting. But he may want to rethink that path because Curtis would do whatever to protect Trina (Tabyana Ali) from the consequences of being in Drews house and hearing the gunshots. Debates and Tempting Offers In addition to Lucas (Van Hansis) debating with Lulu (Alexa Havins), Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn, who recently won a Daytime Emmy for lead actress) receives a tempting offer. Now that Ric (Rick Hearst) has been found and he has fallen in line with lying to his daughter about his digital detox whereabouts, Alexis can breathe a little easier. The money has been transferred back into the Cassadine trust minus Avas divorce settlement, of course. And now she and Kristina (Kate Mansi) have come to a new understanding with Maura Wests Ava (GH fans wants even more of the trio). Theres a bit of a shaky truce going on with the women. Now that thats all settled, what is Alexiss tempting offer all about? And how tempting is it? Will she say yes? READ NEXT This story was originally reported on Soap Hub on October 20, 2025. Add Soap Hub as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The life and death of convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy remains one of the most disturbing examples of a sociopathic predator living among society and not getting discovered until too many lives were lost. Gacy's story, and the story of many of his victims, are dramatized in Peacock's new scripted series, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. Based on Peacock's 2021 docuseries John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, the new dramatic series created by Patrick Macmanus (Dr. Death) approaches Gacy's (Michael Chernus) notorious crimes with an intentional focus on the serial killer's victims, their families and the law enforcement investigators who caught him. It starts with Gacy's last victim, Robert Piest, who went missing on December 11, 1978. Piest was lured by Gacy to his home with the promise of a potential job, but instead Gacy murdered the young man and then disposed of his body in the Des Plaines River. RELATED: Everything to Know About Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy on Peacock On December 21, law enforcement executed a second warrant to search Gacy's home, where they found buried bodies in the crawl space. The next morning, Gacy confessed to murdering approximately 30 young males at his residence. He was arrested and eventually charged with 33 murders. On February 6, 1980, Gacy was brought to trial, and on March 12, was found guilty on all 33 charges of murder, as well as sexual assault and taking indecent liberties with a child (Piest). When was John Wayne Gacy scheduled for execution? Gacy resided at Menard Correctional Center in Illinois for 14 years on death row, until all of his appeals were denied. On May 9, 1994, Gacy was then transferred to Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois where he was administered lethal injection and pronounced dead at 12:58 a.m. on May 10, 1994. A booking photo of John Wayne Gacy. What was John Wayne Gacy's last meal? Food photographer Henry Hargreaves' book, No Seconds, which recreates many death row final meal requests, confirmed that Gacy requested 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of original recipe KFC, french fries, and a pound of strawberries. (In 1964, Gacy married Marlynn Myers and moved with her to Waterloo, Iowa, where he managed three KFC restaurants owned by his father-in-law.) What were John Wayne Gacy's last words? Gacy's last words remain disputed to this day. Uncorroborated urban lore says it was: "Kiss my a--." The Associated Press reported that Illinois State Corrections Director Howard Peters relayed Gacy's last words as: "Taking [my] life would not compensate for the loss of the others and that this was the state murdering him." However, state prosecutor William Kunkle told A&E True Crime that he was a witness in the front row and said "that no words were spoken." All eight episodes of Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy are available now, exclusively on Peacock. In a world that can sometimes feel divided, cold, or rushed, travel has the rare power to remind us of what connects us all, empathy, kindness, and shared wonder. There are places on this planet that dont just impress you with scenery, but move you with humanity. In these destinations, strangers greet you like family, generosity feels instinctive, and community runs deeper than convenience. You come home from them lighter, softer, and somehow more hopeful about the world. From Himalayan kingdoms where happiness is national policy to island nations that treat visitors like lifelong friends, each of these places proves that goodness still thrives quietly in the corners of the globe. They are reminders that people, no matter where they live, are capable of incredible warmth. So pack your bags, not just for adventure, but for renewal. Here are 15 destinations that will restore your faith in humanity. Bhutan Image Credit: Shutterstock. Bhutan feels like it belongs to another realm, one where contentment matters more than wealth and peace is not just an idea, but a way of life. Nestled between India and China, this Himalayan kingdom measures success not by money but by Gross National Happiness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bhutanese believe that caring for one another and for nature is the foundation of a good life. Youll see it in the prayer flags fluttering in the mountain breeze, in monks offering blessings to strangers, and in villagers sharing tea and stories with anyone passing through. Theres no frantic rush, no consumer noise, just balance. Even the government limits tourism to preserve culture and the environment. Locals tend terraced fields with reverence, and children grow up surrounded by a sense of collective kindness. Travelers often leave Bhutan feeling calmer and more connected to what truly matters. Its not just a destination; its a living example of what happens when humanity leads the way. Japan Image Credit: Shutterstock In Japan, politeness isnt performative, its genuine. Theres an almost sacred respect for others that permeates daily life, from bowing greetings to the way people handle shared spaces. Step into a Tokyo metro station and youll notice how strangers move in perfect rhythm, quietly considerate. Drop your wallet on the street, and theres an excellent chance it will be returned untouched. This quiet civility feels like a collective agreement to protect harmony. Outside the cities, in mountain towns or along the cherry-blossom paths, hospitality takes an even softer form. Hosts treat you with deep care, offering tea and conversation as if you were part of their family. Schoolchildren clean their own classrooms, neighbors look after elders, and gratitude is second nature. Japans way of living reminds you that kindness doesnt have to be loud, it can be as simple and powerful as everyday respect. Portugal Image Credit: Shutterstock. Portugal has a kind of warmth that feels old-fashioned, the kind that cant be faked. From Lisbons hills to the cobbled streets of Porto, people take their time to greet you, to chat, to make you feel at ease. The Portuguese arent just polite; theyre open-hearted. Theyll share homemade port wine, help you find your way, or tell stories about the sea as if youd known them forever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the fishing villages of the Algarve or the vineyards of the Douro Valley, life still moves at a human pace. Youll see grandparents chatting in cafes for hours, neighbors helping each other fix nets, and families gathering nightly for long meals. Its not about wealth or status, its about connection. Portugals gentle rhythm and sincere humanity remind visitors that community is the truest kind of luxury. Rwanda Image Credit: Shutterstock. Few countries show the resilience and forgiveness of Rwanda. In the wake of unimaginable tragedy, this small East African nation rebuilt itself on the principles of unity and compassion. Today, it stands as one of the safest, cleanest, and most inspiring places in Africa. Streets are spotless, plastic bags are banned, and neighbors volunteer together every month for community cleanup projects known as Umuganda. Meeting Rwandans is humbling. They speak openly about the past, not with bitterness, but with determination to never repeat it. Locals are proud to share their culture, their coffee, and their hope. Visiting Kigali or the rolling green hills beyond it feels like walking through a living testament to humanitys ability to heal. The world often talks about forgiveness, Rwanda shows how its done. New Zealand Image Credit: Mark Heider / Shutterstock. New Zealands beauty is breathtaking, but its the people who make it unforgettable. Kiwis are famous for their down-to-earth kindness, always ready to lend a hand, offer a ride, or strike up a friendly conversation. The Maori concept of manaakitanga, meaning hospitality and care for others, shapes how communities interact. You feel it in the way locals greet you, feed you, and welcome you into their stories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Small towns are built on trust, doors often stay unlocked, and kindness is exchanged as naturally as smiles. Whether youre hiking through misty mountains or sharing fish and chips by the beach, youll feel included. New Zealand teaches that decency doesnt need ceremony; it just needs heart. Ireland Image Credit:Shutterstock. If laughter and kindness had an address, it would be Ireland. The Irish are storytellers, poets, and friends before you even know them. Walk into a pub and youll be invited to join a table, handed a pint, and drawn into conversation as if you were family. Their warmth isnt an act; its a way of life. Even in the smallest village, youll find humor and generosity everywhere, people helping neighbors, sharing meals, or playing music together late into the night. The Irish spirit is resilient and radiant, a reminder that joy is often the greatest form of compassion. Ireland restores your faith in humanity simply by being itself: unpretentious, caring, and deeply human. Nepal Image Credit: Shutterstock High in the Himalayas, Nepal is a place where spirituality and simplicity merge. Life is modest but full of meaning, and the people, from Kathmandu to mountain villages, radiate humility. When you trek through remote trails, strangers offer you tea, shelter, and warmth without hesitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite economic hardship, the generosity of Nepalis is boundless. Smiles come easily, gratitude runs deep, and faith in life never falters. Theres a sense that everyone is part of one big family under the same sky. Being here reminds you that human connection often thrives best where material wealth is scarce but emotional wealth is abundant. Canada Image Credit: Shutterstock. Canadas reputation for politeness is well-earned, but its the sincerity behind it that truly restores your faith. Canadians dont just say sorry out of habit; they genuinely care about how their actions affect others. From bustling Toronto to remote Yukon towns, youll encounter a quiet decency that feels steady and comforting. Diversity is celebrated here, not just tolerated. Immigrants, Indigenous peoples, and long-time locals coexist in a mosaic of kindness and respect. Whether its a stranger holding the door, a community fundraiser for someone in need, or neighbors digging each other out after a snowstorm, Canada reminds you that compassion still has a country. Thailand Image Credit: Shutterstock. Known as the Land of Smiles, Thailand earns that title every single day. Thai people have an extraordinary gift for making visitors feel safe, seen, and cared for. Whether youre lost in Bangkok or wandering through a beach town, someone will stop to help, often with laughter and genuine warmth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Buddhist principle of sanuk, finding joy in everything, shapes daily life. From markets to temples, kindness is abundant, and even small gestures feel sincere. Thailands charm doesnt just lie in its beaches or food, but in its peoples ability to live gracefully, kindly, and with gratitude. Colombia Image Credit: Shutterstock Colombia has redefined itself over the past two decades, transforming from a troubled nation into one of Latin Americas most welcoming destinations. What stands out most is the pride and optimism of its people. Colombians greet travelers with energy, offering directions, stories, and smiles that could light up a city. Theres an emotional warmth in every interaction, a desire to share culture, music, and hope. In Cartagenas colorful streets or Medellins flower-filled hills, you sense a country determined to show its best self to the world. Its impossible not to be moved by their generosity and joy. Morocco Image Credit: Shutterstock. In Morocco, hospitality is sacred. Guests are considered blessings, and hosts will go to great lengths to make them feel at home. From Marrakechs bustling souks to the blue alleys of Chefchaouen, youll find kindness tucked between cups of mint tea and warm conversations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moroccans invite you into their homes, their traditions, their rhythms. The phrase Bismillah," in the name of God, accompanies every meal and every act of generosity. Here, humanity lives in the small rituals: the shared bread, the laughter over tea, the hand placed on your heart in greeting. Iceland Image Credit: Shutterstock. Iceland feels like a land from another planet, and yet its people are some of the most grounded and kind-hearted youll ever meet. With one of the lowest crime rates in the world and a culture of trust, Iceland reminds visitors that goodness can be societal. Locals leave babies sleeping in strollers outside cafes, and hitchhikers are picked up by friendly strangers without hesitation. In small fishing villages or Reykjaviks cozy bars, youll find community everywhere. Neighbors help each other through long winters, and visitors are treated like family. Icelands beauty may be dramatic, but its soul is quietly gentle. Kenya Image Credit: antony trivet photography / Shutterstock. Kenyas humanity shines brightest in its spirit of harambee, all pull together. This philosophy of unity is lived daily, from Nairobis city neighborhoods to Maasai villages. When you travel here, you feel that community matters more than anything else. People support one another, celebrate together, and share what they have freely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its impossible not to feel inspired watching the sense of purpose and pride that runs through Kenyan life. Teachers, artisans, and farmers work not just for themselves, but for the good of others. Whether its a shared meal or a childs smile, Kenya leaves you with a sense that hope is alive and well. Italy Image Credit:Shutterstock. Italys gift to the world isnt just art or food, its passion. Italians live with heart, and they give that same heart to others. Whether youre lost in Venice or sitting at a tiny cafe in Naples, someone will take the time to help you, feed you, or make you laugh. Family, friendship, and food form the pillars of Italian life. Meals stretch for hours, conversations overflow with warmth, and strangers quickly become friends. Italy reminds you that love and joy are daily acts, not rare occasions, and that the best parts of life are meant to be shared. Indonesia Image Credit:Shutterstock. Across Indonesias 17,000 islands, one word defines life: gotong royong, working together for the community. Its more than tradition; its identity. When a neighbor needs help, people show up without question. When a stranger visits, theyre welcomed like kin. From Balis spiritual calm to Javas cultural energy, kindness is woven into the fabric of everyday existence. Youll find people offering food to travelers, sharing space at temple ceremonies, or guiding you with warmth through crowded markets. Despite differences in language or faith, humanity here feels universal. Indonesia doesnt just show kindness, it lives it, naturally and beautifully. We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Vietnam is turning into a highly sought-after travel destination, with millions arriving every year to marvel at the beautiful scenery, the bustling cities, and the fascinating history. But of course, you can't visit a country like Vietnam without delving into its food scene. In order to get an idea of the very best Vietnamese dishes to try, we had to call in the experts. We spoke to Paul Kennedy, a Vietnam-based chef and cookbook author ("Vietnamese Food and Food Culture" was released in March 2025), as well as Yen Vo, the co-founder of popular New York Vietnamese restaurant Madame Vo, to find out more about the must-eat dishes in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Find out Vo and Kennedy's recommendations below. Whether you're heading to the beach, visiting Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, or hanging out in the mountains, there is something for every traveler (whether you're boarding a real-life plane or just want to dream about your next vacation). Read more: 9 Myths About Pork That Need To Go Away Pho (noodle soup) A steaming bowl of pho bo is served with fried dough sticks at a casual eatery in Hanoi - Larry Zhou/Shutterstock Pho is arguably one of the most well-known Vietnamese dishes. But in Vietnam, pho is more than just a flavorful, nourishing bowl of noodle soup; it's a dish that's rich in history, with strong cultural ties. "It's the dish I grew up on," says Yen Vo. "Even now, after all these years of cooking and eating pho, it still hits me with the same comfort and nostalgia." Pho was initially developed in the northern province of Nam Dinh in the late 19th century, before it was adopted by the nearby city of Hanoi. It was there, in Vietnam's capital, when locals cooked it with beef, an umami-rich broth, and round rice noodles, that pho really came into its own. Today, there are many regional twists on pho, and each is worth your time and attention. "What I love most is how [pho] manages to be light and hearty at the same time," says Vo, who describes the dish as a "deeply satisfying bowl of harmony." Advertisement Advertisement If you're going to try pho in Vietnam, the best way to enjoy it is like the locals do: for breakfast. "Start the day with a bowl of pho and a cup of pumpkin milk," advises Paul Kennedy. "I do, nearly every day." Bun thit nuong (grilled pork over rice noodles) bowl of Vietnamese Grilled Pork Rice Noodles with Spring Rolls - Steph Couvrette/Shutterstock Vietnamese cuisine is known for its impeccable balance of flavors. Regardless of the region you're visiting, when you sit down to eat, you're guaranteed to be met with a mix of tastes that perfectly complement each other, from sweet and sour to salty and spicy. But according to Yen Vo, one dish that perfectly demonstrates the Vietnamese mastery of flavor is bun thit nuong. In simple terms, this dish consists of grilled pork over rice noodles. But that description doesn't really do it justice. Vo does it better: "This dish is light but still super flavorful." She adds: "It's one of the best ways to experience how Vietnamese cuisine balances sweet, savory, hot, cold, fresh, and cooked all in one bowl." Vo says she makes bun thit nuong with "smoky grilled meat, pickled veggies, fresh herbs, and nuoc cham." She describes the latter as that "signature" Vietnamese dipping sauce that "goes with everything." Goi cuon (spring rolls) Vietnamese spring rolls with dipping sauce on a dish on a wooden table - Nunung Noor Aisyah/Shutterstock If you've ever indulged in Chinese takeout food, you're probably familiar with spring rolls (and their close cousin, egg rolls). The dish originated in China, and in its simplest form, it's just vegetables, wrapped in rice paper, and fried until crispy. Advertisement Advertisement Vietnamese spring rolls, known as goi cuon, however, are slightly different. For starters, they're not deep-fried, which means they're much lighter and fresher than their Chinese counterparts (this is why they're sometimes called fresh spring rolls). As well as vegetables, they're also usually stuffed with shrimp or pork (although plant-based versions are common), and served with a hoisin and peanut dipping sauce. According to Paul Kennedy, goi cuon are best enjoyed as a light lunch alongside a cup of lotus tea. Yen Vo is also a fan of the simple Vietnamese dish. "They're light, fresh, and packed with herbs, textures, and balance," she says. "All the things Vietnamese food does so well." Bun rieu cua (tomato and crab noodle soup) close up of white dish of Bun rieu cua (Tomato and crab noodle soup) - Logo400/Shutterstock Bun rieu cua isn't quite as famous as other Vietnamese dishes, but it still deserves your time, attention, and taste buds. The savory, tangy, umami-rich tomato and crab noodle soup is a northern Vietnamese classic, and is usually made with the freshwater crabs of the Red River Delta, alongside ingredients like rice vinegar, fresh vegetables, and fermented shrimp paste. But if you don't eat seafood, there is also a vegetarian version, called bun rieu chay, which is just as flavorful, aromatic, and satisfying. Paul Kennedy is a big fan of bun rieu cua. In fact, the chef calls it "one of the most flavorful soups" he's ever had. "Some days I eat it exactly as it is served, and other times I keep the broth on the side and the remaining ingredients become a unique dish on their own," he says. "It changes the experience completely." Cha ca la vong (turmeric-fried fish) white plate of Cha Ca La Vong with dipping sauce on white background - bokem/Shutterstock Pho is a must-try in Hanoi, but it's far from the only dish you need to put on your need-to-eat list if you're ever in Vietnam's vibrant, bustling capital city. Paul Kennedy's advice? "Definitely seek out cha ca la vong." Advertisement Advertisement Cha ca la vong is fried fish mixed with turmeric and dill, often served with sides like rice noodles, peanuts, and shrimp dipping sauce, and it's a Hanoi specialty. It's been that way for quite some time. In fact, it was invented back in the 1870s during the French colonial era, when it was apparently first served to Vietnamese resistance fighters. "The recipe became so famous that an entire street was eventually named after it," says Kennedy. Indeed, Cha Ca Street is still there in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Kennedy ensures that he always takes guests there, so that they can enjoy the dish being authentically cooked at the side of the table. "It's one of those meals that feels like an experience as much as a dish," he adds. Com tam (broken rice) Vietnamese Broken Rice is served with grilled pork on white plate with white background - Truong Thanh Trung/Shutterstock Don't sleep on the beating heart of the Vietnamese south: Ho Chi Minh City. Once known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City has plenty to offer visitors, including museums, temples, markets, and, of course, lots of flavorful food. "Ho Chi Minh City has a totally different energy from Hanoi and the food reflects that," says Paul Kennedy. The chef and travel expert says he gravitates to one particular dish: com tam. It's full of flavor and delicious, sticky texture, thanks to the key ingredient of broken rice, but it's also a symbol of heritage. It was ultimately born out of poverty; during French colonization, broken rice was much cheaper for locals than regular steamed rice. Its creation is often attributed to a street food seller called Ma Hai, who would combine the broken rice with ingredients like pandan leaves and pork fat to add flavor. Advertisement Advertisement Today, com tam is one of Ho Chi Minh City's most beloved dishes. "It's a comfort food that grew out of thrift and ingenuity," explains Kennedy. "The smaller grains soak up flavor better than regular rice." Com hen (clam rice) bowl of Vietnamese clam rice against white background - Min Wan/Shutterstock The Vietnamese coastline runs from the north of the country through to the south, totaling more than 3,000 kilometers. You'll find some of the tastiest food on the coast in Hue, says Paul Kennedy, which is known for its imperial history, ancient monuments, and scenic beaches. One dish to seek out in particular is com hen, or clam rice. "It's a famous dish from Hue," explains Kennedy, "made with cooked rice topped with sauteed baby clams, herbs, banana flowers, roasted peanuts, crispy pork skin, and a warm clam broth poured over the top." You'll usually find it sold as street food, but before you order, make sure to specify if you like your food spicy. Often, street food sellers will save the extra spicy versions of com hen for the locals, who they know can handle their spice. Don't like spice? Learn this phrase: "khong cay." In case you hadn't guessed, it means "not spicy." If you want just a small kick, say "cay mot chut," which means "a little bit spicy." Bun bo Hue (lemongrass beef noodle soup) bowl of Bun Bo Hue on white table - ThangNguyenPhoto/Shutterstock Hue might be located on the coast, but it specializes in more than just seafood. In fact, one of its most famous dishes is bun bo Hue, which is a hearty, aromatic lemongrass beef noodle soup. Advertisement Advertisement This dish (once labeled by Anthony Bourdain as the best in the world) is much older than its cousin pho; in fact, it has likely been eaten in the region since at least the 16th century. One story attributes its creation to a villager called Co Bun, who had a real talent for blending flavors. But there are a few different theories about bun bo Hue's roots. Another story alleges that it was actually created by royal cooks for Nguyen lords. Either way, it's popular, it's packed with flavor, and like many dishes from Hue, it has quite a spicy kick. "It's bold, complex, and totally unforgettable," says Yen Vo. "One bite and you can taste the strength, the culture, and the soul of Hue in it." If you don't eat beef, you can also find plant-based versions of bun bo Hue, made with ingredients like tofu, mushrooms, and the same spicy broth. Muc trung (squid with roe) close up on squid with roe in black dish - lesyeuxdedidi/Shutterstock Phan Thiet is another popular coastal destination, known for its picturesque beaches and fishing community, which means there is a lot of seafood on offer. One delicacy that is often eaten in the region is squid with roe, but Paul Kennedy says you can find it in "many waterfront towns." According to him, when cooked authentically, grilled over an open flame, squid with roe "turns creamy and almost buttery." It's "completely unique," he says, "not just in flavor, but in the way it captures the taste of Vietnam." Of course, not everyone enjoys the idea of eating squid. If that's you, you may struggle in Phat Thiet, where much of the cuisine revolves around squid and other types of fresh seafood. But here's a little tip: If you want to create the flavors and textures of Vietnamese squid from home, many plant-based recipe developers opt to make vegan squid with a root vegetable called konjac, known in Vietnamese as cu nua, which has a very similar texture to the sea creature. Com lam (rice cooked in bamboo over an open fire) tubes of com lam (rice in bamboo) - Vinh Hn/Getty Images Vietnamese people have long made good use of bamboo, which makes sense, because the plant grows abundantly in the country. While much of the bamboo that is grown and cultivated in Vietnam is used for things like furniture or construction, this plant is also used for cooking. Advertisement Advertisement Paul Kennedy says that in Vietnam's mountainous regions, one of the best local dishes to try is com lam. It's a very simple dish, as it's basically just rice, but the way it's cooked, in bamboo tubes over an open fire, imparts a delicious flavor that is hard to replicate elsewhere. "The rice takes on a smoky aroma from the bamboo and has this wonderful chewy texture," he says. "It's simple but unforgettable. You can eat it as part of a meal, but honestly, it's so flavorful on its own that it doesn't need much else." Xoi ngu sac (five-colored sticky rice) plate of five-colored sticky rice on giant leaf - Luong Led/Shutterstock Com lam is the perfect example of how unique and delicious flavors can be created using very basic cooking techniques, but it's not alone. Xoi ngu sac, or five-colored sticky rice, is another simple dish from the mountain regions that's full of flavor. Plus, as an added bonus, it's impressive to look at, too. It's "made with natural dyes from plants and roots," explains Paul Kennedy. "It's beautiful with its bright purples, yellows, and greens, and all the colors come from nature." To be more specific, as you may have guessed, there are five colors in xoi ngu sac. The red comes from spiny bitter gourd; the green comes from leaves; the purple comes from magenta plants; the yellow comes from turmeric; and the white comes from the rice. Each ingredient not only imparts its delicious flavor to the dish, but also a specific meaning. The red symbolizes good fortune, for example, while the green is for freshness and life. "Dishes like this remind me that Vietnamese cooking doesn't rely on fancy ingredients," says Kennedy. "It's about creativity, balance, and knowing how to make the most of what you have." au hu sot ca (tofu with tomato sauce, garlic, and herbs) white plate of tofu with tomato sauce against dark background - Anna Ewa Bieniek/Shutterstock Since it was first invented in China more than 2,000 years ago, tofu has become a staple in many Asian countries, and Vietnam is no exception. One popular dish that infuses this simple soy-based protein with rich flavor and plenty of umami is au hu sot ca. Again, it's simple, made with a mix of tomato sauce, garlic, and herbs, but the end result is tofu so tender and flavors so rich you'll want to keep coming back for more. Advertisement Advertisement According to Paul Kennedy, au hu sot ca deserves far more attention than it is currently getting. "It's simple, clean, and full of flavor," he says. "Vegetarian food can be deeply satisfying without trying to imitate meat." Other Vietnamese tofu dishes to look out for include au phu ran tam hanh, which is crispy tofu with a green onion sauce, and au hu kho tieu, which is braised tofu with fish sauce. Banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) Vietnamese banh xeo on white plate with salad - bylilyly/Shutterstock If you love those crispy Chinese spring rolls we mentioned earlier, then you should definitely consider giving banh xeo a try. The dish is basically a crispy Vietnamese pancake, filled with ingredients like onions, bean sprouts, and mung beans. It can be packed with meat or seafood, too, like pork or shrimp, but Paul Kennedy recommends the vegetarian version, known as banh xeo chay, which is often made with mushrooms. In case you weren't aware, "chay" means vegetarian in Vietnamese. So if you're searching for plant-based options in the country, here's another handy phrase: "toi an chay" ("I am vegetarian"). "It's an experience in both taste and texture," he says. "You wrap a piece in lettuce, dip it in sauce, and it's just pure freshness in every bite." In fact, Kennedy believes that Vietnamese vegetarian food deserves more airtime. "It has this calm, restorative quality that doesn't feel restrictive," he adds, noting that he finds plant-based Vietnamese food "very grounding" and "genuinely memorable." Banh beo (steamed rice cakes) round wicker tray of Banh beo with dipping sauce in the center - huihyper/Shutterstock When in Vietnam, street food is a must. From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, this country is overflowing with delicious and unforgettable local cuisine served from a stall. Popular options include bun cha, goi cuon, banh mi, and pho, of course, but if you're in Hue, another dish you shouldn't miss is banh beo. Advertisement Advertisement According to Yen Vo, banh beo, which consists of steamed rice flour cakes, often topped with ingredients like minced shrimp, crispy shallots, and either mung bean or fish paste, never fails to deliver. She describes it as a "simple street food" that is "so delicate and refined." Banh beo originated in Hue, but you'll also find it in other popular destinations, like Hoi An and Da Nang. If you don't want seafood, you can also enjoy vegetarian versions of banh beo, which are often topped with soy sauce, chili, and sugar. Banh bot loc (Vietnamese dumpling) wicker tray of Banh bot loc on banana leaf with dipping sauces and other fillings - kkthejourney/Shutterstock Dumplings are one of those foods that you'll find in most countries around the world. In China, xiao long bao are filled with soup, while in Afghanistan, mantu dumplings are often stuffed with beef, onions, and spices. In Vietnam, banh bot loc is popular. "It's chewy, savory, and full of flavor," says Yen Vo. "Think of it like a Vietnamese dumpling made with tapioca flour and filled with shrimp and pork, often wrapped in banana leaves." The chewy texture comes from the way the dumplings are prepared, which is boiled until the skin develops a firm and bouncy consistency. "The texture is amazing," confirms Vo. But the experience of eating banh bot loc is not just about the texture; it's also about indulging in that signature Vietnamese harmonious blend of flavors. "It's one of those bites that surprises people the first time they try it," says Vo. Kem sau rieng (durian ice cream) hand holding soft-serve durian ice cream in cone - Victor Sumadi/Shutterstock Durian is one of those fruits that really divides people. But unlike many foods, the controversial part is not actually the taste, but the smell. While the flavor has been described as sweet and floral, the stench has been compared to garbage. Rotten eggs and sewage are also frequent comparisons. It doesn't sound appetizing, but many still maintain that durian is a must-try fruit, even if just for the experience. Advertisement Advertisement Paul Kennedy is a durian fan, but the way he eats it? In ice cream. "Vietnam does dessert in the most unexpected ways, and somehow it always works," he says. As well as durian ice cream, other tasty, unique treats he recommends are avocado smoothies, sticky rice with coconut ice cream, and black jelly with coconut milk. "I'd be remiss if I didn't suggest ending one of these delicious meals with something sweet," he adds. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Tasting Table. A request for public comments the same month drew responses from the likes of Milliken & Company , Americas largest domestic textile manufacturer, which wrote that it had been especially harmed by Nicaraguas abuse of a free trade agreement that allegedly allowed goods made with Chinese forced labor to enter the Dominican Republic-Central America market duty-free, unleveling the playing field. This changed in December 2024 , when Biden appointee Katherine Tai, the trade representative at the time, initiated an investigation into Nicaragua for what she said was the Ortega-Murillo regimes repressive and persistent attacks on the rule of law, including politically motivated arrests, religious repression, extrajudicial killings and restrictions on freedom of expression that could thwart U.S. commerce and destabilize the region. While Section 301 defines forced labor, child labor and other workplace abuses as unreasonable or discriminatory, the United States has historically been loath to invoke the statute under those terms, preferring instead to take aim at violations of American intellectual property or undue industrial subsidies that leave U.S. companies unable to compete on the global market. But the United States also recorded a significant $1.9 billion trade deficit with Nicaragua in 2024, the only instance of a shortfall among all the CAFTA-DR countries, USTR said in its report. This points to a weak Nicaraguan market and corresponding lost sales and export opportunities for U.S. businesses, it added. Nicaragua has enjoyed zero U.S. tariffs on qualifying consumer and manufactured goods, along with textiles that meet yarn forward rule of origin requirements, since 2006, when it formed a bloc with the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic that significantly increased trade in the region, racking up goods and services that amounted to nearly $109 billion in 2022. Other potential responses, the agency said, could include the suspension of all or part of Nicaraguas benefits under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA-DR, which could take effect immediately or be phased in over 12 months. The White House could impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on some or all Nicaraguan goods after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative determined Monday that the Central American nations unreasonable labor and human rights policies have hurt American businesses, making them actionable under a section of the 1974 Trade Act designed to redress unfair foreign practices. Story Continues But some U.S. trade groups worry that punishing Nicaragua could also harm the United States and other free trade agreement partners. Kim Glas, president and CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations, said in December, for instance, that absent reform, much is at stake not only for Nicaragua, but also for the regions broader stability and economic opportunity. The U.S. trading relationship with Nicaragua does not exist in a vacuum, given the interconnected nature of the U.S.-Central American textile and apparel supply chain, she said. Nicaragua is part of the U.S.-CAFTA-DR agreement, and these partner countries are part of a critically intertwined regional textile and apparel production chain supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and economic development in this sector. Levying 301 tariffs on textile and apparel trade with Nicaragua, she added, would in effect reward China by boosting its competitive position relative to the CAFTA-DR region. While we acknowledge that there should be consequences for violations of these principles by the Ortego-Murillo regime, we ask that any response by the Biden administration be carefully calibrated, Glas said. Any U.S. penalty actions against Nicaragua should be leveled at those directly responsible for the abuses and not in a manner that harms working people. Notably, the textile and apparel sector is the largest employer of women in Nicaragua. Writing in an email, Julia Hughes, president of the United States Fashion Industry Association, described the situation as a complex one. In her comment to Tais office in December, she had asked USTR to recognize the importance of an integrated Central America apparel and textile supply chain. Hughes also questioned whether Section 301 was the right vehicle for sanctions when there are other statutory authorities that explicitly penalize bad actors, such as the Global Magnitsky Act. She said that despots foster deplorable conditions because they want to rule as despots, not because they seek to burden or restrict U.S. commerce as required by Section 301. USFIA strongly condemns the ongoing violations of labor rights and human rights in Nicaragua, and strongly condemns the erosion of the rule of law within the country, Hughes said. [But] we urge USTR to consider whether tariffs on Nicaraguan-origin apparel would punish the Ortega-Murillo regime or, in fact, would have the opposite effect of weakening independent institutions within the country. Others were more sanguine, if pragmatic, about what must happen next to improve circumstances. This is exciting stuff, Sheela Ahluwalia, director of policy and advocacy at Transparentem, a New York-based nonprofit that investigates environmental and human rights abuses in global supply chains, wrote on LinkedIn. Were seeing for the first time Section 301 being used as a tool to drive action on forced labor and other egregious labor abuses. But to make Section 301 truly remedial and not just punitive, USTR needs to incorporate a comprehensive remediation framework as part of their response. For Ahluwalia, such a framework could include establishing a binding agreement with a clear roadmap of reforms in consultation with governmental, business and civil society stakeholders. Initial tariffs, she added, should start low and target the sectors most directly connected to labor malfeasance. There could also be built-in review periods that allow for the suspension or reduction of tariffs when specific milestones are achieved or, conversely, for the escalation of tariffs if compliance remains an issue. USTR said in its report that the Ortega-Murillo regime has engaged in increasingly pervasive abuses of labor rights, as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms and has systematically dismantled the rule of law protections against arbitrary government action. Its also through these practices that Nicaragua has exploited its own workers, resulting in unfair conditions of competition, confiscated the property interests of domestic and foreign religious institutions and U.S. persons or businesses, and created a high-risk environment for U.S. companies investing and conducting business in the country, it said. Of particular concern under Section 301, USTR added, are labor practices involving freedom of association, organizing and collective bargaining, forced labor, child labor and fair standards for minimum wages, hours and workplace safety. The most recent data, it said, shows that 47 percent of Nicaraguan children ages 10 to 14 are employed in some form of work, including in hazardous settings such as gold mining operations, the production of gravel and crushed stones and the quarrying of pumice. Evidence obtained in the course of USTRs investigation demonstrates that Nicaragua has engaged and continues to engage in these practices with respect to labor rights, forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking, it wrote. Reporting by international organizations and U.S. government agencies has documented widespread and pervasive labor rights concerns. Though President Donald Trump, who will be the final arbiter on what course of action to take, hasnt drawn much public attention to Nicaragua, his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, referred to the country earlier this year as a democracy that has been completely annihilated. But he, too, said that the possibility of removing Nicaragua from CAFTA-DR had to be carefully considered, telling reporters in Costa Rica in February that there will be impacts from removing a country, and there could be impacts on neighboring countries that are part of the arrangement. In the meantime, USTR is inviting the public to provide written comments by Nov. 19 on the proposed action. We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. How many cookbooks do you have on your shelf? Whether the answer is one or 100, it probably never feels like enough. After all, there is a whole world of, nay, an infinity of culinary tomes to explore. From the best texts on baking to valuable vintage cookbooks to the ever-enduring culinary classics, it can be hard to know where to start, or keep up with the latest selections worth the word. As it happens, 2025 has been quite the year for culinary guides and it isn't even over yet. So, we've assembled a list of the absolute best cookbooks to be published this year thus far. Let this list serve as a guide to some of the richest texts to be found within this diverse and ever-growing genre. For, while all of these selections are alike in their instructional format, each offers a completely new, unique perspective on food, entertaining, and culture. From the books on this list, you'll learn the science behind flavors, the many uses for sesame seeds, the secrets for preparing classic dishes of cuisines from all around the world, and so, so much more. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Rick Steves' 15 Best Budget Food Tips Every Traveler Should Know Kweyol / Creole by Nina Compton with Osayi Endolyn Cover of "Kweyol/Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef's Journey" - Penguin Random House There are few people that can boast the culinary bonafides that chef Nina Compton has to her name. The James Beard Award winner has worked in restaurants across the United States, including a couple of her own in New Orleans. Throughout her career, Compton has carried a deep interest and devotion to her home country of St. Lucia. In her new book, "Kweyol / Creole," Compton guides readers through several Creole cultural hubs across the Caribbean and the United States (and yes, you will find a lot of delicious recipes along the way). Sesame by Rachel Simons Cover of "Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed" - Amazon Small but mighty might be the best way to describe the sesame seed. However, their flavor and culinary impact are anything but. Rachel Simons, author of "Sesame," knows this to be true. In fact, she has committed her career to exploring the possibilities of this magnificent seed. This book explores the history and cultural importance of sesame seeds, and includes many recipes for you to try if you want to better understand this ever-so-versatile ingredient. Umma by Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn Cover of "Umma" - Amazon Cooking is the connective tissue that binds us to our own familial histories. Sarah Ahn, of Ahnest Kitchen, knows this to be true. And with this in mind, Ahn and her mother Nam Soon Ahn created "Umma." This collaborative cookbook consists of 100 family recipes for Korean staples ranging from various types of kimchi and Korean fried chicken to creative treats like an iced corn latte. The Science of Flavor by Dr. Stuart Farrimond Cover of "The Science of Flavor: Unlock the Secrets of Flavorful Cooking" - Amazon Advertisement Advertisement Okay, so this isn't technically a cookbook. Still, Dr. Stuart Farrimond's "The Science of Flavor" is a great resource for anyone looking for, well, a scientific perspective on flavor. Within this text, he explores flavors such as salt, sweet, and spicy, and how they interact with each other. This book will help you bring new dimension to your dishes, and might even help you to create some new recipes of your own. Good Things by Samin Nosrat Cover of "Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook" - Amazon You might know Samin Nosrat for New York Times bestselling 2017 book "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," which was adapted into a Netflix series. With over 1 million copies sold, her work has fundamentally changed how many people think about cooking and combining essential flavor elements. Now, Nosrat is back with a new book: "Good Things." This work is a collection of 125 of her favorite recipes for nourishing herself and her loved ones, so they've all been put together with extreme care and precision. Ghana to the World by Eric Adjepong with Korsha Wilson Cover of "Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past" - Amazon "Ghana to the World" is so much more than a cookbook. Within its pages, chef Eric Adjepong has gathered 100 recipes inspired by West African cuisine and his culinary education over the years. This book also features essays by Adjepong that delve into his experiences as the child of immigrants from Ghana and his evolving relationship with Ghanaian culture and cuisine. Pastry Temple by Christina Wood Cover of "Pastry Temple: Baking with Inspired Flavors (A Pastry Cookbook for Croissant, Brioche, and Puff Pastry)" - Amazon Christina Wood knows a thing or two about pastry. A baking autodidact and owner of Seattle's Temple Pastries, Wood shares her baking wisdom in "Pastry Temple: Baking with Inspired Flavors (A Pastry Cookbook for Croissant, Brioche, and Puff Pastry)," which covers the three major types of pastry. The book features over 30 sweet and savory recipes that bakers at any level can follow. House of Nanking by Kathy Fang and Peter Fang Cover of "House of Nanking" - Amazon Advertisement Advertisement House of Nanking is one of San Francisco's most beloved restaurants, fusing traditional Chinese cuisine with local foods to create something truly unique. Co-written by the restaurant's founder Peter Fang and his daughter Kathy Fang (with Emily Timberlake), "House of Nanking" has more than 100 recipes pulled straight from the restaurant's menu as well as many Fang family favorites. It also covers ingredient shopping tips and traditional Chinese cooking techniques. What Can I Bring? by Casey Elsass Cover of "What Can I Bring?" - Amazon Yes, playing host to dinner parties, picnics, and gatherings can be difficult. But do you know what else is hard? Being a guest. From knowing what side dish to bring, to assembling a recipe that is room temp friendly, there are many factors to consider when preparing the perfect party dish. Luckily, Casey Elsass has your back. The recipes contained within "What Can I Bring?" are designed to impress without overdoing it, and there are some nifty tricks to avoid spoilage, too. Mother Sauce by Lucinda Scala Quinn Cover of "Mother Sauce" - Amazon Over the course of Lucinda Scala Quinn's career, she has worked as a chef, prep cook, cooking instructor, caterer, and founder of Mad Hungry, a hub for all things culinary. On top of this, she has authored several cookbooks. "Mother Sauce" is her latest work, and perhaps her most personal as well. This cookbook comes with a side of history. Along with each of the 100 Italian-American recipes, Scala Quinn sketches the history of the dish, which intersects with her own lineage. Gursha by Beejhy Barhany with Elisa Ung "Gursha" cover - Amazon "A picture is worth a thousand words," or so the saying goes. However, the cover image of Beejhy Barhany's "Gursha" says it all. The cover shows Barhany handing the reader a bite of food, inviting you to share in the collection of recipes she's thoughtfully compiled in her cookbook. The title, "Gursha," is an Ethiopian term for feeding another person using your hands. And it is with this spirit of generosity that Barthany created her globally inspired cookbook. It features over 100 recipes for Ethiopian Jewish dishes as well as dishes from the Jewish diaspora. Family Thai by Arnold Myint and Kat Thompson Cover of "Family Thai" - Amazon Advertisement Advertisement Written by Arnold Myint and Kat Thompson, "Family Thai" is a great introduction to Thai cooking that builds on clear and precise instruction, helping even those with very little understanding of Thai cuisine to get the hang of these complex and tasty dishes. This isn't simply a primer on the art of Thai cuisine, however, but a product of Myint's experiences working at his family's business, International Market & Restaurant, which is a Nashville institution. Boustany by Sami Tamimi Cover of "Boustany" - Amazon Chef Sami Tamimi has dedicated nearly his entire life to the art of cooking, working his way from his position as a junior chef at a hotel to co-founding Ottolenghi, an all-encompassing food shop, deli, restaurant, and bakery in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London in 2002. His career has spanned the world, but he always returns to his Palestinian roots. His most recent cookbook "Boustany" explores Palestine's rich culinary landscape, but this time with a focus on vegetables and vegetarian dishes. The Modern Huntsman Cookbook by The Editors of Modern Huntsman Magazine Cover of "The Modern Huntsman Cookbook" - Amazon "The Modern Huntsman Cookbook" stands out from other selections on our list in that it is not the work of a single author, or even small group of collaborative authors. Instead, this book is a compilation of 50 essays, written by chefs, wildlife conservationists, and hunters across the globe. Each essay and recipe gives a fresh, new, perspective on the beauty and profundity of the natural world. This book is full of stunning, rustic imagery that will keep you returning to its pages. Sally's Baking 101 by Sally McKenney Cover of "Sally's Baking 101" - Amazon If you've ever googled a recipe for sheet cake or snickerdoodles, chances are you've come across one of Sally McKenney's recipes. For well over 10 years, McKenney has kept up her prolific baking blog, Sally's Baking Addiction, which dispenses intensive and comprehensive baking recipes and advice to home bakers across the world. And now you can find McKenney's wisdom on bookshelves as well. In her debut cookbook, "Sally's Baking 101," she has compiled 101 sweet and savory recipes for cooks at every level. Birrias by Jesse Valenciana Cover of "Birrias: 65 Recipes from Traditional to Modern" - Amazon Advertisement Advertisement Who doesn't love birria? The flavor-rich stew is hearty and comforting. Birria, and its consome broth perfect for dipping, are beloved staples in the canon of Mexican cuisine, which is probably why we're so excited for Jesse Valenciana's "Birrias." Featuring 65 recipes, this book is a stunning collection of birria basics and fun twists on the dish, including Appalachian birria, a dish Valenciana created with the help of Sean Brock, a chef in Nashville. My Cambodia by Nite Yun with Tien Nguyen Cover of "My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook" - Amazon In "My Cambodia," chef Nite Yun pays tribute to her family's Cambodian roots. Her cookbook compiles 100 recipes, inspired by Yun's family meals, her personal exploration of Cambodia, and her own restaurants (Lunette, a noodle restaurant, and award-winning Nyum Bai both located in California's Bay Area). "My Cambodia" is a great primer for anyone hoping to become more familiar with Cambodian cuisine, or for anyone who wants to get to know more about Nite Yun and her culinary genius. Comida Casera by Dora Ramirez Cover of "Comida Casera" - Amazon Written by chef Dora Ramirez, "Comida Casera" is a collection of traditional and modern Mexican dishes with a vegan twist. But don't worry, this cookbook doesn't forsake flavor for plant-based bonafides. This collection of 100 recipes is a tribute to Mexico's diverse and delicious food scene, making it the perfect cook book for anyone hoping to make great Mexican staples, or expand their vegan dish repertoire. Recipes include vanilla flan, almond milk queso fresco, and pumpkin seed enchiladas. Salsa Daddy by Rick Martinez Cover of "Salsa Daddy" - Amazon A whole cookbook for salsa? Well, yes! James Beard Award-winning chef Rick Martinez has already made a splash on the cookbook scene with his 2022 work "Mi Cocina." But his latest cookbook "Salsa Daddy" is laser-focused on one dish only: salsa. This book explores the many culinary possibilities of salsa, the dip that can do it all. "Salsa Daddy" is a primer on the many aspects of salsa, including a breakdown of various chiles and over 70 recipes for all varieties of the condiment. Cook Like a King by Melissa King with JJ Goode Cover of "Cook Like a King" - Amazon Advertisement Advertisement Great news "Top Chef" fans, series alum (and champion) Melissa King has just released her first cookbook. Cheekily titled "Cook Like a King" and inspired by her upbringing and the Michelin-starred restaurants she worked in, this book is unique and deeply personal for King, who built her career in the Golden State. This cookbook brings together various influences, from Cantonese dishes to French cuisine to California flavors. Recipes include Hong Kong milk tea tiramisu (yum) and a refreshing yet spicy chili crisp labneh. Ready for Dessert, Revised by David Lebovitz Cover of "Ready for Dessert" - Amazon Let's end, as most good meals do, on something sweet. "Ready for Dessert, Revised" is not just any dessert cookbook, it's an update to confectionary canon. This book follows up on David Lebovitz's 2011 "Ready for Dessert," but it isn't just a return to an earlier text. Instead, it's a complete redux of his previous work. The revised cookbook features 175 sumptuous dessert recipes, including pistachio cardamom cake, bittersweet chocolate mousse, and salted butter caramel sauce to pour over it all. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Chowhound. Adrian Spencer's manufacturing career led him to live and work across five continents, from China to the US. When he retired in 2025, he and his wife, Beverley, decided to settle down in Penang, Malaysia. They chose Malaysia for its established visa program, and say they lead an active social life. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Adrian Spencer, a 69-year-old retiree living in Penang, Malaysia, with his wife. It has been edited for length and clarity. I've always had a taste for adventure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was born and raised in and around London. When I graduated from high school, I worked the night shift in a factory and managed to save some money. I wanted to go on holiday to America, but I couldn't get a visa. So, at 19, I ended up going to Mauritius. It was a big journey back in those days. In Mauritius, I met a lot of South Africans, who encouraged me to visit their country. I said, "Why not?" I didn't have a girlfriend at that point. Spencer met his wife in South Africa, and they started a family. Adrian Spencer I went to South Africa and lived there for nine years. That's where I met my wife, Beverley, who was born and grew up in Johannesburg. We had three children, but the political climate eventually prompted us to move to Malawi in southeastern Africa in 1986, where we spent another nine years. That's where our kids grew up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I'd spent all of my career in the packaging manufacturing industry. Eventually, I decided that if I stayed in Malawi much longer, I'd never be able to leave because the skills I'd built there weren't global skills. Their three kids moved with them from country to country until it was time for them to head top university. Adrian Spencer I went through my contact book and found a job in Melbourne, Australia. We lived there for a few years before spending almost the next three decades moving around. We lived in Indonesia, then China, then the US. Eventually, we found our way back to Southeast Asia, where I worked in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, before returning to Thailand to work for another five and a half years. Among all the places they've lived in, China was the hardest to adjust to. Adrian Spencer From that last job, I retired. By then, our kids were long out of the house. They'd moved with us from country to country until it was time for them to go to university. We sent them to the UK, where we had family nearby if they ever needed support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During my final stint in Thailand, my wife and I had already started thinking about our retirement. After so many years abroad, the UK felt increasingly unfamiliar. Each time I went back for the holidays, I felt a little more like a stranger, so I knew I didn't want to move back to the UK. Beverley certainly didn't want to go back to South Africa. We always found Asia much more dynamic anyway. After some online research, we noticed that Malaysia kept coming up as a popular retirement location. We'd visited many times before long before the idea of retiring here even crossed our minds. It also helped that the country's Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa program was already well established. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From very early on, we already knew we wanted to live in Penang, a state located on the northwestern coast of Malaysia. Both my wife and I are city dwellers, and we didn't want to be out in the countryside, miles from anywhere. We like to have easy access to facilities, not just medical care should the need arise, but also for socializing and shopping. Kuala Lumpur, on the other hand, felt a bit too big and too much like a concrete jungle. We preferred the historical charm of Penang, especially in George Town, with its old shophouses and classic architecture. We were granted the MM2H visa in 2020, but I wasn't ready to stop working just yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It wasn't until the end of May that I finally retired. We officially moved into our apartment on Penang Island in September. There are lots of activities going on, and it keeps us busy. We keep going to different meetups, like morning coffees and the Expats Club lunches. On Friday mornings, we play bridge at the Penang Club. I also joined a men-only breakfast group that goes for dim sum once a week. My wife is the social secretary always has been, always will be. She also makes sure that I'm dressed appropriately for wherever we're going. The shops are very good and we can find everything that we need. Everybody says the traffic's terrible, but I don't think it's too bad. We've been in Thailand, so this doesn't scare us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We're still new to Penang, but so far we're happy. Our favorite part has been the people, who are very friendly. If you are very comfortable with your home environment, you may struggle to make new friends or feel homesick. But we've moved around so much, so we're always open to new opportunities. Do you have a story to share about relocating to a new city? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com . Read the original article on Business Insider Nostalgia for a South Florida-born aviation pioneer has reached the high seas. Cruise line Holland America and Pan American World Airways are teaming up to offer a 28-day cruise to the Caribbean and Latin America that retraces the original flying Clipper routes. The voyage, which takes place during Pan Ams 100th anniversary, will depart PortMiami on Oct. 30, 2027, and return there the following month, both companies told the Miami Herald on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With 18 ports of call, the Holland America Zuiderdam will first head south to Jamaica, then east to Puerto Rico,, southwest to Colombia, and finally return to Miami via stops in Panama and Mexico. During one stretch, the ship will make six ports of call in six days. Holland, owned by Doral-based Carnival, is calling the cruise the 28-Day Pan Am 100th Anniversary Legendary Voyage. Pan Am nostalgia The trip serves as a reminder of the strong ties some in South Florida have for the former airline, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January 1991 and by the end of that year shut down operations. Pan Am was founded in 1927 as the first international airline in the U.S., initially in Key West. In 1928, the airline opened a terminal and airfield on Northwest 36th Street on the site of the original Miami International Airport. Several of its buildings there remain intact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea for the cruise came when a Holland executive read the book Stranded in the Sky: The Untold Story of Pan Am Luxury Airliners Trapped on the Day of Infamy, by Phillip Jett. The work chronicles Pan Ams predicament during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the flying boat service the carrier had in the Pacific. The genesis really came from reading the book, Paul Grigsby, vice president of itinerary planning and deployment for Holland America Line, said in an interview with the Miami Herald. It got me thinking about the service network that they created in that era and at that delicate time. Then, about a year ago, Grigsby contacted Pan American World Airways, the company that owns the branding and logos of the long-bankrupt airline. I got a pretty quick response, the Holland executive said. The voyage was finalized in September. Clipper service with Miami roots The American Clipper takes off from Dinner Key on its long journey to Rio de Janeiro. The flying Clipper ships were a familiar figure to the many thousands of tourists, and Miami residents, who converged daily at the old Dinner Key base to see their arrival from South America. Pan Ams Clipper service was originally created as ships of the air but with high levels of comfort and elegance, said Craig Carter, chief executive officer for Pan American World Airways. That included multi-course meals served on fine china, and cocktail lounges. In 2024, Carter acquired the trademark, logo and intellectual property, including the name Pan American World Airways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pan Ams Clipper ships played a pivotal role in shaping modern air travel and expanding tourism across the Caribbean, Holland said in a statement. With boat-like hulls, Clippers could land on water, transforming virtually any harbor into an airport and enabling access to destinations without established runways, the cruise line said. Tracing history with a cruise Holland Zuiderdam, the ship that will embark on the Pan Am voyage from PortMiami in 2027 Of the 18 ports in the 2027 cruise, nine were original Pan Am destinations. They include Nassau, San Juan, Charlotte Amalie, St. Johns, Castries, Port of Spain, Colon and Progreso. Nassau, Bahamas. was an early Pan Am destination in the Caribbean and what Holland considers a cornerstone of regional aviation history. San Juan, Puerto Rico. was Pan Ams link between South America and North America. Meanwhile, UNESCO World Heritage City Willemstad, Curacao, was a key refueling stop for the Allies during World War II. Through themed meals, decor from the era, talks and multimedia presentations, Holland hopes to have guests experience the magic of travels golden era. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The voyage wont include stops in Cuba or Venezuela, key destinations for Pan Am in the early years. The cost of the trip starts at $3.274 based on double occupancy, including taxes and fees. Holland Americas collaboration with Pan Am is part of the cruise lines commemoration of the United States 250th birthday. Many details of what will take place during the cruise havent yet been finalized, Amy Carter, vice president of brands and licensing for Pan American World Airways, said in an interview with the Herald. But she said some ideas include creating Pan-Am branded cocktail lounges and cocktails aboard the ship. Adding art from Pan Ams heyday is also under consideration, as are showing films and having lectures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of this is set in stone, she said. Grigsby, the Holland executive, sees parallels between Hollands history and that of Pan Am such as its large network of destinations. He wishes a former co-worker Andrew Sherry was around to see the cruise take place. Sherry, who sat in an office next to the executive, died in 2015. Before joining Holland, he worked for Pan Am. He closed the door on the last Pan Am last flight out of Seattle, recalled Grigsby. I think about him, he said. He made an impression on us. Sherry often talked glowingly about Pan Am, Grigsby said. Its something that runs in the blood. Reservations To get more information including more details on the trip as they are unveiled, as well as booking and pricing information, go to Hollands website. To book tickets, talk to your travel agent, call 877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit the cruise line online. Itinerary for Pan Am 100th Anniversary Legendary Voyage The stops after leaving PortMiami: Nassau; Relax Away, Half Moon Cay, the carriers private island; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; San Juan; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. Johns; Castries, St. Lucia; Port-of-Spain; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Santa Marta, Colombia; Cartagena; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Belize City; Cozumel, Mexico; Progreso, Mexico; PortMiami Thailand is a stunning Southeast Asian country and is home to some of the friendliest people in the world. The best places to visit in Thailand teem with beautiful sandy beaches, crystal turquoise waters, and stunning islands. The country also has a bustling nightlife in places like Patong Beach and Bangkok. The Land of Smiles, as welcoming as it is, does not tolerate inappropriate tourist behavior, especially in and around its temples. As such, it is important to know some etiquette rules before visiting a temple to avoid cultural blunders. Thai people are deeply proud of their majority Buddhist culture, heritage, and customs, which are quite evident throughout the country. This is more than enough reason to read the crucial details every traveler should know before booking a trip to Thailand. Taking the time to educate yourself about its customs and culture will make the difference between the Thai people welcoming you with open arms and being barred from entry to a temple for being too loud. I certainly picked up a rule or two during my travels to this beautiful country more than a decade ago. Whether you're looking to visit Bangkok to experience its crazy nightlife or take a relaxing couples beach vacation to this spectacular island destination, you'll most definitely want to make sure you don't offend locals by disrespecting their culture. If you're about to book a trip to Thailand, keep in mind that temples, or wats as they're called, are places of worship. Therefore, regardless of your religion or beliefs, it's important to be mindful of your surroundings and behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Unspoken Etiquette Rules To Avoid Standing Out As A Total Tourist In A British Pub Everything you need to know before visiting a temple in Thailand A group of young monks wearing orange robes walking around the temple grounds in Thailand. - Tosh Bene / Static Media As travelers, we all want to make a great impression on locals and don't want to be dubbed "that tourist from that country." While traveling in Thailand, and after making a few blunders, I quickly understood which behaviors were acceptable, expected, or completely frowned upon. This is especially true when it comes to temple etiquette. Just as you should cover up at any religious site out of respect, temples are no different. We emphasized this in our write-up on why tourists should be cautious about the clothing they pack for Thailand. Don't risk being denied entry for showing too much skin. In Thailand, to enter temples, you must dress conservatively and cover both shoulders and knees, and yes, this goes for males and females. Sure, with scorching heat and high humidity, you may be less than comfortable; however, you won't attract unwanted stares from locals. Typically, shawls or cover-ups may be provided for a rental fee to those who aren't draped enough to enter, but to avoid this cost, packing a sarong can double as a great alternative if need be. You'll also want to remove your shoes as a sign of respect before entering a wat. These are typically left at the bottom of the stairs leading into a temple. In some popular areas, such as Bangkok, I was told that it was okay to place my sandals inside my bag, as shoe theft is a common occurrence in touristy areas. Other ways to make sure you don't get frowned at while visiting temples in the Land of Smiles A Thai woman kneeling in front of the feet of a golden Buddha statue in a temple. - Tosh Bene / Static Media According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, there are over 40,000 temples in Thailand, with approximately 37,000 currently in use. That's a lot of temple hopping! As it may be tempting to visit many wats during your travels, you may find it just as appealing to take a selfie with Buddha inside the temple. This is a big no-no. While it is okay to take photos, never turn your back to Buddha, as it is considered disrespectful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another thing to take into consideration while visiting temples in Thailand is your noise level. Temples are quiet places of worship and homes to practicing monks. During my visit to Wat Pho in Bangkok, a group of curious young monks dressed in traditional attire approached me to say hello. While it may be tempting to shake their hands to greet them, it is important not to touch them and only greet them with a wai, which is done by pressing your palms together in a prayer position. Furthermore, think twice before pointing at anything inside a temple; it is considered rude in Thai culture. If you want to do so, raise your right palm upward and toward what you want to point out. Being mindful of where you are exploring inside a wat is important as well. Many areas may be off limits to visitors and designated for monks only. Don't let cultural rules make you feel apprehensive. With a little research and preparation, you'll be ready to visit all the wats you want. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Explore. With 35 state parks, visitors to New Mexico will be spoiled for choice when it comes to opportunities to explore the outdoors in the Land of Enchantment. The southwestern state's natural features are also surprisingly diverse. While you can experience a full desert escape at parks like White Sands Park, the mountains in Rockhound State Park make for unbelievably scenic hikes. Although not a state park, Black Rock Hot Springs offers views of gorgeous canyons along the Rio Grande. One of the most underrated park areas in New Mexico is Caballo Lake State Park, located in the Chihuahuan Desert. This hidden gem presents an activity-driven outdoor playground that's perfect for nature lovers who also want to trek off the beaten path. The 5,300-acre park is less popular than nearby Elephant Butte Lake State Park, but no less special. In fact, fewer crowds make for a more exclusive experience. Visitors can explore the desert landscape on horseback, grab a pair of binoculars and enjoy some birdwatching, or climb the hills and rocks on their own two feet for an unforgettable hiking adventure. Fishing, boating, and swimming are also possible in the state park's glistening reservoir, where the Caballo Mountains frame the lake's shore in all their rugged beauty. Plus, you'll never be too far away from city amenities. Caballo Lake State Park is only an hour's drive north of the town of Las Cruces, and less than a 20-minute drive south of the town of Truth or Consequences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The 'Friendly Island' Is A Tiny Hawaiian Destination With An Abandoned Hotel And No Traffic In Sight Aquatic adventures and more in Caballo Lake State Park A man fishing in mountain lake - CampSmoke/Shutterstock Even before you get to the lake, Caballo Lake State Park is a choose-your-own-adventure destination in terms of thrilling outdoor activities. Named for the wild horses (a.k.a. "caballos" in Spanish) that once traversed the region, the park now welcomes equestrians to trot along 10 to 15 miles of trails in its arid expanse. There's also an easy county road trail and myriad birding opportunities, which include songbirds such as migrating warblers and birds of prey such as bald eagles. Horse riders can reserve a corral through Reserve America. Stars come out at night at the park, transforming the Chihuahua Desert into an otherworldly vision. You can take it all in and stargaze at the Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary, a campground known for its pristine dark sky stargazing, located only 40 minutes away from Caballo Lake State Park. If aquatic outings are more your vibe, then enjoy the two boat ramps at the park, one just north of the campsites, and the other on the southeast tip of the lake. From there, you can water ski, sailboard, and jet ski. If you prefer more leisurely water sports, you can sail, canoe, kayak, or simply take a dip in the mountainside waters. Keep in mind that the lake's maximum depth is 25 feet, in case you are a non-swimmer or just don't feel super comfortable in the water. Pack your bait and tackle if you want to try fishing for some walleye, white bass, largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie. Anglers have also caught wilper and drum fish on the lake, but warn that the chances of a good haul are hit or miss. If you're lucky enough to make a great catch, you can cook your fish on a BBQ grill and enjoy your lunch at one of the park's picnic areas. If you're an early bird, enjoy the beauty of the lake at sunrise. Stay until dusk, and you can witness stunning sunsets. Camp overnight at Caballo Lake State Park A tent under a starry sky - Edb3_16/Getty Images There are four campgrounds along Caballo Lake, and they all line the eastern shore. In order from north to south, the campgrounds are named Palomino, Appaloosa, Stallion, and Percha Flats Camping Area. There is a $10 fee per vehicle, and of the 170 developed campsites, 98 have water and electricity with 30-amp capacity, and 10 have 50 amps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the sun sets, you and your camping crew can gather around the fire pits to roast some marshmallows, tell spooky stories, and then, finally, enjoy the peace and quiet of the majestic New Mexico mountains. If you prefer camping with a larger group, there is an RV rally site with 54 water and electricity sites. If primitive camping is more your thing, you can camp on the lake's shore or head to one of the boat-in sites. Reservations are required in advance and can be booked online. Caballo Lake State Park's office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the gates are open 24/7. If you're just popping in for a day, there is a $5 entrance fee. Make sure to print and display your day pass on your car's windshield for park rangers to see. If you can't make it to a printer beforehand, visit the self-pay station at the park and follow the instructions from there. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. We're beyond stoked to host this new video from Remi Luciani and crew exploring the oft-touristed country of Thailand to see what's really there to skate. The video premiered at the Vladimir Film Festival and at the Connect Skaturbanism Festival, and is now online for all. Below the video, we caught up with Remi and asked the questions every skateboarder wants to know about this mythical country in Southeast Asia. Photos by Charles Myatt. Interview by Blair Alley: First off, to inform skaters, whens the best time of year to head to Thailand? You want to aim for the dry season, which lasts from November until March. The rest of the year is rainy season. What time of year did you go and how was the weather? I stayed from the beginning of January 2025 until the end of February, 55 days. Ben Koppl and Charles Myatt were with me for the two first weeks. Then I went for a solo expedition to some islands. After that, Leo Valls joined for the last week of my trip and Charles happened to come back at the same time to finish his photo report. Not a single raindrop until the last week of the trip. Luckily, there were just a couple of short rainfalls that didn't interfere too much with our sessions. Did you spot search ahead of time? Watch any particular videos? I always do some research before of a trip. I use Google Street View to wander around a city and eventually come across some spots. I happened to gather about 40 pins that way on my Google Maps before the trip and discovered about 30 more spots while exploring and asking locals. I rewatched Nocturnup Bangkok, New Balance Numeric | 440 Version in Bangkok, Koston's intro from Menikmati. Ben Koppl, Ollie up to crooked grind down. Charles Myatt Did you reach out to Bangkok locals? Did you have a solid tour guide? I know Tony Rungsawang thanks to a common friend. Ben knows Jasper Dohrs as they both used to live in Seattle. Charles reached out to Isaac Aesili who's a music artist from New-Zealand living in Bangkok, who introduced us to some local skaters who became good friends: Youree Park, who's south Korean and Mark Atipat who's Thai. They even lent me a place to stay, legends! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We happened to be on those filming missions on our own most of the time, due to the late hours we were skating at, and that as a matter of fact locals don't skate the spots we were after. How would you rate Bangkok as a skateable city? Does it have a lot of spots? I guess it depends on what your approach to skateboarding is. If you're looking for a cruise all day long scenario, then you're at the wrong place. If you're looking for a challenging, vibrant and stimulating environment then yes, Bangkok is the place. The main drawback for me was that most of the sidewalks are next-level sketchycrusty ground, potholes, uneven tiles and so on. When you add the gigantic scale of the city to the equation, it results in having to take transportation from A to B, as spots tend to be spread out. However, Thailand has a solid street skating potential that's undeniable, and if you dig deep enough, there's even more. On one hand, there are known spots and plazas where skateboarding is accepted, especially outside of the city center, where we experienced absolutely no kick out. On the other hand, I found out that Bangkok has another layer of untouched architectural and sculptural gems, in areas where skateboarding is prohibited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What caught my eye were privately owned public spaces for the most part. Those are located in front of business headquarters, shopping malls and luxury buildings, all heavily watched by security day and night. We had late night sessions with with guards sleeping at the spots, that's why those places aren't skated nor documented, this is what sparked me to make this project happen. That meant having sessions at insanely late hours, often until dawn, with lots of difficulties to work around. We had security guards asleep at the spot and had to keep it quiet between each try not to wake them up. We sometimes had to walk away after getting kicked out, then had to come back later to get the clip, then escape angry security. We got involved in some chases and had to hide. Stimulating conditions to say the least. Did you need to travel outside of the city to hit some of the stuff? Most of the spots you see in the film are located within the center of Bangkok. Except for the second part where Ben, Charles and myself went on a side mission for couple days to Bang Saen, a chill coastal city about an hour drive from the center, and Leo's last clip which also is in a remote area about an hour away from the center. Leo Valls, wallride powerslide Charles Myatt Did you need to rent a car or can you explore with public transportation? We only used public transportation for the shooting of the film. The BTS and the MRT are the sky and underground trains, they're great for traveling during the day, as Bangkok gets easily congested with gnarly traffic jams. We also used lots of cab rides with Grab, which is the local equivalent to Uber, especially at nighttime when the roads were empty. It's a cheap and quick way to move from one spot to another. To give you an idea, a session would involve getting between 10 to 15 rides a night. Skateboarding has never been as competitive as it is today, thats why we wanted to make a project that gathers people rather than opposes them. Remi Luciani What does the title Monstro de Bangkok mean? Who or what was the real monster? Monstro is a series Leo and I started in 2018. At that time, during the filming of the first episode of the series, Leo was making jokes with our newly met friend Sergio Santoro. I remember he was shouting Monstro De Rua which translates to Street Monster in Brazilian Portuguese. Leo later explained us that Monstro De Rua is a reference to Tiago Lemos who called him that as a joke when they were on tour for DC shoes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The saying stuck throughout the rest of the trip, and I decided to keep it for the title of the first episode which happened in Bordeaux, France. Later on, the title evolved. I kept Monstro and replaced Rua by the names of the cities we travelled to : Monstro Do Rio in Brazil ; Monstro De Tokyo in Japan and for this 4th episode taking place in Thailand: Monstro De Bangkok. Another point is that each word of the title is in a different language emphasizing the fact that different nationalities are represented in Monstro videos. One of our goal is to meet like minded individuals worldwide that propose a creative vision of skateboarding. Skateboarding has never been as competitive as nowadays, thats why we want to propose a project that gathers people rather than opposes them. In Bangkok, the real monsters were either the monitor lizards wandering freely around Lumphini Park or us: Four sleep-deprived farangs (Thai word for foreigners), being delirious skating some ridiculous spots in ridiculous conditions at ridiculous hours. You choose. What should first time travelers to Thailand know before they go? Your tolerance to heat and humidity will be challenged, all your senses will be stimulated, you'll see, hear, taste and feel like nothing you've experienced before. Bangkok at sunset. Charles Myatt Aside from skating, what else do you do in Thailand in your down time? Being a vinyl record enthusiast I went on a hunt for some rare Thai grooves, listening bars and local music events. Went on night outs with my local friends in incredible places from intimate live jazz bars to so called creative parks. Explored an isolated island, crashed a motorbike there. Had to heal my wounds before Leos arrival. Explored the city as much as possible and kept on discovering skate spots. Visited lots of temples, landmarks and museums. Shot as much B-roll as I could. Fixed both my VXs which couldn't take the humidity... Tuk tuk, dragon boat, back of an uber motorcycle, or just skatehow would you rate each form of transportation and when would you use which? Tuk Tuks are your go to for a short fun ride, especially on a night out with your friends. They're noisy, fully decorated with neon lights, screaming for skitching, filming b-roll and just being mischievous, they deserve a solid 8/10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some boats go slow like the tourist's floating nightclubs on the Chao Phraya river, some other like the Khlong Express fender the lime green waters in the narrow canals like there's no tomorrow. Those are available only during day time though. They're an efficient way to avoid traffic in specific areas 6/10. For the Uber motorcycle, after some previously mentioned crash, I'd stay away from any two-wheeler at this point 0/10. Hows the general vibe of the locals? Thai people are respectful and disciplined people, I admire their social etiquette. The way they greet one another is very polite. In public transportation, no shouts or loud noises. No one would even think to get in front of you while waiting in queues. It truly makes a difference. The opposite side of the coin is that people wont get involved in confrontations of any sort, fearing repercussions. Thats why local skaters wont skate the spots weve been to, giving Monstro De Bangkok the uniqueness Im looking for. Hows the price of things/exchange rate? A rule of thumb I figured out to make quick conversions is 100 Bahts = 3, 1000 Bahts = 30. 1000 Bahts being the highest bank note in Thai currency. It all depends on what you want to do, what your standards are etc... You can pay for goods and services with prices lining up with European ones, or have a more local lifestyle that will allow you to save up on your budget while experiencing autochthonous culture. Ben Koppl, Ollie Charles Myatt What kinds of food did you eat? What were your favorites? I've been vegan for the past 6 years, I have to say I ate some of the most delicious plant based food I've ever had. From unidentified street tropical fruits, to mango sticky rice, handmade noodles, sour & spicy soups, Thai food truly has a wide range of flavors. My favorite dishes were a vegan Pad Krapao and a pineapple stir fry with cashews. Leo and Remi Charles Myatt Leo Valls push Charles Myatt Ben Koppl. Ollie into bank Charles Myatt Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story was originally reported by Skateboarding on Oct 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Skateboarding as a Preferred Source by clicking here. There are nearly 200 countries in the world, yet only a select few dominate the average travelers itinerarywith Spain, France, and the United States consistently topping the list of the most-visited destinations, according to the U.N. Tourism Data Dashboard. In a world where travelers are craving more unique experiences, these lesser-visited countries hold a lot of potential. Its why one Reddit user posted in the r/travel subreddit asking for recommendations on countries that deserve way more recognition as travel destinations. The post generated hundreds of posts and recommendations, and thanks to upvoting, one country rose to the top: Taiwan. As a person with the username u/CallerNumber4 shared, Taiwan has all of the good chaos of Vietnam or Thailand with delicious street vendors and buzzy motorbikes in the downtown, but all of the good order of Japan or South Korea in terms of public transit or cleanliness. It's not sterile, but it's not rigid. All with a climate like Hawaii. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another user, u/alexsteb, shared that while it may be tempting to only stay in Taipei (which is known for its stellar street food and night markets), other cities in Taiwan are worth the trip, including Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Chiayi. They also recommended a visit to Kenting National Park, which is located on the southern tip of Taiwan and is known for its white-sand beaches and caves. Antonio Hugo Photo/Getty Images The city of Mostar and its old bridge Stari Most in Bosnia. The city of Mostar and its old bridge Stari Most in Bosnia. Another popular recommendation was Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically the Bosnia region, which occupies the northern and central parts of the country. Redditors highlighted the region's history, good, affordable food, and kind people. I was recently in Bosniaa side quest from Croatiaand found it severely underrated," a poster with the username u/hesback_inpogform said. "The landscapes were awesome, there is so much history, and the people were the nicest Ive experienced in the Balkans. In fact, I experienced the best customer service Ive ever had out of any country. Other popular picks were Laos, the Transylvania region of Romania, the Balkans in general, and Uzbekistan. In addition to calling out several underrated countries worthy of a visit, one Redditor, u/harmala, shared a general travel tip that ended up being the top comment of the whole thread. There are also a lot of fantastic places in popular countries beyond the few major cities everyone visits," they wrote. "Spain has dozens of cities that no one ever mentions here that are well worth the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, if you want to go to Spain, go to Spain, but instead of visiting cities that are on everyones radar, you may want to check out one of the Reddit-vetted suggestions, specifically. Some destinations that were mentioned include the Aragon region, Benidorm, Valencia, and the Extremadura region, which is home to the cities of Merida and Caceres. No matter where your travels take you, try venturing off the beaten pathyou may just find a hidden gem. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure I moved to Singapore for an exciting job opportunity after a breakup. Unfortunately, I didn't find expat life fulfilling and I started to reevaluate my motivations. After 18 months, I returned to London for a new job which has led to other career developments. In April 2019, I was ambitious, burnt out, and heartbroken, so I took on a temporary assignment in Singapore with my employer, a large tech-based retailer. In the first few weeks, I was pleasantly distracted by the dizzying heights of my new city. There was amazing food, weekend travels, the lure of a big pay check, not to mention temporary escapism from my aching heart. After a few months living the high life, regularly posting my travels online to a sea of excitement, I decided to move there long-term. I was craving adventure and independence, and the extra cash I'd be making wouldn't hurt either. Plus, a smaller, less-established marketplace meant a higher chance of promotion at work. Asia was going to be explorable from my doorstep, and I could run from my problems back home. What could go wrong? The author was excited to transition to life in Singapore, but quickly found that something was still missing for her. Courtesy of Michaella Parkes I planned for the move to be permanent Not long after my temporary assignment in Singapore ended, I transitioned to a permanent contract. But as I began the big move, I noticed that something felt off. I found the pursuit of apartment-hunting unsettling rather than exciting. I suddenly wasn't sure why I wanted the job, and despite not being too dissimilar to my old role, the responsibilities for my new job relied on my weaker skillsets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I quickly came down with a serious case of imposter syndrome and started to feel suffocated by work. I couldn't find my place Outside of the office, the cliquey, transient nature of expat life got to me, too. I struggled initially to find real friends. Looking back, I know now that I was feeling lost about who I was and what I wanted. It wasn't about loneliness. No shiny relocation bonus or a large expat circle welcoming me to a $200 brunch with open arms could fix that. I tentatively raised my concerns with people I was meeting at the bourgeois barbecues and beach clubs I was frequenting. "But life is just so easy here," they would say. Something about that unnerved me. Should life ever be this easy? "Why would you ever want to move back?" they'd question as they recounted a seamless day-to-day existence and their seemingly huge pay packets. I felt like expat life was holding a mirror up to the shallowest and most capitalist parts of myself. It was starting to make me question my motivations. London started calling me back I eventually realized that I was missing London's grit. I appreciated how much I'd taken for granted back home: pop-up comedy, hidden music, and fusion food without Michelin price tags. I craved access to unfiltered art, culture that felt spontaneous, and I wanted meaningful connections. All things I wasn't able to find in Singapore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Singapore was Asia's utopia beautifully perfect everywhere you looked. Yet I often felt I was in a dystopian novel. Novels became escape. I reconnected with stories the way I'd religiously done so in my younger years, and I was forced to look internally for deep meaning. For the first time since adolescence, I put pen to paper. My desire to explore concepts not facts and my love of storytelling quickly became undeniable. It was becoming clear that this wasn't just a hobby for me, but something that should be part of my career. The author returned to London for a new role with her company after spending 18 months in Singapore. Courtesy of Michaella Parkes After some reflection, I searched for opportunities back home and transferred to an editorial role in the publishing department of my company. So, just 18 months after I arrived, I packed up and returned home to London. Books and stories became my day-job. It was heaven for four years, then I started feeling optimistic about another working metamorphosis. Last summer, I quit the corporate ladder and launched myself as a freelance writer. My next chapter is not totally certain, but I'm looking forward to it. Looking back now, I'm grateful. Singapore ended up being an integral plot device in the story of my life. Read the original article on Business Insider Theodore Roosevelt first traveled to the Badlands on a hunting trip in 1883. He was so taken by the otherworldly landscape of pastel buttes, trilling meadowlarks, and disappearing bison, that he returned in 1884 to grieve the simultaneous deaths of his wife and mother, raising cattle and working on the wild frontier for almost three years. Its desolate, grim beauty so changed Roosevelt that he famously wrote, I would not have been president had it not been for my experience in North Dakota. Opening on July 4, 2026, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library celebrates the Badlands as much as it does the 26th president. Designed by Norwegian architectural firm Snhetta, the state-of-the-art, sustainable library sits high on a lonely butte outside of Medora, a military camp turned frontier town named after a French noblemans wife. The 93,000-square-foot library disappears into its surroundings, camouflaged by a living roof sprouting native plants, part of a 1.3-mile walking trail that provides sweeping views toward the national park. In lieu of books, the library transports visitors to the most pivotal moments of Roosevelts life via interactive exhibits, galleries filled with his belongings, and digital historians, AI chat boxes that cull data from Roosevelt collections housed in 18 different institutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The library is a short six-minute drive from Medora. But the surrounding Badlands stretch on seemingly forever, at least all the way to the new Three Affiliated Tribes National Park, 84 miles northeast of town. This tribal park on the banks of the Little Missouri River provides a perspective on this rugged country from the people Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikarawhose ancestors have lived on it for centuries. ( See all 25 destinations that made our list of the best places to visit in 2026 .) What to do Medora Musical: Named after the wife of the French baron-turned-rancher Marquis de Mores, Medora (pop. 155) comes alive between June and September with The Greatest Show in the West. The 61-year-old variety act, performed under the stars in an outdoor amphitheater, tells the story of Teddy Roosevelt, the colorful history of Medora, and the transformation of the American West through singing, dancing, and extras like onstage horses. Since 1965, the Medora Musical has been an iconic North Dakota tradition. Photograph courtesy Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation Western Heritage Arena: Opening this summer, this modern rodeo ground equipped to hold elite-level rodeos, will be an active complement to Medoras existing North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. It also holds special events like the three-day Medora Cowgirl Camp that teaches horsemanship to girls ages 8 to 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theodore Roosevelt National Park: In Medora, the entrance to the parks South Unit provides instant access to the mystical Badlands via a 48-mile circular loop road often lined by the wildlifebison, elk, mule deer, pronghornthat enthralled Roosevelt. There are short hiking trails along the route, like the .2-mile-long, west-facing Skyline Vista, and more strenuous backcountry trails like the 10.3-mile Petrified Forest loop that winds hikers through ancient trees and Badlands wilderness. Maah Daah Hey Trail: Hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers up for a multi-day challenge can attempt the 144-mile-long Maah Daah Hey trail. It begins 30 miles south of Medora, climbs mesas, crosses the Little Missouri River, and traverses all three units of the national park. Mountain bikers are not allowed to ride in the national park but can detour on singletrack spur trails. Dakota Cyclery Mountain Bike Adventures in Medora is a woman-owned shop with bike rentals, mechanics, shuttles, and guides. Three Affiliated Tribes National Park: Adjacent to the Fort Berthold Reservation, this new tribal national park, run collaboratively by the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara tribes, is not yet fully open to the public. But visitors who want to experience the heart of the Little Missouri Badlands Ecosystem through the historic and cultural lens of tribal guides can sign up for a series of hikes and photography workshops that are offered throughout the year. When to go The library will be open year-round, but much else in Medora shuts down during the winter. In the heat of July and August, trail runners and mountain bikers sweat through the Maah Daah Hey Trail Run Series or Maah Daah Hey 100 mountain bike race. September is a spectacular time to visit: The days are warm, the nights are cool, and the Badlands have a golden hue. Where to eat Theodores Dining Room in the Rough Rider Hotel offers fine dining with a local flarewalleye, elk, and bison are on the menu. For soul food, the Medora Gospel Brunch at the Town Square Show Hall mixes egg bakes and breakfast bacon with gospel hits performed by a live quartet. Hidden Springs Java in the old Mercantile storefront serves fresh pastries, iced coffee in the summer, and warming seasonal beverages like Peach Cobbler Latte in the fall. Where to stay The Rough Riders Hotel is one of North Dakotas most historical hotels. Photograph courtesy Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation From the ground up, Medora offers a range of sleeping options. Cottonwood Campground in the national parks South Unit sits in a valley on the banks of the Little Missouri River about five minutes north of town. Lesser known Rough Rider State Park Campground, a few minutes south of town, offers tent, RV, and horse campsites, and is within steps of a Maah Daah Heh Trailhead. Rough Riders Hotel in town has Western-themed artwork on the walls and historic rooms where Roosevelt himself is rumored to have delivered speeches from the balcony. Scheduled to open in 2026 is the Presidential Lodge, a 100-room hotel across the street from the city pool. Getting around Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport offers two daily round-trip flights to Denver International Airport. The larger Bismarck Airport, 136 miles east of Medora, offers direct service to eight locations on four airlines. Once on the ground, its tough to navigate the Badlands without your own wheels. Both Dickinson and Bismarck airports offer on-site car rentals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stephanie Pearson is a National Geographic Explorer, author of the forthcoming 100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A, and a contributing editor to Outside magazine. While mountain biking on the Maah Daah Hey Trail last summer she encountered the largest reptile shed ever seenluckily it was a non-venomous bullsnake. On the mouth of the Lamprey River is a picturesque New Hampshire town filled with 19th-century history. Newmarket as its name suggests was once a hub of commerce, and it's no wonder, as it's built around the scenic Lamprey River that once powered mills and is now a source of recreation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Newmarket was a center of shipbuilding, agriculture, and fishing, before switching to manufacturing cottons and textiles in the 1820s as the Industrial Revolution took hold of America and the Newmarket Manufacturing Company took over the town in 1823. It wasn't just the 19th century either; Timberland Boots had their headquarters in Newmarket from 1967 to 1984. Those historic buildings former mills and warehouses, plus houses and commercial buildings still line the town's quaint downtown on the river, although now they house restaurants, renowned music venues, florists, and other local businesses. The town is filled with charm, seen in delicious breweries offering craft beer, coffee-bookshop hybrids, and vegan-friendly spots with comfort food galore. Its colorful buildings and rushing river make it feel like an old-world time capsule, although it's not just history that lives here. Newmarket has a high number of conservation areas where locals and visitors can enjoy recreational activities, including the 160-acre Wiggin Farm Conservation Area, less than 10 minutes from town, making it a must-visit destination for anyone exploring the state that's been deemed the safest in America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: How To Pack Just One Carry-On For A Week-Long Vacation Explore history galore in Newmarket Water rushes over dam in Lamprey River, Newmarket, NH - Capt' Tom/Shutterstock Considering the colony of New Hampshire was founded in 1623, one could almost see Newmarket as "young" since it was first incorporated in 1727 as a parish called Exeter and became the town of Newmarket a decade later. The earliest colonialists traveled to New Hampshire for commercial reasons rather than religious ones, and so, Newmarket's well-preserved history captures the essence of the state's identity. After all, New Hampshire was essential during the Industrial Revolution due to its shipbuilding capacities and waterways that powered the industrial mills that were transforming the country. You can see all this just by walking around Newmarket's downtown, which offers that perfect New Hampshire mix of historic charm and nature. There are so many historic buildings in Newmarket that you could spend a full day trying to spot them all like Pokemon. Find the 1841 stone building housing the Newmarket Historical Society, the 1853 red brick firehouse built by the Newmarket Manufacturing Company to protect their goods, and the florist located in a pre-1830 brick federal-style building that's the only one of this style in downtown and is also the narrowest in the state. Those interested in the town's past can take a self-guided or privately guided historic walking tour via the New Market New Hampshire Historical Society. What to do when visiting Newmarket The Riverworks brick and granite facade Newmarket, NH - Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock The heart of Newmarket's commercial life is situated within its old buildings, even if the commerce has changed. The Riverworks is a staple of downtown Newmarket, located in a fantastically preserved brick-and-granite structure built in 1840 that was once a grocery store and a millinery (women's hat shop). Or, you can catch a show at the Stone Church Music Club, a timeless venue in an 1832 church that has hosted the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Phish, and Suzanne Vega, and is known for its good vibes and nostalgic atmosphere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those looking to enjoy a bit of nature during their time in Newmarket, it's easy to find a park or conservation area to tap into that good old New England spirit. The Heron Point Wildlife Sanctuary has an easy 1.2-mile loop across the river, where you can enjoy a pleasant stroll while admiring the old waterfront mills and historic buildings. Schoppmeyer Park has a kayak launching point, a perfect activity for those wanting to get a different perspective of this river that was once a fundamental link between New Hampshire's inland areas and the Atlantic. Newmarket is conveniently close to other New England hubs. Boston is just over an hour away by car, while Concord is about 50 minutes. Manchester is 40 minutes away and is also the site of the closest major airport. Portsmouth is just over 20 minutes away and also has an international airport, but at this time, it only services Allegiant flights. Newmarket is quite walkable, but perhaps the best way to visit is by car, so you can include it on your road trip touring coastal, cozy seaside towns in New England. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) is one of the best defense stocks in Goldman Sachs portfolio. It is a global aerospace and defense technology company that is engaged in the design, development, production, integration, and maintenance of advanced systems across aeronautics, space, defense electronics, and mission solutions. As a leading U.S. defense contractor, Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) has a strong portfolio in next-generation defense and space platforms, positioning it as a long-term beneficiary of rising defense budgets. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Target Lifted as Morgan Stanley Sees Buying Opportunity Despite Budget Uncertainty Photo by Edoardo Bortoli on Unsplash On October 15, Morgan Stanleys Aerospace & Defense analyst Kristine Liwag reiterated her Overweight rating for Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) and raised her price target from $625 to $720. In her note, she gave out a very interesting take on the prime contractors, with NOC remaining one of her top picks. Liwag notes that the ongoing US shutdown and delays in budget decisions will make it difficult for companies to precisely factor in the potential impact into their 2026 guidance. However, she suggested that weaker guidance from these companies presents an opportunity to buy, as there is potential for upward revisions once visibility increases regarding funding decisions. Meanwhile, the defense space has seen several favorable macro developments. On October 2, the Canadian Government announced the creation of the Defence Investment Agency (DIA), which was seen as a positive development towards demand for defense contractors/ suppliers. As another significant event, on September 29, the Pentagon had reportedly asked its missile suppliers to double or even quadruple production to replenish the low stockpile of weapons, according to The Wall Street Journal. The news agency, which quoted people familiar with the matter, said that this step was taken to prepare for a potential future conflict with China. With increasing armed conflicts, countries are increasing their budgets on deterrence and modernization of their defense capabilities. This expansion in both domestic and international investments in defense infrastructure and technology is expected to support growth for Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC). While we acknowledge the potential of NOC 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. Going to Greece or Italy any time soon? Or even maybe the "olive capital of the world" out West? Chances are, one souvenir at the top of your list is some fancy, authentic olive oil or vinegar straight from the source. Not only are these items you'll want in your own kitchen, but they also make fantastic gifts for friends and family back home. There's a much better way to pack them if you want them home in one piece. When Americans picture olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and other finishing oils, we tend to picture tall, slim glass bottles. While you can certainly buy them in pretty glass containers abroad, they're not the best option for travel. According to travel expert Rick Steves' community of well-traveled fans, there's a smarter way to store these items on the journey home: metal tins. One fan shared on Steves' olive oil and vinegar forum, "When I take olive oil home, or encourage friends to take it home, I always buy it in metal tins, not glass bottles. Won't break, the spout is well-sealed against leaks, it keeps better than in glass, and the rectangular shape fits in a suitcase nearly anywhere." You'll find these metal tins almost everywhere olive oil is sold, and they are no more pricey than any other packaging type. They also come in various sizes, many of which are compact enough to tuck into the corners of suitcases and backpacks. You can even bring home several with ease if you opt for smaller tins. Once home, pour the oil or vinegar into the decorative bottle of your choice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Rick Steves Says To Always Do These Things Before Traveling Where to find the best tinned olive oil Woman picking out olive oil tin at the grocery store - Denis Klimov 3000/Shutterstock Skip souvenir shops and head to the grocery store for the best travel gifts. Keep in mind, though, that not all olive oil is created equal. If you're looking to buy high-quality olive oil, you'll still need to do some research, especially since your options may be more limited when buying tins. Rick Steves fans recommend comparing the dates of your trip with the local pressing season. In late fall, you're more likely to find freshly pressed olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Fresh products can often be found near one of Rick Steves' best places to stay in Tuscany, known for offering the best Italy countryside experience. When it comes to getting fresh pressed oil, one contributor shared, "One specific recommendation when buying tins of olive oil - carefully look at the date it was pressed or the expiration date (1 year later.) I suppose I looked like a tourist, but last year in San Gimignano, a pushy shopkeeper insisted what she gave me was the new oil and it was NOT. It was last year, near the end of its life cycle." You may also be able to buy olive oil and wine directly from the source, especially when traveling through regions where these products are made, such as Tuscany, Italy, or Kalamata, Greece. Lastly, while it's tempting to save a nice gift from vacation for special occasions, that's not the best move with olive oil or vinegar. Olive oil typically goes bad after a year, so the sooner you use it, the better it will taste. Open up that tin right when you get back from your trip and start enjoying it. And if you bought a tin for a friend, be sure to spread the word. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. Courtesy of Panerai Adding to your watch collection can be fulfilling, but achieving actual nirvana is not necessarily what you expect when you buy an expensive new timepiece. This year, however, Panerai brought a handful of fans a little closer. The Italian brand has bundled experiences with (very) limited edition watches for a while now, taking devotees to train with Navy SEALs or sail with the Luna Rossa racing team. This time around, Panerai went in a more spiritual direction when it added a trip to the Kingdom of Bhutan, a Buddhist nation in South Asia, to its menu of adrenaline-filled adventures. Courtesy of Panerai In March, a lucky few Panerai collectors who got their hands on the Submersible GMT Titanio Mike Horn Experience Edition got to explore this mysterious landlocked nation as part of the deal. Joined by Horn himselfthe South AfricanSwiss adventurer and explorer is a Panerai ambassadorparticipants spent several days hiking through the southern foothills of the Himalayas. I got to join them. Why Bhutan? Because Bhutan is breathtaking, in both senses. Even in the capital city of Thimphu, which sits more than 7,600 feet above sea level, the air is wafer-thin. For the unprepared, even the slightest physical effort can feel Herculean. But effort is necessary. Within Bhutan, roads follow the path of least resistance and snake along the valley bottoms; rarely do they reach up the steep slopes. Which means whether youre a Buddhist monk or a tourist, if you have business on one of these hills, youre doing it on foot. And tucked away up there are centuries-old Buddhist temples so beautiful that the sight of them could, well... you know the rest. Courtesy of Panerai The Panerai itinerary, then, was conceived to get you used to the thin air so you could make the trek. Short yet grueling hikes to monasteries and temples close to Thimphu grew longer each day, culminating in the longest and highest, to Paro Taktsang, aka the Tigers Nest. Built in 1692, the monastery clings to a niche in a vertical rock face 10,000 feet high. It is considered one of the holiest places in Buddhism. Courtesy of Panerai Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Horn, for his part, seemed comfortable on the ascent, which makes sense. Though hes just as comfortable crossing polar ice caps solo and on foot, he has also climbed several 26,000-foot peaks in the Himalayas, each time without supplementary oxygen. Watching the 59-year-old zoom up the steep switchbacks with ease was one reminder that preparation, both physical and mental, is everything. The burning in my chest and muscles was another. When youre about to cough up a lung butdetermined to save facenot flake out, faith in your ability to just get through it is a half-decent substitute for preparation. Its even better, though, to have something to aim for. And an awe-inspiring destination like the Tigers Nest promised just enough spiritual reward to keep me on the upward trajectory. You Might Also Like South Carolina is a fabulous destination for a vacation, but it's often overlooked. Visitors to the Palmetto State will find a charming island full of history, an underrated foodie town in the heart of the lowcountry, and some iconic cities and beaches. South Carolina is also home to some fine areas of unspoiled nature, places like the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, or the Francis Marion National Forest. And although they may not have the same gravitas as places like the Grand Canyon or Mount Everest, there are still places in this Southern state that could be considered natural wonders of the world. The particular place we've chosen to highlight have been officially designated as South Carolina's seven natural wonders, a classification that hints at the awe that they elicit from visitors. They range in scope and environment, from winding rivers to vast forests and plains. Each promises travelers stunning outdoor realms, and the kind of encounter of nature that will nourish the soul, and forge lasting memories. In addition to these seven striking areas, we have added a couple more gems at the end. Read more: 12 Destinations And Attractions That Should Absolutely Be Considered Wonders Of The World ACE Basin Sunset in ACE Basin - Naturally Fly Photo/Shutterstock The "ACE Basin" are wetlands that got their name because they surround three rivers: Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto. The 350,000 acre area is an incredible, natural system (one of the largest areas on the Atlantic coast that's still untouched) of forest, marches, and barrier islands. The blog Kidding Around provides a handy summation of the wonder of this place. And despite it's natural beauty, the region is just a little over an hour from Charleston, a city with one of the world's most charming main streets. The various environments you can find there all seem to bleed into one another, creating a complex tapestry of terrain. Advertisement Advertisement At one time, the ACE Basin was mostly rice plantations. There is also a former antebellum manor from the 1800s that currently serves as a visitor center. These days, a more common sight is that of migratory birds and lots of different types of flora. The ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve safeguards almost 100,000 acres of the ACE Basin, protecting sturgeon, wood storks, and bald eagles.Within the larger area of the ACE Basin, visitors will find smaller segments to explore as well. For instance, the Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area is sanctuary for turtles. Each year, up to 100 sea turtles nest there, and thousands of offspring crack open their shells and shuffle to the water. In addition, the Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge is great for people that like to hike, fish, spot birds, and bike. Bulls Island Boneyard Beach on Bulls Island - Daniela Duncan/Getty Images On a map, this wild coastal escape of untouched beaches and driftwood has a fragile appearance, almost like a dried, fractured leaf covered in tiny veins. Bulls Island is one piece of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, a clutch of barrier islands that unravel along more than 20 miles of the state's coastline. Visitors will find a wild array of ecosystems in the refuge, with ponds, forests, beaches, marshes, and a huge stock of channels where boats navigate. It is also a teeming center for bird life, with almost 300 species found on its lands, shores, and tidal zones. This is a realm of untouched wilds, set up in 1932 to protect migratory birds. The tides push and pull through the creeks, feeding the marshes, the areas of wetland, the maritime forests. The environments contain species such as the red knot, the American oystercatcher, and the piping plover. White-tailed deer, and black fox squirrels shuttle between the trees, and the beaches are where to find nesting loggerhead sea turtles. The island also features shell mounds, a vestige of the Native Americans that once lived there. Travelers can watch birds, scour the beaches for shells, hike the flats, or go on special tours. This includes a guided walk in the fall when visitors can even spot alligators. For photo buffs, another tour brings them onto the island's beaches to snap the sunrise. Other excursions allow guests to kayak around the waterways or learn about the island's history and geology with a local expert. To visit Bulls Island, travelers will need their own boat, or book a tour with Coastal Expeditions. Vessels depart from Awendaw, which is less than an hour's drive from Charleston, a gorgeous city that blends European appearance with Southern charm. Chattooga River Rapis on the Chattooga River - Skiserge1/Getty Images The Chatooga River is a magnet for whitewater rafters and flows through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. One past visitor on Google says, "When the river is flowing at normal or above normal stage you can see a wide range of rapids 1's and 2's for the beginners, or 3's-5's and above for the more advanced expert kayakers and rafters." The river's source is the Appalachians of North Carolina, where streams slowly come together to form a 57-mile-long river. As it descends a half mile in elevation, it finally disperses into Lake Tugaloo. Advertisement Advertisement The Chatooga is completely free-flowing the whole way, with no dams, or facilities, or weirs. This makes the river feel very much like it has for centuries, and on either side of the waterway, visitors will see thick woods and riverbanks that are devoid of any kind of commercial development. Motorized crafts are also banned on the river, adding to the serene nature of a trip there. The river is one filled with character, at times peaceful and relaxing, while equally also a churning, roiling body of raging water, which is part of the appeal. It flows above and around giant rocks, down bubbling cascades, and forms deep pools flanked by high walls. The comeliness of the landscape is hard to deny, with steep slopes blanketed in trees rapidly sliding down into tight gorges. Bends and curves along the river are constants, adding to the feeling of seclusion and mystery of this place. Travelers can also fish, hike on the riversides, and camp. In the fall, and the scenery will blaze in shades of yellow, orange, and red. Historic sites are also peppered along the river, including old homes and cemeteries. Congaree National Park Congaree National Park boardwalk - Daniela Duncan/Getty Images To wander among the huge tracts of hardwood forest of Congaree National Park is to enter a realm that seems almost mythical. Trees of various sizes blanket giant plains and flank winding rivers. This, in fact, is the biggest section of bottomland hardwood forest of original trees that still exists in this part of the country, making this national park even more unique. The Congaree and Wateree rivers weave their way among the floodplains, helping to feed and nurture plants and animals that make this forest their home. Hikers of all experiences can choose from an assortment of trails that cut through the park. All trails are designed for walkers, and since much of the park is floodplain, the walks are typically level, with minimal ups and downs. Harry Hampton Visitor Center is the nexus for the trail network, and hikes radiate out from there, including a challenging one with great birdwatching. Advertisement Advertisement On the Boardwalk Trail, an easy, wooden walkway starts on a bluff and then descends into the forest. Adventurers will come across loblolly pines, grand maples, and bald cypresses. A more taxing excursion is the Oakridge Trail, which rumbles along a ridge and takes in towering oak trees. You might spot wild turkey or deer while on this trail. The easy Firefly Trail, which is less than 2 miles long, showcases the synchronous fireflies that in the spring emit sparks of light in the forest. The national park is also a fantastic base for water sports, with canoe or kayak trips promising a rewarding way to spot alligators, otters, and turtles as you paddle along the 15-mile Cedar Creek Canoe Trail. Edisto River Tree by the Edisto River - Alex Grichenko/Getty Images "Edisto River is such a relaxing peaceful place in nature to just be free from reality," points out a Google reviewer. What makes it even more remarkable, is that this is the longest, free-flowing blackwater river anywhere in the United States. Tranquility is the norm for visitors when they come to the Edisto River, which twists and bends northwest of Charleston. Its waters, with their earthy brown tint, are free from any kind of dams, and don't feature any churning rapids. It is a gentle, quietly flowing river with a relaxing current. So, for kayakers and canoeists looking for a pleasing excursion, the Edisto is a smart choice. It is also, in pure visual terms, a beautiful piece of nature. Spring waters in the Sandhills, in the center of the state, are the source of the river, and from here it flows for hundreds of miles through plains and toward the ACE Basin. Along the route, the calm waters slide by huge oak trees, their limbs obscured by Spanish moss, and some of the oldest tupelo-cypress trees in the country. The highlight for any paddler is the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail. More than 50 miles in length, it has camping and picnic sites along its side, and slices through the Colleton and Givhan's Ferry state parks. It also meanders its way through the Francis Beidler Forest, 15,000 acres of protected land that are actually a National Audubon Society Sanctuary, teeming with wildlife. Visitors will find beavers, kingfishers, redbreast sunfish, and wild turkey there. The river, however, has faced its share of threats. In 2015, it appeared on the list of the Top 10 most endangered rivers in America, with excessive withdrawal of its waters by agricultural enterprises causing real concern for its future. It hasn't been on the list since, but that warning was certainly a sign that this majestic waterway is not to be taken for granted. Jocassee Gorges Lake Jocassee, South Carolina - digidreamgrafix/Shutterstock National Geographic once named Jocassee Gorges as one of its "50 of the World's Last Great Places" (via Discover South Carolina). This slice of Northwestern South Carolina is close to the borders of Georgia and North Carolina and provides visitors with plenty of rainforest and beautiful flora. There are more than 50,000 acres of protected area in all, with the aforementioned forests as well as lots of waterfalls the most dense concentration of cascades in the eastern part of the country. This is thanks to not only the terrain around the region, but also the generous rainfall each year, with 75 inches of rain each year commonplace. Advertisement Advertisement The wilderness area wraps around Lake Jocasse, a popular haunt for anglers up and down the country. For fans of flora, the Oconee bell flower, a bloom that only grows in Southern Appalachia, can be spotted in the gorges. There are also wildflowers, ferns, and lots of different types of wild mushroom. The healthy stock of fauna includes large numbers of black bears, and the most salamanders in the world. "Very peaceful," said one Google commenter. "The scenery here is absolutely breathtaking. If you're looking for a place to 'clear your head' and de-stress from everyday life for a little bit, then you should definitely take a drive out here." Jocassee, in fact, translates to "Place of the Lost One," and in years past, the Cherokee people would hunt in the region. The scenery is certainly something to see, part of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, with mountains rapidly dropping to undulating hills. Throughout the slopes, rivers wind and merge, creating a number of gorges and waterfalls as they descend. This is where to find the highest waterfalls east of the Rockies Whitewater Falls plummets more than 800 feet (though technically it is just over the border in North Carolina). Equally attractive is Lake Jocassee, 7,500 acres in size and jagged, and multi-limbed in shape. The reservoir was created by blocking a quartet of rivers, and is a huge draw for kayakers and divers, and also for anglers who seek to catch spotted bass and rainbow trout. Jocassee Gorges is also home to Sassafras Mountain, the tallest peak in South Carolina. Sassafras Mountain View from Sassafras Mountain - MILA PARH/Shutterstock The views from the top of South Carolina's tallest peak are outstanding. "The tower at the top was built around 2019 and is a fun landmark," said a Tripadvisor contributor. "With curvy roads up to the top, this place has great views and is very picturesque. The tower lies on the border of the Carolinas but holds the tallest peak in South Carolina." This mountain is indeed the highest one in the state, topping out at 3,553 feet above sea level. It is one of the reasons the tourists come to the Jocassee Gorges, not just for the bragging rights, but also the wraparound views of the endless crests of the Blue Ridge Mountains in all directions. The best vistas are from that tower, which is only about 10 feet higher than the top of the mountain, so it doesn't require a steep climb (it is also ADA accessible). From atop the circular platform, travelers will be able to look across into three states. There are even state lines marked on the top of the tower deck, so visitors can get a fun shot of themselves straddling North and South Carolina at once. Most visitors will make the trip up there by car, driving through tracts of white pine, but the more hardy can try a more testing option. The Foothills Trail bobbles along the Blue Ridge Escarpment for almost 80 miles, cutting through woods en-route, and leads to the peak. Bonus: Angel Oak Angel Oak near Charleston - Dietermeyrl/Getty Images For more memorable photos, this ancient tree handsomely fits the bill. The gnarled tree is hundreds of years old, its limbs reaching and turning like bent appendages that are trying to straighten and break free. The sight really is a delight for photographers, but even fans of the wonders of nature will be amazed at the scene. "This is a must-see if you're in the area. It's a moment of pure wonder and awe, looking at all the detail," a past visitor wrote on Tripadvisor. "The size is astounding let alone all its branches and the way they bend and turn." Advertisement Advertisement There are no official statistics to definitively date the age of the tree, but some sources suggest it is about 400 years old, or a little more. What is known is that it is 65 feet upright, has a trunk that has a waist size of about 25 feet, and it is the largest live oak east of the Mississippi River. Its longest branch is about 190 feet, from end to end, and the tree's vast web of branches provides shade covering 17,000 square feet. The oak stands on Johns Island, only about half an hour's drive southwest of Charleston. Bonus: Table Rock Mountain Table Rock Mountain, South Carolina - Bigdisplay/Shutterstock Table Rock Mountain is a peak that sits in what was formerly Lower Cherokee Nation now within Table Rock State Park. For outdoorsy travelers, this is a beautiful spot is rife with adventure since the ares spreads across the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. "Having visited this park many times, my wife and I still look forward to staying in a park cabin and hiking some of the awesome trails on and around the mountain," said one past visitor on Tripadvisor. "The cabins are spotless, well-maintained, and very comfortable, and they are situated within easy walking distance of the trailheads." There are trails all around the park, and during certain times of the year, they promise the glorious colors associated with changing leaves. On the Pinnacle Mountain Trail, hikers will get a fine view of Table Rock Mountain. There is also a hike to the mountain itself, about 4 miles each way from the Visitor Center. The park is also a place where travelers can catch the Foothills Trail to Sassafras Mountain. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. Calling yourself the Mountain Biking Capital of the World is a bold moveone that might raise eyebrows in places like Aspen, Duluth, or Park City. But Bentonville, Arkansas, makes a convincing case for the crown. The city has nearly 70 miles of trailsan amenity unmatched by other marquee biking destinationswith seamless connections to a 400-mile, award-winning network across Northwest Arkansas. Along the way, riders can encounter everything from public art installations to bike bars that double as popular gathering spots. Bentonville is also an International Mountain Biking Association Silver Level Ride Center (a recognition shared by only a handful of destinations worldwide) and its home to the U.S. National Mountain Bike Team. Bentonville is particularly appealing in the fall, when the temperatures and humidity drop and the autumn colors arrivethe perfect conditions for biking. In October, mountain bikers come out in droves to compete in the Life Time Big Sugar Classic, a mountain bike and gravel race on the citys famous trail systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to a renowned biking scene, Bentonville is a growing hub for the arts and for dining. This year, it was the only city with two finalists in the James Beard Best Chef: South category, and it welcomed two new eateries in June 2025: Wu Zhao, an elevated Chinese restaurant, and Ryn, a farm-to-table restaurant serving eight to 10-course meals on a farm outside the city. Bentonville is also home to the renowned Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. In addition to housing five centuries of American art, Crystal Bridges is located on 120 acres of Ozark forest (a must-visit in the fall) and offers tours of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home, the Bachman-Wilson House. Entrance to the museum is free, though you will need a reservation to see certain special exhibitions, such as the Bachman-Wilson House. Visitors can stay in the beloved 21c Museum Hotel in downtown Bentonville, which is filled with art throughout, or the soon-to-open lifestyle hotel The Compton, which opens in fall 2025 on Bentonville's historic square. Bentonville may have made its name on singletrack, but its appeal now stretches well beyond the trails. Its vibrancy is due, at least in part, to the Walton Family Foundation, which was created by Walmart founder Sam Walton, who lived in Bentonville for many years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether you come for the fall foliage, the Big Sugar Classic, or simply to see what all the buzz is about, one thing is certain: Bentonville has more than earned its title as the Mountain Biking Capital of the World. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure Forget the golden foliage of the Catskills or the cozy cottages of the Adirondacks, the trendiest fall getaway near New York City is New Haven, Connecticut? According to Skyscanners annual Travel Trends report, the New England town is one of the places with the biggest increase in searches over the past 12 months and the shortest trip from NYC. Market New Haven New Haven, Connecticut, is one of the places with the biggest increase in searches over the past 12 months. CT Post via Getty Images While jet-setters typically flock to the tropical beaches and cute cobblestone streets, New Haven a city best known for its Ivy League university and its proud pizza joints has made its way to be the 8th trending travel destination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The town, located about a two-hour drive or train ride from Manhattan, beat out Mykonos, Greece, and Bilbao, Spain, which came in as 9th and 10th, respectively. However making more sense Limon, Costa Rica, Jaipur, India, Bodrum, Turkey, and Madeira, Portugal, topped the list in that order. The European-inspired ski town of Vail, Colorado, made the list as the most desired American spot, coming in at No. 5. And the far-off places of Zadar, Croatia, and Olbia, Italy, ranked 6th and 7th. New Haven which is anything but new, being one of Americas oldest cities has apparently appealed to travelers in the last year. The town, located about a two-hour drive or train ride from Manhattan, beat out Mykonos, Greece, and Bilbao, Spain, which came in as 9th and 10th, respectively. Market New Haven The college town allure of Yale Rory Gilmore really did sell a generation on that cozy vibe and the hot but not fresh debate of historic apizza joints, Frank Pepes and Sallys, in the self-proclaimed pizza capital may be cheesy, but apparently has good pull. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And thats not all New Haven has to offer. The town is known for being the home of Yale University. Getty Images Its pizza joints have long debated amongst themselves and tried to compete with New York City spots to be the best in the US. Market New Haven Its nicknamed Elm City thanks to all the trees lining the streets, filled with charming craft breweries, coffee shops and bookstores. The jazz and indie music venues have always gathered a decent crowd and the Shubert Theatre is known for being a great rehearsal space for shows aiming to make their Broadway debut. Despite the overwhelming options for awe-inspiring destinations, New Haven has managed to catch the eye of Skyscanners algorithm. The site reported that New Haven has seen a 39% increase in searches. Lourdes Losada, Director of Americas for Skyscanner, noted that this aligns with Americans interest in lesser-known leisure destinations. However, New Haven may be a bit too lesser-known and leisurely for us to be considered a trendy vacation spot. KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) A $1.52 million donation is funding a new endowment to support pediatric psychiatrists at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. This gift is transformative, theres no other way to describe it, Dr. Eric Achtyes, chair of the WMed Department of Psychiatry, said in a statement, going on to say it would make local care available to thousands of children. The donation for the Deans Endowment for Clinical Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry was made anonymously, WMed said in a Tuesday release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With $20,000 available right away, the endowment will pay for three child and adolescent psychiatrists for up to five years. The hiring process is already underway. We now have the ability to bring up to six child and adolescent psychiatrists into our community every 10 years so it really is a gift that keeps on giving and will allow us to have a significant impact, Achtyes stated. We hope that they will come here and fall in love with the community, and want to stay long term. Citing the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, WMed says Southwest Michigan is short about 70 child and adolescent psychiatrists for the patients it already says. In the future, the endowment could pay for a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship with WMeds health care partners, Beacon Health and Bronson Healthcare. 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 WOODTV.com. One person was killed when his motorcycle collided with a car Friday, Oct. 17 in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. State police at Mansfield identified the victim as 70-year-old David Rothman, of Takoma, Maryland. The crash took place around 5:40 p.m. at the intersection of state Route 287 and Calkins Road in Delmar Township, south of Wellsboro, state police said. Larue Reese, 74, of Wellsboro, was westbound on Calkins Road and came to a stop for a stop sign at the intersection with Route 287, troopers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rothman was heading north on Route 287 when Reese's vehicle entered the intersection and his motorcycle collided with the rear driver's side door of Reese's car. Business Students 'see the possibilities', learn about local manufacturers at Chemung County expo The impact caused both units to rotate, and both sustained disabling damage, state police said. Rothman suffered fatal injuries in the crash. State police didn't indicate if Reese was injured. State police were assisted at the scene by the Wellsboro Fire Co. and Susquehanna Regional EMS. Follow Jeff Murray on X (Twitter) @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Maryland man killed in car-motorcycle crash in Wellsboro Pennsylvania Today marks one year since King County prosecutors say a 15-year-old boy shot and killed his five family members in Fall City. The court case is in a holding pattern as attorneys decide whether to try him as an adult or a juvenile. That determines how long he is legally allowed to serve in prison if convicted. They have been trying to make that decision since last year, but a hearing to determine the final ruling keeps getting pushed back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On October 21, 2024, prosecutors say the 15-year-old, who we are not naming due to age, took his dads gun, then shot his parents and three siblings in the head, killing them. They say he also shot his other sister in the neck, but she played dead and was able to run to a neighbors house for help. Investigators say the teen killed the family, then staged the scene to make it look like his dead brother did it, took a shower, changed his clothes, and called 911. The surviving sibling told police that it wasnt true, naming her 15-year-old brother as the shooter. Fast forward a year, and that teen is still in jail waiting to find out what happens with the impending trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case also cant move on until psych evaluations are done, but the defense says they are having trouble getting witnesses to interview due to the intensity of the situation. In July, the defense asked to push the decline hearing until October 2026. This is when the court would determine whether the teen could be tried as an adult. The judge turned that down, saying the date was too far away. Instead, that hearing was set for April 2026. The teen is expected back in court at least once before then on December 10. According to the boys attorneys, he has no prior criminal history. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) One person was seriously hurt when a vehicle hit a building on Monday afternoon, Oct. 20 in East El Paso, according to El Paso Fire. Video, courtesy of FitFam, shows the vehicle getting airborne before crashing. Here is the video below. The crash happened at about 3:20 p.m. Monday along the 1200 block of Hawkins, Fire Department officials said. The Fire Departments helicopter was called to assist, but the patient was taken via ambulance with serious injuries (Code 3). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement El Paso Police said that their Special Traffic Investigations Unit responded to the scene to look into the crash. Authorities did not say who was hurt in the crash. The crash happened near Vista Del Valle Park. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BRISTOL - The city is offering to sell a vacant industrial property for $1 for conversion into "workforce" housing. Bristol's Purchasing Department issued a request for proposals Thursday to find a developer for 273 Riverside Ave., a 3.54-acre property with a vacant mill, and a smaller lot at 296 Riverside Ave. The city acquired the four-story mill, built around 1900, last year. It includes about 80,000 square feet of living space. The building was formerly occupied by J.H. Sessions and Son, which used it to build hardware for steamer trunks. Bristol is seeking a developer to build new apartments in the old J.H. Sessions building at 273 Riverside Ave., pictured on Oct. 17, 2025. (Joseph Villanova/Hearst Connecticut Media) Former mills have been transformed into housing across Connecticut, including projects in nearby cities like Hartford and New Britain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bristol is seeking bids for a "vibrant apartment community" as part of larger plans to revitalize the Riverside Avenue corridor as a gateway to downtown. The city's other plans for the area include a state-funded streetscape reconstruction and efforts to promote development and business along the corridor. "The city is interested in prospects that maximize the number of living units while enhancing the City's economic and housing base through a redevelopment project that meets high standards of design, market feasibility, and that can offer other benefits to the community," Bristol officials said. To achieve its redevelopment goal, Bristol said in its RFP that it is prepared to sell the properties for a nominal $1 fee and provide other financial incentives. The two parcels are located within the City of Bristol Tax Increment Financing district, which would allow developers to tap into tax revenue to fund the project. The land is also included in the Bristol Enterprise Zone, which could provide various tax incentives alongside other federal and state credits for low-income housing and historic building rehabilitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Documents detailing the RFP include architectural renderings of a potential apartment conversion with 56 units built inside the existing footprint of the mill, though Bristol said it "encourages proposals featuring more units." The city is looking for a development with "workforce housing," apartments or condos income-restricted for affordability to households earning 50% to 120% of the area median income, either for all units or combined with market-rate units. The lot at 296 Riverside Ave. is expected to serve as parking or amenity space for a future apartment development, the city said. Evaluation criteria for proposals include consistency with Bristol's development goals, inclusion of alternative energy and other "green" factors, and "overall strength" of the development plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city said the mill property has been subject to seven environmental site assessments from 2003 to 2024 and is undergoing final remediation and groundwater monitoring, funded by a state brownfield grant and expected to wrap up next summer. Bristol will accept responses to the RFP through Dec. 17, after which city officials plan to select and negotiate with one of the developers that filed a plan. This article originally published at $1 price tag on historic mill aims to jumpstart Bristol's downtown revival. By Stine Jacobsen, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Maggie Fick COPENHAGEN/LONDON (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk's top investor moved to take control of the drugmaker's board on Tuesday, vowing a sharper focus on the key U.S. market to revive sales of blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy as Novo's chair and six independent board members quit. The non-profit Novo Nordisk Foundation, which combines business ownership with philanthropy, said it would propose its own chair Lars Rebien Sorensen - a former Novo CEO - to lead the Danish drugmaker's board for the next two or three years. Novo said current chair Helge Lund and six other independent board members would step down next month after a dispute with the foundation over the pace of change at the company. The clash brings fresh upheaval to a company that soared to become Europe's most valuable company last year on the huge success of Wegovy, only for its shares to plunge more than 40% this year as rival Eli Lilly grabbed market share. FOUNDATION BACKS NEW NOVO CEO DOUSTDAR The foundation criticised the outgoing board for being too slow to recognise shifts in the key U.S. market and too cautious on management change. It flagged a need to put more focus on the growing direct-to-consumer and mass markets. Sorensen said that it had wanted wholesale change on Novo's board, but backed new CEO Mike Doustdar who took over in August and has ushered in widespread job cuts and a drive to refocus the company on its key markets. "We are fully aligned behind that," Sorensen said in a call after the news. "We believed in the foundation board that we needed a fresh set of eyes, new energy to support management on this very important process." Novo said Lund and the other independent directors would step down at an extraordinary shareholder meeting on November 14 after it had been impossible to reach a "common understanding" over the make-up of the board. The move is the latest by the foundation to increase control over Novo as it seeks to restore sales and investor confidence. It pushed for the early exit of previous CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen in May. Sorensen played down the feud, saying in response to one question that he "preferred not to have it coined as a coup". Instead the shift would help Novo in its key U.S. market, which he said currently had a "very transactional model". Novo, like many rivals, is facing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower drug prices. The foundation proposed six new board members - all European, but five of them with long experience in pharmaceuticals and related industries such as biotech and health tech. As the federal government shutdown reached Day 20 on Monday, state and federal officials are concerned that about 360,000 Connecticut residents could lose their food stamp benefits starting on Nov. 1. State officials are scrambling to find a way to fill the gap if the federal government shuts off access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. The benefits are awarded on debit cards that are replenished monthly, and those cards would be cut off to stop the benefits, officials said. The food shutdown would have an impact on grocery stores that could lose an estimated 5 to 10% of their business as nearly 10% of all state residents currently receive food stamps, officials said. Benefits vary based on the size of a family, but the average monthly benefit per person is about $193 or around $50 per week, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other officials spoke at the Grocery on Broad, a nonprofit market within walking distance of the state Capitol in Hartford. Over half of the folks who shop here are using SNAP benefits, said Ben Dubow, executive director of the nonprofit that runs the Hartford store. This will have a significant impact on the people we serve, particularly as we head into the holiday season. It will impact us as a business. Weve got to think through what we stock and how we manage things. It impacts farmers. It impacts suppliers, so the economic impact is huge. In Washington, D.C., Republicans are blaming Democrats for the shutdown, while Democrats are doing the opposite. Republicans have shut down the government, Blumenthal told reporters at the Hartford market. Im hopeful that the state will step into the breach, but families across Connecticut and the country face a food insecurity perfect storm with rising prices and diminished benefits, compounded by the challenges with health care that Republicans have imposed with a self-inflicted wound as a result of this government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some residents in all 169 cities and towns receive SNAP benefits with a high of 34% of residents in Hartford, according to state statistics. The other cities with the highest totals include Bridgeport, New Haven, New Britain, New London, Waterbury and Windham. The total includes nearly 20% of all residents in East Hartford, nearly 10% in Bloomfield and East Windsor, and 5.5% in West Hartford. The numbers drop to 2.4% of residents in Simsbury, 2% in Greenwich, 1% in New Canaan, and less than 1% in Darien. Gov. Ned Lamont, who is working with colleagues on the National Governors Association to solve the problem, said the situation remains unclear on exactly how much the state can help. Do you think were going to get reimbursed by the federal government? Lamont said when asked by The Courant. Often in a shutdown, you get reimbursed at the end of the day. The answer is so far, I dont know. Thats not very helpful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also remained unclear whether the state could simply replenish the debit cards with state money instead of federal money. Stamps are no longer used in the process, and recipients simply swipe their card at the checkout counter in the same way as a credit card. Theres some talk that the Trump administration would pull off that system and shut it down so were not able to do that, Lamont said. In that case, we would have to look at other alternate ways where we can help out people who may be in need of food. It does seem pretty meanspirited to cut off SNAP benefits at the very same time youre furloughing hundreds of thousands of people and asking them to work without pay. The other alternatives, he said, could be distributing food through Foodshare, the regional food bank supplier, and local food banks. The state legislature recently tripled the amount of funding allocated to Foodshare after the Trump administration stopped deliveries of fresh food that were equivalent to about 1 million meals, officials said. Senate Republican leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield said Monday that his caucus is ready and willing to have a serious debate about the federal changes, who they will affect, and how to address them in a responsible way that is within our smart, bipartisan fiscal guardrails. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Separate from the SNAP program, the state is currently providing $200,000 per day for the federal Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, that helps 11,000 pregnant women, 11,000 newborns, and about 30,000 children in Connecticut. The program provides food aid that includes infant formula. Their reserves are limited, and were going to have to backstop that given the reserves that we have as the state of Connecticut, Lamont said recently. So I want those young families, those moms to know that your WIC card will continue to be good for the foreseeable future. Were making sure that the government does not take that away from you. At the same time, a nonprofit data group, DataHaven, released a report on SNAP benefits that shows problems ahead as new work requirements will be instituted under Trumps tax-and-spending bill that is known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In Hartford, about 6,000 families are expected to lose $25 or more in monthly SNAP benefits, with benefit losses totaling between $1.1 million and $1.6 million each month, the report summary said. Bridgeport, New Haven, and Waterbury are each projected to see over 4,600 families losing $25 or more in monthly benefits, adding up to total benefit losses of between $890,000 and $1.3 million per month in each city. Impacts will reach beyond urban areas, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meg Hadley Zimmerman, program manager at End Hunger CT, said SNAP cutbacks will have a broad impact. Feeding hungry people should not be a political problem, she said. Food is the most basic building block for a healthy, thriving community. When we cut SNAP, were not just cutting benefits were cutting stability, long-term health, and opportunity. Food is medicine. Food is educational success. Food is jobs. Every dollar invested in SNAP pays dividends in healthcare, education, and economic resilience. Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com Once a democracy starts to erode, it can be difficult to reverse the trend. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) What happens now? That may well be the question being asked by No Kings protesters, who marched, rallied and danced all over the nation on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Pro-democracy groups had aimed to encourage large numbers of Americans to demonstrate that together we are choosing democracy. They were successful, with crowds turning out for demonstrations in thousands of cities and towns from Anchorage to Miami. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And while multiple GOP leaders had attacked the planned demonstrations, describing them as hate America rallies, political science scholars and national security experts agree that the current U.S. administrations actions are indeed placing the worlds oldest continuous constitutional republic in jeopardy. Once a democracy starts to erode, it can be difficult to reverse the trend. Only 42% of democracies affected by autocratization a transformation in governance that erodes democratic safeguards since 1994 have rebounded after a democratic breakdown, according to Swedish research institute V-Dem. Often termed democratic backsliding, such periods involve government-led changes to rules and norms to weaken individual freedoms and undermine or eliminate checks on power exercised by independent institutions, both governmental and non-governmental. Democracies that have suffered setbacks vary widely, from Hungary to Brazil. As a longterm practitioner of democracy-building overseas, I know that none of these countries rival the United States constitutional traditions, federalist system, economic wealth, military discipline, and vibrant independent media, academia and nonprofit organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even so, practices used globally to fight democratic backsliding or topple autocracies can be instructive. In a nutshell: Nonviolent resistance is based on noncooperation with autocratic actions. It has proven more effective in toppling autocracies than violent, armed struggle. But it requires more than street demonstrations. Tactics used by pro-democracy movements So, what does it take for democracies to bounce back from periods of autocratic rule? Broad-scale, coordinated mobilization of a sufficient percentage of the population against autocratic takeover and for a renewed democratic future is necessary for success. That momentum can be challenging to generate. Would-be autocrats create environments of fear and powerlessness, using intimidation, overwhelming force or political and legal attacks, and other coercive tactics to force acquiescence and chill democratic pushback. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Autocrats cant succeed alone. They rely on what scholars call pillars of support a range of government institutions, security forces, business and other sectors in society to obey their will and even bolster their power grabs. However, everyone in society has power to erode autocratic support in various ways. While individual efforts are important, collective action increases impact and mitigates the risks of reprisals for standing up to individuals or organizations. Here are some of the tactics used by those movements across the world: 1. Refuse unlawful, corrupt demands When enough individuals in critical roles and institutions the military, civil servants, corporate leaders, state government and judges refuse to implement autocratic orders, it can slow or even stop an autocratic takeover. In South Korea, parts of the civil service, legislature and military declined to support President Yoon Suk Yeols imposition of martial law in 2024, foiling his autocratic move. 2. Visibly bolster the rule of law Where would-be autocrats disregard legal restraints and install their supporters in the highest courts, individual challenges to overreach, even if successful, can be insufficient. In Poland, legal challenges in courts combined with public education by the judiciary, lawyers associations initiatives and street protests like the March of a Thousand Robes in 2020 to signal widespread repudiation of the autocratic governments attacks on the rule of law. 3. Unite in opposition This years Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado from Venezuela, is an example of how political parties and leaders who cooperate across differences can offer an alternative vision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Novel candidates can undermine the ability of autocrats to sow division and demonize major opponents. However, coalitions can be difficult to form and sustain to win. Based on experiences overseas, historian Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy Inc., has called for a pro-democracy coalition in the U.S. that could unite independents, Libertarians, the Green Party, dissident Republicans and the Democratic Party. 4. Harness economic power Everyday consumers can pressure wealthy elites and corporations that acquiesce to, or prop up, would-be autocrats through boycotts and other methods, like the Tesla Takedown in the U.S. that preceded a drop in Tesla share value and owner Elon Musks departure from his government role. General strikes, led by labor unions and professional associations, as in Sudan or Myanmar, can be particularly effective. 5. Preempt electoral manipulation Voting autocrats out of office remains the best way to restore democracy, demonstrated recently by the u-turn in Brazil, where a pro-democracy candidate defeated the hard-right incumbent. But this requires strategic action to keep elections truly free and fair well in advance of election day. 6. Organize your community As in campaigns in India starting in 2020 and Chile in 2019, participating in community or private conversation forums, local town halls or councils, and nonpartisan student, veterans, farmers, womens and religious groups provides the space to share concerns, exchange ideas and create avenues to take action. Often starting with trusted networks, local initiatives can tap into broader statewide or national efforts to defend democracy. 7. Shape the story Driving public opinion and communicating effectively is critical to pro-democracy efforts. Serbian students created one of the largest protest movements in decades starting in 2024 using creative resistance artistic expression, such as visual mediums, satire and social media to expose an autocrats weaknesses, reduce fear and hopelessness and build collective symbolism and resilience. 8. Build bridges and democratic alternatives Bringing together people across ideological and other divides can increase understanding and counter political polarization, particularly when religious leaders are involved. Even in autocratic countries like Turkey or during wartime as in Ukraine, deepening democratic practices at state and local levels, like citizen assemblies and the use of technologies that improve the quality of public decision-making, can demonstrate ways to govern differently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parallel institutions, such as schools and tax systems operating outside the formal repressive system, like during Slobodan Milosevics decade-long crackdown in Kosovo, have sustained non-cooperation and shaped a future vision. 9. Document abuses, protect people, reinforce truth With todays technologies, every citizen can record repressive incidents, track corruption and archive historical evidence such as preserving proof of slavery at danger of being removed in public museums in the U.S., or collecting documentation of human rights violations in Syria. This can also entail bearing witness, including by accompanying those most targeted with abusive government tactics. These techniques can bolster the survival of independent and evidence-based media, science and collective memory. 10. Mitigate risk, learn and innovate The success rate of nonviolent civil resistance is declining while repressive tactics by autocrats are evolving. Democracy defenders are forced to rapidly adjust, consistently train, prepare for diverse scenarios, try new techniques and strategically support each other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International solidarity from global institutions, like European Union support for democrats in Belarus or Georgia, or online movements, like the Milk Tea Alliance across Southeast Asia, can bolster efforts. Democracys future? The end of American democracy is not a foregone conclusion, despite the unprecedented rate of its decline. It will depend, in part, on the choices made by every American. With autocracies outnumbering democracies for the first time in 20 years, and only 12% of the worlds population now living in a liberal democracy, the future of the global democratic experiment may well depend on the people of the United States. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Ten Hillsdale firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling a house fire in the Bergen County borough early Tuesday morning, the chief said. The fire on Ellen Court broke out around 3:45 a.m. on the rear deck of a home and spread into the attic, Chief Bill Farrell said in a statement. While working to extinguish the fire, firefighters briefly lost water supply. That led to a flashover which occurs when all combustible materials in an area quickly ignite. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A mayday was called and all firefighters inside were then forced to exit the house, Farrell said. While emergency workers treated the injured firefighters, other firefighters knocked down the blaze. All residents were evacuated safely when firefighters arrived, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office said. The fire is not considered suspicious, the prosecutors office said. Stories by Jeff Goldman Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Ten firefighters were injured battling a house fire early Tuesday morning in northeast New Jersey. The blaze erupted at a residence in Hillsdale in Bergen County around 3:30 a.m., according to the Hillsdale Fire Department. Crews, responding to reports of a roof on fire, arrived to find a rear deck fire that had extended up to the attic. At one point, the water supply was lost and a flashover occurred, leading to the non-life-threatening injuries. The firefighters were treated at local hospitals for burns and have since been discharged. None of the homes residents were injured, but the structure sustained significant damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A flashover is defined as the sudden full-room involvement in flame when everything ignites at once and the temperature rises dramatically, according to Fireengineering.com. Firefighters inside bailed out, with one mayday being transmitted, according to a statement from Hillsdale Fire Chief William Farrell. The Bergen County Prosecutors Office and the Hillsdale Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the fire, but it is not considered suspicious. They managed to sneak through the design and testing stages without all their vulnerabilities being discovered and its left to the crew, and in some cases passengers, to deal with the often tragic fallout. The aircraft listed here were, with one exception, more dangerous than they should have been, but in most cases, this was also a sign of the period in which they were operating. For example, entries 2-10 could have been filled with jet fighters from the 1950s and 60s which probably would have been more statistically accurate, but would also have got a bit predictable. Regardless, here are ten aircraft you probably should avoid flying: 10: Tupolev Tu-104 Entering service during the British Comets awkward pause in operations the Soviet Tu-104 was the worlds only jet airliner for a brief period. What it wasnt was particularly safe. The controls were heavy, it was unstable, and the highly swept wings had adverse handling characteristics approaching the stalling speed. These quirks might be acceptable in a strategic bomber but were not ideal in an airliner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tendency to pitch up violently, or enter an uncontrollable dive at the stall led to pilots flying the approach into airports 30mph faster than the intended speed often creating problems that the brake chute couldnt solve. 1958 saw three aircraft lost in accidents with subsequent years seeing a steady drum beat of losses. 10: Tupolev Tu-104 32 aircraft were lost in accidents before the type was withdrawn from commercial use, while another aircraft was hit by a missile after a training exercise went awry. Aeroflot withdrew the Tu-104 in 1979 after a false fire alarm led to an aircraft crashing while returning to Moscow airport, killing 58 of 119 onboard. The Russian military continued using the type until 1981 when a Soviet Navy example crashed due to improper loading of cargo, killing 16 Admirals in the process. With 201 aircraft built the Tu-104 suffered a loss rate of 16%, better than the next entry but substantially worse than just about any other operational jet airliner. 9: de Havilland Comet After years of wartime austerity, the de Havilland Comet showed the world that Britain was still at the cutting edge of civil aviation. The worlds first jet-powered airliner entered service with BOAC in 1952 heralding a golden future. Unfortunately, that never arrived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On 26 October 1952, a BOAC aircraft ran off the runway at Romes Ciampino airport refusing to leave the ground despite the nose being held in the air. Four months later a Canadian Pacific Airlines Comet taking off from Karachi did the same, killing all 11 onboard. Ultimately a modification to the wing leading edge would solve the problem but much worse was to come. 9: de Havilland Comet In January 1954, Comet G-ALYP disintegrated over the Mediterranean killing all onboard. After a brief investigation, the Comet was returned to flight in March. Two weeks later G-ALYY would disappear near Naples. The Comets Certificate of Airworthiness was revoked, and a thorough investigation began. It was discovered that the crack that caused the first accident began at a rivet hole that had been damaged during build. The thin-gauge metal used to save weight made the early Comets vulnerable to this type of damage and a redesign was required. However the damage was done, the battle lost to the Boeing 707. 114 Comets were built, with 25 being lost. 8: Gloster Meteor The endurance of the Gloster Meteor, the first jet-powered fighter of the Allies, could be measured with an egg timer. Another serious issue was that an engine failure of one of the two engines on take-off could be fatal. The two engines were widely spaced out from each other causing alarmingly asymmetric thrust with one engine out. In some cases, pilots would have their own critical speed recommendation for asymmetric flight based on their leg strength. Other issues included selecting the air brakes with the undercarriage and flaps already down, the resultant blanking of airflow to the tail leading to a dive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The limited navigation aids available at the time also caused issues, on one occasion in 1951 a flight of three aircraft from 203 Advanced Flying School at RAF Driffield found themselves having to descend over the sea to gain visual flight conditions. 8: Gloster Meteor The full list of Meteor crashes is astonishing and not only was the aircraft ridden with dangerous design features, it was a new type of aeroplane requiring new skills to many pilots more familiar with piston-engined aircraft. 1952 alone saw 150 Meteors lost in RAF service, 30% of losses for that year, the next highest figure being for Vampires with a mere 82 being lost. The following year saw a slight easing off with only 143 Meteors lost. In total the RAF alone lost 890 Meteors, accounting for 22% of the production run. 7: Vought F7U Cutlass The Vought Cutlass still looks like it came from the future today. Unfortunately, its a future with a very relaxed approach to safety. A lack of thrust was one flaw; a complicated high-pressure hydraulic system was another. In the F7U-1 failure of this could leave the pilot with no control for 11 seconds while pressure decreased enough for manual control to be taken. A third weak point was the fragile nose gear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As if having the cockpit 14 feet off the ground at a 9 degrees attitude wasnt enough for landing and taxiing it was raised to 14 degrees, and in a foreshadowing of the Phantom a full 20 degrees for take-off. Unfortunately, this made the whole spindly assembly liable to collapse on landing, or worse punching up through the cockpit floor into the bottom of the ejection seat causing it to fire. 7: Vought F7U Cutlass As a carrier aircraft, its greatest weakness, of many, was the 23-degree nose-high attitude on approach which essentially guaranteed that if you could see the ship you were doing it wrong. A design flaw meant that while in afterburner the transfer tank that fed fuel to the engines could be drained faster than it was being replenished from the rest of the system. Unsurprisingly the Cutlass was withdrawn from fleet operations by October 1957, only three and a half years after entering service, although some would remain in second-line use until March 1959 primarily for trial work. 78 of 320 Cutlasses were lost in accidents in only 55,000 flying hours making it one of the most dangerous US Navy jets of all time. Still, thats amateur hour compared to the next entry. 6: C-87 Liberator Express The B-24 Liberator was one of the best heavy bombers of the Second World War, and in its Anti Submarine Warfare variants was responsible for sinking more submarines than any other aircraft in history. The C-87 transport version would enjoy none of its siblings success. To make a C-87 the bomb bay was converted into a cargo area along with the fuselage forward of the cockpit. Able to carry up to 25 passengers or 12,000lbs (5455kg) of cargo the Liberator Express was an improvement on the existing C-47. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately, due to the priority given to its bomber cousin shortcuts were taken in the C-87s production. 6: C-87 Liberator Express The use of a lower boost supercharger adversely affected its high-altitude performance. The nose gear was prone to breaking, having not been intended for landings with a full internal load. Cargo was also liable to shift throwing the centre of gravity out of limits, causing the aircraft to climb or dive uncontrollably. In the book, Fate is the Hunter author and pilot Ernest K Gann details the C-87s faults, including the time he nearly destroyed the Taj Mahal after taking off in a C-87 with three tonnes more fuel than expected. The C-87s loss rate was over 50% with 152 of 287 lost. In comparison, despite regularly being engaged in air-to-air combat, only around 33% of Liberators were lost. 5: Latecoere 631 The Latecoere 631 was the ultimate in late 30s flying boats with six engines, twin tails, and a bar in the nose, unfortunately, the second world war would delay its service entry to 1946. Before this, the first example had been commandeered by the Luftwaffe, and then sunk at its moorings by the RAF. In October 1945 the second aircraft was flying between Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo when the number 3 propeller broke off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One blade hit the number 2 engine's propeller and another ripped through the fuselage killing two passengers. Air France continued its operations and it wasnt until February 1948 when a brand new 631 crashed into the English Channel in bad weather. 5: Latecoere 631 August 1948 saw aircraft F-BDRC disappear over the Atlantic. Air France took the opportunity to cancel its orders while the French government created a company to use the remaining examples for cargo. Meanwhile, F-WANU was used to discover what had led to F-BDRCs loss, leading to it too crashing. Another company was now formed to use two of the remaining 631s for cargo operations. When one of these broke up in a thunderstorm over Cameroon in 1955 operations finally stopped. Four of seven Latecoere 631s were lost in accidents with all onboard dying, making it one of the more dangerous airliners ever to fly; a further four 631 planes were never even used. 4: Vought F-8 Crusader The Crusader was a handful, which was painfully apparent when it came to landing, a terrible quality in a carrier aircraft. A terrifying total of 493 Crusader pilots had to exit the aircraft by ejection seat. Overall, 517 of the 1261 Crusaders had been built had been lost. This loss rate of 41% is dismal, and that there is 737 entries in the Aviation Safety Network database is clearly atrocious. 4: Vought F-8 Crusader The high approach speed of 147 knots was a big issue on smaller carriers such as the Essex-class. Consistent speed was also important. To help, an autothrottle (Approach Power Compensator) was added in 1964, but even this caused problems as over-reliance on the APC was equally dangerous. Another peculiarity of the F-8 was its odd relationship between nose attitude and sink rate caused by its oddest design feature, on landing the wing stayed at the same angle of attack as the fuselage tilted (the wing was mounted on a mechanism). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Things were particularly counter-intuitive for the pilot in the final approach stages, which again required attention. The Crusader, fine in many ways, was an extremely dangerous aeroplane. 3: Supermarine Scimitar The Supermarine Scimitar was a twin-jet naval fighter from the manufacturers of the Spitfire. Despite having two engines each producing 11,000lbs of thrust, the overly thick wing, prevented it being supersonic in anything other than a dive. It also suffered a horrendous loss rate. For a naval aircraft surprisingly few of its accidents directly involved an aircraft carrier. Two suffered cable breaks after landing and fell off the front of the ship. A third suffered brake failure while taxiing to the catapult, while a fourth ditched after an aborted landing. A fifth aircraft suffered an engine failure on approach. 3: Supermarine Scimitar Scimitars also suffered nine losses due to hydraulic failures, 5 due to engine failures, a couple each due to bird strikes, fuel leaks, or Controlled Flight into Terrain. There were also 7 losses for unknown reason. In an unusual twist, two of the three surviving Scimitars were involved in a mid-air collision over Malta in April 1964 when 807 squadron was on its way back from the Far East. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall of 76 Scimitars built, 39 were lost in accidents - a staggering 51% - all essentially in peacetime: the closest they came to a war was deterring an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1961. 2: Republic F-105 Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief had an auspicious start to life with the first two prototypes breaking their backs in landing accidents. Given the airframe needed a complete redesign to reach the contracted top speed this was probably less of a problem than it at first seemed. However, it wasnt an encouraging sign when after all the modifications to achieve that were done the third prototype very nearly did the same thing. In this case the main gear refused to extend as the engine auxiliary intakes, located in the gear bay, had opened and the suction from the Pratt and Whitney J-75s was holding the doors firmly shut. In a cruel twist with the engine shut down the test pilot was walking away from the aircraft only for it to slowly hoist itself up onto its wheels, the hydraulics being able to overcome gravity if not vacuums. 2: Republic F-105 Thunderchief Aside from the excessive heat and humidity requiring modification to the Thunderchief the single hydraulic system controlling the horizontal stabiliser soon emerged as a weak point. Damage to the system would force the aircraft into an irrecoverable dive - F-105s were also falling to North Vietnamese air defences, primarily guns, at a shocking rate. At least 60 were lost in 1965, 111 in 1966, and a further 97 in 1967. In all 334 Thunderchiefs were lost in combat over Vietnam nearly 20% of USAF losses and 40% of all F-105s produced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even in the context of war, this was bad when compared to loss rates for aircraft in WW2. A further 63 were lost in accidents in South East Asia while when other losses are included well over 50% of all Thunderchiefs produced were lost. 1: Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka Built by the Imperial Japanese Navys Yokosuka arsenal, the MXY-7 Ohka suicide bomb was a 20 foot tube with stub wings. The doomed pilot was sandwiched between a 1200kg warhead and a 4500 pound thrust rocket motor. Surprisingly, there was armour plating at the rear of the cockpit to protect the pilot. Despite a top speed of over 500mph, the Ohka was not the highly effective weapon that had been hoped for. Kamikaze attacks in converted fighters had shown limited success but the MXY-7 had an Achilles heel. Its limited range required it to be carried to the target by a converted G4M Betty bomber. 1: Yokosuka MXY-7 Carrying the Ohka compromised the G4Ms speed, and its ceiling was reduced to a dangerously low 16,400 feet. On their first mission on 21 March 1945, all the bombers were intercepted before they were within 50 miles of their target. Although some MXY-7s were released, with a range of only 20 miles it would be to no effect. The Ohkas performance didnt improve, only one ship, the destroyer USS Mannert L Abele was sunk by the MXY-7, with 84 sailors believed killed. Given there were 74 MXY-7 missions, and the Betty itself had a crew of seven, its entirely possible more Japanese lives were lost in Ohka missions than American. Quite how a suicide aircraft could be even more dangerous than it was intended to be is a grim and perplexing question Joe Coles is the author of The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes Vol 1. If you enjoyed this story, please click the Follow button above to see more like it from Autocar Photo Licences: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ]]> An 11-year-old was seriously injured in a shooting just after noon Oct. 20 in Milwaukee's North Division neighborhood. According to Milwaukee police, the shooting occurred at around 12:05 p.m. on the 2400 block of North 9th Street. The 11-year-old was transported to a hospital. Milwaukee police seek an unknown suspect. The department asks anyone with information to call police at 414-935-7360. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or through the P3 Tips app. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 11-year-old seriously injured in Milwaukee shooting Recently, someone on Reddit asked , "People who moved outside of the US solely due to Trump being elected, how are things going? What actualized pros and cons have you experienced?" Mandel Ngan / Getty Images The responses were thoughtful and wide-ranging. Here's what people said: Note: Some responses have been edited for clarity. 1. "Moved to Taiwan, which honestly feels like a mix between a mini-Japan and a democratic version of China. Its modern, safe, and incredibly convenient. Public transportation is world-class subways, buses, and even intercity trains run like clockwork, and everything connects seamlessly. "Daily life feels easy. Healthcare is cheap and efficient a quick visit rarely costs more than $10. People are friendly but mind their own business, and theres a strong sense of community without the nosiness. English is common enough in cities that you can get by, but learning a little Mandarin makes life smoother. If I had to name a few downsides, summers are brutally humid, and bureaucracy can be slow at times. Job opportunities for foreigners outside tech or teaching can also be limited. But overall, its one of the most livable, underrated places Ive ever been." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement phatlynx Related: 50 Hilariously Unlikely Photos That Couldn't Be Recreated Even If You Tried A Million Times 2. "Left during his first term, moved to Zurich, Switzerland. My wife and I couldnt be happier. We love this country, we love the city." "Quality of life is so high, I havent had to drive a car in seven years, and I can get anywhere, anytime conveniently with some of the best public transportation in the world. Oh dont even get me started on the Alps. Learning German has been really time consuming and difficult. My wife is learning much faster, really proud of her. That said, its really, really rewarding when you can have conversations with the old couple with the cute dog because you can speak their language now. Its something that makes us both proud, but we have so much further to go with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve made amazing lifelong friends. But you always miss your family. Weddings, baby showers, you miss them, its hard, its sad. But if your family is supportive and has the means to occasionally visit, its easier. Watching the US from afar is weird. When youre the only American in your friend group/among work colleagues, you end up being asked to explain whats going on and how it could be happening. Europeans are much more informed on America's news than vice versa, in my experience. So these things come up a lot. Lol, European memes in group chats about whatever insane thing is going on in the US." StuffyDuckLover 3. "Got a job offer in Spain right before the election results were announced, and arrived the day he was sworn in." "Pros: Basically everything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cons: The bureaucracy can be slow and downright unhelpful at times. Not being fluent in Spanish was stressful the first couple of months. I miss root beer. Wouldn't change a thing, I love it here and want to become a citizen." Foxgirltori Hulu / giphy.com 4. "Moved to the UK in 2018. We probably wouldnt have had kids if we stayed in the US due to fertility issues, but we have two now since it is drastically cheaper in the UK. Raising a family here is great. Not having to worry about guns. Not having to worry about healthcare. Childcare is affordable. Food is a lot cheaper. Public transport is great." "I do miss American culture and food. I miss the weather (CA vs Lancashire). We plan on moving back within a few years to be closer to family, but its getting harder and harder to imagine living in the US again." cinnamindy Related: I'm Literally Crying From Laughter At These 16 Signs That Are Too Funny To Handle 5. "My daughter left. Chose to attend college in Canada after the first administration, then went for her Masters there after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and then she just stayed." "She's doing great, works in a healthcare field so her job is stable, and she never intends to return." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FortuneTellingBoobs 6. "I got my Australian Citizenship in 2016. Always was thinking of potentially moving back to the US but those thoughts pretty much died in 2024 and Im not coming back in the next several years." "Pros: Work. I work a lot less than I would in the US for a lot more money. Four weeks of paid holiday is nice. My retirement funds are set up automatically without me thinking too much about it. I cant just be laid off without getting some compensation. Theres a lot of work stuff thats better. Healthcare. Last Xmas, I contracted some virus that put me in the hospital for two days. Wiped me out completely and was doing a number on my immune system. The hospital I went to sorted me out great and literally the only interaction I had with payment was one woman coming over to me asking for a copy of my Medicare card. Didnt pay a thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lifestyle. Its much more relaxed. I dont want to earn millions of dollars. Im happy with working and saving and making a decent living and as a result, I finish off work and get to go to the beach or head to the pub with friends. Its easier down here. Cons: Im far from family (and everything). My mom had a health scare earlier this year and if I dropped everything immediately, it still would have taken me two days to get there. If I want to go on a quick weekend away in a new city my choices are Melbourne, Brisbane, or Auckland, because everything else is at least a five hours flight. Visa laws. It took years to get my visa sorted, even with a supportive employer and an expensive immigration lawyer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friendlier people. I dont think many people recognize it but Americans, as a group, tend to be friendly people that actually want to make friends. When I go back to the US, I can have a conversation with a random person at a bar and if we get along, sometimes a friendship can form. Thats really hard to find in Australia. I like the US but, in the past decade or so, Im happier and happier I moved away. It feels like the world is moving on while it just kept spinning its wheels. I always enjoy going back and seeing family and friends and visiting new places but I cant live or work there anymore." Zerogravity86 Related: I Found Photos From Every US State That Encapsulate How Wildly Different It Is To Live In Different Parts Of America 7. "Moved back home to Asia. The biggest pro? My stress baseline dropped." "The biggest con? Realizing leaving doesnt fix how connected we all still are to American influence, news, culture, and general insanity." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AznBunni444 How's your life abroad amid the Trump administration? Let us know in the comments 8. "Portugal is wonderful so far. I love my slowed down pace of life. So much less stress. I'm eating more healthy and am way more physically actively at 40. I'm in some of the best shape in my life." "Awaiting our resident cards at the moment. If we for some reason don't get 'em, as the government here unfortunately moved anti-immigration recently, then my wife and I might opt for Georgia, the country, instead of returning to the states." badsp0rk 9. "Got my engineering degree and he got sworn in, I left the country as soon as the opportunity came. Lived in Canada with the intent to stay, and then my British boyfriend (and friend of over a decade) proposed to me and I moved to England. I remember my mom telling me back when I had the opportunity to get my first work visa, 'It's only going to get worse. I say if you have the chance, take it and get out.'" "I still vote. I still pay my taxes and my student loans. I am a poll clerk where I live now. I contribute, I have a decent life, and I always do my best to put my money back into the community and the environment here. I feel grateful I am where I am now. I am sad because I honestly wished for the day that America would be better, I wished for the day I regretted that decision. Because it would mean my whole family back home was safer and better off that lots of people I love were doing better than me. I wish I could regret it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protect_Wild_Bees Related: 20 Deathtraps Er, I Mean Ridiculously Dangerous Designs That I Can't Believe People Actually Approved ABC / giphy.com 10. "Moved to Germany. Culture shock is a real thing. Racism is different, more nuanced." "Pros: So much, healthcare, PTO (30+ days off!). I can trust the food I eat, no crazy overtime, and much more!" vicatyx 11. And finally, "We moved to Canada (Toronto area). The most shocking part has been how many things are significantly cheaper here. I don't mean obvious things like health care, but like... coffee and so much of what's in the grocery store. My cereal of choice had gone up to $6.99 for a box. I just paid 2.99 Canadian for the same damn thing here." "OTC meds (NyQuil, pain killers) and other toiletries (shampoo, etc.) are more expensive, but given all the other savings, it's no big deal. We wait for sales and keep an on-hand supply. Before moving I was bombarded with, 'I moved to Canada and it was the worst mistake of my life' content, and in hindsight it really seems like a smear campaign. If you talk to Canadians they'll tell you how expensive things are, but post-COVID life got expensive everywhere, and I'm not sure they know that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not even mentioning how calm things are and how little tension between people there is just out and about. Even if it was a net wash, we both feel better now that our taxes fund things that help regular people instead of military deployments to our own cities. One thing that concerns us is that conservative leaders here have adopted republican talking points. 'The country is broken / Our cities are hellholes / Brown people ruin everything.' This is all they're offering. No counter proposals, just snarky talking points and division. They're doing it because it worked in the US, and it's weird to see here." Tufaan9 What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. And if you left the US, tell us how life compares abroad. Also in Internet Finds: "20 Years Later And No One In My Life Has A Clue Except Me": People Are Anonymously Revealing A Secret They'll Take To The Grave, And I Wasn't Expecting Thiiiiiiissssssssss Also in Internet Finds: I Just Choked On My Chips Cackling At These 17 Poor Souls Who Really, Really Deserve A "YOU TRIED" Sticker Also in Internet Finds: People Are Revealing The Tattoos They Silently Judge Others For, And I'm Sorry But Your Ink Might Be On The List Read it on BuzzFeed.com More than 100 additional women have come forward accusing former Cedars-Sinai Medical Center obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Barry J. Brock of sexual assault and misconduct. According to attorneys from Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team LLP and The DiPietro Law Firm, a new lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court represents 112 women who say they were sexually assaulted, harassed, or otherwise abused by Brock during medical examinations and procedures at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and its affiliated clinics. The firms allege in the complaint that Cedars-Sinai and its related entities engaged in a decades-long cover-up, ignoring complaints from patients and staff while continuing to renew Brocks medical privileges. The lawsuit claims the hospital failed to report the alleged misconduct to law enforcement or state regulators, enabling what attorneys describe as serial sexual abuse under the guise of medical care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cedars-Sinai had both a moral and legal duty to protect its patients, said Mike Arias, managing partner of Arias Sanguinetti, in a statement. Instead, the institution knowingly enabled a serial predator and prioritized its reputation over the safety of women who trusted them with their care. This latest filing brings the total number of women represented by the two firms to 330, according to the announcement, which describes the case as seeking not only damages but also injunctive relief to require Cedars-Sinai to implement reforms aimed at preventing future abuse. Each of these women were placed in a position of vulnerability under the guise of medical care, said Anthony T. DiPietro of The DiPietro Law Firm. They are coming forward now to hold the institution accountable, expose the wrongdoers, and ensure that no other patient has to endure the same trauma. In response to KTLAs request for comment, a Cedars-Sinai spokesperson said: The type of behavior alleged about Dr. Barry Brock is counter to Cedars-Sinais core values and the trust we strive to earn every day with our patients. Dr. Brock no longer has privileges to practice medicine at Cedars-Sinai. We recognize the legal process must now take its course, and we remain committed to Cedars-Sinais sacred healing mission and serving our community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new suit follows a series of legal and professional developments involving Brock, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by hundreds of former patients. Mayor Bass announces investigation into detention of U.S. citizens by Homeland Security According to the Los Angeles Times, Brock, 75, surrendered his California medical license following an accusation of negligent care by the Medical Board of California. Under a May 2025 agreement, Brock is permanently barred from practicing medicine in the state. His attorney, Tracy Green, told the L.A. Times that Brock doesnt admit any factual allegations and chose to give up his license rather than contest the case in a hearing. Brock retired in August 2024 after decades of practice, and Cedars-Sinai confirmed in July that it had suspended and later terminated his hospital privileges after receiving concerning complaints from patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior lawsuits, also reported by the Times, allege that Brock performed unnecessary or invasive procedures, often without gloves or chaperones present, and made sexually inappropriate comments to patients during appointments. Some plaintiffs have reported lasting physical complications from his care. As of mid-2025, at least 176 women had filed individual suits alleging that Cedars-Sinai and its affiliated facilities knew of Brocks misconduct and failed to act. The expanding wave of litigation now surpasses 300 plaintiffs, collectively accusing both Brock and the medical center of systemic failures to protect patients over several decades. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Leadership has always played a pivotal role in shaping the course of history. From emperors who redefined empires to activists who inspired millions, these leaders changed the times. Their decisions, bold or controversial, altered the trajectory of societies and left lasting imprints on humanity. But what defines a truly transformative leader? The answer is complex. Some leaders are celebrated for their vision and compassion, while others provoke debate with their actions and legacies. Whats undeniable, though, is their influence and ability to steer events in ways that still resonate today. This list is a celebration of 12 leaders who made history in extraordinary ways. From revolutionary ideas to sheer determination, they shaped the world as we know it, leaving legacies that continue to inspire, provoke, and challenge us. 1. Julius Caesar Image Credit: sergey lavrishchev / Shutterstock.com. Julius Caesar reshaped ancient Rome, turning a fractured republic into the foundation of an empire. His military campaigns expanded Roman territory, while his reforms sought to address economic disparities and stabilize governance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, Caesars ambition also created powerful enemies. Declaring himself dictator for life led to his assassination in 44 BCE, but his impact endured. His leadership set the stage for the Roman Empire, influencing governance and law for centuries. 2. Cleopatra VII Image Credit: Major Reisman - CC0/Wiki Commons. As Egypts last pharaoh, Cleopatra VII wielded intelligence and diplomacy to navigate a male-dominated world. Her alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony were strategic moves to preserve Egypts independence. Her reign ended with Egypt falling to Rome, but Cleopatras story lives on as a symbol of resilience and cunning. Her ability to hold her ground against one of historys mightiest empires remains legendary. 3. Genghis Khan Image Credit: chris piason / Shutterstock.com. Genghis Khan forged the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in history. His military genius unified warring tribes and introduced innovative strategies that reshaped warfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though his campaigns were often ruthless, they opened up trade and cultural exchange along the Silk Road. His leadership reshaped Asia and Europe, leaving an indelible mark on history. 4. Queen Elizabeth I Image Credit: Formerly attributed to George Gower - Heritage Auctions - Public Domain/Wiki Commons. Elizabeth Is reign brought stability to a nation rife with political and religious tension. Her defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 secured Englands dominance on the global stage. Under her rule, the arts flourished, and England saw an era of exploration that laid the groundwork for an empire. Elizabeths ability to balance strength and diplomacy earned her a place among historys greatest monarchs. 5. Mahatma Gandhi Image Credit: hadescom / Shutterstock.com. Gandhis philosophy of nonviolence was revolutionary and transformational. Leading Indias independence movement, he inspired millions to fight oppression through peaceful resistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His methods influenced leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, proving that profound change doesnt always require violence. Gandhis legacy remains a testament to the power of perseverance and principle. 6. Nelson Mandela Image Credit: mark reinstein / Shutterstock.com. Nelson Mandelas journey from prisoner to president is one of the most inspiring stories in modern history. His leadership ended apartheid and brought South Africa into a new era of democracy. Mandelas focus on reconciliation over revenge showed his commitment to unity and equality. His ability to forgive and lead by example made him a global icon for justice and peace. 7. George Washington Image Credit: Shutterstock.com. George Washingtons leadership laid the foundation for American democracy. As the first U.S. president, he set precedents that shaped the nations governance, including the peaceful transfer of power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washingtons refusal to cling to power cemented his legacy as a leader of integrity. His vision and restraint remain guiding principles for modern democracies. 8. Napoleon Bonaparte Image Credit: Andrea Appiani - Public Domain/Wiki Commons. Napoleon Bonapartes reforms revolutionized Europe. His Napoleonic Code influenced legal systems globally, and his military campaigns redrew the continents borders. While his ambitions led to widespread conflict, Napoleons impact on governance, education, and law endures. His leadership remains a study in the balance between innovation and overreach. 9. Joan of Arc Image Credit: Hendrik Scheffer - Heritage Auctions - Public Domain/Wiki Commons. Joan of Arcs courage in leading French forces during the Hundred Years War defied societal norms. Claiming divine guidance, she turned the tide against the English. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though executed at 19, her legacy as a martyr and symbol of faith endures. Canonized as a saint, Joans story continues to inspire bravery and conviction. 10. Abraham Lincoln Image Credit: Shutterstock.com. Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union and ended slavery during one of Americas darkest periods. His speeches, including the Gettysburg Address, remain iconic calls for equality and unity. Lincolns leadership showcased his resilience in navigating a deeply divided nation. His legacy is a cornerstone of American values. 11. Winston Churchill Image Credit: via Collection Search - Heritage Auctions - Public Domain/Wiki Commons. Winston Churchills defiant leadership during World War II rallied Britain when the odds seemed insurmountable. His speeches, brimming with resolve and determination, unified a nation under relentless attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Churchills vision extended to shaping post-war Europe. From advocating for the creation of NATO to warning against the rise of the Iron Curtain, his foresight cemented his legacy as a global statesman. 12. Franklin D. Roosevelt Image Credit: Shutterstock.com. Franklin D. Roosevelts leadership during the Great Depression and World War II transformed America. His New Deal programs provided relief to millions, rebuilding a shattered economy through public works and social reforms. FDRs steady guidance during World War II united allies and helped secure victory. His unprecedented four-term presidency redefined the role of government in times of crisis, making him a pillar of resilience and hope. A 13-year-old boy who was taken more than 500 miles away from his family by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains in custody and awaits a bond hearing, which must occur no later than Wednesday, according to a court order. Responding to criticism of the minor's detention, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement last week claiming the young teen is a "public safety threat" with ties to the Brazilian "criminal ring" called gang 33. Although the Brazilian native was initially set to be released to his mother after being arrested by the Everett Police Department in Massachusetts on October 9, he was instead taken into ICE custody. Unsure of the young teen's location, the family's immigration attorney, Andrew Lattarulo, filed a habeas corpus petition on October 10. Subsequently, United States District Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled the same day that the government must justify the boy's arrest or provide a bond hearing no later than Thursday, October 16. However, once it was confirmed that the minor had been transferred to a juvenile detention facility in Virginiaone hour before the petition was filedStearns' order lacked jurisdiction. It wasn't until October 17after spending eight days in custodythat a federal judge in Virginia ordered that the teen boy should receive a bond hearing no later than Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to mounting criticism over the incident, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin posted on X on October 13 that the juvenile "posed a public safety threat with an extensive rap sheet" and "was in possession of a firearm and 5-7 inch knife when arrested." However, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria confirmed during a press conference the following day that "no guns were found" during the initial arrest. But the DHS doubled down on October 16, revealing even more details by disclosing the minor's name and claiming he "is a suspected member of the '33' gang with 11 prior police complaintsincluding breaking and entering, vandalism, theft, fighting, 'flash mob' style shoplifting and more," according to Fox News. The DHS statement also claimed that, "according to the police report, the teenager showed a fellow student the handgun and said he was going to 'shoot and kill' another student." However, the image provided by the DHS of the Everett Police Department report does not corroborate that information, and only states that there was a complaint that the juvenile "showed up after school with a gun." It's clear the DHS is following the same playbook that it has used on many other immigrants since President Donald Trump took office: arrest an immigrant, label them a criminal, and push for deportation while ignoring any due process rights that might stand in the way. But this rinse-and-repeat formula feels particularly perverse when it's used on a 13-year-old boy. Although the DHS is correct that the minor did in fact enter the U.S. illegally, he did so in 2021, when he was nine years old, with his family. His parents then applied for asyluma pathway to permanent residency and citizenship designed for migrants who may not have the time or ability to enter the country legally while fleeing persecutionand are authorized to legally work in the U.S. while their asylum application is processed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the teen boy may have other criminal allegations pending against him, the DHS' disregard for basic protocol is disgraceful. In cases of minors, who are still growing and maturing, the juvenile justice system prioritizes rehabilitation over punishment, and records are normally sealed from the public to protect the minor against long-term stigma. But from the DHS' own statements, it seems the agency would rather rely on public stigma to justify its punishment of the teen for his alleged crimes rather than allow the juvenile justice system in Everett to appropriately adjudicate on the matters. The post 13-Year-Old Boy Arrested by ICE Still Waiting for a Bond Hearing More Than 11 Days Later appeared first on Reason.com. Dubai, UAE, October 20th, 2025, FinanceWire Following recent licensing frameworks and the international exposure of the PLPC Platform, the American-born biotechnology system backed by Q1 publications, filed patents, FDA-aligned audits, and UAE-based legal and banking partners consolidates its presence across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. OGRD Alliance L.L.C-FZ, an international biotechnology organization led by its Chief Scientific Officer, Oncopathologist Dr. Ramon Gutierrez Sandoval, M.D., announces the expansion of its PLPC-DB phospholipoproteomic module, supported by the OncoVix Program, from Dubai toward Asia and the MENA region. The initiative reinforces the groups position as a bridge between American scientific innovation and global life-science investment. The expansion follows participation in international biotechnology conferences and the formalization of manufacturing and licensing agreements with strategic brokers and consultancies in Japan and Singapore. The Dubai hub now acts as the groups financial and logistical center for Asia and the Middle East. The PLPC Platform The proprietary PLPC (Phospholipoproteomic Complex) integrates four scientific and regulatory pillars: PLPC-DB , a non-cellular immunobiological module validated under FDA-aligned documentation for adaptive biotechnology. PLPC-NX , called ABIMPROSYC, a GRAS-certified nutritional technology platform synchronized with circadian and metabolic regulation. STIP (Structural Traceability and Immunophenotypic Platform), ensuring ex vivo validation, cross-jurisdictional reproducibility, and real-world-evidence compliance. The platforms scientific validation pillar is supported by 11 Tier-1 congress presentations (ASCO, ESMO, SITC, CAP-25, BioJapan 2025), five Q1-indexed papers listed in PubMed, three international patent families filed in the United States, Japan, and Australia, and two independent pre-FDA regulatory audits confirming data integrity and traceability. OncoVix Program The OncoVix Program documentation network encompasses hundreds of anonymized dossiers divided into validated sub-cohorts, representing thousands of applications under controlled real-world-evidence conditions demonstrating that biotechnology originating in America can achieve measurable and reproducible outcomes meeting global standards of safety and transparency. WILL COUNTY, Ill. A 13-year-old boy was struck and killed by a semi-truck Monday night in the Village of Manhattan. At around 5:35 p.m., authorities responded to the area of State and East North on the report of an accident involving a bicyclist and a semi-truck. Officers at the scene found a 13-year-old boy unresponsive underneath the semi-truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy was identified as Chance Hunnicut, family told WGN News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chance was full of life, laughter, and love always by the side of his twin brother, Ryder, part of his GoFundMe reads. Illinois State Police is investigating. The GoFundMe has raised nearly $35,000 at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The Kansas Department of Transportation canceled the Interstate 135 shutdown this weekend in Wichita due to weather. KDOT was supposed to close the northbound lanes of I-135 from 6 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, until late afternoon on Sunday, Oct. 26, for work at the north junction. Closures on other ramps will not happen. Map: KDOT Replacement of K-15 bridge in south Wichita to cause one-year detour Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KDOT planned to remove formwork and overhang brackets from the newly poured flyover bridge. Check before you go: KanDrive, also known as WICHway in Wichita, is a website and app from the Kansas Department of Transportation that provides information about road conditions, traffic, and more. Viewers can access cameras along the highways and interstates for free. The KanDrive app is available in both Google Play and Apples App Store. To view the website, click here. Drivers can also call 511 in Kansas or 866-511-5368 outside of Kansas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) An overcrowded train full of merchants collided with a stationary train in a remote part of eastern Ethiopia, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens, a local official said. The crash happened Monday night near the city of Dire Dawa as the train carrying merchants and their goods returned from the town of Dewale, near the Djibouti border. Ibrahim Usman, the mayor of Dire Dawa, confirmed the death toll and expressed his sorrow at the loss of lives in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday. Witnesses who spoke to The Associated Press said there were delays in helping the casualties, with ambulances not readily available after the crash. They said those injured in the crash were pulled out of the carriages by locals. MONROE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A 14-year-old boy riding an electric scooter is now in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle, according to the Monroe Police Department. Around 4:45 p.m. on Monday, officers responded to reports of a child struck by a vehicle on the 2200 block of Secrest Short Cut Road. When they arrived, they found a 14-year-old boy who had been hit by a vehicle while he was riding an electric scooter. The teen was reportedly riding the scooter home from a nearby shopping center when he was hit. Police said he was airlifted to Atrium-Main in Charlotte, where he remains in critical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the investigation into the crash, the police department will not be filing criminal charges against the driver. Based on video evidence obtained from the scene, police say that the teen was in the roadway when he was struck. Officials confirmed the driver was not impaired or speeding. Police say the driver stayed at the scene after the crash. There was no indication of criminal intent or negligence on the part of the driver, MPD said. We appreciate the communitys patience as we worked to gather all the facts surrounding this tragic event. This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Palm Bay Police Department says a 15-year-old student was arrested Tuesday over an alleged school threat. Officers said the Melbourne Police Department alerted them that a student who lives in Palm Bay threatened mass violence against Central Middle School in West Melbourne. Detectives say the student admitted making the statement and was taken into custody on a charge of making written threats to conduct a mass shooting. He was taken to the Brevard County Juvenile Detention Center. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. A 16-year-old boy was sentenced to life in prison for a deadly shooting near an Ohio high school. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Darien Harris pleaded guilty to one count of murder and felonious assault on Monday, WOIO, a CBS affiliate in Cleveland, reported. He was sentenced immediately after that to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 20 years. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As News Center 7 previously reported, Harris shot into a group of teen boys in front of the Euclid Fire Station in August 2024. The fire station is a block away from Euclid Middle School and Euclid High School. Five teens were shot and transported to area hospitals. One of them, 17-year-old Sincere Rowdy, died of his injuries. Harris, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, was arrested the day after the shooting. WOIO reported that Harris case was bound over from Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court to adult court in March. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] A 17-rail-car train derailment Monday in Waller County shut down part of Business 290 northwest of Houston, Waller County Sheriff's Office said. Officials say "17 aggregate rail cars" derailed on Monday from the Union Pacific train line, causing Business 290 eastbound to be shut down between James Muse Parkway/Blinka Road and FM-362 while authorities clean up the location. LOCAL NEWS: How Hondurans created a Houston hub and are dealing with Trump's deportation threats Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An update from the Waller County Sheriff's Office early Tuesday morning said the road was still closed track repairs are expected to be complete by 3 p.m. But as of 1:15 p.m., the road closure was no longer listed on TranStar. Traffic on Old Houston Highway, officials said, is "flowing with caution." No injuries were reported as of Monday night. This is a developing story. This article originally published at 17-rail-car train derailment closes part of 290 in Waller County, sheriff's office says. Tension in Eindhoven due to the visit of Napoli's organized supporters for the match against PSV in the Champions League. The Dutch police have arrested a group of fans from the Napoli team. According to La Repubblica, about 180 Napoli fans were arrested on Monday night in the center of Eindhoven. Four PSV supporters were also detained, although there were no disturbances between the two groups of fans, as clarified by the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A police spokesperson told the ANP agency that the authorities made these arrests as a preventive measure against possible clashes between groups of ultras. 180 tifosi del #Napoli arresati a Eindhoven: caos prima della sfida #championsleaugue con il Psv Il Corsera precisa che la polizia ha dichiarato che non ci sono stati problemi ma sono stati arrestati per impedire disordinihttps://t.co/YbbzumME0I pic.twitter.com/V1uxoDGwQB il Napolista (@napolista) October 21, 2025 The police described the Napoli fans as a large group and mentioned a certain atmosphere, alluding to a potentially problematic situation. The police had asked the Napoli fans to leave the city center, although without success. Some of the detained individuals did not have tickets for the match. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in here. Francesco Pecoraro - 2025 Getty Images Two people claimed $250,000 prizes in Massachusetts on Monday and both prizes were from the same game. Called $250,000 Winter Winnings," the $20 scratch ticket game was released on Wednesday last week. Three $250,000 grand prizes have already been claimed as of Oct. 21. One of the winning tickets was sold at Variety Smoke Shop in Bridgewater, while the other was sold at Corner Cupboard in Chelmsford. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, at least 615 prizes worth $600 or more were won or claimed in Massachusetts on Monday, including 14 in Springfield, 20 in Worcester and 46 in Boston. The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600. The largest lottery prize won so far this year was worth $1 million a year for life, from a winning Lifetime Millions scratch ticket sold in Springfield and claimed in July. Massachusetts State Lottery Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. MIDDLETON TWP., Ohio (WKBN) Firefighters and the Columbiana County Sheriffs Office responded to a house explosion in Columbiana County Monday night. Deputies and firefighters responded to the 48200 block of Carmel Achor Road in Middleton Township around 7:30 p.m. Monday for a report of an explosion with injuries. They found two men with leg injuries. One of them also hurt their hand. Read next: Struthers councilman resigning from position Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both men were taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital one by ambulance and the other by helicopter. The report says the men were playing with black powder after a hunting trip when the explosion went off. We had the call yesterday in Columbiana County, where people were critically injured. Were definitely weve seen an uptick in the creation of these homemade explosives, fireworks and the accidents that come about from making them in terms of injuries and deaths, said Lt. Mohammad Awad. Deputies were told that the men were playing with black powder when the explosion occurred, according to the incident report. Authorities found a sheet of roofing shingles with holes through it. Deputies said that a cellphone and battery were found. Reports state authorities found lots of unsafe wiring that couldve contributed to the explosion that occurred. The Youngstown Bomb Squad arrived after an hour to assist. The Youngstown Bomb Squad was called. Investigators found cans of black powder, unsafe wires and a battery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If there are batteries involved, that its an improvised explosive device, theyre trying to do a lot more than just make a boom for their neighborhood or display for a Fourth of July holiday, Awad said. Any time we see batteries, its definitely a heightened level of awareness of what to look for whats the purpose of making that device. Just this summer, authorities responded to a homemade firework explosion that killed two people in a Liberty Township home. We primarily see homemade explosives with black powder flash powder made on most of our runs, and something as simple as that it has incidents in this area, Awad said. Every single year, we respond to one or two people who are injured in homemade explosives, homemade fireworks incidents. Nationally, every single year, a few people die from homemade explosives or fireworks. At this point, we have not confirmed the condition of the two men. 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 WKBN.com. OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) debuted its ChatGPT Atlas web browser on Tuesday, a move that pushes the company into even closer competition with Google (GOOG, GOOGL). The browser, OpenAI says, is built with ChatGPT at its core and designed to bring the chatbot across the overall browsing experience. "You can open a ChatGPT sidebar on any page to summarize, explain, or handle tasks directly in the same window," OpenAI CEO of applications Fidji Simo wrote in a blog post. She added, "You can pull up ChatGPT in any text field to write or edit without having to copy/paste back and forth. You can even manage your tabs by talking to ChatGPT, which is great if youre like me and always have way too many open." Atlas is available today for macOS and is coming to Windows, iOS, and Android in the near future. It has a number of features, including browser memory and an agent mode. The home screen is relatively simple, featuring a ChatGPT dialogue box you can type into to ask questions or the option to go directly to webpages. OpenAI launched its ChatGPT Atlas web browser on Tuesday. (Image: OpenAI) OpenAI You can also access different OpenAI models, such as ChatGPT-4, as well as pull up a sidebar with your chat history. Optional browser memory will allow you to search through your browsing history or pull up documents you've worked on in Google Docs using natural language. According to Simo, users will also be able to do things like ask ChatGPT to make a meal plan for the week and have the built-in AI agent order ingredients from Instacart and have them delivered to your home. For now, the company says agent mode is still in preview. It's also only available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Business users. Tech companies have been investing heavily in their own browsers and new AI capabilities in an effort to steal market share from Google's Chrome, which holds nearly 72% of the global browser market. Perplexity (PEAI.PVT) launched its Comet browser in July, and Microsoft has rolled out Copilot AI features for its Edge browser. But Google isn't taking the fight lying down. The company has added a variety of AI offerings to its Google Search results, including its AI Overviews, which appear at the top of the standard search page, and its AI Mode, which features a ChatGPT-style chat interface. OpenAI is the world's most valuable startup with a valuation of $500 billion, according to Reuters. That puts it ahead of Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPAX.PVT). The AI giant has also been signing a series of high-stakes deals across the tech ecosystem, including a $100 billion agreement with Nvidia (NVDA), and multibillion-dollar agreements with Broadcom (AVGO) and AMD (AMD). Roughly 2 million Pennsylvanians will not get their food benefits in November if the federal shutdown continues and government support for the program falters, state officials have announced. Gov. Josh Shapiro is urging Congress to pass a spending bill that reopens the government and gets money pumping back into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which nourishes one in six commonwealth residents. Helping neighbors: As hunger rises in Pa., Little Free Pantry movement helps neighbors feed each other Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Republicans' failure to pass a federal budget in Washington, D.C., is having a direct impact on our commonwealth, the Democratic governor said Oct. 20 in a statement. And now, this federal shutdown is threatening critical food assistance for two million Pennsylvanians who rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families. The lapse in grocery assistance will likely unleash a wave of need at a time when food charities are already feeling the pain of government cuts, funding delays and overall increases in hunger, said Lauren Duff, spokeswoman for the nonprofit Feeding Pennsylvania. "It's really creating an urgent crisis for millions of Pennsylvanians that are already struggling to put food on the table and a charitable food network that's doing its best to serve them right now," she said. The federal government has canceled $6 million in emergency food shipments to anti-hunger groups in the commonwealth and withheld $13 million in grants for buying fresh, local produce to stock Pennsylvania banks and pantries, she noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of the state legislature's ongoing budget impasse, many of these organizations are also going without aid from Pennsylvania programs, Duff explained. In recent months, her group estimated the delay has paused nearly $5 million of spending through a state food purchasing program and more than $1 million to reimburse farmers who donate produce. The lapse in SNAP will create an "unprecedented" gap that these charities, even doing their utmost, will not be able to fill, she said. For every meal provided by Pennsylvania food banks, the federal program furnishes nine. "We could see a surge in need for food assistance like we've never really seen before," Duff said. The federal government shut down Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass a spending bill by the deadline, locked in disagreement over health care funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats insist the budget needs to extend enhanced tax breaks that make Obamacare coverage affordable to millions of recipients. Republicans say they dont want to renew the tax credits which are due to expire at year's end as part of the funding bill. More: SNAP benefits face 'insufficient funds' in November if shutdown continues, USDA warns The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Oct. 10 warned states it did not have enough money to fully fund SNAP in November if the shutdown kept going. Shapiros administration says the state cannot backfill the missing federal payments, which total about $366 million each month. Congressional action on a budget bill in the next few days could enable the November payments to go out, although they would likely be delayed, according to officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People can stretch their current benefit to get them through next month, since unspent funds on SNAP cards wont expire until the end of the year and can be used in the weeks ahead, officials said. State human services officials will keep reviewing applications for nutrition assistance and other benefits regardless of the shutdown. So theyre telling program participants to continue submitting renewals, semi-annual reviews, case changes and updates to comply with the new federal work requirements. More: Funding is way down, but food needs could triple. Second Harvest asks for help They also encouraged Pennsylvanians to seek help at pa-navigate.org if they need food or other resources during the shutdown. People in need can also call 211 or go to pa211.org or visit feedingpa.org to locate a local food bank. Bethany Rodgers is a USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania investigative journalist. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Will PA residents get SNAP benefits next month? During heavy rains last month, floodwaters swept away a car that carried 2-year-old Xavier Padilla Aguilera and his father, separating the two during a torrential downfall that filled the streets of Barstow with mud and rain. The boy's body was found hours later in the San Bernardino County flood control channel. The Barstow Police Department offered condolences to his family in a statement confirming the child's death, calling it a "tragedy." But on Tuesday, police announced they had arrested the young boy's father, Brandon Padilla-Aguilera, in connection with his death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barstow police officials revealed few details of their case or what led detectives to suspect foul play in the 2-year-old's death. But, according to a statement, investigators with the Barstow Police Department continued to look into Xavier's death after the flooding receded. "Over the course of the month-long investigation, detectives spoke with witnesses and gathered evidence," according to a statement from police. "Based on evidence obtained, detectives secured an arrest warrant for him." Barstow police booked Padilla-Aguilera on suspicion of murder last week. On Tuesday, the San Bernardino County district attorney's office filed two charges against the 26-year-old father, including one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and a second count of child abuse under circumstances of a condition likely to cause great bodily injury, a spokesperson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors are also alleging a special allegation of willful harm or injury resulting in death. Read more: Aftermath of late summer storm includes destroyed homes, a closed highway and a child death During the Sept. 18 storm, emergency crews were called at about 7:14 p.m. to investigate a vehicle that had been swept away by floodwaters in the 24000 block of West Main Street in Barstow. The vehicle, officials said, had been overtaken by rising waters and carried into a wash north of West Main Street. Padilla-Aguilera and his son had reportedly gotten out of the car but, at some point, were separated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Padilla-Aguilera was ultimately found on an island created by the floodwaters, but emergency crews continued to search for more than 20 hours for the 2-year-old boy. On Friday, Padilla-Aguilera was taken into custody. Officials released no details about the role he might have played in the child's death. Barstow police referred questions about the case to a Facebook post on the arrest. County jail records indicate Padilla-Aguilera was booked on suspicion of murder with $1-million bail. 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. BAXTER, W.Va. (WBOY) Two people have been charged after troopers found fentanyl in the reach of children at a Marion County home. Matthew Perkins On Oct. 10, troopers with the Marion County detachment of the West Virginia State Police executed a search at a residence on Wise Street in Baxter in reference to possible drug activity, according to a criminal complaint. During the search, troopers said they located Matthew Perkins, 38, and Tabitha Morgan, 33, both of Baxter, as well as two juveniles at the home. Tabitha Morgan In their search, troopers found bags ready for sale containing fentanyl, as well as cutting agent, multiple sets of scales, a large amount of cash, packaging materials, foil containing methamphetamine, 24 alprazolam tablets and four cyclobenzaprine tablets, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2 charged after drug materials found in childs medicine in Fairmont Troopers also noted that the living conditions of the residence were not suitable to children, and that the paraphernalia and fentanyl in the reach of the children, troopers said. Perkins and Morgan have been charged with child neglect and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. They are being held in North Central Regional Jail on $50,000 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 WBOY.com. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy announced that a $200,000 state and county contribution will go to the Johnson City Rotary Club on Tuesday. These funds mark a milestone in an effort to create a new childrens bike playground, which will be constructed near the Tannery Knobs Mountain Bike Park, according to a release from the club. We asked Governor Lee for $200,000 to match what was already raised, and the governor wanted this group to know how important this bicycle training program is to our trail system, Mayor Grandy stated in the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ETSU drops FL3TCH3R art exhibit after 12 years following 2024 criticism of content The $200,000 contribution came to the county from the State of Tennessees First Frontier Trail initiative, which helps communities with projects related to bike trails. This is a significant community-driven achievement that reflects strong local and regional support for expanding outdoor recreation opportunities for families and young riders, stated Rotary Club President Cyrus Fees in the release. Rotary is delighted to partner with Washington County and the City of Johnson City to make this vision a reality. The Rotary Clubs fundraising total so far for the childrens bike playground is $420,000. The release said that any funds remaining after the construction of the new bike park will be placed in a Rotary-managed service and maintenance fund to ensure the facilitys long-term upkeep and sustainability. A check for $200,000 was presented by Mayor Joe Grandy to Rotary President Cyrus Fees for the childrens bike park at Tannery Knobs. At left, past president Brackton Smith, and Rotary Area Governor Gary McAllister (right) were also instrumental in childrens bike park efforts. This new park will be a place where children can safely learn and grow their biking skills and it will add another jewel to Johnson Citys outdoor recreation offerings, said the clubs past president, Brackton Smith, in the release. 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. WASHINGTON The federal government shutdown is approaching the second longest in U.S. history; however, Maryland lawmakers havent been idle as its members have often been front and center while parties spar over health care, rescissions and federal workers. Democrats want to reopen the government, but we will not be a rubber stamp for this administration as they ignore bipartisan congressional funding priorities and attack federal workers or sit idly by as they let health care costs skyrocket for millions of Americans, Sen. Chris Van Hollen told The Baltimore Sun in a statement. For Democratic members, in particular, its been a flurry of activity. Beyond the almost daily press conferences, press calls, rallies, and town halls a constant for both Republicans and Democrats as each attempts to escape blame for the shutdown focus has been on legislation and congressional oversight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several members of the delegation have introduced legislation before the lapse in funding, with the others frequently acting as co-sponsors to promote the bills. Legislative attempts continued after the shutdown began. A number of these have dealt with federal workers. The week before the shutdown, Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr. offered the Securing Assurance for Federal Employees (SAFE) Act, a bill that would block mass firings during a funding lapse. The administration later initiated mass firings. A judge ordered them to be paused days after. On Sept. 29, two days before the shutdown, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. Sarah Elfreth introduced the Help FEDS Act, a bill to allow federal workers who must continue working during the shutdown to be paid. Once funding lapsed, activity increased. Van Hollen has worked with other senators on bills to protect federal workers from eviction or property repossession, among others. Van Hollen, Alsobrooks, and Rep. Kweisi Mfume sent a letter to the heads of federal financial regulatory agencies, asking for guidance for workers struggling due to the shutdown, additionally offering a bill on the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We had a whole suite of bills that weve sponsored or cosponsored, Olszewski told The Sun on Friday when asked about the efforts of his office and the delegation. We are communicating with the public about whats happening. The most important part of all that communication for me is continuing to call for the leadership of this country to sit down and actually find a solution and a path forward, Olszewski added. A common thread connects the differing moves: little to no Republican support. Van Hollen, Alsobrooks, and Rep. Steny Hoyer sent a letter last week that urged the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to clarify that furloughed workers would receive back pay, which is required by law. Only one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, joined them. Its been one of the few actions tinged by bipartisanship. The SAFE Act has over 70 cosponsors. No Republicans have joined. The Senate plans to vote on a similar bill to Elfreths this week, but one introduced by a Republican. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats are in the minority in both the House and Senate, leaving them largely at the mercy of the Republican leaders who determine which bills are considered. Their letters, similarly, arent likely to shift the course of officials in the Trump administration, whose agenda has focused less on bipartisan participation and more on immediate action. Rep. Andy Harris, the delegations sole Republican and the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has remained united with GOP leadership throughout the shutdown. At Mondays GOP leadership press conference, he said that Republicans had done their job and were waiting on the Democrat votes needed to fund the government. Harris has remained active through frequent media appearances, and he has joined House Republican leaders for press events, including at Mondays press conference. The only thing standing between America and a reopened government is a handful of Senate Democrats too afraid of their activist base to do the right thing, Harris said during the press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Olszewski said its been frustrating that Republican leaders havent been receptive. Its not leadership, Olszewski said. Leadership unites people of different political persuasions to find a path forward. With Republican congressional leaders so far unwilling to negotiate on their preferred funding extension, Democrats are hoping for a different intervention: Trump. Some Democrats believe the shutdown will only end when the president takes the reins on negotiations for the GOP. The only person you can negotiate with here is Trump, Democratic strategist David Brand said. No one else here matters. _____ In a united show of solidarity and advocacy, members of the 25th Navajo Nation Council joined families, survivors, and community leaders for a walk organized by the Missing and Murdered Dine Relatives (MMDR) Task Force in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Council Delegates Amber Kanazbah Crotty, Shaandiin Parrish, and Helena Nez Begay walked alongside advocates and supporters, emphasizing the urgent need for justice, survivor-centered resources, and legislative reform to combat domestic violence across the Navajo Nation. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This walk is more than a moment, its a movement built on the strength and resilience of our people, said Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, Chairwoman of the MMDR Task Force. We are committed to changing how domestic violence is addressed on the Navajo Nation. Through our efforts to amend Title 17 of the Navajo Nation criminal code, we will push for justice that protects our families, especially our children. This is about legal reform; its about standing up for our relatives and ensuring their voices lead the way. The event drew participation from a range of organizations committed to victim support and advocacy, including Northern Arizona Victim Witness Services (NAVWS), the MMDR Coalition, Utah Navajo Health System, Northern TREE House Shelter, and Fort Defiance Indian Health Services Family Advocacy Center. These groups shared information and services with attendees, underscoring the critical role of community-based responses to violence. Laurelle Sheppard of NAVWS detailed the services her organization provided over the past year, including shelter, translation, transportation, and 24/7 crisis support. These resources, she said, are essential lifelines that incorporate both trauma-informed and traditional healing practices. Vangie Shorty of the MMDR Coalition joined others in drawing attention to the deepening intersection between domestic violence and the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Advocates called for stronger policies, long-term funding commitments, and unified community action to end cycles of violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speakers also highlighted the lasting impact domestic violence has on children and vulnerable adults. Many urged revisions to the Navajo Nations Vulnerable Adult Protection Act, along with expanded access to safe housing and culturally appropriate services. The 25th Navajo Nation Council reaffirmed its commitment to advancing survivor protections and supporting legislative efforts led by the MMDR Task Force. Proposed amendments to Title 17 of the Navajo Nation criminal code are part of a broader initiative to address systemic gaps, assert tribal sovereignty, and ensure safety and justice for all Dine people. 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 Deadly flooding and landslides in the mountains of central Mexico have cut off 300 towns from the outside world and wiped at least one village, the 400-person town of Chapula, almost entirely off the map. What's happening? The Associated Press reported that at least 64 lives were lost in the aftermath of the torrential rains, with dozens still unaccounted for, according to the Mexican government. These rains were the product of two tropical storms merging off the western coast, following a season of heavy rain that had rivers overflowing and land unstable. Stephanie Ramirez, a 21-year-old who was rescued by helicopter Tuesday, told the AP: "There's nothing left. It wiped out houses, it wiped out the bridge, it wiped out everything. The only thing left standing was the church and the warehouse where we were seeking refuge." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Workers and soldiers by the thousands showed up Tuesday to try to unblock roads and rescue civilians, but many residents are organizing on their own, using borrowed helicopters and collecting bags of goods to carry on foot to neighboring villages. Why is this flooding event important? The primary importance exists in the tragic loss of life and ongoing search for over 60 missing residents in towns across central and eastern Mexico, but this event also highlights a larger phenomenon: the impacts of rising global temperatures. Extreme weather events like tropical storms, flooding, and landslides are not new, but scientists agree that the increasing global temperatures caused by humans supercharge these weather events, making them both more frequent, more powerful, and more dangerous to our communities. Increases in flooding events pose clear dangers to human life, businesses, homes, and other infrastructure. These events can also have financial implications, from the costs of their destruction to the increasing insurance premiums in areas likely to flood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other extreme weather events that are likely to increase because of global temperature change can amplify food insecurity, disease, overfull reservoirs, and drought as well as cause massive financial losses and disruptions to wildlife migration. What can we do about flooding and extreme weather? Limiting the devastating impacts of flooding and other extreme weather events requires action at all levels, from innovation in landscaping and early warning systems dashboards to governments taking action to invest in clean energy. Learn more about what you can do to help combat these issues, including having conversations about climate, voting for candidates with good climate policy, and taking action in your community. Do you feel safe drinking the tap water where you live? Always Most of the time Not usually Never 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. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) Four people were injured on Monday after an ambulance crashed into a Jefferson County Public Schools building in downtown Louisville. According to the Louisville FOX affiliate WDRB, it happened around 5 p.m. on Oct. 20 when a vehicle headed west on Muhammad Ali Boulevard crossed into the intersection and crashed into an ambulance. The ambulance then crashed into J. Graham Brown School. An EMS crew member and a patient in the ambulance were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Louisville Metro Police said. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One person inside the vehicle and a person on a nearby sidewalk were both hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to WDRB. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ASHEVILLE - To help obtain funding for a highway widening project along Interstate 40, the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization is considering recommending that the North Carolina Department of Transportation install express lanes from just outside of Clyde in Haywood County to West Asheville. The regional planning organization met on Oct. 16 to discuss a recently completed study investigating the installation of express lanes, which would come with tolls, across an 16-mile section of I-40 west of Asheville. The plans include widened roadway and express lanes that would stretch from Exit 27 in Cylde to Exit 44, just within Asheville city limits and near Smokey Park Highway. The planning organization is composed of local elected officials who help the North Carolina Department of Transportation set regional transit priorities. The proposal was one of several made by the planning organization in a 2018 Congestion Management Process, a multi-year long planning document that indicates possible projects to help reduce area congestion and improve traffic safety. That study included exploring recommendations for toll lanes along Interstate 26, Interstate 240 and I-40 near and around the Asheville metro. In 2024, the planning organization ordered a study exploring the installation of toll lanes along the corridor of I-40. Express lanes in North Carolina include 27 miles along Interstate 77 from Brookshire Freeway in Mecklenburg County to Exit 36 in Iredell County The project along I-40 would cost between $700 million for one express lane to $850 million for two lanes, according to David Roy, director of innovative finance at the North Carolina Turnpike Authority. The express lanes would run in each direction. If established, they would be the first in Western North Carolina. The French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization will consider recommending the installation of express lanes along an over 16 mile corridor of Interstate 40 to help fund a widening project, depicted by this map. Express lanes in North Carolina include 27 miles along Interstate 77 from Brookshire Freeway in Mecklenburg County to Exit 36 in Iredell County, which are managed by a private developer, I-77 Mobility Partners, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation website. The road utilizes a high-occupancy toll pricing method, where pricing is dynamic and based on traffic. Vehicles with three or more people may use the lanes for free with an NC Quick Pass sticker transponder. Motorists can still ride adjacent to the lanes for free. The French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization will consider recommending the installation of express lanes along an over 16 mile corridor of Interstate 40 to help fund a widening project along the corridor. The lanes would begin at Exit 27 near Clyde and end at Exit 44 in Asheville, seen here. Oct. 20, 2025. More: Under new ownership, Asheville's Orange Peel proposes new 6,000 person outdoor music venue Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project had originally been submitted as just a road widening project, but was not prioritized for funding under the State Transportation Improvement Plan, French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization's Director Tristan Winkler said Oct. 16. The express lanes could change that. Under North Carolina state law, toll revenues can only go toward improvements or maintenance along a turnpike, meaning fewer long-term costs for the state transportation department. Those revenues could improve the chances for state funding, Roy said, as they will reduce costs to the NCDOT. The project would also likely come with a significant "bonus allocation," an incentive created by the North Carolina General Assembly to encourage more tolling across the state, Roy said. The allocation can be spent on other transportation projects across the region. The French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization will consider recommending the installation of express lanes along an over 16 mile corridor of Interstate 40 to help fund a widening project along the corridor. The lanes would begin at Exit 27 near Clyde and end at Exit 44 in Asheville, seen here. Oct. 20, 2025. "In all likelihood, this project would qualify for the maximum $100 million bonus allocation," Roy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposal would have to be recommended "no later than January" if the organization plans on submitting it for the next year of funding, Winkler said. The plan had not been postively received by all in the organization. Woodfin Mayor Jim McAlister described toll roads as leading to issues of class, where those without the financial means to use them won't at all. "It's a have and a have not (situation). This becomes rich versus poor," McAlister said during the meeting. Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: New I-40 express lanes in Asheville proposed by planning organization EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The El Paso County Sheriffs Office joined together with other local law-enforcement agencies to crack down on DWIs and other offenses this past weekend. During the operation, which was held Friday through Sunday, Oct. 17-19, 50 arrests were made, including 36 that were DWI-related, the Sheriffs Office said. 10.17 to 10.19 DWI TF Arrests (1)Download The El Paso County Sheriffs Office DWI Task Force joined together with the Texas Department of Public Safety, El Paso Police Department, Horizon City Police Department, Socorro Police Department, Clint Police Department, El Paso County constables, and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) during the operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you choose to drive under the influence, you put innocent lives at risk, Sheriff Oscar Ugarte. Thanks to the dedication of our deputies and our law enforcement partners, 36 impaired drivers were taken off the road. We remain committed to protecting our community and ensuring that those who endanger others are held 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 KTSM 9 News. US fast-casual restaurant chain Panera Bread has appointed Earl Ellis as its new chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately. Ellis will become a member of the companys executive leadership team and report to CEO Paul Carbone. Carbone stated: Earl is a proven finance leader who blends disciplined financial stewardship with an owners mindset. He has scaled complex, multi-brand organisations, led successful transformations, and developed high-performing teams. His experience will help accelerate our plan to strengthen the core business, elevate the guest experience, and drive long-term, profitable growth. Panera is entering a defining phase of evolution, building on our strong foundation, leaning into what makes this brand beloved, and sharpening our focus on the future. Before joining Panera, Ellis was executive vice-president and CFO at ABM Industries. His previous senior finance roles include positions at CocaCola, Campbell Soup Company, Kraft Foods, Best Buy and Canadian Tire. Earl Ellis stated: I am honoured to join Panera at such an energising moment for the brand. Paneras strong foundation, iconic reputation and passionate teams create an extraordinary platform for growth. I look forward to partnering with Paul and the leadership team to advance our strategy, invest with rigour and deliver sustainable long-term growth that benefits our team members, guests, franchisees and stakeholders. Ellis assumes the position previously held by Megan Mikolaichik, who became CFO in January 2025 when Carbone advanced to the CEO role. In May 2025, Panera Brands appointed Jose Cil as chairman of its board of directors. The restaurant chain includes Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bros Bagels and regional brands. "Panera Bread names Earl Ellis as new CFO" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. In the summer of 1975, Steven Spielbergs Jaws hunted in the shallow waters off the fictional New England town of Amity while a sexual predator, pastor and father roamed undetected in my small town using his daughter, my friend, as bait. My friend, lets call her Gwen, was soft-spoken and pretty. I was hyper and dorky. We became close in the summer between fifth and sixth grade over our love of all things scary, so when Jaws came out, we were obsessed and inseparable. We sat in the air-conditioned theater and stuffed ourselves with Milk Duds, popcorn and Tab, and every time the shark attacked, we roared with laughter. Also Read: I Arrived At The ER Bleeding So Heavily, The Nurse Gasped. They Still Decided To Send Me Home. The night I slept over at Gwens, we watched a Jaws double-feature and I was too amped to sleep. At 2 a.m., Gwen and I were doing gymnastics in her living room when her mother appeared, furious about her wild friend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I felt guilty. If you believe in deeply personal journalism the kind that connects us in our hardest, most honest moments please consider becoming a HuffPost member today. Everyone knows you make up for bad sleepover behavior by playing with your friends younger siblings, so the next morning, I offered to play bucking bronco with Gwens little brother, Chuck. Chuck, like Gwen, is a fake name for a real person. All of the peoples names in this story are fake, even the villain because, if I name the villain, I name his innocent kids, and havent they suffered enough? Chuck, you get on my back and hold on, and I give you a ride like Im a wild bronco, I told him. Chuck climbed on, squeezing my waist with his legs, holding tight onto my shoulders. I whinnied and reared up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chucks dad came into the room. Ill call him Mr. D. Pravity for reasons that will become obvious. He worked at the local church. He ran a youth group where a lot of kids in my grade went. Hey Mr. Pravity, I said, pausing on all fours, Chuck still on my back. Im just playing bucking bronco with Chuck. Also Read: I Spent Years Moving Through Life Exhausted. I Never Knew The Reason Until I Saw The Same Struggles In My Kids. I smiled, wanting him to forgive me for my late-night shenanigans. What fun! he said, But Chuck, youre doing it wrong. I was surprised that Mr. Pravity knew how to play bucking broncos since I had made it up. He dropped to one knee beside me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You put your foot here. Also Read: I Always Thought Cheating Was Unforgivable. Then A Friend's Affair Made Me Question Everything. He grabbed Chucks foot and moved it from my waist to my armpit. Here, he said, sliding his hand under me, the weight of my emerging breasts dragging along his wrist, his forearm. I pinned his arm between my upper arm and ribs to stop him because he couldnt have meant to do that. No Chuck, he said again for no reason. Right here. He reached underneath me, not even pretending to adjust Chucks foot. He rubbed his hand, his wrist, his forearm back and forth along my chest. He cupped my brand new breasts. The author, a few weeks after the incident, building a sandcastle at the Jersey Shore in her favorite "Jaws" T-shirt. Courtesy of Kathryn Smith At 11, I was still very much a child climbing trees, wrestling my brothers, riding my Stingray bike with the tassels in the handlebars. I wore cut-offs, tube socks and Converse All-Stars. I wore my hair long, parted on the left, and didnt brush it. I slouched. And though my breasts were growing, it would be two years before I got my period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont remember shedding Chuck off my back, packing my things, and leaving that house, but I do have a sense memory of moving slowly, deliberately, aware not to draw suspicion or attention to myself in any way. I had experienced something unnamed and wrong, and I felt marked. Also Read: An FDA Panel Made Outrageous Claims About This Common Medication. Heres What They Got Wrong And Why Im Taking It Anyway. I didnt tell anyone I wasnt sure what there was to tell was it an accident? I knew it wasnt. But what was it? We all learned about stranger danger men who would tempt you into their car with candy or a puppy and then youd end up on a five-cent milk carton. But those were bad men. Mr. Pravity wasnt a bad man. He was a dad. A pastor. He led the youth group that my religious friends attended. My friendship with Gwen died swiftly and silently, though at the time, I couldnt have told you why. The details of that morning were inaccessible to me, filed in the far reaches of my brain under Bad and cross-referenced with Shame, but not so far that I didnt notice the hair on the back of my neck stand up when Mr. Pravity appeared at the community pool in his red Speedo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One day, that memory came out. In 1982, I was a senior in high school hosting a slumber party of eight friends. We sat on the floor in my bedroom telling funny stories when someone mentioned Mr. Pravity. Also Read: I Thought I Knew Who I Was. Then A Mysterious Woman Sent A Message That Turned My World Upside Down. Hes a pedophile! my friend Amy said. He showed me his thing when our family went with the Pravitys to the beach. She rolled backward and covered her eyes. He said, Come look at my tan line, so like an idiot I went over and he pulled the front of his Speedo down! Everyone awkward-laughed except for me. I sat staring, the world around me shrinking to a pinhole. Was I not the only one? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I was at their house, he tried to put his hand down my pants by helping me tuck in my shirt, my friend Alison said. My older sister wouldnt babysit the Pravitys after he grabbed her hand and put it on his boner. Sarah covered her mouth and screamed. One by one, all eight of us shared our Mr. Pravity story we had all been sexually harassed or molested by him. We were shocked. We were appalled. We were bonded by a common experience. What we werent, however, was alarmed. We were just kids connected through our mutual friendship with Gwen. Not once did we think that the eight of us were symptomatic of something broader and even more sinister. "After the incident, I always wore T-shirts over my bathing suit to hide my chest," the author writes. Courtesy of Kathryn Smith In 2017, 35 years after the slumber party at my house, long after I graduated high school, went to college, married and had three kids, Ashley Judd publicly accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct. My Facebook page blew up with #MeToo, and it seemed like everyone I knew had a story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I thought about my experience. Did it count if you were only 11 and your friends dad rubbed your boobs? I didnt think my story worthy, so I didnt type #MeToo. But Beth Miller did. She was the younger sister of a guy in my grade. In the comments under her #MeToo post, people spoke of her bravery, of how sorry they were, of how revolted they were by Mr. Pravity. I wrote her. I just wanted to say hello and to let you know we share something from our past: nasty old Mr. Pravity. I wanted her to know she was not alone. She wrote me back. Kathy, Im afraid Im not surprised at this; it was clearly an open secret to some degree. Im so sorry you were victimized as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victimized. Was I victimized? I didnt think so. And what did she mean by open secret? I Googled Mr. Pravitys name. I saw the grainy photo thinning blond wisps over a tanned skull, a slit of a mouth. It was him, all right. Below that, there were several articles discussing his arrest following an investigation after 12 women in a nearby town contacted police to say he had raped or sexually assaulted them. I called my old slumber party friend Amy, the one he flashed with his red Speedo. I shared the article and the information about Beth Miller and asked if, back in our day, anyone had told their parents. She said she had, in fact, told her mother the night it happened and was told simply to avoid him. She said, He was sort of a flasher. There were streakers back in the day. Everyone thought that he was disgusting and harmless. A dirty old man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I called another friend to ask what she knew. She said her mother had heard about Beth Miller when it happened and immediately confronted Mrs. Pravity. Mrs. Pravity, apparently, already knew about her husbands proclivities. In the movie Jaws, Mrs. Kintner, the grieving mother of the boy who is attacked and killed by the shark while on his raft, walks up to Chief Brody in her mourning clothes: a black dress with netting in front of her face. She slaps him and says, You knew it. ... You knew there was a shark out there. You knew it was dangerous, but you let people go swimming anyway . Enter a woman Ill call Nicole Marie, the hero of our story. I learned that it was she who eventually brought Mr. Pravity to justice. I wrote her through LinkedIn, and she called me back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was gracious, candid and brutally honest. She told me she had grown up in the adjacent town, attended his church, was active in the youth group. In 1975, while Mr. Pravity was fondling and flashing me and my friends, he was raping 13-year-old Nicole in his church office, the back of his Volvo station wagon, his marital bed. Though he threatened Nicole if she told anyone, she told anyway. She told her friend, her friends mother. She told church leaders. She told a deacon of the church, a lawyer specializing in child abuse who said, Im going to tell you what they tell you in the Army when you see horrible things. FIDO forget it and drive on. She told everyone she knew. She told enough people that eventually the church exported Mr. Pravity to another state. His circle of assault grew wider until, five years later, he was forced to resign after allegations of sexual misconduct. Nearly two decades after he first molested me and raped Nicole, the church revoked his ordination credentials. The author in 1975. "Here I am posing in my fancy clothes with a new haircut," she writes. Courtesy of Kathryn Smith Nicole Marie never stopped telling people about Mr. Pravity, and 30 years after he first attacked her, she was finally believed. A new pastor arrived at the church and heard rumblings of a former pastors sexual misconduct. He sent an inquiry to all congregants asking if they had had experiences with Pastor Pravity. Twelve women responded, four spoke to police, and, due to a serendipitous glitch in the state law, 15 charges were brought against him. He pleaded to two counts and was sentenced to a decade of probation, a year of house arrest, hours of community service, and pocket change in restitution for Nicoles therapy a paltry sentence for the scale of his crimes but he was old and sickly, unlikely to be on this earth for long, so they settled to end the agony of retelling. At the sentencing, the judge asked those affected by Mr. Pravity directly or indirectly to stand. An ocean of women, their families and their friends, inside the courtroom and flowing out into the halls, stood up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When youre young, you think monsters look like giant, man-eating sharks, grotesque and frightening, but no one ever mentions that these monsters can be disguised as someone you know, like Mr. Pravity, the cool dad, the amiable pastor who works with the church youth group. And when you do have a brush with one, like I did, you might tell yourself its not that big of a deal, or maybe you were the only one, so you carry your shame like an ulcer until you hear about someone else, and then a few more. And still you think thats all it is. But it never is. Theres no such thing as a harmless dirty old man. These predators, they never attack just one. They keep going until they are stopped. Its been 50 years since Jaws came out half a century since sweet Gwen and I laughed at the fake danger of a mechanical shark lurking beneath the oceans surface. We were innocent and naive, never fully understanding how the real danger lived among us, how quietly it moved and how long it stayed hidden in plain sight. Note: Names and some identifying details in this essay have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals mentioned. Kathryn Smith has published fiction and creative nonfiction in Philadelphia Stories, poetry in Apiary, and twice won an honorable mention from Glimmer Train. She graduated with a B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. She is currently working on a memoir, Stories of an Uncouth Girl. You can reach her on Instagram @KathrynSmithStories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website. Do you have a compelling personal story youd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what were looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com. Related... Read the original on HuffPost MERIDEN - Six people have been arrested, and at least one more arrest is anticipated, in connection with a large-scale internal theft scheme at the Meriden Lowe's outlet store, according to police. Meriden police Lt. Darrin McKay said on Tuesday that loss prevention employees at Lowe's Home Improvement identified the theft operation, and the thefts mainly involved appliances at the outlet store. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jose Perez and Izay Ortiz were employees at the store on East Main Street and are accused of working with the other suspects to defraud Lowe's for about a year, according to McKay. Police believe the losses from the scheme exceeded $250,000. Meriden police Detective Jon Femia, who is assigned to the U.S. Secret Service's Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, began investigating the scheme in July 2024, the department said in a news release. As part of the investigation, Femia collaborated with the loss prevention team and determined that the "suspects were involved in several different schemes to defraud the retail store of money and products," according to police. In addition to Perez and Ortiz, police identified the other suspects as Hector Mejia, Amardean Elsayed, Luis Amaurys Rodriguez Pena and Ruel Gordon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKay said four of the suspects are Connecticut residents, while one is from New York and another from New Mexico. He did not identify which suspects were from out of state. Perez was arrested Aug. 18 and charged with first-degree larceny and receiving a commercial bribe. His bond initially was set at $200,000, though judicial records indicate it was lowered to $25,000 and he was released from custody. He is next scheduled to have a remote hearing Nov. 4. Ortiz was arrested the next month, on Sept. 18, and charged with second-degree larceny. His bond initially was $150,000, though judicial records show he later was released on a promise to appear. He is next scheduled in court Oct. 27. Meriden police made the first arrest on July 3, charging Elsayed with fifth-degree larceny and commercial bribery. He was released after posting a $25,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court Nov. 5, according to judicial records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police charged Mejia with criminal attempt at third-degree larceny and commercial bribery on Aug. 4. His bond was set at $50,000 and his case has been statutorily sealed, records show. He is next scheduled to appear in court in April 2027. The department arrested Gordon on Aug. 6 and Rodriguez Pena on Sept. 12, charging each with commercial bribery. Gordon was released after posting a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 7. Rodriguez Pena's bond was set at $50,000 and his case has been statutorily sealed, according to judicial records. Rodriguez Pena is next scheduled to appear in court Dec. 1. This article originally published at 6 suspects arrested so far in $250K Meriden Lowe's theft scheme, police say. WILKES COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) A 64-year-old man is dead and another man is critically injured after a head-on crash in Wilkes County on Tuesday, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. At around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, state troopers came to the area of NC 18 and Salem Drive to investigate a crash. Investigators say that Roosevelt Carlton Jr., 64, of North Wilkesboro, was driving northbound on NC 18 in a 2003 Ford Expedition when the vehicle crossed the centerline and crashed head-on with a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe that was driving southbound on NC 18. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carlton died of his injuries at the scene. The driver of the Hyundai was critically injured and was airlifted to a medical center in the Triad. Troopers say neither speed nor impairment was a factor in the crash. There will be no charges filed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LINCOLN COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) A man is dead after a hunting accident on Saturday in Lincoln County. The coroners office said 67-year-old Danny Wilson was at a family members farm on Oct. 18, scouting for wildlife with a 56-year-old Eubank father and son participating in a youth hunt. The teenager shot at what he thought was a deer and hit Wilson. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lincoln County coroner said Wilson was shot in the leg. Wilson was taken to Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital, according to authorities, where he was pronounced dead. Officials said he was not wearing orange hunting clothing due to not actively hunting, and the father and son were hunting on private property. Read more of the latest Kentucky news The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources told FOX 56 its leading the death investigation, in collaboration with the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office, which initially responded to the incident. Camille Hantla contributed to 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 FOX 56 News. Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Seven major universities have rejected a request by the Trump administration to sign a pact that would limit some academic freedom in exchange for prioritizing federal research funding. One school, the University of Texas, said it would be open to signing the proposal, while another, Vanderbilt University, expressed reservations. President Donald Trump and the Department of Education gave the universities until Monday to give feedback on the proposal, with the goal of having a signed pact by Nov. 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Monday night, the University of Arizona was the most recent to publicly reject the proposal. University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella said the school had already implemented some of the ideas outlined by the Trump administration. The school submitted what it described as a statement of principles to the Department of Education in response, an open letter published on the school website. Garimella said that while the University of Arizona shares some of the same ideas as the administration, "a federal research funding system based on anything other than merit would weaken the world's preeminent engine for innovation, advancement of technology and solutions to many of our nation's most profound challenges. "We seek no special treatment and believe in our ability to compete for federally funded research strictly on merit." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other schools that received the proposal but publicly rejected it were Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University and the University of Virginia. In addition to proposing that academic freedom would not be guaranteed, the Trump administration's proposal issued earlier in the month would force colleges to freeze tuition for five years, limit enrollment of international students to 15% and enforce strict gender definitions. Schools would have to post the earnings of students who graduated with certain degrees and expand options for service members. The schools' governance structures would have to include measures to ban anything that would "punish, belittle and even spark violence against conservative ideas." Finally, schools with an endowment of more than $2 billion would be unable to charge tuition to students entering a hard sciences problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The University of Texas at Austin was one of the first schools to respond to the pact proposal. The same day the Trump administration reached out to the schools, Kevin P. Eltife, chairman of the UT Board of Regents, said the school was honored to be among the nine chosen for the potential funding advantages. "We enthusiastically look forward to engaging with university officials and reviewing the compact immediately," he said in a statement. Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier sent an email to the university community saying the school provided feedback to the Trump administration but did not outright reject or accept the pact, according to The Vanderbilt Hustler student newspaper. "We look forward to continuing the conversation -- on our campus and with leaders in government and higher education -- as we work toward our shared goal of restoring public trust in higher education and ensuring that America's universities remain the best in the world," Diermeier said in the email. Business insider asked etiquette experts about how to be a good guest in someone's home. The pros said tidying up the kitchen and your sleeping space are non-negotiables. Cooking, buying groceries, and giving a gift to your host are kind gestures of gratitude. Whether you're visiting for a night or planning an extended holiday stay, someone else's home is not the place to disregard manners. That's why Business Insider asked two etiquette experts for their best advice on being a great houseguest. Here's what they said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Make sure the host is aware of your schedule. wichayada suwanachun/Shutterstock Pamela Eyring, owner of The Protocol School of Washington, told BI that being a great guest in someone's home starts with clear communication. "Be clear and prompt about your arrival time and quickly communicate an updated schedule if you are running late," Eyring told BI. Your host is likely preparing for your arrival cleaning, cooking, or adjusting their schedule. Keeping them informed on when they can expect you helps prevent stress and shows you value their hospitality. Show gratitude by bringing a gift for your host. BearFotos/Shutterstock Additionally, Eyring said it's always a nice gesture to bring a gift for your host. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you're not sure what they like, she suggests choosing something that appeals to all, like flowers, sweets, or a meal. Be mindful of the tone you set for the visit. Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock It's no secret that travel doesn't always go as planned. But according to business etiquette expert and leadership consultant Sheree Bryant Sekou, bringing a negative attitude and energy to your host's home can impact the duration of your stay. "How you start a trip can affect how it ends, so to the best of your ability, shake off any bad vibes so you can be a fully present, enjoyable, and happy guest," she told BI. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Come prepared with your own toiletries and anything else you need to feel comfortable. New Africa/Shutterstock When staying in someone else's home, Sekou said it's polite to come prepared with your own toiletries, personal hygiene products, and anything else you need to feel comfortable during your stay. This way, the host doesn't feel like they have to provide everything for you. For example, if you're particular about your sleep setup, Eyring suggests bringing your own pillow. If you're a light sleeper, bringing earplugs can be a good idea. Overall, planning for your own comfort shows thoughtfulness and helps ensure a smoother stay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Always clean up after yourself in shared spaces. Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Sekou said being a considerate houseguest means cleaning up after yourself in shared spaces like the kitchen and bathroom. Regardless of your habits at home, she said it's important to keep things tidy when staying in someone else's house. This means doing the dishes, wiping down counters, and ensuring nothing is left behind. The same principle applies to the bathroom. Sekou recommends a quick once-over before you leave rinse the tub after a bath, and make sure no hair, toothpaste, or shaving remnants are left behind in the sink. Offer to help with cooking or pay for groceries. Cooking a meal can help make your host's life easier. Jacob Wackerhausen When staying in someone's home, Sekou recommends helping out in the kitchen in a way that best suits your host, whether that's cooking a meal or buying groceries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Buying groceries lets your host know you appreciate their hospitality and are respectful of their budget," she said. Always make your bed in the morning. Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Whether you're sleeping on the sofa or in a bedroom, it's respectful to clean up the space after you wake every morning. "Always make your bed when staying in someone else's home. That includes arranging pillows as you've seen them before," Sekou told BI. If your sleeping arrangement is fancy, Sekou suggests taking a photo when you arrive so you can try to match it each day. At the end of your stay, check that you grabbed all your belongings. Pranithan Chorruangsak/Shutterstock According to Sekou, part of being a considerate guest is packing efficiently and ensuring you take all your belongings with you when you leave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you've left something behind, it puts the onus on the host to get it back to you, especially if it's something valuable," Sekou told BI. Read the original article on Business Insider An 89-year-old New Jersey woman was shot in the leg at a local pizza parlor Monday when a customers gun went off, authorities said Tuesday. William H. Schmieding, 70, was arrested Monday after accidentally shooting the woman at Franks Pizza in Flanders, according to the Morris County Prosecutors Office. Mount Olive Township Police were dispatched to the scene on Route 206, where they located the woman suffering from a gunshot wound to her left leg. She was taken to a nearby hospital and is said to be in stable condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A subsequent investigation determined that Schmieding was eating at the restaurant with friends when he decided to remove his Smith and Wesson Bodyguard handgun from its holster and clear the ammunition. It resulted in the gun firing off a round, which struck the victim in her leg. While Schmieding has a permit to carry a handgun, he was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, prohibited carrying of a firearm and violating safe firearm carry requirements. He was being held in the Morris County Correctional Facility on Tuesday pending future court proceedings. No other information was released, but officials said the investigation is ongoing. (The Center Square) Gov. Greg Abbott and Houston Mayor John Whitmire are taking action to address homelessness in two major cities in Texas after efforts by other administrations were ineffective or failed. In Austin, Abbott launched an operation to make the city's streets safer and cleaner after failed Democratic city council policies havent solved a homeless crisis that has only worsened over the years. In Houston, Whitmire has launched a major initiative to address homelessness in the states largest city, including a new triage facility on Emancipation Ave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Austin and Houston have been plagued by homelessness for years under Democratic leadership. Encampments have sprung up underneath highway overpasses, in public parks, near schools, courthouses and in downtown areas, creating public safety and public health risks. In Austin, a voter initiative, Proposition B, overwhelmingly passed in 2021 to end public homeless encampments in the state capital. After the city council didnt enforce it, the bipartisan citizen group, Save Austin Now, sued, The Center Square reported. Still, years later, public safety threats continue with homeless drug use and other safety concerns causing residents, visitors, students and taxpayers to complain. Proposition B made it a criminal offense to sit or lie on sidewalks in the downtown area, to camp in public areas, or solicit or aggressively solicit money or other things of value at specific hours and locations in Austin. The crime is a class C misdemeanor, carrying a fine of up to $500. State law also bans homeless encampments. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of state and local homeless encampment bans. While the Austin City Council failed to enforce Proposition B, it also defunded the Austin Police Department, prompting Abbott and the state legislature to implement a new law to penalize local governments that defund police departments. The city councils defunding efforts led to long-term APD staffing and recruitment shortages that also paralleled escalating crime in the state capital, The Center Square reported. In response, two years ago, Abbott called in state troopers to assist with crime response and interdiction in Austin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After ongoing failures by the Democratic-controlled city council, Abbott has now directed state troopers to enforce state law and Proposition B by removing homeless encampments in and around the capital and on state property. "Texans should not endure public safety risks from homeless encampments and individuals," Abbott said. Weapons, needles, and other debris should not litter the streets of our community, and the State of Texas is taking action. I directed state agencies to address this risk and make Austin safer and cleaner for residents and visitors to live, travel, and conduct business. The Texas Department of Public Safety began leading the effort last week, in coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas State Guard, and Texas Department of Criminal Justice. So far, theyve removed 48 encampments, more than 3,000 pounds of debris, arrested 24 repeat felony offenders and seized more than 125 grams of narcotics, Abbott said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Troopers also arrested 10 people with outstanding warrants and 24 repeat felony offenders. Several were identified as armed and dangerous and exhibiting violent tendencies. One was wanted out of state for Aggravated Escape from Custody, DPS said. In Houston, newly elected Mayor Whitmire is keeping a campaign promise to end street homelessness. On Monday, he announced another part of his End Street Homelessness Initiative, including a new 225-bed housing resource facility to provide critical wraparound services for the homeless. Located at 419 Emancipation Ave., it will serve as a front door to Houstons homeless response system, connecting the homeless to health care, behavioral health, substance use treatment, and permanent housing resources. It's also operating as a triage and transitional resource center, offering immediate safety and critical services including for the severely mentally ill and those suffering from chronic conditions. Today, we took a big step toward helping our neighbors experiencing homelessness. 419 Emancipation is a facility being transformed into a Living Center offering safety, health care, and housing support. Another step toward ending street homelessness with compassion and action. pic.twitter.com/Lx55DKtHHH Houston Mayor's Office (@houmayor) October 20, 2025 Whitmire, a Democrat who served in the Texas legislature for 40 years, has worked with Abbott and other Republicans to prioritize public safety, fulling campaign promises theyve made. ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) Since the fire that devastated Fort Imagination near the Abilene Zoo, many members of the community have stepped forward to help rebuild the beloved playground, according to the city. Abilene community mourns loss of Fort Imagination Park in fire On October 10, the community-built play area at Grover Nelson Park burned down in a fire that investigators believe was intentionally set. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UPDATE: Authorities ask for help getting information on Ft. Imagination fire, arson suspected Lesli Andrews with the City of Abilene told the Parks and Recreation Board that Fort Imagination will be rebuilt. She said the park was insured, but the cost of the damage exceeds the deductible, and the city is currently working through the insurance process. Andrews said the goal is to rebuild the playground as close to the original as possible, though no timeline has been set. Because Fort Imagination was originally built and funded by the community, she added that the reconstruction effort will likely follow the same approach. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) Residents in the Sun City Texas community in Georgetown are raising concerns over the possible return of a white tail deer trapping program in 2026 that has been on pause for the past few years. A petition is currently circulating to stop the program, reigniting a debate that has surfaced before. In 2021, KXAN reported similar concerns from Sun City residents when the program was previously active. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sun City homeowners calling on community to stop trapping deer with nets Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is an abusive system of animal control, and it is archaic, said Barbara Meisner, who has lived in Sun City for the past eight years. Id like to see a nonviolent, very kind approach [instead]. Derrick Wolter with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) said communities have the discretion to manage deer populations and can apply for a special permit from TPWD to do so. Historically wildlife managed themselves, but nowadays we find ourselves in a lot of unique situations, different situations that that exist on the landscape, Wolter said. It comes down to the individual and their relationshipor the communitys relationship in this casewith the number of deer they can handle living with. With that permit, trappers may set up nets a few feet off the ground and use corn to lure deer underneath. When a deer steps beneath the net, it drops and traps the animal. Trappers then load the deer onto trailers and transport them to a processing facility, where the deer are euthanized. State regulations require that the meat be donated to a charitable organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laura Dole is another resident who lives in Sun City, and she remembers when deer were trapped in the community when the program was running. There is a trap that is set up catty corner behind my house, and Ive heard the deer scream as theyre being loaded into a trailer, Dore said. Its not a pretty sound. As of the beginning of October 2025, there have been 19 such permits issued in Williamson County and Travis County since 2011. What youll see is in a lot of cases, [the communitys] interest in controlling or managing deer is related to issues like car auto accidents or possibly property damage related to ornamental plants around their residences, Wolter said. If theyre facing issues with the deer, then at what level with the deer population, do those issues fail to exist or go away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Sun City Wildlife Management Committee had a private town hall event to discuss the return of this program with its residents. Since it was a private event, KXAN was unable to attend. KXAN reached out to Sun City Community for comment on this story and said it has no comment at this time. The committee will have a workshop with its residents on Nov. 6th to explore and hear more options and thoughts on the matter. The final decision on moving forward with this program will be made on Nov. 20th by the Sun City Community Association. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Crypto watchers got another taste of just how different digital and traditional finance are last week when stablecoin issuer Paxos accidentally minted $300 trillion of PayPals PYUSD stablecoin before detecting the error and destroying the funds. That all happened within just 30 minutes, and yes, the word trillion is correct. For perspective, $300 trillion is almost three times the worlds total estimated GDP. This was an internal technical error. There is no security breach. Customer funds are safe, Paxos said in a post on X following the event. The error was part of an internal transfer, Paxos explained, and it immediately identified the mistake and burned the excess PYUSD it had created. SUBSCRIBE: Receive more of our free The Daily Upside newsletter. READ ALSO: Microsoft, OpenAI (Finally) Finalize Terms of Not-Quite Divorce and UPS Eliminates 48,000 Jobs While Working Toward $3.5 Billion Cost-Cutting Target Fat Fingers With the use of stablecoins growing dramatically in recent years due to their low cost and ability to speed up transactions, particularly for cross-border payments, the issue sparked concerns for investors, especially those less knowledgeable about their mechanics. PYUSD is the worlds sixth-largest stablecoin with a current market cap of $2.7 billion, and PayPal says each token is fully backed by US dollar deposits, US treasuries and similar cash equivalents. Therefore, each token should always be redeemable on a 1:1 basis for US dollars. Despite the massive headline number and the resulting anxiety, however: No funds in the Paxos incident were actually transferred to customer wallets or redeemed by anyone. Additionally, the error was visible and quickly identified on Etherscan, the public block explorer for the Ethereum blockchain that lists all transactions occurring on the network. Similar fat finger errors in the world of traditional finance might go undiscovered or get revealed only when they are reported to regulators: Its more like a little bit of egg on the face for Paxos, said Carlos Guzman, research analyst at crypto trading firm GSR. But it was just an internal transfer, so the actual backing of the assets of the token were never at any risk. Indeed, there are only about $2.3 trillion US dollars in circulation in the whole world, so theres no way $300 trillion in PYUSD could have been officially created in the first place. Code Red: The incident, however, does highlight how digital asset issuers, and stablecoin issuers in particular, are able to both create and destroy billions and even trillions of dollars instantly, wielding only the power of code. And so better internal controls are likely needed to prevent incidents like this from occurring again in the future. In 2019, for example, Tether, which issues the worlds largest dollar-pegged stablecoin USDT, accidentally minted and then quickly destroyed $5 billion in USDT. While such cases reveal the unique perils and possibilities of crypto, they simultaneously underscore its similarities to traditional markets, which also come with unforeseen risks. In other words, caveat emptor. 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. Investigators are looking into whether there could have been an accomplice involved in the Kada Scott case. The 23-year-old Philadelphia woman went missing and was ultimately found dead. RELATED | Kada Scott case: Timeline of investigation into missing Philadelphia woman Scott disappeared during her work shift at an assisted living facility in Chestnut Hill on Oct 4. Her body was then discovered in a shallow grave in the city's Germantown section two weeks later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keon King, 21, has been charged with her kidnapping, along with various other crimes connected to the case. However, at this point, no murder charges have been filed as investigators await findings of the autopsy. Keon King Police announced on Monday that they are also looking into the possibility of accomplices. "We did charge conspiracy, so at this point, we do have reason to believe that other people may have been involved after the fact," said Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Ashley Tesloski, adding that they were not going to comment yet on who those people are or the level of their involvement. A vigil was held Monday night near the vacant Ada Lewis Middle School, where Scott's body was found this past Saturday. Kada Scott Now, city crews are working to clear debris from the property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ada Lewis Middle School has been closed for more than a decade. The Philadelphia School District said they are reviewing protocols for their vacant properties in their effort to create and maintain safe and healthy spaces in every neighborhood. New charges were announced against King on Monday, including arson, conspiracy, and tampering with evidence. Last week, King was charged with kidnapping in this case and in a separate case from earlier this year that had been initially dropped when the witness did not appear in court. He remains in custody on $2.5 million bail. "This is an ever-evolving situation," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators say King and Scott had cellphone contact and that a stolen vehicle found on fire was used by King in this case. In the two weeks prior to Saturday's discovery, law enforcement had searched Awbury Arboretum and the grounds behind the school, where evidence, including her glasses and debit card, were found. However, she wasn't found until a detailed tip led authorities to her remains. Chopper 6 was over the scene Saturday after human remains were found amid the search for missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott. "Even though this is the worst thing we could have hoped for, we were able to get our baby back," said Scott's aunt, Donna. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her family wants her to be remembered for how she lived. "Just remember her name, remember her smile, remember what she lived for -- that's it. Just remember who she is," Donna said. Another vigil is expected to be held at the school on Tuesday night. John DAngelo, chair of the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, said none of us want to be here today, but the stakes for those who rely on Medicaid require their advocacy at a rally in Raleigh on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline) More than 200 people gathered in downtown Raleigh Tuesday morning to call for more Medicaid funding before heading to the legislature to make their pitch directly to lawmakers. A coalition of health care providers and Medicaid recipients including representation from 25 statewide organizations met on Jones Street to hear the stories of North Carolinians affected by the Oct. 1 cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates and prepare to share their experiences with state legislators who have so far declined to fully fund the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates were hoping to convince state lawmakers to fully fund Medicaid services as part of a Medicaid Day of Action. Funding for the program in the most recent spending bill fell $319 million short of what the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said was required for the coming year. DHHS cited that shortfall as its reason for instituting cuts to Medicaid reimbursements ranging from 3% to 10% across all services on Oct. 1. Republicans argue that the cuts are not needed and that DHHS could have continued full reimbursements until additional funding was passed. Funding Medicaid is a moral issue. Funding Medicaid is a bipartisan issue. It reaches across the aisle, said Tim Rogers, CEO of the Association for Home and Hospice Care of NC. North Carolina is better than this. Speakers who shared their stories ranged from those with physical and developmental disabilities and their families to those who receive Medicaid support for mental health issues such as substance use disorders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John DAngelo, chair of the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities said none of us want to be here today, but with the health of so many at stake, they have no choice. Johnnie Thomas said at a Medicaid rally on Oct. 21, 2025 in Raleigh that people experiencing homelessness depend on services too, and could lose access to physicians and counselors. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline) This is a challenging time for the disability community and Medicaid, but there are no better advocates than everyone in this room because you all understand the stakes through your lived experiences, DAngelo said. Addiction Professionals of North Carolina Executive Vice President Morgan Coyner, herself five years in recovery, warned that the loss of access to support services through Medicaid will lead some to overdose. Today, with the unpredictable and poisoned drug supply, this is more dangerous than ever. And I know this personally: I lost my mother to a fentanyl overdose in 2019. Coyner said. There are lives on the line, and we need to do something about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Medicaid cuts also endanger the unhoused community, said Johnnie Thomas, who said he depended on therapists and doctors as he worked to restabilize after roughly three decades of homelessness. They went bipartisanly across the lines and they gave us Medicaid expansion that helped hundreds of thousands, Thomas said. Theyre trying to take that away. Im asking them, why would you do this? In an interview after the rally, Kathy OLoughlin of Chapel Hill said she came to advocate for her daughter, a Medicaid recipient who has complex medical issues after a brain aneurysm at 14 months old. We do use services, and they help her access the community, classes, get Medicaid services, OLoughlin said. Without those services, its harder to get in the community, its harder to give her medical attention that she needs. Ada Elizabeth Gil Jimenez said lawmakers need to consider the lives at stake and pass Medicaid funding immediately on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline) Ada Elizabeth Gil Jimenez, a member of the Consumer and Family Advisory Committee with several medically complex conditions, said lawmakers need to ask themselves how many lives theyre willing to risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not someone who will spin it just to make someone feel nice about themselves Gil Jimenez told NC Newsline. Right now, we need action. Right now, we need money. Right now, peoples lives depend on it. After the rally, Chris Hendricks, a member of the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities, said he felt energized that so many came to support Medicaid and speak to lawmakers. As a person with an intellectual disability, at times, we can feel alone we certainly didnt feel alone today, he said. But so far, lawmakers have not stepped in to help. Though Republican legislative leaders convened the General Assembly Tuesday to pass new congressional maps aimed at flipping another House seat to the GOP, the Senate declined to take action on Medicaid, despite repeated Democratic calls to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are hundreds of people in this building right now there are thousands of people across the state who are going to lose access to services. There are small providers across the state who are going to lose their businesses if we dont do something by November 1, Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) said on the Senate floor. Im objecting that were adjourning today without taking care of that very important piece of business. North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) speaks to reporters on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) After Tuesdays session adjourned, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) told reporters the cuts made by NCDHHS were not necessary. Medicaid is usually funded through the state budget, but House and Senate Republicans are at an impasse in negotiations, and the budget is more than three months late. Efforts to provide additional Medicaid funding in a separate bill are also at a stalemate over what should be included in it. While Senate Republicans want money for a childrens hospital in Apex and rural health care funds included in the bill, their counterparts in the House oppose funding for the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hope its resolved with us reaching an agreement to handle the money thats needed in Medicaid, and the other things that have been previously agreed to that need to be followed through on, Berger said. Late Tuesday, House budget chair Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth) shepherded a bill through the House Rules committee to allow the Stein administration to use up to $190 million in Medicaid reserve funds to cover the cuts. However, Berger said earlier Tuesday the Senate would not hold another voting sessions this week. GLENS FALLS - Martha Banta, who founded the Adirondack Theatre Festival and ran it for 13 years, is returning as artistic director. The change ends a short-lived arrangement that would have seen her predecessor continue in the role while also becoming producing artistic director of Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany. "We realized that, for anyone, doing both jobs would be an overwhelming amount of work and responsibility," said Tracey Sullivan, who was hired as ATF's managing director in 2019 and worked alongside Miriam Weisfeld since the latter started as producing artistic director in fall 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sullivan said, "Miriam was with us for four years, and we hoped it could continue by having her step back in some areas (at ATF), but we also didn't want to put that much pressure on one person." Also, and importantly, "I was available and wanted to do it," said Banta, who has been associate director of "Mamma Mia!" for more than 20 years, acting as the resident director who makes casting and other artistic decisions for the ABBA musical's tours and its return to Broadway in August for a six-month run. Banta was also the original resident director of the musical "Rent" on Broadway, in London and for two national tours, and she returned to ATF as interim artistic director to save the 2021 season, which was imperiled after the abrupt resignation of then-artistic director Chad Rabinovitz after seven years. In addition to Banta directing "Gutenberg! The Musical" at ATF in July, she served as a consultant to the company over the summer and early fall while it discussed the logistics and practicalities of sharing Weisfeld with The Rep, according to her, Sullivan and Philip Morris, CEO of Schenectady-based Proctors Collaborative, The Rep's parent organization. "It became clear that we thought it would be better to have Martha here full time rather than Miriam part time, but they will continue to collaborate on developing new work" for ATF and The Rep, Sullivan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morris and Sullivan said ATF, which has only full-time employees, will extend its contract with Proctors for marketing and other administrative services. Both companies said Tuesday they remain committed to a vision announced in February, when Weisfeld was named successor to Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill after 30 years at The Rep, for stronger collaborations on play development. ATF has been a strong advocate for new work since Banta founded it with her husband, David Turner, and a committee of friends with Broadway backgrounds. It started in a Lake George RV park in 1994 and two years later moved to an empty Woolworth's store in Glens Falls that would be redeveloped into its permanent home, the Charles R. Wood Theater. ATF has presented more than 30 world premieres. The companies' leaders have said they envision a development ladder that could have a new work start with a staged reading at ATF, receive a world premiere at The Rep a season or two later and, if success leads to the involvement of commercial investors, it could be expanded at Proctors for a national tour or Broadway run. One such project is already in the works, said Weisfeld, with ATF and The Rep hoping to announce early next year details of the play they are jointly developing. Of the leadership change, Weisfeld said, "It was less about there being too much work and more about the two companies really focusing on a specific artistic project or two for collaboration." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morris said he believes Banta's second encore as artistic director will benefit ATF because of her deep connections with the Glens Falls community, its institutions and leaders. "She invented ATF. People are going to respond to her return in that context," he said. "It's a great chance to reignite ATF's philanthropic and other relationships." Banta and Sullivan said they are already planning ATF's 2026 and expect to announce details by the end of this year. Likely for inclusion, they said, is a full production of "The Last American Newspaper," based on retired Glens Falls Post-Star editor Ken Tingley's memoir of the same name. It received a staged reading at ATF in July. Weisfeld was consulting artistic director at The Rep for several months earlier this year, working with Mancinelli-Cahill on the transition, before becoming producing artistic director on Sept. 1. She programmed The Rep's 2025-26 season, the first production of which, "Becky Nurse of Salem," closed Sunday. Mancinelli-Cahill is remaining on staff through the end of the year. This article originally published at Adirondack Theatre Fest founder returning to lead Glens Falls company. When it comes to nuclear submarines, the U.S. is the undisputed global leader, operating the majority of nuclear submarines in existence today. Besides the United States (which has nearly 70 nuclear submarines), the only other militaries that possess a fleet of nuclear submarines are Russia (31), China (12), the U.K. (10), France (9), and India (2). The scale of America's naval dominance is evident from the fact that its nuclear submarine fleet alone outnumbers the combined fleets of all other nations that operate these vessels. Further bolstering the United States' submarine capabilities is the upcoming commissioning of the USS Massachusetts (SSN 798), a new attack submarine that recently completed its initial sea trials. Although the construction of the USS Massachusetts is complete, it will be some time before this sub is formally inducted into the U.S. Navy; however, it could happen as early as 2026. Once inducted, the USS Massachusetts will join the expanding fleet of the U.S. Navy's Virginia-class attack submarines. For the uninitiated, the Virginia-class is the U.S.'s most modern attack submarine type, featuring several upgrades to the older Los Angeles-class (SSN 688) and Seawolf-class submarines. These attack submarines are also built for a different purpose than the other two manned submarines currently operated by the U.S Navy: Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN), and Guided Missile Submarines (SSGN). The technological advancements incorporated into the Virginia-class attack submarines and, by extension, into the USS Massachusetts include quieter propulsion, improved underwater acoustics, modular construction, and well-integrated combat systems. Read more: 10 Of The Largest Navies In The World, Ranked By Self-Reported Total Naval Assets USS Massachusetts (SSN 798) and other Block IV Virginia-class submarines The USS Washington (SSN 787), a Virginia-class submarine moored at Naval Station, Norfolk. - Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cameron Stoner/U.S. Navy The USS Massachusetts is part of the Block IV batch of Virginia-class submarines, which includes as many as 10 submarines, starting with the USS Vermont (SSN 792) and going up to the USS Utah (SSN 801). All subs in this batch are designed to handle various types of missions, ranging from hunting enemy submarines and gathering intelligence to serving as a support vessel during special operations. The companies contracted to build the USS Massachusetts are Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and General Dynamics Electric Boat. Several Block IV submarines have been commissioned as of 2025, with some others, including the USS Massachusetts, currently undergoing sea trials. Some others, like the USS Idaho (SSN 799), the USS Arkansas (SSN 800), and the USS Utah (SSN 801), are in various stages of construction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All ten Block IV batch Virginia-class submarines focus on reliability and reduced downtime. Unlike older Virginia-class submarines that need four major maintenance overhauls, Block IV boats need only three, giving each one an extra deployment over its 33-year service life. In terms of changes from the older Block III submarines, Block IV subs get two large Virginia Payload Tubes, all of which can fire six Tomahawk cruise missiles. Block IV subs also retain the redesigned Large Aperture Bow sonar from Block III models, enabling the sub to "see" under the sea with enhanced clarity. The USS Massachusetts is identical in size to other members of the Block IV batch of Virginia-class submarines. It is 377 feet in length and has a beam of 34 feet. Weighing over 7,800 tons (10,200 tons when submerged), the USS Massachusetts can travel at speeds of up to 25 knots. It can accommodate a crew of 145, which includes 17 officers. What's next after Block IV Virginia-class submarines? A nuclear submarine leaving a port - Kuleshov Oleg/Shutterstock While the Virginia-class submarines are technically the newest category of attack submarines in the U.S. Navy, the first of these submarines has been around since 2004, making them over 20 years old as of 2025. To keep these underwater giants up to date, the U.S. Navy ensured that they were regularly updated as part of multiple "block" upgrades. The first four Virginia-class submarines were part of Block I, while the subsequent six belonged to Block II, featuring incremental upgrades. Major changes came with the eight Block III variants starting in 2014 with the USS North Dakota (SSN 784), and ending in 2020 with the USS Delaware (SSN 791). These Block III variants featured a redesigned bow with a new sonar array, while also adding two VPTs (Virginia Payload Tubes) tubes that could hold up to six missiles each. The current generation of Virginia-class submarines is all part of the Block IV series, with the USS Massachusetts being one of the last of its category. Upcoming Block IV Virginia-class submarines include the USS Idaho (SSN 799), USS Arkansas (SSN 800), and the USS Utah (SSN 801). Even after the last of the planned Block IV submarines (USS Utah) is delivered, the Virginia-class submarines will continue to evolve by moving on to the next-generation models under the Block V and Block VI programs. Needless to say, we can expect the Virginia-class submarines to serve the interests of the U.S. Navy, as well as its allies, for the foreseeable future. Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. Digital travel company Agoda has reached a collaboration with hotel operator Premier Inn to address the growing demand from Asian travellers looking for accommodation in the UK and Europe. As a result of this alliance, Agoda customers can access Premier Inns portfolio of more than 900 hotels in the UK, Germany, and Ireland. According to Agoda, searches from Asia for trips to the UK and Europe have increased by 20% this year compared to 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UK remains one of the top five international destinations searched by Asian travellers, excluding trips within Asia. Agoda supply senior vice-president Andrew Smith said: "Premier Inn's commitment to delivering great value, consistent quality, and ensuring every guest enjoys a good night's sleep are shared values that underpin Agoda's mission to make travel more accessible and rewarding. Together we're bringing trusted stays to millions of new travellers across Asia and beyond." By adding its hotel portfolio to Agodas platform, Premier Inn gains the opportunity to reach more international travellers. Agodas established presence in Asia is expected to give Premier Inn access to travellers from this region and widen its customer base, stated the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both companies also aim to increase visibility for accommodation providers. Premier Inn sales and distribution director Tim Sleep said: "Partnering with Agoda is another exciting step forward in reaching even more guests and travellers across international markets. Greater visibility of all of our 900+ hotels will allow a new set of travellers to enjoy the comfort, service and convenience we consistently offer." In May, Agoda partnered with Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) to widen its offerings on its platform to international travellers. In March, Premier Inn signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) to promote mid-market hotels in the UAE city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Agoda and Premier Inn target Asian travellers seeking accommodation in UK and Europe" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. By Olivia Le Poidevin GENEVA (Reuters) -Leading AI assistants misrepresent news content in nearly half their responses, according to new research published on Wednesday by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC. The international research studied 3,000 responses to questions about the news from leading artificial intelligence assistants - software applications that use AI to understand natural language commands to complete tasks for a user. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It assessed AI assistants in 14 languages for accuracy, sourcing and ability to distinguish opinion versus fact, including ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity. Overall, 45% of the AI responses studied contained at least one significant issue, with 81% having some form of problem, the research showed. Reuters has made contact with the companies to seek their comment on the findings. Gemini, Google's AI assistant, has stated previously on its website that it welcomes feedback so that it can continue to improve the platform and make it more helpful to users. OpenAI and Microsoft have previously said hallucinations - when an AI model generates incorrect or misleading information, often due to factors such as insufficient data - are an issue that they are seeking to resolve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perplexity says on its website that one of its "Deep Research" modes has 93.9% accuracy in terms of factuality. SOURCING ERRORS A third of AI assistants' responses showed serious sourcing errors such as missing, misleading or incorrect attribution, according to the study. Some 72% of responses by Gemini, Google's AI assistant, had significant sourcing issues, compared to below 25% for all other assistants, it said. Issues of accuracy were found in 20% of responses from all AI assistants studied, including outdated information, it said. Examples cited by the study included Gemini incorrectly stating changes to a law on disposable vapes and ChatGPT reporting Pope Francis as the current Pope several months after his death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Twenty-two public-service media organisations from 18 countries including France, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Britain and the United States took part in the study. With AI assistants increasingly replacing traditional search engines for news, public trust could be undermined, the EBU said. "When people dont know what to trust, they end up trusting nothing at all, and that can deter democratic participation," EBU Media Director Jean Philip De Tender said in a statement. Some 7% of all online news consumers and 15% of those aged under 25 use AI assistants to get their news, according to the Reuters Institutes Digital News Report 2025. The new report urged AI companies to be held accountable and to improve how their AI assistants respond to news-related queries. (Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, Editing by Timothy Heritage) Emergency landing in Shanghai highlights growing dangers of lithium battery fires aboard aircraft as aviation industry grapples with surge in thermal runaway incidents. Passengers aboard Air China Flight CA139 witnessed scenes of terror and heroism at cruising altitude when a lithium battery suddenly burst into flames in an overhead bin, forcing an emergency diversion and highlighting the escalating threat of portable electronics aboard commercial aircraft. The Airbus A321, carrying 170 passengers and crew from Hangzhou to Seoul on October 18, 2025, was flying at 33,000 feet when travelers heard what one passenger described as a "loud pop" before bright flames erupted from an overhead storage compartment, filling the cabin with thick black smoke and the acrid smell of burning electronics. Panic Turns to Heroism Video footage that has since gone viral on social media shows the terrifying moment when flames shot from the overhead bin as passengers sitting directly beneath looked up in horror. What could have been a catastrophic disaster was averted by the swift actions of the cabin crew and passengers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Two flight attendants sprinted down the aisle carrying fire extinguishers while others shouted for travelers to remain seated," with passengers and crew working together to extinguish the blaze using halon fire extinguishers. The dramatic footage shows at least one passenger assisting crew members in fighting the flames that were shooting from the storage compartment. Captain and crew immediately declared an emergency and diverted the aircraft to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, where it landed safely approximately 40 minutes after the incident began. Thanks to the rapid response of the cabin crew, the fire was extinguished in minutes, and all one hundred seventy passengers and crew members landed safely. The Growing Lithium Battery Threat Air China confirmed in a statement that "a lithium battery spontaneously ignited in a passenger's carry-on luggage stored in the overhead bin," with the crew immediately handling the situation according to procedures. The incident represents a textbook case of what aviation experts call "thermal runaway," a dangerous condition where lithium-ion batteries rapidly overheat and can explode into flames. "Thermal runaway is essentially a condition where the battery starts to release energy in an uncontrolled way," explains fire safety expert Robert Ochs from the FAA's technical center. "In the most extreme cases, it can result in smoke, fire, and even explosion". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Air China incident is part of an alarming trend. Aviation industry data shows that 2024 saw an average of two thermal runaway incidents reported by airlines per week, with 18% of cabin incidents forcing diverted landings, returns to gate, emergency evacuations, or unplanned deplanings. According to the FAA, the number of lithium-ion battery fires jumped more than 42% in the last 5 years, with incidents of overheated lithium batteries causing smoke, fire, or extreme heat on aircraft now happening at an average rate of more than one per week. Why Batteries Become Flying Fire Bombs The devices that power our connected lives, smartphones, laptops, tablets, portable chargers, and vaping devices, all contain lithium-ion batteries that can become dangerous projectiles when damaged or improperly stored. Travelers bring an average of four lithium-powered devices on board every time they fly, creating millions of potential fire sources in the skies daily. Thermal runaway "results in a rapid increase of battery cell temperature and pressure, accompanied by the release of flammable gas. These flammable gases will often be ignited by the battery's high temperature, resulting in a fire". The process typically begins with external factors like overcharging, overheating, mechanical damage, or compression, exactly the kind of stress that can occur when luggage shifts in overhead bins during flight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Most instances of thermal runaway are owner induced by dropping or substantially damaging their electronic device," said retired airline pilot John Cox. Another major cause is the use of gray market charging devices that lack proper safety certifications. The Challenge of Fighting Fires in the Sky What makes lithium battery fires particularly dangerous aboard aircraft is how difficult they are to extinguish and contain. FAA testing shows that even after crews use halon fire extinguishers, standard equipment on planes, "that's not going to stop, and that fire will reignite with a lithium battery". The recommended protocol requires flight attendants to not only use fire extinguishers but to "start pouring on that device" water and "non-alcoholic liquids, everything that they can get" from galley carts to cool the battery and prevent re-ignition. The fires also emit toxic fumes including "hydrogen fluoride, methyl carbonate, ethylene carbonate, carbon monoxide, carbon sulfide and phosphoryl fluoride," creating additional health hazards in the confined aircraft cabin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For passengers, the psychological impact is severe. Survey data shows that a major thermal runaway incident would lead 46% of passengers to avoid traveling with an airline and 28% to never fly that airline again. What Passengers Should Know Aviation safety experts recommend several precautions for travelers: Device Care: Keep devices with you during flight rather than storing them in overhead bins Never use damaged batteries showing swelling, cracks, or other visible damage Use only manufacturer-approved chargers and cables Turn off devices completely when stowing them If a device is dropped into a seat, get crew assistance before adjusting the seat Immediate Response: Alert flight attendants immediately if any device feels hot, emits smoke, or shows signs of damage Never attempt to retrieve a damaged device from tight spaces Keep spare batteries in carry-on luggage only, never in checked bags Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A lithium battery fire on the ground is dangerous enough, at 30,000 feet it can be a catastrophe", warns aviation safety expert Ali Marootian. The Aftermath and Future Prevention Following the emergency landing, passengers were accommodated in Shanghai and provided with refreshments and alternative connections to Seoul, with Air China arranging a replacement Airbus A321 to transport travelers to their final destination later in the afternoon. The CAAC temporarily grounded the affected aircraft pending inspection of the cabin's electrical systems and overhead bin assembly, while continuing its investigation with focus on enforcing preventative measures and strengthening oversight of portable electronics carried on flights. The incident serves as a stark reminder that in our increasingly connected world, the devices that keep us plugged in can potentially put us in peril. As one aviation expert noted, "Anytime that there's a fire on an airplane, it is a serious concern, and action has to be taken immediately because there is no escape". For the 170 passengers who experienced this harrowing flight, quick thinking by crew and fellow travelers turned what could have been a tragedy into a testament to emergency preparedness and human cooperation in the face of danger. But their experience also underscores the urgent need for continued vigilance as millions of lithium-powered devices take to the skies every day. The U.S. Air Force conducted what it called a bomber attack demonstration mission in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility last week, according to information newly released by the service. Three B-52H Stratofortress bomber aircraft flew off the coast of Venezuela on Oct. 15. The flight of the bombers first came to public attention due to open-source flight tracking data and has since been described by the Air Force as a bomber attack demonstration. Air Forces Southern shared images of the mission on its Facebook page, adding that it was intended to demonstrate U.S. commitment to proactively deter adversary threats to the U.S. homeland and the region, enhance crew training, and ensure the global force readiness necessary to respond to any contingency or challenge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bombers, assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, were accompanied by two Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighter jets, which can fly at supersonic speed and have vertical lift technology that allows them to take off without needing a runway. US returning survivors of strike to home countries, Trump says The flights come at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela. In March, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on countries importing Venezuelan oil. The Pentagon has been conducting a series of lethal strikes against vessels off the coast of Venezuela, including against a narco-submarine confirmed by Colombian authorities to have been transporting cocaine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adm. Alvin Holsey, the U.S. Navy commander who supervised the military strikes in the Caribbean Sea, announced Oct. 16 he was leaving his post. Recently, Trump confirmed that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert activity in Venezuela. Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, considered by many to be a dictator, has vigorously denied allegations of involvement in illegal drug trafficking. Venezuela and Maduros government have been raising U.S. national security alarms for well over a decade, with a spike in recent collaboration with Iran and ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps seen as particularly troubling. In June 2022, a U.S. Army report established that a Boeing 747 of Venezuelan origin, which claimed to be transporting auto parts from Mexico to Argentina, was found to have been piloted by a member of Irans IRGCs Quds force. This followed allegations made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2020 that Venezuela was using aircraft in political attempts to destabilize the United States. A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircrew from the 96th Bomb Squadron board a bus at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, Oct. 15, 2025. (Airman 1st Class Devyn Taylor/Air Force) Increasing cooperation between Iran and Maduros government has given rise to suspicions reported by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that Iran was outsourcing suicide drone production to Venezuela. Calling attention to Iranian presence and drug trafficking in the region, a RAND Corporation fellow in August 2024 called for Venezuela to be regarded as a narco-state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Venezuela has long been a drug trafficking corridor, with a U.S. Department of State report from 2016 describing Venezuela as a launch-point for go-fast boats, cargo containers and fishing vessels containing drug shipments, as well as aircraft launched from near the Colombian border. However, cocaine production has been on the rise in Venezuela since 2022, with some analysts alleging that the Maduro government has used illicit cocaine trafficking as a means of statecraft. Illegal cocaine imports into the United States have been very high in recent years, with a noticeable uptick in the bulk in shipments seized in drug busts. Data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that about 60 pounds of cocaine were seized per drug bust in fiscal 2024 compared to only 24 in 2020. For decades, Colombia and the United States have been devoted allies, sharing military intelligence, a robust trade relationship and a multibillion-dollar fight against drug trafficking. Now that is all at risk as the U.S. ramps up deadly airstrikes off Colombia's coast and the leaders of both nations trade scathing verbal attacks. President Trump called Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter and Colombia's first leftist president, an "illegal drug dealer." Petro called Trump "rude" and accused the U.S. of murder, saying an American strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat had killed a Colombian fisherman in Colombian waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petro has decried the massive buildup of U.S. troops, warships and jets in the Caribbean, which, he charges, aims to force a change of governments in neighboring Venezuela. Relations between the nations hit their lowest point in memory Monday as the Colombian government recalled its ambassador to the United States, and Trump vowed to suspend all U.S. aid to Colombia and impose new tariffs on imports from the South American nation. "Petro does nothing to stop" drug trafficking, Trump charged on his social media site, "despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America." The Colombian leader, Trump warned, "better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely." A coca leaf collector, or raspachin, works at a plantation in Catatumbo, Colombia, in 2022. (Raul Arboleda / AFP/Getty Images) Petro has defended his record in deterring drug trafficking despite rising production in Colombia of coca plants, the raw material in cocaine. He has said the rampant consumption of illicit drugs in the United States and Europe is behind the bloody drug war in Latin America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the U.S. said Sunday that it had blown up yet another boat, this one allegedly associated with a Colombian rebel group. Petro said the boat in fact belonged to a humble family." The growing binational crisis threatened to further destabilize a region already on edge over the U.S. military strikes. Some analysts said it threatened to embolden the same drug traffickers Trump claims to be targeting. "In a fight between the world's largest drug producer and the world's largest drug consumer, only organized crime wins," former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said at a forum in Barcelona, Spain. "As long as we have two presidents who insult each other on Twitter every day, [combating crime] will be more difficult." Colombia is facing its worst security crisis in a decade, with armed groups competing for control over drug trafficking, illegal gold mining and other illicit economies in the years since militants with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, gave up their arms in a peace deal with the Colombian government in 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: U.S. designates Colombia as failing to cooperate in the drug war for first time in nearly 30 years If the U.S. ends its military and other aid to Colombia, the effect could be disastrous, said Elizabeth Dickinson, a senior analyst for the Andes region at the International Crisis Group, a think tank. The Colombian military, which has long been fortified by U.S. training, weapons and other aid, is so skilled that its members are paid by the U.S. to teach anti-narcotics operations in other parts of the world, she said. "If the United States was truly interested in combating organized crime and drug trafficking," she said, "why would they alienate the one partner in the region who is capable and willing to help?" "The U.S.-Colombia relationship has for many years transcended personal politics because both sides understood how important it was," Dickinson continued. "Now the wisdom of the relationship that held it together for so long and made it so productive for both countries is being thrown out the window, and we're losing decades of progress." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Relations between the nations have been unraveling since January, when Trump returned to the White House for a second term. After Petro refused to receive U.S. military flights of deported migrants, Trump threatened tariffs. Petro at first vowed retaliatory tariffs but backed down and agreed to accept the migrants to avert a trade war. More recently, the State Department announced it was revoking Petros visa after an appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York where he decried U.S. support for Israel and called for American soldiers to disobey Trump and "obey the orders of humanity." The massing of U.S. forces in the Caribbean has further strained the relationship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has stationed roughly 10,000 troops and a fleet of ships and aircraft in the Caribbean, the largest U.S. military buildup in the region in decades. Although the force is ostensibly aimed at interrupting the drug trade, it is widely believed to be an effort to drive out Venezuela's left-leaning autocratic leader, Nicolas Maduro, who, critics say, has plunged his nation into an economic and political crisis. Petro warned against U.S. meddling in Venezuela in a post on X on Monday, saying Washington was after the nation's expansive oil reserves. Read more: How Rubio is winning over Trumpworld on striking Venezuela Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Venezuelan people do not want invasions, blockades, or threats against them," he wrote. "They do not like dictators, not domestic or foreign." Last month, the Trump administration decertified Colombia as partner in the war on drugs, a move that could cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid, much of it for anti-drug efforts. Petros spat with Trump has sparked intense controversy in Colombia, which is starkly divided ahead of next year's presidential election. (Petro is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.) Petros supporters praised him for standing up to a global bully. But his critics said he has imperiled Colombias economy. The United States is Colombia's top trading partner; it sent nearly $10 billion in exports to the U.S. in the first eight months of this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petros provocative attitude with the Trump administration contrasts with that of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, a leftist who has sought to accommodate Trump to avoid punishing tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States. But many worry that Mexico could also be in the Trump administrations military crosshairs, as it is the major supplier of fentanyl and other drugs to the U.S. market. 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. Conestoga Capital Advisors, an asset management company, released its third-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Equity markets continued their momentum that began in early April, reaching new all-time highs in the third quarter. The Conestoga Micro-Cap Composite returned 11.7% net-of-fees in the third quarter, compared to the Russell Microcap Growth Indexs return of 19.9%. Please check the top 5 holdings of the fund for a better understanding of their best picks for 2025. In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Conestoga Capital Advisors highlighted stocks such as Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL). Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) engages in the design, construction, and launch of constellations of satellites that provide high cadence geospatial data. The one-month return of Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) was 18.00%, and its shares gained 465.09% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On October 17, 2025, Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) stock closed at $13.11 per share, with a market capitalization of $4.037 billion. Conestoga Capital Advisors stated the following regarding Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter: "Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) operates the worlds largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites, providing daily imagery and analytics to customers in defense, intelligence, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and commercial sectors worldwide. This is the second consecutive quarter this stock was a portfolio leader as the company continues to benefit from new multi-year defense contracts and expanding partnerships in agriculture, climate monitoring, and energy supported revenue growth. Improving unit economics and disciplined expense management bolstered the margin outlook, while progress toward profitability lifted investor sentiment." Why Planet Labs PBC (PL) Is Declining This Week? Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 32 hedge fund portfolios held Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) at the end of the second quarter, up from 23 at the end of the previous quarter. In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) reported $73.4 million in revenue, representing approximately 20% year-over-year growth. While we acknowledge the potential of Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. A new airstrip is being built on a volcanic island in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, satellite images show, likely the latest project by forces allied to those opposed to the country's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC show the construction of a nearly 2,000-metre runway on Zuqar Island, which is some 90 kilometres southeast of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida, a key shipping hub. The images show work began in April to build out a dock on the island, then land clearing along the site of the runway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By late August, what appears to be asphalt was being laid across the runway. Images from October show the work continuing, with runway markings painted on in the middle of the month. No one has claimed the construction. However, ship-tracking data analysed by the AP show the Batsa, a Togolese-flagged bulk carrier registered to a Dubai-based maritime firm, spent nearly a week alongside the new dock at Zuqar Island after coming from Berbera in Somaliland, the site of a DP World port. DP World declined to comment. A Dubai-based maritime company, Saif Shipping and Marine Services, acknowledged receiving an order to deliver the asphalt to the island, likely used in the airstrip's construction, on behalf of other UAE-based firms. This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows an airstrip built on Zuqar Island, 19 October, 2025 - AP Photo Other Emirates-based maritime firms have been associated with other airstrip construction projects in Yemen, later tied back to the UAE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Mocha on the Red Sea, a project to extend that citys airport now allows it to land far larger aircraft. There is also now a runway in nearby Dhubab. Another runway is on Abd al-Kuri Island, in the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. And in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait itself, another runway built by the UAW is on Mayun Island. The Houthis, a militant Islamist group behind a rebellion that pushed out the country's internationally recognised government, currently control much of western Yemen, including the capital Sana'a. An anti-Houthi secessionist force in Yemen known as the Southern Transitional Council controls the island and has acknowledged the UAE's role in building the airport. Houthi fighters march during a rally of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and against the US strikes on Yemen outside Sanaa, 22 January, 2024 - AP Photo The airstrip on Zuqar Island provides yet another link in a network of offshore bases in a region key to international shipping, where the Houthis have already attacked over 100 ships, sunk four vessels and killed at least nine mariners during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It could give a military force the ability to conduct aerial surveillance over the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the strategic, narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the two waterways off East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. In recent months, the anti-Houthi forces have been able to intercept more cargo bound for the Houthis, something that having a presence on Zuqar could aid. "The possibility of a new Yemeni offensive against the Houthis, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, cant be ruled out, although I don't see it as approaching," said Eleonora Ardemagni, a Yemen expert and analyst at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. "There's a more important point in my view regarding the build up in Zuqar: the countering of Houthis' smuggling activities, with particular regard to weapons." Smoke rises after the US-led airstrikes on hit targets in Sanaa, 25 February, 2024 - AP Photo Targeting Houthi shipments Zuqar Island is a strategic location in the Red Sea. Eritrea captured the island in 1995 after battling Yemeni forces. An international court in 1998 placed the island formally into Yemen's custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The island again found itself engulfed by war after the Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and began a march south, when the rebels took Zuqar. Houthi supporters shout slogans as they raise machine-guns and Palestinian flags during a rally against the US-led strikes against Yemen, 17 May, 2024 - AP Photo Saudi Arabia and the UAE entered the war in 2015 on behalf of the country's exiled government, stopping the Houthi advance. They also beat back the Houthis from Zuqar, retaking the island, which has become a staging ground for naval forces loyal to Tariq Saleh, a nephew of Yemens late strongman leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. The younger Saleh, once allied to the Houthis before his uncle switched sides and the rebels killed him in 2017, has been backed by the UAE. Since then, the front lines of the war have been static for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What changed was the Houthis' taking their campaign globally with attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. That continued even after a weeks-long campaign of intense airstrikes known as Operation Rough Rider, launched by the United States and continued strikes by Israel, which appear to be getting closer to the Houthis' top leadership despite the rebels' penchant for secrecy. Related "The Houthis, like any insurgent group, win by not losing," wrote Gregory D Johnsen, a Yemen expert, in June. "It is how the group has survived and grown from each of its wars." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While a loose confederation of anti-Houthi groups exists, it remains fragmented and has not launched any attacks during the US airstrikes. But the growing network of air bases around Yemen comes as anti-Houthi forces have made several significant seizures of weapons, likely bound for the rebels, including one large haul that was praised by the US military's Central Command. A documentary by Al Jazeera, in partnership with the Hind Rajab Foundation, has revealed new evidence in the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab, her family, and the rescue team that tried to reach them in Gaza City. The documentary, Ma Khafiya Aatham (Tip of the Iceberg), which aired on Monday, discloses previously unknown details about the killing of the Rajab family and others in the final days of January 2024. Hind Rajabs final hours as she pleaded for help following the initial shelling that killed her uncle, aunt and three cousins in their car were widely circulated on social media after the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defending its actions that day, the Israeli government initially claimed that none of its forces was present when the Rajab family was killed, later asserting that the 335 bullet holes found in the familys car were the result of an exchange of fire between Israeli troops and armed Palestinian fighters. However, a subsequent investigation of satellite imagery and audio from that day by the multidisciplinary research group Forensic Architecture, based at Goldsmiths, the University of London, identified only the presence of several Israeli Merkava tanks in the vicinity of the Rajab familys car and no evidence of any exchange of fire. The overall commander of the tanks present during the familys killing was Colonel Beni Aharon of Israels 401 Armoured Brigade. Colonel Aharon is already the subject of a criminal complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation, which uses social media footage captured by Israeli soldiers during operations in Gaza as the basis for war crimes prosecutions. Investigations by the foundation have identified that, within the 401st Brigade, the company known as Vampire Empire, under the command of Major Sean Glass, was directly responsible for killing the Rajab family and subsequently tampering with the crime scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Vampire Empire company its English name suggesting a multinational composition is part of the 52nd Armoured Battalion under the command of Colonel Daniel Ella, who the foundation alleges bears direct responsibility for the killings at the field level. One of the companys soldiers, dual Israeli-Argentine national Itay Choukirkov, is currently being sued under Argentinian law for his alleged role in the familys murder. According to the documentary, the 52nd Armoured Battalion, nicknamed Ha-Bokim (The Breachers), was among the first Israeli units to enter Gaza in October 2023 and has since been involved in some of the Israeli armys most lethal operations, including the destruction of several hospitals. An Israeli army Merkava tank [File: Menahem Kahana/AFP] The government of Israel does not like these campaigns financed by organisations supporting the Palestinians, Israeli security expert Yossi Melman told Al Jazeera in the documentary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course it worries them and gives Israel a bad name when some Israelis especially military personnel are prosecuted for war crimes in some parts of the world, he said. Melman added that such prosecutions are of concern not only to the Israeli army but also to its intelligence agencies the internal Shin Bet and the external Mossad. The Hind Rajab Foundation is pursuing several legal actions against individual Israeli soldiers, including Shimon Zuckerman, a self-styled war influencer who filmed himself and other members of the 8129 Engineering Corps razing the village of Khuzaa near Khan Younis. The foundation says Zuckermans social media posts provide clear evidence of the genocidal intent that led to the killing of the Rajab family. NEED TO KNOW Family members of 18-year-old Kimber Mills say she was caught in a shooting between her friend's boyfriend and the 27-year-old suspect Steven Tyler Whitehead was arrested on a murder charge over the weekend; no deaths had been reported as of Tuesday noon Mills' family says they are preparing for her surgery for organ donation An Alabama family says their teen daughter will be declared deceased on Monday afternoon after she was left brain-dead during a shooting at a bonfire in the early morning hours of Sunday. Kimber Mills, 18, was given just a few days to live after she was shot at a bonfire over the weekend, AL.com reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police responding to a shooting at a Pinson, Ala., residence early morning on Sunday, Oct. 19, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Authorities took 27-year-old Steven Tyler Whitehead into custody on a charge of murder, per the sheriff's office's statement, though Mills was still alive at the time of the arrest. Mills' sister, Ashley Mills, says the victim was at a bonfire event when there was an altercation and the teen was caught in the "crossfire," AL.com reported. Four people were injured in the shooting, the sheriff's office said. Mills was taken to the hospital alongside an 18-year-old man and a 21-year-old man. Another woman, 20, was also injured and taken to a hospital in a personal vehicle. All are currently alive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mills' family says doctors had given the cheerleader just days to live as they began preparing for a difficult journey ahead, per AL.com, WVTM 13 and WBRC reported. Ashley previously told the outlets that doctors have said no intervention can save her life. Weve opted to just let her body do what it needs to do, Ashley told AL.com, adding that the family has "a DNR because we dont want to hurt her anymore trying to bring her back." She told the outlet that after the doctors declare Kimber brain dead, they will start the process of organ donation and have an "Honor Walk" for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday morning, Mills' cousin Morgan Kaye Metz shared on Facebook that the "Honor Walk" is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday and a surgery potentially organ donation surgery is scheduled for 5 p.m. "She is giving the greatest gift of all today. Life," Metz shared in the post. "She was a blessing and now she gets to bless others." Kimber, a senior cheerleader and track runner, wanted to become a nurse, Ashley told AL.com. She had a little spunk to her step, she said. A GoFundMe has been set up to assist Kimber's family during this time. Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Tyler Whitehead Tyler Whitehead 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Tuesday, Oct. 21, noon, no deaths had been reported from the shooting. When contacted by PEOPLE, the sheriff's office said they will share an update later on Tuesday, but declined to comment further on the murder charge. It wasn't immediately clear if Whitehead has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf. Read the original article on People MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) An Alabama death row inmate set to die this week asked the states governor to meet with him before an innocent man is executed. Anthony Boyd, 53, is scheduled to be executed Thursday evening by nitrogen gas at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. A jury convicted Boyd of capital murder for the 1993 burning death of Gregory Huguley in Talladega County. Prosecutors said Huguley was burned alive over a $200 drug debt. Boyd, who has maintained he did not commit the crime, made the request to meet with Gov. Kay Ivey, during a news conference hosted by the Execution Intervention Project and his spiritual adviser the Rev. Jeff Hood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before an innocent man is executed, come sit down with me and have a conversation with the guy you deemed one of the worst of the worst, Boyd said in a recorded message played at the news conference. Boyd said if Ivey feels he is being deceptive or evasive during that meeting, then please carry out the sentence. If not, then I ask you to stay this execution, to stop this execution to have my case fully and fairly investigated, Boyd said. Mike Lewis, a spokesman for Ivey, said the governor personally reviews each case in which an execution has been ordered and set. At this point, however, we have not seen any recent court filings disputing Mr. Boyds guilt in the horrific, burning-alive murder of Gregory Huguley. Nor have we received a clemency submission to such an effect, Lewis wrote in an emailed response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the governor's review does not include one-on-one meetings with inmates and called Boyd's request especially unworkable. The Republican governor has halted one execution since she took office in 2017. Huguleys burned body was found Aug. 1, 1993, in a rural Talladega County ball field. Prosecutors said Boyd was one of four men who kidnapped Huguley the prior evening. A prosecution witness at the trial testified as part of a plea agreement and said that Boyd taped Huguleys feet together before another man doused him in gasoline and set him on fire. Boyds attorneys said he was at a party on the night of the murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A jury convicted Boyd of capital murder during a kidnapping and recommended by a vote of 10-2 that he receive a death sentence. Shawn Ingram, the man prosecutors accused of pouring the gasoline and then setting Huguley on fire, was also convicted of capital murder and is also on Alabamas death row. Alabama last year began using nitrogen gas to carry out some executions. Boyds attorneys have urged the federal courts to halt the execution to scrutinize the new method. A federal judge rejected the request. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday also declined a request by Boyds attorneys to stay the execution. October 18 saw numerous "No Kings" protests across the country, reportedly encompassing 2,700 events and 7 million demonstrators. Reason's own Nick Gillespie observed the demonstration in New York City, where he found "fully peaceful protesters who hate President Donald Trump with intensity but not much specificity." Media coverage noted how smoothly the proceedings went. One place that did see police action was the town of Fairhope, Alabama, where multiple officers arrested 61-year-old Jeana Gamble for wearing an inflatable penis costume and holding a sign that said "No Dick-Tator." While the situation sounds funny, the arrest is a violation of the First Amendment by prudish police and public officials. "An officer observed an individual in a phallic costume near the Baldwin Square Shopping Center," the Fairhope Police Department posted on Facebook. "The officer approached the woman and requested that she remove the costume, which is deemed obscene in a public setting; however, she refused to comply." As a result, Gamble was arrested and "charged with Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest, both of which are misdemeanor charges." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That statement puts it mildly. As video posted to social media demonstrates, officers took Gamble to the ground by a busy road, handcuffed her, and dragged her to her feet. As onlookers protested the arrest, one officer shouted back, "I'm not gonna have somebody out here dressed like this!" "This type of behavior or display is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in Fairhope," Mayor Sherry Sullivan told 1819 News, a conservative Alabama news site. "Protests should remain peaceful and free of profanity and obscene displays." The site added that Sullivan "confirmed [Gamble] was first asked to leave the parade and was ultimately arrested." "She crossed the line from freedom of expression to obscenity," Fairhope Police Lieutenant Shane Nolte told the local NBC affiliate. Sullivan and Nolte are completely wrong, as was the arresting officer who told onlookers he wouldn't allow someone to be "dressed like this" in public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wearing a costume, whether or not the mayor likes it, is a peaceful act, and police haven't indicated that Gamble was doing anything while protesting to justify police attention. As to Sullivan's argument that protests should be "free of profanity and obscene displays," that is also wrong. Regardless of whether anyone took issue with Gamble's costume or the word dick on her sign, both are within her First Amendment rights. In Cohen v. California (1971), the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of Paul Cohen, who was arrested after wearing a jacket that said "Fuck the Draft" into a Los Angeles courthouse, protesting conscription and the Vietnam War. He was convicted of disturbing the peace and sentenced to 30 days in jail. The Supreme Court overturned Cohen's conviction, finding that absent some other offense, the state cannot "make the simple public display here involved of this single four-letter expletive a criminal offense." "The constitutional right of free expression is powerful medicine in a society as diverse and populous as ours," Justice John Harlan wrote for the 54 majority, adding that "while the particular four-letter word being litigated here is perhaps more distasteful than most others of its genre, it is nevertheless often true that one man's vulgarity is another's lyric." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same applies to the costume itself. "If you have a police officer going around telling people to remove costumes he thinks are offensive, you have speech police," Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, posted on Bluesky. "And the department and city officials are defending it!" "Alabamians have the right to protest peacefully and to expect their government, including law enforcement, to respect those rights," Indivisible Baldwin County, the protest's organizers, said in a statement. "People should not be subject to violent overreach by police just because they exercise their right to free speech in ways that are controversial or impolite. Speech, but only in ways the opponents of a message approve, is not free speech at all." The post Alabama Police Arrest 61-Year-Old Woman in Penis Costume at No Kings Protest appeared first on Reason.com. Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey talks to Alabama State Board of Education members about enrollment numbers at their monthly meeting on Oct. 9, 2025. The Alabama State Department of Education said Monday that K-12 enrollment had declined by 5,800 students, the largest drop in 40 years. . (Andrea Tinker/Alabama Reflector) Enrollment in Alabamas K-12 schools dropped by 5,800 students in the 2025-26 school year, according to numbers released Monday the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). The department says the decline is the biggest enrollment drop in 40 years. The K-12 population dropped from 720,181 in 2024-25 to 714,358 in 2025-26, a 0.8% decrease. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School officials told members of the Alabama State Board of Education at their meeting earlier this month that the numbers would show a decline. Alabama State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey said at the meeting that students using the CHOOSE Act, a voucher-like program, and students being enrolled but not going to school is where the decline is most likely coming from. We have essentially 2,100 kids that were enrolled last year that just didnt show up. They didnt transfer to private school, they didnt go to home school, they didnt go to school in another state. They just disappeared, Mackey told board members. Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, the chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, which oversees the Education Trust Fund Budget, said in an interview Friday the decline in enrollment was expected. Just one, because of the population, the demographics and things like that, he said. Number two, we knew that it was some anticipation from the CHOOSE Act. I think we have about 3000 kids equipped from public schools to private or home school. And I think, on the national landscape, youre seeing more people consider homeschooling and microschooling and charter schools and things like that. I think that will continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July, around 3,000 students who were enrolled in a public school took CHOOSE Act funds and switched to private education. Microschools are learning environments that are designed and operated to work with the specific needs of the students they serve. However, state regulations have yet to catch up. Ryan Hollingsworth, executive director of School Superintendents of Alabama, said the decline in enrollment could lead to teacher jobs disappearing for the upcoming school year. Teaching positions are funded in part by the attendance within schools. Teacher units awarded by the state are based upon the average daily membership (student enrollment) of a school for the first 20 days after Labor Day. With the loss of students this fall, our schools will earn less state teacher units for the fall of 26. This could be extremely challenging if the loss is concentrated in one or two schools within the district instead of district-wide, Hollingsworth said in the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garrett said Friday the teacher jobs shouldnt be significantly affected by the decline because of the nationwide teacher shortage. Im speculating somewhat, but I dont believe we should see a massive impact on the number of teachers because right now we have a teacher shortage, he said. Garrett also said he doesnt expect the decline to affect the Renewing Alabamas Investment in Student Excellence (RAISE) Act. The RAISE Act allocates supplemental funding to public schools based on the amount of students enrolled in different categories including English language learners, poverty, special education, gifted students and those attending charter schools. It represented an attempt to start moving Alabama from an average daily attendance model to one that aims to connect resources to places of greatest need. If you have a pot of money, you have fewer people in the denominator, then the math would say more dollars per child would go to that effort. Again, weve already pulled down what we anticipate to be three years worth of funding, and I dont think that would impact that, he said. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences says parents and students in Huntsville will soon get a chance for a preview of what the school has to offer. The new specialty public high school has announced plans to hold one of its statewide informational meetings from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, in the Dowdle Center Auditorium of Huntsville Hospital, 109 Governors Dr., Huntsville. Decatur city council president, members say emotional farewell on final day Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school said the event is meant to give parents, students and members of the community a look at the states fourth specialty high school, which is set to open in Fall 2026. The meeting will include presentations on the schools vision, curriculum and unique opportunities offered to students living on campus. The school said attendees will also be able to learn about the schools admission process and be able to ask school leadership direct questions. This school is a golden opportunity for Alabama, said Dr. Jimmy Martin, President of ASHS. Were looking for students who want to be pioneers young people ready to challenge themselves academically, grow in character, and prepare for careers that will change healthcare in Alabama and beyond. ASHS is the first state-funded specialty school in Alabama to focus on healthcare sciences. The school said students will complete their required core curriculum while also attending specialized healthcare classes and gaining hands-on experience with clinical and community partners. The idea is for the students to earn both college credit and an industry-recognized certification before graduation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Governor Kay Ivey broke ground on the schools campus last week in Demopolis, Alabama. You can register for the meeting here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Spirit houses, dollhouse-sized structures that blend Dena'ina tradition and the Russian Orthodox faith, are seen on Oct. 16, 2025, at the church cemetary in Eklutna. The houses are part of a tradition to honor and shelter the spirits of the dead. In the background current St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and, to its left, the original Orthodox church that was built in the 1870s and is being restored. Eklutna has hundreds of years of history that predates the Anchorage's founding. A new grant could support more preservation work in the Native community on the municipality's edge. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Before Alaskas largest city was founded, there were well-established small communities in the area. Now the municipality of Anchorage has received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. National Park Service for historic preservation, tourism development and economic revitalization in three distinctive communities within its sprawling borders: The Denaina village of Eklutna, which has several centuries of history, and the communities of Girdwood and Indian, which have histories of mining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The money is from a program called the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant Program, administered by the Park Service. The program promotes rural economic development through the preservation and restoration of historic buildings. With money from the grant, announced Oct. 14, municipal officials will make awards for projects that fit the programs purpose, said Michelle Nelson, Anchorages director of grant development. Our focus is on finding those sites that support job growth and heritage tourism, Nelson said. At first glance, Anchorage home to 4 out of 10 Alaskans would not seem to qualify for a rural development program, she said. I knew going into it that we were ineligible just looking at the map, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But municipal officials were able to convince the Park Service that the three outlying communities each located at least 25 miles from the downtown core, each with fewer than 3,000 residents and each with distinctive histories and characteristics qualify for the rural grant, she said. A key part of the message was explaining the municipalitys vast size, which sprawls over forested areas, mountains and glaciers as well as the heavily populated Anchorage Bowl. At nearly 2,000 square miles, Anchorage is the nations fourth-largest municipality by geography, after the boroughs of Juneau, Sitka and Wrangell. Spirit houses, colorful dollhouse-sized structures that blend Denaina tradition and the Russian Orthodox faith, are seen on Oct. 16, 2025, at the church cemetary in Eklutna. The houses are part of a tradition to honor and shelter the spirits of the dead.(Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) The program is expected to run over three to four years, Nelson said. The first year will be devoted to developing the program, preparatory work, which will include establishing guidelines and educating and outreach potential recipients, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the second year, the municipality expects to select two projects for grant awards, she said. The year after, another three to five projects are expected to be selected for grant awards, she said. The selection process will be guided by experts from the Anchorage Community Development Authority, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Museums Alaska and Preservation Alaska, she said. Eklutna has the distinction of having the only federally recognized tribal government within Anchorage municipal borders. Girdwood, site of the Alyeska ski resort and the year-round tourism centered at that site, was originally a support community for a gold rush that brought thousands of miners to Turnagain Arm during the 1890s. It was initially called Glacier City but was renamed after a local prospector who discovered gold. Indian was also established as a mining settlement. Indians history is linked to a quartz mine that operated in the early 20th century. Nelson said projects need not be in Eklutna, Girdwood or Indian to qualify for awards. But they must meet the qualifications like those in the three communities, including distance of at least 25 miles from downtown Anchorage and eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Eklutna, there is already some restoration work underway. The St. Nicholas Church, a Russian Orthodox church built in the 1870s, is the subject of a three-year project funded by the Park Service. The church is the oldest building in the municipality. There could be some urgency to other, yet-to-be-funded projects. For example, at Indian Valley Mine, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Nelson and other municipal officials noticed that a blacksmiths house that was also listed was nowhere to be found. Its not there anymore. Because by the time the property owner acquired the site, it had already been reduced to rubble, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Making sure that those sites can stay preserved is just so hard to do in Alaska because of the elements. And if we dont get resources to those areas, then we can continue to see sites disappear, she said. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) awarded funding to Alcorn State University and Mississippi State University (MSU) for projects to enhance the states specialty crop industry. According to Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R-Miss.), MDAC was awarded a $419,995.50 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in Mississippi through its Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. IHL continues search for next JSU president Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Specialty crops are a vital part of Mississippis agriculture industry, accounting for more than $197 million impact in 2024, said Gipson. Through this grant program, our state will be able to continue to research, promote and further enhance the states specialty crop industry. Ten projects will be implemented through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program: Alcorn State University will train small scale farmers and woodland owners in Mississippi to utilize conifer wood waste for cultivating oyster mushrooms through hands-on workshops. Mississippi State University will conduct research to: Investigate the optimal time of day based on climate and soil conditions for transplanting sweet potato slips and determine if transplant water influences sweet potato slip survivability and root initiation. Enhance the competitiveness of Mississippi-grown leafy green specialty crops by optimizing hydroponic production and identifying the most effective hydroponic systems; customize nutrient solutions to maximize nutritional value; and develop cost-efficient temperature management strategies to improve yield and crop quality. Investigate the feasibility of producing disease-free strawberry plugs by investigating strawberry propagation ratio or efficacy of major cultivars as affected by environmental factors. Assess the feasibility of growing kiwifruit as a highvalue alternative crop in Mississippi. Investigate best management practices in sweetcorn production to meet critical needs in knowledge gaps among commercial sweetcorn growers in Mississippi. Enhance watermelon production through improved plant health management by evaluating a range of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides in watermelon fields under Mississippi growing conditions. Identify and develop superior tea cultivars adapted to the states unique climate through a combined genotypic and phenotypic approach. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Provide financial and educational assistance for growers obtaining Good Agricultural Practices/Good Handling Practices food safety certification. Expand its Freshly Picked educational program to further increase education, awareness and value of Mississippi grown specialty crops by highlighting their seasonal availability, preparation methods, nutritional benefits and local accessibility. 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. ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) Residents rallied outside the Alexandria Sheriffs Office on Tuesday, demanding that the city end what they call voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Protesters with the group ICE Out of Alexandria hand-delivered a letter to Sheriff Sean Casey signed by 24 immigrant rights groups and community leaders. The letter calls on the sheriff to stop practices they say help federal immigration agents detain local residents. Were here to stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors, one demonstrator said. We know the harm that ICE is doing in our community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE raids: What are your rights when approached by an immigration officer? Protesters accused the sheriffs office of notifying ICE when people are about to be released from jail and holding some individuals longer so federal agents can take them into custody. He is letting ICE know when people are being released, protester Alison OConnell said. These are people who have made bail. Hes also holding them longerso they can just come here and get those residents. According to the Alexandria Sheriffs Office, more than 1,500 people were taken to the city jail between January and August this year. Of those, 40 were transferred to ICE custody under what the office described as lawful federal arrest warrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If today Sheriff Casey decides to end this voluntary collaboration, he will be joining the majority of Alexandria saying ICE is not welcome in our community, a demonstrator said. In a statement, the sheriffs office said it does not collaborate with ICE and that Virginia law requires certain communication with federal authorities. The notifications we make to ICE are not courtesy calls; we do follow the law, the statement said. Virginia law requires that we communicate with ICE and provides statutory authority for the transfer of inmates to ICE. The sheriffs office also said it does not hold individuals beyond their release date for ICE, calling those claims false. 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. This story was originally published on WardsAuto. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily WardsAuto newsletter. With premium electric vehicle sales feeling the pinch in Europe, Geely-owned brand Zeekr remains committed to bringing high quality cars packed with top technology to market, according to Europe CEO Lothar Schupet. Speaking exclusively with WardsAuto, Schupet said the take-up of premium EVs will, inevitably, be slower in the fledgling stages as consumers transition away from internal combustion engines to more affordable electric vehicles being imported by China-based rivals. Yet, interest is growing among consumers for premium EV products, he said, citing a recent Bain & Co. poll of auto dealerships. That study showed that the premium segment has a much more higher adoption rate in EVs, so it's interesting that, yes, for sure it looks like the mass market gets a faster acceleration in sheer volumes, but it's also because they have a much more higher addressable market, Schupet told WardsAuto following IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich. European consumers are increasingly considering new brands from China whose products provide higher levels of standard in-cabin technology than some of the continents legacy brands, he said. They provide high quality in terms of credibility and state-of-art technology so that the industry is trending towards premium brands and Chinese premium brands, Schupet added. However, he makes a distinction with Zeekr, which began its European expansion in Sweden alongside its Geely-owned sister brand Volvo. The brand is focused on Europe with one of its three research and development centers based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and sales headquarters in Amsterdam. The brand currently markets three models in European markets: the Zeekr 001 luxury shooting brake, the Zeekr X mid-size SUV and the Zeekr 7X full-size SUV. Referring to the SEA [sustainable electric architecture] vehicle platforms provided by Geely, Schupet said: We have the power of a giant and a European soul taking the view to accommodate European customers' requirements and we adapt the products in that way so all the mapping of pedals, braking, suspension systems, also the infotainment HMI, is completely adapted to the Europeans. Zeekr has invested time and resources into understanding the European markets with a local management team assembled from legacy European automakers with decades of work experience, he added. This is an adapted excerpt from the Oct. 19 episode of Velshi. One of the crown jewels of the Civil Rights Movement is the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. At the time, Johnson called it a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory won on any battlefield. It was a step toward making good on the promises outlined by the 14th and 15th amendments about equal protection under the law. It was a key part of ending the Jim Crowera policies of the day, which kept Black people out of Southern politics and aimed to ensure states could not disenfranchise them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For many years, it was reshaped and expanded to protect a broader swath of Americans: Spanish speakers, Native Americans, disabled people and minority voters all over the country. And, as it turns out, it was very successful. Over the years, it has helped improve representation in government. The number of nonwhite representatives in the House increased dramatically. Today, according to Pew Research, 28% of House members are Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. For decades, the Voting Rights Act had bipartisan support. Republican President George W. Bush reauthorized it in 2006. It was thriving, a win for both parties until it wasnt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent years, the Supreme Courts conservative majority has chipped away at crucial sections of the civil rights law. In 2013, the court struck down Section 4 as unconstitutional, in a 5-4 ruling that led to the weakening of Section 5 as well. It was a major blow to the legislation. Section 5 established a process known as preclearance, which was a formula for the Justice Department or the D.C. federal court to pre-approve any changes to voting laws proposed by states with histories of discriminatory policies. For decades, it blocked racially discriminatory election rules like gerrymandering and voter ID restrictions. When Section 5 was struck down down, nine states, mostly in the South, were then free to change their election laws without advance federal approval. In a scathing dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote, Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres now essentially one remaining pillar of the Voting Rights Act: Section 2. It outlaws election practices that deny or limit voting rights based on race, such as racial gerrymandering and restrictions on ballot access and voter registration. For decades, state and federal courts have had to ensure that legislative maps contain some districts where minority voters make up at least half the population. The rationale is to prevent the dilution of minorities voting power and to ensure fair representation for communities of Black, Latino or Asian voters. But that practice is now being challenged at the nations highest court. Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Louisiana v. Callais. The case involves a group of white voters in Louisiana who are challenging a congressional map that creates two majority-Black districts out of six total districts in the state. This map was created in line with the Voting Rights Act not to disempower Black voters, who make up a third of the states population. But now the group of white voters has argued that the map is racist against them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After oral arguments last week, several of the conservative justices signaled their willingness to strike down Section 2. This would essentially legalize gerrymandering by race and allow Republicans to pick up an estimated 19 congressional seats in the process. For conservatives, dismantling the Voting Rights Act has been a long game, and its opponents have long found a champion in the chief justice of the court, John Roberts. As a young attorney in Ronald Reagans Justice Department back in the 1980s, Roberts fought against expanding the civil rights law. When he was nominated to the Supreme Court by Bush, then-Rep. John Lewis, who nearly died marching for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, testified against his nomination, telling the Senate Judiciary Committee, Had Judge Roberts narrow reading of the Voting Rights Act prevailed, fewer people of color would be serving in Congress and at both the state and local level today. So it comes as no surprise to those whove been following his career that, as chief justice, Roberts has presided over the historic dismantling, piece by piece, of the Voting Rights Act a project that will likely be nearly fully realized when the court rules on this latest case. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com A woman is facing several charges following a reported kidnapping that led to a high-speed police chase spanning Greece, Rochester, and Irondequoit. The incident ended early Tuesday morning on a residential street near Durand Eastman Park. Kidnapping report prompts multi-agency response Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters said officers were first alerted around 9 p.m. Monday to a possible kidnapping involving Xiomara Weeks, a 37-year-old Irondequoit woman, and her two children, ages 2 and 4. The caller claimed that Weeks and her children were being held against their will for ransom. According to the report, Weeks had left her home on Birchwood Drive in Irondequoit and was supposed to travel to a location in Rochester but never arrived. Vehicle located in Greece; pursuit ensues The investigation quickly expanded to involve Rochester and Greece police. Authorities located Weeks' vehicle in Greece and began monitoring the area. Around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, several individuals were seen entering the vehicle, which then fled the scene at a high speed. Officers from multiple jurisdictions attempted to stop the vehicle, using emergency lights and deploying spike strips, but the car continued to flee. Chase ends where investigation began The pursuit continued through multiple communities, eventually heading east on Route 104 to Culver Road, then north into Irondequoit. The vehicle finally came to a stop back on Birchwood Drive, the same street where the incident originated. Police apprehended Weeks and another adult at the scene. Her two young children were found unharmed in the back seat and were turned over to family members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peters confirmed that Weeks was driving the car that led police on the chase. Kidnapping claim unsubstantiated Following interviews with Weeks and the other adult, Peters said the original claim of a kidnapping could not be verified. Charges filed; childrens welfare investigated Weeks was charged with: Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child Two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment One count of unlawfully fleeing a police officer All charges are misdemeanors. Child Protective Services were also notified of the incident. Weeks was taken to the Monroe County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Alleged kidnapping leads to police chase across Monroe County NY Amid the chaos of the government shutdown, President Donald Trump prosecuting his enemies, and the secret police attacking protestors, Maine Senator Susan Collins voted to confirm an anti-abortion lawyer to become a judge on a powerful appeals court. Collins, who claims to be pro-choice, is facing abysmal polling numbers ahead of a tough re-election battle next yearthough she hasnt actually declared that shes running. On October 9, Collins provided the 50th vote to confirm Jennifer Mascott to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears disputes from courts in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The Senate confirmed Mascott 50 to 47, with the only other purported pro-choice GOP Senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voting against her. The confirmation cemented a conservative majority on the 14-member court, with eight judges appointed by Republicans, including six nominated by Trump. (One of those six is Trump henchman Emil Bove.) Most Popular Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This seat on the Third Circuit is traditionally reserved for judges from Delaware, but Mascott lives in Maryland and is not licensed to practice law in Delaware, which is the site of many corporate and bankruptcy cases. Her only reported connection to the state is a beach house. Mascott, a former law professor at Catholic University, is deeply conservative, having clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and for then-appeals court judge Brett Kavanaugh. During Trumps first term, she worked for the Justice Department and assisted the White House with the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. She also joined Trump 2.0 earlier this year by taking a job in the White House Counsels office. Mascott has praised the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, after saying that Roe belonged in the dustbin of history. In late 2021, while speaking at a Senate hearing, she also defended the courts decision not to strike down the Texas bounty hunter abortion ban that nullified Roe. Most recently, in 2024, she filed an amicus brief supporting anti-abortion doctors who sought to challenge the FDA approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. She also refused to say whether, under the Supreme Courts 2024 decision on presidential immunity, Donald Trump could order the military to assassinate his political opponents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Collins voted for this woman even though she is ostensibly seeking re-election in a state that Vice President Kamala Harris won by seven points. Previously, Collins voted to confirm two of the justices who overturned Roe: Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and, of course, Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, who was confirmed because she cast the deciding vote. While she voted against Amy Coney Barrett, her no vote came just days before Collins faced voters in 2020, and only after it was clear that Barrett would be confirmed regardless. When the court overturned Roe in 2022, Collins claimed she was duped by both Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, whom she thought would uphold the precedent. Polling suggests that voters are very mad at Collins. A Morning Consult survey released in April found that 51% of Maine voters disapprove of Collins, compared to 42% who approve. The latest data, updated quarterly, shows that 56% of voters disapprove of her, with just 36% approving, meaning she is now 20 points underwater. So lets take a second to talk about the Maine Senate primary, shall we? Gov. Janet Mills (D) entered the race last week and, if elected, shed be the oldest freshman Senator in history. Thats not great on its own, but Mills also praised Collins as recently as September 8. When asked if the Senator had done enough to push back against things like tariffs, Mills said: Shes in a tough position. I appreciate everything she is doing. Everything?? (That comment later got turned into a pro-Collins ad.) Progressive Democratic primary candidate Graham Platner responded to questions about Mills statement by saying: I do not appreciate everything that Susan Collins is doing. And, yes, in the past few daysafter Mills got into the race and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee created a joint fundraising committee with the Mills campaigna bunch of opposition research on Platner has dropped. Huh! Everyone agrees, Senator Susan Collins is getting results for Maine. Even Governor Janet Mills praised Senator Collins, just last month saying: "I appreciate everything she is doing." Watch the latest ad from One Nation pic.twitter.com/M7D4G5Zl28 One Nation (@OneNationOrg) October 16, 2025 But after Mills announced that shes running, she criticized Collins votes for Trump cabinet nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Linda McMahon. She also said the following: Ive waited for some change in Washington. Ive waited to see a difference in Susan Collins, and I havent seen it. Every day that goes by, I hear and see more distressing news and I dont think I could live with myself if I didnt do everything I could to take back this seat and to stand up to an administration in Washington that is hurting Maine people every day, Mills said. Again, Mills said she appreciated Collins just five weeks before these comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Collins needs to go, and perhaps Mainers need someone who isnt a senior citizen. Like what you just read? Youve got great taste. Subscribe to Jezebel, and for $5 a month or $50 a year, youll get access to a bunch of subscriber benefits, including getting to read the next article (and all the ones after that) ad-free. Plus, youll be supporting independent journalismwhich, can you even imagine not supporting independent journalism in times like these? Yikes. A womens rights attorney is challenging the firing of a Texas Medical Board official whose involvement in a politically charged case drew statewide attention. Gloria Allred appeared before the Texas Medical Board to protest the January resignation of Dr. Robert Bredt, who stepped down after controversy over his part-time work at Planned Parenthoods South Texas lab, KVUE reported. Allred called Bredts departure a forced termination, adding he had been denied his constitutional rights. Bredt told the board, There was absolutely nothing wrong or illegal with what Planned Parenthood did or does; there was nothing wrong or illegal with what I did to support them. Providing health to low-income women and families is a good thing that everyone should support, KVUE reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Waxahachie) said he had posted about Bredts association with Planned Parenthood and sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott demanding Bredts removal. The Texas Medical Board testified to me that they had no knowledge that [Bredt] was also working for Planned Parenthood, so I tell you this, somebody is lying. Theres no constitutional issues, theres no due process, right? Spare me the government at the state of Texas is responsible to the people because it is the people who fund the government, and its the people who get to decide what type of people they want to have on their payroll, Harrison told KVUE. Bredts exit was initially reported as a retirement, with The Texas Tribune stating that Bredt submitted retirement paperwork after his Planned Parenthood ties became public and drew scrutiny from lawmakers. According to the report, Bredt had worked for the Texas Medical Board since 2012 and earned $185,000 annually, alongside his part-time work at Planned Parenthood South Texas Laboratory and other private labs. Gloria Allred is big mad at me for getting the Planned Parenthood official fired from his position as Medical Director of the Texas Medical Board. This made my night! pic.twitter.com/fEOCAv35wO Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) October 18, 2025 Bredts exit came amid his slated role as an expert witness in the Texas Medical Boards long-running disciplinary case against Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a Houston ear, nose, and throat specialist. Bowden discovered Bredts employment with the abortion provider while reviewing administrative court documents that cited his qualifications and employment. She subsequently highlighted this fact in her social media posts and public statements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the same day that Allred appeared with Bredt, Bowden faced sanctions for attempting to treat a COVID-19 patient with ivermectin in 2021, a case that has drawn national attention and criticism over its political undertones, DX reported. Bowden criticized the board, saying, For the past four years, the board has relentlessly pursued me, attempting to prove I am a dangerous physician. Despite this lack of evidence, their administrative judges have deemed me dangerous and intend to issue a public reprimand that will remain on my record, The Dallas Express reported when the boards attorneys first proposed the sanction. Bredts attorney, Robert Schmidt, said they are in contact with the governors office and the Texas Medical Board and are considering legal options, per KVUE. The Texas Medical Board did not provide additional comment but confirmed the Medical Director position has been filled since October 1. Bonnie Blue isnt backing down even after being arrested in Bali and her first public comment made that very clear. The 26-year-old adult content creator, whose real name is Tia Billinger, broke her silence after being arrested in Bali on suspicion of violating local morality laws. Her five-word message came as she was... Millions of people across the U.S. felt the effects of Amazon Web Services (AWS) going offline. As AFROTECH previously reported, the global outage on Monday, Oct. 20, disrupted access to websites, apps, and services across sectors. As recovery continues, new details are emerging about just how integral AWS is to everyday digital life. According to CNN, the outage rippled through nearly every aspect of daily routines. People couldnt order coffee through mobile apps, teachers couldnt access lesson plans, and smart home systems like Ring and Blink cameras stopped working. For many, it was more than just an inconvenience. Hospitals also lost key communications tools, and customers at digital banks such as Chime couldnt access their money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shutdown underscored how essential AWS has become to digital infrastructure. The platform provides the behind-the-scenes computing power for millions of businesses, offering storage, servers, and data management tools that keep operations running. Research firm Gartner estimates that AWS holds roughly 37% of the global cloud market, ahead of Microsoft and Google, according to CNN. Additionally, it serves over 4 million customers, per HG Insights. When AWS goes down, the effects ripple quickly. Analysts told CNN that the economic impact of the outage could reach billions of dollars as businesses scramble to stay operational. Jacob Bourne, an analyst at eMarketer, told CNN that the incident exposed a large single point of failure that disrupted everything from warehouse logistics to online transactions. [the disruption] impacts operations at warehouses, deliveries, people being able to sell their goods and services on websites, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ordinary Americans experienced Amazons AWS outage firsthand. In New Albany, Indiana, CNN reports that Debi Doughertys day unraveled one failed transaction at a time. Her Ring camera alerts wouldnt load, her husbands doctor struggled to schedule radiation appointments, and credit card readers at Kohls froze mid-purchase. When she went out to lunch at Cattlemans Roadhouse, the restaurants card system was down as well, as it relied on the AWS-powered Toast point-of-sale system. Cameron Sharp, the general manager of Cattlemans Roadhouses New Albany location, comped the couples meal. Sharp told CNN he was grateful the AWS outage hit on a Monday instead of a busy weekend. If this goes into multiday, or heaven forbid goes into the weekend, were in trouble, he said. Our entire economy is based on e-commerce. Because were so tied together, this is going to screw with a lot of folks, Sharp continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNN also notes that in Houston, business owner Dia Giordano faced disruptions across her restaurant, eight mental health clinics, and several rental properties. DoorDash notifications warned that her online ordering system also run through Toast was down. What that means is one-third of my business is gone for the day, she told CNN. Her clinics couldnt verify insurance information, and Venmo was down, delaying rent payments. Were just kind of playing it by ear, moment by moment, Giordano said. As questions mount, users across the internet are still asking, What caused the AWS outage? and When will Amazon be back up? While Amazon continues its investigation, the full impact of the outage on businesses and consumers remains unclear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post Amazon AWS Outage Halts Apps, Payments, And Online Services Across The US appeared first on AfroTech. The post Amazon AWS Outage Halts Apps, Payments, And Online Services Across The US appeared first on AfroTech. CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) A now-resolved Amazon Web Services cloud software outage is having lingering impacts for South Carolina schools. Although the issue with Amazons cloud computing service was resolved Monday evening, South Carolina schools including Charleston County School District are dealing with after effects. CCSD officials said students have been unable to log onto their district issued Chromebooks due to a problem with ClassLink which manages student logins across the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres who has been impacted by the AWS outage The South Carolina Department of Education and ClassLink are working to resolve the issue for the schools and will continue to update parents over the situation. The outage had significant impacts across popular platforms taking down online services including Snapchat, Robinhood, Roblox, online broker Robinhood and more. AWS provides behind-the-scenes cloud computing infrastructure to some of the worlds most prominent organizations. Its customers include government departments, universities and businesses, including The Associated Press. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 WCBD News 2. A devastating crash of Amazons cloud computer systems triggered the worlds biggest ever internet blackout, according to a web monitoring company. More than 3,900 companies were affected and over 16 million people logged connection problems on Monday when Amazon Web Services (AWS) malfunctioned, according to Downdetector, which monitors websites going offline. The prolonged blackout surpassed a glitch last year involving Metas Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Threads platforms which led to 11 million reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A computer error at Amazons vast data centres on the US East Coast caused chaos on Monday morning, rendering sites and apps such as Lloyds Bank, HMRC and Snapchat unusable. While many of the problems were resolved after around three hours, Amazon said it had not fully resolved the issue until shortly before midnight. Downdetector, the best-known website for monitoring web outages, tracks incidents through a combination of user reports, posts on social media and other signals such as increased visits to the website. It said it had received 1.5 million reports from the UK, the most from any country after the 6.3 million in the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Snapchat received the most offline reports followed by AWS itself, Roblox and Amazon.com. Brent Ellis, a tech analyst at Forrester, said the episode showed how much consumers relied Amazon for internet access. It highlights how concentration risk, a dangerously powerful yet routinely overlooked systemic risk, arises when so many companies across all industries become dependent on a single cloud provider and, more pertinently, a single region covered by that vendor, he said. Theres great appeal to using tech giants but assuming they are too big to fail or inherently resilient is a mistake, with the evidence being the current outage and past ones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the blackout was a record in terms of reports, the disruption was arguably less severe than an IT meltdown last year related to the security company CrowdStrike. The CrowdStrike bug last summer which brought airlines, payment systems and train companies to a standstill led to five million outage reports. The AWS glitch, which the company blamed on a problem with how sites and apps connect to its database system, affected smart home systems such as Ring security alarms, robot vacuums and a smart bed company. Eight Sleep, which sells a 3,000 smart mattress that adjusts temperature and tracks peoples sleep, said it had been affected by the outage. Some customers said they were unable to recline their beds because of the AWS crash. 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 News in Brief Tuesday, October 21, 2025 The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced five participants in a rally on Rustaveli Avenue to administrative detention. Three of those arrested were charged with artificially blocking the road, while two were accused of covering their faces during the demonstration.Activist Nino Beruashvili received a four-day sentence for blocking the road, and journalist Keta Tsitskishvili was sentenced to five days for the same offense. Actor Saba Japaridze and activist Temo Saralidze were both sentenced to six days for covering their faces at the rally, while activist Tamar Totladze received six days for blocking the road.The arrests follow similar actions on October 19, when 14 people were detained on charges of blocking the road and covering their faces. Nine of those detainees were sentenced to administrative detention.Authorities said participants violated the "Law on Assemblies and Manifestations" by artificially blocking the roadway without the required number of participants.Georgian Dream Interior Minister Geka Geladze is on an official visit to Israel, where he met with Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Georgian Interior Ministry said. The ministry released photos of the two ministers during the visit.Geladze is accompanied by a delegation and is visiting Israel following Ben-Gvir's official trip to Georgia in August. During that visit, Ben-Gvir met with senior Georgian Dream officials, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Geladze.During the current visit, Geladze and Ben-Gvir signed a cooperation memorandum aimed at expanding police collaboration between Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Israel's Ministry of National Security. The agreement will cover the exchange of professional experience, enhanced cooperation between migration departments, and collaboration between police academies, the Interior Ministry said."During the bilateral meeting, the ministers discussed current issues of cooperation between the law enforcement agencies," the ministry said. "Particular attention was paid to ongoing and future initiatives aimed at sharing experience and best practices between the two sides."Geladze emphasized the importance of police attaches in strengthening bilateral cooperation and expressed gratitude to Ben-Gvir for "a productive working meeting and for the hospitality," according to the press release. By Utkarsh Shetti and Mike Stone (Reuters) -Aerospace and defense giant RTX raised its full-year profit and revenue forecast on Tuesday, as rising demand for its missiles and aftermarket services bolstered its ability to weather negative fallout from tariffs. Shares of the company rose 6.3% before the bell, as it also beat Wall Street expectations for third-quarter results. U.S. President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive had pushed RTX to slash its profit outlook in July, and the company expects $500 million in tariff costs this year. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, meanwhile, said in August that the Trump administration was considering taking stakes in defense contractors. "We're not having those conversations with the government. What we are having conversations with the government about is their need for increased capacity," RTX Chief Financial Officer Neil Mitchill told Reuters in an interview. STRONG SALES FOR DEFENSE, AVIATION PRODUCTS Raytheon, RTX's defense unit, has seen strong demand as geopolitical tensions have escalated. It reported a 10% rise in sales, predominantly from higher sales for its Patriot air defense systems, which are being used on the battlefield in Ukraine. A shortage of new commercial jets is also driving sales at maintenance and repair service providers like RTX, who are banking on airlines flying older, cost-intensive fleets. RTX, which makes the GTF engines and competes with CFM International, has benefited from booming demand from planemakers as they ramp up production. The company's aerospace and avionics division, Collins Aerospace, posted revenue of $7.62 billion in the quarter, up 8% from a year earlier. Sales at its Pratt and Whitney unit, which produces engines for Airbus A320neo jets, rose 16% to $8.42 billion. RTX now expects its full-year adjusted sales between $86.5 billion and $87 billion, from its previous forecast of between $84.75 billion and $85.5 billion. It also raised its adjusted profit forecast to between $6.10 and $6.20 per share for 2025, from $5.80 to $5.95. The Arlington, Virginia-based company's total revenues rose 12% to $22.48 billion in the third quarter. Analysts on average had expected $21.31 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Its adjusted per-share profit was $1.70, also above expectations of $1.41. (Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Joe Bavier) A growing number of Republican voters support the idea of President Donald Trumps eldest son succeeding him in the White House, according to a new Center Square Voters Voice Poll. More than one in four respondents said they would vote for Donald Trump Jr. if the 2028 Republican presidential primary were held this month, according to the survey. He garnered 26% of the votes, second-most among potential GOP candidates and significantly behind the early favorite. Vice President JD Vance remains the frontrunner to win the GOPs 2028 nomination 38% of Republican respondents said they would support Vance if the primary were held today, while 41% of Independents indicated they would vote for him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance and Trump Jr. were the only candidates to reach double-digit support among Republican respondents (978) and Independent respondents (178) in Center Squares survey. Trump Jr. lobbied hard for his father to select Vance as his 2024 running mate, a move that helped position the former Ohio senator as a leading candidate for the GOP nomination in 2028. I exerted 10,000% of my political capital, Trump Jr. said of his effort in an interview with Tucker Carlson on the night of the election, per the Associated Press. I may get a favor from my father in like, 2076. I used it all. Trump Jr. received far less support among Independent voters than Vance, according to Center Squares poll. While 26% of Republicans backed Trump Jr., only 13% of Independent respondents said the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump Jr., 47, has never held a political office. He has instead operated as a close confidant and advisor through his fathers three presidential campaigns, serving as honorary chair of Trumps presidential transition team following the 2024 election. In January, reporters questioned Trump Jr. about his potential political aspirations during an inauguration weekend event. Oh, God. No, no, no, dont get me into trouble, said Trump Jr., who currently serves as a trustee and executive Vice President of the Trump Organization. We have to worry about this, he added, referring to the start of his fathers second term. Now, we have to govern. We have to win, we have to fight. We have to get it done, we have to deliver on our promises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, during a speaking appearance at Bloombergs Qatar Economic Forum, Trump Jr. appeared more receptive to the idea of trying to succeed his father as commander in chief. I dont know, maybe one day, you know that calling is there, Trump Jr. said I think my father has truly changed the Republican Party. I think its the America First party now, the MAGA party, however you want to look at it. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth presents information during the America250 in Idaho Advisory Council meeting Oct. 21 at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. (Photo by Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun) The America250 in Idaho Advisory Council approved spending $73,882 as it continues to plan and promote patriotic celebrations for July 4, 2026, to honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee, which includes four state legislators, Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, Idaho State Historical Society Executive Director Janet Gallimore and Bank of Idaho President Jeff Newgard, approved the funding requests during its meeting Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. The funding breaks down as follows: $25,000 to promote, market and document events associated with the America250 in Idaho celebrations. $20,882 for America250 Spirit of the U.S. boxes of supplies to be sent to school classrooms across Idaho. $20,000 to continue the America250 in Idaho Advisory Councils work. Specific line item expenses or funding requests were not identified. $8,000 to film and document an Idaho Centennial Trail spur trail horse ride that will culminate in Boise on July 3, 2026. I think the committee is doing a great job, Rep. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow, said in an interview after Tuesdays meeting. I am very excited about the movement that we have made and the progress that we have made. I went to (Washington), D.C., and theres a lot of states out there that had no clue what they were even trying to do and Im going, Weve got it under control out in Idaho. America250 in Idaho celebrations are not subject to Idahos budget holdbacks Altogether, the America250 in Idaho Advisory Council has a little more than $800,000 in state funding to work with, state officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The funding for America250 in Idaho is not subject to the 3% budget cuts that Gov. Brad Little ordered all state agencies other than public schools to make earlier this year in response to revenue shortfalls, state officials said. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US The latest budget documents show the state budget is projected to end the 2026 fiscal year on June 30 with a projected budget deficit of $56.5 million, which would violate the Idaho Constitutions balanced-budget requirement, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. However, before fiscal year 2026 ends in June, Little and the Idaho Legislature have the power to take steps, such as enacting new, additional budget cuts, to prevent a budget deficit from occurring if state revenues do not rebound on their own. Mitchell, who serves as co-chair of the advisory council, said the funding for America250 in Idaho had already been appropriated during the 2024 legislative session and was not subject to this years holdbacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, almost all state agencies including Idaho State Police, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the Idaho Department of Lands, which is responsible for fighting wildfire on state land, are being asked to implement budget cuts of 3% before the end of the current fiscal year 2026 on June 30, which is days before the America250 in Idaho celebrations take place. Idaho Division of Financial Management Administrator Lori Wolff said in a written message Tuesday morning that the approximately $816,000 in state funding for America250 in Idaho was transferred to the office of Ellsworth, the state treasurer. Because she is an elected constitutional officer, Ellsworth was invited to participate in the 3% budget holdbacks, but Little cannot compel her to do so, Wolff said. A review of the treasurers fiscal year 2026 holdbacks did not include a reduction in funding for America250 in Idaho. A look at how the America250 in Idaho Advisory Committee has spent its money so far Financial records presented to the America250 in Idaho Advisory Council on Tuesday show the committee has spent $51,419 on things like logos, celebration videos, park reservation fees for its Sept. 11 kickoff event, billboards, T-shirts, trading cards depicting patriotic Idaho Revolutionary Spud potato dolls, cellophane bags and mailing packages and fees. Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth poses for a photo at the Idaho State Capitol with four Revolutionary Spuddy Buddy dolls that she dressed in custom costumes made by hand. (File photo by Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun) Additionally, the committee previously authorized spending $250,000 on awarding grants to Idaho cities and counties for their own local patriotic America250 celebrations next year and $10,000 on travel expenses associated with America250 in Idaho for Jane Perlaky, a Boise advertising director who is the project coordinator for America250 in Idaho. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of the America250 in Idaho Advisory Committee also considered a request Tuesday to spend $6,000 for Idaho musicians to professionally record a patriotic song commemorating the America250 celebrations, but the proposal died after the motion to approve funding did not receive a second. However, advisory council members said they may reconsider the funding request to record the song in the future. Members of the advisory council expressed enthusiasm for all of the planning and promotion they are doing for the patriotic celebrations. But McGrane and other members of the committee pressed for additional details on several of the funding requests and said they would like to have a better understanding of the overall available budget and the specific funding requests before the day that the advisory committee meets. Weve spent about $350,000, give or take, and rather than me saying give or take, its probably good for us to have an actual number and where that fits in (with the total available budget), McGrane said during Tuesdays meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Funding for the America250 in Idaho celebration was originally awarded to the Idaho State Historical Society, which announced it had awarded grants to nonprofit organizations and arts groups across the state. However, in March, the legislative co-chairs of the America250 in Idaho Advisory Council cancelled 29 of the nonprofit and arts grants the Idaho State Historical Society had awarded and the Idaho Legislature transferred the funding away from the Idaho State Historical Society, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. The America250 in Idaho Advisory Committees two legislative co-chairs, Mitchell and Sen. Ben Adams, R-Nampa, said that instead of providing the arts and nonprofit grants, the Idaho Legislature wanted to be laser focused on throwing patriotic celebrations that are directly tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. After Tuesdays meeting adjourned, Mitchell said the America250 in Idaho Advisory Council is likely to meet again in two months, just before Christmas and the start of the 2026 legislative session, which begins Jan. 12. Additional information about America250 in Idaho is available online. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE President Donald Trump is facing backlash from American ranching groups after he said Sunday that the United States may buy some beef from Argentina in order to bring our beef prices down. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed Tuesday that Trump is in discussions with Argentinawith more details to comethough she claimed that not very much beef would be imported, in part due to a foot-and-mouth disease issue facing Argentina. Or perhaps she made the addendum because of the outrage the Trump administration has been facing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps proposal to take in Argentine beef has stoked fears about depressed domestic beef prices among cattle ranchers and industry groups. And its salt in a fresh wound, as farmers are already displeased with the administrations multibillion-dollar lifeline to Argentina under Trump ally President Javier Mileia move that benefited a major agricultural competitor as American farmers suffer under Trumps trade policies. Farm Action, an agricultural watchdog group, called the plan a betrayal of the American rancher, lamenting that, after crashing the soybean market and gifting Argentina our largest export buyer, [Trump is] now poised to do the same to the cattle market. The National Farmers Union similarly observed that Trump recently bailed out Argentina with $40 billion in U.S. taxpayer-backed aid, and Argentinas response was to strike new deals selling soybeans to Chinadeals that hurt American crop farmers. The last thing we need is to reward them by importing more of their beef. Increasing imports under current rules ultimately benefits foreign suppliers and multinational packers, while putting U.S. ranchers on the losing end and depriving American consumers of honest transparency at the meat counter, said the U.S. Cattlemens Association in a statement, which went on to warn that Trumps approach weakens our industrys foundation and undermines rural America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American Farm Bureau Federation urged Trump to carefully consider the damage importing more beef and cattle from other countries will have as cattle farmers decide whether to invest in rebuilding Americas herds. This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices, said the National Cattlemens Beef Association, which called on Trump to let the market work, rather than intervening in ways that do nothing but harm rural America. When asked by a reporter on Sunday to address U.S. farmers who feel they are being stiffed, Trump grew testy and condescending. Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady, he told the journalist. You dont know anything about it. Having aggrieved major ag groups, the president will need a more convincing answer. About 3 miles from the west suburban immigration processing center that has become a flashpoint for protests in recent weeks, a Cook County judge sat across from a woman who had been arrested there and ordered her to stay away from the Broadview facility. I am not stifling you of your right to protest, said Judge Ralph Meczyk, adding that she can still exercise her First Amendment rights elsewhere. The 28-year-old woman is among the first wave of protesters arrested by state or local agencies to appear in county court after the state stepped in earlier this month in an attempt to help control the large and chaotic demonstrations that have seen federal agents deploy tear gas and other measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, Illinois State Police, the Cook County sheriffs office and the Broadview Police Department have arrested around 70 people at the protests, which have happened periodically since the September launch of Operation Midwest Blitz. The majority of the initial charges have been for resisting arrest, misdemeanors that at least on paper could mean a short amount of time in custody. At least three cases have been filed as low-level felonies. At least four arrests are listed for battery or battery to a police officer, and other charges include disorderly conduct and disobeying a police officer. The majority of the arrests have been made by the Illinois State Police. That fact creates a politically fraught situation for Gov. JB Pritzker, who oversees the state police and has been a vociferous critic of the heavy-handed tactics federal immigration agents have used against demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State police are working with local law enforcement to protect the protesters, who, as youve seen in some of the videos, theyre getting pelted with gas pellets, with rubber bullets, even when theyre not doing anything wrong, Pritzker said earlier this month during an extended interview with the liberal podcast Pod Save America. But protesters and advocacy groups have criticized the role state and local police agencies have played, arguing they have used excessive force on protesters and increased the number of arrests. They allegedly are there to protect protesters and intervene between federal agents and protesters, and so what weve seen happen is now its the Illinois State Police subjecting protesters and legal observers to force and arresting protesters, said Amanda Yarusso, a civil rights attorney and volunteer with National Lawyers Guild Chicago. So its just shifted who is actually perpetrating acts of force. Attorney General Kwame Raoul, though, has defended the need for Illinois law enforcement agencies to establish a unified command to address public safety concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the unified command agencies pushed back on the criticism. In a statement, an Illinois State Police spokesperson pointed out that no chemical agents or rubber bullets have been used since the state got involved and said the purpose of the unified command is to protect the safety of the residents of Illinois. The Cook County sheriffs office said in a statement that the office is working diligently to protect and maintain public safety and noted that people who engage in unlawful activity are subject to arrest. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson in a statement said the villages police officers have demonstrated restraint, compassion and professionalism. Related Articles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It largely remains to be seen how the Cook County states attorneys office will handle the influx of protester cases, as most of those arrested have not yet had an initial appearance. A policy document provided by the states attorneys office, though, sets out guidelines for prosecutors when making decisions in cases that result from First Amendment activity, requiring them to consider factors such as whether a civilian or law enforcement officer was injured, whether a weapon was used and other aggravating or mitigating circumstances, among other issues. Local prosecutors must also recognize that the First Amendment right to free speech is a fundamental right that prohibits government from hindering expression based on subject matter content, the policy says. The law is clear that criminal statutes cannot criminalize speech. However, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute and does not protect against prosecution for criminal conduct. Those arrested are generally cited and released at a police station and given a court date, sometimes a month later. Many of those arrested so far have court dates in November and December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the Cook County states attorneys office said misdemeanors are directly filed by police agencies, while prosecutors are involved with any felony cases. On the federal side, government prosecutors have dropped charges against at least three protesters, including those filed against an Oak Park man with intellectual disabilities who was accused of assaulting federal officers. In the case of the 28-year-old woman who appeared at the countys branch courthouse in Maywood on Monday, she is facing a felony count of criminal damage to property. A police report said she damaged a concrete barrier that was set up in the vicinity of the federal detention center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meczyk denied her request for a public defender, noting that she is employed and not indigent. An assistant states attorney said the office was seeking standard conditions of release, including that she stay away from the site of the arrest. In another case that has gone before a judge, a 34-year-old man is charged with a felony count of aggravated battery to a police officer. According to a report, the man squirted a clear liquid from a water bottle at a state trooper. A University of Chicago professor is also charged with a felony, accused of spitting at a trooper. The National Lawyers Guild Chicago, a group of legal workers that has been monitoring the protests, has called on local and state agencies to reevaluate how they are responding to these demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our Immigration Bulletin newsletter In a press release, the group said that legal observers have seen state police officers clubbing demonstrators with long wooden batons, throwing people to the ground and in one instance, dragging a woman across a concrete barrier and through the street. Of particular concern, Yarusso said, police have been witnessed clubbing people over the head. She also said the free speech zone set up by police has been the subject of confusing dispersal orders by officers, and the limited amount of space offered to protesters poses a risk in itself. Melaney Arnold, a state police spokesperson, said state police leadership has offered to meet with the National Lawyers Guild Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who act illegally by obstructing roadways, disobeying lawful commands, or failing to comply with curfew requirements may face arrest, she said in a statement. Law enforcement officers in Broadview will continue giving loud, clear, consistent, and repeated directions and commands to crowds and provide individuals numerous opportunities to comply with the law. Thompson in the statement called the allegations from the lawyers group unsubstantiated, and said her office has never been contacted about their concerns. We know the difference between genuine advocacy and performative outrage, Thompsons statement said. For more than six weeks Broadview police officers have worked to defend the constitutional rights of protesters and the rights of Broadview residents to live and work in peace, because, unlike the out-of-town protestors who have the privilege to return to calm, undisturbed rest in their communities, Broadview residents do not. In a statement earlier this month, Raoul said the unified command structure was established at the request of the Broadview Police Department to create a safe space for the exercise of First Amendment rights while also protecting businesses and access to nearby roads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raoul said the states involvement in the demonstrations does not violate the Illinois TRUST Act, which prohibits coordination on federal immigration enforcement. In a filing Monday responding to the Trump administrations request for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower courts decision temporarily blocking the deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois, ostensibly to protect federal agents and the ICE facility in Broadview and elsewhere, Raouls office noted that a top ICE official in Chicago contacted the state police days after the unified command was established, praising the effort. The ICE official wrote in an email that it was clear the State Police were the difference maker in this scenario, that ICE was grateful for their leadership, and that he hoped to keep it up for the long-haul, according to the states Supreme Court filing. GREER, S.C. (WSPA) To help federal workers going without pay, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) is hosting a food drive, collecting shelf-stable food and household items. Wednesday will mark three weeks since the government shutdown began, meaning three weeks without a full paycheck for some employees at GSP. It helps between the time until the federal shutdown ends, and they will start getting that pay for the time that theyve worked up until then, said Tiffany Cherry, a spokesperson for GSP. I think, you know, its just one way that we can show the airport community, and our Upstate community can show support for those workers during this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Travelers told 7NEWS federal workers deserve better. If other people arent getting paid, they shouldnt get paid until this is all over with, until its all done because its just not right, said Jamie Ralston. Democrats block bill to end government shutdown for 11th time Theyre not for the people when theyre not giving them their paycheck and telling them they have to come into work, said Eva Navarra. Because how long can that go on before theyll have to go find another job, you know, they have families and children and responsibilities. Federal employees at GSP have continued to work during the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyve continued throughout the government shutdown to show up for our customers and our passengers to keep everything operational and so far, our operations have remained smooth and efficient, explained Cherry. The airport said theyll keep collecting donations until the shutdown is over. Donations can be dropped off at the terminals information center from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and at the valet parking kiosk between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. GSP leaders said collected items will be distributed through a pop-up pantry organized by Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District. The pantry will be open to all federal employees serving GSP, including those from the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and National Weather Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 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. Oct. 20The Rev. Matt Schultz, a pastor at Anchorage First Presbyterian Church, said Monday that he is running for Alaska's U.S. House seat. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Nick Begich, who in 2024 unseated Democrat Mary Peltola. Schultz, a Democrat, said he decided to run to improve access to health care and address the high cost of living, among other issues. "A lot of politicians have spent time demonizing the government and saying how terrible it is, and we gotta kill it with a chain saw. But when it gets down to it, government is people, and it's how we can pull together to do wonderful things like feed people who need help, provide health care to more people in a better way, build highways," Schultz said in an interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schultz, who was raised in rural New York, moved to Alaska in 1997. As a pastor, he has advocated for progressive causes, including alleviating homelessness in Anchorage, addressing food insecurity and raising the minimum wage. He has repeatedly denounced President Donald Trump's agenda. But Schultz said he would not focus on Trump in his campaign. "I'm running for Alaskans, and I'm not running against Donald Trump," Schultz said. "I'm going to be focused on Nick Begich and the seat that Alaska has in the U.S. House of Representatives." Begich was born in Alaska, raised by his maternal grandparents in Florida, and returned to the state as an adult. He is a member of an extended family that includes prominent Alaska Democrats. His uncle Tom Begich is running for governor as a Democrat. His uncle Mark Begich is a Democratic former U.S. senator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Congress, Rep. Begich has closely aligned himself with Trump and his agenda, including by supporting the president's efforts to slash federal spending. Schultz criticized Begich for his votes in favor of the budget reconciliation bill that was passed this year, cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funding. He also criticized Begich's limited availability for town halls and other constituent engagement. Schultz, who has called Anchorage home for all the years he has lived in Alaska, said he planned to travel across the state as part of the campaign. "I'm going to take the planes out and boats out to get to as many different parts of Alaska as I can," Schultz said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Begich a businessman with millions of dollars to his name has spent the past few months fundraising. As of last month, he had $1.5 million in his campaign account. Fundraising to mount a campaign against Begich will be "an uphill climb," Schultz said. "But we love climbing up hills here." In addition to Schultz and Begich, the race already includes candidate John Williams, a registered Democrat from Fairbanks who filed to run in July. Williams has not reported any fundraising since then. ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) The Anderson County Sheriffs Office will host a Womens Safety Seminar Tuesday to show participants how to respond to threats. Theres things in the class that a lot of people dont think about going for the eyes or going for the ears, said Lt. Todd Caron, Anderson County Sheriffs Office. Anderson County Sheriffs Office offers womens self-defense class The Anderson County Sheriffs Office said theyve helped hundreds of women over the years learn how to defend themselves. This comes after an incident nearly five years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A woman was sexually assaulted middle of the day, 3 p.m., and no one really saw what happened. After that, Sheriff McBride kind of wanted to put something together to help women learn about situational awareness and how to be safe out in public, said Caron. Experts taught how to spot a threat in any environment, how to make an attacker afraid of you, and identified mistakes that make you an easy target. Number one mistake is being distracted. If youve got ear buds in and youre looking at your phone, youre blind and deaf, and if youre blind and deaf, thats the perfect prey to a predator, said Caron. The sheriffs office has hosted several of these seminars before and said theyre not trying to scare you; they only want you to be safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Anderson County Sheriffs Office plans to host another safety seminar at the beginning of next year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. NEED TO KNOW Prosecutors have dropped an animal cruelty charge against a Florida man who was accused of tying his dog to a fence as Hurricane Milton approached the state, citing a lack of evidence A spokesperson for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office tells PEOPLE the dog was not intentionally tied to the fence and no ropes or chains were present at the scene The viral incident led to Troopers Law, making it a felony in Florida to abandon dogs during disasters or evacuations Prosecutors have dropped an animal cruelty charge against a Florida man who was accused of tying his dog to a fence as Hurricane Milton approached the state and residents were ordered to evacuate, citing a lack of evidence. Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 24, of Ruskin, Fla., will no longer face trial in November after the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office withdrew the felony charge against him this week, WUFT-FM, Fox 13 and WKRG reported, citing a memo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office tells PEOPLE in a statement that the charge was dropped due to insufficient evidence, including the fact that the dog was not intentionally tied to the fence as initially stated in the arrest report and 911 call from October 2024. "The responding Florida Highway Patrol trooper who bravely saved the dog told us in depositions that the dogs collar appeared stuck to the fence," the spokesperson wrote on Monday, Oct. 20. "There was no rope, chain, or tie present as was originally reported through a 911 call and the original report. That fact is an important factor in the aggravated animal cruelty charge. When we learned that new information, we could not ethically move forward with those charges." On Oct. 9, 2024, troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol said in a post on X that they "rescued a dog left tied to a pole on I-75." The post shows video footage of the dog barking and shaking as floodwaters reached the dog's chest. After the rescue, authorities located its owner, Garcia, and charged him with aggravated animal cruelty, the news outlets reported. FHP Troopers rescued a dog left tied to a pole on I-75 near Bruce B Downs Blvd this morning. Do NOT do this to your pets please pic.twitter.com/8cZJOfkJL2 FHP Tampa (@FHPTampa) October 9, 2024 According to the spokesperson, Garcia never admitted to tying the dog to a fence. In sworn depositions, he said the dog got scared during the evacuation and ran off. Garcia further said the dog became aggressive in the car, prompting him and his mother to pull over. During the chaos, the dog fled, and Garcia said he tried but failed to catch him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The failure to locate the dog who allegedly ran off during an emergency evacuation is not a crime," the spokesperson says of filing a lesser charge of animal abandonment. "We have no witnesses, video, or any other evidence to refute their testimony." 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. After the incident went viral, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill called Troopers Law. It took effect in May 2025 and makes it a third-degree felony to restrain and abandon a dog outdoors during a declared natural disaster or at any time in which a mandatory or voluntary evacuation order is in effect. The dog, named "Trooper," has since been adopted into a new family, according to the Leon County Humane Society. Read the original article on People Sazerac Company is planning to inject over $38m in expanding operations at its US facility in New Albany, Indiana, managed by its subsidiary Northwest Ordinance Distilling. The investment, includes over $35m in new equipment and over $2m in real property improvements, according to a joint statement between Sazerac, Northwest Ordinance Distilling and local economic development firm One Southern Indiana. The expansion will allow production capacity to increase at the Northwest Ordinance Distilling to increase production capacity at the site, "to meet growing demand for its distilled spirits products". New Albany city council has approved the investment after it accepted a local property tax abatement. The project will bring 25 new full-time positions, and will ensure "the continued employment of the companys existing 357 team members in New Albany. Construction and equipment installation are expected to commence later this year. Commenting on the news, Jake Wenz, president and CEO of Sazerac said: As demand for our products continues to grow, this investment will help us better serve our customers while reinforcing our commitment to the New Albany community. Wenz added: Were grateful to the city of New Albany and One Southern Indiana for their ongoing partnership and support, which make growth like this possible. Sazerac's Northwest Ordinance Distilling has been operating in New Albany since 2017. The New Albany site bottles a range of Sazerac's spirits for distribution across the US. According to the group's website, one of those brands is Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Lance Allison, president and CEO of One Southern Indiana said: Sazeracs continued growth in southern Indiana underscores both their confidence in this community and the regions long-term strength as a global hub for manufacturing and logistics. Were proud to support this expansion and the quality jobs it brings to southern Indiana. Earlier this month, Sazerac bought local craft distiller Western Son Vodka and Distillery for an undisclosed sum. Based in Pilot Point, Texas, Western Son produces a range of flavoured vodkas as well as a gin under its namesake brand. The deal sees Sazerac acquire the entire company, including its employees, production capabilities, assets and brands, Sazerac confirmed to Just Drinks. "Sazerac to invest $38m in expansion at Indiana site" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. President Donald Trumps second summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin is off. The White House said Tuesday that the planned meeting in Budapest, announced by Trump just last week after his two-hour phone call with Putin, was no longer in the works after Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call, said a White House official granted anonymity to discuss the plans. Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rapid dissolution of plans for another summit between Trump and Putin just two months after they met in Alaskastemmed again from Russias refusal to budge from its maximalist positions on what it would take for it to halt its war in Ukraine. In a press conference in Moscow Tuesday, Lavrov said he informed Rubio that Russias position that a peace agreement must come before a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine has not changed. And he said he was surprised by a CNN report about disagreement during the call over Russias maximalist demands. I believe American officials have concluded that Russias position has remained largely unchanged over time and remains within the bounds of its initial maximalist demands, Lavrov said. Russia has not altered its positions compared to understandings and prolonged negotiations between Putin and Trump in Alaska. Russia has long called for the elimination of the root causes of the war in Ukraine, claiming that its growing alignment with Europe and desire to join NATO amount to an existential threat. Putin has questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and urged new elections in Ukraine, called for the end of the so-called persecution of Russian speakers and demanded that Ukraine doesnt join NATO. He frequently peppers his speeches on Ukraine with unsubstantiated claims that the country is filled with Nazis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We remain entirely committed to this formula and I confirmed it yesterday in the conversation with Marco Rubio, Lavrov said. Lavrov also questioned how Putin would fly to Budapest, given Polands threat to execute the International Criminal Courts active arrest warrant if Putin flies inside its airspace. Trump walked away from the Alaska meeting without any concessions from the Russian leader, and his claim that Putin wanted to make peace was belied by Russias refusal to engage in direct talks with Ukraine and its ongoing aerial assault on Ukrainian cities. After a phone call with Putin Thursday, Trump announced again that the two leaders made great progress and that they planned to meet in Budapest . A day later, Trump hosted Zelenskyy at the White House but refused to grant his request for U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles to strike deeper into Russia, instead pushing Ukraine to cede more territory for a peace settlement largely on Putins terms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lavrov told reporters Tuesday that Russia rejected the signals coming out of Washington about a desire to end the war along the current battle lines, which Trump has advocated in recent days. The main thing is not the location or the timeframe, but the main thing is how we will proceed on the substance of those matters, Lavrov said. The objectives that we agreed upon and reached a broad understanding in Anchorage. The presidents diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East earlier this month bolstered his own confidence in his peacemaking capabilities and, he and aides had hoped, could generate newfound momentum in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. But the Gaza peace agreement is being tested as new violence has broken out between Israel and Hamas. And Putin continues to make clear that, despite a willingness to engage with the White House, Russia is not interested in ending the war. Trump, who worked closely with Arab and Muslim partners to reach a ceasefire in the Middle East, had been somewhat willing to coordinate his peacemaking efforts in Ukraine with European partners. But many were caught off-guard by his announcement last week that he and Putin had agreed to meet again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One EU official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, called it a reminder of the last person he speaks to theory of Trump, who has at times aligned publicly with the last person hes spoken to. But the lack of any public criticism of Trumps proposed summit from most European leaders also showed a better understanding of how to deal with the president. I would expect visits to Washington [by European leaders] and other coordination to happen very soon, the EU official said. Some European officials were also frustrated by Trumps chosen location of Budapest for the meeting not just because of its tragic symbolism for Ukraine but because Hungary is a member of the EU. European leaders, in a joint statement with Zelenskyy, said they strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiation. But they underlined a core principle that Trump has largely cast aside, adding that "international borders must not be changed by force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelenskyy, in a statement Tuesday, said that he and Trump had agreed at the White House last week on trying to organize a dialogue, on the current contact line The current line can be the beginning of diplomacy. Instead, Russia is again doing everything to jump off diplomacy. Zelenskyy also attributed Russias unwillingness to negotiate to the prospect of the U.S. providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles dimming following his White House meeting Friday. And he took the opportunity to suggest that Trump granting his request the missiles are still on the table, despite the presidents outward reluctance to escalate the conflict or impact U.S. stockpiles could finally push Russia into peace talks. As soon as the issue of long-range [missiles] for us for Ukraine became a little further, then almost automatically Russia became less interested in diplomacy, Zelenskyy continued. This is a signal that this very issue the issue of long-range provides, perhaps, an indispensable key to peace. The more Ukrainian long-range missiles the greater the Russian readiness is to end the war. Veronika Melkozerova contributed to this report. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a statement Tuesday to set the record straight on the companys alignment with the Trump administrations AI policy, responding to what he called a recent uptick in inaccurate claims about Anthropics policy stances. Anthropic is built on a simple principle: AI should be a force for human progress, not peril, Amodei wrote. That means making products that are genuinely useful, speaking honestly about risks and benefits, and working with anyone serious about getting this right. Amodeis response comes after last weeks dogpiling on Anthropic from AI leaders and top members of the Trump administration, including AI czar David Sacks and White House senior policy advisor for AI Sriram Krishnan all accusing the AI giant of stoking fears to damage the industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first hit came from Sacks after Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark shared his hopes and appropriate fears about AI, including that AI is a powerful, mysterious, somewhat unpredictable creature, not a dependable machine thats easily mastered and put to work. Sackss response: Anthropic is running a sophisticated regulatory capture strategy based on fear-mongering. It is principally responsible for the state regulatory frenzy that is damaging the startup ecosystem. California senator Scott Wiener, author of AI safety bill SB 53, defended Anthropic, calling out President Trumps effort to ban states from acting on AI w/o advancing federal protections. Sacks then doubled down, claiming Anthropic was working with Wiener to impose the Lefts vision of AI regulation. Further commentary ensued, with anti-regulation advocates like Groq COO Sunny Madra saying that Anthropic was causing chaos for the entire industry by advocating for a modicum of AI safety measures instead of unfettered innovation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his statement, Amodei said managing the societal impacts of AI should be a matter of policy over politics, and that he believes everyone wants to ensure America secures its lead in AI development while also building tech that benefits the American people. He defended Anthropics alignment with the Trump administration in key areas of AI policy and called out examples of times he personally played ball with the president. For example, Amodei pointed to Anthropics work with the federal government, including the firms offering of Claude to the federal government and Anthropics $200 million agreement with the Department of Defense (which Amodei called the Department of War, echoing Trumps preferred terminology, though the name change requires congressional approval). He also noted that Anthropic publicly praised Trumps AI Action Plan and has been supportive of Trumps efforts to expand energy provision to win the AI race. Despite these shows of cooperation, Anthropic has caught heat from industry peers from stepping outside the Silicon Valley consensus on certain policy issues. The company first drew ire from Silicon Valley-linked officials when it opposed a proposed 10-year ban on state-level AI regulation, a provision that faced widespread bipartisan pushback. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many in Silicon Valley, including leaders at OpenAI, have claimed that state AI regulation would slow down the industry and hand China the lead. Amodei countered that the real risk is that the U.S. continues to fill Chinas data centers with powerful AI chips from Nvidia, adding that Anthropic restricts the sale of its AI services to China-controlled companies despite revenue hits. There are products we will not build and risks we will not take, even if they would make money, Amodei said. Anthropic also fell out of favor with certain power players when it supported Californias SB 53, a light-touch safety bill that requires the largest AI developers to make frontier model safety protocols public. Amodei noted that the bill has a carve-out for companies with annual gross revenue below $500 million, which would exempt most startups from any undue burdens. Some have suggested that we are somehow interested in harming the startup ecosystem, Amodei wrote, referring to Sacks post. Startups are among our most important customers. We work with tens of thousands of startups and partner with hundreds of accelerators and VCs. Claude is powering an entirely new generation of AI-native companies. Damaging that ecosystem makes no sense for us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his statement, Amodei said Anthropic has grown from a $1 billion to $7 billion run-rate over the last nine months while managing to deploy AI thoughtfully and responsibly. Anthropic is committed to constructive engagement on matters of public policy. When we agree, we say so. When we dont, we propose an alternative for consideration, Amodei wrote. We are going to keep being honest and straightforward, and will stand up for the policies we believe are right. The stakes of this technology are too great for us to do otherwise. An organizer for the nationwide No Kings protests is signaling even more to come. Ezra Levin the co-founder of Indivisible, which helped organize the recent rallies against President Donald Trump and his policies told The Bulwark that a third round will be in the future. I guarantee it, Levin said in an interview released Monday. But I do think more importantly is whats directly in front of us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levin pointed to the ongoing federal government shutdown, which stretched into Day 21 on Tuesday. While it remains unclear how long the partisan stalemate will continue, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are set to miss another paycheck in the coming days. We should win the shutdown, and that means bucking up the Dems who are currently fighting back and unified more or less, Levin said. And if they hold up, we should celebrate them. If they fracture, we should hold them accountable, and we should move forward to seeing some new Democratic leadership. He also pushed for wiping the floor in states with upcoming elections, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Demonstrations for No Kings Day took place across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., last Saturday, while Trump and other GOP lawmakers have framed them as Hate America rallies. Organizers estimated that more than 7 million people participated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests drew massive crowds in cities across the country, including across multiple towns in New Jersey. Rallies were held in Atlantic City, Newark, Ocean City, Princeton, Teaneck and other places. Trump slammed the demonstrations as a joke, saying attendees are not representative of this country in comments to reporters on Sunday. He also mocked the protests in several posts on his Truth Social platform, including a video of him dumping feces on liberal influencer Harry Sisson. Im not a king, Trump said. I worked my a-- off to make our country great. Thats all it is. Im not a king at all. Along with other GOP lawmakers, Trump accused liberal billionaire George Soros of funding the protests. Soros, a frequent target of MAGA, has donated for decades to progressive causes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And I looked at all the brand new signs paid... I guess it was paid for by Soros and other radical left lunatics. It looks like it was. Were checking it out, he said. The weekend marked the second round of protests since June after rallies coincided with Trumps 79th birthday and his large military parade for the Armys 250th anniversary. Stories by Rachel Cohen Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is investigating a fatal crash involving a pedestrian that happened on Monday. Officers were dispatched to the area of Wyoming and Lomas boulevards Monday to reports of a crash. Judge rules that victims in DWI dismissal scandal will not receive proceeds from home office sale They say a pedestrian suffered fatal injuries. The APD Fatal Crash Unit is taking over the investigation. News 13 will provide updates as they become 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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Let me be frank: The President of the United States is out of his mind, and nobodys doing a goddamned thing about it. What do I mean? Any number of red flags, really, but in particular right now its the latest five hundred words of blithering lunacy he shared on his bitcoin mining operation social media site Tuesday night. They are not the words of a man elected to lead the worlds most powerful nation. They are, instead, those of a malevolent Don Quixote tilting at a cancer-causing, bird-kill A panel of Ninth Circuit judges has backed President Donald Trumps efforts to deploy National Guard troops in Portland, Oregon, lifting a prior court order blocking the move. The decision, which advanced 2-1, could enable Trump to eventually send troops to the city, even as Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek have stressed theyre not needed. Life: Can The National Guard Detain And Arrest You? Here Are Some Surprising Facts. A second temporary restraining order, however, still remains in effect, notes Susan Graber, the dissenting Ninth Circuit judge in the ruling. That means that any troop deployment could remain on hold until that, too, is lifted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has claimed that the National Guard is required to defend an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, a city hes alleged is war-ravaged and besieged by fires all over the place. Local leaders have vehemently disputed these portrayals and emphasized that protests outside an ICE facility in the city have been largely peaceful and managed by regional law enforcement. Against their wishes, the Trump administration federalized 200 troops in September, while surging other federal agents to Portland as well. Politics: Trump-Appointed Judge In Oregon Could Slow Down His Push For Troops In U.S. Cities Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade the two Ninth Circuit judges who ruled in favor of allowing Trumps actions argued that the president has the authority to send the National Guard based on his analysis of conditions in the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. 12406(3), which authorizes the federalization of the National Guard when the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States, the decision stated. It went on: Even if the President may exaggerate the extent of the problem on social media, this does not change that other facts provide a colorable basis to support the statutory requirements. The judges, both of whom are Trump appointees, suggested that the president may back the deployment based on a broader context of incidents, citing allegations of violence toward ICE agents in Portland. They note, too, that they give great deference to the presidents judgement on the matter. News: Here Are The Priceless Objects That Were Stolen From The Louvre The panels decision stays a prior ruling from District Judge Karin Immergut, also a Trump appointee, who had blocked the administration from sending the National Guard to Portland on the grounds that the action was untethered to facts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Graber, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, issued a fiery dissent with Mondays ruling, citing similar reasons. Given Portland protesters well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits, inflatable frog costumes, or nothing at all when expressing their disagreement with the methods employed by ICE, observers may be tempted to view the majoritys ruling, which accepts the governments characterization of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd, Graber wrote in her response. The Ninth Circuit panels decision comes as Trump has sought to expand his deployments of federal troops to a number of Democratic-led cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis. Life: Legal Expert Warns Latest Military Move Amid Trump's Crackdown Is 'Extremely' Authoritarian His attempt to do so in Chicago has been blocked by an appeals court, prompting the administration to seek intervention from the Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As we have always maintained, President Trump is exercising his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel following violent riots that local leaders have refused to address. This ruling reaffirms that the lower courts ruling was unlawful and incorrect, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement responding to the Ninth Circuit decision. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, meanwhile, said hes pushing for a larger panel of Ninth Circuit judges to review the case, warning of the dangerous precedent this ruling could set. Todays ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification. We are on a dangerous path in America, Rayfield said in a statement. Related... Read the original on HuffPost A federal appeals court panel has backed President Donald Trumps authority to send National Guard troops into Portland, Oregon, concluding that though the presidents claims on social media may exaggerate the violence in the city, he may still have had a valid basis for the deployment. The 2-1 ruling, endorsed by two Trump appointees to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, is the latest win for Trumps effort to deploy the military into cities across the country over the fierce objections of state and local leaders. Trump has cited violence outside immigration facilities as a basis for the deployments, saying it has impeded his ability to enforce the law, but governors and mayors say there has been minimal unrest and Trump is using largely peaceful protests as a pretext to expand his power. The Supreme Court appears poised to resolve the matter. The high court is already considering a similar dispute where a federal appeals court kept in place a block on deployment of the National Guard to the Chicago area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the 9th Circuit panels decision lifts a lower courts order that blocked Trump from federalizing Oregons National Guard troops, the immediate practical impact of the ruling was unclear. Thats because the same lower-court judge, Karin Immergut, issued a second order after Trump moved to send California National Guard troops to Oregon, temporarily prohibiting any use of federalized troops in the state. The administration has not yet appealed that second order, although it said it expected Immergut to lift it if the appeals panel ruled in Trumps favor. In their ruling, 9th Circuit Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade said the level of violence at the Portland immigration facility and other instances at similar sites elsewhere in the country gave Trump a colorable argument that he was unable to enforce federal law. That, along with rebellion or invasion, is one condition that allows a president to federalize National Guard forces. In Portland, protests have endured for months, and the [Portland police have] been either unwilling or unable to respond to the disturbances, the appeals judges wrote. Nelson and Bade said Immergut relied too heavily on Trumps social media commentary calling Portland war ravaged to conclude that his deployment was untethered from reality, noting that the unrest had required a surge of law enforcement from the Federal Protective Service to contain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 9th Circuit panel majority repeatedly cited a similar decision issued by three colleagues permitting Trumps deployment of Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this year. In the ruling, the judges said Trump is owed great deference in determining whether civil unrest reaches a point in which the military may be called in for support. The majority said Immergut used a faulty definition of rebellion in her decision, but the appeals judges did not address whether Trump had a valid claim that such unrest was underway when he sent in the Guard. (They did say they were not endorsing Trumps description of Portland as a war zone.) The appeals panels dissenting judge, Clinton appointee Susan Graber, called the majoritys decision absurd, pleaded with her 9th Circuit colleagues to quickly reverse it and urged the public to retain faith in our judicial system for just a little longer. We have come to expect a dose of political theater in the political branches, drama designed to rally the base or to rile or intimidate political opponents. We also may expect there a measure of bendingsometimes breakingthe truth, Graber wrote. By design of the Founders, the judicial branch stands apart. We rule on facts, not on supposition or conjecture, and certainly not on fabrication or propaganda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Graber emphasized that even though there had been unruly protests in Portland in June, they had largely subsided and by September routinely featured 30 or fewer demonstrators and virtually no violence or requests for local police assistance. A pot of tepid water is not a pot of boiling water, and it cannot hurt you, even if it was boiling three hours earlier, Graber wrote. Finland-based brewer Olvi Group has issued a profit warning amid "uncertain" consumer demand and weak summer sales. The company said today (21 October) it estimates its operating result will be between 80m and 84m ($92.9m to $97.6m) compared to a previous forecast of 82-86m. Last year, Olvi generated an operating result of 81.4m. In a statement, the group pointed to uncertainty related to consumer demand and a "weaker-than-expected summer season", particularly in the Baltic Sea region. Olvi is set to publish its third-quarter results tomorrow. Last month, the company struck a deal to buy Estonian mineral water producer Varska Originaal, an acquisition it said would unlock new growth opportunities in export markets. Olvi also snapped up Bosnia and Herzegovina-based brewery Banjalucka Pivara in September from Altima UK Value Partners. The transaction is pending approval from competition authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026. Olvi, founded in 1878, operates in Finland, the Baltic states, Belarus and Denmark. The companys net sales in 2024 were 657m ($763.5m). According to Olvis website, it has approximately 2,400 employees in six countries. Olvis business is divided into three segments: Finland, the Baltic Sea region (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark) and Belarus. "Soft demand sparks profit warning at Olvi" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. A panel of federal appeals court judges appeared deeply skeptical Tuesday of the Trump administrations effort to detain and deport pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil using an obscure provision of immigration law. A three-judge panel from the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments from government lawyers seeking to overturn a lower courts order releasing Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., from detention in Louisiana and finding that the Trump administrations application of the law was likely unconstitutional. The panel consisted of Judge Thomas Hardiman, appointed by former President George W. Bush; Judge Stephanos Bibas, appointed by President Donald Trump; and Judge Arianna Freeman, appointed by former President Joe Biden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bibas, in particular, scoffed at an argument by a lawyer for the government that the lower-court judge, Michael Farbiarz, didnt have jurisdiction over the case because Khalils lawyers hadnt properly filed a petition for his release in the appropriate district. In the hours following his arrest on March 8, Khalil was moved several times over the course of a weekend, and his lawyers filed the petition in Manhattan based on inaccurate information provided by the government. The government lawyer, Drew Ensign, suggested Khalils lawyers should have waited to file the petition. Theyre dealing with a situation where, you know, immigrants have been spirited out of the country in a matter of a day or two, Bibas said to Ensign. Are they acting unreasonably? After Ensign began to answer, Bibas interrupted him, saying: Im asking, should we adopt a rule that allows the executive to remove someone from the country in 24 to 48 hours and say theres no jurisdiction anywhere until the courts open on Monday, by which time hes on a plane? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bibas continued: If our rule says, wait until the system is updated Monday morning, the executive might spirit the person out of the country over the weekend. Are you asking us to adopt a rule that says when theres a lag in the database thats all on their lawyers and then Monday morning Sayonara, sorry, hes gone? For more than three months earlier this year, Khalil was held in detention in Louisiana after the Trump administration arrested him, invoking a rarely used provision of immigration law that allows the government to deport any noncitizen even a legal resident if the secretary of State determines that the persons continued presence harms U.S. foreign policy interests. In June, Farbiarz, a Biden appointee, blocked the Trump administration from deporting Khalil on foreign policy grounds. Days later, the judge ordered Khalils release after determining that he was not a flight risk or danger to the community. Farbiarz also ruled that continuing to detain Khalil while his immigration case proceeded would have impeded his First Amendment rights. Ensign challenged that finding at Tuesdays hearing, but all three appeals court judges cast doubt on Ensigns arguments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khalils lawyers, meanwhile, argued that Farbiarz had correctly blocked the Trump administration from using the foreign-policy provision. One judge, Hardiman, asked why shouldnt the government have the power to remove people from the country that are harmful to the country? I think the answer is, it has many means to do so, but it cant be based on lawful, protected speech, political particularly core political speech, said Bobby Hodgson, a lawyer for Khalil. And I think to find otherwise, and to find that Mr. Khalil cannot make out a First Amendment claim. Hardiman asked if the argument would be the same if it wasnt core political speech, but instead material support for terrorism. I think that is a different analysis, and reasonably so, Hodgson replied. I think this is the exceptional case where it is about core political speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, an immigration judge in Louisiana ordered Khalil deported to Syria or Algeria based on another rationale the Trump administration tacked on after Khalils arrest in Manhattan: failing to disclose certain information, including some past employment and membership in an organization, on his green card application. Khalils lawyers have said they intend to appeal the deportation order. Dana Rademan Miller, former chief clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives, tells reporters about alleged mistreatment from House speakers after filing a lawsuit in Cole County in May 2024 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). A circuit court judge was correct to dismiss a lawsuit claiming former Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher retaliated against a legislative staffer who reported allegations of misconduct, an appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The reason, Judge Lisa White Hardwick wrote in the unanimous decision, is because Plocher was not former House Clerk Dana Millers supervisor and could not fire her or discipline her for speaking out about his alleged wrongdoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plocher may have believed he had power over Miller, Hardwick wrote, but in reality the most he could do was seek a full House vote to remove her something he never formally attempted. while Plocher may have expressed a desire to supervise, control and remove Miller as chief clerk, the decision said, he had no authority to do so. The lawsuit was filed by Miller last year accusing Plocher of trying to get her removed from her job after she cooperated with a House Ethics Committee investigation into his attempts to steer an $800,000 software contract for the House around the standard bidding process and revelations that he illegally sought taxpayer reimbursement from the legislature for airfare, hotels and other travel costs already paid for by his campaign. Plocher denied any wrongdoing, but the allegations sparked a months-long investigation. Though it was ultimately dismissed, the Republican legislator leading the inquiry said Plocher pressured potential witnesses and used his office to obstruct the committees work. An investigators report released by the ethics committee detailed how some potential witnesses allegedly refused to speak out of fear Plocher would use his power as speaker to retaliate against them, while others did not appear because Plocher decided who the committee could compel to testify. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The speaker and chief clerk of the House are the two officers of the chamber named in the Missouri Constitution. Both are elected by a majority vote as the chamber reorganizes after an election. Miller argued that after she reported what she reasonably believed were violations of the law, rules and/or regulations, and policy; mismanagement; a gross waste of funds; abuse of authority; a waste of public resources; and/or breaches of professional ethical canons, she was subjected to acts of retaliation and threats of disciplinary action directed against her by Plocher. She should be considered a whistleblower, her lawsuit argues, because her decision to report alleged misconduct was the motivating factor in Plocher targeting her for retaliation and threatening her employment. Plochers attorneys asserted that Millers claims to be a whistleblower fell short because Plocher was not her supervisor and was incapable of taking any disciplinary action against her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case was dismissed by a Cole County judge in December. The appeals court upheld the dismissal Tuesday. Plocher had no more authority over Miller than any other House member had over her, Hardwick wrote in the courts decision. Miller retired last year after 31 years in state government, including 23 years as a member of the House staff. She was elected chief clerk in 2018 and held that post under four Republican speakers. Plocher left office last year due to term limits after running unsuccessfully for Missouri secretary of state. He is currently seeking a judicial appointment in St. Louis County. Earlier this year, a developer was shocked by a message that appeared on his personal phone: Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone. I was panicking, Jay Gibson, who asked that we dont use his real name over fears of retaliation, told TechCrunch. Gibson, who until recently built surveillance technologies for Western government hacking tools maker Trenchant, may be the first documented case of someone who builds exploits and spyware being themselves targeted with spyware. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What the hell is going on? I really didnt know what to think of it, said Gibson, adding that he turned off his phone and put it away on that day, March 5. I went immediately to buy a new phone. I called my dad. It was a mess. It was a huge mess. At Trenchant, Gibson worked on developing iOS zero-days, meaning finding vulnerabilities and developing tools capable of exploiting them that are not known to the vendor who makes the affected hardware or software, such as Apple. I have mixed feelings of how pathetic this is, and then extreme fear because once things hit this level, you never know whats going to happen, he told TechCrunch. But the ex-Trenchant employee may not be the only exploit developer targeted with spyware. According to three sources who have direct knowledge of these cases, there have been other spyware and exploit developers in the last few months who have received notifications from Apple alerting them that they were targeted with spyware. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apple did not respond to a request for comment from TechCrunch. Contact Us Do you have more information about the alleged leak of Trenchant hacking tools? Or about this developers story? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram, Keybase and Wire @lorenzofb, or by email. The targeting of Gibsons iPhone shows that the proliferation of zero-days and spyware is starting to ensnare more types of victims. Spyware and zero-day makers have historically claimed their tools are only deployed by vetted government customers against criminals and terrorists. But for the past decade, researchers at the University of Torontos digital rights group Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and other organizations have found dozens of cases where governments used these tools to target dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders, and political rivals all over the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The closest public cases of security researchers being targeted by hackers happened in 2021 and 2023, when North Korean government hackers were caught targeting security researchers working in vulnerability research and development. Suspect in leak investigation Two days after receiving the Apple threat notification, Gibson contacted a forensic expert who has extensive experience investigating spyware attacks. After performing an initial analysis of Gibsons phone, the expert did not find any signs of infection, but still recommended a deeper forensic analysis of the exploit developers phone. A forensic analysis would have entailed sending the expert a complete backup of the device, something Gibson said he was not comfortable with. Recent cases are getting tougher forensically, and some we find nothing on. It may also be that the attack was not actually fully sent after the initial stages, we dont know, the expert told TechCrunch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without a full forensic analysis of Gibsons phone, ideally one where investigators found traces of the spyware and who made it, its impossible to know why he was targeted or who targeted him. But Gibson told TechCrunch that he believes the threat notification he received from Apple is connected to the circumstances of his departure from Trenchant, where he claims the company designated him as a scapegoat for a damaging leak of internal tools. Apple sends out threat notifications specifically for when it has evidence that a person was targeted by a mercenary spyware attack. This kind of surveillance technology is often invisibly and remotely planted on someones phone without their knowledge by exploiting vulnerabilities in the phones software, exploits that can be worth millions of dollars and can take months to develop. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies typically have the legal authority to deploy spyware on targets, not the spyware makers themselves. Sara Banda, a spokesperson for Trenchants parent company L3Harris, declined to comment for this story when reached by TechCrunch before publication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A month before he received Apples threat notification, when Gibson was still working at Trenchant, he said he was invited to go to the companys London office for a team-building event. When Gibson arrived on February 3, he was immediately summoned into a meeting room to speak via video call with Peter Williams, Trenchants then-general manager who was known inside the company as Doogie. (In 2018, defense contractor L3Harris acquired zero-day makers Azimuth and Linchpin Labs, two sister startups that merged to become Trenchant.) Williams told Gibson the company suspected he was double employed and was thus suspending him. All of Gibsons work devices would be confiscated and analyzed as part of an internal investigation into the allegations. Williams could not be reached for comment. I was in shock. I didnt really know how to react because I couldnt really believe what I was hearing, said Gibson, who explained that a Trenchant IT employee then went to his apartment to pick up his company-issued equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around two weeks later, Gibson said Williams called and told him that following the investigation, the company was firing him and offering him a settlement agreement and payment. Gibson said Williams declined to explain what the forensic analysis of his devices had found, and essentially told him he had no choice but to sign the agreement and depart the company. Feeling like he had no alternative, Gibson said he went along with the offer and signed. Gibson told TechCrunch he later heard from former colleagues that Trenchant suspected he had leaked some unknown vulnerabilities in Googles Chrome browser, tools that Trenchant had developed. Gibson, and three former colleagues of his, however, told TechCrunch he did not have access to Trenchants Chrome zero-days, given that he was part of the team exclusively developing iOS zero-days and spyware. Trenchant teams only have strictly compartmentalized access to tools related to the platforms they are working on, the people said. I know I was a scapegoat. I wasnt guilty. Its very simple, said Gibson. I didnt do absolutely anything other than working my ass off for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The story of the accusations against Gibson and his subsequent suspension and firing was independently corroborated by three former Trenchant employees with knowledge. Two of the other former Trenchant employees said they knew details of Gibsons London trip and were aware of suspected leaks of sensitive company tools. All of them asked not to be named but believe Trenchant got it wrong. On Tuesday, on Oct. 21, 2025, Gov. Dan McKees administration announced the first wave of housing development programs funded by the $120 million bond approved by Rhode Island voters in November 2024. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Nearly a year after Rhode Island voters overwhelmingly approved the largest housing bond in state history, applications are now open for communities and developers looking to access these funds. Gov. Dan McKees administration on Tuesday announced programs that make up the first wave of proceeds funded by the $120 million bond approved by more than two-thirds of Rhode Island voters in November 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first wave will make available $81 million, consisting of $9 million toward infrastructure and engineering costs, $66 million for programs administered by RIHousing, and $6 million to repair homes. These bond investments we are announcing today are crucial levers to support our continued economic development, McKee said at a State House press conference. The Housing Infrastructure Program provides up to $8 million for municipalities and developers to offset the cost of essential infrastructure such as water and sewer connections a common complaint local leaders have when large-scale projects have been proposed in their towns. The deadline for applications is Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving. The other program, Municipal Infrastructure Design Initiative FY26, offers up to $1 million to help municipalities with architectural and engineering. The application deadline is Dec. 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Municipalities cannot shift already tight local budgets to upgrade water mains, expand sewer capacity, or replace storm drains to support hundreds of new housing units, Randy Rossi, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, told reporters. On Thursday, the McKee administration will open up an additional $66 million in bond money along with other state and federal funds that will be administered through five different programs by RIHousing, the quasi-governmental agency that finances affordable home construction across the state. That money includes: Up to $12 million to support a new set-aside for the development of small-scale permanent supportive housing with wraparound services for households needing additional support to maintain stable housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Up to $12 million toward rental developments running from five to 30 units Up to $27 million to extend a flexible funding program focused on supporting the production of new affordable rental developments $5 million toward preserving and rehabilitating existing affordable homes. An additional $5 million will come from the RIHousing Affordable Trust. $10 million to redevelop foreclosed, blighted, or vacant properties On Nov. 15, the McKee administration will open applications for a $6 million statewide home repair program run by the Providence Revolving Fund. Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard said many voucher holders struggle to find apartments because small landlords often cant afford to bring their units up to federal standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are confident these set-asides will open up new opportunities for housing production, Goddard told reporters. Collectively, these programs, totaling $81 million will create and preserve thousands of homes. A second wave of programs for the remaining $39 million from the bond issue will launch in the coming months, McKee said. That will include $10 million set aside for public development, meaning the state will be responsible for building new housing on land that it already owns. Its an idea that Goddard hasnt been fully sold on in the past, previously telling Rhode Island Current shes not clear on the value of the public entity taking on development risk. Instead, the plan is to partner with housing authorities at the local level, she affirmed in an interview Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the states Executive Office of Housing plans to allocate $5 million in bond money toward providing nonprofits a line of credit in order to acquire sites theyve identified for new affordable homes. They often dont have the deep pockets to compete with others, Goddard told Rhode Island Current. If they see something they want to put a down payment on, they dont have to come to me or RIHousing for a vote or anything. This program still needs an administrator, which the state on Tuesday began the search for through a request for proposals. Submissions are due Nov. 19, 2025. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Following an investigation, the suspect will be brought before the court for a remand hearing, as well as a request by relevant authorities that he undergo a medical evaluation. A 40-year-old resident of Taiba was arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing two horses belonging to his brother, Israel Police announced on Sunday. The man fled the farm shortly after, according to a report received by the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The motive of the incident is currently under investigation. After conducting a search, police located the suspect as he was attempting to leave Taiba. He was arrested and taken into custody for questioning. Following an investigation, the suspect will be brought before the court for a remand hearing, as well as a request by relevant authorities that he undergo a medical evaluation. Arab crime continues to rise According to the Abraham Initiatives, crime in Arab communities continues to rise, as some 156 Arab citizens have been killed in crime-related incidents since the beginning of 2025, marking a 13% increase compared to the same period last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Half of the victims were young people. In 2024, the homicide rate among Arab citizens was more than 14 times higher than among Jews, with 220 killings compared to 58. In 2023, a record 244 Arab citizens were killed, the highest annual figure ever recorded. Shootings are no longer the only threat. Explosives have become a frequent method in attacks, even in residential areas. Families report being caught in cycles of extortion, revenge, and fear. Despite repeated calls for action, many community leaders argue that the state response remains inadequate. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) and Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D) sued on Tuesday to force House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to finally swear her in formally. Grijalva was elected to replace her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D), on September 23, and still hasnt been sworn in nearly a month later. While running, she vowed to be the last member needed to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. The lawsuit tracks Speaker Johnsons inconsistent reasoning for refusing to seat Grijalva. After initially saying he would swear her in as soon as she wants, he quickly pivoted to saying he wouldnt do it until the House is back in session, linking it to the government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suit also takes a jab at one of Johnsons short-lived excuses for delaying the ceremony; he pointed to the delay in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-CA) swearing in of Rep. Julia Letlow (R-VA), which happened about a month after her election. The suit points out that Pelosi had contacted Letlow to ascertain her preferred date. But, on information and belief, then-Speaker Pelosi communicated with Dr. Letlow immediately after the election, and the swearing in was scheduled at a time convenient for all parties, said a footnote. Ms. Grijalva would be delighted if Speaker Johnson would contact her to commit to a mutually agreeable time, as Speaker Pelosi did for Dr. Letlow. Mayes and Grijalva request a declaratory judgment from the court saying that if Johnson wont administer the oath, it can be administered by any person authorized by law to administer oaths under the law of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the State of Arizona. For the past few weeks, Grijalva was not sworn in during several pro forma sessions in the House, despite an intense push from Democrats. House Democrats tried to raise the issue multiple times on the House floor, but Republicans refused to recognize them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson swore in two Republicans during a pro forma session earlier this year. Earlier this month, Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) confronted Johnson in front of his office about the delay. Gallego accused Johnson of wanting to cover up for pedophiles on the Epstein list during the heated exchange. Johnson pushed back, saying it has nothing to do with Epstein. This is an excuse so she doesnt sign on to that, Gallego said. This is absurd, Johnson responded, adding: This is a publicity stunt. Read the lawsuit here. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday for failing to seat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva. In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, Mayes asks the court to compel Johnson to swear in Grijalva or allow her to be sworn in by someone else. "Constitutional rights cannot be used as a bargaining chip," Mayes wrote in the filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a letter to Johnson last week, Mayes threatened legal action against the speaker if he did not move to seat Grijalva by the end of the week. Johnson called the lawsuit "patently absurd" and accused Grijalva of suing him to attract "national publicity." "We run the House. She has no jurisdiction. Were following the precedent," Johnson told reporters Tuesday. Grivalja won a Sept. 23 special election in Arizonas 7th Congressional District to replace her late father, former Rep. Raul Grijalva. Her win came just days after Johnson sent the House home on Sept. 19 amid a standoff over funding the government, and he has refused to bring the lower chamber back as he looks to jam the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat, has accused Johnson of slow-walking her swearing-in ceremony because she has vowed to sign on to an effort to force a vote on legislation related to releasing files about the investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson has repeatedly vowed to swear Grijalva in once the Senate votes to reopen the government. He also criticized the representative-elect for doing TikTok videos instead of serving her constituents at a Monday press conference. But Grijalva has said her districts office has not had access to funds or resources to provide constituent services for nearly a month. There is so much that cannot be done until I'm sworn in, she said at a joint press conference with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday. So every moment that passes that I'm not able to provide constituent services or be a voice for Arizona, I cannot bring the issues forward that they sent me here to do. Aaron Pellish contributed to this report. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva on Tuesday sued the U.S. House in federal court in Washington, D.C. for its delay in swearing the Arizona Democrat into office. Mayes, a Democrat, argued she acted because House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., "refuses to do his job" in seating Grijalva, who was elected to Arizona's 7th Congressional District in a September special election to succeed her late father. "For weeks, the speaker has stonewalled, delayed and twisted himself into knots trying to justify what is, at its core, a brazen act of voter disenfranchisement," Mayes wrote for MSNBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson has said that Grijalva will be seated once the government reopens from its nearly four-week shutdown, although there is nothing preventing the speaker from calling the House back into session now. Grijalva is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. "I am grateful to Attorney General Mayes for her support in fighting for the voices of more than 800,000 Arizonans who are currently being silenced by Speaker Johnson," Grijalva told MSNBC. Arizona will not beg for its full representation in Congress, Mayes wrote in an MSNBC op-ed after filing the lawsuit. We will not sit quietly while 813,000 Arizonans are treated as second-class citizens. Arizonas right to full representation in Congress is not up for debate, and it is not a pawn for Johnson to use as leverage in his shutdown fight with Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayes added that Grijalvas constituents are being taxed without representation. Johnson told reporters on Friday that any potential legal action against him is a publicity stunt by a Democrat attorney general in Arizona who sees a national moment and wants to call me out, adding that she has nothing whatsoever to do with whats happening in Congress. The Department of Justice typically represents the federal government in lawsuits against the House. David Super, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University, noted that Congress can use its own lawyers if its interests differ from the department Nonetheless, he said: I am sure Speaker Johnson is perfectly comfortable with being represented by the Justice Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Super called Grijalvas situation unusual, explaining that while its a longstanding tradition for the speaker to swear in new members, there could be a circumstance in which a judge authorizes someone else to do it. Courts do, however, prefer not to involve themselves in the inner workings of other branches of government, he said. Grijalva, Mayes and others have pointed out that Republican Florida Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine were sworn in almost immediately after they were elected in April during a pro forma session a brief, procedural meeting in which no official legislative business is conducted. The decision to seat right-wing Republicans with record speed, while denying a newly elected Democrat the opportunity to serve is an unacceptable disgrace, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote last week in a letter to Johnson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some Democrats speculate Johnson is delaying things because Grijalva would be the last signature on a petition that would force a House vote to release files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which Johnson has denied. And its not just the Epstein petition thats been put on pause. Grijalva said her current status as a member-elect means she can only enter the Capitol as a tourist and that she has not been allocated a budget. She also has not been able to access her work computer because she does not have the proper passwords. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Photo via Getty Images The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature want to appeal a federal judges decision striking from state law a requirement for transgender people to undergo sexual reassignment surgery before they can change the gender markers on their birth certificates. Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Steve Montenegro on Monday asked a federal court for permission to intervene in the case, in place of Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, who they said had not made a decision on whether to appeal and had not answered their questions about whether she would. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislators argued that time was running out to file an appeal, and that they are tasked with defending the states laws, and should be allowed to do so in court if the attorney general doesnt. Arizonas laws are not optional, Montenegro said in a statement. When a federal court rewrites a statute, the Legislature has a duty to defend it. If the Attorney General wont defend Arizonas laws, we will. The ruling now opens the door for anyone to change the sex marker on a birth certificate with just a doctors note, erasing decades of statute and undermining the integrity of vital records. On Sept. 30, Arizona District Court Judge James Soto permanently struck the word operation from an Arizona law that required people to go through a sex change operation before they can be issued a new birth certificate that aligns with their gender identity. He ordered the Arizona Department of Health Services to comply with his order within 120 days and allow transgender people born in Arizona to obtain an amended birth certificate, as long as they get a recommendation from a doctor. This means a trans person who wants to obtain an amended birth certificate could go through a social transition by changing their name, the way they dress and their pronouns, along with possible hormonal treatment, without a requirement of a surgical operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montenegro and Petersen said in a Monday statement that they had attempted several times since Sotos decision to find out whether Mayes, who defended the law in previous proceedings, planned to appeal, but she kept saying that she hadnt decided. Mayes declined to comment for this article. So, the lawmakers requested that the court give them permission to file an appeal instead. They also asked the appeals court to block the implementation of Sotos decision until their appeal is decided. Petersen and Montenegro argued that they should be able to defend the law in Mayes place because Legislative Leaders have a crucial interest bestowed by the people of Arizona through their elected representatives in the Legislature in defending the constitutionality of state statutes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their request to the court, the Republicans argued that Sotos decision made a dramatic departure from a state law that, for more than 50 years, required a sex change operation to change gender markers on a birth certificate. Defending the law would actually be a new tactic for Montenegro and Petersen. In June, they asked the judge to strike down the entire law barring anyone from changing the gender on their birth certificate instead of removing the word operation. In response, Soto wrote that it was clearly the legislatures intent, at the time the law was passed, to allow people to change the gender on their birth certificates, so striking the law completely would undermine the legislature. And had he done so, it would have rewritten state law to do what legislation that Montenegro and Petersen both supported earlier this year would have done: bar amendments to birth certificates. Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petersen and Montenegro argued in their motion on Monday that Sotos decision was based on a view of legislative intent that differed dramatically from the Legislative Leaders understanding of the intent of the legislators when writing the law. Soto had argued that if legislators at the time hadnt wanted anyone to be able to change their gender markers, they wouldnt have passed the law in the first place. Additionally he pointed out that the current legislators intent isnt necessarily the same as the intent when the law was first passed, long before either of them were elected to the legislature. They also argued that a stay of Sotos order directing the state to begin issuing amended certificates without surgery would cause irreparable harm to the state. Without a stay, the Courts order will force (the Arizona Department of Health Services) to issue amended birth certificates to individuals who were not eligible for amended birth certificates under the original statute, they wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petersen and Montenegro said that would cause the state irreparable harm because then the state would have no way of revoking the birth certificates that were issued, if the lawmakers win their appeal. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The State of Arizona sued the House of Representatives on Tuesday over Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to not swear in Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva until after the government shutdown ends. "This case is about whether someone duly elected to the House -- who indisputably meets the constitutional qualifications of the office -- may be denied her rightful office simply because the Speaker has decided to keep the House out of 'regular session,'" the lawsuit states. "If the Speaker were granted that authority, he could thwart the peoples' choice of who should represent them in Congress by denying them representation for a significant portion of the two-year term provided by the Constitution." Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23 in Arizonas 7th District to succeed her father, the late Rep. Raul Grijalva who died in March, four days after Johnson dismissed lawmakers following House passage of the clean continuing resolution to fund the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaker Johnson continues to resist swearing in Democratic Rep.-elect Grijalva While the question has followed the speaker throughout the shutdown, Johnson has shrugged off the delay, denying that his decision is related to Grijalva's intent to become the 218 signature on a discharge petition forcing a vote to release the Department of Justice's full Jeffrey Epstein file. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters - PHOTO: Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva attends a press event highlighting her delayed swearing in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 15, 2025. The lawsuit comes after Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes demanded in a letter sent last week that Johnson swear in Grijalva. The AG is leading the lawsuit, which was filed in the District of Columbia. In a statement posted on X, Grijalva wrote: "@AZAGMayes and I are going to court to ensure that 800,000+ Arizonans in AZ-07 are no longer silenced. @SpeakerJohnsons obstruction has gone far beyond petty partisan politics -- it's an unlawful breach of our Constitution and the democratic process." Johnson has repeatedly said he will not swear in Grijalva until the government is reopened. ABC News' John Parkinson contributed to this report. Starwood Capital Group has reportedly received approval to operate from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), marking a significant expansion for the alternative asset manager. Starwood Capital (DIFC) Limited received the authorisation on 17 October, as per a document accessed by Bloomberg. The firm is currently in the process of hiring personnel in the Gulf region and may consider deploying capital there. This region is a vital source of capital for large alternative asset managers, with the UAE's sovereign wealth funds and high-net-worth investors being key contributors. As political leaders in the region are looking for inward investment, there is increasing pressure on firms raising capital to also consider deploying it locally. Dubai's property market is experiencing a boom, attracting high earners with its low taxes. International investors, including Brookfield Asset Management, are actively participating by constructing and selling office towers, acquiring warehouses, and planning high-end homes. This environment presents opportunities for firms like Starwood Capital to expand their operations, reported the media outlet. Starwood Capital, with a portfolio exceeding $120bn in assets under management and a workforce of 7,000 employees, operates from 18 offices across the globe. While its presence is established in major cities such as Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, and Tokyo, the company has yet to enter the Gulf region. However, its recent move to establish a base in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) signifies its inaugural venture into this rapidly growing market. Founded by billionaire CEO Barry Sternlicht in 1991, Starwood Capital has been increasing its investments in data centres. This year, the firm raised $2.8bn for its real estate debt funds in the US, Europe, and Australia. In June, it led a group of investors in the $7bn privatisation of Hong Kong-listed warehouse operator ESR Group. "Starwood Capital gets approval for operation from DIFC-report" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. A Tuesday court filing shows that Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is now being sued over both of the special elections she scheduled. The filing is a lawsuit by the Democratic Party of Arkansas against the governor and Secretary of State Cole Jester. The suit was filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court regarding the District 70 special election. Decision pending in Arkansas Sen. Gary Stubblefield special election lawsuit Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parties to the lawsuit, alongside the Democratic Party, are residents of District 70, including Democrat Cordelia Smith-Johnson, a candidate for the District 70 seat. The seat was vacated by Republic Carlton Wing on Sept. 30, who resigned to become the head of Arkansas PBS. The governor set the special election primary on March 3, 2026, followed by the election itself on June 9, 2026. These are the exact dates for the Arkansas Senate District 26 election for the seat once held by the late Sen. Gary Stubblefield. A District 26 resident is also suing Sanders and Jester for the extended timeline. Gov. Sanders moves up special election date amid backlash Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District 26 includes Franklin County, where a proposed and controversial prison plan has been presented by the governor, but was opposed by Sen. Stubblefield. In both cases, the special election dates are after the legislatures fiscal session, scheduled to begin April 8, and well outside the 150 days mandated in Arkansas law. The governor stated in a news release that the dates were chosen to provide value and security for Arkansas voters. Arkansas Democratic Party head Marcus Jones stated that the lawsuit was a question of whether District 70 residents were being represented in the Arkansas House, arguing that the governor was breaking the law by scheduling the election so far in advance. Jones invited Republicans to join the DPA in the lawsuit, as it was non-partisan and concerned with representation in the legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arkansas Sen. King calls out Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders for special election delay, Stealing representation District 70 has a history of very narrow elections, with Wing winning the most recent contest by 286 votes, 7,541 to 7,255 for the Democratic challenger. The district encompasses a large portion of Camp Robinson to the north and west, extending east to the Indian Hills and Village East areas above North Little Rock. Gov. Sanders office stated the lawsuit that paralleled her response to the District 26 suit. Following conversations with election officials, the Governor decided that lining up the District 70 special election with the District 26 special election is just common sense, saves taxpayer dollars, and ensures the election is free, fair, and secure, she said. The Arkansas Democratic Party along with four codefendants is filing a lawsuit against Gov. @SarahHuckabee over the timing of the special election for House District 70. Party members say the suit is being filed because she is neglecting her statutory duty. pic.twitter.com/zXyLVUMWWw Mike Rogers (@MikeRogers_News) October 21, 2025 A spokesperson for Attorney General Tim Griffin said the office is reviewing the suit and will vigorously defend Governor Sanders and Secretary Jester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democratic Party is asking the Court to order us to violate both state and federal law, Jester said in a statement. Instead, we will always follow the law and expect a full victory. Arkansas elections must be the fairest and most secure in the country, and we will not settle for less. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Cordelia Smith-Johnson (left) says "hard-working taxpayers are being silenced" because a special election for House District 70 won't be held until after the 2026 legislative fiscal session. She and retired Col. Marcus Jones, chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, speak at a press conference Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo by Sonny Albarado/Arkansas Advocate) The Democratic Party of Arkansas filed a lawsuit against the governor Tuesday seeking an earlier date for the House District 70 special election. The HD 70 seat became vacant last month after North Little Rock Republican Rep. Carlton Wing resigned to become the new executive director and CEO of Arkansas PBS. On Oct. 10, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders scheduled special primary and general elections for March 3 and June 9, 2026, respectively, to select a new representative for the district, which includes portions of Pulaski County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dates are the same as the Senate District 26 special election, which is being challenged in a separate lawsuit. A Pulaski County circuit judge who held a hearing in that case last week said she would rule quickly. Sam Dubke, a Sanders spokesperson, issued a statement Tuesday saying the governor, in consultation with election officials, decided that lining up the District 70 special election with the District 26 special election is just common sense, saves taxpayer dollars, and ensures the election is free, fair, and secure. Arkansas Democrats argued in their petition, filed Tuesday in Pulaski County Circuit Court, that the election timeline leaves District 70 voters without representation during the legislative fiscal session that begins on April 8, 2026. They asked the court to direct Sanders to schedule the special election on March 3. Refusing to fill this seat, violating state statute and leaving those Arkansans without representation is simply wrong, retired Col. Marcus Jones, the chair of the state Democratic Party, said at a press conference Tuesday in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse. This suit is how we hold the governor and secretary of state accountable to the 30,000 Arkansans that live in House District 70. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit says the proclamation issued by Sanders setting the special election dates is unlawful, exceeds her constitutional and statutory powers, and fails to discharge her mandatory duty to set a special election for House District 70. Since the focus of the Fiscal Session is how to spend the peoples tax dollars, the Proclamation imposes taxation without representation, the complaint states. Four registered voters in District 70 are plaintiffs in the case Cordelia Smith-Johnson, Scott Perkins, Janie Ginocchio and Julie Rhodes. Sherwood resident Smith-Johnson is also an announced candidate for the Democratic nomination in the special election. Ginocchio and Perkins are co-founders of a public policy and legislative analysis blog, Arkansas Bill Tracker. Plaintiffs are being represented by Kutak Rock LLP. Sanders and Secretary of State Cole Jester are the named defendants in the case. Right now voters are being denied a say in our state budget and denied representation in our statehouse. Good, hardworking taxpayers are being stymied, and thats a problem, Smith-Johnson said at Tuesdays press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones criticized Republicans who rubberstamp Sanders legislative agenda but said the lawsuit is nonpartisan. He called on Republican Party of Arkansas Chair Joseph Wood and any Republican candidates in the District 70 race to join in the lawsuit. Im calling on you to do the right thing to advocate for all citizens in House District 70, Jones said. Be on the right side of history. Democrats are trying to cause chaos in a race they cant win because Arkansans continue to reject their radical ideas, Wood said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. The RPA looks forward to a Republican winning big in District 70 as we continue our fight to take Arkansas to the top. State law requires a special election to be held within 150 days unless it is impractical or unduly burdensome to do so, which Sanders said it would be in her proclamation. The governor made the same argument last month when selecting dates for a special election to fill the Senate District 26 seat left vacant by the death of Branch Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield. After bipartisan criticism, Sanders revised the SD 26 special election to March 3 and June 9, the same dates she later selected for the HD 70 special election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of the 17 special elections that have been called between 2011 and 2022, nine were scheduled more than 150 days after the seat became vacant, that includes a 2014 election that was never officially scheduled because the new term would have expired four days after the special election. Stubblefields and Wings special elections are scheduled for 130 days and 102 days after the 150-day mark, respectively. The average number of days after the 150-day mark for the other occasions since 2011 is about 25 days, according to an unpublished Senate memo. Senate District 26 includes parts of Franklin County where the state has proposed building a 3,000-bed prison. Lawmakers are expected to vote on funding for the controversial project during next years fiscal session. Construction is expected to cost $825 million, according to preliminary estimates. Stubblefield was a vocal opponent of the prison and voted against a $750 million appropriations bill that failed five times during the 2025 legislative session. Editor-in-chief Sonny Albarado contributed to this report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Officials with the Arkansas Department of Health and other agencies are planning public events for National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The week runs from Oct. 19 to 25 this year. It aims to highlight how parents and caregivers can reduce childhood lead exposure and prevent its serious health effects. Cinnamon recall expands to 16 brands with elevated lead levels ADH officials stated that the agency is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in this awareness-raising initiative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three events are planned in Little Rock, where ADH staff will be present to provide information on lead exposure. Friday, October 24: City of Little Rock Employee Health Fair, Little Rock, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, October 30: Big Boo!seum Bash, Witt Stephens Jr. Nature Center, Little Rock, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, November 1: Vestido Rojo, Gujarati Samaj of Arkansas (GSA), Little Rock, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Officials explained that lead has been banned from use in paint and gasoline since the 1970s, after it was determined that lead exposure, especially in children, can lead to brain and nervous system issues. Pregnant women can also be harmed by lead exposure, leading to premature births, smaller babies and even miscarriages. People told to destroy toys sold nationwide due to lead risk: CPSC Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even a small amount can have a profound impact, officials said. They pointed to homes constructed before 1978, when lead-based paint was used, as a source of lead poisoning. They referred to an ADH website that provides information on lead abatement companies and personnel, including those who can test for lead in the home. Lead abatement should only be left to licensed professionals, ADH officials said. Officials added that water in older homes can be contaminated due to the use of lead in the solder used to join plumbing pipes. The EPA has information on lead in drinking water. Some protein powders, shakes contain high lead levels, report suggests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information, contact the Arkansas Lead-Based Paint program at 501-671-1472 or the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Soon, Army counterintelligence officials expect to have new authorities to search, execute warrants and make arrests off-post for national security or terrorism investigations. The new law allows all Army civilian [counterintelligence] agents to conduct searches, to execute warrants and to make arrests off of the installation, because thats where the majority of our people live today, Lt. Gen. Anthony Hale, the Armys deputy chief of staff for intelligence, said at the Association of the U.S. Armys annual conference in Washington, D.C., last week. The rules would bring Army counterintelligence agents in line with off-base enforcement rules that cover other military investigators who focus on criminal cases, like the Armys Criminal Investigation Division, or the Air Forces Office of Special Investigations, or OSI. The Army Counterintelligence Command was stood up in 2021 with a one-star general at the helm and has nearly 3,000 counterintelligence agents, both civilians or soldiers. The new authorities are specific to the commands civilian agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new authorities will give counterintelligence agents the ability to investigate soldiers suspected of helping adversaries gain access to classified systems, selling secret military information on weapon systems, or attempting to take part in mass casualty events. For instance, the authorities will give agents the ability to independently run forensics on a device to find information that would be part of the investigation which would lead to the potential arrest, Hale said. Top Stories This Week News Captain of ship at center of Navy SEAL drownings sentenced to 40 years By Drew F. Lawrence News One Marine killed, another injured in helicopter crash By Nicholas Slayton News Army now planning campusstyle dining at up to 10 large bases By Patty Nieberg Its to enable protection of the Army and we will do it in any space that is out there, said Scott Grovatt, regional Special Agent in Charge at Army Counterintelligence Command. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since most of the personnel under investigation by the Army Counterintelligence Command live off base, the Army previously needed to partner with outside law enforcement authorities like the FBI or Army Criminal Investigation Division, CID to issue warrants or make arrests. With the new authorities, the command can do that independently. The authority will also apply to digital investigations, similar to how FBI agents are allowed to go undercover in online chatrooms or social media spaces to thwart or entrap potential national security threats. We will have the full power, just like other federal authorities to investigate, arrest and prosecute in any venue or any platform that the adversary shows up on, Grovatt said. The new authorities for Army counterintelligence agents were written into US Code section 7377 by Congress in the fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill. A Congressional bill summary said the authority was previously only given to special agents from the Armys CID, Air Force OSI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the counterintelligence command was stood up, agents have been part of 25 arrests and carried out more than 650 national security investigations. The Army also has its counterintelligence agents supporting the U.S.-Mexico border mission as well as U.S. Northern Command, officials said. Get Task & Purpose in your inbox Sign up for Task & Purpose Today to get the latest in military news each morning. Sign Up By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. We really wanted to expand authorities to enable agents to get after the adversary quickly, where they worked every day, and most importantly, we needed to unify the effort of our counterintelligence force across the Army enterprise, Col. Richard Dempsey, the commands deputy said at AUSA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the commands most publicized cases was that of Sgt. Korbein Schultz, a soldier who told foreign contacts he wished he could be Jason Bourne as he sold secret documents on the HIMARS missile system, the F-22 fighter and the HH-60W, the Air Forces newest combat rescue helicopter. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to charges of conspiracy and transmitting secret military information that resulted from a joint FBI and Army Counterintelligence Command investigation. Other recent cases include a National Guard soldier accused of attempting to sell 3-D printed weapons to an undercover agent they believed was part of al-Qaida; a Fort Bliss, Texas, specialist charged with allegedly trying to provide the Russian government with sensitive information on M1A2 Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles; and a former National Guardsman accused of attempting to carry out a mass shooting at a U.S. military base in Warren, Michigan. The new authorities still have to go through a few more checks. Adam Lowe, a spokesperson for the Army Counterintelligence Command said that theyve received an endorsement by the Secretary of the Army and are awaiting one from the Secretary of Defense. Hale said the command is waiting on final approvals from the U.S. Attorney Generals office, which they expect to come before the end of 2025. A U.S. soldier from Burlington County died during a training exercise in Hohenfels, Germany, Saturday, according to a statement from the Army. Sgt. Terell Seales, 34, of Florence, was killed Oct. 18, in a vehicle accident during training exercises at Joint Multinational Readiness Center, the statement said. Seales was a motor transport operator with the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team Strike, in the 101st Airborne Division. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sgt. Seales was an exceptional leader and soldier who inspired others to give their very best, said Col. Duke Reim, commander of the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team. Seales death is currently under investigation and the military is in contact with Seales family, according to the statement. After joining the Army in 2021, Germany was Seales second deployment, following his deployment to Lithuania in 2023, according to the statement. In 2024, he was stationed at Fort Campbell after serving at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Drum, New York, the statement said. Seales received two Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Matthew Enuco Stories by Matthew Enuco Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The majority of ground combat vehicles used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are not ready to take part in missions due to a lack of maintenance and shortages of spare parts, warns a congressional watchdog. Vehicles that regularly fail to meet their expected standards of readiness include 18 key types of combat and support vehicles used by both services, including the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Armored Personnel Carrier, Stryker Combat Vehicle, Abrams Tank, Light Armored Vehicle, Assault Amphibious Vehicle and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, among others, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last month. Over the last decade, both the Army and the Marines have seen their vehicle combat readiness kneecapped by a combination of industry challenges, reductions in vehicle overhauls and lack of available skilled technicians, GAO found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Industry challenges include diminishing supplies, long lead times in production, lack of available manufacturers and strains on single-source suppliers, the watchdog noted. Concurrently, manufacturing costs have gone up. From fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2024, both services significantly reduced the number of vehicle overhauls, according to the report. The Army experienced the largest decline, reducing the amount of maintenance overhauls performed in its depots from 1,278 in fiscal 2015 to only 12 in fiscal 2024, according to the report. The Marines during that same time period dropped their overhauls from 725 to 163. A senior Army official stated that the Army accepted the risk from the decision to reduce funding for overhauls, the report noted. However, despite the decline in performed maintenance, spending has remained high, with both services reported to have spent over $2.5 billion in fiscal 2023 on depot maintenance of ground vehicles, according to GAO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Armys maintenance cuts have, in turn, resulted in a loss of skilled workers who have had to seek other jobs, with the Bradley program being particularly affected. According to Army officials, diminished depot workload has led to higher turnover among experienced personnel, resulting in some gaps in needed skills, according to the report. Moreover, the lack of available technical data has hindered the Armys attempts to conduct in-house repairs on some vehicles, according to the report, with Army technicians in some cases having to rely on drawings from the 1960s to guide them. Army technicians have had to send repair work on the Abrams, Bradley and Stryker vehicles back to the original manufacturers due to a lack of technical information about the vehicles accessible at Army depots. None of the Army vehicles surveyed by GAO met their mission availability standards in fiscal 2024, the watchdog noted. The Marine Corps, by contrast, demonstrated that three vehicles the Light Armored Vehicle, Logistics Vehicle System Replacement and Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement were at or above an 80% mission capability rate last fiscal year, as the Marines have maintained overhaul programs for these vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demands for maintenance continue, as depots must cope with the need for unexpected vehicle repairs, GAO said. Additionally, demands on industry have increased, as both services are aiming to maintain new vehicle components while simultaneously seeking parts to ensure combat viability for existing systems. More recently fielded types of vehicles also face parts and materiel challenges because they are competing with vehicles currently being produced for the same components, the report stated. For example, both services officials reported that their JLTVs [Joint Light Tactical Vehicles] are competing for the same parts and materiel as the manufacturer producing new JLTVs. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Arkansas Attorney General announced Monday that three of seven people from the Mid-South were arrested for committing Medicaid fraud. On Oct. 3, Kimberly Rios, 39, of West Memphis, Ark. was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud. Attorney General Tim Griffin said she submitted claims for in-home personal care services that, according to location data, were not provided as reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Records showed that Rios was not at or near the clients residences she claimed to have provided services. She improperly billed Medicaid $15,436.80. On Oct. 16, Brandi Davis, 40, of Trumann, Ark., was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud, a Class B felony, and one count of Medicaid fraud, a Class A felony. Neighbors shaken after apparent task force arrest in Memphis According to reports, Davis worked as a caregiver and administrative employee. As a caregiver, Davis allegedly used different numbers to manipulate the telephonic verification system to clock in and out falsely. The attorney general said Davis also conspired with families of Medicaid beneficiaries to split proceeds from fraudulent billing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports said Davis created a fake employee profile for her son and assisted him in billing for services he never provided. On Oct. 16, Crystal Garcia, 39, was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud. According to the release, Garcia worked with a caregiver to help fraudulently bill Medicaid in return for kickbacks. High-risk fugitive arrested by task force, as crime drops in city The attorney general said Garcia arranged the exchange of money and helped legitimize false claims by confirming details about the care her children were allegedly receiving. Four other people were also arrested by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit: Cassidy Baldridge, Tanzania Terrell, Kelly Baxter, and Latonya Jackson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant totaling $4,685,736 for the Federal fiscal year of 2025, of which $3,514,304 is federally funded. The release said the remaining 25%, totaling $1,171,432 for State Fiscal Year 2025, is funded by Arkansas General Revenue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A state-led arson investigation is underway after a fire heavily damaged a 129-year-old church on Monday night in Johnson County, Missouri. The Johnson County Fire Protection District said crews were sent to a fire at the Leeton United Methodist Church at about 9:15 p.m. Monday. Responders said heavy smoke and flames were coming from the church when they arrived. Probation ordered after guilty pleas in 2024 Independence child death Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to JCFPD, fire crews from Johnson County and Warrensburg fought the fire for nearly three hours. The church is known as a historic cornerstone of the town since it was built in 1896, the fire department. After a joint investigation by the Missouri State Fire Marshals Office and local law enforcement, officials confirmed the fire was intentionally set. A formal arson investigation has since begun. Leeton United Methodist Church after intentional fire on Oct. 20, 2025 Leeton United Methodist Church after intentional fire on Oct. 20, 2025 Leeton United Methodist Church after intentional fire on Oct. 20, 2025 Leeton United Methodist Church after intentional fire on Oct. 20, 2025 According to a spokesperson for the Johnson County, MO, Sheriffs Office, two juveniles have been identified as suspects. Because of their ages, their identities will not be released. Its heartbreaking to see a place that has stood for generations be deliberately set on fire, JCFPD Captain Joe Jennings said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This church isnt just a building; its part of the history and identity of Leeton. Seeing it damaged in this way is difficult for the entire community. FOX4 crews saw Leeton police going door-to-door in the neighborhood near the church. An officer asked if neighbors had security camera video. Jacob Wilson moved next door to the church just recently and is shocked someone would set fire to it. Pretty scary, Wilson said. I thought it would be a safe location, small town, especially being between two churches. Definitely caught off guard to that. The church posted to its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon, thanking the first responders and talking about the importance of the beloved building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the 129-year-old building suffered significant damage, we are deeply grateful that it still stands and that some meaningful items were able to be saved, the Facebook post read. Missouri news: Headlines from St. Louis, Jefferson City and across the Show-Me State Very sad, its 129 years old, Debbi Bodenhamer said. Several friends and family have went to this church. Theyve provided several meals for homeless families. Theyve helped out so much. Bodenhamer lives a couple blocks down from Leeton United Methodist Church. [Im] thankful that crews were able to respond quickly and there are somethings I think will be salvageable, Mayor Taylor Elwell said. Not sure if the building is salvageable entirely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elwell said theres significant damage to the structure of the building. While its hurtful and painful right now, we also know that the church is more than just a building, Elwell said. So, well get through this and figure out a path forward for the congregation. The church offers monthly meal outreach where they deliver free food to people in the community or invite people to the church. We hope thats been helpful to the folks weve served, Elwell said. Now, theyre on the receiving end of support. Elwell said hes grateful, noting several churches and organizations have reached out to help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a community thats encouraging to see at a time of deviation and loss, regardless of backgrounds and beliefs. It feels a little different to be on the receiving end at this point, but we appreciate that nonetheless. Captain Jennings hopes anyone with information will come forward. Someone knows something, Jennings said. Were asking the public to do the right thing and help bring whoever is responsible to justice. No tip is too small. If you have information, call the Missouri Arson Hotline at 1-800-392-7766. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. INDIANOLA, Iowa Artifacts have officially returned to the National Balloon Museum in Indianola for the first time after a fire in early 2024. On Friday, a truck carrying 25,000 pounds of inventory arrived at the museum. It was the first of two shipments bringing artifacts back to the museum from a Michigan facility where they were cleaned and restored. Museum officials are now finally able to see the artifacts in person and can determine which ones can go back on display. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Report: Finding $1,000 apartments difficult in major US cities, Des Moines bucks trend Operations manager, Kendra Minks, said 350 items were returned in this shipment. She said she is relieved they are finally back in Indianola. The museum doesnt have an accurate count for how many items were destroyed in the fire because they didnt have a sophisticated inventory system, according to Minks. This is something she is now changing. Minks said museum officials will spend the next several months logging all of their inventory into a new database. We did not lose nearly as much as what could have been lost because we had more soot damage and no flames. So we didnt have the heat damage or water damage, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 10 volunteers helped unload the truck on Friday, including Becky Wigeland, who is now retired but was a curator for the museum. She helped organize the exhibits before the fire. We really need to get them back and get this place open because so many people are interested in it, and they want to make sure that its still going to be a bona fide museum. And so you can never know. And theres a lot of history and theres a lot of things that need to be put back together, said Wigeland. Fire damages West Des Moines house converted to apartments; residents escape safely Another truck will arrive in Indianola on Friday, October 24th, with the remaining artifacts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The museum is looking for more volunteers to help unload the truck. To sign up as a volunteer, click here. This comes after the museum welcomed back visitors for the first time since the fire over the summer. While the museum remains closed, it hosted the United States Ballooning Hall of Fame in July. Minks is projecting the museum will reopen in time for the next Balloon Classic in July 2026. Iowa news 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 who13.com. ZURICH (Reuters) -Swiss exports to the United States rebounded sharply in September, with pharmaceutical companies ramping up their shipments ahead of the introduction of U.S. tariffs, government data showed on Tuesday. Total nominal Swiss exports to the United States leapt by nearly 43% last month in seasonally adjusted terms compared to the previous month, the figures showed. Overall, Swiss exports were up 3.4% in September. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 39% tariffs on Switzerland in August, triggering a sharp drop in Swiss exports to the United States that month. Pharmaceutical companies were, however, exempted from the initial U.S. duties. In late September, Trump said he would from October 1 impose a 100% tariff on imports of branded or patented pharmaceutical products, unless a pharmaceutical company is building a manufacturing plant in the United States. Major Swiss pharma companies such as Roche and Novartis indicated they did not expect those U.S. measures to apply to them because of their expansion plans in the country. Adjusted for seasonal swings, total Swiss exports of chemical and pharmaceutical products jumped in September by 5.1% in nominal terms compared to the previous month. That category accounts for more than half of all Swiss goods exports. (Writing by Dave Graham, editing by John Revill) Arizona State University met with White House officials last Friday to discuss a proposal that could provide access to future federal funds. The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education intends to offer certain schools preferential federal funding. In exchange, the school will need to agree to the conditions set by the Trump White House. That includes eliminating race and sex from admissions decisions, accepting the federal governments definition of a man and woman and ensuring institutional neutrality on campus, among other terms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration initially asked nine high-ranking universities to consider this proposal and give their decision by Oct 20. Ahead of this deadline, Trump officials asked three more universities Arizona State University, the University of Kansas and Washington University in St. Louis to consider the compact and spoke with the representatives from these schools. What is going on with ASU and U of A? These latest additions come as the federal government tackles a wave of rejection for the Trump White Houses political priorities. In response to its latest meeting with the White House, ASU told Arizonas Family that it has a legacy of being a voice for change in higher education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As President Donald Trumps team seeks new and innovative approaches to serve the needs of the country, ASU has engaged in dialogue and offered ideas about how to do so, the statement added. Its unclear whether ASU will sign on to the proposal. The University of Arizona, which was on the initial list, rejected the proposal on Monday. A federal research funding system based on anything other than merit would weaken the worlds preeminent engine for innovation, advancement of technology and solutions to many of our nations most profound challenges, the statement from university president Suresh Garimella said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We seek no special treatment and believe in our ability to compete for federally funded research strictly on merit. Schools reject Trumps compact agreement The initial list of schools that received the compact letter included Vanderbilt University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas, Brown University and University of Virginia. Most of these schools rejected the Trump White Houses compact plan for higher education. Trump wrote on social media earlier this month that much of Higher Education has lost its ,and is now corrupting our youth and society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology. Institutions that want to quickly return to the pursuit of Truth and Achievement were invited to enter into a forward looking Agreement with the Federal Government to help bring about the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education, he wrote shortly after MIT became the first school to reject the proposal. MONTGOMERY If you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. That's one of the driving forces shaping the manner in which Dr. Sam Atassi has lived his life and practiced his chosen vocation. On Thursday, a usual lunchtime walk of Atassi's at Montgomery General Hospital had a pleasant interlude. Opening the door after traversing a set of stairs into the hospital's main lobby, Atassi was surprised to run upon a crowd of well-wishers. They had gathered at the hospital for a special ceremony recognizing Atassi's selection by the West Virginia Rural Health Association as the WV Outstanding Rural Health Provider of the Year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saying he was "very much surprised," Atassi said Thursday he was acting on orders. "I take a walk every day at lunch, so they told me to come in and take a walk," he said. Remaining active physically is "important for balance, and you lead by example," said Atassi, a Charleston resident. "You tell your patients to be active, so I think it's very important that you lead by example." The award for top rural health care provider will be presented during the WVRHA's 33rd annual West Virginia Rural Health Conference, which will occur Nov. 1214 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Huntington. According to www.wvrha.org, the theme for the largest annual gathering of rural health professionals in the state will be "Building Bridges: Amplifying Rural Perspectives in Health Care." "It's nice to be recognized, and it's nice to know that all the effort that you've put on for 30 years really paid some dividends," Atassi said. "When the community recognizes you, and when the medical community in general also recognizes you as one of the top physicians and providers, I think it's very fulfilling." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Debbie Hill, president and CEO of Montgomery General Healthcare System, says Atassi is an excellent choice for the honor. "Specifically, one of his nurse practitioners said 'I want to nominate him because he serves so many patients in so many capacities in this community,'" Hill said, adding, "He's made such an impact on rural health care. He's a big advocate for healhy eating and exercising. He's a cyclist. He's always been very active as part of healthy eating and exercise, a perfect example for his patients on those things." "We're very fortunate that he still practices with us," she added. "He is much deserving of this award. "The Montgomery community we're serving the base of Nicholas County, part of Clay County, part of Kanawha County as well as Fayette are blessed with what he's brought to us for the past 35 years." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As he's served his patients and the community, Atassi said his approach has been straightforward. "Do your best. Be honest, have empathy and sympathy with people. That's the most important thing for me." While admittedly "truly humbled and thankful" to receive the distinction, he said, "Hopefully, I can always be a good example for providers that will follow me." The label health care provider encompasses many and not just one, Atassi stressed. "When I say providers, I don't mean just physicians," he said. Others such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners and other associated individuals collectively are also "crucial" in the delivery of health care services. "And, I want to emphasize that." Hill said Atassi has been wonderful for the Montgomery community over the years. While seeing internal medicine patients locally for years in his own practice with other partners, she said Atassi more recently transitioned into joining the hospital staff roster in a full capacity. "About five years ago, he decided to become a hospital employee, because that's the trend with a lot of physicians, especially in rural areas," she said. "So, he transitioned into our rural health clinic." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "During that time, he's also been the medical director of both of our longterm care units and taken care of over 100 longterm care patients every month," Hill added. "He is also director of our sleep medicine center, and he's actually won awards for his work in sleep medicine. He does our nuclear medicine readings for us. And, he was chief of staff for years, and finally gave that up this year (as he) decided it was time for a new regime to get involved because he's working toward semi-retirement." He also has been a member of the National Guard "and has been very active," Hill said, "especially when the medical team has to be pulled in. "Of course, we all have to thank him for the service to the U.S. military. Anybody that takes the time out of a busy career and a busy family life to do that, that's also something that shows what he is made of. It shows his character." Atassi is a major with the West Virginia Air National Guard, 130th Airlift Wing as part of the medical team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While retirement in some form may loom, Hill said she expects Atassi to remain "actively involved with the nursing home and the sleep lab and other things in the hospital. We'll see him a little less, but he's not going anywhere." The administrator said that Atassi, too, has been "a great advocate" for the hospital on medical administrative issues. "He's very careful in his thought process, because he knows if we make a decision today, what's the impact for patients, staff, the community, the medical staff and what does it look like for us in five years if we make this decision." Heather Tolley, the nurse practitioner for New River Health's Smithers location, said she has learned much from Atassi over the years. "I started working in his office when I was 14 or 15 (as a Valley High student) and then I worked there until I was like 23 or 24" performing clerical duties, filing and other tasks. "They were really behind on filing and the office manager knew me and asked if I wanted to come work there, and I just kept going," said Tolley. "I kind of already knew that's what I wanted to do, and I was like, yeah, I want this job." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Dr. Atassi and his wife both have been super supportive" and have constantly engaged with her over the years in exploring various health care concepts, she said. "I just saw what he did for the people that live here, and that's what I wanted to be able to do." Saying she was happy for Atassi to be honored, Tolley praised the doctor's efforts to "allow patients to get services here close to home instead of going to Charleston or Beckley. He's been great for our community and has provided great services for a lot of people here." Peering into the future, Atassi says rural health care delivery and availability must still be emphasized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In general for rural health care, it's access," he said. "As you know, there is the possibility that some of the rural facilities will be closing, and I think access to health care and to providers and so on that are willing to be in rural areas, especially when facilities are closing (will be critical). That's what worries me." It should remain a priority that "patients don't have to drive an hour to get to a health care facility," he said. "Thirty years ago I came to (Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill) from Chicago to stay a year," Atassi recalled. He worked locally as well as in Williamson, Ky. before making the shift to Montgomery. "So, I'm familiar with rural medicine, not just in Montgomery but throughout the two states, in Kentucky and West Virginia," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Atassi graduated from Damascus University in 1989 (medical school) and did his residency training at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Ill. He has been on staff with Montgomery General Hospital since 1994, and is board certified in internal medicine and sleep medicine. He was in private practice from July 1994 until December 2021 before joining MGH Physician's Clinic in January 2022. He is also a clinical assistant professor with the WVU School of Medicine. "He's been very innovative with us to help us figure out how we transition from this sick-based model to a wellness-based model, and more things being done in the home," Hill said of Atassi. "For instance, (with) sleep medicine there's a change that's happened over the past few years where more patients now actually start their sleep study in their home. Then, based on the outcome of that, they often have to come in and have the true overnight one. "He is very progressive; he keeps up with what are the trends in wellness and in disease management to make sure we're following the trends that the CAMCs and the WVU Hospitals are, because we're held to the same standard, and somebody like him brings that knowledge to us." Hill said Atassi has been a "huge asset" to the MGH administration. "Montgomery and the entire service area is very blessed that he has been here with us for the past (30-plus) years, and we look forward to whatever he offers us through the future." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's not one person, it's really all of us," Atassi told the assembled crowd Thursday. "So, I'm very, very honored to be amongst you. Thank you for this. I'm truly humbled." Of Montgomery General Hospital, he says simply, "This is home." Email: skeenan@register-herald.com Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, state Rep. Inga Willis and former state Sen. Jason Esteves gathered with members of the Atlanta Board of Education and the local legislative delegation to urge voters to approve tax relief for the citys seniors. At the Tuesday news conference, Dickens and co. urged voters to approve a homestead exemption for those 65 years or older, keeping them from paying taxes to the City of Atlanta Independent School District. Willis said the Act 358 would be a way to provide relief and cut through anxiety for Atlanta residents. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] There was a conversation we had had what can we do together to push for some sort of relief? How can we cut through the times that breed anxiety for so many of our citizens, with uncertainty. We know that things are tough, we know that things are hard. But for our seniors, who should be in the most comfortable and comforted moment in their lives, I believe that this is a step in the right direction, Willis said. We are asking you to help us give our seniors relief. In order to do that, we need you to turn out like youve never turned out before. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The exemption would allow seniors who qualify to claim $50,000 less for assessed values on their homesteads. According to Esteves at the briefing, the measure would provide relief to seniors. Atlanta city officials said it would save seniors up to $1,000 on their property taxes each year. [Act 358] will provide up to $1,000 for seniors, 65 and up, and that is on top of any other exemptions that seniors may have, Esteves said at the briefing. Ive seen how in this city, seniors are struggling. Ive also seen across the state how we are driving the seniors into bankruptcy and not providing them the support that they need. Atlanta is an example of how we can stand up and support our seniors thats what this legislation is all about, and Im proud to be standing up here with the city, with state officials, and with School Board officials to get it done So to my fellow Atlantans: I need yall to vote yes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Esteves, before resigning from the state senate to campaign for a chance to be Georgias next governor, authored the version of this legislation in the state Senate, which would allow this exemption with voter approval. With just weeks until the measure is voted upon in November, Dickens, Esteves, Willis and other advocates are urging voters to provide that relief to the citys seniors. For Dickens, its also a way to give back to those who made Atlanta what it is, providing relief to the seniors living on fixed incomes or struggling with rising costs. These are residents who have spent a lifetime building something [and] it will simply be unconscionable for them to lose it or for us to allow them to lose it. And so many of our working class families homes are passed on from one generation to the next its how we start to build generational wealth, Dickens said at the briefing. Atlanta voters recognize how important this is, and Im confident they will join us in standing with our seniors. The people who helped build this city must be able to continue to call it home, so were asking you to vote yes were asking you to vote yes for Act 358. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] August 2025 marked the 80th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Just a month after the attacks, on 19 October 1945, George Orwell published an essay in the London Tribune, entitled You and the Atom Bomb. In it, he surmised what if the great nations make a tacit agreement never to use the atomic bomb against one another? He wrote that what would emerge is a peace that is no peace, and a permanent state of cold war, introducing an enduring metaphor that would define geopolitics for decades. In the essay, Orwell also predicted nuclear proliferation: The bomb is fantastically expensive and that its manufacture demands an enormous industrial effort, such as only three or four countries in the world are capable of making. Indeed, all five permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations (UN), which was also established 80 years ago, have now obtained the bomb, the USSR being the second in 1949. Since then, its threat has shaped and justified global conflict. Both Iraq and Iran have been accused of seeking the bomb, but instead of diplomatic non-proliferation, the US and Israel have, in both cases, used armed force to prevent these nations from obtaining nuclear weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the reasons the UN approved the 1991 Gulf War was the existence of intelligence that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program. In 2003, the US and UK attempted to get the UN to approve a similar war to dismantle Iraqs alleged nuclear weapons based on flawed intelligence that had been plagiarised from my very own University of Oxford thesis. In June 2025, Israel attacked Iran for allegedly seeking a nuclear weapon, also on the basis of intelligence reports. The world held its breath during the ensuing 12-day war, which could all too easily have escalated into nuclear conflict. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) may allow a nation or terrorist group to build an atomic bomb in ways that Orwells contemporaries the likes of Einstein and Oppenheimer could have never envisioned. Leer mas: 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds': who was atom bomb pioneer Robert Oppenheimer? Novels and the Cold War In 1949, just four years after You and the Atom Bomb, Orwells novel 1984 was published. It is a dystopian novel that foreshadows the Cold War he had predicted in 1945, with three fictional geopolitical blocs Oceania (North America and Britain), Eurasia (USSR and Europe), and Eastasia (China and its neighbours) forming a series of ever-shifting alliances to control the Disputed territories. The first edition cover of George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). Michael Kennard The novel was prescient it written before the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) and the Warsaw Pact, and before terms such as the First, Second and Third World had taken root. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, it was his contemporary, WWII British Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming, who used the novel to predict a different facet of 21st century power dynamics. In his wildly successful James Bond novels (and their even more popular film adaptations), the greatest threat to global security is not national governments like the USSR, but super-powerful individual actors, such as criminal mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld and the scientist Dr No. In recent decades, Flemings vision of concentrated individual power as the nexus of geopolitical threat has materialised time and time again. In 2001, Osama bin Laden ushered in the 20-year Global War on Terror. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch holds inordinate power over international politics, swaying elections and major votes like the 2016 Brexit vote. It was Elon Musk, not NASA, who created a space program and provided internet to Ukraine after the 2022 Russian invasion, giving SpaceX power not seen since the days of the British East India Company. Leer mas: Murdoch to Musk: how global media power has shifted from the moguls to the big tech bros Atomic AI and dirty bombs The path to obtaining a nuclear weapon has not changed much since Hiroshima, though AI might make it easier for states that seek atomic bombs. Advances in AI may also make it easier for a terrorist group to produce and detonate a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material, causing psychological and economic disruption, otherwise known as a dirty bomb. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orwells writing exposes the hypocrisy of this term, as he forces us to ask whether it means that regular nuclear weapons are, by default, clean bombs. Nevertheless, for all the fear of an improvised, terrorist dirty bomb attack, the dirtiest are those covered with depleted uranium (DU), which are widely used by Western military forces. DU was initially produced 80 years ago as a waste by-product of uranium enrichment during the Manhattan Project. Its scientists discovered that it could be used to create armour-piercing weapons. These were used by the US and UK during both the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War. They still contaminate the soil, leading to cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses. Today, Ukraine not only suffers from the continuing fallout of Chernobyl both it and Russia have been using these weapons since 2022. Fake news in 1945 While AI has supercharged what we typically think of as Orwellian surveillance states like those depicted in 1984 Orwell also wrote about how technology allowed for misinformation. In 1944, he questioned fake reports of non-existent German air raids over Britain which were broadcast on Nazi radio, and highlighted their value as propaganda in the event of a potential German victory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, 80 years on, the same thing is still happening. In June 2025, during the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran, AI-fabricated deepfake videos showed nuclear mushroom clouds detonating over destroyed Iranian atomic facilities. Some argue today that the Cold War between Washington and Moscow never ended, giving Orwells metaphor an enduring legacy. Nevertheless, US writer and political commentator Walter Lippman is generally credited for inventing the term in 1947, proving Orwells assertion from the novel 1984: He who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past. Este articulo fue publicado originalmente en The Conversation, un sitio de noticias sin fines de lucro dedicado a compartir ideas de expertos academicos. Lee mas: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ibrahim Al-Marashi no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoria, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiacion de ninguna compania u organizacion que pueda obtener beneficio de este articulo, y ha declarado carecer de vinculos relevantes mas alla del cargo academico citado. A court on Tuesday sentenced the man who attacked Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico nearly a year and a half ago to 21 years in prison for terrorism. The verdict is not yet legally binding and can be appealed. Speaking to journalists after the trial, the now 72-year-old Juraj Cintula said he intended to appeal. He claimed the verdict was "not fair." There was never any doubt about who the perpetrator of the shooting was, as the then 71-year-old pensioner was arrested immediately afterwards on May 15, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court case, which has been ongoing since July at a special court in Banska Bystrica in central Slovakia, focused on the legal classification of the act. Classified as terrorist act The charge was initially attempted murder but was elevated to terrorism in July 2024 due to the allegedly political motive. This can result in a prison sentence of up to life imprisonment. The defence, however, argued that the act should only be classified as an attack on a public official, which carries a sentence of seven to 12 years in prison. The court cited the advanced age and poor health of the defendant as reasons for not opting for a life sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defendant was led into the courtroom before the verdict was announced with an impassive expression. Apart from a loud "Good day!" to the judge, he initially said nothing. At the start of the trial, he had loudly proclaimed, "Long live democracy!" A court on Tuesday sentenced the man who attacked Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico nearly a year and a half ago to 21 years in prison for terrorism. The verdict is not yet legally binding and can be appealed. Speaking to journalists after the trial, the now 72-year-old Juraj Cintula said he intended to appeal. He claimed the verdict was "not fair." There was never any doubt about who the perpetrator of the shooting was, as the then 71-year-old pensioner was arrested immediately afterwards on May 15, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court case, which has been ongoing since July at a special court in Banska Bystrica in central Slovakia, focused on the legal classification of the act. Classified as terrorist act The charge was initially attempted murder but was elevated to terrorism in July 2024 due to the allegedly political motive. This can result in a prison sentence of up to life imprisonment. The defence, however, argued that the act should only be classified as an attack on a public official, which carries a sentence of seven to 12 years in prison. The court cited the advanced age and poor health of the defendant as reasons for not opting for a life sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defendant was led into the courtroom before the verdict was announced with an impassive expression. Apart from a loud "Good day!" to the judge, he initially said nothing. At the start of the trial, he had loudly proclaimed, "Long live democracy!" Shortly after his arrest, the perpetrator confessed to the police that he had shot at Fico. However, he denied any intent to kill. He said he wanted to injure the left-wing populist politician so that he could no longer continue his government work. He cited hatred for Fico and his government policies as his reason. What happens now? That may well be the question being asked by No Kings protesters, who marched, rallied and danced all over the nation on Oct. 18. Pro-democracy groups had aimed to encourage large numbers of Americans to demonstrate that together we are choosing democracy. They were successful, with crowds turning out for demonstrations in thousands of cities and towns from Anchorage to Miami. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And while multiple GOP leaders had attacked the planned demonstrations, describing them as hate America rallies, political science scholars and national security experts agree that the current U.S. administrations actions are indeed placing the worlds oldest continuous constitutional republic in jeopardy. Once a democracy starts to erode, it can be difficult to reverse the trend. Only 42% of democracies affected by autocratization a transformation in governance that erodes democratic safeguards since 1994 have rebounded after a democratic breakdown, according to Swedish research institute V-Dem. Often termed democratic backsliding, such periods involve government-led changes to rules and norms to weaken individual freedoms and undermine or eliminate checks on power exercised by independent institutions, both governmental and non-governmental. Democracies that have suffered setbacks vary widely, from Hungary to Brazil. As a longterm practitioner of democracy-building overseas, I know that none of these countries rival the United States constitutional traditions, federalist system, economic wealth, military discipline, and vibrant independent media, academia and nonprofit organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even so, practices used globally to fight democratic backsliding or topple autocracies can be instructive. In a nutshell: Nonviolent resistance is based on noncooperation with autocratic actions. It has proven more effective in toppling autocracies than violent, armed struggle. But it requires more than street demonstrations. Tactics used by pro-democracy movements So, what does it take for democracies to bounce back from periods of autocratic rule? Broad-scale, coordinated mobilization of a sufficient percentage of the population against autocratic takeover and for a renewed democratic future is necessary for success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That momentum can be challenging to generate. Would-be autocrats create environments of fear and powerlessness, using intimidation, overwhelming force or political and legal attacks, and other coercive tactics to force acquiescence and chill democratic pushback. Autocrats cant succeed alone. They rely on what scholars call pillars of support a range of government institutions, security forces, business and other sectors in society to obey their will and even bolster their power grabs. However, everyone in society has power to erode autocratic support in various ways. While individual efforts are important, collective action increases impact and mitigates the risks of reprisals for standing up to individuals or organizations. Here are some of the tactics used by those movements across the world: 1. Refuse unlawful, corrupt demands When enough individuals in critical roles and institutions the military, civil servants, corporate leaders, state government and judges refuse to implement autocratic orders, it can slow or even stop an autocratic takeover. In South Korea, parts of the civil service, legislature and military declined to support President Yoon Suk Yeols imposition of martial law in 2024, foiling his autocratic move. 2. Visibly bolster the rule of law Where would-be autocrats disregard legal restraints and install their supporters in the highest courts, individual challenges to overreach, even if successful, can be insufficient. In Poland, legal challenges in courts combined with public education by the judiciary, lawyers associations initiatives and street protests like the March of a Thousand Robes in 2020 to signal widespread repudiation of the autocratic governments attacks on the rule of law. 3. Unite in opposition This years Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado from Venezuela, is an example of how political parties and leaders who cooperate across differences can offer an alternative vision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Novel candidates can undermine the ability of autocrats to sow division and demonize major opponents. However, coalitions can be difficult to form and sustain to win. Based on experiences overseas, historian Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy Inc., has called for a pro-democracy coalition in the U.S. that could unite independents, Libertarians, the Green Party, dissident Republicans and the Democratic Party. 4. Harness economic power Over 300 people gathered March 15 for a protest near UTC's Tesla store in Sarasota, Florida. It was a response to Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency, and the changes taking place under President Donald Trump's second administration. Everyday consumers can pressure wealthy elites and corporations that acquiesce to, or prop up, would-be autocrats through boycotts and other methods, like the Tesla Takedown in the U.S. that preceded a drop in Tesla share value and owner Elon Musks departure from his government role. General strikes, led by labor unions and professional associations, as in Sudan or Myanmar, can be particularly effective. 5. Preempt electoral manipulation Voting autocrats out of office remains the best way to restore democracy, demonstrated recently by the u-turn in Brazil, where a pro-democracy candidate defeated the hard-right incumbent. But this requires strategic action to keep elections truly free and fair well in advance of Election Day. 6. Organize your community As in campaigns in India starting in 2020 and Chile in 2019, participating in community or private conversation forums, local town halls or councils, and nonpartisan student, veterans, farmers, womens and religious groups provides the space to share concerns, exchange ideas and create avenues to take action. Often starting with trusted networks, local initiatives can tap into broader statewide or national efforts to defend democracy. 7. Shape the story Driving public opinion and communicating effectively is critical to pro-democracy efforts. Serbian students created one of the largest protest movements in decades starting in 2024 using creative resistance artistic expression, such as visual mediums, satire and social media to expose an autocrats weaknesses, reduce fear and hopelessness and build collective symbolism and resilience. 8. Build bridges and democratic alternatives Bringing together people across ideological and other divides can increase understanding and counter political polarization, particularly when religious leaders are involved. Even in autocratic countries like Turkey or during wartime as in Ukraine, deepening democratic practices at state and local levels, like citizen assemblies and the use of technologies that improve the quality of public decision-making, can demonstrate ways to govern differently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parallel institutions, such as schools and tax systems operating outside the formal repressive system, like during Slobodan Milosevics decade-long crackdown in Kosovo, have sustained non-cooperation and shaped a future vision. A large inflatable costume reflects the influence of the protesters in Portland, Oregon, who have donned similar costumes at protests. 9. Document abuses, protect people, reinforce truth With todays technologies, every citizen can record repressive incidents, track corruption and archive historical evidence such as preserving proof of slavery at danger of being removed in public museums in the U.S., or collecting documentation of human rights violations in Syria. This can also entail bearing witness, including by accompanying those most targeted with abusive government tactics. These techniques can bolster the survival of independent and evidence-based media, science and collective memory. 10. Mitigate risk, learn and innovate The success rate of nonviolent civil resistance is declining while repressive tactics by autocrats are evolving. Democracy defenders are forced to rapidly adjust, consistently train, prepare for diverse scenarios, try new techniques and strategically support each other. International solidarity from global institutions, like European Union support for democrats in Belarus or Georgia, or online movements, like the Milk Tea Alliance across Southeast Asia, can bolster efforts. Democracys future? The end of American democracy is not a foregone conclusion, despite the unprecedented rate of its decline. It will depend, in part, on the choices made by every American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With autocracies outnumbering democracies for the first time in 20 years, and only 12% of the worlds population now living in a liberal democracy, the future of the global democratic experiment may well depend on the people of the United States. Shelley Inglis is a Rutgers University senior visiting scholar with the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. Shelley Inglis is a Rutgers University senior visiting scholar with the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Opinion: So you attended 'No Kings'. Now what? Officials tell Channel 11 that stop lights, traffic signals, speed, and environmental conditions will all be a part of the investigation into a crash involving a bus that killed two people in Indiana County. Christina Perez, 39, and Ronald Mabon were killed by an Indiana County Transit Authority or IndiGO bus making a left turn onto Philadelphia Street in Indiana Borough on Monday afternoon. Its certainly a horrific event, and our hearts go out to all of the families who have been impacted by this, Indiana Borough Police Chief Justin Schawl said. And so traffic safety, clearly, is something we need to focus on and be focused on always. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perez worked just a block away from the scene at Daniel Law Group. She was constantly trying to improve herself, said Jesse David Daniel, who worked with Perez for over a decade. She was someone who felt that who you are today can be made better tomorrow. She went to law school after spending 10 years as a paralegal with Daniel. She was one of the first attorneys to complete an online law degree from Syracuse University. She completed her degree while working full-time with Daniel. He said she had a heart for helping the less fortunate. She took a fair amount of her time and devoted it to offering some pro bono legal services or doing it for free or doing it for reduced rates, and it was really her ability to just work with people, not because she wanted to make money or feather her own nest, but because she wanted to make their lives better, Daniel said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its the second deadly pedestrian accident on Philadelphia Street this year. In March, a couple was struck at the 9th Street intersection, and PennDOT conducted a study of the intersection shortly after. PennDOT, which owns the road, is still processing the data and is working closely with the borough to enhance safety. Channel 11 also reached out to IndiGO, which did not comment while the investigation is ongoing. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW Attorneys representing former special counsel Jack Smith sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley Tuesday seeking to correct what they call "inaccurate" claims that Smith wiretapped or spied on Republican lawmakers as part of his investigation into President Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. "Although you have not reached out to us to discuss this matter, we are compelled to correct inaccurate assertions made by you and others concerning the issuance of a grand jury subpoena for the toll records of eight Senators and one Member of the House of Representatives," attorneys Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski wrote. "Mr. Smith's actions as Special Counsel were consistent with the decisions of a prosecutor who has devoted his career to following the facts and the law, without fear or favor and without regard for the political consequences." The outreach from Smith's team is the latest in a series of efforts by the former special counsel to correct the record on his parallel investigations into Trump that resulted in two indictments for Trump's alleged mishandling of classified records after leaving the White House in his first term and his attempt to subvert the 2020 election result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan calls on Jack Smith to testify over Trump investigations Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases before both were dropped following Trump's reelection, due to a long-standing Justice Department policy barring the prosecution of a sitting president. Both cases have since been cast by senior leadership of Trump's Justice Department -- many of whom previously served as Trump's personal attorneys -- as prime examples of political weaponization of law enforcement. In the letter from his attorneys, as well as two public appearances on university panels, Smith has disputed that he or his team were ever motivated by politics in their prosecutions of the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their letter Tuesday, Smith's attorneys sought to refute a narrative stemming from a document released by the FBI on the eve of Attorney General Pam Bondi's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month. Drew Angerer/Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: In this Aug. 1, 2023, file photo, Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on an unsealed indictment, including four felony counts against former President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C. The record showed that during Smith's investigation, his office sought limited phone toll data from eight senators and a member of the House in the days surrounding the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. While such records would not involve the content of any phone calls or messages, multiple Republicans on the committee incorrectly claimed at the hearing the next day that Smith had "tapped" their phones or "spied" on them. "What was going on here? Who ordered this? Who ordered the tapping of the phones of United States Senators?" Republican Sen. Josh Hawley asked Bondi during the hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will be looking at all aspects of this, and I have talked to Director Patel at length about this," Bondi responded, referring to FBI Director Kash Patel. Smith's attorneys, in their letter, stood firmly behind the move to seek the toll records as "entirely proper, lawful, and consistent with established Department of Justice policy," and further confirmed that Smith received approval to do so from career officials in the Department's Public Integrity Section. "The subpoena's limited temporal range is consistent with a focused effort to confirm or refute reports by multiple news outlets that during and after the January 6 riots at the Capitol, President Trump and his surrogates attempted to call Senators to urge them to delay certification of the 2020 election results," Breuer and Koski wrote. "In fact, by the time Mr. Smith's team conducted the toll records analysis, it had been reported that President Trump and Rudy Giuliani tried calling Senators for such a purpose, with one Senator releasing a voicemail from Mr. Giuliani." Attorneys for former special counsel Jack Smith hit back at 'unfounded' watchdog probe Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith's attorneys also noted that, during Trump's first term, the Justice Department "purportedly obtained communications records from two Democratic Members of Congress" as part of an investigation into media leaks. The letter also criticizes Patel for suggesting in a statement that Smith sought to cover up his office's use of the toll records, claiming he put them "in a "lockbox in a vault, and then put that vault in a cyber place where no one can see or search these files." "It is not clear what cyber place in a vault in a lockbox Director Patel is describing, but Mr. Smith's use of these records is inconsistent with someone who was trying to conceal them," the letter said. Smith's attorneys point to Smith's final report on his probe, released in January of this year, which specifically describes some of the calls made to Republican senators during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and contains as a footnote that refers to the use of toll records in Smith's investigation. "Moreover, the precise records at issue were produced in discovery to President Trump's personal lawyers, some of whom now serve in senior positions within the Department of Justice," Smith's attorneys added in their letter. By Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland and Ernest Scheyder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a critical minerals agreement aimed at countering China on Monday at a meeting marked by Trump's jab at Australia's envoy to the United States over past criticism. China loomed large at the first White House summit between Trump and Albanese, with the U.S. president also backing a strategic nuclear-powered submarine deal with Australia to bolster security in the Indo-Pacific. While Trump and Albanese greeted each other warmly, the U.S. president expressed ire about past criticism of him by Australia's U.S. ambassador Kevin Rudd, a former prime minister. Rudd in 2020 called Trump "the most destructive president in history," later deleting the comment from social media. Trump said he was not aware of the critical comments and asked where the envoy was now. Upon seeing him across the table, Trump said, "I don't like you either, and I probably never will." The visit otherwise appeared to go smoothly, with Albanese and Trump signing a minerals deal that Trump said had been negotiated in recent months. Albanese described it as an $8.5 billion pipeline "that we have ready to go." A copy of the agreement released by both governments said the two countries will each invest $1 billion over the next six months into mining and processing projects as well as set a minimum price floor for critical minerals, a move that Western miners have long sought. A White House statement on the agreement added that the investments would target deposits of critical minerals worth $53 billion, although it did not provide details on which types or locations. "In about a year from now, we'll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won't know what to do with them," Trump told reporters. China's foreign ministry did not comment directly on the deal but said on Tuesday that market and business choices form the global production and supply chain. "Key mineral resource countries should play an active role in ensuring the safety and stability of the industrial and supply chain, and ensure normal economic and trade cooperation," ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing. EXIM ANNOUNCES OVER $2.2 BILLION IN INVESTMENTS The U.S. Export-Import Bank, which acts as the U.S. government's export credit agency, later announced seven letters of interest totaling more than $2.2 billion to advance critical minerals projects in Australia. It said the letters went to Arafura Rare Earths, Northern Minerals, Graphinex, Latrobe Magnesium, VHM, RZ Resources, and Sunrise Energy Metals. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport set a new personal best this week: its highest number of departing passengers in a single day. After a surge of globetrotters came to the Capital City for last weekend's Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix, AUS saw 45,048 passengers depart on Monday. The following day, the airport announced it was an "all-time highest record" for departures. Wow oh wow! Yesterday, we reached our all-time highest record with 45,048 departing passengers. A huge thank you to all of our travelers for making this happen -- see us again soon, y'all! pic.twitter.com/WrtKbENHXD Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) October 21, 2025 Travelers wait in a security line that overflowed outside the terminal at AustinBergstrom International Airport on the day after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The Monday after the Formula 1 race is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport with more than 40,000 departing passengers. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman) Lines for TSA screening, ticket counters and other airport services stretched for hours throughout the day. It was so busy that officials allowed both the pickup and drop-off areas to be used interchangeably to keep traffic moving. Travelers wait in a security line that overflowed outside the terminal at AustinBergstrom International Airport on the day after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. The Monday after the Formula 1 race is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport with more than 40,000 departing passengers. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman) The airport thanked its employees and partners on social media for handling the exceptionally busy day, praisng them for ensuring all 45,000-plus passengers departed safely and comfortably. A heartfelt thank you to our airlines, concession partners, on-airport partners, and Austin Aviation staff who worked in lockstep to serve our record-breaking 45,048 departing passengers yesterday! From check-in to takeoff, they all showed what true Austin hospitality looks like. pic.twitter.com/KC79cb7IIb Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) October 21, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AUSTIN (KXAN) Austin Energy started its work Tuesday morning to transform the moonlight tower in Zilker Park into the Zilker Holiday Tree for the 59th year. The Zilker Holiday Tree has become a tradition for the community, per a news release from Austin Energy. The tree is installed around the moonlight tower, which is one of the original 31 towers that provided the City of Austin with its first urban lighting system in 1895. Only 17 of Austins original moonlight towers remain and serve as the only working moonlight towers in the world, Austin Energy said in the release. Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Austin Energy crews kicked off the 59th annual Zilker Holiday Tree installation on Oct. 21, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb) Crews with Austin Energy will string the 155-foot-tall tree with 39 strings, each with 81 LED bulbs, according to Clint Correll with Austin Energy. Additionally, he said two stars, each with 100 bulbs, installed at the top of the tree first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Correll said its a good feeling to be apart of the annual installation of the tree. To me, its a good community event. It brings people from all walks of life together, he said. Once the trees lit, you can come up here and see people from all over the state, the world. Its just people come together, everybody seems happy and its just a great community event that Austin Energy should be proud to be apart of and were all proud of what we do out here. Correll said the lighting of the Zilker Holiday Tree happens after Thanksgiving every year and stays up into the new year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Editors Note: The above video is from KXANs previous coverage on the demonstration at the rainbow crosswalk. AUSTIN (KXAN) Austin Mayor Kirk Watson proposed that the city of Austin create a task force by Oct. 27 on the use of public spaces to assure creative participations continue in Austin. I said I would offer a plan, Watson wrote in a message board post. My proposal is that we immediately create a task force on the use of public spaces (including sidewalks and other transportation items) to celebrate Austins love, diversity, and creativity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered cities to remove all political ideologies from Texas streets. That includes displays like Austins rainbow crosswalks and the Black Artists Matter road mural. Feel so much community: AFD removes red paint thrown on rainbow crosswalk during demonstration The task force would include members from the African American Resource Advisory Commission, Arts Commission, Downtown Community, DECA Chambers and more. You can view the full list here. The proposal comes after Abbott said all counties and cities must remove any and all political ideologies from its streets. Abbott said, in part, the order is to keep Texans moving safely and free from distraction, we must maintain a safe and consistent transportation network across Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city of Austin said it would comply with the new guidelines. Watson reiterates that compliance saying the work should focus on ideas that do not violate federal or state requirements. Lets seize the opportunity. Theres more than one way to show our love, our pride, our respect for diversity, our defiance, Watson wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Wildlife traffickers in Myanmar were caught trying to smuggle endangered red pandas out of the country. What's happening? According to The Irrawaddy, the red pandas were seized in Indaw Township near the Kachin-Sagaing border in Myanmar on September 14. The National Unity Government stated that the recovered items were handed over by the People's Defense Force to the Kachin Independence Organization's Forest and Environmental Protection Department. The KIO will release the animals back into the wild, but not all captured animals are so fortunate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Myanmar's military coup in 2021, officials have seen a concerning increase in wildlife trafficking. The economic fallout and lack of security have led to more active illegal markets. The unstable systems make control and monitoring difficult, per Global Conservation. In 2022, the World Wildlife Fund reported that, between 2020 and 2021, the nation's illegal wildlife trade increased by 74%. Specifically, the sale of mammal species skyrocketed by 241%. Why are red pandas important? Red pandas are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. According to the WWF, it's estimated that there are fewer than 10,000 red pandas in the wild. The dwindling population is attributed to deforestation, habitat degradation, disease, natural disasters, climate change, and poaching. As an umbrella species, they maintain the health of ecosystems. They eat bamboo, keeping the fast-growing plant from overtaking other species. They also support other threatened species in their biodiverse ecosystems, like endangered pangolins and vulnerable Asiatic black bears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Biodiversity helps manage disease outbreaks, reduce extreme weather events, and protect food and water security. Weakened biodiversity creates unbalanced ecosystems, triggering a domino effect that threatens an increasing number of species. Smuggling these animals also harms the ecosystems to which they're smuggled. As an invasive species, they can topple ecosystems by depleting resources and pushing out native plants and animals. Additionally, smuggling multiple species together can create new and dangerous diseases. Doctor Eric Wikramanayake, WWF's Asia-Pacific Counter-Illegal Wildlife Trade Hub lead, explained, "The risk of new pathogen transmission from wild animals to humans the most common source of new epidemics, and pandemics is increased by the close contact conditions created by this trade." Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. What's being done about animal trafficking in the Golden Triangle? Conservation efforts to save red pandas include habitat restoration and creation, anti-poaching tactics, and public education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The WWF, along with many other nonprofits and government entities, is trying to control the illegal animal market. However, inconsistent law enforcement in the Golden Triangle is a major hurdle. Donating to the nonprofits that work to stop trafficking and educating yourself and others about the situation can help raise awareness and effect change. 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. An investigation by authorities in India led to the dismantling of a bird trafficking syndicate. What's happening? Twelve rare birds macaws, cockatoos, and African grey parrots among them were stolen from a rescue facility in Karjat, India, and sold to a breeder in Chennai. This incident triggered an investigation by the Raigad police, who eventually arrested a suspect and unraveled a larger bird trafficking operation, according to Mid-Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities recovered the birds, but the damage remains. They endured cramped cages, malnutrition, and trauma during their transport. "It is very disappointing and hurtful to see this happening," said veterinarian Dr. Rina Dev, owner of Riwild Sanctuary & Charitable Trust, which had been caring for the birds. "All of them are underweight and traumatized. We are glad that they survived." Why is this important? Bird trafficking doesn't just hurt the animals targeted by wildlife traffickers. Communities lose healthy ecosystems, and their entire ecosystem can be disrupted. Additionally, smuggled birds can spread disease and increase demand for more illegal captures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This black market also erodes conservation progress. Traffickers undermine rescue centers' efforts to protect endangered species by stealing the very animals in their care. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Many of these birds play key roles in their native ecosystems, such as dispersing seeds that support forests, which in turn support clean air, stable climates, and the food chain. What's being done about it? Authorities in Maharashtra are continuing their crackdown on trafficking syndicates, but long-term solutions require both enforcement and education. Stronger monitoring of rescue facilities and harsher penalties for smugglers can help deter future crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On an individual level, people can make a difference by refusing to buy exotic pets from unverified sellers these purchases often fund and fuel the illegal wildlife trade. Supporting wildlife sanctuaries, reporting suspected trafficking, and spreading awareness about the risks of keeping non-native pets all help reduce demand. Conservation wins are possible. Stricter enforcement has already curbed some trafficking networks, and community-led sanctuaries continue to rehabilitate species. Protecting birds like these isn't just about saving beautiful creatures it's about safeguarding the natural systems on which people everywhere depend. 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. TOLLAND - Authorities rescued missing person in the area of Tolland Marsh on Monday afternoon, an official says. Tolland Town Manager Brian Foley, a former police officer and state police spokesperson, said in a Facebook post at about 3:30 p.m. that command staff and first responders from the Tolland Fire Department, Connecticut State Police and other resources from around Tolland County were searching the Tolland Marsh area for a potential missing person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Based on information and out of an abundance of caution, Foley said, water rescue, dive teams, drones, boats, K-9s and other resources had been deployed. In a follow-up post at about 5 p.m., Foley said the victim has been located by a drone. He said first responders were able to bring the victim safely ashore, adding the person was responsive and was being transported for medical evaluation. "Thank you to all the assets from surrounding towns who came to assist," he wrote. "Operation on scene wrapping up. Incident investigation in the hands of Connecticut State Police." This article originally published at Authorities use a drone to find missing person in Tolland Marsh, official says. Taiwanese authorities have detained a man suspected of illegally digging and filling pits with construction waste, which has polluted local farmland. Taipei Times summarized the case, explaining that the man allegedly rented farmland from a couple to operate an illegal gravel excavation scheme for a profit. After excavating, the pits were then filled with construction and industrial waste to help hide what they were doing. The man and his wife are considered key figures in the case but have been released on bail. Prosecutors also allege that the trio operated on nearby state-owned plots. The publication explained that the case has been dubbed the "Grand Canyon of Meinong," which refers to the district where the pits are located. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The massive gravel pits have since filled with foul, stagnant water, leading local residents to complain of soil, stream, and groundwater contamination. They also reported seeing dump trucks in the area. Prosecutors estimated that around 1.3 million cubic meters of gravel were illegally removed and sold to construction firms for a profit of $300 million NT ($9.84 million USD). The trio also allegedly earned millions more by allowing construction companies to illegally dump in the pits. In another twist to the story, one city councilor accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en of leading a "fake expose" of the polluted farmland in an attempt to shift blame onto the Kaohsiung City Government. Illegally dumped construction waste is a broader issue that threatens communities across the globe. For instance, one Sydney resident took to Reddit to complain that a pile of construction waste was illegally dumped on their lawn. One commenter mentioned that the heap probably contained asbestos, a potential health hazard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, a few innovative companies are also finding ways to recycle construction waste to help address the problem. For instance, one startup is using fungi to turn construction waste and old tires into a new kind of plastic. Another company is turning construction-site waste into durable new materials. 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 of Phoenix's most popular ice cream shops is continuing its expansion throughout the Valley with a new location inside a historic Tempe building. Novel Ice Cream, which was recently named best ice cream shop in the U.S. and also one of the best doughnut shops, despite having only one on the menu is set to open its fourth location inside the former House of Tricks building in Tempe, also known as the Harry Walker house. The house has been an iconic staple near Seventh Street and South Forest Avenue since 1903. Developers have taken over that lot and are working on a 30-story apartment tower. But the historic Harry Walker house was not demolished. Instead, the house was lifted onto wheels and transported in its complete form to a new spot near Tempe City Hall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Novel Ice Cream owner Shawn Allard is an ASU alum, which he said is part of the reason he wanted to bring the shop to Tempe. "Being an alumni, I know the area well. I think it was pretty underserved for a long time," Allard told The Republic. "I really wanted to bring a concept that I know people would really enjoy. Mill Avenue is a happy place to be, and I wanted to be part of that growth." What to expect at Novel Ice Cream Tempe Like Novel's other locations, the Tempe shop will feature a walk-up order window and plenty of outside seating. The rest of the building will be used as the company's headquarters and office space. Novel Ice Cream's iconic menu is the same at all of its locations: ice cream cups or cones with either one, two or three scoops; ice cream and soda floats; ice cream stuffed waffles; and the most popular item, the dough melt, comprising a glazed donut stuffed with ice cream. Novel Ice Cream Tempe opening date An exact opening date has not yet been revealed, but Novel Tempe is expected to open sometime in mid-2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Satisfy your sweet tooth: This new metro Phoenix restaurant is inspired by a life-changing Spanish bakery Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on Instagram. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Beloved ice cream shop opening in historic Arizona building U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited global trade tensions after threatening to impose tariffs of up to 155% on Chinese goods starting November 1, unless Washington and Beijing reach a new trade agreement. The remarks came Monday during a White House meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, where the two leaders signed a major critical minerals agreement aimed at countering Chinas dominance in global supply chains. Trump accused China of taking advantage of the United States for years but said those days were over. Chinas paying 55 percent and a potential 155 percent come November 1 unless we make a deal, he said. Despite his sharp tone, Trump signaled confidence in a possible breakthrough. He said he planned to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, describing the discussions as vital for maintaining a strong U.S.-China relationship. Can Trumps Tariff Gambit Force China Back to the Table or Crash Global Markets First? Trumps remarks came just hours after showing a critical minerals agreement with Australia, part of a broader strategy to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains. The $8.5 billion deal includes joint investments in mining and processing rare earth materials, with both nations contributing $1 billion over the next six months. The agreement aims to secure Western access to resources essential for defense, aerospace, and electric vehicle industries, areas heavily dominated by China. The announcement quickly rippled through global markets. The combination of tariff threats and new export restrictions triggered a sell-off across equities and crypto assets. According to data from CoinGlass, over $329.29M in crypto positions were liquidated within the past 24 hours. Bitcoin and Ethereum led the downturn, losing $91.58M and $86.21M in liquidated positions, respectively. Bitcoin slid to around $107,800, while Ethereum dropped below $3,900, erasing earlier gains from the week. Source: CoinGlass Trumps threat of 155% tariffs came on top of the existing 55% duties already imposed on Chinese imports, a policy he revived after returning to office earlier this year. Before this, on October 11, Washington announced new export restrictions on advanced software and added a 100% tariff on top of existing duties, effective November 1. These moves have rattled markets, raising fears of a broader economic slowdown. Following the announcement, financial markets reacted sharply. Over 1.66 million crypto traders were liquidated in 24 hours, erasing $19.33 billion in leveraged positions, the highest liquidation history in crypto history. It took a day without Amazon Web Services for Americans to realize how reliant the internet is on a single company. Its not just that people couldnt place mobile orders for coffee at Starbucks or ask Alexa for the weather. Hospitals said crucial communications services werent working, and teachers couldnt access their planned lessons for the day. Chime, a mobile banking service, was down, too, leaving people without access to their money. Ring and Blink cameras, along with most smart home devices, stopped working. AWS is one of a small group of cloud computing juggernauts that form the backbone of the internet, providing businesses with backend computing tools needed to power crucial parts of their daily operations. That includes everything from storage to virtual servers that companies can use to develop and deploy apps without investing in their own hardware. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While other cloud providers exist, they lack the scale and reach of Amazon, Microsoft and Google. These three power the majority of the worlds cloud services, around 60% of the market, Roy Illsley, chief analyst at Omdia, told CNN. But among those three, AWS is the largest with roughly 37% of the market, according to research firm Gartner. AWS has a customer base of 4 million, according to an HG Insights report published this year. So when a platform like AWS goes down, it has a cascading effect. One expert already estimated the total impact of the disruption will be in the billions of dollars. It creates a very large single point of failure that then impacts operations at warehouses, deliveries, people being able to sell their goods and services on websites, Jacob Bourne, an analyst at eMarketer, told CNN. Hiccups at every step of the day Debi Dougherty and her husband were affected by the AWS fallout on nearly every stop of their Monday morning errands in and around New Albany, Indiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To start the day, Dougherty was pinged with Ring alerts that there was a car in her driveway, but she couldnt view the camera. She figured it was a Ring issue. However, when at the doctors office for her husbands first radiation therapy appointment, the scheduling software was so spotty that it took 40 minutes to book the next 25 days of appointments something that usually only takes a few minutes. The next stop at Kohls brought more delays. The line was backed up because the credit card reader was on the fritz. The Doughertys then stopped for lunch at Cattlemans Roadhouse, where the manager offered to pay for their meal because the restaurant was unable to process cards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said, This is no fault of yours, and youre already eating. I dont guess you all have cash? Debi Dougherty said. And we both looked at each other, and Im like, Not enough to cover this meal. Still, she said, the Monday morning experience was frightening to say the least, knowing how dependent society is on technology. (The businesses) put all their eggs in one (AWS) basket, because its affected so many different industries, she said. And, perhaps, thats not the smartest thing to do. Rocky business Cattlemans, which uses the Toast point-of-sale system thats reliant on AWS, was grateful that the outage happened on a Monday, and not a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, said Cameron Sharp, the New Albany locations general manager. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If this goes into multiday, or heaven forbid and let me find some wood here so I can knock on it goes into the weekend, were in trouble, Sharp said. Sharp ultimately had to comp just the one meal Monday before realizing that one Toast terminal at the restaurant could store the transactions. Our entire economy is based on e-commerce, he said. Because were so tied together, this (AWS outage) is going to screw with a lot of folks. Over in the broader Houston area, Dia Giordano was spending her Monday trying to untangle the mess that the outage made for her three businesses: an Italian restaurant, eight mental health clinics and a couple of rental properties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DoorDash was blowing up her phone starting at 2 a.m., warning that the online ordering system, which is run through Toast, was down. What that means is one-third of my business is gone for the day, she told CNN. At least with the publicity (of the outage), people might be understanding, but Im still getting messages asking if were open, because the website is just gone. Its just not there. Toast, when reached Monday, declined comment. At Giordanos mental health clinics, her practitioners and administrative staff members were unable to validate clients insurance information because the online clearinghouse for that information wasnt working. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And on top of that, Venmo was down, meaning she couldnt receive the rental payments she normally would. Were just kind of playing it by ear, moment by moment, she said. But in the meantime, regarding the reliance on tech, its frightening, she said. This story has been updated to clarify a quote provided by eMarketer analyst Jacob Bourne. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The Bakersfield Police Department and Kern Secret Witness are asking for information in a 2010 homicide case that left a Cal State Bakersfield student dead while she was leaving a party at the university. Bianca Jackson, 18, was leaving a large Halloween party in the Cal State Bakersfield parking lot when people who did not attend the university showed up and started shouting gang slurs at each other, according to Jacksons friends. A fight broke out and someone started shooting and Jackson was struck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives questioned several people but no arrests were made. According to Jacksons obituary, she was a 2010 Ridgeview High School graduate and had dreams of becoming an artist and a famous rapper. Biancas mother, Veronica told 17 News she is hoping the community comes forward with information on the case. She said it is hard to believe that nothing has been accomplished in the case. The Kern Secret Witness is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the deadly shooting, according to the police department. If you have any information on this case you are asked to contact the Kern Secret Witness at 661-322-4040, the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111 or detectives at 661-326-3846. 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 KGET 17 News. Former President Barack Obama is set to visit New Jersey to campaign for Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill in the home stretch of the states contentious governors race. The news first reported by NJ Advance Media comes a few days after Obama publicly endorsed the congresswoman in her election against Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli. Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 06:45 PM EST 10/20/25 pic.twitter.com/wySrM6evoH Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) October 20, 2025 NJ governor's race chat Brent Johnson Stories by Brent Johnson Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Barry Bagels, a US bagel and deli brand, has entered a development agreement for 20 stores in the state of Iowa. The move signifies the brands debut in the US state. It will increase Barry Bagels total number of open, under-construction and signed locations to 104 across the country. Barry Bagels Franchise Holdings CEO Jim Nusbaum stated: "This is such an exciting milestone for our brand. "Iowa shares many of the same values that have fuelled Barry Bagels' success for more than 50 years: community, quality and hospitality. With more than 3 million residents spread across 99 counties, Iowa is known for its strong sense of community and hometown pride. We look forward to introducing our fresh, preservative-free bagels and deli offerings to guests across the state." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Established by Barry Greenblatt in 1972, Barry Bagels grew from a single neighbourhood bagel store into a regional franchised chain. Currently led by Mark, son of Barry Greenblatt, the family-founded brand is operating across several states. The business operates a hub-and-spoke model intended to support multiunit operators and offers several revenue channels. These encompass dinein and takeout, catering services, thirdparty delivery and wholesale bagel sales to institutions such as hospitals, universities and offices. Barry Bagels core menu highlights boiledandbaked, preservativefree bagels alongside madetoorder sandwiches, soups and salads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company has previously announced multiunit development agreements in states including Texas and continues to add to its pipeline as it pursues expansion across the Midwest and South. Barry Bagels is actively looking for new franchise partners in target markets such as the Carolinas, Pennsylvania and Florida. "Barry Bagels enters 20-store development deal for Iowa" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. A neat row of almshouses is a strangely reassuring sight in modern Britain. A reminder of a centuries-old tradition, of our long held commitment to providing shelter for those in need. At 10 oclock on a cold, foggy October morning in Abergavenny, the almshouses tucked behind the old library look cosy and inviting. Its hard to believe this peaceful square has been at the centre of a row causing divisions in the town. On the other side of the almshouses, which provide low-cost housing for older people, lies the Carnegie Library. The Grade II-listed building, which has lain empty for the past 11 months, was erected in 1905 by the Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on land donated by a charitable trust which, decades earlier, had built the almshouses and a church. Almshouses, which provide low-cost housing for older people, are tucked behind the old library - Jay Williams It was a public library until 2015. Until November 2024, it functioned as a pupil referral unit, for children excluded from mainstream schools. Five months ago, residents learned (some via Facebook, others on reading a report in the local paper) of its next incarnation. The Labour-run county council had granted a new lease. The library was to become a mosque the first in the county. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As surprise gave way to concern, a group of local councillors came together to challenge the decision to grant a 30-year lease to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association (MMCA), which they said had been made without consulting local people. They called it in (the mechanism groups of councillors have to hold council decisions to account). They later instructed lawyers and found there could be grounds for a judicial review of the decision to grant the lease. That challenge was dropped in favour of a fresh one, highlighting the original covenants attached to the site, which specified certain parameters for how the building could be used. Meanwhile, in June, racist graffiti and crosses appeared on the walls. It was quickly denounced by residents, many of whom were roundly horrified, not least by the act of vandalism on a building they hold dear. The Carnegie Library is a stones throw from Abergavennys main high street - Jay Williams The row in Abergavenny has not happened in a vacuum. In the past year, plans for new mosques in Leicester, Romford, Dalton-in-Furness and Harrogate have sparked controversy. They have come at a time when the debate over multiculturalism in modern Britain is as heated as it has ever been. It means that while these disputes are, on one level, local rows over bricks and mortar, concerning local councils and impacting local people, the reach of these stories is broader, the headlines louder. Although, here in Abergavenny, the problem for many boils down to what planning disputes so often boil down to: parking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not very happy about it because theres nowhere to park here, says an elderly lady who lives behind the library. Up the road, a neighbour agrees. She is worried about the idea of more cars coming into the street, which she says is often gridlocked as it is. It isnt yet known how many worshippers might come to the site for prayers, which are customarily held five times a day. In the 2021 census, just 435 people across Monmouthshire identified as Muslim. Numbers are thought to have increased in the past four years. But, in Abergavenny, Muslims still make up a small proportion of the 13,000-strong population. That could be cause for reassurance, as it seems unlikely that hundreds of people will suddenly be flocking to the old library several times a day. Nevertheless, some have questioned the logic of giving over a large public building to such a small section of the community. Others simply object to the way the decision was taken and announced. I think [it] got things off on rather the wrong foot, says Ashley Conlan, who lives a stones throw from the library. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conlan, 59, has lived here for 14 years and agrees that parking is the primary concern the practical location leaves a lot to be desired, he says, confessing a slight concern, too, about how early the first prayers might start. I hope theyve got good planning for sound insulation. A room inside the library building - Wales news service Some have also questioned the appropriateness of turning a building with a history of public use into a religious space, he says. It was given to the town for community purposes. I think its a stretch to push [that to] religion. I personally would like more of a community use for the hall. It could, of course, be argued that a place of worship is still a community building. The distinction is a library is for everybody, religion is for some people, says Conlan. I have nothing against the religion. Ive had friends who are Muslims. Its not a religious issue. Its that it was given to the town, and the function then was it was a library and thats for everyone. I think they fudged it. For his neighbour, an elderly lady who asks not to be named, learning of the new lease was a shock. Because we all love that building. It used to be a library, it was gifted to the town. [...] It did seem to be done without anybody knowing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the almshouses, two residents one of whom has lived here for 28 years are talking in their shared porch. Its a job to know what to expect really, she says. Im not anti [the mosque] live and let live. But there is a worry if theres going to be any problems. The foundation stone outside of the library - Chris Howes The ladies are used to peace and quiet. We dont get any bother. They are hopeful that in the end it will be quieter than people expect. Well just have to wait and see. I suppose theres people that are not very happy about the fact that its going to be a mosque, but its just one of those things you have to accept, because its done and dusted. But it was the way it was done, really, I think thats upset a lot of people. Rachel Buckler, a Conservative councillor in Monmouthshire, is part of the group who, with support from the Christian Legal Centre, a charity based in London, has brought the challenge against Monmouthshire county council. There has been no engagement with local residents, she says, feeling the decision creates division where there neednt be. By imposing something theyre creating this feeling that this is unfair, that theyve been given this building which belongs to the people of Abergavenny on a peppercorn rent as far as they see it. [...] It will change things for them practical things like parking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one is saying the Muslim community shouldnt have somewhere to pray, its completely reasonable and understandable. But why have they chosen this building? People are frightened to speak up, she says. Because theyre afraid of being accused of racism. Meanwhile, she says, the decision was made by the councils eight-strong cabinet. There are 11,000 people in Abergavenny. Its not reasonable. Residents are afraid of being accused of racism, says Rachel Buckler, a Conservative councillor in Monmouthshire - Jay Williams Buckler is a practising Christian, but says her personal faith is not the reason for doing [this]. She feels the council didnt advertise the building for long enough before granting the lease for the mosque. When they put it out to tender they did it for about three weeks in December. There was no real I would say proper marketing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buckler would like the other bids to be made public, though the council has previously said the bid proposed by the MMCA constituted the highest submission. And she points out that the original covenants for the site specified that it could only be used between 8am and 8pm; if it is to become a mosque, with prayers taking place at dawn and before sunset, those times are likely to be stretched. A Monmouthshire county council spokesman said the council does not comment on ongoing legal matters but that it would respond to the legal challenge in due course. The spokesman also said the council had absolute confidence in its decision-making and governance arrangements. In late 2024, an old library building (which had been replaced with a new modern library) in Abergavenny was declared surplus to the councils needs, and approval was given for the building to be marketed for lease, he added. A carved stone head of Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-American philanthropist, on the left of the entrance to the Carnegie Library - Chris Howes Well over 100 Carnegie libraries have been repurposed across the UK, this is not unusual. After evaluating tenders through an open and transparent process, an award was made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We look forward to working with the successful applicants, who are longstanding members of the Abergavenny community, in the same positive way we do with residents right across our county. For their part, the community who stand to benefit from the building are grateful to have a place to worship. Sumiyyah Mehmood has lived in Abergavenny for seven years. She and her husband are both doctors; they have two children. They pray at home, or occasionally go to Newport, some 40 miles away, or to a local church which is used by the MMCA on Fridays. I read on social media that people are talking against it. Im really hoping that they understand that this is a need for us, she says. Prayers, she adds, only take 10 minutes. Its difficult for [opponents] to understand, I understand that, she says. For her community, however, the space will meet a basic but fundamental need. Im so happy that they dedicated a place for a mosque for us, because, of course, we needed a place where we can go five times a day. 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 beloved Massachusetts ice cream stand that sits a short distance from Cape Cod is "being forced to close," the business said. In a Facebook post on Sunday, the owners of Perrys Last Stand at 2704 Cranberry Highway in Wareham called the closure unexpected and extremely surprising. It is with mixed emotions that we announce the closing of our ice cream shop. After we had closed for the 2025 season, we received notification from our landlord (Bob Perry) that, after 15 years, our lease was not being renewed, the post read. This was completely unexpected and extremely surprising...We are truly saddened that we are being forced to close. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perrys added, We would like to thank all of our employees, loyal customers, and friends who have supported us over the last 15 years. Perrys noted in the post that it will continue to operate its fleet of ice cream trucks in all the same towns and areas that they have historically operated. The Facebook announcement generated thousands of comments and reactions from customers and former employees expressing sadness. Im beyond sorry to hear this. I sincerely wish you guys the best with your future endeavors. Summer days in town wont be the same, one person wrote in a comment. Perrys said its ice cream trucks will start rolling out in spring 2026. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Nearly two decades after shutting its doors, the once-popular Mexican restaurant chain CHI-CHIS has officially reopened. For anyone whos ever said, I miss CHI-CHIs, this ones for you, the company announced in a Sept. release. The beloved restaurant chain opened its new flagship location in Minnesota, Oct. 6, welcoming the fans familiar and new to experience the brands revitalized energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The launch of the Minnesota location marks the end of the brands 20 year hiatus, and the beginning of the chains revival. The company did not disclose how many locations were slated to open in 2025, but shared more locations are expected to open. The newly updated space features modern decor, comfortable seating, and an inviting ambiance, creating the perfect occasion-backdrop for families, friends, and food lovers alike, the company announced. Guests can enjoy a mix of enhanced menu items, original favorites, an upgraded bar experience, and the same great service that made CHI-CHIs a household name over 20 years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Owner of CHI-CHIS trademarks, Hormel Foods, granted the son of CHI-CHIS founder permission to use the CHI-CHIS name on restaurant locations included in the brands relaunch. Michael McDermott, son of CHI-CHIs co-founder Marno McDermott, said the CHI-CHIs is back stronger than ever. He added the relaunch brings back the food, energy, and fun that people love, now with a fresh twist for a whole new generation. The last CHI-CHIS closed its doors in 2004, partially because of a series of ownership changes, the company said in a statement. However, the company boasts a rich history in Minneapolis having served the community for 28 years before closing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Mexican Chain was established in 1975 by Marno McDermott and former Green Bay Packers player Max McGee. At its peak, the chain had more than 200 locations nationwide including locations in Massachusetts. I still have fond memories of growing up in the CHI-CHIS restaurants that my father built throughout their time, McDermott previously announced. We have seen the impact our restaurant has had on individuals and families across the country and believe there is a strong opportunity to bring the brand back in a way that resonates with todays consumer. More Business News Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Ben-Gurion's former neighborhood has been revitalized through a new restoration project at Kibbutz Sde Boker. David Ben-Gurion's former neighborhood has been revitalized through a new restoration project at Kibbutz Sde Boker, a Tuesday press release announced. The project aims to restore the site to its original glory and authenticity, enabling visitors to connect with Ben-Gurion's vision for the land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Israel's first prime minister's passing, his home within the complex has become a must-visit destination for both Israelis and tourists. The site is recognized as a national landmark for the state of Israel. "The project, located at the Ben-Gurion Hut complex, aims not only to restore the sites historical charm but also to revive the atmosphere, pathways, and vegetation that existed during the years when 'the Old Man' and his wife, Paula, lived and worked in Sde Boker," a press release from the Ben-Gurion Heritage read. Renovations were planned and executed based on thorough historical research of the site. This research included examining old photographs from the 1950s and conducting interviews with long-time residents to ensure accurate depictions of the area. Restorative efforts included recreating historical walking paths and relaying green kibbutz-style lawns, as well as replanting rose bushes in the same spots where Paula Ben-Gurion had planted hers. All details were chosen to reflect the original time period. Archival photo of the Ben-Gurion hut compound (credit: GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE) A highlight of the renovation project was the restoration of the historic water facility used by Paula and David Ben-Gurion. The couple was among the first in Sde Boker to have running water in their home. 'We didnt just restore a landscape; we restored values.' "We didnt just restore a landscape; we restored values. Through the pathways, huts, and vegetation, were bringing back the spirit of Ben-Gurion and the pioneers who stood beside him in Sde Boker," CEO of the Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute Eitan Donitz said. Were creating a living connection between the past, present, and future. This is a national heritage that must be preserved and made accessible for generations to come." "The restoration transforms the Ben-Gurion Hut complex into one of Israels most unique and moving heritage sites, a place where history comes alive in the heart of the desert. The hut serves as a pilgrimage site for visitors from across the country, combining breathtaking desert scenery, a remarkable Zionist story, and a distinctive atmosphere. Visitors are invited to experience the Negev in a new light," the release stated. Venture Global LNG (VG.N) has held discussions with Ukraines largest private energy company, DTEK, to supply additional cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its Plaquemines facility in Louisiana, according to a Reuters report citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The talks come as Ukraine faces intensifying Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure ahead of the winter heating season. The sustained damage has forced Kyiv to import more natural gas to compensate for falling domestic production, raising concerns over the countrys energy resilience during the cold months. Two of the sources said the negotiations involve additional LNG volumes from Venture Globals 27.7 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) Plaquemines LNG terminal, which is currently in its commissioning phase. Ukraines DTEK, part of billionaire Rinat Akhmetovs SCM Group, already signed a deal in 2024 to purchase LNG from Plaquemines, as well as 2 mtpa from Venture Globals CP2 project, still under construction. Venture Globals CEO, Michael Sabel, reportedly joined other U.S. energy executives in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Zelenskiy later posted a video on X emphasizing the importance of power in the region and claiming to have "made proposals to the US regarding gas infrastructure, nuclear power generation, and several other projects." Neither Venture Global nor DTEK commented on the reported talks. Venture Global has emerged as the only U.S. LNG operator with spare capacity available for flexible spot market sales, as its Plaquemines facility has yet to begin full commercial operations. During commissioning, the company exported 1.6 million tonnes of LNG in September - roughly 17% of total U.S. LNG shipments that month, according to preliminary data from LSEG. The companys practice of prioritizing spot sales while delaying the start of long-term supply contracts has sparked growing scrutiny. Last week, an arbitration tribunal found that Venture Global breached its contractual obligations with BP (BP.L) by failing to declare commercial operations at its Calcasieu Pass terminal in Louisiana on time. The ruling adds pressure to the company as it faces multiple disputes with buyers seeking access to contracted volumes. Despite the controversy, Venture Global maintains that Plaquemines remains on schedule for full commercial startup, which would trigger the activation of its long-term supply deals at fixed, lower prices. State police from Reading recovered a stolen Harley-Davidson motorcycle over the weekend and arrested a Berks County man they said was riding it on Pricetown Road in Alsace Township. According to court records: While on patrol about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Trooper Nathaniel Penko saw the motorcycle traveling west on Pricetown Road near Woodside Avenue. A law enforcement database showed the vehicle was reported as stolen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rider was wearing a bandanna that covered his face. Penko followed the motorcycle, which pulled into a convenience store. The rider, later identified as Jeremy M. Brooks, 42, of the 500 block of State Street, Mertztown, walked into the store. The trooper made contact with Brooks inside the store and asked if he had been driving a motorcycle. Penko said he may have been. He said he bought it on Facebook Marketplace, an internet classified site, for $5,000. He said he had neither the title nor bill of sale for the motorcycle. Brooks was taken into custody. While searching him, a plastic bag containing crystal meth was found in his backpack. Penko also found a drug-smoking pipe in Brooks pants pocket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was charged with receiving stolen property, possessing a controlled substance, possessing drug paraphernalia and driving under a suspended license. Brooks was free to await hearing following arraignment before District Judge Priscilla Campos in Reading Central Court. An offer by the German city of Hanover to take in up to 20 sick and injured children from Gaza and Israel has been rejected by the German government to the regret of the city authorities. "We greatly regret the response from the Interior Ministry," Hanover Mayer Belit Onay said on Tuesday. "The refusal is disappointing and difficult to understand," he added. Other German cities, including Bremen, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Bonn, Frankfurt and Kiel had expressed taking in children for treatment. The initiative also had the support of protestant churches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanover region administrative head Steffen Krach, of the centre-left Social Democrats, said that more than 16,000 people in Gaza needed medical care abroad. "Not granting this assistance to those needing it most urgently namely the children is cruel," he said. A letter from the Interior Ministry seen by dpa refers to progress in ending the fighting and states that the situation in the Gaza Strip is "extremely confused and unpredictable." This referred as well to the situation facing the Israeli and Egyptian authorities who would be responsible for permission to travel, it said. Complex procedures are required for children travelling to Germany for medical treatment. These include establishing their identities and those of accompanying family members, along with security assessments, costs and realistic options for return. The Interior Ministry letter indicates that the government view is that treatment of the injured and sick in the region is preferable. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday defended Graham Platner, the Maine oysterman running against Republican Susan Collins in the states marquee Senate race, who has come under fire amid allegations of racist social media posts. In all due respect, alright, what I'm worried about? 50,000 Americans may die unnecessarily, the Vermont senator told The Independent when asked about some old Reddit posts from Platner that have sparked allegations of racism. Democrats are now fretting after the progressive insurgent oysterman vying for the partys nomination to challenge the five-term senator has come under fire for a series of inflammatory posts on Reddit and also for having a tattoo that bears a striking resemblance to Nazi ink. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pressed further about Platners comments about sexual assault, Sanders defensively shot back, Have you served four tours of duty? Sanders, a socialist Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has endorsed Platner and hes campaigned for him in Maine. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP) Last week, CNN reported that Platner, a Maine oysterman who served in the Marine Corps, had a Reddit account where he said, I got older and became a communist and that all police officers are bastards. The Washington Post would later report that Platner also posted on Reddit asking why Black people did not tip and asked why women did not take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f----d up they wind up having sex with someone they dont mean to? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Platner would later apologize for the posts and say they were the result of his feeling alienated after returning home from military service. He came under even more fire as a guest on Pod Save America, the liberal podcast hosted by former Obama administration staffers. He would proceed to show a video of himself singing at a wedding in his underwear revealing that he had a tattoo on his chest that resembled the totenkopf, which means deaths head, a skull and crossbones-like symbol popular in Nazi Germany. Platner has denied it was a Nazi tattoo and said that he got it while drunk in Croatia with his fellow Marines. We chose a terrifying skull and crossbones off the wall because we were Marines, he told host Tommy Vietor and said he continued to receive security clearance. Platner said he eventually got wind that the tattoo had entered into opposition research. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is by far the most endangered Republican incumbent this cycle due to being the only GOP senator who represents a state Kamala Harris won. (Getty Images) And I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, I have not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years, Platner added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trove of news has quenched much of the fervor surrounding Platner in recent weeks since he announced his candidacy to challenge Collins. Up until then, few Democrats had stepped up to run against Maines senior senator, who is the only Republican who represents a state Kamala Harris won. Platners campaign raked in more than $3 million since he announced in August. He immediately earned comparisons to Zohran Mamdanis campaign for New York City mayor and Sen. John Fettermans 2022 campaign in Pennsylvania. He also shares many of the same consultants as they used. Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has praised Platners campaign on X, said he had not seen the news about Platner. I know a lot of people say that they haven't looked at it, and they dont really mean it, Murphy told The Independent. I know he said some stuff on Reddit. I havent read it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Platners various controversies represents a conundrum for Democrats: Many of their voters are dissatisfied with the party leadership and want candidates who challenge the status quo. But many younger Democratic candidates of Platners age grew up in a time when they also documented most of their adult life online. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) won his race last year and is also a veteran of the Marine Corps who, like Platner, spoke about living with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq. When The Independent asked about the tattoo, Gallego said he had not seen it, but on Platners past statements said that if people grow out of their troublesome behaviors, they should be given grace. We have to evaluate if that's the case I think that's a legitimate conversation to be had, Gallego told The Independent. But, you know, everyone has a right to grow and grow out of their stupidity, essentially. And I think voters should take the opportunity to evaluate that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, Maines popular executive, Gov. Janet Mills, a more establishment-friendly candidate, also jumped into the primary last week. During Senate Democratic leaderships weekly press conference, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer got behind Mills when asked about Platners comments. We think that Janet Mills is the best candidate to retire Susan Collins, he said. She's a tested two-term governor and the people of Maine have an enormous amount of affection and respect for her. But some pointed out how at 77, Mills seemed to confirm the Democratic Partys age problem that led to criticism during the 2024 election. Collins, who has voted for most of Trumps nominees but who voted against Trumps One Big, Beautiful Bill, has yet to announce whether she will seek re-election. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A man found dead while lying in bushes outside of a Bexley apartment complex has been identified. According to the Bexley Police Department, a positive identification has been made of a homicide victim found Monday night near the intersection of North Cassaday Avenue and Delmar Drive. Central Ohio schools report positive changes after total phone ban The citys website stated that 18-year-old Demetrese Norvett, of Columbus, was the victim, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers were flagged down by a resident just after 5 p.m. Monday when the body was discovered. Though police have not yet named a suspect, or what may have led to the shooting, it is believed that Norvetts death could be connected to other incidents outside of Bexley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said that updates will be released as it becomes available and ask that anyone with additional information to call the Bexley Police Department at (614) 599-4444. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Vice President JD Vances visit to Israel underscores the US's urgency to preserve the Gaza ceasefire and prevent renewed conflict with Hamas. US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday, seven and a half years after Mike Pence became the last vice president to visit the longest gap between vice-presidential visits in recent memory but only eight days after US President Donald Trumps lightning trip to Jerusalem. The eight-day interval appears to be unprecedented in modern American diplomatic history rarely, if ever, have a sitting president and vice president visited the same foreign country in such rapid succession. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The close timing illustrates the extraordinary urgency the Trump administration is attaching to the fragile Gaza ceasefire and its determination to preserve this diplomatic breakthrough. Vances trip indicates recognition in Washington that the deal, while groundbreaking, remains precarious, and that the war could easily reignite. Vances presence indicates how eager the administration is to prevent that outcome and solidify the ceasefire, which it sees as the cornerstone of a broader regional realignment and peace deal. Vances visit adds political weight to the efforts already being carried out by Trumps envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have been in Israel since Monday to monitor implementation of the agreement and ensure it does not unravel. US Vice President JD Vance speaks to members of the media in Kiryat Gat, Israel, October 21, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD) In a 60 Minutes interview aired Sunday, journalist Lesley Stahl jokingly referred to the pair as Bibi-sitters, suggesting that over the last couple of weeks, their mission was to ensure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with the deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And if they were needed in that role earlier this month to push the agreement through the cabinet, they are clearly required again now after Hamas infractions that include the killing of two IDF soldiers on Sunday, the wounding of two more soldiers on Tuesday, and the painfully slow return of the bodies of the remaining Israeli hostages. US 'staying on top of everyone' In that same interview, Kushner was asked how confident he was that the ceasefire would hold. We just have to stay on top of everyone, he replied, and try to make sure that everyone works hard to create the best outcome possible. This is a very difficult situation and a very difficult dynamic. Its fair to say that with Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner all in Israel, the United States is indeed staying on top of everyone at least on top of Jerusalem. The New York Times on Tuesday quoted anonymous Trump officials as saying there is concern within the administration that Netanyahu may vacate the deal, and that the three top American officials are in Israel to keep him from resuming an all-out war on Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Netanyahu were to do so, it would obviously not be in a vacuum, but rather as a result of Hamas infringements of the agreement, as was the case on Sunday with the killing of the two soldiers. One of the lessons learned from the October 7 massacre is to make sure agreements are honored and not to ignore infractions in the hope they will go away and quiet will prevail. The presence in Israel now of Vance, Kushner, and Witkoff is to keep up the momentum generated by last weeks signing of the agreement and the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The next step far more complex will be moving into the second phase of the deal: establishing an international stabilization force that would disarm Hamas and oversee the gradual demilitarization of Gaza. But if the Americans are staying on top of Israel, who is staying on top of Hamas to ensure it lives up to its commitments? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The early signs of the terrorist organization doing so are not overly encouraging. The killing of the IDF soldiers and the delayed release of hostages suggest that Hamas, true to form, is testing the limits of the ceasefire and probing how far it can push without provoking a renewed Israeli response. Trump himself, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, made it clear that he was paying close attention. Contrary to a New York Times report that claimed Washington was struggling to find countries willing to deploy troops to confront Hamas, Trump wrote that numerous allies in the Mideast and beyond have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and straighten out Hamas if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us. There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right, he added. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, while Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner are in Israel Bibi-sitting, Trump is sending a blunt message to Hamas: Cooperate or face severe consequences. Witkoff, in his 60 Minutes interview, recalled that before the deal was finalized, Trump worked to bridge the cavernous mistrust between Israel and Hamas by making one thing clear: We will stand behind this deal. We will not allow the terms of this deal, by any party, to be violated. Vances visit is a further sign that Trump is serious. And now comes the test not only of the ceasefire itself, but of Trumps ability to enforce it and see that his 20-point ceasefire plan is implemented. Hundreds gathered in Salt Lake City following a weekend of protests to amplify a different kind of national movement, one seeking to combat contempt by recognizing human dignity in political discourse. The Dignity Index held its first leadership summit on Monday with the goal of organizing against trends that have recently made Utah, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and others the target of brutality. Were not at risk of devolving into violence we are in a state of violence, Dignity Index co-creator Tim Shriver told the Deseret News. The normalization of political violence has become far, far, far too acceptable in our country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One part of the solution, according to Shriver, is to praise speech that extends dignity to those with different viewpoints, and to shun communication that promotes outrage toward groups of Americans. However, some conservatives have criticized Dignity Index as a form of diversity, equity and inclusion under another name, claiming the organization wants to measure political correctness to censor opinions on the right. During Mondays presentations, Dignity Index founders tried to convince attendees their program aims to transcend political divisions not stifle debate. Why is Dignity Index in Utah? Audience members stand and applaud after listening to Donna Hicks, an international conflict resolution specialist, an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and author of "Leading with Dignity," spoke at Dignity Index Summit at the Salt Lake Hilton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Dignity Index is a project of UNITE, one of several peacemaking nonprofits to call the Beehive State home. Other Utah-based contemporaries include Disagree Better, Braver Angels and Living Room Conversations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike other efforts to improve cross-partisan conversations, Dignity Index ranks political rhetoric on an 8-point scale to identify language that dehumanizes and to highlight attempts to dignify those with opposing views. The organization partnered with the University of Utah on a pilot project in 2022 to grade campaign messaging with the help of students. Dignity Index hopes to expand this partnership through trainings, surveys and research. Utah has been a natural place to headquarter these initiatives, Shriver said, because leaders of the church particularly President Dallin H. Oaks and the late President Russell M. Nelson have taught a civic theology of love your neighbor. The state has also been uniquely impacted by political polarization. On Sept. 10, conservative organizer Charlie Kirk was assassinated, allegedly by a politically radicalized shooter in front of thousands at Utah Valley University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sept. 28, a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Michigan was set ablaze by an embittered gunman who shot 12 attendees, killing four and terrorizing a religious community that has been the subject of violent discrimination since its founding in 1830. This was the context for Mondays meeting, just blocks away from Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. But there is no place better prepared to respond to these tragedies, according to Natalie Gochnour, the director of the University of Utahs Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and a Dignity Index adviser. The key is our networks of trust, Gochnour told the Deseret News. Social capital is the quality of being able to connect and resolve differences, solve problems, prevent problems, and thats what makes us truly unique and special in the state. What makes conservatives skeptical? Donna Hicks, an international conflict resolution specialist, an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and author of "Leading with Dignity," speaks at Dignity Index Summit at the Salt Lake Hilton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Of the 300 at the Dignity Index Leadership Summit, roughly 100 were from outside Utah, representing 25 states, according to event organizers. The group in attendance, Shriver acknowledged, was probably more progressive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One conservative in attendance, Jamie Renda, appreciated the focus on self-reflection to root out hateful feelings, but worried about the desire to incorporate Dignity Index curricula in K-12 settings. I dont want it to be where youre capitulating your values just to be nice, Renda told the Deseret News. You cant use it to limit free speech and truly engaging in the hard conversations that we have to have to solve the problems. Renda, the founder of conservative nonprofit Path Forward, said she fears that creating an automatic digital index of political speech could lead to censorship that penalizes strong conservative beliefs. By going beyond classical liberal principles of tolerance, and encouraging the affirmation of other viewpoints, the Dignity Index strays into the arena of social justice, according to James Lindsay, a well-known anti-woke activist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its designed to trick and pressure people into thinking that going woke is an improvement on real American values, Lindsay said in a statement to the Deseret News. In an interview with the Deseret News, Shriver said this characterization of the Dignity Index could not be further from the truth. The organization does not ask anyone to moderate their political stances, he said. The sole focus of the organization, Shriver said, is to show that political rhetoric that disregards the dignity of partisan enemies leads to political violence, backfires by persuading no one and results in self-censorship. The biggest threat to free speech in the country right now is the culture of outrage and contempt, Shriver said. Im the opposite of the speech police. Were the opposite of cancel culture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 2020 Cato Institute poll found that 62% of Americans say they self-censor political views because they are afraid to share. This finding was confirmed by Populace Insights 2024 Social Pressure Index and by University of Michigan researchers in a 2023 study. By using the Dignity Index as a mirror, Shriver hopes people can create environments where even those with fundamentally opposed convictions can participate in more political speech. The best thing one can do to heal a society that rewards contempt is not to condemn offensive comments, Shriver said. It is to skip over inflammatory social media influencers who profit from the attention. The average American is funding the culture of outrage and hatred: stop, Shriver said. I hate to disappoint conservatives, but its not just liberals who are full of hate. And I hate to disappoint liberals, because its not just conservatives, youre full of hate too. We all are. Thats where we can unify Natalie Gochnour, Kem C. Gardner institute director, shakes hands with Tim Shriver, co-creator of the Dignity Index, during the Dignity Index Summit at the Salt Lake Hilton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Maury Giles, the CEO of Braver Angels considered the largest depolarization initiative in the U.S. said he understands why some conservatives feel alienated by any attempt to categorize speech as acceptable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giles told the Deseret News he hopes Dignity Index can continue to focus on elevating the dialogue so people can understand each other, and avoid it ever being used as a tool to attack supporters of President Donald Trump. On Monday, Giles announced that Braver Angels would partner with the Dignity Index to connect all 124 Braver Angels alliances with the resource and by encouraging Dignity Index training among its members across the country. As the faculty member overseeing Dignity Indexs application at the University of Utah, Jesse Graham, said he noticed how the index actually pointed to the same problems on both sides of the aisle. Graham is a business ethics professor studying the moral beliefs undergirding conflict. He told the Deseret News that social media has exacerbated the dark side of belonging by incentivizing disgust of others to fit into a political tribe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Leadership Summit featured discussions on introducing dignity into the workplace, classroom and campaign ads. Awards were presented to Kem Gardner, Chi Kim and Illinois members of the American Association of University Women. Donna Hicks, an international conflict resolution specialist, an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and author of "Leading with Dignity," speaks at Dignity Index Summit at the Salt Lake Hilton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News The keynote speaker was Donna Hicks, the author of Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict and a conflict resolution expert with experience in the Middle East, Libya, Syria and Northern Ireland. She told attendees that the work of dignity requires more than finding common ground. It is to find higher ground by treating conversations as sacred spaces, and connecting with others at a deep level despite differences. But in an interview with the Deseret News, Hicks said that a dignity movement requires more than personal commitments to view others with dignity. It requires leaders who embody those principles in their actions. This is why were doing what were doing here, Hicks said. To try to get leaders to understand, youve got to work with your people, to tell them, we may disagree fundamentally on other beliefs, but when it comes to human life, human dignity, thats where we can unify. In 1998, Vito Guzzo, a reputed member of the Colombo crime family, pleaded guilty to five murders and several other violent crimes. In court, he described his crimes without emotion I killed Ralph Sciulla by shooting him in the head, he told the judge, reading from a piece of paper. I killed Anthony Mesi by shooting him. I shot John Borrelli. Guzzo served 26 years of his 38-year sentence and was freed earlier this year after striking up a friendship with one of President Donald Trumps closest allies, Steven Bannon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Men from seemingly different worlds, Bannon met Guzzo at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut while serving a four-month sentence for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena. Guzzo found himself in Bannons cellblock: after completing most of his sentence in higher security federal prisons, he moved to the lower-security prison in Danbury after years of good behavior. MAGA star Steve Bannon plays outsized role in Trump's Iran decision: Sources According to Bannon, Guzzo knew exactly who he was and his role as a central player in Donald Trumps MAGA movement. Bannon told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, for his upcoming book, "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America," that Guzzo is the single biggest Trump fan youve ever seen. He said Guzzo could literally quote Trumps speeches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bannon-Guzzo relationship was first reported in an excerpt of the book in The Atlantic magazine. Bannon told Karl he worked to help Guzzo get an early release from prison under the First Step Act, a federal law signed by Trump in 2018 to reform federal prisons and sentencing. Shortly after Guzzo was released, Bannon showed Karl a video of the convicted killer walking out of the prison to greet his friends waiting to pick him up. "That guy is so impressive," Bannon told Karl. "Look at that guy's tracksuit; look at the shoes; look at the hair.these guys amaze me." Bannon's comments on Iran reflect growing division among Trump's MAGA base Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once skeptical of the First Step Act Bannon told Karl that his time in prison also changed his view on the legislation, the most significant bi-partisan bill signed by President Trump during first term. Bannon frequently clashed with Jared Kushner Trumps son-in-law and one of the chief proponents of the legislation and long disagreed with Trump for embracing what he saw as a soft-on-crime position. Prison, Karl reported, changed Bannons view. Jared was a genius about this. It is our ticket to a massive coalition, said Bannon. Remember, in Spartacus, the slave revolt starts in a prison, right? Editor's note: Profanity included in the book has been altered for this account and some text has been edited for style. "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America," by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl is being published Oct. 28 and is available for preorder at Penguin Random House. Kentucky lawmakers will try again in 2026 to let local water systems governing bodies decide whether or not to fluoridate their water. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) Kentucky lawmakers will try again in 2026 to let local water systems governing bodies decide whether or not to fluoridate their water. Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, said the bill he will file in 2026 is nearly identical to ones from previous years. One change, though, ensures water districts cannot be sued for their decision to either add or not add fluoride to the water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Water districts will be immune from any type of civil litigation regardless of which direction they go, whether they keep fluoride in the water or take it out, Hart said. Several lawmakers also floated the idea of a statewide ban on fluoride in drinking water. Dental and health advocacy organizations sent a letter to the committee stressing the importance of water fluoridation for oral health. Maintaining comprehensive community water fluoridation programs promotes a healthy, more engaged workforce, the letter said. A higher prevalence of dental problems impacts Kentuckians ability to work and learn, with employees missing more work to address their own dental treatment needs, or to support their childrens needs, as kids are nearly three times more likely to miss school when they have poor oral health. Jeopardizing water fluoridation programs will lead to increased healthcare costs and disparities in oral health outcomes, particularly among low-income and underserved populations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hart and other bill supporters stressed that they want to promote local control rather than litigate the pros and cons of fluoride. The United States is a free country. We do not dictate any medical treatment to anybody, Hart said. Its always a choice between the patient and their doctor. The same thing needs to apply to dental medicine. Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, D-Lousiville, took issue with that. One of the comments made was that we have to have choice and not be involved in medicine, and we dont do that, but we certainly do in the General Assembly, because weve taken away the right of women for reproduction rights, she said. So we do, in the General Assembly, make decisions on health care all the time. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (The Center Square) - One function of the federal Department of Education historically has been to hear and pursue complaints of civil rights violations in schools. With major changes to the department and Secretary Linda McMahon seeking to put herself out of a job through cuts, some worry that the integrity of that function will be lost. Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Pittsburgh, announced legislation to create a mechanism within the state to serve those functions, calling federal actions shortsighted and cruel. The bill would empower the state to investigate and enforce violations of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In order to protect their right to public education, students and parents need a real place to go when they are being discriminated against or harassed, said Williams. Instead, the federal government has gutted the Department of Education and shuttered the Pennsylvania Office of Civil Rights. This means if a student in Pennsylvania files a complaint about not receiving the resources they are legally entitled to, it would be handled by an office in Atlanta, if investigated at all. Referring to a ProPublica article, Williams also noted that McMahon had appointed at least 20 staff members from ultraconservative think tanks and advocacy groups eager to de-emphasize public schools and push students into private and religious schools, neither of which are required to educate students with disabilities. Those who advocate for dismantling the Department of Education say that it is outside the purview of the federal government and should be handled at the state level. Some point to the Constitution and say that if it was not initially a Congressional appropriation. The Department of Education was established as an independent cabinet department via Congress in 1979 and began operations in 1980 after over a century of operations under other authorities. A council at the centre of bin strike rows has been told to get their priorities right as they set up their city Christmas tree in October. The fir was moved in to place in Birmingham city centres Victoria Square over the weekend in preparation for its annual German Market. But residents, who have been living with the consequences of refuse worker walkouts since January, said the council should be focused on clearing rubbish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strikes began after Unite claimed Birmingham city council told the bin workers they would face pay cuts of up to 8,000 a quarter of their wages for some. The council, which declared effective bankruptcy in 2023, has faced criticism for its management of the crisis, which has seen streets piled high with bin bags, and infestations of rats. Unite has vowed to continue the strikes, potentially until Christmas, unless the council makes concessions. Our bankrupt council wont collect our bins Birmingham resident Richard McQuaid, 39, of Kings Heath, said: It would be nice if the council came and collected my bins this early - they need to get their priorities right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While everywhere else is decorated for Halloween the square outside the council house looks more like its the middle of December. Its still more than two months away from Christmas so it feels way too soon. Im not sure how festive the people of Birmingham are going to be feeling this year - our bankrupt council wont collect our bins but they want to throw us a big Christmas party. The civic tree has been put up outside Birmingham city councils offices while market stalls are also being erected for the festive season. Other residents simply complained that it is too too soon to be celebrating Christmas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georgina Walsh, 31, of Stechford, added: The Christmas market is becoming more of a divisive issue in Brum - you either love it or hate it. But to be talking about it in October while the leaves are still on the trees just feels wrong - get Halloween and Bonfire Night out of the way first. Birmingham city council was approached for comment. 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. Biocomposites has launched its SYNICEM range of spacers for hip, knee, and shoulder revision surgery in the US. Spacers are used to temporarily fill joint space, preserve soft tissue, and address the risk of infection during revision surgeries. Biocomposites SYNICEM spacers come in a variety of sizes and styles to match different patients anatomy, with specific left and right geometries available for each knee. To mitigate the risk of soft tissue or bone infection during revision procedures, the spacers come loaded with the antibiotic gentamicin. The launch of the British medtech companys SYNICEM range in the US follows a UK release in 2023. Biocomposites gained full control of the product range following its buyout of the remaining shares in French engineering firm Synergie Ingenierie Medicale in September 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Biocomposites CEO, Michael Harris highlighted that its SYNICEM spacers precision-engineered, uniform structure, local antibiotic delivery, and wide size range result in a faster, simpler, more dependable alternative to handmade spacers. Research indicates that hip, knee, and shoulder revision-replacement surgeries in the US are rising. According to experts at Yale Medicine, this rise is largely attributable to the ageing US population. The rise in revision procedures is also due to implants that have worn down over time, a factor that may be exacerbated by the possibility that initial replacement surgeries were inadequately performed due to a patients unique anatomy not being considered. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) leads the shoulder replacement market in the US with a 12.4% market share. Zimmer Biomet leads in the US hip and knee replacement market, with market share of 19.4% and 29.6%, respectively, as per market models by GlobalData. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, according to GlobalData analysts, Stryker may be on course to displace Zimmer from its lead position in the US knee reconstruction market. In Q2 2025, Strykers Triathlon total knee replacement system made more revenue than in any other quarter since 2014 the earliest year tracked by GlobalData. In Q2, the Triathlon made up just over 21% of the total market share in Q2, and Zimmers Persona revision knee system just over 22%. With these figures in mind, GlobalData analysis predict that over the next few quarters, Stryker may be able to take first place in this market if the company can maintain strong sales. "Biocomposites launches revision surgery spacer range in US" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. People who rescue animals are truly special. They do the important work to save lives every single day. People on the internet were so impressed by workers at the Wild Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, Missouri who not only saved a Red-Tailed Hawk who had an arrow in its wing, but found the most alarming object hidden in the birds skin. The birds dramatic rescue was captured and then later shared only for everyone to see. This is so transfixing. We cant believe the bird stayed so calm! The clip shows one of the sanctuarys workers acting fast to help the Red-Tailed Hawk, who was clearly in need. He had a pellet lodged in his cheek! Related: Tiny Rescue Parakeet Gets a New Lease on Life After Being Rescued From a Walmart Parking Lot Working quickly, the person pressed on either side of the wound and then popped the metal bullet out. It all went by so fast. The pellet shot of his cheek! The worker grabbed the object. Whats even crazier is that the bullet left a large hole in the birds face. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a message translated from Spanish, the poster explained that while these birds are essential to control rodent populations they often suffer from unwarranted shooting due to fear or ignorance. But have no fear, the wound was cleaned and the bird is recovering. People in the comments section were so thankful that the bird was safe. He looked so relieved when you squeezed that out, one person commented. For a second I thought that was a tick, but its not. Poor [hawk], another commenter wrote. Bird is like: did that come out of me?? wrote one person. The sky chicken was flabbergasted, one commenter teased. All About the World Bird Sanctuary The World Bird Sanctuary does such important work and they need our help! The sanctuary cares for sick and injured raptors and is home to over 200 animals from over 60 species from all over the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can even pay the sanctuary a visit! To plan your trip, head to the World Bird Sanctuary website. Youre sure to see beautiful birds like this one! Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips. This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Oct 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) A Birmingham man is charged in connection to a homicide that occurred last week. According to the Birmingham Police Department on Monday, 22-year-old Jaden Ellis Sanders is charged with the murder of Alfred Stephens. Police found the 73-year-old Bessemer man shot at in north Birmingham on Friday morning. Stephens died from his injuries around 5 p.m. Saturday. Man arrested at Atlanta airport planned to shoot it up with AR-15, police say: Thankful to God Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BPD stated a preliminary investigation showed there was a verbal altercation between the victim and the suspect. The suspect shot the victim and left the scene, according to the BPD. Sanders was arrested in the 1100 block of Hayden Road in Warrior. He is expected to be taken to the Jefferson County Jail and be held under no 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 CBS 42. Donald Trump insists India has promised to stop buying Russian oil, a claim which the Indian government has denied all knowledge of. It caps a surreal week for diplomatic relations between the two countries, which began last Wednesday with the US president claiming he had spoken to Indias Narendra Modi and that he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. This would have been, as Mr Trump rightly said, a big step; India has emerged as one of the worlds biggest importers of discounted Russian oil in the wake of international sanctions over Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, making New Delhi a sizeable contributor to the Kremlins war chest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet a day later, the Indian foreign ministry issued a statement defending its Russian oil purchases as in the best interests of its economy and therefore Indian citizens, describing talks with the US on the matter as ongoing. Stranger still, Indias government spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said he was not aware of any conversation at all taking place between Mr Trump and Mr Modi on Wednesday. Mr Trump reiterated his position on Sunday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said hes not going to be doing the Russian oil thing. When the US president was asked if he knew the Indian side was denying the phone call happened, he said: But if they want to say that, then theyll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they dont want to do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indias growing reliance on Russian energy since the outbreak of the Ukraine war has become a flashpoint in the India-US relationship during Mr Trumps second term. Washington has criticised New Delhi for capitalising on Moscows discounted oil, which Mr Trump argues is financing Mr Putins war in Ukraine. The Trump administration has levied punitive secondary sanctions on India in response, representing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods. Indias reliance on Russia for oil since the outbreak of war in Ukraine has become a flashpoint in the India-US relationship (Reuters) On Saturday, Reuters quoted an unidentified senior Indian official as saying that the talks between the two countries were happening in a congenial manner, without clarifying the discrepancy between the two sides over the disputed Trump-Modi call. Adding to the confusion, a White House official said India had halved its Russian oil purchases, but Indian sources said no reduction had yet appeared in orders, with November and December shipments already scheduled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement India, which has historically enjoyed close relations with the Kremlin both in terms of trade, cultural exchanges and imports of military hardware, is set to host Russian president Vladimir Putin later this year. Muyu Xu, a senior oil analyst at trade intelligence firm Kpler, told CNN: I dont think India can stop buying Russian oil overnight. The volumes are simply too large. Activists burn an effigy of Donald Trump and Narendra Modi as they protest the Indo-US trade deal during a demonstration in Kolkata in August (AFP/Getty) Replacing that volume from the spot market is no easy task. Beyond the sheer quantity, differences in crude quality and refinery yields make substitution far from a one-for-one swap, she said. Russia supplied India with an estimated 1.7 to 1.8 million barrels of oil per day over the first nine months of the year, according to Ms Xus data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, Indias foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar admitted that trade disagreements remained a key source of tension with the US but said both sides were working to resolve them through ongoing negotiations. He said that the two countries have not arrived at a landing ground for our trade discussions. Those issues need to be negotiated and discussed and resolved, which is exactly what we are trying to do, he said. Nearly 32 years have passed since Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon handed a rifle and remaining rounds of ammunition to Black Hawk pilot Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Durant at the helicopters wreckage site, said, Good luck, and waded into a sea of swarming Somali enemies with only a pistol in hand. In an event last month, hosted by U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon Commanding General Maj. Gen. Ryan Janovic, the Army remembered Gordons sacrifice with the renaming of Fort Eisenhower back to Fort Gordon. The base, which was originally named after Confederate General John B. Gordon, now honors the Medal of Honor recipient known for his heroism during the 1993 Black Hawk Down events in Mogadishu, Somalia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gordons widow, Carmen Drake-Owens, and son, Ian, attended the event. In 1992, the goal of U.S. intervention in Mogadishu, Somalia, was relatively straightforward: Ensure that the starving Somali population, suffering from famine brought on by civil war, received food. According to Time magazine, Americans hoped to prevent attacks on UN Relief operations by followers of Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. However, on Oct. 3, 1993, U.S. troops encountered resistance. As 100 Army Rangers and 12 Black Hawk helicopters raided a site with Aidid supporters, they were quickly ambushed. Upon getting word about the crash, Gordon and fellow sniper Sgt. 1st Class Randy Shughart repeatedly pressed to be dropped at the crash site, imbued with the Ranger Creed: Never shall I fail my comrades. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I remember specifically on the radio, Gary and Randy asking to be inserted into the battlefield, retired Col. Ron Russell, a Special Forces operations officer and veteran of the battle, recounted during the ceremony. I imagine now that they were flying around the battle, they could look down at the crash site, and they could see the hordes of Somalis that were surrounding the crash site. The pilot that inserted them has since stated that no one in their right mind would have gone, because they could see exactly what they were getting into. But Gordon and Shughart pressed on. Inserted 100 yards from the crash site, the pair fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to the Black Hawk, according to their citations. The soldiers found that three of its crew members did not survive the crash, but its pilot, Durant, albeit stunned and wounded, was still alive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pulling Durant from the wreckage, the three soldiers were immediately surrounded by enemy fire. Despite Somali fighters pressing in from all sides, Gordon, Shughart and Durant continued to fight, but soon found that their ammunition was severely depleted. Radioing for help and recovering some of the weapons and ammunition from the killed Black Hawk crew, Gordon, according to his citation, continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After Shughart was fatally wounded and with Gordons own ammunition critically low, the soldier returned to the Black Hawk one final time, fatefully giving the last rounds to Durant before uttering the words, Good luck. He was killed shortly after. On that day, not only did he do that, but he volunteered to come into my crash site and save my life, Durant recalled during a recorded message following the ceremony. I would not be here if not for his actions and Randys actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Shughart and Gordon posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their actions. Durant, meanwhile, was captured and held prisoner. During his captivity, he told a Red Cross worker and two journalists that the Somalis beat me violently with their fists and with sticks. He was shot in the leg and kept chained like a dog so that, as he later recalled to CNN, he couldnt even wipe the dirt from his face. His clothes were ripped off, his eyes blindfolded and he was hoisted naked above the heads of a raging crowd. After 11 days in captivity, Durant was finally freed. As for Gordon and Durants fellow personnel, during the ceremony, Gordons widow recounted the brotherhood among the men who fought in Somalia. I cant think of one without thinking of the other, she said. I am always honored to be the voice of my late husband, and I think if he was here today, he would want everyone to know that even though his name is on that placard as you enter this post, its not just for him; its for every single soldier that served that day. Editor's note: This story has been updated with the latest developments regarding the situation at the Szazhalombatta oil refinery in Hungary. Explosions occurred at oil refineries in Romania and Hungary on the evening of Oct. 20, both of which have links to Russia, local media reported on Oct. 21. Russian oil remains a key source of revenue for Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. Despite the European Union's push to fully phase out Russian energy, several member states continue to receive supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A midday explosion occurred at the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery in Ploiesti, southern Romania, on Oct. 20. The facility, owned by a subsidiary of Lukoil, one of Russia's largest privately owned oil and gas companies, had reportedly been offline since Oct. 17 due to a planned technical inspection, according to Hungarian newspaper Vilaggazdasag. A 57-year-old worker sustained serious head and leg injuries and was taken to intensive care. In light of recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, local authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the incident was a deliberate act. Yet, other potential causes, such as human error or technical malfunction, are also being considered, according to Vilaggazdasag. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An explosion also occurred at Hungary's largest oil refinery, located in the city of Szazhalombatta, which receives crude oil from Russia, according to Hungarian media outlet Telex. The Danube Refinery, situated 27 kilometers (about 17 miles) from Budapest and owned by the Hungarian oil company MOL, caught fire on the evening of Oct. 20 following the explosion. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze by the morning of Oct. 21. No injuries or fatalities have been reported. The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation. The Szazhalombatta facility, considered the most advanced in Hungary's oil refining sector, may now face a temporary shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The refinery is supplied with crude oil from Russia through the Druzba pipeline. Read also: Ukraine wants freedom to use EU loan from frozen Russian assets for US weapons On the night of the Oct. 20 fire, "some special work" was reportedly underway at the plant, though this was not mentioned in official statements, Telex reported on Oct. 22, citing its undisclosed sources. At the same time, the MOL oil company said no open-flame operations, such as welding, were being conducted that evening. One of the facility's key components is a distillation tower, which separates liquid mixtures from crude oil based on differing boiling points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to oil and gas equity analyst Tamas Pletser, if the tower was not damaged, repairs could be completed within several weeks. However, if the tower sustained damage, restoration could take six months to a year, he told Telex. As of now, the extent of the damage caused by the fire remains unclear. Russia's Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery also suspended operations on Oct. 20 following a drone attack, according to Reuters. The Novokuibyshevsk refinery, located in Volga Oblast, is part of Rosneft's Samara group of refineries, which includes the Kuibyshevsk and Syzran plants. Ukraine has not commented on the explosions at oil refineries in Romania and Hungary, nor on the drone strike at the Novokuibyshevsk facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Russias new long-range glide bombs aim to terrorize civilians, not win battles, experts say Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A fire at the ATAN oil depot in the village of Hvardiiske, located in Russian-occupied Crimea, reignited with increased intensity, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported on Oct. 21. The facility had been previously targeted by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces on Oct. 17, sparking a blaze that sent smoke billowing for dozens of kilometers. Light smoke was still rising from the site by noon on Oct. 20, with three fire trucks actively dousing a burning tank. By the following morning, the fire had grown more intense, with a thick column of smoke visible above the facility, Crimean Wind said, citing local residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents also reported hearing air defense systems and spotting drones flying over the village on the night of Oct. 21. It remains unclear whether the renewed fire is connected to the reported drone activity, according to Crimean Wind. Ukraine continues to target Russian military infrastructure in occupied territories and deep within Russia as part of its strategy to diminish Moscow's offensive capabilities. Russia's Defense Ministry said it intercepted 55 drones overnight on Oct. 21 across four Russian regions and occupied Crimea. Ukrainian drones also carried out what local officials described as a "massive air attack" on Russia's Bryansk and Rostov oblasts on the same night, injuring two people and causing limited damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier, Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said the Orenburg gas processing plant in Russia was forced to suspend gas intake from Kazakhstan following a Ukrainian drone strike on the facility. Ukraine's ongoing strikes on Russian oil production and refining facilities have reportedly led to gasoline shortages across parts of Russia. Russian oil product exports dropped by 17.1% in September compared to August, totaling 7.58 million tons, due to ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks, according to Reuters. Read also: Why does Russia want Donbas? 6 things to know about the region Ukraine is being pressured to give up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Bobbie Vylan has claimed BBC staff praised his controversial Glastonbury performance after he got off stage. The frontman of the British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan, who led chants that called for the death of all Israeli soldiers during their festival set, said he was praised by the broadcasters team on the ground for a fantastic performance. Speaking on the Louis Theroux Podcast, he said: We come off stage. Its normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like: That was fantastic! We loved that! The rap artist added: Nobody at the BBC at that time was there like: Oh my gosh. You know it was very normal. And then we got back and we went and got ice cream. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BBC last month claimed the groups chanting of death, death to the IDF referring to the Israel Defense Forces was not incitement to violence. The broadcaster was widely criticised at the time for airing the performance live and it later emerged Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, was at Glastonbury while the performance was being livestreamed. The groups set then remained available on BBC iPlayer for several hours, angering ministers, MPs and anti-Semitism campaigners. Bobbie Vylan claims there was no negative reaction from BBC employees to his performance at Glastonbury at the time Mr Davie later appeared to blame BBC employees at the music festival for not ending the livestream, saying that simply cutting it was an option open to those on the ground that day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The corporation has since apologised, describing the chants as anti-Semitic sentiments that were unacceptable. In a letter to MPs, Mr Davie added: I deeply regret that such deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community. Bobbie Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, has now doubled-down on the chants, telling Mr Theroux he would do it again tomorrow. Im not regretful of it, he said, adding: Id do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays. Following their festival set, Bob Vylan were banned from the US ahead of a 20-city tour through the country after the State Department revoked the groups visa, saying foreigners who glorify violence and hatred were not welcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were also axed from a European tour, a music festival in Manchester and faced a police investigation. Vylan explained that the backlash to their chant was minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through and celebrated the ensuing discourse giving a platform to certain people like Owen Jones. Jones, a Left-wing commentator and Guardian columnist, last month claimed he was thrown out of the Labour Party conference after criticising the partys record on Gaza. Vylan branded the response to his Glastonbury set as disproportionate and denied reports that his performance contributed to a spike in anti-Semitic incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The day after Vylans Glastonbury set, the highest daily total of anti-Semitic incidents in the first half of this year was recorded, the Community Security Trust a UK charity that works to protect Jews from anti-Semitism previously revealed. Asked by Mr Theroux about the upsurge in incidents, the rap artist said: I dont think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people going out and going like, Bob Vylan made me do this, I might go: Oof, Ive had a negative impact here. Of the reported incidents, 12 were found to be anti-Semitic reactions to statements issued by Jewish organisations in response to events at the music festival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, the incident prompted Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, to brand the airing of vile Jew hatred as a national shame. Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the airing of vile Jew hatred by the BBC was an act of national shame - Ilia Yefimovich Glastonbury organisers said they were appalled by the chants, which crossed a line. The Louis Theroux Podcast is available on Spotify. The BBC has been approached for comment. 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 Houston woman paid a steep price, literally, for a simple bank deposit that she made at her local Wells Fargo branch. Willie Delane told her local Fox 26 network that on September 15 she deposited a life insurance check totalling $10,000 into her Wells Fargo bank account. I've been with Wells Fargo for so long, years and years she said in the story. This is why, when she received a text roughly nine hours later saying that there was something fishy with a transaction involving her account, she called customer service. (1) According to Delane, the Wells Fargo rep said that they would freeze her account and cancel her bank card, with a replacement to be issued by mail. The next morning, however, Delane discovered that her account was $4,400 short the money was transferred from her savings account to her checking account, and then withdrawn. Must Read She says she didnt make the teletransfer but Wells Fargo claims she did, and at first refused to refund the money. But all's well that ends well after the news report aired, Delane says she checked her account and Wells Fargo returned the missing funds to her account. (2) How could a simple text message result in a $4,400 fraud? And how can you prevent it from happening to you? The legal loophole that could cost you thousands The CalCoast Times reports that, when contacting Wells Fargo about the text message she received, Delane called the customer service number listed in the message. (3) This could be a sticking point in the fraud case due to a law called Regulation E within the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA). According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), (4) Regulation E essentially protects Americans who fall victim to suspected fraud via an electronic transfer of funds from their financial institution. They add that if a case that falls under Regulation E is reported to a financial institution in a timely manner, then the institution must promptly investigate and correct the error within one business day after determining that an error has occurred. That said, Consumer Reports (CR) points out that if a customer is tricked and ends up authorizing money to be sent to scammers, the banks are often no longer liable for reimbursing them. (5) Pte William London, left, was one of the four soldiers found near Lens in France - Ministry of Defence Four British First World War soldiers whose remains were found when a French hospital was being built are set to be buried. The bodies of Arthur Cook, Robert Cullum, John Fraser and William London were discovered when foundations were being laid for the building five years ago. The men who were all privates of 1/5 Bn Lincolnshire Regiment, part of a Lewis gun team, and from Grimsby were eventually identified thanks to DNA analysis, equipment they carried and war records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, a service will be held at the Loos British Cemetery Extension for a reburial, following their deaths on May 5 1917 during the Battle of Arras. The Grimsby Chums Arthur Cook, Robert Cullum, John Fraser and William London will be buried alongside each other - BPM Media Tracey Bowers, from the MoDs Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), was called to the discovery of human remains in the summer of 2020. Her staff, known as war detectives, managed to identify the bodies and inform their families. The men were wearing shoulder titles indicating they were members of the Lincolnshire Regiment, she said. The position they were found lying in meant it was not possible to ascertain whether they had been intentionally buried or covered in soil by subsequent explosives following their deaths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The teams analysis of the regiments diary allowed them to narrow down the window in which they died. Casualty lists and names of missing soldiers showed those of Pte Cook, Pte Callum, Pte Frase and Pte London. The remains of Privates Arthur Cook, Robert Cullum, John Fraser and William London, all from Grimsby were found during an excavation to make way for a new hospital in Lens in northern France - BPM Media DNA samples were then taken from each of their remains and cross-referenced with those of their living relatives, in order to confirm their identities. Alexia Clark, a JCCC case worker, said it would be incredibly satisfying to be able to give the soldiers a proper burial more than 100 years later. The 1911 census showed what each of the soldiers had been doing before the outbreak of the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pte Cook was the eldest of six siblings and was working as a shop assistant in a tailoring business after finishing school. Meanwhile, Pte Cullum was the fifth of 13 siblings and worked at the towns fish docks. Records show his younger brother Tom also died in the Great War in October 1916. Pte Fraser was the middle child of three sons and was working as a ship painter before the war. Like Pte Cullum, Pte London was working with his father on the fish docks. 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. Conservation officers say theyve pulled the body of a Vermont man out of the Connecticut River in Westmoreland. New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified around 11:30 a.m. Sunday of a missing man from Vermont who was last seen in a canoe about 10 p.m. Saturday leaving the Putney, Vermont, side of the Connecticut River. A caller reported there had been no contact with the individual whose identity has not been released since that time and that his overturned canoe had been found near Ferry Road in Westmoreland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conservation officers, along with Westmoreland Fire and Rescue, Walpole Fire and Rescue, Spofford Fire and Rescue, Chesterfield Fire and Rescue, the Walpole Police Department, and Vermont State Police all responded to begin searching for the missing man. Just before 3 p.m. on Sunday divers located and recovered the mans body in close proximity to his overturned canoe, conservation officers said. The events leading up to the recovery of the mans body remain under investigation by New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol. (Reuters) -Boeing said on Tuesday it had received orders for nine CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters from the U.S. Army via two contract awards worth $461 million. The order increases the number of CH-47F Block II aircraft under contract to 18, Boeing said. (Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) Boil water notices have been issued for two water systems in Hinds County. According to the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), a notice was issued for the St. Thomas Water Association. The notice, which was issued due to a water main break, affects all 182 connections. Finding apartments under $1,000 can be difficult unless you live in this Mississippi city, says Zillow Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MSDH officials said the second notice was issued for the Town of Utica. The notice, which was issued due to a main break, affects all 387 connections. Health officials recommend that all water be boiled vigorously for one minute before it is consumed. The water systems will be notified when tests show that the water is safe to drink. 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. A Brooklyn school was evacuated Tuesday morning after someone from California phoned in a bomb threat, officials said. Administrators at I.S. 49, the William Gaynor Intermediate School, on Graham Ave. near Scholes St., in East Williamsburg just two blocks from the Grand St. Campus, which houses three high schools ordered the school evacuated after the threat was made around 8:30 a.m., cops said. The phone call, police said, came from California. The threat was made to the New York State Police, who routed it to the NYPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school, an NYPD spokesman said, was evacuated out of an abundance of caution. NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers and K-9 dogs searched the building, but found nothing, cops said. No injuries were reported. Students were allowed back inside the school around 10 a.m. Cops were tracking the menacing call back to its source in an attempt to find out who placed it. An email to the city Department of Education for comment was not immediately returned. BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) A bomb threat at a Brooklyn middle school prompted thousands to be evacuated from the building on Tuesday morning, according to the NYPD. Authorities said New York State Police received the call from California saying there was a bomb in the first-floor bathroom at I.S. 49 on Graham Avenue at around 8:30 a.m., according to police and sources. More Local News State troopers alerted the NYPD, and 2,000 students and faculty were evacuated from the campus, cops said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was no device found in the building, and the school day resumed, police said. There have been no arrests. 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). Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) A man was charged with murder Tuesday in connection with a deadly shooting on a Wichita city bus last week. (Travis Finney Courtesy: Sedgwick County) Travis Finney, 34, made his first appearance in Sedgwick County District Court. He is charged with premeditated first-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon, as he has a previous felony conviction, according to court documents. Wichita teen charged after shooting leaves four wounded Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charges stem from a shooting on Thursday afternoon on a bus near Maple Street and Meridian Avenue that killed 54-year-old Reginald Griffith. Police said five people were on the bus at the time of the shooting, and the bus was moving. Finney was arrested at the scene. His bond was set at $1 million for the shooting on the city bus. He also faces a higher bond for a probation violation. His next appearance was set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 30. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click 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 KSN-TV. Watching Nicolas Sarkozy head off to the clink on Tuesday morning, Boris Johnson might have felt a stab of envy. In a neat V-neck, escorted by his supermodel wife, a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo in his bag, the former French president made five years for criminal conspiracy look chic. What Johnson would give for a bit of peace and quiet with a novel. Instead, he had the Covid inquiry. Again. This is his least favourite sport: hours of hostile forensic interrogation where cracking gags in Latin is discouraged. Not given to retrospection at the best of times, Johnson has moved on. After all, he has fathered at least four children since the start of the pandemic, and at least one since he last appeared at this inquiry in 2023. In recent weeks, Johnson has been forced to defend himself on several fronts: over his business dealings since leaving office, the Boriswave caused by his immigration reforms, and now, once again, his handling of coronavirus. Shaggy of lid and baggy of suit, he sat down with the sheepishness of a bull that had been taken back to the china shop to apologise. Clair Dobbin KC, the inquirys counsel, thanked him for returning. Absolute pleasure, he said, dreaming of the Bastille. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This time, the focus was on how Covid affected children and young people. Dobbin began by asking why Johnson had not done more to prepare for the closing of schools in March 2020. With a bit of classic buck-passing, he reiterated that while he took full responsibility for his governments decisions, it was Gavin Williamsons fault. I assumed the work was being done, Johnson said. Many who have worked with him will relate. Boris Johnson outside the Covid inquiry on Tuesday - Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph He was evening the score. When the much-sacked Williamson gave his evidence last week, he was highly critical of Johnsons flip-flopping over schools. First, Johnson wanted to keep them open, then he closed them in March 2020, then he opened them, then he closed them suddenly in January 2021. Obviously annoyed to be thinking about Williamson in 2025, Johnson sighed like a breaching humpback. It seems paradoxical to be criticised for wanting to close schools and wanting to get them open, he harrumphed. Johnson obviously believes his first instincts, that closing schools would be a complete disaster for children, were borne out by the evidence. Five years later, he is being keelhauled for decisions he made against his better judgment. When Dobbin asked him about the disastrous GCSE marking algorithm, he verged on losing his cool. You try coming up with a system to give a fair exam result for people when they cant sit exams. Its not easy. OK? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson knows this stuff is serious. His answers were peppered with defensive legalese: It felt to me and as far as I remember and as I understand it. Mostly, he was frustrated with himself. Revisiting the decisions he made during the pandemic, he has to think about what might have been if he had strapped himself to the mast. Childrens futures protected, lives saved, his political career burnished. Was there another way? he mused aloud at the end of Dobbins questions. I dont know. A prison of what-ifs. 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. DUNMORE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A Dunmore man has been charged more than $400 for being a nuisance for feeding stray cats. 28/22 News reporter Joe Mason explains why the man believes he should never have been charged. Thomas Clark says hes been following the boroughs ordinance on trapping, neutering, and releasing stray cats and is confused about why hes been charged. Hazleton introduces new camera system to fight crime Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It aint their fault. We didnt ask them to be here, and they didnt ask to be here, stated Clark. Thomas Clark lives in Dunmore. Hes an animal lover and participated in the boroughs trap, neuter, and release program. He says he received training and followed the ordinance that Dunmore passed in February of last year. He is now worried about continuing to participate in the program because a neighbor called and complained to the borough. The borough charged Clark with two counts of feeding feral and/or stray cats and one count of controlling and maintaining dogs and other animals, which prohibits maintaining animals as a public nuisance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He pleaded not guilty, was found guilty by the magistrate, appealed, and was fined more than $400. Clark says he was told he can no longer feed the cats. We feel terrible. We feel violated. Like, what did we do wrong? When were trying to do the right thing and getting punished for it. So, because one neighbor is complaining, theyre making it like were the bad people and were not doing anything wrong. We re doing everything according to the law, pleaded Clark. He says he and his team have lessened the issue of stray cats in the neighborhood. It aint like the forty-five cats we had running around like crazy and just kept multiplying and multiplying, reasoned Clark. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Dunmore Zoning and Planning Coordinator Mike Brazil says, in part: The borough of Dunmore has received numerous complaints from neighbors that the feeding of these cats has created a public nuisance and health hazard to other citizens of the borough. Mr. Clark has only provided one receipt of participation in the trap, neuter, and release program, while the borough has trapped at least 20 cats in his neighborhood. Dunmore Zoning and Planning Coordinator Mike Brazil 20251021152716400Download However, Clark has disclosed to 28/22 News several receipts for the spaying and neutering of cats spanning months. Brazil also says Clark is fully responsible for the cats that he feeds, according to the ordinance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. By Nazrin Abdul In an era where the global energy landscape is defined by decarbonization, supply diversification, and geopolitical rebalancing, Azerbaijan is emerging as a key player, not only because of its abundant energy resources but also due to its strategic geography and expanding portfolio of clean energy partnerships. In the aftermath of hosting COP29 in Baku in 2024, Azerbaijan has accelerated its transformation from a traditional fossil fuel exporter to an emerging regional clean energy powerhouse. With sweeping renewable energy projects, high-level international partnerships, and strategic infrastructure development, Baku is positioning itself as a key connector in the evolving green energy architecture stretching from Central Asia to Europe. At the center of Azerbaijans green transformation is a state-led strategy driven by infrastructure development, regional diplomacy, and long-term energy integration. As the countrys Energy Minister, Parviz Shahbazov has articulated the operational roadmap behind this transition, emphasizing the importance of cooperation, planning, and global partnerships in delivering on national goals. Having energy resources alone is not enough, Shahbazov noted. You need to build strong and reliable relations with your neighbors... Without cooperation, none of the energy security projects would be possible. Despite record-high investments in renewables globally, the pace of deployment remains insufficient. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 582 GW of new renewable capacity was added globally in 2024, yet this falls short of the 16.6% annual growth rate needed to triple renewable energy generation by 2030. Minister Shahbazov emphasized that Azerbaijan is not only developing renewable energy capacity but doing so through a systematic and grid-conscious approach. The rapid development of renewable energy requires a parallel strengthening of transmission networks, energy storage, and system readiness. Azerbaijan is pursuing this integration from the very first stage, he noted. The flagship AZURE project, supported by the World Bank, reflects this vision. It includes 2 GW of renewable generation, 250 MW of battery storage, and the construction of high-voltage transmission lines and the Navahi 500/300 kV substation, enhancing the resilience of the national grid and facilitating future exports. Azerbaijan aims to increase the share of renewables in its installed power generation capacity to 38% by 2030. To meet this goal, the government is working on an additional 700 MW of onshore and offshore renewable projects, developed in collaboration with key international partners. Cooperation with Chinas EPPEI (Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute) is already underway to assess the technological and economic capacity of the national grid to absorb increasing volumes of renewables. This phased and responsible approach ensures not only production but also sustainable integration into the national energy system, said Parviz Shahbazov. Azerbaijan has cultivated a multi-layered ecosystem of green energy partnerships, featuring major global players such as: Masdar (UAE); ACWA Power (Saudi Arabia); bp; TotalEnergies (France); China Datang, PowerChina, China Energy; SOCAR Green, Nobel Energy, and others. These partnerships have already materialized into concrete projects and strategic agreements. In April 2025, Azerbaijan and China signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, covering wind, solar, battery storage, hydro-accumulation, and grid infrastructure. A minimum of 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects with Chinese companies is expected to be commissioned by 2032. Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Washington in August 2025 emphasized renewable infrastructure and regional grid interconnections as key focus areas under the US-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership Charter. One of the most consequential components of Azerbaijans green energy agenda is the development of the Zangezur Corridor, which restores uninterrupted land connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan. But beyond logistics, this corridor is evolving into a green energy bridge. According to Minister Shahbazov, the corridor will be essential in transmitting renewable electricity from Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur to Turkiye and European markets, either directly or through Armenia. The government is currently constructing: - A 400/330/110/35/10 kV converter substation in Nakhchivan - A 330 kV JabrailNakhchivan line - A 400 kV Nakhchivan Turkiye line This infrastructure not only integrates Nakhchivan into Azerbaijans grid but also positions the region as a key node in the AzerbaijanTurkiyeEurope Energy Hub. Azerbaijan is also tapping into its massive offshore wind potential in the Caspian Sea. According to Shahbazov, 6 GW of offshore wind is planned, with 4 GW earmarked for export by 2032 via the CaspianBlack SeaEurope Green Energy Corridor. This project is backed by the Caspian Breeze Consortium (Masdar, ACWA Power, SOCAR Green) and several Chinese partners. A feasibility study is expected by early 2026. A joint venture, GECO Green Energy Company, has already submitted the project for inclusion in the ENTSO-E Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), a critical step toward obtaining PCI/PMI status in the EU. At COP29 in Baku, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan signed a historic agreement launching the Trans-Caspian Green Energy Corridor. This marks the first attempt to link the electricity systems of Central Asia and the South Caucasus. A joint venturethe Green Corridor Alliance, headquartered in Bakuwas formed to lead the project. With financial support from the Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, feasibility studies are set to begin in November 2025. This corridor is consistent with our policy of developing the Central AsiaSouth CaucasusCaspian region as an integrated geopolitical space, Shahbazov said. Hydrogen also features prominently in Azerbaijans long-term strategy. A National Strategic Overview and Action Plan on hydrogen production, consumption, and export is currently being finalized. Hydrogen is an integral part of Azerbaijans green development and energy supply agenda, noted Shahbazov. Simultaneously, geothermal energy - often overlooked - has been identified as a viable source of clean power. Azerbaijans geothermal heat potential is estimated at 571.2 MW, with pilot projects already underway in Bibiheybet, Kurdamir, and Masalli, some of which creatively repurpose decommissioned oil wells for clean energy generation. Energy efficiency is the silent enabler of Azerbaijans green agenda. The government is rolling out the Energy Efficiency Information System (EEIS) - a digital platform for monitoring and managing consumption across public and private sectors. To support financing, the Energy Efficiency Fund has been launched to provide: Preferential loans; Subsidies for efficient technologies; Piot project support. Seventeen technical regulations have been developed to guide eco-design and energy labeling, particularly for energy-intensive products. From its resource-rich past to its decarbonized future, Azerbaijan is undergoing a profound transformation. The country is laying the physical and diplomatic groundwork to become not just an energy producer - but a transit, export, and policy leader in the clean energy age. With its integration of Garabagh, Eastern Zangazur, and offshore Caspian resources into global markets, Azerbaijan is redefining the geography of green energy. And in doing so, it is creating a model for how fossil-fuel-rich nations can reorient themselves in the era of net-zero. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wolters Kluwer today announced that the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) has successfully launched the Enablon Control of Work (CoW) solution at its first upstream oil gathering location in the Abseronneft Oil and Gas Production Department (OGPD), located on Pirallahi Island. In line with its digital transformation efforts, the company shifts from manual, paper-based systems to fully integrated digital workflows for managing work permits, isolations, risk assessments, and safety protocols. As the fully state-owned enterprise responsible for oil and natural gas production from both onshore and offshore fields in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, SOCAR plays a vital role in the nations energy infrastructure. It operates Azerbaijans only oil refinery, a gas processing plant, and oversees several strategic oil and gas export pipelines. With the rollout of the Enablon CoW solution, SOCAR is strengthening its commitment to standardizing safety practices across its complex operations. Through this project, paper-based manual operations for managing work permits, isolation processes, risk assessments, and safety protocols are being replaced with fully integrated digital workflows. This transition removes inefficiencies linked to paper-based systems and enables real-time oversight of simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) across facilities, contributing to the creation of a safer and more efficient working environment. Richard Pulliam, SVP & General Manager, Wolters Kluwer EHS & ESG, said: "Were honored that Enablon innovations are playing such an important role in supporting SOCARs digital transformation journey. Enablons proven, global track record in Control of Work, its scalability across upstream and downstream operations, and its ability to integrate seamlessly into SOCARs broader digitalization roadmap make it an ideal fit for SOCARs needs. This go live milestone was made possible by a strong joint project team, combining SOCARs deep local expertise with Enablons global best practices and leading technology to deliver a complex implementation with impact." This initiative marks the beginning of a broader and evolving relationship between SOCAR and the Wolters Kluwer Enablon team. Following the successful upstream deployment of the Enablon Control of Work (CoW) solution, SOCAR is now working to expand its use of the platform across its downstream operations, other strategic assets and locations. Mammad Alizada, SOCARs Advisor to the President, said: "SOCARs digital transformation is accelerating thanks to the close collaboration between the Enablon team and our Caspian Innovation Centre, SOCARs digitalization hub. Together, we are driving the successful implementation of key platforms like Enablon CoW, combining Enablons global expertise with our local execution insights to enhance safety, efficiency, and resilience across our operations." A Boston man has been arrested on several charges in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Tewksbury this weekend. Dasuan Jacobs, 28, is facing charges of failure to stop or yield, operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license, leaving the scene of property damage and possession of a Class B drug in connection with the crash on Sunday, October 19, Tewksbury police said Monday. About 2:41 p.m., officers responded to the area of Main Street and Hinckley Road for a report of a crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tewksbury police said two vehicles, a gray Jeep Cherokee and a blue Honda CRV, both had heavy damage. Police say Jacobs, the driver of the Jeep, fled the scene. Officers located Jacobs in the backyard of a home on Hinckley Road. Police say Jacobs had two active arrest warrants in separate counties and that his drivers license had been suspended. Officers also recovered a small bag of cocaine on the pavement directly below the drivers side door of the Jeep, Tewksbury police say. Jacobs was arrested and transported to a local hospital. The two people inside the Honda CRV were evaluated by the Tewksbury Fire Department on scene. Jacobs was arraigned from his hospital bed on Monday. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) Leaders in the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) want to get one of the districts schools back on track. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) gave Bowie Elementary a D rating in its latest outlook. During a Monday evening school board meeting, the schools principal and deputy superintendent discussed what changes are being made. Still work to be done: Austin ISD responds after TEA school ratings released Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We should not be in last, in fact Bowie did see improvement last year, said San Marcos CISD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Terrence Sanders. Its not the improvement [we want]. Obviously we are never going to be thrilled with seeing our campus remain at D.' It was a sentiment echoed by Bowie Elementary Principal Jessica Berry. I have never felt once like Im doing this alone and it has been very refreshing and really appreciated the level of support thats been given, she said. Berry explained the school is trying to engage parents, including during a weekly newsletter. She explained the important of attendance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kids need to come to school, Berry said. MAP: Which school districts increased teacher pay for the 2025-26 school year? While the school has made some progress recently, bumping up from an F rating during the last two outlooks, the principal said changes are being made. TEA has said that is not enough and has the school working on a turnaround plan. Among the changes, the school needs at least a C rating by the 2026. It needs a B rating by 2027. To get there, Berry said changes are being made and the district will focus on several things, including: Sticking closely to instructional plans; Boosting student growth in math and reading; and Closing achievement gaps, especially for emergent bilingual students and those in special education. 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 KXAN Austin. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Heres what youll learn in this story: Studies show that your brain doesnt perceive the world exactly as it is. Instead, it fills in gaps in perception. The first layer of your brains primary visual cortex helps to decide what reality looks like. You evolved not to have picture-perfect sight, but to have a useful image of the world, because that benefits your survival. In February 2015, Cecilia Bleasdale, a Scottish mom, snapped a photo of the dress she planned to wear to her daughter Graces wedding. She posted it on Facebook, and opinions immediately split in two. Some swore the dress was blue and black, others white and gold. Within hours, the debate exploded on Twitter, news outlets piled on, and celebrities joined in. What began as a proud moms snapshot became, in the words of vision scientist Jay Neitz, PhD, one of the biggest individual differences Ive ever seen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another scientist caught up in the dress conundrum was Hyeyoung Shin, PhD, who today is an assistant professor of neuroscience at Seoul National University, but was then just a graduate student at the start of her career. On team blue and black, Shin just couldnt will her brain into flipping the colors. Over 10 years later, in a September study published in Nature Neuroscience , she was finally able to explain why. It turns out our brains create an illusion of reality based on both our previous experiences and the evolutionary design of our primary visual cortex. Located at the back of the brain, where it receives signals from our eyes, this first layer of image sensing (called V1) doesnt just take pictures. In fact, it helps decideif not dictatewhat we see. And thats crucial, because this design enables our ability to make decisions quickly based on how we perceive the word around us. Otherwise, we might spend too much time trying to recognize important stimuli in our environment, such as danger, scientists say. In their study, Shin and her colleagues zapped the brains of six mice with ultra-precise holographic lasers, targeting a tiny cluster of cells in V1. They asked whether sparking those cells alone could make the brain see something that wasnt really there. The animals brains lit up as if they were seeing phantom shapes, like the Kanizsa triangle , where Pac-Man cutouts trick you into seeing a triangle that isnt there. The team baptized these cells IC-encoder neurons, because a spark from them can ripple outward, recruiting tens of thousands of other neurons to finish the picture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This kind of pattern-filling in V1 isnt brand new; past studies showed the brain works less like a camera passively relaying signals, and more like an intelligent guesser filling in information gaps. Shins team already knew some neurons in V1 were involved in illusions. In this novel study, though, they identified the exact cluster that actively broadcast illusions and drove the process. Shin says she hadnt expected this filling-in to happen so early, right in the brains first visual processing area. That means reality is in the eye of the beholder. It implies that perception is not a direct recording of reality, but a process of inference, says Shin. In neuroscience, inference means the brain makes its best guess about whats out therefilling in perception gaps and leaning on past experience. Shes quick to dismiss going so far as to call reality a controlled hallucination, though, since hallucination means making up things that arent there. Instead, illusionand perception in generalis the brain interpreting sensory evidence based on your beliefs about the sensory world, she says. In everyday life, we mostly do agree on what we see. Even in the dress debatea perception anomaly in itselfno one saw red or fuchsia. The fight was only between two specific color combinations. So are our brains all running on the same basic code? Getty Images Our beliefs about the sensory world are shaped through our sensory experience, says Shin. The Kanizsa triangle is an ideal example: we see a white triangle because our brains assume aligned edges belong together. This belief is formed by our experience of edges, and edges are everywhere, which is why illusory contour perception is shared not only across humans, but also across monkeys, mice, owls, sharks, bees. In other words, the more our sensory worlds overlap, the more we share the same predictive code. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our brains do create reality, at least the only reality that any of us can ever know, says James Hyman, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The brain isnt trying to give us the true picture of the world; its trying to give us a useful one. What matters most is survival. A monkey swinging through trees doesnt analyze every lineit assumes brown is branch and green is not. That shortcut works because branches hold weight and vines dontbut if snakes curl along branches, detail becomes critical, he says. For Hyman, the new investigation of V1 suggests illusions operate like memory does. Just a tiny spark in memory centers can burst outward, lighting up sensory regions across the brain. As few as 15 neurons are needed to create brain-wide activation, he says. Its an incredibly efficient way to store memories and to produce sensory experience... The brain, like the rest of our body, is driven by energy conservation. The obvious question is: can we really trust our consciousness to tell us the truth, or is it just spinning the most useful story? Perhaps were doomed to never know, because were trapped by our survivalist brains. It might be possible to see reality in a technically accurate way if we could suppress the feedback loop of communication in our brains, says Shin. Thats when higher brain areas talk back down, shaping what the lower ones think they saw, like a teacher telling students what answer to write. Theres a slight problem with this strategy though. The brains design expects those loops. Remove them, and youd have to re-engineer the whole system from scratch, says Shin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, then we could finally put a full stop to the endless debate over whether Ms. Bleasdales dress was white and gold or blue and black. (Spoiler: it was actually the latter). But that victory might open a far darker debate: what if the real truth looks nothing like the world we expect to see tomorrow morning? Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: COURTESY DAVIDSON; ANDRE L. PERRY Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: COURTESY DAVIDSON; ANDRE L. PERRY Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: COURTESY DAVIDSON; ANDRE L. PERRY Shop Now You Might Also Like Brazils state-owned oil company won approval to drill near the mouth of the Amazon River, just weeks before the country hosts the COP30 climate summit. The move granting Petrobras an exploration license has been sharply criticized, including by Brazils own environment minister. But other senior officials defended the decision, arguing that Latin Americas biggest economy needs to shore up its energy independence amid global economic uncertainty, and that Brazil should only transition away from fossil fuels as part of wider international efforts. The plan represents the future of our energy sovereignty, Brazils energy minister wrote on X. Editor's Note: This is a developing story. Ukrainian forces carried out a large-scale attack involving Storm Shadow missiles against Russia on Oct. 21, striking the Bryansk Chemical plant, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported. "A massive combined missile and air strike was carried out, including the use of air-launched Storm Shadow missiles, which successfully penetrated the Russian air defense system," the General Staff said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operation was carried out jointly by Ukraine's Air Force in coordination with the Navy, Land Forces, and other military units. The attack hit the Bryansk Chemical Plant in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, the General Staff said. The consequences of the strike are still being assessed. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims at the time of publication. The Bryansk Chemical Plant produces gunpowder, explosives, and rocket fuel components, which Russia uses in ammunition and missiles launched against Ukraine. The General Staff described the plant as a "key facility" in Russia's military-industrial complex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.K. designated the Bryansk Chemical Plant in its Sept. 12 package of sanctions against Russia. The factory has also been sanctioned by the U.S. The plant has been targeted in previous strikes, some of which reportedly involved long-range ATACMS missiles. Read also: Ukraine war latest updates: SBU destroys 2 Russian drone-hunting aircraft, releases video (12) The U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles have a range of between 250 and 560 kilometers (155-349 miles), depending on the version of the weapon. Equipped with advanced navigation systems, they are designed to fly close to terrain at high speeds, enhancing their effectiveness in striking critical targets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine has previously used Storm Shadows to strike targets in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk oblasts, as well as in Russian-occupied Crimea. The latest strike comes the same day that President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russia "may hold the indispensable key to peace." Zelensky had hoped to win a promise of long-range Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine during his Oct. 17 meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Instead, Trump said he wanted to avoid escalation with Russia and said he planned to hold a bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But plans for the U.S.-Russia talks fell apart, as the Kremlin refused to accept Trump's call for Kyiv and Moscow to freeze the battle lines and call a ceasefire. U.S. officials said on Oct. 21 that there were no plans for Putin and Trump to meet in the near future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russia continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy and as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us for Ukraine became less immediate, Russia's interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically," Zelensky said on Oct. 21. "This signals that this very issue the issue of our deep strike capabilities may hold the indispensable key to peace." Read also: No plans for Putin-Trump summit in immediate future, Lavrov-Rubio meeting also shelved Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A recent state audit found that Sheriff Jonathan Benison of Greene County, Alabama, improperly spent nearly $5 million from a county fund generated by bingo operations. He has been ordered to repay the funds and the matter has been turned over to the district attorney and the state attorney general. A county ordinance allows nonprofits to raise money through bingo games, with the sheriff administering the program. Between 2018 and 2024, the audit claims Benison collected $16.9 million in proceeds from bingo, but it claims he lacked adequate documentation for millions of dollars in expenditures, including $3.16 million paid to employees outside of their salaries. It further noted that his office failed to follow state laws for bookkeeping, which includes reconciling bank accounts. Benison has denied any wrongdoing. The post Brickbat: B-I-N-G-O appeared first on Reason.com. Britain has deployed troops to Israel as part of an international task force led by the United States to monitor the ceasefire in Gaza. On the request of the US, a small contingent of military planning officers has been embedded in the stabilisation force, known as the civil-military coordination centre (CMCC), the Ministry of Defence said. The US is providing up to 200 troops but Britain has not revealed how many of its forces will be deployed, although the cadre will include a two-star deputy commander. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The task force, which is said to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, will ensure adherence to the ceasefire and assist with the flow of aid. A Palestinian girl receives a hot food portion from a charity kitchen in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza on Tuesday - EYAD BABA It is separate to the larger international stabilisation force that features in Donald Trumps 20-point peace plan and is intended to provide long-term security for the region. A spokesman said: The UK continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where the UK can best contribute to the peace process. The deployment was revealed only a week after Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, said there were no plans to send British troops to the region as part of the multi-national force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the ceasefire has been tested with the resurgence of Hamas on the streets of Gaza following the IDF withdrawal, accompanied by a bloodthirsty campaign of retribution against its internal enemies, involving at least one public mass execution. Hamas are waging a bloodthirsty campaign of retribution against its internal enemies - /x.com/EYakoby On Sunday, there was also a series of attacks on IDF troops behind the yellow withdrawal line, which killed two Israeli soldiers and briefly threatened to collapse the ceasefire, although Hamass leadership denied involvement. On Tuesday, JD Vance visited Israel where he refused to impose a deadline on Hamas to disarm and urged Benjamin Netanyahu and the wider Middle East to be flexible in the pursuit of peace. On his first visit to the Jewish state since taking office, the vice-president struck a bullishly optimistic note, saying this peace is going to last, and that the deal was in a good place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He warned Hamas that it must behave itself and that it would ultimately have to give up its weapons or it would be obliterated. JD Vance briefed media at an undisclosed location in southern Israel on Tuesday - ABIR SULTAN/EPA/Shutterstock It followed a message on social media by Donald Trump on Tuesday that if Hamas does not comply their demise would be FAST, FURIOUS & BRUTAL! However, Mr Vance refused to set a timetable, hinting that the practical work of assembling the long-term peacekeeping body would need to be accomplished first. Im not going to do what the President of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is to put an explicit deadline on it [disarmament], because a lot of this stuff is difficult, he told reporters. A lot of this stuff is unpredictable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump peace plan posits an international stabilisation force for Gaza, to whom it is presumed Hamas would surrender their weapons. Given that this is in an embryonic state, with few confirmed participants, Mr Vances comments suggest Hamas could remain in control of the enclaves cities for weeks or even months to come. An Israeli army tank moves along the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip - AFP Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume fighting, this time without the constraints of hostages in Gaza, in order to disarm Hamas the hard way. However, Mr Vances comments although he earlier praised Israel for being remarkably helpful will be taken as a firm public rejection of that course of action, at least in the immediate term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It follows a report in the New York Times that the White House was concerned that Mr Netanyahu might try to collapse the deal. Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume fighting to disarm Hamas the hard way - Alex Kolomoisky/AP The vice-president also urged Israel to exercise restraint on the issue of the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. He cited the difficulty of locating and extricating corpses under the rubble of Gaza as reasons to counsel in favour of a little bit of patience. The remains of two men were returned to Israel on Tuesday night, leaving 13 hostages unaccounted for. The bodies were identified as Arye Zalmanovich, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct 7, and Tamir Adar who is believed to have died while defending Nir Oz on the day of the Hamas attacks. People held portraits of dead hostages still held by Hamas as they rallied outside the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv - JACK GUEZ Israeli ministers and officials believe that Hamas is deliberately holding up the repatriation of deceased hostages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israelis are also extremely sceptical as to whether the terror group has any intention of disarming and question the logic of participating in phase-two talks on the future of the Strip until this has taken place. Mr Vance spoke on Tuesday alongside Steve Witkoff, Mr Trumps Middle East envoy, and Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, at the new US-Israel coordination centre, from where American military personnel intend to oversee and guide Gazas post-war transition. However, no US troops will be deployed to the enclave itself, the vice-president confirmed. Addressing the potential pace of disarmament, he said: I dont think its actually advisable for us to say that this has to be done in a week, because a lot of this work is very hard. Its never been done before and, in order for us to give it a chance to succeed, weve got to be a little bit flexible. Palestinians walk among the rubble of destroyed buildings in Khan Yunis - Anadolu He said that violent incidents such as Sundays were bound to happen. There are going to be hills and valleys, he said. There are going to be moments when it looks like things arent going particularly well. But he stated that the purpose of the new US military headquarters was to mediate the difficulties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Vance also acknowledged that both Israel and some of the Gulf Arab states were becoming impatient with Hamas. It is reported that Saudi Arabia in particular is becoming frustrated with the apparent dominance of Qatar and Turkey in the discussions over the future of Gaza. Both countries have granted sanctuary for senior Hamas figures and both are accused of being sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood ideology upon which the terror group was founded. The frustrations over any Qatari and Turkish dominance potentially risk Saudi involvement in Gazas reconstruction as well as the stabilisation force. Saudi Arabias involvement in the reconstruction of Gaza is at risk due to frustrations over Qatar and Turkey - Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters Mr Vance nevertheless went out of his way to praise Turkey on Tuesday, describing their involvement as a great help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their contribution to the negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh was seen as one of the key factors that led to the ceasefire and release of the hostages. Mr Trump also makes no secret of his admiration for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkeys strongman president. Under the relatively vague principles of Mr Trumps 20-point plan, certain areas of Gaza can be demilitarised and put on a path to reconstruction even if Hamas is still active in others. Mr Kushner said no reconstruction money would go into zones where the terror group had not completely disarmed. It emerged on Tuesday that Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, plans to travel to Israel in the coming days, making him the fourth senior US official to visit in less than two weeks after Mr Trump departed on Oct 13, having declared peace in the region. 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. I remember Nicolas Sarkozy in his pomp, in the Palace of Westminster, with the glamorous Carla Bruni in tow, addressing a starry-eyed parliament. Now he is heading to prison to begin a five-year sentence for conspiracy to engage in corrupt relations with the Gaddafi regime in Libya. I have no idea of the extent of his guilt, or even whether as his defenders assert he was targeted by a cabal of Left-wing judges. In any case, it raises alarming questions about the state of French democracy, and perhaps that of Europe as a whole. But my thoughts, I admit, are somewhat different: why do we not have such high-level scandals in Britain? One could suggest comforting answers. We do not have a constitution which allows one man to run foreign policy, and more broadly to exercise a degree of power which (wrote a leading French political scientist) it would be criminal to place in the hands even of a saint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps we are not quite so cynical about political corruption: many in France think that if there is no personal enrichment it doesnt really matter. We do not have such a politically active judiciary or if we do, they concentrate their fire on the small fry. No former British prime minister has ever served a custodial sentence. In France, in contrast, Sarkozy will be the first former head of an EU country to serve time behind bars and only the latest of several leading politicians from Left and Right who have ended up in the dock for political misdeeds. Or could it be that we are keener to cover things up? We certainly have scandals which (in the words of Sarkozys judge) undermine the confidence of citizens in the political system. The grooming gangs horrors are worse than anything Sarkozy has done. The post office scandal ruined many lives. The NHSs tainted blood killed around 3,000 people. Our scandals are collective and institutional. Or at least they appear to be, as it is rare for any individual to be held accountable for them: it seems they just happen. Unlike in France, no ministers or officials are prosecuted. Is anyone even sacked? Instead, lessons are learnt, platitudinous regrets expressed, and those responsible move on serenely to other jobs or take their pensions. Frances blood scandal saw a former prime minister, two other ministers and a senior official charged with manslaughter in 1999. It took another 18 years before a full British inquiry even started, by which time potentially incriminating records had disappeared and many victims had died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was not always like this. When the South Sea Bubble burst in 1720, its directors were sent to the Tower and all their property was confiscated. When the East India Company was accused of misgovernment in Bengal in the 1780s, its Governor General was impeached and had to spend seven years defending himself before parliament. The horrors of the slave trade were brought to public attention despite the wealth of the pro-slavery lobby by debates in parliament and official investigations. Exploitation of child labour in Britain was also brought into the open by MPs and peers. Mistreatment of workhouse inmates became a national scandal and the subject of a parliamentary inquiry. Perhaps the worst Victorian scandal, concerning child prostitution, was exposed by the press in 1885 and caused public outrage. A petition of 400,000 signatures, two and a half miles long when unrolled, was brought to Westminster escorted by the Salvation Army. A rally in Hyde Park drew over 100,000 people, with feminists, socialists, clergy, and trade unionists marching together. Parliament immediately passed legislation outlawing brothels and pimping and raising the age of consent from 13 to 16. Compare the grooming gangs scandals: todays progressives turned a blind eye and the authorities did not enforce the law. Yet todays public reaction is perhaps not so different from that of the Victorians: the Unite the Kingdom rally was surely fuelled in part by anger at the sexual exploitation of children. The sometime Labour MP for Rotherham, Denis MacShane, subsequently admitted that he had not got involved because there was a culture of not wanting to rock the multicultural community boat. How many other MPs, police officers, social workers and local councillors could make the same admission? How many have been called to account? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know the contrasting experience of another Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion, forced to resign a front bench post because she did rock the boat. In France to return to my starting point it is a criminal offence punishable by up to 7 years imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 euros to neglect to assist a young person in danger. If we had such a law, our courts might find themselves overwhelmed. The Victorians were not so averse to rocking the boat. They had a disconcertingly strong moral backbone: this was especially true of the then progressive Liberal Party, the voice of the nonconformist conscience. Sometimes wrong-headed, and often annoying, it was a force to be reckoned with. Although it was as willing as todays progressives to emote about far away atrocities over which it had little or no control, it was far more willing to tackle the seamy side of British society head on. But conscience was not enough. A free press and party political rivalry were always essential in exposing scandal and bringing about political action. They still are. But todays worst scandals involve Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, and so parliament has too often been supine, responding to public indignation only when it could not ignore it, but not giving a lead. Some individual MPs have been active, but there are probably fewer self-confident and truly independent back-benchers than in the days of Gladstone and Disraeli. Then, MPs were socially prominent and financially independent. Now, such people generally prefer charitable work to parliament, or get put into the Lords where unfortunately most sink without trace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In short, parliament, on which for centuries we depended to control those in power, now often seems just a minor cog in a vast bureaucratic machine. So politicians hastily pass the buck to interminable and inconclusive judge-led inquiries. Our worst scandals are not individual acts, like those that brought Nicolas Sarkozy down, but collective failings of bureaucracies. These protect themselves by covering things up. They are our rulers now. Robert Tombs is emeritus professor of French history at the University of Cambridge 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. NEW BRITAIN - A Hartford police officer charged with operating under the influence was so asleep while at the wheel of his truck in traffic that city officers had to use an air horn to rouse him, according to a police report. Brenden Lytton was found by New Britain police after they received a report that a man was asleep at the wheel of his running truck in the middle of the road on an off-ramp facing East Main Street in the early morning hours of Oct. 5, the report said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were several cars lined up behind Lytton's Dodge Ram, with the truck "obstructing" traffic the way it was in the roadway, New Britain police said in the report. One New Britain officer tried waking the shirtless Lytton by tapping on the driver's-side window for about two minutes, the report said. But it wasn't until a second officer used an air horn on a police vehicle that Lytton stumbled out of his car, had to hang on to a door to keep from falling and then urinated on the side of the road despite being told not to, the report said. During the encounter the New Britain officers found Lytton's Hartford police identification, according to the report. Lytton refused to take a sobriety test or blow into a Breathalyzer as police were trying to gather evidence that he was intoxicated and behind the wheel, the report said. When asked how much he had to drink, Lytton replied, "Only four, four, four," the report said. He also told officers that his identification was "wherever you want it to be," and kept grabbing the officer while being questioned, according to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point, a New Britain officer positioned his cruiser in front of Lytton's truck so he couldn't take off suddenly when he was awakened, the report said. Later, an officer had to block Lytton from getting back into his truck, which still had the driver's-side door open, before he was handcuffed, according to the report. Lytton has been on modified duty in his job with the Hartford police since he was charged with operating under the influence and interfering by New Britain police. He was released on a promise to appear and is next due in court Dec. 5, court records show. New Britain police kept his license for 24 hours because he refused to submit to testing, the report said. This article originally published at New Britain police needed air horn to wake Hartford cop accused of DUI, report says. Gold (GC=F) futures opened at $4,144 per ounce on Friday, up 0.4% from Thursdays close of $4,125.50. The price of gold declined in early trading. The uncertainty and political discord caused by President Trumps tariffs have supported higher demand for gold as a safe-haven asset. The U.S. tariff agenda continues to fuel tensions with other nations. President Trump terminated trade talks with Canada Thursday via a Truth Social post. The decision was prompted by a Canadian ad that criticizes Trumps tariffs using the voice of Ronald Reagan. Reagans voice was taken from a 1987 presidential radio address discussing free trade. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute has said the ad takes Reagans words out of context. On Wednesday, Reuters reported on a White House plan to restrict technology exports to China. If implemented, the export restrictions would intensify tensions with China, which are already high. Current price of gold The opening price of gold futures on Friday is up 0.4% from Thursdays close of $4,125.50 per ounce. Fridays opening price is down 4.8% from the opening price of $4,354.70 one week ago on October 17. In the past month, the gold futures price increased 9.9% compared to the opening price of $3,769.80 on September 24. Over the past year, gold is up 51.9% from the opening price of $2,729 on October 24, 2024. 24/7 gold price tracking: Don't forget you can monitor the current price of gold on Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Want to learn more about the current top-performing companies in the gold industry? Explore a list of the top-performing companies in the gold industry using the Yahoo Finance Screener. You can create your own screeners with over 150 different screening criteria. Learn more: Gold vs. crypto: Which should investors own in debasement trade? How much gold should you own? A gold investment can add stability and inflation protection to your portfolio. But it can also dilute your gains when stock prices are rising quickly. Finding the right balance between golds diversification benefits and profiting from growth potential in other assets can be challenging. Even the experts are divided on how to achieve the correct balance. Below, five experts explain their recommended gold allocations, which range from 0% to 20%. No gold: Trade-off is too high Robert R. Johnson, professor at Creighton Universitys Heider College of Business, does not advocate gold investing. In his words, while having a small position in precious metals may dampen portfolio volatility in the short-run, the tradeoff between slightly dampened volatility and the lost long-term return is certainly not a prudent one, particularly for Gen Z/millennials with long investing time horizons. 2% to 5% allocation, depending on the situation Brett Elliott, director of content and SEO at American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX), recommends setting an allocation that aligns with your investing goals. Growth-oriented investors may be comfortable with an allocation of 10% or 15%, according to Elliott. But income investors will prefer a smaller position, because gold provides no yield. A 2% to 5% gold allocation can provide some resiliency without an excessive drag on income potential. 5% to 8% gold allocation Blake McLaughlin, executive vice president at Axcap Ventures, said historical data support a gold allocation of 5% to 8%. Gold may not offer the outsized return potential of private investments, but the metal holds a set of attributes that are increasingly hard to ignore, according to McLaughlin. Those attributes include the metals resilience amid economic uncertainty and geopolitical unrest. 5% to 15% gold allocation Thomas Winmill, portfolio manager at Midas Funds, believes most investors will benefit from a long-term gold allocation of 5% to 15%. Winmill specifically advocates investing in gold mining companies through a mutual fund. Your risk tolerance and current mix of financial versus hard assets can guide you to an appropriate allocation, according to Winmill. Risk tolerance. Keep your allocation percentage low if you tend to panic in volatile cycles. Financial vs. hard assets. Financial assets are stocks and bonds. Hard assets include tangible items like real estate, gold, collectibles, classic cars, and equipment. If you have no home equity and your wealth is primarily in financial assets, you can set your gold allocation higher. Or, if your home is paid for and more valuable than your stock portfolio, gold investing may not be necessary. 20% gold allocation Vince Stanzione, CEO and founder at First Information, recommends a 20% gold allocation, specifically in physical gold or a gold ETF. Stanzione argues for a higher exposure to gold as a wealth protection strategy. As he says, gold keeps with inflation and gold retains its purchasing power, while paper currencies are devaluing around the world. Price-of-gold chart Whether youre tracking the price of gold since last month or last year, the price-of-gold chart below shows the precious metals steady upward climb in value. Indonesia signed an agreement on Tuesday to repatriate two British nationals, including a seriously ill grandmother on death row for more than a decade on drug charges, a minister said. Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws, but has moved to release half a dozen high-profile detainees in the last year including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called "Bali Nine" drug ring. Lindsay Sandiford, now in her late 60s, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Customs officers found cocaine worth an estimated $2.14 million hidden in a false bottom in Sandiford's suitcase when she arrived in Bali on a flight from Thailand in 2012. Sandiford admitted the offenses, but said she had agreed to carry the narcotics after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son. In 2013 she lost an appeal against her death sentence. Convicted drug smugglers in Indonesia are sometimes executed by firing squad. Senior law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said he had signed a deal with British foreign minister Yvette Cooper for the transfer of Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi, a 35-year-old serving a life sentence for drug offenses after his arrest in 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We agreed to grant the transfers of the prisoners to the U.K. The agreement has been signed," Yusril told reporters in the capital, Jakarta, confirming an earlier Agence France-Presse report about their repatriation. The pair will be handed over after technical details of the transfer are agreed, which the minister said could take "around two weeks" to organize. Britain's foreign ministry told BBC News: "We are supporting two British Nationals detained in Indonesia and are in close contact with the Indonesian authorities to discuss their return to the UK." Both prisoners are suffering from severe health problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sandiford has been "examined by our doctor, as well as by the doctor from the British consulate in Bali, and is seriously ill," said Yusril. Shahabadi was "suffering from various serious illnesses, including mental health issues," he added. The minister identified Sandiford as 68 years old, though public information showed her to be 69. It was unclear if Sandiford would remain at Bali's overcrowded and most notorious prison, Kerobokan, or be moved to another facility before her transfer. Lindsay Sandiford of Britain, left, sits at a courthouse during her trial in Denpasar, Bali island, Indonesia, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. Prosecutors said she tried to smuggle 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) of cocaine worth US$2.5 million into the resort island of Bali. / Credit: Firdia Lisnawati / AP Jennifer Fleetwood, a criminologist at the University of London, was part of Sandiford's appeal team in the initial case 12 years ago. She told BBC News that Sandiford endured harsh conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To undertake a prison sentence with the threat of execution, I can't fathom how difficult that would be," Fleetwood told BBC News. "Having spent time doing research in prisons overseas, I know that it's really, really hard for people to serve a sentence abroad." Indonesia's immigration and corrections ministry said more than 90 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, as of early November. In June, three other British nationals accused of smuggling over two pounds of cocaine into Indonesia were charged in Bali. They face the death penalty under the country's strict drug laws. Lisa Stocker, 39, her husband Jon Collyer, 38, and Phineas Float, 31, all faced the death penalty, but in July, they were told by a judge that they would only serve a 12 month sentence, BBC News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I know I might die at any time now" Sandiford's case caught tabloid attention back in Britain, with one newspaper publishing an article written by her in which she detailed her fear of death. "My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell," she wrote in the Mail on Sunday in 2015. "I have started to write goodbye letters to members of my family." Sandiford, originally from Redcar in northeast England, wrote in the article that she had planned to sing the cheery Perry Como hit "Magic Moments" when facing the firing squad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She became friends in prison with Andrew Chan, an Australian killed by firing squad for his role in a plan to smuggle heroin as one of the "Bali Nine" group. Indonesian custom officers escort British citizen Lindsay Sandiford, center, during a press conference in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia Monday, May 28, 2012. Indonesian custom said they arrested the British woman on May 19, 2012 for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine in her bag. / Credit: Firdia Lisnawati / AP Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's administration has repatriated several high-profile inmates, all sentenced for drug offenses, since he took office a year ago. In December, Filipina inmate Mary Jane Veloso tearfully reunited with her family after nearly 15 years on death row. In February, French national Serge Atlaoui, 61, was returned home after 18 years on death row. Indonesia last carried out executions in 2016, killing one of its own citizens and three Nigerian drug convicts by firing squad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government recently signaled it could resume them. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Portland resident says ICE agents entered home without a warrant A British grandmother is set to return to the UK after spending 12 years on death row in Indonesia for drug smuggling. Lindsay Sandiford, 69, has been in prison since being caught with 10.6lb (4.8kg) of cocaine in her suitcase at Bali airport in 2012. The former legal secretary admitted the offences, but insisted she had only committed the crimes after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son. On Tuesday the Indonesian government announced it had signed an agreement to repatriate Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi, 35, another British national. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesias justice minister, announced the signing of the agreement at a press conference. Lindsay Sandiford arrived to Bali with 4.8kg of cocaine in the bottom of her suitcase in 2012 - AP / Firdia Lisnawati Both are said to be seriously ill after being examined by doctors, with Shahabadi suffering from multiple physical and mental health conditions. Sandiford, originally from Redcar, Teesside, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after customs officers found around 1.5m worth of the drug in the bottom of her suitcase when she arrived in Bali on a flight from Thailand in 2012. She was also arrested in 2014 on drug charges. At her trial, Sandiford claimed that she was forced to operate as a drug mule for a smuggling syndicate because of threats to the life of her son. Lindsay Sandiford inside a holding cell after her trial at a court in Denpasar on the Indonesian resort island of Bali back in 2013 - AFP / Sonny Tumbelaka During the trial, Sandifords lawyer read out a statement from her son, which said: I love my mother very much and have a very close relationship with her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know that she would do anything to protect me. I cannot imagine what I would do if she was sentenced to death in relation to these charges. The prosecution had asked for a 15-year sentence, but the judges sentenced her to death. She later had her appeal rejected when judges decided the original ruling had been the right decision, meaning she still faced death by firing squad. Indonesia has some of the worlds toughest drug laws, and dozens of foreigners remain on death row in Indonesia for drug offences. In 2015, David Cameron, the then prime minister, raised Sandifords case on a trip to Jakarta, Indonesias capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sandiford was assisted by the British human rights group Reprieve, which claimed she was targeted by drug traffickers who exploited her vulnerability and made threats against her children. 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. Broadway musicians say they are prepared to strike immediately if they do not reach an agreement with the Broadway League on Wednesday. The Broadway musicians represented by Local 802 AFM are going into mediation on Wednesday, Oct. 22. If we do not have a new contract by Thursday morning, we are prepared to strike immediately. We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement, Local 802 President Bob Suttmann said in a statement. Broadway musicians have been working without a contract since Aug. 31, 2025, and have been lobbying for stable healthcare coverage, as well as wage gains and job security. More from The Hollywood Reporter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the heels of the most successful season in history, the Broadway League wants the working musicians and artists who fueled that very success to accept wage cuts, threats to healthcare benefits, and potential job losses, Suttman said in a prior statement. Good-faith negotiations happen at the bargaining table, not in the press. We value our musicians and we are committed to working in good faith to get a fair contract done, the Broadway League said in a statement Tuesday. This comes as Actors Equity reached a tentative agreement with the Broadway League, the trade association for producers and general managers, Saturday over a new contract, averting the possibility of a strike. However, actors could join with musicians if they do decide to go on strike. The union, which represents actors and stage managers, stated that they had reached an agreement over the Broadway contract after a mediation session that started Friday and lasted until 6 a.m. ET Saturday. The contract will still need to be ratified by members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the musicians go on strike, the only current musical that could go on would be Ragtime at the Lincoln Center, as its not part of the contract at issue and about two dozen more would be impacted. However, actors joining in the strike would also impact a number of other shows. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A man accused of murdering a woman in Vancouver before allegedly attacking a hospital staff member appeared in court Monday. The 37-year-old Joseph Uriarte was found nearly unresponsive outside a motel room, just hours after Kammy Pollack, 51, was found dead inside Room 202 of Studio 6 suites on Broadway Street. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules Trump administration can deploy National Guard to Portland Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents paint a picture of a bloody scene, with Pollacks injuries consistent with manual strangulation and surveillance video showing Uriarte entering and leaving the room before Pollack was found. It broke my heart that someone would do that to our mom, said Cassidi Lowry, Pollacks daughter. Lowry and her sister, Lisa Steele, were in court for Uriates appearance. He was just calm and like, here I am in my head, freaking out, like, murdered my mom, like, just, we just want to know why, Steele said. Im not sure if well ever get that. Detectives have linked Uriate to the brutal homicide as well as a vicious attack on a hospital security officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following unrelated reports of Uriarte allegedly trying to break into cars, police said he was handcuffed, restrained and taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for an involuntary mental health hold. Officials said they were waiting on medical examiner results for enough evidence to charge him. Dangerous path: Oregon leaders decry court decision to allow National Guard in Portland But medical staff reportedly removed those restraints following their brief assessment even after detectives warned he was a homicide suspect and a danger to others. Hours later, court records show that Uriarte had attacked a hospital security guard, disarmed him of his taser, and used it which police added that they believe it was to shoot, not just tase, him. Joseph Uriarte is accused of killing Kammy Lyn Pollock in Vancouver, October 20, 2025 (KOIN) Photos of Kammy Lyn Pollock, who was killed in Vancouver, October 20, 2025 (KOIN) Photos of Kammy Lyn Pollock, who was killed in Vancouver, October 20, 2025 (KOIN) Cassidi Lowry, the daughter of Kammy Lyn Pollock, October 20, 2025 (KOIN) In a statement, PeaceHealth said their staff follow established safety protocols for patients deemed a security risk and noted that their security officers do not carry firearms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KOIN 6 News asked if they plan to reevaluate those protocols, but they declined to comment. Pollacks family has launched a GoFundMe to cover burial and funeral costs. Court records reveal Uriarte has a lengthy criminal history in Washington County dating back to 2010, including prior convictions for robbery and assault. He is currently being held without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) A Brookings man is accused of stabbing someone, stealing three pickups and running from law enforcement all in less than four hours. On Monday night, a man named Connor Hanson was getting a ride from someone he knew. They were on the west side of Sioux Falls, around 5:30 p.m. Monday. Winner man sentenced to 25 years in sex trafficking case Thats when court documents say Hanson turned toward the driver and yelled, get out. Hanson then began stabbing him with a knife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver got out and went to a nearby home for help and said Hanson took off in his pickup. Court documents say the victim was stabbed several times and had wounds to his face, neck and chest. The injuries were not life-threatening. About an hour later, the stolen pickup turned up near the town of Volin. After that, a second pickup was reported stolen in the area, followed by a third stolen pickup in Yankton. Authorities used spike strips, and the final stolen pickup went into the ditch. Court documents say Hanson attempted to run, but didnt get far. On Tuesday night, hes in the Yankton County Jail, being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He faces several charges in both Yankton and Minnehaha Counties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 man accused of dumping his boyfriends decomposing body into the trash outside their Brooklyn apartment building and head-butting a cop who later arrested him bizarrely claimed he was the officers boss, according to prosecutors. What are you doing? Im the captain of the police! Christopher Moss yelled as he tussled with cops trying to arrest him, prosecutors said at his arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court late Monday. He also tried to grab a gun from the NYPD detective he head-butted, prosecutors say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Darrell Montgomerys remains were discovered at about 9 a.m. Friday outside the couples building on E. 21st St. near Ditmas Ave. in Flatbush after residents complained of a foul odor. Moss, 38, was nabbed two days later about a mile away after a tipster called cops to report the suspects location. Prosecutors said that as an NYPD detective approached to place him into custody, Moss lunged toward the cops and grabbed the detectives gun. He then headbutted the officer about the face multiple times until the detective fell to the ground, according to court papers. The cop suffered a split lip and scrapes to his hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After his arrest, Moss told cops he had lived with Montgomery, 33, for about four years and that the two of them smoked methamphetamines on a consistent basis, Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Tziyonah Langsam said during the suspects arraignment. Moss is facing assault charges for fighting with cops as well as a charge of concealment of a corpse. Sporting a scraggly beard, a grimy black Polo shirt and jeans, Moss said nothing as Judge Linda Wilson ordered him held on $20,000 bail. Concealment of a corpse is not a bail-eligible offense, but the charge of assaulting an officer is. Moss legal aid attorney Robert Heilbronn told Wilson his client didnt actually attack the cops who took him into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My client was assaulted, Heilbronn claimed. In this case, he did not assault the police. Arresting officers jumped out of a car and demanded Moss ID. When Moss refused he was immediately punched in his left eye, which you can see, Your Honor he has a black eye, Heilbronn told the judge. Moss only wrestled with cops because the officers tackled him to the ground, Heilbronn claimed. Montgomerys body showed no obvious signs of trauma. Its believed he likely died from natural causes or a drug overdose. Moss told detectives he found Montgomery dead in their apartment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His body was stiff, Langsam said in court, recounting what Moss told investigators. [He] didnt call the police. [Instead, he] tried to place his body in the garbage. Surveillance video recovered by the buildings superintendent and shared with cops shows Moss dragging the body out in a blue bin to the garbage area, prosecutors said. Wilson ordered Moss to undergo a psychological evaluation. Moss has never been arrested in New York State, but he was twice convicted of burglary in Connecticut in the two years leading up to his move to Brooklyn, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine exactly how Montgomery died. No foul play is suspected. Montgomerys body appeared dismembered but was later determined to be complete but very decomposed. It was not immediately clear when Montgomery died. Neighbors told the Daily News that at about 6-feet-3, Moss towered over the slender 5-foot-4 Montgomery but the couple was always seen together in the building, with a 54-year-old tenant noting, Where you saw the tall one, you saw the short one. One 75-year-old neighbor recalled seeing Moss outside the building on Thursday, a day before Montgomerys body was found. Moss was muttering to himself, the tenant recalled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was front of the building, talking to the sun, she said. Montgomerys family is reeling from his death. He just basically put my brother in a fetal position and tied him up in a bag, in a bin, and threw him out and went on and didnt come back, Montgomerys sister Shakeema told The News Monday. You just sit there and just throw them away, like theyre garbage, like theyre nothing. He was loved. My brother was loved. Shakeema said neither she nor her mother ever met Moss and hadnt spoken to her brother in over a month. She said cops told the family Moss ditched the body when he could no longer tolerate the smell. He just decided to throw him out and just decided to just disperse of him like it was nothing, she said. Nobody in their right mind would just sit there and let somebody just rot away. Bryan Kohbergers lawyers are quibbling over the restitution money he owes his stabbing victims loved ones, according to a new filing obtained by Fox News on Tuesday, October 21. When the former criminology grad student, 30, pleaded guilty earlier this year to the brutal 2022 murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20 in exchange for being spared the death penalty he agreed to pay $250,000 in fines, $20,000 to each of the families, plus funeral expenses and funds reimbursed through Idahos Crime Victim Compensation Fund. The filing argues that prosecutors submitted receipts requesting an additional $20,409.32 for Kristi and Steve Goncalves, and $6,920.32 for Mogens mother, Karen Laramie, that does not fall under the original agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kohbergers lawyers acknowledge that part of those expenses for the good friends urns should be billed to him. But the rest was for travel and accommodations to travel to his hearing, which doesnt count as economic loss, they argue, and is therefore not covered by the Crime Victim Compensation Fund. The Goncalves and Laramie received extensive funds through multiple GoFundMe campaigns that specifically asked for and covered the expenses sought, the filing argues. Kohberger is currently serving four life sentences in Idaho Maximum Security Institution. Because of this, the filing notes, the murderer has no ability now or in the future to pay his financial debts. This story Bryan Kohberger Claims He Shouldnt Have to Pay Victims Families, Cites GoFundMe Campaigns first appeared on National Enquirer. Add National Enquirer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Student loan debt is a major issue. Nearly 43 million people about 1 in 6 American adults have outstanding federal student loans. For the millions of borrowers with federal loans, loan forgiveness can provide substantial relief. Eligible borrowers can qualify for forgiveness of thousands of dollars, allowing them to pursue other financial or career goals. Since the start of President Trump's second term, there have been significant changes to the federal student loan system, and more updates are expected in the near future. However, student loan forgiveness is still possible through several programs. Federal loan forgiveness programs Federal loan forgiveness programs are for existing borrowers who earn forgiveness through their employment or payment history. Currently, there are four active programs: Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Forgiveness Who is eligible: Borrowers with Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, Grad PLUS, and FFEL or Perkins Loans made to students (if consolidated with a Direct Consolidation Loan) Borrowers who cannot afford their loan payments under a standard 10-year repayment plan may be eligible for reduced payments under an IDR plan. These plans recalculate your payment amount based on your discretionary income and family size, and they have loan terms of 20 or 25 years. If you still have an outstanding balance at the end of the new repayment term, the remainder of your debt is forgiven. Borrowers can currently apply for three IDR plans. While the Trump administration previously challenged IDR loan forgiveness under Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), and the now-defunct Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, that was recently reversed. IDR forgiveness is currently available for eligible borrowers under the Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), and Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plans. Please note that the ICR and PAYE plans will be phased out in 2028, after which borrowers will need to transition to a new repayment plan. See the latest updates on the Federal Student Aid site. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Who is eligible: Borrowers with Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, or PLUS Loans who work full-time for a qualifying employer PSLF is a program for nonprofit and government employees who work in public service for at least 10 years and make 120 monthly payments. After meeting the payment and employment requirements, the remaining balance is forgiven. Under PSLF, payments made under an IDR plan are qualifying payments. In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order regarding PSLF. The executive order amends what organizations qualify as eligible employers. The Department of Education said it is reviewing the executive order, but it has not instituted any changes to PSLF yet. Visit the Federal Student Aid site for the most up-to-date information. Perkins Loan Cancellation and Discharge Who is eligible: Borrowers with Perkins Loans who are teachers, law enforcement officers, first responders, public or community defender attorneys, non-profit employees, military service members, and healthcare practitioners. The Perkins Loan program provided low-interest loans to undergraduate and graduate students with exceptional financial need. The program was discontinued, and the last loans were issued in 2018. Depending on your employment, you can qualify for forgiveness of a percentage of your debt for each year of service, up to a maximum of 100%: 15% per year for the first and second year of service 20% per year for the third and fourth year 30% for the fifth year Visit Federal Student Aid to see if you qualify. Teacher Loan Forgiveness Who is eligible: Elementary and secondary school teachers who have Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loans or Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. Qualifying teachers must work for an eligible elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency that serves low-income students. You must teach full-time for five full and consecutive years. The program provides up to $17,500 of loan forgiveness. To qualify for the full amount, you must meet the following criteria: You're a highly qualified mathematics or science teacher at the secondary level. You're a highly qualified special education teacher working with special needs children at the elementary or secondary level. If you don't fit either of those categories, the maximum forgiveness amount is $5,000. Loan discharge programs Loan forgiveness can be earned through employment or by making payments toward your debt for a specific period. But in some cases, you can qualify for a student loan discharge because of circumstances outside of your control, such as a disability or school closure. How much of your loans can be forgiven and the qualifying circumstances vary by loan type: Bankruptcy discharge If you declare bankruptcy and file an adversary proceeding action basically, a complaint asking the court to rule on a specific issue the court may rule that repaying the loans would cause you undue financial hardship. If that's the case, the loans will be discharged. Borrower defense to repayment If you took out loans to attend a college that misled you or engaged in misconduct, including violating federal or state laws, Direct Loan borrowers may be eligible for Borrower Defense to Repayment. There is currently an injunction issued by federal courts that prevents the Department of Education from making any decisions on borrower defense to repayment applications. You can still apply for this form of loan cancellation online, but no action will be taken until the injunction is lifted. Get the latest updates on the Federal Student Aid site. Closed school discharge If your college closed while you were in school or within 180 days of your withdrawal date, you could qualify for discharge of up to 100% of your loan balance. There is currently an injunction concerning closed school discharges. You can still apply for discharge, but the Department of Education will not process or approve applications until the injunction is lifted. Get the latest updates on the Federal Student Aid site. Death Discharge If you pass away or the student on whose behalf you took out a parent PLUS Loan dies the remaining balance is discharged. False Certification Discharge If a school falsely certified your eligibility for loans such as a school stating that you graduated from high school when you haven't earned a diploma false certification discharge can eliminate your debt. Total and Permanent Disability Discharge (TPDD) If you become totally and permanently disabled, the government will discharge up to 100% of your outstanding federal loans. Up Next 10 ways the One Big Beautiful Bill affects student loans and financial aid State forgiveness programs Some states operate their own loan forgiveness or repayment programs to attract and retain workers in high-need areas. Unlike federal forgiveness programs, which are only for federal student loans, state programs often offer forgiveness or loan repayment for both federal and private loans. For example: Iowa Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program : In this program, veterinarians in Iowa can receive up to $60,000 to repay their student loans over four years. In exchange, the veterinarian must work in a designated veterinarian shortage area. New Mexico Public Service Law Loan Repayment Program : In New Mexico, attorneys that provide legal services to low-income or underserved communities can qualify for up to $7,200 per year in loan repayment assistance. New Jersey STEM Loan Redemption Program: New Jersey workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics who are employed by a qualifying employer can qualify for up to $2,000 in annual loan repayment assistance, up to a maximum of $8,000. Stuck with private student loans with high interest rates? Refinancing your private student loans could mean lower monthly payments and paying less interest overall. This embedded content is not available in your region. This article was edited by Alicia Hahn BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Buffalo man has been charged with murder and manslaughter after his 3-month-old son was found dead in May, the Erie County District Attorneys Office announced Tuesday. Elijah Rogers, 27, was arraigned Friday on an indictment charging him with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. In the early morning hours of May 23, Rogers allegedly engaged in reckless conduct that caused the death of his son. Police responded to the 300 block of Tonawanda Street around 12:30 p.m. to find 3-month-old Kanai James Cureton deceased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rogers was held without bail and faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Latest Local News Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. Vladimir Putin will be allowed safe passage through Bulgarian airspace to attend peace talks with Donald Trump in Hungary. In a rare European olive branch to the Russian president, Bulgarias foreign minister said he should have unimpeded travel if it helps achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. Georg Goergiev said: When efforts are made to achieve peace, if the condition for this is to have such a meeting, it is most logical that such a meeting should be mediated in all possible ways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: How is it proposed to hold the meeting if one of the participants cannot get to it? On Monday, France threatened to throw a spanner in the works after Emmanuel Macrons foreign minister suggested Putin should only be allowed to travel to the European Union (EU) if he agreed to an unconditional ceasefire. b' 2210 Putin route to Hungary ' Jean-Noel Barrot said: The presence of Vladimir Putin on European Union territory only makes sense if it results in the establishment of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The summit, announced after a call between Mr Trump and Putin last week, has drawn disquiet from European capitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hungary is considered by many to be the Kremlins closest European ally. Until now, Putin has not been offered any public assistance by an EU member state to facilitate his arrival in Budapest. The only route to landlocked Hungary without flying over EU or Ukrainian airspace involves an eight-hour flight over Turkey and the Mediterranean, before entering Montenegro or Albania to reach Budapest via Serbia. If Bulgaria agrees to open its airspace, it would reduce the flight time by providing an entry route via the Black Sea nation. However, Bulgarian officials are yet to receive any requests from Moscow to transit over their territory to the meeting, a date for which is yet to be confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, European leaders have rallied around Volodymyr Zelensky amid fears Mr Trump and Putin could negotiate a deal over the Ukrainian leaders head. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Coalition of the Willing, chaired by Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Macron, called for a ceasefire before any discussions over territorial swaps are allowed to happen. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations, the coalition said. The statement was also signed by Mr Zelensky and the leaders of Germany, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Finland and the EU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A tense meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky last week sparked fears that the US president was pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart to cede territory to Moscow as the price for peace. The European leaders accused Putin of using stalling tactics and reaffirmed plans to boost their financial support for Kyiv using loans guaranteed by frozen Russian assets. Ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on Thursday, Belgium dropped its opposition to using seized Russian cash to underpin a 140 billion loan, which could be used to fund Ukrainian weapon purchases for three years. The Belgians had been concerned about the reputational damage of allowing the loan to go ahead because the bulk of the Russian assets are being held by Belgium-based clearing house Euroclear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Telegraph understands Britain is also exploring a similar plan but has not yet formally announced anything. 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. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev has said that his country is willing to provide an air corridor for Russian leader Vladimir Putin's plane if an official request is submitted for a flight to Budapest for Putin's meeting with US President Donald Trump. Source: Georgiev in a comment to BNR (Bulgarian National Radio), as reported by European Pravda Details: Georgiev said that if holding the meeting is a condition for achieving peace in Ukraine, "it is most logical for such a meeting to be mediated in every possible way". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked whether this meant that Bulgaria would provide a corridor for Putin's plane, the minister replied: "How is a meeting supposed to take place if one of the participants cannot attend?" Background: On 16 October, Trump spoke with Putin for the first time in nearly two months and later announced plans for a meeting in Budapest. This would be Putin's first appearance in the capital of an EU member state since the start of the full-scale invasion. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it is "not nice" that Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, could travel to the territory of an EU member state to meet Trump. Polish diplomatic sources believe it is highly unlikely that Putin would choose to fly over Polish airspace on his way to Budapest. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Investigators believe a burglar used the ceiling from a neighboring business to break into a cellphone store in Los Angeles San Fernando Valley early Tuesday morning. Officers were sent to the Metro by T-Mobile store on the 20100 block of Saticoy Street after a caller reported the burglary alarm sounded around 5:50 a.m. Police at the scene said the burglar likely broke into the neighboring Boba shop before crawling through the ceiling to enter the wireless phone store. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The male suspect was taken into custody a short time later after being found about a half mile away on Saticoy Street, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA. Police respond to a burglary alarm at a Metro Mobile shop in the San Fernando Valley on Oct. 21, 2025. (KTLA) Aerial video from Sky5 over the scene at 7 a.m. showed a police patrol unit still at the scene investigating the incident. It was unclear what, if anything, was taken from the store. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Officers with the Burleson Police Department have arrested a couple accused of burying their special needs son in the backyard. Burleson police arrested December Mitchell and Jonathan Mitchell on October 14, after learning their special needs son, 26-year-old Jonathan Kinman, was buried in their backyard, the department announced in a statement. The Mitchells face charges for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse. December and Jonathan Mitchell are both being held in the Johnson County Jail, each facing a $250,000 bond, according to jail records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burleson police responded to a welfare check for Kinman at 433 White Oak Lane in Burleson on October 14, according to the statement. He lived there with his mother, December, and his stepfather, Jonathan. During the welfare check, information was shared indicating that Kinman might be deceased and possibly buried in the backyard of the residence, the statement reads. So officers arrested the Mitchells, and prosecutors charged the couple. The next morning, October 15, Burleson police and Texas Rangers found a shallow grave in the backyard. They exhumed Kinmans body and brought it to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office, which performed an autopsy on October 16. The autopsy results were still pending, and the cause of death had not been determined. Burleson police said investigators never believed there was a threat to the public, which is why they did not make the case public earlier. Officials said this is an ongoing investigation. NEED TO KNOW Butterflies are losing their vibrant colors as deforestation creates more monochrome surroundings Researcher and photographer Roberto Garcia-Roa is documenting how the colors of butterflies and other species are diminishing in Brazil Even planet Earth itself is losing brightness as seen from space, Ricardo Spaniol from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul explained Deforestation is sucking the color from the Earths wildlife. According to researcher and photographer Roberto Garcia-Roa, the vibrant pigments that butterflies once relied on to attract mates and hide from prey are now fading away as colorful tropical forests are replaced with monochrome infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The colours on a butterflys wings are not trivial they have been designed over millions of years, Garcia-Roa, who is working to document how habitat loss is draining the natural world of color in Brazil, told The Guardian. You feel alive in the tropical forest, everything is wild you never know what you are going to find. As humans strip ecosystems of diversity for their own expansion, the balance of the natural world is shifting, Garcia-Roa noted. "When you arrive at a eucalyptus plantation, it's very frustrating you can feel that things are not happening as they should be in a natural ecosystem," Garcia-Roa said as an example of how things are changing in Brazil. "Animals are not around, and sounds are not as they should be." 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. When it comes to the butterfly, Ricardo Spaniol from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul told the outlet that as humans replace rich tropical forests with concrete and brick, butterflies have had to adapt rapidly, affecting their appearance and ability to survive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The most colourful species are often the first to disappear locally after deforestation, probably because of the loss of native vegetation and their increased exposure to predators. This represents an accelerated process of discoloration in Amazonian butterfly communities," says Spaniol. Getty Stock photo of an Asian swallowtail butterfly Stock photo of an Asian swallowtail butterfly "Even planet Earth itself is losing brightness as seen from space. It is truly remarkable and concerning how interconnected these processes are, and how every impact cascades into further consequences," he continued. "The most colourful species are often the first to disappear locally after deforestation, probably because of the loss of native vegetation and their increased exposure to predators." The loss of color diversity in butterflies, Spaniol added, could also indicate the ecological health of other organisms and a "loss of complexity in ecosystems." The researchers worry that these changes are signaling more negative, cascading effects for different species and ecosystems. As he put it, "It felt like we were uncovering a hidden dimension of how species respond to environmental change, a dimension that had remained invisible until then, but is incredibly rich." Read the original article on People SACRAMENTO - The deployment of California National Guard troops has been extended through February, a detail revealed in an amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday. The extension applies to about 300 National Guard troops still federalized in California, most of whom were sent to Portland, Ore., but have been waiting in limbo after a judge blocked them from being deployed on the streets. About 85 were still in the Los Angeles area as of earlier this month, according to a sworn declaration from a California Military Department lawyer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump initially federalized about a third of the California National Guard - 4,000 troops total - over the summer to quell protests in Los Angeles, which have since calmed. Most of those National Guard members have been released from the mission, but 300 remain federalized. Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta have been fighting in court for months to return the California National Guard troops to state control. The issue is playing out in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal in the case of the Los Angeles and Portland deployments. The troops remain under Trump's authority as California's original lawsuit challenging the deployment plays out in court. Some of them have been sent to Illinois, where Trump has deployed hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers to crack down on crime in Chicago, which Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson say is an egregious federal overreach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The brief Newsom filed Monday in Trump v. Illinois asks the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against the president's ability to federalize National Guard troops against governors' objections. "It has become clear that the federal government's actions in Southern California earlier this summer were just the opening salvo in an effort to transform the role of the military in American society," lawyers for California write in the amicus brief. "At no prior point in our history has the President used the military this way: as his own personal police force, to be deployed for whatever law enforcement missions he deems appropriate." The lawyers for Newsom and California point to the extension of the California deployment through February as evidence Trump intends to use the National Guard members for whatever he wants, rather than in response to the protests that flared over the summer in Los Angeles. Trump has repeatedly threatened to send National Guard troops to San Francisco in recent days. As of Monday afternoon, it was not clear when he would try to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Late last month, Trump said he wanted to use liberal American cities as a "training ground for our military," in a speech to military generals he summoned to Virginia on short notice. "San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, they're very unsafe places," Trump said. "And we're going to straighten them out one by one. And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That's a war, too. It's a war from within." This article originally published at California National Guard's federalization has been extended through February, Newsom says. As the federal government shutdown stretches into its third week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning that the state's SNAP recipients may not receive their November payments - a disruption he says could be "devastating" for families as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. President Donald Trump has not yet indicated how he intends to fund November SNAP benefits for up to 42 million people amid the shutdown, about 5.5 million of them Californians, according to Newsom's office. The governor said in a statement Monday that the California Department of Social Services began notifying all California counties about the expected delay in the program, which is 100% federally funded. "If President Trump and Congress do not reopen the federal government by Oct. 23, or take action to fund benefits, CalFresh benefits will likely be delayed in November," Newsom said. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters at the White House last week that the food stamp program is running out of money in two weeks. Rollins posted later on X that "there are not enough funds to provide SNAP for 40 million Americans come Nov. 1." The government shutdown began on Oct. 1, and has no end in sight. Republicans, who control the White House, Senate and House, continue to blame Democrats, who have held firm against Trump's latest spending proposal and its cuts to health care tax credits. "Democrats are putting free healthcare for illegal aliens and their political agenda ahead of food security for American families," Rollins wrote. "Shameful." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Newsom characterized the impending food crisis as a"disastrous and harmful impact" of the "MAGA majority in Congress" who have "allowed Trump's shutdown to continue for one month," he said in a statement. Newsom's office said about 63.2% of SNAP beneficiaries are children or the elderly. The Trump administration has made other changes to SNAP that the governor's office says make it harder for people to receive benefits they need. The federal government directed the state to hold November 2025 benefit data that would normally allow CalFresh funds to be allocated to persons with benefit cards, Newsom said Monday. The governor's office said the impact of that policy is impacting people newly enrolling in CalFresh during the second half of October, and could affect all enrollees if the shutdown goes past Thursday. This article originally published at Californians may not get SNAP payments next month, governor says. CHICAGO A Calumet City man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a 40-year-woman, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiners Office as Odeal G. Curley, while she was getting off a private bus early Saturday morning in Fuller Park on the citys South Side. Chicago police announced Tuesday that Demar King, 35, has been charged with three felony counts, including one of first-degree murder, along with four misdemeanors and various traffic citations. 3 suburban men charged with impersonating police while heading to political protests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, King was identified as the offender in the fatal shooting, and several hours later police located him driving in traffic. Police say King attempted to flee, but with the assistance of Illinois State Police, officers apprehended King around 3 p.m. Saturday in the 2000 block of South Union Avenue, on the Lower West Side. King was subsequently charged and was due for an initial court hearing Tuesday. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Police say the fatal shooting happened around 12:40 a.m. Saturday in the 5400 block of South Shields Avenue. A 40-year-old woman, later identified as Curley, was getting off a private bus when a suspect pulled out a gun from within the bus and fired shots at her, hitting her in the right thigh, according to investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said paramedics with the Chicago Fire Department treated Curley at the scene before taking her to University of Chicago 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 WGN-TV. YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) At least 20 people have been arrested in Cameroon in connection with protests over the Oct. 12 presidential election, authorities said on Tuesday, as tensions mounted ahead of the proclamation of results expected later this week. Cameroons Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, confirmed the arrest of some of the protesters in the northern city of Garoua in a statement on Tuesday, without stating when and how many were arrested. Twenty of the several arrested will be brought before military courts to answer for the charges of insurrection and incitement to rebellion, the statement said, while others involved in criminal acts have been taken to Yaounde for further investigations. The government watches with concern acts of provocation and disorder carried out by some trouble makers, he said, claiming that those arrested were being manipulated by some political actors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed victory last week and urged President Paul Biya, the worlds oldest president at 92, to concede. Biyas party has rejected Tchiromas claim of victory and accused the opposition candidate of trying to disrupt the electoral process. The constitutional council is expected to announce the final official results by Oct. 26. Analysts have predicted a victory for Biya as the opposition remained divided and his strongest rival was barred from running in August. Eleven opposition candidates were on the ballot. Following the election, pockets of protests broke out in several cities over the allegations of election fraud. Tchiroma alleged last week that there were signs of vote tampering, echoing civil society groups earlier reports of several irregularities, including attempted ballot stuffing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, which monitored the election, said on Monday that the election was marked by a number of irregularities, including relocation of certain polling stations and failure to update the electoral register, which still contained the names of deceased persons. A group of eight civil society organizations that monitored the election also noted the unequal distribution of ballot papers in some polling stations and attempts at ballot box stuffing in their report. On Sunday, Tchiroma started publishing on his Facebook page results from 18 administrative units which he claims constitute 80% of the electorate, allegedly confirming his victory. His Facebook posts have received praise from his supporters and mockery from critics and regime allies including ministers who question their authenticity. Tchiroma, who is in his late 70s, was a government spokesperson and employment minister under Biya but quit the government earlier this year to launch his presidential run. His campaign drew large crowds and backing from a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups. Biya has been in power since 1982, nearly half his lifetime, making him Cameroons second president since independence from France in 1960. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Biyas decades in power, the Central African nation of nearly 30 million people has struggled with challenges from a deadly secessionist movement in the west and chronic corruption that has stifled development despite rich natural resources like oil and minerals. ___ Follow APs Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa When wild animals stop fearing humans, it's a warning sign for our relationship with nature. A recent encounter in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park showed how close and dangerous that relationship can become. What happened? According to Wyoming News, backpackers at Bearpaw Lake in Grand Teton National Park reported being stalked by a bull elk that had grown too comfortable around people. The elk allegedly followed the group from site to site and even poked its antlers into a tent as the campers hid inside. The campers described a tense game of cat-and-mouse as they tried to secure food in bear boxes while the elk lingered nearby. "We just see two glowing eyes in the night," camper Jennifer Jones recalled, per Wyoming News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one was hurt, but park rangers later confirmed the elk's behavior stemmed from repeated exposure to people a clear sign of lost natural fear. As with bears and coyotes, food smells, trash, and even clothing can draw wildlife dangerously close. Why is this wildlife encounter concerning? This wasn't an isolated case. In Colorado's Estes Park, one tourist was jabbed in the back of the head by an elk while another was knocked over a wall after walking too close. Similar encounters have been caught on video in Yellowstone, where crowds drew dangerously close to elk. While these stories may sound like isolated scares, they point to a larger conservation issue: When animals start depending on or trusting humans, their natural instincts to migrate, hunt, or flee can break down. That affects entire ecosystems, from vegetation patterns to predator-prey balance. According to Humane World for Animals, even quiet hikers can cause stress responses that disrupt feeding and reproduction. Over time, those disruptions result in weaker ecosystems, meaning less resilience to rising temperatures, droughts, and other environmental pressures that affect us all. What's being done about the issue? National parks are stepping up awareness. Yellowstone National Park advises tourists against getting too close to grazing elk. Grand Teton encourages visitors to inform park officials about unusual wildlife encounters. "If you've encountered this animal, we encourage you to report it include the date, time, the specific location, and photos and videos are especially helpful," public information officer Emily Davis advised, per Wyoming News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the responsibility goes beyond park borders. Individuals can help by taking local action in protecting wildlife and talking with family and friends about responsible outdoor behavior. By respecting boundaries, we can ensure outdoor spaces remain safe for humans and the animals we share them with. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure 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. Cannabis Control Commission Chairperson Kimberly Ahern is shown during the commission's meeting on Nov. 3, 2023. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) One day after setting the timeline for awarding the states two dozen cannabis retail licenses, the states top pot industry regulator is stepping down amid expectations she will run for attorney general in 2026. Kimberly Ahern was set to conclude her tenure as chairperson of the three-member Cannabis Control Commission a position she has held since the panel was formed in 2023 at the end of the day Tuesday, Gov. Dan McKee announced early Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serving the state in this capacity has been a privilege, and I am proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time, Ahern wrote in her resignation letter submitted Tuesday to the governor. Rhode Island has approached this new industry with care and purpose. Ahern highlighted the commissions approval of its first set of rules governing the states recreational cannabis market, including provisions for screening equity applicants and opening applications for prospective retailers eager to enter the fledgling industry. She helped stand up the commission from the ground up and ensured that Rhode Islands cannabis industry was launched with public health, safety, and fairness as priorities, McKee said in a statement. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi in a separate statement thanked Ahern for setting a high standard for public service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her work has positioned the Cannabis [Control] Commission for long-term success as we continue to strengthen this emerging industry, Shekarchi said. Senate President Valarie Lawson said Aherns decisions on the panel showed her dedication to fairness and thoughtful regulation. Her contributions will have a lasting impact on Rhode Islands cannabis program, Lawson said in a statement. Aherns resignation letter does not state why she stepped down from her $204,069-a-year post, only that she looked forward to finding new ways to serve the state. It is expected that she will enter the Democratic primary to succeed Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, whose term as the states top prosecutor ends after 2026. Neronha earns $146,107 a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two other Democrats have already announced their candidacies this fall: State Rep. Jason Knight and Keith Hoffmann, who worked as the chief of policy and senior counsel under Neronha. State Rep. Robert Craven, a North Kingstown Democrat, was the first to announce a bid for AG, but exited four days later after past allegations of domestic violence were brought to light. Knight had $90,419 in his campaign account as of the most recent filing from the end of June. Hoffmanns campaign announced Oct. 6 that his account has raised $210,000 since he entered the race. Ahern does not yet have a balance listed with the Board of Elections as of Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But much like her potential competitors, Ahern too has worked as a state attorney. From 2010 through 2019, she served as a special assistant AG under three attorneys general: Neronha, Peter Kilmartin, and Patrick Lynch. She then went on to serve as deputy counsel for former Gov. Gina Raimondo and went on to become the deputy chief of staff for McKee before her appointment to the Cannabis Control Commission. McKees office confirmed the search for Aherns successor has begun. In the meantime, the panel will continue its work under the leadership of Commissioners Layi Oduyingbo and Robert Jacquard. The commissions next monthly meeting is scheduled for Nov. 21, but Ahern indicated Monday it could be sooner in order for regulators to approve final certification of prospective social equity applicants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Day-to-day operations of the commission and the states newly established Cannabis Office will continue to be handled by its administrator, Michelle Reddish. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX CANTON, Ill. (WMBD) The Canton Union School District is asking Canton residents on Tuesday to help fill a vacancy on its Board of Education. They are asking qualified individuals to submit their resumes for consideration, a district news release said. The district encourages dedicated and civic-minded community members to apply and take an active role in supporting the success of our schools and students, the release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Resumes can be submitted in person at the districts administration building at 20 W. Walnut St. in Canton. They can also be submitted via email to tderenzy@cusd66.org. Those interested must submit their resume by 3 p.m. on Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The Canton Lutheran Church has been awarded a grant for $185,245 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. UPDATE: 1 dead in semi crash on I-90 near Rapid City In a press release, the grant comes as part of the annual National Fund for Sacred Places program. The program provides capital grants and hands-on technical assistance to help historically significant faith communities restore preservation projects that can extend the life of a building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The money from the grant will be going towards work on the churchs interior, exterior, stained glass and windows/doors. This is the first grant thats been given to a congregation in South Dakota. The National Fund for Sacred Places program has distributed a total of $33 million to 168 community-serving congregations since it was first established in 2016. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Firefighters extinguished a massive car fire at a Lincoln Heights gas station Monday, officials confirmed to KTLA. Its unclear exactly what caused the blaze, but flames erupted in what appeared to be the interior of a Chevrolet Camaro, which was parked with its hood up at the gas pumps of an Arco gas station located 2832 N. Broadway in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles just after 2:30 p.m. In footage of the incident taken by a passing motorist, heavy black smoke can be seen billowing over the area where flames were shooting from the car and igniting the gas stations awning over the pumps. L.A. firefighters extinguished a Chevrolet Camaro at a gas station in Lincoln Heights on Oct. 20, 205. (John Lopez) L.A. firefighters extinguished a Chevrolet Camaro at a gas station in Lincoln Heights on Oct. 20, 205. (John Lopez) L.A. firefighters extinguished a Chevrolet Camaro at a gas station in Lincoln Heights on Oct. 20, 205. (Citizen) L.A. firefighters extinguished a Chevrolet Camaro at a gas station in Lincoln Heights on Oct. 20, 205. (Citizen) Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene at around 2:42 p.m. and were able to extinguish the vehicle and the awning, though both were severely damaged by fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woman shoots, kills man threatening violence inside Los Angeles store Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department were also called to the scene where traffic had slowed, in part, as motorists and others slowed to watch the blaze, backing up traffic in the area. Arson investigators, according to LAFD, remained at the scene while the investigation continued. There were no reports of any injuries, and its unclear if any arrests were made. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Massachusetts State Police troopers were seen boarding a Boston JetBlue flight bound for Las Vegas that had to return to Logan International Airport following a mid-air disturbance involving a passenger. A video shared with Boston 25 News captured the moment troopers responded to the cabin of JetBlue flight 777, which returned to its gate in Boston late Monday night due to a situation involving a non-compliant passenger who had been verbally abusive, according to Massachusetts State Police. Massachusetts State Police troopers board JetBlue flight While state police didnt share any additional details on the incident, they did note that a 37-year-old man from Louisville, Kentucky, will be called to court to face a charge of interference with a flight crew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FlightAware indicates the flight departed Boston around 8 p.m. and made it to the Buffalo area before it reversed course for Logan. In a statement, a JetBlue spokesperson told Boston 25, On October 20, JetBlue flight 777 from Boston to Las Vegas returned to Boston after a disturbance on board. A Boston 25 viewer said he spotted state police escorting three people in total off the flight. The flight departed again for Las Vegas after the incident was resolved. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW WILLIMANTIC Students and their families came together to celebrate Hispanic Heritage with a special night of cultural activities at W.B. Sweeney Elementary School. The evening was a culmination of Hispanic Heritage Month. Principal Katie Firth said she has the Sweeney community come together each year to enjoy special cultural activities. This was the third year that the school has held the event, and about 100 people attended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was beautiful to see how many staff contributed to this evening, and how engaged families were with the activities and celebration, Firth said. Activities included Flamenco dancing and live Latin music performed by district music teachers. There were also games such as Loteria/Mexico bingo games/symbols, Canincas/Chile, which is similar to a pinball game. For food, there was flan and Puerto Rican rice. Sweeney music teacher Enoch Robbins, along with other teachers, performed several Latin tunes. Those teachers included Allison Edwards from North Windham (bass), Jose Rodriguez from Barrows (piano), Carlos Rivera Ocasio from Natchaug (guitar), and himself on the drums and saxophone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We played a variety of Latin tunes, but the highlight was when we invited the Sweeney second, third and fourth graders to come sing with us as we played and sang the song Alegria by Sonia de los Santos, Robbins said. Robbins added it was the first time the groups sang together, providing the parents with a preview as they prepare for their fall concert on November 18. Other highlights included a variety of arts, crafts and games from a variety of Latin cultures, Robbins said. The developer who won approval last year to put up a three-story building in East Hartford with 36 apartments and a pair of commercial spaces is scaling back its plan. Unlike recent changes in much larger development plans in South Windsor, Portland and elsewhere, Nam Hue 251 now intends to build more commercial space and fewer apartments than initially planned. The companys new plan for the property near the Pratt & Whitney headquarters calls for slightly more first-floor commercial space but 16 fewer apartments, and may be another indication of the quickly shifting markets for housing and business space in central Connecticut. Part of the new proposal is to cut the height from three stories to two. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan is to build on a vacant lot at 351 Silver Lane, roughly across from the Dunkin Donuts just west of Roberts Street. Town Planner Carlene Shaw recently told the Planning and Zoning Commission that after the company got a site plan approval to build 35 apartments last summer, it added a 36th unit to the plan but never began construction. The developer after some long thought-out discussions with financial entities and partners, they determined for this project to move forward theyd need to reduce the scope from three stories to two stories. Thats the fundamental change, engineer Luke Mauro, senior project manager with Solli Engineering, told commissioners. Solli is a consultant to Nhan Nguyens Nam Hue 251, and presented the plan on behalf of the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The original proposal was for 26 one-bedroom apartments and 10 two-bedroom units, with about 3,400 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. The new version has two studio apartments, 12 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom models. But the first-floor commercial space is enlarged to about 4,600 square feet, roughly a third bigger than initially expected. Thats the reverse of whats been happened with large-scale mixed-used proposals in Connecticut over the past couple of years. Those often have tens of thousands of square feet of anticipated retail when they start out, but developers in recent years have been telling towns that the market for new bricks-and-mortar retail outlets continues to lag. In those cases, the developers typically ask to swap out some of the planned retail space for more housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several Connecticut communities have struggled with that trend because they seek modern stores, restaurants, bars, recreation businesses and similar attractions to boost their tax base and attract visitors. Conversely, affluent suburbs are usually cautious about more housing particularly two- bedroom units and bigger because of the potential for families with more children adding to school enrollments, thus driving up the local education budget. Last year, the developer of hundreds of apartments at Brainerd Place in Portland told local officials that the market didnt justify as much new commercial space as hed planned; instead, he wanted the go-ahead to build additional apartments. Also last year, a different developer told South Windsor that acreage long planned for new retail space simply couldnt be built out that way. Instead, housing would need to be the central component, the company said. East Hartford planners ultimately approved the revisions to the Silver Lane project, which includes a cutback in parking and an expansion of green space and landscaping on the site. EXCLUSIVE: A senior Channel 4 executive has said that the UK network is planning further AI experiments after screening a show hosted entirely by a machine-generated presenter. Channel 4 unleashed AI journalist Aisha Gaban on Monday night in Will AI Take My Job?, but only revealed to viewers in the final seconds of the documentary that she was not a real human. More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The intentionally provocative stunt was firmly within Channel 4s remit to push creative boundaries and challenge audiences. Filmed as part of C4s Dispatches strand, it was the networks second most-watched show of the day, with 564,000 viewers. Louisa Compton, Channel 4s head of news and current affairs, told Deadline that it was quite scary how quickly Gaban became realistic, as producer Kalel Productions kept iterating on the presenter alongside Seraphinne Vallora, an AI marketing agency. This was a stunt designed to address the concerns that come with AI, how easy it is to fool people into thinking that something fake is real, said Compton, who is leading on artificial intelligence commissioning for Channel 4 and helped draw up the broadcasters AI principles. I was actually surprised at how human she looked, how she had the odd wrinkle when she spoke, and actually how she managed to convey warmth in places. Did you notice anything different? This is Britains first-ever AI TV presenter in a documentary. Viewers were kept in the dark until the very end. Its part of a stunt aiming to show just how convincing AI has become, and how quickly its improving. pic.twitter.com/APfH4ge3U6 Channel 4 Dispatches (@C4Dispatches) October 20, 2025 Compton said Gabans limitations were obvious, however. Producers were unable to recreate her sitting in a chair interviewing subjects, meaning her on-screen contributions were limited to pieces to camera. Gabans words were also scripted by the production team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Others pointed out that Gaban is not about to start replacing human-led journalism. Were still a considerable way from AI being able to do live TV journalism, a well-known British news anchor told Deadline, adding that it is hard to replicate the ability to think, analyse and react with experience, knowledge and human empathy. Compton has no plans to revisit Gaban, but said that AI will continue to be woven into shows she commissions. Channel 4 has experimented with using AI to anonymise interviewees in the past, including in the two-part series Kill List: Hunted by Putins Spies. Compton added that her team is also testing how AI can be used in documentary reconstruction scenes, though these have yet to screen on Channel 4. The upsides of AI are not lost on others either even those whose job it is to represent the interests of TV presenters. Mary Greenham, a seasoned agent to stars including Andrew Marr and Fiona Bruce through her agency NewsPresenters, said: Do I think my presenters are at risk of losing their jobs? No. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What AI can do is help with certain elements of production. That, in turn, will free up resources so that they can be directed towards actual frontline journalism, to uphold standards and make the editorial judgements that underpin trust. Compton said: Obviously, as a journalist, theres so much about AI that is alarming, not least the dangerous spread of misinformation. But used responsibly, ethically, and transparently, there are lots of exciting ways it can be used in productions both on- and off-air. She added: Our priority is on premium, fact-checked, duly impartial journalism, and delivering that as well as big investigations and analysis is something AI can never do. Jonathan Shalit, chairman of InterTalent Rights Group, which reps the likes of Andrew Neil and Susanna Reid, applauded Channel 4 for sparking a debate about AI presenters. I would say to people, Rather than look at AI as the enemy, look upon it as a new friend,' he said. Its not going to actually replace a personality. Big stars develop a relationship with the viewers. But for a one-off stunt, its brilliant. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Lucknow, India On the evening of September 4, an illuminated signboard lit up a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood in Kanpur, an industrial town in Indias northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The signboard said: I love Muhammad with a red heart standing in for the word, love. It was the first time the mainly working-class residents in Kanpurs Syed Nagar had put up such a sign as part of the decorations as they joined millions of Muslims around the world to celebrate Prophet Muhammads birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The day, marked as Eid Milad-un-Nabi across South Asia, involves the faithful organising religious gatherings, Quran recitations, and sermons about the prophets life and teachings. At some places, the celebrations include mass processions, with people carrying posters to express their love and reverence for the prophet. In Syed Nagar, however, as soon as the words glowed, a group of Hindu men swooped in, objecting to the celebration. Police were called in, and following a ruckus that lasted hours, the signboard was removed late that night. On September 10, the police registered a first information report (FIR) against nine Muslims from Syed Nagar, including a religious scholar, and 15 unidentified people, accusing them of disturbing communal harmony and starting a new tradition that threatened public order. No arrests, however, have been made so far. Police attacking Muslim demonstrators in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India [Al Jazeera] Mohit Bajpayee, a Syed Nagar resident affiliated with a Hindu group named Sri Ramnavmi Samiti, said he had no objection to the text, I love Muhammad, but to the placement of the signboard at a place used by them for a Hindu festival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All religions have equal rights under the constitution, he told Al Jazeera. But the sign was put up at a location where our Ram Navami decorations are usually displayed. Everyone has a right to follow their religion, but new traditions should not be started in new locations. But the Muslim residents of Syed Nagar say the signboard was put up at a public place they converged at every year for the prophets birth anniversary. We had official permission for the decorations. Everyone has the right to practise their religion under the constitution, said a 28-year-old resident who is one of those charged, unwilling to reveal his identity over fears of further action by the government. MA Khan, the lawyer for the accused in Kanpur, told Al Jazeera that the Muslim men were also accused of tearing a banner of the Hindu community during the Eid Milad-un-Nabi procession on September 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of those named were not even present in the procession, he said. Disturbing communal harmony Uttar Pradesh is home to 38 million Muslims more than the entire population of Saudi Arabia comprising nearly 20 percent of Indias most populous state. Since 2017, the politically crucial state has been governed by Yogi Adityanath, a hardline Hindu monk known for his anti-Muslim speech and policies, and a prominent politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Days later, the spark from Kanpur ignited a fire some 270km (168 miles) away, in another Uttar Pradesh town called Bareilly headquarters of the Barelvi sect of Sunni Muslims, who number between 200 million to 300 million across the world. A Muslim woman protesting in Lucknow, India [Naeem Ansari/Al Jazeera] On September 21, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, chief of a Muslim group called Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) and descendant of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan, the founder of the Barelvi sect, announced a protest over the FIRs filed in Kanpur, and urged his supporters to gather at a ground after Friday prayers on September 26 to denounce the police action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district administration denied Khan permission for the rally. On September 25, the IMC issued a statement asking people not to gather for the protest. But hours later, Khans supporters allegedly circulated a social media message, claiming the IMC statement was fake and aimed at defaming the Muslim body. The next day, thousands of Muslims assembled near a famous Muslim shrine in Bareilly after the Friday prayers, holding I love Muhammad posters and raising slogans against the police for their action in Kanpur. District authorities alleged that the march was unauthorised and accused some participants of pelting stones at the police and vandalising public property. The police responded with a baton charge, and arrested Khan and dozens of others, as authorities shut down the internet in the town. Police attacking Muslim demonstrators in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India [Al Jazeera] In a video message recorded before his arrest, Khan said the crackdown was a targeted suppression of religious expression. Attempts to suppress our religious sentiments will backfire, he warned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A day later, while speaking at an event in the state capital, Lucknow, Chief Minister Adityanath condemned the Bareilly unrest as a well-orchestrated attempt to disturb social harmony. Sometimes, people are not able to shun their bad habits easily. For that, some denting-painting is required You saw that in Bareilly yesterday. A maulana [Muslim scholar] forgot who is in power, he said in Hindi, without naming anyone. The denting-painting soon followed, as has been the pattern with Adityanaths crackdown on Muslims accused of disrupting public order. A banquet hall belonging to one of the accused was bulldozed by the authorities in Bareilly. Government wants to instil fear Demolition of homes and commercial properties belonging to Muslims accused of a range of crimes has become a common practice in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states, despite Indias top court recently banning what it called the bulldozer justice. Rights groups say such demolitions are a form of extralegal punishment that bypasses judicial processes and devastates families economically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the Uttar Pradesh government claimed the demolitions in Bareilly targeted illegally-constructed buildings, the timing and targets suggest a clear strategy of intimidation. Police are registering cases against Muslims across the nation to suppress their legitimate protests The BJP government wants to instil fear so Muslims lose the courage to speak for their religious and fundamental rights, Sumaiya Rana, daughter of the famous Urdu poet late Munawwar Rana, told Al Jazeera. Rana herself organised a protest outside the state assembly building in Lucknow, where more than a dozen demonstrators holding I love Muhammad placards were briefly detained by the police. A woman protesting outside the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly building in Lucknow [Naeem Ansari/Al Jazeera] The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), a rights group, says at least 22 FIRs have been filed across India in connection with the Muslim campaign, naming more than 2,500 individuals, with at least 89 arrested in Bareilly so far. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities have treated a slogan expressing love for the prophet as a criminal act and described it as provocative, APCR secretary Nadeem Khan told Al Jazeera. In many cases, the administration violated due process in registering cases and demolishing the properties of the accused, which has severe social and economic impacts on Muslim communities. SQR Ilyasi, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a prominent Muslim body, stressed that peaceful protest is not illegal for any community in India. Expressing love for the prophet is our right, he told Al Jazeera. Activist Vandana Mishra of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, a rights group, said the authorities frequently allow the Hindu community to raise religious slogans freely, while the minority faces arrest for expressing love for the prophet. This contravenes the secular and democratic ethos of our constitution, she told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opposition parties have also criticised the Uttar Pradesh governments actions. The Samajwadi Party, one of the states biggest political forces, said it attempted to send a delegation to Bareilly to meet the victims of the police crackdown, but claimed its members were prevented. The government talks of democracy but acts in complete disregard of it, the leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, told reporters in Lucknow. Lawyer Zia Jillani, who recently visited Bareilly and is representing some of the accused, told Al Jazeera that most of those arrested or facing charges belong to the marginalised sections of society and earn on a daily wage basis. For them, due to their financial incapability, pursuing and fighting legal cases against the injustices inflicted upon them is an unbearable task, he said. This kind of hate politics preys on the poor, taking advantage of their vulnerability while ignoring justice and accountability. NEED TO KNOW Kada Scott's remains were found nearly three weeks after she was reported missing Keon King, 21, has been charged with kidnapping in connection with her disappearance. He is not facing charges in connection with her death as of Oct. 20 Local politicians are raising funds for Scott's family Authorities in Philadelphia have announced new charges against a man in connection with the disappearance of Kada Scott, whose remains were found over the weekend. Scott, 23, disappeared on the evening of Oct. 4 after leaving an assisted living facility where she worked, according to a previous police statement. On Wednesday, Oct. 15, police arrested 21-year-old Keon King on charges of kidnapping in connection with Scott's disappearance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Saturday, Oct. 18, investigators acting on a tip found Scott's remains in a wooded area behind an abandoned school, Philadelphia police confirmed to PEOPLE. Now, King has been charged with several other offenses in connection with Scott's disappearance, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced on Monday, Oct. 20. As the investigation into Scott's case ensued, police learned that she had been receiving "harassing" calls in the days leading up to her disappearance. Police have declined to say if King is connected to the alleged calls. He is now, however, facing an additional charge of arson, among several other charges, in connection with the burning of a car investigators were tipped off about last week, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said at Monday's press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video evidence recovered over the weekend led investigators to believe that the vehicle was used by King to "move Ms. Scott," Toczylowski said, adding that the footage taken from a recreation center nearby the school shows the vehicle was "on location at all of the pertinent points of the investigation." The vehicle was reported stolen on Oct. 3 and was "on scene" where she said Scott's remains were found. Video evidence indicates the vehicle was burned on Oct. 7, and police investigators allege King's phone was at the location when the car was burned, Toczylowski said. GoFundMe; Philadelphia Police Department Kada Scott (left); and Keon King. Kada Scott (left); and Keon King. Soon after King's arrest last week, Philadelphia authorities said other alleged victims of King have come forward about their experience with him. King already had kidnapping and strangulation charges against him from a prior incident this year, Toczylowski previously said. Those charges were initially withdrawn when his alleged victim did not show up in court, but prosecutors said last week they would be refiling those charges. Scott's family has requested privacy at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They had previously set up a GoFundMe to assist with information about her whereabouts and raise awareness about her case. Philadelphia City Council member Anthony Phillips said on Monday they are working with Scott's family and are accepting donations including toiletries, self-care, meal-delivery services and non-perishable food items for Scott's parents and her sister, who is in high school and working to pay for her college. "Kada Scott mattered, her life matters," Phillips said, adding that she is being remembered for her "kindness and contagious joy and smile and wonderfulness." Phillips can be reached at (215) 686-3454. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The updated charges against King include arson, causing catastrophe, conspiracy, unauthorized use of an automobile, tampering with evidence and recklessly endangering another person, Toczylowski said. He is not facing charges in connection with her death as of Oct. 20. King has yet to enter a plea, according to online court records, which also did not indicate attorney information. Read the original article on People YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) Charles L. Humes Jr., age 61, of Youngstown, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family at his companions home, on Saturday, September 27, 2025. Charles was born August 4, 1964 in Salem, Ohio, a son of Charles L. Sr. and Nora Mae Daughtery Humes. Find obituaries from your high school He was a self-employed brick layer for many years. He loved life and going to the beach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His energy brought life to every gathering and he had a deep compassion for animals. Charles was an avid fan of the Cleveland Browns and The Ohio State Buckeyes. He will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by his family. His wife, the former Anna Paszul, whom he married February 15, 1992; his daughter, Tiffany (Jordan) Anthony of New Port Richey, Florida; his beloved companion and dedicated loving care giver, Nancy Kropolinsky; and his dogs, Astro and Bailey. He also leaves his siblings, Rachel Humes of Austintown, Tina Humes of Akron and Ted Frisch of Youngstown. Beside his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother James Frisch Jr. and sister Dottie L. Hutchins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be a Memorial Services held on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 11 a.m., with calling hours prior to the service from 10:00 11:009 a.m., at Stewart-Kyle Funeral Home. Family and friends are invited to visit the funeral homes website at www.stewart-kyle.com to share memories and condolences. To send a flower arrangement in memory of Charles L. Humes Jr., please click here to visit our sympathy store. A television tribute will air Wednesday, October 22, at the following approximate times: 5:17 a.m. on WKBN, 8:39 a.m. on FOX, 5:19 p.m. on WYTV and 6:37 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LANSING, (Mich.) WLNS No Kings protests took place across the country this weekend, including in many places across mid-Michigan, including Charlotte. But now, some are speaking out after Charlotte City Councilmember Jeffrey Christensen posted comments on Facebook about the protests that critics are calling violent rhetoric. Christensens Facebook comment read, Block the roads and you may become a speed bump, in regard to the No Kings protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some saw the comment as a threat to protesters in Charlotte, who were among the nearly 7 million Americans who took part in demonstrations on Saturday. Charlotte Mayor Tim Lewis described the comment as violent rhetoric. This right to assemble should never be met with violence/violent rhetoric, threats or intimidation, said Lewis. Every citizen has their right to make their feelings/beliefs known in a respectful, non-violent way and this right should be respected by all in the community. 6 News reached out to Christensen, who says he supports peaceful protests, saying he never encouraged anyone to run over protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I fully support peaceful protests, but what I dont support is when a peaceful protest turns into actions on the streets to cause personal injury, death, chaos and other negative things, and then people whine because someone gets hurt or hit, Christensen said. Lewis did not mention any disciplinary action for councilman Christensen, but said, Councilman Christensen does not speak for the Charlotte City council or the people of Charlotte. Christensen says that, in his personal life, he has his own political beliefs but promises that those do not infiltrate his work as a councilman. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Amid a burgeoning statewide controversy over a new law easing the way for private groups to launch public schools, two charter schools have announced plans to open in Orange County, moves that could pull students from neighborhood campuses already struggling to fill their classrooms. One of the new charter schools hopes to take advantage of the enrollment declines in Orange County Public Schools. It has filed paperwork to move, rent free, into a campus in Pine Hills that is about half empty. The other wants to recruit students from five other public schools, all under enrolled, including OCPS Academic Center of Excellence, whose opening eight years ago was viewed as part of the effort to revitalize the economically downtrodden Parramore neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both charters plan to open in Orange under Floridas Schools of Hope program, started by the Florida Legislature in 2017 to improve education in neighborhoods with persistently low-performing schools. A last-minute revision to the law this year allows established charter schools privately-run schools that take public funds but have wide latitude to run their operations to use, at no cost, empty space in traditional public schools. That has sparked applications around the state to create new charter schools in such spaces. But the new schools are receiving a chilly reception in an Orange County district that has seen a 6,500-student enrollment decline this year. I dont know what they would have to offer that we dont already offer, said Angie Gallo, a member of the Orange County School Board. Orange school leaders also fear the charter schools will put a strain on a district budget that is already stretched thin. Schools are funded on a per-student basis, so campuses that lose students can be a hardship for a district that still must cover fixed costs, such as a principals salary and utility bills. Adding to the anticipated difficulties, OCPS would be required to pay some of the charter schools bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Educators in other Florida districts characterized the moves as a land grab that could completely take over public school buildings in a few years. Both charter school companies tout their schools academic achievement and college-preparatory focus. The KIPP Team and Family charter school company submitted a notice to OCPS in August that it intends to build a K-12 campus and pull students now zoned for five district schools. All the campuses are under enrolled by at least 200 students. The schools all earned Cs from the state last year based on student performance on Floridas standardized tests. The KIPP network operates more than 270 charter campuses nationwide and says it creates joyful, academically excellent schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KIPPs four Florida campuses, three in Duval County and one in Miami, earned Cs and Ds from the state last year. The Miami-based Mater Academy wants to take over part of Ridgewood Park Elementary, rated a B by the state. The school now has 459 students on a campus meant for 896. Mater bills itself as a network of college prep charter schools focused on rigorous academics. This month, at least 15 Florida school districts have received requests from Mater to open schools of hope on an estimated 300 school campuses for the 2027-28 school year, said Andrea Messina, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KIPP, which stands for Knowledge is Power Program, intends to find its own campus, but KIPP Co-President Gabriella DiFilippo said the network hasnt ruled out the possibility of occupying an existing OCPS school. KIPP hopes to open its Orange charter school in the 2028-29 school year and to enroll 2,600 students by its fifth year, according to its proposal. It would pull students from Eagles Nest Elementary School, Eccleston Elementary School, Pineloch Elementary School, Rolling Hills Elementary Schools, and OCPS ACE. All five schools enroll far fewer students than their campuses were built for, a trend across the district and the state this year where public school enrollment is down by about 70,000. Districts blame the enrollment loss on declining birth rates and the expansion of Floridas school voucher program, which provides money for private school scholarships and homeschooling services and has lured many students away from traditional public schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OCPS ACE, which opened in 2017, offers specialized community services, including an early learning center and on-site healthcare. But the K-8 school currently serves 746 students in a facility built for almost 1,300, making it the most under-enrolled of the five. DiFilippo said KIPP sees the enrollment declines as an opportunity to bring families back into public education through charter school options. We understand what the trends are, but thats not necessarily a daunting proposition for us, she said. KIPP would recruit students by reaching out to families who live in the five schools attendance zones, with door knocking and presentations at apartment complexes, multilingual mail flyers and paid advertising, according to the groups proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mater accidentally submitted its Orange letter of intent last week to the Osceola County school district, according to emails obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Osceola Superintendent Mark Shanoff forwarded it to OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez the next day, saying it was received in error. Gallo, who is also the president of the Florida School Boards Association, said the error was characteristic of Maters hasty approach to getting space in public schools. In sending Broward County Public Schools letters of intent for 27 of its schools, Mater accidentally sent the district one for a school in Collier County, too. Osceola County received two notices from Mater, seeking to operate in Deerwood Elementary School and Osceola Technical College Central Campus. In a statement, Mater Academy President Roberto Blanch said the school had a proven record of delivering results for students and was looking to expand through schools of hope as a way to increase access for families and bring students back into the classroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mater already operates another school in Orange near Lake Nona, which has its own campus. The group also proposed but never opened a school in Apopka in 2021. In past years, school boards had more discretion about which charter schools, which need a boards approval to open, could operate in their districts. But the schools of hope law and other rule changes makes a local school boards vote largely procedural meaning districts are forced to approve charter schools even if they dont make sense for the districts student population. If Mater moves into Ridgewood Park, OCPS would be responsible for the cost of operating facilities that it could otherwise shut down to save money, and it would have to pay for transportation and food for Maters students. Orange administrators have begun discussions about whether some OCPS elementary campuses might eventually need to be closed, consolidated or had wings or floors shut down because of low enrollment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers who approved the laws changes said it makes sense to try to fill empty public schools. When you have a school that isnt even at 50% capacity, and those are our hard-earned taxpayer dollars that went to go build that building, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are utilizing it to its full capacity for our students, said bill sponsor Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, at a March 27 committee hearing. But Liz Barker, a school board member in Sarasota County where Mater submitted three requests to operate in schools, called the effort a blatant land grab and a hostile takeover of community-owned property, speaking on Orange school board member Stephanie Vanos podcast last week. Vanos shared similar concerns. I just dont know how parents and communities will stand for this once they see this happening, she said. Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel contributed to this report. Alderperson Jesse Fuentes is officially filing a federal claim after video shows her being placed in handcuffs by immigration agents. The incident happened on October 3rd. Video shows as Fuentes was put in handcuffs at Humboldt Health Chicago. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Chicago alderperson says federal agents handcuffed her at Humboldt Park medical facility She was asking a federal agent if he had a warrant to arrest a patient at the hospital. The agents refused to answer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in previous statement to the I-Team in part, "Fuentes was escorted out in handcuffs but never placed under arrest. Once agents removed her from the area, she was free to go." READ ALSO | Chicago healthcare institutions claim large no-show rates due to federal immigration crackdown An attorney for Fuentes says the Federal Tort Claims Act requires an initial filing of an Administrative Claim, which was filed on Tuesday. When that claim is denied, or within six months, they will then file an FTCA complaint in federal court. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, "The facts remain, during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, U.S. Border Patrol vehicles were blocked by agitators and their vehicles was boxed in by vehicles. After repeated verbal commands to disperse the crowd, USBP deployed tear gas and pepper balls. During this operation, an illegal alien was arrested and later complained of a leg injury from his attempts to flee law enforcement and evade arrest. Out of an abundance of caution he was taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "At the hospital, nearly 30 protesters, including Alderperson Jesse Fuentes, attempted to gain access to the detainee. She was escorted out in handcuffs but NEVER placed under arrest. Once agents removed her from the area, she was free to go. "Our brave officers are facing a surge in increase in assaults against them, including terrorist attacks, cars being used as weapons on them, and assaults by rioters. This violence against law enforcement must END. We will not be deterred by rioters and protesters in keeping America safe." PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) A Cook County man was released from custody pending the outcome of allegations he shot a woman at Bradley University early Sunday. Edward Traywick Jr., 19, of Lansing appeared Tuesday in front of Peoria County Circuit Judge Mark Gilles, who denied the prosecutors request to detain him pending his cases outcome. Gilles cited Traywicks lack of criminal history as well as the fact that he had a job and a high school diploma as reasons why he didnt side with the states desire to hold Traywick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was released with conditions such as he remains at home during certain hours, he is not to possess dangerous weapons and he is not to leave the state except to travel to his work. He faces charges of reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, according to court records. Lansing is a suburb of Chicago, about 25 miles south of Chicagos South Loop, near the border of Indiana. Neither he nor the woman who suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen were students at Bradley. At 2:14 a.m. on Oct. 19, Bradley University and Peoria police offices were called to a report of a shooting on the third floor of Geisert Hall, said Assistant States Attorney Greg Siepel in open court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Traywick and the victim were both in town visiting a friend at the time of the incident. When the friend went to use the bathroom, she heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, the prosecutor said. Surveillance video showed a man helping a woman who was grabbing her abdomen to get to the elevator. Siepel said that the clothes the two were wearing were similar to those that Traywick and the victim were wearing. He also said a trail of blood was found leading from the room to the elevator. While officers were on the way, they stopped a car and found a woman inside with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, along with three other people inside. The officers took the woman to a local hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inside the car, the prosecutor said, officers allegedly found 42 bullets in a black Nike backpack that also contained a loaded 9mm pistol. Two other people in the car were questioned but were released by the police, according to court records. The victim, on Tuesday, was in stable condition. Siepel said the victim allegedly named Traywick as the person who shot her but said it was an accident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CHICAGO People who rely on food assistance, and pantries that provide meals to those less fortunate, are dealing with the negative affects of the government shutdown. Food pantries like Care for Real in Chicagos Edgewater neighborhood are seeing major increases over the last several weeks. Many of those have never used a pantry before. Some of them are recently laid off. Others have used federally funded benefits to shop at a store. Those benefits are now being cut because of the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Care for Reals Executive Director Gregory Gross says theyve seen a 400 percent increase in clients over the last several years and double digit increases in just the past few weeks, since the most recent government shut down began. More: Shutdown impact: What it means for workers, federal programs and the economy Its our neighbors, its not always folks you might expect, he said. These are folks who have had government jobs and not getting a paycheck right now and so theyre needing to come to the food pantry for the first time. Adding to the numbers, he says, are those on SNAP benefits. Nearly 42 million Americans are part of the supplemental nutrition assistance program, funded entirely by the federal government. Find your local foodbank at https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank Sandra Hanan is one of the nearly two million in Illinois whove been told to expect the money she uses on food at the store to go away on November 1, if the shutdown continues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SNAP benefits, they make my life so much easier, she said. SNAP covers my food for the month. My other money can go further for bills, rent, for medication things like that. I feel like myself and a large group of people are being attacked here and we havent done anything to anybody. Its wrong. Dion Dawsons organization Dions Chicago Dream knows the need for food is up in Chicago. This news does not come lightly. Its making a heavy time heavier, she said. Weve seen it in our numbers. Weve seen our weekly organic enrollment triple over the last two years. Imagine what thats going to do now. Imagine if those two million people have even less access. Chicago-based Feeding America says for every one meal provided by a pantry, SNAP benefits provide nine times that. Its a gap pantries say theyre not equipped to fill alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need all of our leaders on one accord and find a way to get this done for the people who matter most, Dawson said. Its scary to think about not having enough food because as human beings, we need food to survive. And it also makes me angry because its happening and its shouldnt be happening, Hanan said. https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Donald Trump's immigration operation "Midway Blitz" has been underway for several weeks, and the hospitality industry, especially restaurants in Latino wards, are feeling the impact. Gerardo Auza comes from a family of restaurant owners. The 42-year-old's dream was to open his own business. It came true eight months ago, when Auza opened El Mexico De Chicago in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. The Mexican immigrant says online reviews have been great, but none of it matters if no one shows up. "For over a month, it takes like 70% to 80%. The customers didn't show up to come and take food out. You know, people scared right now," Auza said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Auza says even if his restaurant were packed, there would not be enough workers to serve them. "They just told me, 'Hey, I'm scared. I don't want to go to work because I'm scared... ICE take me.' You know, it's no words to say, because everybody's scared," Auza said. The fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has had a big impact on Chicago's restaurant industry. SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates "What I'm hearing from members is that they're just taking reservations, because they don't have enough waitresses and waiters and bus boys bartenders coming into work because of the fear," said Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toia says overall there has been a 20% decrease in the workforce due to the fear. He says downtown restaurants have not felt the impact as severe as neighborhood restaurants in Latino areas, like Belmont Cragin. "This is having an impact on local businesses. That's ultimately going to have an impact on our budget and ultimately have an impact on the federal government," said 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas. Villegas, who represents Belmont Cragin, says with the city already facing a big budget crisis, it doesn't have the money to help struggling restaurant owners with grants. Villegas suggests the best way to help is for U.S citizens to continue patronizing restaurants in Latino wards. While Chicago hotels set a record during the summer for filling rooms, the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association and the union representing hotel workers did not comment on Monday about the ICE impact on the hotel industry. The city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday over alleged unlawful restriction of federal emergency grants. The lawsuit alleges the administration imposed "unlawful conditions" relating to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, on grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "Chicago will not stand by while the federal government weaponizes emergency funding to attack our values," Mayor Brandon Johnson said. "We will fight to ensure our first responders have the tools they need, that our commitment to equity and inclusion remains strong, and that we receive every federal dollar intended for public safety." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tens of millions in funds mentioned in the lawsuit support the city's emergency response through Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency grants. SEE ALSO: Judge orders feds to preserve videos of agents using tear gas; ICE says some footage likely erased The lawsuit says the new conditions require the city to certify that they do not operate any "programs that advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology" or face the risk of losing funding. "The federal government cannot demand that cities dismantle DEI programs in exchange for disaster relief," Corporation Counsel Mary B. Richardson-Lowry said. "We are taking action to ensure that Chicago's emergency response systems remain robust, inclusive, and grounded in constitutional principles." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit alleges that the effort to withhold the money is politically motivated. Chicago is one of several Democratic run municipalities taking the federal government to court to make sure they receive money that Congress appropriated. Mayor Johnson, at a West Side ribbon cutting for an affordable housing project, blasted the Trump administration. "Well, you know, here's another example of how the president of the United States is attacking the city of Chicago. You know that he has declared war on our city and cities across this country, and this this action is baseless," Johnson said. At stake are millions of dollars in federal grants that help the Office of Emergency Management and Communication plan and train for major incidents and special events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The funding also covers personnel and equipment meant to protect high-risk public transportation from acts of terrorism other threats. Also currently on hold are federal grants that supports the Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism, which played a prominent role in protecting the Democratic National Convention. Other units could also be hurt if the federal funds aren't released, former First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio said. "Whether it's narcotics or counterterrorism, our mounted unit here, for example, the horses, the canine, all important parts of policing, are all receiving federal funds. So losing those funds could have a significant impact on public safety," Riccio said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit contends that DHS and FEMA are trying to illegally bully the city into abandoning programs promoting diversity, arguing, "Neither the Constitution nor Congress empowers the Executive to hold federal emergency-management funding hostage to the Administration's political agenda." "And I'm going to use every single tool that's available to me to ensure that every single dollar that belongs to the people of Chicago that we're able to hold those dollars," Johnson said. The city is asking the court to declare the federal government's no DEI conditions unlawful and to clear the way for all the emergency grant funding to be sent to Chicago. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois on Monday. The city of Boston, city and county of Denver, city of Minneapolis, city of New Haven, city of New York, city of Saint Paul, mayor and City Council of Baltimore and Ramsey County, Minnesota also filed the lawsuit. (The Center Square) With federal authorities now threatening to cut Chicago Transit Authority funding due to rising violence across the system, Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford worries actions being taken by the federal government could put vulnerable riders even more at risk. Chicago police data shows at the same time transit system arrests have dropped, overall violent crime across the system hit its second-highest level since 2015 in the 12 months ending in July. Riders reported 2,893 crimes or 2.7 transgressions for every 100,000 riders. Ford, D-Chicago, said the governments growing funding threats only stand to exacerbate the problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This government clearly has decided to take a position of cutting funds because of crime, but theyve cut funds to reduce funding for housing, for substance abuse, for crime prevention, Ford told The Center Square. When you have the federal government cutting funds for safety net programs and at the same time saying that we need to reduce crime they're actually playing a role in making sure that people don't have the resources they need. You had a federal government that used to be a partner, now the federal government is the enemy and that's impacting all of Illinois. With less than 1-in-5 of all such crimes ending in arrest, data highlights most of the carnage was concentrated in the same areas of the city, topped by the South Sides Red Line at over 3.5 transgressions out of every 100,000 riders. While the most common crime reported was battery, statistics also show at least four murders took place on CTA property. The violence that they're experiencing comes from societal problems that's created by not supporting people in poverty, Ford said. We need to address why the violence is taking place and we know poverty is one of the factors. We need to meet the needs of the people, and you will see that crime will go down. With all the questions about funding and the systems 2026 budget proposal calling for an additional $130 million in spending, CTA officials are already considering the systems first fare hike in seven years at as much as a 25-cents increase to base bus and rail fares. (FOX40.COM) The Sacramento Federal Bureau of Investigation released the results of the Summer Heat operation over the past three months, which it described as an attempt to crush violent crime. Video above: More than 200 suspected child sex abuse offenders arrested According to FBI officials, between June 24 and Sept. 20, all 55 FBI field offices participated in the multi-pronged offensive. The FBI surged resources alongside state and local partners, executing federal warrants on violent criminals and fugitives, dismantling violent gangs, identifying and rescuing child victims, and resolving violent crime cases in Indian Country, authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Within the 34 counties the Sacramento FBI Field Office serves, the FBI said the operation that was tied to Summer Heat led more than 430 specific judicial outcomes, which included arrests, indictments, convictions and sentences of violent crime offenders. The results of this effort are: 102 weapons recovered 41 illicit drug seizures 27 children located or recovered. The surge of FBI resources to address violent crime threats within the communities served to send a strong message to criminals involved in gang violence, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, or crimes against children. The message is simple; your illicit activities are not welcome in the communities we serve, and law enforcement officials at all levels are actively working together to protect lives and ensure you face justice for your crimes, Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationally, the FBI said the operation led to 8,629 arrests, with more than 6,500 falling under the FBIs Violent Crime and Gang program. On top of that, agents and intelligence professionals investigating violent crimes against children identified or located 1,053 victim children. Across the country, Summer Heat operations also led to the seizure of 44,569 kilograms of cocaine, 421 kilograms of fentanyl, and 2,281 weapons, an FBI spokesperson said. For more information from the Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, 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 FOX40 News. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Mad Mushroom The US and China are forever accusing each other of cyberattacks, but this one might be more significant than the restas China says the US is behind a series of attacks on its National Time Service Center. And while the idea of the US waging war on time itself might seem amusing, China sees the attacks as no joke, as the research facility is said to be responsible for timing services used by communications, finance, power, transport, and defence services throughout the country. Advertisement Advertisement According to AP News, a post from the Ministry of State Security on WeChat accused the US National Security Agency (NSA) of exploiting vulnerabilities in the messaging services of a mobile phone brand to steal information from National Time Center employees back in 2022. Since then, the ministry says that the NSA used 42 types of "special cyberattack weapons" to disrupt the internal network systems, and attempted to infiltrate a key timing system between 2023 and 2024although no evidence was provided in the post to backup these claims. "The U.S. is accusing others of what it does itself," the post continues. "Repeatedly hyping up claims about Chinese cyber threats." After discovering the breach, the ministry is said to have provided guidance to the center in order to eliminate further risks. Credit: Matthias Hangst (Getty) Claims of Chinese hacking attempts on US targets are not hard to find. Less than a week ago, a "nation-state threat actor" reported to be backed by China was accused of breaching a cybersecurity provider, and being active inside its networks for at least 12 months. Advertisement Advertisement Then there was the "worst in nations history" telecoms hack in 2024, which the FBI and CISA later attributed to "PRC (People's Republic of China)-affiliated actors." Or the charging earlier this year of 12 alleged Chinese hackers who were said to have worked on behalf of China's Public and State Security Ministries to infiltrate the US Treasury, among others. Or the Microsoft SharePoint hack, also attributed to Chinese nation-state actors, which may have compromised the US Nuclear Security Administration. Or... you get the idea. Still, it would be naive to think that, in such an interconnected world, the US wasn't attempting its own "cyber-infiltration techniques" against China in some form or fashion, and has been accused of doing so by the Chinese government in the past. Time itself is off limits, though, surely? China being such a large country, keeping everything synched up strikes as a huge undertaking, and vital to the country's infrastructure. The headquarters of Chinese time would certainly make for a disruptive target, but won't someone think of whoever has to adjust the clocks? The Chinese government has announced a new three-year action plan to help strengthen the countrys electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, as it looks to address consumer concerns over range and availability of charging facilities, with the aim of increasing the adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the country. Demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China, comprising mainly battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), has accelerated in 2025, driven by government stimulus including trade-in incentives and cuts in vehicle purchase taxes. Overall NEV retail sales rose by 30% to 9.475 million units in the first nine months of the year, accounting for over 50% of total vehicle sales in the country. The government is widely expected to phase out its vehicle trade-in incentives at the end of the year, while purchase tax cuts will also be scaled back, which could lead to a drop in NEV sales next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinas National Development and Reform Commission, together with other government agencies announced a number of measures designed to expand the countrys EV charging network coverage, as well as to improve operational efficiency and service quality. The government aims to have a network of 28 million chargers nationwide by the end of 2027, up from 17.4 million at present, with public charging capacity expected to surpass 300 million kilowatts enough to meet the demand of over 80 million EVs. Existing charging networks, particularly in urban areas and in expressway service stations, will be upgraded to fast-charging systems, while networks in rural areas will be expanded to reduce charging infrastructure shortages. The plan also includes expanding and improving charging infrastructure in residential areas, including private charging facilities. "China announces three-year plan to strengthen EV charging" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. At 1,106 feet long and over 100,000 long tons, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the most advanced in the world and serves as both a warship and a mobile air base. Packed with defensive weapon systems and a variety of offensive, defensive, and surveillance aircraft, it's an incredible asset to the strength of the American military. However, China's been spending big money to boost its military forces as well, and its new aircraft carriers have one crucial advantage. While they don't have the experience of American carriers in terms of combat operations at sea, launch and recovery efficiency, or battle-tested crew, they are part of a larger infrastructure that gives China an advantage over even the most powerful U.S. carrier. This isn't an apples-to-apples comparison, because the real advantage doesn't come from the carriers themselves; they get help from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force. This system gives China the ability to launch massive missile salvos from land, due to its large network of land-based ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles like the DF-21D, DF-26, and DF-17 that can strike warships at sea. Satellites, radars, and reconnaissance drones are linked together to make up a "kill chain" that helps China detect, track, and target enemy ships, forcing opposing vessels to keep their distance from the mainland or face the constant pressure of incoming attacks. Read more: 10 Of The Largest Navies In The World, Ranked By Self-Reported Total Naval Assets The kill chain, magazine limits, and cost Two U.S. carriers and a destroyer sailing in formation - U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons China's salvo mass describes the overwhelming bombardment of missiles that can challenge America's defenses long before the carrier fight begins. It depends on three key pillars: integration (kill chain), U.S. limits (magazine stock), and cost imbalance, but before anything, the missiles must be connected to their sensors. These sensors let China detect all approaching ships early and give Commanders the ability to string missile launches together to apply pressure gradually, ultimately shifting the balance of power on the battlefield early. China's kill chain includes over-the-horizon radars, satellites, drones, and ground stations, a network that enables China to coordinate multiple missile types, so they attack in steady waves that would force U.S. warships on the defensive almost immediately. Warships like destroyers carry a multitude of weapons but have limited magazine capacity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite having a Vertical Launch System (VLS) with cells that hold a mix of weapons comprised of interceptors (for defense), offensive missiles (for attack), and others, under a saturation attack, a ship could simply run out of interceptors trying to stop the onslaught of incoming missiles. The final factor is cost; a single U.S. interceptor costs about $4.3 million, whereas China could fire a large volume of relatively cheaper missiles, forcing the U.S. to spend a massive amount of money just on defense. No matter the military power comparison between the two countries, this difference in costs favors China and theoretically dictates how many U.S. ships can safely operate in the country's immediate vicinity. What this means for America and the world Warship launching missile at sea - Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force/Wikimedia Commons China's missile ecosystem forces the U.S. and other naval forces to adapt. One major shift is toward Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO). DMO is a U.S. operational concept to avoid becoming sitting ducks. Naval forces spread sensors and ships over larger areas instead of being tightly grouped together, reducing the chance of being wiped out by concentrated missile salvos. Investing in less vulnerable, stealthier, deep-magazine assets could make a huge difference. For example, Virginia-class attack submarines, ranked as America's top three deadliest submarines, can be fitted with the Virginia Payload Module, which dramatically increases their firepower and mission flexibility. China's long-range missiles, like its DF-26, can reach around 2,485 miles, so developing weapons and ships that can strike from farther away would let distance serve as a defense and could change the balance of power. China's missile network is a force to be reckoned with if the fight were to start on its doorstep. It forces the U.S. and other countries to change how they use their naval ships, matching China's barrage with long-range, stealthy warfare. But for now, salvo mass capabilities remain the key edge China holds over American aircraft carriers. Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. China has accused the United States of showing "a lack of basic respect" for Central America following its threat to ban officials and others from the region with ties to the Communist Party from entering the country. The State Department said last month that it would "restrict US visas for Central American nationals ... intentionally acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party" and who "knowingly direct, authorise, fund, provide significant support to, or carry out activities that undermine the rule of law in Central America". China's foreign ministry condemned the accusations as "malicious". 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. "The United States, under the guise of the rule of law, engages in illegal practices ... It subjects regional countries and individuals to political suppression and economic coercion, placing domestic law above international law and international obligations," Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the ministry, told a regular press briefing on Tuesday. "The accusations are malicious, baseless, and lack basic respect for Central American nations." Guo also criticised "the US style of bullying and domineering acts", and said the restrictions "gravely violate the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs" and "severely disrupt the international order". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The restrictions - which the State Department said "reaffirm President [Donald] Trump's commitment to protect America's economic prosperity and national security interests" - had already prompted protests from Beijing after they were announced. However, the issue resurfaced last week when Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said the US embassy in the country had threatened to cancel officials' visas over their ties to China. The US ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, responded by saying: "A visa is a privilege, not a right ... We revoke and deny visas according to our laws and regulations, without regard to the profession or position of the individual in the government." Panama has been central to the contest between the US and China for influence in the region, with Trump regularly expressing his desire to retake control of the Panama Canal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US has urged Panama to review the contracts that gave the Panama Ports Company, which is 90 per cent owned by the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison, control of two terminals at either end of the canal. The Panamanian government has since raised the possibility of retaking control of the ports and on Monday it said a deal with the conglomerate was possible. Earlier this year, under pressure from Washington, Panama announced it was withdrawing from the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing's transcontinental infrastructure initiative. In July, Vanessa Castro, the vice-president of Costa Rica's Congress, said the US embassy had revoked her visa, citing alleged contacts with the Communist Party of China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beijing's relations with Central America have rapidly developed in recent years, with several countries switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing during Trump's first term and signing up for the belt and road. Beijing regards Taiwan as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. The United States and most other countries do not recognise self-governed Taiwan as independent, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to seize the island by force. 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. China's submarine fleet is improving, making advancements in stealth. In a war, China's subs could put up a tough fight in the First Island Chain, analysts say. China has also prioritized sensors and other anti-submarine warfare capabilities in the region. Chinas submarine fleet, long noisy and outdated, is getting quieter and deadlier, a new analysis warns, as it closes the gap with the US within the First Island Chain, a string of islands that could form the front line of a future Pacific fight. These improvements, along with China's anti-submarine weapons and the development of the "Undersea Great Wall," could spell trouble in the First Island Chain for US submarines should Beijing and Washington go to war, especially over Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a potential conflict between the US and China in the Western Pacific, the First Island Chain, which stretches from Japan down to the Philippines and hems in China's coastline, would likely be strategically important. The US military expects China to attempt to deny it access and control in the region by threatening American airpower, as well as naval power. For US submarines, China's layered network of sensors and anti-submarine warfare systems and its fleet of increasingly capable submarines are key obstacles to their likely roles in a China war: Torpedoing Chinese ships and striking military bases with missiles. Royal United Services Institute analysts Cmdr. Edward Black and Sidharth Kaushal wrote this week that Chinas expanding network of undersea sensors and quiet diesel submarines "could pose a real challenge to the submarines of the US and other allies" attempting to defend Taiwan inside the First Island Chain. China's submarine improvements China's investments in its submarines have included gradual improvements on models and capabilities. Screenshot/CCTV China's submarine fleet is heavily composed of conventional, diesel-electric submarines, non-nuclear systems that need to be refueled. It's been building nuclear-powered ones for decades, but these have long been considered louder than US subs. A noisy sub is more easily detected and vulnerable to attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In general, China's made fixes with each new type or class of both its diesel-electric and nuclear-powered submarines, though, and it boasts the shipbuilding and manufacturing capacity to build submarines quicker than the US. Washington currently faces major delays and cost overruns on a bulk of its shipbuilding programs, including new submarines. China has also replaced many of its older submarines with newer ones. Projections estimate it'll have 55 non-nuclear attack submarines, 13 nuclear-powered attack submarines, and eight nuclear-powered ballistic submarines by 2030, representing growth of 10 vessels in total from 2020. Papers like the US Naval War College Report on China's submarines from August 2023 have previously assessed that China is on the cusp of producing "world-class nuclear-powered submarines," and that its work on nuclear propulsion, quieting tech, sensors, and weapons capabilities are getting it closer to on-par with some of Russia's more advanced submarines. With its growing shipyard capacity and capabilities, China can continue to build new submarines and make them more formidable threats. As Black and Kaushal wrote, "Should qualitative improvements be combined with a formidable manufacturing capacity, China will likely start to challenge US military maritime dominance under the waves." Anti-submarine warfare US Marines from the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, assigned to Task Force 61/2, conduct launch and recovery operations from the deck of Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) while underway in the Mediterranean Sea. US Marine Corps/US Navy courtesy photo China's whole-of-state and long-term investments in capabilities that's able to sense submarines in key naval chokepoints also raises challenges for American submarines operating in the area in a potential conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent years, Beijing has pursued an "Underwater Great Wall" project in the South China Sea designed to trace surface and underwater vessels. The equipment ranges from weapons on its own ships and uncrewed systems to a network of underwater hydrophones that boast China's ability to monitor vast areas in the seas, particularly in the First Island Chain. The US operates similar monitoring systems that criss-cross chokepoints and common operating areas. These types of sensors allow a fleet commander to detect enemy sub movement and respond quickly, perhaps by moving vulnerable convoys away and dispatching attack subs to hunt it. And other technological developments also aim to improve China's sensing in the region. Black and Kaushal cite recent Chinese articles that claim advances in artificial intelligence "will facilitate the detection and tracking of even the most quiet of submarines even in the face of active decoy and evasion techniques. This will reduce enemy submarine survivability 'to 5 percent'." While it's unknown how reliable this AI could be, and China still needs to make hardware investments in certain areas of the region, the news indicates China sees this technology as useful for helping deny the US and its allies and partners movement around some of these waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a wartime scenario, the network of sensors could force US submarines to stay at a further distance, limiting Washington's options. There are limitations, though, including whether China can saturate its sensors beyond well-defined areas, Black and Kaushal note. But the developments in China's submarine fleet and its continued investments in anti-submarine warfare and sensor technologies could raise key concerns for the US if it decides to intervene in a blockade or invasion of Taiwan. Read the original article on Business Insider (Illustration by Guam Visitors Bureau) Did you know that several of Guams villages are named after body parts? This is directly related to one of Guams most enduring legends the legend of Puntan and Fuuna. In this ancient Chamorro story of Creation, Puntan and Fuuna are brother and sister gods who sacrificed their bodies in order to create the universe. At her brothers request, Fu'una used her spirit to divide Puntans body and use it to create the universe. With his back she made the earth, with his chest she made the sky. One of his eyes became the sun, and the other became the moon. With his eyebrows she made rainbows. Fuuna admired all they had created, and with her power she made the earth bloom. In her final gift to the world, Fuuna threw her body into the earth and transformed into a towering limestone pillar, from which the first humans emerged. Because the stone marked the final resting place of the goddess Fuuna, the ancient Chamorro people believed the stone held mystical healing powers. Today, the pillar is known as Fouha Rock (also called Creation Point) and it sits on a secluded bay in the southern village of Umatac. In addition to Fouha Rock, the legend of Puntan and Fuuna also lives on in these villages that are named after parts of Puntans body. Tiyan Tiyan is the first and last place almost every visitor to Guam sees, for its the area where the Guam International Airport is located. Tiyan takes its name from tuyan, the Chamorro word for stomach. Dozens of aircraft take off and land on Puntans flat stomach every day. Barrigada Barrigada takes its name from the Spanish word barriga which also means stomach. In 1866, during the Spanish era of Guam, the region known for deer hunting was referred to as Barrigadan Tiyan. Interestingly, the original Chamorro name for Barrigada was Jalaguac, which comes from kalaguak, the Chamorro word that refers to the side portion of the body that runs from the hip to the armpit. Even though the Spanish name Barrigada eventually replaced the original Chamorro name, today you can drive down Jalaguac Street in Barrigada and pay homage to history. Toto and Mongmong Nearby Barrigada, the three villages of Mongmong, Toto and Maite comprise one municipality. In Chamorro, toto means to lie down or to recline on your back, so the village of Toto is thought to be Puntans back. And while Puntans back is in Toto, his heart is in Mongmong because mongmong is the Chamorro word that describes the sound of a beating heart. Hagatna Hagatna is derived from the word haga, the Chamorro word for blood. It is widely accepted that this village was named for the bloodlines of the families that established the village, but some historians believe that the village name could be connected to the legendary Puntan, and that the haga in Hagatna refers to Puntans blood. Special thanks to Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Assistant Professor of Chamorro Studies at University of Guam In 2023 computer hackers stole $6 million from the New Haven school system and city government fired the system's information technology director over it. Eventually a little more than $5 million was recovered, and the other day an arbiter ruled that the theft wasn't the fault of the information technology director and that she must be returned to her job with back pay, which may amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mayor Justin Elicker said he was "disappointed" by the arbiter's decision and still believes that the firing was justified. But the mayor can't be too disappointed. If he really thought the employee is culpable and her reinstatement is wrong, he might be questioning the state law and the city's contracts with its unions that give government employees the right to binding arbitration of personnel decisions and well as binding arbitration of union contracts themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After all, the public elects mayors and school board members to administer the government. The public doesn't elect arbiters. Where is the democracy in letting an unelected arbiter make personnel decisions involving enormous cost, overriding an elected official? Of course elected officials can be mistaken, but then who believes arbiters are always right? So why shouldn't elected officials prevail in these matters of ordinary public administration, take the political responsibility, and let voters judge them in the next election? The answer is that democracy in Connecticut has been gravely subverted by the control that the government employee unions have achieved over the majority political party, the Democrats. Binding arbitration for unionized municipal government employees was enacted in Connecticut in the 1970s not to advance the public interest but so elected officials could escape political responsibility for government's biggest costs, the cost of its employees. On such a sensitive issue few elected officials wanted to be caught between the public, on one hand, and the unions on the other. So the General Assembly and Gov. Ella T. Grasso abdicated and put arbiters in charge of labor disagreements, and now elected municipal officials can just shrug in the face of what might seem to be expensive mistakes - like reinstatement of negligent employees or excessive wages and benefits in union contracts and say an arbiter made them do it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor Elicker is a liberal Democrat, and if he was really "disappointed" in the arbiter's reinstatement of the information technology director and ever acted on that disappointment by, say, proposing to restore democracy by removing arbitration provisions from city government's contracts with unions and from state law, the city government's unions would make sure he never got another Democratic nomination. That might disappoint him a lot more than the huge cost of that firing. Why go to school?: A report from the educational research and advocacy organization EdTrust says that while Connecticut is making progress in reducing chronic absenteeism in its schools, the state is not on track to meet its pledge to reduce chronic absenteeism by 50% from the 2021 level by 2027. The state's target rate for chronic absenteeism is 9% but the current rate is still around 17%. In some cities it's above 25%. To improve attendance schools are doing a lot of begging, pleading, and social work to persuade parents and students about the importance of education, but it's not always effective, maybe because schools contradict themselves on the point every day. Why should parents and students believe the teachers, administrators, and social workers about the importance of education when they know a few things from experience? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They know, first, that students will be promoted from grade to grade and given a high school diploma even if they learn nothing. Second, that Connecticut will never hold parents responsible for their children's misbehavior. And third, that educators and state legislators care about achieving a high graduation rate only to conceal a low rate of actual education. The result is generational poverty, and it is largely government policy. Chris Powell (cpowell@cox.net) has written about Connecticut government and politics for many years. This article originally published at Chris Powell (opinion): Mayor feigns dismay about city employee's reinstatement. ALBANY - There is still plenty of time for assessments of Bishop Edward Scharfenberger's 11-year tenure as head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany before the new fellow, Mark O'Connell, is installed in early December. But I doubt many observers, Catholic or not, would dispute that Scharfenberger oversaw one of the most consequential and challenging periods in the 178-year history of the diocese - a time of turmoil and pain that continues with bankruptcy proceedings yet to be settled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back in 2014, when Scharfenberger was appointed, more than a generation of area Catholics had known no Albany bishop other than Howard Hubbard. He had been the bishop for nearly four decades and, for better and worse, had shaped the Albany diocese in his image. He would never be easy to follow. Who was this new guy with the German name and Brooklyn accent? "Let's just get to know each other, walk together," Scharfenberger said when his appointment was announced. "I want to be a healer. I want to be a listener. I want to be a reconciler." In my view, Scharfenberger tried his best to be those things, despite the incredibly difficult task he was handed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was, of course, the child sexual abuse scandal that roiled the church amid questions over how Hubbard had handled misconduct by priests. Then came New York's 2019 passage of the Child Victims Act, which temporarily eliminated statutes of limitations for lawsuits and ultimately led the diocese to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. There was the plight of the St. Clare's Hospital pensioners, a mess of a situation for which the diocese has been widely blamed, despite the state's role in creating it. The employer-funded pension, underfunded before the state shuttered the Catholic-affiliated hospital as part of a broader hospital consolidation process, collapsed in 2018. "I feel bad that so many people may be alienated from the church because of this," Scharfenberger told me earlier this year. "It hurts my heart, because there's nothing that I want more, and that the church wants more, than to help." The pensioners' plight remains unresolved, as do many of the Child Victims Act lawsuits amid the bankruptcy. Last week, the diocese agreed to an $8 million settlement with abuse survivor Michael Harmon as his case was set to go to trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, meanwhile, Scharfenberger said the diocese, facing a "financial and maintenance crisis," would embark on a process by which it might merge parishes and close or sell some churches. "We have too many buildings!" he wrote in a letter to the Catholic community. Given all that, it's easy to conclude that Scharfenberger is retiring with much unfinished business left on his plate - and that the new guy from Boston hasn't been handed the easiest assignment. But Scharfenberger submitted his mandatory retirement letter more than two years ago, on his 75th birthday. Though he wasn't eager to retire, and perhaps still isn't, he's since been on borrowed time. Last week, Pope Leo XIV accepted Scharfenberger's retirement and named his replacement; the decision was announced on Monday. "This is a man who is full of love," Scharfenberger said at the start of an afternoon news conference that introduced O'Connell to Albany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the length of Scharfenberger's time here, there have been Catholics within the sprawling, 14-county diocese nostalgic for what Hubbard represented. He was, as many will know, an outspoken leader of the liberal wing of the church, a bishop who doubled as a social justice activist and somewhat downplayed abortion and other divisive social issues. Scharfenberger was perceived as more conservative, and not without reason. Early in his tenure, for example, he chided "three Catholic politicians" - Mayor Kathy Sheehan, U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko and Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, now a state senator - who had participated in a Planned Parenthood rally. In a statement, the bishop said that "it is inappropriate and confusing to the faithful to hold yourself out as a Catholic while also promoting abortion." It was impossible to imagine Hubbard saying something similar, and, in truth, the move wasn't one that Scharfenberger repeated. "I'm pretty white bread," he once told me after I'd asked if he considered himself liberal or conservative. "Do I have any other choices?" he joked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It remains to be seen, of course, how O'Connell will approach the role and how he'll navigate the controversies and problems that remain. On Monday, he stressed his experience helping the Boston diocese find its way through many of the same difficulties. Scharfenberger, meanwhile, spoke briefly yet stayed true to the goals of healing and reconciliation. He thanked the people who hadn't always agreed with him and expressed concern for anyone he may have hurt along the way. He apologized, once again, to the victims of sexual abuse. Scharfenberger seemed somewhat astonished that this day had come at last. He said he doesn't know what it means to be retired, adding that a priest never really retires. "I can't believe 11 years went that fast," he said. This article originally published at Churchill: Scharfenberger's difficult tenure nears its end. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) A request for a cigarette ended with an elderly man being attacked and severely bleeding according to a report from Shreveport Police. On October 17, 2025 officers say they arrived to a scene where a 65-year-old male victim was receiving medical attention from the Shreveport Fire Department. According to the report, the elderly victim had a large gash on his face and was bleeding heavily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses say, a male suspect, later identified as Ashton Slocum, approached the man and requested a cigarette and some food. Then, without being provoked, Slocum began to strike the victim in the face, escaping before police could arrive. A nearby off-duty Shreveport police officer, noticed a man matching the suspects description in a nearby grocery store parking lot. The officer detained Slocum until on-duty officers arrived to take him into custody. Slocum now faces charges of Second Degree Battery and Battery of the Infirm, given the victims age. The investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Donald Trumps continued efforts to deport undocumented immigrants and what he says is a crackdown on crime in mostly Democratic-led cities which have some of the nations largest Black populations is showing no signs of slowing. The Trump administration launched Swamp Sweep on Monday, deploying over 200 U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents to Louisiana to arrest more than 5,000 people, the Associated Press reported. It follows federal troop deployments last month to Democratic-led cities in North Carolina and to St. Paul, Minnesota, after the fatal shooting of a West Virginia National Guard member near the White House. The administration is also appealing a ruling that its 30-day control of Washington, D.C., was unlawful. So far, the National Guard troops have also been deployed to at least 10 cities, including Los Angeles, and Memphis, Tennessee, despite local crime data showing reductions in violent crime, including homicides, in several of these cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since June, the administration has faced lawsuits from four state attorneys general over its deployment or attempted deployment of National Guard troops into cities Trump has said requires federal intervention to restore order. Heres how the National Guard deployments unfolded in each city: Louisiana governor approved operation The federal governments immigration enforcement operation Swamp Sweep is now focused on southeast Louisiana and parts of southern Mississippi. Beginning on Dec. 1, about 250 federal border agents will deploy largely staged in New Orleans with the governors approval with a goal of arresting roughly 5,000 people. The states Republican-led leadership enacted a package of laws in May 2024 that banned all sanctuary policies. The lawmakers later passed a law threatening to criminalize those who interfere with federal immigration enforcement and compel local agencies to assist detainer requests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Justice has accused New Orleans of operating as a sanctuary jurisdiction. These measures effectively override prior sanctuary-style policies such as those maintained by the New Orleans Police Department and the Orleans Parish jail organizations historically reluctant to cooperate with immigration enforcement. The Associated Press reports that enforcement teams may fan out beyond New Orleans from Jefferson, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany parishes to as far north as Baton Rouge, Louisiana and possibly into southern Mississippi.More than 50% of the populations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge are Black a demographic more at risk of being stopped by law enforcement while driving. Twin Cities community has been preparing On Dec. 2, elected officials and law enforcement leaders of St. Paul and Minneapolis condemned the federal immigration enforcement targeting Somalis in the Twin Cities. To our Somali community, we love you, and we stand with you, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. That commitment is rock solid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news conference came after Trump called Somali immigrants garbage and said they should be sent back home. Following reports that an Afghan national allegedly shot and killed a member of the West Virginia National Guard near the White House on Nov. 26, Trump moved to review green-card eligibility for immigrants from 19 countries with particular focus on Somalia and on Somalis living in Minnesota, the state with the countrys largest Somali American population. Since the early 1990s, thousands of Somalis fleeing civil war have resettled in the U.S.; under federal law, Somalias temporary protected status was recently extended through March 17, 2026. The New York Times reported this week that the Minneapolis-St Paul metro area would see stepped-up deportation efforts. It would use strike teams of ICE agents and other federal officers, bringing in about 100 agents from across the country, the Times reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Frey and other leaders said theyve received no information from the federal government about the alleged activity, and that they could not confirm the media reports. Shortly after the 2024 election, immigrant-rights groups in St. Paul mobilized to prepare residents for a possible surge in enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for potential protests. That network the Immigrant Defense Network includes community-led groups trained in what they call a constitutional-observer program. These volunteers are deployed during reports of raids to document federal activity and verify information. These observers are the first responders to ICE and other immigration enforcement actions, trained by IDN partner organizations to exercise their legal rights when documenting federal agents in public, the Sahan Journal reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Nov. 18, the IDN was put to the test when federal agents raided a business in St. Paul. Fourteen people were arrested, and observers say their rapid arrival helped document the enforcement operation within minutes. North Carolinas targeted cities Last month, the Trump administration deployed federal troops across North Carolina, including in Democratic-led cities like Charlotte, prompting criticism from residents and local officials. Under Operation Charlottes Web, the administration says it aims to detain nearly 1,400 non-U.S.-born individuals it considers hardened criminals who were previously released from custody. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, condemned the effort, accusing federal agents of racially profiling residents. Since the operation launched on Nov. 15, officials report more than 250 arrests. Demonstrators took to the streets in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday to protest federal actions taken against undocumented immigrants. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images) Charlotte was targeted because of its sanctuary policies, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Five days after the operation began, Mecklenburg County officials said the federal presence had ended a claim DHS disputed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal agents were also deployed to other Democratic-led cities more than 150 miles away, including Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Chicago pushing back In October, a judge blocked the deployment of National Guard troops for at least two weeks, finding no substantial evidence that a danger of rebellion was brewing in Illinois during Trumps immigration crackdown. Protests have ensued against the immigration enforcement across the city. Raids have resulted in the unlawful arrests of Black Chicago residents, including 19-year-old Warren King and several others in a South Shore apartment building. Officials with Customs and Border Protection said at an October hearing that theyre taking seriously the judges order for its agents to wear and use body-worn cameras. There are more than 200 CBP agents on duty in Chicago equipped with a body camera and know they are required to use it, Deputy Incident Commander Kyle Harvick said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judges temporary block expired at midnight on Oct. 23. Black residents in Chicago told Capital B they fear being increasingly targeted after learning about a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement to consider race as one factor during certain raids. This is a concern supported by research showing Black and brown people are already more likely than white residents to be stopped by police, especially during traffic stops. On Sept. 8, ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz with the mission to arrest alleged undocumented criminals who sought refuge in Illinois under sanctuary policies enforced by Gov. JB Pritzker, according to a press release about the operation. Three years prior, the city had an influx of thousands of African, Caribbean, South and Central American asylum-seekers bused from Texas, causing conflict amongst Chicago residents who were already in need. For decades, individuals have immigrated to the Windy City without safety concerns from their home country, and have legally obtained their citizenship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests ensued in Chicagos downtown as ICE raids popped up within predominantly Black and brown communities across the city. To date, nearly 900 undocumented immigrants had been arrested by ICE, according to federal officials. Police officers take security measures on Nov. 8 as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conduct operations in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood, a predominantly Mexican American community. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images) Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warned Trump not to send the National Guard into Illinois, or Chicago, which has reported the lowest homicide rates in decades. Johnson signed an executive order preventing local police from cooperating with ICE, and another that creates ICE-free zones that limits where federal agents can gather in the city for immigration enforcement activities. As joint efforts from elected officials seemed to hold off Trumps deployment of the National Guard into Chicago, Pritzker said the administration put pressure on him to deploy the National Guard as Trump ordered 400 National Guards from Texas to deploy across the country. Following an ICE raid of an apartment building on the South Side on Oct. 1 that resulted in the arrest of 37 undocumented people, Kwame Raoul, the states attorney general, filed a lawsuit calling for a federal judge to block the administrations unlawful deployment of National Guard members in Illinois. Leaders divided in Memphis As Washington, D.C.s takeover was coming to an end and without any extension in sight on Sept. 10, the administration redirected its focus to Memphis. Trump called the majority Black city deeply troubled and said that were going to fix that just like we did Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Negating that homicide rates are at their lowest in six years, the National Guard was deployed there at the urging of Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. Unlike Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Lee welcomed a federal takeover without consulting with Paul Young, the citys Democratic mayor. Young said he wasnt happy with the deployment of the troops, and didnt think it would help with reducing crime to get the city off any bad lists. Community leaders remain divided over the takeover. Their stated goal is to end crime, and I think thats going to be hard to actually end it altogether, and so theres no specific target, Young said. They have not given a specific date for how long they will be here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 10, National Guard troops began patrolling the streets of Memphis. Ongoing litigation in Portland In Portland, an appeals court on Monday overturned a temporary restraining order that prevented the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard. In response to immigration enforcement protests, Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in September to send the National Guard into what Trump called, war ravaged Portland to protect ICE facilities. Hours after Trumps order, Oregons attorney general filed a lawsuit in September against the administration to stop the unlawful deployment of troops from across the state and California into the city, since protests against ICE enforcement did not rise to a rebellion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration was set to deploy 200 troops into Portland for 60 days. On Oct. 4, a Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked the deployment of National Guard members from anywhere in the U.S. to the city. Yet on Oct. 9, judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit signaled they could clear the way for the deployment of National Guard troops, and pause the lower-court ruling that found that Trump may have exceeded his authority by declaring a rebellion where there was none. Litigation continues. Protesters demonstrate in Washington in September against the federal governments takeover of the citys police department. Under the Home Rule Act, presidents can commandeer the citys police department for up to 30 days. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images) What made Washington, D.C., different Troops already in Washington, D.C., planned to stay indefinitely, or at least through the nations 250s anniversary in July, according to a court filing, reported first by Axios, in an ongoing lawsuit filed by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb to stop the deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, before two members of the National Guard deployed from West Virginia were shot, one killed, near the White House, a federal judge ruled guard deployments to the nations capital were illegal. The judge delayed action on the ruling until Dec. 11 to give the administration time to appeal. In early August, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders following an attempted unarmed carjacking and assault of a 19-year-old former Department of Government Efficiency employee in the Logan Circle neighborhood. A pair of 15-year-old teenagers were charged. One teen, a boy, pleaded guilty in juvenile court in September to felony assault, simple assault, robbery, and attempted robbery charges. Sentencing is scheduled for the end of October. An Aug. 11 executive order included a federal takeover under D.C.s Home Rule Act. That was followed by a directive from Attorney General Pam Bondi to local police to cooperate with ICE regardless of any city law, and added immigration enforcement to their tasks. Unlike other jurisdictions on Trumps watch list, Washington, D.C., is not a state and does not have a governor. But, Brian Schwalb, its attorney general, filed a lawsuit to stop the administrations takeover of the local police department. Mayor Muriel Bowser initially pushed back on Trumps enforcement efforts since the area had experienced a 30-year overall drop in crime. Over time, Bowser shifted her language, referring to the federal takeover as a surge, and by correcting journalists in press briefings. As the expiration of the Home Rule Act approached on Sept. 10, she faced criticism for signing an executive order to continue cooperating with the federal government a move Bowser explained was part of a broader plan to end the takeover. Six Republican-led states sent hundreds of their National Guard troops into the nations capital to assist local law enforcement efforts. During the 30-day siege, officers targeted low-income neighborhoods, leading to the arrests of mostly Black men and more than 900 immigrants, according to a Washington Post analysis. Whats happened in Los Angeles In June, dozens of migrants were arrested following ICE raids in Los Angeles Fashion District, Boyle Heights, and Pico-Union neighborhoods. Protests erupted. As a response, Trump directed 2,000 Guard troops from across the state into Los Angeles for 60 days. This action was taken without authorization from California Gov. Gavin Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats. Bass said in an interview with CNN that the president was creating warfare within cities. The states attorney general, Rob Bonta, and Newsom filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for an inflammatory escalation unsupported by conditions on the ground. The multiple days of protests had not risen to the level of rebellion to deploy the National Guard into the city at the time, the lawsuit said. Bonta told CBS News that most of the protests were peaceful except some instances of violence. Crime in the city decreased in 2024, according to police data. Homicide and shooting victims have decreased by 14% and 19%, respectively. As of Oct. 8, National Guard troops in California have been ordered by the administration to head to Portland and Chicago. Bonta said in court filings that the move dramatically broadened the administrations efforts to use Californias crop of National Guards for activities unrelated to protecting federal personnel and buildings. The litigation is ongoing. This story has been updated. The post A City-by-City Breakdown of Trumps Immigration Raids and Troop Deployments appeared first on Capital B News. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) In a largely symbolic action, the four self-described socialists on the Portland City Council held a press conference pledging to investigate local weapon shipments to Israel and urged other cities to join. In a virtual press conference on Friday, Council Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane, Councilor Mitch Green, Councilor Sameer Kanal and Councilor Angelita Morillo pledged to investigate the manufacturing and transport of weapons to Israel within their city, and to investigate any other complicity the city may have with Israels illegal occupation, apartheid, or genocidal violence against Palestinians. Uncertainty: Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge pushed back due to federal funding Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A leader of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) organized this press conference, and these Portland City Councilors are members of that group. Two additional progressive allies also support this pledge, Councilor Candace Avalos and Councilor Jamie Dunphy, according to a DSA post on Instagram. At this point: Its unclear what the city councilors probe into Israel-linked investments would look like in practice. KOIN 6 News asked the four councilors why theyre addressing international issues when there are legitimate local issues to deal with, namely addiction, homelessness, untreated mental illness, failing infrastructure and a growing budget deficit. Portland City Councilor Mitch Green on Eye on Northwest Politics, Aug. 29, 2025. (KOIN) Portland City Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane, March 17, 2025 (KOIN) Portland City Councilor Angelita Morillo, May 19, 2025 (KOIN) Portland District 2 City Councilor Sameer Kanal at the University of Portland, April 7, 2025 (KOIN) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The councilors general argument was that dollars spent on weapons of war could be better used to support people in Portland. By taking action at the local level, we can create a political mandate that then translates into our federal electeds doing their job, which is to check this administration and making sure that were not sending billions of dollars overseas to kill brown people overseas and then instead invest in infrastructure back home, Green said. Kanal said that when we bring those dollars home, were helping Portland businesses, were helping revive our economy. Every dollar that is going towards bombing and maiming innocent people abroad is a dollar that is not being spent on our infrastructure here at home, Morillo added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lane, the council vice president, said, The same companies and technologies that are causing devastation in Gaza are also being used on Portlanders, specifically immigrants and refugees and people peacefully protesting. So this is something that is connected to whats going on in our own neighborhoods. Mayor Wilson warns of disaster waiting to happen at ICE facility in Newsweek op-ed But when KOIN 6 News pressed for concrete examples of where Portland is manufacturing weapons for Israel, no one addressed it. When KOIN 6 News later contacted a City Hall spokesperson, they couldnt answer the question. To be clear, KOIN 6 News called this press conference pledge symbolic because it would need to be introduced as a resolution or ordinance and approved by a vote of the 12-member City Council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No official action can happen outside a public meeting without a quorum of 7 councilors. They currently dont have that support though they are calling on the other councilors to join them. City officials confirmed theres nothing scheduled yet to bring a real resolution or ordinance forward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Quentin Nason says graduate hiring is "broken for both sides" as AI reshapes recruitment. The City executive says AI hiring is overwhelming candidates and fueling mass rejection. Nason warned that youth frustration like Nepal's protests could erupt closer to home. The post-pandemic job market was supposed to reward hard work and higher education. Instead, it's become a high-stakes game of digital roulette, according to one high-ranking City executive. Quentin Nason, a former Deutsche Bank managing director and now vice chair of the London Foundation for Banking and Finance, said in a LinkedIn post that the graduate recruitment system is "broken for both sides." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said he sees it firsthand through City Pay it Forward, an organization that helps high school and university students in the UK break into finance. "Many tell me they've applied for 150 or more roles and still have nothing to show for it," Nason wrote in a LinkedIn post that's struck a nerve among City of London professionals and students alike. The process, he says, has turned into a "meat grinder." AI has turned hiring into a numbers game Recruiters, swamped with tens of thousands of applications, are relying on AI-powered screening tools to filter candidates long before a human gets involved. Applicants, meanwhile, are using the same technology to generate flawless cover letters and CVs in seconds, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It takes a click to apply to everything with zero friction costs," Nason wrote. "The result is 5,000 candidates for five jobs being the norm." The outcome, he warns, is a self-reinforcing loop of automation and rejection a system that saves time for companies but leaves qualified graduates stuck in digital limbo. The emotional toll on Gen Z Beyond the clogged pipelines and failed algorithms lies a more human cost. "This generation is not built to withstand that level of rejection," Nason said. "They did what society told them to do, worked hard, went to university, took on 50,000 [$67,000] of debt, and now find themselves locked out." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that student loans compound daily from the first day of term, likening them to "PIK notes in disguise" a form of debt that grows relentlessly until repaid. For many, he said, the only realistic way to pay them off is to land a high-paying job in the City of London. But as AI begins to eliminate entry-level white-collar roles, even that path is narrowing. A warning from abroad Nason drew a stark parallel with Nepal, where frustration among young people over joblessness and corruption boiled over into violent protest earlier this year. "Gen Z burned down Parliament and toppled the government," he wrote. "It may seem distant, but it could be a preview of what comes next the first Gen Z revolt, not born of ideology but of exhaustion with a system that no longer works for them." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the UK is unlikely to see unrest on that scale, he believes something has to give. The social contract that promised prosperity in exchange for education and debt, he argues, is fracturing and AI may be accelerating the break. Between opportunity and overload While Nason sees a system teetering on collapse, Silicon Valley's leading voices insist this generation has never had more potential. Some tech leaders including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Handshake CEO Garrett Lord, and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman have all argued that Gen Z's fluency with AI will make them the biggest winners of the next decade. But others, like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and even Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, see storm clouds ahead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amodei warned that AI could wipe out up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, while Powell recently acknowledged that the technology is already affecting the job market for new graduates, though he said, "it's hard to say how big it is." The optimism of some tech founders contrasts sharply with what's happening inside major employers. In September, PwC UK chief Marco Amitrano said the firm is cutting graduate recruitment from 1,500 to 1,300 hires, citing sluggish growth and the early effects of AI on roles. Deloitte UK has also reduced its intake, while PwC US plans to cut graduate hiring by a third over the next three years. As Nason put it: "Something has to give, and soon." Read the original article on Business Insider FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) Tightening up vape and smoke shop restrictions has been happening across Middle Tennessee, and now the city of Franklin is looking to discuss more on Thursday. Areas like Nashville, Goodlettsville and Hendersonville have agreed upon stronger regulations, but some vape store owners tell News 2 this is coming a little too late. I have not touched any form of tobacco in Id say 14 years because of these products, said Matthew Herpel, the operations manager at Magical Vapors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEPT. 2025 | Hendersonville pushing new vape shop regulations Herpel has been working at Magical Vapors for a decade. They have multiple locations across Middle Tennessee. We see people with PTSD, veterans, former active military police, fire, EMTS, its a very stressful job, he said. He has seen a boom of vape shops, which negatively impact his own business. Every single one of the six stores I operate has had somebody open up within 1,000 feet of me just in the last two years, Herpel explained. In addition, he is being hit with operating restrictions. We do sell products that are regulated currently by the Department of Agriculture, soon to be regulated by the ABC board, he said. Being not only licensed by the state to do business, being licensed to sell hemp products as well, theres additional taxes on that. And theres restrictions within those licenses to how close we are to schools, for example, or other other public places that are in sensitive areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only that, but he has had to adjust with state level regulations. Theres also the the sign laws and ordinances, Herpel added. Every city is different. Franklin does a great job with its sign department. They review everything. If youre out of spec, they will come by and notify you. Ive experienced that firsthand and they were great to work with, and so a lot of the flashing lights and the strobing stuff that you see typically is a big complaint. Now, Franklin could follow Lebanon and Hendersonville, putting restrictions on new vape shops, possibly requiring them to be either 500 or 1,000 feet away from places like daycares, current vape shops and churches. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Even though Herpels business would be grandfathered in, he said the city should focus on a few other ways to regulate products and stores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would be just as concerned with your local gas stations or your local liquor stores, he said. They are not 21 and up businesses, they sell nicotine and tobacco products. Some of them sell vape products, and liquor, and beer and stuff like that. I would be just as concerned about those products being sold in those settings as I would where were located. The board of mayor and alderman first discussed this issue last month. On Thursday, they will be looking into options for future regulations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HARVEY, Ill. Dozens of city employees in Harvey will be temporarily laid off due to a severe financial emergency. Twelve departments are affected, including police and fire. Sixty-nine employees will be furloughed, while 98 essential personnel will continue core city operations. According to Mayor Christopher Clark, he is not sure when those employees will go back to work. We dont have a specific timeline, were doing everything we possibly can. The same way we did in 2019. Were doing everything we possibly can to bring our family members back to work. However, we need help from the federal, state and county government. We need brighter minds to come in and help us figure this out, Mayor Clark said Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now, 24 employees from the police department and 20 workers from the fire department will be furloughed. City officials say the financial crisis stems from years of chronic mismanagement, corruption and neglect from past administrators who failed to pay require pension obligations, misuse of funds, and lawsuits. Also, its being said the state comptroller is seizing city funds. Mayor Clark says that money is intended for road repairs and infrastructure improvements. He claims hes attempted to talk to the Office of the State Comptroller but claims a conversation has been off the table. The temporary furloughs are part of an emergency plan to preserve core functions while the city continues to advocate for House Bill 4024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would provide $30 million in state relief to help Harvey meet its financial obligations and restore full operations. On Oct. 16, an ordinance was passed requesting a certification from the Department of Revenue to classify Harvey as a distressed city. According to Mayor Clark, when he inherited the role as mayor, the city had $164 million in debt. Now, its down to about $140 million. $164 million in debt, which is what we inherited from the previous administration, is a massive amount to say were going to overcome in such a short period of time. People should probably keep in mind that in 2018 when half the police and fire were layed off, this administration worked to bring those officers back. So we are going to do the same thing here, but it takes a little time and we need a little patience to do that, Mayor Clark said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City officials say theyve already stabilized finances. Theyve ended long-running litigation over bond defaults, securing a better debt schedule and attracting new economic investment projects. WGN News spoke with Harveys 4th Ward alderman, Tracey Key, who says he blames the issues on current leadership. WGN News was told Fire Station No. 2 in Harvey will be temporarily closed. Earlier Tuesday morning, a press conference was held in South Holland. A few community organizations gathered together, urging Mayor Clark to step down. WGN News asked Mayor Clark for a response during an interview. He said hes been receiving more support than pushback. 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. The city of Lawrenceville has opened the F.I.R.S.T. Housing Center, a unique project aimed at providing shelter and support for homeless men. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The center, developed by the nonprofit Impact46, transforms a 70-year-old city-owned building into eight private apartments. It offers temporary housing and support services to help residents transition back into society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a long time of just watching it transform, said Jen Young, executive director of Impact46. There are folks in our community that need a place to rest their head, said city manager Chuck Warbington. We can bring wraparound services and then get them back into society in a productive way. TRENDING STORIES: The F.I.R.S.T. Housing Center is the first of its kind in Georgia, providing single homeless men with a safe place to stay. Residents can stay for up to 89 days while receiving counseling and job training. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawrenceville police identify men in need and bring them to the center, where they meet with clinicians and case managers. The goal is to create success stories by helping these men reintegrate into society. Mayor David Still emphasized the community impact, stating, This gives them a safe place to live and then it makes our community feel that everybodys taken care of. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Federal and county grants funded the $750,000 renovation of the building. The initiative aims to fill a gap in services for homeless men, who often have limited options beyond park benches and woods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a person who doesnt have an option for a place to stay, jail should not be their only option, Young told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson. The goal is to start housing residents by Nov. 1, with the hope of creating success stories for those who have been living without stable housing. Nothing replaces peace of mind when traveling abroad, but some cities are considered safer than others. The city of Reykjavik in Iceland ticks that box, named the safest city in the world, according to a new ranking from insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection that was shared with Travel + Leisure. In Reykjavik, the company found there wasn't a single neighborhood not considered "exceptionally safe." With global uncertainty and safety concerns top of mind this year, travelers are more thoughtful than ever with where they choose to explore, Carol Mueller, the head of marketing at Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, said in a statement shared with T+L Our annual report not only highlights the destinations that travelers perceive as safest, but also serves as a valuable resource for planning trips with confidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reykjavikfamous for its incredible local cuisine, colorful architecture, and easy access to Icelands many natural wondersalso took the top spot in last years report. And while the streets themselves may not be a threat, the report found travelers do still need to watch out for volcanic activity in the area around the city. Beyond Reykjavik, the Danish city of Copenhagen reclaimed its spot at No. 2 on the list. The report called Copenhagen "more cosmopolitan" than Reykjavik, but said it still "feels snug and warm." The only part of Copenhagen that might cause problems for tourists, according to Berkshire Hathaway, is the autonomous zone of Christiania, where the company said photography is forbidden and visitors have occasionally been robbed when they did snap a pic. Zurich came in third on the list (after not making the list at all in 2024), followed by Amsterdam and Honolulu to round out the top five. It was an impressive showing for the Hawaiian city, which jumped from 13th place last year and was lauded for its low per capita car ownership and remote location. When it came to feeling safe in an entire country, the Netherlands took the top spot, followed by Australia and Austria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report identified the most popular international and domestic cities for travelers from the United States and then asked respondents about several different safety issues, including violent crime, terrorism, transportation issues, health measures, and safety for women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color. This is the full list of the top 15 safest cities in the world, according to Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. Reykjavik Copenhagen Zurich Amsterdam Honolulu Sydney Barcelona Lisbon Tokyo Dublin Venice Seoul London Singapore San Francisco Read the original article on Travel & Leisure YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) The Healthy Community Partnership teamed up with Youngstown State Universitys Guin Fit Initiative to host a Sip and See on Tuesday. Its the first event the two groups have put together. They wanted to show off some of the work theyve been doing to use food and exercise to bring the community together. Outside the library, they talked about a potential cultural market for international students. At Penguin City, they talked about how crosswalks get people where they want to go. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their goal is to take ideas from the community on how to make healthy options easier to access. Were not the experts of all communities, but the people who live and work and worship and play in these areas, they are the experts, and we want to hear from them so we can pool our resources together to provide that infrastructure and support to make change happen, said Dr. Nicolette Powe, associate professor of public health. About 50 people came out to 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 WKBN.com. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Springfield City Council has voted to send a years-long effort to rezone the northwest corner of National and Sunshine, back to Planning and Zoning. The remand was proposed by Councilman Bruce Adib-Yazdi, just two weeks after a similar effort was made during the bills first reading. It was supposed to have a final vote Monday night. Some of the assertions that I made at that meeting have now been clarified, so weve got some new information since the last meeting, and also have been provided some text and some information from our staff regarding the remand process, Adib-Yazdi said. At this point, relative to this particular item, Id like to have considered remanding it back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reasoning for the developer, BK&M (Be Kind and Merciful, LLC), wanting the issue sent back down to P&Z, is that developers want to make sure a hotel is an approved use of the rezoning they seek. Under the current proposal, the only short-term lodging that could be built on the property, if approved, would be a limited number of rooms, more like an inn than a hotel. My assertion was that [the developer] could go get that can get a conditional use permit for the hotel after the fact, but in that, if that use is not listed in the conditional overlay district, that would not be possible for the applicant, and so I did not want to put them at a position of not having that that opportunity, Adib-Yazdi said. The motion passed with only two other speakers from the council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do believe that regardless of how any person intends to vote on whatever development eventually comes before this body, that the developer should have the right to present the vision that they have for the property and let it stand on those merits, Councilman Brandon Jenson said. I will be voting in favor [of the remand], but that doesnt necessarily mean that theres support for the final product. The harshest critic was Councilman Craig Hosmer. Weve been dealing with this for almost three years in this city. As a councilperson. Im tired of dealing with it. I think the city is tired of dealing with it. I know the neighborhoods are tired of dealing with it, and its it seems that sometimes we have it when we say no, when planning and zoning says no three times, when city council says no twice, maybe somebody should take a message from that that youre not going to just be able to make a zoning change when you dont know what youre going to build, when you have no plan, when youre not even going to be the final developer, Hosmer said. This is not a good way to do business in the city of Springfield. I think this is a poor example of what we put neighborhoods in this in flux for three years on a developer that has no idea what hes going to do, has no plan, and we just keep rolling over and doing everything they want and sometimes no means no. Hosmer said before the vote that he expected the remand to pass, but thinks that at some point, enough is enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the corner of Sunshine and National is too important to leave to just the whims of the developer thats not even going to develop it. I think this is bad, a bad way to make public policy, and we as a community, this neighborhood, is a part of that community, deserve better, Hosmer added. Chris Wynn spoke to Ozarks First after the remand, representing BK&M at the meeting. I feel good about it, Wynn said. Its something we wanted to make sure we got included into the planning, development and the conditional overlay. Wynn says with the remand, itll be maybe December by the time the City Council hears the rezoning proposal again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think to echo Mr. Hosmers comments that, you know, the city is tired of it. The neighborhoods tired of it. I think everybodys tired of it. I think that the developers are tired of it. At the end of the day, I think that the corner of Sunshine and National, it being the second busiest intersection in the city of Springfield, is warranted for development, something other than single-family residential use. Wynn adds that the idea of rezoning the northwest corner of National and Sunshine likely wont go away, even if BK&M does. I think whether this is denied at city council, I think theres always going to be an issue. I dont think its something that goes away by city council denying this request in January or whatever it comes forth. I think its always going to be a contentious corner and until its rezoned, whether its by BK&M or another developer, its always going to be in front of the city of Springfield. I hope to continue to work with the neighborhood and the city and find resolution, Wynn said. Ozarks First has reached out to the president of the University Heights Neighborhood Association for a response to the vote, but has not heard back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A University Heights resident told Ozarks First off-camera that they were disappointed in the vote, but heard it was a possibility going into the meeting tonight, but thanked Councilman Hosmer for his comments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Clark University received a $20 million gift, the single largest donation in the institutions history, from the founder of Panera Bread. The donation from Ron Shaich, a 1976 graduate of Clark and trustee, is the largest gift hes given and is an awful lot of money for him, he said in an interview with MassLive. However, it is part of a call to action for alumni, faculty and other community members to rally around Clark as it reconfigures and restructures its academic programming. I have a sizable foundation, enough to make a difference, but not enough to change the world. Im not going to cure cancer, and Im not going to end malaria and Im not going to resolve climate change, but I do have enough that I really want to make sure that what Im doing makes a difference, Shaich told MassLive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He believes donating to Clark will make a difference. I am powerfully excited about that vision for transformation, and I saw an opportunity to jumpstart it, he said. At Clark, Shaich ran and founded the General Store on campus, which helped him reimagine fast casual food dining. Since graduating from Clark, he has not only founded Panera Bread, but also Act II Holdings, a personal investment firm and has also been the founder, lead investor, chair and/or CEO of multiple successful enterprises, including Au Bon Pain, Cava, Tatte Bakery and Cafe, Life Alive, Honest Greens Barcelona and Level 99. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He donated $20 million to Clark as part of the universitys plan to refocus and streamline its operations. It will help expand enrollment and financial aid as well as raise awareness for new programming like the Clark School of Climate, Environment and Society. Alongside the reenvisioning of Clark in its strategic plan were the announcement of layoffs, leading to the potential for cuts of up to 30% of faculty and 5% of staff. Most of the layoffs the university hopes will come from retirement and attrition over the next two to three years. In August, the university also announced its incoming class is underenrolled by around 100 students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Higher education is in a particularly tenuous situation with enrollment declines and fewer college-aged students in the United States and the pullback of federal funding to research, Shaich said. What I applaud with this gift is not the cost-cutting. What I applaud is the vision and the commitment to make the hard decision to evolve Clark into an even better institution, he said. Shaich said Clark is unique because it is one of the small research institutions of its caliber in the United States and because of its new focuses and investment in topics like sustainability or media. I think these are areas where Clark can make a difference in the world, he told MassLive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shaichs gift is going to enable Clark to advance the universitys strategic plan, such as work on student recruitment and retention amid a difficult time in higher education, David Fithian, Clark Universitys president, said in an interview with MassLive. What were doing at Clark isnt just about getting from one budget year to the next. This is not about cost containment alone. This is about reorganizing the university, refocusing some of the academic programs that we know we have strength in and reenergizing, he said. Gifts like this really is a testament that were on the right path here and that people are doing good and hard work to advance this plan, he later added. Shaich received an honorary degree from Clark in 2014. He previously made a $5 million gift in 2016 to create the Shaich Family Alumni and Student Engagement Center, a hub for campus operations and student success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth of the matter is that I think Clark is worth having in this world, and thats what its a statement about, Shaich said. More Higher Ed Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. By John Kuntz cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio Cleveland Public Library celebrated Diwali on Monday with a colorful hands-on lantern crafting program at the Eastman campus, where participants created hand-painted lanterns while learning about Diwali traditions and meaning during a cultural celebration program. Cassandra Feliciano, childrens librarian at the Eastman Campus, hosted the program that provided insight into Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights. The Indian festival is celebrated by millions around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guests received sphere-shaped paper lanterns in various colors to decorate and personalize. Each lantern included a battery-operated light for home use. I believe its important for us to learn from one another and celebrate the many cultures that make up our community, Feliciano said. Its wonderful to see people of all ages come together to explore a tradition they might not know, express their creativity, and share laughter and connection. Feliciano advocates for using the librarys offerings to introduce program participants to the different cultures found in Cleveland neighborhoods. The timing coincides with Diwali celebrations worldwide, as millions light lamps and share sweets during the festival. Rooted in the Sanskrit word Deepavali, meaning row of lamps, the five-day festival symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil in Hindu tradition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diwali has evolved beyond religious observance into a global celebration of hope, renewal, and unity. Families illuminate their homes with oil lamps, exchange gifts, and share festive meals during the celebration. Programs like this show how libraries can foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in joyful, hands-on ways, Feliciano said of the cultural programs offered at the library. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will host its first ever safety summit for parents and students Tuesday evening. Its happening at E.E. Waddell High School from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ALSO READ >> Candidates clash over social agenda, academic priorities in school board race The two-hour event aims to bring families and community members together to discuss safety and wellbeing in schools. There will be a panel discussion and community resources, including gun locks and details on the districts Stronger Together Campaign. VIDEO: Federal Title IX investigation launched after viral video at CMS middle school CLEVELAND (WJW) Ohios third-largest school district continues to set its sights on the future amid many challenges. Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Dr. Warren Morgan delivered the State of the Schools address at noon Tuesday at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. Cuyahoga County leaders propose approximately $20M in budget cuts Morgan immediately turned his attention to where CMSD needs to improve, saying the Building Brighter Futures initiative is the key to that plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today I want to speak candidly about where we are, where were going and how we get there together, Morgan said to the ballroom filled with students, staff and community partners. WJW photo Morgan said his district is faced with many challenges: declining enrollment, rising costs and funding cuts for public schools what he called a perfect storm. We have an opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons, Morgan said. Think about how were doing this more efficiently, doing it with less resources, how can we give more to our kids. Thats how the conversation with Building Brighter Futures started. In a one-on-one interview, FOX 8s Tino Bovenzi asked Morgan how the district would improve its state school report card in key areas like graduation, early literacy, and college, career, workforce and military readiness all areas that received one of five stars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It starts with making sure every single school has high-quality curricular options, Morgan said. WJW photo Morgan stressed that the district must do better when it comes to preparing students to enter society after high school. Through Building Brighter Futures, making sure that theres college credit opportunities, career trade programs, it starts with ensuring that were delivering the best to our scholars, Morgan said. One hundred percent of CMSD high schools will offer college credit starting next school year. Morgan said findings from the Building Brighter Futures initiative will be announced next month, including potential cuts and even consolidations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These workers wont get paid Friday if the government shutdown continues Building Brighter Futures is our opportunity to provide more to all of our kids, Morgan said. Lets, as a Cleveland community, not deny our kids that opportunity. Itll be tough, but we can do it together. Morgan said the four-year forecast shows spending must be cut by $150 million over that time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CNN anchor Abby Phillip publicly accused MAGA talking head Scott Jennings of lying after a heated on-air exchange about Venezuelas role in the U.S. drug crisis boiled over onto social media. The clash began Friday night on NewsNight as the panel discussed President Donald Trumps claim that U.S. airstrikes had destroyed a sixth Venezuelan vessel allegedly carrying fentanyl bound for the United States. Phillip pushed back, saying the administration was using the fentanyl crisis to justify aggressive action against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. I think its politically convenient to lay [the drug crisis] at the feet of Venezuela, Phillip said on air. But it also is not aligned with the facts. She noted that Mexiconot Venezuelawas the primary source of fentanyl entering the U.S. What is a problem is that Venezuela is a failed state that is run by a dictator, she added. If the agenda is regime change, then that should be what Trump says, not blaming it on drug trafficking. Absolutely no one defended Venezuelas regime at this table. Thats a lie. Fentanyl is responsible for 70% of the drug overdose deaths in America. And 90% of it comes from Mexico, not Venezuela. Those are the facts. https://t.co/wvMHykar31 Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) October 18, 2025 Jennings bristled, accusing Phillip of minimizing the threat. Well, theyre one and the same. He is a drug lord, he fired back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the segment aired, the clash intensified, with Phillip eventually accusing Jennings of lying. The conservative commentator posted to X: Trump: Maybe we shouldnt let Venezuela send drugs & terrorists to the United States. Nobody: Absolutely nobody: CNN: Come on Scott, is Venezuela really that bad? Even I still get surprised sometimes. Donald Trump shared a video on Truth Social on Oct. 14 of a strike on a vessel off the coast of Venezuela. / @realDonaldTrump/TruthSocial Phillip swiftly shot back, accusing Jennings of misrepresenting the exchange. Absolutely no one defended Venezuelas regime at this table. Thats a lie, she wrote. Fentanyl is responsible for 70% of the drug overdose deaths in America. And 90% of it comes from Mexico, not Venezuela. Those are the facts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jennings has long defended the administrations foreign policy moves, while Phillips has often fact-checked him. Phillips post had more than 570k views by Monday morning. Jennings has defended Trump's actions against the South American country. / Ken Cedeno/REUTERS The clash comes amid a wave of lethal strikes ordered by the president, starting last month. The missions center on what he claims are drug-smuggling vessels traveling from Venezuela. So far, 29 people have been killed, but U.S. officials have offered little to no detail on who was on board or what intelligence justified the attacks. Trump has posited that the U.S. is in an armed conflict with drug cartels. The cartels have been designated by the administration as non-state armed groups whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States. KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight, James Comey is hitting back at the Trump administrations criminal case against him. And the former FBI Directors biggest weapon appears to be the Presidents own words. Comeys lawyers included a 60-page attachment in their legal filing today to get this case tossed. Its a list of all of these social media posts that you see right here, on your screen. Evidence, according to Comeys team that the President has a personal vendetta against him. The President, of course, hasnt limited his comments on the FBI director, just to social media. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: What James Comey did was illegal. And in the meantime, Comey and all these guys are walking around. Wheres Comey? Why where is Comey? In the meantime, Comey walks around making book deals. Why didnt Mueller investigate Comey? Just think about Comey and these characters. (CHEERING) TRUMP: Think about Comey and the gang. (CHEERING) TRUMP: Drain the swamp. (CHEERING) TRUMP: Take Comey. Everybody hated Comey. Comey lies and leaks. Hes a liar and hes a leaker. Comey is a liar and a leaker. (END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Now, James Comey has pleaded not guilty to these two counts of lying to Congress and obstruction that have been made against him. The specifics of those charges are not addressed in todays motion. And instead, before they even get to that point, Comey is asking the judge to throw this case out, arguing, his attorneys say, that the former FBI Director was singled out because he has publicly criticized the President. His lawyers are arguing this, saying, quote, Objective evidence establishes that President Trump directed the prosecution of Mr. Comey in retaliation for Mr. Comeys public criticisms and to punish Mr. Comey because of personal spite. Family members confirm that Joe R. Lee, co-founder of Red Lobster and the first CEO of Darden Restaurants, died on Oct. 12 at the age of 85. Lee, who had been battling cancer for several years, was instrumental in transforming Darden into the worlds largest full-service restaurant company. Rick Cardenas, the current CEO of Darden Restaurants, expressed his condolences, stating, We are saddened by the passing of Joe Lee. Not only was Joe a terrific restaurant operator who helped create the casual dining segment, he was a kind-hearted gentleman and a tremendous businessman and leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under Lees leadership, Darden Restaurants grew significantly, establishing a legacy of success in the casual dining industry. Lee was also known for his philanthropy, contributing over $5 million to the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida. Joe R. Lees contributions to the restaurant industry and his philanthropy leave a lasting impact, remembered by colleagues and the community. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Robert Wyss, University of Connecticut (THE CONVERSATION) It was a morning unlike anything St. Louis had ever seen. Automobile traffic crawled as drivers struggled to peer through murky air. Buses, streetcars and trains ran an hour behind schedule. Downtown parking attendants used flashlights to guide vehicles into their lots. Streetlamps were ignited, and storefront windows blazed with light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents called Nov. 28, 1939, Black Tuesday. Day turned to night as thick, acrid clouds blackened the sky. Even at street level, visibility was just a few feet. The air pollution was caused by homes, businesses and factories, which burned soft, sulfur-rich coal for heat and power. The soft coal was cheap and burned easily but produced vast amounts of smoke. The murky morning was an extreme version of a problem St. Louis and dozens of other American cities had been experiencing for decades. Strict federal air pollution regulations were still 30 years away, and state and local efforts to limit coal smoke had failed miserably. Today, as the Trump administration works to roll back air pollution limits on coal, the events in St. Louis more than 80 years ago serve as a reminder of how bad a situation can become before peoples objections finally force the government to act. And as I discuss in my book Black Gold: The Rise, Reign and Fall of American Coal, those events also highlight how successful that action can be. A widespread civic effort Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Days after Black Tuesday, St. Louis Mayor Bernard Dickmann responded to the crisis by creating a commission to investigate and recommend a solution to the continuing air pollution. Just before Black Tuesday, Joseph Pulitzer II, publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, had launched his own anti-smoke newspaper campaign seeking fundamental change. In my research I found the first editorial, on Nov. 13, 1939, which declared something must be done, or else. A crack reporter, Sam J. Shelton, was assigned full time to what became the smoke beat. Post-Dispatch news stories, editorials and political cartoons championed the values of cleaner air and the dangers of toxic pollution. Dickmanns Smoke Elimination Committee met 13 times over a winter that seemed unrelenting in darkness. News and weather reports record that smoke blotted out the Sun on one out of every three days, and sometimes sunlight never pierced the darkness. Advice poured in, including from a Hollywood-style stuntman and flagpole sitter, Alvin Shipwreck Kelly, who offered to perch in the sky searching for dirty chimneys. In late February 1940, the commission issued a report recommending restrictions on smoke emissions. The report said residents and industry should either pay more to buy coal with less sulfur or other fuel, or pay for and install new equipment to burn the sulfur-rich coal more cleanly. On April 5, the citys Board of Aldermen convened to consider the changes in law that would enact the recommendations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newspapers reported that more than 300 protesters, including coal dealers, operators and miners, parked their trucks outside City Hall, waving banners. Black smoke spewed upward from coal stoves mounted atop one, newspaper reports said. The boisterous throng marched into City Hall, shouting and often drowning out city representatives. Amid catcalls and boos, the aldermen passed the ordinance 28-1. Immediately, Raymond Tucker, the mayors deputy, began arranging for suppliers of more expensive low-sulfur coal for the citys residents and businesses. He launched a slick public relations campaign urging residents to comply with the new law. He also hired a team of inspectors to block bootleg shipments of unauthorized sulfur-rich coal and to cite anyone whose chimneys smoke ran too black. Coal operators in Illinois, who sold the cheaper sulfur-rich coal, urged their states residents to boycott St. Louis goods and filed lawsuits challenging the legality of the new ordinance. Those actions appeared menacing but made little headway. The true test of the ordinance would arrive with the winter chill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A winter of change As winter arrived, legal coal was 10% to 30% more expensive than the high-sulfur coal had been, and some families struggled, especially in poorer areas of the city. Bootleg coal shipments arrived. More than once, Tuckers armed inspectors fired at a suspect truck that ignored orders to stop, according to newspaper reports from the time. While hopes were already high that the new, tough measures would clean the skies, the winter of 1940-41 defied even those rosy expectations. By mid-January, the citys skies were so much cleaner than the year before that they were the talk of the town. They were clear blue, and even on days when there was smoke, it was far less than had been common before the city ordinance passed. The national press picked up the news, and arriving visitors wrote letters to the editors of their hometown newspapers reporting being astounded by what St. Louis had accomplished that winter. Tucker compiled notes on how many communities in the U.S. and Canada sought details on the transformation. In that document, now held among his archives at Washington University in St. Louis, he listed 83. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A great city has washed its face, Sam Shelton wrote for the Post-Dispatch. St. Louis is no longer the grimy old man of American municipalities. The plague of smoke and soot had been wiped away after a century in a dramatic story of intelligent, courageous and co-operative effort. No longer did residents have to endure burning throats, hacking coughs, smarting eyes, sooty faces and soiled clothing. The newspaper was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1941 for its campaign, the first time that a major award was conferred for an environmental story. For years afterward, the coal industry argued that the St. Louis campaign was a fraud that needlessly forced residents to buy more expensive fuel and equipment. But even during World War II, when industrial restrictions meant pollution was worse in the name of driving the war economy, the citys skies were never as blackened as they had been before. Tucker, the mayors deputy, later used the fame he had achieved from the smoke campaign as a springboard to being elected mayor. He served 12 years. His former boss, Dickmann, was less fortunate, losing his reelection bid in 1941. He blamed it on having forced residents to pay more, even though it meant cleaner fuel for their homes and clearer skies for their community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article 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 FOX 2. COLEMAN, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) For more than a year, Coleman seniors have been without a senior center and Meals on Wheels office after the previous building flooded in 2024. Now the new building has opened its doors wide to the community, welcoming seniors back to a safe space. From Dream to Reality: How Coleman Built a Senior Center in 8 Months The building was donated by Darrin Black in April 2025, and with help from the community, it was rebuilt over many months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This week marks the second week of its opening. Regular Shorty Bowers said the center was needed because it fosters community. It was kind of devastating because it was our meeting place, and we got together to fellowship. We love the fellowship, and the foods good too, Bowers said. Its absolutely a necessity. Its a necessity because you need to be with other people and be able to discuss your blessings. People have believed in this cause: New Coleman Senior Center set to open by September While the new building might look like just a set of four walls, Board President Sharon Hicks said it is much more than that for the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is so important because we know if we miss one of our seniors, thats a normal regular, we can check on them and we can make sure theyre okay. It gives us the opportunity for them not to be isolated, Hicks said. Now they have a place to come and fellowship. We do the pledge, we do prayer, we do community, we do puzzles. It gave them back their freedom, their independence, and it gives them back camaraderie. Coleman Senior Center awarded $50k for facility upgrades Hicks said seeing the plan finally come to fruition gave her great joy. We had over 220 donors donate either money or in time, whether it was labor, materials, or things of that nature. So, when they say that generosity is dead, not in Coleman County and the surrounding area, it is alive and well, Hicks said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be an open house event for the senior center from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on November 2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Gov. Ron DeSantis experiment with New College of Florida was intended to excise DEI (and DEI-adjacent gender studies) from a state institution and install some kind of classical education curriculum. The experiment, which began in January 2023, took an unexpected turn because the real test wasnt whether DeSantis could strongarm reform into the small, once-private college, but rather whether these conservatives could un-woke the college while maintaining the fiscal sobriety that has long been the soul of conservatism. New College began as a local idea with a bizarre risk-forward academic curriculum that was designed to jolt higher education from its 1950s slumber. There would be no grades or credit hours; rejecting the managerial-accounting approach to education that had seized higher education, New College would put the responsibility of learning directly on each student. The idea that Sarasota in 1961 (population: 35,000) could launch an elite liberal arts college would appear to be rather delusional. But by 1974, New College was arguably the highest-rated liberal arts college in America, with an entering class boasting SAT scores higher than Amhersts or Williams entering classes. Somehow, Sarasota achieved educational alchemy. But the college was funded disproportionately by its very high tuition and the 1973 oil crisis toppled a financial structure almost entirely dependent on this sole source of revenue. The 1970s witnessed more colleges closing than any decade before or since. The state salvaged New College because in 1975 it was the only nationally top-ranked college in Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The water-torture descent into bureaucratic homogenization was at first gradual, but the state kept dripping requirements, and by 2015 the college began to look like a small, substantially underperforming version of every other state college. Today, the bulk of the required curriculum at New College is determined by the state and is uniform across the state university system. And so the alchemical miracle of 1974 has become the contorted liberal arts ornament of Floridas education leviathan. Agony of victory First Time in College students are the pulse by which a colleges health is measured. Under the current administration, New College has consistently posted all-time low SAT scores, yet even those are artificially inflated because the administration exploits the loophole of not reporting transfer test scores while its student body swells to over 30% transfers, more than double its historical average. New Colleges First Time in College growth rate is nearly zero and is still below its own numbers from a decade ago. Including transfers, the colleges current total undergraduate growth rate is under 2%. At this rate, New College wont hit its stated undergraduate target of 1,200 students until 2044, and the total cost to Florida taxpayers is projected to be about $2.2 billion over that period. All this for a college of fewer than 900 undergraduates that is ranked #135 by U.S. News (the college has fallen 59 places in that ranking since the new administration took over in 2023). If it werent bad enough to relegate Floridas designated honors college to having the lowest SAT scores of any of the states eleven honors colleges, the costs to achieve this failure have been enormous. According to the states university governing body, the Board of Governors, New College is projected to spend over $500,000 per degree, or about 10 times the Florida state university system average. To put that in perspective, the state could enroll New College students an hour north at the University of South Florida in Tampa, pay for their education, and buy them a house (or a Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge, or any number of other luxuries that cost the $450,000+ difference between a degree from New College and from the higher rated University of South Florida.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year, the college has budgeted over $130,000 per student. These costs make New College one of the most expensive colleges in the world to operate and put it in the same territory as Americas other most expensive college: the Air Force Academy. New College is not only vastly outspending the public colleges in Florida, but its spending more per student than any private college in Florida. The current administration is academically running a Motel 6 on a Ritz Carlton budget. Should it really be that expensive to close a gender studies department? Failed version When the New College became a ward of the state in 1975, the pressures to conform were, at first, mostly benign. But eventually, the leviathan has its demands, and everything from data reporting to course programming began to transform the once innovative school into a small, failed version of its larger state university system brethren. The contagion of mindless yet expensive bureaucracy became unavoidable. As far as the classical curriculum reformation, there has been a performative nod to Homer, but all other indications are that the college is being led by a woke CEO transforming what was a distinguished market position into a generic and sterile rebranded Cracker Barrel. And such milquetoast homogenization isnt just destroying the innovative verve that once made the college so admired; its extinguishing the colleges once-potent market advantage. New College increasingly looks like every other small college (it now has grades and remedial programs this is the legislatively designated Honors College). Those who wanted a robust classical curriculum should be disappointed, but if it were only a branding stunt, the market isnt responding either. Even if it were a cynical fundraising ploy, the classical curriculum billionaires (whoever they are) havent stepped up; the colleges endowment still sits below its 2001 number. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It should seem obvious to all and particularly to fiscal conservatives that spending so much of the taxpayers money on a college that represents less than one-quarter of one percent of the state university system is a wildly inefficient way to prove whatever the point may have been. New College has, it seems, simply exchanged one managerial class for another, spending freely to expand political fiefdoms while letting the raison detre of the college wither. And once the taxpayers of Florida become aware of what may be one of the most expensive political stunts in recent history, the probable solution would be to close the college thats statistically irrelevant in the state university system. The solution to this mess is fundamental to the conservative soul: privatize it. Let New College compete in the market instead of insulating itself from reality by gorging at the trough of taxpayer funds. When the state took possession of the college in 1975, the college was one of the highest rated in the nation and cost about $18,000 per student to operate (in 2025 dollars). Now, according to the Board of Governors own performance metrics, its the lowest-rated college in the system (average score since inception of the metrics) and is budgeted to cost over $130,000 per student this year. If a global energy crisis pushing the college to become a ward of state was a failure, then what shall we make of an administration that cannot operate the college financially or academically? At least in 1974 one could readily determine the value that was being created. Concomitant with the free market is local control. If the local community, which includes wealthy Sarasota, were to agree to support such a college, then isnt the obvious solution to return the college to the private market from which it came? Privatizing a state college may seem insane but so was launching a liberal arts college in 1961 with the objective of being the best. Sarasota did it once, and Sarasota can do it again. So, end the bailout. Offer to support a transition to the private sector, and let local control and the market, not the government, issue its verdict on whether New College is worth saving. The political malincentives and distorted economics of government subsidies must end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What will it profit a governor who eliminates a gender studies department, yet forfeits his soul? For the sake of Florida taxpayers, lets hope that DeSantis doesnt want to find out. Nathan Allen, a New College alumnus, served as current New College President Richard Corcorans vice president of strategy and special projects in 2023-24. NEED TO KNOW Authorities said on Oct. 19 that Lia Smith, 21, a Middlebury College student, was reported missing Smith, from California, was last seen on campus two days earlier The school said it was working closely with police and had been in communication with Smith's family and friends Police in Vermont are seeking the publics help in locating a 21-year-old woman who vanished from her college campus. On Sunday, Oct. 19, the Middlebury Police Department announced the disappearance of Lia Smith, who attends Middlebury College and was reported missing earlier that day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities said Smith was last seen at Middleburys campus on Friday, Oct. 17, around 9 p.m. local time. Smith's father last saw his daughter on campus at that time and filed a missing persons report after not hearing from his daughter by phone, The Middlebury Campus, the schools student newspaper, reported. In an update released on Monday, Oct. 20, police said that the investigation into Smiths disappearance is active and ongoing. They noted the searches have involved the use of a drone. Investigators are working to identify additional potential search areas, police stated. Smith is a double computer science and statistics major from California, according to The Middlebury Campus. She had previously competed as a member of the womens swimming and diving team at the school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 160 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes, according to police. Alerting students, faculty and staff members to the disappearance, Middlebury College Vice President for Student Affairs Smita Ruzicka and Associate Vice President of Safety Demitria Kirby said in a statement on Sunday that the school is "working closely with the Middlebury Police Department (MPD), which is investigating and collecting information at this time." "We have been in touch with the student's family and friends to offer support and learn all we can about the students recent activities and whereabouts," they wrote. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. We will provide additional updates and share more information when we receive it," Ruzicka and Kirby continued. "Our priority now is to work actively with the police department to support their investigation and to offer support resources to our students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those with information about Smith or her whereabouts are encouraged to call the Middlebury Police Department at 802-388-3191 or submit an online tip at www.middleburypolice.org. Read the original article on People Colombia has said it has recalled its ambassador to the United States, after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off aid and made disparaging remarks about the Colombian president over the weekend. The South American countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Ambassador Daniel Garcia-Pena had already arrived in Bogota to meet with President Gustavo Petro, whom Trump called an illegal drug leader on Sunday. The growing feud between the two countries has centred on US strikes in the Caribbean on vessels that the Trump administration alleges are transporting drugs, mostly from Venezuela. Those strikes, which have killed dozens of people and are widely viewed as a violation of US and international law, have drawn strong criticism from Petro. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said aid to Colombia would be cut off and threatened that if Petro did not take more steps to combat the drug trafficking in the country, the US would do the task itself, and it wont be done nicely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said on Monday that he viewed those remarks as a threat of invasion or military action against Colombia. I cant imagine closing down some hectares [of drug production sites] unless its in that way, unless its by invading, he added. The US also announced over the weekend that it had struck a vessel from Colombia on Friday, alleging that it was helmed by a left-wing rebel group involved in the transport of drugs. The Trump administration has not provided evidence regarding those claims. Petro responded in a series of social media posts, stating that one of those killed in the attack was a Colombian fisherman named Alejandro Carranza, who did not have any ties to drug trafficking. US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters, he wrote. BOGOTA (Reuters) Colombia said on Monday it has recalled its ambassador from Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on the South American nation and stop all payments to it, intensifying a feud stemming from U.S. military strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs. Trump also called Colombians leftist President Gustavo Petro an illegal drug leader on Sunday, which Petros government described as offensive. Colombias currency fell 1.4% to 3,889 pesos per U.S. dollar in early trading on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump admin to repatriate survivors of drug boat strike to Ecuador, Colombia Daniel Garcia-Pena, Ambassador of Colombia in the United States of America, has been recalled for consultations by President Gustavo Petro and is now in Bogota, Colombias foreign ministry said. In the coming hours the national government will inform of the decisions taken. COLOMBIAS LARGEST TRADING PARTNER Trumps drug leader comments marked a new low in relations between Washington and Bogota, which the U.S. president accuses of being complicit in the illicit drug trade. Petro has objected to the U.S. militarys strikes against vessels in the Caribbean, which have killed dozens of people and inflamed tensions in the region. Many legal experts and human rights activists have also condemned the military actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said U.S. financial aid to Colombia would be cut off and details about the new tariffs would be unveiled on Monday, but it was not clear what funding Trump was referring to. Colombia was once among the largest recipients of U.S. aid in the Western Hemisphere, but the flow of money was suddenly curtailed this year by the shuttering of USAID, the U.S. governments humanitarian arm. Meghans Paris appearance likely cost Balenciaga $250K: Stylist The oil-producing nation currently pays 10% tariffs on most imports to the U.S., the baseline level Trump has imposed on many countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. is Colombias top trading partner, and shipments north account for 35% of the South American countrys exports, according to the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce, while 70% of imports from the U.S. are items not produced in Colombia. Colombias foreign ministry has vowed to seek international support for Petro, who first rose to prominence as a senator by exposing links between right-wing paramilitary groups involved in drug trafficking and corrupt politicians, as well as for the countrys autonomy. Petro on Sunday condemned a new bombing of a vessel which killed three people, saying the boat belonged to a humble family, and not the leftist National Liberation Army rebel group, as claimed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in his own comments. Mr. Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the United States but you are rude and ignorant to Colombia, Petro said on X. Since I am not a businessman, I am even less a drug trafficker. There is no greed in my heart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petro has pledged to tame coca-growing regions in the country with massive social and military intervention, but the strategy has brought little success. A war on drugs or a war on terror? Trumps military pressure on Venezuela blurs the lines Colombia, a big exporter of oil, coal, coffee, flowers and bananas, posted a $338 million trade deficit with the U.S. between January and July, according to government statistics agency DANE. Investors from the U.S. invested $2.27 billion in Colombia in the first half of the year, according to central bank figures, some 34% of total foreign investment received during that period. 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. A court in Colombia has overturned ex-President Alvaro Uribes convictions for fraud and bribery, setting the stage for further appeals in the closely watched case. On Tuesday, two magistrates on a panel of three voted to toss the verdict against the 73-year-old Uribe, arguing that there were structural deficiencies in the previous ruling, including insufficient evidence. Uribes conviction had marked the first time in Colombias history that a former president was convicted of a crime and sentenced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A right-wing politician who governed as president from 2002 to 2010, Uribe was found guilty in July of asking paramilitary members to lie about alleged links to him. Uribe has long maintained his innocence. But Tuesdays decision has prompted an outpouring of opposition from those who believe it reflects a lax attitude towards right-wing abuses. This is how the history of paramilitary governance in Colombia is covered up, Gustavo Petro, the countrys current president, wrote on social media. That is, the history of the politicians who came to power allied with drug trafficking and who unleashed the genocide in Colombia. Uribe had been sentenced in August to 12 years of house arrest, a fine of $578,000 and a ban from serving in public office for 100 months and 20 days or just more than eight years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senator Ivan Cepeda, one of the central figures in the Uribe case, has already announced he plans to challenge the magistrates decision. We will file an appeal for cassation before the Supreme Court of Justice, Cepeda wrote on social media. Suspected ties to paramilitaries Tuesdays ruling was the latest chapter in a years-long case that has exacerbated political divides in Colombia. Uribe is a controversial leader in the South American country, which has struggled with more than six decades of internal conflict between government forces, left-wing rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and criminal networks. During his time in office, Uribe unleashed an iron-fisted military offensive against the countrys left-wing rebel groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics have accused his government of turning a blind eye to massacres that unfolded in the process and, in some cases, encouraging soldiers to murder civilians to artificially boost the number of rebels killed. Uribes ties to right-wing paramilitaries before his time as president have also come under scrutiny. In 2012, Senator Cepeda had launched a probe into the ex-presidents alleged connections with paramilitaries like the Bloque Metro, particularly during his ascent to political power in the 1990s. Uribe responded with a libel complaint against Cepeda, accusing the left-wing senator of manipulating paramilitary members to be witnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when the case reached the Supreme Court in 2018, its judges came to a surprise decision. It tossed the case against Cepeda and instead called for an investigation into Uribe on the same charge, witness tampering. Uribe admitted he had sent his lawyers to visit paramilitary members in prison, but he denied conspiring to coax the three witnesses into changing their testimony, as had been alleged. In July, Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia ruled there was enough evidence to determine that Uribe had conspired with a lawyer to manipulate the witnesses. Her ruling was overturned in Tuesdays decision. Influence on Colombias election What happens next in the case could weigh heavily on Colombias upcoming presidential election, slated to unfold in May 2026. Uribe remains a popular figure in Colombian politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His case has also caught the attention of United States President Donald Trump, whose administration has been supportive of right-wing leaders facing prosecution in Latin America. Trump has repeatedly accused the judicial system, both in the US and in Latin America, of bias against conservative voices. Uribes only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland. The weaponisation of Colombias judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X earlier this year, after Uribe was found guilty. Petro, the countrys first left-wing president, is term-limited and will not be able to run in the 2026 race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a social media post, Petro speculated that Tuesdays decision would create pathways for Trump to increase his influence in Colombia, by allying with Uribes supporters. Petro has been feuding with the Trump administration over tariffs and differences over policies to combat illicit drugs. Now Trump, allied with these politicians and with Uribe, will seek sanctions against the president who denounced in his life the alliances between Colombian political power and paramilitary drug trafficking in Colombia, and he does so with the help of those who helped paramilitarism in the country, Petro posted on X. Uribes party, Democratic Center, has already said that Uribe will run for senator if his legal situation allows it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al Jazeera correspondent Alessandro Rampietti also noted that Senator Cepeda has signalled his candidacy for president in the upcoming race. Theres no doubt that this will change or will have big repercussions in the upcoming election campaign in the country, but also, this is not the last word, Rampietti explained from Bogota. We can expect the victims of this case to appeal to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court will have probably five years to make a final decision. Oct. 21 (UPI) -- After an escalation of tension between the United States and Colombia, President Gustavo Petro met with John McNamara, the U.S. charge d'affaires and head of mission in Bogota, in what marked the first step toward easing the current impasse in bilateral relations. According to Colombia's Foreign Ministry, during the meeting held in Bogota on Monday, senior officials reaffirmed both countries' commitment to improving anti-narcotics strategies and doing so in a coordinated manner. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of all economic, military and social aid to Colombia, accusing Petro of being "a leader of drug trafficking" and of allowing "mass drug production to become the country's biggest business." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement came after Petro criticized U.S. attacks on vessels in the Caribbean that, according to Trump, were carrying drugs. The suspension of U.S. assistance leaves Petro facing one of the most serious crises of his administration, as Colombia stands to lose financial support in key areas such as security, justice, rural development and human rights -- affecting ongoing programs in vulnerable regions. It also jeopardizes implementation of the Total Peace Plan, the centerpiece of Petro's government, which aims to end multiple armed conflicts and transform territories most affected by violence -- but relies heavily on international funding. Maria Claudia Lacouture, executive director of the Colombo-American Chamber of Commerce, told El Universal, "This is a time to think calmly. Colombia must protect its relationship with the United States; it's a strategic one." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bruce Mac Master, president of the National Business Association of Colombia, told El Tiempo that "a president who provokes, blusters and tries to elicit reactions from the U.S. president is not being strategic." Although the amount varied each year, Colombia has received between $400 million and $450 million in recent fiscal years, with $401 million approved for 2024 and $232 million disbursed in 2025, according to data from ForeignAssistance.gov. The funds are distributed across six strategic areas supporting more than 550 active programs nationwide: rural development, security, justice, environment, human rights and anti-narcotics efforts. The most affected area is rural development and the substitution for illicit crops, which had received about $65 million annually for productive projects in various regions. In security and defense, $50 million for military training and joint operations was suspended, weakening the Colombian government's operational capacity in conflict zones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another $30 million for institutional and judicial strengthening was halted, affecting legal reforms, judge training and anti-corruption efforts. Anti-narcotics cooperation lost $40 million, limiting aerial eradication of crops, satellite monitoring and shared intelligence. In the social sector, $25 million in aid benefiting victims of the armed conflict and Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities was suspended. Finally, $10 million was halted in environmental and climate cooperation, affecting conservation projects in the Amazon, Sierra Nevada and Orinoquia. Since the launch of "Plan Colombia" in 2000, the United States has been the main provider of economic and military assistance for Colombia's anti-narcotics efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Petro's rise to power in 2022, Colombia adopted a new approach: voluntary substitution of illicit crops, suspension of aerial fumigation and a focus on rural development. However, results have been limited. According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the area under coca cultivation in Colombia grew by 10% between 2022 and 2023, keeping the country as the world's largest producer. The same report found that potential cocaine production increased by 53%. In September, the U.S. State Department officially removed Colombia from its list of countries that actively cooperate fighting against drug trafficking. That was followed by Colombia's decertification as a cooperating country in anti-narcotics efforts, made official on Sept. 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result of that measure, the country was excluded from preferential access to multilateral funds from organizations, such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, directly affecting its ability to finance social, environmental and rural development projects in vulnerable regions. During the meeting with McNamara, Petro reiterated the importance of the United States relying on real data about Colombia's anti-drug efforts, saying his government has achieved the strongest results in coca leaf seizures. Coca can be refined to make cocaine. According to figures from Colombia's Defense Ministry, coca leaf cultivation began to slow in 2021, when it grew 43%; in 2022 it increased 13%; in 2023, 9.8%; and in 2024, only 3%. In terms of cocaine seizures, the ministry reported a 32% increase in 2021, a 1% decrease in 2022, and increases of 13% in 2023 and 19% in 2024. The website of Connect for Health Colorado, the state's health insurance marketplace, is pictured on Aug. 27, 2025. (Photo by Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) The Colorado marketplace for individual health insurance plans needs to improve its financial management and process for sponsoring events, a state audit found. Connect for Health Colorado, the states Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, spent $5.8 million in the 2024 fiscal year on marketing and outreach and to sponsor events and organizations that educate the public about the organizations services. The audit found Connect for Health did not consistently follow its own process for selecting events or organizations to sponsor, and it did not properly document sponsorship decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 30% of the sponsorships Connect for Health undertook between July 2023 and December 2024 did not focus on a Connect for Health target audience. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Without improvements, theres an ongoing risk that sponsorships may not follow Connect for Healths processes or align with its mission, audit manager Kate Shiroff said in a statement. Colorado state legislators requested the audit after some expressed concerns about Connect for Health sponsoring a 2023 fundraiser for ProgressNow, a progressive political advocacy organization. The audits review of a sample of other sponsorships did not find any instances in which Connect for Health sponsored an event for or donated money to a political fundraiser or political fundraising organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 300,000 Coloradans pay for health insurance through the individual market. Extension of enhanced premium tax credits that support people who purchase health insurance through the state marketplace has been the primary item Democrats in Congress want included in a funding measure that could end the federal government shutdown. Members of Congress failed to reach an agreement on a short-term funding measure, and many federal government operations have been shut down since the new fiscal year started Oct. 1. Republicans in the Senate need some Democratic support to pass a funding measure, but Democrats have refused to support the measure that passed the House without changes to Affordable Care Act tax credits. Insurance premiums are expected to skyrocket with the expiration of the tax credits at the end of this year. Corrective measures Connect for Health should revise and expand its policies around sponsorship vetting procedures to ensure sponsorships align with the organizations mission, auditors recommended. It also needs to better meet reporting requirements from a 2022 Colorado law related to its spending on its public awareness and outreach campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Auditors also found that Connect for Health has made some changes to its financial management since the states 2017 audit of the organization, but there is still room for improvement, they said. Connect for Health did not consistently document approval and receipts for credit card purchases, and its board has not overseen credit card purchases made by senior managers. The organization should clarify its financial management policies with specific guidance around documentation for transaction approvals and business reasons for those transactions. Its policies should also clearly address key activities within the organization and staff should be trained on those policies, auditors recommended. Connect for Health agreed to all of the audit recommendations and will implement them over the next year. CEO Kevin Patterson said Connect for Health is committed to transparency and accountability and ensuring the organizations spending serves the people of Colorado. The audit committee also recognized improvements in Connect for Healths contract management and staff spending oversight following the 2017 audit, Patterson said. The audit found no evidence of politically motivated spending in our sponsorships, a key area of focus. Additionally, the audit confirmed that no funds were misused or used for personal gain, Patterson said in a statement. We take its findings seriously and have already begun implementing specific corrective measures to strengthen our fiscal practices. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Columbus City Council on Monday night approved a $1 million settlement for a father and his son after a 2023 incident in which the father said two city police officers took his 7-year-old son and gave him to the mother, who did not have custody. The fathers lawyer told NBC4 that the mother had a criminal history and had not been sending the child to school. She took the child and went on the run. The U.S. Marshals Service tracked her down seven months later, finding the child alive the next day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city agreed to settle with the father for $1 million. To the family, it means accountability, said Bart Keyes, a lawyer with Cooper Elliott. It means that somebody finally listened and said, yes, this should not have happened. This was a very traumatizing situation for Lonnie and for his son and part of the reason for that was that seven months went by where it felt like nobody was listening and nobody was doing enough to try to find the mother and where she had taken the son. This was a horrible, unintentional mistake by two of our officers, the director of public safety said in a statement. These officers incorrectly interpreted legal documents from the court, mistaking a court-stamped court motion for a court order. The director also said the Office of the Inspector General investigation resulted in a sustained finding against the officers, both of which were re-trained and received corrective counseling. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The Columbus Metropolitan Library patrons can show their love for the Blue Jackets with a new commemorative library card. Staff from the library, the Blue Jackets and Stinger unveiled the limited-edition card on Monday. It features the teams 25th anniversary logo on the front. It celebrates the Blue Jackets 25th year on the ice in Columbus and their longtime commitment to supporting the library. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have supported nearly all of our school help centers across our 23 locations, Columbus Metropolitan Library CEO Lauren Hagan said. The Blue Jackets are huge supporters of reading and literacy in our community. The partnership between the team and the library spans two decades, according to Cathy Lyttle, the chair of the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation. To get a card, just visit one of the librarys branches and sign up by 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The Columbus Police Department has released more details on a multi-vehicle crash that killed two people in west Columbus over the weekend, but has yet to close its investigation. Officers responded to the intersection of Hilliard Rome Road and Roberts Road just south of Hilliard, at 7:02 p.m. Saturday, when two victims who were riding a motorcycle were found lying in the road after a collision. Athens County prisoner found with drugs in his rectum Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a CPD release, a Yamaha motorcycle was traveling south on Hilliard Rome Rd. At the same time a Honda Civic was waiting for traffic to clear before turning west onto Roberts Rd., though for reasons unknown it proceeded to make the turn and collided with the motorcycle. Two people riding a motorcycle were killed after a crash in west Columbus, Oct. 18, 2025. (NBC4 Photo/Michael Klug) The passenger of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene while the motorcycle operator was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries but did not survive. The driver of the Honda was unharmed and remained at the scene. The victims identities have yet to be released and the Accident Investigation Unit is asking anyone with knowledge about this incident to contact the Columbus Division of Police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. For a previous report on this story view the video player above. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. Donald Trump is reportedly sick of seeing maps of the front line in Ukraine. Indeed, according to one European officials account, he tossed aside Ukrainian delegation maps during his latest meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Oct. 17, 2025. Instead, Trump is said to have aggressively pushed Zelenskyy to accept Russias terms to end the war and surrender all of the Donbas region in Ukraines east to Russian President Vladimir Putin. As a political geographer who has studied Eastern Europe and post-communist states, I know how crucial maps are to the dynamics of territorial conflicts and peace negotiations. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, maps were central to the ethnic cleansing that took place in the early 1990s, driving visions of creating mono-ethnic space through violence, and also to the ending of the war. Similarly, in the Caucasus, cartographic fantasies of homogeneous territories have underwritten campaigns against ethnic others in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And it is no surprise that maps are a critical part of negotiations now to end the 3-year conflict in Ukraine. Creative cartography Drawing partition lines on maps has always been a feature of stalemated territorial conflicts. U.S. negotiators in 1995 forged the agreement that brought Bosnias war to an end through last-minute cartographic adjustments ensuring that the settlement conformed to an already agreed-upon 49-51 percentage split of the territory between Bosnian-Serb forces and those representing the Bosnian Federation. Dividing territory in percentage terms, however, goes against the grain of how most people view their territorial homelands. In his famous account of nations as imagined communities, the Anglo-Irish historian Benedict Anderson described how states create nations through the widespread circulation of a common territorial map. In this way, map images became a type of state logo. Nations not only imagined themselves as a community but as belonging to a particular recognizable space, a familiar territorial homeland. A decorative map of Ukraine made with flowers in Kyiv on Aug. 23, 2025. Sergei SupinskyAFP via Getty Images Territories in todays world have become instantly recognizable shapes on posters and T-shirts and in textbooks. Yet they are also experienced as something alive and personal a geo-body, in the words of Thai historian Thongchai Winichakul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is part of what leads citizens, and nations, to feel deeply connected to their states territorial boundaries. And it helps explain the generally persistent resistance of Ukrainians to territorial concessions to Russia even though there are signs that popular sentiment is beginning to shift after 3 years of war. Fighting and dying for a homeland, as Ukrainian soldiers have done in their thousands, adds to the emotive power of territory. To many Ukrainians it isnt property they are being asked to concede but sacred and indivisible land paid for with blood. This understanding of territory is quite different from that of Trump and his handpicked cadre of deal guys who treat international conflict like short-term business transactions. Misreading the map This pursuit of a deal over other considerations has a downside and can lead to missteps. Trumps special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, believed he had achieved something of a breakthrough during a meeting with the Russians in early August when looking at areas where Russia might withdraw on the map. German newspaper Bild reported that Witkoff, who does not speak Russian and didnt have his own translator, misunderstood Putins demand of a peaceful withdrawal of Ukrainians from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as an offer of Russias peaceful withdrawal from those regions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because it led to the postponement of new U.S. sanctions and a summit proposal, the Russians went along with the misunderstanding, according to the Bilds reporting. Similarly, the subsequent Alaska summit was not the breakthrough Trump envisioned. Putin got the red-carpet treatment on U.S. soil but nonetheless subjected Trump to a lengthy historical lecture on why Russia owns Ukraine. Putin was unwilling to give Trump the ceasefire deal the U.S. president desired. Putin did, however, make a territorial proposal that kept Trump interested in continuing to play the peacemaker: If Russia acquired all of the territory of the two oblasts that made up the Donbas, then Russia would consider freezing its lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Haggling over percentiles This provided the background for an extraordinary meeting in the White House on Aug. 18, 2025, when seven European leaders joined Zelenskyy in meeting Trump to discuss a possible endgame to the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian delegation was pictured entering the White House with what looked like a rolled-up map. In the Oval Office, however, they were confronted with the White Houses own rigid board depicting a map of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict. It featured a choropleth display with the estimated territory under Russian occupation colored in orange and quantified as a percentage figure of each oblasts territory. The map indicated that Russia occupied 99% of Luhansk and 76% of Donetsk. Putin wanted 100% of both a demand that required Ukraine to surrender the fortified territories safeguarding central Ukraine. A close-up of the White House map showing percentiles over various Ukrainian regions. The White House What the Oval Office map meant to Trump was clear the following day in a phone interview on Fox and Friends. Referring to the map, he said that a big chunk of territory is taken, implying it is now lost to Ukraine. In other words, the map recorded the score in real estate terms from a regrettable war between a small state and a much larger one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelenskyy tried to argue for a different approach to map issues, one that affirmed the symbolic and strategic importance of keeping Ukraines territorial integrity alive as an ideal for Ukrainians and the international community. He made some progress. After meeting Zelenskyy at the United Nations on Sept. 23, Trump suggested that Ukraine could succeed in its fight to take back their country in its original form. Battlegrounds as real estate With Trump seemingly drifting toward supporting Ukraine with long-range missiles, Putin seized the initiative by phoning Trump. In an extensive phone call prior to Zelenskyys White House visit on Oct. 17, the Russian leader updated his offer for peace, suggesting his forces would withdraw from Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in return for all of the Donbas region. This set the stage for the latest reported Trump-Zelenskyy shouting match and the tossing aside of front-line maps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afterward, Trump posted on social media: it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. This is Trumps current position on map issues. Backing off pressuring Ukraine to give up all the Donbas in public, he believes that Ukraine and the Donbas should be cut up along the current battlelines. Asked in a Fox News interview on Oct. 6 whether Putin would be open to ending the war without taking significant property from Ukraine, Trump responded: Well, hes going to take something. They fought and he has a lot of property. Hes won certain property. This gets at how Zelenskyy and Trump seemingly see different things when they look at front-line maps. The Ukrainian leader sees a painful reality, his countrys geo-body violently cut apart by an invading, occupying power. Trump comments indicate he sees it as a property dispute in which the strongest power has accumulated some territorial winnings and now needs to cash them in. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Gerard Toal, Virginia Tech Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Gerard Toal in the past received funding from the US National Science Foundation and the Research Council of Norway. The fate of James Comeys indictment could eventually land at the Supreme Court. Perhaps mindful of that, the former FBI directors lawyers cite the words and logic of the high courts GOP appointees in one of his motions to dismiss his criminal case. Arguing that Trump-installed prosecutor Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, among the authorities Comey relies on are Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. His motion to dismiss on that ground is one of two that his defense team filed Monday, the other arguing that his prosecution is unconstitutionally vindictive and selective. In the unlawful appointment motion, Comeys lawyers write that Halligans installation violated federal law on filling vacancies (28 U.S.C. 546). They noted that the previous head of the Virginia office, Erik Siebert, was appointed on an interim basis under that law, which allows for a 120-day stint without Senate approval. That temporary appointment expired on May 21, but the districts federal judges appointed Siebert to stay on under a different section of the law that gives them that authority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Siebert resigned last month after resisting bringing unfounded cases against the presidents political opponents. But instead of awaiting a replacement from the district judges as provided by the law, Attorney General Pam Bondi installed Halligan under that interim authority (after Trump publicly demanded Comeys prosecution and the statute of limitations was about to run out). That was illegal, Comeys team claims, because the temporary authority under which Siebert was appointed had long expired. They noted that permitting Halligans installation would allow the government to string together sequential 120-day appointments under Section 546 and thereby indefinitely or perpetually evade Congresss default requirement of Senate advice and consent. Alito enters the picture through a memorandum on the law at issue that he wrote in 1986 for the Justice Departments influential Office of Legal Counsel, when he was deputy assistant attorney general. Comeys lawyers write that Alito interpreted the law in precisely the same manner as Mr. Comey here. They emphasized Alitos memo where he wrote that, when the 120-day period expires and the president hasnt made an appointment or one hasnt been confirmed, it does not follow that the Attorney General may make another appointment pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 546(a) after the expiration of the 120-day period. Writing that Halligans appointment violates not only that federal law but the Constitutions appointments clause, Comeys team also cites Thomas concurring opinion in the Supreme Courts immunity ruling for Donald Trump in the federal election interference case. There, Thomas wrote that there are serious questions about whether special counsel Jack Smiths role in the case was lawful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comey further cited U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannons subsequent ruling dismissing Trumps classified documents case on the grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed, in which the Trump-appointed judge cited Thomas concurrence from the immunity case. Even if the courts agree with Comey that Halligan was unlawfully appointed, theres a separate question of what should happen next. Unsurprisingly, Comeys lawyers say the indictment must be dismissed, writing that Halligan alone secured and signed the indictment and that any other remedy would not sufficiently address and deter the Executive Branchs willfully unlawful conduct in this case. In support of dismissal, Comeys team cites Thomas again, quoting his concurrence from a 2021 case in which he wrote that an improperly appointed officer cant lawfully exercise the statutory power of his office at all in light of the rule that an officer must be properly appointed before he can legally act as an officer. On that note, Comey also cites Trump appointee Neil Gorsuchs concurrence from that 2021 case, in which he wrote that any attempts to wield official power outside of the Constitution are void. The Justice Department will have an opportunity to respond in writing to this and Comeys other motions before they are resolved, at least initially, in the district court. We may learn later in the litigation how the justices themselves see their own words as fitting in here. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in the Trump administrations legal cases. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey filed a slate of motions Monday seeking to have the two-count federal indictment against him dismissed before a potential trial date early next year, arguing he was charged because of "President Trump's personal animus." Comey's attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, moved to dismiss the case on the grounds that it is based on a vindictive and unlawful prosecution. He is also challenging the appointment of interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan to that role. Comey's attorneys wrote that the charges arose due to an "egregious abuse of power," and there are "multiple glaring constitutional violations" in the indictment. They argued that Mr. Trump ordered prosecutors to charge Comey due to "personal spite" and because Comey had "frequently criticized the President," who fired Comey from his role leading the FBI in 2017 and has sparred with Comey for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The requests were expected, as Fitzgerald previewed them when he appeared alongside Comey during his arraignment earlier this month. He is expected to file a second tranche of filings to toss out the charges in the coming weeks. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff has set a hearing on the first set of motions for Nov. 19 in Alexandria, Virginia. Comey's attorneys said that even if the case is not dismissed for vindictive prosecution, "concrete and objective facts justify thorough discovery into the suspect prosecutorial decision-making process that led to this flawed indictment and a hearing at which the government must justify its decision to bring these unfounded and retaliatory charges." His legal team says that "absent a dismissal with prejudice, Mr. Comey would face a potential perpetual state of being vindictively prosecuted." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate motion, attorneys for Comey also argued that Halligan, the only attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia to sign his indictment, "was defectively appointed to her office as an interim U.S. Attorney." Arguing that "no properly appointed" official from the executive branch had obtained the indictment against Comey, his lawyers said "the indictment is equally a nullity" and should be dismissed. "The President and Attorney General appointed the President's personal lawyer as interim U.S. Attorney in violation of a clear statutory command so that the interim U.S. Attorney could indict an outspoken critic of the President just days before the relevant statute of limitations was set to expire," Comey's lawyers wrote. Former FBI Director James Comey / Credit: Alex Wong / Getty Images A Justice Department spokesperson had no comment on the pair of motions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors raise doubts about Comey's attorney Federal prosecutors also indicated Sunday that they may seek to have Fitzgerald disqualified because of his alleged involvement in a so-called plan by Comey to leak the contents of a memo to the media shortly after Mr. Trump fired him as FBI director in 2017, during the president's first term. "[B]ased on publicly disclosed information, the defendant used current lead defense counsel to improperly disclose classified information," prosecutors Tyler Lemons and Gabriel Diaz, wrote in a filing. "This fact raises a question of conflict and disqualification for current lead defense counsel." A Department of Justice Inspector General report found that Comey shared four memos with Fitzgerald in May 2017, who then forwarded them to two other lawyers working for Comey. Prosecutors are asking Nachmanoff to put in place a "filter team" to sift through evidence that may contain information shielded by attorney-client privilege and therefore cannot be disclosed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors' use of material protected by privilege can raise obstacles in the case, ranging from disqualification of that material to mistrial or dismissal of charges. Filter teams are typically groups of government attorneys who review documents and separate privileged information from non-privileged information before the material gets to prosecutors on a given case. Prosecutors said the evidence at issue in Comey's case includes communications between him and several lawyers, one of whom appears to be Fitzgerald. They wrote in their latest filing that the material subject to review by the filter team "could also inform a potential conflict and disqualification issue for" Fitzgerald. But Comey's lawyers accused prosecutors of attempting to "defame" Fitzgerald and noted that the Justice Department's internal watchdog "found no evidence that Comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information contained in any of the Memos to members of the media." The Justice Department in 2019 declined to prosecute Comey for his handling of the memos. Halligan is the latest DOJ prosecutor to face court challenges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comey was charged in September with one count of making false statements to Congress and one count of obstruction of justice, related to Senate testimony he gave five years ago. Comey pleaded not guilty to both counts at his arraignment. Because Comey is challenging Halligan's appointment to temporarily lead the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Nachsmanoff, who sits on the bench in the district, will have to recuse himself, and a judge from outside of the district will hear arguments on that motion. The challenge to Halligan's appointment comes after defendants in New Jersey and Nevada successfully challenged similar U.S. attorney appointments President Trump made in those two states in recent weeks, as the administration has attempted to bypass the Senate confirmation process for these positions around the country. A federal judge in August found that Mr. Trump's former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, is serving "without lawful authority" as the U.S. attorney in New Jersey. Weeks later, a federal judge ruled that Sigal Chattah, the top federal prosecutor in Nevada, was also serving illegally in her role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halligan, one of Mr. Trump's former defense lawyers who later joined him in his second administration, was tapped as interim U.S. attorney in September after serving as a senior aide to Mr. Trump in the White House. Her appointment came days after Erik Siebert, who had been the top federal prosecutor in Eastern Virginia, resigned amid concerns he would be forced out for not prosecuting another of Mr. Trump's foe, New York Attorney General Letitia James, for alleged mortgage fraud. James was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia earlier this month on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. She has called the charges "baseless." Attorney General Pam Bondi has invoked a provision of federal law that addresses U.S. attorney vacancies to install people in these posts temporarily. The law allows an appointee to serve 120 days as interim U.S. attorney and gives district court judges in the area the authority to keep them in the role or tap a new U.S. attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled. In the case of the Eastern District of Virginia, Siebert was installed as the interim U.S. attorney in January, and the judges there had extended his appointment as U.S. attorney for the region in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in the challenge to Habba's appointment to lead the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann found that the attorney general is given 120 total days to appoint an interim U.S. attorney. The judge agreed that the law allows different individuals to be appointed interim U.S. attorney, "but for an aggregate term of 120 days." Allowing the 120-day clock to reset with the selection of each new temporary U.S. attorney would allow the president "to staff the United States Attorney's office with individuals of his personal choice for an entire term without seeking the Senate's advice and consent," Brann wrote. While that conclusion does not bind the judge who will consider the validity of Halligan's appointment in Virginia, Fitzpatrick's motion points to Habba's case as part of the government's attempt to "end run" Congress' authority on judicial nominations and appointments, adding: "This Court should reject the government's machinations here." Comey charged after sparring with Trump for years Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comey has long been a political opponent of Mr. Trump's, and the president has for years taken to social media to attack the former FBI director. Mr. Trump has lambasted Comey for his handling of the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and alleged ties between Russia and Mr. Trump's associates. Mr. Trump fired Comey in May 2017, and Robert Mueller, who was named special counsel just over a week after Comey's ouster, then took over the probe. The indictment of the former FBI chief came days after Mr. Trump took to social media to voice frustration with Bondi for not bringing criminal charges against Comey and two other political opponents: James and California Sen. Adam Schiff, both Democrats. In his message to Bondi, Mr. Trump called the trio "guilty as hell" and wrote, "We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!" While claims of selective or vindictive prosecution are difficult to prevail on, former prosecutors have said the circumstances surrounding Comey's indictment could be a boon to his lawyers in having the charges tossed out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Selective prosecution is when the prosecutor appears motivated by discriminatory intent, and vindictive prosecution is when the government acts out of "genuine" animus or seeks to punish a defendant for exercising a legal right. Fitzgerald said at Comey's arraignment that there will be another slate of motions filed by Nov. 20 also challenging the case against him, including claims of grand jury abuse and "outrageous conduct" by the Justice Department. Grounds for a motion alleging abuse of the grand jury process can include possible improper legal instructions given by the prosecutor to the grand jury, an intentional withholding of information that would exonerate the defendant or indictments obtained as a means of retaliation. Trump says two survivors of U.S. strike on submersible suspected of drug smuggling will be sent home Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Ms. Rachel on raising her voice for kids everywhere Its now been a year since seven people passed away during a cultural celebration in Sapelo island in Georgia after a gangway collapsed. Now one city council member is making sure they will be remembered for a lifetime as they look to place a new monument in their behalf. I wanted the memory of those people that were going to Sapelo island I wanted they were studying to be to immovable, Rahman Johnson, Jacksonville city council member, said. Thats how city council member Rahman Johnson refers to the Sapelo 7, The seven seniors who died when a gangway collapsed on Sapelo island in Georgia on October 19th 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who died were there for a Gullah Geechee heritage festival when the collapse happened. Now Johnson is looking to Create a permanent remembrance of those who lost their lives a year ago. As we commemorate them what we are going to do is a piece of place making and put this boulder in freedom park, he said. Rahman Johnson says the park already has information on the Gullah Geechee culture and they want the boulder nearby so people can remember but also learn about what happened. The boulder will also have a plaque on it with the names of those who lost her lives, and also a QR code, connecting visitors to a library database. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want this a beautiful place for us to take our kids our grandkids, and say this is part of history in our city just take a look, Johnson said. Now they are looking for your input as they have a survey as to what saying can go on the plaque. I hope to move morning to celebration, council member Johnson said. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. By Akbar Novruz When I was still a child, I used to hear jokes and sayings from the elders about neighbouring countries. I remember they would say that when a Georgian, an Armenian, and an Azerbaijani reached an agreement, they had to be absolutely certain about it. For example, if an Azerbaijani and a Georgian made a deal, a handshake would be enough. But if an Armenian was involved, then a document or a stamp was necessary. Much like the situation we see today in the peace negotiations. It turns out that the elders words carried wisdom after all. I have no intention of telling a joke here, but the Armenian governments so-called peace initiative has itself become something of a joke; one that everyone is now repeating, in which the country's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has once again made statements that expose Yerevans contradictory stance toward peace with Azerbaijan. In an attempt to appear firm, Mirzoyan declared that Armenia does not accept Azerbaijans constitutional condition for signing a peace treaty, claiming that the Armenian constitution does not contain any territorial claims to any state. Yet, moments later, he revealed that work on a new constitution is nearing completion, effectively admitting that Bakus demand has a legal basis. They [the Azerbaijani side] believe there is a problem with our constitution. This is their opinion. They want us to amend the Constitution. We do not accept this condition. We have an agenda of amending the constitution or adopting a new one. There is nothing in the Armenian Constitution about territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The problem that the Azerbaijani side says simply does not exist. However, we have been talking about amending the Constitution of Armenia or adopting a new one since 2018. The commission is already completing its work, and most likely, we will hold a referendum on this issue after the 2026 parliamentary elections, Mirzoyan said. This statement alone illustrates Yerevans political duality, denial wrapped in confirmation. On the eve of crucial parliamentary elections, the Armenian government is trying to appear uncompromising before its domestic audience. The radical opposition, church structures, and diaspora lobbies are capitalizing on this narrative, portraying Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans administration as one acting under Baku and Ankaras pressure. In truth, there is no pressure, only the long-overdue obligation for Armenia to align itself with international law and renounce its adventurist territorial agenda. These are steps Yerevan must take, regardless of who holds power. Otherwise, as the recent past has shown, Armenias continued defiance only leads to isolation and self-imposed blockade. Interestingly, just a year ago, Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan indicated that certain constitutional amendments were under consideration to remove Azerbaijans territorial claims. However, subsequent statements by Pashinyan suggested otherwise. During an international summit in Yerevan, he acknowledged discussions about Azerbaijans claims, implying that the Armenian constitution still reflects territorial aspirations. He also cited historical events from 19151917, fueling domestic and regional tensions. Before the Abu Dhabi meeting, Pashinyan emphasized that any constitutional amendments depend on the will of the peoplemeaning that changes require constitutional court approval and potentially a referendum. Currently, his administration maintains that this issue is not immediately on the agenda and that signing a peace agreement without resolving constitutional matters is impossible. At the same time, Pashinyan stresses that an international peace agreement takes precedence over constitutional technicalities. Domestic politics heavily influence this approach. Public dissatisfaction could impact Pashinyans approval rating if he moves to amend the constitution in line with Azerbaijans legitimate demands. His party, Civil Contract, currently holds 71 seats in parliament, with the opposition holding 29. Any perceived concession could weaken internal support, making Pashinyan cautious. Despite the rhetoric, the facts remain: Armenias constitution must change. Its territorial claims extend not only toward Azerbaijan but also toward Turkiye visible even in its national symbols, such as the Mount Ararat motif on the state emblem. The irony is striking the mountain, known in reality as A?r? Da?? and located in Turkiye, stands as a permanent reminder of a delusional political doctrine. A small, yet symbolic, development occurred recently: from November 1, the image of Mount Ararat will no longer appear on Armenian border checkpoint stamps. This step, though modest, signals an understanding that constitutional and symbolic reform is inevitable if Armenia truly seeks peaceful coexistence. Prime Minister Pashinyan himself seems aware of this reality. In a recent address, he urged Armenians to learn from history, saying: Our history tells us: do not repeat my mistakes. To prevent this, we must read, learn, and deeply understand our history. He framed this within the ideology of a Real Armenia and the vision of a Fourth Republic, suggesting a departure from the destructive nationalism that marked earlier eras. But slogans alone will not suffice. For any new republic to survive, it must be grounded in genuine peace and regional cooperation not in inherited hostility or imagined grandeur. If Yerevan truly wants to build a real Armenia, it must first abandon the illusions of the past. Otherwise, even the so-called fourth republic risks becoming the last. Historian to discuss Ellis murder ANDERSON At the Madison County Historical Society meeting Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m., County Historian Stephen Jackson will give a presentation on the murder of John Ellis. The meeting and Jacksons presentation, both open to the public and free of charge, will be at the Madison Count History Museum, 11th and Meridian streets. Insurance help offered at APL LAPEL The Anderson Public Library, 111 E. 12th St., will host certified Indiana Navigators from the Jane Pauley Community Health Center for presentations on Health Insurance Open Enrollment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presentations will guide attendees through the complexities of the Health Insurance Marketplace and answer questions before the enrollment period begins Nov. 1. The next session will take place Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Lapel Branch Library, 610 Main St. This program is free and open to the public. A library card is never required to visit or attend programs at the library. Information: andersonlibrary.net/events and 765-641-2456. Bus Style Trunk or Treat Oct. 30 ANDERSON Anderson Transits annual Trunk or Treat School Bus Style will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the D26 Career Center, 325 W. 38th St. School bus drivers and bus assistants will have treats for children at the event, hosted by Haydens Anderson Transit and Day Transportation. THURSDAY, Oct. 23 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: The Scioto County Commissioners will meet in regular session at 9:30 a.m., on the third floor of the Scioto County Courthouse, 602 Seventh St., Portsmouth. The commissioners meeting is also livestreamed on their Facebook page. FREE PLANETARIUM SHOW: A free show will be offered at 7 p.m. at the Clark Planetarium in the Advanced Technology Center on the campus of Shawnee State University. Free shows are offered on Mondays and Thursdays. Learn more about the planetariums shows at www.shawnee.edu/planetarium. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MONDAY, Oct 27 JACK-O-LANTERNS: A craft for Jack-o-lantern cork pumpkins will welcome guests to the Lucasville Library at 4 p.m. This event is ideal for teens between ages 13 and 18. The library is located at 103 State Route 728, Lucasville. FREE PLANETARIUM SHOW: A free show will be offered at 7 p.m. at the Clark Planetarium in the Advanced Technology Center on the campus of Shawnee State University. Free shows are offered on Mondays and Thursdays. Learn more about the planetariums shows at www.shawnee.edu/planetarium. TUESDAY, Oct. 28 HALLOWEEN BASH: The Pike County Sheriffs Office and the Community Action Committee of Pike County will hold the 32nd Annual Halloween Bash, from 58 p.m.at the Pike County Fairgrounds, 311 Mill Street, Piketon. The event will host trick-or-treat, costume contest, haunted house attraction and will have food and other festivities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BOARD OF HEALTH: The Portsmouth City Board of Health will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in the first-floor conference room at the Portsmouth City Health Department, located at 605 Washington Street. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: The Scioto County Commissioners will meet in regular session at 9:30 a.m., on the third floor of the Scioto County Courthouse, 602 Seventh St., Portsmouth. The commissioners meeting is also livestreamed on their Facebook page EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) Kristi Sabo and Larry Wilson with the Santa Stomp 5K joined WCIA 33 Taylor Mitchell in the studio to talk about their upcoming event. The Santa Stomp will take place in Teutopolis on Dec. 20 at 9 a.m. Participants have the option of running or walking the 5K, or a 1-mile Fun Run / Walk. There will also be a virtual 5K option. Community Spotlight: Monticellos Troop 490 hosts Trivia Night Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organizers said all of the money raised goes to the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight. The Land of Lincoln Honor Flight takes our veterans, free of charge, to Washington D.C. to see their memorials. It is a fantastic day for them, Sabo said. My sister and I took my father many years ago, and its the place we need to give our money to, to our veterans. Last year, about 880 people participated and $16,000 was raised. Sabo and Wilson said theyre hoping to raise even more this year. You can learn more about the event, including how to sign up, on the organizations 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 WCIA.com. Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian Children's Rights Commissioner, has boasted about how she "re-educated" her so-called adopted son Pylyp, a Ukrainian teenager abducted from Mariupol. According to Lvova-Belova, the boy "hated Russia and sang Ukrainian songs", but after living with her family "his mindset changed". Source: Lvova-Belova in an interview with Russian propagandists, excerpts of which were shared by journalist Denys Kazanskyi Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: In March 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Lvova-Belova for the deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. "They're still pushing their myth that we forcibly remove children, change their identity, and re-educate them in Russian patriotism. [Lvova-Belova's adoption of Pylyp] was one of the reasons for the arrest warrant. Because, according to them, I 'abducted' a Mariupol child and took him into my family such audacity on my part" she claimed. Lvova-Belova then described the boy's so-called rehabilitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the teenager "complicated the family atmosphere" after suffering post-traumatic stress from the bombardments in Mariupol and had "a special attitude toward Russia" supposedly taught in Ukrainian schools. "He always told me: 'I love you, you're my mother. But everything else Moscow, Russia annoys me.' He was constantly having fits," the Russian ombudswoman said. She claimed she overcame this behaviour "with love". "He kept visiting pro-Ukrainian websites, reading all that propaganda, even while living with my family. When I saw that, I told him: 'You're already in Russia; it's time to change your attitude'," Lvova-Belova said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Lvova-Belova, Pylyp used to say he loved Ukraine and sang Ukrainian songs, but "his consciousness gradually began to change" and he supposedly moved away from "Ukrainian propaganda". She insists the boy now does not want to return to Ukraine, occasionally visiting Mariupol but quickly returning to Moscow. Background: In August 2022, Lvova-Belova announced she had become the foster mother of a teenager taken from Ukraine. He and about 30 other Mariupol children had been transported to a sanatorium in Moscow Oblast. In 2023, she said that when Pylyp first joined her family, he would chase her younger children shouting, "I'll eat you, little Moskal," but later "fell in love" with her and started calling her "mum". According to the Skhemy investigative project, before Russia's full-scale invasion, the boy lived with his late mother's former husband and his new wife. His biological mother died in 2017. This year, Pylyp turned 18. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! (The Center Square) Colorado U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans is leading the charge for a new bill in the U.S. House to combat the growing fentanyl crisis throughout the country. While Evans is a Republican, he co-sponsored the Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act with U.S. Rep. Adam Gray, D-California. If passed, the bipartisan bill would establish new taxpayer-funded grant programs designed to assist state and local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This legislation will help to educate families, while giving our law enforcement the tools and critical resources they need to combat this and keep Coloradans safe, Evans said. Everyone deserves to live in a community free from the threat of fentanyl poisonings. Over the past few years, there has been a steep increase in the number of fentanyl deaths in Colorado. In 2019, there were 222 fentanyl-related deaths. In 2023, there were 1,097. That is a nearly 400% increase in just four years. This is according to a June report from the Common Sense Institute of Colorado, which also found that fentanyl accounted for 68% of all drug overdose deaths in 2023. That is a 25.7% increase from 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many organizations, both in Colorado and nationally, have endorsed the legislation. Those include the County Sheriffs of Colorado, the Colorado Police Protective Association, Victims Of Illicit Drugs and the National Association of Police Organizations. The spread of fentanyl in our communities is devastating, said Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations. The Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act focuses on the deadly impact this poison has on our nations youth by providing resources to law enforcement, schools, families, and victims to combat and deter sales of fentanyl on social media and to educate communities on the dangers of this illicit drug. Johnson added that fentanyl dealers are directly targeting Americas youth, pointing out that 75% of teen overdose deaths are now linked to fentanyl. The bill hopes to help provide additional education to youth and better equip law enforcement by funding the following grant programs: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $10 million for state and local law enforcement to track down and arrest fentanyl dealers who target youth online and to provide training to schools, clinicians and the public on prevention. $3 million for nonprofits focused on youth education, to help Narcan, etc. $2 million for state and local law enforcement to equip officers Narcan and other protective gear This bill would not require additional funding, but would instead use funding already distributed to the Department of Justice. In 2022, Colorado state legislators implemented stricter penalties for fentanyl possession and distribution, but many argue more needs to be done. Especially as, in 2023 alone, 425.6 kilograms of fentanyl was confiscated in the state. Thats enough to kill every Coloradan 36 times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Families across our state have suffered from the devastating impacts of fentanyl and this legislation is a critical step forward, the County Sheriffs of Colorado said in its endorsement of the bill. This will not only help to educate Coloradans, but give our law enforcement the necessary tools, training and further resources to respond to and combat this drug in our communities. Currently, only six members of the U.S. House have joined as cosponsors on the legislation. It is currently awaiting consideration in the House Judiciary Committee, where it was first referred on Sept. 26. (WHTM) Midstate Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry will host a tele-town hall this week. According to Congressman Perry, the town hall is set to take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Republican Congressman represents Pennsylvanias 10th District, which includes all of Dauphin County and parts of York and Cumberland Counties. He announced on Facebook that the event will cover a wide range of topics, including the shutdown, healthcare, tariffs, taxes, border security, and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interested participants can register for the event 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 ABC27. The governor of Utah has a problem. The Great Salt Lake is shrinking, and a dry lakebed threatens to send arsenic-laced dust plumes across the states most populated areas. Gov. Spencer Cox has risen to national prominence in the wake of Charlie Kirks horrific slaying at Utah Valley University last month by calling on Americans to tone down toxic rhetoric. But a more literal form of toxicity will envelop Utah if Cox fails to lead urgent lake-saving efforts. Faced with divided constituents and an imperiled ecosystem, Cox can enhance both the civic and physical health of his state by focusing his policy agenda around substantive issues like the lake Utahs most pressing problem instead of hot-button culture wars. Children are particularly vulnerable to the dust, and with so many young lungs breathing northern Utahs air, there is no time to waste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor recently took an important step. Flanked by members of Utahs Republican-dominated Legislature, Cox held a news conference along the shores last month where he announced a public-private partnership committed to restoring the waters to healthy levels before the 2034 Winter Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Salt Lake City. Many Utahns celebrated the announcement as the most substantial commitment state leaders have ever made to restore the lake. But many others remained cautious in their optimism, wondering whether this was a photo op or a true watershed moment. Their skepticism is warranted. Coxs tone and urgency surrounding this issue have fluctuated. In late 2022, the lake once North Americas largest saline body of water dropped to its lowest level on record due to a century of overuse. Farmland and residential lawns soak up two-thirds of the water that would otherwise flow to the lake. The ecosystem teetered dangerously close to complete collapse. On my watch we are not allowing the lake to go dry, Cox declared that winter. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that doesnt happen. The state took several minor but important steps, appointing a Great Salt Lake Commissioner, modernizing water rights to incentivize conservation and launching hundreds of agricultural optimization projects designed to help farmers like Cox himself grow crops with less water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite these steps, the lake still would have floundered without Mother Natures largesse. Two consecutive winters of record snowfall brought it back from the brink. But as water levels rose, urgency declined for Cox and fellow lawmakers as they failed to enact swift and lasting measures to reduce water consumption. Perhaps influenced by anti-environmentalist sentiments in his party, Cox even began chiding scientists for spewing doom and gloom. But scientists continued to study the harmful effects of dust clouds emanating from parcels of parched lakebed. The toxins in the dust have been linked to respiratory illnesses, heart disease, reproductive dysfunction and cognitive impairment. Saline lakes account for nearly half of total lake water volume on Earth. But across the globe, these once-vast inland seas are shrinking, and some have disappeared altogether. In each case, human agricultural consumption has primarily caused the decline. Without water to cover these lakebeds, naturally occurring toxins like arsenic, and human-caused pollutants accumulated through generations of mining, agriculture and urban runoff are carried by the breeze to the lungs of regional residents. Southern California has seen this up close. Owens Lake in Inyo County disappeared in the 1920s thanks to upstream diversions that went to Los Angeles and nearby farmland. The dry lakebed eventually became the largest human-caused source of dangerous particulate matter pollution in the nation, forcing many nearby residents to move. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state of California has spent more than $2.5 billion on dust abatement, adding gravel and other materials to the dry lakebed to mitigate the spread of pollutants. But Owens Lake was relatively small to begin with. These expensive band-aid measures are far less feasible at scale. The Salton Sea, Californias largest saline lake, is also experiencing rapid decline, leading to exposed lakebed and fugitive dust events just 150 miles southeast of L.A. The consequences are already dire for surrounding communities. Children living near the Salton Sea are experiencing worse lung function due to their exposure to dust events, according to a three-year study published this month by researchers at UC Irvine. The Great Salt Lake, more than five times larger than the Salton Sea, has a far more densely populated perimeter, with more than 80% of Utahns living along the Wasatch Mountain Range adjacent to the shore. These mountains received less snowfall last winter than the previous two years, and lake elevation is again spiraling toward 2022 levels. More than half the lakebed an area roughly the size of Rhode Island remains exposed. No imperiled saline lake anywhere in the world has been rescued. Cox is confident Utah will be the first to succeed. For that to happen, theres no time to accuse scientists of doom and gloom. Theres only time to act, especially as the health of Utahns hangs in the balance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor impressed people around the country with his earnest pleas for unity after Kirks killing. But Cox can do more than call for friendlier politics. He can rally Utahns around a common aim: clean air. Unified efforts to achieve that aim will not only result in stronger lungs but a healthier polity as well. The news conference was a good step, but this time Utah needs Coxs consistent commitment to curb the states agricultural and urban outdoor water use so that the lake remains replenished even in years of drought. His leadership will ultimately be measured in water, not words. Last winter I visited Guadalupe Center, an elementary school not far from the lakes retreating shoreline. I asked a group of fourth-graders what they knew about the Great Salt Lake. Its drying up, one said, and the dust is really bad for you. We briefly discussed the causes and consequences of a dry lakebed, but rather than depress them with scenes of toxic clouds descending on their playground, I changed the subject to the migratory birds that fill up on brine flies at the lake before taking off to Central and South America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the students interrupted: But wait, she said, people are fixing the dust thing, right? Coxs governorship will be a success only if he leads out on the worlds first successful effort to rescue an imperiled saline lake, helping Utahs kids to breathe easy. Addison Graham lives in Salt Lake City, where he studies public policy at the University of Utah. If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. JACKSONVILLE, Texas (KETK) The Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District (NTVGCD) has voted to suspend 40 controversial permit applications for high-capacity water wells in Anderson County. East Texas officials express opposition to new high-capacity wells A member of the districts board confirmed to KETK News that the NTVGCD board met in Jacksonville on Thursday and unanimously voted to suspend their consideration of 40 permit applications that were filed with their board by Pine Bliss LLC and Red Town Ranch Holdings LLC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The applications sparked controversy earlier this year when numerous East Texas public officials began to speak out against the proposed wells and their potential impact on the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer, which supplies water for much of Anderson and Houston counties. The applications are suspended until studies can be done to determine what impact these wells could have on the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. East Texas State Senator Robert Nichols and State Representative Cody Harris attended the meeting on Thursday. According to Harris, the board also voted to accept a settlement offer from Sanderson Farms, a poultry company, whos suing the district to invalidate their April vote for the permit applications. Thursdays Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District board meeting in Jacksonville brought some great news for East Texas. I joined local leaders and water experts at First Methodist Church as the board voted unanimously to accept the Sanderson Farms settlement offerinvalidating their April vote on the Pine Bliss and Red Town Ranch application and halting any further drilling until the three aquifer studies are complete, Harris said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanderson Farms among East Texas businesses to file lawsuit over water dispute The lawsuit was filled on behalf of the many farmers in the area, who rely on groundwater to feed their crops and livestock, and would be impacted if nearby wells lower the amount of water in the aquifer. I appreciated the opportunity to speak to the board and encourage them to continue preserving our aquifers and protecting East Texas water, Harris said. I assured them that we have their backs and will keep working alongside them until we secure long-term solutions and meaningful reform to the Rule of Capture. Photo courtesy of State Rep. Cody Harris. Photo courtesy of State Rep. Cody Harris. Photo courtesy of State Rep. Cody Harris. City of Crockett City Administrator John Angerstein was one of the first to speak out against the wells because of the strain he believed they could put on Crocketts water supply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This volume of water is staggering. Using the City of Crocketts per capita water usage, it is equivalent for a population of 338,000 or 52 times the City of Crockett. Yet, none of this water is designated for our communities, Angerstein said on May 31. It is likely intended to support unchecked development and sprawl in other parts of Texas, presumably in the DFW metroplex or Hill Country, areas that have failed to plan responsibly for their own water needs. Texas Rep. Harris backs $1B fund in Proposition 4 to protect East Texas water Angerstein also alleged that Redtown Ranch Holdings LLC and Pine Bliss LLC are tied to the environmental sustainability private equity firm Conservation Equity Management Partners, which is run by the Dallas businessman Kyle Bass, who is a founder and the CEO of the firm. Friends of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge board president Michael Banks DDS welcomed the suspension of the permit applications in a statement released to KETK News on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are growing Texas regional conflicts among those who want water (not need) and those who have water. Previous studies have shown that the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer does not have groundwater sustainable yield to allow the Bass high-capacity drill permits without having irreparable harm to East Texas, Banks said. Groundwater sustainable yield refers to the maximum rate at which groundwater can be withdrawn from an aquifer over a long-term without causing unacceptable environmental, economic, or social consequences. It is a cornerstone concept in water resource management, aiming to balance human water needs with ecological preservation. Banks went on to call out CEO Kyle Bass specifically for the damage he thinks the wells could do Bass own land and the land of his neighbors in East Texas. Kyle Bass would allow unacceptable consequences to happen even to his own land in Cherokee and Henderson Counties, Banks said. He emphasizes his topical improvements to his land but ignores the harm that would be done with his for-profit removal of groundwater from the aquifer under his land. This is hypocrisy at its finest. We must not rest this is only an interlude in the battle to protect rural East Texas. KETK News reached out to Kyle Bass and Conservation Equity Management for a statement on Monday. 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. CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) A convicted murderer who was housed in the State Correctional Institute in Houtzdale was found unresponsive in his cell Monday afternoon. Inmate Merritt Dudas, 36, was found Oct. 20, according to Superintendent David Close. Staff responded with life-saving measures until emergency medical personnel arrived. Dudas was pronounced dead at 3:21 p.m. Dudas was serving a 21-to 42-year sentence for third-degree murder out of Chester County. He has been at SCI Houtzdale since Dec. 20, 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to CBS, Dudas was charged in 2013 in the shooting death of 21-year-old Drew Ferguson. It was reported that Dudas shot and killed the long-time acquaintance after an argument, then proceeded to stuff the body in a sleeping bag and a tarp before covering it with debris in an attempt to conceal Fergusons body. Stay up to date with the latest news in the palm of your hand. Click here to download the WTAJ app for Apple and Android devices. Dudas cause of death is unknown at this time. Pennsylvania State Police, along with the Clearfield County Coroners office, 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 WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. A serial harasser of women who was sentenced in 2023 to five and a half years in jail and prison for following, grabbing, groping and chasing his victims has apparently been released - and was seen approaching several women in San Francisco on Monday. From about 2 to 3 p.m., a Chronicle reporter observed Bill Gene Hobbs, 37, approaching women in Dolores Park as well as areas of the Castro and Duboce Triangle - sliding up next to them on the grass or at cafe tables or crossing the street to talk to them. At other times, he sat on the street curb, yelling indecipherably. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It wasn't immediately clear when Hobbs was released, or whether his behavior might violate the terms of his sentence, handed down after a jury trial in which at least a dozen women testified to being surprised, grabbed or groped by him while they were walking or running alone in the city. State corrections officials said Monday they weren't able to provide information about Hobbs right away. The San Francisco Sheriff's Office said it was unable to comment, noting only that Hobbs was not in local custody. The District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Hobbs, didn't respond to an inquiry. It was unclear if the women approached Monday reported the incidents. The police department said that if any reports were made, they were not immediately available. Law enforcement agencies in San Francisco seemed to ignore Hobbs until the Chronicle began writing about him and how a host of women had come forward to file police reports about their encounters with him. Standing 6-foot-4 with buzzed hair, Hobbs also sported distinctive tattoos, including the letters "E-V-I-L" written across his fingers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June 2023, Hobbs was sentenced to two and half years in county jail for eight misdemeanors, as well as three years in state prison for felony false imprisonment for picking up and carrying a woman down the street as she walked her dog. Most people convicted of crimes in California serve 50% of their sentences behind bars. Hobbs was also ordered to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 10 years. Hobbs was not listed as a sex offender on the state's public Megan's Law website as of Monday evening. On Monday, Hobbs was spotted by a female journalist just before 1 p.m. at the corner of 17th and Church streets, facing Dolores Park. As she and another female journalist visited the area for an unrelated story, Hobbs approached them and yelled at them, one of the women said. She spoke to the Chronicle on the condition of anonymity, saying she feared for her safety. Bill Gene Hobbs in San Francisco on Monday (S.F. Chronicle) About an hour later, Hobbs sat shirtless on grass in Dolores Park, tattoos covering his chest. As a woman wearing headphones sat down on the grass not far from him, Hobbs jumped up from his spot and moved over to sit beside her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman, a 33-year-old nurse who also spoke to the Chronicle on the condition of anonymity, said she could not hear what Hobbs was saying. Though she didn't recognize him as the man convicted of crimes including battery, sexual battery and assault, she immediately sensed she should leave, she told the Chronicle in a phone interview later in the afternoon. Many of the women who testified during Hobbs' trial said he commented on their appearances, touched them, stared at them after they broke free of his grasp or tried to kiss them. Many of the incidents took place in the Marina. Deputy Public Defender Max Breecker, Hobbs' attorney, argued during Hobbs' trial that the women had misidentified Hobbs, despite many of them describing his tattoos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Breecker told the jury that many of the women had only come forward after reading reports of similar encounters on social media or in "inflammatory" news reports, including in the Chronicle. But he asked the judge to encourage Hobbs to seek mental health treatment and take medication, a sentiment Hobbs angrily rebuked in court. On Monday, Breecker told the Chronicle he had not kept in contact with Hobbs and knew nothing about his whereabouts. After sitting in Dolores Park, Hobbs walked down Church Street, eventually crossing Market Street and heading into Duboce Triangle, where he periodically sat down on the curb and yelled out. Entering a cafe on Fillmore Street, Hobbs ordered a drink, then sat across from a woman at a small outside table. He spoke feverishly about drug addicts, people following other people and "culture" in San Francisco. Eventually, he got up and disappeared up Fillmore Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Hobbs' trial in 2023, he faced six criminal cases in San Francisco dating back to 2017. Each one had been dismissed by judges. In one case in December 2020, he allegedly followed and grabbed a teenager who was walking in West Portal, refusing to let go of the child and telling the teen they were "perfect mates." The teenager hid in a bookstore and called 911, prompting Hobbs' arrest. Superior Court Judge Russell Roeca later dismissed charges of child molestation and battery against Hobbs in that case, and threw out a restraining order that ordered Hobbs to stay away from the teen. Around that same time, other women came forward, including one who said that Hobbs, while naked, had chased her through Glen Canyon. This article originally published at Convicted serial harasser is back in S.F. after prison stint - and again approaching women. Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway says changes are needed at the federal level to address problems at a troubled senior subsidized housing building in Penn North, the site of three recent mass overdose events. Conway, who launched his Congressional campaign in Penn North last week, visited the Penn North Plaza apartments on Tuesday, saying he witnessed pest infestations, safety concerns outside the building and problems with basic maintenance and sanitation. His visit follows reporting by The Baltimore Sun this summer about the buildings lack of a rental license, numerous housing citations and concerns from residents about their quality of life and drug activity around the building. Residents are having a tough time, Conway said, adding that the buildings management doesnt have the support or funding it needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its going to require potentially some significant changes at the federal level to make sure that theres funding and otherwise to address some of the housing issues, and I really do look forward to tackling that in the future, Conway said. The building falls directly under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program, which covers around 70% of residents rent. HUD didnt respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. A spokesperson told The Baltimore Sun in August that HUD requires the owner to comply with all local code and was reviewing concerns about the building with the owner and management agent. A building manager declined to comment for the story and referred The Sun to the buildings management company, Pratum Companies, which previously told The Sun theyve been working to address security and maintenance issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conway noted that the city has tried to hold the buildings owners accountable for the problems. The mayor and City Council sued the buildings owners this past summer, in an effort to compel them to address the citations. One Penn North Plaza resident who has lived there for several years, Daki Napata, told The Sun he has never seen elected officials at the building. Conways spokesperson Luca Amayo told The Sun they were invited into the building by a resident. Councilman James Torrence, who represents the area, told The Sun this summer that his staff have been trying to enter the building for two years, but werent allowed past the lobby. Last week, Torrence labeled Conway a grifter and accused him of of exploiting the Penn North communitys pain for a campaign moment. Crime in Penn North Just across the street from Penn North Plaza, the manager at Jas Beauty Mart on the corner of Pennsylvania and North avenues, remarked on his empty store on Tuesday afternoon, saying people are scared to come in because of crime in the surrounding area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People are selling drugs out there, said Armand, pointing toward the store window. He said people stand outside and falsely claim theyre waiting for the bus. Armand, who declined to give his last name for safety reasons, said people try to steal from his store every day. By the time I call the police, theyve gone already, he said. So theres nothing to do. Armand said he hasnt seen much improvement in the area since the mass overdoses that occurred in recent months in Penn North. He said his store has been open 10 years and if things dont change, he probably cant keep his store open for more than two years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conway greeted Armand as he entered the store. I think we need people like him, people who will come and see and give a solution, Armand told The Sun. Politicians dont know whats going on. Have a news tip? Contact Brooke Conrad at bconrad@baltsun.com or 443-682-2356. Three police officers in Fairhope, Alabama, took down and arrested a 61-year-old woman at the local No Kings protest for wearing a giant penis costume. In a statement posted on Facebook on Monday, Fairhope police said they responded to a complaint Saturday about the penis costume, stating that they observed an individual in a phallic costume near the Baldwin Square Shopping Center. They approached Jeana Renea Gamble and told her to take the costume off because it was deemed obscene in a public setting. When she refused, she was tackled to the ground and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A video of the arrest posted on Bluesky captures bystanders yelling at police that she posed no threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indivisible Baldwin County, which was involved in organizing the local No Kings protest, condemned Gambles arrest. Ms. Gamble was peacefully expressing her point of view on Saturday. Her violent arrest for expressing herself in ways the police found rude is indefensible, morally and legally, they said in a statement. Public officials must take seriously their duty to uphold the First Amendment. Their complete failure to do so in this situation runs against the free expression values that created the city of Fairhope and against the liberty guarantees enshrined in Alabama law and the United States Constitution. Gamble is scheduled to appear in court on November 5. Jersey City police officers shot and killed a man early Tuesday morning after he opened fire on them, the citys mayor said. Neither the officers nor the suspect have been publicly identified, and only Mayor Steven Fulop has released a public statement on the incident. The incident began around 1 a.m., when officers on patrol noticed a man acting suspiciously and a bulge in his clothing consistent with a possible firearm, Fulop wrote on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the cops approached him, the man pulled a gun and fired one bullet, the mayor said. An officer returned fire, mortally wounding the suspect. No Jersey City police officers were wounded in the incident, Fulop said. The suspect was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Cops said they recovered the mans gun from the scene. The New Jersey Attorney Generals office will lead the investigation, as it does for all shootings involving police in the state. The office has not yet commented on the case. Tuesday mornings incident was the second time police in North Jersey have exchanged gunfire with a suspect in the past month. On Sept. 24 in Irvington, three officers were wounded in a shootout at a motel, authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All three officers were expected to recover from their injuries, and authorities did not release their names or publicly identify the suspect in that incident. About two weeks later in Trenton, a city police officer was shot in the leg while walking past police headquarters around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 4, cops said. No suspects have been named in that incident either. The officer was expected to make a full recovery. INDIANA, Pa. (WTAJ) A man and woman were killed Monday afternoon after being hit by a bus while crossing the street, Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman confirmed. Christina Marie Perez, 39, and Ronald Lynn Mabon, 68, were at the intersection of Philadelphia Street and 7th Street in Indiana Borough Oct. 20, when they entered the crosswalk around 2 p.m. According to Overman, both were hit by an IndiGO public transportation bus that was making a left turn from 7th Street onto Philadelphia Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perez was pronounced dead at the scene, while Mabon succumbed to his injuries at the emergency room. Indiana Borough Police said in a release posted to Facebook that theyre currently investigating all aspects of the crash, including the traffic signals and right-of-ways. They added that the investigation will involve several partners to recreate the scene and determine what exactly happened on Monday 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 WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. When Edward LaRose received a call from his daughter's school saying she had expressed thoughts of harming herself, he didn't panic - but he did pay close attention. He believed she wasn't in immediate danger, but rather struggling to articulate the complex emotions she had been experiencing. Those moments, while serious, are less about intent and more about expression, he said. Still, they can't be ignored. The school gave his family two options: the emergency room or Wellmore Behavioral Health Urgent Crisis Center in Waterbury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She was really just overwhelmed, and we didn't want to do something so heavy-handed," LaRose said. "We wanted to seek support in an environment where she would feel heard, seen and validated." The father-daughter duo arrived at the crisis center by ambulance, and LaRose said he knew immediately they had made the right decision. Staff were waiting at the entrance, calmly guiding them through triage and an assessment. The staff didn't rush. Instead, LaRose's daughter was asked what she was feeling and what she needed. By the end of the visit, LaRose said, he could see that she was breathing easier and was empowered with tools to help her cope when those overwhelming emotions resurfaced. "They were very conscientious of the state she was in, and they did nothing to add to it," he said. "Everything they did was directed toward helping her calm down." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Connecticut has opened three community-based walk-in urgent crisis centers in Hartford, New London and Waterbury licensed by the state Department of Children and Families since 2022. Yale New Haven Health also operates an urgent crisis center for youths, but through a hospital-based model with its own funding model. Designed as an alternative to the emergency room, the centers welcome children and teens under 18 experiencing mental health challenges such as suicidal thoughts, self-harm, anxiety, depression or out-of-control behavior. Words of encouragement on a board at the Wellmore Behavioral Health Urgent Crisis Center in Waterbury. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) During a time where mental health needs and acuity continue to rise, these centers aim to provide immediate access to care in a setting that feels welcoming rather than clinical. More than 2,460 children and their families have used the centers so far, according to the most recent annual report on the centers. About 89% showed improvement during their visit, and 98% were discharged home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the centers have earned praise from families and lawmakers, center leaders are worried about the fiscal future as their federal start-up funds dry up and service reimbursement rates remain insufficient to sustain the operations. Inside the centers Walking into the urgent crisis centers doesn't feel like a medical center. A friendly receptionist greets each person through the door. The walls are lined with inspirational quotes and affirmations - subtle messages of hope that magically appear each time you glance around the room. "We are couches and conversations," said Dr. Taby Ali, associate medical director at Wellmore. When families come in for crisis care, Ali said, they meet with a team of professionals - clinicians, nurses, psychiatrists and family navigators - to provide wraparound services with multiple touchpoints that families can access during and after their visit. Staff can help address early concerns, like shifts in behavior and increased isolation, and answer worried parents' questions. Taby Ali, associate medical director at Wellmore Behavioral Health Urgent Crisis Center in Waterbury, speaks in a triage room during a tour of the center in September. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) From left, Orquidea Rivera, RN, and Dave Morin, a crisis clinician, at the Wellmore Behavioral Health Urgent Crisis Center in Waterbury. Rivera says providing families in crisis with comprehensive support is making a difference. "It's rewarding to watch a child come in here in crisis and not willing to talk to anybody ... for us to be able to respond to that crisis and watch them walk away a totally different person," she said. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) "This is the hardest day for a family or for a kid," Ali said. "You just want to be in a space that you feel safe and comfortable because you're telling something that's really hard to share, and we really honor that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That collaborative model proved transformative for LaRose's daughter, who had been struggling with stress tied to gender dysphoria, a disconnect between her assigned sex at birth and her gender identity. Initially tense and withdrawn, she eventually began opening up after Wellmore staff gave her space, LaRose said. The staff also met with him separately to help coordinate a long-term support plan. "The fact that they took the time to talk to me about it and to validate the experience that I was also having as a father ... it made me feel like we were in a place that was concerned about my daughter, about my family, about the community at large." A therapy room at the Wellmore Behavioral Health Urgent Crisis Center in Waterbury. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) Positive notes written by family members who have visited the Wellmore Behavioral Health Urgent Crisis Center in Waterbury. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) Rising costs, limited funding Urgent crisis centers have also been a lifeline for Maureen Higgins of Niantic, who has fostered more than 25 children since 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dealing with complex trauma and chronic health conditions that some of the children bring, she has leaned on mental health therapists and mobile crisis teams for support. Still, some situations have required a higher level of care than those services could offer. Her first visit to the urgent crisis center run by the Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut was with a foster child struggling after leaving a violent household. Although the child was at school every day, Higgins said the 12-year-old would spend most of the time out of the classroom because of outbursts. Housed in a restored historic whaling captain's home in New London, CFA's urgent crisis center didn't feel clinical to Higgins. She walked into a surprisingly calming atmosphere - soft music, warm-toned walls, tea and water while waiting for the next available clinician. Higgins recalled how staff even handed the 12-year-old a fleece blanket so she could "wrap up like a burrito." The Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut in New London. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) Higgins said it felt less like a medical crisis and more like a trip to a spa. The staff gathered detailed history, met with them multiple times in one week, and provided consistency she hadn't seen elsewhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You can't change the trauma children have been exposed to, but you can help them get better coping skills and feel supported," Higgins said. The CFA's crisis center is in a well-known mental health service shortage area, said Jason Shirley, director of outpatient mental health services. The challenges of the location highlight the importance of the center staying open. Program coordinator Ashley Challinor stands in the triage room during a tour of the Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut in New London in September. One of the staff's challenges is finding the right level of inpatient care for children who can't be discharged from the center safely. Currently, the only path to inpatient admission is through an emergency room, which Challinor says defeats the purpose of the urgent crisis center. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) The urgent crisis centers were launched with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars in 2022. That money expired in 2024. Although lawmakers did provide a Medicaid boost and allocated $2 million for the state's three centers, staff say that amount is not enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Despite all of our collective efforts and the fact that utilization is going up, we're not at a place yet where we can survive as a purely fee-for-service model," said Lisa Otto, CEO of the Child & Family Agency. "In the absence of blended funding and adequate grant funding to balance the third-party reimbursement, our center wouldn't survive." Funding insecurities are occurring as nonprofits everywhere collectively hold their breath and wait for more answers at the federal level, particularly regarding changes to Medicaid and other federal programs. "Our fear is that as some of the safety net programs are reduced ... all of the families that we see that are barely making ends meet now ... they are in incredible stress already. That's only going to get worse," Otto said A treatment room at the Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut in New London. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media) Collaborative care Whenever Lisa Paradis' daughter needs extra emotional support, she asks her moms to bring her to The Village for Families & Children's urgent crisis center in Hartford. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Originally from Georgia, Paradis said she and her wife adopted four children from the foster care system before moving to West Hartford. Their 11-year-old, who is autistic and has a trauma history, would experience violent outbursts that left the family with few options. One "uncontrollable" day, knowing they didn't want to go to the ER and the mobile crisis would take hours, the family decided to try the crisis center, first learning about it through their daughter's counselor. The experience was immediately different, she said, as the staff calmed her daughter down, and left the family with referrals for specialty follow-up care and other tools. Paradis said her daughter became a regular at the center, visiting several times a week. "They've been our safety net, our safe haven," Paradis said. "They know my daughter by name. 'Here she comes. How's my girl?' They will deal with her whether she's in the midst of an explosive crisis and being super violent, and they will also deal with her when she comes in and is as cool as a cucumber." Paradis said."She's doing that more often now, because she knows the people, she knows what's going to happen." Artwork on the walls at The Village for Families & Children's urgent crisis center in Hartford. (Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media) The "secret sauce" behind the success of the crisis center structure is the interdisciplinary team, said Amy Samela, vice president of residential programs at The Village. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Samela said collaboration starts the moment the team receives word that a child is on their way to the center. Staff members are in constant communication, sharing information, brainstorming strategies, and identifying resources tailored to each family's specific needs. When referrals fall through or appointments aren't secured, the team develops new follow-up plans. Amy Samela, vice president of residential programs at The Village for Families & Children, shows the first room where a child in need of mental health care is seen in at The Village's urgent crisis center. (Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media) Hanging out in the staff lounge, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Ashley Sanchez-Ramos said, "Mental health is interdisciplinary by nature," and it's helpful that the model was built with that in mind. "We're thinking with one brain throughout the day about the cases, because we're constantly conversing and discussing them." From left, Dr. Ashley Sanchez-Ramos, Ava Lockhart, RN, and Sarah Welch, RN, work on cases at The Village for Families & Children's urgent crisis center in Hartford. (Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media) Families moving forward All three families said their children have improved because of the care and the relationships built at their individual urgent crisis centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LaRose said his daughter, who is 17, is "starting to really find herself" as she grows into what he describes as an intelligent, passionate and empathetic woman. Although she still struggles with her mental health, he said she's better equipped to handle her negative emotions. He said the time at Wellmore also strengthened their father-daughter relationship. "She's got the trust that she can talk to me about what she's going through," he said. "The strategies that we came away with, we've been using in the home." Artwork on the walls at The Village for Families & Children's urgent crisis center in Hartford. (Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media) Although the school year has just started, Higgins said her foster child hasn't had a single call to 211 so far, crediting the conversations and tools learned at the urgent crisis center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think it's really helped her just feel like it was all connected, and people were working with and for her," Higgins said. "It's helped her so that she is now able to manage her emotions better She still might get down on herself sometimes, but it's not debilitating like it was before." The Paradis family still goes to the crisis center, but much less frequently. Paradis said the staff has given her family "more tools in our bucket" to address an outburst, like massages and breathing techniques. They know they can also always turn to the center for help. "She knows it's safe for her, and she knows that when she needs it, she can access it," Paradis said. "That's huge." A room where urgent crisis care is provided at The Village for Families & Children in Hartford. (Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media) This article originally published at 'Couches and conversations:' How urgent crisis centers are helping address rising mental health struggles. Just like your housecat has its own mind about whether you own it, Tennessee doesnt exactly "have" cougars. Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, were once abundant across Tennessee and much of North America before European settlers arrived, hunting or displacing many large animals: deer, turkeys, buffalo and mountain lions among them. While deer and turkeys have since rebounded, cougars and buffalo have not reestablished themselves in the region, said Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency species support biologist Joy Sweaney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We really just have one," Sweaney said. One solitary male cougar crossed in and out of Tennessee from 2015 to 2016 often enough for experts to clock 10 confirmed sightings. Like a tabby lingering at the threshold, his path wavered in and out of the state, never quite settling. Because Tennessee law protects all animals for which no hunting season is proclaimed, cougars are protected in Tennessee. Evidence of the cat was collected mostly from deer hunters' game cameras. Its path began in northwestern Tennessee and drifted south over the course of a year. The males last known location was Perry County, west of Nashville. This wasnt a casual stroll. It was what biologists call a "transient male," a wild wanderer looking for a place to call his own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Because populations of cougars out west of the Mississippi River are doing well, they have huge home ranges," Sweaney said. "And so the way their kind of social construct goes is the males go on kind of a quest to find their own home turf." Some have been documented traveling from as far as South Dakota to Connecticut, she said. The reason they dont put down roots? Theyre searching for the sweet spot female cougars without any male competition nearby. So far, Tennessee isnt that place. But since western cougar populations are healthy and expanding eastward, experts said its a matter of when, not if, the Volunteer State sees another transient cougar. For now, sightings are so rare that seeing one would be a miracle, Sweaney said. Even in states where cougars breed, such as Colorado or California, human conflict with the animals is rarer than being struck by lightning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are secretive and very good at staying hidden, she said. The Tenn. Wildlife Resources Agency confirmed a cougar sighting on Sept. 20, 2015, in Obion County, Tennessee, through this partial photo captured by a hunter's camera. More: How to identify a brown recluse? Spotting and treating bites from 'fiddleback' spider Bobcats thriving in Tennessee Bobcats, however, are another story. Theyre abundant across Tennessee, where they mostly prey on rabbits, squirrels, birds and other smaller animals. A Tennessee bobcat documented by the state Wildlife Resources Agency. Cougars are larger and longer than bobcats, and they have longer tails. In suburban or urban areas, some have even lost their fear of humans after repeated nonthreatening encounters. "Its not because they suddenly appeared, they were there all along," Sweaney said. "They just started to lose their wariness." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Large predators have an inherent caution toward humans. It takes repeated positive or neutral encounters for that fear to fade, which is why eliminating temptation is the best way to keep them at bay. That means removing deer feeders and other attractants that draw wildlife too close for comfort. "You dont want that ecosystem right at your front door," Sweaney said. And if you do spot one, dont panic. Like your cat, its just passing through, and it was never really yours to begin with. Mackensy Lunsford is the senior dining reporter for The Tennessean. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Are there cougars in TN? What to know about the big cats BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Longtime Baton Rouge pizza restaurant Fleur de Lis Pizza teases a spring 2026 opening on its Instagram account. The over-70-year-old restaurant located on Government Street in Mid City closed suddenly in July 2022. It was sold for $1.1 million over the summer after it was initially listed for $4.5 million in March 2023. People can expect to see the signature Roman pizza pie on the menu again. Owners are asking residents through the Instagram account what they would like to see preserved ahead of reopening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fleur de Lis Pizza, located at 5655 Government St., originally opened in 1946. Craving a slice? Check out these unique pizza places in Baton Rouge 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. This story was produced as part of a partnership with NOTUS and the nonprofit, nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute. Voters in Maine will recognize the surnames of some of the candidates running to replace term-limited Gov. Janet Mills next year: Pingree, King and Bush. Those are last names long associated with politics, but theres a twist. These arent the candidates most people may think of. They are those candidates relatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, Angus King III and Jonathan Bush the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree, son of Sen. Angus King, and cousin of former President George W. Bush, respectively have all launched gubernatorial campaigns, promising to be new voices for their respective parties. The political bug can bite several members of one family, regardless of party or office. It can jump across states and sometimes skip a generation. But political dynasties have long been a part of the American political tradition. And the eponymous pols love to see it. She has a lot of experience and is very hard working, and is a true public servant in her own right, really very separate from her mother, Rep. Chellie Pingree told NOTUS of her daughter, who served in the state legislature from 2002 to 2010. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think people are going to be looking for whos able to fight back, who has the experience to deal with some of these very complicated issues, like cuts to Medicaid, cuts to SNAP, just overall budgeting challenges, the lawmaker continued. And thats one place where I think Hannah has a lot of experience as a legislator. Surely with little bias, Sen. Angus King supported his son entering the Maine governors race. Hes a wonderful guy. Hes a native born Mainer. He knows the issues. I think he has great management experience, and hed be an excellent governor, the senator told NOTUS. Next door in New Hampshire, Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, is running for Congress. In Indiana, Beau Bayh, son of former Gov. and Sen. Evan Bayh, is running for secretary of state. And somewhere on Capitol Hill is Arizona Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, waiting for Republicans to swear her into the House, where she is set to replace her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why does the new class of candidates look so much like the old guard? It just seems like a very random coincidence, Rep. Chellie Pingree said. Were closer to retirement, and so our children are people who have had time to have experience, and so, sort of, its timing. Cassandra Good, a professor at Marymount University, said there are multiple factors in play when it comes to politicians children entering the playing field. Part of it is just the fact that they have the name recognition, but the other part of it is the sort of socialization and social capital they have from having grown up around people in political power, and so theyre just more familiar with it, Good said. I think its a sort of natural thing that when somebody grows up surrounded by a particular field, theyre more likely to go into it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not always successful. Consider, for example, Massachusetts 2020 Senate primary, when Sen. Ed Markey successfully defended his seat against former Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Markey reinvented himself to appeal to younger voters, whereas Kennedy was tied to the legacy of his bloodline. According to the Cook Political Report, this was the first time a Kennedy had ever lost a race in Massachusetts. Back in Maines gubernatorial race, Bush and King III are newcomers to politics. Neither of their campaigns responded to requests for comment, but at least one candidate credited her upbringing for helping bring her into politics, and took pains to carve out her own reputation. I feel like, in many ways, Ive grown up in politics with my mom, watching her elections, Hannah Pingree told NOTUS, adding that this upcoming election will be the third time she appears on the ballot with her mom. I feel like, in many ways, weve done this together. The former state legislator said voters dont think of her as the same as her mom. They see me as a very different politician. Ive been involved in public service for the last 24 years, and so in many ways, Im entirely running on my own record, she told NOTUS. I think some people are familiar with my mom and know her well, and lots of people know me in my own right. Graffiti linked to the "No Kings" protest spread across North San Antonio over the weekend, prompting District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears to denounce the vandalism as "divisive" and "disrespectful." City crews and San Antonio police responded after residents reported spray-painted political messages on both public and private property, according to Spears' office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Much of the graffiti appeared to be connected to the nationwide "No Kings" demonstrations held Saturday. Spears also addressed the vandalism in a Facebook post on Sunday, writing, "This is not peaceful protest or activism it's vandalism, and it will not be tolerated." She thanked a "fast-acting" District 9 resident who alerted her office, saying her team quickly notified city staff to ensure San Antonio police and Public Works could begin cleanup and investigation efforts. Some of the graffiti included phrases like "No King" and "Trump Sucks," referencing nationwide "anti-Trump" protests held Saturday, according to News 4 San Antonio. The station also reported that Community Bible Church on the North Side was tagged with messages such as "No King but God" and "Jesus wants Trump gone." "This kind of vandalism no matter the message or motive has no place in our community," Spears said in a formal statement Monday. "Defacing property to make a political point doesn't strengthen the cause; it weakens it. It divides neighbors, damages our community, and diverts valuable time and resources from public safety and essential city services." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spears said her office will continue to monitor the situation and share updates as city crews work to assess the damage and identify those responsible. "District 9 and every neighborhood in San Antonio deserves to feel safe and respected," she said. SAPD has not released details about possible suspects or the specific messages found on the graffiti. This article originally published at Councilwoman Misty Spears blasts vandalism possibly linked to No Kings' protest over the weekend. Icelands frozen, inhospitable winters have long protected it from mosquitoes, but that may be changing. This week, scientists announced the discovery of three mosquitoes marking the countrys first confirmed finding of these insects in the wild. Mosquitoes are found almost everywhere in the world, with the exception of Antarctica and, until very recently, Iceland, due to their extreme cold. The mosquitoes were discovered by Bjorn Hjaltason in Kiafell, Kjos, in western Iceland about 20 miles north of the capital Reykjavik. At dusk on October 16, I caught sight of a strange fly, Hjaltason posted in a Facebook group about insects, according to reports in the Icelandic media. I immediately suspected what was going on and quickly collected the fly, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He contacted Matthias Alfresson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, who drove out to Hjaltasons house the next day. They captured three in total, two females and a male. Alfresson identified them as mosquitoes from the Culiseta annulata species. A single mosquito from a different species was discovered many years ago on an airplane at the countrys Keflavik International Airport, Alfresson told CNN, but this is the first record of mosquitoes occurring in the natural environment in Iceland. The Culiseta annulata species is native to a huge part of the Eastern Hemisphere, ranging from North Africa to northern Siberia. It appears well adapted to colder climates, primarily because adults can ride out the cold in sheltered places, Alfresson said. This allows them to withstand long, harsh winters when temperatures drop below freezing. Its unclear how the mosquito arrived in Iceland, but theories include the possibility it came via ships or containers. Further monitoring will be needed in the spring to see whether the species can survive the winter and truly become established in Iceland, Alfresson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mosquitoes, which tend to thrive in warmth and humidity, are likely to be one of the few real winners as the planet heats up. As climate change accelerates, bringing more heat, storms and floods, the range of these disease-carrying insects is increasing, according to a growing body of research. Rising temperatures also allow mosquitoes to grow faster and live longer. Iceland is no stranger to the impacts of climate change and has experienced record-breaking heat. In May, temperatures in parts of the country were more than 18 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. This extreme heat was made 40 times more likely by climate change, an analysis from the World Weather Attribution network found. But there are a still a lot of unknowns about how mosquitoes are behaving as the world warms and experts urge caution when it comes to linking Icelands discovery with global warming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alfresson said hes not sure climate change played a role in the discovery but warming temperatures are likely to enhance the potential for other mosquito species to establish in Iceland, if they arrive. Iceland may have been hospitable to these insects even in the absence of climate change, said Colin J. Carlson, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Yale University School of Public Health. Mosquitoes have been found quite far north into Scandinavia, he told CNN. Climate change may have made this more likely, but Im not convinced its a clear, direct impact, Carlson said. The truth is, we just dont know a lot about endemic mosquito range shifts that are already happening. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com CUMBERLAND County officials will consider speed cameras to control dangerous drivers on local roads, including state Route 51. Commissioners in 2019 voted unanimously to prohibit the use of traffic law photo-monitoring devices on county roads. Sheriff Craig Robertson at a recent county work session asked commissioners if they would reverse that decision. I personally do think that there is a need for them, he said of speed cameras. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the devices can only be used in areas designated for school zones, Robertson said. Route 51 does not have a school, he said and added hes spoken to local state delegates about changing legislation to allow the cameras locally. There is law in Maryland ... that allows the operation of speed cameras in areas that do not fall under the school zones. If the speed cameras could be posted on Route 51, I would have to designate an actual deputy (who) would sit down and review every ... violation of the law, Robertson said. Having an extra tool for law enforcement cannot hurt, he said. Ive seen more fatal accidents in Allegany County lately than I ever did when I first started on this job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robertson has worked for the sheriffs office for more than 20 years. He said in the past 18 months hes frequently traveled Route 51 which is a shortcut from Cumberland to Winchester, Virginia to visit his granddaughter. Robertson said he spoke to some residents on Route 51 that would allow the county to post speed cameras on their property. The road in many spots is too dangerous for some police methods, Robertson said. I direct my deputies not to make traffic stops on Route 51, especially in certain places, he said. When you get into Route 51 all the way down to Paw Paw (West Virginia), there are very few locations that a traffic stop can be safely initiated without jeopardizing the life of one of the officers as well as the operator of that particular vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County Administrator Jason Bennett said he recently spoke to Maryland Department of Transportation officials about safety concerns for Route 51. We think it can be legislated ... to allow the speed cameras, he said. Attorney T. Lee Beeman said commissioners could reverse the countys 2019 decision to prohibit speed cameras. That would open the door for new legislation, which would allow the cameras in Allegany County, to be introduced at the state level. On Thursday, Sandy Lippold, who spoke to commissioners at a recent public meeting about an accident on Route 51 that killed her 19-year-old brother 38 years ago, said she was extremely upset to hear Robertsons presentation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, we dont have a police presence in Oldtown on Route 51 because its not safe? she said. Thats an excuse. Excuses are not acceptable. Early Saturday, a hit-and-run accident seriously injured a motorist on state Route 51. Police are seeking a light-colored pickup that fled south on Route 51, deputies said. The injured driver was flown by Trooper 5, a Maryland State Police medevac, to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and was in critical condition, deputies said. Route 51 was closed for about two hours. Anyone with information about the crash should call the sheriffs office at 301-777-1585. Pennsylvanias Superior Court on Monday upheld the first-degree murder conviction and life sentence of Justin Schuback in the 2017 murder of Old Forge pizzeria owner Robert Baron Sr. Baron, 58, who was the owner of Ghigiarellis Restaurant, 511 S. Main St., Old Forge, went missing on Jan. 26, 2017, and was soon presumed dead. His disappearance sparked a yearslong investigation and family crusade for justice that culminated in the discovery of Barons remains and the conviction of Schuback for the murder that occurred during a botched robbery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schuback was arrested March 31, 2023, after a search discovered Barons remains near Pagnotti Park. Until that breakthrough, the crime had gone unsolved for over six years. Authorities finally cracked the case with cellphone range-to-tower data that showed Schubacks phone at key locations and times on Jan. 25-26, 2017, according to trial testimony. * A member of the Lackawanna County SWAT team takes Justin Schuback into custody on Foundry Street in Old Forge on March 31, 2023. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO) * Members of the Scranton Police Special Operations Group and Lackawanna County SWAT approach the front door of a home at 3 Foundry Street in Old Forge as they serve an arrest warrant for Justin Schuback on March 31, 2023. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Show Caption 1 of 2 A member of the Lackawanna County SWAT team takes Justin Schuback into custody on Foundry Street in Old Forge on March 31, 2023. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO) Expand During the trial in May 2024 in Lackawanna County Courty presided over by Judge Terrence Nealon, prosecutors contended Schuback went to Ghigiarellis to steal money but didnt know that Baron, who lived upstairs, was at the pizzeria and the two ended up in a deadly altercation. A jury found Schuback, now 39, guilty of first-degree murder and in July of 2024 he received an automatic sentence of life in prison on the first-degree murder charge, as well as 7 to 15 years behind bars for robbery and burglary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schubacks appeal raised four issues involving: Nealons precluding of evidence of polygraphs taken by prosecution witnesses; the judges decision to allow a jailhouse informant to testify regarding Schubacks admissions made to the informant; the judges instructions given to the jury on accomplice liability relating to a second-degree felony murder charge; and whether the weight of the evidence supported the conviction. The jury, as fact-finder, while passing on the credibility of the witnesses and weight of the evidence, was free to believe all, part, or none of the evidence, the Superior Court ruling said in affirming Nealons judgment of sentencing. Schuback remains incarcerated at State Correctional Institution at Dallas. Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil must wait several days or weeks for a federal appellate court to decide whether the federal government can detain him while he appeals a deportation order. Khalil and his legal team argued against his continued detainment before the appellate court on Tuesday after a federal district court ruled the federal government must release him from custody while he appeals his deportation order. "They know they don't have a case against me," Khalil told media after Tuesday's hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will keep fighting the legal fight until the end," he added. "And we are fairly confident that we will prevail at the end." Khalil accused the Trump administration of "being cruel" and trying to "break me." "The government tried to put me in prison and disappear me," he said. "The legal system vindicated me." Khalil is a citizen of Syria, but his wife and recently born child are U.S. citizens. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested him on March 8 outside a Columbia University housing facility. He was held at a Louisiana detention center until June, when a judge ordered his release pending the outcome of his immigration case, which the Trump administration appealed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Trump administration is still trying to bring me back to detention and block the federal court in New Jersey from reviewing my case," Khalil said Tuesday in an American Civil Liberties Union news release. The ACLU is among organizations representing Khalil and that accuse the Trump administration of targeting pro-Palestinian students at Columbia and elsewhere with deportation to silence them in violation of the First Amendment. The ACLU says Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrongfully invoked foreign policy as grounds for deporting Khalil and others who express support for Hamas and other designated foreign terrorist organizations that seek the destruction of the United States and its allies, including Israel. An immigration judge on Sept. 17 ruled the former Columbia University graduate student must be deported to either Algeria or Syria and denied Khalil's motion to stop his deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge ruled Khalil willfully omitted his work on behalf of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, which on Aug. 5, 2024, acknowledged 19 of its staffers were accused of participating in the Oct.7, 2023, attack on Israel. UNRWA officials fired nine of the 19 accused workers for their alleged participation in the attack that killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapped 250, who were held as hostages. COVENTRY The Coventry High School jazz band has been selected to perform at the 2025 CABE/CAPSS Convention. Under the direction of Hannah Cole, music and band teacher, the band will perform at the Mystic Marriott Hotel in Groton on November 21. The band will perform during the morning session and will be presented to an audience of board of education members, superintendents and school administrators. The bands appearance highlights the districts mission to continue music education. It provides students the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of educational leaders attending the conference from across the state. WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. (PIX11) A woman has been released from the hospital, but is being tested for rabies and is on a regimen of medication to prevent infection after being attacked by a coyote. It happened at 1:17 p.m. on Monday, in a wooded area behind a home on Woodcrest Drive, according the Woodcliff Lake Police Department. More Local News The family in the home did not want their names to be made public, but told PIX11 News that while the woman, whos a housekeeper at the home, was with the familys dog in the backyard, a coyote aggressively attacked her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It bit the woman twice on the left leg, and at least once on her left arm. There was blood, the homeowner said. The coyote then attacked the dog, a golden retriever named Kayla. The dog did not show clear signs of injury. The attack was captured on surveillance video at the home. It shows that the homeowner was able to scare off the coyote long enough for the attack victim and the dog to retreat into the house. After all three were safely in the home, the surveillance video shows that the coyote walked back and forth for about 10 seconds in the backyard before retreating back to the woods. Make PIX11 your preferred source on Google: Heres how Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers from the Woodcliff Lake Police Department and Bergen County Animal Control were on scene in the woods behind the familys home on Monday afternoon. They had rifles at the ready. In past attacks in the the county, aggressive coyotes have had to be euthanized. The officers were not able to locate the coyote, and on Monday afternoon, Woodcliff Lake Police issued a warning to residents to please be aware of your surroundings when out with small pets. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Israels State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman warned Tuesday that government reforms and data systems in key ministries are failing, leaving the economy vulnerable. A series of government reforms and systemic failures, from flawed import amendments to alarming gaps in food security and unreliable real estate tax data across key ministries, have endangered the economy, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman warned on Tuesday. The findings, released in the latest report by the State Comptrollers Office, highlight weaknesses in the governments management of critical infrastructures that directly affect the rising cost of living and public welfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Englman, Opening up the market to competition is significant to fighting the rising cost of living. The reforms initiated by the government were a step in the right direction, but were also lacking. The report reviewed the 2022 Whats Good for Europe is Good for Israel reform, spearheaded by the Economy and Industry Ministry under MK Nir Barkat (Likud). This reform aimed to reduce bureaucratic barriers, align Israeli product standards with international norms (such as those of the EU and OECD), and increase market competition. Previously, importers were required to meet unique Israeli standards verified only by the Standards Institution of Israel (SII) in a slow and costly process. The reform allowed importers to declare conformity to standards, instead of undergoing complete Israeli lab tests upon arrival. Regulators, including the Commissioner of Standardization unit at the Economy and Industry Ministry, were given broader powers for supervision and enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the reform was introduced gradually and did not apply uniformly to all products. Some unique standards and exceptions remained, while enforcement lagged. Englman concluded that, rather than solely streamlining imports, the reform also led to confusion and did not maximize savings potential. A follow-up initiative launched in 2024 the No Stopping at the Port reform sought to further ease import bottlenecks by allowing goods to be cleared through customs upon arrival, with compliance checks conducted afterward. The goal was to reduce costs, speed up imports, and enhance competition. However, implementation faltered. The comptroller found that the Economy and Industry Ministry failed to send products for quality checks for 60 days due to an expired contract with testing laboratories. Moreover, the shift toward an automated import system removed importers from the process altogether, transferring oversight responsibilities to government bodies that were not adequately prepared. Ministries of Economy and Industry, and Health Englman also noted that the Economy and Industry and Health Ministries failed to provide the necessary materials to advance the reform. Of 424 products inspected between June 2023 and 2024, 57% failed to meet standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state comptroller urged Barkat and Health Minister Haim Katz (Likud) to close these gaps and strengthen regulatory enforcement, recommending that the reform be expanded. Englman also warned that Israels emergency food supply system remains dangerously unregulated and fragmented across multiple ministries, with no single body ensuring national food security. The issue of emergency food supply in Israel is not regulated there is no governmental framework overseeing it to ensure efficiency, he said. Unlike countries such as Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the UK all of whom maintain centralized and regulated emergency food systems Israels apparatus is divided primarily between the Economy and Industry and Agriculture Ministries, with little coordination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The audit found that agricultural policy has weakened the sector over the past decade, undermining national food security. Essential reserves such as wheat and fodder were found to be, at times, improperly stored, in poor condition, and even contaminated with insects and pigeon droppings. Additionally, the Agriculture and Raw Food Security Ministry lacked data on the extent of the damage to stored wheat, while fodder reserves were missing key ingredients. Englman recommended that the ministry coordinate with the National Security Council, the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) under the Defense Ministry, the Economy and Industry Ministry, the Health Ministry, the Finance Ministry, and Home Front Command to develop a coherent emergency food supply framework. Israels real estate taxation system Another one of the reports more troubling findings involved Israels real estate taxation system, which includes purchase, capital gains, property, and betterment taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the audit of Israels 2024 financial statements, Englman issued a qualification over 18.5 billion shekels in outstanding real estate tax debts. The comptroller found that the Tax Authoritys information systems fail to meet essential accounting standards, leaving the state without reliable data on the breakdown of debts across different tax types or their collectibility. Discrepancies amounting to several billion shekels were found between the figures in the governments official financial statements and those reported by the Real Estate Taxation Division. The report concluded that these weaknesses raise serious doubts about the accuracy of the states fiscal reporting. The comptroller also warned that the ongoing housing crisis is being managed based on incomplete and inconsistent data systems. According to the report, more than 900,000 apartments about half of all properties listed in the Tabu (Land Registry) are absent from the Tax Authoritys Real Estate Information Database. Even within the database, hundreds of thousands of entries contain incorrect details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These inaccuracies directly affect the Central Bureau of Statistics Housing Price Index, which relies on this data but fails to reflect real-time market factors such as developer discounts, financing campaigns, or protected rooms in older buildings all of which distort price trends. Compounding the issue, the government operates two separate real estate databases, the Tax Authoritys system and the Survey of Israels real estate site, which frequently display conflicting information about the same properties. The report warned that these risks could mislead homebuyers, investors, and policymakers alike. Social impacts Moreover, these data failures have direct social impacts. Thousands of low-income citizens were, for instance, wrongly denied the work grant, a negative income tax benefit linked to property ownership, due to errors in property records. In 2022, nearly 84% of appeals on these grounds were found to be justified. Englman called on the Prime Ministers Office to establish a comprehensive national property information infrastructure that integrates data from the Tabu, the Tax Authority, the Central Bureau of Statistics, and the Survey of Israel. This can help ensure that housing, taxation, and welfare policies rely on accurate and unified data. Overall, the report paints a picture of systemic administrative failures and weak inter-ministerial coordination. Englmans message was that Israels economic governance must be built on data accuracy, accountability, and cooperation to meet the challenges of rising cost of living conditions and long-term national resilience. (The Center Square) After nearly two years in office, Mayor Lisa Brown reflected on the state of the city on Monday during an address to the Spokane City Council, drawing criticism from residents present. The 30-minute speech highlighted the administrations efforts over the past year amid ongoing budget gaps. Despite balancing a $25 million deficit in her first year in office, Brown faces another $13 million shortfall heading into 2026, which she attributes to uncertainty with President Donald Trumps policies. However, sales tax growth began plateauing long before Trump won the 2024 election. Voters allowed Brown to raise taxes last November after she said the shortfall could result in job losses across public safety. Last week, she sent an email noting that about 30 to 50 employees jobs are currently at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Closing the deficit, estimated right now at $13 million, will be challenging, but I believe we can do it while minimizing impacts to both the services our residents rely on and the staff who deliver those services, Brown said on Monday. We will address our budget while keeping community safety at the forefront. She claimed the Spokane Police Department may be able to fill all of its funded positions by May and applauded cuts that helped bridge the last deficit. One of those measures was closing the citys largest homeless shelter, which cost taxpayers about $1 million per month to operate, in favor of a new idea. Brown praised the rollout of her scattered-site shelter model on Monday. Each facility supports about 30 individuals at a time instead of hundreds. These shelters currently provide about 209 beds, but that still results in a net loss compared to the hundreds of beds eliminated by closing the Trent shelter. Recent surveying efforts recorded a decrease in unsheltered homelessness in January. Still, critics argue this is likely because its hard to track people from the Trent shelter since it closed. Local law used to require the city to replace beds eliminated through shelter closures, but the council repealed that rule when it passed Browns proposed HOME ordinance, which overhauled the response to homelessness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hold Mayor Lisa Brown responsible for much of this mess, Spokanite Will Hulings testified on Monday. Since taking office and shutting down the Trent shelter, downtown Spokane has spiraled out of control. The council also replaced the citys camping ban in June with a proposal from Brown that allows people to avoid citations if they move down the street or accept services. Police Chief Kevin Hall recently said that SPD hadnt cited anyone or issued any referrals, arguing that the ban is unenforceable as written. Brown said amendments are on the way to address the issue. Brad Barnett, president of the Spokane Business Association, called on the mayor to enforce the rule of law during his testimony. The SBA and other groups are fed up with the crisis downtown and emphasize accountability through enforcement. Another resident, Earl Moore, agreed, arguing that the homelessness crisis isnt improving; instead, it is moving around the city and occupying viaducts. She criticized the mayor for expanding her cabinet despite ongoing budget challenges, compounded by conflicts with regional public safety partners. Some of you on this council believe that the homelessness in our city [has] improved. You are sorely mistaken, she said. You're creating havoc. My goodness, you have created so much havoc in this city. A wounded American crocodile found in the Florida Keys with a spear lodged in its head over the weekend has been rescued and is being treated at Zoo Miami. Ron Magill, communications director at the zoo, told the Herald that the reptile was captured in Key Largo Monday night and was at the Miami-Dade facility Tuesday morning. Person driving truck hits and kills 48 birds at Florida dock Zoo veterinarians plan to treat the wound and hopefully get the croc healthy enough so the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission can release it back into the wild, Magill said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After viral video of giant manta ray capture, bipartisan Florida lawmakers want change The eight-foot reptile was found Saturday around 11:45 p.m. near mile marker 101 in Key Largo with the spear lodged in the back of its head, the FWC said. FWC officers were at first unsuccessful in trying to capture it, but finally caught the animal Monday. The agency is now trying to find whoever it was that shot the croc and bring that person to justice. American crocodiles are native to South Florida and are federally protected. It is illegal to kill or harass them. Killing one is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 11-foot shark found dead in Florida waters. Clue was in its mouth, experts say They nearly went extinct in the late 20th Century due to hunting. Thanks to conservation efforts, their population in Florida went from the hundreds in the 1970s to well over 2,000 reptiles, the FWC estimates. Unlike their alligator cousins, which are known to occasionally attack people, American crocodiles tend to be shyer and less aggressive. Attacks on people are very rare, although pets, especially those in homes along canals, have become their prey. The FWC is asking anyone with photos and videos of the crocodile, or who has information on what happened, to call 888-404-3922. Tips can be anonymous, and the agency is offering a reward up to $1,000 for any information that leads to an arrest. CROWLEY, La. (KLFY) A Crowley couple have been charged in connection with the death of their 10-month-old baby, authorities said. Jacolby Jones, 24, of Crowley, is charged with second degree murder and Mikelle Smith, 24, of Crowley, is charged with second degree cruelty to a juvenile. Crowley Police were called to assist EMT personnel on the evening of Oct. 14 in reference to a 10-month-old not responding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said that upon the infants mother returning from work, she found her child to be what she thought was asleep on the bed. Upon checking on the child, the mother found the child unresponsive and emergency personnel were called. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest The child reached the hospital with severe injuries including some brain damage and in need of life support assistance, authorities said. The child died Oct. 17. The two are being held in the Acadia Parish jail. Jones bond is set at $750,000, Smiths at $250,000. Jacolby Jones The couples two other minor children were in the house at the time, under the care of Jones. Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services was able to be awarded temporary custody of the two other chidren, officials said. Latest news 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 KLFY.com. SAN MARCOS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) California State Treasurer Fiona Ma visited Cal State University San Marcos on Monday to see firsthand how the university is tackling the regions affordable housing crisis. With the help of a $91 million state grant and additional revenue bonds, the campus is transforming what used to be Parking Lot O into a new seven-story residence hall and dining facility part of a larger $126 million effort to expand on-campus housing. We are here looking at this amazing 555 units of student housing, Ma said during her tour of the construction site. The project will add 555 new beds and a dining space by August 2026, focusing on sustainability and affordability. According to the university, two-thirds of the new units will be designated as affordable housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said the project is a critical step toward supporting students who might otherwise struggle to stay enrolled. Whats going to be most important to them is a place to put their head at night, Neufeldt said. To make sure that we have what they need, that they have what they deserve makes me feel incredible. The need for affordable options is especially pressing at Cal State San Marcos, where more than half of students come from underserved communities or are the first in their families to attend college. For students like Sarah Flores, the project could make all the difference. I was possibly going to have to take a semester off just to make enough money to live here, Flores said. Seeing this new housing, and having two-thirds of it be affordable, really makes all the difference. Mas visit is part of a broader statewide effort to increase access to student and faculty housing through targeted investment in public higher education. This should be a priority, Ma said. We need to allocate general fund dollars so we can continue to build student and faculty housing across California. University leaders say the project isnt just about creating more beds its about building community, giving students a place to live, learn, and thrive together on campus. 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. Three weeks into a federal government shutdown, members of Connecticut's all-Democratic congressional delegation say they have little intention to back down from their demands of their Republican counterparts. In separate interviews Monday, Sen. Chris Murphy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Jahana Hayes and Rep. Rosa DeLauro all reiterated the stance Democrats have maintained since the shutdown began at the start of the month: They won't vote to reopen the government unless President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans agree to negotiate over health care cuts they imposed earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I can't vote for a budget that's going to hurt people in Connecticut as badly as the Republican budget will," Murphy said. "If they want my vote, then they know it can't be a budget that throws millions of people off their health care, and it can't be a budget that endorses Trump's growing illegality." "We're united," DeLauro said of congressional Democrats. "We're fighting to stop the premium increases." "This bill as it stands is not something that I can accept," Hayes said. Rep. John Larson, Rep. Jim Himes and a spokesperson for Rep. Joe Courtney issued written statements with similar sentiments Monday, emphasizing the rise in health care costs Connecticut residents will face as Affordable Care Act subsidies expire at the end of the year. Himes claimed Republicans " Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement have abdicated their responsibility to the American people by refusing to engage in good faith negotiations to keep the government open." DeLauro said Monday her office is already hearing from constituents whose health care premiums will soon increase by thousands of dollars, and Blumenthal said he heard about the issue everywhere he went in Connecticut this weekend. "As recently as this morning at the airport, at Bradley, several people as we were getting on the plane said, 'Please hang tough, I need this health insurance,'" Blumenthal said. In a spending bill passed earlier this year, Republicans declined to extend the ACA subsidies, while also restricting eligibility for Medicaid and other federal programs - policies Democrats would like to reverse or at least mitigate as part of current budget fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have also sought assurances Trump won't go back on any spending agreement, a fear Murphy and Himes both alluded to Monday. Connecticut Democrats, together with others in their party, blame the shutdown on the Republican majorities in the House and Senate, who have declined to negotiate over health care. Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, fault Democrats for the impasse, arguing they are holding the process hostage with demands the Republican majority will never accept. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, posted to X last week that he would be willing to negotiate with Democrats over health care - but only if they end the shutdown first. "I will not negotiate under hostage conditions, nor will I pay a ransom," Thune posted. "Period." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has also declined to negotiate to reopen the government, criticizing Democratic health care demands as "crazy" and adding, "We're just not going to do it." Asked to respond to Republicans' position, Connecticut Democrats described the shutdown as their only leverage for getting Republicans to take rising health care premiums seriously. If Democrats vote to reopen the government, Hayes argued, Republicans will have no reason to negotiate in good faith over the ACA subsidies. "They have proven themselves to not be reliable legislating partners," Hayes said. "I've seen multiple times over the past few months where we have had a deal and worked on something and money has been withdrawn or moved to somewhere else or the terms of something that we've negotiated have just been changed midway." While the government shutdown has already had significant effects nationwide - particularly for the thousands of government employees who have missed paychecks - the stakes could increase significantly in the coming weeks, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, expected to run out of money in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP provides food assistance to millions of Americans, including in every single Connecticut town and city. Connecticut Democrats say they're disturbed by the prospect of residents missing out on SNAP payments - "That is a huge deal for me," Hayes said - but nonetheless plan to stay strong in demanding Republicans negotiate over health care subsidies. "The budget that Republicans have put on the table destroys a lot of people's lives in Connecticut, and as hurtful as a shutdown is, the budget that Republicans have written is really hurtful as well," Murphy said. "People are going to get killed if we pass that budget." "Government shutdowns, one-year continuing resolutions are a bad way to govern, but that is how this administration has chosen to govern," DeLauro said. "It's terrible, it's not good, and people will suffer." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Democrats and Republicans barely speaking, let alone making progress in negotiations, the shutdown appears unlikely to end soon. One recent polls shows 58% of American adults blame Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown, while 54% blame Democrats, allowing both sides to feel that they're winning the political fight. And yet for Connecticut Democrats, the situation remains somewhat simple: "It could all be solved, literally this afternoon," Blumenthal said, "if Republicans would simply come to the table and negotiate." Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. This article originally published at CT Dems not backing down amid shutdown: 'People are going to get killed if we pass that budget'. A Naugatuck man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened a delivery driver with a firearm during a reported argument, police said. John Tufaro Jr., 47, is facing charges of first-degree threatening, second-degree reckless endangerment and breach of peace, according to the Naugatuck Police Department. Officers were called to a residential area on Manners Avenue on Oct. 15 around 6 p.m. after an Amazon delivery driver reported being threatened with a firearm during a scheduled delivery, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers located the suspect, identified as Tufaro, in the area and allegedly recovered a firearm. According to police, Tufaro was legally in possession of the firearm and holds a valid Connecticut pistol permit. Multiple witnesses told officers an alleged argument occurred regarding the delivery of a package to an address on Manners Avenue. During the argument, Tufaro allegedly brandished a firearm tucked in a holster in his waistband, police said. The firearm was safely removed, and Tufaro was taken into custody, according to police. During the investigation, police also learned that Tufaro held firearm permits in two other states. These permits were seized and seven firearms were voluntarily surrendered to the police department while the case is pending in court, police said. Tufaro was released on a $25,000 surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on Oct. 29, according to police. A Connecticut man with a prior domestic violence arrest called 911 to report that he had fatally stabbed his girlfriend at his Stratford home, police said Tuesday. Stanley Mulvey, 67, called Stratford Police around 7 p.m. Monday to say he had just stabbed his girlfriend, 62-year-old Megan McShane, and that he wanted to kill himself, Capt. Jerry Pinto said in a statement released early Tuesday. Police responded to the Griffin Street residence and found Mulvey lying on top of McShane, who was unresponsive, on the kitchen floor, officials said. Both were covered in blood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers also found a large kitchen knife covered in blood near the two. Mulvey a convicted felon previously arrested in a domestic violence incident involving McShane in May 2025 refused to get off the victim and had to be forcibly removed, Pinto said. He was then handcuffed, put into a police vehicle and taken to police headquarters, where he was charged with murder and interfering with a police officer. McShane was pronounced dead at the scene from obvious homicidal injuries, Pinto said. According to police, Mulvey admitted several times to investigators that he had killed McShane He is currently being held on a $1 million bond and is due in court later on Tuesday, officials said. The town of Stratford, in Fairfield County, sits along the Long Island Sound and is about an hours drive from New York City. NEW BRITAIN - The mother accused of killing her 11-year-old daughter and hiding the body for a year flew into a jealous rage seven years ago during which she repeatedly punched a woman, according to the record of her 2019 conviction. And her co-defendant in the murder case, boyfriend Jonatan Nanita, nearly dragged a New Britain cop when he fled a traffic stop in 2020, records show. Karla Garcia got a suspended sentence and two years of probation on April 9, 2019, for third-degree assault, the records show; Nanita's traffic stop case also ended with misdemeanor convictions and he was sentenced to a year in jail. Karla Garcia, 29, of New Britain, stands at her arraignment next to Assistant Public Defender Stephanie O'Neil at Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Torrington, on Oct. 14. Garcia is charged with murder with special circumstances and other charges in the death of her daughter, Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia. Records show she was convicted of third-degree assault in 2019 for an attack in which she repeatedly punched a woman. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media) Garcia, 29, and Nanita, 30, both now face charges that include murder and intentional cruelty to a child after the remains of her daughter, Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia, were found in a container in New Britain earlier this month. Her sister faces lesser charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia's attack on another woman happened on Sept. 6, 2018. According to the arrest warrant, the victim told police that Garcia, who she described as her ex-girlfriend "who is now homeless," visited her apartment on Chestnut Street and asked to talk to her. The victim came outside to her front steps and "as soon as Garcia saw her, she started yelling and swearing at her about being with her friend," the woman told police. The woman told the investigating officer that she had only been "chilling with Garcia's friend and nothing else, but Garcia thought she was cheating on her." Garcia then "got into her face and started punching her in the face," the warrant stated. Garcia continued hitting her and didn't answer when the victim asked why she was doing this, it said; the victim then lost her balance and fell down the steps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Garcia followed her and then grabbed her by her hair and started punching her in her head," the warrant said. The victim told the officer that she couldn't get Garcia off of her, it said. Garcia took the woman's cellphone when it fell out of her pocket during the attack, the victim told police, the warrant said; Garcia was originally charged with larceny, too, but that charge was dropped. The investigating officer saw a large red bruise on the side of the victim's face and another one on the back of her head, according to the warrant. The woman said she would go to the hospital on her own instead of going in an ambulance. A few years later, in 2020, Garcia's codefendant in her daughter's death, Jonatan Nanita, also was in trouble with the law when he was accused of fleeing a traffic stop and nearly dragging an officer. Garcia was in the passenger seat, the arrest warrant states. Jonatan Nanita, 30, faces charges that include murder with special circumstances in the death of 11-year-old Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres, whose remains were found dumped behind an abandoned house in New Britain Oct. 8. He has prior felony convictions and once sped away from a traffic stop, nearly dragging a police officer. (Courtesy of the New Britain Police Department) Nanita was eventually arrested and sentenced to 364 days in jail on Jan. 27, 2023, for first-degree reckless endangerment and interfering with an officer/resisting arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has felonies on his record, too, according to officers who investigated the traffic stop case; they said he has first-degree burglary and first-degree larceny convictions. The only conviction about which information is available online is Nanita's 2023 conviction for reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. Records of convictions only stay online for 10 years in Connecticut. According to the traffic stop warrant, a patrol officer pulled over the driver of a gray Dodge Charger without its rear taillights on about 8:15 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2020. The driver, who he later learned was Nanita, slowly rolled instead of stopping, which made the officer suspicious. The officer twice ordered him over the PA system to put the car in park and when he came over to the car, he smelled marijuana. The driver gave his name as "Ricardo Nunez" and started to give the proper date of birth but then changed it mid-sentence, the warrant said. When the officer asked for his license, the driver said his wallet had been stolen. The officer continued to be suspicious of both Nanita and Garcia because of their behavior, which included Garcia moving "her entire upper body toward the center console before grabbing her purse for her ID in the back seat" and Nanita moving his hand down by his legs - where he feared he had a gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Garcia began to tell multiple stories about where the vehicle came from," the warrant said, and the officer saw that car was emitting exhaust, which meant the driver, Nanita, did not shut off the car as ordered, it said. The officer tried to unlock and open his door when the driver looked down and put his foot on the brake, the officer wrote in the warrant. Fearing he was about to step on the accelerator, the officer grabbed his left shoulder with his left hand, it said. Nanita revved the engine and sped off, and the officer immediately pulled his arm back so he wouldn't be dragged, the warrant said. His left hand was hit by the driver's side A pillar, however, it said, causing pain. The car turned toward the cop as it took off, he wrote in the warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It took more than a year to find and arrest Nanita, but while police were looking for him they learned more about him and Garcia. Karla Garcia's estranged sister said "she had a falling out with Garcia because of Garcia's involvement with drugs." The sister is not the sister who was arrested on lesser charges in the murder case, Jackelyn Leeann Garcia. Garcia's former father-in-law said the same thing as her estranged sister. According to the warrant, he told police that "Garcia has been using a lot of money for drugs to the point where he cut off financially supporting her." Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia Officers discovered the remains of Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia in a plastic storage bin that had been dumped behind a boarded-up house on Clark Street in New Britain on Oct. 8, police said. In a news conference last week, police said the girl likely died in the fall of 2024, before her 12th birthday on Jan. 29. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jacqueline's disappearance wasn't on people's radar because she was pulled out of school prior to the family's move to Farmington, allegedly for homeschooling, police and school officials said. The remains of 11-year-old Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia were found in a bin behind an abandoned house in New Britain Oct. 8. Jacqueline's mother, Karla Garcia, and her boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, have been charged with murder. Both have previous convictions; Karla Garcia once punched a woman repeatedly in the face, records show. (Courtesy of the New Britain Police Department) According to search warrants obtained by CT Insider, Karla Garcia admitted she and Nanita used zip ties on the girl when "she was acting badly" and withheld food from her. She told police the girl died on Sept. 19, 2024, and that Nanita had taken the child's body downstairs in the Farmington townhouse-style condominium they rented, the warrants said. The odor was so strong, the family had to leave the home and stay with friends or in a hotel, the search warrants said. Karla Garcia told police her daughter's body was taken in a tote to the new apartment they moved into in New Britain in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karla Garcia's sister, Jackelyn Leeann Garcia, who said she lived with the family on and off in the summer of 2024, had witnessed the abuse and neglect, according to the warrant. Jackelyn Leeann Garcia, 28, was not charged with murder but was arrested on three of the same charges as her sister and Nanita: intentional cruelty to a child, first-degree unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a child. Like her sister and Nanita, she too, has a prior record: She was arrested on a charge of risk of injury to a minor on June 27, 2023, and sentenced to 18 months in jail on Dec. 4, 2024. She got out of jail and after eight months and went into a "transitional supervision" program, which is like parole, a prison spokesperson said last week. Records of the previous risk of injury arrest were not available. This article originally published at Records reveal violent histories of Connecticut couple charged in girl's killing. The Trump administration is quietly sending hundreds of Cubans and other immigrants with significant criminal records in buses across the border to Mexico, in an expansion of third-country deportations. Although Cuba accepts deportation flights from the U.S., its longtime practice has been to reject deportees who have been convicted of certain crimes. That has left many of the islands immigrants in limbo for years unable to return to the island but stripped of their legal status to stay in the United States. But without legal documentation in Mexico, they are now in a new limbo, and it is unclear what future awaits them. Some told the Miami Herald they have spent weeks searching for work, food and shelter, and sleeping on the street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Herald spoke to six men in Mexico and lawyers for six other deportees who say the Department of Homeland Security drove them in buses to the southern border and handed them over to authorities in Mexico. All had been convicted of crimes in the U.S. Some had served prison sentences and had final orders of deportations for years. They said Cuba would not take them back. The men have serious criminal convictions in the U.S. including drug dealing, domestic violence, theft, armed robbery, child abuse and battery. Some had additional charges for which they werent convicted including in one case attempted murder. Some said that officials told them they could either get off the bus in Mexico or be sent to an unspecified country in Africa. Others said they were not told where they were heading, and others said Mexican authorities left them near the Guatemala border and told to head south out of Mexico. Serious offenses The Herald was able to identify additional men who have also been sent to Mexico including a 66-year-old man who was charged in Alabama earlier this year for attempted child molestation, and a man who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas. He had attacked two women, including his romantic partner, with a machete. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to specific questions about what agreement or policy governed these deportations, or if a new agreement had been reached with Mexico. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, you could end up in CECOT, Eswatini, Ghana, South Sudan, or another third country, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement to the Herald. President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem are not going to allow criminal illegal aliens to remain indefinitely in the U.S. CECOT is a maximum security prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration sent 238 Venezuelans they accused of being gang members earlier this year. In the case of the men sent to El Salvador, records obtained by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune show that Homeland Security knew most of the men did not have criminal convictions. A spokesperson for the National Institute of Migration in Mexico did not respond to multiple Herald requests for comment. During the Biden administration, Mexico accepted up to 30,000 people a month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela the U.S. returned after they had crossed the southwest border. But the federal government has not typically shipped off Cubans living in the U.S. interior and who had arrived through Mexico to its southern neighbor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unclear how many immigrants from third countries have been deported to Mexico from the interior of the U.S. this year. One shelter in Mexico has registered nearly 350 Cubans, the vast majority long-time U.S. residents, since the beginning of the year. On July 11, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the U.S. has deported 6,525 people from other countries to Mexico since Trumps first day in office - but she did not specify if they came from the border or interior of the U.S. Potential exploitation Lawyers who spoke with the Herald said that the deportations open migrants up to exploitation from organized crime, kidnappings, and a lack of access to attorneys. The U.S. has also sent Cubans and other immigrants to other countries, including South Sudan, an African nation plunged in political turmoil and armed conflict. Previously, the U.S. government would generally send people to third countries if their country of birth no longer existed or they were dual nationals. But thats different from sending a Cuban national to a prison in Eswatini, said immigration attorney Mark Prada. Very often, these are people with old crimes that have served their sentences and paid their debt to society already, Prada said. Sure, they should be able to be deported to their home countries. But if you send them to some third country, including to the other side of the globe, without family or contacts, thats inhumane. Willy Allen is a veteran immigration attorney who has practiced in Miami for nearly four decades. He said hes never seen Cuban nationals being sent to third countries before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year, two of Allens Cuban clients were deported to Mexico. Both had serious criminal records, he said, and have lived in the United States since at least the early 1980s. They lost their permanent U.S. residencies, but Cuba would not accept them, so they went to annual check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I dont have a problem with people who are delinquents being deported. They lost the right to live here when they committed crimes, Allen said. But I believe that if you are going to return them to their country, you have to give them an opportunity to find a country where to go. The streets of Villahermosa Sheinbaum has previously said that irregular immigration in the U.S. should be fixed through reform and not violence or raids and described the criminalization of immigrants as racist. In December 2024, she said that she was seeking to minimize deportations of people from other countries to Mexico. But the deportations of Cubans with criminal records to Mexico raise questions about how closely the administration is working with its southern neighbor to carry out the deportations. Cubans told the Herald that Mexican authorities are receiving them. And during a visit to Mexico last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Mexican authorities view irregular migration as a threat to their own security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the closest security cooperation we have ever had, maybe with any country but certainly in the history of U.S.-Mexico relations, Rubio said. Katie Blankenship, an attorney representing one of the men who was deported, said that she didnt know where her client was for over a week, before Michael Borrego Fernandez turned up in Mexico near the Guatemalan border. In 2025, he pleaded guilty to grand theft. Theres a huge lack of accountability and visibility and insight as is the case with all these Trump policies and practices. And its inflicting real harm, Blankenship said. In the city of Villahermosa, the capital of the state of Tabasco near the border with Guatemala, one shelter for migrants has registered nearly 350 Cubans since Trump assumed office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Josue Martinez Leal, the spokesperson and deputy coordinator for Albergue Oasis de Paz del Espiritu Santo, said the deported men are older, lived in the U.S. for decades and have children and spouses who are citizens. Among them are older men who have serious medical conditions that the shelter is trying to treat the first time the shelter has to deal with several of these kinds of cases. He said other shelters across the country are experiencing the same influx. Many of them are Peter Pan, Martinez Leal said, referring to the 1960s program that brought thousands of Cuban children to the United States through the Catholic Church. That we are getting Cubans is a very new situation. Historically, Villahermosa was not a stop along the way to the United States for immigrants traveling northwards, he said. But in 2019, the Trump administration required some asylum seekers to wait for their court hearings in Mexico. Shortly after, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors administration created a migrant detention center in the city. But this year, Cubans are arriving in a reverse migration back from the United States, sometimes without phones or IDs. Unable to return to the United States or Cuba, many opt to stay in Mexico. That means helping them find permanent housing and work, and legal documentation that the government is not yet providing them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its an issue that is not getting attention. But its the new challenge for the shelters, said Martinez Leal. Three Cuban men told the Herald they are sleeping there on the street. They fear being killed by Mexican cartels that prey on immigrants. The Herald has been unable to confirm whether any Cubans the U.S. deported to Mexico have been kidnapped, but migrants experience rampant violence while transiting through the country. In November 2024, ProPublica found that there are mass kidnapping rings in southern Mexico that prey on immigrants and kidnap them for ransom. Unfortunately, any immigrant within Mexicos territory can be a victim of organized crime, Martinez Leal said. Manuel Lazaro Suarez Perez, 46, is among those who found themselves in Villahermosa after being deported from the United States. He came to Florida as an infant from Cuba on the Mariel boatlift in 1980. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My dads a political prisoner and a U.S. citizen. My moms a permanent resident, all my kids were born [in the United States]. Ive been here all my life, Suarez Perez said. His youngest daughter just gave birth to a girl. In a statement to the Herald, McLaughlin called Suarez Perez a serial criminal with 30 convictions and said he was ordered removed from the U.S. about 20 years ago. She said that he and the two other Cuban men each had long criminal records. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, these three monsters are out of our country, she said. The Herald was unable to verify if Suarez Perez had as many as 30 convictions, but did find criminal cases. He told reporters he was first arrested when he was a minor for drug-related charges. He was later convicted of numerous crimes from cocaine possession to traffic violations to multiple aggravated-battery charges and lost his permanent U.S. residence. In 2023, he was charged with attempted arson and attempted murder for allegedly throwing a firework into a mobile home while a family was sleeping. He said he didnt do it. The cases disposition is recorded in county records as no action, meaning prosecutors opted not to pursue charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suarez Perez had been going to probation check-ins in Miami, but at a check-in in May he was detained. In early September, while at the Krome North Service Processing Center, he was given a document to sign saying he was being transferred to a center in San Diego. Manuel Lazaro Suarez Perez and others said officials gave them a form to transfer them to San Diego, and then abruptly deported them to Mexico. (Curtesy of Suarez Perez) Instead, he said he and others were flown to California and driven to the border. They lied to us, said Suarez Perez. After four days of driving, Mexican authorities released the men on the side of the road in Tabasco on Sept. 9, in the same clothing they had worn in United States immigration detention, the men told the Herald. Youre free, an officer told them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without documentation, shelter, food or funds, Suarez Perez and the two other men said they have spent the weeks since they arrived sleeping on the street, watching as more and more men arrive on buses from the north. You can see them lying down under the bridges, he said. This story was produced with financial support from the Esserman Family Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work. MONROE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) A local bakery in Cumberland County will soon hold the official grand opening of its newly expanded location. abc27 news reported back in August 2024 when Talking Breads, which is located at 1619 West Lisburn Road first announced that it had been awarded a grant to help support the expansion of their bakery. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Local Business Beat Talking Breads is owned and operated by Cumberland County-natives Shana and Joseph Amsterdam, who first debuted their bakery business back in 2014 out of their farm home in Perry County, before relocating their sweet and savory bakery to the West Shore in 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After years of success, Talking Breads conducted a customer survey last year and learned that most bakery goers wanted their operation to have indoor seating and offer a larger retail space. The owners decided to pursue plans to expand and were later awarded a $236,000 Tourism Product Development Grant from the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation (CAEDC) to support the project. According to Joseph Amsterdam, he and his wife officially broke ground on the expansion at the start of this year, which connected their former family home to their bakery storefront. This construction added an additional 1,000 square feet to their operation, created indoor seating for about 30 guests, and built more space for a larger retail section. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for the freshly baked goods, the Amsterdams also expanded their dining menu to include more sandwiches, ready-to-eat foods, more pantry retail items, and more breads, pastries, and savory options. To check out Talking Breads full offerings, you can click here. Although Talking Breads held a soft opening back in July 2025, they recently announced on Facebook that on Thursday, October 23 they will host an official ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony of the expanded bakery. Joseph Amsterdam says the event will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will feature free coffee and cookies, in addition to an appearance from members of CAEDC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moving forward, Talking Heads hours of operation are: Tuesdays Fridays // 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays // 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays // 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The outgoing Czech government has announced that Czechia will build and deliver a modern satellite to Ukraine as a gesture of support. Source: Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda; Czech Ministry of Transport Quote: "This demonstrates not only the technological excellence of Czech companies in one of the most demanding sectors but also our continued support for Ukraine." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Czech Republic will construct and deliver to Ukraine a modern Earth observation satellite capable of collecting data regardless of weather conditions and time of day. The Czech Ministry of Transport specified that the satellite project for Ukraine will be launched in the coming months, with the satellite's deployment expected within a year. Czechia will become the first country to provide Ukraine with this type of assistance. Czech firms with experience in space technology, particularly in small satellite construction, will take part in the design and assembly of the satellite. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spacecraft will be equipped with a combination of radar imaging (SAR), optical and radiation detection systems, and radio frequency spectrum monitoring in multiple ranges, enabling observation of the Earth's surface even at night and during adverse weather conditions. The Czech Ministry of Transport added that the satellite will eventually be joined by others to form a constellation. The initiative builds on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Czech Ministry of Transport and the State Space Agency of Ukraine. The project forms part of the Czech government's Ukraine Reconstruction Programme, implemented by the Ministry of Transport in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote from Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky: "The gifting of a satellite is a concrete expression of our solidarity and determination to help Ukraine build its digital infrastructure and strengthen its operational sovereignty and resilience. It is an investment in its future, and therefore in the security and stability of Europe." Quote from Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka: "The Czech Republic is demonstrating its ability to design and deliver advanced technologies that make a real difference whether in the field of security, infrastructure reconstruction or civil protection. We believe this mission will enhance Ukraine's capabilities while deepening our cooperation in space technology." Background: In recent parliamentary elections, the populist ANO party led by Andrej Babis won the most votes. Babis has previously promised to cancel the ammunition initiative, which helps supply artillery shells to Ukraine. He, however, has eased his rhetoric in recent statements, saying he is not opposed to supplying Czech weapons to Ukraine as long as it does not come at the expense of the state budget. In recent days, Babis has urged the outgoing government to refrain from making any further major decisions. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! (The Center Square) Two Texas heroes were buried more than 80 years after they were killed in action on two of the most consequential dates in World War II: Pearl Harbor and D-Day. The remains of U.S. Navy Storekeeper 3rd Class Robert Stillman Garcia, 23, of Conception, Texas, were laid to rest Tuesday at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery in Corpus Christi. Garcia was assigned to the battleship USS California, moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when it was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, by Japanese aircraft. The unprovoked attack killed more than 2,400 military personnel and civilians, destroyed or damaged nearly 20 U.S. Navy vessels, including eight battleships, and destroyed more than 300 airplanes. The attack launched the United States into World War II. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The USS California was hit by two torpedoes and a bomb, causing it to catch fire and slowly flood. Roughly 102 crew members, including Garcia, were killed. After the attack, from December 1941 to April 1942, Navy personnel recovered USS California crew remains and interred them in the Halawa and Nuuanu Cemeteries. In September 1947, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred their remains and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks in an attempt to recover and identify them. Laboratory staff were only able to confirm the identities of 39 crew members. The rest of the unidentified remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. On Oct. 6, 1949, a military board classified Garcia as non-recoverable. Nearly 70 years later, in 2018, DPAA personnel exhumed 25 unknown USS California crew remains from the Punchbowl for analysis. Dental, anthropological, mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA analysis were used, which eventually led to the identification of Garcia on April 14, 2025, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPPA) announced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, Garcias great-grandniece, U.S. Navy Lt. Allison Ledesma, received his remains at a ceremony in Hawaii. She later escorted his remains to Texas, first to San Antonio and then to Corpus Christi with full military honors. After 84 years, our family can finally bring Robert home, Garcias relatives said. He represents the courage and sacrifice of all who stood in defense of freedom that day, KIII TV Corpus Christi reported. Garcias name was recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl. Now, a rosette is placed next to it to indicate that he was found. On Monday, the remains of U.S. Army Pfc. Nicholas Hartman, 20 of Houston, were buried in Houston National Cemetery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hartman was killed on June 6, 1944, while participating in the largest seaborne invasion in history. Known as D-Day, the operation turned the tide of the war, leading to the liberation of western Europe and defeat of the German military and the Third Reich. D-Day came with a tremendous cost: 2,501 Americans were killed that day, including Hartman. Overall, the Normandy Invasion cost 135,000 American lives, including 29,000 killed and 106,000 missing. On D-Day, Hartman was en route to Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, assigned to 500th Medical Collecting Company, 60th Medical Battalion. He and 200 other service members were onboard Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92 sailing towards Omaha Beach when they struck an underwater mine. The mine caused the LCI to burst into flames, but heavy German artillery fire caused an explosion to ignite fuel stores, instantly killing everyone in the troop compartment, including Hartman. Under heavy enemy fire, it was impossible to search for survivors. Later on, members of the 500th Medical Collecting Company examined the LCI-92 wreckage and found burnt remains of servicemen in the troop compartment. AGRS later removed small amounts of the remains and buried them in the United States Military Cemetery St. Laurent-sur-Mer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beginning in 1946, AGRC analyzed the remains but werent able to identify them. They interred them in the Normandy American Cemetery. Seventy-five years later, in June 2021, the Department of Defense and ABMC exhumed comingled remains and transferred them to a laboratory for anthropological, circumstantial and mitochondrial DNA analysis. Hartmans niece and nephew provided DNA swabs that made the identification possible. Hartmans remains werent accounted for until May 2, 2025, DPAA announced. This July, his family was notified that his remains were identified. On Monday, his niece, Phyllis Stuckmeyer, was presented with an American flag during the burial ceremony. When he was 16, Hartman delivered the Houston Chronicle in the Ship Channel area to help his mother pay for household expenses, he told the Chronicle at the time. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, swimming, playing ball and going to the movies, according to a Chronicle advertisement, Know your Chronicle Carrier-Salesman. His plan was to go into business, but he enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 19. Hartmans name was recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery. Now, a rosette is placed next to it indicating that he was found. LIMA Lima Senior High School alumna LaJoyce Daniel-Cain, an accomplished musician and educator, returned to her roots Monday with a visit to her alma mater. The Lima native will conduct three songs including two of her own for the high schools performance of the Hallelujah Chorus at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4 at Lima Seniors Joe Henderson Auditorium, 1 Spartan Way. As is tradition, the high school invited alumni who have pursued musical careers to act as mentors and conductors for choir students as they prepare for the concert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daniel-Cain is a 1974 Lima Senior graduate. She started her musical career at age 12 performing and directing at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. At school, Daniel-Cain participated in band, choir, orchestra, cheerleading and drama club, and she was a member of Lima Seniors Homecoming court. She continued her music ministry at Mt. Vernon A.M.E. Church, Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, Brice United Methodist Church, Unity Church of Christianity and Pillipi Baptist Church. Daniel-Cain holds a bachelors degree from Wilberforce University and a masters degree from American Intercontinental University. Shes since taught music for A+ Arts Academy, Brice Christian Academy, One School, World Harvest Preparatory School and Otterbein University, where she has conducted the gospel choir for 35 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daniel-Cain directed three productions of Columbus Childrens Theater, performed two solos in Vaud-Villities productions and conducted gospel music workshops as far away as Hawaii and Cape Cod. She is the author of music instruction manual If You Want to Read the Lines. Daniel-Cain is the mother of a music professor, Dr. Minnita Daniel-Cox. DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) The Danville School Board will discuss dismissing the Director of Business effective immediately at its meeting Wednesday night. Narcissus Rankin currently holds the position of Director of Business for the Danville School District. But, according to the Board of Educations meeting agenda, board members will discuss several changes relating to Rankins position on Wednesday night. Its a crisis for us: Danville school board member worried about $18M deficit Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First, the board will discuss a motion to adopt a resolution to dismiss Rankin from her position immediately. Next up is a motion to adopt a Notice of Charges and Bill of Particulars authorizing the dismissal of Rankin as a tenured teacher in the district. Finally, the board will discuss a motion to place Rankin on unpaid administrative leave, pending her dismissal as a tenured teacher. The reasons for these agenda items were not immediately clear. Darlene Halloran, board president, said she could not comment further on the personnel matter. But, she added that more information would be shared at the board meeting. WCIA also reached out to the the district for more information, but did not immediately receive a response back. The school board will first meet in a closed session around 5:30 p.m. and is expected to reconvene for an open session around 6:30 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 WCIA.com. (Photos provided by campaigns) In Northern Virginia, a closely watched House of Delegates race is centered on how candidates plan to rein in the states booming data center industry and meet its soaring energy demands. House District 21, largely anchored in Prince William County, is currently held by incumbent Democratic Del. Josh Thomas, who faces a challenge from Republican Gregory Lee Gorham. Both candidates have made data center reforms a key campaign issue alongside other local priorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district leans Democratic: most voters backed Kamala Harris in 2024 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, Gov. Glenn Youngkin carried the district with 51.4% in 2021, and the Virginia Public Access Project rates it as competitive. Thomas has a commanding fundraising advantage, raising more than $740,000 compared to Gorhams $20,000. House District 82 rematch could help decide control of Virginias legislature In House District 22, candidates tackle data centers, rising costs in race for legislatures future Familiar foes, new stakes: CoynerDougherty rematch tests Va.s suburban swing in House District 75 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrat Mehta aims to unseat Republican Earley in Chesterfield-based House District 73 race Growth, tourism and turnout collide in House District 71 rematch House District 97, anchored in Virginia Beach, could determine party majority in House of Delegates Big money, tight margins define ObenshainFranklin rematch in House District 41 Thomas, a veteran and commercial real estate attorney focused on housing issues, said he first ran for the House of Delegates to make housing more accessible and affordable in his community. He was first elected in 2023 and was drawn to run after seeing friends lose their homes due to economic challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I thought, well, during the last economic calamity I was in the Marine Corps and couldnt really do anything about it, Thomas said. Im a commercial real estate attorney in a position to do more, and so I said, Yes, I will rise. Gorham, also a veteran and a retired IT professional, has been an active member of the Prince William County GOP. Hes lived in the area for 25 years and is passionate about the history of the area and representing his community family in the area. He told the Prince William Reporter that he decided to ensure the districts priorities are better represented in the General Assembly. Gorham did not respond to multiple requests from the Virginia Mercury for a one-on-one interview about his campaign. I think my constituents want to see accomplishments, not party-line platitudes, Gorham said. Data Centers House District 21 is home to dozens of data centers. While the county benefits from the tax revenue the industry brings, residents have raised concerns about water use, high-voltage transmission lines, and facilities being built near homes and businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the regular 2025 session, Thomas sponsored House Bill 1601, which would have required data center applicants to complete a site assessment detailing expected sound pollution and projected water and energy demands for the high load facilities. Youngkin ultimately vetoed that bill. Thomas said his goal wasnt to hinder the industry but to set clearer guardrails for local communities. Other bills that Ive had were trying to be more transparent about whether well have the energy for data centers, Thomas said. Clean energy for data centers was not going to kill the industry at all. It was just going to make sure were doing something about the energy draw that data centers represent to our energy needs, no matter where you build in the state. Gorham said controlling data center sprawl is one of his top priorities. He argued that Thomas bill did not go far enough to make a real difference. There are many other ways to force data center developers to make better proposals by making it more expensive not to make smarter proposals, Gorham told a reporter. Smarter tax laws, target industry tax overlay districts, choice of residential power suppliers, better environmental ordinance tools for localities to choose from, taking control from Richmond, need to be implemented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thomas said he is in favor of changing the rate payer distribution system for data centers to ensure they are covering some of the infrastructure costs when it comes to transmission lines and the debate over if they should remain above ground or buried, which is a much more expensive option. Virginia Clean Economy Act How to address Virginias energy demands largely driven by the rapid expansion of data centers is expected to be a central topic in the next legislative session. Democratic lawmakers are seeking to strengthen the VCEA with additional support for wind, solar, nuclear, and battery storage. Thomas said that instead of changing the VCEA to ease constraints for certain industries, the focus should be on energy consumption to prevent strain on the grid. I dont think the conversation around the VCEA is really that pertinent, because its the load that is the problem, and we need to start tackling the load so we can then figure out how we want to structure constraining the load from the government perspective, Thomas said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like many other states, Virginia faces challenges in accurately projecting energy demand for proposed data centers. Projects often enter the interconnection queue before financing or other requirements are finalized and some never materialize making long-term load forecasting more difficult. Housing Thomas said he wants to accelerate housing development across the commonwealth to help ease Virginias housing shortage. He acknowledged that increasing housing density in some areas has raised concerns among some of his legislative colleagues, as has finding reliable funding amid federal cutbacks. Some of these programs do cost state money to fund, whether thats the housing opportunity tax credit, or whether thats certain abatement programs that localities and the state could step in and help pay for that for housing construction, Thomas said. But I think thats another place where, over time, has maybe contributed to this not being where it could be in the form of public private partnerships to create more houses. Election day is Nov. 4. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (PUEBLO, Colo.) Davis Mortuary in Pueblo voluntarily surrendered its license to operate in Colorado on Oct. 17, 2025. The funeral home had been run by former Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter and his brother, Chris Cotter, since it was registered in 2010. According to Documents from the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), by relinquishing the license, it becomes unnecessary to proceed to a disciplinary hearing by Colorados Office of Motuary and Funeral Science Services. The relinquishment has the same effect as a revocation, and Cotter, along with the business, agreed to never re-apply for a license or registration in Colorado. Brian Cotter resigned as coroner, and the mortuarys license was suspended in August, after investigators found 24 bodies inside the funeral home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the documents, inspectors could smell decomposing remains and found a door hidden by a cardboard display. Cotter allegedly asked inspectors not to enter the room, but when they did and found the remains, he admitted that some had been waiting for cremation for up to 15 years, and that he may have issued incorrect remains to next-of-kin. Among the alleged mortuary code violations that were listed in the documents were: failing to embalm, refrigerate, cremate, bury, or entomb human remains within 24 hours after taking custody of them, taking custody of more human remains than the funeral establishment had the capacity to refrigerate, and engaging in willfully dishonest conduct in the practice of cremation. According to the documents, Cotter denies the allegations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 21 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1805, in one of history's greatest naval battles, the British fleet under Adm. Horatio Nelson defeated the combined French-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar off the coast of Spain. In 1879, after 14 months of experiments, Thomas Edison invented the first practical electric incandescent lamp. In 1948, Western Allies decided to withdraw their condemnation of Russia as a threat to peace on the condition that the Berlin blockade was lifted, accepting a small-nation formula as a "hopeful basis" for solving the Berlin crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1959, rocket designer Wernher von Braun and his team were transferred from the U.S. Army to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A work of art entitled "Flying Carpets 2011" by Nadia Kaabi-Linke is on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City on April 28, 2016. The museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened October 21, 1959. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI UPI File Photo In 1959, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened in New York City. The building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is considered one of the finest examples of architecture in the 20th century. Thomas Edison poses in his laboratory in Orange, N.J., on June 16, 1888, with his first gramophone invention. On October 21, 1879, after 14 months of experiments, Edison invented the first practical electric incandescent lamp. UPI File Photo In 1966, an avalanche of coal slag cascaded down a Welsh mountainside, burying a school in the town of Aberfan and killing 148 people, mostly young students. In 1983, Grenada's newly installed military rulers sought to consolidate control as 1,900 Marines steamed toward the Cuban-backed island following a week-old coup that left as many as 15 people dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1991, Beirut University professor Jesse Turner, a hostage since January 1987, was released by his captors in Lebanon. In 1994, Rosario Ames, wife of confessed spy Aldrich Ames, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for collaborating with him. In 1999, the National Park Service redesignated the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument as a national park in Colorado. In 2004, the most senior soldier accused in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq, Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was released on parole in 2007. File photo by Hugo Infante/UPI In 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama announced the United States would withdraw all troops from Iraq at the end of the year and engage in a "normal relationship" with the nation. "After nearly nine years," Obama said, "America's war in Iraq will be over." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Kateri Tekakwitha as the first Native American to become a saint. In 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died after a prop gun handled by actor Alec Baldwin went off on the set of the movie Rust in New Mexico. Sure, our leaves don't change color that much and we don't get cooler weather as much as we do "slightly-less-hot" weather, but fall has arrived in Florida and residents ask the question they ask every year: Daylight saving time? Didn't we end that already? Twice a year, most Americans adjust their clocks forward an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall to align our days with the changing sunlight hours. Many people consider it an aggravating practice that at least initially disrupts sleeping habits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While many Americans want to end the time changes (referred to by some as "lock the clock"), opinions are mixed on which time to stick with, daylight saving or standard time. It's an important question, since one of them requires an act of Congress, but the other can be done whenever a state makes the decision. Florida is among the nearly 40 states that want to make daylight saving time permanent. Why hasn't it happened yet? The states can't make that call until the federal government does, and movement there has been sluggish for almost a decade. Here's what to know. When does daylight saving time 2025 end? Daylight saving time, by federal mandate, begins on the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year, daylight saving time started Sunday, March 9, at 2 a.m. local time, when most states moved their clocks forward one hour. It will end Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 a.m. local time, when clocks are moved back one hour. Countdown to end of daylight saving time 2025 When did daylight saving time start? Daylight saving time was established in 1918 with the Standard Time Act, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications Department. It was intended to maximize daylight hours to help save on energy during World War II (and not to help farmers, as a persistent myth suggests). But it was still largely optional. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966 to establish a uniform daylight saving time throughout the U.S., requiring states that observe daylight saving time to follow the federally-mandated start and end dates. But it still allowed states and territories to opt out, provided they stuck to standard time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some did. Hawaii, Arizona except the Navajo Reservation, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands all remain on standard time. What's the difference between daylight saving time and standard time? Daylight saving time means later sunrises and sunsets, which means more time for outdoor activities after work or in the evenings and more light for evening traffic but potentially darker mornings for commuters and school children. Standard time means earlier sunrises and sunsets, which some argue increases safety in the mornings for school children and is more in line with our biological circadian rhythms. "The medical and scientific communities are unified ... that permanent standard time is better for human health," said Erik Herzog, a professor of biology and neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and the former president of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Medical Association, and the National Sleep Foundation have all urged for a change to year-round standard time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many business and tourism interests have lobbied for a permanent daylight saving time to maximize shopping and recreation hours. Didn't Florida opt out of daylight changing time? Not quite. The state wants to lock the clock, but on daylight saving time. In 2018, Florida became the first state to enact legislation to stay on daylight saving time all year round. The Florida Legislature approved HB 1013, the Sunshine Protection Act, with a vote of 103 to 11 in the House and 33 to P2 in the Florida Senate with a vote of 33 to 2. Sen. Rick Scott, who was the Florida governor at the time, signed it. And there it stopped, because permanent daylight saving time requires the repeal of the federal mandate. What is the US Sunshine Protection Act? Is it law? The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 would make daylight saving time permanent across the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he was a senator, State Secretary Marco Rubio introduced or co-introduced some version of the Sunshine Protection Act in every Congress since 2018. The closest it came was in 2022 when it passed unanimously in the Senate but did not pass the House as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi never brought it up for a vote. In all the other years, it died in committee. The Sunshine Protection Act was re-introduced in 2025: House Resolution 139, by Rep. Vern Buchanan, Florida-District 16, has 29 co-sponsors as of Oct. 20, including 8 from Florida Senate bill S.29, by Sen. Rick Scott, with 18 co-sponsors, including Florida's other senator Asley Moody Both versions were referred to committees in January with no movement since. Do Americans want to end daylight saving time? Mostly. But while most Americans are in favor of ending the practice, they seem to be divided on which time to pick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A YouGov poll conducted in March 2023 asked respondents if they wanted to stop changing their clocks twice a year. 62% said they wanted to stop changing their clocks twice a year, 21% said they didn't, and 17% weren't sure. But, when asked which time to make permanent: 50% want permanent daylight-saving time 31% want permanent standard time 12% didn't have a preference 7% aren't sure Which states want permanent daylight saving time? So far, nearly 40 states have passed or tried to pass laws or resolutions trying to make daylight saving time a year-round thing, with no twice-a-year clock changes: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Some of the legislation would make the state's change contingent on whether neighboring states also make the switch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some states have worked on legislation to make standard time permanent: Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, according to CBS 8. At least 20 states have seen proposed bills from different legislators for both times. Some states such as Missouri and Utah introducted legislation to move to standard time unless Congress lets daylight saving time become permanent, and they'd move to that one. And a few such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island have attempted to join a new time zone entirely: Atlantic Standard Time, which is used in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Could Florida stay on standard time all year? Sure. That doesn't require congressional approval, the state just has to pass a law and notify the U.S. Department of Transportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The state would just need to let DOT and the rest of the world know that they no longer observe DST, if that is the decision," the DOT said in an email. What has President Trump said about ending daylight saving time? In 2019, during his first term, President Donald Trump supported the push for permanent daylight saving time, saying in a tweet it was "O.K. with me!" according to Politico In 2024, after he was re-elected, he said he would work to end daylight saving time and move the country to standard time. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldnt!" Trump posted in December on his social media site, Truth Social "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two months after getting sworn in, he said it was a toss-up. "This should be the easiest one of all, but it's a 50-50 issue. If something's a 50-50 issue, it's hard to get excited. I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier, because they don't want to take their kids to school in the dark," Trump said in March, according to Reuters. "A lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way, it's very even. And usually I find when that's the case what else do we have to?" In April, he said again the House and Senate should push for permanent daylight saving time. Has the United States ever tried year-round daylight saving time? Yes, in 1974 under President Richard Nixon during the fuel crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just a few months into the planned two-year experiment, Congress voted to go back to the twice-a-year change after complaints of children going to school in the dark on winter mornings and indications of increased traffic accidents, the New York Times reported. Poll: Should Congress make daylight saving time permanent? Is it daylight saving time or Daylight Savings Time? It's daylight saving time, no s and no capital letters. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Daylight saving time ending soon. Will it ever end permanently? Lawfare senior editor Anna Bower landed a career-making scoop when interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan engaged in a 33-hour on-the-record Signal conversation about the recent indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James. What started as an innocuous retweet of the New York Times reporting about James recent indictment for mortgage fraud turned into a two-day back-and-forth correspondence between Bower and Halligan over the alleged inaccuracies in her reporting. Bower detailed the exchange in an article published in Lawfare on Monday. Bower received the first Signal message from a user named Lindsay Halligan on Saturday, Oct. 11, following her post to X on grand jury testimony that James grand niece lived in her Virginia home for months at a time without paying rent. Anna, Lindsey Halligan here, the first message read. You are reporting things that are simply not true. Thought you should have a heads up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lawfare reporter was skeptical at first but confirmed her identity, using the place they first met. The Signal conversation was set up to be disappearing messages after eight hours, but Bower took screenshots, which she published in the Lawfare piece. Ok, Im all ears, Bower replied after confirming Halligans identity. What am I getting wrong? Honestly, so much, Halligan wrote. I cant tell you everything but your reporting in particular is just way off. She then said it was clear to her that the reporter jumps to biased conclusions based on what she read rather than truly looking into the evidence. The conversation seemed out of place because Bower did not have an established rapport with the attorney. One thing in particular struck Bower; Halligan, who has since fired people for speaking out of turn to the press, never said the conversation was off-the-record. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She initiated a conversation with me, a reporter she barely knew, to discuss an ongoing prosecution that she is personally handling. She mostly criticized my reporting or, more precisely, my summary of someone elses reporting, Bower wrote. For someone so attuned to the risks of speaking out of turn and so willing to punish others for allegedly doing so Halligans decision to reach out to me over text remains baffling, she added. She knew I was a journalist. She approached me. She invited my questions. She even encouraged me to stop chasing other reporters stories and focus on my own. Turns out, she gave me a great one. President Donald Trumps hand-picked prosecutor, who previously served as his personal attorney, replaced Erik Siebert, who refused to prosecute James Comey or James. Within days of Halligans appointment, she secured an indictment against Comey for false statements to Congress and obstruction. Two weeks later, she persuaded a separate grand jury to indict James for mortgage fraud. Bower followed up later Saturday night, asking why Halligan was frustrated with reporters coverage of the case. Halligan said she wasnt frustrated and that Anna was the only reporter she had reached out to, while reiterating that Bowers reporting contained inaccuracies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre biased. Your reporting isnt accurate. Im the one handling the case and Im telling you that, Halligan wrote. If you want to twist and torture the facts to fit your narrative, theres nothing I can do. Waste to even give you a heads up. Halligan never clarified exactly what was inaccurate about the reporting of the rental payments. Bower contacted The Times, and they said that the Justice Department took no issue with their story once it was published. Ahead of publication of their full Signal exchange, Bower gave a heads up to the Department of Justice. Five minutes before the deadline, Halligan responded to Bowers Signal message saying everything she messaged her was off-record a condition of anonymity that neither ever agreed to in the entirety of the Signal back-and-forth. Bower did say that she certainly would have been willing to have the conversation with Halligan on-background or off-record. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By the way everything I ever sent you is off record. Youre not a journalist so its weird saying that but just letting you know, she wrote. Its obvious the whole convo is off record. Theres disappearing messages and its on signal. What is your story? You never told me about a story. At that point, it was too late. The post DC Reporter Publishes Trump Attorneys Texts About Letitia James: By the Way, Everything I Ever Sent You Is Off Record appeared first on TheWrap. Oct. 20Town hall took place at Upper Township fire department UPPER TOWNSHIP Supporters of the Lawrence County Developmental Disabilities funding levy made their case this week at a town hall event. The gathering took place at the Upper Township Fire Department on Monday, the second informational meeting levy advocates have hosted leading into the general election campaign. Advocates are seeking passage of a 2.5 mill continuing levy on the Nov. 4 ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Superintendent Julie Monroe, who hosted the discussion, said the agency made more than $1 million in cuts after the last time a funding levy, which was defeated, was on the ballot in 2019. agency made more She said, at this point, there is no room for more cuts and, should this year's levy fail, the agency would be forced to close Open Door School at the end of the 2025-26 school year, as well as end Early Intervention programs for preschool ages. Monroe said LCDD serves individuals of all ages whose conditions are lifelong and manifest by age 22, resulting in substantial limitations. She said the agency was founded in 1967 and is funded through property taxes, as required by the Ohio General Assembly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Monroe said Open Door School, a public school open to students from across the county, does receive per pupil funding for its students, but, as a smaller school, this funding is not comparable to schools in the county that have 500 or more students. She said this funding does not cover operating expenses, as well as additional services and therapies offered there. She said they are seeking a continuing levy, as the needs of those served by the agency are consistent and that it would not make sense to have a levy that needs renewed every few years. She said the school also is not eligible for capital funds for things needed such as roof repairs. Monroe was asked what would happen to students if Open Door School closed. She said these students would then have to attend schools in their districts, which she said would likely need to make substantial changes to accommodate them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Monroe said the agency was helped, in some ways, by the COVID-19 pandemic, when many in person services were not offered and they were able to save money from that following the last levy failure. She said the agency has not a had a funding levy pass since 2006 and this one is sorely needed, with the needs for those they serve increasing. Also speaking at the town hall was Melissa Welch, parent of a son with Down Syndrome who is 26 years old. She said, after his graduation from public school, he takes part in programs tied to LCDD, such as PALS, which he attends four days a week. "There is a difference," she said. "He connects those who are like him, he says." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She described him as a blessing and said "without help from Lawrence County DD, his life would be very different." You Might Like News Former parade grand marshal Rowe dies at 81 News Fighting Tigers protest being denied spot in playoffs News Ray McClung Ashland, KY Community Hospice invites all to become a 'Friend of Hospice TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) A North Carolina district attorney said two Transylvania County deputies use of lethal force was justified in a July shooting that left a man dead. District Attorney R. Andrew Murray released his findings Tuesday in a letter to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, concluding deputies were legally justified in their use of deadly force in the July 6, 2025, shooting of 30-year-old Raul Alberto Rivera. Deputies initially responded for a report Rivera was traveling through Pisgah National Forest in his car with a gun and was in an emotionally stressed state of mind, the district attorney said in his letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Riveras ex-girlfriend reported to 911 she had been in contact with him and that his texts led her to believe that he was planning to harm himself. When deputies arrived, they found Riveras car parked at a closed Pizza Hut on Pisgah Highway. Shortly after arriving, one of the deputies reported Rivera raised a gun prompting the deputy to fire multiple shots at Rivera, the district attorney said. Body camera footage captured at least one shot being fired by Rivera from his vehicle, officials said. Deputies then shouted for Rivera to put his gun down and Rivera could be heard screaming back using multiple expletives. Officials said more shots were then fired at Riveras vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once it was safe for deputies to approach the vehicle, Rivera was found unresponsive and an AR-15 rifle was located in the car. The district attorney went on to state that a spent shell casing was found in Riveras vehicle and a bullet was found in the brush guard on the front of the deputys vehicle. It is clear from the information available to me that neither Deputy Brandon Holden nor Deputy Samuel Owen had any choice but to use deadly force, Murray said in his letter. Their actions were justified under North Carolina law. You can read the full letter below: DA letter to SBI Raul Alberto Rivera 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. WEBSTER CITY, Iowa The Webster City Police Department is investigating after a man was found deceased inside a home early Monday morning. A news release from the WCPD said officers were dispatched to a home at 1403 Des Moines Street around 5:30 a.m., and when they arrived, they found a deceased adult male inside. The mans cause of death is under investigation, and an autopsy by the Iowa State Medical Examiners Office is pending. Identity of man who died after Highway 65 crash revealed Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police are not releasing the mans name until family members can be notified. Van Diest Medical Center, the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, and the Hamilton County Medical Examiners Office assisted at the scene. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is helping with the investigation. WCPD is asking anyone with information related to the death to contact them at 515-832-9166. Iowa news 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 who13.com. Oct. 20The ongoing federal government budget crisis has derailed the prosecution of a Zuni jewelry maker who is facing the death penalty if convicted of kidnapping 11 Native American men, killing two of them. The government shutdown, entering its third full week, has forced various types of federal court staff, and U.S. Marshals, to work without pay beginning this week. However, court hearings and trials appeared to be scheduled as usual in New Mexico. On Saturday, U.S. District Court Judge David Urias of Albuquerque agreed to delay the death penalty case after defense attorneys for Labar Tsethlikai, 52, contended their client's constitutional rights were impacted by "the failure of the United States to fund his defense." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tsethlikai, who was arrested in April 2024, is in federal custody awaiting trial on federal charges of murder, kidnapping, kidnapping resulting in death, serious assault and aggravated sexual abuse related to an alleged pattern of predatory and sexual violence. "We are fearful of providing an inadequate defense and depriving a man of his Constitutional rights in a literal life or death situation," wrote defense attorney Hadley Brown last week. "The United States is trying to kill Mr. Tsethlikai. They are simultaneously asking the Court to ignore the fact that his Defense is not fully funded." The U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico asked the judge to deny the defense request for a stay of the proceedings, contending it was merely a tactic to "delay justice." Urias wrote in a ruling that "the right to a defense is one of the bedrock principles of this country, and the shutdown has unquestionably impeded Defendant's right to counsel in this case." No trial date had been set in Tsethlikai's case. He is alleged to have kidnapped and killed at least two men between 2022 to 2024 around New Mexico among his other alleged crimes involving nine others. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced in June its intent to seek the federal death penalty in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, the defense team now includes government-funded attorneys and experts knowledgeable about potential death penalty issues. The lawyers are from the Federal Public Defender's Office or are private attorneys appointed by the court for indigent defendants under the Criminal Justice Act. This year's budget issues impact both groups differently. CJA attorneys haven't been paid since July 3 of this year when the federal government ran out of funds to compensate those lawyers. In Tsthlikai's case, some of his defense team, including experts, continued to work on his case "with the idea that they would be paid when the budget was replenished on Oct. 1, 2025," court records state. But with the government shutdown, CJA-funded members of his defense team "can no longer continue to work for free or pay expenses out of their own pocket," stated the defense motion. "As a result of the lack of pay, one essential, now-uncompensated team member has taken money from their retirement accounts to pay their own basic living expenses." Another team member, described as a specialist, has young children and a family to support and has had to stop most of their work on the death penalty case to focus time on another, paying case, the motion stated. Meanwhile, federal public defenders as of this week won't be paid for their work, nor will their experts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal judges are "must-pay" (meaning payment is mandated by existing law independent of annual appropriations) so the district, bankruptcy, magistrate, and circuit judges continue to receive pay during the government shutdown, said U.S. District Court clerk Heather Small in an email. However, law clerks, paralegals and judicial secretaries are not included in the "must-pay" category, and they are currently working without pay, as is the federal District Clerk's Office, Probation and Pretrial Services, U.S. Attorney's office, the U.S. Bankruptcy Clerk's Office, and Administrative Office of the Courts staff. U.S. Marshals staff are also not receiving pay, Small told the Journal. Asked how the budget crisis is affecting the employees of the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico, an agency spokeswoman told the Journal in an email on Monday she is unable to respond to press inquiries during the shutdown. Over 90% of defendants in federal criminal cases have court-appointed counsel because they cannot afford their own lawyer. Nationwide, federal defenders offices handle about 60% of indigent cases. The remaining 40% are CJA attorneys. (The Center Square) After 125 days without a joint forum or debate, Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid says hes done waiting. Reid announced Tuesday that at 6 p.m., his campaign will release The 2025 Virginia Lieutenant Governor Debate. He calls it the debate that should have happened, describing the video as a fully cited and sourced, one-take debate responding directly to Democratic nominee Ghazala Hashmis publicly stated positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the campaign, the project features a recorded moderator asking questions, with Reid answering in one continuous take. Hashmis responses are represented using her verified quotes and public statements gathered from her website and previous interviews. This is the only time this debate occurred, Reid said in the release. There were no rehearsals, no second takes, and no advance prep beyond my own notes. I was shown the final structure and format just minutes before we taped. Virginians deserve to see a side-by-side contrast, and since my opponent wont show up, I had to force the issue myself, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reid also described the video as an example of transparency and fairness. Unlike even the real debates where every candidate gets days of preparation, this tape was my one and only take, he said. Virginians can see exactly how I respond when I dont get to hide behind consultants or scripts. My opponent has had months to prepare; shes simply chosen silence. Its unfortunate that a sitting state senator is either too afraid of her own record or too calculating to face the voters directly, he added. But I will always stand on my own two feet and, in an unscripted format, answer questions from the media and the public. Thats what leadership looks like. The video will be live streamed on the campaigns website starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reids announcement comes after both the governor and attorney general candidates have already faced off in their own statewide debates. The governors debate featured Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, while Attorney General Jason Miyares and Jay Jones went head-to-head in the attorney general race. Reids event serves as the final debate moment for the statewide ticket, though its a solo appearance. Recent polling shows all three races tightening as Election Day approaches. A VCU Wilder School Commonwealth Poll conducted Oct. 6-14 found Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 49% to 42%, Hashmi leading Reid 44% to 43%, and Miyares leading Jones 45% to 42%. The poll has a margin of error of 3.9%. The City of Decatur has become the first community in Georgia to be certified as a Bird City, achieving the prestigious High Flyer level of recognition. The certification was approved by the Decatur City Council on Sept. 15, 2025, and officially celebrated at a ceremony on Oct. 17 at Legacy Park, attended by Decatur Mayor Pro Tem Tony Powers. Birds Georgia is thrilled to recognize the City of Decatur as the first city to receive the Bird City designation in the state, said Birds Georgia interim co-executive director Adam Betuel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bird City Initiative is a collaborative effort between the City of Decatur and the Bird City Network, aimed at promoting bird conservation and creating healthier communities for both people and birds across Georgia. Bird City Georgia is led by Birds Georgia, with support from the Georgia Native Plant Society and Georgia Ornithological Society. The city has implemented a range of initiatives to support bird populations, including habitat creation and restoration, reducing threats to birds, promoting public awareness, supporting research and monitoring, and organizing events for World Migratory Bird Day. Efforts the city has undertook include minimizing light pollution, window strikes and pesticide use. In addition to Birds Georgia, Decatur has partnered with organizations such as Legacy Decatur, Trees Atlanta, Woods Keeper and Intown Chapter of Georgia Native Plant Society in an effort to make the city a more friendly place for birds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bird City Network, a collaboration between the American Bird Conservancy and Environment for the Americas, unites independent Bird City programs like Bird City Georgia, providing a platform for communities to collaborate and be recognized for implementing bird-friendly actions. Bird City Georgia invites communities across the state to join the initiative and work together to protect and conserve bird populations, contributing to a larger effort to promote sustainability and biodiversity. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) Decatur city council president Jacob Ladner fought back tears on his final voting day at city hall as the head of District 5 and as the city council president. In his farewell, Ladner spoke about the new aggressive approach to decision-making by the council and setting the tone to do what it takes to rebuild the citys failing infrastructure and invest in city employees. Arab City Schools mourns elementary student killed in Marshall County ATV crash Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether thats being aggressive with developers and incentives or whether thats putting a new focus on parks and rec, investing in our employees, all of those things. Those are things that have not happened for a long time, for decades, Ladner explained. Council member Kyle Pike thanked Ladner for what hes accomplished in his five years as president and councilman. I dont think it would have been possible without you, said Pike. There is no training book to show you how to do this. Im extremely thankful for what weve been able to accomplish in the last 5 years. But while fellow city council members praised Ladner for his service, Decatur citizens withheld the opportunity to applaud the councils accomplishments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Huntsville family killed in Montana plane crash Jacob, goodbye and good riddance, citizen Sharonda Acklin said. Those citizens have held Ladner and the city council accountable for their delayed actions after the police shooting death of Stephen Perkins two years ago. The shooting has divided the city while igniting protests and arrests during council meetings at city hall. It will go down in history for the past two years the way the city has responded to the death of Steve Perkins, John Scott and Jaden DeJarnett, Decatur citizen Sarah French said. The way you didnt move and handle these situations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ladner told News 19 that the final two years since the police shooting death of Perkins were the most challenging for everyone on the council. The last two years will go down in history as a time in Decatur where there was a tragedy, and how did the local government respond to that is important, said Ladner. All I can tell you is I always wanted to do what I thought was right and what the next right thing was, and I feel like Ive done that, and the rest will be for others to judge and decide. The last voting meting for the current city council will be on Thursday, October 30. The new council members will be sworn in on November 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 WHNT.com. DELHI, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) The Delaware County District Attorney has announced the arrest of a Delhi man for alleged child sex crimes. On October 14th, David Gensler of Delhi was arrested on four charges of alleged child sex crimes. The alleged charges are the use of a child under the age of 17 for sexual performance, disseminating indecent materials to minors, luring a child into a building/vehicle to commit a crime, and disseminating indecent materials to minors as a sexually motivated felony. A felony preliminary hearing on October 20th, was held in the Town of Delhi Court. Gensler was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility without bail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information in regard to the matter can contact the NYSP at 607-434-3211. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34. The city of Deltona is the first in the state to withdraw from the SB180 lawsuit. Twenty-seven cities and counties are suing the state over the new law, which is meant to improve emergency response during hurricanes but also threatens building bans. On June 30th, Deltona leaders approved a building ban to tackle infrastructure and flooding problems. However, the same day, SB180 became effective, which means the citys ordinance is no longer enforceable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afterward, Deltona and the city of Edgewater teamed up to oppose Floridas new law, and other cities and counties across the state quickly followed suit. Four months later, Deltona is dialing back. I just have some really big concerns about how much penance are we going to have to pay and what are these people going to lose out on in terms of stormwater projects, medical services, sewer projects, said Commissioner Chris Nabicht during a city commission meeting. Commissioners concerns about possible retaliation resulted in the majority of them voting to withdraw from the lawsuit. Some residents see the move as a relief, while others worry the city might be backing down too soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawsuits are complicated and by losing funding for other areas that really need it and the states got that little power over you to say if you sue us, then we are taking this, said JC Kless. Fight em. We live here and shouldnt have to deal with this. Put them somewhere where theres nothing there yet, said Lucie Shortt. Cities pay $10,000 to join the lawsuit and they wont get that money back if they withdraw. Volusia County leaders plan to lobby for amendments to the law on behalf of several cities in Tallahassee in January. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor, wants to ban federal immigration agents from wearing masks during raids. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor, said she would seek to ban federal immigration agents from covering their faces during enforcement operations if shes elected next month. Sherrills proposal comes amid a national debate over immigration officers concealing their identities during enforcement actions, which have increased sharply under the second Trump administration. Speaking after an unrelated event in Newark Monday, Sherrill didnt delve into details, but said her plan would mirror legislation she supports in Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I heard from one police officer who said that somebody came into his town and, as he put it, was looking like he was dressed for Afghanistan and refused to identify himself, she said, repeating a story shes told numerous times on the campaign trail. So thats unacceptable. We need to know who is on our streets here in New Jersey. The bill in Congress, sponsored by Democrats, would ban Department of Homeland Security agents engaged in border security and civil immigration enforcement from wearing non-tactical masks and from obstructing their agency identification. It has not been heard by any committee in the GOP-led House. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, called attempts to ban masked federal law enforcement a danger to officers. She claimed federal law enforcement officers have seen a 1,000% increase in assaults against them and have been targeted online through doxing. To be crystal clear: we will not abide by a states unconstitutional ban, McLaughlin said about Sherrills proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrills past comments criticizing ICE agents wearing masks generally came in response to questions from reporters about her support for the Immigrant Trust Directive, a statewide order that restricts when local, county, and state police can cooperate with ICE agents. She hasnt said whether she would keep the directive in place if shes elected to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Nov. 4. Ron Chen, a law professor at Rutgers Law School, said a state law barring ICE agents from wearing masks would likely wind up in court and be struck down. Chen noted that state governments are prohibited from regulating federal agencies. Trying to regulate directly a federal law enforcement officer and the conduct of their duties as much as it may be a good policy I dont think thats something she would be able to do, period, he said. Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ramped up its efforts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. With federal agents conducting immigration raids often wearing plain clothes and without identifying themselves, Democratic lawmakers and attorneys general nationwide have said wearing masks compounds the fear and chaos of the raids. Critics have also cited the potential for impostors claiming to be ICE agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chen said the most likely outcome of a state mask ban for ICE agents is that courts would find its preempted under the Constitutions supremacy clause, which limits state governments from overruling federal law. The governor could bar state and local police from wearing masks, but not federal agents, he said. Chen noted that we have a very recent case highlighting how difficult it is for states to issue regulations on immigration-related matters. In July, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling striking down a New Jersey law that barred private entities from contracting with the federal government to house immigrant detainees. Sherrill said if needed, shed be prepared to fight it out in court. Her support for banning masked federal agents comes one month after California banned most law enforcement from covering their faces during operations, including federal immigration agents. The law goes into effect Jan. 1. New York lawmakers have introduced a similar bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jack Ciattarelli, Sherrills GOP opponent, has not commented on her remarks criticizing ICE agents wearing masks. But Ciattarelli has expressed support for deporting people who are in the country illegally and said local law enforcement should be able to aid in immigration enforcement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX By Joseph Ax (Reuters) -The Democratic National Committee pledged an additional $500,000 for get-out-the-vote operations in the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races, as well as judicial races in Pennsylvania, adding to its multimillion-dollar investment in the November 4 contests as Democrats seek momentum going into next year's congressional elections. Tuesday's announcement, shared with Reuters ahead of its release, brings the committee's total outlay in the three states to more than $6 million for the November 4 election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Jersey and Virginia are the only U.S. states to hold gubernatorial elections in the years after presidential contests, and the outcomes are often viewed as an early referendum on the president's first year in office. The close-fought New Jersey race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, in particular, has drawn the attention of both national parties. While the state has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1992, it has shifted toward Republicans in recent years; President Donald Trump came within six percentage points of winning last year, and Democratic Governor Phil Murphy beat Ciattarelli in 2021 by only 3 percentage points. Sherrill has led the race since the primary election, but recent public polls have shown Ciattarelli narrowing the gap. A Quinnipiac University poll released on October 15 found Sherrill winning among likely voters, 50% to 44%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both parties have poured money into the race, already the most expensive in state history. A political action committee tied to the Democratic Governors Association has announced more than $20 million, while two pro-Ciattarelli groups, including one backed by the Republican Governors Association, have raised at least $13 million, according to campaign finance filings. In Virginia, Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger has led by around 10 points in recent surveys from highly rated pollsters, according to a tracker from the New York Times, over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. Like Murphy in New Jersey, the state's incumbent governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin, is barred from running for re-election due to term limits. In Pennsylvania, three members of the state Supreme Court's liberal 5-2 majority are running in what is known as a "retention" election, which means they do not have opponents. Instead, voters decide whether to re-elect them for another 10-year term. (Reporting by Joseph Ax, editing by Deepa Babington) I believe that Zionism is self-determination of the Jewish people, and the right for Israel to exist. And I support that," he said during an interview on J, the Jewish News of Northern California. California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, a leading critic of Israel in Congress, said he believes in the right for Israel to exist and that it is antisemitic to oppose the existence of a Jewish state. Khanna made the comment during an interview Friday with J. The Jewish News of Northern California. Speaking with the Js Gabe Stutman, Khanna said he supports Zionism and that modern antisemitism stems from denying the idea of a Jewish state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I believe that Zionism is self-determination of the Jewish people, and the right for Israel to exist. And I support that. What I dont believe is if it means Greater Israel, said Khanna, adding that he believes there needs to be a two-state solution. Last month Khanna led an unsuccessful effort to push President Donald Trump to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly. He also said he agreed with a United Nations commissions finding that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, making him one of only a handful of members of Congress to endorse the charge that Israel rejects. I agree with the UN commissions heartbreaking finding that there is a genocide in Gaza, wrote Khanna in a post on X/Twitter. What matters is what we do about it: stop military sales that are being used to kill civilians and recognize a Palestinian state. Rep. Ro Khanna speaks to reporters following a news conference with alleged victims of disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein outside the US Capitol on September 3, 2025 in Washington (credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Later in the interview, Khanna went on to frame his support for Jewish self-determination within his broader understanding of antisemitism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The original antisemitism was denying the Jewish people based on religion, said Khanna. Then, under Nazism, it became denying the Jewish people based on race. And today, antisemitism is denying the idea of a Jewish state. And I reject all three of those antisemitism premises. During the interview, Khanna also defended his appearance in a documentary earlier that month that featured antisemitic influencer Ian Carroll. Following the YouTube documentarys release, where Khanna spells out his reasoning for rejecting AIPAC funding, he posted a clip that featured Carroll following his own interview. Khanna denounced Israel blame for 9/11 I had, genuinely, no idea who he was, Khanna told Stutman. I had never met him, never spoken to him. The broader point I was making was about PAC money, lobbyist money, not taking it. And not taking money from AIPAC. And that was what I said in the video. But once I came to know who he was, I, of course, unequivocally denounce his comments that somehow Israel was to blame for 9/11. I mean, thats ludicrous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khanna has also faced criticism for his appearance at the ArabCon conference last month, where several panelists defended Hamas as Palestinian resistance and laughed at the idea of condemning the Oct. 7 attacks. My brand, my politics, political philosophy is I will go and have a conversation anywhere, said Khanna in defense of his appearance, adding that he told the conference he unequivocally denounce the viewpoint that there was any justification for Hamas. The start of construction on President Trumps new White House ballroom has prompted incredulous reactions and widespread condemnation from Democratic lawmakers and public officials online. Construction vehicles tore down part of the White Houses East Wing Monday. In the place of the debris, Trump plans to erect a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The work is projected to cost around $250 million and, if all goes according to plan, will nearly double the size of the existing White House structure. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in July that the ballroom will be paid for by both private donors and Trump himself. Trump had previously claimed that the ballrooms construction would not interfere with the buildings current structure. The destruction witnessed Monday proved those comments to be false. The move comes as cost of living concerns among everyday Americans remain high, not to mention the government shutdown that has been ongoing for several weeks now. It was with all that in mind that some of Trumps biggest Democratic opponents took to social media to denounce the presidents decision to spend any time and money right now on building an extravagant ballroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A $250 million gilded White House ballroom. $40 billion dollars to bail out Argentina, California Senator Alex Padilla remarked on his X account Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are bracing for their health insurance payments to double because Trump wont lift a finger to help them. Why do megalomaniacs always build giant monuments? Illinois congressman Jonathan L. Jackson remarked on X. You dont put rims on a rental, or custom cabinets in an Airbnband you sure dont build a gold-plated Oval Office, billion-dollar jet, grand ballroom and now an Arc de Trump if you actually plan on leaving in 3 years. Elsewhere, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren similarly condemned Trumps ballroom project, writing on X, Oh youre trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump cant hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom. It is corruption at its core, former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the construction project during an appearance on The View Tuesday. Theres no greater metaphor right now [for] whats happening right now in this country than watching Donald Trump take a wrecking ball to the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The aforementioned politicians and public figures were far from the only ones to comment on the White Houses partial destruction this week. Check out more social reactions to the ballroom project below. $250 million for his ballroom. $40 billion for Argentina. $172 million for Kristi Noems two private jets. $0 to lower your health care premiums. https://t.co/TKH2IC9KNH Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) October 21, 2025 I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump. We didnt need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing. https://t.co/z162LwCQfg pic.twitter.com/vetx0GsZYL Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) October 20, 2025 Republican math. Can afford: Trump ballroom, $40 Billion Argentina bailout, massive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires Cant afford: health care for Americans, SNAP for struggling Americans, tax relief for middle class families. Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) October 20, 2025 This breaks my heart and it infuriates me. Hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new ballroom. Good god. https://t.co/zWH6H7pOIC Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) October 20, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Millions of Americans are losing their health care because of the GOP. Instead of keeping veterans, seniors, and children insured, Trump is now building himself a $200 million gold-plated ballroom. Out of touch is an understatement. https://t.co/SowU98JFnc Katherine Clark (@WhipKClark) October 20, 2025 Trumps billionaire ballroom. This is a disgrace. Welcome to the Second Gilded Age. https://t.co/MW7k1benZA Rep. Darren Soto (@RepDarrenSoto) October 20, 2025 The government is shut down. Prices are out of control. Healthcare for millions is at risk. And Trumps top priority? Tearing down part of the White House to build himself a ballroom. Working families deserve better than a president obsessed with his own vanity. https://t.co/lRIezgJ98i Rep. Jimmy Gomez (@RepJimmyGomez) October 21, 2025 The post Democrats Condemn Construction of Trumps New $250 Million White House Ballroom: You Dont Put Rims on a Rental appeared first on TheWrap. U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach speaks at a rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump on June 28, 2024 in Chesapeake. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) Democrats see Virginias 2nd Congressional District as one of their best chances to flip a Republican seat next year, and six candidates have already launched campaigns to take on U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach the latest being Dr. Nila Devanath, a hospital physician who announced her bid Tuesday. The district, anchored in Hampton Roads and stretching across the cities of Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Franklin, parts of Chesapeake and the Eastern Shore, has traded hands several times over the past decade and remains highly competitive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kiggans, a former state senator and Navy veteran, flipped the seat from Democrat Elaine Luria in 2022 and narrowly won reelection last year against Missy Cotter Smasal. But with President Donald Trump back in the White House, Democrats now view her as one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the House particularly amid the ongoing federal government shutdown thats hit her military-heavy district hard. The 2nd District is probably the second most competitive district in Virginia, after the 7th District in the Fredericksburg area, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. The way the lines are drawn they provide an advantage to a Republican, but not an overwhelming one in a midterm election where opposition to the president is particularly intense. Democrats have an opportunity, and thats why theres so many candidates thinking about competing in this race next year. A competitive coastal swing seat The districts large population of veterans, shipyard workers and federal employees makes it especially sensitive to Washington gridlock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The seat has swung back and forth repeatedly. Democrat Luria won it in 2018 and 2020 before losing to Kiggans in 2022 by just over three points. That pattern narrow GOP victories in presidential years and Democratic surges in midterms keeps the district near the top of both parties target lists. The Cook Political Report rates it a toss-up, and national Democrats have already signaled it as a top pickup opportunity. A physician and former attorney who grew up in Hampton Roads, Devanath became the sixth Democrat to enter the race this week. The daughter of immigrants, she said her campaign is rooted in her experience caring for patients who struggle to access affordable treatment. Dr. Nila Devanath, a hospital physician and former attorney from Hampton Roads, is one of several Democrats seeking to challenge U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, in one of the states most competitive House races. (Photo courtesy of campaign) In our hospitals, I see every day what happens when Washington fails to act, Devanath said in her announcement. Families wait months for care. Veterans are forced to split their pills in half. Patients with diabetes lose their lives avoiding treatment for something as simple as a small cut because theyre afraid of the medical bills that will follow. She added: Rep. Jen Kiggans and I both swore to care for our patients, but in Washington shes turned her back on that promise. As a doctor, I cant stand by while families suffer. Im running for Congress to fix this broken system for my patients, for our veterans, and for every family who deserves better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before becoming a doctor, Devanath practiced law defending survivors of domestic violence at a legal-aid clinic. She now works as an acute-care physician serving veterans and active-duty families. Her campaign says she will focus on lowering health-care and housing costs, protecting Medicaid and ensuring veterans receive the care theyve earned. Five Democrats already in Devanath joins five other Democrats who have been campaigning for months Patrick Mosolf, James Osyf, Nicolaus Sleister, Burk Stringfellow and Mike Williamson each bringing a different background to the race. Mosolf, a first-time candidate for Congress, is running on a platform of restoring Americas democracy and addressing cost-of-living issues ranging from housing to healthcare. Osyf, a commander in the Navy Reserve and first-generation Ukrainian American, announced his bid in July. He has served aboard the USS Norfolk and works for Lockheed Martin. His campaign emphasizes national security, veterans issues and restoring trust in government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans have criticized Osyf for maintaining a residence in Washington, D.C., roughly three hours from the district, a charge his campaign dismissed as a distraction. Sleister, a military spouse and community advocate, entered the race in April. He grew up in a working-class family that faced layoffs and frequent moves and later worked in homeland-security and physical-security leadership. Sleister focuses on economic stability and affordability for families. Stringfellow, a teacher and project manager active in the nonpartisan RepresentUs movement, also filed his paperwork in April. He advocates for government reform, ranked-choice voting and economic justice. Williamson, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and father of two who now lives in Suffolk, has also entered the Democratic primary in the 2nd District. He served 20 years in the Marines, including six overseas tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and Asia, as well as assignments at the Pentagon and with NATO in Hampton Roads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williamson says his mission is to bring service-era discipline and integrity to Congress. Incumbent under pressure Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot and nurse practitioner, has portrayed herself as a pragmatic conservative focused on military families and the economy, but Democrats argue her record tells a different story. Earlier this year, Kiggans voted for a Republican budget package that included deep cuts to Medicaid reductions that could total $625 billion nationwide over a decade and threaten hospital funding across the state. Her opponents have also pointed to her votes against renewing Affordable Care Act subsidies without an alternative, which analysts said would raise premiums for roughly 300,000 Virginians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ongoing shutdown has added to the political pressure. With thousands of federal workers and contractors in the region facing furloughs, local officials warned of ripple effects on small businesses and defense operations. Kiggans said she supported a clean continuing resolution but also blamed Senate Democrats for stalling broader budget talks. High stakes for both parties The 2nd Districts competitiveness gives it outsize importance in the battle for control of the U.S. House. Republicans hold a narrow majority, and both national campaign committees are already targeting the race. The DCCC has placed Kiggans on its Red-to-Blue list of vulnerable incumbents, while the NRCC has moved to defend her seat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican candidates representing districts that are not overwhelmingly Republican have a big challenge when it comes to defending some of Trumps policies, said Farnsworth, the political scientist. In the 2nd District, where theres a relatively high level of federal employment, the federal government cutbacks and the government shutdown do not particularly endear swing voters to Republicans backing the president, Farnsworth said. Whoever wins the June 16, 2026, Democratic primary, will face an incumbent in November of next year with a formidable fundraising network and a message rooted in service but also a district increasingly restless with partisan brinkmanship. With the shutdown dragging on and cost-of-living and health care issues dominating local headlines, Democrats are betting that Virginias 2nd District long a weathervane for Hampton Roads politics might once again shift their way. A map of Virginias 2nd Congressional District shows its boundaries across Virginia Beach, parts of Chesapeake, Suffolk and Franklin, and the Eastern Shore counties of Accomack and Northampton. The coastal swing district, home to thousands of military and federal workers, is considered one of the states most competitive. (Map courtesy of Virginia Public Access Project) SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE WASHINGTON Congressional Republicans believed that Democrats would cave on government funding after the national No Kings protests took place over the weekend, but that doesnt seem to be the case. If anything, Democratic lawmakers feel even more energized by the sight of millions of Americans rallying against the Trump administration and authoritarianism in hundreds of cities across the country. Politics: Nobel-Snubbed Donald Trump Finally Wins A Peace Prize But With A Truly Ironic Twist That was all a Republican myth from the very start, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Tuesday. The No Kings rallies were just reinforcement of the view that Donald Trump should not be given a blank check to continue his lawless activities, and that we need to address this huge spike in health care costs. So I think the Republicans put out a line that they wanted to believe, but it was never true. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It had nothing to do with where we are today, added Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). The reason were here today is to ensure that 24 million Americans dont see a large increase in their cost, and many of them will be forced to drop their health care coverage. Thats why we are where we are. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other top Republicans have called the No Kings protests a Hate America rally and said Democrats in Congress had shut down the government to score points with the protesters. They also predicted that the protests would be violent, but they were peaceful. The American people would have an open government if Democrats were not terrified of their radical base, Johnson said at a press conference on Tuesday. The Democrats are not governing in good faith theyre covering their own tail. Politics: University Of Virginia Strikes Deal To Pause Trump Administration Investigations The government has been shuttered for 21 days, with little progress or negotiations occurring in Washington to open it back up. Democrats maintain its up to Trump to bring both parties to the table and agree to extend enhanced health insurance subsidies for millions of people enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans. The subsidies expire at the end of the year, and insurers are already projecting skyrocketing insurance premiums next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump needs to come to the table and relieve the suffering of millions of Americans who have to pay way more for health care and all the ones who would be denied health care, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday. Republicans say theyre open to talking about an extension of the subsidies but only after Democrats vote to reopen the government. I dont think they have an exit strategy, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said. I know theyre betting on the announcement of the large rate increases on Affordable Care Act policies are going to provoke a negotiation, and were happy to talk about that, but not while the government is shut down. Politics: Bernie Sanders Gets Real About What Went Wrong With Kamala Harris Failed Campaign The Senate is expected to vote this week on a standalone bill that would pay some essential federal government employees, including active-duty members of the military. But that isnt likely to advance either, amid the stalemate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other issue preventing the government from reopening is the White House unilaterally freezing or canceling spending previously approved by Congress. Democrats have complained bitterly about the Trump administrations rescissions of congressional spending, calling it illegal. Even some Republicans have acknowledged that its only making things worse on Capitol Hill. Wed be suckers to sign on to a budget that was written only by Republicans when the president is telling us that as soon as he signs it, hes going to spend money in Republican states and not spend money in Democratic states, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told reporters on Monday. Like, Id be an idiot to sign on to a budget that basically guarantees my programs dont get funded, he added. Related... Read the original on HuffPost RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Democrats rallied Tuesday against a new U.S. House map proposed by North Carolina Republicans that would likely reap another GOP seat at President Donald Trump's behest, but the critics acknowledged they'll likely be unable to halt the redraw for now. But they vowed to defeat it in the long run. The new map offered by Republican legislative leaders seeks to stop the reelection of Democratic Rep. Don Davis, one of North Carolinas three Black representatives, by redrawing two of the states 14 congressional districts. Statewide election data suggests the proposal which received final Senate approval and cleared a House redistricting committee on Tuesday along party lines would favor Republicans winning 11 of those seats, up from the current 10 they hold. With Republicans in the majority in both General Assembly chambers and state law preventing Democratic Gov. Josh Stein from using his veto stamp against a redistricting plan, the GOP-drawn map appeared headed to enactment after final House votes as soon as Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boundary changes attempt to satisfy Trumps call for states led by Republicans to conduct mid-decade redistricting to gain more seats and retain his partys grip on Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats need to gain just three more seats to seize control of the House, and the presidents party historically has lost seats in midterm elections. Still, about 300 protesters, Democratic Party officials and lawmakers gathering outside the old state Capitol pledged repeatedly Tuesday that redrawing the congressional map would have negative consequences for the GOP at the ballot box in 2026 and beyond. Litigation to challenge the enactment on the map also is likely on allegations of unlawful racial gerrymandering. We know we may not have the ability to stop the Republicans in Raleigh right now ... but we are here to show that people across this state and across this nation are watching them, North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton said to cheers. The gathering served Democrats to censure state Republicans they accuse of agreeing to kneel to Trump through a corrupt redrawing of district lines to target Davis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State GOP leaders defended their action, saying Trump has won the states electoral votes all three times that hes run for president albeit narrowly and thus merits more potential support in Congress. The national redistricting battle began over the summer when Trump urged Republican-led Texas to reshape its U.S. House districts. After Texas lawmakers acted, California Democrats reciprocated by passing their own plan, which still needs voter approval in November. Republicans argue that other Democratic-leaning states had already given themselves a disproportionate number of seats well before this national redistricting fight started. It is incumbent upon us to react to this environment, to respond to this environment, and not let these tactics that have happened in blue states dominate the control of Congress, state Sen. Ralph Hise, the map's chief author, said during Tuesday's Senate debate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several speakers at the Democrats' rally roused the crowds outrage at what they criticized as a speedy and unfair redistricting process deliberately designed to grab the seat that Davis won by less than 2 percentage points in 2024. Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier, who took part in a two-week legislative walkout in her state opposition to the pro-Trump redistricting, encouraged those present to vote in upcoming elections and ensure others they know to do likewise. Everybody needs to be bothered but not deterred, Collier said. Democrats allege the proposed map creates a racial gerrymander that would dismantle decades of voting rights progress for those who live in what's known as North Carolina's "Black Belt" region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shame on this General Assembly, shame on North Carolina for silencing the will of the people of northeastern North Carolina, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton told the House redistricting committee. The 91-year-old Clayton became the first Black member of Congress to represent North Carolina in more than 90 years with her 1st District election in 1992. Republicans counter than no such gerrymandering occurred. They said no racial data was used in forming the districts and there is no legal significant evidence of racially polarized voting that would warrant drawing 1st District boundaries with race as a predominant consideration. The purpose of this map was to pick up a Republican seat. Weve stated that over and over again, Hise said. Graham Platner and Gov. Janet Mills of Maine. Credit - Graham Platner for Senate; Scott EisenGetty Images This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Youth versus experience. Disruption versus status quo. Insurgency versus incumbency. No matter how you look at the suddenly dynamic Democratic primary in Maines Senate race, its a tale of two visions for the future of a listless party. And rather than clarify the path forward a year after Joe Bidens aborted re-election bid, the clash may further muddy Democrats messaging heading into next years midterm elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Susan Collins is the lone incumbent Republican Senator facing voters next year in a state that voted for Kamala Harris for President. She is seen as perhaps the most vulnerable Republican this cycle, and Democrats most viable pick-up opportunity. Yet she may have drawn the luckiest other side of the ticket as the opposition seems determined to thwart itself. For months, Democratic elders have been trying to recruit Maines term-limited Governor, 77-year-old Janet Mills, to run against the 72-year-old Collins. Last week, Mills announced she would join the frey, drawing cheers from Democrats who see her as their best shot at unseating Collins, and horror from those who believe Mills age will kill her chances. (If elected, Mills would be the oldest freshman senator ever.) The disagreement is colored by Maines parochial politics. Despite voting for a Democrat for President in every election this century, Maine has not elected a Democratic Senator in 30 years. Much of that is due to Collins, a canny politician who has proven to be a master of carefully having it both ways when it comes to Donald Trump. (The states other Senator, Angus King, is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.) Its not hard to see why Democratic elders like Minority Leader Chuck Schumer see Mills as the clear favorite. After all, she is not only a tested pro, but she drew national attention earlier this year when she visited the White House and Trump threatened to take away Maines federal funding. Mills response that she would see him in court went viral. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Mills has entered a race where local oyster farmer, veteran, and first-time candidate Graham Platner has been running since the summer, and quickly sparked excitement that Democrats could both best Collins and also turn the page on a generation of politics. Platner, a 41-year-old Marine with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has nakedly cast his bid as a battle against the oligarchy and politics-as-usual complacency. His fiery approach has been drawing big crowds and a fundraising haul that, Democrats say, now tops $4 million. (Also running is Jordan Wood, a 35-year-old campaign finance activist who was a former chief of staff for Rep. Katie Porter of California, and has raised $3.1 million.) Still, Mills messaging that its too risky for Democrats to send a neophyte to fight a politician as shrewd as Collins almost immediately found proof after she got in the race last week. Thats when a trove of Platners old Reddit posts surfaced, including ones in which he referred to himself as a communist, seemed to make light of sexual assault in the military, offered racially insensitive comments about Black patrons tipping habits, and called all police officers bastards. Platner, who counts New York mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdanis social media adviser and Pennsylvania Sen. John Fettermans former communications director among his braintrust, proved sharp in responding to the scandal. He quickly put out a direct-to-camera apology that blamed post-war PTSD for some of the worst comments I made, the things that I think are least defensible, that I wouldnt even try to defend. (On Monday, Platner also got ahead of another apparent oppo dump, confessing on a podcast that he didn't know the skull tattoo on his chest was linked to Nazis when he got it one drunken night in 2006.) Whether Platner is able to contain the fallout remains unclear. Still, its the age questionmore than anything at the momentthat hangs over this race. More than ideology. More than policy. More than temperament. And its one that haunts Democrats. It could go either way for Collins next moves; a Mills win in the primary takes the question of generational change off the table but either of Mills two rivals could ride it to Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bidens age became an issue last year after a calamitous debate showing. Democrats have since struggled to find an acceptable posture when it comes to its aging raft of incumbents. Votersespecially younger ones core to Democrats hopes for the futureare increasingly frustrated with both the Establishment that they see as unresponsive and its aged leaders whom they think have frankly stuck around too long. In some key states, the party is poised to make the pivot. The likely Democratic nominee in neighboring New Hampshire, Rep. Chris Pappas, was born in 1980. The oldest candidate running for the Democratic nomination in Michigan was born in 1983. And Rep. Seth Moulton, 46, is running a primary against the incumbent 79-year-old incumbent in Massachusetts Senate race. Its a different story in Ohio, where Democrats are relieved that former Sen. Sherrod Brown is running to return to Washington; he is 72. Many voters have also signaled they want to support candidates who get it. Thats part of the reason Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who is beloved by progressive activists and caucuses with Democrats, endorsed Platner despite Schumers preference for Mills. So in a race that could be one of the best pick-up chances for Democrats, they seem destined to spend the next eight months in an intra-party squabble over the future and not about Collins often-maddening contradictions between her skepticism of Trumpism and her votes in support of it. Next years midterms will be the first time Collins will face voters since the Supreme Courtincluding Trump nominees whom Collins backedended a half-century of federal abortion rights. Even so, her defenders note Maine has a long history of embracing independent-minded lawmakers from both parties and point to her vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial in the final weeks of his first term. She also voted against Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill this summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Democrats needing to hold their current seats and pick up four more to retake the majority, Maine is one of the biggest prizes on the board. But the primary is becoming a microcosm of the chaos and insecurity that has plagued the party since Trumps election. How the states Democrats decide between Mills and a younger, potentially feistier upstart is likely to reverberate far beyond Maines borders. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter. Write to Philip Elliott at philip.elliott@time.com. ALBANY - Embattled demolition company Alba Services will pay $1.4 million to former and current workers for alleged violations and retaliation against injured employees. The settlement, announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Letitia James, resolves claims against the company, its owner Andrew Horan and a network of affiliated companies. They were accused of seeking to keep insurance costs down by flouting state workers' compensation laws and retaliating against injured workers who sought to file claims. The company also allegedly failed to address sexual harassment in the workplace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The $1.4 million will be paid to nearly 700 workers who were injured between 2016 and 2024, and Alba will pay an additional $100,000 for a settlement administrator. A yearslong investigation by the attorney general's office found that Alba had reported less than half of workplace injuries to the Workers' Compensation Board and told employees not to file eligible claims. The company also allegedly posted flyers accusing some workers who had filed claims of fraud and offering $5,000 for their arrests; Horan texted his foremen disclosing the names of workers who had filed claims and offering cash rewards for information about them. The attorney general's findings also extended to workers' medical treatment. The attorney general's office said Alba would sometimes send company representatives to steer workers who needed emergency room care to visit urgent care clinics with whom the company had agreements. Representatives also sometimes accompanied workers to their appointments and "misrepresent (ed) how and where the injury occurred" to the physicians in order to obstruct workers' compensation claims. Finally, the investigation found that Alba did not prevent sexual harassment by a foreman who repeatedly made inappropriate advances on female workers through text messages, comments and physical contact, and retaliated when the person rejected him by assigning them more difficult work. One worker who tried to report the harassment was eventually cut from the schedule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alba has come under scrutiny before. In 2021, a federal judge ordered the company to pay up to $1.5 million in a class-action settlement over wage theft. In 2022, roughly 80 workers organized as "Los Demolicionistas" - or "The Demolitionists" - against Alba and developers that contract with the company. At the time, a local union leader called Alba the "biggest exploiter of workers" in New York City's demolition industry, and union leaders have criticized the company for disproportionately harming immigrant and non-unionized workers - a critique the attorney general's office highlighted in a news release. And in 2023, Alba was among more than 20 construction companies indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in an alleged $5 million kickback and bribery scheme. This article originally published at Demolition company Alba to pay $1.4M over alleged workers comp violations. A Texas Senate hopeful is accusing her opponent of doctoring a photo of her to make the cross necklace she wears appear upside down-a move she calls "demonic" and proof of a spiritual battle in the special election. Leigh Wambsganss, a Republican running in Texas Senate District 9's special election, took to X Monday to lambast her opponent's campaign about the alleged photoshop job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although she did not name him directly, Wambsganss will face former mayor of Southlake John Huffman in the Republican primary. "This is demonic! In the latest smear, my opponent's evil campaign went so far as to turn my cross-necklace upside down," Wambsganss wrote. "That bit of photoshop work tells us just how mean and nasty they really are." Wambsganss proceeded to declare the race against Huffman not a "political battle" but a "spiritual one." A spokesperson from Huffman's campaign told Chron he had nothing to do with the alleged doctored image. "John Huffman had no involvement in creating the image in question, nor does he condone its use in any form." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wambsganss' campaign paid for an ad they reportedly ran for a day that accused Huffman of being "bought and paid for" by a special interest running operations in the region of "communist China." The Texas Senate candidate who's racked up notable GOP endorsements, including from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick himself, cited the Bible verse Romans 8:31. The verse includes the phrase, "If God is for us, who can be against us." Patrick, who previously deemed Wambsganss a "great addition to our conservative Texas Senate," weighed in on the social media post. "I've never seen a campaign do anything this despicable and disgraceful," Patrick wrote on X. "This attack by her opponent, John Huffman, is satanic." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patrick described the decision to allegedly doctor the photo as "seeing darkness and evil on full display in this race by a desperate candidate." "We need to reject evil campaign tactics like this by John Huffman and send them to the dustbin of history," Patrick said. "It's time for believers to stand up." Patrick condemned the alleged altered image despite previously campaigning against legislation introduced by state Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) which would've addressed the use of edited images in campaigns. Notably, Patrick pointed out that early voting for the race started Monday. He noted that Election Day in the special election is Nov. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lieutenant governor capped his message of support off by saying Wambsganss has President Donald Trump's, as well as his, "full endorsement." Notable conservative figures and politicians followed Patrick's lead defending the former congressional staffer and longtime conservative activist on the Tarrant County GOP executive committee. Look at this photo closely. Notice that the cross around Leigh Wambsganss' neck is inverted. That's not how she wears it. Her opponent photoshopped her cross deliberately and flipped it. In modern culture, an inverted cross is a satanic sign of the Anti-Christ. I've never seen a pic.twitter.com/PVWqfHLcdv - Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) October 20, 2025 Wambsganss also led Patriot Mobile Action. The political action committee that launched the crusade to elect conservative candidates to school boards in North Texas in 2022. Wambsganss has spoken out about "Critical Race Theory" and stood "firm for pro-life and pro-2nd Amendment values." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) previously launched a bid in the special election to replace GOP state Senator Kelly Hancock who resigned to become the state's acting comptroller but pulled his bid and endorsed Wambsganss. Taylor Rehmet, a veteran and union president, is running for the seat as a Democrat. More News Politics | Latina Democrat enters 2026 Texas governor battle Gulf Coast | Strange boxes found on Texas beaches carry a toxic secret History | How a 1973 homicide led Houston to a notorious serial killer Money | Here's how much you need to live comfortably in Houston For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here. This article originally published at 'This is demonic!' Texas senate race erupts over photo smear. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Its a spooky Saturday celebration for local furry friends! This weekend, the Denham Springs Animal Shelter will host its Howl-O-Ween dog adoption event. One of the featured dogs is Bass, an 11-week-old puppy. He got his name because he was found at the Bass Pro Shop in Denham Springs. His right back leg was severely injured, so it had to be amputated. Hes a tripod dog, but hes still full of life and love. He gets along with other dogs and people. Denham Springs Animal Shelter is looking for more volunteers for this event. Attendees will be allowed to bring their own dogs to see how they get along with the dogs that are up for adoption. Event details: When : 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. Where : Petco on S. Range Avenue. Reach out to Denham Springs Animal Shelter to find out how to adopt and/or volunteer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want to adopt a new pet? Check out places in Baton Rouge for a cat, dog, other animal 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. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) For well over 130 years, the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley has served the homeless in Youngstown. It has moved multiple times as the need for its services grew. The time for expansion is once again here. WKBN 27 First News Community Affairs Coordinator Dee Crawford talks with CEO John Muckridge about the capital campaign now underway. A big hit for the mission is the annual Coffee Trail. The fundraiser is now in its fourth year. In the beginning of October, we opened up this trail guide, 750 of them. Folks donated $25 and received the trail guides. Currently, the 750 folks in the Valley are taking these trail guides to 24 different coffee shops and getting free coffee drinks, Muckridge said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its just one of the ways to support the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, where services are growing and in more demand. We will always have the poor among us, and so there is always going to be a need. The rescue missions role in the Valley is to meet that need primarily by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thats the primary focus of the Rescue Mission. Secondarily, it is to promote accountability, to help folks grow out of homelessness, Muckridge said. And then the third would be to provide food, emergency shelter. The mission does not receive any government funding. Its a ministry supported by the generosity of the people in the Valley. The mission has 186 beds and is at maximum capacity right now. A new building was constructed four years ago. On October 1, a new capital campaign was launched Grow Our Mission to add additional shelter space to increase capacity from 186 to over 300 beds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were turning away homeless families on a daily basis because we are full, Muckridge said. So we have what weve turned away up to seven in-sync individual families, seven separate families from coming to the Rescue Mission because weve been at max capacity. So we need to increase our emergency capacity for our family side, as well as look for ways to help transition some of our current clients into some extended stay units. Extended stay units are for people who are working full-time, working on financial literacy to get out of debt and start saving money so they can transition out of the Mission and into a home of their own. Were truly trying to take somebody from homeless to a homeowner, Muckridge said. And a lot of folks, theyre working hard. A lot of our clients are working full time. They just need time. They need coaching to understand how to budget money and then to develop a plan to pay off debt so that they can get to a place where their income is higher than their expenses. The project would add another 20,000 square feet and cost around $5.5 million. The Mission says it has $1 million in cash already. 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 WKBN.com. MECOSTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Deputies say a man was pronounced dead Monday after being pulled from the water in Mecosta Township. It happened around 5:25 p.m. at the Newaygo Boat Club, located at 23177 7 Mile Road near Newcosta Avenue. According to the Mecosta County Sheriffs Office, the man an 81-year-old Saugatuck resident had been working on the roof of his houseboat. Then, he went missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crews arrived on scene and began searching, using sonar equipment to find what they believed to be a person in the water. The Mecosta County Dive Team responded to the scene and successfully recovered the victim within approximately 10 minutes of entering the water, the sheriffs office wrote in a release. Authorities tried to save the mans life, but they said he could not be revived. He was pronounced dead on scene. The mans name was not immediately released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEED TO KNOW A Mississippi deputy died after he was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 15 in the early hours of Oct. 17 Deputy Joshua Brashears reportedly collided with a group of horses while driving home from his shift Deputy Brashears was a valued member of our law enforcement family and a friend to many, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said A Mississippi deputy has died after he crashed into horses while returning home from his shift. Deputy Joshua Brashears was driving home around 5:25 a.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 17, when he was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 15, near Harrison County, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said in a post on Facebook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After emergency responders arrived on the scene, Brashears was transported to Biloxi Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The crash happened as three horses were on the dark roadway before dawn, Mississippi Highway Patrol confirmed to the Sun Herald. Deputy Brashears faithfully served the residents of Jackson County since joining the Sheriffs office in 2023, Ledbetter added. He was assigned to the Patrol Division where he was respected by his peers and the community for his professionalism, dedication, and compassion. He continued, Deputy Brashears was a valued member of our law enforcement family and a friend to many. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss and extend our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to his family. His commitment to serving and protecting Jackson County will never be forgotten. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to his obituary, Brashears spent two years serving his community in Albany, N.Y., alongside a missionary organization before returning to Colorado and joining the police department. He quickly rose through the ranks and continued to serve communities in South Carolina and Mississippi. Josh was many things to many people and everything to those he was close to, his obituary read. He spent a lot of time in wild forests, fishing, and camping. He loved music and movies, philosophy and theology. He was always quick with a joke, lyric, or poem that encouraged others to see the world from a new perspective. He was a complex mixture of generosity, fortitude, humor, courage, and kindness a poet and warrior of hope. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at Heritage Funeral Home and will be followed by a service in the funeral home's chapel. 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. Brashears is survived by his children, his parents, stepfather and siblings. Read the original article on People This Burmese python got caught but plenty of others are evading the state's python hunting competitions. (Photo by Andy Wraithmell, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) Florida officials have tripled the number of invasive Burmese pythons removed in a year since partnering with a leather company that turns invasive species into fashion, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday. DeSantis was joined by Inversa Leathers CEO Aarav Chavda at a Stuart press conference Tuesday morning, where he revealed that 748 pythons were removed from the Everglades in July 2025 versus 235 removals in July 2024, since Inversa began to partner with Florida authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Based in Miami, the companys website boasts stylish items like wallets, shoes, belts, dresses, and more made from Burmese Pythons in Florida, Lionfish off of Floridas coasts, and the Silverfin carp in the Mississippi River Basin all invasive species that harm American ecosystems. As of today, we can celebrate the fact that they delivered on their objective, one and a half years ahead of schedule. Thats right. In the first three months since transitioning to the program with Inversa [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] and Inversa have tripled the number of python removals, DeSantis announced. We had 1,022 removals across May and July of this year compared to 343 removals during the same period last year. FWC management workload is down 89%, giving staff biologists valuable time, he continued. In the month of July alone, the program removed more pythons than the entire 12 months pre-transition. Thats incredible. Florida has rushed to address the growing problem of Burmese pythons in the Everglades since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 destroyed a breeding facility, releasing snakes into the wild, and exacerbated by exotic pet owners importing the Southeast Asian snakes to keep as pets, then releasing them into the nearby swamp when the snakes inevitably grew too large to keep. Burmese pythons can grow to 20 feet and weigh more than 250 pounds, with females larger than males, USGS reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The invasive snakes which have no natural predator in South Florida pose a heightened danger to the natural species in the Everglades, particularly to the three dozen threatened or endangered land and sea creatures residing in the massive national park. As a result, Florida in 2013 began an annual python challenge to capture as many Burmese Pythons within 10 days as possible for a prize. DeSantis in 2019 worked with FWC and the Department of Environmental Protection to remove pythons across all Florida state parks. Were putting a bounty on the head of every one of these pythons, DeSantis said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Developers are continuing their push to revitalize West Charlotte, and now theyre turning to Mecklenburg County leaders for help making it happen. On the table is a request for $1.5 million from the county to help redevelop the site of the historic Excelsior Club, a once-thriving hub of Black life in Charlotte that has since fallen into disrepair. The funding request mirrors one already made to the City of Charlotte. In total, developers are asking for $1.5 million each from the city and county. In return, theyll contribute $5.3 million of their own money, bringing the full project budget to $8.3 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan includes tearing down the current structure and rebuilding the Excelsior Club to replicate the original but with modern upgrades, including a rooftop with views of the city. A public community yard is also part of the design and will be open during business hours. PREVIOUS: Developer plans to revive historic Excelsior Club in west Charlotte The Charlotte City Council discussed the project in a committee meeting several weeks ago. Councilmember Malcolm Graham (District 2) emphasized the broader vision for the area. As you know, the historic Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford Road, rich in history, legacy, and tradition, Graham said. Were not investing in the club; we are investing in the revitalization of the historic Beatties Ford Road corridor, along with the other investments weve already made on the corridor. I should mention that the county, as well, will put in $1.5 million for the historic Excelsior Club. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County commissioners will review the proposal at their meeting on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Government Center. The Charlotte City Council is expected to vote on its portion of the funding on October 27. MORE FROM QCNEWS.COM Charlotte Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Darryl Wettlaufer has been promoted to CEO of DHL Express Canada, replacing Geoff Walsh, who received a promotion to managing director, DHL Express Central Europe, DHL Group announced on Monday. Walsh led DHL Express Canada for a mere 18 months. Wettlaufer brings nearly two decades of experience within DHL Express, having joined the company in 2006 as operations manager in Canada and rising to vice president of operations. He became part of the Canadian management board in 2014. In that role, he was instrumental in shaping the companys facility infrastructure roadmap and led the Canadian operations team during the Covid-19 pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2022, Darryl relocated to South Florida to lead DHL Express Americas regional hubs in Miami and Panama, later expanding his responsibilities to include the companys hub in Atlanta, and most recently, the super hub in Cincinnati. Wettlaufer will report to Andrew Williams, CEO of DHL Express Americas, who led DHL Express Canada before Walsh. He will be based in Brampton, Ontario. As CEO of DHL Express Canada, Wettlaufer will oversee operations and 2,700 employees across the country, at a time when Canada is facing rocky trade relations with the United States. DHL Express Canada was forced to suspend operations for three weeks last summer because of a labor dispute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch. RELATED STORIES: DHL Express Canada reinstates service after workers ratify labor deal The post DHL Express names new CEO for Canada division appeared first on FreightWaves. Although many people might think that pad Thai is an iconic part of the Thai culinary canon, the dish doesn't have a centuries-long connection to the country. In fact, it owes much of its identity and particularly its name to a campaign by Thailand's mid-20th-century strongman, Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram (sometimes shortened to just "Phibun"). During his tenure as prime minister in the late 1930s and again in the late 1940s, Thailand was undergoing cultural "modernization" and nation-building, with Phibun aiming to create a defined Thai identity (to that end, he also banned foreign languages and non-standardized dialects from the school system). Part of his project was to create a gastronomic symbol: A dish that government propaganda would promote widely as unmistakably Thai. This coincided with a rice shortage from flooding in Thailand in the early '40s, so Phibunsongkhram specifically wanted to push noodles, instead of rice. (While pad Thai uses rice noodles, rice noodles require far less rice to produce overall.) This culminated in a campaign dubbed "noodle is your lunch," through which the government distributed recipes and even free noodle carts to budding entrepreneurs to encourage the public to adopt a stir-fried noodle dish. That dish was "kway teow pad Thai," meaning "Thai-style stir-fried noodles." For Thais at the time, it would have been considered a Chinese dish, although with Thai additions like tamarind (absolutely essential for the noodles' tangy hit) and chilies. (Thai noodles are now eaten with different utensils, too, usually a fork and spoon rather than chopsticks.) But with Phibun banning Chinese food vendors and the name being shortened to just "pad Thai," the dish quickly became seen as Thai. Read more: The All Time Favorite Desserts Of 10 US Presidents Pad Thai's contested legacy and how the name stuck An image of former Thai prime minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram as seen on an old postage stamp. - Prachaya Roekdeethaweesab/Shutterstock There's some ambiguity around the history of pad Thai and its name, in part due to the argument that the term "pad Thai" didn't appear in a cookbook until the 1960s. Some food historians credit Plaek Phibunsongkhram for making noodles a fundamental part of Thai cuisine, but suggest that he campaigned for the adoption of noodles into Thai cuisine more generally. It's argued that the specific pad Thai recipe apparently meant to incorporate elements of Thailand's varied regional food cultures but without going too far in any one direction developed later, without Phibun's direct influence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That said, there are also slightly different accounts that give Phibun credit. One version of the history argues that he staged a cooking competition to develop the recipe, while Phibun's son claimed that the dish had been cooked in his family before its broader popularization. In any case, it's not the only time that the Thai government has tried to define or promote its culinary culture in such a direct way. A much more recent campaign in 2002, that arguably has similar nation-building aims, sought to subsidize and train Thai chefs and restaurateurs so they could open restaurants internationally, thereby exporting pad Thai and other Thai favorites from soups to curries. Between this and Phibun's original push for noodle consumption, pad Thai effectively went from being nonexistent to world-famous in a matter of decades. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Chowhound. The government shutdown has entered its 21st day, with no end in sight after legislators on Oct. 20 again failed to pass a stopgap funding bill. The bill needs 60 votes to pass, though it was again defeated in a 50-43 vote. If it passes, it would restore federal government funding until Nov. 21. How did Wisconsin senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin vote? Here's what to know: How did Wisconsin senators vote Oct. 20 to end the government shutdown? The below graphic, created by USA TODAY, shows which senators on Oct. 20 voted yes or no to end the shutdown by extending federal funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Wisconsin, Johnson, a Republican, voted yes while Baldwin, a Democrat, voted no. Both Senators voted the same way in the failed Oct. 14 vote. More: How do Wisconsin residents feel about the government shutdown and who do they blame? Why did the government shut down? The shutdown began after congressional Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on a continuing resolution to fund the government before the Oct. 1 funding deadline. Legislators have been at a stalemate over expiring healthcare funding and tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, USA TODAY reported. How long has the government been shut down? The shutdown began on Oct. 1 and is in day 21. It's tied for the second-longest government shutdown in history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Is the federal government still shut down? Here's what we know on Tuesday, Oct. 21. How long will the government shutdown last? The shutdown will end when Congress passes the measure and President Donald Trump signs an appropriations bill to fund currently shuttered departments and agencies. But, it remains unclear how long this process will take. The last shutdown was in 2018, during Trump's first term, and lasted for a record 35 days. More: Here's what a government shutdown means for federal services in Wisconsin George Petras, Ramon Padilla and Carlie Procell of USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Did Wisconsin senators vote to end 2025 government shutdown Oct. 20? WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) The principal of St. Peter School, who was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, has been cleared of any wrongdoing, according to a letter sent to families by the Diocese of Providence. The diocese found no evidence to suggest Denise Alcala did anything wrong while serving as principal of the Catholic school in Warwick. RELATED: St. Peter School principal on leave while diocese investigates Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The diocese put Alcala on paid leave out of an abundance of caution after receiving a complaint from a parent who claimed confidential information about St. Peter School had been posted online. Its still unclear what that information entailed, or if Alcala was the one accused of sharing it. Though shes eligible for reinstatement as principal, the diocese announced that Alcala has opted to step aside for the good of St. Peter School. We are grateful for her service and leadership during a difficult time, the diocese wrote in the letter. MORE: Teachers voluntarily resign from St. Peter School in Warwick Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The diocese said Alcala will now join the leadership team at Bishop McVinney School following longtime principal Lou Heberts retirement. Kevin Peloquin, the assistant director of education at the Diocese of Providences Catholic School Office, will continue to serve as St. Peters interim principal until a permanent replacement is appointed. Father Gregory Stowe will also continue his role advising the school. The search for the new principal of St. Peter School will begin immediately, the diocese said. Once a new principal is appointed, Peloquin will assist with the transition. The dioceses investigation into Alcala came after six St. Peter School teachers voluntarily resigned earlier this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The teachers who resigned served St. Peter School faithfully and we wish them well in their futures, the diocese added. The diocese is now in the process of hiring permanent replacements for the teachers and will soon be extending offers to qualified applicants. We thank the families for their patience as we navigated this challenging time, the diocese concluded. We heard your concerns and have responded with a strong plan for the stable, future growth of the school under new leadership. It is our hope families continue their commitment to this great school. EDITORS NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect that Denise Alcala is joining the leadership team at Bishop McVinney School. 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. Ex-New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who had his seven-year prison sentence commuted by President Donald Trump last week, has offered an apology to his former constituents. Santos, 37, was expelled from Congress in 2023 for lying about his past and sentenced to 87 months behind bars in April after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, only to be pardoned by the president after serving just three months at FCI Fairton in New Jersey. Trumps actions also mean he will no longer have to pay $373,750 in restitution to his victims. Former New York Republican Rep. George Santos is interviewed by Sean Hannity on Fox News on Monday October 20 2025 days after being pardoned by President Donald Trump (Fox News) In a new interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, Santos expressed contrition, especially when the presenter mentioned that the GOP man had been his former representative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You may not know this, but at one point, you were my former congressman, Hannity told Santos. I lived in Oyster Bay. Sean, Im very aware, the ex-congressman replied. Centre Island. That was where you lived. And thank you for having me. Its a pleasure. To a former constituent, so, uh and again, I owe you an apology, Sean. I owe the American people an apology. But most importantly, constituents, and I know you were one of them. And its a pleasure to be with you today. I do believe in redemption, Hannity said. I believe in repentance. I went to Catholic school for 12 years. The word for repentance means, in Latin, to change ones heart. So, I have a question that no one has asked you You dont have to pay back anything. It was an amount of restitution for victims of over $373,000. There was another incident where you had repeatedly charged contributions of credit cards without peoples authorization. Two donors transferred money to a liability company. These are things that you pled guilty to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres my question. Even though youre not compelled with this commutation to pay it back, you think you should? Santos answered: You know, Sean, Ive put a lot of thought into that. And Ive spoken to my legal team. I think that the right thing to do is to explore a way to make it right. Part of actually squaring away with everything that has happened in my life is to start fresh, and starting fresh, if it means we find a way to do it, sure. Santos leaves Central Islip Federal Courthouse in New York on April 25 after being sentenced (Reuters) Announcing his decision on Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: George Santos was somewhat of a rogue, but there are many rogues throughout our country that arent forced to serve seven years in prison. The president went on to repeat debunked claims about Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthals military service before adding: At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life! In an open letter of gratitude to the president published subsequently in the New York newspaper The South Shore Press, Santos wrote: I have faced my share of consequences, and I take full responsibility for my actions. But no man, no matter his flaws, deserves to be lost in the system, forgotten and unseen, enduring punishment far beyond what justice requires. His lawyer, Joseph Murray, urged the media to give Santos space over the weekend, saying he was decompressing after what had been a traumatic experience for him. He was, nevertheless, roundly mocked on NBCs Saturday Night Live shortly afterwards. Santos has since complained that he was degraded and dehumanized by prison wardens in a post about his jail time on X, naming the two officials he blamed for his treatment. Disgraced Karen Read investigator Michael Proctor drops bid to get job back Disgraced Karen Read investigator Michael Proctor, who was fired by the Massachusetts State Police earlier this year for conduct related to the high-profile murder case, is no longer seeking to get his job back. Civil Service Commission paperwork dated Oct. 18, 2025, and signed by Proctor, indicates he has dropped his bid to get reinstated as a trooper. Proctors attorney, Daniel Moynihan, also confirmed the decision to Boston 25s Ted Daniel. This notice confirms the withdrawal of my appeal, the one page document read. I exercise my right to sign this form on my own free will. Here's the paperwork from the Civil Service Commission showing Michael Proctor is no longer seeking to get his job back with the Mass State Police. Proctor was scheduled to have 3 days of hearings beginning tomorrow. Those are cancelled https://t.co/2i7xB3lRLR pic.twitter.com/FeNMANbOq2 Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) October 20, 2025 The Civil Service Commission had been reviewing Proctors appeal, which challenged the disciplinary actions taken against him. He was scheduled to return in front of a Commission panel for three hearings this week but those have been cancelled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proctors withdrawal of his appeal comes one day after the Norfolk District Attorneys Office filed a Notice of Discoverable Information from Proctors personal phone in the Brian Walshe case, Daniel reported. Lawyers in several murder cases that Proctor worked have been seeking to learn what he might have texted about their clients following his messages about Read going public. Proctors termination from the state police came months after he came under fire for a series of disparaging texts he sent about Read, which he read aloud in court during witness testimony at her first trial. Proctor admitted on the stand that the texts were unprofessional. Michael Proctor's withdrawal of his appeal to get his job back with State Police was signed on 10/18. That's one day after the Norfolk DA's Office filed a "Notice of Discoverable Information" from Proctor's personal phone in the Brian Walshe case. As we've previously reported, pic.twitter.com/bl2x5Fwee2 Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) October 20, 2025 He called Read things like a whack job and other derogatory words. He also talked about her medical issues and wrote, No nudes so far, while going through her phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Civil Service hearings in August, Massachusetts State Police lawyer Stephen Carley described Proctors conduct as Juvenile. Sexist. Disgusting. Moynihan argued that the departments decision to fire Proctor was rushed and pre-determined. The state police have maintained that Proctors actions including drinking on the job, sharing confidential case information, and creating a perception of bias, were grounds for termination. In a sit-down interview this past summer with Boston 25s Gene Lavanchy, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble acknowledged Proctors right to appeal the disciplinary action taken against him, while making clear he believes the department acted appropriately. Michael Proctor Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor opens an evidence box to show the jury a broken tail light while testifying, Monday, June 10, 2024, at Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., during the trial for Karen Read. Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor shows the jury a broken tail light while testifying, Monday, June 10, 2024, at Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., during the trial for Karen Read. Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proctor was assigned to investigate the death of Reads Boston police officer boyfriend, John OKeefe. He was relieved of his duty without pay in summer 2024 after a mistrial was declared in Reads first murder trial, and his last day with the Norfolk District Attorneys Office followed soon thereafter. Michael Proctors sudden withdrawal of his appeal wasnt an act of humility it was self-preservation. He learned investigators have recovered text messages from his private phone dating back years, and he wanted no part of what those text messages would reveal. He didnt accept accountability it hunted him down. And as Col. Noble has admitted, the years-long corruption is systemic," Reads attorney Alan Jackson said in a statement. Read was acquitted of murder and manslaughter in OKeefes death in June. Proctor wasnt called to testify in the second trial. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW HORICON, Wis. (WFRV) Officials in Wisconsin arrested a disgruntled man after they say he intentionally set fire to a bar with patrons inside. Dump truck driver in Sheboygan County dead after crashing into home The Dodge County Sheriffs Office reported that a call came in around 9:08 p.m. on Sunday, October 19, for a fire at a bar in the 300 block of East Lake Street in Horicon, with people inside when the fire reportedly started. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bar was open, and reports showed that a tenant was trapped on the roof, unable to go downstairs due to the fire. Several departments responded to help extinguish the flames, safely clearing all occupants out of the building. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney announces 2026 run for Wisconsin attorney general Officials say that the initial investigation led them to believe the fire was intentionally set by a man in the bar who appeared upset. Multiple detectives assisted in the investigation. A quick investigation led to the arrest of 42-year-old Kevin Lentz of Hustisford for arson, first and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, along with criminal property damage. 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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Channel 9 is monitoring an active tropical system south of Florida. 10:50 a.m. update: The National Hurricane Center confirmed Tropical Storm Melissa formed Tuesday in the southern Caribbean Sea. Melissa is now the 13th tropical storm of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The storm is moving west at 14 mph and has maximum sustained winds of around 50 mph. The vast majority of models keep it at tropical storm strength through the end of the work week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once we get to Friday and Saturday projections differ on what is to be expected of the storm. A Hurricane Watch has been issued for portions of Haiti. Water temperatures remain warm throughout the entire Caribbean Sea, meaning that we could see some rapid development if the storm does not interfere with land. If it turns north towards Hispaniola, Cuba, or Jamaica, it will be torn apart before reforming in the southern Bahamas early next week. It remains unlikely to move into either the Gulf or towards Florida thanks to reinforcing cold fronts that will move across our state at any point during this systems life. The biggest threats in the Caribbean with the storm, regardless of how strong it becomes, will be heavy rain, flooding and strong winds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of now the biggest threat we could see in our state is large surf and rip currents in the middle of next week at worst. We will continue to monitor this tropical storm as it develops. Original report: Invest 98L is expected to develop into Tropical Storm Melissa later Tuesday over the central Caribbean Sea. Heavy rain and gusty winds are likely to impact Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao over the next couple of days as the system strengthens. Residents of Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico are advised to stay alert as the tropical system moves through the northern Caribbean by the end of this week and into the weekend. Although models are not in complete agreement, many predict a strengthening tropical system will pass through the northern Caribbean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Invest 98L develops, affected areas should prepare for adverse weather conditions and stay informed through local advisories. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Faith is an integral part of millions of Americans daily lives. One Nation Under God is committed to reflecting Americas voices, values and communities covering stories of faith and religion, from the latest headlines to stories of hope. Subscribe here. (NewsNation) This week, Hindus around the world are celebrating one of their most important holidays, Diwali. Its an occasion that has become popular in recent years among Americans of all faiths. But what is the meaning behind the holiday, and how do people celebrate? Diwali is the five-day festival of lights, symbolizing the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and spiritual light over darkness, according to the Hindu American Foundation. The name comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, which means row of lights, and it is commemorated with the lighting of candles, clay lamps and firecrackers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King to pray with pope in first since 1534 Followers celebrate Diwali by gathering in local temples, homes and community centers or any appropriate place where family and friends can make positive goals and appreciate good fortune. Celebrations generally include special food and sweets, performing pujas, or religious ceremonies, reciting prayers and singing songs to the Hindu god Vishnu, known as the sustainer of the universe, and the goddess Lakshmi, who is known as the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Diwali traces its roots back to the Ramayana, one of Indias greatest epics dating back to the 7th century B.C., that tells the tale of a prince named Rama who was considered the embodiment of dharma or righteous living. As the eldest son of his father, Rama was meant to inherit the throne but was instead exiled to the forest for 14 years by his jealous stepmother. Diwali celebrates Ramas return from exile. A devotee offers prayers and lights a traditional oil lamp on the occasion of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights at a temple in Colombo on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP) (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images) Members of the business community participate in Chopda Pujan, the worship of account books, as part of a ritual to mark the festival of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Ahmedabad on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Shammi MEHRA / AFP) (Photo by SHAMMI MEHRA/AFP via Getty Images) A devotee lights oil lamps during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at a temple in Yangon on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images) AYODHYA, INDIA OCTOBER 19: Local residents watch a firework show on the banks of the Saryu river on the eve of Diwali festival on October 19, 2025 in Ayodhya , India. (Photo by Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images) A devotee prepares fruits and flower offerings to Hindu Goddess Lakshmi during the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali at Vishnu temple in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) A Hindu devotee holds an oil lamp while offering prayers during Diwali, the festival of lights, at a Hindu temple in Colombo on November 4, 2021. Hindu devotees pray at a temple during Diwali, the festival of lights, in Hong Kong, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) People watch a firecracker light up during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) A woman and her daughter make a rangoli, a traditional decoration, at the entrance to their home during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of Hinduisms most important festivals dedicated to the worship of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Firecrackers light up the sky over lamps lined on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India, Sunday , Oct. 23, 2022. Hindus believe the city is the birthplace of Ram. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Traders perform rituals during Chopada Pujan, or a mass prayer ceremony dedicated to the worship of account books, on the occasion of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Swaminarayan Gurukul in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. In eastern Ahmedabad city in Gujarat state, devotees worshipped their account books as the festival also marks the start of the new Hindu financial year. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) A roadside vendor displays garlands of marigold flowers, popularly used as offering to Hindu deities, during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Kolkata, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Bikas Das) Devotees pray during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The festival is celebrated mainly in India but Hindus across the world, particularly in other parts of Asia, also gather with family members and friends to socialize, visit temples and decorate houses with small oil lamps made from clay. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) Hindu devotees ring a bell as they pray at a temple during Diwali, the festival of lights, in Hong Kong, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Diwali is one of Hinduisms most important festivals, dedicated to the worship of the goddess of wealth Lakshmi. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) A Nepalese woman puts marigold petals on a police dog during Tihar festival celebrations at a kennel division in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The festival is marked as Tihar, also known as Deepawali, in neighboring Nepal. There, the five-day celebrations began Tuesday and people thronged markets and shopped for marigold flowers, which hold huge cultural significance during the festival. On Wednesday, devotees celebrated dogs that are regarded as the guardian of the Hindu death god Yama. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) An artist applies henna on the hand or a woman during the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) People crowd a market area on the eve of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Diwali is one of Hinduisms most important festivals, dedicated to the worship of the goddess of wealth Lakshmi. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) People light lamps on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Over 900,000 earthen lamps were lit and were kept burning for 45 minutes as the north Indian city of Ayodhya retained its Guinness World Record for lighting oil lamps as part of the Diwali celebration the Hindu festival of lights. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Is Gen Z more religious? It could be too early to tell Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Considering the millions of Indian Americans in the U.S., Diwali is celebrated widely in communities across the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were an estimated 5.2 million people in the U.S. who identified as Indian as of 2023. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Fireworks set off to celebrate the Diwali festival have worsened the air quality in Indias capital New Delhi, making it the most hazardous in the world. The citys air quality index (AQI) measurement hit 442 on Tuesday morning, according to Swiss air quality firm IQAir. As happens every year, the widespread use of fireworks on Monday evening to mark the festival of lights added to the pollution released in cooler months by traffic, industry and agriculture to make New Delhi the globes most polluted major city, IQAir said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The concentration of PM2.5 tiny airborne particles small enough to enter the lungs and cause serious illness in the citys air on Tuesday morning was more than 59 times the World Health Organizations recommended annual guideline. Indias Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rated New Delhis air quality very poor, with an AQI of 350. CPCB considers an AQI of 0-50 as good. Vehicles move on a road shrouded in smog in New Delhi, India, on October 2, 2025 [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters] The toxic air is partly fuelled by fireworks from the Hindu festival, which is being celebrated from October 1823. Indias Supreme Court last week relaxed a ban on firecrackers in the city, permitting the use of so-called green crackers, which have lower emissions than conventional fireworks, for a maximum of three hours each on Sunday and Monday. But there were widespread reports of fireworks being set off long outside the allotted times. Days of very poor air New Delhi is unlikely to get much relief in the coming days. The Ministry of Earth Sciences said it expects air quality to remain Very Poor to Poor with AQI levels between 201 and 400. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indias capital and its neighbouring districts are prone to a thick smog every winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from agricultural fires, leaving many of its 20 million residents struggling with respiratory illnesses. In the past, authorities have closed schools, stopped building work and placed restrictions on private vehicles to try to tackle the problem. Last November, Delhi was overcome by weeks of deadly smog causing the AQI to hover one evening at more than 1,700 at least 17 times higher than the acceptable limit. A commuter with his face covered in cloth rides along a bridge across the Yamuna river in New Delhi on October 21, 2025 [AFP] India is not alone among South Asian nations in battling such toxic air. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The air quality reading for Lahore in Pakistan was 234 on Tuesday, the second highest in the world, according to IQAir data. Lahore is the capital of the Punjab province, which shares a border with India. The government has implemented an emergency plan to tackle pollution, including by curbing farm fires and smoke-emitting vehicles, while using anti-smog guns in polluted areas. Right now, the major issue is the air coming from Indian Punjab and other parts, which is affecting the air quality in various parts of Pakistani Punjab, said Sajid Bashir, a spokesperson for Punjabs Environment Protection Agency. This story was updated to include comments by Michigan DNR officials. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has ordered a nonprofit waterfowl sanctuary to kill dozens of flightless ducks and geese on its property within 30 days, citing the facility's lack of proper licensure and amenities. Matthew and Theresa Lyson, husband and wife and co-founders of the nonprofit Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary in Washtenaw County's Salem Township, have also each been charged with six misdemeanor counts related to operating as a rehabilitator of migratory waterfowl without proper licensure. The Lysons are fighting the charges, have asked for a jury trial and the case was recently postponed until December. Matthew Lyson holds his duck Coconut who was rescued as a duckling along a roadside near Walled Lake. Matthew Lyson and his wife, Theresa, run the Michigan Duck Rescue out of their Northville home. They always get concerned this time of year near Easter about how many chicks are given to children at the holiday. We visited their sanctuary on Thursday, April 11, 2019. Matthew Lyson said the sanctuary was started on their 5-acre property in 2006 with a primary focus of saving domestic ducks and geese that people often buy at feed stores or through the mail. "And then when they get them they realize they've gotten in over their head, so they surrender them or they dump them out in the wild," where they won't survive because they are flightless, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over time, people have also dropped off at the sanctuary mallard ducks or Canada geese, often injured or with birth defects that don't allow them to fly. More: Trump's proposed Great Lakes science cuts would hurt locally, group says "So when the family leaves for the winter and the lakes freeze over, the Canada geese (with birth defects) stay on the ice and call for their family," Lyson said. "The poor goose is on the ice, calling and waiting and starving, nothing to eat and nothing to drink." Lyson said people will often pick up such birds and take them to his property. He also recounted rescuing ducks and geese tangled in fishing hooks and lines, freeing them and allowing them back into the wild. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DNR considered that rehabilitating the birds without proper licensure, Lyson said. "Rehabilitation is when you take an animal and keep it for a length of time you might mend a broken wing or a broken foot. We just call this simply being humane, being a steward of God's creatures. "When somebody calls the DNR about (an injured wild duck or goose), the DNR gives them their same, famous line: 'Let nature take its course,'" Lyson said. "Even though nature didn't put that fishing line on that bird, nor hit it with a car." Ducks move indoors for the night at the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary on Saturday, March 13, 2021, in Salem Township. The sanctuary is home to upwards of 600 ducks, geese and swans. "It's nonstop, but it's good. It's a labor of love," co-founder Theresa Lyons said. In an Oct. 7, 2025, letter to Matthew Lyson, DNR officials denied his application for a wildlife rehabilitation permit, and said he also couldn't hold birds for later transfer to a licensed rehabilitator because he also does not have a Michigan "scientific collector's permit." DNR officials in their letter cited numerous deficiencies they observed during inspections of the Lysons' sanctuary, including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Animals are in public view and able to commingle with domestic and wild animals, in violation of DNR's Wildlife Conservation Order. The sanctuary shares a pond with hundreds of domestic waterfowl, and DNR officials observed a "wild Canada goose ... able to access the proposed rehabilitation facilities in addition to a small dog being able to walk up to the cages." Facilities, sanitary conditions and bird release plans that do not comply with International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council requirements. "Many diseases are transmitted from animals to humans, humans to animals, and from animal to animal," the DNR's denial letter states. "Lawfully possessed animals must be possessed in facilities structured and maintained to prevent escape, injury, ingress, or egress of animals and to prevent the spread of disease at the facility." The letter, unsigned and attributed to "Permit Specialist, DNR Wildlife Division," concludes, "All permanently injured wild animals must be humanely euthanized within 30 days of this notice. You are not legally authorized to possess any native wild birds or mammals." More: Lifelong friends from Milford to fulfill goal of visiting all 63 U.S. national parks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lyson said he believes the deficiencies cited by the DNR are correctable. He doesn't know whether the agency will await the outcome of his and his wife's upcoming trial before taking action to cull the flightless wild geese and ducks at their sanctuary, of which he estimated there are "dozens." "The DNR, it's likely they could come any time they want (to carry out the euthanization order)," he said. Despite the ongoing criminal case and bird kill order, DNR spokesman Ed Golder, in a statement to the Free Press, expressed optimism toward working out a resolution."The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to working with the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary and Mr. Lyson to bring his facility into compliance so he can be issued the necessary permit to rehabilitate wildlife on his property," Golder said. DNR officials sparked backlash last week over an order to euthanize a vision-impaired fawn nursed back to health at Detroit Animal Welfare Group in Macomb County. Officials with DAWG had transferred the fawn to Howell Nature Center to live as an educational ambassador. After public outcry, media attention and a letter from 16 state House members to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, her administration announced late last week that "Peanut" the fawn would be spared and allowed to live at the Howell facility. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DNR: Michigan sanctuary must kill flightless ducks, geese (WHTM) The latest drug sending people to the emergency room is legal in Pennsylvania. It is called 7-OH, and it comes from a plant called Kratom, which you might have heard of, but 7-OH is much more concentrated and much more dangerous. In July, a letter to doctors from the FDAs commissioner of food and drugs, read Dear colleague, Im writing to warn you about an opioid that few physicians might be aware of called seven-hydroxymitragynine or 7-OH. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Severe Weather Alerts Then days later in August, there was a health advisory from PAs Department of Health poison control centers getting more calls about Kratom and 7-OH. Lets start with Kratom, it is a plant found in Southeast Asia. You can still develop a physical dependence, it can still cause a lot of problems in your life, financially, et cetera, but in terms of like stopping breathing like respiratory depression, youre not going to see that with Kratom, medical director for addiction medicine at UPMC Greg Swartzentruber said. Kratom itself not good, but usually not deadly, said Swartzentruber. About 2% of Kratom is something called 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, for its chemical symbol. But in these bottles, it is synthetically converted into something highly concentrated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And we have seen reports of deaths associated with seven hydroxymitragynine, Swartzentruber said. Ive treated patients with Kratom use disorder for several years, but the 7-OH is something I would say within the past year. Some dangerous symptoms similar to those you would see from fentanyl are actually different from fentanyl in this important way: The seven hydroxy or 7-OH that you can buy in a vape shop or gas station, Swartzentruber said. But like fentanyl and other opioids in one hopeful way, if someone in your life is in distress. I would say have Narcan available, Swartzentruber said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Narcan is also known by its general name, Naloxone. Naloxone is certainly something that you need to have around if you have respiratory depression from 7-OH, Swartzentruber said. Of course it is better still not to get to that point. If you or someone in your life is struggling with any kind of addiction, then UPMC has a center for addiction recovery. So, do other healthcare systems in our area. Plenty of help available you just have to ask for it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. It will soon be time to "fall back." Daylight Saving Time, the practice of moving clocks forward one hour in the summer and then back again in the fall, will come to an end in November. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the practice allows for a more effective usage of natural daylight. "Moving the clocks forward one hour in the spring grants us more daylight during summer evenings, while moving clocks back one hour in the fall grants us more daylight during winter mornings," wrote the Almanac. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although there have been several attempts to get ride of the practice at the national and state levels, including in Tennessee, none so far has been successful. Here's what to know about when to set clocks back in 2025. When does daylight saving time end in 2025? Daylight saving time ends annually at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. In 2025, that falls on Nov. 2. Is Trump doing away with daylight saving time? President Donald Trump has expressed support for keeping daylight saving time hours as recently as April, calling it very popular, though he has also referred to the move as a 50-50 issue," USA TODAY reported. The president, however, doesnt have the sole power to abolish or permanently instate daylight saving time. Its ultimately up to Congress whether or not to stop the time change. Additionally, individual states cant decide to abolish the practice without Congressional approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legislation to make daylight saving time permanent has circulated through Congress for years. Florida has tried several times to make daylight saving time permanent with the proposed federal Sunshine Protection Act, which has been introduced to Congress multiple times since 2018 most recently in 2025 without being passed. Nearly 20 states have passed legislation in recent years to support getting rid of the time change, but the debate is divided on whether there should be more daylight hours during the morning or the evening. Does Tennessee observe daylight saving time? Tennessee, along with most U.S. states, participate in the time change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few states and U.S. territories do not observe daylight saving time, including Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and most of Arizona due to its desert climate. The Volunteer State is one of at least 28 states that have introduced legislation in support of establishing year-round daylight saving time, the Tennessean previously reported. In 2019, Gov. Bill Lee signed a law aiming to eliminate the twice-a-year time shift, but the state law won't take effect unless Congress first passes a federal law allowing states to observe daylight saving year-round. Why do we 'fall back?' While Benjamin Franklin proposed the idea of saving daylight in 1784, the modern concept is credited to William Willet, a London builder who noticed people "wasted" daylight hours by keeping shutters closed in the morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the almanac, in 1907 he lobbied for a gradual clock adjustment in spring and fall, but his idea was met with ridicule. The onset of World War I shifted public opinion. Germany adopted the practice in 1915 to conserve coal, prompting Britain to follow in 1916 with British Summer Time. The U.S. joined in 1918 with the Standard Time Act, creating time zones and implementing daylight saving time despite public skepticism. A Congressional committee investigated its benefits, and wartime urgency helped sway support. Propaganda, like postcards from the National Daylight Saving Convention, encouraged Americans to back the change. Daylight saving time returned during World War II as a year-round measure to save fuel. After the war ended in 1945, its use became inconsistent across states, with each choosing its own start and end dates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966 to standardize daylight saving time across states, addressing confusion in interstate transportation. Initially, daylight saving time ran from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. In 1986, the start date was moved to the first Sunday in April to help conserve energy. The current schedule, starting in March and ending in November, was set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, effective in 2007. Contributing: USA TODAY Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for the Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X at @_leyvadiana This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When does daylight saving time end in 2025? We can tell you ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A dog was killed by police after it attacked multiple people inside a home on Laforce Street, including a baby. This happened earlier Tuesday morning. The victims inside the home were able to close the door when the dog ran outside. The dog attempted to get back into the home by attacking and pushing on the closed door. Officers arrived at the scene and found the dog in the backyard with its paw caught in the closed door, trapping it. The people in the home were able to be moved to a safe location to receive medical treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At some point, the dog was able to free itself from the door and tried to go after the officers in the front yard. It aggressively tried to climb over a barricade. Police said an officer put the dog down when it became clear it was going to defeat the barricade. As a result of the attack, four people were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital. A 20-year-old woman and a 13-month-old girl were treated for bite wounds. The other victims suffered from scratches. There were no life-threatening injuries. The Rochester Police Department is expected to provide more information on Tuesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The AWS outage is over, hurrah! I've digitally turned that frown upside down back to smiling, which is what tech comapny engineers the world over are doing now that AWS is back, but as Keeper Security's CEO says, "True resilience isnt just about preventing attacks; its about ensuring stability when failures occur." As we noted in our earlier article about the now resolved AWS outage, many can be affected when big providers, like AWS, suffer an outage. Affected apps included Slack, Trello and Zoom, messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal. Amazon Prime Video was down, with gaming platforms Xbox, Roblox, and Fortnite also affected, with about 1,000 websites or web services, all powered by Amazon's AWS, experiencing a major outage, as was evident on DownDetector. Amazon's AWS is the world's biggest cloud provider, commanding 30%, while Microsoft's Azure is 20%, and Google at 13%, according to Statista - so presumably, there are some companies now looking at how their operations can continue running in the event of an outage - without blowing the budget. Darren Guccione, CEO And Co-Founder, Keeper Security has some suggestions on business continuity, although precisely what actions affected companies will take - as well as AWS itself implenting its own extra hardened backup systems, checks, balances and anything else - is all yet to be seen, but clearly, work will be done to make systems more resilient so as to avoid downtime as much as possible. So, what does Darren have to say? "While major internet outages often raise immediate concerns of a cyber attack, current reports indicate the significant AWS disruption was caused by an internal infrastructure fault, rather than malicious activity. Its an important distinction, as not every systems failure is the result of a cybersecurity breach, and conflating the two can blur understanding of where the real risks lie. "Modern IT ecosystems are complex, interconnected and highly dependent on a handful of critical cloud providers. When an incident of this scale occurs, whether through technical failure or misconfiguration, the impact on global operations can be just as severe as a coordinated cyber attack. "For enterprise organisations, this underscores the need for resilience that goes beyond threat prevention. Business continuity plans should account for both cyber and non-cyber disruptions, ensuring that privileged access, authentication and backup systems remain secure and functional, even when core infrastructure is affected. "Zero-trust frameworks and Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions are designed to protect against malicious actors, however, they can also play a critical role in maintaining visibility and control during system outages, while improving a customer's resilience and incident response capabilities. "True resilience isnt just about preventing attacks; its about ensuring stability when failures occur." AWS is holding its Re:Invent conference in Las Vegas in the first week of December, which I've been invited to attend as a guest of AWS. We're sure to hear a lot more from AWS before then on what happened, and there will undoubtedly be plenty more at the conference itself, so this serves as a timely reminder for us all - the modern world we live in is underpinned by some big players, like AWS, Microsoft, Google and others. Outages are learning opportunities - and there are sure to be learnings for all from this event, with resilience in the face of constant challenges a renewed focus. Looking forward to seeing the solutions to keep these kinds of events at bay in the future! The Institute of Applied Ecology's rare plant monitoring crew at a plot near Albuquerque, NM. The Crew monitors 12 species spanning over 140 plots each year. (Courtesy Institute of Applied Ecology) Last month, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced it had partnered with the Department of the Interior to cut $14 million worth of environmental grants, including $2.5 million for New Mexico. The Institute of Applied Ecology , based in both Oregon and here in New Mexico, is one of the organizations that had a large swath of its funding cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We work with native plant materials development, said Katy Silbert, the assistant branch director of the institutes southwestern branch. Which means that we are collecting seeds from the wild to then grow those plants and put them back on the landscape. In addition to replanting, the institute does experimental research and monitoring of rare plants in partnership with private landowners, and a slew of federal, state, and local agencies across seven states. Silbert said that the funding cuts seemingly came out of nowhere, with some of their staff learning about them while out in the field. One of our ecologists was doing a planting with our Bureau of Land Management partners and were finding out [about the cuts] at the same time that we were, Silbert told KUNM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cuts were spearheaded by DOGE, and the Trump administration claimed on the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) that these grants, which make up over half of Silberts budget, were wasteful because their DEI-esque hiring initiatives werent aligned with agency priorities. The now-cancelled awards came from a slew of agencies under the Department of the Interior from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service, to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management for initiatives for delivering on the ground conservation or building conservation capacity. Real action = real savings, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum wrote on social media . DOI is also currently preparing to implement another round of agency-wide layoffs. Overall, the Institute for Applied Ecology received 30 federal award cancellation notices on Sept. 23 from Department of the Interior agencies totaling somewhere around $3.5 million. Silber said $2.5 million of that was specifically for conservation in New Mexico. Institute of Applied Ecology ecologist Lani DuFresne plants milkweed and other pollinator resource plants at a pollinator restoration site along the Rio Grande in New Mexico. (Courtesy, Institute of Applied Ecology) Other organizations that lost funding include the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and the Lomakatsi Restoration Project . Its common for these types of awards and grants to be reimbursed after organizations have spent their own personal funds for a project, which is then paid back by the federal government after a review process. These agreements can span several years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This means that Silbers team has already spent money that they might not get back. It can be a challenge to balance that when we have some of these larger expenditures because conservation, while very important, isnt always cheap, but its always worth it, Silber said. Silber pointed out that their habitat restoration efforts are broadly beneficial for many New Mexico species including the lesser prairie-chicken , chestnut-collared and thick-billed longspurs, and the monarch butterfly. There are these massive ripple effects of having fewer resources on the landscape, she added. While some of these projects will still go forward and others reevaluated, the slashes are having an immediate effect, forcing the institute to lay off two seasonal youth field crews and four other regular positions. Oct. 20Big Boy Restaurant Group will soon discontinue operations at all Dolly's restaurants in the Cincinnati and Dayton markets. The six existing restaurants will close on Oct. 23. Before opening its first restaurant six months ago, "Big Boy Restaurant Group was served with a temporary restraining order preventing the company from using the Big Boy name in its Southwest Ohio locations. In response, the company quickly adapted and launched six restaurants under the name Dolly's, continuing to serve guests and uphold the brand's long-standing commitment to family dining and hospitality while the legal process continued," states a news release from Big Boy Restaurant Group, LLC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The litigation remains unresolved. The company said it is still unable to operate under the Big Boy name in these markets. "Six months ago, the company entered Southwest Ohio with one goal in mind to preserve and rejuvenate the beloved Big Boy brand that has meant so much to families across this region for nearly nine decades. At that time, many Big Boy branded restaurants not operated by the company were closing, and Big Boy Restaurant Group sought to bring stability, quality, and a renewed sense of nostalgia back to an area that has always been part of the brand's story," states the news release. Big Boy Restaurant Group opened its first location in the Dayton region at 8181 Springboro Pike in Miami Twp. near the Dayton Mall in March. This was followed by a Troy location at 20 Troy Town Drive. "While Big Boy Restaurant Group is stepping back from the Southwest Ohio market at this time, the company remains hopeful that once the matter is resolved, it will be able to return and reopen its doors under the Big Boy name." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company did not say what will happen to the current employees, only thanking them in the news release. "Big Boy Restaurant Group extends its sincere appreciation to all Dolly's team members for their professionalism, resilience, and commitment throughout this period. The company also expresses heartfelt gratitude to the Cincinnati and Dayton communities for their warm welcome and loyal support over the past several months." **Related Video Above: What should you do if someone you love goes missing? SOLON, Ohio (WJW) Two Northeast Ohio men were arrested and charged after attempting to pay for sex with a minor, the Ohio Attorney Generals office announced in a statement. The arrests were a part of a larger sex sting that netted 13 arrests. Pennsylvania physician arrested in Ohio sex sting earlier this month The two men, identified as 66-year-old Peter Moller of Brunswick and 34-year-old Dwayne Murray of Kent, were allegedly caught attempting to meet up with agents posing as minors for the purposes of sex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The one day sting took place near Solon last week, with the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and Solon police working together to find human trafficking victims while arresting those trying to pay for sex. Too often our task forces arrest predators seeking to have sex with children a sickening fact that should send a chill down the spine of every parent, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. During the operation, authorities found two kids who had been reported missing and the attorney generals office said they identified nine potential victims of human trafficking. Two foreign nationals were also found in the investigation and they have reportedly been turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Local priest among 100+ Johns arrested in Ohio in September Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following men were arrested and charged in Bedford Municipal Court for engaging in prostitution: Timothy Asberry, 67, Willoughby Ajene Enaharo, 43, Solon Harmanjit Ghuman, 59, Macedonia Donald Ketring, 70, Madison Gul Mashwani, 28, Cleveland Richard Nichols, 61, Burton Andrew Novak, 49, Cleveland Brandon Rice, 48, Solon Timothy Szekely, 56, Stow Brandon Tschantz, 38, Reminderville One other man, 33-year-old Lafayette Robinson of Cleveland was also arrested for promoting prostitution in the sting. Our work will continue until everyone gets the message: Dont buy sex in Ohio! Yost said in the statement. 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 8 Cleveland WJW. WASHINGTON Donald Trump Jr. is joining Utah Republicans efforts to eliminate the congressional map approved by the state Legislature this month that could put two of Utahs House districts in play for Democrats. Trump Jr. posted a link to the Utah GOPs statewide initiative to recruit volunteers and paid activists to gather signatures for two initiatives: First, the partys referendum that would undo the new congressional districts and second, to repeal Prop 4, an anti-gerrymandering initiative passed in 2018 that outlines requirements for redistricting and created an independent commission to recommend congressional maps every 10 years. Urgent!! Trump Jr. posted on X with two siren emojis. RINO judges & liberal groups are trying to STEAL two GOP house seats in Utah. You can stop it! Urgent!! RINO judges & liberal groups are trying to STEAL two GOP house seats in Utah. You can stop it! sign up today for a paying job: https://t.co/VljSYRolFP Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 20, 2025 The Utah GOP announced last week it would be filing a referendum petition to eliminate the new congressional districts greenlighted by the Legislature last week. The map would solidify two of the seats District 1 and District 4, which encompass northern Utah and southwestern Utah, respectively as solidly Republican while making Districts 2 and 3 much more competitive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The referendum, if it receives the required 150,000 signatures, could mean the map would be thrown out and instead place it on the 2026 ballot for voters to approve. Those signatures would need to be collected by Nov. 10. That has put Utah GOP leaders into a scramble to gather the required signatures, prompting them to ask for help from both Utah residents and out-of-state patriots. We have a very specific kind of time frame. Its relatively short, Utah GOP Chairman Rob Axson said last week. But there is a groundswell of concern here in Utah, from Utahns who do not like to see our state moving towards a direct democracy. We are a republic. Our country is one. Our state is one. And so there is a groundswell of support here, and were confident that we will have the support necessary to get this past the finish line. Because of the short timeframe, just about four weeks from the day Republicans filed the referendum, Axson said they would need to rely on both volunteers and paid employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want to be successful, Axson said. Now, a key thing, though, that I think is important for any Utahn to consider, its worth doing the right thing. The potential new map Utah has captured the attention of national groups such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Democrats main fundraising arm, and the Democratic National Committee with both groups telling the Deseret News they are keeping a close eye on the final outcome. Depending on how the final districts are configured, sources tell the Deseret News, Democrats could pick up one or two seats in the Beehive State making it key to the competitive midterm elections next year. Democrats only need to net three seats in the 2026 midterm elections to wrest control of the House. The party also has historical precedence on its side as trends show that the party of the sitting president typically loses control of the House during midterm elections. A new map could also thrust Utah into the middle of a national redistricting war taking place in states such as Texas and California as leaders in both parties examine congressional boundaries and how they can be altered ahead of the midterm elections. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) President Donald Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr. is pushing his followers to sign up for signature gathering efforts for the Utahs GOPs dual-track effort to repeal Utahs anti-gerrymandering process and the court-stipulated map that Utah lawmakers approved earlier this month. RINO judges & liberal groups are trying to STEAL two GOP house seats in Utah. You can stop it! Trump Jr. posted on X with a link to sign up with Patriot Grassroots, an out-of-state firm helping the GOP meet its signatures thresholds. That link goes to sign up sheet for Patriot Grassrooots that reads: We are leading a statewide initiative in Utah to stop the redistricting proposal that could cost Republicans up to two U.S. congressional. seats. The fight is about keeping representation in Utah reflective of its deep red roots. It goes to say that it is a paid effort and they are looking from both in state and out of state patriots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The push comes after the Utah GOP filled paperwork to repeal Prop 4 via an indirect initiative, and overturn map C via referendum. The legislature voted on the redistricted map C after a Third District Judge ruled in August that they unconstitutionally overturned Prop 4, a citizens ballot initiative that passed in 2018. Utah Republican party launches referendum on map C and initiative to ask legislature to repeal Prop 4 The Utah GOP has also set up a political issues committee to collect donations on their behalf. As of this publication there were no public contributions. UTGOP needs over 200,000 signatures by mid Nov. The indirect initiative will require 70,374 valid signatures, which equates to 4 percent of Utahs active registered voters following the 2024 general election. That threshold must also be met in 26 of Utahs 29 counties. If successful, it opens a bill file to strike the sections of code that Proposition 4 created. The legislature will then vote on the first day of the 2026 legislative session on whether to repeal it. The deadline for signatures is November 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The referendum effort will require 140,748 signatures which equates to 8% of active registered voters statewide and that threshold must be met 15 of 29 counties. If the threshold is met, the map gets halted and put on the ballot for a vote in 2026. That signature deadline is November 18. If either of those two things happen, its unclear which map will be used in the 2026 midterms, however a court is still in the process of evaluating new claims against the legislature. The plaintiffs in Utahs redistricting case argue that if map C is invalidated, the judge can pick a new one. As of this publication, Utahs Lt. Governor has yet to certify that the initative and referrendum can move forward. The move is also facing a legal challenge. The claim filed by the plaintiffs claims that the indirect initiative is unconstitutional arguing that in this case, Utahs Supreme Court upheld that the states founding document only provides one way to initiative a new law via a majority vote of the people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their suit argues that the inidirect initative was created by statute and therefore is not protected the by the high courts ruling in 2024 which upheld that Utahns have a right to alter and reform their government via initative and the Utah legislature can only change initatives if theres a compelling government interest. Utahs Republican party defended the efforts to initiative a bill directly to the legislature instead putting the issue to a statewide vote in an interview with Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts that aired Sunday We are a constitutional republic, weve affirmed that as a country and as a state, GOP Party Chair, Rob Axson said. I dont think we should ever shy away from leaning into where you have people to represent you and so 100,000 signatures gathered to have 75,000 confirmed, that is representative. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Donald Trump on Monday patronizingly berated a female reporter who questioned his stalled efforts to end the RussiaUkraine war. Trump, who has yet to fulfill his campaign vow to immediately stop the conflict launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022, was asked by The Nightly Australias Latika Bourke: You are the most powerful man on earth. Why dont you just enable Ukraine to finish this war tomorrow? Politics: Trump Says He's The Only Reason Putin Won't Take The Whole Of Ukraine Sitting next to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Trump first said: Well, if you knew anything about what you were talking about. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do, I do, Bourke replied. You do? I dont think you do, really, I dont think you do, because its a little more complicated than that, Trump shot back. It sounds easy, he continued. Were in the process of trying to make a deal. If we make a deal, thats great. If we dont make a deal, itll be a lot of people are going to be paying a big price. Q: "You are the most powerful man on earth. Why don't you just enable Ukraine to finish this war?" Trump: "Well, if you knew anything about what you were talking about...I don't think you do. It's a little more complicated than that." pic.twitter.com/N56BKlwESM The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) October 20, 2025 On Friday, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reportedly urging him to cede territory to Russia and refusing to supply Tomahawk missiles. A day earlier, Trump had spoken with Putin, after which the two leaders announced a second summit in Budapest, Hungary, following their August meeting in Alaska. Related... Read the original on HuffPost BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A Donaldsonville man was sentenced to a total of 15 years after pleading guilty to charges in two unrelated cases. According to the 23rd Judicial District Attorneys Office, Kirk Gibson, 33, pleaded guilty to simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling and crimes against nature. On July 10, 2023, Ascension Parish deputies were called to a burglary in the Darrow community. After reviewing video surveillance, they saw Gibson approaching the home and knocking on the front door. When there was no answer, Gibson walked around the rear of the home and attempted to break into the home. He was later arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Nov. 26, 2023, deputies were investigating the sexual assault of a male inmate at the Ascension Parish Jail. Gibson was reportedly involved in the sexual assault. Gibson was sentenced to six years for the burglary charge and 15 years without the possibility of parole for the crimes against nature charge. These charges are to run concurrently with each other, the district attorneys office said. After release, Gibson is required to register as a sex offender. 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. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) The Family Resource Group is encouraging the community to donate new socks with its annual Sock It to Me drive. The effort aims to collect new socks for children and families in need, with drop-off boxes located at local libraries. The sock drive begins on Nov. 1 and goes through Dec. 12. Organizers said something as simple as a warm pair of socks can make a big difference, especially as temperatures will soon begin to drop. The drive not only helps meet a basic need but also brings the community together in kindness and generosity. The goal this year is to collect 51,000 pairs of socks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baton Rouges Catholic Charities now accepting Christmas donations 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 synagogue was renovated at COGAT's Erez Coordination and Liaison Administration base near the Gaza border, where the ultra-orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion serves. An inauguration ceremony was held for the renovated synagogue at the Erez Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) base on Monday. CLA is part of the Coordination of Government Administration in the Territories (COGAT). IDF soldiers from the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Netzah Yehuda Battalion serve at the base, which is located near the Gaza Strip border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The renovation of the synagogue is "a symbol of faith and renewal," a spokesperson from the Netzah Yehuda Association said, as it occurred in the same place where IDF soldiers were killed by Hamas during the October 7 massacre two years ago. The ceremony was attended by the battalions soldiers, commanders, rabbis, and donors, including Rabbi David Hanania Pinto, head of Orot Chaim Moshe Institutions. Attendees pose at the inauguration ceremony was held for the renovated synagogue at the Erez Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) base, October 20, 2025 (credit: Netzah Yehuda Association) Netzah Yehuda 'strengthens haredi soldiers spirits' Ira and Rachel Smadara funded the synagogues restoration, marking the sixth time that the family has renovated and restored synagogues for IDF soldiers. The project was undertaken in cooperation with the Netzah Yehuda Association, an organization that aims to strengthen the spirit of fighters who combine faith with combat service on behalf of haredi soldiers, the association stated. These soldiers maneuvered in the northern Gaza Strip, lost friends, and achieved impressive military successes in their persistent combat, the association said of the battalion. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday announced a deal on rare earth minerals as China tightens control over its own supply. But the day was not without some awkward and downright tense moments. Politics: Trumps AI Video Sparks Outrage White House Responds With Something... Peculiar Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who once called Trump a village idiot, among other things is now the ambassador to the United States and was also in the room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump was apparently unaware until a reporter pointed it out. I dont know anything about him, Trump said. If he said bad, then maybe hell like to apologize. Trump asked Albanese: Where is he? Is he still working for you? Politics: Trump Awkwardly Gives Marco Rubio Backhanded Compliment In White House Cabinet Meeting Albanese pointed toward Rudd across the table. You said bad? Trump asked. Rudd started to explain that it was before he took his current position. I dont like you either, Trump said. And I probably never will. Politics: Donald Trump Rips NBC, Gets Quick Reality Check From Network's Reporter Many in the room laughed: Trump: Did an ambassador say something bad? Don't tell me. Is he tell working for you? Albanese: Hes right there Trump: You said bad. I don't like you either. And I probably never will. Go ahead pic.twitter.com/atAuL7r3zh Acyn (@Acyn) October 20, 2025 While Trump is known to harbor a grudge, Sky News said the bad feelings didnt linger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is this the guy? Trump asked after the media left. He seems like a nice guy. Rudd apologized, and Sky News said the president forgave him. Related... Read the original on HuffPost By Laman Ismayilova Writer and playwright, Honored Art Worker, author of more than thirty plays and nearly twenty books, Ali Amirli has presented his latest work to readers, a text intended for a multi-episode television film. This new work, titled "Gates of Heaven", consists of 24 episodes. Although it is based on the motifs of Amirli's famous comedy "The Rich Woman", which has been staged in more than twenty theaters (including twelve abroad) and has received awards at international theater festivals the new piece is presented as a dramatic TV series script enriched with elements of comedy, dark comedy, melodrama, and unexpected intense events. Note that the presentation of a TV series script in book format is the first experience of its kind in the country. Ali Amirli has been engaged in literary work since 1971. Over the years, dozens of his short stories, novellas, and novels have been published in periodicals, including the magazines "Azerbaijan", "Ulduz", and "Literary Azerbaijan". He is the author of more than twenty short stories. Since 1990, he has been active in playwriting. His plays have been staged in most theaters across Azerbaijan, including the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater, the State Theater of Musical Comedy, the State Theater for Young Audiences, the State Youth Theater, and others. His works have been translated into Russian, Turkish, Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other languages. The television play "Bala-bashabyala" (1995), based on his comedy, was repeatedly broadcast on AzTV and other national TV channels and gained wide popularity. In 2000, he was awarded the Humay Award for his literary achievements. On December 30, 2015, Ali Amirli was granted the honorary title of Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan. NTT Data has announced the acquisition of Alchemy Technology Services, a specialist insurance technology consultancy. The move reinforces NTT DATAs commitment to transforming the global insurance ecosystem, addressing current and emerging challenges around agility, modernisation and scalability. In addition to its strong consultancy and Guidewire credentials, Alchemy brings deep expertise in the specialty insurance market, particularly in supporting complex and regulated environments, such as the London Market, the largest (re)insurance subscription market globally. NTT Data says this will further strengthen its ability to serve niche and high-value segments across the global insurance landscape. A shared vision for insurance innovation NTT Data claims this acquisition marks a significant milestone in its strategy "to lead the digital reinvention of the insurance sector - a market set to reach US $230.7 billion in IT spend this year." Building on its strong foundation in the industry, NTT Data says its insurance capabilities are driven by a network of more than 15,000 specialists operating in 26 countries worldwide. With over 300 clients worldwide, the company serves 6 of top 10 insurers by revenues. By combining its global scale and expertise with Alchemys strong foundation and local roots, NTT Data notes it is "uniquely positioned to address the evolving needs of insurers worldwide." The integration will accelerate core modernization efforts with agility and scalability, support the digital transformation of key markets and foster a smarter, more connected and data-driven approach to insurance. Together, the companies say they will "co-innovate around emerging technologies including AI, automation, sustainability and next-generation insurance products." Enhanced value and empowered talent The acquisition delivers enhanced value to insurance clients through expanded capabilities in core system implementation, digital transformation, testing and application management. It also strengthens NTT Datas regional presence in the UK and Ireland, offering dedicated expertise across the full insurance lifecycle. The Alchemy team will serve as a Global Centre of Excellence, helping shape and deliver complex transformation programs for insurers worldwide. Alchemys unique delivery model will be adopted internationally, with its academy training approach extended to support teams in other global locations. Alchemys pioneering training model, which has developed over 200 professionals since 2018, will be further empowered under NTT Data's leadership. A unified future NTT Data and Alchemy state their commitment to "a collaborative, transparent and authentic integration process. The partnership is built on shared values of teamwork, development and innovation, with a focus on delivering positive change for clients, employees and the broader insurance community." Bruno Abril, Global Lead, Insurance Industry, NTT Data, Inc. said:Joining forces with Alchemy enhances our ability to accelerate digital transformation in the insurance industry, reinforcing our strategic growth ambitions and the vast opportunities we see ahead. "IT modernization in P&C insurance is not a fleeting trend - its a core market priority attracting sustained investment. Together, we are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. This acquisition is a natural evolution of our shared vision, complementary capabilities and aligned values, empowering us to deliver smarter, scalable solutions that meet the evolving needs of insurers worldwide. John Harkin, Founder and CEO of Alchemy, said: This is a proud and exciting moment for our team, our clients, and the wider region. Becoming part of NTT Data unlocks extraordinary opportunities, not just for international growth, but for expanding the reach and impact of the work we do. As someone deeply committed to the north-west of Ireland, Im especially proud that this move allows us to reaffirm and strengthen our long-term commitment to the area. Will McAllister, Senior Vice President, Managing Director, EMEA at Guidewire Software, welcomed the announcement: We are delighted to hear the news of Alchemys acquisition by NTT Data. This marks an exciting milestone, which we believe will open even greater opportunities to transform the global insurance industry. As a longstanding partner, we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver innovative solutions and even greater value for clients. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) A man was injured during an alleged assault in downtown Wichita Monday evening. Around 7 p.m., officers with the Wichita Police Department were called to the 400 block of N. Market St. for the report of a cutting. When officers arrived, they found a 43-year-old man with injuries consistent with being battered. The victim told police that several unknown individuals assaulted him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was taken to a local hospital and evaluated for a possible head injury. It was later determined he had not been cut or stabbed. The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has any information, they are asked to call detectives at 316-268-4407 or contact Crime Stoppers by calling 316-267-2111, submitting a tip online, or submitting a tip through their mobile app, which is available through Google Play and Apples App Store. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click 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 KSN-TV. Googles Threat Intelligence Group has warned that North Korea is using EtherHidinga malware that hides in blockchain smart contracts and enables cryptocurrency theftin its cyber hacking operations, as 2025 looks set to be a record year for crypto heists by the rogue state. Though Google researchers said EtherHiding has been used by financially motivated threat actors abusing blockchain to distribute infostealers since at least September 2023, this is the first time they have observed its use by a nation state. The malware is particularly resistant to conventional takedown and blocking methods. EtherHiding presents new challenges as traditional campaigns have usually been halted by blocking known domains and IPs, the researchers said in a blog post, singling out smart contracts on BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum as having played host to malicious code. Malware authors could leverage the blockchain to perform further malware propagation stages since smart contracts operate autonomously and cannot be shut down, they added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While security researchers can alert the community by tagging a contract as malicious on official blockchain scanners, they noted, malicious activity can still be performed. The North Korean hacking threat North Korean hackers have stolen more than $2 billion so far this year, most of that coming from the $1.46 billion attack on crypto exchange Bybit in February, according to an October report by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. The DPRK has also been held responsible for attacks on LND.fi, WOO X and Seedify, as well as thirty other hacks, bringing the total amount stolen by the country to date to over $6 billion. These funds, according to intelligence agencies, help finance the countrys nuclear weapons and missile programs. North Korean Hackers Drain $1.2M From Seedify Bridge Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Obtained through a mix of social engineering, deploying malware and sophisticated cyber espionage, North Korea has developed a mix of tactics to gain access to the financial systems or sensitive data of companies. The regime has proven itself willing to go to great lengths to do so, including setting up fake companies and targeting developers with fake employment offers. Cases reported to Decrypt also show North Korean hacking outfits are now hiring non-Koreans to use as fronts to help them pass interviews to get jobs at tech and crypto companies as employers become more wary of North Koreans posing as people from elsewhere for interviews. Attackers can also lure victims to video meetings or fake podcast recordings on platforms which then display error messages or prompt update downloads which contain malicious code. North Korean hackers have also targeted conventional web infrastructure, uploading more than 300 malicious code packages to the npm registry, an open-source software repository used by millions of developers to share and install JavaScript software. North Korean Hackers Target Crypto Devs Through Open-Source Software Hub How does EtherHiding work? North Koreas latest pivot to include EtherHiding in its arsenal was traced back to February 2025, and since then Google said it has tracked UNC5342a North Korean threat actor linked to the countrys hacking outfit FamousChollimaincorporating EtherHiding into its social engineering campaign Contagious Interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The use of the EtherHiding malware involves embedding malicious code into the smart contracts of public blockchains, and then targeting users through WordPress sites injected with a small piece of JavaScript code. When a user visits the compromised website, the loader script executes in their browser, Google researchers explained. This script then communicates with the blockchain to retrieve the main malicious payload stored in a remote server. They added that the malware deploys a read-only function call (such as eth_call), which doesnt create a transaction on the blockchain. This ensures the retrieval of the malware is stealthy and avoids transaction fees (i.e. gas fees), they noted. Once fetched, the malicious payload is executed on the victim's computer. This can lead to various malicious activities, such as displaying fake login pages, installing information-stealing malware, or deploying ransomware. The researchers warned that it underscores the continuous evolution of cybercriminals tactics. In essence, EtherHiding represents a shift toward next-generation bulletproof hosting, where the inherent features of blockchain technology are repurposed for malicious ends. A driver was arrested Tuesday morning after crashing into a construction zone on northbound 405. It happened near State Route 522 in the Bothell area. Troopers with Washington State Patrol say the driver ran into an attenuator truck. No one was hurt. Troopers believe the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Heres a look at the aftermath of the crash: This was the collision NB 405 at SR 522 earlier this morning. A suspected impaired driver ran into an attenuator truck in the construction zone. No injuries. Driver arrested. pic.twitter.com/2VMzwFH0QY Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) October 21, 2025 The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says there were 246 citations issued for distracted or inattentive driving in state road work zone crashes in 2024. Work zone crashes arent just dangerous for our workers. Theyre also dangerous for travelers, WSDOT shared in a news release from earlier this year. WSDOT says in Washington travelers are more at risk in work zones than the workers. In 2024, 96 percent of Washington roadway work zone fatalities and injuries were to drivers or their passengers. ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) A driver has died after slamming into a trailer in the parking lot of an Abilene convenience store Monday night. Jamony Latimore, 31, of Oklahoma, was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident, which happened at a convenience store on the 2800 block of E Overland Trail around 9:00 p.m., according to a press release from the Abilene Police Department. The press release states Latimore was parked at the convenience store for an extended amount of time before he accelerated and hit a trailer that was also in the parking lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Latimore was the only person involved in this crash, and his body will be taken for an autopsy as the investigation continues. No further information is available at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A driver was killed after striking a telephone pole Saturday night on Route 79 in Marlboro, officials said. The driver was removed from the car and brought to an area hospital, where he died of his injuries following the 10:45 p.m. crash, Marlboro police said. He had not been publicly identified as of Monday night, pending completion of family notifications. There were no passengers in the car. Route 79 was closed between Route 520 and School Road West until 3 p.m. Sunday because the pole and utility wires blocked the road after the crash. Stories by Jeff Goldman Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. DENVER (KDVR) Police are looking for a driver and their black Volvo S60 after a woman was hit and seriously injured while trying to flag down help on U.S. Highway 285. On Sunday night, around 11:45 p.m., the Colorado State Patrol responded to the area of southbound US Highway 285 at milepost 197 to a single vehicle rollover crash with a 2002 Toyota Tacoma. Medina Alert issued for driver who fled crash with serious injuries on Alameda Avenue Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once responders got there, they found the driver of the Toyota, 40-year-old woman from Denver, had been hit by another vehicle while trying to flag down help. The Denver woman was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries. At this time, there is no word on the status of her injuries or her condition. CSP said the vehicle that hit the woman didnt stay on scene, and now, its Vehicular Crimes Unit asking for peoples help finding the vehicle. Investigators believe the vehicle involved in the hit and run is a black 2011-2014 black Volvo S60 with temporary tags. CSP said it may have damage to the passenger side mirror. Two pedestrians killed in Centennial crash on Sunday night Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CSP is asking any potential witnesses or anyone who has seen a black Volvo S60 with recent side mirror damage or has information about the vehicles whereabouts to call CSP Dispatch at 303-239-4501 and reference case number 2A251458. Callers should be prepared to leave a name and contact 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 FOX31 Denver. GASTONIA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A driver is wanted for an alleged fatal hit-and-run in Gastonia, according to the Gastonia Police Department. Around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 19, a dark colored vehicle hit two pedestrians on Garrison Blvd at Yates Street. One of the victims, 28-year-old Cody Cochran, died from his injuries, officials said. The other victim was not identified, and it is unclear if they are injured. Credit: Gastonia Police Department Police said Cochran was riding a bike in the center lane of Garrison Blvd when he was struck by the vehicle, which fled the scene. Its a dark blue or black vehicle with noticeable left front-end damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone who witnessed the crash or has any information is urged to contact GPD at 704-866-6702. This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A series of drone attacks has hit areas in Sudans capital, Khartoum, including near its international airport, according to media. Tuesdays air strikes come a day before the airports long-awaited reopening. Witnesses told the news agency AFP that they heard drones over central and southern Khartoum early in the day. Then, a wave of explosions was reported near the airport between 4am and 6am (02:00 and 04:00 GMT). The airport had been shut down since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary. It has undergone substantial renovation since the army took total control of the capital in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sudans de facto leader and army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited the airport after the attacks, where he said the militarys duty is to ensure protection and security for all Sudanese. Soon, he added, no one will be able to threaten this land. Sudans Rakoba News, citing witnesses, reported more than eight blasts in and around the airport. It blamed the attack, which it said used suicide drones, on the RSF. The Paris-based Sudan Tribune also reported a drone barrage, citing security sources and witnesses who saw plumes of smoke rising from within the airport perimeter. A local security source told the media outlet that Sudans military shot down some of the drones. A witness told AFP that the city of Omdurman, north of Khartoum and home to several important military installations, was also hit during the drone attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No group immediately claimed responsibility, and details on casualties or damage were not available. The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority announced on Monday that domestic flights would gradually resume following technical and operational preparations. While Khartoum has remained relatively calm since the army reclaimed control of the city earlier this year, drone attacks have continued, with the RSF repeatedly accused of targeting military and civilian infrastructure from afar. Al Jazeera correspondent Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said: There are concerns that once the airport reopens for civilian flights, there will be more and more of these drone attacks, which will target civilians and airlines as well. Third attack in a week Tuesdays reported strikes mark the third spell of drone attacks on the capital in seven days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, drones targeted two army bases in northwest Khartoum, although a military official said most of the aircraft were intercepted. Since the armys counteroffensive and recapture of Khartoum, more than 800,000 people have returned to the capital. The army-aligned government has since launched a wide-ranging reconstruction campaign and is moving officials back to Khartoum from Port Sudan, where they operated during the occupation of the capital by the RSF. Large parts of Khartoum, however, remain in ruins, with millions still experiencing frequent blackouts linked to RSF drone activity. The most intense violence is now concentrated in the west, where RSF forces have surrounded el-Fasher, the last main city in Darfur that is not under their control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The paramilitary forces continue to try to seize the city, prompting warnings from the United Nations of the potential for further large-scale, ethnically driven attacks and atrocities. The UN also warned on Tuesday that fighting in the city had escalated this week, with reports of drone strikes and clashes. Should the assault succeed, the RSF would control all of Darfur and much of Sudans south, while the army maintains dominance over the centre, east and north. The strikes come just days after army chief al-Burhan signalled his willingness to discuss ending the war, under pressure from the Quad countries the US, Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia which have urged a negotiated solution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, al-Burhan insisted that the RSF had no place in Sudans future. We do not want any mercenary or militia to have any role in the future of Sudan, he said, referring to the RSF. The wider war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million and created the worlds largest displacement and hunger crises. A $152.3 million judgment accepted by Baltimore City in an opioid lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies McKesson and Cencora could be overturned after McKesson filed an appeal. The appeal was filed on Oct. 1, according to court documents. The judgment, which the city accepted in August, has not been finalized and the money has not been disbursed to the city. In a statement, a McKesson representative said the drugmaker was pleased with Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill reducing the current award to $152.3 million from the $266 million that a jury decided in December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baltimore originally sued McKesson and Cencora, previously known as AmerisourceBergen, for $5 billion. The city accused the drugmakers of contributing to opioid addiction and deaths in Baltimore by distributing 320 million oxycodone pills to Baltimore between 2006 and 2019. Jurors found the two companies responsible for 97% of the crisis; however, in June, Fletcher-Hill said the Baltimore panel had awarded the city too much money in a shocking judgment. He determined that the companies were responsible for a portion of the opioid epidemic but argued Baltimore could not prove they were responsible for the past 15 years. We appreciate the courts previous ruling that the jurys verdict was contrary to the evidence and grossly excessive, a McKesson spokesperson said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. In light of that ruling, we disagree with the courts decision to approve even part of the Citys abatement plan. The remedies put forth in the plan bear no relation to McKessons alleged conduct or business practices. We intend to appeal this decision. If the appeal is accepted by Fletcher-Hill, the trial could be restarted from scratch, the current judgment could be altered or the judgment could be reversed. If the appeal is rejected, the judgment will move forward as previously determined. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city has already claimed the $152.3 million as a part of the Opioid Restitution Fund, even though the judgment is not final and the money has not been received. If the award is reversed, the fund will be reduced to $427 million in total funds. By the Citys evidence, all of defendants unreasonable conduct was based on a failure to recognize and act on problematic conduct at a pharmacy, Fletcher-Hill said in his statement where he reduced the initial award. Every single pill sold unreasonably by a defendant was also sold unreasonably by a pharmacy. It is fair to say that every one of those pharmacies was at least as culpable as defendants. Mayor Brandon Scott said the $152.3 million judgment was not what the city wanted but commended Baltimore for receiving a successful jury verdict regardless. This award still dwarfs the original amount the City would have received, had we not brought this separate litigation on behalf of our city, he said in a statement from August when the judgment was announced. While no amount of money can ever undo that harm, this award will help us expand our recovery programs, prevent future overdose deaths, and finally break the cycle of substance abuse in Baltimore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mayors office did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the appeal. The lawsuit with McKesson and Cencora is the only Baltimore case against a drug company to reach a judgment rather than settle before trial. Other settlements include a $45 million settlement from Allergan and a $152.5 million settlement from Cardinal Health. Have a news tip? Contact Chevall Pryce at cpryce@baltsun.com. GUEST OPINION: Businesses and homeowners choosing a security company want their people, assets, and property protected by a reliable, professional, and compliant firm. Picture a company that relies on poorly maintained equipment and inadequately trained staff versus a firm with cutting-edge technology and certified professionals ready to respond to a security incident in seconds. The difference isnt just in service quality; its peace of mind. Cutting corners can lead to catastrophic consequences. Two critical qualifications indicating the quality and legitimacy of a security company in Australia are A1 grading and a security licence. While these certifications serve different purposes, both help customers make informed decisions when choosing a security provider. Dennison Hambling, managing director of ADTs parent company, Intelligent Monitoring Group Limited, said, A security licence is legally required for any company or individual providing security services in Australia. Security licences cover a broad range of services, including guarding and patrolling premises, installing and servicing security systems like CCTV and alarms. State and territory licensing authorities issue the licences and validate compliance with local regulations and qualified, vetted personnel. Companies must adhere to strict requirements to obtain and maintain a security licence, including employing trained and certified staff, passing background checks for all personnel, and meeting insurance and compliance obligations. Comparatively, A1 grading takes security companies beyond the base level security licence and is more than an operating requirement. It is the highest certification level for alarm monitoring centres under the Australian Security Industry Association Limited (ASIAL) grading scheme and represents excellence in alarm monitoring services and compliance with stringent Australian Standards.[1] A security company must demonstrate the following to achieve A1 grading: reliable and redundant infrastructure, including backup systems for power and internet to deliver uninterrupted monitoring highly trained staff capable of promptly responding to alarms and emergencies regular, independent third-party audits to maintain compliance with industry benchmarks.[2] Dennison Hambling, managing director of ADTs parent company, Intelligent Monitoring Group Limited, said, Customers should ask if a security companys monitoring centre is A1-graded and request documentation or verification from ASIAL before selecting a provider. They should confirm the companys licence number through the relevant state or territory licensing authoritys website and look for customer feedback to understand the companys reputation and service quality. Providers with A1 grading and a security license offer multiple benefits, including: 1. High-quality service A security licence indicates the companys personnel are qualified and trained to handle various security tasks effectively. This way, customers can trust that guards, technicians, or operators have the skills and knowledge to protect their interests. A1 grading signals that a security companys alarm monitoring services meet the highest standards. This includes rapid response times, reliable infrastructure, and consistent monitoring, even during outages or emergencies. This reliability can mean the difference between a minor security breach and a major incident for businesses and homeowners. 2. Legal compliance and accountability A licensed security firm operates within the law, adhering to regulations designed to protect customers. Unlicensed providers may cut corners or employ unqualified staff, risking legal complications and poor service. Licensed companies are accountable for their actions. If a dispute arises, customers can go to the regulatory body, which can investigate and enforce compliance. 3. Reduced risk Choosing a security company without A1 grading or a security licence introduces risks. Unlicensed operators might lack proper training, background checks, or insurance, leaving customers exposed to theft, misconduct, or liability issues. An A1-graded alarm monitoring centre minimises system failures or emergency response delays. These companies handle high-pressure situations to protect customers properties and assets. 4. Enhanced trust and peace of mind Choosing a security provider with A1 grading and a security licence gives customers confidence in a reputable, trustworthy firm. Knowing the company meets stringent industry standards and operates legally lets customers focus on their daily lives without worrying about their security measures. Dennison Hambling, managing director of ADTs parent company, Intelligent Monitoring Group Limited, Its critical to select a provider that emphasises the importance of these certifications for high-quality service, legal compliance, and customer trust. Choosing a security provider with A1 grading and appropriate licences gives customers reliable, professional, and compliant security services. [1] https://asial.com.au/Web/Web/Advice-Services/Grading-Certification.aspx [2] https://asial.com.au/Web/Web/Advice-Services/Grading-Certification.aspx Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary and NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy suggested that SpaceX may not be the first American company to return the space agency's astronauts to the moon. NASA's Artemis III mission, which will land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, is currently scheduled for mid-2027. However, Duffy said the company is currently facing delays and that the agency may look to other companies to help reach the moon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I love SpaceX; it's an amazing company. The problem is, they're behind. They've pushed their timelines out, and we're in a race against China," Duffy said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday morning. SpaceX tries for 2 successful Starship missions in a row with Monday's launch "The president and I want to get to the moon in this president's term, so I'm gonna open up the contract," he continued. "I'm gonna let other space companies compete with SpaceX, like Blue Origin. Whatever one can get us there first to the moon, we're gonna take." SpaceX won a contract with NASA in 2021 to develop and demonstrate a crewed lunar lander accompanied by Starship, which is the most powerful rocket ever built. Despite some successful test flights, Starship has had a series of high-profile setbacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Space experts told ABC News that there are many reasons why development has been delayed and that it's unlikely another company could step in for SpaceX and still hit the 2027 goal. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP, FILE - PHOTO: In this Aug. 5, 2025, file photo, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a press conference at the Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. What is delaying the program? Pablo de Leon, professor and chair of the department of space studies at the University of North Dakota, told ABC News it appears that NASA's argument is that SpaceX is not hitting deadlines and goals that were set in their contract. He said he can understand the urgency of the government to move the process along but added that he knows people within SpaceX working on the lunar lander and that they are moving as quickly as they can. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When you look at one of these Starships, the size, it's really a marvel of engineering that these vehicles can be put together in such a short time," de Leon said. "So, I really don't think that they can go any faster than what they are doing right now." He said it appears Starship has the capability to reach between 62,000 to 93,000 miles currently, but the moon is nearly 250,000 miles from Earth, so more work is needed. De Leon added that SpaceX needs to conduct more testing including safety testing and making sure it can communicate with the Orion capsule, which will be the spacecraft that will carry the astronauts to and from Earth. Starship will also need to be refueled in orbit, something SpaceX hasnt yet shown it can do successfully. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In contrast to the Apollo program that saw six lunar landing missions in the 1960s and '70s, during a space race and the Cold War with the Soviet Union, space science experts said there is far less funding -- and fewer personnel -- working on the Artemis program. NASA could launch historic Artemis II mission around the moon as early as February 2026 "First of all, we're not spending 5% of the U.S. federal budget on space, which we were in the 60s," Greg Autry, associate provost for space commercialization and strategy at the University of Central Florida, told ABC News. "We're spending about 0.3-something percent, an order of magnitude less than we were at the height of the 60s." Autry is President Donald Trump's nominee to be the chief financial officer of NASA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added, "Second of all, we're trying to do something much more ambitious, which is return to the moon to stay and develop both commercial and NASA systems that will contribute to a permanent presence on the moon. We're not just going there with two people for several hours and coming home. It's an entirely more ambitious thing." Another factor is NASA's goal of trying to reach the south pole of the moon, which is a far more difficult environment to land in compared to the equatorial regions of the moon where past missions have landed, Autry said. Could SpaceX be replaced? It's not clear if or when NASA would amend its contract with SpaceX or if the space agency would switch to another company, like Blue Origin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, signed a contract with NASA in 2023 as the second lunar lander provider for the future Artemis V mission to the moon. Experts previously told ABC News that if SpaceX were to be replaced by Blue Origin, more funding and resources would need to be poured into ramping up that company's technologies because SpaceX is further along in being able to launch astronauts into space and return them safely to Earth compared to Blue Origin. Courtesy SpaceX via NASA - PHOTO: These artists concepts show SpaceXs Starship Human Landing System (HLS) on the Moon. De Leon said it is unlikely that any other company, such as Blue Origin or Lockheed Martin, would be able to step into the role held by SpaceX and meet the 2027 goal. He added that he believes Artemis III is not likely to happen until 2029 regardless of whether NASA decides to stick with SpaceX for the Artemis missions or to move on and pick Blue Origin or another company Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It will be very hard to do a landing by 2027," he said. "We are already near the end of 2025, and they will need some unmanned testing. They will need a mission like Artemis II that includes just circumnavigating the moon without attempting the landing like it was done during Apollo 10, for example." Artemis II, whose rocket, and upper stage was built by Boeing and whose crew capsule was built by Lockheed Martin, is scheduled to send four astronauts to the moon as early as February 2026. The astronauts will orbit the moon but not land during that mission. "And finally we don't want to risk the life of the astronauts before the system has been tested properly. That's going to take at least two, three years. That will put us very close to the deadline that the Chinese said that they were going to land their own astronauts," De Leon continued. Space race against China NASA may be trying to speed up the timeline for Artemis III due to a potential race against China, the experts said. Chinese officials have said their astronauts are aiming to land on the moon in 2030. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Autry told ABC News that the possibility of competing with China should incentivize the U.S. to work harder to remain first in the space race and to put more funding into space programs. NASA announces delay of its Artemis moon missions until 2025, 2026 De Leon said he thinks there are many people in the U.S. who do not view China as competition, saying the real race was beating the Soviet Union to the moon in the 1960s. However, he said it would be an embarrassment for the U.S. if China reaches the moon first this time around because it would result in the U.S. losing the prestige that it gained during the Apollo missions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That means that 50-something years ago, [the U.S.] had the capability, and now we don't have it anymore. I mean, what have we doing for half a century?" de Leon said. "And talking about international prestige, the Apollo lunar landings inspired people from all over the world to study science and engineering, not only from the U.S." Kevin Carter/Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: A NASA logo is displayed at the entrance to the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building on June 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C. He added that it's possible China could set up an exclusive economic zone or exclusive mining zone on the moon if Chinese astronauts land first, which could inhibit the U.S. from setting foot in the same locations. "What will it mean for the leadership of the United States as a beacon of development, of scientific and technological development in the world?" de Leon said. 'I wish that the people that are in the government and the people that are in NASA [would] ... see the need of urgency for the U.S. to remain leader in space, not necessarily only for the tangible wins, but also for the intangible ones." A Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine is addressing posts he made on Reddit forums four years ago in which he called himself a socialist-turned-communist, noting that he was struggling mentally at the time. Graham Platner shared a video addressing the comments on Oct. 17, saying they were made during an earlier part of his life, and he no longer agrees with the things he said. According to the deleted posts, which were first reported by CNN, Platner went by the Reddit username P-Hustle. In his posts, he said all police are bastards, and rural White Americans "actually are" racist and stupid, reported CNN. He also responded to a 2013 post about asking people from other races questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Bangor (Maine) Daily News, Platner also questioned in one Reddit reply, Why dont black people tip? The political candidate once worked as a bartender at Tune Inn in Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill. He has since apologized for the comments he made, adding they are not reflective at all of who I am. Calling the comments the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet, he said he wants to be judged based on who he is today. I was struggling deeply, Platner said about past Reddit comments When I got back from Afghanistan in 2011, I stayed in the army for another year, he said in the video. I got out in 2012. Some of the worst comments I made, the things that I think are least defensible, that I wouldn't even try to defend, come from that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Platner, now in his 40s, added that he spent most of his 20s in the infantry, overseas, and in Iraq and Afghanistan. Calling it a very male-dominated place, he said women werent allowed in the infantry and he was used to crude humor, dark feelings, and offensive language. According to the political candidate, he read through his Reddit history and saw the version of himself that was battling mental illness. When he left the military, he had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression, and sought community online, he said. And while his comments reflect that difficult time in his life, he said, he also saw a change as he read through the posts. My language gets less crude, my thoughts and my feelings get a lot less kind of rough around the edges, he said in his Oct. 17 video. It's important to know that this was a time in my life where I was struggling deeply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that like other people, he went online to post stupid things and get in fights and find some form of community in some way, some outlet for my feelings, for my rage, for my isolation. He said he stopped posing on Reddit around 2020 or 2021. He shared on Sunday, Oct. 19, that he is proud of part of his internet history, posting a screenshot of a post where he encouraged veterans to seek therapy to work on their mental health. Candidate was previously endorsed by Bernie Sanders Graham, an oyster farmer, was recently endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who called him a great working class candidate for Senate in Maine who will defeat Susan Collins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senate candidate Graham Platner addresses old Reddit posts Durham tenants and supporters celebrate after the City Council approved ordinance that prohibit landlords from collecting rent if housing units are not up to code. (Photo: Greg Childress/NC Newsline) Durham tenants and supporters packed Durham City Council to lobby for tenant protections. (Photo: Greg Childress/NC Newsline) Cheers erupted Monday after the Durham City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the citys housing code that prohibits landlord from collecting rent if a housing unit is found to be imminently dangerous to tenants health and safety. Under the new ordinance, which is modeled after one in Charlotte, landlords can be charged with a misdemeanor if they collect rent on housing that has immediately dangerous conditions such as rotted or damaged structural supports, unsafe wiring, unsafe roofs, no potable water supply or no operating heating equipment in cold months, among other violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The citys housing code gives landlords up to 72 hours to fix violations. If they do not, landlords can be found in violation of the new ordinance. The police arent gonna go and arrest them [landlords], but if that ends up going to court, the tenant has a very good chance of winning and being able to get not only a portion of their rent back, but all their rent back if the tenant takes the landlord to court, C.R. Clark, an organizer with the Triangle Tenant Union, said in an interview. Meanwhile, if the landlord takes the tenant to court and tries to evict them, the ordinance can serve as a defense for the tenant: the landlord cant evict the tenant for not paying rent because the landlord cant legally collect rent when an apartment is falling apart or if it is dangerous, Clark said. The Triangle Apartment Association pushed backed against the amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While we understand there may exist some circumstances in which residents experiences less than habitable conditions, it is our belief that those circumstances do not involve the greater majority of housing providers, the association said in a letter to the council. The association argued that the language in the amendment could confuse residents and falsely lead them to believe they dont have to pay rent if they believe an apartment is in violation of the ordinance. If anything, it [the ordinance] will have a tendency to drive more summary ejectment filings because of the withholding of rent, the association said. Clark stressed that it is illegal for tenants to withhold rent for infractions. The amendment is intended to give tenants an extra tool to force landlords to make critical repairs or address tenants safety concerns, he said, not minor issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We definitely dont want that message out there because that can burn tenants, Clark said. Mondays 7-0 council vote made Durham the third municipality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting landlords from collecting rent if apartments or houses are deemed unsafe. In addition to Charlotte, Pittsboro also has such an ordinance in place. City Council member Chelsea Cook (Photo: Greg Childress/NC Newsline) City Councilwoman Chelsea Cook, a leading supporter of the amendment who introduced it to council, said it adds teeth to citys Neighborhood Improvement Services Department, which oversees the Code Enforcement Division. Our city code inspectors used to have the ability to enforce their inspections, Cook said. We used to have a criminalized component to that. The criminalization component was stripped by the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nick MacLeod, executive director of the NC Tenants Union, said the amendment provides tenants with much needed protection against unscrupulous landlords. I think its a widespread and deep problem, MacLeod said. Its not all housing, but we dont write law for people who are doing the right thing. We write laws to make sure that people are protected and this is a really critical step forward in making sure that residents are protected from being take advantage of in these dangerous conditions. The councils vote came after dozens of residents shared harrowing stories of living in dangerous and squalid conditions. Brenda Solomon, a Triangle Tenant Association member, said she was forced to spend rent money on a refrigerator for her insulin because the landlord wouldnt repair the one in her apartment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That expense left me behind on rent and now my landlord is trying to evict me because I had to do his job for him, Solomon said. We need this ordinance so tenants like me dont face the consequences for our landlords failures Brianda Barrera, a Durham renter and Triangle Tenant Union leader, said the ordinance is a step toward justice, health and dignity. Brianda Barrera (Photo: Screenshot Durham City Council meeting) This ordinance is a shield for the most vulnerable members of our community, Barrera said. Its for our elderly neighbors living with black mold who are afraid to complain for fear of retaliation from landlords who only view them as an obstacle to profits. Its for our undocumented neighbors enduring severe pest infestations because their landlord counts on their silence. During an Oct. 9 work session, speakers told council members that immigrant tenants sometimes did not report unsafe living conditions because of language barriers and fear of legal status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whenever they try to mention anything, they are told that the landlords will alert ICE and that will flag something in the system, said Ken Chiha, director of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham. So the danger gets worse and worse every day. Public housing residents and recipients of Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8 vouchers, directed their criticism at Durham Housing Authority, nonprofit housing developers and management firms selected to run low-income housing apartments. Im a resident at Willard Street [Apartments] and weve had so many complaints, so many maintenance problems, so many retaliations [for making complaints], said Cynthia Hoskins. Across the state, 194,526 families faced an eviction filing this year, according to the N.C. Housing Coalition. Forty-eight percent of the states renters are burdened by housing costs, according to the coalition. That means they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Durham, 6,918 families faced an eviction filing, according to the coalition and 47% of renters are burdened by housing costs. The effort to change the ordinance was led by members of Riverside High School Affordable Housing Club and others who lobbied the council to increase protections for tenants. Riverside High School senior Milo Graber lobbied the Durham City Council to pass ordinance to provide more protection for tenants. (Photo: Greg Childress/NC Newsline) Milo Graber, a Riverside senior who founded the student group, said he was driven to do so because affordable housing is a major issue in Durham that affects lots of people, including a lot of Durham Public Schools students. The ordinance will encourage landlords to properly maintain housing, he said. A lot of students live in unsafe housing, unhealthy conditions and are living in fear of getting evicted due to being charged such high levels of rent, Graber said. They can be evicted, and thats very disruptive, especially when they are forced to move school districts because they have to find housing in a different area. The Netherlands is preparing to send dozens of rejected asylum seekers to Uganda in a Trump-style deportation deal. A Dutch transit hub to receive deportees in the East African nation could be ready next year, provided it is not delayed or challenged in court. David van Weel, the Netherlands migration and foreign affairs minister, told the Financial Times: The agreement is in compliance with international law, European law and our national laws. But of course this will be appealed in the beginning, and then well see whether or not that holds up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Netherlands interim government is pushing ahead with the scheme as its ruling parties lag behind in a general-election campaign dominated by immigration and asylum policy. Polling suggests a commanding lead for the anti-immigration Freedom Party led by Geert Wilders, sometimes called the Dutch Trump. Mr Wilders won a surprise landslide in 2023, only to bring down his own Right-wing coalition earlier this year in frustration at the slow pace of implementing the Netherlands strictest ever asylum policy. His party now appears likely to come out on top again in the voting next week, though he is again expected to struggle to find enough allies to make him prime minister. Geert Wilders speaking after he withdrew his party from the ruling coalition in June - Robin van Lonkhuijsen/ANP/AFP via Getty Images The Netherlands plan was agreed with Uganda late last month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The preliminary agreement echoes a series of deals Mr Trump struck with African and Latin American nations to carry out his election promise to conduct mass deportations. Under the agreement, African migrants who cannot return directly to their home countries would first be deported to the transit centre in Uganda, it is reported. From there, they would be repatriated to their countries of origin. The Dutch government has said deportees will be temporarily housed in Uganda before returning home. Officials have said they aim to make the scheme voluntary, though the hub could also be used where a rejected asylum seeker or their country of origin refuses to cooperate with their return. Kampala, Uganda, where the Dutch government says rejected asylum seekers will be temporarily housed before being returned to their home countries - Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images Mr van Weel said the hub would mainly be used for people from the nearby region, including a large chunk of the countries surrounding Uganda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said: At the moment, we have a clear system for asylum applications, but too many people stay here [when] they have to return. We need to ensure that people who actually dont have a right to stay here in Europe ... actually leave. Only one in five EU asylum seekers are returned Only around one in five asylum seekers rejected by European Union countries are returned to their home nations. The United States government has already reached deportation deals with more than a dozen countries, including Uganda. Kampala told the US that it preferred to receive African migrants and would not take anyone with a criminal record. Several European countries have looked at similar schemes to outsource the processing of asylum seekers to foreign nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A scheme was proposed by the former Tory government in the UK under which illegal immigrants or failed asylum seekers would be relocated to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement. After several years of being challenged in courts, the plan was cancelled in 2024 following the election of Sir Keir Starmers Labour Government. 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. By Alessandro Parodi AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Dutch data regulator on Tuesday warned voters against using AI chatbots ahead of the national election, saying the platforms give unreliable advice and push them towards two major parties on opposite ends of the political spectrum. While 15 different parties hold seats in the 150-member Dutch parliament at present, chatbots told voters in 56% of cases to choose between the far-right Freedom Party or the Labour-Green Left coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parties are on track to take 20% and 16% of the vote on October 29, respectively, according to opinion polls. "Chatbots may seem like clever tools, but as a voting aid, they consistently fail," the Dutch data protection watchdog's vice-chair Monique Verdier said in a statement, describing their operation as "unclear and difficult to verify". The agency said it had tested four major chatbots, without disclosing which ones, and found that even when fed the campaign platform of a smaller party, the chatbots still advised voting for one of the two major parties in some of the cases. The election is taking place months after the Freedom Party's exit triggered the collapse of the right-wing coalition, which did not include the Labour or Green parties, and is seen as a contest between either a new all-conservative government or a more centrist or centre-right coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EU member is led by a minority caretaker government. The watchdog did not say how many Dutch voters it thinks are using chatbots for voting advice but said there was a "growing number". Over 13 million people are eligible to vote in the election. (Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Toby Sterling; Editing by Muvija M) DES MOINES, Iowa Between 2017 and 2022, the U.S. government reported an estimated 360,800 emergency room visits related to micro-mobility devices like e-scooters and e-bikes. Now, hospitals closer to home are seeing a similar spike and fast. Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, which includes a level 1 adult trauma center and the Blank Childrens Hospital, reported an increase of more than 1,000 percent in such cases since 2022. Blank Childrens Hospital in Des Moines It did not take long for WHO 13 to find two individuals in the Metro who have lived through the life-altering consequences of an e-scooter crash. Life-Changing Incident In 2022, Jordan Deans life changed forever during a night out with his twin brother in Cedar Rapids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suddenly the wheel locked and it flipped me over, and I hit my head, face-planted, basically, he recalled. While he believes the rented scooter was only going about 11 miles per hour, the fall to the left side of his head left him unconscious with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). His family, who live in West Des Moines, rushed to the hospital to be by his side. I just remember driving to Iowa City and just repeating in my head, Please dont take my son. Please dont take my son, over and over again silently, said Jordans father, Curtis Dean. Jordan, then 36, was life-flighted for emergency surgery to relieve pressure from the swelling in his head and placed on a tracheostomy tube to help him breathe. The prognosis was grim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They Thought for Sure I Was Dead, Jordan told WHO 13s Katie Kaplan. Artifacts return to the National Balloon Museum after fire Jordan Dean in the hospital with a TBI after crashing on a rented e-scooter. At that point, there was really not a lot of hope, Curtis said. And in fact, for several weeks, there wasnt a ton of hope. Neurosurgeons had the tough conversation with his family about what Jordans future would likely look like, and the family then began making end-of-life arrangements. According to Jordans step-mother, Amy Dean, they had even reached out to an organ donation organization. Jordan Dean after emerging from a coma with a TBI. However, Jordans then-wife urged the family to give him six more weeks to heal just in case. It was during that time that Jordan miraculously began to emerge from his coma. However, it would be roughly seven months before he became conscious of his surroundings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats what I looked like before the accident, Jordan said, while standing in Curtis and Amys kitchen and pointing to old photos posted on the fridge. Jordan Dean before the accident. Jordan Dean in 2025, three years after his TBI. More than three years and multiple surgeries later, he continues to recover, but not without lasting impacts. I had three strokes, I have aphasia, I have memory loss short-term memorys toast, he said. One of Jordan Deans scars from his 2022 e-scooter crash. Aphasia, which can be a side effect of a TBI, is a language disorder that affects a persons ability to communicate. Jordan also has limited use of his right arm. Curtis explained that it was due to the curled position it was left in for months during Jordans recovery and his brains inability to communicate properly with the nerves in that area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of these lasting impacts, Jordan, who has a Bachelors Degree in psychology and previously worked as a social worker and tradesman, is now dependent on his familys support. He can no longer drive and will likely require care for the rest of his life. If I could wind the clock back to 2022, I would put on a goddamn helmet or just walk, he said. I Forgot How to Walk About 10 minutes away in Waukee, Brandon Hobby shared a similar story. At just 17 years old, he was on his way to the gas station when he lost control of his $3,000 electric scooter capable of speeds up to 65 miles per hour in July 2024. 17-year-old Brandon Hobby, of Waukee, after an e-scooter crash that resulted in a TBI. I dont really remember the day, but I was speeding on my electric scooter, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eyewitnesses who rushed to his side to help later told him what happened. He was only yards away from his family home. Brandon said he spent two weeks in a medically induced coma and a full month in the hospital before a week in a rehabilitation facility. I forgot how to walk. I forgot how to use the bathroom, Hobby said. Iowa woman with ALS regains voice and connection with AI technology The $3,000 e-scooter Brandon Hobby purchased off Amazon. Asked what he would do differently if he could go back, his answer was simple. Definitely wear a helmet, and not speed like I was that day, he said. Hobby said he purchased the bike off of Amazon from a Chinese manufacturer with money he earned from his job. More than 15 months after his crash, he is still making payments on it, even though he sold the device to a stranger from Des Moines. He made the buyer sign a waiver relieving him of liability in the event they were to crash, he said. Hospitals Seeing More Severe Injuries Medical professionals say theyre treating more and more children and adults with serious injuries from micro-mobility crashes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen brain bleeds. Weve seen cervical spine fractures. Weve seen pneumothorax, which is where you have a collapsed lung, said Dr. Amy Groen. Groen is the Medical Director at Blank Childrens Hospital downtown. She has worked in the Blank ER for years. Dr. Amy Groen, the Medical Director for Blank Childrens Hospital in Des Moines. After what Groen described as a very busy Summer, her team reviewed their data. Even in the last year and were not even year-to-date yet weve had a doubling of the numbers, she said. According to data shared by Iowa Methodist, pediatric e-scooter and e-bike incidents rose steeply from four in 2022 to 43 through October of 2025. Adult cases also increased rapidly, from five in 2022 to 22 by October of 2025. The numbers include a combination of ER visits and trauma cases that came to UnityPoint Health Des Moines hospitals. The numbers are approximate and could be higher. A spokesperson explained that sometimes a patient file may not include keywords of e-scooter or e-bike. Data shared by Iowa Methodist, pediatric e-scooter and e-bike incidents rose steeply from four in 2022 to 43 through October of 2025. Adult cases also increased rapidly. Ive heard over and over from parents that they knew the dangers, but you never think its going to happen to you or your child, said Dr. Groen. It Wont Happen To Me As reporter Katie Kaplan and Brandon walked through his Waukee neighborhood to his crash site, they spotted a young e-scooter rider without a helmet. Exasperated, Brandon said it is something he sees all the time in his community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In hindsight, he wished he had listened to his mother, who had wanted him to wear a helmet. I didnt think anything was going to happen, Brandon said, echoing the same reasoning Jordan Dean once had. Everybody thinks theyre bulletproof. Everybody thinks that they are the exception to the rule, and so did Jordan and his brother, said Curtis Dean. Now, the Dean family is living with a reality they never imagined. Its the new normal for us, and nobody signed up for it, Curtis said. I was out for a walk the other day, and it just kind of hit me. I was like, Im going to be doing this the rest of my life. You know? Help with Jordan. What the Future Holds Currently, much of the responsibility for safety falls on riders and parents to ensure they are wearing safety gear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because the e-scooter and e-bike craze is still relatively new, there is no specific legislation surrounding the use of the devices. Local law enforcement officials described the situation to WHO 13 as the wild west when it comes to rules and regulations. The issue has sparked a broader statewide conversation among law enforcement agencies. WHO 13 will have more on that conversation in a follow-up report airing Tuesday night at 10. 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. (The Center Square) Early voting is underway in Texas with 17 constitutional amendments and two special elections on the ballot. One is for an open congressional seat in Houston; another is for an open state Senate seat in the Fort Worth area. Early voting goes until Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 4. Ten of the 17 constitutional amendments on the ballot would restrict some form of taxation, including implementing additional property tax reforms. Ten amendments addressing taxation include Propositions 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 17, The Center Square reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some amendments would permanently commit taxpayer dollars to fund medical research (Proposition 14), workforce education (Proposition 1) and other projects. Others address crime and public safety, including bail reform (Proposition 3 and 12). Others are related to parental rights and voting. Proposition 15, related to parental rights, has widespread opposition from conservatives and liberals, both opposing it for different reasons, The Center Square reported. Two special elections are on the ballot. One is CD 18 in Houston for the congressional seat left open after Sylvester Turner died last year. He was elected after serving as Houstons mayor, filling U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lees seat after she also died last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, Gov. Greg Abbott set the special election for CD 18 for Nov. 4. Sixteen candidates are running for the seat: seven Democrats, five Republicans, three Independents and one member of the Green Party. Four candidates Amanda Edwards (D), Jolanda Jones (D), Christian Menefee (D), and Carmen Montiel (R) lead in media attention, polling, and endorsements, according to Ballotpedia.) Edwards is a former Houston City Council member and attorney; Jones is a state representative, former Houston City Council member and attorney; Menefee is the Harris County Attorney; Montiel is a Venezuelan-born real estate broker and former news anchor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Notably, Republican candidate Carter Page claims he was swept up in anti-Trump media frenzy in 2016 when he was accused of being a Russian asset. The Russia collusion allegations against President Donald Trump have since been confirmed to be false and allegedly perpetrated by the Obama administration and members of the intelligence community, The Center Square reported. Page, a distinguished U.S. Naval Academy graduate, has extensive warfare experience with multiple tours in the Middle East and Europe and worked on nuclear nonproliferation policy issues in Washington, D.C. Also an investment banker, Page founded financial institutions focused on the energy sector in Houston. A runoff election is expected in the crowded race in a heavily Democratic district. The top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to a runoff election if no one receives more than 50% of the vote. Whoever wins will fill the seat through the remainder of the term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Texas redistricting going into effect in the 2026 election, CD 18 and nearly all congressional districts are expected to change. The second special election is for a state Senate seat, SD 9. It is currently vacant after former state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, was appointed by Abbott as Acting Comptroller. Hancock is running in a primary election next March. Hancock won the heavily Republican district by 60% of the vote. Three candidates are running for SD 9: two Republicans and one Democrat. Republican John Huffman, a former Southlake mayor, has been endorsed by Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price among others. Hes running against Leigh Wambsganss, who previously ran Patriot Mobile Action. Shes been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Tarrant County Judge Tim OHare and others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and president of the local and state chapters of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, is also running. Hes been endorsed by several Democratic leaders and argues SD 9 is more competitive than ever, and ready to flip. In recent local elections, Fort Worth voters sent a clear message: theyre done with MAGA extremism. He believes that by focusing on real results, not culture wars, he has built a coalition of Independents and moderate Republicans to win. Working families, veterans, educators, and everyday Texans are ready for a senator who listens, leads, and delivers. SD 9 is in play and together, we can take it, he says. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) East Tennessee Childrens Hospital celebrated its latest class of interns who are ready to join the workforce after participating in Project SEARCH, a national program which prepares students with disabilities for employment. Students completed a nine-month internship in which they rotated across three different areas of the hospital to build social and working skills to help them obtain employment either at the hospital or in the community. Its a great program that helps provide support, services, education and really is a helpmate to all things happening at East Tennessee Childrens Hospital. We cant thank them enough, said Childrens Hospital Public Affairs Officer Adam Cook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New coffee shop helps young adults with disabilities fuel teachers at Knoxville school East Tennessee Childrens Hospital has participated in the program over a decade and offered training for 66 interns with a 90% job placement rate. Of the five newest graduates from the program, four have already found jobs with the fifth preparing for dozens of scheduled job interviews. We try to sit down and partner with each student to figure out what theyre most interested in, where there skills lie, Cook said. They do things here on campus as well as at home, not only for life skills but also for here at Childrens Hospital and employment opportunities once they graduate. See more top stories on WATE.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several graduates from the program have gone onto work across several hospital departments including engineering, environmental services, laundry, and food and nutrition services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) While many across Wisconsin were cheering on the green and gold, a nonprofit was working to cheer on those who serve our community during Houses of Honors annual salute to service. In addition to watching Green Bay win against the Arizona Cardinals, houses of honor recognized veterans, first responders, health care workers and teachers. For veterans, the event is also a chance to connect with others and be presented with resources. As veterans get out of the military, theyre not told what their benefits are, theyre not told what their options are. Its other veterans and organizations like this that spread the word of what is out there for veterans to do, to help them transition to civilian life. All the money raised from the event will be used to help build tiny homes for veterans in Green Bay. 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 FOX2548 & WIProud. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Fox News Mark Levin is sounding the alarm over the behavior of some members of the Trump administration, arguing that it reminds him of former President Joe Bidens approach. In a series of tweets, Levin warned about leakers who were undermining President Donald Trumps foreign policy agenda, and excoriated his delegation in Israel for pressuring the American ally. First, Levin responded to stories about Trumps meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, likening inaccuracies in them to reporting about Trumps relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leakers and media are at it again, undermining the Presidents foreign policy. POTUS says there was no yelling at Zelensky, as the media reported. Zelensky said it was a positive meeting. We have seen the same thing between POTUS and Netanyahu, submitted Levin on Monday night. Someone or some people are relentlessly leaking and undermining President Trump and our allies. The perp or perps must be found out and removed, asap. The leakers and media are at it again, undermining the President's foreign policy. POTUS says there was no yelling at Zelensky, as the media reported. Zelensky said it was a positive meeting. We have seen the same thing between POTUS and Netanyahu. Someone or some people are Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) October 20, 2025 Then, he reacted to a New York Times report alleging that Several Trump officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, said there is concern within the administration that Mr. Netanyahu may vacate the deal. The strategy now, the officials say, is for Mr. [JD] Vance, Mr. [Steve] Witkoff and Mr. [Jared] Kushner to try to keep Mr. Netanyahu from resuming an all-out assault against Hamas. Echoes of Biden, mused the prominent conservative commentator. Unbelievable. Levin picked the topic back up on Tuesday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HAMAS MUST BE DESTROYED AND ONLY ISRAEL HAS THE GUTS TO DO IT, he began before launching into an extended argument touching on the Trump-negotiated peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, and the extent to which the administration should seek to preserve it: If the last few days have demonstrated anything, its that Hamas must be defeated militarily, and that Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to be unobstructed so he can finish the job. Netanyahu is now being attacked by the left and right in Israel for agreeing to our peace deal. Hamas has violated the terms of Phase II repeatedly. Phase II was never intended to be so amorphous as to allow Hamas to do as it pleases, yet Israel is pressured and forced to relent rather than take care of business. Meanwhile, in the interim, Hamas is slaughtering any and all opposition, which would be needed to change the trajectory of Gaza. And whats Qatar, Hamass heavily funded terrorist militia group doing? Today, its emir libeled Israel in the worst way with vile accusations and essentially demands for Israels elimination. Yet, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt are supposed to be disarming and removing Hamas, along with other Arab and Muslim countries. Obviously, they are not. We have a delegation in Israel now that is pressuring Israel. I base this on the anonymous leaks I am reading in the media, which have been planted there. What exactly is Israel supposed to do? Commit suicide? That is not going to happen. We talk about obliterating Hamas yet we are pressuring Israel. Pressuring Israel will NOT stop Hamas. Pressuring Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt as well as Hamas, is what should be done. That said, those countries have shown they wont take real steps to stop Hamas. Hamas must be wiped out. They dont get infinite chances to comply. We wont wipe them out. Only Israel will. Its time to accept reality, stop pressuring Israel, and let them finish the job. For their sake and the sake of the West and, yes, the Arab Gulf states that want Hamas eliminated but dont have the guts to say so. Levin previously warned that Vice President Vances office is Tucker [Carlson] central, suggesting that anti-Israel leaks to the press may be emanating from it. The post Echoes of Biden: Foxs Mark Levin Issues Grave Warning About the Trump Administration first appeared on Mediaite. At the "subversive" Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania, three paintings displayed in the women's restroom, and billed as works by Pablo Picasso, have been revealed to have been created by another artist: museum curator Kirsha Kaechele. The Associated Press reported that the paintings had hung in the women-only "gallery" for three years. "I imagined that a Picasso scholar, or maybe just a Picasso fan, or maybe just someone who googles things, would visit the Ladies Lounge and ... expose me on social media," Kaechele said -- especially because she accidentally hung one of the works upside-down. The Ladies Lounge originally offered high tea, massages and champagne served by male butlers. The idea, Kaechele said, was for men "to feel as excluded as possible." But when the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered the museum to allow men in, Kaechele installed a working toilet in the space and called it a restroom. When The Guardian asked Kaechele about the authenticity of the Picassos, she confessed that she had painted them. [AP, 7/12/2024] ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) A career offender was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with drug and firearm charges. According to officials, 36-year-old Charles Lamon Gregory, III was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison on Oct. 20 after being convicted of possessing a firearm in further of a drug trafficking crime, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession of a firearm by a felon in June of 2025. Police said that on Aug. 7, 2022, officers with the Elizabeth City Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Gregory, where he was found to be in possession of a firearm and crack cocaine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of the traffic stop, police said Gregory had just been released from the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections four-and-a-half months prior for robbery with a dangerous weapon. We will continue to arrest individuals who insist on selling poison in our community, Police Chief Eddie Graham said. We want to put you on notice: if you choose to commit crimes in Elizabeth City, we will arrest you and collaborate with our federal partners to prosecute you at the federal level. Continue to check WAVY.com for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Ecuador has released a man who survived a U.S. strike on a suspected drug-trafficking submersible vessel, the attorney general's office said Monday, adding that the authorities had found no evidence that he had committed a crime. A government official, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the matter, told The Associated Press that the Ecuadorian man, identified as Andres Fernando Tufino, was in good health after medical evaluations. A U.S. Navy helicopter transported the survivors of the attack from the semi-submersible to a Navy ship, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News on Friday. The attack also killed two crew members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. authorities repatriated the Ecuadorian man, and the Ecuadorian attorney general's office said in a statement there was "no report of a crime that has been brought to the attention of this institution" against him, and therefore "he could not be detained." The man had "no pending cases against him," it added. A Colombian citizen also survived and remains hospitalized after being repatriated to Colombia, where Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said he "arrived with brain trauma, sedated, drugged, breathing with a ventilator." Authorities there said he would face prosecution. The United States has deployed warships to the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela since August, attacking mostly boats that U.S authorities said were running drugs. The raids have killed at least 32 people and drawn angry reactions from some South American leaders. President Trump said the attack last week was on a "very large drug-carrying submarine" headed for the U.S. He labeled the men on board "terrorists." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a social media post, Mr. Trump claimed the submarine was loaded with fentanyl and other drugs. There is little evidence to indicate that fentanyl is produced in the Andes region, which includes Ecuador, as the vast majority of it flows into the U.S. through Mexico. The Pentagon posted a short video of the strike on social media. The Department of Defense Rapid Response provided no other details about the attack. . @POTUS It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route. U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. pic.twitter.com/0j3sOLNygp DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) October 18, 2025 Semisubmersibles, also known as "narco subs," cannot go fully underwater. But international drug traffickers have increasingly been using the vessels as they can sometimes elude detection by law enforcement. Asked why the two survivors were not taken to the U.S. to be prosecuted, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that "so long as they're not bringing poison into our country," he doesn't "really care" what happens to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa said in a post on X on Monday, tagging Mr. Trump's account, that his government was determined to fight drug trafficking. "Ecuador stands firm in the global fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining, challenges that demand unity among nations committed to peace and prosperity," Noboa said. Ecuador, once considered one of Latin America's safest nations, has seen a dramatic surge in violence in recent years. Strategically located between Colombia and Peru, two of the world's largest cocaine producers, it has become a major transit hub for narcotics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some regional leaders, like Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, have harshly criticized the U.S. attacks. In a post on X, Petro said the U.S. operation was part of a "failed strategy" to "control Latin America ... and obtain cheap oil from Venezuela." Petro accused the U.S. of hitting a fishing vessel in one of its strikes. Mr. Trump later called Petro an "illegal drug leader" and threatened to cut off U.S. aid to the South American country. Last month, Washington announced it had decertified Colombia as an ally in the fight against drugs. Colombia hit back by halting arms purchases from the United States, its biggest military partner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Eye Opener: Police arrest a man with an assault rifle at Atlanta's airport Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union since 2022, over the weekend saw her responsibilities and influence expand considerably. The Illinois Federation of Teachers, the CTUs parent organization, announced Saturday that Davis Gates was elected president of the IFT. She will remain leader of the CTU while taking on the new role. In June, we asked the question: Is the CTUs playbook coming to a district near you, Illinoisans? With Davis Gates officially at the helm of IFT, the answer appears to be: Yes, indeed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IFT represents teachers across the state from Galena to Joppa though its largest and most powerful affiliate remains the Chicago Teachers Union. Davis Gates previously served as executive vice president of IFT, and her influence was obvious even before this news. Now, it seems the goal is to tie the CTU and IFT together even more closely than before, in philosophy and tactics. The fight for Chicago Public Schools just got more aligned and more unified with the fight for all school children all across our state, the CTU said in an Oct. 18 announcement to its members. The CTU movement has gone from about 30,000 to 100,000 strong, with members all over Illinois. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This news presents a challenge for Gov. JB Pritzker, who shared a stage with Davis Gates at the IFT convention in Rosemont on Sunday. In the same CTU announcement, the union shared that the CTU and IFT would head to Springfield on Oct. 29 to demand more funding from Pritzker and the General Assembly. We all know how dire Chicagos budget looks. The state of Illinois isnt in great financial shape, either. The state has projected a $2.2 billion deficit next year. Demands for a billion more in state spending on education arent likely to succeed any more than they did over the past two years, as Davis Gates and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson agitated for Springfield bailouts of CPS. Still, Davis Gates is an undeniably passionate and determined if radical leader, and we expect shell make her presence felt. That could be a double-edged sword for teachers outside of Chicago. The reality now is Davis Gates will be the face of public-school teachers throughout Illinois, not just in Chicago. And here in the city, her act hasnt worn well. Poll after poll show shes unpopular, and favorable opinions of the CTU itself have fallen right along with Davis Gates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How many ordinary Illinoisans even knew who Davis Gates predecessor was as IFT president? For the record, his name is Dan Montgomery, and hes been running the IFT for 15 years. You can bet that Davis Gates soon will be the household name Montgomery wasnt. For better or for worse for teachers. Well be surprised if its for better, at least in the court of public opinion. Will the CTUs influence push more IFT districts toward contentious contract negotiations? Probably, especially given their approach to bargaining that extends far beyond the scope of pay and benefits to cover the unions political wish list. But the bigger concern is that these districts get swept into a movement that is overtly political and combative, not just in Chicago and in Springfield but in municipalities that previously had no clue what the IFT was or how it was linked to their local schools. The IFT was already progressive, but with Davis Gates and the CTU officially calling the shots that could well ratchet up considerably and at a much grander scale. IFT is affiliated with more than 200 unions in school districts across the state. If you are a member at a local affiliate union, youre automatically a member of IFT, meaning youre sending dues to the parent unions coffers that can be used however leadership wants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those dues give IFT significant political muscle, and the union has given many millions of dollars to state and local politicians over the years giving them outsize influence in the statehouse. IFTs parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers, is also a political powerhouse, pumping tens of millions of dollars into left-leaning politicians and causes in the past few years alone. We can imagine that if youre a downstate teacher whose politics dont align, you wont like seeing your dues financing people and ideas with which you disagree. We anticipate there will be culture clashes, especially downstate. For example, IFT has an affiliate union in Hamilton County, where an overwhelming majority of voters supported President Donald Trump in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in a business thats all about education, its essential to remember that Davis Gates CTU represents teachers in a district where just 20% of third-graders read at grade level, according to state data. Thats not surprising with union leadership focused on politicking. And its not a model we think should be replicated elsewhere. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. We spend a lot of time talking about the problem of polarization in todays politics. If you get right down to it, however, most of that happens, well, at the fringes either end of the pole, if you will. Whats more normal, in our experience, is for the average American to question whether either political party cares about regular people at all. Recent polling bears that out, and is particularly unfavorable for Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Searchlight Institute asked Americans which political party they believe wants them to have certain hallmarks of a good life things such as wealth, marriage and kids. On every measure but one feeling stable in your personal life more respondents chose Republicans. Yet on no issue did a majority of Americans believe either party genuinely wants those outcomes for them, reflecting broad and growing distrust in both sides. The poll also found that independent voters prioritize affordability above all else. Searchlight is a new think tank that has Democrat ties. Its founder, Adam Jentleson, is a longtime Democratic Party strategist who founded Searchlight to push back toward issues Americans care about most. So stipulated, and with that in mind we take all of this with the proverbial grain of salt. Still, we werent surprised to see what peoples responses showed. More poll respondents said that of the two parties, Republicans, not Democrats, want them to be able to build an adult life (own a home, own a vehicle, start a family). These are the same priorities respondents said they have for their own lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No matter how much people try to paint white picket fences and minivans as square, the reality is theyre still directionally what most people want. If Jentlesons aim is to moderate an increasingly radical Team Blue, this certainly equips him with a solid rationale. Democrats are also clearly failing to articulate a vision that champions the personal achievements and prosperity that most Americans seek throughout their lives and thats something that the party will have to grapple with, Searchlight authors conclude. Also interesting is to note how respondents view each partys top issues. Republicans came out as the party of immigration issues, crime, foreign policy, taxes and the economy. Democrats? They were viewed as the party focused on gun control, racism, health care, housing and abortion. People are searching for grown-ups willing to step up and lead on both sides, but especially on the left. They want a political ecosystem that yields an America in which people can afford to live. We didnt need polling to understand that, but it doesnt hurt to see the numbers bear it out. We hope party leadership is listening. _____ students teachers classroom generic Amid the latest government shutdown, the Trump administration moved to lay off thousands of employees, including nearly 500 at the education department. The cuts included the near elimination of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which has advocates worried about the impact on students with disabilities. A judge issued a temporary restraining order pausing the layoffs on Wednesday, but advocates remain concerned that the attempt to reduce staff signals the administrations commitment to closing the education department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its becoming more clear with this latest round of cuts, especially during a shutdown, that the ultimate goal is the entire elimination of the department, and a complete withdrawal of the federal role in education in the United States, said Robert Kim, executive director of the Education Law Center. The Trump administration initially eliminated 466 jobs in the education department, according to a White House budget officials court declaration. Those jobs included nearly all staff in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which protects the rights of students with disabilities, and much of the remaining staff in the Office for Civil Rights, which enforces anti-discrimination laws, according to reporting from PBS News Hour. The education department already lost about half of its staff in March through layoffs and buyouts. The Department of Education press office did not respond to a request for comment. An automatic reply said the press team will respond to emails once the government shutdown is over. The shutdown, which has lasted over two weeks, has forced agencies to evaluate what federal responsibilities are truly critical, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said on the social media site X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going to school, teachers are getting paid, and schools are operating as normal, McMahon posted. It confirms what the President has said: the federal Department of Education is unnecessary, and we should return education to the states. No education funding, including for special education, is impacted by the reduction in force, she said before the judge issued a temporary restraining order. Without staff in key federal special education offices, Mary Ciccone, policy director at Disability Rights NJ, said she is not sure how the money will be distributed. If these educational services are cut, the problem is these kids are going to be left behind, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if the funding for special education does continue to go out to states, Kim said department staff are vital to making sure it is properly distributed and used to support students with disabilities. The loss of staff really jeopardizes the future of not only that funding, but also the supports that states need to ensure students with disabilities are being properly served, he said. Peg Kinsell, policy director at SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, said most people dont realize how much work is done at the federal level to serve students with disabilities in New Jersey. This includes training, technical assistance, data collection, grant management and monitoring, she said. If we dont have any kind of accountability, we dont have the data, theres no oversight of whos implementing [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] correctly and who isnt, Kinsell said. All that work that weve done since 1975 around the law goes right down the sink. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The layoffs, which were scheduled for December, are paused following a judges order. But advocates remain worried since the pause is only temporary while the matter is argued in court. There is a lot of uncertainty about what might happen going forward, especially if the matter moves to the appellate division or U.S. Supreme Court, Ciccone said. The damage may be done by the time these cases make their way to a final decision point, Kim said. The proposed layoffs are already eroding trust between families of students with disabilities and the federal government, Kinsell said.They are just walking around on eggshells, and its hard to say, Okay, well, dont worry. The departments still there, Kinsell said. Its hard to reassure families right now, because they dont know whats going to hit next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed cuts are traumatic, especially for families who are also worried about cuts to Medicaid or other changes at the federal level, she said. Those students with the most needs are most vulnerable to these cuts, Kinsell said. More Stories From Mosaic Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A 78-year-old man has died after he crashed a vehicle into a staffing agency on Monday afternoon, Oct. 20, in East El Paso, according to El Paso Police. UPDATE: 1 person hurt when car gets airborne, crashes Police say they responded just after 3 p.m. at the intersection of Grover and Hawkins in reference to a vehicle crash. Preliminary information revealed that Luis Hernandez Vasquez, 78, was traveling eastbound on Grover when he failed to stop at the intersection of Grover and Hawkins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vasquez continued eastbound and struck a curb along with a tree in the center median. Vasquez then crossed the northbound lanes of Hawkins and crashed into The Job Connection, a staffing agency at 1250 Hawkins. Vasquez sustained serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, police said. Police did not say what caused Vasquez to crash into the business. Police are still investigating the incident and say that this is the 52nd traffic fatality compared to 55 this same time last year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. KANSAS CITY, Mo. All classes at a Kansas City elementary school were canceled on Tuesday after emergency responders were called to the school for a reported electrical fire. According to a spokesperson with the Kansas City Public School District, students at George Washington Carver Dual Language Elementary School were sent home early for a small electrical fire on the Carver campus. The fire was reported to the Kansas City Fire Department at about 6:45 a.m. and was caused by a defective light ballast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school district said students were sent home to ensure their safety. Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper shoots, injures 1 person during pursuit Although no major damage was reported, the issue will not be resolved in time for school on Tuesday, KCPD added. The power has since been cut off at the school to prevent further risk, and the school district is asking parents to return to the Carver building to pick their children up as soon as possible. Students are expected to return to school on Wednesday as Kansas City Public Schools say everything is fixed and good to go. Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we prioritize the well-being of our students and staff, the school district 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 FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. Elon Musk lashed out at Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a series of insulting posts on his social media platform X on Tuesday, after Duffy suggested NASA may sideline SpaceX from its moon mission. Musk, SpaceXs CEO, called Duffy Sean Dummy, accused him of having a 2 digit IQ and posted sophomoric memes aimed at Duffy. Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running Americas space program? Musk asked in a post Tuesday morning, which he pinned to his X profile. (Duffy, a former member of Congress, is a world champion lumberjack speed climber.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Duffy said in an interview with CNBC that he believes SpaceX, which has a $2.9 billion contract to provide the lunar lander astronauts would ride to the moons surface, is lagging behind schedule, potentially thwarting NASAs efforts to return humans to the moon before China amid a new space race. A SpaceX Super Heavy booster carrying the Starship spacecraft lifts off on its 11th test flight at the company's launchpad in Starbase, Texas, on October 13. - Steve Nesius/Reuters So, Im going to open up the contract. Im going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX, he said. They do remarkable things, Duffy told Fox News about SpaceX on Monday, but theyre behind schedule. NASAs pivotal moon-landing mission, called Artemis III, is planned for as soon as mid-2027. Musk spent Tuesday morning posting about how SpaceX is the only company to successfully human-certify a new orbital space vehicle in the US and resposting criticisms of Duffy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk also responded to reporting from the Wall Street Journal that Musk ally Jared Isaacman may be back in the running to lead the agency, as Duffy jockeys to fold NASA completely under the Transportation Department. Trump had pulled Isaacmans nomination for NASA administrator earlier this year the same week Musk departed his role in Washington. Though Trump cited Isaacmans prior associations as the reason for pulling the nomination, CNN previously reported that a faction of people in Trumps inner circle advocated against Isaacman after Musk left Washington and shortly before Musks very public falling out with the President. But Isaacman who has twice flown to orbit on SpaceX capsules he commissioned has reportedly been back in the running, and a source familiar with the matter confirmed he has met with Trump. Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA! Musk posted on Tuesday, as well as reposting others praise for Isaacman. Isaacman told CNN he has never expressed confidence about renomination at any point and that he has a lot of respect for Secretary Duffy and I have always enjoyed the time Ive spent with him. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference at the Department of Transportation in Washington, DC, on August 26. - Brian Snyder/Reuters Im grateful to all the supporters and to President Trump for the consideration, and most of all, I just wish to see NASA continue to shine as the worlds most accomplished space agency, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, a spokesperson for Duffy said that the transportation secretary never said he wants to keep the (NASA) job himself. The spokesperson added that Duffy has suggested NASA might benefit from being part of the Cabinet, maybe even within the Department of Transportation, but reiterated he has not said he would like to become NASAs permanent leader. The President asked him to talk with potential candidates for Administrator, and hes been happy to help by vetting people and giving his honest feedback, the spokesperson said. The bottom line is that Secretary Duffy is here to serve the President, and he will support whomever the President nominates. Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NASAs acting administrator, Sean Duffy, seems to have provoked the ire of Elon Musk. Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, took aim at Duffy on Tuesday in a flurry of social media posts, attacking his intelligence and recent efforts at the helm of the space agency. Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA! Musk wrote on X, which he also owns, using an insulting nickname to refer to the acting administrator. In a separate post, he said: The person responsible for Americas space program cant have a 2 digit IQ. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duffy announced Monday that in NASAs quest to return astronauts to the moon and to do so before China puts its own bootprints there the agency is open to using moon landers from competitors to SpaceX. NASAs plan had been to use SpaceXs next-generation Starship rocket system, which is in development, to land on the lunar surface. In his posts Tuesday, Musk even created a poll for his X followers to weigh in, asking: Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running Americas space program? One response option read, Yezz, chimps skillz rul! while the other was, Noo, he need moar brainz! As of Tuesday afternoon, the poll had nearly 110,000 votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SpaceX won a $2.9 billion contract in 2021 to use its Starship rocket system to land two astronauts on the lunar surface for NASAs Artemis III mission, which is slated to launch in 2027. But Musks rocket company has fallen behind schedule with its testing and development of Starship, and the vehicle suffered a string of explosive failures earlier this year. At the same time, political pressure has mounted as the space race with China heats up. The country, which aims to land its astronauts on the moon by 2030, has already sent two robotic rovers to the lunar surface and conducted key tests of a new rocket that would be used for crewed moon missions. In appearances Monday on Fox News and CNBC, Duffy said NASA will open up the Artemis III contract and solicit other moon lander proposals from rival space companies to help the U.S. stay competitive with China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not going to wait for one company, Duffy said on CNBCs Squawk Box on Monday. Were going to push this forward and win the second space race against the Chinese. Duffy added that he and President Donald Trump are eager to have astronauts back on the moon within Trumps second term. Duffy called out Blue Origin, the space launch company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as an example of a SpaceX competitor that could offer its own technology. The comments appeared to anger Musk. In his Monday posts, Musk cast doubt on whether any other commercial space company could meet such an aggressive deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry, he wrote. Moreover, Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words. SpaceX is indeed far ahead of its rivals it already conducts regular missions for NASA to carry astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station. In response to Musks post, Duffy wrote on X: Love the passion. The race to the Moon is ON. Great companies shouldnt be afraid of a challenge. When our innovators compete with each other, America wins! But Tuesday, Musks online tirade got personal, as he called into question Duffys competence to run NASA. Although Duffy is leading the agency temporarily, a Wall Street Journal report Monday suggested that he is jockeying to keep the role, in addition to his duties as transportation secretary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Journal reported that Duffy has been battling it out with billionaire Jared Isaacman, who may be emerging again as a potential pick for NASA administrator. Trump pulled Isaacmans nomination in May, shortly before his expected confirmation vote, after what the president described as a thorough review of prior associations. (Trump did not provide details, but some Republicans had raised concerns that Isaacman had previously donated to Democrats.) Musk had backed Isaacman, who flew on two private SpaceX missions into orbit. Bethany Stevens, press secretary for NASA, told NBC News that President Trump had asked Duffy to talk to potential administrator candidates, and that the interim head was happy to help by vetting people and giving his honest feedback. Sean is grateful that the President gave him the chance to lead NASA, Stevens in a statement. At the Presidents direction, Sean has focused the agency on one clear goal making sure America gets back to the Moon before China. Sean said that NASA might benefit from being part of the Cabinet, maybe even within the Department of Transportation, but hes never said he wants to keep the job himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The timing of the Isaacman drama in May coincided with an ugly, public spat between Trump and Musk, which preceded the SpaceX CEOs exit from the White House as a special government employee. Musks departure was tense he criticized Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill, calling it a massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill and a disgusting abomination that would add to the budget deficit. Trump picked Duffy in July to be the interim administrator of NASA. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com In the summer of 2024, a senior administrator at Miami International Airport discovered a surprise addition to the Miami-Dade Aviation Departments promotional budget: a $100,000 allocation to a county rodeo that didnt seem eligible for airport funding under federal aviation rules. We did not budget any funds for CountryFest, Arlyn Rull Valenciaga, the Aviation Departments chief of staff, wrote in a July 2024 email to the agencys finance director. I do not have an explanation as to how that made it to our budget, but do ask that it be removed. But county emails obtained through a Miami Herald records request show that removing CountryFest from the Aviation Departments budget proved impossible for the airport staff last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rull and other senior MIA administrators were raising objections at a time when there was a high-level push in county government to send money to the annual rodeo festival that County Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez hosts each year in his district at Tropical Park. Most of Miami-Dades $1.3 million in CountyFest funding during 2024 and 2025 went to the A3 Foundation, a politically connected charity launched two years ago out of a West Miami townhouse with no public track record of philanthropy. The foundation also secured nearly $1 million in Floridas budget this year with the help of House Speaker Danny Perez, a Miami Republican who is friends with both Rodriguez and A3s president, Francisco Petrirena. Petrirena also works as the chief of staff to Miamis city manager, Art Noriega. A series of Miami Herald articles this year showed how Rodriguezs office used the A3 Foundation as a clearinghouse for CountryFest funds, with county dollars sent first to the charity before being used to pay event expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget office under Mayor Daniella Levine Cava approved requests from Rodriguezs office to issue checks to A3 for CountryFest, despite sparse paperwork showing where the tax dollars would ultimately go once the foundation received the money. After the first Herald stories on the A3 Foundation published in July, Levine Cava moved to block future funding of the charity in a county contract and called for an audit of the organization. But in the summer of 2024, her budget office wanted the Aviation Department to keep the $100,000 for CountryFest in the $740 million operating budget that funds MIA and smaller county-owned airports. While the airports are run by the county government, their funding comes from fuel sales, retail revenue and the fees airlines pay to run flights in and out of Miami. No tax dollars go into the Aviation budget, and federal rules on money earned from air travel restrict local governments from diverting airport revenue to pay for general government expenses. Airports that divert aviation dollars to ineligible expenses risk losing millions of dollars in federal grants related to air travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rull, the Aviation chief of staff under Director Ralph Cutie, cited those federal rules in objecting to the $100,000 CountryFest expense in the departments $480,000 promotional budget last year. CountryFest would be considered revenue diversion, Rull wrote in her July 14 email to Oscar Aguirre, finance director for the Aviation Department. Federal Aviation Administration rules allow airport dollars to cover promotional expenses as long as they promote the airport, air travel or cargo shipped on planes. Miami-Dades 2025 budget included funds for aviation-related events, like $9,000 for a conference by the Florida Airports Council and $5,000 for an African trade symposium. In the emails, Rull flagged two additions to the promotional budget that werent requested by the department. Along with CountryFest, Rull wrote that she was surprised to find $50,000 for the InterAmerican Conference of Mayors, a September event in Doral put on by an international trade office run by the County Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rull said her boss, Cutie, also didnt know how the $150,000 for the rodeo and the mayors symposium was added to Aviations budget. I spoke to Ralph as well and he was unaware of these amounts, Rull wrote Aguirre, the finance director, in an Aug. 15, 2024, email. Total mystery. The emails show the countys Office of Management and Budget added the extra $150,000 to the airports promotional budget after Aviation submitted its spending plan for inclusion in the full $12.8 billion budget that Levine Cava unveiled earlier that summer. That rankled Aviation administrators, who saw a potential problem with FAA rules if the money ever made it to CountryFest or the mayors conference. In doing further due diligence related to potential funding for CountryFest, MIA staff had concerns about whether providing funding for this event was allowed under FAA guidelines, Aviation spokesperson Greg Chin said in a recent email to the Herald. FAA rules strictly govern permitted uses of airport funding and aviation staff works hard to ensure all allocations remain in compliance with federal guidelines. County commissioners approve the budget each September, and the emails show Aviation administrators trying to get the promotional dollars removed before those commission votes last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you Oscar. Hopefully it gets resolved prior to the budget hearings, Cutie wrote to Aguirre in an Aug. 16, 2024, email explaining the effort to remove the $150,000. I certainly dont want to jeopardize our grant assurances or put us in a revenue diversion situation over this. The emails dont show why Aviation administrators couldnt get the promotional expenses removed, but the pushback came at a time when CountryFest and A3 were in the midst of receiving county dollars from multiple sources. That includes $750,000 from the county Parks Department and more than $260,000 from county commissioners district budgets, according to budget documents, meeting minutes and payment records. While county records show the A3 Foundation was allocated about $1.2 million from Miami-Dade during the last two years, Herald reporting has so far been able to account for $880,000 of the public money either being spent on CountryFest expenses or returned to Miami-Dade. That leaves roughly $310,000 in public money allocated to the A3 Foundation but unaccounted for in the Heralds reporting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the Herald stories, county leaders have pulled back funding from the A3 Foundation. In September, the County Commission voted to cancel part of a contract that required a Tropical Park contractor to make a $250,000 yearly payment to A3 and instead shifted the required donation to the countys Parks Foundation. On Oct. 9, Commissioner Keon Hardemon won approval of legislation to rescind a $5,000 A3 allocation from his District 3 grant budget that had been approved earlier in the year. He said the money hadnt been claimed and that he wanted it redirected. Petrirena, A3s president, has not responded to inquiries about how the foundation spent its public dollars. In July, A3 lawyer John Priovolos issued a statement calling the foundations use of county funds an overwhelming success and that the charity focused on increasing awareness of agricultural principles and promoting educational initiatives, particularly with our youth. Voided check ties back to disputed airport CountryFest allocation Miami-Dades final check to the A3 Foundation for $200,000 was issued three months ago after multiple requests from Commission Chair Rodriguezs office that the charity be reimbursed for expenses from Aprils CountryFest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Herald reported, county accountants questioned the reimbursement request because of a lack of invoices and other back-up material. But Budget Director David Clodfelter authorized the check, citing clearance from Rodriguezs office. While the $200,000 check was issued before the Heralds first A3 Foundation story, it hadnt been cashed when the article was published on July 19. Weeks later, the check wound up back at Clodfelters County Hall office, unsigned and uncashed. At the time, it wasnt known who gave back the check. Now, newly released records show it was Rodriguezs District 10 office that returned the check unsigned. Aldo, I am sending this email to confirm that, per our conversation this morning, this check was returned by District 10 to be cancelled? Thanks, Clodfelter wrote in a July 31 email to Rodriguezs top aide, Aldo Gonzalez. Clodfelter said there was no written response from Gonzalez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rodriguez has not answered questions from the Herald about why the check wasnt cashed or why it was requested at all if the county money wasnt ultimately needed. When the Herald was first reporting on the returned check in August, Clodfelter said the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) promotional budget would have covered part of the planned $200,000 payment to the A3 Foundation. The rest was expected to come from a similar promotional budget maintained by the county-owned PortMiami. Port allocations arent governed by the kind of federal rules that regulate airport dollars. In an Aug. 8 email to the Herald, Clodfelter wrote that CountryFest dollars came from multiple sources in 2025, including Aviation and PortMiami funding allocated for community and global outreach programs within MDAD and Seaport promotional budgets. However, the newly released Aviation emails show airport administrators were told their promotional dollars would have never been released to CountryFest. Instead, they were told the $100,000 allocation to the rodeo in their 2024-25 promotional budget was just a placeholder and that Clodfelter had pledged to find the funds elsewhere if CountryFest ever needed the money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Sept. 11, 2024, email, a week before the commission cast a final vote on Levine Cavas proposed 2024-25 budget, Aguirre Aviations finance director described a verbal agreement between Clodfelter and Cutie, director of Aviation. The agreement called for Aviation to keep the $150,000 for the mayors conference and CountryFest in the Aviation budget but use dollars elsewhere in the county budget to pay out the subsidies if they were actually requested in 2025. Good afternoon Ralph, We were informed by our budget analyst, Nicole Miller, that David Clodfelter and you spoke, and the promotional item memo will remain as is, Aguirre wrote Cutie. Should either or both of those two events in question materialize, the County would fund them as to not jeopardize our grant assurances. Cutie responded: Confirmed. Thats what David and I discussed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a recent statement, Clodfelter said the email from Aguirre to Cutie didnt match his understanding of the agreement. Instead, Clodfelter said he told Cutie that money would be found elsewhere for CountryFest if Aviation made a final determination that funding the rodeo would in fact violate FAA rules. Clodfelter said Aviation would have reviewed the $100,000 expenditure after the fact if the A3 Foundation had cashed the check, and he would have asked the County Commission to use other county dollars to reimburse Aviation if the concerns raised by Rull, Aguirre and others were deemed valid. The countys Office of Management and Budget never received anything that said this allocation was an FAA grant violation, Clodfelter said in an Oct. 9 email. NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) One of the Okapi at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center is pregnant. According to the Audubon Nature Institute, 8-year-old Aslili is due to give birth to her second calf sometime at the end of the year after a 14-month pregnancy. The father of Aslilis calf is 10-year-old Miraq. This will be his first calf. (Courtesy: Audubon Nature Institute) (Courtesy: Audubon Nature Institute) (Courtesy: Audubon Nature Institute) Okapi are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Orleans city departments talk budget impact due to cuts Okapi are shy, solitary animals, native to the forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are the only living relatives of giraffes, sometimes nicknamed forest giraffes. They are considered one of the worlds oldest mammals. Due to their solitary nature and ability to avoid detection, scientists did not describe them until 1901. Even a hundred years later, little is known about them. Aslilis first pregnancy resulted in the birth of a female calf in 2022. Unfortunately, due to an untreatable congenital defect, that calf only survived a few months. The animal care team is monitoring the pregnancy and will be watching via a camera system during the birth process to ensure the safety and health of both mother and calf. There are five Okapi at the Species Survival Center with 26 acres for them to roam and specialized facilities for their care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the wild, Okapi are threatened due to illegal hunting, mining and other human encroachment in their habitat, as well as habitat loss due to deforestation. There is no accurate accounting of Okapi in the wild, but their numbers are believed to have dropped by 50% in the past 20 years. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO. Tuesday marks National Reptile Awareness Day, a time to appreciate the cold-blooded creatures that have slithered, crawled and snapped their way through human history. For the U.S. military, that appreciation runs deeper than curiosity. From cobras to gators, reptilian mascots and call signs appear on patches, aircraft and unit logos across every branch. These creatures represent qualities service members value most: patience, precision and power. Reptiles embody a primal toughness that resonates with warfighters. A cobra never warns before it strikes. A gator waits still and silent until the right moment. That instinct for timing and discipline mirrors how military personnel are trained to operate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A sniper may hold his breath for hours before taking a shot. A gator may wait underwater for the same amount of time before ambushing prey. Both rely on control, not chaos. That kind of symbolism has shaped unit identity for generations. During World War II, the U.S. 158th Infantry Regiment earned the nickname Bushmasters after encounters with the deadly snake in the jungles of Panama and the Pacific. The name was not chosen for flair. It came from survival. The men faced the snake daily, and it became a symbol of resilience and grit. The Bushmaster remains part of the regiments heritage today, its image still coiled across the insignia. Members of the 158th Infantry Regiment conduct jungle warfare battle drills in Panama in 1942. Frequent dealings with the deadly snakes of the jungle lead to the unit adopting the name Bushmasters after the venomous pit vipers found in Central America. (Courtesy of Arizona State University Libraries Collection) Reptiles thrive in the same kinds of environments where American forces have fought for more than a century: deserts, swamps and jungles. That shared toughness has made them natural emblems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines in amphibious assault units often referred to themselves as Gators. The nickname reflected both their vehicles and their versatility. Like the animal, they could move between land and water without hesitation. Adaptability became part of the identity. The 75th Field Artillery Regiment made that link official. Its distinctive unit insignia, approved in 1923, features a gold lizard on a red shield. The design honors the regiments roots in Alabama, once called the Lizard State. The symbol stands for quickness and survival, traits that define the artillerymen who served under its banner. Reptilian call signs and nicknames also work from a practical standpoint. On radio channels, short names like Cobra One or Viper Six cut through static and confusion. They are clear, aggressive, and easy to remember. Their sharp consonants sound fast and decisive, reinforcing the message. Over time, those names become part of a units mythology, spoken with pride by generations of soldiers who never even met. The connection between reptiles and flight became permanent during the Vietnam War. When the Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter was introduced in 1967, the aircrafts sleek profile and lethal precision fit the name perfectly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The helicopters reputation for speed and firepower helped solidify the snake as a symbol of American air dominance. The tradition continues today with the AH-1Z Viper, a modernized version that carries the same bite in combat. The final AH-1Z Reptile imagery also appears in the Armys heraldic tradition. The 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment once used the motto, Brave Rifles, Scales of the Dragon, merging reptilian symbolism with mythology to convey unity and strength. The Marine Corps Amphibious Assault Schools in California still informally call themselves the Gator School, a title that reflects their amphibious heritage and connection to World War II landings. Reptiles have appeared in military symbolism around the world for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, crocodiles represented power and protection. Sobek, the crocodile god, was invoked for strength and military success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That same instinct to channel the reptiles strength appears in modern American patches, coins and mottos. No matter the era, the message is the same: be patient, strike hard and survive. Reptiles have even influenced how service members describe themselves. The term cold-blooded has become shorthand for operating without emotion. It means carrying out the mission despite fear, fatigue or doubt. That is not heartlessness. It is control. It is the same focused discipline a gator shows before it snaps its jaws shut. When you hear a call sign like Cobra One or see a gator stitched on a sleeve, you are witnessing more than branding. You are seeing the result of decades of storytelling, myth-making and tradition. Reptiles have survived longer than almost any other species on earth. They adapt, endure and dominate in silence. It makes perfect sense that service members, who are trained to do the same, would see themselves in those scales. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the jungles of the Pacific to the deserts of Iraq, from the cockpits of attack helicopters to the beaches of Camp Pendleton, the reptile has remained one of the militarys most enduring symbols. It represents readiness, resilience and survival. So when a young soldier earns a patch marked by a gators jaw or a coiled snake, they join a lineage that stretches across decades of service. A union representing law enforcement officers in 200 communities across New England has cut ties with an affiliated labor group and two former executives, claiming to have uncovered a significant misappropriation of funds. The New England Police Benevolent Association entrusted a significant amount of funds over the last three years to the United Federation of Police Officers, Thomas Turco, who took over as executive director of the NEPBA in May, wrote in a letter to the unions members in late August. It appears that trust was abused, Turco wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NEPBA funds were intercepted, misappropriated without authorization and converted to personal use, he added. The NEPBA reported its findings the proper authorities, Turco told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, which first reported on the letter. His comments did not specify who those authorities were. A representative for the NEPBA declined further comment and referred questions to the groups lawyer, who did not answer a voicemail from MassLive. The UFPO, who Turco described as a New York-based group, also did not respond to requests for comment. Turco formerly served in Gov. Charlie Bakers cabinet as secretary of public safety and security, where he oversaw the Massachusetts State Police. He left the post in 2021 and took over as the unions executive director in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Turco, two NEPBA officials independently arranged on their own to gain control of the UFPO, whose website lists an address in Washington, D.C. The UFPO at the time had modest annual revenue and expenses, he said. Under an affiliation agreement the two unnamed officials arranged beginning in spring 2022, the NEPBA entrusted about $13,000 per month to the UFPO. In return, the UFPO promised representation, lobbying and other services. Most of the promises were not delivered, Turco claimed. He said the UFPO tax returns for 2021 to 2023 show no spending on lobbying. In 2022, funds the NEPBA had designated for the UFPO were diverted for personal use, Turco wrote. Through much effort, the money has since been recovered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the NEPBA suspects that separate dues revenue sent to the UFPO was used/authorized by UFPO officials for personal use, Turco wrote. In many instances, funds were transferred to private bank accounts, later characterized as personal loans, and were also diverted to pay for services unrelated to NEPBA. Turco also said the UFPO has not provided a proper explanation for where or how NEPBA dues were spent. He pointed to nearly $200,000 allocated for Investment Management Fees by the UFPO on its 2023 tax forms, about two-thirds of its expenses that year. The two unnamed NEPBA officials held the positions of executive director/president and treasurer in both labor groups, Turco wrote. He said the organization had fully disaffiliated from UFPO and separated itself from certain NEPBA officials. He also said the union established new safeguards and financial controls ... to ensure complete transparency and security moving forward. More public safety stories Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. CHICAGO (WGN) Two people were shot early Monday morning in Chicagos Englewood neighborhood, according to Chicago police. Officers responded to the 5500 block of S. Wentworth following reports of a shooting. Police said that two male victims were inside a vehicle driving westbound when an unknown offender opened fire in their direction. A 22-year-old male suffered gunshot wounds to the shoulder and left leg and was rushed to the University of Chicago Hospital in serious condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines A 28-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to the left calf and was also transported to the University of Chicago Hospital in fair condition. No one is in custody. Anyone with additional information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com. Area 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. A man walking his English bulldog in Vallejo late Friday night was robbed of cash and his dog at knifepoint, police said Monday. The incident happened at about 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 17 when police said two suspects approached the victim near the corner of Marin and Kentucky streets. They threatened him with a knife and took the man's wallet, which had about $100 in it, and his dog, Tyson. The suspects fled the scene in a white four-door sedan, believed to be a Honda Accord. Police said the suspects included a tall white man with long black hair tied into two ponytails. Tyson is described as white with beige coloring on his back, police said. He is not microchipped or neutered, authorities said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Vallejo police department. There is a $500 reward for anyone with information leading to Tyson's safe return. This article originally published at English bulldog stolen at knifepoint in Vallejo. WAUKESHA Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney launched a second campaign for attorney general this week, setting the stage for a rematch with incumbent Democrat Josh Kaul. Toney, 41, challenged Kaul in 2022 and narrowly lost. Now, he seeks the Republican nomination for attorney general after Kaul passed on a chance to enter the open field for the Democratic governor's race, instead choosing to seek reelection to his current post. As your top cop, I will stand up for every Wisconsinite, putting public safety over politics and enforce the law without fear and without favor," Toney told supporters at an event held at the Waukesha County Courthouse on Oct. 21. Eric Toney, the Fond du Lac County district attorney, announces his campaign for attorney general at the Waukesha County Couthouse on Oct. 21, 2025. The announcement sets up a rematch with incumbent Democrat Josh Kaul, who narrowly defeated Toney in 2022. Toney argued Kaul has not done enough to curtail illegal immigration or the flow of illegal drugs from other countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have seen our attorney general fail to address the border crisis under the Biden administration with fentanyl flowing across the border. And it doesnt have to be that way," Toney said. Toney would not take questions from reporters at the event. More: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rallies Wisconsin Democrats ahead of 2026 election Toney is mounting a bid two years after undergoing open heart surgery at just 39 an experience he used to urge others to pay close attention to their health. "By the grace of God and years of running my heart held on, Toney said in a press release announcing his campaign. That clarity led me here: If I could still make a difference for Wisconsin, I would. After seven years of broken promises and political spin in the Attorney Generals Office, its time for change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toney also argued he could use the state Department of Justice to help Milwaukee curtail crime and reckless driving. We also have seen Milwaukee crime spiraling out of control, he said. We see reckless driving where we know people are afraid to go to the city of Milwaukee. People avoid it altogether, and that should not be the case. Milwaukee is the largest city and it should be the engine that drives our state forward, that people feel safe to go and visit and enjoy the beautiful city of Milwaukee. In the years since the 2022 race, Toney was also appointed special prosecutor in an investigation of Wausau Mayor Doug Diny's removal of an absentee ballot drop box. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toney had previously said he believes the use of ballot drop boxes is illegal and wanted the state Supreme Court to outlaw them. The Wausau Ethics Board recently ruled the mayor violated the City of Wausaus Code of Ethics and ordered the mayor to conform his actions to the city's code of ethics. In a statement, Democratic Party of Wisconsin chairman Devin Remiker called Toney a "far-right hack" and said his role as special prosecutor in that matter was inappropriate. Eric Toney is adding his name to the growing list of failed, now recycled GOP candidates, making it feel as if 2026 is going to be a battle for the biggest Wisconsin Republican loser," Remiker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the 2022 race, accusations of Toney voting for Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton in the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections surfaced, but he disputed the letter outlining the claim at the time and said he had voted for Trump both times. More: Bice: GOP attorney general candidate Eric Toney said he wouldn't vote for 'Dumb dumb Donald' in 2020 text Toney also has previously called for Gov. Tony Evers to remove five members from the state elections commission, alleging they had violated state law, but the governor does not have such power. Wisconsin's chief legal authority, the attorney general oversees the Department of Justice, which includes a range of law enforcement agencies that investigate major crimes, including domestic terrorism, sexual abuse and corruption. The department has more than 800 employees, including about 20 prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorney general represents the governor and state agencies in major lawsuits. Kaul and Evers, for example, launched a suit in June to strike down the state's 1849 abortion ban. Kaul can also argue in Evers' defense. The attorney general has wide jurisdiction and can choose to launch independent lawsuits, or direct the Justice Department's legal personnel to help district attorneys. The attorney general's power has seesawed in recent years. Shortly after Kaul was elected in 2018, but before he took office, Republicans in the state Legislature convened an overnight session to pass a series of "lame-duck" laws that greatly curbed the powers of both Kaul and Evers. Kaul was required to seek approval from lawmakers before settling certain cases. Before being elected district attorney, Toney worked on a congressional campaign. He also attended St. Norbert College and Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Molly Beck and Hope Karnopp can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com and hkarnopp@gannett.com. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eric Toney announces Republican run for Wisconsin attorney general President Donald Trump says he will impose new tariffs on Colombia and slash all U.S. assistance to the South American nation after dramatically escalating tensions with one of Washingtons historically closest security partners in Latin America. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening, Trump said he would announce the specific tariff rate the next day, calling Colombia a drug manufacturing machine, but he made no announcement Monday. Colombia is out of control. They now have the worst president theyve ever had, he said in reference to Colombias leftist president Gustavo Petro, with whom he had been sparring on social media during the weekend. Hes a lunatic with many mental problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sunday, Trump said Petro was strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs across fields in Colombia, despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the USA. He announced the end to all aid funding to the South American nation and issued a warning: Better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it wont be done nicely. Trump described Petro as an illegal drug leader who has a fresh mouth toward America, after the Colombian president accused the U.S. of murder for the killing of a Colombian national during one of the strikes the U.S. military is conducting in the Caribbean, targeting suspected narcotraffickers. Following Trumps aid cut announcement, Petro fought back, writing that the U.S. president was ignorant about Colombia, in a publication on social media. He recalled the Colombian ambassador to Bogota for consultations, the countrys foreign affairs ministry announced Monday. On Monday afternoon, Petro remained defiant. In a long, meandering interview that included references to Latin American liberator Simon Bolivar, the Romans, Sigmung Freud and the Soviets whom he called heroes of humanity he told the Univision network he would not make concessions to the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said, Colombia is out of control,- of course it is out of his control, he told Daniel Coronell, a Colombian journalist who is the president of Noticias Univision. In a democracy, a government is under the control of the people, not Trump. He is not a king. In Colombia, we dont accept kings. The Colombian president said his criticism of the United States grew as more bombs fell and more children were killed in Gaza, as more and more Latin Americans were chained and handcuffed on airplanes and expelled like unwanted dogs in the United States, and as they began to threaten us to the point that the same missiles that fall in Gaza fall into the Caribbean Sea. In the face of this, a president remains silent and kneels, or a president speaks for the dignity of humanity, not just of his people, he said. Last month, the U.S. State Department stripped Petro of his U.S. visa for his reckless and incendiary actions during a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City, the agency said. The Colombian president had called on U.S. troops to disobey Trumps orders during the rally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Univision interview, Petro said his comments in New York were taken out of context. He also said it was not true that Colombia was flooding the world with cocaine. He also repeatedly avoided responding to questioning regarding the economic consequences of the U.S. tariffs for Colombians, or his handling of the diplomatic crisis. Ill see how I maneuver, he said. The State Department did not respond to questions about diplomatic talks with Colombia at this point. Petro said in the interview he had a scheduled meeting for Monday evening with John T. McNamara, the charge daffaires of the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. Raising tariffs would significantly affect Colombias economy. Colombia already faces a 10% tariff imposed in April 2025 as part of Trumps global tariff package on imports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. goods and services trade with Colombia totaled an estimated $53.3 billion in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. A quarter of Colombias exports go to the U.S. Its biggest export is crude oil, but the country is also a large exporter of cut flowers and coffee. Foreign policy experts note that tariffs tend to harm the private sector, which in Colombia has historically taken a pro-American stance. In Colombia, while Petros supporters have criticized Trumps comments about their countrys president, many politicians are questioning his handling of a relationship that is key to the countrys economy. Gustavo Petro achieved his goal. His irresponsible handling of international relations and his staunch defense of [Venezuela strongman Nicolas] Maduro led Colombia to a serious diplomatic crisis with our main trading partner, said Andres Forero, a Colombian lawmaker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps tariffs and aid cut announcements mark a stunning reversal in a bilateral relationship that has been anchored by counternarcotics cooperation for more than two decades. Last month, the Trump administration said Colombia had failed demonstrably for the first time in nearly 30 years to meet its international counternarcotics obligations. Although that could trigger sanctions, the U.S. government issued waivers, signaling the importance of Colombian cooperation for U.S. counternarcotics efforts. Colombia remains a committed U.S. partner, but also the source of 97 percent of cocaine that enters the United States, the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs wrote in a 2023 report. The State Department did not say whether the programs handled by the bureau will also be affected by Trumps decision to cut foreign assistance to Colombia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that despite concerns about Petros efforts to curb cocaine production, President Trumps threats to end assistance to Colombia were shortsighted and self-defeating. The overwhelming majority of our assistance to Colombia goes to combat drug traffickers and transnational criminals, including by strengthening extraditions and intelligence sharing, supporting Colombias criminal justice system and ensuring Colombian partners have the training and equipment necessary to effectively counter these actors, she said. Cutting this law enforcement aid would only weaken Americas ability to secure our borders from deadly drugs and crime. While they note that Petros incendiary statements in New York have been counterproductive, foreign experts say cutting aid to Colombia runs counter to U.S. interests. We are doing complicated foreign policy by tweet. I just see this as really poking our own eye, said Luis G. Moreno, a retired U.S. ambassador who was one of the primary planners of Plan Colombia, the 15-year, $10 billion U.S. security aid package that began in 2000 to combat drug trafficking, the guerrillas and paramilitary groups in the South American nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colombia has been the United States best ally, not only for drugs, said Moreno. Colombia is the oldest democracy in Latin America. Theyve been allied with us going back to the Korean War. No one has sacrificed more in terms of people whove given their lives police, army, judges so this is a rather rash decision. Petro is expected to leave office in May 2026, since the countrys constitution bars presidents from seeking immediate re-election, though he is actively campaigning for the political alliance Pacto Historico to remain in power. What Trump is doing, Moreno said, is sending Petro a lifeline. Merck KGaA's antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), precemtabart tocentecan (Precem-TcT), has shown promising efficacy during an early-stage trial in heavily pre-treated colorectal cancer. Thus far in the ongoing Phase I PROCEADE-CRC-01 study (NCT05464030), the drug has triggered an objective response rate (ORR) of 31% in patients at a dose of 2.8mg/kg. Precem-TcT also had a positive impact on progression-free survival (PFS), with the median value reaching 6.9 months in the treatment group, with a six month PFS rate of 64.3%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the drug was found to be safe and tolerable, with the most common Grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) being neutropenia and anaemia. While gastrointestinal (GI) TEAEs were observed, they were always mild-to-moderate, with no Grade 3 GI events recorded during the trial. These results were first presented in a poster presentation at the ongoing 2025 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress, which is being held in Berlin, Germany, on 1721 October. Precem-TcT functions by selectively targeting and killing cancer cells that express the surface protein carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5). The outcome of the PROCEADE-CRC-01 study will be welcome news for Merck KGaA as the drug bested its potential rival, telisotuzumab adizutecan. In its respective Phase I study, the c-Met-targeting ADC triggered an ORR of 26.7%, according to a topline readout presented by AbbVie at ESMO. Future directions for Precem-TcT In conversation with Clinical Trials Arena, Victoria Zazulina, senior VP and head of development unit oncology at Merck KGaA, noted that the competition to commercialise a widely applicable ADC in colorectal cancer is stiff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The industry is on the brink of a breakthrough, though it is yet to be seen who makes it to market first, she said. In the world of ADCs, Zazulina believes that the devil is in the detail, as the type of chemotherapy you combine with a specific payload can play a key role in a drugs efficacy and subsequent success. What we are learning as an industry is that the chemotherapy we want to direct to a disease such as colorectal cancer needs to be one that we know that indication will respond to, Zazulina said. This has led to the explosion of ADCs using the Topoisomerase 1 (Top1) payload, which Precem-TcT employs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Sanofi canned the development programme for its anti-CEACAM5 ADC tusamitamab in 2023, Zazulina noted that Merck KGaA has a renewed interest in the target, as a new payload class could demonstrate better efficacy in solid tumour indications. To further explore this hypothesis, Merck KGaA will take Precem-TcT straight to Phase III trials in colorectal cancer, which Zazulina expects to initiate in the first half of 2026. Combination could be key to early-line CRC treatment Despite Precem-TcTs promising clinical activity in colorectal cancer thus far, Zazulina believes that combination approaches should not be disregarded. She stated: Precem-TcT may be suitable as a monotherapy in later treatment settings, but in the first or second lines, it will most likely require a combination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is primarily due to the higher prevalence of options in these settings, making it harder to best current standard of care (SoC) combination regimens like TAS-102 (trifluridine/tipiracil) plus bevacizumab. Zazulina added: Merck KGaA's overall vision for ADCs like Precem-TcT aims to replace certain chemotherapy components, rather than to completely remove or outperform the whole regimen." Precem-TcT's role in gastrointestinal cancers While Zazulina noted that colorectal cancer was a perfect place to start in the Precem-TcT development journey due the companys legacy and the diseases strong expression of CEACAM5, Merck KGaA is eyeing the drugs potential in further indications. She commented: There is this gastrointestinal theme around CEACAM5 expression, with indications like pancreatic and gastric cancer all showing reasonably high expression of CEACAM5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite many colorectal cancer patients expressing the CEACAM5 target, Merck KGaA will likely need to identify patients who may benefit from treatment with Precem-TcT, as not everybody will exhibit the same level of target expression or ADC trafficking towards the tumour, Zazulina caveats. To explore its potential in gastrointestinal cancers and beyond, Merck KGaA is running trials in pancreatic, gastric and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). All of our studies in these indications are currently recruiting patients, and we will soon be sharing results at some upcoming medical conferences, Zazulina concluded. Editor's note: An earlier version of this article misnamed MSD; this has been corrected to Merck KGaA. The mechanism of action for Precem-TcT has been moved to paragraph 6. A mention of an oral presentation in paragraph 5 has been corrected to poster presentation. A reference to the control arm in paragraph 18 has been removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "ESMO 2025: Merck KGaAs ADC leapfrogs to Phase III in colorectal cancer " was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. Merck KGaA's antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), precemtabart tocentecan (Precem-TcT), has shown promising efficacy during an early-stage trial in heavily pre-treated colorectal cancer. Thus far in the ongoing Phase I PROCEADE-CRC-01 study (NCT05464030), the drug has triggered an objective response rate (ORR) of 31% in patients at a dose of 2.8mg/kg. Precem-TcT also had a positive impact on progression-free survival (PFS), with the median value reaching 6.9 months in the treatment group, with a six month PFS rate of 64.3%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the drug was found to be safe and tolerable, with the most common Grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) being neutropenia and anaemia. While gastrointestinal (GI) TEAEs were observed, they were always mild-to-moderate, with no Grade 3 GI events recorded during the trial. These results were first presented in a poster presentation at the ongoing 2025 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress, which is being held in Berlin, Germany, on 1721 October. Precem-TcT functions by selectively targeting and killing cancer cells that express the surface protein carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5). The outcome of the PROCEADE-CRC-01 study will be welcome news for Merck KGaA as the drug bested its potential rival, telisotuzumab adizutecan. In its respective Phase I study, the c-Met-targeting ADC triggered an ORR of 26.7%, according to a topline readout presented by AbbVie at ESMO. Future directions for Precem-TcT In conversation with Clinical Trials Arena, Victoria Zazulina, senior VP and head of development unit oncology at Merck KGaA, noted that the competition to commercialise a widely applicable ADC in colorectal cancer is stiff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The industry is on the brink of a breakthrough, though it is yet to be seen who makes it to market first, she said. In the world of ADCs, Zazulina believes that the devil is in the detail, as the type of chemotherapy you combine with a specific payload can play a key role in a drugs efficacy and subsequent success. What we are learning as an industry is that the chemotherapy we want to direct to a disease such as colorectal cancer needs to be one that we know that indication will respond to, Zazulina said. This has led to the explosion of ADCs using the Topoisomerase 1 (Top1) payload, which Precem-TcT employs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Sanofi canned the development programme for its anti-CEACAM5 ADC tusamitamab in 2023, Zazulina noted that Merck KGaA has a renewed interest in the target, as a new payload class could demonstrate better efficacy in solid tumour indications. To further explore this hypothesis, Merck KGaA will take Precem-TcT straight to Phase III trials in colorectal cancer, which Zazulina expects to initiate in the first half of 2026. Combination could be key to early-line CRC treatment Despite Precem-TcTs promising clinical activity in colorectal cancer thus far, Zazulina believes that combination approaches should not be disregarded. She stated: Precem-TcT may be suitable as a monotherapy in later treatment settings, but in the first or second lines, it will most likely require a combination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is primarily due to the higher prevalence of options in these settings, making it harder to best current standard of care (SoC) combination regimens like TAS-102 (trifluridine/tipiracil) plus bevacizumab. Zazulina added: Merck KGaA's overall vision for ADCs like Precem-TcT aims to replace certain chemotherapy components, rather than to completely remove or outperform the whole regimen." Precem-TcT's role in gastrointestinal cancers While Zazulina noted that colorectal cancer was a perfect place to start in the Precem-TcT development journey due the companys legacy and the diseases strong expression of CEACAM5, Merck KGaA is eyeing the drugs potential in further indications. She commented: There is this gastrointestinal theme around CEACAM5 expression, with indications like pancreatic and gastric cancer all showing reasonably high expression of CEACAM5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite many colorectal cancer patients expressing the CEACAM5 target, Merck KGaA will likely need to identify patients who may benefit from treatment with Precem-TcT, as not everybody will exhibit the same level of target expression or ADC trafficking towards the tumour, Zazulina caveats. To explore its potential in gastrointestinal cancers and beyond, Merck KGaA is running trials in pancreatic, gastric and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). All of our studies in these indications are currently recruiting patients, and we will soon be sharing results at some upcoming medical conferences, Zazulina concluded. Editor's note: All references to MSD have been corrected to Merck KGaA throughout the copy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mechanism of action for Precem-TcT has been moved from paragraph 12 to paragraph 6. The mention of oral presentation in paragraph 5 has been corrected to reflect the data was presented in a poster presentation. Reference to the control arm for the Phase III trial in paragraph 18 has been removed. "ESMO 2025: Merck KGaAs ADC leapfrogs to Phase III in colorectal cancer " was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) After well-publicized protests of some of its works, 2024 turned out to be the last year at East Tennessee State University for the FL3TCHER EXHIBIT though its organizers hope the show featuring social and politically engaged art will return in some fashion in the future. Sponsors Barb and Wayne Dyer, who, with their daughter Carrie, started the show in honor of their late son Fletcher, were informed by a phone call in February that ETSU had decided to discontinue its 12-year involvement with the exhibit. Proceeds from FL3TCH3R, which typically showed at ETSUs Reece Museum from early October through December, have also funded an annual art scholarship for ETSU students since 2016. The staff member who called, Barb Dyer, told News Channel 11 on Monday, said she was told that our goals and their goals no longer coincided. Wayne Dyer was a graphic design professor in the ETSU art department for more than two decades, and Fletcher Dyer was a senior in the art program there when he died in a motorcycle accident in 2009. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ETSU acknowledged Monday it was no longer involved with the exhibit but declined any further comment. The exhibit, according to its own webpage, has sought to display works that hopefully serve as an avenue or agent for societal transformation and exposure of social and political points of view. The show came under criticism from several state and local officials during its 12th year last November, with a piece by artist Joel Gibbs, Evolution, drawing particular scrutiny. Gibbs told News Channel 11 last year that the piece, which showed a swastika morphing into a cross and was painted behind a portrait of Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, was a response to fascism, calling it a very large political cartoon in my sensibility. It drew negative attention from, among others, State Sen. Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City), who told News Channel 11, freedom of speech has consequences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crowe added that people that approve of this on campus should not be on our campus. Its just its not representative of our Northeast Tennessee spirit. Its hateful. Its divisive. Its not good. Barb Dyer said the exhibit wasnt meant to be divisive, and that Fletcher Dyer would have supported social or politically themed art no matter the artists particular stance. If you look at the work through the years in the exhibit, a lot of it wasnt necessarily political, she said. It was about issues that the art world was dealing with or whatever. But after the 2024 outcry, ETSU President Brian Noland said in a statement that as the president of a public university, he had to ensure ETSU adhered to state and federal law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, he said he found some of the views expressed in this years exhibit abhorrent. After he was able to gain more information, Noland wrote, ETSU would undertake an examination of the process through which we allow guest artists, speakers, and other third-party groups to present information on campus. Unfortunately, I wasnt surprised Anita DeAngelis is a retired ETSU art professor and administrator who had close involvement with the exhibit for years as director of the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, which funded the cost of bringing the exhibits juror to campus each year. I wasnt surprised just because Ive seen ETSU change over the years, said DeAngelis, who retired in early 2021. This exhibition provides such a unique opportunity for artists in our region and internationally, so it did bring a lot of positives to the university, she said. For me, its a significant disappointment that thats been denied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said Jim Martin, who funded the Martin school in honor of his late wife, visited several of the FL3TCH3R exhibits before he died in 2015, and saw the exhibit as significant. Jim really wanted community conversations to happen, DeAngelis said. Jim was here in the first few years of the exhibition and saw the exhibition, and we had long conversations about it. DeAngelis said the exhibit was important for artists, particularly those who focused on social or political criticism a genre she said is well-represented through history but often isnt commercially viable. Some of the artists whose work has appeared at FL3TCH3R have very good national and international reputations. She said her art training helped her realize that most visual artists want you to think, and think critically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I can remember a number of times in my classes at ETSU and in my own training as an artist in which conversations could get heated, but you could still walk out the door and be friends with one another, meaning that people had very different opinions. I think thats an important function for the arts. I dont know of many political-social art shows outside of this one Gibbs, whose Evolution stirred much of 2024s controversy, said he learned ETSU was cutting ties with FL3TCH3R when he called to find out about 2025. I cant say I was surprised, but my first thought did go to the Dyers, because this is something that has meant a lot to them, he said. Gibbs recalled three young people protesting outside last years FL3TCH3R exhibit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My question to them was, I dont recall any time that the prospectus for the show said it had to be left-leaning political art,' he said. Gibbs said he suggested that politically conservative artists could consider submitting their own social or political work: Rather than shut this down, get your counter-narrative out there,' he said. And they didnt really have an answer, which was not surprising. As to whether jurors would have considered art representing any side of a political issue, Gibbs said, I would like to think all the judges would be, if it had artistic merit and was getting its message across, it would get in. He added, though, that the show does have a reputation of leaning to the left. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gibbs said he doesnt know of many political-social art shows outside the FL3TCH3R exhibit, and that hes seen a definite drought in some of his openly political work getting into shows over the past year. If something is threatened to be canceled, its usually going to be gone Johnson City artist Jason Flack went to school with Fletcher Dyer and first had a piece make it into the exhibit about six years ago. Its heartbreaking, Flack said of the cancellation of FL3TCH3R 2025 and ETSUs decision to cut ties. He said he had bonded with the Dyers because like them, hed lost a family member too (his sister). The work is the journey itself to commemorate my sister, Flack said. Well, thats what the Dyers were doing for Fletcher. So we had that mutual feeling of loss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its almost like maybe two passings is how I would see it from the outside, he said of the Dyers learning that the exhibit wouldnt continue at ETSU. Flack said the loss of a space for art that can be controversial is a blow for Johnson City. It cant afford to have so many places, or even if its one, to close down and not be available for artists, he said, adding that in the case of FL3TCH3R, self-taught artists like him had the opportunity to mingle with more well-known artists. Barb Dyer said ETSUs involvement provided some financial and in-kind advantages that it will be expensive to replace. But she, her husband and their daughter are hopeful that 2024 wasnt the last year for the FL3TCH3R EXHIBIT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It might not be in the same form that we had going at the Reece Museum, she said. DeAngelis, Flack and Gibbs all agreed. I kind of, I wish I was a person of means, Gibbs said. I would rent a space and have a counter production if I could. There are some national outlets that have been interested in the cancellation of the show, DeAngelis said. I really hope that it gets picked up again someplace else. Its a labor of love, definitely. I think its an important institution to carry on with. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has said that Ukraine should not give up its territories as part of any peace agreement with Russia. Source: Politico Details: Speaking to journalists in Luxembourg after a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas made her position clear on the inadmissibility of trading Ukrainian territories. Quote: "If we just give away the territories, then this gives a message to everybody that you can just use force against your neighbours and get what you want. I think this is very dangerous. That's why we have the international law in place, [so] that nobody does that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: During a meeting last Friday, Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy, suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should give up Donbas as part of a ceasefire agreement. Trump himself said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday 19 October that Russia would keep part of the territory it captured during the war. According to a Politico source, EU leaders expressed their support for Zelenskyy after the White House meeting. Meanwhile, European leaders were cautious in their statements about whether Ukraine should retain all of its territory under a potential peace deal. Background: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that no one should pressure Zelenskyy into making territorial concessions in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The European Commission on Tuesday proposed changes to a controversial regulation on forest protection that would exempt certain businesses and products from reporting obligations. Under the new rules, only companies placing a product on the European market for the first time would be required to submit a due diligence statement. The requirements for proving that their products do not contribute to deforestation are to be further relaxed for small businesses which will be given an additional year to comply with the new regulations from the end of 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new regulations will still apply to larger companies from the end of 2025. The controversial legislation has previously been postponed by a year, as it was initially meant to come into force at the end of 2024. Companies are required to prove that certain products such as coffee, cocoa, soy and beef are deforestation-free. In September, European Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall warned of problems with a planned IT system to document the compliance of imported products. The aim of the regulation is to combat deforestation within the European Union and beyond. According to the regulation, products may only be sold in the EU if no forests were cleared for them after 2020. The measure has faced criticism over its bureaucratic demands and high compliance costs, which had prompted the earlier postponement. The European Union confirmed on Monday it has initiated exploratory contacts with the Taliban government in Afghanistan as part of efforts to increase the number of deportations of failed asylum seekers from Europe. The admission comes after a majority of EU nations urged Brussels to reach out to the administration in Kabul. Markus Lammert, a spokesman for the EU's executive, told journalists in Brussels that the European Commission was working to ensure coordination among member states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Earlier this year, we initiated exploratory contacts at technical level with the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan," he said. The Taliban have been largely isolated on the global stage since they imposed a strict version of Islamic law upon returning to power in 2021, following the withdrawal of US-led forces. But in a letter initiated by Belgium, 20 EU member states called on the commission to take action to enable both voluntary and forced returns of Afghans with no right to stay in Europe. "We are unable to return irregular Afghan nationals, even after a conviction," Belgian migration minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt said in a statement. "This undermines public trust in asylum policy and affects our collective security. It is time for Europe to act together." Countries sign text The text was signed among others by Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most are members of a club of EU countries that is clamouring for a broader clampdown on migration following a souring of public opinion that has fuelled hard-right electoral gains across the bloc. According to EU data, fewer than 20 percent of people ordered to leave the 27-country EU bloc are returned to their country of origin. Sweden's migration minister Johan Forssell told the French news agency AFP in an interview last week that EU members could pool resources to repatriate Afghans. "There could be joint planes to Afghanistan," he said, adding an EU team had been holding technical discussions in Kabul. "We need to find common solutions here," Forssell added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EU has maintained a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan but contacts have been limited to certain areas, including humanitarian assistance. Brussels' diplomatic service says on its website that the engagement "does not bestow any legitimacy" to the Taliban government. EU, US condemn Taliban ban on women working for NGOs in Afghanistan In September 2022, the Taliban ordered non-governmental organisations in the country to stop women employees from working. The Taliban government said in a notification to all NGOs that it was because of the "non-observance of the Islamic hijab" (headscarf) by "females" working for the NGOs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ministry of Economy threatened to suspend the operating licences of NGOs if they failed to implement the order. The move came less than a week after the Taliban leadership banned women from attending universities, after having banned teenage girls from high school. Women have also been pushed out of government jobs. European leaders on 21 October issued a joint statement reaffirming their support for Ukraine and expressing approval of US President Donald Trump's efforts to achieve a ceasefire. Source: European Pravda, citing a joint statement Details: The European leaders stressed their unity in striving for a just and lasting peace that the people of Ukraine deserve. Quote: "We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: The leaders added that Russia's delaying tactics have repeatedly shown that "Ukraine is the only party serious about peace". Quote: "We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. Therefore we are clear that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position - before, during, and after any ceasefire. We must ramp up the pressure on Russia's economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace." More details: The statement also noted that the signatories are developing measures "to use the full value of Russia's immobilised sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs". It added that the leaders will meet later this week at the European Council and in the Coalition of the Willing format to discuss how to advance this work and continue supporting Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement was signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Background: Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Belgium has agreed not to block the EU's idea for a "reparations loan" to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, meaning the European Union can now move on to practical steps for its implementation. Source: European Pravda, citing Politico and people familiar with the matter Details: According to the sources, EU leaders now plan to ask the European Commission to draft a proposal that will serve as the basis for a future decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Politico also obtained a draft of the final communique for a meeting of the European Council on 24 October. The document was reportedly informally agreed upon by EU ambassadors ahead of the meeting. It contains a call for the European Commission to submit a proposal on the reparations loan that will be underpinned by appropriate European solidarity and risk-sharing. An unnamed Belgian diplomat told the publication that this essentially constitutes a political green light for the European Commission. Sources said the Commission is confident it can craft a legally robust plan for the idea of a reparations loan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They believe it is highly unlikely that if Russia refuses to pay reparations in the future, a court would rule that the EU must return money used in the loan mechanism. Another European diplomat said they are not worried that Belgium might block the decision. Background: The financial repository Euroclear Bank, where the frozen Russian assets are located, is based in Belgium. Because of this, the Belgian authorities are particularly concerned about the potential legal consequences of any decision by the EU to deploy Russian assets. The publication notes that even without Belgium's final approval on Thursday, the European Commission will still be able to begin preparing a draft document to implement the decision. Earlier reports by Politico revealed that the European Commission is considering using not only 140 billion of Russia's frozen assets at Euroclear but also an additional 25 billion from Russians' private accounts in various countries for the reparations loan to Ukraine. The European Commission's defence roadmap states that the reparations loan using Russian assets should be agreed by end-2025. According to media reports, the United States Department of State did not support the EU's plan for the reparations loan to Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg The EU is preparing to strengthen its authority to board and inspect tankers linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet and is negotiating with some of the flag and coastal states to take measures, according to a draft proposal by the EU's diplomatic service (EEAS), seen by Kyiv Independent. Moscow's covert network of tankers, which operate under false flags, obscure ownership, and often nonexistent insurance, deliberately sail in legal grey zones of international waters and have become a key source of income for Russia's oil export strategy since sanctions were imposed following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These vessels "pose threats to the environment and to navigation safety" and could be "used as platforms for hybrid attacks against EU territory," according to a document shared with the bloc's member states before the Oct. 20 meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Who buys Russian oil and gas? So far, EU member states have had few options to inspect, board, or confiscate the tankers, especially when they were sailing in international waters. Recent cases of intervention the raid on Eagle S, which is accused of attacking and damaging five telecom cables in the Gulf of Finland, and French soldiers boarding the oil tanker Boracay off the coast of Denmark remain one-offs. "Member States are encouraged to actively use all opportunities offered by Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), together with relevant national legislation, to disrupt the activities of the shadow fleet and to send a warning signal to industry and crews," the document states. The oil tanker Eagle S anchored near Kilpilahti port in Porvoo, Gulf of Finland, on Jan. 13, 2025. (Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva / AFP) "The EU could support Member States in their efforts if they agree to grant the EU the right to negotiate agreements on their behalf for pre-authorised boardings for inspections," it adds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the proposal, the EU's diplomatic service this month has launched work on a draft declaration to reinforce the International United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which sets the legal framework for all oceans and seas. A declaration "would provide an additional tool to member states to boost the effectiveness of enforcement actions, including providing a basis to board shadow fleet ships," which would give the EU's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, a mandate to "seek the authorization of the Council to open negotiations for bilateral agreements with identified flag states," the document states. A designated special coordinator will be put in place to gather best practices from across the EU member states, Kallas told reporters in Luxembourg. To further cut Russias war funds, we need a more robust EU-wide approach against the shadow fleet, Kallas said. The proposal, which could be finalised before the end of the year, envisions "possible bilateral agreements between the flag states and the EU on pre-authorized boardings for inspections." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EU side said it was already approaching priority flag states to curb support services to the fleet and "aims to mobilize its various tools to provide support and incentives to flag states to deregister sanctioned vessels." Panama, whose maritime authority runs one of the largest ship registries globally, is among the countries that have "agreed to deregister vessels sanctioned by the EU and recently decided to stop registering vessels older than 15 years." However, most of the problematic flag states are typically smaller, or island states, the Kyiv Independent has learned from several Baltic Sea countries, which would make for a vast range of such agreements that need to be put in place. In parallel, Brussels also plans to "continue to propose additional listings of vessels and shadow fleet ecosystem operators such as insurers and flag registries" as part of future EU sanctions packages. Those further options would "include targeting the provision of logistical support to shadow fleet vessels, such as oil bunkering." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Ukraine had a plan on how to engage with Trump. Then, Putin called Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The EU might not have smashed the gangs, but it has gone a considerable way towards stopping the boats. In the first eight months of this year, only 112,000 people crossed illegally into Europe, down 21 per cent from 2024 and 52 per cent from the same period in 2023. That marks a staggering turnaround from 2015, when 1.3 million migrants applied for asylum in the 28 member states of the European Union, Norway and Switzerland. It is one that will no doubt be viewed with envy by politicians in Britain, where figures are going in the opposite direction and polls suggest that immigration and asylum have overtaken the economy as the most important issues for voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, small-boat crossings have soared to record high figures this year as have asylum claims. The picture in the EU, meanwhile, looks very different owing to a carrot and stick approach, which has seen countries incentivised to help with the crackdown, and beefed-up border policing. Illegal migration via two of the three main routes into the Continent has plunged in the past 12 months, and asylum claims in the bloc fell by 23 per cent in the year leading up to June 2025. b' 1710 EU illegal migration drops over 20pc in one year ' Although many experts are sceptical about the EUs figures, pointing out high levels of undetected migration, the raw data certainly suggest that Britain could learn a lesson or two from her neighbours. Signalling that it is serious about the crisis would be a start, say experts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I found it very puzzling that the first thing Sir Keir Starmer did as Prime Minister was to scrap the Rwanda scheme [which was originally Denmarks idea], says Dr Rakib Ehsan, senior fellow at the Policy Exchange think tank and the author of its 2023 report entitled Small-Boats Emergency. That decision gave the impression that the new Government was a pushover regarding illegal immigration. While asylum seekers in Denmark and Sweden are given cash incentives to leave voluntarily, Britain has been criticised for spending lavishly on hotels and healthcare for migrants. It makes Britain the El Dorado for illegal migrants, says Ehsan. There will be people in other European countries who cant quite believe the generosity shown towards those who enter the UK without permission. The French have long argued that Britains liberal labour market is also part of the problem. In July, Emmanuel Macron accused the UK of attracting migrants through generous welfare payments and easy access to undocumented work, echoing complaints made by several of his predecessors. However, British politicians have often ignored these more complicated pull factors in favour of simplistic three-word slogans like stop the boats or smash the gangs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These criminal enterprises arent run by simpletons, says Ehsan. Indeed, they have taken the Government for mugs. They span countries and continents, and while trying to tackle them can be part of the strategy, it is not a magic bullet. But smashing the gangs was an easier sell to much of the Labour Party faithful as a way of keeping the UK wedded to its existing human rights framework while appearing to be tough on criminals. That framework came under further attack this month when Kemi Badenoch announced that the Conservatives would take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a policy already adopted by Reform. The British Right is not alone in arguing that the ECHR limits its ability to decide its own migration policy: the convention has been heavily criticised this year by leaders from all wings of the political spectrum in Europe (and even centrist British heavyweights from Malcolm Rifkind to Jack Straw have recently joined calls to leave its jurisdiction). However, Ehsan is wary of too much scapegoating. Theres a tendency in Britain to outsource blame: blame Brussels; blame the ECHR, he says. Im not a fan of the ECHR, but the focus needs to be first and foremost on things within your control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, theres no reason why the UK Government couldnt impose much tougher sentences on anyone knowingly employing illegal migrants [the current maximum is five years imprisonment]. We are also being restrained by our own legislation, such as the Modern Slavery Act, which needs to be talked about a lot more. We also need to look more closely at the culture within our judiciary, where there are blatant examples of judicial activism. There is a tendency to side with the rights of the individual even foreign criminals. But collective security maintaining social cohesion and minimising the risk of crime needs to be prioritised too. In that wrestle between freedom and security, we need to lean that bit more towards security. Still, critics argue that many of the techniques deployed by the EU to achieve its reduction would be difficult, ill-advised or even unconscionable for the UK to copy. For example, the bloc was able to reduce asylum seekers through the Balkan route by 78 per cent in 2024, partly by dangling the carrot of EU membership in front of countries such as Serbia and Montenegro in return for tougher border controls and closer visa alignment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Britain left the EU, it also exited Eurodac, the biometric database for apprehended migrants, which allowed countries to see where else they had made asylum claims, and the Dublin III regulation, which enabled EU countries to return asylum seekers to the first country they had entered in the EU. This system largely benefited Britain, even if transfers went both ways and numbered only a few hundred per year. Leaving the EU was the worst decision in the history of migration management, says Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, head of the European diversity and migration programme at the European Policy Centre think tank. And I think there is a degree of schadenfreude in Europe when thinking of the impasse in which the UK finds itself now. Compared to the economy or Ukraine or Gaza, migration is not even the most salient political topic in the EU anymore. Some of the EUs other methods of reducing unauthorised migration offer a perhaps unpalatable blueprint for Britain. In January, Greece was found guilty by the European Court of Human Rights of systematically pushing stranded inflatable boats outside territorial waters, leaving them either to the mercy of the sea or for other countries to pull them back ashore. Pushbacks have also been recorded in countries from Spain to Poland, Italy to Hungary. In 2022, the director of Frontex, the EUs border agency, resigned over these and other allegations. Protesters organise an anti-birthday party on the 20th anniversary of the founding of Frontex, the EUs border control agency, last October - Thierry Monasse/Getty Physical intervention of boats is definitely a factor in stemming the flow, says Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. Australia did that with Indonesia with bigger boats, which are easier to intercept. But the French resolutely refuse to do pullbacks in the Channel and there is some justification to their argument that its too precarious. When you have 100 people on a boat designed for 25, it could lead to people being crushed and going overboard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EU can co-operate with countries that will do pullback methods. Were dealing with the French, who are not going to engage in the same sort of activity as the Tunisians. There would be a very high political price if there were deaths in the Channel on the same scale as the Mediterranean, agrees Neidhardt. The British public has not been desensitised to the same level as people in the Mediterranean countries. According to the UN, at least 25,500 migrants have died or disappeared in the Mediterranean since 2014, including more than 2,200 last year. This figure is 30 times higher than that for the Channel, where 73 migrants died last year: more than in the previous six years combined. An unwillingness to engage in physical intervention is another reason why drone technology, on which the UK Government has spent over 1bn, has proven less effective in the crowded Channel than on the vast north African coast, where it has reaped rewards for Frontex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if you have live information, what difference does it make? says Neidhardt. That person will still arrive in the UK. Another key element of EU migrant policy has been channelling billions in aid, investment and training to countries such as Egypt and Tunisia in return for cutting illegal migration routes a policy picked up in Britain by Reform last month when it promised to make 2bn available to countries such as Afghanistan to take back migrants. However, for all its success in reducing arrivals, the EU has seen considerable blowback from this policy after reports emerged of migrants being beaten, tortured and raped in Tunisia and Libya. As The Economist reported last month: The EU has now proved the thesis that harsh policies can reduce illegal migration. The genie is out of the bottle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether Britain will or, some might argue, should take note is another question. 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 European tech watchdog has attacked the Government for demanding backdoor access to consumers iPhone data, piling pressure on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in a fight with Apple. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), which monitors tech privacy, said British demands to break Apples encryption would create systemic vulnerabilities and pose a risk to the integrity and confidentiality of electronic communications. In January, the Home Office demanded that Apple create a way to get around the end-to-end encryption in its iCloud storage system, sparking a dispute with the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The technical capability notice, issued under surveillance legislation, would allow the police to access messages and photos stored in iCloud as part of criminal investigations. The Government dropped the demand after interventions from Trump administration officials including Vice President JD Vance, but has since issued a new order related explicitly to the UK. European officials have stayed quiet on the matter, but on Monday, the EDPB became the first EU body to raise objections. It said the European Commission should take the Governments demands into account when deciding whether to allow data transfers between Britain and the EU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joe Jones, of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, said: Its the first sign of something official from the EU that has expressed concern about this. A threat to privacy The body, made up of the privacy regulators from the 27 EU states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, made the recommendation in response to an EU plan to extend a post-Brexit agreement allowing data to flow between the UK and Europe. Without the agreement, businesses would face a mountain of extra paperwork when moving information between the UK and the continent. The EDPB endorsed the proposal to extend the agreement to 2031, but said the EU should assess whether the iPhone backdoor demand was a threat to privacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apple has said it would never build a back door and has removed the iCloud encryption option for British iPhone users. It is also challenging the notice at the secretive Investigatory Powers Tribunal. The company has said it is gravely disappointed at the situation. The Home Office was contacted for comment. It has previously said that it does not comment on operational matters, but that we will always take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe. The EU has been caught in its own encryption row over plans to force messaging apps to scan private conversations for child abuse material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposals were delayed earlier this month after disagreements between countries. 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. Nearly four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EU energy ministers agreed to support a plan to ban Russian gas imports from Jan. 1, 2028 due to Moscows "weaponization" of gas supplies, the Council of the European Union said in a press release on Oct. 20. Despite largely weaning itself off Russian oil, the EU is still the biggest importer of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG), purchasing nearly 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) worth in the first half of 2025 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) more than the same period last year. In turn, Washington has pressed Europe to speed up its total embargo of Russian energy, including gas, as it looks to put more pressure on Moscow to end its war. Only Russia friendly Hungary and Slovakia, refused to back the bill, which terminates Russian pipeline and LNG imports, the Financial Times reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first phase of the ban will begin on Jan. 1, 2026 with a grace period for existing contracts: short term contracts concluded before June 17, 2025 can run until June 17, 2026, and long-term contracts until Jan. 1, 2028. The text of the law which is not final will be sent to the European Parliament for approval. "The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU's REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy, following Russia's weaponization of gas supplies and repeated disruptions of gas supplies to the EU with significant effects on the European energy market," the council wrote. As Russian attacks, financed in part by massive energy and fuel revenues, drive Ukraine into blackouts, European nations have welcomed the bill, which will slash billions from Russias budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Todays agreement in the EU Council to fully ban Russian gas imports by 2028 sends an unequivocal message: aggressors have no place in Europes energy market," Estonias Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna wrote on X on Oct 20. "Russia continues to weaponize energy revenues to finance its brutal war machine. Phasing out Russian gas is not just about reducing dependency, its a strategic move to bolster Europes security and resilience." Read also: Ukraine had a plan on how to engage with Trump. Then, Putin called The main opponents to the bill are Hungary and Slovakia, which have repeatedly kicked up a fuss when pressured to cut their ties to cheap Russian energy. They remain the last two importers of Russian oil in the EU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both countries complain that it is harder for them to find alternative gas imports since they are landlocked, despite Brussels proposing several alternative routes, including via Croatia. "With RePowerEU, our safe energy supply is being killed. They call it diversification, but in reality, it cuts one of our vital oil routes. The EU Commission completely ignores that this regulation destroys the energy security of EU Member States" Hungarys Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on X on Oct. 20. As part of the proposed regulation, existing gas contracts with Russia cannot be amended "except for some specific flexibilities for landlocked member states affected by recent changes in supply routes," the council wrote. That gives Hungary and Slovakia the chance to change and increase gas volumes under their current contracts with Russia. The council also said those members continuing to import Russian gas will have to submit a diversification strategy detailing their plans and possible challenges to sourcing new gas supplies. The same will be required for countries importing Russian oil imports, i.e. Hungary and Slovakia, which the council also wants to phase out by 2028. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian gas imports to the EU will be subject to additional checks and scrutiny during the transitional period, according to the council. Further monitoring mechanisms will be set up to prevent Russian gas from being transited through Europe to other markets. The council will implement a prior authorization regime that requires information for non-Russian gas five days before entry into the EU, and at least a month for Russian gas. Mixed LNG cargoes will have to prove how much is Russian and non-Russian, with only the non-Russian allowed into the EU. Read also: EU mulls hitting Russia where it hurts its shadow fleet Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. European countries are working with Ukraine on a 12-point proposal to end Russia's war along the current front lines. Source: Bloomberg, citing informed sources, as reported by European Pravda Details: According to people familiar with the matter, the implementation of the proposed plan will be overseen by a peace board chaired by US President Donald Trump. The proposals include the return of all deported children to Ukraine and a prisoner exchange once Russia, following Ukraine, agrees to a ceasefire and both sides commit to halting territorial advances. Ukraine would receive security guarantees, funding for war-related reconstruction and a path to rapid accession to the European Union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanctions against Russia would be gradually lifted, although around US$300 billion of frozen central bank reserves would only be returned once Moscow agrees to contribute to post-war reconstruction in Ukraine. Restrictions would be reinstated if Russia attacks Ukraine again. Moscow and Kyiv would begin talks on managing occupied territories, though neither Europe nor Ukraine would legally recognise any occupied land as Russian, the sources say. So far, Russia has rejected calls to cease hostilities along the existing lines, despite massive casualties in a war now in its fourth year. Details of the plan are still being finalised and may change, the sources noted. Any proposal would also require support from Washington, and European officials may visit the US this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposal echoes last week's calls from Trump to immediately freeze the war along current lines before commencing negotiations. Background: Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Several European leaders on Tuesday published a joint statement, together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stating that the current front line in Ukraine should be the starting point for possible peace negotiations. "We strongly support (US) President (Donald) Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations," the leaders write. The signatories include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force," the statement reads. On Sunday, Trump said the front line in Ukraine should be frozen and the two sides "can negotiate something later on down the line." On Monday Trump then said he does not believe Ukraine will win the war against Russia, though he has not ruled it out entirely. The European statement stresses that Ukraine is the only party to the conflict seriously interested in peace. "We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction," it reads. The signatories reiterate their commitment to supporting Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are clear that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position - before, during, and after any ceasefire," the leaders say. The statement also refers to efforts underway in Europe to make use of assets of the Russian central bank frozen in the European Union. This measure and the 19th package of EU sanctions on Russia are to be discussed by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. Evangelical leader and Trump ally Mike Evans warned that Israel has lost the global information war to Hamas and needs to refocus on its media strategy. Israel still has the support of American Evangelical Christians, but the Jewish state has lost the information war and needs to seriously invest its focus on the matter, longtime President Donald Trump ally Dr. Mike Evans told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. Israel had lost what Evans called the ideological war, which Hamas understood how to fight far better. While Gazan terrorist organizations couldnt hope to best the IDF on the battlefield, they had learned how to use the media to attack Israel in another war dimension. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evans gave the example of how Hamas could release figures, such as casualty reports, that were uncritically adopted by media outlets. Israel is going to have to focus on and prioritize the ideological war, said the American-Christian Zionist leader. It has been a banana republic when it comes to understanding how to use the media. Evangelical leaders were well-equipped and willing to help Israel in conveying its message to the Christians and Muslims around the world, but they had to cooperate with them. (L-R) Janet Huckabee, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Friends of Zion Museum founder Mike Evans, Shelly Shem Tov and Omer Shem Tov at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, May 6, 2025. (credit: Courtesy) Evans said that the Evangelical community still had rock solid support for Israel, but the anti-Israel sentiment developing among some Christian factions was an issue that needed to be addressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He had discussed the problem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling it a major problem. American youth first bought into social justice ideologies and narratives and now into anti-Israel activism, with Evans noting that much of it was engendered by the manipulation of universities and social media by authoritarian countries. Evans said that there was a reason to be concerned by crazies like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Candace Owens, and Tucker Carlson, who claim to be MAGA (Trump movement Make America Great Again), but focus on Antisemitic rage against Israel. Evans also cautioned Israel about the limitations of diplomacy with Hamas. The Trump peace plan had so far been immensely successful in getting back the hostages abducted by the terror organization a feat he said no one besides Trump could have achieved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet Evans said that it was extremely naive to expect that a demon-possessed terrorist organization would comply with the next phase of the peace plan, which would include its disarmament. Rather than disarm, there was a nightmare in Gaza with Hamas assassinating everyone they consider to be a collaborator. They only have one business, and thats the business of terror and they dont want it shut down, said Evans. Evans explained that the US would not be going into Gaza Disarmament would have to be enforced, but it was unclear who would remove this obstacle to the peace plan. Evans explained that the US would not be going into Gaza, and the United Nations could not be trusted, given its failures of peacekeeping groups like UNIFIL in Lebanon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that the Muslim leaders involved in the plan had related that they did not want to be put in a position in which they would kill other Muslims, which would put a target on their backs and could cause their subjects to turn on them. Evans noted that Trump had worked miracles before, and that more could happen but it would take nothing less than a miracle to get Hamas to cooperate. On Monday, Atlanta police officers stopped a man suspected of planning a shooting attack at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The officers credit their training with potentially saving lives. The man never made it inside the airport with the rifle he had in his truck outside, but Georgia law allows guns inside the airport terminals. Its only when travelers reach the security checkpoint that firearms are prohibited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Safety was top of mind for travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson on Tuesday because of the incident. I said, Holy cow. I couldnt believe that, traveler Robert Smith said about hearing about the arrest of Billy Joe Cagle. Smith and his wife told Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln that they noticed an increase in security while waiting for family. TRENDING STORIES: Police said they found a semi-automatic weapon and 27 rounds of ammunition in Cagles truck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police officers have to be prepared for what happened yesterday, former Atlanta Police Commander Renee Propes said. Propes, who oversaw airport security units in the 1990s and early 2000s, said Georgia law allows law-abiding citizens to carry weapons in the airports public areas. She said that wasnt always the case. That was back when Georgia law required a permit to carry a weapon, Propes said. In 2022, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Constitutional Carry bill into law, allowing people to carry a concealed gun in public without a permit. Its really a good lesson for everyone out there, if youre seeing something you need to call and say something, Kemp said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even just going into the general area and getting screened, youre allowed to have it, defense attorney Devin Rafus said. Rafus said its up to lawmakers to decide whether to prohibit guns in public areas outside TSA screening checkpoints. Its mainly by the state. The feds dont have restrictions in those places, Rafus said. Rafus said gun policies outside TSA checkpoints vary depending on each states concealed carry laws. Its mainly by the state, Rafus said. We do have a well-trained police department, and they are prepared to act, Propes said. Rafus said that because the federal government also has jurisdiction at airports, hes also been hit with federal charges. FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) Its been a long journey to justice for Amber Spradlins family, and it may drag on longer than expected. I think of her every day, and I cry just about every day, and I still constantly think of her, said Spradlins cousin Debbie Hall. Its been very difficult. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Commonwealths Attorney in Floyd County has formally requested to delay the murder trial in the case. The prosecution said new evidence has been found and it needs to be tested. It has been just over two years since Spradlin was found stabbed to death in a Floyd County home in June 2023. A jury is set to hear her case on Dec. 1, but the motion filed on Monday could change that. Mark Wohlander, an attorney representing Spradlins family, said that the Kentucky State Police crime lab has found whats believed to be new blood evidence on several items. A motion filed Monday by Commonwealths Attorney Brent Turner explains that at least 33 new items will be tested for DNA, a process that could take a while. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legal counsel for the family said the request to delay the trial is a necessary step for all parties involved. Hall said her family supports the decision, hoping it will make a stronger case. LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS: Im hoping that I dont have to spend any more of my lifetime worrying with these people, Hall said. Id like to put them out of my mind and forget about them just as soon as this is all over with. Three men are charged in the case, Michael McKinney, his son M.K. Mckinney, and Josh Mullins. M.K., who is charged with murder, was granted a speedy trial, but Turner said the completion of critical DNA testing should take precedent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hall said patience doesnt always come easy, but support from people nationwide has helped the family move forward with determination to achieve justice for Spradlin. We wouldnt be where we are today without all the support that weve had from everyone. In the time since Spradlins death, the family has created the Justice For Amber Facebook page which has gained more than 30 thousand group members. Hall said they hope to create a non-profit organization with goals of raising money for the state police crime lab and to support other families experiencing similar situations. Theres been a lot of cases of other people who are missing and murdered in this area, Hall said. And we want to do something to help those families and any families in the future who have to go through this, to be there to support them and help guide them through this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A pre-trial is set for Thursday where Turner said he hopes a judge will consider granting the motion filed on Monday. Amber Spradlins family pushes for new Kentucky law in her name with hope it will spark change The defense plans to address the request in a written response soon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. After a wave of indictments against Donald Trumps enemies, the presidents allies in Congress are now pushing the Department of Justice to file criminal charges against Barack Obamas former CIA director John Brennan, who they have accused of lying to Congress. In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan claimed Brennan knowingly made false statements to the panel during an interview in May 2023. The allegations against Brennan, who led the nations intelligence agency during a federal investigation into allegations of Russian interference in U.S. elections in 2016, center around the so-called Steele dossier, a series of largely discredited documents compiled by a former British intelligence officer which accused the president and his allies of conspiring with the Kremlin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christopher Steele handed his memo to the FBI in 2016, and a summary of allegations were included in an intelligence report ordered by the Obama administration following Trumps election. Brennans assertion that the CIA was not involved at all with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts, Jordan wrote Tuesday. House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan is asking the Department of Justice to criminally prosecute former CIA director John Brennan over his testimony on Russiagate in 2023 (AFP via Getty Images) His testimony was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts, the Ohio Republican wrote. Brennan, who emerged as a high-profile Trump critic after leaving the agency the moment Trump was first sworn into office in January 2017, has long been a target of the president, who is seeking political retribution against Democratic figures and others tied to a federal probe into his 2016 campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Criminal referrals from Congress typically carry little, if any, weight in the hands of federal prosecutors, particularly those that involve evidence that has been publicly available for years. But the Justice Department now appears to be inextricably linked to the presidents personal campaign against his perceived enemies. Former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were indicted in rapid succession following Trumps commands last month. After last months indictment against Comey, Brennan said he would not be intimidated by Trumps threats and the corruption and a perversion of the justice system within the executive branch. Im not going to be intimidated by the likes of Donald Trump. I have always tried to speak my mind and do what I thought was right, he told MSNBC at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think more and more people have to speak out, and Im waiting for those Republicans in Congress to come to their senses, because the damage thats being done to this country and the dangerous times that were in, I think too many Americans do not appreciate the extent of that, Brennan said. Before House Republicans referred him to the Justice Department to face criminal charges, Brennan said he refused to be intimidated by the Trump administrations threats of prosecution (Getty Images) The Steele dossiers sensational allegations were largely uncorroborated, while Republicans held up the memo to allege a bogus, Democratic-led conspiracy to undermine Trumps campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies, however, ultimately determined that Russian-backed interference in 2016 sought to boost Trump while damaging his then-opponent Hillary Clinton with a flood of disinformation. In his testimony to the House Judiciary committee in 2023, Brennan said he was not involved in analyzing the dossier at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I said the first time I actually saw it, it was after the election, he said, according to the transcript Jordan included in his letter to Bondi. And the CIA was not involved at all with the dossier. You can direct that to the FBI and to others. Jordan alleges that the findings in the conclusive intelligence report are false, and that Brennan made the ultimate decision, along with then-FBI Director James Comey, to include information from the dossier in the report. The Republicans referral follows indictments against three Trump enemies, all of whom have dismissed the allegations against them as politically motivated and baseless. Comey is similarly accused of lying to Congress over testimony involving the so-called Russiagate investigation. He has pleaded not guilty. Trumps former national security adviser-turned-prominent critic John Bolton has also pleaded not guilty to charges against him. James, the New York attorney general, is expected to be arraigned in federal court this week. Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Former FBI Director James Comey has asked a federal judge to dismiss the Justice Department's indictment against him, arguing he is being politically and unconstitutionally prosecuted by President Donald Trump because of their feud. Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement and obstruction in connection with testimony he gave before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020. The indictment against him was filed late last month by a junior prosecutor who replaced U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure from the Trump administration. Siebert had been accused by Trump of intentionally delaying taking action against Comey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new U.S. attorney filed the indictment against Comey just days before the statute of limitations was to expire. In the 42-page motion filed Monday, Comey's defense argued that "the government has singled out Mr. Comey for prosecution because of his protected speech and because of President Trump's personal animus toward Mr. Comey. "Such a vindictive and selective prosecution violates the First Amendment, Due Process Clause and equal protection principles," the motion states. At the center of the lawsuit is testimony Comey gave to the Senate committee examining the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation into alleged collusion between Russian officials and Trump's 2016 election campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment accuses Comey of lying to Congress when he said he had not authorized an FBI employee to be an anonymous source for news reports. The indictment is not explicit, and is seems to reference an exchange between Comey and Sen. Ted Cruz, in which the Republican from Texas asked the former law enforcement head if he had authorized his then deputy to speak with a reporter about the Crossfire investigation. Comey told Cruz he did not. Comey has been a critic of Trump, who campaigned on seeking retribution against his political rivals. Trump fired Comey in May 2017 during his first administration in connection with the FBI's handling of an investigation into his former political rival, Hillary Clinton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the dismissal motion filed Monday, his lawyers argue that the indictment brought against Comey is the product of "multiple glaring constitutional violations" as well as "an egregious abuse of power" by the White House. His defense alleges that Trump ordered the Justice Department to prosecute their client "because of personal spite." They continue that Trump "publicly forced" Siebert resign and then installed a White House aide with no prosecutorial experience in that position for the purpose of prosecuting Comey. "Objective evidence establishes that President Trump harbors genuine animus toward Mr. Comey, both based on Mr. Comey's protected speech and based on President Trump's arbitrary personal bias," the motion states. "In response to Mr. Comey's protected speech, President Trump has resorted to personal attacks and calls to retaliate against Mr. Comey through punishment and imprisonment." The trial is scheduled to start in early January. Pope Leo XIV has created seven new saints, bringing the total number of people who posthumously received this title to nine since he was appointed to lead the Catholic Church earlier this year. Among the latest group honored was an attorney who at one point became a Satanic priest, before denouncing Satan and returning to his Christian faith. Bells rang out over St. Peter's Square for the ceremony on Sunday, which had an audience that the Vatican estimated at some 70,000 people. There, the pope canonized that ex-occultist priest, Bartolo Longo, alongside a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea, an archbishop killed in the Armenian genocide, a Venezuelan "doctor of the poor" and three nuns who dedicated their lives to the poor and sick. The former Satanic priest Longo, an Italian lawyer born in 1841 and who died in 1926, rejoined Catholicism and went on to found the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii. A portrait of former Satanist-turned-Catholic Bartolo Longo is displayed on the day of his canonisation, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, October 19, 2025. / Credit: Claudia Greco / REUTERS "Today we have before us seven witnesses, the new Saints, who, with God's grace, kept the lamp of faith burning," Leo told the crowd gathered at the Vatican during his homily. "May their intercession assist us in our trials and their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Huge portraits of the seven were unfurled from windows over the square as Leo, the first U.S. pope, emerged from St. Peter's Basilica dressed in a ceremonial white cassock with a miter on his head, preceded by white-clad bishops and cardinals. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints the Vatican department charged with beatification and canonization read aloud profiles of the seven to applause from the crowd. With Leo's reading of the canonization formula, they were officially declared saints. In his homily, Leo acknowledged the importance of the world's "material, cultural, scientific and artistic treasures" but said "their true meaning is lost without faith," according to the Vatican. Describing the new saints as either "martyrs for their faith," "evangelizers and missionaries," "charismatic founders" of congregations or "benefactors of humanity," the pope also encouraged his followers to lean on their faith at times when the suffering around them could spark doubt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When we are 'crucified' by pain and violence, by hatred and war, Christ is already there, on the cross for us and with us," he said. "There is no cry that God does not console; there is no tear that is far from His heart." Rite of canonization The rite of canonization on Sunday was the second for the former Robert Prevost since he was made leader of the Catholic Church on May 8. Last month, he proclaimed as saints Italians Carlo Acutis a teenager dubbed "God's Influencer" who spread the faith online before his death at age 15 in 2006 and Pier Giorgio Frassati, considered a model of charity who died in 1925, aged 24. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Canonization is the final step toward sainthood in the Catholic Church, following beatification. Three conditions are required most crucially that the individual has performed at least two miracles. He or she must be deceased for at least five years and have led an exemplary Christian life. Martyrs, humanitarians Among those made saints Sunday were Peter To Rot, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea killed during the Japanese occupation during World War II, Armenian bishop Ignazio Choukrallah Maloyan killed by Turkish forces in 1915, and Venezuela's Jose Gregorio Hernandez Cisneros, a layman who died in 1919, whom the late Pope Francis called a "doctor close to the weakest." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also from Venezuela was Maria Carmen Rendiles Martinez, a nun born without a left arm who overcame her disability to found the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus before her death in 1977. She becomes the South American country's first female saint. Pope Leo XIV tours on his popemobile after presiding over a Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican during which he canonized seven new saints of the Catholic Church, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: Andrew Medichini / AP The Italian nuns canonized are Vincenza Maria Poloni, the 19th-century founder of Verona's Institute of the Sisters of Mercy, which cares primarily for the sick in hospitals, and Maria Troncatti of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. In the 1920s, Troncatti arrived in Ecuador to devote her life to helping its indigenous population. Circling St. Peter's Square in his popemobile after the service, Leo went far beyond its confines, traveling down the Via della Conciliazione linking the Vatican to Rome, stopping frequently to bless babies among the thousands of well-wishers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump says two survivors of U.S. strike on submersible suspected of drug smuggling will be sent home Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Ms. Rachel on raising her voice for kids everywhere A former Warren city councilman, charged with carrying a concealed weapon after a traffic stop in 2024 that occurred when he was running for Macomb County sheriff, accepted a plea deal to a lesser charge and was sentenced Oct. 20. Edward Kabacinski pleaded no contest to improper possession of a firearm, according to online Macomb County Circuit Court records. His attorney, Randy Rodnick, said the charge is a 90-day misdemeanor. The original felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon was dismissed. Circuit Judge Diane Druzinski sentenced Kabacinski, 52, to fines and costs, which are to be paid within 60 days. Court records indicate fines and costs total $625 and a review is set for Dec. 18, but Kabacinski does not have to appear if everything is paid in full. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We were happy that we had a reasonably good resolution," said Rodnick, who said the April 2024 stop occurred when Kabacinski was going from his Warren house to his business at the former Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights. Kabacinski was running as a Republican for sheriff when Warren police stopped him. He lost the GOP race in the August 2024 primary. Police said officers noticed a Dodge van driving near Hoover and Common with a license plate that expired in October 2019 and a cracked windshield, according to a 2024 news release. Officers made a traffic stop and identified the driver as Kabacinski. They saw he had a revolver secured in a holster on his right hip. Police said Kabacinski told officers he had a firearm on his person and said he was a retired law enforcement officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He showed officers his Michigan driver's license, a silver badge with "United States Army," "Military Retired Police" in banners, and an expired U.S. Army Reserve military identification card, police had said. Kabacinski told police did not have a Michigan concealed pistol license and he didn't need one because of his retired military status. Police said the revolver was loaded and registered to Kabacinski, who had additional ammunition for the weapon as well as handcuffs and handcuff keys on him. Kabacinski was issued civil infractions for expired plates and a cracked windshield, police said. Both infractions were dismissed in January, according to online records in 37th District Court in Warren. More: US Supreme Court justice declines to toss Livonia man's terrorist threat charge Kabacinski has been in court before on other charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A jury convicted him in 2023 of peddling political merchandise without a sales permit in Utica during a rally for Donald Trump. He was arrested by Utica police on a misdemeanor ordinance violation. He was sentenced to one year of non-reporting probation and $825 in fines and costs, according to 41A District Court in Shelby Township. Online court records indicate an order for discharge from probation was generated in March and the case was closed. In 2022, he pleaded no contest in a case in Eastpointe, where he was accused of chasing down and handcuffing a woman who put Black Lives Matter stickers on Trump yard signs. He pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace, a lesser offense than the original one-year misdemeanor charge of impersonating a public officer. A 93-day misdemeanor assault and battery charge was dismissed. He was sentenced in that case to 12 months of probation with conditions, in addition to $1,055 in fines and costs, with the plea taken under a section of the Michigan criminal code that allows for a delayed sentence. In April 2023, the case was closed and Kabacinski was discharged from probation, according to online records in 38th District Court in Eastpointe. Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @challreporter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Warren councilman facing gun charge pleads no contest to misdemeanor ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A former telecom employee is being accused of stealing up to $32,000 at her company after she posed as debt collection agent. In 2022, a Maryland Heights-based telecom company says they were contacted by a debt collection agency called LMW Recovery Services, which was ran by Kismett Collie. According to the probable cause statement, LMW claimed to have collected the telecom companys debts and began sending them invoices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assumed to be legitimate, the company began paying each bill over the course of several monthstotaling $32,752.64, according to court records. Officials say that in mid-October the telecom company became suspicious of the legitimacy of LMW, after receiving a new invoice for $6,053.89. When investigating LMW, officials discovered that Collie was the owner of the debt collection agency. At the time of the case, Collie worked within the finance department at the telecom company. Due to the nature of her job, Collie had access to legitimate invoice numbers, which she used to contact her work via email and allegedly steal large sums of money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defendant would have had access to these numbers through her job, had sent the bogus invoices to her own work email from an email address connected to LMW Recovery Services, the probable cause statement reads. In an interrogation with police, Collies daughter confirmed with officials that she and her mother opened LMVV Recovery Services together, but had not done much in connection with the business, according to the probable cause statement. Collie turned herself into Creve Core police, where she faces the following charge: $25,000 or more She is summoned to appear in front of St. Louis County judge Kelly Lynn Snyder on Nov. 12 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 FOX 2. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe addressed several key topics in an exclusive, one-on-one interview Tuesday with FOX 2, including the states growing energy needs and a petition challenging the states congressional redistricting. These were among Kehoes remarks and discussion points in his one-on-one interview. Energy needs and data centers Kehoe says legislation recently passed in the state aims to curb costs for consumers while still tackling energy needs of the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The consumer protection provisions put in Senate Bill 4 do just that, said Kehoe. It allows for large industrial growth from our utilities, whether its a data center or widget manufacturing, without putting the burden on the backs of Missouri consumers. It was very strategically [developed] as a long-term plan for energy development as well as economic development, again, while protecting consumers. Redistricting Petition Kehoe blasts efforts aimed at challenging new congressional redistricting maps he signed into law last month, specifically a referendum petition with more than 100,000 signature. On the efforts challenging redistricting, he says Missourians should simply follow the money. Its like anything else, said Kehoe. Weve got this outside influence of money thats coming from mainly the East Coast. Its putting millions of dollars into affecting what Missourians may or may not do. And I would tell Missourians to be cautious, to understand where do these groups come from, who are the employees employing to come out and collect signatures? What is their motive? Why are they so interested in spending this kind of money in Missouri? Its always about following the money, Do you think the referendum vote will reach the ballot next year? Zinn asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hope not, said Kehoe in response. I would encourage Missourians not to sign that petition because theres always something about that that you just dont quite know if they look at the bill thats attached to it. You know, its pretty thick. KC Stadiums Kehoe remains optimistic that the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals will stay in the Show-Me State. He said he has had weekly conversations with team owners and other parties interested in keeping both teams in Missouri. Ive had great meetings with the ownership groups, said Kehoe. Obviously, theres at least one county, potentially two counties in the Kansas City area that are involved in that. And they understand what they need to do. We have a new county executive in Jackson County. Ive spoken with county executive-elect [Phil] LeVota, and hes very interested in making sure we do what we can to make sure the Chiefs stay a Missouri team where they belong. We would do this for any business that wanted to leave Missouri and go to some other state that had the kind of employment those two operations have. We would be trying to invest to keep those businesses in Missouri. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kehoe says he takes Kansas Dec. 31 deadline seriously and admits Missouri is up against competition in the state of Kansas. The Chiefs have definitely said they want to stay at Arrowhead. Were encouraging them, and theyve released some plans that would make Arrowhead a legacy facility, much like Lambeau Field, said Kehoe. So, theres some really exciting stuff that could happen at the existing site for the Chiefs. The Royals, as you know, have picked a couple of different sites in Missouri lately. Youve seen some elected officials in Clay County, just a hair north of downtown, indicate that theyve had some great discussions with the Royals. And again, our offers are agnostic as long as they stay on this side of the line. In Missouri, our offers will work. STL Tornado Recovery Kehoe said Missouri will stand by St. Louis for as long as it takes to recover from Mays tornado. He said his office is working with the White House to ensure federal help continues to roll in. Everybody wants everything fixed overnight, and I get it. If it was my house, Id want it fixed overnight as well, said Kehoe. The reality is it takes time to rebuild these communities. But I can tell you from our standpoint and the elected leaders in this office and in this building, were in it as long as it takes to get St. Louis back on the right track. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kehoe said hes not sure whether St. Louis will get any additional funding from the state as the city rebuilds following the May 16 tornado. He says while state resources will continue to provide assistance, any additional funding would likely have to come from Washington D.C. The [Missouri] special session provided $100 million specifically for St. Louis cleanup, said Kehoe. Thats a significant amount of money. And I think right now were going to figure out what the resources that that will all pay for. We have received a federal grant through Kristi Noems office. Secretary Knowles is also very involved as well as the president personally on what tornado cleanup will look like. We have just announced a cabinet-level position from our staff, Clint Barnett, who will be the interface between our office and directly with SEMA and the Corps of Engineers as we start awarding those contracts and putting the RFPs out. Kehoe is also warning victims of the May 16 tornado and recent storms to be careful who you choose as a contractor when rebuilding. He said his office is working with the Missouri Attorney General to ensure that only reputable contractors are conducting business, especially in a storm zone. Unfortunately, with disasters, there are some illegitimate actors that get out and scam artists that want to take advantage of Missouri, said Kehoe. And so I would make sure that if you are moving forward with the contractors and individuals making sure you get a reputable company. Again, we will work together with the Corps of Engineers who are helping us oversee what those contracts will look like as we do the debris cleanup to make sure were getting the best bang for our buck and get it done as quickly, as efficiently as possible. STL Battery Plant Kehoe says hes hopeful a proposed battery plant in north St. Louis will continue with construction despite losing a nearly $200 million grant from the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve been working with Congresswoman Ann Wagners office, said Kehoe. Her staff has been very involved in this process. And remember, those grants are issued to businesses, or businesses have to perform a certain amount of things by a certain date [for the grant]. And then, you know, the grants become available. So, as a business person who has been involved in most of these multiple conversations like this over the many years, Ive been in small business, theres two sides to this story. If it creates jobs in St. Louis and ends up being something that can be helpful to our economy. Kehoe didnt rule out additional state support for the project, but said at the end of the day, the decision to go ahead with the project will be up to the company. The estimated $547 million project could bring more than 150 new jobs to the St. Louis 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. Former First Son Hunter Biden ripped President Donald Trumps feces-themed AI video as not just juvenile but also painting a target on young influencer Harry Sisson. Activists have been organizing a series of No Kings protests for months, with this past weekends drawing over 7 million people to around 2,000 rallies organized across the country. Trump responded by posting a bizarre AI video depicting himself wearing a crown and strafing protesters with feces from a fighter jet and singling out 23-year-old liberal influencer Harry Sisson for the first salvo. Trump responded by posting a bizarre AI video depicting himself wearing a crown and strafing protesters with feces from a fighter jet and singling out 23-year-old liberal influencer Harry Sisson for the first salvo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunter Biden sat down for a rare interview on Substack this week, during which he repeatedly ripped Trump over the AI video. First, he praised the protests by saying that it was really impressive and it was really heartening to see. But Biden went on to rip Trump over the video, calling it sad: HUNTER BIDEN: So sad. So sad to watch. Forget about how juvenile it is, what the president did. You know, dropping, and I mean like, you know, I mean, like AI. I mean, its just juvenile? Dumping excrement on the heads of American people in an AI video and thinking its funny. He went on to accuse Trump of putting a target on Sisson and others and pushed back on those who dismiss this as mere trolling: HUNTER BIDEN: So when I see the president of the United States create an A.I. Video wearing a crown and dumping excrement on the heads of American peaceful protesters and, you know, TikTok stars like Harry, I see him basically point, you know, painting a bullseye, painting a bullseyes on somebody like that TOMMY CHRISTOPHER: I hadnt thought of it that way, but I thats you know what what I want I can be you know why I was Distracted because I just was blown away by the fact that the fing president of the United States put a 22 year old kid in a video and. Like like oh, obviously these protests dont bother you at all! Because you know youre just doing this video of this 22 year-old kid. Like what a small person! I didnt even think about the potential for violence, but is that HUNTER BIDEN: Well, think about it. This is not only the potential for violence. Is this. Is that isnt he just completely conditioning us with that? How many times has he sent out videos of him wearing a crown? And by the way, its not a joke. Its not just a troll. We always say this in every single thing that everybody says Its just him trolling us. . Hes done it. He just commuted George Santoss sentence. By the way. Nobody likes George Santos. Republicans dont like George Santos. Nobody on Fox News like George Santos. Everybody was happy that George Santos was going away. Why did he do it? You know why he did it? To show that he can do anything. Anything he wants. Because he can. Watch above via the Tommy Christopher Substack interview series. The post Hunter Biden Blasts Trumps Fecal No Kings AI Video: Painting A Target On Young Influencer Harry Sisson first appeared on Mediaite. By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -The ceasefire agreement between Islamabad and Kabul is linked to the ruling Taliban's ability to rein in militants attacking Pakistan from Afghanistan, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters on Monday. The South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire in Doha at the weekend after days of border clashes that killed dozens, the worst such violence since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ground fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul control militants, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan. "Anything coming from Afghanistan will be (a) violation of this agreement," Asif said in his office at Pakistan's parliament in Islamabad. "Everything hinges on this one clause." The Taliban administration and Afghanistan's defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In the agreement signed by Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Qatar, it was clearly spelled out that there would not be any incursions, the minister said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have a ceasefire agreement as long as there is no violation of the agreement which is already in force." Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the umbrella of several Islamist militant groups, operates out of Afghanistan to attack Pakistan "in connivance" with the Taliban, the minister said. Kabul has previously denied such accusations. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad, writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Toby Chopra and Andrew Cawthorne) ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) The Auburn and N. Main roundabout in Rockford is set to close Sunday to allow for maintenance, according to the City of Rockford. In June 2024, the Illinois Department of Transportation reduced the two-lane roundabout to a single lane in an effort to reduce accidents at the intersection. We went from 6 to 7 accidents a month down to 1 to 2 accidents a month. Add an additional minute, the two-minute delay on your work commute, we figured that the 60% decrease in traffic accidents and increase in safety is worth the compromise, said Rockford City Engineer Tim Hinkens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city said the overwhelming majority of accidents were caused by failure to yield and improper lane usage, both of which are considered driver error. To repaint the roundabout striping, the intersection is scheduled to be closed to traffic beginning Sunday, October 26th, and will reopen Monday, October 27th at 6 a.m. Detours will be provided during the closure, the city 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 MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. (WGHP) The Piedmont will enjoy pleasant fall weather. Sunny, breezy at times on Wednesday with lows in the mid to upper 40s and highs in the mid to upper 60s. Wind gusts between 20 mph and 25 mph are possible. Thursday morning will be cool with lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Lots of sun on Thursday with highs in the upper 60s. Mostly sunny on Friday with lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Our highs will be in the middle 60s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A weak system moving across the southeast over the weekend will push clouds into the Piedmont. Saturday will be partly sunny with lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Highs will be in the middle 60s. Sunday, mostly cloudy with lows in the low to middle 40s and highs in the middle 60s. Monday and Tuesday, mostly cloudy with lows in the mid to upper 40s and highs in the lower 60s. Monday and Tuesday will carry a slight chance for a shower. Chance of rain 30%. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Protesters hold signs opposing the Supreme Courts draft ruling on Roe vs. Wade on May 14, 2022, at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wis. (Angela Major / WPR) This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Watch. A new Republican bill that would exempt certain life-saving medical procedures from falling under the definition of abortion is drawing criticism from medical professionals despite being described by its authors as an attempt to protect reproductive health care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the bill, introduced on Friday, medical procedures designed or intended to prevent the death of a pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn child would not fall under Wisconsins abortion definition. They would also not be subject to state laws prohibiting funding for abortion-related activities and Wisconsins ban on abortion past 20 weeks. The bill, authored by Rep. Joy Goeben, R-Hobart, and Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood, specifically exempts early inductions or cesarean sections performed in cases of ectopic, anembryonic or molar pregnancies from being considered abortion so long as the physician conducting them makes reasonable medical efforts to save both parent and unborn child from harm. Moreover, the bill would change the definition of unborn child in Wisconsin statute from a human being from the time of conception until it is born alive to a human being from the time of fertilization until birth. OBGYN Carley Zeal, a representative for the Wisconsin Medical Society and fellow at Physicians for Reproductive Health, said unborn child is not a medically recognized term because doctors dont confer personhood to a fertilized egg or fetus. Legal expert Howard Schweber told Wisconsin Watch he doesnt expect changing the definition of unborn child to begin at fertilization will have a meaningful impact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abortion as a political issue hits deep in the heart of Wisconsin, where Marquette Law School polls since 2020 show 64% of all voters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Democrats have campaigned in support of eliminating restrictions on abortion, while Republicans, who in 2015 passed the states current ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy, have sought to increase restrictions on, penalize or ban abortion completely. The bill follows multiple successive changes to Wisconsins abortion law since 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and returned the issue of abortion to individual states leaving Wisconsin scrambling to put together a consistent abortion policy. The new GOP bill also seems to nod toward several high-profile national incidents of patients dying from being denied reproductive care in states with restrictive abortion bans, even when the bans include exceptions for abortion care if a patients life is in danger. One National Institutes of Health study found that after Texass abortion ban was passed, maternal morbidity during the gestational period doubled from the time before the law despite it having a medical emergency clause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Goeben and Quinn stated in a memorandum that their bill seeks to counter misinformation spread by bad actors about doctors not performing needed medical care for fear of being criminalized under abortion statutes. Goeben told Wisconsin Watch she consulted with physicians about the bill and believes it will reassure them of their ability to provide this care. A doctor may at all times, no matter where the state is at on the abortion issue, feel very confident in providing the health care that women need in these very challenging situations that women face, Goeben said. Medical and legal experts weigh in Both Zeal and Sheboygan OBGYN Leslie Abitz, a member of both the state medical society, the Committee to Protect Healthcare and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said they oppose the bill. They argue it is an attempt by the Wisconsin Legislature to use emotionally charged, ideologically driven, non-medical terms to interfere with the patient-physician relationship in medical care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stated goal of the bill to distinguish between medical procedures from abortion is misleading because it suggests that abortion care is not an essential part of comprehensive health care, Abitz said. A woman is putting her health and her life at risk every time she chooses to carry a pregnancy, and so she shouldnt be mandated to put her life at risk. Schweber views the bill differently. While a clause in Wisconsins 20-week abortion ban statutes already exempts abortions performed for the life or health of the mother, he believes Goeben and Quinns bill could make hospitals and insurance companies more comfortable with authorizing lifesaving reproductive health care procedures. Insurance companies and hospitals or doctors, in order to err on the side of safety, will tell the doctors not to perform a procedure that is medically needed and, in fact, properly legal, Schweber said. (This) law is trying to prevent a chilling effect on legal medical procedures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the bill is not yet formally introduced, the Society of Family Planning, an international nonprofit composed of physicians, nurses and public health practitioners specializing in abortion and contraception science, opposes it. The narrative that exceptions to an abortion ban or redefining what abortion care is can mitigate the harm of restrictive policies is based in ideology, not evidence, Executive Director Amanda Dennis said in a statement. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has not yet taken a position on the bill, but told Wisconsin Watch that state medical emergency clauses do not offer adequate protection for the myriad (of) pregnancy complications people experience, resulting in substantial harm to patients in the case of an abortion ban. Political reaction to the bill Prominent Democratic lawmakers, such as gubernatorial candidate Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, have criticized the proposed bill as part of a series of moves by anti-abortion politicians to distance themselves from the deadly consequences of abortion bans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The way that you protect people from legal jeopardy is by not criminalizing health care, Roys said. Goebens bill just shows how deadly and dangerous criminalizing abortion bans are. Its an acknowledgement of the truth, which is that abortion bans kill women. Goeben said she is surprised by the opposition because her bill on its own does not introduce any additional penalties to abortion. These are the issues that the other side of the aisle has talked about, saying, oh, the poor women that cant get health care! Goeben said. So I thought honestly that this would be supported by everybody, if we are really concerned about the health care of women. She said she would also be open to discussing amendments to the bill, which would include exemptions for abortions performed because of other medical complications such as preeclampsia or maternal sepsis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anti-abortion organizations Wisconsin Right to Life, Pro-Life Wisconsin, Wisconsin Catholic Conference and Wisconsin Family Action have endorsed the proposal. A similar bill by Quinn prior to the Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidating Wisconsins 1849 abortion ban in July died in the Senate last year. Even if the new bill is to pass through the Legislature, Gov. Tony Evers plans to veto it, spokesperson Britt Cudaback told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Looming gubernatorial, attorney general and legislative races in 2026 could decide the future of abortion laws and enforcement in the state. New legislative maps and a national midterm environment that historically has favored the party out of power in the White House gives Democrats their best chance to win control of the Legislature since 2010. Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the GOP frontrunner for governor, previously supported a bill planning to ban abortion after six weeks, though he has rolled back that position in recent media appearances and deleted all mention of abortion from his website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schweber said Wisconsins newly liberal majority Supreme Court will decide the future of abortion in the state. The justices must answer the cases being brought to them on whether the state constitution guarantees a right to an abortion. Just because the U.S. Constitution does not secure a right to abortion does not mean that Wisconsin or Ohio or Texas constitutionally doesnt have that right, he said. Each state supreme court now has to decide this profound question. This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Reshaping energy policy has been a major theme of President Donald Trump's second term, with a "nuclear renaissance" emerging as a primary focus. The efficacy of the strategy has been questioned by some experts, with several recently speaking with the digital magazine Undark. The outlet noted that Trump signed four separate executive orders in May intended to boost the domestic production of nuclear energy. In August, the U.S. Department of Energy announced 11 projects as part of its Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program and set a goal to "achieve criticality" in at least three of the 11 by July 4, 2026. Such movement has been swift this year in the nuclear sector, one that has carried considerably more baggage than other energy sectors and for several reasons. Among them are a string of high-profile incidents like the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly 40 years later, nuclear energy has advanced significantly, a fact that experts don't dispute. Nuclear isn't exactly an unknown quantity in the United States, either. The Energy Information Administration has indicated that nearly 20 percent of American energy, as of 2021, was nuclear in origin. Now, at least one aim behind the current administration's prioritization of the technology seems to be the desire to power energy-hungry artificial intelligence operations. Although it isn't fully classifiable as a clean energy source, nuclear is considered cleaner than energy generated by burning fossil fuels and is inherently low-carbon. Meanwhile, in a rapidly evolving energy landscape and amid skyrocketing utility costs nationwide, nuclear energy was perhaps the source least suited to an accelerated scale-up. It's a point that energy experts repeatedly made to Undark, noting that this particular nuclear push has centered on deregulation and pledges to eliminate "red tape" by reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Policy expert Allison Macfarlane, who chaired the NRC from 2012 to 2014, expressed skepticism that the initiative's goals were grounded in reality. Macfarlane told the outlet that nuclear infrastructure is "too expensive to build, and it takes too long to build." Nuclear safety expert Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists warned of a "hype bubble that is driving unrealistic expectations" in the sector. Lyman was doubtful that deregulation was the key to advancing nuclear productivity in the U.S. "The message is that it's regulation that has been the obstacle to deploying nuclear power, and if we just get rid of all this red tape, then the industry is going to thrive," he told Undark. "I think that's really misplaced." Massachusetts Institute of Technology nuclear energy researcher Koroush Shirvan suggested that deregulation was effectively a smokescreen to obscure the real underlying issue: economics nuclear energy production currently comes at very high costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Even the license-ready reactors are still not economical," Shirvan explained. Meanwhile, federal funding to support the expansion of solar and wind energy clean, renewable options for a more resilient grid that are already market-tested and meeting end users' needs has been greatly reduced. In early October, Politico called the president's support for nuclear energy "a rare exception to the Trump administration's fealty to fossil fuels." Rob Gramlich, president of the consulting firm Grid Strategies, told the outlet that the cancellation of billions of dollars for renewable energy projects could result in higher utility bills for consumers. 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. It is continually proven that time, effort, and funds allocated to climate action are an effective way to protect the planet and promote biodiversity. The Fort Worth Zoo is leading its own conservation efforts, bringing back an endearing species that was once a staple for Texans. According to the Fort Worth Report, since 2011, the zoo has been propelling efforts to repopulate the horned lizard through a conservation program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the horned lizard, also known as a horny toad or horntoad, was once collected in bucketfuls by Texan kids, their proliferation has seriously dwindled. Now, they are listed as a threatened species in Texas. Due to so many people's connection to these little lizards in their childhood, the zoo's curator, Diane Barber, explains that it's easier to get people to rally behind them, as opposed to other reptiles or amphibians. "These little guys have a way of getting that attention and breaking barriers," Barber said, per the Fort Worth Report. Intervening in species recovery is no empty endeavor. A conservation project taking place in the Caribbean has brought back over 12 different species from the edge of extinction. In California, the spotting of a group of elusive gray wolves proved that efforts to protect this endangered species were effective. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While caring about all threatened animals is ideal, special critters like the horned lizard are vital to conservation efforts, as they move the species' protection into the public zeitgeist, encouraging everyone to take local action. The University of Texas at Austin explains that these iconic reptiles have coexisted with humans for thousands of years, even being depicted in some cultures' petroglyphs and pottery. "Everybody rallies behind them," said Kira Gangbin, a Texas Christian University doctoral student studying horned lizards. "They're serving as this poster child of conservation," she continued, as quoted by the Fort Worth Report. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Though the horned lizard is being reintegrated into the wild, there are still hiccups in their ability to survive. Namely, fire ants are a major threat to the species' survival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Technology aimed at tracking these camouflage-heavy reptiles is helping researchers keep track of their whereabouts and better learn the steps needed to further protect them. "If you can successfully preserve horned lizards, you are also successfully preserving other Texas species that rely on the same habitat," said TCU Professor Dean Williams, per the Fort Worth Report. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. A North American bird has been found for the first time on a Brazilian island, according to the Miami Herald. The veery was spotted on Marambaia Island in the state of Rio de Janeiro by researchers recently. The thrush typically migrates to Brazil during North American winters, but the fact that it only sings during breeding season in North America makes it challenging to track. Researchers are concerned that habitat loss will reduce the migration options for the veery and have already seen signs of population decline. Bird populations across America have been dropping, with habitat destruction, extreme weather, and pollution being the primary drivers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Habitat destruction along routes has deteriorated migration patterns. A shifting climate can throw migration timing into chaos and create a mismatch between bird arrival and food availability. The veery may be well-suited to detecting extreme weather, however. Previous research has suggested that its departure south correlates with heavy hurricane seasons. The veery's shorter breeding seasons give it time to avoid this destructive weather. Many migratory birds are able to detect shifts in atmospheric pressure and adjust their migration patterns based on its level. Cases like the veery demonstrate the value of participating in citizen science. When a species is especially elusive, any sightings of it can be useful for researchers and policymakers. Platforms like iNaturalist are an easy and engaging way for anyone to share their wildlife sightings. Researchers were able to conclude that the veery "is considered rare in the region," per the Herald, as sightings had not even been registered on citizen science platforms like Wikiaves, eBird, and Taxeu. Researchers hope that their data on the rarely seen veery will help inform conservation efforts in Brazil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These types of records can add to the body of knowledge of the species' distribution, migration routes, and environments used, as well as contribute to the development of conservation strategies," said the report. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure 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 soldiers have been evacuated for treatment, and their families have been notified. Two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded when an explosive detonated in southern Gaza, the military confirmed on Tuesday. The soldiers have been evacuated for treatment, and their families have been notified. On Monday,two soldiers were killed in Rafah when Hamas broke the ceasefire agreement with Israel by firing anti-tank missiles and gunfire toward Israeli soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A third soldier was seriously wounded in the same incident and was taken to a hospital for immediate treatment. Netanyahu orders 'forceful response' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since ordered a "forceful response" on the terror group, including the closure of all crossings into Gaza and the halt of humanitarian aid into the Strip. Israel had notified the US of its strike in advance. The Americans urged Israel to "respond proportionately but show restraint," a US official told Axios, adding that "Nobody wants to go back to full-scale war. The Israelis want to show Hamas there are consequences, without ruining the peace agreement." Following these incidents, the IDF marked the Yellow Line, where Israeli troops had withdrawn to, with 3.5-meter-tall signposts. GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) An explosive was found by movers in Glynn County during an eviction. The incident occurred on Monday when the Glynn County Sheriffs Office (GCSO) was present at an eviction move-out on Lake Drive when movers found an explosive device at the residence. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) bomb squad was requested to assist with the incident. Glynn County Fire and EMS also responded to the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GBI said the device was an old hand grenade and determined that it was still active. The grenade was then transported for disposal. The eviction move-out continued without incident. GCSO said deputies are on hand during evictions to ensure the process is conducted lawfully. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The leaders of a railway trade union spent thousands of pounds of members money at a Las Vegas casino during an all-expenses-paid trip, according to a leaked dossier seen by The Telegraph. Senior officials at the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) including Manuel Cortes, the general secretary at the time racked up 8,500 in expenses claims during a visit to the US city in 2022. Bills claimed back on expenses in Vegas and on other trips during Mr Cortess tenure included four-figure casino and hotel invoices, dinners at restaurants offering roast suckling pigs big enough to feed six people, and transatlantic flights in business class. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Cortes also withdrew hundreds of dollars in cash ahead of the Vegas trip, paid for by the union. Revelations about the level of expenses-linked spending by TSSAs bosses and wider apparent financial mismanagement will raise questions about how the union was run during Mr Cortess time as general secretary. TSSA has more than 17,000 members working in the administrative, managerial and professional sectors of Britains rail companies. Each pays up to 25 a month for membership. In return, they receive the backing of TSSA in disputes with their employers and access to legal support. Manuel Cortes, centre, was general secretary of the TSSA between 2011 and 2022 The disclosures will also raise fears that instead of TSSAs money being spent on looking after members, it is being diverted for the personal enjoyment of those at the top of the union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forensic accountants traced all spending by senior TSSA officials after five of the unions senior managers were suspended in 2023 over allegations of bullying and sexual harassment. They discovered that between 2017 and 2022, Mr Cortes claimed a total of 75,000 in expenses and spending on his union credit card. Over the same period, his TSSA wages totalled more than 550,000, plus a further 115,000 in pension contributions. During 2022, the Labour-affiliated union oversaw Britains largest rail strikes in three decades, with 20 days of industrial action that caused misery for tens of millions of passengers. Steve Coe, a former TSSA assistant general secretary who retired in 2022, called on Mr Cortes to repay any wrongfully claimed expenses. He said: This is members money and they expect their money to be spent on their interests, not feathering the nests of senior officials within TSSA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A copy of the accountants report into the TSSAs finances, dated July 2023 and comprising hundreds of pages of detailed expenses claims, credit card statements, invoices and contracts, has been seen by The Telegraph. This is what the investigation found. The Las Vegas visit and the deal that never was The Las Vegas casino visit was one of a string of concerns raised by forensic accounting firm HW Fisher. The trip, in August 2022, came about at a time when the TSSA was fearful about its future. Covid, declining membership, falling incomes and Boris Johnsons wipe-out of Labour in the 2019 general election suggested that the Left-wing unions future was bleak, insiders said. So its bosses decided to try to merge with an American trade union, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB), beginning a series of all-expenses-paid trips to the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Cortes made an eight-day visit to America that spring, followed by five weeks of further trips between late July and September. The Mirage Hotel and Casino boasts endless restaurants and is hailed by gamblers as having the luckiest casino in Vegas On the Vegas trip, HW Fishers accountants found that Mr Cortes charged a 1,175 bill at The Mirage Hotel & Casino to his union credit card. Expenses racked up on his union credit card also included 485.70 at the Heathrow branch of Travelex, and 466 over three days on meals at the Coeur DAlene resort in Idaho. Casino chips for gambling generally cannot be bought on a credit card and it is unclear how Mr Cortes spent the four-figure sum while at the resort. He also expensed 39.99 at the Vyne Tasting Room, an interactive pour-it-yourself wine journey at Seattle-Tacoma airport. Mr Cortes stopped off at the Vyne Tasting Room at Seattle-Tacoma airport Also on the trip was Bernard Mick Carney, the TSSA president. Mr Carney racked up total claims of 1,235, along with a further 4,250 for a Virgin Atlantic business class flight that was bought for him (and expensed) by Frank Ward, the unions deputy general secretary. Bernard Mick Carney, the TSSA president, travelled to America with Mr Cortes to approve a planned merger, which was scrapped but the all-expenses-paid trip still went ahead However, HW Fisher uncovered a letter from the IBB dated two days before the Vegas trip, stating that a merger was simply not possible between our two unions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TSSA members were not told the merger had been called off until after the delegation had returned to Britain and had filed a total of 8,411 in expense claims between them. A letter obtained by the accountants, dated August 25, 2022, and sent to Cortes by Newton B Jones, the international president of the IBB, said: Unfortunately, it does not appear we will be able to reach an agreement, and a merger is simply not possible between our unions. Mr Cortess colleagues still travelled to the US on August 27 anyway, the auditors found. b' American union boss facing embezzlement charges ' Suckling pig restaurant and 1,000 Italian meal Food and drink were a recurring theme of the TSSA bosses expenses claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between March 1 and March 8, 2022, Mr Cortes spent 648 in Florida while meeting IBB representatives. This included a total of 538 at Bodega Ole. A Spanish restaurant, the bodegas menu includes a whole roasted pig (serves six people) priced today at $380, or 285. At the unions 2022 annual conference, Mr Ward expensed nearly 1,000 at an Italian restaurant in Sheffield called Vitos. Diners at Vitos can buy a Chianina T-bone steak for 140, while the wine list includes a bottle of Barolo Sperss DOCG Gaja for 1,700. The deep dive On top of the all-expenses-paid Las Vegas trip, the dossier also revealed a years-long catalogue of waste and mismanagement within the TSSA under Mr Cortess leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HW Fisher said in its report: Dinner expenses were frequently incurred in excess of TSSA guidelines. Alcohol was regularly charged and reimbursed. In certain instances, no invoice was provided. The auditors added: Credit card costs incurred for 2021-2022 appear to have been incurred without the correct submission of expense forms, supporting documentation and authorisation. For several direct expenses, no documentation was provided. Mr Coe highlighted a motion passed at the unions 2023 annual meeting, calling on the TSSA executive committee to ensure that any criminal wrongdoing linked to the management of the Associations financial affairs is put in the hands of the police. Referring to the forensic accountants report, Mr Coe said: It seems that the current leadership has failed completely to act on this damning deep dive. Gagging order and topless Zoom call The auditors also found that TSSA spent 750,000 on non-disclosure agreements and associated legal costs over five years, with payouts to more than 20 people being noted by the auditors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the subjects of those gagging orders, Claire Laycock, a former full-time TSSA organiser, brought the sexual harassment scandal to public light when she spoke to the press in 2022 about how Mr Cortes had tried to kiss her after a Christmas party. Mr Cortes denied any wrongdoing and apologised for any hurt caused by his behaviour. Her breach of the gagging order set in motion a series of events that led to Mr Cortes and his top lieutenants being suspended, and the appointment of HW Fisher to unravel the unions finances. The TSSA spent 50,000 fighting the case in the High Court, a sum revealed for the first time today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Cortes was ultimately fired and had his union membership revoked, although the trade union regulator is set to rule this week on whether he should be reinstated as a member. After his sacking, Mr Cortes launched an appeal which was heard by the unions annual conference in Cork. It took a bizarre turn when he removed his shirt and appeared topless on a Zoom call while awaiting delegates decision on his future. Mr Cortes removed his shirt and appeared topless on a Zoom call during his appeal 2m for printers that never arrived Mr Ward, the deputy general secretary, was not just purchasing business-class flights for his colleagues to go to America. He spent 200,000 refitting the ground floor of TSSAs headquarters to serve as a print room, while turning down 25,000 in rental income from businesses keen to rent floorspace in the City of London location. Sources said he had a dream of the print shop serving both the union itself and Left-wing political organisations and candidates who would pay TSSA for the privilege. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A print workshop for the entire movement? Bulls---, right? Because were all going digital, said one insider. b' Only Rayner\'s boyfriend used print room ' None the less, Mr Ward committed TSSA to spending more than 1.9m over six years renting printers for his new shop. Costs to the union ballooned from 10,000 every three months to over 80,000 per quarter under the current agreement, according to HW Fisher. Auditors said: The agreements do not include any break clauses, adding that the new printers rented by Mr Ward have never been delivered to TSSA and that the union was still using equipment provided under a prior agreement. Special pay rise for deputy general secretary One of the most senior union officials was also given a higher pay rise than other staff, seemingly without it being officially signed off by the finance department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HW Fisher discovered that Mr Ward had secured a separate offer of 1.5 per cent in 2020, 1.5 per cent in 2021 and 6.1 per cent the following year. Frank Ward committed the union to an expensive refitting of its headquarters Other TSSA staff were paid 1.5 per cent, 1.3 per cent and 6 per cent respectively. TSSA have been unable to confirm that this additional amount, being the increase in excess of RPI, was authorised, HW Fishers report said. b' What the TSSA said in response ' 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 first time Fontella Faun Day believes she saw life from another planet, it came from above. It was a cloudy afternoon in Rachel, Nevada, and the phones and computers at the Alien Cowpoke gas station and mini mart where she works had been glitching for hours. When Day finished her shift, she stepped outside for the short drive back to her home in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Thats when she saw it: Up in the sky, a peculiar cloud formation that looked remarkably like a flying saucer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her heart was pounding. She blinked to make sure she wasnt hallucinating. Even after she rubbed her eyes, the shape was still there, she says, hovering right above her. Something inside of her told her to grab her cell phone and snap some pictures. Today those images and the eerie, vivid memory of that moment are all she has from what she considers an otherworldly encounter. It was just a weird, weird day, she said. (People) say the reason (alien spaceships are in) that shape is because of the frequency of the ship. Thats how they hide behind the clouds, I guess. Days story is one of hundreds found along the Extraterrestrial Highway, a 140-mile ribbon of road in south central Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. The roadway, which runs through one of the darkest and most desolate stretches of the continental United States, is famous for alien encounters: Since the 1950s, there have been more reports of UFO sightings here than anywhere in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Skeptics say these UFOs are probably just super stealth aircraft from the nearby Nellis Air Force Base. Ufologists, those people who believe in aliens, have a different explanation for why this stretch of the Great Basin Desert seems to be so popular among beings from the outer corners of the universe. Many believers cite the regions proximity to the Nevada Test and Training Range and Area 51 a top-secret base that the US Central Intelligence Agency didnt even admit was real until 2013. Some who have worked at Area 51 claim it is home to alien spacecraft and possibly even a dead alien. Others have linked the site to a 1947 incident near Roswell, New Mexico, that led to conspiracy theories about the governments role in covering up what some thought was the crash of an alien spaceship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Mulder and Scully from The X Files would have said, The truth is out there. For many, the best way to search for it in the Nevada desert is on an overnight road trip from or to Las Vegas along the Extraterrestrial Highway. Oddities space and otherwise This sign in Rachel, Nevada, marks the official start of the Extraterrestrial Highway. State officials drew inspiration from the alien legends at the nearby top-secret Air Force military installation known as Area 51. - Gabe Ramirez/CNN The eerie look of the Alien Cowpoke gas station meshes with its location along the Extraterrestrial Highway in Rachel, Nevada. - Gabe Ramirez/CNN If you leave from Las Vegas, the adventure begins by heading north on I-15 past downtown and beyond the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From here, exit on US Route 93 and continue 85 miles north through the desert toward Ely. The first part of the drive is notable for its nothingness nearly 90 minutes of sand, sagebrush, prickly pear and juniper. Its dry. Its stark. Its about 20 different shades of brown, all year long. Suddenly, outside the small town of Alamo, the spring-fed marshlands of the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge appear like an oasis in the desert. There are trees. There is standing water. Theres even wildlife: The area comprises wetland and riparian habitats for thousands of migratory birds and other (terrestrial) critters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the first of many head-scratching sightings along the journey. The next one comes up quickly at the intersection of US 93 and Nevada State Route 375 in Crystal Springs: A roadside market named E.T. Fresh Jerky. Murals of bug-eyed aliens across the parking lot from a fake UFO in the sand, welcome visitors to this double-wide trailer renowned for its selection of dried snacks. The leathery flagship Alien Jerky isnt alien meat, but the packaging with an alien hand and spaceship beaming up cattle sparks curiosity. Another creative option is Freeze-Dried Alien Tongues, a softer candy that mimics the ice cream they eat in space. E.T. Fresh Jerky is a stop along the Extraterrestrial Highway in southern Nevada. - Matt Villano Alien souvenirs such as magnets, posters and stuffed animals are a big hit on the Extraterrestrial Highway. - Matt Villano "Alien tongues" and "alien jerky" are among the fun snacks on offer. - Matt Villano Just north on Nevada 375, no more than a quarter mile from the jerky shop, is a road sign announcing the official start of the Extraterrestrial Highway. The sign, with its futuristic letters, sits atop 20-foot poles covered with years worth of stickers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The route received this formal moniker back in 1996, thanks in part to the advocacy of George Harris, a US Army veteran and local entrepreneur. In the 1960s and 1970s, while Harris served in the Army, he was part of a group tasked with interviewing people who reported alien sightings across the country. In this role he spoke to more than 5,000 people. (The 2009 movie, The Men Who Stare at Goats, is loosely based on this group.) He also spent time working inside Area 51. When he retired from the service, Harris purchased a plot of land just north of where the Extraterrestrial Highway begins. He built a Quonset hut there and opened the Alien Research Center in 2000. Zork stands 40-feet high outside of the Alien Research Center founded by George Harris. Harris was tasked by the US Army with interviewing people who reported alien sightings across the country. - Matt Villano Shortly after opening, Harris added Zork, a 40-foot-tall alien sculpture, out front. The center also has a piece of local alien history: the original Extraterrestrial Highway sign from the 1990s hangs on a wall inside, surrounded by handwritten messages on the wall itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, its more of a gift shop than a research center. Visitors can purchase alien-themed clothing, magnets, hot sauce and more. Harris also sells alien shot glasses and Alien Tequila, a brand he started with some friends in Mexico in 2008. The tequila comes in bottles shaped like alien heads (of course). Harris, who splits his time between the Mojave and Las Vegas, considers these endeavors his personal tributes to extraterrestrial life. I believe in aliens, one hundred fifty bazillion percent, he said, adding that he has seen things inside Area 51 that lead him to hold this position. Wherever someone else might stand on the subject, we certainly cant say were the only species in the universe. The heart of alien country The Little A'Le'Inn is one of two essential stops in remote Rachel, Nevada. - Bridget Bennett/AFP/Getty Images About an hour north of the Alien Research Center is the town of Rachel, the heart of Alien Country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The town has a sort of extraterrestrial provenance: As the UFO flies, Rachel is the closest population center to Area 51. It still takes about an hour on a dirt road to drive to the base, but looky-loos wont make it past the gate. Rachel also is the specific zip code from which the greatest number of the areas reported UFO sightings have been recorded. To call Rachel isolated would be an understatement. It is the only civilization in the Sand Springs Valley, a largely undeveloped finger of the Mojave. Turn your head to the left, you see nothing but ochre mountains and sand. Turn your head to the right, you see the same. Because Rachel is so remote, pretty much all 200 of the cars that travel the Extraterrestrial Highway each day stop at one of two places: the Alien Cowpoke or the Little ALeInn. Technically, the Cowpoke, as locals call it, is a gas station its the only gas for about 50 miles in either direction. A tiny building behind the pumps doubles as a market that sells snacks and handmade alien souvenirs such as magnets, posters, bags and keychains. Theres also a selfie stop out front with haybales and three sculptures of aliens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is where Faun Day works, the spot from which she regales visitors with details of her sighting that fateful afternoon. Visitors can marvel at similar yarns down the road at the Little ALeInn, where a model UFO hangs from the hook of a tow truck out front. While this quirky motel offers 10 barebones overnight accommodations, the real attraction is the restaurant, which serves hot food including a hamburger with special alien sauce. The establishment features a life-size alien mannequin, blow-up aliens, and news clippings about alien sightings over the years. In the bar area, alien faces are taped to the mirror behind the booze. Who wouldn't want alien shot glasses or a Martian cookie jar? - Matt Villano Perhaps the quirkiest corner of the restaurant at the Little ALeInn is the one loaded with souvenirs. Among the highlights: alien head shot glasses, an alien head cookie jar, and replica Nevada license plates that say 4ALIENS and ET HWY. End of the road From Rachel, the Extraterrestrial Highway continues northwest through some of the most barren and deserted parts of the region. In certain spots, the road stretches into oblivion and looks like a line that someone just scribbled onto the landscape. In other places, dirt roads peel off the highway and disappear into the desert, begging the question: Where the heck do they lead? A long, desolate dirt road leads to a gate of the Nevada Test and Training Range, commonly referred to as Area 51. More purported UFO sightings occur in nearby Rachel, Nevada, each year than in any other place in the US. - Bridget Bennett/AFP/Getty Images The answer: At least two of these rutted roads lead to the perimeter gates of Area 51; curious civilians who drive them are invariably turned away at a military checkpoint, if an MP doesnt pull you over and confiscate your camera equipment first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eventually, Nevada 375 ends at US Route 6, and the Extraterrestrial Highway continues west to Tonopah. Though this former mining town lacks an official dark sky designation from DarkSky International, its considered one of the best places in the United States for stargazing and, by extension, spotting alien spacecraft. In particular, the Tonopah Stargazing Park, with cement pads for telescopes and tripods, is a great spot to scan the cosmos on a clear night. Hotel Mizpah in Tonopah, Nevada, is considered one of the most haunted hotels in the US. - Norbert Eisele-Hein/imageBROKER/Shutterstock Alien fanatics might remember Tonopah from the climactic scenes of the 2011 movie, Paul, a Simon Pegg/Nick Frost comedy about an alien who escapes from Area 51. The city also is notable among those who believe in the supernatural; the upscale Mizpah Hotel in the city center is considered one of the most haunted hotels in the country, and the more modest Clown Motel on the outskirts of town sits next to a cemetery that dates to 1907. Each of these destinations offers a different flavor of weird. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Mizpah, said to have several different permanent residents, embraces its spooky past with nightly ghost tours that include an Electromagnetic Field Reader and dowsing rods two tools that those who consider themselves ghost-hunters often use to detect the presence of spirits. All guests are encouraged to report any paranormal experiences at check-out. (For the record, hauntings are not guaranteed.) A host of themed-rooms are available at the Clown Motel, including one dedicated to the 1973 movie, "The Exorcist." - Matt Villano The Clown Motel, on the other hand, leans more toward creepy. The lobby displays about 800 of the 2,500 clowns that owners Hem and Vijay Mehar have collected over the years, including several that are believed to be possessed by demons. (Dont worry, those are in a glass case.) Many of the 31 rooms also have dark and sinister themes. Theres a room dedicated to Pennywise, the evil clown from the Stephen King book, It. The Chucky room is decorated with wallpaper that features giant images of the murderous doll from the 1988 movie, Childs Play. The self-described clairvoyant Wonder Crisp (yes, thats really her name) leads nightly tours through the Clown Motel and the adjacent cemetery, and she characterizes Tonopah as a hotbed of paranormal activity. On the tour, Crisp boasts that many of the local apparitions have spoken to her for years. Spirits and aliens are everywhere around here, she said after a tour one night. In order to see them, you just have to believe. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Mayor Daniel Lurie said Monday that sending the National Guard to San Francisco, as President Donald Trump has threatened to do, would not make the city safer or help it tackle the ongoing drug crisis. Then on Tuesday, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu fired off a warning that "should President Trump make good on his ridiculous threats to send the military to San Francisco, our city is prepared, and my office is prepared to take the necessary legal action to defend San Francisco." The mayor made it clear in a statement Monday that National Guard troops don't have the authority to arrest drug dealers and said local law enforcement was already working with federal agencies to shut down open-air drug markets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lurie said the city "would welcome stronger coordination with the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Attorney to execute targeted operations, arrest drug dealers, and disrupt drug markets and multinational cartels." "I trust our police officers, sheriff's deputies, and district attorney to work together to keep our city safe - and with the right coordinated support from our state and federal partners they will have the tools to advance this critical work," Lurie said. In an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News, Trump said he could invoke the Insurrection Act - a centuries-old law that allows presidents to deploy troops on U.S. soil - if he wanted to, which he claimed would give him "unquestioned power." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said that San Francisco is next, setting up a potential clash between the city's Democratic leaders and the federal government. "The difference is, I think they want us in San Francisco," Trump said. "San Francisco was truly one of the great cities of the world. And then, 15 years ago, it went wrong. It went woke." Lurie's statement made it clear the city does not want federal troops policing its streets. But he did not mention Trump by name, as has been customary for the mayor since he took office. "I am deeply grateful to the members of our military for their service to our country, but the National Guard does not have the authority to arrest drug dealers - and sending them to San Francisco will do nothing to get fentanyl off the streets or make our city safer," Lurie wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lurie said his top priority every day is keeping San Francisco safe. He pointed to recent accomplishments, including the record lows in violent crime and tent encampments, to show that the city was "achieving that goal without compromising on our values or our laws." Crime across all categories in San Francisco have continued to fall throughout the first half of this year, following a trend of historic drops in crime that began in 2024 before Lurie took office, according to police data. San Francisco is on track to have the lowest number of homicides in more than 70 years. Many cities across the U.S. have seen crime fall after elevated levels of violent crime during the pandemic. Still, some residents and business owners continue to express concern about open-air drug dealing and use as well as chaotic streets in parts of the city. Trump has already deployed or attempted to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles; Memphis, Tenn.; Chicago; and Washington, D.C. After a federal trial, a judge ruled that the Los Angeles deployment was illegal because troops acted as police, a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. The act prohibits the use of federally controlled troops - including a federalized National Guard - as local police. Only an Insurrection Act declaration creates a narrow exception for domestic law enforcement in extraordinary circumstances. A federal judge initially blocked Trump's attempt to send troops to Portland, Ore., but Trump appointees in the appeals court overturned the decision Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District Attorney Brooke Jenkins also weighed in Monday afternoon, writing in a statement that Trump sending in the National Guard would be "counterproductive to the success that we have been seeing in crime reduction." "Let me be clear - no local or elected San Francisco leaders want the National Guard deployed to San Francisco at the direction of the Trump Administration," Jenkins said. Jenkins echoed Lurie that the National Guard would have no authority to make arrests or investigate crime. She also said that the city does not want or need the "inhumane ICE raids (that) precede deployment - spreading fear, terror and chaos." In Chicago, a harsh immigration crackdown on people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally was followed by Trump seeking the U.S. Supreme Court's permission for his administration to deploy troops in the city, over the protest of Chicago and Illinois leaders. On Monday, San Francisco joined a coalition of local elected officials, cities and counties in filing a brief urging the Supreme Court to prevent the Trump administration from doing so. "We urge the Court to uphold the bedrock legal principle that domestic law enforcement is not the military's job," Chiu said in Tuesday's release. "Needlessly and haphazardly deploying the military to American cities makes us all less safe. These deployments inflame tensions, undermine local law enforcement, and harm local economies." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jenkins said that while the city still has "more work to do to reduce crime in San Francisco, we are confident that we have the necessary partnerships and resources to achieve this goal." "We cannot allow the current political climate to derail our progress nor antagonize our diverse residents and communities," Jenkins said. Jenkins joined Lurie and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto last week for a news conference at the city's police academy to tout the city's efforts to fight crime. They detailed an uptick in police recruitment, the city's declining crime reports, and their partnerships with state and federal law enforcement agencies to fight drug trafficking. District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder said Monday that she planned to make a motion at the Board of Supervisors meeting to ask the mayor about the city's preparedness if Trump sends in the National Guard. Some tech billionaires have called for Trump to send federal troops to San Francisco, including Elon Musk and investor David Sacks, who is Trump's AI and crypto czar. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff initially promoted the idea, which sparked swift backlash. Democratic elected officials - along with tech investor Ron Conway and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs - criticized Benioff, who's been a big Democratic donor. He walked back his comments a week later, apologizing and pledging $1 million to support larger hiring bonuses for new police officers. This article originally published at S.F. threatens to sue if Trump brings in National Guard. Monday was amendment day for Mayor Daniel Lurie's plan to raise height limits to allow for thousands of new housing units on the city's north and west sides. For seven hours Monday the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation committee delved into a parade of amendments aimed at tweaking, massaging and augmenting the mayor's plan - mandated by the state - to add some 36,000 units from the Sunset to the Marina to North Beach to Noe Valley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protect rent control tenants and small businesses. Force developers to actually build family-sized units in the mayor's so-called "Family Zoning Plan." Exempt historic buildings from the redevelopment wrecking ball. Require that all housing built on public land be 100% affordable. Redraw the map so that the Marina District Safeway is not part of rezoning. Because many of the amendments were introduced in the past few days, most were continued until Nov. 3, which means that the 140 residents who showed up at City Hall on Monday to give their allotted two minutes of public comment will have the pleasure of returning in two weeks. But two amendments were approved by the committee: One, sponsored by Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who heads up the committee, would exempt rent control buildings of more than two units from Lurie's plan. That change alone would exempt 84,000 units from the plan. The other, put forth by Supervisor Danny Sauter, offers developers incentives for building out ground-floor spaces for small businesses. With the plan expected to be approved before the end of the year - it has been in the works for three years - the proposed rezoning has gone from the domain of housing geeks and Reddit urbanists to a topic of discussion on street corners from the Sunset to North Beach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The changes would allow six- and eight-story buildings in the flats where North Beach gives way to Fisherman's Wharf - North Point, Bay, Jefferson and Beach streets - while the motels district along Lombard Street could become much more dense with some buildings rising to 16 stories. Twenty-four story towers could pop up on Van Ness between Broadway and Sutter, while eight-story apartment complexes would be allowed along most of Judah, Noriega and Taraval streets, the Sunset's busy streetcar routes. At a rally on City Hall steps prior to the Monday meeting, progressive Supervisors Chyanne Chen, Shamann Walton, Connie Chan and Jackie Fielder joined with labor leaders and activists to emphasize that any rezoning should focus on protecting existing residents and creating new housing opportunities for working-class families. "We want to make sure that all public property development is 100% affordable - there should be no profiteering off of public assets," said Mike Casey, president of the San Francisco Labor Council. At the rally Chen said she looks "forward to working with Mayor Lurie and my colleagues on the board to make sure our housing policies put people first because the true measure of San Francisco is not about how much housing we build but who gets to stay in San Francisco." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I believe the path to meeting our state housing obligations is not simply a math problem," Chen said. "If we rezone without an affordability strategy, we run the risk of not actually solving the housing affordability crisis." In a statement after the meeting, Lurie said his administration added amendments that "strengthen our Family Zoning plan by continuing to protect tenants and support small businesses, while keeping our plan on track to meet state mandates." "Our Family Zoning plan will help us add housing, support small businesses, and maintain what keeps San Francisco special-while protecting local control of zoning in our city instead of letting Sacramento take over, as the supervisors recognized today," he said. But if there remain divisions between left-leaning and the more moderate board members aligned with Lurie, the hearing Monday suggested that the two sides have come to agreement on some key issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A package of tenant protections introduced by Chen has the support not only of progressive board members but moderates Matt Dorsey, Stephen Sherrill and Danny Sauter, all allies of Mayor Lurie. Overshadowing the debate is the question of how much the board can alter the plan without running afoul of state housing officials who have to sign off on any rezoning. In a Sept. 9 letter to San Francisco's city Planning Director Sarah Dennis Phillips, California Department of Housing and Community Development Senior Program Manager Paul McDougall cautioned that the city should be careful about "introducing potential constraints on development." "Examples include adding labor provisions, removing and replacing sites, reducing capacity, affordability requirements," McDougall stated. So far it seems the amendments offered would not set off alarms in Sacramento. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One amendment introduced by Supervisors Sherrill and Sauter is aimed at incentivizing development of two- to three-bedroom units, rather than the studios and junior one-bedrooms that are often more profitable for developers. "Point blank: family zoning needs to be focused on families," said Sherrill. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced an amendment that would exempt historic structures from the plan - both designated landmarks and other properties deemed to "contribute" to a historic district. "There are an abundance of historic resources that don't merit landmarking" but still should be protected, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't think it's going to blow a giant hole in our production capacity," he said. Gen Fujioka, a member of the Race and Equity in All Planning Coalition, which has opposed the rezoning, said while the debate "feels polarizing it sounds like we can accomplish a lot of the goals that everyone in the room shares." "We can protect rent control housing. We can increase production in the city. The amendments we've heard about historic preservation we all appreciate. Deadlines to build approved projects? What a great idea. Let's get those units built faster," he said. "It sounds like with these amendments we may be ending up with a set of policies perhaps all of us in this room could generally support." The generational split that has been apparent at many of the hearings was again in play during Monday's meeting, with mostly younger workers - some with kids and many hoping to raise kids in the city - in favor of the upzoning, while older homeowners and longtime rent controlled tenants were opposed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Will Jackson of the YIMBY group Grow the Richmond said he is hoping having "kids won't take us away from the city as they have for so many of our friends." "If you wish to make your city a sanctuary, you have to make way for others," he said. Christopher Pederson, president of the San Francisco chapter of the League of Conservation Voters, called San Francisco "the most environmentally appropriate place for multifamily housing in the entire state." "The Family Zoning Plan is crucial to addressing both the housing crisis and the climate crisis," he said. This article originally published at S.F. supervisors back tenant, small-business protections in Lurie's Family Zoning' plan. Did the Civil Guard and Army enter the chambers of the Congress of Deputies of Spain to arrest lawmakers? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. Some versions of the video are published with a watermark labeling them as created by the Sora AI video-maker and disclaimer. Other versions have digital stickers added to obscure the Sora watermark A copy of the AI-generated video (archived here) was published on X by @Florenpatriotaq on Oct. 19, 2025. It is captioned: The Civil Guard and Army of the spain have just entered the Congress of Deputies to arrest corrupt lawmakers. This screenshot of the video shows three digital stickers which appear in the areas where a Sora watermark might otherwise be: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from x.com/Florenpatriotaq/status/1979881987533140295. This video originated (archived here) on Oct. 15, 2025 on the Spanish language TikTok channel @jaranor.films. It has this disclaimer (translated by Google): Digital content creator, aerial drone images, audiovisual content creation and production, creative inspiration in AI images. In the past week the channel has posted a series of AI generated clips centered around the Congreso de los Diputados (the Congress of Deputies). Some scenes show the exterior of the building and modern clashes between police and protesters. Other scenes show crusaders in armor with shields and flaming arrows. One clip shows the likeness of the knight El Cid, riding a white horse inside the Congress chamber. Five clips show variations of the theme pictured above, a mix of armed and uniformed Guardia Civil and Army soldiers storming through the chambers. All of the videos posted by @jaranor.films show the watermark of the app Sora. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sora is described on the Apple App Store this way: Sora is a new kind of creative app that turns text prompts and images into hyperreal videos with sound using the latest advancements from OpenAI. A single sentence can unfold into a cinematic scene, an anime short, or remix of a friend's video. If you can write it, you can see it, remix it, and share it. Turn your words into worlds with Sora. In the Lead Stories composite image below, a still from the @Florenpatriotaq video (below left) shows the three strategically placed digital stickers. The stills to the right from the @jaranor.films video show how the Sora watermark (circled in red) moves position every few seconds. This changing location is intended to make it more difficult to crop the watermarks off a video. Did Donald Trump make an all-caps post on Truth Social which said, "I'M NOT INCOMPITENT!!!!"? No, that's not true: A fake screenshot resurfaced on social media in Oct. 2025. The satirical screenshot had already circulated as early as June 2025. There is no record of this post originating from the verified account of Donald Trump. An early example of the fabricated screenshot appears in a post (archived here) where it was published in the Facebook group "If Obama did it." on June 24, 2025. This is the screenshot included with the post: Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot from facebook.com/groups/288362075842240/?multi_permalinks=1419787262699710. Another post (archived here) used the same fake screenshot later the same day, June 24, 2025, on the account of the Fearful Conservative, a Facebook page which labels itself "Satire/Parody". The post with the fake screenshot included the caption: Taco is not happy about the damage assessments in Iran... For context, there were US strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran on June 21, 2025. (White House video here) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A search on trumpstruth.org (archived here), a site which keeps a searchable archive of all of Trump's Truth Social posts, did not produce an exact match for the phrase. Two posts included the word incompetent spelled correctly (pictured below) but those posts referred to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Image Source: Lead Stories screenshot fromtrumpstruth.org/search. A Google search (archived here) for the phrase "I'm Not Incompitent!!!!" did not produce any relevant posts from Trump, only duplicates of the satirical meme on social media. Does a picture show a Columbian fishing boat filled with cocaine before it was destroyed in the Caribbean Sea by the U.S. Naval Task Force in October 2025? No, that's not true: The photo is from a 2024 drug bust by Spanish forces that occurred 500 miles south of the Canary Islands. The story was reported in the news and the image was posted on the internet. The photo does not show a current operation by the U.S. Naval Task Force off the coast of Colombia in the fall of 2025. The account that posted the screenshot is not an official US government account. The claim appeared in an October 19, 2025 post on X.com account @defense_civil25 (archived here). It opened: Update: Columbian President claims one of the Narco boats destroyed by the US Naval Task Force was 'just a poor Columbian fisherman.' Does this look like a poor fishing boat?? It looks like he had tons of bait (cocaine, attracts lots of fish)! Columbian President is a liar!! This is what the photo looked like on X.com at the time of writing: Image source: X.com account @defense_civil25 screenshot taken by Lead Stories. The image used in the X.com post is a cropped version of a photo published on the English Radio News website in an article titled, Major Drug Bust Off Canary Islands By Spanish Forces, on February 19, 2024, as this screenshot shows: Image source: English Radio News website screenshot taken by Lead Stories. The article states that Guardia Civil, Spain's national police force, seized the drugs from a boat in the Atlantic Ocean: Guardia Civil have disrupted a major international drug smuggling operation, after officers boarded a boat carrying over four tonnes of cocaine, five hundred miles south of the Canary Islands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post on X.com misspells the country Colombia, mimicking President Donald Trump, who also misspells it in social media messages, as the New York Post (archived here) reported, writing it as "Columbia." Colombia's government has said that a fisherman was killed in a recent strike the U.S. described as the killing of a drug trafficker, as Fox News (archived here) reported. The account that posted the message, US Homeland Security News @defense_civil25 is verified on X.com, but is not an official government account. Lead Stories has previously fact checked other claims made by the account here. Claim: An image shared online in September 2025 authentically showed a goose and a bald eagle sitting in the same nest protecting their eggs. Rating: Rating: Fake Context: This image was digitally manipulated. In September 2025, an image circulated online purportedly showing a bald eagle and a goose sitting together in a nest protecting their eggs. Snopes readers emailed us to ask whether the photo was real. For example, the Facebook page StoryTime posted (archived) the picture on Sept. 20 and claimed it was captured after a webcam feed filming the nest was turned back on for the spring. StoryTime's caption read, in part: All year long, a camera livestreamed the life of an eagle's nest, drawing in loyal viewers from around the world. Each spring, though, the feed shut off for a month, usually the quietest time when the nest sat empty before the eagles returned.But when the camera came back online this year, thousands of people tuned in and were shocked by what they saw: not just an eagle, but a goose, calmly sitting in the nest with her own eggs right beside the eagle's clutch. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1141987018034775&set=a.762744142625733 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though there are examples of geese that occasionally nest in trees, given how reportedly rare such a multispecies nest would be, it would likely have attracted attention from scientists. However, searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no reputable scientific news outlets reporting on the alleged photo only reports that Canada geese (which do not look like the goose in the photo) had been spotted using abandoned bald eagle nests or a webpage repeating the claim in the Facebook post. Rather, the story and image were both fabricated, the latter being digitally manipulated, potentially using artificial intelligence tools. The person or people who created the post likely aimed to earn revenue from Facebook, which pays some pages for viral posts. Examining the StoryTime Facebook page's profile revealed multiple examples of AI-generated images and photo editing. Its Facebook Intro also read: "Digital creator." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Signs of such manipulation included the presence of a latitude coordinate (N 3417'45) but not a corresponding longitude coordinate, a large grain on the photo (which may have helped prevent AI-image detection software from identifying the image as AI-generated), the strange perspective of the goose and eagle (if they were actually nesting, they would be sitting on top of the clutch of eggs, not off to the side) and, most importantly, the date on the supposed image (2024-1026, a nonsensical date format). Even if the date was real, bald eagles and numerous geese species generally lay their eggs in the spring, not the fall, and are known to be highly protective of their eggs. Snopes contacted a manager of the StoryTime Facebook page to ask about the fictional stories displayed on the feed. We will update this story if we receive more information. For further reading, Snopes previously fact-checked a rumor about a large flock of bald eagles allegedly blocking Highway 76 in Branson, Missouri, that brought traffic to a standstill. We have also debunked numerous claims originating from the StoryTime Facebook page. Sources: Anser Anser (Greylag Goose) | INFORMATION | Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Anser_anser/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bald Eagle Nesting & Sensitivity to Human Activity | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. https://www.fws.gov/Alaska-eagle-nesting. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025. Bald Eagle Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/overview. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025. 'Canadian Geese Breeding Season'. Geese Relief, LLC, https://www.geeserelief.com/geese-management/geese-breeding-season. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025. Christensen, Laerke. 'Do Photos Show "scrappy Stray" Chihuahua That Joined Wolf Pack in Minnesota?' Snopes, 5 Oct. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/minnesota-wolf-pack-chihuahua/. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "COOPERATIVE BREEDING: REFERENCES." Bald Eagles, 14 Dec. 2018, https://www.elfruler.com/?page_id=912. Canada Geese and Tree Nests | North Dakota Game and Fish. https://gf.nd.gov/wildlife-notes/canada-geese-and-tree-nests. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025. Egyptian Goose | The Wildlife Trusts. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/waterfowl/egyptian-goose. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025. Graylag Goose Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Graylag_Goose/overview. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025. Greater White-Fronted Goose Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_White-fronted_Goose/lifehistory. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greylag Goose Breeding. http://www.cheshireandwirralbirdatlas.org/species/greylag-goose-breeding.htm. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025. RaptorResource. "What Are Canada Geese Doing in a Bald Eagle Nest? ." The Raptor Resource Project, 29 Mar. 2025, https://www.raptorresource.org/2025/03/29/what-are-canada-geese-doing-in-a-bald-eagle-nest/. Rascouet-Paz, Anna. "Rumor That Bald Eagles Blocked Missouri Highway Is Flight of Fancy." Snopes, 14 Oct. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/bald-eagles-highway-branson-missouri/. Tomma, Gennaro. 'Birds from Two Different Species Raise Chicks Together in One Nest'. NewScientist, 7 Dec. 2025, https://www.newscientist.com/article/2382126-birds-from-two-different-species-raise-chicks-together-in-one-nest/. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "WHAT IS COOPERATIVE BREEDING?" Bald Eagles, 14 Dec. 2018, https://www.elfruler.com/?page_id=906. Winter, Emery. 'Did AI Robot Suffer PTSD after It Was Scared by Lion?' Snopes, 8 Sep. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/ai-robot-lion-ptsd/. . 'Real Story about Chimpanzees Domesticating Penguins?' Snopes, 9 Oct. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/chimpanzees-domesticating-penguins/. Claim: A poll shared online in October 2025 showed most Britons thought it was wrong to vote to leave the European Union. Rating: Rating: True Context: Though the poll circulated in October 2025, it reflected results from a YouGov poll carried out in June 2025. According to YouGov's poll, 56% of Britons surveyed believed it had been wrong for Britain to vote to leave the EU. In October 2025, a claim circulated online that most Britons thought it was wrong to vote to leave the European Union. The claim appeared to be based on a poll showing more than 50% of respondents thought process, dubbed Brexit, was a mistake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Kingdom left the EU in 2020, four years after 51.9% of voters in a referendum were in favor of leaving the political and economic union. One Reddit user posted an image of the 2025 poll results with the caption, "Most Britons now consider that it was wrong to leave the EU" https://www.facebook.com/scientistsforeu/photos/your-regular-reminder-please-share-/1230921589060602/ The claim and poll also spread on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), X (archived) and Bluesky (archived). YouGov, an online research data and analytics company headquartered in the U.K., did publish poll results in June 2025 that showed that 56% of respondents said that, in hindsight, Britain had been wrong to vote to leave the EU. According to YouGov's data, the company surveyed 2,239 adults in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales the United Kingdom excluding Northern Ireland). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The British newspaper the Financial Times quoted this research in an Oct. 20, 2025, article, and users widely shared a graph showing YouGov's results. Although it was not possible for Snopes to independently recreate YouGov's poll and results, based on the polling data that users shared on social media, the claim that most Britons thought that it was wrong to vote to leave the EU was true. Understanding YouGov's poll YouGov made the data it used in its June 2025 poll publicly available. According to that data, it asked 2,239 adults in England, Scotland and Wales the question, "In hindsight, do you think Britain was right or wrong to vote to leave the European Union?" Respondents could answer "Right to leave," "Wrong to leave" and "Don't know." The company used weighted sampling to ensure a representative result, according to the data. Weighted sampling is a technique by which researchers correct over- or underrepresentation of certain groups in samples to make the results representative in a larger population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, YouGov's data showed it surveyed 926 people who voted to remain in the EU in 2016 and 828 who voted to leave. In the company's weighted sample, it reduced the weight of replies from remain voters so the sample had a more representative 786 remain voters and 799 leave voters (or 49.6% remain and 50.4% leave, a closer reflection of the 2016 referendum's 48.1% Remain and 51.9% Leave result). YouGov weighted responses according to what respondents voted in the U.K.'s 2024 general election and 2016 Brexit referendum, their gender, social class and location. The company establishes which weightings correctly represent the U.K.'s population using the national census, other large-scale surveys, election and referendum results and official population estimates, according to its website. Respondents in YouGov polls self-report information about themselves, their political leanings, social class and more, and YouGov selects its respondents using this information in a process it calls "active sampling." Though the company takes steps to ensure only selected respondents can actually fill out a poll, it has no control over whether respondents lie when they self-report their information, which could lead to skewed samples. Christopher Davies, a YouGov spokesman, told Snopes via email that the company used various forms of technology to "identify and remove potentially fraudulent respondents." Davies added, "The most common cause of 'lying' isn't fraud but false recall, where people forget how they actually voted. To address that we ask and retain people's recalled vote as soon as possible after elections to use it for future weighting and sampling." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement YouGov said on its website it had "a strong history of accurately predicting actual outcomes across a wide range of different subjects, including national and regional elections." Its model was the most accurate in predicting seats won in the 2024 U.K. general election, according to the British Polling Council, an association of polling organizations of which YouGov is a member. According to What UK Thinks: EU, a website that collates polling results about Brexit, at the time of this writing, YouGov was the most recent (June 2025) polling organization to have surveyed Britons on whether voting to leave the EU was wrong. Other polling companies such as Kantar and Omnisis also asked similar questions, though not at the same time as YouGov, meaning it was difficult to directly compare results across companies. Sources: EU Referendum Results - BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. "In Hindsight, Do You Think Britain Was Right or Wrong to Vote to Leave the EU?" What UK Thinks: EU, https://www.whatukthinks.org/eu/questions/in-highsight-do-you-think-britain-was-right-or-wrong-to-vote-to-leave-the-eu/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Methodology | YouGov. https://yougov.co.uk/about/panel-methodology. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Nine Years after the EU Referendum, Where Does Public Opinion Stand on Brexit? | YouGov. https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/52410-nine-years-after-the-eu-referendum-where-does-public-opinion-stand-on-brexit. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Parker, George, et al. "Brexit Blame Game Returns Ahead of Budget." Financial Times, 20 Oct. 2025, https://archive.ph/x0ez8#selection-2327.0-2332.0:~:text=The%20public%20might%20be%20susceptible%20to%20the%20argument%2C%20with%20a%20YouGov%20survey%20in%20June%20showing%20that%20only%2031%20per%20cent%20thought%20Britain%20was%20right%20to%20leave%20the%20EU%2C%20against%2056%20per%20cent%20who%20said%20it%20was%20the%20wrong%20choice. "Survey Weights: An Explainer." Understanding Society, https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/blog/2025/06/10/survey-weights-explainer/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The 2024 General Election." British Polling Council, 11 Sep. 2024, https://www.britishpollingcouncil.org/the-2024-general-election/. "YouGov Survey Results." YouGov, https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/documents/Internal_Brexit_250617_w.pdf. FAIRMONT A 59-year-old Fairmont woman faces one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death after a hit-and-run accident Oct. 19 around 11:40 p.m. According to the criminal complaint filed by a Fairmont Police Department officer, Donna Loretta Batson and a man were inside the Bellview Bar and Grill on Pennsylvania Avenue having an argument when the bar staff asked them to leave the premises. By the time police arrived at the bar, members of the Marion County Rescue Squad were performing lifesaving measures on the victim, whose name has not been released to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A subject on scene reported to officers that they spoke to the victim prior to EMS arriving and advised that the victim told them She ran him over, states the complaint. The victim was transported to WVU Medicine Fairmont Medical Center was died around 1:05 a.m. on Oct. 20. When police went to Batsons residence, she told officers that the victim was behind her vehicle. She then agreed to go to police headquarters on Quincy Street for an interview. During the interview, she told police that she didnt mean to run him over. According to the criminal complaint, Batson lived "in the same household with the victim." According to the report, Batson failed to report the crash, call 911 for the victims injuries, or attempt to render aid to the victim in any fashion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Batson is charged with violating Erins Law, which was passed by the West Virginia Legislature 2009, four years after a fatal hit-and-run took place in Fairmont involving Erin Keener, who was a Fairmont resident and West Virginia University student. Keener, who was 21, was standing outside of Vincents Bar when an unidentified driver struck her. Her body was dragged to the bottom of the driveway where her friends found her later. She passed away in a hospital in Morgantown three days later from serious injuries. The fatal hit-and-run accident happened in 2005 and remains unsolved. According to the Manchin Injury Law Group, Erins Law requires all drivers involved in accidents that cause injury or death to immediately stop at the scene and remain there until they have completed certain requirements. The only exception is if the person leaves the scene to obtain emergency help for the injured person. Intentionally violating Erins Law is a misdemeanor to felony crime that can come with $1,000 to $5,000 in fines and up to five years in a state correctional facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The penalties will depend on the severity of the victims injuries. Batson had been booked into the North Central Regional Jail, but records show she is no longer being held. Bond had been set at $152,012. In Minot, I practiced a kind of pediatrics no flowchart could predict: improvised, airborne, and often surgical. Minot didnt always follow the flowchart. One night, a toddler arrived in the emergency room, inebriated. Her father had given her vodka for teething pain, never imagining shed swallow it. She did. She stopped breathing. I called a code and began CPR, ordering a blood alcohol level (BAL) and routine labs. Her BAL revealed a level three times the legal limit for driving. Thankfully, she began breathing on her own, but the ordeal resulted in her fathers arrest for child endangerment. One month later: head circumference and shaken baby syndrome A month later, another child returned for a nine-month well child check with a head circumference that had crossed three percentile lines (isobars), a red flag. After admitting her to the intensive care unit, her mother confided to the head nurse that she suspected her husband had violently shaken her daughter. The father claimed he had taken the child to a private pediatrician, whose records confirmed an alarming increase in head circumference starting at four months of age. An X-ray revealed bilateral subdural hematomas consistent with shaken baby syndrome. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, I contacted my superiors and arranged transportation via Learjet C-21 to Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. During the flight, I faced a challenge when I lost access to IV fluids but managed to reestablish an IV midair. Upon arrival, an Army neurosurgeon congratulated me on my expert care, a validating moment after the intensity of the emergency. That evening, as I unpacked at the visiting officers quarters, I discovered a small white teddy bear Kathy had tucked into my travel bag. It was such a quintessential Kathy gesture, one that brought warmth and humor into even the most stressful days. Another critical case involved an infant diagnosed with a single ventricle. Though pulse oximetry readings in the nursery appeared normal, the closure of the foramen ovale at his one-week pediatric visit prompted immediate concern. A blood gas test and portable chest X-ray confirmed the findings of a single ventricle, and within minutes, we arranged an emergency air transport to Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. This time, the head nurse of the newborn nursery and an experienced pediatric respiratory therapist joined me on the mission. Together, we traveled in the empty cargo compartment of a KC-135 tanker, equipped with a transport bassinet, oxygen tanks, and portable monitors. As we touched down, the monitors had reached their battery life and were nearly dead. Plugged in and recharging, we rushed the infant to Big Willie, and the waiting cardiologist. The cardiac surgeon performed a catheterization within minutes of our arrival, reopening the foramen ovale and stabilizing the infant. The infant would require further surgical interventions to approximate a functional four-chamber heart. The U.S. Air Force reassigned the family to a military medical center through the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), ensuring ongoing care. My superiors later recognized the effort in my Officer Efficiency Report (OER), an acknowledgment of the collaborative success of the mission. Our return to Minot, however, hit a weather-related snag. Diverting to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, we landed due to mandatory crew rest. Taking advantage of the situation, the head nurse ordered a staff car, and I drove us to Mount Rushmore for some sightseeing. The visit was a small but welcome respite, and I couldnt resist calling Kathys mother, Irene, in Connecticut to stir excitement about our unexpected stop. Kathy, too, received information of the delay, ever supportive despite the disruptions. The flight back to Minot offered an unusual opportunity. During a refueling exercise with a B-52 bomber, the refueling airman let me lie beside him, headphones on my ears, as I listened to the meticulous communication required for aerial refueling. Hearing the B-52 pilot recognize me mid-operation and inquire about his sons upcoming appointment that day at my clinic was both amusing and surreal. I quickly rescheduled his sons visit for the next day, a gesture that earned heartfelt thanks from both pilot and wife. Watching the intricate dance between tanker and bomber, an unnatural act akin to whales mating, gave me newfound appreciation for the skill of both crews. Returning to Minot, I took the jump seat in the cockpit, observing the navigators expertise. It was a poignant reminder of my fathers mastery as an Air Force navigator, and explaining my connection to the role brought mutual understanding with the crew. These moments, though fleeting, carried profound significance, bridging personal legacy with professional purpose. The unexpected surgical assist The chief of hospital services, Maj. McFlys mandate was to establish a viable family practice (FP) clinic; empaneling patients for care. His efforts faced immediate resistance. Patient skepticism ran high, and confidence in the new recruits was fragile at best. Competence remained an open question. One FP, barred from wearing the uniform due to morbid obesity, became a reluctant emblem of the clinics struggles. Another confided to Kathy that he felt wholly unprepared to treat children or deliver babies. Kathys response was blunt but necessary: Why, then, did you choose family practice? Reality does not accommodate delusions of competence. Her remark cut through the illusion, exposing the gap between training and readiness. She later reminded me of a favorite film we both cherished, McLintock!, and McFlys resemblance to the phrase: All hat and no cattle. John Waynes character, George Washington McLintock, had once declared: Cuthbert H. Humphrey, Governor of our territory, is a cull. Do you know what a cull is, maam? A cull is a specimen (of cattle) that is so worthless that you must cut him out of the herd. McFly, as chief of family medicine, had been handed an entire herd of culls. It wasnt his fault; it was simply what the U.S. Air Force had assigned him. The one cull in pediatrics was the chief: Larry. Leadership was clearly not his strength at the time. Whether he developed those skills later remains unknown, but within months, the hospital commander threw a rope at him to cut him out of the herd. ADVERTISEMENT The obese FPs aversion to blood unexpectedly propelled me into a role I never anticipated. During a C-section, she fainted mid-procedure while serving as first assist. I had been present to tend to the newborn, not to step into a surgical role. Yet, the OB remained unfazed. Ron, rescrub and get into a surgical gown. There was no time to hesitate. My task was simple: hold the retractors as the OB worked through layers of tissue. As he repositioned them, demanding precision with each incision, my muscles strained in protest. My biceps burned, my pectorals ached, but I held firm. Finally, the newborn emerged. The OB directed me to loosen my grip, lift the baby, and resume my usual role of wrapping the baby in a towel as he clamped and cut the umbilical cord. I took him to a heated bassinet to do my usual routine. Later, the OB remarked, You did a better job than any FP Ive had. You listened to my orders rather than try to anticipate them. He assured me the commander would hear of both the FPs collapse and my decisive response. Despite the commanders personal gratitude, he deliberately omitted this from my OER, an institutional choice meant to shield the hospital from accountability. However, the experience cemented my reputation among the surgical and nursery staff that they could count on me to do anything possible for the life of a baby, leading to more such assists. Over time, we devised a coded message for overhead pages whenever that FP was scheduled as first assist: Wildcat deliveries. A nod to Don Shulas bold direct-snap strategy to a running back that had once caught Bill Belichick off guard. Between medical school rotations and these Wildcats, my delivery count quietly climbed to 20; 7 routine, 13 unconventional. I could catch a knuckleball, a rare feat, and a fitting metaphor for the kind of pediatrics I practiced. Ronald L. Lindsay is a retired developmental-behavioral pediatrician whose career spanned military service, academic leadership, and public health reform. His professional trajectory, detailed on LinkedIn, reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing neurodevelopmental science and equitable systems of care. Dr. Lindsays research has appeared in leading journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Archives of General Psychiatry, The Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, and Clinical Pediatrics. His NIH-funded work with the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Network helped define evidence-based approaches to autism and related developmental disorders. As medical director of the Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University, he led the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program, training future leaders in interdisciplinary care. His Ohio Rural DBP Clinic Initiative earned national recognition for expanding access in underserved counties, and at Madigan Army Medical Center, he founded Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) CARES, a $10 million autism resource center for military families. Dr. Lindsays scholarship, profiled on ResearchGate and Doximity, extends across seventeen peer-reviewed articles, eleven book chapters, and forty-five invited lectures, as well as contributions to major academic publishers such as Oxford University Press and McGraw-Hill. His memoir-in-progress, The Quiet Architect, threads testimony, resistance, and civic duty into a reckoning with systems retreat. A Polish woman accused of stalking the family of Madeleine McCann claimed to be three different missing girls, a court has been told. Julia Wandelt, 24, returned with a new story at a missing persons charity in her home country weeks after being told that she was not a child who disappeared in Germany, it was alleged on Tuesday. Iwona Modliborska, who helped set up the charity a decade ago, gave evidence to Leicester Crown Court via video-link assisted by a Polish interpreter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told the court that Ms Wandelt began sending messages to her organisations Facebook pages in January or February 2023. Madeleine McCann, pictured shortly before her disappearance in 2007, when she was nine days short of her fourth birthday - PA Wire She added it was not easy to convince Ms Wandelt she was neither Madeleine nor missing children Inga Gehricke and Acacia Bishop, who disappeared in 2015 and 2003. Madeleine disappeared from an apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007. It is alleged that Ms Wandelt stalked her parents Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February this year, claiming to be their missing daughter. Ms Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland, denies the charge of stalking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, jurors were told by a forensic expert that DNA samples from Ms Wandelt and from Madeleines pillowcase are sufficiently different to rule out the possibility they are the same person. Speaking about the first contact from Ms Wandelt, Ms Modliborska said: She wanted to find out about DNA tests, how it worked and how much it would cost. For some time, she drew comparisons between herself and another girl from Germany, Inga Gehricke. She was asking if she could be that girl, and as far as we were concerned, we were asking her why she thought she might be that girl. Her biological parents did not want to give her access to her birth certificate, and she claimed that when she asked questions about her early childhood, she did not get any answers from them. Inga Gehricke, who went missing during a family outing near her home in Germany in 2015, when she was five Inga Gehricke disappeared from a family barbecue at the edge of a forest in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, at the age of five in May 2015. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her whereabouts remain unknown and a 50,000 reward is still active to encourage those with information to come forward. Ms Modliborska told the court she did not believe Ms Wandelts claims to be Gehricke, adding: We quickly made her stop believing in this because something did not agree with the description. It didnt take long because very quickly we convinced her that she was wrong. Within weeks, she returned with a new story. She wrote about Acacia Bishop to us. She sent photographs of herself and Acacia Bishop to compare. There were no similarities and there were no marks specifically that could really indicate it was her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Acacia Bishop was a one-year-old American girl who was kidnapped and presumed drowned in a river in 2003, although her body has never been recovered. Ms Modliborska told the court Ms Wandelt 1,000 per cent could not be Acacia, and the defendant very quickly gave up on her claim to be her. She said: That was the end of the conversation. Acacia Bishop, who is presumed to have drowned in a river in the United States when she was one year old The witness told the jury that Ms Wandelt then started messaging the charity claiming to be Madeleine, with comparisons of their eyes and faces. She added that the defendant told her that she thought she might have been kidnapped. She told the court: Julia was told that she was a quiet girl and did not speak a lot... It was difficult to tell if she could speak Polish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I knew she was not similar to Madeleine. I tried to convince her again, but she was well-prepared and it was not easy. I knew from the very start that it was rubbish. I tried to make her aware that she was wrong. She did not accept that. Earlier this month, the court heard that the alleged stalker sent creepy edited images to Madeleines siblings, twins who were only toddlers at the time she disappeared, to prove she was their missing sister. Ms Wandelt also sent them messages saying she could remember them playing ring-a-ring-a-roses together during their childhood, jurors were told. The court also heard she called and messaged Kate McCann 60 times in one day, before attempting to confront the McCanns in person by visiting their local church and house in Leicestershire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Wandelt and Karen Spragg, 61, of Caerau, Cardiff, both deny one count of stalking. The trial continues. 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. This story was updated to meet our standards. FALL RIVER More than three months after the deadly fire at the Gabriel House assisted living facility, the Fall River Fire Department has taken stock of its procedures with a recommendation to request a new piece of equipment, a change to its mutual aid policy, state law changes and more. Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon stated that the 27-page report released Oct. 10 is about learning and improving, but its also about recognizing the courage, professionalism and teamwork shown by every firefighter on that scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The July 13 fire at Gabriel House on Oliver Street tested the department, as 53 elderly and physically infirm residents had to be evacuated from the building through smoke-filled halls and down ladders. Ten residents died as a result of the fire, and more than 30 people were injured. All surviving residents of Gabriel House have been placed in other facilities. Gabriel House owner Dennis Etzkorn is facing, as of Oct. 10, eight civil lawsuits from 23 survivors and estates of victims, claiming negligence. Are there enough firefighters? Not in Massachusetts, says national standard Fire crews were on scene at a fire at Gabriel House assisted living center at 261 Oliver St, Fall River July 13, 2025. What does the Fall River Fire Department report say? The report, which is available online at fallriverma.gov's page on the Fire Department, includes a timeline of the departments response from the initial fire alarm activation at 9:38 p.m. to the fires knockdown one hour later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also includes a description of the departments attack on the fire and challenges firefighters faced, and recommendations for change to policy. Fire crews were on scene at a fire at Gabriel House assisted living center at 261 Oliver St., Fall River, on July 13, 2025. Among the key points: No fire doors: Gabriel House, which was converted from a hotel in 1999, lacked fire doors allowing smoke and heat to spread freely throughout hallways and common areas. Sprinkler system: The report suggests the buildings sprinkler system was properly pressurized. The system maintained sufficient pressure throughout the incident. The municipal water connection provided adequate volume and pressure, maintaining sprinkler flow until the system was manually shut off later in the night. Air conditioners: The report notes that most rooms had AC units blocking their main windows with plywood blocking the gap between the unit and jamb, often screwed in place. Many residents had to be removed through the smaller bathroom windows, further complicated rescue operations and increasing risk for both residents and firefighters. Too few firefighters: Though 33 firefighters were on scene in under 15 minutes, it wasnt enough for an incident like Gabriel House with large numbers of immobile residents and a situation where firefighters needed to attack the fire and save people simultaneously. The National Fire Protection Associations standard 1710 calls for 42 firefighters within the first 10 minutes. Mutual aid: Days after the incident, Bacon noted that mutual aid from nearby communities was called to cover Fall River stations instead of attacking the fire, and that this was longstanding FRFD policy. The report notes that assigning these paramedics and firefighters to stations may reduce the number of medical resources available on scene. Preparedness: Did Gabriel House ever conduct fire drills? Here's what Fall River inspection reports say Window unit air conditions and screen can be seen on the outside of Gabriel House in Fall River, Massachusetts, on the morning of July 14, 2025, after a fatal fire tore through the building. As well as the water bottles used by firefighters to keep themselves hydrated as more than 50 of them worked to extinguish the blaze. What does the fire department's report suggest doing differently? The report has 11 different recommendations for the department, based on its experience at Gabriel House, and incorporating information from groups like NFPA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. One of them Among them are: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More drills and emergency preparedness guides: The report suggests FRFD should update its planning for high-risk occupancies like Gabriel House, with annual walkthroughs and drills. It also suggests FRFD develop general emergency guides to share with residents at any high-risk building, with information specific to that building. Reconsider mutual aid strategy: Rather than have other towns cover Fall River stations, FRFD will use mutual aid to increase staffing at the incident and request station coverage from outside its usual communities. Seek state-level code changes: The report says the state should require the same sprinkler codes used in nursing homes for all buildings that "house vulnerable populations," like assisted living facilities and group homes. It also advocates for the Department of Public Health to include life safety and emergency preparedness as one of the criteria it measures in making sure nursing homes follow the federal standard of care. Another piece of equipment: The FRFD notes that many firefighters who showed up had no SCBA packs, and that empty cylinders of air had to be taken back to a station to be refilled. The FRPD said it should acquire a vehicle dedicated to SCBA support, able to refill cylinders on scene, with extra packs and gear. Fire crews were on scene at a fire at Gabriel House assisted living center at 261 Oliver St, Fall River July 13, 2025. What caused the Gabriel House fire? The Gabriel House fire was the deadliest in Massachusetts in 41 years, and the deadliest in Fall River in 150 years. The fires origin remains undetermined, but a preliminary report from the Department of Fire Services indicated it likely began accidentally in a residents room due to either a faulty oxygen concentrator or improper use of smoking materials. The FRFDs report focuses on the departments response and does not elaborate further on the investigation, which is ongoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FRFD has issued recent warnings about out-of-date sprinkler heads found and replaced in several Fall River buildings; media reports have indicated these sprinkler heads were found in Gabriel House. This has not been confirmed by the Department of Fire Services, and a DFS spokesman has told The Herald News that a Massachusetts fire chief who spoke about the issue publicly is not part of the investigation. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River Fire's report on deadly assisted living facility blaze NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A 33-year-old man remains in recovery weeks after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Jefferson Street in Germantown. Metro Nashville police said Cameron Magro was walking home the night of Oct. 11 when two cars were drag racing through the neighborhood. I want to express this is an absolute miracle that my little brother is still here today, Kaylee Magro said. A miracle hands down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver, 36-year-old Travis Andry, is now facing felony reckless aggravated assault charges. Police said he was driving with a suspended license. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts He was going home after a fun evening with his friends and wasnt safe doing something he should have been safe doing, his sister said. Local advocates said this story is part of a larger problem. On Monday afternoon, the Metro Nashville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission held a meeting to address pedestrian safety concerns in Nashville. This is not a good city in which to be a pedestrian crossing the road, said John Norris, who is part of the advisory commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norris remembers another tragedy just a few blocks away when his friend Dorothy Dobbins was killed crossing the street earlier this summer. It shouldnt have happened, he said. There have been many complaints about that particular crossing, and it shouldnt have happened. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com City officials said meetings about pedestrian safety are nothing new, but they are taking on a new urgency. Roads arent just for cars, Norris said. Other users have rights, too, and those rights need to be honored and respected. Cameron Magro remains in recovery with months of rehabilitation ahead, so he can run again. Its something, his sister Kaylee said, he loved to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want to say thank you to the people who the ICU unit and the people who rushed out and put compression on his head and prayed around him when they saw he got hit, Kaylee said. We want to thank all of them who showed up and poured out support. This was truly a miracle. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. At a balloon release in DeKalb Memorial Park last week, dozens of friends and family members gathered to remember Linton Blackwell, a man they said would do anything for his family, especially his twin daughters. Hes an angel gone too soon, but he will watch over us, Faith Harper, his aunt, told Capital B Atlanta during the remembrance Thursday evening. Blackwells family is still reeling after losing the 44-year-old rapper and entrepreneur in a fatal shooting the night of Oct. 11 by an off-duty Atlanta police officer under what they believe are questionable circumstances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jimmy Evans, Blackwells cousin and security guard when he performed in nightclubs under his stage name B Green, told Capital B Atlanta that Blackwell was shot multiple times. Capital B Atlanta was unable to obtain a copy of the autopsy report while the investigation is ongoing. Linton Blackwell, 44, was a rapper and entrepreneur who also had a clothing line called Lil Vietnam, the nickname for East Lake Meadows, a former Atlanta public housing community where he was raised. (Courtesy of Jimmy Hill) According to a preliminary statement by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the off-duty officer was working a security job nearby when he responded to a request for assistance due to an argument at the bar 5 Paces Inn. The GBI statement said the officer observed Blackwell grab something from his car he believed to be a firearm before Blackwell tried to reenter the bar from the rear parking lot. Following a number of verbal commands, the officer then opened fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement who responded after the shooting reportedly found a handgun on the scene but did not say who it belonged to. While the officers full name hasnt been released, an Atlanta Police incident report obtained by Capital B Atlanta through an open records request referred to the shooter as officer G. Walker. Blackwell was pronounced dead at the scene. Marcus Harper remembered his cousin as one of his favorite rappers and someone who was always looking out for the family. In addition to his music, Blackwell also had a clothing line called Lil Vietnam, the nickname for East Lake Meadows, a former Atlanta public housing community where he was raised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like most of Atlantas public housing, East Lake Meadows was demolished in the late 1990s, and very few of the original residents returned when a mixed-income development was built in its place. "He was a very respectful, kind, nice young man," said Faith Harper, aunt of Linton Blackwell. "He's an angel gone too soon, but he will watch over us." (Madeline Thigpen/Capital B) ABOVE: He was a very respectful, kind, nice young man, said Faith Harper, aunt of Linton Blackwell. Hes an angel gone too soon, but he will watch over us. BELOW: He was very cordial, he loved his family, especially his daughters, said Marcus Harper about his cousin Linton Blackwell. (Madeline Thigpen/Capital B) He carried our neighborhood on his back, Evans told Capital B Atlanta. He kept our neighborhood relevant through his music. Another Blackwell cousin, Jimmy Hill, who alerted Capital B Atlanta to the story, is no stranger to fighting for justice in police brutality cases. Earlier this year, a federal judge dropped the criminal charges against the Atlanta police officer who shot and killed his unarmed son Jimmy Atchison in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This [has] devastated our family, Hill said. They never did say he pointed a weapon at that officer. Without more information from police surrounding what led to the shooting in Buckhead last Saturday, the family is left with more questions than answers about how a man they remember so fondly lost his life. Hed give you the shirt off his back. Thats the kind of man he was, said Grady Blackwell. He was my nephew, but I loved him like he was my child. Read More: The post Family Questions Police Account of Fatal Buckhead Shooting by Off-Duty Officer appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. Family remembers beloved uncle, a 9/11 survivor, killed in subway attack BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) A Brooklyn man who survived both attacks on the World Trade Center was killed in a random subway beating. The family of Nicola Tanzi is sharing more about his remarkable life. More Local News Tanzi was born in New York, but his Italian roots ran deep. He was heavily involved with Brooklyn religious festivals and was nearing retirement. He did a good job at bringing the family together, centered around food, holidays and Sundays, his nephew Chris Tanzi said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 64-year-old brought the family together again over the weekend for his funeral. His nephew delivered the eulogy. Chris told us Monday that his Uncle Nicky had remarkably survived both World Trade Center attacks in 1993 and 2001. It was kind of like how he died [escaped] helping others, he said. Ironically, Tanzi was murdered on his way home from his security guard job in downtown Brooklyn during a chance encounter in the MetroTech subway station. This individual was trying to get in through the emergency exit. He motioned to give him a harder push and this individual took drastic actions, Chris said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Make PIX11 your preferred source on Google: Heres how He says his uncle only ever wanted to help people especially after 9/11. He felt a little survivors guilt. A lot of people did that day. He had coworkers who died, and it weighed heavy on him, he said. For some reason, the suspected career criminal, David Mazareigo snapped and was charged with beating Tanzi to death at the Metrotech station. Someone failed during their job, and its unfortunate it impacted my family like this, Chris said. His nephew blames a systematic failure that led to the brutal killing and fears his family wont be the last to fall victim to it, unless bail reform and mental health policies are readdressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a failure of leadership and a failure of people at the operational level, he 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 PIX11. The family of a Texas congressional aide who lit herself on fire has spoken out after claims of an affair with her Republican boss. Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old mother of one from Uvalde, Texas, died last month after suffering severe burns. Home surveillance video captured Aviles on fire in her backyard on September 13, the San Antonio Express-News reported, citing police. Uvalde Police Chief Homer E. Delgado previously said Aviles was alone when the fire started. A cause of death has yet to be revealed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, the Daily Mail reported, citing multiple unnamed sources, Aviles and Representative Tony Gonzales had an affair before her death. The family of Regina Santos-Aviles, a Texas congressional aide who lit herself on fire, has spoken out after claims of an affair with her Republican boss (Regina Santos-Aviles/Facbook) Gonzales represents Texas 23rd Congressional District, along the U.S.-Mexico border. Aviles started working for Gonzales in November 2021 as his regional director. One of the Daily Mails sources reportedly said Gonzales, who has a wife and six kids, and Aviles, who was also married, were romantically involved for some time. Aviles mother, Nora Gonzales, called the Daily Mails reporting completely false, in an interview with the New York Post published Tuesday, adding, I dont think it has any merit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aviles and her husband, Adrian Aviles, reportedly separated after he learned about the alleged affair this year, but they continued to share parenting responsibilities for their eight-year-old son, one of the Daily Mails sources said. The Independent has reached out to Rep. Gonzales office, Nora Gonzales and Adrian Aviles for comment. Aviles started working for Representative Tony Gonzales in 2021 and was his regional district director (Tony Gonzales' office) A spokesman for Rep. Gonzales told the Daily Mail when asked about the affair, Regina Aviles was a kind soul who had a lasting impact on her community, which she continued to serve until her untimely death. To see political bottom feeders distort the circumstances around her passing is truly sickening. Tony Gonzales remains laser-focused on delivering historic achievements for Texas and condemns any attempts to misuse this tragedy, the spokesman added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nora did say Aviles and her husband were separated in a previous interview with the San Antonio Express-News. She said Aviles was upset the day she died because her son was spending the weekend with his father. Nora said she went to her daughters home to find her with burns and begging for water. The last thing she said is, I dont want to die, Nora told the local outlet. Aviles died the next day in the hospital. The theft that occurred at the Louvre Museum in Paris over the weekend is "damn close" to the most expensive museum theft in history, according to one of the most famous art thieves in the world. Myles Connor walked into the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and walked out with a Rembrandt painting in the 1980s. "The best that they can do if they want to make any money out of them would be to hang on to them for a few years and then have somebody approach the museum, lets say, an attorney, and say, 'Listen, I've got these guys that might be able to recover them, but they're putting their life in danger,'" Connor said to ABC News by phone when asked how the thieves could get any money from the heist. Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters - PHOTO: Police officers stand near the pyramid of the Louvre museum after reports of a robbery, in Paris, France, Oct. 19, 2025. He estimates the reward for the items taken from the Louvre could be as much as $5 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I stole the Rembrandt out of the MFA, that was my goal, he said. Connor said he stole the Rembrandt painting with the intention of ultimately using that as "a bargain chip" to have the charges reduced or dismissed against him. Boston Globe via Getty Images - PHOTO: How the Gardner Museum's Security Head Befriended An Art Thief Louvre robbery latest chapter in high-profile museum heist history: 5 famous capers "And I did that. And on top of that, I got a I got a $50,000 reward for discovering and returning the payment to the museum. So, I not only had my charges dismissed, but I got a cash reward," Connor said. The painting was returned by his friend Al Dotoli, who was a one-time manager to Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Connor said it would be a shame if the stolen items from the Louvre were ruined because of the historical significance. ABC News - PHOTO: Some of the jewels that were stolen in a brazen heist at the Louvre museum in Paris, Oct. 19, 2025, are seen on display in this undated photo. On Sunday, several people disguised as construction workers broke into the world-famous museum in Paris, cracking open display cases and stealing jewelry that once belonged Emperor Napoleon I and his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, according to officials. French officials have since launched an investigation into the robbery. So far, no suspects have been identified publicly. Musee du Louvre / Stephane Marechalle - PHOTO: A diadem, or tiara of Empress Eugenie of France was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris, Oct. 19, 2025, an official said Manhunt underway for 4 suspects after heist of 'priceless' jewelry at Louvre in Paris At least nine pieces of jewelry of "inestimable heritage and historical value" -- including crowns, necklaces, earrings and brooches -- were taken in the brazen heist before the thieves made their getaway on motorcycles, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's an immense collection of irreplaceable artifacts. It's not just the value of the stones, it's the value interest, value of the esthetics of the history and what they represent to the country, Connor told ABC News. They will be vilified by the entire country because they are national treasures," he said. Leaning into her victories for consumers, students, and families and her ongoing battles with the Trump administration, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell announced Tuesday that shed seek a second term in 2026, promising more of the same. Our work is far from done, Campbell, a Democrat, said during a news conference outside her childhood home in Bostons South End that sits next door to a former stop on the Underground Railroad. "Too many families are still struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. The federal government is actively trying to take away our fundamental rights and freedoms, she continued, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And most importantly, the next generation is struggling to do better than the last. This is why Im running for reelection because Massachusetts deserves an attorney general who leads with empathy, compassion, and a sense of urgency and a deep belief that this job is about more than enforcing the law. It is about making life better for people who far too often feel left out and left behind," she concluded. Campbell prefaced her brief early morning appearance on a chilly October morning with a video detailing her family history, which includes her mothers death in a car accident, her fathers time in custody, her twin brothers death in prison, and a youth spent in foster care. Despite these tragedies, I found strength in community, Campbell said in the video. During Tuesdays news conference, she revisited that history and discussed how it had shaped her. It means a lot to me to be making this announcement right here in the South End and in Roxbury, steps from where I grew up, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Campbell and her fellow Democratic attorneys general in other states have blitzed the Republican White House with litigation, scoring wins at the district court and appellate levels that have halted President Donald Trumps agenda and returned more than $3 billion in federal funding to the Bay State alone. That tally included $170 million for public health efforts and the National Institutes of Health, plus $210 million for the states public schools, she said. Campbell also ran the numbers on the other money shed won back for the taxpayers, workers, kids and others. That included $32 million in recovered wages and benefits; $400 million by stopping "unfair utility rates," she said. Campbell said Tuesday that she sees no immediate end to that work in 2026 and beyond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I expect and anticipate the federal government will actively keep trying to take the billions of dollars of Massachusetts investments away, undermine or attempt to rewrite our Constitution, take away our freedoms and our values," she continued, And so we will just have to keep stepping up. Campbell, a former member of Boston City Council and onetime mayoral candidate, won election to her first term in 2022, becoming the first Black woman to win statewide. The high-profile fights with the White House, along with a move from Mattapan to the South Coast, have fueled speculation about her political future, the political newsletter MASSterList noted Tuesday. But even though the initials for Campbells title, AG, are often jokingly referred to as shorthand for aspiring governor, Campbell insisted Tuesday that shes focused on four more years at Ashburton Square. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I love my job as attorney general, and I, of course, want to keep it, she said. And I recognize weve accomplished great work, especially in the area of affordability and federal accountability. More on Politics Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Protesters hold up signs at the Oct. 18, 2025, No Kings protest in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Christina Lords/Idaho Capital Sun) On Saturday I attended the No Kings protest at the Statehouse to do my small part in declaring that we do not want the country to drift into authoritarianism. As far as the eye could see, there was a sea of Idahoans who believed the same. One of the organizers declared from the Statehouse steps that it was the largest protest in Idaho history. As a reporter I covered many protests at the Idaho Capitol, and I can say with certainty it was the largest crowd I have ever seen. Last week U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson dubbed No Kings a Hate America event. He was wrong. The protest was more of a love fest for America and for American democracy. The protesters were angry about President Donald Trumps anti-democratic power grab, but they were joyously celebrating America and its Constitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the crowd sang the national anthem, it was a reverent homage to our great country, sang in a heartful way. When the anthem reached the inspiring land of the free, the crowd erupted in celebration, with American flags waving against the blue autumn sky. Conservative columnist David Brooks lamented in a recent article in The Atlantic magazine that Americans seem apathetic about Trumps authoritarian tendencies and the cowardice of his acolytes in Congress. Why hasnt a resistance movement materialized here? Brooks asked. He wrote that the Trump administration operates as a national extortion racket, using federal power to control the inner workings of universities, law firms, and corporations. It has thoroughly politicized the Justice Department, launching a series of partisan investigations against political foes. It has turned ICE into a massive paramilitary organization with apparently unconstitutional powers. I wonder what Brooks thinks now that an estimated seven million Americans showed up in large cities and small towns across America to declare that they do not want a king, a dictator, a tyrant. Protesters even showed up in Lexington where American democracy was born with flintlock muskets. This time, democracy is being defended by Americans taking peacefully to the streets, by brave federal judges, and, most importantly, by voters. Donald Trumps reaction to the No Kings rallies was predictable: Who cares? He should care and so should members of Congress. They disregard the message that Americans sent on Saturday at the risk of their own political careers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaker Johnson said the No Kings crowd would be filled with Marxists and people who are against capitalism. Instead, I saw grandfathers and grandmothers. I saw young couples with small children. I saw Republicans, yes Republicans. I saw business leaders. I saw veterans. I saw cowboys. I saw a woman with a box filled with copies of the U.S. Constitution which she bought with her own money and passed out for free. I even saw tall yellow chickens, green frogs, a unicorn, and a dinosaur. And I saw dogs, lots of dogs. I saw elderly people sitting in camp chairs because they were too frail to stand for hours. Still, they wanted to stand up for democracy by sitting down. Everyone carried posters that reflected a diversity of messages, but one theme: We do not want a king or a dictator, we want a constitutional democracy. Donald Trump might dismiss protesters as fools as he did those who died on Normandy beaches in the defense of democracy and against authoritarianism. But the Idahoans I saw on Saturday are not fools, and they arent fooling around. They represent the heart and soul of America. An Iraq Marine veteran attending the No Kings protest in Washington, D.C., told the Associated Press: I fought for freedom and against this kind of extremism abroad. And now I see a moment in America where we have extremists everywhere who are, in my opinion, pushing us to some kind of civil conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Historian David McCullough believed that George Washington was the greatest American who ever lived. Washington was so beloved by the American people he could have become a king. Instead, after two terms as our first president, Washington returned to Mount Vernon because he loved his country and democracy more than he loved power. McCullough wrote of Washington: Our gratitude to George Washington should be beyond measure and to have had that particular man with his integrity, his courage, his decency, his stability, his sense of duty to the common good, as our first president is almost miraculous. In contrast to Washington, today we have a president positioning himself to run for an unconstitutional third term in office and we have members of Congress so afraid of losing their power they are remaining silent in the face of tyranny. History if our democracy survives so we have one will judge Donald Trump, members of Congress, including Idahos silent four, and the complicit U.S. Supreme Court very harshly. Compared to Washington and the millions of patriots who took to the streets on Saturday to defend the Constitution, they are very small indeed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Commentary: CPC to set the tone for new five-year plan crucial for advancing modernization Xinhua) 08:01, October 21, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The fourth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee is poised to shape the direction of the 15th Five-Year Plan that will steer the world's second-largest economy from 2026 to 2030, a defining phase on China's path toward basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035. The plenary session, which started in Beijing on Monday, will review the CPC Central Committee's draft proposals for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for national economic and social development. As an overarching blueprint to guide national development, five-year plans outline the country's targets, strategies, priorities and policy orientations in various fields. Starting in 1953, consecutive five-year plans have contributed to China's miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, becoming an important governance approach. Over the past five years, China's economy has made remarkable progress in high-quality development, driven by innovation and growing domestic demand. This achievement comes despite mounting challenges, including the global COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly complex external environment. From 2021 to 2024, China maintained an average annual growth rate of 5.5 percent. The estimated increment of the Chinese economy during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) is set to surpass 35 trillion yuan (4.93 trillion U.S. dollars), which is more than the annual GDP of a major Western economy. China's per capita GDP hit 13,445 U.S. dollars last year, placing the country among the top tier of upper-middle-income countries. Having eradicated absolute poverty and built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China aims to basically realize socialist modernization by 2035 and build itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century. As the 14th Five-Year Plan period is concluding on a high note, the 15th Five-Year Plan period marks a crucial phase for the country to consolidate its foundation and make all-out efforts to accomplish its 2035 target and beyond. Over the next five years, China will place greater strategic emphasis on fostering new quality productive forces to drive economic growth. This goal will be supported by comprehensive top-level planning along with stronger institutional and policy measures. The country aims to intensify scientific and technological innovation and achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in critical areas. At the same time, parallel efforts will focus on upgrading traditional industries, nurturing emerging sectors, and laying the groundwork for future industries. Fueled by massive investment, a strong talent pool and supportive policies, China continues to make steady strides in innovation. In recent years, the country has developed high-performance chips, advanced operating systems, and large artificial intelligence (AI) models. It has also achieved remarkable progress in areas such as quantum technology, manned spaceflight, and deep space exploration. The country's "AI Plus" initiative is empowering scientific research and industries, and creating new consumption scenarios. High-tech industries and a deeper integration of sci-tech and industrial innovation will play a bigger role in fostering new growth drivers for the Chinese economy in the years to come. As China accelerates the forging of a new development paradigm, domestic demand will be further expanded to become the main engine and anchor of economic growth. This year, the central government has prioritized vigorously boosting consumption, increasing investment returns, and stimulating domestic demand across the board. Consumption potentials in sectors such as the ice and snow economy, the silver economy, and the low-altitude economy as well as in rural areas are to be unlocked. The country is expected to lay out effective measures to promote coordinated regional development, advance comprehensive rural revitalization and integrated urban-rural development, and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas over the next five years. At the same time, as a global leader in green technology, China will press ahead with its domestic green transition while contributing to global climate action through its cost-effective products and tech expertise. From 2026 to 2030, China will continue to advance comprehensive reforms and pursue high-standard opening up. More than 300 reform measures rolled out at the third plenum of the CPC Central Committee last year are set to be completed during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Five-year plans are a distinctive strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics, representing a key element of China's governance success. Unlike policy fluctuations often seen in some Western countries, consistent plans reflect the CPC's and the Chinese people's unwavering focus on long-term goals, their commitment to practical, results-oriented action, and their determination to keep advancing until those goals are achieved. With the 15th Five-Year Plan set for implementation next year, Chinese modernization under the strong leadership of the CPC is poised to break new ground on all fronts. Through the united efforts of the entire nation and deeper international cooperation, China is expected to move steadily closer to its established goals, even as it navigates the challenges that lie ahead. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Security and defense issues have been important to humanity at all times. Today, when military technologies have reached a new level of development, this topic is no longer individual for countries and requires a collective approach. In the modern world, even the powers alone are not capable of ensuring their security and integrity. Cooperation, partnership, and bilateral and multilateral agreements can serve as a fairly reliable guarantee that external stakeholders will think ten times before taking unfriendly steps. Speaking at the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev proposed to hold joint military exercises within the framework of the OTS. "Taking into account the broad cooperation between our countries in the military, defense and security spheres, we propose to hold joint military exercises of the Organization of Turkic States member states in Azerbaijan in 2026," he said. The President of Azerbaijan stated the need for cooperation in the security and defense spheres in the space of the OTS at the 10th anniversary summit of the organization in Astana in November 2023. Last September, at a meeting of the heads of Central Asian and Azerbaijani countries in Kazakhstan, the Azerbaijani leader said that the growing threats and challenges in the world require greater strengthening of cooperation between our countries in the field of defense and security. In this context, he emphasized the importance of joint military exercises. The intentions of the OTS countries to continue joint activities in the field of the military-industrial complex were also reflected in the declaration of the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held in July 2024 in Shusha. In Gabala, the President of Azerbaijan once again raised the issue of joint exercises within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States. This proposal received a warm response in the Turkish media. It was called historical, and Turkish journalists have already come up with a name for the exercises themselves - the Turan exercises. Exercises between member countries are conducted on a bilateral basis, and members of the TS participate in multilateral exercises with other countries. But so far there have been no military maneuvers that would be conducted under the auspices of the Organization of Turkic States. Azerbaijan's OTS partners in Central Asia have numerous and fairly modern armies. In the ranking of the world's armies for 2025, the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are even ahead of our country. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan has something that none of the fraternal Turkic countries has - the experience of a victorious war. Even the second NATO army, Turkiye, has no such experience. This experience is very expensive, and God forbid any of our brothers get it in reality. Strengthening defense cooperation and institutionalizing this cooperation within the framework of the TS is the best way to avoid facing serious threats to our sovereignty and integrity. According to experts, military maneuvers under the auspices of the TS should become regular and be conducted, including in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. Such exercises will not only contain a powerful geopolitical message, but will also allow us to learn from the experience of the Azerbaijani Army in recent battles. Although the "Turan exercises" are still under discussion, the member countries have been cooperating for more than a year in terms of joint exercises. In June of this year, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan conducted military exercises "Caspian Breeze-2025" in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Aktau port. In July, the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Tarlan-2025 tactical flight exercises were held, the main theme of which was the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. In September, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkiye participated in the Unlimited Brotherhood-IV joint exercises with Pakistan. Armored vehicles, army aircraft and UAVs were involved in the maneuvers. On October 15, the opening ceremony of the joint regional exercises "Unity - 2025" with the participation of military personnel from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan took place in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan. In 2024, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan conducted joint tactical and special exercises "Altyn Kyran - 2024" ("Golden Eagle - 2024"). The two countries also participated in the Birlestik-2024 command and staff exercises together with units of the armed forces of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as in joint naval exercises of the Caspian littoral states (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia). Now it's time to move the joint maneuvers directly to the site of the Organization of Turkic States. A WORD TO THE EXPERT Military expert, former corps commander, recipient of the Order of the Azerbaijani Banner, Reserve Colonel Shair Ramaldanov: "Given the geopolitical situation and the ongoing processes in the world, the Organization of Turkic States should have a structure that will allow member countries to join forces to ensure their security and sovereignty. Unfortunately, international organizations that are called upon to protect the interests of countries suffering from such threats are failing to meet their obligations. Azerbaijan, part of whose territory was occupied by Armenia for thirty years, despite 4 UN resolutions, was forced to do it on its own. He himself restored his territorial integrity, paying a high price for it. I am sure that if there had been an organization uniting the Turkic states at that time, the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict could have been completely different. Any organization is only worth something if it knows how to defend itself. If there are no guarantees for the security of the countries located in its territory, this organization is worthless. It is no coincidence that President Ilham Aliyev raised the issue of security and cooperation in the fields of defense and security, as well as the holding of joint exercises at the 12th AH summit. The issue of strengthening cooperation in the field of security and defense of the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States is a matter of time. Azerbaijan conducted 25 exercises with Turkiye alone in 2025. Now it is necessary to make the exercises of the Turkic countries multilateral. The time has come for the Turkic countries to present a united front in matters of security in the Trans-Pacific Region. There are forces for this. In total, if we take only the number of armed forces of the CIS countries, then this is more than a million personnel. This is a very big force. The main role, of course, is played by Turkiye, whose army is the second most powerful in NATO and the strongest in Europe. But other Turkic countries, based on today's geopolitical realities, are beginning to realize the need to strengthen the armed forces and increase the military budget. As national leader Heydar Aliyev said, it is much more difficult to preserve independence and make it eternal than to win it. In terms of military cooperation, the Turkic countries and the OTS as an organization as a whole have very good prospects. With the establishment of the OTS+ format, the organization will begin to expand beyond the borders of the Turkic space, which is important from the point of view of strengthening security in our region and neighboring regions. Azerbaijan conducted exercises with the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan and other CIS countries. But so far there have been no exercises under the auspices of the OTS. Such exercises are likely to take place in 2026. The issues of cooperation in the fields of security and defense of the Turkic countries are an issue that takes time to resolve. It takes time for the headquarters and armies of the member countries to learn how to interact and perform their tasks together. Over time, I think, appropriate OT structures will be created with the participation of representatives of the armed forces of the organization's members. Azerbaijan has chosen the Turkish model for the development of the army. Perhaps other countries will use this model as a basis. This will make it possible in the future to better and reliably organize and coordinate interaction between the armies of the Turkic countries to fulfill a particular task. In the future, I also do not rule out the creation of the Turan army, which will serve to ensure the security of this region. I would especially like to mention military-technical cooperation. The military-industrial complex of Azerbaijan attracts the attention of the members of the TS, and negotiations on joint negotiations are underway. The Azerbaijani military-industrial complex meets the most modern requirements, our personnel are highly qualified, constantly replenish their knowledge, and improve their professionalism at various events for the exchange of experience with partners with developed military-industrial complexes. These are Turkiye, Pakistan, and Israel. The products of the Azerbaijani military-industrial complex are in demand. As President Ilham Aliyev said, Azerbaijan exports military-industrial complex products to dozens of countries and the geography of supplies is expanding from year to year. This industry is profitable for Azerbaijan. I am sure that the Turkic countries have great prospects in the military-technical sphere. In short, unification and integration are relevant in today's world. One is not a warrior in the field, and in our turbulent times it is problematic to get out of difficult situations alone. The problems that the Turkic countries have are similar, and together we will figure them out." (Photo courtesy of Haps Magazine Korea) Jagalchi Market, Koreas most famous seafood market, will come alive with festivities from October 23 to 26 for its 32nd annual Jagalchi Festival. This years event will feature free seafood tastings, a K-pop dance competition to engage foreign tourists, and a photo booth where visitors can dress up as traditional Jagalchi merchants. The festival will officially open with a fireworks show over Busans southern port at 7 p.m. on the 23rd, setting the stage for four days of lively performances, delicious seafood, and local culture. The Busan Jagalchi Festival consists of an Opening Madang (outdoor performance), Oiso (come here) Madang, Boiso (take a look) Madang, and Saiso (please buy) Madang. At the Opening Madang, you can witness the reenactment of the traditional prayer rituals for the safety of fishermen and a large catch of fish, followed by special performances celebrating the opening of the festival. In Oiso Madang, you can participate in various events such as catching fish with your bare hands; running in a relay with an eel as the baton, and going on board a boat. Boiso Madang features various music performances, whereas, during the Saiso Madang, you can buy fresh fish at a good price from a special auction and at food stands serving sashimi. Farmers across Turkey are warning that extreme weather events are pushing their crops and livelihoods to the brink. What's happening? A series of devastating frosts, hailstorms, and record-breaking heatwaves has wiped out major portions of the country's citrus, apricot, and hazelnut harvests, threatening not just local incomes but global food supplies. In the fertile Adana region of southern Turkey, citrus farmer Aleaddin Cogal told The Star that his lemon orchards have endured multiple disasters in a single season. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "At first, there was the frost and we lost a lot of blossoms," he explained. "Then we had a severe hailstorm when the fruits were small. Then a heatwave hit, and the sun was so intense that it literally boiled the fruit, killing it." The result, he said, was catastrophic: "We lost nearly 40% of our produce." Temperatures in Adana soared to 47.5 degrees Celsius (117.5 degrees Fahrenheit) the hottest in 95 years, while unseasonal frosts in February and April destroyed early blossoms across the region. Farmers in eastern Anatolia's Malatya province, known for its world-leading apricot production, described the frost damage as "harsher than the earthquake" that struck the country in 2023. Even hazelnut growers in the north reported severe losses. Why are crop losses concerning? Turkey is a major agricultural hub, exporting citrus, apricots, and hazelnuts worldwide. But as global temperatures continue to climb, its farmers are facing longer droughts, more intense heat waves, and erratic rainfall, all of which reduce crop yields and increase food prices for shoppers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Cukurova is one of Turkey's most important agricultural regions," said Mehmet Akin Dogan, head of the Yuregir Chamber of Agriculture. "But in recent years, the growing effect of climate change has started threatening our agricultural activities." For consumers, the impact is already visible. Lemon prices in Turkey have surged to 3 euros per kilo ($1.60 per pound) higher than in Finland as supplies shrink. "I was going to export this crop," Cogal said. "Money would have come into our country. But now it's not happening because global warming is messing with the climate." The ripple effect of these losses could go far beyond Turkey. As major exporters struggle to maintain supply, markets around the world may see higher prices for key staples. Farmers everywhere may face more challenges as unpredictable weather becomes the norm. What's being done about crop losses? Farmers and agricultural officials worldwide are calling for better crop insurance and increased government support to help farmers survive growing instances of extreme weather. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, efforts to make farming more resilient including drought-resistant crop breeding, reforestation, and regenerative soil management are gaining urgency. Experts say that addressing the root cause means reducing planet-warming pollution and accelerating the shift toward clean energy. But individuals can help by supporting sustainable agriculture, cutting food waste, and choosing locally grown produce when possible. 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. MADISONVILLE, Texas (FOX 44) A fast-moving fire broke out Monday afternoon between North Zulch and Madisonville, burning through a structure and nearby pastureland as multiple fire departments rushed to contain it. Crews from North Zulch, Madisonville, Midway, and Normangee volunteer fire departments worked alongside the Madison County Sheriffs Office to battle the blaze near State Highway 21 West and Clark Road. The Texas A&M Forest Service also sent in dozers and heavy equipment to help stop the spread. Drivers in the area were urged to use extreme caution, as smoke reduced visibility and caused traffic delays. Authorities asked residents to steer clear of the scene so emergency crews could work safely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No injuries have been reported, but one outbuilding was destroyed and several hay bales burned before firefighters gained control. The cause of the fire 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 KWKT - FOX 44. Fatah held elections in Lebanon as Mahmoud Abbas seeks closer ties with Beirut. The vote highlights Fatahs influence among Palestinians and hints at post-Abbas dynamics. The Palestinian Fatah movement, which is the most powerful in the Palestinian Authority-run West Bank, held a conference in Lebanon to elect new leadership. This matters because Fatah plays a key role among Palestinians in Lebanon. It also matters because Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been seeking to work closely with the new leadership in Lebanon of President Joseph Aoun. Fatah, for instance, was influential in getting its factions to disarm and hand over weapons to the government this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The elections in Fatah in Lebanon thus have something to say about the future of Fatah in general and also possibly its role in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Yaffa News Network, the conference for the elections convened on October 19 in Lebanon. It is the seventh conference of its kind, the report said. It took place at the Palestinian Embassy in Beirut. Fatah in Lebanon renewed its commitment and allegiance to the leader of the Palestinian cause, President Mahmoud Abbas, the report said. Yasser Abbas, the son of Mahmoud Abbas, attended as the representative of his father. In addition the Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Al-Asaad, attended. yasser abbas (credit: AP ) Samir Al-Rifai, a member of the Fatah Central Committee and a representative for it in Syria, also attended. A number of other Fatah officials were present, including Raed Al-Lawzi, Ramez Damasheqieh, Fathi Abu Al-Ardat, Amina Jibril, Hassan Faraj, former ambassadors Khaled Aref, and Nazmi Al-Hazouri. 'Fatah leads the PLO, the sole and legitimate representative of our people' Al-Asaad, the Palestinian Authority Ambassador, claimed the event holds a national message, affirming that Fatah is still alive, vibrant, and leading, bringing together Palestinians in the homeland and the diaspora. He stressed that Fatah leads the PLO, the sole and legitimate representative of our people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also discussed Abbass visit to Lebanon earlier this year and his meeting with Aoun. He called this a turning point in the brotherly relations between the Palestinian and Lebanese states. He noted that Palestine is now recognized by 159 countries, which he said was a major success in the wake of the UNs granting of observer status to Palestine in 2012. Of interest, he also discusses the disarmament process alongside the recognition of civil, humanitarian, social, and economic rights for the Palestinian people in Lebanon. Yasser Abbas, the son of the elder Abbas, wished the conference a success. Days prior to the elections a Palestinian delegation had met with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. This delegation had also included Yasser Abbas in his role as Special Representative of the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. From the PAs perspective, he is the special representative of the president of the State of Palestine. Mohammed Al-Asaad had also attended this meeting on October 16. The discussions focused on monitoring the arms handover within refugee camps, addressing humanitarian, social, and economic rights of the refugees, and tackling urgent life-related issues to strengthen LebanesePalestinian cooperation, in full respect of Lebanese sovereignty and laws, and ensuring the dignity of Palestinian refugees, Yaffa News noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al-Akhbar media in Lebanon, which is generally pro-Hezbollah, covered the elections on October 20. It noted that the elections reflected Abbas tightening grip on the [Fatah] movement and the removal of his opponents. It said that Asaad is a close associate of Abbas. It noted that of the 154 Fatah members participating in the conference, around 30 were nominated by one fo the factions in Lebanon. Among the 15 most prominent winners is Riad Abu al-Enein, son of Fatah leader Sultan Abu al-Enein, who settled his dispute with the Ramallah authorities, which were considering dismissing him from his position at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and pursuing him on corruption charges, Al-Akhbar noted. He is also Brigadier General Mohammed al-Omari, whom Ramallah sent nearly three years ago to head the movement's intelligence apparatus and embassy. He is close to Yasser Abbas and to the head of the PA's General Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until late last night, Abbas Jr. was making every effort to elect al-Omari as the movement's secretary-general in Lebanon, succeeding Fathi Abu al-Ardat. Faraj is considered a key Palestinian security official who is likely to play a role in any post-Abbas era. It would appear that the increasing prominence of the younger Abbas might mean that a post-Abbas era continues to be an Abbas era if the son rises to power. The father of a 2-year-old boy who was swept away and ultimately died in floodwaters near Barstow last month has been arrested and charged in the childs death. Brandon Padilla-Aguilera, 26, was arrested Friday at his home in the 300 block of Chandler Avenue, the Barstow Police Department said on social media. That arrest came almost a month after 2-year-old Xavier Padilla-Aguilera and his father were separated in floodwaters in the 24000 block of West Main Street on Sept. 18. Xaviers body was found the next day. Brandon Padilla-Aguilera is shown in an Oct. 17, 2025, image provided by the Barstow Police Department. Over the course of the month-long investigation, detectives spoke with witnesses and gathered evidence. Based on evidence obtained, detectives secured an arrest warrant for him, police said without elaborating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Padilla-Aguilera is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail at the High Desert Jail, and hes next due to appear in court on Monday at the Victorville Superior Courthouse. The San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office told KTLA that they filed charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death, as well as a special allegation of willful harm or injury causing death. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Bryce Carson at 760-255-5183 or bcarson@barstowca.org. To report information anonymously, contact WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or visit wetip.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the allegations, Xaviers aunt Leeanna Kay issued a statement on behalf of the family to KTLAs Lindsey Pena. We support Brandon fully, the statement said. Our entire family knows hes an amazing father. He wouldnt EVER hurt anyone. Hes been here for everyone helping all of us whenever we needed it. We love him and know hes innocent. Morgan Ball 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. NEED TO KNOW The father who jumped off a Disney Cruise after his daughter fell overboard has described the rescue in detail According to a police report obtained by PEOPLE, investigators learned he had "difficulty locating his daughter in the water and admitted losing visual contact" The dad instructed his daughter to keep yelling so he could find her amid the waves The father who jumped off a Disney Cruise after his daughter fell overboard has described the terrifying episode in detail to police. On Sunday, June 29, the Disney Dream ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after a four-night cruise to the Bahamas. Around 11:30 a.m. local time, a 5-year-old girl went overboard, falling 49 feet into the ocean. The girls father subsequently jumped in after her. Luckily, both family members were pulled out of the water by rescue crews and returned safely to the vessel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to newly released police reports obtained by PEOPLE from Floridas Broward County Sheriffs Office and the Broward County State Attorneys office, the girls mother had allegedly encouraged the 5-year-old to pose for a photo near an open porthole. The girl climbed and sat atop the railing before losing her balance and falling backwards. According to investigators, the mother said she believed there was a covering for the opening behind the 47-inch-tall railing. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty The 'Disney Dream' cruise ship The 'Disney Dream' cruise ship From a hospital room at Broward Health Medical Center, the father described the rescue in detail to investigators. He reported that the family had been walking on deck 4 when his wife stopped to take a photo of their daughter sitting on the railing, deputy David Argenti wrote. He stated that he was approximately 10 feet ahead and did not witness the fall. After hearing his wife scream, he turned around and spotted his daughter in the water. About 45 seconds later, he jumped in himself to attempt a rescue. He noted difficulty locating his daughter in the water and admitted losing visual contact temporarily," the report said. He was eventually able to reach her and tread water with her until they were rescued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report added: He expressed surprise and relief at their survival. The father told detective Christopher Favitta he was not able to see his daughter due to the waves. He instead began to call out her name and heard her respond. The dad instructed her to keep yelling so he could find her. After an unknown amount of time lapsed [the father] located [her] in the water, the detective wrote. He described her as conscious and talking, and she did not have any flotation devices," though several were reportedly thrown down from the ship. While man overboard incidents are rare, the chances of survival are slim too. According to a 2020 report from the Cruise Lines International Association, between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 man overboard incidents. Only 48 were successful rescues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After speaking with Dr. Chante Charles, the lead doctor for the ship, Favitta learned the girl presented symptoms for mild hypothermia and a minor lactic acidosis a buildup of lactic acid in the bloodstream. She was kept in the ships medical center for nine hours. The father was diagnosed with hypothermia, lactic acidosis and a suspected spinal fracture later confirmed by a local hospital, per the report. 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. In a July 31 emailed letter to the State Attorneys Office obtained by PEOPLE, assistant state attorney Melissa Kelly declined the case for prosecution and specifically declined to charge the mother with one count of child negligence. While the defendant's conduct is arguably negligent and irresponsible, it does not rise to the egregious level of conduct necessary to establish criminal culpable negligence, she wrote. Therefore, in light of the facts of this case along with the relevant case law, I am declining one count of child neglect without great bodily harm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A representative for Disney has not responded to PEOPLE's multiple requests for comment. At the time of the incident, Disney confirmed the rescue of two passengers and praised crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes. Read the original article on People The FBI has released additional records from its investigation of the man who killed eight people and wounded five others in a mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility in 2021. The records confirm previous IndyStar reporting about how the killer, Brandon Scott Hole, obtained one of the weapons he used in the attack. They also show he spent time at an Indianapolis shooting range, which has not been previously reported. Together, the records are a stark reminder of how easily the 19-year-old former FedEx employee obtained firearms and accessories even after Indianapolis police confiscated a shotgun from him under Indiana's red flag law in response to his mother's report that he had threatened suicide by cop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The records show that just four months after police seized the shotgun in March 2020, Hole purchased an HM Defense M5L Defender .223 semi-automatic rifle for more than $1,200 at Indy Arms Company, a gun store and shooting range on East 55th Street near Keystone Avenue. At the time, Hole was 18. Hole returned to the store six days later on July 13, 2020, according to an invoice. He purchased 60 rounds of ammunition and booked about 15 minutes at the store's indoor shooting range with an unidentified guest. He also bought a sight and a rifle carrying case. A manager at Indy Arms told IndyStar the store followed all applicable laws, but declined to comment further. Another invoice shows Hole purchased a rifle cleaning kit through Amazon on April 3, 2021. That was just 12 days before he carried out the deadliest mass shooting in Indianapolis history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The purchase of the rifle was possible because IMPD and the Marion County prosecutors never filed a red flag petition with the court after seizing the shotgun. As a result, there was never a hearing to determine if Hole was a danger to himself or others, and his name was not added to a federal database of people who are prohibited from buying firearms. The newly released records are heavily redacted and include 35 pages. They represent the fifth and final batch that the FBI plans to release, according to Sept. 29 letter from bureau. In all, the FBI has released more than 180 pages, while withholding hundreds because of public records exemptions for medical privacy, confidential law enforcement techniques and other reasons. IndyStar requested the records more than four years ago. Read the records: Here's what the FBI has released on FedEx shooter Brandon Hole What the other records showed Other records the FBI released earlier this year confirmed much of IndyStar's reporting in 2021, which identified multiple warning signs and failed interventions in the months leading up to the FedEx massacre, including more than a dozen mental health care and law enforcement encounters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reporting was part of a series, "Red Flagged," that identified numerous instances where police and prosecutors had failed to understand and enforce Indiana's red flag law. The project was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The previously released FBI records show Hole was on the FBI's radar more than a year before carrying out the deadliest mass shooting in Indianapolis history. As early as March 4, 2020, the FBI opened an assessment of Hole for possible adherence to racially motivated violent extremism. The assessment began after IMPD seized the shotgun from Hole's residence and observed on a computer in his bedroom "websites related to Nazi and Neo-Nazi killings along with a popular Neo-Nazi 4-chan forum that uses the moniker 'My Little Pony'." The online forum for adult fans of the animated children's series ''My Little Pony" includes members, also known as "Bronies," who genuinely enjoy the show with its bright colors and positive messages. But the forum has also been a home for sexual, violent and racist fan art. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agents interviewed Hole on April 21, 2020, at his mother's home, but he denied having extremist views. The FBI closed the assessment two days later. After the FedEx shooting, FBI agents observed blankets, posters, tapestries and painted murals of "My Little Pony" characters on all four walls of Hole's bedroom. They also found in his closet a mannequin in a dress dangling from a hanger and a box with a picture of a sex doll on it, but no signs of extremist ideology. Records show agents traced the other weapon Hole used in the shooting a Rugar AR-556 rifle to a now-closed gun store, Indy Trading Post, at 2851 Madison Ave. He purchased that weapon Sept. 9, 2020. Ultimately, authorities announced about three months after the shooting that the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit had determined the attack was "an act of suicidal murder" in which Hole decided to kill himself "in a way he believed would demonstrate his masculinity and capability while fulfilling a final desire to experience killing people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Only the shooter knows all the reasons why he committed this horrific act of violence," then-FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said, adding that Hole "did not appear to have been motivated by bias or desire to advance any ideology." Since the shooting, Marion County officials have made significant changes to the red flag process. Police are now required to submit red flag cases directly to the court anytime they seize a gun under the law, rather than relying on prosecutors to file a case. The number of people who are found dangerous and prohibited from purchasing guns has increased dramatically. Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com. Follow him on X: @IndyStarTony. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: FBI records show FedEx mass shooter practiced at local shooting range The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Roche's Gazyva/ Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) to treat adult patients with active lupus nephritis (LN) who are on standard therapy. The approval allows for a reduced infusion time of 90 minutes after the initial infusion for those who are eligible. After four initial doses in the first year, Gazyva can be administered biannually. Roche chief medical officer and global product development head Levi Garraway stated: People with lupus nephritis who achieve a complete renal response are more likely to experience preserved kidney function and delay, or even prevention, of progression to end-stage kidney disease. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The approval of Gazyva/Gazyvaro by the FDA marks an important step towards a potential new standard of care for lupus nephritis, one that could allow clinicians to offer their patients more effective disease control. The approval is grounded in the findings of the Phase II NOBILITY and Phase III REGENCY clinical trials. Data revealed that 46.4% of participants receiving Gazyva in conjunction with standard therapy attained a complete renal response, in contrast to 33.1% of those on standard therapy alone. This was further supported by enhancements in complement levels, reductions in lowered proteinuria, anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and decreased corticosteroid usage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lupus nephritis affects more than 1.7 million individuals globally, with a disproportionate impact on women, particularly women of childbearing age and those of colour. If left untreated, as many as one-third of those affected may progress to end-stage kidney disease, which frequently necessitates dialysis or a kidney transplant. Gazyva received the FDA's breakthrough therapy designation in 2019. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency ihas ssued a positive opinion recommending its approval, with a final decision from the European Commission anticipated shortly. "FDA approves Roches Gazyva for lupus nephritis" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The US Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) guidance documents offer sponsors greater clarity on trial designs and control strategies that could potentially accelerate the development of in vivo CAR-T cell therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapies are personalised immunotherapies used to treat cancer by utilising a patients own cells. Currently, all approved therapies are ex vivo, meaning they take place out of the body, which can end up taking two to six weeks. In vivo therapies can bypass many of the limitations associated with ex vivo CAR-Ts, particularly the lengthy vein-to-vein time, as dosing is done through an off-the-shelf vector. The new FDA guidance outlines acceptable trial designs and potential control types, including the use of external controls which can help companies conduct and enroll trials, particularly when investigating therapies in more rare sub populations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr Maurits Geerlings, CEO of NanoCell Therapeutics, tells the Clinical Trials Arena how he anticipates in vivo CAR-T cell development will accelerate due to these new guidelines. Editors note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity Abigail Beaney (AB): Delving into these FDA draft guidances, what do they really mean for the development of in vivo CAR-T cell therapies? Maurits Geerlings (MG): It means a lot in terms of the clarity and flexibility that it provides because this is a new field. It touches patient populations that, on the one hand, are smaller patient populations, but also provides options for larger populations, which is the benefit of in vivo. While it is well known that certain indications, such as DLBCL and follicular lymphoma, are considered maybe smaller populations because of the reach of ex vivo CAR-T being limited, the in vivo approach provides the potential for it to be much larger for patient populations. These guidelines are going to be important in providing that benefit for patients, because they help accelerate the development towards approval and post approval. There is some flexibility through tools that are provided that allows for a faster approval path, when you compare it with other regions. One example is Europe, which is stringent with the requirements getting to approval because they need more data, whereas the FDA seems to be more flexible with post approval monitoring mechanisms. AB: What kind of clarity does the guidance provide? What aspects of study design does it help clarify for companies like yours operating in this space? MG: What is so important for us is to know is that the FDA is open to working with innovative trial designs, such as the adaptive design or external controls, and these are very important for in vivo CAR-T. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The patient centric design, or master protocols, are important tools that the agency has spelled out to be open and willing to work with. As NanoCell is looking to launch its initial study as a basket trial, you really need those tools. The other very important matter of clarity is designations so that we have access to rolling reviews, wiggle room with some endpoints, or priority slots. The interaction and openness from the agency are very important, and that has been spelled out in those guidelines. AB: How can this guidance help with running alternative designs for subpopulations of patients? MG: You can capture populations of similar indications with this guidance, which will help with running trials. For example in follicular lymphoma, DLBCL and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, you can capture smaller patient populations which can then be put into the same basket trial, and that is where the master protocol that is spelled out in the guidelines is relevant. In the same way, we can tap into certain solid tumour indications, such as ovarian cancer or glioblastoma, amongst others, while these sub-populations can be small patient populations, these trial designs will help expand patient access. AB: Do sites have the capabilities in both time and equipment to start taking on more of these trials? MG: Yes, I do, because what is so nice about this whole evolution of CAR-T is it started as an autologous proposition, and as companies started working on allogeneic approaches, the strong push was to get this more in the outpatient setting. This was led by companies such as Novartis and others that started in the CAR-T space, which allowed non-highly specialised hospitals to be involved in clinical trials, so more in an outpatient setting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With in vivo, the vision is that you can get a step farther, you get deeper into the community centres that would just have an ICU but not necessarily the apheresis facility. The fact that you don't need apheresis allows you to expand the pool of hospitals that would qualify. If eventually we can show you do not need an ICU, these trials can even get further into the community's centres, with a regular oncologist treating patients. But those are steps that over time, can be made as clinical experience is accumulating, AB: How does this guidance support the US as a space for in vivo CAR-T development? MG: This guidance gives a level of comfort in the life sciences community to really take advantage of what the US has to offer. There has been a lot of talk about going to China for IST trials; that also comes with a level of uncertainty, especially when you develop novel treatment modalities. If something goes wrong, then it may affect your entire value proposition, which may leave you with a programme you can no longer develop anywhere. This could be if a patient death occurs in the trial, which may have happened for the wrong reasons because you didn't have that connectivity with the clinical sites and the control on the execution of the clinical trial. These guidelines help companies refocus on the US. "FDAs latest CGT guidance streamlines path for in vivo CAR-T development" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Florida is putting in miles of infrastructure work. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced several projects Oct. 16, including 17 miles of new express lanes on I-4, which connects the west and east coasts of the state. A new parking facility for truck drivers is also slated for Polk County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Florida DOT will construct new, single express lanes in both directions in Hillsborough County, a part of the state that includes the major metro area of Tampa and St. Petersburg. The project will cost $500 million, FDOT chairman and secretary Jared Perdue said during the announcement. The new I-4 lanes will run from I-75 to County Line Road. The goal of the project is to reduce congestion by separating long-distance traffic from local commuter traffic, providing additional travel options. Perdue said plans for expanding I-4 have existed for 15 years, but it would have likely been another 10 years before the agency could advance the project. Instead, FDOT chose to construct the project now within the existing highways right of way. Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2028, per the governors announcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency did not respond to Construction Dives request for comment by the time of publication. The announcement of work comes a few months after FDOT completed a major interchange update along I-4 in Central Florida near Orlando. The agency opened the interchange at Daryl Carter Parkway on July 19, aiming to better provide motorists with access to residences and retail locations. It also sought to relieve congestion at other nearby I-4 interchanges. In addition to the new lane expansion, FDOT will also construct a 100-space truck parking facility in Polk County, located at the Polk Parkway and I-4 interchange east of Tampa. The I-4 corridor has one of the largest truck parking deficits in Florida, per the release. We actually have an initiative underway right now to bring over 1,400 truck parking spots to the I-4 corridor as a whole, Perdue said during the announcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, Polk County isnt alone in getting a planned upgrade for trucker parking. A pro-trucker package from the federal DOT will give $180 million to add 917 truck parking spaces along I-4 in Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties, Trucking Dive reported in July. The federal award was announced in January 2024 and executed in July 2025, Trucking Dive reported. Estimated construction costs for those lots vary from $29.5 million to $74 million. Recommended Reading (Photo courtesy of Haps Magazine Korea) One of three foods that were chosen as representative dishes during the Joseon Dynasty, bibimbap has long been a favorite of Koreans and foreigners alike. The city of Jeonju, known to be the home of bibimbap, celebrates the nutritious dish each fall with the Jeonju Bibimbap Festival which will be held through October 26 at the Jeonju Hanok Village & Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall. According to visitkorea.com, Jeonjus bibimbap is decorated with five colors and withholds five tastes that come from 30 different ingredients including ginkgo, pine nut, chestnut, walnut, and fresh seasonal vegetables. It has a balanced nutrition, packed with carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals alike. It is considered the perfect food embracing the ancestors wisdom and scientific theory. The festival celebrates with lots of performances, experience programs, and of course, lots and lots of bibimbap. Event Information Date: October 24-26 Location: Jeonju Hanok Village & Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall Oct. 20As the federal government shutdown entered day 20, the National Nuclear Security Administration temporarily laid off 1,400 of its employees Monday. Another 400 continue to go to work "to support the protection of property and the safety of human life," Energy Department Deputy Press Secretary Emery Washington said in a statement. Washington did not answer questions about how the furloughs would affect staff in New Mexico. This is the first time NNSA has furloughed employees during a government shutdown. NNSA's Office of Secure Transportation, which is responsible for safely transporting government-owned special nuclear materials through the U.S., is funded through Oct. 27. Office of Secure Transportation agents operate from three commands, including its headquarters in Albuquerque. NNSA also has field offices in New Mexico to oversee compliance and federal contracts with Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories. The NNSA Los Alamos Field Office spokesperson sent an automated response when emailed for comment on Monday, stating she was on furlough due to the lapse in federal funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We've never furloughed workers in the NNSA," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said during a Monday news conference at the Nevada National Security Site. "This should not happen. But this was as long as we could stretch the funding for the federal workers. We were able to do some gymnastics and stretch it further for the contractors." The majority of people working on nuclear weapons and security under NNSA are contract employees. Between federal and contract employees, NNSA includes 65,000 employees at labs, plants and other sites nationwide, according to an NNSA fact sheet. Wright said there is funding to keep contract workers at work through the end of the month. Some federal employees and contractors will be kept at work regardless of how long the shutdown lasts because not having them work would be too risky, he said. Democrats and Republicans in Congress have been placing blame for the shutdown on each other since it began, a tactic Wright continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The energy secretary called on Democratic Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen to vote in favor of a Republican-backed temporary funding bill that has repeatedly failed in the Senate and praised Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., for breaking with her party and voting in favor of the bill. Wright placed blame for the shutdown on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "This is Chuck Schumer worried about his personal primary. ... We've got to think about our country first and our families first," Wright said. Congress failed to pass the 12 annual appropriations bills that keep the government open before the fiscal year ended in September. The temporary spending bill backed by Republicans would keep spending levels the same into November, giving more time to negotiate annual appropriations. Senate Democrats have proposed their own temporary spending bill, which would also extend health insurance subsidies. If the subsidies are not extended before the end of the year, health insurance premiums will rise substantially for many Americans. "President (Donald) Trump did not have to furlough 80% of the workers who maintain our nuclear weapons stockpile he chose to," Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said in a statement, accusing the president of risking national security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., called for Republicans to work with Democrats on a bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown. "At this time, LANL and Sandia continue to operate at full capacity to deliver the cutting-edge research, technologies, and capabilities that keep our nation safe," Lujan said in a statement. "Secretary Wright and the Trump administration must prioritize this vital workforce to protect our national security." Los Alamos National Laboratory, managed by Triad National Security, has funds in place to continue operations and will focus on maintaining the safety and security of its employees and facilities, LANL spokesperson Nick Njegomir said in a statement Friday. Sandia National Laboratories is open and employees are reporting for work, according to an automated email response from Sandia spokesperson Kenny Vigil on Friday. Sandia will operate in the short term using unspent funding. The media relations team may not be able to help with inquiries during this time and the lab's website and social media sites may not be updated during the lapse in federal funding, Vigil said. The government shutdown has impacted many Americans daily lives beyond the political tussle. Federal workers are getting laid off by the thousands. Local businesses, whether theyre in Washington, DC, proper or outside the nations national parks, are struggling to fill seats. People are unable to move into their new homes because federally-backed housing loans are halted. That can have a big impact on ones wallet, whether its your personal finances without a steady paycheck or keeping your business afloat. Were asking readers: How has the government shutdown affected your day-to-day finances? For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A federal judge in Chicago declined to issue a temporary restraining order to a group of Northwestern University graduate students Monday, who are boycotting the schools controversial antibias training video on antisemtism. Two graduate students and the campus organization Northwestern Graduate Workers for Palestine are seeking class-action status in a lawsuit filed against Northwestern last week. They allege that a required section of the universitys training module on antisemitism discriminates against Palestinian and Arab students. Those who refuse to complete the online training are unable to enroll in fall classes, jeopardizing their student status. For some students, the final deadline for course registration was midnight Monday leading the plaintiffs to ask for injunctive relief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a hearing at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, District Judge Georgia N. Alexakis acknowledged that losing their student status would cause the graduate workers irreparable harm. But she said their attorneys hadnt proved that Northwestern had a discriminatory motive in mandating the training. Despite the ongoing litigation, it means failure to complete the training will result in immediate consequences for some students. Were obviously disappointed in the results, attorney Maria de las Nieves Bolanos said at a news conference following the hearing. However, we are really looking forward to the next step. We believe in our claims. We believe in our clients. The 22-minute training video on antisemitism, first introduced in February, is part of a mandatory antibias course titled Building a Community of Respect and Breaking Down Biases. Critics say it spreads propaganda about Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for Northwestern said 16 students would be affected if they did not complete the training. It was unclear if all of those students were actively participating in the boycott. Loss of student status would jeopardize access to resources like campus housing, financial aid, student health care and research grants. The graduate students allege that in promoting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism which critics say penalizes legitimate criticism of the Israeli government Northwestern has has enacted policies and practices that prohibit expressions of Palestinian identity, culture, and advocacy for self-determination, according to the complaint. What we have is university policy that is kowtowing toward fascist White House policies that are very frighteningly expanding the definition of antisemitism to include any kinds of criticism of a foreign government, said attorney Christina Abraham. Presiding over the hearing, Alexakis noted that the video does not require students to endorse the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The online course also states that It is not antisemitic to criticize the policies, practices, or members of the Israeli government, provided that criticism avoids antisemitic tropes. There is no evidence that Northwestern has gone against that standard, Alexakis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You have to establish that the threat is not speculative, Alexakis said. Northwestern developed the training video with the Jewish United Fund, a Chicago-based nonprofit, amid steep federal pressure to curb alleged antisemitism on campus. The university has faced heightened scrutiny under President Donald Trumps administration: In April, the White House froze $790 million in research funding amid multiple government investigations into the universitys climate for Jewish students. The antibias course includes a segment on anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian biases. Students are required to complete training on discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct. A university spokesperson said in a brief statement Monday night that Northwestern appreciates the judges ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a previous statement to the Tribune on the training, the university said it was committed to maintaining education, work and living environments in which people are treated with dignity and respect. Consistent with this principle, students are required to complete annual trainings about forms of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct, the statement said. A judge on Monday ordered the government to preserve all video evidence that shows federal immigration enforcement agents deploying tear gas and other chemical agents toward Chicago-area protesters, members of the media and others since the beginning of the Department of Homeland Security's immigration operation "Midway Blitz." But on the stand Monday, the second-in-command of Chicago's Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office said any footage, at least from Broadview's ICE processing facility, recorded before Sept. 18 has likely already been erased. District Court Judge Sara Ellis order came as representatives from both ICE and Customs and Border Patrol testified before her at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Monday about recent protests and the use of tear gas in the Chicago area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If there hasn't been a preservation order given, it needs to be given," Ellis said. For hours, Ellis questioned officials at the heart of the government's immigration enforcement operation in Chicago. She asked them to explain their agencies' policies and tactics regarding use of force, body-worn cameras, and proper methods of identification. SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates CPB Deputy Incident Commander Kyle Harvick and ICE Deputy Field Director Shawn Byers both said to their knowledge, none of their agents have been disciplined in relation to any of the well-publicized deployments of tear gas and pepper balls against people and protesters across the city in recent weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This comes after Ellis, last week, accused federal agents of violating the temporary restraining order she'd issued a week earlier in response to a civil rights lawsuit filed Oct. 6. "We take these TROs very seriously. These are your orders," Harvick said. But during Harvick's testimony, he provided the agency's justifications for deploying tear gas in both the Oct. 12 Albany Park arrest and Oct. 14 East Side pursuit-turned-arrest-turned-protest incident. "The longer we are there, and others come and become assaultive, the situation becomes more and more dangerous," Harvick said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harvick also said, contrary to multiple reports from witnesses, that warnings were issued before tear gas was deployed. For Albany Park arrest, Harvick said he reviewed body-camera footage from two officers on the scene that day, and a supervisor that arrived on scene determined tear gas should be deployed as members of the public were "linking arms" and surrounding the agents after they arrested someone, preventing them from exiting. For the East Side incident, Harvick said he did not review any body-camera footage, but "he was told warnings were given." He said that officers determined to deploy tear gas after objects, including an egg, brick and "metal object," were thrown in their direction. ABC7 Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said nothing has changed with the judge's ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The TRO remains in effect and the next stage is a preliminary injunction hearing which is a mini trial of sorts where there will be testimony, arguments and a fuller discussion of all the issues we've seen so far," Soffer said. Under questioning from Ellis, Harvick said that all CBP agents are trained in basic crowd control procedures and some agents have more advanced training, but he said that there had not been any specific crowd control training to prepare for the deployment to Chicago. All agents, he said, are trained quarterly on use-of-force. Ellis also inquired specifically about the practice of agents wearing face and head coverings during enforcement activity. Harvick said that some agents wear them as some protection from cold weather or from breathing in gasses; he acknowledged that "mostly it's for doxxing cases that we have experienced for agents or their families." Harvick also testified that the requirements of the temporary restraining order Ellis issued, including the modification about body cameras, has been relayed electronically to all agents, and discussed during morning roll-call meetings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In accordance with the TRO, Harvick said, all CBP agents have been instructed to display somewhere on their uniform an identifying number. In some cases, agents have written their number on a piece of duct tape and stuck it on the uniform's shoulders. Harvick also testified that all agents working under operation "Midway Blitz" have been assigned body-worn cameras. He also said there are 201 Border Patrol agents in the Chicago area, including command staff. The number does not include ICE agents. Harvick said CBP officers are required to wear and keep cameras on and recording during enforcement activities. Byers was also on the defensive during Monday's hearing. The courtroom sketch artist blurred his face at the judge's request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Byers said that both ICE and CBP are conducting immigration enforcement via operation "Midway Blitz" "independently but parallel" and that no one person or agency is overseeing the entire operation. He said the total number of ICE agents in the Chicago Area of Responsibility, which includes Illinois and five neighboring states, is around 300. Around 85 serve the Chicago city area. Byers said ICE agents in the Chicago area do not have body-worn cameras, and it would require Congress to reauthorize funding for that to happen. Byers also responded to questions regarding agents' use of force against protesters and others at the ICE processing facility in Broadview, while also washing his hands of CBP's actions across the city. "We're still doing targeted enforcement... They do it a little bit differently, as everybody has seen," Byers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Byers said that both ICE and CBP are conducting immigration enforcement via operation "Midway Blitz" "independently but parallel" and that no one person or agency is overseeing the entire operation. Byers said the raid on the South Shore apartment was done by CBP, not ICE. Regarding the Sept 19. incident of the Rev. David Black being shot in the head by a pepper ball, Byers said he had reviewed surveillance footage from the Broadview facility of that incident and that the complete narrative has not been shared publicly. He said he heard agents give several warnings before shooting, and Black ignored those commands. Byers said on the stand that due to "server issues," surveillance footage from the facility prior to Sept. 18 has likely been overwritten and is no longer available. Byers needs to confirm that footage of Black being shot has been preserved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Monday's hearing Ellis granted the plaintiffs' request that they be able to depose three federal law enforcement officials about operation "Midway Blitz" in advance of a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for next month. Ellis ordered depositions, limited to two hours, of CBP's Gregory Bovino, who is commanding the agency's operations in Chicago; ICE's Russell Hott, who, until Friday was directing field operations in Chicago; and CBP Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Daniel Parra. The plaintiffs in the case are a coalition of journalists, religious leaders and civic organizations. Meanwhile, community meeting was held in Lakeview on Monday night to discuss the federal action, and inform residents of their rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illinois' Fifth District Congressman Mike Quigley doubted the sincerity of the Trump administration's enforcement activity. "This is not about keeping us safe. This is not about keeping us secure. It is about scaring people," Quigley said. And civil rights activists say the courts remain a bulwark of the rule of law. "When the courts get a chance to delve into these questions, to pull them apart and look at the administration's reasoning, the administration doesn't do very well" said Ed Yohnka with the ACLU. ABC News contributed to this report. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Aurora, operated by private prison firm GEO Group, is pictured on Jan. 30, 2025. U.S. Rep. Jason Crow said he was denied entry to the facility while attempting an oversight visit. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) Lawyers for the federal government on Monday responded to Jeanette Vizguerras assertion that she has been detained for an unconstitutionally lengthy time, arguing that her detention meets due process standards because it will eventually end at the completion of court proceedings. If Vizguerras habeas corpus petition is denied she will be removed back to Mexico. Even if her request is ultimately granted, the government would remain authorized to find a different country to accept her. Either way, her proceedings will end, the filing says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vizguerra has been in detention at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Aurora since mid-March after being arrested outside of her workplace. The Denver activist and immigrant-rights advocate alleges she was targeted based on her protected free speech and that her deportation order from 2013 is not valid. She has a pending habeas corpus case in federal court in Denver, which she asks to set her free or grant her a bond hearing while litigation related to her immigration status plays out. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In September, her lawyers filed an amended petition saying her six-month detention is unconstitutional. They argued that many judges rely on six factors when considering a noncitizens detention without a bond hearing, known as the Singh factors, after a 2019 immigration case. Those factors include the length of detention, the likely duration of future detention, the conditions of detention, delays by the detainee and by the government, and the likelihood of a final order of removal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal lawyers say applying those standards would be irrelevant because they should only be considered in cases when a person is detained during removal proceedings, versus when a person is detained with a final order of removal. If noncitizens detained (with a final order of removal) can simply invoke the Singh factors after six months of detention, it would render the Supreme Courts decision in Zadvydas a dead letter, the filing reads. Zadvydas v. Davis created a standard that certain lengthy detentions of detained immigrants satisfies due process so long as there is a significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future, government lawyers wrote. There is a significant likelihood of her removal in the reasonably foreseeable future. The absence of a specific date when the proceedings will end does not show, for this purpose, that the proceedings are indefinite, the filing reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vizguerras lawyers argue that the Zadvydas decision shows that after six months, the government takes on the burden of justifying continued detention. The case continues as the Trump administration ramps up mass deportation efforts. According to an NBC News analysis, about 60,000 immigrants without permanent legal status were detained as of Sept. 25, with only about 30% of those with criminal convictions. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Trump administration officials are defending themselves in court as a federal judge demands explanations for their response to tense protests against immigration enforcement actions in Chicago. Mondays hearing began with a promise Customs and Border Protection is taking seriously the judges order for its agents to wear and use body-worn cameras: Every CBP agent on duty in Chicago more than 200 has a body camera and knows they are required to use it, Deputy Incident Commander Kyle Harvick said. US District Judge Sara Ellis then calmly peppered Harvick with questions about how agents working on Operation Midway Blitz are trained and respond to protesters in and around Chicago, the latest target of President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. The hearing was called in response to news reports suggesting agents were violating her order to avoid less-lethal munitions and tear gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellis, an Obama appointee, initially had called for the interim head of Chicagos Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, Russell Hott, to appear Monday to explain to me why I am seeing images of tear gas being deployed and reading reports that there were no warnings given before it was deployed out in the field. After seeming to agree to her request, the Department of Homeland Security told Ellis on Friday that Hott had left the city to return to his permanent job as field operations director in Washington, DC. The Trump administration instead offered Harvick and ICE Deputy Field Office Director Shawn Byers, and Ellis agreed as long as the officials would disclose how the agencies are deploying riot control tactics against protesters and journalists. Im looking at it from the outside, Ellis said in court Monday. The judge said Monday, however, she will allow Hott and Gregory Bovino, chief patrol agent at CBP, to be deposed at a later time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added since Hott was the highest officer in Chicago at the time the protests occurred, he should be able to speak to what happened. The judge last week added mandatory body-worn cameras to her earlier restraining order, saying it appeared agents were not warning demonstrators before deploying tear gas and firing pepper balls on them. Thats the nice thing about body cameras is that they pick up events before the triggering event happens, Ellis said then. Operation Midway Blitz is Trumps recent ICE deployment across Chicagoland, yielding more than 1,000 arrests of migrants across Illinois between September 8 and October 3, DHS said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harvick on Monday reiterated the White Houses denials of news coverage of tear gas used on protesters without warning in a recent demonstration in Chicagos Albany Park neighborhood, although he acknowledged he had not seen it personally. A government attorney last week said the judge was relying on one-sided and selectively edited media reports. Judge wants answers Ellis early this month issued a sweeping order restricting agents crowd control tactics, use of force and actions against journalists documenting protests in Chicago. During last weeks hearing, she said she had concerns about her order being followed. The judge indicated recent news reports had led her to believe the Trump administration may not have been following her instructions. Im not happy, Ellis said in a stern tone. Im really not happy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least from what Im seeing, Im having serious concerns that my orders being followed, she said from the bench. The judge originally required all agents to wear cameras. But her order doesnt require them if theyre undercover, not in uniform or exempt by Customs and Border Protection, ICE or DHS policy. Federal officials claimed Harvick would be the most appropriate person to testify after DHS determined it was mostly, if not entirely Border Patrol personnel who were involved in recent tear gas incidents, CNN affiliate WTTW reported. During a telephone hearing that day, the judge said she had no desire to micromanage who the government presents at Mondays hearing but that shes been very clear she wants to hear from someone who can fill her in on whats been going on over the last week, the station reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whoever comes has to be able to answer these questions, Ellis said, according to WTTW. And if the government chooses to bring someone in and that persons answers to me are I dont know and Its not my responsibility then well come in Tuesday with a different person until I get the answers I want. Protests continue at Broadview This weekend marked the first since a fence was ordered removed at the Broadview ICE facility, the center of anti-ICE protests in the Chicago area. The ICE building outside Chicago has been the site of confrontations as protesters have come out to decry immigration arrests. Over 100 protesters gathered outside the facility Friday morning, with Broadview police officers, Cook County sheriffs deputies and Illinois State Police gathered to keep demonstrators in the area designated for them. The protest, though loud, has remained calm. As of 5 p.m. CT, 15 arrests had been made, the Cook County Sheriffs Office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least 15 people were arrested on Saturday in connection with another demonstration at the facility, the agency said. Byers, the ICE deputy field office director, said Monday he has reviewed incidents involving protesters at the facility and no one has been disciplined. This story was written by Andy Rose in Atlanta and Cindy Von Quednow in Los Angeles, with reporting from Whitney Wild, Andi Babineau and Bill Kirkos in Chicago and Rebekah Riess in Atlanta. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Thursday was supposed to be a day of no surprises for Marimar Martinez, the woman who was shot after allegedly ramming the car of a Border Patrol agent she had been following. She was headed to a routine court hearing. But earlier that day, defense attorney Christopher Parente learned a piece of evidence that may be critical to the case was no longer in Chicago. I was informed about two hours before the hearing that the agents vehicle was gone, Parente told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gone, as it turned out, was more than 1,000 miles away. Department of Justice attorney Aaron Bond said in court the agent was told he could take it back to his home in Maine. Parente said he was concerned moving the vehicle so far away could leave it open to being altered, and his concern seemed justified in another hearing four days later. A government attorney said some repairs may have been processed or at least approved, but couldnt say whether any work had actually been done. US District Judge Georgia Alexakis was troubled by what Im hearing in terms of the repair work in particular, the Biden appointee said Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the government has accounted for the missing SUV, Parente says there are more questions to answer when it comes to the where, the how and the why of the SUVs long journey. Vehicles condition is critical to defense, attorney says Martinez, a 30-year-old American citizen, and her co-defendant, Anthony Ruiz who was driving a different vehicle both entered not guilty pleas to a federal charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers. They are accused of aggressively and erratically following and then ramming a Border Patrol vehicle on October 4 as it was on security detail on Chicago streets. The incident took place as Chicago became one of the epicenters for the Trump administrations immigration crackdown, with regular protests at a suburban ICE facility and dramatic raids and patrols in the heart of the Windy City. Both Martinez and Ruiz left the scene of the crash, prosecutors say, although Parente said his client drove to a safe place where she pulled over and called 911 to report the shooting. She was treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds and released. Marimar Martinez and Ian Santos Ruiz appeared in federal court on October 6, 2025. - Cliff Questel They have not denied they were closely tailing the Border Patrol vehicle through Chicago streets. But Parente says Martinez, who was shot five times after the crash, did not cause the wreck, arguing the agent was the person who actually initiated the contact by sideswiping his client, making the condition of his vehicle crucial to her defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cars are the big issue, Parente said. The Border Patrol agent is expected to testify about his actions related to the vehicle at a November 6 status hearing. A trial for Martinez is set to start in February. Surveillance video obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows the vehicles of Martinez and Ruiz following closely on the sides of the government SUV before the incident, but the only known video of the crash itself comes from a body-worn camera. Parente, who has seen the bodycam video but is not allowed to share it under a court order, told CNN it shows the agent behind the wheel turning into his clients vehicle, with one agent heard saying Do something, b*tch before shots were fired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also said the government has put out misleading information on Martinez. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a news release Martinez was armed with a semi-automatic weapon. But Parente told CNN his client is a licensed gun owner and had a handgun in her purse but never brandished it. The criminal complaint against her doesnt mention she had a firearm. At some point after the crash, the agent, who has not been publicly named, was allowed to return home to Maine with the SUV because it was his personal vehicle, Bond told the court last week. It was not clear if Customs and Border Protection had consulted with prosecutors before giving that permission, Parente said. The criminal complaint stated the vehicle is owned by CBP, not the agent. CNN reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment and asking for clarification on how the agent is connected to the SUV. Through a spokesperson for the US Attorneys Office, Bond declined to comment. At the Monday hearing, Assistant US Attorney Ronald DeWald said the agent took the vehicle to a secured parking area of a CBP station in Maine. Can the judge punish the government for moving the SUV? As Martinezs and Ruizs vehicles remain impounded in an FBI garage, Alexakis told the government to return the SUV to Chicago. No alteration is allowed not even a car wash before the defense gets a look. And this time, it will be making the journey on the back of a flatbed tow truck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a reasonable request, said Alexakis. Theres only so much you can tell from photos. Still, Parente told the judge he couldnt believe a key piece of evidence had been removed from the state by one of the main figures in the case. This is not just the driver, this is the shooter, Parente said incredulously in court. Parente isnt the only attorney who was amazed the governments Chevy Tahoe was allowed to leave the state. Patrick Griffin, a San Diego lawyer who has been a defense attorney in criminal cases involving Border Patrol vehicles, said the defense has a right to get access to the SUV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not some novel concept. This is as basic as it gets, Griffin told CNN. Its 101 that the vehicle needs to be maintained and needs to be able to be examined by the defense. Damage to the driver's side of the CBP vehicle is seen in an image from a criminal complaint against Marimar Martinez. - US District Court Although Alexakis agreed the car should be returned, Griffin says there is a high bar before the government can be punished for allowing the car to be taken away. In the 1984 Supreme Court decision California v. Trombetta, justices said prosecutors are not required to preserve evidence unless they have a reason to believe it could help the defendant. If its just not obvious that the evidence would be exculpatory, then you must show bad faith, said Griffin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even then, the Supreme Court said, it may not matter if the defense has other evidence that can still prove innocence. Parente, said he had asked the court to order DHS to preserve and maintain any and all records, emails, text messages, documents, notes and other materials related to the Martinez case. While Parente has focused in court on the physical condition of the SUVs exterior, the most important piece of evidence is probably inside the Tahoe. Most vehicles now have an event data recorder the EDR that is similar to an airplanes black box. It can show all the data that leads up to a crash, said Griffin. Did the person swerve? Did they hit the brakes? What was the speed? And this is really just fundamental evidence that is necessary to determine what happened. ICE detainees and officials have been suddenly moved It is not the first time concern has been raised about important elements in a Department of Homeland Security-related case being quickly moved from one state to another although it usually involves people rather than physical evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Multiple people who have been arrested in immigration cases this year including Mahmoud Khalil, Badar Khan Suri and Rumeysa Ozturk were quickly moved hundreds of miles away to remote detention facilities shortly after being taken into custody, frustrating the efforts of their families and attorneys to gain their freedom. Last week, Arthur Berto, a 13-year-old boy who was taken by ICE after an arrest for allegedly threatening another student at school, was transferred to a juvenile facility in Virginia. The Massachusetts-based federal judge in that case ruled he didnt have the authority to decide whether Berto should be freed because the child had crossed the Massachusetts border an hour before his familys petition was filed. Defense attorney Andrew Lattarulo told CNN last week he was still working to find an attorney in Virginia to represent his client. Even ICE officials have sometimes been difficult to track down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate case in Chicago challenging federal agents use of riot control munitions and tear gas against protesters and journalists, Judge Sara Ellis asked an ICE interim field director to testify in court and explain why an order she issued appeared to be ignored. A federal agent prepares to throw a tear gas canister at community members during clashes on Chicagos South Side on October 14, 2025. - Jim Vondruska/Reuters But the government announced one business day before the Monday hearing the official had been reassigned to Washington, DC, and other officials would have to testify in his place. Ellis said she would accept the last-minute substitution as long as those officials can answer her questions. But until the defense team actually gets a look at the vehicle and if anything has changed in the 2,000-mile round trip, legal experts say its not clear whether the Trump administration will be punished for allowing it to be moved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The question arises whether the car will have been altered in a material way, said Richard Friedman, a University of Michigan law professor who has written books on the rules of evidence. If they havent done anything to the car, then maybe no harm, no foul if they bring it back. Whether rules of evidence were actually broken or not, Martinezs attorney says it should raise concern. This was a case involving the Border Patrol shooting of a US citizen in broad daylight and lack of integrity in this investigation is alarming, Parente told CNN. This story was written by Andy Rose in Atlanta with reporting from Bill Kirkos and Andi Babineau in Chicago. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A felon was arrested in Troutdale on Sunday, accused of possessing a stolen gun and a stolen truck, the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office announced. Just before 10 p.m. Sunday, a deputy witnessed a pickup truck parked at a closed gas station near 521 Southwest Halsey Street in Troutdale, officials say. After running the trucks license plates, the deputy learned the vehicle was wanted in connection to a possible robbery in Umatilla County and that a gun was also taken during the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dangerous path: Oregon leaders decry court decision to allow National Guard in Portland According to authorities, the truck left before the deputy could conduct a traffic stop. However, the deputy shared the sighting with patrol deputies and nearby agencies. Around 10:30 p.m., another deputy found the truck at a gas station near Southwest Cherry Park Road leading the Sheriffs Office and Gresham police to set up containment in the area and block potential exits in the lot. Once authorities approached the truck, MCSO says the driver, later identified as 30-year-old Jacob Richard Mack, initially refused to cooperate with orders and refused to get out of the truck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement November SNAP benefits stalled in Oregon due to federal government shutdown After several use of force warnings, deputies used a less-lethal projectile device to create better sightlines into the pickup for officer safety and to gain Macks compliance, MCSO said, noting the suspect eventually exited the truck. During the investigation, deputies recovered a gun from the truck. Mack was booked into Multnomah County Detention Center on several charges including unlawful possession of a motor vehicle, first-degree theft, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Authorities said there were no reported injuries during the arrest. 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. In our Reality Check stories, Idaho Statesman journalists seek to hold the powerful accountable and find answers to critical questions in our community. Read more. Story idea? Tips@idahostatesman.com. A fifth person has been charged with a felony after hundreds of law enforcement officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, on Sunday descended on a local horse track west of Boise thats popular among the Latino community. Officers arrested only a handful of people in the raid in Wilder that law enforcement agencies said was part of an investigation into allegations of illegal betting. Hundreds of others including children were detained and questioned about their immigration status, sparking backlash from community members and human rights advocates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are condemning this action in the strongest words possible, said Leo Morales, executive director of the ACLU of Idaho. They could have done their work differently, but they chose to do this operation in the worst possible way. According to the FBI, four people were taken into custody: Ivan Tellez, 37, of Wilder. Samuel Bejarano Colin, 37, of Nyssa, Oregon. Dayana Fajardo, 39, of Nyssa, Oregon. Alejandro Torres Estrada, 56, of Buhl. Court documents obtained by the Idaho Statesman showed that a fifth person, 45-year-old Cesar Iniguez Orozco, of Meridian, also had a warrant issued for his arrest. Iniguez Orozco, along with the other four, are all facing a single felony count of prohibition of illegal gambling business, records showed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iniguez Orozco was arrested Monday night in Meridian, according to the FBI. Investigators also identified six to 11 horse owners who were involved in the gambling business, according to a criminal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Jacob Sheri. The horse owners, who were referred to as the committee, provided the horses used and made decisions over the race dates, betting pools and entry requirements, the complaint said. They have not been arrested. Illegal gambling isnt a victimless crime, Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls, of the Salt Lake City-based field office that covers Idaho, said in a news release. These operations can create an increase in violent crime, drug activity and violence, putting communities at risk. Agents stand at La Catedral Arena in Wilder, Idaho, on Sunday evening. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Canyon County Sheriffs Office, were there as part of an investigation into alleged illegal horse betting. Agencies participating in the raid included the FBI, the Canyon County Sheriffs Office, Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Idaho State Police, the Idaho Department of Correction, the Nampa Police Department and the Caldwell Police Department, according to the FBIs news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI planned to hold a news conference Monday but canceled it an hour before it was expected to begin. In its updated release, the FBI clarified that ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations division was at the raid to process people who were found to have potential immigration violations during the course of the investigation. Their presence was limited to that specific federal responsibility and was separate from the criminal gambling investigation being led by the FBI, the release said. Complaints outline FBI investigation of illegal gambling business Back in February, the FBI received a tip from a private citizen over concerns about gambling at La Catedral Arena, according to the complaint. A confidential source also informed federal agents about the betting. Tellez, the owner of the property, has a conditional use permit from Canyon County to hold horse racing events but doesnt have a license from the Idaho State Racing Commission to conduct parimutuel betting which is legal in Idaho with a license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commonly used in horse racing throughout the country, parimutuel betting allows similar bets to be pooled together for potentially larger payouts. People can also bet on more than just the winner of the race. Members of law enforcement continued to stand outside La Catedral Arena in Wilder at sunset after the crowd dispersed. Tellez never applied for a license to conduct that type of betting, according to the FBI complaint. His permit also informed him that gambling was prohibited during any events, it added. Tellez has deposited about $100,000 into La Catedral Arena accounts at Zions Bank over the past two years, the complaint said. Officials at the bank questioned the source of the funds going into three accounts, according to the FBI. Tellez did not provide a definitive answer to the loan officers on the source of funds, Sheri wrote. Tellez appears to have unexplained income and is likely profiting from the illegal gambling operation taking place at La Catedral Arena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Financial records subpoenaed by law enforcement showed that Bejarano Colin, the alleged bookmaker and administrator of the gambling, received wagers for the horse races through online payment apps like Venmo, Zelle and Cash App, according to a complaint. Since 2023, Bejarano Colin received roughly three dozen transactions, which totaled $17,000 in wagers on the horse races, the complaint said. Investigators believe this amount is a fraction of the amount of illegal wagers that Bejarano Colins gambling operation has facilitated over the last two years, Sheri wrote in the complaint. Colin communicated on Facebook with Tellez and the horse owners to discuss race dates, which horses can compete, the cost for owners to compete, and the minimum wager required, according to the complaint. He also posted on Facebook about the races. Fajardo, who is married to Bejarano Colin, made and collected bets with the crowd during races, according to the complaint. On one day in September, she accepted and later collected a bet from an undercover agent, the FBI wrote, while Iniguez Orozco and Torres Estrada were also observed by an agent taking wagers on race days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fajardo acted as a splitter, someone who assists the main bookkeeper with tracking and paying out or collecting wagers, according to the complaint. She appears to be assisting her husband, Samuel Bejarano (Colin), in the operation of the illegal gambling business, the complaint added. Tellez, Bejarano Colin, Fajardo and Torres Estrada have hearings Tuesday afternoon at the James A. McClure Federal Building in Boise. Iniguez Orozcos hearing hasnt been scheduled yet, according to online court records. Reporters Sally Krutizg and Carolyn Komatsoulis contributed. (WHTM) Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he would support Republicans using the nuclear option to reopen the government. Right now, the Senate needs 60 votes to pass a spending plan, which neither side has. But Republicans could pass a budget by requiring a simple majority vote. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This Week in Pennsylvania We should make it more difficult to shut the government down, Republicans or Democrats in the future, Fetterman said. Its a core responsibility to keep it open, and thats why I support it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics said that could make for a slippery slope, but its one Fetterman said is necessary because the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides nutrition assistance for millions of Americans, is running out of money. While states administer the program, the federal government completely funds benefits. Democrats tried to pass a budget in 2022 using a simple majority, but Republicans opposed it, courting two Democratic votes to shut down the option. Fetterman was just one of two Democrats to support the Republican-backed funding plan in the Senate. The move frustrated many in his party, which has held out on ending the shutdown over a dispute to extend expiring health care subsidies. Sen. John Fetterman angers Democrats over answer on party affiliation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His willingness to break party lines particularly with his support for Israel and his resistance to taking a hard stance against President Donald Trump, has led some Democrats to question if he would leave the party. Fetterman said he wont switch his affiliation. I really believe in calling balls and strikes, and I think I want to follow the truths, Fetterman said last week at the Kennedy Center during NewsNations live town hall. Those are some independent thoughts, but overall, I mean, you have to pick one side Republican, Democrat thats always been my party. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A few words in defense of The Music Hall Oct. 18 - To the Editor: I would like to say a few words in defense of The Music Hall in cancelling the fundraiser/movie presentation for the Lovering Center; because the same people who are raising an objection would not welcome a speaker there such as Rudy Guiliani or Michael Fynn. Neither would I. Suppose the pro-life group that had planned a rally outside the Lovering event had instead asked for an opportunity to rent the space for their own fundraiser there and show their own movie. How would the Lovering supporters have felt about that? Not so good. After having hosted Lovering, would they then be justified in turning away the pro-life group? As I see it, based upon the letters to the editor Ive read, people want The Music Hall to host the event in order to show support for that cause, and that is an inappropriate expectation. The Music Hall is an arts and cultural venue, and they were correct to want to avoid even the appearance of endorsing a political, ethical or religious point of view, in either direction. Jeffrey Cooper Portsmouth The Music Hall on Chestnut Street in Portsmouth is seen Oct. 14, 2025. Vote no on Question 1 in Maine Oct. 15 - To the Editor: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I got my drivers license in Maine, I had to provide a valid ID; if I were to buy a gun here, I would need to show a valid ID; when I registered to vote in Town Hall, I needed show a valid ID. But each time I get into the car to drive, I dont need to show that ID nor would I each time I fired my gun. So why should I have to show an ID each time I vote? Maine ballot question 1 would require that. Vote no on Question 1. Judy Spiller Kittery NH attorney general speaks out of both sides of the gavel Oct. 15 - To the Editor: In New Hampshires justice system, consistency and restraint are the foundation of public trust. Yet the Attorney Generals Office has managed to speak out of both sides of the gavelcondemning ordinary citizens for questioning a judges potential bias, while publicly castigating another judge in terms far more damaging to judicial confidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the ongoing Youth Development Center case, victims attorneys asked Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Daniel St. Hilaire to disclose whether he had applied for a possible promotion to the Supreme Court under Governor Kelly Ayotte herself a named defendant in the lawsuit. Instead of treating that inquiry as a reasonable question of transparency, Assistant Attorney General Samuel Garland scolded the plaintiffs, calling their request entirely inappropriate, baseless, and an attack that undermines confidence in the judiciary. His message was clear: even asking about a potential conflict of interest is improper without proofa nearly impossible standard when the information in question is not public. Yet only weeks later, in a separate case involving Supreme Court Justice Anna Hantz Marconi, Attorney General John Formella issued a sweeping public condemnation. He described her conduct as unlawful and unethical, a serious breach of the public trust, and said he was disappointed the court allowed her to return to the bench. He emphasized that her conviction undermines confidence in our criminal justice system. These remarks came even though his own office had agreed to the plea settlement that allowed her reinstatement. So which standard applies? If raising questions about judicial integrity is entirely inappropriate, then the Attorney Generals own televised denunciation of a sitting justice should draw the same rebuke. The difference, it seems, is whos speaking. When victims or defendants express concern, theyre scolded for undermining the courts. When the state does it, its cast as moral clarity. The Attorney Generals Office could have chosen the higher road respecting the judiciarys independence while allowing lawful scrutiny from both citizens and officials. Instead, it has modeled the very inconsistency that weakens confidence in our justice system. Mark Bodi Portsmouth NH Republicans don't understand fiscal responsibility Oct. 16 - To the Editor: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a recent Fosters article, state Rep. Kelley Potenza of Rochester is quoted as saying: Fiscal responsibility should be a concern on all sides of the aisle." She is absolutely correct, and wouldnt it be great if Rep. Potenza and her fellow Republicans would adopt that approach in dealing with NHs state budget. She acknowledges that the state is in the red and revenues are down, but is she willing to admit that this is largely the result of our Republican legislature, over a number of years, eliminating the estate tax, the interest and dividends tax, and reducing the business profits tax? There is no question about it. Revenues are down. What other result would you expect when you do away with the sources? Heres what happens in the real world: things get more expensive over time. Employees are entitled to regular increases in their wages and benefits. As the population increases and a greater percentage gets older, the demand on services increases, and it costs more to meet these needs. As our infrastructure ages it costs more to make repairs and expand basic programs. Nothing fancy, just things like good schools, safe roads, drinkable water, accessible courts, enough well-trained people to staff our prisons, health programs, state parks all the standard day-to-day services for which NH is responsible. In spite of the obvious, that with the passage of time things just cost more, the response from our Republican legislature is to guarantee that less money will be available to meet the basic needs of our citizens. This is fiscal responsibility? It is, clearly, just the opposite. Anthony McManus Dover Vote for best candidates in non-partisan Portsmouth election Oct. 18 - To the Editor: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Nov. 4 we will go to the polls and elect members to the Portsmouth City Council, School Board, Fire Commission, and Police Commission that will make decisions which will affect our quality of life in Portsmouth. Unlike state and federal elections, the municipal election is non partisan. It makes no difference if a candidate has an R after their name, a D after their name or an I after their name, you are voting on how that person would do based on their past track record or how they line up with your beliefs. Dont listen to party officials. If they are an incumbent city councilor, were they a good leader? If they were, then vote for them. Did they vote to cut the municipal budget? I believe only one. Or increase the budget which increases your taxes? I believe there was one. You either vote for them or not. Have they served previously as a city councilor and you were pleased with their work? Vote for them. Have they served the city for over 40 years as city attorney and now retired? You could vote for him. If they were born in Portsmouth and have returned to Portsmouth and are raising their family here, vote for them. Party affiliation should not make any difference in a municipal election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You have good choices for City Council, School Board, Police and Fire Commission. Elect those that will most closely reflect how you would like to see the city run for the next two years, keeping lowering spending in mind, continue Portsmouth as a vibrant community, make the city affordable, remember our seniors and veterans. Please exercise your right to vote on Nov. 4! If you dont vote you should not complain if the election did not go as you had hoped. Peter G. Weeks Portsmouth, former mayor, assistant mayor, city councilor, School Board and Police Commission member Deaglan McEachern is a true advocate for Portsmouth Oct. 16 - To the Editor: As a Portsmouth resident and someone who works in this city every day, Ive seen firsthand what strong local leadership looks like, and I believe its critical that Mayor Deaglan McEachern continues to lead Portsmouth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deaglan has proven himself to be a true advocate for all the people of this city. Whether its a conversation about housing, small business, or public services, he takes the time to listen and to help. You can count on him to follow up, to explain why decisions are made, and to make sure that city government is working for everyone, not just a few. Whether by call, email, or visiting him at City Hall, Deaglan makes sure he is accessible to all of us. That kind of openness and advocacy is rare and it makes a real difference in our community. One issue that matters deeply to me is housing for the people who make this city run. Under Deaglans leadership, weve seen real movement on workforce and mixed-income housing. Portsmouth leads the state in combating the affordability crisis due in large part to Deaglans leadership. He also realizes that Portsmouth cant do it all and continues to advocate for surrounding communities to aid in this work. Hes helped strengthen zoning and invested in partnerships that make it possible for people to both live and work here. Thats leadership rooted in understanding the community and fighting for us all. Deaglan always stands with us, so lets make sure to stand with him on Election Day, November 4th. Todd Sweet Portsmouth Deaglan McEachern deeply devoted to Portsmouth Oct. 17 - To the Editor: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deaglan McEachern is the mayor we need. I have been proud to watch Deaglan McEachern first as a member of the City Council and now as mayor of Portsmouth, I am thrilled to support him for another term on the council, or even better as mayor. I can confidently attest to his dedication, vision, and calm, steady leadership he has brought to our community. Throughout his time as mayor, Deaglan has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to the welfare and progress of our city. He has brought positive leadership and transparency to city office. He makes himself available to issues and concerns big and small, providing an open door for our community. In times of adversity, he has represented our city with dignity, class and respect. In times of pain, he has brought calm, in times of division, he brings unity. Ive always been impressed by Deaglans unique ability to bring people of varying perspectives together. In an era when division and discord are prevalent, his efforts to foster dialogue and collaboration are an important part of his growing legacy. Moreover, Deaglan has consistently shown that he is a leader who listens. His approach to governance is characterized by an earnest desire to understand the diverse voices of our community. As a result, he has been able to champion policies and initiatives that truly reflect the needs and aspirations of our residents. I have no doubt that Deaglan will continue to serve our city with the same passion, integrity, and effectiveness he has shown in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I urge you to join me in supporting our mayor Deaglan McEachern for City Council. His leadership will undoubtedly continue to be an asset to our community. David Steady Portsmouth Portsmouth needs competence and accountability Oct. 16 - To the Editor: To the taxpayers of Portsmouth, As the author of Portsmouths original Audit Committee ordinance and a finance professional with decades of experience in budgeting, accounting, and audit oversight I was alarmed by what unfolded at the Audit Committee meeting on October 14, visit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgmzjRWFl3w). What should have been a straightforward financial review instead revealed how little oversight our city currently has over its finances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Audit Committee (Councilors Tabor [Chair], Moureau, Denton, one private citizen, and the City Manager as a non-voting member) is required by city code to meet each January and elect a new chairperson. Yet it had not met since January 2023 a clear violation of its own rules and a breach of public trust. Even worse, minutes from that 2023 meeting were only approved now two and a half years late violating New Hampshires Right-to-Know law, which requires minutes within five days. The committees main agenda item, the FY2024 financial reports, were discussed even though we are well into FY2026making the information outdated and meaningless for effective decision-making. Adding to the concern, the citys website has not posted a single monthly financial report since February 2025, leaving taxpayers in the dark about how their money is being spent. Despite all this, the committee voted to recommend to the City Council renewing the auditors contractwithout any proposal, cost estimate, or justification. Thats not fiscal stewardshipits rubber-stamping. Our residents deserve better. Portsmouth needs leaders who understand financial management, who take oversight seriously, and who will protect taxpayer dollars with transparency and accountability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the person who wrote the original ordinance and someone who has spent my career ensuring fiscal responsibility, I know what competent oversight looks likeand this isnt it. Portsmouth deserves better governance and stronger financial leadership. Petra Huda Portsmouth Proud to support Deaglan McEachern for City Council Oct. 16 - To the Editor: As a Portsmouth resident for over 20 years and small business owner, Im proud to support Deaglan McEachern for City Council. Mayor McEachern has proven himself to be a leader who listens, works hard, and truly cares about our community. Hes committed to supporting Portsmouths small business community and ensuring that our city grows responsibly and sustainably, keeping it a place where people and local businesses can continue to thrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deaglans record speaks for itself. His main priority is always assuring that growth is sustainable and benefits current residents as well as new arrivals. From creating more opportunities for affordable and mixed-income housing to ensuring our zoning reflects the kind of city we want to be, hes made thoughtful choices that keep Portsmouth the charming place we all adore. He understands how development decisions affect neighborhoods, families, and local businesses alike, and he has consistently advocated for all of us. Deaglan has modernized how the city works with improved permitting processes and consolidating IT across various departments to decrease costs and streamline efficiency. In a challenging period for municipal budgets where surrounding towns like Exeter are looking at 12% budget increases to manage fixed costs, Deaglan has balanced maintaining the quality of service we expect in Portsmouth while managing a responsible budget. At the same time, hes increased tax relief for seniors, veterans, and residents with disabilities to the highest levels in the state, helping keep Portsmouth affordable for the people who built their lives here. Born and raised in Portsmouth, Deaglan is now raising his own family here. He has continually proven his commitment to the next generation and our future. He understands this city because hes part of it. Hes an advocate for all of us, and I know hell continue to lead with the same care, dedication, and common sense hes shown throughout his time in public service. Lets show Mayor McEachern our support in the municipal election on November 4th. Marianne Janik Portsmouth Justice Hantz-Marconi taught me how to practice law Oct. 16 - To the Editor: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back then, I knew her as Bobbie, but Justice Hantz-Marconi taught me how to practice law. She taught me that every case involves a person. Another human with dignity will be affected by the case, so we'd better aim for what's just, not simply whats expedient or what makes for a colorful argument. I learnedmostly from watching her exampleto practice with integrity, to err toward whats right, to stand firm, and to trust my instincts. I worked on my first Supreme Court brief with Bobbie, had my first deposition with Bobbie, had my first oral argument with Bobbie, and had my first trial with Bobbie. Looking back, none of those firsts went particularly well for me as a budding lawyer. But Bobbie always picked me back up, dusted me off, and let me try again. She was then (and is now) a kind, responsible, and vigilant mentor. I am not here to comment on the States case or its end. I am instead here to extoll the character of the person who always believed in me, who practiced with the utmost professionalism, and who revealed herselfeven in the darkest moments of a caseto be a person of unimpeachable character, integrity, brilliance, and honor. A person who practiced the craft of our shared profession with virtue and with justice as her north star. As a lawyer and as a judge, Bobbie exemplified the best of what New Hampshire offers. I am grateful for everything Bobbie taught me and am proud to call her a friend. New Hampshire and its legal system are better today because of Justice Hantz-Marconi. Brian Bouchard Exeter The Music Hall apology rings hollow Oct. 16 - To the Editor: The Music Hall's apology for abruptly cancelling the Lovering Health Center's benefit program acknowledges the communitys angry reaction but does not address the core offense that leaves people feeling jaded. The Board chairs apology continues to attribute the cancellation to security concerns alone but embedded in the understory of this issue is the passive submission to censure free speech. The many patrons and wider community members who lashed back at the Music Hall still want to know: What really made them step away from hosting a benefit for a critical women's health center in our area, after so many years? Did they bend to pressure from those who opposed the content of the film to be shown? Aside from a threatened demonstration, no concerns of violence or mayhem have been mentioned. Why should any peaceful protest constitute a security concern? Protesting is a coveted First Amendment right, and Portsmouth has a deep tolerance for protest on both sides of the political spectrum. The Music Hall Board never contacted or consulted with the Portsmouth Police. From our inception, New Hampshire has a proud history of defending rights and liberty, actively participating in the American Revolution. John Stark and his men shed blood at Bunker Hill to fight for our rights against a tyrannical king. The perseverance and sacrifices of our forefathers provided us with the birthrights of liberty and freedom. The current political climate is rife with coercive tensions to submit to authoritarian pressures and voluntarily forfeit first-amendment rights. The Music Hall's urgent capitulation to this pressure is the grievance that remains inflamed. Until this grievance is addressed and resolved, its apology rings hollow. Kenneth Cohen Kensington We are now a banana republic Oct. 17 To the Editor: Comey, James and now Bolton. The pattern of muscle flexing and retribution are the fixation of President Trump. We are now a banana republic governed by a thin skinned president who cannot tolerate any disagreement and uses his office and government to settle scores! Only three years and a few months left to go! Steve Little Portsmouth Send your letter to opinion@seacoastonline.com Please keep letters to 250 words or less. Submissions must include the writers first and last names, city or town and a daytime telephone number (which is for verification purposes only and will not be published). Send letters or commentaries to opinion@seacoastonline.com. Letters from Seacoast-area writers addressing local topics will be given priority for publication. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: A defense of The Music Hall, political endorsements and more: Letters MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) The State Board of Education said districts are seeing fewer students in the classroom this year. It is the largest reduction in 40 years. Because teaching jobs are tied to enrollment, leaders explained it could lead to staff reductions. The thing thats most interesting to me is that this is an across-the-state reduction, said Alabama State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State board data shows 5,823 fewer students are attending public schools this year. Mackey said a large portion of those studentsaround 3,000moved to private schools or homeschooling through the CHOOSE Act. Its a tax credit students can use to pay for tuition. Huntsville family killed in Montana plane crash The others, Mackey explained, are still being accounted for. He said some districts saw a large loss of Hispanic students. Additionally, he said some students might have gone homeschooled and neglected to unenroll. As a result, Mackey said around 500 teaching jobs could disappear next year. These will be absorbed in retirements, Mackey said. Ultimately, it does mean that there will be fewer teachers across the state because there will be places where a teacher retires and doesnt get replaced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans and Democrats have different takes on that reduction and how the CHOOSE Act-has affected enrollment. For whatever reasons, the parents think that that wasnt a good fit for those students, and now theyre going to a school that is a better fit for them, said state Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover. We should all be celebrating that opportunity. Thompson QB Trent Seaborn commits to Alabama Weve already been having a teacher shortagetrying to get people into education, said state Rep. Curtis Travis, D-Tuscaloosa. Im sure with the number of education units being lost, thats not going to be handled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Alabama Conference of Educators said leaders should be addressing the root cause of that shortage and why students are leaving in the first place. If they dont do something, thats going to continue to be the problem, said Alabama Conference of Educators Executive Director Harley Phillips. If they close that local school and the next school is 25 miles away, its guaranteed that those parents are not going to put those kids back in that public school. Mackey said there are 45,000 to 50,000 education professionals employed in the state. He said enrollment will be used to create next years budget. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oklahoma's top education official assured parents that he will give answers on the future of controversial state testing and social studies standards proposed by Ryan Walters soon. State schools Superintendent Lindel Fields sent parents an email Monday morning promising solutions for the proposals. "Thank you for your patience and outpouring of support as we address each issue in a calm, steady and determined pace," Fields said in the email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fields also said he will present an operating budget to the Oklahoma State Board of Education at the monthly meeting set for Thursday, Oct. 23. More: OSDE employees close to Ryan Walters left with thousands in extra pay, records show Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Fields to the position earlier in October after then-Superintendent Walters resigned Sept. 30 to take a private-sector job. Much of Fields' early work has focused on clearing the controversy that Walters courted with far-right policies. Walters' proposal to end state testing in limbo In August, Walters, announced that he was ending standardized testing and would allow school districts to use alternative benchmark assessments approved by the Oklahoma State Department of Education in place of current testing in math and English language arts for third through eighth graders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers on both the right and left questioned whether this was within Walters' control as the state superintendent. Fields has been left to navigate the mess. Oklahoma social studies standards changes on hold Last month, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ordered OSDE to halt using Walters' social studies standards that required students to learn about Christianity and false information about election fraud and COVID-19. The stay on the standards will continue while the court considers a lawsuit against the teachings. The standards had taken effect this school year. Previous Coverage New state superintendent says he's dropping Bible-teaching mandate issued by Ryan Walters This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma superintendent to update on Walters testing standards, budget U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) blasted Senate Republicans on Tuesday for not standing up to President Donald Trump. Warren was asked during an interview with MSNBCs Ali Vitali about Trumps pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, who allegedly sent racist text messages that reportedly included one saying he has a Nazi streak. Vitali asked her what message Senate Republicans will send if they go forward with a confirmation hearing for Ingrassia. Its all up to the Senate Republicans, Warren said on Tuesday. If a handful of Senate Republicans would say, Im done with this, we are not going to confirm any more people who are not qualified, who have things in their background that are so deeply problematic, then it would stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We can stop putting people in jobs for which they are not qualified. We could stop the lawlessness of Donald Trump sitting over in the White House and deciding which programs are going to be open, and which programs are going to be closed, and whos going to get paid and whos not going to get paid, all in ways that the only person who decides is Donald Trump, she added. Warren then backed the No Kings Day protests that swept across the country on Saturday before calling on Republicans to grow a spine. And you know, Im just going to say something that a lot of people said on Saturday, we dont have a king in this country. And Donald Trump doesnt get to sit over in the White House and make all of these decisions by himself. At least he doesnt get to if the Senate Republicans would grow a spine, stand up and say, were not doing this, she said. We are going to insist that the president follow the law and we are going to independently evaluate every one of the presidential nominees who comes forward. All we need is a handful of Republicans to make that happen, she added. Elizabeth Warren: "I'm just going to say something that a lot of people said on Saturday. We don't have a king in this country, and Donald Trump doesn't get to sit over in the White House and make all of these decisions by himself. At least he doesn't get to if the Senate pic.twitter.com/YxjaXFwA2P Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 21, 2025 Warren explained earlier in the segment that the government shutdown will only end if Trump encourages Republicans to negotiate with Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think it ends when Donald Trump tells the Republicans, OK sit down now and negotiate. Look, they dont do anything without Donald Trump. I dont know whats happened to the Republicans in the United States Senate. It is as if they have all had their spines surgically removed. They only do what Donald Trump tells them to do, she said. So, if Donald Trump tells them to sit down and negotiate, then they will sit down and negotiate. He claims to be the deal-maker. Okay, tell your guys to sit down and work something out with the Democrats and then it will happen, she added. Its not clear when the government shutdown could end. Senate Democrats have vowed to oppose any spending bill that does not include an extension for Affordable Care Act subsidies, while Republicans have refused to negotiate across the aisle. Stories by Lauren Sforza Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. As the details of large-scale instances of government fraud continue to emerge in Minnesota, Republican candidate for governor Kristin Robbins has made combating the problem central to her campaign. A state representative from Maple Grove, Robbins is the latest Republican candidate in a growing field of challengers to Democratic-Farmer-Labor Gov. Tim Walz to highlight the theft of taxpayer dollars by nonprofits something acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson says likely totals at least $1 billion in recent years. In September, federal prosecutors announced multiple charges in two separate instances of alleged Medicaid fraud: one in a state housing stabilization program and the other a childrens autism program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thompson has said more cases are likely to emerge, meaning fraud will continue to loom over the 2026 election. He said in September the state is drowning in fraud and that the states system of trust but verify no longer works. Robbins, a fourth-term lawmaker who chairs the Republican-created House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, blames state agencies under Walzs leadership for allowing criminals to rob us blind and wants to create a culture of no fraud, no excuses in Minnesota government. She said agencies worry more about distributing benefits than making sure taxpayer money is spent responsibly. The goal was to shovel out as much money as possible, and that was the measure of success, said Robbins, who has led a series of hearings this year questioning state agency leaders and others on government fraud. I think its really a culture problem. How to respond Fraud figures to become a major issue in next years election as Walz seeks an unprecedented third consecutive term as governor. Massive schemes, such those tied to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, where fraudsters stole over $250 million in pandemic-era school meal aid, are just one chunk of the theft, according to federal prosecutors. Thompson has said the recent work on Medicaid fraud grew out of the Feeding Our Future investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walz has said he has taken action to address fraud. On Sept. 16, days before the housing-related charges were announced, he issued an executive order directing agencies to intensify fraud detection efforts. Earlier this year he created a new anti-fraud division in the states Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Walz also has pointed to large-scale federal prosecutions as a sign that people are being held accountable for the theft. So far, more than 50 of the 75 defendants connected to Feeding Our Future have been convicted. After Walz issued the September executive order on fraud detection efforts, the Minnesota DFL described his approach as taking real steps and accused Robbins of using the House fraud committee as a campaign stage. Kristin Robbins has focused on propelling herself into the spotlight instead of her work as Fraud and Oversight Committee chair where shes passed 0 bills and found 0 cases of fraud, DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said in a statement at the time. We wish her the best of luck as she continues with this unique approach to campaigning on the taxpayers dime. Inspector General proposal If elected next year, Robbins said she would do more than Walz has done to hold agencies and fraudsters accountable. That would include establishing an Office of Inspector General with oversight and investigative powers over all agencies, requiring a full financial audit and performance review of vulnerable state programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A bill to create a statewide office of inspector general had bipartisan support in the 2025 legislative session. It passed in the DFL-majority Minnesota Senate 60-7 but failed in the tied House, where DFLers had limited interest. Walz questioned whether a statewide office would be the most efficient way to combat fraud, and it was unclear if he would back the new office. Robbins said shed also direct agencies to require basic oversight practices, such as verifying eligibility, requiring documentation instead of attestation, hiring forensic accountants, unannounced site visits, and measuring outcomes. State agencies havent said whether theyve fired anyone in connection to large-scale fraud in programs. On Sept. 17, however, one day before the announcement of federal charges in the housing stabilization fraud case, it emerged that the Department of Human Services Assistant Commissioner of Homelessness and Housing Supports, Eric Grumdahl, no longer worked for the agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News of his departure emerged as he was scheduled to testify before the Republican-led House fraud prevention committee. Robbins accused the Walz administration of dodging accountability. Robbins said that as governor she would appoint new commissioners for state agencies, as would be expected from a new governor from a different political party. Four in the race Robbins is one of three prominent Republicans to announce plans to run for governor in 2026. Kendall Qualls, a former congressional candidate and 2022 contender for the GOP gubernatorial endorsement, declared his intent in May. Scott Jensen is back in the race after losing to Walz in 2022. He unveiled an anti-fraud agenda earlier this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walz is the only DFLer who said he plans to run next year. No Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006. Related Articles If Lucy Powell is the answer, then what is the question? The assumed victor in Labours unexpected and unwanted deputy leadership contest, following the dramatic departure of Angela Rayner, believes that she is just the woman to ensure a course correction by Keir Starmers Government. Weve made some mistakes, some missteps, she said in a newspaper interview. And that is certainly true, although she failed to mention that some of those missteps were her own. Powell has now repeatedly apologised for her infamous dismissal of concerns about the scandal of Britains rape gangs during a Radio 4 debate show as a dog whistle, a comment she made when she was still a member of the Government and widely interpreted, therefore, as the administrations view that the whole thing ought to be swept under the carpet and forgotten about. While her comment enraged much of the country, it clearly struck a chord with at least some Labour Party members who agreed with her initial analysis and who have since placed their crosses against her name on the ballot paper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, when safely out of office, Powell took advantage of her new independence to pedal back on the Governments acceptance of the Supreme Courts ruling on single sex facilities, suggesting that parliament should have a vote on the equality watchdogs new guidance on trans rights. Significantly, she did not say how she would vote if this were to happen, but her demand is at least an acknowledgement that parliament could reject the guidance, whose publication is a statutory obligation under the Equality Act. Say what you like about Powell, but she knows how to appeal to Labour members. This will leave Starmer in a difficult and weakened position come Saturday when the result of the contest is announced and if, as expected, Powell defeats her opponent, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary. Starmer condemned Phillipson to defeat as soon as it became known that she was his preferred candidate: however poor Labours polling numbers are, we can always rely on ordinary grassroots Labour members not to rally to their leaders defence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even before she officially takes up her post, Powell has helpfully presented to the nation a list of issues on which she and Starmer disagree and on which, therefore, he cannot afford to be seen to back down. The withdrawal of the Labour whip from rebel MPs is a case in point. Powell has criticised the Prime Ministers over-use of the tactic to assert his authority in the Parliamentary Labour Party and has said that the whip should be returned to all those who have lost it. If, following her elevation to Starmers right hand on Saturday, he announces the restoration of the whip, he will be seen as weak and vulnerable to pressure from someone who, a few weeks ago, he didnt think was suitable to serve in his Government. If he doesnt, Powell will have been publicly snubbed by her leader. All of this could hardly have come at a worse time for the Prime Minister and the Government. But let us not overstate the significance of Powells assumed election: the deputy leader of the Labour Party is not one of the great offices of state. Starmer need not grant Powell a return to office (although doing so would at least have the merit of imposing ministerial collective responsibility on her, thus limiting her freedom to criticise policy). He could choose to give her a sub-Cabinet minister of state position, perhaps as a minister without portfolio. Or he could leave her on the back benches, summoned to Labour HQ when her party duties demanded her attendance at meetings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In short: there could be trouble ahead. Powells criticisms of the Government and therefore of Starmer personally have not been subtle or nuanced. By running a rebel campaign she has been able to exploit her advantage over the loyal Phillipson while taking advantage of party members weakness for insurgency. In 1988, Neil Kinnocks deputy leader, Roy Hattersley, faced a challenge to his own position, a threat that was neutered because of Kinnocks steadfast loyalty to his deputy and by the partys loyalty to Kinnock himself (who saw off his own challenger, Tony Benn, with nearly 90 per cent of the vote). It is significant that todays Labour Party does not consider that the man who led them to a three-figure majority just last year is owed the same level of loyalty that previous leaders have enjoyed. Starmer is about to have a deputy he does not want foisted on him, someone who has made clear she will make life even more difficult for him. Labour Party members know what theyre doing. 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. LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) Some homeowners claim there is not enough parking in their Lebanon neighborhood, and now they could be fined for parking on their property. One neighbor told News 2 Lebanon Codes Enforcement issued warnings and citations for vehicles that were blocking city-owned sidewalks. On top of that, people in the neighborhood are not allowed to park on the street. If people cant park on the street, and they dont have enough room to put their vehicle in the garage, where does that leave them to park? Ken Shorey asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilson County leaders discuss plans to fix failing sewer system after neighbors demand solutions Shorey has lived in the Spence Creek neighborhood for nearly 13 years. He also serves on the homeowners association board. According to Shorey, Lebanon Codes Enforcement has been in the neighborhood issuing warnings to drivers parking in their own driveway if the vehicle blocks the sidewalk, which is city-owned. If your car extends beyond the driveway and into the city-owned sidewalk, you can be issued a citation and be fined for that, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shorey added that blocking the sidewalk makes it non-ADA accessible, so homeowners have been parking horizontally on their property instead. Some may ask, why not just park in the garage? Well, according to Shorey, homeowners use their garages to store lawn equipment since neighbors are not allowed to have a shed on their property. If the homeowners are not allowed to have shed for the lawn equipment and household tools, they keep them in the garage, which limits the space in the garage, he explained. During an interview with Shorey, a News 2 crew observed two different Lebanon Codes Enforcement vehicles driving through the neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were here I think two or three days ago issuing warnings, and they said next time theyd be here, theyd be issuing citations and fines, Shorey said. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com News 2 drove around the neighborhood and did not see any citations or warnings left on vehicles. However, Shorey is now calling on local leaders to find a solution so no one gets ticketed at their own home. When I addressed the gentleman that was issuing citations the other day, he said we really need to come up with a resolution, and he said the resolution is tickets, which is why I decided to get on social media to air out our frustration, Shorey expressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News 2 reached out to the city council person who represents the district, as well as the codes department, but did not receive a response as of this publication. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Across several national parks in the Sierra Nevada, researchers found that the populations of some bird species grew rapidly after fires and remained higher even decades later. Scientists already knew that some bird species could thrive in burn scars, dubbing them "post-fire specialists." But a new study, published Oct. 9 in the journal Fire Ecology, provided a rare look at the longer-term impacts of fires on a group of common bird species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The researchers only investigated low- to moderate-intensity burns, such as those associated with prescribed fire. Previous research suggests high-intensity megafires, fueled by climate change and fire suppression, can threaten birds. "It was really exciting to us to see how rapid and how enduring the response of birds was to these fires in these national parks," Chris Ray, a research ecologist for the Petaluma-based nonprofit, the Institute for Bird Populations, and the study's lead author, told SFGATE. "For 41 of the 42 species we looked at, population density actually increased a bit after low to moderate severity fires." Ray and her colleagues from the Institute for Bird Populations, the National Park Service and UCLA conducted the research in Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. They analyzed bird count data from 1999 to 2019 and combined it with high-resolution fire history data for up to 35 years before each count. Out of the 42 relatively common bird species in the study - including the mountain quail, green-tailed towhee, fox sparrow and lazuli bunting - each responded to fires a bit differently over time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For 11 species, population density increased and remained higher in the burned areas, with little or no signals of slowing down, even 35 years after a fire. For nine species, these benefits lasted longer than 20 years. For the rest, the benefits lasted less than two decades, or they showed little response at all. The population of only one species - the black-headed grosbeak - did not bounce back until around 35 years following fires; the birds probably left to go settle in an unburned area. Birds are facing serious challenges in North America, with a loss of around 3 billion birds since 1970, according to a 2019 article. The study authors said their results were anticipated for some bird species but more of a surprise for others. "Woodpeckers, for example, are cavity nesters, so they make a hole in dead trees and raise their young there - and so you expect them to be positively affected after a fire sweeps through and there are more dead trees," Ray explained. The findings were subtly different, depending on the type of woodpecker in the study, with hairy woodpeckers benefiting more from fire than pileated woodpeckers - which like old-growth forests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By contrast, Ray did not expect the results for the dark-eyed junco - a relatively abundant and widespread species, typically the size of a robin, that gives a "ringing metallic trill on the same pitch," according to the National Audubon Society. "I was actually surprised that dark-eyed juncos frequent burned areas right after the burn, and then I was equally surprised that they are at higher density for up to 35 years after a burn," she explained. "But it makes sense, since they are a ground-nesting bird that you can often see in clearings." Wildfires throughout the Sierra are increasingly frequent, extensive and severe due to factors like a warming climate and the accumulation of fuel in forests from fire suppression efforts, the study emphasized. This patch of forest in Yosemite National Park, depicted here in 2023, had burned 10 years earlier during the Rim Fire. (Bob Wilkerson) Ray cautioned that the positive results about birds in this study don't necessarily apply to megafires, since 98% of the sampled burned areas were of low to moderate severity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But less severe was not always better. The researchers found that moderate severity burns typically resulted in more immediate and enduring positive effects for the birds compared to lower-severity fires. For officials in charge of managing national parks, the study's results suggest that creating a variety of burn severities at different time intervals in forests could benefit many bird species. "I think what the birds are telling us is that there's likely a place for mixed-severity fires," said Ryan Burnett, an avian ecologist and the Sierra Nevada group director at Point Blue Conservation Science who was not involved in this research. "Too much of a good thing can be bad, of course, so it's not to say we want these huge, high-severity fires." Burnett said this study filled an important gap by reinforcing and expanding upon previous research on national forest land, which has different management than park service land. He added: "The studies done so far have mostly gone on to about 20 years after fire, so they added another 15 years to that, showing that the legacy of these effects extend multiple decades." More National Parks - Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown - Joshua Tree National Park now an epicenter of concern, confusion - Government shutdown threatens survival of one of America's rarest animals - California's redwoods hid a secret war machine Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We love national parks just as much as you do, so we have a newsletter that covers them from top to bottom. Sign up here. This article originally published at Long-term California study finds surprising link between birds and wildfires. Milwaukee's firefighter union is "alarmed" with the state of the city's fleet of firefighting equipment and the proposed budget for maintaining it. On Oct. 21, the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters' Association criticized Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson's 2026 proposed budget, which included a $2 million allotment for repairs to the firefighter fleet. However, that mark falls about $12 million short of what Fire Chief Aaron Lipski has said is required to address the city's aging equipment. Now, the department's union is joining calls for more funding, saying the city has neglected for years to fund repairs and maintenace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The grim reality is the city should have been prioritizing the replacements of all of our fire (apparatuses) for many years prior and now this neglect is putting the community and its fire fighters at a higher risk," said Eric Daun, the president of the union, in a statement. Concerns over the fire department's equipment were first raised publicly at an Oct. 10 budget meeting when Lipski said three ladder trucks had failed safety tests. The $2 million allotted in Johnson's proposed budget would only pay for one new truck. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that fire trucks operate regularly no more than 15 years. Lipski said that, if given "a complete overhaul," those trucks can operate in the reserves for another five years after that. The problems extend to the city's ambulances, too. Lipski previously said ambulances last between seven and eight years and 12 of the city's 25 ambulances are at or past that age. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The facts are that our fleet has been aging to a point of deterioration, and now danger, over the past decade or so," Lipski told the Journal Sentinel. Any changes to the Milwaukee budget would come Oct. 31, when the Common Council's Finance and Personnel Committee meets to make budget amendments. Any amendments that pass could be vetoed by Johnson and then, later, overruled by a council vote. Council member Peter Burgelis said he intends to introduce a budget amendment for additional funding for the department's needs at that meeting. Burgelis, vice chairman of both the city's Finance and Personnel Committee and the Public Safety and Health Committee, and fire department officials plan to discuss the impact of the fire department's fleet at the next public safety committee meeting on Oct. 23. In a document shared by Burgelis and the firefighter union, it showed nine fire engines and ladder trucks at 15 years or older and six between 12 and 14 years old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burgelis has said the fire department needs at least eight fire engines and six ladder trucks to be replaced across 2026 and 2027, at an estimated total cost of around $27.8 million for the two years. "When a fire truck cant roll, someones call for help goes unanswered," he said in the statement. Daun, the union president, called on the city's budget to meet the department's needs. "In Milwaukee, we are taking more runs per Fire Apparatus than any other city in Wisconsin, with roads that are failing," he said in the statement. Jeff Fleming, the spokesperson for Mayor Cavalier Johnson, responded to the firefighter union's concerns, noting the office was discussing the funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We continue to have discussions with Common Council members about any additional appropriate funding for firefighting equipment," Fleming said. David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee firefighter union wants more in city budget for aging fleet FROSTBURG No injuries were reported Tuesday just before 7 a.m. when fire broke out in a residence across the street from the Frostburg fire station in the 300 block of East Main Street. Frostburg volunteer firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze in the two-story property at 317 Main owned by Shannon Paige McGann and located a short distance from Mountain Ridge High School. The Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal said the blaze started in the kitchen when a stovetop was turned on and combustible materials were ignited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both the homeowner and a dog safely escaped. Damage was estimated at about $40,000. The American Red Cross was assisting the homeowner. Traffic was detoured from Main Street during the fire operation, which closed the street for more than an hour. BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) Firefighters in Hungary have contained a blaze that broke out overnight at the countrys main oil refinery, authorities and Hungarian energy company MOL said Tuesday. No injuries have been reported. The fire erupted Monday night in a processing unit of the Danube Refinery in Szazhalombatta, south of the capital Budapest, MOL said in a statement posted to the Budapest Stock Exchange website Tuesday. The cause of the incident is under investigation. MOL said emergency protocols were followed and units not affected by the blaze were being gradually restarted as damage assessments continued. The company added that it would focus on ensuring domestic fuel supplies and was considering whether to draw on Hungarys strategic reserves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday that he had spoken with MOL executives and the interior minister about the fire. Hungarys fuel supply is secure, Orban wrote on social media, adding that the circumstances surrounding the blaze were being investigated as thoroughly as possible. The refinery in Szazhalombatta, Hungary's only major crude-processing facility, refines primarily oil sourced from Russia a rarity in the European Union since the bloc's countries moved to slash their imports of Russian oil and gas after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU instituted an embargo on Russian oil shortly after the start of the war and, this year, announced a proposal to gradually stop the import of all Russian gas and oil into the bloc by the end of 2027. Yet as the rest of Europe has weaned off Russian energy, Hungary has maintained, and even increased, its Russian imports, insisting no viable alternative exists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, authorities said air quality around the refinery was being continuously monitored and no readings above health limits had been detected. According to Hungarys disaster management authority, the facilitys own fire brigade was first on the scene, supported by professional firefighters from nearby cities. Eyewitnesses told the state news agency MTI that flames and smoke were visible from several kilometers away. Firefighters in northern Ohio rescued a worker who was trapped underneath a fallen tree Monday morning. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Around 10:50 a.m. Concord Township firefighters were called out to a rest area along I-90 East for a worker hit by a tree, CBS affiliate WOIO-19 reported. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Firefighters said contractor crews were at the rest area, which is currently closed, to clear trees. Upon arrival, crews found the worker below debris from a fallen tree, WOIO-19 reported. The workers name was not released. He was alert when EMS arrived and was taken to the hospital to be checked out. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The celebration at Camp Pendleton was billed as an uplifting event to honor the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps and highlight the enduring strength and commitment of the nation's troops. A simulated beach assault in which artillery was fired from the sand toward the interior of the sprawling base was intended to be a capstone demonstration of the capabilities of the Marine Corps. But the display went awry and was forced to end early when an artillery round exploded midair, sending shrapnel raining down onto a California Highway Patrol cruiser that was parked on an Interstate 5 on-ramp. While no one was hurt, experts say the decision to fire live munitions over the freeway during the ceremony was highly unusual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Camp Pendleton is a large base, spanning approximately 125,000 acres between Orange and San Diego counties, its constricted location makes it relatively challenging for Marines to engage in dynamic, live firing exercises. Most of that training happens at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms or north of El Centro at the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, according to a retired senior Marine officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Its so canned as we would call it, or preplanned, that theres not a lot of training value in it, the source said of large-scale artillery training at Camp Pendleton. Howitzers and miltary vehicles occupy a beach during a demonstration at Camp Pendleton on Saturday. (Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images) Artillery pieces such as the M777 howitzers that were used during Saturday's demonstration aren't fired on the base very frequently, and sending artillery rounds over the freeway is extremely rare. In fact, none of Camp Pendleton's artillery firing areas are located west of Interstate 5, according to base maps. Designated impact areas Whiskey and Zulu are located far inland and are used for live-fire exercises, according to maps of the base. There are also preplanned artillery firing areas, none of which are along the beaches west of Interstate 5, according to maps of the Marine Corps base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pendletons "Range and Training Area Standing Operating Procedures" notes that use of any artillery firing areas that arent pre-established has to be requested 30 days prior to the date of use and requires an environmental review. That validates that this is not a regular occurrence and its a deviation from standard procedures, the source said. Its really rare. A spokesperson for the Marine Corps said the military is still gathering data on how often they've fired artillery over Interstate 5. Here's what we know: What happened? At 1:46 p.m., an artillery round from an M777 howitzer was launched from Whites Beach northward, according to a CHP incident report obtained by The Times. The report said that an artillery round failed to clear the roadway and detonated midflight. ... The explosion sent shrapnel toward the CHP protective services detail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An unoccupied CHP patrol vehicle was hit by metal shrapnel and was damaged. The shrapnel that struck the patrol vehicle was about 2 inches by 2 inches. The shrapnel left what was described as a small dent/scratch on the vehicles hood. A chunk of shrapnel is seen on the hood of a California Highway Patrol vehicle amid a live-fire demonstration at Camp Pendleton. (CHP handout) A CHP motorcycle officer heard debris falling on his motorcycle and an area around 3 feet from him, and later found a piece of shrapnel about an inch in length and half an inch wide near the motorcycle. The motorcycle was not damaged. No one was injured. A Marine spokesperson said one volley of five shells was fired during the demonstration four shells hit their target and one exploded midair. The rest of the 55 shells were not fired after the mishap. What is a M777 howitzer? The M777 howitzer is an indirect fire weapon, meaning that its made to loft explosive shells in an arced trajectory over friendly forces and into enemy territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each round is about 2 feet long and consists of a detonating fuse, projectile, propellant and primer. The fuse is screwed into the front of the shell and determines the manner in which the shell will explode. An impact fuse detonates when it hits the ground, sending shrapnel into opposing forces territory. Proximity fuses are designed to detonate in the air when they are a certain distance from a target, experts say. They shells fire at a range of 13 to 20 miles, although certain techniques can extend the range up to 25 miles. It is not clear what type of fuse the Marine Corps used during Saturdays event. But military officials said they suspect there was an issue with the fuse that led to the premature detonation. It's not a surprise that the M777 howitzer was featured in a celebration of the Marine Corps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The weapon, which been in use by the Army and Marine Corps since 2005, has provided firepower in counter terror and counterinsurgency operations in places like Syria for years. It's also become one of the more frequently used artillery weapons in the war in Ukraine. It would be hard to envision if they were developing a live fire demonstration that they wouldnt include this system, said Carlton Haelig, a fellow with the defense program at the Center for New American Security. What happened with the freeway closure? Late Wednesday night, the Marine Corps posted a statement on X saying it intended to hold a live-fire demonstration on Saturday at Camp Pendleton and that no public highways or transportation routes would be closed. All training events will occur on approved training ranges and comport with established safety protocols, the statement said, adding that the White House would film the demonstration to be included in a national prime-time broadcast on Nov. 9. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Gavin Newsoms office said that the Marine Corps on Thursday confirmed that the exercise would be conducted on training ranges, as is done routinely at the base, but not over Interstate 5. State officials had been weighing whether to order the closure of the freeway themselves but by Thursday morning, amid the new assurances, they backed off of those plans. Interstate 5 is closed Saturday during a live fire demonstration at Camp Pendleton. (Jonathan Alcorn/Jonathan Alcorn) But on Friday, state officials observed M777 howitzers fire shells over Interstate 5 from Red Beach. A Marine spokesperson later said it was part of a dress rehearsal. The state also received a request late Friday from the event organizers that electronic bulletin boards along Interstate 5 read: Overhead fire in progress, the governors office said. The wording seen on Saturday said, Live weapons over freeway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By Saturday morning, Newsom's office and Caltrans announced there would be a closure of a 17-mile stretch of Interstate 5 during the demonstration "due to safety concerns." Newsom's press office accused the federal government in a post on X of misleading Californians about live munitions being fired over the freeway and saying the governor was overreacting when he issued the freeway closure. "Without a doubt an apology is owed to not just Californians, but all Americans," the office wrote on X. 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. The first plants atop the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing were put in the soil Tuesday morning. There will be approximately 5,000 native plants along the crossing when all is said and done. The foliage will serve as a much-needed environmental boost by providing wildlife with a safe path over the freeway while also minimizing interactions with humans. The plants will also create a vibrant, nearly one-acre wildlife habitat that will blanket the entire surface of the main structure that spans over all 10 lanes of the 101 freeway. They originate from the area and were grown by the projects native plant nursery team, which used more than a million seeds over a span of a few years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beth Pratt, the regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federations California Regional Center, explained to KTLA that putting the plants down in the soil is a momentous occasion. The first plants atop the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing were put in the soil Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (KTLA) And while most of the plants had yet to be planted early Tuesday, the landscape was already doing its job. Were standing on top of the 101 Freeway, and you can hear how quiet it is, Pratt said. Letters go up on worlds largest wildlife crossing over 101 Freeway She also added that one of the more challenging aspects of construction other than the construction of the crossing itself still has to be completed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next phase is actually more complicatedwe had a five-agency utility relocation that we had to coordinate, Pratt said. That is really complex. The construction of the wildlife crossing was done in two phases; the first section, over the 101 Freeway, broke ground in 2022, while the second section over Agoura Road started this year. The crossing was initially slated to be finished by this year; however, officials say that record precipitation and flooding events in back-to-back years had a measurable impact on the projects schedule. Thus, it should be completed in 2026. The projects namesake, philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, passed away at the age of 86 earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More information on the project 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 KTLA. Russian company Russneft has delivered the first oil shipment to Georgia's new Kulevi oil refinery, Reuters reported on Oct. 21, citing undisclosed industry sources and ship tracking data. The tanker Kayseri shipped 105,340 metric tons of crude from the Russian port of Novorossiysk to the Kuveli Oil Terminal on Oct. 6, according to the news agency. The news comes amid warming ties between Moscow and Tbilisi under the Georgian Dream party's rule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kulevi facility, Georgia's first full-cycle oil refinery, launched operations earlier this month as part of efforts to reduce dependency on fuel imports. In its first stage, the Black Sea coast facility aims to process 1.2 million metric tons of crude oil annually. Russia is also seeking new markets for exports after a massive Western-led sanctions imposed over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Georgia and Russia officially ended diplomatic contacts after a war in 2008 and the subsequent Russian occupation of two Georgian regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The relationship between the two neighboring countries has shifted in recent years, as the current Georgian government seeks to strengthen economic and political ties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012, has also been accused of democratic backsliding and electoral fraud after it claimed victory in the 2024 parliamentary election. The violent crackdown on protests following the elections prompted Western sanctions and cast doubt on Tbilisi's aspirations for EU membership. Fresh demonstrations erupted after the ruling party claimed another victory in local elections in October. Georgian-Ukrainian relations have also deteriorated, with Georgia's ruling party repeatedly accusing Ukrainian officials and nationals of criminal conspiracies, including an alleged 2023 coup plot an accusation Kyiv has categorically denied. Read also: Why does Russia want Donbas? 6 things to know about the region Ukraine is being pressured to give up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces have attacked Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson oblasts on 21 October, injuring five civilians. Source: Viacheslav Zadorenko, Head of Derhachi City Military Administration; Serhii Horbunov, Head of Kostiantynivka City Military Administration Details: In the Derhachi hromada of Kharkiv Oblast, Russian troops struck a car with an FPV drone as it travelled along the Derhachi-Kozacha Lopan road towards the village of Lobanivka. Two local residents an elderly man and a woman were injured in the attack. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.] Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, a civilian was injured inside his home during an airstrike. The blast damaged the building's facade. In the Korabelnyi district of the city of Kherson, a Russian drone dropped explosives on a civilian car. A 55-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man sustained blast and head injuries, concussions and shrapnel wounds. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! What a run it's been. If San Francisco hits 70 again Tuesday - and it almost certainly will - it'll mark the city's fifth straight day of glorious late-summer weather. But subtle changes are already underway, as cooler temperatures and scattered showers are set to return. By early Tuesday, winds over the Pacific Ocean will flip from offshore to southerly, slowly pulling the marine layer back toward the coast and spreading more low clouds across the city and Peninsula in the morning and evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even the ocean itself will signal a shift. A beach hazards statement is in place through Wednesday night for all ocean-facing Bay Area beaches, as a strengthening storm in the Gulf of Alaska generates a large northwest swell with 10- to 20-foot waves close to the coast and an increased risk of sneaker waves. However, that southerly surge will set more in motion than just fog and rough waters. A weak low-pressure system, remnants of last week's storm, has been spinning offshore since late last week. It will finally dislodge from its stagnant position and drift toward the Central Coast by Tuesday night, stirring up just enough instability to spark scattered showers late Tuesday into early Wednesday, mainly south of San Francisco and over the higher terrain. A rumble of thunder isn't out of the question before sunrise Wednesday, particularly near Monterey Bay, across the Diablo Range and in the East Bay hills. Storm chances are much lower in San Francisco itself, where the returning marine layer will do more to mute instability than fuel it. By Wednesday, temperatures will be cooler, settling in the 60s and low 70s across the Bay Area under partly cloudy skies. A brief temperature rebound follows Thursday and Friday as a weak ridge builds back in, before attention shifts north, where an energized Pacific storm track aimed at British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest through Friday, will sag farther south over the weekend. Highs on Wednesday will run about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than Tuesday's temperatures. (Baron/Lynx ) While the weekend picture remains fuzzy in the Bay Area, forecast models suggest a chance of light rain sometime between late Friday and Sunday, with the North Bay holding the best odds for a quarter inch or more. The forecast details are likely to change several times over the next few days. Tuesday breakdown San Francisco: Thick fog may hover west of Twin Peaks on Tuesday morning, before it turns into another mild and mostly sunny day across the city, with highs ranging from the mid-60s near Ocean Beach to the upper 70s in the Mission and Potrero Hill. Light northerly breezes in the morning will shift onshore by afternoon, and the marine layer and cloud cover will creep into western parts of the city by the evening. Low clouds spread across most of the city Tuesday night, with scattered showers and lows in the 50s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Bay: Tuesday will stay warm and mostly sunny across the valleys, with highs climbing into the upper 70s in Napa and Vallejo and the low 80s in Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Vacaville. Coastal spots such as Point Reyes and Bodega Bay will be cool and cloudy with temperatures in the mid-60s. Skies remain mostly clear inland overnight, with low clouds developing over coastal Marin and Sonoma counties. Lows will dip into the 40s in the inland valleys and mid 50s closer to the coast. East Bay: Another warm, sunny day is on tap Tuesday across the East Bay, with highs reaching the mid-70s in Richmond and Oakland and the low 80s in Walnut Creek and Dublin. Expect mostly clear skies through sunset, then increasing clouds overnight. Some scattered showers and maybe a thunderstorm or two are possible overnight, especially in the interior hills. Lows will be in the mid-50s. Peninsula: Some of the dense fog and low clouds may linger over the Peninsula on Tuesday morning, but skies should become sunny by the afternoon. High temperatures will be in the mid 70s in Millbrae to around 80 degrees in Redwood City, with 15 to 25 mph winds by the afternoon in some of the gaps. Partly cloudy skies in the evening will give way to more low clouds overnight, with lows in the 50s and some scattered showers. Pacific Coast: Thick fog along the coast early Tuesday will burn off by late morning, leaving the afternoon mostly sunny with highs near 70 degrees in Pacifica, Half Moon Bay and Daly City. Clouds and fog will thicken again Tuesday night, and some scattered showers are possible overnight with low temperatures in the 50s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Bay: Tuesday will be warm and mostly sunny across the South Bay, with highs in the low 80s for San Jose, Cupertino and Milpitas. Winds will stay light through midday before a gentle west breeze develops in the afternoon. Clouds will build in the evening along with an increasing chance of showers and a few thunderstorms overnight, especially in the Diablo Range and Santa Cruz Mountains, with lows in the 50s. This article originally published at Five sunny days, then fog and thunder? Here's what is stirring off California's coast. Federal agents block people protesting an immigration raid at a licensed cannabis farm on near Camarillo, California, on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) A Florida Republican filed a bill Tuesday that would fine law enforcement agencies for not partnering with ICE and allowing families whose loved ones were killed by a noncitizen to sue certain local governments. HB 229, filed by Seminole state Rep. Berny Jacques, would use the new $10,000 fine for out-of-compliance law enforcement to compensate the aggrieved families. Its the largest proposed change so far to Florida immigration laws ahead of the 2026 session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Florida stands against lawlessness, Jacques whos also sponsoring legislation to require all employers to verify new hires immigration status said in a press release. We will stand with law-abiding citizens first and ensure that those who break our laws are held accountable. The four-page bill builds off a sweeping law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February. That law, which removed in-state tuition for undocumented college students and created state-level immigration crimes, requires county law enforcement to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in so-called 287(g) agreements. Although cities are not required to enter into these agreements, the state has argued that they cant purposely cancel the partnerships once theyve been enacted. This would constitute active defiance of Floridas mandate that cities use their best efforts to combat illegal immigration, Florida officials say. HB 229 provides new penalties for noncompliance. Law enforcement agencies refusing to work with ICE would be fined $10,000 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE would use that money to compensate families whose loved ones were killed by noncitizens, as long as the crime was committed on or after July 1, 2026, and the family fills out a form with FDLE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similarly, these families would be able to sue out-of-compliance police or a local government if it has a sanctuary policy protecting undocumented immigrants although these are already illegal in Florida and if its negligence paved the way for the Floridians death. Jacques bill is named the Shane Jones Act after a man who was killed in a traffic accident by an immigrant illegally in the country. He left behind two children and his wife, Nikki Jones, has since appeared alongside DeSantis in press events to call for stronger state-level immigration laws. For too long, American families have been left to pick up the pieces after their loved ones were taken from them by crimes that could have been prevented, Jones said in Jacques press release. The Shane Jones Act represents a turning point finally holding local governments accountable when they fail to enforce immigration laws. Other immigration-related bills filed ahead of the 2026 legislative session include Jacques bill expanding the E-Verify system to all private employers, and Sen. Don Gaetzs bill to prevent undocumented immigrants from driving commercial vehicles. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Flagstone Foods announced that it will downsize its El Paso facility and that will result in laying off of more than 200 employees, the company said Monday, Oct. 20. The El Paso facility will be solely dedicated to the production of Emerald branded nuts starting in 2026, the company said. With this change, private label production in El Paso be be shifted to Flagstones operations in Robersonville, North Carolina, and Dothan, Alabama, the company said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company said that the El Paso facility will have a workforce reduction that will impact 225 of its employees at the end of 2025. Here is a statement from Larry Appel, chief executive officer of Flagstone Foods: We recognize that this decision impacts the lives of many of our team members and their families. Our colleagues have performed well, and this is no reflection on their work but simply a necessary transition in our operations to best serve our customers. While we had initially anticipated seeing workforce growth in El Paso, consumer preferences drive our production priorities as they do any company, and we must evolve in this direction to best serve our customers. We remain committed to not simply operating in El Paso but making the facility a best-in-class snack nut producer focusing squarely on our Emerald brand of products. We are committed to supporting each team member impacted through this transition, including providing severance packages and robust job search assistance to ensure each of our colleagues has a roadmap to their next career path. 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. Oct. 21Marijuana business owners want to cultivate their product in business zones, where dispensing is permitted, but the Flathead County Planning Board was mixed on the proposal. An application to permit indoor growth and cultivation in B-1 business zones failed to get the board's positive recommendation during its Oct. 15 meeting. Voting on the request ended in a tie. The board acts in an advisory role to the Flathead County Board of Commissioners, which will make the final decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cultivation, manufacturing and dispensing of marijuana is permitted in zones that allow for agriculture and produce stands. This includes agricultural zones (AG-80, AG-40, AG-20), suburban agricultural zones (SAG-10, SAG-5), rural neighborhoods (R-2.5), residential zones (R-1) and business service districts (BS). But the distribution of marijuana is only permitted in business zones. This has put limitations on some marijuana growers who want to save on costs by cultivating and dispensing under one roof. First Class Grass owner Jim Roth, who submitted the application, told board members a zone change would save him money on labor, especially since this industry is heavily taxed by the state. Roth said he made a payment of $24,000 in taxes that day. Angela Palmer, a marijuana cultivator and business owner, encouraged expanding indoor growth and cultivation permits to all business zones. The marijuana industry is heavily regulated, she said, and the ability to cultivate and sell in one area makes it easier to comply with the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three Planning Board members supported the zone change as a necessary step toward solving a bigger issue of marijuana regulation. Elliot Adams and Marie Hickey-AuClaire argued it's more appropriate to see indoor cultivation permitted in a business area, rather than a residential neighborhood. "It's already legal," Adams said. "It's a matter of where we put this." Planning and Zoning Director Erik Mack said the issue warranted a more comprehensive look in the near future, regardless of whether county officials approved the change. But opponents on the board expressed concern over its potential effects on other businesses. Board member Michael Kopitzke, who also represents the Flathead Conservation District, hesitated to support the zone change without hearing from other business owners, first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is really a motion to help one individual," Kopitzke said. He and a couple of other board members brought up their personal reservations on the substance. Board member Verdell Jackson said he gets discouraged when he reads about people driving under the influence of drugs, including marijuana, in the news. "I think the marijuana would probably be cheaper, more plentiful," Jackson said of the zone amendment. The motion to positively recommend the zone amendment to county commissioners failed in a 3-3 vote. Board member Buck Breckenridge removed himself from the vote, and Chair Jeff Larsen was absent from the meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IN OTHER matters, board members unanimously supported an application to rezone land in West Valley for purposes of residential development. The properties, located at 985 Three Mile Drive and 1376 and 1390 Farm to Market Road, cover about 238.715 acres of land. In anticipation of Kalispell's continued growth, West Valley property owners sought to reduce minimum lot requirements from 80 acres to 5 acres per lot and make boundary readjustments. A staff report estimated the zone change would result in 43 additional residential lots. Jenna Anderson of Lost Creek Drive spoke against the zone change during public comment, listing concerns over increased traffic, unaffordable housing, overdevelopment and potential strains on local emergency services. However, the Planning and Zoning director rebutted several of the claims. Mack noted that none of the houses in this area are unaffordable, with some going for $500,000. He also said 5-acre residential lots are already permitted in the West Valley Zoning District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Board member Buck Breckenridge, who motioned to forward the application with a positive recommendation, said the zone change was the best alternative to prepare for the city's population growth. "This land, it will be annexed someday," Breckenridge said. "If our intent is to preserve some farmland, or some open land, this would [do it]." Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected]. (FOX 5/KUSI) Travelers flying from the southwestern United States to San Diego on Tuesday morning may want to check with their airline about the status of their flight. San Diego International Airport officials said they reduced the number of inbound flights in the morning due to low cloud ceilings, which impacted visibility. Police officer, another driver killed in crash on I-8 in San Diego The delay will likely continue through 8:45 a.m., airport officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flights most impacted by the delays are those coming from south of San Francisco or west of Denver. Airport officials said travelers should check their flight status with their airline or the airport to know if they will be impacted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. TALLAHASSEE, Florida State officials said a Texas man was arrested for making death threats against Jewish conservative media figures who live in Florida. State Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on X that the Office of Statewide Prosecutor was notified last week of the threats. He added that, after an investigation, authorities got an arrest warrant and have charged Nicholas Ray of Spring, Texas, with extortion, written threats to kill and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Laura Loomer, the far-right activist and ally of President Donald Trump, announced on social media Monday evening that she was one of those targeted with death threats and had reported them to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In her post, she said conservative commentator Josh Hammer and Seth Dillon of The Babylon Bee were also threatened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loomer, in her post, said she became a target because the suspect "was radicalized by the false accusations that I am a foreign agent, and then he proceeded to make a serious and credible threat against my life. Both Dillon and Hammer also went online to thank Uthmeier and the attorney generals office for the arrest. I dont recommend threatening Florida residents, Dillon posted on X, adding my family is sincerely grateful. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement probable cause arrest affidavit details a lengthy list of antisemitic threats posted online in October by the username @zionistarescum that included posts such as youre gonna get killed soon buddy. Its coming, traitors get hung. Another one said that Americans will take turns beating your lifeless body with a pinata stick you lifeless traitor. In the posts, various people were accused of being Israeli agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FDLE agents requested information from X, AT&T and Charter Communications and used that to locate Ray. In their X post, Uthmeiers office said Ray, 28, had been placed in custody and would be extradited to Florida. Ray was listed Tuesday morning on the Montgomery County jail roster. It was not immediately clear from those records if he had an attorney. This latest arrest comes two weeks after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in Tampa that the Justice Department filed criminal charges against a California man making for vicious threats against conservative podcaster Benny Johnson. Johnson received a letter threatening that he should be exterminated and strangled by an American flag, authorities said. The letter, traced by federal and state law enforcement in Florida, where Johnson resides, allegedly asked if the influencer in Trumps orbit was planning any public engagements because they would Love to see your head explode and your blood stain the concrete red. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man charged with writing the letter, George Russell Isbell Jr., 69 of San Diego, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Bondi, appearing alongside Johnson in Tampa earlier this month, described Isbell as a coward hiding behind a keyboard. If you think you can do something like this, we don't care if you're across the country in California, we will find you, we will arrest you, we will extradite you, and we will bring you to justice, Bondi said. We cannot allow this political violence to continue any longer. Andrew Atterbury contributed to this report. A 25-year-old Florida man landed in handcuffs after allegedly swiping his grandma's ride, wrecking it, then trying to torch the darn thing before bolting like his pants were on fire. Miami Township cops rolled up around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday after some sharp-eyed local spotted a smashed-up sedan near Route 450 and U.S. 50, then watched a tall man in a white tee and jeans sprint away from the mess like he was training for the Olympics. Tempe Police Use Grappler Device to Stop Corvette After 142-MPH Chase Officers found the poor car nose-dived in a ditch, banged up beyond belief with weird scorch marks along the drivers seat and gas tank somebody clearly tried (and spectacularly failed) to light up. A quick license plate check led them straight to the owner, an elderly woman who said that her grandson Robert Basye had snatched the keys earlier that night without so much as a "pretty please." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cops nabbed Basye loitering near the crash scene looking like he'd just walked off the set of a bad day. He allegedly copped to stealing the wheels, plowing into something hard enough to total it, then attempting an amateur pyrotechnics display before deciding a midnight jog sounded like a better idea. Now hes staring down charges for grand theft auto, drunken driving, and apparently failing Arson 101. No injuries, thankfully, but that car isn't going anywhere except the scrapyard. Cops wont say what half-baked method he used to try barbecuing the vehicle, but one things certain this Thanksgiving, somebodys getting the worlds most awkward family reunion. Just another day in Florida, where the crime blotter somehow keeps topping itself. Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook. The state of Florida says its ready for eVTOLs. Gov. Ron DeSantis says construction is underway on two vertiports. Orlando International Airport is getting ready for this advanced air mobility technology. An eVTOL is basically an air taxi, going up like a helicopter and taking people short distances. Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Senior Vice President Brad Friel described them as kind of like Uber and Lyft in our industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Airport leaders have identified two sites where the eVTOLs could take off from at the train station and east airfield. Throughout the community, its going to have to create a network of these vertiports over time, and just because they could take off the land of the airport, they have to go somewhere, Friel said. And the state of Florida is working on that. DeSantis said, The idea would be if they can do this to scale, if they can make it economical, it would take some traffic off the roads. The governor said the state is building two vertiports at the Florida Department of Transportations SunTrax testing facility in Polk County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis said the state will establish the nations first advanced air mobility aerial test bed and dedicated airspace there. They will also work expand the reach and create a statewide network of interconnected commercial vertiports. Delta is partnering with Joby Aviation, one of the leading advanced air mobility companies, to get these air taxis off the ground. Delta is advertising that you skip the traffic with an electric air taxi. The initial launch for Delta and the Joby air taxis will be in New York and Los Angeles. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. More than 160 Florida medical marijuana patients arrested for drug convictions either have lost or are in jeopardy of losing access to their cannabis-based medicine under a rule the Florida Department of Health put in effect this summer. Bobbie Smith, director of the Office of Medical Marijuana updated the Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee Oct. 15 on the results of a medical marijuana restriction the Legislature approved in 2025. Smith said the OMMU has identified 20 individuals that meet revocation requirements under SB 2514 and are following another 140 cases in the court system that will qualify upon conviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Revocation is a provision in a measure from the Senate Appropriations Committee addressing loans to dental students. It suspends medical marijuana cards for patients and caregivers who are charged with or convicted of illegal possession of a controlled substance. Upon conviction or a no contest plea, the card is revoked. A person may reapply for a card with a notarized affidavit affirming all terms of their sentence have been fulfilled. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure July 3 and DOH had rules written, pushed through administrative procedures hurdles, and implemented a month later a process that usually takes several months due to public notice, comment periods, and agency review requirements. The bill signing signaled a significant shift in how Florida regulates its medical marijuana program at a time when marijuana advocates are working to place a recreational medical marijuana initiative on the 2026 ballot. At the same time, a Leon County grand jury probes a scheme possibly involving members of Gov. Ron DeSantis administration to fund opposition to an identical measure in 2024. It failed at the ballot box. Pot Daddy says being against marijuana is wrong DeSantis has decided that being against medical marijuana is really a good thing. I think hes wrong about it, Orlando attorney John Morgan told WESH 2 News after DeSantis signed the revocation bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morgan earned the nickname "Pot Daddy" after he financed the 2016 initiative that legalized medical marijuana. He has said he will make a decision about whether he will make an independent run for Florida governor after next August's primaries. Medical marijuana advocates call the revocation bill punitive for denying medicine for a criminal offense comparing it to withholding insulin from someone with diabetes for shoplifting at a supermarket. The debate over how Florida should handle marijuana, medical or otherwise, is far from over, Compassionate Healthcare of Florida said. The Collier County alternative healthcare provider treats many of the chronic conditions identified in the 2016 law legalizing medical marijuana. The number of registered medical marijuana users with state identification cards has more than doubled to 925,000 since 2020, according to the Department of Healths 2025 Office of Medical Marijuana Use Program Update. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the use and possession of marijuana is illegal under federal law, the Morgan-backed Amendment 2 legalized medical marijuana in Florida for patients with qualifying conditions. What conditions qualify for medical marijuana? Cancer Epilepsy Glaucoma Human immunodeficiency virus Post-traumatic stress disorder Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Crohn's disease Parkinson's disease Multiple sclerosis Conditions of the same kind or class as those above And Smith told the committee that the OMMU 2025 update details the qualifying conditions of the nearly 1 million marijuana patients: 42% of cardholders have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. 29% qualified as either having symptoms of one of the enumerated disorders or the disease itself. And 13% of the patients suffer from chronic pain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown provided the committee with numbers that indicated about 58% of cardholders are over the age of 35. Both the 3544 cohort and the over-65 age group each make up more than 20% of the total. The 4554 group sandwiched between the two makes up 17% of the total. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Medical marijuana crackdown stirs outrage in Florida The big story: Some Tampa Bay schools are taking a new approach to helping improve students mental health. Theyre adopting a more welcoming model that officials say will give students the opportunity to take a pause and recalibrate before situations get out of hand. The nonprofit coalition Tampa Bay Thrives is partnering with schools to create wellness rooms. So far, four campuses in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties have benefited from the support, with more to come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sooner we can help them learn (coping mechanisms) in high school, the better they can perform and achieve. Then, the better adults theyll be, Brandon High principal Allison Wright said. Read more from Tampa Beacon. In other student wellness news, the Escambia County school district is launching a new drug diversion program in three high schools, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. Hot topics Cellphones: The Hamilton County school district updated its student cellphone use rules, including a rule that all emergency calls be made through the school office, WCTV reports. Charter schools: Some Hillsborough County parents scrambled to find a new school for their children after a judge agreed that their childrens charter school must shut down for safety concerns, WFLA reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement College expansion: Private universities are expanding their footprints into new cities and states around the nation. One highly watched initiative is bringing a campus of Vanderbilt University to West Palm Beach, the New York Times reports. Enrollment: Okaloosa County school district officials say the district faces a $4 million shortfall after enrollment missed projections by 452 students, primarily in kindergarten, Get the Coast reports. Pay raises: Florida A&M University president Marva Johnson announced 4% raises for faculty and staff, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. School mergers: Some Marion County parents are criticizing the school districts proposal to consolidate two nearby schools, saying it could cause transportation problems, WCJB reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Security: The Flagler County school district is exploring the addition of more security cameras and the installation of weapon detection systems as part of its ongoing effort to improve campus security, WESH reports. A St. Johns County mother says shes afraid to send her son back to school after he was attacked on a school bus, WJXT reports. Teacher discipline: A Polk County teacher was reprimanded but kept her job after a mother complained that the teacher sang a racially insensitive birthday song to her child, WTSP reports. An Alachua County teacher who is accused of demeaning a student for his conservative views faces an administrative hearing in January that could determine whether the teacher keeps her state certification, WCJB reports. Florida education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas has filed a complaint against a Clay County teacher who wrote on social media that he hopes the unvaccinated die quickly, Floridas Voice reports. From the police blotter ... A Pasco County teacher was arrested on accusations of second degree homicide in the death of her child. A St. Lucie County middle school student was arrested on allegations of making a hoax bomb threat to a school, TC Palm reports. An Escambia County elementary school custodian was arrested on allegations of attempting to lure a child for sex, WEAR reports. Dont miss a story. Heres a link to yesterdays roundup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before you go ... Sisters Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar perform live on stage together for the first time. Jeffrey S. Solochek is a reporter covering education as a member of the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here. A history class unit designed by the Flossmoor Veterans Memorial organization may be going regional, with the curriculum set to be presented at a Constitutional Democracy Project conference at the end of the month. The program, called the Flossmoor Veterans Time Machine, is a collaboration between the Flossmoor Veterans Memorial and Parker Junior High School in Flossmoor. It was designed to familiarize Flossmoor students with their veterans history. The program basically asks students two questions, said Paul Braun, former mayor of Flossmoor and president of the Flossmoor Veterans Memorial. We ask, why is it important for our country to have an armed forces, and then we ask, how have Flossmoor veterans contributed to the safety and security of our community, state and country through their service? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To Linda ODwyer, a teacher at Parker Junior High School who taught the program to her seventh- and eighth-grade history and social studies classes, the most important aspect of the lessons was getting students connected and interested with their local history. When you look at something that is in your local area, it definitely connects you to your community way more, ODwyer said. Thats something I feel like is necessary for kids to have the idea of civics, its mostly about how can you work together to build a good relationship in your community. It gives them a little more buy-in than just hearing about something from a different state, ODwyer said. Part of the programming had students making presentations about specific Flossmoor veterans, and on branches of the military as they related to Flossmoor history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of them picked the ones that had to do with their family, ODwyer said. Like, oh, my grandpa was in the military, and he was in the Air Force, so thats what they did. So they kind of gravitated towards their family or friends that were associated with veterans. The curriculum has a focus on individual histories, with heavy use of archival photos and documents. Historical Flossmoor residents highlighted include Private James Mitchell Jr., who spent six months as a German prisoner of war during World War II, and fireman apprentice Darryl Dushon Edwards, who died in a peacetime fire aboard the U.S.S. White Plains in the South China Sea. It really focused on the individuals, ODwyer said. A lot of them did end up getting captured, or prisoners of war, or they died in service. So, those fateful stories were very eye-opening to them. The planning and construction of a physical veterans memorial in Flossmoor is currently in progress, and students decorated models of the planned memorial as part of the project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Constitutional Democracy Project, a project of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, focuses on providing civics education programs and materials to middle and high schools. If other schools pick the program up, Braun said, they should be able to adapt the programming to their local communities. We think this is a good standalone program that schools can adapt to their particular needs, Braun said. The program, which received an award from the Illinois State Historical Society earlier this year, was designed to match state educational standards. This isnt something that, you know, we just said heres a bunch of worksheets and good luck,' Braun said. It was designed for teachers to actually have professional development and to receive credit for the program itself, because the standards match exactly the Illinois state education requirements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program will be presented at the Constitutional Democracy Projects Conference for Teachers in Civics, Law, and Government on Oct. 31 at Chicago-Kent College of Law. elewis@chicagotribune.com FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WFRV) Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney has officially announced his candidacy for Wisconsin attorney general in the 2026 election. In his campaign statement, Toney said he intends to prioritize public safety over politics, restore accountability in the state crime labs, and confront the fentanyl crisis. Appleton Police Department, U.S. Marshals arrest two for 1st-degree sexual assault of a child Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two years ago, at 39, I underwent open-heart surgery because of a defective heart valve. By the grace of Godand years of runningmy heart held on, Toney said. That clarity led me here: if I could still make a difference for Wisconsin, I would. After seven years of broken promises and political spin in the Attorney Generals office, its time for change. Toney emphasized that the Department of Justice must return to first principles. As your Top Cop, I will stand up for every Wisconsinite, enforce the law, and bring conservative, common-sense leadership back to the DOJ, he said. Thats what Wisconsinites expect and deserve. If elected, Toneys priorities include addressing backlogs at state crime labs, strengthening efforts to fight drug trafficking, reducing violent crime in Milwaukee, and supporting victims, survivors, and law enforcement statewide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As district attorney and former president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association, Toney worked with lawmakers and the governor to increase pay for prosecutors and public defenders and add more crime lab and prosecutor positions across the state. Crust-ice served: Armed man arrested after throwing frozen pizzas at grocery store workers in Wisconsin Wisconsin needs an attorney general who protects our people, not our politics, Toney added. Lets put public safety first, restore competence to the labs, take on crime in Milwaukee, and protect all of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin attorney general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) States around the country are warning that SNAP benefits might not be issued for November if the federal government shutdown continues past October 27. In the meantime, local food banks may see a rise in demand. Food banks are built for this kind of emergency, said Les Sinclair, communications and public relations manager for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. We know when these sorts of things are coming, and we look ahead as far as we can to try and plan for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sinclair said the food bank has already seen a spike in demand. Were already experiencing the highest demand in our four years of food banking, he said. Were seeing on average 171,200 people. At the peak of the pandemic, it was 141,000 so were already much further above what we were seeing during the peak of the pandemic, and now add on top of that the federal government shutdown. Bedford County warns of nationwide SNAP benefit disruptions More than 850,000 Virginians participated in the snap program last month according to the Virginia Department of Social Services, including more than a quarter million in Central and Western Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sinclair emphasized that the food bank is ready to meet the demand. We are prepared for this, said Sinclair. If you need help, dont be afraid to ask for it or seek it out through our website so you can find the food you need for you and your family. You can find pantries at Blue Ridge Area Food Banks website. You can also find resources at 211 Virginia. If youd like to help your community, you can also donate or volunteer on the food bank 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 WFXRtv. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) In going from single mom struggling to make ends meet, to becoming Western Slope director of Grand Junctions Food Bank of the Rockies, Sue Ellen uniquely understands the fear that thousands of Mesa County families are facing come November, when the government shutdown threatens to suspend SNAP food programs nationwide. SNAP is a critical food assistance program, says Ellen, and to give a picture of that reality: for every meal that a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine meals. So thats a huge impact. One in eight people experience food insecurity on the Western Slope, the highest level in over ten years, experts say. Due to the shutdown, Mesa County and the state of Colorado will not have the authority to release federal funds for SNAP benefits starting in November. The $3.8 million in monthly funds help feed over 11 thousand families just in Mesa County alone. Depending on how long this government shutdown goes on, cautions Ellen, we could be looking at an impact higher than what we experienced during the pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For families who rely on SNAP food fearing for their future, non-profits like Food Bank of the Rockies are offering hope, and help. A list of locations providing food assistance in the area can be found at Find Food | Food Bank of the Rockies. Mesa County tells WesternSlopeNow residents can still apply for SNAP benefits during the shutdown. If an application is accepted, funds will be distributed when the government reopens. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) A Wellford man was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges of child abuse on Monday. The 7th Circuit Solicitors Office said 28-year-old Ian Tatro, 28, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of unlawful neglect of a child and one count of obstruction of justice. Child Abuse Investigation Tatro was initially arrested after investigators were called to a home on Waspnest Road near Wellford on September 2, 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials with the South Carolina Department of Social Services said the investigation began after a child abuse allegation was received from an anonymous source. The DSS caseworker told deputies that she had been to the home previously to investigate but that the 8-year-old victim had been hidden from her each time. In the home, deputies found four adults and four children of various ages. They said the oldest child had a noticeable limp and temporary tattoos covering bruises on both legs. The injured victim was taken to the hospital due to bruising and concerns about blood loss, the sheriffs office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the solicitors office, the child was given animal feces as a Christmas present, forced to stand in a garbage can for hours while trash was thrown at her, locked in a closet, forced to wear a diaper, could not use a bathroom, hit with a cutting board, yelled at, force-fed laxatives and beaten by Tatro. Officials also said that Tatro also put the temporary tattoos on his childs legs to disguise her bruises. After multiple interviews were done with the victim, the sheriffs office said a forensic doctor stated the victim met criteria for a medical diagnosis of child torture. Tatro, along with Tenika Draper, Trina Rae Draper and Ryan Dezotelle, were charged in connection to the abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tatro was initially charged with 13 counts of unlawful neglect of a child and two counts of obstruction. Tenika Draper was initially charged with 11 counts of unlawful neglect of a child and three counts of obstruction. The childs stepmother, Tenika Draper, was convicted of 20 counts of unlawful neglect of a child and two counts of obstruction of justice in September. Trina Draper was charged with five counts of cruelty to children, three counts of obstruction, and assault and battery while Dezotelle was charged with three counts of cruelty to children, three counts of assault and battery, and two counts of obstruction. Cases against Trina Draper and Ryan Dezotelle remain pending at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The amount of abuse this child suffered at the hands of adults who should have loved and cared for her is staggering, said Solicitor Barry J. Barnette. The abuse was not just physical abuse, but repeated psychological abuse. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PLATTSBURGH Timothy Timmons DNA was found at the scene where Jahfari Joseph was shot the night he was killed, a forensic scientist said in Clinton County Court Monday. Timmons is accused of shooting and killing Joseph at 646 Fuller Road in Peru on the night of Dec. 29, 2024, the location of his ex-wife Kelly Timmons house. The murder trial of Timothy Timmons before Judge Keith Bruno has been ongoing since Oct. 8. The trial entered day eight Monday, with testimony heard from several forensic scientists and one New York State Police senior investigator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stacey Weir, forensic scientist at the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center in Albany, said on the stand in court Monday that she performed an analysis on a DNA swab collected from a window in the bathroom the room where Joseph is believed to have been shot and determined Timmons and Josephs DNA was included in the bathroom window sample. Weir said Timothy Timmons DNA sample used in the analysis was taken off of a drinking cup he used when in police custody for questioning in January. Swabs taken from blood samples on the bathroom window sill, sheetrock from near the bathroom shower, the top of the bathroom vanity, the exterior house siding, a large black trash bag and another large trash bag found in the house all included Josephs DNA as well, Weir said. A DNA sample from an empty water bottle Jerry Furnia used, who previously said he was in the driveway of the Timmons house several times on Dec. 29, 2024 and saw Joseph Superman out the bathroom window, was also analyzed by Weir. She said Furnias DNA was deemed excluded from the bathroom window and sheetrock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weir said the swab of a projectile found in the garage was deemed insufficient for genetic information. She said this isnt an uncommon conclusion when processing projectiles or bullets because of the heat inside the firearm when it is fired. Kayla White, a forensic scientist in the New York State Police Forensics Investigation Center in the forensics firearms section, also testified Monday. White said she analyzed the projectiles and determined every caliber submitted for testing was determined to be a .22 caliber. Kelly Timmons previously testified she gave two firearms to a friend of the family, Jared Marv Lashway, the night Joseph was killed after she felt threatened by Joseph in her house. One of the guns, believed to be involved in Josephs shooting, was a .22 caliber revolver, investigators previously testified. New York State Police senior investigator in the violent crimes investigative team, Michael Perry, said Monday that Lashway initially lied to police about the whereabouts of the .22 caliber firearm, saying he tossed it out of the window near Chazy Lake. Perry said they eventually received information from Lashways cell phone that he was attempting to sell the firearm to another individual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The gun was recovered in July during a traffic stop, Perry said. The barrel of the gun was removed and the serial number was defaced, he said. New York State Police Investigator Brett Smith previously testified the barrel of a .22 caliber firearm was found in May off of I-87 northbound in Plattsburgh. Perry said they were able to find the barrel of the gun after being told by Lashway where it was. Perry said when the barrel of the gun was found it was significantly rusted. He said the biggest challenge in recovering the gun barrel was the weather at the time. Perry said as part of the investigation, a report was done on the suspended cartridges of the recovered .22 caliber firearm in the traffic stop and it indicated the cartridge was consistent with the casing found at 646 Fuller Road in Peru. The defense for Timothy Timmons attempted to argue in court Monday that the barrel found and the firearm recovered from the July traffic stop were not relevant to the case. However, Judge Bruno ruled it was relevant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caitlin Rockwell, also a forensic scientist in the New York State Police Forensics Investigation Center in the forensics firearms section, said she was responsible for restoring the defaced gun when it came to her lab She testified in court Monday that she was able to restore the gun enough to identify the serial number and the emblems on the side that had been destroyed. She said it appeared to be consistent with a Charter Arms Pathfinder, which is consistent with the .22 caliber rounds that had been recovered and analyzed. District Attorney Andrew Wylie and Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Kehm were prepared to bring in another witness in the afternoon Monday, however, the defense said they would agree to enter into fact that Timothy Timmons bought and activated a new cell phone on Dec. 30, 2024, the day after Joseph was murdered. Timothy Timmons will be back in court Tuesday morning for day nine of the murder trial. This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available 24/7. To reach the 24/7 Crisis Text Helpline, text 4HOPE to 741741. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A former attorney facing child pornography charges is dead after his body was found in his Clintonville home earlier this month. According to the Franklin County Coroners Office, 77-year-old David Stebbins died from self-inflicted wounds at his Piedmont Road residence on the morning of Oct. 2. The coroners office confirmed a person was pronounced dead by Columbus Division of Fire but did not release the persons identity until Oct. 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Central Ohio schools report positive changes after total phone ban Stebbins, a former federal public defender known for representing death-row inmates in Ohio, was one of 135 arrests made as part of the Ohio Attorney Generals Office Operation Next Door initiative, which aimed to crack down on human trafficking, prostitution, and drug possession. Investigators received over 50 cybertips with over 1,200 child sexual assault material images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In September detectives reviewed the material, which included incidents between Jan 7 and June 10 of this year and one file which depicted a young boy being sexually abused by an unknown man. The subscribers information and IP address on the investigated files matched that of Stebbins and the reported cybertips. A search warrant approved by a Franklin County Municipal Court judge was conducted on Sept. 24 and the CSAM files were discovered on a laptop in his home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stebbins was arrested by Franklin County Sheriff deputies and the following day he posted bail on his assigned bond of $10,000. The case against Stebbins was bound over to common pleas court, where he faced two counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, one fourth-degree felony and one second-degree felony. Meta, Google back different Ohio proposals regarding age verification for app stores Stebbins was among five arrested in Franklin County from Operation Next Door. Two cases were dismissed out of municipal court but could proceed out of common pleas court. Hunter Christy, of Galloway, and Chrisopher Bonnette, of Grove City, are each facing multiple counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Operation Next Door resulted in 135 total arrests with 32 people were arrested on felony charges, including promoting prostitution, compelling prostitution, seeking sex with a minor, and drug possession and/or trafficking. For an earlier report on this story view the video player above. In addition 103 johns seeking to buy sex were arrested and charged with engaging in prostitution or solicitation and 67 human trafficking survivors were referred by law enforcement to health-care and social-services organizations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) A former Battle Creek police officer who pointed a gun at another cop earlier this year was sentenced to 12 months probation on Tuesday, court records show. Hunter Barnett pleaded guilty to weapons firearms possession under the influence. As part of his plea, a weapons firearms aiming without malice charge was dismissed. Battle Creek police officer accused of pointing gun at another officer is off the job Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charges date back to May 16 at a Holiday Inn Express in Livonia. Barnett and another Battle Creek police officer were on the east side of the state attending a training course at Schoolcraft College. The Public Safety Training Complex at Schoolcraft College in Livonia. (Oct. 9, 2025) Previous court documents say that while off-duty at the hotel, Barnett pointed a gun at the aforementioned officer. Barnett was visibly impaired after drinking, the docs said. Battle Creek PD Chief Shannon Bagley spoke with News 8 in early October and confirmed that Barnett had been let go in September after an internal investigation. Barnetts attorney declined to comment when contacted by News 8 on 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 WOODTV.com. COTTON COUNTY, OKLA. (KFDX/KJTL) Cotton County authorities have charged a former paraprofessional with Big Pasture Schools in Randlett, Oklahoma, after she allegedly posted a nude picture of herself on social media. Rashel Lyn Gray, 37, of Randlett, Oklahoma, was arrested on Sept. 8, 2025, and charged with transmitting information for purposes of instigating sexual conduct with a minor. According to court records, she was released on a $5,000 surety bond the next day. According to the probable cause affidavit, on August 18, 2025, deputies with the Cotton County Sheriffs Office began investigating reports of alleged lewd acts by a paraprofessional at Big Pasture Schools in Randlett, Oklahoma, towards juvenile students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies said they met with the Superintendent of Big Pasture Schools as well as the principals of the elementary and high school. The deputy said the Superintendent reported Gray, a paraprofessional, allegedly sent or posted nude photographs of herself on Snapchat that were viewed by students. LOCAL NEWS: Police investigate body discovered at Brigadoon Apartments The affidavit said the administrators of Big Pasture Schools told deputies they were notified by a high school senior that Gray had sent the lewd photograph, initially claiming it was an accident but later admitting that it was intentional. Deputies said they interviewed a 15-year-old student who allegedly saw the lewd photograph of Gray. The student told deputies that Gray contacted them, claiming she had deleted the photo from Snapchat and didnt know why it was still viewable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies said they interviewed two other students who also allegedly saw the lewd photograph on Snapchat. During the interviews, deputies said they learned that Gray had also sent suggestive messages to at least one of the students, including, You like what you see? According to the affidavit, deputies said they interviewed Gray, who admitted to ongoing communication with several students via Snapchat. They said Gray also acknowledged that around 10 students had access to her Snapchat stories at the time of the incident. As of the publication of this story, Gray no longer appears in the staff directory on Big Pastures website. According to court documents, Gray faces up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, or both. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 6, 2025. This is a developing story. Stick with Texomas Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of 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 Texomashomepage.com. BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) A former Blount County sergeant was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for assaulting an inmate. Joseph Snow also received a one-year sentence for violating his duties as a correctional officer. Both sentences will run at the same time. The charges stem from a December 2022 attack involving inmate Jonathan Calloway. According to Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey, Calloway was arrested by Oneonta police for public intoxication and brought to the Blount County Correctional Facility. When Calloway made a crude hand gesture while being booked, Snow grabbed him and slammed his head into the wall which was caught on video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inmate dies days after suffering medical event at Birmingham City Jail Casey said Snows actions were deliberate. This was a clear, intentional attack of a man in the booking area who in no way provoked him in any way, Casey said. And what made it so much more egregious, in my opinion, was he radioed to Central and said, Are you watching? So he knew what he was doing when he went over and attacked the victim. DISCLAIMER: The above video contains violence that could be disturbing to some. Casey also told the court that Snow had assaulted another inmate before. During sentencing, Snow addressed the courtroom, saying his reaction was inappropriate and that he has thought about it every day since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said Calloway suffered a broken nose and cuts to his face and head. Snow is being held at the Cullman County Jail and will be transferred to the Alabama Department of Corrections for processing before serving his prison sentence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. COVENRY, R.I. (WPRI) The former Coventry Town Councilor charged with driving under the influence last month has had his license suspended, 12 News has learned. Court records indicate Robert Delellis, 57, pleaded not guilty to speeding and refusing to submit to a chemical test at a Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal hearing last week. Delellis was granted a conditional hardship license that allows him to drive to and from his job in Burrillville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Former Coventry councilor charged with DUI pleads not guilty Court documents state that Delellis is only allowed to drive from home to work at 6 am. and then from work to home at 6 p.m. His car has been equipped with an interlock device to ensure he doesnt drive outside of those times. Delellis resigned from the Coventry Town Council less than a week after he was taken into custody on New London Turnpike, just over the town border in East Greenwich. He was pulled over by a Rhode Island State trooper who caught him driving 92 mph down I-95 South. The trooper noticed Delellis eyes were bloodshot and watery, though he told the trooper, No 100%, both times when asked if hed been drinking, according to a police report obtained by 12 News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite initially telling the trooper he was on his way home from a friends house, the police report noted that Delellis later claimed to be on his way home from a Coventry Town Council meeting. He eventually clarified to the trooper that he was at a meeting, then went to a friends house, then came home, according to the police report. MORE: Ex-councilor told trooper he was 100% safe to drive The trooper later informed Delellis he could smell alcohol on his breath, to which the former councilor replied, No you dont. You could follow me home. Im right around the corner. Delellis was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after failing a series of field sobriety tests. He pleaded not guilty earlier this month and was released on $1,000 personal recognizance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The special election to replace Delellis, who represented District 5, has not been scheduled yet. His resignation is the fourth that the Coventry Town Council has had to contend with this year. Its also the second time that District 5 voters will head to the polls to elect a replacement representative. Delellis was elected to the Coventry Town Council back in August, just two months after his predecessor Scott Copley resigned in response to a conflict over limited access to the towns legal invoices. (James LeBlanc resigned alongside Copley. Richard Houle was chosen to replace him at the same time Delellis was elected.) Copley himself was charged over the summer with threatening Coventry Town Council President Hillary Lima, who accused him of making a sexually violent remark to another councilor by phone. Hes since pleaded not guilty. Lima stepped down shortly after Delellis did, meaning both of their seats are currently vacant. The deadline for applicants interested in filling those two vacant seats was Monday. 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. Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is set to begin his prison sentence in La Sante prison in central Paris on Tuesday, after being sentenced to five years in connection with illegal campaign funding from Libya. The jail has an area for prisoners who require special protection, for example because they are celebrities. Sarkozy was found guilty last month of criminal conspiracy. The court ordered the provisional enforcement of the judgement, meaning that Sarkozy, 70, has to start his prison term despite launching an appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has always vehemently denied the allegations. Due to his age, Sarkozy can apply for conditional release immediately after entering prison. This applies to prisoners in France who are aged 70 and over. Sarkozy was received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on Friday. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that he would visit Sarkozy in prison. The Libya affair revolves around allegations that millions of euros were illegally channelled into Sarkozy's 2007 presidential election campaign by the regime of then-Libyan ruler Moamer Gaddafi. The Paris Criminal Court convicted Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy but acquitted him of charges of bribery, illegal campaign financing and benefiting from the embezzlement of public funds. Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy arrived on Tuesday at a Paris prison to begin a five-year sentence, television images showed. Sarkozy, 70, was convicted of having participated in a criminal organization in connection with alleged campaign finances from the late Libyan dictator Moamer Gaddafi. Sarkozy remained defiant until the end, posting on X a statement repeating his claim that he is innocent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I will continue to denounce this judicial scandal," he wrote in a statement, saying his conviction came after a long investigation that was based on "a document the falsification of which has now been established." Sarkozy was found guilty at the end of September and the court ordered the immediate enforcement of the sentence, despite the former president having filed an appeal. He can apply for conditional release immediately after starting his sentence due to his age. In France, such a provision applies to inmates aged 70 and older, allowing them to serve their sentence outside prison under certain conditions. Before Sarkozy's imprisonment, he was received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, the president's official residence, on Friday, the palace confirmed upon request. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that he would visit Sarkozy in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Libya affair revolves around allegations that Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign received illegal funds from the Gaddafi regime. While the Paris criminal court found no evidence of illegal campaign funds, it concluded in its ruling that the conservative politician and close ally of Gaddafi had at least attempted to obtain funds from the Libyan leader. No preferential treatment The former French leader is serving his sentence at La Sante prison in central Paris and is expected to be housed in a special unit for inmates requiring extra protection but will not receive preferential treatment. He may also be placed in an isolated area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of where he is housed in the prison, the cells are all the same, measuring between 9 and 12 square metres. They include a shower, a refrigerator and a television. The bed is narrow, and there is a small desk. Upon arrival at the prison, Sarkozy must undergo the same procedures as all new inmates, according to broadcaster BFMTV. His fingerprints and a photo are taken and he is issued with a prisoner ID and number. Sarkozy, like all new inmates, has to undergo a strip search, the broadcaster reported. He is then provided with hygiene items, clothing, bed linen and writing materials. It is believed that Sarkozy plans to write a book about his time in prison. Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy arrived on Tuesday at a Paris prison accompanied by a massive media presence to begin a five-year sentence, television images showed. Sarkozy will be housed in an isolated and specially protected area of the prison, according to his lawyer. He is not expected to receive preferential treatment. Sarkozy, 70, was convicted of having participated in a criminal organization in connection with alleged campaign finances from the late Libyan dictator Moamer Gaddafi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarkozy was found guilty at the end of September and the court ordered the immediate enforcement of the sentence, despite the former president having filed an appeal. Sarkozy can apply for release on conditions He can apply for conditional release immediately after starting his sentence due to his age. In France, such a provision applies to inmates aged 70 and older, allowing them to serve their sentence outside prison under certain conditions. Such an application has been promptly submitted, said Sarkozy's lawyer Christophe Ingrain. He expects that Sarkozy will have to spend three to four weeks behind bars until a decision on the application is made. The judiciary must do this within a maximum of two months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Sarkozy's imprisonment, he was received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, the president's official residence, on Friday, the palace confirmed upon request. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that he would visit Sarkozy in prison. When Sarkozy set off from his apartment in the chic 16th district of Paris in the morning, accompanied by his wife Carla Bruni, supporters, friends and neighbours had gathered on the street. Sarkozy remained defiant until the end, posting on X a statement repeating his claim that he is innocent. "I will continue to denounce this judicial scandal," he wrote in a statement, saying his ordeal had gone on for more than 10 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His conviction came after a long investigation that was based on "a document the falsification of which has now been established," he wrote. No evidence of illegal campaign funds The Libya affair revolves around allegations that Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign received illegal funds from the Gaddafi regime. While the Paris criminal court found no evidence of illegal campaign funds, it concluded in its ruling that the conservative politician and close ally of Gaddafi had at least attempted to obtain funds from the Libyan leader. No preferential treatment Sarkozy can expect a cell that is neither better nor worse than elsewhere in the prison, measuring between 9 and 12 square metres in size. Like all other inmates, Sarkozy will have a shower in his cell, a refrigerator and a television. The bed is narrow, and there is a small desk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon arrival at the prison, Sarkozy has to undergo the same procedures as all new inmates, according to broadcaster BFMTV. His fingerprints and a photo are taken and he is issued with a prisoner ID and number, BFMTV said. Sarkozy, like all new inmates, has to undergo a strip search, the broadcaster reported. He is then provided with hygiene items, clothing, bed linen and writing materials. Sarkozy's lawyer Ingrain said that the former president receives one hour of yard time per day and the right to three visits per week. Sarkozy has resolved to write a book about his time behind bars during his imprisonment. A former Gloucester County, New Jersey, EMT pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing money from a patient. It happened while 44 year old Antoni Simmons, of Glassboro, was responding to a medical emergency, at a woman's home in Newfield, back on April 30. READ MORE | EMT accused of rifling through patient's purse and stealing $220 in Gloucester County Surveillance video showed Simmons going through the victim's purse and taking $220 in cash, according to prosecutors. Simmons must serve one year of probation, and pay restitution to the victim. UPDATE (9:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22): Former Millcreek superintendent Ian Roberts has pleaded not guilty to all counts of his indictment in Iowa federal court. According to court documents, Roberts waived his personal appearance at his arraignment scheduled for Wednesday, October 22. Roberts is charged with falsely claiming he was a United States citizen when he was hired by the Des Moines School District and also with being an illegal alien in possession of four firearms. The former superintendent of a local school district has been indicted following his arrest by ICE agents in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ian Roberts, the former superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District, was indicted on October 16 by a federal grand jury in Iowa for two charges one of falsely claiming that he was a United States citizen when he was hired by the district, and another for being an illegal alien in possession of four firearms. Ian Roberts accused of lying about earning doctoral degree While Roberts has yet to be charged in the state of Pennsylvania, the Millcreek School Board told us they have met with the U.S. Attorneys Office to give them documentation regarding Roberts time while employed by the school district. Roberts arraignment in Iowa is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22. 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 WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Eva Clayton, North Carolinas first African American congresswoman, called proposed changes to the states congressional map blatant discrimination. The criticism came as the map is just one vote away from becoming official. State Republicans are looking to redraw eastern North Carolinas first and third congressional districts. The changes they want to make would weaken the regions Black voting block and likely unseat current Democratic congressman, Don Davis. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS NC Congressional Map Changes North Carolinas General Assembly appeared ready now to make it almost impossible for a Black citizen to be elected again from North Carolina, northeastern area, said Clayton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clayton, who used to represent District 1, told reporters on Tuesday that for her, it seems the maps were drawn with racial bias. If you cannot understand that as being blatant discrimination, then you dont know what discrimination is, she added. But the states GOP is adamant that their motivations are not racial, but political. Sen. Ralph Hise, who chairs the Senate redistricting committee, explained their strategy during a committee hearing on Monday. Any political consideration in line drawing has been informed by political data and not racial data, said Hise. Eva Clayton during a press conference Tuesday, Oct. 21. Hise and his allies say their sole objective is to send more Republicans to Congress to protect the Trump administrations agenda. Hise said doing so would also help to counter redistricting efforts underway in Democratic-controlled states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California has moved in an attempt to move multiple seats toward Democrats. And it is important in that timeline that we respond, said Hise. The North Carolina House is expected to vote on the map on Wednesday. The Senate gave its approval on Tuesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Twenty-five years after Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her from the Mar-a-Lago spa, Virginia Giuffre's story is being told in her own words. The posthumous memoir "Nobody's Girl" arrives Oct. 21 with new details about Prince Andrew and the Palm Beach mansion where she and troves of other girls were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre, who attended several Palm Beach County schools including Royal Palm Beach, Wellington and Forest Hill high schools was 16 when she met Ghislaine Maxwell outside Mar-a-Lago spa in 2000. Her father, Sky Roberts, worked in maintenance at then-real estate magnate Donald Trump's Palm Beach private club and winter residence and helped her get the job. He later testified that the family hoped steady work there would help his daughter rebuild her life after a turbulent adolescence that included time in foster care. It was on the clubs grounds, Giuffre later said, that Maxwell approached her while she read a book about massage therapy and offered what sounded like a legitimate opportunity to learn the trade. That introduction led to a visit to Epsteins mansion on El Brillo Way, less than two miles away, where Giuffre said Maxwell instructed her to give Epstein a massage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giuffres account of what happened next, and the years of abuse that followed, helped form the basis of the federal sex-trafficking cases against Epstein and Maxwell. She expands on this account in "Nobody's Girl," portions of which contain new allegations against Epstein's former associate Prince Andrew. The Duke of York stepped back from public duties and relinquished his royal titles after being accused by Giuffre of sexual abuse claims he has denied. Here's what Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year, says happened. Giuffre recalls Prince Andrew guessing her age In one excerpt from the book, Giuffre recalls an evening spent with Andrew, who by then was divorced from Sarah Ferguson, who joined Epstein and his since-jailed associate Maxwell for dinner. "Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince!" Giuffre writes, recalling the shopping spree Maxwell took her on before the dinner. "Her old friend Prince Andrew would be dining with us that night, she said, and we had lots to do to get me ready." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Andrew arrived, Giuffre claims, Maxwell asked him to guess her age, and he accurately estimated 17. "'My daughters are just a little younger than you,' he told me, explaining his accuracy. As usual, Maxwell was quick with a joke: 'I guess we will have to trade her in soon,'" Giuffre recalled. Virginia Giuffre alleges Prince Andrew felt 'entitled' to sex, licked her feet Writing that she was instructed by Maxwell to "do for him what you do for Jeffrey," Giuffre said Andrew acted as if he was owed sex with her. "In the years since, I've thought a lot about how he behaved," she wrote. "He was friendly enough, but still entitled as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright." Giuffre then described the encounter, which involved the two sharing a hot bath, then having "intercourse" which lasted "less than half an hour." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He was particularly attentive to my feet, caressing my toes and licking my arches," she alleged. In this August 2019 photo, Virginia Giuffre arrives with her lawyer, David Boies, at a federal courthouse in New York for a hearing in the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein, who weeks earlier been found dead in his jail cell in what a New York City medical examiner ruled a suicide. Virginia Giuffre says she felt she 'had to' have sex with Prince Andrew, was paid by Epstein In the aftermath of the incident, Giuffre said Epstein paid her for the encounter. "Soon, Epstein would give me $15,000 for servicing the man the tabloids called 'Randy Andy' a lot of money," she wrote, adding later: "I hadn't wanted to have sex with the prince, I said, but I felt I had to. Our livelihoods depended on it, for one thing, but I also truly believed there was no way for me to free myself from Epstein and Maxwell's grip." Virginia Giuffre describes second encounter with Prince Andrew Detailing another alleged assault by Andrew, Giuffre recalled another visit the prince made to Epstein's home in 2001. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As always when the prince was around, Maxwell was being a saucy flirt," she wrote. Maxwell had purchased a puppet that she thought looked like Andrew as a joke, Giuffre wrote, and when the prince arrived, she brought it out. "Maxwell put the puppet in my lap, positioning one of its hands on one of my breasts," she wrote. "The symbolism was impossible to ignore. Johanna and I were Maxwell and Epstein's puppets, and they were pulling the strings." The reference was to Johanna Sjoberg, another of Epstein's alleged victims. Virginia Giuffre alleges orgy with Prince Andrew Recalling her third sexual encounter with Prince Andrew, Giuffre writes that it turned out to be an orgy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't know exactly when I had sex with Prince Andrew for the third time, but I do know the location: Little Saint Jeff's," she writes, referring to a private island owned by Epstein. "I also know that it was not just the two of us this time; it was an orgy." Quoting a deposition she gave in 2015, Giuffre writes: "Epstein, Andy (Prince Andrew), and approximately eight other young girls, and I had sex together. The other girls all seemed and appeared to be under the age of eighteen and didn't really speak English. Epstein laughed about how they couldn't really communicate, saying they are the easiest girls to get along with." Story behind Virginia Giuffre photo with Prince Andrew, Epstein Recalling the decision to open up to the press about her experience, Giuffre writes about delivering the photo of her alongside Epstein and Prince Andrew to British journalist Sharon Churcher in early 2011, which later found itself splashed on tabloids. "I greeted her at my front door with an envelope that I'd stashed in one of our bookcases," she wrote. "Inside were several snapshots from my time with Epstein and Maxwell. The photo of Prince Andrew with his arm around me was among them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Churcher had asked me over the phone to write down what I could remember of my time with Prince Andrew, and I gave those handwritten pages to her when she arrived," she continued, going on to detail her shock at a tabloid photo that she later saw of Andrew walking with Epstein. "When Maxwell had first arranged for me to have sex with Prince Andrew in London in 2001, Epstein was still largely concealing his predilection for young girls behind closed doors or on his private island," she wrote. "But by 2011, everyone knew that Epstein though he'd gotten off with a light sentence was a convicted sex offender. Seeing this new photo of Prince Andrew at Epstein's side made 'Randy Andy' seem even more arrogant to me." Virginia Giuffre says Prince Andrew hid in response to lawsuit Detailing her quest for legal reprieve after being "trafficked" by Prince Andrew, Giuffre alleged that in 2020, the royal fled to the monarchy's hideaway estates in order to avoid accountability. "Initially, the prince made it difficult for my lawyers to serve him with papers, fleeing to Queen Elizabeth's Balmoral Castle in Scotland and hiding behind its well-guarded gates," she wrote. "At the end of September, however, a judge scolded Prince Andrew's lawyers for engaging in 'a game of hide and seek behind palace walls,' and ruled that service could be made through his U.S.-based lawyers." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giuffre went on to accuse "Prince Andrew's camp" of planting a negative story about her in The Telegraph amid Ghislaine Maxwell's 2021 trial to cast doubt on the legitimacy of her claims. She details being stalked by paparazzi and alleges "Prince Andrew's team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me." Virginia Giuffre's book release date Giuffre's account in "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," which arrives months after she died by suicide, will hit shelves Oct. 21. If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINNs National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Espanol RAINN.org/es. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: What Virginia Giuffre said about Prince Andrew, Epstein in new book OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A former Platt College student is desperately searching for her transcript, but even the Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools (OBPVS) is unable to locate it. Michelle Champeau spent thousands of dollars taking courses at Platt College in Central Oklahoma City. She says she learned of the missing transcript after she requested it so she could further her education at another university. I wrote an email to the director of the Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools (OBPVS) and just said, The book keeps getting passed. I cant get an answer. Nobody can locate it, said Champeau. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Superintendent Lindel Fields, OSDE tackle controversial proposals The Director of OBPVS, Nora House, says the transcripts from Platt College were transferred to a different college under the same former ownership as Platt College. Miller-Motte ended up the holders of the paper transcripts and it goes very smoothly works 95 to 99 percent of the time, but not for Michelle, House said. In Champeaus case, her transcript is gone, but House explained that there are alternative options to authenticate her prior schooling. If she can get me a copy of the authentic record that says she graduated, we do as an agency, have all the old catalogs so I can get the curriculum she was under for her, House said. Itll say what the minimum grades are. Now, its not going to be her 4.0. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House is confident that the alternatives would work for Champeau as she applies for programs at different universities, but Champeau finds this situation to be unacceptable. I feel like Im walking in there with nothing to prove what my dedication to my schooling is and that transcript. Even if the credits dont transfer, it shows my dedication to the administration, added Champeau. Although this wouldnt have helped in Champeaus case, House told News 4 that legislation has been proposed in the past for stricter student record keeping protocols but nothing has been able to clear the finish line yet. Champeau says shes not going to give up on her plans but shed like to keep something like this from happening to any other students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres no law for a loss of transcripts. So, Id like to know what can be done about that, said Champeau. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Former President Barack Obama is set to come to Norfolk for a rally with Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger in November. The former president will join the Democrat nominee for Governor for a rally on Saturday, Nov. 1. This comes just a few days after President Obama endorsed Spanberger in her campaign to serve as the next Governor of Virginia. Obama highlighted Spanbergers commitment to always putting the people of Virginia first, as well as her record of protecting Virginians fundamental rights, including their voting rights and the right of women to make their own healthcare decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Obama, aiming to boost Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia, endorses Sherrill and Spanberger Virginias elections are some of the most important in the country this year, and I am proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for Governor. Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts, said President Obama. As Governor, Abigail will stand up for Virginia families. Shell work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just big corporations and the wealthy. On Oct. 20, the Republican candidate for governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, received support from President Donald Trump while speaking with press on Air Force One. Winsome Earle-Sears receives support from President Trump in Va. Gov. campaign Obamas visit to Norfolk will be the first campaign visit to Hampton Roads of any Democratic President in over a decade. President Obama last campaigned in Hampton Roads in 2012. More information will be forthcoming on event details. Continue to check WAVY.com for updates. 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 WAVY.com. A former Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs director visited Claremore Oct. 14 to garner support for a Native American veterans' memorial. Oklahoma Veterans Memorial Park will sit just south of the Oklahoma State Capitol when it is completed, said Pete Reed, the former director. State officials broke ground last December on its centerpiece, the four-pillar State Capitol Arch, to honor the 45th Division of the Oklahoma National Guard. The state paid for it with a $4.3 million state appropriation. Reed is coordinating the campaign behind the first of several statues he said will populate the memorial park: the Native American Warrior Monument. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Legislature created a revolving fund for this and other memorial statues during the 2024 session. But Reed said the state won't appropriate money to this fund; instead, the law allows the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to store private donations toward the statues. That prompted Reed to embark earlier this year on a statewide fundraising campaign. "I'm seeing 100 cities in 100 days in all 77 counties, asking 100,000 Oklahomans to donate just $25, and 100% of the proceeds go to the project," Reed said. "There's no administrative overhead you're looking at the administrative overhead." Claremore is the 63rd town Reed has visited in roughly as many days. He said he has stopped into city halls, newspapers, chambers of commerce, public meetings and more to get the word out about the Native American Warrior Monument. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reed said the idea for the monument came from the person who accompanied him the last time he traveled the entire state: former Gov. George Nigh, who led Oklahoma from 1979 to 1987. Reed served as Nigh's VA director. Reed said before Nigh's death in July, the former governor encouraged him to seek financial support for the memorial from every county in the state. "One of the reasons he wanted me to do this was, he said, 'You can get large donations, but it's more important if it's the people's park to go get at least $25 from all 77 counties,'" Reed said. "You can say it was a statewide grassroots effort. ... That's why I'm doing it, and it's overdue as far as a time to to recognize the sacrifices and courage of these Native American warriors." Reed said though Oklahoma has changed very much since he last saw all of it, the people he's met are as kind and generous as they were decades ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said he's glad Oklahomans want to honor Native American soldiers. Native Americans have served in the military at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group throughout American history. Reed said the memorial will honor Native Oklahomans of all tribes, not just the 38 nations based in Oklahoma. Reed said no one knows yet what the memorial will look like. Once Reed's Force 50 Foundation raises the $2.5 million the project demands, the Oklahoma Arts Council will send out bid invitations to sculptors. "And here's the cool thing: Only Native American artists and sculptors will be invited to bid for the monument," Reed said. "... Then they will submit their concept of what it should be, and then the steering committee will make the final selection." Reed said the State Capitol Arch and site development will be complete by next summer. He said over the following four to five years, the Native American Warrior Monument and similar monuments to honor other underrepresented groups of soldiers, such as women or Black service members, will fill out the memorial park. "We want people to purposely want to come to see this thing, just like they do for the Murrah Building," Reed said. "We want something very special to commemorate all the service and sacrifice of all Oklahoma veterans." SANDERSON, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) Former Terrell County Chief Deputy and Interim Sheriff Jose Carlos Juarez has been arrested on two felony charges: Theft from person (Enhanced) and tampering with a government record, license/seal with intent to defraud or harm. According to the Terrell County Sheriffs Office, Juarez turned himself in on Tuesday, October 21, to the Val Verde County Sheriffs Office on an active arrest warrant. He was later transported back to Terrell County. According to the Terrell County Sheriffs Office, Juarez was later transported back to Terrell County and booked on two felony charges: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theft from Person (Enhanced) Tampering with a Government Record, License/Seal with Intent to Defraud or Harm Juarez previously resigned from the Terrell County Sheriffs Office following the swearing-in of current Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland. In a statement, Sheriff Cleveland thanked the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Inspector General and the Texas Department of Public Safetys Texas Rangers for their roles in the investigation. The Terrell County Sheriffs Office enforces the law with fairness and integrity, Cleveland said. From the Rio Grande River to the Pecos County line, and from Brewster County to Val Verde County, anyone who violates the law within our jurisdiction will be held accountable under Texas law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials added that Juarez is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of 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 Yourbasin. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of hundreds of former U.S. national security officials on Tuesday urged lawmakers to examine an internal government group that has been coordinating President Donald Trump's retribution drive against his perceived enemies. The Steady State, a rule-of-law advocacy group, issued its call for congressional inquiries into the Interagency Weaponization Working Group in a letter to the top Republicans and Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence, judiciary and armed services committees. The letter came a day after Reuters disclosed that a review of government records showed that the interagency group drew dozens of officials from the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Justice Department, the FBI and other departments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The existence of the interagency group indicates the administrations push to deploy government power against Trumps perceived foes is broader and more systematic than previously reported. "The activities described in the Reuters report echo the worst examples of intelligence politicization and misuse of our 'security services' in our history and would represent a direct violation of the statutory and ethical boundaries designed to separate intelligence functions from domestic political operations," the Steady State said. The Steady State represents more than 340 former U.S. intelligence officers, law enforcement officials and diplomats, according to its website. The Reuters report quoted a source as saying the interagency group discussed potential targets including former FBI Director James Comey; Anthony Fauci, Trump's chief medical advisor on the COVID-19 pandemic; and former top U.S. military commanders who implemented orders to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for servicemembers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A senior ODNI official disputed that account. The source also said the group was told that the ODNI had begun using technical tools to search an unclassified communications network for proof of an anti-Trump deep state and hoped to expand its search to classified networks. The ODNI official disputed this as inaccurate and not how the systems operate. Reuters could not obtain independent information about the tools. An ODNI spokesperson confirmed that the top U.S. spy agency formed the interagency group to implement an executive order signed by Trump in January to identify those responsible for previously "weaponizing" law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and his allies use the term weaponization to refer to their unproven claims that officials from the Obama and Biden administrations and Trump's first term abused federal power to target him. In its letter, the Steady State called on the congressional committees to immediately hold closed hearings with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Attorney General Pam Bondi "to determine the existence, authority and scope" of the interagency group. The panels, it said, also should demand "all documents, communications, and membership lists" related to the group and "similar 'weaponization' initiatives," and assess possible violations of the law and prohibitions on domestic intelligence activities. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Don Durfee and Andrea Ricci ) The case of a local funeral home director charged with fraud for taking money meant to cremate pets then allegedly dumping them in a landfill, is back in the spotlight. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Pittsburgh funeral home owner accused of dumping pets in landfill instead of cremating them 11 Investigates learned Patrick Verebs former Natrona Heights funeral home was sold to a local chiropractor. It could be a significant asset in the criminal and civil cases against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After PA Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges against Vereb this past spring, his Natrona Heights funeral home on Freeport Road was put on the market for $1.2 million. It sold for $950,000 to Dr. Dawn Spale who owns Allegheny Health and Physical Medicine. When he was in Pittsburgh last month, we asked Sunday if Verebs assets would be frozen to reimburse victims who lost thousands. We will utilize every tool we have to do everything we can to make people whole, Sunday told 11 Investigates. And thats really the best any of us can hope for. Families are also asking why the investigation by the AGs Office only goes back to 2021 when Vereb operated his pet business nearly a decade before that, from 2012 or earlier and on. Weve asked the Attorney Generals Office this exact question, but we havent been given an answer yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some families who used Vereb for pet cremation services say they reached out to the AGs office months ago to find out if their pet was or wasnt cremated and theyre still waiting for an answer. Tiffany Mantzouridis used to work for Vereb. She says she collected as much evidence against Vereb as she could before quitting and going directly to police. She says office records show 30,000 animals went through Verebs doors during the time he operated Eternity Pet Memorial. It was around 100 a week, Mantzouridis said. Thats a lot of animals and the longer they let it go on, the more animals came in. Dawn Elder and her beloved cat, Ava were victims. Elder says she reached out to the Attorney Generals Office to ask if investigators were going to look into alleged crimes before 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a no, we cant go back because of the statute or we cant do it because of whatever reason or we dont get an answer, Elder tells 11 Investigates. As Mantzouridis prepares for the possibility of testifying at Verebs trial, she continues to be haunted by what she saw when working for Vereb. Witnessing it and seeing some of the things that happened there, I have nightmares, Mantzouridis said. Its affected my life in so many ways. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW FORT PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) John Lopez turns scrap metal into beautiful sculptures at his studio in Lemmon. One of his latest is a life-sized buffalo destined for Fort Pierre. It currently waits, one front hoof stepping forward, outside a Lemmon motel along US Highway 12. Fort Pierre Mayor Gloria Hanson already knows what it will be called. Gevo CEO: Not 1 dime taken in state money Dupris. Pronounced doo-pree the name is a tribute to a long-ago local man, Frederick Dupris, a French trapper turned rancher, who responded to a challenge from his Lakota wife, Good Elk Woman, and decided to try to save the fast-disappearing herds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Hanson, Dupris and his sons captured five orphan buffalo calves and raised them on the familys ranch located on the Cheyenne River. She said the herd grew to 57 head and, when Dupris retired, he sold them to James Scotty Philip, the Fort Pierre man who has been widely credited as the savior of the buffalo in South Dakota. The original herd eventually grew to more than 1,000 head, and today some of Custer State Parks famous herd can be traced back to them. Dupris will be unveiled at a ceremony next spring. It will be placed on the Fort Pierre side of the new US 14/83/34 bridge thats being completed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cant wait to get it here, Hanson said about the buffalo sculpture. The Dupris family has been very actively involved in planning for the event next spring. Theres not a date set. We are still dependent on the construction and the plaza, she said. Buffalo were a huge part of Native Americans existence and became a huge part of the settlers existence, according to Hanson. The bison is the first because the bison was the first, she said. So it is the first part of the story and so it needs to be told, and nobody can tell a sculpture story like John Lopez. Hanson said Dupris will be one of several new sculptures Fort Pierre plans to soon have. What she and others have in mind is a plaza as well as a visitor center that will include a tribute to Lt. Cmdr. John Waldron. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Born in 1900 at Fort Pierre, Waldron was killed during World War II while leading a squadron of U.S. Navy torpedo bombers that helped defeat the Japanese in the battle for Midway Island. The Missouri River bridge was dedicated in Waldrons honor on December 30, 2002, by then-Gov. Bill Janklow. The old bridge was demolished in March of this year after traffic began flowing on the new one. An October 10, 2025, update noted that plaza work is now under way on both sides. A $1.9 million federal Economic Development Administration grant paid for much of the additional work that Fort Pierre has under way. The grant was matched by $513,000 of local funds. The first phase of the money went for an arching pedestrian bridge on a walkway along the Missouri River. The pedestrian bridge allows boats to come and go from a new marina on the rivers Fort Pierre side. Mayor Hanson said a bronze sculpture of a Native American woman in beautiful ceremonial dress lifting a buffalo bladder skyward may arrive before the event next spring for Dupris. Called Water Carrying Woman, the life-sized work by Matthew Lanz of Pringle features a continuous, recirculating flow of water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The entire area was a popular meeting place for Native Americans because of the confluence of the two rivers, Hanson said. Two more sculptures are planned. One is a replica of the USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier from which Lt. Cmdr. Waldron and squadron launched. The plaza will also have other things such as airplane parts and a replica of the Navy Cross that was posthumously awarded to Waldron, according to Hanson. The other will honor Pierre Chouteau, who owned what the National Park Service today describes as the largest trading post on the upper Missouri and a thriving center of commerce in the vast Lakota Country during the mid-1800s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1743, the Verendrye brothers planted a lead plate claiming the area for France. American explorers Lewis and Clark with their Team of Discovery first visited in 1804 as they made their way up the Missouri River. In the next few decades riverboats from St. Louis carried goods and people upstream and took furs downstream. After the 1876 discovery of gold in the Black Hills, paddle-wheelers brought fortune-seekers, and bull trains took them west from Fort Pierre to Deadwood. We are the oldest, continuous European settlement in North Dakota and South Dakota, Hanson said. We are very proud of our history. Dupris is one of many works by Lopez. Others include several of the U.S. presidential statues in downtown Rapid City and several of the statues on the Trail of Governors in Pierre. His latest for the Trail will show Kristi Noem and her horse Iceman. Asked what it was like to work with the sculptor, the mayor said, Oh my gosh, he is such a gentleman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We commissioned him three years ago, thinking that the bridge construction would be done and we would be able to place the sculpture. And of course there were delays in the bridge construction and John was so patient with us and it gave him lots of time to be creative. He could have knocked that out in ten months and he had three years. And my husband and I would go to Lemmon and visit John and the sculpture, and he would say, what are we missing, what are we missing, Gloria? And Id say, it needs a fort, it needs a paddle boat, and dont forget Waldron and (rodeo star) Casey Tibbs and Chouteau, and Lewis and Clark. And he has all of those things in there. 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. Children walk through Carter Traditional Elementary School in Louisville, Ky. School-based health services nationwide are partially funded through Medicaid, and some advocates worry about potential cuts. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images) Four out of five North Carolina families who want their children in afterschool programs cant access one, according to a new national survey released recently. The America After 3 p.m. survey, conducted by the Afterschool Alliance, found that about 188,000 North Carolina children currently attend afterschool programs which is roughly the same as five years ago. But an additional 664,000 children would participate if programs were more accessible, the survey found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents cited cost, transportation and a lack of availability as the top barriers to enrollment. More than half said programs were too expensive, nearly half said programs were located too far away or lacked safe transportation, and four in ten said no programs were available in their area. In its new strategic plan, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction calls for North Carolina public schools to be the best in the nation by 2030, said NC Center for Afterschool Programs Director Elizabeth Anderson. Given more than 80 percent of North Carolina students time is spent learning outside of school, we cant be the best in the nation without strong afterschool and summer learning programs. The survey, based on responses from more than 30,000 families nationwide, including 800 in North Carolina, also found strong bipartisan support for public funding of afterschool programs. Five in six North Carolina parents said they support state funding for afterschool opportunities, including 90% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans. Parents whose children attend afterschool programs reported major benefits, with 92% saying the programs help them stay employed or work more hours, and 96% saying they feel less stressed knowing their child is safe and supervised. Three in four parents said afterschool programs make their children more excited about learning and improve school attendance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Carolina is one of 23 states without dedicated state funding for afterschool or summer learning programs. Anderson said NC CAP is urging lawmakers to create a dedicated state funding stream for afterschool programs, starting by matching the federal governments current investment of $35.8 million. Right now in North Carolina, we are able to fund fewer than half of the programs that apply for federal 21st Century Community Learning Center dollars, she told NC Newsline. A dedicated state-level funding stream would go a long way toward serving more students through high-quality afterschool. She added that the organization is working with national partners on new research, expected next year, to better estimate the cost of serving the 664,000 children still waiting for access to afterschool opportunities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over 664,000 children in North Carolina are waiting for a safe place to learn and grow outside of school, Anderson said. Its time for our state leaders to recognize high-quality afterschool as essential for our children, our families and our economy. The full report is available at afterschoolalliance.org. Paul IngrassiaPresident Donald Trumps nominee to head the Office of Special Counselmay not be confirmed after his racist and antisemitic messages were unearthed Monday by Politico, leading some Republican senators to repudiate him. In the private text messages, Ingrassia, a MAGA attorney and podcaster, said he has a Nazi streak and that he believes Martin Luther King Jr. Day ought to be tossed into the seventh circle of hell. He also called for an end to other holidays that celebrate Black history, which he referred to using an Italian slur for Black people. While Ingrassia has an extensive public record of MAGA extremism, these private messages were a bridge too far for some Senate Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of them is Majority Leader John Thune, who told reporters Monday night that Ingrassia is not going to pass, and that he hopes the White House withdraws his nomination. Senator Rick Scott similarly said, I dont plan on voting for him. Senator James Lankford told reporters he has tons of questions for him when he comes on Thursday, but I cant imagine supporting that. Senator Ron Johnson told HuffPost he hopes the Trump administration pulls the nomination as well. Prior to the scandal, Senator Thom Tillis already said he would oppose Ingrassias nomination, citing the nominees comments about the January 6 Capitol riot, as well as a number of other things. Assuming full Democratic opposition, Ingrassia can only afford to lose three Republican votes before Vice President JD Vance would have to step in to break the tie. Four Republicans opposing him would tank the nomination. Scott, Johnson, Lankford are also all on the 15-member (8 Republicans, 7 Democrats) Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has a confirmation hearing for Ingrassia scheduled for Thursday. Ingrassia needs a simple majority of the panels votes to advance his nomination to the full Senate. Fox Business Senior Correspondent Charlie Gasparino and company gleefully mocked anti-Donald Trump protesters on Mondays edition of The Big Money Show. On Saturday, millions of people demonstrated against the president in what organizers billed as No Kings demonstrations, a reference to Trumps heavy-handed actions since taking office for the second time. Many conservatives have widely mocked the protests, while several Republican lawmakers have baselessly claimed the demonstrations are being driven by pro-Hamas elements on the left. Hours after the protests, Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself piloting a fighter jet while wearing an ill-fitting mask as he drops feces on protesters. The video is set to Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins, who has asked Trump to remove the song from the video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were a lot of angry old people, Big Money Show co-host Dagen McDowell said of the protests. And theyre like just screaming at you, Gasparino replied. McDowell responded that if Trump were a literal king, protests against him would not be tolerated. You protested President Trump by voting for Kamala Harris, and a minority of Kamala Harris voters showed up this weekend, she added. Did you see the social media posting that Trump did on this? Gasparino asked. Yes, I did, McDowell answered as Gasparino chuckled. I dont, um A laughing Gasparino interjected to say, The dumping of the sewage just added a nice touch to the whole thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox contributor Brian Brenberg replied by calling the protesters lonely. It was like a social outing, he said. Theres a lot of angry people. But I think theres just a ton of loneliness and purposelessness Like, this is what motivates them to live. Like, getting together with their crazily-dressed friends and making up that we have a monarch so they can protest. Watch above via Fox Business Network. The post Fox Correspondent Praises Trumps AI Video of the President Dropping Feces on Protesters: A Nice Touch first appeared on Mediaite. A Fox News host made the wild claim that New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to eliminate the Jewish community in the city. In response to a comments made by popular New York Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, who claimed that Mamdani poses a danger to Jewish residents, Lawrence Jones said the number of Jews in the city that were expressing support for the Democrat ahead of the election was shocking. I would say to the Rabbi, you have to go out there and talk with some of the Jews in New York, Jones said on Fox & Friends. Have you seen the polling thats supporting Mamdani within the Jewish community? It is shocking to me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones added: I cant fight for you harder than you fight for yourself. He wants to eliminate your entire community. Doesnt even believe in a Jewish state. Yet, he still has a lot of support within the community. A Fox News host made the wild claim that New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to eliminate the entire Jewish community in the city (Angelina Katsanis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) In remarks made to worshippers Saturday, that were played on Fox & Friends, Cosgrove said: I believe Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community. Mamdanis refusal to condemn insightful slogans like globalize the intifada, his denial of Israels legitmacy as a Jewish state, his calls to arrest Israels prime minister should he enter New York, and his thrice-repeated accusation of genocide in Thursdays debate. For these and so many other statements past, present, and unrepentant, he is a danger to the Jewish body politic of New York City, he added. Mamdani told business leaders during a July meeting that he would not use the phrase globalize the intifada, according to the New York Times. He previously refused to condemn it during the Democratic primary, despite critics saying it encouraged violence against Jews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, Mamdani explicitly said during a debate in June that Israel has a right to exist as a state with equal rights. A new survey from AARP and Gotham Polling found that Mamdani (right) holds a 43.2 percent lead, with Cuomo (left) in second place at 28.9 percent, and Curtis Sliwa (center) last with 19.4 percent If elected, Mamdani said he would honor an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu, should the Israeli prime minister visit New York. Experts told the Times that the plans would be both impractical and potentially illegal. Despite being heavily accused by those on the right of antisemitism, polls show that Democrat Mamdani still holds a comfortable lead over his rivals, former state Governor Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, as the race enters its final stages. A new survey from AARP and Gotham Polling found that Mamdani holds a 43.2 percent lead, with Cuomo in second place at 28.9 percent, and Sliwa last with 19.4 percent. The Independent has contacted Mamdanis campaign for comment in response to the remarks made by Jones. Fox News host Lawrence Jones has shockingly declared that New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to eliminate the Big Apples Jewish community. The stunning moment came Tuesday morning as the Fox & Friends crew discussed the NYC mayoral frontrunner and the possibility that Republican Curtis Sliwa can give Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo an edge by dropping out of the race. The curvy couch, consisting of Jones, Brian Kilmeade, and Ainsley Earhardt, then propped up the notion that a Mamdani administration could pose a threat to Jews in New York, playing a clip of anti-Mamdani Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, who has warned that a vote for Mamdani could mean danger to Jews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I believe Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community, Rabbi Cosgrove said. Mamdanis refusal to condemn insightful slogans like globalize the intifada, his denial of Israels legitmacy as a Jewish state, his calls to arrest Israels prime minister should he enter New York, and his thrice-repeated accusation of genocide in Thursdays debate. For these and so many other statements past, present, and unrepentant, he is a danger to the Jewish body politic of New York City. Hes 100 percent correct, Jones said, invoking the recent photo of Mamdami with controversial Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been accused of having involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Mamdani appears smiling, arm-in-arm with unindicted 93 WTC bombing co-conspirator and terrorist apologist. Read today's cover here: https://t.co/P9p6OQkCOd pic.twitter.com/BKp7WNyhKJ New York Post (@nypost) October 19, 2025 Jones urged the Jewish community, where voters are reportedly split on Mamdani, to reject the Queens assemblyman. I would say to the rabbi, you have to go out there and talk with some of the Jews in New York, Jones said. Have you seen the polling thats supporting Mamdani within the Jewish community? It is shocking to me. I cant fight for you harder than you fight for yourself. He wants to eliminate your entire community. Doesnt even believe in a Jewish state. Yet, he still has a lot of support within the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A message seeking comment from the Mamdani campaign was not immediately returned on Tuesday. Watch above via Fox News. The post Foxs Lawrence Jones Proclaims Zohran Mamdani Wants to Eliminate Entire NYC Jewish Community first appeared on Mediaite. Fox News host Jesse Watters has slammed No Kings protesters as ignorant trend-chasers who had "no idea why they're there" after admitting that his own mother was among their ranks. Between 4.5 million and 6.5 million people are estimated to have marched in a second day of nationwide anti-Trump demonstrations on Saturday, reportedly including celebrities such as Pedro Pascal, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cusack, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, and Nancy Pelosi. Those numbers would potentially make it the largest single-day protest in the nation's history, rivaling the estimated 3.3m to 5.6m people who attended the 2017 Women's March, which was also against Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That cut little mustard with Watters, who accused the protesters of having "lost their minds" on Fox News's The Five on Monday. "I know my mom was there," he admitted. "Can you believe my mom was there? Sometimes I think I was adopted." 'Democrats love kings!': Jesse Watters discusses 'No Kings 2' on Fox News on Monday and admits that his own mother was among their ranks (Fox News via YouTube) He went on: "They do these things: the Women's March, BLM, the Musk stuff. The issues change, but the one thing that stays the same is Trump. "They think this guy's like crack cocaine. They get these big bursts of energy every once in a while, but long term this has been bad for their health. "They've lost the culture, they've lost the media, they've lost two of the last three elections, they've lost all power in Washington, and they've lost their minds... Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You go into these rallies and you interview these people: they have no idea why they're there. I mean some of do; my mom knew. "But if you stick a mic in front of their face, they have no clue. They're just kind of walking around. This is far from the first time Watters has skirmished with his Democrat-voting mom over about politics. In fact, at times he's read out their text exchanges in a regular segment called "Mom Texts". In July 2023, on his first night after replacing Tucker Carlson, she told him: "Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you, and we want no lawsuits, OK? The protest in New York City drew more than 350,000 people, organizers said (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz) "I want you to seek solutions, versus fanning the flames... perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other peoples bodies." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024 he said he had not been invited to Thanksgiving following Trump's second election victory, saying his mom had told him there "wasn't enough room". Organizers have estimated that about 7m people attended Saturday's protests, while independent data journalist G. Elliott Morris and Atlanta-based science news outlet The Xylom put the total lower at probably around 5m. The second No Kings protest featured a wide range of inflatable animal costumes, from frogs to bears to dinosaurs and Pokemon (REUTERS/Jaimi Joy) In at least 2,500 rallies in cities and towns across the country, demonstrators marched in colorful costumes including the inflatable animal suits made famous by anti-ICE protesters in Portland, Oregon. Organizers called the protests overwhelmingly peaceful, though there were scattered reports of violence and arrests, especially in Portland and Chicago where crowds protested outside ICE facilities. Anti-ICE protesters clash with federal agents outside an ICE facility in Portland on Oct. 18 (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images) Trump responded by insisting he was "not a king", before posting an A.I.-generated video of himself wearing a crown while flying a KING TRUMP fighter jet and bombing a crowd of No Kings protesters with brown liquid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watters' reaction was at least less scatological. "Democrats love kings! They love the government telling them what to do," he said. "'Give me a shot! Take over my healthcare! Tell me what not to stay!'... Democrats love it! They love to submit. They love to conform. It's what they do... "And Trump's no king! If Trump was a king you wouldn't have had a rally like this. You wouldn't have people going on TV calling him a Nazi, and you wouldn't have the government shut down." MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) Father Bry Shields, who has led McGill-Toolen as president since 1989, is stepping down, according to a letter he issued. Witness issues force DA to drop murder charge in Prichard shooting Shields said the decision came after considerable thought and prayer, and was approved by Archbishop Mark Rivituso. Shields resignation is effective June 30, 2026. Fr. Bry Shields announced today that he will be stepping down as president of McGill-Toolen at the end of this school year. (Courtesy of Fr. Bry Shields) Though stepping down from his position as president of the Catholic high school, he will remain a full-time priest at St. Ignatius. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police need publics help with murder-suicide investigation I am in good health and I have a strong desire to continue serving as priest for the Archdiocese of Mobile, Shields said in an open letter. I do feel that I need to give my full attention to St. Ignatius Parish, and I am happy that Archbishop Rivituso has also accepted my request to remain in full-time active ministry as pastor of St. Ignatius beyond the date of my retirement from McGill-Toolen. Shields began teaching at McGill-Toolen in 1982 and was appointed president of the school in 1989 by then Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb. He said he is grateful for the 44 years he has served at the school, and said he is confident in the direction it is headed under Principal Blake Steins leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These 44 years have been filled with blessings too numerous to count, and I am grateful beyond words for the graces and friendships that have come to me, Shields said. He called Steins leadership strong and said morale among the teachers and students has never been better. With a new strategic plan for improvements in every area of the school, and enthusiasm for the schools mission on the part of parents and volunteers, the future looks very bright, he said. The Archdiocese of Mobile will select a new president through the Catholic Schools Office. UPDATE: Indivisible Baldwin County calls arrest of woman wearing inflatable-penis costume indefensible Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Archbishop Rivituso must then approve the new president before taking 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 WKRG News 5. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that plans for the future High Falls State Park, the first state park in the City of Rochester, are moving forward with the release of a new framework outlining the projects vision, design, and construction timeline. The framework plan, presented during a public open house at Monroe Community College, details how the 40-acre park will reconnect residents and visitors with the Genesee River gorge while highlighting the areas ecological, cultural, and industrial history. The park will serve as the centerpiece of the states ROC the Riverway initiative, a multi-phase effort to revitalize Rochesters riverfront and surrounding downtown area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Phased construction of the park is expected to begin in late 2026, following ongoing environmental cleanup of the former industrial properties along the river. The remediation work, led by RG&E, the City of Rochester, and Bausch + Lomb under state oversight, is expected to continue for the next five years. Once complete, High Falls State Park will feature more than 2.5 miles of trails, scenic overlooks, playgrounds, open lawns, and gathering spaces. Plans also include a pedestrian bridge across the Genesee River, new access points from surrounding streets, and restored natural habitats supporting native plants and wildlife. The framework plan was developed by landscape architecture and planning firm OLIN in partnership with several local firms, including Highland Planning, LiRo Engineers, TY Lin, Trophy Point, and Flaum Management. Public engagement included community meetings and mailings to more than 4,000 residents. New York State has committed $8 million in design funding for the project. Technical design work is expected to begin in early 2026, with construction proceeding in phases as cleanup and funding allow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The completed park will provide public access to parts of the Genesee River gorge that have been closed for more than a century. More information about the framework plan and opportunities for public feedback are available here. For more on the broader ROC the Riverway initiative, visit the City of Rochesters 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 RochesterFirst. A view shows a crane believed to be used in an alleged robbery at the Louvre museum, in Paris, France, October 19, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes By Juliette Jabkhiro and Lucien Libert PARIS (Reuters) -France will review the protection of cultural sites across the country and beef up security if needed, officials said on Monday as a manhunt was under way for the four people who staged an audacious daylight robbery at the Louvre museum. The thieves broke into the Louvre using a crane to smash an upstairs window, then stole priceless objects from an area that houses the French crown jewels before escaping on motorbikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The theft, which several newspapers called "heist of the century", grabbed headlines globally. The museum, which shut after the robbery on Sunday morning, remained closed on Monday. EMERGENCY MEETING OVER SECURITY The break-in raised awkward questions about security at the museum, which is home to art works such as the Mona Lisa and which welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024. Justice Minister Gerard Darmanin said the theft had cast France in a "deplorable" light. Opposition politicians criticised the government for what they branded a national humiliation at a time when the country is already hit by a deep political crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What is certain is that we failed," Darmanin told France Inter radio. "Someone was capable of putting in a crane truck in the open in the streets of Paris, to have people walk up for a couple of minutes and take priceless jewels and give France a deplorable image." The Culture and Interior Ministers held an emergency meeting on Monday and agreed to ask senior officials across France "to immediately assess the existing security measures already in place around cultural institutions, and to strengthen them if necessary", the Interior Ministry said. "For too long we have looked into the security of visitors but not the security of art works," Culture Minister Rachida Dati told M6TV, adding that she was hoping to put in place shortcuts to public procurement rules to speed up security enhancements in museums. MANHUNT UNDER WAY Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The robbery took between six and seven minutes and was carried out by four people who were unarmed but who threatened the guards with angle grinders, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Sunday. The probe has been entrusted to a specialist police unit that has a high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Sunday. There was no update on Monday on the investigation. NATIONAL HUMILIATION? Darmanin said the robbers, who are still on the run, would eventually be found. But that did not quell the dismay over the theft. This heist "is an unbearable humiliation for our country. How far will the disintegration of the state go?", Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally party, said on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Francois-Xavier Bellamy, of the conservative Republicans party, called it "a symptom of a country that cannot protect its heritage". The stolen jewellery included a tiara from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, from the early 19th century, as well as an earring, part of a pair from the sapphire jewellery set of the same queens. The crown of Empress Eugenie was found outside the museum. The thieves apparently dropped the piece, made of gold, emeralds and diamonds, as they made their getaway. LOUVRE CLOSED TO VISITORS Meanwhile the museum, which had been expected to reopen on Monday, remained closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I bought my entries (tickets) more than one month ago, so it's, like, kind of sad," said Samuel Joya, a 28-year-old tourist from Colombia. Maryanne Day, a U.S. visitor, said she was shocked by the heist, saying "it feels like a museum like this would have the security that would stop something like that". Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, an organisation specialising in the recovery of stolen art, said most museums complained they did not have enough funding for security. "The Louvre is one of the most well funded museums in the world. And if they're going to be hit, every museum is vulnerable," he told Reuters. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Inti Landauro, Lucien Libert, Juliette Jabkhiro and Vitalii Yalahuzian; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alison Williams) FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) Should water fluoridation be a requirement? Making it optional for communities to opt in is a legislative goal State Rep. Mark Hart (R-Falmouth) has pursued since 2018, and one lawmakers will likely consider again in the 2026 session. We want everybody to realize our emphasis is undoing the unfunded mandate and allowing people to have the freedom of choice when it comes to, in this case, dental treatment, Hart said. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House passed Harts bill this year, but it was not considered by the Senate. He and other supporters stressed the bill is not an anti-fluoride proposal but is instead about local control. The bills newest form adds a legal immunity clause over whatever choice the water board makes, and Hart told lawmakers at Tuesdays meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on State Government hed be open to adding a requirement for a public hearing. However, those opposed argue that, in addition to conflicting science, making that decision isnt a water boards role. To date, everything is part of the Safe Drinking Water Act through the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Division of Water. And in the case of fluoride, as you know, the health department. And so, in essence, we are rule followers, not rule makers, Vince Guenthner, senior utilities consultant for the Louisville Water Company, told lawmakers. You have a board. All these water districts have boards. There are very intelligent people that sit on these boards. Sir, you with the Dental Association? Its going to be your job at that point, as well as the gentleman in the back that presented earlier to educate these water boards to make those decisions, Rep. Ryan Bivens (R-Hodgenville) commented, referring to dental experts Dr. Jack Kall of the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology and Dr. Stephen Robertson of the Kentucky Dental Association that also spoke during the meeting and presented some conflicting arguments over the necessity of fluoride in water systems. LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hart and Winchester State Senator Greg Elkins plan to file companion bills in the 2026 session. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. It may go down as one of the most unsuccessful operations in the history of British policing, with thousands of arrests, yet barely a single dangerous criminal taken off the streets. But after millions of hours in manpower sorry, human resources it seems the case is finally being closed on Operation Woke. On Monday, Scotland Yard announced that it would no longer be investigating so-called non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) acts perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a persons race, gender or another protected characteristic but not serious enough to be considered a criminal offence as it disclosed that the comedian Graham Linehan would face no further action following his arrest last month over posts on social media. The Father Ted creator was detained at the beginning of September for 12 hours on suspicion of a public order offence after being apprehended by five armed police officers. The messages on X had included remarks about transgender people in female-only spaces, and there was widespread criticism of the Met, which was accused of waging a war against free speech. Linehan himself announced plans to sue the Met for wrongful arrest. Graham Linehan will face no further action following his arrest last month over gender-critical posts on social media - Lucy North/PA Wire Seemingly stung by the response, Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Police Commissioner, reaffirmed this week that he did not believe officers should be policing toxic culture-war debates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sir Marks decision may well signal a wider turning of the tide on police investigations into hate crime. But the forces decision to backtrack on Linehans case, and others like it, got only a lukewarm welcome from Linehan himself, who said he planned to continue his legal action against the Met. That, however, is not because he has limitless pockets cancel culture, he says, has cost him much of his lucrative writing gigs. Instead, his lawyers come courtesy of the Free Speech Union (FSU), the British campaign group set up to defend freedom of expression be it from armed police, an overzealous student campus, or HR managers intent on enforcing diversity policies. Set up five years ago by the former journalist, Toby Young now Lord Young, having been nominated for a life peerage by Kemi Badenoch last December the organisation has handled more than 4,500 cases, from members of the public arrested over tweets deemed to be politically incorrect, to office workers disciplined for querying seminars on critical race theory. For some clients, the FSU has simply won a written apology. But for others, it has secured a 500,000 payout at industrial tribunal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If theres one thing most cases have in common, according to Young, it is that they shouldnt have happened in the first place. Linehans arrest, in which the Met acted like the Stasi, being a case in point. I think this statement from the Met shows that they have got fed up with this stuff they recognise that the public want them to prioritise serious crimes like burglary, car theft and mugging, says Young, who has called for all police forces in the country to follow Scotland Yards lead. I also think that in Linehans case, the police realised theyd been manipulated by a trans-rights activist who understood exactly how to weaponise the police guidance on investigating hate crime incidents, and to turn the police into an enforcement wing for their own agendas. Young is referring to Lynsay Watson, a transgender ex-police officer who is understood to have reported Linehan to the police over his social media posts, one of which read: 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Linehan has always maintained that specific post was a play on the height difference between men and women. Watson, meanwhile, has a history of urging police forces to investigate complaints about gender-critical online posts. Such cases are far from isolated, according to the FSU. In April, Ministry of Justice figures disclosed that police were making around 12,000 arrests a year nationwide for allegedly offensive posts on the internet. While most would result in a caution or no further action, that is still almost twice the 6,923 arrested per year for county-lines drug dealing a much higher priority for the average citizen. True, many of the arrests involve posts made while drunk, or in anger as per that of Lucy Connolly, jailed for 31 months for urging people to set fire to asylum seekers hotels. But Young says the majority of the FSUs 4,500 cases are brought on behalf of people whose only crime has been to stand up for what they believe in. About 40 per cent of them are women whove been reported to the police, or reported to their employers or their university, for saying they dont want to share toilets with non-biological women, he says. That, right now, is the frontline of the free speech crisis. Lucy Connolly campaigns during a pink protest against mass immigration and the housing of asylum seekers in hotels - Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters Nonetheless, he speaks from bitter personal experience. The son of Labour activist, Michael Young, who helped found the Open University, Oxford-educated Young is best known for his 2001 memoir, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, a wry account of his time in New York high-society while working at the magazine Vanity Fair. While highlighting the absurdities of the US celebrity circuit, the book also documented the rather more earnest world of Americas elite Ivy League universities, where political correctness already had a grip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, Young thought it was little more than a passing trend. But with the advent of social media, it returned in the form of cancel culture. Young himself fell victim in 2018, when the former Tory government announced him as a non-executive board member of the Office for Students. The appointment was in recognition of his work in setting up a Free School in west London, but when critics of his appointment dug for dirt in his social media history, they found a rich seam, with breezy references to hardcore dykes, queer as a coot celebrities and female MPs cleavages. What might have passed for laddish, Nineties male banter was a treasure trove to the offence archaeologists, as Young describes them. After a chorus of performative outrage about his homophobia and misogyny, he was forced to step down. Because Id been a fairly provocative journalist most of my career, they found a Tutankhamuns tomb of offensive material, and I ended up having to step down from several other positions too, he says. I remember I desperately wanted to reach out to an organisation that could give proper professional advice about how to cope with these cancellation storms. Hence the creation of the FSU, which mainly relies on supporter donations, and which now employs 28 staff, operating under the motto Audi alteram partem (Dare to listen to the other side), from its Great Portland Street office. Today, its advisory council includes the novelist, Lionel Shriver, political commentator, Remi Adekoya, historian Nigel Biggar, and the feminist philosopher, Kathleen Stock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the more high-profile cases the FSU has taken on of late involved Hamit Coskun, who was convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence for burning a copy of the Koran during a protest outside the Turkish embassy. Two weeks ago, Coskun won an appeal against his conviction which the FSU hailed as proof that anti-religious protests, however offensive to true believers, must be tolerated. Hamit Coskun, above, had his conviction for a religiously aggravated public order offence overturned after an appeal part-funded by the Free Speech Union - Aaron Chown/PA Images Most of those who seek its help are not the great and good, who are generally skilled at weighing their words, but ordinary citizens hauled over the coals for transgressions in the work place. These include, for example, Lloyds Bank manager, Carl Borg-Neal, who used the n-word during anti-racism training in 2021. This came about after he was asked how to deal with a hypothetical situation where a member of staff used an offensive word, but he was sacked after the trainer in the session claimed to have been left badly distressed. With the FSUs help, Borg sued Lloyds for unfair dismissal, and was eventually awarded 500,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other FSU cases include civil servant Anna Thomas, who was sacked for complaining about work events promoting critical race theory, and Asda worker, Brian Leach, who was fired for circulating a sketch of Billy Connolly being rude about suicide bombers, which his bosses deemed Islamophobic. Most people dont particularly want to put their heads above the parapet, but they do baulk at all this nonsense in the workplace, whether its unconscious bias training, trans-inclusion at work, or endless language guides about what is and isnt appropriate language, Young says. But about 80 per cent of the time when weve gone to bat for people whove been fired for saying the wrong thing, weve been successful. We also have some quite senior lawyers on our legal advisory council, so when we send a letter on behalf of an employee or university student, they will often back down. Critics accuse the FSU itself of an agenda, citing Youngs position as an associate editor of the Right-leaning Spectator magazine itself a noted critic of cancel culture. This, he insists, is simply an occupational hazard of the culture wars. He adds: Youre much more likely to get into trouble for saying something Right of centre than you are Left of centre. But he says the FSU has wielded cudgels on behalf of figures on the Left too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The typical FSU client who gets into trouble over gender-critical matters, he points out, is not a Linehan, but a Guardian-reading feminist in her 40s to 60s. Ironic, Young jokes, given that when the FSU first started, the newspaper and its like ran a hit piece every day. They said that cancel culture was all the invention of Right-wing culture warriors, and the FSU would go under in less than six months, he says. But cancel culture is very real, and while the Linehan case is a step forward, the battle isnt over yet. I await the day when the author of one of those Guardian pieces contacts me for help. 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 Louvre heist has made headlines around the world. How did crooks manage to steal Frances crown jewels in broad daylight using a crane and then make their getaway? Jordan Bardella, the president of Marine Le Pens National Rally, described Sundays robbery as an unbearable national humiliation, a view echoed by Gerald Darmanin, the justice minister. Admitting that the State had failed to protect its national treasures, Darmanin said the heist gives France a deplorable image. The robbers were no doubt aware of the museums vulnerability. At the start of this year the Louvres director had warned the government about its dilapidated state. Morale is so poor among staff they staged a walkout this summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The brazen robbery capped an awful week for Emmanuel Macron. On Monday he had to endure the mockery of Donald Trump at the Gaza peace summit in Egypt. The smirking American president wondered why his normally cocksure French counterpart was keeping a low-key profile. The world leaders lined up behind Trump laughed. They knew. Even Macron cant brush off his 14 per cent approval rating or the fact his prime minister had resigned and been reappointed in the space of four shambolic days. The PM, Sebastien Lecornu, narrowly avoided losing a vote of no confidence last Thursday, but on Friday there was more humiliation when a third ratings agency downgraded Frances credit in the space of a month. In announcing their decision, S&P said the political instability was impeding progress on consolidating Frances public finances. It also expressed its disappointment that the government has suspended the countrys landmark pension reform. This reform would have raised the age of retirement from 62 to 64. Lecornu was forced to put the reform on hold until after the 2027 presidential election because of pressure from the Socialist Party. If he had refused, the Socialists 66 MPs would have joined the vote of no confidence and brought down the coalition government. Sebastien Lecornu, Frances prime minister (centre), following a confidence vote at the National Assembly in Paris on October 16, 2025 - Nathan Laine/Bloomberg Frances economic mismanagement has not gone unnoticed among its neighbours. The Pigs Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain were until recently held up as the example of European countries incapable of putting their financial house in order. But all have made solid progress in bringing their public finances under better control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not so the French, whose debt continues to rise and is predicted to reach 121 per cent of GDP by the end of 2028. As the centre-Right Le Figaro remarked last week: From Portugal to Italy, everyone is mocking a country mired in deficits and deadlock. Spains El Mundo newspaper recently warned that France has become chaotic and dangerous for Europe, and it pointed the finger at the president, saying Macron no longer has any control, and worse still, he has no plan for France, he has nothing to offer. Macron certainly seems like a man without a plan when it comes to mass immigration. Despite repeated promises to tackle an issue that preoccupies the vast majority of the French, legal and illegal immigration continues to soar. There are now 7.7 million immigrants in France, which is more than 11 per cent of the population. Last Thursday, Guillaume Larrive resigned as head of the Office for Immigration and Integration. He had been in his post for a month. In that short time he had concluded that his job was hopeless because the government has abandoned any ambition to reduce immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was the gist of what Britains border security commander, Martin Hewitt, told a committee of MPs last week. He said he was frustrated by Frances delay in introducing new tougher tactics to stop smugglers launching the small boats across the Channel. On Saturday 369 people in seven boats crossed from France to England, bringing the number this year to nearly 37,000. Dont expect the small boats to stop any time soon. The new interior minister is Laurent Nunez, a centrist and Macron loyalist, who has replaced the Right-wing Bruno Retailleau. In his first interview Nunez distanced himself from his predecessors hardline rhetoric. We must be careful about the words we use, he said, rejecting the idea that France was being submerged by immigrants. A decade ago France asked Britain to be more careful about the words it was using. In particular, the Socialist government was upset by what it called French-bashing, the idea put about by David Camerons cabinet that France was an economic basket case. In 2012 Cameron declared that Britain would roll out the red carpet for French businesses wishing to flee the 75 per cent top income tax rate. In desperation, then-president Francois Hollande dispatched his up-and-coming economy minister to London on what the BBC described as a counter-charge against le French-bashing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ministers name was Emmanuel Macron. Bashing the French did diminish at the end of the last decade but its back with a vengeance, and whats more it has gone global. And this time France has no one to blame but President Macron. 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. Salt levels are continuing to rise in New Hampshire. In part, this is due to continuing development, including more parking lots, roads, and other paved areas that are destined for salt treatment in winter. (Getty Images) Every year, more road salt seeps off roads into New Hampshires waterways, posing a mounting threat to drinking water and wildlife. While the state has voluntary programs in place to try to keep salt at bay, levels continue to rise and experts said it may take more to solve the problem, whether that means stricter regulations or a cultural adjustment of the publics winter salt expectations. Things are still getting worse. I think it will be a while before we crest, said Ted Diers, assistant water division director with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because the ions that make up road salt dont evaporate or break down, and plants dont significantly filter them out of the soil, road salt accumulates in the environment after it is applied. Today, more than 50 water bodies across the state have more chloride a component of road salt than is deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to NHDES. This threatens aquatic life, because chloride is toxic to fish, Diers said. Salt also seeps into aquifers and affects drinking water supplies. According to NHDES, the number of salt-contaminated wells in New Hampshire has risen by 150% over the last 30 years. Salt in drinking water can affect taste and drinkers health; by corroding pipes, it can also release dangerous heavy metals like copper and lead into the water supply. Removing salt from drinking water is expensive and complicated, Diers said. In extreme cases, seeping road salt can force wells offline. The Merrimack Village District saw this play out in 2023: after documenting a more than 1,000% increase in sodium over 30 years and seeing levels in one of their five wells rise past what the town could afford to treat, the town closed it, increasing demand on their other four to compensate. The threat of road salt has been apparent to NHDES for some time, said Aubrey Voelker, NHDES salt reduction program coordinator. Before ground was broken on the expansion of the southern portion of Interstate 93 in the early 2000s, routine environmental impact studies revealed high chloride levels in various waterways along the highway corridor, Voelker said. Calls for a reduction It became clear from those studies that a very large reduction (in road salt) was needed, Voelker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NHDES observed that far more road salt was being used than was required to keep roads and sidewalks safe, she said. When the agency conducted a survey to trace all that salt to its source, they determined that about half of it was applied by contractors that perform winter maintenance at businesses and residential properties. In response, NHDES implemented the Voluntary Commercial Salt Applicator Certification Program, or Green Snow Pro initiative, which allows commercial applicators to train in safe, efficient salt application, become certified, and receive limited liability protection in return. Later, the state extended this program to municipalities, another group that contributes significantly to the states road salt load. Voelker said companies responded positively to the program, reporting cost savings and reduced salt usage to NHDES. During the winter of 2023-2024, 177 commercial companies participated, according to a presentation by Diers, Voelker, and NHDES Watershed Assistance Section Supervisor Stephen Landry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our commercial applicators one or two years into the program, they come back and say, just by calibrating my equipment better and my crews being trained, we saved up to, like, 40% on our operating budget, because were not over-purchasing salt, Landry said. Still, salt is on the rise Despite increasing commercial and municipal participation in the opt-in program, salt levels are continuing to rise in New Hampshire. In part, this is due to continuing development, including more parking lots, roads, and other paved areas that are destined for salt treatment in winter. Were still seeing a lot of buildings being put up, lots of parking lots, Voelker said. More roadways, more salt. Another factor driving up salt levels across the state, said Voelker, are warming winters. It may be counterintuitive, Diers added, but more salt is needed when freeze-thaw cycles allow water to melt, then re-freeze, on traveled areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the coldest winters, we apply the least salt, he said, because the point of salt application on roads is not to melt the ice. It is to keep the ice from adhering to the pavement, so you can scrape it off with a plow. Municipalities also face funding constraints and high workforce turnover that challenge their ability to invest in salt-efficient equipment and retain individuals trained in safe salt application, Diers said. And this seasons drought has further exacerbated the issue, including, potentially, worsening the effects on wildlife, Diers said. As less water is available in the environment while salt levels remain constant, harmful ions become more concentrated. Data collected by NHDES and volunteers working across the state show concerning chloride levels in many waterways this fall, he said. This summer, the data has been alarming, to say the least, due to the drought and the concentrated conditions, Landry said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not clear how long it takes for a slug of salt to wash through a system, Landry said, but often, the process can take years. This means that even once poor salt protocols like storing salt outside and uncovered are corrected, the effects will linger. Routes to change Andrea LaMoreaux, president and policy advocate at NHLAKES, said she, like the residents who have reached out to her with concerns about salinity, is concerned about the effect of increasing salt levels on New Hampshires waterways. LaMoreaux said New Hampshire could take steps to address the issue with more force by imposing stricter rules on salt storage and application in addition to the voluntary program. The last thing we want to do in New Hampshire is have to legislate something, she said. Wed rather people just hear what the right thing to do is, and then just voluntarily go ahead and do it. But we know that sometimes we do need rules and laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NHLAKES was working with Merrimack Rep. Rosemarie Rung on a proposal for legislation to codify some of the existing best practices regarding salt storage, LaMoreaux said. As submitted, the proposal calls for NHDES to adopt outdoor road salt storage requirements and penalties for noncompliance, according to a preliminary version shared by Rung. Diers declined to comment on the specific proposal, but expressed skepticism about the difficulty of enforcing salt regulations generally, especially regarding restrictions on the application of salt to roadways. Most of the programs around the nation focus on incentives to reduce salt use or training for municipalities, he said in an email. Enforcement (who and how) is always the challenge with any regulatory approach. Diers and Voelker said they felt a culture change would be needed to address over-salting in the Northeast. Within the last few decades, Diers said, excess salt has become normalized in a way that has been difficult to overcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People somehow, all of a sudden within the last couple of decades, expected sidewalks to crunch throughout the winter, he said. This might make walkers feel safer, but in fact it signals that far more salt has been applied than is useful, he continued. This is because salt must be dissolved in water to be useful against ice, meaning that chunks of rock salt are not actively preventing icing, according to Diers. But while fighting that expectation may prove an important part of reducing statewide salt levels, it presents a tall task for advocates. This doesnt change by people getting trained or improving technology. It changes because people have a different expectation, and thats what is really, really hard to get across to people: That you can be safe and use less salt, he said. Editors note: Details of the story may be disturbing to some readers. WINCHESTER, Ky. (FOX 56) A Spotfund fundraiser has been started for a woman who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide at a Winchester home on Friday. Winchester police said they responded to a home in the 100 block of Westside Drive around 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 to find two people who had been shot. RELATED | Investigation underway after apparent murder-suicide at Winchester home Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials identified them as 35-year-old Ava Brantley of Winchester and 38-year-old Tyler Snowden of Irvine and pronounced them dead on the scene. Brantleys mother had reportedly found them and called the police. According to authorities, the two had been in a romantic relationship but Brantley had filed a domestic violence order on Thursday, Oct. 16. After a search warrant was granted for Snowdens truck, investigators said they found a suicide note. Officials believe Snowden shot Brantley before turning the gun on himself. Brantleys family is looking to raise money for funeral expenses. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Photo of Ava Brantley (Rebekah Romans via Spotfund) Ava was not only a devoted mom but she was full of joy and so much love for her family and friends, the Spotfund reads. Your donation, no matter the size, will ease the financial burden on her family and allow them to focus on healing together. Every contribution is a step towards honoring Avas memory and supporting the family she dearly loved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To donate, click here. If you or someone you know needs help, resources, or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 1-800-273-8255 or dialing 988. People are available to talk 24/7. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organizations website. Corey Elam and Jace OBarto contributed to 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 FOX 56 News. GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) Were learning new details about the Green Bay Area Public School districts search for a new superintendent. At their board meeting on Monday evening, district and CESA 7 officials (the organization the district contracted with to help out with the superintendent search) laid out their vision for how they hope the process will unfold. Again this is a really really important decision for our district considering the last couple of years, said board member Alex Mineau. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CESA 7 officials and the Board of Education discussed at length questions that will appear on a survey that goes out to community members. The survey will ask community members about what qualities they would like to see in the districts next superintendent. CESA 7 officials said they will incorporate the boards feedback into a new draft of the survey and present it as an action item for the board to potentially vote on next month. District officials also said there will be opportunities for community focus groups and other chances for the community to provide feedback before the Board of Education makes their decision. CESA 7 officials laid out a number of key dates in the superintendent search process: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Candidates can apply for the position between Dec. 8 and Jan. 23 CESA 7 will pre-screen selected candidates from Jan. 27 until Feb. 6 The first round of interviews will take place on Feb. 24, 25, and 26. The second round of interviews is March 4, 5, and 6. The district will announce their next superintendent on March 11. The district will approve the next superintendents contract on March 23. A CESA 7 official told Local 5 News that theyre hoping to hit all of these dates, but they could end up changing. The Green Bay Area Public School District has had four different superintendents since 2020. Longtime superintendent Michelle Langenfeld retired after the 2019-2020 school year. After less than two years on the job, the districts next superintendent Steven Murley retired citing personal health issues. Current superintendent Vicki Bayer served as interim superintendent until the district hired Claude Tiller Jr. in the spring of 2023. Downtown De Pere pub closes, listed for sale after owners death Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tiller Jr. resigned less than a year later after making controversial comments on an Atlanta-based talk radio show. Bayer became the interim superintendent again and the Board of Education elevated her to superintendent in December. Bayer has said that she doesnt want to be the districts long-term superintendent and confirmed this sentiment to Local 5 News on Monday night. Board of Education members stressed the importance of getting the selection right this time around, especially after whats happened in the district the last five or six years. They said this time around during the search process theyre prioritizing spending more time getting to know the candidates. Were really focused on trying to be much more informed going into the later stages than we were last time, said board president James Lyerly. Im really excited with what they were able to present tonight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green Bay East football coach placed on leave amid personal matter The school district will pay CESA 7 about $14,500 to help them with the superintendent search process. This was significantly cheaper than the alternative of contracting with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards for help. Local 5 News asked Lyerly if hes confident that they will get the superintendent search right this time around. I am as confident as what I see in front of me, Lyerly said. I see a plan that matches what we see in other educational institutions like University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Theres always variability, but I think we have touched all the bases and were set up for success. 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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. GE HealthCare has announced partnerships with two US health systems, namely the Queen's Health Systems and Duke Health, to enhance the development of its AI-driven hospital operations software. The health systems will provide frontline expertise to inform GE HealthCare's upcoming cloud-first software as a service solution, which is part of the CareIntellect suite of applications. GE HealthCare stated that user feedback is fundamental to its customer-centric approach in developing solutions that meet the needs of health systems and enhance patient care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Queen's Medical Center vice president Ashley Shearer said: At Queen's, we believe in the power of technology to empower clinicians and improve patient care. As a current user of GE HealthCare's Command Centre software, we have seen first-hand how data-driven insights are helping us better advance our mission to deliver the best care in the best possible way. With the support of GE HealthCare's technology and change management expertise, alongside other key initiatives, we have been able to improve access to care and increase the number of transfer patients by more than 22%. We look forward to providing our perspective and sharing our learnings to help inform GE HealthCare's newest software solution and find new ways to increase access to care and high-quality support for patients. The solution will leverage predictive analytics and AI to recommend actions. These features are intended to provide hospital leaders with actionable suggestions and insights, enabling them to make real-time adjustments to improve care delivery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital president and chief operating officer Kristie Barazsu said: "We want to help health systems globally deliver better outcomes for patients. That's why we're contributing our expertise to shape the ways in which AI is used in healthcare. We've seen the impact that technology can have to enhance our overall operations, the care team experience, and the way we support our communities. Earlier this year, Sutter Health announced a seven-year Care Alliance with GE HealthCare to improve access to diagnostic imaging services across California, US. "GE HealthCare partners with US health systems for AI operations tool" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand. Political attacks on teaching about gender in colleges and universities are about more than just gender: They are part of a grander project of eroding civil and human rights, limiting personal freedoms and undermining democracy in the name of traditional values. On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring there are two sexes determined solely by the kind of reproductive cells the body makes, and that the federal government would recognize nothing else. The order claims to protect the freedom to express the binary nature of sex and bans the use of federal funds to promote gender ideology. Legal experts have criticized the directive as unconstitutional and are challenging it in the courts. Yet the order has provided fuel for conservatives, right-wing politicians and activists trying to remove so-called gender ideology from many places in American society, including classrooms. Right-wing activists are pushing for censorship of educational curricula in K-12 schools and in colleges and universities, and they have succeeded in Texas, Florida and other red states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why are conservative politicians so determined to control how Americans define sex and understand gender? As sociologists who research and teach about gender, we know that gender across disciplines is understood to be a complex topic of study, not an ideology. The study of gender represents the kind of free inquiry that allows people to decide for themselves how to live, free of coercion or government control. What is gender ideology? Gender ideology is a catch-all term conservative Catholics initially promoted in the 1990s in response to the United Nations promotion of womens equality. In 2004, pushing back on the global womens and gay rights movements, the Vatican declared in a letter to bishops that men and women are different by nature not only on the physical level, but also on the psychological and spiritual. The letter stated that the idea of gender inspired ideologies that sanction alternatives to the traditional two-parent family headed by men and treated homosexuality on par with heterosexuality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the following decades, evangelical groups and far-right parties across the globe from Hungary and Russia to Peru, Brazil and Ghana have used the language of combating gender ideology to counter a host of social policies, including sex education in schools, the legalization of gay marriage and same-sex adoption, reproductive rights and transgender rights. The anti-gender movement is no longer fringe but rather well funded, organized and transnational. For example, 40 countries have signed the Geneva Consensus Declaration, an international pact proposed by the first Trump administration and supported by anti-gender campaigners as a way to deny abortion rights internationally. In the U.S., where the majority of Americans support gay marriage and abortion rights, targeting trans rights has become one of the conservative movements galvanizing issues. A flood of state bills not only ban books and discussions of gender, sexuality and race in schools but also criminalize abortion, ban gender-affirming health care and legalize discrimination in housing and employment on religious grounds. What we talk about when we talk about gender How gender is researched and taught in universities has become a key target of anti-gender campaigns across the globe, in part because the study of gender raises questions about the universality of traditional social roles and the inequalities that can result from them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gender is a focus of inquiry not only in gender studies classes but in literature, sociology, law, government, history, anthropology and cultural geography, among many other fields. Anti-gender campaigners argue there is nothing to understand about it because gender is given by nature or God. For them, gender is equivalent to sex, which is taken to be straightforward and without exception male or female. Scientific evidence suggests, however, that sex is not always binary. In biology, sex refers to genes, reproductive organs, hormone systems and observable physical characteristics; different combinations of these lead to variations in sex. Far from straightforward, then, sex is complicated. And a persons assigned sex at birth does not always align with their deeply held sense of self their gender identity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gender is both a feature of individual people and a mode of organizing social life. At the individual level, people have a subjective sense of and embody their gender by dressing and behaving in ways that encourage other people to see them as they want to be seen. A man might wear a tie at the office to convey masculinity. People will interact differently with a woman when she is wearing high heels and makeup than when she goes barefaced or dons a swimsuit. Someone who is gender fluid may appear more masculine or feminine at different times and experience prejudice and discrimination. Gender shapes societies through norms and rules on everything from what you wear to how families operate, whom you are allowed to partner with and what jobs you are likely to hold. Whether in the spheres of culture, family, economic or civic life, gender roles and norms intersect with class, race and other social differences and shift across cultures and historical eras. Indigenous societies across the globe have long recognized more than two gender categories, and historical and contemporary examples of gender diversity abound. A ban on learning about gender would sweep aside all this variation in favor of a homogeneous worldview that deliberately ignores biology, history and lived experience. Denying the diversity of gender makes it easier to impose a conservative worldview and roll back rights. Education as a political target Anti-gender campaigners view education as a major battleground in the fight over societal values. In the U.S., conservative efforts to ban the study of gender and sexuality initially centered on K-12 education, exemplified in bills such as Floridas 2022 Dont Say Gay law. But the movement has also affected colleges and universities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas A&Ms president fired a professor in September 2025 after a student recorded her confrontation with her for discussing gender diversity in a literature course. The student alleged the course was not legal because it contradicted our presidents laws and her own religious beliefs. The university president also later resigned under pressure. The same month, the chancellor of the Texas Tech University system, citing Trumps executive order on gender ideology, banned all faculty members across its five universities from recognizing more than two sexes in any course or classroom. Controlling thought is a means of repressing social movements. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall As the Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors reminds its members, faculty have a constitutional right to teach and discuss all matters related to the subject matter of a class without interference from administrators, politicians or government officials. Despite this, states led by conservative lawmakers have used a range of tactics to eliminate gender studies programs or curriculum from colleges. These attacks on universities are attempts to control thought, subdue social movements advocating for change and promote an orthodoxy that upholds those in power. Books on gender are among those conservatives are purging from libraries and classrooms. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Restricting rights, eroding democracy These attacks on education are not only academic matters. They disempower women and marginalized groups that have achieved some legal protection or rights in recent decades. And they contribute to the erosion of democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authoritarian approaches to governing rely on scapegoating people, policing thought and speech, and punishing dissent. This is true whether its Viktor Orbans Hungary, Vladimir Putins Russia or Donald Trumps United States. By prohibiting questions and challenges, autocrats gain the power to limit how people think and control their bodies. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Victoria Pitts-Taylor, Wesleyan University and Elizabeth Anne Wood, Nassau Community College Read more: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victoria Pitts-Taylor is a member of the American Association of University Professors and the National Women's Studies Association. Elizabeth Anne Wood a senior strategist with the Woodhull Freedom Foundation. This is a volunteer position. A general strike and tens of thousands of protesters have brought the southern Tunisian city of Gabes to a standstill as anger intensifies over a state-run chemical plant that residents blame for a pollution crisis. Shops, markets, schools, and cafes shut down in the general strike, halting economic activity in coastal Gabes on Tuesday in response to a call by the powerful UGTT labour union. Crowds held up banners condemning the environmental pollution that has been caused by the CGT phosphate plant for years and that critics say now threatens the health of thousands of residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters marched through the city chanting slogans such as Gabes wants to live and dismantle the polluting units. Everything is closed in Gabes, said Saoussen Nouisser, the local representative of UGTT. Were all angry at the catastrophic environmental situation in our marginalised city. Gabes, home to nearly 400,000 people, has seen thousands take to the streets in recent weeks, demanding the immediate shutdown of the plant. The unrest has grown into one of the biggest tests facing President Kais Saied since he seized extraordinary powers in 2021. Saied has described the situation as an environmental assassination while blaming past administrations for widespread cancer and respiratory illness and the destruction of local ecosystems. Sami Al-Tahiri, the UGTT secretary-general, told local media that the strike had succeeded across all segments of the population, adding that Tunisians were prepared to struggle for their legitimate demands and hold authorities accountable for failures across social, economic, and environmental fronts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the union was ready to escalate with further protests and mass rallies. Decades-old problem Residents say the plant, opened in 1972 to produce fertilisers, is responsible for a surge in gas poisoning, cancer cases and collapsing marine life, as radioactive waste and phosphogypsum are released into the sea and open air. More than 200 people have been admitted to hospital in recent weeks for respiratory distress and exposure to gas, according to medical sources and NGOs. The plant has poisoned everything the trees, the sea, the people, local environmental activist Safouan Kbibieh told Reuters. Even Gabess pomegranates now taste like smoke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite a 2017 government pledge to phase out the plant, authorities this year instead moved to boost production, calling phosphate a pillar of the national economy. Authorities have said urgent measures are under way and have brought in Chinese companies to help contain gas emissions and prevent further dumping into the Mediterranean. A bill that would have pulled Georgia out of the Electronic Registration Information Center remains alive for next year and so does the debate over whether Georgia should remain a member. Wes Wolfe/Georgia Recorder Georgia election officials credit an embattled voter accuracy organization with helping them identify over 180,000 voters who have moved out of state just this year. But the state could be poised to end its participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, ahead of the 2026 election after the once-obscure organization became the target of right-wing groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Founded in 2012, ERIC initially included seven member states who agreed to share data to identify voters who have moved, died, or who cast ballots in more than one state. In the years since its inception, the organization has expanded to include a total of 25 states and the District of Columbia, with Georgia joining in 2019. Georgia Elections Director Blake Evans also served as the centers chair from 2024 to 2025. But in recent years, the organization has also faced pushback from right-wing groups, who have accused ERIC of being part of a conspiracy aimed at helping Democrats win elections. Nine Republican-led states withdrew from the organization between 2022 and 2023. A bill that would have made Georgia the 10th state to withdraw from the partnership cleared the Senate during the 2025 legislative session, but failed to gain final passage before the Legislature adjourned for the year. If it had passed, Georgia would have been required to withdraw from ERIC within 90 days of the law taking effect. Since Georgia has two-year legislative sessions, the legislation, House Bill 397, could still be enacted when the Legislature reconvenes in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State legislators are currently examining ERIC and other aspects of Georgias election policies as part of a House blue-ribbon committee, which is expected to provide recommendations ahead of Georgias 2026 legislative session. ERIC explained Voter roll maintenance is by no means a new concept. Most states are required to update their voter registration lists under federal policies such as the 1993 National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. But before ERICs formation more than a decade ago, states sometimes struggled to identify which voters had outdated registrations, or failed to take the necessary steps to maintain voters privacy, according to Sean Morales-Doyle, who serves as the director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. One previous multistate compact, known as Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck, worked by matching a voters first name, last name and date of birth against registrations from other member states. However, Morales-Doyle said, Crosscheck and other programs like it often faced accuracy issues that resulted in valid registrations being flagged as potential fraud. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you just look at first name, last name, date of birth, youre actually going to get a lot of false positive matches, Morales-Doyle said. Crosscheck, which at one point was used by at least 25 states, later became the subject of a class-action lawsuit which alleged that the program produced false positives more than 99 percent of the time, and exposed partial Social Security numbers of nearly 1,000 voters in Kansas. It was ultimately suspended until officials could implement new security measures. ERIC, by contrast, matches information like voters Social Security numbers against a broad range of datasets, including those from state motor vehicle departments and the U.S. Postal Services National Change of Address program. Crucially, the program also implemented cybersecurity practices to prevent sensitive information from being leaked. The big advantage to ERIC is allowing collaboration across states and bringing many of these different sources of information together in one place, but also keeping that information secure, Morales-Doyle said. Member states use a process called hashing, which is similar to encryption, to protect voters information before it is shared between states, according to ERICs executive director, Shane Hamlin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you encrypt a file, then eventually youre going to unencrypt it and read it again, he explained during an October legislative study committee meeting. Once you hash data, theres really no going back, and so because we hash it twice in the process we use, its really difficult to ever get back to the original value. According to Hamlin, the benefits of joining ERIC go beyond data security. Member states have centralized access to a variety of data sources that they might otherwise have to obtain through costly and time-consuming state-to-state partnerships. Georgias membership dues were roughly $107,000 in 2025, which Evans, the states elections director, said was less than the cost of one data analysts salary. ERIC is an efficient use of taxpayer dollars, Hamlin told state legislators. Being a member has a lower cost than attempting to replicate all that ERIC does in a single system or managing 25 plus state-to-state agreements. Right-wing resistance At its peak, ERIC included more than 30 members, but a wave of GOP-led states began withdrawing from the organization in 2022, after the far-right website The Gateway Pundit began publishing a series of stories that characterized ERIC as a left wing voter registration drive. Louisiana soon became the first state to withdraw from the partnership, with the Louisiana secretary of state citing concerns about potential questionable funding sources and partisan actors gaining access to voter data. Other Southern states soon followed suit, including Florida, Texas and Alabama, which all withdrew in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For some Republican lawmakers, the departure of other conservative member states including many of Georgias neighbors poses its own impetus for leaving ERIC. Rep. Martin Momtahan, a Dallas Republican, presents his ERIC withdrawal bill at the Feb. 18 House Elections Subcommittee meeting. Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder Im starting to wonder how effective it is, said Rep. Martin Momtahan during an October legislative study committee meeting dedicated to voter roll maintenance. A Dallas Republican, Momtahan sponsored a bill to withdraw Georgia from the partnership during the 2025 legislative session, and his proposal was absorbed into the main election bill left waiting for next year. Republicans in states like Missouri and Arizona have also taken issue with the organizations previous bylaws that required states to reach out to voters who may be eligible to vote and encourage them to register. Last year, Georgia was one of nine states who received an exemption from the voter outreach requirement. In July, ERIC amended its bylaws to make the voter outreach provision optional. In addition to withdrawing from ERIC, the big pending election bill in Georgia would prevent the state from enrolling in any multistate voter list maintenance compact that requires or encourages states to contact unregistered residents and help them to register to vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont need to mix these subjects, Momtahan said in an interview. Ultimately, Georgians should be in control of how we run our elections. Momtahan said he hopes there will be an appetite to withdraw Georgia from ERIC next year. Rep. Saira Draper. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder (file photo) But Rep. Saira Draper, an Atlanta Democrat on the committee, called the conservative exodus from ERIC a rash reaction to the 2020 election, and urged her fellow legislators to remain part of the organization. I hope we can see this data for what it is, and look at this evidence for what it is, and understand that this is the most secure system, Draper said. If we are serious about election integrity in Georgia, were going to help grow this program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center also expressed skepticism about the efficacy of withdrawing from ERIC. Election officials of both parties have long said [ERIC] is their best defense against fraud, he said. And now, in the name of stopping fraud, people are advocating for them to pull out of ERIC. It doesnt make any sense. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, for his part, has publicly defended ERIC, calling it the only group capable of detecting double voting across state lines in a 2023 post on social media. Raffensperger, who is running governor, again defended the states participation in a statement earlier this month. Georgia is the best state in the nation for secure elections, and we use multi-state voter data-sharing partnerships like the Electronic Registration Information Center to ensure that only eligible, qualified Georgians are on our voter rolls, he said. How would Georgia be impacted by leaving ERIC? States that have withdrawn from ERIC have often pledged to create new compacts to ensure that their voter rolls are up to date. But in many cases, that may be easier said than done, and states that have departed have often struggled to form interstate partnerships that are as complete or as secure as the one maintained by ERIC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georgia has developed a few individual compacts with states that are not members of ERIC, such as Alabama, Virginia and Florida. However, those agreements require much more time and personnel to maintain, and are sometimes limited by conflicting laws around voter privacy, Evans with the Georgia Secretary of States Office said. With Florida, for instance, Georgia has been unable to share voter data because Florida law does not protect voters full dates of birth, while Georgia law requires that the month and day of birth remain confidential. We will not sacrifice security of our voters data, Evans told lawmakers. Evans, who now serves as ERICs immediate past chair, urged the legislature to remain in the partnership, arguing that elections officials need more tools to verify voter accuracy, not fewer. If we get out of ERIC, then there will be some data that we lose access to, and theres not a great way to be able to ensure that we continue to get all of that data, he said in an interview. Even though some of our neighbors may have gotten out of ERIC, were still getting valuable data because people move from Georgia to all over the country. Proponents of software like EagleAI, which uses publicly available data to help private citizens submit mass voter challenges to local elections offices, have billed EagleAI as a potential replacement for ERIC. But Evans disputed claims from conservative activists that programs like EagleAI could be a viable alternative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre using the things that we already have access to, and that were already doing, Evans said of EagleAI. There wouldnt be any kind of value added from going out and using a resource like that. The special elections committees chair, state Rep. Tim Fleming, a Covington Republican who has launched a bid for secretary of state, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A Georgia man has pleaded guilty to killing a pregnant Ohio woman earlier this year. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Toldrick Griffin, 20, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault on Monday, according to WOIO, a CBS affiliate in Cleveland. Hell be sentenced in January. The charges are connected to the death of a Sandusky woman. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February, an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper found a disabled vehicle on U.S. Route 6. When the trooper checked the vehicle, WOIO reported that Griffin fled. He was taken into custody a short time later. An investigation led law enforcement to a home, where the pregnant victim was found dead in a bed. The woman, who has not been identified, died of asphyxia by strangulation, police told WOIO. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Akbar Novruz Read more Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, shared a post on the social network X regarding President Ilham Aliyevs visit to Kazakhstan, Azernews reports. Hajiyev highlighted in his post that President Ilham Aliyev has visited the Central Asian region three times in recent months Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. He noted that AzerbaijanCentral Asian relations, once symbolized by the 5+1 formula representing Azerbaijan as a separate partner alongside the five Central Asian states have now evolved into a deeper political and historical reality. Georgias Public Service Commission is weighing a plan that could determine how we power our future. Georgia Power is asking to spend $15 billion to meet projected future energy needs fueled by the demands of data centers. Opponents fear it could hurt both Georgias pocketbooks and environment. A few days ago, we received a note from Georgia Power, Rachel Mask told the commission. Infrastructure has a cost that goes beyond just dollars and cents. Mask said that soon her home will have a massive power line in the backyard, where she hoped to raise her daughters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are going to build a 500kv power line through our backyard, Mask said. Its going to be clear-cut, and its going to be replaced with the steel tower. But Georgia Power said more energy and infrastructure is needed. They claim they need to produce 9,900 megawatts to meet future demand, which is roughly equal to 10 Plant Vogtles nuclear reactors. TRENDING STORIES: Roughly 80% of the future demand is from data centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet they want ratepayers to foot the $15-plus-billion bill for this expansion, Mask said. Georgia Power said its the data centers, not people, who would foot the bill. I would say its a lot of misinformation, Jeremiah Haswell with Georgia Power said. The utility company said rules will allow it to require data centers to pay for the energy, from production to transmission. They are paying for their full cost of generation, transmission and substations, Haswell said. But then there are concerns over how the power will be produced. Georgia Power, in a news release, detailed where the energy would come from. It includes an increase in the use of natural gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The release states in part: The company is currently adding new natural gas capacity at Plant McIntosh and Plant Yates, approved by the Georgia PSC in previous IRPs. This weeks filings include the request to certify five new combined cycle (CC) units, totaling 3,692 MW, to be strategically located across the state to help ensure grid stability and reliability, and supporting the states economic growth in the coming years. The plan would also include increasing battery storage capacity along with more solar power. The Public Service Commission will make its final decision on this in December. AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) Georgia State Senator Harold Jones II (D) and State Representative Blake Tillery (R) spoke to members of the Rotary Club of Augusta on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. It was an effort for both sides to come together and speak to the community. Both Jones and Tillery spoke about key issues impacting Georgians. I do think two things that will come up will be vaping issue and also the THC hemp issue will be coming up too, said Jones. Its a loophole in there that basically allows you to sell THC infused hemp. So I know thats going to be an issue that were going to be looking at because it has economic development issues and of course it also has public safety issues, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two big issues right now are people are feeling the crunch in their pocketbook on childcare, groceries and gas, Tillery said. If we could take Georgias income tax to zero, we can give them a five percent raise overnight. Their second biggest issue is safety. The 2026 legislative session begins in January. Photojournalist credit: Gary Hipps Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The consumption of cannabis should be controlled more strictly in Germany, while remaining legal, the government representative on the issue said in media remarks published on Tuesday. "We are currently seeing evidently undesirable trends," Narcotic Drugs Commissioner Hendrick Streeck told the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel. The permitted 25 grams of medical cannabis was far too high, he argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Nobody needs 150 joints in their pockets," said Streeck, a virology professor and epidemiologist. Germany's approximately 5 million regular cannabis consumers needed to lured away from the black market, he said, while raising questions about privately grown cannabis being passed on to friends. This remained illegal, he noted, and if this sector expanded, it meant the black market was growing by another name. Cannabis prescriptions have soared since partial legalization in April 2024, and imports have risen fivefold. Streeck lashed out at remote diagnosis and treatment loopholes, criticizing "dealers in white coats." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two weeks ago, the government proposed stiffer rules, including a ban on medical cannabis by mail order. In future, prescription is to require personal contact between doctor and patient, along with advice from a pharmacist when receiving the cannabis. Health Minister Nina Warken has announced consultations in parliament on adjustments to the cannabis law. Streeck told the Tagesspiegel that there had to be strict separation between cannabis for leisure consumption and prescribed cannabis, with the same standards applied to medical cannabis as to other medications. "Anything else would be the Wild West," he said. The protection of young people was a key concern, he noted. In the past, minors found to be consuming cannabis were automatically contacted by addiction officials, a practice that ended with the partial legalization, Streeck said. Since the advent of military aircraft over a century ago, companies have made it their top priority to perfect these titans of the skies. As a result, the world is now home to numerous incredibly fast, dangerous, and all around impressive jets. Although there are some fighter jets that you can actually buy, the business of purchasing fighter jets is mostly handled by federal governments. The German military recently placed a big order in this regard. In the coming years, 20 of the world's most advanced jets are set to take to the skies under the nation's air force. As revealed by Airbus -- the company that manufactures the jets along with BAE Systems and Leonardo -- the German government has ordered 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to join the German Air Force. The first is expected to lift off in 2031, with the last of the batch set to arrive in 2034. Airbus CEO Mike Schoellhorn spoke highly of the agreement, stating that the implementation of these Eurofighters will usher in a new technological era for the German Air Force and improve its abilities as a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member. These are no ordinary jets; here's all that makes the Eurofighters so special. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 11 Of The Most Iconic Ground Attack Military Planes In History Eurofighter Typhoons are undeniably impressive Four Eurofighter Typhoons flying in formation - Gordzam/Getty Images There are several features of the Eurofighter Typhoon that make it one of the best fighter jets ever built. Beyond being able to take off in less than 8 seconds, the jet has a maximum speed of 2.0 Mach at altitude and 1.25 Mach at sea level. Boasting 90 knots from each of its two EJ200 engines, the Eurofighter remains maneuverable at these speeds thanks to its intentionally unstable, pilot-designed airframe. Of course, while speed is important, weapons are key to the jet's effectiveness, too. Eurofighters feature a bevy of air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry fit for any combat situation. Pilots are also empowered through an advanced cockpit that is equipped with a series of sensors for increased spatial and combat awareness. It also comes with life support features, including anti-G trousers, a chest counter-pressure garment, and a liquid conditioning garment, as well as nuclear, biological, and chemical protection. Not to mention, only 15% of the jet is metal, making it near-invisible to radar-based systems. Suffice to say, the Eurofighter is one of the most capable and well-designed jets in the world today. It certainly makes sense why the German Air Force would want to add them to its arsenal. After all, this is one of the jets that could hold its own against the fabled F-16 and other standout aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. German Defence Minister and his Norwegian counterpart Tore Sandvik held talks in Ottawa on Tuesday on plans to build their new submarines together with Canada to increase protection in strategically important North Atlantic and Arctic waters. "We are here in Ottawa to further expand our maritime security partnership with Canada. The reason for this is obvious. Russia is not only threatening the Eastern flank and sending drones to Europe, it is also active in the North Atlantic," Pistorius said. "Here, too, we need to be vigilant and maintain our ability to act." "Together, we want to improve our protection of the critical maritime infrastructure and the sea lines of communication in the North Atlantic. More specifically, we are increasing our presence on the northern flank," he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Canada intends to replace four older submarines over the next few years. South Korea is one of the bidders vying for the contract to build the successor models. The Canadian government is expected to make a decision on the project in spring at the latest. According to the German Defence Ministry, the 73-metre-long German-Norwegian submarines have improved sensor technology, increased range and a reduced sound signature, which makes it more difficult for enemies to locate them. The boat's technology for creating situational awareness and communication is also being touted. Germany's largest naval shipbuilder, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), was commissioned by Germany and Norway to build the submarines in 2021, with production starting in September 2023. The six submarines ordered by Germany are to be delivered between 2032 and 2037. Norway has ordered the same number. Two U.S. Marine Corps F-35 fighter jets taxi on the tarmac at the former Roosevelt Roads military base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, September 30, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo BERLIN (Reuters) -German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius intends to order an additional 15 F-35 fighter jets from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin, a parliamentary source told Reuters on Monday, confirming a report by Spiegel magazine. Planners expect the aircraft to cost about 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion), according to confidential documents prepared for parliament's budget committee, the source said. Another source familiar with the matter confirmed the discussions to buy additional aircraft, without citing a number. The defence ministry in Berlin declined to comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Germany has already ordered 35 of the U.S.-made jets to replace its fleet of 85 ageing Tornado fighter jets, which are set to be decommissioned. The F-35 aircraft will succeed the Tornado jets in their role of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs stored in Germany in the event of a conflict. In July, Berlin denied plans to acquire an additional 15 F-35 fighter jets, but a significantly expanded defence budget has since created more scope for weapons purchases. At the time, a military source told Reuters that the idea of acquiring 15 more F-35 jets had been part of earlier discussions. Any decision to purchase more F-35 aircraft could cause new tensions between Germany and France, which have been at odds over their struggling fighter jet project FCAS, or SCAF in French. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Mike Stone and Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Toby Chopra and Ros Russell) Wildlife photographers use a mix of patience, perseverance, and perfect timing to capture moments that most of us would never get a chance to witness otherwise. @nhm_wpy (Wildlife Photographer of the Year) recently shared a photo of this years winning shot, and it's absolutely stunning! The winning photographer, Wim van den Heever, is a wildlife and landscape photographer from South Africa. After spotting tracks from the worlds rarest hyena, the brown hyena, he set out to capture one on camera in a deserted town. It took him ten years, but his patience finally paid off with one of the most prestigious awards in wildlife photography! It's eerie, creepy, and a beautiful shot! Commenter @brittneallen agreed, "Some of these shots are just out of this world! Make ya go, WOW!!!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wildlife Photographer of the Year shared more in the video's caption, "Wim won our Grand Title for this haunting scene of a brown hyena among the skeletal remains of a long-abandoned diamond mining town. With sea fog rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean, Wim chose this spot for his camera trap after noticing hyena tracks nearby. It took me 10 years to finally get this one single image of a brown hyena, in the most perfect frame imaginable. The rarest hyena species in the world, brown hyenas are nocturnal and mostly solitary. They are known to pass through Kolmanskop, Namibia, on their way to hunt Cape fur seal pups or scavenge for carrion washed ashore along the Namib Desert coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ghost Town Visitor is the winner of #WPY61s Urban Wildlife category and won Wim the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025. Don't miss our new exhibition where you can see Wims incredible image and more in-person, opening this Friday 17 October at the Natural History Museum, London! Visit the link in our bio to book your tickets now." Commenters The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award featured an interview with the photographer himself, who explained why the shot was so important to him. Wim's goal was to show that humans and wildlife can coexist, so he chose the abandoned town of Kolmanskuppe as the backdrop. Museum expert Natalie Cooper also shared more insight into the elusive brown hyenas, while Wim explained why photographing them was such a challenge: theyre incredibly shy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using a camera trap, he finally managed to capture the perfect shot. Its fascinating to hear how such an amazing photo of such a rare animal came to be! This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Oct 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Giant Eagle shoppers can earn a free Thanksgiving turkey (WJW) Giant Eagle shoppers can earn a free Thanksgiving Day turkey by shopping at the grocery retailer between now and Nov. 6. According to a media release, shoppers who spend at least $350 between Oct. 16 and Nov. 6 will earn a free frozen turkey of any size. Is this real? Ohio man scratches off $2 million The retailer said progress toward a free turkey will be shown on receipts, and can also be tracked in the Giant Eagle app. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once a customer hits the $350 spend threshold, a free turkey can be redeemed in the next transaction anytime between Oct. 16 and Nov. 30, states the release. Last year, Giant Eagle said more than 380,000 customers earned a free turkey. Trade pennies for gift cards at Giant Eagle If a customer earns a turkey but chooses not to collect it, the store said, there is an option to donate the value of the turkey to local food banks. This can be done online or through the Giant Eagle app, by visiting the Guest Service Desk, or by calling Giant Eagle Customer Care. Giant Eagle said it will donate the value of each earned and donated turkey, up to $100,000. 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 8 Cleveland WJW. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar congratulated Bolivias president-elect Rodrigo Paz, saying Israel aims to open a new chapter in bilateral relations after two decades of strained ties. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called Bolivian President-elect Rodrigo Paz on Monday, congratulating him on his election victory, and stating that Israel will send a representative to Paz's inauguration ceremony. Sa'ar noted in a post on X/Twitter that "Bolivia has a long history of friendship with Israel and the Jewish people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel looks forward to "opening a new chapter in our bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in a wide range of fields for the benefit of both nations," Sa'ar added. Sa'ar said that Israel is interested in turning a new page and fully renewing diplomatic relations between the countries. Paz said that he intends to lead Bolivia to reopen to the world and renew relations with Israel. "Now, after two decades of bad relations, it is time to put good relations back on track, Sa'ar said. "We extend our warm wishes to the Bolivian people for their democratic process and their choice for renewal," he stated. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar speaking in Jerusalem, September 15, 2025. (credit: DEBBIE HILL/Pool via REUTERS) When discussing the content of the phone call in a summary post on X, Sa'ar wrote that they "recalled in our conversation the history of relations between Israel and the Jewish people with Bolivia. After two decades of strained ties, the time has come to put our good relations back on track." "At the center of our conversation was the mutual interest in opening a new chapter and renewing diplomatic relations between our countries," he added. How did Paz win the election? Centrist Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia's presidential runoff on Sunday, defeating conservative rival Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, as the country's worst economic crisis in a generation helped propel the end of nearly two decades of leftist rule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paz, a senator from the Christian Democratic Party, won 54.5% of the vote, beating Quiroga's 45.5%, according to early results from Bolivia's electoral tribunal. But Paz's party does not hold a majority in the country's legislature, which will force him to forge alliances to govern effectively. The new president takes office on November 8. "We must open Bolivia to the world," said Paz during his victory speech from La Paz, after Quiroga conceded defeat. Reuters contributed to this report. Fox News Trace Gallagher and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) brawled over the ongoing government shutdown Tuesday, with Gallagher pointing out that President Donald Trump is only benefitting. During an interview Tuesday afternoon, Gallagher showed Coons a clip of CNNs Harry Enten pointing out that Trumps numbers are only improving amidst the shutdown. Coons claimed hes heard from doctors in his state who are bracing for impact over incoming skyrocketing health insurance costs. Democrats are currently in a standstill with Republicans over a continuing resolution to fund the government over Democrats demand that extensions of Affordable Care Act subsidies be included. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You say, senator, that youve heard from your doctors and theyre telling you about rising costs. We just heard from a doctor who also happens to be in the Senate, Bill Cassidy, who says your plan is going to drive costs up because you want to give health benefits to illegal immigrants, which by the way is true in a lot of cases, Gallagher said. That is not at all true, Coons shot back, adding, It is not legal to be enrolled in the Affordable Care Act or medicare or medicaid unless youre in the United States legally. The two then sparred on the point of illegal immigrants receiving healthcare. Illegal immigrants in California, as Gallagher pointed out, do receive some forms of healthcare. The path is in California they have been giving healthcare to illegal immigrants and theyve been asking the federal government to fund a portion of that, Gallagher said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using state money, Coons responded. No, theyre not using state money, Gallagher said. Theyre using federal and state money. Coons maintained that illegal immigrants cannot receive Affordable Care Act benefits. Theyre giving benefits, medical benefits to illegal immigrants and they are asking the federal government to fund a portion of those benefits, Gallagher said. Okay, Trace, in my state of Delaware, that is not happening, Coons said. Nationally, it is not legal to enroll people in Medicare, Medicaid, or the Affordable Care Act who are not here legally. Watch above via Fox News. The post They Have Been Giving Health Care to Illegal Immigrants! Fox Anchor Brawls With Democrat Over Shutdown first appeared on Mediaite. Rumors are firing off on social media that Austrian gun company Glock GmbH is discontinuing most of its pistols, including its most popular ones, in November. The rumor spread after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Oct. 10 banning new sales of "semi-automatic handguns that can be easily converted to a fully automatic machine gun with the use of a simple 'switch,' " according to a statement from the office of bill co-author California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino. That includes handguns manufactured by Glock and other manufacturers that use a "cruciform trigger bar," which lawmakers said makes them easily convertible to fully automatic fire. Exemptions are included for law enforcement and private party sales. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glock Store seemingly kicked things off with an Oct. 20 Instagram post saying they had received word that as of Nov. 30 "all Glocks are discontinued except 43, 43X, 48X" and would be replaced by new Glock "V Models" which prevent switch conversions. That includes popular models like the Glock 17, first developed in 1982 to be the Austrian Army's new standard firearm and still a best-seller, and the Glock 19 series, a "compact" version. Both models are regularly listed among the top-selling guns in the country. Pew Pew Tactical reported it had confirmed that multiple sources close to the company said they had also been informed about the change. Glock GmbH has not made an official announcement. The USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida has reached out to the company for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NRA and other Second Amendment proponents have filed a lawsuit challenging California's ban. Is Glock discontinuing its handguns? Why? The "discontinued models" page on the Glock website currently includes 34 models on the way out. However, archived copies of the page show the same list as far back as April. It's not clear when they were added. The Glock website says when the company decides to drop a model, it's a strategic decision. In order to focus on the products that will drive future innovation and growth, we are making a strategic decision to reduce our current commercial portfolio, the company says. This streamlined approach allows us to concentrate on continuing to deliver the highest-quality and most relevant solutions for the market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glock said it will still support its discontinued models and remains "fully committed" to supporting the needs of law enforcement partners. Selling guns used in mass shootings: These Florida gun shops sold the most guns used in crimes, according to federal list When will Glock stop shipping discontinued handguns? Multiple sources have reported that the company will stop shipping their discontinued lines on Nov. 30. Glock GmbH has not yet officially confirmed this as of the morning of Oct. 21. Which Glock handguns are being discontinued? As of Oct. 21, Glock's discontinued page lists: G17 Gen4 G17 MOS Gen4 | Gen5 G17L Classic | Gen3 G17L MOS Gen5 G19 Gen4 G19 MOS Gen4 G20 Gen3 | Gen4 G21 Gen3 | Gen4 G21SF G22 Gen3 | Gen4 | Gen5 G22 MOS Gen5 G23 Gen4 G24 G26 Gen4 G27 Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5 G29 Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5 G29SF G30 Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5 G31 Gen3 | Gen4 G32 Gen3 | Gen4 G33 Gen3 | Gen4 G34 Gen3 | Gen4 G34 MOS Gen4 | Gen5 G35 Gen3 | Gen4 G35 MOS Gen4 G36 G36 FGR G37 Gen3 | Gen4 G38 G39 G40 MOS Gen4 G41 Gen4 G41 MOS Gen4 G49 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That only leaves the models G43, G43X and G48X. What's the difference between semi-automatic and fully automatic? "Semi-automatic" means that the shooter must pull the trigger to fire each shot. The firearm then automatically chambers another round. An automatic weapon is one that continues to fire as long as you hold down the trigger, and is (mostly) banned in the U.S. There are different methods available to convert some semi-automatic firearms so they can simulate the speed of automatic fire, which are also largely banned. "While most handgun designs cannot be modified in this way, the select few manufacturers whose guns can be modified have refused to adjust their designs to prevent modification," the statement from Gabriel's office said. How many Glock handguns are sold in Florida? The company doesn't release per-state sales, but Glocks lead the lists at gun sale websites in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to actionfirearmsflorida.com, the Glock series 19 and 43X are the "top choices for personal defense and concealed carry" in South Florida. How many guns are sold in Florida? An estimated 16.1 million firearms were sold in the U.S. in 2024, according to Safehome.org's analysis of data from FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), about 3% down from 2023. Florida was second in gun sales with 1.2 million, behind only Texas (1.36 million). That's a 7% drop from the year before. Adjusted for population, it works out to seven firearm sales per 100 residents 21 years old and up, which is nowhere near the top of the list. (Highest was Wyoming, which saw 16.1 sales per 100 residents.) This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Glock discontinuing most guns including G17, G19. Rumors fly about timing A fresh round of finger pointing is underway in France over who is to blame for what's the audacious daylight heist of the country's crown jewels from the Louvre on Sunday. The head of security at the world's most visited museum, Dominique Buffin, is facing calls to quit as the hunt continues for the gang of four thieves who carried out the unprecedented crime. On Monday night, officials from the Culture and Interior ministries met to discuss security measures and review protections in place at other cultural institutions across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say the Louvre raid lasted around seven minutes in total, with the perpetrators spending less than four minutes inside the building. Inside the Louvre's Apollo Gallery forensic teams have been sifting for signs which could help them track down the team and recover the stolen items. Lines of inquiry Large crowds lined up to enter the Paris Louvre museum on Monday despite news of its closure after Sunday's jewel heist, 20 Oct 2025 - AP Photo/Emma Da Silva According to security experts there are three main possibilities that police are pursuing: a gang carrying out a special commission; trained professionals who've exploited the museum's weakness or a 'foreign' state looking to inflict the maximum embarrassement. The latter explanation may appear somewhat far-fetched and more at home in the realms of a Hollywood movie, but during the first 48-hours after such a raid, experts say it's too early to rule out any line of inquiry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is widespread agreement, however, that the jewels are now unlikely to be found intact. Lawyer and art recovery investigator, Christopher A. Marinello, says authorities will be questioning anyone who had previous links to jewellery thefts and similar raids in the past. Related In 2019, CGI, an Israeli private investigation firm helped German police catch criminals who broke into Dresden's Green vault, one of the world's oldest museums, and made off with diamond-studded royal jewels worth hundreds of millions of euros. The same company is now understood to be helping French detectives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Marinello doesn't believe the priceless haul was snatched to satisfy the whims of an extremely rich 'mysterious' figure. "I have never seen a theft to order case. They chose these jewels because they figured that they could break them apart, take out the settings, take out the diamonds and the sapphires and the emeralds and take them to Israel, take to Antwerp, India find a dodgy dealer that's willing to recut them and no one would ever know what they did." Soft security costs Other security experts have pointed out that the Paris Louvre has suffered from having its poor infrastructure well-publicised, which, combined with making the site safe and easily accessible to the public, makes it a fairly soft target. Jean-Jacques Richard, a global security consultant, believes extra measures could have been taken but round the clock high-tech automatic and manual surveillance requires funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There are perimeter protection devices that react to the movements or vibrations, the reinforced glass quality, random and regular patrols along with drills for timed interventions, all that can make a substantial difference," says Richard. "Yes, there's a price to pay for security but the absence of sufficient measures also has a cost when objects of national heritage disappear, and, or in the worst case scenario lives are lost. In the raid of the Louvre, not only have priceless objects gone missing, but the very image of France has been tarnished," adds Richard. FILE: French Culture Minister Rachida Dati arrives for a meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, 13 October 2025 - AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard Sentiments not surprisingly shared by France's Culture Minister Rachida Dati who told lawmakers in the National Assembly on Tuesday that there was no failure of security on Sunday. But she did admit it was a painful blow for the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The robbery was a wound for all of us," she said. "Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the worlds largest museum. Its a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony. Eight objects were taken, according to officials: a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonapartes second wife; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugenies diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch, a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble. (The Center Square) Gov. J.B. Pritzker was a big winner in Las Vegas, but his Republican rivals say the governors policies are giving Illinois families a losing hand. Pritzker told reporters last week that his $1.4 million in reported gambling earnings last year came from playing blackjack during a trip to Las Vegas. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski held a press conference outside Bally Casino in Chicago Tuesday and said Pritzker has audacity to say how well Illinois is doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He touts growth in Illinois, he touts that hes making it more affordable. He makes a lot of claims that are just not true, Dabrowski said. The former Wirepoints president said Pritzker is divorced from the struggles of everyday people in Illinois. On the economy, its the sixth-worst in the nation since he took office, on wages seventh-worst in the country, property taxes the highest in the country. Gas taxes, he doubled the motor fuel tax. Theyre now the second-highest in the country, Dabrowski said. 2022 GOP nominee and 2026 candidate Darren Bailey said most people dream of winning over a million dollars, like Pritzker did playing blackjack in Las Vegas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats what Ive been fighting and pushing for literally the last seven years is just trying to show the people of Illinois that this man has absolutely nothing in common with the average working family here in Illinois, Bailey told The Center Square. Bailey said Pritzker is living the high life in Las Vegas while hard-working families are struggling. DuPage County Sheriff and 2026 GOP gubernatorial candidate James Mendrick said Pritzker was gambling a lot of money in order to win as much as he did. For him, I think he thinks its like Monopoly money. He doesnt have to pay his taxes like we do. He doesnt have worry about if hes going to be able to make a car payment. He doesnt have to worry about making ends meet. Its very obvious that his budgeting reflects that just like his social life does, Mendrick told The Center Square. Former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton, a North Carolina Democrat, blasted the new Republican-led congressional map that would significantly alter the northeast district she represented for more than a decade. "No court has ordered this," she said. "It's a power grab." (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) As North Carolina lawmakers continued to advance a new congressional map Tuesday that would flip control of a northeastern swing district to favor Republicans, a former occupant of that seat visited the legislature to denounce the plan. Youve done a disservice to my own people, former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton, who represented the district from 1992 until 2003, said in a news conference. As well as politically. Youve taken away the political power of minorities and rural people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans returned to Raleigh this week to swiftly push through a new map at the urging of President Donald Trump. The latest of several states to be drawn into mid-decade redistricting, North Carolina would likely send 11 Republicans and three Democrats to Washington under the plan. Senators gave the map final approval in a vote Tuesday morning. It now moves through the House, which is expected to vote on the floor tomorrow. Redistricting plans are not subject to veto, meaning Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, cannot stop it from taking effect. Opponents, meanwhile, have been frank in their criticism of the map, arguing that it undermines the voting power of the states rural Black voters in the northeast 1st Congressional District who for decades have been represented by Black lawmakers. That includes Clayton, who in 1992 became the first Black person elected to the U.S. House from North Carolina since George Henry White in the late 19th century. Clayton and her successors the late Frank Ballance, G.K. Butterfield and U.S. Rep. Don Davis have all been Black Democrats. North Carolina Republican legislative leaders are backing a new congressional map that aims to flip a Democratic seat represented by Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) (Source: ncleg.gov) Clayton, in comments to reporters Tuesday, called the new map a power grab that would displace a congressman sensitive to the needs of northeast North Carolina. The 1st districts existing boundaries and demographics, she said, required her and her successors to pay close attention to all corners of the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans came to my office, like Democrats came to my office, Clayton said. White farmers came to my office like Black farmers came to my office. And thats how I got re-elected, really. Im not willing to say that I know any new person coming into that district will do that. During earlier debate on Monday, Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham) lamented that Clayton had to watch the historic district be redrawn. I can only imagine the joy and pride she felt that the South, the homeplace of Jim Crow, was finally getting it right when it made history by electing her, Murdock said. And now, in 2025, we are on the verge of subjecting the people of the 1st congressional district to having worse representation than they did in 1992. Im really sad that in her 91 years, she will see us roll backwards, going, yet again, in the wrong direction. Republicans leading the charge to redistrict have steered clear of any discussion on the maps impact on Black voters. Instead, they have described the new map on purely partisan terms: a simple and singular effort to maintain GOP control in Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans hold a razor-thin margin in the U.S. House of Representatives, Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) said Monday. And if Democrats flip four seats in the upcoming midterm elections, they will take control of the House and torpedo President Trumps agenda. Hise later added that no racial data was used in the construction of the new map. House majority leader Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) reiterated that Tuesday afternoon. Protesters gather in Raleigh on Oct. 21, 2025 as North Carolina Republican lawmakers prepared to pass a new congressional map giving Republicans another seat. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) That distinction comes in light of a 2023 state Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for partisan gerrymandering. Redrawing maps with the specific intent to dilute the power of Black voters remains against the law; the current 1st district is part of a pending federal lawsuit alleging as much. Any lawsuits challenging the map, which are all but certain, will likely involve Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act. But opponents to the map are wary of a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court that questions the constitutionality of that section. Clayton urged those in North Carolina not to let that prevent them from pushing back against the new district lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dont defeat yourselves, she said. Hise said Monday that we will defend these maps, and I am confident [the maps] will be held by the courts. Davis: All options on the table Davis, who narrowly won a second term in the House last November, said in a statement Tuesday that he was considering all options on the table for his political future. That would include considering a run in both the new [1st district] as well as the new [3rd district], Davis said in a statement. U.S. Rep. Don Davis addresses reporters at his Goldsboro office on Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo: Christine Zhu/NC Newsline) Davis home is located in the new 3rd district, but U.S. representatives are not required to live within the bounds of their district. If he chose to run in the 3rd district, he would likely face a fellow incumbent in U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, who has held the seat since 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Davis said since his term began, his office had received more than 46,000 messages from constituents across party lines. Not a single one requested redrawing the district, he said. Clearly, this new congressional map is beyond the pale, Davis said. Public protests and criticism of new map continues Lawmakers new map continued to draw scrutiny and protesters from the public Tuesday, after vocal objections during debate and ejections from the Senate gallery on Monday. An organized protest in front of the old Capitol Building on Tuesday drew more than a hundred people as Democratic leaders called on supporters to continue making their opposition known. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legislators, congresspeople, should not pick their constituents, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams said from the stage. Constituents, its your job to pick your members of Congress. And members of the public, including Clayton and Adams, again packed the committee room later Tuesday to criticize the map in over an hour of public comment. Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) said lawmakers had received more than 11,200 public comments online about the map. The 2023 redistricting plan, she said, drew about 600 comments, and the 2021 plan drew about 1,000. U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, a North Carolina Democrat, speaks to protesters in Raleigh on Oct. 21, 2025 as Republican state lawmakers prepared to pass a new congressional map giving Republicans another seat. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) Everything about this process is so wrong, Harrison said during the House committee hearing. Im just so angry about what were doing to our democracy today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters were escorted from the committee room shortly before lawmakers voted on party lines to approve the bill, chanting Bergers maps are racist maps. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) Republican Senators passed a redrawn Congressional map that would benefit their own party on Tuesday morning after hours of debate spanning days. It passed along party lines with no Democratic support. Republicans have been clear from the start that they want to pass this map to appease President Donald Trump and get an additional Republican seat in Congress. The motivation behind this new plan is straightforward: the new Congressional map improves Republican strength in Eastern North Carolina, it moves NC District 1 from a District where President Trump won 51% of the vote in in 2024, to 55% of the vote, Republican Senator Ralph Hise, who took credit for drawing the new map, said on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the bill made it to the Senate floor on Monday, Democrats tried everything they could to prevent this from passing. They introduced amendments that all failed and also handed in Constitutional protests. They tried more on Tuesday and were repeatedly blocked by Republicans. You are shameful: Dozens rally against GOP-backed NC congressional redrawing as debate held At one point, Democratic Senator Michael Garrett gave a floor speech saying Democracy was under attack. NC Sen. Michael Garrett (D) There are moments that define nations, moments when the soul of a country is tested, when everything that came before, every sacrifice, every principle, every promise, hangs in the balance, Senator Garrett said. This is one of those moments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senator Garrett went on to speak about servicemembers who have fought for freedom in the past, saying they kept a promise to defend Democracy. And now we stand here, in our comfortable suits and our air-conditioned chamber, and were being asked, will you honor that promise, or will you spit on their graves? Senator Garrett said. Fellow Democratic Senator Lisa Grafstein moved to put his words in the journal, which would solidify Garretts words in the record of the General Assembly. Republican Senator Buck Newton objected to that, forcing a vote on the matter, which fellow Republicans backed. They won the motion, meaning Garretts words would not be put in the journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth only hurts if it should. Senator Garrett spoke the truth. Those true words should be spread upon the journal. I urge you all, regardless of party, to show some respect for your colleague, to show some respect for our state, for our country, for the freedom of speech. Show some respect, Senator Grafstein said. Following the passing vote, Congressman Don Davis voiced his frustration, calling the map beyond the pale. Davis is serving in his second term in the U.S. Congress representing North Carolina and has served six terms in the N.C. Senate. In the 2024 election with record voter turnout, NCs First Congressional District elected both President Trump and me, Davis said. Since the start of this new term, my office has received 46,616 messages from constituents of different political parties, including those unaffiliated, expressing a range of opinions, views, and requests. Not a single one of them included a request for a new congressional map redrawing eastern North Carolina. Clearly, this new congressional map is beyond the pale. US Congressman Don Davis (NC-1) With the map passed on the Senate floor, it heads to the House. If they pass it, which is likely since Republicans control the House as well, Democratic Governor Josh Stein does not have the power to veto the map. 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 CBS17.com. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) claims that New York City will be brought all the way down if democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani becomes the citys first Muslim mayor. The Alabama Republican, while appearing on Fox Business Kudlow on Monday, told host Larry Kudlow that he isnt ready for a Muslim to be mayor of the most populous city in the United States. Politics: 'Let's Cut Out The Middleman': Zohran Mamdani Hits Trump With A Direct Challenge We oughta pack him up and send him home, Tuberville added about Mamdani. Advertisement Advertisement Democratic nominee Mamdani is currently leading New York Citys mayoral race at 43.2%, with independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in second place at 28.9% and Republican Curtis Sliwa in third place at 19.4%, according to a new poll. My God, we do not need that anywhere in this country, especially in New York, Tuberville continued in speaking about Mamdani. You know, its what a great city that was. But hes gonna manage to bring it all the way down. He went on to allege that the bustling city is headed [in] that direction with no law enforcement and all those crazy things that the Democrats are coming up with. From Left: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) claims Democratic New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani will "bring [New York City] all the way down. Getty Images Wrapping up his insults, Tuberville added, You know, weve got a huge problem in this country, Larry, with Sharia law and the Muslims trying to take over all the areas in our country. And so, I hope we wake up and smell the roses. Advertisement Advertisement Mamdanis office didnt immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. Politics: Ted Cruz Tells GOP Not To Pooh-Pooh 'No Kings' Protests The New York mayoral race has garnered national attention from political figures and citizens, as it will determine a range of critical issues for New Yorkers, including affordability and crime. The race also puts a spotlight on the citys relationship with President Donald Trump, who was accused of interfering in New Yorks mayoral race to help Cuomo, with whom he has previously clashed, defeat Mamdani. Trump has been a vocal critic of Mamdani, even falsely accusing him of being a communist. Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Trump, who is from New York, threatened to cut off the citys federal funding if the Mamdani wins the mayoral election. Watch Tubervilles appearance on Kudlow below. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Republican senators are balking at the Trump administrations decision to cut off transportation funding to Democratic-leaning states such as New York and Massachusetts during the government shutdown, warning that freezing funds as an apparent act of political retaliation is not appropriate. Republican senators are unified in the view that Democrats are wrong to hold government funding hostage in order to win major health policy concessions, but they feel uncomfortable about halting transportation funding to certain states because they are represented by Democrats in Washington. Republican members of the Appropriations Committee, in particular, argue that funding decisions should be made on the basis of merit. They think quashing projects to extract political vengeance, even during the partisan shutdown fight, is a bad idea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said targeting blue states such as New York by threatening to cut off funding for projects that have been already approved and funded, such as the construction of a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River to facilitate travel and commerce between Manhattan and New Jersey, will hurt people in those states regardless of their own political views. You show me one blue state in America where you dont have pockets, maybe even big pockets, of Republicans, of conservatives, of MAGA people, of pro-Trump. Do we not care about them? she said. Are we just saying, If you dont like it, you should move to a place where youve got a Republican governor? she added. It makes no sense. Why are we being punitive? Its hard enough when the government is not operating as it should be. Lets not be punitive to Americans just to score political points. Murkowski made her comments after President Trump said last week that his administration had terminated the rail tunnel under the Hudson, a massive $16 billion construction job known as the Gateway Project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House budget director Russell Vought followed Trumps threat by announcing the administration will be immediately pausing over $11 billion in projects in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore and other Democratic enclaves. Vought warned that lower-priority projects in those states would be considered for cancellation and explained that the Democrat shutdown has drained the Army Corps of Engineers of its ability to manage them. Asked if Trumps threat to terminate funding for projects such as Gateway in blue states is appropriate, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) replied: No. Collins said Monday she does not favor the administrations plan to halt funding for infrastructure projects primarily in blue states during the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not for that. Im not in favor of that, she said. But Collins faulted Democrats for repeatedly blocking a clean House-passed government funding stopgap over the past few weeks. She also criticized her Democratic colleagues for last week blocking the annual defense appropriations bill, which passed out of committee with a strong 26-3 bipartisan vote in July, and for preventing the Senate and House from entering a conference negotiation on funding bills for military construction, the departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, and the legislative branch. What we really need is for the Democrats to be more cooperative in opening government, she said. It is very telling last week that they voted against bringing regular appropriations bills to the Senate floor and that they also are blocking the appointment of conferees for the three bills we passed months ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administrations decision to halt funding for the Hudson rail tunnel and the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan appeared intended to hit Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who both live in New York City. Schumer reacted furiously last week when Trump threatened to terminate the Gateway Project. Its petty revenge politics. And who gets hurt? Its going to screw over hundreds of thousands of New York and New Jersey commuters, choke off our economy, and kill good-paying jobs, he fumed on the Senate floor. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) argued that funding authority rests with Congress and that projects should be funded or defunded on the basis of their merit, not as acts of political patronage or retaliation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked if he thought it was appropriate to dole out or rescind funds as a matter of political patronage or revenge, Moran replied, No, I dont. It is not about what political party, what color your state is associated with, its about the value of the project, which is determined by Congress and implemented by the administration, he said. The Trump administration is prepared to freeze up to $600 million for two deteriorating bridges that carry millions of vacationers across the Cape Cod Canal every year. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) said the projects were scheduled to move forward with funding appropriated by a bipartisan Congress and lawfully awarded by the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Army Corps of Engineers is also planning to stop funding for a waterfront park in San Francisco and sewer projects in New York City, according to the White House budget office. Other states that will see funding halted because of the shutdown include Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Rhode Island. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said punishing blue states by withholding transportation funding that Congress approved on a bipartisan basis in the past could boomerang on Republicans when Democrats control the White House and Congress. Asked if its appropriate to terminate funding in blue states just because they are represented by Democrats in Washington, Capito said: I wouldnt think so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shoes going to be on the other foot someday and I dont think thats a good precedent to set, Capito added. She noted former President Obama targeted Republican-led states such as West Virginia when Democrats controlled Washington by cracking down on coal and fossil-fuel production, something that hurt her home states economy. During the Obama administration, he basically killed my red state, she said. Trump gave Democrats a taste of that bitter medicine earlier this month when the Energy Department announced it would terminate nearly $8 billion in grants to support more than 200 clean-energy projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Capito pointed out that Republicans live in liberal-leaning states such as New York, too. Trump himself was a longtime New Yorker and lived for a while in neighboring Connecticut, another liberal state. Were all in need of infrastructure. I dont think you want to do it on political maneuvering. Maybe its trying to pressure [Democrats] to reopen government, she said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defended the administrations tough tactics, arguing that playing politics with transportation dollars only mirrors what he called the Democratic Partys political calculations behind rejecting a clean seven-week continuing resolution which triggered the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont think theres anybody that wins in a government shutdown, but in a government shutdown, any administration is going to have their own priorities, he told reporters Monday. Obviously, this administration, like any other, is going to have to decide where they want to put the money, which programs and priorities and agencies and departments actually get resources and which ones dont, he said. Asked about the concerns from his GOP colleagues that funding decisions should be made on the basis of merit, not politics, Thune responded: The decision to shut down the government has been made on pure politics. There is no reason this government should be shut down right now, he 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 The Hill. AP Photo/Evan Vucci Several top Republican senators spoke to The Hills Alexander Bolton this week and broke with President Donald Trump over his administrations unilateral funding cuts to blue state infrastructure projects. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) bluntly told Bolton, No, when asked if she supports Trumps threats to cut major projects like the $16 billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. The Trump administration has been putting pressure on Democrats during the ongoing shutdown by stripping their states of major projects and defunding programs, something that critics long warned was part of the Project 2025 playbook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not for that. Im not in favor of that, said Collins, who had previously criticized the administration for yanking Congressionally appropriated funds. What we really need is for the Democrats to be more cooperative in opening government, Collins added, however, shifting the blame. It is very telling last week that they voted against bringing regular appropriations bills to the Senate floor and that they also are blocking the appointment of conferees for the three bills we passed months ago. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) warned that the Trump administration is hurting Republicans by punishing blue states, including MAGA people. You show me one blue state in America where you dont have pockets, maybe even big pockets, of Republicans, of conservatives, of MAGA people, of pro-Trump. Do we not care about them? Murkowski warned, adding: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are we just saying, If you dont like it, you should move to a place where youve got a Republican governor? It makes no sense. Why are we being punitive? Its hard enough when the government is not operating as it should be. Lets not be punitive to Americans just to score political points. Bolton also spoke to conservative Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), who argued funding should only be doled out based on merit. No, I dont, Moran said when asked if he supports Trump punishing blue states during the shutdown. It is not about what political party, what color your state is associated with, its about the value of the project, which is determined by Congress and implemented by the administration, Moran added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) warned that GOP retaliation against the Democrats can quickly boomerang back on the right. Bolton reported of his conversation: Asked if its appropriate to terminate funding in blue states just because they are represented by Democrats in Washington, Capito said: I wouldnt think so. The shoes going to be on the other foot someday and I dont think thats a good precedent to set, Capito added. She noted former President Obama targeted Republican-led states such as West Virginia when Democrats controlled Washington by cracking down on coal and fossil-fuel production, something that hurt her home states economy. During the Obama administration, he basically killed my red state, Capito added. The post GOP Senators Break With Trump On Punishing Blue States, Warn MAGA People Getting Hurt Too first appeared on Mediaite. A handful of Republican senators are calling out President Donald Trumps administration for halting billions of dollars in previously approved federal funding to Democratic states over what appear to be blatant political reasons amid the ongoing government shutdown. White House budget director Russ Vought confirmed earlier this month that $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects and $2.1 billion for similar projects in Chicago as well as $8 billion in clean energy programs in 16 blue states are being withheld. Politics: 4 Reasons This Government Shutdown Is Different This seemingly vindictive approach has led to varying criticism from some Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) as well as Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murkowski noted that the Trump administration is hurting untold members of its own base. You show me one blue state in America where you dont have pockets, maybe even big pockets, of Republicans, of conservatives, of MAGA people, or pro-Trump, she told The Hill reporter Alexander Bolton in an article published Tuesday. Do we not care about them? Murkowski added, Are we just saying, If you dont like it, you should move to a place where youve got a Republican governor? It makes no sense. Why are we being punitive? Its hard enough when the government is not operating as it should be. Politics: Democrats Dig In As Government Shutdown Odds Spike She continued, Lets not be punitive to Americans just to score political points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government shutdown is currently in its fourth week and began due to a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over measures aimed at protecting health insurance for millions of Americans. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers could be furloughed. Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired over the weekend that hes cutting the Gateway tunnel project, a $16 billion initiative to expand train service between New York and New Jersey, in yet another seeming effort to pressure Democrats into acquiescing. Trump has halted billions in previously approved federal funding for many Democratic states. Alex Brandon/Associated Press When asked if he supported nixing projects out of political revenge, Moran spoke bluntly. No, I dont, the Kansas Republican told Bolton, adding: It is not about what political party, what color your state is associated with, its about the value of the project, which is determined by Congress and implemented by the administration. Politics: Ted Cruz Tells GOP Not To Pooh-Pooh 'No Kings' Protests Collins similarly told Bolton that she is not in favor of that, but also went on to blame Democrats for not being more cooperative in opening government. She said they blocked a purportedly clean, House-passed government funding stopgap in recent weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Capito ultimately warned that this apparent punishment of blue states might someday bite Republicans. She recalled former President Barack Obama limiting coal and fossil-fuel production in her home state when his party had similar leverage during his tenure. When asked if she thought it was appropriate to cut funding in states simply because they happen to be led by Democrats, Capito told Bolton: I wouldnt think so The shoes going to be on the other foot someday and I dont think thats a good precedent to set. Related... Read the original on HuffPost > < 22:14 Dalit man thrashed, forced to drink urine in MP; 3 held A 25-year-old Dalit man was allegedly assaulted and forced to drink urine twice in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, leading to the arrest of three individuals, the police said on Tuesday. Prima facie, the main accused targeted the man after he quit working as his driver, an official said,... Read more > 21:59 President Murmu in Kerala for four-day state visit President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday for a four-day official visit to the southern state. She was welcomed at the international airport by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, other people's representatives, and senior... Read more > 21:50 Pastor among three held in Bareilly for alleged illegal religious conversions Three persons, including a pastor, have been arrested for allegedly luring poor and underprivileged Hindus to convert to Christianity, officials said on Tuesday. According to police, the three were allegedly offering inducements to members of weaker sections to convert.A probe has been... Read more > 21:48 Air India flight safety auditor found dead in Gurugram A flight safety auditor of Air India from Mumbai was found dead in his room at a PG accommodation in Gurugram where he was staying for the last few days, the police said on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Prafull Sawant. The police handed over the body to his kin after the... Read more > 21:09 Man stabbed to death in dispute over firecrackers in Chhattisgarh; two held A 60-year-old man was stabbed to death by two men following a heated argument over them bursting firecrackers outside his house in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, the police said on Tuesday.The police have arrested the accused involved in the attack that took place under the Chhavni police station... Read more > 21:05 10 tonnes of illegal cannabis plantation destroyed in Meghalaya File image In an anti-narcotics drive, around 10 tonnes of cannabis plants spread over five hectares were destroyed in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district in a multi-force operation, the police said on Tuesday.The joint operation was undertaken by the district police in collaboration with the forest,... Read more > 20:54 Noida man succumbs to injuries caused by bursting of cracker placed in steel tumbler A 20-year-old man died after being severely injured while bursting a firecracker placed inside a steel tumbler during Diwali celebrations in Noida, the police said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Monday night in Chhijarsi Colony, which falls under the jurisdiction of Sector 63 police... Read more > 20:50 US Vice-Prez Vance visits Israel to stabilise Trump's Gaza Peace deal US Vice President JD Vance US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to support ongoing efforts to strengthen the Gaza ceasefire. His visit comes amid mounting concerns within the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be preparing to walk back from the truce, potentially... Read more > 20:22 Punjab cops foil terror attack, capture 2 with RPGL The rocket-propelled grenade with launcher seized from terror operatives in Punjab./Courtesy Punjab DGP on X The Punjab police on Tuesday said it has nabbed two terror operatives and seized a rocket-propelled grenade along with the launcher, which was intended for a targeted attack. In an intelligence-based operation, Amritsar Rural Police, in close coordination with central agencies, apprehends... Read more > 19:34 2 Maha cops held for demanding bribe from rape case accused's father Anti-corruption Bureau officials arrested an assistant police inspector and a constable after they allegedly assured the father of a rape case accused to help him secure bail for his son, and seized Rs 1.25 lakh bribe money in Kalyan city. According to an Anti-Corruption Bureau official,... Read more > 19:17 Farmer's suicide: Cong, BJP stage protest demanding action against officials Congress and Bharatiya Janat Party workers on Tuesday staged protests in front of the mini civil station at Agali in Palakkad over the death of a farmer, who died by suicide on his agricultural land in north Kerala. The protesters alleged that procedural lapses and delays by revenue... Read more > 19:03 Over 150 cases registered in Delhi for bursting crackers beyond allowed hours The police registered more than 100 cases across Delhi over alleged violation of the Supreme Court's guidelines on bursting firecrackers and more than 50 on charges of illegal sale during Diwali celebrations, officials said on Tuesday. The Supreme Court has restricted the bursting of... Read more > 18:45 Body of 11-year-old found in cupboard in Kolkata Tension flared in the city's Bhowanipore area on Tuesday after enraged locals assaulted the father and stepmother of an 11-year-old girl whose body was recovered in a partially hanging manner from a cupboard at their home a day earlier. The deceased minor, Suranjana Singh, was the niece of... Read more > 18:16 72-year-old man shot at by grandsons over property dispute in Delhi A 72-year-old man was allegedly shot by his grandsons in Turkman Gate area on Tuesday morning over a long-standing property dispute, the police said. The firing incident was reported at Chandni Mahal police station.The victim, identified as Shahbuddin, sustained a gunshot injury and was... Read more > 17:58 Delhi's post-Diwali air quality plunges to 5-year low File image Delhi's air quality deteriorated sharply after Diwali, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels surging to their highest in five years, according to an analysis of Central Pollution Control Board data. The average PM2.5 concentration touched 488 micrograms per cubic metre in the 24 hours... Read more > 17:54 Rain lashes TN, red alert issued in 8 districts; CM reviews situation As the Northeast monsoon intensified across Tamil Nadu, the regional weather office on Tuesday issued heavy rainfall alert to a number of districts, while Chief Minister M K Stalin reviewed the situation with officials and directed that precautionary measures be put in place in view of the... Read more > 17:43 Crashed Canadian paraglider's body brought to Kangra in Himachal Representational image The body of the 27-year-old Canadian paraglider who had crashed into the Dhauladhar ranges has been brought to Kangra, officials said on Tuesday. Megan Elizabeth Roberts had taken a solo flight from Bir-Billing on Saturday. A search operation was mounted based on the coordinates she had... Read more > 17:04 Two killed in elephant attack in Arunachal File image Two people were killed in an attack by a herd of wild elephants in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district, police said. The incident took place in Namsang village on Monday night. The deceased have been identified as Tanen Nocte (46) and Nanthok Hodong (45), an official statement said. A... Read more > 16:33 BJP forced 3 of my candidates out of Bihar polls: Kishor Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday alleged that three candidates of his Jan Suraaj Party in the Bihar elections withdrew their nominations under pressure from the BJP. Addressing a press conference, Kishor alleged that the ruling NDA was so scared of losing the... Read more > 16:29 UP Cong asks district units adjoining Bihar to help INDIA bloc candidates The Uttar Pradesh Congress has asked all its units in the districts adjoining Bihar and senior leaders from the region to help out in the upcoming Assembly polls in the neighbouring districts and ensure the victory of the Congress and INDIA bloc candidates. The Uttar Pradesh Congress... Read more > 16:29 UP Cong asks district units adjoining Bihar to help INDIA bloc candidates The Uttar Pradesh Congress has asked all its units in the districts adjoining Bihar and senior leaders from the region to help out in the upcoming Assembly polls in the neighbouring districts and ensure the victory of the Congress and INDIA bloc candidates. The Uttar Pradesh Congress... Read more > 16:13 Hindi scholar Francesca Orsini denied entry into India despite valid visa File image Francesca Orsini, a noted scholar of Hindi and professor emerita at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, was reportedly denied entry into India on Monday despite holding a valid five-year e-visa, according to reports. Orsini arrived in Delhi from Hong Kong... Read more > 16:11 Fire in building near Rashtrapati Bhawan File image A fire broke out in a building near gate number 31 of the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday afternoon, prompting authorities to rush five fire tenders, a Delhi Fire Services official said. A call regarding the fire breaking out in domestic articles on the ground floor of the two-storey building... Read more > 15:54 European Union countries agree to ban all Russian energy imports from 2028 European Union countries have agreed to ban all Russian energy imports from January 1, 2028, after voting for a European Commission proposal on the same.Energy ministers of almost all EU countries voted in favour of the draft regulation, which applies to both pipeline oil and liquefied natural... Read more > 15:36 AIMIM to back Cong in Jubilee Hills assembly bypoll AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi/File image AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said the party will support Congress candidate Naveen Yadav in the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll, scheduled for November 11. Speaking to reporters, he said the party decided to back the Congress candidate as the outcome would not make or break the... Read more > 15:12 7 rescued after blaze in residential building in Delhi due to firecrackers File image Seven people were rescued after a fire broke out in a four-storey residential building in west Delhi's Mohan Garden area on Diwali night, officials said on Tuesday. A PCR call was received at 9.49 pm regarding fire in a dwelling house situated in Mohan Garden. A total of seven people of... Read more > 14:57 4 killed, several hurt in fire at Navi Mumbai apartment The multi-storey residential building in Navi Mumbai where fire broke out on Tuesday./ANI Photo Four people have lost their lives and ten others sustained injuries after a fire broke out in a multi-storey residential building in the Vashi area, officials said on Tuesday. Soon after the incident, firefighters rushed to the spot immediately and successfully contained the blaze. The... Read more > 14:28 Sensex, Nifty begin Samvat 2082 on firm note in special Muhurat trading Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty rose in the opening session of special Muhurat trading on Tuesday, driven by buying in bank and IT shares amid a positive trend in global markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex rose by 186.07 or 0.22 percent to 84,549.44 points, marking a firm start of the... Read more > 14:22 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio extends Diwali wishes to Indians US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, extended warm wishes on the occasion of Diwali on the behalf of the Department of State.In his message on Diwali, Rubio said, On behalf of the Department of State, I send warm wishes to the many communities in the U.S. and around the world who are... Read more > 13:59 Biocon chief meets Sidda, DK amid Bengaluru infra row Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw meets Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar/Courtesy X Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Tuesday met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar and greeted them on the occasion of Diwali, official sources said. Shaw has been critical of Bengaluru's infrastructure woes by highlighting them through her social media posts, and has... Read more > 13:45 Man stabbed to death in Delhi on dispute over bursting crackers; 3 held A man was stabbed to death outside his residence in Shahbad Dairy during a violent altercation over a dispute while bursting crackers, the police said.The incident occurred on the intervening night of October 20-21, at around 12:22 AM, when information regarding the attack was received at Shahbad... Read more > 13:29 Lokpal moves to procure 7 BMW cars through public tender The office of the Lokpal of India has reportedly begun the process of purchasing BMW 330 Li (Long Wheel Base) luxury cars by issuing a public tender.The move, initiated on October 16, marks a significant step in strengthening the anti-corruption body's administrative and logistical framework.The... Read more > 13:16 Youth killed, cousin critical in clash over firecrackers in UP's Mau A dispute over bursting firecrackers escalated into a clash, leaving a 19-year-old youth dead and his cousin critically injured in Uttar Pradesh's Mau district, the police said on Tuesday. The incident took place late Monday in Katihari village under Ghosi police station limits, where Ajay... Read more > 13:00 3 women booked over Shaniwarwada namaaz in Pune A case has been registered against three unidentified women after a video showing them offering namaaz on the premises of Pune's historic Shaniwar wada went viral on social media, sparking protests by BJP MP Medha Kulkarni and members of other organisations. According to the Pune City... Read more > 12:56 BSE, NSE special muhurat trading from 1.45 pm to 2.45 pm today File image Stock exchanges will hold a special Muhurat trading session on Tuesday from 1.45 pm to 2.45 pm for Laxmi Pujan, according to notices by the BSE and the NSE. Foreign exchange markets will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday on account of Diwali and Diwali Balipratipada, respectively. Read more > 12:39 Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Kaantha to release on November 14 Kaantha, featuring Malayalam star Dulquer Salmaan, is set to release in worldwide theatres on November 14. Directed by Selvamani Selvaraj of The Hunt for Veerappan fame, the film is produced under Salmaan's Wayfarer Films and Rana Daggubati's banner Spirit Media. The film stars... Read more > 12:28 Putin-Trump Budapest summit likely to be stalled A meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ahead of a summit between the two countries presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump has been postponed indefinitely, CNN reported, citing its sources in the White House.This comes despite Russia on... Read more > 12:00 Modi greets Israel's Netanyahu on his birthday Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on his birthday, wishing him good health and success. In a post on X, Modi also thanked Netanyahu for his Diwali greetings. Thank you, my dear friend, for your warm Diwali greetings. I also extend... Read more > 11:56 Record Inflows Help Flexicap Funds' AUM Surpass Rs 5 Trn Flexicap funds, which have been drawing record inflows despite easing in overall equity mutual fund investments, have become the first diversified equity category to achieve assets under management (AUM) of Rs 5 trillion.The category has drawn net inflows of nearly Rs 54,000 crore in the first... Read more > 11:32 Economy not immune to global headwinds: RBI The Indian economy is not immune to global headwinds even if it has shown resilience so far, according to the RBI's monthly report State of the Economy released on Monday.The report observed that net foreign direct investment (FDI) had turned negative in August due to moderation in inflows... Read more > 11:29 Nitish Kumar to launch campaign today Janata Dal-United president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will launch his election campaign on Tuesday afternoon for next month's assembly polls.According to JD-U leaders, Nitish Kumar will begin his election campaign in Minapur and Kanti in Muzaffarpur district.Kumar, JD-U leaders said,... Read more > 11:24 Shadowfax, 6 others get SEBI's IPO nod Logistics major Shadowfax Technologies, Asset Reconstruction Company India (ARCIL) and five other firms have obtained approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India for their initial public offering.Once listed, ARCIL will become the countrys first asset reconstruction company (ARC) to... Read more > 11:11 New H-1B fee won't apply to...: US The $100,000 fee imposed by the Trump administration on new H-1B visa petitions will not apply to applicants seeking a 'change of status' or 'extension of stay', according to fresh guidelines.Issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday, the guidelines... Read more > 11:04 Gold and silver outshine equities as Samvat 2081 draws to a close Gold and silver extended their red-hot streak during Samvat 2081, even as equity-market returns moderated. This was in contrast with the previous Samvat, when almost all asset classes delivered stellar returns.Gold and silver jumped more than 60 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively, after... Read more > 09:24 Indian MBBS student suffers brain stroke in Russia, airlifted Photo: Courtesy @Indian__doctor/X A 22-year-old MBBS student from Rajasthan, who was battling for life in Kazakhstan after suffering a brain stroke, was airlifted to Jaipur on Monday evening.Rahul Ghosalya, a resident of Jaipur's Shahpura and a medical student in Astana since 2021, suffered a brain stroke on October 8 and had... Read more > 09:06 Delhi wakes up to thick smog after Diwali night A day after Diwali, the national capital city New Delhi woke up to thick and heavy layer of smog as the air quality deteriorated to the 'Very Poor' category on Tuesday morning, with most of the monitoring stations marked in the 'Red Zone' of pollution.According to the Central Pollution Control... Read more > Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are hopeful that the government will be funded soon, without any signs of progress on Capitol Hill. But, new analysis shows just how much American's health insurance premiums will go up if ACA tax credits are not extended, potentially fueling Democrats will to fight. Akayla Gardner, Susan Glasser and David Drucker join. AUSTIN (KXAN) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that the state started an operation targeting homeless encampments in the city of Austin last week. Since then, the state said it has: Removed 48 encampments Removed over 3,000 pounds of debris Arrested 24 repeat felony offenders Seized over 125 grams of narcotics Texans should not endure public safety risks from homeless encampments and individuals, said Abbott. Weapons, needles, and other debris should not litter the streets of our community, and the State of Texas is taking action. I directed state agencies to address this risk and make Austin safer and cleaner for residents and visitors to live, travel, and conduct business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governors office said the operation is being led by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) with help from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Texas State Guard and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Video sent to KXAN by the governors office shows DPS troopers contacting and arresting people in those camps. It also shows what appear to be Texas State Guard cleaning up debris. That video is at the top of this story. Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed state agencies to begin clearing out homeless encampments in the city of Austin (Courtesy: Office Of The Governor) Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed state agencies to begin clearing out homeless encampments in the city of Austin (Courtesy: Office Of The Governor) Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed state agencies to begin clearing out homeless encampments in the city of Austin (Courtesy: Office Of The Governor) Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed state agencies to begin clearing out homeless encampments in the city of Austin (Courtesy: Office Of The Governor) In response, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson pointed to recent successes the city has had reducing the homelessness population in Austin and nodded to the city councils recent decision to approve a budget and tax rate that, if approved by voters in November, would fully fund the citys homelessness plan to do more of that work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our continuing success has come with limited financial assistance from the state. Its hard to not appreciate some state resources being put into helping. I do worry about where people will end up, where the next encampment will be. My hope is that this exercise will demonstrate the value of providing funding resources as assistance for addressing this humanitarian crisis in the state capital, Watson responded in-part. New operator takes over downtown Austin homeless shelters The governors office said that operation would be ongoing and that homeless individuals violating state law or local ordinances will be arrested and debris created by homeless encampments will be removed. Austin also launched encampment surge Monday Starting Monday, the city of Austin independently launched a homeless encampment surge, which is scheduled to last for roughly three weeks, according to a memo from Director of Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations David Gray. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City of Austin launches homeless encampment surge Monday According to another memo obtained by KXAN after the first day of that surge, the city cleaned up 46 encampments and visited 29 more for outreach on Monday. City of Austin crews clearing a camp Tuesday as part of its three week surge (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez) City of Austin crews clearing a camp Tuesday as part of its three week surge (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez) City of Austin crews clearing a camp Tuesday as part of its three week surge (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez) City of Austin crews clearing a camp Tuesday as part of its three week surge (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez) Most people agreed to leave voluntarily, and staff connected several people to shelter and/or additional services. One person received life-saving CPR from an APD team. Two arrests were made: one for criminal trespass and resisting arrest, and one for a drug-related charge, that memo said. Gray said the city is doing it now to get people out of risky spaces ahead of the fall and winter, which can have more severe and dangerous weather conditions. The city is also concerned about heightened fire danger at the moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An internal communication about the initiative, provided to KXAN, said the city will focus on the following moving forward: Week 1: Freeways, frontage roads, high-traffic corridors, and adjacent alleyways and pedestrian/bike trails Week 2: Certain street levels, neighborhood parks and playgrounds, public library campuses and recreation areas Week 3: Large greenbelts and parks that pose major wildfire risks Multiple City departments are assigning staff to one of 12 crews working across three geographic zones in the City. The City is also stopping general intake at City-owned shelters to devote to this initiative, that document 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 KXAN Austin. This story was originally published on Higher Ed Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Higher Ed Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Texas is "targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a social media post Sunday. The Republican governor lambasted "indoctrination" at all levels of education in response to news coverage of the University of Texas at Austin's decision to remove Art Markman, a psychology professor, from his role as senior vice provost for academic affairs. Markman said in a LinkedIn post last week that university leadership removed him from his provost position over "ideological differences" but did not give further detail. Abbott's comments come after two new Texas laws began dramatically reshaping academic governance and free speech at public colleges and a wave of high-profile faculty firings over classroom instruction and personal politics swept the states institutions. Dive Insight: As of Sept. 1, Texas law began to reduce the influence of faculty over institutional decisions and academic oversight including defanging faculty senates and shift that power to political appointees, such as the newly created role of higher education ombudsman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that month, Texas lawmakers created select committees in both chambers of the Legislature intended to investigate bias, discourse, and freedom of speech at state colleges. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick linked the committees' launch to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who Patrick said was "assassinated for simply expressing his First Amendment rights." The lieutenant governor's statement came just days after several student groups across the University of Texas system sued over another new state law that prohibits "any speech or expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution" on college campuses from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the free speech advocacy group representing the students, called the law which Abbott signed and Patrick endorsed blatantly unconstitutional and a violation of the First Amendment. Last week, a federal judge temporarily barred the University of Texas System from enforcing the law while the court hears the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At UT-Austin, some faculty are further on edge after newly installed President Jim Davis announced the creation of a "Core Curriculum Task Force" to review the universitys general education curriculum and propose revisions. The panel consists of 18 faculty members, all appointed by the administration. Faculty at UT Austin told The Guardian that they fear this means entire departments could be eliminated particularly those specializing in ethnic and regional disciplines, none of which have representation on the task force. Markman, the psychology professor at UT-Texas, is hardly the first fired Texas faculty member to gain national attention. Some 100 miles east, Texas A&M University fired a childrens literature professor in September after a state lawmaker shared a video of the instructor teaching about gender identity. The institution also removed a department head and dean from their administrative positions over the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas A&M's president, Mark Welsh, stepped down the next week amid increasing political pressure. Around the same time, Texas State University fired Tom Alter, a tenured history professor, after he attended an online socialist forum. Alter spoke about organizing working classes against capitalism and mentioned a hypothetical overthrow of the U.S. without going into detail. Texas State President Kelly Damphousse said the professors actions amounted to serious professional and personal misconduct and alleged that he had incited violence without going into further detail. The Texas State Employees Union has called for Alter to be reinstated, describing his termination as "a deeply troubling move that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A judge ordered Texas State in September to reinstate Alter and give him due process over the allegations. This month, the university announced it had once again fired the professor after "a thorough review of Dr. Alters conduct and the information provided during his due process hearing," the Austin American-Statesman reported. Alter has said he will continue to pursue legal action against the university. Recommended Reading ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) Gov. Kay Ivey announced grant funding that will help improve traffic safety and congestion at a major intersection in Athens. The $400,000 grant will be combined with a community development block grant that Gov. Ivey awarded to the city earlier this year. The two grants will fund improvements at the intersection of U.S. Highway 72 and Mooresville Road. Increased traffic is expected at the intersection as a 59,000-square-foot shopping center is under construction adjacent to the intersection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As north Alabama experiences tremendous growth and the need for more retail options, traffic control can be a challenge with more vehicles in the cities and towns reaping the economic benefits, Gov. Ivey said. I commend local leaders in Athens for recognizing that while growth brings many benefits, it can produce some challenges that should be met head-on. I am pleased to announce this grant to support these improvements in safety at this busy intersection. French Mill Crossing, will be built on a 12-acre site southeast of the Mooresville Road and U.S. Highway 72 intersection. The commercial complex is expected to create at least 100 jobs, will include a Publix grocery store, a bank, a convenience store/fueling station, a fast-food restaurant and other retail outlets. The road improvements will include widening and adding two turn lanes on Mooresville Road to improve access to the shopping center. Additionally, a deceleration lane and entry route will be built on U.S. Highway 72. Anytime we can grow our retail base, we grow our sales tax revenue to fund city services, Mayor Marks said. This project will meet a need for retail in our city limits to the east, keeping tax dollars in Athens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Ivey notified Athens Mayor William R. Ronnie Marks that the grants had been approved. The city has pledged $618,192 in local matching funds for the project. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Gov. Brian Kemp is heading to South Korea to smooth things out after a federal raid at a Georgia Hyundai plant. South Korea and Georgia share a long economic relationship. This trip was planned before that raid, but its taken on new significance after ICE took 475 people, mostly South Korean nationals, into custody, sparking a real international incident. Kemp told Channel 2s Richard Elliot on Tuesday that he was aware of the raid before it happened, but it did not know the size, scope and extent of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The raid happened six weeks ago as federal agents raided the massive Hyundai LG Battery plant in Bryan County. ICE held the South Korean nationals and others for a week before releasing them. None of the South Koreans were ever charged with any crimes. RELATED STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean, this was a federal operation, so we had no knowledge of why they were going, what they were going to do to the extent of that. And really, I would refer you back to them as to why it was originally started in the first place, Kemp said. But the raid created a diplomatic crisis between the White House and the South Korean government. Kemp said hes been talking to South Korean officials, along with the White House, about their concerns and the concerns of other international companies in Georgia. He said he spoke personally with President Donald Trump and the White House to express those concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We also have relayed to the White House, you know, what were hearing on the ground, and theyve been very receptive, you know, as the president. Hes spoken directly about that, Kemp said. Now, Kemp is heading back to South Korea for meetings with leaders of corporations with plants located in Georgia to reaffirm the relationship between Georgia and their nation. Thats why were going. Were not going to let one incident stop a 40-year relationship, Kemp said. This is the 40th anniversary of the Georgia Trade Office in South Korea. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was joined by Emily Schmitt, general counsel for Sukup Manufacturing Co., who led the Iowa DOGE task force, as she held a news conference Oct. 21, 2025 about the task force's final report. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Gov. Kim Reynolds said at a Tuesday news conference she plans to use the Iowa DOGE task forces report to make recommendations to the state Legislature in 2026 including on ways to lower property tax costs. The Iowa DOGE task force, convened in February, was based on the federal U.S. Department of Government Efficiency program formerly led by billionaire Elon Musk in the Trump administration. The group of Iowa business leaders, led by Emily Schmitt, general counsel for Sukup Manufacturing Co., met multiple times and held several public meetings over the next several months before submitting their final report Sept. 29. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the report was submitted in late September, the list of 45 finalized recommendations had not been shared until Tuesday. Now, the report is publicly available through the governors website. At a news conference Tuesday, Reynolds said the DOGE task force was convened to continue work she has focused on as governor to make government more efficient, pointing to the 2023 law she signed on realigning state government that reduced the states 37 executive-level cabinet agencies down to 16, as well as other recent laws to cut and restructure state boards and commissions, as well as the Iowa behavioral health system. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX I have always believed that it is important that we never settle, that we continue to look for ways to be more effective, efficient and accountable to the taxpayers of Iowa, Reynolds said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When task force members released their initial recommendations in August and September meetings, there was significant pushback against certain proposed changes specifically regarding the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS), and tying extra compensation for K-12 public school teacher and administrators to student achievement. The governor said theres been a lot of public speculation, not to mention misinformation about the potential changes to state benefits that state employees, law enforcement officers, teachers and others rely on as recommended by the task force. You can rest assured that IPERS will be there for your retirement just as youve planned and weve promised and that, by the way, was the intent of the task force from the very beginning, Reynolds said. The task force had suggested moving IPERS from a defined benefits program to a defined contribution program, in which both the employee and employer would contribute to a retirement benefit plan. This recommendation, introduced in August, was scaled back during later meetings. Terry Lutz, who chaired a work group within the Iowa DOGE task force, said the task force would recommend the state conduct an ongoing study of public employees benefits, including consideration of the viability of a defined contribution plan. The recommendation suggests public employees would be allowed to choose between staying on IPERS in its current form or joining a defined contribution plan, but stated IPERS would not change for current public employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The final report included a recommendation to conduct a study on public employee benefits, and stated it recommended preserving all pension and benefit commitments made to existing employees, with any new defined-contribution retirement option should be strictly voluntary for current staff and structured to protect the solvency of the traditional pension system. The report also recommended, where feasible, offer employees a choice among benefit plans. For instance, the option to choose a defined-contribution retirement plan instead of a pension for new hires. Reynolds said there is already a legislative committee that is supposed to meet every other year to review public employee benefits, and said the task forces suggestions would be brought before that group of lawmakers. Democrats and organizations representing public employees have criticized the suggestion, saying the proposed changes would make IPERS insolvent. Rep. Larry McBurney, D-Urbandale, said in a statement Tuesday that any changes to IPERS and other public pensions would be a devastating blow to Iowas workforce and economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For decades, these pensions have provided a secure retirement for public servants, including teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, and social workers, who dedicate their lives to serving our communities, McBurney said. Any changes to this system would break yet another promise to workers and further damage Iowas already struggling economy, which is ranked dead last in the nation. Instead of the Governors DOGE task force threatening retirement security, we should be taking steps to strengthen Iowas workers. Several GOP legislative leaders and lawmakers have said there is not significant interest in making changes to IPERS in the 2026 legislative session. One of the other high-profile suggestions was to tie public school teachers and administrators pay to student achievements. While Lutz had characterized the proposal as a pay-for-performance system in August, he later clarified the suggestion would not cut educators pay, but would provide incentives like up to 10% of base pay through bonuses for teachers who meet certain student achievement goals. The final report recommended establishing a merit-based compensation framework including a bonus structure, teacher professional development and incentives for those in high-need schools in order to improve student outcomes and financially reward high-performing teachers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor said the state Department of Education already awards Teachers Accelerating Learning (TAL) grants to incentivize teachers that have gone above and beyond, similar to the task forces proposal. Iowa State Education Association President Joshua Brown said in a statement merit-based pay structures for teachers do not result in improved scores for students and schools in the most need of assistance. The pay for performance recommendation is a tired scheme, for a system repeatedly proven ineffective and harmful, Brown said. The metrics used to measure performance are unreliable and often irrelevant. They are biased in favor of high-performing students and proficient test takers and do nothing for students living under circumstances outside their control. We need our government to support our students and education professionals, not devise fixes that dont work. There were also recommendations made related to the states workforce development programs. This included a suggestion to sunset the Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training program, currently administered through Iowas community colleges, and establish a new $30 million employer-directed workforce training fund within Iowa Workforce Development. Additionally, the report proposed creating a new $15 million workforce infrastructure fund at IWD and combining certain existing tuition assistance programs into a single new $20 million scholarship fund for high-demand fields. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reynolds said these changes would help the state better address workforce shortages in specific fields throughout the state. When youre spending $400 million annually into workforce programs and we still have an issue somethings not right, Reynolds said. So we got to be better. We got to get better, and there should be an expectation, that, Im going to put this money to this program, this is the metric, the outcome that we expect. And if that doesnt happen, then it needs to go away. Though less contentious than changes to IPERS and teacher pay, Reynolds highlighted DOGE suggestions to make local governments more efficient through sharing resources and services. These suggestions, and finding new avenues to save reduce local government costs, will be taken into account as she plans to craft legislation aimed at lowering property tax costs in 2026. Reynolds indicated she may suggest a system to provide incentives to local governments to implement new resource sharing methods but that these incentives would have to be time-certain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is a problem sometimes we incentivize, and theyre supposed to recognize some savings from collaborating and working together and sharing those services, and then I just backfill it with an incentive forever, and so that kind of defeats the purpose, Reynolds said. So I do believe theres a role for that it just should be, like, a couple years, maybe three years, for them to adjust and get everything settled and really operational, and then that needs to go away. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Governor JB Pritzker had some tough words for one of Mayor Brandon Johnson's key budget proposals on Tuesday. The governor made the comments during a talk with the Economic Club of Chicago. The Economic Club brings together leading business, civic and political leaders from around the Chicago area. While Pritzker's frequent criticism of President Donald Trump was expected, it was his public berating of Johnson's proposed head tax that really grabbed people's attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked about the proposed corporate head tax, the governor did not mince words. "I am absolutely four-square opposed to a head tax for the city of Chicago," Pritzker said. "It penalizes the very thing that we want, which is we want more employment in the city of Chicago. And it makes it very hard to attract companies from outside of Chicago to come into Chicago, and harder for companies that are in Chicago to stay." The governor also talked about how he has worked hard to attract businesses to Illinois. READ MORE | Mayor Johnson proposes social media tax to fund mental health clinics in 2026 budget Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He acknowledged that federal cuts are making it harder on budgets all over, including Chicago. "I just want to say balancing the budget for the state of Illinois, for the city of Chicago, vital can't be ignored; it has to be done. [It] shouldn't be done with the head tax in the city of Chicago," the governor said. Former commerce secretary Bill Daley said he was surprised to hear Pritzker's direct opinion. Mayor Johnson championed the head tax as a way to raise $100 million for anti-violence programs and youth summer jobs. Business groups hoping the mayor heeds the governor's concerns. ABC7 reached out to the mayor's office for comment but has yet to hear back. Johnson joined ABC7 on Tuesday before Prtizker's remarks to talk about the budget proposal. SEE ALSO | Mayor Brandon Johnson discuses budget plan, lawsuit against President Trump The next generation of nuclear power is being 3D-printed. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Tennessee, researchers are using 3D printing to create polymer forms for the thick concrete shield that protects nuclear reactors, according to New Atlas. The project is a part of the Generation IV Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor. This project is a prime example of how advanced manufacturing could slash construction time and costs for future plants. Traditional nuclear facilities can take decades to complete, with much of the expense going to civil engineering work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By contrast, the 3D-printed molds used by Oak Ridge can be produced quickly, reused multiple times, and assembled on-site in just days. They're also more precise and flexible than conventional steel or wood molds, reducing waste and cutting the need for timber by up to 75%, according to Oak Ridge. "At ORNL, we're showing that the future of nuclear construction doesn't have to look like the past," said Ryan Dehoff, director of the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, to New Atlas. "We're combining national lab capabilities with MDF's legacy of taking big, ambitious swings moonshots that turn bold ideas into practical solutions to accelerate new commercial nuclear energy." While the cost savings are great, the new method also allows Oak Ridge to test the structural integrity of these printed components under high stress. This ensures that next-generation reactors can be faster and safer to operate. Additionally, nuclear power is a major source of low-carbon electricity. Unlike its peers, solar and wind energy, nuclear provides stable, round-the-clock power. By enabling faster and cheaper plant construction, this could make nuclear an even more powerful tool in the fight against climate change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That being said, it is important to note that nuclear energy remains controversial because of concerns about radioactive waste, safety risks, and high upfront costs. Innovations like Oak Ridge's 3D printing approach could help address some of those challenges, and if done right, it could show that the nuclear industry's future remains worthwhile. 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. Social Security October payments are set to be distributed this week despite a brutal battle on Capitol Hill amid the government shutdown 2025, where the Senate will next vote today, Monday, Oct. 20, in hopes of reopening the government. The federal government shutdown is just shy of 21 days, where it'll tie for the second-longest in U.S. history under Bill Clinton, and just behind the longest in 2018-2019, under President Donald Trump. With senators at an impasse on a funding deal, federal programs, furloughs and mass layoffs have swept across the nation under the Trump administration, which has targeted federal funding in blue states and cities, per USA TODAY. Worried about your Social Security paycheck or if your Social Security Office will close? Here's what to know. Does the government shutdown affect Social Security payments? You will still receive your Social Security check, despite the government shutdown 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Social security payments, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and benefits for retirement, disability and survivors, continue uninterrupted during government shutdowns. If you receive these services, you can expect to get your Social Security check or direct deposit as usual. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are mandatory spending programs, meaning their budgets are not dependent on yearly congressional approval. However, staffing and some services at Social Security offices could be impacted if they have a discretionary spending component, which means it requires congressional agreement on how money will be spent. This could include processing new Social Security applications. A United States Treasury government check rests on top of a Social Security card. Are Social Security offices closed? Social Security offices are still open during the government shutdown, but only some services are available, according to a post by the SSA. Local offices can still provide services including applications for benefits, requests for appeals, changes in address or direct deposit information, reporting a death, verifying or changing citizenship status, replacing a lost Social Security payment and more. On Monday, Oct. 20, there were a few Social Security offices closed to in-person services in the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre was only offering telephone services, while Bloomsburg and Reading offices were closed "until further notice." In New York, the Social Security office in the East Bronx did not open until 10 a.m. today for in-person services, and Canarsie and Corning locations only provided phone service until further notice. Will I get my social security payments Oct. 22? Yes, you can expect to receive your Social Security payment on Oct. 22, as long as you are a Social Security beneficiary born between the 21st and 31st day of your birth month. Benefits, paid to mostly recipients who are older or retired, are typically paid on Wednesdays. Your check comes depending on your birthdate (check the SSA calendar here). Is the 1-800 number for Social Security down? Yes, according to the Social Security Administration's website, SSA.gov, the 800-number is "experiencing technical difficulties," as of Monday afternoon, Oct. 20, 2025. SSA says the cause is a national outage and directs users to log into their "my Social Security" account to use their online services. Published caption: Jean Mitchell/Dayton Courier For those who use a tax preparation service, pictured here are documents needed to file for the rebate including a Social Security card, statement of earnings or a Social Security benefits statement for 2007, and any 1099Rs listing various distributions, such as those from pensions and annuities. ooo Jean Mitchell/Dayton Courier People who want to receive the federal economic stimulus rebate must file a 2007 tax return to receive the money ?whether or not they would ordinarily file a tax return. For those who would go to a tax preparation service, pictured here are documents that must be used to properly file for the rebate including your Social Security card, statement of earnings or your Social Security benefits statement for 2007, and any 1099Rs listing various distributions, such as those from pensions and annuities. Ask hard questions before investing in that annuity. Theyare already the highest-commission financial tool, but they also do a poor job of protecting your retirement savings from the IRS. 02-27-DAY-senior views Ask hard questions before investing in that annuity. Theyre already the highest-commission financial tool, but they also do a poor job of protecting your retirement savings from the IRS. Is Medicare affected by government shutdown? During the government shutdown 2025, Medicare, just like Social Security, continues since it is a program that relies on mandatory, and not discretionary, funding sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, new applicants may see major delays in their application process until funding resumes. During the 1996 government shutdown, more than 10,000 Medicare applicants were temporarily turned away every day of the shutdown. Government shutdown and social security benefits Existing Social Security payments will continue without disruption during a government shutdown, but people who are newly in need of Social Secuity benefits or in the process of applying for benefits may face significant delays. With fewer employees working to process applications, review qualifications and provide documentations, those seeking to renew or start benefits may have to contend with extended wait times. Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Is Social Security paid during shutdown 2025? Checks on Oct 22? A Democratic lawmaker has moved to have Robert F. Kennedy Jr. impeached over his conduct in office as Health and Human Services Secretary. I am not one for political theater, Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, whos currently running for one of the states Senate seats, told the New York Times. Im for standing up for the health and safety of the people I represent. Its pretty clear that these are life-and-death issues for folks. Secretary Kennedy is carrying out a scientific coup detat of Amer A sudden online sensation erupted over a newly installed crosswalk yesterday on Calcada do Botelho, as netizens presumed to be drivers warned motorists to yield to pedestrians; however, criticism soon mounted regarding potential safety concerns for drivers, leading to the crosswalks removal. A new crosswalk has been added on Calcada do Botelho from Rua do Tarrafeiro. Please yield to pedestrians, read a Facebook post accompanied by a photo of road workers installing the zebra crossing. The post quickly garnered numerous comments, with many questioning the authorities decision. Comments included remarks such as, This design does more harm than good Its bound to cause trouble sooner or later, and, Has there been a recent accident? Why add a crosswalk when it was perfectly fine before? Others expressed concerns about traffic conditions, asking, Shouldnt crosswalks be installed based on traffic conditions? Additionally, one commenter noted, Buses are always overloaded, especially when stopping at the top of slopes and restarting. This design is clearly trying to kill bus drivers genius. Some even speculated that the authorities implemented the crosswalk to turn the area into a tourist photo spot. Additionally, a post cautioned motorcycle riders: Be cautious of sudden braking by vehicles ahead when ascending the Camoes area. Dont tailgate too closely. If the vehicle in front is a truck or bus, its best to wait at the bottom of the slope until it reaches the top before proceeding; otherwise, youll slide backward and be stuck. As the zebra crossing continued to attract attention online, it was soon discovered that it had been removed. Another post, accompanied by a picture of the site, questioned, Has the zebra crossing vanished again? Meanwhile, the incident also prompted numerous netizens to create AI-generated parodies online, with many referencing another recent hot topic the installation of Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems. The matter arose during a recent regular meeting of the Islands District Community Service Consultative Council, where a committee member made a pre-agenda statement proposing improvements and reforms to the management of Macau-Taipa bridges. Among the suggestions was the installation of ETC systems on the citys four bridges, with tolls adjusted based on time of day and vehicle type to increase charges on congested sections, thereby aiming to reduce traffic congestion. Notably, the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge originally charged vehicles excluding ambulances, police cars, and similar vehicles tolls ranging from MOP3 to MOP20 per crossing. It also offered ticket packages for 15 and 30 crossings, valid for 15 and 30 days respectively, with half-price discounts available for these packages, excluding taxis and collective passenger transport, until the system was abolished in 1982. DSAT issues response In response to comments on social media regarding the temporary pedestrian crossing arrangements near Praca de Luis de Camoes, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) issued a statement late yesterday afternoon. It clarified that the decision to relocate the temporary zebra crossing originally planned at the junction of Calcada do Botelho and Largo de Santo Antonio was based on on-site inspections and traffic assessments conducted in collaboration with the police and the contractor. The temporary pedestrian passageway has now been moved to the vicinity of St. Anthonys Church. The bureau emphasized that this crossing arrangement is temporary and is intended solely to accommodate roadworks beginning today at Largo de Santo Antonio. Like this: Like Loading... House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republican leadership on Tuesday held a press conference with reporters as the federal government shutdown entered its 21st day. Amid growing frustration, Johnson has indicated he will not recall lawmakers to Washington for votes until the government is reopened. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a Republican-backed continuing resolution for the 11th time. Following the failed vote, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) suggested it may be time for the House to reconvene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It remains unclear how long the stalemate will continue, as hundreds of thousands of federal workers are set to miss another paycheck in the coming days. Several states have begun warning that key federal programs could soon be suspended entirely. This article contains live updates from Johnsons press conference, which ended around 10:30 a.m Tuesday. Johnson casts blame on Democrats Johnson opened the news conference just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, saying the U.S. is now in Day 21 of the Democrat shutdown. Its now three weeks since the Democrats decided to shut down the federal government, Johnson said. And yet again, Senate Democrats voted to prolong the pain and keep the government closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far what this shutdown has caused to the people of this country is really unconscionable and the U.S. economy has now lost hundreds of billions of dollars. We have federal workers who are desperate for pay and uncertain the they will get their next paycheck. Johnson added that the Democrats seem not to care. Speaker repeats false claim about Democrats healthcare proposal Johnson again claimed that Democrats are demanding for taxpayer-funded health benefits to be restored to illegal aliens. He singled out Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries for giving into the demands of their far left base in New York and around the country. And theyre demanding that we spend billions of dollars overseas for ridiculous programs that American people do not support, Johnson continued. It is unforgivable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the shutdown, Democrats have called for reversing the Medicaid cuts and extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire in December. The Democratic proposal would restore access to federally funded health care for lawfully present authorized immigrants, but would not extend coverage to individuals without legal status, as Johnson and his GOP allies have claimed. Johnson: Republicans are trying to fix the problems Democrats created Johnson: They are decrying the so-called forthcoming health care crisis. It's the one that they themselves created. The Democrats created Obamacare. Republicans are trying to fix it. They are trying to blame Republicans for the crisis they themselves created pic.twitter.com/VascvVlMLH Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Johnson shifts focus to Epstein files The Speaker shifted the focus momentarily to the ongoing controversy surrounding the release of sealed federal files related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Bipartisan House Committee on oversight is conducting its investigation into the heinous crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, Johnson said. And it has continued, it has not stopped. You have some of, as Id like to say, the toughest bulldogs in Congress, on the Republican and Democrat side, who are united in this cause for maximum transparency. Johnson on Epstein: We want maximum transparency. That is exactly what the American people are getting right now. pic.twitter.com/tbuuipA5Q4 Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Johnson said that some Democrats, sadly even a couple Republicans, have tried to make this a political issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They seem to be more interested in trying somehow to lay a glove on the president than securing justice for these victims, the Speaker added. I think thats shameful. Last month, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed a discharge petition with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a floor vote compelling the Justice Department to release sealed files related to the Epstein investigation. The petition, which needs 218 signatures to proceed, is currently one short of the threshold as Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) waits to be sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Johnson has stated he will delay the swearing-in ceremony until the government shutdown ends, leaving the petition on hold until Grijalva is able to add her signature. Comer: Evidence tied to Epstein case does not implicate Trump Following Johnsons opening remarks, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) briefly took the podium to defend Donald Trump as Democrats continue to scrutinize the presidents documented relationship with Epstein. Comer: The evidence we gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way. Public reporting, survivor testimony, and official documents show that Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein pic.twitter.com/p2SYkexCI1 Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Trump has expressed concern to allies about the potential mention of his associates in the Epstein documents, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter. He has also reportedly worried that the files could be doctored to be used against him. McClain takes aim at nationwide No Kings rallies Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) condemned last weekends nationwide No Kings protests, which Johnson had previously called hate America rallies. McClain: While Democrats were marching with their radical mobs, Republicans were actually meeting with Americans. pic.twitter.com/xQnQLaW0fL Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 While Democrats were marching with their radical mobs, Republicans were actually meeting with Americans, McClain said, listening, helping and learning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) reacted to McClains statement in a post on X: One side is fighting tooth and nail to bring down health care costs for the American people. And the other is taking a month-long vacation. Millions of protestors turned out last Saturday for the No Kings demonstrations to decry the Trump administrations immigration tactics and its push for federal and military intervention in Democratic-led states. On Saturday, Trump posted what appeared to be an AI-generated video of him flying a fighter jet over the United States while dumping feces on protesters. Johnson escalates claims of left-wing violence after Capitol rioters arrest A Capitol rioter who was previously pardoned by Trump was arrested over the weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked by a reporter about the threat made on Jeffries life, Johnson said he did not know any of the details on this at all. Anybody who threatens political violence against elected officials or anyone else should have the full weight and measure of the Department of Justice on their head, Johnson continued. I hope that happens. I hope it will. According to court documents obtained by CBS News, Christopher Moynihan was taken into custody on Sunday after sending text messages stating his intention to eliminate Jeffries ahead of the congressmans scheduled appearance at an event in New York City on Monday. While addressing the reporters question about Jeffries, Johnson alleged that the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rhetoric you saw on display Saturday, we highlighted yesterday, plays into this, he continued. There are people that get triggered deranged people in society when they hear elected officials participating in a rally that was paid for by (George) Soros and sponsored by communists. Right-wing extremist violence has accounted for the majority of U.S. domestic terrorism fatalities since 2001approximately 75% to 80% according to analyses from the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Anti-Defamation League. Johnson on pardoned Capitol rioter charged for making threats towards Hakeem Jeffries: I will tell you this, the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. The rhetoric you saw on display Saturday, we highlighted yesterday, plays into this. pic.twitter.com/Gw7Mwh2fDQ Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Johnson lists off media headlines about shutdown effects Johnson read off a number of headlines from multiple media outlets that have reported on the harmful effects of the shutdown. Yesterday from NBC News, heres the headline: Air traffic control staffing issues cause flight delays across the country, Johnson said. Secretary of Transportation (Sean Duffy) said 53% of flight delays are now due to staffing issues, and usually that number is 5%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Speaker continued: From Colorado, Food banks face growing crises as shutdown impacts become a reality. Thats the headline from Sky-Hi News. What are Colorados two Democrat senators doing? Johnson said the Democrats are to blame for the harm that shutdowns caused hardworking Americans while 99.5% of the House Republicans understand exactly what we are doing. Reporter: Some of your members are uncomfortable for being out on recess for a month so why not bring the house back. Johnson: First of all 99.5% of the house Republicans understand exactly what we are doing. They agree with it. We'll have another conference call later. They pic.twitter.com/h5PDFtYfNR Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 A recent YouGov/The Economist poll showed that a greater share of respondents blame Trump and the GOP for the shutdown than they do Democrats. According to the poll, 39% of Americans hold the president and congressional Republicans responsible for the government, while 33% blame congressional Democrats. An additional 20% said both parties share equal blame, and 8% were unsure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to Johnsons news conference, Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Penn.) said the Speaker needed to get a strategy to end the inaction of House Republicans. Thanks to the inaction of House Republicans, nearly 24 million Americans are facing a shutdown of their health care, our dedicated federal workers are missing paychecks, and critical federal services have come to a halt- its time for Speaker Johnson to get a strategy. Step 1: https://t.co/IBVWKfEXTu Congressman Dwight Evans (@RepDwightEvans) October 21, 2025 Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) As the government shutdown continues, some people in the Wabash Valley will soon be feeling the pain, if theyve not already. Food assistance programs are gearing up for what they fear could be sustained needs in the coming days. The ongoing government shutdown may have a major impact in the Wabash Valley. Those receiving government paychecks, snap benefits and other assistance could see that money disappear. Its a really scary time honestly for families to think about not being able to put food on the table, but especially for some of those really special holiday times, said Jessica Murphy, Development Manager for Terre Haute Catholic Charities. At Terre Haute Catholic Charities foodbank, they said their goal during this government shutdown is to continuously provide food for the community. Catholic Charities is a distribution center, and their job is to source food for local food programs, pantries, schools, and soup kitchens. Murphy said she expects a spike in those who need food assistance. We are ready to serve our neighbors 100 percent, said Murphy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, even for Catholic Charities, this government shutdown creates problems. They may be unable to place food orders through USDA and other federal programs. In order provide continuous food, Catholic Charities has turned to retail partners though the Feeding America Network. We are a part of that network and thats exactly what we do. We all partner together to make sure that the food is needed is getting out into those communities, said Murphy. Catholic Charities serves 7 counties and has nearly 30 mobile pantries that visit more rural areas. So, of course we hope that the shutdown ends. If it doesnt like I said we are confident that we will have the food available to provide to those who need it, said Murphy. For more information visit, THE HAUTE | Food Pantries in Terre Haute & Vigo County, Indiana or Catholic Charities Terre Haute Terre Haute, 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 MyWabashValley.com. ATLANTA (WSAV) Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is calling for a stronger, more skilled workforce to keep pace with the states record-setting economic growth. Speaking at the third annual Governors Workforce Summit in Atlanta, Kemp said Georgia continues to lead the nation in job creation and business investment, but the next challenge is filling those positions with qualified workers. It means stepping into a better-paying job and ensuring that no matter where you live in our state, you can access opportunity, Kemp said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last fiscal year, Georgia attracted $26 billion in new investments and created more than 23,000 high-paying jobs, marking another milestone in its 12-year streak as the No. 1 state to do business. Robbie Vickers, Chief Information Officer for the Technical College System of Georgia, said the states education and training programs are key to maintaining that momentum. We dont want to be complacent, Vickers said. At TCSG, were the teaching arm, helping Georgians retrain in areas like AI to make sure theyre prepared. Kemp emphasized the importance of building a pipeline from high school to higher education, with strong partnerships between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia to meet growing demand in fields like manufacturing and healthcare. The need is there for all parts of healthcare, nursing, doctors, technicians, Vickers added. As new businesses move into rural areas, the demand for healthcare only grows. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One major initiative helping students plan their futures is the Georgia Match Program, now in its third year. The program automatically sends high school seniors personalized acceptance letters from Georgia colleges and universities, showing them where theyve already been admitted based on academic eligibility. This week, more than 136,000 letters were sent to students statewide. Last year, the initiative helped over 24,000 students claim college spots and boosted enrollment across Georgias public institutions. Kemp also unveiled the new Georgia Career Navigator, a tool to help students and parents explore education and career pathways, whether that means college, technical training or military service. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) Governor Patrick Morrisey announced 60 illegal immigrants were arrested in one month in West Virginia. According to a press release, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Governor Morrisey announced that 60 illegal immigrants were arrested in the Mountain State by the West Virginia State Police since operations with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) program started. Man arrested for running drug lab in Summers County My administration continues to take aggressive action to combat illegal immigration with the support of President Donald Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE. Our intent is to take any legal action necessary to protect West Virginians. If you are here illegally, if you are caught breaking our laws, if you are smuggling drugs you will be arrested, you will be tried, and if found guilty, you will pay a heavy price. Governor Morrisey The press release stated that nine people were arrested for being in the United States illegally after members of the West Virginia State Police Turnpike, the West Virginia Public Service Commission, ICE, and DEA were at I-77 exit 48 leading onto US Route 19 northbound on Saturday, October 18, 2025 to help with traffic on Bridge Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the press release, nine more illegal immigrants were arrested by the West Virginia State Police and ICE at a similar setup on US Route 19 near I-79, which resulted in a total of 18 arrests. Governor Morrisey announces the arrest of 12 undocumented immigrants in West Virginia Governor Morriseys leadership has given the State Police the tools to crack down on illegal immigration and carry out our duty to protect West Virginians. We will continue to take any action allowed under the law to arrest and detain those who have violated our countrys immigration laws. Col. Jim Mitchell | Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police Working tirelessly through the current federal funding lapse, ICE ERO Philadelphia remains fully engaged with our West Virginia partners. Through the 287(g) partnership our joint efforts have already led to the arrests of 60 illegal aliens, and we will continue working together throughout the shutdown to safeguard the United States of America. David ONeill | Acting Philadelphia Field Office Director The press release stated that five illegal immigrants were arrested on Sunday, October 12, 2025 after an operation was carried out on the West Virginia Turnpike. A previous announcement was made by Governor Morrisey about 37 arrests made since September 22, 2025 by ICE and the West Virginia State Police, bringing the total number of arrests up to 60. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) On Oct. 26, visitors to the Grand Rapids Downtown Market can attend the second annual Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market, an outdoor Halloween seasonal art market with over 45 vendors. Theres going to be a lot of really cool, eclectic stuff at this market, Kristen Aidif, public event manager for the Downtown Market, said. New cafe at Grand Rapids Downtown Market will offer cheese counter, wine bar, coffee Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Artists and vendors will have a variety of Halloween themed crafts and esoteric items for sale, including taxidermy, tarot cards, bone jewelry, paranormal literature and more. Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Shoppers and artisan vendors attend the Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market at Grand Rapids Downtown Market. (Courtesy Grand Rapids Downtown Market) Weve got a Michigan author that has written three books about paranormal activity in Grand Rapids, Aidif said. The Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market overlaps with Fall Flavors, a food and dining promotion at Grand Rapids Downtown Market that advertises limited time autumnal treats from their various indoor businesses. Over 400 artists to attend Grand Rapids Tattoo Festival October is a great time to check out the market, Aidif said. Check out those fall flavors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merchants of the Macabre Oddities Market will take place 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and it is free to attend. For more information on the event, visit the Grand Rapids Downtown Market 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 WOODTV.com. SHERIDAN, Ark. The Grant County Quorum Court met Monday night to discuss a resolution signaling the countys preliminary intent to negotiate a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement with Sheridan Data Center LLC, a company operating under Clean Cloud Energy, for a proposed data and solar center in Grant County. Grant County Judge Randy Pruitt said the resolution does not authorize construction or finalize any agreement but allows officials to continue learning about the proposal before making a decision. We are presenting two resolutions tonight, Pruitt said. These resolutions just say that were willing to move forward with planning the project and seeing what the total project will look like because they are asking for an abatement, which is a discount on their taxes. Before we make that decision, wed like to see exactly what the project as a whole looks like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vilonia residents share concern after meeting for proposed cryptocurrency mining facility is pushed back Pruitt emphasized that the resolution is nonbinding. We could pass it tonight and decide its not for us tomorrow, he said. The proposal outlines two connected components a 753-acre site for the data center and an adjacent 3,200-acre solar project. According to Pruitt, Clean Cloud Energy plans to sell the data center to a major technology company, such as Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, or Meta, while retaining ownership of the solar portion and leasing it. Were not sure they havent told us who the end user is, if they even know now. Theyre just going to put the package together to present it to some large names, Pruitt said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He clarified that the project would not involve cryptocurrency mining. Were not interested in any type of bitcoin or blockchain facility, Pruitt said. This is a proposed data storage facility. Environmental and community factors remain central to the countys evaluation. Noise pollution, light pollution, the use of a lot of water those are all concerns, Pruitt said. We want to see those exact usages and how theyll be mitigated to see if its a fit for our community. Pruitt added that the county wants to ensure any development would be a good neighbor to surrounding areas. We dont want to bring a nuisance into our community, he said. We have a great quorum court that cares about this community. There are neighborhoods close by, and we want to make sure we dont cause issues for people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A closer look at crypto mining sites as it raises concerns for many Arkansans The judge noted the project could represent a significant tax revenue source, estimating around $300 million over the life of the project. I just hope that people will be patient with us and let us work our way through this, Pruitt said. Were trying to learn about data centers and want to make the right decision. Residents Raise Transparency and Water Concerns Several residents voiced opposition during public comment, citing environmental, water, and transparency concerns. Heather Boykin said the community has struggled to find reliable information about the company and the project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The main worry we have is any kind of big companies coming into our little town, Boykin said. Trying to find information about the company has been very difficult. Boykin said she found online reports of lawsuits and disputes tied to data centers in other states. They are messing with the water, taking over the power, increasing power costs, she said. Its all lawsuits. She added that more than 600 residents have signed a petition expressing opposition to the proposal. The main thing were all worried about is that nothing is really honest and open to us, Boykin said. How is this going to affect our aquifer? These giant companies pull a lot of water to cool their machines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boykin questioned whether potential tax revenue would outweigh possible costs. Is that really going to do any good if we dont have water? she asked. Or if our power prices are so high families have to move? Brody Channell echoed concerns about water resources. Were not tied to the Arkansas River or Lake Ouachita, Channell said. The only source of water we have is underneath us. If we start depleting that and its not regenerating fast enough, where do we go for water? Channell said his frustration was aimed less at local officials and more at the lack of transparency from the company. They try to push these things through smaller communities, he said. This could affect any number of counties in Arkansas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Google confirms data center to be built in West Memphis He questioned whether the deal offered enough benefit for the risk. Were being asked to trust a company we dont know with a potentially five- or six-billion-dollar project, Channell said. The deal doesnt seem fair for the community given the potential risks. Background Clean Cloud Energy lists corporate offices in Connecticut, New York, Austin, Texas, and New Jersey. Its website describes the company as an energy and digital infrastructure firm that develops integrated energy campuses for hyperscale data centers. The company says it has developed 8 gigawatts of energy projects worldwide and raised more than $7 billion in managed funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the resolution discussed and passed Monday marks a formal step in exploring the proposed data and solar center. No final decisions have been made. The judge mention it could also still be six months away for them to know who a potential owner for the center would be, and negotiations could take even longer than that. We tried reaching out to Clean Cloud Energy on Monday Morning via call, as of Monday night, during the time the story was running, there had been no response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. The state Legislatures evaluation committee for Act 310Senate Bill 933has officially opened the application process for $50 million in nonprofit grants, offering relief to organizations affected by federal funding reductions across the state. The grants, appropriated to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Office of Community Services for fiscal year 2025 2026, are intended to sustain critical community services in areas such as health care, human services, child care, education, homelessness and food security. To administer the program, OCS has contracted Aloha United Way to manage the application and processing of submissions. However, AUW will not play a role in selecting grant recipients or determining award amounts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A selection committee of State Legislators will be making all determinations on the Act 310 Nonprofit Grants, officials confirmed. The funding comes at a time when many Hawaii nonprofits are grappling with significant reductions or delays in federal grants. In recent months, Hawaii nonprofits have increasingly felt the squeeze from looming federal cutbacks. According to a report by UHERO and the Hawaii Community Foundation, 74 federal grants worth $126 million awarded to 59 Hawaii nonprofits are now considered politically vulnerable, with a large share concentrated in health care, human services, education and Native Hawaiian programs. Many organizations report delayed payments, reduced renewals of grant awards and outright terminations of federal contracts. Some human services nonprofits rely on federal grants for 36 % of their budgetsand for some, Washington funding accounts for over 20 % of total revenue. Meanwhile, cutbacks in federal safety-net programssuch as reductions in Medicaid, SNAP and program eliminationsare compounding the pressure on local service providers already trying to fill gaps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Donovan M. Dela Cruz (D, Mililani-Wahiawa-Whitmore Village ), chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, said that with federal funding becoming increasingly unreliable, Act 310 ensures that we are stepping up to preserve essential services and serve the people who depend on them. Numerous nonprofit organizations in Hawaii provide essential health and human services, State Rep. Daniel Holt (D, Sand Island-Iwilei-Chinatown ) added. State-administered grants will play a critical role in addressing federal funding gaps, so that our community partners can continue delivering vital services that our families and residents rely on. According to program guidelines, to be eligible, applicants must be nonprofits that existed before Jan. 1 and fall into one of two categories :Directly affected providers : Organizations that have sustained a reduction or termination of federal funding since Jan. 20, including formal terminations, reductions in awarded funds or non-renewals in federal programs. Applicants must provide documentation such as termination or rescission letters, current and prior year award notices or federal budget references showing the programs omission.Indirectly affected providers : Organizations that are not direct federal funding recipients but primarily serve populations negatively impacted by funding cuts. Acceptable documentation includes client service data, third-party verification from affected programs or local impact reports, along with a narrative explaining how reduced federal support has affected the community served. Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities, said Michelle Bartell, president and CEO of Aloha United Way. Aloha United Way is proud to support the Office of Community Services in administering Act 310, ensuring Hawaiis nonprofit sector has the resources it needs to keep vital services available for those who need them most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The (808ne.ws /48wZmUH ) opened Oct. 13 and the deadline to apply is Friday at 4 :30 p.m. Required documents include an IRS Determination Letter, proof of active status with the Attorney Generals Office, a Certificate of Good Standing from the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, a Hawaii Compliance Express Certificate (within six months ), by-laws or corporate resolutions and proof of funding impact. No late applications will be accepted. In a discovery that ties the biology of aging to cancer risk, scientists from the University of Tokyo have found that the same type of skin stem cell can either fade hair color or trigger skin cancerdepending on the kind of damage it experiences. The findings reveal how the bodys microscopic stress responses can shape both aging and disease. The Stem Cells that Give Hair Its Color Hair color is derived from pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes, which develop from melanocyte stem cells in the bulge region of each hair follicle. With age, these cells tend to decrease, leading to gray or white hair. Occasionally, though, they remain and mutate, with a higher risk of melanoma, a potentially fatal skin cancer. Scientists had long known that loss of McSC causes hair graying. What scientists wanted to know was why some stem cells vanish harmlessly and others live long enough to become deadly. The researchers, led by Professor Emi Nishimura and Assistant Professor Yasuaki Mohri, traced the tip to how these cells react to damage and to the chemical messages they get from nearby cells, which are known as their niche. Genotoxic insults drive divergent outcomes in melanocyte stem cells (McSCs). Under cytotoxic genotoxin exposure, such as X-ray irradiation, McSC self-renewal is impaired, leading to depletion and hair graying. (CREDIT: Emi K. Nishimura from The University of Tokyo, Japan) Two Types of Cellular Damage The researchers exposed McSCs in the mice to two stresses: DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs)a negative form of genomic injuryand carcinogens such as ultraviolet B light or the chemical DMBA. When DSBs were induced, the stem cells activated a built-in safety mechanism called senescence-coupled differentiation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Involving the p53p21 pathway, the mechanism keeps defective stem cells from self-renewal. Instead, they grow into pigment cells and ultimately are lost. The end is hair graying, but the cost is protectionthose beaten cells cant become cancerous any more. All of this changed when carcinogens were added to the mixture. Even though there was DNA damage, the carcinogens prevented McSCs from dwindling. Instead, a survival circuit took over. A metabolic pathway that was fueled by arachidonic acid and a signaling molecule called KIT ligand (KITL), produced by neighboring skin cells, encouraged the damaged stem cells to keep dividing. That persistence, useful as it was for maintaining pigmentation, made the cells more likely to turn into melanoma. Age- and IR-associated McSC depletion and resultant hair graying. (CREDIT: Nature Cell Biology) Observing McSCs Make Their Choice By using long-term imaging in mice, Nishimuras researchers monitored behavior of McSC in real-time. Juvenile mice had healthy stores of stem cells that restored color at each growth cycle. Older mice had run out most of these cells, illustrating how depletion makes hair follicles age. When DSB-inducing radiation was applied to the animals, McSC numbers plummeted, mimicking premature graying. But in the mice, which had also been treated with carcinogens, the cell loss expected in response to the radiation essentially was not therethe carcinogens had overruled the protective reduction response. Molecular analyses revealed that the surviving cells had triggered arachidonic acid metabolism, and that KITL levels in nearby epidermis increased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When KITL was removed from the system, damaged McSCs were lost and graying of hair recurred. Administering supplemental KITL reversed this loss, showing how niche signals can dictate cell survival and death. DMBA antagonizes IR-induced hair graying via AA metabolism. (CREDIT: Nature Cell Biology) One Cell, Two Fates The results refer to an intriguing duality. One of the stem cell populations can branch out in two directions: exhaustion, causing visible aging but being protective against cancer, or persistence, preserving pigmentation but being vulnerable to melanoma. As Nishimura explained, The same stem cell population can follow antagonistic fatesexhaustion or expansiondepending on the type of stress and microenvironmental signals. This suggests that graying hair and melanoma are not separate events, but collateral branches of the same biological decision tree. One branches off in the direction of security at the cost of youth; the other preserves vigor at the cost of stability. Aging, Protection, and Risk While the implication that graying may be protective against cancer is bordering on the poetic, the researchers warn against oversimplifying the association. It is not hair color that determines cancer risk but rather the bodys mechanism to remove damaged stem cells. Its a reminder of how processes of aging such as graying are actually defense mechanisms in and of themselves and not just precursors to decline. A stem-cell-based phenotypic antagonism between hair graying and melanoma. (CREDIT: Nature Cell Biology) At the same time, disrupting that process could have the opposite consequence. Trying to salvage or revive pigment-producing stem cells might retain healthy young hair but inadvertently encourage the survival of cells that contain dangerous mutations. Any therapy of McSCs will need to be an artful balancing act between delaying aging and avoiding cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The research provides a new model describing how the body balances protection and regeneration. It postulates that what we describe as aging could, in some cases, be the bodys way of avoiding worse scenarios. That gray hair or cell loss is not necessarily defeats but some indication of self-protective mechanismsproof the body knows when to stop regenerating to avoid disease. Practical Implications of the Research This discovery opens the door for new therapies that would modulate the reaction of stem cells to injury. From knowing the function of the KITL pathway and arachidonic acid metabolism in McSC survival, researchers can create ways to induce regeneration in aged tissues safely or enhance cancer prevention. For example, removing damaged cells by disrupting the KITL signal can destroy them before they become malignant. Or, interfering with the seno-differentiation process can slow observable aging without compromising safety. These results can deliver smarter treatments for skin aging, dermal pigmentation disorders, and even prevention of melanomasuniting cosmetic and medical science. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Research findings are available online in the journal Nature Cell Biology. Related Stories Like these kind of feel good stories? Get The Brighter Side of News newsletter. Ten native American tribes around the Great Lakes have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the high court to find against Canadian oil transport giant Enbridge in its legal dispute with the state of Michigan over the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline on the Straits of Mackinac lake bottom. The Mackinac Bridge seen from Straits State Park in St. Ignace in July 2014. "The Anishinaabe way of life relies on the Great Lakes ecosystem and the Straits of Mackinac in particular," wrote the tribes' legal representative, attorney Caroline Flynn of Earthjustice, a Washington-based nonprofit public interest environmental law organization that litigates high-impact cases to protect the environment, health, and wildlife. Flynn noted that five of the tribes she represents in the brief hold treaty rights dating to 1836 to use the Straits of Mackinac and surrounding lands and waters the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For centuries, citizens of those Tribal Nations have sustainably harvested fish in northern Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and the Straits of Mackinac, among other reserved uses.," Flynn stated in her brief. "Today, the Straits remain among the most important and productive of all of the ceded waters for Tribal citizens, who continue to fish these waters for subsistence and income." Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit against Enbridge in state court on June 27, 2019, seeking to halt Enbridge's continued operation of Line 5 in the Straits. The attorney general alleges violations of public trust doctrine, public nuisance and the Michigan Environmental Protection Act. Enbridge sought to move the case to federal court on Dec. 15, 2021, arguing that federal laws pertaining to interstate pipelines and the potential complications with Canadian-U.S. pipeline treaties supersede state law. But federal law enacted by Congress requires a party to seek to remove a state case to federal court within 30 days. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan initially upheld Enbridge's move. The U.S. Court of Appeals then reversed the district court's finding, instead ruling that Enbridge's move after the 30-day deadline was untimely and no exceptions applied. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up that specific argument on whether the 30-day limit on moving a state case to federal court applies, or if any exceptions to that rule apply in its new term, which runs from October 2025 through the end of June or beginning of July 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flynn argues on behalf of the Great Lakes tribes that the Court of Appeals got it right in its ruling that Enbridge filed its request to remove the state case to federal court beyond the statutory 30-day deadline. "(The Great Lakes tribes) and the rest of the Great Lakes community have a paramount interest in the timely resolution of the States claims against the aging Straits Pipelines continued operation," she stated. "If it were not for Enbridges procedural gamesmanship, the merits of this state public-trust dispute may well have been settled long ago and the risks to (the tribes') critical treaty-protected resources addressed. That is exactly why Congress limited the period for jurisdictional maneuvering and imposed only explicit, well-defined exceptions to that timeframe." More: Trump administration intervenes in Line 5 Straits pipeline lawsuit, taking Enbridge's side A second federal lawsuit involving Michigan and Enbridge, filed over Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's November 2020 move to revoke the company's 1953 easement to use state bottomlands in the Straits of Mackinac for Line 5, was already removed to, and is pending in, federal court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Built in 1953, Enbridge's Line 5 moves 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids per day east through the Upper Peninsula, splitting into twin underwater pipelines on the Straits of Mackinac bottom, before returning to a single transmission pipeline through the Lower Peninsula that runs south to Sarnia, Ontario. Many have expressed concern about the aging pipes over several years, as anchor strikes, missing pipeline supports and loss of protective pipeline coating have been discovered. A 30-inch oil transmission line also owned by Enbridge ruptured in July 2010 in Marshall, spilling more than 1.1 million gallons of oil, fouling 38 miles of the Kalamazoo River and prompting a cleanup that took four years and more than $1 billion. Many fear a similar pipeline mishap on the Straits bottom, where Great Lakes Michigan and Huron meet, would be greatly more devastating. More: As oil and gas development potentially increases, dangerous incidents sometimes happen Enbridge maintains that the pipelines are vital for regional energy transmission and have been operated safely for more than seven decades. The company is currently proposing to build a 21-foot diameter, 3.6-mile tunnel underneath the bed of the Straits of Mackinac to house a new, 30-inch diameter pipeline to move the oil and natural gas liquids. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tribes urge U.S. Supreme Court to take their side on Enbridge pipeline Local telecom operator Companhia de Telecomunicacoes de Macau (CTM), which recently secured a two-year extension of its exclusive franchise contract, announced yesterday its plans for a one-time reduction in communication service fees next year, highlighting the initiative as a major fee reduction. CTM anticipates an investment of approximately MOP33 million to enhance its services, automatically granting its customers the discounts without the need for application or registration. Ebel Cham, vice president of Commercial at CTM, stated during a press conference that the company aims to support the Macau government in creating a better business environment and improving citizens sense of fulfillment, particularly focusing on small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers. The initiative aims to benefit SMEs, large corporations, government entities, and individual customers by providing several discounts on communication services. Specifically, it includes four monthly fee reductions of 20% for commercial fiber broadband services in January, April, July, and October 2026. For customers using commercial internet telephony services, monthly fees will be reduced to MOP140, while those subscribing to commercial broadband will pay MOP112, achieving discounts of up to 44%. Large enterprises and government entities will receive a 20% discount on commercial fiber broadband fees and a 10% discount on network access fees in January and July 2026. Individual customers will benefit from a 10% discount on home fiber broadband fees four times throughout 2026. Additionally, the cost for extra mobile data will be reduced from MOP13 per 100MB to MOP8, a 38.5% decrease. Over the years, weve implemented substantial fee reductions. Whether its products or services, we regularly introduce new promotional packages, stated Cham in response to a media inquiry regarding the sincerity behind the fee reduction initiative. She emphasized that CTM typically launches new offers every one to two months. Converting Macau into a smart city The Macau Post and Telecommunications Bureau (CTT) has reiterated its commitment to developing Macaus smart city, while CTM announced plans to create three major AI models, including one for enhancing smart transportation. Cham emphasized the importance of technological innovation for Macaus economic diversification. She acknowledged the challenges of identifying widespread AI applications in a city known for international tourism, pointing out the lack of foundational development plans for areas such as autonomous driving, which require regulatory frameworks and insurance support. Last year, CTM launched its AI application development initiative, starting with a smart customer service solution for the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) that offers multilingual capabilities. Cham noted that building the envisioned large AI models requires significant effort and training to integrate localized information with diverse cultural contexts. Expressing optimism about collaborating with partners to expedite deployment of relevant application scenarios, she announced that the company plans to prioritize the development of a Portuguese-focused language model, tailored specifically for Macaus market. For example, when tourists ask questions in various languages especially during events like the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries having real-time translation support is vital, Cham noted. She believes that this platform will eventually enhance translation capabilities and foster mutually beneficial partnerships with other countries. Additionally, the telecom company announced its intention to integrate Baidu Maps technology to improve travel and tourism experiences in Macau, emphasizing the need for comprehensive deployment and planning frameworks to ensure immediate service provision in response to local demand. Like this: Like Loading... Over the weekend, the British Museum held their inaugural Pink Ball to fundraise for the institution. The event, held near the Parthenon Marbles, was criticized by the Greek government as discussions over the return of the famous sculptures remain ongoing. The Ministry of Culture has repeatedly and consistently condemned dinners, receptions, and fashion shows organized in museum spaces where monuments and works of art are exhibited, Lina Mendoni, the Greek minister of culture, said in a statement, per Artnet News. The safety, integrity, and ethics of the monuments should be the main concern of the British Museum, which, once again, demonstrates provocative indifference. She added, Such actions are offensive to cultural assets and endanger the exhibits themselves. This is exactly what the British Museum administration did last Saturday, once again using the Parthenon Sculptures as decorative elements for the dinner it organized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An aide to Greek Prime Kyriakos Mitsotakis told The Times that Mendonis comments dont impact their ongoing discussions over the return of the marbles. Alas, these sort of events have become common, but we will continue with efforts to negotiate a deal for the return of the Marbles. The last update on the talks over the return of the sculptures came in December 2024, when The Guardian reported a deal was close. At the time, a spokesperson for the British Museum said, Discussions with Greece about a Parthenon partnership are ongoing and constructive. We believe that this kind of long-term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum. You Might Also Like ATHENS, Greece (AP) Greeces conservative government is seeking to ban protests at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, an iconic monument outside Parliament in Athens which has frequently been the site of demonstrations. Opposition parties accuse the prime minister of intolerance and of sowing division. The area in front of the monument has become the focal point for protests by some of the relatives of victims of Greeces deadliest train crash. The February 2023 disaster, in which a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions collided after being put on the same track, killed 57 people, mostly students returning to university after a public holiday. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis government submitted an amendment to the law governing the care of the monument that would allow access to visitors but ban protests or any physical changes to the area. Violators would face a fine or up to one years imprisonment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The amendment triggered a heated parliamentary debate Tuesday, while a few hundred people turned out for a protest called by the left-wing Syriza party outside parliament in the evening. Voting on the bill was pushed to Wednesday morning after the Communist Party called for a roll call vote. With the governing conservatives holding a comfortable parliamentary majority, the amendment was expected to pass. The train crash in Tempi, central Greece, exposed severe deficiencies in Greeces railway network, including in safety systems, and triggered mass anti-government protests. Critics accuse authorities of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or holding senior officials accountable. Some have also accused the government of a cover-up, claiming the freight train was carrying undeclared chemicals that caused a giant fireball which might have caused some of the deaths. A makeshift memorial for the rail disaster victims has been set up in the small square in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with the names of the victims written in red paint on the ground, surrounded by candles and flowerpots. Panos Ruci, whose 22-year-old son Denis was killed in the crash, recently staged a 23-day hunger strike camped out at the memorial, demanding his sons body be exhumed for toxicology and DNA tests to determine the exact cause of death. Judicial authorities granted permission in early October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With respect to the parents, to those parents who chose this way to protest, I ask them to consider whether they are giving some unscrupulous politicians the opportunity to appropriate their grief, Mitsotakis said during the parliamentary debate. The disaster has become a major political issue in Greece. Rucis lawyer, Zoe Konstantopoulou, is the leader of a small left-wing party and a member of parliament. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a cenotaph in honor of those who died fighting for Greece, and a popular tourist stop for visitors wanting to see the hourly changing of the presidential guard. The government argues it is a national monument that must be protected. In this sacred area, gatherings and protests of any kind will not be allowed, ... nor will damage be tolerated in the name of any protest, no matter how reasonable the demands sound, Mitsotakis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is not a board for posting demands, no matter how respectable they may be. It is a cenotaph, he added. But opposition parties argue the move is a direct reaction to anti-government protests over the Tempi disaster. Rucis hunger strike panicked the prime minister, and everyone around the prime minister, Konstantopoulou said during Tuesdays parliamentary debate. The trial of 36 people charged in connection with the crash is scheduled to start in March. GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) A Greenville County man with a criminal history stretching back decades has been charged with new crimes this month. Hes being held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond. Twenty-nine pages. Thats how long the arrest record is for Robert Voorhees, shared 7NEWS by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. His charges go back to 1993, when he was 17 years old. His latest charges come just this month. Voorhees, 49, was recently charged in connection with the murder of Janet Abrilz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Voorhees has faced a long list of charges including assault and battery, stalking, harassment, burglary, kidnapping, indecent exposure and weapons violations. Sometimes when the magistrates are making these decisions, they dont have the full facts yet, Brandi Hinton, with Ellis Hinton Law said. The full facts have not developed. Theyve got enough to charge somebody. But the case continues to develop and get stronger. So unfortunately, sometimes theyre at the mercy of limited information and a jail that is going to be overcrowded if they deny everybodys bond, its just not an option for them. Hinton, a former federal and state prosecutor who has also worked many cases as a defense attorney, said the system is designed to allow bond to be set, which can lead to repeat violent offenders being released. For repeat sex offenders, plea deals can even get their names off the registry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sometime its in the discretion of the judge and sometimes its just used strictly as a negotiation tool, Hinton said. But its not uncommon for that to come up as a bargaining chip by the defense in order to try to get some sort of plea, but also keep him off the registry. Over the last decade, Voorhees has faced charges including drug and weapons offenses and failure to provide child support. This year alone, hes accused of many of those same charges as well as threatening lives, and now, murder. Murder as its charged now carries a mandatory minimum day for day 30 years at a minimum and up to life, Hinton said. Obviously, Sheriff Lewis has called for the death penalty, which is an evaluation that the solicitors office will make and whether or not thats appropriate to move forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said Voorhees long record and recent arrest highlight ongoing concerns about violent offenders repeatedly getting out on bond. In 2023, South Carolina passed a law cracking down on repeat violent offendersnow requiring full cash bond and tougher penalties for anyone rearrested while on pretrial release. Voorhees is being held here in the Greenville County Detention Center, facing nearly 30 charges since June of last year. At this time its unclear when Voorhees will have his day in court. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A grooming gang inquiry adviser has said that brown men should not be blamed for the scandal. Sabah Kaiser, who is a survivor of child sexual exploitation, said that claiming most of such crimes were committed by Asians was destructive, distracting, irresponsible and not based on evidence. Ms Kaiser, who is acting as a victim liaison officer for the inquiry, said that creating the impression that child sexual abuse in the UK was committed predominantly by men of Pakistani heritage against white girls discounted the experiences of other victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her comments emerged after Fiona Goddard, who was abused by grooming gangs in Bradford from the age of 14, resigned from the inquirys victim liaison panel because she feared it would fail survivors. The grooming inquiry was launched earlier this year by Sir Keir Starmer after a report found that a disproportionate number of Asian men were responsible for grooming, but police avoided investigation for fear of being accused of racism. In an open letter announcing her resignation, Ms Goddard said: [I was] deeply saddened to learn that someone appointed to a senior position within the inquiry had publicly expressed personal views on grooming gangs that directly contradict findings in the Casey report and survivors lived experiences. The Telegraph understands that these comments were directed towards Ms Kaiser, who is acting as a victim liaison officer for the inquiry. Fiona Goddard was groomed and sexually abused during her time in childrens homes in Bradford - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images The Casey report, published by Baroness Casey in June this year, found that even though there was evidence that a disproportionate number of Asian men had been responsible for grooming gangs, their role was covered up by successive governments and authorities over concerns about increasing community tensions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Kaiser, who is working for the NWG Network, a charity, made the remarks in an opinion piece for Al Jazeera in 2023. She wrote the piece in response to comments by Rishi Sunak, the then prime minister, who had suggested that victims of grooming gangs were ignored because of political correctness. Ms Kaiser said she felt it was her responsibility to point out the many problems and dangers that could arise from turning this important issue into a matter of colour and ethnicity. She said: The framing of childhood sexual abuse as a crime committed overwhelmingly by gangs of brown men against young white girls is destructive, distracting and irresponsible, but most importantly, it is not based on evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Kaiser said she believed child sexual abuse was not a problem specific to a single demographic group and that no community in our diverse nation wants this crime to continue with impunity. She added: We need to find new, more effective ways to protect and help all our children, no matter their race, culture or religion. Citing political correctness as a barrier to effective responses to child sexual abuse is nothing but an effort to excuse harmful inaction. She wrote that focusing the discussion of child sexual abuse on South Asian grooming gangs harms not only the stereotyped communities but also victims and survivors everywhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added: Creating the impression that in the UK child sexual abuse is a crime committed predominantly by men of Pakistani heritage against white girls discounts the experiences of victims from ethnic minority communities, as well as those of male children from all races. Ms Kaiser, then working as ethnic minority ambassador to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, concluded: We need to tackle child sexual abuse and we need to do it now. But pulling this important issue into the culture wars of the day is not the way to achieve this. Scapegoating one community without meaningful evidence, only because it fits a certain narrative, would only make us lose sight of the bigger picture and allow predators to avoid detection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Originally from Pakistan, Ms Kaisers family moved to England during the 1970s after her father served with the British Army. Between the ages of seven and 16, she said she was taken advantage of and sexually abused by men visiting her house. Ms Kaiser has previously said she no longer has any form of contact with her family and is no longer a practising Muslim. The Casey report found that flawed data had been used repeatedly to dismiss claims about Asian grooming gangs as sensationalised, biased or untrue. It found an institutional view persisted that there was an overwhelming problem with white perpetrators when that cant be proved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lady Casey said there was enough evidence available in data to show disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation. In her resignation letter, published on Monday morning, Ms Goddard, who was groomed during her time in childrens homes in Bradford in the late 2000s, also criticised the move to select either a social worker or an ex-police officer as the inquiry chairman. Baroness Casey audit of grooming cases was published in June - Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire She said that they represented the very two services that contributed most to the cover-up of the national mass rape and trafficking of children. She said that it showed the Governments complete lack of understanding of the level of corruption and failings involved in this scandal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a later post on X, Ms Goddard said: Just to make it clear, resigning from the survivor panel doesnt mean Ive given up [The] fight will continue. I just wont be gagged and controlled by the Government while they turn this inquiry into a cover-up. A Home Office spokesman said: The abuse of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable. Any suggestion that this inquiry is being watered down is completely wrong we are committed to delivering a robust, thorough inquiry that will get to the truth and provide the answers that survivors have so long campaigned for. We are working urgently to appoint the best chair to take forward this work and deliver justice, putting victims and survivors at the heart of the process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are grateful to all those who have shared their insights with us. We share the concerns around unhelpful speculation while this process is live which is why we will not be providing a running commentary. Ms Kaiser was contacted for comment. 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. Northwestern University says as many as 16 students face the loss of their student status at midnight for refusing that mandatory training, a request to block that action denied by a federal judge. The students, their attorneys and their supporters left court disappointed but defiant. "We believe in our claims. We believe in our clients, and we believe that our claims are meritorious and that the courts will agree at the end of the day," said attorney Maria Nieves Bolanos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A group of students is suing Northwestern, alleging that the school's anti-bias training and policies "prohibit expressions of Palestinian identity" by characterizing "criticism of the state of Israel as antisemitic." "Certain expressions of national origin are permitted at Northwestern and certain are not, and this policy prohibits a specific expression of national origin," said attorney Rima Kapitan. The university says at least 16 students have refused the training and now face the loss of their student status at midnight. The plaintiffs sought a temporary restraining order in federal court, but a judge denied that request, finding Northwestern did not engage in discrimination. In fact, the school's attorneys argued that the training is meant to prevent discrimination and harassment and cited a quote from the training that states "it is not antisemitic to criticize the policies, practices or members of the Israeli government." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit comes as the Trump administration has frozen nearly $800 million in federal funding to Northwestern over alleged civil rights violations related to the school's handling of pro-Palestinian encampments in April 2024. "Rather than stand up for the core mission of higher education, Northwestern has bent its knee to the Trump administration," said Jonah Rubin with Jewish Voices for Peace. Northwestern declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying it does not speak about pending litigation. Kari Monsees, the state education department's former finance chief, discusses the state's public education funding formula during the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force meeting Sept. 9 in Jefferson City (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). The funding formula for Missouris public schools is poised for wide-ranging changes as work groups studying elements of the model reached the halfway point of their work at meetings on Monday. The groups, led by the state education departments former finance chief Kari Monsees, have convened three times each. They are scheduled to meet three additional times prior to presenting recommendations to the larger task force in December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proposed changes are due to Gov. Mike Kehoe by December 2026. Here is where the policy discussions are heading. Funding targets The funding efforts working group is primarily focused on a measure called the state adequacy target, which is intended to represent the per-pupil cost for districts to provide an adequate education. Currently, this number is calculated by looking at the per-pupil expenditures of performance districts, or districts who score at least 90% of the points possible on the states performance review, called the Missouri School Improvement Program. The group is not considering a dramatic shift away from this system but is instead moving toward a new way of classifying performance districts. The proposal discussed Monday would look at districts expenditures that score in the top 100 of the Missouri School Improvement Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the calculation would be based on the districts enrollment numbers rather than attendance and would include extra weighting for students with disabilities, low-income students and English-language learners. This method would be less volatile with changes to MSIP, which is on its sixth iteration since its inception in 1991, since the number of districts setting the average would remain steady. During the switch from MSIP5 to MSIP6, a system deemed more rigorous by education officials, the number of performance districts dropped from over 200 to 23. The state adequacy target then rose from $6,375 to $7,145. The shift added an extra $300 million to fully fund the foundation formula in fiscal year 2026. In his budget request in January, Kehoe excluded the $300 million, though lawmakers decided after tense negotiations to fully fund the formula with the new boost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kehoe, in his executive order creating the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force, asked for the group to create a formula that would provide fiscal year 2025 funding levels prior to the $300 million boost. But the change discussed Monday is not a cost-saving measure. Monsees estimated the proposal would drive the target to $10,367. If we are going to increase this side of the equation significantly, I just want to (ask) what that means for the rest of the equation, said Don Thalhuber, policy director for the Senate Democratic caucus who helped draft the states current formula in 2005. Because we dont have infinite money. A deduction in the formula is likely to balance out the adequacy targets surge, Monsees said, pointing to a factor that subtracts local funding to lower the amount due to wealthier districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The local effort is tied back to 2004s assessed values that is very much deflated as well, he said. So the state adequacy target is likely to go up, but then at the same time, your local effort is going to go up. Local effort Missouris formula considers local funding as a counterbalance to state aid, meaning that wealthier districts with adequate tax revenue receive less on a per-pupil basis. Finding a way to subtract local effort as part of the formula is a conundrum, Monsees told the group last week. The local effort working group pointed to problems with two main models, one based on property taxes and the other on local wealth. We come up with these proxies that somehow represent what the capacity of a local community is to generate funds for their school, and the states obviously going to try to balance that across communities. But if that representation doesnt match the actual cash that comes in in revenue, we may not be balancing the scales as much as we would want to, Monsees said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group has been critical of the current formulas reliance on property tax revenue. And with lawmakers considering changes to the property tax system, the factor feels unsteady. We have got something that may not be equitable and may not be stable, said Monsees. He suggested the group look for two to four factors so they are not reliant on just one variable, and they adjourned their discussion Wednesday without direction otherwise. Student counts A working group looking at the way students are counted in the formula is debating a shift to enrollment-based funding rather than basing state aid on a districts average attendance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enrollment-based funding is not a new concept in Missouri. A 2023 study commissioned by the State Board of Education recommended a switch away from attendance funding, saying attendance-based models disadvantage higher poverty districts. And in 2024, state lawmakers passed a large education package that included a gradual shift to funding 50% based on attendance and 50% based on enrollment by 2029. Two other studies that the foundation formula task force has delved into also recommend enrollment-based student counts. But with state lawmakers having recently negotiated the shift to a 50/50 approach, Monsees told the group that basing the formula purely on enrollment could be not as easy of a switch politically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is still a little bit of hesitation there to remove the financial incentive that comes with including attendance, he said. The group is also evaluating how different student groups pull more state money and seems likely to eliminate funding cliffs that are written into the current formula. Low-income students, those with special education services and English-language learners have an extra multiplier in the formula, giving their districts more money to provide services. But there is a threshold built in, assuming a base level of students with various needs. Only those with a higher percentage of students in these groups pull the extra funds currently. The student counts working group has been pursuing a plan to eliminate the threshold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This idea of removing the thresholds and weighting all the students, it is certainly going to be a cost driver to the overall equation, Monsees told the group. The discussion Monday dug into the weights with more specificity, with the group considering a multi-tiered system for special education funding. Monsees gave options of grouping types of disabilities into funding subcategories or creating a tiered system based on the amount of time a student spends out of the general education classroom. The group members preferred the latter. Jordan Dickey, assistant superintendent of finance for Joplin Schools, said that kids with the same disabilities may not have the same support needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Depending on what their label is, it doesnt necessarily reflect the level of service that they need, she said. She recommended a much greater weight for students who receive educational time out of the general education classroom. Performance incentives Kehoes executive order includes a charge to give districts with strong performance bonus funding. Performance incentives would be new in Missouri and are largely unprecedented, other than a model in Tennessee that awards schools when students reach certain targets. The group studying performance incentives does not have a definitive plan, as of the conclusion of its third meeting last week, but is leaning toward promoting literacy and numeracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mike Podgursky, a semi-retired economics professor from the University of Missouri-Columbia and affiliated scholar at the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research, suggested the group pick one or two priorities rather than giving money for a whole bunch of things. Theres a case for really focusing on early literacy, he said. If these kids cant read by grades three and four, then you forget about math at grade eight and everything else. The group discussed incentives for literacy at the third grade level and math performance in eighth grade at length. Members are considering building the rewards into the formula or siloing them as a separate source of funding. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a bank robbery in Northeast Grand Rapids Monday morning. The Grand Rapids Police Department arrested Hollis Nunnery, 36, on two felony charges: bank robbery and armed robbery, according to a release. The suspect allegedly claimed to have a gun during the robbery. GRPD: Bank robbery suspect escaped with cash The Lake Michigan Credit Union at 1820 Leonard St. NE near Plymouth Avenue NE was robbed around 9:40 a.m. Monday. Police said that the suspect escaped from the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. No injuries were reported during the robbery, police confirmed to News 8. 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 WOODTV.com. LAKELAND, Fla (WFLA) The Polk County Sheriffs Office said an arrest warrant has been issued for a Guatemalan man accused of a hit-and-run in Lakeland earlier this month. On Oct. 9, at around 5:15 p.m., a 28-year-old Lakeland man was riding an e-bike on West Campbell Road when he was struck from behind by what witnesses described as a tan Nissan Altima. The man was thrown from the bike and run over by the Nissan. Witnesses told police that the driver got out of the car, saw the victim, got back into his car, put the car in reverse and ran over the man again before fleeing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Florida driver hits 3 Tampa kids who ran across street, killing 7-year-old: troopers The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, PCSO said, and remains there as he continues to recover from serious injuries to his face and brain. Witnesses provided a description of the vehicle and the driver, described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, that led police to 21-year-old Erick Perez De Leon who lived in Lakeland. Officers went to his home and spoke with three men who were found to be in the country illegally from Guatemala. ICE was called and the three men, ages 21, 39 and 42, were taken into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was at this time that deputies learned the suspect in the crash was also here illegally from Guatemala. When PCSO contacted the Department of Homeland Security, they learned that Erick De Leon had gone to Orlando and boarded a plane heading for Guatemala on Oct. 18. Pasco County mother accused of killing her son, sheriff says The tan Nissan Altima that De Leon was driving was later located at a nearby residence, and the homeowner told detectives that he didnt know it was involved in an investigation. He told police that someone he knows as Erick asked to park the car there overnight and said he would pick it up in the morning, but never came to retrieve it. PCSO was able to confirm that it was the car used in the crash by matching missing parts with what was found at the scene. Biological evidence taken from the car was also sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although De Leon remains in Guatemala, an arrest warrant has been issued charging him with leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury and no valid driver license with serious bodily injury, both felonies. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said his office will be working with the appropriate authorities to organize De Leons return to the U.S. to face the charges. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. (WFLA) The town of Longboat Key is feeling some pressure to change the name of its main street, Gulf of Mexico Drive. The majority of us like our name, said Mary Ellen Cawley, a resident. We didnt ask to change it. The town held a public meeting Monday to see how residents felt about the change. This comes after FDOT removed 6 signs from the road because of a state law requiring the change of signage referencing the Gulf to say Gulf of America following an executive order from President Trump. its gone, said resident Frank Lugano, Roads referencing this name are now nonsensical. The issue has become politicized, said resident David Dickinson. Were making a big issue out of something thats very simple. Were all Americans we need to honor America. Town leaders gave residents the option to change the name or keep it the same which would still be legal to do. For many residents the hassle of an address change was too much. We have a bunch of time and money that is going to be wasted, said resident Lillian Sands. Its not a bad name and it doesnt mean you hate Trump, said resident James Armstrong. Who knows, maybe the administration could change the other way hopefully not but then what? Are we going to change it back? Ultimately, they voted unanimously to keep the name, despite town leaders fears that they may face repercussions from the department of transportation. Our job here is health, welfare, and safety and getting this community back on its feet after the most horrid weather conditions we have experienced in over 100 years, said town commissioner BJ Bishop. The mayor hinted that their final decision may not mean the end of it, saying that people were watching to see where they landed on the issue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MADISON Gun safety advocates arrived at the State Capitol on Tuesday morning in droves, eager not only to hear from community leaders, peers and lawmakers, but to urge elected officials to support a new raft of gun violence prevention bills aimed at gun trafficking. They heard from people like UW-Madison student Nessa Bleill, who three years ago survived the Highland Park parade shooting in Illinois, and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, who survived deadly gun violence in high school and presided as mayor during the Abundant Life Christian School shooting, the deadliest in Wisconsin's history. Volunteers from the Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action break out into groups to collaborate on what they plan to say to elected officials to emphasize the need for stronger gun safety laws in Wisconsin at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Oct. 10, 2025. Speakers on Oct. 21 also included Rep. Joan Fitzgerald, D-Fort Atkinson; Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of the national Moms Demand Action organization; Nick Matuszewski, associate executive director of WAVE (Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort) Educational Fund; and Lindsey Buscher, volunteer leader with Wisconsin Moms Demand Action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bills would target illegal gun trafficking taking place in Wisconsin, and are intended to give law enforcement the tools to go after corrupt gun dealers, trace illegal gun purchases and shut down illegal gun trafficking rings. They would also close loopholes that allow dealers to funnel weapons into the illegal market, and crack down on bulk purchases of firearms, a known indicator of illegal gun trafficking. Their fight, emphasized Ferrell-Zabala, is not with the Second Amendment. It's with the "reckless" practices of selling guns before background checks are complete, and with bulk firearm purchases. Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, speaks at Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Actions event on Oct. 21, 2025 at the Wisconsin State Capitol. "We do not have to choose between our rights and our safety," chanted Rhodes-Conway to rousing applause. In April 2024, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released its comprehensive firearms trafficking report, showing nearly 230,000 firearms were trafficked in 7,779 cases between 2017 and 2021, accounting for one in five aggravated assaults. Then, any gun dealer who willfully broke the law would have their license revoked, part of the the bureau's zero tolerance policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has since reversed that policy. The anti-gun trafficking bills come just as two Republican bills would eliminate permit requirements on people who want to carry guns in a discreet fashion, and redraft language strengthening the right to bear arms in the Wisconsin Constitution. The two sets of bills highlight the philosophical gulf over gun access. "Show me how any of those bills introduced are actually going to reduce school shootings, reduce suicide, reduce gun violence of any form," Fitzgerald told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel following the press conference. "The people of Wisconsin want us to reduce gun violence. This does the opposite." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also in attendance was Rep. Deb Andraca, D-Whitefish Bay, who told the Journal Sentinel that when she received her concealed carry permit, she was shocked to learn the state didn't have a live-fire requirement, an exercise that tests safety and shooting proficiency in controlled settings. "You look at law enforcement, you look at the military, they have very rigorous training because they're walking around with firearms," Andraca said. "Yet people can walk around with a loaded gun at Target without ever having fired their weapon before. That does not make the community safer." By and large, Democrats want to move in the opposite direction of their Republican colleagues, with bills introduced that would require firearm safety courses to renew gun licenses, including safe gun storage courses, and the option for people with a history of mental illness and crisis to put themselves on a "do not sell" list for handguns. Related: Lawmakers introduce 'do not sell' bill, other suicide prevention measures in honor of Jonathan Brostoff Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given these diverging ideologies, and Republican control of the Legislature, how will Democrats advance their anti-gun trafficking laws? Rep. Joan Fitzgerald, D-Fort Atkinson, speaks at Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Actions event on Oct. 21, 2025 at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Fitzgerald believes in the power of storytelling. By listening to students and families talk about their fears, grievances and tales of surving gun violence, it may be possible to have meaningful, bipartisan conversations about gun violence prevention, she said. That's something Ferrell-Zabala from Moms Demand Action has seen in her work. Twelve years ago, gun violence was the "third rail of political issues," meaning a taboo subject. Now, she said, plenty of people are running and winning on the issue of gun violence, she said. "It's a prevalent issue in many, many people's lives across this country. When I drop my child off at school, are they going to be safe? Will they be safe walking around neighborhoods, going to places of worship, the grocery store?" Ferrell-Zabala said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andraca and Fitzgerald both started their political careers advocating for stronger gun control laws through Moms Demand Action. For Andraca, none of the laws introduced interfere with Second Amendment rights. She's a gun owner and a teacher. Republican lawmakers haven't been willing to have a public hearing on this topic, which has been a point of frustration for Andraca. "I would have ask them, 'What are you afraid of?' I know our students and teachers are afraid every single day," Andraca said. "I don't think they should be afraid of their own voters." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gun safety rally at Wisconsin Capitol challenges GOP to hear them out MGM, in collaboration with the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) and the Macao Leisure Industry Employees Home, recently co-hosted the second edition of the Industry-Wide Responsible Gaming Ambassador Certificate Training Program, attracting 100 participants from across the sector. The program featured expert instructors, including Yang Hongmian of the City University of Macau, Lao Mei I of Sheng Kung Huis 24-hour Gambling Counseling Hotline, and Pak Kin Pong of Employees Home. Participants received training on responsible gaming policies, gambling psychology, disorder symptoms, and available support services. According to the associations, long-term collaboration among stakeholders has helped maintain Macaus low gambling disorder prevalence of 0.45% in 2022. MGM said in a statement it will continue to expand cross-sector efforts, raising awareness of gambling-related risks and supporting responsible gaming throughout the city. Like this: Like Loading... SAYRE, Pa. (WETM) Forbes and Statista have named the Guthrie Clinic one of Americas Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals 2025, as stated in a release from the Guthrie Clinic. The award recognizes the clinics dedication to fostering a great work environment, the release said. Further, the award is based on survey results from over 17,000 U.S. employees at healthcare and social welfare organizations with at least 1,000 employees. Being named a top employer by Forbes is a powerful validation of our core belief that exceptional patient care begins with exceptional support for our caregivers, said Dr. Edmund Sabanegh, President and CEO, The Guthrie Clinic. This award belongs to every member of the Guthrie team who makes our organization a place where professionals can build a career, find purpose, and make a profound difference in the lives of others, Dr. Sabanegh emphasized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strike out breast cancer at Crystal Lanes bowling fundraiser Additionally, the Guthrie Clinic was named Americas Best-In-State Employers for Pennsylvania and Americas Best Employers for Women for the second year in a row by Forbes, the release explained. Forbes based its review on fundamental aspects such as culture, employee experience, career growth, salary, and employer branding, Guthrie said. Further, a leading provider of market and consumer data, Statista, teamed up with Forbes to create the ranking. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Halloween is still days away, but if youre feeling particularly spooky, youll have plenty of chances to celebrate early. Several Halloween bar crawls and pop-up bars have been announced, as well as other paid events this weekend, like All Hallows East in East Nashville on Saturday, Oct. 25. From 2-10 p.m. at East Park, you can celebrate the spookiest time of year at the frightfully fun event. All Hallows East will feature costume contests, thrilling activities, festive live music, wickedly tasty food and more. Itll be Nashvilles biggest Halloween Block Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Tickets for All Hallows East are on sale now and start at $14.33 ($10 plus a $3.06 fee and $1.27 sales tax). In Wedgewood-Houston, Indie Luna is hosting the Fantom Freakshow starting at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. Guests can enjoy a super fun, spooky ravecostumes are also highly encouraged. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Admission is for those 18 and older only. In downtown Nashville, Acme Feed & Seed is holding special screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 7-9 p.m. You can expect complimentary popcorn from Savannahs Candy Kitchen and drink specials for the event. Admission is free, but guests must be at least 18 to enter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nashville Library Board: Still no reopening date for main branch location If paid events or ones including alcohol are not your speed, here are a few free, family-friendly ideas. Downtown Nashvilles Assembly Food Hall is hosting an event for all ages on Sunday, Oct. 26, from noon to 4 p.m. There will be face painting, trick-or-treating, a live magician, and more. The event is free, but you are asked to RSVP so the hall knows about how many people to expect. You can RSVP here. Vinyl Tap in East Nashville will be holding Spooky Ghoul Fest 5 on Saturday, Oct. 25, beginning at 2 p.m. The event will see 50+ vendors, a parade, costume contests, food trucks, live music and much more! Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Music City Bowl announces new sponsor In Antioch, its Halloween at the Market this Saturday, Oct. 25. The event will be at the Christ Lutheran Church on Haywood Lane. It will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kids can enjoy trick-or-treating with local vendors, veggie carving, candy and games. Over in East Nashville, the Shelby Community Center will be hosting a special event full of spooky good fun on Thursday, Oct. 23. The community center and Friends of Shelby Park are hosting their own Halloween Spooktacular Thursday night. The event will feature a costume contest, a DJ spinning frightfully fun tunes, plenty of hot dogs to eat and loads of candy and booths to visit. Doors open at 6 p.m. at the Shelby Community Center on S 20th Street. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Outside of Nashville is also having some fun Halloween events, like Murfreesboros annual Barfield Bash on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A paid element will be a Not So Scary hay ride through the park. Tickets for that will be $5. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@wkrn.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 WKRN News 2. Hamas attempted to set up a direct line with the Al Jazeera offices in Doha, according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. Documents uncovered in Gaza have revealed that Hamas has been issuing instructions to the Qatari state-run media outlet Al Jazeera, according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. From the documents, the research center found that Hamass information officers directed coordinated terminology and stories with Al Jazeera to formulate coverage that would not "harm the image of the resistance." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the documents recovered in 2022 stated that Al Jazeera should avoid using terms such as massacre to describe a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket strike in Jabalya as Hamas acknowledged the attacks were not he result of attacks by "the occupation. The document also confirmed the request by Hamas was positively responded to by the networks newsroom management. Another document revealed that Hamas attempted to establish a secure communication line with Al Jazeera, allowing direct coordination between the media giants offices in Doha and the terror group. Letter from Hamas military wing to Al Jazeera, December 4, 2022 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) This line was allegedly intended to push for coverage in emergency situations, and for the military wing to send real-time instructions on what to broadcast and what to leave embargoed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the center, this is rare proof of the existence of systemic coordination between a terrorist organization and an international news network. The language used in Al Jazeeras coverage of the war has also mirrored Hamass own decriptions, with the network describing Hamas as mujahideen or muqawimin (jihad fighters or resistance fighters), and after their deaths they are called shaheeds (martyrs who died for the sake of Allah). Meanwhile, the IDF is described as the occupation army and IDF soldiers as occupation soldiers. Throughout their coverage on the hostage crisis, the network also repeatedly referred to the hostages as prisoners. As part of the connection between Hamas and Al Jazeera, the reporters were also granted unprecedented access to much of the terror groups underground network of tunnels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al Jazeera reporter Wael al-Dahdouh showed Hamas tunnels and included interviews with military wing operatives who confirmed, in a documentary aired in January 2024, that building a tunnel took years. In another report on Hamass tunnels, Al Jazeera was allowed to record operatives rigging a tunnel in a trap set for the IDF, the research center noted. Letter from Hamas military wing to Al Jazeera, August 16, 2022 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) The April 2024 report claimed that the ambush set for the IDF had been a success and Al Jazeera broadcasted weapons and IDF military equipment allegedly taken from the field by Hamas operatives. Journalists doubling as terrorists Beyond directly organizing Al Jazeeras coverage, many of the outlets journalists working in the Palestinian organization were doubling as operatives in Hamas military wing and some had even participated in the October 7 invasion into southern Israel in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue of journalists doubling as terrorists has been long recorded by the IDF. Among those the Israeli military has named and targeted was Anas al-Sharif. Al-Sharif, the network reporter in Gaza who was killed in an IDF attack on August 10, 2025, was named in looted documents as a member of Hamas' military wing, associated with the East Jabalia Battalion in the Northern Gaza Brigade. According to the lists, al-Sharif served as a fighter and squad leader in the Talul-Melag firing company, as a fighter in the Nukhaba Company, and as the head of the battalion's information department. The documents also named Ismail Abu Ammar, an Al Jazeera correspondent from Khan Yunis who was injured in February 2024, as a member of Hamass military wing and a commander in the terror groups east Khan Yunis Batallion. He was one of the first to cover the October 7 attacks in real time and the center said it presumed he received early information to document the attack in real time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another reporter for Al Jazeera named in the documents was Talal Mahmoud Abdel Rahman Al-Arouki, who was seriously injured while covering an Israeli attack on Nussirat on November 28, 2024. In the documents, his name appeared on a list of operatives from 2023, in which he was identified as a group commander with the rank of captain in the Jerusalem Brigade, as well as on another list of wounded belonging to Hamas' military wing. Gazan journalist Hussam Shabat, who collaborated with Al Jazeera and was killed in a targeted strike in March 2025, was listed in the documents as a members of the anti-tank company of Hamass Beit Hanoun battalion and identified as a snuper operative. In another document, his name appeared among terrorists missing from the group battalions military training. Abdullah al-Jamal, a reporter and editors for Palestine Now who collaborated with Al Jazeera, was killed with his family during Operation Arnon where three hostages were rescued from his home in Nussirat in June 2024. Silencing Palestinian dissent Al Jazeera has also been responsible for projecting an image that Hamas is popular among the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza and has been seen cutting off Palestinians mid-interview when they say something that is contrary to that narrative, the center highlighted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On November 5, 2023, during a live Al Jazeera broadcast from al-Aqsa Hospital, an Al Jazeera reporter cut off an interview with a wounded Palestinian man when the interviewee began to criticize Hamas for its operatives hiding among civilians. In December that same year, an Al Jazeera reporter was filmed pushing a Palestinian interviewee aside when he said Allah will call Qatar and turkey to account when he was asked to descrive the massacre committed by Israel. Hamas has handed over the bodies of two apparent hostages in the Gaza Strip to staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Israeli military said on Tuesday. The bodies will be transferred to Israeli military representatives and then brought to Israel for forensic examination to confirm their identities. It was initially unclear which hostages were involved. Under the first phase of a US-brokered peace plan, Hamas is required to return a total of 28 bodies. If the remains handed over on Tuesday are confirmed to be those of Israeli hostages, 13 bodies would still remain in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Islamist group had released all remaining living hostages last week in exchange for more than 1,900 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The handover of bodies has been slow. Hamas has claimed that locating the remains is difficult because they are buried under rubble from bombed buildings and tunnels. The Israeli government has dismissed that as a lie, saying Israel was certain Hamas could locate the bodies. Earlier on Tuesday, the Red Cross said 15 Palestinian bodies had been transferred into Gaza apparently as part of the exchange for one dead Israeli hostage handed over on Monday evening. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel releases the remains of 15 Palestinians for every Israeli hostages body returned by Hamas. The remains of two hostages have been returned to Israel, one of which have been identified as Arie Zalamanowicz. Israel has completed the identification of the remains of hostages, Chief Sergeant First Class (res.) Tamir Adar and Arie Zalamanowicz, the Prime Ministers Office announced Wednesday. Chief Sgt. First Class (res.) Tamir Adar, a resident of kibbutz Nir Oz, fought bravely to defend his home against Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tamir's mother, Yael, posted, "After 746 days, Tamir has been returned to us. Tamir is home." She added, "The pain of our loss is immense, the relief of his return is great. Tamir is free to be buried in his own land." She added, "This morning, my heart aches and is wounded for the amazing child I lost. I am grateful for what he left behind and his legacy that will still be spoken about. My heart goes out to 13 other families who are waiting to be buried, and we must not leave them alone until each of them is given a proper burial and eternal rest." Arie Zalamanowicz, one of the founders of kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken from his home on the morning of the October 7 massacre in 2023 by Hamas terrorists rampaging through the kibbutz. According to testimonies by relatives, Arie was hiding in a secure room on October 7 when he was found by the attackers. He was taken into the Gaza Strip without his glasses or hearing aid. A member of the civil defense walks next to a fire truck as the team searches for bodies trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings, amid a severe lack of equipment and capabilities needed to recover the victims, according to Palestinian Civil Defense, in Gaza City, October 20, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj) The remains of the hostages were escorted out of the Gaza Strip by the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and transferred to the National Center of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir for identification by Israel Police officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas announced that it would release the remains of two hostages shortly after US President Donald Trump stated that he would send forces into Gaza to "straighten out Hamas" if the terror group did not abide by the ceasefire agreement. In a statement given with US Vice PresidentJD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner stated, "We are making progress on getting bodies of deceased hostages out of Gaza." "It is the focus of everybody here to get those bodies back to their families for proper burial," Vance said, adding that retrieving the remains would take time, as many of them are buried underground. US-brokered Gaza deal According to the US-brokered Gaza deal, which Israel ratified on October 9, Hamas would have 72 hours to release all the hostages, both living and deceased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The remains of 15 hostages continue to be held by Hamas in Gaza nearly two weeks later. Hamas claimed on Thursday that the return of Israeli hostages' remains may take time, as some were buried in tunnels destroyed by Israel, and others remain under the rubble of buildings that Israel. The retrieval of the remaining hostages required equipment to remove rubble, which was currently unavailable due to Israels ban on entry of such tools, Hamas added. "We know for certain that Hamas can easily release a significant number of hostages in accordance with the agreement. What they are doing now is a fundamental violation of that agreement," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said. Reuters and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.

VIDEO SHOWS: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

STORY: Video from Gaza released early in December shows the new leader of a Palestinian militant group opposed to Hamas reviewing armed fighters under his command.

The group, known as the Popular Forces, is among those that have emerged in Israel-held parts of Gaza, eyeing a role in the enclave's future.

They are small, but have added pressure on Hamas and could complicate efforts to unify and stabilize a divided Gaza shattered by two years of brutal war.

Three Egyptian security and military sources said Israel-backed groups were increasingly active since a cease-fire took effect, and estimated they now had 1,000 fighters, adding 400 since the truce began.

But they have faced setbacks.

Just last week, the man seen at the heart of efforts to establish anti-Hamas forces - Popular Forces leader Yasser Abu Shabab - was killed.

The Popular Forces did not say who killed him. His deputy, Ghassan Duhine, has taken over and vowed to continue on the same path.

Recent footage showed Duhine alongside Hussam Alastal, leader of another group, pledging to jointly continue the fight against Hamas.

Hamas has branded such groups collaborators.

A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, said security forces would pursue collaborators "until this phenomenon is eradicated."

But they "are protected by the occupation army in the areas where these forces are present, which makes it difficult for the security apparatuses," he said, speaking to Reuters before Abu Shabab's death.

Hamas moved swiftly against Palestinians who defied its control after the U.S.-backed ceasefire took hold, killing dozens, including some it accused of working with Israel.

The Popular Forces didn't respond to requests for comment sent via their Facebook page. It has previously denied receiving Israeli support.

In an interview with Reuters in late November, Alastal said fortunes for groups such as his were improving.

Despite Hamas accusations of collaborating with Israel, Alastal said his group was not a militia, but an administration. He said the group was present for the people, to build a new Gaza.

Nearly all Gaza's 2 million people live in Hamas-held areas. The group is reestablishing its grip and four Hamas sources said it still commands thousands of men.

But Israel still holds over half of Gaza - areas where Hamas' foes operate beyond its reach. With U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza moving slowly, there is no immediate prospect of further Israeli withdrawals.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged in June that Israel had armed anti-Hamas clans, though Israel has given little detail since then.

In response to a request for comment, an Israeli government official said: "There is no shortage of Palestinians wishing and actively fighting to free themselves of the Hamas repression and tyranny."

Israel has established what it calls the "Yellow Line," a defensive border separating Israeli-controlled areas from Hamas-held territory.

With no clarity on next steps, there is a risk of de facto partition between an inland sector controlled by Israel where few people now remain, and a sector along the coast now crowded with displaced people, much of it wasteland.

On a tour of Israeli military positions in Gaza, an army spokesperson said for now they were just keeping Hamas penned in.

"We are holding the yellow line that is the current border. And what happens next depends on the situation on the ground. Right now, Hamas is refusing to disarm. Hamas is the main blocking point of this plan moving forward. And we are currently holding the yellow line, according to the agreement, making sure Hamas doesn't cross it or violate it."

Many of the armed anti-Hamas groups operate in Israel-held areas, a fact that a Hamas spokesperson said effectively made them a part of what they called the "occupation army."

That impression may limit their role in governing Gaza.

"I don't think there is any serious future for these new groups that are associated with the Israeli occupation in Gaza."

Ghassan al-Khatib is a lecturer in international studies at Birzeit University in Ramallah.

"The reason is that the public is not at all accepting them. They are not acceptable by the public because of the cooperation and collaboration with the Israeli occupation."

Al-Khatib noted Israel had plenty of experience propping up Palestinian armed groups for short-term tactical reasons.

A U.S. official said Washington has not had any official contact with the anti-Hamas groups. They added, "Beyond Hamas having no future role, who will govern Gaza will be up to Gazans."

We have a strong will to fully implement the ceasefire agreement, Hayya said, furthering Hamas's message that makes it seem it is committed to US President Donald Trumps deal. Hamas is saying that it is committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement. This comes days after terrorists killed two Israeli soldiers in Gaza, and the IDF carried out airstrikes. The comments by Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas official who is the head of its negotiating delegation, seek to paint Hamas as seeking to continue along the process of the US-backed agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US achieved a ceasefire in Gaza after talks progressed on October 8. The ceasefire began on October 13, and Hamas handed over 20 living hostages. Hamas, however, has not returned all the deceased hostages. Fifteen deceased hostages are still in Gaza. Hamas issues messages that make it seem it is committed to US President Donald Trumps deal. The comments by Hayya were published by Saudi-based news channel Al Arabiya. Palestinians seen near destroyed buildings amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, October 19, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj) We have a strong will to fully implement the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was quoted as saying. This comes as US Vice President JD Vance is in Israel, and also as Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with released hostages. The US wants Israel to abide by the ceasefire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al-Hayya expressed relief over assurances from mediators and US President Donald Trump confirming the end of the Gaza war, Al Arabiya reported. What we heard from the mediators and the US president reassures us that the war in Gaza is over, he said. The major international demonstration sponsored by Egypt, attended by the US President, confirms that the war in Gaza is over, Al-Hayya said, referring to the peace conference in Sharm el-Sheikh held earlier in October. The German Press Agency reported: Hamas is serious about extracting the bodies of all the detained Israeli prisoners... the efforts are still facing great difficulties due to the widespread destruction caused by the war in various areas of the Gaza Strip. Hamas wants to see more aid entering Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas is engaging positively with all international efforts aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and gradually restoring civilian life in Gaza, Al-Hayya was quoted as saying. Egypt and Qatar are both seeking to make sure the ceasefire continues. Al-Hayyas statements are seen as an attempt to reassure international mediators and affirm Hamass commitment to the ceasefire agreement at a time when pressure is mounting to ensure continued calm and prepare the ground for the start of the reconstruction phase and the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strips destroyed infrastructure, Al Arabiya reported. This is clearly a message by Hamas designed to make it seem it is committed to the US deal. In Gaza, however, Hamas continues to cement itself in power. It also appears unwilling to disarm. On the other hand, it appears Hamas is also cutting down on public executions, seeking to portray itself as doing things normally. The attack on IDF soldiers on Sunday, October 19, is being portrayed as having been carried out by rogue elements. Its always heartwarming to witness a foster cat coming out of their shell in their new homes, as it could be quite emotionally tricky for them. This particular video captured an adorable cat making huge progress after going to his new house with his new foster parent post-rescue. The foster parent dropped the video on [] The post Video: Cat Makes Big Progress With Foster Parent After Rescue appeared first on CatTime. MANITOWOC Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center is hosting Halloween events from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 25 and Oct. 31. Visitors can enjoy Wisconsin-themed treats, costumes, animals and a corn maze, according to a community announcement. Celebrate Halloween at Farm Wisconsin with pumpkin crafts, trick-or-treating, and costumed lambs. Events run Oct. 25 and 31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes and take bags for treats, including Briess Malt & Ingredients malted milk balls, Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association potato chips and HARIBO gummy bears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 25, Blackface lambs will be dressed in Halloween costumes for photo opportunities, and the calf in the Land OLakes Birthing Barn will also wear a Halloween costume. Families can participate in Halloween-themed games and crafts, such as pumpkin bowling, pumpkin painting, a harvest potato dig and cranberry structures. The Wisconsin Cafe will be open from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., serving a selection of breakfast and lunch dishes made with locally grown and raised ingredients from across Wisconsin. The cafe will also offer chili and pumpkin soup, both homemade by Farm Wisconsins chefs. Read more: Manitowoc County history goes digital with new online archive. Here's how to access it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All Halloween activities and treats are included in the general admission price. Tickets can be purchased online in advance or in person at the event. Farm Wisconsin Disovery Center is at 7001 Gass Lake Road, Manitowoc. This story was created by reporter Nida Tazeen, ntazeen@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct. This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Celebrate Halloween Wisconsin-style at Farm Discovery Center A statewide voter registration backlog seems closer to a fix as early voting gets underway in all 254 counties across Texas. The backlog stemmed from an upgrade to the state's registration software and how it communicated with county systems. Annette Ramirez, Harris County's Voter Registrar told ABC13 voters should be confident their ballots will count, even if their registration got delayed this summer. But she advises everyone to always check their registration status before they go vote. "There was a time at the beginning of July when there was a pause on all the counties statewide being able to sync and upload the registration applications we received," Ramirez said. In Harris County we did have, three weeks ago, a little under 30,000. You're correct. Last week we were down to 14,000, and as of 10 a.m. (Monday, Oct. 20) we're down to 43." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris McGinn is the Executive Director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials. He said voters should not worry about their votes counting regardless of any remaining backlogs. "As you can imagine, such a large database conversation has all kinds of issues," McGinn said. "The primary issue that they had was getting the conversion right between the new statewide system and their existing system and making sure that data kinda jibed and got uploaded." Late last week, the Texas Association of County Election Officials sent a letter to the Secretary of State, asking for additional help during election season and for the state to pause additional updates for the time being. The Secretary of State's office confirmed to ABC13 they've received the letter and they are reviewing it. They continue to work with counties to get through any remaining backlog. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When we first reported the issue late last month, the Secretary of State's office issued a statement which read in part, "We have been preparing for this for over a year. Technical issues are to be expected with a rollout of this size." Annette Ramirez is confident that every eligible voter in Harris County will be able to cast their ballot. "It has been a very busy time," Ramirez said. "Our team has been working overtime with the Secretary of State just to dig in to make sure that we're getting all voters who have registered to vote up and active." The bottom line, according to Ramirez is that eligible voters should have confidence in the system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Before they show up at the polls, as always, they should have a vote plan," Ramirez said. "And the first step in having a vote plan is checking your voter registration." For updates on this story, follow Tom Abrahams on Facebook, X and Instagram. Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai reaffirmed Macaus role as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking world through legal and judicial cooperation in a speech yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Meeting of Presidents of Supreme Courts of Portuguese-speaking Countries and Regions. The event brings together representatives from the supreme courts of Portuguese-speaking countries and regions to share experiences, strengthen cooperation, and explore ways to advance legal development. In his speech, Sam recalled that Macau first hosted the same meeting in 2003, when he served as president of the Court of Final Appeal. That year, we witnessed the birth of the Forums Charter and the establishment of its permanent secretariat, he said. Today, I have the honor of welcoming both old and new friends home again to discuss the future. He noted that over the past 22 years, the forum has grown from six seeds into a towering tree spanning four continents, highlighting the evolution of judicial dialogue on issues such as reform, independence, and the role of courts in a globalized era. He also stressed the importance of Macaus bilingual legal system under the One country, two systems framework, calling it a solid guarantee of judicial independence and a natural bridge connecting China and the Portuguese-speaking world. Addressing this years theme, Law and Justice as Drivers of Cultural Integration and Socioeconomic Development, Sam said, Law is not only a set of rules to resolve disputes but an art of guiding people toward justice and peace. He added that amid a changing world, we must use the certainty of law to offset uncertainty and the fairness of justice to safeguard social and economic development. Macau, with its Chinese roots, Western connections, and cultural blend, is well-positioned to advance legal communication, judicial trust, and mutual benefits, Sam said, expressing hope that the meeting would further promote cooperation and contribute to shared prosperity among Portuguese-speaking nations. Meanwhile, over the past two decades, Macau has steadily worked to strengthen its judicial system and legal framework, implementing reforms to improve the allocation of judicial resources and increase the efficiency of justice, said Song Man Lei, president of the Court of Final Appeal. In the last 20 years, we have tirelessly sought to refine the judicial system, adopt a series of reform measures, and provide citizens with faster, more transparent, and effective legal services, Song said. Today, Macau enjoys a widespread social respect for judicial decisions and trust in the justice system, she added. The official also emphasized the preservation of the citys legal heritage, noting that the Portuguese legal protocol and language continue to be maintained in judicial proceedings. Macau courts operate independently, free from external interference and subject only to the law, according to Song. These safeguards enable Macau to maintain judicial independence while providing citizens with confidence in a fair and reliable legal system, the judge added. Times Reporter Like this: Like Loading... Corn ready for harvest in a southwestern Iowa field. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa farmers are near the end of harvest season for corn and soybean crops following yet another week of above-average temperatures in the state. While crop progress and condition reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have not been issued since the start of the current government shutdown, reports from past years show farmers are typically more than halfway done with corn harvest and more than 80% complete with soybean harvest at this point in October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, Iowa farmers had harvested 68% of corn acres and 91% of soybean acres for the mid-October reporting period. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement that harvest was on pace this year and maybe even a little ahead of schedule. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman, who farms organic corn and beans in northern Polk County, said he finished his harvest last week. He said his harvest came early because of disease pressure, largely Southern corn rust, that made the corn mature and dry down quicker than usual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those same issues meant that the top end of our yields was taken away by that disease pressure, Lehman said. He said he has heard similar reports from other farmers theyre out harvesting lots of corn, but yields are down. Soybean yields for Lehman, and he said for other farmers he has spoken to, have been really strong. Lehman said while his farm had some precipitation in the past week, he has heard from a lot of farmers that their fields are drier than they would like for them to be heading into the winter season. A climate report Monday from State Climatologist Justin Glisan said stations across the state reported showers of a couple of tenths of an inch of rain to a little over one inch of rain throughout the week. The statewide average precipitation was 0.55 inch for the week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glisan also reported temperatures were unseasonably warm during the past week. The statewide average temperature was 61.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 10 degrees above the climatological normal. Some areas of the state, mostly in the southern regions, saw positive departures from the normal as much as 14 degrees. Iowans can expect similar precipitation amounts in the coming week and slightly cooler, though still warmer than normal temperatures, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. Trade tensions in the ag market Lehman said his soybean market, as an organic producer whose product usually stays domestic, is fairly normal this year. He said, however, that most Iowa Farmers Union members dont grow organic soybeans and are seeing fluctuating prices that are way below the cost of production. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For every bushel were producing, were anticipating were losing money, Lehman said. To be honest, if the goal is to get to more trade deals that are more fair for farmers and workers, were not seeing any progress on that front. Trade war tensions between the U.S. and China are one of the major issues plaguing the soybean industry this season. China, which is usually the largest soybean buyer in the world, has not purchased any soybeans this year from the U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will provide aid to farmers who have suffered from the decrease in trade, but exact details have not been made public. Some reports have said the funding will come from a combination of the USDAs Commodity Credit Corporation fund and from the revenue the U.S. has accumulated from imposing tariffs on other countries. Lehman said a bailout from the government would be a small bandage on a large wound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to that, the long-term damage that comes from this trade policy is very concerning, Lehman said. Farmers, for years, have been working to build up trade markets around the world by being reliable trade partners. Having a chaotic trade policy means that we lose some customers that dont come back anytime soon a trade bailout package cant fix that in any meaningful way. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) A new law in North Carolina is letting drivers skip visiting the DMV and renew their licenses online, cutting long lines and saving hours of wait time. Since signing Senate Bill 245 into law on Sept. 30, Gov. Josh Stein (D) said more than 18,000 North Carolinians opted to renew their licenses online in the first two weeks. The bill is helping more people skip the trip to the DMV by allowing them to renew their license online instead of in person. And that, in turn, is shortening the lines for folks who have to visit, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: NCDMV expands online driver license renewals To put it in context, we serve about 8,000 people a day in all of our offices across the state. So thats like having an entire extra day available to us each and every week, said North Carolina DMV Commissioner Paul Tine. This comes after the scathing auditors report in August, which slammed the DMVs long lines and staff shortages. Our goal in the short term is to reduce demand by allowing more online transactions, increasing capacity by hiring frontline staff and driving process improvements, Tine said. RELATED: NC Auditor releases DMV audit, suggests separating from NCDOT Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But not everyone is aware of the online services. Cameron Bailey said he waited more than four hours to renew his license at the Central Services Office in Raleigh. I had no idea you could do that online, Bailey said. I feel like it can help, especially to help people get stuff done quicker, especially for coming in at a random time and saying, sorry were full. And some say even with the new law, the old problems are still there. If you go online to try and do it, you cant do it online. It says you have to come into the office to get your license renewed, said Vivian Morris. This is the third day now trying to just get in. Were not in COVID anymore. This is unnecessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tine acknowledged wait times remain a challenge, but they are working to streamline the process. They started taking walk-in clients over the summer and developed a wait from anywhere queue where people could watch their place in line from phone text link. When its almost your turn, we send you a message to invite you back into the office where youll have a short wait before you get service, Tine said. This is a much better experience than waiting in line outside of the office for an extended period of time exposed to the elements. Since the law passed, the DMV has filled 64 examiner positions, bringing the agency to 95% staffing across 632 positions. Training has also been condensed to get new hires into the field faster. Were now on a path to clear a six-month training backlog and get all new hires contributing to the field within two weeks so they can serve the public while they continue to learn, Tine said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stein said this is just the beginning. They just added REAL ID online renewals last week, and teen drivers will be able to upgrade their licenses online in two weeks. We know that we still have a very long way to go to make peoples DMV experience a smoother, speedier and less stressful. And we are going to keep at it, he 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. HEBRON Hebron historians will highlight Halloween with the haunting tales of the Headless Horseman. The Hebron Historical Society and the Douglas Library of Hebron will offer two family programs October 26 at the historic Burrows Hill School House. In 1820, Washington Irving authored The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, about a superstitious schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, from Connecticut who arrives in a small town in New York and makes plans to marry a local wealthy girl. Her other suitor, Brom, tells Crane of the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier whose head was blown off by a cannon and Ichabod believes he later encounters the Headless Horseman ... although it may have been Brom in disguise. At any rate, Crane is never seen again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This program is part of America 250, a series of events nationwide marking the upcoming anniversary of the birth of the country in 2026. The Burrows Hill Schoolhouse will dress up for Halloween as the Sleepy Hollow Schoolhouse and visitors will hear a retelling of the classic tale, with refreshments of cider and donuts. The first session will be at 2 p.m. and will be suitable for children 10 and younger, with a picture book version of the story read aloud and games from 1820 played. The second session will take place at 4 p.m., by candlelight, with a spookier setting suitable for children older than 10 years and adults. Visitors are welcome to attend in Halloween costumes or Revolutionary War dress. The fee is $5 per person aged 6 and older or $15 per family of four. Payment must be received in advance. Space is limited for both sessions due to the size of the schoolhouse. For more information on registration and payment, call the Douglas Library at 860-228-9312. Hundreds of educators from Haverhills Education Association rallied outside the Nettle Middle School, sounding the alarm about reported, growing safety concerns in their district. The union has been in contract negotiations with the school committee since March. Their latest bargaining session was held after the rally inside the school on Monday night. HEA leaders spoke about the recent issues theyve been facing in their classrooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cant teach effectively if our classrooms arent safe, said Jackie Dunn, a speech therapist in the district. " She continued, Were talking about asthma from poor ventilation, were talking about educators getting sick... We have classrooms with mold, ceilings with leaks, and spaces where rodent dropping are found near where our kids eat and learn. A recent survey by the union garnered roughly 700 responses from city educators. They reported: 70% say that students are not physically safe at all times during the school day. 69% say that the district fails to provide effective resources for students struggling with mental health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 72% say the district does not accurately communicate building conditions to caregivers. Nearly 78% say the district fails to accurately communicate about the physical safety of teachers. 60% say the district does not foster a safe and supportive environment responsive to student needs. The union is also asking for better wages in their ongoing contract negotiations. They claim their schools are underfunded and understaffed. Megan Donavan, special needs professional, told Boston 25 Monday, We take a lot of abuse, physical abuse from these kids. Sometimes youre calling for support from another room because youre being attacked, and theres nobody to come for you/ Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The union president, Barry Davis, added, Our schools are in crisis. Our staff isnt safe. Our students arent safe. Our schools are underfunded. They will continue to be unsafe unless this city makes a real investment in public education. Boston 25 reached out to Haverhills mayor, superintendent, and school committee Monday and are waiting to hear back. The union said the bargaining session Monday night was going well. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW HAYS COUNTY (KXAN) Hays County will alter existing voting locations for the Nov. 4 election to comply with standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. This follows an Oct. 14 vote by the Hays County Commissioners Court to close or otherwise relocate three of its polling places, citing steep slopes in parking lots, inaccessible rights-of-way and changes in foundation levels that may cause barriers to voters with disabilities. The commissioners court voted to change the following: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holiday Inn Express replaces the neighboring Sunfield Station Patriots Hall Wellness Center replaces Dripping Springs Learning Center Driftwood Community Center polling location is now closed Hays County Elections is dedicated to finding locations that are fully and equally accessible for all voters, said Hays County Elections Administrator Jennifer Doinoff. Our team will work with the affected locations to make permanent remedies, so that we can use them for future elections. Early voting began Monday and runs through Oct. 31. Texas voters will decide whether to pass a range of 17 statewide constitutional amendments in addition to local tax codes and officials. A complete list of Hays County polling locations, as well as sample ballots, 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 KXAN Austin. Welcome to 5 Things PM! Cold temps may be creeping in, but your travel dreams dont have to hibernate. National Geographic just dropped its list of must-visit destinations thatll have you mentally packing your bags. Heres what else you might have missed during your busy day. 5 things Milky Way/Moment RF/Getty Images 1 Unknown dangers Many personal care products from lipstick to shampoo and moisturizer still contain potentially toxic chemicals. Experts highlight the ingredients you should watch for to protect your health. 2 Long-term impacts Despite the government shutdown, tourists are going to national parks, even with closed visitor centers and no rangers in sight. But advocates warn that if the stalemate continues, park safety and local economies could suffer. 3 Its like a plague Six-seveeeeen! If youve heard this shouted in a school hallway or seen it spammed in a group chat, youre not alone. Gen Alphas latest viral catchphrase is baffling adults and delighting kids across the country. 4 A new era A baby fleeing a T. rex. Cats in streetwear dancing. Police arresting a pile of mac and cheese. Welcome to the AI-powered chaos flooding your feed. Big Tech is giving social media an artificial intelligence makeover and so far, its a messy ride. 5 Inspired by bones Concrete is affordable, strong and widely used but its also responsible for around 8% of global carbon emissions. A research team thinks it has an answer thanks to a 3D-printed, carbon-absorbing bridge built with innovative materials. Watch this Close call: A dog in North Carolina accidentally sparked a fire while playing with a lithium battery-powered device. No one was injured, but his firefighter owner shared the footage as a reminder: store these types of gadgets safely, even from your four-legged friends. Top headlines Vance downplays concerns over ceasefire in visit to Israel as Trump administration officials privately worry Pardoned Capitol rioter arrested on charge that he threatened to kill Hakeem Jeffries Tropical Storm Melissa forms in the Caribbean. Its expected to strengthen into a hurricane by the weekend Check this out Camille Seaman Frightening future: Giant clouds, destructive floods and social unrest. These striking photographs capture the raw power of storms and the growing frequency of extreme weather events. Quiz time Jaromir/Moment RF/Getty Images Which airline in North America is serving free alcohol to economy class passengers on all its flights? A. Alaska Airlines B. American Airlines C. Delta Air Lines D. Air Canada Scroll down for the answer. Thanks for reading Most popular in yesterdays newsletter: The truth behind your clothings made in Guatemala label Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quiz answer: D. Air Canada is offering free beer and wine to economy class passengers on all its flights even short-haul domestic routes making it the only North American legacy carrier to do so. Well see you tomorrow. Check out all of CNNs newsletters. Todays edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNNs Meghan Pryce and Sarah Hutter. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Caitlin Kammerer, Readings Healthy Homes program manager, says she takes great pride in her work. The program helps identify and fix health and safety hazards in city homes with a focus on low-income families. Aimed at households earning less than 80% of the area median income, it is available for single-family owner-occupied homes and rental properties with up to four units. Services include hazard assessments, remediation, lead and radon testing, community education and staff training in risk assessment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It makes a big difference in assuring our residents can live in a safe environment, particularly those who cannot afford the kind of repairs we help them with, Kammerer told City Council at a recent committee of the whole meeting. Kammerer shared the story of a 91-year-old grandmother whose fixed income didnt allow for the repairs needed to make her home safe to age in place. Healthy Homes will make that possible, she said. Then there was the woman whose enameled kitchen sink was chipped, exposing the underlying lead-containing metal base. The chips were more than a cosmetic issue, she told council, they were an ongoing source of lead exposure that put the familys long-term health at risk. When I told her that we were going to replace her kitchen sink, she started crying, because that meant that she was able to have a safe place to wash dishes and prepare food for her family, Kammerer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was heartwarming, she said, to see how much a simple kitchen sink meant to the woman and her family. That client, Milqueya German, invited the Reading Eagle into her home this week to talk about the program with Kammerer and Luzette Reyes Gomez, program intake coordinator. Germans project includes lead abatement and essential repairs throughout the Elm Street home where she lives with her children, ages 8 and 11. Electrical systems will be updated to ensure all outlets and lighting are safe and functional. The roof also will be repaired or replaced to stop leaks and prevent further water damage and mold growth. I am super excited, German said. This program is super, super good, and they help you a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without the program, she would be unable to afford such an extensive scope of work, she said, noting she learned about it from a friend. Thats typical, Kammerer said, noting a number of applicants learned about the program through word of mouth. Funded through a $1.29 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a city-provided match of $170,452, the program is gaining traction after a delayed launch, she said. Although the city received the HUD grant in 2023, the project remained dormant until Kammerers appointment in November 2024. The delay, she said, stemmed from the need to align the programs operations with federal and city procedures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HUD gave final authorization to spend funds in March, she said, noting funding runs through February 2027. Progress has accelerated in the past six months, she noted, with 21 housing units approved and another 18 awaiting approval. Six contractors prepared quotes for remediation work at an equal number of pending units, including Germans home. Those contracts were approved by council at its Oct. 13 regular meeting. Work on the six is expected to begin by the end of the month. Kammerer said she expects the program to complete 32 assessments and finish work on nine homes by the end of the year. The goal for next year is to complete 65 units and invest $600,000 in hazard remediation, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The programs current pace is strong, Kammerer said, with 21 approved units and a goal of 75 by the end of the grant period. We are 11 away from halfway meeting our benchmark with HUD, she said. Building community trust has been one of the biggest hurdles, she said. Many residents express their reluctance to allow city staff to enter their homes, Kammerer said, noting that some fear fines or liens. We continue to work diligently to build trust by making it clear that our Healthy Homes program is designed to help our residents and not hurt them, she said. German said the application process was simple. She also found Kammerer and Reyes Gomez to be professional, helpful and supportive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They help you a lot and are such nice people, German said. I couldnt find another one nicer. Kammerer said city residents can apply through the citys 311 system or in person at City Hall, 815 Washington St. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) Six candidates are vying to lead Albuquerque for the next four years. Incumbent Mayor Tim Keller is seeking a third term, facing five challengers: small business owner Mayling Armijo, retired firefighter Eddie Varela, former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Alex Uballez, City Councilor Louie Sanchez, and former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White. This week on the New Mexico News Insiders, Chris and Gabby sit down with each candidate, giving them equal time to answer the same questions on crime, homelessness, the economy, immigration, and the future of Albuquerque. Election Day is November 4th, and early voting is underway. If no candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will move to a December runoff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What issues matter most to voters? In this non-partisan election, how much are party lines shaping voters decisions? Get the inside scoop and subscribe to the New Mexico News Insiders Podcast wherever you listen. Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Insiders every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean, among others. You can also watch our podcasts in video form, both on-air and online. Tune in to an abbreviated version of the New Mexico News Insiders podcast on broadcast television every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. on Fox New Mexico. Full video episodes are posted on KRQEs YouTube page at youtube.com/krqenews13. Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term KRQE or New Mexico News Insiders (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email your hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Tuesday there's another court hearing on immigration enforcement in the Chicago area. The hearing will focus on the next steps at Broadview after the controversial fencing was removed. Border Patrol and ICE leadership have already testified over the use of force and deployment of tear gas during Operation Midway Blitz. Customs Border Patrol Commander Kyle Harvick and ICE Deputy Field Director Shawn Byer told Judge Ellis during a hearing Monday that none of their agents have been disciplined after tear gas was deployed during incidents in Albany Park and on the Southeast Side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During testimony officials say verbal warnings were given before tear gas was used, this comes in the aftermath of immigration arrests. SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates ABC7 Legal Analyst Gil Soffer says nothing has changed with the judge's ruling: "The TRO remains in effect and the next stage is a preliminary injunction hearing which is a mini trial of sorts where there will be testimony, arguments and a fuller discussion of all the issues we've seen so far," Soffer said. The judge ordered all video that shows agents using tear gas needs to be preserved. But videos before September 18 have likely been erased. The judge will allow attorneys to question other federal officials, including Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, who is leading Border Patrol operations in Chicago. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Savannah Police officers were on the scene of a shooting at the Motel 6 on Monday night. The shooting occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. Officers found a male victim suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound in the parking lot of Motel 6 in the 200 block of Stephenson Ave. The victim was provided medical aid and later taken to Memorial Health for further treatment. The night of the incident, a man told WSAV that his children were inside their motel room when they heard gunshots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crime & Safety This incident marks the fourth shooting within the last three days in the Savannah-Chatham area. No arrests have been made at this time. SPD is currently investigating. Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020, or use the Savannah Police Department mobile app to remain anonymous. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Local temperatures are expected to drop as the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) raised the No. 3 tropical cyclone signal at 7 p.m. yesterday due to Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen. The warning will remain in effect, with strong winds and heavy rain forecast for today and tomorrow. According to SMG, Fengshen is generating northerly winds with gusts reaching Force 6 to 7, bringing cooler conditions to the region. Temperatures will fall to between 18 degrees Celcius and 22 degrees today, coupled with cloudy skies and intermittent rain. Similar weather is expected tomorrow, with rain easing but winds remaining strong. Storm surge impacts are expected to be minor, noted SMG meteorologists. However, due to the influence of the astronomical spring tide, minor flooding is expected in low-lying areas of the Inner Harbour during high tide periods tonight and tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Observatory reports that Fengshen has intensified and is nearing Guangdongs coast. The typhoon is predicted to remain about 400 kilometers south of Hong Kong, keeping Signal No. 3 in effect at least until 6 p.m. today. Residents are urged to avoid the shoreline due to rough seas and warnings of swells. Cooler temperatures of around 19 degrees are expected in urban areas tonight. NS Like this: Like Loading... GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) During the week leading up to Veterans Day, you can show your support for veterans by swapping out your outdoor lights for green bulbs. Kent County is taking part in Operation Green Light for another year, joining communities across the nation to honor veterans and raise awareness of the resources that are available. Residents and businesses alike are encouraged to light the county green from Nov. 4 through Nov. 11. If youd like to participate, the county is giving away 2,000 green light bulbs, with support from Consumers Energy. You can pick up a free bulb from any Kent District Library branch, any Grand Rapids Public Library branch or Kent County Veterans Services at 836 Fuller Ave. NE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Operation Green Light is a powerful, visible moment of unity, and its importance for our veterans cannot be overstated, stated Ryan Grams, director of KCVS. Operation Green Light at GRPD. (Courtesy) Green lights available at Kent County Veterans Services for Operation Green Light. (Oct. 25, 2023) On Nov. 11, you can also attend the United Veterans Council of Kent Countys annual Veterans Day Parade in downtown Grand Rapids. The parade steps off at 6 p.m. at Lyon Street NW and Ottawa Avenue, and it wraps up with a ceremony of remembrance at Veterans Memorial Park. KCVS can connect veterans with a variety of benefits, from disability claims to emergency rent assistance. To learn more, you can visit the departments 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 WOODTV.com. HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) On Tuesday, Hendersonville city leaders came together to dedicate a bridge to longtime residents and beloved musicians: The Oak Ridge Boys. Last year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation in the House and Senate that each called for the dedication of the bridge along Highway 31E that extends from Clearview Circle to Conway Twitty Lane, crossing Drakes Creek. Three musicians inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame in 2025 ceremony Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were the reason that when I was growing up, I saw a lot of tour buses. Still, they all live right here, Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary said at Tuesdays event. I love the fact we have tour buses coming by to see the houses of The Oak Ridge Boys. The Oak Ridge Boys comprised of David Allen, Richard Sterban, Joe Bonsall and William Lee Golden were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. Their music career spans decades, with hits including Elvira and Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com These guys are heroes to all. Theres no doubt in the music industry and beyond, City of Hendersonville Parks and Recreation Director Andy Gilley said at the event. I cant say enough about what you mean to our community. 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. On Sunday, Oct. 19, the famous Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the world's most renowned museums, was shut down after a group of thieves stole several pieces of priceless jewelry Walencienne / Getty Images The Louvre is known for housing some of the most famous pieces of art, including the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci, the famous "Venus de Milo" marble sculpture, and much more. Marc Piasecki / Getty Images According to NBC News , the museum was shut down on Sunday after a group of four thieves broke into the Louvre at around 9:30 a.m. local time, just as the museum was opening. Reportedly, two people, with their faces concealed, used power tools to break in through a window in the Galerie d'Apollon, aka the Apollo Gallery. They even had a crane lifted on a truck so they could get to the window, with authorities noting it seemed like they had scouted the location in advance. DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP / Getty Images The Galerie d'Apollon is home to many of France's crown jewels and diamonds, with it housing that collection since 1887. Related: RFK Jr.'s Latest Comment About Pregnancy Has The Whole Internet Like "That's Not How Women's Bodies Work" French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the "experienced" thieves broke into the gallery using a disc cutter, which triggered the museum's alarm system. The thieves targeted two display cases featuring priceless jewels. They also reportedly threatened museum guards as they fled. CNN reported that the thieves were unarmed. They apparently also tried to set fire to the truck used to carry out the heist, but were stopped by a Louvre security officer. DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP / Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Le Parisien newspaper, per CNN, police found two angle grinders, a blowtorch, gasoline, gloves, a walkie-talkie, and a blanket at the scene of the crime. A yellow worker's vest was also used by the thieves to disguise themselves, which was found further away from the Louvre. The robbery took only seven minutes, with the suspects then fleeing on scooters, according to Nunez. He told France Inter radio, "Clearly, a team had been scouting the location. It was obviously a very experienced team that acted very, very quickly. I am confident that we will very quickly find the perpetrators and, above all, recover the stolen goods." LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP / Getty Images According to a new timeline by the New York Times, the truck arrived at 9:30 a.m., but at 9:34 a.m., the thieves broke into the gallery through a second-floor window. By 9:38 a.m., the thieves were leaving on scooters. The thieves made off with nine pieces of jewelry Related: Someone "Removed Trumps Orange Makeup To See How He Looks Underneath It," And The Photo Is Going Mega Viral The tiara of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, who was the last monarch of France. The tiara features 212 pearls, 1,998 diamonds, and 992 rose-cut diamonds. MAEVA DESTOMBES / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images A diamond bow brooch set, which was crafted in 1855. The brooch also belonged to Empress Eugenie, featuring 2,438 diamonds and 196 rose-cut diamonds. Alongside the bow brooch, the thieves also stole a reliquary diamond brooch JB Reed / Bloomberg / Getty Images For the bow brooch, the Louvre reportedly paid 6.72 million euros. A sapphire tiara, necklace, and earrings, which were apparently worn by several members of French royalty, including Queen Hortense and Queen Marie-Amelie. The tiara features 24 Ceylon sapphires and 1,083 diamonds. STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP / Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: "Put This On A T-Shirt" People Are Praising This Anti-ICE Protestor's 3-Word Response To Getting Tear-Gassed At The LA Protests Napoleon's emerald wedding gift set was also stolen in the heist. The set was one of two that Napoleon I had made to celebrate his marriage to Empress Marie Louise. The emerald set reportedly features a necklace with 32 emeralds and 1,138 diamonds, as well as a matching pair of emerald and diamond earrings. All three items were stolen. MAEVA DESTOMBES / Hans Lucas / AFP / Getty Images On their way out of the Louvre, the thieves also dropped one notable item : the Crown of Empress Eugenie, which was found broken nearby. The crown, which contains more than 1,300 diamonds, is one of the Louvre's most valuable pieces. It was designed in 1855 by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier, two years after Eugenie's marriage to Napoleon III. MAEVA DESTOMBES / Hans Lucas / AFP / Getty Images French President Emmanuel Macron called the heist "an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history," according to NBC News . He added they intend to "recover the works and perpetrators will be brought to justice." Meanwhile, art recovery expert Arthur Brand told CNN this was a "national disaster" for France. Julian Elliott Photography / Getty Images As of right now, more than 60 investigators are working on the case, according to Nunez , with the prosecutor's office reportedly now having footage of the four thieves arriving outside the Louvre before the heist. In an interview with NBC News, Erin Thompson, a full-time professor of art crime at John Jay College, stated that it may already be too late to recover the stolen items. She said, "They stole items that can be easily taken apart, melted down, recut, and sold on the legitimate market with it being very difficult to trace them." STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP / Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: MAGA Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Doesn't Like This Army Vet's Now-Viral Speech The Louvre has been the subject of several high-profile robberies over the years. Famously, in 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian man, walked into the Louvre wearing a uniform and took the "Mona Lisa" right off the wall. He even took it out of the frame to slip it out of the building. According to NPR, the disappearance of the "Mona Lisa" wasn't noticed for 28 hours. It was eventually recovered when Peruggia discussed the painting with an art dealer in Florence. It was returned to the Louvre in 1914. Paul Thompson / FPG / Getty Images This is also not the first time the Apollo Gallery has been targeted. In 1976, masked thieves entered the same room through the same window and stole a 19th-century jewel-encrusted sword belonging to King Charles X. The sword was never recovered. Keystone / Getty Images With the Louvre always being closed on Tuesdays, the museum is set to reopen to regular hours on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Also in In the News: This White Guy Protesting ICE Somehow Gave The National Guard The Most Humbling Speech You've Ever Heard, And It's Just So, Soooo Good Also in In the News: A Trump Supporter Said They're "Living On Credit Cards" And Begged Him To Send A Stimulus Check Amid Rising Costs...And The Internet Reacted Exactly How You Think Also in In the News: "WHY ARE PEOPLE SO STUPID": This MAGA Supporter Shared 10 Reasons Why They Regret Voting For Trump, And The Internet Is Not Impressed Read it on BuzzFeed.com Western officials warn Hezbollahs rapid rearmament could trigger Israeli action if Lebanon fails to act. Hezbollah has recently accelerated the pace of its reconstruction efforts at a time when the Lebanese government has adopted a decision to disarm the terrorist organization, Western intelligence officials told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. "Hezbollah is rebuilding faster than the Lebanese army is dismantling," the officials told the Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to those officials, Hezbollah has managed to rearm itself - including with rockets - recruit new fighters into its ranks, and restore sites and bases belonging to the organization. Most of Hezbollahs reconstruction efforts are taking place north of the Litani River, rather than in the area south of the river up to the Israeli border - a zone that, under the ceasefire agreement reached about a year ago, is supposed to be free of Hezbollah personnel and weapons. A few weeks ago, the Lebanese government presented an action plan to disarm Hezbollah. Israel even agreed to scale back its military activity inside Lebanon, including the withdrawal from five outposts, on the condition that the Lebanese army take genuine action against the terrorist group. Lebanese army members place razor wires in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/KARAMALLAH DAHER) Lebanese army showing motivation, willingness to operate against Hezbollah The Lebanese army has indeed begun operating against Hezbollah. It has shown motivation and willingness to act, Israeli and foreign sources told the Post - but, as they noted, the road to complete disarmament is still long. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, US President Trumps envoy, Tom Barrack, warned in a post on X/Twitter that if Lebanon fails to disarm Hezbollah, Israel is likely to launch an attack against the Shiite organization. If Beirut continues to hesitate, Israel may act unilaterally - and the consequences would be severe, Barrack cautioned in a lengthy post. If Beirut fails to act, Hezbollahs military wing will inevitably face a major confrontation with Israel - at a time when Israel is at the height of its strength and Iran-backed Hezbollah is at its weakest. A Lebanese politician said that "the resistance in Lebanon has regained its strength, remains present and active, and can confront the enemy at any moment if it launches a ground attack." Hezbollah has gained strength, one of its representatives in the Lebanese parliament said this week. Hassan Ezzedine, from the Tyre district, was first elected to parliament in 1992. The resistance in Lebanon has regained its health, he said, Beirut-based newspaper Al Akhbar reported. Hezbollah refers to itself as the resistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resistance in Lebanon has regained its strength, remains present and active, and can confront the enemy at any moment if it launches a ground attack, Ezzedine was quoted as saying. Hezbollah had not been defeated, he said. The terrorist group was clobbered by Israel last year, and a ceasefire came into effect last November. Since then, Israel has frequently struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah appears to be on the run, but it has not been disarmed. Like Hamas, it refuses to hand over its arms. Senior Hezbollah officials appear to be pushing for a comeback. Hezbollah still possesses the will and motivation, as well as the just cause of defending the land and dignity, Ezzedine said. Several areas Israel controls in Lebanon will not remain under its control, and Israel will withdraw sooner or later, he said. Hezbollah-affiliated parliment members claim resurgence During a ceremony held by Hezbollah to honor the martyrs of Khiam, Ezzedine emphasized that the resistance in Lebanon has recovered, remains present and capable of confronting the enemy at any moment, launching a ground attack or attempting to occupy more territory, Al Akhbar, which is considered pro-Hezbollah, reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israels continued strikes are nothing but psychological pressure and intimidation and economic terror in an attempt to maintain the state of terror and fear, he said, adding that the destruction of civilian vehicles and infrastructure will not make us surrender to the will of this enemy, and our presence today in the city of Khiam and in the other villages [on the front] is nothing but a challenge to this enemy, and this weapon that it is using will not benefit it at all, and it will not be able to break our will to stand firm and survive. This is an important symbol of how Hezbollah is bragging that it will return. It is putting on a brave face, because it is still weak. We will continue to pursue our responsibilities at the parliamentary, political, and party levels to pressure the government to include a clause for reconstruction and reconstruction in the 2026 budget, as it is one of the priorities of the government program on the basis of which the government gained confidence, Ezzedine said. Our second priority is to expel the enemy from the land it occupies. He also warned against normalization and peace with Israel. Regarding talk in Lebanon about establishing relations with the Zionist enemy is something that is rejected and condemned, because most of the Lebanese people refuse to establish relations with the Zionist enemy, and I do not believe that the government wants this, Ezzedine said. It is regrettable that some representatives and politicians on television have begun promoting this proposal, he said. The ice is melting. The seas, we know, will riseslowly at first, and then suddenly. Locked within the West Antarctic Ice Sheet alone is enough ice to raise global seas some 16 feet. And some areas, particularly the East Coast of the United States, are set to see far more water than others. But the barrier between the present and the future does not lie at the surface, where sun meets ice. The boundary lies in the cold, hard rumpled Earth below. It is this landscape that determines where ice flows, where seawater can infiltrate, and, ultimately, when sea level rise will go from modest to almost unfathomable. Once upon a time, what lurked under Antarcticas vast ice was unknown and, for all anyone could tell, unknowable. We didnt even know if it was a single continent, says Martin Siegert, a University of Exeter glaciologist. Painting an intimate portrait of Antarcticas buried landscapes has been difficult, tucked as they are beneath up to nearly three miles of ice, in a harsh and unforgiving environment. Ice, at large scales, behaves in strange ways. The first hints came from scattered rock outcrops and early drill cores. A handful of mid-20th-century geophysical surveys followed, and later radar began to sketch the shape of the land below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the picture sharpened over the decades, it revealed a hidden landscape of mountains, ridges, and canyons. And now, using massive troves of radar data and the fundamental laws of physics to divine whats under the ice, Antarctica is known to have geologic complexity as rich as any other continent on Earth. But perhaps more than any other continent, its profiles foretell the contours of our own trajectory. Newly detailed maps reveal key vulnerabilities and chokepoints that protect the West Antarctic Ice Sheets underbelly. Thanks to a few critical bumps and ridges, the edge of the ice sheet hasnt yet slipped deeper into the basin, where the bed slopes inland and retreat could run away. But when it does, the worlds seas will rise swiftly. In 1912, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his expedition, in a wretched retreat from the South Pole, perished on West Antarcticas Ross Ice Shelf along with 35 pounds of fossil-bearing rocksa remarkable dedication to science, or perhaps the kind of dogged determination that gets you into such fatal predicaments in the first place. Previous expeditions had gathered fossil plants from Antarctica (and survived), but Scotts team helped reveal traces of a broken-up supercontinent. Fossilized leaves from Permian swampy woodlands, or Glossopteris flora, matched specimens from surrounding continents. Aligned like jigsaw puzzle pieces, they revealed a broad swath of ancient forestsevidence of drifting continents, and decades later, the theory of plate tectonics. This was Gondwana, and its slow demise shaped Antarcticas landscape and the ice it now holds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Antarcticas bedrock dates back more than 3 billion years, and its landmass has been incorporated into at least three supercontinents. Gondwana fragmented in the Jurassic 180 million years ago, with some rifting continuing to this day. Mountains rose as plates converged, and basins opened as they unzipped, at times forming shallow and warm carbonate seas. For impossibly long periods, the land simply eroded. Later, volcanoes spewed from a thin and rifted crust, not unlike North Americas Nevada looked some 17 million years ago. FIRST LOOKS: The first hand-drawn, continent-wide Antarctic bedrock maps by the Glaciological and Geophysical Folio, released in 1983. These maps were the first attempt to reveal the shape of the bedrock below the ice, but they could not be directly fed into computer models. Credit: Glaciological and Geophysical Folio (1983). Starting about 34 million years ago, ice spread slowly as the continent split from South America and drifted into polar latitudes. By 10 million years ago, spreading ice from eastern highlands filled West Antarcticas rifted Gondwana basins, bowing down the land and creating unfathomable bedrock chasmssome reaching 8,200 feet below sea level. East Antarctica, which lies primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere, is the stoic onea mostly stable craton of primordial rock, resting high above the fray. Vast plateaus and the ice-obscured Gamburtsev Mountains mark its massive territory (which also includes the South Pole). Its ice sits perched above the sea and is relatively stable for now (the Wilkes Basin, lying below sea level, is one notable exception). West Antarctica is another story. Separated from the eastern side of the continent by the Transantarctic Mountains, its crust is battered, rifted, and intruded with magma. Penn State glaciologist Richard Alley compares West Antarcticas bedrock to the western U.S.s Great Basin. Take a map of West Antarcticas bedrock and rotate it roughly 180 degrees (and squint): The featureslineaments, mountains, volcanoes, canyons, and swalescoarsely align. The geologic history is similar, too. Nunataks of the Transantarctic Mountains poke from the ice like a geologic cousin to Californias Sierra Nevada, which tower over Nevadas tectonically stretched country. On the opposite flank, near Antarcticas western coast, is a rough and ratty rangeakin to Utahs Wasatch Range. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Antarcticas marine grounded ice reflects this restless foundation. Unlike its eastern counterpart, it rests in a deep bowl carved during Gondwanas breakup, lying below sea level. It is the ratty range that is currently holding back the sea. And this matters enormously. As warm ocean water reaches beneath floating ice shelves that fringe the continent, those shelves thin and weaken. This pushes the grounding linethe place where ice begins to floatinland into deeper basins, exposing more ice to the sea and triggering a runaway process of melting. If that happens, The ice sheet collapses, says glaciologist Frank Pattyn of the Free University of Brussels. Every model shows that. Its not rocket science. Ice, at large scales, behaves in strange ways, sometimes like a rock and other times more like a fluid, curving and bending over physical features. Alley explains that, as snow accumulates year after year, it compacts into ice, eventually forming vast ice sheets that spread under their own immense weight. These ice sheets slowly ooze outward, cracking and bending as they flow around topographical features in long, finger-like glaciers that reach out toward the sea. From these glaciers extend colossal floating ice shelves, which also help anchor the glaciers behind them by lodging against rocky outcrops. On smooth surfaces, glaciers flow relatively unencumbered, like ladled pancake batter on a griddle. But on ribbed surfaces or tight valleys, its more like a waffle iron, pushing ice through narrow channels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All is well so long as interior snowfall keeps pace with ice loss along the seaside edges. But in West Antarctica, the waters are winning. Warm ocean waters once stayed away, but those days are gone. The now-warmer sea circulates beneath those floating ice shelves, thinning them from below. And along key West Antarctic glaciers, only a few minor ridges act like natural seawalls or anchors, separating the ocean from the continents thick grounded ice. If it gets there, were going to see a lot of sea level rise pretty fast, says Alley. We have a few places with spectacular, wonderfully fantastic data. But we also have big gaps. Imagine the fate of Miamis famed beaches resting on Antarcticas bedrockits rock type, density, shape, and dip. How slippery or lubricated is the rock surface? What about the meltwater drainage systemrivers, streams, lakesthat flow in this cold, cavernous world? (If you take a piece of ice and put it on a table, its not going to move. You put a little water on it, its going to slide, says Robin Bell, a geophysicist at Columbia University.) Now consider the bewildering complexity of rock, ice, and watereach with its variable and heterogeneous properties. Scientific modelers trying to understand the planets future must take all of that and boil it down into something clean enough to feed into mathematical equations and computer code. As statistician George Box wrote in 1987, All models are wrong. Some models are useful. And useful ice sheet models need reliable bedrock maps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until the mid 20th century, scientists had only sparse outcrops and vague hunches upon which to hypothesize about Antarcticas bedrock. Scattered seismic lines, processed sound waves through the Earth, revealed two-dimensional grainy glimpses of the land below, but these surveys were few, far between, and required drilling through more than 160 feet of soft surface snow. Radaror specifically, radio-echo soundingblew it wide open. Deployed in the late 1960s, this technique didnt require drilling and could collect data on moving platforms. With sensors soon mounted on U.S. Navy long-range Hercules C-130 transport planes, data came rolling in. The leap forward was staggering, says Siegert: a five-fold increase in data acquisition. Yet, scientists still had only a patchwork quilt of ad hoc surveys, conducted at different times and with varying systems. An effort to systematically survey the continent with standardized techniques began in the late 1970s but soon waned. After all, in a place this unforgiving, surveying flights are limited, and each can produce only a thin ribbon of radar data directly beneath its path. Its like trying to reconstruct the nations landscape from I-80 across New Jersey, says Alley. We have a few places with spectacular, wonderfully fantastic data, he says wide-eyed, adding, But we also have big gaps. For decades, radar flights have largely buzzed the continents western edge, and for good reason: Thats where the threat is greatest. FILLING IN THE DETAILS: BedMachine, available from the National Snow & Ice Data Center, reveals the hidden landscape beneath Antarcticas ice. Both BedMachine and Bedmapgridded models built from extensive radar surveysmap Antarcticas bedrock at 500-meter resolution. While West Antarcticas vulnerable marine-based glaciers have been well covered by radar flights, large parts of the continent rely on interpolation where no direct data exist. Credit: BedMachine. Glaciologists badly needed compiled maps to understand the evolving ice sheet. The first hand-drawn, continent-wide bedrock maps, Glaciological and Geophysical Folio, released in 1983, were lovely, aesthetic maps, says Siegertones that might today look handsome framed on a studys wall but couldnt be directly fed into computer models. That changed when an international effort led by the British Antarctic Survey released Bedmap in 2001, a continental-scale gridded product. But in terms of data quality, Siegert explains, the map wasnt much of an improvement on the hand-drawn 1983 effort. Bedmap2, released in 2013, benefited from a much larger trove of data, offering a far sharper picture of what lay below. But huge swaths of Antarctica were, and still are, unexplored by radar flights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peter Fretwell, a geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey, says the Bedmap team takes an uglier but honest approach to interpreting across gaps, honoring every datapoint and making geologically informed assumptions between them. Dartmouth College glaciologist Mathieu Morlighem, the mastermind behind a product called BedMachine (released in 2020), took a different approach. He read between the lines with fundamental physical lawsprimarily the conservation of mass. While satellites cant penetrate the ice to reveal bedrock topography, they show the ice surfaceevery bump, crack, and even ice speedwith remarkable clarity. In a eureka moment, Morlighem and his team rearranged equations to compute ice depth in unmapped regions, mathematically rendering the bedrock topography from the known surface shape and speed, or ice flux. This wasnt just a slight improvement: BedMachine exposed never-before-seen valleys and mountains. It revealed the Denman Glacier in East Antarctica to be resting on the deepest point ever mapped on land, reaching some 11,500 feet below sea level. Even Fretwell concedes wryly that BedMachine is much better where we dont have data. These two mapping products arent in competition. Those trying to understand the paths and fate of Antarctic ice are keen to use all the information available. Following the release of Bedmap3 earlier this year, the teams hope to combine their effortseach offers 500-meter pixel resolution (for comparison, Google Terrain View often features 15-meter pixel resolution of land not covered in ice). But as Pattyn puts it, the devil is in the details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enormous and concerning glaciers, like Thwaites and Pine Island, flow relentlessly toward the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica. But they are traveling across the Gondwana topographic grainan ancient wood-like pattern of ridges and troughs carved into the crust during the supercontinents breakup. Farther inland, a smoother path leads through deep valleys toward the Ross Ice Shelf, but thats some 900 miles away. Even ice likes shortcuts. Instead, Thwaitesroughly the size of Great Britainsqueezes through a narrow stone bottleneck along a more direct path. For now, the floating ice shelves brace the great glaciers and slow their flow. But if the shelves disintegrateas happened with the rapid and unexpected 2002 breakup of the Larsen B ice shelfthe buttressing disappears. This means the glaciers move faster toward the sea, and the ridges alone may not be enough to hold them back. Meanwhile, the grounding linewhere the ice begins to floatcreeps inland into the deeper basin where fewer topographic bottlenecks exist. We need to beat the heck out of understanding that bottleneck, says Alley. For some researchers, that means renewing the systematic, continent-wide survey that stalled decades ago. Technology is helping, too. Newly deployed swath radar technology offers a twist on the old technique, enabling, as the name suggests, much wider glimpses beneath each flights path and immediate three-dimensional renderings that are so fantastic its hard to imagine, says Alley. But everyone agrees on the urgency, because nature waits for no one. And many U.S. shores will be among the worst impacted. Seas dont rise uniformly like water in a bathtub and will instead creep faster and higher along the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf Coast, into Manhattans financial district, swallowing North Carolinas Outer Banks, and leaving Florida but a sliver. Some places will fare worse, some better. Few doubt these outcomesthe tension lies in when sea level rise goes from gradual to drastic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If all of Antarcticas continental ice vanishes, seas could rise an average of 190 feet above where they lap today. And if it does, the bedrock will be laid bare, its canyons, mountains, ridges, and swales. Something old, something new. Enjoying Nautilus? Subscribe to our free newsletter. This story was originally featured on Nautilus. HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) The High Point City Council approved a plan that would breathe new life into the southwest part of the city. The plan for the Southwest Mill District aims to transform the heavy industrial area into a neighborhood-friendly and economically driven area. But in May, it faced delays due to proposed legislation. It required the city to get written consent from property owners to downzone properties in the district. The planning and zoning commission proposed the overlay district in September. This proposal aims to make it easier for property owners to develop and for the city to proceed without every written consent. Thats what the city council voted to approve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There seems to be some opportunity here Lets provide the tools to the property owners so if they choose to use it to move things forward, Assistant City Manager Damon Dequenne said. The southwest region was once the capital for manufacturing. It was primarily zoned for heavy industrial use. When city leaders saw the shift in the use of the area, they planned to revitalize the area. In May, Senate Bill 587 and House Bill 765 posed obstacles to proceeding. So residents and businesses in the area worked together with city leaders. To come up with an overlay district. That essentially accomplishes the same thing as the mill district itself, however, in this case, it does not remove the underlying zoning of heavy industrial for all the properties, Dequenne said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This way, the city can give more options to the property owners if they decide to opt in. It provides for us to comply with state law without providing any downzoning but also offering up the opportunities the overlay mill district provides, Dequenne said. The Southwest Mill District overlay can provide residential, commercial and light industrial uses. According to Dequenne, this aligns more with what the city needs now. This project has been very resident and public input driven, so we feel confident that the public is in support, Dequenne said. Out of the 135 property owners, those who might not be on board with change, Can maintain and keep the properties the way that they are, Dequenne said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With more zoning, city leaders hope the property owners will take advantage. Now, the plans next steps are in the hands of the property owners. To revitalize and reinvigorate that area and to promote growth and opportunity. This is the perfect spot in the city of High Point, Dequenne said. According to Dequenne, once the property owners start opting in, the city can plan for a construction date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Greenkeepers, a youth-led environmental organization, is empowering high school students to get involved in local climate action. Founded in China in 2009, Greenkeepers was created by teens who were inspired by trash pickup events near their school. In 2014, the USA chapter launched in the Bay Area in California. Now, student leaders Manya Jain, Ritika Mhatre, Niati Agarwal, Jessica Dao, and Bhavishya Thirumalesh are leading this year's cohort of volunteers. The organization builds awareness of local climate issues, organizes cleanup events, coordinates clothing swaps, hosts educational panels, and more. The members recently held a "Leave No Trace" campaign in collaboration with nearby Lake Elizabeth. They distributed informational fliers about pollution in the water while picking up waste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These posters motivated visitors to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics, use compostable products, and clean up after themselves," Mhatre told the Tri-City Voice. "We also spent lots of time collecting trash and have collected over 200 pounds of trash in these clean-ups." Gen Z disproportionately feels the emotional weight of climate change, according to insight firm GlobeScan. Many, like the activists with Greenkeepers, are taking their futures into their own hands. Youth organizers understand the urgency of addressing wasteful human activities in order to slow the effects of planet-warming pollution. They know it's critical to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills. This is because trash can sit and decompose for many years, creating harmful heat-trapping emissions. This output supercharges extreme weather events around the world, which displace communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Young volunteers are inspiring youth and adults alike by demonstrating tangible, simple ways to help the environment. These actions help communities work toward healthier, safer futures where everyone can thrive. Beyond participating in events, individuals can also donate to climate causes they are passionate about. "It takes just one person to start change," Jain told Tri-City Voice. "I don't think we're going to Mars anytime soon, so treating this as our home and not just as a hotel matters." How often do you feel hopeful about the future of the planet when you read news stories or watch entertainment content? Often Sometimes Rarely Never 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. It's been over three months since New Braunfels launched its downtown paid parking program in early July and residents remain divided. Some praise efforts to ease congestion, while others say it drives locals away from the heart of downtown. Discussions about downtown parking in New Braunfels stretch back more than 80 years, to the founding of the Downtown Merchants Association in 1967, whose earliest goals included tackling the city's long-standing parking challenge. The debate resurfaced during a packed City Council special session on Monday, October 20, where officials shared early data, takeaways and recommendations from the first three months of the program. Residents jam-packed City Hall as City Council members listen to feedback on downtown paid parking on October 20, 2025. (Nicholas Hernandez/MySA) City staff and representatives from Interstate Parking reported more than 54,000 parking sessions since July. The system runs 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., chosen for simplicity and better monitoring of trends, though several residents, including council member Mary Ann Labowski, have called for changes to hours and days of enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Program findings show measurable patterns in downtown parking. Drivers stayed for an average of 2.3 hours, with nearly half taking advantage of the first free hour. About 31% of visits lasted two hours, while longer stays of three hours or more represented a small share. Despite early skepticism, the city reported a 93% compliance rate, attributed to social media campaigns, newsletters and clear signage. The program has generated approximately $80,000 in net revenue, earmarked for downtown improvements including lighting, infrastructure, public safety and enhancements to the visitor experience. An informational guide on the newly implemented downtown parking program is plastered on the side of a trash can in New Braunfels, Texas. (Nicholas Hernandez/MySA) Earlier reports from the City of New Braunfels in July suggested 1,490 citations had been issued and $18,840 collected in citation fees, with total revenue of $30,012 at the end of the month. However, updated data presented at Monday's City Council meeting shows that of 58,257 parking sessions since early July, only 565 resulted in citations, while 3,402 (5.84%) were courtesy notices, a notable difference from the initial numbers. The City of New Braunfels explained to MySA that the original figure included all courtesy notices and citations across downtown. The updated numbers separate the two types of notices and distinguish between the downtown and river districts, providing a clearer picture of the downtown paid parking program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reaction among residents and business owners has been mixed. Some, like Jennifer Wilson of The Mess Around and two other local businesses, say the program has improved parking turnover and made it easier for patrons to enjoy downtown. "I've noticed a tremendous increase in turnover of those parking spaces and people being able to come and enjoy their time at our restaurant," Wilson said. "I think it's an extremely reasonable fee, and I'm highly in favor of managed parking." Chip Lyons, owner of the Tavern on Castell, said sales have dropped about 35%, citing fewer local visitors rather than summer flooding. He also expressed concern for staff, particularly female employees walking several blocks after dark. "We don't need young girls, 20 years old, walking three or four blocks at night," Lyons told council members. "If we're going to do downtown parking, you've got to get a shuttle." New Braunfels City Council hears from a packed room of residents reacting to downtown paid parking on October 20, 2025. (Nicholas Hernandez/MySA) A vehicle in downtown New Braunfels displays a parking notice on its windshield, part of the city's newly launched paid parking program. (Nicholas Hernandez/MySA) Terri Jennings with the Downtown Antique Mall in New Braunfels, said older customers struggled with the QR code system, including an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran who spent $100 and still received a ticket, vowing never to return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some residents renewed calls for a downtown parking garage, but a 2023 study found a 400-space structure could leave the city facing nearly $1 million in annual debt costs, making shared agreements with private lots a more viable alternative. David Ozuna of the New Braunfels Hispanic Business Alliance said he was initially opposed to the program but found it surprisingly convenient. "It can be improved a little bit, but overall, I think it's working," Ozuna said, noting the first free hour and app convenience, while suggesting flexibility for residents and people with disabilities. Officials plan to release the next program update in February, after analyzing off-season data from the months following the busy summer of river tourism. This article originally published at Hill Country town's downtown paid parking collects $80K in 3 months. Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a speech yesterday on the opening day of a major meeting of the ruling Communist Party to approve a draft plan laying out its goals for the country over the next five years. A short dispatch from the official Xinhua News Agency said Xi expounded on the Party leaderships draft proposals for the next five-year plan for national economic and social development, which will cover 2026-2030. It did not provide any details. The latest plan comes at a time of growing challenges and uncertainty for China, including a persistently sluggish economy, foreign restrictions on its access to the latest technologies and high tariffs imposed on its exports to the United States. A Xinhua editorial said that the plan should focus on high-quality development and technological innovation, while also ensuring national security is protected and the benefits of economic growth are spread fairly and more widely. There will be hardships and obstacles on our way forward, and we may encounter major tests, the editorial said in discussing economic and national security goals. We must be prepared to deal with a series of new risks and challenges. Analysts and investors are watching the meeting to look for clues about how the plan will balance economic and security interests, and to what extent the plan will call for structural changes to boost consumer spending and manage an aging society. This weeks four-day meeting brings together about 200 voting members and 170 alternate members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The body will approve the draft five-year plan, though full details likely wont be released until it is formally approved at the legislatures next annual meeting, expected in March. KEN MORITSUGU, BEIJING, MDT/AP Like this: Like Loading... PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A Hillsboro family is demanding answers after a grandfather and longtime community member was detained by immigration agents last week in what they said was a case of mistaken identity. Family and friends said Victor Cruz is from Mexico and has lived in the Hillsboro area for nearly 30 years with no criminal record. However, despite having Temporary Protected Status and a valid work permit, his wife and daughter said Cruz was pulled over by ICE agents near SW First Avenue and Jefferson Street on Oct. 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They saw him as a money sign and not as a person, Cruzs daughter, Atziri, told KOIN 6 News while interpreting for her mother, Maria Garcia. This administration is not playing by the rules. You can present your rights card they violate your rights, they break your windows, they detain you by all means necessary. Victor Cruz has lived in the Hillsboro area for 30 years. Victor Cruz has lived in the Hillsboro area for 30 years. Victor Cruz has lived in the Hillsboro area for 30 years. Cruz later told his family that on the day of his arrest, after giving the ICE agent his work permit and ID, he was told that work permits dont matter anymore. According to witnesses, agents told Cruz they were looking for another man named Victor Cruz, who was wanted on DUII charges. Even after realizing they had the wrong person, the family said agents decided to detain him anyway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many years ago, he was pulled over for the same exact reason, they pulled up the other Victor Cruz, Atziri said. So, yes, we believe that he was mistaken for the other Victor. Family-friend Erin Palmer said agents on scene even questioned whether to let him go. The bounty hunter said, Should we let him go? and the ICE agent said, No as long as we have him, lets take him in, she said. Following the arrest, Palmer said she shared the story on Instagram, drawing attention to the incident, and local leaders, including Hillsboro City Councilwomen Kipperlyn Sinclair and Olivia Alcaire, have since met with Cruzs family, and they are working to strategize next steps. Cruz, who was recovering from a broken foot and had a pacemaker, told family he was shackled at the wrists, ankles, and waist before being taken first to the Portland ICE facility and later to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. He was able to contact his wife and children after being processed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His family said he went nearly 24 hours without food and that his phone and wallet were still being held. This was a grandfather with a pacemaker and a broken foot and no criminal record who should not have been detained, Palmer said. More than one week after his arrest, Palmer said that Cruz still hasnt been added to the ICE detainee locator system which she argued is a violation of the agencys policy. She also said the case is part of a concerning pattern, with nearly 30 ICE arrests reported in Washington County since June. Cruzs family said following a fraud attack on Cruz and his wife several years ago, he had a pending U visa application a federal program designed to protect victims of crimes who cooperate with law enforcement. They said his detention underscored how quickly a case of mistaken identity could upend a familys life, even in a sanctuary state like Oregon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My children asked why their grandpa was taken, Atziri said. To them, hes never done anything wrong. Hes just a fun, silly grandpa and they dont understand. The family called for Cruzs immediate release and accountability from ICE. Theyre not taking criminals, theyre racially profiling us, Atziri said. Theyre hard working, honest men who provide for their families and their families are left looking for a lawyer and having massive financial strains and not knowing where our future lies. KOIN 6 News reached out to ICE for comment, but had not received a response. The offices of U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas have also been contacted about the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bonamici responded by saying that Victor Cruz is in the country legally and is a well-regarded member of his Oregon community. ICE detained him and they are continuing to hold him in detention in Tacoma even though they were looking for a different Victor Cruz. This injustice underscores ICEs pattern of Trump-sanctioned cruelty and the purposeful incitement of fear in Oregon and across the country. I share the communitys concerns and am closely following this case. I encourage people to continue to reach out to my office for help with immigration-related issues and to report ICE activity to PIRCs hotline at 1-888-622-1510. A GoFundMe page was created to support Cruzs legal defense and help his family with expenses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A drag queen writing Chinese calligraphy on a giant scroll running down Chinatown's Wentworth Alley. An independent publishing house printing bilingual Chinese and English poetry about intimacy and desire. A 14-foot "Ghost King" puppet marching through the streets for a Hungry Ghost Festival while highlighting the impact of immigration crackdowns. These creative reimaginings of traditional Chinese culture through contemporary art are part of a resurgent artistic energy in San Francisco's Chinatown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Chinatown is now very cool," said Akaa Ling, the artist behind Now Place, a recently opened Chinatown-based independent publisher, event space and store. "Not just from a tourism perspective, but it's a cool neighborhood to be in." From left to right: Isabel Li, owner Akaa Ling, Acer Wang converse inside Chinatown's zine printing press Now Place, located at 679 Clay St., in San Francisco on Friday, October 17, 2025. San Francisco Chinatown leaders/merchants/activists, in recovering post-pandemic, envision a new economic revitalization strategy centered around contemporary arts and culture, moving away from the traditional economic model of tourist souvenir shops on Grant Ave. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) The nation's oldest Chinatown, hit hard by the pandemic, has enjoyed a cultural and creative blossoming over the last few years, with a flurry of art exhibitions and creative community spaces hosting events like art workshops and author talks. While the resident population of more than 10,000 and locals in other neighborhoods have kept the grocery corridor of Stockton Street thriving, many advocates have struggled with the question of how to attract tourists and visitors back to the area. Leaders envision a path for the historic Grant Avenue centered on galleries and bookstores instead of just the classic souvenir and knick-knack stores that have shuttered due to owners retiring and the cratering of tourism during the pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Malcolm Yeung, executive director of Chinatown Community Development Center, said he wants to ensure the neighborhood's development both protects the integrity of the community and ensures it doesn't become a "living museum." Yeung said the question is how Grant Avanue is going to draw visitors who are willing to spend money. "Does Chinatown's economy and the visitor tourist economy in particular need to recenter from a retail, knick-knack, souvenir experience, into an experiential experience?" Exterior of Chinatown in San Francisco on Friday, October 17, 2025. San Francisco Chinatown leaders/merchants/activists, in recovering post-pandemic, envision a new economic revitalization strategy centered around contemporary arts and culture, moving away from the traditional economic model of tourist souvenir shops on Grant Ave. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) The most successful malls in San Francisco post-pandemic, including Stonestown Galleria and Japantown's Japan Center Malls, have thrived by offering experiences such as arcades, karaoke, restaurants and escape rooms and not just traditional retail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Chinatown still hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic. Foot traffic in Chinatown is still 22% lower than in 2019, among the hardest-hit of San Francisco neighborhoods, according to a recent Chronicle analysis. Sales tax revenue in Chinatown, one measure of consumer spending, is still down 27% compared to 2019, another Chronicle analysis found. But many are feeling hopeful. "Chinatown is becoming a place where there's always something going on," said Joanne Lee, executive director of Edge on the Square, a community arts hub and gallery space located on Grant Avenue. Joanne Lee, executive director, Edge On the Square, poses for a portrait in the gallery located at 800 Grant Ave., in San Francisco on Friday, October 17, 2025. "For people who are monolingual, they can still come in and they can see themselves and their stories through the artists, through our exhibitions, through our community programs, through our annual festival," Lee said. "We also have a lot of tourists from both near and far being right here on Grand Avenue and they also are learning and seeing new things about Chinatown, the history and the culture here." San Francisco Chinatown leaders/merchants/activists, in recovering post-pandemic, envision a new economic revitalization strategy centered around contemporary arts and culture, moving away from the traditional economic model of tourist souvenir shops on Grant Ave. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) Opened in 2023 through a collaboration by several Chinatown groups, Edge on the Square continues to be a "catalyst" for the artistic resurgence in Chinatown, Yeung said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Dragon Gate is the gateway to Chinatown," Yeung said. "Rose Pak is the transit gateway. Portsmouth Square Garage is the auto gateway. Edge could be the cultural gateway. That's the dream of how we go forward." With the opening of the Chinese Culture Center's new design store and event space at 667 Grant Ave. expected later this fall, two cultural institutions will anchor the historic street. { "__type": "devHubFreeformEmbed", "__id": "Datawrapper", "__fallbackImage": "https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ElseM/mobile.png", "__data": { "datawrapper_id": "ElseM" } } Multi-million dollar development projects also underpin the high hopes of residents and city officials for the neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The long-anticipated $65 million renovation of Portsmouth Square Park, affectionately dubbed "Chinatown's living room," is expected to break ground next year after some delays. A 175-unit affordable housing tower that would revive the "New Asia" banquet hall is in the works, with a major state financing hurdle recently cleared. Yeung, whose group is developing the project, said it's expected to break ground in early 2027. Adding to the neighborhood's cultural offerings is a Chinese-English language bookstore called Unbound Bookstore, which will open later this year and be the only one in the neighborhood. Chinatown's three remaining bookstores shuttered during the pandemic, including the well-known Eastwind Books. Chinatown leaders hope these ventures would attract a new generation of visitors, including millennials and Gen-Z locals. Asian American Community Heroes Mural by artist Anne Marie Lapitan, located at 706 Barbary Coast Trail, in San Francisco on Friday, October 17, 2025. San Francisco Chinatown leaders/merchants/activists, in recovering post-pandemic, envision a new economic revitalization strategy centered around contemporary arts and culture, moving away from the traditional economic model of tourist souvenir shops on Grant Ave. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) To some extent, it's already happening. Chinatown celebrated its first ever Pride festival this summer, highlighting the often overlooked queer history of the neighborhood, including drag performances in 1940s Chinatown nightclubs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're widening our audience and telling a new story a lot of people may not know about," Lee said. Edge on the Square's annual contemporary arts festival has grown over the past four years to about 12,000 attendees this year, Lee said. This year's rendition, titled "Super Flex," called for artists and attendees to imagine how to "flex" their power. Like many recent festivals and artistic offerings in Chinatown, it engaged with the national political climate under President Donald Trump's administration. Mural above Matcha Cafe Maiko, located at 756 Grant Ave., in San Francisco on Friday, October 17, 2025. San Francisco Chinatown leaders/merchants/activists, in recovering post-pandemic, envision a new economic revitalization strategy centered around contemporary arts and culture, moving away from the traditional economic model of tourist souvenir shops on Grant Ave. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) "We're in a very difficult political time for immigrant communities like Chinatown and low-income communities," Lee said. "I see it in the art." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For almost as long as Chinatown has been home to new Chinese immigrants, it's also been a tourist destination. After the 1906 earthquake and fires destroyed Chinatown, an enterprising American-born Chinese businessman named Look Tin Eli oversaw the redesign of the neighborhood with pagodas and curled eaves to resemble an Orientalist vision of China with an eye to attracting tourists. Jenny Leung, executive director of the Chinese Cultural Center, called it an act of "resilience" that also leaned into the stereotypes of the time to attract tourists. "This very exoticized version of Chinatownno longer serves the community," Leung said. "I think we're in another period of reinvention." Jenny Leung, executive director, Chinese Culture Center, poses for a portrait in the facility located at 667 Grant Ave., in San Francisco on Friday, October 17, 2025. San Francisco Chinatown leaders/merchants/activists, in recovering post-pandemic, envision a new economic revitalization strategy centered around contemporary arts and culture, moving away from the traditional economic model of tourist souvenir shops on Grant Ave. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) From 1965 to the early 2000s, Chinatown's economy was primarily driven by garment factories and light industrial jobs that are now mostly gone. Economic activity next shifted into groceries, hair salons, restaurants and souvenir retail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But even before the pandemic, traditional retail became less appealing to tourists, Yeung said. Ling, the owner of the new independent publishing house, Now Place, began hosting events for creatives and fellow immigrants in 2023. In cafes, zine stores and her living room, she would gather people to talk about their struggles as immigrants and artists. When she finally got her green card last year, she was able to quit her tech job as a product designer and create a permanent home for community members. The Nanjing native said it seemed natural that Chinatown would be the home for this new space. Exterior of Chinatown's Waverly Place in San Francisco on Friday, October 17, 2025. San Francisco Chinatown leaders/merchants/activists, in recovering post-pandemic, envision a new economic revitalization strategy centered around contemporary arts and culture, moving away from the traditional economic model of tourist souvenir shops on Grant Ave. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) Chinatown's population density reminded her of Nanjing, the capital of China's Jiangsu province, and watching residents sit in the park and play cards and chess made her feel at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The neighborhood's long history of activism, fighting against gentrification and racism, also touched her, she said. "I just wanted to be a part of it," she said. "I want to create something new here. I wanted to be part of the legacy." With their own printer, Ling started publishing zines made by herself and other artists. Zines are small, self-published or independently published mini magazines often produced by artists with a "do-it-yourself" attitude and are popular among various contemporary subcultures. One recent publication is a bilingual book of poetry and a short story called "Odyssey in San Jose," by a Chinese writer named Buwa who was inspired by walks he took around the Bay Area, eschewing car-centric culture in a "land built for speed," Ling said. This article originally published at This historic S.F. neighborhood is now very cool.' Will a creative resurgence help its recovery?. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) One of the oldest churches in Kansas has received a grant to help preserve its historic building. Bethany Lutheran Church in Lindsborg announced Tuesday that it received a $500,000 preservation grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places. The program is a collaboration between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Partners for Sacred Places, a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization that works to help congregations preserve their historic buildings. It is a tremendous honor to receive this grant not only for our congregation, but for the entire community we serve, church council President Trampas Miller said in a news release. To be the only recipient in Kansas is a reminder that this is a special place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bethany Lutherans first congregation established itself inside a sod building northwest of present-day Lindsborg in August 1869. Five years later, construction began on Bethany Lutheran Church at its current home at Main and Saline streets. Built from timber and native limestone and painted white, the church is a part of Lindsborgs rich Swedish heritage and history. Bethany Lutheran is also the birthplace of Bethany College, located just northeast of the church. Jim Turner/Bethany Lutheran Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bethany has been a spiritual home for generations a place where people gather to worship, serve, and celebrate together, the Rev. Chris Deines said. This grant allows us to preserve our sacred space so it remains a welcoming place for all. The grant will fund projects that will include rebuilding a wall, replacing aging wooden beams with steel supports, installing tie rods and other structural improvements. These upgrades are about more than fixing a building, Deines said in the release. They renew our mission. Bethany has always stood for faith, relationships, and community. This work helps us continue sharing Christs love in ways that will last for generations. Gods Word Shall Live Forever the words above our entrance still guide us today. Bethany Lutheran is one of 30 congregations nationwide that received a total of $8.7 million in grant funding this year. To learn more about the Fund for Sacred Places, click here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To learn more about Bethany Lutheran, visit bethanylindsborg.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 KSN-TV. KENNEBUNK, Maine The beloved Wedding Cake House on Summer Street finally has new owners, following the sale of the historic property on Oct. 1. The house, one of the most photographed residences in Maine, sold for $1.825 million, according to listing agent Andi Robinson of Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty in Kennebunk. Its an architectural treasure, Robinson said. Were grateful to have been part of this sale for the community. The new owners of the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk, Maine, closed on the historic and beloved property on Oct. 1, 2025, according to the real estate agency that handled the sale. While Robinson could not name the new owners, she did say they are not from the area and will use the property as a private residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre really excited to be the stewards of the next chapter, Robinson said. Robinson added that the new owners were drawn to the property by its character and its importance in the Kennebunk community. Its a landmark, she said. More: Trick-or-treaters beware: Summer Street staying open for traffic in Kennebunk on Halloween Robinson said the final selling price was lower than what the home was originally listed, but for a reason. The property was originally listed as furnished, Robinson said. It sold unfurnished. Collectors were able to get their own piece of the Wedding Cake House during an online auction that Andrew Davis, of Casco Bay Auctions in Freeport, held on Oct. 18. Everything inside the home, from the artwork on its walls to the furniture throughout every room, went to the highest bidders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Located at 104 Summer St., the Wedding Cake House had been on the market since the spring of 2024. Pack Maynard and Associates, the local real estate firm that first handled the property, listed it for $2.65 million. The now-previous owners, Hunt and Katie Edwards, put the property on the market after spending much of 2023 working through the towns planning process to try to transform the place into an inn and events venue. The couple said generating revenue was essential to fund renovations and ongoing upkeep of the property. Many neighbors opposed that goal, arguing that it would create traffic and safety concerns and irrevocably change the character of the street. Next-door neighbors Gayle and David Spofford spearheaded the opposition by forming a group called Friends of the Wedding Cake House. The Spoffords could not be reached for their reaction to the news of the sale and of the new owners intent to keep the Wedding Cake House as a private residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Edwards proposal stalled with efforts to seek a contract zone that would have helped pave the way to pursue the project further. The couple eventually dropped the project. History of the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk Built in 1825, the Wedding Cake House is formally known as the George W. Bourne House and gets its nickname from its wedding cake-like appearance. The eight-bedroom, seven-bathroom home sits on 2.23 acres and has more than 300 feet of frontage along the Kennebunk River. According to local legend, Bourne, a sea captain and shipbuilder, had the house built to atone for having not taken his bride, Jane, on a proper honeymoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The home has been restored on several occasions. James Hunt Barker Hunt Edwards uncle bought the house in 1998. Hunt Edwards began renovating it in 2019. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Historic Wedding Cake House sells in Kennebunk for $1.8 million Editor's note: This story first ran in Eliot Kleinberg's Palm Beach Post Florida Times column as part of a four-part series in 2019. It has been edited and broken into five parts for this go-round. Ever been to Escambia County? Live there? Well, it makes this weeks list and youd be pleased to know it was one of the very first counties created when Florida became a state, along with St. Johns. Here is the second batch of Florida counties and how they ended up with the names they bear today. Note: Years refer to each county's formation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dade (1836): Major Francis L. Dade and more than 100 soldiers under his command died north of Tampa in a Dec. 28, 1835 Seminole ambush that sparked the Second Seminole War. The county was to be named for Revolutionary War hero William Pinkney when word came of the clash. In 1997, to maximize the regions branding, voters renamed the county Miami-Dade. Dixie (1921): From the historical term for the South. De Soto (1887): Named for Hernando de Soto, Spanish explorer; the only person in the names of two Florida counties the other being Hernando County. Duval (1822): William P. DuVal was the second governor of the U.S. territory of Florida, succeeding future president Andrew Jackson. He served from 1822 to 1834, by far the longest of the six terms preceding statehood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Escambia (1821): Its believed to be a corruption of the Spanish "cambiar," or "exchange," though it might be named for a Panhandle native village called San Cosmo y San Damian de Escambe' or Scambe'. Escambia and St. Johns were the first two counties when Florida joined the United States in 1821. Flagler (1917): For icon Henry M. Flagler, who built up nearby St. Augustine before literally putting Palm Beach on the map. Henry Morrison Flagler, whose portrait stands in the Grand Hall of his Whitehall estate in Palm Beach, was so influential in Florida that a county was named after him. Franklin (1832): For Benjamin Franklin. One of five Revolutionary War figures, other than presidents, named in Florida counties (Hamilton, Lafayette, Marion, Sumter). Gadsden (1823): James Gadsden of South Carolina was an aide to Andrew Jackson in the 1818 Florida campaign. He later helped negotiate the 1853 Gadsden Purchase of parts of modern-day New Mexico and Arizona. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gilchrist (1925): The state was about to create Melon County when word came that Albert W. Gilchrist, governor from 1909 to 1913, was on his deathbed. Glades (1921): Yes, it was named after the Everglades after being carved out of De Soto County. Gulf (1925): This panhandle county was named for its location on the Gulf of Mexico. Hamilton (1827): For Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the U.S. Treasury. The honor came a quarter century after his death in a duel and nearly two centuries before he became a Broadway sensation. Hardee (1921): Cary A. Hardee, governor from 1921 to 1925, was in office when the new county was split off from De Soto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hendry (1923): Captain Francis A. Hendry fought in both the Second Seminole and Civil wars, and when a new county split from Monroe in 1887, he helped push through the naming for his hero, Robert E. Lee. Next week: Hernando to Liberty. Eliot Kleinberg is a former staff writer for The Palm Beach Post and the author of numerous books about Florida and its history. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida history of county name origins, Dade to Hendry SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Over 3,500 people came out on Saturday for the second No Kings protest in Sioux Falls. From the Vietnam War, Civil Rights Act and Black Lives Matter, Sioux Falls has a long history of protesting. We dug into our KELOLAND archives to look at a few demonstrations in the city throughout the decades. Civil Rights Civil Rights protestors in 1965 Civil Rights protestors in 1965 Civil Rights protestors in 1965 Civil Rights protestors in 1965 On March 17, 1965, the Sioux Falls community braved the snow to march in support of the Selma, Alabama, protest riots. A peaceful protest turned into what is now called Bloody Sunday after state troopers and law enforcement attacked over 600 people on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The marchers were making their way to Gov. George Wallace to protest the lack of voting rights for Black people, despite the Civil Rights Act being signed months earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gevo CEO: Not 1 dime taken in state money KELOLAND News reported about 300 people made the five mile march through the streets of Sioux Falls with temperatures slightly above zero, 40 mph winds and seven inches of snow on the ground. The disturbing events of Selma, Alabama, have become very real in the last week We wanted to indicate our own concern in some kind of public way. We chose the march, because this is one way of speaking in a public way, not only with our mouths, but with our feet, Authur Olsen, a professor of religion at Augustana College, told a KELOLAND News reporter. Vietnam War University students protesting the Vietnam War in 1970 University students protesting the Vietnam War in 1970 University students protesting the Vietnam War in 1970 In May 1970, students at then Augustana College gathered to protest the Vietnam War and Kent State shooting, which happened days before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students called on the government to withdraw troops from Vietnam and other countries and asked university officials to drop the incoming ROTC program Weve got to make it clear to President Nixon that we dont want to be in Vietnam anymore, a student protestor said. Sioux Falls Curling team wins national championship Five days later, Augustana held another rally while Sioux Falls College now the University of Sioux Falls held a memorial for the Kent State victims. Both schools joined together in a 10 block march to the First Lutheran Church. The march stretched a block long with over 250 students, KELOLAND News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Give peace a chance, the students can be heard chanting in archived KELOLAND News footage. Farm Crisis Farmers protesting President Reagans farm policies in 1986. Farmers protesting President Reagans farm policies in 1986. Farmers protesting President Reagans farm policies in 1986. In September 1986, farmers, labor unions and womens groups in South Dakota came out to Sioux Falls to protest President Ronald Reagans new farm policies. Regan was visiting Sioux Falls in support of Senator Jim Abdnors re-election campaign. He promised an advance on deficiency payments for future agriculture planting. Stopping the clock with KELOLAND archives KELOLAND News reported that farmers protested outside of the event for better grain prices and less government in agriculture. Deficiency payments dont cut it with anyone, one protestor told KELOLAND News. Its just substituting a little tiny bit of what they took away from you. Keep in mind, the government cant really give you anything if they havent first taken away from you in some manner. Abortion Anti abortion protestors in 1993. Anti abortion protestors in 1993. Anti-abortion groups protested outside of the Womens Medical Services Center in 1993. That year, the Freedom of Choice Act was introduced to congress, which would have codified Roe V. Wade. President Bill Clinton also revoked the Gag Rule, which prohibited abortion counseling in clinics that receive federal funding to serve low-income patients. Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter protestors in 2020. Black Lives Matter protestors in 2020. Black Lives Matter protestors in 2020. Black Lives Matter protestors in 2020. Black Lives Matter protestors in 2020. Sioux Falls held multiple protests in 2020 advocating for the Black Lives Matter movement, against police brutality, racial inequality and the death of Minnesotan George Flloyd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We thought there may be a few hundred people, but a couple of thousand people showed up for at least the initial thing and that protest went off without a hitch, Sioux Falls Police Information Officer Sam Clemens told KELOLAND News in 2020. The protest did grow violent however, as people moved from downtown Sioux Falls toward the Empire Mall, where large rocks were thrown at officers and several businesses were vandalized. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. No Kings Protestors outside federal courthouse in 2025 Protestors outside federal courthouse in 2025 Protestors outside federal courthouse in 2025 Protestors outside federal courthouse in 2025 Protestors outside federal courthouse in 2025 Two No Kings protests have taken place in Sioux Falls this year. The first was in June and the second last Saturday. Both protests saw large crowds, with over 3,500 reported at the October protest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was amazing to see Sioux Falls show up the way they did as, the event organizers, we just wanted to make a space for the community to come that was safe and welcoming. And they showed up, event organizer Andrew Cedergren said. Organizers reflect on No Kings Rally, counter-protest There were 11 protests planned across the state. Brenda Anderson, organizer of the Brookings protest, said around 550 people showed up to Hillcrest Park. Our Brookings rally went smooth and was great, Anderson said. Rally participants were joyful and happy to be together There were a handful of counter protesters nearby, I counted eight people. The Brookings police were available if needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aberdeens protest organizer, Carlee Miller, counted 250 people that showed up on Saturday. She said the rally was successful and protestors donated food to Midwest Street Medicine. Overall, it was a very positive experience. I was bowled over by the support, Miller 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 KELOLAND.com. The Call for the Last Victims of the Terror, 7-9 Thermidor, Year 2 (25-27 July 1794). Found in the collection of Musee de l'Histoire de France, Chateau de Versailles.= Credit - Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images The assassination of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 has intensified the profound political divisions in the United States. While Kirks widow Erika called for forgiveness of his killer at his memorial service, President Donald Trump threatened to deploy the tools of the federal government to destroy individuals and institutions he labeled as the radical left. Although prominent Democrats have condemned Kirks murder, many have resisted lionizing a man they considered divisive. Is there a path of political reconciliation during such a time of political, cultural, and economic division? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The history of the French Revolution helps illuminate the stakes and the challenges at hand. In particular, this history suggests that when each side views the other as an existential threat, maintaining political power becomes the greatest imperativewhich only increases the likelihood of authoritarian solutions arising as a result. The French Revolution of 1789 had many causespolitical, ideological, economic, and socialyet in its early phases, many people were optimistic about forming a new representative government based on meritocracy and leaving behind an absolutist polity and hierarchical class structures. The members of the newly formed National Assembly, including representatives of all three French estatesclergy, aristocrats, and commoners, came together to forge a government envisioned as a constitutional monarchy ruling in tandem with an elected legislative assembly. Read More: The French Revolution Offers a Warning About Presidential Immunity However, deep divisions soon appeared: the more liberal members of the National Assembly were convinced that the political right was scheming to undermine the Revolution and bring back absolute monarchyespecially when war broke out with European countries hostile to Frances political changes. Conspiracy theories and inflammatory rhetoric emerged among both the general population and the political elite. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As King Louis XVIs lack of commitment to democratic change became clear, violence broke out in Paris and elsewhere, leading to the overthrow of the monarchy and the declaration of the French Republic in September 1792. The kings execution in January 1793 led to civil war throughout much of the nation. Royalists fled the country, fearing legal and physical danger. Divisions emerged even among those committed to democratic reforms. A struggle among factions in the National Convention led to the defeat and arrest of the leftwing Jacobins political enemies. During the bloody and violent year that followed, often referred to as the Terror, the Jacobin leadership, including Maximilien Robespierre, tried to eliminate political dissent within the country at the same time that it fought enemies abroad. To do this, the Jacobins loosened the legal safeguards that guaranteed due process; they imprisoned and executed thousands of French citizens in 17931794. The Terror came to an end when Robespierres erstwhile allies began to fear that he was coming for them next. A genuine cabal came together quickly and accused him of a conspiracy against the public good and of plotting to bring down his political opponents. They took advantage of the lax legal procedures to condemn Robespierre and his allies to death by guillotine the next day, 10 Thermidor according to the Revolutionary calendar (July 28, 1794). In the days that followed, sometimes called the White Terror, those who had suffered in prison and lost family members turned their fury on the Jacobins they held responsible. In the wake of such carnage and with such intense hatred on both sides, how could the French people reconcile with each other? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One effort was to scapegoat Robespierre and his closest friends, who were no longer alive to defend themselves. Politicians, in some cases Robespierres former allies, tried to make him solely responsible for the excesses of the previous years. But political divisions remained because of genuine ideological differences. Jacobins continued to believe that French governmental structures should remain responsive to the French people, while more conservative politicians believed that it was necessary to clamp down on popular unrest and to restrict governance to the elite. The constitution of 1795 reflected these more conservative views. The new government, the Directory, was Republican in form, but it limited direct electoral power to wealthy men. Read More: Want to Heal America? Look to 19th Century France At the same time, many French men and women believed that the end of the Terror and the creation of new governmental structures offered the possibility for political stability and social reconciliation. Former enemies of the people, forced into hiding and exile during the Terror, benefited from periods of political amnesty in the years that followed. Royalist emigres began to trickle back into the country in 1795, and a number of Jacobins who renounced their earlier radicalism were also reintegrated into civil society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Salonssocial gatherings of men and women dedicated to the discussion of politics and culturere-emerged and often included those of differing political views. Here, women played a conciliatory role. Political philosopher Germaine de Stael opened her salon to a diverse group of men and women; Theresia Cabarrus, who had helped royalists escape France, was married to a former Jacobin, Jean-Lambert Tallien, and also worked in favor of political reconciliation. The famous painter Jacques-Louis David, a fervent Jacobin under the Terror, subsequently committed himself to bringing the French people back together. His famous painting of The Intervention of the Sabines (1799) was a tribute to the power of political reconciliation. And yet, social and cultural efforts could not overcome the political divides that violence and distrust had dug into the French social fabric. The conservative republican men who controlled the Directory, the new French government, believed that allowing their enemies from either the right or left to come to power was too dangerous for them and for France. When the legislative elections in the spring of 1797 led to a monarchist majority, the Directors annulled the results, arrested over 50 right-wing deputies in what was called the coup of 18 Fructidor (Sept. 4, 1797), and sent a number of royalists into exile once again. The following year, the coup of 22 Floreal (May 11, 1798) purged elected Jacobins. Clearly, the efforts to rebuild civil society had done little to bridge political divisions. Against this background, Napoleon Bonaparte emerged as a leader who promised to mend political and social divisionswith his Coup of 18th Brumaire (Nov. 9, 1799) supported by many French elite who believed that he could unite the country. Bonaparte used the tools of government to harass Jacobins and curb dissenta disaster for civil society. While political violence decreased, his heavy-handed rule papered over Frances wounds without healing them. His pursuit of military adventures was one way he tried to bring the French together, but his defeat in Russia and eventually at Waterloo brought down his empire in 1815. Political and social divisions continued to fester in France, leading to frequent unrest and periodic revolution over the course of the 19th century. The lesson? Clamping down on dissent cannot heal political and cultural hatreds. The French had the right idea after Thermidor: to focus on civil society to bring the nation together. But this was not enough without responsible political leaders also committed to the project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At her husbands funeral, Erika Kirk called for love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us. Likewise, the children of the late Minnesota Speaker of the House who was gunned down last summer, Melissa Hortman, also reminded us that the only way out is to treat each other with kindness and respecta useful message for our political leaders and fellow citizens to heed. It would be even better if we could also regard our political opponents as fellow Americans, not enemies. Christine Adams, a former American Council for Learned Societies and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation fellow at the Newberry Library, is professor of history at St. Marys College of Maryland and author of The Creation of the French Royal Mistress with Tracy Adams. Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. Write to Made by History at madebyhistory@time.com. HNI Corporation has donated several parcels of land to the City of Muscatine, supporting the citys ongoing efforts to expand and develop housing opportunities for residents, a news release says. (muscatineiowa.gov) The donation provides the city with strategically located land that will be considered for future residential development projects, helping to address community growth, housing needs, and neighborhood revitalization. City leaders and HNI Corporation representatives expressed excitement over the collaboration and the potential benefits to the Muscatine community. HNI Corporation has long been a committed partner in the Muscatine community, said Matt Mardesen, city administrator for the City of Muscatine. This generous donation represents an important step toward increasing housing options and supporting sustainable growth in our city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HNI Corporation is proud to contribute to Muscatines future in a meaningful way, said Jeff Lorenger, president and CEO of HNI Corporation. Through this donation, we aim to support the citys vision for housing development and its impact on the well-being of current and future Muscatine residents. The City of Muscatine will review plans for the parcels and work with local stakeholders to determine the best approach for future housing initiatives that align with the citys long-term development goals. The parcels, located off University Drive in Muscatine, has the potential for development of a subdivision that would include townhomes and single-family homes of various sizes. The development would be completed in three phases over the course of several years. Once the transfer of ownership is complete, the City of Muscatine will develop and publish a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking potential developers for the project. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly investigating a man who called for someone to kill the son of a b**** President Donald Trump on Monday. An elderly man with a walking stick was recorded wearing an 86 47 shirt and calling for the presidents death during an anti-Trump protest. After a cameraman asked the protester to explain his shirt, he replied, Kill the son of a b****. Kill who? pressed the cameraman, to which the protester responded, The 47th president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protester then gave his name to the cameraman, who remarked, Glad we got that on camera. You know thats illegal, right? You dont threaten the president. You dont threaten anybody. After footage of the incident went viral, Fox News reporter Peter DAbrosca reported that the protester was under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. SCOOP: I can confirm that the man wearing the 86 47 shirt is under investigation by @DHSgov. https://t.co/9GQuum8V0x Peter DAbrosca (@pmd_reports) October 20, 2025 The term 86 47 made headlines in May after former FBI director James Comey posted an Instagram photo of the numbers arranged with seashells. The number 86 is a restaurant reference, which means to throw out, get rid of, or remove, while the number 47 is a reference to Trump as the 47th president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comey was investigated by the Secret Service and tailed by unmarked cars after posting the cryptic image. The former FBI director went on to remove the post, claiming he was unaware that the numbers could be associated with violence. I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didnt realize some folks associate those numbers with violence, wrote Comey in a statement. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down. The post Homeland Security Investigating Protester Who Called For Someone to Kill the Son of a B**** Trump first appeared on Mediaite. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem used a visit to Bradenton on Monday to highlight recent arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to praise Florida law enforcement for cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Noem also took the opportunity to downplay concerns about President Donald Trumps immigration policies, which critics argue have undermined due process, weakened U.S. protections for asylum seekers and led to an increase in racial profiling, among other concerns. Standing beside seized firearms and drugs at the Department of Homeland Securitys local offices, Noem said ICE and Homeland Security Investigations officers have arrested more than 480,000 people identified as criminal illegal immigrants nationwide since January. She said about 70% of those individuals had criminal charges or convictions in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency did not immediately provide additional details about the arrests, such as how many occurred in Florida or how they define criminal a term that can include people charged with nonviolent or immigration-related offenses. We are focused on the worst of the worst, Noem told reporters. Were not going to let individuals terrorize our streets anymore and were not going to let them make victims out of families that live in this country. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the DHS offices in Bradenton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, to give an update on ICE's crackdown on illegal immigration. Noem praises Florida arrests Noem named several people arrested in the Sarasota area who had prior convictions, including a Cuban national convicted of homicide and kidnapping, an El Salvadoran man convicted of sexual assault against a child and a Mexican national with prior convictions for lewd acts involving a minor and multiple DUIs. These individuals are just a handful of people that have been in this country creating victims out of American citizens, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noems visit was part of a broader tour promoting the agencys enforcement efforts and its cooperation with local law enforcement. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the DHS offices in Bradenton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, to give an update on ICEs crackdown on illegal immigration. A collection of impounded drugs and weapons lay on the table in front of Noems podium. Noem praised Florida for what she described as the highest number of local law enforcement partnerships in the country through the 287(g) program, a federal initiative that allows local agencies to collaborate with ICE in identifying and detaining people suspected of being in the country illegally. Supporters of the program say it helps keep communities safe by removing violent offenders. Critics, including immigrant rights groups and some local governments, have argued it can lead to racial profiling and erode trust between police and immigrant communities. The partnership here in Sarasota has been fantastic, Noem said. Florida has led the way in helping us bring individuals to justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside, a group of about 10 protestors criticized those partnerships, holding signs that read, Leave our neighbors alone and Stop pretending racism is patriotism. A group of protestors gathered outside as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the DHS offices in Bradenton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, to give an update on ICE's crackdown on illegal immigration. Noem encourages self-deportation Noem, a longtime ally of Trump, has positioned herself as one of the administrations most vocal defenders of its immigration policies. Mondays appearance echoed similar visits she has made in other cities, such as Portland and Chicago, where she has praised Trumps approach to immigration enforcement and criticized what she described as media distortions of federal efforts. When asked what message she had for undocumented immigrants without criminal records, Noem said they could avoid detention by voluntarily leaving the country through a self-deportation program. She said participants receive $1,000 and a plane ticket home. Go home to your country and come the right way, she said. If they wait until we detain them and have to remove them ourselves, they will never have the chance to come back to America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noem said she chose to visit the Bradenton area to spotlight what she described as positive examples of local law enforcement cooperation that receive little national media attention. Im in Sarasota today because people dont get to hear the media cover these individuals who have been removed from the streets, she said. Homeland Security initially said the press conference would take place in Sarasota, but it was relocated to a DHS office in Bradenton. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the DHS offices in Bradenton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, to give an update on ICE's crackdown on illegal immigration. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the DHS offices in Bradenton on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, to give an update on ICE's crackdown on illegal immigration. DENVER (KDVR) A homeless encampment that popped up just feet from a demolition site along Speer Boulevard and 6th Avenue was cleared Monday evening shortly after FOX31 raised safety concerns with city officials and Denver police. The site sits in front of the old KMGH building, where demolition crews have been working for several weeks. Earlier in the day Monday, several tents and belongings were set up along the sidewalk just steps away from heavy machinery and debris. Two pedestrians killed in Centennial crash on Sunday night Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX31 reached out to the citys Department of Housing Stability and Denver Police Department, and then at least four officers arrived on scene. Witnesses saw officers helping people pack belongings and trash into bright orange bags and one person was taken into custody. Denver police confirmed the arrest but said it would not be releasing details about the reason until the individual is processed. A city official later told FOX31 that the person arrested had multiple outstanding warrants. HOST said its outreach team also visited the site earlier in the day to connect with people and offer services. In a statement, a spokesperson said: HOST was made aware of the site this morning, and our street outreach team was on site earlier today engaging with individuals at the location. In situations like this, our primary focus is on outreach and support ensuring people are aware of and have access to services that can help. By evening, the encampment appeared mostly cleared. The city says multiple departments often coordinate in situations like this and will continue to monitor the area. 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. Inside Look is a Fresno Bee series where we take readers behind the scenes at restaurants, new businesses, local landmarks and news stories. Fresnos first Honduran restaurant has brought together the rich flavors of Honduran and Mexican cuisine under one roof. For us, the dream of having our own business was for our family to get ahead and to share our culture, Beatriz Amador, co-owner of Keidys Restaurant, said in Spanish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beatriz Amador, who is originally from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, said she and her husband Felix started their family business with a food truck in Mendota, which they have expanded to north Fresno. Felix and Beatriz Amador have opened Keidy's Restaurant, the first to offer Honduran food in Fresno. We started with a food truck and thanks to God, God gave us the opportunity to open this location in Fresno, Beatriz said. The couple opened the brick-and-mortar location at 7091 N. Blackstone Ave (the old Ronnies Midway Market), near Hendon Avenue across from Costco during the summer with a grand opening held in July. According to the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, Keidys is the first Honduran restaurant in the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the Honduran community in Mendota is small, the couple have made a name for themselves using social media to promote their food truck, gaining customers of various nationalities through the Valley. Beatriz Amador said their clientele includes people from Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, and Cuba. Many people from different places have come and supported us, she said. The most popular dish is pollo con tajadas or pollo chuco which originated in San Pedro Sula, a city in northern Honduras, according to Beatriz fried chicken on top of a bed of sliced plantains. Pollo con Tajadas, chicken with fried plantains, served at Felix and Beatriz Amador's new Keidy's Restaurant on north Blackstone Ave, the first to offer Honduran food in Fresno. Photographed July 11,2025 in Fresno. Other popular dishes at the restaurant are pupusas, which can be Salvadoran and Honduran, and the tacos dorados, or crispy tacos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the dish people ask for the most is pollo con tajadas, she said. Mexican food items on the menu includes tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and birria. Popusas are served at Felix and Beatriz Amador's new Keidy's Restaurant along Blackstone Ave., the first to offer Honduran food in Fresno. Photographed July 11, 2025 in Fresno. Building their American dream The opening of Keidys Restaurant was a major milestone for Felix and Beatriz Amador. The dream of owning their own business started in their home kitchen in Mendota many years ago, said Felix Amador. The couple worked to save to buy their food truck, which they got up and running two years ago in Mendota. Felix said they had customers driving to Mendota from Fresno, Visalia, Hanford, Tulare, Chowchilla, and Madera looking for their authentic Honduran cuisine. Customers and supporters enter Felix and Beatriz Amador's new Keidy's Restaurant after its grand opening ceremony Friday, July 11, 2025 in Fresno. At first, the couple wanted to get a second food truck. Then came the opportunity to open a restaurant in Fresno. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The couple still owns the food truck in Mendota and what they call a pulperia a minimart where people can find products from Honduras, Mexico and Central America. The family, including their children, is actively involved in the business. Keidys Restaurant is named after their oldest daughter. This is truly a dream come true. My family and I have put our hearts into this restaurant. It taught us patience and showed us that with time and dedication, anything is possible, Beatriz said. The restaurant has the colors of the Hondurans flag white and blue as well as painting of macaw on the walls, which is the national bird of Honduras. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here in Fresno, were going to showcase our Honduran cuisine, which is little known, so that everyone can get to know our gastronomy that exists in Honduras, Beatriz Amador said. We have many delicious things for you to try. Guests enjoy Felix and Beatriz Amador's new Keidy's Restaurant on its grand opening Friday, July 11, 2025 in Fresno. Feliz and Beatriz Amador said they are proud to represent Honduras. As an immigrant, Beatriz said opening the restaurant is not just for her family, but for other Latinos too who can identify with them. We feel very proud because we know were contributing something good to society here in the United States, she said. Were doing this so all Latinos can identify with the fact that were here, not to bother anyone. Were here to work and work and do things well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are proud to be Honduran and to represent all people, all Latinos, she said. The restaurant also offers a variety of products from Central America, including Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador and will also have Mexican products. Honduran snacks are seen for sale at Felix and Beatriz Amador's new Keidy's Restaurant on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Fresno. Mendota mayor Victor Martinez was proud to see Felix and his family who live in Mendota, family business growth from one food truck to a location in Fresno brining our brothers from Honduras food cuisine here and also the Mexican flavors mixed with them. The restaurant is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. seven days a week. A Honduran jersey is displayed at Felix and Beatriz Amador's new Keidy's Restaurant, the first to offer Honduran food in Fresno. The grand opening was held Friday, July 11, 2025 in Fresno. A raffle for prizes is held during the grand opening of Felix and Beatriz Amador's new Keidy's Restaurant, the first to offer Honduran food in Fresno. Photographed Friday, July 11, 2025 in Fresno. Felix and Beatriz have opened Keidy's Restaurant, the first to offer Honduran as well as Mexican food in Fresno. Its grabd opening was held July 11 and is located along Blackstone Ave. north of Herndon Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) Hope College in Holland is preparing to begin construction a large new building to host its economics and business department. The 74,000-square-foot building will go up on 8th Street between College and Columbia avenues. More than $50 million of the $65 million needed for the project has already been raised. Construction is set to begin next month. New Corewell Health housing project hopes to attract resident doctors Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hope College business student Emma Curtis will graduate before the building is finished, but sees the benefit for students. Words cant even describe just how excited I am about this, Curtis said. We are in like 16 different buildings across campus right now, so as a business major ,its really challenging only having 10 minutes between classes and going from one side of campus to the other. I think having a centralized place where all these classes are going to be not only classes, but also a study area where youre able to connect with other students and faculty and staff is going to be great for the department. The lot at Hope College where a new building will soon be built. (Oct. 21, 2025) The lot at Hope College where a new building will soon be built. (Oct. 21, 2025) Hope College President Matthew Scogin said the project will serve as a new gateway from downtown into campus. On this ground will be a facility that will shape future leaders, our future boardroom executives, our future business leaders, future entrepreneurs, so a lot of ideas are going to be born in this space right here, Scogin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The building will have nine classrooms and lots of convening spaces, Scogin said. Were envisioning a coffee shop on the bottom floor, so lots of gathering spaces where students can meet with business leaders, where alumni can come and be part of events on campus, Scogin said. A rendering of the new building at Hope College. (Courtesy Hope College) A rendering of the new building at Hope College. (Courtesy Hope College) Part of Grand Haven community center could become childrens museum Students like Curtis say the addition will make a lasting impact on the business program. Its such a hot spot for business. I think that its really symbolic that the business building will be placed downtown, Curtis said. The college plans to have the building open and ready for students in the fall of 2028. 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 WOODTV.com. Houston ISD announced Monday that the principal at Poe Elementary School will fill another position in the district and that nearby Roberts Elementary School's principal will lead Poe. Jonathan Alaniz has led Poe for three school years. The fine arts magnet school, with about 700 students located just north of Rice University, will now be led by Roberts Elementary's Trealla Epps, according to the announcement. This school year was Epps' 10th as principal of the Rice-area school, according to the school's webpage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With her deep experience, strong instructional leadership, and commitment to student success, we are confident that Principal Epps will foster a positive, inclusive, and enriching environment for students, families, and staff. She is excited to lead and build upon the great work already underway at Poe," HISD's Central Division Chief Daniel Soliz said in a letter. Alaniz has nearly two decades of experience and earns $121,000, while Epps has 32 years of HISD service and earns $155,000. Both Roberts and Poe have International Baccalaureate programs, and they are A- and B-rated schools, respectively, in the state's A-F school rating system. The principal of Westside High School in HISD recently announced her departure for another school district. Alisa C. Zapata had more than 20 years of experience, according to district records. Epps will meet Poe families at an event Wednesday. This article originally published at Houston ISD announces principal changes at Poe and Roberts elementary schools. HuffPost senior White House correspondent S.V. Date on Tuesday defended his coverage of President Donald Trump, specifically his line of questioning to the White House that went viral this week over press secretary Karoline Leavitts childish response. The views I have about Donald Trump now are those that have come from my reporting and from my watching him and from my experience. And If I dont convey my conclusions about Donald Trump to my audience, then Im failing them, Date said on CNN News Central. Politics: Mehmet Oz Just Redefined Math To Make Donald Trumps Numbers Work I mean, people who are watching CNN or reading HuffPost or The New York Times for that matter, they shouldnt be expected to just get stenography and then go back and do all the historical research on what this man has said and done in the past before. Watch the interview here: Last week, Date reached out to the White House for comment regarding the decision to choose Budapest as the meeting place for Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reporters text exchange with Leavitt went viral after she responded to Dates query about who chose the location with what appears to be the administrations idea of professionalism: Your mom did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Leavitt posted a screenshot of the exchange on X that included her responses, calling Date a left-wing hack. Neither the exchange nor her post on X answered his original question. Politics: Paul Krugman Warns Trumps Economy Is In Worse Shape Than It Looks All I can do is my reporting, and part of that is asking them for their view of it, for their explanation of it, for some sort of background as to why this happened, et cetera, Date told the network. Did it help her base? Probably, I mean as you saw on Twitter she got a bunch of retweets and people were calling me names. ... And that happens now, I mean, thats the world we live in. That Trump-Putin meeting is now suspended after a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, according to multiple reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not immediately respond to HuffPosts comment request for this story, nor the additional opportunity in the request to answer Dates original question. Read Next Read the original on HuffPost House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) accused Democrats of pushing a false narrative about President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, but bizarrely cited Alex Acosta as proof of the presidents innocence the same man who brokered the disgraced financiers 2008 sweetheart deal. The protest comes as lawmakers, in both parties, have criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for prolonging the shutdown recess to delay a discharge petition that might force a vote on the Epstein files release. Trump, who previously called for the release of the Epstein files on the campaign trail, has since dismissed them as a hoax, telling supporters not to waste time on it. But curiosity around his past association with Epstein was renewed following the release of documents that included what appeared to be a birthday note to the disgraced financier, which Trump denied writing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the government shutdown has dragged on, top Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have accused House Republicans of trying to protect the Epstein files. Johnson called the claim totally absurd. Comer on Tuesday then took the opportunity during a House GOP presser held by Johnson, the 21st day of the government shutdown, to fend off the attacks also, accusing Democrats of weaponising the case against Trump as a distraction from what he called the Schumer shutdown. Lets be clear, Democrats dont care about transparency or accountability in this matter, Comer said, claiming the evidence weve gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way. He argued that he and the House Oversight Committee were conducting a thorough investigation and had reviewed over 43,000 pages of documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawmaker continued: Weve conducted a deposition with former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and a transcribed interview with former U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. I dont think I need to remind anyone in here that they are both Republicans and both former cabinet secretaries in the Trump administration. And guess what? Those interviews completely debunked the Democrats smear against President Trump. Barr stated that there was no evidence that President Trump was involved in Epsteins criminal activity. Acosta confirmed there was no contact with President Trump during the Florida case. No link, no conversations, nothing. Acosta was serving as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2008 when he brokered the 2008 non-prosecution deal, widely criticised as a sweetheart arrangement, that let Epstein serve just 13 months for state-level prostitution crimes. He later worked in Trumps first administration cabinet as Labor Secretary. Just last month, FBI Director Kash Patel told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Acosta had committed the original sin in the Epstein saga by choosing not to pursue federal charges against the financier. Democrats need to stop playing games and vote to reopen the government, Comer concluded his remarks. Watch above via CSPAN. The post Huh? Comer Tries to Clear Trumps Name By Citing Ex-Trump Cabinet Member Who Cut Epsteins Sweetheart Deal first appeared on Mediaite. EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)- The Human Rights Commission is now joining the NAACP, the Womens Center of Greater Lansing, the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission and others in calling for the resignation of East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown. The Commission is also calling for an external investigation into the police department as a whole and the pepper spray incident that occurred during Michigan State Universitys welcome week. Commissioners held Monday nights special meeting to specifically talk about the departments handling of welcome week, where two black men were pepper-sprayed and charged with misdemeanors, which prosecutors have since requested dismissal for. As well as to discuss comments made by the police chief about that week, which some city officials have called racist. Rights Commission calls on resignation of East Lansing police chief and department investigation (WLNS) The chief has since apologized for her comments, but human rights commissioners said she does not have the publics trust. They voted unanimously to send a letter to City Manager, Robert Belleman, requesting an external investigation into the police department and its policies, including use of force, medical attention requirements when someone is pepper-sprayed and protocol when someone is intoxicated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chair of the Human Rights Commission, Julia Walters, said she hopes council members will listen to what the commission is recommending. City council has an obligation to listen and take in the feedback of its constituents and its clear that time after time its not doing that. I also believe that the city council has not taken back the feedback and expertise of the East Lansing Police Oversight Commission as well as the East Lansing Human Rights Commission, the Chair continued. My hope would be that they actually respond to requests and actually engage with dealing with these issues that are affecting this community. The East Lansing City Council is meeting next on Tuesday, October 21, 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 WLNS 6 News. SPRINGFIELD This Friday, the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri is hosting an all-day microchipping event for pet owners to bring their furry friends. The event begins at 9 a.m. at their location at 3161 W. Norton Road in Springfield. It will be first-come, first-served. Walk-ins are from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. No appointments are needed. They will be using microchips for pets and will cost $25 each. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event is Halloween themed; however, pets who are receiving chips should not wear a costume and should be on a leash. Cats must be in a carrier as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Were so moved to see you here in Samaria, a free Jew with your head held high. Were here to win together! Am Yisrael Chai! Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, told him. Hundreds of Israelis on Tuesday gathered in the West Bank town of Leshem to welcome home the released Gaza hostage Avinatan Or after eight days in the hospital. Were so moved to see you here in Samaria, a free Jew with your head held high. Were here to win together! Am Yisrael Chai! Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, told him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Or, who lives in Shiloh, exited his car to greet the dancing crowd and thanked them for their support. This week Ive heard from my whole family how every part of the people of Israel helped and stood with us, and I thank you. Our strength is in our unity, and I hope we continue in that spirit. No one can defeat us when we are together! he said. His brother Moshe Or and Moshes wife, Yael, thanked the residents of Leshem for the help and support they provided while Or was in captivity. Hundreds greet released hostage Avinatan Or upon arrival in his West Bank town, October 21, 2025. (CREDIT: BINYAMIN REGIONAL COUNCIL) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Throughout these two years, while everyone faced their own hardships, you never stopped standing by us as a community, asking, offering help, supporting us in countless ways, and most importantly, reminding us we were not alone Thank you for coming to greet him at the hospital and to rejoice with us. May we continue to stand together for one another, and only in times of joy! A loyal partner: Avinatan Or Avinatan Or, partner of rescued hostage Noa Argamani, spent over two years in Hamas captivity after terrorists kidnapped him from the Nova Music Festival in Reim. The 32-year-old second-born of seven brothers was planning to move in with his girlfriend before terrorists snatched him from Argamani, who was dragged away on the back of a quadbike, crying Dont kill me! while reaching for Or. They had spent hours hiding in a ditch after trying to flee by car when Hamas discovered them. Or had reportedly had the opportunity to escape but did not want to leave behind his girlfriend at the hands of the monsters, his mother, Ditza Or, told the Jewish Chronicle. I have thought about what would have happened if he had escaped, but I know he would have never forgiven himself. He wouldnt have [been] able to live with himself. So, he was very loyal, and I'm proud of him for that. By Akbar Novruz A court in Armenia has ordered the seizure of assets worth more than $3 million from the relatives and close associates of late war criminal and looter Manvel Grigoryan, former Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia, Azernews reports via Armenian media. The courts decision partially upheld a claim filed by Armenias Prosecutor Generals Office, which has announced plans to appeal the sections of the claim that were rejected. Grigoryan, a figure long associated with war crimes and corruption, had previously had his and his wifes assets frozen by authorities in November 2023. His notorious record includes direct involvement in atrocities committed during the Garabagh conflict, where he admitted in an interview to bringing back hundreds of Azerbaijani captives from the occupied territories. The captives were held in his private residence and forced into labour, while Grigoryan also confessed to participating in the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and in acts of kidnapping, intimidation, and violence against civilians to prevent their return. During a court session on September 25, 2025, his recorded confessions were submitted as evidence in the ongoing trial of Armenian political and military leaders charged with crimes against peace and humanity, genocide, war crimes, and terrorism connected to Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan. The seizure of Grigoryans family assets marks a notable step in Armenias belated process of addressing wartime crimes and corruption, although it continues to face criticism for partial and selective justice regarding atrocities committed during the decades-long occupation of Azerbaijani lands. On Monday 22 September, Copenhagen Airport was shut down for four hours. The reason? Unidentified drones were flying overhead. Two days later, it was reported that drones had been observed at other Danish airports in Aalborg, Esbjerg and Snderborg, as well as over Skrydstrup Air Base. The Danish Armed Forces announced that drones had been spotted circling a number of military installations. Since then, there have been several reports of unidentified drones across the country. With Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the helm, the Danish ruling class are now trying to whip up a storm about the country being as close to a full-blown war with Russia as it can get, without actually being in one. They do not dare to call it an outright attack, but rather an affront, saying that a so-called hybrid war is now being waged against little, peace-loving Denmark. The Russians have been designated as the unmistakable enemy, villain and aggressor. The Social Democratic Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard, has even compared the current situation to that following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001, in which 3,000 people were killed. It is obvious that the government is trying to create fear and exploit the situation to their own political advantage. However, a lot of things are still up in the air (not counting the drones). For instance, there is still no evidence as to whom they belong in the first place. Furthermore, reports have started trickling in that there might not have been any drones in the first place, with anonymous sources from the intelligence services sowing serious doubts about the governments claims. Even if we assume that the government's claim that Russia is behind it is true, we must ask the following question: how has it come to this? Is it true, as Mette Frederiksen suggests, that Danish politicians have just been sitting at home, eating their rye bread in peace and quiet, when suddenly, out of the blue, the Russians have chosen Denmark as their next target? Not at all. On the contrary, she along with almost every other Danish politician has pursued an extremely aggressive and escalatory foreign policy towards Russia. Always pointing the finger The ruling class in Denmark uses the media to try to portray itself and its allies as always acting defensively, while its competitors, rivals, and opponents are to blame for every problem in the world. We are seeing this right now in Gaza. According to Danish politicians, Israel has the right to defend itself by massacring tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children. Forget the previous 80 years of occupation, displacement and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022, Danish politicians and media described it as unprovoked aggression on the part of Russia / Image: public domain The same has been the case with Russia. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022, Danish politicians and media described it as unprovoked aggression on the part of Russia. They said nothing about how the West helped introduce the most corrupt form of mafia capitalism in Russia, when the Soviet Union fell. Nothing about how NATO, a hostile military alliance, has expanded eastward ever since, accepting Russian border states as members. Nothing about the many NATO bases, military exercises and troop deployments along the Russian border. Nothing about the West supporting the Maidan coup in 2014, which established a new pro-western regime in Ukraine, that started a civil war against the Russian-speaking part of the Ukrainian population. The fact that the war is actually a war between western imperialism on the one hand and Russia on the other, being fought on Ukrainian territory, is of course passed over in silence. What politicians and the media wanted us to focus on was that Russia had attacked Ukraine. Full stop. It is the very same picture that is being painted now. Military aggression towards Russia If we are interested in more than simply scaremongering, and we actually want to understand the situation, we need to understand the policies pursued by Mette Frederiksen and Denmark more generally. Since World War II, Denmark has benefited from the United States' dominance in the capitalist world and has therefore always been extremely loyal to Washington. This is why Danish politicians have happily followed the Americans when they have bombed and invaded one country after another in the Middle East in recent decades. This relationship with the United States, combined with Danish interests in Eastern Europe, was also the reason why Frederiksen, backed by the entire Danish Parliament, took such a strong stance on the war in Ukraine. In an attempt to weaken Russia, the United States, led by Joe Biden, helped provoke this war in Ukraine, which the Danish government supported from the outset. Danish politicians have not only sent a staggering 75 billion Danish kroner (US$11.6 billion) of taxpayers' money to Ukraine, but also aircraft, tanks and other military equipment. In Europe, Mette Frederiksen and the government have been among those who have pushed the hardest to escalate the war. In May last year, Mette Frederiksen was one of the first to give permission for Ukraine to use weapons donated by Denmark for attacks inside Russia. Mette Frederiksen also took the lead in pushing for Ukraine to be allowed to use their long-range missiles for attacks inside Russia, despite Russian statements that they considered this a declaration of war by NATO. In a direct continuation of this, she said in an interview last summer: You cannot be on a peace mission in Russia. We have tried, but we have nothing left to talk with Putin about. And we in Europe will soon have to understand that Russia does not want peace. That is why we must dare to do what previous generations did: use military force to secure democracy and human rights. In reality, statements like these amount to a declaration of war against Russia on the part of Denmark. It is in this context that we must view the escalation that Mette Frederiksen has continued ever since. From 1 December, the Ukrainian company Fire Point will begin producing fuel for Ukraine's long-range cruise missiles in Denmark, which have a range of 3,000 kilometres. Danish politicians have thus given Ukraine permission to build weapon parts in Denmark, which will be used in the war against Russia, and which can strike Russia directly. Then there is the latest step on Denmarks ladder of escalation. Five days before the first drones were observed over Danish airports, the government held a press conference on what it itself described as a historic paradigm shift. For the first time, the Danish military is to arm itself with offensive weapons in the form of long-range precision missiles. The government made it very clear that the weapons Denmark is now acquiring are being purchased because of Russia, and must be capable of hitting targets inside its borders. If you take a step back and think about the policies Mette Frederiksen is actually pursuing, it seems completely insane. Denmark, a tiny country, is not only ruling out peace, but is spearheading a constant escalation of the conflict with Russia. If Russia had behaved as aggressively towards Denmark, as Denmark does towards Russia, and had escalated in the same way, we would indeed now be at war with Russia. If Mette Frederiksen's policy is taken to its conclusion, it would ultimately lead to a full-scale war with the world's largest nuclear power, which also possesses the largest combat-trained army in the world. No stick Contrary to the picture generally painted in the Danish media, it is the Danish government that is behaving in an extremely belligerent manner, puffing itself up and constantly poking its Russian foe in the eye. Mette Frederiksen has been at the forefront of this course of action, and tried to use this aggressive stance towards Russia to increase her own authority. For example, at the Social Democrats' annual conference, she had Mattias Tesfaye, Minister for Children and Education, introduce her as Putin's headache. One would be hard pressed to find a more self-righteous and obnoxious form of posturing. If Mette Frederiksen's policy is taken to its conclusion, it would ultimately lead to a full-scale war with the world's largest nuclear power / Image: public domain Peter Viggo Jacobsen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, and one of the main military pundits in Denmark, aptly described Fredriksen's actions as follows: Former US President Theodore Roosevelt said that being at war requires one to speak softly and carry a big stick. Denmark has an incredibly loud voice and no stick. It is only logical that when you stick your nose out that far, you also risk getting punched in the face. Mette Frederiksen has repeatedly provoked the largest, strongest, and most heavily nuclear-armed power in Europe. Most people would be able to figure out that sooner or later this would provoke a backlash. Whether or not Russia is behind these drone flights, it has nevertheless thrown the entire political establishment into an embarrassing state of complete confusion and powerlessness. The impotence of Danish politicians As the Revolutionrt Kommunistisk Parti, the Danish section of the RCI, we have always pointed out that Russia has no interest in invading Denmark or any other NATO country, and that is still the case today. Whether you like it or not, nations have spheres of interest. Just as the US would never accept Chinese or Russian military installations in Mexico or Canada, Russia could not accept Ukraine the largest European country bordering Russia becoming a NATO member or anything of the sort. But the Danish government has continued to fuel fears of an imminent Russian invasion. The reason for this is that the US, led by Trump, is not only trying to get out of the war in Ukraine, but more generally to leave Europe, including Denmark, to fend for itself. That is why politicians and the media are whipping up fear, so that they can gain tacit acceptance for the billions spent on weapon purchases and further militarisation. This allows them to override laws and regulations, for example, in order to build military installations such as the aforementioned Ukrainian Fire Points factory. This fear has undoubtedly taken hold among part of the population. Many workers support Danish military build-up, due to the effectiveness of the fear-mongering employed by politicians. Many workers have been frightened, because they want to defend their homes, their families, and their livelihoods. But what the drone affair has shown is that Danish politicians are incapable of defending even an inch of the country. Have Danish politicians appeared decisive and resolute in the wake of these events? On the contrary. They have been completely at a loss, brimming with incompetence and with no idea what to do. A flurry of meaningless press conferences have been held, attended by large groups of politicians and senior officials, but without anything meaningful to say. When asked, for example, why the drones were not shot down, they looked confused and mumbled something about it being dark and the dangers of shooting something into the air, because it will fall back down again. It seems to have come as a complete surprise to them that drone technology is something to be reckoned with in the 21st century, even though it has been the main component of the war in Ukraine for the past 3.5 years, and drone flights had already been observed over the port of Kge, south of Copenhagen, back in January. Many people are undoubtedly sitting at home thinking about the fact that politicians have put Denmark on a collision course with Russia, and that they have no idea how to protect us from attacks like these. They are no doubt drawing the conclusion that this is a completely insane policy. It is the Danish politicians that are creating fear and uncertainty about war in the future, but when faced with even the slightest test, they falter. Mette Frederiksen and co. have shown themselves to be all bark and no bite. Weak government This is creating an ever-widening gap between politicians and the population, which Mette Frederiksen is attempting to bridge by reenacting the COVID-crisis, with herself cast as the hero of the hour. With opinion polls showing support for the Social Democrats on the decline, and upcoming municipal elections set to be a bloodbath for the party, this is an obvious opportunity for the Prime Minister to create a new sense of crisis, reminiscent of the pandemic, in order to make herself a figure of unity once again, and increase her support. Mette Frederiksen and co. have shown themselves to be all bark and no bite / Image: public domain But the effect of her alarmist politics is not the same as it was during the pandemic. Since then, distrust of Mette Frederiksen and the rest of the politicians has grown and grown. Very few people believe that the current government will handle this crisis well. The display of their incompetence over the past week has only given evidence to this sentiment. The government is in a very weak position, which is not helped by new and ongoing scandals. At present, a misconduct case is weighing heavily on Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen the leader of Denmark's main bourgeois party. At the so-called People's Meeting a few months ago a yearly event where politicians and the upper echelons of society gather in the name of celebrating Danish democracy a thunderclap rang out as an F-35 fighter jet flew over the island, first while Mette Frederiksen was giving an interview on national TV, and then when Troels Lund Poulsen was chairing an event. The timing was too good to be true. When subsequently asked whether he had ordered the planes, he flatly denied. But now this has been shown to be a lie. The military has been put to use, as part of the government's own propaganda machine. It is impossible to say how this case will end, as the minister has directly lied to the Danish Parliament, which is illegal. Ultimately it may cost him his position as minister. The mood has changed With cases like these, it is no surprise that more and more people are losing trust in Mette Frederiksen and her government. The prime minister's response to criticism of the handling of the drones has been to label all critical voices as Putin supporters, sowing division among the population. In other words, she is trying to scare people into keeping quiet and doing as they are told. The prime minister's response to criticism of the handling of the drones has been to label all critical voices as Putin supporters / Image: Revolution However, unlike during the pandemic, where there was a real health risk, the mood has now changed. Visit any comment section on social media, and it is not just a few anti-government internet warriors who are grumbling. There are many critical comments posted by ordinary people. Many directly blame Mette Frederiksen for the situation, because they see that she is the one who has continued to provoke Russia. Others point out how she and other politicians have been talking about strengthening defenses for years, but even now nothing has been done. There is also a smaller group of people who do not believe that there have been any drones at all, or that it is the government itself that has launched them. This is the most significant aspect of the current situation: the shift in mood and the change in consciousness. The drone affair is happening at a time when we are witnessing new historic events every week. Therefore, it not only increases the deep mistrust of politicians and authorities, but also forces more people to question how society as a whole is organised. It is this change in consciousness that is actually the greatest danger to those in power. A one-stop shop for Chicago kids hoping to get in and go to college The annual Chicago Scholars event brings universities and schools, under one roof. Students can get admitted on the spot, with some even getting money to attend. There was a mix of nerves and excitement for a lot of the high schoolers as they interviewed with colleges and universities of their dreams. Many of them will be the first in their family to go to college. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I interviewed with Purdue and I am pretty excited how that went," student Michael Gomez-Hernandez said. "I think it a great school it integrates business and engineering, something that interests me a lot." Michael is one of nearly 600 students taking part of this year's Chicago Scholars Onsite College and Leadership forum at McCormick Place. The event brings over 100 schools face to face with hopeful high school seniors looking to take the next step in their education. Tuesday, some students walked away with onsite college admission offers and financial aid. Including lucky high schooler Houefa Agassounon, who was accepted to Columbia College on the spot, after a brief interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I thought they were just going to get to know me, probably like I have your application but I did not think I was going to get here you are, you got accepted. I was like 'wow,'" Agassounon said. The event brings students from public, charter, and private schools across Chicago together. It is also meant to provide resources to get students college ready, while also helping take some of the load off parents. "It's a daunting process like navigating all the things to get to school, the FAFSA, knowing how or where to go to school, and then being able as a parent to let your student go away. And what we do is provide is provide college counseling services," Jeffery Beckham, Jr., CEO of Chicago Scholars, said. For any Chicago high school juniors who are interested in participating in next year's forum, the application process starts Tuesday. Matthew Stevens didn't want to watch anyone die. Late one night in February, the 19-year-old was in bed, scrolling on Instagram. Amid his feed's usual mix of memes and movie clips, the app recommended a video of two men fighting a brutal, graphic brawl that left him shaken. He quickly scrolled past the post, but the Instagram algorithm kept showing him more. "Every time you scrolled, it just kept going further and further with more graphic and violent fights," Stevens said. Online, users worldwide reported the same experience: On Feb. 26, their feeds were suddenly filled with video after video showing real human suffering and death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instagram's parent company, Meta, apologized after the incident, which affected Instagram Reels, the company's short-form video feature similar to TikTok. A spokesperson said they'd "fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not have been recommended." But Feb. 26 was the tip of the iceberg. Violent and shocking content often referred to as "gore" remains easily accessible on Instagram today, a CBS News investigation found. Instagram Reels hosts a thriving graymarket economy driven by graphic violence, people who post violent content on Instagram told CBS News. Banned advertisers -- gambling sites, crypto apps, porn agencies -- evade Meta's ad rules by paying graphic-content pages to embed illicit promotions among the gore. Between February and April 2025, CBS News identified more than 600 Instagram accounts that post real-world violence packaged into short-form meme videos. The accounts post horrific videos that are viewed by millions of users -- some of whom told CBS News they didn't want to see them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even elementary school students were exposed to violence on Instagram, said Nate Webb, a school counselor in Tooele, Utah. On Feb. 26, he said some fourth graders were joking around about the content they were seeing. "It was shocking to me that such graphic content disturbs me, and I'm a full-grown adult, that didn't really faze some of those kids," he said. "It made me wonder, how much more are you seeing and how much more often are you seeing it?" The violent imagery can "saturate" a person, overwhelming the brain and even leading to PTSD-like symptoms, said Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky, an expert on trauma who founded the Trauma Stewardship Institute. "There are no words to describe how profound and damaging and powerful that impact is, even if we're just bringing it down to neuroscience and a brain perspective," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It can be especially troubling if someone is shown gore content involuntarily, according to Joanne Lloyd, a researcher at the University of Wolverhampton in England. "The people that seem to be most distressed by it were the people who had not gone looking for it," Lloyd said. CBS News interviewed Instagram users around the world and reviewed dozens of social media posts complaining about graphic content on the platform. Each said the Instagram algorithm showed them horrific violence they didn't want to see -- both before and after the incident in February. Meta declined to make anyone available for interview for this story, but said in a statement that it invests heavily in safety and security, with 40,000 staff and more than $30 billion dedicated to those issues over the last decade. The company said it restricts the monetization of violent content and adds warning labels, aiming to shield teens and those who don't want to see graphic posts -- while acknowledging that not all disturbing material meets their threshold for removal. In addition, Meta said it expanded teen protections in an October policy update, nowautomatically hiding more graphic content such as dead bodies, medical injuries, and dyinganimals. Teens will also be blocked from following or interacting with accounts that share age-inappropriate material, including those linked to adult platforms such as OnlyFans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Government shutdown enters Day 22 as Trump gives Democrats ultimatum Republicans set to propose bill to pay federal workers through government shutdown Dozens charged in connection with illegal betting cases, FBI and DOJ announces Hundreds of thousands of NHS workers have signed a letter to Sir Keir Starmer urging him not to slash Britains support for a global initiative set up to fight HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. The letter, seen by The Telegraph, was prompted by reports circulating in Whitehall last week that the government is about to cut its funding for the Global Fund by 200 million. The organisation is hoping to raise at least $18 billion at a crucial summit on the sidelines of the G20 in Johannesburg next month, at a time when many Western governments are cutting aid budgets in favour of defence spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aid groups have said that a 20 per cent cut in the UKs contribution to the Global Fund, which works in more than 100 countries and has been credited with saving 70 million lives since it was set up in 2002, could result in 300,000 preventable deaths and threaten years of progress. Britain has historically been one of the funds largest donors, and pledged 1 billion during its last funding cycle which ran from 2023-2025. It is now rumoured that the government will reduce its pledge for the next cycle to 800 million, despite the fact it is co-hosting the November summit. Signatories to the letter include 19 diaspora health associations which together represent more than 355,000 doctors, nurses, and midwives who have moved to the UK from countries that benefit from the Global Funds support, including Uganda, India, Zambia, and Nigeria. Their work in the UK is facilitated in large part by Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET) a charity which supports relationships between NHS trusts and health systems in low and middle-income countries. Sustained commitment to the Global Fund is essential to avoid a costly resurgence of infectious disease that cannot be contained by borders. Such a resurgence would place further strain on the NHS and threaten the UKs ambition to end HIV transmissions by 2030, the letter reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As diaspora health leaders, we see every day the tangible impact of The Global Fund on the ground, and the shared benefits of UK leadership both at home and abroad. We therefore urge you to announce a maintained pledge of 1 billion to The Global Fund at the replenishment conference in November, it adds. b' ' The letter has been endorsed by Dr Beccy Cooper, a Labour MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on Global Health and Security. We need to be really mindful of the importance of global health to our security and the health of our population at home as well as the global responsibility of pulling our weight, Dr Cooper told The Telegraph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of return on investment there is a very strong case that it is an excellent use of our UK funds and I would strongly encourage my minister colleagues to ensure we are financially contributing to the global fund in a way that allows that organisation to do their excellent work and maintain that maximum contribution, Dr Cooper added. Baroness Chapman, the Minister for International Development, presided over a dramatic reduction in Britains overseas development budget, which was cut from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of GDP in February, saying that the UK can no longer be viewed as a global charity. The cuts have been projected to hit areas like health and education the worst and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations mainly women and children in Africa. However, it was hoped commitment to the Global Fund would be kept up, given both Britains role in its work over the last two decades and the fact it is largely seen as the worlds most cost-effective aid organisation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For every dollar invested in the Global Fund, an estimated $19 in health and economic returns is generated by strengthening health systems, preventing and treating infectious diseases, and building resilience against future health threats, according to the Geneva-based aid group. We recognise the fiscal pressures that your government faces but cutting funding to The Global Fund would be a false economy, the letter says. Investment in global health security is an investment in the United Kingdom, in the NHS, and an investment in protecting our health workforce by supporting the prevention of infectious disease spreading around the world and to the UK, it adds. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security 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. TOMMY CHRISTOPHER: What are your thoughts on those? First of all, what are your thoughts on the indictments and then as it relates to your pardon? HUNTER BIDEN: Well, look, I think that, and Ive said this before, is that my dad would not have pardoned me if President Trump had not won, and the reason that he would not have pardoned me is because I was certain that in a normal circumstance of the appeals. Donald Trump went and changed everything. And it changed everything, and I dont think that I need to make much of an argument about why it changed everything. And you cited just three examples that just all happened within the past couple of weeks. And I dont I dont think hes even close to being finished, with the, with his revenge tour and his absolute obsession with my dad. I think would have made me like a, you know, kind of the easiest, easiest target to just to intimidate and to not just impact me, but impact my entire family into, into silence in a way that at least he is not, its not as easy for him to do. Me being pardoned. And I, and you know, tell you what, I realize how privileged I am. I realize how lucky I am, I realize that I got something that almost no one would have gotten. But Im incredibly grateful for it and I have to say that I dont think that it requires me to make much of a detailed argument for why it was the right thing to do, at least from my dad, from his perspective. The Huntington Camerata, a classical guitar and string quartet, will perform at the First Presbyterian Church of Ironton on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. The performance is sponsored by the Ironton Council for the Arts, which celebrates their 45th performance season. The ensemble features current and former Marshall University School of Music string faculty including Dr. Julio Alves, classical guitar; Dr. Alex Malaimare, violin; Kristen Alves, violin; Dr. Yoo Bin Lee, viola; and Dr. Solen Dikener, cello. Admission is $15 and tickets are available at the door. Season tickets for the remaining five performances will be available at the performance for $40, and admission is free for students and children. Guitarist Julio Ribeiro Alves has been a Marshall University School of Music faculty member since 2006, where he oversees the guitar area teaching applied lessons, guitar literature, guitar pedagogy, guitar techniques, fretboard harmony, in addition to being musical director of the Marshall University Guitar Ensemble (MUGE). Dr. Alves earned bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in Guitar Performance and Literature, has taught master classes, held residencies, and performed recitals in the U.S. and Italy, Spain, Argentina, Costa Rica and Brazil. NEED TO KNOW A dog's chase for a squirrel ended with the canine getting stuck up a tree in her backyard in Indiana Aurora the husky had to be rescued by Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control, who shared photos and videos of the rescue on Facebook "Our dispatch team was quite surprised when they heard a dog was stuck in a tree. That is something we do not hear frequently, if ever," the rescue team said A dog in Indiana went to great lengths trying to catch a squirrel and ended up in a sticky situation! Aurora, the husky, had to be rescued by local animal control after chasing a squirrel up a tree in her Indiana backyard and getting stuck on a branch up in the air. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a September 29 post on Facebook, Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control said it had "quite the adventure" with Aurora after her owners called the police for help retrieving the canine. The pet parents said Aurora realized how high up she was" after the failed chase and "could not get down on her own." "Her worried owners attempted to lure her down but quickly realized they needed help. They called the police station, who then gave them our number to call for assistance," Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control said. "Our dispatch team was quite surprised when they heard a dog was stuck in a tree. That is something we do not hear frequently, if ever," the agency's post continued. Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control/Facebook Aurora the husky stuck in a tree before her rescue Aurora the husky stuck in a tree before her rescue Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control added that it responded "urgently to the call," and two officers arrived at the property to help with Aurora's rescue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of them used a catch pole to loop Aurora and slowly guided her down the tree "with lots of words of encouragement." The rescue was a success, according to animal control, which said the canine was "ecstatic to be back safely on the ground in her mom's arms." Several photos of the rescue shared by Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control show Aurora stuck high up in the tree and one of the officers trying to lure her down. A final photo shows an animal control officer affectionately petting Aurora following her rescue. Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control/Facebook Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control helping Aurora the husky get down from a tree in her Indiana backyard Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control helping Aurora the husky get down from a tree in her Indiana backyard A video included in Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control's post shows an animal control officer sweetly speaking to Aurora as he attempts to get her down safely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Do you want to come down?" he asks in the clip as the dog's owner says in the background, "Was the squirrel worth it, young lady?" 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. Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control/Facebook Aurora the husky with the animal control officer who helped with her rescue Aurora the husky with the animal control officer who helped with her rescue "Good girl," the officer continues as he uses the catch pole to guide the frightened dog, who can be heard whimpering. "Oh my gosh, look at you," her ecstatic says in the video as Aurora makes it to safety. "Look at you! You did it, good girl." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Facebook user called Stephanie Harris wrote in the comments section, "Imagine my surprise when I look up and there is my dog in the tree??" Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control went on to thank everyone involved in the rescue, concluding their post with a thank you to the rescuers for handling "this unique situation with kindness and patience." Read the original article on People ICE agents clash with large crowd in Lower Manhattan: Shame NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) ICE agents clashed with a large crowd in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of federal agents appeared in the crowd near Lafayette Street just after 4:30 p.m. Agents pushed people as a car attempted to pull through, video shows. Within 30 minutes, hundreds of people were in the streets screaming shame. At least three people were detained on the street, one of whom was on the ground. Around 4:45 p.m., an armored Homeland Security Investigations vehicle drove through the crowd. Watch the video below The crowd started to form at Lafayette and Canal, then walked down toward 26 Federal Plaza, where New York Citys immigration courts and an ICE holding facility are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More Local News Witnesses told NewsNations Jessica Kartalija that people were being indiscriminately thrown to the ground. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the agents were carrying out an enforcement operation against sellers of counterfeit goods when rioters who were shouting obscenities, became violent and obstructed law enforcement duties including blocking vehicles and assaulting law enforcement. Before the chaos started on Lafayette Street, ICE agents and federal officers conducted an operation near Canal Street between Church and Broadway. Federal officers were seen walking around the area with zip ties and detained at least one person. Watch the video below ICE is out there arresting our neighbors, kidnapping them, Morgan, a witness at the scene, told PIX11 News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Murad Awawdeh, of the New York Immigration Coalition, told PIX11 that ICE agents were targeting street vendors. The coalition believes around 40 people were detained. We are trying to figure out who they are and being able to provide any support for them and their families. We are seeing family separation happening in real time, Awawdeh said. In a statement to PIX11 News, a spokesperson for the Mayors Office said Eric Adams was aware of the federal law enforcement action in Lower Manhattan. Undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue the American Dream should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals, the spokesperson said. Watch the video below Public Advocate Jumaane Williams held a press conference outside of 26 Federal Plaza behind a group of protestors at 6 p.m., urging New Yorkers not to antagonize federal agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do not give in to the temptation that they are trying to provide to antagonize them back please do not engage in behavior that gives them the excuse they are looking for to further invade New York City, Williams said. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has accused the Biden administration of deliberately refusing to provide help to Donald Trump supporters who fell victim to natural disasters. Noems serious allegations come as she faces increasing bipartisan criticism that her own Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rules are slowing down aid. As pressure mounts against Noem, an extraordinary statement released on Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has alleged that, from 2021 to 2024, FEMA employees steered clear of some disaster victims due to their political affiliations and improperly logged their political views. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noem said staff had deliberately avoided houses showing support for Trump and the Second Amendment and illegally collected political data. Noem has won the nickname The federal government was withholding aid against Americans in crisis based on their political beliefsthis should horrify every American, regardless of political persuasion, she said. Vowing DHS would not let this stand, Noem pledged to refer the matter to the Justice Department for further investigation and potential prosecution. The announcement revives a storm that erupted after Hurricane Milton in 2024, when a whistleblower claimed some FEMA teams were told to skip houses with pro-Trump signs. Many homes suffered extensive damage when Hurricane Milton struck Florida in October 2024. / Miami Herald / TNS GOP investigators pressed the agency for answers that autumn, and Floridas attorney general filed a lawsuit the next month, citing whistleblower accounts in Lake Placid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The allegations form part of an official Trump administration probe, in which investigators have concluded that FEMA violated the Privacy Act of 1974 by maintaining prohibited information about survivors political beliefs and using it to make unfair decisions, including bypassing certain homes. DHS describes such behavior as widespread and systematic, and occurred during multiple disasters dating back to Hurricane Ida in 2021. Bidens FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell previously told Congress under oath that the 2024 episode was isolateda claim now contradicted by the DHS probe. Bidens FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell / Photographer: Graham I. Haynes / U.S. Government Tuesdays DHS statement said Noem had referred the matter not only to the DOJ but to the departments inspector general, and canceled the canvassing practice used to discriminate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noem also ordered stricter training, more precise definitions of legitimate safety and hostility risks, and robust audits. The move comes amid mounting bipartisan outrage over her own management of FEMA this year. Republicans on Capitol Hill have accused the secretary of paralyzing aid by demanding her personal sign-off on every DHS contract over $100,000. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters building in Washington, D.C.. / J. David Ake / J. David Ake/Getty Images In a report last week, NOTUS quoted one GOP lawmaker saying Noem should show more f---ing respect for Congress, while detailing Sen. Ted Budd placing a blanket hold on DHS nominees over stalled Hurricane Helene funds for North Carolina. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said a West Virginia grant had been slow-walked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The secretarys office has defended the $100,000 approval rule as an anti-waste measure, claiming multibillion-dollar savings, but the practical effects have drawn rebukes far beyond Congress. There has been widespread reporting throughout late summer and fall, pointing to delayed FEMA programs, leadership churn, and policy shifts that critics say erect new barriers for survivors, such as an August rule requiring an email address to apply for help. This month, DHS was taken to task over its funding decisions by a federal judge. On Oct. 14, a Rhode Island judge found the Trump administration had flouted a court order by trying to tie FEMA preparedness grants to immigration-enforcement conditions. Rhode Island District Court Judge William Smith, who was appointed by George W. Bush, warned that DHS was effectively bullying states by threatening to withhold money, moves the court said violated constitutional and administrative law. The Daily Beast has contacted DHS and Deanne Criswell for comment. Residents of Scarborough protested the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in their town on Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Theo Henry) Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine said federal immigration authorities postponed her tour of the Maine field office due to the government shutdown. A government shutdown doesnt suspend congressional oversight, Pingree said in a statement to Maine Morning Star. Delaying a tour of the facility under that pretext is unacceptable and only heightens concerns about detainees access to attorneys. We are continuing to press until we get the transparency and accountability our communities deserve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In late September, Pingree sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requesting a tour of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Scarborough, following several reports that attorneys have not been permitted to accompany their clients to routine check-in visits at the facility. After setting initial plans for a tour, the local office told Pingrees team it would have to be rescheduled, relaying the message from their higher ups in light of the shutdown. ICE and DHS did not respond to Maine Morning Stars requests for comment. Pingree also asked Noem whether a policy exists prohibiting legal counsel from attending routine ICE appointments, and if it does, its legal justification. The representative requested a written response within 30 days of receipt of the Sept. 22 letter. As of Oct. 21, Pingree had yet to receive a response. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer's badge is seen as federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court in New York City on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Cary Lopez Alvarado, of Hawthorne, California, was nine months pregnant when she was arrested by immigration officials alongside her husband, an immigrant from Guatemala. Alvarado was held overnight but was never sent to a detention facility: After taking her into custody, Immigration and Customs Enforcement learned she was a U.S. citizen. Immediately after her release, she began to experience sharp pains in her stomach, according to a claim she filed against the federal government. She gave birth a few days later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This report was originally published by The 19th. The Illuminator is a founding member of The 19th News Network. Angie Rodriguez, an immigrant from Colombia, was taken into ICE custody following a routine check-in with immigration officials in July, and soon after found out she was pregnant. At the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center where she was held, Rodriguez could hardly bring herself to eat the small meals that the detention facility served because of how they looked and smelled, and her only other option was buying processed food like instant noodles and chips. Rodriguez went on to miscarry while in custody, according to a lawsuit she filed against the federal government. Antonia Aguilar Maldonano, a mother of two from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE on her way to work and detained at the Kandiyohi County Jail in Minnesota for almost a month. Her youngest child is 22 months old and still nursing; he has acid reflux and an allergy to other forms of milk. The jail was not equipped to house someone who was nursing, said Gloria Contreras Edin, her lawyer: It did not have a breast pump when Aguilar Maldonado arrived, forcing her to use her hands to massage milk out until the facility was able to buy a pump. Antonia Aguilar Maldonano, a mother of two from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE on her way to work and detained at the Kandiyohi County Jail in Minnesota for almost a month. (Antonia Aguilar Maldonano) Lawyers successfully argued for her release on bond $10,000, paid for by members of her church while the government makes the case that she be deported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Biden-era policy restricts ICE from arresting or detaining immigrants who are pregnant, postpartum or nursing, except in extreme circumstances. While President Donald Trump has not formally rescinded the policy, its clear from lawsuits, news reports and advocates for immigrants who are detained that its not being followed. Quantifying the exact number of pregnant, postpartum or nursing immigrants in custody has become impossible: This March, Congress let lapse a requirement that the administration report twice a year on how many of these immigrants are being held in immigration facilities. Since the fall of 2019, Congress had required the Department of Homeland Security to publicly report the count every six months and include detailed justification for every single detained immigrant who was pregnant, postpartum or nursing. ICE did not respond to The 19ths request for this data. While the agency said in a statement in August that pregnant immigrants are receiving sufficient care in custody, medical professionals say the conditions in these facilities can heighten the risk for complications. Limited food can impact nutrition at a vulnerable time; access to medical appointments is spotty and often not aligned with standards of care; and pregnant, postpartum and nursing detainees also face the stress of arrest and separation from their families. The impact of arrests and detention In 2021, following public outcry against the first Trump administrations immigration policies, the Biden administration directed ICE not to detain pregnant, postpartum or nursing people except in exceptional circumstances they are a national security threat or pose immediate harm to themselves or other people. Those who are detained are supposed to be held in facilities suited to appropriate health care. ICE-employed medical professionals are supposed to provide weekly updates on those detainees to relevant agency directors. The ICE Health Service Corps is also supposed to keep consistent records of all pregnant, postpartum and nursing detainees, providing monthly updates to the organizations leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since returning to the White House, Trump has not formally rescinded that policy, but administration officials argued in court that he had done so implicitly through a sweeping anti-immigration executive order that supercharged immigration enforcement. A federal judge refuted that argument, but on its website, ICE says the policy is not reflective of current practice. Were seeing more pregnant women detained again after not seeing much of that, at least not in ICE detention, said Amanda Heffernan, a longtime nurse-midwife and professor of midwifery at Seattle University. Rebecca Cassler, an attorney at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said her organizations pro bono program has seen an increase in cases of detained pregnant, postpartum and nursing people. She says no one outside ICE really knows how many, but its enough to make her very concerned. Though the federal government has not made public how many pregnant people have been detained, Democratic lawmakers have published multiple investigations documenting known cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One report, published this summer by the office of Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, identified 14 credible cases of pregnant women being mistreated in detention facilities. The report included a description of pregnant women sleeping on cell floors, one detainee being told to just drink water when needing medical support, and another miscarrying alone after days of bleeding. ICE has disputed the report. Pregnant women receive regular prenatal visits, mental health services, nutritional support, and accommodations aligned with community standards of care. Detention of pregnant women is rare and has elevated oversight and review. No pregnant woman has been forced to sleep on the floor, ICE said in a statement on its website. A September 18 letter signed by 29 Democratic senators and addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed federal officials to clarify just how many pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding people are being detained, how many have been deported and what health care is being made available to them. DHS has not acknowledged receipt, said a spokesperson for Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington who organized the letter. We do not know how many pregnant women are in ICE custody, whether U.S. citizen babies have been born in ICE custody, and what provisions have been made for mothers and childrens health, safety, and wellbeing, the senators wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Womens Refugee Commission, an advocacy group, is seeking records from Homeland Security pertaining to pregnant, postpartum or nursing individuals who have been detained. It recently launched its own independent tracker, encouraging health providers, lawyers and family members to submit information about pregnant people who have been detained. The commission said its too early to provide an accurate count from its tracker. Zain Lakhani, a lawyer and director of migrant rights and justice for the commission, said credible reports of pregnant people being detained suggest a frequency higher than ICEs policy would suggest. It would be shocking that we would be able to have this level of detained pregnant people under the guidance, she said. We are seeing just this shocking number of detained postpartum and pregnant women. Department of Homeland Security police, along with other federal police, push protestors at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility south of downtown Portland on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Workers helping integrate deported immigrants in Honduras told researchers from the Womens Refugee Commission that nursing women who were deported had not received enough food and water to continue lactating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They arrive with hardly any milk or milk that looks like water and this affects the babies weight, one worker said, according to a report published by the organization. Medical care very haphazard and spotty By the time Aguilar Maldonado left the jail, her breast milk had started to dry up, Contreras Edin said. She is particularly worried about the impact of detention on her children, who were not with her and now follow her wherever she goes, including to the bathroom. Her boyfriend has been deported; she is asking a judge to let her leave voluntarily a process that has fewer legal penalties than being deported so she and her children can follow him. Her children were traumatized and her youngest was especially traumatized, Contreras Edin said. That bond was broken during detention and that left a permanent impression on her children. There is no way to ethically research how detention specifically may affect pregnancy outcomes, including whether it could increase the possibility of miscarriage, said Dr. Carolyn Sufrin, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Johns Hopkins University who studies the reproductive health of incarcerated women. But evidence does show that physical and psychological strain the kind people can suffer while detained threatens the health of a pregnancy and can mean greater risk of preterm birth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im very concerned because of the conditions weve already heard about that could be increasing the risks of adverse outcomes, Sufrin said. Im very concerned about the outcomes for these moms as well as for the outcomes for their babies. ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the conditions or available accommodations for pregnant, postpartum or nursing immigrants. Alvarado, who is seeking $1 million following her arrest, citing the unconstitutional conduct, unlawful arrest, and the tortious conduct of Border Patrol and ICE agents, said her daughter is healthy and growing. But shes still dealing with the aftermath of her detention. Footage of the arrest shows federal agents holding her hands behind her despite guidance advising that officers generally not use physical restraints on pregnant people and that, if they do, they should keep a pregnant persons hands in front. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her husband has now been deported, and Alvarado has no income. Shes watching her savings dwindle and relying on her family to help care for her little girl. She said she was unsure if shed have to pick up multiple jobs to make ends meet and if so, who would be able to care for her infant. She remembers the terror she felt while in government custody. Every time I see a news or video, it does rewind in my head, she said. It does get me very emotional, seeing stuff like that. Victoria Petty, an attorney with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area who is representing Rodriguez the woman who suffered a miscarriage in detention said that she first connected with her clients husband in late August, about a month after his wifes detention. He had left Petty a voicemail and text explaining that his wife was pregnant in a detention center and that he was really worried about her. Days later, he called again. Hes crying on the other line, and hes like, She had a miscarriage. I dont know what to do. Shes in the hospital. Help, Petty recalled. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service Processing Center in El Centro, Calif., on May 27, 2022. (Photo by Matt Gush/Getty Images) Rodriguez described in court records being unignorably hungry inside the Bakersfield, California, detention facility and lacking prenatal health care and education for weeks after her pregnancy was confirmed. Eventually, she began to see brown discharge and was taken to an off-site hospital where, days later, health care providers confirmed she had miscarried. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petty moved quickly to file a lawsuit claiming unconstitutional detention. Court documents show that upon release from the hospital, Rodriguez was placed in medical isolation at the ICE detention center. It was very scary. She was in pain. So after this really traumatic experience, and her going to the hospital and confirming that they did not see the fetus on the ultrasound after all of that, they brought her back to the detention center and put her in medical isolation, Petty said, adding that her client was distraught. Petty said its hard to determine whether detention conditions caused or contributed to Rodriguez miscarriage, a very wanted first pregnancy. But, she said, its important to consider the stress of being suddenly detained in a van her client is from Colombia; kidnappings and murders have left lasting scars on the Latin American nation along with the strain and lack of food options in detention. These are the conditions that she was in when she was pregnant. And we cannot rule out that having been under that level of stress and fear and having that little care contributed to her pregnancy loss, Petty said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heffernan, who has worked with several immigrants who were detained while pregnant, said she has seen pregnant immigrants get a few small accommodations: being placed in a lower bunk instead of the top bunk for sleep or getting extra milk with their meals and sometimes an extra sandwich or snack before bedtime. Medical care, she said, can be very haphazard and spotty, with prenatal appointments often not happening on schedule. You do see people getting a prenatal visit here and there, but not in a timely fashion, and not according to the standard of care for people that are outside, Heffernan said. For instance, in a couple of people that Ive been in contact with recently, one had been in detention for several months and had had no prenatal care at all. Another had had one visit. Pregnant immigrants are also more vulnerable to more severe cases of COVID-19, flu and other illnesses, which spread quickly in crowded places like detention centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is an extensive list of best practices for detained pregnant and postpartum people, Sufrin said, including but not limited to regular access to comprehensive physical and mental health care, nutrition, the ability to exercise and adequate housing. But from a medical standpoint, she said, The best practices would be not to detain them. This story was originally reported by Shefali Luthra and Mel Leonor Barclay of The 19th. Meet Shefali and Mel and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. From being the birthplace of the industrial revolution, Europe has undergone a protracted decline. A part of this has been the erosion of its core industrial base, through a process of deindustrialisation, which gathered momentum following the 2008 crisis, and since COVID-19 has sharply accelerated. In almost every metric, Europe is falling behind; squeezed between the USA which despite its relative decline remains world hegemon and China, which despite a recent slowdown, is rapidly growing. This is having major consequences, such as destabilising governments, impoverishing growing layers of the population, and furthering Europes subservient relationship with their American masters. Two things are notable about the recent developments. Firstly, the countries worst affected by deindustrialisation currently are not smaller economies at Europes extremities, but the main pillars of European capitalism. Germany, the largest economy in Europe and the third largest in the world, in particular, has suffered the worst. Secondly, it is not just this or that industry in Europe that is in decline, but many of its core industries, which are experiencing a similar decline at the same time. Particular industries that have experienced major decline over the past include basic metals, textiles, chemicals, automotive, machinery, and electronics. Decline of the steel industry The steel industry serves as a good illustration of this process, as a key industry that is pivotal for many others. From 2018 to 2022, the EU produced an average of 149.48 million tonnes of steel per annum, by 2024 that had fallen to 129.5 million tonnes. Since 2019, the basic metals industry of which steel is a part declined by 12 percent across the single market. Worst affected by this are Germany, the Czech Republic, and northern Spain. Across the EU as a whole, steel production has fallen by 30 percent since 2008. In France, the number of blast furnaces for steel production fell from 150 in 1961 to just five in 2025. Many of these steel mills havent seen investment in decades, as explained by one French steel expert: We have not modernised the units. As a result, Europe does not attract investment funds and has lost competitiveness compared to Asia but also to developing countries like Turkey or Algeria. In Germany in 2022, production of crude steel fell to one of its lowest points since the 2008 crisis, reaching 37 million tonnes. This is down from 40 million tonnes in 2021, and an average yearly output of 42.6 million tonnes from 2010 to 2019. In 2025, production volumes have fallen consecutively for the past seven months, being 13.7 percent lower than in July 2025 than they were a year prior. Thyssenkrupp, one of the biggest European steel companies, recently announced that it plans to axe 11,000 jobs by the end of the decade, which accounts for 40 percent of its workforce. In Germany in 2022, production of crude steel fell to one of its lowest points since the 2008 crisis / Image: Frank H, Wikimedia Commons The timeline of this decline coincides with the rise of China as an industrial power. China is now the largest producer and exporter of steel in the world. Limited markets back home mean that Chinas mighty industrial base has been focused on exports; in 2024 alone it produced 1 billion tonnes of steel and exported 110.72 million tonnes, just shy of the EUs entire yearly output. As of 2024, over 53 percent of all global steel production now occurs in China, with the EU sitting at around 14 percent. In fact, the EU is now the largest net importer of steel in the world. Of the top 50 global steel companies, 27 of them are headquartered in China. Lagging far behind is the USA, which hosts four, and the EU, which hosts only three. Continental European powers need only to look across the English Channel at Britain to see what awaits them. In the late 1960s, Britain was the fifth largest producer of steel in the world. By the 1980s, it had fallen to tenth, and by 2023, to twenty-sixth. Since 1990, there has been an overall contraction of 73 percent in the iron and steel industry. Recently, this long-term decline has become terminal. In 2024 alone, the output of crude steel in Britain dropped by 29 percent. In the past year, the British government has had to intervene in both Port Talbot (owned by Indian company, Tata) and Scunthorpe, its last blast furnace, (British Steel, owned by the Chinese company Jingye Group) to prevent the closures of the steelworks there. These closures would have made Britain the only country in the G7 unable to produce its own steel, which given its strategic importance in all sectors of the economy and in particular aerospace, represents a shocking state of affairs. Faced with 50 percent tariffs imposed by President Trump on one hand, and immense quantities of cheap steel from China on the other, prospects for Europes steel industry are bleak. Energy crisis A persistent issue that holds back European industry is high energy costs. Energy prices across Europe are on average three times those in the USA and China, and in Britain they are five times higher. This has had a marked effect on Energy Intensive Industries (EII). Examples include paper and paper products, petrochemicals, basic metals and castings, and inorganic non-metallic products. In Britain, the collective volume and output of these industries is at its lowest since 1990, and has fallen by a third since 2021. From 2021 to 2024, the gross value added in the paper and paper products industry fell by 29 percent; petrochemicals by 30 percent; inorganic non-metallic products by 31 percent; and basic metals and castings by 46 percent. Across Europe, it is a similar picture. Since 2019, production of machinery has fallen by 3 percent; fabricated metals 6 percent; non-metallic mineral products 11 percent; basic metals 12 percent; and both the chemicals and automotive industries by 14 percent each. Germany has been hit particularly hard. Since 2022, there has been a 10 percent reduction in Germanys overall industrial output. Whilst pundits chalk the energy crisis up to the Ukraine War and clearly that did exacerbate things this is a process that began before the war, or even the COVID-19 pandemic. It all boils down to a lack of investment. In 2019, before the pandemic, public and private investment into European energy production and infrastructure was $260 billion, as opposed to the USAs $420 billion, and Chinas $560 billion. Rather than being the cause of the crisis, the Ukraine War merely accelerated it, and exposed weaknesses in European capitalism that had been obscured in the preceding period. By 2024, following the cutting off of Russian energy sources a self-inflicted blow! Europe increased its overall investment in energy to $450 billion a year. But this still falls short of the US, which invests $550 billion, and China which leads at $850 billion a year. And much of the oil and gas that it buys is still from the Russians, just the more expensive versions through proxies such as India. The Europeans are trying to get into a market that is already dominated by others, particularly China / Image: Reinhold Moller, Wikimedia Commons Many European strategists have placed their hopes on renewable energy as the panacea that will put Europe back on top. For example, there is the European Green Deal, which is an investment programme that will allegedly transform the Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. But the problem is, the Europeans are trying to get into a market that is already dominated by others, particularly China. The market is already saturated, leading to falling prices that would make the entry of new players impossible. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2024, the EU invested $370 billion into renewable energy, China spent almost twice that much, with an overall investment of $680 billion. In the field of green tech, China leads the world in producing solar panels, wind turbines, lithium batteries, and electric vehicles (EV), among other things. In 2023, it built more wind turbines than the entire world did in 2022. Between January and May this year alone, China added the same amount of solar and wind power to its grid as the whole energy capacity of Turkey and Indonesia combined. In short, while events like Ukraine were the trigger for the crisis Europe faces, what we see all along the line is that these shocks are merely exposing the underlying fact that Europe is simply uncompetitive. The car industry The automotive industry is one of the most important in the European Union. It employs 13.8 million people directly or indirectly, and accounts for 7 percent of the EUs GDP. As an energy-intensive industry which pulls together multiple other sectors most of which are themselves in decline the decline in the European automotive industry encapsulates the entire process. Over 2024, plans to cut a total of 88,619 jobs across various car manufacturers across the EU were announced. Notable examples include: 1,289 in France, 1,670 in Italy, 2,000 in Sweden, 2,848 in Poland, 5,547 in Belgium, and 68,385 in Germany. The bulk of these were announced by Volkswagen, the largest car manufacturer in Europe, and one of the largest in the world. Germanys car industry has long been a symbol of its industrial might, but has now come to symbolise its industrial decline. A recent article by the BBC highlights that car production in Germany fell from 5.65 million in 2017, to 4.1 million in 2023. The Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, one of the largest factories in the world with over 60,000 workers, has a capacity to produce 870,000 cars in a year. In 2023, however, it was producing just 490,000, a capacity utilisation of just 56 percent. Such a low utilisation of capacity is standard across Europe. To put things into perspective, a capacity utilisation of 70 percent is generally considered the minimum to retain profitability, and 80 to 90 percent for full cost-effectiveness and flexibility. For light vehicles, Germanys automobile industry has a utilisation rate of 56 percent, Britains 2024 capacity utilisation was just 52 percent, Frances was 50 percent, and Italys was just 38 percent. Countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, and Spain have fared somewhat better all remaining above 70 percent but the trajectory is still a downward one. China as the worlds largest market for cars has previously proven a lucrative source of growth for German car exports, with Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW having a 26 percent share of the Chinese market in 2019. This has fallen to 18.7 percent, and continues to fall further. In 2023 alone, Volkswagens sales in China fell by 9.5 percent, Mercedes-Benzs by 7 percent, and BMWs by 13.4 percent. A major factor behind this is the growth in the importance of EVs, in which China has invested heavily and is now leading the world. Chinese EV manufacturer BYD is now the worlds biggest seller of EVs, beating US companies like Tesla. A report by Swiss bank UBS found that BYD can produce its Seal model of car around 35 percent cheaper than Volkswagen can make its own similar model. The automotive industry is one of the most important in the European Union / Image: Marek Slusarczyk, Wikimedia Commons It is not just that Chinese EVs are cheaper, they are also of a higher quality than their European competitors. A 2024 article in the New Statesman explains: The story is all about competitiveness. If only the wages were lower, or the government paid more in subsidies, things would be better. But the problem with German electric cars is not that they are too expensive to make: they are not state of the art. Chinese electric cars are not cheap and nasty. They are better. [our emphasis] Again, if German capitalism wishes to get a grim look at what could lie ahead, all it has to do is look at Britain. Last year, the output of the automotive industry in Britain fell to around 750,000, which is lower than it was during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020-21, as well as the 2008 crisis, and is the lowest recorded since the 1950s. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders chief aptly described this as depressing. A collapse of the British automotive industry puts nearly 200,000 jobs at risk. France has fared little better. Last year, its own automotive industry produced 1,357,701 vehicles, 38 percent fewer than it produced during the pandemic in 2020, and 63 percent down from its 2002 output. Somewhat more euphemistically than their British counterparts, industry experts have described this as concerning. Thats another 200,000 jobs. As the figures show, this is not a linear process, where each industry falls at its own, steady pace. A crisis in one industry has impacts on others, and these compound. The production of cars, for example, requires steel, chemicals, fabricated metals, and countless other things, all of which create demand in their respective industries. Hence, a crisis in the car industry in particular can have a domino effect. Whatever the sector, it is the same old story: US tariffs, Chinese competition, rising costs of raw materials, and high energy prices, all of which are bringing out the internal weaknesses of European industry. Lack of investment A 2025 EU report titled The Future of European Competitiveness paints a damning picture of Europes prospects. It explains that the closest the EU ever got to matching the productivity of the USA was in 1995, when it was 95 percent as productive as the Americans. The gap has now widened to the point where the EU is 80 percent as productive as the US. The report explains this by looking at where these powers have been investing. It explains: Around 70% of foundational AI models have been developed in the US since 2017 and just three US hyperscalers account for over 65% of the global as well as of the European cloud market. The largest European cloud operator accounts for just 2% of the EU market. Quantum computing is poised to be the next major innovation, but five of the top ten tech companies globally in terms of quantum investment are based in the US and four in China. None are based in the EU. Whereas the US and China have adapted and invested in new technologies, Europe has remained very much stuck in the past. Over the past two decades, it explains, the top-three US companies for spending on Research and Innovation (R&I) have shifted from the automotive and pharma industries in the 2000s, to software and hardware companies in the 2010s, and then to the digital sector in the 2020s. Unlike China, which has spent years investing heavily in EVs and all the necessary parts, such as batteries, the European car industry doubled down on its strength: the diesel engine / Image: , Wikimedia Commons Europe, on the other hand, has remained static, with automotive companies consistently dominating the top 3 R&I spenders. Furthermore, investment has remained concentrated on mature technologies and in sectors where productivity growth rates of frontier companies are slowing. Furthermore, the bare amounts of investment in research and development have massively lagged. In 2021, European companies spent 270 billion on R&I, which is around half (as a share of GDP) than their American counterparts. Once more, the car industry embodies this issue. Unlike China, which has spent years investing heavily in EVs and all the necessary parts, such as batteries, the European car industry doubled down on its strength: the diesel engine. Hence, the recent scandal where Volkswagen cars were found to have lied about the green credentials of their diesel cars, rather than actually producing viable EVs that could pass the tests. The Future of European Competitiveness concludes that the EU will need to muster up 800 billion at least to begin to rectify some of these issues. Other similar reports are less optimistic, pulling up figures in the trillions. A rock and a hard place This is the backdrop of the current situation, where the largest companies in modern industries are either American or Chinese. The report points out that: In fact, there is no EU company with a market capitalisation over EUR 100 billion that has been set up from scratch in the last fifty years, while in the US all six companies with a valuation above EUR 1 trillion have been created over this period. In so many words: the European bourgeois have barely invested in new technology, infrastructure, machinery, and so on in the past 30 years. Instead, they have lived off the fat of the past, and relied on its cosy relationship with the Americans to cover over any cracks. This is now coming to an end. A world crisis of capitalism, the relative decline of US imperialism, trade wars, and the unwinding of the world order that has prevailed for the past 80 years mean that it is every man for himself. Despite attempts to circumvent this, Europe is not a single entity, but a patchwork of pygmy states, all with their own national bourgeoisie, each with its own conflicting national interests. It is incapable of competing with the unified, national markets of the USA and China. There are industries, like combustion engine automobiles, where the Europeans are well established and even dominant. But new industries, like AI and EVs, require huge investments. The problem is, while a single market on paper, in practice the EUs 27 member states have 27 different capital markets, with at least five major stock exchanges. Each state and each ruling class is too small on its own to muster the kind of capital required to remain competitive without taking on an intolerable risk. Instead, most investment goes into perfecting old industries. Some have described this as a mid tech trap: that Europes is not a low tech economy, but it is now too small to break into the high tech industries, and thus it is continually reinforced in its focus on its old and ageing industries. The US and China on the other hand provide far greater scope for companies to blossom into immense monopolies, which can take advantage of economies of scale. It clearly demonstrates the barrier to development posed by the private ownership of the means of production and the nation-state. Europes response to the war in Ukraine exposed many of these limitations. When it comes to arms procurement and the production of military equipment, European industry has been plagued by a repetition of effort, competition between allies, and an inability to replace parts and munitions due to the inadequacy of its home industry. Europes response to the war in Ukraine exposed many of these limitations / Image: , Twitter At the start of the war, for example, it was found that Europe couldnt carry out its own enrichment of nitrocellulose (used to make shells) as much of the industry had been offshored to China! One report describes Europes position: [A] chronic tendency to try to protect domestic manufacturing has driven intense competition among allies. This has meant investment was devalued, rather than used to encourage collaboration to maximise the efficiency of production across the continent. The Ukraine War also exposes the relationship between the economic decline and the political factors. Cutting Europe off from Russian gas following US imposition of sanctions was an act of immense self-harm on the part of the Europeans and raised their already high energy prices. Now, President Trump is pressuring the Europeans to place tariffs of 100 percent on China, in order to pressure China to pressure Putin to sue for peace in Ukraine. Such an act would be a death sentence for many already struggling industries. Europe is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The USA is Europes largest market for exports and China is its largest source of imports. To cut one off in favour of the other would be suicidal. But such a dilemma is precisely what faces European capitalism today. Despite being slapped with tariffs, insults, and accusations that they are all going to hell by the US President, Europe continues to cling to Washingtons coattails. And so Europe continues to take its cue from the US when it comes to China, even when the biggest loser of cutting China out of trade is Europe itself. The European capitalists are stuck between a rock and a hard place. With the backdrop of stagnant growth or outright recession a vast array of cuts to social spending, welfare, healthcare, and many other things is on the agenda. Economic stagnation is being expressed in political crisis, as any representative that has to carry through what capitalism demands of them will inevitably be deeply unpopular. The European working class is expected to foot the bill for this crisis, but it will not take these attacks lying down. This is a recipe for an explosion of class struggle in the future. ICE is scrambling to hire doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers after a surge in detainee deaths and lawsuits over medical neglect. Online job listings showed at least 45 open positions within the agency's Health Service Corps as of Monday, ranging from dental hygienists through psychiatric nurse practitioners to medical risk managers and data scientists. "Provides direct patient care during ICE removal missions and DHS operations, including emergency response and medical oversight in austere environments," said one advert for a physician to travel between multiple detention facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Delivers psychiatric care to ICE detainees, including evaluations, treatment plans, medication management, and crisis intervention," said another for a psychiatric provider. The recruiting drive, first reported by Politico, comes after a spate of lawsuits alleging that ICE has failed to provide proper medical care to the people it detains, with officials warehousing prisoners in rapidly built temporary detention centers as they race to fulfill Donald Trump's mass deportation drive. Last week, Washington representative Pramila Jayapal, the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that monitors ICE, said that 20 people have died in its custody since Trump took office. That's nearly as many as in the entire Biden presidency although still lower as a percentage of the total number of people detained. ICE detainees at an immigration detention facility run by private prison company GEO group in Adelanto, California, which has been accused of neglecting and mistreating its residents (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty) Experts say the massive increase in detentions under Trump has increased the risk of unsafe conditions at ICE detention centers, which have already faced allegations, including sexual abuse, medical neglect, and even forced sterilization, dating back long before 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Compared to the population that is traditionally seen in the immigration system, the level of trauma and psychological distress of those caught up in this new abduction machine will be much greater, Jonathan White, a former U.S. Public Health Service Corps commander who worked with detainees during Trumps first term and is now running for Congress as a Democrat, told Politico. "These people are proportionally much more likely to have the most severe psychological reaction to being removed, because they have many years in this country, roots in their communities, and U.S. national children who theyre being separated from. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has previously denied accusations of medical neglect. Any claim there are 'inhumane' conditions at ICE detention centers are false," she said last month. "All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This is the best healthcare that many aliens have received in their entire lives." Nearly 60,000 people were being detained by ICE or its sister agency CBP as of September 21, according to the detention tracking service TRAC. That same month, Trump's border czar Tom Homan told reporters the system was "almost at capacity". Many of those people have been held at impromptu detention complexes such as Texas's Fort Bliss or Florida's notorious 'Alligator Alcatraz', both of which have been accused of inhumane conditions. At the latter, detainees are kept packed together in metal cages inside gigantic heavy-duty tents in the midst of the sweltering Everglades swamp. Detainees and their families have reported worm-infested food, routine medical neglect, unreliable air conditioning, and inadequate toilets that overflow and cover the floor with feces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detention centers in multiple states have sometimes refused to allow unannounced inspections by members of Congress and their staffers, which Democrats contend is illegal under federal law. In some cases, legislators or local officials have even been arrested while trying to inspect detention centers or monitor immigration courts. Last month, Trump also laid off hundreds of federal workers responsible for overseeing detention conditions. "More people are going to die in custody as a result, because there are not going to be the same level of checks and balances internally," one former worker told NPR. Icelands government is preparing to introduce a considerably higher tourist tax in the coming weeks as the Nordic island nation grapples with an unprecedented influx of international visitors that continues to break previous records. Euronews reports that according to data from Statistics Iceland, the country welcomed 1.792 million international tourists from January to September 2025. This figure marks a 2.2 percent increase from the same period in 2024 and a substantial jump from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, when 1.597 million visitors arrived. The countrys tourism boom has persisted despite several potential setbacks, including the closure of budget airline Play and the volcanic eruption at Sundhnuksgigar fissure. The surge in visitors has placed increasing pressure on Icelands delicate ecosystems and infrastructure. As a result, officials now seek additional funding mechanisms to manage sustainable tourism growth. Factors Driving Icelands Tourism Appeal Icelands consistent growth in visitor numbers stems from several key factors, according to tourism experts. As reported by Euronews Travel, an analyst from the Icelandic Tourist Board explained that while global cross-border tourism has been increasing internationally for decades (except during the COVID-19 pandemic), Icelands growth has outpaced both international and European averages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The countrys unspoiled natural landscapes and rural settings offer tourists experiences that are distinctive and unlike anything they may have encountered elsewhere. Additionally, Iceland has become increasingly fashionable among higher-income travelers looking to check the destination off their bucket lists, with social media influencers contributing significantly to promoting the countrys stunning landscapes. Proposed Tax Increase Iceland reinstated its accommodation tax for tourists on January 1, 2024, as part of efforts to mitigate tourisms environmental impact. Under the current system, hotels and guesthouses charge ISK 600 (approximately $4.94) per room, while campsites and mobile homes charge half this amount, at ISK 300. Cruise passengers calling at Icelandic ports also face an ISK 1,000 ($8.23) tax per person. The current government is planning to propose a considerably higher tourism tax in the coming weeks, as reported by both Euronews Travel and Travel and Tour World. According to an analyst from the Icelandic Tourist Board, the tourism sectors success has prompted authorities to seek a greater share of the value generated by this industry. While specific details about the proposed increase have not yet been released, the measure appears aimed at capturing more revenue from the booming tourism industry while potentially addressing sustainability concerns. The post Icelands Continued Tourism Boom Prompts Government To Propose Higher Visitor Fees appeared first on Travel Noire. In the musical "Suffs," the character of Ida B. Wells sings of her hope that her female descendants will know one day that "I was here" - as in, fighting for women's suffrage. Wells' great-granddaughter, the historian, educator and writer Michelle Duster, attended Shaina Taub's show twice on Broadway, witnessing that line cap a struggle that pitted more accommodationist white activists against the uncompromising Wells. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was very moving," she told the Chronicle via Zoom call from her home in Chicago. Dr. Troy Duster poses for a portrait in the doorway named after him inside the historic Ann Head Building at the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues in Berkeley, Calif on November 24, 2020. Dr. Duster founded the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, an incredibly successful pipeline primarily for students of color to get their doctorates and enter the social sciences, in 1976. (Jessica Christian/The Chronicle) But for her and her uncle, retired UC Berkeley professor Troy Duster, family legacy is complicated in ways that only underscore the message of the show, which begins performances at BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 22. On the same video call, Troy, an 89-year-old sociologist who lives in Berkeley, remembers distinctly how his mother, Alfreda Duster, taught him to deal with the legacy of his grandmother, the anti-lynching crusader and trailblazing journalist who died before he was born. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She did not want any of us to go around town saying that we were the offspring of Ida B. Wells," he said. "She didn't want us feeling like we had to uphold anything like a legacy." Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of civil rights pioneer Ida B. Wells, speaks after President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act in the Rose Garden of the White House on March 29, 2022, in Washington. (Patrick Semansky/Associated Press) Instead, he explained, "She would say, The grandmother is in part either to credit or blame for her offspring, but the offspring can take no credit for their grandmother.'" More Information "Suffs": Written by Shaina Taub. Directed by Leigh Silverman. Performances begin Wednesday, Oct. 22. Through Nov. 9. $62.01-$187.20. Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., S.F. 888-746-1799. www.broadwaysf.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the first decades of his life, being low-key wasn't hard. His grandmother's name was mostly "lost to American history," he said, to the point that when he took a journalism history class as an undergraduate at Northwestern University, he never heard her name. Only in the 1970s did interest begin to renew. Michelle, who's now in her early 60s, got the same sense from Troy's mother. Aldreda, she recalled, "really emphasized the importance of us having our own identity and our own sense of accomplishment, not tied to what somebody else did." "I'm so grateful that she didn't make comments like, Why can't you be a little more like your great-grandmother? ''' she continued. I felt that kind of expectation came from outside of the family.' Dr. Troy Duster poses for a portrait outside of the Ann Head Building and home of the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues in Berkeley on November 24, 2020. (Jessica Christian/The Chronicle) She and her uncle have more than made their own marks - Troy Duster through his work exploring how race intersects with criminal justice, and Michelle Duster through writing about the Black experience and public history, frequently drawing connections to her ancestor's work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, she noted, being known as Wells' descendants can come with its own challenge. Once people learn of their ancestry, "There's a level of erasure of who we are as individual people." "Suffs" is all about combatting erasure. The fight for the 19th Amendment, the musical reminds audiences, wasn't cheery, it wasn't unified, and the equality it sought remains unwon. Maya Keleher as Alice Paul in "Suffs," which tours to BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre. (Joan Marcus/BroadwaySF) Taub, speaking to the Chronicle from New York, where she's in a Broadway revival of "Ragtime," said she knew Wells needed to be a character early on. "The white women, hypocritically, in the pursuit of equality, sidelined Black and brown women and other women of color to achieve equality for themselves first," she noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dusters drew contemporary parallels to how Black women overwhelmingly voted against President Donald Trump in multiple elections - and how his approval ratings are now low, even in states he carried in the last election. Her and her peers' attitude is "I done told you," Michelle said, adding that she feels like a parent repeatedly telling a child not to run into the street. "It's like, You know what? Maybe you just needed to get hurt in order to really understand what we were trying to tell you, because you don't listen.'" The company of "Suffs," which tours to BroadwaySF's Orpheum Theatre. (Joan Marcus/BroadwaySF) That sense of exasperation echoes her great-grandmother's warnings more than a century ago. Those who remain silent "are particeps criminis, accomplices, accessories before and after the fact, equally guilty with the actual law-breakers," she wrote about lynching in 1892, which resonates equally in an era of unchecked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar logic shapes how Michelle thinks about resistance today, and why, she noted, she chose not to march in Chicago's No Kings Protest on Saturday, Oct. 18. "It's not like protesting out in the streets is the only way you can engage in resistance," she said. "I am not going to put my body on the line in a fight that could have been avoided if people would have listened to us." It's white people's turn, she believes. Shaina Taub, center, during the "Suffs" Broadway opening night curtain call at Music Box Theatre on on April 18, 2024, in New York City. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images) For her own part, as she was working on "Suffs," Taub kept a famous excerpt from the Talmud at the top of her draft as an epigraph: "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another favorite comes from Stephen Colbert: "Despair is a victory for hate." "The Suffs accomplished a lot. It was not final," Taub said. As a writer and performer, she sees her task clearly. Through control over the Smithsonian, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and school curricula, Trump "wants to take people like the Suffs out of our historical memory and therefore out of our national imagination," she said. Theater artists, by contrast, "put them right back in." This article originally published at I was here': Ida B. Wells' family still feels her fight against erasure - and Suffs' shows why. CHICAGO Attorneys for Illinois on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny the Trump administrations dramatic request to be allowed to send National Guard troops to the Chicago area to help with immigration enforcement while the issue is on appeal. In the 46-page response, the state said it would be inappropriate for the high court to get involved at this stage in the proceedings, where a district courts decision has yet to be decided on appeal. The filing also said lawyers for Trump offered no meaningful response to the factual basis for U.S. District Judge April Perrys Oct. 9 temporary restraining order, including that declarations submitted by a series of immigration officials outlining purported violence against agents and out-of-control protests simply did not hold water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, applicants do not even attempt to rebut that much of the activity the declarants complained about was constitutionally protected, the state response stated. The filing came just hours after a divided appeals court in Oregon overturned a lower courts decision and ruled that Trump does have the authority to send National Guard troops into Portland to quell what the president has described as a prolonged and violent siege of government buildings there. But in a footnote in that opinion, the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals noted the situation in Illinois is different because, unlike in Portland, immigration facilities and other government buildings have remained open despite ongoing protests. In its filing Friday asking the Supreme Court to issue a stay on Perrys order, the Trump administration called it part of a disturbing and recurring pattern that improperly impinges on the Presidents authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It asked that President Donald Trump be allowed to deploy some 700 troops in Illinois 300 from the Illinois National Guard and another 400 federalized out of Texas earlier this month. The petition by the solicitor general also asked for an immediate administrative stay given the pressing risk of violence, but the court instead gave Illinois lawyers until 4 p.m. Chicago time on Monday to respond. Supreme Court asked lawyers for Illinois to respond by 5 p.m. Eastern time on Monday. The Supreme Court fight is playing out on an unusually quick track, with Trump appealing just a day after the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals declined to grant a stay to Perrys order, ruling her findings were not clearly erroneous and that the facts do not justify Trumps actions in Illinois. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three-judge appellate panel unanimously agreed with Perry that, even giving the president great deference when it comes to his power to call up the military, there was no evidence that he needed troops to help enforce immigration law or quell any kind of organized rebellion. The spirited, sustained, and occasionally violent actions of demonstrators in protest of the federal government immigration policies and actions, without more, does not give rise to a danger of rebellion against the governments authority, stated the opinion by Judges Ilana Rovner, David Hamilton and Amy St. Eve. The judges went on to note that while the Trump administration has claimed that protesters and local politicians are hampering immigration-enforcement efforts, the evidence and even the administrations own statements dont back that up. Two of the three judges on the panel, Rovner and St. Eve, were appointed to the 7th Circuit by Republican presidents, with St. Eves appointment coming during Trumps first term. Hamilton was appointed by Democrat Barack Obama. ______ When Alex Tomlinson knows he has a good design, he catches himself smiling while sketching. After his first few ideas for a Great Midwest Crane Fest illustration didn't work out, he returned to a folder of photos sent by the International Crane Foundation for inspiration and struck gold: A beautiful, endangered whooping crane, standing among a flock of sandhills. "There was just something very beautiful and poetic about the photo," Tomlinson said. "The whooping crane was kind of this negative, but also positive space in front of all these sandhills." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He transformed it to a new art form, working in details that don't pop out at first glance. Take the yellow eye of the whooping crane in the center, contrasting with the gray eyes of the sandhills surrounding it. "The Great Midwest Crane Fest" poster designed by Alex Tomlinson. Cranes are among the dozens of birds Tomlinson has illustrated in his free time his day job is with the National Audubon Society. The Pennsylvania-based artist has also created designs for the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and the Chicago Ornithological Society. In August, Tomlinson was commissioned by the Great Midwest Crane Fest, the event in Baraboo that takes place each November when thousands of sandhill cranes congregate near the Wisconsin River before flying south for the winter. The request came with plenty of time for Tomlinson to create his design for free inspired by that photo captured by Triet Tran from the International Crane Foundation, which hosts the festival alongside the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tomlinson shared the poster to social media in early October and it quickly, unexpectedly racked up more than a quarter-million views on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. To say people loved it is an understatement. "Suddenly planning another Wisconsin trip," one user wrote. "Just bought tickets fully on the strength of this poster making me curious about the event," another said. Gavin Moulton, the writer and photographer behind the popular X account rust belt roadtrip, circulated the post more. "(It's) meaningful to see cranes honored with a great poster," Moulton said in an interview. I suddenly need to go to wisconsin in november https://t.co/vXrMv2ftSc rust belt roadtrip (@gmoult) October 1, 2025 Tomlinson was pleasantly surprised by the attention and called the maybe-humorous, maybe-serious comments about visiting Wisconsin "really kind of sweet." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As an illustrator and designer, you never 100% know what people will connect with," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Poster reflects optimism of conservation work Ryan Michalesko, communications and advocacy specialist for the International Crane Foundation, said there was indeed an increase in website traffic after Tomlinson posted his design. He expects the festival, now in its fourth year, to again break its attendance record. "We've just had such great feedback about the artwork," Michalesko said. "We love the hope and optimism that cranes bring people and that this artwork has helped share." There are only about 700 whooping cranes living in the wild, Michalesko said. From its headquarters in Sauk County, the foundation works to conserve the species globally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Cultures around the world are related to cranes and have their own traditions with cranes," he said. "They really are an icon." More: Sandhill and whooping crane specialty license plates available in Wisconsin, benefit International Crane Foundation Poster is 'something your cool grandma' would have Why, exactly, is the design so appealing to the eye? Tomlinson has a few theories. The reaction surprised him in part because the crane poster is much less colorful than his typical designs. He worried about the limited color palette at first, but he finds it allows the cranes' red crests to "punch through." It also has elements of the ever-popular midcentury modern aesthetic, characterized by simple, clean lines and earthy tones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There's also the respect for putting time into a thoughtful design, when many organizations don't think about those things until the "very last minute," Tomlinson said. One commenter argued "this is why we can't let that AI slop win." Tomlinson talks about artificial intelligence with his fiancee and friends often, and they hope there's a new arts and crafts movement that comes out of this era. "There's a cheaper way of doing things, but (it's) doing things worse," he said. One of Tomlinson's first bits of feedback was that the poster looks like something a "cool grandma would have in her house." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He connected with that idea immediately Tomlinson gets much of his design sense from his own "cool grandma," whose home is full of quirky objects and artsy posters. "I think there's a quality to it where it's new, but it also feels very familiar," he said. "I got very lucky, just sketching my way into that sort of thing." If you go The Great Midwest Crane Fest takes place Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16 in Baraboo. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days. Activities include guided tours, prairie walks, lectures, food trucks, book signings and more. Single-day tickets are $40, or $60 for both days. Admission is $8 for youth ages 6 to 17 and free for kids 5 and under. Some events require additional tickets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A limited number of high-quality, screen-printed posters signed by Tomlinson will be available at the International Crane Foundation's gift shop. Sometime after the festival, copies will become available for purchase online. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why social media went wild for a Great Midwest Crane Fest illustration Advocates planned to hold a rally outside the Hamden Police Department on Tuesday evening over allegations that police could have done more to stop a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a car wash last week that led to eight people being taken into custody. Ahead of the rally, police issued a statement saying dispatchers received a call from a federal special agent with Homeland Security Investigations just before 8:15 a.m. last Wednesday who alerted them to an investigation that would be carried out on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden between 9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. The agents reportedly said the operation would take about 15 minutes and that they would contact police once it was over. However, the Special Agent would not provide an exact address nor a cross street location and clarified that HSI did not require assistance from the Hamden Police Department, said Lt. Robert Manfield of the Hamden Police Department. Notably, the special agent did not mention ICE at all or refer to it during the call. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Lugo of Unidad Latina en Accion an immigrant rights group that organized the rally said police should have known when they were contacted by HSI that there was a potential for an ICE raid. He said he believes this information should have been shared with the community before it happened. Hamden officials push back against recent ICE raids. We strongly denounce this horrific action. According to Lugo, activists planned to gather outside the police department before a number of them planned to speak during the public comment portion of the Legislative Council meeting. He accused police of violating the states Trust Act and the citys Welcoming City ordinance that was passed in April to protect immigrants. In his statement, Manfield disputed some of the criticisms of the police department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hamden Police Department completely complied with the state of Connecticuts Trust Act, he said. No Hamden police officers were present or involved in the event. The Hamden Police Department was not provided any details and/or specifics of the ICE operation until after the event had taken place. Lugo said activists are demanding answers from city officials following the raid last Wednesday at Optimo Carwash, which reportedly involved multiple parents of school-aged children being detained. Criticisms of police have drawn ire from some state lawmakers. State Reps. Michael DiGiovancarlo and Greg Howard, both leaders on the legislatures Public Safety and Security Committee, issued a joint statement over the weekend saying the criticisms are off-base. Both lawmakers, who are active-duty police officers, said that inter-agency notification is a standard professional courtesy that federal and state law enforcement agencies routinely extend to local departments when operating within their jurisdiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A failure of this type of communication between agencies could result in chaos and confusion, putting officers and the public at risk if local police do not have advance notice of other agencies operating in their jurisdiction, the legislators statement said. The lawmakers also said alerting the public to pending law enforcement operations would constitute a serious violation of professional standards. In any other case, if an employee within a law enforcement agency provided information, they had by virtue of their employment to the public to impede or intercede with an investigation, they would be fired and potentially arrested, said DiGiovancarlo, the committees House Vice Chairman. Howard, House Ranking Member of the committee, said it could violate state law if local police were to notify the public of impending actions of federal authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both lawmakers said police officers should not be forced to choose between potential criminal liability and administrative consequences. This is exactly what political leaders in Hamden are doing, DiGiovancarlo and Howard said. Mayor Lauren Garrett did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. She joined others at a press conference last week condemning the raid, describing the actions of the Trump administration and ICE as deplorable and disgusting. A Chicago-area family says immigration agents arrested their father, Ruben Torres, in Niles over the weekend. Now, they have questions about his whereabouts as his daughter battles cancer. Torres' 16-year-old daughter, Ofelia, spoke out at Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley's Monday night meeting in Lakeview, saying she wishes her father was home to take care of the family as she fights cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You guys are targeting the wrong people," she said. "You are targeting hardworking fathers, mothers, kids. They don't deserve it." SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates Torres' family said he is being transferred between different facilities. Assistant CHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying, "On October 18, U.S. Border Patrol conducted a targeted immigration enforcement operation that resulted in the arrest of Ruben Torres Maldanado, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico. His criminal history shows he has a history of habitual driving offenses and has been charged multiple times with driving without insurance, driving without a valid license, and speeding. During his arrest he did not comply with instructions from the officers and attempted to flee in his vehicle and backed into a government vehicle. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal. "This is nothing more than a desperate Hail Mary attempt to keep a criminal illegal alien in our country. The Trump administration is fighting for the rule of law and the American people." Immigration attorney Lea A. Salama DiMitri of Behar Law Group joined Billboards senior editor of Latin, Griselda Flores, during a panel discussion at Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 on Tuesday (Oct. 21). The pair unpacked the increasingly complex realities of immigration policies and visa restrictions for international musicians, particularly the alarming trend of visa revocations among regional Mexican artists and beyond. The conversation, which reflected the challenges Latin artists face when navigating U.S. immigration procedures, highlighted the stringent requirements for O and P visas non-immigrant visas specifically designed for artists, athletes, and entertainers as well as the growing risks tied to delays and denials. Salama DiMitri, a seasoned immigration attorney, emphasized the difficulty and multilayered process of securing these visas for international performers. More from Billboard Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration structure is a multi-agency, multistep process. Its not for the faint of heart its complex, very daunting. Its not like filling out a tax return; the slightest misstep can lead to a gargantuan process being enforced, DiMitri explained. Enforcement is the biggest trend right now. Flores, who has extensively reported on the wave of visa revocations targeting regional Mexican musicians, asked DiMitri to provide insight into musicians performing narcocorridos songs with themes of organized crime or drug trade and whether their lyrics might be scrutinized under U.S. national security policies. For some, singing narcocorridos has resulted in a visa revocation, which can be seen as impeding freedom of speech or expression, Flores noted. DiMitri acknowledged this possibility, elaborating that multiple factors, including an artists social media activities or perceived political affiliations, can now factor into the visa approval process. The U.S. Department of State recently began requiring both O and P visa applicants to disclose their social media handles, she said. With evolving technology and AI, algorithms analyze peoples online presence as part of the vetting process. These measures can be used to assess whether someones views or even their artistic content pose a perceived threat to national security. For an O-1 visa specifically, applicants must prove extraordinary ability, which can be demonstrated through national and international acclaim for instance, if an artist has won a Grammy Award or achieved a significant one-time accomplishment. But even with that level of recognition, there is a discretionary factor, DiMitri emphasized. Any minimal violation whether related to criminal activity, insufficient evidence, or even incomplete itineraries can be grounds for denial or revocation. Have you played Billboards Latin Music Week Crossword? Play now! With current visa challenges in mind, DiMitri offered sobering advice to her clients. Minimize international travel. If you leave the U.S. to visit your home country, you increase the risk of being denied re-entry, even if your visa was initially approved. The burden is on the artist to prove their extraordinary ability and ensure compliance on all levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spanning more than 30 years, Latin Music Week is the single-most important and largest gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. Latin Music Week coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to air Thursday, Oct. 23, on Telemundo and Peacock, where Bad Bunny will be honored as Top Latin Artist of the 21st Century. Billboard VIP Pass Best of Billboard Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Cambodia expressed, on Tuesday, its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan and the Kingdoms sovereignty and territorial integrity. This position was expressed in the Joint Communique issued following a videoconference meeting between the Cambodian and Moroccan Foreign Ministers, Prak Sokhonn and Nasser Bourita. During this meeting, and following the major achievements made in the Moroccan Sahara issue under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Cambodia expressed its support to the Moroccan Autonomy Plan and the Kingdoms sovereignty and territorial integrity. While praising Moroccos efforts to reach a negotiated political solution to this regional dispute through the Moroccan Autonomy Plan submitted by Morocco in 2007, Prak Sokhonn reiterated Cambodias full support for Moroccos sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Joint Communique underlines. Within this framework, Cambodia praised the serious, realistic and credible efforts of Morocco to put an end to the regional dispute, while expressing its full support for the efforts of UN Secretary General and his Special Envoy, which are in line with the parameters of the relevant Security Council resolutions on this issue. The two senior officials reiterated their respective countries commitment to the mutual values of peace, security and stability. In this respect, they underlined their rejection of all separatist agendas aiming to infringe the sovereignty and territorial integrity of UN member states, the Joint Communique states. They also stressed that the threats posed by separatist entities to political security and stability in several regions are as serious as those posed by terrorists and extremist groups, thus emphasizing the globally recognized parallel between separatist groups and terrorist groups, whose links and connections have been proven in several regions of the world. This new clear support for Moroccos autonomy plan and the sovereignty of the Kingdom by an important country in Southeast Asia joins that of the overwhelming majority of the international community, which supports the Kingdoms legitimate position on its Sahara. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building pictured on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) Indiana is asking the federal government for permission to overhaul how it spends and tracks billions in education aid a request that Hoosier officials said would align the states accountability system with federal law and allow more freedom in how schools use their funds. The request, submitted Friday to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, seeks a waiver from multiple provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA, the federal law governing K-12 education. Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner speaks before the states higher education commissioner on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) If approved, the changes would take effect beginning in the 2026-27 school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State education leaders framed the proposal as an effort to prioritize student learning over federal bureaucracy. Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said the states message to federal officials was clear. With the opportunity to return education back to the states, we had a clear choice to make in Indiana: continue with the status quo or seize this moment to gain the flexibilities needed to remove federal barriers to more urgently move the needle for students, Jenner said in a Monday statement. As a state, we are leaning in to seize this moment, and today, our message to Washington is clear: Indiana is ready and eager, so give us the flexibility to keep driving forward for Indiana students. Gov. Mike Braun also praised the move, calling it proof that Indiana continues to lead the nation in education and innovation. We can best support Hoosier students when we return education to the states, empower parents with high-quality educational options, get red tape out of the way for educators, and focus on improvement for every student, he said in a news release. Streamlining federal programs into one block grant The 19-page waiver application outlines a plan to simplify how federal dollars are administered and to align Indianas accountability system with federal requirements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states proposal centers on four main areas of flexibility: streamlining federal funding, easing local compliance, creating an innovation fund, and unifying accountability metrics. In its filing, the Indiana Department of Education asked to combine funding from more than 15 federal education programs including portions of Titles I, II, III and IV into a single strategic block grant. Those programs make up the bulk of federal K-12 aid: Title I supports schools serving higher percentages of low-income students; Title II funds teacher training and professional development; Title III provides extra assistance for English language learners; and Title IV helps schools expand well-rounded education programs, boost safety initiatives and increase access to technology. Story continues below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indiana ESEA Flexibility Request w. Cover Letter Indiana officials argued that managing those programs separately consumes significant time and resources. The waiver emphasized that IDOE currently spends about $2.2 million annually in staff time to support the administrative infrastructure required to meet ESEA compliance demands, with roughly 75% of that amount about $1.7 million dedicated solely to compliance and reporting rather than to initiatives that directly advance student achievement. By consolidating those programs, officials said the state agency can redirect resources toward its top priorities, like early literacy, STEM education and high school redesign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The filing compares Indianas management of the federal COVID-era ESSER relief funds, which the department described as a more efficient block grant model that allowed it to move with urgency and align resources with its most pressing educational priorities. The waiver additionally seeks to extend similar flexibility to school districts by allowing them to merge multiple federal grants into a single plan. Department officials argued that the change would simplify paperwork and monitoring, reducing what they describe as a burdensome regulatory environment that often discourages innovation at the local level. Under the new system, districts would complete one consolidated application and monitoring process, rather than separate plans for each federal program. That streamlined process would free up time and staff to focus on what matters most: effective implementation, real-time progress monitoring, and continuous improvement, according to the waiver. Rethinking how school improvement funds are used A major component within the request is the creation of a new Education Innovation Grant to replace the current federal School Improvement Grant structure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State officials said the change is needed to address long-term underperformance in some schools. The department cited national and state data showing that despite years of federal investment, many schools identified for improvement under ESEA remain among the lowest-performing. Students and families cannot wait sometimes for years for a chronically underperforming school to improve, the application urged. (Grant flexibility) allows the money to support the child, rather than continuing to be trapped in a system that year over year is yielding negative results for children. Story continues below. ESEA-Flex-Waiver-Overview Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed new approach would allow Indiana to direct about $25 million in annual federal school improvement funds to any district or program such as charter schools, microschools, or partnerships with industry or higher education that serves students zoned to attend persistently underperforming schools. Hoosier officials argued that expanding eligibility would promote student-centered solutions and reduce the stigma associated with receiving federal school improvement dollars. The states waiver also proposes aligning its new, forthcoming AF accountability system with federal reporting requirements. Indiana officials say the move would end the confusion caused by schools currently receiving two different performance ratingsone for federal purposes and another under state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This flexibility allows IDOE to tailor interventions to the states most urgent and localized needs, the waiver notes, adding that a unified system would provide families with clear, consistent school ratings to support informed decision-making and reduce complexity and increase clarity. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US The state would continue to publish annual report cards that break down outcomes by subgroup, but would shift how it packages and uses the funds behind those report cards. Jenner described the request as part of a broader effort to advance student outcomes through innovation, flexibility, and a relentless focus on academic excellence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her cover letter for the waiver, she pointed to recent gains, including a five-percentage-point increase in third-grade literacy rates in 2025 and Indianas rise to sixth in the nation in fourth-grade reading scores. She also cited record-high graduation rates, improved math proficiency, and a reduction in chronic absenteeism since 2021. The department emphasized that the waiver would not alter how federal funds are distributed to districts or change the supplement, not supplant requirement that ensures federal dollars enhance rather than replace state and local spending. Teachers union urges caution Federal education officials encouraged all states in July to consider ESEA waiver requests that would give them more control over how federal education dollars are used. At least two states Iowa and Oklahoma have already similar flexibility requests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Indiana State Teachers Association previously urged caution, arguing that the waiver could weaken oversight and divert resources away from schools that need them most. In an Aug. 18 statement, ISTA leadership said it supports efforts to reduce administrative burden when it can be done without undermining educational equity or outcomes for students, but warned that consolidating federal programs risks weakening the rights of educators and parents to participate in decisions about federal funding. Ron Sandlin, Indiana Department of Educations chief innovation officer (Photo courtesy IDOE) The states largest teachers union also raised concerns that shifting school-improvement dollars away from public schools identified for additional support to other entities such as microschools, charter schools, or partnerships with industry or higher education institutions could redirect these funds to schools or programs that are not necessarily serving the students most in need. Still, at the July 16 State Board of Education meeting, IDOE senior official Ron Sandlin previewed the proposal and described it as a continuation of Indianas commitment to innovation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sandlin told board members the flexibility waiver is not about reducing accountability or transparency, but rather about aligning systems so we can spend more time serving students and less time checking boxes. He said the plan is designed to reduce bureaucratic compliance, empower local decision-making, and eliminate duplicative systems by adopting a single accountability framework for both state and federal requirements. Under federal law, the U.S. Department of Education has 120 days to review Indianas submission and provide a response. If approved, the changes would take effect beginning with the 202627 school year. The opportunity to return education to the states, Jenner wrote in her letter, allows us to further reduce burdensome federal compliance demands and empower our local leaders, in collaboration with parents and families, to make informed decisions about what Indiana students need most. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Protesters have taken to wearing oversized inflatable costumes to deflate tensions and draw attention at rallies against Trump administrations policies. Crowds across the U.S. and abroad rallied Saturday during No Kings demonstrations against what they call a slide into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump. Republicans dismissed the gatherings as Hate America rallies, but many had a festive feel. The trend began several weeks ago in Portland, Oregon, when a protester showed up at nightly protests wearing an inflatable frog costume. Now, crowds in that city that gather daily and nightly outside an immigration facility have further embraced the absurd, donning inflatable frog, unicorn, axolotl, dinosaur and banana costumes. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. NEED TO KNOW Estefania Restrepo Valencia, a 26-year-old Colombian influencer, died after she was admitted to a hospital on Oct. 17 The creator was known on Facebook and TikTok for her comedic videos and livestreams Per local outlets, Valencias partner alleged that she was stabbed several times after a struggle with a pair of men who attempted to rob them while driving on a local highway Estefania Restrepo Valencia, a Colombian content creator, died from several stab wounds on Oct. 17. She was 26. The influencer was admitted to the Las Vegas Hospitals emergency room in Medellin, Colombia, late on Friday evening, brought in by her boyfriend with what appeared to be several knife wounds on her arm and neck, reported local outlets El Espectador, El Tiempo and El Colombiano. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Valencia died shortly after she was admitted, the outlets reported. 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. After she died, members of the Metropolitan Police of the Aburra Valley reportedly opened an investigation, conducting an interview with Valencias partner and inspecting her body. La Travieza RP/Facebook La Travieza RP La Travieza RP According to local outlets, her boyfriend alleged to authorities that the pair were traveling on a highway in Caldas a municipality outside of Medellin when they were allegedly approached by two individuals who attempted to steal their belongings, allegedly attacking Valencia in the struggle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities are continuing to investigate to corroborate Valencias partners account, reviewing surveillance footage and cell phone data, and cross-referencing his narrative with the wounds on her body, per local reports. PEOPLE has contacted the Metropolitan Police of the Aburra Valley. La Travieza RP/Facebook La Travieza RP La Travieza RP Valencia, known on social media as La Traviesa for her comedic videos and livestreams, maintained a following of over 218,000 people on Facebook and 28,000 on TikTok. She shared her final Facebook post on the morning of Oct. 17, hours before she was admitted to the hospital. Read the original article on People AUSTIN (KXAN) The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a nearly $125,000 contract for a feasibility study for a commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio. Commissioners, during their meeting Tuesday, approved the $124,953.50 contract with HNTB Corporation for the Passenger Rail Feasibility Study. Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources (TNR) requested a high-level feasibility study along SH 130 and IH 10 for a commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TNRs request said that HNTB Corporation is the most qualified firm to conduct the study because it is already working with the Texas Department of Transportation on a compatible study, the Texas I-10 Corridor Study. The current population along the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio is approximately 4.5 million and is expected to grow to 6 to 7 million by 2030. To reduce traffic, increase commerce and economic development, and bring a more convenient alternative for daily commuters Travis County is interested in procuring a feasibility study to explore all potential routes for commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio, the request stated. A planning manager with TNR spoke to commissioners during the meeting on Tuesday to provide them with a rundown of what the feasibility study would entail. This study is intended to be a complement to a TxDOT study thats being conducted by HNTB. The TxDOT study is focusing on the IH 35 corridor and is expected to conclude in March of 2026, she said. The study were proposing today would also be conducted by HNTB and focus on other options using the right-of-way of state highways and interstates in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study will analyze current rail infrastructure and potential service options from the Amtrak station in San Antonio to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin. Its expected to take 175 days, and it will cover project management, engineering feasibility, cost estimates, and a technical memorandum. Im very excited about this one, Judge Andy Brown said. He said the study would look at a route that would theoretically go from downtown Austin out 71, then down 130, and then in on I-10. Brown said the study is just looking at the 130 to I-10 segment. And so this is looking at, if we can squeeze a passenger rail route in the right of way that, you know, does not involve taking a lot of private land, I think that makes the possibility of getting rail between Austin, or sort of Williamson/Travis area, down to Bexar County, much more realistic and potentially much quicker, Brown said. Brightline built a 50-mile section of train and a rail in about two and a half years. I am told this would be a little bit longer than that, but still, if we, you know, got on it quickly, we could build it before I-35 construction is finished. So Im very excited about this item. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEW YORK Brooklyn neighborhoods with large Jewish communities along with the Upper West and Upper East sides of Manhattan poured money into Andrew Cuomos mayoral warchest last month after the exodus of incumbent Eric Adams, an analysis of campaign contributions shows. A POLITICO review of New York City Campaign Finance Board data found Cuomo received more than $375,000 from nearly 1,700 donors between Sept. 28 the day Adams announced his exodus and a deadline to disclose fundraising a day later. The source of Cuomos surge in donations suggests many Jewish New Yorkers continue to oppose frontrunner Zohran Mamdani over his positions on Israel and the war in Gaza, even as Mamdani continues to lead the former governor by double digits two weeks out from Election Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest contribution data available shows the largest concentration of donors who gave to Cuomo are located in the ZIP code covering Gravesend in Brooklyn. More than 90 individual contributors there forked over cash to the Cuomo cause. A neighboring ZIP code covering much of Midwood was not far behind, with more than 80 individual contributors. Those neighborhoods which largely went for Cuomo during the Democratic primary are home to a large concentration of Jewish New Yorkers presumably put off by Mamdanis stance on the phrase globalize the intifada, his opposition to Israels existence as a Jewish state (he has said he would recognize Israel as a secular state) and his characterization of Israeli military action in Gaza as a genocide. Mamdani has walked back his stance on the phrase globalize the intifada, saying he now discourages its use. But he has doubled down on his genocide comments. In addition, many voters from the area, along with nearby ZIP codes covering Brighton and Manhattan beaches and Sheepshead Bay, supported President Donald Trump in 2024 and hail from the former Soviet Union, a background that may make them wary of Mamdanis brand of democratic socialism. Politically active and well-heeled voters on the Upper West and Upper East sides were among those who supported Cuomo during the primary. And they opened their pocketbooks at the first sign of momentum last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Team Cuomo received nearly 200 contributions from three ZIP codes on the Upper East Side, home to some of the wealthiest New Yorkers who would be most impacted by Mamdanis pledge to raise business and personal income taxes. The campaign also received donations from 175 people living in two Upper West Side ZIP codes an area that shares some of the same concerns as Jewish voters in Brooklyn. Some of my constituents are supporting Cuomo because they are concerned about antisemitism and how Mamdani is going to work with their community, said City Council Member Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side. These people are Democrats who have supported progressive causes for their entire lives in many cases. Some late-to-the-game donors are also counting on Cuomos experience as a former governor, while others see him as the most similar of the candidates to the former mayor and his policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joseph Shamie, a Brooklyn-based businessman, told POLITICO in an interview that he contributed $2,100 to Adams campaign and counted himself as a major supporter until the mayor dropped out. Since then, hes donated $1,000 to Cuomos campaign, citing the former governors experience and what he described as Mamdanis naivety. I hope that whoever our new mayor is will work as hard as Mayor Adams did to bring the city together all aspects, all people as one united New York, Shamie said. Shamie said hes concerned about Mamdanis relationship with the NYPD and his plans for sweeping policy changes. Drastic changes arent great, he said. I think many of his ideas could be good in the long run, but youve got to do things without upsetting everything thats working. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani did not receive a similar boost following Adams departure. But his campaign pointed to campaign finance data showing the Democratic nominee has raised money from a similar number of donors on the Upper West and Upper East sides compared to Cuomo over the course of the race. Spokesperson Dora Pekec added that Mamdani has been making inroads into the Jewish community since his Democratic primary win. A few new donors doesnt change the equation: thousands of Jewish New Yorkers have found a home in Zohrans movement for a more affordable city, she said in a statement. In the primary we have 50,000 donors with a median donation of $25, an army of 80,000 volunteers and genuine enthusiasm for our vision Andrew Cuomo could never reach. Cuomos monetary assistance came alongside two recent polls that boded well for the former governor. One found Cuomo picked up most of Adams supporters , while another survey released Monday showed him neck-and-neck with Mamdani if Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa were to drop out of the race. If Sliwa remains, however, he would pick up nearly 20 percent of the vote, the survey found. Both polls omitted candidate names that will appear on the ballot, however, making them imprecise measures of voter sentiment. Another recent survey found Mamdani topping 50 percent after months of being stuck at around 45 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But with just a few weeks left to try to close the gap with Mamdani, Cuomos campaign is nevertheless seizing on the cash infusion. Were hitting our momentum at exactly the right time, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement. Make no mistake, this is a two-man race and were going to make sure everyone knows a vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani. Inside the new laws putting cameras in Americas classrooms When most people think of security cameras in schools, they picture entrances, hallways, or parking lots. But, in a growing number of U.S states, cameras are moving inside the classroom specifically into special education settings, where students might not always be able to report what happens to them. Supporters say the law protects vulnerable children and allows educators to monitor incidents. Critics say it normalizes surveillance and have raised privacy concerns. The classroom camera debate once hypothetical has now become law in several states, each implementing it slightly differently, Videoloft reports. The new normal in school surveillance National data shows that video surveillance is already a fixture of American education. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), 91% of public schools used security cameras on campus in 2019-2020, up from 61% a decade earlier (NCES, 2022). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, 86% of students aged 12-18 reported seeing cameras at their school, a jump of 15% since 2009 (NCES, 2021). Whats missing, however, is any national data about cameras inside classrooms themselves. Surveys track schoolwide surveillance, but stop short of specifying where those cameras are meaning the true extent of classroom monitoring is unknown. Even so, the numbers reveal a cultural shift. What was once seen as intrusive surveillance is now part of the school landscape. Why the shift is happening now Growing urgency around special education safety The immediate catalyst has been the safety of students with disabilities, especially those who cannot communicate mistreatment. Lawmakers and supporters argue that cameras offer an objective record of what occurs, protecting both students and staff. Technology has caught up Ten years ago, storing hundreds of hours of classroom footage required expensive, on-site servers. Today, cloud-based video management systems and encrypted storage make it more affordable to manage recordings at scale. Strong parental support Public sentiment is also in favor of classroom cameras. A 2023 Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 61% of U.S. voters support placing cameras in public school classrooms to ensure accountability (Newsmax, 2023). A culture more comfortable with cameras Beyond schools, Americans are surrounded by cameras. Classrooms, one of the few remaining unmonitored public spaces, are now being re-examined through this broader lens of everyday visibility and accountability. Louisiana: From by-request to a statewide requirement Louisiana has undergone one of the bigger shifts. In 2025, Louisiana passed Act 479, which requires that every self-contained special education classroom in the state have at least one security camera installed by February 1, 2026 (Louisiana Legislature, Act 479, 2025). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previously, Louisiana allowed cameras on parental request. Act 479 replaces that opt-in model with a full mandate, citing the need to protect students who are unable to communicate abuse. The law contains safeguards to prevent misuse: Notice requirements for staff, students and parents when entering a monitored classroom. Bans on cameras in restrooms or changing areas. Retention policies governing how long footage must be stored before deletion. Districts are now mapping budgets and classrooms to meet the 2026 deadline. In Lafayette, for example, officials plan to equip 132 classrooms during the first rollout (KATC News, 2024). Texas: Cameras on demand Texas led the way with classroom surveillance with a 2015 law, The Texas Education Code. It gives parents and school staff the right to request cameras in self-contained special education classrooms (Texas Education Code 29.022). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once installed, the cameras must record both video and audio throughout the classroom, including any attached timeout areas. Restrooms and changing areas are off-limits, except for accidental capture. Schools are required to keep recordings for at least three months and can use them only to review safety concerns or reported incidents not for teacher evaluations or continuous live monitoring. Texass approach continues to serve as a national model for balancing classroom transparency with student and staff privacy. West Virginia: A standing requirement West Virginia law (West Virginia Code 18-20-11) requires county school boards to install cameras in all self-contained classrooms serving students with disabilities making it one of the most comprehensive classroom camera laws in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cameras cant record inside restrooms or changing areas, though they may capture entrances. Audio is required in restrooms attached to self-contained classrooms, but schools must post notice and allow parents to opt out for their child. Footage must be stored for several months, with longer retention for newer systems. Principals are responsible for safeguarding the recordings and logging any interruptions. Cameras dont need to run when students arent present. By spelling out clear rules for notice, retention, and oversight, West Virginia has created one of the nations most detailed frameworks for classroom surveillance. From policy to principle Taken together, these laws mark a national shift in how Americans think about safety and privacy in public education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As technology becomes cheaper and more secure, and as states respond to calls for greater protection for vulnerable students, cameras are becoming commonplace. This story was produced by Videoloft and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. By John Geddie TOKYO (Reuters) -Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was voted in by parliament as Japan's first female prime minister on Tuesday, emulating her hero, Britain's late leader Margaret Thatcher, after a whirlwind few weeks of political wrangling. Having won an all-male race to be chosen by her ruling Liberal Democratic Party as its leader on October 5, Takaichi had to scramble for support after her party's more moderate coalition partner quit their 26-year alliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attention now turns to her big spending plans that may jolt investor confidence in one of the world's most indebted economies, and her nationalistic positions that could stoke friction with powerful neighbour China, political analysts say. 'ABENOMICS' ADVOCATE MAY CAUSE SHOCKWAVES Takaichi, 64, who narrowly lost in a run-off to lead the LDP last year, must also prepare to host U.S. President Donald Trump who is due to visit Japan next week. A former economic security and interior minister, Takaichi has repeatedly referred to Thatcher as a source of inspiration, citing her strong character and convictions coupled with her "womanly warmth". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said she met the conservative Thatcher, a divisive figure in British politics known as "the Iron Lady", at a symposium shortly before Thatcher's death in 2013. Like Thatcher, Takaichi's relatively humble background - her mother was a police officer and her father worked at a car company - stands out in a party where many leaders hail from elite political families. But unlike Thatcher - known for her tough budgeting - Takaichi is an advocate of fiscal largesse and easy monetary policies that have shaken investor confidence in the world's fourth-largest economy. A long-time advocate of the late prime minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" stimulus policies, she has called for higher spending and tax cuts and pledged to reassert government sway over the Bank of Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NOISEMAKER WITH NATIONALIST BENT A drummer and a fan of heavy metal, Takaichi is no stranger to creating noise. She is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni shrine, which honours Japan's war dead - including some executed war criminals - and is viewed by some Asian neighbours as a symbol of its past militarism. She also favours revising Japan's pacifist postwar constitution, and suggested this year that Japan could form a "quasi-security alliance" with Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China. Although Takaichi has pledged to increase the number of female cabinet ministers, an area where Japan has lagged its G7 peers, polls show her conservative positions chime more with men than women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She opposes same-sex marriage and allowing married couples to have separate surnames, an issue that has broad public support in Japan but faces staunch opposition within conservative circles. SOFTER SIDE TO HARDLINE CONSERVATIVE Pledging a crackdown on rule-breaking foreigners - a lightning rod issue for some voters amid record rises in migrants and tourists - she led a key campaign speech with a story about visitors kicking deer in her hometown of Nara. But her friends and supporters in Nara stressed a softer side to the hardline conservative in interviews with Reuters. Her former hairdresser, Yukitoshi Arai, said even her hairstyle - which he has dubbed the 'Sanae Cut' - is designed to show she is paying attention to people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It has a sleek, sharp, and stylish look. The sides are long, but she deliberately tucks them behind her ears as a way of showing that she listens carefully to other people," he said. Takaichi graduated from Kobe University with a degree in business management before working as a congressional fellow in the U.S. Congress, according to her website. She broke into Japanese politics winning a lower house seat in 1993 as an independent, before joining the LDP in 1996. (Reporting for John Geddie) ST MARYS, Ga. (WSAV) The investigation into the fatal officer involved shooting of a 27-year-old in St. Marys is still ongoing, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Gregory Paige was shot over two months ago on Aug. 3 by two St. Marys Police Department Officers, officials said. Officers responded to the Cumberland Oaks Apartment complex after a woman called 911 and said Paige was threatening to kill her and grabbing her, the GBI reported on Aug. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement St. Marys officers and Camden County Sheriffs Office deputies reportedly attempted to enter an apartment but encountered Paige in the doorway. During this encounter, two St. Marys Police Department officers fired their weapons, hitting Paige, a GBI spokesperson said. The Jacksonville man was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. A video was shared online where law enforcement could be seen going up the stairs to the apartment and gunfire could be hearing ringing out. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SMITHS STATION, Ala. (WRBL) Investigators believe an argument over a traffic cone led to a deadly shooting of a Smiths Station man Sunday evening. According to court documents and Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, deputies responded around 6:32 p.m. on October 19, 2025, to Sawyers Mobile Home Park off Lee Road 246 after receiving a 911 call reporting a shooting. Deputies arrived within minutes and found 34-year-old Anthony Hodge, of Smiths Station, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. He later died at the hospital. A deposition filed in the case outlines what investigators say happened before the gunfire. It states around 6:30 p.m., Anthony Hodge and 20-year-old Jeremy Wiggins were involved in a physical altercation concerning a traffic cone removed from one of their vehicles. During the confrontation, Hodge allegedly opened the drivers door of Wiggins vehicle and struck him several times in the head and face. According to investigators, Wiggins fired a 9mm handgun, striking Hodge once. The bullet entered Hodges upper left chest and exited through his upper right back, near the shoulder blade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but Hodge was pronounced dead at 7:35 p.m. at Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital in Phenix City. His body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for an autopsy. Court documents and investigators say Wiggins girlfriend was inside the truck at the time of the shooting. Immediately after the gunfire, Wiggins left the scene with her in the vehicle, and she later called 911 to report what had happened. Deputies directed them to stop near Terrys Grocery, where Wiggins was taken into custody without incident. A 9mm handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered. Wiggins, of Phenix City, is charged with murder domestic violence and is being held in the Lee County Jail without bond. Jones called it another tragic example of a disagreement ending in gunfire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its an unfortunate example of a dispute being settled by the use of a firearm, he said. We always urge people to settle disagreements peacefully. The Lee County Sheriffs Office continues to investigate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Medusa submarine cable, currently being deployed, will connect Marseille in France with Bizerte in Tunisia, marking a significant step in enhancing digital connectivity across the Mediterranean. Backed by Orange and co-financed by the European Union, the 1,050-kilometre MarseilleBizerte segment is the first European landing point of the Medusa system a vast network of undersea cables designed to meet the regions growing demand for bandwidth. Supported by the Connecting Europe Facility under the EUs *Global Gateway* strategy, the project aims to bridge the digital divide and bolster cross-Mediterranean communication infrastructure. According to Orange, this new link positions Bizerte as a vital hub in regional connectivity, providing secure and direct access to major European data centres in Paris, London, and Frankfurt, as well as other global destinations. The installation, carried out by Elettra Tlc and the Orange Marine vessel *Sophie Germain*, adheres to environmental preservation standards, particularly concerning marine ecosystems. Orange Wholesale CEO Michael Trabbia said the project highlights the companys central role in ensuring digital resilience and socio-economic growth in the Mediterranean basin. With this milestone, Bizerte joins the ranks of the Mediterraneans key digital gateways, reinforcing Tunisias strategic role in the regions digital transformation. A United Airlines jet's windscreen was cracked while flying at 36,000 feet. Images appeared to show glass in the cockpit and the captain's bloodied forearm. The plane may have struck a high-altitude weather balloon owned by Windborne, its CEO said. A United Airlines jet whose windscreen was broken while flying at 36,000 feet may have struck a high-altitude weather balloon. Investigators are looking into how the jet, which was operating United Flight 1093 from Denver to Los Angeles last Thursday, sustained damage to its windshield in midair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 37 minutes after takeoff, near the Utah city of Moab, the Boeing 737 Max began unexpectedly descending, per data from Flightradar24. After another 10 minutes, it abruptly turned north and diverted to Salt Lake City. In an X post on Sunday, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating "a cracked windscreen on a Boeing 737-8 during cruise flight." It added that the NTSB is gathering radar, weather, and flight recorder data. The windscreen is being sent to the agency's labs. One potential explanation for the damage came from John Dean, CEO of WindBorne, which operates weather balloons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Monday evening X post, he said he believed Flight 1093 was hit by a WindBorne balloon, and that the firm is working with the NTSB. Dean added that the firm shares all live balloon positions with regulators, and he found images of the damage "extremely concerning." United confirmed to Business Insider that the plane's windshield had been damaged, adding that the "plane landed safely in Salt Lake City to address damage to its multilayered windshield." Plane windscreens are designed with several layers so that they can still function safely in case any individual layer is damaged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement xJonNYC, an aviation enthusiast who runs popular accounts on X and Bluesky, was first to report details of the damage. Photo NOT confirmed Hearing there were scorch-marks, so space-debris or meteorite. pic.twitter.com/ird6QKEZv8 JonNYC (@xJonNYC) October 17, 2025 He shared photos that appeared to show the broken windshield, glass in the cockpit, and the captain's bloodied forearm. The plane also appeared to have scorch marks, suggesting that it could have been damaged by space debris or a small meteorite. Business Insider has not independently verified the images shared on X. In its statement to Business Insider, United added that passengers on the original plane were put on a new plane, noting that its "maintenance team is working to return the aircraft to service." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second Boeing 737 Max landed in Los Angeles at 1:12 p.m. PT, about five and a half hours behind schedule. Meanwhile, the original plane flew to Chicago Rockford Airport on Sunday. A maintenance facility there has previously said it performs work on United's 737s. Read the original article on Business Insider CUMBERLAND The Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal is seeking information about a fire that damaged a vacant King Street home late Friday. No one was hurt in the fire at 7 King St., which started about 9:45 p.m. Investigators said they were told by neighbors that squatters were frequently seen entering and exiting the residence. Damage to the two-story residence owned by Marie Delisle was estimated at $10,000. The home had no working utilities and the cause of the fire had not been determined. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 60 firefighters from the Cumberland Fire Department and surrounding mutual aid companies battled the blaze. Reports of people trapped in the burning structure were unfounded. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Maryland State Fire Marshals Western Regional Office at 301-729-5542. The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing oversees nursing homes in the state of Iowa. (Photo via Getty Images; logo courtesy of the State of Iowa) A central Iowa nursing home has been cited for an incident in which a residents family member had to summon the police to provide critical medical assistance for their relative. According to state inspectors, at 4 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2025, the staff at Perry Lutheran Home failed to provide a female diabetic resident with her scheduled blood-sugar check and a set of two blood-sugar injections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 6:40 p.m., after the residents blood sugar had dropped to 27 a potentially lethal level, with anything below 54 considered dangerous and necessitating immediate intervention a visiting family member arrived at the home and found the resident slumped over in a chair, unresponsive. Inspectors allege the relative summoned the staff to the womans room and asked them to call 911. According to the inspectors, a staff nurse allegedly refused, stating that wasnt proper protocol. When the relative insisted, the nurse allegedly told the relative to call 911 herself and left the room to begin searching for the facilitys emergency kit, which is used to administer a drug in cases of low blood sugar. Other staffers eventually joined in the search, which lasted about 15 minutes, but the kit could not be located, according to state inspectors. At 7 p.m., the relative called 911, and the police dispatcher helped by providing guidance on lowering the resident to the floor. The dispatcher then asked whether there was a defibrillator in the building, but a nursing assistant to whom the question was relayed allegedly indicated she didnt know. According to state inspectors, police officers then arrived and, at the relatives insistence, the officers initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Once paramedics arrived on the scene and administered a drug to stimulate the production of glucose, the resident became responsive and was transferred to a hospital for additional treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State inspection reports indicate the womans relative reported that while she, the police and paramedics had been working to revive the woman, the nurse on duty never returned to the room to assist. The inspectors allege that a subsequent review of medical records at Perry Lutheran Home indicated that on three prior occasions in August 2025, the female residents blood sugar was recorded at levels between 55 and 68 all considered to be potentially harmful levels. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach the homes administrator, Melissa Gannon, for comment. The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing proposed a state fine of $6,750 as a result of the recent findings. The imposed fine was tripled to $20,250 due to the incident representing a repeat, serious violation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It marks the third time in the past two years that the home has faced trebled fines due to repeat, serious violations, although the penalties were held in suspension in two of those three cases: Sexual abuse In December 2023, Perry Lutheran Home was cited for failing to report an incident of sexual nature between two residents who lacked the ability to consent. Inspectors said that despite the facility learning of the incident, and despite having watched video of the incident, the staff concluded they were not required to report the matter. A $6,250 fine was proposed and then held in suspension so that federal officials could consider imposing a fine. Fall-related death In January 2024, the home was cited for failing to provide adequate nursing supervision to prevent resident injuries. In that case, a female resident of the home fell nine times over an eight-week period. After the ninth fall, the home allegedly failed to provide neurological checks to rule out a brain injury. Eventually, the woman was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with brain damage that led to her death days later. A $9,250 fine was proposed, tripled to $27,750 due to the repeat nature of the offense, and then held in suspension. Emergency treatment In November 2024, the home was cited for failing to send a resident to the nearest emergency room when there was a change in their condition, resulting in the resident later being admitted to a hospital with hypoxemia, bronchopneumonia and dehydration. Because that violation was a repeat offense, a state-imposed $5,000 fine was tripled to $15,000. U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Randy Feenstra and Zach Nunn. from left, stood as President Donald Trump thanked them for their support in the U.S. House while passing the "big beautiful bill" during his remarks at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines July 3, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowas all-Republican U.S. House delegation sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Monday calling for Senate Democrats to vote in support of a funding bill to end the federal government shutdown. On day 20 of the government shutdown, Senate Democrats remained at odds with Republicans and the Trump administration on passing a short-term measure unless demands are met to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits currently set to expire at the end of the year. If the shutdown does not end Tuesday at 21 days it will become the second longest federal shutdown in U.S. history. The longest shutdown lasted 35 days during President Donald Trumps first term in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House passed a short-term funding bill in September, which has repeatedly failed to advance in the Senate. In the letter to Schumer, Iowa Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra called for Senate Democrats to support the continuing resolution passed by the House to reopen the government. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The letter said the shutdown is inflicting real harm on the people of Iowa: women, children, farmers, veterans, seniors, and service members. According to the legislators, more than 18,000 federal employees are furloughed or working without pay, 160,000 veterans are not able to receive assistance from regional U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offices, and 62,000 women and children supported through the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program face service disruptions in the state because of the shutdown. The continued shutdown could cause further problems for the 276,000 Iowans on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP, as well as 680,000 Medicare beneficiaries who use telehealth services. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services issued a release Friday saying there was a possibility SNAP benefits would not be issued onto electronic benefits cards in November, as instructed by the federal Food and Nutrition Service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter urged Schumer and Democrats to set aside partisanship, put the American people first, and vote to immediately reopen the government. Miller-Meeks, who led the letter, said Americans deserve a functioning government, not a Schumer shutdown. For 20 days, Iowans have paid the price because Senate Democrats refuse to support a clean, bipartisan plan to fund the government, Miller-Meeks said in a statement. We passed a bill that keeps essential services running, pays our troops, protects families, and allows us to finish the appropriations process responsibly. Its time for the Senate to act and put people over politics. Republicans and Democrats have continually sparred over which party is to blame for the shutdown. Earlier in October, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart issued a statement criticizing Iowas House delegation for attending campaign fundraisers and GOP leadership events instead of working to find a solution to ending the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iowa Republicans have the ability right now to stop health care premiums from more than doubling for tens of thousands of Iowa families, Hart said in a statement. Stubbornly, they refuse to show up to work to end this Trump Shutdown. Instead, theyve been letting deployed Iowa National Guard troops go without pay while they attend Republican fundraisers and relax on private islands. Iowans deserve more than out-of-touch politicians who dont do anything about rising health care costs. Voters will remember this next November. Feenstra, who has an exploratory committee to run for Iowa governor in 2026, characterized Democrats demands for ending the shutdown as giving free healthcare to illegal immigrants and adding $1.5 trillion to our $37-trillion debt in a statement Monday. Their recklessness put pay for our troops and WIC payments at risk, and continues to hurt our farmers, seniors, veterans, and small businesses, Feenstra said. Im glad to join forces with my Iowa colleagues demanding that Senator Schumer and the Democrats end their government shutdown. Again, the Democrats are hurting Iowa families all to give free healthcare to illegal immigrants and put our country deeper into debt. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE MCKEE, Ky. (FOX 56) An Irvine man has been indicted in connection with a May death investigation in Jackson County. Kentucky State Police (KSP) said it was called on May 18 to assist the Jackson County Sheriffs Office after 40-year-old James Carmack was found shot inside a vehicle near Highway 1209 and Richardson Road in McKee. He was pronounced dead on the scene. According to an arrest report, multiple witnesses and supporting evidence identified a person of interest: 24-year-old James Sam Bergman. RELATED: Bergman agreed to meet with investigators on Aug. 20, when he reportedly confessed to shooting and killing Carmack before driving his body to a swimming hole on Wagersville Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents said Bergman told police that he gave the gun he used to an acquaintance to dispose of it. He was arrested on Aug. 20 and charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence, and abuse of a corpse. In an update on Oct. 21, KSP Trooper Kearney said a grand jury has indicted Bergman on all charges. He remains in the Three Forks Detention Center. Read more of the latest Kentucky news James Sam Bergman, 24, was lodged in the Three Forks Regional Jail on Aug. 20. (Three Forks Regional Jail) Hes scheduled to appear in court at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 24, court records show. Corey Elam contributed to 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 FOX 56 News. The Israel-Hamas ceasefire survived a rocky weekend as each side affirmed its commitment to the U.S.-brokered deal. Early Sunday, Israel accused Hamas of attacking two Israel Defense Force soldiers, the first time Israeli soldiers had been killed in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire. Israel responded by issuing a series of strikes across Gaza. The region celebrated early last week that part of the ceasefires first phase was successful. All 20 remaining living hostages were returned to Israel on Monday and, in return, almost 2,000 Palestinians were transported back to Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the ceasefire has held, the prospect of peace in the region is unstable and remains touch-and-go. Israel responds with force The IDF confirmed early Sunday that it had begun a series of strikes against Hamas in Gaza because of a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. The IDF said it struck dozens of Hamas terror targets, including part of Hamas underground terrorist infrastructure. Israel said two of its soldiers were killed by Palestinian militants attacking its forces in an area that was agreed upon to be in Israeli occupation, prompting the strong response from Israel. Later Sunday, the IDF said it would be complying in accordance with the directive of the political echelon and began a renewed enforcement of the ceasefire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it, the military said in a post online. The overnight strikes were the most serious test of the ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump. Israel has expressed frustration with Hamas slow return of the deceased hostages. The Palestinian militant group acknowledged that it would be difficult to recover and return the bodies. As many as 16 deceased hostages have yet to be returned to Israeli authorities. Is humanitarian aid getting into Gaza? Critical humanitarian aid heading to Gaza has been restarted, just hours after Israel declared a pause. On Sunday, Israeli officials confirmed that a transfer of aid to the region had been halted, but the military later said it resumed enforcing the ceasefire and aid would restart on Monday, The Associated Press reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Israeli official told The New York Times the aid was halted due to the intensity of Israels strikes and it would resume once the bombing was over. Its a sign that Israel is committed to seeing the next steps of the ceasefire commence. As of late last week, the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza remained closed. Aid deliveries were trickling into Gaza, but humanitarian organizations have been limited in what they can get to Palestinians. Trump himself noted that war-torn Gaza needs a lot of cleanup. After Israels strikes, the Al-Awda hospital said it received 24 bodies from Israels strikes. A strike hit a makeshift coffeehouse in central Gaza and another hit a tent housing women and children, the AP reported. Trump shares update on threats Last week, Trump threatened Hamas after the group killed several people in Gaza. As many as 27 people were dead early in the week as Hamas exchanged heavy fire with members of the Dughmush family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump issued a threat to Hamas, noting that if the group continued to kill people in Gaza, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. In remarks Monday from the White House, Trump did not confirm if U.S. troops would go to Gaza under that threat, but said there are plenty of countries that signed on to the ceasefire deal. I mean, weve had countries calling me when they saw some of the killing with Hamas, saying, Wed love to go in and take care of the situation ourselves, Trump said. The president said as it stands, he was giving Hamas another chance and hoped there would be a little less violence. Key partners still engaged in next ceasefire phases Trumps ceasefire proposal had many points and plans for peace in the region. It included the release of hostages, reconstruction in Gaza and the creation of an international board that would oversee the territory after Israeli troops completely withdrew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first phase of the ceasefire played out early last week. Last Monday, Hamas released the remaining living hostages in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners. But the early days of the ceasefire have shown how violence in the region is still erupting from and within each side. Palestinians were able to return to their homes in Gaza and a sufficient quantity of humanitarian aid was agreed to be let in by Israel. However, since the start of the ceasefire, both sides have accused the other of violating the terms of the agreement. Under the deal, aid would be flowing into Gaza without restrictions and Hamas would have returned all the deceased hostages. In the proposed next steps in the ceasefire, Hamas would not have any role in governance in Gaza. The group and territory will be demilitarized and military infrastructure would be destroyed. It is currently unclear how or when Hamas would disband, particularly as it has tried to regain control in Gaza in recent days with the killings of opposition members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaza would be temporarily governed by an international committee and supervised by a Board of Peace that is headed by Trump. The committee is set to oversee the day-to-day public services in Gaza. Governance would eventually be given back to the Palestinian Authority, once it undergoes some changes. The White House acknowledged the aspiration of Palestinian people to have self-determination and statehood. The United States will work with Arab countries to create an International Stabilization Force to be deployed in Gaza. It will provide support to Palestinians by facilitating aid and infrastructure flow and securing borders, preventing groups from entering Gaza. Israel is set to eventually withdraw all of its forces from Gaza and agree to not occupy or annex the territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The future of the plan remains up in the air, but appears to be on track after a rocky weekend. Trump administration negotiators special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly arrived in Israel to push forward with peace discussions and the next phase. Witkoff and Kushner detailed their experience negotiating the ceasefire during CBS News 60 Minutes. We wanted the hostages to come out. We wanted a real ceasefire that both sides would respect, Kushner said. KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called progress in Gazas fragile ceasefire better than anticipated but acknowledged during an Israel visit the challenges that remain, from disarming Hamas to rebuilding a land devastated by two years of war. Vance noted flareups of violence in recent days but said the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that began on Oct. 10 is going better than I expected. The Trump administration's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time. They visited a new center in Israel for civilian and military cooperation as questions remain over the long-term plan for peace, including when and how an international security force will deploy to Gaza and who will govern the territory after the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance tried to downplay any idea that his visit his first as vice president was urgently arranged to keep the ceasefire in place. He said he feels confident that were going to be in a place where this peace lasts, but warned that if Hamas doesnt cooperate, it will be obliterated. Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trumps son-in-law and one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, noted its complexity: Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture." Vance is expected to stay in the region until Thursday and meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. On Tuesday, Netanyahu fired his national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, but gave no reason for the decision. Israeli media said Hanegbi had opposed the renewal of Israels Gaza offensive in March, and Israels failed attempt to assassinate Hamas leadership in an airstrike in Qatar in September. In a statement, Hanegbi noted times of disagreement with Netanyahu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas hands over remains of 2 more hostages Late Tuesday, Israels military said the remains of two more Gaza hostages had been returned to Israel, where they would be identified. Since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. Another 13 still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over. On his visit to Israel Tuesday, Vance urged a little bit of patience amid Israeli frustration with Hamas pace of returning the hostages. Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are, Vance said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each dead hostage, according to Gazas Health Ministry. It said Tuesday that Israel had so far transferred 165 bodies since earlier this month. As he faced journalists' questions over the ceasefire's next steps, he said a lot of this work is very hard" and urged flexibility. Once weve got to a point where both the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security, then well worry about what the long-term governance of Gaza is," he said. "Lets focus on security, rebuilding, giving people some food and medicine. Although some 200 U.S. troops were recently sent to Israel, Vance emphasized that they would not be on the ground in Gaza. But he said officials are beginning to "conceptualize what that international security force would look like" for the territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He mentioned Turkey and Indonesia as countries expected to participate. The flags of Jordan, Germany, Britain and Denmark were on the stage where he spoke. Britain said late Tuesday it would send a small contingent of military officers to Israel to assist in monitoring the ceasefire. While the ceasefire has been tested by fighting and mutual accusations of violations, both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the deal. Aid into Gaza increases, while prices rise International organizations said they were scaling up humanitarian aid entering Gaza, while Hamas-led security forces cracked down against what it called price gouging by private merchants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The World Food Program said it had sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. That's well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war. The WFP also said it had reinstated 26 distribution points across Gaza and hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points as soon as possible. Residents said prices for essential goods soared on Sunday after militants killed two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with strikes that killed dozens of Palestinians. Israel also threatened to halt humanitarian aid. At a market in the central city of Deir al-Balah, a 25-kilogram (55-pound) package of flour was selling for more than $70 on Sunday, up from about $12 shortly after the ceasefire. By Tuesday, the price was around $30. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mohamed al-Faqawi, a Khan Younis resident, accused merchants of taking advantage of the perilous security situation. They are exploiting us, he said. On Monday, Hamas said its security forces raided shops across Gaza, closing some and forcing merchants to lower prices. Hamas also has allowed aid trucks to move safely and halted looting of deliveries. Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gazas private truckers union, said there was no stealing aid since the ceasefire started. But other significant challenges remain as Gaza's financial system is in tatters. With nearly every bank branch and ATM inoperable, people pay exorbitant commissions to a network of cash brokers to get money for daily expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, dozens of people in Deir al-Balah spent hours in line at the Bank of Palestine hoping to access their money but were turned away. Without having the bank open and without money, it does not matter that the prices (in the market) have dropped, said Kamilia Al-Ajez. Gaza doctors say bodies returned with signs of torture A senior health official in Gaza said some bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel bore evidence of torture and called for a United Nations investigation. Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, the health ministry's general director, said on social media late Monday that some had evidence of being bound with ropes and metal shackles, and had deep wounds and crushed limbs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was not immediately clear if any of the bodies had been prisoners; they are returned without identification or details on how they died. The bodies could include Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken out of Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated, saying it had followed legal procedures and provided medical care and adequate living conditions. Israeli hostages released from Gaza have also reported metal shackles and harsh conditions, including frequent beatings and starvation. In the 2023 attack on Israel that started the war, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people as hostages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. ___ Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war Israels national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi says he has been fired by Benjamin Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime ministers office said Gil Reich would be appointed as acting head of the National Security Council (NSC). Prime Minister Netanyahu informed me today of his intention to appoint a new head of the National Security Council, Hanegbi said in a statement on Tuesday evening. In light of this, my term as national security adviser and head of the National Security Council ends today. Shortly afterwards, the prime ministers office said in a statement that Netanyahu will appoint deputy head of the National Security Council, Gil Reich, as acting head of the council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks Tzachi Hanegbi for his service as head of the National Security Council for the past 3 years, and wishes him great success in his future endeavors and good health, it added. Hanegbis departure had been widely anticipated amid weeks of speculation in Israel over growing divisions between the two officials over Israels war on Gaza. Israeli media reported there were long-running tensions over Hanegbis opposition to a full military takeover of Gaza City and his support for pursuing a partial deal with Hamas. In his statement, Hanegbi also called for a thorough investigation of the failures leading to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, admitting he shares responsibility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The terrible failure must be thoroughly investigated to ensure that the appropriate lessons are learned and to help restore the trust that has been shattered, he wrote. Netanyahus government has yet to set up a commission to investigate the matter, with Israels opposition accusing him of stalling the process. Former Israeli army chief turned opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot criticised the firing, writing on X that it is an expression of the continued evasion of responsibility by all Cabinet members and the Prime Minister of the October 7 debacle in order to replace them with yes-men. A veteran Likud politician and longtime Netanyahu ally, Hanegbi was appointed national security adviser in 2023. He has held multiple ministerial roles, including in public security, intelligence, and regional cooperation. A major logistics multinational has announced this week-end a US$100 million investment in Angola, focused on expanding freight capacity, enhancing transport infrastructure, and bolstering the countrys role as a regional logistics hub. The deal, disclosed in July 2025 by Abu Dhabi Ports (AD Ports) in partnership with the Angolan authorities, includes the procurement of trucks, expansion of road fleet operations, and installation of logistics platforms. The investment is part of a broader strategy that will also cover future agreements in key sectors such as port and airport infrastructure, maritime services, and health partnerships. When fully implemented, the initiative aims to transform Angolas logistics landscape, enhance regional connectivity, and stimulate economic diversification beyond the oil sector. The announcement was made by Dubai Ports Worlds Executive Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Mohammed Akoojee, on the sidelines of the Angolan Hub Transport and Logistics Summit held in Luanda from October 17 to 19. RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Israeli settlers descended on Palestinian olive harvesters and activists this week in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, beating them with clubs in an attack Palestinian health officials said sent at least one woman to the hospital with serious injuries. The attack Sunday in the town of Turmus Ayya, which was captured in videos obtained by The Associated Press, came as Palestinians say settler violence in the region is worsening. The United Nations and rights groups have raised the alarm as harvest season begins and Palestinian farmers are at growing risk while gathering olives. Settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency," Ajith Sunghay, the head of the U.N. Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territory, said in a statement released Tuesday. Two weeks into the start of the 2025 harvest, we have already seen severe attacks by armed settlers against Palestinian men, women, children and foreign solidarity activists." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one of the videos obtained by the AP, a masked man was seen running through an olive grove and beating at least two people with a club, including a woman as she lay motionless on the ground. The masked man appeared to be wearing tzitzit, a ritual fringed garment for Jews. The woman was hospitalized with serious injures, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry said. In a separate video, more than a dozen masked men were seen running down a village road alongside an olive grove, pursuing a car. One settler clubbed the car and opened the door. A passenger managed to escape and run away with the group of men running after him. A third video showed flames and smoke rising from several torched cars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israels Channel 12 reported that the head of the West Bank police force said in an internal police WhatsApp group that the footage of the masked settler beating the woman kept him up at night and instructed officers to bring the settler to justice. Israel's military and police did not respond to an AP request for comment on the attack. Turmus Ayya, whose population is predominantly Palestinian American, has long been a target of settler attacks, but villagers say the violence worsened during the Israel-Hamas war. It's nestled in a valley surrounded by hilltops crowned with Israeli settlements and outposts. Since t he killing of a 14-year old Palestinian-American, Amer Rabee, by Israeli forces in the town in April protests against settler violence and the military's perceived failure to curb it have provoked regular clashes with settlers. More broadly, s ettler violence is surging across the West Bank. The U.N. says the first half of 2025 has seen 757 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage a 13% increase compared with the same period last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first week of olive harvest season has seen more than 150 settler attacks and over 700 olive trees uprooted, broken or poisoned, according to Muayyad Shaaban, who heads an office in the Palestinian Authority that is tracking the violence. Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. Settler advocates hold key Israeli Cabinet positions that grant them and the settlers an important say over the West Bank. ___ Melzer reported from Tel Aviv. An initiative to raise a flat tax on short-term rentals has sparked debate in Italy, both within the ruling coalition and the opposition. The measure is part of Italy's 2026 budget draft, due to be passed in Parliament by the end of the week before heading to the Senate. Lawmakers have suggested an increase in the flat tax to 26%, a levy that will apply to both individual landlords and platforms that manage these rentals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, the rate is 21% on the first property rented and 26% on additional properties. Centre-right party Forza Italia and right-wing Lega were against the proposal. Raising taxes on those renting a single property to tourists is a mistake, said Carlo De Romanis, Forza Italias head of tourism, arguing it would hurt small landlords, limit tourism in rural areas, and encourage tax evasion. Deputy Prime Minister and leader of Forza, Antonio Tajani, called the move "a mistake that can be corrected". Also holding the role of Deputy Prime Minister, Lega head Matteo Salvini, said: "The increase in the flat-rate tax on short-term rentals doesn't seem like a good way to boost domestic demand and private enterprise." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Italy, a short-term rental refers to a property let out for a period of less than 30 days. Other proposals in the budget The draft bill approved by the government last Friday, which currently contains 137 articles, is set to cost around 18 billion. This marks a decrease from previous years as the state seeks to limit spending, although it still includes a number of giveaways. For instance, the bonus for working mothers is set to rise from 40 to 60 a month. Those eligible must have at least two children and not earn more than 40,000 a year. Related Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget also proposes a change to parental leave, suggesting that parents should be eligible to request time off until the child reaches 14 years of age. That's compared to the current 12 years. When it comes to staying home with a sick child, parents will have the right to take 10 days of leave, compared to the current 5 days. That applies to those who are caring for children between the ages of 3 and 14. Income taxes One pivotal part of the 2026 budget is the cut in the second income tax bracket rate from 35% to 33%, applying to annual incomes between 28,000 and 50,000. This measure is expected to cost the state about 2.8 billion. There are also incentives for contract renewals for lower-income workers (up to 28,000 a year), with a proposed 5% rate applied to salary increases in both 2025 and 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it comes to those paying owed taxes the payer will be able to spread costs over nine years, in 54 bimonthly instalments. However, missing two payments could nullify the agreement, requiring immediate full payment. On the increase of the retirement age, there are no major announcements. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti has mentioned raising the retirement age by one month in 2027 and two months in 2028. Minimum pensions will increase by 20 per month. "A budget with no parent" Ubaldo Pagano, from Italy's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), branded the current fiscal proposals "a budget with no parent". The PD also argue that the dispute over short-term rentals only highlights divisions within the ruling coalition. Gaetano Pedulla, deputy head of the Five Star Movements European Parliament delegation, called the proposal unacceptable. The political party campaigns on a left-wing agenda. Meloni is filling the states coffers by raising taxes on homeowners, said Pedulla. Italy has privately expressed readiness to join the group of NATO allies financing US weapons purchases for Ukraine under the special PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) programme. Source: Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter Details: According to Bloomberg, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced Italy's willingness to join the PURL mechanism during last week's meeting of NATO defence ministers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "Italy initially opposed participating in the programme, saying other avenues were available for Ukraine to source weapons. The change in position was partly motivated by the concern that Italy could be sidelined if the programme becomes dominated by some allies, the people said." Details: The search for new sources of funding for Ukraine now in its fourth year of resisting Russia's full-scale invasion has become increasingly urgent. The situation worsened over the summer when the United States announced it would no longer directly pay for weapons for Kyiv, prompting European allies to look for alternative ways to provide support. Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that more than half of the alliance's 32 members had agreed to allocate funds to help Ukraine purchase US-made weapons through the PURL mechanism. However, as of September, Ukraine had secured only around US$2 billion from six countries far less than needed, especially amid intensified Russian attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure. Italy has already provided at least ten military aid packages, the details of which remain classified. According to Bloomberg sources, Rome's contributions have included air defence systems, notably an SAMP/T battery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For reference: The PURL programme enables Ukraine to directly purchase US-made weapons, including much-needed Patriot air defence systems, using funds contributed mainly by European partners. Background: In August, Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that the United States and NATO had launched this new mechanism for providing military aid to Ukraine, which channels partner contributions to finance American weapon supplies. According to media reports, countries that have not yet joined the PURL programme are facing increasing pressure to do so. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! By Angeliki Koutantou and Alvise Armellini ATHENS/ROME (Reuters) -Italy urged an international flotilla to hand over its aid supplies for Gaza on Wednesday and allow them to be distributed by the local Catholic Church, as a way to ward off further risks after the flotilla was attacked by drones overnight. The Global Sumud Flotilla is using about 50 civilian boats to try and break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Many lawyers and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, are on board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Italy sent a navy ship to the flotilla's assistance after the vessels were attacked by 12 drones in international waters 30 nautical miles (56 km) off the Greek island of Gavdos. All passengers were safe after drones exploded over the vessels, said Marikaiti Stasinou, a spokesperson for March to Gaza Greece, which is part of the flotilla. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Rome's proposal was to hand over the aid in Cyprus to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which would then deliver it. "It is a proposal that seems to have the support of the Cypriot government, the Israeli government and, of course, the Italian government. We are awaiting a response from the flotilla," Meloni told reporters in New York where she is attending the U.N. General Assembly. Meloni urged the flotilla to accept the plan and criticized its aid initiative, calling it "gratuitous, dangerous and irresponsible". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GSF said the attack affected 11 vessels and blamed Israel and its allies for "explosions, unidentified drones and communications jamming," saying it would not be intimidated and would continue to sail. ITALIAN NAVY SHIP MOBILISED Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto strongly condemned the incident and said in a statement the sea convoy had been targeted by "currently unidentified perpetrators". He ordered the Italian multi-purpose frigate Fasan, previously sailing north of Crete, to head towards the flotilla for possible rescue operations, focusing primarily on Italian citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GSF called on other nations to "ensure and facilitate effective protection, including maritime escort, accredited diplomatic observers, and an overt protective State presence. Italy has now taken a first step in this direction." Israel has repeatedly criticised the flotilla, accusing its activists of complicity with the Hamas militant group. On Wednesday, the Israeli foreign ministry repeated an invitation for the flotilla to drop humanitarian aid in an Israeli port, leaving it to Israeli authorities to take it to Gaza, or else face consequences. "Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone and will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade," a ministry statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It made no comment on whether it was responsible for the drones. Earlier this month, the flotilla blamed Israel for other drone strikes on its boats while they were moored in a Tunisian port. Israel did not respond to those accusations. STUN GRENADES AND ABBA MUSIC The drones came in the middle of the night dropping stun grenades and itching powder, damaging the sails of some boats, according to two leftist Italian members of the European Parliament aboard the flotilla. Before the attack, onboard radios started playing "very loud ABBA music," Annalisa Corrado of the Democratic Party said in a video message. "We thought it was a joke, but no, it was the first act of intimidation, to tell us they were close enough to get into our radio systems." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack lasted around three hours until 4 a.m. (0100 GMT), Benedetta Scuderi of the Greens-European Free Alliance group told Italian public radio RAI. A Greek coastguard official told Reuters that members of the flotilla contacted them around 2 a.m. (2300 GMT) to inform them of the incident. When approached by the European Union's border agency Frontex, however, the flotilla said it did not require assistance, the official added. In Brussels, a European Commission spokeswoman said any use of force against the flotilla was not acceptable, adding that "we totally understand" the activists' desire to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza. Israel launched the nearly two-year-old war in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023, attacks on the country by Hamas militants which killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, the conflict has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and has spread famine, destroyed most buildings, and displaced the population, in many cases multiple times. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou in Athens and Alvise Armellini in Rome; Additional reporting by Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Crispian Balmer, Angelo Amante, Anna Uras, May Angel; Editing by Edward McAllister, Alexandra Hudson and Nia Williams) KANSAS CITY, Mo. As flu season kicks off, Jackson County Public Health is hosting a free drive-thru clinic this Friday at the First United Methodist Church of Blue Springs. Our fall drive-thru provides a free, convenient way for anyone to get a flu shotregardless of income or insurance, said Bridgette Shaffer, health director of Jackson County Public Health. Were excited to bring this years event to the Blue Springs community. Owners of Ginger Sues announce retirement, new ownership Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can find details for the event below: When: Friday, Oct. 24 (appointments begin at 9:30 a.m.) Where: First United Methodist Church of Blue Springs (301 SW Woods Chapel Rd, Blue Springs, MO 64105) Who: Free flu shots for everyone ages 6 months and up Pre-registering at JCPH.org is encouraged. Interpreters are available for non-English speaking attendees In the event of rain, the clinic will be moved inside First United Methodist Church. You can also get free COVID-19 test kits, naloxone nasal spray, fentanyl test strips and more at the event. Jackson County Public Health also provides affordable flu shots all season long at its Lees Summit clinic. To make an appointment or learn more, call 816-404-6416 or visit JCPH.org. 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 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. A Jacksonville man who was convicted of killing his mother when he was a teen is now facing a new felony charge. Mitchell Daughtry was arrested Sunday in Bradford County after officers found him with a loaded firearm. He remained in the countys jail Tuesday morning on $50,000 bond. According to Daughtrys arrest report, a private landowner notified Florida Fish and Wildlife about someone trespassing near Lawtey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were two people discovered in a car, one was Daughtry. FWC officers found a loaded firearm, in the passenger seat, along with a box of ammunition on the floorboard. The report said Daughtry admitted to officers that he was handling and shooting the firearm that night. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< This arrest comes 10 years after he stabbed his mother to death in East Arlington. Daughtry was just 14 years old at the time, and he fled to south Florida where he was eventually arrested. Daughtry spent 6 years in custody for killing his mother, Pamela Daughtry who was 52. Enyr Hoth will never forget the day she learned about the crime that happened in the house just across the street from her in the 11500 block of Monument Ridge Drive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was extremely distraught and horrified over it, Hoth said Monday after learning Mitchell Daughtry was arrested again. In 2021, after his release from prison, Daughtry started serving 15 years of probation for killing his mother. As he faces a new felony charge, Hoth said fear has returned. That does not make me feel safe for our children and the people that live here, said Hoth. I hope they keep him and give him the help he needs. He should not be allowed to be in the general public. Daughtry remains on probation for second-degree murder. Booking photo on the left of then 14-year-old Mitchell Daughtry who was convicted of killing his mother in 2015. He was arrested again Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 in Bradford County on a weapons charge. Pamela Daughtry was stabbed to death by her 14-year-old son Mitchell in 2015 in their East Arlington home in Jacksonville. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Japans parliament has elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the nations first female prime minister. A protege of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi received 237 votes in the 465-seat lower house of parliament on Tuesday to confirm her in the role. The victory follows a last-minute coalition deal by her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (JIP), also known as Ishin, on Monday. However, her government is still two seats short of a majority, suggesting a risk of instability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the LDP which has governed Japan for most of its post-war history suffered a disastrous election loss in July. Her victory marks a pivotal moment for a country where men still hold overwhelming sway. But it is also likely to usher in a sharper move to the right on immigration and social issues, with little expectation that it will help to promote gender equality or diversity. Takaichi has stonewalled measures for womens advancement. She supports the imperial familys male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples. The LDP had earlier lost its longtime partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, which has a more dovish and centrist stance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Komeito ended the partnership due to its concerns that the LDP was not prepared to fight corruption. Political stability is essential right now, Takaichi said at the signing ceremony with the JIP leader and Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura. Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy. JIP will not hold ministerial posts in Takaichis Cabinet until his party is confident about its partnership with the LDP, Yoshimura said. After years of deflation, Japan is now grappling with rising prices, something that has caused public anger and fuelled support for opposition groups, including far-right upstarts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like Abe, Takaichi is expected to favour government spending to jumpstart the weakened economy. That has prompted a so-called Takaichi trade in the stock market, sending the Nikkei share average to record highs, the most recent on Tuesday. But it has also caused investor unease about the governments ability to pay for additional spending in a country where the debt load far outweighs annual output. Shortly after the lower house vote, Takaichis elevation to prime minister was also approved by the less-powerful upper house. She will be sworn in as Japans 104th prime minister on Tuesday evening. Takaichi is also running on a deadline, as she prepares for a major policy speech later this week, talks with United States President Donald Trump and regional summits. Japan is analysing feedback from the food industry on plans for new albeit voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labels. The deadline for submissions to Japans Consumer Affairs Agency on its plan expired today (21 October). Details of ingredients, additives and per-serving values have been required in Japan since 2015 but are typically found on the reverse of packaging. Under a wide-ranging initiative launched by the Japanese government last year to improve the countrys health, the agency has proposed a system of front-of-pack labels is introduced on a voluntary basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposals suggest a simple graphic providing five per-serving figures, for energy expressed in kilocalories (kcal), as well as protein, fat, total carbohydrates and salt equivalent in grammes. Each per-serving figure will also specify a figure for percentage of daily recommended intake. Food-industry trade bodies including the Japan Food Industry Association declined to comment when approached by Just Food. Japans Consumer Affairs Agency is scheduled to hold a review meeting in the coming weeks and publish recommendations by 31 March. Asahi Group Holdings markets a range of food products in Japan including Ippon Manzoku snack bars and Amano soups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson said: "Once the guidelines are issued, we will carefully consider how to respond, taking into account customer needs, product features, and the characteristics of our target consumers." Label Bank Co. Ltd., a Japanese consultancy focused on labelling regulations in the country, said food manufacturers could back the idea. The draft guidelines were formulated with consideration for ease of implementation by companies in the food industry and I believe that if the labelling formats are straightforward and the information they provide is easy to understand, then they will gain support, Hiroyuki Kawai, Label Banks CEO, said. Kawai argued the labels could encourage some firms to reformulate products to tap demand for healthier food in Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If displaying the percentage of a daily intake value is seen as a disadvantage when an item is compared to a competing product, that could potentially lead to a manufacturer adjusting its ingredients and, ultimately, serving as a catalyst for innovation and changing product formulations, he said. As the new labels will display details on daily intake, I think this will have a positive effect on products that presently make claims about being beneficial, such as being low in certain ingredients or fortified in others. "Japan weighs front-of-pack nutrition labels" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. TOKYO (AP) Sanae Takaichi, a star of ultraconservative Japanese politics and a rare woman to rise in its male-dominated hierarchy, has been elected the country's first female prime minister. Takaichi, 64, is also the first woman to lead the Liberal Democratic Party that has dominated Japans postwar politics almost without interruption. She admires former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and is a proponent of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative vision for Japan. A China hawk, she is a regular at Yasukuni Shrine, seen by China, the two Koreas and other Asian victims of Japan's World War II aggression as a place that glorifies the country's wartime past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leader of a country that ranks poorly internationally for gender equality, Takaichi had rarely mentioned the issue during the campaign. She did remark after winning the presidency of the ruling party: Now that the LDP has its first female president, its scenery will change a little." First elected to parliament from her hometown of Nara in 1993, she served in key party and government posts, including minister of economic security, internal affairs and gender equality, though her diplomatic experience is thin. She has called for a stronger military, more fiscal spending for growth, promotion of nuclear fusion, cybersecurity and tougher policies on immigration. Takaichi is a known hard worker Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a student, Takaichi was a drummer in a heavy-metal band and rode a motorcycle. She says she's a workaholic who would rather work at home than go out and socialize. But after two unsuccessful bids to lead the LDP, she says she's made efforts to build more connections with colleagues. She asked all party lawmakers to work like a horse. I will abandon the word work-life balance. I will work, work, work and work," she said in comments that sparked strong, if mixed, online reactions. Struggling for recognition in the male-dominated party Female lawmakers in the LDP have often been passed over for ministerial posts, or been pushed aside if they spoke up about diversity and gender equality. Women hold only about 15% of the seats in Japans lower house, the more powerful of the two parliamentary chambers. Only two of Japans 47 prefectural governors are women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Takaichi has avoided talking about gender issues in the past, sticking with old-fashioned views favored by male party heavyweights. She had vowed to significantly increase the number of women in her government, but on Monday she appointed just two as ministers and a third as one of her three special aides. She supports the imperial familys male-only succession, and opposes both same-sex marriage and amending the 19th-century law that requires married couples to have the same surname. Ms. Takaichis policies are extremely hawkish, and I doubt she would consider policies to recognize diversity, said Chiyako Sato, a political commentator and senior writer for the Mainichi newspaper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apparently because of her views on gender and diversity, support for Takaichi among women is lower than that of men in media surveys, Sato said. Still, many see her breaking the glass ceiling in politics as progress. Takayuki Eguchi, a 62-year-old Tokyo resident, said he had doubted that a woman would ever get to be prime minister and said her election created hope and expectation given the difficulty women still face in Japan. I really hope she serves for a long time, and that the political stagnation weve been seeing finally starts to move, and that things improve in Japan and in the eyes of the world, Eguchi said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prime minister's hard-right views on history and security Takaichi is expected to move the government to the right, especially after forming an alliance with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin no Kai. The previous partner, the Buddhist-backed moderate Komeito, left the coalition in protest of Takaichi's ultraconservative views. The departure of Komeito also could further embolden the LDP's most powerful kingmaker Taro Aso, whose influence largely contributed to Takaichi's victory in the party presidential race. Rightwing Aso once called the junior party leaders cancer when they resisted some defense buildup plans in the 2022 national security strategy. She has resisted acknowledging Japanese wartime aggression and atrocities and denied that coercion was used against Korean laborers and women held as sexual slaves for Japanese troops. She was part of a campaign to remove references to wartime sexual slavery from school textbooks. Her revisionist views may complicate ties with Beijing and Seoul, analysts say. Last week, apparently to avoid tensions, Takaichi sent a religious ornament to mark Yasukuni's autumn festival instead of visiting the shrine in person. She said she plans to maintain stable ties with China and further strengthen security partnership with South Korea. Delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda are meeting in Washington on 21 and 22 October for the third session of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism, aimed at advancing the peace agreement signed in June 2025, under U.S. mediation. The talks mark a potential turning point in efforts to normalise relations between Kinshasa and Kigali. During their last meeting in September, both sides agreed to implement the Concept of Operations (Conops) beginning 1 October a plan outlining the phased approach to military coordination against the Rwandan rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Following this decision, the Congolese army (FARDC) called on FDLR fighters to surrender either to Congolese forces or to the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO. However, reports indicate that no FDLR members have surrendered to date, prompting the Washington discussions to focus on evaluating the first phase of the campaign which involved planning, awareness, coordination and intelligence sharing. The next stage, according to the Conops framework, will involve targeted military operations, the lifting of Rwandas so-called defensive measures, and the cessation of sporadic cross-border actions. Observers note that the success of this phase will depend on whether both parties can maintain cooperation and uphold their commitments, despite recent rhetorical tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali. Editors Note: KOIN 6 News anchorman Jeff Gianola will retire around Thanksgiving 2025 after more than 40 years as a Portland journalist. In this series, Jeff looks back at some of the most memorable stories hes covered and shared. This story originally aired June 24, 2021 PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) In the summer of 1963, a fisherman on Keene Creek in southern Oregon hooked a small wrapped bundle. Inside the bundle was the fully clothed body of a small boy wearing his shoes. There was an inner blanket and wrapped on the outside, very carefully, was patchwork quilt wrapped with wire to make a very tight package. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one knew who the boy was and the case went unsolved. In 2009, KOIN 6 News traveled to southern Oregon to meet with Jackson County Detective Colin Fagan, who was determined to solve this cold case and give the body a name. At the time, Fagan said, We are not interested in prosecuting this case. We have a responsibility to identify the unidentified remains and thats what this case is all about. The body of the little boy was buried in a grave at Medfords Hillside Cemetery. But in 2008 detectives exhumed the body and obtained DNA from the femur. They submitted it for matches but nothing came back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until now. In 1963, the body of a fully clothed boy was found wrapped in a bundle by a fisherman at Keene Creek in southern Oregon (2009, KOIN file) In 1963, the body of a fully clothed boy was found wrapped in a bundle by a fisherman at Keene Creek in southern Oregon (2009, KOIN file) In 1963, the body of a fully clothed boy was found wrapped in a bundle by a fisherman at Keene Creek in southern Oregon (2009, KOIN file) In 1963, the body of a fully clothed boy was found wrapped in a bundle by a fisherman at Keene Creek in southern Oregon (2009, KOIN file) Jackson County Detective Colin Fagan points to the spot in Keene Creek where the body of a boy wrapped in a bundle was found in 1963 by a fisherman (2009, KOIN file) A private company contracted to check familial DNA with companies like 23AndMe confirmed a match. The little boy has been identified as Stevie Crawford. Stevie had family members in New Mexico who told detectives the boy had Down Syndrome. His mother returned from a trip and told family members they wouldnt have to worry about Stevie anymore. The mother has since died. Stevies headstone with the inscription, Baby Doe, known only to God always haunted Detective Fagan, who is now retired. Fagan told KOIN 6 News that Stevies family members plan on returning his remains from Medford back to New Mexico to be buried in a family plot 58 years after his body was found in a bundle in Keene Creek. 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. Jeffrey Epstein planned to cryogenically freeze his body after death, a new book says. Virginia Giuffre said in her memoir that it was one of Epstein's many bizarre beliefs. The book says Epstein justified sexual abuse of girls "as part of the natural order of things." While some people believe Jeffrey Epstein went somewhere very hot after his death, one accuser said she believes his body may be very cold. According to a forthcoming memoir by Virginia Giuffre, Epstein said he planned to freeze his body after his death, believing he could one day be brought back to life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Epstein had repeatedly told me exactly what would happen when he died: his body would be placed in some sort of cryogenic chamber to be preserved until technology advanced far enough to bring him back to life," Giuffre wrote in her book. "That's what he'd always bragged to me, with that satisfied smirk on his face." Cryonics companies freeze people's bodies after they die to preserve them. There is no known way to bring people back to life. Giuffre made the claim about Epstein in her book "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," scheduled to be published on Tuesday by Knopf. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giuffre, one of Epstein's highest-profile accusers, died by suicide in April. The memoir, written in collaboration with the journalist Amy Wallace, covers what Giuffre described as years of abuse at the hands of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She alleges they trafficked her to "scores of wealthy, powerful people," including Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew has denied wrongdoing and settled Giuffre's civil sexual abuse lawsuit against her in 2022. Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on criminal sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking girls to Epstein for sex. An attorney representing Epstein's estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the disgraced financier's remains, nor did Epstein's brother, Mark Epstein. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I know it sounds far-fetched, but I wouldn't bet against the notion that he somehow got his way on this," Giuffre wrote in her memoir about her theory that Jeffrey Epstein's body was frozen. While he was alive, Epstein often met with scientists and reportedly told many of them he planned to "seed the human race with his DNA" as part of a transhumanist philosophy. Epstein was invited to editorial meetings at Scientific American, emails previously obtained by Business Insider show. Peter Thiel, with whom Epstein invested some of his money, has also said he plans to cryogenically freeze his body. Giuffre wrote in "Nobody's Girl" that Epstein held a number of bizarre beliefs, including ideas that justified pedophilia as part of the "natural order." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Epstein liked to share with me what he insisted were 'scientific' justifications for his yearnings for young girls," Giuffre wrote. According to Giuffre, Epstein said he would only have sex with girls who had already started menstruating, which he considered "of age" because it meant they could have children. "I was flabbergasted when he said this stuff, but I held my tongue," she said. "No matter how young a girl looked, or how sexually inexperienced she was, if she had her period, he felt he could defend his abuse of her as part of the natural order of things." Read the original article on Business Insider The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing a request from New Jersey Republicans to send election monitors to oversee the handling of mail ballots in a key county that will help settle the state's Nov. 4 governor's race. The New Jersey Republican State Committee told Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, in a letter that federal intervention is necessary to ensure an accurate vote count in Passaic County. State officials disputed that characterization and called any federal intervention highly inappropriate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suburban county has been a Democratic stronghold. But it shifted to President Donald Trump's column in 2024 and may be critical to GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarellis hopes against Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill. New Jersey Republicans asked specifically for federal monitors to oversee the receipt and processing of vote-by-mail ballots and take steps to monitor access to the Board of Elections around the clock. Justice Department spokesman Gates McGavick said in a statement that the agency is committed to upholding the integrity of our electoral system and is reviewing this request to ensure all elections remain free, fair, and transparent. The New Jersey GOP request cited previous voter fraud cases in the county, alleging a long and sordid history" of vote-by-mail shenanigans and asserting that state officials have not done enough in response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael Zhadanovsky, a spokesman for New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, said in a statement that it would be highly inappropriate for the federal government to interfere in this November's state election. The U.S. Constitution, Zhadanovsky noted, gives states, not the federal government, the primary responsibility for running elections, and he said New Jersey is committed to ensuring the integrity of our elections and protecting the right of every eligible to have their vote counted. Platkin is a Democrat. While voter fraud does occur, it is rare and there are safeguards in place to prevent it. But Passaic County drew Trumps attention in 2020 as a case study in what could happen in an election conducted mostly by mail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A judge ordered a new election for a city council seat in Paterson the largest city in Passaic County after the apparent winner and others were charged with voter fraud. The Passaic County Board of Elections decided not to count 800 ballots cast in the race after the U.S. Postal Services law enforcement arm said hundreds of mail-in ballots were located in a mailbox in Paterson, along with more found in nearby Haledon. In 2024, Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee to win Passaic County in more than 30 years. He carried the heavily Latino city of Passaic and significantly increased his support in Paterson, the states third-largest city, which is majority Latino and has a large Muslim community. That performance was part of Trump dramatically improving his statewide performance in New Jersey. In 2020, he lost the state by nearly 16 percentage points to Demcorat Joe Biden. Trump narrowed that margin to 6 percentage points last year in his matchup against Democrat Kamala Harris. Trump has for years questioned mail voting as part of his repeated false claims that Biden's national victory in 2020 was rigged. Trump has suggested that mail balloting is riddled with fraud, despite analyses that show no widespread fraud in U.S. elections. Earlier this year, Trump pledged to ban vote-by-mail across the country, something he has no power to do under the U.S. Constitution. Fox News host Jesse Watters revealed on Monday that his own mother, Anne, was among the millions of Americans who took to the streets last weekend for the No Kings rallies protesting President Donald Trumps policies. I know my mom was there, Watters said during Mondays broadcast of The Five. Politics: Ted Cruz Tells GOP Not To Pooh-Pooh 'No Kings' Protests Really? co-host Greg Gutfeld asked, sounding surprised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can you believe my mom was there? Watters replied. Its like, sometimes I think I was adopted. Watters, a staunch Trump supporter, went on to suggest that the protesters, including his Democratic-voting mother, were simply obsessed with Trump. They think this guys like crack cocaine, he said. They get these big bursts of energy every once in a while, but long term, this has been bad for their health. Politics: HuffPost Reporter Shuts Down Karoline Leavitt's Childish Name-Calling On CNN Theyve lost the culture, theyve lost the media, theyve lost two of the last three elections, theyve lost all power in Washington, and theyve lost their minds, he added. Watch from the 1:50 point here: Watters claimed that most of the people who attended the rallies had no idea why theyre there, apart from some, like his mom, of course. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These people are nuts, he added. On his later prime-time show, Watters said the rallies were a whos who of people with so-called Trump Derangement Syndrome (which is not a clinical condition) and sheepishly said, even my mom was there, shaking his head. Watters: No Kings was a whos who of people with TDS. Even my mom was there. pic.twitter.com/PYl1jNHTwM Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Watters has repeatedly clashed with his mother over politics. Shes criticized him for making sweeping statements and he last year claimed he wasnt invited to Thanksgiving following Trumps 2024 election win, though its unclear if that was a serious admission or just on-air banter. Related... Read the original on HuffPost A Jet Blue flight from Boston to Las Vegas was forced to turn around mid-flight and return to Logan. According to state police, on Monday around 10 p.m. troopers were notified that JetBlue Flight 777 was returning to the gate for a non-compliant passenger who had been verbally abusive. A 37-year-old male from Louisville, KY is being summoned to court to appear for interference with a flight crew. An investigation remains ongoing and additional information is not available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 A JetBlue flight on its way to Las Vegas from Boston returned to its gate Monday night after a non-compliant passenger became verbally abusive, according to Massachusetts State Police. Massachusetts State Police troopers were notified by JetBlue around 10 p.m. that flight 777, on its way to Las Vegas, was returning to the gate. Police issued a summons for a 37-year-old Louisville, Kentucky man on a charge of interference with a flight crew. The summons orders the man, whom police did not name, to appear in Boston Municipal Court in East Boston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other passengers aboard the plane were able to disembark safely, police said. Tracking data on FlightAware shows the flight was scheduled to leave Boston just after 7 p.m. Monday, and arrive in Nevada just after midnight Eastern time. But the flight actually departed Boston just before midnight, arriving in Las Vegas around 5:30 a.m. More News Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. France will not receive any payout for the crown jewels worth an estimated 88m (76m) stolen from the Louvre because they were not covered by private insurance. Eight items described as priceless by the French culture ministry were stolen from cabinets in the Paris museum on Sunday. Police are still tracking down the burglars, who dropped and broke a ninth item the crown of Empress Eugenie during their escape, which has been retrieved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Louvre, similar to many public museums and galleries, is self-insured and absorbs any costs related to loss, theft or damage. Many of its treasures such as the Mona Lisa and the Napoleonic Crown jewels are priceless goods, making it nearly impossible for insurers to appraise the works. The Louvres president Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation to Emmanuel Macron over the heist but he refused it. The French president feared her departure would halt the momentum of the museums renovation despite the burglary, Le Figaro reported. On Tuesday, culture minister Rachida Dati told Frances National Assembly that security had worked as it should despite thieves making off with the multi-million-pound haul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Louvre museums security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact, she said. The Louvre museums security apparatus worked. She said the main questions relating to the heist were over the policing of roads and how the thieves were able to enter through a window using an extendable ladder mounted on a truck. Perhaps we should be asking ourselves questions, and this is something we are discussing with the minister of the interior, but also with the Paris City Hall, about public highway security, which did not exist at this stage, she said. She added that the heist was a wound for all of us, referring to the lost historical value to the country. Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the worlds largest museum. Its a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement b' Louvre heist version 2 \xe2\x80\x93 French Crown Jewels are displayed in Apollo Gallery ' Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, told RTL that the museums curator had estimated the losses but the thieves would not earn the equivalent if they broke up the jewels or melted down the gold. She said the monetary value of the jewels may be extremely spectacular but this has nothing parallel or comparable to the historical damage. In a statement earlier, Frances cultural ministry confirmed it would not be reimbursed for the jewels, which have an inestimable heritage and historical value. A spokesman added: The state acts as its own insurer when national museums works are in their typical place of conservation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In France, assets at 61 national museums are not insured, Irene Barnouin, an art sales director at Willis Towers Watson insurance company, said. She told Les Echos: The state is its own insurer. Moreover, the insurance premiums would be astronomical, especially for a museum like the Louvre that houses tens of thousands of works and is unlikely to sell its masterpieces, the ministry of culture said. Cultural institutions often buy insurance when transporting objects between other museums but the state is typically liable for works in the national collection. The Apollo Gallery is home to priceless French jewellery - AFP Similarly, the Crown Jewels of the UK which include priceless artefacts such as the Coronation Regalia, sceptres, swords and rings are not insured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 9.30am on Sunday, shortly after the Louvre opened its doors to the public, a team of four thieves used a truck-mounted lift and angle grinders to break into the museums Apollo Gallery. Among the stolen objects were a sapphire necklace, earrings and a tiara belonging to Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, and an emerald necklace and earrings that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to his second wife, Marie Louise, as a wedding present. A diadem laden with 2,000 diamonds that belonged to Napoleon IIIs wife, Empress Eugenie, a corsage bow bought in 2008 for 5.8 million and a reliquary brooch were also removed from their cabinets. It emerged on Tuesday that the thieves stole the truck-mounted lift from a seller who listed it online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The owner said he was assaulted and the buyers drove off without paying, and he recognised it when watching footage of the heist, he told Le Parisien. The man was reportedly based in the town of Louvres, near the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Second museum raid in France Just hours after the Paris heist on Sunday, another theft was carried out at the Denis Diderot Museum of Enlightenment in Langres, Haute-Marne, where a sliding door had been forced open and gold and silver coins stolen. Last month, 600,000 (521,000) worth of gold was stolen from the National History Museum in Paris. On Tuesday, Spanish police said a Chinese national, 24, was arrested in Barcelona and handed over to French authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of her arrest, she was reportedly melting pieces of gold that weighed nearly 2.2lb and was preparing to return to China. Meanwhile, a preliminary report from the Court of Auditors leaked to the French press reveals serious security flaws at the Louvre, the worlds most-visited museum. Authors report that 60 per cent of the rooms in the Sully wing and 75 per cent of the Richelieu wing are not protected by video surveillance. The full report is due to be released in November. Chris Marinello, the chief executive of Art Recovery International, said he feared it was already too late to save the jewels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hate to say it, but I believe its already too late, they should have issued a reward at the outset. The prosecutor should have gone on record and said we are going to catch you, Mr Marinello told The Telegraph. Eventually, they will arrest somebody but we are getting to the point where those jewels are long gone. They will likely be broken up and dispersed without a trace. He said the idea of an inside job would be one of the obvious enquiries for police but the theft seemed too brazen in this case. He added: Thats always something that law enforcement will look into, how do you get into a locked room, how to evade the system, how to avoid cameras, but they didnt care about any of that. They did it in broad daylight. It was basically a glorified, well-planned smash and grab. 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 value of the jewels stolen from the Louvre in Paris has been estimated at around 88 million ($102 million), Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Tuesday. Speaking to broadcaster RTL, she added that the thieves would never actually earn this much money if they tried to dismantle the pieces or melt down the gold. Beccuau said she hoped they would consider this before destroying the loot, adding the monetary estimate of 88 million does not include the immense historical value to France. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The museum was evacuated and shut down on Sunday after four masked thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery, home to Frances remaining crown jewels. The robbers made off with eight pieces of jewellery once owned by French queens and empresses. As the manhunt for the thieves continues, questions are mounting over the museum's security. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati rejected any suggestion of failure. "Have the Louvres security precautions failed? No, they have not failed. That is a fact. The security measures worked," Dati said during a question-and-answer session in parliament on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the investigators' description of the course of events, at issue is whether the alarm was triggered immediately when the burglars entered the exhibition hall or only a minute before they fled through the window through which they had also entered the museum. The historian and founder of the French online magazine on art history, La Tribune de l'Art, Didier Rykner, reported that the alarm system on the affected window had been flagged as faulty a month ago. He referred to internal sources at the Louvre, one of them "in a very high position." Whether the defect had been rectified in the meantime was unclear, Rykner added. Tin-plated jingle cones used in making jingle dresses are produced overseas, meaning they're subject to the Trump administration's new tariffs on foreign imports. The tariffs are driving up the costs of making regalia for Native artisans and businesses. Credit: Amelia Schafer/ICT Every piece of regalia Sharona Crane creates is infused with her Anishinaabe culture. Her designs for jingle dresses, ribbon skirts, jackets, appliques and other items reflect a modern take on historical woodland motifs and designs using elements such as shimmering floral jacquard satin and colorful velveteen. Her items are authentically Anishinaabe and made for the Anishinaabe people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last few months, however, Cranes business has hit a bump in the road as the Trump administration tariffs kicked in, sometimes doubling the price of materials she uses for her work and increasing the costs for shipping. Shes had to increase prices more than 10 percent on some items to accommodate her increased production costs. I had a rough summer, financially, because with those kinds of prices theres even fewer people that can afford them, said Crane, Naongashiing First Nation Ojibwe. I do understand that I do charge more than a lot of other people, and I do feel bad, but theres nothing that I can do. Ive got to keep my lights on, too. A jingle dress made by Sharona Crane, the artist behind Zazegaakwe. Credit: Courtesy of Sharona Crane The tariffs are impacting other artisans and businesses in Indian Country, as well. The majority of items that go into making regalia jingle cones, beads, wool, fabric and store-bought leather are largely imported from overseas. So when tariffs are introduced for overseas products, the cost of making regalia becomes even higher than it already was. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This situation with the tariffs has been exceptionally challenging, said Beth Simmons, owner of Shipwreck Beads in Lacey, Washington, a major resource for beaders on the West Coast that had been a frequent vendor at the annual Black Hills Powwow. Simmons said Shipwreck Beads primarily imports from the Czech Republic, China and India as a main source for beads, though it does work with some U.S. manufacturers. All three of those countries have been the recipients of new tariffs. Were trying to make [the price increases] as little as possible, but we still have to be able to pay for the beads and pay all of our employees, Simmons told ICT. Were hopeful that the situation is resolved sometime in the next year and that it wont be a thing moving forward, but we have to keep the lights on between now and then. No one is immune Since taking office, President Donald Trump has rolled out various new tariffs on imported goods, including broad tariffs on products from Taiwan, China and India, and the removal of the de minimis exemption on shipments from Canada into the United States. He also launched a 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports and derivatives in June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tariffs are part of Trumps plan to boost domestic production and manufacturing. But thats easier said than done, according to experts. Any migration of manufacturing back to the U.S. would take two to four years to actually happen, leaving small businesses to deal with tariffs on imported goods in the meantime, Francisco Sanchez, the former U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Trade under President Barack Obama, told a gathering of journalists at the National Press Foundation in Washington, D.C., in September. You cant turn that on a dime, Sanchez said. So its going to be challenging in terms of supply chain, its going to be challenging in terms of costs, and it affects across-the-board, whether its construction, whether its retail, hospitality, restaurants. No one is immune. A recognizable brand Crane got serious about her regalia business in 2020, making it her full-time career. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Ojibwe brand from the heart of Anishinaabe country, her business, Zazegaakwe, which means prosperous woman in Ojibwemowin, is known for its unique jingle dresses and woodland regalia with bright floral applique and eyecatching embellishments. Its a recognizable brand at powwows across Canada and into the United States. Crane is based in Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, and ships regularly to the United States, she told ICT. Lake of the Woods, this is like the home of the jingle dress, where the stories and the creation, everything came out of, Crane said. So making jingle dresses here is essential for my business. It is literally, I would say, 75 percent of everything that I make. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But its becoming more costly since the Trump administration ordered in June the 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports and derivatives. The tariff directly impacts all jingle cone producers, since no jingle cones are manufactured in the United States. For Crane, that means the price of a bag of 100 cones has more than doubled, from about $25 Canadian to about $56 Canadian, or about $40 in U.S. dollars. Previously, she had been able to buy in bulk, but new shipping tariffs made that impossible. Jingle cones, which were originally made from chewing tobacco can lids, are now factory-made using tinplated metal. There are three major producers of jingle cones in the United States Missouri River, which is owned by Crazy Crow Trading Post; the McPherson brand, which is owned by Wandering Bull Trading Post; and Teton Trade Cloth LLCs new brand of jingle cones. All three source their products from overseas, with Tetons cones coming from China, according to federal import records. From there, the companies outsource their cones to smaller businesses across the country, to be sold typically in bags typically of 100. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of the companies responded to requests from ICT for comment on the impact of tariffs. In June, Taiwan, a major producer of jingle cones, was hit with a separate 30 percent tariff on goods imported to the United States, prompting a boost in jingle cone prices in the U.S. Singing Horse Trading Post, an Indigenous-owned small business on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, has seen the most change from tariffs on jingle cones and imported leather goods. One employee said the business has had to change an extra one to two dollars per bag for the cones. Sharona Crane, Anishinaabe, creates regalia from her home in Ontario. Canada, specializing in jingle dresses. Crane has recently had to raise her prices after the Trump administration tariffs have driven up the prices of imported goods. Credit: Courtesy of Sharona Crane At least some of the cost, inevitably, is transferred to the consumer. Because of her brand recognition, Cranes designs were already sold a little higher than typical regalia, but with the increase in cost to produce, shes had no choice but to raise prices even more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previously, she sold cotton-based jingle dresses without jingle cones attached for $750 Canadian. Shes now had to increase the prices to between $830-$850 Canadian because of her increased production costs. Shipping costs go up as well The impact on First Nations artisans in Canada has been even steeper since the end of shipping tariff exemptions by the United States and another Canada Post strike. Starting on Aug. 29, the United States suspended all duty-free de minimis thresholds on shipping from all countries, even Canada. The de minimis threshold previously allowed small amounts of purchases of under $800 to be exempt from tariffs, with the thresholds removal all foreign shipments are now eligible for tariffs. Additionally, the elimination of the threshold means that postal shipments to the U.S. from Canada require prepaid duties before the package crosses the border and sometimes even after. Now, when using the U.S. Postal Service, customers in the U.S. who received packages from Canada will need to pay fees when the packages arrive at their doors. These import fees are charges that the United States government has applied to goods shipped (or imported) into the United States from other countries. These fees can come in three different forms: duties, taxes and tariffs. UPS refers to these as International Collect on Delivery, or ICOD. Often these fees can only be paid by check, unless the customer goes through a lengthy process to pay online. The fee money collected from the receiver is then paid to the federal government by the postal service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For something like a $20 T-shirt, the American customer can expect to pay between $20 and $30 U.S. dollars in fees when the package arrives in addition to shipping costs already paid when ordering. If the customer doesnt pay after the third delivery attempt, the package will be sent back to its place of origin. Crane said she primarily buys Missouri River Jingle Cones, which are produced in Taiwan and shipped to the United States. Previously. she purchased from the Manitoba-based company, Anishinaabe Bimishimo, before the company went on hiatus, leaving a gap in the domestic market until it returns. Astronomical increases Regalia was already costly to make when factoring in labor, fabric and other expenses, but now the tariffs have made the cost of production even higher, and not just because of jingle cones. The fabric is also harder and more-expensive to come by. Crane used to purchase directly from a retailer in the Los Angeles Fabric District, but thats not possible anymore, she said. She also previously purchased trims, embellishments and branding tags from the United States, but with tariffs shes had to change her sourcing for nearly all elements of design. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even heat and bond, a material used for creating applique, is more expensive. Theyre astronomical, Crane said about the tariffs. I completely had to stop that [purchasing]. It wasnt worth it anymore. She now shops locally in Canada, but the options are limited. Crane lives more than two hours from Winnipeg, the closest major city. Until the tariffs end, theres not much that small businesses can do but wait for prices to go down, she said. I do feel I feel for my customers, Crane said. Those tariffs, for lack of a better word, they suck. But hopefully whatevers going on with American politics, it gets settled and the prices stop rising so fast. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX ANDERSON After decades as JobSource of Madison County, the agency is changing its name. The Madison County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved changing the name to Heartland Community Action Services. The commissioners will consider adopting an ordinance on Nov. 4 to make the name change official. Doug Eckerty, director of JobSource, said the agency no longer provides assistance for people seeking employment or job training. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont do job training anymore, he said. Eckerty said the Scholar House program, which provides educational and housing assistance to single mothers, has a waiting list of 35 in Madison County. He said the program, begun in Madison County in 2021, has been expanded to include Delaware and Grant counties. Eckerty said there is a total of 180 single mothers on the waiting list in the three counties. OTHER BUSINESS The commissioners approved a contract with EGIS to perform bridge inspections as required by the Federal Highway Administration and the Indiana Department of Transportation. County Engineer Jessica Bastin said the inspections are required every two years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said EGIS will start the bridge inspections next September, and they will be completed by the end of 2029. The cost of the contract is $803,979, of which 80% will be reimbursed to the county by the federal government. Madagascars interim President, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has appointed Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo as the countrys new Prime minister following recommendations from the National Assembly. The appointment was formalised on Monday at the Lavoloha State Palace, with Randrianirina citing Rajaonarivelos extensive experience, professional competence, and international ties as key considerations. Rajaonarivelo, who succeeds Zafisambo Ruphin Fortunat, has a strong background in economics and the private sector, having chaired the board of BNI Madagascar Bank and served as a consultant to major organisations including the World Bank, the European Union, and the African regional blocs COMESA and SADC. The appointment comes amid political upheaval following the ousting of former President Andry Rajoelina after weeks of youth-led protests over corruption allegations and worsening living conditions. The unrest culminated last week when an elite military unit led by Randrianirina seized control of the presidential palace and assumed power. Madagascars High Constitutional Court has since directed the interim president to organise elections within 60 days, in accordance with the countrys constitution, which mandates a poll within 30 to 60 days of a declared vacancy. Reports indicate that Rajoelina has been evacuated to France after brokering a deal with French President Emmanuel Macron. Former President Joe Biden on Monday completed a round of radiation therapy as part of his prostate cancer treatment, his spokesperson hasconfirmed. His daughter Ashley Biden posted a video on her Instagram story showing Biden ringing the bell at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology in Philadelphia, a custom practice for cancer patients who complete a major part of their treatment. Politics: Ted Cruz Tells GOP Not To Pooh-Pooh 'No Kings' Protests Dad has been so damn brave throughout his treatment. Grateful, Ashley Biden wrote on a family photo she posted on the social media platform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bidens spokesperson has not disclosed whether the former president will need additional treatment for his cancer. Bidens office announced he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May, about four months after he exited the White House, after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. The former president was undergoing radiation and hormone therapy as part of his treatment, his office previously said. Biden, who will turn 83 next month, also had Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer lesions from his forehead earlier this year, his office confirmed in September. Former President Joe Biden is seen leaving church on Sept. 6 in Wilmington, Delaware. MEGA/GC Images Biden previously underwent surgery to remove a cancerous lesion from his chest in 2023, while he was still in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Biden has defended his decision to run for reelection in 2024 before succumbing to pressure to leave the race just months before Election Day after his disastrous performance in a debate against now-President Donald Trump in June of that year fueled concerns about his age and fitness to serve another four-year term as commander in chief. The former president, though, has since told The View there was nothing to sustain those concerns. Related... Read the original on HuffPost When Casey DeSantis, the first lady of Florida, recently disclosed how the state would distribute $60 million for cancer research, she cited Hollywood actor Mel Gibson. The movie star had popped up on Joe Rogans podcast early in 2025, promoting the supposed cancer-curing powers of ivermectin, the antiparasitic drug that gained a following during the pandemic as a possible covid treatment despite research showing it is ineffective against the virus. DeSantis said a portion of Floridas research money would now go to study the drug as a potential cancer treatment. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mel Gibson was on Joe Rogans podcast and he was talking about people that he was friends with and they overcame Stage 4 cancer, DeSantis, a cancer survivor, said as she announced the move last month. We should look at it, we should look at the benefits of it. We shouldnt just speculate and guess. Ivermectin has taken on symbolic power as part of the backlash against public health authorities that helped spawn the Make America Healthy Again movement. Championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., MAHA, an echo of President Donald Trumps Make America Great Again movement, has fused politics and health care activism to become a force in federal and state policymaking. In laboratory settings, studies have shown ivermectin could have anticancer effects, but oncologists and medical experts caution there is not yet evidence that ivermectin is effective to treat cancer in humans. Despite the lack of evidence, a growing number of patients are asking doctors about using the drug, alarming physicians who told The Washington Post they fear more patients might eschew traditional treatment that could help them in favor of an unproven path. While many experts dismiss Floridas decision to fund its study as financial folly and a distraction from the fight against cancer, others say it presents an opportunity to dispel myths or perhaps even defy the odds and uncover something mainstream science has overlooked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Floridas plan to bankroll ivermectin research comes as prescription rates for the drug this year are nearly twice as high as pre-pandemic prescribing levels, according to electronic health record data analyzed by a Virginia Tech-UCLA research team this month. After reaching a peak in 2021, prescriptions fell in 2022 but began increasing again in 2024 - and then continued to rise in the first half of this year, according to the data. Specialists say interest in ivermectin for cancer care following Rogans podcast is probably a factor in its resurgence. Gibsons appearance on Rogans show went viral, with almost 12 million views on YouTube and countless more as clips rebounded across social media. DeSantis has not announced who will conduct the taxpayer-backed research, a decision that could help define whether the effort will produce trusted results. The governors office did not respond to a request for an interview. DeSantis said in her remarks in September that studying ivermectin and other generic drugs should be paired with research into the best preventative measures people can take against cancer, including healthy nutrition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the news conference, Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo lauded the states effort to study ivermectin. Ladapo made national headlines last month with his states controversial efforts to end school vaccine mandates. Its been weighed down by all this politics, especially during the Biden administration, Ladapo said of the drug. I hope we continue to reject the normal and pursue a path that feels righteous. Doctors said in interviews that unfounded promotion and internet buzz is driving cancer patients to seek out the drug. Samyukta Mullangi, a medical oncologist at Tennessee Oncology, said patients ask every day about ivermectin, and she has adjusted her conversations to encourage them to disclose whether theyre taking it. After all, they too may be seeing billboards shes spotted on the way to Chattanooga advertising the drug, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its as if the world of pharmaceutical sciences had been reduced to this one drug that we were somehow gatekeeping from our patients, she said. Theres really no credible evidence supporting its use. There is evidence of potential harm. Ivermectin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat some parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions such as rosacea. During the pandemic, it enjoyed a resurgence as an unproven alternative to other treatments before being found ineffective against coronavirus. The FDA says that overdosing on ivermectin can result in gastrointestinal symptoms and neurological effects. More recently, conservative figures such as Gibson, fringe medical groups and social media influencers have continued to promote it as a treatment for cancer. Republican lawmakers in Tennessee were the first to make it available in their state without a prescription in 2022, followed by Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana and Texas - although medical specialists say few pharmacies appear to be stocking it for over-the-counter purchase. Because ivermectin has been a generic drug for years and is cheap to produce and sell, major pharmaceutical companies have no incentive to study its effectiveness for other diseases. The federal governments ongoing clinical trial registry lists a study of ivermectin in cancer patients, in combination with established cancer drugs, that is still in early phases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opponents of the drug industry and mainstream medical doctrine have seized on this to claim a conspiracy, asserting without evidence that industry and government have been in league to keep ivermectin out of the hands of people it could help. Views of ivermectins potential have reached the highest levels of government. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tweeted a year ago, before Trump won a second term and Kennedy was nominated for his job, that the FDA was deliberately suppressing use of ivermectin, along with a laundry list of other alternative therapies. It was unclear to what medical purpose for ivermectin he was referring, but he has promoted it for coronavirus. Some of Kennedys supporters have sold ivermectin as part of medical emergency kits. Some oncologists question whether Floridas move is an appropriate use of taxpayer money, given other public health priorities. Research funding opportunities are shrinking nationwide as the Trump administration tries to reduce overall federal research spending. The shame is there are probably three dozen compounds that I can name right now that have scientific reason why we think they might be useful in the treatment of cancer, and we do not have the money to do the research to assess those drugs, said Otis Brawley, professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University, who previously was the chief medical and scientific officer of the American Cancer Society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is some laboratory evidence suggesting ivermectin could have anticancer effects, as laboratory studies in cells and animals show it kills cancer cells by making them self-destruct, said Julie R. Gralow, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. However, what works in a petri dish or a mouse does not always translate into being safe or effective for humans, she said in a statement. Key considerations for studying use in a cancer setting would be to establish effective dosing, which based on some laboratory studies might need to be significantly higher than dosing currently approved for antiparasitic indications. But its important to note a lot of compounds can show cancer-killing effects in a petri dish, Brawley said, such as bleach, which can be toxic for humans. Still, University of Alabama at Birmingham professor of gynecologic oncology J. Michael Straughn thinks desperate patients looking for cures deserve scientific answers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was not until clinical trials had been conducted on ivermectin for coronavirus treatment that doctors could definitively tell their patients it did not work, he said. Plus, the drug is cheap, so studying it wouldnt cost as much as developing new drugs. I think its a good use of resources to study it so that well have the answer, he said. I mean, we just cant pick a side and say, Oh, I either believe in it or I dont, without having the data. - - - Fine line The real surge began this year, Mullangi said, citing the January podcast interview between Trump supporters Rogan and Gibson. In the episode, Gibson discusses with Rogan how three of his friends beat Stage 4 cancer by taking ivermectin and fenbendazole, as well as mentioning drinking hydrochloride something or other and methylene blue. Medical experts say the combination that includes a dog-deworming medication and synthetic dye is unproven and lacks scientific evidence. DeSantis, in her announcement, only pointed to ivermectin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gibsons publicist, Alan Nierob, told The Post he was unavailable for comment as he was directing a project outside of the country. Attempts to reach Rogan were unsuccessful. John Mafi, a primary care physician at UCLA, said a longtime patient with metastatic cancer told him earlier this year that they were taking a high-dose combination of ivermectin and fenbendazole. Mafi urged the patient to consider more standard therapies for their cancer, and explained that it was a clinically unproven combination that could be toxic in certain doses. Most importantly, Mafi said, the patient - who was diagnosed about a year prior - was risking precious time with an unknown therapy. Despite Mafis warnings, the patient decided to proceed with their own regimen, and was more inclined to trust what they read on the internet than their longtime physician. A few months later, Mafi said he saw the patient again, and the cancer had progressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its frustrating because you try to reason with the patient on the risks and benefits of these alternative therapies, but you dont want to come off as judgmental, he said. You have to walk this fine line. Gibsons promotion has echoes in earlier Hollywood promotion of dubious cures. Two physicians The Post spoke with compared the current ivermectin craze inspired in part by Gibson to actor Steve McQueens cancer care using laetrile, a debunked treatment made from apricot pits that can have dangerous effects and risk cyanide poisoning. Some of the current push behind ivermectin comes from supporters of Kennedy who had pushed the drug during the pandemic. The Independent Medical Alliance, formerly known as Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), was founded by a group of doctors who pushed back on public health guidance during the pandemic. The nonprofit went on to push ivermectin for coronavirus and the flu. It then began to push it for cancer, posting a recommended dosing regimen online last October, saying it appears that ivermectin is widely prescribed across the world for cancer. Further, we are aware of multiple anecdotal reports of solid tumors that have shown a dramatic response to repurposed drug regimens that included ivermectin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While other aspects of the regimen are footnoted, that statement does not have further evidence attributed. The physician identified on the Independent Medical Alliances website as the author of the recommended dosing regimen for cancer, Paul Marik, no longer possesses an active medical license, according to the websites of the Federation of State Medical Boards and the Virginia medical board. His American Board of Internal Medicine certification was revoked after promoting ivermectin as a treatment for covid after the medical community found it to be ineffective. The Independent Medical Alliances website also includes a video testimonial from a cancer patient who credits his turnaround to ivermectin, as well as a fundraising effort to contribute to the nonprofits efforts for cancer care. The alliance and Marik did not respond to requests for comment. The group issued a statement in 2023 about Mariks fight for his certification, in which Marik is quoted as saying: Following the ABIMs consensus will only deprive patients of important treatments that have saved lives all over the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other prominent figures who champion the MAHA movement and support Kennedy have promoted wellness kits that include ivermectin. Simone Gold, the founder of Americas Frontline Doctors, which rose to prominence pushing hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus, sells a premium pack for $300 that includes weight-based Ivermectin. Her subscription health care service posted last summer that By raising awareness about the potential of ivermectin and other groundbreaking cancer treatments, we empower patients and healthcare providers with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions. Gold did not respond to requests for comment. Another figure linking ivermectin with cancer treatment is Peter McCullough, a physician and public commentator who told The Post he offers medical advice to Kennedy when he calls. McCullough serves as chief scientific officer for The Wellness Company, which sells a detox supplement aimed at those who have taken the coronavirus vaccine. The company has linked the coronavirus vaccines to turbo cancers and a variety of other maladies, claims not based in evidence, medical experts have said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Wellness Company sells an Medical Emergency Kit that includes ivermectin for $299.99. On its website this March, the organization discusses the anticancer effects of ivermectin. Its individual patient choice, McCullough told The Post. If the patient who has cancer and that patients group of doctors thinks ivermectin is worth a try, everyone agrees that The Wellness Company can be one of many, many sources of ivermectin for that patient. - - - Trisha Thadani contributed to this report. Related Content Republicans struggle to explain shutdown of the House Man, 93, reunites with lost dog after rescuers lure her with his socks Nightmare on Conservation Drive: Inside a haunting handmade Halloween display It looks like former CIA Director John Brennan is next up on Trumps long list of political retribution targets. As the conservative magazine The Federalist first reported on Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday referred Brennan to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution on the grounds that he knowingly made false statements to Congress about Trumps collusion with Russia during a hearing in May 2023. Brennan, who led the CIA during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, has been historically critical of Trump on Russia. Just before his tenure as CIA director ended in 2017, he warned that he didnt think Trump had a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russias intentions and actions that they are undertaking in many parts of the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brennan made numerous willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact contradicted by the record established by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the CIA, Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan wrote in his letter to the Justice Department on Tuesday. The committee also added that Brennan falsely denied that the CIA relied on the discredited Steele dossier in drafting the post-election Intelligence Community Assessment, falsely testified when he told the Committee that the CIA opposed including the Steele dossier in the ICA, and provided false testimony during a HPSCI hearing in 2017. In sum, Brennans testimony before the Committee on May 11, 2023, was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts. We therefore make this referral for the Department to examine whether any of Brennans testimony warrants a charge for the violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001, Jordan concludes. Brennan is on his way to join fellow Trump adversaries such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey in a spiteful legal battle with the president. Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu of Rye will announce his Republican bid for the open Senate seat from New Hampshire as early as Wednesday, according to several sources close to him. John E. Sununu to launch GOP Senate bid John E. Sununu Sununu, 61, is expected to launch the campaign on social media. Close advisers said leading U.S. Senate Republicans will soon come out in support of his candidacy. On Tuesday, Sununu was informing top New Hampshire Republicans of his imminent decision and asking if they would lend their support to coincide with his entry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the news, former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, the 2014 Republican Senate nominee in New Hampshire, insists hell stay in the race and says he will defeat Sununu in what would be one of the states most high-profile Republican primaries in recent history. Anyone who thinks that a Never Trump corporate lobbyist who hasnt won an election in a quarter-century will resonate with todays GOP primary voters is living in a different universe, Brown said in a statement. While John was supporting John Kasich in 2016, I was campaigning with Donald Trump. While John was fighting for special interests, I was serving in the first Trump administration. While John was wooing the D.C. establishment this summer, I have been working with grassroots activists across the Granite State. Brown, who now lives in Rye, won the Massachusetts Senate seat in 2010 in a special election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Two years later, he lost that seat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate seats are earned, not handed down. I stopped one political dynasty before and intend to do the same in 2026. Polling advantage Even before Sununus expected entry into the race, some national Republican sources were touting Sununu as having a much better chance of defeating likely Democratic nominee and four-term Congressman Chris Pappas than Brown would have. A GOP polling firm released a poll on X that had Pappas edging Sununu by 3 points within its margin of error but leading Brown by 10. Browns campaign team said that poll only measured name recognition, which they said is near 100% for any Sununu running in a state the size of New Hampshire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whoever wins the GOP nomination, many observers on both sides fully expect this will become the most expensive race in New Hampshire history, breaking the $128 million spent in the 2016 race Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan won over Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte. Ayotte is the last New Hampshire Republican to win a Senate seat. She crushed then-Congressman Paul Hodes in 2010. Trump factor Politico, which first reported Sununus imminent campaign, said he will be meeting with President Donald Trump soon. This spring, Trump endorsed Sununus younger brother Chris Sununu for the Senate seat, only to have the former governor take himself out of contention hours later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John E. Sununu was last on a New Hampshire ballot in 2008, when he lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in a rematch of the race he had won six years earlier. Shaheen, now 78, surprised political observers in March by revealing that she will retire in 2026 after 24 years in statewide office, having served three terms as governor and three as senator. Since Trump arrived on the scene as a potential presidential candidate in 2015, John E. Sununu has been a public critic, first taking a lead role in Kasichs 2016 White House run. Then in 2024, Sununu allied with Trump rival and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her presidential bid, writing a commentary that branded Trump as a loser. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his second term in the White House, Trump has been more pragmatic in his endorsements, as seen with his support for Chris Sununu, who had been a national leader in Haleys presidential campaign and who had joked at the White House Gridiron Dinner in 2022 that Trump was f---ing crazy. The New Hampshire Democratic Party is already gearing up with a Stop John Sununu website that attacks his actions since leaving the Senate, including serving on corporate boards and working for law firms that represented Wall Street investors, pharmaceutical and oil companies. John Sununu got paid, states the partys first digital ad attacking him. New Hampshire paid the price. klandrigan@unionleader.com John Kautzman, a prominent Indianapolis defense attorney, died on Oct. 20. He was 66. Kautzman was perhaps most well known for his work on behalf of Indianapolis' local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police. Rick Snyder, the union's president, said in a statement to Fox59 that Kautzman died after a "medical battle." Others also sent condolences. "On behalf of IMPD, I ask that you keep John's family and friends in your prayers," Chief Chris Bailey wrote on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among Kautzman's clients were officers Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers Adam Ahmad and Stephen Sanchez, who were charged in connection with the in-custody death of Herman Whitfield III. Both men were acquitted after a December 2024 jury trial at which Kautzman emphasized a lack of expert consensus about the cause of Whitfield's death. More: Heartbroken. Devastated. Thrilled. The trial against 2 Indianapolis police officers "We were blessed to witness this amazing Defender of the Police," Rick Snyder, Indianapolis' police union president, wrote on X. Kautzman was a partner with long-time Indianapolis law firm Ruckelshaus Kautzman Blackwell and Duncan, LLP. He served as lead counsel in more than 100 state and federal trials, according to his profile on the firm's website. In 2005, he was elected president of the Indianapolis Bar Association and later served on its board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He was a pillar of Indiana's legal community with a pure adoration of the law, its practitioners, and those striving to uphold the Rule of Law," IndyBar said in a statement released on Facebook. Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: John Kautzman, 'a pillar of Indiana's legal community,' has died If you change the timing of a traffic light from 20 seconds to 30 seconds, a new artificial intelligence tool developed by Johns Hopkins University researchers can predict how many more or how many fewer accidents will happen at that intersection. These are complex events affected by numerous variables, like weather, traffic patterns, roadway design and driver behavior, said senior author Hao Frank Yang, an assistant professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins. With SafeTraffic Copilot, our goal is to simplify this complexity and provide infrastructure designers and policymakers with data-based insights to mitigate crashes. Generative AI has a big potential to improve the trustworthiness of accident prediction, he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yangs team of researchers hope to help reduce the number of crashes and fatalities that occur each year. The Nature Communications published their work in October. The teams AI uses large language models to process, understand, and learn from massive amounts of data. SafeTraffic Copilot was trained using descriptions of more than 66,000 accidents, including road conditions, numerical values such as blood alcohol levels, satellite images and on-site photography. The model can evaluate both individual and combined risk factors, offering a more detailed understanding of how these elements influence safety. It can also tell decision makers how much faith to place in its predictions, Yang said, which are known as confidence scores. These confidence scores are crucial, he said, because artificial intelligence is a black box no one knows how it makes decisions. This uncertainty has previously deterred AIs use in high-risk settings like traffic safety. On Maryland highways so far this year, 381 people have been killed in crashes, according to data from the Maryland Highway Safety Office. Fatalities have steadily risen over the past decade, from 466 deaths in 2013 to 621 in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yangs model shows that alcohol and aggressive driving are the most dangerous factors, contributing to three times more crashes than other causes. Currently, Maryland and other states use another type of artificial intelligence called machine learning, Yang said, in which a computer is shown comprehensive data from past accidents to assess the safety of individual roads and intersections. With machine learning, he said, if a sample is not similar to your training samples, you cannot generate a prediction. Generative AI can give clear what-if capabilities; If you change the timing of this traffic light what will happen? SafeTraffic Copilot improves its predictions with additional information, allowing customization for different states or cities, Yang said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I really want to benefit our local communities of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Maryland, he said. The use of large language models means the artificial intelligence can also adapt to traffic conditions in other countries and cultures, Yang said as easily as providing a paragraph describing the differences. I also want to expand this research to other countries, he said. In South Asian countries like Taiwan or the Philippines, most crashes are motorcycle crashes, and the way they drive is different as well. With previous models, incorporating drivers behavior or cultures is impossible. Have a news tip? Contact Karl Hille at 443-900-7891 or khille@baltsun.com. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday denounced the alleged death threat against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) by a man who was previously convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. But the Speaker did not condemn President Trumps move to pardon the suspect, along with hundreds of others, earlier in the year. I dont know any of the details of this at all. I dont know whos been alleged to have been involved in this, Johnson told reporters in the Capitol. I will say that anybody anybody who threatens political violence against elected officials or anyone else should have the full weight and measure of the Department of Justice on their head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I trust that that will happen I hope it will, he added. We are intellectually consistent about that, obviously. Over the weekend, law enforcement in New York arrested Christopher Moynihan, a 34-year-old resident of Clinton, N.Y., on charges of sending texts in which he threatened to kill Jeffries during an appearance in New York City. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, the texts read, according to the charging complaint filed in New York state court. Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. I will kill him for the future. Moynihan was charged with making a terrorist threat, a felony, and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was among the hundreds of Trump supporters who stormed into the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a failed effort to keep Trump in office despite his 2020 election defeat. Moynihan was convicted of charges that included the obstruction of an official federal proceeding, and was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison. Trump, on the first day of his second term, pardoned Moynihan along with more than 1,500 other people who were convicted of crimes related to the Capitol rampage. The blanket pardon has belied the Republicans claims to be the party of law and order, and Democrats who were outraged by the pardons at the time are now pointing to Moynihans alleged threat as evidence that Trumps move has threatened public safety. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country, Jeffries said in a statement Tuesday. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned. The threat arrived as the scourge of political violence has been a frequently recurring topic in Washington, fueled by the attempted assassination of Trump on the campaign trail last year and, more recently, by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, at an outdoor event in Utah last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson, asked about the wisdom of Trumps pardons, declined to weigh in. The Speaker instead condemned political violence in all its forms, while accusing the left of being the instigator of most political violence in the country. The violence on the left is far more prevalent than violence on the right. Dont make me go through the list. You all know it, Johnson said. All of these assassination [attempts] the assassination culture thats been advanced now this is the left, in almost every case, that is advancing this and not the right. So lets not make it a partisan issue. For years, the Department of Justice had tracked violence based on political ideology and posted its findings on its website. The most recent version of the study found that, beginning in 1990, far-right extremists were responsible for 520 homicides driven by ideology, versus 78 committed by far-left extremists. The DOJ recently removed the study from its 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 The Hill. The conditions inside the prison Josh Duggar currently resides in are reportedly inhumane, according to a new report from The U.S. Sun. Duggar, 37, is serving his 12-and-a-half year prison sentence inside FCI Seagoville in Texas. As far as the conditions inside Seagoville itself and inside the units, its going to be a typical standardization pretty much across the FBOP nationwide in that the conditions are old, Heather Pirtle, founder of First Network, told The U.S. Sun in an interview published Tuesday, October 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First Network is a non-profit organization that allows inmates to report issues within their facilities. Our mission is to drive transformative change within the federal prison system by advocating for the health, safety, and fair treatment of incarcerated individuals, the companys website states. According to Pirtle, inmates at FCI Seagoville have reported crumbling walls, mold inside and feces all over the place. They dont allow them to use chemicals usually so there are not a lot of disinfectant products being used As far as day to day living there, its not somewhere that is sanitary by any means, she continued. [Inmates] have actually been forced to defecate in paper bags at times. Noting the extreme temperatures in Texas, she explained, Its not a very pleasant environment to be in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the excrement, the water is often black, some cells have no ventilation or windows causing a sauna-like feel in the summer and freezing temps in the winter. Its from one extreme to the other, Pirtle explained. Duggar was found guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography in December 2021 and sentenced to 151 months in prison. This story Josh Duggar Prison Conditions Reportedly Inhumane, Inmates Forced to Defecate in Paper Bags first appeared on Globe. Add Globe as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The man convicted of killing an 8-year-old Jacksonville girl over 25 years ago was back in court again Tuesday. Action News Jax has been following the murder of Maddie Clifton since it happened in 1998. Joshua Phillips, now 41, and his defense team appeared in front of a judge Tuesday morning to give a status update on whether they are ready to set a date for a sentencing review hearing. Theyre looking to reduce his sentence of life in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hearing lasted under four minutes. Ive spoken with the state. We received a bunch of the discovery, I believe its the entirety of the information that we were entitled to. Were going through the review process of that, Joshua Beard, Defense Attorney for Phillips, said. RELATED: Killer of Jacksonville girl nearly three decades ago returned to Duval County court Beard quickly let the judge know hes still working on some other things that may take some time. There are some outstanding things that we are working on that I hope to be able to complete by the end of the year, Beard said. Phillips and Maddie were neighbors in the Lakewood area, and her body was found under his waterbed. Phillips was 14 years old at the time of Cliftons death. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] In 2017, he was resentenced to life in prison for the second time after a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling barred mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles found guilty of murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, a judge approved a sentencing review hearing for Phillips to move forward. Back in June, we told you when Phillips attorney asked for more time before reviewing his sentence. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] At the time, we spoke with local Defense Attorney Chris Carson, who is not affiliated with this case. He said he doesnt expect Phillips life sentence to change because of the nature of the murder and the national attention its received. I think the practical reality is it would take some very compelling evidence for a judge to modify the sentence at this point, Carson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Phillips will be back in court for that status hearing on Tuesday, December 16. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. 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: More than 3,000 people in Britain have sued Johnson & Johnson, claiming its baby powder caused cancer, according to court filings. The case, filed in Britain's High Court, seeks more than 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in damages and marks the first group claim against the company in the United Kingdom, according to KP Law, the firm representing the individuals. The lawsuit mirrors multiple legal battles in the United States where Johnson & Johnson faces tens of thousands of similar claims. In the British case, the claimants allege that from 1965 to 2023, Johnson & Johnson sold talc-based products that it knew contained cancer-causing fibers such as asbestos. Ovarian cancer and mesothelioma are among cancers that have been linked to asbestos. "We will be relentless in holding them to account on behalf of all those who have suffered due to their actions," Tom Longstaff, a partner at KP Law, told The New York Times. Just last week, a Los Angeles jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died from a rare cancer. Earlier this year, a U.S. court rejected Johnson & Johnson's plan to use a bankruptcy settlement worth $9 billion to resolve roughly 70,000 lawsuits tied to talc products. Johnson & Johnson stopped selling its talc-based baby powder in the U.S. and Canada in 2020. In 2023, it switched to a cornstarch formula. The company maintains its baby powder is safe. Its consumer products, including baby powder, are now part of Kenvue, a separate company that spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. "We sympathize deeply with people living with cancer," Kenvue said in a statement, but added that years of independent testing by labs and regulators have confirmed the product's safety. The company said the talc used in baby powder "was compliant with any required regulatory standards, did not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer." Those in the U.K. case said they were exposed to baby powder for at least five years, starting in infancy and continuing into adulthood. The product was marketed as "mildness clinically proven," the lawsuit states. For decades, internal company documents have shown that Johnson & Johnson scientists expressed concerns that talc could be contaminated with trace amounts of asbestos, a known carcinogen that sometimes occurs naturally underground near talc. More information: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has more on asbestos. 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Two of Jacksonvilles top universities are seeing major changes at the top. Jacksonville University President Tim Cost announced hell step into a new role as Chancellor next summer after 14 years leading the school. Under his leadership, JU added new residence halls, expanded academic programs, including the College of Law, and saw steady enrollment growth. Youre going to see a seamless transition, Cost said. A new president is going to come in, and that should give us a lot of excitement here on campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement University leaders say they expect to name an interim president within weeks, as JUs Board of Trustees narrows down internal candidates. Meanwhile, over at the University of North Florida, President Moez Limayem is heading back to USF, but this time as its new president. The USF Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved Limayems appointment, calling it a homecoming for the former business school dean. Today, with your vote and confidence, the Limayem family got slightly bigger with more than 50,000 students and 16,000 employees, Limayem said. USF is our family. Limayem became UNFs president in 2022 after spending a decade as Dean of the USF College of Business. His appointment now heads to the Florida Board of Governors, which is expected to consider his confirmation on November 6th. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You dont get here on your own, Limayem said. There are so many incredible people, mentors, friends, leaders, and trustees who made this day possible for me and for my family. With both transitions underway, a new chapter of leadership is taking shape for Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida, ushering in a new era of change for two of the citys most premier universities. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Signs direct voters to a polling place at Sacred Heart Church in La Plata in this photo from the 2022 elections. (File photo by Angela Breck/Maryland Matters) An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge issued a partial ruling Monday in favor of a group of unaffiliated Maryland voters who are challenging the states closed primary election system. A fuller victory might be harder to come by, though. Judge Pamela K. Alban determined the voters had standing to file their case, but she has yet to decide whether shell dismiss the case on other grounds raised by the defendants or allow it to proceed. She said she will issue a written ruling in the coming days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alban indicated she was skeptical of the voters arguments in their lawsuit that their claims were not resolved by prior case law, but said she planned to continue considering the nuance of the law. I want to think about it a bit more, Alban said. I imagine no matter what I do, this may not be the end. Attorneys for the plaintiffs, a group of five Maryland voters who are not affiliated with a political party, were quick to say after Mondays hearing that they would appeal a dismissal by Alban. But former Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, one of the attorneys, said he is hopeful for a favorable result. Across the country, primary election structures vary widely. Maryland has a partially closed system, because political parties can choose to allow unaffiliated voters to join, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which said Maryland is one of 18 states with either completely closed or partially closed primaries. Then-Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford (R) at the State of the State address in Annapolis in 2020. (File photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters) The group of voters in the Maryland suit are challenging the fact that the state government funds primary elections that are not open to all voters, since voters must generally affiliate with the Democratic or Republican party to cast their ballots in primaries unless its a non-partisan race. Their suit names the State Board of Elections and various state officials as defendants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daniel Kobrin, an assistant attorney general representing the defendants, argued that the case was focused on an alleged waste of taxpayer money, and that the plaintiffs didnt have the standing to sue based on their status as taxpayers. Eric Gunderson, an attorney for the voters, said that the plaintiffs are not arguing that the state shouldnt fund primaries. Rather, they are arguing that, if the state continues to sponsor those elections, they should be open to all. The political parties could opt to fund their own primary elections if they wished to continue restricting participation, Gunderson said. Alban agreed with him, ruling that the case was an elections matter not a taxpayer one and that the five plaintiffs had standing to sue because they are all registered voters in the state. But Kobrin also argued in his filings that previous cases have already decided the issue, and so the Maryland voters suit should be dismissed. In particular, he referenced a pair of rulings from the Maryland Supreme Court, from 1946 and 2004, respectively Hennegan v. Geartner and Suessman v. Lamone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Candidly, I think thats your strongest argument, the judge told Kobrin, before opening up the floor for him to speak on the legal precedent. Kobrin asserted that, per prior court rulings, the states well established reasons for sponsoring primary elections must be weighed against the burden faced by unaffiliated voters, who are fenced out of the process. The states needs outweigh the voters burden, he said. If the state didnt hold primaries, it would run the risk of general election ballots looking more like NFL pre-season rosters, with hundreds of names, Kobrin joked. Primaries, he said, avoid the chaos of a general election with dozens of candidates for each race. Kobrin also argued that, although the Maryland Constitution provides the right to vote, it doesnt necessarily confer upon all Marylanders the right to participate in party primaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Of course theres a right to vote, Kobrin said. What they dont have is the right to participate in partisan races with a party theyre not affiliated with. Turning to Gunderson, the judge called the legal precedent his biggest challenge. Gunderson argued that neither of the two main cases cited by Kobrin centered on the issue at the center of their claim: the states decision to put its resources toward primary elections. If the parties want to have closed primary systems, they should pay for them, he said. Because neither of the two state Supreme Court cases deal directly with that issue, Gunderson argued that they shouldnt bar the plaintiffs from moving forward with their case, and arguing about the precedent in trial. But Alban prodded back, adding that Gundersons seemed like a really tight reading of those cases. A federal judge has rejected another early motion from the Justice Department in James Comeys criminal case. As was true of a ruling siding with the former FBI director last week, this latest decision also questions the approach taken by the Lindsey Halligan-led DOJ team. While last weeks order said Halligans discovery proposal would cause needless delay, Mondays order from U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff rejected the DOJs request for an expedited ruling on how potentially sensitive evidence is processed through what is known as a filter protocol. Halligan (who lacks prior prosecutorial experience) and her team (two DOJ prosecutors from North Carolina) made the motion to expedite the day before Comeys first two big motions were due Monday. In those motions, he is seeking to dismiss the case based on what he says is the unlawfulness of Halligans appointment in Virginia and the selective and vindictive nature of his prosecution. The DOJ will respond to those next month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecutions failed motion sought a speedy ruling on the governments proposed implementation of a filter protocol, which the DOJ said is needed quickly to avoid potential delay. It said the evidence for filter review could also inform a potential conflict and disqualification issue for the current lead defense counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald. Opposing the motion, Fitzgerald and the rest of Comeys defense team said the effort to defame lead defense counsel provides no basis to grant the motion. They said the DOJs claim that the defendant used Fitzgerald to improperly disclose classified information, and the implication that Fitzgerald and Comey engaged in criminal activity by doing so, is provably false and in any event provides no basis to grant the motion to expedite. Rejecting the expedition request on Monday, Nachmanoff suggested that any undue delay was the governments fault. The judge noted that the DOJ failed to ask for a speedy ruling when it filed its initial filter motion on Oct. 13. In a footnote, the Biden appointee wrote that the DOJ has had the materials at issue in its possession for several years and apparently failed to seek any guidance with respect to a filter protocol at any time before October 13, 2025. He added that the report forming the basis for the DOJs claim about Fitzgerald was public knowledge since its 2019 publication. And yet, the government failed to raise any concern with lead counsels representation until the filing of the governments motion to expedite on October 19, 2025, he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While this is only a ruling on a preliminary issue in a case in which the litigation is just getting started, and there are much bigger rulings to come (including on Comeys motions to dismiss), the judge has not been persuaded so far by Halligans approach. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in the Trump administrations legal cases. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com LIMA A motion hearing was held on Monday morning for a Lima man who pleaded guilty to burglary but decided to withdraw his plea. Zyshon Stiggers, 24, of Lima, had his defense file a motion to withdraw his guilty plea that he entered on Sept. 4. Stiggers was charged with aggravated burglary and two counts of domestic violence, which were dismissed when he pleaded guilty to robbery. The state was adamantly against the motion that had been submitted, as the defense had not brought up any facts or evidence for withdrawing the plea. Chief public defender Kenneth Sturgill claimed Stiggers had not been trespassing; therefore, he could not be charged with burglary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state understands the legal argument that is being made, but the defense has no facts or evidence for the defendants motion, said assistant prosecutor Joshua Carp. The victim, who was his girlfriend, told police she had not permitted him to be at her residence. The state believes the court should deny the motion. Sentencing had been set for Monday morning, but Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed said he will take the motion under advisement. According to court records, deputies from the Allen County Sheriffs Office were dispatched on July 1 to the 1500 block of Deerfield Drive in reference to a domestic violence complaint. The victim told investigators Stiggers struck her in the head, causing a bruise above her left eye. Stigger was found hiding under a bed inside the apartment and was taken into custody. Stiggers was sentenced to 30 months in prison in November 2021 for armed robbery. Republican incumbent Jason Miyares participates in the Virginia attorney general debate with Democrat Jay Jones in Richmond, Va., Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Photo by Mike Kropf/ via AP/pool) A U.S. district court judge has blocked enforcement of punitive measures against a pro-Palestinian nonprofit under investigation by Attorney General Jason Miyares. In an Oct. 7 oral ruling and Oct. 17 written opinion, Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said Miyares push to obtain donor lists from American Muslims for Palestine is overly broad and likely violates the First Amendments protection of freedom of association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The temporary injunction and restraining order blocks Richmond Circuit Court Judge Devika Davis Sept. 29 ruling holding the charity in contempt for not handing over its donor lists; Davis had ordered a $1,000 daily fine until AMP turned over the documents to the attorney generals office. Miyares vowed to appeal. Charitable organizations operating in Virginia have an obligation to follow the law, Miyares spokesperson Shaun Kenney said in a statement on Monday. Brinkemas ruling comes in the midst of a tight election between Miyares and Democrat Jay Jones. Its not clear if Jones, whose campaign was upended by the revelation of incendiary text messages from 2022, will continue to prosecute the case if he wins; his spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Monday. The investigation Miyares publicly announced his investigation into the group on Oct. 29, 2023, weeks after Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and sparking an ongoing conflict that has left nearly 70,000 Palestinians dead and unleashed a humanitarian crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In legal filings, press releases, and an appearance on Fox Business, Miyares accused AMP of failing to register with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He also claimed funds raised by the group may have been funneled to terrorist organizations, without providing evidence to back the claim. In the Fox appearance, Miyares appeared to connect the group to Hamas. Hamas is a known terrorist organization, designated by the European Union and our United States government, Miyares said. So our job is to get to the truth. On its website, AMP says it aims to advance the movement for justice in Palestine by educating the American public about Palestine. The group described Miyares initial accusations as defamatory and dangerous smear and accused him of attempting to score political points with hateful extremists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using a legal tool called a civil investigative demand, the attorney generals office sought a range of documents, including rosters of the groups employees, meeting minutes, banking documents, and lists of the groups donors and members of its email lists. Legal representatives for American Muslims for Palestine acknowledged theyd overlooked Virginias registration requirements and registered with the state in November 2023, turning over some of the documents demanded by Miyares office the following month. But the fight over the donor lists has proved to be contentious. In July, the Virginia Court of Appeals rejected AMPs petition to prevent immediate enforcement of Miyares demand, though it has yet to issue a ruling in the case and did not elaborate on its reasoning. In legal filings in September, the attorney generals office accused AMP of embarking on a meritless and lengthy campaign to evade, delay and obstruct the OAGs investigation and asked Judge Davis to sanction the group. AMP filed its federal petition on Sept. 26 asking the court to block enforcement of parts of Miyares demand until questions of its constitutionality were fully resolved. Brinkema held a hearing on Oct. 3 and made a ruling from the bench the same day granting their request. She also ordered AMP to post an $8,000 bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her opinion, Brinkema argued that without the injunction, AMP would be forced to either pay hefty fines or turn over sensitive documents. Given AMPs likelihood of succeeding on the merits of its free association claim, choosing this path would likely result in irreparable injury because once the AG has access to the donor lists, AMP cannot un-ring the bell, even if an appellate court later found that the demand for AMPs donor lists was constitutionally infirm, Brinkema said. Christina Jump, AMPs lead attorney on the case, said Miyares was attempting to force the group to hand over the documents before constitutional questions had been litigated a move she said sent a chilling message to nonprofits and businesses. Its the top legal officer for Virginia trying to sidestep the law, Jump said. Pro-Israel politics Miyares has made his support for Israel an important pillar of his political brand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican traveled to Israel twice in 2023, meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a March visit and, in November, visiting sites of the Oct. 7 attacks and speaking with survivors. The attorney generals office encouraged local law enforcement to donate surplus gear to Israel, inviting the press to observe helmets, vests and protective plates being loaded into a truck outside his office. He also sent a letter to the states higher education leaders encouraging them to promote public safety and ensure viewpoint diversity in the midst of student protests against the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Miyares investigation against AMP comes as the group has faced at least five recent federal lawsuits that attempt to hold the group liable for the actions of pro-Palestinian protesters or Hamas. Those accusations have yet to be sustained in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One case cited by Miyares, Boim v. American Muslims for Palestine, attempts to hold the group liable for Hamas murder of David Boim, claiming the group is an alter ego of a defunct nonprofit that a federal judge found liable for Boims death. The case has been litigated since 2017 and is in the discovery phase. In another case, a group of survivors of the Oct. 7 attack as well as family and friends of the victims sued the group for allegedly violating U.S. terrorism laws and providing material support to Hamas. But Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. of the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed the case, writing in an Aug. 15 opinion that the plaintiffs had failed to prove any connection between AMP and the attacks. Plaintiffs fail to plausibly allege even prior knowledge of the October 7, 2023 attack, much less intentional aid that substantially furthered the tort, Alston wrote. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE US District Judge Sara Ellis still has questions. During a hearing Monday, she pressed two federal officials over the response to ongoing and intense protests in Chicago amid Operation Midway Blitz, especially after she expanded her temporary restraining order to include having agents on the ground turn on their body worn cameras when encountering demonstrators. She tried to get a better sense of which agency has responsibility over what, how her restraining order has been disseminated to federal agents working in Chicago, how extensive training on crowd control and protests have been and what happened at certain fraught encounters over the last few weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are the main takeaways from Mondays hearing. Judge wants body cameras on all officers at protests, not all have them Ellis early this month issued a sweeping order restricting agents crowd control tactics, use of force and actions against journalists documenting protests in Chicago. During a hearing last week, she said she had concerns about whether her order was being followed. During the hearing, she added mandatory body-worn cameras to her earlier restraining order, saying it appeared agents were not warning demonstrators before deploying tear gas and firing pepper balls at them. The judge originally required all agents to wear cameras but her order does not require them if they are undercover, not in uniform or exempt by Customs and Border Protection, ICE or DHS policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every CBP agent on duty in Chicago more than 200 has a body camera and knows they are required to use it, CBP Deputy Incident Commander Kyle Harvick said during Mondays hearing. ICEs Special Response Teams, however, have not been issued body cameras, ICE Deputy Field Office Director Shawn Byers testified. They went to one or two field offices but stopped being issued, and would need to go through Congress to get approved, Byers said without elaborating. Federal agents are trained on how to respond to protesters ICE agents have been trained on how to respond to demonstrations and how to arrest protesters as part of their use of force training, Byers said. They have the ability to issue felony and misdemeanor citations during demonstrations. Members of ICEs Special Response Team have been outside the Broadview detention facility, the center of many anti-immigration enforcement demonstrations monitoring protests, and Byers indicated they too, are extensively trained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE agents are also specifically trained on how to handle reporters and direct press questions to public affairs. He added journalists have the right to observe, as long as they do not interfere. As long as theyre in the media area, we shouldnt have a problem with press, Byers said. When questioned about an incident outside the Broadview facility in which a pastor said he was hit with pepper balls, Byers said the pastor did not leave federal property when given multiple commands to do so. Rev. David Black said he was outside the facility praying for the ICE officers and those detained inside when he was hit. He told CNNs Erin Burnett on October 9 there was no warning before less-than-lethal force was used during the demonstration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After they shot me in my head and my face, and multiple times in my torso, arms and legs, I was shielded by the bodies of others who were there who rushed in to support me and took many more hits that were intended for me, Black said. Members of the Illinois State police clash with protesters outside the Broadview ICE facility on October 17. - Jim Vondruska/Reuters Federal leaderships a revolving door, with multiple agencies on the ground Operation Midway Blitz is Trumps recent ICE deployment across Chicagoland, yielding more than 1,000 arrests of migrants across Illinois between September 8 and October 3, DHS said. Harvick on Monday reiterated the White Houses denials of news coverage of tear gas used on protesters without warning in a recent demonstration in Chicagos Albany Park neighborhood, although he acknowledged he had not seen it personally. Sean Skedzielewski, an attorney representing the Trump administration, last week said the judge was relying on one-sided and selectively edited media reports. When force is used during protests, reports are reviewed by ICE leadership, the Office of Professional Responsibility and a review committee to determine if the use of force meets policy, Byers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agencys Special Response Team falls under the same enforcement mission as ICE, but members report directly to Byers, he said, adding ICE leadership has been kind of a revolving door. Harvick and Byers testified Monday after Russell Hott, the former interim head of Chicagos Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, had left the Chicago area to return to his permanent job as field operations director in Washington, DC. Ellis will continue to question top brass at a later time after saying Monday she will still depose Hott and Gregory Bovino, chief patrol agent at CBP. She added since Hott was the highest officer in Chicago at the time the protests occurred, he should be able to speak to what happened on the ground. CNNs Andy Rose contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NEWARK, New Jersey A federal judge appeared skeptical Tuesday of New Jersey Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIvers attempts to get charges against her dismissed because they are selective and vindictive. U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper repeatedly asked how he could reach the conclusion that the Trump administration was targeting McIver following a May scuffle outside a federal immigration facility when two other Democratic members of Congress Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez were also there but not prosecuted. During a two-hour hearing, Semper, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, did less to telegraph his views of McIvers other attempt to get the charges thrown out. She argues the charges that she assaulted two homeland security officers and impeded their work should be dismissed because of the Constitutions speech or debate clause, which grants members of Congress a form of immunity that is mostly impenetrable in investigations relating to the official duties of lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alleged assaults occurred during a 68-second span in the midst of a three-hour tour of the Delaney Hall detention facility, when McIver, Watson Coleman and Menendez were part of a chaotic scrum as immigration agents moved to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on a trespassing charge that was later dropped. Another judge called the Baraka prosecution embarrassing. Now the McIver case is another test of New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, who is battling to preserve her post following a separate August court ruling that she is unlawfully serving in the job. An appeals court heard arguments about that case on Monday. McIver attorney Paul Fishman argued McIver was prosecuted because she was a Democrat, meanwhile Trump pardoned hundreds of people who attacked police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the Justice Department dropped numerous additional assault cases at Trumps direction, despite video evidence of the attacks. She was charged with something she never would have been charged with if she was a Republican, Fishman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Semper repeatedly came back to the fact that neither Watson Coleman or Menendez were charged, even though they were in the same scrum as McIver. (Watson Coleman, Menendez and Rep. Nellie Pou were all in the courtroom Tuesday as spectators to support McIver.) Semper then heard attorneys try to leverage complex and uncertain case law about congressional immunity. He cited case law that worried too much immunity could make members of Congress super citizens immune from the law, but he also entertained arguments about how prosecutors could try the case in front of a jury without showing them evidence that steps on her constitutional protections. Its going to be about what the jury sees on those videos, assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren said, referring to videos of the scrum that the government alleges shows McIver assaulting two officers and impeding the arrest of Baraka. But defense attorneys said to get those events, the jury needs to hear that McIver was there exercising her oversight authority and hear evidence that federal immigration agents tried to impede her work work the Constitutions speech or debate clause protects from being used in court. Her attorneys have also cited the Supreme Court ruling last year that gave Trump immunity from criminal prosecution for some actions he took during his first presidential term while fighting to subvert the 2020 election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You cant try the case the way the government pretends they can try it, Fishman said. McIver is accused in a three-count indictment of slamming a federal agent with her forearm, forcibly grabbing him and using her forearms to strike another agent. Allegations of physical violence by a sitting member of Congress are rare. At one point, the hearing in front of the judge turned to perhaps the most famous case from history, the caning of Sen. Charles Sumner by Rep. Preston Brooks in 1856. Prosecutors argued that Brooks was prosecuted, suggesting congressional immunity doesnt cover assaults. But defense attorneys said the case wasnt analogous, in part because Brooks was a member of the House who had come into the Senate with a specific intent not related to his legislative activity. Semper also told the government to look at taking down statements that Trump administration officials made about the case that have absolutely no connection to the indictment, including remarks suggesting she was trespassing or part of Antifa. Prosecutors said the government had taken down some but conceded other statements remained on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That alone represents a rare concession by the Trump administration: Prosecutors said a half dozen statements had been taken down, while the defense team argued nine others remained online. Semper said he wanted the government to be proactive in removing such posts and didnt want to force the defense team to play whack-a-mole. Semper also asked the government to tell him about text messages among agents on the scene. McIvers defense attorneys said such messages could undermine the charges by showing agents were not afraid of McIver, a potential element in an assault case. BLACK RIVER FALLS A judge rejected a dismissal request Monday, and has ordered the court case against a Jackson County deputy accused of shooting and paralyzing a teen to continue. Stan A. Edington, 38, Elm Grove, was charged in August with second-degree recklessly endangering safety in Jackson County Court. On Monday, Judge Mark Goodman heard oral arguments from attorneys on both sides about a petition to dismiss the case. Goodman denied the dismissal request, saying he found probable cause for the case to continue, according to online court minutes. A court date for a preliminary hearing will now be set. Edmington appeared via video during the hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera issued a press release after charges were filed, saying that Edington had been on administrative assignment after the shooting. Now that Edmington has been charged, he is on unpaid administrative leave. Waldera also has asked the Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation to lead the case. According to the criminal complaint, the incident occurred May 12 in the town of Hixton. The Jackson County Sheriffs Office was informed that a person, born in 2008, had left a home with his mothers vehicle without permission. Officers located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. Deputies were approaching [the victims] vehicle when it began backing up, the complaint reads. Sgt. Stan Edington discharged their firearm, striking [the individual]. First Aid was immediately rendered ... and he was subsequently flown to Emplify Health System in La Crosse, where he was listed in critical condition. The teen has suffered paralysis, the complaint reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medical Records later confirmed [he] was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury at C1-C4 level, the complaint reads. He was struck by a bullet and the entrance wound of the bullet is at the posterior neck right of the midline at the C6 level with the bullet tracking to the right pedicle of C6. He was reported to have no movement in his extremities that may be permanent. An officer at the scene collected 22 spent gun shells. The investigation showed the teen had backed up and struck a different squad car. Sgt. Edington began shooting at the Buick when he was behind [the] squad, and continued firing until the vehicle was approximately 20 feet away heading towards the highway, the complaint reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Edington obtained an associate degree from the Chippewa Valley Technical College and attended Wisconsins law enforcement academy at CVTC. Edington graduated from the law enforcement academy in 2011. Edington obtained a full-time position with JCSO as a patrol deputy in the late summer or early fall of 2014. In 2015, Edington joined the local Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and in 2017 became a K9 handler. In 2018, Edington was promoted to sergeant and received a K9 partner. A federal judge on Monday rejected the government's request to reverse his order that led to the release an Afghan man from immigration detention last week who previously worked for the U.S. military as an interpreter before moving to Connecticut. Attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice said in a motion last week that U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin "clearly erred" when he issued a ruling on Oct. 3 that ordered the government to grant the interpreter a bond hearing before an immigration judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government has argued the man - who they have called a risk to national security and the subject of serious criminal allegations without providing more detail - is subject to mandatory detention under current immigration law. Sorokin disagreed, ruling the man could be released. At the bond hearing on Oct. 9, an immigration judge granted the man a $15,000 bond, court records show. He posted bond and was released last week from the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, where he'd been held since July 16, when six masked agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him during a routine visit to a federal immigration office in East Hartford. The man's attorneys and other supporters have asked the media to refer to him as Zia, citing safety concerns for members of his family who still live in Afghanistan. "I am deeply grateful to be reunited with my family and community," Zia said in a statement released through one of his attorneys last week. "I came to this country because I believed America would protect me and my family after I had proudly served alongside American troops in Afghanistan. I still believe in America, and I want to continue rebuilding my life here and contribute to the community that has welcomed me." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement to CT Insider late Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - which oversees ICE - said that "one lone activist judge has released (Zia), a national of Afghanistan masquerading as an interpreter and (a) suspected terrorist, into our communities." "The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system - including not allowing terrorists to roam free in our country," the agency said in the unsigned statement, which it said was attributable to a senior DHS official. "We will continue to fight for the arrest, detention and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country." Attorney Lauren Petersen, Zia's lead immigration counsel, called that statement "a cowardly smear" that was "gutlessly issued anonymously." "Two federal judges saw this lie for what it is: a fabrication by a vindictive administration that would rather tear innocent people apart than admit a mistake," Petersen said in a statement. "Zia loves this country, served it honorably and looks forward to building a life in our community, which continues to embrace him." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney Chris Mattei, of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, who is representing Zia in federal court, called his release "a step toward justice" but said in a statement last week that "justice will not be done until he and his family are granted the permanent status that he courageously earned." Zia was reunited with his wife and five children in Connecticut after his release, according to a statement from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who has advocated for the man's release. "Zia was finally able to return home to his loved ones after his unlawful, unconscionable detention by ICE," Blumenthal said. "Zia put his life on the line to aid our troops during the conflict in Afghanistan, he - and all of our wartime allies who worked with our service members - deserve our unwavering protection." Most immigration cases are handled in immigration court, which falls under the Executive Branch, not the Judicial Branch. Sorokin ruled on Zia's case because his attorneys filed a writ of habeas corpus - one of the only ways to get an immigration case into federal district court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Zia's case continues on two parallel tracks: immigration court and the district court case. Zia worked as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2009, Sorokin said in his Oct. 3 order. He fled to Pakistan in 2021 after the Taliban began to retake the country and came to Connecticut, where his brother was already living, in October 2024 under a process known as humanitarian parole. ICE revoked Zia's parole after his arrest, the order said. "If Zia is deported he faces death," Petersen told reporters during a virtual press conference in July. "There's a certain threat to his life." In a court filing in July, ICE acting Deputy Field Office Director John Charpentier said the agency arrested Zia after the FBI told it around May 24 that he "is a risk to the national security of the United States." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The filing didn't give any evidence for that claim or provide any details on how or why ICE and the FBI believed Zia posed a risk to national security. DHS previously told CT Insider in a statement that Zia was "currently under investigation for a serious criminal allegation." Zia's attorneys have rejected both claims. Sorokin had ordered the government to submit documents supporting its claim that Zia posed a threat to national security so he could review them privately. The judge didn't address the allegation in detail in his Oct. 3 order, but he did say the FBI received a tip in May suggesting Zia might pose a threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As far as the FBI tip is concerned, the respondents have not argued, let alone shown, that the information provided to ICE justifies (Zia's) mandatory detention," Sorokin wrote. The judge also said that "nothing before the court suggests (Zia) has a criminal record." Blumenthal previously called the government's claims that Zia poses a risk to national security "bologna" and "bunk." "And I could give it another four letter word, but I won't," he told reporters in August after he visited Zia at the Plymouth detention facility. In his statement following the release, Blumenthal vowed to keep fighting for Zia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am heartened by his release yesterday, and I will continue fighting to ensure he has a clear pathway for permanent legal status to bring him and his family safety and certainty," the senator said. Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder said in a statement that it "will continue pursuing permanent humanitarian protections for Zia and his family." Sorokin left the door open for the government to re-file its request for him to reconsider his order, subject to additional stipulations. That motion must be filed within 14 days after the end of the federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, Sorokin said. This article originally published at Judge rejects feds' request to reverse release of Afghan interpreter arrested in CT. 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: Dr. Roman Smolynets in Lviv, Ukraine. Credit: Dr. Roman Smolynets Botulinum toxin injections provide greater short-term relief for phantom limb pain than standard medical and surgical care among Ukrainian war amputees, reports a new study led by Northwestern Medicine and Ukrainian physicians. The study, which involved 160 amputees treated at two hospitals in western Ukraine between 2022 and 2024, could ultimately benefit millions worldwide, according to the research team. The study, "Peri-Neuromal Botulinum Toxin Injection for War-Related Postamputation Pain: A Pragmatic, Multicenter, Comparative-Effectiveness Study," is published in the journal Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Post-amputation pain affects most amputees. The condition limits prosthetic use, mobility and quality of life. In the U.S., more than 2 million people live with limb loss. In Ukraine, it is estimated that over 100,000 soldiers and civilians have lost limbs since Russia's full-scale invasion, which began in 2022. "Botulinum toxin injected into painful stumps of residual limbs and around neuromas was, on some outcome measures, more effective than comprehensive medical and surgical treatment at one month post-treatment," said senior study author Dr. Steven P. Cohen, a professor of anesthesiology and the vice chair of research and pain medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Our results show that botulinum toxin potentially could be a powerful short-term tool for treating post-amputation pain when used alongside comprehensive medical and surgical care," said co-author Dr. Roman Smolynets, an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist at Multidisciplinary Clinical Hospital of Emergency and Intensive Care in Lviv, Ukraine. "It could be another step toward helping amputees live with less pain and more dignity. But always as an additional point to comprehensive medical and surgical care, not as a monotherapy." The findings All study participants were amputees treated at the First Medical Union of Lviv or Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Hospital. About one-fifth received botulinum toxin injections around painful nerve endings, called neuromas, in addition to standard medical and physical therapy. The other participants received comprehensive medical and surgical treatment, which included surgical revision, nerve blocks, physical and psychological therapy, medications and other interventional procedures. The research team assessed pain levels at the start of treatment and after one and three months, focusing separately on phantom limb pain (pain in the missing limb) and residual limb pain (pain at the stump site). Dr. Steve P. Cohen examining an amputee in Ukraine in 2024. Credit: Northwestern University At one month, the botulinum toxin group experienced an average reduction of four points in phantom limb pain on a 10-point scale, compared with just one point among patients in the comparison group. Also at one month, 69% of patients who received botulinum toxin achieved a meaningful improvement (defined as at least a 30% drop in pain) in phantom limb pain, versus only 43% in the other patient group. However, the results shifted at three months: Patients who received comprehensive care showed more durable pain relief than the botulinum toxin group, consistent with previous research showing that botulinum toxin's pain-relieving effects typically last about three months. A novel way to inject botulinum toxin While botulinum toxin injections, a non-surgical treatment that alleviates pain by blocking nerve signals, are most commonly known for their use in cosmetic procedures, they are also an established tool to treat chronic pain. In the study, the substance was injected in a novel way. The research team used ultrasound guidance to inject botulinum toxin directly around painful nerve endings and surrounding soft tissues, rather than into muscle or skin. This targeted "peri-neuromal" approach, the scientists believe, may explain the strong short-term reduction in pain by quieting nerve activity and local inflammation. Previous studies have shown botulinum toxin to be effective for neuropathic pain, but none injected it around painful nerves. The new findings suggest that botulinum toxin injections near nerves may also help relieve other types of nerve pain, such as shingles-related pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and pain following surgeries like mastectomy or thoracotomy. A friendship with a Ukrainian anesthesiologist Cohen, who traveled to Ukraine in 2024 to help launch the study, is a retired U.S. Army colonel who served four overseas tours in support of military operations; his son currently serves with the infantry. In Ukraine, he partnered with Smolynets, who has treated thousands of soldiers and civilians injured in the war by working in the country's largest trauma and emergency center, and Dr. Nadiya Segin, who is pioneering the use of botulinum toxin and nerve stimulation to treat war injuries. Smolynets will visit Chicago the week of Oct. 19 with a Ukrainian delegation for an observership program, spending time with Cohen at his pain medicine clinic and at a Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in downtown Chicago. The two physicians, now close friends, are available for interviews during that week. More research in Ukraine Cohen and his colleagues stress the need for larger, randomized trials to confirm their findings, refine patient selection and optimize botulinum toxin dosing. Future research should also explore whether repeat botulinum toxin injections over time could produce sustained benefits for post-amputation pain, as they appear to do for migraine treatment. Cohen and Smolynets, who published another study in February about using hydrodissection for post-amputation pain in Ukraine, are also researching more novel war treatments in Ukraine, at Walter Reed, and Northwestern, for traumatic brain injury and PTSD. These studies are underway. "As a retired colonel and the father of an infantry soldier who could be deployed in future conflicts and suffered from traumatic brain injury while at the U.S. Military Academy, this research carries special personal meaning for me," Cohen said. A Harris County judge has been reprimanded for her handling of death row inmate Ronald Haskell's post-conviction case that she was removed from following allegations that she acted favorably toward Haskell as he sought a brain scan. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct on Monday made public its Oct. 10 reprimand of Judge Natalia Cornelio, a two-term Democrat in the 351st District Court, for showing what they determined was bias in the death row case. Cornelio ordered Haskell's transfer from the Polunsky Unit to the Harris County Jail in July 2024 with a bench warrant to conceal the purpose of his return to Houston for a MRI procedure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bench warrant said Haskell was slated for a midnight court appearance that never happened, according to testimony from a recusal hearing that followed. A jury previously convicted Haskell, a former FedEx driver, of capital murder in 2019 and sentenced him to die for the 2014 killings of Stephen and Katie Stay and their four children in Spring. The commission concluded that Cornelio signed the bench warrant "knowing it contained false information about a nonexistent court appearance," and she went on to deny prosecutors an opportunity to address related court proceedings. Following the recusal hearing, another judge removed Cornelio from Haskell's case. His appeal and writ of habeas corpus was transferred to another court soon after. "Judge Cornelio's failures in the foregoing respects constituted willful and persistent conduct that is clearly inconsistent with the proper performance of her judicial duties and cast public discredit on the judiciary and on the administration of justice," the commission wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cornelio declined to discuss the reprimand publicly and referred questions about the grievance to her lawyer, Wendell Odom. He found the commission's ruling "disappointing" and said an appeal is in the works. He believes Cornelio followed the law in Haskell's case and was obligated to keep aspects of the case private between herself and the defense attorney. The reprimand does not impede her ability to preside in the court. Public sanctions range from admonitions, warnings and reprimands, the last of which represents one of the most severe punishments. When sanctioned, the offending judge is provided a copy of the order, which is then distributed for public awareness, according to the commission's website. Cornelio was earlier notified of the reprimand and testified before the commission on Oct. 2. She acknowledged the bench warrant contained inaccurate information but defended the use of a stand-in court appearance to bring Haskell back to Houston as standard practice in Harris County courts. "Judge Cornelio admitted she 'should have been more careful about the details of the form (she) was signing' and that it was ultimately her responsibility to ensure the bench warrant did not contain misleading information," the commission wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors have targeted Cornelio frequently as part of mounting grievances against the judge's rulings in death penalty cases. Prosecutors earlier asked for Cornelio's recusal in Haskell's case following comments she made prior to her decision to seek judicial office. The complaint was denied. Cornelio was re-elected last November without a Republican challenger. Fellow judges elected Cornelio last month to serve as an administrative judge over the felony courts to oversee policies and relationships with other criminal justice stakeholders for the next two years. This article originally published at Judge reprimanded for handling of death row inmate Ronald Haskell's return to Houston for MRI. (Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images) A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Creston Community School District from moving forward with plans to fire a teacher for her comments regarding the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Last month, Melisa Crook, a high school English teacher from Creston, was informed that she was facing termination for a social-media comment regarding Kirk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crook then sued the district in federal court, citing a series of pro-Republican posts by Superintendent Deron Stender and school board president Don Gee, and alleging that her First Amendment rights were being violated. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger recently granted Crooks motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction blocking the districts plans to terminate her. The judge also deferred Crooks request for a preliminary injunction until after a court hearing thats currently planned for Oct. 31, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The order prevents the districts school board from conducting Crooks employment hearing, scheduled for Oct. 21, 2025, and from taking any other adverse employment actions against Crook based on her Facebook comments. Crook posted her Facebook comments on her personal time, at home, from her personal Facebook account ... She did not purport to speak as an employee of the Creston Community School District. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger In her ruling, Ebinger found that Crook is likely to succeed in showing Stender took adverse action against her in response to exercise of her First Amendment rights and that she is likely to succeed on the merits of her First Amendment claim as to Stender. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ebinger added that she concluded Crook spoke as a citizen on a matter of public concern when posting her Facebook comment. As part of her ruling, Ebinger observed that Crook had responded to and discussed the murder of a public figure, Charlie Kirk, and her (subsequent) longer post clarified her intent in posting the original comment. Crook posted her Facebook comments on her personal time, at home, from her personal Facebook account, Ebinger stated in her ruling. She did not purport to speak as an employee of the Creston Community School District. The school district had argued that a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction would defeat its decision to discharge an employee and improperly extend the employment of a potentially incompetent employee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ebinger rejected that argument, stating that the court finds the enforcement of First Amendment rights outweighs any potential employment harm to defendants. Further, the public has a compelling interest in protection of First Amendment and other constitutional rights. As part of her ruling, the judge denied Crooks request to be removed from administrative leave. Lawsuit cites posts by superintendent In her lawsuit, Crook, who has taught English for the Creston district since 2022, alleges she has been subjected to retaliation, and is now threatened with the termination of her continuing-teaching contract, because of a private, off-duty comment on Facebook. Crooks Sept. 10, 2025, comment was made in response to a family members Facebook post about the shooting death of Kirk, a controversial, conservative political activist. Crook wrote of Kirk: He is a terrible human being terrible. I do not wish death on anyone, but him not being here is a blessing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next morning, after seeing how others had perceived her original comment, Crook wrote on Facebook that she did not wish anyone death and apologized. Later that morning, she issued a more extensive apology on her own Facebook page, stating: I do NOT condone violence or the killing of people you disagree with politically or otherwise. That was never my intent I did not think he should be killed. After further review, I should have thought more about how I chose to post my thoughts, how it would sound. I take responsibility for the poor wording of my post. The lawsuit alleges Stender, Crestons superintendent, called Crook into a meeting on Sept. 15, and reported that the district had received more than 111 emails and 140 telephone calls, with the vast majority of them asking for Crooks firing or asking that their children be removed from her classroom. On Sept. 25, Stender delivered to Crook a formal notice of his recommendation to terminate her teaching contract. Crook then requested a hearing on the matter before the school board, which was scheduled for Oct. 21, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of her lawsuit, Crook included a 43-page document displaying social-media posts allegedly written by Stender over the past several years. The lawsuit also claims Stender and Gee, the school board president, have each made at least one Facebook post or comment agreeing with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis asserting that in Florida, individuals have the right to hit other people with their cars a reference to DeSantis saying people, if they feel threatened, could drive over protesters. The exhibit suggests Stender has made and shared political posts on a Twitter account he also used for school purposes, including content supporting Trump and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst; content condemning the liberal media; comments about riots in liberal cities; a post about supporters of former President Biden being snowflakes; and one comment stating, if you dont like America, leave with Bruce Springsteen and the other elites. Two separate posts attributed to Stender also called on Iowans to vote for Ernst and to vote Ernst on November 3. Crooks lawsuit also references social-media posts by Gee, the school board president, that include an immigration-related comment condemning what Gee called bull left-wing judges. Crooks lawsuit seeks actual and punitive damages for violations of her First Amendment rights. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A lawsuit filed more than two years ago by a private school against the Oklahoma State Board of Education and then-state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters can continue, although an Oklahoma County judge has dismissed a part of the case as moot. District Judge Don Andrews ruled, in an order signed Oct. 13, that the school, Infinity Generation Generals Preparatory School in Oklahoma City, can continue to pursue its claim that the board and Walters violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act during an August 2023 meeting in which the board revoked Infinitys accreditation. But because Infinity since has regained its accreditation through another agency, Andrews dismissed a claim that the boards action in revoking the schools accreditation was invalid. The attorney generals office, which represents the board and Walters in the lawsuit, had asked Andrews to dismiss the case in its entirety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrews wrote that it is in the public interest to determine whether the board violated the Open Meeting Act by providing notice of board action specific to one form of entity (e.g., a governmental entity) that may not be applicable to a private entity, like the petitioners. Infinity claims the board didnt have express authority from the Legislature to create administrative rules covering the situation. Attorney Jim Johnson, who represents Infinity, said the board now must prove the Legislature provided sufficient legislative guidance to the board for rulemaking and that the rules of the board implement fully that legislative grant. Johnson said Infinity will continue to pursue the lawsuit, even with Walters out of office. The OMA is a bedrock of Oklahoma law and, like the Open Records Act, is designed to shine light on government operations, Johnson said. The fact that the (state Department of Education) and Board work so hard against openness should be concerning to everyone in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the attorney general's office didnt immediately return a message seeking comment on Andrews ruling. Accreditation is important for a private school in Oklahoma, because such recognition is necessary to receive taxpayer funds from the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program for students with disabilities and other governmental funding. Infinity, which opened in 2014, sought accreditation from the state Board of Education in 2021. The state board downgraded the schools accreditation for the 2022-23 school year to accreditation with warning. Infinity, located in northeast Oklahoma City, did not operate during the spring 2023 semester because of concerns stemming from the accreditation issue, but reopened for the 2023-24 school year. The school sued the board and Walters in September 2023. An Oklahoma County judge has ruled a portion of a lawsuit filed against former state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters and the state Board of Education can proceed. Walters resigned on Sept. 30 of this year to go to work in the private sector. Because he was named in his official capacity in the lawsuit, responsibility for the case now falls to new Superintendent Lindel Fields. Although he hasnt addressed the Infinity lawsuit specifically, Fields has expressed a desire to resolve lawsuits that stemmed from the actions of Walters. More than a dozen such lawsuits remain outstanding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his ruling, Andrews noted Infinity has been accredited since Oct. 31, 2024, and the state Board of Education which is allowed to accredit private schools via administrative rules no longer oversees Infinitys accreditation. Infinitys accreditation is through Cognia, a private company that works with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Thus, Andrews wrote, that portion of Infinitys lawsuit is moot. But Infinity also had claimed the board and Walters violated the Open Meeting Act, saying the board, which oversees public education in Oklahoma, would first have to go through a statutory rule-making process to revoke a private schools accreditation. Johnson, the attorney for Infinity, has said the state Department of Education under Walters was using rules that specifically mention governance of public schools to deal with a private-school matter. During a June 2024 hearing before Andrews, Johnson referenced what he said was the lack of formal notification by the state agency that the schools accreditation had been revoked. Johnson said while the state board voted on the matter during the August 2023 meeting, it never sent notice to the school. Erin Moore, an assistant attorney general who is representing the board, said it was her stance the boards vote was notification enough. The lawsuit also claimed that a 10-minute time limitation to speak placed upon Johnson for the 2023 meeting was a violation of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Court allows suit against Ryan Walters, Oklahoma ed board to continue Lawyers for Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver argued in federal court Tuesday that charges stemming from a scuffle at an immigrant detention center in Newark in May should be dismissed because she was fulfilling her Congressional oversight duties and because the government was engaged in selective enforcement. With McIver supporters demonstrating outside the courthouse, U.S. District Court Judge Jamel Semper said he would take time to weigh the arguments and issue a written decision on the defenses pre-trial motions. Semper did not say when that would be. Lawyers said a decision could be weeks away, after the judge gave prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Newark a week to turn over any remaining video footage of the incident that would not jeopardize security at the Delaney Hall detention center. The judge also gave prosecutors two weeks to provide any policies for crowd control or the handling of congressional visitors to the facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are interesting and complicated legal issues, McIvers lawyer, Paul Fishman, summed up after the hearing. This prosecution should be dismissed on the grounds that these charges are based on selective prosecution and because the congresswoman is immune. But the judge has 200 pages of briefs on this case from both sides. Fishman is a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey who once headed the office now prosecuting his client. McIver, D-10th Dist., was indicted on June 10 on three counts of assaulting, resisting and obstructing federal officers. The indictment stems from a May 9 scuffle just outside the security fence at Delaney Hall, a privately run, federally contracted detention facility in Newark. She and others were trying to prevent the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka on a trespassing charge that was dropped 13 days later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIver and fellow New Jersey House Democrats Rob Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman had gone to Delaney Hall that day to conduct a congressional oversight inspection following assertions by Baraka that it lacked a valid certificate of occupancy. In an Aug. 15 motion, and again in court Tuesday, McIvers attorneys argued that the indictment criminalizes conduct that occurred while she was performing official legislative duties. However, the lead federal prosecutor in the case, assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren, told the judge Tuesday that McIvers actions just outside the facilitys security gate were not part of her oversight visit. Bodycam footage released last month appears to show that the federal agent who arrested Baraka had been speaking on the phone with and acting on instructions from a deputy U.S. Attorney General to arrest Baraka. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Fishman told the judge that the mayors arrest was part of a broader effort to block the oversight visit to the facility, which is operated by its Florida-based owner, the GEO Group, under a contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE. Whatever the governments intention may have been that day, the judge questioned Fishmans assertion that McIver could do whatever she wanted while carrying out her official duties. Is all the conduct that flows from that protected activity immune simply because she went to that facility to conduct legislative activity? Semper said. Lawyers also debated the issue of selective enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defense, which includes co-counsel Lee Cortes, argued that the government sought to indict the Democratic congresswoman based on her political party and her opposition to the crackdown on undocumented immigrants by the administration of Republican President Donald Trump. Fishman cited the Trump administrations pardoning of convicted Jan. 6, 2020 Capitol rioters as an example of egregious violence being excused because the perpetrators were aligned with the president. But prosecutors noted on Tuesday that charges had not been brought against the two other Democratic U.S. House members who accompanied McIver on the oversight visit. McIvers lawyers had also complained of press releases and other public statements about her conduct by Trump administration officials, which her lawyers said were defamatory and improperly outside the scope of the official allegations against her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCarren assured the judge that several related press releases had been taken down. But the judge admonished McCarren to use whatever influence he had with federal officials in Washington to scrub from online sites or curb any other such statements. Supporters outside the Frank R. Lautenberg Post Office and Courthouse on Tuesday cheered McIver and others who had been inside for the hearing, including Baraka, Menendez and Watson Coleman. McIver, a former Newark City Council president, represents New Jerseys 10th Congressional District, after winning a special election last year to fill a seat vacated by the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. She told supporters she would not be intimidated by the charges. This is not going to stop me from doing my job, McIver said. Im not going to stop holding this administration accountable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BHNA_Y9xwuhi2kmzBnmLKxbYs6Cn65tabMqA-Pi9btY/edit?gid=368601624#gid=368601624 Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. ALBANY - An attorney for former NXIVM leader Keith Raniere argued before a tribunal at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Tuesday that he deserved a new trial, or at least a hearing, on evidence tied to his conviction of possession of child pornography. It is Raniere's third bid for a new trial, with the argument based on claims that the government falsified evidence of child pornography on a hard drive and camera memory card seized from Raniere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raniere's 2019 racketeering conviction was predicated on eleven acts, including child exploitation and possession of child pornography. Investigators discovered images from 2005 of a girl, who was 15 years old at the time, on a hard drive seized from Raniere. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison on Oct. 27, 2020, a punishment the federal Bureau of Prisons says he will complete on June 27, 2120. Raniere's attorney, Deborah Blum, argued to the appellate court that Senior U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis erred in denying Raniere's appeal in 2024. She claimed the government relied on digital evidence, specifically the hard drive and camera flash card, to prove the age of an alleged victim and alleged tampering and planting of evidence by the FBI. In court documents filed as part of the appeal, Raniere argued the FBI falsified metadata on the digital camera card and Western Digital hard drive to fit the prosecution's narrative that the photographs were taken in 2005 when the victim was fifteen years old. Some of the judges on the panel appeared skeptical of Blum's claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blum argued a new hearing was necessary to examine that metadata because a second copy of the memory card in question was never turned over to Raniere's legal team. That second copy was made because the original forensic examiner was no longer available to testify at trial. But one judge noted the government stated in its reply to Raniere's appeal that Raniere's legal team had never requested the original. Related: Federal appeals court says no, again, to NXIVM leader Keith Raniere Raniere, Bronfman lose federal appeals in NXIVM case Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar argued that nothing in Raniere's claims constituted new evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "All of the evidence cited by Raniere's purported experts was available to Raniere before and during trial," she told the court. In her questioning of Blum, Judge Maria Araujo Kahn noted the memory card was not the primary evidence the government used to prove possession of child pornography, only to corroborate it. Another judge noted that Garaufis, the district court judge who denied Raniere's latest appeal, found that evidence presented at trial, a government expert's report, the victim's own affidavit verifying her identity and age in the photos, were a far more plausible explanation for the discrepancy in the metadata than anything that Raniere offered in his legal briefs. That same judge also noted the government didn't need to find that all 11 racketeering acts had been proven to get a conviction on that charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The panel did not immediately rule on Raniere's appeal. The charges of child exploitation and possession of child pornography were included in a February 2019 superseding indictment filed just weeks before Raniere was set to go to trial. In his April 9, 2024, decision denying Raniere's bid for a new trial, Garaufis noted Raniere's post-trial argument that he did not have time to examine the child pornography evidence conflicted with Raniere's trial counsel clearly stating multiple times after the photographs were discovered and the new charges were filed that he was ready for trial. Raniere previously requested a new trial based on allegations of government intimidation or perjury by key witnesses. That appeal was denied. In 2023, a federal appeals court in Manhattan rejected Raniere's petition to disqualify Garaufis from considering his remaining bids for freedom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garaufis, based in the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, presided over Raniere's nearly two-month trial that ended in June 2019 with the cult leader's convictions on charges of sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and racketeering charges. The racketeering conviction included underlying acts of extortion, sexual exploitation and possessing child pornography involving the 15-year-old female victim. Raniere, a purported personal growth guru from Halfmoon, founded NXIVM and its Executive Success Programs alongside the company's president, Nancy Salzman, in 1998. For two decades, the Colonie-based organization, now widely viewed as a cult, attracted more than 17,000 students to its headquarters on New Karner Road, as well as locations in Los Angeles, the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Raniere, known in NXIVM as "Vanguard," led NXIVM and its Executive Success Programs in Colonie for 20 years. In March 2018, Raniere was arrested in Mexico. A jury convicted in June 2019. He's serving his sentence for sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and racketeering charges that included underlying acts of extortion, identity theft and possession of child pornography, at a federal prison in Tucson, Ariz. This article originally published at Judges appear skeptical of Raniere's latest bid to overturn NXIVM conviction. President Donald Trump moved one step closer to deploying National Guard troops in yet another American city on Monday. In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned one of two restraining orders barring the president from deploying troops in Oregons largest city. After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority,' the majority wrote. The Trump administration ordered 200 members of the Oregon National Guard into federal service last month, with an eye toward deployment in Portland. Trump has spent much of his second term arguing that he has the authority to mobilize state troops in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, citing supposed spikes in crime. That argument has landed the Trump administration in court repeatedly, with many lower court judges blocking the president via restratining orders. One such order in Portland, issued by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, remains in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said no National Guard members can deploy in Oregon on Trumps orders until the district court acts on the second [restraining order]. U.S. Northern Command shared in a statement that the Title 10 National Guard soldiers in Portland are not conducting any operational activities at this time. Start your day with essential news from Salon. Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course. In her dissent, Circuit Court Judge Susan Graber pleaded with her fellow members of the judiciary to bar Trump from sending the military into American cities. I urge my colleaguesto act swiftly to vacate the majortys order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur, she wrote. I ask all those who are watching this case unfold to retain faith in our judicial system for just a little longer. The post Judges OK Trump deploying National Guard to Portland appeared first on Salon.com. (Jae C. Hong/AP photo) The Trump-Putin Summit set to take place in Budapest is now on hold after Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Tuesday. President Donald Trump had announced last week that he would meet Vladimir Putin for another in-person meeting in a bid to resolve the years-long Russia-Ukraine conflict. But now, after a call between Rubio and Lavrov, its not happening for now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Associated Press on Tuesday that more preparation is needed, serious preparation. Trump and Putin previously met face-to-face back in August at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, but the meeting failed to produce a peace deal. The U.S. president came up empty in the meeting, with Trump later admitting we didnt get there in reference to a potential peace deal. Last week, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House after having a call with Putin. Zelensky posted on X that he was grateful to President Trump for our dialogue and his support, and that his visit to Washington would focus on air defense and our long-range capabilities aimed at exerting pressure on Russia for the sake of peace. The post JUST IN: Trump-Putin Summit in Budapest Now on Hold After Rubio-Lavrov Call first appeared on Mediaite. (The Center Square) Catch and release, says a sergeant in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, does not reduce crime in our community. To wit, included in the information released from police in North Carolinas largest city was arrest history for a 15-year-old. Since August 2023, the juvenile has been arrested 111 times, with seven charges of stolen property, 45 charges of larceny from an auto, and 55 charges of auto theft. If that doesnt make you furious at how broken our justice system is, youre not paying attention, said U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department released a third-quarter safety report showcasing a substantial decline in crime citywide. The report says crime overall is down 8% and violent offenses are down 20%. Yet the city of just under 950,000 and its judicial policies got a black eye nationally in the aftermath of a stabbing death on a light rail train Aug. 22. Iryna Zarutskas death fueled multiple probes, including from the state auditor that found the transit system was down 55% in armed security but up 211% in contract value. The Police Department report summary highlights positive statistics before reaching the 12th paragraph, where Sgt. Todd Martin of the Southeast Service Area Crime Reduction Unit says, We continue to see a troubling pattern: a disproportionate number of violent incidents and property crimes are being committed by individuals with extensive criminal histories many of whom continue to cycle through the justice system without facing meaningful consequences. The cycle of catch and release does not reduce crime in our community. Violent crimes in Charlotte from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 number 4,506. Zarutskas death is one of 62 homicides. Those numbers for the same time period in 2024 were 5,622 and 82. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charlotte has had increases in commercial burglaries (1,824, up from 1,751) and larcenies from automobiles (7,716, up from 7,697). Deputy Chief Jackie Bryley, in the summary, says, Patrol officers are the most visible part of our department. They are in our communities building relationships, deterring crime and providing services to our Charlotte residents. Every day, our officers intervene in disputes, stop crimes in progress and prevent violence without it ever making the news. The progress were making in reducing violent crime is the result of strong, ongoing teamwork and we remain committed to a safe Charlotte. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) The Reagan County Sheriffs Office (RCSO) announced that they welcomed a new K-9 unit. RCSO announced in a social media post that they welcomed Kyro, their newest K-9 addition. Deputy Smith and Kyro recently completed thorough training in San Antonio, preparing them to be a great team on patrol, said RCSO. Were incredibly proud of their dedication and look forward to all they will accomplish together. Kyro is an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois, trained in narcotics detection to work alongside Deputy Smith in effort to combat narcotics in Reagan County and keep the community safe. 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 ConchoValleyHomepage.com. Jo Min-Su was working toward a computer science doctorate at one of South Korea's best universities when he stumbled on his calling: building a better lip gloss. The 30-year-old sat near his booth at Seoul Beauty Week, pulled out a stick of his brand named Blup and gave his upper lip a dewy pink glow-up. "Nobody trusts a founder who doesn't use his own product," he said, smacking his lips. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jo is one of the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs looking to strike it rich on the seemingly insatiable global demand for beauty products from South Korea. Following in the slipstream of the superstars of K-pop, K-beauty has become a massive global business. Los Angeles fans of South Korean imports flocked to KCON LA 2025 at the L.A. Convention Center this year. At the music and cultural festival, they saw top K-pop idols and lined up for K-beauty at skin-care booths. The three-day convention which had more than 350 booths and attracted more than 100,000 people from around L.A. and the country was sponsored by South Korean health and beauty giant Olive Young, which plans to open its first US outlet in L.A. early next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The secret of K-beauty's success has been the unlikely alliance of big manufacturers and small entrepreneurs to develop and supply a steady stream of new products to consumers and the "skinfluencers" who help them lock in on the latest lotions. Popular for offering unique and affordable products like sunscreens that don't leave white smears while doubling as moisturizers South Korean cosmetics have dominated some social media feeds in recent years. Whether it is Kim Kardashian on Instagram or deals from Walmart or Target, consumers who care about cosmetics are getting constant updates on the ever-changing trends. That online buzz has catapulted South Korea's cosmetics exports to more than $10 billion. Last year, it dethroned France home of beauty royalty brands such as L'Oreal and L'Occitane as the biggest exporter of cosmetics to the US. Unlike South Korea's other marquee exports like semiconductors and automobiles, beauty product exports are largely backed by smaller companies. Two-thirds of last year's cosmetics exports came from small and medium-sized firms like Blup, according to the Korea International Trade Assn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What has emerged is the hope that anyone, with the right product and a little bit of luck, can make a fortune in K-beauty. Since 2013, the number of registered cosmetics sellers in the country has increased sevenfold, to over 27,000 last year. The K-beauty trend took off in Los Angeles and across the country during COVID-19 when people were locked at home, online, thinking about self-care and exploring alternatives to well-known brands, said Sarah Chung Park, the founder and chief executive of Landing International, an L.A.-based company that connects K-beauty brands to American retailers. "Because of COVID, TikTok really boomed, and I think that was a way for people to discover K-beauty brands and then those brands went on Amazon and converted that virality to sales," she said. "Pretty much every Korean brand has capitalized on that." Behind most of the budding brands is a handful of manufacturers such as Colmar and Cosmax. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cosmetics manufacturers behind many of the latest brands are largely invisible to ordinary beauty consumers. Unlike other global players like L'Oreal or Estee Lauder, Cosmax has never sold directly under its own name, specializing almost entirely in research and original design manufacturing, or ODM. Cosmax was founded in 1992 and has grown into the largest cosmetics ODM in the world, supplying 4,500 brands from its factories in South Korea, China, the US and Southeast Asia. And at a time when some of the most well-known beauty brands are in decline or stuck in single-digit growth due to consumer fatigue, Cosmax reported a record $1.7 billion in revenue last year a 22% increase from 2023. The company is a primary reason why South Korean beauty startups have been able to take off so quickly, flooding global markets at a pace that competitors in other countries struggle to match. Cosmax accounted for around 26% of all of South Korea's cosmetics exports last year. It has a unique ability to develop and launch new products rapidly while still making money supplying even the smallest brands, said Lee Kyung-soo, the company's 79-year-old chairman and founder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "From the point a brand comes to us with an idea, we can supply them in as little as three to six months," he said. "In other markets, that can be anywhere between a year to three years. They just can't compete with South Korea when it comes to speed." Few clients are too small for Lee, who has made sure that Cosmax will fill custom orders as small as 3,000 units. The company supplies companies with billions of dollars a year in revenue, and also Blup, a three-person lip gloss startup. Kang Seung-hyun, the senior managing director of Cosmax's research unit, estimates that the company releases around 8,000 new products annually. By the end of any given year, each of the company's 1,100 cosmetic scientists will have worked on the development of 80 to 100 cosmetic products, allowing Cosmax and its domestic peers to, as Kang puts it, "carpet-bomb the global market with novel products." The list of Korean beauty trends that have been adopted as staples around the world is long: BB creams, ampoules, face masks and pimple patches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having big manufacturers like Cosmax do the heavy lifting allows many with little experience in cosmetics to join the K-beauty free-for-all. Among the beauty newbies: a scandal-ridden politician's daughter, a seafood retailer and a stationery-maker. "Anyone can do it. The barrier to entry isn't high at all," said Lee Sun-young, the founder of fruit-based cosmetics startup Kikiglow. "And the market is all about indie brands right now." As little as $20,000 in starting capital will get beauty entrepreneurs their first batch of product from a reputable cosmetics manufacturer in a matter of months. E-commerce platforms like TikTok Shop allow them to sell to global consumers directly. The only things they need are a concept, a set of thumbs and a knack for social media. Inside the convention hall, Kikiglow's booth was swarmed by influencers wielding camera sticks as they lined up for free samples. Giving product away to as many influencers as possible, hoping it will go viral, is an essential part of this game. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The people will stop coming once the samples run out," she said. To be sure, the fierce competition from the constant churn of new hot products and more affordable options from China and elsewhere makes it harder to stand out, succeed and retain customers. Meanwhile, the different tariffs coming out of the White House are making some cosmetic imports more expensive and less competitive in the U.S. "In the past, consumers would stick with a brand for 10 years or so and become extremely loyal," said B.J. Lee, who runs Cosmax's business in the US and is a son of the founder. "But with K-beauty, the ups and downs are extreme. New brands are coming out all the time, and people are constantly chasing the next exciting thing." Last year, according to US government data, over 8,800 cosmetic brands went out of business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Against such headwinds, Blup's selling point is that it can get the colors of lip glosses just right, using artificial intelligence to analyze consumer preferences and skin tones. The company is on track to record around $100,000 in sales by the end of the year and has plans to expand in Japan, Jo said. "I'm still not satisfied with where we are," he said. "There are so many entrepreneurs who are crushing it." 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: Wits University As the U.S. pulls the funding rug out from under African countries fighting infectious diseases, it is more necessary than ever for Africa to make its own medicine. Health inequity began long before 2025 and it is more critical now that innovation for accessible health care be "home-grown." An unexpected opportunity emanating from this public health crisis comes in the form of the shell of the humble cashew nut, which is widely farmed across Africa. Cashew nut shells are also waste products, so their use for various industrial and medical applications does not compete with any other applications. How it works This C-shaped nut and the oil extracted from its discarded shell can easily be converted into hydrogenated cardanol. A few simple synthetic steps are then followed to make ionizable lipids, which can be custom-designed and assembled as lipid nanoparticles to carry encapsulated messenger RNA (mRNA) in a vaccine, triggering an immune response. This magic trick can be decoded as follows: Instead of giving your body part of a virus, as was done traditionally, you get a small piece of genetic code (mRNA), wrapped up in a protective bubble (in this case, the lipid nanoparticle made from cashew nutshell oil). This then instructs your cells to produce a harmless piece of the virus or an antigen so that the immune system recognizes the protein as foreign and mounts an immune response. The protein is only briefly produced by your own cells. It is a temporary instruction sheet. If the actual virus ever shows up, the immune system is trained to defeat it. Why mRNA vaccines matter These mRNA vaccines can be produced more quickly than traditional vaccines because they are cell-free and a large number of doses can be manufactured in small facilities. This is a game-changer for Africa, making it possible for the African Union to achieve its target of producing 60% of the continent's vaccines regionally by 2040. Currently, Africa produces only 1% of the vaccines it uses and even then, this is still under a foreign patent for which the continent pays enormous licensing fees. Professor Patrick Arbuthnot, director of the South African Medical Research Council's Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit (AGTRU) at Wits, says that the pandemic highlighted the need for scalable vaccine platforms, particularly in South Africa. Arbuthnot and his team quickly pivoted their gene therapy research to prioritize mRNA vaccine discovery. Turning waste into medical gold Together with the Wits School of Chemistry, the AGTRU plans to develop vaccine-enabling compounds derived from cashew nutshell liquid. "Traditional vaccine production is an arduous and time-consuming process. We have discovered that our lipids can be made at a fraction of the price and are as effective as the lipid molecule's 'gold standard' [SM102] used by Moderna in their COVID-19 vaccines," explains Dr. Robin Klintworth, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Wits School of Chemistry. According to Professor Charles de Koning, the Head of the Wits School of Chemistry, "We see that these lipids can indeed deliver delicate genetic material safely and flexibly. Cashew nutshell oil-derived lipids are made in a more sustainable manner than petrochemical-based lipids currently on the market [such as the SM102] and used in mRNA vaccines. Indeed, some of our ionizable lipids have induced a similar immune response to the Moderna lipid SM102." Previously, de Koning and his team of chemists previously found a way to turn the same chemical building block derived from cashew nut shellshydrogenated cardanolinto a class of compounds known as triazines that filter harmful UV rays from the sun. This could be a potential ingredient in sunscreen products. mRNA's expanding frontier "The beauty of this discovery is that it is flexiblethe team can alter the mRNA code to tackle other viruses," says Arbuthnot. This is where Dr. Kristie Bloom from the AGTRU weighs in. This next-generation vaccine team leader is using mRNA technology to create a prophylactic (disease-preventing) vaccine in the fight against tuberculosis (TB). "It seems that the pursuit of these next-generation mRNA vaccines, which were previously seen as the poor cousins of vaccinology, may activate the T-cells needed to fight TB. We have two TB prophylactic candidates currently in advanced discovery and product development stages," she says. While the BCG vaccine is administered to infants as a preventative measure against TB, protection decreases in adolescence. TB incidence, therefore, remains endemic in South Africa, with TB deaths remaining high. The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that TB has "catastrophic" costs for affected households. The WHO's End TB strategy is a blueprint for countries to achieve 80% fewer new cases of TB, 90% fewer deaths and to eliminate the suffering of TB-affected households by 2030. Toward a health-equitable future A new TB vaccine is urgent and necessary but has been elusive until now. "The discovery of the discarded cashew nutshell oil and its transformation into ionizable lipids as an important part of the mRNA vaccine delivery system is one of the ways we can strengthen the continent's future pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. This will enhance the continent's vaccine sovereignty and ultimately, health security and equity," says Arbuthnot. New charges have been filed against the man charged in the disappearance of Philadelphia woman Kada Scott. Keon King, 21, is also now facing arson, causing catastrophe, conspiracy and tampering with evidence, among other charges in connection with the case, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced during a press conference on Monday. Keon King Right now, homicide charges have not yet been filed against King as the district attorney's office continues to investigate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are not done," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said. This comes just days after human remains were found behind a vacant school in Philadelphia's Germantown. The DA's office confirmed on Monday those remains are of Scott. An emotional vigil held on Monday night. "Even though this is the worst thing we could have possibly hoped for, we were able to get our baby back," a family member said. Chopper 6 was over the scene Saturday after human remains were found amid the search for missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott. Scott vanished the night of Saturday, Oct. 4, after leaving her workplace, an assisted living facility in Chestnut Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King was initially arrested and charged last week with kidnapping in Scott's case. He is also facing reinstated charges for a separate case from earlier this year that had been initially dropped when the witness did not appear in court. DA Krasner continues to face criticism over the office's decision to withdraw charges in that case. RELATED | Kada Scott case: Timeline of investigation into missing Philadelphia woman Those new charges come as officials say they have located a vehicle they believe is connected to the case. Officials say a tip led police to a burned 2008 black Hyundai Accent in the 2300 block 74th Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, when investigators went to the scene, they say the vehicle was already towed, compacted, and was at a junkyard. Investigators said they were able to obtain surveillance video of the vehicle, leading them to believe that the Hyundai is the car used to move Scott to where her remains were ultimately found near Ada Lewis Middle School. Kada Scott Officials said the vehicle was stolen on October 3, the day before Scott was last seen, from the 6600 block of Sprague Street. It was then later burned on October 7. Cell phone data also allegedly places King at the various locations connected to this case, including where the vehicle was burned as well as when the vehicle was seen near the rec center where the remains were found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the two weeks prior to Saturday's discovery, law enforcement had searched the grounds near the school and nearby Awbury Arboretum, bringing in additional K-9 units from New Jersey and at one point shutting down Philadelphia's police academy to have 300 recruits comb the area. Physical evidence, including Scott's phone case and debit card was discovered but not Scott. The discovery of Scott's remains also came from a "very specific" tip that came in overnight Friday. The remains were found Saturday. "The tip was very specific that led us back to this location here," said First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford, with the Philadelphia Police Department. "We want the people-- the person we have in custody and anyone else who may be involved -- we want them held accountable to the highest degree of the law for what they have done." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Philadelphia police and the district attorney's office hold a news conference after human remains were found Saturday amid the search for missing woman Kada Scott. The remains were removed from the scene by late Saturday afternoon. The remains are now being handled by the medical examiner's office. Police are still working to determine how King and Scott knew each other, but they believe the pair came into contact in the days before the disappearance on October 4. Officials also said they believe other people may have been involved in this case, however, they did not release any other details about who they may be or the extent of their involvement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before her disappearance, Scott had told people that she was being harassed, but it is unclear if King was the person allegedly harassing her. The Hyundai Accent is the second vehicle connected to this case. Last week, police tracked down a 1999 metallic gold Toyota Camry they believed could have been involved in the case. A tip lead police to the vehicle that was parked at an apartment complex in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. ALSO SEE: Car found in search for missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott | What we know King is being held on a $2.5 million bail for the initial charges in Scott's case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott's family released a statement on Monday, saying: "Today, we'll say her name tomorrow, we'll say her name, and forever, we will say her name. It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved daughter, Kada Scott. We kindly ask for space and privacy at this time, as we process the heartbreaking events of the past few weeks. Our hearts are shattered, yet we are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers from people across the nation and around the world. Please continue to keep us in our in prayer as we navigate this unimaginable loss. Our hearts are broken beyond measure. We are profoundly thankful to every person who share Kada's story, joined the search efforts, prayed with us, and stood by our family during this devastating time.Your compassion, love, and strength have carried us when we cannot carry ourselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kada was deeply, deeply loved. Her light, kindness, and beautiful spirit will forever remain in our hearts. We also wish to extend our hearts for gratitude to Mayor Cherelle Parker, the Philadelphia Police Department, all first responders, local volunteers, community organizations, and media outlets, as well as everyone who worked tirelessly to help find our daughter. Although the outcome is one no parent should ever have to face, we remain thankful for the unity, leadership, and love that surrounded us through it all. As we continue to grieve, our family now seeks justice for Kada. We place our full trust in the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia District's Attorney's Office to ensure that the truth is revealed and that those responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Please honor Kada's memory by showing kindness and care to one another, just as she did every day of her life." Oct. 21Kalispell Public Schools plans to put its Auxiliary Services Building on the market. The Board of Trustees declared the 514 E. Washington St. building as surplus/obsolete property Oct. 14, authorizing administrators to move forward with publishing a public notice of the intention. Real estate agent Dave Girardot provided the board with a price estimate of $700,000 to $900,000 based on comparable properties and prior to an appraisal. Girardot said he did a full market analysis for the board's finance committee using a church, church/school building and an office building as examples of what special purpose buildings have sold, or been listed for, noting that it is difficult to find comparable properties around the valley. The East Washington Street property has a B-2 general business zoning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Which is great zoning. That's the most liberal zoning for business zoning you can get. It allows the most types of uses for that property. So, it'd do everything from multifamily to office to retail and some very light assembly, light industrial type uses," Girardot said. Proceeds from the sale will be held in a reserve account for future property purchases or investment in support of the district's regular operations. With questions about whether the building was initially built with elementary district or high school district funds, due to its various uses over time, the board decided to only have trustees representing the elementary district vote. The outcome was unanimous. The district has tried selling the building before. In September 2013, trustees accepted developer Sam Baldridge's offer of $260,000, which at the time was $90,000 below the district's asking price. By November 2013, that sale fell through, however, when Baldridge withdrew his offer, which was contingent on negotiating a lease with a governmental entity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was the only offer made on the building after being on the market for a year and a half. The 2013 decision ultimately rested on the building's limited commercial use and repairs needed at the time. With repairs, such as replacing a boiler and piping and asbestos removal since completed, Girardot said he thinks the building could sell in the $850,000 range in today's market. Before the vote, Trustee Linda Kaps inquired about the current state of the market. "The first three quarters were pretty bad nationwide," Girardot answered, "... But things are really starting to come back, both residentially and commercially nationwide right now." Trustee Ursula Wilde asked if the East Washington Street building could be used for any other needs, such as an early childhood program. District Superintendent Matt Jensen said it was apparent during long-range facility planning that the size of the lot is too small to operate as a school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BUT HISTORICALLY, the building served as a school. It was Edgerton Elementary School and then Laser School (the alternative high school before it became Linderman Education Center). It went on to house the district warehouse, now-defunct print shop, mailroom and shipping department. Most recently, it housed the nonprofit HEART Program, the Transportation Department and served temporarily as the superintendent's office. The Transportation Department relocated to newly constructed facilities at 124 School Station Court in 2023. Last fall, the HEART Program, which serves students affected by homelessness, relocated its office and HEART Locker donation drop-off point to Elrod Elementary School, 412 Third Ave. W. It had been housed at the East Washington Street building since 2015. The locker, which offers students free clothing, shoes, undergarments, hygiene products and school supplies, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. It is also open to students from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month during the school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to Elrod, HEART Locker donations can be accessed by students where HEART Market food pantries are located at Flathead and Glacier high schools, Linderman Education Center and Kalispell Middle School. "The focus of the program is shifting more toward supporting the school kids [on-site]," said district Homeless Education Liaison Natalie Molter. "The off-site location was more of a community center. We're trying to get assistance directly to kids and doing case management at the school level." The HEART Program's drop-in learning center relocated to Christ Episcopal Church, 215 Third Ave. E. in Kalispell, down the block from Linderman. Molter said programming is available to students 13 and up, who can drop in and learn a variety of life skills from cooking to filling out a resume. Transportation to the site is available for interested students. DURING LAST week's board meeting, trustees also approved creating a transportation operations and accounting specialist position. The financial impact will be in the range of $49,171 to $53,726 and will come out of the transportation fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There has been one staff member assigned to afternoon dispatching and the scope of work posed an unsustainable workload for the district's transportation director, elevating the risk of service disruption, according to board documents. Jensen said the district has considered variations of such a position previously and regrets not making the recommendation a couple of years ago and prior to the departure of the previous transportation director who took a position with Missoula County Public Schools. Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected]. RELATED PHOTO GALLERY The nonprofit group that successfully challenged race-conscious college admissions in the U.S. Supreme Court has filed a new lawsuitthis time against Kamehameha Schoolsseeking to overturn the private institutions long-standing policy of giving preference to students of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Students for Fair Admissions, led by conservative activist Edward Blum, filed the federal complaint Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. The lawsuit alleges that Kamehamehas admissions policy violates federal law that guarantees all people the same right to make and enforce contracts regardless of race. The complaint describes the policy as a categorical racial bar that purposefully excludes non-Native Hawaiian students, arguing that Kamehameha admits Native Hawaiian applicants first and strives to ensure no seats remain for others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blum said in a statement, Kamehameha can keep its mission, its culture, and its curriculum, but it cannot bar children because of their race. Native Hawaiian culture can be celebrated without imposing ancestry-based barriers that exclude white, Black, Hispanic, and Asian children. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser contacted Blum for comment. He did not immediately respond, citing travel, but said that previous legal challenges have struck down requirements in Bernice Pauahi Bishops willsuch as mandating teachers be Protestantso he believes the schools race-based admissions also could be overturned. The will also required all KS teachers to be Protestants, he wrote in an email. That was struck down as illegal. So the race-based requirements for admissions may be struck down as well regardless of the will. The will of Princess Pauahi, which established Kamehameha Schools, required that all teachers be Protestant. This provision was challenged and ultimately struck down as a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively upholding the lower courts decision that the religious hiring requirement was illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit marks the latest in a decades-long series of legal challenges to the 137-year-old schools admissions practices. Kamehameha Schools, founded in 1887 under the will of Princess Pauahithe last direct descendant of the Kamehameha line, was created to improve the well-being of Native Hawaiian children through education. Today, it is one of the largest private school systems in the nation, with campuses on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii island and extensive landholdings that help fund scholarships and community programs. SFFAs complaint cites |previous court battles over the schools policy, including Doe v. Kamehameha Schools, in which the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowly upheld the schools admissions preference in 2010. That case was settled before the U.S. Supreme Court could weigh in. According to the new complaint, SFFA represents two anonymous Hawaii familiesidentified as Families A and Bwho say they would apply to Kameha meha if the school did not restrict admission to Native Hawaiians. Both families claim they are deterred by what they describe as a futile process that excludes non-Native children and exposes applicants to potential ostracization, bullying, and harassment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SFFA seeks a permanent injunction barring the school from considering ancestry or race in admissions, along with a declaration that the current policy violates federal law. The group also requests nominal damages of $1 per member and an order requiring Kamehameha to desegregate with all deliberate speed. Kamehameha Schools released a public statement late Monday afternoon saying, We are ready for this challenge. We are resolved to vigorously defend our admissions policy and will engage every legal and operational resource to protect Ke Ali i Pauahis kauoha. The facts and the law are on our side, and we are confident that we will prevail. In kapu aloha, we will stand strong together. Kamehameha Schools is calling on its community to gather for an Aha Koa at Iolani Palace today at 10 a.m. Participants are encouraged to wear blue and bring Hawaiian flags, posters, banners and other expressions of aloha aina. The filing immediately reignited emotional debate in Hawaii, where Kamehameha Schools is seen by many as both an educational institution and a symbol of cultural survival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything that Ive seen from Mr. Blum shows his lack of understanding of Hawaii, its community, and the Native Hawaiian experience, said Jacob Aki, a 2013 Kamehameha Schools graduate and cultural practitioner. He clearly shows a lack of understanding of these historical injustices. The Princess used all of her resources, her monies, her lands, to create a will which created the schools. Since 1887, the schools have developed into more than just an educational institution, but really a cornerstone of who we are as a state. Aki said SFFAs lawsuit ignores the unique history of Native Hawaiians, including the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and generations of land loss and cultural suppression. Its just really unfortunate, Aki said. But it was never a question of if, it was a matter of when. Now that the threat is there, that the suit has been filed, what youll start to see is that were going to make our voices heardalumni, graduates, beneficiaries, Native Hawaiians. Community leaders and elected officials also have rallied in defense of the school. After the first announcement of the legal push in September, state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole (D, Kaneohe-Kailua ) called on residents to stand by and fight these encroachments from folks on the mainland who are trying to come in and attack the legacy and the trust of Pauahi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A petition supporting Kamehamehas admissions policy has gathered over 30, 000 signatures. Blums organization, based in Arlington, Va., is best known for spearheading the lawsuits that led to the Supreme Courts 2023 decision ending race-conscious admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The new Hawaii case could test how those same principles apply to private schools operating under charitable trusts with explicit cultural missions. SFFA argues that because Kamehameha requires tuition payments and enrollment contracts, its admissions decisions constitute contracting under federal law. The group also cites the Supreme Courts 2000 decision in Rice v. Cayetano, which held that Native Hawaiian ancestry is a racial classification, not a political one. Kamehameha Schools has not yet filed a legal response, but the institution has long defended its policy as a remedial measure rooted in Princess Pauahis will and intended to address the educational disparities facing Native Hawaiian children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The schools mission statement emphasizes its commitment to improving the capability and well-being of people of Hawaiian ancestry through education, culture, and leadership. In past litigation, the trustees have argued that the admissions preference is narrowly tailored to serve that charitable purpose and is consistent with private trust law. The new lawsuit could take months or years to resolve. Legal scholars say the outcome could hinge on whether courts view Kamehamehas admissions preference as a private act of charitable intent or as a racially discriminatory policy under federal contract law. Meanwhile, community members like Aki say the broader implications extend far beyond the school itself. This threat is going to have far reaching impacts, well beyond just those who went to the schools, Aki said. Its such a big player in our state, its such a big part of who we are as a community. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A historic Kansas City landmark designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright is receiving a major boost for preservation. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded a $160,000 grant to Community Christian Church as part of its National Fund for Sacred Places program. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV The program is a nationwide effort providing $8.73 million this year to help 30 historic congregations and architecturally significant faith communities restore and preserve their aging buildings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through this program, faith communities can receive capital grants and hands-on technical assistance to help with preservation projects like roof repairs, HVAC replacement, waterproofing, etc. Community Christian Church near the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. According to a news release, the grant funding for Community Christian Church will be directed at the buildings exterior, water infiltration mitigation, walls/siding/cladding, roof/gutters/chimney, windows and doors, mechanical system and interior. Each of the congregations welcomed into the National Fund this year represents a unique story of resilience, history, and service, Bob Jaeger, president of Partners for Sacred Places, said in a statement. These sacred places are not only architectural treasures they are vital centers of congregational life and community anchors offering meals, education, cultural enrichment, and refuge. We are honored to support their preservation and their continued role in public life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres only been one prior grant given in Missouri. In 2023, it was given to St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. KANSAS CITY, Mo. The federal governments ongoing shutdown is beginning to affect services for local families. Head Start services for kids from low-income families may be in jeopardy, according to the Mid-American Regional Council (MARC). Current funding ends next week, and theres no approval for continued funding. This is due, in part, to the standoff on Capitol Hill. That means they may be forced to close temporarily. The Early Start Center on E. 12th Street is one of 17 metro early learning centers operated by MARC. June McDaniel, the centers CEO, serves hundreds of low-income families with classes before kindergarten and weekday child care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MARCs early learning facilities are used by 2,300 families. McDaniel is concerned that if funding isnt approved by Oct. 30, shell be forced to use emergency funds, which may not last long. The government shutdown is certainly scary, McDaniel said on Monday. Families are scared. My staff is scared. Ive been putting out communications just trying to put everyones mind at ease. Some providers have told us theyve made the decision with their leadership to take the risk and remain open for now. However, based on the discussion this morning with program directors, there are others who may not be able to do that, added Kasey Lawson, MARCs director of the 17 centers. On Friday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas called for the government shutdown to end as a means of avoiding interruptions in service for programs like Head Start. The mayor said theres no emergency funding the city can provide to help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not something thats a simple brush-off thing, Mayor Lucas said. I think what we are going to continue to see is harsher and harsher impacts to more American families from the shutdown. McDaniel stressed that the staff at Early Start will continue to provide services until theres no way to do it. MARC said an interruption in funding would likely interrupt payroll, too, for the 400 employees at its early learning centers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Kansas City metro businesses halt online orders amidst Amazon outage OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS A major outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Monday left several Kansas City metro businesses scrambling after their online ordering systems suddenly went dark. The disruption, which also affected popular apps like Snapchat, Fortnite and Toast, a widely used restaurant point-of-sale platform, caused restaurants and shops to lose an entire day of digital sales. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We havent received a single online order, said Rameen Sharifi, owner of Pegahs Restaurant. DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub and even our website are all tied to the same platform. Everythings down. For local restaurants that rely heavily on online orders, especially during the lunch and dinner rush, the outage brought business to a standstill. Sharifi says all five Pegahs locations were hit by the outage, resulting in what he estimates as thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Sharifi and Fifth & Emery frozen yogurt owner, Isaac Lee Collins use Toast. While both owners say smaller outages have happened before, this one stretched on for hours longer than usual, cutting off sales channels they depend on daily. We cant even look at what sales would be right now, Collins said. So were just kind of hoping and praying that itll pop back on before dinner rush gets here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Collins said his business faced extra challenges because of its self-serve model, where prices vary by customer. Without Toasts platform running, employees had to calculate each order. The frozen yogurt is self-serve, so it makes it a little more difficult to track how much that may be at the time, Collins said. So far, customers have been really patient as we figure that out. All we can hope for is that customers will come in and support local businesses like ours, Sharifi said. Or maybe well see an increase in online orders once everything comes back. Blue Valley teacher speaks out after controversial firing Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the setback, Collins says hes already thinking ahead. Were brainstorming marketing ideas to make up that lost revenue, he said. In this industry, adaptability is everything. Both Sharifi and Collins say they understand that digital platforms come with risks, but theyre hoping for a quick resolution from AWS and Toast. Its just the world we live in today, a world that relies on the internet, Sharifi said. And this is a great example of what could happen if the internet goes out. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. KANSAS (KSNT) From redefining suffrage and repealing prohibition to overhauling tax systems and increasing legislative pay, Kansas voters and the Kansas Supreme Court have historically rejected a wide range of constitutional amendments over the years. Working for you, 27 News compiled a list from the Kansas Secretary of State of all the failed amendments to the Kansas Constitution. While most rejections came from voters, two exemptions were ruled invalid by the Kansas Supreme Court. The amendments rejected by the Kansas Supreme Court regarded a 1951 amendment on tenure limits for sheriffs and county treasurers and a 1970 amendment relating to the executive branch. The Supreme Court found the amendments were improperly submitted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was quite unbelievable: Clues lead to mystery owner of K-State class ring lost nearly 30 years ago For over a century, a recurring amendment to the state Constitution has been to increase pay for legislators. In Kansas history, seven propositions have been made to change compensation for members of the legislature. Only one proposal to increase lawmaker pay was approved in 1961; the other six proposals were rejected by voters. According to the Kansas Legislative Research Department, 99 constitutional amendments have been adopted and 34 have been rejected over Kansas history, including a proposition that was split into two questions that were both rejected in 1953. The amendments rejected by voters in Kansas, not including propositions to increase lawmaker pay, from 1861 to the present day include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1867: Elimination of male from elector qualifications. 1867: Elimination of white from elector qualifications. 1879: Call for a constitutional convention. 1879: Removal of a clause exempting $200 in personal property from taxation. 1885: Increase in Supreme Court membership. 1889: A proposition to change the limit of legislative sessions to 90 days. 1889: Changes to the number of Supreme Court justices and their terms of office. 1891: Call for a constitutional convention. 1893: A proposition to establish equal suffrage. 1907: Proposition to bar judges from holding other offices. 1913: Amendments to finance and taxation provisions. 1919: Amendments to finance and taxation provisions. 1923: Bond issue for veterans of the wars with Spain, the Philippine insurrection and China relief expedition. 1929: Addition of income tax provision. 1931: Removal of sheriff and treasurer from tenure limits. 1931: Tax limitation provision. 1933: Proposition to repeal a section of the Kansas Constitution and add a new section on alcoholic liquor. 1951: Proposition to amend the tenure limits for sheriffs and county treasurers. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the proposition could not be submitted to electors. 1953: Tenure limits for sheriffs and county treasurers. 1955: To amend the taxation system (Article 11, 1). 1970: An amendment relating to intoxicating liquors. 1974: Education amendment relating to the state board of education, the operation, supervision and control of community junior colleges and the state board of regents. 1986: Revise Article 6 relating to education. 1990: Revise Article 6 relating to education. 1999: Relating to the exemption of property used for oil and gas development, exploration and production purposes. 2000: Classification/taxation of aircraft and watercraft. 2021: Value Them Both abortion amendment adding a new section, stating that there is no constitutional right to abortion. 2022: A proposition to amend the Kansas Constitution regarding the oversight of the executive branch. Kansas lawmaker expects Royals stadium proposal soon Constitutional amendments in Kansas can be made through a constitutional convention or through proposals by the state legislature. Proposals by the legislature require a two-thirds approval from both houses. Once approved, the proposed changes are then submitted to voters during the next general or special election. Up to five amendments can be submitted in a single election, according to the Kansas Secretary of State website. 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. 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 KSNT 27 News. Clay Barker, general counsel for the Kansas secretary of state, urges the 2026 Kansas Legislature consider streamlining the filing of required campaign finance, lobbying and other reports by making the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission the exclusive recipient of that information. Barker, shown in this image from Jan. 22, 2025, also says the state should repeal a law requiring the name of a candidate's campaign treasurer to appear on political advertising. (Photo by Grace Hills/ Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA The Kansas secretary of states office recommends streamlining the processing of campaign finance records, lobbying reports and statements of substantial interest by filing those documents directly with the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission. State law has mandated Secretary of State Scott Schwab operate the state governments intake center for these documents, but his office does almost nothing with the records before transferring each to the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission. This system persists despite statutes placing responsibility for regulation, oversight and imposition of penalties exclusively with the commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clay Barker, general counsel to the secretary of states office, asked the Kansas Legislatures interim committee on campaign finance to accept this duplicated approach no longer made sense, given widespread access to the internet. In todays world, theres no need for the secretary of state to be the middleman. Were just there. We just suck up time and money taking the reports and passing them on, Barker said. Both the secretary of state and the disclosure commission offices separately publish online the content of campaign finance reports for candidates, parties and political action committees. Barker recommended all campaign finance reports in Kansas be filed directly with the disclosure commission. All should be submitted electronically, he said, with limited exceptions for use of paper. State law currently compels candidates for statewide office, such as governor or attorney general, to submit records by computer. Other candidates have an option of paper or electronic reporting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said paper filings were inefficient because countless staff hours were consumed by state employees entering contents of documents into a database for analysis. Scans of original documents werent easily deciphered, he said. Its very hard for the public sometimes to read or search handwritten campaign finance reports, Barker said. Barker also recommended the Legislature repeal a state law requiring candidates to include on advertising the name of the campaigns treasurer. It is a disincentive for a volunteer treasurer to have their name on every mailer whose message, especially negative messaging, they had no role in creating, Barker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another change suggested by the secretary of states office would repeal a requirement candidates, political parties and PACs report expenditures by subcontractors engaged in advertising, public relations or consulting on campaigns. The law requiring reporting on payments to contractors as well as subcontractors was difficult to comply with and hard to enforce, he said. Rep. Alexis Simmons, D-Topeka, said the challenge of extracting information about subcontractors shouldnt deter the state from seeking information about the name, amount, date and purpose of payments. Im kind of concerned wed do this just because people dont follow the law, Simmons said. Were here for transparency. I worked on campaigns professionally for years. People go out of their way to try and hide things, and I dont know why we would enable that. Barker said the law posed a disproportionate reporting burden on campaigns and committees because the information was frequently beyond their reach. Often, he said, consulting firms bundled services for clients through complex networks of subcontractors. The inability of candidates to verify activities of subcontractors risked the filing of incomplete or inaccurate reports, he said. I do everything I can to follow the law and be transparent as I know other legislators do, said Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker. I dont see an issue with this either way. NEED TO KNOW Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called out her Gen Z successor, Karoline Leavitt, for being "inappropriate" with members of the press During an appearance on 'The View' this week, Jean-Pierre was asked about recent quotes and text exchanges Leavitt has had with reporters "The [position of] White House Press Secretary is not about doing online trolling," Jean-Pierre said. "It is an honor and a privilege to have that job and to speak on behalf of the most powerful person in the world." Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is criticizing her Gen Z successor, Karoline Leavitt, for her recent "inappropriate" exchanges with members of the press. Jean-Pierre, who served as press secretary under President Joe Biden, was a guest on The View on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and was asked by the panel about several recent viral moments between Leavitt and the press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jean-Pierre, 51, first reacted to a clip of Leavitt, 28, on Fox News, in which she said that, "The Democrat party's main constituency is Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals." "I have so many thoughts there," Jean-Pierre said. "Hearing that, it's deplorable. And I'm using that word on purpose because they don't seem to understand this is the Trump White House that they don't work for just one man. They work for the American people. It is about coming together for a common good." "Deplorable" became something of a badge of honor for President Donald Trump and his MAGA following during the 2016 presidential election, after his opponent, Hillary Clinton, said that half of his supporters were a basket of deplorables. "The White House press secretary is not about doing online trolling," @K_JeanPierre says responding to Trump White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's comments. "It is an honor and a privilege to have that job and to speak on behalf of the most powerful person in the world." pic.twitter.com/YCi7jxS9M7 The View (@TheView) October 21, 2025 Next, Jean-Pierre addressed a text exchange that Leavitt shared on social media on Oct. 20. The White House Press Secretary posted a private message between herself and HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Date in which he asked about a planned meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his initial message, Date asked Leavitt if Trump was aware of the significance of Budapest as the meeting place between Trump and Putin. The Hungarian capital city was the site of a compromise between Russia and Ukraine in 1994, in which Russia agreed not to invade Ukraine if the country relinquished the nuclear weapons it kept when the Soviet Union disbanded a promise that, ultimately, was not kept. Who suggested Budapest? Date asked. Your mom did, Leavitt replied. The White House correspondent responded to the remark by asking if the topic was funny to Leavitt. It's funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic], she shot back. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don't tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bull--- questions. She posted my query and her responses, presumably because she thought it made her case: pic.twitter.com/A5U6jIzLxo S.V. Date (@svdate) October 20, 2025 Jean-Pierre said of the exchange, "The [position of] White House Press Secretary is not about doing online trolling. It is not. It is an honor and a privilege to have that job and to speak on behalf of the most powerful person in the world." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And there is a level of respect for the freedom of the press. Even if you disagree with them!" she continued. "That is what that whole back and forth, when you're seeing a press briefing room, is about. It shows that we believe in democracy. It shows the world not just here, but the world that the press is going to do what they need to do to hold us accountable, and they need to do what we need to do to communicate to the American people about what we're doing." She accused Leavitt, and the Trump administration as a whole, of deepening the divide between the U.S.'s two major parties by resorting to name-calling and ad hominem attacks. "I just feel like it is not appropriate to do online trolling and attack people in that way," Jean-Pierre said. "It doesn't help with the partisanship that we're seeing right now. And also, that is not what the White House is supposed to be about. It's supposed to be about every American person, every voter, every citizen, that lives in this country and participates." 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. Jean-Pierre spoke with PEOPLE earlier this year, shortly after departing her White House role. She admitted that she was ready for a change of pace after the hectic day-to-day of the press room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was an honor and a privilege to have the job and to have done it for two and a half years, but I don't miss it, Jean-Pierre said. The former press secretary is now promoting her new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, about her decision to leave the Democratic Party after departing the White House. "Look, for me, I'm not telling people, Hey, you go become an independent," she recently told NPR. "There is a growing number of people who see themselves as independents, including young people. We have to question, why is that?" Read the original article on People 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 Many symptoms, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness, are commonly associated with the menopause transition. One of the lesser-known symptoms that worsens in midlife is dry eyes. A new study suggests that postmenopausal women exhibit a higher prevalence of dry eye disease than perimenopausal women. Results of the study were presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society, held in Orlando from October 2125. Dry eye disease is a relatively common disease characterized by eyes not providing enough tears or the tears evaporating too quickly. This leads to dryness and discomfort and, if left untreated, eye infections and damage to the surface of the eyes. Patients with dry eye disease typically complain of a dry, gritty, or burning sensation, along with redness and inflammation. Known risk factors for dry eye disease include age, allergies, and autoimmune diseases, among others. Some medications can also lead to increased risks, including common prescriptions for high blood pressure and depression. Sex steroids have also been shown to play a role in tear production. A new cross-sectional analytical observation design study involving more than 3,500 women with a mean age of 52 years was designed to evaluate the insights, symptoms, and prevalence of dry eye disease in premenopausal and postmenopausal women using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. An additional objective was to investigate the relationship between dry eye disease and menopause as a potential risk factor, as well as a history of autoimmune disease, tobacco use, and use of lenses. The prevalence of dry eye disease according to the menopause period revealed that 57.38% of menopausal women had the disease compared to 53.22% of premenopausal women based on their OSDI scores. "As a result of this study, clinicians should add dry eye disease to their routine questionnaires," says Debora Yankelevich, lead author from Hospital de Clinicas Jose de San Martin in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These findings highlight the need for greater awareness and education of dry eye disease so that it can be diagnosed and treated before more serious complications arise. "It's important to tease out the influence of aging and hormones on health. We are learning more about changes in eye health in midlife women. Early detection of dry eye disease allows for timely intervention with tailored treatments to preserve comfort, vision quality, and ocular surface health," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. More information: Abstract presentation: Dry Eye Disease: An Unrecognized Problem in Clinical Practice menopause.org/annual-meetings/2025-annual-meeting Journal information: Menopause NEED TO KNOW Karoline Leavitt is going viral for posting a text exchange where she bashes a White House correspondent A HuffPost journalist, who asked the 28-year-old White House press secretary for a comment, was told your mom in response They are everything we teach our kids not to be, one person wrote of the current administration Karoline Leavitt has the internet talking after sharing a private text exchange condemning a journalist. On Monday, Oct. 20, the 28-year-old White House Press Secretary posted a private message between herself and HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Date to social media, showing her sarcastic response to one of his questions about a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Anna Moneymaker/Getty In his initial text, Date asked Leavitt if Trump was aware of the significance of Budapest as the politician, 79, selected the capital of Hungary as the place to meet with Putin. Karoline Leavitt/X Karoline Leavitt posts screenshot to X Karoline Leavitt posts screenshot to X Who suggested Budapest? Date asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your mom did, she replied. The White House correspondent, who previously mentioned Russias 1994 promise to not invade Ukraine as long as the country gave up its nuclear weapons, asked Leavitt if the topic was funny to her. It's funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic], Leavitt shot back. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don't tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls--- questions, the White House spokesperson wrote. In her post on X, Leavitt added, For context, S.V. Date of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leavitt went on to describe Date as anti-Trump, urging her supporters to take a look at his posts on the social media platform. Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession, she concluded. However, it was her flippant response about Dates mom that got the internet buzzing. A screenshot of Leavitt's post was shared widely on platforms like Reddit. Anna Moneymaker/Getty White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, October 2025 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, October 2025 One user called the press secretarys response horrifying. They are everything we teach our kids not to be, unless MAGA is telling their kids this is all fine coming from our nations highest office? We are in hell, the person continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are immature and childish bullies in adult bodies who make fart jokes. I dont see how anyone can take them seriously, another added. 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 third person said, This is also their JOB. Can you imagine talking like this with external business partners? Its wild. The White House did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment. Read the original article on People The White House press secretary is finding a lot of humor in international discord. Karoline Leavitt doubled down Monday on a remarkably perverse response she gave a HuffPost reporter who inquired why the White House had chosen Budapest as the location for forthcoming ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. In a concise text exchange, Huffposts S.V. Date underscored the historical significance of the city as it relates to Ukraine-Russia relations, asking: Who suggested Budapest? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leavitt had a three-word answer: Your mom did. Fascinatingly, Leavitt seemed to believe that sharing the larger text exchange with her X followers would win her some public grace. Her continued response to Date, when pressed to explain whether she thought the situation was funny, reads as follows: Its funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal, Leavitt said, according to a screenshot she posted to her social media. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just dont tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bullshit questions. In her caption, Leavitt suggested that Date should not be addressed or conversed with as a legitimate member of the press on the basis that she believed his social media feeds amount to an anti-Trump personal diary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession, the 28-year-old press secretarywho has never held down a full-time job in the media industrywrote on X. Whether or not the Trump administration is taking the proceedings seriously, the location choice will not be lost on Russia and Ukraines leadership. In 1994, Budapest was chosen as the site in which America and the U.K. agreed to defend Ukraines borders in exchange for its surrender of nuclear weapons. Thirty-one years later, it appears that the Budapest Memorandum has not worked out well for Ukraine. During a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, Donald Trump reportedly tossed Zelenskiys maps of the battlefield in the air while insisting that the foreign leader cede portions of Ukraine-controlled eastern Donbas to Russia. European governments rushed to Zelenskiys defense, alarmed by Trumps trust that Russian President Vladimir Putin would end his assault on Ukraine after claiming some portions of the country for Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We see President Trumps efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, all these efforts are welcome but we dont see Russia wanting peace, Kaja Kallas, the EUs top diplomat, told the Financial Times on Monday. We are discussing what more we can do. The European Commission suggested over the weekend that Ukraine could use a $163 billion reparations loan, bankrolled by frozen Russian assets, to buy arms abroad in their ongoing fight. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was called out Monday for refusing to answer a reporters question, instead resorting to a sophomoric response. Leavitts exchange with the Huffington Post began on Thursday, when reporter S.V. Date asked her who suggested Budapest, Hungary, as the site of Donald Trumps next meeting with Vladimir Putin. In his text message, Date asked if Trump was aware of the significance of the city, considering it was there in 1994 when Russia pledged to not invade Ukraine if it relinquished its nuclear weapons. Russia has violated that pledge multiple times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leavitts response: Your mom did. On Monday, Leavitt raised the topic again by posting on X a screenshot of their text exchange, in which she accused Date of being a far left hack who nobody takes seriously. Its funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal, Leavitt also wrote, apparently not proofreading her message. For context, S.V. Date of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points. Just take a look at @svdates feed, it reads https://t.co/NxWn2mdUsa pic.twitter.com/v7owI5N4us Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 20, 2025 Twenty minutes after Leavitts post, Date responded: Feel better now? Now can you answer the question? Please and thank you. Leavitt has not yet responded on X. She did not immediately respond to a Daily Beast email reiterating Dates question. But White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson did reply to Date with a Dril meme. Leavitts non-answer was soon criticized by X users, some of whomlike former CNBC reporter John Harwoodsaid the 28-year-olds response was more appropriate for someone a fraction of her age. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What are you 11? left-wing influencer Brian Krassenstein wrote, while his brother wondered whether the country is being run by 2nd graders. Answer the question, the group Republicans Against Trump added. Every time you think they cant sink lower, journalist and Zeteo editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan weighed in. Meanwhile, The Bulwark managing editor Sam Stein said matter-of-factly that Dates question was pretty simple. On MSNBCs The Weekend, co-host Ayman Mohyeldin sarcastically called Leavitts response classy all around. American taxpayer dollars [are] paying for class acts from the top down, the journalist said, in a segment that also touched on Trumps AI post of himself in a King Trump fighter jet dumping brown waste on anti-Trump protesters. ALBANY, New York A fragile working relationship between Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Donald Trump is in danger of being torn apart if Zohran Mamdani is elected New York City mayor. Trump has treated Hochul differently from other blue-state governors, holding his fire while working with her on key state priorities. She persuaded him to restore $187 million in counterterrorism funding, negotiated energy policy with his administration and personally lobbied him to preserve Manhattans congestion pricing toll plan. But that open line of communication is at risk if Mamdani the democratic socialist who has promised to tax New York Citys rich and defy federal policy wins next months mayoral race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has already threatened to slash federal funding for New York City if Mamdani takes office, setting up an unavoidable confrontation between the president and the states top Democrat. For Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani, it would mean choosing between two forces she cant afford to alienate: the left-leaning base that delivered Mamdanis rise, and a White House that controls billions of dollars in federal aid and the fate of major infrastructure projects. The Mamdani thing could be a real fly in the ointment. It would be very explosive, New York Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar, a Trump ally, said. There is no piece of a Mamdani administration that the White House and the administration is going to find acceptable. Its going to be a very bad dynamic. The president wont be waiting until May to start attacking Mamdani. Its not his style. The coming months will test the limits of the New York governors ability to work alongside a fickle president who is detested by fellow Democrats, with her 2026 reelection potentially at stake. Mamdanis base will press Hochul to give him left-leaning victories, like a tax increase on rich New Yorkers that the governor opposes. If thats not enough pressure, Trump has made clear hell exert his power over the city if Mamdani wins. Hochul is walking a very delicate line. She needs Trumps ear to ensure that funding for crucial infrastructure projects and antiterrorism efforts will continue to flow. Yet the governor, who is being challenged in a primary by her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, cant be seen as too chummy with a president who is loathed by her own party. Waiting in the wings is Trump ally Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is weighing a bid against the governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The situation creates an uncomfortable bind for Hochul, who has cobbled together a surprising rapport with the mercurial president, as evidenced by several White House meetings with him this year. She speaks to Trump frequently on the phone, often calling him directly. In public, Hochul has been eager to castigate the president when she believes his policies will harm New York. But a Mamdani win stands to upend this carefully constructed dynamic. Im not going to send a lot of money to New York. I dont have to. You know, the money comes all through the White House, Trump said recently. And if theyre going to be sending us stupid policies, I mean, communist policies, were not going to ruin one of our great cities. Hochul has pledged to fight like hell to oppose any cuts to the deep blue city, whose voters she will need to win reelection next year and where the president is deeply unpopular. The governor, too, believes Trump doesnt want to do anything that would hurt his hometown, where he still retains significant business interests. Mamdani, appearing last week on Fox News the presidents favorite news channel turned to the camera and made a direct appeal to Trump on the shared goal of addressing affordability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats the way Im going to lead this city. Thats the partnership I want to build not only with Washington, D.C., but anyone across this country, he said. I think its important, because too often the needs of working class Americans, working class New Yorkers, are put to the side. Unlike fellow prominent New York Democrats, Hochul has not been a Trump political target. State Attorney General Letitia James was indicted this month, which the president pushed for after her office aggressively pursued a civil fraud case against his company. Top Democratic congressional leaders, Brooklyns Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, have been mocked by Trump in a video featuring the House minority leader in a cartoon sombrero, which Democrats decried as racist. That has left Hochul, a Buffalo-born moderate Democrat who does not have a long, fraught history with Trump, to act as New Yorks negotiator with a hostile White House. What voters want to see ultimately is that shes shrewd enough to get resources for New York without selling out the state, said Basil Smikle, a former New York Democratic Party executive director. Shes been able to do that so far. The problem is no one knows what Trump is going to do. Whats important for her is to focus the voters attention on Trumps capricious and vengeful behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Trump administration official, granted anonymity to talk about the private interplay, described the situation as one borne out of mutual necessity and the presidents own history with and economic dependence on New York. Hochuls team declined to speak on the record about her relationship with Trump. Her aides fear that a misstep would either shatter the brittle peace with the touchy president or anger a left flank eager to fight Trump. Trumps meddling in New York Citys politics has roiled the mayoral campaign. His Department of Justice moved to dismiss corruption charges against Democratic Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year. Adams, considered too aligned with the president, dropped out of the Democratic primary amid dismal poll numbers. He suspended his general election campaign after Trumps team dangled job offers in order to get him out of the mayoral race a move that would aid moderate former Gov. Andrew Cuomos independent bid. Cuomo has leaned on his years negotiating with Trump and argues hes best suited to deal with an unpredictable president. Like Adams before he dropped out, Cuomo cannot be seen as too Trump-allied or risk losing Democratic voters, who hold a massive enrollment advantage in New York City over Republicans and independents. Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani in September after months of conversations, has defended her partys nominee against Trumps barbs. Mamdani declined to endorse Hochuls reelection run during last weeks mayoral debate. Privately, shes spoken with the president on crucial matters including a controversial natural gas pipeline, nuclear energy and the effort to reverse federal cuts to police departments around the state. Her influence with Trump has grown as Adams has waned this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor has been deft in managing the relationship with the president in marked contrast to some of the male governors in other states, said Kathy Wylde, the president of the business-boosting group Partnership for New York City. She has no need to do a political performance that would antagonize him. Shes just trying to protect the city of New York. Unlike Govs. Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker, Hochul is not considered a likely 2028 contender. A low-key centrist, Hochul represented a deep red House district in western New York thats now one of the most reliable Trump-supporting areas of an otherwise Democratic-dominated state. And the New York governor, while vocal in her Trump criticism, is not a provocateur, declining to lash out at Trump through ridicule or mockery. Shes demonstrated the ability to quietly manage very difficult relationships. Ive got total confidence shell manage this one as well, Wylde said. She presents no threat to Trump. Trump, though, clearly considers Mamdani a convenient punching bag. The mayoral nominee has taken anti-Israel stances as a backbench assemblymember and will need a reluctant Hochuls approval to enact his proposed tax increase on corporations and wealthy city residents. The leading mayoral contender has retained a dedicated following and durable lead in polling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet the Hochul and Trump dynamic persists. Its been a balance between standing their political ground while also working when they need to in the best interest of New York, said GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents conservative Staten Island. Hochul is developing that similar type of relationship even though she keeps poking him in the eye. Its important that you have elected leaders who are willing to work together. Still, theres unfinished business. The federal government shutdown led to Trumps administration freezing funding for long-planned projects, including the Second Avenue subway expansion and the Gateway Tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey. Trump announced last week the Gateway project is canceled. The state has also sued over releasing $34 million in antiterrorism funding for New York City mass transit. Business leaders who have pushed for those projects, which are well underway, expect the funds to be unlocked once the Washington impasse is over. Nevertheless, Hochul is being looked to as a chief advocate for the state as the stalemate drags on. Her early track record of working with Trump has bred optimism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of the governors across the country, this has been one of the successes, said Carlo Scissura, the president of the New York Building Congress, a construction industry group. Shes really been able to navigate understanding the president, understanding his agenda and getting the most for New York. Hochul and her allies have long maintained Trump doesnt want to do anything that would damage his native city. His family retains business interests in the Big Apple, including the family company and skyscraper that bear his name. Trump also has a deep understanding of New York politics and business forged in the rough-and-tumble 1980s. Theres no person whos ever sat in the Oval Office who understands more than Donald Trump that New York City is the economic engine for the entire state, Hochul told reporters earlier this month. Just as no one should ever root against our country, we should not root against New York City. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Halloween is right around the corner, and as kids get excited for the thrill of trick-or-treating and the promise of free candy, you want to be careful about some of the hidden dangers of the spooky holiday. Joining us in the KFOR Studio on Tuesday is Kristie Edelen with the Oklahoma Poison Center to share some ways to make sure its a safe night for everyone. The Oklahoma Poison Center is also hosting an event for National Medication Take-Back Day on Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at some Walmart Neighborhood Markets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2217 NW 23rd Street in Oklahoma City 7520 E. Reno Avenue in Midwest City For more information on how to make sure your Halloween night is a safe one, watch the video 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Following the April state Supreme Court loss, Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming launched an effort to examine what went wrong led by state Treasurer John Leiber. Schimming, Brad Schimel, Milwaukee pastor Marty Calderon and Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney pictured answer questions from the press in February 2025. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner) Kelly Ruh resigned from her position as treasurer of the Republican Party of Wisconsin over the weekend, saying that she can no longer meaningfully contribute to the partys leadership given current circumstances. Ruh, who worked for the party for about a decade, said there is an absence of a strategic plan, defined objectives, measurable outcomes alongside budgetary issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the saying goes what gets measured gets done. Unfortunately, without metrics or accountability, it is unclear what we are working toward or what our capacity is to achieve our objective, Ruh wrote. Moreover, the internal dynamics of RPW, particularly the dysfunctional leadership, have made attempts at collaboration increasingly difficult, unproductive and discouraging. The lack of transparency, direction and respect for differing opinions or even basic board oversight has fostered a culture that is not only ineffective but also absurd. Ruhs departure comes in a year when the state party has faced calls for changes after tough statewide losses, including in the race for state superintendent and the spring state Supreme Court race where the partys endorsed candidate lost by 10 percentage points a result that locked in a liberal majority at least through 2028. Following the April losses, Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming launched an effort to examine what went wrong led by state Treasurer John Leiber, who is the only Republican to hold a statewide office in Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the results of the effort included recommended goals for the party including expanding the out-of-state donor network, encouraging direct donations to candidates and the party, ensuring that third-party groups reinforce candidate and party messaging, hiring an in-house opposition researcher and supplying county parties with talking points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It pains me that the Republican Party of Wisconsin continues to repeat the same mistakes time and again, Ruh wrote in her resignation letter dated Oct. 19. Recent election results in Wisconsin are clear if RPW does not drastically change its approach to everything (leadership, fundraising, messaging, organizing, addressing issues that Wisconsinites care about) then it will play no role in deciding our future. Wisconsin has another slate of crucial elections on deck for 2026 including an open race for governor and lieutenant governor, another state Supreme Court race and elections for the state Senate and Assembly where control will be up for grabs. My sincere hope is that those who remain in positions of authority will institute the critical changes that must be made to our party, Ruh said. Schimming, who was first elected to serve as the state partys chair in 2022 and won another term in December, thanked Ruh for her service in a statement to WisPolitics without addressing the charges in her letter. He said the party wishes her the best of luck in her future endeavors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ruhs letter was posted to social media Monday by Brett Galaszewski, who serves as fifth Congressional district vice chairman for the state party as well as the vice chair for the Republican Party of Milwaukee County and the national enterprise director for Turning Point Action. He called for the party to heed Ruhs warnings. Ideologically, Kelly and I didnt always align. Im further to the right and we both knew it. But we had real conversations about reforming the movement, Galaszewski said. When even voices from the old guard start saying the quiet part out loud, it should be a wake up call for everyone. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Luxury hospitality group Kempinski Hotels has named Barbara Biffi as chief brand officer as the company moves forward with its transformation plans. Biffi will be responsible for managing the companys brand and marketing framework, and will also direct the companys global brand strategy and oversee marketing operations. Her responsibilities include maintaining consistent brand messaging across all channels and improving digital and e-commerce platforms to focus on guest needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Biffi has more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, brand management, technology, and digital strategy. Her past roles include global sales senior vice-president and brand vice-president at Silversea Cruises, as well as senior positions at MSC Cruises. Regarding Biffi, Kempinski Hotels group chief executive officer Barbara Muckermann said: Her international background and proven track record in luxury brand strategy and digital transformation will be vital as we strengthen our positioning, grounded in heritage and craftsmanship, and continue to evolve the Kempinski experience. "She will be instrumental in aligning every touchpoint of our portfolio with the needs and aspirations of todays global luxury traveller. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The addition of Biffi to the executive team increases the range of skills and backgrounds at Kempinski Hotels, stated the company. The latest appointment follows strategic leadership changes announced by the company in the last 12 months. In August 2025, the company appointed three new vice presidents to its product and experience team. Frank Veenstra was named chief development officer last month to drive the organisations growth strategy amid the changing expectations of global luxury. Kempinski operates 75 properties in 33 countries, with more than 25 projects in its development pipeline. In April, the company extended its partnership with BTG Hotels to expand luxury hospitality in China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Kempinski Hotels appoints Barbara Biffi as chief brand officer" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. This story has been updated to correct the officer's rank. The Kenton County Police Department has released a new composite sketch of the victim in a cold homicide case from more than 40 years ago. Police released a sketch of what they believe the man looked like in hopes someone may have information that might help identify him. They're calling him Mr. X according to a news release on the agency's Facebook page. New composite sketch of victim in Northern Kentucky 1982 cold case. "We thought releasing the sketch would help get the word out there again." Detective Jill Stulz said in an email sent to The Enquirer. "I am hopeful that someone from the area of the park, or someone who used to live in the area along Locust Pike might have information we could use to identify this person." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. X's body was found along the wood line at the north end of Locust Pike Park in Ryland Heights, Kentucky, on Nov. 4, 1982, by Kenton County Public Works employees. The man had several tattoos on both arms including "MH" on his upper right arm, "HELEN" on his lower left arm and possibly "Mother" on his lower right arm. A map showing where the unidentified homicide victim was found as well as the button-up he was found in. His age is estimated to be between 60 and 70 years old. He was 5'7" and 147 pounds. He was wearing a plaid button-up shirt, blue pants and worn shoes. Eyeglasses were also found nearby. If you have information to help identify the victim, please contact Detective Jill Stulz at investigations@kentoncounty.org. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kenton County police release new information on 1980s cold case Auditor of Public Accounts Allison Ball congratulates her campaign team after speaking at an election night celebration, Nov 7, 2023, in Louisville. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Matthew Mueller) Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball is asking Gov. Andy Beshears administration to dip further into a pot of money he used to temporarily fund senior meals to pay for a long-stalled law to help kinship care families. On Monday, Beshear announced his administration transferred $9.1 million to fund the senior meal program a month after pandemic-era funding expired. The temporary funding came from a $25 million pot of money for a previously-funded study that never took place and will help fund senior meals through the fiscal year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Tuesday letter, Ball said the remaining $15.9 million in that pot should go to fund Senate Bill 151, passed in 2024 with the goal of giving much-needed financial relief to families raising minor relatives. The legislature didnt fund SB151, which Beshear signed and the cabinet initially said would cost $20 million to implement. The parties have fought in court over the issue since May, when Ball sued. On Oct. 14, the cabinet filed regulations on the law that updated the estimated cost to implement from $20 million to $14.7 million, according to a copy attached to Balls letter. Your administration has a constitutional duty to do what it just did elsewhere reallocate what it needs from that remaining $15.9 million to execute the kinship care bil l, Ball wrote. Even though that amount of money more than covers the alleged $14.7 million annual cost of the kinship care bill, I would encourage your administration to recalculate that estimated cost. The true cost of executing the kinship care bill may be much lower than that, if anything at all. The Lantern has asked the cabinet to comment. This story may be updated. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX HENDERSON, Ky. (FOX 56) A previously escaped inmate was located and arrested on Wednesday. According to a news release, the Kentucky State Police, the Henderson County Sheriffs Office, and the Henderson City Police arrested 53-year-old Timothy A. Oliver after 10 a.m. on Oct. 22. Oliver was located off Crooked Road in the Reed community. He was taken into custody without incident and lodged in Henderson County Detention Center in Henderson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kentucky State Police said Oliver escaped from the Henderson County Detention Center around 12:15 p.m. CDT on Oct. 21. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Oliver was serving a sentence for third-degree burglary. He is described as standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 200 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a gray shirt, and a ballcap. LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information about Olivers whereabouts is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency or KSP Post 16 at 270-826-3312. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. 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 new University of Helsinki analyzed life-course data from over 10,000 individuals aged 50 and above across 28 European countries. The findings suggest that those with a religious upbringing tend to enjoy better physical health in later life and report fewer difficulties with daily activities such as dressing or washing. The study suggests that religiosity is more common among lower socioeconomic groups, who may turn to religion as a way of coping with adversity. A religious upbringing may function as both a coping mechanism and an indicator of broader socioeconomic challenges. Families in such circumstances often have limited resources and face obstacles that restrict social mobility, making it more difficult for children to break free from inherited socioeconomic disadvantages. "While religion may offer some benefits, it doesn't necessarily fully mitigate the health risks linked to long-term disadvantages," says Xu Zong of the University of Helsinki. Childhood socioeconomic challenges may, in fact, exacerbate health problems in later life. "In particular, parental mental health issues and heavy alcohol consumption intensify the negative association between an early religious upbringing and self-rated health in later life," notes Zong. Invest more in children's well-being The researcher argues that tackling childhood socioeconomic disadvantages is key to narrowing health inequalities in later life. "Investing in children's social well-being in Finland and other aging societies is one of the most effective ways to build a healthier, more equal future," states Zong. Published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, the study comes at a crucial time as countries worldwide face the challenges of aging populations. By 2050 the global population over the age of 60 is expected to hit 2.1 billion. Density of estimated treatment effects of religious upbringing on late-life self-rated health. Note: The kernel density plot provides a continuous, smoothed representation of the distribution of treatment effects. Credit: Social Science & Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118210 In their study, the researchers employed an advanced machine learning method to detect complex patterns that traditional statistical techniques may miss. A religious upbringing was defined by whether participants were raised religiously by their parents during childhood. After the Second World War, many children in Europe were brought up in families that attended religious services or learned moral beliefs and values from their parents. For some, these early rituals provided a sense of belonging and meaning; for others, they created pressures that lingered unresolved. More information: Xu Zong et al, Heterogeneous associations between early-life religious upbringing and late-life health: Evidence from a machine learning approach, Social Science & Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118210 Journal information: Social Science & Medicine One of the areas largest hospitals will soon no longer offer obstetric services (OB). [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, OB services at Soin Medical Center will transition to Kettering Main Campus and Kettering Health Washington Township, Kettering Health confirmed in a statement. The hospital network cited declining birth rates in the area and across the country as a factor in the decision. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National and regional trends show a steady decline in birth rates. This consolidation aligns Kettering Healths OB services with these demographic shifts by transitioning our resources from Soin Medical Center, our smallest maternity unit, to our larger units at Kettering Health Main Campus and Kettering Health Washington Township, Kettering Health said. The announcement came as a shock to the two woman News Center 7s Taylor Robertson spoke with. They both have ties to Kettering Health. I was supposed to have a scheduled c-section in January and with a doctor I felt very comfortable with, and now I dont know what that looks like, a woman who is 26-weeks pregnant said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I used to work at Soin in the maternity department and for over ten years, and it was a great place to work, a great place for people to have babies, a former Soin Medical Center employee said. Neither wanted to show their face on camera, but said they were suprised to hear the hosptials reasoning. But we didnt really see that big of a decline, the former employee said. The pregnant woman said she has a scheduled appointment at Soin next week. I dont know if Im going there. I dont know if Im going somewhere else, but just kind of waiting to hear back, she said. Patients who currently have deliveries scheduled at Soin Medical Center will be contacted by their care teams soon to facilitate a transfer of care, according to the health network. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I pray that all my coworkers find jobs, because some have been there since the doors opened in 2012, the former employee said. The hospital network said that they are working with impacted employees to explore employment opportunities throughout the network. There are employment opportunities throughout our system, and our goal is that all impacted employees continue to be part of the Kettering Health team, Kettering Health stated. It is unclear how many OB employees work at Soin and exactly when the unit will close. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] After a joint investigation, a 24-year-old Kewanee man faces child-pornography charges, according to a news release from the Kewanee Police Department. Andre Gerts (Kewanee Police Department) Andre Gerts faces preliminary charges of possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography. Earlier this year, the Peru Police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding potential criminal activity. Peru Police investigated and later determined that the incidents had occurred in Kewanee. The investigation was forwarded to the Kewanee Police Department Investigations Division, which is part of the Illinois Attorney Generals Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Kewanee Police executed the warrant with assistance from the Illinois Attorney Generals Office, the Henry County Sheriffs Office, and Kewanee Fire Department. Gerts was located and arrested without incident. Multiple pieces of evidence were collected during a residence search, the release says. Based on the investigation, Gerts was transported to the Henry County Jail on preliminary charges of possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography. The Henry County States Attorneys Office will review the case for official charges. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Peru Police Department and the Illinois Attorney Generals ICAC Task Force for their investigative efforts, as well as to the Henry County Sheriffs Office and Kewanee Fire Department for their assistance during the execution of the search warrant, the release says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. "The US president proudly says they bombed and destroyed Iran's nuclear industry. Very well, keep dreaming!" Khamenei said on X/Twitter. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday rejected an offer of renewed talks from US President Donald Trump and denied his assertion that the United States has destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities. Tehran and Washington engaged in five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations that ended with the 12-day air war in June in which Israel and the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Trump says he is a dealmaker, but if a deal is accompanied by coercion and its outcome is predetermined, it is not a deal but rather an imposition and bullying," Khamenei said according to state media. Last week, Trump told the Israeli parliament that it would be great if Washington could negotiate a "peace deal" with Tehran, following the start of a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas. "The US president proudly says they bombed and destroyed Iran's nuclear industry. Very well, keep dreaming!" Khamenei added. Illustrative image of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (credit: LISI NIESNER/ REUTERS, Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS) "What does it have to do with America whether Iran has nuclear facilities or not? These interventions are inappropriate, wrong and coercive." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Western powers accuse Iran of covertly trying to develop a nuclear bomb through enrichment of uranium, and want it to cease such activity. Tehran denies seeking to weaponise enrichment, saying the program has solely civilian energy purposes. Iran says cooperation deal with UN nuclear watchdog is void Iran has scrapped a cooperation deal that it signed with the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA in September, its Supreme National Security Council Secretary said on Monday, according to state media. The statement came around three weeks after Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said Tehran would scrap the agreement, which let the IAEA resume inspections of its nuclear sites, if Western powers reinstated U.N. sanctions. Those were reinstated last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The confirmation will be a setback for the International Atomic Energy Agency which has been trying to rebuild cooperation with Tehran since Israel and the United States bombed the nuclear sites in June. "The agreement has been canceled," Larijani said while meeting with his Iraqi counterpart in Tehran, according to state media. "Of course, if the agency has a proposal, we will review it in the secretariat," he added. A pair of panelists clashed over President Donald Trumps history of racism during a heated exchange Monday night on CNN NewsNight. The argument broke out amid a discussion about Politicos new reporting on racist and antisemitic text messages sent by Paul Ingrassia, Trumps nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel. Political commentator Keith Boykin said the president has a history of racism himself, and that he did not expect Trump to condemn Ingrassia. Journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon, a self-proclaimed MAGA lefty disputed Boykins claim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No, thats not true, Ungar-Sargon said. Are you kidding me?!? Boykin countered, his voice rising. Donald Trump started his career with racism. Boykin: Donald Trump has a history of racism himself. Ungar-Sargon: No, that's not true. Boykin: Are you kidding me. Donald Trump started his career with racism. He was sued for housing discrimination. In the 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination. He pic.twitter.com/FcRDwNv2Zl Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Boykin, a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, proceeded to name several well-documented incidents from Trumps past. In the 1970s he was sued for housing discrimination, Boykin said. In 1989, he led the lynch mob against the Central Park Five. In the 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination. He led a five and a half year campaign against Barack Obama for allegedly not having an accurate birth certificate. Donald Trump came into office talking about he was he was going to ban Muslims." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ungar-Sargon said she did not agree with Boykins assessment of Trump at all. Trump has not commented on Ingrassias leaked texts, which came to light one week after Politico exposed a trove of racist and misogynistic messages sent in Young Republicans group chats. Ingrassia wrote that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell and described himself as having a Nazi streak, according to texts viewed by Politico. He also used an Italian slur to refer to Black people and said that holidays such as Juneteenth or kwanzaa should all be eviscerated. Paul Ingrassia of the "Nazi streak" leaked texts has shown up in lawsuit filings from fired FBI agents. Earlier this year, Ingrassia was the White House loyalty enforcer at DOJ, asking FBI agents whether they'd voted for Trump or "a Democrat in the last five elections" pic.twitter.com/M8PhspMlzA Andrew Prokop (@awprokop) October 21, 2025 In the wake of Politicos report, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Trump should pull Ingrassias nomination to lead the office of special counsel. Thune was among several GOP congressmen who condemned Ingrassia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont plan on voting for him, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told reporters. I cant imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. Trump had not withdrawn his nomination of Ingrassia as of Tuesday afternoon. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is scheduled to hear from Ingrassia on Thursday. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Political commentator Keith Boykin brought out receipts for fellow CNN NewsNight panelist Batya Ungar-Sargon on Monday after the journalist and author dismissed Donald Trumps racism. (Watch the fiery exchange below). Boykin swiftly responded to Ungar-Sargon after she called it appalling that Trump hasnt condemned leaked texts from Paul Ingrassia, one of his nominees, in which he describes having a Nazi streak and remarks on his hope that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday gets tossed into the seventh circle of Hell. Politics: Mehdi Hasan Addresses Racist Beeper Comment CNN Panelist Made About Him Because Donald Trump has a history of racism himself, replied Boykin, a former White House aide to Bill Clinton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No, thats not true, said Ungar-Sargon, a NewsNation host and self-described MAGA Lefty. Are you kidding me?!? Boykin hit back. Boykin proceeded to shred Ungar-Sargons claim by noting that Trump started his career with racism. Politics: Ted Cruz Tells GOP Not To Pooh-Pooh 'No Kings' Protests In the 1970s, he was sued for housing discrimination. In 1989, he was a part of the he led the lynch mob against the Central Park Five. In the 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination, Boykin began. He led a five-and-a-half-year campaign against Barack Obama for allegedly not having an accurate birth certificate. Donald Trump came into office talking about he was, he was going to ban Muslims and he called Mexicans were supposedly bringing drugs . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moments later, Boykin turned to Trump welcoming white South African refugees to the U.S. but not Black South African refugees earlier this year. What can be more racist than that? he asked. Politics: These GOP Senators Are Breaking With Trump Over Punishing Blue States Amid Shutdown He went on to argue that Black people are the most loyal group against Trump because they could clearly see through the charade. He has a 50-year history of racism, Boykin added. Why did a majority of Hispanic men vote for him if hes a racist? Ungar-Sargon asked. Im not a Hispanic person, Boykin replied. I can tell you as a Black man that Donald Trump is a racist, thats unquestionable. Boykin: Donald Trump has a history of racism himself. Ungar-Sargon: No, that's not true. Boykin: Are you kidding me. Donald Trump started his career with racism. He was sued for housing discrimination. In the 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination. He pic.twitter.com/FcRDwNv2Zl Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Related... Read the original on HuffPost KILGORE, Texas (KETK) The Kilgore College Board of Trustees voted on Monday to name Dr. Staci Pollan Martin as the schools interim president, since their current president Dr. Brenda Kays is retiring in February of 2026. Kilgore College celebrates 90 years of higher education in East Texas Being selected as interim president of Kilgore College is the highest honor of my career, Martin said. I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for placing their faith in me to serve KC in this role and will do my best to be a good steward of this great institution while it is in my care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Martin currently serves as Kilgore Colleges vice president of organizational effectiveness and excellence, and shell officially become the colleges interim president on Nov. 1. As a Kilgore College staff member since 2001, Martin has worn many hats including serving as vice president of student life and college affairs, vice president of student services, vice president of institutional planning, registrar and director of admissions. Dr. Staci Pollan Martin, courtesy of Kilgore College. Martin has a doctor of education degree in higher education from Texas Tech University, a masters of science degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M UniversityTexarkana and her bachelors of science degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M University. During her tenure at KC, Martin has led multiple campus-wide initiatives focused on student success, institutional effectiveness, and innovation, a Kilgore College press release said. She served as the colleges liaison to both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and has represented KC at state and national conferences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Kays will continue working with Kilgore College during her transition into retirement and has been honored for her service to the college by being named president emeritus. The Kilgore College Board of Trustees has also entered into a contract with the Association of Community College Trustees to help search for a new permanent president. The association anticipates that a new president will start work in June or July of 2026. 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. King Charles and Queen Camilla have made another donation to a humanitarian appeal supporting people affected by the conflict in Gaza. Buckingham Palace has not disclosed the amount of the donation, but it is the third donation that the King and Queen have made to the Disasters Emergency Committees (DEC) Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, which also supports people affected by conflicts in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Syria. Andrew Aitchison The DEC said the donation comes as its member charitiesincluding the International Rescue Committee, the British Red Cross, Plan International, and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)increase operations following a recent ceasefire that has allowed greater access for humanitarian supplies. Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said in a statement that the royal couples donations since the ceasefire have already had an impact. It has been heartening to see generous donations to the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal since the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Saeed wrote. However, more funds are urgently needed to help them meet the colossal scale of need and continue providing a lifeline to families facing an uncertain future. Arete / British Red Cross The King and Queen were among the first to contribute when the appeal launched in October 2024, followed by a second donation this past February. According to the Independent, King Charles also met privately with the leaders of each of the DECs leaders in February to discuss the challenges they face in responding to ongoing humanitarian crises around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their latest contribution follows a donation from Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Archewell Foundation in September. Last month, during the Princes trip to the UK, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they would be donating $500,000 to three organizations supporting injured children from Gaza and Ukraine through their charitable outlet. Within Gaza, that included $200,000 to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support medical evacuations from Gaza to Jordan, and another $150,000 to Save the Children to provide ongoing humanitarian support in Gaza. Chris Jackson - Getty Images Prince William also spoke out in support of relief workers in Gaza a few weeks ago. Opening the first ever global memorial for humanitarian aid workers in west London on October 1, the Prince of Wales condemned the killing of aid workers and described the targeting of aid staff as a cruel affront to the international humanitarian principles which must remain sacrosanct and called for greater protection for those on the front lines. "Every single one of those deaths is a tragedy, Prince William said at the memorial, One thing that should unite all of us is support and protection for those that seek to help others in the most dire situations. The brave humanitarians that seek to feed and heal innocent people deserve our respect and deserve their safety." You Might Also Like Keep McAlester Beautiful is a nonprofit organization that started in 2008 to beautify McAlester. Executive Director of Keep McAlester Beautiful Lace Fields said the mission of the organization is to promote a cleaner, safer, beautiful community in McAlester. The goal is to improve the citys image, David Beale, president of the Keep McAlester Beautiful board, said. We want to improve the image of McAlester. Not (only) for the enjoyment of the people who live here, but also for the potential investors in our community, Beale said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the beginning of the organization, Komar brought investors to McAlester. The City of McAlester gave Keep McAlester Beautiful the responsibility of cleaning the road between Komar and the airport. The purpose was to give McAlester a good image to attract businesses. It has continued to take on bigger projects to help the community. The organizations biggest projects are its fall and spring cleanups, to which people bring larger items, things that usually cannot be recycled and things that can be recycled. It offers more than just those two projects. It has a volunteer day once a month that people can learn more about by visiting its Facebook page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever we see in town that needs to be done, we do it, Fields said. She said the organization are the doers of McAlester. Keep McAlester Beautiful plans to offer more volunteer opportunities, as well, Beale said. There are individuals who are required to do community service through drug court who come and help us at the spring and fall cleanups, Beale said. While speaking to the drug court, the organization learned that there are many people who have done community service through the court system. Not everyone who is required to do community service can come to every volunteer opportunity Keep McAlester Beautiful offers. They are either not available or cannot do the physical labor required. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So we started looking at additional projects, Beale said. The organization calls it the bank of projects. It gives people the opportunity to earn community service hours while beautifying McAlester, Beale said. Fields said it tracks the community service completed by people who take on the projects. She said anyone can request a project, even if they are not part of drug court. It can be anyone wanting to help the community or receive community service hours. It has already provided projects from the bank of projects to volunteers and plans to continue. Fields said Keep McAlester Beautiful sees the things that go under the radar from other organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats why we work so close with the city, because we are helping them catch some of the things that fall in the cracks, Fields said. She said people want to be proud of where they are from and want to show it off. Keep McAlester Beautiful gives people the opportunity to make it possible. We want the place we live in to be beautiful, and we try our hardest to make sure that the people of McAlester can be proud of the place they live in, Fields said. To get involved with Keep McAlester Beautiful, people can volunteer, purchase a membership and go to the organizations meetings. People can volunteer by following its Facebook page to see events and post updates. People can also email Fields at kmb@keepmcalesterbeautiful.com or call 918-424-9988. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Purchasing a membership is another form of donation, ranging from $25 to $250. Fields can help people learn which membership is best for them, they just need to email her. The Board of Directors meets at noon the second Thursday of every month at the Fire Department Admin & Training Center at 1016 E. South Ave. They meet at noon the following Thursday for lunch at The Yardbird. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study projects that US funding cuts to global health aid will have a catastrophic effect on pediatric TB, with children in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia likely to experience a significant spike in preventable cases and deaths over the next decadeeven by the most conservative estimatesunless funding is restored. Health experts have warned for months that the abrupt and broad-scale funding cuts to global health aid from the United States in 2025 would have devastating effects on disease control and prevention worldwide. A new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan School) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) provides the first comprehensive estimates of the number of children who are expected to develop and die from tuberculosis (TB) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) over the next decade if the United States continues to slash funding for global health aid. The loss of US bilateral health aid is projected to result in an additional 2.5 million pediatric TB cases and 340,000 pediatric TB deaths in LMICs between 2025 and 2034, compared to pre-2025 funding levels, according to the study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. Moreover, the possible withdrawal of US support to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the Global Fund), along with reduced TB funding from other countries, would likely result in an additional 8.9 million child TB cases, and more than 1.5 million child deaths during this periodmore than double the expected totals if funding continued at pre-2025 levels. Until this year, the US had been a leading contributor to bilateral health aid for TB, primarily through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has helped prevent more than 75 million TB deaths worldwide. The Trump administration effectively dismantled the agency earlier this year, while also slashing funds from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These combined actions created immediate disruptions to TB and HIV prevention, testing, treatment, research, and staffing in LMICs, where TB is most prevalentbut also where control efforts had led to noticeable improvements in TB over the past 20 years. "Our analysis shows that if the recent and proposed cuts to U.S. bilateral health aid and contributions to The Global Fund continue, these losses would reverse decades of hard-won progress," says study senior author Dr. Leonardo Martinez, assistant professor of epidemiology at BUSPH. "For years, sustained international funding helped drive down TB incidence and mortality in high-burden countries and expand access to diagnosis and treatment for children who are at especially high risk. The heaviest toll would fall on low-income countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, and in settings where HIV and TB overlap and health systems rely heavily on external aid." These findings are consistent with previous research about the effects of funding cuts for TB, but the study is the first to examine these implications in 130 countries, and exclusively among children, who have the highest age-specific risks of developing and dying from TB if exposed to the bacterium. The study is also the first to consider the implications of funding cuts to HIV programs on TB spread, as people living with HIV are also more susceptible to developing TB if exposed. "We have made slow and steady progress with TB, but it is still the number one infectious disease killer in the world," says study lead and corresponding author Dr. Nicolas Menzies, associate professor of global health at Harvard Chan School. "These results show that this progress should not be taken for granted. If we take our foot off of the pedal, we could soon see more children dying of TB than we have for many decades." For the study, Dr. Menzies, Dr. Martinez, and colleagues from Harvard Chan School, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, Imperial College School of Public Health, and the University of Sheffield School of Medicine and Population Health utilized national data from 130 LMICs on TB vaccination and services, HIV prevalence and treatment, and funding sources for TB and HIV programs. They projected how different levels of US bilateral aid and Global Fund support would affect the risk of TB (and HIV) infection, diagnosis, and treatment among children ages 14 and under from 2025-2034. The four funding reduction scenarios considered were: a continuation of pre-existing funding levels; a permanent end to US bilateral health aid from 2025 onward; a complete end to US bilateral aid in 2025 and Global Fund contributions beginning in 2026; and the previous scenario, along with a reduction in half of TB funding by other countries. The team validated their models against recent World Health Organization and Global Burden of Disease estimates for pediatric TB, and ran several sensitivity tests to rule out bias or other errors. "While no model can predict the future with perfect precision, our estimates are based on the best available data and widely used methodsand they almost certainly represent a conservative picture of what could happen if funding cuts persist," says Dr. Martinez. Altogether, these latest estimates underscore the central role of multilateral funding to reduce TB across the globe, and the urgent need to restore this funding. The researchers estimated that 90% of the additional projected TB deaths could be avoided if funding was restored after just one year. In the absence of restored funding, they say that LMICs should seek alternative sources for support. "Recent successes in combating TB have resulted from a partnership between affected countries, high-income country governments, and international organizations," Dr. Menzies says. "This partnership will be even more essential with funding cuts, and may need to include a wider range of stakeholders. At the same time, we will need to work out how to provide services more efficiently, and to focus efforts on the more impactful interventions to the most highly affected populations." More information: Nicolas A Menzies et al, Potential paediatric tuberculosis incidence and deaths resulting from interruption in programmes supported by international health aid, 202534: a mathematical modelling study, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (2025). DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(25)00218-4 France, Spain, and Italy are combating overtourism by cracking down on cruises that sail their Mediterranean waters. According to Travel And World Tour, officials in the three European nations have agreed on specific regulations regarding cruises going through their zones. Reportedly, the countries aim to continue generating revenue from the cruise industry while implementing ordinances to ensure sustainability and preserve the Mediterranean Seas beauty both along its coastal towns and in its waters. Notably, Barcelona, Spain; Nice, France; and Venice, Italy, are all among the Mediterranean destinations that have been battling overtourism. Reportedly, cruise ships deemed sustainable vessels in the region will have docking priority. Moreover, popular ports will prohibit cruise ships with over 3,000 passengers from docking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The publication noted that, additionally, there will be a limit on the number of vessels that can be at the regions ports, with a maximum of one per day and a total of 15 per month during the high tourist season. What Else Is There To Know About Cruising The Mediterranean? In addition to reducing overcrowding in the Mediterraneans coastal towns due to foot traffic from cruisegoers, the regulations put in place also reportedly aim to support the environmental health of the region. Back in July, Nices mayor, Christian Estrosi, called out the arrival of a Royal Caribbean Group ship in Villefranche-sur-Mer, claiming it violated the cruise ship docking regulations in the region at the time. Estrosi said he called upon local maritime authorities to order the ships immediate departure. I intend to strictly enforce the decisions taken to combat maritime pollution, preserve air quality, and protect the living environment of residents, he added in the caption of an Instagram post recapping the situation, translated from French. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other towns reportedly implementing certain regulations regarding cruising the Mediterranean are Cannes, France, and Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Elsewhere in Europe, Amsterdam in the Netherlands has also made efforts to limit tourism by regulating the number of cruise ships coming to its port. The post What To Know About Changes To Mediterranean Cruising Amid Overtourism appeared first on Travel Noire. In September and early October 2025, social media posts multiplied criticizing a supposed piece of legislation by the European Union designed to combat child pornography. They claimed the so-called "chat control" draft law would allow powerful forces ranging from the EU, to unspecified governments to "artificial intelligence" to read everyone's private online messages, regardless of whether senders used end-to-end encryption. A law proposal regarding the scan of people's online messages exists. The EU's executive body, the European Commission, introduced it in 2022. It calls for social media and texting platforms to scan all communication by users in an effort to curb child pornography. However, the law would not allow government officials to do the scanning, nor would it necessarily give government officials access to the data, contrary to social media posts' claims. The law would require the social media and texting companies to establish systems to do the scanning themselves. The law would require those companies to send suspicious content to law enforcement. The legislation has generated heated debate between supporters, such as Interpol and organizations committed to fighting the proliferation of child sexual abuse material online, and detractors, including digital-rights activist groups and texting and social media platforms like X, Signal and WhatsApp. As one of the EU's two legislative bodies, the Council of the EU (not the European Council, which does not legislate), prepared to vote on the draft law in mid-October 2025. Due to disagreement between countries, however, the Council of the EU postponed the vote to late 2025. In fall 2025, posts multiplied on social media expressing privacy concerns over a supposed piece of legislation by the European Union designed to combat the spread of child pornography. People claimed the so-called "chat control" draft law would allow a variety of powerful forces ranging from the EU to unspecified governments to "artificial intelligence" to read everyone's private online messages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The posts claimed even messages between senders on end-to-end encrypted platforms like WhatsApp or Signal would be susceptible to the scans to flag child sexual abuse material. For example, an Oct. 4, 2025, an X post warned people about the so-called "chat control" law (archived): Chat Control allows government agents, computers, and AI to directly gather and read all your private chat messages and pictures to your friends, family, coworkers, and associates. It makes encryption illegal. https://t.co/VpkQGWOc9X Ortis (@I_am_Ortis) October 4, 2025 Many posts on X shared the same claim. Some people, like the author of an August 2025 post on Reddit (archived), alleged the proposal would violate people's privacy. It is true that the European Union is considering legislation that would compel technology companies to scan all communications and stored content to flag child sexual abuse material. Supporters say technology companies already scan for illegal content; for example, the platforms monitor for content related to terrorism. By adding scans for child pornography, proponents argue, law enforcement could curb abuse by identifying offenders not yet known to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the law would not allow government officials to do the scanning, nor would it necessarily give government officials access to the data, contrary to social media posts' claims. The law would require the social media and texting companies to establish systems to do the scanning themselves. The law would require those companies to send suspicious content to law enforcement. The legislation has generated heated debate between supporters, such as Interpol and organizations committed to fighting the proliferation of child sexual abuse material online, and detractors including digital-rights activist groups and texting and social media platforms like X, Signal and WhatsApp. Some opponents claim the legislation leaves a door open for criminals and hackers to gain access to people's data and undermines rights protecting people's privacy and personal information, such as Articles 7 and 8 of the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights. Below is an explanation of the legislation's history and the debate surrounding it. The proposal's history The EU Commission, the EU's executive body, introduced the legislation in May 2022 to "prevent and combat child sexual abuse" by identifying and removing such material online and prosecuting those who seek or share it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If passed, the law would compel online messaging services such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram as well as email, cloud storage, social media and forums sites to scan all types of content (emails, text messages, posts, links, videos and images) for child sexual abuse material. To achieve this, companies that offer end-to-end encryption to guarantee users' privacy (for example, platforms like WhatsApp and Signal) would need to weaken or break their current systems for shielding data. Tech companies would use automated scanners powered by artificial intelligence to monitor massive amounts of data. Then, under the law, the tech companies would flag suspicious content to local authorities. One legislative body, the EU Parliament, voted in 2023 to protect encryption against mass surveillance, signaling the possibility of the legislation changing before a final vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On July 1, 2025, the day Denmark began its presidency of the European Union, the country introduced a compromise text draft legislation that replaced the 2022 "chat control" proposal with some changes. (EU member countries take turns presiding over the Council of the EU, the second legislative body, in six-month rotations. Before Denmark, the Czech, Spanish, Belgian, Hungarian and Polish presidencies tried and failed to secure a compromise on the "chat control" legislation. Denmark's presidency will end on Dec. 31, 2025.) Denmark's revised draft law categorizes communications and storage platforms into "low, medium and high risk" using certain criteria, such as how proactive the platform is in protecting children. Only high-risk services would need to scan for child sexual abuse material, and that scanning would focus only on visual content and URLs, as opposed to text and voice messages at least at first. With that initial focus primarily on child pornography, cases of grooming would be "out of the scope subject," the legislation says. But that could change later: The scope of detection orders covers known and new child sexual abuse material, while grooming is out of the scope subject to its possible inclusion in the future through a review clause. In order to protect end-to-end encryption, Denmark's compromise text proposes "client-side scanning," a system that scans content before it's sent and can block its transmission. This would require users to consent to the scanning, and the text says users who opt out would have limited access to platforms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further, Denmark's text encourages service providers to assess and verify users' ages something some of them already do. Critics say Denmark's suggested changes to the original 2022 law proposal did not go far enough to protect digital rights and allowed for an expansion of scanning if the system is effective. Weeks after Denmark introduced its text, in August 2025, a Denmark-based software engineer known as Joachim set up a website that emailed representatives of all EU member states at the European Parliament. Joachim's efforts fueled a swarm of social media posts on the issue, including posts with misleading claims about what the legislation would do. Who's for and against so-called 'chat control' Critics say such a law would violate EU citizens' right to privacy and could create a slippery slope to stronger government censorship and control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also, because tech companies would need to use automated scanners to monitor massive amounts of users' data, critics worry about "false positives" or, instances of the scanners incorrectly flagging noncriminal content by failing to interpret the context. Opponents include tech industry leaders like Elon Musk's X, Meta's WhatsApp (archived), and Signal, whose president Meredith Whittaker described the draft law as an "existential threat" to the platform (archived). Critics also include the European Digital Rights network (EDRi), a collective of European non-governmental organizations focused on protecting digital rights. Proponents include Interpol, which in 2021 claimed encryption enabled the proliferation and circulation of child sexual abuse material, and Thorn, a U.S.-based organization co-founded by actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. Thorn, which developed a proprietary system to scan communications, has lobbied EU officials since at least 2022 to implement the draft law. That year, the organization signed an open letter with more than 70 organizations with similar missions, thanking the EU's commission for introducing the proposal and urging the legislative bodies to pass it. What's next for the legislation? At the Council of the EU, ministers from all EU member states meet periodically with their counterparts to vote on issues in their areas of focus. (The group is different than the European Council, which gathers heads of state and does not legislate.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the case of "chat control," the group of justice and home affairs ministers, the Justice and Home Affairs Council, met in mid-October to vote on Denmark's compromise text. But ongoing gridlock resulted in the group postponing the vote to late 2025. For the legislation to pass the group, it must reach a "qualifed majority" by meeting two conditions at once: 55% of EU member countries must vote in favor (15 countries out of 27) and that voting block must represent at least 65% of the EU population. If that happens, the legislation would go to the EU Parliament for a final vote. As of this writing, Germany, the largest country in the EU by population, opposes the draft law, along with eight EU members states. France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Denmark are among 12 countries that support the draft law. Six countries are undecided, including Italy, Belgium, Sweden and Greece. Sources: "Denmark Wants to Break the Council Deadlock on the CSA Regulation, but Are They Genuinely Trying? - European Digital Rights (EDRi)." European Digital Rights (EDRi), 26 Aug. 2025, edri.org/our-work/denmark-council-deadlock-on-the-csa-regulation-are-they-genuinely-trying/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement European Commission. "European Commission." Commission.europa.eu, 2021, commission.europa.eu/index_en. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. European Council. "Qualified Majority." Europa.eu, European Council, 2017, www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/voting-system/qualified-majority/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. ---. "The Presidency of the Council of the EU." Europa.eu, European Council, 2024, www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/presidency-council-eu/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. "Fight Chat Control - Protect Digital Privacy in the EU." Fightchatcontrol.eu, 2025, fightchatcontrol.eu/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For a Future with Privacy, Not Mass Surveillance, Germany Must Stand Firmly against Client-Side Scanning in the Chat Control Proposal." Signal, 3 Oct. 2025, signal.org/blog/pdfs/germany-chat-control.pdf. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. GreensEFA. "Stop Chat Control: Why Scanning All Our Private Messages Is a Very Bad Idea." YouTube, 30 Sept. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6YmQJ9Nijw. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. "INTERPOL General Assembly Resolution Calls for Increased Safeguards against Online Child Sexual Exploitation." Interpol.int, 24 Nov. 2021, www.interpol.int/News-and-Events/News/2021/INTERPOL-General-Assembly-resolution-calls-for-increased-safeguards-against-online-child-sexual-exploitation. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. Jr, Bernd Debusmann. Ashton Kutcher Resigns from Charity over His Support Letter for Rapist Danny Masterson. 15 Sept. 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66827692. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Justice and Home Affairs Council (Home Affairs)." Consilium, 13 Oct. 2025, www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/jha/2025/10/14/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. "Organisations Archive - European Digital Rights (EDRi)." European Digital Rights (EDRi), 2025, edri.org/about-us/our-network/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. "Proposal for a REGULATION of the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT and of the COUNCIL Laying down Rules to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse." Europa.eu, 11 May 2022, eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52022PC0209. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. "Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Laying down Rules to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse - Presidency Compromise Texts." Council of the EU, 1 July 2025. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thorn. "Ashton Kutcher Discusses EU Legislation." Thorn, 14 Apr. 2023, www.thorn.org/blog/ashton-kutcher-eu-child-safety-legislation/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. ---. "How the European Union Can Lead in Combating the Spread of CSAM." Thorn, 28 Jan. 2022, www.thorn.org/blog/how-the-european-union-can-lead-in-combatting-the-spread-of-csam/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. ---. "Open Letter to the European Union." Thorn, 17 Nov. 2022, www.thorn.org/blog/open-letter-to-the-european-union/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. ---. "Open Letter: Thorn and 90+ Organizations Welcome the EU's Proposal to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse." Thorn, 1 June 2022, www.thorn.org/blog/open-letter-thorn-and-50-organizations-welcome-the-eus-proposal-to-prevent-and-combat-child-sexual-abuse/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ZARZALEJOS, Javier. "REPORT on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Laying down Rules to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse | A9-0364/2023 | European Parliament." Europa.eu, 2023, www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2023-0364_EN.html. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025. European Union. Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union . Official Journal of the European Communities, 18 Dec. 2000, www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Voters across Louisiana will cast their votes for the November election. Voters can find their polling location and sample ballot using the GeauxVote app or visiting GeauxVote.com. The app allows people to sign up for notifications for election reminders. Baton Rouge mayor details Thrive EBR tax plan before Nov. 15 election Heres what voters need to know as the Nov. 15 Election Day nears. Deadline to register to vote Deadline to register through Geaux Vote online: Oct. 25. Early voting in Louisiana Dates: Nov. 1-8, excluding Sunday, Nov. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Absentee ballot deadlines Deadline to request: Nov. 12 by 4:30 p.m. Deadline to return an absentee ballot to the parish Registrar of Voters: Nov. 14 by 4:30 p.m. Poll hours for Election Day Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 15. Latest News 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 Louisiana First News. Jury selection has begun in the murder trial of an Illinois sheriffs deputy charged with killing Sonya Massey, a Black woman shot in her home last year after calling police for help. Sean Grayson, 31, responding to a call about a suspected prowler, fired on the 36-year-old Massey in her Springfield home early on July 6, 2024, after confronting her about how she was handling a pan of hot water Grayson had ordered removed from her stove. Sean Grayson - Macon County Jail Security was uncharacteristically tight in Peoria, where the trial has been moved. A police tactical team was deployed around the downtown courthouse and snipers were seen on rooftops surrounding the perimeter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Masseys killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes and it prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs. An outdoor protest drew about 60 people, an organizer said. They held signs that read, The People Demand: End Police Terror and United Now Against Racial Violence. James Wilburn, Masseys father, watched jury selection in the courtroom. Questions for prospective jurors from both sides probed attitudes toward law enforcement during a time of intense feelings for or against police. Sangamon County States Attorney John Milhisers questions focused solely on jurors relationships with officers or organizations, their monetary or volunteer support and whether they would have trouble justifying a guilty verdict against a police officer. Notably, Milhiser closed his questioning by asking for a show of hands from jurors who believed police officers may use whatever level of force they deem necessary in doing their jobs none did. The defense likely will argue that Grayson was justified in his use of force because of the pan of hot water Massey held. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defense attorney Dan Fultz gauged panel members comfort level in returning a not guilty verdict but spent considerable time asking jurors generally about personal obligations and simply whether they wanted to be impaneled. By midday, attorneys had nearly completed questioning a second pool of a dozen jurors; from the first panel, four had been chosen to serve on the 12-person jury. Masseys killing raised new questions about US law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes and prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs. Heres what to know about the charges: Trial relocated due to national attention In addition to first-degree murder, Grayson is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Widespread attention to Graysons shooting of Massey prompted Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin to move the trial from Springfield, 200 miles southwest of Chicago. Jurors will instead come from Peoria and surrounding areas, an hours drive north, and will hear the case in their local courthouse. Grayson, who is white, faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. Body camera footage shows shooting After Grayson and another deputy checked the area around Masseys house, Grayson knocked on her door to report they had found nothing suspicious, body camera video shows. He entered the house to obtain details for a report, noticed a pan on the stove and ordered its removal. Massey picked it up. She laughingly asked Grayson why he was backing away; he said he was trying to avoid the hot, steaming water. Massey responded, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. Grayson wrote in an incident report, I interpreted this to mean she was going to kill me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to body camera video, Grayson pulled his 9 mm pistol and yelled at Massey to drop the pot. She apologized then put the pan down and ducked behind a counter, but in the confusion, as Grayson yelled, it appears she picked it up again. Grayson fired three times, hitting Massey once just below the left eye. Masseys family had sought mental health care Massey, a single mother of two teenagers who had a strong religious faith, was beset by mental health problems. When she answered Graysons knock minutes before the shooting, she said, Dont hurt me, and then, as she was questioned and Grayson asked her if she was all right, she repeatedly said, Please God. Earlier that same week, Sonya Massey had admitted herself to a 30-day inpatient mental health program in St. Louis but returned two days later without explanation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the days leading up to the shooting, three 911 calls were made by Massey or on her behalf, county records indicate. In one, her mother, Donna Massey, told authorities her daughter was suffering a mental breakdown. Donna Massey also told the dispatcher, I dont want you guys to hurt her. Grayson was not aware of the calls or Masseys background. County officials have since said theres no practical way to determine and communicate such information for police responding to emergency calls. Deputys history prompted state reform Grayson was arrested 11 days after killing Massey and fired from the sheriffs department. As his background was scrutinized, Masseys family and others questioned why Grayson, who had been a Sangamon County deputy sheriff for 14 months, had been hired at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his early 20s, he was ejected from the Army for a drunken-driving arrest in which he had a weapon in his car. He was convicted of a DUI again within the year. Before joining the Sangamon County Sheriffs Department, Grayson had four policing jobs in six years the first three of which were part-time. There was no indication Grayson had been fired from any job, but evaluations from past employers documented concerns about him. One department reported that while Grayson worked hard and had a good attitude, he struggled with report writing, was not great with evidence left items laying around office and was a bragger. Jack Campbell, the Sangamon County sheriff, was forced to retire six weeks after the shooting. He insisted none of Graysons issues disqualified him from working as a deputy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State law enforcement authorities had certified Grayson to serve in each of his previous jobs, but Campbell required him to attend the 16-week police academy training course nonetheless. In August, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law requiring that prospective police officers permit the release of all personal and employment background records to any law enforcement agency considering hiring them. Legislative sponsors of the measure acknowledged it doesnt prevent candidates with checkered paths from being hired but provides greater transparency. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com As the federal government shutdown stretched into late October, social media users claimed SNAP benefits, often referred to as "food stamps," would not be issued in November 2025 because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in an Oct. 10 letter to state agencies that if the shutdown continued, there would be "insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits" for approximately 42 million Americans who rely on the program. In the days that followed, multiple U.S. states issued alerts to SNAP recipients, warning that they may not receive their benefits in November if the shutdown was not resolved. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, billions of dollars in contingency funding are available for SNAP, some of which could be used to fund benefits. However, it remained unclear at the time of publishing whether the USDA planned to tap into those reserves to fund SNAP benefits or how many many recipients the funding could support. It was also unclear whether the Trump administration would reallocate additional funding for SNAP from another source, as it did for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, more commonly known as WIC. As the federal government shutdown stretched into late October 2025, social media users warned of potential disruptions to the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food benefits to millions of low-income Americans. On average, SNAP provides $188 per month, or about $6 per day, in benefits to help seniors, people with disabilities and families purchase household food staples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One TikTok user (archived) claimed SNAP benefits, often referred to as "food stamps," would not be issued in November 2025 due to the ongoing shutdown, citing notifications from the federal government and individual states. A similar claim circulated on Instagram (archived), where a user alleged that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration decided not to issue food stamps in November. Warnings like these prompted multiple Snopes readers to search our website for information about November SNAP benefits. As of Oct. 27, 2025, a message on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website stated that, at this time, SNAP benefits will not be issued as of Nov. 1, adding that "the well has run dry." The message continued: We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance. Snopes previously debunked claims that congressional Democrats forced a government shutdown because they want to fund free health care for immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This update comes after the USDA stated in an Oct. 10 letter to state agencies that if the shutdown continued, there would be "insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits" for approximately 42 million Americans who rely on the program. In the days that followed, multiple U.S. states issued alerts to SNAP recipients, warning that they may not receive their benefits in November if the shutdown was not resolved. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, billions of dollars in contingency funding are available for SNAP, some of which could be used to fund benefits. However, the USDA had not indicated that the government planned to tap into those reserves and it was unclear exactly how many recipients the funding could support. At the time of publishing, the USDA declined to answer Snopes' questions about the contingency funds or whether recipients could receive partial benefits in November, referring us to the Oct. 10 letter. A spokesperson for the agency provided the following statement that mirrored the most recent update on its website: We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Continue to hold out for healthcare for illegals or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments. Below is a breakdown of what we know so far about November SNAP benefits. We will update this story as new information becomes available. States issued warnings following USDA notice In its Oct. 10 letter warning of insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits, the USDA also directed states to delay submitting their November benefit issuance files to electronic benefit transfer vendors. States normally send these files, which contain information on the benefit amounts for each eligible SNAP household, to EBT vendors each month so they can process the data and load cards with the upcoming month's benefits, according to the Food Research & Action Center (archived). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement https://media.snopes.com/2025/10/snap_letter_pdf.pdf Since then, multiple states have warned that SNAP recipients may experience delays or not receive benefits at all in November if the shutdown continues. For instance, on Oct. 20, the Oregon Department of Human Services announced it was notifying the state's SNAP recipients that they "will not receive new benefits after Oct. 31 because of the federal shutdown." Several days later, Washington state issued a similar warning, saying it would be unable to "issue food benefits after Oct. 31" if the shutdown continues. California Gov. Gavin Newsom added (archived) that benefits for CalFresh, the state's SNAP program, would "likely be delayed in November" if the federal government did not reopen by Oct. 23. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry warned on Oct. 22 that SNAP recipients would not receive new benefits on their cards beginning Nov. 1, citing the government shutdown. Oklahoma and Maine also said federal funding for November SNAP benefits had been "suspended" and "would not be issued," respectively. Pennsylvania's government announced on Oct. 17 that November SNAP benefits "cannot be paid" because of the shutdown and that it would notify recipients when payments can resume. Other states, including New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida and Wisconsin, issued similar warnings that benefits may be delayed or paused beginning Nov. 1. Texas Health and Human Services said (archived) that November SNAP benefits would not be issued if the shutdown extends beyond Oct. 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Missouri's Department of Social Services said the agency would not be able to distribute November benefits until it received further notice from the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. On its FAQ page about the shutdown's impact on SNAP benefits, the department wrote: The federal government is not releasing funds for SNAP benefits yet for November, due to the government shutdown. Your November SNAP benefits may be delayed or may not be provided at all, depending on what the federal government decides. Contingency funds available, but use remains uncertain In its shutdown plan (archived) dated Sept. 30, 2025, the USDA said "multi-year contingency funds" are available to fund SNAP benefits during a lapse in appropriations. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (archived), Congress made $6 billion in contingency funding available for SNAP through the 2024 and 2025 appropriations laws. Under the USDA's shutdown plan, some of that money would be used to cover states' administrative expenses, meaning the full $6 billion is unlikely to be available for SNAP benefits alone. However, because the federal government's share of administrative expenses is estimated at less than $500 million per month, more than $5 billion should remain available for SNAP benefits, the CBPP said. Still, that amount would fall short of the approximately $8 billion needed to fully fund one month of SNAP benefits nationwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of this writing, it remained unclear whether the USDA would use a portion of the contingency funding to provide at least partial SNAP benefits in November. However, the agency had not indicated that it would implement such a plan. It's also possible that the Trump administration could reallocate additional funding for SNAP from another source, as it did for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, more commonly known as WIC, during the current shutdown. However, neither the USDA nor the administration have indicated such a plan to fully fund SNAP benefits. Snopes reached out to the White House for comment and will update this story if we receive a response. Sources: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "A Quick Guide to SNAP Eligibility and Benefits." Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 3 Oct. 2025, www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rosenbaum, Dottie, and Katie Bergh. "The Trump Administration Can and Should Take Available Steps to Ensure SNAP Participants Get November Food Benefits." Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 20 Oct. 2025, www.cbpp.org/blog/the-trump-administration-can-and-should-take-available-steps-to-ensure-snap-participants-get. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Plata-Nino, Gina. "How Will a Government Shutdown Affect SNAP Benefits? - Food Research & Action Center." Food Research & Action Center, 29 Sept. 2025, frac.org/blog/how-will-government-shutdown-affect-snap-benefits. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. "Trump Administration Notifies States That SNAP Benefits Not Coming in November." Oregon.gov, 20 Oct. 2025, apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/GOV/Posts/Post/trump-administration-notifies-states-that-snap-benefits-not-coming-in-november. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. "Due to Federal Government Shutdown, SNAP Benefits Suspended Beginning November 1, 2025." Oklahoma Human Services, 21 Oct. 2025, oklahoma.gov/okdhs/newsroom/2025/october/comm10212025.html. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)." Pa.gov, www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/snap. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. "Governor Hochul Slams Washington Republicans for Holding SNAP Benefits Hostage from Millions of New Yorkers Starting in November." Governor Kathy Hochul, 16 Oct. 2025, www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-slams-washington-republicans-holding-snap-benefits-hostage-millions-new. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Press, IDHS. "Trump's Administration: SNAP Benefits Slated to Be Cut off on November 1." Illinois Department of Human Services, 16 Oct. 2025, idhs.prezly.com/trumps-administration-snap-benefits-slated-to-be-cut-off-on-november-1. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. "NJ SNAP." Www.nj.gov, www.nj.gov/humanservices/njsnap/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "2025 Federal Government Shutdown | Texas Health and Human Services." Texas.gov, 2025, www.hhs.texas.gov/services/financial/2025-federal-government-shutdown. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. "Federal Shutdown Impacts | Mydss.mo.gov." Mo.gov, 2025, mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. "Trump Shutdown Could Soon Halt Food Support for Millions in California; CalFresh Cards Face Possibility of No New Funds in November | Governor of California." Governor of California, 20 Oct. 2025, www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/20/trump-shutdown-could-soon-halt-food-support-for-millions-in-california-calfresh-cards-face-possibility-of-no-new-funds-in-november/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Balingit, Moriah. "WIC Program Gets Trump Tariff Money to Run during Shutdown." AP News, 11 Oct. 2025, apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-wic-food-a6d66fa0ce3d02257b5b43a79355b1bf. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025. Updates: Oct. 21, 2025: This story was updated to include additional comment from a USDA spokesperson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oct. 23, 2025: This story was updated to include notices from additional states. Oct. 27, 2025: This article was updated to include a message on the USDA website stating that SNAP benefits would not be issued as of Nov. 1. Kosovo has become the first country to publicly say it is considering hosting return hubs for Britains rejected asylum seekers. Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, said his country wants to help the UK fight illegal migration in return for more support against threats from Serbia and Russia. Neither Serbia, from which Kosovo split in 2008, nor Russia accepts Kosovan independence. Speaking before a summit of western Balkans leaders hosted by Sir Keir Starmer in London on Wednesday, Mr Kurti said talks were taking place between officials from Britain and Kosovo. The King shakes hands with Albin Kurti, the Kosovan prime minister, at a reception at St Jamess Palace on Tuesday night - Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Kosovo is the first country to confirm its interest in hosting return hubs, where rejected asylum seekers would be sent after they have exhausted all their avenues of appeal in the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked if Kosovo was willing to consider accepting migrants from Britain, Mr Kurti told The Times: We want to help the UK. We consider that that is our friendly and political duty. We have limited capacity but still we want to help, and as we speak there is regular communication between our teams of state officials from our ministry of internal affairs and lawyers about how to do this smoothly for mutual benefit. Three other Balkan nations have rejected Britains proposal for return hubs. Edi Rama, the Albanian prime minister, repeated his earlier dismissal of such an agreement. When it comes to the hubs, or whatever they are called, Ive said it, and I repeat never in Albania, he said. Sir Keir Starmer speaks to guests at the St Jamess Palace reception on Tuesday, the eve of the Western Balkans leaders summit in London - Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Milojko Spajic, the prime minister of Montenegro, said his country was not part of the western Balkans smuggling route because the railway infrastructure is not developed enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montenegro is not part of the migrant routes through the Balkans, he said. Mr Rama asked him if he would host a hub if the UK built railways in his country, to which he replied: We definitely accept it, if they would invest 10bn into building railways. The presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina a three-member body that serves as head of state said that it had no intention, nor any willingness, to enter into any arrangement that would involve accepting rejected asylum seekers from the UK. b' ' The UK is already working with partners in the region which comprises North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo as part of the Governments pledge to target smuggling gangs and bring down the number of small boat arrivals across the Channel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some 22,000 migrants travelled through the region on their way to Northern France to attempt the small boat crossings to the UK last year. They are estimated to account for a quarter of all arrivals. A total of 37,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, up 30 per cent on last and on a par with the record year of 2022. 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) Even though the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Trump Administration over federalizing and deploying Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, their deployment remains stalled because of a separate restraining order that blocks their deployment. Its been weeks since Trump first ordered the National Guard to Portland to defend the ICE facility from the small group of protesters. The troops and state officials are both frustrated and in the dark about the mission itself and the timeline. Dangerous path: Oregon leaders decry court decision to allow National Guard in Portland Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a Monday press conference following the decisions announcement, Gov. Kotek said she has repeatedly called on the Trump Administration to tell the public exactly what mission he expects National Guard members to do. These citizen soldiers have been pulled away from their families and jobs for weeks to carry some kind of mission in Oregon, Kotek said. They have been silent. Dozens, possibly hundreds of federal agents are in and around the ICE facility but the National Guard is still nowhere to be seen. Kotek confirmed about 200 Oregon National Guard troops are still at Camp Rilea on the coast with another 200 California Guard members stationed at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley. Previously, officials with the Oregon Military Department told KOIN 6 News both groups have completed crowd control and use-of-force training from US Army North, the military command that trains and directs the troops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KOIN 6 News has requested the training materials but have not yet received them. At this point today, both the Oregon National Guard and the California National Guard continue being in limbo, Kotek said. We have no additional information from the Trump administration. Thats very troubling. As commander-in-chief of the National Guard for Oregon thats the situation we have been in. Trump invoked Title 10 on September 27, which authorized federal control of the National Guard. State leaders said they received little information on the Guards orders or deployment timeline. Deadline approaches for DHS to explain helicopters in Portland to federal lawmakers Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No idea of the mission, Kotek said. No idea of the timeline at this point. But since the National Guard troops are under federal control, Oregon officials have no authority over deployment. The president of the Department of Defense orders mobilization and the US Army North commands troops. Kotek calls the deployments unnecessary and urges the Trump Administration to reconsider. I still urge the Trump Administration to send all the National Guard members home, she 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 KOIN.com. The controversial parade celebrating frightening European folklore that took over a historic San Antonio downtown area during the last Christmas season will return again in 2025. The second annual Krampus Parade will return to the historic King William District in San Antonio on December 5 and begin at 7:30 p.m. Organizers said in the announcement the parade is free and family-friendly, and those who wish to march in the event must register by November 16 on the event's official website, krampusportal.com. San Antonio's inaugural Krampus Parade attracted spectators to Southtown for a spooky Christmas experience on Thursday, December 5. (Chris Stokes for MySA) "Experience dazzling costumes, glowing lanterns, and a night of mischief, magic, and Gemutlichkeit - that cozy blend of warmth, cheer, and togetherness," organizers said in the announcement on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, people who did not participate could also spectate the event along the parade route. San Antonio's first Krampus Parade drew a wide amount of interest and also pushback when it debuted last year, with local religious leaders speaking out against the event in addition to a number of protestors picketing the parade. The event was so popular that it spawned its own Fiesta event - the Fiesta Masquerade Pachanga. San Antonio's inaugural Krampus Parade attracted spectators to Southtown for a spooky Christmas experience on Thursday, December 5. (Chris Stokes for MySA) What is a Krampus Parade? The tradition of the Krampus Parade dates back to the Middle Ages as a Krampuslauf, or Krampus run, where people would dress up in his likeness and chase children down the street in a menacing way, threatening to beat them for not behaving, according to Travel + Leisure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The folklorish figure has been known through history in different cultures but is most often attributed to traditions in Europe's Austria and Germany. The King William Historic District saw "a great many Germans" settle in the area in the 1840s, according to the City of San Antonio. The neighborhood was named in honor of King Wilhelm I, King of Prussia in the 1870s. San Antonio's inaugural Krampus Parade attracted spectators to Southtown for a spooky Christmas experience on Thursday, December 5. (Chris Stokes for MySA) Devon Donohue-Bergeler, director of the UTSA German Program, said to MySA last year that people need to view the folkloric creature like the Grimm's fairytale version of Santa's naughty and nice list, noting the holiday traditions involving Krampus are meant to include his good counterpart, St. Nicholas. The folklorish figure has been known through history in different cultures but is most often attributed to traditions in Europe's Austria and Germany. The King William Historic District saw "a great many Germans" settle in the area in the 1840s, according to the City of San Antonio. The neighborhood was named in honor of King Wilhelm I, King of Prussia in the 1870s. This article originally published at Krampus Parade returns to San Antonio's most historic German district. The Kremlin said on Monday that substantial groundwork was still needed before a planned summit in Budapest between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. "There's still a lot of homework to be done," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russia's TASS news agency. He said that teams from both countries would first need to resolve a number of outstanding issues and that "preparations for the summit have not been fully started yet." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peskov stressed that Russia's position on the war it launched has not changed. He was responding to Trump's remarks on Sunday, when he proposed the fighting be frozen along the current "battle lines." "Let it be cut the way it is. It's cut up right now. I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is right now," he told reporters on Air Force One. "They can negotiate something later on down the line. But I said cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people." Ukraine has so far insisted on reclaiming all of the territory it has lost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia, for its part, continues to lay claim to the entire territory of the Donbas. Moscow currently controls a majority of the Donbas - which is comprised of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions - but not all of it. No date has yet been set for the proposed meeting in Budapest. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who would host the talks, maintains close ties to both Trump and Putin and has described his relationship with the Russian leader as "constructive." 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: A study participant sewing in the University of Sydney's climate chamber. Credit: Louise Cooper, University of Sydney Garment workers face some of the most precarious working conditions in the world and are increasingly at risk from extreme heat stress caused by climate change. A new University of Sydney-led study reveals how simple, affordable interventions could offer critical protection to those working in dangerously hot conditions. Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the study identifies low-cost and scalable strategies that can reduce heat stress and protect worker productivity in Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) sectora $45 billion industry employing over 4 million people, most of them women. It represents 80% of Bangladesh's export revenue and is the fourth-largest garment exporter in the world. In Bangladesh's RMG factories, indoor temperatures often soar above 35C and can reach as high as 40C. Production halls are typically hot, humid, and poorly ventilated, with the constant use of heat-generating machinery like irons and steamers making the air thick and stifling. Workers spend up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, in these conditions, whichover timecan take a considerable toll, causing dehydration, heat exhaustion, and a noticeable drop in energy and concentration, putting workers' health and well-being at serious risk. Most workers are paid by the piece, creating a difficult trade-off: slow down to stay safe in the heatand earn lessor maintain speed and risk serious illness. "Garment workers in Bangladesh already endure some of the most precarious and grueling conditions in the world. With rising temperatures, it's only getting worse," said the study's senior author, Director of the Heat and Health Research Center at the University of Sydney, Professor Ollie Jay. "Without immediate, scalable, and affordable cooling solutions, millions face a serious and growing risk of heat-related illness, exhaustion, and long-term harm." To address this, Professor Jay's team looked at the effects of various cooling alternatives to air conditioning on worker heat strain in a simulated Bangladesh garment factory inside a climate-controlled chamber, replicating the hottest conditions recorded inside a typical factory in Dhaka. They tested simple cooling interventions such as insulated reflective roofs, electric fans, and free access to drinking water, and benchmarked them against air conditioning and no cooling at all. They found: Without cooling interventions, heat stress reduced work output by around 12% to 15%. These losses were partly recovered through the team's sustainable cooling strategies, which prioritized cooling the individual instead of altering the surrounding environment. A 2.5C indoor temperature reduction from an insulated, reflective white roof lowered core body temperature, heart rate, and dehydration risk. Electric fan use combined with access to drinking water delivered similar benefits, reclaiming much of the heat-related productivity loss seen in high-intensity tasks like ironing. Cooling effects were more pronounced in male participants, highlighting the importance of reconsidering gender-specific tasks and clothing in heat mitigation strategies. "The findings offer practical, scalable solutions for factory owners seeking to improve working conditions without relying on air conditioning, which remains economically and environmentally unsustainable," said lead author Dr. James Smallcombe, a post-doctoral research fellow in the Heat and Health Research Center. "With Bangladesh's RMG industry targeting a 30% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, these low-resource options could offer a viable path forward for a sector under increasing pressure from both global demand and a changing climate." "The fashion industry has a moral and ethical imperative to reduce heat stress for workers and ensure basic provisions, such as access to clean drinking water. That includes both companies and factory owners. While air conditioning may help, it should not be seen as a silver bullet; instead, sustainable, affordable cooling solutions should be considered to protect workers' health and well-being," said Dr. Smallcombe. The full results suggest that improving building design and supporting worker hydration could become key pillars of climate adaptation in global supply chains, protecting both workers and business continuity. Without cooling interventions, workers face serious health risks and reduced productivityimpacting both individual and business earnings. Yet, it also shows that even small, science-based changes can lead to significant improvements in health, livelihoods, and the environmenta triple win for communities. While the environmental conditions reflected those observed in Bangladesh, the findings are also relevant to other countries with large ready-made garment industries, such as India and Vietnam, where extreme conditions are also common. Bangladesh is widely recognized as one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, facing heightened risks from sea-level rise, extreme weather, and heat stress. More information: Sustainable cooling strategies for workers in the ready-made garment factory industry in Bangladesh under simulated extreme heat: a randomised crossover trial, The Lancet Planetary Health (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101317 Journal information: The Lancet Planetary Health Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said there are no confirmed dates for a summit between the leaders of the United States and Russia. Source: Russian state-run media outlet Interfax, as reported by European Pravda Details: Peskov said that neither US President Donald Trump nor Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had named a specific date for the meeting. Quote: "Serious preparation is required. You have heard statements from both the American side and ours that this could take some time. Therefore, there have been no specific dates mentioned initially." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More details: Peskov was commenting on media reports suggesting that the meeting between the two leaders could be postponed. He added that, as of now, "there is no understanding" of when such a summit might take place, noting that proposals related to the planned meeting in Budapest cannot be discussed in a "shouting-from-the-rooftops manner". Quote: "Of course, announcing proposals cannot take place in this, you know, 'shouting-from-the-rooftops manner'. This is still quite a discreet process that must remain so in the interests of the process itself and its effectiveness." Background: Earlier, CNN reported that a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov which was scheduled for this week has been postponed for unknown reasons. The meeting had been intended as preparation for organising the Trump-Putin summit. Moscow has described media reports about the postponed meeting between the US secretary of state and the Russian foreign minister as "inaccurate". The possible date for the Rubio-Lavrov meeting had been reported as 23 October. Media have also suggested that the delay in the diplomats' talks could mean a postponement of the Trump-Putin summit. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! A flight headed to LAX Monday night was diverted back to its point of origin after a technical issue with the planes communication system may have led the pilots to believe there was a security incident onboard. According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, an American airlines flight operated by SkyWest departed from Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska around 4:40 p.m., and returned to the airport only 20 minutes after takeoff for an undisclosed reason. Unconfirmed reports on social media claimed that the flight was diverted after multiple people attempted to gain access to the cockpit during the flight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to KTLA that the cause for the diversion was due to a problem with the planes internal phone communication system. The planes pilot declared an emergency and turned around after being unable to contact the cabin crew and hearing knocking on the cockpit door. The knocking on the cockpit door was actually cabin crew attempting to make contact with the pilots, FAA officials said. The L.A.-bound flight returned to the airport and was greeted by on-ground staff who confirmed there was no emergency, but rather a miscommunication caused by a technical issue. The Federal Aviation Authority, which handles media requests related to incidents aboard commercial flights, was contacted by KTLA, but an email from the agency stated a lack of funding due to the shutdown of the federal government has resulted in the FAA no longer being able to respond to regular media inquiries. A response was received about 40 minutes later. The Omaha Airport released a statement on social media shortly after the plane returned to land, directing any inquiries to American Airlines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was no security related incident at Eppley Airfield this evening, the statement reads. American Airlines did not respond to request for comment prior to the publishing of this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. After 12 years on the Los Angeles City Council, Curren Price will be termed out of the legislative body this coming year. The candidate he hopes will replace him comes from his staff, Jose Ugarte, his deputy chief of staff who has been referred to in the past as Price's "right-hand man." But with many months to go before ballots are cast, Ugarte is already in hot water with the city's Ethics Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to documents released by the commission, Ugarte has agreed to pay a $17,500 fine for repeatedly failing to disclose outside income he made from his lobbying and consulting firm while also working as a council staffer. A commission investigation found that Ugarte failed to report outside income from his consulting firm, Ugarte & Associates, for the years 2021, 2022 and 2023, according to the documents. The proposed settlement is set to go before the Ethics Commission on Wednesday. "This was an unintentional clerical reporting error on my part. As soon as I was made aware, I took full responsibility and corrected them," Ugarte said in a statement emailed to The Times. "I take disclosure seriously. Moving forward, I have implemented steps to ensure nothing is missed." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ugarte said his work with Ugarte & Associates never overlapped with his time in Price's office. He started working for Price in 2013, but left the office in 2019. He returned in 2021. Ugarte & Associates was formed in 2018 and still conducts business. He co-owns the company with his sister. The settlement comes as Ugarte's boss faces his own ethics issues. Price was indicted two years ago on 10 counts of grand theft by embezzlement after his wife's consulting firm received payments of more than $150,000 between 2019 and 2021 from developers before Price voted to approve projects. Prosecutors also said Price failed to list his wife's income on his ethics disclosure forms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors have since filed additional charges against Price, saying his wife, Del Richardson, was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the city housing authority while Price voted in favor of millions in grants to the agency. He also wrote a motion to give $30 million to the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority from 2020 to 2021, a time frame in which Richardson was paid more than $200,000 by the agency. Price said he supports Ugarte despite the ethics violation. "This matter dates back to 2021, when he was not employed by the city, and is clerical in nature," Price said in a statement texted to The Times. "I wholeheartedly support Jose Ugarte, alongside an unprecedented coalition of elected officials, labor groups, and community leaders who stand behind his character, leadership and proven record of results." Ugarte is one of the leading candidates running to represent Council District 9, which covers South Los Angeles. He raised $211,206 in the first reporting cycle of the election, far outpacing his rivals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of Ugarte's opponents, Estuardo Mazariegos, called the Ethics Commission findings "very disturbing." The Ethics Commission also alleged that Ugarte's documents about outside income, known as Form 700s, failed to report clients who gave $10,000 or more to Ugarte & Associates. Those client payments were mostly independent expenditures for local candidates. His firm was paid $128,050 to help with the reelection campaign of Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles). It was also paid $222,000 by Equality California to help with the reelection campaign of former Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, among other clients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This proposed settlement raises more questions than it answers: Are these the only payments Ugarte hid? Why was he concealing them from the public? And above all, how did these massive payments in outside interests affect Jose Ugarte's work as a city employee?" Mazariegos said in a statement to The Times. 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. Los Angeles Countys district attorney said Thursday hell recommend that a judge resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez nearly 30 years after the brothers were convicted of the murders of their parents a recommendation that he said would make them eligible for immediate parole. After very careful review of all arguments made from people on both sides of this equation, I came to a place where I believe under the law resentencing is appropriate and I am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow, District Attorney George Gascon said at an afternoon news conference in Los Angeles. The brothers have been serving life without the possibility of parole since their 1996 convictions of first-degree murder in the 1989 killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their California mansion. Gascons decision to recommend a resentencing the culmination of a review that came after defense attorneys said in 2023 they had new evidence pointing to abuse by their father was made about an hour before he announced it, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I believe that they have paid their debt to society and the system provides a vehicle for their case to be reviewed by a parole board, and if board concurs with my assessment they will be released accordingly, Gascon said in front of a packed room that included several media outlets and family members. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge will ultimately decide whether to resentence the brothers, Gascons office said. While Gascon said hed make his recommendation to the court Friday, a date for a hearing on the matter has not been determined, his office said. Nancy Theberge, deputy in charge of Gascons resentencing unit, hopes a hearing will be held in 30 to 45 days, she said. Gascon said he supports the resentencing of the brothers to life with the possibility of parole which normally would mean 50 years to life in prison. But because the crimes happened when the brothers were under 26 years old, under California law they would be eligible for youthful parole. Were very sure not only that brothers have rehabilitated and will be safe to be reintegrated into our society, but they have paid their dues, not only for the crimes that they committed, but because of all the other things they have done to improve the lives of so many others, Gascon said in the news conference , indicating that the men created groups to address how to deal with untreated trauma and helping inmates with physical disabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The brothers have been model prisoners by all accounts, Gascon said in an interview with CNN later Thursday, after he announced his decision. Not only have they worked on their own self-improvement, but they have done a lot of work to better the life of those around them, which that part is unusual, Gascon told CNN. I believe they have served enough time. One of the brothers attorneys said his team is hopeful the decision will one day allow the men to have a life outside of prison. We are grateful the district attorney recognized not only the extraordinary contributions Erik and Lyle have made while in prison, but the role that sexual abuse played in their actions as well, attorney Cliff Gardner told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reexamination of the case came more than 35 years after the fatal shooting of Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. Their sons, Lyle and Erik, who were 21 and 18 at the time, were arrested less than a year later, in 1990, and accused of first-degree murder. At their high-profile trials decades ago one of the first cases to be televised the brothers did not deny killing their parents. However, they argued they should not be convicted because they acted in self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse by their father. A first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on the charges. In their second trial, much of the defense evidence about sexual abuse was excluded. The brothers were found guilty in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison. What the 2023 defense petition said Gascons reexamination of the case came after attorneys for the Menendez brothers filed a habeas corpus petition in 2023, citing what they argue is new evidence, as well as a recent California law on resentencing in which the court can take into consideration sentences in comparable cases. The judge can consider whether the defendants were victims of psychological or physical abuse, whether they are rehabilitated and whether they are a danger to society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the new evidence the 2023 petition asked a court to consider: a sworn statement by former Menudo boy band member Roy Rossello, who alleged Jose Menendez sexually assaulted him in the 1980s. The attorneys also said a letter Erik Menendez wrote to a cousin months before the killings alludes to the abuse he endured. The defense was asking the court to either vacate the brothers conviction and sentence, or permit discovery and an evidentiary hearing during which they can provide proof, the petition says. The brothers story has taken on new interest following the September release of the Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. Netflix also released a documentary on the Menendez case this month featuring both men discussing what led to the killings. Gascon, who is campaigning for reelection next month on a platform that includes sentencing reform, told CNN this month times have changed regarding how the public and the courts treat victims of sexual abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no question that a jury today would look at this case probably very differently than a jury did 35 years ago, he said. Brave and necessary, Jose Menendezs niece says When asked about mounting criticism from opponents who suggested reconsidering the Menendez brothers sentence was a political move, Gascon said, Theres nothing political about this, adding that more than 300 resentencings have happened in the county since he took office in December 2020, including 28 for murder. Celebrity and criminal justice reform advocate Kim Kardashian, who has been vocal about her support of the brothers, also thanked Gascon for righting a significant wrong. Your commitment to truth and fairness is commendable, she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram stories. This case highlights the importance of challenging decisions and seeking truth, even when guilt is not in question. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anamaria Baralt, Jose Menendezs niece, called the decision by Gascon brave and necessary. Today is a day filled with hope for our family, she said Thursday. Together we can make sure that Erik and Lyle receive the justice they deserve and finally come home. CNNs Cindy Von Quednow reported and wrote from Los Angeles, and Amanda Musa and Melissa Gray reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNNs Stephanie Elam and Matt Friedman contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com We dont hear the term Nimby much nowadays. The Governments preferred word is blocker, presumably because it suggests a more actively obstructive role in stopping development. The acronym for Not In My Backyard was imported from America into our political lexicon some 40 years ago by Nicholas Ridley, the environment secretary in the Thatcher government. He set out plans for a network of new towns in the South of England to tackle housing shortages and stimulate growth. Nothing much changes. In a speech defending his policy, Ridley said: Our English countryside is one of the most heavily man-made habitats in Europe. To make it into a green museum would be to belie its whole history. However, Ridley broke the oldest political law of all: that ministers insisting people behave in a certain way must do so themselves. It transpired that he had objected to a low-cost housing development in the Cotswolds close to his constituency home, a rectory in a Gloucestershire village. He was a Nimby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The essential nature of Nimbyism is to support a national policy, for instance green energy or more houses, while insisting that the consequences should be felt by other people. There is always a tension between the greater needs of society to see building take place and local opposition. Getting the balance right has proved problematic ever since the post-war Labour government introduced the Town and Country Planning Act, which remains the template for decision-making despite incessant tinkering down the years in a bid to speed up building. Another attempt is currently under way with the Planning and Infrastructure Bill now in its final stages in Parliament. This had passed through the Commons and was almost at the end of its Lords journey, whereupon the Government suddenly introduced 67 amendments. This is how we legislate a measure that should have already been properly scrutinised is toughened up virtually overnight when it is too late to object. It is a piece of chicanery partly designed to assuage the Office for Budget Responsibility as it prepares to give its verdict on the November Budget. Reportedly, the Prime Minister ordered a last-minute rewrite of the Bill following indications that the Government will never reach its target of 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If it can be shown that house-building and new infrastructure schemes will actually happen, thereby boosting growth forecasts, perhaps the OBR will give the Chancellor greater wriggle room in meeting her fiscal rules. Or that is the theory. Few, if anyone, in the building or planning worlds think there is the remotest chance of the 1.5 million target being reached. So far this year there has been a sharp decline in planning applications. However, Steve build, baby, build Reed, the Housing Secretary, insisted that the Planning Bill was the vehicle for making it happen and success would be all the sweeter given the level of current scepticism. So what does this measure do that gives Mr Reed such cause for optimism he has promised to resign if the target is missed? Housing Secretary Steve Reed pictured outside 10 Downing Street - Leon Neal/Getty Images Essentially, it by-passes local council and community objections to any development the central government deems to be necessary. Officials claim councils are dragging their feet on building, with nearly 900 major housing schemes blocked in the last year. New housebuilding targets will be mandated and the Secretary of State will be able to issue holding orders on planning applications and call in unreasonably rejected schemes. Who decides what is unreasonable? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green Belt protections are being watered down and a new concept of grey belt introduced for low quality land that can usefully be developed, though it will still be up to councils to identify suitable land. In addition, there are powers for ministers to force through nationally significant projects, such as reservoirs as well as solar panels, windfarms, pylons and electricity sub-stations. Most of the latter will be situated in the countryside to provide power to the towns and cities in order to meet Ed Milibands madcap dash to decarbonise the grid. The cumulative impact of all these developments could be considerable in some areas and yet their objections will likely be overridden or considered piecemeal. The Government also wants to see more reservoirs built there has not been a new one for 40 years which are also going to cause local planning battles. The question, then, is does this Bill strike the right balance between the wider needs of society for new housing and infrastructure and the democratic rights of people to object and for their opinions to be taken seriously, not just brushed aside? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Reed said: Sluggish planning has real world consequences. Every new house blocked deprives a family of a home. Every infrastructure project that gets delayed blocks someone from a much-needed job. This will now end. But it will only end if the Secretary of State essentially takes on the function of a one-man planning system, stripping local communities of any say in their future. That will stoke resentment among people who blame successive governments for allowing mass immigration to push up the population to a level where housing shortages are at crisis levels. The forced march of pylons and gigantic windfarms across the countryside to meet Ed Milibands green agenda will not be welcomed by those who do not benefit from the power they produce. A rural revolt looms. Critics say the Planning Bill is such a dogs breakfast that it will never achieve what it has set out to do. But it nevertheless contains powers that the central government has rarely possessed in peacetime to impose its wishes on a recalcitrant populace. And what of Mr Reed? Last year, before he became Housing Secretary, he objected to a housing development in his London constituency. He asked the mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to intervene, writing: Residents have concerns relating to direct overlooking and overshadowing given the proposed height of the development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He turned out to be a Nimby, as well or a blocker, if he would prefer. There will be many more. 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. Fiona Goddards resignation from the grooming gangs inquiry liaison panel should be a wakeup call for this Labour Government especially as Fiona was followed just hours later by fellow-survivor Ellie-Ann Reynolds. Ellie-Ann resigned saying she cannot support the Governments attempts to downplay the racial and religious motivations behind their abuse. The Government seems intent on perpetuating the very cover-up which they are supposed to be investigating. Lets not forget that the Government initially refused to have an inquiry at all and then when they were forced to, they dragged their feet for months. The truth is that we cannot wait any longer for the national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs to be set up. Today, I am calling on the Government to restructure their inquiry immediately to ensure it is independent, credible, and led by a senior judge. Let us first remember that victims are at the heart of this: young girls, and some boys, some only 10 years old, were groomed and gang raped by men of predominantly Pakistani origin. They were girls like Jane, who was just 12 years old when she was raped by an illegal immigrant, but when she was found by police, instead of arresting the rapist, the police arrested Jane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Or like Anna, only 15 years old, who repeatedly told social workers that she had been gang raped. Instead of helping Anna, the social workers allowed her to marry her main abuser in an Islamic ceremony. They even attended the ceremony. These crimes were deliberately covered up by people in authority because community relations were seen as more important than protecting young girls. That is a disgrace. These two stories alone show the lengths institutions such as social services and the police went to cover up these appalling crimes, letting down thousands of victims they were supposed to protect. This is why the two leading candidates, an ex-police officer and a social worker, are completely inappropriate choices. How can survivors trust ex police and social workers when these two institutions were at the heart of the cover up? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need a judge to lead the inquiry. A judge will be impartial and get to the bottom of these disgusting crimes and the cover up by authorities. Victims and survivors have been betrayed over and over again. First by the authorities who ignored them, and now by a Labour Government thats watering down its own inquiry before its even begun. Survivors will never get justice from the same institutions that failed them before.I have serious concerns over the way the inquirys panel is being conducted. In her letter, Fiona correctly points out that this inquiry was always supposed to be focused on grooming gangs and the cover up by authorities due to the perpetrators being of mainly Pakistani heritage. If the Labour Government tries to move the focus away from grooming gangs, they will be facilitating a cover up. From the very beginning, the Labour Government has been hiding the details about this liaison panel. Fiona has bravely taken a stand to call out the secretive conduct and conditions imposed on survivors. The Labour Government must come clean about the allegations of political interference and conflicts of interests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We must also remember the Labour Government promised an inquiry into the grooming gangs in Oldham back in January. Survivors from Oldham have contacted my office worried about the fact that they have heard virtually nothing about the local inquiry since then. This is shameful. The truth is the Labour Government never wanted the inquiry into grooming gangs to begin with. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming into holding it. When the Labour Governments rejection of Oldhams call for a national inquiry became public in January, the Prime Minister disgracefully smeared as far-Right those supporting calls for that proper inquiry. That kind of language is how these crimes got covered up in the first place. Now they are delaying and diluting both the local and national inquiries. It is clear that in some parts of the country, those in positions of power do not want to get to the truth. Months ago, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, pretended to not know what a grooming gang was. Now it has been revealed that he read reports of young girls being raped by groups of men while publicly denying there were grooming gangs operating in London. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This leaves the mayor with serious questions to answer. Why did he refuse to answer these questions if he knew grooming gangs were operating in London? It is clear Sadiq Khan is facilitating a cover up. We understand setting up an inquiry takes time. But the Labour Government does not seem to be treating this issue with the urgency it deserves. They could take action now to get justice for the victims. They could start forcing Pakistan to take back the grooming gang perpetrators who are eligible for deportation. The Government could stop issuing visas to Pakistan and they could suspend all foreign aid until these disgusting rapists are deported. Why wont they? All we have seen from the Labour Government so far is dither and delay. It is shameful that almost no progress has been made since the start of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Government must urgently launch the inquiry as a full, statutory, judge-led investigation with the power to deliver justice for every survivor and hold every official who enabled these crimes to account. Chris Philp is the shadow home secretary 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. Are you homeschooling your child because of the VAT raid? Let us know at money@telegraph.co.uk* Labours VAT raid has been linked to a boom in homeschooling as more families are priced out of private schools. Online teaching firms said demand had exploded since Labour introduced a 20pc levy on independent school fees in January. A years homeschooling tuition costs around 6,000. This compares to 19,000 on average for a day pupil at a private school and 50,000 for boarding, according to the Good Schools Guide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wolsey Hall Oxford, one of the longest-established homeschooling colleges in the world, said it had seen a huge shift in the number of parents signing up. Minerva Virtual Academy which offers online teaching also said the number of pupils had surged among lifestyle families because of unaffordable private school fees. Hugh Viney, the schools founder and chief executive, said that traditionally the school accepted children with special educational needs that could only be met at home, and child athletes, performers and actors with demanding schedules. He said: Theres been an uptick in what we call the lifestyle families where their child does not have a particular need. Theyve come from private school roots and see our fees as much more palatable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have seen an explosion in the last year. The reason is that private schools, due to VAT increases, have become unaffordable. Mr Viney explained how the 9,000-a-year online school, which teaches 1,300 pupils mostly via video-calling software, is currently split equally between parents who have come from private schools and those with children whose educational needs are best met at home. I hugely disagree with the additional VAT on school fees. I think its a disastrous policy, and I am very against it, he said. Despite this, Mr Viney admitted that Minerva had benefited from the changes, as the school, founded in 2020 during the pandemic, already charges VAT and remains far cheaper than most private schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents are seeing a VAT increase and thinking its not worth the cost any more, theyre looking for other options and finding us, he said. He rejected the idea that online schooling represents an ersatz education for children. Minerva offers regular school trips, opportunities for children to meet face-to-face outside of class, and even ways for some science experiments to be performed at home. Except for physical education, which can only be taught in person, the school is confident that it offers like-for-like teaching to that of mainstream private schools. Its most recent GCSE results saw 22pc of pupils obtain grades 9-7, which is on par with the national average. Even top boarding schools had lost a handful of pupils to Minerva recently, Mr Viney claimed. He conceded, however, that its offering was not for everyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a minority [for whom] it doesnt work. Some teenage boys will struggle with the self-discipline that is required of children like ours, he added. A study earlier this month of 1,150 private schools found a decline of 16,696 pupils since last September equivalent to 3.6pc according to the Independent Schools Council. Together with the previous years poll, which noted a decline of 8,233 pupils after Sir Keir Starmer vowed to impose 20pc VAT on day one of a Labour government, around 25,000 pupils could have been forced out of private schools in total. Parents face the option of sending these children to local state schools. For a handful, turning to online schooling from home is a way to retain control of their childs education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wolsey Hall Oxford said more parents had signed up after pulling their children out of private school for financial reasons. The imposition of VAT in January this year came partway through the academic term, meaning parents could have struggled to find an alternative to a private school in the state sector, given pupils are usually accepted in September. Gavin McLean, principal of the school through which Nelson Mandela studied as a prisoner in apartheid South Africa, noted a perception that Labours VAT raid was very vindictive in terms of the timing. The timing of it was particularly difficult. The fees are imposed mid-year at the point where, if a family can no longer afford private education and wants to go to the maintained sector, places have already gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has led many families who were unable to afford the fee increase to choose Wolsey Hall, which accepts applications on a rolling basis, because there were few alternatives. Parents were faced with taking them out and sending them to a school 30 miles away. A lot have looked to us, he said, adding: Weve seen a big shift. Enrolment at the more than century-old school, which has 4,000 pupils, is up 30pc year-on-year, Mr McLean said. Parents whose children formerly attended private school make up the lions share of demand. The number of cases where unaffordable fees as a result of VAT motivated the switch was certainly in the hundreds, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fees at Wolsey Hall are around 6,000 a year for secondary school, and teaching takes place predominantly online through virtual lessons. VAT has long been levied on its courses due to their distance-teaching status. We can offer 30 A-levels, all with specialist subject teachers. There are very few maintained schools that have the budget to do that, but its what all the great private schools pride themselves on. He added that many private schools had now reached a tipping point after Labour imposed VAT and business rates for the first time. Theres a ceiling at 20,000 per pupil per year. Thats the point when it is unaffordable for most middle-income families. The Government has defended its tax policy on private schools as necessary to pay for more investment in state schools and claimed it will raise 1.5bn this year, a figure supported by the Office for Budget Responsibilitys forecasts last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many families resorted to paying fees in advance to avoid the tax being passed on through higher fees. The top 50 independent schools held 515m in advance fee schemes last year, which are used to pay school costs one or more years before they fall due. This was up from 121m in 2023, according to the latest annual accounts. A Treasury spokesman said: Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise 1.8bn a year by 2029/30 to help deliver 6,500 new teachers and raise school standards, supporting the 94% of children in state schools to achieve and thrive. *Please note that by submitting your content to us, you are consenting to The Telegraph processing your personal data where required by law. For further details, please see our Privacy Notice. 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 revised state testing regime, Education Savings Accounts and water for West Odessa were some of the items State Rep. Brooks Landgraf reviewed in remarks to the Odessa Retired Teachers/School Personnel Association Monday at Highland United Methodist Church. House Bill 8 replaces the STAAR exam with three shorter standardized tests. The House passed House Bill 4 which would have replaced the STAAR with a national norm referenced test, but it was gutted in the state Senate so the House killed it. Gov. Greg Abbott put it on the agenda when lawmakers were called back for a couple of special sessions during the summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We filed some more bills that would have scrapped the STAAR exam. (We) had some meetings with the Senate and said, hey, look, its still STAAR, Landgraf said. Some of the improvements were made to the test, however. One, the test is going to be shorter in that there are fewer prompts, fewer questions on each of the exams, and then students will have more time to finish this exam with fewer prompts and fewer questions. I think that helps reduce the high-stakes nature of the test and then its more aligned with some of the nationally administered tests. So thats one improvement, Landgraf said. Test results will be provided within 48 hours, Ector County ISD Chief Academic Officer Robert Trejo said in a previous interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now you get those results at the end of June, or maybe early July, when schools already over and about half of the summer is gone. So a parent cant use that information to get tutoring or something like that, or make the most of the summer break for educational achievement. Now a teacher will actually get those results back (and) can go over them with the student before they leave school for the summer, so that you at least have that information, Landgraf said. Also the new test, which he calls STAAR junior, will be given around the second to last week of school instead of the fourth week. We have pushed it back to where theres still time to get that after-action report, but also theres more instructional time prior to the test, so that were not wasting those last few weeks of the year, he added. The new edition of STAAR is designed to measure achievement from one year to the next. The MAP test is designed to measure growth and STAAR has a growth component at the end of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The end-of-course exam for certain grade levels remains in place as a graduation requirement, Landgraf said. Landgraf said the legislature basically outlawed benchmark testing to try and avoid over testing. The critical change that we made is that there cannot be any change, any tests in between the beginning, the middle and the end. Right now, students all over the state are subject to other standardized tests that are not required Were just going to prohibit those so that our students arent over tested. Its going to give 15 to 30 hours back to our teachers of instructional time so that students can be better prepared for a smaller number of tests, Landgraf said. State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, gives the Odessa Retired Teachers/School Personnel Association a legislative update Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, at Highland United Methodist Church. Landgraf spoke about the revised state testing regime, Education Savings Accounts and water for West Odessa and other topics. (Ruth Campbell|Odessa American) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On a separate topic, he reviewed the Education Savings Account two-year pilot program aimed at prekindergarten through 12th grade students. It would allow, under a best-case scenario, probably about 77,000 Texas school children to be able to draw down money from that account and use it in the form of an Education Savings Account, which can be used for a private school education, tutoring for public school students or other resources public school students can use, and home schooling. They (the accounts) are designed to be prioritized for special needs students who dont have special ed resources at their school, and also students who come from households that are 200% or more below the federal poverty line. There is a focus on special needs students and low-income students to be prioritized in this program, Landgraf said. He added that special needs students are eligible for up to $30,000 because special ed services can be much pricier than students who are receiving a general education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement General education students would be capped at up to $10,000 and home school students would be capped at $2,000, he said. If he is reelected, Landgraf said he would continue pursuing the Texas Strong Defense Fund, which would take a portion of oil and gas severance tax and reinvest it into places like the Permian Basin to make sure it has adequate roads, schools and water infrastructure on a go forward basis. The bill did not make it to Abbotts desk. This is a passion of mine to make sure that we get this done, because I think its important for the long term viability of the Permian Basin, but also the Texas economy. Its something that Im going to try again to get passed, if Im invited back by the voters to the next legislative session, Landgraf said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that he will be spending a lot of time in the next several months to make the Basins case for Texas Strong to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other key Senators to make sure that we have a chance to get this across the finish line. On the subject of water, Landgraf said he got $17 million from the state budget to help connect more people with water in West Odessa. Of course its outside of the city limits, and there is a utility district that provides water to a lot of people in West Odessa, but not everybody. There have been some infrastructure restraints on being able to do that. A lot of investments have been made, but were still not getting water to everybody who needs it, so this $17 million is basically being restricted to provide connections to people who dont currently have water, Landgraf said. Thats really the only reason that those funds can be used; $17 million is going to connect a lot of people who dont have water with water. Its not going to connect everybody who needs it, but the goal is, is that its a start. If we do this the right way with the local government entities, then it makes it easier to go back and ask for more. It also increases the customer base for the Ector County Utility District to where it puts them in a better position to be able to expand, Landgraf said. The post Landgraf gives retired teachers a legislative update appeared first on Odessa American. 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: Karolina Grabowska from Pexels A blood test that screens for more than 50 cancers is correct in 62% of cases where it thinks people may have the disease, a study has found. The Galleri test, which can be given annually and is undergoing trial in the U.K.'s health system, looks for the "fingerprint" of dozens of deadly cancers, often picking up signs before symptoms even appear. It works by identifying DNA in the bloodstream that has been shed by cancer cells, giving the earliest signs somebody may have the disease. Now, a key U.S. trial on the test has shown that Galleri is highly accurate in ruling out cancer in people without the disease, while also picking up cancer cases at an early stage, when the disease is more treatable. Of those people found to have a "cancer signal" detected in their blood, 61.6% went on to be diagnosed with cancer, the findings of the Pathfinder 2 study showed. And in 92% of cases, the test could pinpoint in which organ or tissue the cancer arose, meaning time and money could be saved on other scans and other tests. More than half (53.5%) of the new cancers detected by Galleri in the study were the earliest stage I or II, while more than two-thirds (69.3%) were detected at stages I-III. Galleri, which has been dubbed the holy grail of cancer tests, also correctly ruled out cancer in 99.6% of people who did not have the disease. The findings are being presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology, or ESMO, Congress in Berlin. Sir Harpal Kumar, president of International Business and BioPharma at Grail, which pioneered Galleri, and former head of Cancer Research UK, said the findings were impressive. He told the PA news agency: "We're really very excited and we think this is a further step along the way in really transforming cancer outcomes." The Pathfinder 2 study looked at how the Galleri test may be used in a real-world setting, alongside regular screening programs for things like breast and bowel cancer. People from the U.S. and Canada with no symptoms were recruited, of which 23,161 were analyzed and had a follow-up period of at least 12 months. The results suggested that adding Galleri to regular cancer screening led to a more than seven-fold increase in the number of cancers found within a year. The test detected a cancer signal in 216 people, and cancer was diagnosed in 133 of these. Therefore, the likelihood of receiving a cancer diagnosis following a positive test result showing a "cancer signal" was 61.6%. Sir Harpal told PA: "What we wanted to assess was, what added value does the test provide over and above existing screening? "And one of the most important and exciting results is the fact that it detected seven times as many cancers as the other screening programs put together." He said the screening programs in the U.S. are slightly different to those in the U.K. but "in the sense of what screening programs are offered, it's comparable." An NHS Galleri trial on how well the test works in screening people without symptoms is expected to be published in the middle of next year. Sir Harpal said, "Assuming we do get positive results from NHS Galleri, the opportunity to find substantially greater numbers of cancers before they present clinically means we should be able to find a lot more of them at an earlier stage. "This opens up the possibility that we can use more effective treatments and, in many cases, curative treatments. "That should make a substantial difference to cancer outcomes. "This is also particularly effective in those types of cancer where we have no other screening at the momentand in those types that are typically diagnosed very late, like pancreas, head and neck, liver and ovary, and so on. "As a complement to existing screening, we could find many, many more cancers earlier before they present symptomatically, which has the potential to really transform how we diagnose cancer and the outcomes we can expect. "Once we get those results next year, we would hope the NHS would move very quickly to an implementation evaluation in the NHS." Sir Harpal said the fact the test can also pinpoint which organ or tissue the cancer is in makes the "diagnostic process very efficient and quick." Galleri can also aid doctors treating patients who may have vague symptoms. Sir Harpal said, "If somebody presents with abdominal pain, you might ask: is this ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal canceror is it not a cancer at all? "If we can help clinicians direct those investigations, then we can make much better use of what is very scarce diagnostic capacity." Modeling suggests the Galleri test could be effective as an annual blood test in people from the age of 50, when cancer cases begin to rapidly increase. "Our analysis would suggest it's going to be more cost effective from age 50 upwards," Sir Harpal said, adding that there will be some younger people, such as those with prior cancer or a genetic predisposition to the disease, who may also benefit. Research published in the journal BMJ Open in May found that an annual blood test for cancer could lead to 49% fewer late-stage diagnoses and 21% fewer deaths within five years compared to patients receiving usual care. Josh Ofman, president at Grail, said, "These results are extremely compelling as approximately three-quarters of the Galleri-detected cancers do not have recommended screening tests today." Responding to the findings, Professor Clare Turnbull, from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said data was needed on whether tests such as Galleri had an effect on reducing death rates from cancer. Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld, director of the Barts Cancer Institute in London, said the results were "impressive" and the 62% figure was "very encouraging and provides strong evidence that this test could be safe and informative." He said more data were needed on mortality, but added, "Importantly, more than 50% of the cancers detected by the Galleri test in this study were early stage (stages I-II), and more than 75% of them do not have common screening options." Anna Schuh, professor of molecular diagnostics at the University of Oxford, said the likelihood that an individual with a positive test result actually has cancer is about 60%, according to the findings. "Or in other words: almost half of the time, the test gets it wrong when it calls a positive result," she said. "This is disappointing as it is only fractionally better compared to tossing a coin, although better compared to current screening tests where still most positive results turn out to be nothing." She suggested the current rate of detection may mean the NHS does not find it a cost-effective test. She said the test sensitivity was good "for some of the common cancers (where it was 74%), but not so much for the others (that together make up more than half of all cancers) as for these, the clinical sensitivity is poor (40%)." 2025 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. New Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman celebrates winning the Turkish Cypriot elections in the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state, October 19, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou NICOSIA (Reuters) -A landslide victory for a moderate candidate in a Turkish Cypriot presidential election offers a glimmer of hope in breaking an eight-year impasse in peace talks on the ethnically split island, diplomats and analysts said. Centre-left Tufan Erhurman won a commanding 62.7% of Turkish Cypriot votes in Sunday's election, final results on Monday showed, after campaigning on a platform of promising to re-invigorate stalled peace negotiations with Greek Cypriots. "The mood music among everyone I have spoken to is hopeful, optimistic and pleasantly surprised," one western diplomat said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defeated incumbent Ersin Tatar, whose two-state solution demand was widely opposed by Greek Cypriots, trailed with 35% of the vote. Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides congratulated Erhurman, saying he hoped to meet soon. "The key question is whether Christodoulides can respond positively to this huge shift," said analyst Fiona Mullen at Cypriot-based consultancy Sapienta Economics. Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup, and relations between ethnic Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been strained since peace talks collapsed in 2017. In recent years, Turkish Cypriots have opened a war-abandoned Greek Cypriot resort town to tourists, while Greek Cypriots have intensified legal action against developers building on properties belonging to displaced Greek Cypriots in the north measures that have dented the enclave's construction sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outgoing leader Tatar had lobbied strongly for international recognition of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, but was unable to lift its isolation. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who had supported Tatar's two-state policy, said the election result showed the democratic maturity of Turkish Cypriots. But at least one of his allies, the far-right Devlet Bahceli of the Nationalist Movement Party, said the result was unacceptable and called for north Cyprus to cede to Turkey. The size of Erhurman's victory suggested "people were fed up", Mullen said. "My hunch is that voters saw that the more antagonistic Tatar approach was getting them nowhere," she said. (Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Daren Butler and Alex Richardson) The only way to prevent Hamas from reasserting control over Gaza is to bring Egypt in properly, to lead the management of Gaza," Lapid said. Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his address at the Monday Knesset winter session opening ceremony, and stated ahead of it that the only way to defeat Hamas was to have Egypt manage the Gaza Strip. In a faction press conference ahead of the opening ceremony, Lapid remarked on Israel's recent ceasefire deal with Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The only way to prevent Hamas from reasserting control over Gaza is to bring Egypt in properly, to lead the management of Gaza," Lapid said. For more than a year, I have said to this government: if you do not propose an alternative authority in Gaza, Hamas will return, and the world will impose on us a solution we do not want, Lapid added, Criticizing Netanyahu, Lapid said that rather than bringing in Egypt, "a country that fights the Muslim Brotherhoods terrorism, the government brought Turkey and Qatar into Gaza, the ideological partners of the Muslim Brotherhood." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Israeli forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, July 18, 2024 (credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO) Lapid presses for Egypt to control Gaza What Gaza needs is Egyptian control. We must secure assurances from the Americans that Turkey and Qatar will not be part of it. " Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We must stop playing games with humanitarian aid. This whole process of stopping aid and then renewing it is not serious; it lacks strategy, and it only hurts us. It helps Hamas," he added. Hamas has not been defeated because Netanyahu does not know how to defeat it. The way to defeat it is to bring in an effective Egyptian authority in its place and to conduct a sustained military and diplomatic effort, with the understanding that we will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, even if it takes time," Lapid explained. Later, during the Knesset opening ceremony, Netanyahu had remarked on Israels current economic success, to which Lapid expressed his fierce objection during his plenum speech at the ceremony. I understand that you are excited about the economic success after two credit rating downgrades, the first in the history of the state, and after three consecutive years of negative growth. Thats the economic achievement?" Lapid questioned Netanyahu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know you dont go to the supermarket, thats fine, Lapid added. Ask someone about the state of the Israeli middle class, people who work, while you maintain 15 completely unnecessary government ministries here, transfer billions in coalition funding, all at the expense of people who work, pay taxes, and perform reserve duty this year," Lapid said. A fire broke out at a strip mall in Worcester on Monday night, seriously damaging the building and causing a large amount of smoke to pour from the roof. Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer told Boston 25 News the fire broke out around 8:00 p.m. at the Strip Mall on Main Street and part of the building collapsed into the basement, forcing firefighters to exit the structure and battle the blaze from the outside. No injuries have been reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cause of the fire is still unknown, and crews will remain on site overnight to investigate and monitor. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW GLEN ELLYN, Ill. A large tree fell Tuesday afternoon in Glen Ellyn and blocked a road. It happened on Riford Road between St. Charles Road and Elms Street. All traffic is blocked and Glen Ellyn police are asking residents to take an alternative route. Its been a windy day in the Chicago area. Crews are responding as of Tuesday afternoon, according to police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. A team of Las Cruces students is one step closer to sending their experiment to space. Higher Orbits held its first New Mexico Go For Launch! event in Las Cruces on Sept. 19-20, according to a community announcement. The event, held at the Challenger Learning Center, brought together students in grades 8-12 from across the Las Cruces Public Schools district. Students formed teams to compete in a payload design competition, where they were tasked with creating an experiment to send to space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The winning team, Sunny Side Up, proposed sending sea cucumbers to space to study their regenerative properties and potential as a food source for astronauts on long-term missions. The team comprises Alanalisa Baca and Angela Perez from Vista, Audrey Smith from White Sands and Aly Sylis Vasquez from Organ Mountain High School. Their design will now enter a national competition for a chance to be sent to the International Space Station. The winners of the overall Go For Launch! series will be announced at the beginning of next year. "Programs like Go For Launch! give our local Las Cruces students hands-on experiences that turn curiosity into real-world innovation." Dr. Stephanie Hofacket, Director of Teaching and Learning, K-12 STEM LCPS said. "We look forward to future events with Michelle and her team." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Higher Orbits was developed 10 years ago by CEO Michelle Lucas, who formerly worked at NASA in Mission Control and as an Astronaut Trainer. Lucas and retired NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence spent two days with the students, teaching them about space and microgravity research. After the event, Lucas and Lawrence participated in Spaceport America's Open House as guest speakers, sharing their experiences at NASA and the power of STEAM outreach events with the visitors. Higher Orbits is set to visit Albuquerque in October with NASA astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger for another opportunity for New Mexico students to compete in the national competition. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces students compete to send experiment to space RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) Tuesday, Oct. 21, is the last day to request an absentee ballot for the November general election in North Carolina. An absentee ballot may be requested from the North Carolina State Board of elections website until 5 p.m. Election Day is Nov. 4. Under North Carolina law, an absentee ballot must be requested the second Tuesday before the elections. Anyone unable to request an absentee ballot before the deadline may still cast their vote early or on Election Day. 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 CBS17.com. The US federal government remains shut down with a spending deal to reopen still out of reach on Capitol Hill. Heres how long the current shutdown has been going on: The last time the government shut down which started on December 22, 2018, and went until January 25, 2019 it lasted 35 days. It cost the United States an estimated $3 billion in lost GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Here are all the government shutdowns since 1981 US agencies were first instructed in the early 1980s to stop normal operations during government funding lapses, and resume operations when Congress appropriated more money. The first federal government shutdown happened in 1976, according to CNN research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While government shutdowns have become less common in recent decades there have been six since 1990 an increasingly partisan Washington has left Congress unable to resolve sticking points on spending for longer periods of time. With Republican Speaker Mike Johnson overseeing one of the narrowest House majorities in history, and the GOP lacking the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate filibuster, the path to avoiding a shutdown was murky in the 11th hour as negotiations stalled. CNNs Tami Luhby has more on which government services are expected to halt, and which are likely continuing, during this shutdown. The last government shutdown The shutdown that began in December 2018 was a partial shutdown, where Congress had approved annual funding for certain agencies, allowing them to continue operations while other federal departments went dark. During that time, an estimated 800,000 people were employed at the shuttered federal agencies, and about 300,000 of those were furloughed, meaning they were not paid and asked not to report to work, according to the CBO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rest were considered exempt from furlough, meaning they needed to report to work but could not receive pay. Both furloughed and exempted employees received backpay when their agencies reopened after the funding agreement was passed. The current Congress has not passed any of the 12 appropriations bills needed to fund the US government. That means this is a full government shutdown. CNNs Tami Luhby contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com European law enforcement agencies have recently busted a major cybercrime network in Latvia, arresting seven people while confiscating a large amount of equipment used in global fraud schemes. The Europol (European Unions Law Enforcement agency) operation, called SIMCARTEL, targeted a crime network that ran phishing and other scams via mobile networks, responsible for a large set of sensitive account breaches and the theft of millions of dollars. Investigators from Austria, Estonia, and Latvia linked the cybercrime group to more than 3,200 cases of fraud, including fake investment opportunities and staged emergency schemes designed to extract money from vulnerable people. Reported losses totaled about $5.3 million in Austria and $490,000 in Latvia due to the group. The raid found 1,200 SIM box devices containing 40,000 active SIM cards. These devices enabled criminals to conceal their identities while committing crimes across various telecommunications networks, including the creation of fake profiles on social media and popular messaging apps. Europol said the networks reach extended to users in over 80 countries across the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The main bust took place on October 10 in Latvia, involving over 20 property searches. Officials also seized hundreds of thousands of additional SIM cards during those searches, as well as five cybercrime servers and four high-end vehicles. Investigators then reportedly froze roughly $833,000 in bank and digital currency accounts that were connected to the fraud scheme. Europol indicated that the full scope of the network is still under investigation, but said the group is linked to the creation and distribution of more than 49 million accounts. The groups operations reportedly supported extortion, smuggling of illegal aliens, fake investment scams, and even counterfeit online stores. Europol shared video footage of the Latvian raids with the public over the weekend, revealing the well-organized nature of the active fraud network. The European investigation highlights the growing threat of SIM farms, which allow cybercriminals to operate scam services using remote mobile networks, many times without ever communicating directly with their victims. Similar operations have appeared worldwide: last month, the U.S. Secret Service disrupted a network in New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As previously reported by The Dallas Express, in late September, the Secret Service seized over 100,000 illegal SIM cards and more than 300 illegal servers in New York City, preventing potential disruptions to cell networks, 911 calls, and sensitive communications among world leaders during the nearby 80th UN General Assembly. Early investigations tied the U.S. sim farm network to foreign nation-state actors. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the crackdown on cybercrime in NYC last month demonstrated the agencys commitment to dismantling these types of threats before they escalate across the U.S. The potential for disruption to our countrys telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated. The U.S. Secret Services protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled, Curran added. A man who escaped from police custody on Oct. 21 was located about five hours later after a multi-agency manhunt, the Marion County Sheriff's Office confirmed. Multiple agencies joined the search for Dionte Green, 35, who fled from a transport van as he was being moved to the Community Justice Campus before 11:45 a.m. Despite wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, he was able to flee toward a wooded area north of the detention center, according to police. Green was located in a homeless camp in southeast Indianapolis at around 4 p.m. Few details about his apprehension are available, though IMPD said drones helped with the search. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green, who was serving a sentence under the supervision of Marion County Community Corrections, was arrested on a warrant after the agency alleged that he'd violated the terms of his release. The sheriff's office said in a news release that Green was arrested for possession of a firearm. Scott Hohl, the executive director of Community Corrections, said the violation in question was not a criminal matter but instead involved breaking a program rule. It's standard for people to be picked up before a judge rules on whether a violation occurred, Hohl said. This is the preliminary area that deputies and officers are currently searching . The prisoner is wearing leg shackles and handcuffs. IMPD also has drones up in the area. We ask those in the area to stay alert and report any suspicious activity to 911. https://t.co/9ZShfypj2O pic.twitter.com/OWt7mYCXEq IMPD (@IMPDnews) October 21, 2025 'A good guy': Longtime Marion County deputy killed during escape attempt at CJC Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green pleaded guilty to a count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon in September 2023. As part of his plea agreement, he was sentenced to serve five years split between the Indiana Department of Corrections and the Marion County Community Corrections agency. He spent the first two years in prison. He was now on a year of work release that was to be followed by two years of home detention. Green had faced more than a dozen hearings regarding community corrections or probation violations at the time of his escape, according to online court records. The escape is the latest in a string of security lapses at the Community Justice Campus, which opened in 2022 on the site of the old Indianapolis coke plant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June 2022, a man was charged with murder after an altercation with his cellmate turned fatal. Administrative errors twice led to the mistaken release of murder suspects in May 2022 and in September 2023. In July 2023, Marion County Sheriff's Deputy John Durm was trying to move a man from the transport van into the jail when he was killed during a botched escape attempt. After Durm opened the vans back doors, Orlando Mitchell used the chain between his handcuffs to choke the deputy, according to court documents. In February 2025, a man walked out of the courthouse as a jury deliberated its verdict in the case against him. He died by suicide during a police standoff later that day. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Law enforcement captures man who escaped near Community Justice Center Editor's note: This article was updated to include comments from former Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytskyi. The former head of Ukraines state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, said in a phone call with the Kyiv Independent that his opponents were likely behind a law enforcement raid on his home on Oct. 21. Kudrytskyi said earlier that media reports that he was being investigated due to abuse of his official position and misappropriation of company funds during his time at Ukrenergo were untrue. Instead, he believes someone orchestrated the raid to send him "a message." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There are no allegations against me for any abuse of official position or any misappropriation of funds," he said. "There is a criminal case where somehow the investigation came to the conclusion that they were required to look at whether my house and my car contained some documents that could help them with their investigation." Kudrytskyi says he was initially stopped on the road by a man in military attire, who did not identify himself, and asked to see his phone. The man then snatched the phone and ran off. Minutes later, officers from the State Bureau of Investigation appeared with the phone, which was unlocked. "They just in fact stole (my phone) from my hands," Kudrytskyi said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, the State Bureau of Investigation arrived at his house with a warrant and conducted a search, but did not take anything. Kudrytskyi said that he could not comment on what the warrant stated. The raid on Kudrytskyis home comes amid turmoil in Ukraines energy sector, as the country struggles to defend its power system from relentless Russian attacks. Ukrenergo a lucrative state enterprise has repeatedly been at the center of political infighting, and even its former chief now finds himself drawn back into the fray. Earlier this month, the latest power struggle at Ukrenergo erupted after the supervisory board moved to oust the current CEO Vitaliy Zaichenko, before reversing their decision after three days of court sessions. Kudrytskyi believes that the real purpose of the raid was to gain access to his phone and his messages. He has been outspoken about his decision to resign from Ukrenergo in September 2024, claiming corrupt individuals attempted to take over the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also published social media posts supporting the independence of anti-corruption agencies after the government passed a law stripping two anti-corruption bodies of their independence. Parliament overturned the law on July 31 in response to domestic and international backlash. "Probably someone is trying to send me a signal. However, these attempts will be in vain. I strongly believe that," Kudrytskyi said. While he did not name names, Kudrytskyi said it could be "someone with high rankings" to have that level of influence in law enforcement. Some figures are trying to disrupt the governance of Ukrenergo, namely its procurement system, he added. The raid could be related to Ukraines failure to adequately protect its energy infrastructure and current officials looking to place blame on their predecessors, said a Western observer with close knowledge of Ukraines business landscape who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A recent Ukrainska Pravda article revealed that when questioned by President Volodymyr Zelensky over why some energy facilities still dont have fortifications, officials shifted the responsibility to their predecessors. Russias recent mass attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have left parts of the country in blackouts. Roughly 60% of the countrys gas production facilities have been damaged. Kudrytskyis forced resignation in the lead-up to the heating season in 2024 sparked controversy both domestically and abroad, as he was largely seen as a reliable figure. The companys supervisory board chairman, Daniel Dobbeni, and board member Peder Andreasen said his dismissal last year was over accusations that Ukrenergo had failed to protect Ukraines energy infrastructure amid Russian missile strikes, and called the move "politically motivated" that had "no valid grounds." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like all state-owned companies that handle massive procurement of equipment and services, Ukrenergo is a lucrative target for stealing, siphoning, and inflated price schemes, Andriy Boytsun, an independent corporate governance professional, previously told the Kyiv Independent. Controlling Ukrenergo could create opportunities to inflate the governments compensation for subsidized household electricity tariffs and premium payments to green energy producers, he added. Read also: Kyiv, Washington discuss energy projects as Europe moves to end Russian gas imports Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. 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 Anxiety is a common and significant symptom of menopause and perimenopause, largely due to hormone fluctuations. Numerous studies have focused on the potential benefits of hormone therapy in reducing anxiety. A new systematic review indicates the treatment does not consistently impact anxiety symptoms in midlife women. Results of the review were presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Orlando, held October 2125. Anxiety can manifest in a number of ways, including nervousness, fear, and worry, and is sometimes accompanied by physical symptoms like hot flashes, palpitations, and insomnia. Because of its ability to seriously affect a woman's quality of life, anxiety has been the subject of multiple studies. Researchers recently undertook the task of reviewing an array of relevant studies designed to investigate the effects of hormone therapy on anxiety symptoms among perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women. Seven studies were considered eligible, including a combination of randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies that evaluated estrogen-based hormone therapy administered via oral or transdermal routes. Collectively, the trials had enrolled more than 1,200 pre- or postmenopausal women and the observation studies captured roughly 175,000 individuals spanning the midlife years. Multiple dosages and routes of administration were evaluated with varying conclusions. While the researchers determined that estrogen-based hormone therapy does not consistently reduce anxiety symptoms among midlife women, modest benefits were noted in perimenopausal or early postmenopausal women, particularly among those who were symptomatic and within a few years of their final menstrual period. The route, dose, and baseline severity of symptoms appear to have influenced treatment responses, with oral estrogen the most promising. "Women are often asking if menopause hormone therapy will improve their anxiety symptoms, and we wanted to synthesize the information to counsel patients with evidence-based information," says Carys Stefanie Sosea, lead author from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. More targeted research is needed to clarify which characteristics, such as menopause stage, symptom severity, and timing of treatment, may predict which women are most likely to benefit from estrogen-based hormone therapy for anxiety symptoms. "Anxiety symptoms are common in the menopause transition. Identifying the potential impact of estrogen-based therapy on these symptoms and whether there are differences in terms of formulation, route of administration, and dose is important so that clinicians can better individualize treatment," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. More information: Abstract presentation: The Effects of Estrogen-Based Menopause Hormone Therapy on Anxiety Symptoms in Perimenopausal and Early Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review. menopause.org/annual-meetings/2025-annual-meeting Journal information: Menopause OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) An Oklahoma lawmaker is calling for an investigation after a Stillwater teenager convicted of multiple violent sex crimes was allowed to walk free with no jail time. The teen received what critics are calling a light sentence after the court granted his request to be treated as a youthful offender rather than as an adult, prompting State Rep. J.J. Humphrey (R-Lane) to raise concerns about how the case was handled. You cant make this stuff up, Humphrey said. This is novel stuff. This is a book stuff. This is stuff you write books on and you cant make it up. And theyre doing it right out in front of everybody. The Payne County 18-year-old had originally been charged as an adult in March, when he pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of violent sex-related crimes against two other teenagers. If that dont set you on fire, your woods wet, Humphrey said. You know what I mean? Youve got a bad deal. That sets me on fire. Members of Oklahoma Predator Prevention facing felony charges The teen, who was 17 when the crimes occurred, later reached a deal with the District Attorneys office to have his status changed from adult to youthful offender. A judge signed off on the agreement. The teen then changed his plea to no contest. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to 78 years in prison. But, because of the youthful offender designation, the sentence triggered a rehabilitation plan insteadone drawn up by the states Office of Juvenile Affairs. That plan recommended no prison time, just daily check-ins, weekly counseling, a curfew, no social media access, and 150 hours of community service to be completed by the time the teen turns 19. While the youthful offender designation allowed the teen to avoid prison time for now, if he violates the conditions of his rehabilitation plan, he could still be required to serve the full 78-year sentence. Neither the DAs office nor the judge involved in the case has commented. Humphrey, however, is raising concerns. It looks like favoritism all day long for me, Humphrey said. He believes the handling of this case doesnt align with how Payne County has treated other cases involving allegations of child abuse. He claims the county has aggressively prosecuted individuals in those casesincluding people who reported abusesometimes jailing them or denying them hearings. News 4 has not independently verified those claims. Humphrey has filed a petition for a grand jury investigation into those cases. And now, he says, hes preparing to file another grand jury petition in this case. Does it absolutely smack of political favor that youre going to erase rapes and sexual heinous crimes so that you can give this guy a slap on the wrist and tell these families they dont matter and that this one important person matters more than their kids being raped, their kids being sexually molested? Humphrey said. And again, turn this predator back out on the street to do it some more? You know what Im saying? Oklahoma, better pay attention. Wake up. 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. (The Center Square) Louisiana lawmakers are eyeing legislation that will attempt to limit the states vulnerability to China. On Tuesday, legislators and security experts convened the first meeting of the Task Force on Protecting Louisiana's Critical Infrastructure from Foreign Adversaries. Members of the task force include the FBI, the state police, the attorney generals office and the National Guard. While the task force will not exclusively focus on threats from China, from the first moments it was clear that threats from China would dominate the meetings discussion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was recently reported by The Center Square that China was targeting the Mississippi river-system, and that Chinese entities are increasingly targeting major ports in southern Louisiana, which serve as the gateway to the rest of the river network and the U.S. interior. FBI Special Agent Benjamin Dreessen said China is anticipating major conflict with the U.S., and is working to interfere with the American military, induce panic and impede decision making in the White House. Similar remarks were made during the task force meeting. China aims to surround the adversary to make it impossible for the adversary to move to remove flexibility, Michael Lucci with State Armor said on Tuesday. State Armor is a firm that helps states enact solutions to global security threats. Louisiana would be a prime target for such threats given the states presence in energy. Louisianas 15 refineries handle roughly one-sixth of U.S. refining capacity nearly 3 million barrels per day while the state accounts for about 9% of national marketed natural-gas production, driven by the Haynesville Shale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the export side, Louisiana has become the nations liquefied natural gas workhorse. In September 2025, terminals in the state shipped an estimated 61% of all American cargoes, and Plaquemines LNG alone was poised to supply more than 17% of U.S. exports as it completed commissioning Chairwoman Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, mentioned that the state is the gateway to America, and that strong national security begins with the state. Beyond physical infrastructure, the task force also spoke on cultural and intellectual influence from China particularly on college campuses. Lucci mentioned the Chinese Students and Scholars Association involved in transnational repression, and identified by the U.S. Department of State as a part of Chinas United Front political warfare campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fact that Chinese nationals have student visas, who very often are also on the faculty of our universities is a potential threat, said Chris Holton with the Center for Security Policy. Theres got to be a lot more transparency about that. Holton, not a member of the task force, advocated for policies that would disclose exactly who is on our college campuses, what their background is, what kind of research they are carrying out. Holton said that such legislation was already being pursued. Chinese nationals should not be here learning about rocketry, Holton continued. The task force mentioned measures taken by other states, particularly Florida, that have worked to limit their exposure to China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, Florida lawmakers passed legislation restricting people from foreign countries of concern with the toughest rules on Chinese citizens from buying certain real estate, including land near military bases and critical infrastructure. Florida also moved against higher education ties with legislation limiting state colleges partnerships with institutions in countries of concern. A federal court later blocked the portion affecting academic employment of nationals from those countries, including China. The scope and focus of any Louisiana legislation is currently very broad and unclear, but Hodges introduced legislation this past session that would have prohibited foreign adversaries from participating in certain property transactions. The bill passed the Senate, but never made it to the House. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) South Carolina is one of only two states in the country where lawmakers, not the governor or voters, have the most control over how judges are chosen. Some state lawmakers believe its time to change that. Currently, judges in South Carolina must be screened by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, or JMSC, which is mostly made up of lawmakers. That means the same lawmakers who write the laws, and in some cases even practice law themselves, also have a major role in deciding who sits on the bench. State Sen. Chip Campsen (R Charleston), who is one of the lawmakers on JMSC, said, Its a very important role; maybe the most important role in the General Assembly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the current system, the governor appoints only four members of the commission, but a group of lawmakers is now pushing for the governor to nominate every member of the commission. If this goes through, lawmakers roles would be limited to confirming or denying the governors nominations. Lawmakers in both the Senate and the House, including Speaker Murrell Smith (RSumter), worked with an organization called DOGE SC. The organization said it is a South Carolina-based political action committee aiming to reduce government size and promote individual freedoms by supporting aligned candidates and legislation in the 2026 election cycle. According to one of the lawmakers who is a co-sponsor of the bill, the bill outlines specific criteria for JMSC members: The members of the JMSC would be appointed by the governor The governors staff would be the staff for JMSC JMSC members would have terms limited They could not be legislators They could be former legislators, but they would need a two-year cool-off Current legislator family members cant be on the JMSC Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senator Wes Climer (R York) explained the reasoning behind the proposal. Were looking to establish a co-equal branch of government by dividing the legislatures power more evenly between the executive branch and the legislature, Climer said. State Representative Jordan Pace (R Berkeley) added, Overwhelming, the majority of South Carolina doesnt feel like theyre getting justice from our court system, and it stems from how we pick our judges. Not everyone agrees with the proposed change. South Carolina Attorney Rhodes Bailey expressed concerns. If we managed to elect a Democrat in the South Carolina governors mansion, I think youd see a completely different tune here. [Republican Lawmakers] are not interested in judicial reform, Bailey said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senator Campsen, who has been pushing for this change for years, said he originally filed a similar bill two years ago but did not get enough support. The executive branch should pick the candidates and thats the framers vision because they considered that an important way to diffuse political power, Campsen said. They want to take away judicial independence. What they want to do is replace the law and judicial independence with political partisan rulings, Bailey added. If the bill passes as currently written, it will go into effect in January 2027. Lawmakers said they plan to file two bills in December, one in the Senate and one in the House. 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. Fixing the elevators, adding staff and restoring closed units are among the suggestions lawmakers have for Hartford HealthCare, which placed the winning bid for the right to buy Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals last week. Aiming to acquire the two hospitals and their real estate for $86.1 million, the statewide health system still needs approvals from a Texas bankruptcy judge and state regulators before sealing the deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We look forward to working with the state and others to complete the next important steps on this journey, and to working with communities to advance our mission: To improve the health and healing of all,'" the Hartford-based system said in a statement. "As a Connecticut-based system with a highly successful record of achievements, Hartford HealthCare is uniquely qualified to transform healthcare for the better in these communities." Eastern Connecticut Health Network is Prospect's division consisting of Manchester Memorial, Rockville General and related entities. "We're very pleased that Hartford HealthCare, a Connecticut-based organization with a proven record of excellence and results, has been selected as the winning bidder to acquire ECHN," President and CEO Deborah Weymouth said in a statement on Monday. "We look forward to seeking court approval of the sale later this week and, until then, remain focused on providing uninterrupted care to our patients and communities." The mayor of Vernon, where Rockville General is located, applauded the successful bid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Preserving Rockville General Hospital and the future of Eastern Connecticut Health Network has been a priority and I welcome this positive development for our community and region," Mayor Dan Champagne said. "I am looking forward to meeting with the leadership of Hartford Healthcare and learning about their plans to return services to our hospital." Rob Blanchard, spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont, said in as statement on Monday that "there is still a thorough regulatory process that must ensue, but we are very encouraged that Hartford HealthCare has stepped up to provide greater stability and to help provide continuity of care in the region that so many count on." A union that represents more than 400 workers at both hospitals expressed more measured enthusiasm. "The agreement between Prospect Medical Holdings and Hartford HealthCare to acquire these two hospitals marks a cautiously hopeful turn for the patients, workers, and communities served by these facilities," read a statement emailed by the Connecticut Health Care Associates District 1199, National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "After more than a decade during which Prospect's ownership drew resources away from both the hospitals and the communities they serve, this deal presents an opportunity for renewed investment and stability," the union statement continued. "This deal signals a commitment to reverse the degradation of services that took root under previous ownership. The real test now will be whether Hartford HealthCare can follow through with tangible improvements in care, staffing and community trust." Shutdown may delay key purchase approval In a last-minute twist, Hartford HealthCare's purchase may be delayed by the ongoing government shutdown, which entered its 20th day on Monday. Prospect Medical Holdings, the for-profit chain that currently owns Manchester and Rockville, is unwinding its estate in North Texas federal bankruptcy court. "The judicial branch announced that beginning on Monday, Oct. 20, it will no longer have funding to sustain full, paid operations," the court system posted in a statement on Monday. Bankruptcy courts will be impacted along with appellate and district courts, with cases at risk of delay due to lack of staffing. "Federal judges will continue to serve, in accordance with the Constitution, but court staff may only perform certain excepted activities permitted under the Anti-Deficiency Act," the court announcement said. With a transfer of ownership a step closer, state Sen. Dr. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, who has worked in inpatient care at Manchester Memorial in the past, said that the Prospect hospitals are badly in need of investment both in infrastructure and staff. "In the last few years, it's clear that many of the service lines have eroded, and there is a need for infrastructure investments," Anwar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After acquiring St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport in 2019, Hartford HealthCare invested $326 million in renovations and added services and staff, in addition to revamping systems to improve its Leapfrog patient safety grade from D to A. A patient advocate employed by the bankruptcy court earlier this year noted the ongoing negative impact of cuts at Rockville General. Prospect shut down the hospital's surgical services and intensive care units in 2020 citing pandemic impacts, and has kept them closed despite state censure. "The Ombudsman would encourage all parties to work to reopen closed units and increase volumes throughout the hospitals to better serve their communities," Koenig wrote in a report filed with the court in April. State regulators need to ensure that Hartford HealthCare adds to services at the two hospitals instead of making additional cuts, said state Sen. Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock), a physician whose district includes Rockville General. "I think the way that you have to build in confidence is put it into an agreement," Gordon said, pointing to Hartford HealthCare's controversial 2020 decision to cut maternity services at Windham Hospital. "If Hartford is going to come in, there really has to be some strong conditions about what it's going to be told it needs to do long term to provide some needed services," Gordon said, adding, " I don't know if the political will is there." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Safety concerns have intensified as the hospitals have continued to decline under Prospect's management, with a recent "immediate jeopardy" finding by federal regulators indicating serious risk for patients. Cyber security is also an ongoing concern at the hospitals, Anwar said. A cyber attack against the hospitals in August 2024 compromised the personal data of nearly 110,000 Connecticut residents. "The electronic medical record system needs to be upgraded so it's protected from external threats and patients' personal health information is protected. That's going to be one important aspect," Anwar said. Anwar said he and other current and former employees at the hospitals were enthusiastic about Hartford HealthCare's bid. "I'm excited about this," Anwar said. "Hartford HealthCare has been providing excellent care in the region." He added, "Clearly, there's going to be a lot of work ahead for Hartford." This article originally published at Lawmakers urge Hartford HealthCare to invest in ailing hospitals after auction win. A Humboldt, South Dakota, ambulance in November 2022. (Photo by John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) A group of lawmakers voted Tuesday to back efforts to get ambulance services paid for helping low-income and elderly patients without taking them to a hospital. The vote came during a meeting of the Legislatures Emergency Medical Services Interim Committee at the Capitol in Pierre. Ambulance services in South Dakota need to take patients to a hospital to get reimbursement for their work through Medicare or Medicaid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats unfortunate in a lot of situations, according to Maynard Konechne, statewide advocacy director for the South Dakota Emergency Medical Services Association. Its not uncommon for an EMT to arrive at the home of a diabetic patient who hasnt been eating right, give that patient some food or a glucose pouch, and then hear the patient say theyre well and dont want to go anywhere. EMTs dont force patients into the ambulance, said Konechne, of Kimball, but if we dont haul them to the hospital, we dont get paid. Medicare, Medicaid tried reimbursements Konechne told committee members that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid could choose to reimburse ambulance services for the on-site care, called treatment in place. The centers did that for a while a few years ago, but the practice didnt last. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Emergency Triage, Treatment and Transport (ET3) pilot program was meant to reimburse providers for that kind of care over a five-year period. It ended two years early, in 2023, due to lower than expected participation and lower than projected interventions, according to the centers. Data released last year by the centers, however, showed an average cost savings to Medicare and Medicaid of $537 per patient for the ambulance services that participated. The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians used that data as a selling point in its current push for the federal government to set rates for non-transport care. State could make change Rep. Eric Emery, D-Rosebud, moved that the interim committee draft a letter of its own to send to the federal government urging coverage for treatment in place. That passed unanimously. South Dakota doesnt need a policy change at the federal level to cover at least some of the costs of treatment without transport, though. Emery, whos the director of the Rosebud Ambulance Service, told the committee that North Dakota has reimbursed services for non-transport care since the mid-2010s, writing reimbursements for those costs into their state-level Medicaid pay schedules. As of 2025, ambulances are reimbursed $323 for a Medicare or Medicaid call without a transport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Kevin Jensen, R-Canton, said hed like to encourage the South Dakota Department of Social Services to change the rules in South Dakota to allow similar reimbursements. We can do that as a state, Jensen said. We dont have to wait for the feds to do that. Reimbursements for trips to a patients home wouldnt be as high as hospital transports, but it would at least cover the expenses, Jensen said, and would likely help save the state money by avoiding hospital bills for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. The two programs are jointly funded by the federal government and states. Other funding woes The committee voted unanimously to support the concept of reimbursement changes at the state level, and to include that support in a report it will present to the legislatures Executive Board next month. Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, said its not clear at this point if legislation would be necessary to make the change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The full Legislature ought to be made aware of the idea, Reed said, because there could be enough savings to actually pay for treatment in place in our Medicaid system. South Dakota Searchlights questions to the state Department of Social Services on reimbursement for non-transport ambulance services were not immediately answered Tuesday. Such reimbursements would be welcome, said Scott Jongbloed, assistant chief for Watertown Fire Rescue, but they wouldnt necessarily solve the larger financial woes of South Dakotas emergency care providers. Treatment-in-place calls represent only 20% of the Watertown agencys call outs, Jongbloed told the committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But a combination of high call volume and low Medicaid reimbursement rates for hospital transports have put the service on such unsteady financial footing that break-even payouts for home visits wouldnt be enough to fix the problem. Were in a position now that our EMS is going to be $2 million, greater than $2 million, in the hole, Jongbloed said. Essential service issue remains Tuesday was the committees last meeting before turning in its findings. The group opted against endorsing a bill that would designate EMS as an essential service, which typically means the government has to guarantee access by providing or funding it. Currently, a large share of EMS work in South Dakota is performed by volunteers. Some committee members said there are too many questions about funding and too small an appetite for additional spending in Pierre to designate a new essential service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you make it an essential service, thats going to require a lot of money, said Rep. Dave Kull, R-Brandon. And you hate to hear the word taxes, but thats what pays for all of our essential services. Rep. Josephine Garcia, R-Watertown, said its a disgrace that EMS isnt legally considered essential. Its a necessity of life. Its like a grocery store, its like gasoline, Garcia said. So I think it has to be an essential service. We will find the money. Reed, co-chairman of the committee, said the next step will be to convince more lawmakers to take the issue that seriously. Weve got to have the conversation at the Legislature, and for the whole Legislature to have that fortitude, Reed said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, the committee voted unanimously to include language in its final report to encourage continued dialog concerning EMS as an essential service. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX UPDATE (10/21) The Lawrence County Sheriffs Office said that Chase Early Williams has been safely located. Chase Early Williams (Courtesy: Lawrence Co. Sheriffs Office) Chase Early Williams (Courtesy: Lawrence Co. Sheriffs Office) Chase Early Williams (Courtesy: Lawrence Co. Sheriffs Office) LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) The Lawrence County Sheriffs Office is searching for a missing teenager who was last seen early Tuesday morning. LCSO said that they are seeking public assistance to locate 17-year-old Chase Early Williams. Authorities say that Chase was last seen around 2 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chase is around 100 pounds and has hazel eyes and brown hair. Lawrence County authorities told News 19 that the teen is believed to be wearing a tan/brown Carhartt jacket and is possibly carrying a Carhartt backpack. LCSO added that it is unknown if the teen is in a vehicle, but they he may be headed towards Georgia. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the Lawrence County Sheriffs Office immediately at 256-974-9291. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Last month's indictment of James Comey on charges of making false statements to Congress was the result of a yearslong relentless pressure campaign by President Donald Trump that shattered Justice Department norms and violated multiple laws and the former FBI director's free speech rights, Comey's attorneys argued Monday in a sweeping 51-page filing seeking dismissal of his case. Comey pleaded not guilty earlier this month to one count of false statements and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020, amid what critics call Trump's campaign of retribution against his perceived political foes. Vice President JD Vance has said any such prosecutions are "driven by law and not by politics." Trump's direct calls for his attorney general to act "NOW!!!" to prosecute Comey and other political enemies in a social media post last month was accompanied in the filing by an extensive detailing of statements dating back to 2017 in which Trump publicly called for Comey to be charged. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Former FBI Director James Comey takes the oath before he testifies during a US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 8, 2017. The subsequent installation of White House aide and insurance lawyer Lindsey Halligan to bring the prosecution over the objections of career prosecutors "establishes an invidious and badfaith motivation" to the charges, Comey's attorneys argued in the filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "President Trump ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute Mr. Comey because of personal spite and because Mr. Comey has frequently criticized the President for his conduct in office," the filing argued. "When no career prosecutor would carry out those orders, the President publicly forced the interim U.S. Attorney to resign and directed the Attorney General to effectuate 'justice' against Mr. Comey. He then installed a White House aide with no prosecutorial experience as interim U.S. Attorney. The President's new hand-picked interim U.S. Attorney indicted Mr. Comey just days later and days before the relevant statute of limitations was set to expire." Comey's attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff to dismiss the case "with prejudice," which would bar the government from seeking to charge Comey again over his 2020 testimony to Congress in order to set an example for other politically-motivated prosecutions sought by the Justice Department as well as preventing Comey from facing "a potential perpetual state of being vindictively prosecuted." "Objective evidence establishes that President Trump directed the prosecution of Mr. Comey in retaliation for Mr. Comey's public criticisms and to punish Mr. Comey because of personal spite," Comey's attorneys said. "Such a vindictive prosecution serves no legitimate government interest and contradicts fundamental constitutional values." "Bedrock principles of due process and equal protection have long ensured that government officials may not use courts to punish and imprison their perceived personal and political enemies. But that is exactly what happened here," said one of two motions filed by Comey's attorneys Monday. "President Trump ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute Mr. Comey because of personal spite and because Mr. Comey has frequently criticized the President for his conduct in office." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comey's lawyers filed two separate motions to dismiss one arguing the case against Comey was vindictive and another calling into question the legal authority of Halligan, the acting U.S. attorney who brought the charges. The filing repeatedly cites a series of stories from ABC News that detailed the turmoil in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in the days leading up to Comey's indictment, including Trump's move to oust U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert over his objections to bringing cases against the president's enemies that career prosecutors had determined had no merit. Also on Monday, Comey's legal team responded to a court filing from federal prosecutors that suggested they may move to have Comey's lead attorney Patrick Fitzgerald disqualified from the case, accusing the government's attorneys of seeking to defame Fitzgerald by implying he engaged in criminal activity. In a court filing late Sunday night, prosecutors told Judge Michael Nachmanoff that Fitzgerald's alleged involvement in providing information to the media for Comey after Comey was fired by President Donald Trump in 2017 could "inform a potential conflict and disqualification issue." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their filing late Sunday, prosecutors accused Comey of using Fitzgerald as an intermediary in 2017 to "improperly disclose classified information" related to memos Comey shared recounting several of his interactions with President Trump. An investigation by the DOJ's inspector general, however, found "no evidence that Comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information contained in any of the Memos to the media," according to a report issued by IG Michael Horowitz. "There is no good faith basis for attributing criminal conduct to either Mr. Comey or his lead defense counsel," Comey's attorneys said Monday in their response. "Similarly, there is no good faith basis to claim a 'conflict' between Mr. Comey and his counsel, much less a basis to move to disqualify lead defense counsel." In their filing Monday, Comey's attorneys further raised concerns about the government's review of evidence that could be considered privileged communications between Comey and his lawyers, writing that it "appears ... unlawful." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have asked Judge Nachmanoff to deny a request by the DOJ to expedite a review of the evidence to determine which materials could be covered by privilege, writing that it's important to give them ample time to respond to the motion "to avoid trampling on Mr. Comey's legal privileges and to ensure that the government does not proceed with an unlawful review." Halligan was appointed by Trump as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia just four days before she went to a grand jury and sought Comey's indictment over what sources say were the objections of career prosecutors. The grand jury ultimately voted to indict Comey on two of three charges sought by Halligan related to Comey's 2020 congressional testimony regarding the FBI's Russia probe and whether Comey authorized leaks of anonymous information to the media. Comey has denied all charges. While legal experts argue there's an extraordinarily high bar for tossing a prosecution based on the argument of malicious prosecution, Comey's case should be a unique test of the legal standard, given Trump's ousting of the office's senior prosecutor who resisted bringing charges and his public call on social media for Attorney General Pam Bondi to act "now" to prosecute Comey and other political enemies. Attorneys for former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith rebutted claims by Republican lawmakers that investigators in the January 6 election subversion case had wiretapped GOP members of Congress. Senate Republicans in recent weeks accused Smith and the FBI of political weaponization after the FBI disclosed 2023 court orders used to obtain phone toll records belonging to eight senators and one House member. The records covered calls over four days surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack by Donald Trump supporters on the Capitol. The toll records do not include content, but detail time and length of calls and the telephone numbers with which the lawmakers communicated, and are a routine part of Justice Department investigations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and his Democratic counterpart, Dick Durbin, Smiths lawyers dispute that there was any political motive in obtaining the records, which they note were disclosed in the 2024 indictment of Trump and in Smiths report on his investigation. As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, reads the letter from Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, which was reviewed by CNN. The subpoenas limited temporal range is consistent with a focused effort to confirm or refute reports by multiple news outlets that during and after the January 6 riots at the Capitol, President Trump and his surrogates attempted to call Senators to urge them to delay the certification of the 2020 election results. The Smith attorneys note that toll records of then-President Joe Biden were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the probe of his mishandling of classified documents, and in the investigation of Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who was convicted on bribery and foreign influence charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Smiths use of the toll records as Special Counsel was lawful and in accordance with normal investigative procedure, the letter from Smiths attorneys says. Republican senators raised the disclosure of the toll records during a recent Senate hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi. During the same hearing, Democrats asked about possible political motives of the recent indictments brought against Trumps perceived political enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com SpaceXs classified Starshield satellites are transmitting on radio frequencies reserved exclusively for ground-to-space communications, violating international standards that prevent orbital chaos. Amateur satellite tracker Scott Tilley discovered this regulatory breach while monitoring the defense constellation from British Columbia. His findings reveal approximately 170 Starshield satellites broadcasting on the 2025-2110 MHz bandspectrum the International Telecommunication Union explicitly designates for uplink-only use. This represents what experts call a systematic disregard for the rules that keep our increasingly crowded orbital highways functioning. Technical Risks Mount as Silence Grows Interference concerns rise while SpaceX and government agencies refuse to comment on unauthorized broadcasts. The persistent signals create genuine interference risks for legitimate satellite operations. Satellites in neighboring orbits could pick up unintended commands or fail to respond correctly to legitimate ones, Tilley warns. University of Colorados Kevin Gifford confirms the violation is definitely happening but questions remain about actual disruption. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The frequencies exhibit temporal variability, suggesting SpaceX is intentionally frequency-hoppingpossibly to conceal operations in what should be a quiet uplink band. No major disruptions have been publicly reported to date, though the severity of any interference remains undetermined. Strategic Concealment or Reckless Innovation? Low-bandwidth transmissions hint at specialized military applications rather than commercial broadband. Starshields bandwidth limitationsroughly equivalent to early 3G networksindicate these arent commercial internet signals. Gifford suspects SpaceX chose this quiet spectrum precisely because few legitimate users occupy it, following a use it first and deal with regulations later philosophy. This approach mirrors how ride-sharing apps operated in regulatory gray areas before cities caught up. The frequency-hopping behavior suggests operational security takes precedence over international compliance, potentially serving as operational concealment for the classified defense network. Official Silence Raises Accountability Questions Neither SpaceX nor intelligence agencies will address potential classified waivers or regulatory exemptions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both SpaceX and the National Reconnaissance Office declined to comment, leaving crucial questions unanswered about possible classified authorizations. This silence epitomizes broader tensions between rapid private-sector innovation and established international frameworks. When defense contractors operate under classifications that shield them from public scrutiny, accountability becomes nearly impossible. The precedent raises concerns about whether national security justifies circumventing international agreements designed to prevent orbital interferenceand who gets to make that determination in an era of expanding commercial-military space partnerships. From the coolest cars to the must-have gadgets, GadgetReviews daily newsletter keeps you in the know. Subscribe - its fun, fast, and free. NEED TO KNOW A Donald Trump cabinet nominee allegedly told a group chat of Republicans that he has "a Nazi streak" and advocated for "[eviscerating]" holidays honoring Black heritage A new report from Politico published Oct. 20, exposed text messages claimed to be from Paul Ingrassia, who has been nominated to serve as special counsel of the United States MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs, one alleged message from Ingrassia reads A Donald Trump cabinet nominee allegedly told a group chat of Republicans that he has "a Nazi streak" and advocated for "[eviscerating]" holidays honoring Black heritage, among other racist remarks, per a new report from Politico published on Monday, Oct. 20. The report exposed text messages that are alleged to be from Paul Ingrassia, who has been nominated to serve as special counsel of the United States and will have a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January 2024, Ingrassia, 30, allegedly told a group chat with around half a dozen Republican operatives and influencers: MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs. Jesus Christ, one participant responded. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Paul Ingrassia, who has been selected by President Donald Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel. Paul Ingrassia, who has been selected by President Donald Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel. In a separate conversation, it is alleged Ingrassia used an Italian slur for Black people and wrote: "From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth ... Every single one needs to be eviscerated. In May 2024, the group was talking about a Trump campaign staffer working on outreach to minority voters in Georgia when Ingrassia suggested she didnt acknowledge the Founding Fathers' being White. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul belongs in the Hitler Youth with Ubergruppenfuhrer Steve Bannon, one person in the chat responded to Ingrassia's comments, referring to a Nazi Germany paramilitary rank and the Republican strategist. I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it, Ingrassia allegedly wrote. New [Live From America] show coming starring Nick Fuentes & Paul Adolf Ingrassia, one person replied, referencing White nationalist Nick Fuentes and a show on the platform Rumble. Lmao, Ingrassia responded. A source who provided the texts to Politico said the text message was not taken as a joke, and three others pushed back against Ingrassia's comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lawyer for Ingrassia, Edward Andrew Paltzik, suggested to the outlet that some of the texts were intended to be joking at the expense of liberals, but did not confirm if they were authentic. Even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis, Paltzik tells PEOPLE in a statement. In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi," he adds. In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Trump at the White House on Oct. 20, 2025. Trump at the White House on Oct. 20, 2025. A number of other text conversations included racist remarks, Politico reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January 2024, he allegedly wrote, Never trust a chinaman or Indian, after referring to former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. During another conversation, one member of the group chat told Ingrassia to stop sending the racist messages, writing: Paul you are coming across as a white nationalist which is beneficial to nobody. Ingrassia then reportedly said that defending our founding isnt white nationalist, and a member pushed back, saying Ingrassia reflexively went to saying whites built the country. 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. They did, Ingrassia said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon after the May 2024 text exchange, the group chat disbanded. I will not be posting on this thread going forward, one member wrote. There are enemies in this group. Please take my name out of this thread. Ingrassia has had several roles in the Trump administration, including as a liaison to the Justice Department and then a liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. Trump nominated him in May to lead the office of special counsel, but his appointment was postponed. In July, Republican senators delayed Ingrassias nomination hearing, according to Politico. One senator aired concerns about some statements about antisemitism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ingrassia was also accused of sexual harassment earlier this year, Politico reported. Paltzik tells PEOPLE of the allegations: Mr. Ingrassia has never harassed any coworkers female or otherwise, sexually or otherwise in connection with any employment." Read the original article on People 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: CC0 Public Domain Despite growing recognition of sex differences in traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes, the interaction between hormone transitionsparticularly menopauseand brain injury remains significantly underexplored in both research and clinical care. A new study suggests a greater focus on hormone changes when diagnosing and treating TBIs in menopausal women. Results of the study were presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society, held in Orlando from October 2125. The menopause transition has been shown to have a tremendous physiological and psychological impact on women. Only recently, however, have researchers given consideration to the impact of the complex neuroendocrine shift caused by menopause and how it can amplify or alter TBI symptoms. Standard TBI assessment tools do not account for hormone status. In a new study, researchers suggest that this lack of consideration could potentially delay recovery or increase symptom burden in women, as well as lead to missed opportunities for accurate diagnoses, risk stratification, and individualized treatment. To address this gap, researchers in this new study sought to evaluate existing symptom assessment tools used for both TBIs and menopause and identify overlapping, as well as divergent, individual symptoms and symptom domains. This, they theorized, would allow for the development of a more comprehensive hormone-informed questionnaire that better captures sex-specific symptom profiles in women recovering from a TBI. The researchers ultimately identified significant symptom overlap between TBIs and menopause-related conditions, especially in the areas of neurocognitive, somatosensory, and mood/affective symptoms. This analysis also revealed opportunities to expand current TBI assessment tools to better capture neuroendocrine responsesparticularly vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashesso that hormone-driven risk can be recognized in routine TBI care. "Emerging evidence suggests that hormonal changes can significantly influence both physiological and cognitive functioning after traumatic brain injury, even in milder injuries such as concussion. It's essential that health care providers consider hormonal factors, particularly during the menopause transition, so we can better understand recovery trajectories, design targeted interventions, and communicate more inclusively with patients," says Dr. Katherine Buzzanca-Fried, lead author from the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions in Gainesville, Florida. "Studies like this remind us that sex as a biological variable matters and that hormone status and reproductive stage should be studied to determine whether treatment strategies may differ for men vs. women," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. "Traumatic brain injury treatment in midlife women may be complicated by coexisting and potentially overlapping symptoms related to menopause." More information: Abstract presentation: Toward Hormone-Informed Brain Injury Care: Unifying Assessment for Menopause and TBI in Women menopause.org/annual-meetings/2025-annual-meeting PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Showcase Cinemas will be moving out of Providence Place next week and Apple Cinemas is set to move in shortly after. Showcase Cinemas decided not to renew its lease with the mall for next year. When Mark Russo, the attorney running the mall in receivership, learned of this decision, he moved to terminate the lease early. Showcases last day operating the Providence Place cinema will be Oct. 26. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, Russo filed a petition in Rhode Island Superior Court requesting approval to move into a new lease agreement with Apple Cinemas. ALSO READ: Providence Place hits pause on parking rate changes A spokesperson for Providence Place told 12 News that the lease was approved on Monday, and Apple Cinemas is coordinating a transition with the goal of reopening on Nov. 1. This represents an important step forward for Providence Place and its future, Russo said in a press release. Were pleased to have reached an agreement with Apple Cinemasan experienced and growing regional operatorand were confident this will bring new energy and an enhanced movie-going experience to the mall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its currently unclear how long the new lease will be. 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. This piece was written by Nathan Prewett of the Trussville Tribune. LEEDS, Ala. (TRIBUNE) A meeting on Monday night will be the final for Mayor David Miller and councilors Johnny Dutton, Angie Latta and DeVoris Ragland-Pierce. Councilor Eric Turner retained his seat after running unopposed. The meeting was relatively brief, with Mayor David Miller announcing that the city has received a proposal to locate an Aldi in the current building for the Mangos restaurant, which is expected to close. Miller said that the city has worked for literally years to bring the chain in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that when the new administration takes place a public hearing will be required before approving or disapproving the proposal. We have a really good shot here of getting an Aldi after all this time, he said. Ive probably been asked more about when were going to get an Aldis any other single thing, except maybe the pickleball court. Springville says farewell to outgoing police chief Shortly afterwards the council came to the resolution regarding the sidewalk project, particularly to make them compliant with the American Disabilities Act or ADA. Miller addressed a comment that he said he heard from a citizen commenting that the sidewalks are not in bad shape. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of them are not in bad shape, he said. But all of them are not in compliance with the ADA regulations the American Disabilities Act. The total cost of the project is $3.2 million, with the bid being awarded to Bull Construction. The citys portion is $600,000, Miller said. Its been in the budget for a long time, he said. Now its become a fact. Newly elected District 1 Councilor Sabrina Rose was the only one to speak during public comments. She thanked the council for their actions over the years, particularly for the purchase of playground equipment int the Moton community. After any campaign I know its strenuous, but I appreciate each and every one of you for your time and your service, she told the council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next Leeds City Council meeting is scheduled for Nov. 4. Eddie Moore takes Millers place, with Rose, Cary Kennedy and Dale Faulker to fill the remaining council seats. In other business the council: Accepted a $20,000 grant from Jefferson County in support of the Leeds Senior Center Passed a resolution formalizing $5 million set for the purchase of maintenance equipment, Approved a $7,250 donation to the Leeds Arts Council, Tabled a 12 month agreement with Waste Management that includes a $3.87 increase on the current $16.58, Approved $50,0000 for the Leeds Main Street program to be paid in installments of $12,000, Tabled a resolution the purchase of a portion of the annex property from the Leeds Water Works Board for $192,000, and Approved playground equipment for Moton Park for $200,626.67. Leeds City Council meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 1400 9th Street Northeast. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds 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 CBS 42. HuffPost reporter S.V. Date rejected the left-wing hack label that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt branded him with this week, saying he would be failing his audience to not point out President Donald Trump routinely lies. Date discussed his public feud with Leavitt on CNN News Central with anchor Boris Sanchez on Tuesday afternoon. Date, when Sanchez asked for his response to Leavitt, said he was not interested in stenography while covering Trump. I routinely say that the president lies he does. What can I do? Thats who he is, Date said. So I dont apologize for that at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanchez, a moment earlier, noted Date wrote a book in 2020 titled The Useful Idiot: How Donald Trump Killed the Republican Party With Racism and the Rest of Us With Coronavirus. The title, of course, is from an old Russian phrase about people who do things because theyre being used by others. And thats honestly, its what it seemed in the first term thats what was going on with President Trump, explained Date. His CNN appearance comes a day after Leavitt shared a screenshot of a text exchange in which she called Date an unserious far left hack, and asked him to stop sending her his disingenuous, biased, and bullsh*t questions. Her X post accompanying the screenshot also called Date, who is HuffPosts White House correspondent, a left-wing hack. Leavitt posted the screenshot a few days after Date published a story titled, White House Gives Wild Response To A Simple Question Asked By HuffPost Reporter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Date, in the story, reported Leavitt responded Your mom did when he asked her, Who suggested Budapest? for an upcoming meeting between Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. His story questioned the selection of the Hungarian capital, since Putin had violated the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, where Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for Russia respecting its territory a deal that was obviously violated by Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The writer may not agree with Leavitts description, but he does make it pretty clear he views Trump as a threat to democracy. Dates X account includes a pinned post from 2023 that said: As a journalist, its not my job to tell you who to vote for. As a journalist, it IS my job to warn you that if we vote Donald Trump back into office, it may be the last vote we ever cast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post includes a link to purchase Useful Idiot on Amazon. Watch above via CNN. The post Left-Wing Hack Reporter Feuding With Karoline Leavitt Fires Back on CNN: The President Lies! first appeared on Mediaite. For the past year, business leaders, attorneys and others in Illinois and beyond have watched to see how the courts and the state's influential collective of trial lawyers would respond to the decision by the state's Democratic legislative supermajority to at least appear to restrain the ability of those trial lawyers to use Illinois' controversial biometrics privacy law to sock job-creating businesses with relatively easy, potentially business-destroying big-money lawsuits. But even as they monitor new developments, the state's business community - and particularly advocates speaking for big tech companies - are calling on state lawmakers to again reform the law, this time specifically to ensure Illinois doesn't miss out on the new wave of artificial intelligence and tech infrastructure development that is redefining life and the economy in the 21st Century. "We're saying to Illinois legislators: Biometric and data infrastructure is going to be needed for AI," said Kouri Marshall, a regional director of state and local government relations for the Chamber of Progress, a Virginia-based trade group that advocates for many of the countrys biggest tech companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "But the companies that are bringing that kind of essential development view Illinois as a legal minefield. And it deters companies from rolling out useful technology in Illinois." In the summer of 2024, Illinois state lawmakers took action to reform, for the first time, the controversial Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), a state law that claims to protect Illinoisans' rights to privacy over their so-called biometric identifiers. Such biometrics are generally defined as unique physical or other innate traits that can be used to identify and verify individuals online or in the real world. These can include fingerprints, retinal scans, facial geometry, or even recordings of their voices. The Illinois BIPA law wasn't controversial when it was first enacted in 2008. However, it became so, beginning in about 2015, when a growing cadre of trial lawyers specializing in tech and privacy litigation began to use the law to demand potentially catastrophic damages from companies over seemingly technical violations of the law, without any real harm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the decade since, those lawsuits have flooded into courts in Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S., hitting thousands of companies with claims that collectively would be worth billions of dollars. Through that time, the bulk of the BIPA lawsuits have targeted Illinois employers, typically accusing them of violating the law by scanning workers' fingerprints and other biometrics when punching the clock or accessing secured or sensitive places in their workplaces, for instance. These lawsuits have faulted employers for failing to first obtain workers' written consent before requiring the scans or for failing to provide notices concerning how the information might be stored, used, shared and ultimately destroyed. Other BIPA class actions have also targeted big tech companies, such as Google or Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram. Those class actions secured massive settlements worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The law's bite primarily arose from two sources. First, the unique Illinois law gave plaintiffs the so-called right of private action, allowing them to sue businesses accused of violating the BIPA law and to demand steep payments of $1,000 or $5,000 per violation, depending on how malicious plaintiffs can prove defendants may have been in compelling the scans and collecting their biometric data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, the Illinois Supreme Court delivered big wins to trial lawyers on how to interpret BIPA, reading the law broadly to both allow plaintiffs to sue without needing to show they were ever actually harmed, and to allow plaintiffs to multiply their damage claims, by demanding payment for each and every alleged illegal biometric scan. When multiplied across entire workforces, for instance, with each worker scanning a fingerprint multiple times per day, damages could have quickly climbed up to the many millions or even billions of dollars, amounts that even the Illinois Supreme Court agreed could be "annihilative damages" for many businesses. After years of turning a deaf ear to businesses' calls for BIPA reform, Illinois Democrats moved to rein in those potential payouts, revising BIPA to explicitly limit plaintiffs to demanding $1,000 or $5,000 per alleged victim, rather than multiple claims per plaintiff or class member. Trial lawyers in Illinois have long served as some of the most loyal and consistent campaign donors to Democratic state lawmakers, contributing millions of dollars per year. Those donations have also come from firms that have been specifically engaged in BIPA class actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To date, the reforms appear to have edged BIPA litigation down compared to the previous years, according to lawsuit tracking data supplied by the defense law firm of Duane Morris, which represents businesses targeted by BIPA class actions and similar litigation. However, recently filed lawsuits have indicated trial lawyers may be shifting their strategy, moving from smaller targets - such as employers with a few dozen employees scanning their fingerprints when punching in and out of work shifts - to much larger companies with more employees, or which the lawyers may claim process massive amounts of biometric data. And in Illinois, some of those new targets, business groups worry, may prove to be companies building and operating the "data centers" that are proliferating throughout the U.S. at breakneck speed. Such data facilities form the backbone of the modern internet, powering the abilities of companies of all kinds and sizes to engage with customers and giving everyone the opportunity to create, view and share content around the globe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the demand for new data processing space has only continued to multiply amid the introduction and deployment of powerful new artificial intelligence programs, such as ChatGPT. Those programs, however, have presented other challenges, including the need for massive amounts of new data processing power and capacity. To meet those needs, big tech companies, including Amazon and Meta, and developers specifically dedicated to building and operating the sites have ramped up their development of data centers throughout the country. While some of the sites are dedicated to single big users, others operate as so-called co-location sites that serve the computing needs of multiple clients. To this point, Chicago and Illinois have reaped big benefits of the AI revolution, as data development firms have been drawn to the region's combination of relatively affordable land, electrical power supply, and abundant fresh water, used for cooling the stacks of servers and other power-hungry and heat-generating equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such data centers have been shown to generate large amounts of property tax revenue for communities in which they are built, as well as tens of thousands of construction jobs, in particular. They also generate a smaller number of permanent, high-tech jobs in those communities, industry advocates have noted. Gov. JB Pritzker, in particular, has lauded the development of such data centers in Chicago, it suburbs and elsewhere in the state, trumpeting such projects as key to moving Illinois closer to realizing the governors goals of surging Illinois high tech growth and development. To further those goals, the state has rolled out a series of tax incentives and other support geared at making locations in the Prairie State even more attractive to data center developers. However, Marshall at the Chamber of Progress and others say they are warning Illinois lawmakers that such growth in Illinois could be slowed or even endangered - and Illinois could fall behind rival destinations - thanks to a perceived threat of massive lawsuits under BIPA, as it currently stands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Specifically, the business advocates are calling on lawmakers to revise the law to explicitly exempt data centers from the law's notice and consent requirements prior to data collection. The industry argues their data centers don't actually "collect" any data. Rather, they say the data centers essentially serve as infrastructure to support the data collection and storage activities of other companies. Such lawsuits, however, are not just a conceptual threat. AI developers have already been hit with privacy-related lawsuits in Illinois, California and elsewhere, accusing the companies of violating laws by using people's photos and other data to train their artificial intelligences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Illinois, for instance, facial recognition tech company Clearview AI and partner vendors have been at the center of litigation under BIPA for using a database of photos scraped from sites on the internet. The company and its vendors have paid tens of millions of dollars to settle those claims. However, BIPA lawsuits targeting data centers could dwarf those claims, the industry has claimed. And that would stand out as an example of the unintended consequences of a law that needs further refinement, Marshall said. While lawmakers may have had good intentions when enacting laws like BIPA, Marshall said those who "aren't as deeply mired in tech policies" can push through legislation that can do more harm to their economy than it protects residents from the perceived harms. "Other states have seen how BIPA in Illinois hasn't gone the way they (lawmakers) probably thought it was going to go," Marshall said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gerald Maatman, a high profile defense lawyer with the firm of Duane Morris, said the threat of such BIPA litigation is mounting against the kinds of companies that build and operate data centers. "While I do not know if decisions about investment or locating business operations in Ilinois are directly attributable to the BIPA, the fact remains that a majority of BIPA class action litigation is targeting companies operating high-tech websites and AI-fueled software," Maatman said, in an emailed answer to questions from The Record and Legal Newsline. "So, at the very least, it is a data point for investors and companies considering whether to locate in (or even do business in) Illinois." Marshall said, to this point, Illinois lawmakers have not been dismissive of the concerns raised by the Chamber of Progress and others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Published reports have noted those calls for reforms have been bolstered by an alliance with politically influential labor unions, as well, whose members could benefit from the job-creating projects. However, Marshall said all involved recognize the work of further reforming the BIPA law could be an uphill climb in Springfield. "We know that it's hard to fix a law once you pass it," Marshall said. "Even if it's a bad bill." Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, speaks during a news conference on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus on Monday decried the likely harms of early redistricting on the states Black and other non-white voters. Mid-decade redistricting is unprecedented in Indiana, Rep. Earl Harris Jr., the IBLCs chair, told reporters. It undermines the democratic process and threatens to silence voters, especially in communities of color. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news conference came as Indiana Republicans and President Donald Trump build support for redrawing the states blue congressional districts red ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The Statehouses GOP supermajorities drew the current maps in 2021, using 2020 census data. District boundaries arent due for updates until after the 2030 census. Republicans hold seven of the seats. Democrats have two. Both of these congressmen, not only were they elected, but they have been reelected, which tells you what the voters want, Harris said of U.S. Reps. Frank Mrvan and Andre Carson. Communities of color in Gary, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne make up more than half of Indianas Black population. Their voices are not optional. Members of Indianas Black Legislative caucus speak out against proposed redistricting during a news conference on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Redistricting isnt just a map-making exercise its a power-shaping decision, Harris, D-East Chicago, continued. And when that power is manipulated, its communities of color (that) will pay the price in representation, in resources and in respect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mrvans northwest district is the most competitive in Indiana. But Carsons Indianapolis-area seat is the states safest, according to the latest edition of the Cook Partisan Voting Index. Redrawing this district risks diluting Black voting power through tactics like cracking, which splits communities across districts, and packing, which concentrates minority voters to minimize their influence, Harris said. Although Indiana leans Republican, caucus members argued that Hoosier Democrats should still be represented in Congress. Indiana may get called red on election night, (but) there are a significant number of Democrats in the state of Indiana, and we need to make sure our congressional representation is proportional to the vote, Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Almost 59% of Indiana voters went for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, according to the states results webpage. About 40% chose Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Two percent cast ballots for write-in, Libertarian or other minor party candidates. IBLC members said theyre already preparing to take action if early redistricting goes forward but declined to share details since were still working out things, according to Harris. But mobilizing voters will be part of the response, said Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, who hoped high turnout could surmount new lines. The caucus consists of more than a dozen Black lawmakers, most from the state House but some from the Senate. All are Democrats. Senior Reporter Casey Smith contributed. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE In a Monday post on X/Twitter, Valentina Gomez, a Republican vying for Texas's 31st Congressional District, posed at the Gaza border with popcorn and filmed blasts inside the enclave. A Texas congressional candidate who is visiting Israel filmed herself at the Gaza border watching IDF strikes in Gaza, with popcorn in hand. In a Monday post on X/Twitter, Valentina Gomez, a Republican running in Texas's 31st Congressional District, posed at the Gaza border with popcorn and filmed blasts inside the Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added that she was looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during her trip. She is currently traveling in Israel on her own accord. She told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that she wished to be baptized in the Jordan River, the same waters as Jesus Christ. "Hamas days are over. Never negotiate with terrorists," the caption reads. Who is Valentina Gomez, the anti-LGBTQ, Islamaphobic Texas politician in Israel? Gomez, 26, immigrated from Colombia as a child and has become a prominent MAGA activist. She previously ran for Secretary of State in Missouri in 2024 and lost. In August, she posted a controversial video of herself burning a Quran. She has previously stated that Islam is the "religion of rape, incest, and pedophilia where they bow down to a stupid rock and a false prophet." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As part of her travels to Israel, she spoke to the daughters of slain IDF soldiers. She went to the Western Wall on Monday. Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz said that he did not support Gomez's video, in which she burned the Quran. Gomez said that she stood by all her actions and statements, noting that at the Wall, Muslims and Christians could pray freely, but the same courtesy was not afforded to Jews and Christians on the Temple Mount. The congressional hopeful said that she had been very well treated during her visit to Israel, and supported Israel because it was fighting against the same Islamic terrorist organizations that were the enemies of the US. Michael Starr contributed to this report. The Bulwark Podcast host Tim Miller tore into former president Joe Bidens feeble performance in the White House, Monday, urging Bidens former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to just be real and acknowledge it during an interview. After Jean-Pierre boasted, We did have legislative wins, Miller responded, Sure, but he didnt talk about them that well, though. Jean-Pierre insisted, First of all, he did talk about them, whether it broke through or not. He did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He talked way less to the press than Donald Trump does. Way less, said Miller as Bidens former press secretary tried to talk over him. He wasnt out there at all. He wasnt good off the cuff, he wasnt doing press conferences, lets just be real. The conversation continued: Jean-Pierre: Thats not true. Tim, youre conflating all of it. Miller: Im not Jean-Pierre: No. First youre telling me he didnt talk well about it, then youre telling me he didnt talk at all. Miller: He didnt do either. He didnt talk very often and when he did it wasnt very good. He sounded very old and feeble. Jean-Pierre: Maybe you werent paying attention to what we were doing at the White House. Miller: I paid attention. Im with you on the policies, Im talking about his performance. Jean-Pierre: The president spoke to the American people a couple times a week. He travelled and did domestic travel and talked directly to the American people. CBSs Tony Dokoupil and Gayle King were left stunned during their own interview with Jean-Pierre on Monday after the former White House press secretary defended Bidens mental acuity. After Jean-Pierre announced in June that she was leaving the Democratic Party, she received criticism from several former colleagues in the Biden administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The real problem with Karine Jean-Pierre was that she was kinda dumb, wrote former Biden policy adviser Tim Wu in a social media post. No interest in understanding harder topics. Just gave random incoherent answers on policy. Watch above via The Bulwark Podcast. The post Lets Just Be Real: Ex-White House Press Secretary Gets Called Out For Defending Bidens Weak and Feeble Performance first appeared on Mediaite. To the editor: Why doesnt California try self-enforcement by allowing the use of in-vehicle monitors to track a drivers performance ( L.A.s promise to explore police-free traffic enforcement keeps hitting roadblocks, Oct. 18)? It wont identify all problems, but it can be used to uncover egregious g-forces (e.g. street racing and street takeovers), excessive speed and even if the driver is texting while driving. California could also ban the sale of vehicles that can exceed 85 mph ( the maximum legal speed in any state) and, when there is a collision where excessive speed resulted in a death, sue the manufacturers for selling an inherently unsafe vehicle. The philosophy here is no different than what California has used to ban certain assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and Glocks that can be converted to fully automatic. Jim Winterroth, Torrance This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. To the editor: Im a bit confused about the timing of the Marine Corps showcase event at Camp Pendleton ( Interstate 5 closure brings gridlock, new battle between Trump, California, Oct. 18). The Marine Corps actual 250th anniversary isnt until Nov. 10 , three weeks from now. It seems a bit strange to stage a celebration of this magnitude so early, especially because it just happened to coincide with the No Kings marches. As far as shutting down Interstate 5 goes, Gov. Gavin Newsom was right in taking this action. Shooting live ammunition over the freeway is not business as usual. Common sense would warn you of the dangers of such an action. The assertion by the White House that this is safe simply cant be true. Jane Schwanbeck, San Juan Capistrano Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement .. To the editor: I find it ironic and poetic that shrapnel from the military exercise struck a California Highway Patrol vehicle assigned to protect Vice President JD Vance ( Shrapnel fell onto CHP vehicle during U.S. military live-fire exercise over I-5, agency says, Oct. 19). Despite the protestations of freeway users and the military, Newsom chose to close the freeway to avoid the very thing that occurred. We should be grateful that we have a governor who puts public safety over public opinion. Barry S. Rubin, Beverly Hills This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. To the editor: Aaron Mahan, the Las Vegas waiter who voted for President Trump twice before 2024, is just one of millions who will suffer greatly by the administrations actions ( This Las Vegas Republican had high hopes for Trump. But a Trump slump made life worse, Oct. 19). He says he is apolitical, which implies that he did not pay much attention to what goes on in Washington. That is exactly the kind of voter the Republicans need in their quest to do away with our democracy. Just like the farmers who are hurting , he had to have known from Trump's first term that many people were going to suffer if he were elected again. They didn't care until it hit them. It is so sad to witness how the Republican Party was able to infect more of our society with their lack of empathy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alex Magdaleno, Camarillo .. To the editor: Mahan blames Trump for the tourist slump in Las Vegas? Now that you can bet on almost anything online from the comfort of your couch, why go to Vegas? But of course, it always has to be Trumps fault. Al Wiseman, Playa del Rey .. To the editor: According to contributing writer Josh Hammer, "the biggest reason" Trump won the 2016 Republican primary is he saw the American people as they are, and he sought to serve them ( The Democrats self-defeating shutdown is terrible politics, Oct. 17). I agree. During the last election, calling out the high price of eggs was enough to win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, most people I know are like Mahan, working harder for less with their anxiety compounded by significantly higher costs, especially for health insurance. Could that be why weeks into the "Democrats' shutdown," so many attended No Kings protests? If the administration really wants to "serve" the people, swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva. But word on the street is Republicans won't do that because she would be the vote that releases the federal files on Jeffrey Epstein. I think Americans agree we don't want our elected officials protecting pedophiles. What are Hammers thoughts on that? Marie Puterbaugh, Redondo Beach This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. 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: Dr. Siew-Wai Fong (right), Senior Scientist from Prof Lisa Ng's lab at A*STAR IDL, with Prof Lisa Ng (left), Executive Director of the institute. Their study was published in Nature Communications. Credit: A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs Scientists from the A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR IDL) have uncovered a surprising mechanism showing how mosquito saliva can alter the human body's immune response during chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection, contributing to Singapore's broader efforts to strengthen infectious disease preparedness. The research, published in Nature Communications, reveals that sialokinin, a bioactive peptide in Aedes mosquito saliva, binds to neurokinin receptors on immune cells and suppresses monocyte activation, thereby reducing inflammation and facilitating early viral dissemination. These findings offer new insight into how mosquito bites shape disease outcomes. How mosquito saliva affects the body's defenses CHIKV is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and causes painful joint swelling that can persist for months. As global temperatures rise, mosquito populations are expanding, heightening the risk of CHIKV and other mosquito-borne diseases in tropical regions such as Singapore. The A*STAR team identified sialokinin, a protein in mosquito saliva, as a key factor that shapes how the body responds to infection. The study found that sialokinin binds to neurokinin receptors in the immune system, temporarily suppressing inflammation in the early stages of infection. Laboratory and pre-clinical studies revealed that this early dampening of the immune response allows the virus to spread more easily to other tissues, which may in turn contribute to severe symptoms later on. Consistent with this, patients with more severe chikungunya symptoms were found to have higher levels of antibodies against sialokinin, indicating a stronger immune reaction to the peptide, which may contribute to disease severity. Potential new approach to treating mosquito-borne diseases "This study provides compelling evidence that mosquito salivary proteins are not just passive carriers of viruses but active modulators of host immunity," said Dr. Siew-Wai Fong, corresponding author and Senior Scientist at A*STAR IDL. "Targeting sialokinin or its receptor interactions could represent a novel therapeutic strategy to mitigate inflammation and improve outcomes in CHIKV and potentially other arboviral infections." While this research focused specifically on CHIKV, further investigations will be needed to understand whether similar immune mechanisms occur in other mosquito-borne infections such as dengue or Zika. The findings underscore the importance of understanding vector-host interactions in the context of emerging infectious diseases. As climate change accelerates the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, identifying and neutralizing salivary factors like sialokinin may offer new avenues for disease control and prevention. These insights not only enhance our preparedness for future outbreaks but also lay the groundwork for the development of targeted therapeutics and treatment strategies, ultimately strengthening public health responses to mosquito-borne threats. Prof Lisa Ng, Executive Director of A*STAR IDL and senior author, added, "Mosquito-borne diseases remain a concern in Singapore and the region. Understanding how mosquito saliva affects the body's defenses gives us new perspectives on preventing and treating infection. "This work also reflects A*STAR's commitment to advancing translational science through interdisciplinary approaches that strengthen Singapore's readiness against emerging infectious diseases. "More broadly, it aligns with Singapore's national efforts to build resilience against future outbreaks through sustained investment in science, innovation, and talent development in the biomedical sciences." Implications for future research The study also sheds light on the complex interaction between mosquito saliva and the human immune system. While the saliva can temporarily dampen inflammation in the early stages of infection, this effect helps the virus spread more easily before the immune system mounts a full response. By bridging immunology, virology, and vector biology, the study opens new pathways to develop strategies for managing mosquito-borne diseases, improving therapeutics, and strengthening global health resilience in an era of climate-driven disease emergence. Building on these discoveries, the A*STAR IDL team will continue exploring how modulating the effects of mosquito saliva proteins might help manage inflammation and infection. This work supports ongoing national efforts to use science and innovation to strengthen Singapore's preparedness against emerging infectious diseases. More information: Siew-Wai Fong et al, Mosquito salivary sialokinin reduces monocyte activation and chikungunya virus-induced inflammation via neurokinin receptors, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64468-x Journal information: Nature Communications In Spain, the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wants to enshrine the right to terminate a pregnancy in the constitution, a move which - if successful - would make it just the second country to take this step, after France. Across the European Union however, abortion legislation is far from harmonized, ranging from some of the world's most liberal frameworks to some of the strictest. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) advocacy group, 34% of women of reproductive age live in the 77 countries that allow abortion on request, up to a certain point in the pregnancy, while 40% live under "restrictive" abortion laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CRR says that backstreet abortions lead to 39,000 deaths annually. The European Parliament has called for abortion rights to be included in the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights, but this remains under debate and would require unanimous agreement. Sanchez proposed enshrining a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy in the constitution in early October. It is unclear however whether his minority government can secure the necessary backing. At the other end of the spectrum, EU members Malta and Poland have near total bans on abortions. Many countries range somewhere in-between, but often women can't access rights that exist on paper: Abortion rights are not only a question of legislation and policy, but also of practical aspects including access and availability of health care. The case for constitutionals rights: France and Spain In March 2024, the French parliament voted to anchor the right to abortion in the constitution, making it the first country in the world to offer that explicit protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to various surveys, some 80% of the population support the step. President Emmanuel Macron also pushed to enshrine the right to terminate a pregnancy in EU law. In Europe, "nothing is set in stone any longer and everything has to be defended," he said at the time. "This is why I wish for this guaranteed freedom to resort to an abortion to be inscribed in the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights." Abortion in France is legal on request up to 14 weeks of pregnancy and can be provided by general practitioners and midwives. Spain's leftwing government wants to constitutionally enshrine the right to abortion to protect women from a "reactionary wave" it believes the far right and the conservative opposition have initiated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The initiative comes after some conservative-led regional governments refused to fully implement the current abortion law. Specifically, they refused to create a registry of 'conscientious objectors' so medical centres know which staff are, or are not, available to perform abortions. The government, however, has acknowledged that it will not be easy to reform the constitution, because will be impossible to achieve the necessary parliamentary majorities without the conservative opposition Partido Popular. Spain allows abortion on request up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, and 22 in case of dangers to the health of the mother or foetal anomalies. Abortion services are available in clinics. Liberal access: Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Finland and Belgium A group of mostly northern European countries provide liberal access, with differences mostly in the length of the gestation period in which an abortion is legal on request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Netherlands has among the most liberal rules in the EU, with abortion being legal on request for up to 2224 weeks. Procedural barriers are low; there is a five-day waiting period and abortion is widely accessible. This also makes the Netherlands a destination for cross-border abortion care. In Sweden, abortion is legal on request during up to 18 weeks of gestation, and after that with special permission. There is no mandatory waiting period or counselling and services are widely available. Terminating a pregnancy is legal on request for up to ten weeks (Portugal), 12 weeks (Finland) or 18 weeks (Denmark). After that period, abortion is allowed for medical or legal reasons. Liberal, but with hurdles In Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Ireland, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Cyprus, abortion is generally possible until 10-14 weeks depending on the country, but there are varying degrees of procedural requirements and acceptance varies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Health reasons, rape or incest usually also make later-term abortions possible. In Germany, abortion is technically a criminal offence but not punishable if performed within the first 12 weeks, after mandatory counselling and a three-day waiting period. Later-term abortions are decriminalized if there are medical indications, or after rape. Access is regionally uneven. Getting an abortion is most difficult in the southern and traditionally Catholic states and easiest in the northern and former East German states. A legalization push by the previous centre-left government has been shelved for now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ireland, a longtime bastion of Catholicism, legalized abortion in 2018 following a resounding yes-vote in a referendum that overturned a constitutional ban. In Romania, abortion is legal on demand for up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, and then in exceptional life-threatening cases, but it requires strict and documented medical procedures. Although abortion is legal, it is not always available in public hospitals, where it is not fully subsidised, meaning cost can be an obstacle. Under Bulgarian law, the cut-off point for elective abortion is 12 weeks of gestation. After 20 weeks, abortion is only permitted to save the woman's life or due to serious malformations or genetic damage to the foetus. Article 55 of the Slovenian Constitution states that everyone shall be free to decide whether to bear children. The country permits elective abortions during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. However, the topic has recently been the subject of heated debate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abortion opponents believe Article 55 should be abolished, as denying the right to life to unborn children also contributes to declining birth rates. They argue that only "life from conception to natural death" is valid, while the pro-choice side defend a society where "reproductive rights, social infrastructure and healthcare are not privileges, but fundamental public goods." Difficult access and conscientious objectors In Croatia, as elsewhere, abortion rights are subject to deep debate and public division. Abortion in Croatia is legal and can be performed on request up to the 12th week from the start of the last menstruation, or until the end of the 10th week after conception. After that it is only possible in special, justified circumstances and with the approval of a medical commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Access to abortion varies depending on the region and availability of health services. Cities often have better access than rural areas. In practice, access to abortion is difficult because many doctors refuse to perform them. In some public hospitals, all doctors are conscientious objectors. Meanwhile, Hungary tightened its abortion law in 2022, obliging women contemplating the procedure to observe the foetus's "vital functions" such as the heartbeat. The government also promotes pro-natalist policies. In Italy, abortion is technically legal on request for up to 90 days (about 12 weeks) but there are practical barriers to obtaining an abortion as the number of conscientious objectors among medical professionals is as high as 63-80%. Abortion rights campaigners demand reforms, including the elimination of a mandatory seven-day waiting period and the introduction of abortions for women after 90 days if their health is endangered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There has also been controversy over moves in some regions to include pro-life movements in public health centres. The EU's strictest abortion laws Malta criminalizes all abortions, except if the mother's life is in danger or the foetus has no chance of survival. It tightened its rules in 2023, despite protests. One of the fiercest debates is in staunchly Catholic Poland. Abortion rights have been restricted since January 2021, when a constitutional court ruling removed the possibility of terminating a pregnancy due to severe and irreversible foetal defects. Abortion is now only legal when the pregnancy poses a threat to the woman's life or health, or when it results from a criminal act such as rape or incest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the issue remains highly divisive: feminist movements such as the All-Poland Women's Strike advocate for liberalizing abortion laws and improving access to reproductive healthcare, while conservative groups continue to push for even stricter regulations. In 202425, the government announced certain procedural changes for example, guidelines ensuring that hospitals do not refuse to perform legal abortions but the legislation itself remains very restrictive. Italian bioethicist Chiara Lalli of the Luca Coscioni Association, which promotes the right to science and evidence-based decisions, said societies must stop treating abortion "only as a moral dilemma." "Clearly, the issue has a moral dimension, but voluntary termination of pregnancy is first and foremost a medical service," she said. The content of this article is based on reporting by AFP, Agerpres, ANSA, BTA, dpa, EFE, Europa Press, FENA, HINA, PAP and STA as part of the European Newsroom (enr) project. The Tacoma City Council will soon consider amendments to the Landlord Fairness Code approved by voters two years ago. Lobbying groups funded by large landlords and property management corporations have called for a repeal of eviction protections in the code. As homeowners in Tacoma, and most importantly as a right-to-counsel attorneys at Tacomaprobono, we are appealing to city council to maintain the critical protections in the Landlord Fairness Code. Those who stand in opposition to TMC 1.100 will tell you that the code protects bad tenants and makes it difficult and expensive to remove tenants who are squatting in or damaging their properties. But in our experience that is not the case. Our organization is listed on every notice to vacate that is issued in Pierce County, so our clientele is about as representative a cross-section of low-income tenants as you can imagine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, we represented hundreds of clients, primarily due to circumstances beyond their control. Many of them are on a fixed income: either Social Security, disability, spousal or child support, or minimum wage work. Prices for everything are rising, and when that includes an increase in rent, these tenants rarely have the resources or support to meet the increased cost. Accessing charitable aid is not easy, and the funds are far outstripped by the need. Consequently, we see veterans, the elderly, disabled and single-parent households facing eviction. In Washington, a tenant has only between 14 and 30 days to find funds to repay their full balance, often including rent, utilities and late fees. That is rarely enough time to apply for and obtain rental assistance or other charitable funds. It is at this point that the tenant becomes our client. Washington State has many tenant protections in the Residential Landlord Tenant Act, a chapter of the Revised Code of Washington. But many of these statutes were drafted to expedite the eviction process for landlords. The Landlord Fairness Code, on the other hand, was specifically drafted to help tenants in the most dire of circumstances. Because of the Landlord Fairness Code, a tenant now has s months notice of a rent increase. That gives vulnerable tenants more time to find potential funding sources, alternative housing, or possibly other income streams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of the code, the elderly, and disabled tenants no longer face homelessness during the winter because evictions for nonpayment of rent cannot take place between Oct. 31 and April 1. Because of the code, children no longer face homelessness for nonpayment of rent during the school year because these evictions are delayed. Misinformation spread by the codes opponents imply that these protections limit their ability to collect rent. But a tenant who remains in their home due to one of the eviction bans is still obligated to pay rent for that time and a landlord is not prevented from seeking a judgment or turning the account over to collections. Opponents claim that tenants who damage a property cannot be evicted at all because of the code. But again, this is not true. The provisions of the Landlord Fairness Code do not apply to evictions for waste, nuisance or unlawful activity. Those eviction procedures are completely unchanged. The Landlord Fairness Code requires that landlords in the city of Tacoma follow specific procedures before they can evict: they must be a licensed business, they must provide adequate notice when increasing rent, and their late fees are limited. But running any business requires professionalism and laws limit fees in most industries. The protections these afford tenants more than offset the minor administrative inconvenience to landlords. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our region is suffering from a lack of housing supply and affordability. The results are visible in tents, RVs and sleeping bags across our city. The Landlord Fairness Code is not going to solve the crisis, but it prevents our most vulnerable from facing the worst outcomes and brings some much-needed balance in the relationship between landlords and tenants. For the sake of our residents and our city, please uphold the Landlord Fairness Code. Syed Ashraf Meer and Jesse Matsukawa are staff attorneys with Tacomaprobono. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) An altercation between two students at North Forsyth High School turned deadly on Tuesday morning. This is what we know so far. Student altercation turns deadly Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools operated on a two-hour delay due to winter weather on Tuesday morning and the first bell rang at 10:55 a.m. at North [] A leader of lime growers in the violent western Mexican state of Michoacan was killed Monday, authorities said, after repeatedly denouncing in recent months the extortion demands of organized crime on producers. The Michoacan state prosecutor's office said on social media Monday that the body of Bernardo Bravo, president of the Apatzingan Valley Citrus Producers Association, was found in his vehicle on a road in the area. In several interviews with Mexico's Radio Formula in late September and earlier this month, Bravo denounced "organized crime's permanent commercial hijacking of any commercial activity." He said criminals' demands had become out of reach for producers who were left with no other choice but to negotiate with them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He conceded that the federal government had made some advances against organized crime in the area, but said more had to be done to end their impunity. Last year, the federal government sent hundreds of troops to Michoacan to protect lime growers complaining of extortion threats. In August, more than half of lime packing warehouses in the lowlands of Michoacan closed temporarily after growers and distributors said they had received demands from the Los Viagras and other cartels for a cut of their income. Limes have been a revenue stream for cartels for years in Mexico. In 2013, lime growers founded and led Mexico's biggest vigilante movement. Cartels at the time had taken control of distribution, manipulating domestic prices for crops like avocados and limes, telling growers when they could harvest and at what price they could sell their crops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mexican gangs and other illegal actors have also targeted avocado production. Cartel extortion in Mexico Of the various criminal groups operating in Michoacan, several were declared foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration, including United Cartels, the New Michoacan Family and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Cartels in many parts of Mexico have expanded into kidnapping and extortion to increase their income, demanding money from residents and business owners and threatening to kidnap or kill them if they refuse. In July, Mexico's government said it dismantled a criminal group behind a massive extortion scheme. The gang, with ties to a major drug cartel, had operated out of the central State of Mexico, extorting companies and individuals in 14 municipalities and controlling labor unions in the construction, mining, agriculture and parcel delivery industries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July 2024, a fisheries industry leader who complained of drug cartel extortion and illegal fishing was shot to death in the northern border state of Baja California. Minerva Perez was killed just hours after she complained of widespread competition from illegal fishing. Minerva Perez / Credit: Latin American Summit for Fisheries and Aquaculture Sustainability Ordinary citizens are also targeted with extortion. In January 2024, a cartel in Michoacan set up its own makeshift internet antennas and told locals they had to pay to use its Wi-Fi service or they would be killed, prosecutors said. Dubbed "narco-antennas" by local media, the cartel's system involved internet antennas set up in various towns built with stolen equipment. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Eye Opener: Police arrest a man with an assault rifle at Atlanta's airport Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo criticized Metro Monday for removing Montrose's rainbow crosswalks - potentially unconstitutionally, she said - before officials could counter the state-ordered action. Metro's decision to restripe the crosswalks came earlier this month after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to withhold road funding from any city or county with streets bearing "social, political or ideological messages." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hidalgo, in a video posted Monday, said Metro's action "arguably is unconstitutional" without a vote from the agency's board of directors backing the decision. She said the public deserves to know who at the local level ordered the crosswalks' removal, why there was no board vote and what alternatives were available. Representatives with Metroand Abbott's office did not immediately return a request for comment. "I don't think it's right to sacrifice the principles of free expression, art, democracy just because they might be upset," Hidalgo said, referring to the state government. "I mean let's at least try." Montrose's rainbow crosswalks at the corner of Westheimer Road and Taft Street had been in place since 2017, painted after a car struck and killed 21-year-old Alex Hill in the intersection. The crosswalks' bright colors intended to protect crossing pedestriansand symbolized LGBTQ+ pride in Montrose. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ON THE GROUND: In spirited protest, locals rally around Montrose's pride crosswalks as their removal looms Several city, county and state officials pushed back against the state's directive to remove the crosswalks, and some floated the possibility of a legal challenge. While Houston Mayor John Whitmire criticized the state's order as counterproductive during a city council meeting last week, he suggested adding displays to private property instead of threatening the city's funding. Hidalgo suggested she's more open to the idea of a legal battle. "We know that it's a hard battle in the courts ... but that doesn't mean it's not worth fighting," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She stopped short of committing to an upcoming legal fight, instead looking back at a missed opportunity to evade the state's directive. The Texas Department of Transportation gave agencies 30 days to comply with the roadway marking standards, and that timeframe has yet to expire. Hidalgo said the full 30-day window could have enabled legal action or a request for an exemption. Metro cited the 30-day timeframe when the Chronicle requested a timeline for the rainbow crosswalks' removal Sunday. Fewer than 24 hours later, the crosswalks were gone. Metro has not returned multiple requests for comment following the crosswalks' removal. Local residents have since taken matters into their own hands, coloring the sidewalks at the intersection where the pride crosswalks were removed and painting their own rainbow crosswalk in the Heights at Harvard and 10th streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For my part, I'll continue to advocate for the city and the county residents to have transparency and answers...and I will continue to fight against those kinds of decisions whether or not people from my party or the other party call me names or whatever," Hidalgo said. "I've dealt with much worse." This article originally published at Lina Hidalgo questions legality of Metro's rainbow crosswalk removal and urges transparency. Unbelievable Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan initiated a Signal chat two weekends ago with Lawfare reporter Anna Bower in which the newly-appointed federal prosecutor tiptoed to the verge of revealing grand jury information in the Letitia James case. After Bower started reporting out the Signal exchange, including by calling Main Justice, Halligan sent Bower a final message late yesterday, more than a week after starting the chat: By the way everything I ever sent you is off record. Youre not a journalist so its weird saying that but just letting you know. The entire episode is madness. Halligan who has no prior experience as a prosecutor comes off as even less sophisticated than expected. She also seems peevish, self-consciousness, and in utterly over her head, in every possible way. You can read the entire exchange here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ironically, Halligans prosecution of former FBI Director Jim Comey is, in part, about Comeys alleged contacts with the media, in his case through intermediaries. No intermediary here! Just Halligan herself recklessly bumping up against criminal case particulars with a reporter. Bower recounted the whole crazy episode last evening: The Retribution: Jim Comey Edition Comey has filed the first two major challenges to his politicized indictment. The former FBI director is trying to get the indictment dismissed with prejudice (meaning it cannot be refiled by the government) on two primary grounds: that Halligan wasnt properly appointed as U.S. attorney. The filing happened to come the same day that the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals seemed quite skeptical of the appointment of Alina Habba as U.S. attorney for New Jersey after similarly questionable machinations designed to bypass Senate confirmation and local federal judges. that the prosecution is vindictive and selective. Comey filed a 60-page exhibit containing an exhaustive list of Trumps rhetorical attacks on him Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both of Comeys motions were well-written, tightly structured, and compelling. But more importantly, taken together they mount the first wholesale challenge to President Trumps use of the Justice Department to conduct reprisals by prosecution. Some of the arguments are designed to appeal to conservative justices on the Supreme Court, and others are designed to appeal to the rule of law and long-standing DOJ traditions and norms. The effect, undoubtedly intended, is to make a Comey victory here have implications beyond this particular political prosecution. Meanwhile, in a bit of gamesmanship, prosecutors fired a shot across the bow of Comey lead attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, suggesting he might need to be disqualified from the case because Comey allegedly used him to improperly disclose classified information. Comey fired right back against what it called the governments effort to defame Fitzgerald, calling the allegation provably false. The judge in the case quickly denied prosecutors effort to expedite the briefing on this sideshow. The Retribution: Fani Willis Edition The Trump DOJ is scrutinizing a trip that Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis, the disqualified Trump prosecutor, made to the Bahamas in November, according to a subpoena obtained by the NYT. Its not clear if the trip is a focus of the investigation or if Willis herself is a target. The investigation is being led by Atlanta U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. The Retribution: IWWG Edition Officials from across the Trump administration have been meeting since May under the auspices of what is called the Interagency Weaponization Working Group to coordinate the presidents retribution against perceived political foes, Reuters reports. The group draws from the White House, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Defense, CIA, DOJ, and FBI, according to the report: The existence of the interagency group indicates the administrations push to deploy government power against Trumps perceived foes is broader and more systematic than previously reported. Interagency working groups in government typically forge administration policies, share information and agree on joint actions. Trump DOJ official Ed Martin, who is the U.S. pardon attorney and leads the Justice Departments own weaponization working group, is an important player in the interagency group, a source told Reuters. Only the Best People A Trump-pardoned Jan. 6 rioter has been charged with threatening to kill House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) ahead of his a Monday speech to the Economic Club of New York. GOP Senators Abandon Ingrassia Nom Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) sounded the death knell for the nomination of Paul Ingrassia as U.S. special counsel after Politico published texts in which Ingrassia admitted he had a Nazi streak, said the MLK holiday should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell, and used an Italian slur for Black people. Hes not gonna pass, said Thune, who was one of at least four GOP senators to come out against the nomination. National Guard Cases Moving Swiftly A judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has already moved to hear the Oregon National Guard case en banc after a three-judge panel of the court ruled in favor of the Trump administration on Monday Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a powerful dissent, Judge Susan Graber essentially begged for patience from the public as she implored the full appeals court to act: I urge my colleagues on this court to act swiftly to vacate the majoritys order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur. Above all, I ask those who are watching this case unfold to retain faith in our judicial system for just a little longer. A Symbol of Lawlessness WASHINGTON, DC OCTOBER 20: The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trumps plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Despite assurances that construction of President Trumps unauthorized ballroom would not touch the White House, work crews began demolishing portions of the East Wing Monday. The ballroom is being constructed between the White House and Treasury building, where employees with a birds-eye view were told not to take or share photos of the project. Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know! Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor overseeing fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, spent 33 hours criticizing a legal journalist's coverage -- and then insisted the exchange was off the record. Journalist Anna Bower described her unusual interaction with Halligan in a post Monday on national security news website Lawfare. The exchange, which was later confirmed by a Department of Justice spokesperson, provides a glimpse into the criticized prosecution of one of President Donald Trump's high-profile adversaries. A federal grand jury in U.S.District Court of Eastern Virginia indicted James earlier this month for allegedly making false statements to a financial institution. The charges center on a Norfolk, Va., property that she bought in 2023. Prosecutors charge that James improperly indicated on financial documents that she would use the property as a primary home to get better mortgage rates, but was using it as a rental investment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bower wrote that she attracted Halligan's attention with an Oct. 11 post on X about a story from The New York Times that undermined Halligan's case. The Times reported that James purchased the property for her grandniece, who told a different grand jury that she lived in the house for years without paying rent. James also regularly visited the property to see her grandniece and other family. "This is important exculpatory evidence bc the indictment accuses James of seeking a 'second home' mortgage when in reality she intended to use it as an 'investment' home by renting it," Bower wrote in another post on X. New York Attorney General Letitia James is the target of federal indictment by Trump's hand-picket prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who criticized reporting of the case. File Photo by Derek French/UPI But Halligan, who was hand-picked by Trump to lead the case, reached out to Bower telling her in a Signal message, "You are reporting things that are simply not true." "What am I getting wrong?" responded Bower. New York Attorney General Letitia James is the target of federal indictment by Trump's hand-picket prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who criticized reporting of the case. File Photo by Derek French/UPI "You're assuming exculpatory evidence without knowing what you're talking about," Halligan wrote. "It's just bizarre to me. If you have any questions, before you report, feel free to reach out to me. But jumping to conclusions does your credibility no good." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bower continued pressing Halligan to point out specific inaccuracies, asking if there was something wrong in the Times' reporting. "Yes they did but you went with it!" Halligan responded. "Without even fact checking anything!!!!" Bower wrote that although the indictment of James states she was paid thousands of dollars in rent at one point it was not inconsistent with the testimony from her grandniece. Finally, Halligan wrote: "You're biased. Your reporting isn't accurate. I'm the one handling the case and I'm telling you that. If you want to twist and torture the facts to fit your narrative, there's nothing I can do. Waste to even give you a heads up." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Bower reached out to the Department of Justice for comment, Halligan wrote back insisting the conversation had been "off the record" even though Bower never agreed. The Times defended its reporting in a statement to Lawfare. James successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump in 2024. An appeals court recently reduced Trump's fines. James has dismissed the charges against her as "baseless" and called them an act of political retribution. Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, reportedly sent multiple texts to Lawfare journalist Anna Bower related to New York Attorney General Letitia Jamess (D) recent indictment. In a report published Monday, Bower says Halligan reached out to her Oct. 11 and texted with her for two days. Bower writes that she had initially posted on the social platform X about New York Times reporting on the indictment and links to Jamess family. NYT reports that Letitia Jamess great niece lives in the home that is the subject of the indictment, Bower wrote in her X post earlier this month. The niece reportedly testified before a *different* grand jury, telling them that she had lived there for many years without paying rent. James visits regularly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is important exculpatory evidence bc the indictment accuses James of seeking a second home mortgage when in reality she intended to use it as an investment home by renting it, Bower then continued in another post. Bower reported Halligan reached out to her about 30 minutes after the latter post. The Lawfare report also included a link to what it reports are screenshots of Bower and Halligans conversation, in which Halligan claimed Bower was reporting things that are simply not true. What am I getting wrong? Bower later asked Halligan. Honestly, so much. I cant tell you everything but your reporting in particular is just way off. I had to let you know, Halligan responded in another message. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bower later sent the initial X post to Halligan, asking her if she is saying that something I said in this post is inaccurate and what that inaccuracy would be. She then kept pressing Halligan on what she got wrong, with Halligan responding at one point, I cant tell you grand jury stuff, according to Lawfares report. Prosecutors have claimed James bought a home in Norfolk, Va., in 2020 as part of an agreement called a second home rider, which required her to stay in and use the property as her secondary residence and let her obtain favorable loan terms. James instead rented the property to a family of three, according to prosecutors, when the favorable terms wouldnt have been accessible for an investment property. According to Lawfares screenshots of the messages, Halligan later told Bower that everything I ever sent to you is off record, with Bower then countering that the interim U.S. attorney does not get to say that in retrospect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Department (DOJ) confirmed to Lawfare on Monday that Halligans messages were authentic. Natalie Baldassarre, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement to Bower that she clearly didnt get the response you wantedwhich was information handed over to you without having to dig into the facts of the case to craft a truthful story. The New York Times told Lawfare the DOJ had not brought up any problems with its report, adding that it was confident in the accuracy of our reporting. When reached for comment, a Times spokesperson sent The Hill a similar statement. A DOJ spokesperson told The Hill in an email Tuesday that Lindsey Halligan is doing an outstanding job making Virginia safe again and wont be distracted by lazy reporting from a blogger uninterested in the facts. Updated at 2:13 p.m. EDT 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. Prefer a different platform? You can listen to this daily briefing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Good morning. It's Monday, October 20, and this is Connecticut Today, CTInsider's daily audio briefing. Catch up on Connecticut - all news, no noise - in under five minutes. We're starting off with a quick look at the weather: after a warm weekend, expect rain and gusty winds today, with temperatures in the low to mid 60s. We'll have the full forecast at the end of the briefing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In today's headlines, The Connecticut Siting Council has again rejected United Illuminating's plan to upgrade overhead transmission wires along the Metro-North Railroad tracks in Bridgeport and Fairfield. The council's 5-to-3 vote came after months of back-and-forth, including a reversal in September that temporarily supported the project. UI spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos said the company was "stunned by the change" and is considering legal options. The utility says burying the lines, as some critics want, would raise the project's cost from $300 million to $800 million, with Connecticut ratepayers shouldering the increase. Local officials and community members who opposed the overhead lines praised the council's decision, calling it a win for public input and responsible planning. A federal grand jury investigation is drawing attention to nearly $50 million in Youth Services Prevention grants distributed over the past 12 years by members of the legislature's Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. These grants, intended to support nonprofit youth programs and reduce violence, have been allocated with little public scrutiny or formal application process. The probe is focusing in part on state Sen. Douglas McCrory's role in directing funds to Hartford-based nonprofits. McCrory has denied any wrongdoing. Republican lawmakers are calling for more transparency, including public hearings and audits for these grants. Democratic leaders say they are open to reforms but question why these particular grants are being singled out for extra scrutiny. Early voting for Connecticut's municipal elections begins today, giving all registered voters two weeks to cast ballots ahead of Election Day on November 4. Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days, with extended hours on October 28 and 30. Voters can find their early voting locations at MyVote.ct.gov. Same-day registration is available at early voting sites, and absentee ballots are still an option for those who qualify. Early votes will be counted and announced along with Election Day results. Political campaign sign theft and vandalism remain an issue in several Connecticut towns, especially during election season. Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo said sign theft happens to candidates from all parties and urged residents to respect others' property. Police in South Windsor and other towns report that while these incidents are not frequent, they do tend to increase around elections. Law enforcement is reminding the public that removing or damaging signs is a criminal offense, and patrols are prepared to respond to any reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pa'lante Theater Company in Waterbury, the state's only Afro-Latino theater, will close its physical location at the end of October due to federal funding cuts. Founder Rafael Feliciano-Roman said the organization will lay off six of its ten staff members but hopes to continue its mission by partnering with local groups and operating without a permanent space. The theater lost a $65,000 federal grant earlier this year and was unable to raise enough funds to cover the gap. Local leaders and supporters say they hope Pa'lante can continue its cultural and community work in new ways. And now for the full weather forecast. After a warm Sunday, a cold front has brought rain and gusty winds to Connecticut today, with highs in the low to mid 60s and wind gusts up to 25 mph. Showers will taper off later in the day, and Tuesday will bring sunshine and milder temperatures before another round of showers arrives Tuesday night. Thanks for listening. For more local news, visit ctinsider.com. This digest was partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom staff. This article originally published at Listen to Connecticut Today, CTInsider's audio briefing for Monday, October 20. A military family moving cross-country to St. Johns County discovered their belongings were scattered across an interstate in Arizona. Then they discovered a post online claiming their personal items were up for grabs. Its literally like a death, said Alejandra Wing. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The truck used by the moving company that the Wings hired to move them from Hawaii to Florida flipped on its side while transporting everything they owned. Photos, family items and furniture were scattered on Route 69 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I cant still wrap my head around it, Wing said. The military familys personal items had been picked through by looters driving by on the highway. Some posts on social media mentioned free items. The Wings items were left along the roadside for roughly five days. Then they got a call from the Prescott Valley Police. I still didnt believe its our stuff because were getting all the emails from the moving company saying that, you know, your stuff is in Florida, said Bert Wing. They said they would love for people to return those items they might have taken. Some of those items are irreplaceable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If this ever gets to those people in Arizona, you know, if they have the ability to, to return the stuff they dont care about, the memories, the awards, the photos, said Bert Wing. They are grateful for those who reached out to them on social media. One of them recovered Alejandras fathers ashes and will ship the ashes to her. Its weird when you look at something and then all of a sudden whatever youre looking at reminds you of something that you had and youre never going to see again, Bert said. Now the family is asking for donations on their GoFundMe page as they look to replace furniture. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. 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 Retail pharmacies are in crisis. Over the past four years, the three largest drugstore chainsCVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreenshave closed almost 3,000 locations nationwide, according to the 2025 Economic Report on U.S. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. In Greater Boston, nearly 15,000 residents live in pharmacy deserts, sections of the city where a drugstore is at least a half-mile away and the majority of people do not have cars. The impetus for those closures is complicated, spurred by a maelstrom of economic and workflow factors reshaping the pharmaceutical landscape. Drugs are still big business. In 2024, total prescription dispensing revenues for retail, mail, long-term care, and specialty pharmacies reached $683 billion, excluding COVID-19 vaccines. But the delivery model is changing fast, leaving consumers confused and priced out. "So much has been going on behind the scenes. The story is really about the story 'behind' the story. But what people are seeing is that, all of a sudden, there's a closing. A sign goes up on the window, and that's it. There's no consideration for the consumer in that regard," says Paul Beninger, professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. If you're struggling with rising drug prices, or simply lamenting the closure of your neighborhood Rite Aid, here's what Tufts experts want you to know about why this is happening and what you can do. Staffing challenges At large national chains, staffing is a persistent obstacle. "There's a shortage of trained new pharmacists entering brick-and-mortar pharmacies, and a lot of the pharmacists that worked in many of those chains are aging out now," says Kenneth Getz, executive director of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. "Newer pharmacists are moving into higher-paid jobs in adjacent areas, including the pharmaceutical trade. There's more competition for people with pharmacology training." Online giants and telehealth platforms The rise of online pharmacies, offering convenience and budget-friendly pricing, is another threat to the traditional retail model. "You have all kinds of web-based and mail-order approaches that cut out some of the markup and the middleman, creating a lot of economic and competitive intensity in the marketplace," Getz says. On one end of the spectrum, there are giants such as Amazon and Walmart, which "can give retail pharmacies a run for their money, because they have a lot of advantages: They have remarkable inventory control, they have leverage, and they can get preferred pricingso they can compete on price," Getz says. There are also newer telehealth services that often offer wraparound-care business models and non-brand-name, compounded, lower-priced drug alternatives to, for example, GLP-1 weight-loss medications. "Some of these organizations have found unique ways to develop and sell a compound at a much lower price, and they already have established infrastructure. They may have physicians on call, using video to interact with and oversee a patient's care," Getz explains. Online convenience is tempting, but not every upstart company plays by the rules. Some sell unregulated supplements or non-FDA-approved drugs. "It's the Wild West in the sense that there are clearly players that have cut corners. There are others that have tried to do everything right and follow a set of quality standards. They claim to offer a certain level of integrity, and they have federal regulations and policy behind them," Getz says. "But a consumer has to be careful, do their homework, and vet these organizations. If it's too good to be true, there's a good chance that they're cutting a corner." Supply chain control issues Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) undercut the retail model. These third-party administrators act as middlemen who liaise between insurance companies, patients, and manufacturers. PBMs work directly with private insurers. By controlling and consolidating every aspect of the supply chaincalled vertical integrationsome pharmacies are iced out. The three largest PBMs in the United States are CVS Caremark, Cigna Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group's Optum Rx. About 80% of PBM business goes through these three organizations. That can mean affiliated pharmacies get better deals or faster access, while others struggle. A recent analysis by the American Medical Association highlights the low competition among PBMs and high tendency to be integrated with health insurance companies, which are conditions that pose significant financial risk for patients. "What's happened is that companies like Rite Aid have been suffering because of the competitive forces against them and losing small percentages of sales. Not being part of a larger integrated ecosystem has left them off to the side," Beninger explains. Pharmacy bypass routes Retail business is also undercut by the rise of online and mail order pharmacies, which streamline the delivery channel and, as a result, can provide discounted rates. Finally, some patients simply opt not to fill prescriptions due to cost. "We hear so many stories of people who have to choose between being able to purchase food for their family or to pay for their medication. They often choose food for their family. There are certain therapies where the prices are so high now that unless someone has the appropriate insurance coverage, there's virtually no way they can get access to that therapy," Getz says. These unaffordable drugs typically target rare diseases through cell and gene therapies. They are expensive to manufacture, Getz explains, and the markets are so tiny that manufacturers need to recoup their research-and-development costs with higher prices. How patients can take control There is a bright side. Getz is monitoring the rise of clinical trials as a way for patients to access investigational and potentially life-saving therapies. "We're starting to see growing patient interest in trials as a way to gain access to a therapy without having to get an insurance provider behind it," he says. In this case, direct patient-access programs offer a streamlined manufacturer-to-patient pipeline. "A number of pharmaceutical companies have essentially pledged to give approved therapies to patients who qualify, who can't afford to pay. Almost every major and mid-sized company has a patient-access program for patients who can demonstrate that they have no or very little disposable income," Getz says. And, while the landscape might appear stacked against the average consumer, Getz also sees grassroots promise in the patient advocacy sector. "The important message is that patients and their families are not alone. There are many options, and with the right network of support, you can find ways to navigate this incredibly intense, at times really discouraging, environment," he says. "Some organizations, such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the Michael J. Fox Foundation, are totally keyed into pharmacy chains that may be struggling to carry a certain type of therapy and will negotiate with other channels to make sure that a certain percentage of patients with a disease can gain access to that therapy." Finally, Beninger urges patients to consult with their physicians, who can offer a clinical, longer-range perspective about drug access and costs. "The best-informed person is your family physician. Don't ask them 'yes' or 'no' questions. Ask: "Where does this product fit in the scheme of products that someone in my insurance situation can have access to?" There are expensive new products, and there are generic products that are a generation or two older that are inexpensive. That's where you need to be informed. Your clinician can tell you the range of treatments available, and a physician increasingly needs to take this into account when they write a prescription." The government shutdown has now lasted 21 days, and some local charities are feeling the impact of the cut funds... An increase in those seeking help at food pantries is causing more to be turned away due to a lack of food in stock. Catholic Charities hosts a food drive every Wednesday and Friday, assisting approximately 80 families per drive. However, they have recently had to turn people away. With the shutdown, people are feeling more and more insecure about food, about their benefits, and the availability of those benefits, Eileen Seuter, Regional Director at Catholic Charities, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They say rising food, housing, and utility costs, mixed with the uncertainty about federal benefits, are all causing more families to turn to food pantries. We are seeing an increase demand at our pantry at the same time there has been a cut to those federal food programs, Seuter said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Catholic Charities on Bernita Street distributes food on Wednesdays and Fridays, but theyve especially felt the impact of the federal cuts as they havent received as much food as they have in the past. So if you look at our shelves right now its probably about half of about what we would normally have had, Seuter said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats a problem they saw as the number of people coming in since the government shutdown started has been growing. Seeing many first-timers seeking help, but they arent able to fill every need. We do have to limit it to between 75 and 80 families, and unfortunately, we do need to turn people away every time, Seuter said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] They say that even though the shelves might look well-stocked, this food will only last them about a week. Were getting less donated food at our bank, so we really need the community to step up and help provide us with food donations, Seuter said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Catholic Charities invites people interested in donating food to stop by the Bernita Street location Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. or to visit their website. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A magistrate has dismissed a Warren City councilmans civil lawsuit against Ohio Edison. Read next: 2 hospitalized after Monday night explosion in Columbiana County Councilman Greg Greathouse filed the lawsuit on May 16 in small claims court, requesting payment from Ohio Edison for the days the lights werent on. In October of last year, 331, or 6% of the citys streetlights, were out, though the number was later reduced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greathouse calculated that Ohio Edison owes Warren $857.50, and he wanted the money to go to the citys general fund. In his decision, Magistrate Jeffrey Thomas wrote that Greathouse testified that he brought this action as an individual and as a councilman representing Warrens Third Ward. His amended complaint stated that he brought the action on behalf of the City of Warren, specifically concerning the 3rd Ward in the city. Magistrate Thomas wrote that the Ohio Revised Code specifies the requirements of a taxpayer filing suit on behalf of a municipality, specifically that the taxpayer bring the suit in his own name if the village solicitor or city director of law fails, upon written request of any taxpayer, to file suit. Greathouse testified that he had not made a written request to the city law director; therefore, Thomas ruled that he had not complied with the requirements of the Ohio Revised Code and did not have standing in the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Patricia Knepp then issued a judgment entry adopting the findings of the magistrate, and the case was dismissed at the plaintiffs cost. Stan Boney 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 WKBN.com. I am deeply honored to receive the Government Achievement Award from the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. Years ago, in my role with the Chamber, I had the privilege of presenting this award to elected officials whose leadership I admired. To now stand on the other side, as a recipient, is a true full-circle moment for me. This recognition reflects not only my work, but also the support of my family, colleagues and the community I am proud to serve, and I am extremely grateful. Santucci secured $2 million for the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission to support construction and repair projects at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and Camp James A. Garfield; $250,000 to support the study and planning of an oil and natural gas pipeline through the Lake to River counties; and $500,000 for repairs at Eastwood Field in Niles, according to a news release from the Regional Chamber. Executive Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Impact for the Regional Chamber Lyle Huffman released a statement: Representative Santucci has proven himself to be a thoughtful and effective leader who understands our regions challenges and opportunities. His work at the Statehouse shows a real commitment to collaboration and policies that strengthen the Valleys economy, grounded in his deep understanding of the business community, said Huffman. Santucci will be honored at the Chambers Salute to Elected Officials on Monday, November 24, at 5:30 p.m. at The Grand Resort in Howland. The Beavercreek Police Department has launched a new app to help enhance communication and provide important resources to the community. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The app offers features such as quick contact with the department, viewing most wanted individuals, and submitting anonymous tips. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also provides updates on police activity, access to forms and community resources, and sex offender mapping tools. Users can receive instant notifications about emergencies, road closures, events, and more through the app. It is available for free download on the App Store and Google Play by searching Beavercreek Ohio Police Dpt. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] An 18-year-old is in custody after a threat closed a local school district on Tuesday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, Montgomery County Sheriffs deputies were called to Northridge High School to investigate a threat. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A worker at a Montgomery County mental health and addiction treatment facility called Stay Safe Speak Up, a student safety hotline, to report a threat. When youre talking about threats to a school and our children, were all going to take this stuff very serious, and were going to respond appropriately, Jeremy Roy, Montgomery County Sheriffs Office Chief of Staff, said. Deputies learned that an 18-year-old former student was at the treatment facility when he made these threats. By the time deputies got there, he was gone. They gave us a couple of places where they think he could be, so deputies and investigators are out all night and were unable to make contact with them, Roy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats when Northridge Schools leaders decided, out of an abundance of caution, they would cancel school. In this case, you know, they made the right decision on what they needed to do, Roy said. Deputies said the suspect went back to the treatment center around midnight. We were able to take him into custody, and he is in custody in the Montgomery County Jail right now, Roy said. The Sheriffs Office isnt naming the suspect until hes officially charged. News Center 7 looked through jail records and found that Thomas Harville, 18, was booked on suspicion of making a terrositic threat. Deputies said hes made similar threats before against the City of Dayton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News Center 7 obtained a letter sent out to parents by Northridge Local Schools Superintendent Dave Jackson. Good morning Northridge Family, this is Dave Jackson messaging with an important update. Thanks to the outstanding work of our School Safety Officers and the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, a suspect connected to last nights potential threat was quickly identified and taken into custody. The Sheriffs Office has now confirmed that there is no longer a potential threat to our schools, and as a result, we are excited to welcome students and staff back to a normal schedule tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 22. We appreciate your patience and understanding, especially for allowing us and law enforcement the space and time to focus on resolving the situation quickly. The safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority, and we are grateful for your continued support in keeping Northridge a safe place to learn and grow." Northridge Local Schools Superintendent Dave Jackson Class at Northridge will be back in session on Wednesday, and the sheriffs office said they will have extra deputies on campus to give everyone peace of mind. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) Around 450 high school students from across the region learned about hospitality careers at an event hosted by CareerQuestTN on Tuesday. At the event, students learned about careers in marketing, events, food, accommodations and outdoor/recreation. Internship opportunities were also available. First Tennessee Development District Director of Workforce & Literacy Initiatives Lottie Ryans said the event highlights the importance of tourism and hospitality to the economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SWVA abandoned mine sites to be revitalized for job opportunities Tourism, hospitality are just such an important part of the economy that we want students to see that there are a host of jobs to everything from, for example, working at one of our state parks or working at the [Meadowview Conference Center], or being a manager at Chick-fil-A, Ryans said. There are just so many opportunities that we want to make sure students recognize what those are. I think one of the most important things, especially if you talk to our mayors and our school leaders, is we want our students to stay here, Ryans said. If they dont understand the opportunities here, theyre going to leave us. We want them to be a part of building our region and continuing to grow and thrive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Lockheed Martin is aiming to conduct an on-orbit demonstration of at least one space-based anti-missile interceptor design no later than 2028. Interceptors deployed in space have been billed as a key element of the Trump administrations Golden Dome missile defense initiative, but present considerable technical hurdles. Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet talked about his companys space-based interceptor plans and other work relating to Golden Dome during a quarterly earnings call today. In July, Northrop Grumman had separately disclosed the existence of an active competition for Golden Domes space-based interceptor component. We also submitted proposals for space-based interceptors and other emerging technologies, Taiclet said. Were actually planning for a real on-orbit, space-based interceptor demonstration by 2028. He also explained that work on space-based interceptors reflects a broader shift in recent years in how Lockheed Martin conducts research and development efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, on SBI [space-based interceptors], we are changing the way we allocate our independent R&D at this company , and weve been evolving towards this for the last five years, I think now were basically at the mountaintop here, according to Taiclet. The previous way that the company tended to aggregate and fund IR&D [internal research and development] was, each of the business units would get sort of a slice of the pie, so to speak, and figure out what were the most important projects for their current or prospective pursuits. What weve done over the years is weve migrated that approach to one where, it does care for the current needs, if you will, in the business areas, but an increasing proportion of the corpus, and the corpus hasnt grown that much larger, but it has increased over these years, but much of that corpus now goes to real highlight, corporate-level R&D programs, he continued. So Ill give you a couple of them. SBI, the space-based interceptor, is one of those. We are building prototypes, full-up operational prototypes, not things in labs, not stuff on test stands, things that will go into space, or in the air, or fly across a missile range. These are real devices that will work, and that can be produced at scale. So the space-based interceptor is one weve been pursuing already, and thats all I can say about that. Taiclet touched on other work Lockheed Martin is doing with an eye toward Golden Dome, as well. Lockheed Martin has built a prototyping environment at our Center for Innovation in Virginia to support the collaborative development of a Golden Dome for America command and control capability. Through a series of demonstrations, Lockheed Martins open systems architecture is already fusing existing and new C2 capabilities, from seabed to space, and importantly, these capabilities are not limited to our own, he said. We have a broad team of industry partners that are participating in the prototype system development, ensuring that the U.S. government has access to the best available solution for each element of the eventual Golden Dome command and control system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pentagon has become extremely tight-lipped about how the larger plans for Golden Dome are continuing to evolve, but it is widely expected to be a broad concept that encompasses a wide array of existing and future capabilities in space and within Earths atmosphere. You can read more about what is known about the Golden Dome initiative in TWZs past reporting here. A graphic the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) put out earlier this year illustrating the threats to the United States homeland that Golden Dome is expected to help shield against. DIA An overarching mission technology roadmap over time for homeland air defense is not available yet, according to Taiclet. And what I mean by that is what sites with what radius and what point of time do you want to defend, and from what actual threats. However, in what they have disclosed publicly to date, the Pentagon and the White House have stressed the centrality of space-based interceptors to the overall Golden Dome vision. This is being driven in part by a desire to prosecute anti-missile intercepts as far away from U.S. territory as possible. When it comes to ballistic missiles, as well as hypersonic weapons that use ballistic missile-like rocket boosters, they are most vulnerable in their initial boost phase right after launch. Its not just that we want space-based interceptors, we want them in [the] boost phase, U.S. Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of Space Operations, said during a live online interview with Defense One back in March. We want them to achieve their effects as far from the homeland. So theyve got to be fast, theyve got to be accurate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Golden Dome program, as it is currently understood, does also envision space-based interceptors being employed outside a boost-phase engagement scenario. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), as well as many other larger ballistic missiles, notably travel outside of the Earths atmosphere during the mid-course portion of their flights. A graphic showing, in a very rudimentary way, the typical trajectories, from launch to impact, for traditional ballistic missiles, hypersonic boost-glide vehicles, quasi or aeroballistic missiles, and air-breathing hypersonic cruise missiles. GAO The actual deployment of any space-based intercept capability would require surmounting various technical challenges. Advances in technology, manufacturing, and cost curves since the Brilliant Pebbles program make space-based interceptors feasible but not simple, a briefing slide shown at a Golden Dome industry day event earlier this year noted, according to a story from Defense One in August. The U.S. has never built a re-entry vehicle that can close an intercept. Brilliant Pebbles refers to a proposed constellation of small satellites, each one containing a single hit-to-kill interceptor, which was part of the abortive Reagan-era Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Infamously dubbed Star Wars by its critics, the multi-faceted SDI effort never came close to achieving its ambitious goals. Artwork depicting a Brilliant Pebble satellite launching the anti-ballistic missile interceptor inside. USAF/Public Domain To be truly viable, space-based interceptors would also require a robust array of sensors and fire control systems linked together via a resilient communications architecture, as you can read more about here. This presents additional challenges, especially if the system is intended to defend against large volumes of incoming threats at once. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reason you need AI [artificial intelligence] help is because, instead of a handful of missiles, or a dozen or so from North Korea or Iran, now were talking about what could be dozens and dozens or hundreds from Russia or China. Theres a quantity challenge and then theres a time challenge, an unnamed attendee at the aforementioned industry day event said, per Defense Ones report. You want to be able to hit these as quickly as you can, and AI can sort through that much, much faster than a human can. Fielding large numbers of space-based assets presents its own unique hurdles, including just in terms of the resources required to put them in orbit to begin with, let alone maintain them for extended periods of time. All of this feeds into larger questions about Golden Domes cost, which is already expected to run into the hundreds of billions of dollars if the U.S. government pursues the full scope of currently proposed capabilities. President Donald Trump discussing Golden Dome at an event at the White House earlier this year. White House All of this underscores the importance of real-world demonstrations of proposed space-based intercept capabilities. At the same time, that testing doesnt necessarily need to occur in orbit. If you want to test a space-based interceptor, you dont have to necessarily launch it into orbit and then test it there, another unnamed individual who attended the Golden Dome industry day gathering said, according to Defense One. You could do suborbital testing of your kill vehicle with much cheaper launch costs and a much faster schedule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Golden Domes plans for interceptors in orbit have also prompted discussions about the weaponization of space, and how the U.S. governments newest missile defense vision might exacerbate trends in that regard. In speaking to Defense One earlier this year, Chief of Space Operations Saltzman highlighted work other countries, especially China and Russia, have been doing to put weapons and other worrisome dual-use capabilities in orbit. Chinese and Russian authorities are also chief among the powers globally that have been investing in anti-satellite capabilities based within the Earths atmosphere. He also highlighted his top priority to protect the American people. What I think were really recognizing is now space is a contested war-fighting domain, and thats whats new, not that the military is considering offensive and defensive operations, Saltzman said at the time. Militaries always conduct offensive and defensive operations to contest the domains to meet military objectives. We just recently had to up our game, if you will, because space has become a warfighting domain. Regardless, Lockheed Martin says it is now angling to conduct a full, on-orbit demonstration of a space-based interceptor sometime in the next two years or so. Contact the author: joe@twz.com Randall Weddle, then a candidate for London mayor, listens as Gov. Andy Beshear helps celebrate the opening of WB Transport's new warehouse in April 2022. (Screenshot with permission of WYMT) FRANKFORT The Kentucky Registry of Election Finance continues to investigate hundreds of thousands of dollars in excess campaign contributions that London Mayor Randall Weddle gave through straw donors to help Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear win reelection in 2023. But the matter is not expected to be discussed at Wednesdays meeting of the registrys board of directors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Steffen, executive director of the registry, told the Kentucky Lantern Tuesday that the agency continues to investigate the Weddle contributions, but were not ready to bring it back to the board yet. At issue are hundreds of thousands of dollars listed as having been contributed to Beshears campaign committee and the Kentucky Democratic Party by Weddles family members, employees of his company WB Transport, and close business associates. The large bundles of contributions from Weddles family, friends and associates were first revealed in an April 2023 story in the Lantern that concluded the Weddle group was the single largest group of donors to Beshears reelection. Weddle has said that days after publication of that article he reported directly to Beshear that much of the money was actually donated on Weddles personal credit card. Beshears campaign and the Kentucky Democratic Party then refunded $202,000 in contributions that had been made on Weddles credit card. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later in 2023 the registry began its investigation. In February the registry staff recommended the case be brought to a close with a finding that Weddle had committed numerous unintentional violations of the law and be fined up to $5,000 per violation. Weddles attorney, Guthrie True, of Frankfort, told the board at that meeting that the recommendation was a fair settlement of unknowing violations of civil law. True did not return a phone message left at his office on Tuesday by Kentucky Lantern. But several board members in February said there were far too many unanswered questions about how the huge and unusual bundles of contributions came about and did not want to surrender its ability to refer the matter to a prosecutor for investigation of possible criminal violations. The board voted 6-0 to send the matter back for further investigation. Prosecutors on Long Island are not ruling out the possibility of bringing local charges against ex-Congressman George Santos, whose federal prison sentence was commuted last week by President Trump. The district attorney's office in Nassau County, which is home to part of the district Santos represented, declined to say what, if anything, prosecutors might be investigating that could warrant state charges. However, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly issued the following statement: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Since first learning of George Santos' actions, I have been at the forefront of bringing him to justice. I am proud of the work my office has done, and the conviction achieved in partnership with the U.S. Attorney's office. While the office cannot comment on ongoing investigations, suffice it to say that I remain focused on prosecuting political corruption wherever it exists regardless of political affiliation." A spokeswoman for Donnelly's office declined to elaborate. Santos was three months into a seven year prison sentence for deception, fraud and lying to Congress when President Trump intervened, noting Santos had the "courage, conviction and intelligence to always vote Republican." PREVIOUS COVERAGE: George Santos speaks out after being released from federal prison Anthony Carlo has the details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) A Longview combat veteran was presented with a service dog through the Rusk County Pets Alives Second Chance Initiative program that pairs inmates with shelter dogs to provide specialized training. UT Tyler Patriots womens basketball ranked third in LSC preseason poll The 4-year-old mixed-breed dog named Trip was presented to Henry Ham II, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant from Longview. He was selected through The Fletcher Project, an initiative by Rusk County Pets Alive that aims to provide service dogs to disabled veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Rusk County Pets Alive organized a motorcycle motorcade of combat veterans to support the event. Rusk County Pets Alive is a nonprofit animal rescue, aiming to save dogs and cats at the Henderson Animal Center. The Rusk County Second Chance Initiative program is a community service dog training program designed to provide an outlet for dogs at the shelter by working with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Billy Moore Correctional Center and the Rusk County Commissioners Court. Photos Courtesy of Rusk County Pets Alive C&M Circus brings big cats, daredevils and more to Waskom Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interested inmates can apply to the program, and if approved, will work in teams of two to train selected dogs from the Henderson shelter. Anyone interested in supporting Rusk County Pets Alive can find more information on their website. 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. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Hormone therapyoral and transdermalremains the most effective treatment for such bothersome menopause symptoms as hot flashes and is generally considered safe for most patients. A new study shows that risk profiles are different based on how the hormones are administered. Results of the study were presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society, held in Orlando from October 2125. When it comes to hormone therapy, there is not a consistently preferred route of administration. The best option depends on individual health factors and goals. Oral hormone therapy is metabolized differently because it passes through the liver, impacting lipid profiles. Transdermal hormone therapy bypasses the liver to exert a different risk profile. These physiological differences may translate into variable risks for cardiometabolic, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative conditions in postmenopausal women. The study involving more than 3,800 postmenopausal women sought to compare the incidence of obesity, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer's disease among postmenopausal women receiving oral versus transdermal hormone therapy. What the researchers found was that transdermal hormone therapy was associated with a lower incidence of anxiety and depression when compared to oral hormone therapy. No significant differences were observed between the two routes of administration in the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, or Alzheimer's disease. "It was exciting to find statistically significant results in our study, as these findings may help shape more individualized approaches to patient care in the future," says Liying Wei, lead author from Drexel University College of Medicine. "As we designed this study, we specifically excluded women with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, tobacco use, family history of heart disease, and premature menopause to create a CVD riskfree population at baseline," says Dr. Xuezhi (Daniel) Jiang, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Drexel University College of Medicine and Reading Hospital at Tower Health. "This approach allowed us to more clearly examine the differences between oral and transdermal hormone therapy in relation to CVD outcomes. While our findings suggest that transdermal estrogen may offer potential mental health advantages compared with oral formulations, these results should not be generalized to the broader postmenopausal population. "Hormone therapy is not a one-size-fits-all treatment, and the choice of route of administration should be individualized and made through shared decision-making, particularly for women with a history of depression." While further studies are needed to confirm these associations, the findings suggest potential mental health advantages of transdermal hormone therapy and underscore the importance of considering the route of administration when prescribing menopausal hormone therapy, especially for women with existing or potential mental health concerns. "It's important to recognize the need for individualized approaches when it comes to treating menopause symptoms," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. "Fortunately, we have many choices for women when it comes to route of administration, dose, and formulation of hormone therapy, which makes it easier to personalize treatment." More information: Poster presentation: Oral vs. Transdermal Hormone Therapy in Postmenopausal Women: A Comparison of Obesity, Cardiovascular, Mental Health, and Alzheimer's Disease Risks menopause.org/annual-meetings/2025-annual-meeting Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A 2-day-old kitten was rescued after being found hiding in a warm, but otherwise unsuitable den location: the inner workings of a police patrol vehicle. Devon and Cornwall Police said on social media that officers at the Crownhill Police Station "heard a faint meow" coming from a patrol car on Sunday. "After a bit of investigation, the sound was traced to a very tricky spot deep inside the car. As much as we like to think we can fix anything, stripping down a vehicle isn't part of police training," police wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mechanics from local business Kwik Fit were summoned to help and they were able to locate the kitten and rescue it from the wheel arch. "We think the kitten's mum must have found a cozy dry place to give birth, and this little one somehow ended up joining the team on patrol," the post said. The kitten was checked out and found to be healthy and about 2 days old. The newborn feline is now in the care of an officer from the station. Police asked members of the public to suggest names for the kitten on social media. WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off the coast of Venezuela since this summer, when the Trump administration first began to shift assets to the region as part of its so-called war against narcoterrorism. Here is a look at the ships, planes and troops in the region: Ships The Navy has eight warships in the region three destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, a cruiser and a smaller littoral combat ship that's designed for coastal waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three amphibious assault ships make up an amphibious readiness group and carry an expeditionary unit of Marines. As a result, those ships also have on board a variety of Marine helicopters, Osprey tilt rotor aircraft and Harrier jets that have the capability of either transporting large numbers of Marines or striking targets on land and sea. While officials have not offered specific numbers, destroyers and cruisers typically deploy with a missile loadout that contains Tomahawk cruise missiles a missile that can strike hundreds of miles from its launch point. A U.S. Navy submarine, the USS Newport News, also is operating in the broader area of South America and is capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles. Planes and drones Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A squadron of advanced U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II jets have been sent to an airstrip in Puerto Rico. The planes were first spotted landing on the island territory in mid-September. MQ-9 Reaper Air Force drones, capable of flying long distances and carrying up to eight laser-guided missiles, also have been spotted operating out of Puerto Rico by commercial satellites and military watchers, as well as photojournalists, around the same time. It has been widely reported that the Navy is operating P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft out of the region as well. Earlier this month, the military released a photo of an U.S. Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider, a heavily armed plane capable of firing its large guns with precision onto ground targets, also sitting on the tarmac in Puerto Rico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have been a multitude of other military aircraft that have temporarily flown through the region as part of military operations there. For example, the U.S. Air Force flew a group of B-52 Stratofortress bombers through the region last week for what the Pentagon dubbed as a bomber attack demo in photos online. Troops All told, there are more than 6,000 sailors and Marines that are now operating in the region based on the ships that have been confirmed by defense officials. The Pentagon has not offered specific numbers on how many drones, aircraft or ground crew are in the region so their impact on that broader figure is unknown. The jewelry taken from the Louvre Museum in Paris is estimated to be worth 88 million euros ($102 million), according to a French prosecutor, as the search continues for the stolen treasures. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau told French radio station RTL the value of the loot taken in Sundays daylight robbery had been estimated by the museums curator. This sum is indeed spectacular, but we must remember that this damage is economic. But it has nothing parallel or comparable to the historical damage caused by this theft, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 100 investigators are involved in the manhunt to track down the criminals who made off with artifacts from the French crown jewels, dating from the Napoleonic era, she said. Experts fear that the prospects of recovering the jewelry are slim. But Beccuau warned that the thieves may struggle to obtain the loots value if they chose to dismantle the pieces to resell the jewels or melt down the metals. The Louvre remained closed on Tuesday, in accordance with its scheduled opening times, but is due to reopen on Wednesday. The Apollo Gallery targeted by the thieves will remain closed. How did the heist happen? The thieves used a truck-mounted ladder to gain access to the Apollo Gallery, one of the most ornate rooms in the Louvre, through a window. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armed with tools including an angle grinder and a blowtorch, they targeted two high-security display cases. Paris prosecutors say it took the robbers four minutes to break into the gallery, snatch the jewelry, and leave. At 9:34 a.m., half an hour after opening, two men wearing yellow vests broke a window, the prosecutors office said in a Monday statement. The robbers left at 9:38 a.m, and left on two scooters along the banks of the Seine. The entire operation lasted just seven minutes, authorities said. French police examine a angle grinder that thieves used in the Louvre robbery on Sunday. - Clement Lanot/CNN What was stolen? Among the items taken from the Louvre was a diamond and sapphire jewelry set including a tiara and necklace worn by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The diadem a jeweled headpiece worn by royalty features 24 Ceylon sapphires and 1,083 diamonds that can be detached and worn as brooches, according to the Louvre. Also stolen was an emerald necklace and earrings set that was a wedding gift from Napoleon to his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, in March 1810, containing 32 intricately cut emeralds and 1,138 diamonds. Eight of the nine items taken remain unaccounted for. unknown content item - Wider implications for France French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin admitted that the Louvre heist exposed security failings at the museum. One can wonder about the fact that, for example, the windows hadnt been secured, about the fact that a basket lift was on a public road, he said on France Inter radio. What is certain is that we have failed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The French people all feel like theyve been robbed, he added. Elaine Sciolino, author of Adventures in the Louvre: How to Fall in Love with the Worlds Greatest Museum, emphasized the significance of a robbery at the Louvre, which was originally built as a fortress before becoming a palace for the French royal family. This attack really is a dagger into the heart of France and French history, she said. How is the investigation going? Investigators do not have any solid leads as to who was behind the heist but are slowly amassing a body of evidence, a law enforcement official in France who has been briefed on the ongoing investigation told CNN on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The thieves were not able to burn the truck they used for the break in, so investigators are combing it for any traces of DNA, the official said. As part of this process, investigators have had to build a tent around the truck so they can fume it to bring forth fingerprints, which has slowed down the process slightly, the official said. On Tuesday, investigators recovered one of the two scooters the thieves used to get away, according to the official. They have also retrieved a helmet believed to have been worn by one of the thieves, the official added. Will the jewelry be recovered? Natalie Goulet, a Centrist member of the French senate, told CNN on Monday that she believes the jewelry has probably already been taken out of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think that the pieces are already abroad, she said. I think its lost forever. Goulet also appeared on BBC Radio about the prospects of recovering the jewelry, replying: None. The jewelry will be cut up and sold and used as a money-laundering system, she said. Its the easiest way to clean dirty money. The robbery was probably linked to organized crime, Goulet said. They have absolutely no morals, she said. They dont appreciate the jewelry as a piece of history but the way to clean their dirty money. Goulet added that she was very, very pessimistic about the prospects of recovering the jewelry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sciolino, the author, was similarly downbeat. They can be dissembled, they can be cut, they can be sold on the black market, she told BBC Radio. It is unlikely that all of them are going to be recuperated in the shape that they are now. Christopher Marinello, the founder of Art Recovery International, said that if the thieves are just looking to get cash out as quickly as possible, they might melt down the precious metals or recut the stones with no regard for the pieces integrity. We need to break up these gangs and find another approach, or were going to lose things that we are never going to see again, Marinello told CNN. Past heists The most well-known robbery at the Louvre took place in August 1911, when Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa was stolen off the museums walls by handyman Vincenzo Peruggia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was 24 hours before anyone even noticed the Mona Lisa was missing, with artworks often removed to be photographed or cleaned. A bungling police investigation then dragged on for two years before the painting was recovered in December 1913, making it the most famous artwork in the world. More recently, a work by French painter Camille Corot was stolen from its frame in 1998 and has never been found. More recent heists at other European museums include the theft of four ancient gold artifacts from a museum in the Netherlands in January. Robbers used explosives to break into the Drents Museum in Assen, making off with three gold bracelets dating from around 50 BC, as well as the 5th-century BC gold Helmet of Cotofenesti, a historically important artifact on loan from the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that there was a theft from the Louvre in 1998. Sheena McKenzie, Oscar Holland, Saskya Vandoorne, Niamh Kennedy, Martin Goillandeau, Pierre Bairin, Caitlin Danaher and John Miller contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Weve already seen well-established media figures such as Gary Lineker be sunk by allegations of anti-Semitism. Louis Theroux appears to be the latest. In a podcast interview with the Bob Vylan rapper Pascal Robinson-Foster who became infamous for his anti-Semitic rant at Glastonbury about his Jewish former record boss followed by his cry of death to the IDF Theroux ends up exposing his own mad ideas, such as the view that Jewish Zionists created a prototype of ethno-nationalism which is now being rolled out in other countries such as Hungary and America. Ignored in their chat, which showed how far some Left-wingers have gone down the anti-Semitic conspiracist rabbit hole, were inconvenient facts about how now over 20 per cent of Israelis arent Jewish, and the long history of white supremacist movements which predate Zionism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One could also comment on how Jews, who are never seen as white by the far Right, were the primary victims of the Nazi ideas of white supremacy. Apparently, mentioning that is post Holocaust Jewish exceptionalism. Or something. The much-loved broadcaster made his comments after Robinson-Foster said that Zionism is white supremacy and then repeated the idea that American police officers had been taught how to use racist tactics against black and brown communities by the IDF. This much-debunked claim became popular after the murder of George Floyd. All anti-Semitic conspiracies posit that the ills of the world are ultimately down to the Jews, and this is no different. Theroux not only failed to challenge this but agreed in sentiment: responding to the claptrap dressed in the language of academic anti-Zionism. Theres an even more macro lens which you can put on it which is that Jewish identity in the Jewish community, as expressed in Israel, has become almost like an acceptable quote, unquote, way of understanding ethno-nationalism, says Theroux, who earlier this year made a BBC documentary about extremist settlers in Israel which was accused of being biased at the time. And so its like theyre prototyping an aggressive form of ethno-nationalism, which is then rolled out, whether its by people like Viktor Orban in Hungary or Trump in the US. He added: Its become sort of this certain sense of post-Holocaust Jewish exceptionalism or Zionist exceptionalism, has become a role model on the national stage for what these white identitarians would like to do in their own countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robinson-Foster agrees: Yes, big time, thats the point I was making. It needs to be viewed [with] a wider lens, a much wider lens. While they may want to step away, its unlikely the BBC will consider dropping Theroux for going down the anti-Semitic conspiracist rabbit hole. Weve seen far too much Jew-hate via the BBC to hope for them to take this seriously, havent we? It would be more surprising than seeing them commission him to make a documentary about anti-Semitism. The interview on Therouxs podcast, one of the most popular in Britain, came after Robinson-Foster reached out via Instagram to the broadcaster. He said that hed had many media offers but only wanted to be interviewed by Theroux because, you know. During the one-hour episode, we learn what you know means as the two mainly nod in agreement. For example, Robinson-Foster jokes that he only said death to the IDF and not end the IDF because it rhymed better but hed repeat it again happily. Detailing the Glastonbury controversy, Theroux reveals he was at Glasto at the time and how there was an amazing atmosphere because Kneecap accused of glorifying terrorists including Hamas and Hezbollah were due on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then Bob Vylan came along. And their actions became an international incident. Some people were saying this is exactly what should be said amidst a genocide in Gaza. Others wondered: Is he actually calling for soldiers to be killed wherever they are? Robinson-Foster claims that after the controversial set which the BBC has admitted in an investigation could be fairly characterised as anti-Semitic people who were filming it for the BBC had told him how fantastic he was. Theres one moment where the men discuss the fact that the Community Security Trust (the CST), which monitors Jewish hate crime, had seen a spike in anti-Semitism after the set. Theroux admits that theres a lot of nervousness in the Jewish community in general but then the two appear to agree that, as they didnt know how anti-Semitism had been defined, the CST claims were questionable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are invited to feel sorry for the abuse Pascal Robinson-Foster gets for being a black man. But four weeks ago in Amsterdam he said from the stage: F--- the Zionists. Get out there and fight them. Get out there and meet them in the streets. Get out there and let them know that you do not f---ing stand by them. Towards the end of the podcast, Robinson-Foster talks movingly about how he feels othered in the UK because of racism, and how things have become worse recently. An interviewer who wasnt so lockstep in tune with his interviewee might have pointed out that perhaps the Jewish community was feeling the same. But of course he didnt. Its hard not to suspect that, in his mind, the anger at Robinson-Fosters comments was hammed up to hide the ethno-nationalist intent of Jews and their allies. 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. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A state initiative is giving Louisiana families a second chance at safe and stable housing. The Blue Tarp Program, launched by the Louisiana Housing Corporation, is helping residents repair storm-damaged roofs, offering financial relief and restoring peace of mind. For Baton Rouge resident Earline Jackson, the program has been life-changing. I heard a bang in the night and it scared me. I thought someone was breaking in and it turns out that the roof had fallen in, Jackson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More Americans worried about finding a good job: Survey After years of struggling to afford repairs, her daughter helped her apply for the program. The Blue Tarp Program provides up to $15,000 in grant funding to fix damaged roofs for eligible homeowners. State Senator Regina Barrow has been a strong advocate for the initiative, working to secure funding especially for vulnerable seniors. Oftentimes I felt like they were taken advantage of, Barrow said. They were not receiving what they needed. Because we are not requiring that they have to have homeowners insurance, a lot of times they didnt. So it became a personal mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The repairs at Jacksons home of over 50 years not only fixed structural issues but also gave her a renewed sense of security. Program leaders say this kind of investment has long-term benefits. Homeownership comes with a cost, and being able to help people stay in their homes as well as improve their conditions, it means a lot to me personally, said Brenda Evans, Chief Operating Officer of the Louisiana Housing Corporation. The Blue Tarp Program was created to help families impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters, many of whom still live with aging or compromised infrastructure. Thats my prayer, Jackson said. That more people will learn about it and make themselves aware that God can fix this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While applications for the Blue Tarp Program are currently closed, officials say more opportunities may come as additional funding becomes available. Learn more about the program here. 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 person votes at the Community Ag Building on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Simpson County, Ky. (Austin Anthony for The Kentucky Lantern) Jefferson County Republicans have nominated their pick for an open seat in the Kentucky Senate. The partys executive committee team selected Calvin Leach as the GOP nominee for a special election in the 37th Senate District. A special election is underway for the seat left vacant by former Kentucky Senate Democratic Whip David Yates, who was recently appointed by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg to serve an unexpired term as Jefferson County clerk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Tuesday press release, the Jefferson County Republican Party said Leach is a resident of the South End in Louisville and a graduate of Pleasure Ridge Park High School. He studied at the University of Louisville, ultimately earning a masters degree in political science. He retired from the U.S. Army in February. Leachs work experience also includes positions at Electrolux, UPS, JustFab and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. He has also been a legislative assistant with Louisville Metro Council and interned with Kentucky Refugee Ministries while in graduate school. Don Fitzpatrick, the chair of the Jefferson County Republican Party, backed Leach in a statement. Calvin is an outstanding choice to represent the Louisville GOP in this election, Fitzpatrick said. Having recently retired from the U.S. Army, Calvin is patriotic, community-oriented and disciplined. Calvin is well aware of the challenges and opportunities in Senate District 37 and we look forward to actively supporting his candidacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Louisville Democrats announced their candidate Monday Gary Clemons, the president of the Steelworkers Local 1693. Michon Lindstrom, a spokesperson for the Kentucky secretary of states office, previously told the Kentucky Lantern the deadline for candidates to file for the special election is Tuesday, Oct. 21. The election will be held Tuesday, Dec. 16. The deadline for voters in the Senate district to register and be eligible to vote in the election is Monday, Nov. 17. The district includes western parts of Jefferson County. With Yates departure, Democrats hold five seats in the state Senate to Republicans 32 members. Lawmakers will return to Frankfort for the 2026 legislative session in January. On Sunday October 19, criminals managed to steal eight pieces of extremely valuable jewellery from the Louvre Museums Gallery of Apollo, in Paris. The robbery highlights long-standing issues for criminology in the field of cultural heritage, as museum security has to address traditional and emerging threats as well as a range of symbolic visions and criminal dynamics. This means that, when a security breach occurs, the costs are felt on many different levels. From a security point of view, there are five key ideas that can help us understand what the flaws were in the Louvre, as well as how, and why, criminals target museums. 1. Physical security is paramount Although there is no doubt that cybersecurity is a major threat to cultural institutions with risks ranging from unauthorised access to digitised catalogues to sabotaging surveillance and alarm systems we cannot downplay the essential role of physical security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In many cases, attackers have little need to hack into sophisticated computer systems they can gain access through windows, service doors, roofs or false walls using rudimentary tools. Initial reports of the Louvre robbery suggest that the thieves broke in via a side facade, using temporary scaffolding to gain access without resorting to complex digital intrusion. Digital and physical threats cannot be addressed in isloation. Museums can shield networks, encrypt data and monitor virtual access, but if a door is still weak or poorly guarded, intruders will be able to get in. 2. Mixed motivations: money, symbols, protest Museums occupy a strategic, often controversial position because they concentrate assets that attract multiple types of criminal activity. In recent years, attacks linked to activism and terrorism have sought to make a symbolic impact or grab media attention by damaging or defacing artistic heritage. However, theft for profit has not disappeared. Leer mas: Why climate activists keep targeting art galleries despite public outcry There are networks dedicated to extracting pieces from museums, and then selling them on black markets or dismantling them and selling them through other covert channels. Investigations into the major thefts of recent decades have highlighted a convergence of these motivations alongside ideological or propaganda motives, the economic logic of property crime as a lucrative and highly specialised business persists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the artistic and symbolic value of many works makes museums targets that go beyond pure monetary gain, which is why theft does not always follow the classic logic of profit. In the case of the Louvre, the authorities have pointed out that there could be links to specialised networks and international resale markets, demonstrating the coexistence of material and symbolic motivations in the same event. 3. Simple tools prevail The popular imagination reinforced by films and television series tends to view museum robberies as complex operations. Common features include meticulously engineered plans, cutting-edge technology, and spectacular feats: tunnelling in from sewers, acrobatically dodging laser beams and cameras, death-defying stunts, and so on. Leer mas: The Mona Lisa, a gold toilet and now the Louvre's royal jewels: a fascinating history of art heists The appeal of these stories is unquestionable, but practical criminology finds that more traditional methods breaking shop windows, cutting locks, easily disabling alarms, prying open glass panes or frames, exploiting security gaps prevail in many real cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Real cases show that sophistication is not essential for success if vulnerabilities exist. Examples include the 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston where the assailants acted during the night, forcing doors and gaining access to interior areas and the 2019 Dresden Green Vault Robbery . Underestimating rudimentary measures is a common mistake: a simple tool, human error, or a poorly planned routine can be the thing that opens the door to a seemingly impossible robbery. Ultimately, many museum thefts can be explained by the principle of Occams razor: the simplest explanation a physical breach, a poorly guarded key, lax security is usually the correct one. Something apparently simple, such as a skilled hand or a basic tool, can break the most sophisticated systems when combined with the right opportunity and knowledge. 4. Thieves first come as visitors The intelligence and preparation phase of a robbery usually relies on things that, at first glance, seem trivial. They can include reconnaissance visits to the museum during normal opening hours, watching security personnel routines, taking advantage of maintenance or exhibition setup times and, on occasion, complicity or inside knowledge from museum staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unremarkable information has enabled many robberies: who monitors certain corridors, the doors that serve as emergency exits, cleaning schedules, areas under construction, the locations of camera blind spots, and so on. In addition, there are hidden structural elements: rooms that are not always shown on public plans, technical corridors, ventilation ducts, or secondary access points not disclosed to the public. This general lack of knowledge about the complete layout of the museum gives sophisticated criminals an advantage. In the case of the recent theft at the Louvre, several media outlets have highlighted that the perpetrators acted quickly and knew where to strike, suggesting a high level of prior reconnaissance and planning. 5. Heritage is not just valued in euros The heritage preserved by museums cannot be measured in solely monetary terms. When a work disappears or is damaged, the loss goes far beyond its market value it severs a link with history, with human creativity, and with the cultural legacy we have received and should pass on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every stolen or destroyed piece leaves a void in the way we understand our past and how we make sense of the artistic and social experience of the present. Museums are guardians of this shared heritage. They house unique, irreplaceable objects that tell the story of who we were, how we thought, and what we valued over time. Leer mas: Louvre heist: the turbulent history of the stolen royal jewels The damage caused by theft affects society as a whole, because each loss diminishes our ability to learn, admire and recognise ourselves in what others have created before us. For this reason, the protection of artistic, historical and cultural heritage cannot be limited to preventing isolated cases of theft. It requires comprehensive policies that integrate restoration, international cooperation, traceability of artefacts and ongoing staff training, as well as an active commitment from citizens to the value of their museums. Caring for heritage means caring for the living history of a culture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the recent episode at the Louvre teaches us anything, it is that museum security must be conceived as a balance between physical protection and digital defence. The threats are diverse, the methods change, but the essential risk remains the same: losing what connects us to our past and enriches us as a society. Heritage criminology reminds us that every well-protected museum is a collective victory against oblivion, plunder and indifference. A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter! Este articulo fue publicado originalmente en The Conversation, un sitio de noticias sin fines de lucro dedicado a compartir ideas de expertos academicos. Lee mas: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carmen Jorda Sanz has worked with the security company Prosegur, and is currently on a leave of absence. She also holds shares in Prosegur. Museum heists may seem like a thrilling plot point found in blockbuster action moviesbut this weekend proved that such breaches don't just happen on screen. On Sunday morning, merely 30 minutes after the Louvre's opening, two thieves rode up a mechanical lift to the second floor of the worlds most visited museum, cutting through the glass windows with battery-powered tools to enter Galerie dApollon. Once inside, the robbers proceeded to smash two cases holding Napoleonic jewels, taking eight priceless pieces including a royal sapphire necklace, a royal emerald necklace and its matching earrings, an antique diamond bow brooch," and a diadem containing more than 1,300 diamonds worn by Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III. While alarms sounded, the duo went back down a ladder to a road by the Seine and left on motorized scooters with two other individualsthe entire heist is believed to have occurred within seven minutes. The French Ministry of Culture said in a statement that none of the staff or visitors were harmed in the robbery, but employees working in the gallery were threatened by the robbers. What may be even more shocking, though, is that this isnt the first time the Louvre has been ransacked. Here, we take a look back at the biggest museum heists in historysome of which remain unsolved. Roger Viollet - Getty Images The Mona Lisa Heist at the Louvre Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa may be the most famous work in all of history, so it should come as no surprise it was the main target of a heist. However, when the celebrated portrait went missing in 1911 from the Louvre, it actually wasnt nearly as well known or popular among art historians and enthusiasts. With limited security, a robber, dressed as a museum employee, waltzed into the gallery, stayed the night, and simply walked out with the painting hidden under his clothes the next day. The painting would be missing for two years, resulting in a media frenzy that made the work of art widely known. The Mona Lisa ultimately was recovered after an Italian handyman, Vincenzo Peruggia, attempted to sell it to an art dealer in Florence, reportedly believing he was a hero for returning the painting to Italy. Peruggia was promptly arrested. The portrait briefly went on display across Italy before being returned to the Louvre in 1913. Brooks Kraft - Getty Images Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist The theft that occurred at Bostons Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is regarded by many art historians as the biggest heist in history. On March 18, 1990, two robbers disguised as police officers handcuffed and bound the two security guards on duty before stealing 13 works of art, whose estimated value is $500 million. It appeared to investigators that the thieves chose works at random, leaving many of the museums most valuable works, while cutting masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Manet, and Degas out of their frames. The works remain missing to this day, and guests can still see the empty spots where they once hung. PA Images - Getty Images The Takeaway Rembrandt The works by Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum werent the only ones to be targeted by theft throughout history. The artists Portrait of Jacob de Gheyn III has been dubbed the takeaway Rembrandt after being stolen a total of four timesa world recordwith historians explaining that the size of the work, small enough to be easily tucked under a shirt or in a bag, makes it an easy target. The first heist occurred in 1966, with thieves breaking into a rarely used door at Londons Dulwich Picture Gallery on New Years Eve and snatching the work, along with seven others, right off the wall. Police were able to retrieve all the works within a week, finding them in a bush near a gallery and on a cemetery bench. The portrait was stolen again in 1973, 1981, and 1983. AFP - Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Scream Heist from the Norways National Museum During the opening ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics, thieves broke through a window of Norways National Museum in Oslo, snapping the wire holding Edvard Munchs most famous work, The Scream, and making off with it. When staff found the painting was missing, they were met with a note that read, A thousand thanks for the bad security! More than two years after it had gone missing, the Norwegian government denied a ransom demand for $1 million, believing it was fake, before the painting was discovered in a hotel outside Oslo three months later. Another version of the work was stolen in 2004 along with Munchs The Madonna, from the Munch Museum in Oslo, only to be returned two years later. BERTRAND GUAY - Getty Images Spiderman Steals from Paris's Museum of Modern Art Antiques dealer Jean-Michel Corvez hired art thief Vjeran Tomic, nicknamed Spiderman for notoriously scaling buildings and breaking into Parisian institutions, in 2010 to steal a Fernand Leger from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. Tomic sprayed acid on one of the museums window mounts, which allowed him to destroy them easily later and remove the glass to enter the museum. When he realized the alarms weren't triggered, the robber grabbed Legers Still Life with Candlestick, as well as four other works from Amedeo Modigliani, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque. Tomic was ultimately arrested in 2011 after police received an anonymous tip and sentenced to eight years in prison. However, the five paintings, valued at around $112 million in total, have never been recovered. You Might Also Like PARIS (AP) The glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds that once adorned France's royals could well be gone forever, experts say after a brazen, four-minute heist in broad daylight left the nation stunned and the government struggling to explain a new debacle at the Louvre. Each stolen piece an emerald necklace and earrings, two crowns, two brooches, a sapphire necklace and a single earring represents the pinnacle of 19th century haute joaillerie, or fine jewelry. For the royals, they were more than decoration. The pieces were political statements of France's wealth, power and cultural import. They are so significant that they were among treasures saved from the government's 1887 auction of most royal jewels. The Louvre reopened Wednesday for the first time since the heist Sunday morning, although the Apollo Gallery where the theft occurred remained closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor whose office is leading the investigation, said Tuesday that in monetary terms, the stolen jewelry is worth an estimated $102 million (88 million euros) a valuation that doesnt include historical worth. About 100 investigators are involved in the police hunt for the suspects and the gems, she said. The theft of the crown jewels left the French government scrambling again to explain the latest embarrassment at the Louvre, which is plagued by overcrowding and outdated facilities. Activists in 2024 threw a can of soup at the Mona Lisa. And in June, the museum was brought to a halt by its own striking staff, who complained about mass tourism. President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the Mona Lisa, stolen by a former museum worker in 1911 and recovered two years later, will get its own room under a major renovation. Now the sparkling jewels, artifacts of a French culture of long ago, are likely being secretly dismantled and sold off in a rush as individual pieces that may or may not be identifiable as part of the French crown jewels, experts say. Its extremely unlikely these jewels will ever be retrieved and seen again," said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, a major European diamond jeweler, said in a statement. If these gems are broken up and sold off, they will, in effect, vanish from history and be lost to the world forever." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crown jewels are symbols of heritage and national pride At once intimate and public, crown jewels are kept secured from the Tower of London to Tokyo's Imperial Palace as visual symbols of national identities. The four suspected robbers split into two pairs, with two people aboard a truck equipped with a cherry picker they used to climb up to the Galerie dApollon and two others piloting motorbikes used in the gang's getaway, authorities said. Taken, officials said, were eight pieces, part of a collection whose origin as crown jewels date back to the 16th century when King Francis I decreed that they belonged to the state. The Paris prosecutors office said that two men with bright yellow jackets broke into the gallery at 9:34 a.m. half an hour past opening time and left the room at 9:38 a.m. before fleeing on two motorbikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The missing pieces include two crowns, or diadems. One, given by Emperor Napoleon III to the Empress Eugenie in 1853 to celebrate their wedding, holds more than 200 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds. The second is a starry sapphire-and-diamond headpiece and also a necklace and single earring worn by, among others, Queen Marie-Amelie, French authorities said. Also stolen: a necklace of dozens of emeralds and more than 1,000 diamonds that was a wedding gift from Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria, in 1810. The matching earrings also were stolen. The thieves also made off with a reliquary brooch and a large bodice bow worn by Empress Eugenie both pieces diamond-encrusted, French officials said. The robbers dropped or abandoned a hefty ninth piece, which was damaged: a crown adorned with gold eagles, 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, worn by Empress Eugenie. Left untouched were other items in the crown jewel collection, which before the heist included 23 jewels, according to the Louvre. Remaining, for example, is the plum-sized Regent, a white diamond said to be the largest of its kind in Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now it's a race against time Beyond the monetary value of the stolen jewels, the emotional loss is keenly felt. Many have described Frances failure to secure its most precious items as a wounding blow to national pride. These are family souvenirs that have been taken from the French, conservative lawmaker Maxime Michelet said Tuesday in Parliament, quizzing the government about security at the Louvre and other cultural sites. Empress Eugenies crown stolen, then dropped and found broken in the gutter, has become the symbol of the decline of a nation that used to be so admired," Michelet said. It is shameful for our country, incapable of guaranteeing the security of the worlds largest museum." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The theft was not the first Louvre heist in recent years. But it stood out for its forethought, speed and almost cinematic quality as one of the highest-profile museum thefts in living memory. In fact, it echoed the fictional theft from the Louvre of a royal crown by a gentleman thief in the French television show Lupin which in turn is based on a 1905 series of stories. The romance of such a theft is mostly a creation of showbiz, according to one theft investigator. Christopher A. Marinello, a lawyer with Art Recovery International, said he's never seen a theft-to-order by some shadowy secret collector. These criminals are just looking to steal whatever they can, Marinello said. They chose this room because it was close to a window. They chose these jewels because they figured that they could break them apart, take out the settings, take out the diamonds and the sapphires and the emeralds" overseas to "a dodgy dealer thats willing to recut them and no one would ever know what they did. What happens now is a race against time both for the French authorities hunting the thieves and for the perpetrators themselves, who will have a hard time finding buyers for the pieces in all their royal glory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobody will touch these objects. They are too famous. Its too hot. If you get caught you will end up in prison, said Dutch art sleuth Arthur Brand. You cannot sell them, you cannot leave them to your children. ___ Kellman reported from London. Associated Press writer Mike Corder contributed from The Hague, Netherlands. CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) Charleston Countys Emergency Management Department is sending a crew to help with disaster relief efforts after major storms devastated parts of western Alaska. Owen Kutscher and Ben Webster are flying out on Tuesday to join the recovery effort. Kutscher will serve as the States Situation Unit Leader. Hes responsible for assessing the damages for the Incident Commanders and elected officials. Webster will serve as the Volunteer Agency Liaison. Hell coordinate the delivery of resources to survivors. Recovering peoples livelihood, Kutscher said. Their homes have been taken from them, their normal way of life has been taken from them, and so have their entire communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thousands of people are displaced after Typhoon Halong hit several communities with record flooding. Since Monday, more than 600 additional people have been transported to safety in Anchorage. Theyre worried about family and friends and the harsh reality of Alaska, Webster said. Its a very different frontier than what we have here in South Carolina. Just getting them the help that they need and helping them rebuild as fast as we possibly can. Officials say both storms damaged about 90 percent of the structures in Kipnuk and believe the water supply is contaminated. The team says they are prepared for a two-week mission in Alaska. 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 WCBD News 2. 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: Pet (or "fancy") rats are breeds of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) that have been adapted to meet the requirements of being kept as pets. Credit: kirahoffmann/Pixabay Doctors and scientists reported a case of Seoul virus infection in a woman. The Seoul virus belongs to the hantavirus family and can be transmitted by rats. In their publication of the case in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the experts recommend better screening and improved hygiene practices in private rat breeding facilities. They also advocate for raising public awareness of zoonoses, which are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The experts include researchers from the University Hospitals Leipzig (UKL) and Mannheim (UMM), and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM). In March 2024, a 44-year-old woman from central Germany was admitted to the hospital with a fever, extreme fatigue, diarrhea, and acute kidney failure. She required temporary dialysis, but she eventually made a full recovery. Laboratory tests revealed that she had been infected with the Seoul virus, which she most likely acquired during a visit to a private pet rat breeding facility several weeks before her symptoms began. A joint investigation by local health authorities, the FLI, and the BNITM revealed that the virus was present in several rats from the breeding facility. Genetic analyses showed a high degree of similarity between the virus sequences from the facility and those from the patient. Although the Seoul virus is found worldwide, human infections in Germany have been reported extremely rare thus far. The virus spreads mainly through inhaling tiny particles contaminated with infectious rat urine, feces, or saliva. Human-to-human transmission has not been reported. Light microscopic analysis and immunohistochemical staining results of index patients kidney biopsy indicating severe Seoul virus infection with acute kidney injury, Germany, March 2024. A) Light microscopy of the hematoxylin- and eosin-stained biopsy demonstrating severe acute tubular injury with interstitial and tubular bleeding (black arrow heads), tissue edema, and interstitial inflammation. Scale bar indicates 100 m. B) Immunohistochemical staining (red) using mouse monoclonal antihantavirus antibody (Progen Biotechnik, https://www.progen.com) and the DCS-AEC chromogen kit (AgilentDAKO, https://www.agilent.com) showing hantavirus antigen in renal tubular cells (red arrow heads). Original magnification 100. Credit: Emerging Infectious Diseases (2025). DOI: 10.3201/eid3110.250362 "Many people are unaware that pet rats can carry pathogens that cause serious diseases," says Prof. Rainer Ulrich, a DZIF scientist at the FLI and one of the study's authors. "Responsible ownership and breeding, good animal hygiene, and public educationespecially among pet rat ownersare crucial to preventing further infections in the future." "The attention of the treating physicians and the close cooperation between health and veterinary authorities played a major role in clarifying this case of illness," adds Dr. Mario Honemann from the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology, and Infection Epidemiology at the UKL. The researchers are calling for increased monitoring of rat breeding and husbandry, improved hygiene in breeding facilities, and public education about the health risks associated with keeping rats as pets. Immunocompromised individuals and other vulnerable groups should avoid keeping rats as pets. Fabian Baalmann and Johannes Munch from the Clinic and Polyclinic for Endocrinology, Nephrology, and Rheumatology at the UKL, who cared for the patient directly at her bedside, add, "We also recommend asking patients with unexplained fever, kidney involvement, or bleeding symptoms specifically about contact with rodents, including pet rats." This case highlights the need for a unified "One Health" approach to infectious diseases transmitted between animals and humans, which takes a holistic view of human, animal, and ecosystem health. "The strength of 'One Health' lies in cooperation. We work on an equal footing, respect each other's expertise, and make decisions together. This transforms individual disciplines into reliable teams that protect patients and the population," summarizes Corinna Pietsch, Head of Clinical Virology at the UKL. More information: Fabian Baalmann et al, Seoul Virus Infection Acquired at Private Pet Rat Breeding Facility, Germany, 2024, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2025). DOI: 10.3201/eid3110.250362 Journal information: Emerging Infectious Diseases The Lebanon Police Department continues to bring attention to its new C.A.R.E. program, providing speakers at two events to highlight the importance of care when engaging with individuals with special needs. C.A.R.E., or the Community Assistance Registry for the Exceptional, is a voluntary database where Lebanon residents can submit information about themselves or loved ones with special needs who may need special consideration during police calls. LPD Captain Tim Murray and C.A.R.E. Coordinator Cecilia Jennings spoke with teachers with the Lebanon Special School District Oct. 14 regarding awareness and understanding through initiatives such as C.A.R.E. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next day, they were invited by the University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center to present the program to agencies from across the state. LPD said at the center that C.A.R.E. has been a success for the department since its implementation. While at the Law Enforcement Innovation Center, Tanner Smith from "Love on the Spectrum," a Netflix reality series about individuals on the autism spectrum and their experiences with dating, was presented an LPD challenge coin by Jennings. Information about C.A.R.E. can be found at LebanonPD.org/care. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson speaks to reporters during the last night of the legislative session at the Utah State Capitol, Friday, March 7, 2025. (Photo by Alex Goodlett for Utah News Dispatch) Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said Tuesday that the state Republican party is using tactics too often that are taking us down the wrong path. Henderson made the comments while speaking on a panel about dignity in public discourse, and in response to a moderator asking for an example of someone shining with brightness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have to give props to our governor right now, Henderson replied. Our governor, who leads a state and a party within our state that really, I think, is using tactics too often that are taking us down the wrong path. Henderson, a Republican, did not elaborate. Her remarks come against the backdrop of Utahs Republican Party launching an effort to undo a voter-approved law at the center of the states current redistricting process ahead of the 2026 election. Henderson told Utah News Dispatch last week the moves add uncertainty into the process and she fears that as a result, we wont have maps when we need them, or that well have to change in the middle of a process. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utah GOP chairman Rob Axson told Utah News Dispatch Tuesday that the tactics we are taking are merely what the law says is available to us as we fight to protect the structural and constitutional order of the Republic nationally and here in our state. Earlier this year, top legislative leaders criticized Cox for vetoing a measure that would have allowed him to appoint and the Senate confirm Utahs chief Supreme Court justice every four years, one of several measures focused on the judiciary after lawmakers publicly criticized the courts decisions on redistricting and abortion. Cox signed a new version of the bill last week that extends the term to eight years. On Tuesday, the lieutenant governor praised Gov. Spencer Cox as an example of how to do it differently and how to do it better, and you dont have to just fall in line with the national trend to be successful and to be impactful. As chair of the National Governors Association, Cox asked Americans to disagree better starting in 2023. After the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in September, he urged rejecting violence and division. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is our moment. Do we escalate, or do we find an off-ramp? Cox said in a news conference after announcing the arrest of a suspect in Kirks killing. Its a choice. It was a contrast to the tone taken by President Donald Trump, who said he hoped for healing but also blamed the radical left for Kirks death. Disagreeing while respecting others inherent worth, even despite gaping political differences, was the subject of Tuesdays panel discussion hosted by the University of Utahs Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Its natural to respond with an attack when treated with contempt, acknowledged panelist Tim Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics and a creator of the Dignity Index, a tool measuring speech on a scale from contempt to dignity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is that the best way to win? Shriver asked. I suggest thats worthy of a discussion, not because we want to temper our passions or because we want to create a moral equivalence between positions, but because weve got to figure out whats going to work. Its a practical question. He recalled a woman asking him, What do you want from me? I hate hateful people. Most people hate hateful people, Shriver said. And we think thats the best strategy hating them because theyre so hateful. And we dont quite snap out of it enough to realize weve become what we loathe. The audience at the panel discussion in Salt Lake City responded with laughter when Henderson shared aloud that her No. 1 rule is, if it feels good, dont say it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its served me well, Henderson said. I have never once regretted not saying something mean that would have felt good in the moment. I have, however, regretted violating that rule, because I have violated that rule on occasion. Speaking about division that goes beyond disagreement and ends in political violence, Henderson said its easy and tempting these days to give into despair. Theres a lot to be worried about, a lot to be concerned about, and it is tempting to feel like nothing we do matters because were just one person, but its such a dangerous attitude to have. What we do will not solve all the problems, she continued. We do our little part anyway. There is a lot of darkness, but theres also a lot of examples of light. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Madagascars coup leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who seized power this month after Gen Z-driven protests forced the former president out the country, has appointed a new prime minister. Randrianirina, who was sworn in as president last week, said on Monday that he had chosen businessman Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo as the new prime minister because of his experience and connections with the international organisations that work with us. Andry Rajoelina, the former president, whom lawmakers impeached for desertion of duty after he fled abroad last weekend, has condemned the army takeover and refused to step down while in exile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rajoelina fled for his life amid the nationwide protests led by the Gen Z Madagascar youth movement, which initially erupted in September over persistent water and power cuts and soon expanded into calls for a system overhaul. Rajoelina says he has travelled to a safe location, which he has not disclosed. Last week he also said that a resignation letter attributed to him was fake, and warned citizens that lies were being spread to confuse the public. Randrianirinas military coup has been condemned by the United Nations and by the African Union, which suspended Madagascars membership. The little-known army colonel, who has long been a vocal critic of Rajoelina, the new president made his move when his soldiers rebelled and joined the anti-government demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His appearance riding on an armoured car among the protesters and accompanying them to a main square to demonstrate meant he emerged as the leader of the uprising, which before that time had no visible figure in charge. The countrys High Constitutional Court ratified the takeover within hours of it happening. Donald Trumps pardons for Jan. 6 rioters were wildly unpopular and controversial for a great many reasons, including a straightforward, practical consideration: The president let a bunch of criminals, including felons convicted of violent crimes, back out onto American streets. Those concerned about these individuals committing other crimes were right to worry. The New York Times reported: An upstate New York man pardoned by President Trump after taking part in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was charged last week with a new crime: threatening to assassinate Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, at an event in New York City. The man, Christopher P. Moynihan, 34, sent text messages to an unknown associate on Friday threatening Mr. Jeffriess life, according to a criminal complaint issued by local prosecutors in Dutchess County, N.Y. According to the evidence presented by local prosecutors, the man texted, in reference to the House minority leader, I cannot allow this terrorist to live. Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. I will kill him for the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man who wrote the text was among the first group of rioters to break into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and was later sentenced to 21 months in prison. Moynihan did not, however, serve his full term behind bars because he was among the rioters the president pardoned. The Times reports that Moynihan has been charged with making a terroristic threat and is scheduled to make a court appearance on Thursday. I am grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out, the Democratic leader said in a written statement. Noting Trumps intervention in Jan. 6 cases, the New York congressman added, Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While its obviously important to note that there was an apparent threat against Jeffries life, the minority leaders observation about the larger pattern is worth keeping in mind. Last month, for example, Robert Keith Packer, a pardoned Jan. 6 criminal best known for wearing a Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt inside the Capitol, was arrested in a dog-biting incident. That came on the heels of another pardoned Jan. 6 criminal getting convicted on child pornography charges. Two weeks earlier, another pardoned Jan. 6 rioter was convicted of plotting to kill FBI agents. They have plenty of company. Zachary Jordan Alam, months after receiving a Jan. 6 pardon, was convicted last week in connection with a home invasion. Andrew Taake, weeks after receiving a Jan. 6 pardon, pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor. Emily Hernandez, weeks after receiving a Jan. 6 pardon, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for driving drunk and killing a passenger in another car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Times report noted a variety of other examples, including Brent Holdridge, a pardoned Jan. 6 criminal who was arrested again in May in connection with a string of alleged thefts of industrial copper; and Matthew W. Huttle, who was fatally shot by a sheriffs deputy in January after he resisted arrest during a traffic stop, shortly after receiving a presidential pardon. Occasionally, Trump boasts that under his leadership, We are going to have law and order. It might be a little easier to take such rhetoric seriously if the Republican hadnt given so many get out of jail free cards to so many criminals who proceeded to break more laws. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com This is an adapted excerpt from the Oct. 20 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show. According to estimates from organizers, nearly seven million people turned out nationwide for the No Kings rallies, making it one of the largest single-day protests ever in U.S. history. Hundreds of organizers banded together to put on the protests, including the group Indivisible, which may sound familiar if you are a frequent viewer of The Rachel Maddow Show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For years, we have been talking to folks from Indivisible, and you might have noticed that every time we talk to them going back to the very beginning they tend to emphasize a key principle when it comes to protest: think local. For example, for these No Kings rallies, Indivisible told protesters that if you have to travel more than an hour to find an event, then dont. Instead, you should be organizing your own protest in your own community. That is not generic protest advice. That is very specific to this movement and it has specific consequences, which we saw in action this weekend. On Saturday, there wasnt just one giant protest in one central place, but hundreds of different protests, in big cities and small towns and every nook and cranny across this country. If that dynamic feels different to you, that is because it is. New research from the Kennedy School at Harvard University, titled The Resistance Reaches into Trump Country, found that during Donald Trumps second term, the share of counties hosting at least one anti-Trump protest has risen markedly ... surpassing the historic spikes observed during his first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The data also shows that in comparison with the presidents first term, there are more protests in what we traditionally think of as red, pro-Trump areas of the country. Researchers found that the median protest county in the U.S. sent more votes to Trump in 2024 than Harris. One of the academics behind that new research from the Kennedy School is Erica Chenoweth, who is perhaps most famous for their research into something called the 3.5% rule. Chenoweth has studied hundreds of movements from around the world over the past century to identify what makes for a successful popular campaign against an authoritarian government. Chenoweth found that successful movements tend to share numerous things in common. No. 1: nonviolence. Nonviolent protest movements were twice as likely to prevail as violent ones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Successful movements reach into uncharted territories and appeal to new constituencies, which is what makes the spread of the No Kings movement into Trump counties so important. Successful movements establish and maintain momentum, pushing people in positions of influence to change their behavior and priorities. While Chenoweths research determined that all those factors are necessary for success, they are still not enough. If you want to guarantee success against authoritarianism, there is one more thing you must do: You must grow until at least 3.5% of the population is out in the streets protesting. That is the 3.5% rule. Along with all the other criteria, if you manage to get that 3.5% of the country out in the streets with you, the historical data suggests your movement will win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the U.S., 3.5% of the population amounts to almost 12 million people. Yes, that is a lot of people, but consider the trend line here: For the big Hands Off protests in April, Indivisible estimated the turnout at three million people. For the first No Kings rally in June, turnout was estimated at around five million. And on Saturday, Indivisible estimates nearly seven million people came out. Considering that growth, in just a few months, does 12 million really seem so far away? This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Paul Ingrassias name might not be familiar to most Americans, but the right-wing lawyer and former podcast host is currently serving as the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, and hes also Donald Trumps choice to lead the Office of Special Counsel. His nomination, however, does not appear to be long for this world. Politico reported: Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trumps embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, told a group of fellow Republicans in a text chain the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell and said he has a Nazi streak, according to a text chat viewed by Politico. Ingrassia, who has a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled Thursday, made the remarks in a chain with a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers, according to the chat. A lawyer for Ingrassia said in a statement, Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That wasnt a great defense. Indeed, according to the leaked texts, the authenticity of which have not been verified by MSNBC, a member of the chat group said Ingrassia belongs in the Hitler Youth. Ingrassia replied, I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it. For those who might need a refresher, during Trumps first term, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel was a routine annoyance. The OSC (not to be confused with appointed special counsels such as Jack Smith or Robert Mueller) frequently investigated allegations of misconduct and ethical lapses at the White House, which led to multiple findings related to Hatch Act violations. The president was apparently determined to bring the office to heel in his second term, which is why he fired Hampton Dellinger as the head of the independent ethics agency just a couple of weeks after his second inaugural. In May, Trump announced that hed chosen Ingrassia to lead the office, describing his nominee as a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar. That wasnt an entirely complete description. To wit, The Washington Post reported that Ingrassia had publicly advocated for white supremacist and antisemite Nick Fuentes, publishing a Substack titled Free Nick Fuentes and writing via social media that dissident voices such as Fuentes should have a place in conservative politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats more, as The New York Times reported, Ingrassia also hosted a podcast, called Right on Point, and in December 2020, as Trump tried to overturn the results of his election defeat, the podcast posted a statement online that it was time for the outgoing Republican president to declare martial law and secure his re-election. In case that werent quite enough, a CNN report from earlier this year noted that Ingrassias podcast account also posted a quote from President John F. Kennedy the night of the Jan. 6 attack that read, Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, (will) make violent revolution inevitable. The same CNN piece added, Ingrassias tweets have likened [former Vice President Mike] Pence to Brutus and Judas, saying he belongs in the ninth circle of hell. He has repeatedly called for expelling traitors from the GOP. The Atlantic noted that Ingrassia has called Nikki Haley, Donald Trumps former United Nations ambassador who ran against him, during the Republican primary last year, an insufferable b---- who might be an anchor baby too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MSNBCs Barbara McQuade also highlighted Ingrassias 9/11 conspiracy theories, adding, Picking Paul Ingrassia to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel is not like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. Its more like setting fire to the whole farm. For his part, Ingrassia told MSNBC that he will not ask for his nomination to be pulled. Whether he quits or not, however, his nomination appears increasingly doomed: In July, retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced his opposition to Ingrassia, and this week, a variety of other GOP senators said theyll also oppose the nominee. In the wake of the latest Politico report, Senate Majority Leader John Thune went so far as to call on the White Hose to withdraw Ingrassias nomination. Hes not gonna pass, the South Dakota Republican told reporters. For now, Ingrassia is scheduled to testify later this week before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Whether that seemingly unnecessary hearing will proceed as planned remains unclear. Watch this space. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Donald Trumps approach to the freedom of the press has never been especially healthy we are talking about a president whos echoed Joseph Stalin while attacking journalists but his campaign against the media has been especially outlandish lately. In recent weeks the Republican has suggested evening shows are not allowed to criticize him and argued that networks that give him only bad publicity risk losing their broadcast licenses. At one point late last month, the president went so far as to claim that broadcasters airing evening news programs are doing something illegal if the White House disapproves of their coverage. But arguably the most foolish element of the recent campaign came last month when Trump and his team filed a $15 billion civil suit (thats not a typo) against The New York Times, claiming that the newspaper defamed him and tried to ruin his reputation. Four days later, a federal judge threw out the case not because it lacked merit, but because the presidents lawyers court filing was simply too ridiculous. The smackdown was so brutal that Politicos Kyle Cheney noted that the judge called Trumps court filing essentially garbage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday offered the presidents lawyers an opportunity to try again. They accepted. The Times reported late last week: President Trump on Thursday refiled his defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and several of its reporters, again accusing the news organization of seeking to undermine his 2024 candidacy and disparage his reputation as a businessman. ... Mr. Trumps revised legal filing on Thursday evening was 40 pages, less than half the length of the original. ... Many of the original complaints lengthy tributes to Mr. Trump, like a sentence that described his 2024 election victory as the greatest personal and political achievement in American history, are no longer present. The improvements suggest the litigation could last at least a little longer than Team Trumps original attempt, even if the underlying case faces long odds. But as the process moves forward, a couple of broader dimensions to this are worth keeping in mind. The first is the sheer volume of these cases. Trumps case against the Times comes on the heels of other civil lawsuits hes brought against The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, ABC News, The Des Moines Register and CNN, among others. (Note: The cases against the Register and CNN are separate, though Im not permitted to separate them with an Oxford comma.) Trump also sued The Washington Posts Bob Woodward, although that case was recently thrown out. This collection of cases might make it seem as if this has become routine, but the broader circumstances remain bizarre: Americans have never had a president who, while in office, sued independent news organizations and individual journalists for publishing reports the White House disapproved of. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And yet, Trump cant seem to stop suing independent news organizations and individual journalists for publishing reports the White House disapproves of. The other part of this is the presidents rationale, which extends beyond his obvious contempt for the free press. Helping fuel Trumps litigiousness is that some of these lawsuits have worked out rather well for the president. When the Republican filed a dubious case against ABC News, for example, the network and its corporate parent agreed to a $16 million settlement. When he filed an even weaker case against CBS News, Paramount also struck a $16 million deal. In the weeks and months that followed, Trump repeatedly pointed to these highly controversial settlement agreements as evidence of his targets guilt, even as those networks denied any wrongdoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result has created an unfortunate dynamic: The president appears to believe he has nothing to lose by filing suits like these. If the media outlets settle, he gets a sizable check. If not, he still gets the satisfaction of picking a fight with news organizations he hates, which he can brag about to his GOP base. Put another way, Trumps re-filed lawsuit against the Times is silly, but its unlikely to be the last. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Ahead of the latest No Kings protests, Republicans launched a remarkably aggressive effort to slander Donald Trumps critics, repeatedly insisting that the presidents opponents hate America. The usual suspects helped lead the smear campaign, but they were joined by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer who acted like a congressman who had something to prove. In the run-up to Saturdays nationwide rallies, the Minnesota Republican was relentless in his attacks, insisting that the Democratic Party has a pro-terrorist wing, to which party leaders were catering. Those who prepared to participate in a public event criticizing Trump, Emmer added, just do not love this country. As the protest drew closer, the congressmans rhetoric got more hysterical. Emmer even appeared on Fox Business last week and said the government shutdown continued because Democrats feared parts of their very violent base. Around the same time, the Minnesotan started peddling conspiratorial claims about the 2020 election, while continuing to make bizarre claims about the Democratic Partys radical pro-terrorist wing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the No Kings events, Emmer picked up where he left off. On Monday morning, Emmer again referred to Saturdays hate America rallies. A day later, the member of the House GOP leadership described Democrats as despicable, before leaning once again into terrorist talk. To follow Capitol Hill is to hear all kinds of ridiculous rhetoric from radicalized members, some of whom are looking for attention, many of whom are true believers. Emmer, however, wasnt supposed to be one of Congress knee-jerk partisan bomb-throwers. This might seem like ancient history, but it was exactly two years ago this week when Emmer secured the votes he needed to become the next speaker of the House. Just two hours after his intra-party victory, however, Trump issued a public condemnation of the congressman, labeling the Minnesotan a Globalist RINO who was totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emmer had reached out to Trump directly ahead of the conference vote to make his case and apparently said he was Trumps biggest fan. The lobbying did not have the intended effect: Trump trashed the GOP congressman anyway, in large part because Emmer did not vote to overturn the 2020 election. A mere four hours after Emmer became the speaker-designate, he became the former speaker-designate as part of an unprecedented turn of events. As the dust settled, Trump gloated about having taken down Emmer. Hes done. Its over, the then-former president reportedly said in reference to the House majority whip. I killed him. It was roughly at this point that Emmer had a decision to make. He could position himself as a principled congressman, who was able to maintain professional relationships with members of both parties but that would put his career in Republican politics in jeopardy. After all, along that same path lie the careers of former lawmakers such as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger and Mitt Romney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And so Emmer made a different choice. The Minnesotan held a fundraiser for Trump at Mar-a-Lago. He agreed to serve as the Minnesota state chairman of Trumps 2024 campaign. He transformed into yet another tiresome partisan who peddles ridiculous talking points and helps lead smear campaigns against political opponents. Emmers far-right transformation may very likely protect him from any kind of MAGA backlash. But the congressmans reputation as a credible figure on Capitol Hill is clearly gone forever, and his indifference to this development speaks volumes about the contemporary GOP. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Donald Trump hosted an event in the Oval Office last week that was bizarre, even by his usual standards. Over the course of roughly an hour, the public saw the president stand alongside the nations three most powerful federal law enforcement officials Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel and heard him talk about the political enemies he wanted them to pursue. But if that werent quite enough, about halfway through the White House gathering, Trump also made an unscripted, offhand comment that went largely overlooked at the time. After whining about the FBIs court-approved search of Mar-a-Lago and peddling a variety of false and familiar claims about his classified documents scandal, the Republican said, I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president, I said Im sort of suing myself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He quickly added, I dont know, how do you settle the lawsuit? Ill say, Give me X dollars, right? The comments went largely unremarked, although theyre suddenly relevant anew. The New York Times reported: President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department pay him about $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him, according to people familiar with the matter, who added that any settlement might ultimately be approved by senior department officials who defended him or those in his orbit. The Times report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC, added that this situation has no parallel in American history. Its an important detail. As bewildering as this might seem, were dealing with a dynamic in which federal officials pursued cases of alleged misconduct against a then-former president. The evidence was serious enough that the then-former president faced two federal criminal indictments and was charged with several felonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defendant pleaded not guilty and mounted a defense, right up until 49.8% of American voters decided to return him to the White House, at which point the criminal cases effectively evaporated. A year later, that former criminal defendant has seized control over the same Justice Department that tried to hold him to account, and if the Times is correct, he wants to pay himself roughly $230 million because he believes hes entitled to the taxpayer money as repayment for the trouble he endured as a result of his own alleged crimes. Will such a gambit succeed? The Times report added, According to the Justice Department manual, settlements of claims against the department for more than $4 million must be approved by the deputy attorney general or associate attorney general, meaning the person who oversees the agencys civil division. The deputy attorney general, it just so happens, led Trumps criminal defense team before he was tapped to lead the DOJ. Whats more, the chief of the departments civil division, Stanley Woodward Jr., also represented people in Trumps orbit, including a Trump co-defendant and Patel (before the latter was confirmed to lead the FBI). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bennett Gershman, an ethics professor at Pace University, told the Times, What a travesty. The ethical conflict is just so basic and fundamental, you dont need a law professor to explain it. He added, And then to have people in the Justice Department decide whether his claim should be successful or not, and these are the people who serve him deciding whether he wins or loses. Its bizarre and almost too outlandish to believe. A Justice Department spokesperson told the Times that officials will follow the guidance of career ethics officials. The attorney general who also, incidentally, worked as a Trump defense lawyer fired the Justice Departments top ethics adviser in July. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com 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: CC0 Public Domain A new study published in Behavior Genetics offers a fresh and nuanced perspective on the ongoing debate over social media's impact on well-being. Using genetically informative data from over 6,000 twins in the Netherlands, researchers have found that while the link between social media use and well-being exists, it is smalland is at least partly driven by shared genetic factors rather than social media itself. Amid widespread concern and polarizing headlines about how platforms like Instagram and TikTok affect mental healthespecially among adolescentsthis research takes a deeper look beneath the surface. The findings suggest that rather than social media directly causing poor mental health or happiness, the same genetic traits that influence how people feel may also influence how they engage with social media. "Our research helps move the conversation away from simplistic claims that social media is either 'good' or 'bad' for everyone," said Selim Sametoglu, the lead author of the research. "We show that the effects are modest, and more importantly, at least partly shaped by individual genetic differences." Building on these findings, the researchers hope to instigate more studies on diverse populations and examine how new digital technologies intersect with individual traits. The goal is to better understand who might be most vulnerableor most resilientto the effects of online engagement. Key findings of the study Small associations were found between social media use and well-being, with most being either negligible or statistically minor. Genetic influences explained up to 72% of the variation in how much time people spend on social media. The small links between social media use and symptoms of depression or anxiety appear to be partly explained by shared genetic factors. People with higher well-being tended to use more platforms, but more passively (browsing rather than posting). Those with lower well-being were more likely to post frequently on fewer platforms. Interestingly, while most well-being measures were slightly negatively related to social media use, the trait of flourishinga sense of thrivingwas positively associated with greater use. The research team analyzed responses from 6,492 twins aged 16 to 89 (average age: 35) from the Netherlands Twin Register. Participants reported on various aspects of well-being, including life satisfaction, purpose, and anxious-depressive symptoms. Social media use was assessed by time spent, frequency of posting, and number of platforms used. A classical twin study design allowed the researchers to disentangle the influence of genetics, shared environment, and individual environment. This study offers valuable insight for researchers, educators, policymakers, and parents navigating a complex digital landscape. Rather than panicking over the generalized harms of social media, it encourages a more personalized, evidence-based approach. Selim states, "We shouldn't let headlines like 'social media is toxic' distract us from what really matters: each person's unique background and current state of life. Simply blaming social media use, or restricting access to platforms, won't solve our well-being and mental health challenges. Instead, we need to focus on the individualbecause genes, context, and support all matter." More information: Selim Sametoglu et al, The Association Between Frequency of Social Media Use, Wellbeing, and Depressive Symptoms: Disentangling Genetic and Environmental Factors, Behavior Genetics (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s10519-025-10224-2 Todays edition of quick hits. * Another step backwards: President Donald Trumps proposed summit with Russias Vladimir Putin in Budapest appears farther off than initially hoped, with talks toward planning such a sit-down now on hold, a senior White House official told NBC News. * The White House finds another group of farmers to infuriate: The American cattle ranching industry is blasting President Donald Trumps proposal to purchase beef from Argentina in an effort to lower supermarket beef prices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Speaking of Argentina, Trumps bailout policy is off to a difficult start: A group of banks including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs is struggling to put together a $20 billion loan to Argentina without leaving themselves too exposed to the financially distressed South American country, people familiar with the matter said. * Trumps compact isnt exactly finding a receptive audience: Seven of the nine universities that the White House initially approached about a plan to steer more federal money toward schools aligned with President Trumps priorities have refused to endorse the proposal. On Monday evening, an eighth signaled that it had reservations about it. Only one, the University of Texas, suggested it might be open to signing on quickly. * The closely watched Comey case: James Comey filed his motion to dismiss the criminal charges against him based on vindictive and selective prosecution. If a federal judge agrees with either claim, both of which generally face high bars to succeed, then his case will be dismissed before it gets to trial. * Diplomacy isnt exactly his forte: President Donald Trump sparred with Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd on Monday during a crowded press conference with the Australian prime minister, the latest clash in a relationship that has long been sour between the two officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * The latest on Bidens cancer treatment: Former President Joe Biden, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May, completed a course of radiation treatment Monday, his office said. Biden underwent several weeks of treatment, according to his office. It was not immediately clear whether Biden, 82, will require additional treatment or measures for his care. See you tomorrow. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani, who has spoken at length about raising taxes to help fund his affordability agenda, outlined a plan Tuesday to cut costs in New York Citys public schools. Mamdani estimated his efforts would result in at least a 10% reduction in what he called redundant spending on Education Department contracts though he did not provide a firm dollar amount for his goal. For too long, weve allowed individuals like Elon Musk to pretend as if concerns of efficiency and waste are that of the right-wing, when in fact they should be the bedrock of any progressive politics, said Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, on the Upper West Side, in a reference to the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani has largely pushed for increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and using the revenue to fund his campaign promises such as free child care for all New York families. But as Gov. Hochul has continued to throw cold water on tax hikes, the Democratic nominee has signaled his openness to other funding sources, which could include savings elsewhere in the city budget. The Education Departments $41.2-billion budget is by far the largest of any city agency, and includes about $10 billion in contracts with external vendors. Mamdani, while defending many contracts as essential, also claimed the procurement process is imperfectly managed resulting in duplicative spending and an overall lack of accountability. Mamdanis plan has three parts: reduce wasteful spending, overhaul procurement infrastructure, and ensure vendors answer for the quality of their services. We will follow every single dollar, he said. That means annual audits of the top 50 vendors and the 25 largest contracts, that means launching an initiative to review every single conduct contract as it comes up for renewal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani would also merge two DOE procurement offices while opening borough-based hubs, transition education vendors onto the same portal used by other city agencies, and require new trainings and certification for all procurement staff. To hold vendors accountable, his main idea is a ratings dashboard where principals and teachers can grade vendors on quality, timeliness and reliability, among other factors. The DOEs procurement process was put in the hot seat under Mayor Adams as investigations swirled around his former schools chancellor David Banks dealings with vendors represented by his brother Terence. More recently, the office faced questions from the citys comptroller, Brad Lander, over exorbitant spending at one Brooklyn restaurant. Ana Champeny, vice president for research at the Citizens Budget Commission, acknowleged procurement reform is not a sexy proposal to be campaigning on, but one that is very worthwhile. This is bread and butter. This is the heart and soul of government, Champeny said. Our research has found were spending more and more... but were seeing very limited improvements in educational outcomes, and too many of our children are still not reading and doing math on grade level. So trying to figure out how to get bang for your buck on resources is really important. An agency as large as DOE, as expansive with as many schools, as many offices there is, in my mind, theres no doubt theres duplication and inefficiency that can be achieved by a really thorough and detailed analysis of those 3,000-plus contracts. DURANT, Miss. (WJTV) A boil water notice has been issued for the City of Durant. According to the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), the notice affects all connections on the citys drinking water system. Boil water notices issued for two Hinds County water systems The notice was issue due to a main break. Health officials recommend that all water be boiled vigorously for one minute before it is consumed. The water system will be notified when tests show that the water is safe to drink. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Saige Bird, whose son is pictured here at their home in China, is among hundreds of Maine parents who have been waitlisted as Child Development Services transitions to a new model for serving 3- and 4-year-olds. (Photo by Lana Cohen/Maine Morning Star) CHINA, Maine When Saige Bird moved to Maine, her first order of business was to get support for her then 3-year-old son, who is autistic and has a speech impediment that renders him unintelligible to most people. Over the past year and a half, she has struggled to get him the speech or other support he needs and is legally entitled to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Child Development Services a quasi-state agency responsible for providing disability services to Maine children under the age of 5 transitions to a new model for serving 3- and 4-year-olds, a significant number of preschoolers who remain in the existing system are being left behind. Over the 2024-2025 fiscal year, 875 3- and 4-year-olds, or 15% of preschool-aged children served by Child Development Services, were on waitlists for 1,690 services including speech, occupational and physical therapy, according to data provided by the Maine Department of Education. Historically, Child Development Services has not kept track of waitlist data, but this is an increase from 2019, when a report requested by the Maine Legislatures Education and Cultural Affairs Committee found that 10% of children requiring services were on waitlists. When Birds son, whose name she asked be omitted for privacy reasons, was first referred to Child Development Services for evaluation, Bird was thrilled. I thought I was gonna get the help I need for my son, she said. But that excitement soon turned to disappointment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four months after her initial appointment, she received an email from a speech therapist, only to discover she was based in Texas and the sessions would be remote, which she didnt think was a good fit for her son, then 4 years old, who is hyperactive and has a low attention span. Another four months later, Child Development Services offered a preschool placement for her son at Augusta Childrens Center. She ultimately declined it due to, among other reasons, trouble scheduling around her sons outside occupational and speech therapy. I know some people love the Childrens Center, she said. But it wasnt right for my son and our family. Under federal law, children are supposed to receive all services theyre found eligible for within 30 days of being evaluated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that deadline is not always met. We are frequently hearing about waitlists and hearing that these waitlists are persisting, said Jeanette Plourde, an attorney for Disability Rights Maine. We continue to see parents being told in (Individualized Education Plan, known as IEP) meetings that (Child Development Services) doesnt have the staffing, that there are no placements, that its just not possible to fulfill their childs IEP. This, says Plourde, is simply not okay. Our state has an obligation to provide these services under federal and state law, she said. Full stop. Saige Bird, a mother who lives in China, has struggled to get her son the speech or other support he needs and is legally entitled to. (Photo by Lana Cohen/Maine Morning Star) Bird is one of many parents who gave up completely and opted to find her child the services he needs in a different way. Three to five days a week, Bird drives an hour and a half round-trip to and from Belfast for in-person speech, which Child Development Services determined her son needed, and occupational therapy, which she sought separately. Since January, she has spent at least $550 on co-payments for both services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Maine Department of Education, which oversees Child Development Services, is well aware of the agencys challenges, which are not new, and is working to turn the tide by transitioning the responsibility of providing preschool special education from Child Development Services to the states public schools, a mammoth task it says will better serve preschoolers by utilizing the states resources more efficiently. But while Child Development Services works to implement this systemic change, theres not much that can be done for the children who arent getting their needs met, said Child Development Services State Director Dan Hemdal. Its an unfortunate reality of early childhood special education in the state, said Hemdal of children ending up on waitlists. Hemdal and others say that a lack of preschool placements and providers including speech, occupational and physical therapists can make it difficult, if not impossible, to match preschoolers with the resources they need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But while the state works to create a system that better serves preschoolers with disabilities, children across the state lose valuable time. The first five years of life are crucial for development and can shape the trajectory of a childs life. You only have a certain amount of time while the brain is this plastic, said Nancy Cronin, the executive director of the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council. This is a magic time for development that no child can afford to lose. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Two major energy suppliers are offering to help households who need extra support with the cold this winter by handing out complimentary electric blankets. Octopus Energy and OVO will be distributing tens of thousands of electric blankets to eligible households facing financial hardship in 2025. Electric blankets are a cost-effective way to avoid having to heat an entire property, instead allowing just one person to stay warm. They cost approximately 2-4p an hour to operate, helping households lower expenditure in the colder weather. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Use of the blankets can save up to 300, Octopus Energy says, finding that customers who received a blanket in previous months saved 10-20 per cent on their energy bills. Both companies require customers to apply for the free blankets, with the scheme subject to certain eligibility criteria. Octopus Energy and OVO will be distributing tens of thousands of electric blankets (Getty Images) Priority will go to elderly residents, those with mobility restrictions, and people with health conditions that means cold temperatures put them more at risk. The company has allocated 10,000 blankets this year, limited to one per household. Octopus guidance says: Modern electric blankets, used according to their instructions, are safe and energy efficient. Last Winter, we used our purchasing power to buy 7,000, and offered them for free to customers we identified would benefit most when they filled in our financial assistance tool. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve been really trying to target people who need a blanket most: so we havent offered one to every customer, and we've tried to keep it to one per home so that we can support as many people as possible. For those who are not able to take advantage of the offers, other support is available from all energy companies as the colder months begin to bite. Those struggling with energy bills should be aware that all energy providers are legally obliged to help. Latest figures show that energy debt rose to 4.4 billion in September, so anyone struggling with this is far from alone. Anyone who finds themselves falling behind with payments or struggling to afford essentials after energy bills should worth contacting their provider. They may be able to offer you support such as a full payment plan review, affordable debt repayment plans, extensions and even reductions. Several energy suppliers also offer financial support or waivers for those struggling with their energy bills. These include Scottish Power, EDF, E.ON and Octopus. Eligibility varies between energy providers. British Gas also offers a grant of up to 2,000 to customers of any energy provider. MALTA - After a contentious exchange at a Town Board meeting with a town employee, Malta's ethics committee determined that a councilman has violated local ethics rules and recommended that he be privately censured. The name of the councilman was redacted in findings from the ethics committee that the Times Union obtained through an open records request. However, the documents released by the town noted that the complaint was filed by the town's senior planner, Floria Huizinga, and that the violation occurred at an Aug. 18 meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same meeting, Councilman Craig Warner could be heard speaking with frustration to Huizinga about traffic studies. Sign up for the Saratoga Now newsletter Keep up with the latest happening in Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Ballston Spa and other communities in Saratoga County. In that meeting recording, Warner told Huizinga, "You have to answer to me. Right? Right?" Huizinga told Warner, "You don't have to be rude." Warner responded, "I'm not being rude." She then said, "I'm going to excuse myself before I lose my temper." Warner shot back, "Please do," as she exited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next day, Huizinga filed a complaint with the ethics committee alleging that a Town Board member, referred to as male, "engaged in inappropriate and disrespectful behavior" at the previous night's meeting. Al Ricci, the only other male council member who attended the Aug. 18 meeting, said Tuesday that he was not the subject of the complaint. Warner did not respond to a request for comment from the Times Union. The findings revealed that the seven-member ethics committee voted unanimously that the board member violated Chapter 11 of the town's code, which requires officers and employees of the municipality "to act within the limits of their positional authorities and deal forthrightly and constructively with the public and each other." The Town Board member was also found to be in violation of Chapter 29, which pertains to workplace conduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The findings noted that the councilman apologized to the employee "to the extent his behavior was misconstrued as harassment or threatening" and cooperated with the ethics committee's investigation. The committee recommended he be "privately censured" and advised that "future similar actions and behaviors may result in more public and punitive remedial disciplinary actions." Town Board minutes for the Oct. 6 meeting show that the board, including Warner, unanimously accepted the ethics committee's findings. The Times Union reached out to Huizinga for comment and clarity, but did not immediately hear back on the matter. Town Supervisor Cynthia Young would only say that the ethics findings were discussed in executive session and, therefore, she could not say what happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ethics complaint accused the Town Board member of being "disrespectful and condescending" by "raising his voice in an aggressive and intimidating manner" and "leaning toward me and pointing his finger at me in a threatening gesture." The employee also accused him of "displaying argumentative behavior" that disrupted the meeting and created a "hostile atmosphere." The ethics committee's findings noted that the councilman admitted "that he raised his voice during the workshop and pointed his finger, but stated that his actions were not directed at (the employee) and that his intent was to voice the objection of town residents." This article originally published at Malta town councilman censured over ethics violation. A Utah judge on Monday sentenced a man who appeared to fake his death and flee the United States to avoid arrest on rape charges to anywhere from five years to life in prison. Nicholas Rossi, 38, is a serial abuser of women and the very definition of a flight risk, District Judge Barry Lawrence said before handing down the sentence. It was Rossis first of two sentencings after separate convictions in August and September of raping two women in northern Utah in 2008. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November in the second case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utah allows prison sentences to be given as a range rather than a set period of time. A parole board will determine if and when Rossi is released. Five years to life is the entire range of possible prison time under Utah law for rape, a first-degree felony. Jurors found Rossi guilty of rape in August after a three-day trial in which his accuser and her parents each took the stand. Rossi left a trail of fear, pain and destruction behind him, the victim in the case told the court shortly before Rossi was sentenced. The Associated Press does not typically identify rape victims. This is not a plea for vengeance, she said. This is a plea for safety and accountability, for recognition of the damage that will never fully heal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rossi posed a risk to community safety and should be in prison, argued Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Brandon Simmons, a prosecutor in the case, before the sentencing. Rossis lawyers, meanwhile, urged the judge to give him parole. Rossi did not testify on his own behalf during the trial. Given a chance to speak before being sentenced Monday, he maintained his innocence. I am not guilty of this. These women are lying, Rossi said in a soft, raspy voice. He appeared in court in a wheelchair and used an oxygen tank. Utah authorities began searching for Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, when he was identified in 2018 through a decade-old DNA rape kit. He was among thousands of rape suspects identified and later charged when Utah made a push to clear its rape kit backlog. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Months after he was charged in that case, an online obituary claimed Rossi died on February 29, 2020, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But police in his home state of Rhode Island, along with his former lawyer and a former foster family, cast doubt on whether he was dead. He was arrested in Scotland the following year while receiving treatment for COVID-19. Hospital staff recognized his distinctive tattoos including the crest of Brown University inked on his shoulder, although he never attended from an Interpol notice. He was extradited to Utah in January 2024 after a protracted court battle. At the time, Rossi insisted he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who was being framed. Investigators say they identified at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture. In his first trial, Rossis public defender denied the rape claim and urged jurors not to read too much into his move overseas. Even so, the jury convicted Rossi of the rape charge for which he was sentenced Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim in the case had been living with her parents and recovering from a traumatic brain injury in 2008 when she responded to a personal ad Rossi posted on Craigslist. They began dating and were engaged within a couple weeks. She testified that Rossi asked her to pay for dates and car repairs, lend him $1,000 so he wouldnt be evicted, and take on debt to buy their engagement rings. He grew hostile soon after their engagement and raped her in his bedroom one night after she drove him home, she said. She went to police years later, after hearing that Rossi was accused of raping another woman in Utah around the same time. The victim in that case went to police soon after Rossi attacked her at his apartment in Orem. The woman had gone there to collect money she said he stole from her to buy a computer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rossi was convicted in that case in September and sentencing is set for November 4. Rossi grew up in foster homes in Rhode Island and returned there before he appeared to fake his death and flee the country. He was previously wanted in the state for failing to register as a sex offender. The FBI says he also faces fraud charges in Ohio, where he was convicted of sex-related charges in 2008. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Haralson County Superior Court judge denied bond for Omar Bennett, who is accused of shooting Austin Glover while he was mudding near Bennetts home. The decision to deny bond was made during a tense court hearing Tuesday. Channel 2s Audrey Washington was the only reporter inside court. At one point, the suspect locked eyes with the victim in a very tense moment. But in the end, the judge denied bond, and the suspect went back to jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bennett faces several charges, including aggravated assault. While Bennett smirked and shrugged, the shooting victim, Glover, kept his focus straight on the superior court judge. Austin Glover was injured in the shooting. He appeared in court for Omar Bennett's bond hearing. Glover, along with family and friends, packed Courtroom 1 for Bennetts bond hearing. Bennett is accused of shooting into a pickup last month because, according to sheriffs deputies, he was upset that Glover and his passenger, Cameron Callahan were mudding near his home in Haralson County. Mudding is when a driver does circles and other tricks in the mud. Deputies say Bennett chased down the truck in his ATV and then blocked Glover from leaving the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was blood inside the truck, pools of blood on the seats, the carpet, Nicole Wilson, investigator with the Haralson County Sheriffs Office. The lead investigator on the scene told the court a gunshot hit Glover in the face. That caused Glover to lose control and slam into a tree. As the investigator detailed his injuries, Glover sat with bandages around his neck and his mouth wired shut. The bullet traveled through and out the back of the right side of his neck, Wilson said. But Bennetts wife painted a different picture. She told the court her husband was not dangerous. In his closing, the state prosecutor told the court Bennett acted out of pure rage: This is a case of outrage by the defendant, someone who is angry and took the law into his own hands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge agreed. Outside of court, Glover could not physically speak, but his sister told Washington that she is relieved to know Bennett is nowhere near her brother. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The Florida man accused of setting the deadly Palisades Fire in California is no longer in a Florida jail. Jonathan Rinderknecht was moved from the Seminole County Jail on Tuesday, according to officials. The jail would not confirm with Channel 9 where Rinderknecht is being moved to. He was in federal custody in Sanford awaiting extradition to California to face charges related to the Palisades Fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is accused of igniting that fire that killed 12 people, burned more than 23,000 acres, and destroyed or damaged nearly 7,000 structures. Geolocation data for the 911 calls showed that he was standing above the fire in a clearing nearly 30 feet from the blaze as it rapidly grew, said Bill Essayli, Acting U.S. Attorney. Investigators say Rinderknecht was living in the area at the time of the fire and moved to Melbourne afterward. They have collected more than 13,000 pieces of evidence against him. Channel 9 is working to gather more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. A Rhode Island man who appeared to fake his death and flee the United States to avoid rape charges was sentenced to prison Monday on one of two rape convictions in Utah. Nicholas Rossi, 38, was sentenced to five years in prison by District Judge Barry Lawrence in Salt Lake City, CBS affiliate KUTV reported. During the impact statement before Rossi was sentenced, the victim said Rossi left a "trail of fear, pain and destruction" behind him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is not a plea for vengeance. This is a plea for safety and accountability, for recognition of the damage that will never fully heal," she told the court. Rossi "uses rape to control women" and posed a risk to community safety, argued Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Brandon Simmons, a prosecutor in the case. The sentence is the first of two scheduled for Rossi after he was convicted separately in August and September of raping two women in northern Utah in 2008. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 4 for the second conviction, also for five years to life in prison. In August, jurors found Rossi guilty of rape after a three-day trial in which his accuser and her parents each took the stand. Rossi did not testify on his own behalf. Given a chance to speak before being sentenced Monday, Rossi maintained his innocence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am not guilty of this. These women are lying," Rossi said softly, with a raspy voice. It took more than a decade from the time of the rapes to his convictions. Utah authorities began searching for Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, when he was identified in 2018 through a decade-old DNA rape kit tied to the other case. He was among thousands of rape suspects identified and later charged when Utah made a push to clear its rape kit backlog. Months after he was charged in that case, an online obituary claimed Rossi died on Feb. 29, 2020, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But police in his home state of Rhode Island, along with his former lawyer and a former foster family, cast doubt on whether he was dead. He was arrested in Scotland the following year while receiving treatment for COVID-19. Hospital staff recognized his distinctive tattoos including the crest of Brown University inked on his shoulder, although he never attended from an Interpol notice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was extradited to Utah in January 2024 after a protracted court battle. At the time, Rossi insisted he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who was being framed. Investigators say they identified at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture. In his first Utah trial, Rossi's public defender denied the rape claim and urged jurors not to read too much into his move overseas. The victim had been living with her parents and recovering from a traumatic brain injury in 2008 when she responded to a personal ad Rossi posted on Craigslist. They began dating and were engaged within a couple weeks. She testified that Rossi asked her to pay for dates and car repairs, lend him $1,000 so he wouldn't be evicted, and take on debt to buy their engagement rings. He grew hostile soon after their engagement and raped her in his bedroom one night after she drove him home, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She went to police years later after hearing Rossi was accused of raping another woman in Utah around the same time. The victim in that case went to police soon after Rossi attacked her at his apartment in Orem. The woman had gone there to collect money she said he stole from her to buy a computer. Rossi grew up in foster homes in Rhode Island and returned there before he appeared to fake his death and flee the country. He was previously wanted in the state for failing to register as a sex offender. The FBI says he also faces fraud charges in Ohio, where he was convicted of sex-related charges in 2008. Trump says two survivors of U.S. strike on submersible suspected of drug smuggling will be sent home Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Ms. Rachel on raising her voice for kids everywhere BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A Baton Rouge man was arrested after a shooting on Alliquippa Street. According to an affidavit, officers with the Baton Rouge Police Department were called to a shooting on Alliquippa Street on Oct. 15. Upon arrival, officers learned the victim was taken to a local hospital. At the hospital, detectives learned the victim got into an argument with the homeowner of a home on the aforementioned street. A witness confirmed the victims story, adding that the victim allegedly slapped the homeowner, leading to one shot being fired at the victim, striking them in the leg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The witness said Henry Thomas, 55, allegedly pointed the rifle toward them and asked if they wanted some too. Thomas then reportedly fired additional shots at the witness. Both the victim and witness were able to identify Thomas as the shooter. Thomas was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of two counts of attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of weapons, and aggravated assault with a firearm. His bond amount is set at $510,000, according to jail records. In a separate shooting, BRPD said Thomas was also accused of the deadly shooting of Huey Sonnier in the 2700 block of Calumet Street in June. He was charged with second-degree murder and illegal use of weapons. Latest News 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 Louisiana First News. LINDALE, Texas (KETK) A man is currently being held at the Smith County Jail after assaulting the Lindale Police chief on Saturday evening. Mugshot of Andrew Hist courtesy of Smith County Jail According to an arrest affidavit, the incident occurred on 114 Cannery Row at around 7 p.m. as Lindale Chief of Police Dan Somes was directing traffic. While Somes was directing traffic, Andrew Hist was trying to turn down a street that was blocked off and proceeded to get out of his vehicle, walked over, and allegedly punched Chief Somes in his face. Rapper Finess2tymes arrested again in East Texas on drug related charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the assault, witnesses helped Somes detain Hist until officers arrived on the scene. While witnesses and Somes attempted to detain Hist according to authorities, he tried to resist and was taken to the ground. Hist was eventually placed under arrest after additional officers arrived on the scene and he was taken to the Smith County Jail. Following his arrest, Hist was charged with assaulting a peace officer and resisting arrest. 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. NEED TO KNOW Billy Joe Cagle's family said he "was streaming on social media" and "was headed to the airport in their words to 'shoot it up,' " the Atlanta Police Department alleged in a press briefing on Monday, Oct. 20 Police found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition in Billy Joe Cagle's vehicle, APD chief Darin Schierbaum said Cagle, a Cartersville, Ga., native, was described by Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens as allegedly having "mental challenges," and being a felon A crisis was averted at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after a man's family informed local authorities of his alleged plan to "shoot it up." According to Atlanta Police Department Chief Darin Schierbaum at approximately 9:40 a.m. local time on Monday, Oct. 20, the APD was alerted by the Cartersville Police Department of a potential threat to the airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schierbaum said during a press conference on Monday afternoon that the CPD received an alert from 49-year-old Cartersville, Georgia native Billy Joe Cagle's family that he "was streaming on social media" and "was headed to the airport in their words to 'shoot it up.' " Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty View inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport View inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Captain Greg Sparacio of the Cartersville Police Department said that Cagle's family informed the CPD that Cagle was en route to "somewhere in the Atlanta area," and that he allegedly "had the intention to inflict harm to as many people as he could." He was described by Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens as allegedly having "mental challenges," and being a felon. According to a Georgia Department of Corrections online search, Cagle was previously convicted of marijuana possession. Cagle parked his Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck outside of airport's south terminal at 9:29 a.m. before stepping inside the building at 9:31 a.m. Schierbaum said surveillance footage showed that Cagle seemed to be "very interested in the TSA check-in," which was "heavily crowded with travelers." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In body camera footage shown during the press conference, officers approach Cagle with a photo of him on their phones and ask him questions before taking him to the ground while handcuffing him. Officers took Cagle into custody at 9:54 a.m., according to the police chief. Inside his vehicle, officers found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition. Officers also found a dog in the truck that was turned over to the family, per Schierbaum. FBI Atlanta Chevrolet pickup truck Cagle arrived in Chevrolet pickup truck Cagle arrived in Cagle was charged with terroristic threats, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, per Schierbaum and an APD press release. A motive remains under investigation and the FBI said it is assisting in the investigation. Please continue to monitor our official social media channels for real-time updates. Safe travels! pic.twitter.com/PammF7WhPO Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) October 20, 2025 Were here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy because a family saw something and said something, said Schierbaum. "A family knew they had a family member in crisis. They knew they had access to firearms and they were on social media." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is recognized as the busiest airport in the world, with more than 108 million people flying through in 2024, per the Airports Council International. The incident happened the same day that their airport advised passengers on X that they may experience longer than usual wait times at checkpoints due to TSA staffing shortages amid the government shutdown. PEOPLE has reached out to the Transportation Security Administration and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for comment. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) A 22-year-old Enterprise man is in jail in Baldwin County after he allegedly used TikTok to interfere with custody of a 15-year-old girl from Georgia. Witness issues force DA to drop murder charge in Prichard shooting Martin Tot was arrested in Baldwin County and charged with custody interference. (Courtesy of Baldwin County Sheriffs Office) According to Fairhope Police, Martin Tot had been in contact with the teenager through the app. Police said the girl offered him money to come and get her from Lee County, Georgia, and take her to a house in Fairhope. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the weekend, she allegedly called Tot again to take her back to Georgia. Police were called to the same house on an unrelated incident, where they discovered the teen who had been reported missing. Tot was arrested on the interference charge and was taken to the Baldwin County Jail, where he is being held on a $5,000 bond. Police said this should serve as a warning to parents to know what their kids are doing on social media. UPDATE: Indivisible Baldwin County calls arrest of woman wearing inflatable-penis costume indefensible The teenager is being returned to her parents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ST. LOUIS A suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with an armed robbery last week at a St. Louis PNC Bank. The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office has charged Ruben Henderson, 32, with two counts of first-degree robbery, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. The robbery happened 10:40 a.m. on Oct. 15 at the PNC Bank in the 3500 block of Page Boulevard, located in St. Louis Grand Center neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say a manwearing a Nike maskentered the bank with a handgun, demanding that employees give him money. The suspect, later identified as Henderson, took some cash and fled the area on foot. Henderson has been detained without bond and has a preliminary hearing over the charges set for Nov. 24, according to online Missouri court records. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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) A 24-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly tried to flee from Sheriffs deputies during a weekend traffic stop, the El Paso County Sheriffs Office said. Deputies later tracked him down at home, where they found him in bed. Thats where they arrested him. On Saturday, Oct. 18, deputies conducted a traffic stop along the 3900 block of Las Casistas Drive in far East El Paso. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver initially complied but then fled the scene moments later, the Sheriffs Office said. The Sheriffs Office provided video of the incident. You can see the deputy approach the car and tell the driver that he could smell alcohol and that his eyes looked red. When the deputy asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, the driver took off. They later tracked him down at his home and found him in bed, where they arrested him. Through investigative efforts, deputies identified the driver as 24-year-old Alexis Ortega. Deputies later conducted a follow-up at Ortegas home at the 3700 block of Native Dancer Street. Deputies made contact with Ortega, who was taken into custody without incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ortega was charged with evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, along with five outstanding traffic warrants. He was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with a total bond of $12,340. If you try to evade our deputies, we will find you and hold you accountable, Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said. We wont stop looking for those who break the law and put our community at risk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) A man has been arrested and indicted in West Virginia in connection with the death of Cindy Ball Dilo, whose body was found in 2014. The Wood County Prosecuting Attorneys Office said Tuesday that Gregory Casto has been charged in the case, almost exactly 11 years after Dilos body was found in rural Wirt County. According to the prosecutors office, the case has remained active since then, and advancements in technology and additional testing led law enforcement to Casto, who was indicted by the Wood County Grand Jury and is currently in custody. The release said that Casto has been charged in Dilos death, but it did not specify what charges. Although no one has been convicted in the case, the release did call the case a suspected murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WVSP identify woman found dead on Randolph County Road This case was never forgotten, Pat Lefebure said in the release. Thanks to the perseverance of the West Virginia State Police, we are now in a position to move forward with the prosecution. The prosecutors office said that no other details will be released in the case at this time. As of publication, Casto was not listed in the West Virginia Division of Corrections & Rehabilitations jail database. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Tampa police on Tuesday arrested a man accused of stealing a fire engine parked outside St. Josephs Hospital and then crashing into an SUV while under the influence of alcohol. Warren Scudder, 59, drove off in the Tampa Fire Rescue engine about 9:25 a.m. while firefighters were inside the hospital, according to the Tampa Police Department. Scudder then crashed into a Lexus SUV near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and MacDill Avenue, police said. Police caught up to Scudder in the 4100 block of Poplar Avenue about 15 minutes later, blocked the engines path and arrested him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scudder was booked into Hillsboroughs Orient Road Jail on charges of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft of emergency medical equipment, grand theft auto, leaving the scene of a crash with injury, driving under the influence (fourth or subsequent violation) and DUI with property damage. He was being held Tuesday without bond. According to booking records, Scudders blood alcohol results came back at 0.197 and 0.177. Both results are more than twice the 0.08 at which a driver is presumed impaired under Florida law. The driver of the Lexus complained of hip pain and was being evaluated by hospital staff. A separate news release issued later by Tampa Fire Rescue said that the crew members on the engine had responded to a cardiac-related emergency, and the driver pulled into a designated parking area at the hospital and remained near the truck while other personnel went into the hospital to assist with the patient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to the severity of the medical emergency, the process required an extended period of time, the release said. The driver briefly stepped away from the vehicle to determine if additional assistance was needed. During that brief moment, the suspect entered the unattended fire engine and drove it off hospital property. The passenger side of the engine scraped the driver side of the Lexus, causing moderate damage to the SUV, according to a fire rescue spokesperson. A photo released by the fire rescue department shows what appears to be minor damage to the engine. Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect first name for the suspect. A landlord of a MHADA cessed building in Colaba, which collapsed in the 1970s, leaving only the ground floor barely standing, bulldozed the remaining structure in August and began piling work to erect a high-rise in the bustling market area. The landlord continued with the unauthorised construction as officials concerned only initiated action only after a complaint was registered by an activist. MHADA and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), who did not take action against the landlord since August, have now sent legal notices asking the landlord to stop the work and on Saturday, a team from Colaba police station arrived at the spot, bundled the workers into a van, and brought them to the police station. However, despite the illegal construction continuing at 41-45, Rajwadkar Street and Navroji Street, Colaba, no FIR has been registered against the landlord, Parasmal Jain. Sources allege that an influential politician has been supporting the unauthorised construction work. The original G+3-storey structure crashed down in the 1970s, but the ground floor remained standing. Tenants were evacuated out to a transit camp in Kannamwar Nagar by MHADA. For years, the landlord secretly maintained four shops on the wreckage, claim sources. This August, the landlord went full rogue, without a single permission or paper trail, he demolished the last standing ground floor, removed the debris, and began illegal piling work for a 10-floor skyscraper, activist Sanjay Kokate told Mumbai Mirror. After MHADA issued a notice on October 13, the BMC followed with a warning on October 18. In the MHADA notice accessed by Mirror, it was mentioned that a site inspection was conducted on October 13 and observed that the buildings tenants made structural alterations without obtaining any prior permission. It was found that a green net had been erected around the building without any permission, reads the notice, further urging the Building and Factory department to take action against the violator under the MRTP Act. MHADA Deputy Engineer Ajit Shewale said, The stopwork notice has been issued, and copies of it have been sent to police and civic officials. However, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Ashwini Joshi said, The MHADA issued a notice, but they kept the copy to themselves. I learnt about the notice only when the complainant approached me for action. After getting the notice, we also sent a notice to the owner on October 17. A copy of it has been dispatched to Colaba police station on October 18. It should be noted that if the erection of the building or execution of the work is not stopped forthwith or permission approved by the competent authority in favour of the erection of the said building or execution of the said work is not produced within 24 hours from the service of this notice, the said building work will be removed or pulled down and all the materials, machinery, equipment, devices, or articles used in the process of erection of the said building or execution of the said work will be removed from the site, at your risk and cost, without further notice, reads the MCGM notice. It should also be noted that the police officers are being directed to remove all persons directing or carrying out the said erection of the building or execution of work from the place where the building is being erected or the work is being executed. This unauthorised construction has put many lives residing in adjacent buildings at risk. Such a massive illegal work cannot happen without official collusion. Serving notices is just a cover-up, said Kokate, alleging, An influential politician has been supporting all the illegal work in the Colaba area. The Executive Engineer, DO. Bldg & Fact dept, BMC A ward violated the MHADA stopwork notice by not taking action as per the MRTP Act. The owner Parasmal Jain said, It was an old structure which got damaged recently. There were four shops at the MHADA cessed property, and these shops have been relocated recently. But due to some complaint, the authorities have sent us notices. When asked why the construction work continued at night even after notices, Jain said, A few works were pending. But someone made a complaint to the police, and cops came to stop the work a couple of days ago. Sources said that over two dozen MHADA properties, which had collapsed decades ago, still have their ground-floor structures intact. The landlords of these properties are reportedly operating jewellery shops from these remnants, while the authorities concerned continue to turn a blind eye. A routine traffic stop at the I-95 southbound rest area earlier this month turned into a major bust for the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office, deputies said. On October 2, deputies pulled over a vehicle after noticing a counterfeit license plate. When they spoke with the driver, 36-year-old Roshad Palmer, they searched the car and found more than 300 grams of marijuana, over 120 containers of narcotics packaged for sale, and several other drugs. Some of the narcotics were bagged to mask their smell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies also uncovered two fake drivers licenses, a counterfeit Florida temporary tag, and 12 bottles of Promethazine Hydrochloride Oral Solution, which authorities believe Palmer intended to sell. Palmer faces a long list of charges, including possession of marijuana over 20 grams, intent to sell controlled substances, possession of forged documents, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies said Palmer is also wanted in Georgia on separate drug and weapon charges and failed to show up to court there. Palmer is currently being held in St. Johns County Jail without bond. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) A man was taken into custody after he was caught on video setting two fires outside a bookstore in Hagerstown, according to officials. The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) announced that 27-year-old Michael Ofusu Boateng was charged with arson after he intentionally set two fires outside the Wonder Book and Video store. Free Lyft rides available in DC area this Halloween weekend Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It all started on the night of Monday, Oct. 20, when Hagerstown firefighters responded to 607 Dual Highway for a building fire. There, crews found two separate fires burning near the main entrance of the store. The blaze was extinguished within minutes. Two fires were found outside Wonder Book and Video on Dual Highway in Hagerstown on Oct. 20. (Photo Courtesy: Hagerstown Fire Department) The fire marshal was called to the scene and determined that both fires had been intentionally set. Witnesses also told investigators they observed a man starting the fires in front of the bookstore. During the investigation, officials located pictures and surveillance video allegedly showing Boateng starting the fires. Woman who pulled TikTok prank arrested, charged in Montgomery County Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fire officials canvassed the area and gave Boatengs description to local authorities. Minutes later, the Hagerstown man was arrested by Washington County deputies for an unrelated crime at a nearby Sheetz. The OSFM noted that when Boateng was arrested, he was wearing the same clothing in the video and had a lighter. He was charged with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning and first-degree malicious destruction of property. Boateng remains in the Washington County Detention Center pending a bond hearing, as of Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 21A man is facing charges after he was arrested Monday morning for a vehicle arson fire in Beavercreek. Scott E. Bennett was charged with two counts of attempted aggravated arson and one count each of arson, aggravated menacing and attempted vandalism in Fairborn Municipal Court. Around 11:45 p.m. Sunday, a 911 caller reported a car in the 1600 block of Countryside Drive was on fire, according to Beavercreek police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another neighbor also called and reported a man walked away from the fire and went inside a nearby home. The Regional Emergency Response Team responded and negotiators contacted the suspect, later identified as Bennett, who was in the home next door to the vehicle fire. Bennett was uncooperative and appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis, according to police. Beavercreek police's Facebook page asked people to avoid Countryside Drive between Highmont Street and Southview Drive as crews investigated the arson. Tactical officers arrested Bennett after several hours. The Facebook post indicated he was in custody by 6:51 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bennett suffered minor injuries during his arrest. He was taken to the hospital to be evaluated and was booked into the Greene County Jail after he was medically cleared. No other injuries were reported. The incident lasted approximately eight hours, according to police. Investigators remained on the scene gathering evidence Monday morning. The Ohio Fire Marshal's Office is assisting with the arson investigation. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Prosecutors have charged a Wisconsin man with stalking after he allegedly sent liberal state Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky a series of intimidating emails. Ryan Thornton, 37, of Racine was charged Monday with one felony count of stalking. He faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison if convicted. His attorney, listed in court records as public defender Britney Dickey, declined to comment on the case when reached at her office Tuesday. According to a criminal complaint, Thornton sent Karofsky nine emails between the beginning of August and the beginning of October accusing her of being manipulative, telling her to eject herself from office and asking for her home address. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one message he told her to call the Capitol Police Department. What a democrat idea, tho," he wrote, according to the complaint. In another message he asked if she wanted to be part of his helicopter videos, which police took to mean that Thornton believed helicopters were watching him. Karofsky told investigators she has received numerous threats since she became a judge in 2017, but Thornton's messages frightened her to the point that she was afraid to leave her house to get her mail and asked police to escort her to her seat during a Milwaukee Brewers game and a Wisconsin Badger game. Thornton made profane remarks about Karofsky and said she was going down during an interview with investigators, according to the complaint. He told the investigators to call President Donald Trump and that Karofsky better start running or something for the hills of the feds because it's a conspiracy. Thornton said he was upset with an attorney that he hired to represent him in a 2019 strangulation case and that the Office of Lawyer Regulation, a Supreme Court office that disciplines attorneys, hasn't investigated the lawyer. According to the complaint, Thornton called the office more than 70 times from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1 to complain about the attorney. A man has been charged after vehicles were set on fire in Beavercreek earlier this month. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Scott Bennet was charged in Fairborn Municipal Court with attempted aggravated arson, arson, aggravated menacing, and attempted vandalism. Officers and the Beavercreek Township Fire Department were called out to a vehicle fire in the 1600 block of Countryside Drive around 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A neighbor called 911 and reported that the vehicles parked in the driveway of the home across the street were on fire. After that, another neighbor called and told dispatchers that their surveillance camera captured a man walking away from the fire before entering a nearby home. TRENDING STORIES: The Regional Emergency Response Team was activated, and negotiators contacted the suspect, 55-year-old Bennet, at a neighboring home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said Bennet was uncooperative and appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis. After several hours, Bennet was taken into custody. The Ohio State Fire Marshals Office is helping with the investigation into the arson. Bennet is due next in court on Oct. 30. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Detectives are trying to figure out who gunned down a man who was leaving a South Philadelphia bar. The gunfire erupted along Oregon Avenue, near 7th Street, just after 5 p.m. on Monday. A 39-year-old man was shot multiple times and died from his injuries. Another man he was with was not hurt. Police are looking for the killer and a motive. Santonio Knighton was arrested on Oct. 15 on Blalock Avenue in Ware County, Georgia, after being observed operating a drone at a residence suspected of illegal activity. Ware County Detectives, along with patrol deputies, a Georgia State Patrol trooper, and Georgia Department of Corrections K-9 officers, conducted a search of Knightons vehicle and temporary lodgings, a Ware County Sheriffs Office social media post states. The search uncovered approximately half a pound of fentanyl, about one pound of methamphetamine, around five pounds of marijuana, thirty pounds of tobacco, 14 cell phones, and other contraband items, the post states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Knighton, 27, from Union City, Georgia, was arrested without incident. He remained in the Ware County Jail Tuesday morning on no bond facing the following charges: Trafficking in Fentanyl, Trafficking in Methamphetamine, Felony Intentional Use of An Unmanned Aircraft, Possession of Fentanyl, and Possession of Methamphetamine. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. NEED TO KNOW Nicholas Rossi appeared in a Salt Lake City court, where he was sentenced to five years to life in prison for one of two rape convictions on Monday, Oct. 20 Rossi was accused of fleeing the United States after committing two separate rapes and faking his own death to evade the charges; he will be sentenced for the second guilty verdict in November The man maintained his innocence, accusing the women of "lying" while in court A Rhode Island man who faked his own death and fled to Scotland to avoid rape charges has been sentenced to at least five years in prison for one of two rape convictions. Nicholas Rossi, 38, was sentenced in court for one of two convictions of the 2008 rapes of two women in northern Utah on Monday, Oct. 20. He was convicted separately in August and September and will receive his second sentence in November, the BBC and the Associated Press reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, received an indeterminate sentencing of at least five years up to life. This means that the years of the sentencing aren't a fixed number, and the states Board of Pardons and Parole will determine Rossis release date, per AP. Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Nicholas Rossi Nicholas Rossi Rossi was sentenced after being found guilty of first-degree felony rape of a former girlfriend in Utah in 2008 on Aug. 13. District Judge Barry Lawrence told Rossi before he was sentenced that he was a "serial abuser of women" and someone who seriously posed a flight risk, per the BBC. Rossi maintained his innocence in court on Monday, saying, "I am not guilty of this. These women are lying." He was immediately sent to the Utah State Correctional Facility after his sentencing on Monday, per AP. Pawtucket Police Department Nicholas Rossi's mugshot Nicholas Rossi's mugshot According to a statement from the Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Rossi and his former girlfriend, identified only as M.B. in the Orem case, dated between November and December of 2008 after meeting online, PEOPLE previously reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rossi told the woman they should get married, and the pair visited a jewelry store to buy wedding rings that December. They ended up getting into an argument later at Rossis apartment in Orem, during which time he threw M.B. on the bed and raped her, Gill said in the statement. Rossi is also accused of raping another former girlfriend at his apartment in September 2008. The alleged assault took place when she came to get money he allegedly stole from her, CBS News reported. Rossi fled to Britain or Ireland in 2017. He then used one of his many aliases to move to Scotland, The New York Times reported. He was identified a year later as the suspect in the second 2008 rape case by authorities reviewing old rape kits, according to the outlet. Press Association via AP Images Nicholas Rossi leaving the Edinburgh Sheriff And Justice Of The Peace Court in Scotland in 2022 Nicholas Rossi leaving the Edinburgh Sheriff And Justice Of The Peace Court in Scotland in 2022 While still in Scotland in 2020, Rossi faked his own death months after being charged in the second case. An online obituary claimed that he had died on Feb. 29, 2020, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, Rossi was arrested at a Glasgow hospital, where he was being treated for COVID-19, after being recognized, per AP. 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. PEOPLE has reached out to the Salt Lake City Justice Court for comment. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org. Read the original article on People **Related Video Above: What happens when you call 911 AKRON, Ohio (WJW) Akron police are investigating following a shooting Monday evening that injured multiple people, including a man who was sitting on his couch inside his home. Puppy stolen from local yard: Do you recognize these suspects? Police were initially called to the corner of Seiberling Street and Canadian Avenue around 9 p.m. for reports of shots fired. Upon arrival officers said they found a 21-year-old who had been shot in the leg and shoulder. A tourniquet was applied and paramedics took the man to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Police said at least three nearby homes were hit by stray bullets, and a 31-year-old man who was home on his couch was grazed by one of the strays. Police said he was treated and released on scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. Police said they learned the suspects were seen fleeing in what could have been a silver or grey sedan. Dont buy sex in Ohio: 13 men arrested on prostitution charges, 2 missing children found in sting Those who may have any information regarding this shooting are asked to reach out to Akron detectives at 330-375-2490. Anonymous tips can be made to Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 20A man has been indicted for allegedly shooting another man in Dayton, stealing a car in Preble County and leading a police chase. Gene E. Blatchford Jr., 28, was indicted in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court of two counts of felonious assault, two counts of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, and one count each of receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence and having weapons while under disability. Both assault charges also have three-year firearm specifications, and the remainder of the charges except for the weapon charge had one-year firearm specifications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is scheduled for arraignment Oct. 23. At about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 10, police responded to the 600 block of Walton Avenue for a shooting report and found a 47-year-old man who had been shot in the leg, according to a Dayton Municipal Court affidavit. Medics took him to Miami Valley Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. According to court records, the man identified the suspect as "Philly," and witnesses showed police a Facebook page for the suspect. A detective with Eaton police later contacted Dayton police to say that a man reported being with Blatchford when he shot someone on Walton Avenue, court records said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Additionally, Blatchford had now stolen his black Chevy compact car," the affidavit read. Investigators said that Blatchford matched the shooting suspect's description and the photos on the suspect's Facebook page. Later that day, Montgomery County sheriff's deputies and Kettering police tried to stop Blatchford in the Chevrolet, but he fled, the affidavit said. The chase ended near Wilmington Pike and Whipp Road after pursuing law enforcement lost the vehicle, a Kettering police log said. A witness called emergency dispatchers, however, and reported the vehicle had pulled into the Costco parking lot on Cornerstone Boulevard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crews found Blatchford, the vehicle and a gun in different areas of the parking lot, police said. He was arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Jail, and at the time of writing was still in custody at the jail, according to the jail website. For the family of a 36-year-old man who is a long-term psychiatric patient in Mumbai, Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital is no longer a place of healing. For nearly 20 days he has gone without essential psychiatric medication due to an alleged stock shortage at the BMC-run facility in Vile Parle. On Monday, the patients brother, Babar Shaikh, detailed the ordeal, stating that his sibling had been under psychiatric care for nearly a decade. For 20 days, no medicine was given at all, Shaikh said, recounting his repeated, fruitless visits to the department. When questioned, hospital staff offered a series of shifting and bureaucratic excuses: The tender hasnt come, The quota hasnt arrived Crucially, when Shaikh requested a formal, written statement confirming the medicine shortage, the staff allegedly refused. They reportedly told him, Its not my job to write it; go to the sixth floor. Another patient said they had been facing the same issue for the last month. Ive been facing mental health problems for three to four years, but before the pandemic, medicine shortages were rare. Post-pandemic, we hear there are no medicines every two to three months. Now, for psychotropic drugs, I am running from one hospital to another but havent got any. For patients like us, getting medicine in a BMC hospital is affordable, but the hospital administration wants us to get medicines from outside chemists so that they can get their commissions, the patient said. The critical shortage of psychotropic drugs appears to be a direct symptom of the wider administrative crisis that has plagued Cooper Hospital. Public complaints, including those by political representatives, have recently highlighted the hospitals struggles with insufficient staff, faulty machines, and an overall medical supplies shortage due to pending bills and delayed contract renewals. While the hospital administration claimed to be clearing pending procurement files, the continuation of the drug shortage in the highly sensitive Psychiatry Department underscores that these systemic issues directly translate into a devastating human cost. For a psychiatric patient, a sudden, forced discontinuation of medication can trigger severe relapse, leading to emotional instability, hospitalisation, or even self-harm. Dr Neelam Andrade, Dean of Nair Dental College and Medical Director in charge of all four major civic-run hospitals, categorically denied reports of medicine shortages in these facilities. She clarified that the hospitals recently floated purchase orders (POs) and completed the procurement process for all essential drugs. According to Dr Andrade, the necessary medicines were already supplied and are stocked adequately in the hospital pharmacies. She emphasised that patients are being provided with the required medication directly through the hospital system and dismissed any suggestion of a supply crisis as misinformed or exaggerated. However, when Mumbai Mirror contacted the hospital pharmacy to inquire about the availability of commonly prescribed psychiatric medicines such as Tablet Risperidone, Tablet Alprazolam, and Tablet Clonazepam, the staff confirmed that none of these were currently in stock. They further stated that the existing quota or stock of these drugs was exhausted, contradicting the administrations claim of adequate supply. Health Activist Ganesh Wadekar urged the hospital administration not to play with the lives of patients who are not getting medicines due to the shortage. A clear, accountable protocol must be established for managing and communicating critical shortages to patients and their families, ending the cycle of bureaucratic runaround. The health and safety of Mumbais most vulnerable patients depend on a swift and decisive response, Wadekar said. NEED TO KNOW A man died after being struck by a falling tree branch, and another pedestrian narrowly escaped injury after being blown into the road on Oct. 21, amid harsh weather conditions in New Zealand Winds have been recorded reaching speeds of 75 miles per hour, and rain is causing flooding and landslides Reports suggest that the storm will ease going into Oct. 22; however, another is expected to arrive the following day A man died after being struck by a tree branch, and another pedestrian was blown into the road by a strong gust of wind as New Zealand faces dangerous weather conditions. The incident of the individual who died took place on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at around 9:20 a.m. The unnamed man was on Mount Victoria trail, according to the Associated Press. He was taken to the hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead, 1news reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strong winds also sent a pedestrian into a near-death situation as they were blown into oncoming traffic, per AP. The dangerous weather conditions caused major disruption to New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, where schools were closed and flights were delayed or cancelled. Homes were left without electricity, and the rains are triggering flooding and landslides along highways and roads. Getty Mount Victoria, New Zealand Mount Victoria, New Zealand 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. Wind speeds have been recorded at speeds up to 75 miles per hour in the area of Kelburn, AP reported, citing MetService weather agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amid the dangerous conditions, authorities are warning people of the risk of falling trees in nearby parks. Many parts of the country today are experiencing strong winds and heavy rain," Fire and Emergency NZ wrote on Facebook on Oct. 21. The agency reported that they'd received "65 weather related calls." AP and 1news reported that the current storm is expected to ease back going into Wednesday, Oct. 22. However, another storm might strike the following day. If it is safe to do so, prepare now by tying down or putting away items like trampolines, outdoor furniture bins or anything that can become airborne in high winds, Fire and Emergency NZ urged citizens. If you've had a fire burning outdoors recently, please check it is out. Fires can [smolder] for some time after they appear 'out' and may reignite and spread in strong winds." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The service also warned of the risks of driving through floodwater and recommended that flashlights be used instead of candles in the event of a power outage. PEOPLE has contacted the Fire and Emergency NZ and MetService for additional updates. Read the original article on People JERSEY CITY, N.J. (PIX11) A man was killed in Jersey City late Monday night after he pulled a gun on a police officer, according to New Jersey officials. The incident happened around 1 a.m. near Bergen and Virginia Avenues, according to the Attorney Generals Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. More Local News Officers noticed the man with a suspicious bulge in his clothing, Mayor Fulop wrote on X. Fulop said when officers walked toward the man, he took out a firearm and fired a shot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One officer returned fire, shooting the man, according to Fulop. A gun was recovered at the scene. The man was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:44 a.m., officials say. The Hudson County Prosecutors Office will be taking over the investigation. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) A man was struck and killed by a tree branch in a city park Tuesday as stormy weather buffeted New Zealand's capital. The dangerous winds and heavy rain disrupted travel, closed schools and cut electricity in parts of the country. Wind canceled flights into and out of Wellington for several hours before they resumed to bumpy take-offs and landings. The storm also halted passenger ferry sailings. The man who died had been injured on Mount Victoria, a popular trail walking spot in the central city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities urged residents to stay out of the citys parks and reserves because of the danger from falling trees. A dashcam video taken by a motorist Tuesday morning showed a pedestrian sent sprawling by a wind gust into the road, where they narrowly avoided being hit by oncoming cars. The MetService weather agency said winds were recorded at speeds of up to 120 kph (75 mph) in the area of Kelburn. Wellington is New Zealands windiest city and known for its howling gales but the gusts were strong even by the capitals standards. About 10,000 properties were without electricity in the neighboring rural region of Wairarapa, according to figures from the local lines company. Schools and businesses in the area closed for the day. Throughout Tuesday the lower North Island, where Wellington is located, and most of the South Island were under wind or rain warnings. In Christchurch on the South Island, gales disrupted flights on Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some state highways on both islands were closed due to flooding and landslides. In Hawkes Bay on the North Island, the wind toppled a truck, injuring one person and closing the road, authorities said. New Zealands location in the southern latitudes and the mountain ranges that run the length of the country can produce wild weather throughout the year. MetService said the tempest was due to ease Wednesday before a second, more severe weather system was expected Thursday. NEED TO KNOW A pardoned Jan. 6 rioter has been arrested for alleged death threats against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Christopher P. Moynihan, 34, allegedly wrote in a text message that the House Minority Leader 'must be eliminated' In a statement thanking law enforcement for their protection, Jeffries wrote that, 'Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people' A man who was convicted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and later pardoned by President Donald Trump has been arrested in connection with alleged death threats against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. According to a police report and criminal complaint, Christopher P. Moynihan, 34, sent a text message on Friday, Oct. 17, that "placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One message allegedly said, "Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live." Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, Moynihan allegedly wrote in another, according to the criminal complaint against him. "I will kill him for the future." Moynihan was arrested in Clinton, New York, and is being charged with one felony count of making a terroristic threat, according to New York State Police. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Dutchess County State Supreme Court on Thursday. In a statement on Tuesday, Jeffries said, "I am grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The person arrested, along with thousands of violent felons who stormed the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th attack, was pardoned by Donald Trump on the Presidents very first day in office," he continued. "Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned." Anna Moneymaker/Getty House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters during at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 9, 2025 House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters during at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 9, 2025 Jeffries, who succeeded Nancy Pelosi as the leader of the House Democratic Caucus in 2023, concluded, "It is the honor of my life to serve in Congress during these challenging times. Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people." Moynihan was sentenced to 21 months in prison in February 2023 for his role in the Jan. 6 riots. Cameras showed him entering the Senate Gallery, rifling through papers on top of senators' desks and taking pictures with his phone. According to prosecutors, he said, "Theres got to be something in here we can f---ing use against these ----bags" and had to be forced from the chamber by police. Senate Television via AP This image from Senate Television shows Christopher Moynihan looking through papers from the desk of a senator in the Senate Chamber on Jan. 6, 2021 This image from Senate Television shows Christopher Moynihan looking through papers from the desk of a senator in the Senate Chamber on Jan. 6, 2021 Within hours of taking office for his second presidential term on Jan. 20, Trump announced pardons and sentence commutations for about 1,500 people charged in the Capitol attack, including Moynihan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation," read the official proclamation. 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. As Jeffries pointed out in his statement, Moynihan isn't the only pardoned Jan. 6 rioter to be arrested again following his pardon from Trump. Daniel Charles Ball's case was immediately dismissed following the pardon, despite the fact that he had been accused of throwing an explosive device at a group of about two dozen Capitol Police officers who were approaching the rioters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just one day after being pardoned, Ball was arrested again on charges related to possession of a firearm. In February 2025, a newly-appointed U.S. attorney moved to dismiss the charges. Andrew Taake, 36, of Houston, Texas who had pleaded guilty and was pardoned for one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon was arrested a week after being pardoned for allegedly soliciting a minor online. He later pleaded guilty to that charge in exchange for three years in prison. Read the original article on People SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) After a grand jury returned a multi-count indictment against a Georgia man in March, he pleaded guilty to the murder of a pregnant Sandusky woman Monday. Teen sentenced in shooting death of Euclid high schooler Toldrick Griffin Jr., 20, pleaded guilty to the following: two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault, according to Erie County court documents. Toldrick Griffin Jr. Griffin was arrested in February after a woman was found dead in a bed inside a home on Perry Street. He had reportedly told authorities he had argued with the woman the day her body was discovered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The arrest came after Griffin had initially fled from Ohio State Highway Patrol. Sandusky police investigating death of 14-year-old: I-Team The woman was not identified to the public. Sentencing is now scheduled for January 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. The Fairview Heights Police Department recently warned residents about a potential scam that reportedly involved someone pretending to be a utility worker in an attempt to gain access inside a home. A resident reported to police that a man claimed to be with Ameren and asked for permission to enter the residents home so he could check some codes. The resident told police he denied the man entry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont just answer the door for strangers, said Mia Edwards, a Fairview Heights resident reacting to the reported scam. She also relies on her doorbell camera to help with security but said this most recent report of what appears to be a scam is alarming. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Police told FOX 2 the mans motives for reportedly pretending to be with Ameren are unclear. The department reminds residents that a solicitors permit is required in Fairview Heights. Ameren spokesman Brian Bretsch said the utilitys workers typically do not knock on doors except for scheduled appointments and emergencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its usually because we have a power outage or we have some sort of a gas issue, Bretsch said. He said in those emergencies, workers will have identification badges, vests and hard hats with Ameren lettering. Australia PMs flight lands in STL due to crew injury Bretsch said if residents are unsure about a workers affiliation, they can verify their identity with Ameren. Illinois customers can call 1-800-755-5000 and Missouri customers can call 1-800-552-7583. Bretsch added if residents feel threatened, they should call 911. Bretsch said one scam reported in other communities involves someone posing as a utility worker to distract the homeowner. At the same time, the fraudsters accomplice enters the home and commits a burglary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close the door, dont give out any personal information, and dont let anyone inside your home, Bretsch advised. Earlier this year, FOX 2 reported an emerging solar panel scam. Bretsch said in Illinois, solicitors are allowed to ask residents about their electricity supplier but added anyone going to door to door is not an Ameren worker. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty to killing his grandfather. Mastin Paul William Raines pleaded guilty in August to an amended charge of voluntary manslaughter. On Monday, he was sentenced to 13 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the 2021 shooting death of his grandfather. Suspicious juvenile arrested for fighting Liberty High School officer in parking lot Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raines was 19 years old when he shot and killed William Mark Gustin, his grandfather, after claiming that Gustin had been poisoning him. On Aug. 1, 2021, court documents say a Johnson County, Missouri, deputy responded to a report of shots fired at a home in Centerview, Missouri, off 58 Highway. When the deputy arrived, he found Raines and heard him say, He will never do it again. When the deputy asked whom he was referring to, Raines said, My grandfather, hell never do that again. Raines spoke with investigators, saying he loaded a 30.06 rifle and drank alcohol to work up the courage to kill Gustin, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raines said he and his grandfather were sitting on a couch when he shot him in the stomach first, before shooting him at least one more time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (FOX40.COM) A 36-year-old man was sentenced to 240 years to life in prison for multiple sexual assault crimes against children, according to the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office. Video Above: More than 200 suspected child sex abuse offenders arrested A jury convicted Robert Grell on Aug. 12 of 12 counts of forcible lewd act upon a child and eight counts of sex acts with a child under 10 years old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said that Grell sexually assaulted one victim when she was between 5 and 10 years old. His actions include forcing her to orally copulate him, fondling her and attempting penetration, while bribing her with sweet treats for her not to speak about it. Another victim said Grell molested her when she was between 5 and 8 years old and again at 14, the DAs office said. Child in critical condition after two-vehicle car crash in Stockton Both girls testified that the man showed them pornography on how to perform sex acts. Current California law allows Grell to be eligible for release at an elder parole hearing once he turns 50 years old and has served 20 years of his sentence. 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 FOX40 News. An investigation is ongoing after a man who federal agents were trying to apprehend was shot during an immigration operation in South Los Angeles on Tuesday morning. A deputy U.S. marshal was also injured by a ricochet bullet. The shooting happened in the 400 block of East 20th Street near Trinity Street around 8:52 a.m. Federal officials said it began as a targeted enforcement traffic stop on an undocumented immigrant who had previously avoided capture. A view from AIR7 over the scene showed a dark-colored sedan boxed in by several other vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses told Eyewitness News the man involved is a well-known TikToker who regularly follows ICE. He goes by Richard LA online. Witnesses said the man is a well-known TikToker who regularly follows ICE. He goes by Richard LA online. DHS said he's an undocumented immigrant. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli identified the man as 44-year-old Carlitos Ricardo Parias. He's charged with assault on a federal officer and is expected to appear in court on Wednesday. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in federal prison. In Spanish, Pier Rojas, who also takes video of ICE agents, told Eyewitness News that Parias was in his car, and it appeared he was nervous and afraid, not wanting to get out of the car. The witness said agents then fired rubber bullets and tear gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said Parias "weaponized his vehicle and began ramming the law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee. Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots." Parias is accused of ramming his Toyota Camry into law enforcement vehicles in front of and behind him after they boxed him in. Essayli said Parias spun the Camry's tires, spewing smoke and debris into the air and causing the car to fishtail, "causing agents to worry for their safety." Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a 44-year-old illegal alien from Mexico living in South Los Angeles, is now charged in a criminal complaint with assault on a federal officer. He is expected to make his initial appearance tomorrow at the Roybal Federal Building in downtown L.A. and would pic.twitter.com/rF6Cxum0MY Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 22, 2025 Essayli said an agent broke into his side window, but it wasn't enough to subdue Parias. That's when an agent opened fire. Parias was shot once in the elbow, and the deputy U.S. marshal was shot in the hand by a ricochet bullet, according to DHS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Essayli said both the deputy marshal and Parias are expected to recover. Friends say Parias is undergoing surgery on the gunshot wound. Crowds formed outside the California Hospital in downtown L.A., where Parias and the deputy marshal were taken for treatment. Back at the scene of the shooting, activists and community members gathered for a rally and press conference to protest ICE and denounce the arrest. "This level of violence from federal agents is unacceptable," said Veritas Topete with Centro CSO. "This type of violence is a type of violence that we denounce, and is a type of violence that will only create more violence," said Ron Gochez with Union Del Barrio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Vehicles are deadly weapons. Anyone who uses them against federal agents risks arrest, imprisonment, and life-threatening injuries. We will continue to use every tool in our legal arsenal to protect our agents and enforce immigration laws passed by Congress," Essayli said. The shooting happened down the street from Santee High School, but campus operations were not impacted by the investigation. A66-year-old woman from Ambernath died on Sunday after a government hospital allegedly refused to provide an ambulance, claiming it had been reserved for Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shindes protocol duty. The woman, identified as Meena Balram, lived alone and collapsed at her home. She was rushed to the Chaya Government Hospital by her neighbours. Doctors confirmed that she had been suffering a heart attack for about 15 minutes and urgently needed to be transferred to a hospital equipped with a cardiac unit. However, as the only ambulance was reportedly assigned for the Deputy CMs movement, no alternative transport could be arranged. She was later declared dead. A labourer residing in Swami Nagar, Ambernath, the woman collapsed between 4.30 pm and 4.45 pm on Sunday after stepping out of her toilet. Witnessing her condition, neighbours immediately sought help from local social workers. Eyewitness account of negligence Keshavan, a neighbour who had known the woman for three years, expressed shock over the hospitals response. When we asked for senior doctors, none were available. Only junior doctors and interns attended to her. They said she must be shifted, but couldnt arrange an ambulance. The staff told us that only one was busy with the Deputy CMs protocol. They said the 108 service would take too long and suggested we use our own vehicle, he said. The 108-ambulance service is a free, 24/7 emergency response system across India for medical, police, and fire emergencies. Ambulance used for VIP event Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was reportedly attending the inauguration of the Dharamveer Anand Dighe Natya Mandir at Circus Maidan in Ambernath West on Sunday. The hospitals lone ambulance had been assigned to the event, which was attended by Shinde and several Marathi celebrities, including Ashok Saraf, Mahesh Kothare, Usha Nadkarni, Alka Kubal, Makrand Anaspure, Vijay Patkar, Siddharth Jadhav, and MP Dr Shrikant Shinde. As neighbours pleaded for help, the womans condition deteriorated rapidly. She was declared dead within 30 minutes. We kept begging for an ambulance, said Keshavan. Even the police told us to take her to a private hospital instead. No one from the hospital took responsibility. Social activist Satyejeet Burman of the Ambernath Citizens Forum condemned what he called systemic negligence. Kalyan, Ambernath, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur together have a massive population, yet ambulances never arrive on time. Hospitals lack even basic facilities- no doors on toilets, no cleanliness, no functioning ambulances. Despite having an MP who is a doctor, the healthcare system has seen no improvement in a decade, he said. Dr Shubhangi Wadekar, Superintendent of Chaya Hospital, confirmed that the only 102 ambulance was on protocol duty. Even if we had recalled the ambulance, her condition was critical. Our intern tried calling another ambulance, but it was still five minutes away when she passed, she said. Scarce ambulance resources According to civic officials, two government hospitals Chaya Hospital in Ambernath and Ulhasnagar Central Hospital each have one 102 ambulance available for public use. Residents can also call 108 for an alternative service. On Sunday, when neighbours dialled 102, they were informed that the ambulance was already on Deputy CM duty. They then tried calling 108 but reportedly received no response. Residents and social workers have demanded strict action against negligent authorities, saying repeated ambulance failures expose deep administrative flaws. The tragedy has reignited debate over Maharashtras fragile healthcare system and the urgent need for ambulance reforms and accountability. Not the first time In a similar case in March this year, 30-year-old Rahul Indate from Ulhasnagar died after the 108 ambulance failed to arrive on time. Despite repeated calls, no vehicle was dispatched promptly, leading to another preventable fatality. A 29-year-old man was shot and killed in Camden on Saturday afternoon, the first homicide in the city since the spring, officials said. Camden County police arrived on the 1200 block of Morton Street after getting a an alert from ShotSpotter a gunshot detection system at 1:50 p.m., the prosecutors office said. Police found Bruce Dixon with a gunshot wound. Dixon, of Camden, died of his injuries less than 15 minutes later at an area hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. The homicide was the ninth of the year in the city. Seven of the previous eight have resulted in arrests. There were no homicides during the summer for the first time since the city began tracking crime 50 years ago. The most recent gun death in the city took place on June 6 when a 16-year-old teen was killed in a home after a firearm was accidentally discharged. A 16-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl were later charged. Before that, two men were shot and killed on March 29 Last year, Camden recorded 18 homicides. The city recorded 28 homicides in both 2022 and 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Homicides in Camden have fallen 64% since 2014, the first full year that the Camden County Police Department patrolled the city. The county department replaced the abolished City of Camden police department. Anyone with information about Saturdays shooting is asked to call Detective Cody Skinner of the Camden County Prosecutors Office at 856-580-6053 or Detective Brandon Bolger of the Camden County police at 609-519-3981. Tips can also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS. Stories by Jeff Goldman Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A pensioner who shot and wounded the prime minister of Slovakia last year has been sentenced to 21 years in a maximum-security prison. Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old writer and poet, shot Robert Fico five times at close range as he walked among crowds of supporters in the town of Handlova in May 2024. The 61-year-old prime minister was hit by four bullets, suffering injuries to his abdomen, hip, hand and foot. He underwent hours of surgery and has largely recovered, returning to work two months after he was shot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cintula said he shot Mr Fico because he disagreed with his policies, including his decision to end military aid for Ukraine and his scrapping of a special prosecution office that fought corruption. In court, Cintula described the attack as a scream against fear that is paralysing the society but said he was relieved Mr Fico had not died. I decided to harm the health of the prime minister, but I had no intention to kill anyone, he said. Cintula was found guilty of terrorism charges after a trial that started in July in a criminal court in the city of Banska Bystrica, in central Slovakia. The shooting exposed the rift between Mr Ficos populist government and the opposition, which accuses him of covering up corruption, eroding democracy and undermining media freedom in the mould of Hungarys Viktor Orban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Fico repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt, without giving evidence. Pro-EU opposition politicians have accused Mr Fico of aligning Slovakia more closely with Russia and diverting the country from its pro-Western stance. Mr Fico returned to office for the fourth time after his leftist Smer party won the parliamentary election in 2023 and launched a crackdown on NGOs, cultural institutions and some media outlets it deems to be hostile. Last month, parliament approved a constitutional amendment to limit LGBTQ rights as part of a change that lets national law take precedence over EU legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prime ministers decision to foster ties with Moscow and his criticism of Western sanctions against the Kremlin have sparked protests by thousands of Slovaks under the slogan Slovakia is Europe. In January, Mr Fico raised the prospect of Slovakia leaving the EU and Nato, arguing that world events could consign them to the history books. 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 man was viciously stabbed Monday night during an apparent mugging near Riverside Park in Manhattan, cops said. The 44-year-old man was confronted by up to five male strangers dressed in hooded sweatshirts around 7:50 p.m. near West 138th St. and Riverside Drive in West Harlem, and then stabbed in the stomach and chest, police sources said. EMS rushed the victim to St. Lukes Hospital, where he was in stable condition. The men fled on foot and are being sought, police said. It was not immediately clear if anything was taken from the victim, cops said. A Minnesota father is suing Airbnb over the company's alleged lack of safety measures after a fire at a rental property killed six members of his family, including his wife and 5-year-old daughter. In June 2024, Stephen Kuehl was at a cabin in Juneau County, rented through Airbnb, with 19 other family members for a Fourth of July gathering. In the middle of the night June 30, the family awoke to a fire. Six people weren't able to make it out: Kuehl's wife, Charis Kuehl; their daughter, Stella Kuehl; Charis' father, Steven Witte; Charis' sister, Lydia Witte; and Steve and Charis' nieces, 8-year-old Lena Henselin and 3-year-old Merci Henselin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kuehl said he never heard smoke alarms go off. He estimated the family had a minute to get out. "It's somewhat a wonder that any of us survived, to be totally honest," he said. "With another minute, we'd all be in there trapped." Five-year-old Stella Kuehl was one of six family members who died in a fire at a cabin in Juneau County on June 30, 2024. Kuehl said he believes the outcome would have been different if the rental property had fire safety measures in place. "If we had two minutes, it would have a made a world of difference. And that's what smoke alarms do." Kuehl, with attorney Stacy Alexejun from national law firm Quarles & Brady, filed a lawsuit in Juneau County Circuit Court in June. On Oct. 16, the lawsuit was moved to federal court, at the request of Airbnb, Alexejun said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to Airbnb, the lawsuit names as defendants the rental property owners, Yevhen Hurtovyi and Iuliia Lytvyneko of Lake Zurich, Illinois, as well as Generali U.S. Branch and Travelers Personal Insurance Company. Charis Kuehl, 38, died June 30, 2024, in a fire at a cabin in Juneau County. Other family members who died were her daughter, Stella Kuehl; her father, Steven Witte; her sister, Lydia Witte; and two of her nieces, Lena and Merci Henselin. The lawsuit complaint alleges that the cabin at W5050 Morros Mile Road in the Town of Germantown in Juneau County, near Necedah was "not appropriately licensed or inspected under applicable Wisconsin and Juneau County regulations governing rental properties." It states that there weren't smoke and carbon monoxide detectors "that were sufficient in number, sufficiently located, and/or functioning." The cause of the fire hasn't been determined, Alexejun said. She said it's still under investigation by the state fire marshal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alexejun, who has represented Kuehl since November 2024, said they hadn't heard from Airbnb about the lawsuit until the company's attorneys filed court documents in mid-October. "I wish I had more information from Airbnb on their policies, but what we do know ... is that Airbnb does not require smoke and fire detectors or carbon monoxide detectors. They only encourage them," Alexejun said. Airbnb's website states that it is "on a mission to get alarms into as many listings as possible." "We strongly urge hosts to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in spaces that use fuel-burning appliances, test them regularly, and make sure their listing description is up to date," the company's website says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They state that if you do have them, you should list them as an 'amenity,' as if it's similar to a hot tub or a hair dryer," Alexejun said. RELATED: What we know, and don't know, about the Juneau County house fire that killed a family of six Alexejun also pointed out that Airbnb doesn't have a requirement for property owners to get rental licenses or inspections for their homes. According to the lawsuit complaint, the cabin the family stayed at "was not appropriately licensed or inspected under applicable Wisconsin and Juneau County regulations governing rental properties." Kuehl said Airbnb's lack of procedures for vetting rental properties "seems to prioritize profits over people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Airbnb has got to care about the safety of people, because I don't want anyone to go through what I've gone through when it can be easily prevented, or at least somewhat mitigated, by basic things like fire inspections and occupancy limits that are verified by fire marshals, and smoke alarms," Kuehl said. Attorneys for Airbnb haven't replied for comment. Defendants Airbnb, Travelers Personal Insurance Company and the property's owners, Hurtovyi and Lytvyneko, haven't yet filed responses to the complaint. Generali filed a response Sept. 2., when the case was still in Juneau County Circuit Court, denying that it should owe anything and requesting the court dismiss the insurance company from the complaint. (This story was updated to add information.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man sues Airbnb after family members die in Juneau County cabin fire A Texas man disappeared after he was last seen at Lenox Square last week. The Atlanta Police Department issued a missing person bulletin for 20-year-old Christopher Chapman. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police said Chapman and his girlfriend were visiting from Houston, Texas and went to Lenox Square on Oct. 15. At some point during their visit, Chapman disappeared. He was last seen near the Food Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone who has information on his whereabouts is urged to contact police at 404-546-4235. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A suspect wanted in connection with a deadly 2021 motorcycle crash has been found dead, according to Clarksville police. APRIL 2021 | Family of biker struck in Clarksville hit-and-run crash saying their goodbyes On April 18, 2021, at about 7:08 p.m. on New Providence Boulevard, 55-year-old motorcyclist Dwight Carter was struck by a truck. Carter died from his injuries on April 21, 2021. The suspect, Stanley Cliff, fled the scene following the crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May 2021, an investigator with the Clarksville Police Departments Fatal Accident Crash Team presented evidence to the Montgomery County Grand Jury, resulting in charges against Cliff. JANUARY 2022 | We want him found: Clarksville police continue search for man involved in hit-and-run nearly a year later On Monday, Clarksville police said Cliff, 64, was found dead in Memphis, Tennessee, on Oct. 14. No other details were immediately released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CARROLL TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) Authorities initiated a shelter-in-place order in York County while searching for a man who is currently wanted in multiple states on numerous felony warrants. According to Carroll Township Police, Christopher Emil Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 27, of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, is wanted for numerous charges in North Hampton County, Virginia, and Polk County, Florida. Christopher Emil Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 27, courtesy of the Carroll Township Police Dept. On October 20, 2025, at 5:28 p.m., the North Hampton County Sheriffs Department alerted Carroll Township Police that Rodriguez-Gonzalez was in the area. Authorities called to a home in the 500 Block of Chestnut Grove Road and ordered a shelter-in-place out of caution, but they could not locate Rodriguez-Gonzalez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Alerts Police said they did come in contact with a family member who aided Rodriguez-Gonzalezs escape from the home through a window. However, at 10 p.m. that evening, a caller reported to police that they witnessed a man matching Rodriguez-Gonzalezs description in the 100 block of South York Road. Police say they ordered another shelter-in-place and conducted another search using K-9s and drones, but Rodriguez-Gonzalez was not located, and the search was terminated. Carroll Township Police say they issued an arrest warrant for Rodriguez-Gonzalez, as he remains at large. Police say they are unaware if he is armed but do not believe he is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you know any information on Rodriguez-Gonzalezs whereabouts, contact Carroll Township Police. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BALLSTON SPA - Joseph Hess, the man wanted for severely injuring a 76-year-old woman during an alleged purse-snatching last week in a McDonald's parking lot, was arrested early Tuesday morning in Pennsylvania. The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office said U.S. Marshals took Hess into custody around 6:30 a.m. at a hotel in Tinicum Township, an area just south of Philadelphia near the city's airport. He is awaiting extradition at a jail in Delaware County, Pa., the sheriff's office said. Sign up for the Saratoga Now newsletter Keep up with the latest happening in Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Ballston Spa and other communities in Saratoga County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hess, 32, is accused of backing his vehicle over the woman's legs after she confronted him for stealing a purse from the passenger side of her car Thursday night. She suffered multiple compound fractures and remains hospitalized at Albany Medical Center Hospital. Deputies said Hess abandoned the car, which had been reported stolen from Colonie, behind Mabey's Moving and Storage on Route 67. He allegedly fled into a wooded area east of the warehouse. Police asked for the public's help in finding Hess and continued to search for him over the weekend. Sheriff's deputies, marshals and local police spent several hours searching for Hess at an Econo Lodge Inn & Suites motel on Saturday. He is facing first-degree assault and robbery charges, deputies said. This article originally published at Man wanted in purse snatching that severely injured 76-year-old arrested in Pa.. Chicago police are searching for the suspect wanted in the robbery and attack of a pregnant woman at CTA station in the Loop. The crime happened on October 4 at about 12:40 p.m. in the tunnel between the CTA Red Line and Blue Line at Jackson, police said. Police said the suspect approached a pregnant woman from behind, grabbed her purse and aggressively threw her to the ground and into the wall. Chicago police are searching for the suspect wanted in the robbery and attack of a pregnant woman at CTA station in the Loop on Oct. 4, 2025. Chicago Police Department. The suspect allegedly fled on a bicycle. Anyone with information is urged to contact Chicago police. INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood Adam Beckerink, whose wife, Caitlin Tracey, died at his South Loop high-rise, was sentenced for domestic violence charges on Monday. There was no trial in the Michigan domestic violence case against Beckerink since he pleaded no-contest to charges of domestic violence and interfering with a 911 call made by his wife. The deal meant the resisting arrest charges he previously faced were dropped. RELATED | Man whose estranged wife found dead in South Loop stairwell now considered suspect in her death Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, he was sentenced to serve a concurrent 93-day sentence for two charges: domestic violence and contempt of court. He could get out as soon as 72 days from Monday because of time served, and if he presents good behavior. Beckerink was sentenced to two years probation for interfering with a 911 call made by his wife. Tracey's mother, Monica, gave an emotional 15-minute impact statement in court. She was the only family member to speak in court. Caitlin Tracey's mother gave emotional impact statement in Michigan court at the domestic violence sentencing of Adam Beckerink on Oct. 20, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are witnesses to the physical and psychological bruises and scars our daughter endured from this defendant. But in the end, the coercive control he had over her was too great for her. She was lost. We feared for our safety, the safety of our other daughter, our son-in-law and our young grandson," she said. She stood beside her husband, Andrew, and spoke directly to the judge about her son-in-law, saying he systematically manipulated and abused their daughter. "Our daughter never stood a chance against this brute. She was beaten, bruised and battered by this brute. And then he is the ultimate controlling coward and took away her cell phone when she tried to summon help," Dr. Monica Tracey said. Speaking with steely resolve and the pain of a grieving mother, Tracey asked the judge to impose the strictest penalty he could against the man she says she believes is inextricably tied to her daughter's death nearly one year ago, describing the abuse Caitlin said she faced in her application for a protective order against her husband, as a Chicago police detective listened in the Michigan courtroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Strangling me, suffocating me, slamming my head against a cabinet, putting my head in a headlock, pulling me away from the door," she said. "The defendant stalked her, brutalized her, terrorized her and psychologically isolated her from family and friends." The courtroom was packed with Tracey's family and friends. "It isn't just her death that haunts us; it is the slow-moving destruction of her life. This is now our family's ongoing trauma, which we are trying to manage," Tracey's mother said in court. "Instead of meeting my daughter for dinner, my husband and I visit her grave. There is no justice that can heal our pain." Beckerink said he missed his wife, and he was unable to grieve because he had to "protect himself." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A new charge was also revealed in court on Monday. Beckerink was charged with contempt for allegedly violating his probation while going to get a court-ordered drug test. On June 7, he allegedly arrived intoxicated to get a drug test at a clinic in Chicago's Goose Island. He was accused of being aggressive toward staff and allegedly defecated on the floor. Beckerink was taken in handcuffs out of the court to begin his sentence on Monday. Adam Beckerink was taken into custody after being sentenced on October 20, 2025. Police body camera video from August 2024 shows Beckerink struggling with police and Tracey crying nearby after she had called police for help. The video was played during a hearing in June when a judge ruled it could be shown at trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO | Funeral held for woman who died at husband's South Loop condo after legal battle over remains Tracey was found dead in the stairwell of Beckerink's condo building last fall. She had multiple skull and rib fractures. An assistant Cook County state's attorney has said Beckerink is considered a suspect in her death, but has not been charged. Her foot was partially severed and her body was pulverized after falling 24 stories. Chicago police reports show Beckerink had reported his wife missing the day before, saying he hadn't seen her in weeks. However, information obtained by the ABC7 Chicago I-Team shows Beckerink was taken into custody by Chicago police for what investigators said were "inconsistencies" in the report he made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A family spokesperson called this the first step toward justice for the Tracey family. Next week will mark one year since Tracey's death. If you need help or know someone in need of help, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for confidential support 24/7/365. The number is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). You can also text the word "START" to 88788. Parksite police have registered a non-cognisance report after nine people from the transgender community allegedly attempted to take their own life. The matter came to light when the victims were rushed to Rajawadi Hospital on Sunday. At least nine people had consumed some hazardous substances with an intention to end their life. The police rushed to the spot and admitted all the concerned people to Rajawadi Hospital. We have registered an NC against a person who had passed derogatory comments against one trust and a spiritual influencer. Further investigation is on, Senior Inspector Sudhakar Ghatekar said. According to the police, the incident took place on October 19. The victims told people at their residence that they were going to their NGO. Instead they consumed phenyl. They were in distress due to a derogatory comment passed by a person, the official added. The derogatory comment was passed against Joyti, our Guru Ma, and the Kinnar Maa Sanstha, Dr Salma Khan, the founder of Kinnar Maa Sanstha, told Mumbai Mirror. We were deeply hurt by the comments passed by Krishna Adlekar. The police came to action and registered an NC. We are demanding an FIR against Adlekar. He has committed many offences before. He has been booked under the Transgender Protection Act and has been out on bail, he said. Khan added that nine individuals were receiving treatment in the hospital. Some of the victims are in the ICU and others are receiving treatment in the hospital. They are in a state of shock, she told Mumbai Mirror. CLEARFIELD, Pa. (WTAJ) A Curwensville man is behind bars after allegedly grooming and groping a teen employee he managed. Dakota Novak Pline, 29, was charged with felony corruption of minors, misdemeanor indecent assault without consent and with giving the teen a nicotine vape pen. Pline was employed as a manager at a Clearfield business and would often work evening shifts with the 17-year-old girl who later went to Clearfield Regional Police, according to the criminal complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The teen claimed Pline would often hug her from behind, alleging she could feel what seemed to be his genitals pressed against her. The victim went on to explain that she made anonymous complaints before finally revealing her identity to human resources, the complaint reads. She said the hugs, gestures, whistling and sexual comments stopped for a bit but began again, prompting her and her mother to go to the police. The victim also alleged that Pline would buy her gifts, including giving her a nicotine vape pen. It was noted that the victim said she ended up going directly to the store and regional managers and was assured Pline would be fired. Police added in the affidavit that they spoke with Pline, who allegedly admitted to hugging the victim, but denied the accusations about his genitals and making sexual comments. According to the complaint, Pline also told police he couldnt even whistle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pline was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Jerome M. Nevling, where bail was set at $100,000. He was placed in Clearfield County Prison to await a preliminary hearing set for Oct. 22. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. MANSFIELD - The Mansfield Hollow Lake boat launch was closed to the public on Tuesday morning for an investigation, officials said. Mansfield Hollow Lake State Boat Launch, Mansfield, CT is closed due to Law Enforcement Investigation - CT DEEP Boating (@CTBoatingInfo) October 21, 2025 The investigation was being conducted by police, according to an announcement made by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection just after 7 a.m. "Resources are continuing efforts to search for more evidence from an earlier investigation at the Mansfield Hollow Boat Launch area," Connecticut State Police said. "There is no threat to the public at this time. We ask the public to allow investigators to conduct their work safely and without interference while they continue their search." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, police reported that "partial human remains" were discovered in the water at the park. It was unclear whether the investigation Tuesday was connected to the remains. This article originally published at Mansfield Hollow Lake boat launch closed for police investigation Tuesday, officials say. Thousands of Hoosiers across Indiana exercised their Constitutional right to free speech participating in the nationwide "No Kings" demonstrations against President Donald Trump and his administration. An estimated 2,700 rallies took place from coast-to-coast Oct. 18, drawing millions of Americans who marched, held signs, chanted slogans or wore costumes to voice their frustrations with many of Trump's recent policies. It was one of the largest single-day demonstrations in recent history, said organizers, drawing nearly seven million participants. No major incidents or arrests were reported during the day. What 'No Kings" organizers said about the protests "Millions of Americans stood together to reject authoritarianism and remind the world that our democracy belongs to the people, not to one mans ambition, said Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, Co-Founders, Indivisible in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This movement isnt about a single protest; its about a growing chorus of Americans who refuse to be ruled. Trump may want a crown, but in this country, there are no kings. Congressional Republicans dismissed 'No Kings' protests as 'hate America' rallies Some congressional Republicans referred to the protests as "hate America" rallies, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who accused them for prolonging the current government shutdown. In a recent FOX News segment, Indiana U.S. Sen. Jim Banks dismissed the demonstrations, saying Trump had won a mandate to clean up the country. "If that angers these 'No Kings' protesters and riles them up to dress up in their costumes to go out in protest out in the streets, it doesn't intimidate any of us who understand what happened on election day," Banks said to a Fox News correspondent. 'Our institutions are being destroyed,' said married Indiana couple Some protesters traveled more than an hour to participate in the protest at the Indiana Statehouse, including Susie and Richard Thompson, both 76, of Terre Haute, Indiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are ashamed of our government right now and we are deeply concerned about what's happening in the United States," Susie Thompson said. "So we thought, there's no more powerful antidote to what's happening than our voice, so here we are." Richard Thompson echoed her thoughts. "Right now, our institutions are being destroyed," he said, "and if something isn't done to save them soon, we may never get them back again." Richard and Susie Thompson, both 76, of Terre Haute, said theyre here at the No Kings protest in Indianapolis because they are worried about the direction of the country under President Trump. pic.twitter.com/9eTDAD51yn Tony Cook (@indystartony) October 18, 2025 Where did 'No Kings' protests take place in Indiana? Rallies took place in more than 30 Indiana cities and towns, which included Indianapolis, Bloomington, Columbus, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Muncie and South Bend. What 'No Kings' demonstrations looked like across Indiana How many people attended 'No Kings' protests in Indiana? While exact estimates aren't known, many "No Kings" demonstrations across the Hoosier State drew hundreds if not thousands of protesters at each rally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers estimated more than 6,000 people attended the demonstration in Indianapolis. The previous June rally saw a crowd of 4,000 people. In Muncie, hundreds of protesters held signs spanning the Fallen Heroes Bridge. Some estimated the crowd approached roughly 1,000 people. By noon Oct. 18 in South Bend, an estimated 1,000-2,000 people held signs denouncing Trump. Meanwhile, "throngs of demonstrators" crowded sidewalks in downtown Evansville. Protesters gather along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard during a No Kings rally in Downtown Evansville, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Marchers circled the courthouse in Lafayette where speeches interspersed with music could be heard later from a nearby park. A man observing the rally from out-of-state told a Courier & Journal reporter the protests had a personal meaning for him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Ive been in town this week because my mother is losing her Medicaid," said Marvin Butler of New York. "We need to put her in a nursing home because shes losing her Medicaid, which is paying for her aides that she desperately needs... its around the same issues that the protest is about." Protesters gather along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard during a No Kings rally in Downtown Evansville, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. IndyStar Politics Editor Kaitlin Lange, IndyStar reporter Tony Cook, Star Press reporter Douglas Walker, Courier & Press reporter Houston Harwood and Journal & Courier reporter Ron Wilkins contributed to this article. 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: How many people attended 'No Kings' protests in Indiana? What we know NEED TO KNOW Susan Lorincz fatally shot her neighbor, Ajike AJ Shantrell Owens, through her door in June 2023 For two years, Lorincz had called 911 more than half a dozen times to complain of the children in her neighborhood, including Owens' kids The tragic story was chronicled in the Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor Ajike AJ Shantrell Owens was tragically shot and killed by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, on June 2, 2023. However, two years prior to the devastating shooting, tensions in the neighborhood of Ocala, Fla., had been slowly escalating. Beginning in January 2021, Lorincz, who is White, made half a dozen calls to 911 complaining about the children in her neighborhood sometimes, concerning Owens' four young kids, who are Black. As Lorincz got more irritated with the children, she'd place "No trespassing" signs in an open field located near her rental apartment, file police reports about them and yell racial slurs at them, per CBS News. Lorincz even allegedly waved guns at them, according to NBC News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two years of tension reached a boiling point on June 2, 2023, when Lorincz and two of Owens' children got into a particularly heated exchange, according to the outlet. When Owens began knocking on Lorincz's door to confront her, Lorincz shot Owens through her locked door, despite knowing that police were on their way due to a previous 911 call. Owens died as a result of the gunshot later that night, according to CBS News. The tragic story, which has been chronicled in the Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor, resulted in Lorincz being charged with manslaughter with a firearm. She was found guilty of Owens' murder in August 2024 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The Perfect Neighbor details the two years leading up to Owens' murder. Here's everything to know about the events leading up to Susan Lorincz fatally shooting her neighbor, Ajike AJ Shantrell Owens. Susan Lorincz moved into a rental home in Ocala, Fla., in 2020 Courtesy of Netflix Susan Lorincz in 'The Perfect Neighbor'. Susan Lorincz in 'The Perfect Neighbor'. Lorincz moved into a rental apartment in Ocala, Fla., according to court records obtained by News 6 Orlando. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, less than a year after Lorincz joined the community, she developed issues with many of the residents and became known for harassing the children. Everybody in this neighborhood has feuded with this lady over our children, local resident Phyllis Wills told NBC News in June 2023. In 2021, Lorincz began calling 911 to complain about children playing near her home Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner Africa Princess Williams, center, sat next to her grandmother Pamela Dias, left and her best friend, right, during the remembrance ceremony for her late mother. Africa Princess Williams, center, sat next to her grandmother Pamela Dias, left and her best friend, right, during the remembrance ceremony for her late mother. Beginning in January 2021, Lorincz called the police a number of times about the neighborhood children. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods later shared in a 2023 news conference that between 2021 to 2023, authorities responded to "six to eight" incidents, per The New York Times. In addition to complaining about the children "trespassing" on the field next to her apartment which was not owned by her Lorincz also alleged that the kids were yelling at her, threatening her life and playing too loudly, per the New York Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Lorincz also developed a reputation among her fellow neighbors, who called her 911 calls "false reports," per the arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE at the time. "[The neighbor] advised that Lorincz is known to harass the children by video recording them with her phone as they play in the open field between the apartment buildings and that Lorincz believes that area belongs to her," the affidavit read. Fellow resident Lauren Smith told the Associated Press in June 2023 that Lorincz "was angry all the time that the children were playing out there" and that she would say "nasty things" to the kids. Lorincz has admitted to using racial slurs and hate speech against the children Netflix The Perfect Neighbor. The Perfect Neighbor. In addition to calling 911 to report incidents about the neighborhood children, Lorincz would also confront the children herself. After her 2023 arrest, Lorincz admitted to hurling racial slurs at the children, according to the arrest affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lorincz admitted to having used 'the n-word' toward children out of anger in the past and also calling children other derogatory terms, the affidavit read. The neighborhood children who were victims of Lorincz's rants also alleged that during one confrontation, she "came out of her house and gave the children the middle finger," per CNN. The child also alleged that Lorincz told them, "Get away from my house, you Black slave." Owens' youngest child added that Lorincz allegedly called him and his friends "bastards." He further claimed that Lorincz once said, "This isnt the underground railroad, slave." Despite Lorincz verbally harassing the children, she maintained that she was the victim and even once told authorities that she was the "perfect neighbor." Lorincz and Owens kids got into a heated altercation on June 2, 2023 Netflix Ajike Owens' son Israel in The Perfect Neighbor. Ajike Owens' son Israel in The Perfect Neighbor. After two years of tension, Lorincz and the Owens children got into an intense altercation on June 2, 2023. Owens' kids were playing outside and in the field near her apartment when she started arguing with them, per The New York Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lorincz allegedly yelled at them and screamed racial slurs at them, the kids said in the affidavit. The incident escalated when one of the kids noticed that his iPad was missing after he left it in the field and claimed that Lorincz took it. When the 9-year-old asked Lorincz to return it, he claimed that Lorincz subsequently threw it on the ground and yelled at him. She escalated in anger and allegedly threw a roller skate at him and hit him in the toe, per CNN. The kid's older brother confronted Lorincz and told her, "You want to throw something, throw it at me," before she came out swinging an umbrella at him. At 8:54 p.m., Lorincz placed her first 911 call of the evening to report the incident, while the brothers went home to tell Owens about the situation, per CBS News. Lorincz told 911 dispatchers that she felt threatened by the kids Courtesy of Netflix Susan Lorincz in 'The Perfect Neighbor'. Susan Lorincz in 'The Perfect Neighbor'. On June 2, 2023, Lorincz placed two 911 calls. In the first call, she accused the Owens siblings of trespassing on her property and threatening to fight her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive got kids trespassing. Leaving all their toys around. Just screaming, yelling, just being absolutely obnoxious, she said about the children, according to the 911 tape obtained by PEOPLE. I went and threw the roller skate over to the other side, the kid says hes going to beat me up for that, and hes mouthing off to me. I feel threatened in my own home. She added, "There are several kids out there right now. Im fearing for my life. Im very scared. The 911 dispatcher subsequently told Lorincz to stay inside her home and lock her doors and windows while an officer was on the way. However, just minutes later, police received information about shots fired in the same area. Lorincz called 911 for a second time around that same time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oh my God. This lady just tried to break down my door. I shot through the door. Oh my God, she said of Owens in the second call. "The woman was screaming and yelling at me trying to break down my door. I didnt know what to do. I grabbed my gun and shot at the door because I thought she was going to kill me." Owens was shot and killed by Lorincz later that night Courtesy of Netflix Susan Lorincz in 'The Perfect Neighbor'. Susan Lorincz in 'The Perfect Neighbor'. At the same time that Lorincz was making her first call to 911, the Owens kids filled their mom in on the situation. Owens walked over to Lorinczs apartment with her 9-year-old son, Israel, to confront her. Owens "knocked on the door multiple times, and demanded that Lorincz come outside," per the affidavit. Even though Lorincz had just gotten instructions from a 911 dispatcher and knew the police were on their way, she grabbed a .380-caliber handgun and shot through the door, per The New York Times. Owens was shot in the right side of her chest while Israel stood next to her. One of the children called 911 to report the shot at 9:04 p.m., and she died in the hospital later that night on June 2, 2023, per CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Lorincz shot Owens, she claimed that Owens threatened to kill her and she acted out of self-defense and fear for her life. Lorincz was not immediately arrested after shooting Owens because of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law that allows individuals to defend themselves if they are fearing their life. However, authorities later arrested Lorincz and charged her with Owens' murder after they determined that Lorinczs actions were "not justifiable under Florida law," according to CBS News. She was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault on June 7, 2023. In August 2024, Lorincz was convicted and was later sentenced to 25 years in prison. Read the original article on People Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of Rent Free. This week's newsletter includes stories on: The anticlimactic end of the wild legal fight over Charlottesville, Virginia's new zoning code. Federal housing reform miraculously passed out of the Senate on a bipartisan basis during the shutdown. Democrats' bad idea of letting furloughed government workers skip paying rent during the shutdown. But first! Our lead item is on how Marc Benioff continues to pingpong between equally bad ideas on how to clean up San Francisco's streets. Marc Benioff Continues To Be Wrong About Homelessness This past week, Benioff, the billionaire founder and CEO of Salesforce, courted endless controversy when he told The New York Times that President Donald Trump should send in the National Guard to assist San Francisco's understaffed police department in cleaning up the streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The remarks did not go over well in liberal San Francisco, where Benioff is from and his company is headquartered. In the wake of the Times interview, liberal donor Ron Conway resigned from the Salesforce Foundation's board in protest, comedians have canceled their scheduled performances at the company's upcoming conference, and Benioff walked back his comments in a post on X. (San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has since put out a video saying he is ready and willing to work with federal law enforcement on enforcing drug laws, but is opposed to National Guard deployments.) In addition to being controversial, Benioff's support for sending in the troops is unusual and more than a little ironic, given his last major foray into San Francisco city politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2018, Benioff was the primary funder and a fierce public advocate for Proposition Cthe ultimately successful ballot initiative that hiked the city's gross receipts tax by $300 million a year on large tech companies to pay for homeless housing and services. The proposed tax attracted a lot of opposition from the business community and the city's political establishment, including then-Mayor London Breed and state Sen. Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco). All warned that such a steep tax increase (the largest in San Francisco history) on such a narrow base of businesses would drive companies out of town. Moreover, there was a lot of concern that dumping a lot of money into San Francisco's notoriously opaque homelessness bureaucracy without a clear spending plan was a recipe for waste. Benioff shrugged off these objections, saying that the new revenue was necessary to deal with the crises of "cleanliness" and "inequality" in the city. In a very public social media spat with Jack Dorsey, he accused billionaire opponents of Prop C of benefiting from city tax breaks while doing nothing to support the homeless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seven years on from Prop C's passage, it seems like the measure's critics had a point that even Benioff is tacitly conceding. A number of large companies did leave town in response to the tax hike, including Stripe and Block, and the homeless population continued to increase. More notably, the city's last biennial homeless census in 2024 counted 8,323 homeless people in San Franciscoa 7 percent increase from the 2022 count. Despite a cumulative $821 million in Prop Cfunded spendingincluding half a billion on permanent supportive housing and homeless preventionthe number of people sleeping on the streets or in shelters has only grown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tax has spent a cumulative $164 million on mental health services, and yet surveys show that mental illness rates among the homeless population have "skyrocketed." The situation is bad enough that Benioff, who championed the left-coded Prop C as a way of getting San Francisco's homelessness and public order crises under control, is now demanding a very right-coded federal military intervention to address the same problem. One could posit a number of reasons why Prop Cfunded programs haven't arrested the rise of San Francisco's homeless population. Inefficient spending is a plausible one. Past controversies include a Prop Cfunded program running a "safe camping" site for the cost of $61,000 per tent, per year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One could argue that the initiative put too much priority on providing permanent supportive housing over emergency shelter. Lurie's latest budget redirected some Prop C funds from housing to shelter programs. I think the bigger reason is that any approach to homelessness is going to fail so long as San Francisco's housing costs remain as high as they are. It's no coincidence that San Francisco has some of the nation's highest housing costs, lowest rates of new housing construction, and highest rates of homelessness. City regulations have stifled new housing construction for decades, which has spiked the price of housing and resulted in more and more people ending up on the streets. Unless something changes about that basic set of facts, enough people will continue to be homeless, and become homeless, in San Francisco to overwhelm whatever services the city providesbe that shelter beds, rental assistance, permanent supportive housing, mental health services, or whatever else. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More efficient spending or even higher taxes might increase the city's capacity to handle the homeless population for a time, but it won't end the basic dynamic of high housing costs begetting more and more people sleeping on the streets. The upshot for the present moment is that the National Guard can't fix this basic dynamic either. Unless Trump wants to direct them to build new apartment buildings, there's not a lot they'll be able to do to address San Francisco's homelessness crisis. Benioff, fresh from supporting one failed big intervention, is now demanding another that will also certainly fail. The Wild Legal Fight Over Charlottesville's Zoning Reforms Comes to an Anticlimactic End The nearly two-year whirlwind, occasionally comical legal fight over Charlottesville, Virginia's zoning reformsduring which time the city has gone from saying it has no zoning code to stopping consideration of new constructionappears to be at an end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, the Charlottesville City Council voted to accept a settlement agreement that would end a lawsuit challenging the legality of zoning amendments it adopted in December 2023, which broadly allowed smaller multifamily projects ("middle housing") in single-family areas and larger apartments in new areas of town. Under the settlement agreement, Charlottesville will send a traffic analysis of the new zoning code to state transportation officials in exchange for plaintiff property owners agreeing to drop their legal challenge against the new code. It's a rather anticlimactic result, considering some of the twists and turns of the lawsuit. Back in January 2024, a collection of Charlottesville property owners sued the city, alleging that the zoning reforms passed the previous month had failed to follow various state laws about the need to consider various environmental and infrastructure impacts when passing zoning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case wound through the courts for the next year and a half until last summer. That's when an attorney representing the city missed a major filing deadline. That led the judge hearing the case to issue a default judgment invalidating the new zoning code. In a brief, highly ironic twist, city officials said that the default judgment left the city with no zoning code whatsoever. "The old [zoning] ordinance had to be repealed in order for the new one to be adopted. The void of the new one leaves us without one temporarily," said City Manager Sam Sanders to the local press, adding that without the zoning code, the city couldn't enforce use restrictions. The idea of a lawsuit challenging a zoning code that allows a little more housing leading to complete zoning abolition was a fun development. But it wasn't to last. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a follow-up statement to Reason, the city said that Sanders' comments about the city having no zoning code were "mistakenly conveyed" and that the city's new zoning code was still in effect until the judge overseeing the case issued a written order. Rather than a development free-for-all, the city said that it would actually be pausing consideration of "zoning-related applications," including "new construction, additions, site modifications, and changes in use" until more legal clarity about the status of the zoning code was reached. Eventually, this past September, the city was able to overturn the default judgment against its new zoning code. The case was set to go to trial in September 2026. A city staff report says that while they're confident the city would prevail at trial, the settlement is a cheaper means of ending the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city says that the plaintiffs have agreed to accept the settlement as well. Provided that happens, after all the legal back-and-forth, Charlottesville's new zoning code allowing a little more housing will be in effect, and plaintiffs will get a little more information about what the traffic impacts of that new housing will be. ROAD to Housing Act Passes Senate; Criticism Mounts The ROAD to Housing Act, the big, bipartisan amalgam of housing policy tweaks and changes, has miraculously managed to pass through the U.S. Senate during the ongoing government shutdown. The bill was folded into this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is now being taken up by the House of Representatives. As Rent Free has previously covered, the bill included a long list of relatively modest changes to federal grant and loan programs, mostly aimed at increasing housing production and diversifying the types of housing being produced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It managed to pass unanimously out of the Senate Banking Committee, where it was first introduced. Its attachment to the NDAA eased its passage through the full Senate. Santi Ruiz's Statecraft podcast from last week contains good background on the political machinations that have seen the bill move as fast as it has on a bipartisan basis. There have been a number of conservative criticisms of the bill. The American Enterprise Institute's Tobias Peter has argued the bill needlessly expands the federal government's role in housing policy. More recently, Lyman Stone, writing at the Institute for Family Studies, argues the bill is "anti-family" by focusing its supply-side interventions on boosting the supply of smaller multifamily housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That point got a lot of pushback on X from other housing wonks who argue that more one-bedroom apartments lower demand for family-sized units, and thus lower costs for everyone. Senate Democrats Propose Eviction Moratorium for Federal Workers During Shutdown Last week, I covered a bill authored by Sen. Brian Schatz (DHawaii) and supported by 17 of his fellow Democrats that would relieve federal workers and contractors from a long list of civil obligations during the shutdown, including the need to make rent and mortgage payments. As I argue in my post, the eviction protections in the bill are mostly performative and unnecessary. Few landlords would see any upside to evicting an otherwise good tenant because they fall behind on their bills during a shutdown. Nevertheless, I do find Schatz's bill concerning, given the mentality it represents; whenever there's some sort of economic shock, normal property rights governing the landlord-tenant relationship must be suspended. That attitude led to the pandemic's disastrous eviction moratoriums. One would hate to see that thinking become policy come the next national calamity. Quick Links A U.S. district court judge has blocked the Trump administration's effort to lay off thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown, including several hundred employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The administration has vowed to comply with the order. The New York Times covers Portland's efforts to fight Immigration and Customs Enforcement by dinging the privately owned facility it's operating out of in the city with a bunch of zoning violations. Pittsburgh City Council members spar over whether to adopt a citywide "inclusionary zoning" ordinance. Read Reason's past coverage here. New York's mayoral candidates sparred over housing policy during their debate last week. The post Marc Benioff's Ideas for Fixing San Francisco Keep Getting Worse appeared first on Reason.com. Mariano's is gearing up for its 2nd Annual Bag Stuffing Spectacular on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 2323 Capital Drive in Northbrook. It's aiming to stuff over 40,000 Sack Hunger Bags to support families in need this holiday season. The grocery story chains is looking for 100 volunteers per shift to help us fill bags with seven essential food items we are providing: crushed tomatoes, green beans, cream of chicken soup, elbow macaroni, mac & cheese, instant rice, and creamy peanut butter. These bags will be sold in stores throughout December for just $5, with a value of $5.50 at cost - all to benefit local food banks and rescue teams from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank. Amanda Puck, Vice President of Communications at Mariano's, stopped by the ABC 7 studios this weekend, putting the call out for volunteers. To register for the 2nd Annual Bag Stuffing Spectacular, click here. The US Marine Corps is no stranger to firing live ordnance as part of training, but it had been years more than 70, according to one US official since Marines had fired artillery over a stretch of the I-5 interstate in California like troops did last weekend during the Corps 250th birthday celebration. The very first shell fired as part of the demonstration exploded on Saturday over the interstate, stretches of which serve as the busiest highway in America, dropping at least one shell fragment on a parked California Highway Patrol cruiser. The celebration at Camp Pendleton, California, was attended by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Marine Corps is currently investigating what went wrong with the round, a 155mm artillery shell that had been fired by an M777 Howitzer. The day before Marines had successfully fired more than two dozen shells from the same batch of artillery, according to the official, lending more questions as to what happened on Saturday and why. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNN has reported there were no injuries from the incident, which the California Highway Patrol Border Division Chief Tony Coronado called an unusual and concerning situation. The Marine Corps did not respond to questions about who made the decision to fire over I-5, when the last time was that the Marine Corps fired artillery over the interstate, or if there were broader concerns regarding the artillery batch the shell that prematurely detonated came from. The US has been rapidly increasing its production of the 155 mm shells, more than tripling production since 2022 up to 40,000 rounds per month that has included opening new production facilities as part of $5.5 billion in US investment in manufacturing the munitions. The driver of that surge in production has been Ukraines need for the shells in its protracted war repelling Russian forces, with the US already having sent more than 3 million 155 mm rounds to the country since the start of the conflict. Californias Gov. Gavin Newsom, in an escalating spat with the White House over the safety of Saturdays demonstration, had closed the interstate ahead of the exercise, which involved firing artillery from a beach area over the highway onto land that is part of the Camp Pendleton military facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Newsom had described plans to fire shells over the highway as dangerous and said he was making the decision to close the highway, a spokesman for Vance had told CNN that the showcase was an established safe practice. Live-fire exercises, where real ordnance is used for training, are a common occurrence for US military units around the country. However, the specific route planned for the shells on Saturday hadnt been used since before I-5 became an interstate in the 1950s, according to the US official. Firing from the beach, firing over I-5, in theory shouldnt have been a problem, Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel who served as an artillery officer and who is currently a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN. The shells were high when they went over I-5 and thats why the Marine Corps apparently said shutting down the highway was not necessary because in theory, theyd be so high they wouldnt interfere with anyone below, he said. And for some reason one of them went off prematurely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The batch of artillery shells used during the demonstration has likely been frozen and will not be used again until the Marines further clarify what happened, Cancian said. A 2024 Reuters investigation of artillery production found some issues with manufacturing lines of the munitions, including cracked shells in Iowa that shut down a production line further delaying their delivery, and a US decision to change the kind of explosive used in the shell. Years before Russias invasion of Ukraine, the US decided to move away from using TNT inside the shell to an explosive believed to be less vulnerable to detonation by accident, the Reuters report said. The Army confirmed to Reuters it reversed course and began using TNT once again after the war began, due to cost efficiency needs and to increase the production rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The military services often try to put together a compelling showcase when important leaders make a visit to a military facility, Cancian said. The idea that when a VIP shows up you do something special for them is totally normal, he said. What is abnormal, he added, is that the shell detonated prematurely. The 155 shells, Cancian explained, weigh roughly 95 pounds the majority of that weight due to the shell itself, and only 15 pounds of it attributed to the actual explosive. When the shell explodes, the metal casing is meant to splinter into tiny fragments in an effort to inflict more casualties on a battlefield. A photo of one of those fragments on a patrol car was shared in a press release by the California Highway Patrol, which said shrapnel struck and damaged a patrol vehicle. Cancian emphasized that the patrol car was not hit by an artillery shell but rather struck by fragments of the shell which exploded far overhead, slowing down as they fell through the air before landing on the patrol car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It went off very high, and the shell fragments came down to the ground, didnt look like they were going very fast, he said, adding that obviously that should not have happened. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Marine Corps identified the pilot killed in the crash of an AH-1Z attack helicopter as an experienced pilot whose commanders once thought highly enough of his flying skills to assign him as an exchange pilot with the Australian Army. Maj. Tyler R. Braconi, 35, had more than a decade in uniform and at the time of his death was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Braconi and another Marine were flying on a training mission on Oct. 16 over a remote part of southeastern California after taking off from Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, when their AH-1Z crashed. Braconi was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. The other aviator, who was not identified, was described on Friday by 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing as being in stable condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Braconi, a California native, commissioned into the Marines in May 2012. He served a tour with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, another unit in the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and was chosen to serve as an exchange pilot with the Australian Army. Across all U.S. military branches, foreign exchange pilots are generally chosen from among top performers whom leaders trust as representatives of their home units and service. His awards and decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four bronze stars, among others. Top Stories This Week News Captain of ship at center of Navy SEAL drownings sentenced to 40 years By Drew F. Lawrence News One Marine killed, another injured in helicopter crash By Nicholas Slayton News Army now planning campusstyle dining at up to 10 large bases By Patty Nieberg We join the family of Maj. Tyler Braconi in mourning the unimaginable loss of a loved one. Our most valued asset is our people, the individual Marine, and Tyler was one of the greats, Lt. Col. Christopher Hart, the commander of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, said in the Marine Corps release. We mourn the loss of a Gunfighter, brave aviator, and leader that served our nation with humility, strength, and purpose. Our focus is supporting Tylers family and loved ones during this difficult time. Braconi and the other pilot were flying their Viper as part of routine flight operations in support of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said. The WTI course, based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, is the services top finishing school for its best and most experienced pilots, akin to the Navys Top Gun program and the Air Forces Weapons School. Aircraft from Camp Pendleton routinely fly missions in support of the courses training over the sprawling desert ranges in eastern California and western Arizona. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight launched from Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. The Marine Corps is investigating the cause of the mishap and did not provide any additional details on the incident. Early last year a CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter crashed in California, killing five Marines from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on their way back to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is ramping up her criticism of GOP leadership during the government shutdown by warning that Republicans could lose the House if they dont keep their promise to decrease the cost of living. I cant see into the future, but I see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck-to-paycheck, the lawmaker told Semafor in an interview Monday. Politics: Trump Nomination Likely To Go Up In Flames After Racist Texts Leak Voters will definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greene argued that health care should be the No. 1 thing that were working on, predicting it will be one of the top issues in the 2026 midterms. Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies are due to expire at the end of the year, and if Republicans and Democrats dont overcome their stalemate, premiums will more than double, on average, for over 20 million people. Greene then suggested Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had not delivered on a so-called Republican plan to iron out Americas health care woes. Politics: Surreal Video Shows Cops Tackling A Gigantic Penis During Anti-Trump Protest Mike Johnson is at the press conferences every morning saying that weve got pages and pages, or weve got a Republican plan yet I havent seen one single page of the so-called Republican plan, she continued. I havent heard one single GOP conference call on this issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its like, where is it? Greene added. The Republican Party is failing. In an Oct. 6 X post, Greene railed at the GOP over health care. Im not towing the party line on this, or playing loyalty games. Im carving my own lane, she wrote. Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!! Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has become increasingly vocal about the flaws of Republican leaders, particularly amid the ongoing government shutdown. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images Asked about Greenes tweet, Johnson told Fox News that he and his friend had a thoughtful conversation about her concerns. There are many Republicans that have been working around the clock on this, he said earlier this month. There has been a lot of work done on this. We have hundreds of ideas literally on the table to fix health care. To make it more affordable for the American people. Politics: I Dont Like You: Trump Tells Off Ambassador To His Face In Tense White House Moment He added, Theres a lot that can be done, but you have to build consensus in a large, deliberative, public body like this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Representatives for Johnson and Greene didnt immediately respond to HuffPosts requests for comment. Greenes comments to Semafor came as she called out the House in an X post declaring that she has no respect for the decision to refuse to work. The House should be in session working, she wrote on Monday. We should be finishing appropriations. Our committees should be working. We should be passing bills that make President Trumps executive orders permanent. Related... Read the original on HuffPost The News Marjorie Taylor Greene, the MAGA true believer and Republican Party critic, says that if her party cant keep its promise to bring down the cost of living, it will pay the price in next years midterm elections. I cant see into the future, but I see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck-to-paycheck, the Georgia Republican told Semafor in an interview, pointing to new signs that US credit card debt is at an all-time high. Theyll definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account. Its only the latest criticism Greene has leveled against her own partys leadership. As the conservative Georgia lawmaker goes after the GOP for refusing to negotiate a bipartisan deal on health care costs until Democrats agree to its government funding bill, shes also spoken out against Republicans refusal to release all of the Jeffrey Epstein files; their decision to funnel billions of dollars to Argentina; and their inertia after a judge issued a restraining order against Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have co-opted Greene as they look to force President Donald Trump to the table. But she takes no issue with Trump the problem, as she sees it, is a party thats lost touch with the Trumpian ideas it ran on. Everyone keeps saying Ive changed, and Im saying, No, I havent changed, Greene said. Im staying focused on America First, and Im urging my party to get back to America First. Perhaps by walking that line, Greene has so far managed to avoid provoking the presidents ire. Trump railed on X Friday against two other vocal GOP contrarians, Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky but said nothing about Greene. Instead, Trump announced he would commute the prison sentence of former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., as Greene has long urged. Trying to avoid antagonizing the White House with her views is another thing I dont consider, Greene said. My job title is representative of Georgias 14th district, and so I keep my mark, and I think its important to stay there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greene said she hasnt heard from the White House about her recent public distance from party leaders. She declined to comment on how often she talks to Trump or whether shed consider her own run for president in 2028: Thats not even a question Im willing to entertain. During a podcast interview earlier this month, she more openly avoided the question of her presidential ambitions. Asked about her identity as a MAGA standard-bearer compared with the vice president, she told comedian Tim Dillon that I love JD [Vance], but Im mad about a lot of things and Im not going to stop talking about it. Greene recently told CNN that Trump isnt getting good advice. Asked who she sees giving Trump poor counsel, she avoided laying specific blame. Any president, whether its a Democrat or Republican president, theyre in a cone of information, and the information is siloed, and its coming from their advisers, right? Greene said. I mean, thats how it works. And I just completely disagree with the strategy to keep the government shut down and not pass our appropriation bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Calling up repeated votes on the House GOPs short-term spending bill is a complete failure, and that is something Im really disgusted with, Greene added. Its an America Last strategy, and I dont know whose strategy that is, but I dont think its a good one. I actually ran for Congress in 2020 angry with Republicans in Congress which is pretty much where Im at now again for always campaigning one way, but when they get the majority, they govern another, Greene said. House Speaker Mike Johnson told ABC Sunday that the House has already passed the 12 appropriations bills through committee but floor votes have been stopped by the Democrats in the Senate. Behind the scenes, some of Trumps advisers are befuddled by Greenes recent pushback but they see her more as a nuisance than someone who has the sway to imperil his agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the shutdown, for example, the vast majority of Republican lawmakers remain in lockstep with the administrations handling of negotiations (or lack thereof). Some Trump advisers dont think Greene has the ability to sway enough other Republicans to present a serious threat. As for the possibility that shes carving out a MAGA lane for a future run for higher office, some close to Trump are quick to point out her history of divisive remarks. They doubt she could outrun those if she tries for a bigger stage. The White House provided a comment after the publication of this story blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. Any negative consequences felt by the American people have been caused purely by the Democrats they can end the shut down any time they want, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. Know More This fall isnt the first time Greenes publicly broken from her party: Earlier this year, she was outspoken about how the Trump administration approached strikes on Iran and aid to Israel. Her relationship with Johnson has been strained since she led a short-lived charge to oust him from the post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Greene said, shes hearing privately from House Republicans who share her concerns. There is intense frustration within our conference that we arent passing our appropriations and were not in session, Greene said. I do know that is a general, overall feeling, even though theyre sticking to the talking points publicly. In her view, Democrats are providing a window to negotiate on health care by admitting that Obamacare doesnt work. And Republicans failure to seize that opportunity will hurt them in the midterms, she said. Health care should be the No. 1 thing that were working on, and I think that is going to be one of the top issues thrown in a 2026 midterm, Greene said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, she added, Mike Johnson is at the press conferences every morning saying that weve got pages and pages, or weve got a Republican plan yet I havent seen one single page of the so-called Republican plan. I havent heard one single GOP conference call on this issue. Its like, where is it? Greene added. The Republican Party is failing. Republicans tried to include language targeting health care premiums in their megabill, but the Senate parliamentarian ruled it ineligible. Johnson said in January that 94% of House Republicans were deeply engaged in those talks. Greene says she hears from constituents every single day who are glad shes speaking up about health care costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for the Epstein files, Greene predicted that the public backlash will be out of control if Johnson changes House rules to block a vote on their release. Johnson has not indicated he plans to do so. That would be a factor going into the midterms as well, Greene said. They have highly underestimated what a big deal it is to people. The administrations effort to steady Argentinas economy is another political risk for the GOP, Greene said: That one is shocking to many people, [especially] when you have Americans that literally will go completely bankrupt if theyre faced with a $5,000 emergency crisis. She added that a better way to combat Chinas influence would be to bolster US farmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is mind-boggling why we would do this with Argentina, she said. Theres a lot of people in MAGA that try to always stick with the talking points but theres a lot of people that cant spin this one. Helping Argentina is in the strategic interest of the US because it will stabilize the region, a Treasury Department spokesperson said after the publication of this story. The spokesperson added that the departments new aid was designed for this purpose and that Democrats are hurting the economy, including farmers, by not supporting the GOPs spending bill. Notable Amid mounting opposition allegations of large-scale irregularities in Maharashtras electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Chockalingam on Monday defended the accuracy of the voters list, asserting that there is nothing wrong with it. Addressing one of the key concerns raised by opposition parties regarding duplicate voters and wrongful additions or deletions Chockalingam told Mirror that while it is genuinely possible for two individuals with the same name to appear on the list, no one can arbitrarily add or delete names. He explained that every inclusion or deletion undergoes a verification process that takes about 15 to 25 days. There are two possibilities for how the duplication takes place. One is that there may be genuinely two people with the same name. So before deleting, if someone says there is a duplicate, the person has to give Form No 7. We then issue a notice to the person saying, Your name is in two places is it right or not? If he says yes, that his name is in two places, then his name is deleted. But if the person is genuinely different, we initiate an enquiry, and both are called. A form has to be filled even for duplication, Chockalingam told Mirror. Coming to the issue of data from 2022 and 2023, we should know that earlier the data was kept at the local level in manual form. Then the databases came to the CEO level, and before the 2019 election, it went to the ECI level. So now it has gone to a centralised level, and this de-duplication started in 2022 and 2023. How did we do that? If similar names were found, they were sent for verification through BLOs, and after enquiry, we deleted them. There were some complaints that genuine voters might have been deleted, and those were taken up for pre-checking. Anyway, in the election year of 2024, we didnt voluntarily delete anyone. We dont run any software, we dont do anything, because the basic rule so far is that in an election year, no deletion suo motu will take place it is only on complaints. This is the procedure. he added. Also, if you file Form No 8, first we add your name to the new place, then we send the communication to delete it from the old place. So for a small period, there is a possibility of the name being there twice, and the total duration required is around 1525 days. But there is another possibility when a person applies as a new voter and does not mention the old location, the old record remains, and that is why de-duplication efforts are needed, he added. The State Election Commission, which is responsible for conducting local body elections, had earlier said that it has nothing to do with duplicate voters, as it receives the draft rolls from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and conducts elections accordingly. However, Chockalingam said that the commission has also been examining issues related to duplicate voters. He told Mirror that the commission is taking special care regarding duplicate entries. There is a circular, and they are going to come out with a detailed response soon. It is not proper for me to comment on that, he said.Our role is about the Special Summary Revision, which the opposition has requested before the local body elections. That request has been forwarded to the ECI, and we are waiting for their response, he added. Responding to another major allegation from opposition parties that a third person was allegedly adding or deleting names from the voter list, and that the individual, named Devang Dave, is a member of the BJP Chockalingam said, The opposition leaders did ask about the person, and we have told them there is no such person working with us. He explained, It is simply impossible for any third person to add or delete the name of a voter. The voter list is securely maintained by the ECI. All modifications are published monthly on our website. There is no deletion that is not transparently shown. Anyone can easily verify it by checking the printed voter list and cross-checking it with the additions and deletions published online. There is an Electoral Registration Officer Net (ERONET) software and website. Additions and deletions take place as an ongoing process. We prepare monthly reports, and before making any addition or deletion, we publish it for seven days on the website and on notice boards so that people can raise objections. Responding to opposition allegations that Maharashtras electoral rolls contain lakhs of fake voters, he said, Whenever details are given, we have verified them and responded. Asked about the growing perception that the credibility of the Election Commission is being questioned due to repeated opposition allegations, Chockalingam said, The entire democratic election system depends on the electoral roll, and the Election Commission transparently prepares it. If you look at the complaints till 2024, most are about inclusion people saying their names are not added to the roll. There was no question of deletion earlier. Now the questions are about exclusion that wrong names are coming and should be removed. We take this as a challenge. All of us the three stakeholders, the political parties, the ECI machinery, and the citizens must work together to ensure that new concerns are properly addressed in the electoral roll. He added that no decision has yet been taken by the ECI to consider a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Maharashtra. I wont be able to comment on this till the time the ECI decides, he said. Following representations from opposition leaders, Chockalingam said he has written to the ECI requesting a fresh Special Summary Revision (SSR) ahead of the local body elections. The ECI, he added, is yet to take a decision on the proposal. The opposition announced that they are going to carry out a massive protest on November 1. Pastor Marvin Winans is under fire after scolding a church member for the amount of money she gave. The bizarre moment, captured on video, happened at Detroits Perfecting Church during their Day of Giving. Winans was outraged when a woman came up short of the donation he asked for, per the Atlanta Black Star. How much was the donation Marvin Winans asked for at Perfecting Church? The confusion at Perfecting Church happened after Winans asked members to donate $1,000 plus 1. While Winans continued to repeat the phrase, many of the members approached the center aisle to give two separate $1,000 donations. There was, however, one woman who came forward with $1,235. Pastor Marvin Winans gets upset at a church member for only donating $1200 when he asked for $2000 pic.twitter.com/A2o0zWa1Uv Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) October 20, 2025 Im giving in faith and standing in unity with the vision of Perfecting Church, sowing this seed of $1,000 plus $235 and receiving the blessings to come, the woman said when she gave her donation. What happened after the woman at Perfecting Church gave $1,235? Winans was quick to correct the woman when she came up short of the donation he had asked for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats only $1,200, he said. After the woman acknowledged that she is short of the donation, Winans continued to press her. Youre not listening to what Im saying. If you have $1,000 plus $1,000, he said. While the woman vowed to bring the remaining $800 eventually, Winans wasnt satisfied. Well, that aint what I asked you to do, he said. What are the public reactions to Marvin Winans scolding a church member? As the video of Winans scolding a church member went viral, many people expressed their outrage over the pastors attitude. One person who posted on Threads said Winans is one of many pastors who is part of a troubling trend happening at churches. Today at Perfecting Church of Detroit, Bishop Marvin Winans scolded a member for giving $1,200 instead of $2,000, the person wrote. This was a fundraising service for a new building on 7 Mile and Woodward that has been under construction since 2002. There are layoffs and business closing happening weekly, but this is the attitude of so many pastors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Others were also frustrated with the pastors communication skills. One thousand PLUS one thousand. Just say $2,000 then and people wouldnt have an opportunity to mishear!!! a person wrote on Threads. The post Marvin Winans Criticized Online For Scolding Churchgoer For Giving $1.2K Instead Of $2K appeared first on Blavity. A 40-year-old Berks County man was arrested at a Maryland truck stop less than eight hours after police said he stabbed his uncle multiple times during an altercation in front of the victims Cumru Township home late Monday afternoon. James J. Rice was taken into custody by Maryland State Police without incident Tuesday shortly after midnight, Cumru police said. The 61-year-old victim was taken to the Reading Hospital trauma center. The victims wife, relaying information from the attending physician, told police that he suffered about 10 stab wounds, one of which punctured the upper portion of a lung, requiring surgery and insertion of a chest tube, investigators said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the probable cause affidavit: The victim told police that Rice showed up in front of the residence in the 1700 block of Acorn Drive, located in a housing development off Grings HIll Road, and demanded his mail. His uncle told Rice to get off his property, and Rice pulled a knife and stabbed him before fleeing. It wasnt immediately clear if Rice, whose last known address was listed as the 700 block of Tamarack Trail in Cumru, had been staying with the victim and his wife previously. A neighbor heard the commotion from his garage and went to investigate. He told police that he saw his neighbor and another man, later identified as Rice, fighting. It appeared to him that both men were exchanging punches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He saw Rice swing at his uncle two more times before the older man collapsed onto the porch. Rice fled the property and got into an older-model Volvo station wagon that had been parked facing the wrong direction on Timber Lane. Another neighbor provided security camera footage that showed Rice arriving in the Volvo about 4:45 p.m. and parking on Timber. Rice is seen getting out of the vehicle and walking toward his uncles porch. Audio from the footage captures his uncle yelling twice at Rice to get off his property. Moments later, Rice is seen running from the residence, and his uncle is heard yelling for help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police arrived and found the victim alert and conscious but suffering from stab wounds. The victim told police that he had been stabbed by Rice, his nephew. Police asked the public for information on Rices whereabouts. Meanwhile, Cumru detectives obtained information for Rices phone, which provided his location in Maryland. That information was passed along to Maryland State Police, who went to a rest stop and took Rice into custody without incident. Rice is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania to face attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related charges. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will headline an annual political gathering in Texas next month, marking another high-profile trip for a governor whose national profile is growing. Moore and former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd will open the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin and engage in a wide-ranging conversation on the state of his state, the state of the nation, and the state of his party in this extraordinary moment, according to a Texas Tribune news release. The event will be held at Austins First Baptist Church Sanctuary on the evening of Nov. 13, the outlet reported. The Texas Tribune Festival, which will run through Nov. 15, will also feature leaders like Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Aaron Reitz, a 2026 Republican candidate for Texas attorney general. Tickets for the three-day event start at $350 for general admission, with a significant discount for students and educators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Baltimore Sun reached out to Moores office with questions related to the cost of Moores trip for Maryland taxpayers, as well as the governors schedule while in Texas. His office didnt immediately respond to this request. Moores trip to Austin comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Republican lawmakers redraw of the states congressional maps into law a move that, while pending legal challenges, could give the GOP five more seats in the House of Representatives next year. Before Abbott signed the new map in August, Moore responded to Republican redistricting efforts by saying he would evaluate all options as states around the country make decisions regarding redistricting. He has not publicly supported a bill proposed by Maryland House Majority Leader David Moon to would automatically start the states redistricting process if another state approved new congressional districts. The Sun also asked Moores office if his position on redistricting has changed ahead of his trip to the Lone Star State. His office didnt immediately respond to those requests. Where else has Moore been? Moores trip to Texas marks his next stop outside Maryland in what has become a busy year of travel for the governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far in his third year leading the state, Moore has gone abroad to South Korea, Japan and Italy. Hes also made appearances in several states important to presidential politics such as Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina and fundraised in both Colorado and Idaho. Moore, who launched his reelection bid last month, has publicly said he is not running for president in 2028 and remains committed to serving a full second term as governor if reelected. _____ A man authorities suspect is responsible for a fire that heavily damaged a 200-unit apartment in Everett has been arrested in Alabama. Lawrence A. Stockton, 27, was arrested in Leeds, Alabama on Oct. 10. He was returned to Massachusetts on Oct. 17, the Everett Police Department wrote on Facebook. On Oct. 5, 2025, at approximately 1:45 a.m., the Everett Fire Department and Everett Police Department responded to reports of a fire at 25 Charlton St., the site of an apartment complex with more than 200 units, the Facebook post reads. The complex is known as The Batch Yard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of the residents and pets who occupied the building were safely evacuated but many are displaced, the police department wrote. The fire caused extensive damage, with costs expected to be more than $500,000, according to the department. After the fire was put out, investigators from the Everett Fire Department, Massachusetts State Police, and the Everett Police Criminal Investigations Unit immediately launched a joint investigation. Stockton became a person of interest and investigators obtained search warrants and a warrant for arson. This arrest is the result of exceptional teamwork and determination by our investigators and partner agencies, Everett Police Chief Paul Strong said in the statement. Fires of this nature put countless lives at risk, and our priority from the very beginning was to identify and apprehend the person responsible. I commend everyone involved for their swift, coordinated efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My heart goes out to the residents affected by this devastating fire, Mayor Carlo DeMaria said in the statement. Im deeply grateful to our first responders and investigators for their quick action and dedication to keeping our community safe. The investigation is still ongoing, according to the department. More public safety stories Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. MILAN Mass production of Ukrainian interceptor drones in the United Kingdom is gearing up, as the war-torn country transitions to licensed production of domestically designed weapons in partner countries. Speaking at a press conference on Oct. 20, British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey said the joint manufacturing project, dubbed Octopus, would begin within weeks. The announcement comes a few days after Ukraines government-backed defense technology group Brave1 identified a handful of weapon categories deemed fit for export to Western allies. Over the last few months, Kyiv has explored the possibility of easing its arms transfer ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July, leaders launched a new initiative to authorize allied countries, such as members of the Ramstein group of global backers, to produce Ukrainian systems locally. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that this process will be gradual and will only entail a partial and regulated lift of restrictions limited to weapons in surplus. According to Healey, the Octopus interceptor, a proven system against Shahed-type attack drones, will become the foundation of the so-called European drone wall to deter further Russian aerial threats. This joint partnership could result in the production rate of around 2,000 units per month, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 10. Through Project Octopus, our Ukrainian friends will share the technology and intellectual property with the UK in turn, well develop this further and mass-produce it to supply thousands of interceptor drones back to Ukraine monthly, Healey explained earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, the privately-owned Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems announced that it was investing over $267 million in the building of a new factory in Mildenhall, U.K. The interceptor in question was developed in Ukraine with the support of UK technicians and staff, but reportedly costs less than 10% of the systems it was conceived to target. Britain is doubling down on its drone capabilities, as Healey also announced the creation of a new U.K. Drone Centre, adding that investments in drone and other autonomous systems would double to total more than 4 billion ($5 billion). The country has committed to spending 10% of its equipment budget on new technologies, starting this year. A man was arrested Monday morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting and police say his family was key to his capture. Billy Joe Cagle, 49, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, and making terroristic threats. Authorities discovered a semi-automatic weapon and 27 rounds of ammunition in his truck after his arrest. Police said Cagle walked through the doors of the South Terminal of the airport at around 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They believe he was headed towards a TSA checkpoint. Law enforcement said it was the quick thinking of the suspects family and actions of the officers that saved lives. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Surveillance cameras show him walking inside and looking around. According to investigators, Cagle appeared to be preparing to carry out his mission to shoot up the airport. They said he shared his plan on a social media live stream. Its very shocking because we all want to be safe when we travel, traveler Shetonjela Barber said. Passengers flying into the airport on Monday were surprised to learn that hours earlier, police stopped a potential mass shooting from happening inside the airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leon Payne told Channel 2 Action News that he purchased Cagles Cartersville home five years ago. I talked to him a couple times I was cleaning the gutters out he was in the driveway and did he just have a mental break? Payne said. Atlanta police said they were contacted by Cartersville police at 9:40 a.m., who received a concerning call from Cagles family. They said within 15 minutes, he was in custody. We are here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy because a family saw something and said something, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. A lot of people are commending his family for immediately calling the police. Channel 2 was told that his family showed police a photo of him to help them make an arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family, thank you for sharing. See something, say something did work, so we are standing here talking about a tragedy averted, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. Channel 2s Cory James attempted to contact Cagles family for a comment, but did not receive a response. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has officially launched her campaign for a second term. Campbell made the announcement in a video released shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday. I share my story because its not a Black persons story. Not because its a poor persons story. Its an American story, Campbell said in the video. Thats why Im running for attorney general. Over the past three years, Ive kept my word and prioritized all of you, the people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Campbell continued, Were making Massachusetts more affordable, protecting consumers, and putting money directly back into the pockets of our residents. When you win, we all win. Im Andrea Joy Campbell, and Im running for re-election as Massachusetts Attorney General. My story isnt just a Black persons story, or a poor persons story. Its an American story, from Roxbury to Princeton to public office. pic.twitter.com/JF3qWICICQ Andrea Joy Campbell (@AJCampbellMA) October 21, 2025 At 9 a.m., Campbell made a formal announcement in the South End in Roxbury, steps away from where she grew up. Campbell made history in 2022 as the first Black woman elected attorney general in Massachusetts and is also the first woman of color to hold a statewide office. Before becoming attorney general, Campbell served as president of the Boston City Council. Campbell, a Princeton graduate, tragically lost her mother in a car accident when she was just eight months old, and her father was incarcerated for much of her early childhood. She said the strength she found in the community has helped her overcome tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She concluded her announcement saying, We can truly make this Commonwealth a place where everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from, can dream big and actually have those dreams realized. But I cant do this by myself. Together, we can get this done. As of now, no other candidates have entered the race. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Ukrainian drones launched a "massive air attack" on Russia's Bryansk and Rostov oblasts overnight on Oct. 21, local authorities claimed, injuring two people and causing limited damage. Three cars were damaged, alongside the exterior of two apartment buildings in the Russian city of Klintsy as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack, Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a post to Telegram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A teenager born in 2010 sustained bruises. The ambulance team provided the boy with all necessary medical assistance on site," he added. Meanwhile, in Rostov Oblast, a residential building, a medical clinic, shops, and several homes have been damaged as a result of a drone attack, local authorities claimed. One person was injured in the city of Rostov-on-Don as a result of falling debris. "According to the military, a massive air attack was repelled last night," Rostov Oblast Governor Yuriy Slyusar said in a social media post. "Due to the damage to the transformer substation in the village of Nedvigovka in the Myasnikovsky district, about three thousand residents remain without electricity," he added later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents were evacuated from a residential building in Rostov Oblast's Bataysk as authorities worked to determine if the structural integrity of the property was intact following damage, Slyusar said, later adding that residents were allowed to return to their homes afterwards. The details could not be immediately verified by the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine's army regularly strikes military infrastructure within occupied territories and deep within Russia in an attempt to diminish Moscow's fighting power as it continues to wage its war against Ukraine. On Oct. 19, Russia's Orenburg gas processing plant was forced to halt gas intake from Kazakhstan following a Ukrainian drone attack on the facility, Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry announced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kremlin has refused to agree to a ceasefire and, in recent days, reportedly continued to insist that Ukraine surrender all of Donetsk Oblast as a precondition for a peace as the White House pushes to broker a settlement to end Russia's war. On Oct. 20, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow's position regarding the possibility of ceasing hostilities along the current front lines in Ukraine has not changed. The Russian comments follow a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House on Oct. 17. Two sources familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent that the meeting was effectively derailed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's phone call with Trump a day earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the call, Putin again demanded that Ukraine hand over full control of Donetsk Oblast to Russia as a condition for ending the war, the Washington Post reported. Trump and Putin are set to meet in Budapest in the coming weeks. No date has been publicly announced, but U.S. and Russian officials are expected to meet this week for the first stage of a planned summit between the two leaders. Read also: EU mulls hitting Russia where it hurts its shadow fleet Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The new billboard along Interstate 95, just south of the Florida-Georgia line, delivers a stark message to motorists who think theyre entering a state where things are always sunny. It says: WELCOME TO THE FREE KILL STATE OF FLORIDA. The words, printed next to a picture of the states governor, certainly deliver a jolt. But its nothing compared to the shock sustained by the grieving father who paid for the sign. First, Daryl Perritts 33-year-old son died in the hospital. Then Perritt said he couldnt even find out why, thanks to a bizarre law, unique to Florida, meant to protect negligent health care providers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law essentially says that, even if a provider negligently kills an adult patient, family members cant sue for pain, suffering and answers unless the dead patient has a spouse or minor children. So if you have a 25-year-old daughter who has yet to marry or have kids, you cant sue. The same goes for your mother and father if their spouse has already passed away. It also applied to Perritts son, Cameron a gregarious 33-year-old who loved to make people laugh and smoke ribs in the familys popular St. Augustine smokehouse. According to Perritt, Cameron had a history of blood clots and was admitted to the hospital last fall coughing up black blood and yet didnt get surgery until three days later, when the hospital staff told him they probably couldnt save him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perritt was heartbroken. But he also wanted answers. And justice. And his grief turned to outrage when he learned that he couldnt. If it happened in Georgia, this would have been different, Perritt said. If it happened when he was 24 or if he had a wife or children, all of this would be different. It put me in a very dark place. Lawmakers from both parties agree this law should be repealed. In fact, in a rare display of bipartisan agreement, both chambers voted overwhelmingly last year to repeal this ugly protection for negligent health care providers. But then Gov. Ron DeSantis after hearing and taking campaign contributions from the business, medical and insurance lobbies vetoed the measure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis described families who sue doctors as seeking jackpot justice a phrase that infuriates Perritt, since he never wanted to become a member of the grim fraternity of fathers who bury their kids. I dont need money. I got plenty of money, he said. What I need are answers. See, thats one of the things that people who casually demonize litigation forget. Sometimes, lawsuits are the only way families can get answers. In Perritts case, he said he believes his son needed surgery immediately and that family members tried to stress the urgency the moment Cameron was admitted but that the hospital delayed until it was too late. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maybe Perritt is wrong. Maybe the hospital did everything by the book. But by denying the family the chance to sue, it cant force the kind of disclosure that litigation often reveals. Weve been ghosted, Perritt said. What this law does is hide those answers. Thats how Floridas business lobby wants it. Back in 1990, the medical and insurance lobby convinced the Legislature, which was run by Democrats at the time, to insert a carve-out in the states Wrongful Death Act that essentially sets different values on the lives of different humans. If your 24-year-old son dies on the operating table during a routine procedure, you can sue for pain, suffering and answers. But if your 26-year-old son dies and isnt married and doesnt have kids you cant. The carve-out disproportionately affects widows, widowers and special-needs adults who are less likely to marry or have kids, devaluing their lives in a way that critics say makes them free kills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott Maxwell: Florida should repeal free kill law Even though lawmakers from both parties say the law should be repealed, the states business interests have run an intense and threatening lobbying campaign to keep it in place. In 2021, the Florida Chamber of Commerce warned lawmakers that any vote to repeal the measure would be double-weighted against them in the chambers annual How they Voted report card that helps business interests decide which politicians are worthy of campaign contributions. The medical and insurance lobby says the free-kill provision is needed to address sky-high insurance costs in Florida and a shortage of doctors, as well as to combat families eager for big payouts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last part of that argument is pretty callous. Most people would rather still have their parents or children than a verdict. But the other parts of their argument also crumble under serious thought and examination. First of all, no family gets paid unless a jury determines that negligence occurred or a health care provider decides to make a settlement to avoid the jury even getting that chance. Second, the free kill carve out obviously didnt address the insurance rates and doctor-shortage issues, because it has been in place for 35 years, and those issues still exist. Many doctors agree, saying the free kill provision is just a red-herring. That includes Dr. Joel Rudman, a physician and former GOP legislator who told lawmakers last year: Doctors arent going to leave Florida because of this bill no good doctor. If a bad doctor wants to leave, bye. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers are trying again. Newly filed House Bill 6003 has both Republican and Democratic sponsors, including local Democratic reps Johanna Lopez and Anna Eskamani. Im impressed lawmakers are trying again. I wouldve been more impressed if Republican leaders had summoned the courage to override the governors veto last year when they clearly had the numbers to do so. But this years bill is again getting early bipartisan support. Perritt and other families will be watching and erecting more billboards, if needed, asking Floridians to learn more about their cause at www.floridafreekill.org. This is a fight Perritt never wanted to wage, but one he refuses to surrender. Why should a politician decide the value of my sons life? he asked. Its an absurd concept a manipulation of the system. This is supposed to be the land of justice for all. Just treat everyone equally. Operation Sindoor not only highlighted Indias military strength against Pakistan but also validated the effectiveness of its indigenous weapons like long-range rockets, loitering munitions, and counter-drone systems. Months after the May 7-10 conflict, France showed interest in acquiring or co-developing these platforms. French Army chief General Pierre Schill, during his recent India visit, expressed intent to explore Indian systems as France seeks to upgrade its long-range artillery. He specifically referenced the potential procurement of Indias Pinaka multi-barrel rocket system, known for its rapid, overwhelming firepower, which successfully targeted Pakistani missile launchers, artillery, and supply lines during Operation Sindoor. Last year, a French delegation had evaluated the Pinaka system and found its performance satisfactory. Gen Schill also praised Indias homegrown loitering munitions or suicide drones. The Indian Army is using those systems very accurately because of your industry and because of the way they are able to adapt them to operations. And what we have seen in Operation Sindoor is very important, he told The Economic Times. What is the Pinaka system? The Pinaka is a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), serving as a key element of Indias artillery capabilities. Designed for all-weather operations, it enables rapid, high-volume firepower against critical and time-sensitive targets. DRDO is preparing to produce extended-range variants (up to 300km), expected to be inducted into the Indian Army within the next three to five years, according to DRDO chief Samir V Kamat. In addition, DRDO has completed trials of the guided Pinaka, which could eventually turn the rocket into a precision-strike missile, with procurement anticipated soon. Pinaka is a battle-tested system, having been deployed by the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil War and more recently during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The Indian Army plans to induct 22 Pinaka regiments each equipped with more than 200 rockets by 2030. What about kamikaze drones? The French Army chief has praised the performance of Indias loitering munitions also known as kamikaze or suicide drones. Indias offensive strikes using loitering munitions precisely targeted key Pakistani air bases Noor Khan and Rahimyar Khan destroying high-value assets such as enemy radar and missile systems. Nagastra-1 was part of various loitering munitions used by India during Operation Sindoor. The drone boasts a kamikaze mode with GPS-enabled targeting for precise strikes, delivering an accuracy of within 2 metres. The Indian Army had in June last year inducted the Nagastra-1 loitering munition, the countrys first indigenous suicide drone. Developed by Nagpur-based Solar Industries, the Nagastra-1 is a man-portable weaponised drone system designed to neutralise enemy threats with high precision. SkyStriker is another loitering munition or suicide drone used during Operation Sindoor. It is jointly developed by Israels Elbit Systems and Adani Groups Alpha Design Technologies. Although a drone, SkyStriker can be used as a precision weapon. It hovers over the target area to identify and engage threats, operating either autonomously or under human supervision. Operation Sindoor impact? In August, DRDO chief Kamat stated that the success of Operation Sindoor has sparked increased foreign interest in Indias defence systems. Defence exports reached a record Rs 23,622 crore in FY25, marking a 12% rise from the previous year. Kamat projected that exports could double within two to three years, driven by demand for systems like Pinaka, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), BrahMos, and Akash missiles. He noted growing interest from Southeast Asia, West Asia, and Africa, emphasising that Indias push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing has evolved from a strategic goal to a necessity, reinforced by recent conflicts with Pakistan. Indias defence production hit an all-time high of Rs 1.5 lakh crore in FY25, an 18% increase over the previous year and a 90% rise since FY20. Kamat credited this surge to government initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, which have strengthened domestic manufacturing and reduced import dependence. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised this milestone as a testament to Indias expanding defence industrial base, with state-owned companies contributing 77% of production and private firms accounting for 23%. India-France defence ties The Modi governments recent approval of the Rafale-Marine deal brings France almost at par with Russia, historically Indias largest arms supplier, which has reduced deliveries due to sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. The Indian Air Force bought 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in fly-away condition in recent years and there is a view that it should go for at least 36 more Rafales. Notably, India emerged as the biggest buyer of French military hardware between 2020 and 2024, followed by Qatar, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In July 2023, India and France announced several defence cooperation projects including the joint development of jet and helicopter engines. Under the Navys Kalvari-class Project 75, six Scorpene submarines have already been built by the state-owned Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) in collaboration with Frances Naval Group. Gen Schill, after meeting his Indian counterpart Gen Upendra Dwivedi recently, highlighted expanding cooperation across emerging warfare domains. He emphasised counter-drone capabilities, electronic warfare, and artificial intelligence as promising areas for collaboration, citing the complementary strengths of both armies. Gen Schill also revealed plans to institutionalise annual army exercises, enhancing and expanding the Shakti series to include complex joint training in UAV operations, counter-drone tactics, and electronic warfare, reflecting deepening strategic military partnership between India and France. With inputs from ET Online and agencies Los Angeles leaders are demanding answers after federal immigration agents reportedly detained more than 100 U.S. citizens in recent enforcement operations across Southern California. Standing alongside immigrant rights groups in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Robert Garcia announced plans to launch a major investigation into the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) conduct, pledging to hold a congressional hearing in Los Angeles to examine the detentions. What started in L.A. has now spread around the country, Bass said at the news conference, describing the probe as part of a broader effort to hold federal agencies accountable for what she called overreach in immigration enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bass, who has criticized the Trump administrations targeted immigration actions since they began in June, said the hearings will look into the detainment of at least 170 U.S. citizens by Homeland Security, as well as a separate hearing focused on the arrests of thousands of undocumented immigrants. Its important that we say today, that what is happening to undocumented immigrants, is also happening to U.S. citizens which means that this can happen to anyone, to all of us, at any period of time, Bass said. Garcia, who serves as a ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said his Democratic colleagues are creating a special unit to document ICEs tactics in and around Los Angeles. We want to understand what theyre doing in our neighborhoods, how it is being funded and our committee is looking at tracking and investigating DHS, Garcia said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While no date has been set for the first hearing, Garcia urged Angelenos to attend once its scheduled. 112 more women file lawsuit accusing former Cedars-Sinai OB-GYN of sexual abuse The announcement follows a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in September, which lifted a lower courts restraining order and allowed federal agents to resume immigration sweeps in Los Angeles. In response to the ruling, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a local state of emergency, citing widespread community fear and the economic impact of the raids on local businesses. We must document these violations so that our constitutional, civil, and human rights do not perish, said Hortencia Ramirez, an organizer with One L.A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KTLA has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. In the past, both agencies have said their enforcement operations target individuals with violent criminal histories and those interfering with legal federal operations. Rachel Menitoffs reporting contributed to this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, Monday called for a congressional investigation into what they described as the "unlawful and unconstitutional" detainment and alleged abuse of U.S. citizens and immigrants by federal agents without a judicial warrant or probable cause. Bass, alongside Garcia and a group of city workers and immigrant rights activists, said she's worried the continued immigration raids are no longer getting the attention they need. "What is happening to undocumented immigrants is also happening to U.S. citizens, which means that this can happen to anyone, to all of us, at any period of time," Bass said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bass is teaming up with Garcia and other congressional Democrats to announce the creation of a new investigative unit that will zero-in on what they call "unlawful and unconstitutional" actions against U.S. citizens and immigrants. "The House Oversight Committee Democrats are going to look into every single brutal misconduct that ICE is committing," Garcia said. The new probe will not only focus on Trump and his administration, but also on individual agents out in the field. Bass once again criticized the federal government for its aggressive and widespread immigration tactics. Democratic leaders representing the greater Los Angeles Area have denounced federal immigration enforcement since operations began in June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They're asking the public to record ICE activity when they see it and upload the videos to a new master ICE tracker site that they plan to launch within the next few weeks. Garcia, a ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said American citizens are being dragged off the streets by masked men and thrown into detention cells without access to attorneys. "No one, regardless of their background or appearance, should be living in fear of being thrown behind bars by their own government because of their race or what they look like," Garcia said. Bass and Garcia said there is evidence that more than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by federal agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is not the America we know and love. Every person in this country has rights, and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) must stop trampling on our civil liberties. Their actions are unconstitutional, unacceptable, and completely un-American, and we will not stop fighting until this administration is held accountable," Garcia added. The Trump administration has maintained that federal immigration enforcement focuses on the removal of "violent criminals" and the "worst of the worst." Officials have also denied allegations that detainees are mistreated or held in substandard facilities while in custody. As for the new investigation, Garcia says Democrats plan to hold a congressional field hearing in Los Angeles so people affected by the ICE sweeps can testify. No date for that hearing has been set yet. City News Service contributed to this report. Mayor Brandon Johnson recently unveiled a $16.6 billion budget for 2026, which includes more than $400 million in new taxes. Mayor Johnson joined ABC7 Tuesday to talk about the budget. "Ninety-seven percent of businesses will not be impacted by this revenue stream," Johnson said. "In fact, only three percent of businesses will be impacted. And here is what those dollars are going toward: It is going to ensure that we provide mental and behavioral resources for our first responders, it is going to provide resources for domestic violence survivors, it is going to fund youth employment, which we have seen the greatest influx of receiving jobs over the summer and it is going to fund our CVI program, it's our Community Violence Intervention workers." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A City Council committee will begin its annual departmental review of the Chicago City Budget Tuesday. The meeting will focus on budget and finance. The annual departmental reviews run through November 14. Some aldermen have pushed back on some of the mayor's proposals. On the negotiations for the budget, Johnson said, "What I am not going to concede on is the safety of the people of Chicago. We have made incredible strides, the fewest amount of homicides in the three months in the summer, we can't go backward. We have to go forward and that's what this budget does." When asked about the lawsuit the city filed against President Donald Trump over federal grant funding, Johnson said, "Every single lawsuit that we have filed against the Trump administration, we have won. This lawsuit is part of a larger group. Eight other cities are joining us. And here is the thing, we are talking about withholding grants or he is talking about withholding grants that allow for us in the event of an emergency to be able to get equipment to people to make sure that our first responders have the resources that they need." Oct. 21Being the right-hand man to Mayor Cameron Bregman would be fun, according to Georgia Merritt, even if it only lasts a day. The Reese Elementary fifth-grader said if she were mayor for just one day, the possibilities to help the city improve would be endless, and she would do her best. Merritt was selected as this year's Mayor for a Day during last week's Lodi City Council meeting, and will spend time shadowing Bregman around the city on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her essay detailing why she should be mayor was read by Deputy City Clerk Maria Ditmore during the meeting. "With all the work (the mayor does), I would love to help you so you wouldn't have as much to worry about," she said in her essay. "Helping our community of Lodi would be great, considering I love helping. No harm in trying." Merritt said being mayor for a day would be "awesome," because she could be "in the room where it happens," a reference to the musical "Hamilton" created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Merritt added that being mayor would be a "one-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to see how the city is managed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think it would be such a cool memory to meet the mayor in person, even though it's definitely a lot of work to be in charge of Lodi," she said. "I always wonder how people do it." Although she did not give specifics, Merritt said she would most likely make local parks safer, and possibly repair the water fountains or add new ones. She added she would launch a food drive for those who need assistance, and that it would be "cool" if everyone took time to beautify Lodi. "I would love to test my skills on cooperation and how many things I could handle," she said. "It would be so cool to see everyone doing their own thing, but in a helpful way." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merritt was one of four finalists in this year's Mayor for a Day contest, and is the second youngster to receive the honor. She will accompany Bregman to the State of the City address at Hutchins Street Square next week and meet city staff throughout the day. Students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade submitted essays, poems, art projects, videos, or other media explaining why they should be mayor. "When I read (Merritt's essay), I'm like 'you know what, there is one thing you can't replace, and that is a genuine love for helping others and your community,'" Bregman said. "That really showed through your paper. I absolutely love it and do commend you for being that way in your heart. Never change that, don't let anyone else change it, and only continue to grow." Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee listens during a State House press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 21, announcing how the state will spend the first $81 million out of a $120 million housing bond approved by voters in November 2024. The chair next to McKee is empty while House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi speaks at the podium. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Gov. Dan McKee received the dubious distinction of having the lowest approval rating of any governor nationwide, according to Morning Consults quarterly survey. The findings published on Oct. 15 paint a grim picture for Rhode Islands sitting governor, who scored favorable marks with 4 in 10 voters surveyed by the global consulting firm. Its also the lowest approval rating and highest disapproval rating McKee has faced in quarterly polls by Morning Consult since he became governor in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among state governors, McKee had the third-highest disapproval rate 44% behind Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds at 53% and Maines Democratic Gov. Janet Mills at 45%. Unlike Reynolds and Mills, though, McKee must win back voters next year in order to secure another term as governor. Reynolds has already announced she wont run for reelection, while Mills just announced her campaign to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. McKees campaign did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment on Tuesday. Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott boasted the nations highest approval rating 75% while Connecticuts Ned Lamont and Massachusetts Maura Healey, both Democrats, came in the top 10, with 63% approval for Lamont and 59% for Healey. New Hampshire Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte had a 53% approval rating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor has been plagued by low approval ratings for more than a year many polls showing even less favorable results than Morning Consult. His 2026 Democratic opponent, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, came out with a leading edge over McKee in a hypothetical primary, though most voters remain undecided, according to a recent survey by the University of New Hampshire. Foulkes, a former CVS executive who lost to McKee in the 2022 gubernatorial primary by 3 percentage points, is the only declared challenger for next years gubernatorial race. However, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi remains a possible candidate, though the Warwick Democrat has sidestepped direct questions on a gubernatorial campaign. The Morning Consult survey reflects results of more than 250,000 registered voters nationwide over the three-month period that ended Sept. 30. The margin of error ranged from 1% to 6% depending on the state population. Information on the sample of Rhode Island voters was not immediately available. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX MECHANICVILLE - The Mechanicville schools superintendent is stepping down mid-year to take a job that will bring him more happiness, he announced. "After much reflection about where I am both personally and professionally, I decided it was the right time to take my own advice - to make sure what I do continues to bring me joy and purpose," Superintendent Kevin Kolakowski told the Times Union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is taking a job with Questar III BOCES as the assistant superintendent of career and technical education, innovative high schools and adult education. "This decision wasn't about any issue, title, or politics, but about returning to the work that first inspired me - developing and supporting both programs and opportunities that shape what education looks like for today's students," he said. The new job will allow him to do that "on a broader scale" than Mechanicville, he said. In a letter to the community, he said he would resign Nov. 24, the Monday before Thanksgiving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He called it a "difficult decision" and said that working for the district had been "the greatest honor of my professional career." He has worked in Mechanicville for 16 years, as a principal, assistant superintendent and then superintendent. He took on the top job after the previous superintendent also left abruptly. In 2022, Superintendent Bruce Potter was placed on administrative leave. Three weeks later, he resigned. The school district said he was placed on leave during an investigation, but never got more specific. Potter said someone filed a complaint against him. After he resigned, the board said the complaint against him was founded, but that they had agreed not to discipline him if he resigned as a "compromise of disputed claims." Over the next month, Kolakowski said he wants to ensure a "smooth transition" for the next superintendent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his letter to the community, he said Mechanicville has "the biggest heart." "Mechanicville has given me far more than I could ever give back - lifelong memories, meaningful relationships, and the privilege of working alongside the most dedicated staff and remarkable students anywhere," he said. "The strength of this district has always come from its people, and it has been an absolute privilege to serve all of you." This article originally published at Mechanicville superintendent resigning next month. Superior Court Judge Louis Trosch, Jr. will not seek reelection in 2026. ALSO READ: Judge removes ankle-monitoring requirement and denies bond revocation of Mary Collins suspect Hes served on the bench for 27 years, serving in just about every courtroom at the courthouse. He had arguably the largest impact in juvenile and family court, but also presided over homicide and other violent crime cases. Hes also been outspoken on the need for more resources for the justice system in North Carolina. To help ease the backlog of cases and the time it takes for families to get justice. Trosch said he will join his familys law firm as a defense attorney. WATCH: Murder suspect back in jail after judge revokes bond The medical examiner is still working to determine Kada Scott's cause of death following the discovery of the missing woman's remains over the weekend. She went missing on October 4 from her workplace, and her remains were found Saturday after police say a very specific tip led officers back to the area of Awbury Park and the former Ada Lewis Middle School. Scott's body was found in a shallow grave in a heavily wooded area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chopper 6 was over the scene Saturday after human remains were found amid the search for missing Philadelphia woman Kada Scott. Sources say an anthropologist has been brought in to aid the medical examiner. The suspect arrested in this case, 21-year-old Keon King, is facing multiple charges, including kidnapping and arson. No charges have been filed in relation to Scott's death pending the medical examiner's investigation. Keon King King had been charged with a different kidnapping back in January. Part of that incident, involving another woman, was shown in a viral video. The DA's office dropped the charges after the victim and a witness didn't show up in court. RELATED | Kada Scott case: Timeline of investigation into missing Philadelphia woman Neighbors believe King should have been behind bars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He wouldn't have been on the street, and definitely wouldn't have this tragic story for Kada," said Robert Holman. "This situation has touched everybody in Philadelphia," said Councilmember Anthony Phillips, whose district includes the area where Kada was found and where her family lives. His office is collecting food, gift cards, and personal items for the Scott family. "So they don't have to think about where their food is coming from," he said. Kada Scott Police continued to monitor the scene on Tuesday as crews from the city conducted a massive clearing of the park. As police investigate Scott's death, the community in Northwest Philadelphia is coming together to help the 23-year-old woman's family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Candles and a picture of Kada surround a tree in front of the former school. Neighbors stopped by throughout the day to sign a poster remembering her. "Kada was life. She was breath. She was love. She had her whole life ahead of her," said Desiree Whitfield, a neighbor. "This could have been my daughter, my grandkids," said Holman. As the case is still under investigation, sources tell Action News more people besides Keon King could be facing charges related to Kada's disappearance and death. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Ochsner Baton Rouge is now offering a new screening tool for people who may want to find out if theyre at a higher genetic risk for getting certain cancers. According to Ochsner, the assessment is available at no cost and involves answering questions to evaluate risk factors before scheduling an appointment with a doctor to go over genetic testing. This new assessment is a very valuable tool for everyone, especially those who have cancer in their family history, said Burke J. Brooks Jr., hematologist and oncologist at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Baton Rouge. If we identify patients as being genetically predisposed for cancer, we can build a customized plan to help prevent cancer from developing or detect it early when its most treatable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Promising vaccine may prevent certain cancers from returning According to Ochsner, hereditary cancer syndrome is estimated to be responsible for about 1 in 8 cancers. Click here to take the free assessment. 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. MORRISTOWN, NJ With Election Day approaching, Patch is putting together a series of candidate profiles so readers can learn more about whos on their ballot. Andrea Lekberg is a local business owner and Morristown Planning Board member, and is throwing her hat in the ring to be Morristown's mayor. Morristown Patch asked candidates to share some information about themselves, and asked identical questions to all candidates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See Lekberg's responses below: Full name: Andrea Mai Lekberg Age: 59 Town of residence: Morristown Position sought: Mayor of Morristown Party affiliation: Independent Family: Mother, Fran Davidson Education: a. 2010 Rutgers Center for Urban Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (CUEED) Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative (EPI) Newark Campus NJ b. 1990 Graduated from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago in Professional Baking. Chicago IL c. 1988 BFA School of the Art Institute Chicago, Chicago IL Occupation: Owner/ Chef The Artist Baker Previous or current elected/appointed office (if applicable): Planning Board 2021- current 1. Why are you running for this position? Im running for Mayor of Morristown because good people deserve good government. I believe the current administration is out of touch with the people of Morristown. As a small business owner in town, Ive heard many customers discuss frustrations with reckless development, lack of preservation, and the decrease in quality of life that comes with that. I want to be a voice for our residents and listen to their concerns. 2. What do you believe to be the most pressing issue in the community, and what do you intend to do about it if elected? Morristown is at a crossroads, just as we were in the Revolution. We need a Morristown that grows more responsibly and works for our residents. Years of reckless development have disrupted our communities, crushed small businesses, neglected historic preservation, and increased our taxes. 3. What qualifications and qualities do you possess that make you best suited for the position? I have been a resident and small business owner in our community for 17 years. As a business owner, I understand what it takes to build a successful business. Small business owners have to be creative and think outside the box to solve problems both big and small, from navigating the COVID pandemic to staying competitive in a growing town. Im open-minded when listening to new ideas and helping accomplish them if its decided that is whats best for Morristown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive served on the Planning Board since 2021, and I am a graduate of the Rutgers Center for Urban Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (CUEED) Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative (EPI), a highly competitive nine-month program for entrepreneurs. In 2022, I was named a New Jersey Hero by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and received the Melody Whitelaw Award from the Morristown Women in Business Network in 2024. Ive been a leader in our community and championed many projects for different organizations. Ive worked with the Market Street Mission on their Gingerbread Project, which teaches their recovery program residents to bake and build Gingerbread Houses. This project gives the men in the program the ability to try something new and out of their comfort zone in a safe and supportive environment. In the aftermath of the shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas in 2022, I felt the conversations surrounding the shootings were too politically motivated and that the victims of these tragedies were being forgotten. Inspired by the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos, I collaborated with local businesses and organizations to create our own Dia de los Muertos to celebrate and remember the lives that were lost in the shooting. It has grown into a great tradition that continues each year and I hope youll join us in celebrating this year! 4. Overdevelopment has been a growing concern throughout NJ. How do you intend to address it in your community? Our approach to development has to be balanced. We need a more thoughtful approach into how our residents live here, raise a family here, and grow old here. I would like to focus on bringing more daytime activities to Morristown. For a healthy economy, we need more daytime activities that center around our seniors and young families, in addition to our already thriving nightlife. By building a Community Center, we can better serve all of our residents with classes and services. We also must prioritize our historical preservation efforts and embrace our history. 5. If you are running against an incumbent, where do you believe theyre lacking in serving the community? If you are an incumbent, what areas, if any, do you think you could improve upon in terms of public service? After 16 years in office, Mayor Dougherty is Morristowns longest serving Mayor and his administration is out of touch with Morristown. Residents and staff are reluctant to challenge the administration not because they agree, but because they know dissent isnt welcome. Important matters like the hospital expansion have been discussed behind the scenes, rather than in open public forums. Theres a small circle of favored contractors, donors, and developers who seem to miraculously move to the front of the line. Mayor Dougherty had created a culture that reflects loyalty rather than leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morristown deserves better than a government running on autopilot. Good people deserve good government. I believe its time for something new, something different in how we make decisions and who gets to be a part of the conversation. Theres so much to preserve here in Morristown: our history, our culture, our open space. How much more development can we take before we stop and ask: what is this growth costing us? How is it affecting our neighborhoods and communities? There are so many opportunities for us to grow with intention. How people live here, raise their families here, and grow old here is just as important as building new rentals or another corporate headquarters. Ill give residents a stronger voice in the decision-making process. Ill prioritize transparency, accountability, and open lines of communication. Ill establish office hours to listen to our residents, not for them to listen to me. I will welcome feedback, good or bad. Ill host regular open houses for residents looking to get involved in our community. Morristown thrives when more voices are at the table and I believe in creating more ways for them to get there. Morristown deserves leadership that listens and isnt afraid to try something new. Progress doesnt come from playing it safe, it comes from pushing boundaries and asking the tough questions. Thats how Ive built my business and thats how Ill lead this town. Im not here to play politics and I cant be bought. 6. In a few words, what is your favorite thing about your community? I have many favorite things about Morristown: our diversity, our history, our people and business community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I was opening my business on Cattano Avenue, I was working every day during the buildout. Marty from Martys Cycle Shop on Speedwell would often stop by to share stories about starting his own business in Morristown back in 1978 and what it takes to make it in Morristown. Through Marty, I met Samantha, one of the founders of Grow it Green. He was a true connector. John from Lins Palace around the corner would bring me food while our kitchen was still under construction and my new neighbor Pat from Settebellos would invite me over, feed me, and talk business. As a new business owner, it meant the world to me to be welcomed with open arms by the Morristown community. ____ Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Election Day is Nov. 4. If you are running in Morristown's Mayoral Race and did not receive a candidate profile request, please reach out to jack.slocum@patch.com. Meet Morristown Mayoral Candidate Andrea Lekberg originally appeared on the Morristown Patch Urgently needed humanitarian relief has begun to reach the population in Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect a week ago. But steep challenges remain, including restrictions Israeli authorities have placed on international aid groups. Cooking gas entered Gaza last Sunday for the first time in seven months, according to the United Nations. Aid workers can move around Gaza more easily. Nutrition clinics and bakeries are reopening. Looting of supplies is less frequent. In dealings with Israeli officials, its clear things have changed. Theres a genuine collective effort to get these trucks moving, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in an interview. But since then, Israeli officials have threatened to reduce the aid allowed in because of a dispute over the number of deceased Israeli hostages Hamas has turned over. On Sunday, an Israeli security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Israel would halt humanitarian aid to Gaza until further notice after it accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire. But shortly after, aid officials familiar with the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, said relief deliveries would resume on Monday, underscoring the precariousness of the agreement. Under the terms of the deal, an average of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid are supposed to cross into Gaza daily. Aid officials said its too early to tell whether that promised volume will materialise and last. The two border crossings Israel has made available were closed for part of last week, due to the hostage releases and a Jewish holiday. On the days the crossings were open, UN agencies reported that more of their trucks carrying food and other supplies were able to enter than before the ceasefire, along with increased shipments of fuel needed to run humanitarian operations and critical infrastructure. Its a step in the right direction, Abeer Etefa, a spokeswoman for the World Food Program, said last Friday of the more than 3,000 tonnes of food aid the agency has brought into Gaza in the past week. Its just one week into the ceasefire and the food remains insufficient to meet the scale of hunger. But it is a scale-up we were not expecting it to happen overnight. UNICEF, the UN childrens agency, has also brought in more tents, winter clothes for kids, hygiene kits and diapers, Tess Ingram, a spokeswoman in Gaza for UNICEF, said. Egypt appears to have delivered most of the humanitarian aid since the deal took effect. The Egyptian Red Crescent alone sent 400 trucks, mostly containing food items, on each of the three days the crossings were open last week, said Amal Emam, the chief executive. Thats double the number the group had been able to send daily in the months leading up to the ceasefire. But the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which was expected to reopen for medical evacuations and vetted travellers as early as October 14, is still shut. Israeli authorities said the reopening will be announced at a later stage. Even if the ceasefire holds, humanitarian workers in Gaza face an enormous task ahead: Reversing a famine in parts of the Gaza Strip and providing supplies essential for the survival of nearly 2 million people who have been displaced, many of whom are hungry, ill or injured. The halt in bombardment has meant aid workers can move more freely through about half of the Gaza Strip, including to Gaza City, which was besieged and pummelled by Israeli forces in the weeks leading up to the ceasefire. Like many groups, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials as MSF, suspended its activities there in September as Israeli strikes closed in on its facilities. In a video of some of the worst-hit neighbourhoods in Gaza City taken by the groups emergency coordinator Jacob Granger, few buildings remained standing. Pancaked homes and mounds of debris lined the roads, and the buzz of an Israeli surveillance drone was audible. Aid officials say they are beginning to scale up services in the north again. MSF and UNICEF have resumed trucking in water, and UNICEF is getting a desalination plant in Gaza City running again. UNICEF and the American charity MedGlobal have restarted clinics to screen and treat thousands of malnourished children. Aid officials said that two crossings into northern Gaza Erez and Zikim must be opened to effectively reach people there. Teams from the World Food Program and the UN Mine Action Service successfully cleared roads inside Gaza leading to those crossings in recent days, Etefa said, but Israel has not announced whether, or when, those gates will open. Hospitals throughout the enclave, meanwhile, are in dire need of supplies, Gaza health officials said. The World Health Organization and MSF were able to bring some medical items into Gaza last week. But MSF reported that two of its trucks were rejected by Israeli authorities as were trucks from the Egyptian charity Mersal that contained medications and medical equipment and supplies, said Mersals chief executive, Heba Rashed. The two groups said they were told the shipments included banned items. Israeli authorities did not respond to a request for comment. Dozens of international organizations remain blocked from sending aid because Israel has not approved them under a new registration system that many aid agencies say breaches humanitarian principles and privacy laws. Those include US-based CARE and Mercy Corps, officials from those groups said. Israeli officials have said the registration system is meant to prevent the alleged diversion of aid by Hamas. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, previously the backbone of Gazas humanitarian response and a key provider of health and education services in Gaza, hasnt been allowed to bring supplies or staff into the enclave since Israels parliament passed legislation earlier this year that severely limits its work. Siham Shamalakh in Cairo, Hazem Balousha in Toronto and Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv contributed to this report. Fresh warthog carcass in tow, a poacher speeds away from Zimbabwes Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy. Blood spatters, footprints and tire marks are the only traces of the crime he has just committed, but a trace is all it takes for the hunter to become the hunted. His arrest comes a short while later, courtesy of Shinga, a Belgian Malinois that perfectly retraced the poachers 2.8-mile (4.5-kilometer) route home, leading an anti-poaching team to his door. Shinga poses in front of a lion. - Dogs4Wildlife Last Octobers pursuit ultimately began much further afield, in the sleepy Welsh town of Carmarthen, where Shinga was born and raised. Its home to the kennels of Dogs4Wildlife, a non-profit organization that trains dogs to support anti-poaching units (APUs) in their efforts to protect endangered wildlife across southern Africa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its run by professional dog trainers Darren Priddle and Jacqui Law, who decided to blend their career experiences of developing working dogs for police, security, and military operations with their love of wildlife, after seeing photos of a poached African rhino on social media in 2015. It was quite a horrific image. We sat down and we said, Okay, thats really affected us, Priddle told CNN. We can deploy dogs in the UK to track people to look for drugs, firearms and explosives, so why could we not look at developing the dogs that we were training for conservation efforts? Puppy love The duo has since sent 15 dogs to five sub-Saharan African countries, including Mozambique and Tanzania, each one bred by them in southwest Wales. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They usually breed one or two litters each year. Dutch shepherds and Belgian Malinois are two of the most common breeds for tracking, while labradors and spaniels are typically the detection (sniffer) dogs of choice. Training begins from as early as two days old. Priddle acknowledges that sounds young, but he believes early imprinting programs can provide a strong foundation for the formal training that commences around six weeks later. Theres a lot of scientific study out there thats been documented on exposing puppies to touch, different temperatures, different surfaces and textures, as well as different odors that we put into the whelping box when theyre very young, he explained It just helps their brain and (helps) their synapses to fire. We see a lot of advancement in those puppies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The curriculum closely follows that of the typical police or security dog, focusing on obedience, tracking, and scent detection a skill used to sniff out rhino horn, elephant ivory and bushmeat. All Dogs4Wildlife puppies are born and trained in Wales. - Megan Lee Photography The only key difference to the training process is acclimating dogs to the sights, sounds and smells of lions, giraffes and the myriad other species they will help protect. With rhino and elephant numbers severely lacking in the wetlands of Carmarthenshire, trips to local zoos are organized to desensitize the puppies to African wildlife. Typically, after 16 to 18 months, dogs are ready for assignment. Even though Priddle accompanies each one on the long flight to their new home, spending the first month with the anti-poaching unit to provide field and animal welfare training to rangers, goodbyes never get easier. The transition from spending every waking moment with that dog, having a very strong relationship, to then letting that go is challenging and difficult, Law said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But as much as it breaks my heart when they go, I know theyre going for the greater good. Law and Priddle develop close bonds with the dogs they raise. - Dogs4Wildlife Biting back Easing the pain are WhatsApp group chats set up for Priddle and Law to keep in touch with and advise APUs across the various reserves and conservancies. They are particularly active forums, especially given that the organization also provides training and consultancy to teams with existing dog units, such as the Akashinga Rangers, Africas first armed all-female anti-poaching squad, who watch over Zimbabwes vast Phundundu Wildlife Area. Naturally, updates of success are a source of immense personal pride for the pair back in Wales. Shingas tracking triumph in October followed the achievements of fellow Belgian Malinois Dan, which in 2013 alerted his team to a rhino calf that had been caught in a snare trap in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such victories demonstrate the game-changing value such dogs can have when incorporated into conservation efforts, argue the duo, even through their mere presence. When these reserves bring a specialist dog onto a wildlife reserve the word spreads very quickly that the APUs now have the capability to actually catch these poachers on a more efficient and successful basis, Priddle said. Some of the smaller wildlife reserves almost eradicate poaching in all types completely, just because of the deterrent value that dog brings to the party. Dogs can be trained to detect bushmeat and other signs of poaching. - Dogs4Wildlife As park manager and head of anti-poaching operations at Zimbabwes 10,000-acre Imire conservancy, Reilly Travers has had a front row seat for the last seven years to the impact of Shinga and also Murwi, a Dutch shepherd whose training was paid for by the fundraising efforts of pupils of the local Harare International school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Capable of covering as much as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) an hour when tracking, even in darkness, dogs allow rangers to own the night, Travers explained, adding an invaluable level of versatility and unpredictability to their arsenal. And on numerous occasions Shinga and Murwi have alerted units to potentially mortal threats be it from poachers or predators through body language alone. Theyve saved our guys on the ground on several occasions and theyve been responsible for apprehending quite a few poachers, Travers told CNN. Its had a massive impact on security for Imire. Weve had a drastic reduction in poaching and the K9 unit has a massive role to play in that Its not the silver bullet but its a tool that will make a significant difference. Murwi and Shinga have given Imire's anti-poaching unit an extra dimension. - Dogs4Wildlife We learn in nature Zimbabwe once boasted thousands of rhinos, yet numbers nosedived to less than 450 by 1992 because of poaching networks, according to conservation charity Save the Rhino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The efforts of Imire, which saw the birth of its 23rd rhino in 2023, helped the countrys rhino population climb back over the 1,000-mark in 2022, but statistics continue to make for grim reading across the wider continent. Though the numbers of African rhinos poached annually has dropped steadily since a peak of over 1,300 in 2015, almost 600 kills were still recorded last year, according to Save the Rhino. It contributed to an overall decline in the total African black rhino population in 2023, though white rhino numbers are on the rise. And the impact of each loss extends far beyond statistics, Priddle and Law explain, especially at the smaller reserves that Dogs4Wildlife focuses on, which have markedly less anti-poaching resources than the continents most renowned parks. Recalling the sight of a de-horned 25-year-old bull rhino and eight-year-old male in Limpopo, both killed by a single poacher, Law stressed the knock-on effect on the wider environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vegetation they clear, the seeds they disperse, all the other animals that are impacted. You think its just a rhino thats gone its the whole ecosystem that suffers, Law explained. The owners of that reserve had a relationship with that bull for 25 years we grieve when we lose a dog after 10 to 15 years. For us to experience the impact that losing those two rhinos had on the reserve owner sort of gave us added motivation. It was just horrific. I never want to see that again. As Dogs4Wildlife looks ahead to its long-term goal of one day opening a specialized training and canine school within Africa, mobilizing future generations has become a key part of its overall mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its Conservation club, called Siyafunda Ngemvelo which translates to we learn in nature in IsiZulu has taken more than 180 South African children into reserves as part of a wildlife education program. Law said that for local people to want to protect rhinos, they must first see the animals value to the environment. We have to start at the fundamental basics, which is children taking responsibility for their own wildlife, she added. Once they get the passion for it, theyre going to become future rangers, not future poachers. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Protecting children and exposing predators is the goal of a group called Oklahoma Predator Prevention, but now, some people in that group are behind bars. As first reported by Oklahoma Watch, the founder Russell Goodwin, along with colleagues Ryan Koch and George Liebsch are facing felony charges. They set up decoy accounts to try to catch them and when they engage somebody, then they show up, several of them with cameras in tow and do a live feed and kind of sort of bully and harass them as part of the show, said Ted Streuli, executive director, Oklahoma Watch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oklahoma police officer fired after child abuse conviction Oklahoma Watch intern Haley Parsley spent months investigating these sting-operations. She found out that law enforcement officers really struggle with some of their tactics because theyre not trained, they brag about not having to follow the same rules law enforcement has to follow, said Streuli. Streuli says they also found that many of those that the group goes after are vulnerable. Sometimes who are disabled in some way that are not fully aware of whats happening, said Streuli. The group livesteams their confrontations and Streuli says theyve been banished from several major social media platforms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three members of the group recently went to McLennan County, Texas, to confront a man, who they claimed to be a predator. In the course of the confrontation, he falls, hits his head against the truck and is briefly unconscious, said Streuli. The Sheriffs Office arrested the man they confronted, but also took action against the Oklahoma Predator Prevention group. The sheriff from McLennan County has run into these groups before. They feel very strongly down there that while they certainly want to protect children and pursue predators, they dont believe that groups like this are helping, said Streuli. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Late last week, Goodwin, Koch and Liebsch were arrested separately in Oklahoma by members of a U.S. Marshals task force on McLennan County, Texas, warrants. They were charged with unlawful restraint and exposing the victim to a substantial risk of serious bodily injury. The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. Whether this serves as a deterrent? Causes them to change their tactics or get out of the business altogether, well have to wait and see, said Streuli. The McLennan County Sheriffs Office says while they are committed to protecting children from online exploitation, Confronting suspected predators without proper training or proper law enforcement support is extremely dangerous and can result in escalation, unintended harm to the surrounding community, tainted evidence and interference with criminal investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also discourage the public from engaging in vigilante activities and urge individuals to report any suspected criminal behavior to law enforcement authorities. The three men are being held in Oklahoma, while they await extradition back to Texas, where they could then bond out. News 4 tried emailing Oklahoma Predator Prevention, but has not heard back. Oklahoma Watch also added that during their initial investigation, the group became angry with their intern and left many inappropriate voicemails and emails. It seems to us that that falls in line with their tactics and their practice of kind of intimidation is sort of their go to tactic, said Streuli. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For their full investigation, 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat of Tennessee's Memphis-based 9th Congressional District supports the deployment of agents from several federal agencies to Memphis. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images) Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen said Monday he backs the buildup of some federal law enforcement agencies in a Memphis crime-fighting effort but opposes deployment of the National Guard and stepped-up immigration enforcement. Cohen, who has represented Memphis in Congress since 2007, said the surges purpose should be law enforcement for criminal violations such as murder, rape and assault, not mobilization of the military and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for immigration violations, which are civil cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My concern is the National Guard gives the impression that the city may not be hospitable to visitors and may make people feel uncomfortable, Cohen said. Im afraid it may be the National Guard usually comes with ICE, and the rest of this may be somewhat of a red herring, really here to deport people. President Donald Trump launched the Memphis crime task force with Gov. Bill Lees cooperation more than two weeks ago. The U.S. Marshals Service, which is coordinating the operation, reported last week that 187 people were arrested on administrative ICE warrants, meaning they could be deported, while more than 400 people were arrested on warrants, with no explanation given, and 155 for other reasons. The biggest numbers were for traffic citations, 4,600, outpacing 1,044 total arrests, including eight for homicide, 48 for sex offenses, 100 for firearms violations and 116 for drug violations. My concern is the National Guard gives the impression that the city may not be hospitable to visitors and may make people feel uncomfortable. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Cohen could not speak to the wide gap between arrests and the more than 4,000 traffic citations issued to Memphis motorists but said those could be used as a reason to stop people. He pointed out Memphis has had terrible incidents on its highways stemming from drag racing and noted that two police officers were charged with drag racing recently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said last week his office had heard reports of racial profiling by the task force as the county filed suit against the state to halt deployment of the National Guard. State Rep. Justin Pearson, who recently announced he is challenging Cohen in the 2026 Democratic primary for Tennessees 9th Congressional District, opposes the buildup, calling the National Guard mobilization a military occupation designed to control Black communities rather than reduce crime. Pearson said Monday the governors deployment of Guard troops in Memphis violates the Tennessee Constitution. Rep. Justin J. Pearson, a Memphis Democrat, said deployment of National Guard troops violates the Tennessee Constitution: No one is above the law, he said. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) No one is above the law, nor should anyone be allowed to abuse our state Constitution to advance the policies of the Trump administration, Pearson said in a text message. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Cohen did not address Harriss comments about profiling, Pearson said he is deeply concerned about ICE and immigration detentions as well as the targeting of Black and brown motorists instead of violent criminals. Rather than an illegally mobilized military sent to criminalize groups of residents, Pearson said his Memphis district needs federal investment to eradicate poverty and curb gun violence. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in Tennessee, said Pearson, who blamed the Republican-controlled legislature, governor and gun lobby for the escalation. Cohen said the FBI has been in Memphis for years, with either a headquarters or branch, and worked on an operation earlier this summer with local and state law enforcement agencies to cut crime. Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis both said they received support from the federal agency, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Enforcement Agency. I have no problem with that if theyre helping our crime situation, Cohen said. And our crime situation is hurtful to the victims of the crime, but its certainly hurtful to Memphis in addition because it makes people question whether they want to visit and whether they want to have a convention here. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday vowed that his conservative party will fight a tough campaign against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in next year's five state elections. "We will not allow ourselves to be destroyed by these people. We will provide proof of this in the coming months," said Merz at the conclusion of a two-day strategy meeting of the executive committee of the Christian Democrats (CDU). The CDU's election strategy dominated the meeting in Berlin. Nationwide polls show the anti-immigration, eurosceptic AfD has risen to 2527%, catching up with the CDU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where new state parliaments will be elected, the AfD is polling around 40% and leads by a wide margin. Germanys mainstream parties have sought to contain the AfDs rise by refusing to cooperate with it, but the isolation strategy has so far failed. Merz reiterated that the CDU would maintain a strict line of separation from the AfD. "We have no agreement with this party neither in our fundamental beliefs nor in the current political issues that need to be addressed," Merz said, going on to accuse the AfD of trying to destroy the CDU. Merz once again declared the AfD to be the CDU's "main opponent" in elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And I can only advise everyone to take it seriously when we call someone the main opponent. Then we will truly fight them." Merz said the CDU aimed to be the strongest political force in all five upcoming state elections and would draw a clearer distinction from the AfD. Formed in 2013, the AfD is Germany's largest opposition group, having secured more than 20% of the vote in February's federal parliamentary election. They were only beaten by the conservatives, and came ahead of the Social Democrats. The conservatives and Social Democrats together formed a coalition government. While the AfD won a state election for the first time last year in Thuringia, it has yet to serve in a state-level government, as other parties have steadfastly refused to work with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics accuse the AfD of undermining democratic values, pointing to extremist rhetoric and hostility toward Germany's multicultural society. Some of its factions are under surveillance by domestic intelligence services. Merz said the CDU would would be best positioned for the electoral tests in 2026 if it proved it could carry out "successful government work." "If we govern successfully together, then there will be no need for a so-called Alternative for Germany," the chancellor said. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's doubling down on his comments linking migration to problems in German cities provoked a call for a spontaneous anti-racism protest in front of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) headquarters in Berlin on Tuesday. On Monday, Merz told a journalist that he has "nothing to take back" and added that "anyone who sees it in everyday life" knows that he is right. People who had daughters would know exactly what he meant, Merz said. "We are around 40 million daughters in this country," countered prominent climate activist Luisa Neubauer in a post on Instagram. "We have a sincere interest in our safety being attended to." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What we do not want at all is to be used as a pretext or justification for comments that are at bottom discriminatory, racist and thoroughly hurtful," the 29-year-old head of Germany's Climate for Future movement said. Berlin police confirmed that a demonstration with 300 participants had been registered for the CDU headquarters under the heading "Feminist Rally: We are the daughters." The Kiel branch of the organization called for a similar protest in front of the CDU office in the northern German city on Wednesday. At the beginning of last week, Merz said that his government, which took office in May, would correct shortcomings in previous migration policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "But we still have this problem in the image of the city, of course, and that's why the federal interior minister is facilitating and carrying out large-scale deportations," he said. His remarks provoked furore in Germany but he refused to back down and was backed by leading party members, although he also faced opposition from witin his party and more vocally from his junior coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). "We have no intention of being hitched to this wagon even for a second," Neubauer said. "We call out happily: Not with us. Let's meet at CDU headquarters," she posted. Feminist organization Terre des Femmes - French for Land of Women - added its voice to the protest. "The most dangerous place for a woman remains her own home," Terre des Femmes head Christa Stolle told dpa Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Women's rights apply to all women, and violence by men must be seen, called out and fought, irrespective of where the perpetrators were born or what they look like," Stolle said. "Patriarchal force structures remain deeply rooted in Germany. It does not help anyone when a chancellor makes a blanket discriminatory statement," she said. Challenged on the issue again on Tuesday while on a visit to Stuttgart, Merz brushed it aside. "What I meant with this term [image of the city] last week in Potsdam and yesterday again at a press conference has been comprehensively cleared up," he said. Merz made the original city-image comment in response to a question on the rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is mounting an increasing challenge to his conservative bloc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Alexander Hoffmann, member of parliament from Merz's conservative bloc, defended the chancellor's comment. "With its criticism of the chancellor, leftist-green outrage politics was misreading the reality," he told dpa. The country could only be kept together if politicians solved the problems that affected people. "Many people with a migrant background, who have successfully integrated here, also expect this," he said. Merz has recently reiterated that his conservative bloc will not cooperate with AfD, despite calls from retired conservative leaders for a rethink on the issue, as the AfD continues to show strength in the polls. According to government figures, 11,807 people were deported or transferred to other European Union countries in the first half of this year, compared with 9,465 deportations in all of 2024. City Council is expected on Monday, Oct. 20, to approve spending $4.7 million to buy two buildings that would lend to Mesas redevelopment efforts for its downtown. Mesa Community College District is the current owner of the two properties at 145 N. Centennial Way and at 165 N. Centennial Way. They approached us when they realized that this would be excess property for them, City Manager Scott Butler said at the Oct. 9 council study session. Weve been talking to MCC about this for a while now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a while to the point that we did put the money for this in this years budget in anticipation of this occurring. EVT-properties1 Mesa Council is anticipated to agree to buying two properties in the downtown to help spur redevelopment efforts. The two-story structure at 165 Centennial adjacent to the mixed-used Culdesac project, the Delta Hotels, the convention center and library is a key site for us to be able to help control redevelopment on the area, Butler said. He noted that the hotel was very happy that the city was looking to take control of the site as the two shared a vision of tying in together the convention center, amphitheater, the hotel and Culdesac. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This site may or may not be part of that, Butler said. But certainly being able to activate that in a way that helps the Delta and the efforts that were trying to do with the convention center and all of the uses in that area, I think is really important. Well raze the site. Well make it look good and then well hold on to that until the right opportunity comes along for either to sell it as part of a partnership or whatever the use may be in the future. EVT-properties3 The city wants to buy and raze this two-story building on 165 Centennial Way for future redevelopment project. The other location is on top of the city-owned parking garage and is space that Mesa needed to house staff, according to Butler. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We feel very good about being able to get some employees into that space in the not-too-distant future, he told council. We have some of our own facilities with deferred maintenance and we have a desperate need to find some areas that we can relocate some of our staff as we look towards future redevelopment, including the 55 North Center building, which is you know, part of our long-term agreement with ASU for redevelopment. Butler said that the municipal building on Center Street has seen better days, and the city would need to potentially spend millions to get it up to workable status. It would be much better for us to instead use those funds towards issues like this getting our employees into a better space and then be able to further our partnership with ASU on that building, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arizona State University has an intergovernmental agreement with the city to develop projects in the downtown, including at that municipal building on North Center. That agreement has so far resulted in the development of ASUs Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center on Centennial Way for emerging media technologies. The space at 145 N. Centennial Way is about 33,000 square feet and was valued at $4.8 million by a third-party appraiser, according to Lisa Davis, Real Estate manager. The building, constructed in 1990, recently underwent some renovations, including a replacement of the air conditioning units. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other building was constructed in the 1980s and has a lot of deferred maintenance that the college district said would cost about $2.7 million to bring up to standards, according to Davis. It appraised at $650,000, she said. Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury said that she knows that the Mesa Chamber of Commerce vacated the 165 Centennial building but asked about the Azura Veterans Coalition. The chamber relocated to 40 N. Center Street in March. Whats happening to any other tenants that are there? Spilsbury asked. Davis responded that the veterans group was given until the end of November to leave while everyone else had been given to the end of August and has left. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Councilman Rich Adams said he was familiar with the veterans groups struggle to find a new home and asked if it has found a place yet. I know it came as sort of a curve ball out of right field that they were going to have to move, Adams said. Butler said that staff was working with the group to help find a new location. Councilwoman Jenn Duff, who represents the area, noted the citys vision for the downtown an arts and innovation district that includes economic development opportunities and is connected and walkable. I think its very important to take control of the properties so that we can shape that and not leave it to happenstance, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This particular property is targeted as needing it for staff so that we can make other areas near the Main Street for some other opportunities with ASU and whatever else. Duff added that the college spent a huge amount of money on the new AC units for the 165 Centennial building and that the city should try to salvage them for reuse elsewhere. Marc Ahlstrom, assistant city engineer, assured her that staff would look for those opportunities. Weve had some cases in the past where reuse doesnt always work as well as wed like it to, but well definitely look into that, he said. If council approves the purchases, the city anticipated going into escrow on Oct. 21 and close probably in January or February, Butler said. Britains biggest police force has announced it will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. The Metropolitan Police said it hoped the move would provide a clearer direction for officers, allowing them to focus on criminal investigations. The force said incidents would still be recorded for intelligence purposes but officers would not get involved in policing toxic culture war debates. The announcement came after Graham Linehan, the comedy writer who was arrested at Heathrow by five armed officers over messages posted on social media, was told he would face no further action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 57-year-old Father Ted creator was detained in September and questioned on suspicion of a public order offence following gender-critical remarks he made online before being bailed pending further inquiries. His treatment sparked a free speech row and he subsequently announced plans to sue Scotland Yard. Mr Linehans legal team is still planning to sue the Met for wrongful arrest over the incident - NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock On Monday he was informed that following an investigation he would face no further action. A Met spokesman said: We understand the concern around this case. The commissioner [Sir Mark Rowley] has been clear he doesnt believe officers should be policing toxic culture-war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents [NCHIs]. We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations. These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality. We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection. Growing concerns for officers While the Linehan case brought the issues around NCHIs into sharp focus, it is understood the announcement about them was not made because of the forces handling of the incident but because of a growing concern that it was serving as a distraction for hard-pressed officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An NCHI is defined as an incident that falls short of being criminal but which is perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person with a particular characteristic. b' ' Police forces are supposed to record them only when there is a serious risk of significant harm that could escalate into criminality, and not just because someone feels offended. But last year more than 13,000 NCHIs were recorded across England and Wales and campaigners have warned of their chilling effect on free speech. In November, Allison Pearson, The Telegraph columnist, was visited at home by officers from Essex Police following a complaint over a social media post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February, a grandmother revealed how two plain clothes officers from Greater Manchester Police attended her home after she posted a comment on Facebook critical of a local councillor. Although having an NCHI recorded against a person does not constitute having a criminal record, it may show up on an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, potentially affecting their employment prospects. Free-speech group to help writer sue In an email to Mr Linehans lawyers on Monday, a Metropolitan Police detective said: I am writing to inform you that following a review of the evidence by the Crown Prosecution Service, it has been determined that no further action will be taken in this matter. This decision means that no charges will be brought against Graham Linehan in relation to this allegation. Please note that this decision may be reconsidered if further evidence or information comes to light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, Westminster Magistrates Court ordered that all of Mr Linehans bail conditions be dropped after an application by Free Speech Union lawyers. District Judge Snow ruled that the conditions were too vague and ordered that they be immediately lifted. Mr Linehan welcomed the Met decision but said he still intended to take legal action and sue the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest and interference with his free speech rights. He said: The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September. After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didnt even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men. Lord Young of Acton, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, said: Im glad the police have dropped the case, but it should have been obvious there was no case to answer in the first place. Graham should never have been interviewed about his tweets, let alone arrested by five armed police officers and held in a cell for over 12 hours. Weve instructed a top flight team of lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest, among other things. Graham deserves an apology and the police must be made to pay a price so they stop behaving like the Stasi. Mr Linehan, who now lives in Arizona in the United States, was arrested after landing in the UK ahead of a court appearance in another case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was informed he had been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence for publishing a social media post that was allegedly intended to stir up hatred and incite violence. It is believed the arrest was related to a post on X on April 20 that read: 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. The previous day he had posted a picture of what appeared to be a trans rally with the caption: A photo you can smell. He followed it up with the comment: I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F--- em. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While in police custody he had to be admitted to hospital following concern over his medical condition. The arrest led to fevered debate over the state of free speech in the UK, with the Met Commissioner warning that the police were being left to referee toxic culture wars with outdated legislation. Home Office asked to clarify law Sir Mark said: While the decision to investigate and ultimately arrest the man was made within existing legislation which dictates that a threat to punch someone from a protected group could be an offence I understand the concern caused by such incidents given differing perspectives on the balance between free speech and the risks of inciting violence in the real world. He added: I dont believe we should be policing toxic culture wars debates and officers are currently in an impossible position. I have offered to provide suggestions to the Home Office on where the law and policy should be clarified. Greater clarity and common sense would enable us to limit the resources we dedicate to tackling online statements to those cases creating real threats in the real world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: This is a great victory for our campaign against the police wasting their valuable time on non-criminal matters. They should focus on catching shoplifters, car thieves and phone thieves, not policing offence on social media. This is a welcome return to common sense. We now need to see this approach applied across the whole country, something we put to a vote in Parliament earlier this year, but Labour sadly voted it down. I now urge the government to think again and support our proposal to end non-crime hate incidents entirely, and only investigate or record something if it is likely to be an immediate precursor to actual criminality. Its time for a return to common sense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Times reported on Tuesday night that a review of non-crime hate incidents is set to recommend that all forces scrap them. The College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council will reportedly advise Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, that the incidents should no longer be recorded by any force in England and Wales. 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. An announcement by the Metropolitan Police that it will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents (while continuing to record them) is a welcome step towards restoring common sense. While I have campaigned for exactly this for almost 12 months, I wont be cracking open the champagne just yet. The Leftist, progressive forces which use Orwellian hate laws to try and control what we can and cannot say will not lay down their Pride and pro-Pal flags without a fight. And I should know. It is very nearly a year since two police officers turned up at my door on Remembrance Sunday to tell me Id offended someone on social media. What Id said to cause offence, let alone stir up racial hatred, they couldnt possibly say. Nor were they able to give me the name of my accuser, although, as one officer quickly pointed out, Its not the accuser, its called the victim. Er, excuse me, victim of what? Now, now, Madam, no point asking sensible questions thatll get you nowhere. I had fallen down a rabbit hole Allison in Blunderland and entered the Mad-Hattered, nonsensical world of hate crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone (literally a complete stranger) could report you, or me, or a cheeky child in a playground, or even an actual home secretary at an actual Conservative Party conference (Amber Rudd in 2016) for causing them alarm or distress. If the offence was perceived to be motivated by hate towards people with certain characteristics, such as race or transgender identity, the police would take it seriously, although officers would not be required to question the motives of the accuser. Sorry, victim. I still find this unbelievable. That visit by Essex Police left me shaken and in tears the reaction, I imagine, of most of the 30 generally law-abiding people who are arrested every single day in the UK for offensive online communications. Because it was a sacred day in the national calendar, a day when we pin on our poppies and fall silent to remember the millions who gave their lives so we could take freedom for granted, I was also angry. What had our country become, that police officers could betray the wartime generation with behaviour that mimicked the tyranny they had sacrificed so much to defeat? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking back, and despite everything, I am glad that it happened to me. Yes, it was scary and the reputational harm was immense but at least I had the platform and the support to fight back, and could help others who had neither. The Telegraphs superb News team swung into action and we were soon publishing jaw-dropping statistics that revealed how very bad Essex Police were at solving crime crimes. Disgusted members of the public came forward with stories of multiple burglaries and car and bike thefts captured on CCTV; the police werent interested. Theyd text you a crime number for the insurance if you were lucky. Why not post a few hurty words on Twitter and the police will soon be round?, people quipped bitterly. Despairing Essex police officers got in touch with me to complain about the woke priorities of their Chief Constable who had hosted an event, Pride In Our (trans) Kids, at Police HQ in Chelmsford, which featured a drag queen and an organisation promoting gender-neutral toilets in the countys schools. Such are the priorities of the contemporary police service; pride in our country has been eclipsed by pride in our Pride. The story of a British journalist accosted by police for a tweet posted 12 months earlier made headlines around the world. It lent weight to the deeply damaging view that Britain, home of Magna Carta, had become a free-speech pariah. Elon Musks excoriating comment about my case was shared several million times. Even our gutless Prime Minister, that prissy authoritarian Stasi Starmer, was forced through gritted teeth to utter the mantra, Police our streets not tweets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank God for the Free Speech Union. Founded with remarkable foresight by Toby Young (now Lord Young of Acton) in 2020, the FSU was able to assist me and thousands of other victims of grotesque police over-reach. Many of the non-crime hate incidents the FSU came across sounded like a bad joke. Dirty pants on a washing line were solemnly recorded as offensive by one constabulary. Parents were arrested for bitching about their childs school in a private WhatsApp group. A nine-year-old boy got an NCHI for saying another child in the playground smelt of fish. (By that weedy-wet standard, my entire class at Welland Park School in 1972 would have been banged up.) In Bedfordshire, a man was landed with a police record for racial hatred for whistling the Bob the Builder theme tune at his neighbour. It does feel like poetic justice that, in the end, it was a bad joke that finished off NCHIs. The well-loved Irish comic writer Graham Linehan was arrested in September by five armed officers at Heathrow over a few tweets about trans issues, including one where he advised women faced with a bloke in the Ladies to punch them in the balls. (It was meant as a quip about male-female height discrepancy, although Graham admits it wasnt his best.) The comedy writer Graham Linehan was arrested in September by armed police after making jokes about trans people online - Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images The Met looked like fools and brutes for treating the genial Father Ted creator like a runaway mass murderer. Eventually, the police dropped the charges because the CPS found no evidence to support what was an unfathomable decision in the first place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The polices use of NCHIs was always bad and wrong, but, by now, it was embarrassing and indefensible. This week, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley became the first police chief to say his officers would no longer investigate them. The Met shouldnt be policing toxic culture-war debates, he said. The Commissioner made it sound like police are neutral referees who are a bit fed up of getting dragged into all that woke argy-bargy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Senior officers in this country have been captured by a radical progressive ideology and have gladly used chilling instruments like NCHIs to force the British people to adopt something called our values actually the fatuous, studenty opinions of the Guardian-reading lanyard class. The police care far more about social justice than the justice you and I care about. This does go some way to explaining, I think, why I had a police visit over a social media post while Asrar Rashid, an Islamic preacher in Birmingham, could recently tell a meeting You can advocate hatred for Zionists. We hate Zionists, yet somehow not get his collar felt. Again, not wholly surprising when Craig Guildford, the Chief Constable of the West Midlands, began a message to the Muslim community pledging to take care of their security with, As-salamu alaykum. Because nothing says impartial British policing quite like a chief constable greeting one group hes keen to appease in Arabic. Personally, I hope that the other 42 constabularies in England and Wales will follow the Mets lead and stop investigating NCHIs. It is good news that people will no longer be arrested as a result of vexatious malice from serial grievance-mongers. But its a worry when the Commissioner says, These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence. Why should the police be allowed to keep a record of perfectly lawful activity if no investigation is deemed necessary? Isnt that a teeny bit Stasi, Sir Mark? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to data protection rules, data should only be recorded when its necessary and retained for no longer than its needed. Besides, the bar for recording personal data on NCHIs was set very high by the statutory guidance, introduced when Suella Braverman was home secretary; there had to be a significant risk to a person with a protected characteristic. The police have ignored that statutory guidance, which also urged common sense be used (tell that to the poor bloke whistling Bob the Builder!). The police have ignored verdicts of the higher courts which, time and again, have found in favour of free speech and against activists who think they can shut down debate with a hecklers veto. Do we really think public trust in the police can now be restored, or are they likely to do what they did in my case and swerve away from NCHIs to a criminal investigation under either the Malicious Communications or Public Order Act? As one veteran superintendent sighed, Gawd help us, the police do love a hate crime. The distinguished academic Kathleen Stock, who campaigns against trans activism, found out by accident that she had a hate crime recorded against her name. Police hadnt bothered to inform her. Outrageous. I was told by senior lawyers that my tweet never came near the threshold for a criminal investigation. But even if you know youre innocent, by the time you get the email from the CPS saying NFA (No further action) you are a jittery mess. That is deliberate, I have come to believe; a way for the police to punish wrong-think views that challenge their prevailing progressive ideology even when there is no law against it. It is intimidation and it has been a stain on British life. Kathleen Stock, a professor at University of Sussex, was accused of transphobia for her views on gender identity - Christopher Pledger Remembrance Day will never be quite the same for me, and I must admit I am slightly dreading the one coming up. But I am proud of The Telegraphs campaign against NCHIs, because it reminds us what journalism can achieve when it speaks up loudly for the silent majority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I remember the kindness of so many strangers during those dark November days, of readers who offered wonderful support, of neighbours who left plants and bottles of wine on my doorstep, of Luke Gittos, my lawyer from the FSU, who said everything would be OK when it didnt feel that way, of the police officers, profoundly decent coppers, who apologised for the woke cult of their absurd superiors, and of my MP, Kemi Badenoch, a tenacious fighter to have in your corner. We all know what Remembrance Day means, what they died for and why it matters, and if the police have forgotten, well, then we will need a new police. 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. Filmmaker Rebecca Miller knew it would be impossible for her to make a feature-length documentary about Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese. There was no way I could go as deep as I wanted to go in one-and-a-half or two hours, she said. Maybe she could plan for a two-part series. But as she started to interview Scorsese in addition to numerous collaborators, family members and close friends it became clear that two parts still wouldnt be enough. So the documentary stretched into three. Then four. Finally, Miller landed on a total of five episodes, each with its own emotional arc. Obviously, I could go on forever, she said in a recent interview. But I also wanted to be able to tell a story that was lean and very propulsive. How does one even begin trying to capture the inner machinations of one of our greatest living filmmakers? Is it possible to explore the impetus behind movies such as Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Casino and The Departed without making something longer than their cumulative run times? Working on the series Mr. Scorsese, which is streaming on Apple TV, required sharp focus and unrelenting honesty. To tell a revelatory story, Miller couldnt let Scorsese or herself off easy. Miller, who has been married for nearly 30 years to actor Daniel Day-Lewis, star of The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York, knew Scorsese socially before sitting down with him during the pandemic for hours-long conversations. But she began her inquiry as a devout consumer of his filmography, rather than as a friend. She wondered how growing up in Manhattans Little Italy shaped the stories he dreamed up. She was curious about how he squared his Catholicism with the intense violence of his movies. She questioned how he worked so furiously and prolifically on projects that required so much of him. Do you want to die like this? Yes, cocaine once played a role. It also nearly killed him, landing him in the hospital with internal bleeding in 1978. He tells Miller that Robert De Niro came to his bedside and asked, Do you want to die like this? They put out Raging Bull two years later. Scorsese is a person with a lot of anomalies built in inside of him, Miller said. Having mostly directed narrative films (Personal Velocity, Maggies Plan), Miller discovered an inner freedom working on documentaries, citing the ability to determine their forms along the way. Mr. Scorsese is her second nonfiction work after Arthur Miller: Writer, an intimate, 98-minute portrait of her father, the lauded playwright. That is a far more personal piece Miller, diving into her own family history, even narrates the feature but shares with Mr. Scorsese the goal of deconstructing a towering public figures image and self. Film nerds are bound to enjoy Mr. Scorsese, which dissects how the director developed certain aspects of his aesthetic: He favours high-angle shots, for instance, because they resemble how he viewed the world as an asthmatic child, forced to watch other kids play outside from his perch at a window. Miller said the single-take Copacabana nightclub scene in Goodfellas set a new bar for Steadicam usage in film. Marty has invented some film grammar that we use all the time. With so much at stake, Scorsese has been steadfast in his efforts to protect his vision. In the docuseries, he revisits the time a disagreement with executives over disturbing material in Taxi Driver almost drove him to break into the studio to steal the rough cut. He even considered buying a gun, though he says he didnt have any plans to use it. Marty was very upset, director Steven Spielberg tells Miller in an interview. He talked Scorsese out of the burglary. Brian De Palma adds, He was going crazy. What he wants to fight against is the homogenisation of cinema, Miller said. He wants to preserve individual voices because it is very, very important. Personal life Stories like this complete Mr. Scorsese, which is as enamoured of his artistry as it is candid about his flaws. The episode Saint/Sinner gets its name from actress Isabella Rossellini, Scorseses third wife, who describes how the filmmakers fascination with morality butts up against some not-so-great behaviour. His three daughters Cathy, Domenica and Francesca, each from a different marriage speak candidly about their relationships with their father. It becomes clear he was not as present during the childhoods of the two eldest. I think theres a tendency, particularly among male artists, to bifurcate them: Theres the man, and then theres the artist, Miller said. She challenges this tendency through her work, an effort supported by Scorsese himself. During one of their conversations, Miller said, he mentioned facing temptations along the way. I said, As a man or as an artist? And he said, Both, because there is no difference. Even as he reestablished his personal priorities, work continued to consume Scorsese. Miller remembered him seeming so alive and so vivid and so young when she met him on the set of Gangs of New York. He was nearing 60 but had the anxious energy of a debut director, she said. He was in such a state of nervous anticipation over whether he had selected the right angles, the right shots. He was worried about how it was going to go, she recalled. That was a big surprise to me, because somebody whos obviously a great man usually sits back and just enjoys his great man-ness. But hes really not like that. Getting to know Scorsese through the documentary deepened Millers admiration of his work: Its like a Shakespearean level of output and hes alive, she said. While she had always revered certain films, Raging Bull among them, poring over Scorseses oeuvre prompted her to reassess others, such as The Wolf of Wall Street. It was such a pop film, she said. I didnt fully appreciate that when you look under the hood of that film at what it took to make that technically at the level of expertise that both he and Thelma [Schoonmaker, his editor] and all the actors exhibited, the level of freedom was extraordinary. Miller was supposed to visit Scorsese on the set of Killers of the Flower Moon, which he made while she worked on the documentary, but schedules got the better of them. In the end, it didnt matter to her: His innermost thoughts are laid bare in the film itself. Leonardo DiCaprios character in Killers is a classic example of a Scorsese antihero, Miller said, noting that he is in love with his wife and poisoning her for money at the same time. Is he good? Is he bad? Can both be true at the same time? In a sense, the character grapples with the moral dilemmas that have rattled Scorsese his entire life. Its like a hall of mirrors, Miller said. Her docuseries captures a dance between the man and the films, the films and the man. They are always creating each other. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Two proposals addressing age verification for app stores are working their way through the Ohio Statehouse, with Meta and Google backing different approaches. One effort aims to require parental approval for all app store downloads for minors. Lawmakers introduced this proposal in both chambers of the Statehouse, as House Bill 226 and Senate Bill 167. Central Ohio schools report positive changes after total phone ban Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In contrast, companion legislation House Bill 302 and Senate Bill 175 would mandate age verification for certain apps that may contain age-sensitive content, such as social media sites. In April, a federal judge struck down a state law that would have required social media companies to verify their users ages and seek parental consent before granting access to children under 16. See NBC4s previous coverage in the video player above. In response, lawmakers are focusing on regulating app stores such as the Apple App Store and Google Play rather than individual platforms. Under HB 226 and SB 167, when parents give their children smartphones, they could go into their own app store account and add their childs profile, confirming their identity as the parent by uploading an ID or credit card. When a child tries to download an app, the parent would get a notification allowing them to either approve or deny the request. Meta is supporting this approach, along with the Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and Fraternal Order of Police Ohio. Jennifer Hanley, Metas head of North American Safety Policy, argued at an Oct. 14 hearing that singling out some apps is likely to present constitutional issues, as shown by the previous state law being successfully challenged in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge allows Ohio high school athletes to sign NIL deals This approach is built on a simple but powerful idea: protecting teens online is a shared responsibility, and no one gets a free pass, Hanley said. If the goal is to keep teens safer online no matter the proposal selective age verification on some services, and not others, will fail. This is because teens will simply flock to different or new services that are out-of-scope, have less friction and likely dont offer protections. Meanwhile, HB 302 and SB 175 would mandate app stores request a users age at the time of account creation, giving adults the opportunity to verify their age and prohibiting minors from accessing age-sensitive content. The legislation requires apps with such content that choose to allow minors to declare which features are for adults and which are for children. It also requires them to build parental controls into their apps. Proponents of this proposal, such as Google managing director Matthew Bye, argue it helps protect privacy and does not burden apps that offer the same experience for adults and kids, such as PDF viewer or calculator apps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SB 175 allows app stores to signal to relevant apps that a particular user is a minor, without sharing their specific age or identity, Bye said. We dont believe that app stores should broadcast sensitive age data of the states children to millions of developers globally that dont need it. Its a privacy and child safety nightmare. Should not have happened: Reynoldsburg police file charges against wrong Danielle Taylor This approach has also drawn support from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Columbus and Vicinity, and The App Association, a group representing small technology companies. All four bills await additional hearings and a vote before lawmakers could send them to Gov. Mike DeWine for final approval. 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. There's more turnover at WFSB's weather team, as meteorologist Scott Gagliardi announced Friday he would be leaving the network. Gagliardi's announcement came the same day that Tyler Hughes, a recent hire by the network, made his on-screen debut covering weather. "Just like the leaves, sometimes it's time to embrace the change, and trust what's next," Gagliardi wrote in a Facebook post announcing his departure. "But as the colors change, so does my path. I'm excited to share that I'll be joining a new station soon. Change isn't always easy, but it's how we grow, and sometimes, it's exactly what the forecast calls for." Gagliardi, who did not respond to a request for comment for this story, is a Connecticut native who attended high school in Wallingford and studied meteorology at Western Connecticut State University. After a stint working as a meteorologist at WCJB TV20 in Gainesville, Florida, he was hired at WSFB as a weekend weather reporter in April 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hughes, a New Hampshire native who was hired by WFSB this month, is set to take over at least some of Gagliardi's weekend broadcasts, though he says he did not overlap with the departing anchor. Meteorologist Tyler Hughes started with WFSB last week, with his first on-air appearance on Oct. 17, 2025. (Courtesy of Tyler Hughes) In an interview with CT Insider on Monday, Hughes said he had developed his passion for weather at a young age - living through the 2008 ice storm in New Hampshire and watching the waves of Hurricane Irene crash into the seawall in his hometown of Hampton were both formative memories for the young meteorologist. Hughes is new to the professional broadcast business; he graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in meteorology in May, though he has already gotten a first-hand look at the instability of the news industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hired at ABC6 (WLNE) in Providence, Rhode Island, in June, Hughes lost his job at the station in September after it was purchased by media conglomerate Sinclair, a move that was opposed by the station's staff union. Though Hughes declined to talk about the experience, he said he was "really fortunate" to land at WFSB, broadcasting in New England, and that the weather team at the Rocky Hill-based network had been "phenomenal" in welcoming him to the team. "Here in New England, we get all four seasons, and we get them all four in full force," Hughes said. "And I absolutely love that about New England. I love getting to experience everything that each of the four seasons brings. As I look out my window right now, the wind is gusting up, the leaves are falling off the trees. And sooner or later, we'll be talking about snow." Hughes is set to cover Thursday and Friday weather, primarily on WWAX, WSFB's sub-station, but with a noon appearance on WFSB. He also will broadcast on the weekend evening shows, which Gagliardi covered in his time at the station. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WFSB has weathered a number of high-profile departures and absences in recent months. In addition to Gagliardi, anchors Nicole Nalepa and Marcy Jones both announced they were leaving within the last month, and anchor Mark Zinni still is absent, without explanation, from the airwaves. This article originally published at Meteorologist Scott Gagliardi leaving WFSB amid continued anchor turnover. New Mexico is the third state to pass a law implementing a gradual phasing out of so-called forever chemicals in new products, and is now facing industry pushback. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) New Mexico officials this week will share information about forthcoming laws requiring labeling for products that contain so-called forever chemicals. The virtual meeting on Wednesday follows recent proposed rulemaking for both labeling and restricting such products, and comes amid national pushback from industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed rules come via House Bill 212the PFAS Protection Actpassed by lawmakers in the 2025 legislative session. The bill institutes the phasing out of most intentionally added per and poly fluoroalkyl substances PFASfrom in everyday items. This class of manmade chemicals, which has thousands of variants, resist breaking down in nature and can accumulate in water, soils and increasingly in the blood and bodies of humans and animals around the world. Because of PFAS durability, theyve been used extensively in materials for waterproofing, nonstick cookware, makeup, carpets and firefighting foams. Studies on PFAS health impacts remain ongoing, but have thus far been linked to kidney and reproductive cancers, decreased fertility, fetal developmental delays, disruption of immune responses and liver functions in people. American Chemical Council, an industry group representing 190 chemical companies, said it opposed the labeling requirements and called the departments proposed rule inconsistent in an Oct. 14 statement to Chemical and Engineering News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group plans further participation in rulemaking, officials told Source NM in a statement. There are a number of concerns and questions about the scope of the New Mexico proposal, and well be actively engaged in the rulemaking process to advocate that any requirements are based on credible science, do not mislead consumers or users of products, or create overly burdensome requirements that could negatively impact innovation and economic development, Senior Director of Product Communications Tom Flannigan said. Secretary James Kenney told Source NM that he expected the department to face headwinds, on rulemaking. We know that were going to face national resistance, and the question that I need New Mexicans to wrestle with - and to be clear, weve wrestled with it Why are we going to let outside voices from Washington, D.C., telling you what should be on your kitchen table with or without PFAS, with or without your knowledge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carla Hutton, the senior regulatory analyst for Bergeson and Campbell, an international law firm based in Washington, D.C. that often represents chemical industry groups before federal and state regulators, said the labeling requirement issued by New Mexico came as a real surprise. Hutton said the law firm wont take a position on the rulemaking, but said officials there will be watching it closely to see how it affects industry, including how labeling requirements in other states impact New Mexicos rulemaking. The labeling requirement is a big ask, she said. Its complicated. Its not as though a single company or factory manufactures all the bits and pieces and puts them together there, so theres a lot of questions about how companies will have to work through the supply chains and determine what needs to be labeled and how. Environmental groups who have supported legislation to limit the sale of products containing PFAS in other states said theyll be watching New Mexicos rulemaking. Gretchen Salter, the policy director at Safer States, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating chemical exposure in the environment, said the concern for PFAS extends over the lifetime of the a product, whether its in production, being used or disposed into landfills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consumers have a right to know, and they want to know whether theyve got PFAS in their products, Salter said. And it doesnt matter the kind of PFAS, because there really is no safe PFAS. While the new rulemaking and HB212 aims to prevent new pollution, state officials said theyre still addressing the consequences of contamination from decades of PFAS use on military sites. To that end, New Mexico environment and health department officials will travel to the Clovis Civic Center on Thursday and present the results of a recent study evaluating blood tests from Curry County residents. The meeting will also be livestreamed here. While the presence of PFAS in 99% of the Curry County samples is on par with national studies of PFAS across the nation, New Mexico environment officials previously told Source NM in August, the presence of PFAS used by the U.S. Air Force firefighting foams in peoples blood was a direct correlation, to the contamination that migrated off-base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report also found that 14 people tested had very high PFAS levels, similar to levels found in other states where the chemicals were manufactured or spilled. For comparison, only an estimated 9% of adults nationwide have those levels present. According to a news release, the New Mexico Department of Health will offer one-on-one private health consultations, even for non-participants. The New Mexico Environment Department, will also offer sign-ups for free private drinking water well tests and installation of free PFAS filtration systems if the levels exceed drinking water standards. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Oct. 20The state Children, Youth and Families Department promised to license 265 new non-relative foster homes for abused and neglected children in state custody by Dec. 31, but so far has recruited less than 100, a legislative panel learned Friday. "The good news is we are bringing on new foster parents regularly," said CYFD chief operating officer Brenda Donald. "But the reality is, we're not going to hit those numbers by Dec. 31." To date, the state has recruited 78 new non-relative foster homes, far short of the 265 that CYFD officials agreed to as part of the legal obligations in the 2020 settlement of a civil rights lawsuit known as Kevin S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case, brought by a group of foster children and child welfare organizations, led CYFD to agree to reform its practices and procedures to improve the foster care system. Donald, speaking to the interim Courts, Corrections and Justice committee, said CYFD's new leadership team hopes to streamline the process of becoming licensed as a foster parent. "We found that in the past we've lost some people because the process is too long," she added. The agency, with new acting Cabinet Secretary Valerie Sandoval, has also hired a consultant from Oklahoma to help ramp up a new program called foster care plus, to provide homes for children in state custody who "have a higher level of need," and for foster parents, "who need a high level of support." Modeled after a successful program in Oklahoma's child welfare system, foster care plus began this summer with 10 children, and has grown to 26, Sandoval said. Children eligible for such intensive care settings would previously have had to live temporarily at a CYFD office building or housed out of state because there were no suitable foster homes, Donald said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald, a child welfare consultant who was hired for the new COO officer job in September, previously worked for the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia in helping reform their child welfare agencies. Sandoval told the legislative committee that CYFD has home studies pending on 196 prospective foster parents living around the state. Increasing the number of foster homes in New Mexico has been CYFD's goal for years, but the agency in 2023 recruited 129 new foster homes after promising to add 190. CYFD also is obligated under the settlement agreement to lower caseloads, increase and retain qualified caseworkers, and improve data collection. Committee member Rep. Eleanor Chavez, D-Albuquerque, read part of a letter she received last week from a new foster parent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CYFD foster parent expressed dismay about the three-day foster parent training course, Chavez said. "It was more like a Amway sales pitch," the letter read. Foster parents were asked what kind of car they would be if they were a car, and what kind of plant they would be at the start of the course and at the end. "We had to repeat the words we are good enough and smart enough to do this'" for five minutes, the letter stated. "That was basically the entire course," the foster parent wrote. The parent lamented that the course didn't include "vital information that would have been beneficial to us once licensed." Committee chairman Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, said he doesn't have high hopes about the new team's ability to achieve the reforms. "It's just shuffling chairs on the deck of the Titanic," he told the CYFD team. "I'm really hoping you're going to be different." NEW MEXICO (KRQE) It could be a big energy opportunity for New Mexico to help export natural gas from the Rocky Mountain basin to Asia. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham unveiled a potential partnership Monday. That unveiling comes with a new report, highlighting two major routes to get Western Natural Gas from Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico out of the U.S. through the Pacific Ocean, to Japan.It identifies that we have nearly unlimited gas reserves. So 277 trillion cubic feet, and thats a very powerful representation about what we can provide with growing energy demands in this country and frankly beyond, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, (D-New Mexico). PNM holding assistance fair on Saturday at Albuquerque High School Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Japanese ambassador to the U.S. joined Governor Lujan Grisham and other state leaders to talk about the idea on Monday. Theyre calling it an infrastructure road map, with the idea of sending natural gas from the Rockies to Asia. While theres a big supply, southwest states have always had a hard time selling it on a broader scale. The playbook identifies two main routes: shipping natural gas through the Pacific Northwest or the southwest through Mexico out to the Pacific coast. The governor sees it as a potential job creator and more. Gregg Hull announces campaign for Governor of New Mexico So, we have both pathways through the gulf, pathways through the Pacific, and in doing so, we cut costs of export and delivery, and we minimize some national security issues by not having to go through the Panama Canal, said Gov. Lujan Grisham. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon also joined Mondays conference. Despite the announcement, theres still a long way to go with the governor saying theres no definitive plan on exporting Rocky Mountain natural gas yet. The governor also announced a new partnership with New Mexico State University and Japanese company Fujitsu to partner on computer chip making. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 20SANTA FE Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's trade mission to Japan this year is showing signs of paying off. The governor on Monday announced an agreement between Fujitsu, a Japanese advanced technology corporation, and New Mexico State University to launch an innovation hub at NMSU next year. She also touted Japan as a possible market for natural gas produced in New Mexico's San Juan Basin, though no specific agreements or timelines have been set for that effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new and potential partnerships took center stage during an all-day trade summit attended by Shigeo Yamada, Japan's ambassador to the United States, and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, among other government officials and business leaders. Lujan Grisham and Gordon were both part of the same trade mission to Asia in April. They said their two states share a friendly rivalry when it comes to energy and economic issues, but are also willing to work together on regional initiatives. "I hate to say bipartisan; this is just good business," Gordon said at one point during a Monday news conference at the state Capitol in Santa Fe. For her part, Lujan Grisham called New Mexico and Wyoming "energy powerhouses" that could help countries like Japan with their energy needs while reducing its carbon emissions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is a huge opportunity for the western states and the United States in general," the New Mexico governor said. The Monday trade summit coincided with the release of a regional report focused on expanding the exportation of natural gas from the Rocky Mountain region. That report, released by the Western States and Tribal Nations Energy Initiative, was funded in part by New Mexico and identifies two pathways for transporting natural gas to the West Coast, where it can be shipped to Asian markets. One of those routes, the Southwest Pathway, would cross Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, while the other, the Pacific Northwest Pathway, would cut through the state of Washington. New Mexico was the nation's third-highest natural gas producing state in 2024, providing about 8% of the nation's total natural gas withdrawals, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state is also the nation's third-largest energy producing state overall trailing only Texas and Pennsylvania and produces about 11 times more total energy than it consumes. But New Mexico at times has dealt with a glut of natural gas in past years, and Lujan Grisham said it's possible the state would have to increase its pipeline infrastructure if an export agreement with Japan is ultimately signed. "As demand grows, we would need to do more infrastructure investment," the governor told reporters, while adding the state has the current capacity to at least begin such an agreement. Meanwhile, Yamada, the Japanese ambassador, said Japan's government has committed to $7 billion in annual purchases of American energy, but acknowledged the Rocky Mountain coalition is one of several options being considered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is a very good detailed introduction of the potential Rocky Mountain gas and we will seriously look into it," he said, referring to the effort involving New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, several Colorado counties and two Native American tribes. As for the innovation hub at NMSU, a memorandum of understanding signed by university President Valerio Ferme and a senior Fujitsu official lays out a four-year timeline for creating a national "testbed" for research and innovation. Under the agreement, NMSU will establish a facility with reliable power and cooling, work with the state's two national laboratories and procure servers, while Fujitsu will provide the technical hardware and other services. The agreement does not contain any state financial incentives, though Lujan Grisham said such investments could be considered in the future depending on how the partnership evolves. Earlier this month, Toyota said that it is exploring the use of drones to assist drivers on unpaved trails. But this innovation isnt limited to automakers, as law enforcement is also getting in on the action. The Miami-Dade Sheriffs Office has unveiled an autonomous-capable police car that uses a drone for surveillance. The projectdubbed the Police Unmanned Ground (PUG) Patrol Partneris developed in collaboration with Policing Lab. It features a Ford Explorer patrol vehicle equipped with cutting-edge hardware, including a rooftop drone dock. The system gives police officers a birds-eye view during patrols, sending real-time data to headquarters and law enforcement databases for AI-assisted crime analysis. Patrol Bots in the Making Beyond its drone and autonomous driving capabilities, the PUG also includes 360-degree cameras and thermal imaging for enhanced situational awareness. The goal is to allow human officers to focus on other critical tasks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Policing Lab clarified that no taxpayer funds were used in developing the project. Moreover, the public can directly engage with the vehicle through a community-facing tablet powered by Truleos TruAssist platform. Given the ongoing concerns surrounding autonomous drivinghighlighted by multimillion-dollar lawsuits involving Teslas Full Self-Driving (FSD) systemthe team emphasized that PUGs won't engage in a high-speed chase without a human driver. In the future, pairing PUGs with pursuit-control tools like the Grappler system could significantly elevate law enforcement capabilities. In a press release, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz of Miami-Dade County said: Miami-Dade continues to lead in public safety innovation. The PUG allows us to explore how new technology can keep people safe while making the best use of our resources. Deputies remain at the heart of this mission, and the PUG is here to support them. Policing Lab The county estimates it will take around 12 months of evaluation before deciding whether to expand deployment. In the meantime, police have been using more advanced software systems, such as the Police Perimeter Alert (PPA), which detects potential threats around patrol vehicles and warns officers. A Florida woman was in shock after she returned from vacation and discovered her dog was cremated while in the care of a pet sitter. Eilyn Jimenez of Miami Shores, Florida, told Local 10 she entrusted her three dogs including her 12-year-old maltese-shitzu, Aria to sitter Barbara Paz while on vacation in August. She found Paz through Rover, an app that connects pet owners with pet sitters. At first, Paz was sending her regular updates, Jimenez said. During the trip, I had been checking in with her, asking how everything was going and she was like, No, everything is fine, everything is wonderful. Sending me videos of the dogs, perfect, she told the outlet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Jimenez returned from vacation on August 31, Paz allegedly told her Aria died in her sleep and that she was cremated. Jimenez claims Aria was cremated without her or her husbands permission, and suspects it was done to cover up the truth, Local 10 reports. It's been really hard, because I think nobody ever thinks that the scenario is going to happen, Jimenez told The Independent. Eilyn Jimenez says her 12-year-old maltese-shitzu, Aria, died in August in the care of a Rover petsitter. When she returned from vacation she was given the dogs cremated remains. (Eilyn Jimenez/Instagram) Paz allegedly allowed another person, Daniel Cruz, to pay Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials and Cremation to have Aria cremated on August 29, Local 10 reports. Joseph Castronovo, a staff member at the animal funeral company, said Cruz claimed it was his dog. The guy came in and said it was his dog. He wanted it cremated immediately. He paid 400 extra dollars to cremate it that moment when he brought it into the office, Castronovo told Local 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Local 10 asked why someone would want a rush cremation job, Castronovo said, Destroy of evidence, thats why. The company told Jimenez that Aria had her scalp separated from her skull and an eye popping out, and that Cruz said Aria was attacked by a bigger dog, according to Local 10. Now, Jimenez says shes filed a report with the Miami Shores Police Department. She also received an apology from Rover and $1,000, but she didnt accept the money. I don't want to take anything that assumes that I am okay with the way this is handled, Jimenez told The Independent. Its been very difficult, because we've had this information for a while, and to be honest, all we want is accountability, she later added. It's almost like I wish she did pass in her sleep, because at least that would give me peace of mind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When approached by Local 10 for comment, Paz said she spoke with Arias owners but did not answer the outlets questions about Arias cause of death. A Rover spokesperson told The Independent that Paz has been removed from their platform. Upon learning of this incident, Rovers 24/7 Trust & Safety team conducted a thorough investigation into Arias passing, the spokesperson said. The sitter involved has been deactivated from our platform without the option to appeal. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation should they become involved. The Independent has contacted Cruz, Rover, Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials and Cremation and the Miami Shores Police Department for comment. DEDHAM, Mass. The lead investigator in the Karen Read murder case has withdrawn his appeal to regain his job with the Massachusetts State Police, following new revelations about his conduct. Michael Proctor, the former state trooper fired in March 2024 for his role in the controversial investigation, had filed an appeal in August seeking reinstatement. However, over the weekend, Proctor signed a one-page document obtained by 25 Investigates confirming he is no longer pursuing that appeal. This notice confirms the withdrawal of my appeal, the one-page document, signed by Proctor, read. I exercise my right to sign this form on my own free will. Proctor came under intense scrutiny during Reads first murder trial when he was forced to read explicit text messages he had written about her on the stand. He called Read things like a whack job and other derogatory words. He also talked about her medical issues and wrote, No nudes so far, while going through her phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators have now uncovered additional messages and videos on his personal phone that may impact other cases he worked on. According to a court filing, the extraction of Proctors phone yielded hundreds of thousands of items, some dating back to 2013. The Norfolk County District Attorneys Office has begun notifying defendants in murder cases that Proctor investigated about the newly discovered material, which could be relevant to their trials. At this time, the contents of the texts and videos are protected by a court order and are not being released to the public. Reads lead attorney, Alan Jackson, called Proctors sudden withdrawal an act of humility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael Proctors sudden withdrawal of his appeal wasnt an act of humility it was self-preservation. He learned investigators have recovered text messages from his private phone dating back years, and he wanted no part of what those text messages would reveal. He didnt accept accountability it hunted him down. And as Col. Noble has admitted, the years-long corruption is systemic," Jackson said in a statement shared with Boston 25. During Civil Service hearings in August, Massachusetts State Police lawyer Stephen Carley described Proctors conduct as Juvenile. Sexist. Disgusting. Moynihan argued that the departments decision to fire Proctor was rushed and pre-determined. The state police have maintained that Proctors actions, including drinking on the job, sharing confidential case information, and creating a perception of bias, were grounds for termination. Michael Proctor Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor opens an evidence box to show the jury a broken tail light while testifying, Monday, June 10, 2024, at Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., during the trial for Karen Read. Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor shows the jury a broken tail light while testifying, Monday, June 10, 2024, at Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., during the trial for Karen Read. Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a sit-down interview this past summer with Boston 25s Gene Lavanchy, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble acknowledged Proctors right to appeal the disciplinary action taken against him, while making clear he believes the department acted appropriately. Proctor was assigned to investigate the death of Reads Boston police officer boyfriend, John OKeefe. He was relieved of his duty without pay in summer 2024 after a mistrial was declared in Reads first murder trial, and his last day with the Norfolk District Attorneys Office followed soon thereafter. Read was acquitted of murder and manslaughter in OKeefes death in June. Proctor wasnt called to testify in the second trial. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW (The Center Square) Michigan lawmakers recently approved $75 million for out-of-school time grant programing for fiscal year 2026-27. That includes before- and after-school programs and summer programs, which advocates say is greatly lacking in the state. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, recently applauded the funding. High-quality out-of-school time programs give Michigans young people safe spaces to learn, grow and thrive, Walker-Griffea said. By investing in programs that strengthen academic skills, spark new interests, and connect students with caring adults, were ensuring Michigans children and families have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed in the year ahead and beyond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MiLEAP, which was first founded by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2023, will be responsible for rewarding approximately $73 million in grants to eligible organizations throughout the state. This funding comes as a recent study raised concerns about how lacking those types of programs are for Michigan families. Released by the Afterschool Alliance, the fifth annual America After 3PM survey found that five in six Michigan parents who want afterschool programs for their children are unable to enroll them. What stands out most is the sheer scale of unmet demand, Stephanie G. Van Koevering, director of public affairs for the Michigan Afterschool Partnership, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2025, 150,508 children were enrolled in an after-school program. That means 678,070 children were not able to attend those programs, according to the survey. It pointed to a variety of reasons for that gap, including program cost, availability, and inaccessibility. Van Koevering said this is a broader issue affecting both parents and children. In fact, the survey found that 84% of Michigan parents said after-school programs allow them to keep their jobs or work more hours, and 92% said theyre less stressed knowing their child is safe. When after-school programs are out of reach, families struggle to work, employers lose productivity, and kids miss critical enrichment, academic, and social supports, Van Koevering explained. Expanding access isnt just about childrenits about the health and stability of Michigans entire economy. While Michigan Afterschool Partnership applauded the investment made by the legislature into those programs, Van Koevering argued its not enough taxpayer support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michigan can lead by creating a universal afterschool system, ensuring every child who wants a program has one, she said. Building on the states $75 million investment in FY 2025, which is so urgently needed and valued by all our states families, Michigan can continue to grow a sustainable, statewide infrastructure for afterschool and summer learning that makes access equitable, stable, and affordable for all families. Michigan already funds free pre-K and community college for all. The survey found that 88% of Michigan parents, regardless of political leanings, would also support taxpayer funding for after-school programs. Its always wise to be sceptical of a company asking for more regulation. Thats doubly true when the firm is asking Europeans to do the regulating. These axioms came to mind as OpenAI representatives complained to antitrust officials in Brussels about several American tech giants. According to minutes from a recent meeting between the chatbot leader and European Union bureaucrats, OpenAI is arguing that tech rivals with dominant positions in search, smartphones and desktop software could use their distribution channels to freeze out its products. But this is shortsighted, as OpenAIs own history shows. Its true that Apples smartphones, Googles search dominance and Microsofts desktop software give those companies a head start in the artificial intelligence race. Yet that has not prevented ChatGPT from becoming a market leader, with no built-in competitive advantage except an excellent product. If the organisations user base continues to grow, it will undoubtedly find smaller competitors levying the same kind of complaints that OpenAI has raised. A smarter long-term move would be to double down on the relentless innovation that made OpenAI such a remarkable outfit it involves risk, but its better than simply begging European regulators for help. Is European-style regulation really what American tech firms need more of? The EUs regulatory state, while vast, cannot take all the blame. An aging population, high energy prices, risk-averse capital markets and internal trade frictions dont help. But as a competitiveness report notes, Once companies reach the growth stage, they encounter regulatory and jurisdictional hurdles that prevent them from scaling-up into mature, profitable companies in Europe. Europe has both too much regulation - the EU passed almost three times as many acts as Americas federal government between 2019 and 2024 and an excessively conservative precautionary principle approach. That tangle of red tape is one reason that fast-growing European companies often shift their operations to more dynamic markets: between 2008 and 2021 European entrepreneurs founded 147 unicorn startups, but 40 of them took their billion-dollar valuations elsewhere, typically to the US. Tech leaders in America know this. Indeed, OpenAI chief Sam Altman has a keen grasp of the dangers of European overregulation-when it comes to AI. Asked about the EUs AI Act at a panel earlier this year, Altman warned there are going to be economic impacts that will become societal impacts. Nonetheless, the heavy hand of the state can be a useful weapon for corporate titans to crack down on their larger competitors. When word leaked about the OpenAI meeting in Brussels, the company simply said that its private complaints mirror public statements. Just days after going hat in hand to Europe, OpenAI completed a share sale that values it at $500 billion, up from $300 billion. That makes it the worlds most valuable private company. And its biggest investor is Microsoft, one of the companies that it complained about to the Europeans. The Washington Post Michigan State Rep. Pat Outman (R-Six Lakes) speaks in favor of House Bill 4861, which would change state election law to remove the requirement for non-partisan candidates to declare a party affiliation on their affidavits of identity. Oct. 21, 2025. | Screenshot The Michigan House of Representatives is considering a change to election law to help non-partisan candidates avoid getting kicked off the ballot due to technicality in the filing process. Members of the House Election Integrity Committee on Tuesday discussed House Bill 4861, which would remove the requirement for non-partisan candidates to declare a party affiliation on their affidavits of identity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers supporting the bill said the change was necessary because the technicality in question has kept some non-partisan candidates from reaching the ballot based on legal challenges to their affidavits of identity, a document that must be turned in to the Michigan Department of State by the filing deadline in a given election year. In doing so, we ensure that quality candidates are not excluded from the ballot over a confusing and quite frankly unnecessary paperwork requirement. State Rep. Pat Outman (R-Six Lakes) State Rep. Pat Outman (R-Six Lakes) sponsored the bill. Outman told the committee that candidates for partisan office are required by law to note their party affiliations on the forms by notching one of three check boxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current form does have a box for a non-partisan office without party affiliation, but Outman said judicial candidates have a long-standing tradition of not checking any of the boxes because the non-partisan nature of the race is implied. Thats led some litigious Michigan residents to challenge those affidavits of identity in court as being incomplete or out of step with election law, which has in turn led to the disqualification of otherwise qualified candidates. In fact, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled on this issue in Davis v Highland Park City Clerk, where even [retired Justice David Viviano] pointed out that the law is unclear and urged the Legislature to step in and fix it, Outman said. He noted that it makes little sense to force candidates for non-partisan offices to affirm theyre running without party designation when their names already appear in a separate section of the ballot where no party label can appear. Outman said the bill was a commonsense change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In doing so, we ensure that quality candidates are not excluded from the ballot over a confusing and quite frankly unnecessary paperwork requirement, he said. Testifying in support of the bill was Wayne 3rd Circuit Court Judges Kelly Ramsey and Margaret Van Houten. Ramsey was subject to a legal challenge over her affidavit of identity in 2022, where serial litigator Robert Davis sued over her form being incomplete. It subjected me and other members of my bench to considerable stress, aggravation and, quite frankly, financial loss, Ramsey said. And it has to do with the fact that I left the line blank regarding party affiliation when I was running for a non-partisan office, and that was the subject matter of the lawsuit. Had it not been for the [litigants] late filing [of the case, which saw it thrown out], I fear I would have been taken off the ballot. We were not successful based on the merits, we were successful in a lawsuit based on [a doctrine determining an unreasonable timing delay]. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Stephen Wooden (D-Grand Rapids) said the change makes ample sense, but noted that the current form has been updated to allow a non-partisan candidate to check a box indicating that they are running for that office with no party affiliation. Still, Wooden said it would be wise to change the law for greater clarity, and also to buffer in statute changes that could be made administratively by the executive offices later. Outman said that was accurate, and it appears the Department of State has corrected the issue on its end. It was still important, Outman added, to make the change in statute. Supporting the bill but not wishing to speak were representatives from the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks, the Department of State, the State Court Administrative Office, Pure Integrity Michigan Elections and the Michigan Judges Association. The committee did not take a vote on advancing the bill. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Michigan Senate | Susan J. Demas One of two bicameral earmark transparency bills moved through the Michigan Senate on Tuesday, moving it now to the House of Representatives, where it might face some pushback. The upper chamber on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 596 on a 31-5 vote, with Sens. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway), Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater), Lana Theis (R-Brighton) and Kevin Daley (R-Lum) voting no. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Bill 596 is tie-barred with House Bill 4420, the House counterpart to the legislation, so they need to pass and be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in tandem to become law. Although Senate Bill 596 still has to clear hurdles in the House, the House version has reached the Senate floor and just needs an affirmative vote in the upper chamber to move to the governors desk. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Both bills would institute in statute a set of earmark transparency rules that were agreed to during the final stretch of the 2025-26 budget cycle, following the Houses inclusion of the guidelines into its chamber rules just before budget talks began. The new conditions for earmarks under SB 596 would include the name of the lawmaker introducing the earmark, the total amount requested, the name of the intended recipient and the purpose of the earmark. The request must also include an attestation that no conflict of interest existed between the legislator or the state and the recipient, and that the recipient is not a for-profit entity. All earmarks in the new regime must also not be distributed to a state agency or department, and is only a one-time appropriation in any future budget bill. Any program or request put forward in the governors budget recommendations would not qualify for a legislatively directed spending request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The full Senate voted to not adopt the substitute to Senate Bill 596 previously adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week. State Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) offered on Tuesday a floor substitute in its place, and Anthonys amendment was adopted without discussion. The same scenario played out for House Bill 4420, with its previous amendment adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee scuttled for a new floor amendment offered by Anthony and adopted by the full Senate. State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), who also serves as the chair of the Michigan Republican Party, offered an amendment to require that all earmarks have a cooling off period 60 days before they are voted on so the public and the media can scrutinize the projects. The Runestad amendment failed. State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) discussing earmark legislation before the Michigan Senate. Oct. 21, 2025 | Screenshot Lindsey said the passage was a bittersweet moment because progress was being made, but he still considered the bill in its final form a missed opportunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On a technical level, when you go through it, there are just too many gaps. There are too many problems. We just saw an amendment attempted to make sure theres a sufficient amount of time to review these and that was rejected, Lindsey said. We just saw a largely party line vote rejecting the idea that we have enough opportunity for people to review these items and actually see what they are before voting on it. But there are also carve outs in there. There are spaces where people can still take advantage of the process. Lindsey added that an even larger concern was that this was being placed in statute rather than putting it forward as a joint rule for the entire Legislature. If we were to use the joint rules to create a process for budget transparency, that would be a very effective tool. It would be difficult to suspend those rules, because it would take both chambers, Lindsey said. Importantly, when were actually doing budget negotiations and passing those bills, it would provide an actual mechanism of recourse where we could object to the process. We could highlight if the rules are not being followed. If we do this legislatively, instead, were going to end up with a law that tells the Legislature how we have to do budget transparency. He also predicted that a future Legislature may ignore this new law, find ways around it or challenge it later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton) said she has concerns with the way the Senate bill bans for-profit entities from getting earmarks, comments she shared with the committee. Theis also had issues with the timing and the lack of a long review period, echoing some of Runestads commentary. Despite those defections, the bill passed, but the lack of a cooling off and review period was a non-starter for House lawmakers who will now consider the Senate version of earmark reforms. Notably, the Senate version that passed on Tuesday includes a slim 10-day window to scrutinize earmark requests. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) helped craft the Houses version of the policy, which his team lovingly called the Hall Ethics, Accountability and Transparency plan, or HEAT for short. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without a cooling off period and less stringent rules than what the House adopted earlier this year, Hall referred to the Senates bill as fake HEAT or a smokescreen. Ten days disclosure is a joke, Hall told reporters during House session on Tuesday. I told [Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks] that you want a long disclosure period because theres a lot of things that your members are trying to do that are very sneaky that youre going to find out about in the press. And its going to save you. Hall suggested a 90-day window to scrutinize requests, larger than the window offered by Runestad in the upper chamber, and that it would not move forward in the lower chamber until a long review window is added. In a statement following the chambers passage of Senate Bill 596, state Rep. Tom Kunse (R-Clare), sponsor of House Bill 4420, said he was encouraged by the progress the Legislature was making toward better reforms, but also said the 10-day window was insufficient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to agree on a clear, firm deadline, whether thats April 1 or another reasonable date, so taxpayers can count on when earmark requests will be made public, he said. Having a set date is key to ensuring there are no surprises and that the process remains consistent year after year. Kunse called for the House to improve on the Senates plan. His bill would require all proposed earmarks to be disclosed by April 1, well before the July 1 statutory deadline and the Oct. 1 constitutional deadline to pass a budget. Michiganders deserve a process thats predictable, open, and accountable, Kunse said. Weve seen cases where funds have gone to organizations with little transparency or local connection. I look forward to continuing conversations with the Senate to find common ground and deliver a stronger, more transparent budget process. Republican lawmakers were the only ones to comment on the legislation prior to its passage. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX b Ten Michigan Tribal Nations have filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Enbridges underhanded procedural tactics in the ongoing legal fight over the Line 5 oil pipelines. The lawsuit, filed by Michigan Attorney General in 2019, seeks to shut down the aging Line 5 dual pipelines that run through the Straits of Mackinac, citing the states public trust responsibility. After Michigan secured an initial favorable ruling in state court, Enbridge attempted to move the case to federal court more than two years after the legal deadline. While a federal district court accepted the case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit sent it back to state court. Enbridge has now asked the Supreme Court to intervene. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Straits of Mackinac, located in the heart of the Great Lakes, are sacred to Anishinaabe people who have lived in Michigan for generations. Tribes warn that an oil spill from Line 5 could devastate Tribal lifeways and contaminate drinking water for more than 40 million people. The continued operation of Line 5 puts my Tribal Nation in grave danger, said Whitney Gravelle, President of the Bay Mills Indian Community. These waters are the heart of creation for the Anishinaabe where our stories begin and our ancestors still speak. Enbridges deployed stall tactics threaten all that is sacred. Michigan made the right choice to end this pipeline, and we stand with the Attorney General to defend our rights, our waters, and the future of the Great Lakes for the next seven generations. The Tribes, represented by Earthjustice, include Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Hannahville Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribe, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Enbridge missed a court deadline by more than two years, without excuse, and now they want to change the rules, said Earthjustice Supreme Court Counsel Caroline Flynn. The Supreme Court should see through Enbridges transparent attempt at gamesmanship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The brief also draws on lessons from the 2010 rupture of Enbridges Line 6B, which spilled 840,000 gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River, causing over a billion dollars in cleanup costs. Experts warn that the older, riskier Line 5 pipelines could threaten more than a thousand miles of Great Lakes shoreline if a spill occurs. 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 Some of the countries expected to lead the Gaza peace force are skittish about the prospect of going to combat with Hamas, NYT reported. US President Donald Trump claimed that countries in the Middle East expressed their interest in militarily entering Gaza to "straighten out Hamas," in a Tuesday Truth Social post. "Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and 'straighten our Hamas' if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us," he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I told these countries, and Israel, 'NOT YET!' There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help," he added. Trump also thanked Indonesia for "all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the USA." Palestinians seen near destroyed buildings amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, October 19, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj) NYT reports that international peace force in Gaza skittish to send troops Earlier on Sunday, the New York Times reported that countries that could make up Trump's proposed international peace force in Gaza are expressing hesitation at sending troops out of fear of clashes with Hamas. Two diplomats told the NYT that Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, and Azerbaijan were among the proposed countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials familiar with the matter say that there has been little progress on the assembly of the force because of the lack of clarity surrounding what the peace force would be doing in Gaza. The countries that are expected to contribute have reportedly privately said that they would not send troops until there is more clarity on whether or not they would need to go to combat with Hamas while it is still armed. The NYT reported that the prospect of combat with Hamas would be enough of a reason for the countries to back out of the peace force. Some countried have also reportedly said that they do not want their troops to be in highly populated Gazan cities because of the dangers posed by Hamas's underground tunnel network, sources familiar with the matter said. The Guardian previously reported that Egypt was expected to lead the international stabilization force in the Palestinian enclave. According to the Guardian report, the US administration plans for the stabilization force in the Gaza Strip to mirror that of peacekeeping forces in Haiti. The US reportedly wishes for UN backing without a full UN armed force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump statement comes after Hamas said it will release the remains of two Israeli hostages at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Trump stated on Monday that he believed that "rogue elements, not Hamas leadership, were responsible for the latest attack on Israeli troops in Gaza. "They've been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn't involved in that that it's some rebels within but either way... It's going to be handled toughly, but properly," he said. Midland College, in partnership with Mil2Civ, the Texas Workforce Commission, and Midland Run Crew, will host its annual Veterans Day Celebration from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Physical Education (PE) Building on the Midland College campus. This free community event brings together veterans, families, and supporters from across the Permian Basin to honor the service, sacrifice, and continued contributions of those who have worn the uniform. We are proud to serve those who have served our country, Daniel Ortega, Midland College Director of Veterans Services, said in a news release. This celebration brings veterans, families, community partners, and local employers together in one place, not only to honor the legacy of military service, but to ensure veterans have continued access to resources, career pathways, and support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This years celebration includes a Resource and Job Fair featuring 50 confirmed organizations as of October 20, representing a wide range of employment opportunities and veteran-focused services. Participating organizations include (more to be announced leading up to the event): * Diamondback Energy * Texas Department of Family & Protective Services * Spectrum of Solutions * American Safety Services * PermiaCare * Midland Police Department * Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas * CASA of West Texas * Texas Veterans Commission Veteran Employment Services * Big Brothers Big Sisters * Skillpoint Alliance The celebration will also feature a veterans recognition ceremony, family-friendly activities including an exotic petting zoo and free food, and opportunities for connection and fellowship throughout the day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Event highlights include a 1K/5K Race Presented by Midland Run Crew. Start time is 9 a.m. It begins near Door 1 parking lot of the Chaparral Center. Registration is free. Participants can register here. The Veterans Day Ceremony starts at 11 a.m. at the PE Building Gymnasium. Resource Fair & Job Fair (organizations can still register for a table at either fair by clicking the links). The event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the PE Building Gymnasium. Midland College would like to thank the Veterans Day Celebration sponsors who are helping make this event possible: Silvertip, LOC International, Midland Run Crew, United Rentals, North Country Oil, and LineQuest. The post Midland College to host 2025 Veterans Day celebration honoring service and community support appeared first on Odessa American. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was slammed online after he defended President Donald Trump for posting a disturbing AI video that showed Trump wearing a crown and dumping what appeared to be feces on No Kings protesters. And the speakers defense of Trump says a lot about the state of our current polarized environment, experts in political science say. Life: 12 Things Millennials Do That Stress Out Gen Zers Late on Saturday evening, Trump posted a fake video of himself flying a plane and dumping liquid sewage on protesters hours after people in cities across the U.S. flooded the streets to protest the Trump administration amid its efforts to deploy National Guard troops to American cities. Organizers estimate that nearly 7 million protesters turned out on Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps video was widely condemned, including by other elected officials and prominent Democrats. Among the criticisms were charges that the presidents decision to post the video was un-American. But Johnson, who has referred to the No Kings demonstrations as Hate America rallies, didnt seem too bothered by the AI video when a reporter asked about it on Monday. Instead, he praised Trumps social media skills. The president uses social media to make the point. You can argue hes probably the most effective person whos ever used social media for that, he said. He is using satire to make a point; he is not calling for the murder of his political opponents, and thats what these people are doing, Johnson claimed. (The demonstrations were largely peaceful, with several major cities reporting no protest-related arrests.) Speaker Mike Johnson, right, has "little incentive" to criticize President Donald Trump, one expert told HuffPost. Getty Images Johnsons defense of Trump is just the latest example of a Republican kowtowing to the president without questioning his rhetoric or policies even when theyre at odds with their own positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Manypeople on X, formerly Twitter, called out Johnsons defense of the video. Politics: Bernie Sanders Flips Mike Johnsons Hate America Rally Lie On Its Head When the Speaker of the House defends a video of the president literally defecating on Americans as making a point, it tells you everything about the moral rot in this cult movement, one X user wrote. Leaders with integrity elevate discourse, they dont normalize humiliation as humor. Mike Johnsons loyalty is to the president, not the American people, not the citizens of [Louisiana], not justice or fairness, & not truth, wrote another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todd Belt, professor and political management program director at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, said that Johnsons latest defense of Trumps AI video was not surprising at all. Speaker Johnson has been one of Trumps most loyal supporters, even going so far as to help Trump attempt to overturn the election in 2020, he told HuffPost. Life: 'Frogs Together Strong': Why The Portland Protest Frog Is So Good At Trolling Trump Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, said he would have likely been more surprised had Johnson denounced the video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And why is that? Neiheisel explained that were living in a polarized political environment in which theres little incentive to criticize co-partisans. Johnsons response showcases the extent to which the Republican Party has fallen in behind Trump, he told HuffPost. Im not sure if this is all about loyalty to Trump at this point, though, as there seems to be a non-trivial contingent of the Republican rank-and-file who want, and fully expect, their elected officials to adopt a combative political style. As for Trump posting the AI video itself, Neiheisel said he wasnt terribly surprised by the video. To me, anyways, it represents a complete and utter lack of regard for his political opponents, he said. Protesters photographed at a "No Kings" demonstration in New York City on Oct.18, 2025. NurPhoto via Getty Images As for critics calling the video un-American, Neiheisel said that he believes what is and is not American is a radically contested space, and we often like to see ourselves (and those who we think agree with us) as the arbiters of American-ness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To some, projecting power is absolutely American in nature, he said. To others, particularly those who see patriotism as necessarily containing a critical component (e.g., to be an American is to express a healthy distrust of those in power), the utter contempt that is on display for political rivals is likely to be seen as unpatriotic. Life: Here's The Difference Between A Coffin And A Casket Belt called Trumps video juvenile, but emphasized that this is what Trump does. He likes to post videos and photos of himself looking tough, he said. But Belt said he believes the video depicting Trump bombing No Kings protesters with poop falls under the category of un-American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were supposed to settle disputes at the ballot box and through debate, he said. Framing the rallies as Hate America provides a facile way for Trumps supporters to think about why people are protesting and to delegitimize their motivation. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Republicans are still playing the blame game on the subject of political violenceeven as a pardoned January 6 rioter attacks one of their colleagues. House Speaker Mike Johnson brushed off assassination threats against Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Tuesday, claiming thatdespite the wannabe assassins conservative politicsthe left is still at fault. When asked directly about the incident during his daily shutdown press conference, Johnson initially said that he was completely unaware of the plot to eliminate Jeffries at New York Citys Economic Club Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Terrible. Thats the first Ive heard of that. I dont know anything about it, Johnson said. But anybody who threatens to kill any political official, we denounce it, absolutely. Christopher Moynihan, a 34-year-old from upstate New York, was arrested Saturday for threatening to kill Jeffries. Moynihan was convicted in 2022 for participating in the Capitol riot. Video evidence captured him breaking through fences, entering the Capitol, and rifling through documents in the Senate Gallery. During the riot, Moynihan said, Theres got to be something in here we can fucking use against these scumbags, according to court documents. Moynihan was also depicted standing behind the Senate well alongside Jacob Chansley, better known as the QAnon Shaman. He was sentenced to nearly two years in prison in 2023 but was prematurely released, thanks to a blanket pardon from Donald Trump that freed 1,500 January 6 rioters on his first day back in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan is the first pardoned Capitol rioter to be rearrested over alleged political violence, but hes not the only January 6er to run afoul of the law since they were granted clemency. In February, former Proud Boys leader Henry Enrique Tarrio was arrested by Capitol police after a woman accused him of attacking her. In May, Zachary Alam was arrested for allegedly breaking into a home in Virginia. However, given the chance to elaborate on his statement about Moynihans recent attack, Johnson chose to throw the responsibility back at Americas ideological left. I will tell you this, the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right, Johnson said Tuesday. The assassination culture thats been advanced nowthis is the left, in almost every case that is advancing this, and not the right. Lets not make this a partisan issue, you dont want me to go there. The rhetoric that you saw on display Saturday, we highlighted yesterday, it plays into this. There are people that get triggeredthere are deranged people in society when they hear elected officials participating in a rally that was paid for by [George] Soros and sponsored by Communists, with signs and placards and mantras that were repeated that, We should bring death to fascist politicians. They call every Republican a fascist now, Johnson said, referring to the peaceful No Kings protests that took place across the country this past weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeffries said in a statement Tuesday that he is grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out. Political violence is a phenomenon that persists in and defies both major parties, failing to fall neatly into a convenient, sellable narrative that can be repackaged for voters or donors. In truth, recent spikes in political violence have harmed both public figures (Charlie Kirk, Melissa Hortman, etc.) and regular Americans alike. Historically, political violence has been far more common from the right, and 2025 marks the first time there has been a significant spike in violence from left-leaning individuals in more than 30 years, though it still remains at a much lower level than historical levels of violence carried out by right-wing attackers, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The only common denominator in all recent political violence is wide public access to guns, a detail that sets the United States far apart from the rest of the developed world. By its very definition, Anand Teltumbdes new book The Cell and the Soul: A Prison Memoir (Bloomsbury India) could be slotted into the prison memoir genre. But to do so would be reductive. His account unfolds in layered, precise strokes part diary, part critique, part social history. Its a story of incarceration, yes, but also of caste, class, human frailty and the failures of a justice system that punishes without necessarily protecting. Teltumbde, 74, is currently out on bail in the Bhima KoregaonElgar Parishad case. His book draws from notes made during his trial and 31 months in jail. When I meet him on a torrid October afternoon, he has just returned from a court hearing to Rajgruha the erstwhile home of Dr BR Ambedkar, where he now lives with his wife Rama, Ambedkars granddaughter. A microcosm of the outside world I tried to depict both the positives and negatives of prison, which is much closer to its reality, he says. The people who come into a prison are supposed to all be criminals, although that may not be their reality. But there are also those that did commit crimes. And all these people are so cordial to each other much more than youd see in the world outside because they realise that no matter what, they have to live there and being cordial can make their stay easier. Teltumbde details how jails replicate and distort social hierarchies. At the top are the VIPs: gangsters who can pay their way to privileges, from private cells with attached bathrooms to Sunday feasts of chicken for other inmates. At the bottom are the petty criminals, the vast majority. I was incidentally given a similar cell, which gave an insight into this dynamic, he says. The gangsters would often engage in acts of philanthropy for the lower inmates. Political prisoners like me didnt have that kind of chicken budget, but we helped others out with filing requests and paperwork. That earned us a lot of goodwill. Caste, where even walls dont end it Even behind bars, caste remains a quiet, constant force. Soon after my arrest, a prisoner asked me if I was a Maratha, he recalls. I knew it was his way of guessing my caste. If I said no, he would keep guessing until he found out and that would determine how he interacted with me. A policeman once quietly expressed solidarity at the irony of his arrest on Ambedkars birth anniversary, only to retreat into formality in front of colleagues. Another, a Brahmin, surprised him with open kindness. People vulgarise caste by assuming every allegiance is caste-driven, Teltumbde says. Caste is more complex than we admit. Even some Ambedkarites, he notes, projected assumptions rather than engaging with his work. It was clear that none of those standing in supposed solidarity with me had ever read any of my work and that any expression of support was merely because I was connected to Dr Ambedkars family. It is sad that those who revere Dr Ambedkar do not recognise that he was an iconoclast and strongly disapproved of hero worship. One inmate, one story, one indictment If one instance sums up Teltumbdes indictment of the system, its inmate Bhola. Picked up as a teenager, Bhola barely understood why he was in jail or if he had even been tried. Labelled mental by others, he would clutch the bars at night, talking through tears to his mother. One night, he took his own life. In the book, Teltumbde calls him a prototype of a proletarian prisoner innocent and illiterate, living in the moment out of sheer obligation to existence. Bholas existence, right up to his untimely death, is a metaphor for how the system that purportedly protects the innocent fails those it is meant to serve, he says. Jails which we consider a fact of our existence dont work. The rules that govern them are flawed. And their necessity is overstated. The Cell and the Soul is neither a cri de coeur nor a straightforward polemic. Its closer to a map: tracing the unspoken networks of power, the invisible hierarchies and the fragile solidarities that animate life inside Indias prisons. For Teltumbde, the prison isnt just a site of punishment its a mirror held up to society itself. I wanted to show prison as it is, he says, not as people imagine it to be. Available nationwide; Rs 699 The interviewer asked each candidate a simple question: Would you fight for the right of New Jerseyans to pump their own gas? Republican Jack Ciattarelli answered in one word: no. His opponent, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, took 53, invoking President Donald Trumps tariffs without ever giving a clear yes or no. The exchange which she later gave a more direct answer on spoke to a growing worry among Democrats: That Sherrill, their only hope at holding the New Jersey governorship, is playing it too safe. Her front-runner caution careful messaging, limited risk taking has defined a campaign that some in her own party wish were bolder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond some signature policy proposals like freezing energy rates, Sherrill has largely avoided committing to stances on hot-button issues like immigrant protections and transgender health care for minors. Even her refusal to say that she wouldnt raise the sales tax in a debate, which she had committed to elsewhere, made it into Republican attack ads. "I dont see a vision. Ive seen Donald Trump is bad," said Greg Lalevee, business manager of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, which backs both Democrats and Republicans and endorsed Ciattarelli after supporting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy during both of his campaigns. Hes telling you what hes gonna do. I dont see that from her." The New Jersey governors race is one of just a handful of major elections this year, and both parties are reading it as an early verdict on the political climate before the midterms. What happens in New Jersey will test how much ground Democrats have really lost since Trumps comeback. Many Democrats acknowledge that Sherrill has the difficult task of looking to claim a third term in a row for Democrats, which has not been achieved for decades in New Jersey. It remains a blue bastion, but Republicans have made major inroads in recent years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Jersey is the best place, probably, for Donald Trump to actually stop the Democratic momentum, or at least minimize the Democratic momentum that we've seen throughout this year, said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin. They're looking to blunt our momentum somewhere. And clearly they believe the best place to do that is actually in New Jersey. Sherrill, who flipped her red-leaning congressional seat amid the 2018 blue wave after serving in the Navy and as a federal prosecutor, has run heavily on her biography during her gubernatorial campaign. She leads by single digits in most public polling, and benefits from Democrats 850,000-plus voter advantage in New Jersey. But she isn't firing those Democrats up the way many in her party hoped she would, according to some of those same polls, which found that potential voters feel more enthusiastic to vote for Ciattarelli than her. Enthusiasm translates into turnout, Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said. When you've got more possibly likely turnout, that's a good thing, no matter what your head-to-head says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrill spokesperson Sean Higgins said in a statement that Ciattarelli is floundering while Sherrill has momentum. He added that Democrats and infrequent voters are engaged and activated, including in Republican strongholds like Monmouth and Ocean counties, pointing to vote-by-mail ballot returns. Given Politico's track record around this race, including four days before the primary when they called it 'uncertain' despite Mikie's consistent polling lead, it's important to be grounded in the facts and the data, Higgins said. Mikie continues to lead in all of the polls and 100% MAGA Jack is stalled and unable to break 45 percent, which puts him on the path to be a three time loser. Higgins criticized Ciattarelli for giving Trump an A rating in the latest debate, defending Trumps plan to terminate the Gateway project, which would build a tunnel between New Jersey and New York, and for one of his advisers making antisemitic and homophobic comments. Republicans see an opening There are other signs of Ciattarelli, who is making his third run for governor, working to build upon his unexpectedly narrow loss in 2021. Hes posted strong fundraising numbers in blue counties (though Sherrill is outraising him overall). And hes secured support from some local Democrats and labor unions that did not back him during his last bid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans think they can win back the governorship by painting Sherrill as scripted and out of touch with the concerns of New Jerseyans. Ciattarelli and his allies have highlighted some of her interview responses in advertisements to reinforce that point. That includes her prolonged pause when asked what legislation she'd like to pass in an interview with CBS News and saying she would have to go see what that was alluding to when asked by Charlamagne Tha God if she made $7 million from stock trades. She has also given other sprawling answers about her plans. When asked during the first gubernatorial debate whether she would continue key immigrant protections that limit New Jerseys cooperation with federal immigration authorities, Sherrill was noncommittal. Im going to make sure here in New Jersey, were following the law and the Constitution, she said an answer she repeated three more times that night in response to the same question. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That position has frustrated progressive immigrant groups when Trump is sending troops to so-called sanctuary cities to enforce immigration laws, challenging Democratic governors. Sherrill implied during the Democratic primary election that she would continue the directive but has since backed away from any commitments. I've heard Jack say time and again what he would do, said Amy Torres, executive director of the left-leaning New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. Ive heard Sherrill say she'll be an anti-Trump governor but I just dont know how. A lot of people are really afraid of what Jack has proposed so we also deserve to know what the alternative is. Adam Carlson, a Democratic pollster at Zenith Research who is not working on the race, likened Sherrills approach of relying on her biography and not wanting to rock the boat too much to a prevent defense to get through Election Day. On some levels its smart, he said in an interview late last month, but it carries its own risks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A national Democratic strategist, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said that enough of the polling, the griping and the sentiment is not great, so now you're asking yourself, 'Are we going to have the same problem we did in 24?'" She's running a very 2018 campaign, which is fine for her district, but we're talking about the entire state of New Jersey, the strategist said. Shes trying to play it very safe." Sherrill on offense Sherrill has had a change of tone in recent weeks which Carlson called a positive development taking more personal shots at Ciattarelli beyond tying him to Trump. She has accused him of working with the Trump administration to obtain her military records a claim that gave her a bump in fundraising and charged that he killed tens of thousands of New Jerseyans because of writings his former medical publishing company published about opioids. (Ciattarelli has denied both of these claims and has called Sherrill desperate.) Her campaign has also promoted messaging that he repeatedly voted against bills that would have protected children from sexual predators, which a pro-Sherrill group has put into a television ad. Sherrill has also gone after Ciattarelli on the Trump administrations threat to cut funding to the Gateway project, saying that the president punched him in the face with the move. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since winning the six-person June Democratic primary with around one-third of the vote, Sherrill has had to work to unite the fractured Democratic base especially after drawing a lower share of support in many of the Black and Hispanic areas that shifted most toward Trump last year. Quentin James, founder and president of the Collective PAC, a group that supports Black candidates, said he thinks Sherrill (and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the race for Virginia governor) will win, but they'd win by bigger margins by more investment in turning out Black voters." You losing 20,000 voters Black voters here or there, you can lose the whole thing, said James, who is not working on the New Jersey race. That means dedicating resources, staff and money to those efforts, and what I'm continually concerned about, including in New Jersey, is Democrats' lack of prioritization, especially when it comes to financial resources to do that work." In response to a question about concerns regarding Black and Hispanic voter turnout at an event in Newark over the weekend, Dale Caldwell, Sherrills running mate who is a Black pastor, told reporters that there are always people that are going to say something, but weve been connected, adding that engaging with Black voters has been a strong focus of the campaign. Sherrill's campaign on Tuesday received endorsements from close to 150 Black faith leaders. But rallying the base is difficult in an off-year election especially when Democrats are still on shaky ground nationally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democratic brand is still pretty damaged that she has to run with, said Lanae Erickson, senior vice president for social policy, education and politics at center-left think tank Third Way. Hopefully her individual credibility can overcome whatever frustrations people have with Democrats. Still, there are positive signs for Sherrill. She has raised more than twice the amount Ciattarelli has in small-dollar donations in the general election, according to the most recent campaign finance filings, an indicator of grassroots support. The recent Fox News polling showed her with an edge over Ciattarelli on her handling of health care, cost of living, taxes and energy costs, and a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found that her policy positions were better received than Ciattarellis among independents, a key group that he needs to overcome Democrats voter registration advantage. And despite Republicans attacks, public polls show that Sherrill leads Ciattarelli when it comes to honesty and empathy. If Sherrill does win, the big question will be whether her margin will be better or worse than former Vice President Kamala Harris smaller-than-expected six-point win in 2024. Democrats should take these results as a reality check of where we are, Erickson said. We still have a lot of work to do. We overread a win and decide, Everything is fine now, were good to go now. Thats what we did in 2022 and that led us to where we are now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ciattarelli won his partys primary with 68 percent of the vote against four competitors. In the general election, he has made an effort to stump in areas where Democrats have historically had an advantage. John Harmon, the president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, told POLITICO that Ciattarelli has been well received in traditionally Democratic areas. I'm hearing his name in communities that I probably have not heard a Republican's name before, he said. I'm hearing from people that look like me that had conversations with him, and they're saying, Well, he's not the boogeyman that he's being portrayed as. Harmons group recently hosted a remote interview with Ciattarelli while Sherrills lieutenant governor pick acted as a surrogate. Harmon said that Ciattarelli was specific on how he would address racial disparities in state contracts a key issue for the group Harmon leads while he said Sherrill has been very vague on the issue. He showed up, she didn't, he said. So what does that say? Elena Schneider and Adam Wren contributed to this report. A federal judge ruled Monday that books banned from military schools need to go back on the shelves. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles granted a preliminary injunction in favor of students from five schools on military bases around the world. The injunction and broader lawsuit, filed in the spring in Virginias Eastern District, challenged the removal of books designated by the Trump administration as divisive equity ideology under executive orders signed in the early days of his second term. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Department of Defense Education Activity to take some books off the shelves and remove curricula that fell under the administrations banned classifications, including gender ideology and racism. The DoDEA is a federal school system based in Alexandria, Va. that serves the children of active duty and defense department civilian employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matt Callahan, senior supervising attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, called the ruling very encouraging. Its clear that the government officials here overstepped the law in removing these books and curriculum, said Callahan. By requiring them to be put back during the pendency of the case, the court is ensuring that these students still have access to a proper education while the case plays out. Giles noted in her ruling that at least one of the plaintiffs, a student referred to as L.K.3, had suffered personal harm from the book removals. While an eighth-grader at Edgren Middle High School on Misawa Air Base in Japan, L.K.3 unsuccessfully attempted to check out four banned books: A Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Ground Zero by Alan Gratz. The child claimed that they were reprimanded for seeking the books. It is glaring to this court that an adult scolding a middle schooler for her choice of books would be especially chilling and injurious to the students First Amendment rights, Giles wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Twelve military families living in Virginia, Kentucky, Italy and Japan with children ranging from pre-K to 11th grade are represented in the suit. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kentucky and the ACLU of Virginia wrote in its complaint that the books had been removed from the base school libraries and lessons with no regard to how canonical, awardwinning, or age-appropriate the material might be. Giles ordered that the military stop removing the books from its schools and must restore the books and curricula. We are pleased to see the court agrees with our clients, Corey Shapiro, legal director for the ACLU of Kentucky, said in a statement. Removing books from school libraries just because this administration doesnt like the content is censorship, plain and simple. The DoDEA operates 161 schools across 11 countries, seven states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Mondays ruling applies only to the five schools attended by the plaintiffs, but Callahan says that the courts order could have implications for all schools that are federally funded or run by state governments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen throughout Virginia a number of school districts attempting book bans of materials that they dislike for political reasons. The holding in this case suggests that many of those book bans are themselves unconstitutional and are vulnerable to legal action, Callahan said. In addition to the list of banned books, Trumps executive orders affected lessons about sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and the reproductive system in health classes, as well as discussions of sexuality and gender in Advanced Placement Psychology classes. They also barred the celebration of identity months, including Black History Month and Womens History Month, leading schools to cancel events. Editors note: This story corrects where the applications can be found. We regret the error. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) At the end of the year, there will be two vacancies on the Mill Creek MetroParks Board of Commissioners, and the judge who will fill those vacancies is urging people to apply. Read next: Struthers councilman resigning from position Commissioner Germaine Bennett and Tom Frost have decided not to be reappointed when their terms expire on Dec. 31. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert Rusu decides who will be appointed. Applications can be found on the Mahoning County Probate Courts website, but must be filed in person at the Probate Court before 4 p.m. on Oct. 31. An eight-person selection committee will then make recommendations before Judge Rusu makes the final decision. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Travelers passing through Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport can donate to Transportation Security Administration officials and air traffic controllers, who have worked without pay since the U.S. government shut down Oct. 1. The airport has put out green donation bins accepting nonperishable food and personal care items for unpaid federal airport workers, according to a social media post from Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Cash, gift cards or homemade items are not accepted. Most federal workers have been on furlough since the government shutdown began Oct. 1. But employees deemed essential, including around 50,000 Transportation Security Administration workers and 13,000 air traffic controllers, continue to work without pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "MKE has earned its reputation as a friendly airport with outstanding customer service because everyone works together," Crowley said in a statement on Facebook. "As we do what we can to support those impacted by the shutdown, I call on federal officials to work together to reopen the government before residents and families continue to pay the price." The ongoing government shutdown is close to becoming the second-longest in U.S. history, and there's no clear end in sight. Republican and Democratic lawmakers are at odds over the fate of Affordable Care Act tax breaks that affect 24 million Americans and are set to sunset at the end of the year. Senate Democrats have so far refused to back GOP measures that fund the government without addressing the tax breaks, while Republican lawmakers said they want to pass a separate spending bill first. Airports in major U.S. cities including Chicago, Atlanta and Newark reported flight delays earlier this week due to staffing shortages at air traffic control facilities, USA TODAY reported. But experts said it's unclear how much of the delayed flights can be attributed to the government shutdown given the Federal Aviation Administration's longstanding staffing troubles. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mitchell Airport passengers can donate to TSA, traffic controllers A yearslong impasse between the City of Milwaukee and the union for its rank-and-file police officers has tentatively ended. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Milwaukee Police Association announced on Oct. 21 that they reached a tentative, voluntary deal on a new contract amid arbitration. It comes as the city's officers have been working on an expired deal for more than three years and as the union grew increasingly public in its criticisms of negotiations in recent months. "A tentative, voluntary agreement has been reached between the Milwaukee Police Association and the City of Milwaukee regarding the outstanding labor agreement," said an email from Jeff Fleming, Johnson's spokesperson. "The new contract would cover a majority of the Milwaukee Police Departments law enforcement officers." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The terms of the agreement were not yet available and are subject to approval by the police union's members and members of the Common Council, the email says. If finalized, it would end the labor arbitration process that began in September. "Obviously we don't want to get too ahead of ourselves," Alex Ayala, the president of the police union, told the Journal Sentinel. "Were not singing victory yet, but I think it would be a good compromise from what we were asking and what the city realized what we should be getting." Ayala declined to provide details of the contract agreement, citing the need for council members and union members to ratify it. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson shares his 2026 city budget with the Milwaukee Common Council in the Common Council chambers at City Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sept. 23, 2025. The two parties have been locked in negotiations since the last agreement expired at the end of 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Documents previously obtained by the Journal Sentinel showed the union called for a 12.5% raise across the three years, while the city asked for a 5% raise on 2023 salaries with no back pay and 2% raises the next years, with back pay. It remains to be seen where the ultimate figures land under a new contract. The current salary range for a Milwaukee police officer is between $63,534.75 and $84,743.87, with annual pay raises in the first five years, according to the city of Milwaukee website. The city and union had been negotiating a new three-year contract, and if that holds, the contract would expire at the end of 2025. The negotiation on the contract had become drawn out for the city and union, but early on it was amicable. The two mutually agreed to pause negotiations as they worked on 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, a state funding law that mandated Milwaukee expand its police force while allowing the city to raise more revenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the years that followed, the city lost its labor negotiator and, later, the assistant city attorney who worked on the negotiations. That led the city to hire outside legal counsel for $50,000, which was approved by Johnson in August. The agreement also brings to an end a negotiation process that had grown heated this year. Ayala had publicly criticized the city in recent months, after years of saying little publicly on the process. More: Milwaukee police union leader says he's considering asking Trump to send Guard troops to the city A union statement in July called the city's proposal "insulting," and it held a protest at City Hall in September. The latter was met with anti-police protesters, who criticized police spending by the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The negotiations also put pressure on the city's police department to speak out. Following the union's July statement, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman weighed in publicly and called for "just compensation" for his officers. David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee, police union stalemate ends with tentative contract Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks to States Newsroom leaders and reporters Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at the Royal Sonesta in downtown Minneapolis. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Tuesday that he will seek a third term. Ellison is leading Minnesotas pushback against the Trump administration in the courts, having filed dozens of lawsuits against the federal government this year, on topics ranging from trans athlete bans to cuts to education funding and programs for crime victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellison has also been part of a coalition of Democratic attorneys general who are touting their court victories largely in the form of temporary restraining orders blocking Trump administration actions while the legal process plays out as a beacon of hope for liberal voters who want their elected officials to do more to push back on the Republicans who control the presidency and Congress. The move keeps Ellison in lockstep with Gov. Tim Walz, who is also running for a third term. Both were elected to Congress in 2006 where Ellison represented the mostly-Minneapolis 5th District then statewide office in 2018. A three-term AG isnt new in Minnesota; Ellisons predecessor, Lori Swanson, served three terms. Skip Humphrey was elected to four consecutive terms in the 80s and 90s. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has controlled the AGs office for more than half a century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorney general is the states chief legal officer, representing state agencies in litigation, while also protecting consumers from fraud and enforcing antitrust laws, among other duties. The attorney general also prosecutes some criminal cases. Walz directed Ellison to take up the highest-profile criminal case in state history, the prosecution of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd. Ellisons two prior statewide races were relatively close. Republican Ron Schutz, former chair and current board member of the right-wing Center of the American Experiment, has also launched a campaign for attorney general. A teenage girl from Antioch has been missing for three weeks. Police say she may have been seen in Oakland days after her disappearance. Morgan Crenshaw, 17, was reported missing on Oct. 5 by a family member who last saw her on Sept. 29, the Antioch Police Department said in a statement. Detectives soon declared the case "suspicious" after learning of a possible sighting of Morgan at around 5 a.m. on Oct. 3 near the intersection of International Blvd. and 12th Ave. in Oakland. "This is not a normal pattern of life for Crenshaw," police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morgan's sister, Jaionyi Kennard, told NBC Bay Area, that Morgan's boyfriend, who lives in Oakland, tracked her phone using tracking app which revealed she was last located near an abandoned warehouse on 29th Ave. There, the family found Morgan's phone on the curb. Inside the building, they found wigs and women's clothing but no sign of Morgan, Kennard said. "My fear is her being held against her will," Kennard told the news outlet. "That is my fear. My fear is her wanting to leave and she can't, whether that's because she's getting physically harmed or whether she's getting threatened." Antioch police detectives were on the ground in Oakland on Monday investigating the case, the department told SFGATE. "At this time, there is no new information to report," Lt. Bill Whitaker said. "The case remains an active investigation." Anyone with any information on Morgan's whereabouts is asked to contact Det. Ashley Allen at aallen@antiochca.gov. More News - Disgraced Bay Area sheriff uses loophole to get 90% of salary for life - Plan submitted to increase Bay Area city from 30,000 to 400K residents - Mom uncooperative with search on for missing Calif. girl, officials say - Retired NFL star, 36, reportedly dies in Bay Area police custody Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for daily SFGATE breaking news alerts here. Google now allows you to add preferred news sources. Set SFGATE as one of yours to see more of us when you search. This article originally published at Missing Bay Area teen's phone found on Oakland street. (FOX40.COM) An elderly man who was reported missing in Northern California over the weekend was found dead in a canal. Video Above: What should you do if someone you love goes missing? On Oct.18, the Colusa County Sheriffs Office began a search for Jim Hamner, 84, who was reported missing from his home near Hankins Road and Stovall Road. According to CCSO, he went missing between noon and 2:30 p.m. and the search began soon after. Sacramento police search for missing teen girl Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement throughout the area said they searched for hours. Around 9:12 p.m., Hamner was reportedly found dead in an irrigation canal not far from his home. Investigators said there are no indications of foul play, and the Colusa County Coroners Office will determine the cause of death. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. UPDATE (10/22/25): Deputies have confirmed the missing man is no longer missing and has returned home. ORIGINAL STORY ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Authorities need help searching for a missing Chili man believed to be in the City of Rochester. The Monroe County Sheriffs Office says 31-year-old Jonathan Larson was last seen on Sunday getting into an Uber in Chili. Deputies believe he is somewhere in Rochester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Larson is described as standing around 56, weighing 125 pounds, and having brown hair and brown eyes. It is unknown what he was wearing at the time of his disappearance. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked 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 RochesterFirst. JOPLIN, Mo. The on-going federal government shutdown could impact thousands of Missouri families who rely on SNAP benefits. Now, local food pantries already stretched thin say theyre fearing the worst and are bracing for a surge. Its going to be awful, said Souls Harbor Executive Director, Dianna Gurley. Thats the sentiment shared by local food pantries, who fear the worst if Novembers SNAP benefits are suspended due to the on-going government shut down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The thought of it being cut altogether is an overwhelming thought, said Gurley. The Missouri Department of Social Services, or DSS, says theyve been instructed to temporarily suspend the issuance of November 2025 SNAP benefits, which are 100% federally funded. An estimated 42-million people, or 12% of the U.S. population, currently receive SNAP benefits. I cant even imagine what its going to look like when, especially with the holidays coming up, not knowing if folks are going to be able to even get a Thanksgiving meal, said Joplin First Church of the Nazarene Pastor, Shana McGarrah. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, offers a monthly benefit to help those in need buy food and food products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DSS is now instructing people to reach out to local food banks. Weve already had so much traffic from people who just cant make ends meet from their utility bills, from things that are going on in life already. So then to have that extra added benefit of the SNAP benefits taken away is going to cause an avalanche, said Gurley. As Washington continues to debate, local food pantries are focused on something far more urgent: Making sure families can put food on the table. I just would plead with everybody to get out and begin to donate to the pantries to get us all prepared for the crisis that would happen if the SNAP benefits go away, said McGarrah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a community, were all going to need to stick together because were going to have to do this together in order to make it, said Gurley. DSS says they will provide guidance as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Sacramento, CA Mother Lode Republican Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil is calling for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to reject the California Fair Plans proposal to increase home insurance rates by an average of 35%. Click here to view an earlier story about it. The proposal by the Fair Plan comes following the impacts of the January wildfires in Los Angeles. Some areas of the state would see a higher increase than 35% and others lower, depending on the fire risk. Alvarado-Gil has sent a letter to Insurance Commissioner Lara, stating, This is an unconscionable assault on the rural families, farmers, and small businesses that I have sworn to protect. Commissioner Lara, you have the authority, and the moral imperative, to deny this proposal immediately. Senator Alvarado-Gil urged Lara to commit to a more sustainable insurance future. Click here to view the full letter. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper shot and injured one person during a pursuit Monday night that crossed state lines and ended in south Kansas City. The Kansas City Police Department, which is investigating the shooting, said in a news release that its dispatchers were notified just before 9:15 p.m. Monday that Independence police officers were chasing a vehicle. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Information on what prompted the pursuit was not initially known, but an Independence police spokesman later confirmed to FOX4 that it started after police tried to stop a Chevrolet Malibu for two traffic violations over a headlight and registration. A short time after Kansas City police were notified, the chase crossed into Kansas. Sometime after 9:30 p.m., Kansas City police said the car reentered Missouri, and thats when the Missouri State Highway Patrol became involved in the pursuit. Kansas City police said the chase stopped about 9:45 p.m. in south Kansas City at Oakland Avenue near Blue Ridge Boulevard, and there was an interaction between a person in the car and a trooper. Police said the trooper fired shots at the person, and the vehicle fled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Independence and Kansas City police officer went after the car, and it stopped again less than a mile away on East 91st Terrace near James A. Reed Road. A man and a woman in the car were detained for questioning, police said. The man, who was driving the vehicle, had a gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital. Police said his injuries were not considered to be life-threatening. The trooper involved in the shooting and other officers in the pursuit were not injured. Kansas City police said the investigation into the trooper shooting was ongoing by Tuesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 21WILKES-BARRE Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough declared a mistrial in the homicide case of Frangel Garcia Andujar early Tuesday afternoon, after a spectator in the gallery took a picture of the jury. Earlier in the day during the trial, two witnesses testified they saw Frangel Garcia Andujar fire multiple shots that killed Stanley Jimson Jr. and injured four others during a teenage party inside a vacant house in Hazleton in March 2022. One witness, Joshua Rojas Brennan, said he was behind Jimson, 17, when they confronted Andujar, 23, about being at the party while Caylie Hernandez said she saw "everything." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rojas Brennan and Hernandez testified on the second day of Andujar's criminal homicide jury trial before Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough. Detectives with Hazleton City police and the district attorney's office charged Andujar with killing Jimson, and injuring Ricardo Campos, Reymer Gonzales and two others inside 182 S. Wyoming St. on March 6, 2022. Andujar's lead defense attorney, Lawrence J. Kansky, told the jury Monday police mistakenly arrested the wrong man based on rumors from those who attended the party. Kansky further claimed the house was filled with marijuana smoke and dim lighting preventing anyone from seeing who actually fired the shots. On answering questions from Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle, Rojas Brennan said he arrived at the party that had "jungle juice," a mixture of fruit drinks and alcohol, and marijuana. Rojas Brennan said he recognized Andujar at the party as they knew each other from hanging out on the same block. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the party, Rojas Brennan said those at the party complained Andujar should not be there and briefly met with Jimson and others in the kitchen. "Stanley was like, 'I got you, don't worry,'" Rojas Brennan said. Rojas Brennan said they walked out of the kitchen to confront Andujar with Jimson standing face-to-face with Andujar. Jimson took a punch at Andujar, Rojas Brennan said, and testified he saw Andujar reach down and pull out a handgun and fired 16 shots. Rojas Brennan said he ran upstairs where he saw people jumping out of windows. After a minute or so of silence, Rojas Brennan said he returned to the first floor and saw Jimson dead on the floor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On cross examination by Kansky, Rojas Brennan said he did not immediately speak with detectives because he feared for his life. It was only after Rojas Brennan was criminally charged with weapons and drug offenses in September 2025, when he decided to come forward. "I decided to come forward because it was the right thing to do," Rojas Brennan said. Testimony by Hernandez was more testy when she was questioned by Kansky. Hernandez said she arrived at the party with Jimson and hung out in a middle room by the stairs. At some point, she said Jimson gave her his car keys and he and others went to the front room where she heard a fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hernandez said the next thing she saw were "flashes" and identified before the jury that Andujar was firing the gun. Kansky challenged Hernandez's testimony before the jury with her testimony she provided during Andujar's preliminary hearing held in May 2022. Kansky noted Hernandez at the preliminary hearing testified she did not see a gun and it was too dark to see. From there, the exchange between Kansky and Hernandez became tempered at times with Hernandez smirking. "Is this funny?" Kansky asked, which Hernandez replied, "It's funny that you're defending him (Andujar)." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point, Kansky asked Hernandez her height, which she said is 5 feet 4 inches tall. Kansky then asked how she could see over other people who confronted Andujar. "I saw everything, they were all fighting on the floor, bro. Were you there?" Hernandez replied. "I'm asking the questions," Kansky said. During Monday's trial proceeding, Campos said he saw Jimson get shot and was shot himself as he attempted to run out of the house. Campos said he identified Andujar as the gunman from a picture on Facebook. Aside from an open count of criminal homicide, Andujar is also facing charges of criminal attempt to commit criminal homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. Assistant District Attorney Michael Parry is co-prosecuting and Attorney James J. Scanlon is co-defending Andujar. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Tuesday announced he plans to seek a third term in office in 2026. Ellison, a former Democratic Congressman elected attorney general in 2018, said he would use another four years in office to continue protecting Minnesota consumers from greedy corporations. The attorney general said he also would continue to oppose the agenda of President Donald Trump. Ellison has been involved in numerous lawsuits against the Republican administration, including action this year to challenge Trumps executive order banning transgender youth from girls sports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im running for re-election to keep Minnesota a fair place, where rule of law prevails over power and privilege, Ellison said in his campaign announcement. Since Minnesota elected me seven years ago, weve won tough fights to help Minnesotans afford their lives. We dont bow down to kings in America, not presidents, not billionaires, not giant corporations, because everyone deserves to afford their life. During his first seven years in office, Ellison has negotiated settlements with insulin manufacturers to lower the cost of the drug and brought a lawsuit against JUUL to obtain millions in funding to address youth e-cigarette addiction. So far, Ellison is the only major Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate to announce his candidacy for attorney general. Republican opponent Republican Ron Schutz, an attorney who sits on the board of Minnesota conservative think tank the Center of the American Experiment, launched his campaign for attorney general earlier this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schutz was once appointed by former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty to the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection and served as its chair. In an Oct. 7 news release announcing his candidacy, Schutz said he would be tougher on crime than Ellison and aggressively pursue fraud. He also said he would ensure fairness in womens and girls sports. With the 2026 election still more than a year away, combating fraud in state government has emerged as a central issue in campaigns. Federal prosecutors estimate that Minnesota has lost at least $1 billion in federal funds in recent years to nonprofits claiming reimbursement from the state for services they never provided. New cases continue to emerge. In September, federal prosecutors announced multiple charges in two separate instances of alleged Medicaid fraud one in a state housing stabilization program and the other in a childrens autism program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those grew out of what prosecutors call the single largest known fraud case in Minnesota, when dozens tied to the nonprofit Feeding Our Future stole $250 million from a pandemic-era meal program for children. Amid accusations that he has not done enough to fight fraud, Ellison has pointed to his offices involvement with federal investigations that have led to individuals being charged, including last months housing stabilization case, where eight now face prosecution. Other statewide races Ellison is the second of statewide DFL leaders to announce plans to seek another consecutive term in office. Gov. Tim Walz announced hed seek a third four-year term in September. State Auditor Julie Blaha, who is serving her second term, doesnt plan to run again in 2026. Secretary of State Steve Simon, also a DFLer, is serving his third four-year term and has not announced his 20206 plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have held all statewide constitutional offices since Gov. Mark Dayton took office in early 2011. No Republican has held the office of Minnesota attorney general since 1971. Related Articles MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) The Mobile County Public School System has reported impressive numbers in both scholarships and acceptances for the Class of 2026. Fr. Bry Shields to step down as McGill-Toolen president: grateful beyond words for time at Catholic school The number of acceptance letters sits at 20,000, while students have received $618 million in scholarship offers, an MCPSS news release said. Its been encouraging and motivating Alabama Possible, a college portal for high school students, allowed applicants the opportunity to apply to both in-state and out-of-state institutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Devin Lambert, a Vigor student, has received $583,000 in scholarship offers from 17 colleges. Its been encouraging and motivating for me and my classmates to get scholarships so fast, he said. I feel like Vigor has prepared me for this, with our technology program. Williamson student Madison Abrams has received scholarship opportunities from schools like Spring Hill College and the University of Mobile. I thought I was going to get a regular CNA license, thats it, and I was going to be a CNA for the rest of my life, Abrams said. I didnt really have any hope for going to college until I received the matches and received the scholarships. A first for many families While the numbers are impressive, they serve a bigger purpose for students. 650 MCPSS students with scholarships were the first in their families to attend college last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This shifts the mindset of our students. They understand that receiving a post-secondary education is not only possible, but that now its a reality, said Dr. Monica Motley, Director of School Counseling Services for Mobile County Public Schools. Daphne man killed by falling power pole We are making it a reality for our students by providing them with access to colleges and universities so they can reach their dreams. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) Some states are starting to issue warnings that funding for food assistance might run out in November due to the government shutdown, so Hampton Roads foodbanks are getting ready to be there to help. The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank is hosting a mobile food distribution event Wednesday, Oct. 22, outside the Hampton Coliseum. The timing of this event comes as the government shutdown continues. The shutdown began on Oct. 1. Will SNAP benefits be paid in November? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Newport News Human Services posted on its social media that the USDA has notified Virginia that November SNAP benefits cannot be issued at this time. It went on to explain that this means November benefits are paused nationwide. Anyone with SNAP funds already loaded on their EBT card can continue to use those funds to purchase food. SNAP is the Supplemental Food Assistance Program. WAVY reached out to Newport News Human Services and a spokesperson confirmed at this time, November SNAP benefits are not scheduled to go out. They do not know yet if they will be delayed or not issued at all. They are waiting for guidance from the federal and state governments, Leslie Baker said. No new benefits will be loaded on the cards until the government reopens and funding is released. SNAP provides funds for groceries to people living near or below the poverty line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One in eight Americans reportedly rely on SNAP to buy food for themselves and their families. The need is going to increase: Local foodbank prepares for SNAP eligibility changes Chris Tan, CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, estimated that they could see a minimum of a 30% to 40% increase in traffic at distributions if benefits do not get paid out. Thats because for every one meal the Foodbank provides, the Supplemental Food Assitance Program provides nine. According to Tan, about 80% of the people the Foodbank serves are already on SNAP, so he explained theyre gearing up for what might come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve started to look at our food inventory, Tan said. Were starting to look at the possibilities of where we can potentially send food if we see increases in the 227 partner agencies throughout our community. Tan also wants those who might visit a foodbank for the first time to have patience, as they may have to deal with long lines. He also encourages people to use the Foodbank website to find the closest food distributer near them. We know that our neighbors need to access food not in a central location, but in the places of throughout our community, Tan said. Tan said that the three best ways to help right now are by donating, volunteering and advocating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Foodbank is certainly ready to serve, Tan said. Were going to do our best as always. We have distributed record amounts of food over the past three years, for every year, over the last three years. The Hampton food distribution event at the Hampton Coliseum will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. Distribution will continue while supplies last. Organizers encourage you to arrive early. The Mobile Food Pantry program provides food at one location once a month, per individual/family, according to the Foodbank. Click here for more details on resources available from the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Click here for additional information on resources from the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. A Shutdown Relief food distribution event in Norfolk last week ended early because they ran out of food due to the high demand. Huge turnout at Shutdown Relief food distribution event in Norfolk Find a Food Pantry In addition to the mobile distribution events, the Foodbank also has food pantry locations. You can also find out more about the Foodbank, including information on where the closest pantry is and how to support them, on their website here. If you have already been served at a mobile pantry for the month and need further food assistance, the Foodbank recommends you use the Pantry Locator tool on their website. You can enter a specific pantry name, city or zip code in the long white bar that says Enter a Location. Community Pantry You can also visit the Virginia Peninsula Food Hub at 3509 Chestnut Ave., Newport News during shopping hours for assistance: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday: 1 p.m. 4 p.m. Wednesday: 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Thursday: 1 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Friday : 9 a.m. 12 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Emergency Food Assistance Contact the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank at 757-596-7188 to set up an appointment. Emergency food assistance hours are Monday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., with appointments preferred. The Foodbank is closed on weekends and holidays, and the food hub is closed on Sundays and holidays. You can find more information on how to support the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank by visiting their website here. The video above is coverage of last weeks Shutdown Relief Mobile Distribution event in Norfolk. 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 WAVY.com. NEED TO KNOW Authorities first found human remains in the area of Poors Ford Road in Ruthfordton, N.C., on Oct. 14, and discovered more a week later They said they believe the discoveries could be linked to missing person Ricky Watson, who was last seen in June 2025 "Finding bones in the yard, that I think might be my son, thats a horrible thing, Watson's mother Patricia Upton said After the discovery of what they believed to be a human bone last week, North Carolina authorities are investigating additional human remains that they say could be linked to a missing persons case from earlier this summer. In June, the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office asked for the publics help while seeking information about Ricky Watson, 55, who was last seen in the Shiloh area of Rutherford County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Oct. 20, the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office announced that investigators discovered skeletal remains during a search in the 2800 block of Poors Ford Road in Rutherfordton, close to Watson's last known location. An extensive search was carried out in a heavily wooded area on an adjacent property, located on the opposite side of the road from where Ricky Watson was last seen and reported missing in June 2025, the sheriffs office said on Monday. During the search, investigators located a large portion of human skeletal remains. The remains will be sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for further evaluation and identification, their statement continued. The latest discovery comes after the sheriffs office earlier announced that deputies received a report of a possible human bone found in the 2700 block of Poors Ford Road on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators also responded to the scene, and preliminary observations indicate the bone does appear to be human. The bone is believed to be a femur. The discovery may be related to an ongoing missing person case from June 2025, the sheriffs office said at the time. On Wednesday, Oct. 15, authorities returned to conduct an additional search of the area, the sheriffs office said. The femur bone was taken to the State Medical Examiners Office for examination. ABC affiliate WLOS reported that a dog belonging to Patricia Upton, Watson's mother, found the first bone on Oct. 14. "Finding bones in the yard, that I think might be my son, thats a horrible thing, Upton said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upton said Watson "was a good son," adding, If I ever needed money for somethinghed say, You do want you want to, mom. 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. She also remembered her son as being religious. I feel that hes good, Patricia told the outlet. Hes with Jesus. He was always talking about the Lord. According to the sheriffs office, no foul play is suspected in the case based on evidence and interviews conducted during the investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time, the sheriffs office said in its Monday statement. Read the original article on People President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado BEIJING (Reuters) -Mongolia's president vetoed a parliamentary resolution to dismiss the prime minister, the official Montsame news agency reported on Monday, as political turmoil deepened in the resource-rich country. Last Friday lawmakers in Ulaanbaatar voted to remove Zandanshatar Gombojav as prime minister, citing among other reasons his appointment of a minister without prior consultation with parliament. Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, Mongolia's president since 2021, found procedural irregularities in the parliament's dismissal vote, including the use of an "incorrect voting formula", Montsame said, citing a statement made by his chief of staff on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presidential veto is now subject to review under the relevant statutory framework, the state-owned news agency said. Politics in the landlocked country situated between China and Russia has been rocked by waves of volatility in recent years amid public anger over corruption and a weak domestic economy. Zandanshatar's predecessor, L. Oyun-Erdene, resigned several months ago after losing parliament's confidence as corruption charges sparked street protests. Parliament speaker Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve also resigned last week. The Mongolian president returned to Ulaanbaatar last Thursday after a state visit to India where officials reached agreements in areas including oil and gas. (Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Ryan Woo; editing by Mark Heinrich) Oct. 20State officials voted 4-1 to seal more than 53,000 acres of land in the Cabinet Mountains under the terms of a perpetual conservation easement during a Montana Land Board meeting Monday. The Oct. 20 vote signaled the final hurdle in a years-long effort to transfer the development rights of more than 85,000 acres of forestland in Lincoln, Sanders and Flathead counties from Green Diamond Resource Company to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. In February 2025, the state agency finalized a deal to put 32,821 acres north of the Thompson chain of lakes under the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement. With Monday's vote, another 52,930 acres of prime timberland and wildlife habitat will be added to that project this winter, said Dillon Tabish, the regional communications manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To see it over the final hurdle and get approved by the Land Board was an emotional moment," said Tabish, who tuned into the meeting remotely with other staff at the Kalispell-based office. "I think this was an historic moment for Montana." While Green Diamond will retain primary ownership of the land, the terms of the agreement preclude the company, and any future owners, from intensively developing the property and mandate that the land remain open to the public for outdoor recreation. That's a plus for many of the project's supporters, including state Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka. In his testimony to the Land Board, Cuffe said he had seen many former forestlands in the area turn into residential neighborhoods or become otherwise fenced off from the public. "We don't want that," he said. "We don't want to turn it into a rich man's hunting paradise. We don't want to turn it into a subdivision area." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The terms of the agreement transfer to any future landowners, creating what state officials have described as "de facto public lands." everal commenters at the meeting also framed the project as a boon for Northwest Montana's timber industry. In the project's environmental assessment, state officials estimated that the conservation easement produces about 3 million board feet of timber each year, contributing about $12 million to the local economy. "That's what we're going to continue doing on the land," said Jason Callahan, policy manager for Green Diamond. "We're going to continue creating fiber for the mills and jobs in the woods and that's going to go on as long as we own the land. What this does is lets us monetize the development rights and put that into fire resiliency and forest health work." Opponents of the purchase focused on potential resources beneath the surface of the property. An analysis performed by the state as part of the project's environmental assessment found that the property's mineral development potential was negligible. WRH Nevada Properties LLC, the company that owns the mineral rights on about half of the conservation easement, has long disputed that finding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lloyd Parsons, a project manager for WRH Nevada, told the Land Board the conservation easement would have "a real effect" on the company's ability to explore and extract any minerals on the property. WRH Nevada still has the right to explore and extract minerals under the terms of the easement, but Parsons said it was difficult to find companies willing to do that work on a conservation easement. Testimony from Parsons, the Montana Mining Association and Citizens for Balanced Use ultimately failed to sway the opinions of most officials on the Land Board. The purchase was approved in a 4-1 vote. Attorney General Austin Knudsen supplied the sole vote against the easement. Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras provided an affirmative proxy vote for Gov. Greg Gianforte, who is in South Korea on a trade trip. The conservation easement was appraised for a purchase price of $57.5 million, but Green Diamond is contributing an in-kind donation of $20 million. About $35.8 million is expected to come from the United States Forest Legacy Program and $1.7 million will be contributed from state funds. Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected]. (The Center Square) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ERO) officers working with federal law enforcement partners apprehended another record number of illegal foreign nationals, 1,406, in Boston in a targeted immigration enforcement sweep. In Operation Patriot 2.0, ICE ERO-Boston and ICE Homeland Security Investigations-New England officers led a multi-agency law enforcement effort. They targeted transnational organized crime, foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), transnational gangs, convicted felons and foreign fugitives in a several week operation. FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. State Departments Diplomatic Security Service and U.S. Marshals Service agents were involved. Patriot 2.0 targeted FTO members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, violent gang members, convicted felons, including murderers, rapists, sex offenders and drug traffickers, and foreign fugitives with foreign arrest warrants or Interpol Red Notices wanted in several countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE highlighted arrests of violent offenders, including citizens of Brazil, Cape Verde, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Laos, Mexico and Turkey. Their combined criminal histories include convictions for indecent assault and battery on a person, enticement of a child to engage in prostitution/human trafficking or commercial sex, assault to rape, statutory rape, child rape, aggravated rape of a child, indecent assault and battery of a child, unnatural acts with a child, possession of child pornography, assault and battery, breaking and entering, failing to register as a sex offender, second-degree murder, kidnapping, strangulation/suffocation, voluntary manslaughter and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a range of drug trafficking and weapons charges, illegal reentry among others. More than 600 arrested were convicted felons, have pending criminal charges for crimes committed in the United States, or are known foreign fugitives; 277 have removal orders from federal immigration judges. Three arrested were known or suspected terrorists (KSTs). A record 1,903 KSTs were apprehended by U.S. officials during the Biden administration, the majority at the northern border coming from Canada, The Center Square exclusively reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operation exposed the grave consequences of sanctuary policies and the urgent need for local leaders to prioritize their constituents safety over politics, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said. Every illegal alien we arrested during the operation was breaking U.S. immigration law, and hundreds were violent criminals who should never have been allowed to roam freely in our communities. Lyons criticized Massachusetts sanctuary policies, including local and state law enforcement jurisdictions refusing to honor ICE detainer requests and transfer known violent offenders into ICE custody. Instead of cooperating with ICE, as they would with local counterparts, they released offenders from custody into the community. This is a primary reason why ICE agents are arresting illegal foreign nationals in communities nationwide as opposed to transferring them from one detention facility to another in a controlled environment, The Center Square reported. Local law enforcement agencies released them instead of handing them over to us in a secure environment, and this puts neighborhoods, law enforcement officers and illegal aliens at risk, Lyons said. Local politicians are responsible for protecting their constituents, so they need to step up and end irresponsible sanctuary policies. ICE ERO-Boston Acting Field Office Director David Wesling said those they arrested included criminal offenders who victimized innocent people and traumatized entire communities murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, child sex predators and members of violent transnational criminal gangs. All made the mistake of attempting to undermine U.S. immigration law by hiding out in Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks warned those in the country illegally that they would be found and arrested. If you are in this country illegally, hiding out and committing crimes, the FBI and our partners will find you, we will arrest you, and we will remove you from our communities, Docks said. These are not harmless individuals in search of a better life, they are threats to public safety. The FBI will not sit idly by and let our immigration system be exploited because the rule of law is not optional. Everyone arrested remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings or deportation from the United States. ICE is encouraging members of the public to report crimes and suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or filling out an online tip form. More consumers are reaching out to the I-Team about a suburban travel agent. They said they are out thousands of dollars after their trips were cancelled. The I-Team first reported on the travel agent trouble in September. ABC7 has been trying to get answers and a response from South Holland travel agent Vikki McKnuckle of ACL Travel Group for months. After knocking on her door and sending several emails, ABC7 has not heard a word from her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, more customers are reaching out saying they're dealing with canceled trips and waiting on refunds. Two women say they were promised vacations but instead are missing about $32,000 total. Priscilla Johnson says she planned a trip with McKnuckle to Greece and then Dubai for her husband's birthday. "We were initially supposed to go to Greece in October of '23 and Dubai was January of '24," Johnson said, however both were canceled. RELATED | 6 customers still awaiting refunds after South Holland travel agent cancels their expensive trips She says she was told a refund would take 90 to 120 days but says she's still waiting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anthea Cohns was supposed to go on a trip to Ghana in March of 2025, but it was then postponed to June 2025. "She asked me if I wanted to go on that one and I said absolutely not. Just give me my money back. Because from there I don't know what's going on," Cohns said she's now owed more than $6,300. The I -Team also obtained documentation form a third consumer, a couple who says they're owed about $20,000. So far, ABC7 has uncovered eight complaints filed with the Illinois attorney general filed by customers. South Holland police told the I-Team they are investigating. Some customers said they were able to get some money refunded, some won credit card disputes. However, others claim they were strung along so long, they were unable to file disputes with their credit cards. Sonora, CA The item that garnered the most public discussion at this mornings Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors meeting was a proposed resolution to declare October 14, locally, as a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk. Click here to read an earlier story about candlelight vigils held in Tuolumne County following Kirks assassination. The resolution was authored by District Four Supervisor Steve Griefer. October 14 was picked because it was Kirks birthday. The board room was packed with people wanting to comment on the item, and indications were that it could draw a heated and highly politicized debate. At the beginning of the discussion, District Three Supervisor Anaiah Kirk submitted a counter-resolution to instead recognize October 14 as Free Speech and Public Service Remembrance Day. His revised resolution referenced Charlie Kirks death, along with attacks against both Democrats and Republicans, including President Abraham Lincoln, President John F. Kennedy, President Donald Trump, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, and Congressman Steve Scalise. Explaining his reasoning, Supervisor Kirk stated, Im trying desperately to hear the other side and come to a middle ground. Not because Im weak, but because nobody is doing it anymore. The most important part of this (revised) resolution is the very last point where I ask people to reach across the political divide and find someone who sees things differently from you. Share a cup of coffee, and start a conversation. Get out of social media and stop being controlled by the algorithms that are controlling this divide. Supervisor Griefer supported the counter-resolution and indicated that it accomplishes what he had initially set out to do. Supervisor Ryan Campbell argued that every word of the revised resolution was changed from what Supervisor Griefer initially proposed, so Campbell asked that the measure be tabled to a later meeting, so that the public can better review it. Supervisor Jaron Brandon also supported tabling it (while also complimenting some of the changes made by Supervisor Kirk), and Griefer said he was ok with the idea as well. Several people then came up during public comment, many indicating that they had planned to speak about the original resolution. Some spoke negatively about some of Charlie Kirks statements, while others praised Supervisor Kirk for the revised wording. Some people preferred no mention of Charlie Kirk. In the end, the board tabled the discussion about the resolution to the next meeting. In the meantime, Supervisors Kirk and Campbell will meet in an ad-committee role to finalize the wording of the resolution before it comes back to the full board for a vote. Click here to read Kirks counter-proposal that was put forward-which will be revised further Click on the video box above to view some of the board discussion. COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) Religious leaders across the country are seeing a new wave of younger people filling church pews particularly young men. According to a CBS News report, faith in the teachings of Jesus is growing among younger generations after hitting an all-time low during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also found Gen Z men are more likely to attend church than Gen Z women. In Columbus, local pastors have also noticed the trend. Leaders at St. Anne Catholic Church and Grace Baptist Church say theyre seeing more young men in their congregations, many of whom are seeking structure and purpose after growing up during the pandemic. Especially these young men they can grow closer to Christ and in holiness, said Rev. Kevin Braski of St. Anne Catholic Church. Its something powerful, but its also something that I think requires discipline, and a lot of these men want that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grace Baptist Church Senior Pastor Seth Han agrees, saying many of these young adults are searching for stability. They seem to be coming in more often and honestly, theyre searching, Han said. I think theres a desire to see something settled. And also, in our culture, so much doesnt seem to be working. So I think its making them reexamine faith. National reports also suggest a shift toward more conservative values may be another reason some Gen Z men are returning to church. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Parts of the Los Angeles region could see light rain this week as a small chance of thunderstorms brings the possibility of more precipitation following last week's soaking, according to the National Weather Service. There is a 10% chance of rainfall across Los Angeles County on Tuesday night, but that chance of showers drops to as low as 5% going into Wednesday, said Carol Smith, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard. Interior valleys and mountain areas of the Southland are most likely to see rain, she said, with a slight chance of precipitation in the valleys and along the coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conditions will not come close to the intense showers and winds Los Angeles County experienced last week. There is, however, a slight chance of thunderstorms, particularly over the mountain areas of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, which could carry over into Los Angeles County near the Grapevine area of the 5 Freeway, Smith said. Those areas could see some isolated dry lightning during the storm. The weather phenomenon occurs when there is dry air near the ground during a thunderstorm and can bring a risk of fire. "Any part of a thunderstorm has updrafts and downdrafts, and you get these downdrafts with rain if there's enough moisture," Smith said. "But if you don't have very much moisture and really dry air in the lower levels of the atmosphere, it just evaporates." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That leads to virga, which is rain that appears to be dropping from a cloud but evaporates before it reaches the ground. If virga occurs along with dry lightning, there is a risk of fires being sparked, she said. Smith reiterated, however, that the chance of dry lightning was low. Also, experts say that last week's rain tamped down the threat of fire, at least temporarily. The potential midweek moisture likely won't alter the dry conditions meteorologists are predicting for the coming winter months, Smith said. At the start of October, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that La Nina conditions had officially returned. The climate pattern typically drives drought conditions in Southern California. Meteorologists say the previous La Nina, which extended from January until about April, played a significant role in the region's dry winter, fueling the fires that devastated the Palisades and Altadena communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As La Nina returns, Southern California continues to be at a relatively high risk for fire and severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Last week, an atmospheric river storm hit Los Angeles with scattered downpours, fears of flooding and powerful winds. Evacuation warnings were issued in areas affected by Januarys wildfires including the burn scars from the Palisades fire, the Eaton fire in Altadena, the Hurst fire in Sylmar and the Sunset fire in the Hollywood Hills. Last week's storm dumped about 2.17 inches of rain in Bel-Air, 2.10 inches in Beverly Hills, 1.27 inches in downtown Los Angeles and 3.28 inches in Woodland Hills. The last time downtown got more than an inch of rain in a single day in October was 2009, said John Dumas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storm also brought enough moisture to Southern Californias drought-stricken landscape to delay fire season for weeks, if not months, according to Marty Ralph, director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 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. Oct. 20MORGANTOWN The city of Morgantown would like the West Virginia Legislature to provide some additional guidance regarding its election alignment mandate. Senate Bill 50 passed during the most recent legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Patrick Morrisey requires municipalities to align their respective elections with either the statewide primary or general elections conducted by the counties each May and November of even-numbered years, respectively. The law requires all municipalities to be in compliance by 2032. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But moving the city's election date requires changing the city's charter, which introduces uncertainty, and a potential roadblock to the process. There are two methods by which the city's charter can be changed by ordinance or by election. Morgantown City Council can change the charter by ordinance by voting to do so on two readings separated by a 30-day public comment period. However, if a single city resident files commentary objecting to the change, council must either abandon the issue or place it before the city's voters. Council could also choose to bypass that process and place it directly on a city ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of which route the city council chooses, the question of whether or not a charter change is ultimately passed is largely out of its control. "In either case, the governing body may take all reasonable actions to comply with SB50 but be left with an election date that is not on the statewide primary or general election date. If that occurs, there is no default option in state law the municipality cannot simply hold its election on the primary date if no charter amendment passes, " the city administration points out in preparation for a discussion of legislative priorities slated for tonight's regular council meeting. Potential solutions, the city notes, would be amending SB50 to bypass the charter change process or letting cities maintain their standalone elections if that is the will of the city's voters. While Morgantown's administration and council have already mapped the city's course to compliance with SB50 and began the charter change process by ordinance they would like clarification on this issue before moving forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, attorney Ryan Simonton laid out a plan that would see the city conduct its first municipal election as part of the county's ballot in May 2030. In order to move from its odd-year cycle to the state's even-year election cycle, the city would conduct its own elections as normal in April of 2027 and 2029, but the winning council candidates in each would be elected to three-year terms. Terms would revert back to the standard four years in 2030. On June 3, Morgantown City Council voted unanimously on first reading to approve a charter change setting that process in motion despite multiple members stating they were doing so reluctantly following the change to state code. The charter change ordinance was expected back before city council on July 15 for a second reading and potential adoption, but has never returned. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) A Sioux City man has been accused of attacking a family member with a butcher knife. According to a court document, Tariq Thomas was with a family member on October 11, when they began to argue. Hes accused of stabbing the family member in the collarbone with a large butcher knife and then stabbing them in the head with enough force to break the handle off the weapon. Storm Lake fire claims lives of 10 dogs Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was found in the 5900 block of Morningside Avenue after police received word of a man bleeding from his head in the area. He was taken to a local hospital before being flighted to an Omaha hospital. Authorities claimed the victim was seriously injured and had a six-hour surgery to remove the knife from their head. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Russia has dismissed reports that a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Marco Rubio had been postponed. "You cannot postpone something for which there was no agreement," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Russian news agency Interfax on Tuesday. Ryabkov downplayed the meeting, saying there is an idea that the two top diplomats would meet, but it is still too early to discuss the date. "We had neither an approximate idea of the timing nor the location of such a contact." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported that the meeting had been postponed for the time being. The reasons remain unclear, but one source suggested that Rubio and Lavrov had differing expectations about how to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted for more than three and a half years. On Monday, Lavrov and Rubio spoke by phone to prepare for a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine. A meeting between the two foreign ministers had been planned as part of the preparations for this summit. Phone call between Trump and Putin Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is in Washington on Tuesday, where discussions are also expected to focus on preparations for the summit in Budapest between the two heads of state. A day before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, Trump had a phone call with Putin. Following the call, Trump announced that he planned to meet the Russian president soon in the Hungarian capital. Many details about this potential meeting, including the timing, remain unclear. MOSS BLUFF, La. (KLFY) A Moss Bluff man is being held without bond in connection with a shooting in a domestic dispute, authorities said. Christopher W. Jones, 56, of Lake Charles, is charged with domestic abuse battery with a dangerous weapon with serious bodily injury. Calcasieu Parish Sheriffs Office deputies were dispatched at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday to a residence in Moss Bluff in reference to a shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives spoke with several witnesses who said Jones was responsible for the shooting. Detectives also said Jones admitted that he fired the weapon at the unidentified victim inside the residence during a heated argument. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest The victim was taken to a local hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said. Jones was arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. Judge Tony Fazzio ordered he be held without bond pending a Gwens Law hearing. Gwens Law is a Louisiana law that mandates a hearing before bail is set for individuals arrested on certain domestic violence-related charges. Christopher Jones Latest news 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 KLFY.com. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. The majority of candidates for Johnstown City Council and one mayoral candidate participated in a forum hosted Monday by the Roxbury Civic Group. Democratic Deputy Mayor the Rev. Sylvia King and Republican John DeBartola, who are both running for mayor, were invited to the event at the Roxbury Church of the Brethren. King attended. DeBartola did not. City Councilman Taylor Clark, Lorraine Brandon-Taylor, Jasmine LaRue and Samuel Barber, all Democratic candidates for council, spoke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans Mike Hamacek, Nick Spinelli and Joseph Taranto participated. Charlene Stanton, also a Republican, did not attend. Brief comments from each candidate are listed in the order they spoke. Deputy Mayor the Rev. Sylvia King: I am a person that knows how to unify people. Ive been doing it for years. That is my job. But Im also a hard worker. Im the one whos going to roll up my sleeves. If were putting out mulch, guess what, Im doing that. If were cleaning up, thats what Im doing. Whatever it is that were doing, Im involved in it because Im a part of the process. I want to be a part of the solution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It doesnt take a whole lot of intelligence to sit up and say what the problems are. We all know what the problems are. Whats the solution? The solution is working together. The solution is finding some type of common bond. Joseph Taranto: Ive seen what discipline and follow-through can do. If you elect me, Ill bring that same resolve to City Hall. (There will be) balanced budgets the way I balanced ours (as my college fraternitys treasurer), spreadsheets in public view, a financial dashboard online within my first year, streamlined processes using proven roles and not politics, put community first, every decision measured by whether it helps families like yours and mine build the life we want no flashy promises, just honest, steady work. Jasmine LaRue: I just want to be a servant. After Ive come back (to Johnstown), Ive realized that I can be relatable. A lot of people in Johns-town move away, come back and have to start over. And I am a testament that a lot of our programs and resources that we have in this community are successful, they do work. I want to show to our youth that you can be successful right here at home. You dont have to move away. You can do whatever you want to do right here in Johnstown and there is space for you. Lorraine Brandon-Taylor: I just believe that we (need to) bring ourself together, and have more unity, and we move towards the future, and get to where we need to get so we can pivot and shift because its time for a pivot, its time for a shift. We need people that are going to get there, that are going to help, that are going to aid and assist and tell people what is available and correct the wrong information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nick Spinelli: If I get elected, I think you have to get back to the basics. You have to start out small and try and gain some positive momentum. I think we have to focus on the core responsibilities of local government, which is to keep our people safe, to invest in our infrastructure and to incentivize economic development. Councilman Taylor Clark: At that same time (during the COVID-19 pandemic), we also cut our hours (at Coney Island, a restaurant Clark co-owns), and so I didnt want our employees to suffer. And so during that time I gave up my entire salary for a year, just so our employees could get paid the same amount that they would if hours hadnt been cut. Thats what Ive done not just for our employees, but thats what Ive done for our city as well. When I was appointed to this council, the very first email I sent to our city manager was that I would not accept a single pay from the city on my tenure on council. Samuel Barber: Im running for City Council because I believe in the promise of our city and the power of its people. Im not here to make empty promises or offer quick fixes. Im here to work with you, to roll up my sleeves and to do the real work of restoring Johnstown to the strong, safe and thriving community we all know we can be. Lets talk about the challenges we face because we cant fix what we dont face head-on. Mike Hamacek: I think our core to the city is our downtown area, although I know every neighborhood needs things done. I want to put a big emphasis on our downtown. I believe (it would be good), in our downtown area, if we could put more housing downtown and bring people downtown to work. Since COVID, things changed in our country. Since COVID, a lot of people are working from home now, which they could come from New York City and Pittsburgh, and a bigger city, with it cheaper to live here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cambria County Judge Tammy Bernstein, who is facing a yes-or-no retention vote, also spoke: I believe in our community. I believe in safety for our community. I believe in opportunities to make sure people who are coming back into our community stop recidivating, meaning we dont want people coming out of jail and coming right back into peoples homes, or right back on the street, or theyre driving under the influence, or where theyre harming people, or where theres substance (abuse) and domestic violence. Invitations were also sent to Cambria County judge candidate Greg Neugebauer, along with Ed Mikesic, Missy Spaugy, Randy Lear and Mike Allen, who are running for Greater Johnstown School Districts Board of Directors. Spaugy was present, but declined to give a speech, instead talking individually to people in the audience. Given Labours huge majority in the House of Commons there is very little either House can actually do to slow down or stop the Chagos surrender bill. The bilateral deal is already signed, sealed and delivered by the government of Mauritius and the UK as Prime Minister that was Keir Starmers prerogative (as it stands, it will be a major element of his legacy). It is now up to a future UK government to reverse Labours sell-out; even that is fraught with diplomatic difficulty. Primary legislation to repeal this bill will certainly form a key plank of any Conservative or Reform platform. It is my submission that the Chagos deal alone executed by Labour without a manifesto mandate and on the thinnest popular vote in modern British history makes the case for an early general election. It is a kind of poetic justice that just as the legislation arrives in Parliament the erupting scandal over alleged Chinese espionage and Jonathan Powell is boiling over. Powell the architect of the Chagos debacle is, unusually for a national security adviser, a political appointee. I happen to think that is a good thing. This entire mess shows why there should be more political involvement in the UK security and foreign policy architecture, not less. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The problem is that Powell has given political sign-off to a policy trade-off that legions of Foreign Office and Cabinet Office officials have pushed for decades: that the UKs economic relationship with China should come ahead of national security, not on a case-by-case basis, but as a wholesale policy at any cost. Both Powell and Starmer certainly believe the UKs days as a great power (in any sense) are over. I am one of a new generation of Conservatives who beg to differ: the United Kingdom, a bastion of the free world and democratic, liberal values, needs to take a greater role in world affairs, not a lesser one. Standing outside Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood in May to announce the deal, Starmer said: In favour are all of our allies: the US, Nato, Five Eyes, India. Against it: Russia, China, Iran and, surprisingly, the leader of the opposition and Nigel Farage are in that column alongside Russia, China and Iran, rather than the column that has the UK and its allies in it. As I said at the time, that was baloney. Within days of the deal being signed, Chinese diplomats turned up in the Mauritian capital Port Louis to welcome Starmers deal, saying they fully supported Mauritius in its quest to safeguard national sovereignty (despite the fact that the islands have never been governed by an independent Mauritius). This week there are reports of Chinas immediate expansionist plans, with the suggestion Beijing would like to purchase Petros Banhos, an atoll adjacent to the US-UK base on Diego Garcia. The greatest fears of the Chagos defenders are already being realised: China is swiftly moving into the space vacated by Starmer. This was one of the main arguments for maintaining sovereignty over British Indian Ocean Territory in the first place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement India was actually first out of the blocks. New Delhi papers The Economic Times and The Times of India report that Mauritius has just signed an agreement with the Indian government allowing it to build a satellite tracking station on the islands. Remember the nonsense peddled by Starmer and the government: that the UK had to give up British Indian Ocean Territory because of potential disputes about its rights over the electromagnetic spectrum? As it turns out, vacating sovereignty has precisely opened up the sensitive telecommunications domain of the region to other global players, perhaps with less intense concern for the fine print of the rules of the International Telecommunications Union. I spoke on Chagos at the excellent Academy of Ideas Battle of Ideas festival in Westminster this weekend. In the room, I suspect, were wizened old Leftists, plenty of liberal Labour luvvies and a smattering of Reformers. As pretty much the only Tory at the venue I felt a little apprehensive, wondering if I had happened upon the philosophers stone in Starmers Britain: a band of supporters of the Prime Minister and his Chagos deal. On the contrary, everyone in the room seemed to oppose it, from the Right, from the Left and from the centre. That is what Starmer has achieved with the greatest British foreign policy blunder since Suez: he has united the entire political waterfront against him. We will hear some of that in Parliament, but it will need an election to turn back the tide on the Chagos disaster. 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. GAUTIER, Miss. (WJTV) Gautier police announced a mother was arrested after two young children drowned. Police said they responded to a distress call at a home on Three Oaks Drive around 5:30 p.m. on October 20, 2025, after the children were found unresponsive near a swimming pool. DeSoto teacher now under fire for supporting Whiteside The children were transported to Ocean Springs Hospital, but they did not survive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the childrens mother, Amber Goldman, 36, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia. Amber Goldman (Courtesy: Gautier PD) This is an unimaginable tragedy that has deeply affected our community, said Gautier Police Chief David Bever. Our hearts are with the family, friends, and first responders impacted by this heartbreaking loss. We ask everyone to keep them in your thoughts and prayers as investigators continue to seek answers. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case can contact the Gautier Police Department at (228) 497-2486 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at (877) 787-5898. 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. A five-year old girl fell from a Disney cruise ship after her mother encouraged her to pose for a photo in front of an open porthole. The child tumbled 50ft into the water from the 14-deck Disney Dream vessel as it made its way back to Florida after a four-day cruise around the Bahamas. The childs father leapt into the sea to rescue her, with video footage of the rescue showing him treading water for ten minutes as she held onto him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ships crew sounded a man overboard signal during the June 29 incident and the girl and her father were rescued. The man received praise for plunging into the cold water but criticism was subsequently levelled against the parents for allowing their daughter to stand so close to the edge of the ship. Police now believe the girls mother told her to stand next to the open porthole, it has been reported. The incident occurred when the Disney Dream vessel made its way back to Florida after a four-day cruise around the Bahamas - Corbis via Getty Images The Broward County Sheriffs Department said the family, who are not identified, were walking along the deck when they spotted the porthole and encouraged their child to take a picture in the porthole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mother and father were both interviewed by police officers. [She] assumed the porthole had a window or Plexiglass, and she thought that [her daughter] would be caught by the glass, but instead, she kept falling, the New York Post reported. The mother said she felt like there should be coverings on the windows and that Disney is responsible for what occurred, according to the sheriffs department. Upon looking at the window myself, as a prudent person, I immediately saw that the window was open to the air, and did not have a covering, Detective Christopher Favitta said. While police recommended bringing charges against the parents, prosecutors did not believe there was sufficient evidence to prove criminal culpable negligence. The case has now been closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement shared with The Telegraph, Melissa Kelly, the Broward assistant state attorney, said the mother was innocently capturing a photograph of her daughter when the incident occurred. She added: While the defendant was irresponsible, her act of facilitating the victims position on the railing was an isolated incident that resulted from a momentary lapse in proper judgment and unawareness of surrounding circumstances. The child did not sustain any injuries and the defendant immediately acquired help to rescue her daughter. Disney did not immediately respond to enquiries from The Telegraph. 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 Minnesota woman convicted of filling out and submitting a mail-in ballot for her deceased mother in support of Republican Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election was ordered by a judge to write an essay and read a book about votings importance to democracy. Trump, who won a second term last year, has railed against mail-in voting as fraudulent and falsely claimed it as one reason he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. Itasca County Attorney Jake Fauchald said the Minnesota case shows how well the election system works and catches attempted voter fraud. Danielle Christine Miller, 51, of Nashwauk, in a rural area about three hours north of Minneapolis, was charged last fall with three felonies after local election officials notified authorities in October about two absentee ballots that had been flagged for fraud. One of those was from a registered voter who had died, Millers mother. According to court papers, Miller told an investigator that she had filled out her mothers absentee ballot and signed her mothers name on its signature envelope. She said her mother was an avid Trump supporter and wanted to vote for him, but she died in August 2024 before receiving an absentee ballot, according to the complaint. Miller also said she signed her mothers signature as a witness on her own ballot, the document said. Miller pleaded guilty last week to intentionally making or signing a false certificate. As part her plea, she claimed she was intoxicated when submitting the mail ballots and was unable to precisely remember what she did, but agreed that the evidence could find her guilty, Fauchald said. A message left for Millers attorney was not immediately returned. Minnesota Ninth Judicial District Judge Heidi Chandler on Wednesday dismissed the other two charges. Millers sentence includes up to three years of supervised probation and an $885 fine. The judge also imposed some other unorthodox conditions. Miller must read a book about the history of voting in America and current related issues, Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America, by Erin Geiger Smith; and she was ordered to write a 10-page paper regarding the importance in voting in a democracy and how election fraud can undermine the voting process. Fauchald said the sentence is a fair outcome. He called the paper a unique aspect of sentencing, but a fair expectation. I think the sentence that was imposed here is very much designed to help her better understand the importance of those things and make sure that she doesnt and quite frankly other people dont take the same type of actions in the future, the prosecutor said. ___ Dura reported from Bismarck, North Dakota. By JACK DURA Associated Press After an Oak Creek girl whod been missing for nearly a week was found, her mother faced a felony charge for interfering with child custody. She has now pleaded guilty. Luisa Asala, 37, of Burlington, changed her plea to guilty to an amended charge of felony child custody interference during a plea hearing on Oct. 20, according to online court records. She originally entered a not guilty plea on June 3 during a preliminary hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22 and a restitution hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11. Asalas daughter Lillian went missing in March Lillian Asala, 13 at the time, was last known to be headed to Abendschein Park, 1311 E. Drexel Ave., on March 1 when she went missing. Her phone last pinged to the area around South Pennsylvania and East Forest Hill avenues in Oak Creek but was found by a citizen on March 2 in the park, police said. During the investigation, Oak Creek police discovered a residence of interest in Watertown based on phone records of Lillians non-custodial mother Luisa Asala. Police surveilled the address, which was associated with a friend of Luisa's. It was during a police interview that Luisa confirmed Lillian was at that Watertown residence. Officers found Lillian in good health and physically unharmed at the residence on March 7, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That same day police arrested Luisa Asala and took her to the Milwaukee County Jail. Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mother of girl who went missing in Oak Creek pleads guilty to felony CANTON, Ohio (WJW) Modern forensic science is shedding light on what happened to a Stark County man who disappeared in June. The mother of 26-year-old Ryan Godbey was notified by Canton police on Monday that DNA testing confirmed what she already knew in her heart. Human remains found in a wooded area of southern Stark County in July are those of her son, known to family and friends as JJ. We have to be thankful they continued to work and they continued the effort and they went through and got this testing done so that myself, my family and Ryans friends, everybody could have some closure, said Jackie Godbey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DNA results are the next step in the pursuit of justice by Ryan Godbeys family. On his way to homecoming and he never got there: Local community grieving death of 18-year-old Based on evidence gathered by police after the 26-year-old was reported missing, his ex-boyfriend, 33-year-old Daniel Mattay, was indicted by a Stark County grand jury on August 27. Mattay faces charges that include murder, strangulation, domestic violence, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse. I dont think that Ill ever understand how or why somebody would do this to another human being, especially somebody thats your friend, that took you in when nobody else would, that picked you up in the rain and showed you kindness and companionship, said Jackie Godbey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sad truth about what happened to Ryan Godbey began to emerge on June 23, when Canton police searched his apartment and found signs of a struggle and blood stains. Later, an ODOT crew found his ID and debit card dumped along I-77. Authorities said it was information gathered during the investigation of Mattay that led them to the remains in the wooded area. Video: Norwalk hotel employee violently attacked by guest; suspect identified as convicted felon The DNA testing and the search for answers to other troubling questions about the murder of Ryan Godbey are part of a promise made to his grieving family by detectives and the mayor of Canton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A mother should never have to be burying her child and whatever circumstances, just the amount of hate thats out there today, that this should have never happened to Ryan or anybody in our community, said Mayor William Sherer. When asked about the support from city leaders, police and the community, Jackie Godbey told reporters on Monday, its helped us keep going and not to just focus on the evil, but to be thankful for what we have and try to remind everybody the importance of community and supporting and loving the people around you. Mattay remains in the Stark County jail on a bond of $1.5 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (left) looks on as 2026 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Stephanie Williams accepts a check on Oct. 21, 2025. Williams was named the state's teacher of the year in a surprise ceremony at Mountain View Elementary School. (Screenshot courtesy of governor's office livestream) Stephanie Williams, a music teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in Benton, was announced as the 2026 Arkansas Teacher of the Year at a surprise ceremony Tuesday morning. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the selection alongside state Education Secretary Jacob Oliva in front of the schools students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williams teaches music to Mountain View Elementarys kindergarteners through fourth graders and was the 2024-2025 Benton School District Teacher of the Year. She was one of five elementary and middle school teachers announced as semi-finalists in July. In addition to being recognized as one of Arkansas best teachers, Sanders and Oliva presented Williams with a $14,000 check sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation. Williams one-year term will begin on July 1, 2026. During that time, she will travel around Arkansas to promote teaching and will serve as a non-voting member on the State Board of Education. Behind every successful student is an exceptional teacher who goes above and beyond in the classroom and this years Arkansas Teacher of the Year, Stephanie Williams, is a great example of that ideal, Sanders said in a press release. She doesnt just want her students to succeed; she strives to make learning fun and expand their curiosity, so they never stop growing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williams has been a teacher for 16 years. Like many, Williams got her musical start in sixth grade band as a clarinet player while attending Benton schools, according to the Saline Courier. She later graduated from Arkansas Tech University with a degree in music education and became a band director at Benton Middle School. She switched to teaching elementary music in 2023 after 14 years teaching band. A press release from the state education department lauded Williams lessons integrating science and social studies with music, as well as her intentional use of music as an intervention tool to support students. It is clear her creativity and ingenuity create an environment where her students thrive, Oliva said in the press release. While she teaches music, she weaves in problem-solving skills and concepts that help students build real-world connections. She is proven to be a high-caliber educator and will make a great ambassador for education in our state. In addition to her music education degree, she also has a masters degree in special education from Arkansas State University and has a National Board Certification. She is a member of numerous professional musical education associations, such as the National Association for Music Education and the Arkansas Music Education Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I learn so much from every single one of yall every single day, Williams told the gathered students after she was announced as the winner. Yall help me become a better teacher every day. The Arkansas Teacher of the Year program is part of the National Teacher of the Year program, whose goal is to recognize and celebrate excellent teachers. With her selection as Arkansas top teacher, Williams is eligible to apply for the national title. For what's seemed like forever, Taco Bell has dominated the Mexican fast-food space. While food categories like burgers or fried chicken have competitors on equal footing (McDonald's vs. Burger King or KFC vs. Popeyes), Taco Bell is virtually in a realm of its own. However, Condado Tacos is here to change that. For a fast-food restaurant that popped up in only 2014, Condado Tacos is gaining ground quite rapidly. It has over 50 spots in 10 states, and is showing no signs of slowing down its growth. While the restaurant's business acumen is certainly intriguing, its menu is the real draw. The chain offers variety like Taco Bell, customization akin to Chipotle, and creative flavors that are wholly unique to Condado Tacos. On the menu, you'll find standard pieces you'd expect at plenty of Mexican restaurants, like a carne asada burrito or chicken bacon ranch taco. However, its one-of-a-kind more fusion offerings, like the Rango Tango taco with Thai chili tofu and cilantro-lime aioli or the Korean BBQ bowl with pulled pork, smoked cheddar, and gochujang barbecue sauce, sets Condado in a league of its own. If those options don't float your boat, Condado allows customers to build their own nachos, burritos, and tacos, allowing them to choose from ingredients like pineapple and tomatillo salsa, or sauteed shrimp and veggie chorizo with poblano, until they get their perfect meal. For late-night bites, Condado also offers trendy margaritas, such as tangerine cardamom and harvest pear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 11 Mexican Restaurant Chains, Ranked Worst To Best Condado Tacos is showing unprecedented growth Margaritas, questo, and guacamole at Condado Tacos - Condado Tacos In an era in which fast-food spots are losing value for consumers, Condado's fast casual-style is its salvation, using sizable portions and decent prices to help it grow. In 2023, the restaurant increased its locations by a staggering 25.6%, which is impressive considering that a giant like Taco Bell grew by 8%. Along with the increase in restaurant locations, Condado Taco's introduction of margaritas also earned the company a 20% jump in sales. What started as a regional food chain in Columbus, Ohio, has turned into an eatery that's spread eastward towards Pennsylvania and down south to Alabama. Although it's only a matter of time before you start seeing Condado Tacos on plenty of street corners, the restaurant brings a sort of originality to each spot that makes it still seem like a local eatery. Apart from the build-your-own-meal set-up and unique flavors, part of Condado's allure is how it caters to every city. At each location, the company works with local artists to create murals that embody their respective cities. The technique allows each restaurant to blend into the local scene, which is a pretty decent move when consumers are decrying many restaurant's cookie-cutter looks. By 2026, Condado Tacos aims to double the number of its locations, and we're totally here for its ascent to the top. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Tasting Table. President Trumps move to release expelled former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from prison might be the most divisive use of his clemency and pardon powers since he granted full pardons to Jan. 6 rioters. Santoss attorney Joseph Murray credited a number of MAGA movement stars in the House for helping him secure the grant of clemency: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). But there are plenty of Republicans, including those who led the charge to expel Santos from the House, who are not happy at his release and that he will no longer have to replay those he defrauded. In 2023, 105 Republicans a sizeable minority voted to oust him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santoss ex-colleagues in the House GOP from New York, many of whom were the biggest forces in expelling him from office ahead of his guilty plea and sentencing on fraud and embezzlement charges, are the most vocal in their discontent over the decision. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said on CNN that Santos is distracting right now from President Trumps awesome accomplishments on the border, on the economy. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) on CNN called the commutation a wrong decision, even if she thought the seven-year sentence was harsh. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), who sat on the House Ethics Committee that investigated Santos in record time, said in a statement to Politico that the commutation is not justice. Discontent with Santos among Republicans extends far beyond New York. Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), for instance, alleged ahead of Santoss expulsion that he had personally defrauded Miller and Millers mother by charging their credit cards without authorization, and that other GOP members might have had the same experience. Trumps commutation clears Santos from having to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution as part of his sentence. Santos said on CNN on Sunday that he would not pay any of that back if he is not required to by law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If I were the president, I might make a different decision, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) told me of Santoss commutation. But Harris didnt seem particularly concerned about the move. I have stopped thinking about George Santos a long time ago, he added. Whether more Republicans pipe up could depend on what Santos does next. One House Republican told me that if he shuts the f up, Republicans will get over it. But if he goes back to being his egomaniac self, they wont be happy. Chances of Santos staying in the limelight and causing more headaches seem high. Before he went to prison, Santos said it would be his lifes mission to out every fraud in Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santos on Sunday, though, brushed off the criticism from Republicans, pointing to former President Biden pardoning his son Hunter Biden. So pardon me if Im not paying too much attention to the pearl-clutching of the outrage of my critics and of the people predominantly on the left who are going to go out there and try to make a big deal out of something like this, Santos said on CNN. The Santos saga underscores the political reality for Republicans: When youre loyal to Trump, hell let you do it. Santos, who had written columns from prison for The North Shore Press documenting his struggles and time in lockup, had made a passionate plea to President Trump in the column published the Monday before his Friday commutation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lifelong Republican and a proud believer in your America First vision, I never wavered. Supporting you wasnt just a political decision it was personal, Santos wrote. Santos wrote about being held in isolation due to alleged death threats, locked inside a small steel cage twenty-four hours a day, pleading: You have always been a man of second chances, a leader who believes in redemption and renewal. Trump referenced Santoss loyalty and prison conditions in his Truth Social message announcing Santoss pardon: Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin posted that Santos had no greater friend than Greene, who in August had sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking for Santoss sentence to be commuted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boebert and Burchett this month had called for an investigation into the treatment of inmates at Santoss prison. It also probably helped Santos that he shares Trumps knack for being an irresistibly entertaining character, making even his harshest critics laugh. It was only last week that I was remembering the bizarre time that Santos emerged from his office holding his staffers baby as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was being yelled at by pro-Palestine protesters. Santos went straight back to Cameo as soon as he got out of prison, where he made hundreds of thousands of dollars before reporting for his sentence. Per fellow Capitol Hill reporter Juliegrace Brufke, he said in his first Cameo video out of the hammer: Diva up, because there is no more diva down! Further reading: Social Media, Pleas From Allies and Prison Essays: How Santos Won His Freedom , by Michael Gold in The New York Times CNNs Dana Bash interviews Santos on State of the Union Interview with FOX 5 New York Welcome to The Movement, a weekly newsletter looking at the influences and debates on the right in Washington. Im Emily Brooks, House leadership reporter at The Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tell me whats on your radar: ebrooks@thehill.com Follow me on X: @emilybrooksnews Not already on the list? Subscribe here GROUP CHAT FALLOUT As the dust settled on the racist Young Republican group chat over the weekend, MAGA-world and GOP staffers were still buzzing about how the texts were leaked in the first place and whether the person behind the leak (rather than those behind the racist messages) should face any professional, or at least social, consequences. But theres still public feuding and ambiguity about who, exactly, gave the texts to Politico. As reported in the original story, Small Business Administration staffer and group chat member Michael Bartels signed an affidavit claiming he did not give the log to Politico. He claimed that another Trump administration staffer in the State Department, Gavin Wax, obtained the chat log after threatening Bartels professional standing. Wax declined to comment to Politico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was apparent infighting between the statewide New York Young Republicans that Bartels was a part of and the New York City Young Republican Club. The Daily Mail reported last week that senior White House officials confronted Wax about the alleged leak ahead of the group chats publication. The officials reportedly had a text conversation between Wax and the reporter working on the story showing that he provided contact information and background on the individuals mentioned in the chat. Some of those alleged conversations were posted on social media. But other unnamed sources in the Daily Mail story said that Wax was being scapegoated and did not leak the texts. And now some big media figures in the right-wing ecosystem are chiming in, too. Raheem Kassam, editor of The National Pulse and co-owner of MAGA haunt Butterworths, has also been publicly adamant that Wax did not leak the texts. Provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos is on the other side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keeping up with all that inter-personal drama of GOP staffers and operatives has me feeling like Gossip Girl. The uproar over the cause of the leaks might also be shaking the GOP staffers and operatives because it is not an isolated incident. On Monday, Politico dropped a story about another group chat with Republicans that included racist messages from Paul Ingrassia, Trumps nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel. ICYMI from me last week on the group chat reaction: To condemn or not to condemn? That is the question for Republicans after the group chat leak GUN RIGHTS CASE TO SCOTUS This is your Second Amendment on drugs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up a case that will assess whether a law that bans gun possession for drug users is constitutional. My colleague Zach Schonfeld reports: The Supreme Court will review a ruling favoring Ali Danial Hemani, an alleged regular marijuana user who was charged with the crime after agents searched his home and found cocaine, marijuana and a Glock 19. An appeals court dismissed the charge because prosecutors hadnt alleged that Hemani was unlawfully under the influence when the gun was discovered, ruling such a broad scope wouldnt comply with the Second Amendment. The DOJs defense of the law is peeving one gun rights group. Ali Danial Hemani, a suspected terrorist, misrepresents law-abiding gun owners who use marijuana legally. The DOJs defense of an unconstitutional law wastes the Supreme Courts time when it could be addressing issues like assault weapons bans or magazine capacity limits, said Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs at Gun Owners of America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, National Association for Gun Rights spokesman Taylor D. Rhodes said his organization hopes that the Supreme Court will use this opportunity to defend the right to keep and bear arms as the founders intended. While we wish the Supreme Court would be as quick to weigh in when the courts uphold gun control as it has been to step in when the 5th Circuit strikes it down, it is our hope the Supreme Court will use this opportunity to restore the rights of millions of law-abiding Americans who have been targeted under this unjust law, Rhodes said. ON MY CALENDAR Tuesday, Oct. 21: The Cato Institute hosts a free speech debate. Thursday, Oct. 23: The Intercollegiate Studies Institute hosts an evening with Calley Means. THREE MORE THINGS Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) on Monday floated the use of the nuclear option to end the shutdown and get around Senate filibuster rules that require a 60-vote majority to reopen the government a notable stance from the vocal hardliner. We need to be taking a look at the 60 vote threshold. We really do, Roy told reporters. At a minimum, why dont we take a look at it for CRs? Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has been calling to use the nuclear option, too, but GOP leaders have so far dismissed that idea since the filibuster has protected the GOP priorities in Democratic majorities. President Trump made an in vitro fertilization announcement last week, calling himself the father of IVF as he announced a deal with a pharmaceutical company to lower the cost of some fertility drugs, and new federal guidance to encourage employers to offer fertility coverage. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement: Any policy in this space, from the White House or Congress, must treat the lives of the smallest children in the highest regard Too often, the IVF industry is given blanket immunity despite growing numbers of horror stories like rogue practitioners switching embryos, ignoring basic safety standards, or negligently destroying embryos. More from my colleague Joseph Choi here . False flag flag? Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) said last week that the swastika inside of an American flag pictured in his office this week was indistinguishable from an ordinary American flag to the naked eye, and that his office was targeted as part of a ruse that sent the flag to multiple GOP offices. I confirmed that a similar American flag with a swastika was delivered to at least one other House GOP office earlier this year, which discarded the flag. Ive not seen or inspected the flag in question, but Ive asked to do so. GOP staffers, if you have one of these flags, ping me, I want to see it: ebrooks@thehill.com WHAT IM READING 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. Mt. Juliet's information technology department is at the center of a Tennessee Department of Investigation probe that has resulted in the termination of the former director and another employee. "The City of Mt. Juliet recently conducted an internal investigation involving two employees within the Information Technology Department," Mt. Juliet Mayor James Maness confirmed. "As a result of that investigation, both employees, including the department director, have been terminated." Travis Taylor is the former Mt. Juliet Information Technology director, according to the city. Mt. Juliet City Hall Officials have not released any comments about the nature of the conduct being investigated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District Attorney General Jason Lawson asked the TBI to "investigate allegations involving employees of the City of Mt. Juliet IT Department," according to TBI spokesperson Carley Gordon. "An allegation was made that I referred to the TBI," Lawson said. The TBI nor Lawson would not comment on any specific details about the allegations. Efforts to reach Taylor for comment on this story weren't immediately successful. Mt. Juliet's Information Technology Department facilitates the availability and efficiency of all city departments and services through technology, according to the city's website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department also manages and maintains the city's local government broadcast TV channel, which includes the broadcast of several city meetings. This is a developing story. Check back for more details as they become available. Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TBI probes Mt. Juliet IT dept, with director, employee fired A Mansfield man is in Tarrant County custody on a $1 million bond after facing allegations of attempted murder. Tarrant County booking records show that Gaganot Singh of Mansfield was booked into the Tarrant County Corrections Center on October 16. The jails online database initially listed the charge as murder, but Mansfield police later clarified the charge as criminal attempted murder. In an email to The Dallas Express, Mansfield Police Department media relations officer Cecily Santana also said Singh was arrested on October 15 in Mansfield. Gaganot Singh of Mansfield Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santana added, We have identified the victim. We are the lead investigating agency. The investigation is ongoing, and we have not released the circumstances surrounding Mr. Singhs arrest or any preliminary information about the alleged offense. According to Tarrant County jail records, Singh remains in custody at the Tarrant County Corrections Center. The records list the arresting agency as the Mansfield Police Department and show a $1 million bond. Santana said no additional information about the alleged crime has been released. She did not disclose the name or condition of the victim, and it is unclear what led to the charge. Court and jail records did not provide more information about the case. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details become available. The arrest came just days before another high-profile North Texas case in which a suspect accused of killing three people crashed his van into a Buc-ees store in Ennis and shot himself, according to law enforcement. That man, identified as 29-year-old Christopher Kyle Reid Jr. of Hubbard, was suspected in a triple homicide in Mabank before the violent incident on October 17, The Dallas Express reported. SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) South Hadley police are reminding residents to lock their vehicles after multiple car break-ins were reported over the weekend. The South Hadley Police Department stated that on Saturday and Sunday, numerous motor vehicle break-ins took place in the neighborhoods of Prospect Street, Lathrop Street, Bardwell Street, and Summit Street. South Hadley police seek suspect in Buttery Brook Park armed robbery Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During these incidents, several items were reportedly stolen from the vehicles. Police are asking residents with video surveillance systems in the area to check their footage for any possible suspects connected with these break-ins. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Cebula by calling 413-538-8231 ext. 6415 or emailing cebulaa@southhadleypolice.org. The public is also urged to remember to lock their vehicles to prevent future break-ins and thefts. 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. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. 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. ROTAN, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) The Fisher County Sheriffs Office is asking Rotan residents to check their mailboxes after several were damaged or knocked over overnight. According to the sheriffs office, they received multiple reports from residents about mailboxes that were damaged or knocked down. The incidents are believed to have occurred in the early morning hours on Tuesday, October 21. Anyone who finds damage is encouraged to contact the Fisher County Sheriffs Office at (325) 776-2273 to file a report. Police say theyre working to determine what happened and identify anyone who may be involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office is also asking anyone with information that could help the investigation to come forward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) A major road connecting the three Baltic states to Poland opened Monday at a time of rising tensions between Europe and Russia. The road known as Via Baltica will pass through a narrow strip of land between Belarus and Russia s Kaliningrad exclave, called the Suwalki Gap, which has often been described as a potential targe t if Russia were to attack NATO. Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, at an inauguration ceremony on the border between their countries, said the road was the regions most important corridor and highlighted its role in the regions defense. NATO troops could potentially move faster in aid of the Baltics by using Via Baltica. This road has a dual purpose it will help our economy and strengthen the defense capabilities of our region, Nawrocki said Monday. Poland and its Baltic neighbors have been on high alert since multiple Russian drones entered Polish territory and Russian fighter jets crossed into Estonian air space in September. The 970-kilometer-long (600-mile-long) Via Baltica route starts in Warsaw, Poland, and passes through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, where it finishes in Tallinn. It is part of the European route E67, which links Finland to Czechia. The four-lane A5 highway connecting Kaunas, Lithuanias second largest city, with Suwalki in Poland is also a part of Via Baltica. Several northbound sections of Via Baltica are still just two lanes and will be expanded later, Lithuanias Transportation Ministry says. Nauseda said the road symbolizes freedom, prosperity and security, and that it plays an extremely important economic, commercial, and logistical role in Lithuania, connecting us with the rest of the European market. By LIUDAS DAPKUS Associated Press CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) Three organizations gathered at the Market Place Shopping Center for one purpose on Monday. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation and the Holocaust Education Center cut the ribbon at the new Courage to Remember exhibit. Alex Lyon is a board member for the Jewish Federation and is on the Holocaust Education Center Committee. She said students are not learning about the Holocaust in depth. Carle trick-or-treat event reunites nurses with former patients Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Its] also an opportunity to really think about our place in the world. How can we all fight for a more just society and learn from the mistakes of the past, Lyon said. The expo displays the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945 and has more than 40 panels of information and photos of the time. Dr. William Gingold is a Holocaust survivor. He believes this exhibit can help people learn. I think we need to educate each other on what hate is, Gingold said. Our human effort at this time is to try to prevent hate if possible and if it happens to fight it as hard as we can. The Courage to Remember volunteers said the exhibit displays some difficult images with themes of invasions and death camps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alison Pure-Slovin, Simon Wiesenthal Center director of social action and partnerships, explains why it was important for the display to be in the mall. Not everybody can get to museums, Pure-Slovin said. We do have wonderful museums in Illinois but not everybody has the ability to go learn from those museums so this is like a museum that came to you. The exhibit will be available at the mall until Nov. 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 WCIA.com. Paris Louvre Museum had already been open for 30 minutes, and welcomed hundreds of visitors through its doors, when thieves in yellow vests scaled a truck-mounted ladder to the second-floor balcony of the Apollo Gallery, home to the French crown jewels, among other treasures. Using an angle grinder to force open a window, they took just four minutes to enter the room, cut open two cases displaying Napoleonic jewels, grab nine pieces and flee back down the ladder. Beyond its seemingly cinematic plot, the robbery was a clear example of how thieves have started targeting cultural institutions not necessarily for their prized paintings, but for artifacts that can be dismantled, stripped or melted down for their expensive parts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thieves executed a similarly daring raid on Dresdens historic Green Vault in 2019, smashing their way into a glass case with an ax and making off with 21 diamond-studded Saxon treasures worth at least 113 million ($128 million). Many of the treasures were recovered years later when five men were convicted of the crime, but some remain missing to this day. All five told investigators they didnt know where the missing jewels were. An empty display case in the Jewel Room in Dresden Palace's historic Green Vault, pictured on April 29, 2020, damaged during the break-in a year earlier. - Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance/dpa/Getty Images What weve definitely seen in the last five to seven years is some more shift towards raw materials theft, explained Remigiusz Plath, the secretary of the International Counsel of Museum Security, part of the International Counsel of Museums, whose experts keep information flowing across the European museum sector on security threats and best practices to safeguard institutions. The move, Plath says, has been away from stealing art for its cultural value. Works by Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian or Willem de Kooning can resurface years, or decades, later in a buildings basement or behind an unassuming bedroom door. But experts say jewelry, coins or medals, meanwhile, are at risk of being lost forever and quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My cynical belief is that these gems from the Louvre have most likely already been broken down for their parts, said Laura Evans, an art crime historian, author and professor. The Louvre thieves escaped with this necklace and earrings that Napoleon gifted his second wife Empress Marie Louise. - Maeva Destombes/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images Her view is shared by other experts who have spoken to CNN about the case. I dont think that thieves probably care about the historical, cultural, or emotional significance of these gems as they were, and would not blink at cutting them down into different shapes and sizes. Theres a high liquidity when those gems are dismantled, but a stolen Monet, for example, has a really low liquidity, because its instantly recognizable. Plath called museums a relatively soft target compared to other highly secured buildings, such as banks. Museums have to balance security with the freedom to see and engage with their collections. You can actually go in there, when the museum is open, and see it right in front of you, he said. And if you apply blunt force, just like a roof, youre right there there are not many thresholds to go through to have access to these raw materials. A change in tactics Some of the most notorious museum robberies have captured the public imagination for their ingenuity or boldness. In 1990, at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, two men dressed as police officers pulled off the largest art heist in history, with 13 artworks, including three Rembrandts, and a Vermeer, that have never been found. In 1911, the Mona Lisa skyrocketed to international fame when a worker from the Louvre hid the small Leonardo da Vinci painting in his coat and spirited it away for two years. Rembrandt's "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee," was stolen in 1990 from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston by two men dressed as police officers. - Boston Globe/Boston Globe/Getty Images As the details of the Louvre heist have emerged, the plans sophistication has crystallized. Like the highly orchestrated Green Vault heist, Evans called the Louvre incident a case of cultural terrorism, executed with this military-style precision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not about exploiting the weakest link anymore, she said. Its about using force. Police were met with several pieces of evidence when they arrived at the Louvre. Discarded by the truck were two grinders, a blowtorch, gasoline, gloves, a walkie-talkie, and a blanket. Laying nearby was a more eye-catching item, the crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, dropped by the thieves as they made their escape on Yamaha T-Max scooters along the Seine river. The ornate gold piece, which features 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, was damaged in the heist, prosecutors said. French police officers stand next to a furniture lift used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum in Paris on October 19, 2025. - Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images Plath is concerned with what he believes are increasingly aggressive grab-and-go thefts as thieves gain access to buildings with powerful industrial tools this time, shockingly, during the day, when the museum was already filled with visitors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Museum robberies more often happen after hours with fewer risks to bystanders. Evans pointed to a rare case in 1972 when two men shot a security guard at the Worcester Art Museum while fleeing with four paintings that were later recovered. But the theft at the Louvre gives her a greater sense of unease that the danger could be escalating. With how these things are progressing, its probably only a matter of time before something like that happens again. Thats something that I definitely am worried about, she said. An investigation begins With a national manhunt underway, questions are now being asked as to how the thieves managed to pull off such a feat, who they are, and why French institutions seem to be considered easy targets. Before the Louvre robbery, thieves targeted Paris Natural History Museum in September, stealing gold nuggets worth 600,000 ($699,000), as well as antique Chinese porcelain worth 9.5 million ($11 million) from a museum in Limoges, south of the capital, the same month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youre an investigator for France, you are working under the theory at this stage that these are related because of the frequency, the boldness, the similarities in their mode, theorized CNNs senior national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem. Plath, too, said they could be connected, or copycats who have observed the effectiveness of other heists. Natalie Goulet, a centrist member of the French senate, told CNN on Monday that the robbery was probably linked to organized crime. In the case of the 2019 Green Vault robbery, the five men convicted were part of the Remmo clan, one of Germanys most powerful crime families, which operates mostly in Berlin. A French crime scene officer gestures through a window where thieves are believed to have gained access to jewels at the Louvre Museum on October 19, 2025. - Kiran Ridley/Getty Images French authorities will lead the investigation, though Interpols dedicated Cultural Heritage Crime unit may become involved if French officials suspect there is an international component. Interpol confirmed on X that the Napoleonic crown jewels have been added to its database for stolen artworks and artifacts. For French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, the heist spotlights embarrassing security failings at one of Frances most venerable institutions. The French people all feel like theyve been robbed, he told France Inter radio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One can wonder about the fact that, for example, the windows hadnt been secured, about the fact that a basket lift was on a public road What is certain is that we have failed, he said. Evans said that though many will be drawn to the salacious details of the heist like any riveting crime thriller there is a deep sense of national loss that should not be forgotten. I would encourage people to see beyond the sensationalism of the heist and how it was executed, she said. Theres a real hole in the cultural heritage and the history of France as a nation. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Editors Note: The video above is from November 2023, when Del Valle ISD broke ground on its new high school. AUSTIN (KXAN) The name of Del Valle Independent School Districts new high school will soon be chosen, and the districts board of trustees now has a shortlist of names to choose from. A naming committee recommended four names: Barbara Jordan, Eva Mireles, Andrew Zuniga and North Del Valle, according to board documents. Those will be presented to the board at a meeting Tuesday evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The four names came from a public submission period where people could nominate names for the school, along with reasons why they believe that name should be chosen. In total, 258 nominations were received, some giving a nod to the geographic location of the new school, while others nominated influential people in the community and beyond. Here are the four shortlisted by the naming committee, in order of their preference: Barbara Jordan High School: Named after the first African-American woman elected to the Texas Senate and the first African-American woman from the South elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Eva Mireles High School: Named after a teacher killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Andrew Zuniga High School: Named after a Del Valle High School teacher who died in 2024. North Del Valle High School: Named due to the schools location at the north end of the district. The school will be located in the Whisper Valley neighborhood. As such, Whisper Valley High School was the most popular name suggestion, with 39 nominations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It reflects both the location and the spirit of the community it will serve, one nomination said. The name builds continuity with the districts existing high school, Del Valle High School, by maintaining the valley connection while establishing its own unique identity. This balance of familiarity and individuality ensures that Whisper Valley High School will be instantly recognizable as part of the districts family of schools, while also giving its students, staff and community the opportunity to take pride in a name that is distinctly their own. Another nomination said Whisper Valley High School sounds like it could be in a movie or the name of a book series. There were also eight nominations for Whisper Valle High School in a subtle nod to the districts name, Del Valle. Twelve people suggested naming the school after Maurice Walker, Sr., the first African American to serve on the districts board of trustees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Naming the school after Maurice Walker, Sr. would be a meaningful way to honor someone whose life was deeply woven into the fabric of our community, one nomination said. His [underlying] dedication reflects the values of service, leadership and commitment to people and education that we want to instill in future generations. A school that carries his name would remind students, families and staff every day of the impact one person can make through hard work, humility and service to others. There were also eight nominations for Bernard Blanchard High School, named after the districts former superintendent who had been with Del Valle ISD for almost 40 years. Another recommended Bernard Blanchard Memorial High School. Other nominations came in to name the school after Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Elon Musk and even Matthew McConaughey. [McConaugheys] from Texas and loves and is very involved in the Austin community, the nomination said. I think this would be a wonderful name for the new high school. He is an amazing example of a good person for our children and community to look up to. How will the name be chosen? After the public submission period ended, a nine-person committee reviewed all the nominations. Each board member appointed someone to the committee, while an administrator was appointed by the superintendent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee will make recommendations to the board at Tuesdays meeting. The board will then adopt a final name, likely on Nov. 4. What will the new school be like? Whatever name is chosen, the new school is set to open in the fall of 2027. The 430,000-square-foot building is being built in the Whisper Valley neighborhood off Taylor Lane, north of Webberville Road. The new building will use a geothermal energy system and is solar-ready an energy-conscious design compatible with Whisper Valleys focus on environmental responsibility, Pfluger Architects said in a press release. Additionally, condensation from the HVAC system will be collected and reused on-site for irrigation, reducing water demand on city infrastructure. Pfluger sourced local and naturally occurring materials for the structure, including Texas limestone and locally manufactured brick. The schools design is shaped around open courtyards and promenades, meaning all classrooms will have ample natural light and outdoor views, Pfluger Architects said. Rendering of the new high school under construction at Del Valle ISD. (Courtesy Pfluger Architects) Rendering of the new high school under construction at Del Valle ISD. (Courtesy Pfluger Architects) Rendering of the cafeteria at the new high school under construction at Del Valle ISD. (Courtesy Pfluger Architects) Rendering of the courtyard at the new high school under construction at Del Valle ISD. (Courtesy Pfluger Architects) Rendering of the auditorium at the new high school under construction at Del Valle ISD. (Courtesy Pfluger Architects) Rendering of the gym at the new high school under construction at Del Valle ISD. (Courtesy Pfluger Architects) Rendering of the stadium at the new high school under construction at Del Valle ISD. (Courtesy Pfluger Architects) Central to the whole design is the Learning Courtyard that creates both visual and physical connections encouraging interaction and supporting a sense of belonging across campus, Heather Rule, senior project manager, said. The design was inspired by vibrant city centers where people naturally gather, connect, and learn from one another. This vision aligns with the diverse Del Valle community and reflects a desire to create a welcoming environment where different cultures, experiences and voices are celebrated equitably. Why is a new school needed? After several years of decline, enrollment in Del Valle ISD has been increasing steadily since 2020, spurred on by new development in the southeastern portion of Travis County. As of the 2024-25 school year, 11,715 students were enrolled in the district, according to data from the Texas Education Agency. Del Valle High School, currently the districts only high school, has a capacity of 2,700, but enrollment in the school is closer to 3,600. District leaders have been pushing for funding to build a second high school to alleviate capacity concerns for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2022, voters approved a $300 million bond to help pay for the new school. The district then broke ground on the new campus in November 2023. This is going to be a world-class facility. What youll see in this new building is that its every bit as equitable as the current comprehensive high school, then-Superintendent Annette Tielle said at the groundbreaking. We will be able to offer all the programs that we offer at the comprehensive high school, like our CTE programs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. A Capitol rioter who received a presidential pardon earlier this year was arrested in New York over the weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. CBS News reported that Christopher Moynihan was taken into custody Sunday, with prosecutors claiming he sent texts about plans to eliminate Jeffries ahead of the top House Democrats appearance at the Economic Club of New York on Monday. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC. I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan allegedly wrote.Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated. I will kill him for the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a felony charge of making a terroristic threat. The FBI claims they received an anonymous tip saying Moynihan had recently been using drugs and expressing homicidal ideations. The FBI alerted New York State Police on Saturday, and Moynihan was arrested the following day after what authorities called a thorough investigation. Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi said his office is reviewing the case for legal and factual sufficiency, adding that threats against public officials will not be tolerated. In a statement on Tuesday, Jeffries said Moynihans arrest highlighted the danger of the roughly 1500 pardons Trump granted to Jan. 6 defendants upon returning to office in January. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country, Jeffries said. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned. Start your day with essential news from Salon. Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course. In Moynihans previous trial, prosecutors said he was among the first to breach police lines and enter the Senate chamber on Jan. 6. He was convicted in 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding and sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in the Capitol riot. He was fully pardoned on Trumps first day in office. The post He must be eliminated: Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter arrested for alleged Jeffries death threat appeared first on Salon.com. The strange, smouldering metal object discovered in the Australian outback was likely a piece of a Chinese rocket that crashed onto the area, the countrys space agency said. The metal debris with components made of carbon fibre was first spotted on Saturday by mine workers near a remote access road about 30km (19miles) east of Newman, Western Australia. Australias space agency said it could be part of a rocket, adding it would conduct "further technical analysis to identify its origin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency is continuing the process of determining the exact nature of the debris and its origin through engagement with global counterparts, it said. Space analyst Marco Langbroek said in a blog post on Monday that the strange debris resembled a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV), which holds high-pressure gases and liquids inside rockets. While these rocket components can often survive reentry, experts say it is rare to find them on land intact and smouldering hot. "It reportedly was burning when found, which is unusual and against expectations for space debris, Dr Langbroek wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the debris is indeed deemed a piece of space junk, it was likely a very recent impact at the time it was found, he says. Strange metal debris found in Australian Outback (Australian Space Agency) Sifting through several possible sources from space, Dr Langbroek said: Only one was in an orbit that would match passing close to Newman in the early hours of October 18. It could be orbital debris and likely the upper stage of a Chinese Jielong 3 also known as the Smart Dragon 3 rocket which fell back to Earth on Saturday. "It could actually be the upper stage itself, given the large size that the photos suggest (and also given that the Jielong 3 upper stage is reportedly a solid fuel stage)," wrote Dr Langbroek, an aerospace engineering faculty at the Dutch Delft University of Technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While not much is known about Jielong 3 rockets components, the aerospace engineer said the Chinese object is a good contender for being the source of the outback debris. So it looks like the Jielong 3 upper stage is a good candidate for the origin of the possible space debris object found near Newman on October 18, he wrote. Alternatively, instead of a COPV from the upper stage, it could actually be the upper stage itself, given the large size that the photos suggest, Dr Langbroek said. The small but powerful Chinese rocket capable of carrying payloads at competitive costs delivered nine satellites into orbit in February, 2024. The Jielong-3, or Smart Dragon-3, blasted off from a floating barge off the coast of Yangjiang in southern Guangdong province, the second launch of the rocket in just two months. A United Airlines flight diverted to Salt Lake City last week after an object struck the plane's windshield at 36,000 feet, causing it to crack and injuring the pilot, according to the airline and officials. Amid the mystery of what could have hit the plane's windshield, on Monday night, WindBorne Systems, a long-duration smart weather balloon company, released a statement saying the object that hit and cracked United flight's windshield may have been a weather balloon from the company. The company said it is working with FAA and the NTSB on the investigation. @JonNYC/ X - PHOTO: A United Airlines flight diverted to Salt Lake City last week after an object struck the plane's windshield at 36,000 feet, causing it to crack and injuring the pilot, according to the airline and officials. "We are working closely with the FAA on this matter. We immediately rolled out changes to minimize time spent between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. These changes are already live with immediate effect. Additionally, we are further accelerating our plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid planes, even if the planes are at a non-standard altitude. We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce impact force magnitude and concentration," WindBorne said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why passengers say they are filing suits over windowless window seats on Delta, United planes The windshield is being transported to the National Transportation Safety Boards laboratory as the investigation continues. Data from flight tracking website Flight Radar24 shows the plane was 36,000 feet in the air when an object hit the windshield. The flight then descended to a lower altitude, following standard protocol, before making an emergency landing at Utah's Salt Lake City International Airport. "This is an extraordinary situation in terms of the glass being able to create any damage at all to the people in the cockpit, and what it might have hit at 36,000 feet. That's really the great puzzle," said ABC News aviation analyst John Nance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aircraft windshields are designed with multiple layers to be able to sustain damage caused by things like a bird strike, weather or even debris, but experts say its rare for it to be a bird strike that high in the sky. @JonNYC/ X - PHOTO: A United Airlines flight diverted to Salt Lake City last week after an object struck the plane's windshield at 36,000 feet, causing it to crack and injuring the pilot, according to the airline and officials. "You're talking about a bird at that altitude. It's very, very rare to say the least, you're talking about maybe a drone, a weather balloon, anything of that nature that has enough mass to be able to cause this kind of shattering, said Nance. United Airlines said the Boeing 737-MAX 8 with 134 passengers landed safely in Utah to address damage to its multilayered windshield. Officials said the pilot was treated for minor injuries. Heather Ramsey, a college student and a passenger onboard, said she first noticed something was weird about 50 minutes into the flight, even before any announcements, when she overheard one of the flight attendants sharply raising her voice and telling the other to stop the service and get to the back of the cabin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement United Airlines traveler check-in change starts in June Shortly after, Ramsey said the pilot made an announcement of the flight diverting. "The aircraft has collided with an object and a window in the cockpit has shattered, so we need to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City," Ramsey told ABC News, recalling the pilot's message. The images of the cracked windshield were first shared on social media by aviation account JonNYC. The airline said passengers were accommodated on another aircraft to Los Angeles later that day and United is working with its team to return the plane to service. Kerem Inal, Sam Sweeney and Clara McMichael contributed to this report. A New Hampshire man has been arrested and charged following a high-speed pursuit with police in Tyngsborough. 33-year-old Matthew Young of Nashua, New Hampshire, was charged with the following: Failure to Stop for Police Reckless Operation Marked Lanes Violation (Infraction) Speeding (Infraction) The incident occurred back on Saturday, October 18, around 9:39 p.m., when Tyngsborough Police were alerted by numerous New Hampshire Police Departments that they were in pursuit of a driver who was wanted on a warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Hampshire police said that a gray 2021 Mazda 3 was headed towards Tyngsborough. Tyngsborough police positioned themselves on Frost Road and took over the pursuit. Police deployed stop sticks and were able to flatten one of the Mazdas tires. The pursuit continued, going from Frost Road, Chronopoulos Way, and Pawtucket Boulevard, before the car came to a stop at 185 Pawtucket Boulevard. Young was identified as the driver and taken into custody and later arraigned at Lowell District Court on Monday, October 20. 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 A New Jersey law enforcement association has called for the results of a police examination to be withheld pending a full investigation into cheating allegations from earlier this year. In light of concerning allegations of cheating on the Police Sergeant examination on March 1, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police is urging the states Civil Service Commission to refrain from releasing the results of the test until a full and transparent investigation is undertaken, NJSACOP President Andrew Caggiano said in a statement. The police chiefs association reported the cheating allegations to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, according to Caggianos statement, and called for a thorough investigation, with swift results, to ensure this exam remains a credible method to assess law enforcement and the potential for promotion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state Attorney Generals Office is aware of the cheating allegations, but would not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation, according to a spokesperson. A representative from the civil service commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Governor Phil Murphys office declined to comment on the alleged cheating incident. In a statement posted online Monday, the New Jersey State Police Policemans Benevolent Association said communication with the NJCSC has lacked transparency. Immediately after being made aware of the allegations, the New Jersey State PBA contacted the New Jersey Civil Services Commission and informed them of the same, NJPBA President Peter Andreyev wrote in a letter to local officials and union members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since that time, there hasnt been much transparency or communication regarding the allegations or how the CSC would address them. Andreyevs letter noted that the NJCSC typically releases scores in mid-October, but that the NJPBA appeared confident that no scores were forthcoming at the moment. The letter also provided guidance to local police officers and chiefs of police on how to fill vacant administrative positions while score results are delayed. Caggiano said the NJSACOP is in lockstep with the state Police Benevolent Association in suggesting a full investigation to ensure fair results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have demanded that the proper action is taken to guarantee that you all receive those fair results, Andreyev wrote in his letter. Andreyev said that officers who took the exam should continue checking the NJCSCs Law Enforcement Status Report for any updates. Meanwhile, police chiefs can fill vacancies from lists of eligible officers, according to Andreyev. And if those lists have expired, chiefs can appoint supervisors through provisional appointments that automatically expire once a new eligibility list is published. A spokesperson for the Governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Matthew Enuco Stories by Matthew Enuco Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A Jersey City Police officer fatally shot a man who opened fire on him early Tuesday morning in the city, officials said. The incident happened in the area of Ege Avenue and Bergen Avenue around 1 a.m. Officers noticed the man acting suspiciously and saw a bulge in his clothing that looked like a possible gun, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop wrote on his Facebook page. When officers approached, the man shot at one of the officers, who returned fire and struck the man, Fulop said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man was later pronounced dead at a local hospital and a gun was recovered from the scene, the mayor said. The shooting is under investigation by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office, which handles incidents where a person dies during an encounter with police. The office confirmed they are investigating the shooting in a statement released Tuesday night. Chris Sheldon Stories by Chris Sheldon Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Tuesday his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he didnt want it to be a waste of time. It was the latest twist in Trumps stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. I dont want to have a wasted meeting, Trump said. I dont want to have a waste of time so well see what happens. Lavrov made clear in public comments Tuesday that Russia is opposed to an immediate ceasefire. Trump, meanwhile, has been shifting his stance all year on key issues in the war, including whether a ceasefire should come before longer-term peace talks, and whether Ukraine could win back land seized by Russia during almost four years of fighting. Trumps hesitancy in meeting Putin will likely come as a relief to European leaders, who have accused Putin of stalling for time with diplomacy while trying to gain ground on the battlefield. The leaders including the British prime minister, French president and German chancellor said they opposed any push to make Ukraine surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Trump most recently has suggested. They also plan to push forward with plans to use billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraines war efforts, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. The U.S. and Russian presidents last met in Alaska in August, but the encounter did not advance Trumps stalled attempts to end a war that began with Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kremlin didnt seem to be in a rush to get Trump and Putin together again either. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that preparation is needed, serious preparation before a meeting. Trump suggested that decisions about the meeting would be made in the coming days. What Ukraine wants from the US Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been trying to strengthen Ukraines position by seeking long-range Tomahawk missiles from the U.S., although Trump has waffled on whether he would provide them. We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace, Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a Telegram post. He noted that Putin returned to diplomacy and called Trump last week when it looked like Tomahawk missiles were a possibility. But as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue, Zelenskyy said. On Wednesday, Trump is expected to hold talks in the White House with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The military alliance has been coordinating deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, many of them purchased from the U.S. by Canada and European countries. A meeting of the Coalition of the Willing a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine is due to take place in London on Friday. How Trumps stance on the war has shifted Trump initially focused on pressuring Ukraine to make concessions, but then grew frustrated with Putins intransigence. Trump often complains that he thought his good relationship with his Russian counterpart would have made it easier to end the war. Last month, Trump reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to give up land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. But after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are and end the war. On Sunday, Trump said the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be cut up, leaving most of it in Russian hands. Trump said Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, hes now doubtful it will happen. Ukrainian and European leaders trying to keep Trump on their side We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the leaders statement said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction. Lavrov made clear Tuesday that Russia opposes a ceasefire, Russian state news agencies reported. He told journalists in Moscow that it would go against what the two presidents agreed upon in Alaska. Trump had hoped to get Russia to stop the fighting, but he was rebuffed by Putin, who has pushed for a comprehensive settlement to end the war. Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Zelenskyy said Monday would be a week that is very active in diplomacy. More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defense industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, Tuesdays statement said. ___ Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed reporting. __ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine By MATTHEW LEE and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press East Windsor police shot a man Tuesday at the scene of a reported burglary in their town, the Mercer County Prosecutors Office said. The man, whose identity was not publicized, was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton following the 12:20 p.m. incident on Etra Road, and he was in critical condition, authorities said. No police officers were injured in the shooting, according to the prosecutors office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The circumstances that led to the shooting are under investigation by the prosecutors office, a spokesperson said. A preliminary investigation shows the officers went to a home following a call from a concerned citizen that a person was breaking into an abandoned house in the 300 block of the road. Upon arrival, the officers encountered an adult male and shots were fired, the office said in a statement. The New Jersey State Police is assisting the prosecutors office with processing the crime scene. Etra Road, also known as Etra-Perrineville Road and Route 571 in stretches, runs south east from Hightstown and through the old Village of Etra before becoming Perrineville Road in Millstone, Monmouth County. Kevin Shea Stories by Kevin Shea Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. New Jersey officials say Amazon denied fair wages to delivery drivers who worked more than 40 hours a week by misclassifying them as independent contractors. The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office on Monday sued the e-commerce giant for violations of state labor laws. The lawsuit claims that drivers for Flex, Amazons delivery service, comparable to rideshare services Uber and Lyft, have gone without fair pay. Thousands of drivers in New Jersey have worked for the service since 2017, the attorney generals office said. The lawsuit, which was filed in Essex County Superior Court, seeks a trial by jury. New Jerseys case against Amazon comes ahead of a typically busy holiday season for the retailer, which is expected to hire about 250,000 seasonal workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mislabeling Flex deliverers as independent contractors also allowed Amazon to forgo contributions to the states Unemployment Compensation Fund and the State Disability Benefits Fund, New Jersey officials allege. That practice created instances where the state has doled out unemployment benefits to ineligible recipients in its workforce, officials allege. Lets not make any mistake about this: when a trillion-dollar company says it is providing you with a flexible way of earning extra money on your own schedule, it is not offering this opportunity for your benefit, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. Amazon is looking out for itself. Amazon is taking advantage of Flex drivers and enriching its bottom line by failing to obey our labor laws and offloading its business expenses for the benefit of shareholders. Amazon on Tuesday defended its Flex practice, saying the service allows drivers personal breaks, and that those employees are offered the minimum dollar amounts allowed for delivery blocks. That money, the company said, is still earned even if a driver completes a route early. Were still reviewing the lawsuit, but one thing is already clear: its wrong on the facts and the law, and misrepresents what Amazon Flex is and how it works, Mary Kate Paradis, a company spokesperson, said in an emailed statement to NJ Advance Media. For nearly a decade, Amazon Flex has empowered independent delivery partners to choose delivery blocks that fit their schedules, giving them the freedom to decide when and where they work. This flexibility is one of the main reasons many drivers say they enjoy the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit adds another legal matter for Amazon, which last month agreed to a $2.5 billion payout to settle consumer violation claims brought by the federal government. Amazon was alleged to have made a ploy that made it difficult for Prime members to cancel their subscriptions. The case stemmed from an audit of Amazons unemployment contributions in March 2020, when officials say the state government unintentionally approved benefits to some Flex drivers seeking assistance, the lawsuit alleges. About 900 drivers provided earnings information through an investigatory inquiry by New Jerseys Department of Labor to support the accusations, the lawsuit states. Investigators learned Amazon would allow drivers to work as much as 50 hours a week without being classified as employees, denying them rightful earnings under minimum wage laws, the lawsuit alleges. Legally defining its drivers as independent contractors also allowed them not to be entitled to paid sick leave, the lawsuit alleges. We will not allow Amazon to expand its empire by exploiting New Jersey workers and our states unemployment trust funds, said New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. Flex drivers deserve the dignity and respect of proper classification, ensuring they receive the benefits and rights they are entitled to. Classifying workers correctly is New Jersey law, there are no exceptions, regardless of the company size. We are bringing this action to protect New Jerseys Flex drivers and our entire state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through the Flex service, delivery drivers use their personal vehicles to bring Amazon packages to both commercial and residential locations, state officials said. Drivers typically bear the costs they accrue, such as gas, insurance, tolls and maintenance expenses, officials said. Mislabeling workers has proven to be costly to New Jersey taxpayers. In 2021, taxpayers lost about $329.3 million in unemployment insurance, social security and Medicare benefits, as well as state and federal income taxes over misclassifications in the workforce, according to The Century Foundation, a research think tank that includes study on economic policy. New Jersey has sought to impose stricter enforcement of laws prohibiting the practice. Since 2020, New Jersey labor officials have assessed about $11.2 million in penalties affecting over 13,000 workers. Eric Conklin Stories by Eric Conklin Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Bridgewater Township officials have filed a lawsuit accusing Somerset County of illegally removing hundreds of trees to create a new access road into Washington Valley Park. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in Somerset County Superior Court, alleges the countys contractor chopped down between 300 to 500 trees, despite an agreement to remove 37. According to the complaint, the unauthorized and excessive removal occurred less than 900 feet from the most severe infrastructure damage the township sustained during Hurricane Ida in 2021, which the township spent more than $1.1 million to repair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resulting deforestation in the vicinity of Vosseller Avenue has created significant environmental and public-safety risks, such as erosion, stormwater runoff and potential damage to municipal property and infrastructure, the suit alleges. Every single tree removed was part of a natural system that protected Bridgewater homes, roads, and families, Bridgewater Mayor Matthew Moench said in a statement posted on Facebook. The loss of these trees is not cosmetic it is consequential, and in a severe storm like Ida, could be lethally decisive. Bridgewater Township officials say they first received copies of construction plans for the countys Washington Valley Park Access Drive project around Aug. 1. Those plans stated that about 37 trees would be removed. According to the lawsuit, no further correspondence from the county or its park commission, which are named as defendants, indicated any increase in the tree removals. However, after Oct. 2, township officials discovered that hundreds of trees had been cut down, the complaint states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suit alleges that the tree removals and related activity have violated several township ordinances and state laws, including the Sediment Control Act, the Freshwater Protection Act and the Green Acres regulations. The damages and ongoing risks resulting from the Defendants conduct were reasonably foreseeable, preventable and the direct result of the Defendants failure to exercise reasonable care in the planning, supervision and oversight of its project and contractors, the lawsuit states. Bridgewater Township officials are now asking the county government to take immediate corrective action, according to a statement. This includes providing the township with all legally required approvals and documents, bringing the site into compliance with environmental and soil-erosion policies, halting all clearing, grading and construction, stabilizing the damaged areas and reimbursing the township for its investigation. However, a Superior Court judge last week denied the townships injunction request seeking the county to halt all activity at the construction site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the six-page decision issued on Thursday, Judge Haekyoung Suh said that the township did not adequately demonstrate that continuing to remove trees will cause immediate and irreparable harm. While the potential danger of defendants tree removal is concerning to the public interest, the alleged harm has already occurred, the decision states. Plaintiff has presented insufficient evidence to support that further removal of more trees is definite to result in imminent and irreparable harm. The suit acknowledges that although New Jersey counties are not legally required to seek approval from a townships land use board and are exempt from certain types of municipal oversight. However, it also claims that the county is still obligated to comply with state-mandated regulations like stormwater management and tree removal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The residents of Bridgewater deserve transparency and accountability, Moench said in a statement. We are not going to allow our residents trust and certainly not our environment or vital infrastructure to be collateral damage in a County project gone wrong. Our resolve is absolute: we will not allow this catastrophe to go unaddressed. A petition urging the county to take a series of actions, including organizing an effort to repair the damage, had garnered nearly 300 signatures as of Monday, township officials said. Somerset County officials have not responded to a request from NJ Advance Media for comment on the lawsuit. The next court hearing in the case has been scheduled for Nov. 10. Rebecca Heath Stories by Rebecca Heath Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. LIMA The National Alliance on Mental Illness Family Support Group will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28 at the Health Resource Library at Mercy Health-St. Ritas Medical Center, 730 W. Market St., Lima. For more information on the group, call 419-692-2480. There is no charge to attend. NAMI will also hold a Connection Recovery Support Group meeting at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7 in room 144 of Coleman Health Services, 799 S. Main St., Lima. This meeting is open to adults with mental health conditions, and there is no cost to attend. Sean Duffy said SpaceX is "behind schedule" on its mission to land NASA astronauts back on the moon. Duffy, the acting NASA administrator, said he will open the contract up to other space companies. SpaceX boss Elon Musk hit back at Duffy, saying his firm is "moving like lightning" on the project. The space race is on but this time it will be between American rocket companies. Sean Duffy, the acting NASA administrator, said in a Monday interview on "Fox & Friends" that Elon Musk's SpaceX is "behind schedule" on the Artemis III project, the mission that plans to land NASA astronauts back on the moon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SpaceX, which Duffy said was an "amazing company" that does "remarkable things," dominates the space rocket industry and has become one of the most valuable private companies in the world, alongside OpenAI. Meanwhile, a crop of other rocket companies from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to Rocket Lab seeks to gain ground. "I'm in the process of opening that contract up. I think we'll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others," Duffy said, referencing Jeff Bezos' rocket company Blue Origin. "We're going to have a space race in regard to American companies competing to see who can actually get us back to the moon first." SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Musk, however, responded to Duffy's comments in an X post on Monday evening. He said another company wouldn't reach the moon faster than SpaceX, as his firm "is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Moreover, Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission," he added. "Mark my words." NASA hopes to complete the moon mission between one and a half to two years from now, before the end of President Donald Trump's term, Duffy said. He added that the president is focused on beating China back to the moon, and thinks the competition will help ensure NASA meets that goal. Other companies currently supporting the overall Artemis mission include Blue Origin, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. A little COMPETITION doesnt hurt and it spurs INNOVATION! American companies are going to be able to compete to see which one can get us back to the Moon first. We going to beat China there and we are going to do it under @POTUS! pic.twitter.com/PbZ8gbLSL8 NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy (@SecDuffyNASA) October 20, 2025 "A little COMPETITION doesn't hurt and it spurs INNOVATION!" Duffy wrote in a post on X on Monday. "We going to beat China there and we are going to do it under @POTUS!" he added. Read the original article on Business Insider NASA has grown frustrated with the delays to SpaceX's Starship HLS development for its proposed Artemis III Moon landing mission in 2027. This week, it opened the contract to allow other providers to pitch their landers as potential alternatives. "SpaceX had the contract for Artemis 3," NASA acting head Sean Duffy said on CNBC (via SpaceNews). "The problem is they're behind. They push their timelines out, and we're in a race against China. The president and I want to get to the Moon in this president's term. So, I'm going to open up the contract. I'm going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX, like Blue Origin, and again, whatever one can get us there first, to the Moon, we're going to take." Several Moon lander concepts were proposed and trialled during NASA's initial application period for Artemis III. One was the Dynetics HLS ALPACA lander, which would have been cheaper and simpler than Starship or Blue Origin's alternative while requiring fewer refuel launches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dynetics HLS ALPACA lander was ultimately passed over for SpaceX's Starship, even though the SpaceX design is overkill for a lunar landing mission. It has the potential to be useful far beyond Artemis III, though, which is why it ended up being the system of choice. Dynetics lander craft render. The Dynetics ALPACA lander was developed and tested, but ultimately not chosen by NASA during initial concept pitching. Credit: Dynetics But that's not necessarily the case anymore, with NASA now keen to ensure US astronauts land on the Moon before China's proposed landing near the end of the decade. "We're going to have a space race in regard to American companies competing to see who can actually get us back to the Moon first," Duffy said to Fox News, though he didn't detail how the "race" would work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NASA has also reached out to Blue Origin to discuss modifying its Mark 1 cargo lander to make it human-rated while asking if SpaceX can accelerate its Starship development. As it stands, Block 2 testing has completed ahead of Block 3 testing in 2026, before it's even begun to test in-orbit refuelling, which will be required on a huge scale to make the Starship HLS ship possible. This is the first time NASA has publicly acknowledged concerns over the Starship timeline. Just a few months ago, Duffy stated that the agency was confident it would be deployed on time. More recently, he's stated that it's unlikely Starship would be ready for a 2027 launch, prompting calls for alternatives. Lockheed Martin is also reportedly working on a lander concept with a "cross-industry team of companies" to see if a concept can be whipped up in time to beat China to the Moon. NASA will allow other companies to vie for its prestigious moon-landing mission as the SpaceX Starship rocket that's supposed to lower astronauts to the lunar surface is falling behind schedule in Texas. NASA previously selected SpaceX to develop the human landing system for its Artemis III mission. The agency's Orion capsule cannot land on the moon, so astronauts would ride to lunar orbit in the NASA vehicle and then transfer to Starship for their descent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Why SpaceX wants to bank' wetlands to expand its launch pad in South Texas But Starship is not yet ready to carry astronauts, and it appears to be delaying the Artemis III mission that would return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced Monday that he would reopen the contract to "get us back to the moon in 2028," with a NASA spokeswoman clarifying that the agency is targeting no later than 2028. NASA previously said Artemis III would return humans to the moon's surface in 2027. China is also striving to reach the moon by 2030, prompting a new space race to the moon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're not going to wait for one company," Duffy said Monday on CNBC. "We're going to push this forward and win the second space race against the Chinese." SpaceX and Blue Origin will have "the opportunity to present acceleration approaches by October 29," the NASA spokeswoman said in an email. The agency is also going to request plans from the commercial space industry more broadly on how NASA can "increase the cadence of our mission to the moon." On X, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Starship will "end up doing the whole mission." "SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry," Musk said on the social media platform that he owns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blue Origin did not respond to an email request for comment. Duffy's comments were surprising to Steven Berg, an assistant professor at Rutgers University whose expertise includes in-space propulsion and space systems. NASA has consistently said it supports SpaceX despite Starship's shortcomings. "There seems to be some realization that China is on track for a 2030 landing while the U.S. is not confident in beating that based on current progress," Berg said in an email. NASA received a lot of backlash when it chose SpaceX for the Artemis III landing contract in 2021. It was largely believed that NASA would select two companies to develop landers, which would have provided competition and redundancy should one fall behind schedule. However, NASA said it didn't get enough funding for two landers, so it only chose the company founded by Elon Musk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' space company, filed a protest and a lawsuit challenging the decision. The lawsuit was dismissed, and the company was later chosen to develop a human landing system for NASA's Artemis V mission. Blue Origin is developing the crewed version of its Blue Moon lander with Lockheed Martin, Draper, Boeing, Astrobotic and Honeybee Robotics. This team is collectively called the National Team. SpaceX is developing its Starship spacecraft in the newly incorporated city of Starbase, which is located outside of Brownsville in South Texas. The company has an iterative development style of test, fail, fix and test again. Recent flight tests appeared to meet all of their objectives, but the spacecraft has not yet orbited the Earth. Blue Origin has a more cautious and private development style. Its lander has not yet launched into space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX, like Blue Origin," Duffy said. "Whatever one can get us there first to the moon, we're going to take." Berg said it's hard to tell if Blue Origin would be ready sooner. "The company is notoriously opaque compared to SpaceX," Berg said. He also questioned if Congress or the White House would want to increase funding for a second lander. This article originally published at NASA reopens Artemis III moon-landing contract as SpaceX falls behind schedule in Texas. A year after a 16-year-old was gunned down in Madison Park, Nashville Police have made an arrest in the case. Justin Robinson was at the park on North Dupont Avenue June 12, 2024 when an argument among a group of teens led to gunfire in broad daylight. Robinson was taken to Skyline Medical Center, where he died, police said after the shooting. Nashville Police announced Oct. 20 that they arrested an 18-year-old in connection with the shooting. The Tennessean is not naming the man as he was 17 at the time of the shooting and is being charged in juvenile court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police believe the suspect was part of one of two rival groups from Hunters Lane High School. The groups came across each other at the park that June Day, and the suspect "is alleged to have pulled a gun during the encounter and fired in the direction of Robinson," police said. Police took the 18-year-old into custody at the same park the shooting happened, the department said in their statement. He was armed with a gun at the time, police said. The suspect was initially booked into the Downtown Detention Center on a misdemeanor weapons crime with a $75,000 bond. Police said he'd be booked into juvenile detention on the criminal homicide charge. Teen's death one case that influenced Office of Youth Safety The shooting was one of several last year where teens were killed. It prompted Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell to comment publicly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Tonight, we mourn the loss of another teenager to gun violence this time in Madison," O'Connell said on X. "There's no single answer, but we have many partners committed to improving safety for our young people, and I'm personally committed to making progress on this critical part of public safety." That same month, Nashville Metro Council approved funding for the Office of Youth Safety, which focuses specifically on addressing gun violence proactively and without the intervention of police or the legal system. The Metro Council passed $1 million last year to start the office at the urging of Nashville youth who are part of nonprofit Southern Movement Committee. O'Connell tapped Phyllis Hildreth, an attorney, community leader and longtime youth advocate, to lead office in April. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Police make arrest in 2024 fatal shooting at Madison Park Federal law says the president of the United States may only call state National Guard members "into Federal service" when certain specific conditions are met, such as when "there is a rebellion or danger of rebellion against" the federal government, or when "the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States." According to President Donald Trump, he alone gets to decide when or if such conditions exist. Or, as Trump recently argued in a legal filing to the U.S. Supreme Court, "such decisions are committed to the discretion of the President and are unreviewable" by the federal courts. This particular claim of "unreviewable" executive discretion came in Trump v. Illinois, the case arising from Trump's immigration crackdown in the greater Chicago area. On October 9, Judge April Perry of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that Trump's federalization and deployment of state National Guard members in Chicago failed to satisfy the requirements of federal law because there was no rebellion and because the execution of federal law was not being prevented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, on October 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit mostly affirmed Perry's order. "Even giving substantial deference to [Trump's] assertions," the 7th Circuit said, Trump's claim that an actual rebellion against the federal government was unfolding in Chicago did not withstand judicial scrutiny. Furthermore, the court stated, "there is insufficient evidence that protest activity in Illinois has significantly impeded the ability of federal officers to execute federal immigration laws." As a result, the 7th Circuit left in place the district court order barring Trump from deploying the federalized National Guard forces in Chicago. For those keeping score at home, the unanimous three-judge panel that issued this ruling included Judge Amy St. Eve, who was appointed to the 7th Circuit by Trump. Which brings us back to SCOTUS. In an emergency filing on October 17, the Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to void the 7th Circuit's order and allow the federalized National Guard deployment to proceed in the Windy City. "The President's decision whether to federalize the Guard," the Trump administration told the Court, "is not subject to second-guessing by the State of Illinois or a federal district court." As a supposed authority for this claim of unfettered executive discretion, the Trump administration pointed to the Supreme Court's 1827 decision in Martin v. Mott. Yet the 7th Circuit reviewed that same ruling and found that it offered no support for Trump's position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a recent guest post at The Volokh Conspiracy, law professors Joshua Braver and John Dehn offered a detailed look at Martin v. Mott that explained why the case is no help to Trump. As they point out, Martin did not involve any question about the proper use of the military in particular situations. Rather, the case dealt with events that occurred during the War of 1812, a declared war in which British forces had literally invaded the U.S. There was thus no question in Martin about whether sufficient conditions existed for the president to call forth state forces into federal service. By contrast, in Trump v. Illinois, the overriding question is whether the requisite conditions (such as "rebellion") even exist in Chicago at all. In other words, Trump v. Illinois asks the federal courts to look at a federal statute and determine whether or not Trump's assertions can be reconciled with the specific requirements imposed by the statute's text. Meanwhile, the Trump administration maintains that the president's assertions in the case deserve to be entirely shielded from judicial review. The question now is whether the Supreme Court will submit to the terms of judicial surrender that have been proposed by Trump. We'll see. The post On National Guard Deployments, Trump Tells SCOTUS His Power Is 'Unreviewable' appeared first on Reason.com. NATO announced on short notice that Secretary General Mark Rutte will meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday. No public press events were planned, NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said late Tuesday. The meeting comes amid Trump's ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He spoke last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and indicated plans for a potential meeting with the Kremlin leader in Budapest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But US media, citing Trump administration sources, reported on Tuesday that the Budapest meeting has either been put on hold or delayed. Ukraine hopes that if Putin fails to make concessions, Trump will renew support for Kiev and approve the sale of US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to the country. "The further Ukrainian weapons reach, the greater Russia's willingness to end the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message released Tuesday evening. Political and military support for Ukraine will also be discussed on Friday at talks of the so-called Coalition of the Willing in London, led by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Rutte typically participates in these meetings of Ukraine's key supporters. WARSAW, Poland (AP) A Ukrainian citizen allegedly working for Russian intelligence services as part of a sabotage campaign was detained in Poland, while two others were arrested in Romania, prosecutors said Tuesday. Prosecutors said the individuals acting on behalf of the Russian intelligence services were allegedly preparing acts of sabotage involving the sending of shipments containing explosives and incendiary materials to Ukraine, which were intended to spontaneously combust or explode during transport. The goal was to intimidate populations and destabilize EU countries supporting Ukraine, Polish prosecutors said, adding that two more Ukrainian citizens suspected of taking part in the same plot were detained in Romania. Romanian authorities said Tuesday that two Ukrainians, aged 21 and 24, acting on behalf of Russian intelligence, deposited two parcels containing improvised explosive devices at an international courier company in Bucharest. Specialists from Romanian intelligence defused the devices, and the pair were placed under preventative arrest for 30 days. The Ukrainian in Poland was one of eight individuals detained by authorities in recent days on suspicion of preparing acts of sabotage across the country, a spokesperson for the National Prosecutors Office said. Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted about the detention of the eight people on X on Tuesday. Tomasz Siemoniak, Polands minister coordinating special services, wrote on X that the actions Tusk referred to involved conducting reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure, preparing resources for sabotage, and directly carrying out attacks. Polish authorities have detained dozens of people over suspected sabotage and espionage since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last month prosecutors in Polands Baltic neighbor, Lithuania, said that they uncovered and detained a Russia-linked network of suspects who are alleged to have planned and organized arson attacks in various European countries. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, according to data collected by The Associated Press. The incidents range from stuffing car tailpipes with expanding foam in Germany to a plot to plant explosives on cargo planes. They include setting fire to stores and a museum, hacking that targeted politicians and critical infrastructure, and spying by a ring convicted in the U.K. By The Associated Press NAUGATUCK - A town man was arrested last week after he allegedly threatened an Amazon delivery driver with a gun during an argument on Manners Avenue, police say. John Tufalo Jr., 47, was charged with first-degree threatening, second-degree reckless endangerment and breach of peace, the Naugatuck Police Department said in a release on Monday. Police said officers were called to the residential area of Manners Avenue at about 6 p.m. after an Amazon delivery driver reported being threatened with a firearm during a scheduled delivery. They said officers located the suspect, identified as Tufaro Jr., in the area and found a firearm on his person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tufaro was legally in possession of this firearm and held a valid Connecticut pistol permit, police said. Multiple witnesses reported that an argument occurred regarding the delivery of a package to an address on Manners Avenue, police said. During this argument, they said, Tufaro revealed a firearm tucked in a holster in his waistband. The firearm was safely removed without incident, police said, and Tufaro was taken into custody. They said the investigation also revealed that he held firearm permits in two other states, adding they were seized and seven firearms were voluntarily surrendered to the police department while the case is pending in court. Police said Tufaro was released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in the Superior Court in Waterbury on Oct. 29. This article originally published at Naugatuck man accused of threatening Amazon driver with gun, police say. The North Carolina State Senate gave tentative approval on Monday evening to newly drawn Congressional districts, hours after it was passed out of the Senate Election Committee. "The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: draw a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the Congressional delegation," said Republican Sen. Ralph Hise, who serves as Senate Deputy President Pro Tempore. The measure passed by a 25-20 vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The updated map would institute changes to District 1, represented by Democrat Don Davis, and District 3, represented by Republican Greg Murphy. "The Democrats want to do everything they can to block President Trump's America First Agenda," said Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. "North Carolinians support President Trump and it's incumbent on us to fight back against all attempts to defeat the will of the people of North Carolina as expressed in the 2024 presidential election." Republicans were open in saying the new map was to help Trump ahead of the midterms. "Donald Trump, the president asked that legislatures look at their maps, determine whether or not it's possible to add additional individuals that would support the agenda that the president has advanced. The people of North Carolina, again, on three separate occasions, have voted to do that," Berger said. The redrawn House maps are set to give Republicans an additional seat in Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, District 1 was the lone competitive Congressional race in North Carolina, with Davis defeating Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by less than 2%. Murphy did not face a Democratic challenger in 2024, and carried the district by about 55% over Libertarian Gheorghe Cormos. The new maps would switch Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, and Pamlico counties from District 3 to District 1, while moving Greene, Lenoir, Wayne and Wilson from District 1 to District 3. "The motivation behind this new plan is straightforward. The new congressional map improves Republicans political strength in eastern North Carolina. It moves NC District 1 from a district where President Trump earned 51% of the vote in 2024 to 55% of the vote," said Hise. Further, this would still leave District 3 as solidly Republican. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, North Carolina is represented by 10 Republicans and 4 Democrats in Congress, with these maps setting up a Republican advantage in 11 districts. "Really? Eleven Republicans seats out of 14. Is that what democracy looks like to you? That is not what democracy looks like to me," said Shannon Halbur, one of several people who spoke against the maps during public comment. "What folks need to understand is it's not about these maps. This specific decision is going to impact education, opportunity, jobs, access to healthcare, and all sorts of things," said Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Democrat who represents Mecklenburg County. Hise said he did not have any communication with the White House regarding the maps, which President Donald Trump publicly supported Friday. He further asserted his belief that if challenged in courts, these maps would be upheld. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans have pointed to redistricting efforts in California, led by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, as their motivation to make the move here. "North Carolina is fighting fire with fire. If Gavin Newsom and his Democrat cronies want to try and take control of Congress to force their liberal agenda on the American people, then we're going to respond in kind," Hise said. Democrats contested that assertion. "I would like to make the point about who started this dance. Texas started this dance in response to a request from our President," said Sen. Julie Mayfield, a Democrat who represents Buncombe County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Redistricting for a partisan advantage is legal, and the governor is unable to veto redrawn maps. While partisan gerrymanders -- used historically by both parties -- have been allowed in court, Democrats argue the new map also discriminates based on race by removing a large population of Black voters from the district. "When you look at the data, it makes it very clear that he has taken northeastern North Carolina. That has always been a solid Black belt of voters who again fought for their civil rights to be here and to be elected by people that they chose," said Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch. The district at the heart of the debate has a long history of map lines making a big difference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After decades of maps drawn by White Democrats, after the 1990 census, the 1st District was drawn to allow Black voters in northeastern North Carolina to be given the chance to have representation in Congress to comply with the Voting Rights Act. And in 1992, under that new map, Eva Clayton made history by becoming the first Black member of Congress from North Carolina since Reconstruction. Since her retirement, every representative from the 1st District since has also been Black. On Monday, Clayton spoke out seeing after watching the legislature try a split up the communities she once represented. "Gerrymandering is wrong. It is evident that they are trying their best to do away with a Black representative that's currently there. And by God, you happen to be a Black representative who's a Democrat? Oh, my God. Unforgivable,. It's wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's why at age 91, she's planning on coming to Raleigh on Tuesday, along with former Democratic Congressman G.K. Butterfield, who also represented the district, to again make her voice heard. "If the citizens don't have the will to stand up, we're lost, I pray to God that we have the strength to stand up for democracy, stand up for justice, stand up for equality," she said. Just moments before a vote during Monday morning's committee hearing, several members of the public began chanting in opposition of the maps leading them to be escorted out of the room. The proposed Congressional map will receive a final vote on Tuesday before going to the House of Represenatives for consideration. RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) The picture of what North Carolinas workforce looked like for the month of September will have to wait. The NC Department of Commerce was scheduled to release the states unemployment numbers October 21. However, a spokesperson for the agency said theyre unable to publish those numbers due to the federal government shutdown. North Carolinas employment statistics are reliant on the U.S. Department of Labor. The shutdown has meant all non-essential federal functions have come to a halt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While North Carolina waits for Octobers numbers, the month of August showed the states unemployment rate as stable. For 13 straight months, its remained at 3.7%, which is lower than the national average of 4.3% for the month of August. In the meantime, the NC Department of Commerce said it has the tools needed to help those who are furloughed or lose their jobs due to the temporary federal government shutdown. Anyone can apply for unemployment benefits if they have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, said DES Assistant Secretary M. Antwon Keith. These benefits exist to help people cope with financial uncertainty until they find work. Federal employees who choose to take unemployment benefits during the shutdown may have to repay benefits if they receive backpay from their agency. Those impacted can start the process of applying for unemployment benefits by going to des.nc.gov. 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 CBS17.com. Oct. 21Alaskans who rely on federal food assistance could see their benefits cut off next month due to the ongoing government shutdown, state officials said Monday. The shutdown, now entering its third week, stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans in Congress on how to fund the federal government, leaving thousands of federal workers furloughed and many programs they oversee unfunded. Among the programs impacted by the shutdown is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Millions of Americans rely on SNAP benefits to buy food, including roughly 70,000 Alaskans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Alaska Division of Public Assistance said in a public statement Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, "has directed states to stop the issuance of SNAP benefits for the month of November due to insufficient federal funds." "This means that Alaskans may not receive SNAP benefits in November, even if they are authorized to receive them," according to the Alaska Department of Health. The Alaska Division of Public Assistance "explored options to maintain nutritional food assistance benefits utilizing state funds and determined that a state subsidy was not mechanically possible under the federal payment system," state officials wrote. SNAP-eligible Alaskans receive more than $20 million a month in federal funding that goes directly to cover the cost of food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "SNAP benefits are distributed directly from a federal account to recipients' EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards. Reprogramming the federal system to instead draw funds from the state treasury is not feasible due to vendor and system timeline constraints," said Department of Health spokesperson Shirley Sakaye in a Tuesday email. "The state also explored issuing paper warrants (checks) as an alternative to EBT cards," Sakaye wrote. "However, this approach also posed major challenges. Altering the federal system interface could disrupt eligibility records for all SNAP recipients and potentially require redeterminations once normal operations resumed." The loss of the assistance could be felt acutely across the state, particularly in rural communities where grocery prices are higher and food bank access is more limited. When a state backlog in 2022 led thousands of SNAP recipients to lose access to their benefits, some were left hungry amid unprecedented demand for food pantries. Demand for assistance from the food bank is already expected to be higher as communities work to recover from storm impacts in Western Alaska, amid a loss of subsistence food caches. Alaska's all-Republican congressional delegation members are at odds on how to handle or even speak about the federal shutdown. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich have blamed the shutdown on Democrats. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski blasted her colleagues on Saturday for blaming the opposite party for the shutdown rather than working across the aisle to end it. This Halloween, Friday, October 31, Connection Christian Church will join community partners in Odessa for a fun-filled celebration of families. From 5:30-7 p.m. Halloween evening, the public is invited to a free, outdoor block party in the Connection Center parking lot on the corner of Tanglewood and Penbrook in Odessa. Food, music, crafts, giveaways, a photo booth, and of course, candy will be offered as neighbors enjoy time together. Organizations participating include the Permian Basin Literacy Project, the Odessa Fire Department, Centers for Children and Families, the American Red Cross of the Permian Basin, the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, and more. Our Halloween Block Party is about the mission of our church connecting people to Christ and community. We are bringing the support and blessings we give to families out from behind church walls and out into the community where we need them every day, remarked the Rev. Dr. Dawn Weaks, co-pastor of Connection Christian. We want our neighbors to know we are here with tangible support and encouragement as they raise great kids. Contact Rev. Dr. Dawn Weaks (drdawn@odessaconnection.church; 432-332-2954) for more information. The post Neighbors share sweets and support at Halloween Block Party appeared first on Odessa American. Tzachi Hanegbi: Tenure as National Security Council head will end today, October 7 failures demand investigation PM appoints NSC deputy as acting chief Tzachi Hanegbi's tenure as National Security Council head ended after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed him he would be appointing a new council head, Hanegbi said in a statement on Tuesday. Netanyahu announced that he would appoint the deputy head of the National Security Council, Gil Reich, to its acting head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I thanked the prime minister for the privilege of being a partner in shaping Israels foreign and security policy during challenging years, for the opportunity to express an independent position in sensitive discussions, and for the professional discourse we conducted even during times of disagreement, Hanegbi stated. In the statement, Hanegbi called for a thorough investigation of the failures leading to the October 7 massacre, "in which I share [responsibility]. The terrible failure... must be thoroughly investigated to ensure that the appropriate lessons are learned and to help restore the trust that has been shattered, the national security council head wrote. National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi speaks during a statement to the media at HaKirya base in Tel Aviv on October 14, 2023 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90) The strength of Israeli unity has been revealed in full force on the battlefield over the past two years, shattering the illusions of our enemies. Now, restoring unity at all levels of public activity is a condition for ensuring the eternity of Israel, he added. Hanegbi's dismissal 'evasion of responsibility' MK Gadi Eisenkot wrote on X/Twitter, I did not spare criticism of the National Security Council under the leadership of Tzachi Hanegbi. Like everyone who held a position on October 7, he should have ended his tenure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet his dismissal this evening is an expression of the continued evasion of responsibility by all Cabinet members and the prime minister of the October 7 debacle in order to replace them with yes-men. Only Netanyahu, the primary person responsible for the massacre, still clings to power in his seat. We will replace him too, Democrats leader Yair Golan wrote. The new head of the National Security Council must be free from the misconceptions and delusions that led Israel to October 7, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated. I call on the prime minister to make a bold appointment, with a clear, distinct right-wing perspective, free of left-wing illusions. Hanegbi openly opposed recent Qatar strike, 'Gideon's Chariots 2' Netanyahus decision to replace Hanegbi as NSC head comes amid reported disagreements between the two on the order to carry out astrike in Qatari territory last month, as well as the launch of the IDFs Gideons Chariots 2 operation in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not willing to give up on saving the hostages, Hanegbi told the cabinet before the launch of Gideons Chariots 2, as reported by N12. I dont understand how someone who has watched the videos of Evyatar and Rom, and all those released before them, can support the statement all or nothing. That means giving up the chance to rescue at least 10 hostages immediately, because Hamas wont respond to that demand. A ceasefire would allow us to try to reach an agreement on the remaining 10. I fully agree with the chief of staff that taking control of Gaza City jeopardizes the lives of the hostages, which is why I oppose the prime ministers proposal, he said. Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service, arrived in Israel on Tuesday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service, arrived in Israel on Tuesday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, a source familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post before it was announced by the Prime Minister's Office. Netanyahu and his professional team met with the head of Egyptian intelligence in the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advancing US President Trump's framework, Israel-Egypt relations and strengthening the peace between the two countries, and additional regional issues were among the range of topics discussed. According to the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News, Rashad discussed the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and overcoming obstacles to the implementation of US President Trump's proposal. He is also reportedly scheduled to meet with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is currently visiting Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad to discuss the further implementation of the US plan to end the Gaza war, the Israeli leader's office announced on Tuesday. The meeting in Jerusalem also addressed relations between Israel and Egypt, his office said. Egypt, together with Qatar and the United States, is mediating indirect talks between Israel and the Palelstinian Islamist Hamas militia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state-affiliated Egyptian television channel al-Qahera reported ahead of the meeting that discussions would also focus on maintaining the ceasefire, delivering aid to the Gaza Strip and addressing obstacles to implementing the peace plan. Rashad is also planning to meet US negotiator Steve Witkoff, who is currently in Israel, the broadcaster reported. Hamas is still required to hand over the bodies of 15 deceased hostages as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which has proven fragile to date. The deal also includes provisions to expand aid deliveries to the people in Gaza. It remains unclear whether the US-brokered agreement will ultimately lead to a complete end to the fighting in the war-torn coastal strip. Significant points of contention remain unresolved, including the disarmament of Hamas, which the Islamist group rejects. Netflix viewers have been left feeling infuriated by its "gut-wrenching" new documentary The Perfect Neighbor as it trends worldwide. Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, the new film uses police bodycam footage to follow the real case of the murder of a Black woman named Ajike Owens. Owens was killed by her white neighbour Susan Lorincz when she fired a gun through the door of her house in Florida after Owens knocked amid an ongoing dispute over children playing outside in the neighbourhood. The logline reads: "Police bodycam footage reveals how a long-running neighborhood dispute turned fatal in this documentary about fear, prejudice and Stand Your Ground laws." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The documentary, which shines a light on the controversial Stand Your Ground law, is currently the second most-watched movie on Netflix globally, and is the number one most-watched movie on the streamer in the UK right now. Taking to IMDb, viewers have shared their reaction to the documentary, calling it "heartbreaking" and "infuriating". Netflix Related: Best streaming services One user called The Perfect Neighbor "one of the most infuriating and important documentaries in the recent events of America". They continued: "Infuriating is best described about this documentary. Because it succeeds with demonstrating how inhumane Florida's stand your ground law has created on society and about violence and systemic racism in the United States." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another viewer praised the use of police bodycam footage, writing: "The interviews add to a frustrating sense of injustice that you hear in all of the neighbors being involved with each interview process. The perfect neighbor is [an] infuriating and heartbreaking look at the unjustified murder and what led to it." Netflix Related: Netflix fans rush to watch the 'bone-chilling' True Haunting - these are the scariest moments "A very powerful documentary told from the POV of cameras and no personal opinion interviews after the fact. It is a truly heartbreaking story that is also very thought provoking. I found myself disappointed, disgusted, and sad, but in the end there is peace to be found, knowing justice has been served," penned one viewer. "One of the most chilling, thought provoking and hard hitting true crime films I have ever seen," wrote one viewer. "My heart broke for all of the children, the trauma they will endure is just heartbreaking and unimaginable." The Perfect Neighbor is available to watch now on Netflix. The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Ariana & Witches in newsagents or online, priced at just 8.99. You Might Also Like The Netherlands will deport dozens of so-called third-country migrants to Uganda from next year. Several other countries have already attempted similar moves: The US sent 13 foreign criminals to Eswatini and South Sudan in July, and Italy last year sent asylum seekers to Albania. Both Denmark and the UK agreed in 2022 to send migrants to Rwanda, although neither program went ahead. Rich countries migration dilemma is illustrated by a row in Germany: The central bank president argued that immigration helped maintain economic momentum, but large-scale migration is unpopular, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, under pressure from the hard right, said the country has too many newcomers and that they were making women unsafe. Just ask your daughters, he said. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current) On August 24th, Nevadans woke up to several key government sites having gone dark taken offline by a massive cyber attack. The cyber attack ended up crippling several critical services like the Department of Motor Vehicles for over a week, and the full extent of the data that was compromised is still unknown as state officials, the Cyber Security Infrastructure Administration, and the FBI continue their investigation. However, one critical state service the Secretary of States voter registration information remained untouched. This was due in large part to a 2021 law that mandated centralizing voter data into a top-down voter registration system, consolidating all counties voter information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The old system, which had required each county to individually track and record voter data, was a bottom-up system where counties had to manage their own lists and cybersecurity before the information was transmitted to the SOS system. In contrast, the Voter Registration and Election Management System (VREMS) requires that all counties report voter registration and election data into a single system, which allows for more uniform list maintenance and provides a more secure cybersecurity infrastructure, as seen with the cyber attack earlier this year. The change, although expensive, has resulted in a safer and more transparent system for election officials and voters alike. The implementation of VREMS removed siloes between the Secretary of State and county clerks, allowing not just for easier list maintenance, but also strengthening the states ability to safeguard the information in one system rather than the patchwork the state had previously. All in all, the adoption of the new VREMS systems has demonstrated its value in more ways than one, and Nevada voters can rest assured knowing that their voter registration data was not compromised in the latest cyber attack. However, the attack is also a signal of whats to come and a reminder that we cannot let our guard down. Specific voter data such as addresses, partial security numbers, and drivers license numbers is sensitive and should remain guarded from malicious or third-party actors. Yet, budget cuts at the federal level to organizations like CISA, combined with a rise in cyber attacks like the one we experienced earlier in the year, add layers of complexity to that mandate for state officials. While we wait to learn more about the full extent of Nevadas cyber attack, were taking this time to learn what went right in Nevadas switch to the VREMS system and protect against future attacks by continuing to learn and adapt to emerging cybersecurity threats. For so many Nevadans, participating in elections is a dearly held right. We must do everything we can to make sure that this right, and the information we give to exercise it, remains safe. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The White House announced Thursday new plans aimed at broadening access to in vitro fertilization, or IVF. The plans are two-fold. First, the cost of fertility medication will be reduced due to a deal with drugmaker EMD Serono. Additionally, the move will encourage employers to offer fertility coverage. President Trump pledged on the campaign trail to make fertility care more accessible by having IVF covered through insurance or paid by the federal government. Although this most recent move is not exactly that, local advocates told 8 News Now they still believe its a good start. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve been kind of on the edge of our seats waiting for it, since we had our executive order in February, so hopefully this is the first of many steps, said Jessica Woods, President of Nevada Fertility Advocates. For Woods, the issue hits close to home, as the battle of infertility consumed her life for a decade. It took quite some time before I was able to successfully have my daughter, Woods expressed. (Courtesy of Amanda Klein) (Courtesy of Amanda Klein) (Courtesy of Amanda Klein) (Courtesy of Amanda Klein) (Courtesy of Amanda Klein) Today, she has a beautiful daughter. Her journey holds parallels to Amanda Klein, the founder of Nevada Fertility Advocates. Had three miscarriages, had seven surgeries, we had to have two rounds of IVF, then we had to hire a surrogate to have our daughter, Klein shared. (Courtesy of Amanda Klein) Klein credits her access to fertility care for the gift of her beautiful baby girl. However, that kind of care often comes with a hefty price tag. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Good RX, one cycle of IVF could cost anywhere between $15,000 to $30,000. I think its a really good thing that the federal administration is acknowledging the cost barrier for IVF, Klein said. During Nevadas last legislative session, the Nevada Fertility Advocates, alongside Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, pushed for large employers to cover infertility treatment. Some opposed the bill over wording and cost concerns. The bill was ultimately vetoed by Governor Lombardo. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. After ousting the Newark Public Librarys executive director without explanation in August, the board of trustees announced Monday that it had named an interim director who had headed the public library system in neighboring Orange. Sarah Wiggins will lead Newarks seven-branch system, including its main branch on Washington Street, while a search continues for a new permanent director. Wiggins will oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization and report directly to the NPL Board of Trustees, the announcement stated. Her leadership will guide the library through this transitional period while maintaining continuity in services and programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wiggins temporarily fills the position previously held by Christian Zabriskie, who had been in the $180,000-a- year job for two years when the board voted him out during a special meeting on Aug. 8. Board President Aisha Cooper said the search committee had not begun accepting applications for the permanent directors position. She said the interim director, who holds a masters degree in library science and has also worked in Pennsylvania and New York, was welcome to seek the job. Shes certainly eligible to apply for it, Cooper said, adding that the board had not set a target date to complete its nationwide search. The trustees did not provide a reason for Zabriskies ouster during the public portion of the August meeting, which was videotaped and posted on the librarys Facebook page, although it was no longer available on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zabriskie did not speak in his defense and left the meeting immediately when it adjourned. He could not be reached. Zabriskies tenure in Newark included overseeing the creation of resource rooms for people with hearing and visual impairments, a celebration of the citys LGBTQ+ community, and the librarys role in a citywide literacy program announced by Mayor Ras J. Baraka two weeks after Zabriskie was hired. But trustees expressed frustration with Zabriskies performance in recent months, including what they saw as a lack of transparency regarding an expansion project at the Springfield Branch and failure to provide advance copies of a new labor contract before the July meeting, when they were asked to approve it, TapInto reported. Leaders of the librarys union generated headlines in fall 2024, with public appeals to the City Council for additional funds, complaining of low pay, staff vacancies, and crumbling and closed branches. Steve Strunsky Stories by Steve Strunsky Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Gavin Newsom is livid with Donald Trump and his administration. The California governor tore into detractors on X, including the president and Vice President JD Vance, after an artillery shell detonated prematurely over Interstate 5 during a training exercise held for the Marine Corps 250th anniversary on Saturday. No injuries were reported, but two vehiclesincluding one belonging to Vances motorcadewere hit by shrapnel. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks as part of the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary celebration at Camp Pendleton. / OLIVER CONTRERAS / AFP via Getty Images The shrapnel that hit CHP (California Highway Patrol) vehicles over the weekend from Trump and Vances military live-munitions demonstration came from this ordnance. Its no small thing, Newsoms press office wrote, attaching a photo of the device. This is what the White House thought was fine to fly over civilians on a major freeway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom, who reposted his offices criticism, added on his personal account, Donald Trump and JD Vance put lives at risk to put on a show. If you want to honor our troops, open the government and pay them. The shrapnel that hit CHP vehicles over the weekend from Trump and Vances military live-munitions demonstration came from this ordnance. Its no small thing. This is what the White House thought was fine to fly over civilians on a major freeway. Thankfully, the Governor pic.twitter.com/HkYnq0EwEc Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) October 20, 2025 Newsom first sounded the alarm over the event last week after MeidasTouch reported that the Marine Corps was planning to shoot live missiles as a show of force. Vances office and Republican California Rep. Darrell Issa responded by scoffing at the Democratic firebrand. Gavin Newsom wants people to think this exercise is dangerous, William Martin, Vances communications director, told The New York Times. The Marine Corps says its an established and safe practice. Newsom wants people to think this is an absurd show of force. The Marine Corps says its part of routine training at Camp Pendleton. Issa similarly accused Newsom of overruling the best-trained and most-experienced leaders of our Marine Corps by choosing to shut down the main interstate highway in San Diego for the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But after a 155-millimeter shell detonated over a California highway, Newsom wants apologies. You accused the Governor of overreacting when he closed a portion of the freeway to protect the public. And now we learn live ordinance detonated early, striking a vehicle on a closed portion of the highway during the event. Without a doubt an apology is owed to not just Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) October 19, 2025 You accused the Governor of overreacting when he closed a portion of the freeway to protect the public, Newsoms press office wrote to Issa on X. The post continued, And now we learn live ordinance detonated early, striking a vehicle on a closed portion of the highway during the event. Without a doubt an apology is owed to not just Californians, but all Americans. The offices of Vance and Issa did not immediately return a request for comment on Sunday. The Daily Beast also reached out to the White House for comment. The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that metal shrapnel from the detonation hit one of its vehicles. The Times also reported that a motorcycle that was part of Vances security detail was impacted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was an unusual and concerning situation, CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado said. It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway. As a Marine myself, I have tremendous respect for our military partners, but my foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of the people of California and the officers who protect them. The First Marine Expeditionary Force, which hosted the demonstration, said in a statement that it was investigating the incident. It maintained that rehearsals were conducted to ensure success at every phase of execution. Marines fire artillery on Camp Pendleton nearly every week, from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to M777 Howitzers, it said. Indirect weapon systems, such as the M777, are designed to fire over the heads of friendly forces to achieve effects on our adversary. We trust this system with our lives. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) Newton Public Schools is spreading the word about a proposed $50 million school bond. The bond would support the districts facility master plan, which includes security and infrastructure updates at most district buildings. It also calls for some renovations and additions. The bond is really to address end-of-life issues across the district with HVAC and roofing, in addition to trying to address some programming needs that we have especially at the high school and also some antiquated facilities as well at the high school and at Chisholm Middle. Were also looking to update security and safety throughout the district with storm shelters and then also like secure entry, intruder locks, and things of that nature, Superintendent Fred Vanranken told KSN on Monday. The district is holding bond information sessions on Tuesday from 6-7:30 p.m. at Chisholm Middle School and Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. at Newton High School. The BOE will consider adopting a formal resolution for the bond on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To learn more about the school bond, click here. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, 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 KSN-TV. A New Hampshire man is facing an attempted murder charge after police say he allegedly showed up uninvited at a Lebanon, Maine, mans home Monday and began stabbing him. Deputies from the York (Maine) County Sheriffs Office said they were called to West Lebanon Road in Lebanon, Maine, around 2 p.m. Monday for a reported disturbance. While enroute, deputies were notified there had been a stabbing at a residence and the 52-year-old victim left the home seeking medical attention. A sheriffs deputy located the victim on Carl Broggi Highway suffering from seven stab wounds to the chest, face, back and head, and called rescue units to the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland with serious injuries. According to the York County Sheriffs Office, a man identified as Jeremy Potvin, 35, of New Hampshire, showed up uninvited at the victims home when a disagreement escalated into a physical altercation and Potvin allegedly began stabbing him. Officials said Potvin is known to the victim. Police began searching for Potvin, who was eventually located by Berwick, Maine, Police and charged with criminal attempt murder. Bail was set at $150,000 cash. Potvin remains in custody at York County Jail and will be arraigned Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the York Judicial Center in Biddeford. The investigation is ongoing, the sheriffs office said. The man convicted of raping a woman in Salt Lake County in 2008 and then faking his death and fleeing to another country where he tried to assume a new identity was sentenced on Monday to prison. Nicholas Edward Rossi was sentenced to no less than five years and up to life in the Utah State Prison. Third District Judge Barry Lawrence said it will be up to the Board of Pardons and Parole to determine how long Rossi serves in prison, and he made no recommendation on giving him credit for the time he has been in custody since his arrest. Despite his conviction and sentence, Rossi continued to deny that he did anything wrong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement May it please the court, I will be incredible terse. I am not guilty of this, he told the court before being sentenced. These women are lying, and in due course, we will lodge an appeal. Rossi, 38, was convicted in August in 3rd District Court of rape, a first-degree felony. He was also found guilty in September of a second rape charge in Utah County and is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on Nov. 4. Before being sentenced, both of the women he was convicted of assaulting in 2008 in Salt Lake County and Utah County addressed the court. Both women expressed to the judge how fearful they still are of Rossi and believe he will seek retaliation if released as well as repeat his crimes on others. This crime stole far more than my peace of mind; it stole who I was, the woman from his Salt Lake case told the court. My life has been defined by pain and survival ever since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says her nights are filled with either nightmares or insomnia, and she now lives in a state of hypervigilance. The woman called Rossi extremely dangerous because of his pattern of manipulation and violence. He lies without hesitation. The woman from the Utah County case talked about Rossis narcissistic personality. He is a man who thrives on control, attention and power over others, she said. He has shown no genuine remorse or empathy for the victims. The woman says she now has trust issues, severe anxiety and often feels isolated. I feel unheard, judged and alone, she told the court. There must be consequences to reflect the seriousness of the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rossi committed both of his Utah crimes in 2008. But it wasnt until 2017 when a rape kit from the Utah County case was submitted to the Utah State Crime Lab for testing as part of the Utah Sex Assault Kit Initiative, an effort by the state to test hundreds of backlogged rape kits that had been submitted by police departments but sat in storage for years. In 2018, the test results came back and matched the DNA profile of Rossi, who was investigated in a sexual assault case in Ohio, according to the attorneys office. In researching Nicholas Rossi, (the investigator) located police reports involving criminal cases of sex assault, harassment, and possible kidnapping from 2007 through 2019. The police reports were obtained from Rhode Island, Ohio, Utah and Massachusetts, charging documents state. Investigators also learned that Rossi had fled the country to avoid prosecution in Ohio and attempted to lead investigators and state legislators in other states to believe that he was deceased, prosecutors stated at the time. Rossi was discovered to be living under an assumed name in Scotland. But Rossis case took a bizarre turn when, even after being arrested, he refused to acknowledge his identity. He claimed his name was Arthur Knight, and that he was an Irish orphan who had never been to the United States, when he was arrested at a Glasgow hospital after being treated for COVID-19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While awaiting extradition to Utah from Scotland, he was charged in 2022 with rape in Salt Lake County. Even after arriving in the United States, Rossi continued to claim in court that he was Arthur Knight and that the allegations against him were complete hearsay. Rossis identity was confirmed, however, by DNA and his tattoos. Before being sentenced on Monday, defense attorney Samantha Dugan asked the judge to consider the more than three years her client has already been in custody and that if the judge wouldnt sentence Rossi to probation, to at least recommend he get credit for that time already served. And while she couldnt comment on his culpability because Rossi whom she addressed by his birth name, Nicholas Alahverdian, in court maintains his innocence, Dugan also asked the court to consider his traumatic childhood as a mitigating sentencing factor. This idea that he is beyond help is not true, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Lawrence noted there were more significant aggravating factors in Rossis case than mitigating, beginning with the fact that there are allegations literally from all over the country from other women who say Rossi is a serial abuser. Lawrence also noted that Rossi is the very definition of a flight risk since he already fled the country once to avoid prosecution, and then continued to claim he was someone else after being arrested. He did everything he could to thwart the prosecution of him in this case, the judge said. Lawrence said the only reason Rossi finally admitted his real identity was because he became aware the consequences could be worse if he maintained his charade But not out of the goodness of his heart. Lawrence said the only appropriate sentence in this case is prison. While justice may have been slow, the defendant was convicted and now sentenced to prison, consistent with the harm he caused to our survivor. She can rest assured he did not escape punishment, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Monday in a prepared statement. Rossi now has 30 days to appeal his conviction. CHICAGO (WGN) Despite being hospitalized this Oct., the tiniest patients at Advocate Childrens Hospital are joining in on Halloween festivities. Babies in the NICU are dressing up for their very first Halloween. Parents worked with their childs care team to safely dress their babies in costumes ranging from simple to elaborate. This years outfits include a Costco hot dog, a scuba diver and Hulkamania. The annual celebration also features a social media contest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photos of the little ones are posted on Advocate Childrens Hospitals Facebook page, where the public can vote for their favorites by liking the images. The baby with the most reactions by 12 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27, will win a prize. Celebrating the resilience of our NICU patients and their families is the most important part of this annual event, as they truly are superheroes every day, said Dr. Frank Belmonte, President of Advocate Childrens Hospital. Helping our tiniest patients participate in their first Halloween is one small way we can bring smiles and joy that families in the NICU so deserve. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (FOX40.COM) A man accused of a home burglary was arrested after he was identified on video surveillance footage, according to the Woodland Police Department. Video Above: Most commonly reported crimes in the U.S. On Sunday, WPD responded to a report of a nighttime residential burglary in the 600 block of Cleveland Street. At the time, an 18-year-old female was asleep inside the residence and unaware of the intruder, according to WPD. The homeowner reportedly provided police with surveillance footage of the suspect. Missing elderly man found dead in Northern California canal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WPD said an officer identified the suspect as Ronnie Roman, 36, of Sacramento. On Monday morning, WPD and a member of the Homeless Outreach Street Team searched for Roman and found him near College Street and Lincoln Avenue. Officers said Roman had items that had been stolen during the burglary. He was arrested and booked into Yolo County Jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Donald Trump can send Oregon National Guard troops to Portland to protect government property, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, setting aside a ruling by a federal judge appointed by Trump. The deployment is justified because "state and local law enforcement have been unable or unwilling to assist the government's efforts to protect federal personnel and property" at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority consisted of Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade, both appointed by Trump. In dissent, Judge Susan Graber, appointed by President Bill Clinton, said the ruling "erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States' control over their States' militias and the people's First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the government's policies." Nelson, in a separate opinion not joined by Bade, argued that federal judges have no authority to review a president's decision to deploy National Guard forces to a local community. The judges also disagreed on whether Monday's ruling allows Trump to immediately send 300 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland's streets, in light of a second order issued by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut prohibiting the deployment of National Guard forces from California or any other state to Portland. The Trump administration has not appealed Immergut's second order, but the appeals court majority said it was effectively nullified by Monday's ruling - and if not, Immergut must set her ruling aside and allow immediate troop deployment. Graber disagreed and said Immergut's second order remains in effect and bars Trump from sending any federal troops to the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As we have always maintained, President Trump is exercising his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel following violent riots that local leaders have refused to address," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in response to the court's decision. The American Civil Liberties Union was dismayed by the ruling. "The presence of troops in otherwise beautiful vibrant American cities erodes a sense of safety and undermines the core freedoms to assemble and voice dissent," Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project, said in a statement. "We hope that the full 9th Circuit swiftly weighs in to correct this mistake and safeguard core constitutional values." The ruling comes as Trump is discussing plans to deploy National Guard and military troops to fight crime in other cities, including San Francisco, where crime rates have continued to decline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has described Portland as a "war-ravaged city" and cited protests that had forced closure of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building for more than three weeks in June and July. But Immergut, appointed to the court by Trump in 2019, ruled Oct. 3 there was no evidence of ongoing violence or threats to federal officers and that local police had things under control. But the appeals court said Monday that Immergut had improperly "substituted (her) own assessment of the facts for the President's assessment." Since June, Bade and Nelson wrote, protesters have "damaged a federal building, leading to its closure for over three weeks, attempted to burn the building down, placed chains on the doors, attempted to breach the front door of the building and broke the front glass door, threw objects at the building, including rocks, sticks, and a mortar, and launched M80 fireworks at federal officers, assaulted federal officers, shined lasers at officers' eyes." Federal law allows the president to deploy the National Guard to communities where the threats of violence are preventing federal officers from enforcing U.S. laws. Courts must give broad deference to the president's assessments of those conditions, the court majority said, and under that standard, Trump was authorized to send federal troops to Portland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Graber, in dissent, urged the full appeals court to set the ruling aside and order a new hearing before an 11-judge panel "before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur." In the two weeks before Trump's Sept. 28 order, Graber wrote, "there had not been a single incident of protesters' disrupting the execution of the laws." And she argued that "permitting the illegal deployment of Oregon National Guard members is a direct affront to Oregon's sovereignty." This article originally published at Ninth Circuit allows Trump to send troops to Portland. Protestors rally in support of Rep. LaMonica McIver outside a federal courthouse in Newark on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (Reena Rose Sibayan for New Jersey Monitor) NEWARK Attorneys for Rep. LaMonica McIver squared off with prosecutors in a federal courthouse Tuesday over charges that McIver assaulted federal agents in May. U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper, who is overseeing the case, did not issue any ruling on whether the charges should be dismissed on constitutional grounds, but said a decision would be forthcoming. McIver, a Democrat who represents the 10th Congressional District, has argued her actions on the day in question are constitutionally protected legislative acts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether this is criminal conduct is for a jury. Im not wading into those waters, Semper said. McIver has pleaded not guilty to three charges stemming from a scuffle that occurred outside migrant jail Delaney Hall in Newark on May 9 when Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested by federal Department of Homeland Security agents. Prosecutors allege McIver attacked officers and impeded Barakas arrest, while McIvers attorneys claim federal agents are responsible for starting the melee that erupted when Baraka was being detained. Prosecutors dismissed Barakas trespassing charge days after his arrest. Speaking to a crowd of supporters gathered outside the courthouse Tuesday, McIver called herself the victim of political retaliation. Its because I was doing my job, and I will continue to do so, she said. Im not going to stop holding this administration accountable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIver has joined a slew of Trump critics who have landed in court over charges they say are the result of their criticism of the president, like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, a New York Democrat who joined some of McIvers colleagues in a courthouse steps rally Tuesday, mentioned the case against James, who was indicted on charges related to mortgage fraud. Something about Black women just get them stirred up, Clarke told the crowd. Black women get them stirred up. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York speaks during a rally in support of Rep. LaMonica McIver outside a federal courthouse in Newark on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (Reena Rose Sibayan for New Jersey Monitor) Semper ordered attorneys for the federal government to remove nine social media posts from the Department of Homeland Securitys X account that refer to McIver or the events of that day. McIvers attorneys have said the posts cast her in such a bad light that they prevent her from receiving a fair trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Semper also asked the government to release any video footage from May 9 that hasnt been shared with McIvers team with no delay. McIver attorney Lee Cortes said defense attorneys received two dozen videos that were edited, ranging in length from 20 seconds to 20 minutes, without explanation as to what was cut or why. Some body-camera video footage publicly released recently captures the moments leading up to and after Barakas arrest, plus the 68-second time period when prosecutors say McIver assaulted two agents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren agreed to review text messages sent by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that day and share any relevant messages mentioning McIver with the court, though he said its unlikely any would be found. McIvers team who say they saw officers texting in the body-camera footage said they want access to those texts to support whether any officers felt intimidated by McIver. Semper said hed review the texts first. Reps. Rob Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman, Democrats who were with McIver the day of Barakas arrest, were in the courtroom Tuesday, along with Rep. Nellie Pou and Baraka, also Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIver attorney Paul Fishman, a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey, argued to Semper that McIver is a victim of selective prosecution and cannot be charged for legislative acts, arguments McIvers legal team has made in multiple legal filings. He compared federal prosecutors treatment of McIver to President Donald Trumps pardon of Jan. 6 defendants, noting that the U.S. Department of Justice dropped cases against 160 Jan. 6 rioters facing the same charge McIver faces She was charged with something she wouldnt be charged with if she was a Republican, Fishman said. Semper asked why prosecutors didnt also charge Menendez and Watson Coleman. Fishman said the government doesnt deserve credit for being careful in selecting one person to prosecute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boss wants this case prosecuted, he said, referring to Trump. Fishman argued that, as a member of the House Homeland Security Committee who was conducting an official inspection of Delaney Hall the day of Barakas arrest, McIvers actions are protected by the Constitutions speech or debate clause, which provides members of Congress with immunity from criminal prosecutions for legislative acts. Semper noted that the scuffle happened just outside the jails gates, not on Delaney Halls property. McCarren argued that the tour McIver received of Delaney Hall was a legislative act, but that deeming assault of federal officers an official act is an absurdity. Semper repeatedly referred to the 68-second time frame that included the actions that resulted in McIvers charges, and asked whether the scope of the case against her should be limited to that time period. Fishman said it should not be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You cant show 68 seconds without talking about what happened before those 68 seconds, Fishman said. An earlier version of this story should have said McIver sits on the House Homeland Security Committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion has thus far issued 34 Grant Writing, Engineering, and Planning Program awards to 15 Tribal communities, 15 local governments and four rural electric and telephone cooperatives, totaling $3.3 million. (Courtesy OBAE) New Mexicos state Office of Broadband Access and Expansion this week announced $200,000 in grant awards to the Pueblo of Pojoaque and Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Inc. Each received the maximum $100,000 through the states Grant Writing, Engineering and Planning Program. According to an OBAE news release, Pojoaque Pueblo will use the funds to launch a broadband initiative to strengthen connectivity, ensure accurate broadband service representation, and lay the groundwork for future infrastructure investment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Taos-based Kit Carson Cooperatives award will be used to strengthen its federal grant proposals and maximize community benefit. GWEP funding will be used for preliminary planning, mapping, design and engineering for high-speed internet. In a statement, Kit Carson CEO Luis Reyes said the award would help the Cooperative continue to plan, design and map a high-speed broadband fiber network to Gallina and Chama residents. According to OBAE, the office has thus far issued 34 GWEP awards to 15 Tribal communities, 15 local governments and four rural electric and telephone cooperatives, totaling $3.3 million. The state allotted $5 million for the GWEP program total, leaving $1.7 million remaining. These grants serve as another milestone to help expand broadband across New Mexico, Neala Krueger, OBAEs state grants program coordinator, said in a statement. The state is committed to delivering broadband to rural locations, and we are thrilled more entities have applied to this program as they plan and prepare their broadband deployment. Empty corrals at the Santa Teresa international livestock crossing. As the United States border remains closed to live cattle importsmost of which come through New Mexicothe $1 billion industry experiences a state of upheaval, according to the Santa Teresa crossing director. (Courtesy Daniel Manzanares) Mexican ranchers current inability to ship roughly 1,500 cattle per day into the United States through New Mexicos ports of entry continues to have wide-reaching consequences, including layoffs and price hikes, the leader of a bi-national cooperative of livestock producers said Tuesday. Daniel Manzanares, who is in charge of the Santa Teresa, N.M. border crossing on behalf of the cooperative, told a legislative committee Tuesday the shutdown impacts both sides of the border, forcing Mexican ranchers with smaller operations to sell their cattle at a loss, while the price of beef in the United States reaches new heights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July, United States Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins ordered a halt in cattle imports from Mexico due to concerns about the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly. The screwworms name references the maggots behavior of burrowing into the flesh of a living animal, sometimes causing serious or fatal damage to livestock, wildlife and pets. Mexican authorities have detected the screwworm three times within 100 miles or so of the Southeast Texas border in recent weeks. Rollins has said the border wont reopen as long as the worm continues to be detected in northern Mexico. The department is working on a plan to produce hundreds of millions of sterile screwworm flies to eradicate the population. But until then, the shutdown has upended the $1 billion industry that the port of entry facilitates each year, Manzanares said, and the longer it stays shut, the more unintended consequences will arise, he warned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It affected everyone in northern Mexico pretty bad. But not only in Mexico, here in the United States, he said, before listing off beef-related industries affected: Your grow yards, your feed yards, your drivers, your buyers, your brokers. People are selling houses. I mean, its a pretty bad thing to shut the border over something like that. Manzanares group, the Union Ganadera Regional De Chihuahua Co-op, owns the cattle crossing, and Mexican and American agriculture departments are on both sides of the border inspecting imported cattle before they are released. The shutdown meant that Manzares had to lay off more than half of his 32 farm hands, he said. Just north of the New Mexico border, Mexican ranchers often bring their cattle over the border to feed lots before putting the animals up for sale and slaughter. Mexican ranchers also raise a breed of roping cattle popular across the nation for rodeos, Manzanares said, along with other breeds for other uses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Manzaneres presentation, roughly half of all annual cattle imports into the United States have come through New Mexico ports of entry in recent years. In 2024, for example, about 630,000 of 1.25 million cattle came through Santa Teresa or Columbus ports of entry, with the rest accessing through nine entry ports across Arizona and Texas. Now that those figures have fallen to zero, beef prices have continued to increase. According to a September price outlook from the USDA, cattle prices reached record highs in August and September, with slaughter steers now selling for more than $240 per 100 lbs. Thats an increase of $54 per 100 lbs over last year, according to the outlook, and prices are expected to continue to increase. Beef operations holding their animals in feedlots for longer factors into the increase, according to the USDA, which they are doing in response to the lack of Mexican imports. State Sen. James Townsend (R-Artesia), a former cattle grower himself, said the increased prices benefit ranchers but hurt everyone else. Even a bad rancher can make money in this market, but I would say that comes at a cost, he said. Many of my buddies would kick me in the shins if they heard me say [it], but cattle prices [are] too high right now. And its to the point that its going to cause reactions, and that reaction, long term, I dont believe will be good for the market. The mom of the five-year-old girl who fell overboard on a Disney cruise ship while posing for photos over the summer will not face criminal charges. The family made headlines after the girls dad jumped 49 feet off the Disney Dream ship to save his daughter on June 29. He was marked a hero for grabbing hold of his daughter and treading water as the ship's crew came to retrieve them on a rescue boat. It was previously unclear what led to the girls fall as the ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from the Bahamas. Now, shocking details reveal the moms alleged role in an incident that the Broward County State Attorney's Office has called merely accidental, according to a memo obtained by The Independent. Authorities have not named the family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family had been walking on Deck 4 of the ship at 11:30 a.m. local time as the mom was snapping some photos of her daughter, according to the memo from Assistant State Attorney in Charge Melissa Kelly, dated July 31. When the girl climbed onto a railing and sat down facing her mom, she lost her balance and fell backward, out of a porthole into the ocean. The mom of the five-year-old girl who fell overboard on a Disney cruise ship while posing for photos over the summer will not face criminal charges (TikTok) The mom had told police she didnt believe her daughter fell into the water at first since she assumed there was a glass barrier on the porthole, and then once she realized what happened, she screamed for help, according to the memo. When the mom screamed, the dad, who was about 10 feet ahead of them, turned around to see his daughter in the water, the memo says. After the couple attempted to get help from the crew, the dad sprang into action, jumping overboard to save his daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the dad jumped off, the ships Man Overboard protocol was initiated, and a rescue boat was sent at 11:40 a.m. About 10 minutes later, the boat retrieved the dad and his daughter. They were subsequently taken to the ships medical center. At a medical follow-up evaluation after the ship docked, the girl was reported to have mild hypothermia and minor lactic acidosis, which is when lactic acids build up in your blood when your tissues are deprived of oxygen. But her dad had two spinal fractures, along with lactic acidosis and hypothermia. The family made headlines after the girls dad jumped 49 feet off the Disney Dream ship to save his daughter (Diana Zalucky/Disney via Getty Images) The mom told police she had taken many photos in front of multiple other windows and portholes on their trip, and initially had assumed that this porthole, like many of the others she had observed throughout the ship, was equipped with a window or Plexi-glass barrier, the memo read. Police did observe multiple large open windows on Deck 4 that were not guarded by any material, according to the memo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelly said she declined to charge the mom with a count of Child Neglect Without Great Bodily Harm as she was innocently taking photos of her daughter, believing that there was some sort of protective barrier between the railing and the water. This was an isolated incident, and all evidence shows that it was merely accidental, Kelly said. Following the incident, Disney commended its crew for getting the dad and daughter out of the water, saying, We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests (David Roark/Disney via Getty Images) The prosecutor also noted the mom was supervising her daughter, and the girl did not sustain any injuries. While the defendant's conduct is arguably negligent and irresponsible, it does not rise to the egregious level of conduct necessary to establish criminal culpable negligence, Kelly said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of the incident, a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson told USA TODAY, We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols." FAYETTEVILLE Protesters staged a peaceful demonstration during the annual Bridge Day festival, calling for the protection of free speech and civic responsibility. Dozens of local volunteers led by the Fayette Fair Share PAC and New River Gorge Indivisible fanned out across Fayetteville, Oak Hill and Hico on Saturday, staging a lawfully sanctioned, First Amendmentprotected assembly that emphasized nonviolence and peaceful expression. The effort echoed similar protests that took place across the country as part of the No Kings movement, with support from advocacy groups such as FiftyFifty.One and the ACLU. The protest followed a week of partisan taunts from lawmakers in Washington who described the events as hate America protests, a label local organizers rejected as meritless and inaccurate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As promised, we were a legal and quiet presence today, Fayette Fair Share PAC Chairperson Linda Stein said. This is an organized protest that has all the proper channels and permits. The timing of the event coinciding with the Oct. 18 Bridge Day celebration was pure coincidence as simultaneous protests swept across the nation. Volunteer organizer Daniel Doyle said the goal was to reduce friction during an already busy weekend. We communicated in a way that we hoped would invite some confidence on their part that we would do what we said we would and not make their job more difficult today, Doyle said. The message, according to several participants, was less about personalities than about protecting democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My wife and I, we both teach, and I think what [this] administration is doing is hurting a lot of the vulnerable people that we have in America, said Mathew Anderson, of Oak Hill, who teaches special education teacher and plans to run for public office next year. I just wanna make Fayette County better, make West Virginia better, and just do whats right for the people and America. Participants gathered at the intersection of U.S. 19 and W.Va. 16, holding signs, singing songs and chanting slogans like no kings, no dictators as they voiced opposition to the administrations policies and posture. There was even [a protest] on the north side of the bridge too, Stein said. Organizers continuously stressed the need for de-escalation and peaceful expression, dispelling partisan talking points while championing the principles of nonviolence. Conflict was minimal as most of the passing traffic was either supportive or voiced only tepid opposition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think there were all of five or six people who were negative, said John Doyle, a demonstrator at Oak Hill. There were some honks, someone told us to go home or that they loved Trump, but nothing major. In a post-event press release, the Fayette Fair Share PAC lauded the days success, saying it concluded without any disturbances or major incidents. The website for the No Kings Movement will host a virtual mass call on Oct. 21 to summarize the weekends events and look ahead to whats next. This is how citizens voice their concerns in a productive way. If enough people come out and get together, then real change can happen, Stein said. ELKHART Among the many anti-authoritarian messages carried by protesters in Elkhart, Jim Nortons was one of the more vivid. Hundreds of protesters filled Civic Plaza Saturday morning for the No Kings demonstration. Many wore costumes there were people dressed as food, bugs, bears and other large creatures in the crowd and held up signs condemning ICE and the Trump administration as they lined both sides of the street. Nortons sign, created by a friend from church, was modeled after Pablo Picassos 1937 painting Guernica. Picasso painted the enormous canvas in response to the bombing of a Basque town by Nazis during the Spanish Civil War, which led the country into fascist rule for more than a generation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norton said hes part of an antiwar gathering that has been held weekly for decades. He stood with a group of men who held signs calling for an end to Israels occupation of Palestine, a war responsible for around 70,000 deaths in two years. Ive been involved with this for quite a while, this type of thing. Im part of a group that has been meeting for about 20 years in Goshen at noon, Norton said. Every noon at 12, we meet against the war, for peace. Protestor Linda Lawson, of Elkhart, said she was alarmed by attacks on the press in the past year. She pointed to Indiana Universitys cancelation of all print publication by its student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, and the exodus of reporters who cover the Pentagon after rules came down that threatened their independence. Im sick to my stomach about the IU campus paper being shut down for news and from the Pentagon press being shut down, Lawson said. The press is democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Breanna Gratzol, one of the protest organizers, helped put together similar rallies in Goshen and Elkhart this year. She said the intent for Saturdays protest was to fight claims from the Trump administration that leftists are responsible for mass violence. Top presidential adviser Stephen Miller promised the destruction of leftwing political organizations following the Sept. 10 killing of Charlie Kirk. Protesters as well as experts on authoritarianism have warned that the administration is cynically using Kirks death to justify cracking down on their critics. Gratzon contrasted the rightwing response to Kirks death with the apparent dismissive reaction to the June 14 murder of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. Were not the violent left, but some entities really want to paint us that way, Gratzol said. I think there is growing fear and discontent, I think that a lot of the things we were warned about early in the administration or even as far back as pre-election, during campaigning, people are seeing being enacted. Its no longer hypothetical. The treatment of immigrants, the attacks on LGBTQIA individuals, the attacks on civil rights protections that I know many in my generation definitely saw as permanent and took for granted as being permanent, has I think given people a sense of urgency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gratzol has decided to run for the State Senate District 11 seat now held by Linda Rogers, with a campaign launch set for Nov. 8. Gratzol said she hopes the run will be a call to action to other people who wan to see change. She understands there are a lot of barriers to entering a race, such as the cost of campaigning and the potential for retaliation, but said the local level is where people can have the most impact. If you want to see change, we need to get involved in local and state government. Were finding more and more that local and state government are our last lines of defense against the actions being taken by the federal government, she said. That is where we can see change, especially in the short-term. Because the next presidential election is three years away. The next mid-term election is next year. The people who live in your communities are much more likely to have to listen to you when you talk to them and then you get involved in whats going on. LAKE PLACID Around a thousand people turned out for back-to-back rallies held Saturday in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake as part of the nationwide No Kings day in protest of the Trump administration, which saw around 7 million people turn out to about 2,600 protests across the U.S. Locally, the action kicked off at 11 a.m. in Lake Placid, where a crowd of around 300 rallied at Mids Park to hear from a slate of speakers, and then at 3 p.m. in Saranac Lake, where around 900 demonstrators lined River Street. The crowds were there to show and voice their displeasure with a president whom they feel is acting like a king. There were signs, American flags and even the occasional costume, which ranged from Revolutionary War garb to green dinosaurs. The speakers in Lake Placid represented organized labor, marginalized social groups and political activism. A common theme from the podium was the repudiation of the charge leveled by prominent national Republicans that the No Kings protests were unpatriotic, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, dubbing it the Hate America Rally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adirondack Voters for Change President Kary Johnson, who spoke at the Lake Placid rally, said its deeply American to say no to kings. Our country was never meant to be ruled by one person, or by money or by fear, she said. It was founded on the idea that the power belongs to the people. The Constitution isnt an artifact in a museum. Its a living promise that we renew every time we care for a neighbor, stand up for fair pay or speak truth in the public square, like were doing today. Laura Franz, the president of the Albany Public School Teachers Association and a teacher, echoed that sentiment namely that the protest sought to speak truth to power. I am a public school teacher, a union leader, a mom to two amazing young men with disabilities and just for the record, I am not a domestic terrorist, she said as cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. I say that because lately, people like us: educators, caregivers, workers and union members are being treated like enemies just for standing up for whats right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But we know the truth, she continued. We are the people holding this country together, and for the most vulnerable amongst us we are the ones asking the government to keep its promises. Franz focused on the looming Medicaid cuts under President Donald J. Trumps signature piece of legislation so far in his second term, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, officially Public Law 119-21, which was signed on July 4. The Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan agency within the legislative branch that projects the fiscal impacts of congressional actions, estimated that the law will cut around $911 billion from Medicaid by 2034, and increase the number of uninsured Americans by about 10 million. The majority of this comes from work requirements for the Affordable Care Act expansion group, limiting states ability to raise the state share of Medicaid revenues through provider taxes, restricting state-directed payments to hospitals, nursing facilities and other providers and increasing barriers to enrolling in and renewing Medicaid coverage, according to KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan health care policy research organization. Theyre not trimming fat, Franz said. Theyre cutting into the very bones of our communities. When Medicaid is cut, millions lose coverage. Children, seniors, veterans and working families. It means students with disabilities lose access to life-changing therapies and the school nurses who keep them safe. It means home health aides cant afford to care for the elderly, infirm who depend on them. It means rural hospitals, already hanging on by a thread, may have to close their doors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It means fewer counselors and mental health support when our schools and communities need them the most, she continued. Were told theres not enough (money). Not enough for health care, not enough for education, not enough for workers all while the wealthiest corporations cash in on record profits and (historically low) tax rates. Franz said the rhetoric around cuts to social programs doesnt square with the laws fiscal implications. The Congressional Budget Office also estimating that it will add about $3.4 trillion to the national debt by 2034 the savings from Medicaid and other social program cuts more than offset by the decreases to government revenue through tax cuts and extensions of current income and corporate tax cuts that Trump enacted in his first term. So today, lets tell the truth, Franz said. This isnt about scarcity. This isnt about balancing budgets. This is about power. and were here to remind them today that power belongs to the people who keep this country running. Crime, abuse and exploitation survivors advocate Bridie Farrell addressed the No Kings crowd in Lake Placid. Farrell pushed for New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which was signed into law in 2022. Among other measures, it allowed alleged victims of sexual assault for whom the statute of limitations had passed to file civil lawsuits during a one-year lookback window, which lasted from Nov. 24, 2022, to Nov. 24, 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That might ring a bell to you, she said. Because that is what E. Jean Carroll used. and that is what we used against Prince Andrew. and that is what is leading to things like releasing the Epstein files. Loud applause screams to Release the files! broke out from the audience. As Farrell continued her remarks, she said it was a dark and depressing political landscape, but that there was strength to be drawn from unity. Look around. Look at all the people that are here, Farrell said. I spoke up. I was just one person who spoke up and said, No, no, no, no. Aholes need to be held accountable. and so do not despair. Do not lose hope. Because let me tell you, it can be lonely there but dont give up. Three more years of this (administration) and then we start recovering from this. So whoever you are and whatever you are passionate about, dont let them take that from you. New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher, D-Chelsea, spoke after Farrell. A Wilmington native, he expanded on the need for those in attendance to translate the rallys energy into results at the ballot box. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lets go out from today and build on the energy that we feel today, he said. And in next years election, were going to take back the House of Representatives. Were going to take back the United States Senate. and then were going to take back the White House and were going to ensure that no one like Donald Trump ever gets power in our country ever again. The Lake Placid protest remained entirely peaceful. There were law enforcement officers from the Lake Placid Village Police and Essex County Sheriff departments on hand, along with a dozen or so members of a safety team, event organizers who had received training in de-escalation tactics in case things became heated between people with different viewpoints though such intervention was never needed. Friends Jane Haug and Jeri Zempel came from Upper Jay and Keene, respectively, to attend the No Kings protest in Lake Placid. Haug felt that while some actions of, and protests against, the Trump Administration may seem unique to today, she said its nothing new in the broader arc of history. We cant just say, Oh, were too tired, or Oh, this is too much. No, she said. People have done this for generations, and thats why Im here. Im like, Get your butt over here. Your ancestors fought to come here and to work hard and youve got to make sure it doesnt go away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zempel thought gathering in person was an important reminder for people that theres a large group that shares these beliefs. I think we all have to realize that this is a very small group of very mean-spirited, authoritarian people trying to take over our government, Zempel said. And we have to remind ourselves that they are the minority. Bob Ladoucer, a New York State United Teachers union political action coordinator, said it was nice to see unity from so many fields of labor at the Lake Placid rally. It was great to see the solidarity, he said. It was great to see people bringing American flags with them because were often told that maybe we are not (patriotic) and that is so opposite the truth. We are here to just be part of a community that just believes in common sense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson said the turnout in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid was electrifying, and her favorite part of the day was the community engagement aspect. Despite being a rural area, Johnson said people here are paying attention and arent afraid to make their feelings known. People here feel strongly about having a voice in our government and making sure our government works for us and we use our democratic principles, she said. I think its a real statement and a real example of how strong and connected we are to so many peoples American values. This weekend, an estimated 7.1 million people took to the streets across the country as part of the No Kings protests. From big cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, to small towns such as Guntersville, Alabama, Vergennes, Vermont, and Lander, Wyoming, protesters turned out to peacefully oppose President Donald Trumps despotic policies and behavior. But as powerful and moving as the marches were, they are not enough to create the lasting change our political system so desperately needs. And make no mistake: America needs major change. You would not have known that had you listened to retired Judge J. Michael Luttig, who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and is a leading critic of the Trump administration, on Oct. 16 when he spoke on the campus where I teach about his deep reverence for the Constitution. While admirable, his veneration also appears to have blinded him along with others who share his deference to the stark fact that preserving our founding document requires acknowledging the ways that it has failed to meet the moment. No amount of glorification will save the Constitution unless we address the underlying causes of what Yale Law School professor Jack Balkin calls constitutional rot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Put simply, our Constitution was not designed to facilitate action to improve the lives of the American people. Instead, it was designed to make it hard for democratic majorities to work their will and use the government to engage in social reform projects that might infringe on property rights. This is hardly an original, earth-shattering insight. But it is important to remember as we seek to build broad-based opposition to the Trump administration. More than a century ago, the historian Charles Beard told the story of a Constitutional Convention dominated by an elite group determined to protect its property and economic standing. The document they produced was, Beard argued, essentially an economic document based upon the concept that the fundamental private rights of property are anterior to government and morally beyond the reach of popular majorities. Despite such barriers, the country has occasionally managed to enact modest adjustments in how wealth is distributed. President Franklin Delano Roosevelts New Deal of the 1930s and President Lyndon Johnsons Great Society of the 1960s are two examples. But in the decades since, the country reverted to form. Democrats and Republicans alike became more interested in wealth generation than in addressing an ever-widening wealth gap. While Trump has hardly dedicated himself to shifting gears, he has twice managed to convince voters that he will fulfill their desire to shake things up. The result is that, today, trying to mobilize sustained, inclusive opposition to Trump and his agenda by framing him as a threat to the Constitution and the rule of law has less traction than people like Luttig might think. Survey after survey has shown that [u]pwards of 85% of respondents say there is a need for major changes in our political system. 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. This desire for change cuts across partisan lines. Former Vice President Kamala Harris based her 2024 presidential campaign on convincing Americans that Trump was a danger to a political order to which large numbers of Americans are no longer deeply attached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You dont have to be a devotee of Bernie Sanders or New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Madami to recognize that fact. And dont be fooled: While millions of Americans turned out on No Kings Day, the number that came from the working class was less than it would have to be to force change in Washington, D.C. Did the millions of Americans who did not show up see their concerns about the economy embraced by protesters waving Palestinian flags or protesting in inflatable animal costumes? I doubt it. Dont mistake what I am saying. No Kings was an important rallying point for those of us who want to stand up for democracy and the rule of law. But being anti-Trump is not enough. We cannot succeed in saving our political system by being reactive by talking only about Trumps abuses. Success depends on convincing people that opposing tyranny is just the first step in a program dedicated to changing the fact that some of us live too well while many others cannot live well at all. That point was driven home by a front-page story in Sundays New York Times that opened with a scene set in a Chicago food bank line. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 39-year-old Moreno had waited for two hours in a line of people behind him that snaked around the corner. He described the Pilsen Food Pantry as a lifeline for meOur food budget doesnt stretch as far as it used to. The story continued with a revealing juxtaposition: A few miles away on Chicagos glitzy Magnificent Mile, luxury hotels are bustling. Jewelry stores and designer boutiques do brisk business. The restaurants are packed with diners sipping $20 cocktails while they wait for tables. The Times invited readers to look behind surging stock prices and macroeconomic data to see the day-to-day struggles of people like Moreno set against the indulgent lifestyles of people with whom they may share a city, but who live in entirely different worlds. Long ago, political scientists who studied democracy and the rule of law warned that neither could be built or endure in places with radically and persistently unequal distributions of wealth. Writing in the afterglow of the New Deal, they were optimistic about the future of Americas Constitutional Republic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, that optimism has faded. Though they offer different solutions, the populism of both the left and the right is responding to the erosion of the social and economic prerequisites for democracy and the rule of law in this country. In the next No Kings protests, lets make sure the Ulysses Morenos of America know that we hear and share their concerns and that we are demanding action. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it may convince others to join our cause in standing up to a would-be tyrant. The post No Kings missed the mark. Heres how we can fix that appeared first on Salon.com. PLATTSBURGH Hundreds of people lined State Route 3 for No Kings Day in Plattsburgh Saturday. There were people already lined along the sidewalk at 10:15 a.m. The event started at noon, and folks lingered well past the 1:30 close time, Jo Ellen Miano, an organizer from Indivisible Plattsburgh, said. Multiple people reported a joyful, peaceful, and respectful atmosphere among the crowd, a part of the nationwide No Kings day in protest of the Trump Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The people there were spirited and respectful. Many who drove by honked and waved in solidarity. It was very comforting to see, Jim Sherman said. I believe our local organizers deserve a huge credit for their efforts to keep people safe and well informed. Sherman said he was there to express his disgust, with the actions of current administration. From troops in the streets, masked ICE officers hurting and arresting people illegally, attacks on education, health care, rule of law and environmental protection are among many of the concerns that I and others at the rally expressed, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We believe that this administration wants to rule over us like a king so they use fascist tactics and self profiteering to do so. For others, the event was a way to voice concern. I attended this protest because I truly believe the constitution and free speech are under attack by the current administration, Art Covert, a participant of the event, said. For Helena M, a first-generation immigrant from Brazil, attendance is one way to show support for others who cannot. To show support to the minority, like myself, that they are not alone, she said. Im the first generation immigrant that can voice it out for those that have been in Plattsburgh and cant come out due to the fear of being deported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Helena did not share her last name because she is an immigrant, she said there are lots of bullies around Plattsburgh. I do have my papers I know for a fact if I didnt have my citizenship, I would be terrified to be out, speaking my mind, she said. Helena said the event was Very peaceful on our end. Trump supporters were spitting on us while they were driving by calling us names. She shared a video with The Press-Republican of a pick-up truck, with a Trump flag hanging from the back, revving its engine and blowing smoke, holding up trafficother videos show the same truck doing it again closer to the crowd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miano was happy with the turn out of Saturdays event. This gathering was so joyful, so united, so positive. There were kids there as young as 3 and folks as old as you can imagine. People from all walks of life, connected together. Full grins, lots of hugs as people re-connected with friends or met new people for the first time, Miano said. The line of protesters on Route 3 started at the I87 off ramp and reached the Wendys parking lot; the amount of people did cause a disturbance in traffic with reports of stoppage from both directions, up through the ramp exit. Yes, I would say there was a connection. I was told by a friend who came in from the Northway that it took her a half an hour to exit into town at 12:15, Miano said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to event organizers, the protesters were instructed not to go beyond the sidewalk and to leave room for pedestrians, but passing cars showed support from the street with honks and hollers. We were not to obstruct any intersections. We did have so many people that the crosswalks were full when the pedestrian crossings occurred. Miano said. Many in the crowd were wearing costumes, but it wasnt because of Halloweenthe inflatable frogs, dinosaurs and unicorns are a response to recent viral images and video of the Portland ICE facility protests. There were several including SpongeBob, a dinosaur, spiderman and a couple folks dressed in colonial outfits, Covert said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Signs held above the crowd read Save democracy, no kings, no dictators, no crowns, and save the constitution. The No Kings Movement saw a turnout of more than 7 million at more than 2,700 events across the country and cities worldwide. It is incredibly heartening to feel in solidarity with millions of people across the country in making our voices heard. Our work together in the community is deeply impactful and that all starts with each person who attended today or sent their sincerest best wishes for a fantastic time, Miano said. Our activism allows Americans from all walks of life, who dream of a government of, by, and for the people, to join us. If that is not the true American dream, we dont know what is. A No Kings protester has been arrested in Colorado for tripping a New York Giants fan now known as faceplant guy after twice falling flat on his face while chasing a demonstrator. The chaotic incident unfolded in Denver on Sunday as the man, walking with friends on the sidewalk adjacent to the protest, began chanting, God bless Trump at protesters and flashing his middle finger. Video of the incident was shot by Drew Kartos, who uploaded the clip to Instagram on Sunday. At one point, he tells a demonstrator, Yeah, f*ck you! Ride your bike, you f*ckin f*g! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just then, a protester rips off the mans sunglasses and runs away. He tries to give chase but quickly falls over and grinds his face on the pavement as the demonstrators laugh at and mock him. He gets to his feet and continues running, only to be tripped by a protester with an American flag draped over his shoulders and then falls near the curb. He appeared to suffer a cut above his eye that was bleeding as protesters urged him to leave. The American flag-clad protester, identified as 20-year-old Jose Cardenas, was subsequently arrested, according to the Denver Gazette. Arrest records obtained by the Gazette indicated Cardenas was facing charges of second-degree assault. Faceplant guy, who has not been identified, was not arrested. The post No Kings Protester Arrested for Tripping MAGA Faceplant Guy in Colorado first appeared on Mediaite. Large crowds of protesters marched and rallied in cities across the U.S. Saturday for No Kings demonstrations decrying what participants see as the governments swift drift into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump. Although not as numerous as the gatherings in big cities, protesters huddled against a pouring rain in downtown Effingham were no less passionate. About 200 people gathered near the Effingham County Building before the rains started, according to organizers. Some drifted away as the rain continued pounding, but many held their ground to express their frustration. We have a bunch of people in office, people brought in by Mr. Trump, who seem like they have not read the Constitution, said Katie Fain of Neoga. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fain took offense at remarks by House Speaker Mike Johnson and others on the right who called the protests Hate America rallies. I believe that was on Jan. 6, 2021, she said, referring to the day supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. Why protest? Just read the news, said Amanda Maag of Effingham. And see what this administration is doing to the most vulnerable people. Maag and others were particularly upset with the administration looking to provide an additional $20 billion in financing for Argentina through a mix of financing. That would come on top of the $20 billion credit swap line that the U.S. Treasury pledged to Argentine President Javier Milei and his government to bolster the South American nations collapsing currency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Really thats what we have money for? Maag asked. But not to feed starving children? Pat Lewis of Effingham, chairman of the Effingham County Democratic Central Committee, was glad to see people turn out for the local demonstration. There were people from Saint Elmo, Altamont, Flora, Newton, and Greenville, Lewis said. Ours was a peaceful protest with no violence. Despite what was portrayed in some circles, this was not a hate America protest or rally, but a pro-American, pro-democracy protest. This protest was American as apple pie and the Chicago style hotdog. We protested because of the current Trump administration and the effects of its policies adversely affecting and hurting many people in our community people who we love, our families, friends ,and neighbors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were there because we are American and we are patriots who love our country. We love our Democracy and demand our state and federal elected officials adhere to the constitution and the rule of law. This was a love America rally and protest in pure daylight. I want to thank those in our community who honored our first amendment rights and the Effingham Police Department for supporting our rights of peaceful assembly. Elsewhere around the country People carrying signs with slogans such as Nothing is more patriotic than protesting or Resist Fascism packed into New York Citys Times Square and rallied by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta and Chicago. Demonstrators marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and picketed outside capitols in several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and at hundreds of smaller public spaces. Trumps Republican Party disparaged the demonstrations as Hate America rallies, but in many places the events looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, huge banners with the U.S. Constitutions We The People preamble that people could sign, and demonstrators wearing inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was the third mass mobilization since Trumps return to the White House and came against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services but is testing the core balance of power, as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that protest organizers warn are a slide toward authoritarianism. In Washington, Iraq War Marine veteran Shawn Howard said he had never participated in a protest before but was motivated to show up because of what he sees as the Trump administrations disregard for the law. He said immigration detentions without due process and deployments of troops in U.S. cities are un-American and alarming signs of eroding democracy. I fought for freedom and against this kind of extremism abroad, said Howard, who added that he also worked at the CIA for 20 years on counter-extremism operations. And now I see a moment in America where we have extremists everywhere who are, in my opinion, pushing us to some kind of civil conflict. Trump, meanwhile, was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They say theyre referring to me as a king. Im not a king, the president said in a Fox News interview that aired early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club. A Trump campaign social media account mocked the protests by posting a computer-generated video of the president clothed like a monarch, wearing a crown and waving from a balcony. Nationwide demonstrationsIn San Francisco hundreds of people spelled out No King! and other phrases with their bodies on Ocean Beach. Hayley Wingard, who was dressed as the Statue of Liberty, said she too had never been to a protest before. Only recently she began to view Trump as a dictator. I was actually OK with everything until I found that the military invasion in Los Angeles and Chicago and Portland Portland bothered me the most, because Im from Portland, and I dont want the military in my cities. Thats scary, Wingard said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tens of thousands of people gathered in Portland for a peaceful demonstration downtown. Later in the day, tensions grew as a few hundred protesters and counterprotesters showed up at a U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement building, with federal agents at times firing tear gas to disperse the crowd and city police threatening to make arrests if demonstrators blocked streets. The building has been the site of mostly small nightly protests since June the reason the Trump administration has cited for trying to deploy National Guard troops in Portland, which a federal judge has at least temporarily blocked. About 3,500 people gathered in Salt Lake City outside the Utah State Capitol to share messages of hope and healing after a protester was fatally shot during the citys first No Kings march in June. And more than 1,500 people gathered in Birmingham, Alabama, evoking and the citys history of protests and the critical role it played in the Civil Rights Movement two generations ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It just feels like were living in an America that I dont recognize, said Jessica Yother, a mother of four. She and other protesters said they felt camaraderie by gathering in a state where Trump won nearly 65% of the vote last November. It was so encouraging, Yother said. I walked in and thought, Here are my people. Organizers hope to build opposition movementBig rallies like this give confidence to people who have been sitting on the sidelines but are ready to speak up, Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press. While protests earlier this year against Elon Musks cuts and Trumps military parade drew crowds, organizers say this one is uniting the opposition. Top Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement are joining what organizers view as an antidote to Trumps actions, from the administrations clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids. More than 2,600 rallies were planned Saturday, organizers said. The national march against Trump and Musk this spring had 1,300 registered locations, while the first No Kings day in June registered 2,100. Were here because we love America, Sanders said, addressing the crowd from a stage in Washington. He said the American experiment is in danger under Trump but insisted, We the people will rule. Republican critics denounce the demonstrationsRepublicans sought to portray protesters as far outside the mainstream and a prime reason for the government shutdown Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement , now in its 18th day. From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders called them communists and Marxists. They said Democratic leaders including Schumer are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut to appease those liberal forces. I encourage you to watch we call it the Hate America rally that will happen Saturday, said House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Lets see who shows up for that, Johnson said, listing groups including antifa types, people who hate capitalism and Marxists in full display. Many demonstrators, in response, said they were meeting such hyperbole with humor, noting that Trump often leans heavily on theatrics such as claiming that cities he sends troops to are war zones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So much of what weve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly that we have to respond with the same energy, said Glen Kalbaugh, a Washington protester who wore a wizard hat and held a sign with a frog on it. New York police reported no arrests during the protests. Democrats try to regain their footing amid shutdownDemocrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens. The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump. What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine, said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, a key organizing group. The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender. People in inflatable bird costumes join thousands as they gather at The Commons in downtown Minneapolis for the No Kings day rally Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, protesting what many see as overreaches of power by the Trump administration. (Photo by Nicole Neri/The Minnesota Reformer) Minnesotans by the tens of thousands, from International Falls to Albert Lea, peacefully rallied for No Kings day this past weekend to protest authoritarianism. I was in my hometown of Minneapolis, where we heard from U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and other local organizers with immigrant rights and civil liberties groups fighting for the very American idea that we are a fabric, a community, that welcomes all stripes of many colors. While the president was posting AI videos of himself wearing a crown and attacking protesters, I was reflecting on the precarious moment we are in and the importance of protesting en masse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We welcome everybody into this movement, even more moderate folks who may not be up for every chant or every type of First Amendment action. In Minneapolis, we had anarchists (yes, I saw at least one sign) and chardonnay-sipping liberals marching together. Indivisible, which has organized the rallies, says theyve worked in coordination with local grassroots partners, grounded in nonviolence and no civil disobedience, and led by trained volunteers and community leaders committed to safety and solidarity. (In fact, we were blocking many major streets with limited Minneapolis Police Department support.) The organizers argument is that lowering barriers helps bring new people into the greater project. If your grandmother in a mobility scooter is going to her first protest (and skipped out on the protest movements of 60 years ago), that shows there is a larger majority of Americans who are ready to make their voices heard. In the same vein, I was relieved and proud that Saturdays protests remained entirely peaceful, despite the administrations best efforts to paint No Kings demonstrators as anti-American terrorists. MPD did not report any arrests related to the protests, and the New York Police Department also reported no arrests due to protest activity, even with 100,000 demonstrators in Times Square. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the demonstration of popular discontent, No Kings is a call to action. This is where bringing new people into the fold helps grow people power for what is needed next. Already, the next mass action is scheduled for March 29, 2026. You can help wish me my 33rd birthday by joining me on March 29 at your local rally across Minnesota and the country. The other call to action is a little harder. We all have seen in the news that federal agencies have mobilized in liberal cities to terrorize residents. ProPublica has reported that this included detaining more than 170 of American citizens. We know that the Twin Cities has been target for immigration action before, and there will eventually be more unconstitutional actions soon. If you participated in Saturdays rallies and marches, you may have heard a call to action to be ready to mobilize to protest federal overreach this winter. This is not an easy ask. It is not a petition signature or $10 donation on ActBlue. But showing up especially in our silly costumes and dance music can illustrate how we are not afraid to stand with our neighbors and fellow American citizens. Finally, about joy and humor: On the world stage, we have seen how protest movements have adopted comedic antics to appeal to a wider audience and make the point that repressive regimes are often laughable. In Chile, Giovanna Grandon, known as Tia Pikachu, wore an inflatable costume of the beloved Japanese manga character to protests. In May 2021, Grandon was elected as a member of the Constitutional Convention for the new Chilean constitution. From Portland to Chicago to Minneapolis, demonstrators are taking this approach, even in the face of pepper balls and tear gas right to the inflatable fan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Saturdays rally in Minneapolis, I got a lot of love for my inflatable, purple, unicorn costume with a turquoise horn. It almost got exhausting. A middle-aged woman in her own pink and white inflatable unicorn costume joked with me, and we all had a good time. Showing that we can unite with unbridled joy in the face of fear and retribution is the best antidote to tyranny and oppression. It actually made me happy that Trump posted that AI video of himself dumping on protesters. He was desperate to change the subject, even if it meant humiliating himself with his undignified behavior. Keep the faith, and keep up the fight. There are currently no plans for U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet in the immediate future, a State Department spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also do not plan to meet in person in the near future, though they held a "productive" call on Oct. 20. An additional meeting between the officials is "not necessary," a State Department spokesperson said. The news follows Trump's announcement on Oct. 16 that he would meet Putin in Budapest in the coming weeks to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NBC News correspondent Garrett Haake said on X that the planning for the Budapest summit is "on hold" at the moment, according to an undisclosed senior White House official. Similar information was reported by the BBC and CBS News. Trump later told reporters that he had not made a final decision regarding the Putin summit. "I don't want to have a wasted meeting ... We haven't made a determination yet," Trump said. The U.S. president added that "a lot of things are happening" and said there would be an update regarding next steps sometime in "the next two days." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Ukraine had a plan on how to engage with Trump. Then, Putin called Short-lived summit plans The unexpected turn of events comes only hours after Russian officials said that preparatory work for the Budapest summit is still ongoing, though no date has been agreed upon. The summit, hosted by Hungary's Moscow-friendly prime minister, Viktor Orban, was set to be the second meeting between Putin and Trump since the latter returned to office in January. The two leaders met in Alaska on Aug. 15 to discuss a path toward ending the war in Ukraine, but made little progress. The planned high-level talks, met with surprise in Kyiv and other European capitals, were to be preceded by meetings between senior U.S. and Russian delegation, led by Rubio and Lavrov, respectively. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Center-L) meets with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Center-R) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 24, 2025. (Stefan Jeremiah/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Following a phone call between the two top diplomats earlier this week, CNN reported that, according to sources, their in-person meeting had been postponed due to divergent views and Russia's "maximalist" stance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow has sought to downplay CNN's reporting. When asked about the story, Lavrov dismissed its framing as "simplistic," while his deputy, Sergei Ryabkov, did not rule out another phone call with Rubio. "We can't postpone something that hasn't been set," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Oct. 21 regarding the meeting between Trump and Putin, before the latest news of it being shelved. "Preparation is needed, serious preparation," he added, noting that the "work ahead will be challenging." Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev claimed that the media was twisting the phrase "immediate future" in order to dismiss plans for the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Preparations continue," he said on X. Divergent views Trump announced plans for the summit with Putin a day before meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House. While Ukraine was hoping to secure deals for new U.S. arms, especially Tomahawk missiles, Trump reportedly pressed Zelensky to accept Russia's territorial demands for the entire Donetsk Oblast. The U.S. president later denied asking Ukraine to cede unoccupied territories, suggesting instead a ceasefire along the current front lines. Kyiv and its European partners have backed this proposal, while Moscow has rejected it, demanding that what it calls the "root causes" of the conflict be addressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The divergence in views on ceasefire negotiations and territorial concessions led some observers to treat the planned summit and its potential outcomes with skepticism. Talking to the Kyiv Independent before the news about the Budapest summit being on hold, international politics expert Jenny Mathers said that positions of all parties still remain far apart. After his call with Lavrov, Rubio might have realized "that there is little chance of Russia being willing to compromise," she said. "The real danger for Ukraine is that Trump will get tired of this back and forth but put the blame on Kyiv rather than Moscow, thus endangering the intelligence sharing and other forms of support," Mathers warned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following reports that the U.S.-Russia peace talks had been shelved, NATO announced that Secretary General Marc Rutte would visit Trump for talks on Oct. 21-22. The leaders will discuss "NATO's support to Ukraine and to the U.S.-led efforts towards lasting peace," a NATO official said in a comment to the Kyiv Independent. In his evening address on Oct. 21, Zelensky linked Russia backing down from peace talks to Ukraine's lack of long-range Tomahawks. "Russia continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy and as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us for Ukraine became less immediate, Russia's interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically," he said. "This signals that this very issue the issue of our deep strike capabilities may hold the indispensable key to peace." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Why does Russia want Donbas? 6 things to know about the region Ukraine is being pressured to give up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. There are no plans for President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet "in the immediate future," a White House official said on Tuesday -- calling off a summit that was expected in Hungary in the coming weeks. Trump announced on Thursday that he and Putin planned to meet again, and predicted it would occur "within two weeks or so." First, he said, discussions would take place among senior advisers on both sides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelenskyy, at White House, says Trump has 'big chance' to end Russia's war on Ukraine Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, held a phone call on Monday. It's not expected the two will meet in person at this point. EPA/Shutterstock/Reuters - PHOTO: President Donald Trump in Washington, Oct. 10, 2025 and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Oct. 16, 2025. "Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call. Therefore, an additional in person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future," the White House official said. Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin downplayed a potential in person meeting between Trump and Putin. The Kremlin said there was never a date set for a summit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You can't postpone what was not scheduled," a Putin spokesman said. Asked about the meeting Tuesday afternoon at an Oval Office event celebrating Diwali, Trump said, "I don't want to have a wasted meeting. I don't want to have a waste of time so I'll see what happens." Asked what had changed since announcing his plans to meet with Putin in Budapest, Trump said, "Well, I didn't say anything. I didn't say it would. And, you know, you never know what's going to happen. But a lot of things are happening on that front, on the war front with Ukraine and Russia. And well be notified over the next two days as to what we're doing." Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will be in Washington on Wednesday for a meeting with Trump, according to a NATO news release. A White House official confirmed the meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two will discuss the war in Ukraine ahead of a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in London on Friday, a NATO spokesperson said. Trump, on the heels of a diplomatic achievement in the Middle East, renewed his efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end as Moscow's invasion drags on 3 1/2 years later. But it appears little has changed since his phone call with Putin last Thursday and his face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday. Zelenskyy was in Washington to make his case for coveted U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles and other military assets. Zelenskyy said on Monday that the Trump administration decided not to provide Ukraine with the long-range Tomahawks that would give Kyiv the ability to strike deeper inside Russia, but said the "issue is not off the table." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Zelenskyy described the White House meeting as positive and said he was waiting to see whether he would be invited to join the now-called off sitdown between Trump and Putin in Budapest. Trump has called for the Russia-Ukraine war to end along its current battle lines, and denied a report from the Financial Times that he insisted Zelenskyy surrender the entire Donbas region to Russia. On Monday, Trump softened his previous comments when he said he believed Ukraine could win back all its territory currently occupied by Russia. "Well they could," Trump said. "They could still win it. I don't think they will but they could still win it. I never said they would win it. I said they -- anything can happen. You know war is a very strange thing. A lot of bad things happen. A lot of good things happen." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday's announcement that a second Trump-Putin summit is side-tabled for now comes just hours after Russia's top diplomat signaled that the U.S. and Russia are still very far apart with regards to how to end the war with Ukraine. "Now, Washington is saying that we need to stop immediately and not discuss anything further. We need to stop and let history decide. You see, if we just stop, we will forget about the root causes of this conflict, which the American administration clearly understood when Donald Trump came to power," Lavrov said. ABC News' Chris Boccia, Michelle Stoddart and Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report. The White House is walking back President Donald Trumps plan for talks on ending the three-year-old Russian war against Ukraine just days after he claimed he would meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest next month. A White House official told The Independent there are no plans for a sit-down between Trump and Putin in the immediate future because Secretary of State Marco Rubio had conducted a productive call with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which made an in-person meeting between the two top diplomats not necessary. Trump later told reporters at a Diwali celebration late Tuesday that he did not want to have a wasted meeting or a waste of time but did not rule out a meeting in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well see what happens, he said, adding later that there could be updates on a possible sit-down in the next two days. News of the scrapped meeting plans comes just days after what Trump described as a similarly productive call with Putin on the eve of last Fridays visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. At the time, Trump wrote on Truth Social that great progress was made in his push to end the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict and claimed he would meet with Putin in the Hungarian capital to discuss a peace settlement following a preparatory meeting between Rubio and Lavrov. News comes just days after Donald Trump claimed he would meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest next month (Getty/EPA) The choice of Budapest as a venue had raised questions because it was the same location as a 1994 conference at which Russia pledged not to invade Ukraine in exchange for Kyiv giving up nuclear weapons it had inherited after the fall of the Soviet Union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The venue was also potentially problematic because Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, though the Hungarian government was unlikely to cooperate with the warrant as it is in the process of leaving the court. Earlier in the day, Russia had admitted it has no idea when a highly-anticipated summit between Trump and Putin would take place. The two leaders last met in August in a hastily-arranged summit at Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting ended without any significant diplomatic breakthroughs, and Trump had in recent weeks grown more hawkish towards Russia in his comments about the ongoing war. But last weeks call with Putin and the subsequent sit-down with Zelensky the next day appeared to show Trump backtracking towards the reflexive pro-Russia stance he has taken since returning to office this past January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelensky arrived in Washington with hopes that Trump would authorize the transfer of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles that would allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russian territory. The Ukrainian leader had argued such strikes would help compel Putin to take Trumps calls for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war more seriously. Trump had told reporters traveling with him to Israel on Sunday that he had planned to discuss the Tomahawks with Putin as a way to pressure him to end the war. However, Trump did not authorize transfer of the cruise missiles and Zelensky left Washington empty-handed and has instead pushed for Putin and Zelensky to enact a ceasefire that would lock in the current lines of control after more than three years of war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps position has attracted endorsements from European leaders, including the heads of government from the UK, France, Germany, Ukraine and the European Union, all of which issued a joint statement of support for the presidents plan. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the statement said. At the same time, the European leaders called to ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and defense industry until Putin is ready to make peace and to use the full value of Russias immobilized assets to fund more weapons for Ukraine. SACRAMENTO, California The ongoing government shutdown is leaving federal paychecks and jobs in limbo. Californias smelling a recruitment opportunity. Gov. Gavin Newsoms campaign to recruit former federal workers has yielded a steady stream of job applications since its launch in March, at the peak of the Elon Musk-led job cuts that saw tens of thousands leave the federal workforce. Applications peaked in May at 314 but have largely kept up, numbering 239 in September, according to state data provided to POLITICO. California hiring officials have also created a website and information sessions specifically targeted at former federal workers (they have not, however, run ads in Washington metro stations, like New York.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result is at least dozens of hires, from entry-level staff to high-profile scientists and regulators with decades of federal experience who moved West to preserve their lifes work and lead California departments at the front lines of backfilling federal rollbacks. Now, the state is hoping to further capitalize on that insider experience as this springs deferred resignations start running out and the White House drafts further layoff plans (which a judge paused last week, for now.) The state currently has about 3,000 job postings across all agencies and counties. We are open to federal workers coming into state service, and we've made no secret about that, said California Environmental Protection Secretary Yana Garcia. Garcias agency has stuffed its leadership ranks with former federal workers amid a broad federal rollback of environmental rules, funding and jobs. (By some estimates, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is on track to lose 1 out of 3 workers by early 2026.) Thats been helpful as California reacts to federal attacks on its environmental policies, like Trumps revocation of the states gas-powered vehicle phase-out, said Garcia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's been very helpful to have people who understand very well the reality that other states also face, Garcia said. It allows us to have context across the nation. Californias high-profile hires include Kris Thayer, previously U.S. EPA's director of the chemical and pollution assessment division and now the director of the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment; former U.S. EPA biopesticides division director Madison Le, who joined the Department of Pesticide Regulation as a top deputy in April; former U.S. EPA Region 9 air director Matt Lakin, since August the new California Air Resources Board division chief overseeing air quality, planning and science; and former director of U.S. EPAs offices of transportation and air quality and atmospheric science Chris Grundler, who joined CARB in May as deputy executive officer for mobile sources and incentives. Newsom also appointed Andrew Rakestraw, a former top State Department climate negotiator, to chair the California Board of Environmental Safety, in April. Its not a coincidence the high-profile hires have focused on the environment: Newsom specifically called out federal workers with experience in firefighting, weather forecasting and modeling, natural resources management, medical and mental health and the sciences in his March executive order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to spokespeople, the California Environmental Protection Agency has hired nine former federal workers this year; the California Energy Commission and the Department of Conservation have each hired eight; and the Department of Fish and Wildlife three. Data for other agencies was not immediately available. The former U.S. EPA workers now in state government, who refer to themselves as migrants, have a group chat going and have gathered for happy hour at least once (at the swanky Grange Restaurant & Bar in Sacramento.) Unless you were really part of the federal system and saw the way this unraveled, its really hard to share that with people who weren't part of it, Thayer said in an interview. She left her job after decades of federal service on May 9; three days later, she was in Sacramento. The decision came as she saw strong headwinds for her agency, she said, and her personal life allowed for a cross-country move, which is not a given for federal workers concentrated in and around Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under Trump 2.0, she sees an even greater role for her new state agency, which evaluates public health risks from various contaminants and makes science-based recommendations to regulators. We are certainly looking to increase our coordination between states so that we can really maximize and amplify our work, she said. Absolutely, we're expecting to have to backfill. Since coming to Sacramento, shes also connected former federal coworkers with California openings, with some success, she said. She expects a wave of interest as the deferred resignations thousands of federal workers signed up for this spring come to term. Grundler, an architect of federal clean car rules who spent 42 years at U.S. EPA, came out of retirement in southern France for the California job. He was so eager that he signed a lease for an apartment in Sacramento sight unseen and moved within weeks, he said in an interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was just heartbreaking to watch the systematic dismantling of my and colleagues' life's work, Grundler said. I needed to feel as though I was at least trying to do something, because there's just so much at stake. Hes now brainstorming other ways to bring car pollution down, including possible new incentives or new regulations, though nothing concrete has yet emerged. Hes hoping to use his longtime ties with automakers in Michigan, where he grew up, to keep encouraging electric vehicle sales in the countrys most populous state. I knew it was going to be challenging, but I really didn't have a choice, Grundler said. I have no regrets. Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICOs California Climate newsletter. There are "no plans" for US President Donald Trump to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", a White House official stated on Tuesday. Ukraine, together with the European allies, has called for a ceasefire at the current frontlines of Russias war, seeing it as a starting point for any further negotiations and ultimately any future deal. Kyiv has not changed its stance and has been pushing for this plan since the beginning of the negotiations with Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow's position hasn't changed either. For the Kremlin, a ceasefire is off the table, but Russia still wants a meeting between Putin and Trump in Budapest to take place, two months after their Alaska summit. For Trump, the current contact line is not the first step, but rather a final agreement to put an end to Moscows all-out war, now in its fourth year. After his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Friday, Trump said, "They should stop where they are. Let both claim victory." Trump added that he would meet his Russian counterpart in Budapest, "within two weeks or so, pretty quick". But preparations for the summit might take longer and involve more negotiations. Donald Trump attends a lunch with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. - AP Photo What is the summit timeline? The US president said he wants to carry the momentum of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas towards successfully putting an end to Russias war on Ukraine too. This is why he wanted the meeting with Putin to take place "within two weeks or so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To make this happen, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are set to meet before the presidential summit. Overnight on Tuesday, US media outlets reported that even this first step could be postponed after the first phone call between Lavrov and Rubio, which reportedly demonstrated significant differences in the positions of Moscow and Washington. When asked if the meeting between Rubio and Lavrov is now postponed, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson called it an "information circus". The meeting was reportedly scheduled for Thursday, when the EU leaders are set to meet in Brussels to discuss Ukraine and European defence together with Zelenskyy. Donald Trump meets with European leaders Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. - AP Photo Moscows stance unchanged Lavrov said on Tuesday that during the call with Rubio, the sides confirmed their firm commitment to implement the agreements reached by Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said that at the Alaska summit, Putin assured him that he wants to reach a peace agreement to put an end to his war against Ukraine. Trump's former envoy for Ukraine negotiations told Euronews earlier in October that Putin also promised Trump to meet with Zelenskyy. Ever since, the US president has been trying to organise the direct Moscow-Kyiv talks, but the Kremlin rejected this opportunity in the same way as it has been saying no to a ceasefire. On Tuesday, Lavrov said Moscow has not changed its position since the Alaska summit and the idea of "immediately stopping hostilities means forgetting what Russia calls the root causes of the conflict." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Calls for an immediate ceasefire without addressing the root causes of the 'Ukrainian conflict' contradict the agreements reached by Putin and Trump in Alaska," he added. According to Moscow, the root causes include Ukraine's aspirations to join both the EU and NATO as well as NATO's alleged violation of commitments not to expand eastwards, the Ukrainian government's alleged discrimination against ethnic Russians and what Putin calls the "denazification" of Ukraine. Putin and Russia have used these false arguments to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but failed to provide evidence for any of these allegations. Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov before a news conference with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. - AP Photo Moscow blames Europe European leaders and Zelenskyy issued a joint statement on Tuesday calling for a ceasefire along the current front lines in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force." Sergey Lavrov accused the Europeans of pushing for a ceasefire to resupply Ukraine with weapons, saying this is the only reason why the EU, together with Ukraine, is insisting on a ceasefire deal. Moreover, (French President Emmanuel) Macron said in the past that this ceasefire should be without any preconditions, including, he said publicly, (that) no one would be able to restrict arms supplies to Kyiv, Lavrov said. The cat is out of the bag, and it immediately became clear why this ceasefire was needed." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lavrov also accused the EU of encouraging Kyiv to attack civilian infrastructure and civilians on the territory of Russia, Russia has been continuously attacking Ukrainian civilian infrastructure across Ukraine for over three and a half years since the beginning of Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NOLAN COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) The Nolan County Sheriffs Office is asking for the publics help in locating a man wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Deputies are searching for Logan Hall Watt, who is wanted by the 32nd Judicial District Court on the aggravated assault charge. Officials say Watt lives in Roscoe but is known to frequent the Sweetwater area. Anyone with information about Watts whereabouts is urged to contact Nolan County Crime Stoppers at (325) 235-8477 or the Nolan County Sheriffs Office at (325) 235-5471. A cash reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities warn the public not to approach Watt if he is seen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) Do you have an outstanding teacher that you feel deserves recognition for the contributions theyve made? Well, heres how you can nominate them to be the Commonwealths 2027 Teacher of the Year. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is encouraging Pennsylvanians to nominate the person they feel has been an outstanding educator. The Teacher of the Year program celebrates excellence in teaching and honors those who have made outstanding academic contributions to Pennsylvanias school-aged children. Nominations will be accepted until Dec. 15. Pennsylvania is home to some of the best and brightest educators in the nation, who serve their learners and communities with compassion, integrity, and fidelity, Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe said. The Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year exemplifies what it means to be an excellent educator; to inspire young minds, embrace learners unique potential, and shape the future of our Commonwealth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2027 Teacher of the Year will be announced at an awards ceremony in December 2026 and will represent Pennsylvania at various local, regional, and national functions culminating in the National Teacher of the Year ceremony at the White House. Currently, the finalists for the 2026 Teacher of the Year have been named, and an official winner will be announced on Dec. 8. Among the finalists was a Centre County educator, Elizabeth Troxell, a teacher at Penns Valley Area School District. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. The 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year was Leon Smith, who teaches 9th and 10th-grade students at Haverford Township School in Havertown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. A nonprofit has successfully acquired the funding to purchase and control a large parcel of forestland in Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness, an incredible achievement in conservation. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), the oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the U.S., purchased the 29,000-acre Barnard Forest in Piscataquis County, adding to the 100,000 acres it already controls, Maine Public reported. A $10 million donation from MathWorks, a mathematical computing software company, helped the AMC complete its goal earlier than expected of buying the entirety of the Barnard Forest from the Conservation Fund and the Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protection of the Barnard Forest is crucial because it provides the habitat for a variety of fish, including native brook trout, landlocked smelt, and the spawning grounds for endangered sea-run Atlantic salmon, among its 70 miles of stream corridors, according to the Associated Press. The AMC aims to preserve the area and keep it healthy, but also wants the public to engage with the beautiful landscape. "We will immediately be rebuilding the roads, rebuilding the trails. It will be open to the community for all types of recreation, ranging from hiking to biking to ATVing, for anglers for fishing," AMC president and CEO Nicole Zussman told Maine Public. The AP also reported that the organization's oversight of the forest will focus on restoration forestry, habitat connectivity, and climate adaptation, as well as contribute to forestry and recreation jobs, part of the organization's $8.39 million annual economic impact in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All the benefits being offered by the AMC's ownership of the land show that conservation efforts don't have to be restrictive or punitive and make nature off-limits. Encouraging people to connect with the land is not only good for their mental health, but it also fosters a real appreciation of conservation efforts and why they're needed. It's easy for someone to tell you to "save the trees" or "use less plastic," but for many, seeing is believing, and seeing the power, beauty, wonder, and importance of a place like the Barnard Forest can have an even greater impact. Similar programs have encouraged the same connection around the country. Last year, the Oswit Land Trust bought an area of California's Riverside County near Diamond Valley Lake and San Jacinto Mountain, which is home to several endangered and threatened species. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy also created the South Yellow Mountain Preserve in Mitchell and Avery Counties in North Carolina last year, an area further along the Appalachian Trail with a similar need for protection and engagement. 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. North Carolina's Republican-controlled Senate approved a redrawn congressional map Tuesday, potentially clearing the way for an extra GOP seat in the U.S. House. The state House, which also has a Republican majority, will likely vote to pass the map next week. North Carolina is the latest state to heed President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting mandate in hopes of mitigating the risk of GOP losses in next years midterm elections. "We are doing everything we can to protect President Trumps agenda, which means safeguarding Republican control of Congress," said North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger, a Republican from Rockingham. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic Gov. Josh Stein denounced the Republicans move. Theyre trying to decide for the voters who their congressperson is," Stein said Monday, ahead of the vote. "In this representative democracy, the people choose their representatives it should not be the representatives choosing their people. Redistricting typically happens at the beginning of each decade after a new census, but Texas Republicans redrew their state's electoral map much earlier, in August. In response, California redrew its own map to offset Texas' GOP gains, kicking off a redistricting battle between Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the country. (Californians will vote on the new map next month.) Other states have redrawn their maps since then, including Missouri and Indiana, both of which have Republican-controlled legislatures. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, litigation is still pending in 10 cases involving redrawn congressional maps. Many of these lawsuits argue that the maps are racially discriminatory and violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Supreme Court is also considering a case involving a court-ordered redrawn congressional map in Louisiana, which could determine what role race may legally play in the redistricting process. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Political cartoon by John Cole, 2019 Political cartoon by John Cole, 2019 Theres a strong argument to be made that North Carolina Republicans have, for many years, not been serious about adhering to legal and constitutional norms when it comes to the states elections. In 2016, former state Rep. David Lewis (a man later convicted of multiple felonies) proclaimed on the House floor during a redistricting debate that he and his colleagues had intentionally rigged a new U.S. House map to guarantee a 10-3 Republican majority in a deeply purple state in which Democratic candidates frequently win the most votes only because, Lewis said, he couldnt figure out a way to make the map 11-2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ever since then, GOP leaders have made it plain that winning and accumulating power are all that matters. Any subsequent statements about fair and honest elections were merely a smokescreen designed to provide a crutch for friendly judges overseeing inevitable post-election court cases and/or to con a distracted public. That said, professions of pure motives have remained a regular feature of the Republicans public approach to election law. Common sense and ultimately, a Trump-appointed federal judge confirmed that it was baloney, but even GOP state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin went to extreme lengths earlier this year to at least pay lip service to the notion that his effort to overturn Justice Allison Riggs narrow victory in the November election by tossing thousands of legally cast votes was somehow motivated by a commitment to justice. As has been made clear in recent days, however, this disingenuous game-playing has finally been officially abandoned. As NC Newslines Brandon Kingdollar reported, both state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) made this remarkable fact crystal clear last week when they took to social media to admit that the new U.S. House map GOP legislators intend to pass into law this week is motivated by but one factor: doing the bidding of President Trump. This is from Hall: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat, And this was from Berger (a man who, two decades ago, sponsored bipartisan legislation to turn the states redistricting process over to an independent commission): The #NCGA is ready to help Republicans secure Congress and move @realDonaldTrumps agenda forward! Berger wrote in a statement on social media after the maps release Thursday. Its important that North Carolinians grasp the substance and significance of these statements and the dramatic and deeply troubling sea change they represent in how laws are being made in our state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two of the most important elected leaders in North Carolina have now publicly admitted that they are willfully and quite cheerfully trashing one of the most fundamental premises of representative government the idea that the composition of a legislative body should at least do a reasonable job of representing the voters who elected it in favor of a crude and blatant power grab. This represents a stunning new low in the Republican-led march toward autocracy. Sure, theres nothing new about gerrymandering. Both parties have engaged in it regularly down through the years often disguised in hypocritical pretenses but never in such a blatant, crude and overtly anti-democratic way. GOP defenders may try to claim that Berger and Halls overt bragging about their actions and motives is somehow refreshingly honest, but that ignores the way it degrades our democracy. When our leaders stop even pretending that they are motivated by anything other than raw power, longstanding fundamental premises of democratic government and fair play are relegated to very thin ice indeed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And of course, the statements themselves represent an outrageous perversion of how representative government is supposed to work. Earth to Sen. Berger and Rep. Hall: the composition of Congress has nothing at all to do with who happens to sit in the White House. And even if it somehow did, the fact that Donald Trump eked out 50.8% of the vote in last years North Carolina presidential contest hardly represents a clear mandate. To the contrary, last years election represents but the latest in a long line of races in which North Carolinians have repeatedly shown themselves to be a closely divided lot that leans toward a desire for political dialogue and compromise, not Trumps ongoing radical assault on the national social contract. Tragically, at this point, theres little if anything North Carolinians can do to resist this latest assault on their democracy. State law gives the General Assembly virtual carte blanche to rig electoral maps without the Governors approval, and Republican judges have repeatedly rubberstamped such schemes. As noted in this space a couple months back, the best hope for both our state and nation is that those who reject this latest perversion will eventually win enough elections so that theyre able to overturn it and, at last, usher in a system of independent and lawful redistricting. One prays that the decision of Republicans to stop pretending about who they are and what theyre up to will ultimately help abet the process. Scientists with the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center survey prairie potholes in Wells County, North Dakota, in 2023. The center is facing federal staff cuts. (Photo courtesy of Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center) A federally funded wildlife research center in North Dakota has been targeted for layoffs, putting its survival in question. The Interior Department plans to cut 28 of the 40 positions at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, a court document indicates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Bradley, executive director of the North Dakota Wildlife Federation, and Gary Krapu, a retired researcher who still has an office at the research center, said only 29 positions are currently filled. Twenty-eight of those are on the chopping block, Bradley said. The cuts would be part of more than 2,000 Interior Department layoffs nationwide, though a court ruling has stalled the plan. The department announced Monday it will pause the layoffs after a federal judge expanded a temporary restraining order. The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center first opened in 1965, focusing on migratory waterfowl. It has expanded into areas such as managing grasslands, wolf recovery and saving pollinators. David Steele serves on the City Council in Jamestown, where he also taught science and has gotten to know the researchers whose work has had international reach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The collaboration that has taken place over all these years, and then just throw it all out the window thats a huge loss, not only to our community, but to our country, Steele said Tuesday. The center is based in Jamestown but conducts research across the northern Great Plains with outposts in St. Paul and Ely, Minnesota; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Hot Springs, South Dakota. Steele said he hopes the center can stay open, but the job cuts will be hard on Jamestown, with spouses and families likely leaving along with researchers. That kind of economic impact for our community would be a jolt, he said. Apparently, science isnt important anymore. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center at Jamestown, North Dakota. (Photo by U.S. Geological Survey) The Jamestown City Council passed a resolution of support for the research center this summer after a budget cut was recommended in May by the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An email response from Robert Gleason, director of the wildlife research center, said he is prohibited from working during the federal government shutdown, including returning phone calls and emails. The center is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, which falls under the Department of the Interior. Krapu has been working voluntarily since his retirement in 2012. His hope is that a core group of scientists could keep the center going. It would be a huge loss for anyone with an interest in birds or hunting or farm conservation, Krapu said. Duck hunting season is open in North Dakota, with research from the center helping contribute to regulations and preserving habitat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the hunter that is chasing ducks right now, the research center has helped them, whether they know it or not, Bradley said. Reach Deputy Editor Jeff Beach at jbeach@northdakotamonitor.com. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A North Shore man is charged with attacking a man who was wearing a President Donald Trump inflatable at a No Kings rally. It happened on Saturday in Swampscott on the sidewalk along Kings Beach. Cell phone video shows the suspect, identified as Michael Curll, kicking, pushing, and grabbing the man in the costume. Jonathan Silveira told Boston 25 News he showed up in the inflatable holding an American flag to display his support for the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Silveira insisted he was not looking for a physical fight. I just wanted to get Trump out there and show him he has some support, said Silveira. I was saying, I love Donald Trump. Go Trump. Swampscott Police said Curll ran up from behind and assaulted Silveira. Curll uses his right leg to hook around Silveiras legs, causing him to fall forward, said a police report. Curll then re-engages, wrapping his arms around Silveiras neck and jumping up. The costume was really tight. I couldnt really move in the thing, said Silveira. I felt the pressure on my side. He pushed after he kicked, and I just fell to the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Silveiras girlfriend, who captured the footage, also recorded police arresting Curll shortly thereafter. By the time I got the costume off, he was already with the police talking to them, saying I hit him with a pole, explained Silveira. Silveira denies hitting Curll with the flagpole he was holding. He said he will continue displaying his loyalty for President Trump unapologetically, even if others may not like it. Curll pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on Monday. He was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court in December for a pre-trial hearing. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, speaks on the Senate floor, Feb, 4, 2025. (LRC Public Information) A Northern Kentucky Republican is renewing his push to limit pardon powers of Kentucky governors around election time. Some of his colleagues agreed with him in a committee hearing on the legislation Tuesday. Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, told lawmakers on the Interim Joint State Government Committee that the upcoming 2026 legislative session would mark the seventh time hes filed a bill for a constitutional amendment to limit gubernatorial pardon powers. McDaniel filed the bill earlier this year and it gained passage in the Senate, but stalled in the House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McDaniel has been championing such legislation since former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin issued a flurry of pardons to people convicted of crimes including rape, murder and child abuse in 2019 after losing the election to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. What we found in 2019 is the power to pardon is unlimited in the commonwealth of Kentucky, and it rests solely with one person, and that is the governor, McDaniel said. The latest proposal from McDaniel factors in the addition of early voting in Kentucky. He is proposing that from 60 days before a general election for governor through the new governors swearing-in, there would be no power to pardon. The intent with this is so that either the governor who issued a pardon or his party would have to stand in front of voters and account for any pardons that were issued, McDaniel told the committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several Republicans on the committee expressed support for McDaniels proposal. If it makes it through the General Assembly next year, Kentucky voters could approve or reject the change to the Constitution in the 2026 November election. Because it still has the constitutional intent, it still gives the governor his powers, it doesnt take it away, it just makes some common sense on the timing and the change that is needed, said Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville. Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester, said residents in his district have told him overwhelmingly they are in favor of the proposal. I think it is certainly time, and my hope is that we can move this forward this year, said Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, and chairman of the Houses State Government Committee. The Kentucky General Assembly returns to Frankfort for the 2026 legislative session in January. Electricity pylons (Photo by Getty Images). Energy watchdogs say NorthWestern Energy needs to stop hiding information about data centers from the public, and it needs to acknowledge the Public Service Commission is more than a rubber stamp. Earthjustice sent two letters, dated Oct. 15 and 17, to the Public Service Commission on behalf of the Montana Environmental Information Center, Honor the Earth, and NW Energy Coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The groups allege NorthWestern is moving forward on agreements with data centers without required approval from the PSC and in violation of Montana law. The utility said it doesnt believe its flouting the law. NorthWestern Energy has announced plans to serve at least three, and as many as five, data centers, with a total load of nearly 1,175 MW in the next few years, reaching 2,250 MW by 2030, said one letter, citing various public reports from the utility. The groups estimate NorthWesterns daily average load could double as a result. The planned data centers have sparked controversy in Montana, with some business interests arguing they will spur economic opportunities in the state, but customer advocates and energy watchdogs arguing the benefit isnt worth the cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an email to the Daily Montanan on Monday, NorthWestern Energy spokesperson Jo Dee Black said the company should be able to help Montana benefit from the trend. Montana should not be left behind from benefiting from the growing data center industry, Black said. NorthWestern Energy is committed to supporting this economic opportunity through reliable energy service, strategic investment, and collaboration. In December 2024, NorthWestern Energy started touting plans to supply electricity to data centers, but it hasnt complied with the Public Service Commissions attempts to obtain information about the deals, the watchdogs allege in recent letters from Earthjustice. Nearly one year later, NorthWestern is still stonewalling and defying this Commissions regulatory authority, said one of the letters, dated Oct. 15, to the Public Service Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, the PSC itself requested copies of all letters of intent, contracts, agreements and other information related to NorthWesterns news releases about data centers; its evaluation methods for deciding whether service to those centers would hurt other customers; and other information. Across the country, data centers are projected to push up electricity bills 8% in the next five years and as much as 25% in Virginia, said the second letter from Earthjustice, dated Oct. 17. In its own letter to the Public Service Commission, NorthWestern said it will provide documents, but argues it must do so under a protective order to ensure appropriate confidentiality. It said some of the information the PSC wants, such as modeling approaches, are still being developed. But the states largest public utility said it disagrees that its violating PSC oversight laws by moving forward with data centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montana law states that a public utility can provide service to a large retail customer if the customer shows that service wont adversely impact other customers over the long term as determined by the commission. (NorthWesterns position is that the law doesnt apply to new customers, just to ones that existed in 2007, when the law passed, although the PSC said the utilitys interpretation doesnt align with definitions in state law.) NorthWestern Energys request to file information under a protective order which would make it available to the PSC but keep it from public view is pending before the Public Service Commission. However, in one recent letter, the groups represented by Earthjustice urged the PSC to deny NorthWesterns motion, arguing it is severely deficient and fails to provide any description of the information it is shielding from public view. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also fails to provide an adequate explanation of why such information is confidential or subject to trade secret protections, the first letter said. In the second, 16-page letter, the groups outline the risks they believe existing ratepayers will face if NorthWestern provides service to large load data centers and advocate for the creation of a customer class specific to data centers. The groups also underscore the Public Service Commissions statutory obligation to ensure that NorthWestern proves no adverse impact on existing ratepayers before agreeing to provide service to large load customers. The letter said a growing body of evidence shows that without proper regulation, customers are at risk of increases to their electricity bills from data centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Citing Harvard Law experts, the letter said negotiated rates between utilities and data centers charged through special contracts risk cost recovery shortfalls that all other ratepayers have to later subsidize through higher bills. It said Duke Energy, based in North Carolina, planned to shift $325 million in energy costs supplying a data center to existing ratepayers, but that information was only discovered in litigation. In the normal course, private contracts between a utility and new large-load customers may never receive scrutiny to ensure ratepayers are protected, the letter said. The letter said new research also shows utilities need to invest in costly transmission upgrades to supply data centers, and in other jurisdictions, those costs are already plaguing retail customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bills for customers of PJM, which serves 13 states in the east and the District of Columbia, already have increased unreasonably because the costs of data centers have been spread over all customers, not allocated to the class responsible for the costs, the letter said. The combined results of this cost-shifting has been dramatic in regions already experiencing data center growth, the letter said. The Associated Press reported that the PJMs market watchdog calculated that 70% or $9.3 billion of increased electricity cost over the past year was caused by data center demand. In an email Monday, NorthWestern Energy spokesperson Black said new customers will pay their share of the integration and services they require. In the letter from Earthjustice, the groups said NorthWesterns decision to work on contracts before the Commission had even figured out if existing ratepayers were going to be harmed flies in face of the plain language of the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NorthWestern, however, said in the next couple of months it plans to file a large load tariff that will provide a venue for the PSC and stakeholders to discuss the impacts of data centers and establish a transparent process for evaluating service contracts. Our goal is to ensure that all interested parties have a clear and consistent framework for addressing these critical issues, while continuing to support Montanas economic development and protecting existing customers, NorthWestern said in its September letter to the PSC. It said it plans to file letters of intent under a protective order still pending before the PSC. It said it does not have contracts with any companies its mentioned in press releases yet but is working on agreements and will share them. It said its plan to file that large load proceeding and submit customer contracts for Commission review likely mitigates our difference of interpretation (of the law) and provides a constructive path forward. MEIC to PSC Oct. 17 2025 NORWICH - A local business owner is facing larceny and tax evasion charges for failing to pay more than $130,000 in taxes, according to the warrant for his arrest. Michael D. Grillo, 31, of Norwich, was charged with first-degree larceny, failing to file tax returns and violating state income tax requirements Sept. 26, following a monthslong state Department of Revenue Services investigation, the warrant says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation began with an October 2024 referral to the Department of Revenue Services' Criminal Investigation Division, alleging Grillo's company - The M&M Group LLC - owed state withholding and sales and use taxes and was operating without a valid permit. Grillo's dealings with the DRS, however, dated back further. The warrant for his arrest says The M&M Group LLC was granted a sales and use permit in 2022, but it was revoked after Grillo failed to appear for an April 2024 hearing to address his business' "deficiencies." While postal tracking data showed a notice of the hearing had been delivered, the warrant says Grillo later told a DRS agent that he had not been aware of the hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following his failure to appear at the hearing, the warrant says a suspension was served on The M&M Group LLC in May 2024. In June 2024, the warrant says Grillo contacted the DRS and claimed to have filed his sales and use tax returns. Grillo stated that he switched payroll companies a few years prior and received paper copies of what had been filed, but did not know how the payroll company actually filed the returns, according to the warrant. In August 2024, the warrant says a DRS agent spoke to Grillo about the suspension of his license to operate The M&M Group LLC, as well as a possible criminal referral. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A short time after that, the warrant says Grillo filed all missing sales and use tax returns. He told the DRS he was working on getting withholding tax information from PayChex and would not operate his business until that was sorted out, according to the warrant. On Sept. 30, 2024, the warrant says Grillo was found to have "not complied with the Department of Revenue Services, as promised" and the matter was referred to the agency's criminal investigation division. During an interview with a DRS special agent in February 2025, the warrant says Grillo provided some background on his company - how he registered the business as M&M in 2017-18, partnered with another company in 2019 and then restarted as The M&M Group LLC in 2021-22 as sole owner. The warrant says Grillo told the agent he originally used QuickBooks for his financial records and mistakenly thought his sales taxes were being automatically filed and paid, but had "since caught up on filings based on QuickBooks reports and last operated in October 2024." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked about his withholding tax and complaints from employees, who claimed to have not received W-2 forms from him, the warrant says Grillo told the agent his current payroll service provider, PayChex, had promised verification but never provided it. Grillo further stated that PayChex had stopped communicating with him because he owed the company money, according to the warrant. When the DRS agent informed him that PayChex had not filed his required taxes, the warrant says Grillo suggested that they might have been filed under an incorrect business number. Grillo told the agent he filed income taxes from 2014 to 2017 and whenever he earned W-2 income, but said he did not get a W-2 from his business, according to the warrant, which says he also claimed to have not taken any money from his business. The warrant says an audit of withholding records and yearly W-3 reconciliation tax forms filed for The M&M Group LLC revealed the company owed more than $132,000 in withholding and sales and use taxes to the state of Connecticut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between 2022 and 2024, the warrant says M&M Group LLC withheld nearly $98,000 in employee taxes and reported about $34,490 in sales and use taxes, but failed to remit either to the state as required by law. The warrant says investigators also discovered that Grillo didn't file income tax returns for 2022, 2023 or 2024, even though he resided in Connecticut and his company reportedly provided a total of more than $540,000 in labor and services during those three years. Grillo was taken into custody Sept. 26, and charged with one count of first-degree larceny, 23 counts of failing to file sales/use tax returns and 10 counts of violating state income tax requirements. The larceny offense is a class B felony and the tax-related charges are class A misdemeanors. Court records show he was released on a $25,000 nonsurety bond and has a plea hearing at state Superior Court in Norwich scheduled for Nov. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grillo previously was accused of issuing bad checks to employees that later were cashed at a New London check-cashing business, according to a 2021 Norwich Bulletin article. Grillo was a Norwich City Council candidate at the time and the criminal charges against him later were dismissed, according to the Bulletin. This article originally published at Norwich business owner faces larceny, tax charges over $130K in unpaid taxes, warrant says. In Haverhill, residents and educators say city leaders are silent on controversies impacting people across the city. Heavy criticism first started surrounding the police department and its leadership, and now, its safety concerns within the public schools. Mayor Melinda Barrett previously told Boston 25 News shed prefer to give updates via statements, but with the recent surge of community concern, our crews approached Mayor Barrett once again for answers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crews were told she was off-site. Last week, an independent investigation was launched into Haverhills police department after several changes in leadership within just three days. Independent investigation launched into Haverhill Police Department amid leadership turmoil That came after the death of a man in police custody over the summer and the unexpected passing of one of their officers in September. Law enforcement and security expert Todd McGhee told Boston 25 News it could be months before answers are delivered. I would imagine this would maybe take a few months just to try and get everybody thoroughly interviewed and a final written report that would be submitted to the mayor, said McGhee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boston 25 News contacted city councilors and the superintendent of public schools. We are waiting to hear back. 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 Paul Ingrassias nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel is dead on arrival in the Senate, per Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who declared Monday night that hes not going to pass after Politico reported on racist text messages allegedly sent by Ingrassia to a group chat. Ingrassia is set to appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday for his confirmation hearing, and at least one Republican senator on the panel is already planning to vote against advancing Ingrassias nomination. No, I do not support him, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Monday night. If every Democrat on the committee opposes Ingrassia, and Scott joins them, that would be enough to block the nomination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked if the White House should pull Ingrassias nomination, Thune told reporters, I hope so, and chuckled before adding, Hes not going to pass. President Donald Trump nominated Ingrassia in May to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency tasked with protecting federal whistleblowers and enforcing civil service laws. CNNs KFile has previously reported on Ingrassias history of racist invective and conspiratorial rants, as well his claims that straight White men are the most intelligent demographic group. His nomination has drawn scrutiny over his past promotion of conspiracy theories and tweets from his podcast that included calls for martial law following Trumps 2020 election loss and harsh anti-Israel rhetoric aimed at the GOP. Ingrassia has also been scrutinized for his ties to Nick Fuentes, a noted White nationalist and Holocaust denier, as well as his defense of Fuentes ability to post on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Senate Homeland Security Chairman Rand Paul would not say if hed oppose Ingrassia, but he noted that the administration will have to decide if it is comfortable with Ingrassias nomination moving forward. I think that ultimately, there are a lot of questions on the nomination that the White House has to make a determination whether they think his nomination can get through, and were going to wait and hear from them what their thoughts are, whether theyve talked to all the Republican members, and whether they think they have the votes, Paul told reporters. Other GOP senators refused to say if theyd back Ingrassia and said they want to hear from him on Thursday. It sounds like theres new information out tonight, I havent seen, said Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley. Im sure we will welcome the opportunity to have his hearing on Thursday and respond to folks questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio added that he hasnt delved into it yet, but he imagined theyd learn more on Thursday, and Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said hed like to speak with Ingrassia again, noting there are plenty of questions after the text messages came to light. I want to be able to talk to him about it. The text messages in question, obtained by Politico, allegedly included Ingrassia saying he has a Nazi streak, and arguing that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs. Ingrassias lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, wouldnt confirm to Politico if the texts were authentic and suggested the messages were making fun of liberals. Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis, he said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi. In a later statement to Politico, Paltzik said, In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages. CNNs Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck and Kit Maher contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NASA may sideline SpaceX and choose a different company to land its astronauts on the moon later this decade, acting space agency chief Sean Duffy suggested during TV appearances Monday. Duffy emphasized that he believes SpaceX, which has a $2.9 billion contract to provide the lunar lander astronauts would ride to the moons surface, is lagging behind schedule, potentially thwarting NASAs efforts to return humans to the moon before China amid a new space race. They push their timelines out, and were in a race against China, Duffy told CNBCs Squawk Box on Monday morning, referring to SpaceXs development of Starship the vehicle the company plans to use as a lunar lander for NASA. So, Im going to open up the contract. Im going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If NASA were to cancel or amend its contract with SpaceX, it could signal a remarkable reversal of a plan the space agency has had in place since 2021. Thats when NASA chose Starship which is still in the early stages of development and has racked up three in-flight failures and a couple successful suborbital test flights so far in 2025 to serve as lunar lander during the historic moon landing mission, called Artemis III. Duffys remarks on Monday come as that 2021 decision is facing new scrutiny from space industry leaders who are concerned that the logistics involved with using SpaceXs Starship are too complex and may cause NASA to lose the new moon race, as CNN previously reported. The Artemis III moon-landing mission is currently set to take place as soon as mid-2027. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment on Duffys remarks. What could happen next The exact timeline for NASA to potentially alter its deal with SpaceX or bring on a new contractor was not immediately clear. In a separate interview on Monday with Fox News Fox & Friends, Duffy said hes in the process of opening that contract up, referring to the Artemis lunar lander agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NASA already has two different companies contracted to provide lunar landers: SpaceX with its Starship vehicle, and Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, which is developing a lander called Blue Moon. It is Starship, however, that is slated to fly the Artemis III mission in 2027, which would mark the first time astronauts have set foot on the lunar surface since the Apollo program concluded five decades ago. (Blue Origin, which received its NASA contract in 2023, is looking to use Blue Moon to complete Artemis missions later in the program, such as Artemis V.) In a statement, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens said that the space agency gave SpaceX and Blue Origin until October 29 to present acceleration approaches for lunar lander development. NASA is also going to request plans from the entire commercial space industry - through an RFI (or Request for Information) - for how NASA can increase the cadence of our mission to the Moon, the statement reads. President Trump and Secretary Duffy have a mission to beat China back to the Moon. Thats why they are harnessing the power of the American space industry and seeking solutions to develop more ways to land on the Moon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The timeline of Artemis III has been the focus of hawkish lawmakers concerned that the landing will not occur before taikonauts or Chinese astronauts reach the moon. China has said it will accomplish that feat by 2030. In his remarks to CNBC, Duffy suggested it could be Blue Origin that takes over SpaceXs position in the Artemis III mission. In response to CNNs request for comment regarding Duffys remarks, Blue Origin said only that it is ready to support. However, Duffy also warned that NASA may opt to open up the competition more broadly to providers that do not yet have contracts. If SpaceX is behind, but Blue Origin can do it before them, good on Blue Origin, Duffy said. But were not going to wait for one company. Were going to push this forward and win the second space race against the Chinese. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its unclear if NASAs plans to issue a RFI will result in any new companies securing contracts. In government contracting parlance, RFIs are typically considered part of an informal fact-finding process whereas Requests for Proposals, or RFPs, are a more formal solicitation. Space industry experts have expressed concerns about the timelines for both SpaceXs Starship and Blue Origins Blue Moon, noting that the vehicles are complex and may need to be refueled in orbit. In-orbit refueling has never been attempted, the experts noted, and lunar landers requiring such a step could require prohibitively long development timelines. Its not clear what other US companies may be in a position to join SpaceX and Blue Origin in competing for NASA Artemis contracts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dynetics, an aerospace company based in Alabama, was among the companies that originally bid for a lunar lander contract alongside Blue Origin and SpaceX. Dynetics did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Monday. Editors Note: This story has been updated with additional details. Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com UPDATE: Trumps pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel withdrew himself from consideration after his racist texts in a Republican group chat leaked. Paul Ingrassia announced the move in a post to Truth Social, noting that he does not have enough Republican votes at this time. I appreciate the overwhelming support I have recieved throughout this process and will continue to serve President Trump and this administration, he wrote. Paul Ingrassia has withdrawn from his upcoming confirmation hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel pic.twitter.com/e9dBpXTdn1 Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 21, 2025 Original story continues below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nomination of Donald Trumps pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel is teetering on the brink thanks to newly leaked text messages full of racist remarks. In a group chat with Republican operatives, Paul Ingrassia boasted of having a Nazi streak and said that celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell, per a report from Politico. The 30-year-old former podcast host, who currently serves as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, was already facing scrutiny for a separate harassment investigation earlier this year. In the texts shared by Politico, Ingrassia used an Italian-American slur for Black people while saying no federal holidays celebrating Black people or traditions should be allowed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From kwanza to mlk jr day to black history month [sic] to Juneteenthevery single one needs to be eviscerated, he wrote. In other messages, he claimed that Blacks behave that way because thats their natural state and that the founding fathers were wrong that all men are created equal. Ingrassias lawyer, Edward Paltzik, has disputed the authenticity of the texts in a statement to Politico. Even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor, he wrote. The fallout from the report has been swift, with several Republican senators signaling they will vote against confirmation and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., urging the White House to withdraw the nomination altogether. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes not gonna pass, Thune told reporters Monday. At least three GOP senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Lankford of Oklahoma have signaled that they will oppose Ingrassia. With Democrats united against him, losing even a handful of Republican votes would doom Ingrassias nomination. Im not supporting him, Scott shared. I cant imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. Its wrong. Start your day with essential news from Salon. Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course. This is the second leaked text scandal that the GOP has been embroiled in in recent weeks. Racist texts from a Young Republicans group chat were unveiled earlier this month. Those text chains also featured racial epithets for Black people as well as jokes about the Holocaust. The National Young Republican Federation issued a statement saying it was appalled by the vile and inexcusable language. The post Ingrassia withdraws from nomination after racist texts spook Republican senators appeared first on Salon.com. By Dan Levine and Chad Terhune (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk, which lobbied to win Medicaid reimbursement for its obesity drug Wegovy, is fighting to keep that coverage as some U.S. states struggle with the treatment's costs, according to state documents, company emails and interviews with lawmakers and advocates. Novo's lobbying efforts helped to convince 14 U.S. states to cover Wegovy for low-income patients under their Medicaid health insurance programs. The Danish drugmaker argued that governments would save money on healthcare as more Americans lose weight and reduce their risk of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, several states found their spending surged due to Wegovy's cost and widespread demand. California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Connecticut have said they'll cut weight-loss drug coverage or seek to scale it back. "There are almost 4 in 10 adults in Medicaid with obesity so any changes in access to these drugs could potentially result in sizable financial impacts," said Liz Williams, a senior policy manager at nonprofit KFF's Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Medicaid and other public-funded programs account for most U.S. coverage of weight-loss drugs. Any pullback poses risks for Novo, which has lost its lead in the obesity market to rival Eli Lilly, ousted its chief executive and cut sales projections due to lower U.S. growth. It also means that fewer Americans will have access to highly effective weight-loss treatments. In response, Novo has mobilized a wide array of community groups and health professionals to argue on its behalf, Reuters reporting showed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Novo Nordisk has publicly and openly advocated for our health care system to understand that obesity is a serious, chronic, treatable disease," the company said in a statement to Reuters, when asked about its work with advocates. "Patients deserve affordable access to the full continuum of care, including coverage by their insurance plans." MAKING A CASE IN CALIFORNIA The community groups include the Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention, which has worked closely with Novo to protect Medicaid and other public insurance coverage, the Washington-based nonprofit told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed this year cutting weight-loss coverage, Millicent Gorham, chief executive of the Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention, urged him and state lawmakers to reconsider. California Medicaid was one of the first to cover Wegovy, spending nearly $1 billion before rebates on more than 720,000 prescriptions from 2022 through the end of 2024, according to a Reuters tally of federal data. "California is going to pay either way - either by paying to treat the chronic disease now or by paying for the consequences later," Gorham wrote in letters to Newsom and state lawmakers in May, posted on the Alliance's website. Damon Davis, an associate director in public affairs for Novo, emailed other advocacy groups a week later and included Gorham's letter as an example to follow, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. "The urgent need for Medicaid advocacy to continue obesity management medication coverage in California continues," Davis wrote in his email. Reuters was unable to determine which advocacy groups received the email. Davis didn't respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gorham is not giving up hope of reversing California's decision to end weight-loss drug coverage in January 2026. "We are all working together to get this across the line," she said in an interview. "We're going to keep fighting." Novo and Lilly are listed online as members of the Alliance's corporate roundtable. Gorham declined to say how much the drugmakers have donated and told Reuters she lobbied state officials on her own volition. The companies didn't respond to questions about their donations. AN OBESITY SOCIETY FOUNDED BY NOVO STAFF In some cases, Novo's ties to supporters are less visible. The North Carolina Obesity Society is a leading opponent of ending Medicaid weight-loss coverage in the state. The organization was incorporated by two Novo employees last year, state documents show, though its website doesn't mention their role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two Novo employees, Natalie Bovino and Carrie Royer, worked as health educators for the company. They told Reuters they formed the group in their spare time. "This was our passion project," Bovino said. "It's really sad for these people on Medicaid to lose coverage. It makes me sick." Bovino and Royer said their supervisors at Novo told them they couldn't hold any official role in the organization or serve on the board, both potential conflicts of interest. The obesity society "was in no way affiliated or in partnership with Novo Nordisk," Royer said. "Sometimes someone just has to have the idea." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emily Weaver, a nurse practitioner and a board member of the society, said the group acts independently and does not "bolster or build up any one drug or any company." She told Reuters that Novo is a gold-level donor, contributing at least $10,000. Lilly is a platinum donor, which starts at $15,000. In a statement to Reuters, Novo said it openly engages in "advocacy, lobbying, and working with others" to support access to weight-loss drugs. "Our business practices fully comply with applicable law and reflect our unwavering commitment to ethical business conduct." Novo didn't respond to questions about state-specific lobbying and coverage decisions. Lilly said it is working with Medicaid programs on access to obesity medications and also supports nonprofit organizations in their advocacy for more widespread obesity care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Expectations regarding company lobbying can differ by country. In Britain, a pharma industry group reprimanded Novo for failing to disclose funding for weight-management courses that promoted its older drug, Saxenda. U.S. laws require that lobbyists disclose their work for specific companies and that drugmakers make public any payments to medical professionals for consulting, speeches, travel and meals. However, pharma companies are not required to spell out their funding for U.S. advocacy groups that promote their medicines, obscuring the influence they may wield on policy decisions, said Alan Sager, a health policy professor at Boston University. "They're thinking about their financial well-being, not our medical well-being nor our ability to afford healthcare, Sager said. MAKE IT AFFORDABLE, CRITICS SAY Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With nearly 100 million Americans living with obesity, Novo and Lilly could still benefit even by charging far less for their treatments, which carry a monthly list price above $1,000, their critics say. That would allow more governments and private health plans to cover it. U.S Senator Bernie Sanders has accused Novo of "price gouging," citing a Yale University study that estimates the new weight-loss drugs could still yield a profit if sold for about $5 per month. "As important as these drugs are, they will not do any good for the millions of patients who cannot afford them," Sanders wrote in a July 2024 opinion piece. President Donald Trump has since vowed to lower the price of Novo's weight-loss drug in negotiations with the federal government. Novo said the Yale study was "misleading and an oversimplification" about the costs of launching a new medication. U.S. patients with insurance often pay $25 or less for a month's supply of Wegovy, while those without coverage can pay $499 out of pocket, Novo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon fewer patients will be able to use the drugs. California's budget, passed in June, rescinds all Medicaid coverage for these GLP-1 weight-loss treatments to save an estimated $85 million in the coming year and nearly $700 million by 2029. North Carolina officials cut Medicaid coverage for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs effective Oct. 1. One legislative estimate said the move could save up to $30 million over the next two years. And Connecticut officials are restricting their use to people with another health condition in addition to obesity, aiming to save about $45 million over the next two fiscal years. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania is considering limiting their use to patients with more severe obesity after spending $650 million on GLP-1 drugs last year for diabetes and weight loss. That amount is projected by state officials to double this year. Novo is bracing for further cuts under Trump's plan to slash $1 trillion from Medicaid over 10 years. Davis, the Novo official, emailed advocacy groups in July seeking "significant activation" to oppose cuts to state employee coverage for weight-loss drugs in Massachusetts, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue, Davis wrote, "may also arise in additional states as they try to make up funds that will be lost." CHRIS CHRISTIE MAKES AN APPEARANCE Novo's lobbying to state Medicaid plans began soon after U.S. regulators approved Wegovy in 2021. Among its first moves, the company hired Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor and Republican presidential candidate, according to a lawsuit by a former in-house Novo lobbyist. Christie urged advisors to Arizona's Republican governor at the time to consider covering the drug for 34,000 state employees in a phone conversation that year, the lawsuit said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He was animated as to its value and saw this as a huge step in improving healthcare in a larger way," one of those advisors, Andy Tobin, said in an interview. Ultimately, Tobin said Novo did not have enough data about potential savings to justify the expense. Arizona did not extend coverage. Christie did not publicly report being hired by Novo to influence officials in Arizona. Karl Rickett, a spokesman for Christie, said the former governor's firm "provided Novo Nordisk with strategic advisory services that did not require registration" with state ethics officials. Novo had better luck in other states. Christy Davis, a Mississippi nurse practitioner who treats people with obesity, pleaded with lawmakers there in December 2022. All patients, including those on Medicaid, deserve access to proven treatments for obesity, including medications, counseling and surgery, she said. "The cost of obesity is killing us as a state financially and literally," Davis told legislators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Davis did not tell lawmakers that she received nearly $50,000 from Novo that same year in speaking fees and travel expenses to promote the company's obesity drugs. She said that the omission was her mistake in an interview with Reuters. Members of the state Senate panel didn't respond to requests for comment. Davis did mention her role as a Novo-paid speaker at a subsequent legislative hearing in 2023. Mississippi, which has one of the highest rates of obesity in the country, has made Wegovy available to Medicaid recipients since July 2023. As of December 2024, only 3,299 adult Medicaid beneficiaries had started on a GLP-1 weight-loss drug, according to a recent state report. (Reporting by Chad Terhune and Dan Levine; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Daniel Flynn) The 21st Congressional District race is on the radar of Democratic donors across the nation. Blake Gendebien, one Democratic candidate, received contributions from 37 states and the District of Columbia in the third quarter, and Dyllan Hewitt, the other Democratic candidate, from 15 states and the District of Columbia, according to new campaign finance reports the campaigns filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. Gendebien, a farmer from Lisbon, in St. Lawrence County, raised $375,197 in the third quarter, bringing his total raised in the campaign cycle to $3.89 million, as of Sept. 30. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hewitt, a former White House trade adviser from South Glens Falls, raised $135,262 in the third quarter, bringing his total raised in the campaign cycle so far to $248,572. Gendebien and Hewitt are expected to face off in a June primary for the Democratic nomination. Warren County Democratic Chairwoman Lynne Boecher has said she would not be surprised if other Democrats enter the race in the coming months. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, has been laying groundwork for an expected run for governor. She has said that she will announce whether she will run for governor after the November local and county elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warren County Republican Chairman Tim McNulty has said that potential Republican candidates will not reveal their intentions until after Stefaniks announcement. Gendebien raised $98,841 in so-called small dollar un-itemized contributions of $100 or less in the quarter 26.3 % of his total contributions. Hewitt raised $29,631 in small-dollar contributions in the quarter 21.9% of his total contributions. The amount and percentage of small-dollar contributions are widely seen as indicators of grass-roots support. Gendebien received 71 contributions of $1,000 or more each from individuals during the quarter, for a total of $131,115. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hewitt received 32 contributions of $1,000 per more each during the quarter, for a total of $89,000. The political action committee of Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-MD, contributed $2,800 to Gendebiens campaign. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers contributed $2,500 during the quarter, bringing the unions total contributions to Gendebien during the election cycle to $5,000. Beth Geer, chief of staff to former Vice President Al Gore contributed $500 to Hewitts campaign, and Lona Valmoro, senior advisor to former U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, $250. Matthew Putorti, a Democratic primary candidate in the 21st District in 2022, contributed $500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes contributed $7,000, the maximum allowed, to Hewitts campaign. Gendebien spent $251,300 on his campaign in the third quarter, bringing total spending so far in the campaign cycle to $1.85 million. Hewitt spent $8,597 on his campaign in the third quarter, bringing total spending to $110,005 so far in the campaign cycle. Gendebien had $2.08 million in his campaign fund, as of Sept. 30, and Hewitt $137,567. Republican Anthony Constantino, who is self-funding his campaign, spent $355,391 in the third quarter, even though he has not yet declared his candidacy in 2026. He has said he will consider running if Stefanik runs for governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Constantino, a businessman from Amsterdam, personally loaned his campaign $2.5 million in November, and has not received any campaign contributions. He had $429,769 in his campaign fund, as of Sept. 30. Stefanik raised $1.58 million in her congressional campaign fund in the third quarter, bringing total contributions so far this election cycle to $4.78 million, as of Sept. 30. Stefanik spent $677,116 during the quarter, bringing total spending so far this election cycle to $1.98 million. Stefanik had $1.09 million in her campaign fund, as of Sept. 30. NEW YORK (PIX11) Even with a student loan payment forgiveness plan put into place by New York City over the summer, the state still finds itself near the top of the list for the highest monthly dollar amount. A study recently conducted by WalletHub shows that both New York and New Jersey graduates pay more than the vast majority of borrowers in the country on average. More Local News In the U.S., roughly 42 million people owe $1.67 trillion in student loans. This reality has the Trump administration exploring different options to manage it, including selling off the federal governments student debt portfolio to private companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loan payments range by over $100 depending on where borrowers live, according to WalletHub. Vermont ranks No. 1 in the country with a median student loan payment of $248, compared to Mississippis $142 median, the lowest number in the U.S. As for New York and New Jersey, the states are ranked sixth and fifth, respectively. New Yorks median number sits at $229 per month, the study shows. New Jerseys number is just $6 more at $235, which is right behind New Hampshire and Marylands median of $240. WalletHub used its latest consumer data to determine the median number per user by state, which created the ranking. For more information, click here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. NEW YORK (PIX11) The Department of Environmental Protection is looking for fresh new faces to employ, according to the New York City official careers website. JobsNYC lists employment opportunities available within the citys government. Some of the jobs posted require a civil service exam, but other listings dont ask you to take one. NYC Health + Hospitals hiring: Jobs with no degrees required A city seasonal aide is one of the available job listings that doesnt require a civil service exam. An aide will get training on how to install, repair or replace water meters in the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The job starts at $18.54 an hour and can go up to $21.76. There are no formal education or experience requirements for the position. Click here to learn more. If physical labor isnt your thing, the department is also hiring a community coordinator to process asbestos certification applications. The job also requires candidates to do daily office tasks and field audits. More Local News A bachelors degree and two years of community service are required to be considered for the position, which pays between $62,868 and $97,593 a year. Find out more by checking here. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work 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. QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) A New York City employee is accused of sex abuse in an incident on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens on Friday, sources told PIX11 News. The incident happened inside a car on Roosevelt Avenue and 79th Street. Sources said 33-year-old Azizjon Makhmudiy, a Department of Social Services special officer, allegedly told the victim that he was a federal agent. More Local News Makhmudiy is accused of forcing the victim to take off their clothes, according to sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes also facing charges of unlawful imprisonment, criminal impersonation, coercion, forcible touching and official misconduct. Its unclear what time the incident happened. Roosevelt Avenue is a known sex trafficking hotspot in New York City, with former New York state Sen. Hiram Monserrate recently calling it the Walmart of illegal sex trade. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Someone in Oakland County violated state law when a private company owned by a county employee received a six-figure contract, according to county executives and a summary of findings from a private law firm's investigation released on Tuesday, Oct. 21. But Oakland County executives do not believe criminal charges are needed. Instead, they hope policy changes including making many employees acknowledge the county's standards of conduct policy before they can apply for benefits will prevent similar misconduct in the future. Deputies of Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, seen here at an event in 2023, acknowledged the law was broken when a business owned by a county employee received a six-figure county contract. But the leaders aid they do not believe a formal referral to law enforcement is necessary. "Did not believe that there was an intention to defraud, but the ends don't justify the means," Oakland County Deputy Executive Sean Carlson said during a committee meeting of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We should have caught this." In July, a whistleblower told county officials a company called ZaydLogix received a $450,000 county contract, despite the owner also working as a county employee. Such a deal is against state law. No county money went to the company as part of the contract, but the fact that it could happen at all raised substantial questions. Carlson and Oakland County Chief Deputy County Executive Walt Herzig told commissioners during a meeting on Tuesday that the county is still going through the formal process of potentially levying additional punishments against up to four employees in connection with the awarding of the contract to ZaydLogix. But Commissioner Brendan Johnson, a Democrat representing parts of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, seemed surprised the executives did not want to involve law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Im not an attorney, but this is a pretty black and white violation of state law," Johnson told the executives. "That's great that we can tell all of our employees to have a periodic review of our policies. That's nice. This is a law." Herzig said after taking into account the "totality of the circumstances" and the law firm's findings, he did not believe a formal referral to law enforcement was necessary. Broader ethics concerns The scrutiny comes amid broader concerns about ethical conduct in the county. The Free Press and others revealed Board of Commissioners Chairman Dave Woodward also serves as a private consultant for Sheetz, a gas station and convenience store empire looking to expand in the region. The Free Press also found that Woodward regularly voted on issues directly related to multiple other private, political clients or a business partner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While a private law firm investigated the ZaydLogix contract situation, County Executive David Coulter called for the commission to adopt what he described as sweeping ethics reform proposals. Both the private law firm's findings and the broader ethics policies were discussed at Tuesday's commission committee meeting. Carlson and Herzig told commissioners they reviewed the ZaydLogix situation immediately after learning about it this summer, but they thought it was appropriate to ask for outside help. The county eventually hired the law firm Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone to conduct an investigation. More: Longtime Oakland County firefighter dies in explosion Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law firm received $17,836 for their work, said Bill Mullan, a Coulter spokesman. The county did not release a report created by the law firm. Instead, the county lawyer, called corporation counsel, issued a four-page document described as a summary of the findings. Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone determined that someone broke the law and county policy. They did not find evidence someone tried to defraud the county, but instead determined county employees took an "outcome over the means approach in awarding this specific contract: the employee who owns ZaydLogix told others he planned to retire soon, so someone awarding the contract thought by the time he got it, he might not work for the county, according to the law firm findings and county executives. More: Bloomfield Township couple gives $10 million to Oakland University He still worked for the county when his business got the contract. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "ZaydLogixs bid was improperly approved without appropriate oversight and without regard for county policy or attention to the details of ZaydLogixs proposal," states the county lawyer's summary of the private law firm's findings. "Supervising staff should have recognized a potential or actual conflict of interest existed and should have known not to use ZaydLogix until the employee retired (or at a minimum sought guidance from leadership or the county corporation counsels office before doing so)." Decision landed with IT department The law firm also reviewed the broader process for awarding IT contracts. Instead of allowing the county's procurement department to handle outside contractors, the IT department conducted this work internally. The IT department would put out a broad, nonspecific bid for potential work that could be conducted over a five-year period. This process made a company "prequalified" for possible contracts in the future, Carlson explained. During the five-year timeframe, the IT department could award a contract to one of these prequalified companies faster but with potentially less oversight than other contracts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this case, the IT department requested bids in June 2024. It received roughly 130, including one from ZaydLogix. The single person who evaluated the bids knew the owner of ZaydLogix worked for the county, according to the law firm report. Carlson said an employee thought this was fine, since they figured the owner of the company may no longer work for the county by the time ZaydLogix would receive any contract. That was wrong, Carlson said. "He still should not have been prequalified. That was an error on IT professionals that had reviewed that. He is a current contract employee," Carlson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carlson and Herzig outlined county changes either in place or in the works in response to the investigation. The county already has a policy that every solicitation for bid includes a form requiring a company to discuss if they are or were a county employee, Carlson said. The policy went into place after ZaydLogix submitted its bid, but before the whistleblower contacted executives, he said. The county also recently ensured that any business with an IT contract, or that is prequalified to receive one, filled out the same form. IT staff are undergoing additional training. And Herzig said before county employees can enroll in benefits this fall, they have to read and acknowledge a copy of the county's standard of conduct policy. No ethics code in Oakland Unlike Wayne County and other municipalities in the state, Oakland County does not have an ethics code. Instead, the one-page standards of conduct policy provides broad guidance and no ramifications for violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carlson said the IT contract ZaydLogix received is going back out for bid in January. It was not immediately clear if ZaydLogix could submit again for the contract, as long as the owner retires from the county by then. County commissioners also briefly discussed financial disclosure proposals at the end of the committee meeting. The measures would require county commissioners and other high-ranking county officials to disclose more financial information on a regular basis, in an effort "for government to increase transparency, build public trust, and help to prevent conflicts of interest," states a summary of one proposal. In addition to financial disclosure requirements, Coulter called for the creation of a county "ombudsman" role, a person who could receive and review ethics referrals from county employees and the public at large. None of the proposals referenced at the meeting on Tuesday included the creation of such a position. Woodward said that while he is still awaiting guidance from county lawyers on a few issues, he and Coulter's office hope to have a new disclosure policy in place by the end of the year. Reach Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com and on X @Dave_Boucher1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland Co. contract wrongfully awarded to employee's firm Virginias off-year contests are drawing national political attention. Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, announced Tuesday that former President Barack Obama would campaign alongside her at a rally Nov. 1 in Norfolk. The announcement came after Obama endorsed Spanberger, as well as New Jerseys Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, over the weekend. Virginias elections are some of the most important in the country this year and I am proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for Governor, Obama said in an ad. Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts. As governor, Abigail will stand up for Virginia families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shell work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just big corporations and the wealthy. Virginia and New Jersey are the only states with statewide elections this year, and the results will be watched as a sign of how voters are responding to President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 midterms. Trump also offered support this week for Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, but he stopped short of a full endorsement. I think the Republican candidate is very good, and I think she should win, because the Democrat candidates a disaster, Trump told reporters Monday on Air Force One. I havent been too much involved in Virginia. I love the state, I did very well in the state. But Ill tell you, I think the Republican candidate is excellent, and I think the Democrat candidate is a disaster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean, I watched her in the debate, she couldnt answer the most basic question. Earle-Sears responded on social media thanking Trump for the support. Polling has consistently had Spanberger leading, and historically, the party not in control of the White House has won the Virginia governors race 11 out of the past 12 elections the exception being Terry McAuliffes 2013 win while Obama was in office. Last November, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris carried Virginia by 52% to Trumps 46%. In contrast to his comments about Earl-Sears, Trump clearly endorsed incumbent Republican Jason Miyares this month in the race for attorney general. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the Race, IMMEDIATELY, and the People of Virginia must continue to have a GREAT Attorney General in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my Complete and Total Endorsement, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. JASON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Complete and total endorsement is the language Trump typically uses when endorsing candidates. He has not yet offered that specific support to Earle-Sears. The Miyares endorsement came after it became public that Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, had sent texts in 2022 to a Republican colleague using violent rhetoric. Specifically, Jones wrote that in a hypothetical scenario with former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, Adolph Hitler and Pol Pot he would shoot Gilbert twice. Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor in New Jersey, also has Trumps Complete and Total Endorsement. As recently as Sunday, Trump reiterated that support, writing on Truth Social that Ciattarelli is a winner for New Jersey who would bring down energy costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and Obama have weighed in on Virginia elections in the past. In 2021, Obama campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial candidate McAuliffe in Richmond. Then-President Joe Biden also stumped for the former governor. That year, Trump also offered his clear endorsement for Republican Glenn Youngkin after he won the primary. Glenn is pro-Business, pro-Second Amendment, pro-Veterans, pro-America, he knows how to make Virginias economy rip-roaring, and he has my Complete and Total Endorsement! he wrote at the time. Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com War in Israel is not over, but this one is. One of the reasons that so many people are so confused about whether the Israel-Hamas war is over or not it overwhelmingly seems that it is is the confusion between peacetime and wartime paradigms. Until October 7, 2023, there were large intermittent conflicts between Israel and Gaza every two to seven years, with medium conflicts in between. But the vast majority of the time was peacetime and during that time there was relative quiet, certainly for central Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When observers see Hamas ambush Israeli soldiers, killing two of them, and then see the Israeli air force bombing dozens of targets throughout Gaza, they say: this must still be wartime. Although that conclusion is not unreasonable, it completely misunderstands the radically shifted "conceptcia" (dominant security conceptual framework) of the Israeli defense establishment's approach to peacetime. It also misunderstands how completely Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is aligning his major foreign affairs decision with directives from US President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump embrace on the Knesset plenum, October 13, 2025. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST) Several years ago, then US Cyber Command chief General (ret.) Paul Nakasone announced that cyber warfare no longer recognized a totally clear bright line between wartime and peacetime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He granted that wartime would see escalated cyber attacks between adversaries, but essentially said that cyber attacks would continue at virtually all times, even peacetime. This is similar to Israel's new approach to a forward leaning defense strategy versus its adversaries. Since the November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel has regularly struck a few Hezbollah operatives every week. Sometime the Hezbollah operatives were struck for trying to penetrate into southern Lebanon or for trying to move and re-hide rockets, in minor, but blatant violations of the ceasefire. Other times Israel has decided to strike senior Hezbollah operatives who are critical to the Lebanese terror group's ongoing efforts to rebuild its arsenal of rockets and ballistic missiles to be able to seriously threaten Israel again as it did pre-war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel has carried out a similar forward-leaning policy striking any Syrians who have to close to the Israeli buffer zone there and who might otherwise be on their way to becoming larger threats. Incidentally, this has been the IDF's policy in the West Bank for years where most terror incidents are intercepted long before the terror attack can transpire. The Palestinian areas of the West Bank are covered with human and technological surveillance and IDF forces carry out low grade raids in different areas on a regular basis to prevent terrorist threats from growing beyond a certain point. What happened in Gaza in recent days is Israel trying to draw that same line of forward leaning defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas did violate the ceasefire in the literal sense. Its forces fired on Israeli soldiers. On the other hand, the Israeli soldiers were actively entering and cleaning out new tunnels. If Israel were observing the ceasefire by merely holding the line and not pursuing exploring and destroying new tunnels, the incident probably would not have happened. This does not absolve Hamas. But it says that Israel is not afraid to shake the boat by going into risky new tunnels, even if it increases the chances of accidental confrontations with Hamas, which could then lead to larger Israeli reactions. In fact, the government is probably even somewhat pleased that it got the opportunity to show Hamas that the Gaza terror group is the party who still needs the current ceasefire more than Israel does. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IDF wants to be able to hold Hamas down and to be able to occasionally target it or raid it when necessary, without triggering a full return to war. This allows the IDF to continue to pursue Hamas in lower-grade ways even during "peacetime" and to keep it not merely "deterred", but on the run. Trump's loud red stop sign At the same time, even if the government wanted to return to war, there is a loud red stop sign preventing that from Trump. As quickly as Israel bombed Hamas in Gaza in dozens of places all in one day, the IDF immediately stopped and issued a statement that it was returning to mere enforcement of the ceasefire lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This incident mirrored Trump's ending of Israel's war with Iran in June. In that case, Iran lightly violated the ceasefire, firing a few ballistic missiles after the ceasefire deadline passed, with all of the missiles shot down and no harm to the Jewish state. Netanyahu went ballistic and ordered a massive series of airstrikes against Tehran. Iran had violated the ceasefire, but in context, Israel had increased its pace of attacks right up to the moment the ceasefire kicked in, including killing some senior Iranian officials, and so from the Islamic Republic's perspective, it had merely shown minor displeasure to Israel by attacking back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For this reason, Trump put up the stop sign and ordered Israel's air force back only two minutes before they were about to let loose against Tehran. Instead, Netanyahu had the air force strike only one minor radar, while almost all of the aircraft did not even fire. Trump "allowed" Israel a larger response this week, as opposed to with Iran, because two Israeli soldiers were actually killed, a much more severe outcome than with the Islamic Republic. Yet, he still made it clear that after one day of clear military messaging to Hamas of the consequences of killing two Israeli soldiers, that the IDF needed to rewind to holdings its fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He even forgave Hamas in a way, calling the fighters who attacked the two Israeli soldiers "rogue elements." This was a page out of the pre-October 7 era when the IDF often forgave Hamas for a few rockets fired by "rogue elements" so they could avoid having to risk a larger conflict with a harsh response. This does not mean that Israel and Hamas may not engage in further low grade conflicts and it does not mean that incidents will not play out leading to occasional deaths. In fact, such small incidents from time to time are even likely until the sides reach more of an understanding of their new ways of operating in parallel to each other. But no one should confuse these low grade incidents with being anything like a war involving 100,000 or more IDF soldiers invading new areas, accompanied by hellfire from drones, tanks, and artillery. And no one should doubt Trump's determination to hold both Israel and Hamas in line, whether the parties like it or not. The Odessa College Board of Trustees will meet in a work session at noon Oct. 22 in the Wood Health Sciences Building, Classroom 206. The agenda includes Property Committee; approval to purchase basic three-phase separator LabVolt Series 3535; Finance Committee Project Van Zandt Abatement; Monthly Financial Statements & Budget Amendments; and Ector County Appraisal District Directors Discussion. The post OC board to meet in work session appeared first on Odessa American. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) An off-duty firefighter in southeast Michigan has died after a reported explosion at his home. The Springfield Township Fire Department announced Monday that Lt. Jonathan Miner died Sunday from a traumatic injury. Miners family told Fox 2 in Detroit that he was working on a home project involving an old oxygen tank when it exploded. Sign up for the News 8 daily newsletter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was making a toilet paper roll with an old firefighter oxygen tank. Hes done it plenty of times before, Miners brother, Timothy, told Fox 2. This time . when he cut it open, it exploded. Miner reportedly was hit in the chest with shrapnel. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately died from his injuries. For 30 years, Jon dedicated his life to serving the residents of Springfield Township with courage, compassion and strength, the fire department said in a social media post. More than a firefighter, he was a devoted husband, father and proud Papa whose laughter, smile and heart for others made him one of a kind. The North Oakland County Fire Authority shared its condolences and passed along a GoFundMe link to help the family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We thank him for all of his years as a dedicated firefighter and EMT, the NOCFA stated. Springfield Township is in Oakland County about 8 miles northwest of Auburn Hills. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Atlanta police officers are describing the moments they stopped a possible mass shooting at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Channel 2s Tyisha Fernandes was there as several of the officers recounted their experience. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Billy Joe Cagle, 49, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, and making terroristic threats. Authorities discovered a semi-automatic weapon and 27 rounds of ammunition in his truck after his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was scared, it was fearful for a second, said Officer M. Banks. As I put my hand on his back, thats when I knew OK its time. Its time to put the cuffs on him." Officer Banks emphasized the importance of handling the situation with courtesy and professionalism and respect to ensure it was resolved correctly. RELATED STORIES: Police said Cagle walked through the doors of the South Terminal of the airport at around 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They believe he was headed towards a TSA checkpoint. Law enforcement said it was the quick thinking of the suspects family and the actions of the officers that saved lives. Cagles family had contacted the Cartersville police earlier that morning, who then informed Atlanta police about the potential threat at the airport. Despite the tense situation, business continued as usual at the airport during the arrest. On Tuesday evening, authorities charged Cagle with federal charges tied to the incident on Monday. He is being charged with attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats to injure the person of another, and possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony offense. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) Crews in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday rescued 80 miners who became trapped after a mine partially collapsed. No one was injured or killed, according to the Civil Defense Agency. The miners became trapped when a portion of a zinc and copper mine in the Cerros of Maimon collapsed, a statement from the Ministry of Energy and Mines said. The mine is located in a rural area northwest of the capital, Santo Domingo, where relatives had anxiously awaited the rescue of their loved ones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ministry said earlier that all miners were located underground in a safe area and were being lifted to upper ground. The Dominican Mining Corp., a subsidiary of the Australian company Perilya, holds the concession for the Cerro of Maimon mine, which spans an area of 2,245 hectares (5,547 acres). The company operates an open-pit copper and zinc mine with reserves of approximately 6 million tons of those minerals. The concession was acquired from Falconbridge Dominicana in April 2002. Local media reported that similar incidents have occurred in the past, with one miner killed in a collapse in December 2021. Then in 2022, two workers, one Dominican and the other Colombian, were rescued after spending several days trapped by an underground landslide. An expert from a California university has warned the public about a parasitic fly that can feed on humans, pets, birds, and livestock. What's happening? According to the L.A. Times, the New World screwworm is spreading north from South America and has made its way through Central America and Mexico over the last few years. It can spread to new regions through the insect's own travel, or via an infested person or animal. It has already affected more than 100,000 animals and hundreds of people in Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A U.S. case was reported in Maryland in August from an infested person who had traveled from El Salvador. Although it didn't spread from this incident, cases in southern Mexico led to the suspension of cattle imports at the U.S. border in May. Why is the New World screwworm concerning? The fly can be "a devastating pest," according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage," the USDA said. "NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people." Even though the threat to humans is low, the people more at risk are those who live in rural areas, the very young and the elderly, immunocompromised people, and anyone with an open wound or sore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "People have to be aware of it," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, per the L.A. Times. "As the New World screwworm flies northward, they may start to see people at the borders through the cattle industry get them, too." If the fly infestations become widespread in the U.S. cattle industry, it could have a severe impact on our supply chain and food prices, similar to the effects of bird flu. What source of air pollution do you worry most about at home? Wildfires Gas stove Fireplace Something else Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Concerns include the risk of animal deaths, reduced livestock numbers, and a decrease in manure production. The USDA described the NWS as a threat to both food supply and national security. What's being done about the New World screwworm? The Latin name of the fly loosely translates to "maneater," given its tendency to feed on living tissue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scientists are already working on new technology to speed up the process of sterilizing the male flies with radiation to stop them from reproducing. Meanwhile, the USDA is planning to build a "sterile-fly production facility" in Texas that would produce 300 million sterile flies a week, according to the L.A. Times. Sterile flies have been released in Central America and the south of Mexico. You can prevent fly infestations by staying informed on local alerts and covering up wounds or sores. Unfortunately, the New World screwworm isn't the only concerning insect. Rising global temperatures, exacerbated by human-caused pollution, are creating optimal conditions for an increase in vector-borne illnesses such as dengue and West Nile virus, which are spread by mosquitoes. 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. Wildlife officials in Hawaii have issued a warning about certain fishing practices after discovering the death of a young monk seal. What's happening? The body of the two-year-old seal, known locally as Moana, was discovered on Manana Island off the eastern coast of the island of Oahu. According to Hawaii News Now, the seal's death was linked to jug fishing in the area, an unsustainable and dangerous fishing method. Jug fishing is a fishing method that uses a baited line suspended from a plastic jug to catch fish. The jug is often left free-floating or anchored and only checked periodically for bites. If successful, the fish are then retrieved by hand. This method is usually used to catch catfish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It becomes dangerous when a fish, marine mammal, or turtle grabs onto the bait and the fishing line breaks. The animal may end up dragging the excess gear, becoming entangled on the ocean floor, or becoming so exhausted that it cannot recover. "This incident is a reminder that the choices we make on the water affect more than just fish," said John Silberstein, Oahu branch chief of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, as per Hawaii News Now. Why is this important? Fishing-related plastic waste poses a great threat to our oceans and the wildlife that inhabits them. Animals, such as marine mammals and seabirds, frequently become entangled in or ingest plastic waste, often resulting in their unfortunate death. As reported by The Ocean Cleanup, over 75% of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is fishing-related, highlighting just how widespread this issue is. Fishing plastic includes nets, traps, and lines. This waste not only harms wildlife but also damages habitats. What's being done about preventing plastic waste? There has been significant progress in improving fishing gear and preventing it from contaminating the ocean with plastic waste. For example, FishFocus reported that researchers have developed fishing gears that are made from 100% biodegradable materials, such as beech wood and bamboo. The adoption of these solutions could help improve the sustainability of the fishing industry by reducing plastic waste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to looking for sustainable solutions, many organizations are also working to clear up the plastic in our rivers and oceans. Volunteers work globally to remove ghost fishing gear from the ocean, and there have also been several remarkable inventions that show promise for helping to remove plastic waste from water bodies. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure 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 city of Annapolis, Maryland, is helping residents and businesses transition from gas-powered leaf blowers to cleaner and quieter electric ones. As Eye on Annapolis reported, the city launched a new rebate program that offers monetary incentives for switching from gas to electric landscaping tools. With the help of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the city is offering rebate incentives up to $1,500 for lawn businesses and up to $100 for individual residents. When people buy a new, qualifying electric leaf blower and accessories, they can submit a rebate application through the trust's website. The incentive is higher for landscaping businesses in an effort to accelerate the conversion rate from gas to electric leaf blowers city-wide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are also fines in effect for operating a gas-powered leaf blower in Annapolis: $100 for the first offense and $200 for subsequent violations. The city started enforcing a ban on this equipment in December 2024. This news from Annapolis is encouraging because electric yard tools, such as leaf blowers, are significantly better for public health and the environment than their gas-powered counterparts. Gas leaf blowers emit high levels of air pollution, which can exacerbate asthma in people and contribute to poor overall air quality. They're also major sources of noise pollution and a cause of anxiety for many people. However, electric leaf blowers are quieter, don't emit harmful fumes, are easier to use, and are more environmentally friendly. They are excellent upgrades when you're looking to make your yard care routine cleaner and greener, resulting in more breathable air and a more sustainable planet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Incentive programs, such as the one in Annapolis, are also making electric leaf blowers more affordable for homeowners and businesses. More broadly, electric yard tools are gradually replacing polluting gas models, helping people adopt natural lawns that support native plants and pollinators. "Landscape professionals, property managers, and residents play a crucial role in keeping our city beautiful," said Jacqueline Guild, Annapolis' deputy city manager for resilience and sustainability. "It is our goal to create programs, such as this rebate, that make the transition to environmentally sustainable practices as smooth as possible." Dr. Jana Davis, president of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, said that the new program will help residents "take small, everyday actions to reduce pollution" and "ensure sustained change for our communities." 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. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway held a ceremonial swearing in event at the Missouri Capitol on Monday. Flanked by dignitaries, Hanaway told the assembled crowd that it was an honor to be chosen by Republican Governor Mike Kehoe for position. Lots of people have asked me what it means, what is the significance of the fact that I am the first woman attorney general, Hanaway said. To me? Put simply, it means that the American promise is still alive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congresswoman Ann Wagner said Hanaway was made for this roll. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News She was elected speaker of the House, the first woman in Missouris history, by her colleagues, and went on to lead many legislative victories, Wagner said. Including, reforming the foster care system, advancing pro-life policies, passing Missouris first concealed carry law and opposing tax increases. Former U.S. Senator Roy Blunt also offered praise for the new attorney generals work in both the public and private sector. Being the managing partner, the chairman of a law firm with well over a thousand lawyers, Blunt said. Im not a lawyer, but I cant even imagine how itd be to try to bring consensus among a thousand lawyers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanaway has been overseeing the office since being officially sworn in during a private ceremony in early September. She applauded her staff during Mondays ceremony. They do this work not for fame or fortune, but because they have been called to this mission, Hanaway said. When you hear about a big win for the State of Missouri, its due to the hard work of those 400 men and women in the 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 FOX 2. Flowers of hemp plants that contain less that 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.) The Ohio House Republicans are set to introduce legislation that would allow stores and breweries to sell THC-infused drinks, but prohibit all other forms of intoxicating hemp products. Also in the proposal, exclusively shared with WEWS, cities would get their long-awaited tax revenue from marijuana dispensary sales. This comes as a court blocked Gov. Mike DeWines hemp ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Years of negotiating on marijuana and hemp policy with nothing to show for it. After nearly two years, DeWine took matters into his own hands last week, signing an executive order temporarily banning what he calls intoxicating hemp, low-level THC that can be bought at gas stations and smoke shops. It can look like regular candy and has no age requirement to buy it. Frankly, the legislature had not taken action, DeWine said. On Oct. 14, a judge temporarily blocked it. Im still hopeful that the legislature will come in and actually take action, DeWine said. Each legislative leader agreed that kids should not have access to THC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, pointed to the different opinions on how marijuana and hemp should be regulated when asked why garnering caucus agreement was so difficult. There are three groups: the folks who believe that marijuana should be legalized and regulated There are other folks who believe that the hemp products should be on equal standing with everything that happened in the initiated statute, Huffman said. And then you have folks, like me, who are prohibitionists, who dont think it should be legalized at all and it should be rare. I would say the prohibitionists have largely lost this discussion. The speaker has been trying to wrangle 64 other House Republicans to agree on THC regulations. Finally, a deal was crafted between the two chambers this summer, but the Senate pulled out at the last minute. Now, the House is ready to try again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its going to be a very thoughtful and targeted bill, said state Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord, in an exclusive interview on Friday. State Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) speaks from the floor of the Ohio House. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish only with original article.) Callender is the resident marijuana expert in the House. In an amendment to Senate Bill 56, which would wipe the vast majority of the existing legislation, the new policy allows stores and breweries to sell THC drinks and regulates the advertisements so they dont appeal to kids. It will have a pretty complete ban other than the beverages, but its a temporary ban while some rules are being able to be developed, so that will give more time, Callender said, adding this isnt necessarily the final draft. But in the meantime, it will take the high THC content stuff off the shelves, at least temporarily. The bill will deal with more than just hemp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the marijuana side, making sure the tax dollars get to the local governments the way we had promised, the way the voters had promised, and the way local governments had expected, Callender said. Right now, cities with dispensaries arent getting tax revenue from sales. The House has been trying to get them their money, but Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) wants to change where the money goes. The Senates already spoken, McColley said. Its really, at this point, we just got to see what the House is willing to do. The Senate pulled out of the summer agreement, in part, due to the debate on taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked why a bill exclusively talking about hemp couldnt be introduced without concepts deemed controversial by the Senate, Callendar said thats not off the table. Well, I think we may still end up going there if we have to, he said. If we put it all together, it may be harder for the Senate to say no to some of the marijuana things that we feel strongly about. Lawmakers planned to introduce the amended bill this week, and the lawmaker hopes to send it over to the Senate on Wednesday. They can either accept it or not accept it, Callender said. If they dont, itll go to conference committee, and it will force the chambers to work the issues out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senates leading marijuana expert, state Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), said the House wasnt sharing the legislation with them until this week. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Oct. 21The Ohio Senate has unanimously approved a bill that would update the state's OVI laws when it comes to marijuana. The update is necessary, attorney Charles Rowland of Dayton DUI told this outlet, because the state's current testing procedures for a motorists' THC content can find them guilty of driving impaired even if they haven't ingested marijuana in a month. "You don't have to be high to be convicted," Rowland said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blaise Katter, the president and policy chair for the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, explained to the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year that this is because Ohio's law enforcement tests motorists for the compound carboxy-THC, an inactive residual compound that can be found in a person's system after their body breaks down delta-9 THC, the psychoactive compound within marijuana. "It is unanimously understood by every scientific expert on the subject that carboxy-THC is completely inactive with no psychoactive properties whatsoever," Katter said. However, carboxy-THC stays in the system for up to a month, and the mere presence of the compound doesn't necessarily point to impaired driving. "As it stands today, an individual who legally consumed marijuana days, weeks and even months prior to getting behind the wheel of a car could be found guilty of OVI in Ohio even if there is zero evidence of driving impairment," Katter said. Senate Bill 55 would eliminate the state's current standards that focus on inactive compounds in a suspected impaired motorists' system and instead direct Ohio law enforcement to test for more indicative compounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Basically, what the bill does is, we're looking to test active metabolites to show more recent use of marijuana," Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, the primary sponsor of the bill, explained to his colleagues on the Senate floor. Manning admitted that the science of testing for THC compounds is not perfect and said S.B. 55 reflects that reality. The bill states that a motorist would be inferred as guilty if a urine test showed at least 25 nanograms of delta-9 THC per milliliter; or if a blood test showed at least two but less than five nanograms of delta-9 THC per milliliter; or if a saliva test showed a concentration of at least five nanograms of delta-9 THC. The motorist could argue this inference in court under the law, Manning said. However, S.B. 55 would also set a delta-9 THC limit that, if found in a motorist's system, would make them automatically guilty of operating a vehicle under the influence. The bill's proposed standard is five nanograms per milliliter of blood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aside from unanimous support from Ohio Senators, S.B. 55 also received plaudits from the ACLU of Ohio, whose chief lobbyist Gary Daniels described it as "such a noticeable improvement over current law" during committee. The bill received repeated push back from the organization DUID Victim Voices. Founder Ed Wood argued that S.B. 55's would-be standards would result in a "pathetically low" conviction rate for motorists suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana. The Dayton Daily News recently reported that a study by researchers at Wright State University found that about four in 10 drivers killed in automobile crashes in Montgomery County over a nearly six-year period had "active" THC in their systems. S.B. 55 will receive further testimony and debate in the Ohio House, where it awaits action from the House Judiciary Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below. Loading... In downtown Oklahoma City, a large crowd gathered on Saturday, Oct. 18, as part of the nationwide No Kings protests a coordinated wave of demonstrations against what participants call the creeping authoritarianism of the federal government. The protest occurred at the plaza outside City Hall, amid rain and stormy weather. Yet amid the chants and signs declaring No Kings, Health care not wealth care, and invoking the Constitution, many protesters and observers noted a curious and quite disruptive interruption: a relentless grinding of construction equipment coming from a nearby parking garage. More: In Oklahoma City, 'No Kings' protesters stand in rain to voice opposition to Donald Trump What happened? According to multiple local reports, the rally at the City Hall Plaza was peppered with loud construction noise emanating from an adjacent garage structure. One article notes: a loud grinding machine doing construction in the nearby parking garage all created challenging conditions, but the event pressed on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While its not confirmed whether the noise was deliberately timed, the optics are striking: protesters attempting to make their voices heard on an issue they deem critical to democracy while being physically drowned out by mechanical roar. Why this matters From a conservative standpoint, this raises several red flags: Free speech in practical terms: A protest is only meaningful if participants can be heard and their message disseminated. If the venue is subject to disruptive noise that undermines that capacity, the protests effectiveness (and thus the civic value) is compromised. Role of government and public space : The protest was held in a public plaza adjacent to City Hall, suggesting some level of municipal coordination or at least acquiescence. If the city allowed construction noise or even scheduled it during the rally, it raises the question: Was this an inadvertent conflict of schedules, or a deliberate tactic to suppress dissenting voices? Selective enforcement : If the city routinely allows construction work in downtown public spaces during protests, fine but if this occurs only when certain viewpoints are expressed, that would suggest bias. It sets a dangerous precedent when a local government appears to mute protesters. Symbolism of No Kings: The whole movement is premised on resisting authoritarianism and concentration of power. The very act of congressionally allowed or quietly government facilitated noise to drown out protesters could be seen as ironic, even antithetical, to the values being asserted that day. Editorial: Violence is wrong whether it comes from the right or the left. So is squelching free speech Questions raised Did the city of Oklahoma City, or a contractor working with it, have knowledge of the protest schedule and still proceed with construction equipment at full volume? Was there any coordination between event organizers and city departments regarding allowable noise levels, timing of nearby construction, or equipment shutdown? Are there policies in place in municipal code regarding noise generation in downtown zones during permitted events or demonstrations? If protesters or organizers raised concerns about the noise, did city officials respond or intervene? Could this incident discourage future protest activity (especially by groups the local government might view as adversarial)? What the city says As of this writing, I have not located any public statement from the city government of Oklahoma City acknowledging the construction noise issue at the protest site. The coverage simply mentions the noise as one of the challenging conditions of the day. Without a full response from city officials, protesters and the public are left with unanswered questions. Broader implications In Americas civic tradition, peaceful protest is a vital check on power. When local authorities or adjacent infrastructure being permitted by them create conditions that blunt a protests impact, we face a form of small scale suppression. It may not be heavy handed censorship, but the result is similar: voices are muted, messages lost in the din. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From a conservative perspective, this serves as a reminder that threats to liberty dont always come from overt bans. They can come from administrative convenience, scheduling conflicts, or quietly tolerated actions that undercut dissent. At the national level, the No Kings protests highlight concerns about centralization and executive overreach. But at the local level, we should likewise guard against government actors at every level who might minimize or sideline opposition even through noise. Saturdays protest outside Oklahoma Citys City Hall appears to have succeeded in bringing a sizable crowd and national movement to local soil. But the persistent construction grinding at a nearby parking garage served as a powerful metaphor: Even when residents take to the streets, showing up and speaking out, the machinery of government (or the infrastructure it permits) can still drown them out. In a republic built on the notion that government serves the people, not the other way around, thats unacceptable. Brandon Holmes Brandon Holmes is a freelance reporter based in Oklahoma City, covering local news, politics, and community issues across Oklahoma. With a background in fine arts and journalism, he brings a creative, detail-driven approach to storytelling. His independent reporting focuses on giving readers an authentic look at the people, policies, and events shaping everyday life in the heartland. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC 'No Kings' protesters drowned out by construction noise | Opinion Its a beautiful October evening out here at the ranch, and a cold front is just blowing in. Im sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee, listening to the wind and a coyote howling in the distance. Theres no better place to step away from a busy schedule, clear your head and gather your thoughts about the things worth talking through. This new chapter in our education system, with a new superintendent and the promise of a new direction, feels like a great day for Oklahoma. But with an advisory committee, a new superintendent, and the governors heavy involvement, it brings to mind something my dad used to say: The measure of wealth wasnt how much money you had in the bank, but whether your forks matched your spoons, your plates matched your bowls, and you werent drinking sweet iced tea out of a snuff glass. I sure hope that when it comes to our schools and all these appointments shaping the future of education everything starts to match up a little better. We dont want to dwell on the past, but I know many Oklahomans are asking why the governor and the Legislature didnt act sooner to address the turmoil weve seen in our education system. Thats a fair question one that deserves to be asked and answered. The important thing now is that action has finally been taken, and we need to do our best to make sure this cannot happen again to our public schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: There are new Fields of vision at Oklahoma education agency | Cartoon The governor has now announced a special advisory committee to support the interim superintendent. The purpose of this group, on paper, is to help provide guidance and stability during a transition period. Thats not necessarily a bad idea. Education touches every community in our state, and a superintendent who can draw from a broad set of voices teachers, parents, business leaders and policymakers stands a better chance of leading effectively. But the membership of this committee will tell us whether it will succeed or fail. If it includes diverse perspectives, particularly the voices of classroom educators and parents, it could be a constructive tool. If its stacked with only political allies, it will be dismissed as another partisan exercise. Oklahomans deserve transparency here who was chosen, why and how their input will actually shape decisions. My skepticism comes from the sheer number of appointments that now rest in the governors hands. He already appoints the secretary of education, the state schools superintendent in an interim capacity, the Oklahoma State Board of Education members and now an advisory board. Thats a lot of concentrated power over one system that is supposed to serve all of Oklahoma. We need to hope for and insist on balance in the direction were heading. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The worst outcome would be for this committee to become another political stage. Our children dont need more political drama; they need consistent classrooms, supported teachers and leaders who are focused on students rather than headlines. If this committee is truly about improving education, it must prove it by focusing on the basics: teacher support, student achievement, curriculum stability and preparing Oklahomas kids for the future. Transparency must be at the heart of this effort. Meetings should be open, decisions explained and the public kept informed. If the public feels this committee is working behind closed doors, trust will erode before it even begins. Our students and teachers deserve to see the process and know how their voices are being heard. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the constructive potential here. A broad-based advisory group, if done right, can give the superintendent a better sense of what is happening in classrooms across the state. It can serve as a bridge between policymakers in Oklahoma City and families in every town and county. It can also be a check against making education policy by news conference rather than through thoughtful dialogue. More: Led by Superintendent Fields & team, Oklahoma has real chance to reverse course | Opinion Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So while its right to question why decisive action wasnt taken sooner, its also important to keep our eyes forward. This is a new day. We should support the new superintendent and this advisory group in the hope that they can bring some much-needed stability. But at the same time, we must hold them accountable to ensure their work remains transparent, representative and free of politics. If that happens, Oklahoma students and teachers will be the ones who benefit and that should be the measure of success for all of us. Like my dad used to say, the real measure isnt in numbers on paper. Its in whether things match up whether the pieces fit together in a way that makes sense for everyday folks. And when it comes to Oklahoma schools, I hope the forks and spoons finally line up, the bowls match the plates, and we can raise a snuff glass of sweet iced tea together with a little more confidence in the future. Former state Rep. Mark McBride Mark McBride, a Republican, is a businessman and consultant and a former member of the House of Representatives, from 2012-2024. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma education advisory panel hopefully brings stability | Opinion An Oklahoma bill that spells out new conditions for aggravated DUIs, including making the offense a felony and mandatory jail time, will become law on Nov. 1. Sen. Darrell Weaver and Rep. John George introduced the legislation in February 2025. The Legislature voted to pass the bill, and even overrode Gov. Kevin Stitt's veto of it. By expanding the definition of aggravated DUI, we are sending a clear message that impaired driving, especially when coupled with reckless behavior, will not be tolerated, Weaver said about the measure in a March 2025 press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's what to know about the new law. Oklahoma DUI laws Senate Bill 54 mandated that to qualify for an aggravated DUI, a person must have a blood or breath alcohol concentration of .15 within two hours of arrest and must have committed at least one of the following violations: The person causes a motor vehicle incident with one or more vehicles. The person drives the wrong way on a roadway. The person eludes law enforcement while driving. The person drives more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit or 10 miles per hour over the speed limit in an active school zone. The person is driving with a child. The person is driving recklessly. For a first offense of aggravated DUI, the person will spend at least 10 days incarcerated. It will be possible for the person to serve the sentence at night or on weekends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a second offense of aggravated DUI, the person will spend at least 30 days incarcerated. For each subsequent conviction of aggravated DUI, the person who committed the crime will spend an additional 30 days incarcerated. What was Oklahoma's DUI law before? The new requirements are a marked change from the previous law, which made a DUI a misdemeanor and did not carry any mandatory incarceration. The shift shows the legislators' stance on seriously punishing drunk driving. Lawmakers worked with advocates who supported the legislation. One of the bill's authors, Oklahoma Sen. Darrell Weaver, previously said the measure was a result of collaboration with the Oklahoma-based nonprofit, Victims of Impaired Drivers, which is composed of families who have lost a loved one due to impaired driving. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma DUI laws change Nov. 1. What to know about harsher penalties Board on Legislative Compensation member James Leewright, a former Republican lawmaker turned lobbyist, is shown at a recent meeting of the panel. (Photo by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY A state panel on Tuesday voted to keep lawmakers base pay the same, but left the door cracked to reconsider that decision next month. The Legislative Compensation Board voted to keep legislators base pay at $47,500 a year, but member James Leewright, a former Republican senator appointed by the state House, said he wants to revisit the decision when the board meets again Nov. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leewright said some members were just recently appointed to the panel and learned new information. But some members objected to reconsidering legislative pay so soon, saying they just voted to reject a salary increase. This board cant continue to meet every time someone wants to change a prior vote, said Robert P. DeNegri, who was appointed by the governor. Its obvious to me what is happening here, he said. Theres certain members of the board that dont like the results of the vote and they want to reconvene this board to vote again. David Chip Carter, a gubernatorial appointee, said he has never been a member of a board that was not allowed to revisit its decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maria Maule, the boards attorney, said she would advise against revisiting the vote. I think it makes it really confusing to people if you are continually revisiting the same issue, she said. After the meeting, Chairman Brian Jackson, another gubernatorial appointee, said he did not know if a second vote on legislative salaries would be taken in November. Total compensation for Oklahoma lawmakers is $72,869, a figure which includes the base salary for those not in leadership, per diem payments during session, benefits and state retirement contributions, according to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The compensation board, which meets every two years in odd numbered years, did approve an increase in stipends for some who serve legislative leadership positions. They receive a stipend on top of their base pay. The House Speaker and Senate Pro Tem stipend will increase by nearly 26% from $18,829 to $23,750. Some other leaders will see their stipends increase nearly 21% to $15,675. Those leaders would receive a $2,693 hike. Leewright attempted to add additional leadership posts to the stipend increase, but was advised it would be a violation of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act because the posts were not listed on the agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The panel could revisit the issue at its November meeting. An analysis by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services indicates that Oklahoma legislative salaries and per diem are the second highest among surrounding states at $60,828. Colorado was the highest at $63,914 while New Mexico was the lowest at $14,820. New Mexico does not provide a salary to lawmakers. Oklahoma lawmakers are in session from February until the last Friday in May, but can be called into special session. They normally meet Monday through Thursday. Lawmakers who live more than 50 miles away from the Capitol also earn a per diem of $196 a day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, issued a statement encouraging the panel to revisit the legislative pay decision. The job of a lawmaker takes substantial time away from families and other career obligations outside of the Capitol, he said. Many say it is a full-time job because they are meeting with constituents and performing other legislative functions when they are not in session. Any changes would be effective Nov. 18, 2026, after the next legislative general election. The panel in 2019 voted to increase legislative pay to $47,500 from $35,021. Two years earlier, it voted to decrease legislative pay. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Guess whos going to jail tonight? Russell Goodwin sang to the camera. The self-proclaimed child predator catcher was in Sapulpa, where he had just confronted a man afflicted with autism during a live stream to Goodwins social media followers. But on Friday, it was Goodwin who was going to jail. Goodwin founded a group called Oklahoma Predator Prevention that, in their view, helps keep child predators off the streets. But an Oklahoma Watch investigation revealed that Goodwin and his cohorts used highly questionable tactics and pursued the most vulnerable people, using decoy accounts to pose as minors online and entice potential predators to meet in person or reveal their addresses. Goodwins group would then confront the person with a camera rolling, often bullying and humiliating the person before alerting police, hoping for an arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whenever theyre shackling them up, putting them in the back of the cop car, thats the best, Goodwin told Oklahoma Watch. Although the group had been banished from several major social media platforms, they still claimed an audience of about 169,000 followers. Goodwin claimed he was earning about $1,500 per month from the videos. Goodwin did not like Oklahoma Watchs story. He and an associate left multiple inappropriate messages on reporter Haley Parsleys voicemail and contacted her during one of their livestreamed catches in an attempt to engage her as part of the video. On Aug. 16, Goodwin, a 42-year-old Oklahoma City resident, and colleagues Ryan Koch, 36, of Moore, and George Liebsch, 43, of Enid, were in McLennan County, Texas, where Sheriffs Investigator Andrew Hermes had just arrested members of a similar group, charging them with unlawful restraint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hermes applied the same strategy to Goodwin, Koch and Liebsch, who were arrested separately in Oklahoma on Friday morning by members of a U.S. Marshals task force on McLennan County, Texas, warrants. They were charged with unlawful restraint and exposing the victim to a substantial risk of serious bodily injury. The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. The video revealed a coordinated effort by the three OPP members to control and restrict the mans movements, including directing him where to stand, corralling him into a secluded area, all the while using aggressive and profane language, the McLennan County Sheriffs Office said in a press release. The situation escalated to the point where the man lost consciousness, collapsed and struck his head. It was only at that point that OPP members notified law enforcement. Hermes said that while law enforcement is committed to protecting children, the vigilante-style approach of people such as those affiliated with OPP poses its own threat to the community. We cant have these guys out there doing the kinds of things theyre doing, Hermes said. There are too many things that can go wrong. If someone suspects that theres a threat to children, the right thing to do is to contact law enforcement and let us take it from there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ted Streuli is Oklahoma Watchs executive director. Contact him at tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org. Oklahoma Watch This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma 'predator hunters' face felony charges after confrontation COMMERCE, Ok. A bright blue bench on a northeast Oklahoma elementary school playground honors the life of a boy killed earlier this year. A dedication ceremony was held Tuesday, October 21 at Alexander Elementary School for the Easton Freeman Memorial Bench. Staff say its not just a spot to sit, but a place for students to reflect, find comfort, and remember their classmate Easton. The 10-year-old died back in April when, reports say, he was running alongside a UTV, slipped in mud, and was struck by the vehicle. Northeastern Tribal Health System donated the bench for the playground, and Pruitt Brothers Construction Company built it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I knew Easton was a special kid, but I didnt know how much he was loved until after this incident. And. And the things that this community has done. The money that they raised for the family, the love that theyve shown the family. This is justits outstanding, said David Dean, grandfather of Easton Freeman. He loved fishing and being outdoors and being on the farm. And he was just a general, you know, a good kid and always had the greatest hugs and smiles. Even when he had a bad day. It was like something you needed. Hed give you a hug, said Lisa Dunn, music teacher of Easton Freeman. The bench in his honor features Eastons silhouette with a fishing pole, as well as one of his favorite characters, Thomas the Tank Engine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The U.S. Marine Corps identified the pilot killed in last week's helicopter crash in the California desert as Maj. Tyler R. Braconi, a 35-year-old California native and decorated Marine aviator based at Camp Pendleton. Braconi died Oct. 16 when his attack helicopter went down during a training mission near Imperial Gables, a remote area about 40 miles from El Centro and 36 miles north of Yuma, Ariz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two-seat aircraft was flying in support of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, a seven-week advanced training program often compared to the Navy's Top Gun school. A second pilot aboard the helicopter survived and was hospitalized in stable condition. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Braconi served with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, known as the "Gunfighters," part of Marine Aircraft Group 39 of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. He joined into the Marine Corps in 2012 and was promoted to major in 2022. During his career, he completed a tour with another Camp Pendleton-based unit and served as an exchange pilot with the Australian Army - an assignment given to some of the Corps' most capable aviators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His decorations included the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four bronze stars, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. "We join the family of Maj. Tyler Braconi in mourning the unimaginable loss of a loved one," said Lt. Col. Christopher Hart, commanding officer of HMLA-369, in a statement. "Our most valued asset is our people, the individual Marine, and Tyler was one of the greats. We mourn the loss of a Gunfighter,' brave aviator, and leader that served our nation with humility, strength, and purpose. Our focus is supporting Tyler's family and loved ones during this difficult time." The crash came days before Camp Pendleton hosted a 250th Marine Corps anniversary event attended by Vice President J.D. Vance, adding to a difficult week at the base as officials also investigated a separate live-fire mishap during the celebration. Marine officials said the investigation into the crash could take months to complete. This article originally published at One of the greats': California Marine pilot killed in Camp Pendleton crash identified. The sight of a massive superyacht with a police escort gave onlookers quite a show recently. A photo posted in the r/GoldCoast subreddit shows a typical sunny day on Australia's Gold Coast. Photo Credit: Reddit While seeing boats pull up in the harbor is common, seeing a massive superyacht owned by a tech billionaire was a surprise for many. Bringing even more attention to the arrival was the police escort. One commenter complained: "Police supplying marine escorts for the rich. Meanwhile, they can't turn up to a break and enter in a decent timeframe." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other commenters theorized about the owner's identity, with ideas ranging from Mark Wahlberg to Russian oligarchs. Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel topped the list thanks to his billionaire status and because model Miranda Kerr, an Australian native, is his wife. Of course, he's not the only social media CEO potentially making waves abroad since Mark Zuckerberg's $300 million yacht purchase. The original poster was impressed enough to write, "Never seen anything of this size before, was really cool." One commenter replied: "Some people just have too much money." While Gold Coast onlookers were surprised, in areas like Palm Beach, Florida, superyachts are a dime a dozen, with some large enough to hold smaller yachts on the bow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the uber-rich continue to pay more for superyachts such as Amazon's Jeff Bezos, who has one worth $500 million, with a trailing $100 million boat to house the parent vessel's toys the planet also pays for it. Global transportation is responsible for over 16.2% of carbon pollution, according to Climate Watch figures shared by Our World in Data, but superyachts take it further. According to Oxfam, 23 superyachts owned by billionaires each have an estimated annual polluting carbon footprint of 5,672 tonnes (6,252 tons), an amount that would take 860 years for one person to produce. The effect extends to marine animals that have suffered hearing loss because of noise pollution, while habitats such as coral reefs have degraded due to physical damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Luckily, anyone can enjoy life on the water or go on cross-country sightseeing trips by supporting more eco-friendly travel options. On land, one can travel in style on high-speed electric rail service. Boat lovers can luxuriously sail on Silent-Yachts that use solar power and noiseless cruising. 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. An OpenAI exec bragged that ChatGPT had discovered a mathematical breakthrough and was immediately left with egg on his face when it turned out to be bogus, The Decoder reports. We begin where any good controversy begins: with a now-deleted tweet. This one was by Kevin Weil, a vice president at OpenAI who last week proclaimed that the companys newest large language model, GPT-5, had found solutions to 10 (!) previously unsolved Erdos problems and made progress on 11 others. The Erdos problems refer to a number of tricky mathematical conjectures made by the Hungarian mathematician of the same name. If the claims are true, this would be a notable achievement for an AI, and an awesome demonstration of the ChatGPTs purported PhD level intelligence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the mathematician who literally runs the website erdosproblems.com, a researcher at the University of Manchester named Thomas Bloom, tweeted that this was a dramatic misrepresentation, because the AI had only found existing work that already solved the problems. In fact, the problems werent even unsolved in the first place. They were listed as open on the Erdos problems website, which Bloom stressed only meant that he personally was unaware of a paper with a solution, not that no solution exists. No need to describe it as something its not! Bloom wrote. OpenAIs competitors blasted Weil for the blunder, per TechCrunch. Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis called it embarrassing. Hyperbolic Labs cofounder Yuchen Jin said that the episode calls for better peer review for these AI discovers science/math claims. And the notoriously blunt Yann LeCun, Metas chief AI scientist, summed it up with a brutal joke: Hoisted by their own GPTards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its another example of the careless boosterism of OpenAI and the tech industry at large. To hype the launch of GPT-5, OpenAI repeated the claim that the AI had achieved PhD-level intelligence, even though its still often incapable of giving a straight answer to basic questions. CEO Sam Altman warns-slash-hypes that the tech is getting good enough to replace entire categories of jobs, while also declaring that the company is on the verge of building an artificial general intelligence, or AGI, that roundly outperforms humans in every domain. Science and mathematics in particular is one way that AI companies are trying to hijack some credibility. Maybe AI isnt perfect yet, but who can argue with the endeavor if widely available chatbots are pushing the boundaries of empirical pursuits? Elon Musk, for instance, claims that his maximum truth-seeking chatbot Grok will discover new technologies and new physics, if not the true nature of the universe. While some scientists have found uses for generative AI, its largely as a research tool, dredging up the scientific literature it devoured in its training that may otherwise get buried in the results of a search engine. But anytime someone from the industry claims that chatbots are coming up with breakthroughs on their own should be taken with a grain of salt. In this case, all ChatGPT seems to have done is copy someone elses homework. More on OpenAI: Study Finds GPT-5 Is Actually Worse Than GPT-4o, New Research Finds In January, Donald Trump opened his inaugural address by promising to put America first daily and usher in a new golden age for American families. Ten months in, Americans are still waiting for the golden age to arrive and reeling from Trump administration policies that have actively made their lives worse. His administrations signature legislation delivers the largest Medicaid cuts in U.S. history, threatening to strip coverage from 15 million people while taking food assistance from children, seniors, and people with disabilities. His erratic trade policy has worsened the cost-of-living crisis, amounting to an average $1,300 tax increase per household this year. And as the Republican shutdown drags on, essential services are halted and paychecks paused for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Now, with government operations paralyzed and Americans pocketbooks reeling, the White House has made the extraordinary decision to move forward with a $20 billion bailout for Argentina. Republicans and Democrats alike are asking what, exactly, is America First about sending billions of U.S. dollars abroad while Americans are suffering at home. The irony is especially sharp for U.S. farmers, who have been shut out of Chinas soybean market because of Trumps trade war just as Argentina moves in to fill that gap. While Washington props up Buenos Aires, small-farm bankruptcies here have climbed to a five-year high. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a White House meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei last week, President Trump provided the answer. Asked how the bailout would help the U.S., he replied, Just helping a great philosophy take over a great country. Even Trump knows this deal has nothing to do with helping Americans and everything to do with propping up a political ally. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called Argentina a systemically important ally, but its real importance to this administration is political rather than economic. President Milei has styled himself as an ideological cousin of Trump and Elon Musk, though his campaign of extreme austerity came first. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., this February, Milei presented Musk with a chainsaw to highlight the links between Musks Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and Mileis austerity campaign in Argentina. Like DOGE, Mileis program was billed as a war on waste, but in practice, it became a showy slashing spree that gutted public services while doing little to fix Argentinas deeper economic problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mileis program has driven household spending on utilities up from 6% to 15%, according to a report from the University of Buenos Aires, and pushed the country to the brink of a currency crisis. This situation has left many Argentines fed up with the Milei political agenda, causing his party to suffer a stunning loss in a Buenos Aires provincial election in September. With more potential losses looming in a pivotal Argentine midterm election, Trump decided to step in to stop the bleeding. The political motive behind the bailout was made crystal clear last week when Trump said the U.S. is not going to waste our time if Mileis coalition did not prevail in November. That motivation should alarm every taxpayer. Using U.S. funds to influence a foreign election is a glaring misuse of public money. The fact that Mileis government is embroiled in numerous alleged corruption scandals makes the bailout even more concerning. Even the structure of the bailout raises red flags. The Treasury Department is utilizing the Exchange Stabilization Fund, or ESF, to extend a massive line of credit without any conditionality or immediate congressional oversight. Such intervention is almost without precedent. Historically, deployment of the ESF such as for Mexico in 1995 and Asian economies in 1997 came with clear repayment terms and transparency requirements to protect American taxpayers. The Trump administration has disclosed no such safeguards here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is important, as Argentinas capacity to repay the loan is highly uncertain. Its sovereign bonds are rated below investment grade across the board. Investors consider them a speculative gamble, reflecting just how precarious Argentinas finances have become. Meanwhile, the government has been burning through billions in reserves to prop up an overvalued exchange rate a strategy that cannot last, no matter how much it borrows from the United States or other institutions. The Treasury Department owes the public an explanation of what safeguards or repayment terms exist to protect U.S. taxpayers from loss. Trumps promise to put America first has become a hollow slogan. At home, hes dismantling the government programs that working families rely on. Abroad, hes using taxpayer dollars on a risky bailout of a foreign government that shares his politics. If this is his idea of America first, Americans deserve far better. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Earlier this year, a poll revealed only 42% of Gen Z agree that democracy is definitely the best form of government for America. Despite world events and the loud headlines of the past few months, this continues to buzz in the back of my mind. As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, over half of young adults have doubts about the one idea that has defined our nation since its founding that democracy matters. This is what happens when schools woefully under-educate our students about our government, our history, our culture. Certainly, the polarization and political violence, inequality and culture wars of the past decade have taken their toll on democracys luster, especially on new voters. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter But schools invest between five and fifty cents per student in civics education. By comparison, STEM education receives about $50 a student. This tiny investment in civics has yielded proportional returns: As of 2022, only 13% of eighth graders scored proficient in U.S. History, and 22% scored the same in civics. Finally, about 47% of Gen Z turned out to the polls in 2024, 13 points below the next lowest cohort, millennials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Amid Polarization, Civics Education Enjoys Bipartisan Support, Survey Finds The solution isnt additional worksheets and pop quizzes. Its more lived experience. Enter experiential civics. Imagine if schools saw preparation for citizenship not just as sets of facts to learn and lessons to endure, but as a complex combination of social and psychological muscles to be developed in the classroom and beyond it. Much in the same way teachers send a history class to the archives, or a science class to the lab, they ought to push emerging adults, who are also new voters, toward experiences that get them excited about their country, its form of government, and, most of all, the people whom the government serves. And those experiences must inspire empathy, curiosity, and teach the social skills needed for citizenship in a large, diverse democratic republic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2019, I cofounded an organization called the American Exchange Project, and we operate one such experience. For the past five summers, our organization has been sending recently graduated high school seniors on free exchanges to American hometowns radically different from their own. Weve sent students from Dodge City to Palo Alto; Baltimore to Kilgore, Texas; in all, weve sent 1,500 students on over 200 exchanges, and almost to a person, they come home raving about the experience. In short, its domestic study abroad, and the experience fosters understanding and friendship across social, cultural, and geographic boundaries. One of my favorite examples comes from a student we sent from the Bronx to Gloucester, Massachusetts. When I asked what he thought about the small coastal city, he said he couldnt believe there were people there. He said, I thought the world was New York, and then some stuff in Connecticut, and then the rest was just trees. Many of our students have never seen a mountain or the ocean or cows or a subway. Some say, with a chuckle, theyre surprised to find people not commuting on horses in Texas. And its not their fault. Todays students are too often subjected to the same attitudes, perspectives, and lifestyles over and over in their schools and at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve found most students dont have negative thoughts of where weve sent them so much as no thoughts at all. Theyve not run into people who are different enough from them. As a consequence, those cranial muscles that help them navigate nuance, venture out of their comfort zones and connect with people who might disagree with them are unexercised within too many teens. Another pair of students I met hardly spoke to one another in school and came from different sides of the political spectrum. After a week hosting travelers from across the country in their hometown of Arvada, Colorado, they found themselves up until two in the morning discussing due process and immigration with new friends from Maine and Alaska. And they all walked away from the conversation smiling. Americans dont know one another well enough. A 2014 study by the Public Religion Research Institute found 75% of white Americans dont have a friend whos not white, and in 2022, AgriPulse reported 40% of Americans have never even met a farmer. Meanwhile, only 3.6% of new marriages cross the political divide, making a literal union between a Democrat and Republican the taboo relationship of the day. Relationships that cut across lines of difference, known as bridged social capital, are valuable for the civic well-being of our society. They allow people to see the humanity, dynamism, and honest, unfiltered characteristics of the other. And that kind of perspective can defuse the partisan, prejudice-infused rhetoric heard too often in the news, on social media, and in the halls of government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Teach Them to Disagree: Why Civility Belongs in Every Classroom These social skills and perspectives are critical for an emerging adult, and this moral understanding fuels engaged and empathetic citizenship. Volunteering, productive debate, voting, understanding context, the discernment of reliable information, and an ability to think on multiple sides of an issue, are other critical areas in need of nurturing. Certainly, any strong civic education starts with a full picture of our nations double-voiced history, and a deep examination of the design and inner workings of our government. This is the core of civics. From BridgeUSA to Braver Angels to the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap, organizations doing this kind of work exist and are eager to expand. Reach out. Its no wonder too many of todays high school seniors are at best apathetic about democracy. But anyone can feel the tingle of that highest form of patriotism while standing inside the Lincoln Memorial, or gazing west from the St. Louis Arch or sharing a campfire with new friends in Rocky Mountain National Park. As schools reimagine how to prepare this next generation for engaged citizenship, lets start by giving students these types of experiences, experiences that inspire civic awe. If we as a nation want young Americans to believe in democracy, we must let them live it. Lets make experiential civics as common as algebra, so that this next generation, and every one after it, is ready to carry forward this nations promise. You dont know me. My voice reaches you from Kyiv, the capital of a country that often appears in the news but only briefly, between other events. Youve heard about the bombs, the destruction, the war. Thats probably all you know. Ukraine is a distant place where people are dying. And that is a harsh truth. But today, I want to tell you a different story. Not about death, but about survival. Not about what divides us, but what unites us. In your state, Utah, there is a flower delicate and resilient, the sego lily. Your ancestors, pioneer settlers, survived in the arid lands thanks to its bulbs. It became a symbol of lifes strength, a gift from the earth in the most desperate times. It is a story of survival carried in every valley, across every field. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Ukraine, we also have a plant of survival: loboda, also known as lambs quarters. In 19321933, the Soviet authorities artificially created famine, confiscating the entire harvest and condemning millions to death. Over 4 million people died in the Holodomor. But many were saved by loboda. It was made into simple stews and flatbreads. This plant became the last hope for those unwilling to give up. Like your sego lily, loboda is a symbol of resilience, the will to live and memory. I grew up in the Carpathian Mountains of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. When I look at your Wasatch and Uinta Mountains, their cliffs reaching for the sky, I feel a familiar grandeur and calm. Mountains teach us perspective: pain and tragedy are temporary, and life goes on. My Carpathians now shelter thousands of displaced Ukrainians, offering refuge and peace. Hanna Shimanska, who came to Utah from Ukraine in December of 2022, stands at the top of the steps of the Utah Capitol, holding a Ukrainian flag, while looking on at the Peace for Ukraine Rally marking three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News You are a farming people; your land feeds you just as it fed your ancestors. My country has always been famous for its fertile black soil, capable of feeding the world. Farming for us is not just work; it is a connection to the land, to the cycle of life and harvest. But now that life-giving land is wounded. As of March 2025, 52,089 hectares of Ukrainian farmland are contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance. These are not just statistics. These are fields meant to give life, turned into hazards. Every hectare is a lost harvest, a wound to the heart of our nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is why your sego lily and our loboda are more than flowers. They are symbols of our shared humanity. They remind us that when famine, suffering or destruction comes, we find strength in the earth that sustains us. Survival often comes in the simplest forms in a root that endured, a seed that sprouts, a tiny plant that gives hope. I am not asking you to understand all the complexities of our politics. I am asking you to look at your mountains and remember mine. To look at your flower of survival and remember ours. To feel that connection. War is not only about loss. It is also about finding the roots of hope. Our roots are in the memory of how nations survived, in the land that will one day again yield a peaceful harvest. And in the understanding that even peoples separated by thousands of miles can find what is most profound in common: the desire to live, feed their families and be free on their own land. And remember: freedom and life do not fall from the sky. They grow in our hands, in our hearts, in the land we protect. Every day, every harvest, every small flower is our choice to live and fight for the future. To grasp the importance of Israels unprecedented September attack on Hamas negotiators in Doha, just look at President Trumps decision to sign an executive order guaranteeing Qatars security a startling step for a non-NATO ally. The day before, Trump had pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into giving a rare apology, telling his Qatari counterpart on an Oval Office call that he promised not to conduct more such attacks as Trump looked on. For Arab Gulf states, Israels attack on Qatar was a threshold-crossing moment. Many Gulf officials and citizens saw Israels strike in downtown Doha as an immediate threat to the regions security and their own. Washington raced to reassure its Arab partners, but Israels strike risked long-term damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps inability or unwillingness to stop Israels attack added to many Gulf leaders longstanding concerns over the reliability of the U.S. security umbrella. Gulf states are now reevaluating their defense and security alliance, not to replace the U.S., but to fill gaps and update cooperative mechanisms. Israels attack also sparked striking rhetorical solidarity among the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council led by its heavyweights, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and accelerated a dramatic shift in Gulf states perception of the Jewish state. Only five years ago, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel, and two years ago Saudi Arabia was talking with the U.S. about following suit. But Hamass assault on Israel on Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza slowed progress toward further normalization. The enormous human toll in Gaza has badly strained Gulf relations with Israel. Gulf concerns over Israeli actions have risen just as threats from Iran have diminished. Israeli military action against Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and other parts of Tehrans regional network over the past two years in many ways benefited Gulf states worried about Iran. Tehrans vaunted axis of resistance is in shambles, and its nuclear program was significantly set back by Israeli and American bombs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Iran remains a core security concern for the Gulf states. Only months before the Doha attack, Iran was the one violating Qatari sovereignty, launching a choreographed strike on Americas al-Udeid military base in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli attacks on Tehrans nuclear facilities. But while Gulf leaders think that Irans overall threat has diminished, they worry that Israel will become an increasingly destabilizing power. Netanyahu and his far-right governments talk of a Greater Israel has amplified concerns. Then the Qatar attack confirmed Gulf leaders worst fears, showing Israel as a direct threat to the Gulf states security and ambitions for economic transformation. Gulf leaders increasingly fear that if Israel was willing to strike in Doha, it might be willing to strike elsewhere something antithetical to the Gulfs vision of itself as an island of safety and stability. Anwar Gargash, an Emirati advisor, called the Israeli attack treacherous and pointedly noted that the security of the Arab Gulf states is indivisible. The impact on the regions security architecture remains uncertain. A gathering of Arab and Islamic leaders in Doha condemned Israels attack without offering binding follow-up steps. A Gulf Cooperation Council meeting framed the attack on Qatar as an attack on all members and called for a meeting of the Joint Defense Council, which agreed to increase intelligence exchanges, accelerate work on a ballistic-missile early warning system, and update joint defense plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More important than council solidarity is the emerging strategic alignment among Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, informally known as the Gulf 3. Before Netanyahus attack on Doha, coordination among these powerful and ambitious states was on the rise. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia seem to have coordinated public statements calling Israeli annexation of the West Bank a red line. The Gulf 3 was also instrumental in fine-tuning Trumps cease-fire plan for Gaza. Now they are pushing to strengthen collective security, in cooperation with the U.S., against threats from both Iran and Israel. Its too soon to know whether their efforts might lead to a long-discussed Gulf Arab version of NATO or just to a more diversified network of security arrangements that supplement cooperation with the United States. The silver lining to the Doha strike may be the newfound Gulf 3 alignment. These countries competition has sometimes fueled conflicts rather than mitigating them. Yet Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatars wealth, diplomatic clout and good relations with the Trump administration uniquely position them to help forge progress on a variety of issues, from securing a day-after plan in Gaza to stabilizing Syria and moving toward a diplomatic solution with Iran on its nuclear ambitions and regional meddling. With the region in flux, this middle-power coordination toward a more peaceful future is sorely needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement April Longley Alley is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla is a political science professor from the United Arab Emirates and a nonresident senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. As the Trump administration devises wasteful, nonsensical plans to spend what remains of congressionally appropriated foreign assistance funds during a government shutdown, fired employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development watch from the sidelines. Just before nearly all of USAIDs remaining staff left their jobs last month, Secretary Marco Rubio jokingly tweeted from his official account that he had handed off one of his four jobs to Russell Vought, director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Referring to USAID, Rubio tweeted, Russ is now at the helm to oversee the closeout of an agency that long ago went off the rails. Congrats, Russ. Rubios taunting tone toward USAIDs career workforce, many of whom had served in conflict zones and across multiple administrations, was more befitting of a middle-school bully than a U.S. Cabinet secretary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What Rubio utterly failed to acknowledge in his brief stint as acting USAID administrator, while railing indiscriminately against its staff and programs, is that every single U.S. taxpayer dollar that USAID spent was dictated by Congress, a body in which he had direct influence over USAIDs budget for 14 years. Especially as a senior member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he chaired and participated in hearings at which senior USAID officials testified, received briefings from USAID staff and, most significantly, shaped the annual laws that funded USAID. I am acutely aware of these facts because, for more than 17 years, it was my job at USAID to ensure funds were spent according to congressional intent as laid out in law, and to respond to the congressional oversight critical to the checks and balances of a functioning democracy. I personally responded to written questions from then-Senator Rubio following congressional hearings and accompanied senior USAID officials to brief his staff. He may not have agreed with every USAID activity, but he contributed to and repeatedly voted for the legislation that funded USAIDs programs. USAID respected Congresss power of the purse articulated in Article One of the U.S. Constitution and took seriously its role to be accountable to the Republicans and Democrats overseeing USAIDs spending. The process by which USAID received and spent its funds equivalent to less than 1 percent of the federal budget was lengthy and likely uninteresting to most people. However, the baseless accusations of waste, fraud and abuse by Rubio, previously one of our staunchest Republican allies in Congress, necessitate a primer on the sausage making. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Annual appropriations laws laid out the funds legislated by Congress for USAIDs programs in great detail. These laws included specific funding levels that USAID was mandated to use on specific purposes in specific countries and sectors in support of U.S. national security objectives. For example, the appropriations bill for fiscal 2021, when Senate Republicans were in the majority, required that USAID and the Department of State spend $2.4 billion on democracy programs, $165 million to combat gender-based violence, and $506 million for Central America. The detailed nature of these budgets handed down by Congress was a point of frustration, as USAID staff on the front lines of managing U.S. interests and furthering U.S. national security abroad were often left without the flexibility needed to fund the development priorities identified in country-specific cooperation strategies. Many times in my career, I had to manage budgets that were responsive only to narrow congressional directives with no room to meet emerging on-the-ground needs. Yet USAID complied with the law and developed its programs accordingly. Furthermore, before spending a single penny of taxpayer funds, USAID submitted documents known as Congressional Notifications to its committees of jurisdiction, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. These provided detailed information on USAIDs planned use of congressionally appropriated funds by country, account and sector. Importantly, these documents also clearly stated which of USAIDs partner organizations would receive funds. USAID was required to wait a minimum of 15 calendar days after transmitting the notifications to Congress before using the funds; thus, congressional stakeholders had ample opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns. USAID carefully and transparently documented these Congressional Notifications and other approvals required by law documents that have now been erased by this administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rigidity of funding directives and intense scrutiny and oversight to which USAID was beholden by law left little room for USAID to veer off the course that Congress set. Given Rubios direct role in legislating USAIDs budget and programs, his mockery suggests that either he did not take his previous role seriously, or he has gone off the rails to maintain his standing in this administration, leaving our country less secure and weaker as the shutdown drags on. Michelle Dworkin served as a Foreign Service Officer with USAID for more than 17 years. Her assignments included Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Afghanistan, Egypt and Washington. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. On Oct. 10, the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 was awarded to Venezuelan reform leader Maria Corina Machado. She is truly deserving of the honor and personifies courage, positive global influence and significance reaching beyond that troubled nation. Last year, she successfully galvanized and led Venezuelan opposition groups in the presidential election. Independent outside analysts agreed that the opposition won that election. Nonetheless, incumbent President Nicolas Maduro and his associates stole yet another presidential election. No surprise, but there are indications their days may at last be numbered. Ms. Machado is a conservative traditionalist opposed to the radical socialism of the Venezuelan regime in the most fundamental terms. She strongly supports the military buildup and the Trump administrations actions in the Caribbean. So far, she has carefully avoided any comment on possible U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She has been in hiding since last year. The Maduro regime has been exceptionally aggressive in trying to silence dissent. Nevertheless, Venezuelas ongoing economic deterioration has become a major political and human crisis, and that reality cannot be hidden. Sizable assets continue to provide income. Venezuela is a major oil producer and continues to receive assistance from Cuba and Russia, though both those regimes face their own growing economic difficulties. There is also drug trafficking, highlighted by recent U.S. attacks on Venezuela fast boats carrying narcotics. Chaos is the principal legacy of deceased earlier socialist President Hugo Chavez. Petroleum may be a national resource, but gross mismanagement and strong international sanctions have limited the benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Maduro clings to power. In early January 2019, Maduro was sworn in for a second term following another stolen election. In response, Juan Guaido, leader of the legislature, tried to compete with the dictator for a time. He finally fled and now lives in Miami. The Venezuelan military is a major factor in the survival of the regime. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez is one of Maduros inner circle of cronies and a reliable mouthpiece, denouncing opposition forces. This situation could change quickly as the opposition grows. The regional dimensions of the situation are less often discussed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cucuta, a town in neighboring Colombia, today shelters a quarter million Venezuelans. Approximately 3 million in total are in Colombia, a leader in international relief efforts despite domestic economic challenges. The FARC is the acronym for a once powerful insurgent communist force known in English as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Today, they are disbanded though splinter groups are making limited gains. The foundation of regional cooperation in Latin America is relatively strong. The Inter-American Pact for Regional Security Rio Pact was signed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1947, before the NATO Treaty in 1949 and two years after the meeting of the United Nations in early 1945 in San Francisco, even before World War II concluded. Early in the life of the United States, President James Monroe promulgated his famous Monroe Doctrine, warning European powers to stay out of Inter-American affairs. Fortunately for the new U.S. republic, Great Britain had identical interests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The British fleet enforced the edict. The Monroe Doctrine has proven to be durable throughout U.S. history, possibly ultimately regarding Venezuela During the Cold War, there were real possibilities of the expansion of communism from the foothold in Cuba. Today, the governments of Cuba and Venezuela struggle while democracy and market economies expand. Ms. Machado represents the future. Russia has been using Cuban mercenaries since 2023, but it has stepped up their use in recent months. Cuban soldiers are familiar with the weapons, trained and paid cheaply, reducing Putins political cost to Putin to zero. No one in Moscow complains about the deaths of foreign soldiers. The allegations of Cuban mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine may sound new, but for Cuba, this kind of involvement is business as usual. In 1963, Cuba sent soldiers to Algeria to participate in a conflict with Morocco. That year, Cuba irregularly established compulsory military service, which would be formalized and strengthened in 1973. Another mechanism used by Cuba has been medical brigades, which, while providing health services, also had a dual function in military intelligence advisory services. Finally, in the 21st century, Cuba has sent troops to countries like Venezuela to provide intelligence and law enforcement services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuba has maintained the use of military force as a valuable asset to exports its ideology to countries like Angola, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Grenada, El Salvador, Bolivia, Venezuela and many more. In those days, the regime always manifested that this was part of its ideological solidarity to help other countries in the fight for freedom. What is happening now in Ukraine is a new phase of a traditional operation. This time it is all about money and political survival. In 2025, Cuba is taking things to the next level. According to a report by CBS news the number of Cuban mercenaries sent to Ukraine are on the rise, reaching as many as 20,000 soldiers. The trend shows that Cuba could even surpass the number of troops coming from North Korea or failed states in African nations. The young Cubans enlisted in the Russian troops believed in the promises of money and well-being for their families in the island but have instead found only death, deception and dishonor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Russian regime takes advantage of the need and desperation experienced in Cuba and other countries. The offer includes $2,000 a month, Russian citizenship and 15 days of vacation every six months. This is an attractive promise that Putin has only half-fulfilled, generating desertions and discontent. After the failed rebellion by Wagner mercenaries, Putin has returned and relied on Cuba for more highly trained soldiers to continue his war of aggression against Ukraine. According to Prisoners Defenders, Russia and Cuba have reached an agreement that allow the dictatorship to hold between 75 and 95 percent of the soldiers income. Yes, the same scheme used in the infamous medical brigades. The Cuban regime claims they are not part of the armed conflict in Ukraine (the Russian invasion), nor is it participating with military personnel there or in any other country, and that its officials do not have accurate information about Cuban nationals who, on their own, have participated or are participating in the military forces of both sides in the war Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Cuban authorities, from 2023 to 2025, only nine cases for the crime of mercenary-ism were brought before Cuban courts against 40 defendants. The judicial authorities only handed down convictions against 26 of them. Cuban law maintains a prohibition over the use of mercenaries. According to Article 135 of the new Cuban Penal Code, any person who engages in military activities in foreign territory for personal benefit will be punished with sentences of 20 to 30 years, life imprisonment and even capital punishment. Similar legislation is established in the Russian system but each country implements it according to its own interests and discretion. The presence of Cuban mercenaries among the Russian troops ratifies and reflects that Moscow lacks the morale and manpower to win the war on its own. What was supposed to be a brief special military operation has become a grinding, never-ending war. The participation of thousands of Cuban mercenaries in the war against Ukraine exposes the desperation, criminalization and cowardice of the Cuban regime and its failed revolution. This is another crime against humanity that deserves not only criticism but also condemnation by the international community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The violations of human rights of many Cuban soldiers, some of them only 17 years old, is also something for which Cuba must be held accountable. The brutal abuses and deception against young Cubans have been widely reported . The Cuban regime simply claims to be unaware of this scandalous situation. The international community must speak out against what is happening with Cubans in the context of a war against a sovereign country like Ukraine. This cannot be another crime that goes unpunished. Arturo McFields is an exiled journalist, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States, and a former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps. He is an alumnus of the National Defense Universitys Security and Defense Seminar and the Harvard Leadership course. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The U.S. State Department, which selected four Emory University students for overseas study last summer, is again accepting applications for its Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program. Dozens of Emory students have been selected previously for the program, which helps Americans master foreign languages and develop cultural skills that contribute to U.S. competitiveness and national security. The application deadline for the 2026 program is Tuesday, Nov. 18. Four 2025 finalists junior Hannah Lo and 2025 graduates Marc Goedemans, Lydia King and Lucas San Miguel joined 47 previous Emory students and alumni selected for the CLS intensive summer program, which offers the equivalent of a full year of language study in just a few months. No prior study is required for many of the languages, though popular choices such as Chinese and Arabic call for at least one year of study something all Emory undergraduate students can access. Students also can review an informational session from the National Scholarships & Fellowships Program (NSFP) in Emory Colleges Pathways Center. Those already registered with the NSFP can access the recording via Canvas, while others must register to access it and other award resources. Emory students from all disciplines are exceptional candidates for this scholarship, not just because of our language offerings but because of student interest in applying multi-lingual skills to their professional trajectory, says NSFP director Megan Friddle. Emory College of Arts and Sciences offers 19 curricular languages, from Hebrew and Hindi to Persian and Portuguese. The Structured Independent Language Study program offers additional free courses, such as American Sign Language and the Cantonese dialect of Chinese. Meet the Eagles who completed the 2025 Critical Language Scholarship program Lo, a history major with a minor in quantitative sciences, was a Chinese language finalist to study at Dalian University of Technology in China. When the Chinese language program was eliminated for the year, Lo pivoted to serve as an immigration intern with Asian Americans Advancing Justice and conducted research with Emory history professors Yami Rodriguez and Chris Suh. She plans to reapply to the program for next summer. Goedemans, who served as a research fellow with Emorys Center for Law and Social Science and an election monitor with The Carter Center, studied Russian at Daugavpils University in Latvia. He graduated with honors in May with a degree in international studies and comparative literature and is now pursuing policy work. A Deans Scholar and Oxford College graduate, King learned both English and Kinyarwanda growing up in Rwanda. She studied Swahili (Kiswahili) at MSTCDC in Tanzania, quickly moving from a beginner to an advanced speaker by using only that language both on campus and at her host familys house. King, who graduated with degrees in linguistics as well as anthropology and human biology, is now pursuing a masters of research in social anthropology at Scotlands University of St Andrews as a Robert T. Jones Scholar. A Robert W. Woodruff Scholar, San Miguel had studied Chinese through a similar State Department program for high school students and as a CLS finalist for advanced language study after his first year at Emory. In 2025, after his experiences studying basic and advanced Chinese, San Miguel studied advanced Portuguese at Pontifical Catholic University in Brazil. He graduated with degrees in economics and Chinese studies, and is now pursuing a masters in global sustainable development at the University of St Andrews as a Robert T. Jones Scholar. When or if President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Budapest towards months end, will the outcome be a stunning Gaza II-like agreement ending, leading to an end of the Ukraine War? Or will it be a repeat of the failure in Alaska, with Putin taking Trump for another ride this time in his Zil? The odds favor the latter, but hope springs eternal. The fundamental questions are: What will motivate Putin to make a deal? Will Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accept it? Will Europe guarantee it? And then, will America commit to supporting it for the long term? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has made it clear that Europe must buy U.S. weapons and in turn supply them to Ukraine along with other aid. He has hedged, however, on the future U.S. role in Ukraine. Putin has made it clear that any negotiation must leave Russia with substantial Ukrainian territory under its control, acceptance of Russias security concerns that will limit Ukrainian military power, no NATO membership for Kyiv, the lifting of all sanctions and reentry into the international economic system, among others demands. Putin also implies that Russia will have substantial influence in and over Ukraine and leaves open the potential for future Russian aggression to gain even greater and total control of the nation. For Zelensky, Ukraine and Ukrainians will not accept Putins terms and demand return of all or most of its occupied territories. Ukraine will need absolute security guarantees that make any Russian aggression impossible. A cease-fire now is essential. And reparations for all the damage Russia has imposed must be part of any negotiation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Europe, meanwhile, must commit to supporting Ukraine indefinitely with weapons and other aid, particularly financial. Should Russia break the agreement and re-invade Ukraine, will Europe or NATO respond with force? And can Europe rely on the U.S. to reengage in the event of crisis given Trumps ambivalence in giving that commitment? Before the Budapest meeting, the Tomahawk missile has become a flash point. The Tomahawk has about a 1,000 mile range and a 1,000-pound warhead, and it flies low, making interception more difficult. On Friday, after a two-and-a-half-hour phone call, Trump said that he asked Putin Would you mind if I gave a couple thousand Tomahawks to your opposition? He said Putin was not pleased. Russia has made transfers of Tomahawks to Ukraine a red line an unacceptable escalation for which the U.S. would be held responsible, doing irreparable damage to relations with Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. has more than 4,000 Tomahawks. It is difficult to know how many would make a strategic and political military difference by destroying enough Russian infrastructure, namely energy and weapons facilities, to compel a negotiation. But that number is significant and would cause a drawdown in U.S. weapons that could adversely affect future readiness. Tomahawks require land launchers that are few in number, further restricting their impact. Trump should be bold and use Tomahawks as bargaining chips, as only they have the range to attack vital targets deep in Russia where drones are manufactured and bombers are stationed. Ideally, he would give Zelensky Tomahawks on the condition that they will only be used if Putin fails to agree to negotiate a just and lasting peace. The caveat is, would Trump risk escalation and provide enough Tomahawks to Ukraine to do the job? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps press conference prior to his meeting with Zelensky was refreshingly honest. Trump admitted that Putin and Zelensky had great dislike for each other and that the negotiations might not work. Trumps last comment that no one wants to fuck around with the U.S. suggested great confidence on his part. But while Trump believed Putin wanted to end the war, he could not provide any evidence or reasons for that assessment. What will happen? In terms of odds, talks will likely lead to further discussions that will ultimately fail or prove inconclusive. And if thats the 70 percent likelihood, then there is a 20 percent chance the talks will prove to be an Alaska II disaster and a 10 percent chance this could be a Gaza II. The reality is that Gaza II has a long way to go, and the reassertion of Hamas as controlling Gaza is not a good start. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In all likelihood, Putin wants more than Zelensky can give and Trump does not have the leverage to coerce or convince both sides to make concessions. That Trump was able to arrange a meeting is to his credit. But bringing any success may be a bridge too far. Harlan Ullman , Ph.D., is UPIs Arnaud deBorchgrave Distinguished Columnist, a senior advisor at the Atlantic Council, the chairman of two private companies and the principal author of the doctrine of shock and awe. He and former United Kingdom Defense Chief David Richards are the authors of a forthcoming book on preventing strategic catastrophe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Donald Trump is committed to using every tool at his disposal to exact retribution on his political enemies, and now he has turned his attention to the Internal Revenue Service. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the administration is preparing sweeping changes at the IRS that would allow the agency to pursue criminal inquiries of left-leaning groups more easily, according to people familiar with the matter. These changes, the Journal reports, are being driven by Gary Shapley, an adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and include revising the agencys procedure handbook to diminish the role of lawyers from the IRS chief counsels office. While Shapley briefly served as acting IRS Commissioner, he is best known for overseeing the IRSs investigation into Hunter Biden. The changes are clearly designed to make investigations of Trumps political enemies easier; indeed, the article noted that he has already ordered the IRS to investigate specific tax-exempt organizations that oppose him. As the political law chair at Elias Law Group, I represent several tax-exempt organizations that could be inappropriately targeted if the president is able to fully weaponize the IRS. However, these changes wont achieve the administrations goals. Instead, they will create legal peril for Trump, Shapley and those around them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal criminal law (Internal Revenue Code Section 7217) bars the president, the vice president and other Cabinet officials (except the attorney general) from directly or indirectly requesting an audit or investigation by the IRS. While the Supreme Court recently granted the president presumptive immunity from prosecution for official actions, it is doubtful that this immunity would extend to the flagrant violation of a law that specifically applies to the president. Perhaps more importantly, the presidents immunity does not extend to those aiding him. Section 7217 also requires IRS employees to report improper requests to the Treasury Departments Inspector General, or risk hefty fines or up to 5 years in prison. Shapley may be willing to flout this law, but will other civil servants at the IRS assume that much personal risk? Will they enable baseless investigations of President Trumps political opponents, particularly when the 5-year statute of limitations lasts far beyond his second term? Shapley and any IRS employees aiding him in his efforts would also face their own criminal exposure. Any federal employee that intentionally discriminates against Americans for their political views could be violating a number of criminal statutes, including Sections 241 and 242 of Title 18 of the United States Code. Another law (Internal Revenue Code Section 7214) specifically applies to revenue officers or agents who engage in willful oppression under color of law punishments include firing, fines and prison time. For these laws as well, the statute of limitations is 5 years and would extend into a subsequent administration. That the second Trump administration would target groups by political affiliation is especially ironic given the actions of the first Trump administration. In 2013, Lois Lerner, then the director of the Exempt Organizations Unit, admitted that IRS employees had given extra scrutiny to groups with tea party or patriot in their names that had applied for tax-exempt status. The resulting firestorm resulted in Lerners resignation, departures of other top officials, congressional inquiries and multiple lawsuits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2017, the first Trump administration settled one of those lawsuits with an apology and a payment of $3.5 million. In announcing the settlement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said, It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions. Any entitlement to tax exemption should be based on the activities of the organization and whether they fulfill requirements of the law, not the policy positions adopted by members or the name chosen to reflect those views. The Department of Justice declined to pursue criminal charges under these laws only because they could not prove that officials intended to break the law and found that in that case mismanagement, poor judgment, and institutional inertia were the more likely culprits. Shapley, on the other hand, reportedly has been very clear about his intentions. According to the Journal, he has been putting together a list of donors and groups he believes IRS investigators should look at. Among those on the list are the billionaire Democratic donor George Soros and his affiliated groups, according to a senior IRS official and another person briefed on the list. As a veteran of the IRSs criminal investigative division, Shapley is fully aware of the law, meaning if he and any colleagues pursue these investigations, arguing ignorance would be a much more difficult sell in court. Ultimately, President Trump and members of his administration cannot weaponize the IRS against the presidents enemies without creating significant legal peril for themselves and those around them. Those hoping to shelter in recent Supreme Court rulings or this presidents support for retribution should reconsider how their actions will be seen under a future administration that might not be so willing to ignore the rule of law. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com I didnt feel compelled to join a No Kings protest in June or last weekend, and dont know any other Black person who had been burning to attend one. But Saturday in New York City, I met a friend from out of state for lunch, and she said afterward that she wanted to attend a protest. So, we went looking for one. While walking toward Union Square, someone randomly handed me a No Kings sign. I took it and held it high, becoming a sort of one-woman march and a target as we walked 30 blocks. Eventually, we saw a spattering of what was left of the protest at 14th Street. The New York Police Department reported that 100,000 people demonstrated across all five boroughs, but our late arrival meant we had missed the thousands that had crowded the square. Where were they now? I wondered. And, more importantly, what are they going to do now that this demonstration is over? As for my friend and I, we heard a few speakers, and then we wandered away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were reportedly more than 2,700 No Kings protests across the U.S., and organizers said nearly seven million people participated. That is far smaller than the 15 million to 26 million people who told pollsters they protested George Floyds murder in 2020. And even though more people appear to have attended Saturdays protest than the up to five million people believed to have attended the Womens March the day after Donald Trumps first inauguration in 2017, it's my assessment that No Kings doesn't match the other two in power. Within the Black community, one heard lots of comments suggesting that the No Kings protest was not something we should bother with. LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, pushed back against that idea in a Monday interview with "Here and Now." However, even as she argued that she didnt think Black people should withdraw participation from No Kings events, Brown did say that Black women are saying, We will no longer be the shock absorbers for all the pain that happens politically in this country. Brown spoke about the frustration of Black women always being expected to be on the frontlines and leading the charge challenging patriarchy and these racist systems. Theres no clear sense of what percentage of Saturdays seven million protesters were Black or how many typically engaged Black people deliberately decided against participating Saturday, but it struck me Saturday that there are at least two major reasons Black people arent really bothering with the No Kings protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First, No Kings seems like an attempt for white America to figure out something about itself, namely the relationship between whiteness, white supremacy and democracy. While Im not convinced white Americans can do that work without Black people, many of us just refuse to make ourselves available to spell out this relationship for the umpteenth time. The people organizing and attending No Kings protests want to make these protests about universal democratic values, as if whiteness has not always been the great challenge to those values. Whiteness and its allies created the mess were in; so white people need to get serious about their collective behavior and forms of resistance that can truly meet this moment. Second, and as importantly, No Kings is not disruptive enough to build the sort of momentum that social change requires. It feels like a type of collective action that lacks teeth. Saturdays protest, at least the one in Manhattan, took place on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, not, say, on a Monday or Tuesday when more people would have had to walk out of work or school, or when city streets would have been hopelessly gridlocked with traffic. We need solidarity, and the No Kings protests are not without value, but they seem woefully inadequate at the moment. The goal shouldnt be just to gather in large numbers on a weekend, but to make the Trump administration and its corporate allies feel the political blowback of trying to push a king on us. Think back to ABCs decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel for comments that followed Charlie Kirk being killed, and how swiftly people canceled streaming subscriptions of its parent company Disney until Kimmels show was returned to air. Why was Kimmel the cause celebre? And why was only a few days of economic punishment for the corporate elite the response? Unless we intend for them to only be symbolic, marches demand more of us think French political protests and they are far from the only form of collective action available to us. The Black community has been engaged in various economic boycotts and what MSNBC host Al Sharpton and his National Action Network calls "buy-cotts" for most of this year. The NAACP has listed on its website the names of companies that have pulled back their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, policies and a list of companies that have continued their commitment, as a prompt to what consumers should do. Imagine if the white majority joined the Black community, not for a weekend but for the long haul. Or came up with their own that lasted longer than a handful of days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Come up with a collective action that has more bite and that doesnt ignore and disregard the problems that have been inflicted on Black people in particular, and more Black people just might join in large-scale protests such as No Kings. To Browns point, Im not saying were going to run to the frontlines when we protest were called rioters and are met with guns drawn but if we see protesters remain committed and not only to the issues that affect them personally, then we might make ourselves more available to a wider public fight. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Jeron Joseph stands outside the National Guard hangar in Bethel on Wednesday, Oct. 15, after evacuating from his home village of Kwigillingok. (Photo by Nat Herz/KYUK & Northern Journal) A note from Northern Journal publisher and KYUK collaborator Nathaniel Herz: Last week, I stood outside a National Guard hangar in the Western Alaska hub town of Bethel, talking with residents of the regions villages whod evacuated after raging floodwaters overran their homes in some cases, floating them off their foundations and depositing them miles away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flooding, stemming from the remnant of Typhoon Halong, has displaced more than 1,000 people, many of whom suffered intense emotional trauma during the storm and may never return to their Indigenous homelands. For more context, you can find ongoing coverage at KYUK , the regional public media station Ive been collaborating with, and I published my own overview piece last week. One of the survivors I spoke with was Jeron Joseph, a resident of Kwigillingok. Kwig, as its known, was among the hardest-hit villages, which also include nearby Kipnuk. Some 35% of buildings in Kwig were destroyed, while that number is 90% in Kipnuk, and at least 15 villages in total sustained substantial damage, according to regional authorities. Jeron had a story to tell, which he did over the course of 40 minutes, as helicopters flew overhead and National Guard service members bustled past us. Its presented here with minimal edits for clarity. He asks that those who know him who share this account on social media or elsewhere please omit the names of the family members he mentions, out of respect for their privacy. Expect to hear more from Jeron in the days ahead as he and other evacuees get settled in their new environment. A knee-high storm turns serious Jeron Joseph: My name is Jeron Joseph. My Yupik name is Anguterayak. I am turning 31 on Halloween. Im an Alaska Native, and Ive lived in Kwigillingok all my life. Just a quick aside, in my culture, we dont have men or women. We have masculine and feminine roles, and I was seen as much more like a cleaner of game than a hunter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My first memory of the typhoon my assumption was that it was going to be like any other fall-time storm, like knee-high depth of water, which is something that Ive come to expect. But my aunt, as a cautious person, decided to go to the school that doubles as a community center and shelter, at the first opportunity. I, of course, waited until the water looked concerning it looked like whitewater rapids, which Id never seen before. Id never seen wind hitting the water to the point that theres a froth of white above. In that moment, around midnight, I made the decision to start packing a backpack. I called my best friend so that I could string my thoughts together, get the most crucial things. A change of clothes, my legal documents and some painkillers, my toothbrush, head out the door. I had also put a harness on my dog, my little prima donna Jack Russell terrier mix. I got a harness on her, put a leash on, put my backpack on, and I took one step out the door. Homes and other buildings in Kwigillingok were lifted off their foundations during the fall storm; some were floated across a river and one came to rest over a small creek. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/KYUK and Northern Journal) The wind hit my back and pushed me onto each stair of my little deck, until I hit the driveway and I fell on my hands and my body, and my dog fell to my right side, but she was okay. I started walking in knee-depth water, with my boots getting filled. And on my way down to the school, I felt a log a firewood log that Native people stack, like, next to their houses it hit my left knee. It began pushing me, making me slide on the wooden boardwalk that we walk on in our villages to stay above the soggy tundra. I reacted just in time to push it away. I was just a few inches away from the ground. And Im certain that, if I hit the ground, I would have fallen and ended up horizontal and gotten swept away, and would have been unable to pick myself back up. Because the water was at that speed. An orchestra from hell at the neighbors house My neighbor, three doors down from me, looked at me with his headlamp. He yelled at me to get inside his house. I got inside with the family there. They were kind enough to host me and my dog, which Im very grateful for and the matriarch of that house, you know, she is much more a Native than I am, and she gets nervous around dogs. One of her daughters gave me a pair of pants after my own got soaked, and we stayed there for the entire morning. Unable to sleep, we sat in the dark with candles, without power. They were commiserating amongst themselves, all of them with social media on their phones, tuned to existentially terrifying sights of their fellow Natives in the village and in Kipnuk. They had all racked their brains over how they might end up. But the way that my brain works, I clamp everything down, and I put myself on autopilot. I make my own feet move; Ill think about my thoughts later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The water kept rising and rising, and I would guess that it hit the crux of its height at 5 a.m. and it stayed that way until just after daylight broke, at which point it seemingly started to recede. Just after the crux, we could hear their larger wooden logs dancing against the floor of their elevated house, which has an iron foundation. It was a combination of whooshing winds, rushing water, and these hellish, very low drums against the floor sort of an orchestra from hell. Eventually, they drifted away, log by log, and now it was just the water and the wind, and sometimes the house would shake. Im certain I was not the only one who was scared that some part of the foundation would give, and either water would get in from the door or the windows, or the house would begin to drift. Neither of those things happened, but it happened to other houses to a lot of the houses that were developed much earlier than those that were specifically made with this kind of situation in mind, including my own parents house. My childhood home. Some time after sunrise, maybe 10 a.m., the water receded to a few feet behind the house, and we could see the impression in the tundra where the boardwalk used to be it had floated about eight feet over. I really didnt want to think it, but I hated how pretty the sunrise was that morning. It seemed as if beauty and our footing had been stolen from us. Looking for my family My brother and my stepdad, who were in my childhood home at the beginning they mustve had my attitude about what they thought this was at first, just another fall-time knee-high storm. They decided to stay at the house, which was closer to the coast than my aunts house where I stay. Water started coming in through their door. I know my brother had been taking five-minute, intermittent naps sitting on a freezer that was shoved against the front door. He had wrapped his most important things in plastic. My stepdad, I would have to guess, was going around the house, doing all of the other things as the patriarch of the house would do: looking at all the windows, looking at the places where the wall meets the floor to see if theres any water coming in. They said that initially, they didnt realize they were moving. My brother told me that at some point there was another house with an internet satellite on it, and that satellite hit one of their windows, and it actually closed the window after it hit theirs, and they were hooked together that way. Thats how they moved along together. After that whole ordeal, their house settled on a piece of land, where there was water around it. The homes of 45 people floated away from the village of Kwigillingok during ex-Typhoon Halong last weekend. (Nathaniel Herz/KYUK And Northern Journal) I heard that they were physically okay, but roughed up someone said theyd been rowing back in an aluminum fishing dinghy after the storm, with bags of their stuff. After the wind had subsided, and without telling anyone, I walked to the north bridge of the village, past all of the debris, and I looked around the horizon. I asked a person there if theyd seen my family. They said no. I looked at the horizon for some minutes, where some of these floating houses had come to rest of course, anyone would recognize their childhood house, and I didnt see mine. Somebody told me that it probably drifted in another direction, because the storm winds blew toward a little more east than just directly north. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, I went back to the school, I washed my hands, I had a little meal. After the meal, I could not sit still. I walked out to the east side of the village. Theres two rows of elevated housing developments where their foundations have aluminum sheets all around them. These are older than the one I sheltered in, but younger than my parents house. Thats where my best friend who lives in Kwig was for the night, and when I asked him, he told me that at his place, the water got to just two feet high. When I heard that, I had the intense urge to make him go skydiving so that hed be as scared as I was. On my way to that east housing development, I asked every person or group I saw if theyd seen my stepdad, my brother, or my house. They all said no. And when that many people say no, you get that little bit of hope chipped away and chipped away until your heart just gets really heavy. I made it to the housing development, and after a very quick, relieved hug and exchange with my friend, I began walking back to the school. Id taken 10 or 15 steps out of the development when somebody yelled my name, Jeron! They told me that my stepdad and my brother made it to the school. Processing my familys survival I didnt let it all out at that moment. I opened the jar of fear, anxiety, hope, despair, grief, and displacement in that moment for, like, a second. Tears started welling up. I closed the jar back up again, started focusing on myself again, and started walking towards the school. After I made it inside, there were some neighbors seated against the wall and away from staff scrambling about. Some were waving at me hastily, loudly whispering to me. They said my name, and they pointed to where my brother and stepdad were. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were locked in a makeshift exam room. My stepdad, along with a health aide, was tending to my brother, who was having, like, the only panic attack Ive ever seen in my entire life. I went up to the window of the exam room, and that was the moment that I couldnt control opening the jar of all those feelings. Jeron Josephs aunt reunites, after evacuating from Kwigillingok, with one of her nieces whod been away at the time of the storm. (Photo courtesy of Jeron Joseph) And in that moment, I felt every feeling I should have up to that point, combined with hopeless concern and longing for their safety. I thought every thought I should have thought up to that point, like: Theres at least four or five reasons I shouldnt be here, alive, and weeping. I spent at least 20 minutes at that window just crying my eyes out and feeling needles and knives in my heart. And my thought was, theyre alive, but I cant see them. Theyre alive. I cant see them. I went back to one of the classrooms where we had basically set up camp, cheeks still wet. I sat down in the corner and I just shut down mentally. The room was vacant. Distant hums of the school generator, occasional hurried jogging in the hall, and overseers yelling about some developments were all that was in the air. I sat there for what felt like 20 minutes, until somebody came by the door and noticed me staring into space. They asked me why I was sitting with the blankest stare they ever saw for over an hour. There was just nothing occupying my mind. When that person came and asked me, I snapped out of it. I got up quickly and jogged past them, and I went back to the window where I could see my stepdad and my brother were, and my brother was lying down, face down. Silent. But breathing softly. My stepdad was having some kind of quiet conversation with that health aide. That was that moment where I asked myself, Will I ever be able to see my brother again like the way he was before? That, of course, brought another wave of anxious tears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A little later on, I had resigned myself to pacing some ways away from the cafeteria. They had dispatched rescue helicopters to pick up some of the other people who needed to be lifted up and brought to the school. One of my aunts best friends had to be brought in, either with a helicopter or a boat. When she came in through the front door, she was wailing, and it was probably because she herself was at a floating house all night, and this was probably the first time she was on solid ground since the entirety of the dark. A few people went up to hug her, but when she saw my aunt, they had embraced each other tightly, and neither of them could let go for a solid six or seven minutes. This still makes me emotional, just thinking about it. Another hour or two had passed. Some people had asked me to check some books in the library so I would stop tensing; the library was right next to the makeshift exam room. On my way into the library, the exam room door opened, and I saw my brother standing up. He noticed me, then started walking towards me, arms outstretched. I stopped in my tracks. I couldnt move anymore. I was beginning to burst into tears. He walked towards me and embraced me. He was back to his normal self. He was just smiling when he came up to me. That was the moment I experienced immeasurable joy and relief, after an entire night and day of tension. I was streaming tears, and I whispered into his ear, I was walking all day. I was looking for you. Nobody said they saw you. A couple of days of delusion, then reality hits From that moment, we had what I can only describe as a comfortable couple of days of delusion. Theres aid coming in. We are so, so grateful for the aid, and the donations that came in in the days after. Those donations got our heads above water. We had all of our persons. We had our mental faculties. Me and my aunt had our things, or at least as much as we could salvage. Im a little more attached than she is to my avocation I have eight years-worth of my sheet music I composed on a computer that I managed to get out. We all had this thought in our heads that we were going to be able to get back to our lives the way they were. But then more and more, little bits of news from the National Guard, and from the search and rescue members, kept coming out. The south side of town, so much of it smells like stove oil or gas. There were a couple of National Guard members, I heard that the fumes were giving them headaches, just being over there. A fellow Native said that those spills are probably going to pollute the fish and game. As that news was passed around, we all said to ourselves, We are facing winter right now. Outboard motors and a four-wheeler were left strewn in Kwigillingok after last weekends storm. (Nathaniel Herz/KYUK And Northern Journal) I would describe it as when somebody drops a bag of flour on the floor, and theres particles everywhere. That second day, it felt like the particles had settled down, and we could all see clearly. Only, what we could see clearly was not a future for us on this coastal tundra. Our ancestral home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I spoke to a number of young people. I said to them: It feels like you only have one direction you can go to right now. You have blinders on. But I promise, when its all said and done, when all of the is are dotted and the ts are crossed, you have all of your stuff and you get out when all thats done, youll have every other direction you can look toward. I told them: Do not give in to hopelessness about something like this. Cry when its time to say goodbye to our home. I said to them, cry as much as you need to. Because if you dont cry now, its going to manifest in other ways if you dont get those tears out. When those tears have dried, on that holy ground where our ancestors had taken hold, youre going to have smiles when youre settled somewhere else. Leaving the village feels permanent Jeron Josephs view of the C-17 military transport plane that took him inland from the Western Alaska hub town of Bethel. (Photo courtesy of Jeron Joseph) They loaded us onto a helicopter. The state trooper said one to two bags per person. I was a little nervous that I wasnt going to be able to bring my stuff. I insisted on two things. One, that our dog flies to a kennel in the Bethel animal shelter, and we see where we go from there. And I really wanted to keep my sheet music that was on my computer, because theres eight years worth of it. I still dont know if were going to be able to go back to salvage stuff, which may be out of our own pockets. So, I got my dog and my computer out. A situation can be many things. It can be horrible, it can be displacing. It can make you doubt whether youll see your next meal or your family. But I also told my family: This is a chance for everyone, even those unaffected, to prove what theyre capable of. If youre going to place a hashtag on this, the ones that come to mind are #AlaskaStrong, #KwigStrong, and #KipnukStrong. Thats what I believe we should be able to get out of all of this. And thats something that no typhoon in the world can take away. Many evacuees looked out on the coastal tundra while flying inland. (Photo courtesy of Jeron Joseph) I myself, Im going to a family members house, further inland. It feels permanent. But my discussions are not done. My aunt mentioned that since the house only shifted a few inches, theres a possibility shes considering that we could have it as a summer home, when its greenest. Its so lovely out there. You have no idea. Our house had the best views of any house on the north side of the village, and I loved those views, especially in the morning. I took some nature photographs, some pretty crazy shots, including one in the early morning where there was a layer of fog that was obstructing the sun. I think only photographers will get this, but that fog created a 100% natural, diffuse light on all the plants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im going to miss that coastal air. Smells like nothing else Ive ever come across. Im going to miss the rain water, for drinking. And, of course, I like to think that the bonds we have with our neighbors all around Alaska, and everywhere, are stronger than displacement. And just that purity of the environment, and our way of life that weve rooted ourselves in for so long our subsistence and our gathering. A sunset lingers over Kwigillingok. (Photo courtesy of Jeron Joseph) Those that are lucky enough to move to similar villages to friends or relatives, or Native-adjacent small towns, Im very envious of them. But I and my aunt, were going further inland. And I am very grateful. Im here with my life. Shes here with her life. Were here with our stories. Were here, and we have what we need, and were going to find our footing again. This article was originally published by KYUK Public Media and Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link. Editors note: This article has been updated with Jerons Yupik name, Anguterayak and clarify the photo of a sunrise over Kwigillingok. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Marion County concerning the states sanctuary state laws. On Monday, Attorney General Rayfield filed the motion to dismiss in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon arguing the states sanctuary laws are straightforward. Marion Countys lawsuit goes back to Aug. 1, when the county received five subpoenas from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, requesting the records of four alleged undocumented immigrants on parole for crimes including multiple rape convictions, multiple sexual abuse convictions and convictions for kidnapping/robbery. According to court documents, a fifth subpoena was served for an individual whose identity was not clear at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City Councilors eye Portland weapon shipments to Israel According to court documents, ICEs subpoenas ask the county to turn over information on the individuals such as home addresses, phone numbers, country of birth, name and address of employers along with [d]ocuments sufficient to show the underlying criminal charge,' including police reports, probable cause documents, booking photos and release agreements. The subpoenas state that the production of the indicated records is required in connection with an investigation or inquiry relating to the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws,' court documents say. The subpoenas led Marion County to file a federal lawsuit seeking clarity on whether the county has the authority to turn over the records of the alleged undocumented immigrants under Oregons sanctuary state laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump administration aims to remove second order blocking troops from Portland In Mondays filing, Rayfield argued that Oregons sanctuary state laws are clear, stating, public bodies and law enforcement agencies in the state cannot release immigration information to federal officials in response to federal subpoenas unless a judicial order requires them to do so. Oregon law is straightforward, said Attorney General Rayfield. The Ninth Circuit has already ruled that there is no conflict between our sanctuary law and federal law. Public bodies cant use state resources to help enforce federal immigration law. Thats been the law for nearly four decades, and it is a law that has coexisted peacefully under seven presidential administrations. Theres nothing confusing about that. Under Oregons sanctuary law which was enacted in 1987 and reaffirmed by voters in 2021 state and local officials cannot give out certain immigration information in response to subpoenas from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, unless ICE obtains a judicial order requiring the subpoena, the Oregon Attorney Generals Office explained, noting this law ensures that a judge has an opportunity to review and determine if the subpoena meets legal requirements before state and local officials comply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our system respects state sovereignty, federal authority, and public safety while keeping local resources focused on local priorities. There is simply nothing for the court to resolve here, said Attorney General Rayfield. In a statement shared with KOIN 6 News, Marion County Counsel Steve Elzinga countered, The states assertion that there is no legal uncertainty fails a basic smell test when there is an obvious federal-state clash over subpoenas requesting public records of violent criminals and the majority of Oregons sheriffs and counties who are caught in the middle say that legal clarity is needed. KOIN 6 News also reached out to Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, who is listed as a defendant in Marion Countys lawsuit. Koteks office said the governor cannot comment on pending litigation. Marion County has seen support, with 34 Oregon sheriffs offices signing a letter in support of the litigation and 20 of Oregons 36 counties signing a separate letter in support. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A motorcyclist was struck and killed by a teen driver in Linn County on Friday, Oregon State Police announced. The crash took place at 4:45 p.m. on Hwy 20 near milepost 23. According to OSP, a 19-year-old from Colorado, who was driving a Subaru Outback, entered the highway and was attempting to turn west when it struck the motorcyclist, identified as Jeremy Smith. Smith was declared dead at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The passenger of the motorcycle, as well as the teen driver, were seriously injured. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The Trump administration won its appeal to deploy the Oregon National Guard, but troops arent in Portland just yet. On Monday, two of three judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that President Donald Trump is within his rights to federalize the Oregon National Guard. The third judge, however, is seeking further review by 11 members, rather than just three. Trump administration aims to remove second order blocking troops from Portland Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the meantime, 142 Oregon National Guard troops are still at Camp Rilea on the Oregon Coast, with another 200 California Guard members stationed at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley. According to a memo released by the Oregon Military Department, the Oregon troops are made up of 20 law enforcement workers, 14 full-time students, 12 protective service specialists, 10 construction workers, and 11 maintenance workers. Other civilian roles include health care workers, farmers, and administrative specialists. However, details about the Californian troops remain unclear. KOIN 6 News has reached out for more information. Hillsboro man taken, held by ICE after case of mistaken identity Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials with the Oregon Military Department previously told KOIN 6 News that both groups have completed crowd control and use-of-force training from U.S. Army North, the military command that trains and directs the troops. At this point today, both the Oregon National Guard and the California National Guard continue being in limbo, Gov. Tina Kotek said during a press conference Monday. We have no additional information from the Trump administration. Thats very troubling. As commander-in-chief of the National Guard for Oregon, thats the situation we have been in. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A decade since Orland Park began using drones for police work, Police Chief Eric Rossi is looking to expand the program. I think this is a great tool that we can add to our tool box and I do foresee, based on funding, getting enough to deploy throughout the entire village, Rossi said during a presentation of the Orland Park Drones as First Responders program Monday. The six drones in the police departments arsenal are deployed to improve response times when emergency situations arise, such as missing persons cases and traffic crashes, allowing officers to assess situations from above. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So if we have a robbery in progress at a jewelry store, as soon as dispatch has information, they could hit a button and that drone launches and flies straight to the scene, Rossi said. The village signed onto a three-year contract with BRINC, a company that provides drones designed to help police officers, starting last month. Orland Park pays $75,000 per year to operate the drones that, due to federal regulations, are able to travel up to two miles and hover 200 feet off the ground. Ideally, we try to place the drones where you get the most coverage and in the areas that have the most calls for service, Rossi said. While one drone launches from a pad at the police station, others are mobile and can launch from officers squad cars. Rossi said he plans for a quarter of the police force to become trained in drone operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under state and federal regulations, the police department is only able to launch drones for under certain conditions, such as when theres a crime in progress, so were not just launching the drone to monitor people, Rossi said. Rossi said he first learned of the Drones as First Responders programs out west, and Orland Park is the first village in Cook County to implement its own version. He said he was impressed with BRINC, which was founded in response to a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead. Were always trying to be a progressive police department and trying to think about new ideas and how to make the department better and keep the officers safer and the community safer, Rossi said. Orland Park was one of the first communities in Illinois to implement drone technology in policing in 2015, with police from other jurisdictions enlisting the villages assistance on multiple occasions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, police use of drone technology has exploded in popularity, with nearby Oak Lawn owning three drones and Tinley Park owning five drones, according to the 2025 Freedom from Drones Surveillance Act report. Orland Park reported using its drones 25 times from April 2024 to March 2025, the report says. ostevens@chicagotribune.com Madagascar has submitted Luck Razanajaonas Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story to the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards, as its first ever Oscar entry. News of the submission comes amid political turbulence in the Indian Ocean country, lying off the Southeastern coast of Africa, following a coup last week by Colonel Michael Randrianirina. More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The regime change came in the wake of protests led by thousands of youngsters, sparked by corruption and lack of essential services such as water and power, with Randrianirina promising free and fair elections within two years. The cut-off for entry to the Best International Feature Film was at 5 p.m. on October 1, but some countries are only publicly declaring their candidates now. Deadline was informed of the Madagascar entry over the weekend by the films producer Jonathan Rubin at Paris-based We Films and Madagascar cinema body Malagasy Cinema. Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story by Luck Razanajaona has been officially selected by Malagasy Cinema, the committee in charge of choosing the countrys Oscar submission, he wrote, adding it was the countrys first entry to the Best International Feature Film category. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The timely film, which world premiered in the Berlinales Generation 14plus section in 2024, is set in contemporary Madagascar, and follows 20-year-old Kwame as he struggles to make a living in clandestine sapphire mines. When an unexpected event takes him back to his hometown, he is reunited with his mother and old friends but also confronted by the corruption that plagues his country, sparking a political awakening. Following its Berlinale debut, the film screened at more than 60 festivals worldwide, including the Marrakech International Film Festival, the Namur International Francophone Film Festival, Toronto Next Wave, and the Seattle International Film Festival. It has also been released theatrically in more than 10 territories, including Madagascar, France, the UK, Kenya, and West Africa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The film is lead produced by We Films in coproduction with Africamadavibe (Madagascar), NiKo Films (Germany, Cameleon Production (Mauritius) and Free Women Films (South Africa). Parista Sambo leads the cast as Kwame with members including Laurette Ramasinjanahary, Joe Lerova, Drwina Razafimahaleo and Jerome Oza. In the backdrop, the swearing-in of Randrianirina as Madagascars new president on October 15, having forced former President Andry Rajoelina to flee the country, had had a mixed response at home and more widely across the region. Many Malagasy people welcome the removal of Rajoelina, who clung to power amid the protests, having himself first been brought to power via a coup in 2009, to then be voted in as president in 2018. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some parts population, however, are concerned at the armys intervention, while the African Union, spanning more than 50 African countries, said it was suspending Madagascar as a member. News of the Madagascar entry brings the number of declared entries to 91. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is currently vetting the submissions for eligibility. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. SEATTLE (AP) The special delivery arrived in a plastic storage box after a chartered flight in a bouncy single-propeller plane. Veterinarian Susan Shaffer Sookram snipped the zip ties securing the lid and greeted the cargo: four dogs, one with a gray collar bearing its name, Happy. What a scary ride! she said. You made it! rescued dogs As officials in Alaska work around the clock on one of the most significant airlift operations in state history evacuating more than 1,000 people from remote, flood-battered villages on the coast of the Bering Sea another rescue operation is playing out: getting the dogs left behind to safety, in hopes of later reuniting them with their owners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pet shelters closest to the devastated villages are in Bethel, a regional hub around 90 miles away by boat or plane. (WATCH: Another Outer Banks Home Collapses) rescued dogs When Bethel Friends of Canines, a nonprofit that helps rehome animals, learned that 50 to 100 dogs might be abandoned in one of the villages, Kipnuk, it scrambled to charter a plane to evacuate them. It costs us $3,000 to do this so and we dont know how many times were gonna have to do it, organizer Jesslyn Elliott said by phone Wednesday. Weve never had a natural disaster to this, like, magnitude. So this is all very, very foreign and new to us. So were just kind of winging it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first flight arrived in Bethel on Wednesday night, and more happened Thursday. Dozens of dogs have passed through her kennel since the floods began. The nonprofit had raised more than $22,000 after pleading on Facebook for donations. (MORE: Devastating Floods Seen From Above In Western Alaska) The flooding, caused by remnants of Typhoon Halong, has damaged homes in 11 small rural communities, with no more than a few hundred residents, according to FEMA. Many homes cannot be repaired until next summer as winter temperatures and snow are forecast for this month. State officials began airlifting people to Anchorage on Wednesday, as local leaders in Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, near the Bering Sea, asked to evacuate residents and as shelters in Bethel neared capacity. At least one resident of Kwigillingok was confirmed dead, and the search for two others was called off after their how was swept away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pets were not allowed on the military evacuation flights. State officials have said that the evacuation of people is the priority. Bethel Friends of Canines received dogs throughout the week as people fleeing their homes arrived by boat and by plane. There are no roads connecting towns in the area. Many of the pets owners want them back soon, but need time to prepare temporary lodgings in cities like Anchorage and Nome, which are more than 250 miles away. (MORE: Tornado Rips Through Southwest Arkansas) Alaska dogs rescued. Before the devastating floods, Bethel Friends of Canines typically held 15 to 20 dogs at any one time. Now as many as 15 dogs have arrived on a single flight. Elliott expects most of the additional dogs to stay in Bethel temporarily before being reunited with their owners or extended family that can foster them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least eight dogs had been reunited with owners in Anchorage as of Thursday morning, she said. Homes in affected villages are so damaged that they many not be livable in the winter, emergency management officials said Wednesday, and forecasters said rain and snow could arrive this weekend. With the human population in Kipnuk shrinking each day, the animal caretakers in Bethel realized they had to act fast, before everyone who knew the dogs was gone. Theres going to be nobody left there, said Sookram, the veterinarian, in a phone interview. "Were having to kind of accelerate how the animals are going to be leaving places only accessible by, at first, helicopter and now small planes." (WATCH: Kilauea Erupts With Record-Breaking Lava Fountain) Some of the last people to stay behind and serve the community are teachers. Schools in flooded towns have served as emergency shelters and meeting places through the relief effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back in Kipnuk, the dog with the gray collar, Happy, was found waiting on its owners clothes, refusing to move or eat, by teacher Jacqui Lang. She said in a text message that the dog has since been reunited with its family. Shes one of two or three teachers who helped wrangle the pets to be loaded at the airstrip, according to Lower Kuskokwim School District Superintendent Andrew Hannibal Anderson. When Bethel Friends of Canines worker Matthew Morgan landed in Kipnuk on Wednesday, the teachers had fed the dogs, coaxed them into crates and labeled them with tags listing their owners. Youve got some heroes out in Kipnuk. Theyre like the last people left there, Morgan said. Without them, it would have been chasing dogs all night in the mud. MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) Every year, thousands of domestic violence cases are reported across West Texas, but for many victims, finding a safe place to go isnt easy. In Midland, one nonprofit has made it its mission to change that. For nearly five decades, since the organizations founding in 1978, Safe Place of the Permian Basin has provided shelter, counseling, and advocacy for survivors of family violence, people who, in many cases, arrive with nothing but their children, and the need to escape. Safe Place started because people in the community were concerned, said Director of Development Leanna Goode. They were starting to see a lot of domestic violence among their neighbors and friends and so they began Safe Place as a response to that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the need for the nonprofit has only grown, as the population continues to rise. According to the organizations 2024 report, 5,256 domestic-violence incidents were reported across its 15-county service area, including 2,387 in Midland County and 1,729 in Ector County. While the statewide totals decreased slightly, the local numbers show that violence inside the home remains one of West Texas most persistent public-safety crises. The data also shows the danger is often deadly. In 2024, 161 Texans were killed by intimate partners, a 21% drop from the previous year but still representing one life lost every other day. Seventy-one percent of those homicides involved a firearm, and 66% of offenders had a prior history of violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Almost every day, theres a domestic violence report that has ended in a fatality, Goode said. We dont want that to happen, of course. While the organization is best known for its emergency shelter, Safe Places reach goes far beyond its walls. The nonprofit offers legal advocacy, counseling, transportation, GED and college-readiness support, and a childrens program that helps young people process trauma and unlearn violent behaviors they may have witnessed at home. The services that we provide include everything from counseling and advocacy, but also transportation, making sure that the kids are in school, Goode said. If they live in shelter, they and their children are provided three meals a day, transportation to work if they need it we provide all kinds of things, Christmas gifts, diapers, baby formula, clothing. The shelter operates a 24-hour crisis hotline, often the first call victims make when deciding to leave an abuser. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most important service that we provide is a 24-hour hotline, Goode said. If someone is in real danger, we can make sure they get out of a difficult situation and, if needed, come into shelter in a safe way. Last year, Safe Place recorded 15,528 shelter nights for adults and children, meaning thousands of days of safety, meals, and counseling for survivors rebuilding from trauma. Goode said that number was able to grow thanks to the nonprofits recent move. In 2023, Safe Place moved into its expanded Midland campus, doubling capacity and improving safety for clients of all genders. The building includes private family spaces, childrens areas, and enhanced security features. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The expansion may have increased capacity, but Goode said the orginzation continues to confront the widespread misconceptions about domestic violence and the people it affects. She said one of the most common misconceptions about domestic violence is that leaving is simple. She also said that it is not always physcial abuse. In reality, the emotional manipulation, isolation, control, and dependence, is often what traps victims the longest. People think they (victims) can just leave, I dont like it here, hes trying to choke me, Im just going to go, she said. For the most part, thats not true. They may not have family in the area or a way to leave. And theres also a misconception about domestic violence being always physical. A lot of it is mental. Goode added that while restrainig orders are impotant, they cant always provide immediate protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Restraining orders can be very helpful, especially if theyre staying in shelter, Goode explained. But the main thing to go for first is to get out of there if theyre really in danger, because restraining orders can be difficult to retrieve theyre good to have, but we want to make sure theyre safe first. Once victims arrive to the shelter, Safe Places advocates work alongside them to file those orders, attend court hearings, and connect them with attorneys. Many survivors, she added, also have to navigate the Child Protective Services system or face financial ruin when they leave their abuser, which is why Safe Place provides all the nessesary help for victims to restart their lives. But the organizations work doesnt end with the victims. Through a state-certified initiative known as Project ADAM, Safe Place also runs batterers intervention and prevention programs, the only such initiative in the Permian Basin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We also have a program called Project Adam, Goode said. Its a multi-month program where generally men, but sometimes women, are ordered by the court to come and learn about what theyre doing as batterers Education is everything for everybody involved in domestic violence. Goode said education is key to prevention. The nonprofit regularly visits schools, churches, and community groups to share resources and spark conversations about healthy relationships. Your community is as good as your least happy person or the person thats in the worst situation, she said. In order to make Midland a great place, we have to have everybody part of that situation that helps them. And as the population continues to grow, so does the need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Good said the nonprofit continues to dream of future expansions, including transitional housing and an on-site gym for women and children. But the biggest challenge, Goode said, is always funding, meeting the rising need in a region where domestic violence continues to climb. Our biggest challenge is always just having enough for all of our clients, she said. Still, amid the numbers and heartbreak, the victories stand out. Goode recalled a young girl recently telling a group of volunteers from a church, Are you moving into Safe Place?! Youre going to love it here. Moments like that, she said, prove the work is changing lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anybody in a domestic violence situation needs to know first of all that theyre not alone, she said. If they need shelter, weve got a great place here now. In a region where arrest logs and headlines often carry the story of tragedy and crisis, Safe Place is quietly writing another one: of escape, of safety, and of rebuilding. If you or someone you know is in a domestic abuse situation, help is available. Victims of domestic violence can call the Safe Place 24-hour Emergency Hotline at 432-570-1465 or 1-800-967-8928. Counseling, legal advocacy, and support groups are also available in Midland at 432-570-1465 and in Odessa at 432-580-5970. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside the Permian Basin, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE). In the event of an emergency, always dial 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 Yourbasin. OXFORD An Oxford woman is facing a felony domestic violence charge after she stabbed someone during an altercation. Oxford police were called the Baptist Memorial Hospital Oct. 16 to take a report on a person who was suffering from stab wounds. After talking with others at the scene, police learned that the incident happened at an apartment complex on Private Road 3151. After investigation, Keundria Symone Shegog, 26, of Oxford, was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic violence. She was taken before a municipal court judge where bond was set at $150,000. OXFORD A woman accused of intimidating both a witness and a judge, tearing up a police car and a city court holding cell will spend the next five years in prison, then be banished from the region. Brianna Dasijon Ward, 25, of Oxford, pleaded guilty to four separate felonies this month and was sentenced to serve a total of five years in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, followed by five years of post-release supervision. The court order also banished the Arkansas native from the Third Circuit District and ordered her to pay more than $5,000 in fines and restitution. If Ward violates the banishment or the terms of the supervision, she could be returned to prison to serve 15 years that were suspended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ward was free on bond for child endangerment when police learned on April 29 that she had offered a witness money to lie about the pending case. After a brief investigation, Ward was arrested April 30 and charged with intimidating a witness. She bonded out but the next day, May 1, police learned that Ward had made threatening statements toward Lafayette County Court Judge Tiffany Kilpatrick, who was handling her case. After another investigation, Ward was also charged with intimidating a judge. She was arrested again and taken to Oxford Municipal Court. While being transported, she caused more than $2,500 worth of damage to an Oxford Police Department patrol car. Once at the court, she caused more than $1,000 of damages to a bathroom and a holding cell. Those actions led to two counts of felony malicious mischief. Ward was scheduled to go to trial on all five felonies during the October term of Lafayette Circuit Court. Instead, she decided to plead guilty, starting Oct. 8 with the most serious charge intimidating a witness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Circuit Judge Kelly Luther accepted her plea and sentenced her to the maximum 15 years but suspended 10 of the years. There was also a $1,100 fine/restitution. This charge garnered her the banishment from the Third Circuit District Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah and Union counties. The order does not set a time limit for the banishment. According to records, Ward is originally from Helena, Arkansas. She also pleaded guilty on Oct. 8 to intimidating a judge. Ward was sentenced to the maximum of two years in prison. On Oct. 17, ward pleaded guilty to the original child endangerment charge as well as one of the malicious mischief charges. For child endangerment, she received a five-year suspended sentence and five years of post-release supervision. In exchange for pleading guilty to the malicious mischief, the state dismissed the second count but made her pay restitution for both counts. She was sentenced to five years in prisons and ordered to pay a $600 fine, $2,544.40 to OPD and $1,105 to the city of Oxford. Since all of the sentences will run concurrently, Ward will only serve five years in prison. Mike Reskovac on his soybean farm in Uniontown, PA (Photo by Ian Karbal/Capital-Star) Mike Reskovac was starting the harvest at his family farm in Uniontown, Fayette County, later than hed hoped. Late-season rain meant he had to delay it about a week, since soybeans need to be dry when theyre harvested. Then, Thursday morning, Reskovac discovered two bearings that needed replacing in his combine. That meant calling dealers and suppliers, driving four hours round-trip to pick them up, shelling out $200 and installing them himself. Hed get to the field in the afternoon, and be at the harvest until after the sun went down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They always say farmers wear many hats because were an agronomist, a mechanic, a weatherman, an equipment operator or whatever, Reskovac said. Despite the headaches, theres still no job hed rather do. Reskovac, 45, a first generation farmer, learned the trade working on a neighbors dairy farm when he was young. When that owner retired, he took over a chunk of the land, and now runs a family farm business with his wife, Sheilah. Reskovac, a recently appointed member of Pennsylvanias Soybean Board, hopes its a business and passion he can hand down to his two sons. Hes already teaching his oldest, 9, how to operate the combine. If its what theyre passionate about, I want them to do it no matter how hard it is, Reskovac said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the future of the industry has grown murky, especially when it comes to soybeans, one of Reskovacs primary crops. After President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on China, the country retaliated with a boycott of U.S. soybeans. In 2024, China purchased about half of Americas soybean exports. The reduction in demand has caused the price of soybeans in the U.S. to drop. But Reskovac said the boycott is only the latest blow to American soybean farmers. While soybean prices spiked around 2020, reaching a high of more than $17 a bushel, they have since returned to near pre-pandemic levels, around $10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the cost of machinery has soared over the last decade, labor has grown more costly and hard to find, and unpredictable weather has begun to affect crop yields more regularly. Mike Reskovac harvests a field of soybeans in his combine (Ian Karbal/Capital-Star) Last season, Reskovac said droughts in western Pennsylvania cut his yield by about 40%. And dry spells hit especially hard because, when other foliage stops growing, deer turn to soybean fields for food. If they were starting out from scratch it would definitely be hard, Reskovac said. I dont know how Id start from scratch if I had to do it over again. Trade war pressure points During the first Trump administration, a similar issue arose when steep tariffs were imposed on China. The libertarian and pro-free market think tank, the CATO institute, said more than $23 billion were spent to bail out affected farmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, the Trump administration is considering a similar move, reportedly preparing a bailout of at least $10 billion. While hed welcome subsidies to offset the losses, what Reskovac really wants is for the state of the industry to improve so he doesnt need them. Theres a lot of negativity about subsidies, and Im not a huge fan of them, but Im gonna take something if Im eligible for it, he said. I dont think people truly understand what it takes to run a family farm. The amount of hours, the amount of time, the amount of dedication, the amount of capital, the amount of investment. We probably borrow enough money a year that a normal person could buy a very nice house. But for Reskovac, its hard to know whether the current administration has farmers backs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the trade war with China heats up, the Trump administration is preparing to send $20 billion bailout to Argentina, a nation run by a Trump-friendly President Javier Milei, which is facing an economic crisis. The move has particularly rankled soybean farmers, since China has turned to Argentina and other South American countries for exports during the American boycott. Though, Reskovac hopes theres an upshot. Is that going to be our segue to get some of our soybean market into China, through Argentina? he said. Id like to maybe think that. But Reskovac isnt sure any politicians are looking out for American farmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He noted that Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding have both talked a good game when it comes to the states agriculture industry, but hes aware that most direct help for farmers comes through the federal government. Justin Jones, the chair of the Pennsylvania Soybean Board, said one bright side is that farmers in the commonwealth are less reliant on soybeans than many other states. I dont think theres anybody that is strictly a soybean farmer, Jones said. Theyre gonna have grain. Theyre gonna have livestock. Something like that. And dairy and cattle markets, at least, are faring much better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2024, around 620,000 acres of soybeans were harvested in Pennsylvania. Thats compared to 1.3 million acres of hay and haylage, and just over 1 million acres of corn. Still, for Reskovac, soybeans are a crop that rotate well with corn, his other major crop. They grow well on his western Pennsylvania farmland, and require less labor than some other crops. Reskovac and his wife run their business almost entirely on their own, with some help from friends and family. Mike Reskovac loads a truck with soybeans from his combine (Photo by Ian Karbal/Capital-Star) However, Reskovacs business has diversified over the last few years. Sheilah, a part-time nurse who helps out with the farm business, is heading a corn maze and sunflower field near their home in Uniontown, where locals and tourists can come to pick the flowers themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attractions bring money directly into the business, and have become destinations for school field trips. All we want to do is survive on our own Even more than the export market, Reskovac worries about how the costs of equipment and operations have soared. While crop prices have largely stagnated, the costs of farm machinery, parts, fertilizer, seed and land have all gone up, Reskovac said. Reskovacs other major crop, corn, has seen a similar trend to soybeans. Its cost rose sharply around 2020, but has since returned to near pre-pandemic levels. Between 2021 and 2023, new agriculture equipment prices went up 20%, according to a report from the University of Illinois. Thats compared to an increase of just 14% over the nine year period from 2011 to 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Reskovac, a new tractor that would have cost $89,000 in 2013 runs $189,000 today. Equipment costs are just going through the roof, Jones said. Labor has doubled for us on a per-person basis. Land prices and rents, those have doubled or tripled in the last five to 10 years Those prices arent coming down. Until something changes, theres not much Reskovac can do but hold on and keep trying to find other sources of income, such as growing pumpkins and raising a handful of cattle. Reskovac said hes expecting this year to be his third in the red. Last year, he refinanced some of his debt, but doesnt want to turn to that option too often. How do we make more money to keep going? I dont have a 100% sure, solid answer for that, Reskovac said. Farmers are the most optimistic people in the world, or we would never dump that seed in the planter and put it in the ground. The Lackawanna County Democratic Committees role in temporarily filling a commissioner vacancy under the countys Home Rule Charter survived a protracted legal battle, with the state Supreme Court ruling against Democratic Commissioner Bill Gaughan and the county in an opinion issued Monday. The implications of the Supreme Court ruling were not immediately clear. The charter provision in question pertains to an appointment process, and a special election to fill the vacancy created by former Democratic Commissioner Matt McGloins late February resignation is scheduled for Nov. 4. Gaughan and the county initiated the litigation in March, specifically challenging the charter provision that tasked the county Democratic Committee with submitting three applicants to potentially replace McGloin for consideration by the judges of the county Court of Common Pleas. Gaughan and the county argued the charter process violated state Rule of Judicial Administration 1908, which would remove the Democratic committee from the replacement process and place it solely in the hands of the county judges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legal fight continued through the spring and summer, with the majority of a panel of three senior county judges ruling against Gaughan and the county in May and the state Commonwealth Court upholding in July the county panels majority ruling. The Supreme Court agreed to hear a narrow appeal of whether Rule 1908 overrides the charter section directing the county judges to choose from a pool of three candidates submitted by the committee. In affirming the earlier Commonwealth Court decision, the Supreme Court justices ruled it does not. Justice Kevin Dougherty did not participate in the decision. Mondays Supreme Court opinion ends a legal fight that delayed the appointment of McGloins replacement. The county judges moved in early September to appoint former county Economic Development Director Brenda Sacco to fill the vacant seat, but that appointment was stayed pending a resolution to Gaughan and the countys legal challenge. Saccos near appointment followed a surprising late August vote by the county Board of Elections declaring a Nov. 4 special election to fill the remainder of McGloins term running into early January 2028. The Democratic committee, Sacco and a pair of other potential appointees sued seeking an injunction to block the special election, which survived the legal challenge in county court and on appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sacco didnt seek candidacy in the special election and has not publicly expressed a desire to accept a temporary appointment. She said Monday her attorney would be issuing a statement. Its not immediately clear if or how the county judges might proceed with a temporary appointment in light of Mondays state Supreme Court decision. Commissioner candidates in the special election include Democrat Thom Welby, Republican Chet Merli and independent Michael Cappellini. Gaughan said in a statement Monday that he respects the Supreme Court decision and is very comforted by the knowledge that the voters of Lackawanna County will decide who permanently fills the vacancy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bittersweet victory Attorney Adam Bonin, who represented the Democratic committee throughout the legal battle, said hes thrilled for my client that the argument that weve maintained all along is right. But its a bittersweet victory, because if Commissioner Gaughan hadnt stalled this thing for seven months now, seven-plus months, Brenda Sacco could have been serving all this time, Bonin said. And she would then be in a position that if they decided again to make this last-minute call for a special election she would have gotten her feet wet and she would have had a record to run on. I feel bad for Brenda and I feel bad for the residents of the county that this baseless litigation stalled things out for so long, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaughan defended his legal challenge while taking another apparent shot at the Democratic committee process hes long criticized as politically tainted. I pursued this course from the beginning to ensure that the new commissioner is the result of the will of the people, not a few guys in a backroom someplace, he said. County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Patrick also issued a statement, blasting Gaughan while arguing the commissioners immaturity, arrogance and obsession with control have made him unfit to serve. Every court in Pennsylvania, including the Supreme Court, has made it clear he was wrong, Patrick said of Gaughan. But instead of accepting responsibility, he doubled down, wasting taxpayer money and embarrassing Lackawanna County in the process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County officials have said the law firm representing Gaughan and the county in the legal battle over the McGloin vacancy, Myers, Brier & Kelly, would not bill the county for that representation. Patrick also referenced backroom and insider politics, accusing Gaughan of attempting to hand-pick McGloins replacement in Cappellini, the independent commissioner candidate Gaughan recently endorsed in the special election. Voters have the chance to end this cycle of insider politics at the polls and send Bill Gaughan, Cappellini, and the real machine packing once and for all, he said. Cappellini emphasized late Monday that no one approached him about running in the special election. Running for commissioner was a goal of his long before the special election was declared, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaughan said Patrick should look in the mirror, because everything he is saying about me is actually what he has been doing since the very beginning. For years, Gaughan said, Patrick has operated in the shadows, cutting political deals, protecting insiders and manipulating the local Democratic committee to serve his own interests. His tantrum isnt relevant, and hes really not relevant, Gaughan said. What is relevant is that the voters of Lackawanna County will pick the next county commissioner. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) An investigation in Palmyra that led to people having to lock their doors resulted in a mans arrest. It was alleged prior to police arrival that 27-year-old Scott W. Dollar was in an altercation with his significant other in the presence of a child younger than three. Dollar was accused of striking a female relative in the face and damaging property in the home. Police said Dollar left the scene and made threats, indicating he would not surrender. After a search, Dollar was found in an outbuilding and was taken into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents in the neighborhood were urged to lock their doors and remain alert when the investigation unfolded. Dollar has been charged with third-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, and criminal mischief. He is being held in the Wayne County Jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 New York man who was convicted of charges related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack was arrested Sunday on a charge that he threatened to kill Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. According to New York State Police, an anonymous source told the FBI that the man, Christopher Moynihan, had said on Friday that in a few days, he would kill Congressman Jeffries in New York City for the future, court records say. Moynihan was previously sentenced to nearly two years in prison for his participation in the Capitol attack after being convicted of obstructing an official proceeding, disorderly conduct in a restricted area, and other, similar charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump pardoned Moynihan along with others convicted of January 6 offenses earlier this year. In a statement Tuesday, Jeffries thanked law enforcement for apprehending Moynihan before criticizing Trumps blanket pardon of January 6 defendants. Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people, Jeffries wrote. A New York judge ruled that Moynihan will stay in prison while awaiting a hearing Thursday to determine whether he can be released pending trial on a charge of making a terroristic threat. No attorneys are listed for Moynihan in the New York case and CNN has attempted to reach family members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The anonymous source told the FBI they suspected Moynihan of recent drug abuse as well as an increase in homicidal ideations, according to New York State Police. Prosecutors say that Moynihan, in a text message sent to an anonymous source on Friday, wrote that Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live and Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. He is also accused of sending a text that said, I will kill him for the future. On January 6, 2021, Moynihan entered the Senate chamber and rummaged through pages in a notebook on one of the senators desks, taking photos of the pages with his phone. He was not accused of attacking police or acting violently that day. Before being sentenced in the Capitol attack case, Moynihans attorneys told the Washington, DC, judge presiding that their client has struggled with addiction to opiates and that past misdemeanor convictions of possessing a controlled substance and petty larceny all stem from a time when he was in the throes of that addiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DC judge recommended Moynihan receive mental health and drug abuse treatment while serving his term for the January 6 convictions. Attorneys, in asking for a lighter sentence from the judge, wrote that prior to his entering the Capitol, Mr. Moynihan had grown increasingly engaged in politics during the Trump presidency and spent much of his spare time perusing political content on the internet. Law enforcement agencies have been on edge over threats against political and public figures in the wake of several high-profile assassinations, including recently right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, who was brutally shot and killed during a campus debate event this summer. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan was arrested Sunday after saying in text messages that he planned to "eliminate" Jeffries when the top House Democrat spoke at the Economic Club of New York in New York City on Monday, Oct. 20. Moynihan was arraigned Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty. He was released on bond on Saturday, prosecutors told CBS News, pending future court proceedings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a court filing by prosecutors in the New York state criminal case, Moynihan wrote, "Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live." Moynihan also allegedly stated: "Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future," the filing said. Moynihan faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, according to court filings shared by prosecutors. In a statement on Tuesday, Jeffries noted that Moynihan had been pardoned by Mr. Trump on his first day in office and that "many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country." But Jeffries added that "threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan's father declined to comment on the case when reached by phone by CBS News on Monday. He said Moynihan has not yet been appointed a defense attorney. Dutchess County, New York district attorney Anthony Parisi said in a statement to CBS News that "although my office was not contacted during the investigative stage of this matter, we are now reviewing the case for legal and factual sufficiency." An image in prosecutors' sentencing memo for Moynihan shows him entering the Capitol. Moynihan was pardoned by President Trump nine months ago, along with more than 1,500 other Capitol riot defendants who were granted clemency hours after Mr. Trump returned to the White House. Moynihan was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding, and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors described Moynihan as being among the first rioters to breach police barricades and enter the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. Moynihan is shown on the Senate floor, according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors. Moynihan was also among a smaller group of riot defendants who were on the Senate floor during the siege. Prosecutors argued in Moynihan's sentencing memorandum: "While inside, Moynihan rifled through a notebook on top of a Senator's desk, saying 'There's gotta be something in here we can f*cking use against these scumbags.'" Prosecutors said Moynihan "occupied the dais of the Senate, joining other rioters in shouts and chanting," and didn't leave the chamber until police made him leave. Moynihan's arrest for allegedly threatening Jeffries was made by New York State Police, according to a statement by the agency that was confirmed by a state official. The investigation was initiated by the FBI, according to state police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A state police statement said Moynihan was arraigned in local court in Clinton, a town in New York's Hudson Valley region. He was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center "in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or an $80,000 partially secured bond." State police declined a request to immediately release a copy of the agency's incident report or a booking photo. Moynihan is not the first pardoned Capitol rioter to be arrested on new, separate charges. But he is the first to be charged with making a violent threat against a member of Congress. Critics of the president's blanket pardons of Jan. 6 defendants have warned about the risk of recidivism by rioters, many of whom remained defiant and unapologetic about their roles in the attack. The rioters have been defended and lionized publicly as "hostages" by Mr. Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a March 2025 floor speech, Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of Senate Democratic leadership from Illinois, listed the names of accused rioters who had been arrested again. Durbin cited the case of Matthew Huttle, who was accused of "raising a firearm at police" in early 2025 and "acknowledged he was a January 6th defendant who stormed the Capitol," according to Durbin. Huttle was fatally shot by police during the traffic stop. Zachary Alam, who was convicted of eight felonies for his role in the Capitol riot, was arrested weeks after his 2025 presidential pardon for allegedly breaking and entering a home near Richmond, Virginia. Other Jan. 6 defendants have since been arrested for other alleged criminal infractions that occurred before the siege or in the years between 2021 and the pardon. The alleged threat against Jeffries is also part of a fast-growing wave of threats against legislators. In a statement last month, Capitol Police said the number of threat investigations in 2025 had already eclipsed 14,000, more than the number of cases in all of 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Capitol riot injured more than 140 police officers and caused millions of dollars of damage to the Capitol complex. It interrupted the certification of the electoral vote from the 2020 election and triggered the evacuation of Congress, with leadership sent to a secure, secret location. Some rioters chanted to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence, threatened to kill then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and beat police officers with dozens of makeshift weapons, including bats, sticks, poles, bear spray and beams. Some were accused of carrying guns, knives and handmade weapons. Carney reacts to Trump's anger over tariffs ad featuring Reagan 4 sisters diagnosed with rare brain condition: "Got to be kidding" White House takes questions about Trump's East Wing demolition for ballroom Authorities in Switzerland have arrested the husband of a former finalist for Miss Switzerland, alleging that he strangled her to death before dismembering her and blending her body parts. Kristina Joksimovic was killed during the February of 2024, according to the BBC. Police referred to the 38-year-old beauty queen by her initials in court documents, A man who took part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots but was later pardoned by President Trump has been arrested for threatening to eliminate New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, police said Tuesday Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested in Clinton, NY, on Sunday after he allegedly made threats to kill a member of Congress, New York State police said. In a statement, Jeffries thanked law enforcement for making the arrest and said Moynihan made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was charged with making a terroristic threat and ordered held on $10,000 bail at his arraignment in Clinton court. During his arraignment on Monday, it was revealed he is accused of threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In text messages, he said he planned to eliminate Jeffries at an event in Manhattan on Monday, prosecutors said. Jeffries spoke at an Economic Club event in Midtown on Monday. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan allegedly wrote in his texts. Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future, he added, according to a court filing seen by CBS News New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan was one of the first rioters to breach the barricades on Jan. 6, 2021, and enter the Capitol. He was found guilty in August 2022 of obstruction of an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanors and sentenced to 21 months in prison. But he was pardoned by President Trump along with 1,500 others convicted for the riot once Trump returned to the White House in January. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country, Jeffries said. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned. It is the honor of my life to serve in Congress during these challenging times, he added. Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people. With Chris Sommerfeldt A man who took part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots but was later pardoned by President Donald Trump has been arrested for threatening to eliminate New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, police said Tuesday. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested in Clinton, New York, on Sunday after he allegedly made threats to kill a member of Congress, New York State Police said. In a statement, Jeffries thanked law enforcement for making the arrest and said Moynihan made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was charged with making a terroristic threat and ordered held on $10,000 bail at his arraignment in Clinton court. During his arraignment Monday, it was revealed that Moynihan said in text messages he planned to eliminate Jeffries at an event in Manhattan on Monday, prosecutors said. Jeffries spoke at an Economic Club event in Midtown on Monday. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan allegedly wrote in his texts. Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future, he added, according to a court filing seen by CBS News New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan was one of the first rioters to breach the barricades on Jan. 6, 2021, and enter the Capitol. He was found guilty in August 2022 of obstruction of an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanors and sentenced to 21 months in prison. But he was pardoned by Trump along with 1,500 others convicted for the riot once Trump returned to the White House in January. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country, Jeffries said. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned. It is the honor of my life to serve in Congress during these challenging times, he added. Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people. _____ (Daily News staff writer Chris Sommerfeldt contributed to this story.) _____ A January 6 rioter, pardoned by President Donald Trump, has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a report. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested Sunday after texting that he planned to eliminate Jeffries while he spoke at the Economic Club of New York Monday, according to court documents, obtained by CBS News. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan, who was pardoned in January by Trump, reportedly wrote in the message. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future, he allegedly wrote. Moynihan was one of more than 1,500 Trump supporters charged with crimes connected to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison. Christopher Moynihan pictured at the US Capitol during the Jan 6 riot. He was arrested after texting that he was going to "eliminate" the top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a public event Monday in New York City (Department of Justice) Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Prosecutors said Moynihan was one of the first Trump supporters to breach police barricades and enter the Capitol. At the time of his sentencing, prosecutors said that while inside the Capitol building, Moynihan rifled through a notebook on top of a Senators desk, saying, Theres gotta be something in here we can f***ing use against these scumbags. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan faces a new felony charge of making a terroristic threat, prosecutors said Monday. He was arrested by New York State Police in Clinton, a small town in the Hudson Valley, about two hours north of Manhattan. An investigation into the incident was started by the FBI, according to CBS. Moynihan was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond or an $80,000 partially secured bond, state police said. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday in Dutchess County. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested Sunday after texting that he planned to eliminate Hakeem Jeffries while he spoke at the Economic Club of New York Monday (A New York man was arrested after texting that he was going to "eliminate" the top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a public event Monday in New York City) While Moynihan is not the first pardoned Jan 6 rioter to be subsequently arrested on unrelated charges, he is the first to face charges of making a violent threat against a member of Congress, according to CBS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After returning to office this January, one of Trumps first official acts as president was commuting the sentences of hundreds of Jan 6 rioters, many of whom were convicted of violent offenses against members of law enforcement. One police officer was killed and nearly 150 other officers were injured in the attack. Rioter Ashli Babbit, 35, was shot and killed, while 50-year-old Benjamin Phillips, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Rosanne Boylan, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia, died from medical emergencies during the attack. The White House and Jeffries office did not immediately return a request for comment from The Independent. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump has been charged with threatening to kill House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a court document. Christopher Moynihan, 34, sent threatening text messages about an appearance Jeffries, who represents New York's 8th congressional district, was scheduled to make in New York City, according to a felony complaint filed in New York state court in Clinton. The recipient of the texts was not identified. "Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live. ... Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. ... I will kill him for the future," the text messages read, according to the complaint, dated Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The messages were sent on Friday, it said. "These text messages placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant," the complaint said. In February 2023, Moynihan was sentenced to 21 months in prison on charges including obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony. He was among nearly 1,590 people charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Trump to prevent the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory. Trump pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged with participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack in a show of solidarity with supporters who backed his false claim of victory in that vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeffries' office did not immediately return a request for comment. The charge against Moynihan - making a terroristic threat - is a Class D felony, the complaint said. At least 10 other Jan. 6 rioters have been re-arrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes including child sexual abuse, plotting to murder FBI agents and reckless homicide while driving drunk, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Moynihan appears to be the only rioter known to face a charge involving an elected official since being pardoned. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Ned Parker; Editing by Mark Porter) A Dutchess County man who had previously been arrested and then pardoned for his involvement at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was charged with making terroristic threats against Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Police have charged 34-year-old Christopher Moynihan with making a terroristic threat, which is a Class D felony. State police say he threatened to kill Jeffries, the House minority leader. He is the first pardoned Capitol rioter to be arrested over alleged political violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is being held at the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, $30,000 bond or $80,000 partially secured bond, and is expected to reappear in court on Thursday. Moynihan was with the first wave of protesters to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He was convicted in Aug 2022, sentenced to 21 months in prison and was one of more than 1,500 pardoned by President Trump earlier this year. Jeffries released a statement on social media saying he is grateful to law enforcement for apprehending the "dangerous individual who made a credible death threat" against him. My statement on the most recent credible death threat against me. pic.twitter.com/Z7VsIWFqLq Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) October 21, 2025 ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. A Trump-pardoned January 6 insurrectionist was arrested last week for threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a chilling example of the right-wing political violence the GOP has been downplaying. CBS reports that Christopher Moynihansentenced in 2022 to 21 months in prison for his role in the Capitol riot and fully pardoned by Trumpwas arrested on Sunday after he sent texts about plans to eliminate Jeffries at an Economic Club event in New York City on Monday. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, he allegedly wrote. Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan has been charged with a felony for making a terroristic threat, and will make his first court appearance on Thursday. Following a thorough investigation, Moynihan was arrested and arraigned before the Town of Clinton Court, a New York State Police statement read. He was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or an $80,000 partially secured bond. Moynihan is not the first January 6 insurrectionist to spoil their pardon with more run-ins with the law. Rioter Zachary Alam was arrested just weeks after his pardon for allegedly breaking and entering a Richmond, Virginia, home. And rioter Matthew Huttle was shot dead at a traffic stop by police after allegedly raising a firearm at police. Not only are many of the insurrectionists going right back to committing alarming crimes, theyre continuing to directly contribute to right-wing violence. A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was arrested Sunday for allegedly threatening to kill one of the top Democrats in Congress. New York State Police announced the arrest of Christopher Moynihan on Sunday with the help of the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. Moynihan had been serving a 21-month prison sentence when he and 1,500 other rioters were pardoned by Trump in January. Politics: Ted Cruz Tells GOP Not To Pooh-Pooh 'No Kings' Protests On Tuesday, CBS News reported Moynihan had sent a text message about killing House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan allegedly wrote, according to court documents obtained by CBS News. Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future. Jeffries said he was grateful to police for making the arrest. The person arrested, along with thousands of violent felons who stormed the US Capitol during the January 6th attack, was pardoned by Donald Trump on the Presidents very first day in office, Jeffries said Tuesday. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country. Politics: Interim U.S. Attorney's Angry Texts To Reporter Revealed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Tuesday morning he hadnt heard of the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Terrible. First Ive heard of that, Johnson said. I dont know anything about it, but anybody who threatens to kill any political official, we denounce it absolutely, they ought to have justice fall upon their head. Asked if it was a mistake for Trump to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters, Johnson pivoted, saying its not Republicans who support political violence. I will tell you this: Violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. Dont make me go through the list, Johnson said. This is the left in almost every case that is advancing this, and not the right. So lets not make it a partisan issue. Politics: Theres Not A Darn Thing Anybody Can Do: Rash Of Jan. 6 Pardons Will Mean Trouble, Former Prosecutor Says The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan was sent to prison in 2023 after having been found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding and several misdemeanors relating to his infiltration of the Capitol. He was one of the rioters who actually walked onto the Senate floor after lawmakers had escaped the rampaging mob. A spokeswoman for the New York State Police told HuffPost the U.S. Capitol Police, who provide security for members of Congress, participated in the investigation: We worked with all of our law enforcement partners on this investigation, including the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Dutchess County District Attorneys Office. HuffPost asked Jeffries if it was plausible Speaker Johnson hadnt heard of the case before Tuesday, two days after police arrested the suspect. Politics: HuffPost Reporter Shuts Down Karoline Leavitt's Childish Name-Calling On CNN Well, thats not clear, and that, you know, is for people to judge the credibility of that response, Jeffries said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Capitol Police did not respond to a request for comment. At least 10 other Jan. 6 pardon recipients have been arrested, charged or sentenced for some other crime so far this year, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Speaking to reporters alongside Jeffries, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said many Jan. 6 rioters had criminal records before they stormed the Capitol. He faulted the Trump administration for giving them all pardons or commutations without making any effort to screen their backgrounds. Politics: Trump's Mass Pardon For Jan. 6 Rioters Went Farther Than Republicans Had Wanted And what do you know after this mass pardon happens? People start getting picked up again, Raskin said. Related... Read the original on HuffPost An upstate New York man who was pardoned by President Donald Trump for his actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 allegedly threatened to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Police said. Christopher Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, was arrested Saturday and charged with making a terroristic threat, police said. He is the first pardoned Capitol rioter to be arrested over alleged political violence. Jan. 6 rioter who wore 'Camp Auschwitz' hoodie arrested on animal attack charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the criminal complaint, investigators quoted text messages allegedly sent from Moynihan on Oct. 17 to an unidentified recipient. "Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, one message allegedly said, according to the complaint. Even if I am hated he must be eliminated, Moynihan wrote, according to the complaint. "I will kill him for the future." The text messages "placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant," the complaint stated. Moynihan appeared in the Town of Clinton Court where he was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Dutchess County State Supreme Court on Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether he had hired a lawyer. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images - PHOTO: Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries waits for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a photo opportunity at the Capitol, Oct. 21, 2025. Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement Tuesday that he is "grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out." Moynihan was convicted of obstructing an official proceeding in 2022 after he broke through a security perimeter and entered the Capitol on Jan. 6. Department of Justice - PHOTO: Images included in a federal complaint show Christopher Moynihan in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors said he entered the Senate Gallery and paged through a notebook on top of a senator's desk and took photos with his cellphone. During the riot he said, "Theres got to be something in here we can f---ing use against these ----bags," according to prosecutors. Court filings from when he was charged included screenshots from a video showing Moynihan in the Capitol on Jan. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan was sentenced to nearly two years in prison in February 2023 before he and more than 1,500 others who had been convicted or otherwise charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot received a pardon hours after Trump took office. Trump's pardons for rioters 'disturbing,' former top Jan. 6 prosecutor says "I said on the very day that Donald Trump pardoned 1,600 people en masse without obviously studying the details of each individual case, that President Trump and his administration would be responsible for whatever happens with these people," Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said during a press event Tuesday while joined by Jeffries. "They've got a responsibility to rein them in." "We have a very serious problem with political violence in this country. Thank God that you are safe, Mr. Jeffries, but we are asking for the Department of Justice to get serious about reining these people in all over the country," he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeffries said during the press event that "we're living in a moment of extreme political violence" impacting those in public service, while vowing not to bow down. "When it comes to these extremists out there, you better watch how you talk when you talk about me," he said. WASHINGTON A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots has been charged after allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the top Democratic leader in the House. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested on Sunday after allegedly sending text messages to an associate with plans to attack Jeffries during an event in New York City the following day. Moynihan now faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, according to CBS News, which first reported on the arrest. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan wrote in the text messages, according to the criminal complaint. Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. I will kill him for the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The messages indicate Moynihan wanted to harm Jeffries while he was appearing at an event at the Economic Club of New York in Manhattan on Monday. Jeffries responded to the arrest, commending local law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend Moynihan before the event occurred. The top Democrat, in the same statement, went on to blame the incident on Trumps blanket pardons earlier this year of every rioter charged in connection with the Capitol riots on Jan. 6 attempting to stop the certification of Joe Bidens 2020 electoral victory. Trump issued the pardons on his first day in office earlier this year. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country, Jeffries said in a statement. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihan is believed to be the only pardoned Jan. 6 rioter that has been arrested a second time for threatening to attack an elected official. However, several of the other defendants have been charged with other crimes since being pardoned in January. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., denounced the planned attacks on Tuesday, but stopped short of saying whether he believed the blanket pardons issued by Trump were a mistake and should have been more carefully evaluated. Anybody who threatens political violence against elected officials or anyone else, should be having the full weight and measure of the Department of Justice on their head, Johnson said. I trust that will happen. I hope it will. We are intellectually consistent about that. But Johnson went on to suggest that Democrats and those on the political left are far more likely to commit violence against those they disagree with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the left in almost every case, that is advancing this, and not the right, Johnson said. So lets not make it a partisan issue. You dont want me to go there. Were just going to say anybody, any deranged individual this has to stop. During the Jan. 6 riots, prosecutors say Moynihan was among the first to break into the Capitol complex and breach the Senate chamber. While inside, he dug through a notebook on top of a chamber desk. Moynihan was later sentenced to 21 months in prison before being pardoned. Moynihan is being held in the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. The Trump administration is hoping to use an unprecedented $75 billion infusion of funding into Immigration and Customs Enforcement to roughly double the number of active immigration agents to 10,000 by early next year, but scores of new hires are reportedly failing the agencys physical fitness requirements, slowing a key part of the recruiting push. With ICE now offering incentives like loan forgiveness and $50,000 bonuses, the agency has been flooded with more than 150,000 applications this year, but about a third of recruits at the agencys academy have been unable to pass a basic fitness test requiring 15 push-ups, 32 sit-ups, and running one-and-a-half miles in 14 minutes, The Atlantic reports, citing administration officials. Its pathetic, a career ICE official told the magazine, describing the requirements as the minimum for any officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has said such troubled recruits only represent a small portion of its larger hiring pool, and that it expects to fill about 85 percent of new deportation officer positions with experienced law enforcement personnel who are put through a separate fast-track hiring process. With Trump administration officials reportedly pushing behind the scenes for 3,000 immigration arrests per day, the White House has been going all out to expand ICE as quickly as possible to keep up, channeling $75 billion to the agency as part of this summers One Big, Beautiful Bill spending package, while eliminating requirements around Spanish-language proficiency and an age cap that mandated ICE recruits be older than 21 and younger than 40 to join the force. ICE has pushed to hire tens of thousands more agents in the next few months, but about a third of new recruits are reportedly failing a rudimentary fitness test (Getty Images) Critics have warned that lowering standards during this mass hiring drive could open the door to further abuses that have already taken place during the Trump administrations deportation push. The loosening of hiring standards and training requirements is unacceptable and will likely result in increased officer misconduct similar to or worse than what occurred during a small surge in hiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in the early 2000s, Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, wrote to Homeland Security Kristi Noem in a letter on Tuesday. Exacerbating our concerns, DHS has gutted offices responsible for overseeing ICE officers and ensuring accountability for use-of-force incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal government has been struggling to find physically fit personnel to join the ranks since before Trump, though, with service branches like the Army and the Navy regularly failing to meet their recruiting goals. One Pentagon study found that more than three-quarters of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 were ineligible for service because they were overweight, unable to pass an aptitude test, afflicted by physical or mental health issues, or ruled out by a criminal record. Critics warn that rapidly expanding ICE while lowering hiring standards could lead to a rise in misconduct (Getty Images) Faced with these kinds of challenges, some service branches have relaxed certain recruiting rules or offered supplementary fitness programs for aspiring recruits. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth railed in an unusual September address to much of the senior military leadership that it was unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals because its a bad look. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Secretary has required that those in combat roles meet the highest male standard only of their services fitness test, part of his push to restore what he calls a masculine warrior ethos to the Pentagon. The U.S. military has also struggled in recent years to find enough recruits who can pass fitness tests and other basic requirements (Getty) While some of these changes have been couched in strategic terms, the famously image-obsessed president and his administration also appear to view unfit soldiers as a PR liability. Hegseth celebrated last week when a group of overweight Texas National Guard soldiers landing as part of the administrations unilateral crackdown on Chicago were sent home, claiming, Standards are back at the Department of War. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had some choice words for President Trump after he posted an AI video of him wearing a crown and dumping sewage on No Kings protesters from a fighter jet. The senator appeared on ABCs The View where he was asked by co-host Ana Navarro to respond to the video, which was posted on Truth Social, and to Republicans dismissing the No Kings rallies as being full of violent criminals, illegal aliens, and Hamas terrorists. Sanders shook his head in disgust and lambasted Trumps response to the protest. Sanders calls Trump a megalomaniac for his No Kings video I think they are fomenting hatred when you have the Speaker of the House say, This is a hate America rally,' Sanders said about Mike Johnson and Donald Trump. Why did people come out? They came out to defend the Constitution of the United States. The No Kings protestors were defending the basic freedoms to say to Donald Trump, You know what? You cannot send the military into Portland, Oregon, he continued. You cannot take people off the street with masks and throw them and deport them to South Sudan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanders criticized Trump for his attacks on the media, law firms, and universities while calling him a megalomaniac as well as a pathological liar. That said, he believes that the Democratic party has to make a fundamental decision, when pressed by co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin on how the energy from the protests will translate into outcomes given the partys low approval rating and its lack of new voter registrations. He replied that the working class voted for Trump not because they wanted tax breaks for billionaires, not because they wanted to throw 15 million off the healthcare they have or double healthcare premiums, but because they believe Democrats dont stand for them. Sanders went on to say he remembers a time when the Democratic party sided with the working class and believes it needs to step away from corporate sponsors and billionaire friends so that they can address voters who are struggling to pay for childcare, healthcare, housing, and groceries. The post Pathological Liar: Bernie Sanders Reacts to Trumps AI Sewage Video on The View appeared first on Mandatory. The Israeli ambassador to the Gulf shares insights from his recent posting in Bahrain and past postings from Turkey to the UAEmarking both diplomatic advances and the realities of regional conflict. Few Israeli diplomats have had a career path as singular as Ambassador Eitan Naehs, spanning postings from Turkey to the UAE and, most recently, Bahrain. Returning to Israel after nearly four years in Manama, Naeh met with The Media Line to reflect on what it means to build diplomatic bridges in the Gulf amid regional tensions, war, and a global spotlight on the Abraham Accords. Naehs tenure as Israels first ambassador to Bahrain began in 2021, coinciding with the momentum of the Abraham Accords, which were intended to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states. Building relationships where there were none is a process which takes patience, he remarked, noting the gradual nature of trust-building in international diplomacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas two years later cast a shadow over the diplomatic landscape and both ambassadorsthe Bahraini envoy to Israel and Naeh himselfwere recalled. I was called back for security reasons by our government, he said. It is, I think, almost natural that in time of war things dont move at the same pace as they were previously, Naeh explained. Despite these setbacks, he emphasized that dialogue persisted, even during his absence from Bahrain. Messages were sent in both directions, from the highest levels to ambassador level and also through lower diplomatic ranks. The relation-building process was never severed. Yes, it was delayed and it was stalled for a while, but never really cut. Naeh noted. Eitan Na'eh speaks on diplomatic career in the Gulf By late May 2024, the Bahraini ambassador had returned to Tel Aviv, while Naeh resumed his duties in Manama in early June. The timing emphasized both the importance and resilience of ties in the region. The intention to continue building the relationship between the two countries was not kept secret. Public interactions between Naeh and Bahrains prime minister and crown prince, including one to bid him farewell as he was leaving, were openly reported in the press. This sent a clear message that the relationship would continue on a trajectory towards closer ties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his tenure, Naeh witnessed the slow but steady growth of bilateral engagement. High-level visits from Israeli officialsincluding the Prime Minister, President, and foreign ministerswere complemented by over 100 business delegations. These visits laid the groundwork for cooperation across trade, agriculture, and industry. In parallel, he leaned on grassroots public diplomacy: in Abu Dhabi at the start of Israels outreach, strangers in a cafe greeted him with hello Jews and sent cakes to the tablea small, telling moment of curiosity and welcome that he says he also felt in Bahrain. During violence in May 2021, he found himself in a sheikhs salon where young locals, watching rolling coverage on Sky News Arabia, told him it was the first time they were hearing the other side directly from an Israeli official rather than through major networks. And beyond VIP trips, he points to first-time youth and media exchanges: We sent a youth delegation for the first time in Israel, he said, adding that recent Bahraini journalists visits helped challenge preconceptions. For me, everything was startling, he recalled. Living in an Arab country, building relationships, seeing an embassy and embassy staff grow. To really see cooperation grow in all fields was exciting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bahrain, as the smallest Arab state in the Gulf, offers logistical advantages, such as its proximity to the Mediterranean. Yet business requires careful cultivation, and it must make sense. If it doesnt, it wont happen, Naeh said. We have created opportunities, but its up to the businesspeople to take them. He added that tourist flows reflected practical realities, with Israelis gravitating to the UAEs larger, more developed tourism infrastructure, while Bahrain worked to define and sell its own destination profile. Moving on to the topic of broader regional diplomacy, the ambassador resisted describing Bahrain and the UAE as test cases for Saudi-Israeli normalization. However, observing that each country has its own characteristics, he remained positive about the possibility of rapprochement with Saudi Arabia. Give us time and a bit of optimism; things will happen, he said. Naehs own journey into the Gulf was informed by both curiosity and preparation. Fluent in written Arabic and able to hold a conversation, he views language as a bridge to understanding culture, history, and regional dynamics. He advocates teaching Arabic in Israeli schools and says he chose the language to get to know our neighbors and even to read the Quran in Arabic. If you want to expand relationships with the Arab world and Islamic world, yes, of course, we need to study about them as we want them to learn about us. That will remove some barriers, at least. This cultural fluency underpinned his approach to public diplomacy. Inviting Bahraini journalists, businesspeople, and youth delegations to Israel allowed for firsthand encounters with the countrys diverse society. People came with kind of in the back of their minds that they had all these stereotypes, and then what they saw, what they thought is happening here they saw something different, Naeh said. He recounted visitors observing Jews and Arabs strolling together in Tel Aviv, or hearing the call to prayer from Al-Aqsa, which challenged preconceived narratives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Education and exposure, he argued, are the keys to changing perceptions among younger generations. Delegations, visits, and cultural exchanges allow participants to witness the complexities of Israeli society firsthand, bypassing media filters. They dont have to agree with us, always. They dont have to love and kiss us, but they have to understand that the situation here is complex, he said. Trust-building, Naeh emphasized, is central to diplomacy in the region. Reflecting on his previous postings in Turkey, from where he was expelled in the 1990s and returned later as ambassador, he noted the long arc of repair and renewal. After an apology in 2013 paved the way for a thaw, he returned as ambassador in late 2016 to rebuild trust at a time when ties had been downgraded to charge daffaires. Trade subsequently rose to the billions of dollars until the current warevidence, he argues, that patient, practical cooperation can take root even after political shocks. Trust is the first thing you build when you build relationships with countries that up until we opened an embassy we didnt have relations at all or normal relationships. The Abraham Accords themselves, signed just five years ago, remain a work in progress. While the war with Hamas and the UN recognition of a Palestinian state have tested the resolve of these relationships, Naeh argued that the foundational interests are strong. We are at war for two years, and yet we have embassies in Abu Dhabi, a consulate general in Dubai, an embassy in Manama. These are new relationships, and they withstood the greatest test successfully. Beyond the Gulf, Naeh expressed concern about antisemitism in Europe, particularly in the wake of recent attacks in Manchester. Drawing from personal experiencehis brother-in-law narrowly avoided a terrorist attack at a local synagogue in the cityhe criticized the perceived inaction of authorities. Theres certainly much to do on the government level, he said. Theres more that can be done to make the Jews feel more safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the challenges of diplomacy, Naeh remains optimistic. When asked to sum up his time in Bahrain in one word, he chose patience. It will take time. But it will happen. Because both sides have an interest to live in peace. Peace is security. Peace is prosperity. And these two things take time. But we will get there. His reflections were not only professional but personal. Coming from a family with deep roots in the region, including ancestors in Hebron and Jaffa, Naeh acknowledged the historical pain alongside the possibilities for reconciliation. We cannot change the past, but we have to know the past, he said. The question is how we look to the future generations. Looking forward, Naeh was cautious but hopeful. Relations with Turkey, disrupted by past political crises, have potential for renewal, though timelines remain uncertain. Within the Gulf, the promise of economic and cultural cooperation persists. And for Israels broader regional strategy, he stressed the slow, steady work of trust-building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As he transitions from his post in Manama, the ambassador remains committed to the ideals that guided his work: engagement, dialogue, and patience. Both sides have an interest to live in peace, certainly in the Gulf. They want to see what is peace. How to get there? Lets see, he said with characteristic candor. For now, Naeh returns home to Israel, carrying the lessons of years spent cultivating fragile but promising relationships across the Gulf. His message resonates beyond diplomacy: building trust and understanding, particularly where history has left deep scars, requires perseverance and a willingness to see the human side of politics. Women in the EU earn on average 12% less per hour than men, according to Eurostat. To address this persistent gender pay gap, the EU is introducing new rules on pay transparency designed to strengthen the principle of "equal pay for equal work". For millions of workers, knowing the pay range before applying for a job can mean the difference between negotiating confidently and settling in the dark, afraid it could hurt employment prospects. The directive could finally do away with the hush-hush culture around salaries levelling the playing field for younger staff, returners from parental leave, and anyone who has historically been underpaid for the same role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the Pay Transparency Directive, EU Member States are required to implement the legislation by 7 June 2026. However, progress across the Union has been slow, raising concerns that several countries could miss the deadline next year. More recently, the Netherlands delayed the implementation of legislation according to PwC. The new expected implementation date is 1 January 2027. At the end of 2025, most EU countries are not yet ready with the implementation of the Directive and, in general, are progressing slowly, Monika Krzyszkowska Dabrowska, head of employment practice in Addleshaw Goddards Warsaw office, told Euronews Business. Related Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, which EU countries are leading the way in implementing the Pay Transparency Directive, and how far along is the rest of the Union? According to Addleshaw Goddards implementation tracker as of September 2025, 10 out of 27 countries have not yet taken any action toward implementing the directive. These include Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Slovenia. In eight countries, draft legislation is expected. These include Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain. This suggests that a technical committee or working group has been established, a proposal has already been prepared, and negotiations with stakeholders are currently underway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In four countries, draft legislation has already been published: Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Partial implementation is underway in three countries, namely Belgium, Malta, and Poland. Germany is also preparing to update its act in line with the directive. Adjusting the existing laws or introducing new ones There are various approaches to implementation. Krzyszkowska-Dabrowska stated that some countries are adapting and adjusting existing laws typically where national legislation already addresses requirements similar to those in the Directive while others are introducing entirely new laws that closely mirror the Directives provisions, particularly where there is no comparable legal framework in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Duncan Brown, principal associate at the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), noted that the directive covers multiple aspects of pay transparency and applies to countries with diverse existing frameworks for ensuring equal pay. Many countries have already implemented some elements, which explains the slower progress toward full compliance. For instance, Austria has had a transparency initiative since 2011 and, according to Dr. Andreas Gulyas from the University of Vienna, only minor adjustments are needed to meet the new requirements. Reasons for the lack of action or delays Although there do not appear to be specific groups openly opposing the Directive as such, its introduction carries significant weight for national laws and is often perceived as both revolutionary and problematic for employing entities, said Krzyszkowska-Dabrowska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also imposes additional obligations on employers, grants new rights to employees including a broader scope to bring claims and increases the powers of courts and authorities. She also pointed out that while the provisions of the directive are clear and highly technical, their practical interpretation and application present challenges. Collectively, these changes are set to reshape the legal landscape and introduce additional burdens, necessitating a systematic approach with various interrelated solutions, she added. Political turbulence hindering process Since the directive was passed in 2023, the political and economic volatility and crises that started with Covid ... have continued in this unstable and unpredictable decade, Brown from the IES told Euronews Business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He emphasised that, therefore, national governments have had other priorities on their agendas. Issues include the war in Ukraine and the need to rapidly increase defence spending, widespread cost-of-living crises, and the rise of far-right populism with manifestos that are often anti-establishment and "anti-woke". All of this has meant that already busy legislative agendas have been severely stretched, he added. Current status in EUs Big Four Germany has not yet published a draft bill to implement the directive. The government set up an expert commission in July 2025 to prepare recommendations, with results expected by late autumn, according to Marijke van der Most, employment partner in Addleshaw Goddards German offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The delay is largely explained by Germanys extraordinary political situation in 2025. Following snap federal elections earlier this year, the country went through a full change of government. This process temporarily interrupted the legislative agenda, as the new administration had to focus on coalition negotiations and immediate political priorities before returning to pending EU implementation matters, she said. She thinks that it remains realistic that Germany will meet the June 2026 transposition. In France, a bill is expected in autumn 2025 following consultations with social partners, according to the Addleshaw Goddard tracker. No transposition activity has yet been reported in Italy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spain has already introduced obligations regarding pay transparency, such as the gender pay register for all companies and the gender pay audit for companies with 50 or more employees. The directive will require most organisations to review their pay models and define their remuneration policies in a much more precise manner. Salary transparency in job postings is low According to Indeed, salary transparency in job postingshas been steadily increasing across many countries, although the momentum has slowed in recent months. The UK has the highest rate at 65% in May 2025, followed by France (48%), and the Netherlands (46%). Italy, Spain, and Germany find themselves at the lower end of the scale, with 25%. While the UK continues to have the highest rate of pay transparency, the share of UK job postings including salary information has declined. In August, about 56% of job listings on Indeed included wage details, nearly 10 percentage points lower than at the start of the year. PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) Panama City Police are investigating what could be a possible hate crime targeting a local business, the Trump store on West 23rd Street. Paramedics rushed at least one person to a local hospital. According to a Trump store security guard, it started when the store manager opened a letter that arrived in the mail earlier Monday. He says the moment the store manager opened the envelope, a white powder-like substance spilled out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the white powder spilled out, the security guard says the manager immediately broke out in a rash and began itching. She was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, while crews worked to secure the scene and investigate the substance. The letter clearly voiced the senders dislike of President Trump calling him and Charlie Kirk insulting names. I got a text message from Cindy, who was working in the store, and she sent a picture saying, I just got this in the mail. As soon as I look at it and blew it up. I told her to call 911 immediately as she reported to me that both hands started itching within 30 seconds of touching it. She moved the hair out of her face and her face was already itching. And when they got here, they were taking her way in the ambulance, Trump Store security Terry Harris said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of now we do not know the current condition of the manager. Panama City Police say the substance was not harmful. The employees workspace was was also analyzed. The letter was then turned over to the Postal Inspectors Office for further investigation. Anyone with any information on this case is urged to call the Panama City Police Department at 850-872-3100, or report tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 850-785-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 mypanhandle.com. Packaging solutions provider Peli BioThermal has completed an expansion of its Frankfurt Service Centre, increasing its capacity threefold. This will help meet rising demand from pharmaceutical producers and logistics companies across Europe. Frankfurt is one of the most world's most crucial pharmaceutical and logistics hubs. The enlarged facility benefits from a central location as well as Frankfurts proximity to the international airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It will enable smoother handling of life sciences shipments across Europe and to other regions. The upgraded site now offers greater operational capacity, improved conditioning technology and quicker turnaround times to accommodate time-critical pharmaceutical products. The company stated: The Frankfurt expansion underscores Peli BioThermal's commitment to investing in regions central to pharmaceutical cold chain logistics, reinforcing the company's trusted global service network and supporting continued growth across Europe. Peli BioThermal provides temperature-controlled packaging systems for the global life sciences sector through a network of service centres designed to maintain product safety within the cold chain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peli BioThermal CEO Sam Herbert stated: "Frankfurt plays a vital role in global pharmaceutical supply chains. "By significantly expanding our service centre here, we are strengthening our European infrastructure and ensuring our customers have the scale, speed and reliability they need to deliver life-saving treatments where and when they are needed most." "Peli BioThermal triples capacity at Frankfurt service centre " was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand. (WHTM) A half million Pennsylvanians are about to get sticker shock for their health insurance premiums because an important tax credit has not been renewed by Congress. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Livestream Alerts Andrew Deutsch is a small business owner who runs a pet store outside of Philadelphia. I love what I do and taking care of peoples dogs and cats, Deutsch said. Im also a Type 1 diabetic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That makes health insurance a must for Deutsch, She gets it from the states marketplace called Pennie. Since COVID, the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit from Congress has lowered the cost, but it expires at the end of the year. Roughly a half million Pennsylvanians get their health insurance this way. It could be the end of the line for affordable rates. Without the tax credit, those premiums are expected to soar beyond most Pennsylvanians ability to pay, and the insurance commissioner fears that will chase people away. Theyre going to see premiums that are 100%, 200%, 300% higher than what they paid today, said Michael Humphries, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner. And its going to be that Oh, shoot moment where I need to figure out whether and how I can pay for insurance. And for many people, for many families, itll be I cant afford this anymore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of them will drop out of the program, he said, and go to the ER at the local hospital for treatment, adding more stress to an overtaxed health care system. We have hospitals struggling to keep the doors open, Humphries said. And now, if youre taking commercial reimbursement away from them, its going to be even more of a challenge for that. Democrats blame Republicans for not previously extending the tax credits. Republicans blame Senate Democrats for the government shutdown hindering them from getting it done. Republican Congressman Dan Meuser (PA) also described the subsidy as a temporary COVID enhancement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress should responsibly debate how to ensure those that rely on low health care premiums continue to be supported, without subsidizing insurance for the wealthy, Meuser said. I know they were supposed to be technically for COVID, but Im looking at life and life has gotten less expensive since, Deutsch said. But its about to get a lot more expensive, Deutsch fears, Her premium is now $700 a month. Without the subsidy, its $1,700 a month. She cant really afford it, but she cant afford not to have it. I cant do that, Deutsch said. I mean, I really cant do that. One hospital visit will destroy me. 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. 24-year-old Dylan Lang has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after he allegedly told police he went "out of control" and shot a man who was "hooking up" with his mother in a pickup truck. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania man, Dylan Lang, has been charged with criminal homicide after allegedly shooting and killing 55-year-old Robert Hagen Jr., while the latter was engaged in a sexual encounter. The victim, Hagen Jr., was reportedly in a relationship with Langs mother -- who was not named in the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) press release. According to the release, the incident took place during the early morning hours of October 18 at a residence along the 100 block of Heritage Lane in Jackson Township. When authorities arrived, not long after being dispatched at 3:45 a.m. due to reports of a shooting, they found Hagen Jr. deceased in his pickup truck with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. While on the scene, it was learned that Hagen Jr. was not a stranger to Lang and that he was parked in the driveway of Lang's residence, accompanied by a female. According to a report from Fox 45 Baltimore, that woman was later identified as Lang's mother. Local police also learned that Hagen Jr. and Lang's mother had allegedly been out drinking and returned to her home, where she lived with Lang, two other relatives and her ex-fiance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Hagen Jr. and Lang's mother returned to her home, authorities said they engaged in sexual acts in the pickup truck while parked in the driveway. That's when Lang allegedly emerged from the residence and confronted them with a firearm, reportedly "screaming for Hagen to get off her." Per Fox 45 Baltimore's report, witnesses say that Lang attempted to stick his 9mm handgun through the driver's side window, but since the window was not open enough, he smashed the back window and, despite pleas from his mother, fired two shots into the truck, hitting Hagen Jr. in the upper torso. Lang's mother reportedly then asked him why he shot Hagen Jr., screaming, "You shot him!" Police also reported that Hagen Jr. attempted to back his truck out of the driveway, but the vehicle rolled into the yard of the home after he was shot. As they investigated the scene further, Hagen Jr. was discovered inside of the truck "with his pants around his ankles." Lang then reportedly called 911 and remained on the scene. According to call logs, per Fox 45 News Baltimore, authorities say that Lang admitted to shooting and killing Hagen, saying, "I just shot someone in my driveway," before exclaiming, "I f---ed up!" and, per PEOPLE, "He was out here fing my mother in my own f driveway." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities say he also claimed Hagen had been "hooking up" with his mother for several days, stating that it caused him to react "out of control." The 9 mm gun was seized at the scene along with two mm shell casings and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Lang, who is now jailed without bail, was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 27 at 9:00 a.m. NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (KCAU) North Sioux City battles back after the flooding in 2024. The reconstruction of Penrose Drive is officially complete, and as of Monday night the final payment for the work has been made. Final payment for the project was approved during a very short commission meeting on Monday night. Reconstruction of Northshore Drive is set to begin in Spring 2026. The city is still working with a few property owners to gain the easments needed to allow for reconstruction. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City staffers acklowledge that rebuilding is a step at a time process. Its always nice when you can check a box and move to the next step, so its fine. While Penrose has been done for a while, the payment is another step in the process that kind of closes that project out, said City Administrator of the City of North Sioux CIty, Jeff Dooley. Weve been working on Northshore Drive this whole time and hopefully we can check that box this time next year. A McCook Lake bypass is planned for 2027, but until then, Northshore Drive will serve as the main artery for residents on the north side of the lake as well as for traffic both in and out of Dakota Valley schools. 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 SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. The Pentagon's chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, responded with a vulgar "joke" when a HuffPost journalist asked about the colours of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's tie, which resembled the Russian flag. Source: HuffPost, an American news and opinion website, as reported by European Pravda Details: HuffPost journalist S.V. Date asked Parnell about the tie Hegseth wore during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House, noting that its resemblance to the Russian tricolour had drawn attention from Kremlin propagandists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote from Parnell: "Your mom bought it for him and it's a patriotic American tie, moron." More details: The journalist followed up by asking if Hegseth was aware of the US flag code, which prohibits using the flag as "wearing apparel". Quote from Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson: "If loving one's country enough to represent it head to toe is a crime in the eyes of the leftist blog known as HuffPost, then consider Secretary Hegseth guilty. He is a patriot who reveres this country and our flag." More details: This is not the first time the White House's communication with journalists has bordered on rudeness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, when a HuffPost reporter asked who suggested Budapest as the venue for a potential meeting between the US and Russian leaders, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Communications Director Steven Cheung replied: "Your mom did." Leavitt later shared a screenshot of the exchange, calling the journalist a "left-wing hack" who "constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Pete Hegseths fashion choices are apparently a matter of geopolitical consequence. The secretary of defense stirred up international controversy after a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for wearing a white, blue, and red striped tie in the order of the Russian flag. Russian leaders and news outlets were quick to draw conclusions that Hegseth was intentionally showing his allegiance to the Kremlin, despite the American flag displaying the same colors in a different order. After meeting with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Hegseth was accused of wearing a tie resembling the Russian flag. / TOM BRENNER / AFP via Getty Images Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Russias special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation, quickly posted a photo of Hegseths tie and captioned it with the Russian flag on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian state-owned news agency Tass wrote that Hegseths tie, featuring bold white, blue, and red stripes arranged in the same order as on the Russian national flag, stood out among the otherwise restrained attire of the US delegation, The Telegraph first reported. The rumor quickly took hold online, with many viewing Hegseths tie choice as a subtle sign of support for Ukraines invader, Russia. Pete Hegseth showed up to the White House meeting today with President Zelensky wearing a Russian tricolor flag tie. These people love Putin and Russia, wrote political influencer Jake Broe in a post on X with 10.9 million views. Vice President JD Vance attempted to belittle such theories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Or maybe he was wearing the colors of America, he replied to Broes post. X White House officials also made attempts to quell the narrative with ridicule. Officials took the mocking route on the official White House X account, replying to the same post: Isnt it humiliating so publicly admitting that youre a weapons-grade moron? Hegseth has been known to don American-flag attire, including a suit jacket lined with the U.S. flag. However, much of his patriotic clothingincluding that suitwas reportedly made in Thailand. I called his tailor and they told me they use factories in Thailand. Confirmed in interviews, menswear writer and internet personality Derek Guy previously wrote in a post on X. Yes, I know where Hegseth's clothes were made. If you look inside his suits, you'll see a "Book a Tailor" label. He confirmed in a Fox News broadcast that he gets his clothes from them. I called his tailor and they told me they use factories in Thailand. Confirmed in interviews. https://t.co/UulKFMrvJV pic.twitter.com/GscYtcsUVC derek guy (@dieworkwear) October 3, 2025 Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Daily Beast in a statement: Its a patriotic American tie, moron. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Washington refutes that Hegseths tie is any indicator of favoritism, a reportedly fiery meeting between Zelensky and President Donald Trump has only fueled the debate. Trump was pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart to accept Russias terms for a ceasefire during an explosive White House meeting on Friday, according to the Financial Times, telling Zelensky that Russia would destroy Ukraine if he didnt agree. Trump hosted Zelensky at the White House on Friday in which the pair had a tense meeting, according to reports, in which the U.S. president pushed for Kyiv to accept Vladimir Putins terms for ending Russias war. / China News Service / China News Service via Getty Ima Trump demanded that Zelensky surrender the entire Donbas region to Russian President Vladimir Putin, sources said. European officials told the Financial Times that Trump repeated many of Putins talking points verbatim during the meeting, telling Zelensky he was losing the war and that If [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you. The tense encounter came after Trump reportedly spoke with Putin by phone and seemingly welcomed the Russian dictator back into his good graces. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has told Pentagon staff they must obtain permission before interacting with members of Congress, according to a congressional aide and a department memo. The new policy was first reported by Breaking Defense. It is the latest example of the department working to control the flow of information about the world's most powerful military. "The Department of War relies on a collaborative and close partnership with Congress to achieve our legislative goals," said the memo, dated October 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This requires coordination and alignment of Department message when engaging with Congress to ensure consistency and support for the Departments priorities to re-establish deterrence, rebuild our military, and revive the warrior ethos," it said. Republican President Donald Trump announced that he was changing the name of the Defense Department to Department of War, but the change is not official until it is approved by Congress. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the memo, but a congressional aide said lawmakers on committees that oversee the Pentagon were aware of its existence. Last week, dozens of journalists who cover the U.S. Defense Department vacated their offices at the Pentagon and returned their credentials as new restrictions on press access took effect. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Nia Williams) Ajike AJ Owens was a Black, single mother of four, doing the best she could, raising her children in Ocala, Florida, when she was fatally shot by her white neighbor, Susan Lorincz, in June 2023. While her murder at the time made national news, the case has experienced a resurgence in interest thanks to Netflixs new, award-winning documentary, The Perfect Neighbor, from Geeta Gandbhir. Released October 17, the harrowing film is mostly an edited compilation of extensive police footage, captured during their exhaustive visits to the cul-de-sac, in response to Lorinczs barrage of complaints against the neighborhood children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres a timeline of how tensions between Lorincz and Owens escalated, ultimately leading to the latters tragic death. 2021 - 2023: Two years of rising neighborhood tension Susan Lorincz made several 911 calls, complaining about the neighborhood children (Netflix) In 2021, less than a year after Lorincz moved into her rental property, situated across the street from Owens home, she began calling the police to complain about the neighborhood children, claiming they were trespassing on her property, playing too loudly, and taunting her. During one police visit, Lorincz claimed she caught Owens son, Israel who was about seven years old at the time trying to put his dog in the bed of her parked truck. When pressed for details about the incident, she told authorities he was wearing a red shirt and his dog was small. Authorities then went to speak to an adult witness, a neighbor, who was outside with the children at the time. The man laughed at Lorinczs accusations, denying the plausibility of her story, saying that Israels dog was a large breed and it wouldve been impossible for him to lift. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides the numerous 911 calls, Lorincz would also allegedly approach the children herself, harassing them and shouting racial slurs at them. In her 2023 arrest affidavit, she admitted to having used the n-word toward the children and calling them other derogatory terms out of anger. She became known as the neighborhood curmudgeon and was often seen filming or taking photos of the children, presumably to document their alleged behavior. At a 2023 press conference, per The New York Times, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods revealed that his deputies responded to six to eight reports between 2021 and 2023, about Lorinczs ongoing feud with Owens. In footage of one of Lorinczs police station visits, where she sought to file a report, the officer asked if she wanted to see the children go to jail or do some sort of recourse. Yes absolutely, she replied, with the officer telling her honestly that he was only able to write up an official police document because she had no video proof of her claims. 2023: Neighborhood feud reaches a deadly boiling point On June 2, 2023, Lorincz got into a dispute with Israel, in which she allegedly took his tablet and threw a pair of roller skates at him. Shortly afterward, she phoned 911. In a recording of the call, Lorincz claimed, We got kids trespassing, standing there, leaving all the toys around, just screaming, yelling, just being absolutely obnoxious, admitting that she went and threw the roller skates over to the other side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She further alleged that Israel threatened to beat [her] up for throwing the roller skates. When asked if he was still out there, Lorincz claimed, Yeah, there are several kids out there right now, and Im fearing for my life. Im very scared. Owens children were between the ages of three and 12 at the time of the shooting, according to the Ocala Gazette. While Lorincz told the dispatcher that there were no weapons involved in the altercation, she alleged the children threatened to get someone else to kill her. AJ Owens was murdered in 2023 by her neighbor Susan Lorincz (Netflix) This is just ridiculous, she added. They just keep badgering me and badgering me. Im just sick of these children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operator told her to avoid Israel and to keep your doors and windows locked and that an officer would be dispatched as soon as possible. According to several neighbor accounts, Owens angrily went over and banged on Lorinczs doors prepared to confront her about her sons tablet. As the thudding was going on, a woman was screaming like at the top of her lungs, one person told detectives. And then bang. Lorincz fired a bullet through her front door, hitting Owens in the upper chest area. In footage from a neighbors front door, Owens eldest child, Isaac, runs up frantically, begging the neighbor to call 911. Please! She shot my mom, he cries out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate phone call to the police, Lorincz is heard hyperventilating as she says through tears, Oh my God, this lady just tried to break down my door. I shot through the door. Oh my God! She adds, I didnt know what to do. I grabbed my gun and I shot at the door. I thought she was going to kill me. When paramedics arrived at the scene, they tended to Owens wounds before rushing her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Where is Lorincz now? Lorincz was initially taken in for questioning the night of Owens death, but was released hours later while detectives conducted an investigation. Her release was decried by Owens family and other community members, who demanded that Lorincz be arrested and charged. Susan Lorincz was convicted of manslaughter in August 2024 and sentenced to 25 years in prison (Netflix) Lorincz maintained that she shot through her door in self-defense out of fear that Owens was going to break down the door and kill her first, citing the states controverisal Stand Your Ground law. The law, recognized in several states, including Alabama, Iowa and Texas, permits the use of deadly force when someone reasonably believe it to be necessary, in order to defend themselves against certain violent crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lorincz, now 60, was eventually arrested and formally charged for the murder of Owens four days later. She stood trial, and was found guilty of manslaughter, with the judge ruling that Lorincz was motivated to shoot Owens more by anger than fear and that at the time she fired the gun through the door, she was safe. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and is currently serving her sentence at the Homestead Correctional Institution in South Florida. The Perfect Neighbor is available to stream on Netflix. The Department of Defense now requires department staffers to channel all communications with Congress through the Pentagons central legislative affairs office. A October 15 memo, obtained by BreakingDefense, marks a change in policy for the administration, further limiting access to military HQ. The only exception to the rule will be the Pentagons inspector general office. All other DOD personnel will be required to coordinate exchanges with members of Congress and state elected officials via the Pentagons assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs. Using the Trump administrations unofficial moniker for the department, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote in the co-signed memo that the Department of War relies on a collaborative and close partnership with Congress to achieve our legislative goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This requires coordination and alignment of Department messaging when engaging with Congress to ensure consistency and support for the Departments priorities to re-establish deterrence, rebuild our military, and revive the warrior ethos, the memo reads. Unauthorized engagements with Congress by DoW personnel acting in their official capacity, no matter how well-intentioned, may undermine Department-wide priorities critical to achieving our legislative objectives, they add. Members of the House Armed Services Committee were less than thrilled by the development. Congress decides who Congress will talk to, and the continued efforts of the secretary to wall off the department is not consistent with past tradition, and I frankly dont think itll fly with the members or leaders of the committee, California Representative George Whitesides told BreakingDefense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A congressional aide who spoke with the military-focused publication said that the new policy could potentially backfire on the Defense Department, especially as Congress chips away at the 2026 National Defense Authorization Acta process that can sometimes require the Pentagon to supply details within minutes. Its the latest in a larger Pentagon clampdown on transparency under Hegseths helm. Last week, 40 to 50 members of the Pentagon press pool packed up their desks at the department, loudly rejecting a 21-page pledge that, in part, forbids journalists from soliciting any information from government employees without express permission from the Pentagon. Just a handful of journalists remainroughly 15 out of hundreds of credentialed reportersrepresenting blogs, freelancers from foreign publications, and One America News. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The opening weekend of pheasant hunting season in South Dakota is in the bag. Out of state hunters, who were boarding planes in Sioux Falls to return home, apparently so are a lot of pheasants. Avera Health ends in-network service for Aetna Medicare Its fantastic, weve been coming up here for years, we go to the same place just north of Pierre, Arthur Radcliffe said. Radcliffe is returning home to South Carolina after a successful opening weekend of pheasant hunting season. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beautiful place, great food, great people, just a great place to be, Radcliffe said. Radcliffe says his group reach its limit each day. Actually, we slayed them, we shot a lot of birds and had a great time, saw a lot of wildlife too, so thats always a lot of fun, John Carson said. His group from South Carolina has been coming here for the past 15 years. Its so fun, this is what I look forward to every year on the calendar, Radcliffe said. For Clark Clebenger of Arkansas, pheasant hunting season in South Dakota is a family tradition. My great grandfather came, my grandfather came, now its my dad and me, Clebenger said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was phenomenal it was a great time, Dillon Berry of Texas said. This is only my second year coming, and compared to the first year sitting out at the farm house and watching out and watching the birds go up and down; they were everywhere, saw a ton of birds, Berry said. But the pheasant numbers arent the only reason they come to hunt. Friendship, fellowship, and to decompress from the business activities of the week and just have a good time, Radcliffe said. People here are great, hospitality is great, they welcome you when you get to South Dakota, so it keeps bringing us back year after year, Carson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hunters also said they saw a lot of hens, which is always good for future hunts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is gearing up to release pheasants onto 13 state game/wildlife areas throughout Michigan except for Rose Lake State Game Area, the site of a deadly mid-sized twinjet crash. The DNR says the choice to pause scheduled pheasant releases at Rose Lake was due to safety. The state game area will remain open to the public, but the DNR urges visitors to avoid the affected area until investigators leave which they expect to be later this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We understand this is a disappointment for hunters eager to enjoy the pheasant season, said Mark Mills, a manager in the DNR Wildlife Divisions southern Michigan region. However, public safety and the integrity of the ongoing investigation are our top priorities. We appreciate everyones patience and cooperation during this difficult time. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing to investigate the crash, which occurred just after 5 p.m. Thursdau night, when Hawker 800 XP crashed into a heavily wooded state-owned area just north of Rose Lake, killing all three on board. The Mexican Consulate in Detroit has presumptively identified the three as pilots Rodolfo Pimentel Zamora and Francisco Javier del moral Jimenez and the mechanic and Alvaro Espejo Rodriguez. The jet, with the registration number XA-JMR out of Mexico, took off from Battle Creek Executive Airport, where it had been undergoing maintenance by Duncan Aviation, on a test flight. The crash occurred during a stall flight test. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FAA and NTSB have yet to comment on the potential cause of the crash, but officials say a preliminary report should be available in the next two weeks. A full report is expected to take longer, from 12 to 18 months. The DNR will provide updates as soon as pheasant releases at Rose Lake can safely continue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Philadelphia crime scene investigators were seen digging for human remains on Tuesday in connection with a 13-year-old cold case. Officers were spotted along the railroad tracks near 7th Street and Glenwood Avenue in North Philadelphia, hoping to find the remains of 42-year-old Reynaldo Torres, who disappeared in 2012. "When I came over here, I saw the white suits," said Saed Burkett, who lives nearby. "I know what they are for." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Action News has learned that bones were discovered at the site on Tuesday, but will have to undergo DNA testing to confirm whether they are connected to Torres. In 2013, several months after his disappearance, Torres' jawbone was discovered in a park near 5th and Westmoreland streets, which is about a quarter of a mile from Tuesday's discovery. The case has long-time residents concerned. "I'm very shocked to see something like this happen here in this neighborhood," said Angelisse Vazquez. The disappearance of Torres is part of a twisted tale of murders and a disgraced Philadelphia homicide detective, Ronald Dove. Police said he may have had information on Torres and several homicides, but did not disclose it to the department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dove was romantically involved with Erica Sanchez, who was accused of killing her boyfriend in Kensington. Dove later pleaded guilty to helping her escape to New York, and ditch her car. However, she was not implicated in the disappearance of Torres. There's no word on how long the DNA testing will take. HA LEJONE, Lesotho (AP) In the wake of massive U.S. cuts in foreign aid as well as tariffs imposed by President Donald Trumps administration, the small southern African country of Lesotho faces deep uncertainty over its fight to end the HIV epidemic and its economy. Lesotho long had the worlds second-highest HIV infection rate. Over years, with nearly $1 billion in U.S. aid, Lesotho patched together a health network efficient enough to slow the epidemics spread. But when Trump froze foreign assistance and dismantled USAID, chaos and confusion ensued in the country known as the kingdom in the sky. Clinics shut down, workers were let go, and some patients stopped treatment. Much of Lesothos system to treat hundreds of thousands of HIV-positive patients and prevent new infections has been crumbling. Experts are sounding alarms, even as some U.S.-funded programs have been temporarily reinstated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For many in the mountainous country and elsewhere, a positive HIV test 20 years ago was akin to a death sentence. If untreated, most people with HIV develop AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. At the height of the epidemic in 2004, more than 2 million people died of AIDS-related illness worldwide 19,000 in Lesotho, UNAIDS estimated. Many Basotho as people in Lesotho are known say the chaos that reigned most of this year over aid cuts has caused irreparable harm, and theyre consumed with worry about what comes next. Most feel deep disappointment even betrayal over the loss of funds and support. Such concerns span Lesotho society: from rural to urban, low to middle income, patients to officials. Adding to the worry and uncertainty in the country was the announcement in April of Trump's sweeping new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners. Lesotho at first found itself topping the list with a rate of 50%. Officials and economic experts said they were baffled. Since then, Lesothos rates have been adjusted to 15%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The damage had already rippled through Lesothos economy, where textile manufacturing comprises the largest private industry with more than 30,000 workers in 2024. Before the threat of tariffs, business at clothing manufacturer Tziccs had been steady. Its 1,300 employees made and exported sportswear to American stores, including JCPenney, Walmart and Costco. But only a few months after Trump's April announcement, orders dried up, leaving the factory floor empty and dark with most of its employees sent home. ____ This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors. Orca enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest had a whale of a time when a critically endangered pod showed up out of the blue with a newborn calf in tow. The News Tribune reported that locals in Tacoma, Washington, were treated to an exceptionally rare glimpse in September. Members of the critically endangered J pod were putting on quite the show. The J, K, and L pods make up the small population of Southern Resident killer whales that's left in the wild. The whales' name refers to the southern portion of the Salish Sea, between Washington and British Columbia, where the whales reside year-round. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to experts, it's incredibly rare for the J pod to be seen south of the Puget Sound. As the co-founder of the Orca Network, Stephanie Raymond, explained: "... people were really just pretty surprised to see J Pod go down there this weekend because that just has not happened in a really long time." According to NOAA, the Southern Resident whale population is only "in the 70s." Their numbers have suffered due to a reduced quality of prey. They rely heavily on salmon runs, which are declining, and water pollution and boats affect the whales as well. Females are especially sensitive to the presence of ships and will forgo feeding entirely if one gets within 400 yards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new addition is a promising sign for the aging J pod. Its eldest female perished in 2016 at the incredible age of 106. The latest addition brings the pod's numbers up to 28 individuals. Orcas fulfill a vital role in the ocean's ecosystem as its top predators. Even sharks are among its many documented prey species. They protect key ecosystems, such as kelp forests, from overgrazing. According to Mongabay, some orcas have been observed massaging each other with kelp stalks, a practice scientists have dubbed "allokelping." Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The footage taken of the orcas underlines the importance of cameras in conservation efforts. Whether they are trail cameras or cameras of local enthusiasts and experts, they can provide tremendous conservation insight. The images and videos they capture can help inform local measures, inform the public, and galvanize support for conservation efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rachel Haight, an Orca Network Whale Sighting Network co-coordinator, described the sighting's significance: "I've been following orcas around Puget Sound for 13 years & this was definitely a top five moment for me." 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. Who can boast about filming a rare panther up close? Garrett Galvin certainly can. The wildlife enthusiast and conservationist shared his footage of a Florida panther in the Everglades. According to Outdoors.com, Galvin frequently visits the area at night in hopes of finding a 20-foot-long Burmese python. "A once-in-a-lifetime experience getting this close to an endangered Florida panther!" Galvin wrote in an Instagram post. "It's not the 20-footer, but in my opinion it's just as good!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the U.S. National Park Service, Florida panthers were once common throughout the southeastern United States. However, the NPS now counts fewer than 100 of them living in South Florida. The species was heavily hunted when the state passed its first bounty law in 1832, and it nearly went extinct by the mid-1950s. "Today, the primary threats to the remaining panther population are habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation," the NPS said. "Urban sprawl, the conversion of once-diversified agricultural lands into intensified industrial farming uses, and the loss of farmland to commercial development combine to reduce the amount of suitable panther habitat." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the equipment Galvin used to film the Florida panther was not disclosed, trail cameras are powerful tools for experts. They can help conservationists gauge the population health of endangered species, study animal behavior and wider population dynamics, or document progress of rehabilitation efforts. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Preserving wildlife species is critical for maintaining healthy, balanced, and biodiverse ecosystems, but it's a never-ending fight. In June, for example, Governor Ron DeSantis had to veto a line in Florida's 2025-26 budget that would eliminate $200 million set aside to preserve sensitive lands. The money will now be used to buy key links around the northern Everglades and between two national forests in north Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Getting that close is absolutely unreal," one Instagram user said of Galvin's post. "Way better than a python!" another commented. "Wish I could see one in the wild, before it sees me that is." "Probably your best encounter," a third Instagrammer added. 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. GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) The Greensboro Fire Department welcomed a new member on Tuesday. Thanks to a generous donation from the Bryan Foundation, GFD was able a buy a female therapy canine for the department. The yet-to-be-named dog will promote emotional resilience and mental health among firefighters. Firefighters experience some of lifes most stressful and traumatic moments, said Fire Chief Jim Robinson. The addition of our therapy canine provides a meaningful way to help our members decompress and take care of their mental and emotional health. Were grateful to the Greensboro Firefighters Foundation for making this possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dogs name will be chosen by the community with the help of input from the fire departments social media pages. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ST. ROBERT, Mo A semi truck crashed through a Burger King building in St. Robert early Tuesday morning. According to the St. Robert Fire and Rescue on social media, the tractor trailer smashed through the building on Highway Y. Neither the driver or any of the staff inside the building were injured, according to the fire department. The accident happened just after 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Chief Mike Shempert with St. Robert Fire and Rescue says the driver was headed westbound on I-44 near the 161-mile marker, and came off the Westbound off-ramp. The semi went down an embankment before rolling through the parking lot. Photo courtesy of Jacks Wrecker Service. Photo courtesy of Jacks Wrecker Service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo courtesy of Jacks Wrecker Service. The semi hit a parked vehicle, took out the drive-through speaker, and smashed through the restaurant. The Chief did not have information on what caused the driver to go off the road. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Dr. Lisa M. Rush in Tampa on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix) TAMPA A bipartisan group of state lawmakers heard from nearly a dozen doctors on Tuesday who called on them to reject any proposed legislation that would remove vaccine mandates from Florida schools. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last month in Hillsborough County that they intend to drop all required vaccine mandates for children, including those required for school attendance such as polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, and chickenpox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ladapo already holds authority to remove some vaccine requirements by simple rule changes. That means that starting in early December (taking effect 90 days after the Sept. 3 announcement), school vaccinations will no longer be required for hepatitis B, chickenpox, haemophilus type b (Hib), and pneumococcal conjugate virus. Thats according to a statement sent by the Florida Department of Health that was reported by ABC News. Others, however, including poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, and rubella are still in place and wont be removed unless the Legislature opts to do so when it convenes for its 2026 session in January. But a group of doctors many of them pediatricians from the Tampa Bay area urged members of the Hillsborough County legislative delegation on Tuesday to oppose any such proposals if they come before them early next year. We as physicians took an oath to do no harm, and I do think that silence in the face of preventable harm is, in and of itself, a kind of harm, said Brandon urologist Dr. Neil Manimala, who is also a Democratic candidate for county commission in 2026. We are here because we do not want to be silent when politics is injected into our childrens healthcare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vaccine requirements are not about government overreach, they are about public responsibility, said Dr. Lisa M. Rush, a pediatrician with Health Care Alliance. Theyre protecting the vulnerable and ensuring that our schools, businesses, and healthcare systems remain strong and resilient in the face of infectious disease. The question before us is not whether we support vaccines. That debate is, frankly, settled science. The question is, do we have the courage to uphold policies that have kept our state safe even when its politically inconvenient? True freedom isnt the absence of regulation. Its the presence of safety, opportunity, and the ability to live without fear of preventable illness. Dr. Ed Homan served as a member of the Florida House as a Republican representing parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties from 2002 to 2010. He noted how highly contagious a disease like measles is and feared what could happen if an unvaccinated child spent time at Disney World or Universal Florida. It wouldnt be long before this measles outbreak starts popping up all over the country, and then it wouldnt be long after that before we figured out where is the source of this epidemic [is] in Central Florida. So think about the economic impact of our tourism industry, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Marcy Solomon Baker, director of pediatrics at BayCare Medical Group, said that after practicing for 25 years she knows that vaccines are whats best for children and for our vulnerable children. Children that are too young to be vaccinated; children who have cancer; children who have immune problems. They depend on herd immunity. So, if other people dont vaccinate, it puts them at risk, she said. Both Ladapo and DeSantis acknowledged during their Sept. 3 press conference that they had yet to speak to any lawmaker before they went public. And although legislators are filing bills daily in advance of the regular legislative start date of Jan. 13, none has filed a bill to remove vaccine mandates. A James Madison Institute survey released in late September of 1,200 registered Florida voters found 62% against elimination of all vaccine requirements, with just 29% in support. And a survey of 631 registered Florida voters conducted by Bendixen & Amandi International taken Sept. 7-9 found 60% opposed ending vaccine mandates and just 37% supporting it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Shortly before his final flight over North Vietnam, Air Force Maj. Robert Lodge told his fellow airmen that if his plane ever went down, he would rather die than risk being captured and possibly divulging information that would endanger American aircrews. Lodge had detailed knowledge of a highly classified system that allowed American fighters to detect enemy MiGs from beyond visual range, said retired Col. Chuck DeBellevue, who flew with Lodge with the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam War. His thought process was: If he gets shot down and rescue is not possible, he wasnt going to get out of the airplane, because he knew that they knew who he was, and that they would beat the shit out of him to get him to talk, and he would talk, DeBellevue told Task & Purpose. You cant not talk. Top Stories This Week News Captain of ship at center of Navy SEAL drownings sentenced to 40 years By Drew F. Lawrence News One Marine killed, another injured in helicopter crash By Nicholas Slayton News Marine artillery shell detonates over freeway during Camp Pendleton event By Nicholas Slayton Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 10, 1972, Lodge stayed true to his word when his F-4D Phantom II was struck by 30mm cannon fire from a North Vietnamese J-6 fighter during a dogfight near Hanoi. Capt. Roger Locher, the weapons systems officer aboard the aircraft, later told DeBellevue what happened next after their plane caught fire. The back canopy was turning brown, DeBellevue said. Roger Locher, his back-seater, said: Its getting pretty hot back here. I think I may have to get out. And Bob said, Ok, why dont you? Locher ejected at the last nanosecond, said DeBellevue, who flew one of the other planes taking part in the mission. Lodge stayed with the aircraft until it crashed. More than 50 years later, DeBellevue is taking part in a campaign to have one Lodges five Silver Star Medals upgraded to the Medal of Honor. He is working with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who has introduced a bill that would eliminate the requirement that service members receive the militarys highest military award for valor within five years of their acts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would recognize a guy who gave his life for his country and died protecting the information that he had in his brain, DeBellevue said. Air & Space Forces Magazine first reported on DeBellevues efforts to have Lodge awarded the Medal of Honor. Lodge is one of only two airmen to receive a total of five Silver Stars, said Doug Sterner, a renowned military awards expert and curator of the Military Times Hall of Valor. Lodges other awards include seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Purple Heart, and 37 Air Medals. During the Vietnam War, Lodge played a key role in upgrading the squadrons missiles and improving the units tactics, DeBellevue said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of Lodges most important actions was having 10 F-4Ds from South Korea that were equipped with the highly classified APX-80 Combat Tree system transferred to the squadron, which was based at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, DeBellevue said. The system detected the Friend or Foe transponders on North Vietnamese MiG-21s that were meant to keep the enemy from accidentally shooting down their own planes, giving American F-4 crews a crucial advantage in combat. Combat Tree was so secret that even its code name was classified, DeBellevue said. Lodge, who went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had a deep understanding of how the system worked. The missions that the squadron flew were highly risky. You didnt know if you were coming home until after you got home, DeBellevue said. And if you did come home, you were on tomorrows mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 10, 1972, Lodge flew one of a group of four F-4s over North Vietnam. Three of the American fighters were equipped with Combat Tree. The Americans got into a dogfight with four MiG-21s and shot down three enemy fighters, according to a chapter written by Scott Baron for the 2024 book Beyond Belief: True Stories of Great Escapes that Defy Comprehension. Lodge and Locher nearly downed a fourth MiG, but then four North Vietnamese Shenyang J-6s joined the battle, according to the book, which was compiled by Doug and Pamela Sterner. As they fired a missile at one of the J-6s, another enemy aircraft dropped behind them and hit their F-4 with its 30mm cannon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We immediately went out of control, flopping from side to side, Locher recalled in the book. Then fire started coming in the back of the cockpit. It seared my canopy with bubbles, and I couldnt see out anymore. The airplane slowed down and we went into a flat spin. Locher successfully ejected and was rescued from behind enemy lines 23 days later and retired from the Air Force in 1998 as a colonel. The Vietnamese government repatriated Lodges remains in September 1977. Before Locher ejected, Lodge made sure that he would stay with the stricken plane to the end, DeBellevue said. In the backseat of an F-4, theres a handle, DeBellevue said. If you dont rotate the handle, the back-seater, when he ejects, goes by himself. Lodge did not want that handle turned, and that was his decision. A flight bound for Los Angeles International Airport on Monday evening was diverted after a communication issue resulted in the pilots thinking people were trying to breach the cockpit, officials said. An American Airlines flight left from Eppley Airfield in Omaha around 4:40 p.m. and returned to the airport about 20 minutes later for an unknown reason, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that the plane was diverted because of an issue with the plane's internal phone communication system. The pilot reportedly declared an emergency and turned around after he heard knocking on the cockpit door and couldn't reach the cabin crew. As it turned out, it was the cabin crew trying to reach the pilots, according to officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Omaha airport officials wrote in a social media statement that there "was no security related incident at Eppley Airfield this evening." 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. A Los Angeles-bound flight made an emergency landing Monday after its pilots mistakenly thought someone was trying to breach the cockpit when its flight attendants banged on the locked door because the planes communication system went down. SkyWest flight 6569 returned to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., at approximately 7:45 p.m. CDT after declaring an emergency when the pilot could not contact the cabin crew, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. The American Airlines flight, operated by SkyWest, traveled less than 40 miles before returning to Omaha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After landing, it was determined there was a problem with the inter-phone system and the flight crew was knocking on the cockpit door, the FAA said in its statement. SkyWest said in a statement to The Hill that the flight returned to Nebraska on Monday out of abundance of caution after experiencing communication issues with a flight crew mic. The flight later continued to Los Angeles. We apologize for the inconvenience, the statement continued. The captain apologized to the passengers after landing. We werent sure if something was going on with the airplane, so thats why were coming back here, the captain said. Its going to be a little bit. We have to figure out whats going on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video taken by passengers on the flight shows police officers boarding the plane after the emergency landing, as police vehicles approached on the tarmac. Updated at 11:16 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. People walking in a hallway leading to the state Senate in the Capitol building, on October 14, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star) A bill to help domestic violence victims collect unemployment benefits if they have to leave their job over safety concerns has stalled in the state Senate. Its the third such measure introduced in as many years to have been held up before receiving final consideration in the chamber, despite each one having bipartisan support. Typically, for someone who quit their job to receive unemployment benefits, they have to prove that they made reasonable efforts to keep their position. The bill would change the requirement for applicants who can prove they were victims of domestic violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listen to Ian and Emilys audio recap here: https://penncapital-star.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/21epikDVUIC4web.mp3 For domestic violence victims, proving these criteria is often burdensome and intrusive at a moment when stabilizing their family and their own security is paramount, said a memo on the bill, sponsored by Sen. Devlin Robinson (R-Allegheny). Unemployment recipients eligible for benefits under the legislation would have to provide a recent protective order, a signed affidavit, verification of domestic violence from a professional like a counselor, doctor or member of the clergy, or other reasonable evidence. All submitted evidence would remain confidential. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another proposal, House Bill 274, sponsored by Labor and Industry Committee chair Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia) passed the Democratic-controlled chamber in March, advanced through the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, which Robinson chairs, but has not been brought up for a final vote before the GOP-controlled Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The bill received a vote of 198-4 in the House, with only Reps. Joe Hamm (R-Lycoming), Robert Leadbeter (R-Columbia), Dane Watro (R-Schuylkill) and David Zimmerman (R-Lancaster) opposing. Dawkins also worked on a previous version of the measure, sponsored by former state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who is now a Republican congressman representing the Lehigh Valley. Dawkins told the Capital-Star he took up the Mackenzie-sponsored bill because, we wanted to have some type of bipartisan bill to show community members that we have things we both agree are good legislation, and shouldnt allow politics to dictate good policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill, like its more recent counterparts, passed through committee, but was never brought up for a final vote in the Senate. It received a 158-43 vote in the House, with only Republicans in opposition, and was unanimously approved by the Republican-led Senate Labor and Industry Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee. Dawkins said he believes his most recent proposal has been caught up in negotiations over the budget, which is still being debated nearly four months past the deadline for a spending plan to be in place. Thats my guess, Dawkins said. Hopefully we can get this bill moving forward again, because I do believe theres many Pennsylvanians who would benefit from this legislation. I hate to see good legislation caught up in any sort of potential budgetary disagreement. A spokesperson for Sen. Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robinsons office also did not respond to a request for comment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX I think it is really critically important that we provide unemployment benefits to domestic violence victims, because so often the case is these individuals, through no fault of their own, are being forced to leave their housing situation and potentially their job as well, Congressman Mackenzie told the Capital-Star. Mackenzie said that his bill, from the 2023-2024 legislative session, also faced an uphill battle. In the Senate, as I understand, there was some opposition, he added. I dont have total clarity on who may have been holding it up, but it seems like it got held up by the Senate caucus. Subscribe to The Yall a weekly dispatch about the people, places and policies defining Texas, produced by Texas Tribune journalists living in communities across the state. Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. LUFKIN An East Texas groundwater conservation district is negotiating a legal path that would pause a plan to pump billions of gallons of water out of the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District is allowing its lawyers to settle a lawsuit with a poultry farm that sued the district, which gave preliminary approval to a Dallas-area company to install 40 high-capacity water wells above the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer. The nascent settlement, which became public Monday, is the latest twist in a monthslong debate over the project, which drew the ire of community members, local businesses and lawmakers. It resulted in several community meetings and an 11-hour legislative committee hearing. The lawsuit was filed by Wayne-Sanderson Farms, a poultry business in East Texas. The lawsuit argued the project would hurt its business. As part of the settlement, which must still be approved by the district and the court, would void the districts original decision that the permits were considered administratively complete, a legal term meaning they were filled out properly. This means Conservation Equity Management and its subsidiaries must reapply for permits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conservation Equity Management declined to comment on the boards decision. The second term of the settlement prohibits the district from approving other permits until hydrologists have time to study the aquifer. The second agreement is still being negotiated, said Holli Pryor-Baze, an attorney representing the groundwater conservation district. The idea to study the aquifer grew in popularity during the second special legislative session under a bill authored by state Rep. Cody Harris, a Palestine Republican. The bill sought to pause any more work on the high-capacity wells until state-mandated studies were completed. That bill died after the Texas House rejected changes made by the Senate. The Texas Water Development Board, however, independently decided to study the aquifer and the Trinity River Authority has also begun searching for hydrologists, said Pryor-Baze. The groundwater conservation district board will wait to approve the high-capacity well permits until after those studies are completed, said Sam Hurley, the boards vice president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study should shed light on what kind of pressure these high-capacity wells will put on the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer and the Queen City Aquifer, which is shallower, Hurley said. We need to look at the science. We want to make sure that we get this right, Hurley said. NEED TO KNOW A Delta Air Lines flight turned around due to the smell of a passenger's food The Salt Lake City-bound flight returned to Los Angeles for the "safety" of customers and crew A Delta spokesperson confirmed that the spoiled food was brought onboard by a passenger and not part of the in-flight food and beverage service A Salt Lake City-bound flight had to turn around mid flight due to an unpleasant odor. On Saturday, Oct. 18, Delta Air Lines flight 2311 from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City was forced to divert because a passenger brought spoiled food on board, ABC4 and KSL reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Delta spokesperson told PEOPLE, As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, our crew followed standard procedures to safely return to Los Angeles after an unpleasant odor was detected onboard. The spokesperson apologized to customers for the delay in their travels. The spoiled food was brought onboard by a customer and was not related to in-flight food or drinks, according to the company. The 189 passengers deplaned normally upon their return to Los Angeles and were put on another flight to Utah. Days before the Delta flight turnaround, on Thursday, Oct. 16, a United Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles had to divert after being struck by an unknown object. 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. United flight 1039 from Denver made an emergency landing due to damage sustained while flying near Moab, Utah. The plane had been at 36,000 feet when a mystery object unexpectedly cracked the multilayered windshield and injured the pilot. The pilot was treated for minor injuries when the Boeing 737-MAX 8 landed safely at Utah's Salt Lake City International Airport, ABC News, The Independent and CBS News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WindBorne Systems, a long-duration smart weather balloon company, released a statement on Monday, Oct. 20, explaining that the mystery object that cracked the planes windshield could have been one of their weather balloons. Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW On Thursday, Oct. 16, United Airlines flight 1039 from Denver to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City The plane's multilayered windshield cracked at 36,000 feet after being struck by an object and the pilot sustained minor injuries The National Transportation Safety Board is gathering data and has sent the windshield to their lab amid an investigation into the incident A United Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles was forced to divert to Salt Lake City after being struck by an unknown object. On Thursday, Oct. 16, United flight 1039 from Denver made an emergency landing due to damage sustained while flying near Moab, Utah. The plane had been at 36,000 feet when a mystery object unexpectedly cracked the multilayered windshield and injured the pilot, ABC News, The Independent and CBS News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pilot was treated for minor injuries when the Boeing 737-MAX 8 landed safely at Utah's Salt Lake City International Airport, according to the outlets. The 134 passengers were then put on a replacement flight to Los Angeles. The NTSB is investigating a cracked windscreen on a Boeing 737-8 during cruise flight near Moab, Utah, Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wrote on X. Operating as United flight 1093 from DEN to LAX, airplane diverted safely to SLC. NTSB gathering radar, weather, flight recorder data. Windscreen being sent to NTSB laboratories for examination. Kevin Carter/Getty A United Airlines Boeing MAX9 aircraft departs San Diego International Airport to Denver A United Airlines Boeing MAX9 aircraft departs San Diego International Airport to Denver Heather Ramsey, a college student who had been a passenger on board, told ABC News that she noticed concern from flight attendants around 50 minutes into the flight. She recalled the pilot announced, The aircraft has collided with an object and a window in the cockpit has shattered, so we need to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The damaged plane remained grounded in Salt Lake City for three days before being flown to Chicago Rockford International Airport for extensive repairs, per Flight Radar 24. United Airlines said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that aircraft windshields are designed to function safely in case any layer sustains damage. On Thursday, United flight 1093 landed safely in Salt Lake City to address damage to its multilayered windshield, said United Airlines. We arranged for another aircraft to take customers to Los Angeles later that day and our maintenance team is working to return the aircraft to service. 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. Robert Alexander/Getty A United Airlines Boeing 777 passenger aircraft at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado A United Airlines Boeing 777 passenger aircraft at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado WindBorne Systems, a long-duration smart weather balloon company, released a statement on Monday, Oct. 20, explaining that the mystery object that cracked the planes windshield could have been one of their weather balloons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 6 am PT Monday morning, we sent our preliminary investigation to both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and are working with both organizations to further investigate this incident, the statement read. We are grateful that, to our knowledge, there were no serious injuries and no loss of pressurization, the organization continued. The flight, which was en route from Denver to Los Angeles, diverted to Salt Lake City. The plane itself later flew to Chicago We are working closely with the FAA on this matter. We immediately rolled out changes to minimize time spent between 30,000 and 40,000 feet, they added. These changes are already live with immediate effect. Additionally, we are further accelerating our plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid planes, even if the planes are at a non-standard altitude, the statement concluded. We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce impact force magnitude and concentration. The FAA, the NTSB and WindBorne Systems did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Read the original article on People TOPEKA (KSNT) The Topeka Planning Commission discussed and voted on a lot rezoning for a potential QuikTrip, ultimately recommending the rezoning to the city council. The properties, located at 3835 Southwest 29th Street and 3825 Southwest 29th Street, needs to be rezoned from a C-4 Commercial District and a Two Family Dwelling District to a C-2 Commercial District to allow for the development of a new automobile service station type I. Former Jayhawk Christian Braun agrees to $125 million contract extension Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the public comment, neighbors brought up issues like crime, property value and traffic, but the planning commission approved the recommendation for the rezoning. Now, it will be up to the Topeka City Council to vote on whether or not to move forward with the QuikTrips construction. For more local 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 News Graham Platner is putting the Democratic Partys interest in younger, fresher candidates through a serious stress test. Platners posting history on Reddit roiled his Senate campaign last week, just as popular Maine Gov. Janet Mills joined him in the Democratic primary. Reporters combed through years of the Marine veteran turned oyster farmers posts that called cops bastards, urged women worried about rape to take responsibility, and asked why Black customers dont tip. His political director quit the two-month-old campaign, and the candidate apologized but now Platner is taking a rare, risky approach by leaning into the controversy. The 41-year-old argued to Semafor that his party shouldnt make an example of him while trying to court the votes of men who may have also said things they regret. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How do you expect to win young people? Platner asked Semafor on Tuesday. How do you expect to win back men when you go back through somebodys Reddit history and just pull it all out and say: Oh my God, this person has no right to ever be in politics? Good luck with that. Good luck winning over those demographics. Platners highest-profile supporter, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is sticking with him, even as a new controversy emerged in the form of a tattoo that resembles Nazi iconography. His campaign told Semafor that it had $400,000 in monthly recurring donations, with no decline since CNN reported the first Reddit story. But even some of his supporters acknowledge that Platners online posting should not be the model for Democrats future. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., told Semafor on Tuesday he still supports Platner, though he also warned potential future candidates to not spend a lot of time on Reddit and distanced himself from some of Platners statements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do I like any of it? Of course not. Do I like what hes campaigning on and the way hes connecting to working-class voters? Thats the piece thats been missing from our party, Heinrich said. The Democratic Party needs to be big enough to accept people who have hard lives, who have made mistakes and have actually owned up to those mistakes. And thats what hes done, said Heinrich, who directed money from his leadership PAC to Platner. On Monday, Platner began sharing old Reddit posts that he stood by, attempting to draw a more nuanced picture of a retired sh*tposter who didnt think hed ever run for office. Hell hold a town hall outside Portland on Wednesday. If we want to put internet comments into the middle of the conversation, Platner said, I think its only fair that we point out the good ones, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet part of that rollout also came back to bite him, in the form of a tattoo that he told the progressive hosts he got while very inebriated on leave from the military. Platners team gave the shows producers a video they expected to become a problem: the future candidate, shirtless, singing at his brothers wedding reception, revealing the skull inked on his chest. The tattoo resembles an image linked to Nazism, a connection Platner said he was unaware of; he added that it didnt raise alarms during his screenings for military service or a security clearance. We got wind that in the opposition research, somebody was shopping the idea that I was a secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo, Platner said, explaining that he got inked with fellow Marines in Croatia. I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, Ive not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His former political director saw it differently, posting on Facebook: Graham has an anti-Semitic tattoo on his chest. Hes not an idiot, hes a military history buff. Maybe he didnt know when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means. Know More Semafor interviewed 10 Democratic senators this week about their Maine primary. Most of them declined to comment on Platners past, expressing unfamiliarity with the details of whats become one of the hottest political stories in the country. Some of these candidates are surprised that things they thought were innocent statements in years gone by came back to haunt them. I dont know what this gentlemans done, said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Still, some Democrats clearly see the 77-year-old Mills as a stronger opponent for incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., has endorsed Mills, who has implicit backing from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed her on Tuesday, calling her the best candidate to retire Susan Collins. Asked about the viability of Platners candidacy, DSCC chief Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said: Its up to the voters of Maine to decide. Im inclined to support Janet Mills, because I know her and I know her record and I think shed be a really good senator, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Platner backers say he was struggling with the aftermath of his military service when he wrote the posts and that hes now being demonized. I dont believe in this politics of personal destruction, especially in our own party, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said in a Monday MSNBC interview. He accused Democratic leadership of circulating opposition research on Platner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some Republicans believed Platner could be a tougher foe for Collins than Mills. But sensing opportunity, they are going after him in the meantime. Most Mainers dont go around accidentally getting Nazi tattoos or calling Maine lobstermen pieces of sh*t, but Graham Platner did, said NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez. Blaming those same Mainers for having questions about it sounds a lot more like someone who is sorry they got caught than sorry for the racist, misogynist, communist musings they chose to share. Platners team includes advisers to past insurgent Democratic candidates whove successfully answered for old mistakes. They include Joe Cavallo, a former spokesman for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Morris Katz, an adviser to New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani. Room for Disagreement Platner told Semafor that hed called and texted Sanders and Heinrich to warn his early supporters of what was coming. Another Democratic senator, who is neutral in the race, appeared skeptical that Platners past would define the primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego said everyone has a right to grow and grow out of their stupidity. I wasnt exactly the ideal candidate back in the day, added Gallego, a salty former Marine himself. David and Burgess View Platners new primary strategy counts on Democratic voters being more forgiving of unsavory comments than they used to be. Look at Virginia: Democrats who once climbed over each other to demand Gov. Ralph Northams resignation over blackface photos wont abandon Jay Jones, their nominee for attorney general, over violent text messages he sent in 2022. Platner also believes Democrats are seen as censorious and unforgiving of offensive language in a way that has not helped their party. By contrast, Vice President JD Vance has frequently stepped out to defend young conservatives amid reports of their racist texts and posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet voters, and other Republicans, have been less forgiving than Vance. Senate Republicans are tanking one of President Donald Trumps nominees, Paul Ingrassia, for racist and offensive text messages. Democrats live in the shadow of the nearly decade-old tape, which showcased Trumps ability to win after he said something that many in his party couldnt defend. What if Trump is the only candidate who can pull that off? Notable Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner expressed regret over getting a tattoo that appears similar to a Nazi symbol nearly two decades ago and plans to have it removed, his latest mea culpa after a week of damning headlines over resurfaced social media posts. Platners campaign sought to front-run opposition research about his tattoo which resembles a Nazi skull and crossbones during an appearance on the liberal podcast Pod Save America on Monday, with his campaign sharing a video of him dancing shirtless . Platner said he had no idea of any Nazi link when he got the tattoo. "It was not until I started hearing from reporters and DC insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol, Platner said in a statement to POLITICO on Tuesday. I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. I am already planning to get this removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Platner reiterated that he got the tattoo while out drinking with fellow Marines in Croatia, choosing the skull and crossbones off a wall at the tattoo parlor. He said the similarity to Nazi iconography never came up, including when he underwent physical exams mandated by the U.S. Army, which prohibits tattoos of identified hate symbols. In the nearly 20 years since, this hasnt come up, Platner said. I enlisted in the Army which involved a full physical that examines tattoos for hate symbols. I also passed a full background check to receive a security clearance to join the Ambassador to Afghanistans security detail. Platners statement that he would get the tattoo removed came after questions were raised, including from a former top campaign staffer, about how he could have been unaware of the tattoos connotations. Maybe he didnt know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means, Platners former political director, Genevieve McDonald, wrote on Facebook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McDonald, a former Democratic state lawmaker, resigned from the campaign last week after revelations about Platners numerous controversial posts on Reddit. Jewish Insider also reported on Tuesday that an acquaintance of Platner recalled him referring to the tattoo as my Totenkopf, though POLITICO has not independently verified the reporting. Totenkopf is a German word typically referring to an image of a skull and crossbones. During the Nazi era, one form of the image was adopted by the Nazi police, leading to a lasting association with Nazism and continued use by white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League . Platners campaign did not specifically answer whether he had ever used that term. The tattoo revelation came after Platner apologized last week for a series of offensive Reddit posts, which he said came during a period in his life when he was disillusioned and disconnected from his community following his military service. Those include a 2013 post downplaying sexual assault in the military and a since-deleted 2018 post suggesting violence is necessary to enact social change. In a video last week, Platner, 41, said he regretted the comments and said they did not reflect the life he has now built. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Platner, previously a political unknown, has made a splash in Maines Senate race as several Democrats vie to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins. His candidacy led some Senate Democrats to question whether Gov. Janet Mills should enter the race at all although she did earlier this month . One of Platners strongest supporters on the Hill was not wavering on him on Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who rallied with Platner in Maine last month and has endorsed his campaign, defended the oysterman when asked about the tattoo on Tuesday. Look, I understand this whole platoon I don't know too much about it got inebriated, Sanders said. He went through a dark period. He's not the only one in America who has gone through a dark period. People go through that, he has apologized for the stupid remarks, the hurtful remarks that he made, and I'm confident that he's going to run a great campaign and that he's going to win. Mia McCarthy contributed to this report. Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski has said he cannot rule out the possibility that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin flies through Polish airspace on his way to Budapest, his plane could be forced to land. Source: Sikorski, cited by Polish news agency TVP Info; European Pravda Details: The Polish foreign minister noted that he could not guarantee "that an independent court would not oblige the Polish government to detain the plane carrying Putin if it entered Polish airspace in order to deliver the suspect to the International Criminal Court". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since February, a ban on Russian aircraft has been in effect across the entire European Union, sparking speculation about what route Putin could take to reach Hungary. When asked about this, Sikorski suggested that Putin could fly from Russia to Hungary through the airspace of Turkiye, Montenegro and Serbia. "The fact that an EU member state, which still has obligations to the International Criminal Court, invites President Putin not only causes disgust but also shows that Hungary positions itself not as part of the West but somewhere between the West and Russia," the minister added. [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president ed.] He recalled that "Hungary is not helping" by blocking support for Ukraine and continues to purchase large volumes of Russian oil despite having access to alternative sources. Background: Trump spoke with Putin on 16 October for the first time in nearly two months and later announced plans for their meeting in Budapest. It would be Putin's first appearance in the capital of an EU member state since the start of the full-scale invasion, requiring him to fly through the airspace of other EU countries. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it is "not nice" that Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, could travel to the territory of an EU member state to meet Trump. Polish diplomatic sources believe it is unlikely that Putin would risk flying to Budapest for the meeting with the US president over Polish territory. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian President Vladimir Putin's plane could be forced to land if he attempts to fly to Hungary via Poland to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Oct. 21. "I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court won't order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand (Putin) over to the court in The Hague," Sikorski told Radio Rodzina. "I think the Russian side is aware of this. And, therefore, if this summit is to take place, hopefully with the participation of the victim of the aggression, the aircraft will use a different route." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement follows Trump's announcement that he plans to meet Putin in Budapest as part of renewed efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Trump said the meeting could take place within two weeks. Budapest has assured Washington and Moscow that Putin will not face arrest during his stay, despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant issued for him in March 2023 over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, to Russia. Hungary, an ICC member, voted earlier this year to withdraw from the court's jurisdiction, though the decision will not take effect until mid-2026. Despite the move, Budapest has already hosted other ICC-wanted officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said his country would open an air corridor to Putin if Moscow requested it. Although Bulgaria is also a member of the ICC and legally obliged to detain Putin if he lands on its territory, the country is not required to ground his aircraft during transit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hungary is a landlocked country sharing borders with Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Any flight route from Moscow to Budapest would require overflight permission from neighboring countries, including Poland, Slovakia, or Bulgaria. Putin traveled to ICC member states Mongolia and Tajikistan in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Both countries declined to arrest him, drawing criticism from the EU for failing to uphold international law. Trump and Putin last met in Alaska on Aug. 15 to discuss a potential peace settlement in Russia's war against Ukraine and broader bilateral cooperation their first meeting since Trump returned to office. During their latest phone call on Oct. 16, Putin reportedly demanded that Ukraine cede the entire Donetsk Oblast in exchange for limited concessions in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Why does Russia want Donbas? 6 things to know about the region Ukraine is being pressured to give up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Poland's intelligence service has detained eight individuals on suspicion of planning sabotage. The suspects were apprehended in various parts of the country in recent days, Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X on Tuesday. The suspects are said to have scouted military facilities and parts of critical infrastructure, intelligence coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak said. Additionally, they are alleged to have prepared means for carrying out acts of sabotage and attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Poland is one of the most important political and military supporters of Ukraine, which has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. The government in Warsaw accuses the intelligence services of Russia and its ally Belarus of sending many agents into the country and recruiting saboteurs. The spokesman for the intelligence coordinator said that in recent months alone, 55 individuals have been apprehended who acted on behalf of Russian intelligence services to the detriment of Poland. In the current case, Russia was not initially publicly held responsible. Poland's intelligence service has detained eight individuals on suspicion of planning sabotage. The suspects were apprehended in various parts of the country in recent days, Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X on Tuesday. Romania's security agencies were also involved in the operation. The suspects are said to have scouted military facilities and parts of critical infrastructure, intelligence coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak said. Additionally, they are alleged to have prepared means for carrying out acts of sabotage and attacks. Shipments with explosives prepared Siemoniak's spokesman said that among the suspects is a 21-year-old Ukrainian who was arrested on October 16. The man reportedly worked in a warehouse near Warsaw. His two Ukrainian accomplices were apprehended in Romania. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A statement from the prosecutor's office indicated that the 21-year-old is suspected of having carried out orders from Russian intelligence services along with other individuals. These orders allegedly involved preparing shipments with detonators and chemical substances that could cause a fire or explosion and sending them to Ukraine. These shipments were intercepted by Romanian authorities before they could explode. The two Ukrainians arrested in Romania handed over two packages containing explosive devices at the Bucharest office of Ukraine's largest courier company, Nova Post, according to the Romanian domestic intelligence service (SRI). The men had entered Romania from Poland. The bombs were defused in time, the SRI said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The explosive devices, made of thermite and barium nitrate, were disguised as car parts or headphones and could have been remotely detonated. The two suspects acted like intelligence professionals, the SRI further reported. Investigations into the matter are ongoing. Staunch support for Ukraine draws fire Poland is one of the most important political and military supporters of Ukraine, which has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. The government in Warsaw accuses the intelligence services of Russia and its ally Belarus of sending agents into the country and recruiting saboteurs. The spokesman for the intelligence coordinator said that in recent months alone, 55 individuals have been apprehended who acted on behalf of Russian intelligence services to the detriment of Poland. Police have arrested a man in connection to a recent home invasion, attempted criminal sexual assault and attempted burglaries in the Rogers Park neighborhood and Evanston. Yeison Diaz-Gomez, 21, matched the description of the suspect of a series of crimes the Rogers Park neighborhood and Evanston, police said. Earlier this month, a nearly naked man pried open a basement window of a home in the 2000-block of West Lunt Avenue and attacked a 32-year-old woman in her bathroom, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman was able to fight the man off, police said. After that incident, there were reports of attempted burglaries in the same block, according to CPD. It all happened in about 45 minutes. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | CPD issues alert about home invasion, attempted sexual assault, attempted burglaries on North Side About an hour before the Rogers Park home invasion, there was an attempted criminal sexual assault about a mile north on Dobson Street in Evanston, police said. The suspect, identified as Diaz-Gomez, was also fought off in that situation. Diaz-Gomez was allegedly trying to remove the victim's clothes and choking her, when a neighbor came out to help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He then ran away. Chicago police arrested Diaz-Gomez on October 20. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved felony charges for attempt aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery for the alleged crimes in Evanston. Chicago police said he was also charged with burglary, home invasion and crimincal sexual abuse for the alleged crimes in the city. He was due in court on Tuesday. INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER | Track crime and safety in your neighborhood A woman on Reddit sparked a wave of outrage and sympathy after revealing that her mom regularly claims theyre broke, while secretly sending thousands of dollars to a megachurch. My mom says we dont have enough money, but I catch her giving thousands of dollars monthly to a megachurch, the person wrote on r/mildlyinfuriating earlier this year. The post, which included a photo of a $600 online donation receipt to Bill Winston Ministries, drew over 142,000 upvotes and more than 7,600 comments. NEED TO KNOW Police are investigating after parents reported finding sewing needles in candy passed out during a homecoming event for the Santa Fe Independent School District in Santa Fe, Texas The candy went to at least three different homes, per the Santa Fe Police Department Police have warned parents in the area to inspect all candy passed out at the event Police have issued a warning after candy with sewing needles was passed out to children at a homecoming event for the Santa Fe Independent School District in Santa Fe, Texas. The Santa Fe Police Department confirmed that the candy went to at least three different homes after being passed out at a parade, according to a statement shared on social media on Oct. 16. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Dispatch also received calls from other parents in the community advising that they found pins in candy brought home," the SFPD said, adding that it "strongly encourages everyone to thoroughly check any candy picked up from the parade today." Police said in a previous statement that "the parents were in different areas along the parade route, ranging from Centennial Oaks to Highway 6 and Warpath." No injuries were reported, and the SFPD is investigating the incident based on the physical evidence they were presented by parents, per KHOU 11. Jeremy Partin, a Santa Fe ISD parent, was first to report one of the incidents, per the outlet. His family frequently attends the parade each year and watches from the beginning of the route. Once home, Partin's daughter, 18, reportedly opened a KitKat bar from her younger sibling's bag and found a sewing pin stuck inside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Shes like, Well, Im glad I did grab it, because look at this, Partin told the outlet. There it is, clear as daya needle coming right out of the chocolate. This was no accident. They stuck it right in. This was deliberate," he said. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises parents to "Tell children not to accept and especially not to eat anything that isnt commercially wrapped. Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious." The case remains an open investigation with the SFPD at this time. Anyone who discovers suspicious items or tampered candy is asked to contact the Santa Fe Police Department's non-emergency line at 409-925-2000. PEOPLE has reached out to the SFPD for comment. Read the original article on People MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) A Midland man has been arrested for continuous violence against the family after police say he assaulted his girlfriend multiple times within a month. According to an arrest affidavit, 34-year-old Jose Ojeda is accused of attacking his girlfriend twice between September and October. Detectives with the Midland Police Department said the first incident happened on September 13, 2025, when Ojeda allegedly punched the woman and grabbed her arm, leaving a large bruise on her tricep. A second assault reportedly occurred on October 5, 2025, when the victim told investigators she was asleep at her home when Ojeda woke her and punched her in the face around ten times. The woman told police he called her names during the attack and grabbed her by the arm, leaving visible bruises. Officers documented redness around her nose and mouth and bruising on her upper arm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over 5,200 local domestic violence cases reported in 2024: How one nonprofit is helping Detectives said the victim initially wanted to pursue charges but later changed her mind. Due to the injuries and continued contact between the two, investigators believed further violence was likely to occur. Court documents show Ojeda was charged with continuous violence against the Family, a third-degree felony under Texas Penal Code 25.11. He was arrested by Midland Police on October 18, 2025, and booked into the Midland County Jail around 11:26 p.m. His bond was listed at $50,000, but no current bond record appears in jail logs, meaning he has since been released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No further information is available at this time. If you or someone you know is in a domestic abuse situation, help is available. 24-hour local hotline at Crisis Center of West Texas: 1-866-627-4747 Safe Place 24-hour Emergency Hotline: 432-570-1465 or 1-800-967-8928 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or Text BEGIN to 88788 In the event of an emergency, always dial 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 Yourbasin. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) All eastbound lanes of a stretch of I-8 in central San Diego reopened Tuesday afternoon after a series of crashes the night before killed a La Mesa police officer and another driver. Officials said that shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Monday, a vehicle hit another one and overturned in the eastbound lanes near Fairmount Avenue. A third vehicle then struck the overturned vehicle. Connect with us: Free Streaming TV app | Newsletters | Mobile app | Latest stories Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to La Mesa police, Officer Lauren Craven was driving back to the city from the San Diego Central Jail and stopped to help, eventually exiting onto the highway on foot. California Highway Patrol Captain Reggie Williams said that a fourth vehicle struck Craven and the driver of the overturned vehicle, killing both. We didnt just lose an officer, we lost a beloved daughter, sister, girlfriend, teammate and friend, Chief Ray Sweeney of the La Mesa Police Department said in a press conference. Lauren was a light. Her positivity was immediate and genuine. She led with compassion, courage and professionalism. According to authorities, the driver of the car that had overturned was identified as a 19-year-old man. His name has not yet been released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See real-time road conditions on the FOX 5/KUSI Live Traffic Map This is a very tragic situation and its very difficult for all involved, Williams said. My heartfelt condolences are with the La Mesa Police Department, our fellow brothers and sisters in law enforcement, as well as with the family and loved ones of the other individual who tragically lost their life in this incident. During the press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Sweeney spoke about Officer Cravens genuine spirit and her passion for law enforcement and helping others. Lauren joined the La Mesa Police Department in February of 2024, Chief Sweeney said. Before moving to San Diego, she spent most of her life in Oregon, where she developed a love for the outdoors and her habit of staying close and connected with her family and friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lauren is survived by her mother Karen, her father David, sister Margot and her partner Miles. Lauren Craven, 25, joined the La Mesa Police Department in February 2024 and was assigned to the Patrol Division. Flowers at the entry of the La Mesa Police Department the morning after a crash on I-8 killed Officer Lauren Craven and another person. Chief Sweeney also recounted Officer Cravens hiring and her passion for the department. Chief Sweeney said, During her hiring process, she wrote: It has always been my passion to serve others and there has never been a doubt in my mind that being a law enforcement officer is what I was meant to do. Flags at State Capitol flown at half-staff to honor fallen La Mesa police officer Four other victims involved in the crash received medical treatment and three of them were released. One person remained in the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City Manager Greg Humora also shared his condolences during the conference and encouraged first responders to utilize the Departments mental health services to cope with the sudden tragedy. This is an incredibly difficult day for our close-knit community, Humora said. The La Mesa Police Dept has a robust and comprehensive mental health wellness program. Those resources, along with additional support, will continue to be available to our first responders in the days and weeks ahead. We want our officers, firefighters, and all city staff to know that its okay to grieve and seek help, Humora continued. Information about memorial services will be released soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities are investigating whether drugs and/or alcohol were factors in the crash. California Highway Patrol is handling the 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 FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) D.C. police are looking for two suspects in a shooting that took place in August. Around 10:45 p.m. on Aug. 7, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to the 5000 block of H St. SE for the sounds of gunshots. The officers found evidence that a shooting had taken place, but did not find a victim. MPD said that just moments later, its officers learned that a gunshot victim had walked into a nearby hospital. Officers responded to the hospital and found a woman who had been shot. She was conscious and breathing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police searching for man wanted for attempted murder in Silver Spring MPD released photos and video of the suspects. Anyone with any information about these individuals or this shooting is asked to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SILVER SPRING, Md. (DC News Now) Detectives are searching for an armed and dangerous man who is wanted in connection with a shooting that took place in Silver Spring over the summer. The Prince Georges County Police Department (PGPD) announced Tuesday that officers are working to locate 33-year-old Deondray Darnell Osborne. The search for Osborne comes after he was identified as a suspect in a deadly shooting that took place in the 800 block of 16th St. on July 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Minutes before 4:30 p.m. that Sunday, officers were called to the area for a domestic violence incident. Washington International Horse Show expected to generate $9M for Prince Georges County An investigation revealed that Osborne arrived in a parking lot and exited a silver Chrysler Pacifica, with the Maryland plate 4FC4143. Thats when he fired multiple shots at the victim, said PGPD. The victim was sitting inside a parked vehicle and was not struck during the shooting. However, their vehicle was hit several times. An arrest warrant was obtained for Osborne, charging him with attempted first-degree murder and related charges. 33-year-old Deondray Darnell Osborne is wanted for attempted murder in Silver Spring. (Photo Courtesy: PGPD) According to PGPD, Osborne is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach and call 911 immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Check DCNewsNow.com for updates. To keep up with the latest news and weather updates, download our Mobile App on iPhone or Android. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 search is underway for a missing Middlebury College student. 21-year-old Lia Smith, was reported missing on Sunday, after she was last spotted on campus on Friday around 9 p.m. Smith is 511 and about 160 pounds. According to the Middlebury Campus Newspaper, she is a double computer science and statistics major from California, and previously competed on the colleges Womens Swimming and Diving team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, searches thus far have included the use of an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), commonly known as a drone. Investigators are working to identify additional potential search areas. We will do everything we can to find Lia, the college said in a statement. She is a beloved member of our Middlebury family, and there is nothing more important than the health, safety, and well-being of our students and of our entire community. The Middlebury Police Department is asking anyone with information on Smiths whereabouts to call 802-388-3191 or submit an online tip on their website. 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 The Sharjah Charity International (SCI) has participated in preparing the contents of the "UAE Humanitarian Ship" bound for Gaza from Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, as part of the UAE''s ongoing ''Operation Chivalrous Knight 3''. Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SCI, stated that the Association''s contributions to the aid ship, organised in collaboration with "Operation Chivalrous Knight 3", included 10,000 food parcels to meet families'' essential needs, 1,000 hygiene kits, and 15,000 pieces of heavy winter clothing for children and the elderly. He added that this shipment follows the first phase of the campaign, which was launched from Sharjah International Airport carrying diverse winter supplies. The SCI continues to intensify its efforts to reach as many families in need as possible, in line with the UAE''s broader humanitarian initiatives to support the Palestinian people and alleviate their suffering amid worsening humanitarian and climatic conditions. Sheikh Saqr noted that the SCI has provided AED 10 million in aid since the beginning of the crisis, covering food, medical, and urgent relief supplies for affected families. This demonstrates the SCI''s ongoing commitment to rapid humanitarian response both within and beyond the Gaza Strip. He emphasised that such initiatives align with the SCI''s mission to uphold human dignity and provide support wherever needed, embodying the UAE''s values of generosity and solidarity under its wise leadership. He further noted that UAE charitable organisations continue to strengthen the culture of humanitarian and social responsibility through comprehensive initiatives that provide food, health, and social support for those in need, while ensuring close coordination with humanitarian partners to deliver aid efficiently and effectively. (ANI/WAM) Update: 10/23/2025, 8:12 p.m. PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) The Parkersburg Police Department has confirmed that a missing teen from Wood County has been found as of Thursday. 12 News spoke with Lt. Stalnaker with the department, who confirmed that Gemma Davies, 16, of Parkersburg, was found in the Walker area of Wood County on Thursday and that she is okay. Davies had been reported missing for 10 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Original: 10/21/2025, 5:00 p.m. PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) Law enforcement in Wood County is asking for the publics help locating a missing teen officers say has not had contact with her family in a week. According to a release from the Parkersburg Police Department, Gemma Davies, 16, of Parkersburg, was reported missing on Oct. 13 and has had no communication with her family since then. Gemma is described as standing 55 and weighing 125 pounds. She has brown eyes, brown hair and a scar between her eyes. Sources told 12 News that Gemma is a student at Parkersburg High School and a member of the schools JROTC program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WVSP identify woman found dead on Randolph County Road A picture of Gemma provided by the Parkersburg Police Department can be found below: Gemma Davies (Courtesy: Parkersburg Police Department) Anyone with any information on Gemmas whereabouts is asked to contact the Parkersburg Police Department via a Facebook message, contact their local law enforcement agency or directly call Lt. Stalnaker at 304-424-8423. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) The Baton Rouge Police Department is asking for the publics help identifying someone in connection with a shooting that happened on Sept. 21, 2025. BRPD said the shooting happened in a parking lot of a local business in the 11000 block of Boardwalk Drive. The shooting left two people with injuries that were considered non-life-threatening. If anyone knows who this person is, call Capital Region Crime Stoppers at 225-344-7867. Do you recognize this person? If so, call Capital Region Crime Stoppers at 225-344-7867. (Baton Rouge Police Department) Deputies arrest Baton Rouge man accused of financial crimes Latest News 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 Louisiana First News. KINSMAN, Ohio (WKBN) Kinsman police officers are swapping road patrols for waiting tables to raise money for a good cause. Read next: Restaurant holding community mural art contest Tips the officers earn while serving at Times Square Restaurant on Tuesday go directly to the departments Shop with a Cop event. Volunteer firefighters also lent a hand at the annual fundraiser, which dates back at least 16 years. Theyll be working there until 7 p.m. tonight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Thaddeus Stephenson says it was such a success last year, the department was also able to donate large Christmas dinners to the families of the children they went shopping with. Hes hoping to help even more families this year. Were relying on the generosity of the community and everybody coming out, and the more the better, because it all goes back to the community and it helps out everybody here all the money stays here, Chief Stephenson said. Proceeds from a raffle are also going to shop with a cop. You can contact the police department to purchase a ticket. The big drawing is set for Nov. 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Poland has launched an investigation into Russian intelligence activities after several suspects attempted to send parcels containing explosive and incendiary materials to Ukraine. Source: Polish news portal RMF24, as reported by European Pravda Details: The National Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into Russian intelligence operations targeting Poland. This became known after Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the Internal Security Agency, in cooperation with other services, had detained eight individuals suspected of preparing sabotage acts in recent days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators reported that a group working for Russian intelligence had planned sabotage actions by 16 October, intending to send parcels containing explosive and incendiary materials to Ukraine. Prosecutors reported that the parcels were designed to self-ignite or detonate during transport. The aim of the planned operation was to intimidate the population and destabilise EU countries supporting Ukraine. However, the parcels were intercepted by Romanian authorities before any explosions occurred. In connection with the case, a man identified as Danylo H. was arrested in Poland, while two Ukrainian citizens cooperating with him were detained in Romania. Investigators stated that Danylo H. acted together with other individuals on assignments from Russian intelligence. On 17 October, the district court in Warsaw ordered that the suspect be held in custody for three months. The Romanian court decided to keep the detained Ukrainian citizens in custody for 30 days. Background: Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesman for Poland's security services coordinator, said that in recent months officers of the Internal Security Agency have detained a total of 55 people acting against Poland and in the interests of Russian intelligence. In August, a Belarusian citizen was charged in Poland for seeking to cooperate with the Belarusian KGB and participate in sabotage operations within the EU. Authorities also charged a 27-year-old Colombian man suspected of involvement in two arson attacks in Poland. Following these incidents, Prime Minister Tusk said the government would act ruthlessly against those attempting to destabilise the country. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Engineers hired by the state to find out why the westbound side of the Washington Bridge failed in 2023 concluded that the broken rods that led to the closure had been corroding for more than 15 years. But that conclusion was omitted from the 64-page draft report that Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates provided the Rhode Island Department of Transportation in April 2024, according to documents obtained by The Hummel Report. The determination came during revised drafts of metallurgical reports between Feb. 1 and Feb. 19, 2024, in which several engineers working for WJE circulated multiple versions of their findings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one section, they focused on thickness of rust on the support rods that ultimately failed. A revision dated Feb. 15 concluded, It is therefore highly likely that the fractures occurred prior to the most recent bridge inspection six months ago, perhaps even prior to the last several inspections. The westbound lanes of the bridge were built in 1968. In the margins for notes and feedback, one of the engineers responded, Even if they werent corroding in the early decades of the bridge, we have inspection photos that show corrosion of the exterior perimeter of these bars has been progressing for at least 15 years. Thus, it is improbable that such thickness of corrosion product could have accumulated on the fracture faces in six months. The six months referred to a July 2023 inspection report the most recent inspection of the bridge before it was shut down on Dec. 11, 2023. 'Edit as you see fit' At a news conference in the aftermath of the bridge closure, DOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said that the July report showed the rods were in adequate, serviceable shape. But, Alviti added, occasionally an extraordinary event will happen. Some kind of outside force that was extraordinary, likely broke the rod holding the cantilever on Span 7. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cantilever is an unbalanced beam thats supported from one end and the connecting rod is tied into the pier to prevent the beam from moving upward. Another WJE engineer, referring to the phrase "perhaps even prior to the last several inspections" in the earlier draft wrote, Feel free to delete this phrase if you think it is unwarranted, or edit as you see fit. The final draft of the metallurgical report, dated Feb. 19, 2024, says, Based on rust layer thickness on the fracture faces, it is highly likely that the fractures occurred prior to most recent bridge inspections six months ago. There is no inclusion of the engineers earlier determinations about how long ago the corrosion had occurred, and the metallurgical report was not included as an appendix to the April 2024 draft report made public in September. The Hummel Report asked the DOT what it had requested WJE to do as part of its audit and if there were any specific parameters on what to include or not include in the report, but DOT spokesperson Charles St. Martin did not respond to a request for comment. 'This is a politically charged scenario' The Hummel Report has also obtained an email exchange between some of the same engineers at WJE talking about the pressure they were getting from the Rhode Island DOT for information. At 9:55 a.m. on Jan. 22, 2024, Michael C. Brown, an associate principal at WJE, wrote to Robert W. Warke, another associate principal at the company: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you for keeping me in the loop. Our client Mr. [John] Preiss has asked me to provide a daily update of progress in our investigation, Brown wrote. Preiss is a DOT bridge inspector. To that end, I would like for you to also give me updates on your portion of the investigation. This could be just a short e-mail summary of items underway and completed, and any interim findings. Would an update before noon each day be reasonable? Brown asked. Warke responded at 10:57 a.m.: You are very welcome. I dont think Ive ever had a client ask for daily updates, but I can send you one by 4 p.m. EST. Brown wrote back at 3:58 p.m.: Yes. This is a politically charged scenario, and they are under significant pressure from the administration and the legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A joint session of the House and Senate oversight committees convened on Feb. 12, 2024, where lawmakers peppered Alviti with questions about what had led up to the failure of the bridge, but the session left more questions than answers. Legislative leaders say they plan to convene another joint oversight hearing in November, after the public disclosure of the WJE draft report in September that pointed a finger of blame, in part, at the state. No date has been set for that hearing. And its unclear how much information it will produce, since Gov. Dan McKee and Alviti have repeatedly refused to answer specific questions about what led to the closure of the bridge, since the state filed a lawsuit against 13 contractors in 2024. Some of the last remnants of the westbound Washington Bridge are cleared on Oct. 2. Inspections detail problems on Washington Bridge Pier 6, but weren't posted publicly The Hummel Report has also obtained inspection reports on the Washington Bridge from two testing companies, AECOM and Jacobs, that detail problems specifically on Pier 6, where the broken rods were discovered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An AECOM report dated July 22, 2020, details multiple cracks, some stretching up to 10 feet and with varying thickness, and others that had been sealed but reopened again. The same report notes spalling concrete chipped off or deteriorated on one portion of the pier measuring 3 inches wide by 5 feet high by 3 inches deep. None of the AECOM or Jacobs reports were included as part of a tranche of inspection documents the DOT posted within weeks of the bridge closure. The department had not previously posted any of the inspection reports until it started to receive requests to do so after the bridge failure. Signs thank drivers for their patience due to the ongoing Washington Bridge demolition and closure. Scuppers repeatedly noted as being in poor condition, but DOT declined fix Some of the problems flagged by inspectors included verbatim sentences over the course of several years. For example, under the category of scuppers which help drain water away from the bridge a July 2020 report states: The scupper drainage grates along both shoulders of I-195 westbound and along the north shoulder of the Gano Street Off-Ramp are fully clogged with sand and debris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, 2022 and 2023 the report uses the same wording, but omits Gano Street Off-Ramp. The 2021 and 2022 reports states: In Span #17 the drainage grate along the north shoulder is fully clogged and missing 2 bars of the drainage grate. In 2022, the report on scuppers says: In Span 9 the drainage grate along the north shoulder is filled with concrete. The 2023 report repeats the wording of the other reports verbatim. The DOT acknowledges in two of the years that the scuppers were not included in the inspections, adding, The following has been retained from the previous routine inspection report, and lists the previous years date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each year, the reports that the DOT posted rate the condition of the scuppers. In each of the four years reviewed by The Hummel Report, none of the 27 scuppers were in good shape. Three were listed in fair condition with some deterioration; 20 were listed as poor with significant deterioration that needed to be monitored; and four had severe damage, where a structural review was required. Earlier in October, The Hummel Report obtained a 2019 email exchange between the Cardi Corp. and the Rhode Island DOT and published in The Providence Journal. The emails show that Cardi which had been repairing the westbound lanes before its contract was terminated offered to waterproof and button up other areas it had opened. Cardi received a $14.7 million contract in 2016 to repair the bridge. The company submitted 19 bullet points for potential action in the spring of 2018, but the DOT declined Cardis offer to, among other things, replace scuppers and waterproof the bridge. The Hummel Report is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies, in part, on donations. For more information, go to HummelReport.org. Reach Jim at Jim@HummelReport.org. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Washington Bridge documents show rod corrosion started decades ago The Des Moines River in downtown Des Moines on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Polk County supervisors voted Tuesday to invest $200,000 to keep water quality monitors functioning across the state a move officials said they hope other counties will mirror. The funding will help a University of Iowa-headed monitoring system that was set to end in summer 2026 due to a lapse in funding. Polk County officials said the data provided by the system is vital to the state as it implements different practices to improve water quality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Iowa Water Quality Information System, or IWQIS, provides real-time measurements of pH, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, discharge rates and temperature at about 80 locations in streams across the state. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Funding for the program, which is run by researchers at the University of Iowas IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering department, was diverted in 2023 via state legislation. The Walton Family Foundation temporarily sustained the system, but that money is set to run out in summer 2026. Matt McCoy, a Polk County supervisor, said Tuesday the $200,000 from the county will kick in after existing funds run out in June 2026. McCoy said this gives other counties, namely Linn and Johnson, time to decide if they can participate in the funding. McCoy said he will bet the other counties will find it important to participate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think we have an obligation as county government to make sure that were ensuring that the water that our residents are drinking is protected, McCoy said. So I think thats our role, and I think this is an appropriate allocation of resources. According to the county, the monitoring system needs $600,000 annually to be fully operational. Importance of the sensors Polk County has its own water quality improvement plans that focus on efforts in both urban and rural areas, according to John Swanson, the countys water resources supervisor. The program builds wetlands, helps install saturated buffers, cover crops and similar initiatives. The monitoring data, he said, helps his team see the impact their initiative has on water quality. We want to build stuff but to do that, we have to educate people, Swanson said. We need to keep looking at the data, keep using that data, to say were going to be most efficient with our projects. The Iowa Water Quality Information System, or IWQIS, has an interactive dashboard where users can see current and past water quality data at the various sensors. (Map via IWQIS) Richard Leopold, director of Polk County Conservation, said its also important, from a scientific standpoint, that the data remain continuous and not be interrupted by a lapse of funding. Consistent, unbroken data streams help researchers to identify trends and understand the impact new practices have on a system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cant have interruptions or it all falls apart, Leopold said. Public safety, according to McCoy, is at the forefront of the water monitoring. He noted that recent statistics listing Iowa as having some of the highest rates of cancers in the nation, leads people to ask questions that require the types of data collected by the UI monitoring system. Adam Shriver, the director of wellness and nutrition policy at the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement applauded Polk Countys decision in a news release. Shriver said losing the monitoring network would have dealt a major blow when addressing the public health crisis caused by Iowas worsening water quality. The leadership Polk County has shown is inspiring a model for how local and county governments can respond to the water-quality challenges that face Iowa, Shriver said. Counties step in, but hope the state will follow up The funding from Polk County includes $90,000 that McCoy said was unspent funding at the end of the countys Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment, or CISWRA report. This two-year, $1 million endeavor pooled researchers to produce an unbiased and comprehensive study of water quality in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study, released this summer, amid the first-ever lawn watering ban in Iowa due to excessive nitrate concentrations in source water rivers, found that nitrate problems are predominately found in Iowa, and at that least 80% of nitrate contamination is linked to agricultural operations. Polk County Supervisor Matt McCoy at a news conference Oct. 21, 2025 speaks about the countys decision to invest in water quality monitors across the state. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Reporting from late August based on documents obtained from the county, indicated the funding left in the CISWRA budget had been zeroed out by Polk County staff. A county spokesperson said in an email to Iowa Capital Dispatch in September, however, that more than 90% of the budget had been spent to pay researchers and other intended costs. The spokesperson said any remaining funds would be dedicated to ongoing and new water quality initiatives in Polk County. When asked about the CISWRA budget Tuesday, McCoy said supervisors wanted to put the remaining funds to good use and decided there was no better use than collecting this data and funding this sensor project in the state of Iowa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Larry Weber, director of hydroscience and engineering in the College of Engineering at UI, commended the Polk County decision. He said it seemed logical Polk County would be the first to step up to help fund the monitoring system given the CISWRA report and water curtailment during the summer. We think that this is vitally important that we keep a decade-long program of water quality monitoring going, Weber said. Water quality is an important issue in our state and certainly has shown signs over that period of degrading, so I think its really important that we keep this network up and running. Weber said he has reached out to officials in Linn and Johnson counties, and has several meetings scheduled, but otherwise does not know the status of other county decisions to support the monitors. The rest of the Polk County funding, about $110,000, will come from American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funding the county received and had earmarked for water quality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCoy said it would be a policy discussion for the board in the future to decide if the county will continue contributing to the fund. But, he said, asking the state Legislature to restore the funding in its budget is at the top of (the countys) lobbying list for the upcoming legislative session. Id like to see federal and state funding for this, or at least some type of partnership going forward, because this is vital work, McCoy said. What the University of Iowa is putting out is world renowned. Polk County isnt the only group interested in restoring the censors. The Izaak Walton League of Americas Iowa division launched a crowd-source funding campaign in September with a goal of raising $500,000 for the sensors. The half a million dollars would be enough to run the network at its most basic capacity but the group, and Polk County officials, said a $600,000 budget would allow the system to operate all of its sensors and make some equipment upgrades. As of Tuesday, the Izaak Walton League fundraiser had gathered more than $15,000 for the cause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCoy said the effort demonstrates that residents are very interested in being involved in water quality improvement efforts. The idea is that all of us can do something to make an effort to try to improve our water system and the quality of our water and for that matter, recreation and health in our state, McCoy said. And so we encourage anybody that wants to be involved to either participate through water monitoring or through writing a check or volunteering, if thats something they can do. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (The Center Square) As President Donald Trump continues to deploy troops into American cities in an effort to reduce crime, more than half of Americans said they do not think it is appropriate to do so, a new poll finds, though half of voters say they support deploying the National Guard to their city or state. The Center Square Voters Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, surveyed 2,565 registered voters between Oct. 2-6. The poll found that 60% of voters do not think it's appropriate to deploy National Guard troops to fight crime compared to 40% who do not think so. A sharp partisan divide emerged in response to the question, with 58% of Republicans supporting National Guard crime deterrence and 24% of Democrats. Independents made up about 30% of those who said it was appropriate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 36% of voters said it would be appropriate for the National Guard to address civil unrest or protests and 27% said it would be appropriate for the guard to respond to immigration in sanctuary cities. Respondents were provided with several selections and could mark as many as they wished. The only scenario where the majority of voters supported deploying the National Guard was for responding to natural disasters or emergencies at about 69% of voters. Mike Noble, founder and CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, said the poll represents the public's wavering support for National Guard deployments, in contrast with messaging from the Trump administration about its benefits. [It] may sound good for a headline, especially with more fervent base supporters, but when it comes to overall electoral popularity, it just isnt there unless youre talking about a natural disaster, Noble said of National Guard deployments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has deployed the National Guard to Washington D.C. to reduce crime, which has worked. Over the summer, Trump deployed the National Guard on Los Angeles to protect U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents carrying out deportation operations. Trump has called up the National Gard in Chicago and Portland to but federal courts in the two states have blocked the deployments. Voters were also asked how much they would support Trump deploying the National Guard to their city or state. About 50% of voters either somewhat or strongly supported the action. About 40% of voters strongly or somewhat oppose Trump deploying the National Guard to their city or state while about 9% said they were unsure. Republican voters made up the majority of support for National Guard deployment to their city or state. About 82% of Republican respondents said they would support such a deployment and 55% of those would strongly support the National Guards deployment in their city. Contrasted with Democrats and Independents who were far more split, about 69% of Democrats strongly or somewhat opposed deploying the National Guard to their city and 45% of Independents said the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Independent voters made up the largest percentage of those unsure about deploying the National Guard to their city, as about 18% neither opposed nor supported the action. "It seems like overall it's still not a great issue because you're losing support with independents on that overall issue," Noble said. (The Center Square) Milwaukee voters would rather consolidate schools in the district than see a future referendum for additional property taxes, according to a new poll. The voters, across parties and demographics, also preferred the state opt in to a $1,700-per-person school choice federal tax credit that Gov. Tony Evers has said that he will reject. Embold Research asked 535 likely Milwaukee voters in 2026 the questions between Oct. 6-10 on behalf of City Forward Collective and CFC Action Fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We at City Forward Collective have been on the record for some time that right-sizing is inevitable, its necessary and its part of the reason that we opposed the 2024 referendum, CFC Executive Director Colleston Morgan Jr. told The Center Square. We said the district didnt have a financial plan or an academic plan. Morgan said that affordability showed up as a large concern for voters in the poll. Milwaukee schools will receive $105 million more in state aid this year than last despite having 1,700 less students all while property taxes went up nearly 30% last year, Morgan said. Milwaukee public schools saw a total enrollment drop of nearly 30,000 students (32.8%) between 2006 and 2024. Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has said that the school will need to close more than five schools in the coming years. The district is currently working on that consolidation plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milwaukee passed a $252 million referendum in April 2024 and it was later revealed that Milwaukee Public Schools had not filed the paperwork with the Department of Public Instruction. The district missed the deadlines by eight months and had $42 million withheld. Legislators are currently discussing a bill that would require districts to file the required paperwork before being eligible for a referendum. The poll first asked voters if they supported consolidating schools in the district, with 58% for and 27% against. After hearing the pro and con arguments on the topic, voters then were 68% in favor and 22% against consolidation. They were then asked if they would prefer consolidation or a funding measure in a future referendum and 57% favored consolidation over another referendum. This question of MPS living within its means absolutely matters for taxpayers in Milwaukee, families in Milwaukee, for the broader community in Milwaukee, Morgan said. But its also a question of statewide concern. I think youve seen a number of state legislators and now you start to hear some districts talk about this sort of cumulative impact. Milwaukee is obviously the sort of 600-pound gorilla in the conversation. (The Center Square) Fiscal responsibility tied to expansion of energy infrastructure needed to support data centers should be paid by companies, says 57% of North Carolina respondents in a new poll. Requiring large amounts of electricity and water to operate, data centers have cycled into the mainstream through communities both luring and rejecting them. Tarboro, in the eastern part of the state, rejected a 50-acre $6 billion facility last month. A developer this month withdrew a request in Matthews and in Apex, the project of Natelli Investments is opposed by neighbors and has gained approval from a town advisory board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charlotte, Statesville, Maiden and Lenoir are among those saying yes. In June 2024, Amazon said it would invest $10 billion toward its Amazon Web Services data center supply chain in Richmond County along the South Carolina border. The poll from the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation said 11% agreed with state government or taxpayers funding the expanded energy infrastructure. The foundation did the poll in conjunction with Hart Research, sampling respondents July 22-29. Results were released Monday afternoon. The survey of 1,126 registered voters carries a margin of error rate of +/- 2.92% and includes an oversampling of 340 in counties directly impacted by Hurricane Helene. The poll said 69% believe extreme weather is increasing in North Carolina. Per its website, the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation connects and engages people to protect our natural environment and promote the well-being of our communities. We turn environmental values into NC priorities by engaging people in the democratic process, organizing in communities to connect environmental policies to peoples daily lives, cultivating environmental leaders, and advocating for policies at the state and local level that protect the health and quality of life for all North Carolinians, with an intentional focus on systematically excluded communities of color. Primary election day is Oct. 21 for two special elections to fill soon-to-be vacant South Carolina legislative seats. Voters will be able to cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m to determine who will take over state Sen. Roger Nutt's, R-Spartanburg, and state Rep. Bobby Cox's, R-Greenville, seats. Senate District 12 covers parts of Greenville and Spartanburg counties, while House District 21 resides solely in Greenville County. More: Early voting starts for Nov. 4 election, what to know about races, where to cast ballots Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Twelve polling places in Greenville County and 28 different polling places in Spartanburg County will be open on Oct. 21. Voters can find their polling places and sample ballots at scvotes.gov. Here are the names on the State Senate District 12 primary ballot: Hope Blackley, Republican, former Spartanburg County Clerk of Court. Justin Bradley, Republican, business attorney and former Spartanburg County Council member. Lee Bright, Republican, former state Senator for District 12. These are the candidates who have filed to run in the State House District 21 race: Reggy Baston, Republican, former firefighter, police officer and small business owner. Dianne Mitchell, Republican, former president of the Greenville Republican Women's Club and former teacher. Steve Nail, Republican, dean of Anderson University's College of Business and Economics. Jack Stott, Republican, chairman of the Upstate Young Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What to know about voting in Greenville, Spartanburg special primary Garment exporters in Bangladesh are bracing for losses of up to USD 1 billion following a massive fire that tore through the cargo complex at Dhaka''s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, just as the industry enters its busiest export season, Al Jazeera reported. The blaze, which erupted on Saturday in the airport''s cargo import section, destroyed large volumes of imported raw materials, finished garments, and vital product samples. "It''s a devastating sight," said Faisal Samad, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). "The entire import section has been reduced to ashes," he added, warning that financial losses could run as high as USD 1 billion, as reported by Al Jazeera. On Sunday, smoke was still rising from the scorched site as firefighters and airport officials surveyed the damage. Among the destroyed goods were urgent shipments and critical samples used to secure new business deals. "These samples are essential to attracting new buyers and increasing orders," said Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of BGMEA, as quoted by Al Jazeera. "Losing them could seriously impact our future prospects," he added. The affected cargo village is one of Bangladesh''s key logistics hubs, handling more than 600 metric tonnes of dry cargo each day, a volume that typically doubles during the October to December peak period, as reported by Al Jazeera. "Each day, roughly 200 to 250 factories rely on air freight from this facility," Khan noted. "The financial impact is enormous given the scale." Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire, and an investigation is ongoing. This incident is the third major fire in Bangladesh in the past week. As per Al Jazeera, on Tuesday, a blaze at a garment factory and nearby chemical warehouse in Dhaka claimed at least 16 lives. On Thursday, another fire engulfed a seven-storey garment factory in a Chittagong export processing zone. The government has vowed to investigate each case thoroughly and warned that if sabotage or arson is found, it will respond "swiftly and decisively". Bangladesh is the world''s second-largest apparel exporter after China. The industry employs about four million people and accounts for more than 10 per cent of the country''s GDP, supplying major global brands like Walmart, H&M, and Gap, as reported by Al Jazeera. Industry leaders fear the fire will lead to significant shipment delays and further strain efforts to meet strict international delivery deadlines. (ANI) PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A Portland sex offender was sentenced to federal prison on Monday after investigators discovered that he was in possession of more than 200 images of child sexual abuse material. David Cannon, 36, was sentenced to 10 years in prison along with a life term of supervised release. Officials discovered that Cannon was collecting the explicit material during an investigation into his uncle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cannon sought images from his uncle over Telegram, an encrypted messaging application. Additional evidence of (the) material was found after a search of Cannons device, officials said. Cannon was arrested in Milwaukie after his cell phone was tracked by agents. He pleaded guilty to child porn possession on June 26. The pursuit of individuals who exploit and abuse children is our highest priority, said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) A transportation nightmare could be coming for New York Citys schools. Mass layoffs at multiple school bus providers could leave 150,000 students without service, the New York Post reported on Monday. The layoffs could happen by Oct. 31, when the bus companies emergency contracts expire. More Local News NYC Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said on Tuesday the city has not yet received formal notice of the layoffs, but is already making contingency plans. Its not immediately clear which schools or bus routes would be affected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are working diligently and proactively to ensure alternative transportation services are in place, should they be needed, Ramos said in a statement. We are also making information available to our families and school communities regarding options in case of bus companies ceasing to run routes. The layoffs would be a result of failing contract negotiations, according to Sean Crowley, a lawyer for the bus companies. Next week, the citys Panel for Education Policy will consider a resolution to oppose a five-year bus contract with bus providers without certain employee protections. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how The companies are already operating on an emergency contract extension, and new emergency contracts have been sent to the companies to continue service into November, Aviles-Ramos said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bus companies signed the extensions in good faith but have yet to be paid one penny for our work during this school year. Banks will not finance 30 day extensions, buses cant be bought, payroll cannot be paid, Crowley said. Enough is enough! Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (FOX40.COM) The United States Supreme Court is set to decide if a federal law that prohibits illegal drug users from owning guns is a violation of the Second Amendment of the constitution. Video Above: What do the different schedules of drugs mean? On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to examine a case where a Texas man was charged with a felony for having a gun in his home and allegedly admitting to being a regular marijuana user. The man, Ali Danial Hemani, who is a joint citizen of the U.S. and Pakistan, was accused of having 60 grams of marijuana, nearly 4 grams of cocaine, and a Glock 9 during an FBI search of his home. See you in court: Gov. Newsom bans Glock gun sales in California with new law Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, Hemani was on FBI radar because of his travel habits and alleged connections to Iranian groups that are hostile to the United States. Currently, federal law prohibits anyone who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance from possessing a firearm. The penalty for violations is up to 10 years in prison. Katie Porter refuses to deny possibility of more leaked videos of unhinged behavior Felony charges against Hemani were dropped after a federal appeals court ruled that Hemani was not under the influence during the FBI search and that the federal ban is unconstitutional. However, that ruling was challenged by the United States Justice Department who argues that narrow circumstances are acceptable for the government to limit Second Amendment rights. It said drugs users pose a serious safety risk to society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the Trump administration has a reputation for defending the right to bear arms, in this case, it has voiced support to uphold gun bans for drug users. Ironically, former President Joe Bidens son, Hunter Biden, was convicted by a jury in 2024 for knowingly having a gun while he was addicted to crack cocaine. Biden pardoned his son weeks before he left office. The upcoming decision would set a new precedent for whether the government may disarm people who habitually use unlawful drugs but are not necessarily under the influence while possessing a firearm. The Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling 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 FOX40 News. A potential mass shooting was prevented at the nations busiest airport Monday after a Georgia family alerted police that their relative was armed and threatening to shoot it up. Authorities arrested Billy Joe Cagle, 51, inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after his family warned he was heading there with violent intent, according to CNN and FOX 5 Atlanta. Officers detained Cagle at 9:54 a.m., minutes after Cartersville police relayed an alert with his photo. Surveillance video showed he entered through Door S1 at 9:31 a.m. and lingered near a crowded TSA checkpoint before officers located him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cagle was unarmed when arrested, but police said they found a loaded AR-15-style rifle with one round in the chamber and 26 in the magazine inside his truck parked outside the South Terminal. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum called the case a tragedy averted, praising the familys quick action and coordination between Cartersville and Atlanta officers. They saw something, and they said something, Schierbaum said, crediting Officers Gibson and Banks and Sgt. Jones for their decisive response. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the incident shows how mental-health challenges combined with access to weapons can turn out to be deadly, adding that family intervention prevented a potential mass-casualty event. Cagle faces charges of terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a felon. State records show a prior marijuana conviction more than 20 years ago. The arrest came as Transportation Security Administration wait times lengthened amid the third week of the federal government shutdown, which has left some federal employees working without pay and contributed to staffing shortages across key agencies. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) a frequent target of President Donald Trumps ire received an unexpected endorsement from a prominent tech industry billionaire. Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey on Sunday voiced his support for Massie, the Kentucky congressman who has called for the release of sealed federal files tied to the case of convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. @RepThomasMassie for president, Dorsey wrote in a post on X. Massie later responded to Dorseys endorsement on X: I doubt Ill run for POTUS, but I appreciate the support @jack. Id be happy if we could just get 4 or 5 more voices in Congress who dont always just do what their party tells them." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has advocated for Republican primary challengers to oust the seven-time congressman from his seat ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The president last week said Massie was a a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP! in a post on his Truth Social platform. Trump endorsed Navy veteran Ed Gallrein to challenge Massie in next years midterms. Gallrein has not officially entered the race for Kentuckys 4th District seat, but said he plans to make an announcement on whats next soon with the districts primary election set to be held on May 19, 2026. Massie was one of two Republicans to vote against Trumps Big Beautiful Bill earlier this year. And last month, Massie filed a discharge petition with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a floor vote compelling the Justice Department to release sealed files related to the Epstein investigation. The petition, which needs 218 signatures to proceed, is currently one short of the threshold as Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) waits to be sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Johnson has stated he will delay the swearing-in ceremony until the government shutdown ends, leaving the petition on hold until Grijalva is able to add her signature. I doubt Ill run for POTUS, but I appreciate the support @jack. Id be happy if we could just get 4 or 5 more voices in Congress who dont always just do what their party tells them. https://t.co/wQrSi2S8gM Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 20, 2025 Massies campaign committee reported it has more than $2 million in cash on hand for his reelection bid, which included $768,000 in contributions from July to September. That three-month sum was a record for Massies political career, The Hill reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dorsey has not contributed any funds to Massies campaign, according to records from Open Secrets. But the Tech billionaires endorsement is notable given his history with Trump. During his tenure as Twitters CEO, Dorsey defended banning Trump from the social media platform following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Elon Musk purchased the platform in March 2022, rebranding it as X, and restored Trumps account in November of that year. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. In the 1950s and 60s, few defense manufacturers were involved with vertical or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) platforms. The Bell XV-3 tilt rotor and the Doak VZ-4, with its two tilting ducted fans, were two of the first. But it was the U.S. militarys ambitious tilt-wing assault transport, the LTV XC-142A, that promised helicopter-style vertical lift with turboprop speed. In 1959, the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy initiated development of a V/STOL aircraft designed to augment rotary-wing aircraft, serving as an assault transport capable of flying farther and faster than the militarys current helicopters. Enter the Ling-Temco-Vought XC-142A: the V/STOL replacement for Sikorskys noisy but reliable CH-37 Mojave. A joint-service effort to develop the new aircraft stalled after the Navy withdrew over hazardous deck downwash, flight-test headaches mounted, and a 1967 crash killed three crew members. With no unified requirement to carry it into production, the program was canceled despite its strong early results. Between 1964 and 1967, five prototypes logged 488 flights and 420 hours; hovering, transitioning, and even loading Jeeps and towed howitzers. But the promising airframe never materialized. One prototype went to NASA; the survivor now resides at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The Air Force, Army, and Navy all had different requirements for the XC-142A, but the basic needs were a payload capacity of 10,000 pounds, an operational radius of 250 miles, and a maximum speed of 345 to 460 miles per hour. In a 1961 agreement, the three agreed to work together on the project under the Tri-Service Assault Transport Program, led by the Bureau of Naval Weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a cargo aircraft, the design was straightforward. The cargo area of the fuselage was 30 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and seven feet high. It was rated for four tons of cargo or 32 passengers. Power came from four 3,080-horsepower GE T64 Turbo shaft engines equipped with 15.5-foot fiberglass propellers made by Hamilton Standard. A common driveshaft linked the engines, and another driveshaft connected to a three-bladed tail rotor. This system allowed all five propellers to operate, even if three engines were down. The aircraft had a tricycle landing gear, and the crew consisted of two pilots and a loadmaster. All that and a roomy interior. (U.S. Army) The one area where it differed from todays V-22 Osprey is the use of a tilt-wing instead of a tilt rotor. The wing was 67 feet long and tilted vertically for V/STOL operations, using a centrally located motor that drove two screw jack actuators. At the same time, a switch on the collective lever controlled the tilt. The wing itself was capable of rotating to 98 degrees, allowing it to hover while experiencing a tailwind. The pitch was controlled by a separate tail rotor mounted horizontally instead of vertically like a helicopter, and was declutched for conventional flight. Testing began in September 1964, using the number 2 aircraft, which flew conventionally at 10,000 feet at approximately 150 knots, while the flight characteristics were checked. The first flight was a success, demonstrating smooth handling all around. In December, it completed its first hover, and in January 1965, it completed its first transition. Three of the prototypes participated in operational V/STOL flight testing, which involved loading Jeeps, trucks with towed howitzers, and other cargo, all passing with flying colors. Its much easier to be accurate with cargo drops from 30 feet. Despite the promising initial results, the Navy withdrew from the program after concluding the XC-142As downwash was too severe for safe shipboard and assault operations. Compared with the HR2S/CH-37 it was meant to replace, the tilt-wing produced substantially higher downwash, which would have restricted it to prepared landing zones and undercut its assault role. The Navys exit let engineers drop carrier-specific features, reducing weight and complexity, but it also removed a key sponsor for the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Navys exit did nothing to diminish enthusiasm for the XC-142A. In 1966, while testing was still ongoing, the Air Force requested a proposal for a production version to be designated the C-142B, equipped with upgraded engines and a more streamlined cockpit. Moreover, a demonstration of the XC-142A was a hit at the 1967 Paris Air Show, and the program was only a few weeks behind schedule, which is a pretty good record for an experimental aircraft. No tailhook required: With its four turboprop engines pointing skyward, an XC-142A lifts off from the deck of the USS Ogden in 1966. (U.S. Navy) Testing continued, and issues were identified. The aircraft exhibited excessive noise and vibration, which, combined with a high pilot workload, created a challenge for the crew. Another problem was wing flex. The critical issue was the driveshaft system. This, along with pilot error, caused several hard landings, and in 1967, a driveshaft failure to the tail rotor caused an unrecoverable nose-over crash that killed three crew members near the LTV plant in Dallas. Ultimately, however, the program was canceled when the development team could not establish a singular mission for a V/STOL transport. The Navy wanted safe deck operations and low downwash. The Army wanted assault landings on rough LZs. The Air Force leaned toward longer range and speed for theater lift. The tilt-wing couldnt satisfy all three without breaking weight, complexity, or safety. By the mid-1960s, CH-47 and CH-53 helicopters covered assault lift, while C-123 and C-130 aircraft handled dirt-strip logistics. The XC-142As ability to do both just wasnt compelling enough to displace the existing fleets. (U.S. Navy) Five tilt-wing XC-142As were built for testing, making 488 flights with 39 different pilots at the controls for a total of 420 flight hours. Although the program was ultimately canceled, the technological advancements achieved during development made it worthwhile. Many pilots stated that it ended too early and needed more time to resolve the issues. The lone surviving prototype was turned over to NASA for more testing and research. In 1970, it was flown to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where it is now on display in hangar number 4. Dont Miss the Best of Mighty Aviation The u-hawk autonomous drone helicopter by lockheed. Rotor Sikorskys new autonomous unmanned Black Hawk helicopter is here By Miguel Ortiz F-111s at Red Flag Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fixed Wing Why Australia buried all of its old F-111 Aardvark tactical aircraft By Blake Stilwell james howard one man air force World War II The One Man Air Force took on dozens of enemy fighters even after his guns ran dry By Friedrich Seiltgen tiktok F-16 fighting falcon dvids Entertainment A TikTok song is teaching people how to start (and steal) an F-16 By Miguel Ortiz B-52 tail gunner utapao vietnam Vietnam War B-52 tail gunners scored two kills in the last bombing campaign of the Vietnam War By Friedrich Seiltgen PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) J.L. Lynn Singleton, the longtime president and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), was honored by WaterFire Providence at its FireBall Gala last week. Singleton received the WaterFire Civic Impact Award for his leadership in the Rhode Island arts community, according to PPAC. Lynns lifelong dedication to making the performing arts accessible and vibrant in Rhode Island reflects a deep belief in the power of creativity to bring people together, enrich communities, and inspire collective pride, WaterFire said in its announcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Wicked, Lion King highlight PPACs 2025-26 show lineup Singleton became PPACs president in 1983. Calling him a visionary leader, PPAC highlighted some of his accomplishments over the past 40 years, which included saving the theater from near bankruptcy, restoring and modernizing the nearly century-old building, and launching two dozen national Broadway tours. PPAC has also received five Tony Awards and an Olivier Award during his tenure. When I became the President of the Providence Performing Arts Center, I envisioned bringing the theatre back to its original glory, when it opened in 1928, Singleton said in a press release. I also wanted it to become a place that people were excited to go to and experience live musical theatre and concerts. I greatly appreciate being honored with the Civic Impact Award, thank you, he continued. This award is also thanks to the support of PPACs outstanding Board of Directors, led by Chair Joseph W. Walsh, Esq., and our dynamic, dedicated staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also honored at the gala were Rhode Island Black Storytellers Executive/Festival Director Valerie Tutson, United Way of Rhode Island President and CEO Cortney Nicolato, and philanthropist Malcolm G. Chace III and his family. FireBall Gala: Learn more about the 2025 honorees 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 This Week in Good 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 WPRI.com. MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) Pre-applications are now open for the 2026 Recreational Trails Program, according to the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation. This grant program aims to offer the opportunity for Vermont municipalities, non-profits, and other governmental entities to receive funds to develop, restore, and maintain public recreational trails. This year RTP is expected to offer roughly $500,000. The reimbursement program, which is funded by the Federal Highway Administration, will award a maximum of $50,000 depending on the needs or merits of a plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New proposed laws for shared-use paths in South Burlington The three main tracks included in this grant round are a planning track for project development, a track for development and maintenance and finally a cost increase track for current trail grant projects. FPR reports that preference points will be offered in Addison, Bennington, Essex, Grand Isle, Rutland, and Windsor Counties that are more than 10 miles from RTP projects funded within the last fifteen years, which they call RTP gap communities. Those interested in applying can learn more on the Vermont FPR website and submit before the deadline on November 21. 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. Dubai [UAE], October 20 (ANI/WAM): Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, , Chairman of the UAE Council for Fatwa and President of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, called for the establishment of a global ethical framework for artificial intelligence (AI) that brings together religious, intellectual, and scientific leaders, as well as technical experts and policymakers. The aim, he emphasised, is to guide the trajectory of emerging technologies to serve humanity, uphold human dignity, and promote global peace. This call came during the "Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" seminar organised by the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace in partnership with the World Economic Forum (Davos) as part of the "Faith and Technology Dinner" held in Dubai. The event gathered an elite group of religious leaders, thinkers, policymakers, and AI experts from around the world. In his speech, Bin Bayyah explained that the challenge in the age of AI is no longer achieving technological progress, but ensuring that such progress remains in the service of humanity rather than at its expense. He affirmed that what distinguishes humans is not only their capacity for knowledge, but their awareness of its purpose and their ability to harness it for the common good. He pointed out that any scientific or technological advancement lacking a clear moral compass can easily shift from being a tool for construction to a means of destruction. Therefore, he called for the development of a global ethical system based on the shared human values rooted in religions and philosophies--foremost among them mercy, fairness, wisdom, and truthfulness. He stressed that AI must not become "intelligence without conscience." Rather, human values--especially wisdom--must be instilled within it, as they serve as the safeguard for balancing the power to act with the awareness of consequences, and for harmonising innovation with responsibility. He also praised the UAE''s forward-looking vision under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which has made technology a means of achieving peace and sustainable development. He highlighted the UAE''s statement before the United Nations General Assembly, affirming its commitment to the ethical and responsible use of modern technologies out of respect for human dignity and in service of global peace. In conclusion, Bin Bayyah emphasised that responsibility in this field is collective and transnational, requiring the collaboration of scholars, policymakers, and religious leaders to transform values into policies, principles into legislation, and visions into practical action--so that artificial intelligence becomes a global force for good, contributing to the building of a world that is more just, compassionate, and peaceful. (ANI/WAM) WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) Washington County Public Schools said it is dealing with an outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD). Public health officials said they are trying to contain the outbreak after the Maryland Department of Health alerted the Washington County Health Department of the outbreak. Man charged with arson after setting fires outside Hagerstown bookstore: OSFM Symptoms are fever, mouth sores and a skin rash. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it spreads quickly at schools and day care centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When there are three or more cases within a similar cohort, classroom over a week, its defined as an outbreak, Erin Anderson with Washington County Public Schools said. The school system is working closely with the Washington County Health Department. Theres no treatment for it, Joelle Butler with the department said. So were all about prevention right now. Like other viruses that are out there right now in the fall, we just ask that if you have a sick child please keep them at home. Health officials urge parents to be alert for health advisory communications from the schools. As we enter the viral illness season, we remind parents to encourage their students to wash their hands at home, wash their hands at school. We are taking extra cleaning precautions, Anderson 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 DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Preparations for the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest have been suspended, NBC News journalist Garrett Haake has reported. Source: Haake on X (Twitter), citing a senior White House official, as reported by European Pravda Details: "Planning towards that Trump/Putin summit in Budapest is 'on hold' at the moment, a senior White House official tells me," the journalist wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the official, the recent phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was "productive", but Trump believes that "both sides aren't ready enough to talk to justify moving forward right now". Background: Sources for Reuters have also suggested that Russia's refusal to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine may have jeopardised the planned Trump-Putin summit. CNN earlier reported that the planned meeting between Rubio and Lavrov, which was due to take place this week, had been postponed. Earlier, 23 October was mentioned as a possible date for their meeting. They were supposed to prepare for the personal meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest. No specific reasons for the postponement have been given. However, one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is due to the very different views of Rubio and Lavrov on ending the Russo-Ukrainian war. On 21 October, The Kremlin said that "there is no understanding" of when the Trump-Putin summit might take place. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Prince Andrews leaked email to Jeffrey Epstein has buried his chances of returning to palace duties and assured his exile from royal life as the secretly sent message proves the Duke of York lied about cutting ties with the notorious sex creep, courtiers say according to Daily Mail. The royal once nicknamed Randy Andy had sworn that he had no contact with the financier after late 2010 during a trainwreck interview in November 2019 with BBCs Newsnight. But Andrew reportedly sent an email to Epstein in February 2011 one day after the publication of a photo of the duke cozying up to the moneymans alleged sex slave Virginia Giuffre, who accused the royal of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Andrew, 65, denied the claims of Giuffre, who supposedly died by suicide at age 41 in April but agreed to pay her an estimated $16 million in February 2022 to settle her civil lawsuit against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bombshell note which includes the sign-off A, HRH The Duke of York, KG expresses concern over how the pic may impact Epstein and assures the convicted pedophile we are in this together. The email also tells Epstein who died in a New York City jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking women and underage girls that the pair would rise above the brewing scandal and adds, Well play some more soon!!!! The damning message comes to light weeks after the revelation that Andrews ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York wrote Epstein a gushing email in April 2011, calling him a supreme friend after publicly claiming shed cut ties with him, per The Standard. Fergies rep recently insisted she sent the note to prevent Epstein from following through on his threat to ruin the York family, per Daily Mail. Still, she was dumped as patron or ambassador for seven charities and is said to be shunning the spotlight by hunkering down in Royal Lodge, the crown-owned estate long shared by her and Andrew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Globe previously reported, sources say the duke had hoped to throw his ex-wife under the bus to have her ostracized from the royal family to salvage his own posh lifestyle and protect his prospects of returning to public life. Andrew was stripped of his palace duties and paycheck by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, in the wake of Giuffres lawsuit and tipsters say hes been angling for a comeback ever since his soft-hearted brother King Charles ascended to the throne in 2022. But now courtiers say that cancer-stricken Charles is horrified by Andrews alleged actions and wont publicly support his sibling as talk grows louder about U.S. officials wanting to grill the duke about his knowledge of Epsteins dirty dealings. In 2020, then-U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman scathingly said that Andrew falsely portrayed himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate with the federal investigation into Epstein and his associates, while refusing to schedule an interview with authorities in America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts say Andrew who was last pictured in the U.S. during his supposed goodbye visit with Epstein in the Big Apple in December 2010 is not eligible for diplomatic immunity as he is not a head of state, per The Sun. South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace is calling for renewed scrutiny of the dukes links to Epstein. She even wrote on social media, Now seems like a good time to discuss prosecuting Prince Andrew for any and all potential crimes on U.S. soil. Stressing that no one is above the law, she added, A cold dark cell. Prince Andrew in handcuffs. This is an image sending the right message. Palace insiders say Charles has already informed Andrew and Fergie that theyre no longer welcome at the annual royal Christmas retreat in Sandringham, according to The Sun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But a courtier adds, There is talk in the palace that Prince William finds Andrew and Fergies behavior unforgivable. When hes crowned king, it is expected that he may ban them from every aspect of royal life. The courtier warns that rumored blacklist could even extend to the pairs daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, and explains, Some are saying William doesnt want to remind anyone of the shame brought on the family by Andrew and Fergies friendship with Epstein. Few people believe that the Yorks can bounce back from this. This story Prince Andrews Leaked Email to Jeffrey Epstein Is the Final Nail in the Coffin For Royal Family first appeared on Globe. Add Globe as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Virginia Giuffre claims Prince Andrews team tried to hire internet trolls to target her after she made allegations that the royal had raped and battered her, according to her bombshell memoir. In her posthumous book Nobodys Girl, due to be released on Tuesday, Giuffre claimed Andrew and his team attempted to cast doubt on my credibility after she spoke out about alleged abuse at the hands of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his then girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The latest revelations come after the Metropolitan Police said it is actively looking into claims that Andrew passed her date of birth and social security number to his bodyguard in a bid to dig up dirt for a smear campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrew, who has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing, reached a financial settlement with Giuffre in 2022. He relinquished use of his Duke of York title on Friday, but pressure is growing on the royal family to back a move to formally strip Andrew of his dukedom through parliamentary legislation. For live updates on the news relating to Prince Andrew ahead of the publication of Virginia Giuffres book Nobodys Girl - click here to visit our blog Virginia Giuffre spoke about her first alleged encounter at Ghislaine Maxwells London home, where the now infamous photo with Andrew is alleged to have been taken (United States District County for the Southern District of New York) The book gives detailed accounts of three separate occasions when Giuffre, who died by suicide aged 41 this year, said she had sex with Andrew. The first occasion took place at Maxwells London home in March 2001, when the infamous picture of the pair was taken by Epstein at her own request as a memento for her mother, she wrote. In the memoir, Giuffre reveals difficulties she and her legal team faced in lodging the civil sexual assault case, launched in August 2021, in which she wrote that she alleged Prince Andrew had raped and battered me when I was a minor, causing me severe and lasting damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She claimed Andrews legal team did not respond to a letter and that, when action was launched, papers could not be served on him because of his fleeing to Queen Elizabeths Balmoral Castle in Scotland and hiding behind its well-guarded gates. However, after a US judge accused Andrew of playing hide and seek and Giuffres legal team got a break when a witness came forward to say she had seen Giuffre and Andrew together at Tramp nightclub in London, the case progressed, she wrote. But in her memoir, Giuffre claimed Andrews team tried to hire internet trolls to target her online. Giuffres posthumous memoir Nobodys Girl is published on Tuesday (James Manning/PA) After casting doubt on my credibility for so long Prince Andrews team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrews legal team did reach an out-of-court settlement, reported to be millions, saying he had never intended to malign Giuffres character and he recognised she had suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks. The legal case, Giuffre wrote, was helped by Andrews interview with Emily Maitlis on Newsnight, in which he denied knowing if he had met her, while claiming to have taken his daughter, Princess Beatrice, to Pizza Express in Woking on the night they allegedly first met. As devastating as this interview was for Prince Andrew, for my legal team it was like an injection of jet fuel, she wrote. In the book, Giuffre accused Andrew of being entitled as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright. She said she was paid $15,000 for serving the man the tabloids called Randy Andy. Andrew relinquished use of his Duke of York title on Friday (PA) Giuffre also recounted how the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, left her scared, amid unproven claims the royal family was involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said she hadnt wanted to have sex with the prince, but felt I had to, saying she believed there was no way to free herself from Epstein and Maxwells grip and that she knew she needed to keep Epstein and Maxwell happy. She claimed she and Andrew had sex again a month later at Epsteins house in New York, and then at Epsteins private Caribbean island, where she said they were involved in an orgy with around eight other girls. In the memoirs, Giuffre also revealed the personal toll of sharing her allegations, which were first reported on by tabloids, without naming Andrew, in 2011. I understand what I didnt then, she said. That taking money from a tabloid publication for an interview or for use of a photo discredits the story even if its entirely accurate. Reflecting on her legal battles with Epstein and Andrew, she wrote in her memoir: I dont regret it, but the constant telling and retelling has been extremely painful and exhausting. With this book, I seek to free myself from my past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The titles and honours Andrew will no longer use include his wedding day titles Duke of York, the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleag his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), and his garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Formally stripping him of the title would require an act of parliament, but King Charles is believed to view the largely symbolic move as a waste of parliamentary time, and the government has said it will be guided by the royal familys views. Meanwhile, on the familys official website, Prince Andrews Duke of York title has been deleted and replaced with solely Prince Andrew. Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew have been approached for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673) If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to befrienders.org to find a helpline near you PATTON, Pa. When people think of Pennsylvanias 124 state parks, they may think of trees and trails, but not necessarily the electricity consumption at those parks. For example, the 7,000-acre Prince Gallitzin State Park near Patton has its own sewage plant, water plant, park office, maintenance buildings and large campgrounds with electricity outlets for RVs. But with a $1 million solar array funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on an acre of unwooded land a few hundred yards from the park office, the park has achieved $90,000 in electricity savings in the last fiscal year, Prince Gallitzin State Park manager Jessica Lavelua said Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The past 12 months marked the first year the solar panels have been in operation. Park officials expect the same amount of savings to be realized annually. The tax dollars saved have been spent for park upgrades, including new picnic tables, grills, electric bikes for park rangers and roof repairs for the park office, Lavelua said. That solar array will pay for itself and then some, she said. A tour Monday of the parks solar array was attended by Cambria County elected representatives, conservation district members, high school students and teachers, as well as the secretaries of the DCNR and the state Department of Environmental Protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tour was organized by PennEnvironment, a statewide advocacy organization for clean energy. The solar array here at Prince Gallitzin isnt just a model for how public lands across Pennsylvania and the nation can go solar, PennEnvironment clean energy associate Carolena Bellini said. It is also a reminder that with creativity and drive, we can jumpstart local, homegrown solar projects at schools, churches, warehouses and homes. Advocacy for solar energy may be often associated with Democrats. However, the tour of Prince Gallitzins solar array showed that it is not a partisan issue. In attendance was Jim Gregory, a Republican former state House member and current executive director of Conservative Energy Network. Cambria County Commissioner Keith Rager, a Republican, said he promotes solar energy as a way to reduce county tax dollars spent on electricity bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Believe it or not, I am a Republican and I believe in green, Rager said in a speech to those gathered at the park. We are all Americans, and we all live together on the same planet. In the past year, I learned from the countys previous prison warden that the prisons monthly electric bills were $25,000 thats coming from taxpayers. But with the installation of a solar array on the prison property to begin producing electricity early next year, that bill will decrease drastically, he said. If it means less taxpayer dollars, thats what I want to do, Rager said. I can promise you today, we are going to reduce this carbon footprint that Cambria County has. In May, Pennsylvania marked 2 gigawatts of solar energy production, DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a big deal as energy demands increase and costs rise, she said. We are charging everything constantly. When demand for electricity goes up, generation needs to go up, too. Otherwise, we see energy costs rise. What we have in Pennsylvania is we have not increased our supply enough to offset demand. Solar projects, including the array at Prince Gallitzin, lower the DCNRs need to take energy off the grid, freeing up more capacity, she said. Every business that follows suit will further reduce stress on the grid, and that lowers energy costs for everyone, she said. And the more sustainable and renewable energy we produce, the better off our air quality and environment will be. For the DCNR, Pennsylvanias largest landowner and conservation agency, it is critical to serve as a leader for incorporating solar energy, said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The array at Prince Gallitzin State Park is the largest of 37 solar installations funded by the DCNR across the state park system, she said. Across the system, weve reduced our carbon emissions by 700 tons per year, she said. And with the energy savings, we are able to use more taxpayer money for services for the taxpayers and not just electrical bills. When Nicolas Sarkozy was in charge of law and order in France, he saw nothing wrong with his countrys prisons being the toughest in Europe. It was the autumn of 2005 a period of intense rioting on suburban housing estates when the former interior minister said he wanted to use a power hose to blow away offenders. Revelling in the nickname Le Top Cop, Sarkozy was unconcerned that such scum as he referred to them would end up in dilapidated jails notorious for violence and overcrowding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have not changed much in the two decades since, as Sarkozy is currently finding out. He begins a five-year term in his own cell at La Sante, the Victorian-era penitentiary in southern Paris that has been mythologised in literature and film. The courtyard of Pariss infamous La Sante prison where Sarkozy will be kept in solitary confinement - Bertrand Guay/Getty Images Following his conviction for criminal conspiracy, Frances former head of state, whos now 70, joins a long list of former detainees including super-terrorist, Carlos the Jackal (Ilich Ramirez Sanchez), the Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega, and Ahmed Ben Bella, the Algerian revolutionary who led his North African country to victory against France, their one-time colonial masters. Sarkozy will be housed with infamous inmates Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (left), Manuel Noriega (middle) and Ahmed Ben Bella (right) - AP Located in the 14th arrondissement, less than five miles from Sarkozys town house in the 16th, La Sante a name that, ironically, means health has been the scene of uprisings, dramatic escapes and executions since its opening in 1867. Those of us standing outside its forbidding stone walls on Tuesday morning to watch the diminutive Sarkozy go in were under no doubt that Oct 21 2025, will become an integral date to the Sante legend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have been multiple big names inside, but never a president of France, said a senior management source. This is a historic day. Everybody is aware that Sarkozy is now here, and thats why other prisoners are shouting his name, and pretending to welcome him. Sakozy will not in fact meet any of the other inmates, because there are fears for his safety. Like convicted sex offenders and policemen, former interior ministers and presidents go straight to the top of a list of vulnerable persons. His own security detail one that he gets for life as a former president will not be allowed in the prison. But Sarkozy will be locked in his own cell in continuous solitary confinement on the top floor of the isolation wing, far away from other inmates. And he will always be accompanied by a guard. Mr Sarkozys safety will not be at risk, said the management source. Nobody will get anywhere near him, least of all inside his cell, where he can eat, sleep and shower. A typical cell at La Sante prison in Paris - Bertrand Guay/Getty Images Sarkozy is not considered a dangerous prisoner himself, but disturbances inside are common, meaning warders often put on riot gear, carrying shields, batons and tear gas spray. Prisoners run drug businesses via smuggled mobile phones, and have even used them to order hits on rivals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fights regularly break out internally too. The authorities say they were orchestrated earlier this year by members of a Telegram group that called itself French Prisoner Rights, and which highlighted terrible conditions faced by inmates in institutions such as La Sante. French prisons are also among Europes most overcrowded, with a density rate tailing only Cyprus and Romania. They are certainly in a worse condition than those in Britain. La Sante was originally designed to hold 657 inmates, but currently contains 1,243 men, according to a justice ministry spokesman. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Sarkozys long-suffering third wife, is expected to be among those who go to see him at La Sante, with two visitation session allowed each week. The former supermodel had a tear in her eye as she kissed Sarkozy goodbye on Tuesday, along with their 14-year-old daughter, Giulia Sarkozy, and his three grown-up sons from his previous marriages. Sarkozys third wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, walks with him as he presents himself for incarceration - Julien De Rosa/Getty Images Gerald Darmanin, Frances justice minister, has also pledged to show his support for Sarkozy behind bars by visiting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond this, Sarkozy will be alone in his cell, measuring 29 sq ft. It has a single bed, a desk, a shower, a landline phone and a TV which will cost Sarkozy 16 a month (13.80) to use. There is a small window, but it will be mostly covered up to prevent other prisoners communicating with Sarkozy. He has brought a pair of earplugs inside, say his lawyers, to avoid a 24-hour cacophony problem caused by prisoners shouting and screaming. Many suffer from mental illness, and can be extremely unpredictable. Sarkozy can listen to music on approved equipment, although any Wi-Fi enabled devices are strictly banned. He is expected to use an old fashioned music device, such as a CD player, so he can continue to listen to his wifes tunes. Following his conviction last month, she performed a version of Let It Be by the Beatles, for him, saying beforehand, Shall I play you a song, my love?. The video was posted on Instagram. He can also keep photographs of Carla and his wedding ring. Other luxuries Sarkozy will be able to enjoy include dark chocolate his favourite from the prison shop. He can perform press ups and other exercises in his cell, but will not be allowed weights, as they can be used as a weapon. Meals will be delivered to his cell, and they will mainly be typical French dishes, such as chicken and mash potato, with creme caramel for dessert, said another prison source. However, therell be no glass of wine to wash it down with, as alcohol is strictly prohibited in French prisons, along with drugs. Tobacco can be permitted, but Sarkozy is not a smoker, and indeed, teetotal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one respect, Sarkozy will be treated more severely than the last French leader to receive a prison sentence: Philippe Petain, the head of the notorious Vichy regime. Petain was spared the rigours of a regular jail, and was instead held instead in a fortress on the Ile dYeu, a windswept but austerely beautiful island in the Bay of Biscay. The corridors of La Sante, where Sarkozy will occupy a small cell in the isolation wing - Anne-Christine Poujoulat/Getty Sarkozy may perhaps draw consolation from his chosen reading: a biography of Jesus Christ and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, the famous story of a man who escapes jail to take revenge. Those closest to him hope that Sarkozy will also fulfill his pledge to write another book of his own. He has already produced 42 tomes, mostly political ones, with titles such as Everything for France and The Time for Combat. Nadine Morano, a former minister in Sarkozys single administration from 2007 until 2012, says: Hes going to write a bestseller! Hes going to become a legend. Morano is suggesting a potboiler, perhaps based on Sarkozys racy love life or enjoyment of upmarket beach holidays and Rolex watches, but there might also be a more serious Count of Monte Cristo-style revenge book in him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarkozy will be allowed a one-hour walk once a day in a designated exercise yard, and this is when he will come under the most observation, even though he will still be alone. Jacques Mesrine, the Paris gangster, famously escaped from such an area when incarcerated in La Sante in 1978. The escapade which included one of Mesrines fellow escapees being blasted to death by police is immortalised in the hit movie Mesrine: Killer Instinct, starring Vincent Cassel as the eponymous anti-hero. Sarkozy has already issued an appeal for early release from La Sante (it wont be heard for at least a month), and will be hoping that his own stay inside will be a lot less dramatic. 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. NEW YORK For the first time in this years mayoral race, a pro-Andrew Cuomo super PAC is launching an attack ad campaign targeting Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and the effort is aimed, in particular, at luring Russian-speaking voters away from the GOP nominee. The web of pro-Cuomo super PACs active in the 2025 race, which have raised tens of millions of dollars among them, have spent the money almost exclusively on efforts to either advocate for Cuomos candidacy or rail against Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani. The shift to an anti-Sliwa posture from the New Yorkers for a Better Future Mayor 25 super PAC comes as Cuomo and others have pressured the GOP nominee to drop out of the race, arguing he needs to do so for the ex-governor to have a real shot at defeating Mamdani in the Nov. 4 election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sliwa has been steadfast in rejecting the calls for him to pull out, saying he will stay in no matter what. Early voting in the Nov. 4 contest starts Saturday, and polls have consistently shown Mamdani defeating Cuomo by double digits, with Sliwa trailing both of them in third place. With the prospect of Sliwa exiting the race appearing unlikely, New Yorkers for a Better Future Mayor 25 which has raised more than $1.5 million to date placed a $100,000 buy on Saturday to run an anti-Sliwa ad in Russian on Facebook, Google and other digital platforms, disclosures show. The ad, which hits on an emerging theme in the campaign, says: ALERT! A vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani. Andrew Cuomo is the best choice for New York, according to a translation provided to the Daily News. Jeff Leb, the treasurer of the New Yorkers for a Better Future Mayor 25, said Tuesday the PAC plans to spend about another $300,000 on deploying about 50 canvassers to hand out palm cards with the same messaging in Russian-speaking communities in southern Brooklyn, central Queens and east shore Staten Island. The palm card will be in both Russian and English, a copy of it provided to The News shows. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leb said the PAC is specifically targeting Russian-speaking communities because they tend to lean more conservative and generally vote Republican in local elections, if they participate at all. No one has been focusing on the Russian-speaking communities except for the Sliwa campaign, said Leb. To that end, Leb suggested Cuomo who all but certainly needs to grow his voter base to have a fighting chance against Mamdani could compete with Sliwa for Russian-speaking voters thanks to his PACs efforts. Leb said his team has identified around 200,000 voters theyre going to try to target with the latest outreach push. Lebs PAC is being funded by real estate firms like the Lightstone Group and hedge fund managers like Daniel Loeb, among others. Lebs entity is coordinating its activities with Fix the City, another pro-Cuomo outfit thats the largest super PAC operating this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sliwa brushed off the outreach to Russian-speaking voters, saying hes confident in the grassroots support he has built in that community. The Russian community, like so many others, is near and dear to me, and if the powers that be are targeting them to try to hurt my campaign, it only shows how panicked they are because they wont fall for it, said Sliwa, who has regularly appeared on Russian-speaking media outlets throughout the campaign. Mamdanis campaign didnt immediately return requests for comment. A spokesman for Cuomo, who by law cant coordinate with any super PACs supporting his mayoral run, declined to comment. Cuomo, whos running as an independent in next months election, has out of the mayoral candidates by far benefited the most from outside spending in this cycle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On top of the Leb entity and Fix the City, a new group of anti-Mamdani and pro-Cuomo super PACs launched last week that have been boosted by more than $3.2 million contributed by an entity controlled by a trio of wealthy New York businessmen. One of those PACs, For Our City, disclosed in a new filing Tuesday that it spent $750,000 over the weekend on a new TV ad that accuses Mamdani of not being a real Democrat, pointing to his past criticism of ex-President Barack Obama and ex-Vice President Kamala Harris. Zohran Mamdani is not who you think he is, a voiceover says in the TV ad. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has been endorsed for mayor by Harris. _____ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Progressive groups looking to reconnect with Latino voters are emphasizing economic hardship and highlighting President Donald Trumps mass deportation agenda in an effort to regain support in places where the Republican leader made inroads. The $1.4 million digital ad and field campaign is led by a Democratic donor fund backed by a progressive network called Way to Win, which launched after Trumps 2016 White House win. The Valiente Action Fund effort is tailored to connect with voters in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas by convincing them that some of Trumps economic promises are falling short while his immigration tactics go too far. Tory Gavito, a Democratic strategist and president of Way to Win, says the groups are trying to pivot to talk to Latinos in their full experience about housing and the cost of living without abandoning the case against Trump's hard-line approach to immigration in his second term as president, including the use of helicopters and chemical agents in Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chicago stuff should be more than a canary in the coal mine, Gavito said. This administration is using extreme enforcement measures to distract from the fact that housing is still just too damn expensive, our rent is still too expensive. Trump has promised to remove millions of people from the United States in the largest deportation program in American history. Gavito says the Trump campaign succeeded at crafting a message around the scarcity of resources and blaming immigrants for taking jobs. Some voters were persuaded, she said, because they want access to a thriving economy. There are already signs that Trumps immigration crackdown could impact the U.S. labor market. A July report by the Brookings Institution and the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute found that the loss of foreign workers will mean monthly U.S. job growth could be near zero or negative in the next few years. The fight to gain Latino support Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationally, Hispanic voters shifted significantly toward Trump in the last election, though a majority still backed Democrat Kamala Harris: 43% of Hispanic voters nationally voted for Trump, up from 35% in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost. Hispanic voters in Texas and Florida shifted by a similarly large margin toward Trump. There were slight shifts toward him in New Jersey, New York and Arizona and no significant shifts in Nevada or Georgia. Democratic operatives and strategists have been advising candidates to focus on voters pocketbooks to reverse the trend. The progressive groups field operation involves partnering with local groups to knock on doors to do what they call deep canvassing looking to have longer conversations about voters concerns and gather support to launch specific ballot initiatives. Effort underway in New Jersey Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In New Jersey, one of only two states with a governor's race this year, ads started to roll out earlier this month, not specific to the governors race but criticizing Trump, who has endorsed GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli. The digital ads show images of Latinos while a narrator says that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is going after people who look like him, like her, like us, echoing racial-profiling concerns by human rights groups. A Supreme Court decision last month cleared the way for more robust immigration operations, lifting a restraining order that had banned arrests based on any mix of four factors: race and ethnicity; language; location; and occupation. In another ad, narrators talk about the cost of food and electric bills rising as images of billionaires Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are shown. One of the ads shares the story of how an immigrant advocacy group, Make the Road Action New Jersey, passed a ballot initiative capping rents in the Hispanic-majority city of Passaic, which leaned heavily Democratic in 2016 but backed Trump in 2024. The ad says the rest of New Jersey is still seeing rent costs rise, blaming Trump and GOP lawmakers who oppose rent caps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do serve as a bellwether to what is sort of a hot take on what voters feel, said Nedy Morsy, director of Make the Road Action New Jersey, who said messages are being tested with an eye toward next year's midterm elections. Latino outreach in other states In Nevada, the effort is targeting Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo as he seeks reelection in what is expected to be a highly competitive race in the battleground state, which Trump carried in 2024. The director of Make the Road Action Nevada, Leo Murrieta, takes Lombardo to task for actions he has taken on the economy, including a veto of legislation that would have added tenant protections. We have to do everything we can to let our gente knows who out there has our backs and who is there stabbing us in the back, Murrieta said, using the Spanish word for people. Cypress Creek Renewables, the company proposing to build the Carriger Solar project in eastern Washington, currently operates this solar farm in Vale, Oregon. It is a 13 megawatt farm compared to Carriger which would generate 160 megawatts of electricity. (Courtesy of Cypress Creek Renewables) The fate of a proposed 1,300-acre solar farm in south-central Washington is back in the hands of Gov. Bob Ferguson. The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council voted Tuesday to recommend that the governor approve the Carriger Solar project in Klickitat County. Backers say the facility will generate enough power to serve thousands of homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This marked the councils second time endorsing the proposed development. Ferguson turned down its initial recommendation to proceed in August, telling the state panel to talk further with Yakama Nation leaders about their concerns that protections for cultural resources were not tough enough. On Tuesday, the council approved a revised site certification agreement containing a new condition that the developers provide $100,000 in grant funding to the Yakama Nation Cultural Resources Program once the project is operational. The vote was 6-1 with Maverick Ryan, representing the state Department of Natural Resources, dissenting. That revised agreement, and a six-page summary of whats transpired with the tribe since August, will be sent to Ferguson, who will have 60 days to approve or reject the project. Kurt Beckett, the council chair, said during the meeting that he supported the project before and did not really see a reason to change that at this stage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matt Chiles, who represents Klickitat County on the panel, cast the lone dissenting vote when the council first approved the project in June. On Tuesday, he joined the majority. Chiles praised the council staff for going above and beyond in responding to the governors directions. Im comfortable with the mitigations that are proposed, he said. A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cypress Creek Renewables, based in Santa Monica, California, is looking to build the solar farm north of State Route 142 along Knight Road, about two miles west of Goldendale in unincorporated Klickitat County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We greatly appreciate the states leadership on moving this important project forward, CEO Sarah Slusser said following the decision. She called the councils action an important step toward meeting the states energy needs with clean, affordable, and reliable power. As proposed, Carriger Solar will have 160 megawatts of solar generating potential, enough to power up to 32,500 homes, according to the company website. The project, which also includes a 63 megawatt battery energy storage system, will tie into the Bonneville Power Administration transmission system. It is expected to be online by 2027. It would occupy 1,326 acres within a 2,108-acre development site that is mostly agricultural and rural residential lands. That footprint includes all solar arrays, battery storage facilities, operations and maintenance building, employee parking, and access roads. Under the agreement approved Tuesday, fencing and solar panels must be pushed farther from the state route, Knight Road and parcels managed by the state Department of Natural Resources adjacent to the project. There also must be additional natural screening, such as earthen berms, rock piles, or native vegetation, on the north side of those state-owned parcels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tribal access to traditional and cultural properties must be maintained during construction. Yakama Nation leaders, who Beckett said continue to oppose the project, have repeatedly asserted measures to protect cultural resources on and around the proposed location are not strong enough. For example, the tribe said the council should not allow installation of solar panels in the northern portion of the project area, rather than rely on setbacks and natural screening to minimize the visibility of the panels. In Tuesdays meeting, the council was told the project would not be viable if it were scaled back to that extent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joanne Snarski, a siting specialist for the council, said tribal officials reiterated their concerns in a Sept. 25 letter. Separately, 12 public comments were submitted concerning the revised site certification agreement. No comments provided new information or justified changes to the draft resolution, she told the council. When Ferguson first turned down the project, he made clear in his Aug. 22 letter that he viewed it as consistent with state policies. He also said it needed to proceed quickly so developers could secure federal clean energy tax credits before they are ended by the Trump administration. Solar and wind projects must begin construction by July 4, 2026 to fully qualify for the credits, he wrote. These tax credits are critical to ensure not only that the project remains financially viable, but that the energy it generates will remain affordable for Washingtonians, he wrote. Slusser said she did not have a timeline for when construction would begin, if the project is approved. We are moving with urgency to break ground to ensure we can secure federal tax credits, she said. PRNewswire Singapore, October 21: MMA Global, Inc., the global non-profit industry body, today ushered in a new era as the Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA), crystallizing its evolution into a foremost global community of Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing leaders. The repositioning signals the organization's foundational commitment to advancing marketers' ability to create value by uniting CMOs worldwide to shape the future of marketing, brands, and business. MMA is the only association that encompasses all parts of the marketing ecosystem at the governance level - including brand marketers, media, adtech, martech, agencies, and consultants - all working together, in support of CMOs. New Visual Identity "MMA is for CMOs, directed by CMOs, but supported by the whole marketing industry," said Rohit Dadwal , MMA Global. "We are committed to adding new knowledge to address CMOs' and marketing's greatest unanswered questions and unlock its biggest opportunities. Our members aren't just talking about change -- they're driving it. This new positioning makes it clear that we are an alliance for leaders who push marketing to deliver proven, enterprise-level impact. We believe that if a marketer were to implement all that MMA's Think Tanks and Labs have discovered, their company could raise its market valuation. We're proving that marketing can and does matter!" New Mission and Purpose With the mission to advance marketers' ability to create value, the non-profit Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) develops revolutionary and award-winning models, frameworks, thought-leadership, and initiatives -- many spanning several years and millions of dollars -- to help CMOs confidently tackle their biggest challenges. All MMA Labs experiments and explorations provide proprietary and powerful insights and models. Dadwal said, "This rebranding is simply catching up to who MMA has already become." Founded in 2003 as the Mobile Marketing Association, the organization expanded its mission to broader marketing transformation in 2018 and formally changed its legal name to MMA Global, Inc. in 2022. Today's announcement cements that evolution. The repositioning includes a new purpose & mission, a complete brand message house, a naming hierarchy, a new logo, and brand guidelines. With more than 825 corporate members worldwide, representing hundreds of thousands of marketers, and $10's of billions in marketing spend, MMA's alliance is powered by action-oriented leaders who collaborate to take on the toughest challenges on the CMO agenda. For a list of MMA Global Board members, see below. Invested Millions to Improve Marketing's Impact Over the past several years, MMA has invested millions of dollars that have redefined marketing science and knowledge, operating across four global think tanks -- Measurement & Attribution (MATT), Marketing Org Strategy (MOSTT), AI Leadership (ALTT), and Data & Customer Experience (DATT): - Created the first-ever research method to measure the long-term sales contribution of brand marketing -- revealing a 7x incremental lift versus short-term campaign sales. (This alone was 5+ years and $3.5 million.) - Developed a breakthrough 'growth framework' that appears to double campaign impact, outperforming every other known segmentation model measured. - Conducted over two dozen AI-driven ad personalization experiments, yielding an average performance lift of +160% -- with an upper achievement of +272% in machine learning optimization. - Built the first organizational team measurement model that identifies which internal changes drive sales growth -- and which changes reduce sales. - Designed a financial formula for CMOs that directly connects marketing activity to enterprise value (now in final validation). - Disproved long-held myths through neuroscience research that time has zero relationship to advertising effectiveness (an otherwise commonly held belief). - And more "Our new branding reflects a truth we've demonstrated for years: we are an organization driven by and for the industry's leaders, committed to unlocking and proving marketing's biggest opportunities" said Rohit Dadwal, CEO of MMA APAC and Global Head of SMARTIES Worldwide. "We're not just talking about change; we're committed to adding proprietary knowledge and delivering revolutionary models that address the biggest, unanswered questions. This positioning makes it clear that we are an alliance for those who push the entire enterprise to deliver proven, business-level impact. We know that when our partners implement the strategies and insights we provide, their companies will thrive. This rebranding is simply catching up to who we have already become." MMA runs more than 62 conferences worldwide annually in 16+ countries. Its flagship CMO & CEO Summit, now in its 15th year, achieved an 86% Net Promoter Score and drew more than 110 CMOs. In this new chapter, MMA is issuing a bold call to action to the industry: A Final Call to Action "If you have ideas or are doing work that can revolutionize how marketers create value, bring it to MMA," said Dadwal. "We'll test it, refine it, and make it real through our Think Tanks and Labs. This is your invitation to shape the next generation of marketing impact. This alliance is where breakthroughs begin. To learn more and join the Marketing + Media Alliance, visit https://mmaglobal.com/ About the Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) The Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) is the global, non-profit community of Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing leaders advancing marketers' ability to create value. Led by CMOs and supported by the entire ecosystem at the governance level -- including brands, media, agencies, consultancies, AdTech, and MarTech -- MMA develops evidence-based models, frameworks, and tools validated through multi-year, multi-million-dollar Think Tanks and Labs. Operating currently across four global think tanks -- Marketing Attribution (MATT), Marketing Org Strategy (MOSTT), AI Leadership (ALTT), Data & CX (DATT), and more to come; MMA tackles marketing's most challenging unanswered questions and translates findings into applied practices that are guaranteed to increase enterprise value. Headquartered in New York City, with operations in 16 countries across APAC, Europe, MEA, LATAM, and North America, MMA has more than 825 corporate members who gather at 62+ MMA conferences worldwide, and flagship gatherings in the APAC, including MMA Innovate, CEO&CMO Summit, MMA Executive Dialogues, SMARTIES Unplugged, MMA IMPACT and MMA SMARTIES. Learn more at https://mmaglobal.com/ The Marketing + Media includes the world's most influential marketers and partners, including Unilever, P&G, Grab, McDonalds, Coca Coala, Google, TikTok, Facebook, Diageo, Mondelez, Heineken, Pepsi, Perfetti, Affle, Emtek Group Indonesia, GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, Mayora, Godrej, Reliance - and many more. About Lafayette American Lafayette American is a Cannes Lion, D&AD, and Gold EFFIE award-winning independent ad and design agency based in Detroit, MI. L|A specializes in creative strategy, design, and content for ambitious brands. The agency has worked with Ford, Netflix, Amazon, Google, Mazda, Deel, iHeartMedia, Chewy, Merrell, StockX, Spotify, Owens Corning, Borg Warner, McClures, Kodiak, Goldbug, and more. It recently launched a specialized cultural marketing arm called GLAM Ar MMA APAC Board of Directors: Regional Executive CommitteeChina: Bessie Lee, Chief Executive Officer, Greater China, JLLIndia: Amit Jain, MMA India Board Chair; Chairman, Sanofi Consumer HealthcareVietnam: Venus Teoh Kim Wei, Executive Vice President Marketing & MMA Co-Chairs, Suntory Pepsico VietnamIndonesia: Catherine Hindra Sutjahyo, Vice President Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, GoToChair Emeritus: Ashutosh Srivastava, Founder and Chairman, Veros Ventures Pte LtdMMA: Rohit Dadwal, CEO, Marketing + Media Alliance APAC | Global Head of SMARTIES WW and BOD Asia Pacific, MMA APAC Board of DirectorsRishi Bedi, Managing Director, APAC, OguryLex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, SAPMENA Region, L'Oreal GroupeDhiren Amin, Chief Customer Officer, Income Insurance APACSapna Chadha, MMA India Board Member; Vice President, Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, Google Asia PacificSean Cheng, Managing Director (E-Commerce) and Chief Omnichannel Officer, FairPrice GroupRicha Goswami, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Fidelity International SingaporeBenjamin Joe, Vice President, Southeast Asia and Emerging Markets, MetaKen Mandel, Regional Managing Director & Head of GrabAds and Enterprise, GrabAdsVishnu Mohan, Chairman, Avyan Holdings - Partner & Chief Executive Officer, DEPTJosephine Tan VP, APAC Digital Hub, DiageoSimon Morgan, Vice President, Client Development, APAC, The Trade DeskDirk E.G van Motman, Founder & Chair, UN:venturesJulie Nestor, Executive Vice President, Head of Marketing and Communications, Asia Pacific, MastercardMargot Torres, Managing Director, McDonald's PhilippinesAmrita Randhawa, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore & Southeast Asia, Publicis GroupeVenkatram Pattabhiraman (Venkat), Senior Vice President - Analytics & Insights| Digital Marketing & Media | Commercial Leader, Procter & Gamble AsiaSindhuja Rai, Chief Client Officer, APMEA, WPP MediaJoe Nguyen, Senior Strategic Advisor, H+D Shivakumar, Operating Partner, Advent International (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) State Rep. Douglas Wozniak (R-Shelby Twp.) testifying in front of the House Committee on Families and Veterans. Oct. 21, 2025 | Screenshot A House Concurrent Resolution put forth by State Rep. Douglas Wozniak (R-Shelby Twp.) would call for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to direct administrating agencies to track their efforts to reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs. ACEs, including abuse, neglect and household instability, are among the most significant predictors of lifelong health and social outcomes, Wozniak said in a hearing on the resolution in the House Committee on Families and Veterans. Nearly 70% of Michigan adults report at least one ACE and one in five report four or more. These experiences are directly linked to higher rates of depression, chronic disease and substance use disorder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Addressing ACEs isnt just about compassion, its about effective governance and long term cost savings, he continued. In the hearing, Wozniak also clarified that the resolution, HCR 1, is specifically targeted towards educational agencies in response to a question from Rep. Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn). What were trying to do with this resolution is establish trust but verify to make sure that the programs are working the way theyre supposed to. Each school should have some type of social community director that can talk about these, Wozniak explained. When we have a conversation with the child, we try and make sure that theyre going to go on the right path, he added. Thats why we want to verify exactly how this can be taken care of and not have finger pointing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lisa Farnum, the managing director for the Michigan Association of Health Plans foundation, presented alongside Wozniak at the hearing. She spotlighted the Dearborn veterans treatment courts as a success story of trauma-informed support. These results mirror what our ACEs training promotes statewide, Farnum said. When systems are trauma-informed and relationship-centered, individuals are more likely to recover, reengage and thrive. Programs like this demonstrate the real world impact of HCR 1s vision, building a Michigan that leads with resilience, understanding and hope. Wozniak also noted that, since the resolution directs the governor to take executive action on the issue, following the 2026 gubernatorial election, he would contact the current governor at that point and make sure that theyre aware of the resolution and keep going forward with it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The man convicted of killing 21-year-old Katelyn Markham more than 14 years ago, now seeking an early release from prison, has yet to explain the how and why of his fiancee's 2011 disappearance and death, according to the Butler County prosecutor. In a two-page motion filed on Oct. 20, Prosecutor Mike Gmoser outlined his office's reasoning for opposing 37-year-old John Carter's early release from prison, saying that despite Carter's admission to the killing, many unanswered questions remain. "When will (Carter) tell what he did, how he did it and why he did it?" Gmoser wrote. He added that Carter should serve the entirety of his sentence. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser enters the courtroom prior to the arraignment of John Carter in Butler County Common Pleas Court in March 2023. Carter pleaded guilty in June 2024 to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to three years in prison, the maximum prison term under the guilty plea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He filed a motion in Butler County Common Pleas Court on Oct. 15 seeking judicial release a form of early release granted by a judge that transitions qualifying offenders who have not completed their full prison sentences to probation. The court filing states that Carter "has worked extremely hard at being a 'model-inmate,'" citing the autonomy he has been granted as a prison porter and his work mentoring other inmates. He has served a little more than a year of his sentence and is asking the court to hold an evidentiary hearing before ruling on whether to grant him early release. Prosecutor opposes Carter's early release due to lack of answers Gmoser wrote that Carter has shown no remorse, nor has he apologized to Markham's family since admitting to the killing. He added that the only slight explanation for what happened to Markham came from Carter's trial attorney, who said, "It was because of their relationship." In his court filing, the prosecutor also insinuated that Carter is protecting another person involved in the crime. John Carter sits during his sentencing Butler County Common Pleas Court for the disappearance and death of Katelyn Markham. "He must know that without the truth of his criminality, he can expect to go through life wherever he may go and be asked all the questions he has refused to answer," Gmoser wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Markham went missing from her Fairfield home in April 2011. After nearly two years of friends, family and law enforcement searching for her, Markham's skeletal remains were found by a couple gathering aluminum cans near a creek off Big Cedar Road in Cedar Grove, Indiana. Her death was ruled a homicide, but the cause of death was never established. Prosecutors said Markham had "knife wounds" to her wrist bone. The homicide investigation eventually changed hands from the Fairfield Police Department to the Butler County Sheriffs Office after Markhams family successfully lobbied in 2015 for the case to be re-examined. Katelyn Markham of Fairfield disappeared in 2011 and her body was found 20 months later by a couple looking for aluminum cans near an Indiana creek. After months of investigation, the sheriffs office announced they had a "strong singular person of interest but not enough evidence to pursue charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January 2020, the Butler County Prosecutors Office launched its own investigation and gathered enough evidence to indict Carter on murder charges in March 2023. Among those pieces of evidence were cryptic notes about the homicide investigation, drawings of an angel in the woods and poetry about death and killing, investigators said. However, the case lacked other crucial forms of evidence, including a confession, DNA, fingerprints, or a murder weapon. Prosecutor wants hearing on early release motion, says 3 years is 'not enough' Gmoser told The Enquirer that he agrees with statements from Markham's family that a three-year sentence is too short for the crime committed. "It's horrible," he said. "It's not enough." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that he wants a court hearing on Carter's early release motion, so the prosecutor's office can present its arguments and evidence. "This falls into the realm of be careful what you wish for," Gmoser said. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutor to fight early release of man who killed Katelyn Markham (NewsNation) In New York City, a tense standoff erupted in Chinatown after an ICE operation targeting Lower Manhattan. Protesters, some masked, clashed with federal immigration officers as several arrests were made on Canal Street. Video shows agents detaining a man and shoving him into a white van. The NYPD said it was not involved in the federal operation and that the protests appeared to be spontaneous as crowds gathered when ICE agents arrived in military-style convoys. NewsNation correspondent Jessica Kartalija was on the ground in Lower Manhattan as multiple protesters were arrested. It is unclear if any persons suspected of illegally residing in the United States were detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to NewsNation local affiliate WPIX, ICE operations ostensibly began near Canal Street between Church and Broadway. ICE operation in NYC leads to protest, several arrests An impromptu protest occurred as ICE officers attempted to make arrests on Canal Street, where migrants suspected of entering the country illegally often sell fake luxury goods. Tensions rose between the protesters and ICE officers on Lafayette and Canal Street, with multiple people arrested, including one masked protester who was seen pushing federal officers. Democrats demand answers for more US citizens being detained by DHS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hard to believe that this is Manhattan, and its 2025, and it looks like a war zone out here. People are masked up. Theyre not showing their faces. Its just so incredibly divisive. And regardless of what your view is, its a difficult situation, Kartalija said on NewsNation Now at the height of the clashes. Two protesters threw themselves in front of oncoming vehicles, with one of them, a male, taken into custody. ICE officers used zip ties as a means of detaining individuals. A female witness told NewsNation other protesters were being arrested for simply standing and using their First Amendment right to protest. Some protesters were shouting shame on you even after ICE agents left the scene. New York police were the remaining authorities on the scene, who were being yelled at following ICEs departure from the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighbors shaken after apparent task force arrest in Memphis People are angry with us for covering this; theres just a lot of anger overall, Kartalija said. Theyre just so angry. Ive never seen people just so emotional about all of this. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Community members are invited to a public hearing on Tuesday night to weigh in on a proposal to make repairs and upgrades to one of Providences most historic roadways, dubbed the Mile of History. In June, Mile of History Association took its proposal to improve Benefit Streets sidewalks to the Providence City Council Finance Committee, where councilors were divided about the project. The private non-profit organization said it was estimated to cost up to $6.2 million and asked the city to finance the project through one or more loans from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While some said the intention of the project was good, they expressed concerns with the optics of investing millions in only one part of the city, in addition to doing so at a time when the citys finances were tight. The city was in a difficult financial situation ahead of this current fiscal year as the result of a multimillion dollar settlement with the R.I. Department of Education, which controls Providence Public Schools. Supporters argue the project is not just an East Side issue, and that Benefit Street is a citywide cultural asset, in addition to being one of the citys most visible national landmarks that is a tourism driver. Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO Kristen Adamo wrote in a June letter of support that the bureau looked at visitation to the street during a one-year span and found that 38% of visitors reported they lived outside of Rhode Island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As you know, we book more than 250 meetings, conventions and sporting events into the market annually. Many of those visitors are looking for something to do for a few hours that really tells them a little bit about Providence, Adamo wrote. They often choose our popular walking tour of Benefit Street. In June, some members of the Finance Committee said fixing and maintaining sidewalks was one of the top issues in their respective wards, and were hesitant to dole out millions of dollars to fix sidewalks in just one area of the city. TARGET 12: Over 7,500 requests for Providence sidewalk repairs tracked in city database In 2023, Target 12 reported that Providence has a list of thousands of complaints dating back years. Mayor Brett Smiley has previously acknowledged the city has not kept the pace with repairs, but that his administration is making efforts to make a dent in the backlog. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesdays hearing before the Finance Committee gets underway at 5:30 p.m. at Providence City Hall, on the third floor inside the council chambers. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. 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. The upcoming election for Georgias Public Service Commission could impact monthly power bills as voters decide between two Republican incumbents and their Democratic challengers. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The election, which was delayed due to legal challenges, features two seats open for statewide voting. Early voting has already begun, with Election Day set for Nov. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The candidates have differing views on how to manage Georgias future electricity needs amid growing demands from data centers. We have an excellent energy mix here in the state of Georgia, said Republican Commissioner Fitz Johnson, emphasizing a diverse approach that includes nuclear, coal, natural gas, and renewables. Democratic challenger Peter Hubbard advocates for a transition to clean energy, stating, We need to make the transition to clean energy, which will help to lower power bills and help to clean up the air, land, and water, and importantly, the public health. Tim Echols, another Republican commissioner, argues that data centers will not cause an increase in base rates and warns against reducing utility profits to maintain reliability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Id rather have people fuss at me about the bills than fuss at for California-style rolling brownouts, he said. Alicia Johnson, a Democratic challenger, calls for regulations on data centers and increased use of renewables. She suggests measures like requiring data centers to implement on-site resources for efficiency, such as battery storage and solar arrays. Its a scare tactic. Again, the Public Service Commissions primary job is to regulate utilities. And to balance that with consumer protections, and weve just not seen that, Johnson said. Putting some guardrails on data centers and their demand and on our current resources and so that looks like them having to be required some on-site resources for efficiency, like storage, battery storage, the use of renewables, maybe solar arrays or solar on the rooftops, so theyre returning credits, not just extracting them from our grid. As Georgians head to the polls, the outcome of the Public Service Commission election will shape the states energy policy and potentially affect power bills for years to come. For more information on the statewide special election, click here. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Three judges have requested that their home addresses and spouse's work address be removed from their election campaign finance reports. (Getty Images) Four attorneys who used to lead local public defender offices are suing the Louisiana government and the state public defender over their terminations. They allege Gov. Jeff Landrys administration interfered with a state board review of their work contracts and contributed to them losing their jobs. The termination of the Plaintiffs is primarily the result of the unlawful actions of a single person, the Louisiana State Public Defender, Remy Voisin Starns with the complicity of the recently installed majority of the Louisiana State Public Defender Oversight Board, at least some of whom were apparently hand-picked solely to support Starns illegal terminations of these contractual relationships, wrote Rick Schroeder and Stephen Haedicke, New Orleans attorneys representing the dismissed public defenders, in a legal brief filed in East Baton Rouge Parish Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorneys suing for unspecified damages include Michelle AndrePont, Brett Brunson, John Hogue and Trisha Ward. AndrePont, Brunson and Ward ran public defender services in Caddo, Natchitoches and Evangeline parishes, respectively. Hogue oversaw public defense for East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes. Those being sued include the Louisiana Office of the State Public Defender, Louisiana State Public Defender Oversight Board and Starns, both as an individual and in his professional capacity as the state public defender. Starns first became the state public defender in 2020, when Gov. John Bel Edwards was in office, and was reappointed to the position by Landry last year. Starns could not be reached via text or call to his cellphone Monday, and a message left at this state office went unreturned. Landrys office and Jeffrey Hufft, chairman of the Louisiana State Public Defender Oversight Board, also could not be reached Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit is the latest escalation in a nearly two-year battle between Starns and the former chief public defenders who disagreed with him publicly. Starns declined to renew the plaintiffs one-year public defender contracts after the attorneys had pushed back on his plan to gain more authority over the public defender systems finances and change the pay scale for chief public defenders. The four plaintiffs have nearly 100 years combined of public defense experience, and none of them ever received a problematic audit or performance review while running their public defender offices, according to their lawsuit. They allege Starns has never provided the required just cause for their terminations and, instead, did not renew their contracts because of his personal animosity toward them. In previous statements, Starns has said he did not need a just cause to decline to renew the contracts. In 2024, the terminated attorneys all publicly testified against legislation that would have transferred nearly all authority over the state public defender system from an appointed state board to Starns as the state public defender. After hearing opposition from the plaintiffs and several other public defense experts, state legislators pulled back from the proposal Starns had backed. They allowed a state oversight board to keep control over the pay scale for chief public defenders, approve large contracts and review terminations of chief public defenders under certain circumstances. A few months later, Starns tried to get a newly appointed state public defender oversight board to agree to his preferred salary model for chief public defenders, who he has said are paid too much. The board rejected the proposal, in part because some of the plaintiffs testified their pay would be cut by thousands of dollars under the new model. Earlier this year, Starns came back to the Louisiana Legislature for a second time with bills that would have transferred control over chief public defender pay and terminations to his position. Lawmakers refused to move the bills, with state Rep. Vanessa LaFleur, D-Baton Rouge, calling the proposal a power grab. The plaintiffs lawsuit alleges inappropriate contact between Starns, the Landry administration and public defender oversight board members tasked with reviewing Starns decision to dismiss the attorneys. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A committee set up by the board to review their terminations violated the states open meetings laws by meeting in private, according to the lawsuit. White papers that contained misleading statements from Starns or his staff were also shared with oversight board members, but not the plaintiffs attorneys ahead of the boards vote over whether to uphold their terminations. Five of the nine board members who had to vote on the terminations were also replaced over a six-week period from late May to early July. In two instances, the board wasnt able to take a vote on whether it agreed with Starns decision to dismiss the plaintiffs because not enough members showed up to scheduled meetings to take a vote. The plaintiffs allege there was a coordinated plan to stack the Oversight Board with new members who would ignore the plain text of the law and just say yes to the [state public defender], the [attorney general], and ultimately the Governor. When the board finally voted, on July 7, to uphold Starns decision not to renew the plaintiffs contracts, the five board members who voted in favor of the terminations were all the newest members of the board with less than two months experience. The four board members who voted to block the terminations had longer tenures. The lawsuit alleges some new members of the board were told they had to vote in favor of the plaintiffs terminations in order to be appointed to the panel. Each new Board member was either encouraged or told to vote against the District Defenders and in favor of Mr. Starns position. Indeed, upon further information and belief, the appointments of at least some of these new Board members was dependent on the prospective members willingness to vote against the District Defenders and for Mr. Starns position, Schroeder and Haedicke wrote in the plaintiffs lawsuit. The outcome of the boards decision hinged on its newest member, attorney Medlock Harbison Jr. of Metairie, who has no experience with criminal law and was appointed by House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, to the board only a few hours before the vote took place, according to the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harbison, who was the fifth and deciding vote favoring the terminations, wore a visitors badge from the governors office on his lapel to the board vote that day. A staff member for the attorney generals office and a person who works for the governor, who are not named in the lawsuit, also wore similar visitor badges to the meeting, suggesting they had all been at a meeting together, Schroeder and Haedicke wrote. Harbison also offered the prewritten board resolution backing the plaintiffs terminations, which was eventually passed. The lawsuit says the action was an indication of meddling by the governors office. Confirming the collusive nature of the meeting in the Governors offices, the just-appointed-that-morning Board member immediately read a written prepared motion, which someone had drafted prior to the meeting and likely just handed to this new Board member, wrote Schroeder and Haedicke. The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Unseasonably warm weather helped attract a large crowd to the banks of the Piscataquog River for Goffstowns 24th annual Pumpkin Regatta on Sunday, a boat race with a unique twist. The participants took to the water on hollowed-out giant pumpkins, which they had decorated whimsically to suit the theme of this years regatta, Alice in Wonderland. For propulsion, the racers used paddles or onboard motors. Pumpkins are naturally buoyant, but the average pumpkin isnt nearly large enough to be used as a boat. Fortunately, the New Hampshire Giant Pumpkin Growers Associations annual weigh-off was held in Goffstown earlier in the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The weigh-off attracted farmers from across the state with some truly impressive yields. Some were larger than a person and weighed over 1,000 pounds. Once the insides of the pumpkins were carved out, they could easily be used as the frames of makeshift craft. This years regatta was a neck-and-neck race between Kristal Delahanty of Gotta Go Pet Care, dressed as the Cheshire Cat, and Zeb Groover of the Granite YMCA, dressed as the King of Hearts. Stephanie Ashworth of NH Job Corps was not far behind in third place. Ultimately, Delahanty won the race by a mere paddles length, tagging the goal post just before Groover and bringing home the gold first-place trophy. I couldnt feel my arms, but there was no way I was letting him win. Im way too competitive, Delahanty said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not all the vessels proved to be seaworthy, though. Foremost Builders entry started taking on water shortly after leaving the starting line, and the small motor on the Village Trestle's ship seemed to give out midway through. Other highlights from the weekend included Boisvert Brothers Tree Services using their crane to raise a 1,000-pound pumpkin some 200 feet above the river before dropping it into the water, creating a huge splash and launching pumpkin shell shards everywhere. On both Saturday and Sunday, local organizations and vendors had informational and sales booths set up along the streets of downtown Goffstown. The regatta is one of the annual community events organized by the Goffstown Main Street Program, a volunteer organization promoting the towns business district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Goffstown Main Street Program website, the organization seeks to help create a destination downtown that draws customers and fosters a vibrant local economy. Tina Lawton, board president of the Main Street Program, said the crowds have been getting bigger every year. She estimated that thousands of visitors came to Goffstown over the weekend. What I love most about who visits is how many Goffstown families organize family visits (family from other states) around the weekend of this event so they can attend the event together, Lawton said. Every year, we meet people coming from other states, and often other countries, who come just to attend the event. This year we met a couple who came from Florida just to see the event, Lawton continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Main Street Program announced on Monday that the Pumpkin Regatta took more than nine months of planning and was made possible through the involvement of more than 50 volunteers. zmarano@unionleader.com Editor's note 10/21/2025: One of the paddlers in the Pumpkin Regatta was incorrectly identified. Their name has been changed to Zeb Groover. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A gas leak closed a road in Las Cruces on Monday, Oct. 20, which resulted from a punctured gas line, according to the Las Cruces Fire Department. The Fire Department says they responded to South Telshor Boulevard and Foothills Road on Monday morning, in reference to a gas leak. The first arriving crew found a leak coming from a punctured gas line, and firefighters stopped immediate traffic in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crews provided suppression efforts as Las Cruces utilities performed repairs. Local businesses sheltered in place, the Fire Department said. No injuries were reported. No further information has been released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. AKRON, Ohio (WJW) The Akron Police Department is asking for the publics help identifying a group of juveniles involved in the theft of a puppy. According to police, the theft occurred on Oct. 12 in the 900 block of Berwin Street. Mother speaks out after remains identified as missing Stark County man: Some closure Investigators said a group of juveniles entered the yard and stole a Cane Corso puppy, then fled the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local high school football player seriously injured during game, remains in hospital Click here to see the suspect video from police. Courtesy: Akron Police Department Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Detective P. Williamson at 330-375-2464 or 330-375-2TIP. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in several ways: Call Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS. Text TIPSCO along with your tip to 274637. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Credit: The 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Marine Corps In a desperate bid for freedom, a group of Russian soldiers cram into a tiny boat and push off from a marshy islet in the Dnipro delta. Cloaked in makeshift camouflage made of reeds and mud, they lie low in the water, hoping the narrow channels will conceal their escape back towards Russian-occupied territory. But high above, Ukrainian troops are watching their every move. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon, the buzz of a suicide drone cuts through the mist. It swoops on the boat. And then it explodes. Credit: The 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Marine Corps This fleeting, brutal encounter captures the reality of life and death on the Dnipro river, where hundreds of Russian troops are reportedly stranded and starving on a chain of islands south of Kherson. The area is a death zone for Russia, Colonel Oleksandr Zavtonov of Ukraines 30th Marine Corps told The Telegraph. There is nowhere to hide. The islands lie in the sprawling Dnipro delta, a labyrinth of reed-covered marshes and narrow waterways that form a natural buffer south of Kherson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Ukrainian forces liberated the southern city in November 2022, the river has become a de facto front line. Its right bank is held by Ukraine and its low-lying, flood-prone left bank is occupied by Russian troops. Constant drone flights, artillery clashes and night raids have turned the area into one of the most perilous battlefields of the war, where advances are measured in metres and survival often depends on concealment and timing. Ukrainian intelligence suggests that 5,100 Russians have died in the delta since January of this year, with reports of soldiers starving to death because of the lack of supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prisoners that our fighters recently took on the islands talked about the inability to deliver food and drinking water to them, and they have to drink water from the river, said Colonel Zavtonov. Footage from the Dnipro delta has captured a haunting scene of tiny dinghies and makeshift boats making bids for freedom from heavily marshed areas, soldiers cloaking themselves in vegetation as they struggle to flee. In many cases, they are eliminated by the ever-watching Ukrainian drones. Credit: The 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Marine Corps Enemy advances are carried out by small groups that try to camouflage themselves a tactic not seen at the beginning of the war, explained Oksana Kuzan, head of the analytical department at the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian military units remaining on the islands in the Dnipro delta are facing serious problems with food, ammunition, and rotations. At a tactical level, the islands offer small teams the opportunity to gather intelligence or establish radio networks that increase unmanned aerial vehicle operational range. Drone flights, artillery clashes and night raids have turned the area into one of the most perilous battlefields of the war - Mstyslav Chernov/AP Compact, well-hidden units can use the islands for reconnaissance missions or forward observation posts. Controlling the water gives soldiers influence over river crossings, small boat movements, and potential enemy resupply routes. But the islands are low-lying and surrounded by open water, leaving troops visible and easy to target from the air or across the river. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is a large water area; there is nowhere to hide on the islands themselves, and the terrain is mostly swampy, and units passing through them will be too vulnerable, said Colonel Zavtonov. The islands are low-lying and surrounded by open water, leaving troops visible and easy to target There are reports that Russian soldiers have been forced to buy motors and boats out of their own pockets to try and make progress. John Hardie, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Russia programme, told The Telegraph that these conditions made resupply and troop rotations in the area an exceptionally difficult challenge for Russia. In general, at this stage in the war, moving to and from positions is among the most dangerous things you can do, so rotations tend to be infrequent, he said. Controlling the water gives soldiers influence over river crossings, small boat movements, and potential enemy resupply routes - Mstyslav Chernov/AP Some units of the 98th Airborne Division, redeployed from the Kramatorsk direction, are known to be operating on the islands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian marines from the 61st Separate Brigade were also reported to have landed on the islands in April, and have been deliberately kept on their positions for several months. On Oct 15, Russians tried to land their troops to rotate forces stationed on the islands of Kruhluy, Malyi, Bilogrudyi, and Oleksiyivskyi, and organise logistical support and establish observation posts, according to intelligence. But the attempt was disastrous. Ukrainian defenders hold the positions they have occupied; no losses or breakthroughs have been allowed, said Colonel Zavtonov. He noted that reconnaissance missions are carried about by Ukraine around the clock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Kuzan reported that in September, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 40th Separate Coastal Defence Brigade of the Ukrainian Naval Forces successfully destroyed Russian groups attempting to land on the Kherson regions shores using watercraft. Ukrainian troops carry out regular reconnaissance missions across the Dnipro river and its banks - Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images The Russians had pinned their hopes on stormy weather rain, thick fog, and fierce winds that blind drones on both sides to break through Ukrainian lines. The enemy is trying to operate in small groups of infantry, counting on the effect of surprise. This is facilitated by rain, fog and strong wind, which complicates the work of drones on both sides, explained Colonel Zavtonov. But we are always watching. With winter closing in, Ukrainian officials warn the front could become even deadlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commander Dmytro Pletenchuk of the Ukrainian Navy told The Telegraph that Russians were constantly trying to take control of the islands, regardless of the losses of their servicemen. The islands, like any other territory of Ukraine, are important. If you let the Russians capture some territory, they will definitely move on, he said. But those Russians who gain a foothold on the islands do not survive for long. 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. PRNewswire Singapore, October 21: Shimadzu Asia Pacific joins the global celebration of Shimadzu Corporation's 150th anniversary, marking a century and a half of pioneering innovations that have shaped science, technology, and healthcare worldwide. "As we celebrate 150 Years of Innovation, we remain committed to contributing to society through science and technology. Together with our partners, customers, and employees, we will continue developing solutions that address key challenges and create value across Asia Pacific and beyond," said Prem Anand, Managing Director of Shimadzu Asia Pacific. 150 Years of Science, Healthcare, and Innovation Shimadzu's long history of innovation includes more than 9,000 patents, reinforcing its leadership in precision instrumentation. The company has also developed over 50 AI-powered features across its analytical and medical systems, including the world's first robot-compatible autonomous laboratory system with LC-MS and the first AI-driven algorithm for chromatography peak detection, Peakintelligence. Beyond AI, Shimadzu continues to push boundaries with the high-precision optical lattice clock, which is the most accurate timekeeper ever developed and deviates by just one second over 30 billion years. The clock has real-world applications in earthquake detection, volcanic monitoring, and underground exploration. Asia is entering what many call the Asian Century, marked by economic growth and technological development. Shimadzu Asia Pacific is supporting this progress with the opening of its first analytical factory in Bengaluru, India, in 2027. The factory will be Shimadzu's first in the Asia Pacific region to produce mass spectrometers (MS), along with diverse range of advanced analytical instruments, including liquid chromatography (LC), gas chromatography (GC), and ultraviolet-visible (UV) spectrophotometers. Partnerships in Healthcare and Inclusive Growth Shimadzu Asia Pacific continues to advance healthcare through strategic partnerships, including the Singapore General Hospital-Shimadzu Personomics Centre, which is driving progress in personalized treatment; Shimadzu-Changi General Hospital Clinomics Centre (SC3) for LCMS-based hypertension testing; and the DxD Hub Diagnomics Centre. The company is equally committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, demonstrated through several community initiatives in Singapore, such as the 'Love Our Seniors' programme, blood donation drives, and waterway clean-ups. Regionally, 150 employees have pledged in 2025 to participate in these activities, symbolically marking Shimadzu's 150th anniversary. Building on its history of technological innovation, Shimadzu will continue to contribute to advances in health, sustainability, and science in the years ahead. For more information about Shimadzu Asia Pacific's 150th anniversary activities, please visit https://www.shimadzu.com.sg/an/news/150-anniversary-celebration.html About Shimadzu Asia Pacific Established in 1989, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) proudly serves as the Asia headquarters for Shimadzu Corporation, a global leader in Analytical & Measuring Instruments and Medical Systems. Backed by 150 years of innovation, the company delivers leading-edge technologies, end-to-end solutions, and exceptional after-sales services, staying true to its mission to contribute to society through science and technology. With a dedicated workforce of over 500 employees across 5 subsidiaries in India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and a presence in more than 18 countries, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) is dedicated to meeting diverse customer needs. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2796707/Photo_1_Shimadzu_India_Manufacturing.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2796708/Photo_2_Prem_Managing_Director_Shimadzu_Asia_Pacific.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) Putnam County Common Pleas Court Oct. 14 Hunter Bradshaw, 25, Findlay, was placed on five years community control for non support of dependents. He must maintain employment, comply with all orders of the child support enforcement agency and successfully complete all counseling and treatment recommended. The civil case involving Skutch-Arlow Group, Toledo, against Grammer Americas, LLC, Delphos, was dismissed. Each side to bear their own costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oct. 15 The case involving Justin M. Hyde, 34, Lima, charged with theft, was dismissed. The divorce case involving Corey Dunlap, Spencerville, against Samantha Dunlap, Columbus Grove, was dismissed. New Cases Huntington National Bank, Columbus, v. Thomas Momenee, Continental, and Jennifer Momenee, Continental; foreclosure. Gina Kreinbrink, Kalida, and David Cooper, Kalida; dissolution of marriage without children. Putnam County Municipal Court dispositions Oct. 9 Sean D. Shaffer, 27, Leipsic, pleaded guilty to third-offense OVI. Sentence: Six points, 360 days jail, 180 days suspended, $1,500 fine, $460 suspended, five-year license suspension, and complete an alcohol and drug assessment. Charges of points, penalties & appeals and failure to control were dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew D. Ream, 43, Columbus Grove, pleaded guilty to littering. Sentence: 10 days jail, suspended, $500 fine. Anthony M. Stanford, 31, Ottawa, was fined $150 for driving without a valid license. Oct. 10 Octavio Garcia Acevedo, 30, Wauseon, was fined $150 for driving without a valid license, $60 for open container, $50 for mufflers, excessive smoke, gas, noise, and $50 for restriction for obscuring vision. He is to be arraigned Oct. 30 on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon. Maria G. Gayton Hurtrio, 29, Columbus, pleaded guilty to driving without a valid license. Sentence: 20 days jail. She also pleaded guilty to falsification. Sentence: 20 days jail, to be served concurrently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oct. 14 Guillermo Paniagua, III, 41, Leipsic, pleaded guilty to violating a protection order. Sentence: 180 days jail, suspended, $250 fine. A charge of aggravated menacing was dismissed. Dawn M. Averesch, 49, Continental, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of unauthorized use of property and was found guilty. Sentence: 30 days jail, suspended, $250 fine. Anthony C. Roman, 24, Leipsic, was fined $100 for driving under suspension and court costs for display of plates. Oct. 15 Sinthya A. Pulgarin Alonso, Leipsic, was fined $150 for driving without a valid license. Elicia M. Fagan, 30, Leipsic, was fined $150 for failure to reinstate license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oct. 16 Michael S. Perry, 32, Bryan, was ordered to pay court costs for out of state suspension. He was found to have the means to pay the costs of the legal services rendered and was ordered to reimburse the county up to the amount of $250 for legal representation. Hilton Bernard, 24, Lima, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of criminal mischief. Sentence: 30 days jail, suspended, $150 fine. Patricia A. Agner, 77, Ottawa, was fined $150 for stopped school bus. Abbygail R. Hardy, 41, Leipsic, was fined $250 for stopped school bus. Julia C. Leatherman, 22, Leipsic, was fined $100 for unauthorized/tampering reg/plates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anthony C. Roman, 24, Leipsic, was fined $100 for driving under FRA/noncompliance suspension. Haley S. Mekus, 29, Holgate, was fined $150 for driving under FRA/noncompliance suspension. Anthony M. Stanford, 31, Ottawa, was fined $150 for driving without a valid license. Nevaeh M. Marshall, 18, Lima, was fined $150 for driving without a valid license. Putnam County Municipal Court judgments Oct. 15 Village of Ottawa, default judgment v. Anthony A. Hazelton, Ottawa, and Kelli A. Hazelton, Ottawa, $2,198.42, plus interest and costs. JP Morgan Chase Bank, Wilmington, Del., consent judgment v. Jody Brannon, Pandora, $10,374.30, plus costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oct. 16 LVNV Funding, LCC, Plymouth, Minn., default judgment v. Nicholas Hazelton, Ottawa, $1,091.61, plus interest and costs. Velocity Investments, LLC, Wall, N.J., consent judgment v. Kimberly Blankenship, Kalida, $1,282.80, plus interest and costs. (The Center Square) - School cell phone bans are sweeping the nation, and with a Senate bill waiting for a vote, Pennsylvania may be the next state to act. The Senate Education Committee convened Tuesday for a hearing with educators, policymakers, and even students to discuss the practicality and wisdom of taking tech out of kids hands throughout the school day. With a mental health crisis among children and widespread reports from teachers exhausted by the task of policing students distracted by phones in the classroom, the question of why the state should ban phones in school needed little elaboration. There was strong consensus about the negative impacts of phones in schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The panelists talked about the stress and dysregulation students experience receiving constant notifications from smart devices throughout the day, the pressures of social media, and the threat of cyber bullying. They noted that teenagers especially find it all too easy to check out rather than engage in face-to-face social interactions. There are downsides, however, to taking phones away. Parents have said that with the threat of school shootings and other emergencies, they want their kids to be able to contact them at any time. There are also always exceptions to be made, from 504 plans to translation apps to illness in the family. Even with these concerns in mind, no one who spoke argued against some form of limitations on technology, including student testifiers. Its the how that brought up differing viewpoints among experts and legislators. Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Pittsburgh, said she wasnt prepared to enforce a full ban considering the importance of learning to live with cell phones in students future academic and professional lives. She highlighted some districts choice to limit younger students entirely while integrating technology into high school classrooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students may be going into spaces where they use them on the job and want to not be distracted by them, said Williams. We all have our phones up here, and theres a way to use them that is appropriate. To that end, 425 of the states 500 school districts already have cell phone policies in place. Several testifiers argued for broad state policy that would allow local communities to have a voice in the shaping of cell phone bans. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association has developed policy guides that districts are able to adapt to suit their particular needs. Any legislation proposed or enacted needs to provide school entities with clear guidance on what is expected or required of them, said Laura Morton, director of Policy Services at PSBA. Legislation should also provide school entities with flexibility to allow locally elected school leaders to make decisions regarding electronic devices which best suit their school communities. Others advocate for a statewide bell-to-bell policy, meaning students are explicitly prohibited from using phones from the moment school begins till the moment it ends. Among them is the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the commonwealths largest public sector union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are very eager to work with the prime sponsors and this committee to help make this a reality, said PSEA President Aaron Chapin. How possession is restricted, we do believe should be decided by the individual school entities. Methods used and proposed for those restrictions include everything from locked bags that students maintain in their possession to handing in cell phones to school staff in the morning and retrieving them at the end of the day. Each method has its pros, cons, and workarounds, which students have already demonstrated by breaking phones free or turning in spares while concealing a preferred device. Early reports from states where bans have been enacted are mixed. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that Black students disproportionately received suspensions when Floridas ban went into effect, but the numbers appear to have leveled out. The finding underscores potential disparities between how and why cell phones are used in different communities, further raising concerns about blanket rules. On the other hand, Florida reported higher test scores and fewer unexcused absences since the ban. In fact, the state has expanded its prohibition to lower grade students since first issuing it. Ohio also moved from requiring local districts to develop restrictions to a statewide prohibition. New York has enacted a bell-to-bell ban, which began at the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for the students? They are as aware as anyone about the pitfalls of school phone use, but, two testifying high school students agreed, they want to be part of the conversation. Danville High School sophomore Atticus Mitchell told the committee, I think that students should know that the government works for them - not at them - and that their thoughts really do matter within policy making. Boston 25 Investigative reporter Ted Daniel speaks with attorney and legal analyst Peter Tragos, @Lawyeryouknow, about former State Trooper Michael Proctor withdrawing his appeal to get his job back with the Massachusetts State Police after the Norfolk District Attorneys Office found substantial data on his personal phone, dating back 13 years. Q: Ted Daniel: This phone data is not coming from federal investigators, like in the Karen Read case. Its a new download of Proctors phone that was ordered in state court A: Peter Tragos: Right, not one judge, but two judges have seen fit to order this download, with the second judge actually expanding what was going to be appropriately taken from Proctors phone and considered here. Now the prosecutors are looking through whats discoverable, whats exculpatory, as they continue to work through it. Proctor, and his defense attorney, made representations that there wouldnt be much there because he got a new phone, and it was on auto-delete every 30 days. Yet, in the states notice, they said that it is a huge data dumphundreds of thousands of documents or pictures or text messages or whatever it is theyre categorizing theredating back to 2013. This kind of new information that contradicts previous statements can drastically change the way a lawyer looks at a case, or in this instance, why a client might drop an appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Q: Ted Daniel: Has the Norfolk DAs office started turning over the new information to defense attorneys? A: Peter Tragos: Yes. Theyre turning at least some of that over to the defense as they continue to work through it. It seems like they have already found information they believe to be discoverable that theyve sent over to Myles Kings defense team. It doesnt seem like they have found anything yet that theyre going to send to Brian Walshs team, but it seems like there are additional cases above and beyond the King and the Walsh case where they are finding information that they feel is discoverable. Q: Ted Daniel: If more damaging information comes out from Michael Proctors phone, do you expect it will likely come through one of the cases that he worked thats still awaiting trial? A: Peter Tragos: That would be my guess, right? Thats the most logical way for these texts to come out in the public recordduring a trial, during a filing that Michael Proctor said X, Y, and Z and we plan to attack the investigation for these reasons. Defense attorneys can continue to use that against everything Michael Proctor has touched from now until, it sounds like, at least 2013. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Q: Ted Daniel: Could this new information impact cases that have already gone through the court system and people who may be in prison? A: Peter Tragos: Its possible. Its very difficult to get cases like that reopened, especially if certain deadlines have passed. But new information like this is absolutely possible that something could be found in his phone that somebody thats sitting in prison right now would take issue with and at least try to reopen their case, to reopen their appeal and try to fight for justice. Every piece of fruit that came from the Proctor tree from 2013 could absolutely be filled with poison based on what we already know and what the reports are coming out about these text messages. It doesnt mean that all these people will walk free... but it does mean that there are major issues for the prosecutor to work with now and everything Proctor has ever touched. Q: Ted Daniel: Could others be implicated? A: Peter Tragos: I really think the only thing that were really waiting to see is how bad are these text messages and who else is involved. Thats something Im really interested in is what other officers were on these text chains. Are they supervisors? Are they decision makers? Did they ratify it? Is this not just one poisonous tree, but are there multiple poisonous trees that will extend from here? Will we have more cell phone downloads? Will we have more extractions based on other text message conversations or group chats that Michael Proctor was involved in? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 Cannabis Control Commissioners seen during the panel's monthly meeting on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. Left to right are Robert Jacquard, Chairperson Kimberly Ahern and Layi Oduyingbo. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Rhode Islands cannabis regulators could begin awarding new retail licenses to prospective business owners eager to join the states budding market as early as May 2026. Thats according to a timeline the Cannabis Control Commission voted 2-1 to adopt on Monday. The timeline sets the pace for officials to review applications for the states 24 available retail licenses after the application deadline on Dec. 29, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its clear to me that we need to do a better job forecasting what the next months look like after the application portal closes at the end of this calendar year, Commission Chairperson Kimberly Ahern said. We have never shared what 2026 held. Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the states Cannabis Office will have 90 days to review applications and verify that each meets eligibility qualifications before being placed in a lottery. The timeline builds in at least 60 days to allow applicants to secure approvals at the local level in order to qualify for random selection, Ahern said. Ahern said the intention is to begin the lottery selection process in the second quarter of 2026, likely in May. I want to add that we reserve the right to delay this process depending on several external factors outside our control, Ahern said. For example, if we receive thousands of applications, it will be hard for us to do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Monday, no retail applications have been submitted to the states cannabis office, spokesperson Charon Rose told Rhode Island Current after the meeting. The Cannabis Control Commission logo seen on in the corner of a presentation given by commission staff on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Objections on getting ducks in a row Commissioner Robert Jacquard, the lone vote against regulators review timeline, argued that allowing businesses to secure local zoning approvals after the application deadline is unfair to those who met the requirements on time. If an applicant is better prepared, better financed, got an earlier start, I think thats important, he said. We have had our regulations out for a good amount of time, people were well-warned that there would not be any extensions beyond the deadlines that were set. Those same feelings were shared by many of the members of Rhode Islands cannabis industry who attended the meeting within the Public Utilities Commissions office building in Warwick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of us have invested significant time and money securing compliant locations, paying for rent, purchasing properties, and obtaining special use and zoning permits, Karen Ballou, owner of CultivatingRI, told commissioners. I recognize some municipalities have made it difficult for applications to meet certain requirements, but that should not penalize those who have successfully navigated the process. Business owners awarded medical cannabis licenses have faced setbacks opening in Woonsocket and Foster amid disputes with local officials and property owners, causing them to miss the states initial nine-month deadline to begin operations. And not every town is willing to have a cannabis retailer. In 2022, voters in six communities Barrington, East Greenwich, Jamestown, Little Compton, Scituate, and Smithfield rejected allowing retail pot shops within their borders. Ballou said if regulators really need to give some applicants more time to get all their needed material together, those businesses should be subject to a second lottery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sasha Gorski, co-owner of the cultivation company Talaria, agreed, saying the 60-day window to secure local zoning permits after the application deadline shouldnt apply to general retail applicants. It hurts to be punished for being ahead, she said. But others in the room argued the commissions review timeline helps to create a sense of fairness as the retail industry starts to grow in Rhode Island. Applicants need breathing room to go through the proper channels, Emma Karnes, an organizer for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 238, told the commission. I think we all want a healthy pool of applicants. We all want a reasonably accessible application process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of us have invested significant time and money securing compliant locations, paying for rent, purchasing properties, and obtaining special use and zoning permits. Karen Ballou, owner of CultivatingRI Karnes said many applicants seeking social equity and worker cooperative licenses may not have the same resources and capital as other prospective business owners. Such is the case for Alexa Goodrich-Houska, who is seeking to open the Living Room Cannabis Cooperative somewhere in Zone 1, which includes the communities of Burrillville, Cumberland, Glocester, North Smithfield, Smithfield, and Woonsocket. We dont have trust funds, we dont have big corporate backers, Goodrich-Houska said. Documentation alone can take four to 12 months and around $50,000 to know if we can even get a license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats on top of the $7,500 application fee, a yearly $30,000 licensing fee that all cannabis retailers face though that application fee will be waived for the first year for approved social equity applicants. Ahern acknowledged industry members concerns and continued frustration over new licenses not yet being issued, but reminded them it was never going to be a rubber stamp process. We expect a very robust, thorough process, she said. That was never going to be done overnight, that was never going to be done in a few weeks. Under the 2022 act that legalized recreational cannabis, the commission can offer 24 new licenses to retailers, with six reserved for social equity applicants and another six reserved for worker-owned cooperatives. All recreational licenses will be spread throughout six geographic zones, with a maximum of four stores per zone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Applicants have up to 60 days to demonstrate they have final zoning approval from the municipality where they intend to operate their business a provision Ahern said was included partly because of the commissions slow rollout in getting potential social equity applicants certified. Applicants need breathing room to go through the proper channels. I think we all want a healthy pool of applicants. We all want a reasonably accessible application process. Emma Karnes, an organizer for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 238 The commission in late August opened the initial screening process for social equity applicants, defined as prospective retailers owned or mostly staffed by those adversely affected by the war on drugs. After the certification deadline closed on Sept. 29, the commission reported 94 potential applicants for the states six social equity licenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beginning Monday, screened applicants were expected to receive letters informing them if they meet the states social equity criteria. Prospective applicants who dont initially meet the commissions requirements will have 10 additional days to prove they qualify as social equity applicants. Regulations approved by the commission earlier in the year require that social equity applicants have at least 51% ownership and control by individuals directly impacted by past cannabis laws or economic disparities, or a minimum of 10 full-time employees that meet the same criteria. Qualifying factors include convictions for nonviolent cannabis offenses or residency in disproportionately impacted areas which can be determined by federal poverty level, unemployment rate, the number of students in a free school lunch program, and historic arrest rates by census tract. Final certification is expected to be approved by the commission some time in November. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX For two years, New York's Central Synagogue had an Israeli flag draped over a chair to represent hostages held in the Israel-Hamas war. Over the weekend, the flag was folded to symbolize their return. The synagogue has become one of the most recognized in the world, due in part to its leader, senior Rabbi Angela Buchdahlthe first Asian American rabbi in North America and the first woman to lead Central Synagogue, a reform Jewish congregation in New York City, in its 185-year history. Her sermons draw thousands of online viewers. In an interview that aired on CBS Mornings on Tuesday, Buchdahl said her message of "radical compassion" comes from her own experience growing up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I spent so much of my life as a Korean Jew in the Jewish community feeling like I was outside in some way of every community I was a part of. The empathy that I cultivated while I felt like I was on the outside ... it ended up being the thing that made me not presume that you already feel like you belong, so I'm going to have to go out of my way to make sure that you do," she said. Born in South Korea to an American Jewish father and a Korean Buddhist mother, Buchdahl moved to Tacoma, Washington, at age 5. She recalled moments when her Jewish identity was questioned. "You're not really Jewish, you don't have a Jewish mother, so legally, you're not Jewish in Jewish law. These were moments that I could have very easily walked away from Judaism and in fact I even considered it at certain points. It took me much longer to understand that actually knowing what it's like to feel like I was the outsider is the most Jewish thing about me," she said. Her memoir, "Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging," takes its name from a biblical phrase that guides her approach to leadership. She said the biblical message serves as a reminder not to marginalize or oppress others, but to lead with understanding and compassion toward those who feel like outsiders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buchdahl first joined Central Synagogue as a cantor and says music became her "spiritual language." Her sermons often address topics like empathy and inclusion. Earlier this month, on the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, she delivered a sermon as a call to empathy. She said empathy for others is not a betrayal of one's own side, but a reminder of shared humanitya message that resonates in times of political violence, rising antisemitism, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. "I don't pretend that I can fix what's happening in Israel and Gaza right now. I wish I could. But I'm also talking about what happens to our souls when we stop caring," she said. Guiding a congregation as large as Central's is a significant responsibility, and she says her resolve to lead goes back to lessons from her mother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I watched people treat her as if she were stupid because of her accent, and my mother never lost her dignity. In many ways, that kind of grit and resilience was deeply important. And it was when I really was challenged that I really had to dig inside and say, 'do I think I can do this?' And I think that's actually what made me feel, no, I think inside I know I can," she said. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Portland resident says ICE agents entered home without a warrant A Somerset native has thrown her hat into the ring for next years Pulaski County Clerk election. Rachel Turner Litteral announced her intentions earlier this month to run on the Republican ticket for the clerks position. She might be a familiar face to those who have gone into the clerks office in the past, since she said she worked there for more than four years. She doesnt work there currently, she said. She is a deputy at the Pulaski County Detention Center, a job she said she transitioned to last February. She does, however, say she has a love for the clerks office and the work done there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For two years, I dealt with the dealers of our county, she said, referring to car dealerships and those who were transferring vehicle titles. I loved them: what I did, how I transferred their cars, the knowledge that I gained from them, the respect I learned on that side of things. It just made a complete circle. That circle began as she said she had worked for 20 years in the car retail industry, in many different aspects. She has, therefore, seen how transferring titles works from both sides of the counter. She continued: The last year that I worked for the clerks office, I went to the old Courthouse, and I learned about the vault and the history of our town. Why did she make the decision to run for County Clerk? I just want to be the best representative for our county that anyone can be, she said. I want to do as much as I can to help improve and make things easier for people who dont understand that office. I didnt realize what all the office was part of until I worked there. And Its not just the motor vehicle side. Its not just the elections side. Its not just transferring records, but its all of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Litteral said that she has always thought of ways she can give back to her community, but it was only recently that she was approached by two people in different aspects of her life asking if she would have plans on running for public office. It was through them, and the support of others in her life that she decided to go for it. The goal, she said, is to give back to the community that has supported her through the years. Im so proud of my county, and where Im from, and how I was raised, that thats just what you do. Ive been so blessed in my life, so I just want to say thank you by giving back. She has several goals on how to improve the office should she be elected. The first is simply being there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will be present. I will be there for people to come see me. I will be available the whole time, she said. Secondly, she said she wants to consolidate the buildings, meaning bringing staff into a centralized location, rather than have them spread out among the three offices that the clerks office currently serves. While the main branch is located at the Pulaski County Courthouse on the Fountain Square, in recent years the office moved vehicle transfers and tag renewals to different locations. One is at the former BB&T building in downtown Somerset on North Main Street, just a few blocks away from the courthouse. The second is in the former First and Farmers bank building located in Grand Central shopping center. Theres not enough employees for three buildings, Litteral said. ...Theres already something being asked about on the branch beside First Baptist Church thats down from the old courthouse, and Ive already laid a plan for (current Pulaski County Clerk) Tim (Price) to follow through. He had mentioned to us that he would like to get that building off of his hands at one time. I dont know if thats still his thought, but when I worked there, that was one thought of his. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And at First Baptist, there have been several times they have made the motion that they need more parking. So that was something that I brought to Tim: Im laying this at your feet. Litteral is also a member of First Baptist Church, she said. The third change she would like to see made is to see an expansion of hours for the clerks office, and not stick to the usual 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for all five days of the week. I will change the hours of operation; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. might have been good at one point in time, but its not for the working class, she said. My goal is to have two days that are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. I have contacted Frankfort, and that is not an issue with them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She did note that there might be a question of how later hours could be handled at the Pulaski County Courthouse, especially for those who might try to enter the Fountain Square entrance after the rest of the courthouse has closed. You might have to have an appointment, but part of my program is having us scheduling appointments for people who want to come in (at that time), she said. "This would help those who cannot get into the office during regular hours, such as those who work shifts that overlap with those times. She would also like to see the expansion of the states program for allowing dealerships to transfer titles electronically to have the program available for everyone. Theres 120 counties (in Kentucky), and were one of the largest counties that do the majority of work for our size. Next to Louisville/Jefferson County and Fayette County, Pulaski County is really up there as far as our growth. And I would love to see us be one of those counties that we could be the first guinea pig, say, of introducing that to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to her public-facing work, Litteral said that she is active at First Baptist Church and is a former substitute teacher and aide. She has three children, and said that when they were younger she served as president of their schools Parent Teacher Organization for two years. Not only is she a life-long resident, she said that she has spent the majority of her life living in the same home save for the years she went to college or moved out. Out of the 49 years Ive been on this earth, I think Ive probably lived there 30-something years, she said. She is a graduate of Somerset High School and Somerset Community College. Donald Trump has proven successful in getting controversial nominees, from Pete Hegseth to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., through the GOP-controlled Senate, even by the narrowest of margins. But he may be thwarted when it comes to Paul Ingrassia. Trumps pick to run the Office of Special Counsel, the agency that oversees federal whistleblower and discrimination claims, has come under fire after Politico revealed scores of racist and antisemitic messages Ingrassia allegedly sent to a text chain. The messages, first reported on Monday, showed Ingrassia admitting he has a Nazi streak, claiming Martin Luther King Jr. Day belonged in the seventh circle of hell and proudly celebrating white men and western civilization. The texts came as Ingrassia has already faced questions over his past behavior, from sharing a video claiming the Sept. 11 attacks were orchestrated by the federal government to his ties to white nationalist Nick Fuentes to an accusation of sexual harassment during his tenure as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. (Ingrassia denied the accusation, and the accuser retracted her complaint and said Ingrassia never acted inappropriately.) The White House has not commented on the text messages, but Senate Republicans have since soured on Ingrassias nomination. Ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday that Ingrassia was not gonna pass. Three other GOP senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and James Lankford (R-OK) are also unlikely to support Ingrassias nomination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the text messages, Ingrassia allegedly claimed that King was the 1960s George Floyd; used an Italian slur to suggest there should be No moulignon holidays From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth; and, while referring to Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, said, Never trust a chinaman or Indian, according to Politico. Edward Andrew Paltzik, a lawyer for Ingrassia, did not respond to an immediate request for comment on the text messages or senators reaction to them. He initially told Politico the messages, if authentic, appeared to clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis. But then, days later, he seemed to suggest the messages were fake: In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages. The Ingrassia report came on the heels of Politico revealing nearly 3,000 pages of text messages between Young Republican group leaders across the country, setting off a political firestorm. The text chain featured some group leaders saying their political opponents should be raped and joking about gas chambers, among other inflammatory remarks, and one group leader was particularly excited when he was told a fellow member would try to elect the most right wing person to lead the national group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Great. I love Hitler, Peter Giunta, the chair of the New York State Young Republicans, wrote, according to Politico. (The New York Republican Party has since disbanded the Young Republicans chapter.) While some Republicans initially condemned the text chain, including Trump-favorite Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the tide shifted after Vice President JD Vance tried to dismiss the chatter as pearl clutching and the texts as edgy, offensive jokes, or stupid things said by young boys. (The Young Republican National Federation, its national group, welcomes people between the ages of 18 and 40.) Stefanik has since said Politico ran a hit piece and has tried to redirect anger toward Democrats, including Jay Jones, the Virginia Attorney General candidate who has faced scrutiny for sending texts in 2022 fantasizing about shooting former state House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican. (Democrats have largely condemned the texts, though there have not been widespread calls for Jones to drop out. Jones has apologized for the texts.) While some Republicans may brush aside the specific contents of messages revealed by Politico this week, the idea of a nominee actually having to sit in a public hearing and take questions about allegedly making racist and antisemitic remarks could be too much even for GOP senators predisposed to doing what Trump wants. The post Racist, Antisemitic Texts Threaten to Tank Trumps Nazi Streak Watchdog Nominee appeared first on TheWrap. HARRISON COUNTY, Texas (KETK) Ricky Hampton, whose stage name is Finess2tymes, has been arrested for a second time in East Texas in a month. Rapper Finesse2tymes arrested in Smith County after drugs found in his vehicle Mugshot of Ricky Hampton, courtesy of the Harrison County Jail. According to Harrison County Jail records, the rapper has been charged with 8 charges on Monday: Possession of marijuana Tampering or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair Prohibited substance/item in correctional facility 4 counts of possession of a controlled substance Possession of a dangerous drug Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was released from the county jail on Tuesday after posting a bond, which was set at $119,000. Last month, Hampton was arrested in Smith County after drugs were located in a vehicle he was seen driving. 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. A striking mid-century sculpture by renowned artist Harry Bertoia, once thought lost for decades, now graces the atrium of Detroits new Hudsons/General Motors headquarters. Originally commissioned for Flints Genesee Valley Center in 1970, the piece featured two large clouds of brazed metal rods dubbed sunlit straw that hung in the malls multi-story court. After the malls sale and renovation in 1980, the sculptures vanished from public view. In 2017, Terri Stearn of Detroit Fine Arts Appraisal and Jeffrey Lygon, owner of Fantoni both former members of the Southfield Arts Commission were called to the basement of Southfield's Northland Mall. Beneath layers of dirt, they unearthed the long-lost sculpture and immediately recognized the work as a Bertoia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said, If its just good metal, we can scrap it and get some money for it, Stearn recalled. We had hard hats on, it was dirty, there was no electricity down there; we had flashlights, and Im looking at this thing with Jeff, and its corroded in dust. You cant even knock the dust off; its been there for decades. And I look at Jeff, and we both go, Bertoia! at the same time. It was so exciting. We screamed, we were so excited like kids in a candy store. I said, Jeff, this is something that has been missing, I bet you.' Back in that day, it was really normal to spend a lot of money on nice sculptures for malls. They were really expensive for the time, like maybe $30,000 or $40,000, but are worth hundreds of thousands now. Malls were really starting to pop up and be really important, and they were making them luxury malls. Born in Italy in 1915, Bertoia moved to America at age 15, attending Cass Technical School and, later, the College for Creative Studies, then Cranbrook Academy of Art. He grew to become one of the mid-century art movements internationally praised masters. In 1943, he married another Cranbrook student, Brigitta Valentiner; Valentiners father, Wilhelm, was the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts at the time. More: Prices for Hudson's site luxury condos would set Detroit record Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harry Bertoia died of lung cancer in 1978. The artists daughter, Celia Bertoia, now runs a Utah-based foundation to protect and advance his artistic legacy. She called the sculpture very important. This was a collaboration with Victor Gruen Associates and Louis Redstone Associates back in 1970, and the director of the Hudson art gallery, Celia said of the sculpture that now hangs at Hudsons. He was a go-between of various artists and these architects, and they pulled in my father for this project. They wanted something that was going to be hanging in their open court, so he came up with this piece. It was originally hung from a single point, which in itself is kind of miraculous, because Im sure it weighs literally about a ton. Its basically just steel wire that is melt-coated with brass, bronze and various other alloys to create a great texture on these wires. We affectionately refer to this type of sculpture as straw. Its a wonderful piece. Celia has been involved in the sculptures journey since that 2017 discovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I got a call several years ago, she said, that they had discovered this piece in a basement, and they sent me some photos where I couldnt even fully tell what the heck it was. But, after researching it and trying to decipher what these photos were, we came to the conclusion that this was indeed a Bertoia sculpture the original one that had been at the Genesee mall. It was a wonderful surprise, and there it was in a dark, dingy basement, all bent up. More: Andiamo Italian Chophouse to anchor JW Marriott Detroit at former Joe Louis Arena site I know they had to go through a major process of having it conserved and cleaned and repaired. They got the right people to do the conservation on it. Now, its in a glorious spot there. Its fabulous. The Harry Bertoia Foundation is really happy to see it out in the public eye again, where everyone can enjoy it, and we hope that happens with a few other monumental sculptures that are hiding out there. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Long-lost artwork by Detroit artist hangs in GM's world headquarters AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)- There are questions about the hiring process for Richmond County deputies after one of them was arrested and fired Monday. NewsChannel 6 has reported on Richmond County deputies getting fired and arrested in the past. But, this is the fifth deputy arrested and fired this year, so we asked the Sheriffs Office about the hiring process. An investigation is underway into now former Richmond County deputy Diana Santiago, whos off the job after serving with the Sheriffs Office for five years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately, she made some very bad decisions, and she was providing information to some people that she shouldnt have provided information to, said Chief Lewis Blanchard. Santiago is charged with violation of oath, conspiracy to purchase or possess narcotics, and illegal street gang activity. When you head down that path, its going to head you in the wrong direction, and thats just something that the Sheriff isnt going to tolerate, Blanchard said. Thats why we wanted to ask about the hiring process for deputies. Santiago is now the 5th deputy in 2025 to be arrested and fired. She joins Sean McKenzie, Addison Brown, Raneshia Price, and Montell Walton, all of which are facing a slew of similar charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKenzie was arrested back in January, charged with Theft by Taking and Felony Violation of Oath of Office. Brown was a former deputy who was arrested in February for Giving False Statements in a Government Matter and Violation of Oath of Office. Price was fired and arrested in late March in connection to a domestic incident. Walton was charged with Simple Battery-Family Violence following an incident that occurred in July. Blanchard says they have cracked down on the hiring process to bring on the best officers. I just pulled our applicants for this month, which was 57. Twenty were able to go to level 2 in the process of 7 levels, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each deputy goes through a lengthy process with background checks and interviews, and must pass a series of disqualifiers from traffic violations to drugs. Theres doctors, theres lawyers, theres newsmeneverybody that gets through the process no matter where theyre hired or how much of a degree they havekernels in the army, theyve made extremely poor decisions or broken the law. While well do everything we possibly can from polygraphs, psych evaluations, no drug-use and things of that natureat the same point in time, were still hiring people, Blanchard said. Some of those disqualifiers include no more than one DUI in a lifetime, and no more than three speeding violations in the last five years. Theres also permanent disqualification for any history using Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Heroin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blanchard says they will continue to take action whenever a deputy is out of line. If we were never firing anybody or never arresting anybody, then why would you trust us if were not policing ourselves? Its always sad that negative news like this comes out, but at the end of the day it proves were doing exactly what were supposed to do, he added. We were not able to review Santiagos record prior to her arrest. Shes now at the Webster Detention Center, and an investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of fintech firm Paytm has demonstrated the power of disciplined digital savings by turning his gold investments on Paytm into remarkable gains. Sharing his gold locker details on X, Sharma revealed that his holdings have grown 124.42 percent, reflecting both the long-term value of gold and the convenience of saving digitally. According to the screenshot he shared, Sharma has invested Rs 6,84,177 in Paytm Gold, which has grown to Rs 15,35,451. His total holding stands at 116.28 grams, translating into a gain of Rs 8,51,274. "Happy Dhanteras to you! I save in gold on Paytm, you could too. Get your free gold locker today," Sharma wrote in his post on X, encouraging Indians to adopt smart saving habits through technology. Paytm Gold allows anyone to buy 24K pure gold starting from as little as Rs 1, which is securely stored in insured lockers. The platform has already processed over 14 crore successful gold orders, making it one of India's most trusted destinations for digital gold savings. In addition to simple gold buying, Paytm has made saving a rewarding habit. The company now offers Gold Coins on every payment, which can be redeemed into real digital gold within the app. This initiative encourages millions of users to build savings seamlessly through their daily transactions. Sharma's post, shared on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras, serves as both a personal endorsement and a testament to Paytm's mission of making India financially stronger through accessible and transparent digital savings. As he put it, "I save in gold Paytm, you could too." The Noida-headquartered fintech which recently approved a comprehensive internal restructuring plan to bring several of its financial and technology subsidiaries under direct ownership is focusing on developing indigenous tech to serve its customers. On October 17, Paytm Founder and CEO showcased the company's Made-in-India Paytm AI Soundbox to Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, reaffirming Paytm's commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. In a post on X, Sharma wrote that it was a privilege to present the innovation, adding that Paytm is committed to building artificial intelligence for every Indian small shopkeeper. He described the Paytm AI Soundbox as a major step toward making technology and AI more inclusive for millions of small and micro businesses. (ANI) Tyler Childers headlined Healing Appalachia 2025 in Ashland last month. Chris Stapleton and dozens of other musicians also performed. Childers, above, performs in Nashville in a benefit for Healing Appalachia sponsored by Hello from the Hills and the Hello In There Foundation, Jan. 28, 2024, at City Winery. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) U.S. Vice President JD Vance built his name on a caricature, a hillbilly morality play dressed up as sociology. His bestselling Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis was sold as an insiders confession, but it reads like an obituary written by someone anxious to prove hed escaped the body. He turned hardship into a brand, pain into a sales pitch, while ignoring the systems that keep both alive. Standing beside Donald Trump, hes doubled down on the claim that Appalachias biggest problem is its own reflection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But this region isnt a tragedy. Its breathing, building, and still creating its own kind of beauty. The people who raised barns, fixed trucks, and now rebuild lives through recovery and community are not elegies; theyre evidence of a revival. At Healing Appalachia 2025 in Ashland, more than 25,000 people gathered to celebrate recovery through music and shared effort. No political machine built that stage. It rose from volunteer grit and faith, the kind Vance once claimed to respect, before grievance politics offered him easier applause. Kentuckians Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton, along with a long list of other musicians, again donated their time and talent to raise money to support recovery organizations. I wasnt raised in the deep mountains. Im from Kirksville, in the foothills in Madison County, where I had more chances than most, a professional father, a mother with a psychology degree, and the means to leave. Yet when my life collapsed from alcoholism, it was Eastern Kentucky that helped me stand again. People written off by the same system that crowned Vance a success story taught me what redemption really looks like: quiet endurance, shared strength, and an open door for anyone willing to walk through it. Thats the real Appalachia, where recovery meetings feel like family reunions, where small businesses grow out of garages, and where neighbors check on each other even when no ones watching. It doesnt need pity; it needs partnership. It doesnt need elegies; it needs investment, infrastructure and respect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance sold the myth that Appalachias wounds are self-inflicted, that culture, not capitalism, is to blame. Those of us who live and work here know better. We see every day how treatment centers, nonprofits and peer-support groups do more for our communities than any press conference in Washington. The real Appalachia isnt trapped between the covers of a memoir or the sound bites of a campaign. It lives in every person who chooses hope over humiliation, connection over contempt. From Ashland to Pikeville, from the foothills to the hollers, this region isnt dying; its rebuilding itself, one act of stubborn love at a time. Credit: Channel 4 Aisha Gaban is the bearer of bad news: eight million Britons are at risk of losing their jobs to artificial intelligence. Everyone from accountants and artists to doctors and lawyers face the prospect of being made redundant by our new tech overlords. Gaban brought us this depressing news in Will AI Take My Job?, an hour-long Channel 4 Dispatches documentary this Monday that pitted humans against machines to see who could do the work better. Towards the end of the programme, Gaban had another, surprise revelation up her sleeve. AI is going to touch everybodys lives in the next few years. And for some, it will take their jobs, the presenter said. Call-centre workers? Customer-service agents? Maybe even TV presenters like me. Because Im not real. In a British TV first, Im an AI presenter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She or, rather, it added: I dont exist, I wasnt on location reporting this story. My image and voice were generated using AI. Nothing about Gaban was human: she was an array of pixels created by Seraphinne Vallora, a fashion brand that has carved out a niche designing digital clothes horses that labels can use to show off their wares; it previously caused a storm this summer when its fake model was used by Guess in a Vogue advert. Some eagle-eyed viewers twigged that all was not what it seemed with Gaban, not least because there were times when the presenters mouth became blurry, but it did little to diminish the big reveal. It was a deliberately provocative stunt by Channel 4, a broadcaster with a long history of pushing the envelope, that comes at a time when many in the arts and media worlds are fretting about the threat of automation. Just last month, many in Hollywood became outraged at the creation of Tilly Norwood, an AI actress whose maker said that leading talent agencies wanted to sign her. I dont exist My image and voice were generated using AI: Aisha Gaban, Channel 4 Dispatches AI reporter - Channel 4 Those behind the Dispatches film acknowledge that any real TV presenters watching may be justified in feeling a little anxious at what they had made. It gets even more economical to go with an AI presenter over [a] human weekly. And as the generative AI tech keeps bettering itself, the presenter gets more and more convincing daily, said Nick Parnes, chief executive of Kalel Productions, which was behind the documentary. Thats good for our film, but maybe not so good for peoples careers. Louisa Compton, Channel 4s head of news and current affairs, said that the broadcaster will not make a habit of using AI presenters, but the experiment serves as a reminder of how disruptive AI may be and how easy it is to hoodwink audiences with content they have no way of verifying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the reaction among actual broadcasters to the debut of Gaban is one of indifference towards or scepticism about the actual utility of AI. Not least as there is no clear evidence that audiences would like to be spoken to by AI bots. Theyd probably be able to do an entire Dispatches season in half an hour, says a BBC News presenter. Its whether you want that or not. The idea that you can or cant do it is not the interesting thing. The interesting thing is whether you want it. Andrew Marr, the LBC presenter and former BBC political editor, tells me: AI is a method of hoovering up past events and past knowledge and reconfiguring it and passing it off as new. Marr points out that there is a huge difference between a scripted programme that can use tweaked AI prompts and live reporting. Anything goes in the latter, such as interviewees going off-piste, saying something slanderous or totally unexpected. Although I could imagine creating a very bland presenter with American teeth reading an autocue, Marr says, I would find it hard to imagine AI responding to an interviewee. Another leading TV presenter says that the Dispatches programme was a clever move to show the risks of having AI content that might be fake or wrong but which people might believe. He adds: The important thing is that there was transparency and that Channel 4 has no intention of replacing real journalists who can think, analyse and react with all their experience and knowledge and human empathy. Were still a considerable way from AI being able to do live TV journalism youd want to watch, but its a useful tool for humans to use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So perhaps Gaban is not the harbinger of the apocalypse for media types. The BBC News presenter tells me that debating whether broadcasters or accountants or lawyers find themselves made redundant by AI is to focus on the wrong issue entirely. One of the things that all of this stuff exposes is how jejune this debate is. We endlessly have stuff about AI where we have people saying, Oh God, are they going to take over our jobs? and youre just thinking, You absolute f---ing idiot, of course theyre taking over your job: thats not the issue. The issue is whether they will take over the whole world and kill us all. 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. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) 30 men and women of various backgrounds will soon gather for the first time as South Dakotas Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force: a group organized to help pave the way for better days for inmates and anyone who could find themselves in trouble with the law. An executive order signed by Gov. Larry Rhoden in September set the groups work in motion. Among the task forces members are Terry Dosch, executive director of the South Dakota Council of Community Behavioral Health, Jerilyn Church, president and CEO of the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board, Circuit Judge Pat Pardy and Southeast Technical College President Cory Clasemann. Bow hunters taking aim at Outdoor Campus archery park Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do a lot of work on a preventive and early intervention basis, and a lot of the people that might be at risk for criminal justice involvement never see the justice system at all, and so being able to extend that now to how can we assist with people who are incarcerated in a better way, or at least advise on that, thats I think where we want to be on this, Dosch said. We provide epidemiology and public health support to the 18 tribes in the great plains region, that includes South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and then we have one member tribe in Iowa, Church said. The average case, good people get in trouble, and they have addictions, Pardy said. When theyre not under the effects of an addiction, theyre great citizens. Theyre great moms. Theyre great dads. Theyre great employees. Helping anyone who has fallen in trouble with the law find not only success but sustained success is now their task. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Education is really a good way to help them to decrease the recidivism rate going forward, and so its really figuring out what are the right programs, Clasemann said. But its also what does the educational space need to look like, so that way were optimizing what that education is. But it is also just figuring out the right program in terms of timing, too. Pardy presides over a wide variety of criminal cases. Different factors are pieces of the puzzle to help ensure defendants are not back in a courtroom once again in the future. It doesnt make sense to release somebody from prison and say, you dont have a drivers license, you dont have a job, you dont have a home, were putting you back in an environment that was unhealthy, and go do the right thing, Pardy said. So, you have to do all of that. The judge describes a balancing act between public safety and help for someone who has negatively impacted that safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prisons are expensive but it does take people off the street, Pardy said. Probation is a great goal but it leaves people on the street. And theres a balance there between risk to the public and helping the individual thats under the addiction. Clearly, the system is not doing all that it can do to ensure that people are not returning to prison, Church said. So, Im hoping that this task force will, with the collective minds of the folks that are a part of this task force, that some meaningful change transpires and that it will reduce those numbers, that it will reduce the numbers of people going into prison. But success isnt just happening while someone is serving a sentence. I think that work needs to begin before the first time any young man or woman ends up in trouble for the first time, and then it needs to happen while theyre in jails or prison, and then the support needs to be there to ensure that they dont return after they leave, Church said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not enough just to construct a place to keep prisoners, Dosch said. If youre really concerned about rehabilitation, then you have to look at the whole enchilada, so to speak. We know if we give these guys something to do when they come out, something constructive, that theyll have a good path to really set themselves on for themselves and for their family and be less likely to go back, Clasemann said. Southeast Technical College already has a relationship with the South Dakota Department of Corrections. We currently, for the last seven semesters, have had welding students come on campus, Clasemann said. They do a one-semester program so that theyre able to sit for their welding certification. At the end, weve had over 70 individuals already graduate from that program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres more programming planned. Were currently working to set up a diesel program up on the Hill thatll launch sometime in 2027, and weve had some other conversations as well about ways to partner going forward and then obviously in the new prison as well, Clasemann said. I think that the golden rule of correctional institutions should be rehabilitation, putting people in a position to be able to live productive lives in the aftermath of an offense, Dosch said. Church is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, an identity which impacts how she views the task forces work. Per the most recently available statistics from the South Dakota Department of Corrections and the U.S. Census Bureau, about 40% of the states inmates are Native American, while only around 8% of the states population is Native. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the goal is to rehabilitate and to reduce recidivism, reduce the prison population overall, the American Indian population is an important part of that conversation, Church said. Well-being is showcased in different ways, and these all provide the opportunity to contribute to society. If youre going to achieve true health, that comes on a physical basis, it comes on a emotional basis and a spiritual basis, so you have to attend to all three of those dimensions of human existence, Dosch said. Success, of course, is a two-way street. Ive often said that I can order somebody to go to treatment, but if youre not at a point in your life that you want to do treatment, that you want to learn and that youre able to be motivated, then thats not going to help, either, Pardy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defendants become inmates who will eventually have a chance at staying out of prison. And once theyre again outside prison walls, they will have the opportunity to live freely. Short of a life sentence, people are going to get parole, and theyre going to come out, Pardy said. So how do we get them, get those people healthy, so when they do come out its safe for the public and theyre able to succeed. The Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force is set to have its first meeting Oct. 29. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Center Square) Checks from Washington reimbursing Florida law enforcement agencies were handed out Tuesday amid praise from the state's chief financial officer. On behalf of the whole state of Florida, we are grateful for all the work you guys do in our communities keeping us safe, CFO Blaise Ingoglia said at a ceremony in St. Augustine. He handed St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick a check for more than $1 million as the federal governments reimbursement for the departments work on immigration enforcement. The funding is part of the federal governments 287G program that authorizes local police officers to enforced federal immigration laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think we got clear, concise information all the way from the President of the United States to the governor to all the cabinet members and our lieutenant governor exactly what the state of Florida is going to do, the sheriff said. We are going to lead from the front, we are going to lead by example and we are going to set the tone for the rest of the United States. St. Johns County will soon have 104 designated immigration officers, Hardwick said. Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook said she has been cooperating with federal authorities on immigration for years. But we always felt like we were doing it on our own because there was not support, there was not funding to help us assist, she said. But we know that more often than not, the illegal aliens that are committing crimes in communities are committing crimes against other immigrants who are here trying to do the right thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said she is relieved both the federal and state government are finally supporting local law enforcement. Its about protecting communities, the sheriff said. Florida has discovered the recipe for law enforcement success. On Tuesday, several recently freed Israeli hostages met in Tel Aviv with US Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff and former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner. On Tuesday, several recently freed Israeli hostages met in Tel Aviv with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, to thank them for their role in securing the deal that led to their release after more than two years in captivity. The meeting included Omri Miran, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Matan Angrest, Bar Kupershtein, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, and Eitan Horn, all of whom were released last Monday as part of what US officials and Israeli leaders have described as a historic agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, the former captives expressed profound gratitude to President Donald Trump for making their freedom a top priority and working tirelessly to help bring them home. The group also appealed to Witkoff and Kushner to maintain pressure and diplomatic efforts to free the 15 hostages still held in Gaza, urging them to leave no stone unturned until every captive is returned. US 'steadfast dedication to the mission' During the meeting, Witkoff reaffirmed what he called the United States steadfast dedication to the mission, and voiced confidence in continued progress toward securing the release of those still missing. Freed hostages Brothers Gali Berman and Ziv Berman arrive to their home in Kibbutz Beit Guvrin, October 19, 2025. (credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90) Kushner, who served as a senior adviser in the Trump administration and has maintained involvement in regional diplomacy, has been working with Witkoff in recent months on what US officials have described as peace missions in the region - focused on humanitarian recovery, reconstruction, and hostage negotiations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the meeting, Matan Angrest and his family presented a gift to the two representatives for President Donald Trump, along with a letter of appreciation from Kiryat Bialik Mayor Eli Dukorsky as a thank you for bringing the remaining hostages back to Israel. The mayor shared this letter as a token of gratitude for bringing the citys own resident, Angrest, back home. In the letter, Mayor Dukorsky expressed his deep appreciation to President Trump for his leadership, commitment to justice, and unwavering support for the State of Israel. He also announced that the new stadium currently under construction in the city will be named after the president, to be named the Donald J. Trump Stadium in honor of his historic contribution to saving the lives of the hostages and bringing them home. Mayor Dukorsky said, President Trumps efforts on behalf of the hostages will be remembered for generations. He demonstrated courage, compassion, and a true love for the people of Israel. The residents of Kiryat Bialik owe him a deep debt of gratitude. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) More than 100 West Texas veterans recently embarked on an all-expense-paid, three-day trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials built in their honor a journey of reflection, remembrance, and healing made possible by the nonprofit Permian Basin Honor Flight. Thanks to the support of sponsors, volunteers, and strong veteran interest, the organization was able to conduct two flights this year, allowing even more local veterans to visit the memorials built for them. The organization, based in West Texas, provides fully funded trips for veterans to visit national memorials such as the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. During these trips, veterans visited 14 memorials and museums at no cost to them. Each trip is entirely run by volunteers, including a medical team, a protection team, and even a bagpipe player who leads veterans to every memorial and museum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wesley Smith, who became flight director in 2023, said the groups mission is simple: to give these heroes the recognition and gratitude they deserve. Each veterans trip, including flight, lodging, meals, and ground transportation, costs about $2,000, none of which is charged to veterans. The cost is entirely covered through community fundraising and sponsorships. The emotional impact of the journey was evident throughout the trip. Hal McCullough, a Korean War veteran from Abilene, recalled, I just could not believe people were there that early in the morning to see us off, and I was really dumbfounded when we walked through the airport and people stood you know, these people waiting to get on flights stood up for us. That was just amazing. Michelle Bainum traveled with her mother, Vietnam War veteran Wendy Gatzke, and her father as a guardian on the trip. Bainum reflected on the experience, saying, Its really cool to see theyre being acknowledged because Im walking alongside so many women from the Korean War to the Vietnam War. Its amazing that they are being acknowledged because they are the ones who set the standard for us. Vietnam War veteran Frank Cleveland of Abilene described the experience as unforgettable. People cannot understand without being there how amazing it is and how fulfilling it is. Theres some sad times, but there are satisfying times, and there are so wonderful times on this trip. If youre a veteran, youve got to take this trip.and the love thats shown by the public, by the kids, by the adults welcome us home, especially for Vietnam. We never got that when we got back. People cared. It was just incredible it was great, he said with teary eyes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Permian Basin Honor Flight continues its mission year-round to ensure future generations of veterans receive the honor and healing theyve earned. To support or donate, visit Permian Basin Honor Flight Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Three people were injured in drone attacks in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson after Russia once again launched air attacks on Ukraine overnight, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Tuesday. Fires broke out at the impact sites; Residential buildings, an educational institution, and an economic building were damaged, Prokudin said. In an attack with glide bombs on the city of Kharkiv in the east of the country, 11 people suffered an acute stress reaction, according to the local prosecutor's office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The World Health Organization states that the body can react strongly to a very stressful, potentially traumatic experience, with common symptoms including flashbacks of the event and nightmares. In the north of the country, the city of Chernihiv is struggling with repeated Russian attacks on critical supply infrastructure. The municipal water supplier Chernihivvodokanal wrote on Telegram that its facilities, "like the whole city," were without power, urging people to stock up on water. Employees reportedly began operating the facilities from alternative power sources on Tuesday morning. The water supply to the first floors of apartment buildings is guaranteed, but on the upper floors, it depends on the terrain. Water points have been set up near residential blocks, and water deliveries have been organized to some parts of the city. Russia has repeatedly attacked critical supply infrastructure in Chernihiv in recent days. Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three and a half years. NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) Congresswoman LaMonica McIver exited a federal courtroom Tuesday to hundreds of supporters. The Democrat representing New Jerseys 10th Congressional District is facing charges of assaulting an ICE officer earlier this year at a detention center. More Local News On Tuesday, a judge heard oral arguments from her attorneys and prosecutors over whether her charges should be tossed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im super grateful for the judge, McIver said during a brief address to her supporters. He listened a lot in this case; he had a lot of questions, so Im grateful for his duty, but I want to be clear to everyone: this process has not stopped me from doing my job. The charges stem from an incident at Delaney Hall on May 9th, during a scuffle with ICE agents. Protestors, immigrant rights and social justice groups, and fellow members of Congress from the area and around the country gathered outside the courthouse during the proceedings. Among those supporting were two people who were with her at Delaney Hall: Newark mayor Ras Baraka and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman. This is an assault on our democracy, said Watson-Coleman (D-NJ 12). This is an assault on our rights. It is a further targeting of strong Black women in this country by this administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Let her walk out of that courthouse a free woman, leave her alone, no charges. Allow her to be the Congresswoman and well allow you to stay in our City, said Baraka. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Charges were initially filed against Baraka but were soon dismissed. McIver already pleaded not guilty to all three of her charges. She faces several years of prison time if convicted. Were going to continue to see the process through, said McIver, we are definitely confident in the process. No next court date has yet been set. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) A project that begins next week means an over one-year detour, and likely a lot of traffic headaches, for drivers headed to Derby. Starting Monday, Oct. 27, the Kansas Department of Transportation will close the southbound lanes of the bridge over the Wichita Drainage Canal. Its being replaced in a project that is expected to take over a year to complete. The exit from southbound Interstate 135 to K-15 will also be closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Drivers will be detoured farther south to Hydraulic Avenue, then east on MacArthur Road back to K-15. Drivers should expect delays during the construction project. Man charged in viral Wichita Ring video incident The construction zone will be active from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. King Construction of Hutchinson is the primary contractor for the $4 million project. Weather permitting, work will be completed in December 2026. For information on road construction projects across the state, visit KSDot.gov/projects. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click 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 KSN-TV. VMPL Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) [India], October 21: XLRI - Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, hosted the 12th Annual Dr. Verghese Kurien Memorial Oration at the Tata Auditorium on October 18, 2025. The oration, an initiative of the Fr. Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability (FACES), featured Dr. Vinod B. Mathur, Former Chairperson, National Biodiversity Authority of India and Former Director, Wildlife Institute of India, who delivered a deeply insightful talk on the theme "Ecological Security for a Viksit Bharat." The event commenced with a prayer song by the XLRI Choir, followed by the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. One of the flagship initiatives of FACES is the Dr. Verghese Kurien Memorial Sustainable Development Oration, a tribute to the architect of India's White Revolution. Dr. Kurien's legacy of rural transformation and social upliftment continues to inspire generations. This annual oration serves as a platform for thought leaders to ignite minds and hearts with ideas that can reshape our world. Dr. Tata L. Raghu Ram, Chairperson, FACES, presented the Annual Report of FACES, outlining the centre's initiatives in sustainability, climate action and social responsibility. He emphasized the importance of balancing development with environmental sustainability, recalling lessons from past large-scale projects that affected ecosystems and communities. He highlighted XLRI's ongoing research and initiatives in sustainability, including projects on globalization, self-care, and climate change, supported by international collaborations such as IUCN and ICSSR. Key developments include a new degree program on sustainable leadership, rural immersion initiatives, and CSR-focused education. Faculty contributions to policy, particularly in ESG and national standards, were also recognized. He concluded by inviting researchers and industry leaders to engage with XLRI's mission for sustainable development and responsible leadership. Dr. (Fr.) Sebastian George, S.J., Director, XLRI Jamshedpur, extended a warm welcome to the distinguished gathering and highlighted the institution's long-standing commitment to sustainable development, social justice and ethical leadership. Following this, Dr. Vinod B. Mathur highlighted that India's vision of becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047 depends on the balance between ecological and economic security. He emphasized that nature-positive growth can create jobs, strengthen resilience, and protect livelihoods. Stressing the need for green finance, renewable energy and nature-based solutions, he urged for inclusive development that integrates environmental sustainability with economic progress. Dr. Mathur concluded that India can achieve lasting prosperity only when ecological security becomes central to its growth narrative, a vision that resonates with XLRI's commitment to working for the greater good. The session concluded with an interactive Q&A segment, allowing students and faculty to engage in a thought-provoking dialogue on sustainability challenges and actionable pathways. Dr. Sanjay Patro, Dean (Academics), delivered the Vote of Thanks, expressing gratitude to Dr. Mathur for his illuminating address and to all dignitaries, faculty and students for making the event a success. The program concluded with the National Anthem, followed by a fellowship interaction. The annual oration stands as a reflection of XLRI's enduring mission to integrate academic excellence with ethical values and societal responsibility continuing the legacy of Excellence, Integrity and Nation Building for the greater good. (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.) Four gubernatorial hopefuls and one candidate for Oklahoma attorney general pitched themselves Oct. 9 to members of the Rogers County Republican Party. The five candidates, all Republicans, explained why they are running for higher office and answered questions submitted by audience members. Mike Mazzei, Leisa Mitchell Haynes, Jake Merrick and Kenneth Sturgell were the candidates for governor who attended the forum; Jon Echols, one of three men who has filed to succeed Attorney General Gentner Drummond, was the lone candidate for that office. Missing from the lineup were the two men pollster Stratus Intelligence found most likely to clinch the Republican nomination for governor: Drummond and former Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall. According to Oklahoma Watch, the September poll showed 32% of likely Republican voters would choose Drummond, while 31% would break for McCall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Primary elections for both the governor's and attorney general's races are scheduled for June 16, 2026. The general election will take place Nov. 3. Mike Mazzei Mazzei represented part of southern Tulsa in the Oklahoma State Senate from 2004 to 2016, then served as Gov. Kevin Stitt's Secretary of Budget from 2019 to 2020. He is also the founder and chief executive officer of Trinity Strategic Wealth, which he said manages about $1.5 billion in assets. "I don't say that to brag, but I do want to let you know that I know money and finance," Mazzei said. "The skill set we think is most important in the governor's office is money and finance because you, the hard-working taxpayers of Oklahoma ... have lost billions of dollars due to waste, fraud, abuse, corporate welfare and green energy nonsense." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mazzei said his platform stands on three main priorities: eliminating Oklahoma's state income tax, improving education outcomes, and further restricting foreign land ownership. "I believe when true reform-minded conservatives unite in common cause, we can make Oklahoma a no-income tax state," Mazzei said. "We can fix the schools so kids can read, and we can kick out these Chinese communists from the state of Oklahoma." He said if elected, he'd champion first cutting the income tax rate from 4.5% to 3%, then slashing the tax entirely. He said he'd also advocate for moving school board election dates to coincide with general elections and requiring candidates to declare party affiliation, as well as hiring a statewide literacy director. Mazzei was the only candidate to mention the gubernatorial frontrunners, both of whom he said were once registered Democrats and thus insufficiently conservative. Party registration isn't public information, but political donations are; the website OpenSecrets reports Drummond and McCall have donated to both Republican and Democratic candidates in the past, though the vast majority of each man's donations have gone to Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leisa Mitchell Haynes Haynes lives in Choctaw. She worked for 13 years with Oklahoma Main Street, an economic development program through the state commerce department, and has served as city manager of two municipalities: Mangum, Oklahoma, and Rio Communities, New Mexico. She said she has been interested in politics since the third grade, when she said God told her she would be a governor one day. Two years ago, she said God sent an angel who told her it was time to run. Haynes said she would be the governor of infrastructure if elected. "I'm being obedient," Haynes said. "Here's what I will plan on doing for you. I've been a city manager, and I know how the cities work, so I'm going to work with cities and counties to help them fix the streets and bridges that have been left neglected and you know what I'm talking about." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Haynes said while she has been campaigning across the state, she learned of water issues across the state in communities like Durant, Frederick and Guymon. She said she also learned of several incidents in which people injured drivers by dropping items from overpasses. "We've got to get a governor that's aware of these things, that will work on it," Haynes said. "And you can guarantee I will work on it." Jake Merrick Merrick briefly represented Yukon in the state Senate. Though he secured Stitt's endorsement during his initial run in a 2021 special election, the governor endorsed challenger Kristen Thompson when Merrick tried to secure a full term in 2022. Thompson won the Republican primary that June and currently represents Merrick's old district in the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merrick, now the host of a podcast called "Jake for the State," said Stitt primaried him because he voted against House Bill 4327. The bill, which became law in May 2022, allows private citizens to sue physicians who perform abortions but carves out exceptions for medical emergencies, rape and incest, if reported to law enforcement. "It leaves a loophole for murder to continue, and I'm not going to allow it," Merrick said. "We can't regulate it we need to end it. There's certain things we have that are hills worthy to die on. That was one for me, is life in the womb." He said if elected, he would advocate for a total ban on abortion-inducing pills, which Oklahomans can order online. He said he would also like to strengthen penalties against meth, heroin and fentanyl. Merrick said the root of many of Oklahoma's problems is the breakdown of the nuclear family. He said drugs like fentanyl destroy families, and so do policies and agencies that undermine parental authority. He and several of the other candidates disavowed the Oklahoma Department of Human Services over a case Merrick called medical tyranny that of a 17-year-old with leukemia taken against his mother's will into DHS custody after she opted to seek gene therapy treatment instead of chemotherapy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He quoted the poem "First They Came" by German pastor Martin Niemoller, a commentary on failing to speak out during the early days of Nazi persecution. "We have to take a stand for everyone at any time our fundamental, inherent, God-given rights are violated," Merrick said. "It's being done right now in Oklahoma. ... I'm willing to take a stand for these kinds of things when individuals' liberty is being violated by the state." Kenneth Sturgell Sturgell, a mechanical contractor from the small village of Goldsby, said like Haynes, God called him to run for governor. Sturgell said the Holy Spirit spoke to him after a few ladies in his prayer group were talking about who would be a good candidate for governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, someone broke into his father's house and stole several antique guns. Sturgell said he saw a vision of a pawn shop, and when he visited three months later, he discovered one of the guns had become part of its private collection. "That's why I'm running," Sturgell said. "I'm going to do the best I can. And I'm not against these guys at all I'm for Oklahoma. I would like to see Oklahoma better than what it was when we found it, Lord, and I'd like to see a revival of Oklahoma as well." Sturgell said Oklahoma hasn't gotten better lately. He said to make it better, he would like to lower retired Oklahomans' property tax burden and outlaw mandatory vaccinations. He said he is staunchly against abortion and supports teaching a strictly sex-based view of gender in public schools. He said he would make a good governor because he isn't caught up in the "wonky" side of politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm not a career politician," Sturgell said. "I've spent the last 25 years of my life running a small business in the Norman area. ... As governor, I'm going to do everything I can to work as hard as I can, and then I'm going fishing. I'm not doing more of this." Jon Echols Echols represented Oklahoma City in the state House from 2013 to 2024. He became majority floor leader in 2016; his eight-year tenure is the longest in state history. He also holds a law degree and has started several health care businesses, but he said his legal and business credentials aren't what qualifies him to be attorney general. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I decided 13 years ago, not because I was politically connected, because I was a frustrated father and dad and husband and believer, to run for the Oklahoma Legislature," Echols said. "... I got a Ph.D. in how state government takes advantage of its citizens. The Office of the Attorney General needs someone that understands what they do in the state of Oklahoma to take advantage and waste your taxpayer dollars." Echols said he wants to create a "safer, freer and stronger" Oklahoma if elected attorney general. He said he would work with sheriffs to bust fentanyl operations, which he said are especially prevalent on foreign-owned land. He said he has a full plan he's been developing with the more than 50 county sheriffs who've endorsed him. Oklahoma has the fourth-highest incarceration rate in the United States. Echols said reducing it matters less to him than enforcing the law though not in a "non-political way," which he called code for "liberal." "I'm going to enforce those laws even-handedly whether you grew up on the wrong side of the tracks like my mom and dad, or whether you live in the nicest area in Southern Hills in Tulsa," Echols said. "My goal will not be to to decrease the incarceration rate. My goal will be to make sure our laws are enforced and we have the safest streets we can possibly have." Republican state senators in North Carolina have answered President Donald Trumps plea to gerrymander the states congressional map so the GOP may maintain its tenuous U.S. House majority in 2026. The state Senate on Tuesday passed a Trump-approved map thatif adopted, as expected, by the state House this weekwould oust Democratic U.S. Representative Don Davis, one of North Carolinas three Black members of Congress, from his seat. The governor, a Democrat, is barred under state law from vetoing redistricting maps, so the only possible redress would come from the courts, which are likely to hear cases arguing that the new maps disenfranchise Black voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Carolina would be the latest state, joining Texas and Missouri, to do rare, mid-decade redistricting at Trumps behest, with Republicans in a handful of other red states, including Florida, Louisiana, Indiana, Kansas, and Ohio, possibly gearing up to follow suit. During debate over the new North Carolina map, GOP lawmakers were not shy about the naked partisanship behind them. The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: Draw a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the North Carolina congressional delegation, said Republican state Senator Ralph Hise, who helped lead the redistricting effort. Republicans hold a razor-thin margin in the United States House of Representatives, and if Democrats flip four seats in the upcoming midterm elections, they will take control of the House and torpedo Trumps agenda. The Scoop President Donald Trumps pick to head the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, appears unable to win Senate confirmation although hes still slated for a committee appearance later this week. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a member of the Homeland Security Committee, told Semafor he doesnt plan on voting for Ingrassia after Politico published racist and offensive text messages attributed to the nominee. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., another member of the panel, also said he cannot support Ingrassia and said the nomination should be pulled. Scott said hes leaving the decision on withdrawing Ingrassia to the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Monday evening, Ingrassia is still scheduled to appear before the committee for a Thursday confirmation hearing. The panels chairman said in an interview that hes deferring to the White House when it comes to the nominee, who would likely fail to clear the committee. Hes still on the list unless somebody tells us otherwise, said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. They have to decide if he can go through. Ive told them to count the votes the White House needs to make a decision. Im leaving it up to them. Its a rare repudiation of a Trump nominee by a Republican Senate that has largely gone along with the presidents staffing choices. And the GOP resistance could create a spectacle if Ingrassia and the White House decide to continue with his confirmation, setting up a face-to-face meeting with critical senators. A previously planned confirmation hearing for Ingrassia was scrapped earlier this year; his nomination has faced limbo for weeks due to his history of making inflammatory comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes also been accused of sexual harassment making his nomination a rocky one even before Mondays report. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said hed met with Ingrassia previously, but it was before some of that information came to light. He has lots of posts hes done in the past. Theres plenty of questions there, Lankford said of Ingrassias public statements. Notable Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign identified concerning vector-borne illness trends in the state, according to a press release. What's happening? Vector-borne illnesses are pathogens transmitted by insect bites, often mosquitoes, but also by several species of ticks. By now, Americans in many states are aware of illnesses like Lyme disease, which is prevalent in areas like the Northeast and spread by deer ticks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What was alarming about the new University of Illinois study, published in the September edition of the international peer-reviewed journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, was that it focused on neither a single species nor a specific tick-borne pathogen. Instead, researchers tracked three species of tick: the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), the black-legged or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), and the dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). As for associated diseases, researchers identified at least eight. Anaplasmosis, alpha-gal syndrome, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus, Lyme disease, tularemia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever were all cited in their findings. Researchers tallied recorded cases in the state between 2018 and 2022. Lyme disease was by far the most prevalent in Illinois, with 1,728 cases identified in the research in that five-year span. Researchers counted 350 instances of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, along with 219 cases of ehrlichiosis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lone star tick has been in the news due to a sharp uptick in cases of alpha-gal syndrome, which can cause a serious intolerance to meat, in areas like Martha's Vineyard. Lead author Rebecca Smith indicated the species spreads ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and the Heartland virus. Smith said the Heartland virus is "a condition with low incidence, thankfully, but high mortality [rate]," which is concerning because the lone star tick is most pervasive in southern Illinois. Why are these findings concerning? An uptick in population numbers for one tick or in cases of one illness is one thing, but this research identified a cross-species threat involving several pathogens. Although researchers worked in and focused on Illinois, cases of vector-borne illness spread by ticks have been on the rise in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, the Bloomberg School at Johns Hopkins University published a public health bulletin concerning the rise in tick-borne disease, noting that an overheating planet is "increasing [the scope of] where and when ticks can thrive." Binghamton University issued a similar warning on Oct. 15, and associate director of the Tick-borne Disease Center Mandy Roome explained why in plain terms. "Ticks can now move further north than they could before and establish populations. Going back maybe 15 or 20 years ago, there wasn't much of an issue," she began. "Ticks were still around, people still got tick-borne diseases, but it wasn't quite the problem that it is now. We're also having really mild winters," Roome added. What's being done about it? As Johns Hopkins' bulletin noted, in the absence of vaccines and with "limited treatment options," avoiding tick bites is currently the best approach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, sidestepping tall grass or brush, and using a safe insect repellent are advised. 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. BROADVIEW, Ill. (WGN) A Village of Broadview board meeting on Monday night ended abruptly after repeated interruptions during Mayor Katrina Thompsons remarks. More than a dozen residents took turns at the microphone, voicing frustration over what they described as restrictions on protests near the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center. Earlier this month, the village limited demonstrations to a designated area between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Broadview mayor signs order limiting protest times Several speakers at the meeting said the new rules, along with increased enforcement around the ICE facility, infringe on their First Amendment rights. When it was Mayor Thompsons turn to address the packed village chambers, audience members continued to shout over her. The goal is to close the ICE facility in Broadview. Closed, not relocated but closed, Thompson said before being interrupted again. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines As the outbursts continued, Thompson issued several warnings before adjourning the meeting. Broadview police then escorted attendees out of the chambers and the building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WGN-TV has requested a separate interview with the mayor following the meetings abrupt end but has not yet received a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. FORT MILL, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Concerned community members are expected to attend Tuesdays Fort Mill School Board meeting to speak out against the Silfab Solar facility thats being built near several schools. Parents and residents have voiced concerns in the past over how close the Silfab Solar facility is to schools, citing potential environmental risks and an alleged lack of transparency. Silfabs site is located close to Riverview Elementary and Banks Trail Middle School, and some parents have called for relocating students out of the area entirely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Carolinas largest data center is going up in west Charlotte despite other proposals getting more fanfare In response to the outcry, the Fort Mill School District initiated several environmental studies aimed at monitoring air quality before and after the facility becomes operational. The first one is a periodic sampling, which happens at a specific moment in time, explained the districts Communications Director, Joe Burke. There are 24-hour testing periods at multiple sites, both indoor and outdoor, at the school. Burke said that additional continuous monitoring equipment will be installed along the shared fence line between the schools and Silfabs property. If concerning levels are detected, an investigation will be triggered, and school officials will be notified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New court documents reveal suspect aimed for driver, hit 3-year-old in east Charlotte parking lot shooting The district said it is also developing emergency preparedness plans in coordination with local first responders. While some welcomed the testing, others expressed frustration over what they see as slow communication from the district. Tuesdays school board meeting is expected to include a public comment session, during which parents and residents can speak directly to board members. MORE QCNEWS.COM Continuing Coverage Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. They moved into some former frischs restaurants, but after about six months in business Dollys is done in Ohio. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Earlier this year the company told News Center 7 it planned to open 50 restaurants in our region. Monday was a groups first time theyd been to Dollys, it was also one of their last. We were here the last day that they said they were closing frischs. it was weird because I said, oh my gosh, this is happening again., Deb Lester of greenville said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Frischs had been a Miami Valley staple for years. TRENDING STORIES: As News Center 7 has previously reported, the landlord for dozens of locations said they got behind on rent. The landlord filed eviction documents in court and those Frischs closed. Weve talked to the CEO of Big Boy restaurant group and Dollys burgers and shakes. His company owns the rights and trade-mark rights for the Big Boy brand everywhere in the world except Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those four states are Frischs Big Boy territory. Theres an ongoing legal battle and Big Boy restaurant group cant operate under the Big Boy name in the Cincinnati and Dayton markets. With an unresolved fight in court big boy restaurant group say its determined that continuing to operate under these conditions is no longer sustainable or beneficial for its employees or the brand." A disappointment for the lunch crowd in Troy, Monday, but theyre more worried for the workers impacted. To have a job and then all of a sudden its ripped out from under you and three days youre closing and you dont know, what am I going to do now? You know you think about them. I feel sorry for them, Tammy Drees said. News Center 7 spoke to people who work in the Troy location. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] MECCA TWP., Ohio (WKBN) The new owner of a bar/restaurant in Mecca has been incorporating local themes since taking over. The Local Tap & Grill is now adding a community mural wall. Artists were invited to help transform a hallway into something visual. There are 10 pieces being worked on, and they have to be finished by next Friday. Wenona Herrmann asked the artists to incorporate a local theme, like Lake Life, Boat Life, or anything to do with Trumbull County, and to highlight the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The month of November will be a competition where you can help decide which one you like the best. I definitely know that theyre more talented than me, because you cant even read my handwriting, but its just nice to see peoples creativity and like, just give them a theme, and they went with it, Herrmann said. And everybody has unique ideas. Like, I love everything that I see on the wall. I cant even choose who Im going to vote for. Votes are $1. The mural artist with the most votes during November will win the entire pot. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Voting booths are set up at Madison, Wisconsin's Hawthorne Library on Nov. 28, 2022. Restrictive voting laws enacted in 2025 are expected to have an impact on midterm elections in 2026, according to a new report. (Photo by Henry Redman/Wisconsin Examiner) TOPEKA Kansas is one of 16 states that have enacted restrictive voting laws this year, falling just short of records set in 2021, according to a roundup of such laws from a national think tank. The 29 laws tighten voter access by removing people from voter rolls, modifying mail-in ballot policies, or requiring birth certificates or passports to vote, according to a report released Oct. 21 by the Brennan Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State governments in 2025 are nearly on pace to match the number of restrictive voting laws enacted in 2021, when states enacted more restrictive legislation than at any other point so far in the 14 years the Brennan Center has tracked state voting legislation, the report said. That year, driven in large part by lies about the 2020 election being stolen, state legislatures passed an unprecedented number of laws that limited access to voting. In 2021, 17 states passed 32 restrictive laws, according to the centers count. This year, lawmakers in at least 47 states considered an estimated 469 bills containing restrictive provisions during their legislative sessions, according to data collected up to Oct. 6. Twenty bills are still moving through legislatures, the report said. Kansas legislators overrode the governors veto in March to pass a law that requires advance ballots to be returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day. They did the same in April, passing a law that forbids the use of federal funds for conducting elections unless approved by the Legislature. The center classified that law as election interference legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar laws in Iowa, Louisiana, Texas and Utah give partisan state-level actors control over election processes, the center said in the analysis, which was produced with the Democracy Policy Lab at the University of California, Berkeley. In April, legislators passed a law that requires the states division of motor vehicles and the Secretary of State to compare registration rolls for noncitizens and investigate or remove them from the rolls. Melissa Stiehler, a spokesperson for the Kansas voter access nonprofit Loud Light, said voting rights have become a popular focus for partisan legislation since the 2020 election. She said recently passed laws in Kansas restrict the freedom to vote, come at the expense of Kansans and favor exploiting fear and misinformation. Democracy is the freedom for all citizens to have an equal say in the decisions that impact our families and communities, she said. Attacking that freedom based on lies and disinformation is fundamentally anti-American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The laws listed in the centers report were not the only election-related pieces of legislation passed in Kansas this year. Kansans will vote in August 2026 on two constitutional amendments via ballot measures. One would add a requirement that voters must be citizens. The other would change the way Kansas Supreme Court justices are selected, shifting the method from a merit-based nomination system to a popular vote contest. Arkansas and South Dakota voters are also expected to consider revising constitutional language to limit voting to only citizens in 2026, and Texas voters will do so in November. If they succeed, these initiatives will have no practical effect, as it is already a federal crime and a crime in all four of these states for noncitizens to vote, the report said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A slate of election procedures and voting provisions was nestled into House Bill 2016, which the governor signed in April. Among them were modified disclosures and requirements for advance ballot applications. Legislators reworked a 2021 law that restricted groups that sent advance ballot applications to voters. The law was challenged in federal court, focusing on prefilled, mailed ballot applications that voting organizations sent to hundreds of thousands of Kansans in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. A judge blocked the 2021 law in July, ruling that state lawmakers tried to suppress free speech. Danielle Lang, the senior director for voting rights at the Campaign Legal Center, said in a July 31 interview that the 2025 changes appear to be a recognition from the Legislature that the law it passed was wildly overbroad. Those changes are still subject to the judges recent permanent injunction for part of the law. However, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Attorney General Kris Kobach and Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe, who were the defendants in the lawsuit, appealed the decision in August to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. While officials have maintained that the 2021 law was meant to address election fraud and promote election integrity, Lang disagrees. The law has nothing to do with those things, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Folks who work in elections, like myself, are really interested in having efficient election administration, she said. Often these laws are kind of papered over with this explanation, but theyre not actually geared at that at all. My sense of things is that Americans support access to mail voting, and their legislators need to know that, she said. The Brennan Centers roundup found that laws expanding voting access have decreased in frequency. About 30 were passed this year as of Oct. 6, which is fewer than the 53 enacted in 2023 and 62 in 2021, the report said. Thirty-two expansive laws were passed in 2024. The pace of democratic progress in many states has slowed just as democratic backsliding has accelerated in others, the report said. This story has been updated. In July 2025, Ugandas courts swiftly dismissed a petition challenging the legality of polygamy, citing the protection of religious and cultural freedom. For most social scientists and policymakers who have long declared polygamy a harmful cultural practice, the decision was a frustrating but predictable setback in efforts to build healthier and more equal societies. In the vast majority of cases, polygamy takes the form of one husband and multiple wives more precisely referred to as polygyny, originating from the Greek words poly (many) and gyne (woman or wife). The opposite arrangement of one wife and multiple husbands is referred to as polyandry (from aner meaning man or husband) and is exceedingly rare worldwide. Critics of polygyny present two main arguments. First, they contend it squeezes low-status men out of the marriage market, fostering social unrest, crime and violence against women by frustrated unwed men. Second, it harms women and children by dividing limited resources among more dependents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This logic has led leading political scientist Rose McDermott to describe polygyny as evil. Other researchers, such as anthropologist Joseph Henrich, even go as far as to credit Christianitys derision of polygyny as a driving force of Western prosperity. However, a trio of new studies, all relying on the highest standards of data analysis, contend that these arguments are misguided. I have spent my career working at the intersection of anthropology and global health, researching how and why family structure varies and what this diversity means for human well-being. Much of this work has been carried out with colleagues in Tanzania where, like Uganda, polygyny is relatively common. This new wave of work underscores the value of our research, effectively demonstrating that good intentions and intuition are no substitute for cultural sensitivity and evidence. Only about 2% of the global population lives in polygamous households, and in most places the proportion is less than 0.5%. Pew Research Center Does polygyny lock men out of marriage? A new study published in October 2025 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences presents the first comprehensive, large-scale analysis of polygyny and mens marriage prospects. The project is a collaboration between demographer Hampton Gaddy and evolutionary anthropologists Rebecca Sear and Laura Fortunato. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The researchers drew on demographic modeling and an extraordinary trove of census data over 84 million records from 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Oceania, plus the entire U.S. census from 1880, when polygyny was practiced in some American communities. They demonstrate that polygyny does not lock large numbers of men out of marriage. In fact, in many contexts, men are actually more likely to marry where polygyny is common than where it is rare. The narrative that polygyny leads to lonely bachelors is intuitive. In a community with equal numbers of men and women, if one man marries two wives, then another man must remain unmarried. Expand that across a whole society, and polygyny looks like a recipe for an army of resentful, single men. Parallel arguments have been made about the rise of incel a portmanteau of involuntary and celibate subcultures within monogamous nations, including the U.S. Here, the argument is that high-status men leave low-status men sexless and frustrated, ultimately leading to violence. The trouble is that real demography is not so simple. Women typically live longer than men, men frequently marry younger women, and populations in many parts of the world are growing, ensuring younger spouses are available for older cohorts. These factors, which are characteristic of many contemporary African nations, tilt the marriage market toward a surplus of women. Under many realistic conditions, a sizable proportion of men can have multiple wives without leaving their peers out in the cold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, in nearly half of the countries examined, higher rates of polygyny were associated with fewer, not more, unmarried men. Only a handful of countries showed the expected positive relationship, and even then inconsistently over time. The case of historical Mormon communities in North America is equally revealing. When the researchers compared counties with documented Mormon polygyny to others in the 1880 census, they found lower rates of unmarried men in polygynous areas. Gaddy and his colleagues contend that this is explained by the tendency for cultural norms that favor polygyny to also be relatively pronatalist, driving marriage rates upward for all. Do women and children get a smaller share? What about the argument that polygyny harms women and children by dividing male-owned wealth among more mouths to feed? There certainly are studies that have demonstrated associations between polygyny and poor health. But another line of thinking argues that correlation should not be equated with causation. Ten years ago, my colleages and I documented that polygyny is associated with higher food insecurity and poor child health when comparing outcomes across over 50 Tanzanian villages. However, this pattern was an artifact of polygyny being most common in marginalized Maasai communities, which tend to live in drought-prone areas with inadequate health care. Moreover, when comparing families within communities, polygynous households were typically wealthier, a key factor in making polygyny attractive to women, and children were not disadvantaged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Echoing these results, anthropologist Riana Minocher and her colleagues recently published a study that uses a detailed, longitudinal dataset from a 20-year prospective study in another region of Tanzania. Analyzing survival, growth and education for thousands of children, they found no evidence that monogamous marriage is advantageous. Together, these results support a theory known as the polygyny threshold model. Simply put, provided women have choice in marriage, sharing a husband is unlikely to be economically detrimental, since they will prioritize marrying men with sufficient wealth to offset any cost. This scenario may not fit all contexts, but these studies clearly undercut claims that polygyny is unequivocally harmful. Hidden advantages of polygyny Another recent study, published in August 2025 by economist Sylvain Dessy and his colleagues, goes further, suggesting that polygyny has unrecognized advantages when times are tough. Drawing on crop yield data from over 4,000 farm households across Mali, census data on marriage patterns and detailed meteorological records, they found that in villages where polygyny is rare, droughts cut harvests dramatically. But in villages where polygyny is common, that blow is softened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The researchers argue that polygynous marriage, by increasing the number of in-laws, creates stronger networks of social support. Furthermore, with wives often coming from different villages and regions, extended kin are well positioned to send food, money or labor when local crops fail. Such support helps to explain both the resilience of polygynous communities during drought and the continued endurance of the marriage practice from one generation to the next. So, is polygyny harmless? These studies dont mean that polygyny is harmless. Indeed, allowing men but not women to have multiple spouses is clearly unequal and entwined with patriarchal ideology that positions women as subordinate or inferior to men. Recent studies, for example, have suggested that polygynous marriages are more prone to intimate partner violence. In short, there remain multiple ways polygyny can be harmful. Nevertheless, the best evidence suggests that polygyny is unlikely to be a root cause of social unrest. Moreover, within wider patriarchal systems that afford few women, regardless of marital status, economic and social security, polygyny may not just be a tolerable choice but in some contexts a preferred arrangement with tangible benefits for both genders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Simplistic stories about the dangers of polygyny can be compelling and intuitive, but they risk misleading the public, reinforcing stubborn notions of Western cultural superiority and disrupting effective global health policy by sidelining more pertinent initiatives. Building healthier societies necessitates paying attention to the evidence and remaining open to the possibility that all family structures have capacity to cause harm. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: David W. Lawson, University of California, Santa Barbara Read more: David W. Lawson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. SMPL Pune (Maharashtra) [India], October 21: The Symbiosis Institute of Digital and Telecom Management (SIDTM Pune), part of Symbiosis International (Deemed University), continues to lead in preparing future digital and telecom business leaders. The institute offers an industry-focused curriculum, encourages innovative learning, and connects academic knowledge with the fast-changing digital economy. As one of India's premier institutes that exclusively focuses on Digital and Telecom Management, SIDTM Pune is distinctively positioned between technology, management, and innovation. This institute makes a student capable of navigating the 4.0 era of digital transformation across industries. The SIDTM Advantage SIDTM's curriculum is thoughtfully crafted with inputs from around the industry, keeping its programmes prevalent and industry-relevant. The institute's main offerings, including the MBA in Digital and Telecom Management with specialisations in Systems and Finance, Marketing and FInance and Analytics and FInance give students both technical skills as well as management knowledge to thrive in digital organisations. Key Differentiators: - Industry-Driven Curriculum: The industry collaborated labs and based on their feedback the programme is completely changed to make students industry ready. - Innovation and Research Focus: State-of-the-art labs, live projects, and innovation-driven knowledge encourage students to create solutions that address the real-world digital problems. - Expert Faculty and Mentorship: A mix of academic scholars and senior industry professionals mentor students, integrating global best practices with upcoming technologies. - Strong Corporate Connects: Leading organisations such as AWS, IBM, Ericsson, Deloitte, EY, Accenture, PwC, TCS etc. collaborate through internships, guest lectures, and placement opportunities. - Global Exposure: International collaborations and exchange programmes provide students with insights into global telecom and digital ecosystems. Empowering Future-Ready Leaders Building on its strong pathways as part of Symbiosis, SIDTM Pune is transforming students to become leaders in telecom, digital technology consulting, marketing, consulting, and analytics. The institute combines academic strength with practical experience to prepare graduates who can drive growth and lead digital strategies in today's connected world. "At SIDTM Pune, our mission is to develop digital technology business leaders who understand not only the technology but also the business strategy and finance that sustains them," said Dr CA. Abhijit Chirputkar, Director, SIDTM Pune. He further added, "Our programmes are deeply aligned with industry demands, ensuring our graduates shape the digital and telecom landscapes of tomorrow." The SIDTM Pune placement outcomes for the 2024-26 batch underscore this commitment with 66% male and 34% female students, nearly half of whom are freshers. The batch features students predominantly from engineering (56%) and commerce (29%) backgrounds. The major Internship verticals include consulting (31%), IT/ITES (29%), BFSI (14%), and telecom (4%). Graduates have secured placements across diverse sectors with competitive remunerations, reflecting the high industry relevance of SIDTM programmes. About SIDTM Pune Established under Symbiosis International (Deemed University), SIDTM Pune (formerly SITM) is India's leading institute offering MBA programmes exclusively in Digital and Telecom Management. With its commitment to excellence, contemporary curriculum, and a strong network of corporate partnerships, SIDTM stands at the forefront of developing talent for the digital economy. To register for SNAP 2025 and learn more about SIDTM's MBA programmes: www.snaptest.org | https://sidtm.edu.in/ (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by SMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The Arkansas State Police is mourning the loss of retired K9 Beau, a highly decorated member of the force who served for seven years with the Interstate Criminal Patrol Team. Beau passed away on Thursday at the age of 12. Beau served with distinction alongside his handler, Sgt. Josh Elmore of Troop H, until his retirement in April 2024. During his tenure, Beau was instrumental in major seizures, significantly impacting drug trafficking and public safety across Arkansas highways. Memorial ceremony set for troopers killed in service Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The German Shepherd was responsible for seizing over 2,600 lbs of marijuana, 24 lbs of cocaine, 55 lbs of meth, and more than $1.3 million in suspected drug proceeds. In a statement announcing the passing, the department praised Beaus lasting legacy, including his pivotal role in keeping Arkansas communities safe. Beau will be remembered for his loyalty, tireless service, and the lasting impact he had on the Arkansas State Police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 small force of American troops will remain in Iraqs Ain al-Asad Air Base in order to fight ISIS, Iraqs prime minister announced today. The decision reverses plans for a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the major military site. Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that a force of 250-350 American military advisors and support personnel would stay at the base in western Iraq, as well as al-Harir Air Base in Iraqi Kurdistan. Other bases are seeing are seeing gradual reductions of American troops, the prime minister said, according to the Associated Press. These personnel will assist in surveillance and coordination with U.S. forces at the al-Tanf base in Syria to ensure that IS does not exploit the security vacuum, al-Sudani said, according to Kurdistan24. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news of US troops remaining at the base is a reversal of plans for a full withdrawal that Iraqi officials announced would be completed by last month. American forces began leaving al-Asad in August, according to several reports from local media; CENTCOM only acknowledged the withdrawal was underway in late September. According to the agreement between the two countries, the base was set to be fully handed over to Iraq. The al-Tanf base, located in southeastern Syria, has been one of the main American outposts inside the country. The decision to allow the American troops to stay was made following developments in Syria, al-Sudani said. Those developments include the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, after the drawdown agreement between the United States and Iraq was reached. Top Stories This Week News Captain of ship at center of Navy SEAL drownings sentenced to 40 years By Drew F. Lawrence News One Marine killed, another injured in helicopter crash By Nicholas Slayton News Army now planning campusstyle dining at up to 10 large bases By Patty Nieberg Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ain al-Asad Air Base is one of the main military installations in Iraq and has been heavily used by American forces, both during the war in Iraq and the fight against ISIS. In 2020 it was attacked with ballistic missiles in retaliation for the American assassination of Irans Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Under the agreement reached last fall, American forces would complete the first phase of their drawdown in Iraq by the end of September 2025. The second phase would last through 2026. The move would bring the number of American troops inside Iraq from 2,500 to fewer than 2,000, with most centered in Iraqi Kurdistan. The United States has worked closely with both Iraqs security forces and partners inside Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing fight against ISIS in both countries. Earlier this year American forces pulled back from some outposts in Syria, handing control over to local partners. Last week the head of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announced that the SDF and new government in Syria had agreed in principle on a plan to bring the SDF into the Syrian national armed forces. A tiny chip implanted into the eyes of people suffering vision loss from irreversible age-related macular degeneration has restored central sight in a dazzling first. It's called the PRIMA system, tested across 17 European hospitals, and it restored central vision in 26 of 32 patients who used it for 12 months many of whom could even read again. The result, developed by a large international team of doctors and scientists over many years, represents a massive breakthrough in treatments for vision loss. "It's the first time that any attempt at vision restoration has achieved such results in a large number of patients," says ophthamologist Jose-Alain Sahel of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, co-senior author on a paper describing the results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "More than 80 percent of the patients were able to read letters and words, and some of them are reading pages in a book. This is really something we couldn't have dreamt of when we started on this journey, together with Daniel Palanker, 15 years ago." Related: Gold Injections in The Eye May Be The Future of Vision Preservation YouTube Thumbnail Geographic vision loss from age-related macular degeneration is a progressive and irreversible condition that affects millions of people around the world. The macula, which is responsible for high-resolution central vision, resides within the retina at the back of the eye. As this part of the retina atrophies, patches of blindness develop in a person's central vision. In a healthy retina, photoreceptor cells convert light into electrical signals that are processed in the inner retina and sent to the brain. For people with geographic atrophy, these photoreceptor cells die off, which means that part of the eye is not receiving light signals, creating a blind spot in the center of their vision, while peripheral vision is less affected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While not everyone with age-related macular degeneration will experience geographic atrophy, for the millions that do, it can be devastating. PRIMA, the brainchild of ophthalmologist Daniel Palanker of Stanford University, co-senior author of the research paper led by ophthalmologist Frank Holz of the University of Bonn in Germany, could be poised to change that. The system consists of two parts. The implant is a tiny wireless silicon sensor, just two by two millimeters in area and less than the width of a hair in thickness, and containing 378 photovoltaic pixels. It's slipped in behind the retina where the cellular atrophy is greatest. The eye of a patient before and after implantation of the photovoltaic array. (Holz et al, NEJM, 2025) The other part of PRIMA is a pair of glasses connected to a pocket processor. The glasses capture images and convert them into near-infrared light near the 880-nanometer wavelength before sending them to the implant. The wavelength is important: near-infrared light is invisible to the human eye, so it will not be perceived by the healthy retinal photoreceptors or interfere with the patient's remaining peripheral vision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The implant, in turn, converts the infrared signals into electrical signals and sends them to the brain to be perceived, similar to how the natural eye converts and transmits data. And because the implant is powered by light, it doesn't need an external power source. Mid Article Promo Astro After extensive clinical testing and a small, five-participant clinical trial, the researchers were ready for the next step. They recruited 38 patients in 17 hospitals across five European countries to test the system for 12 months; six of those patients were unavailable for follow-up at the end of the trial period, so the results are based on the remaining 32 patients. The mean age of the patients was 79, and all were experiencing vision loss from geographic atrophy. Their vision was tested before undergoing the trial, and again at several points during the trial. Initially, the patients had to spend several months learning how to use PRIMA, including the functions of the system, such as zooming in on text, and interpreting the electrical patterns as visual shapes. Most of the patients 26, or 81 percent experienced a clinically meaningful improvement in their vision, with some patients even reaching vision close to 20/420, the resolution limit of the PRIMA system. Simulations of a macular degeneration patient's vision before (left) and after (right) implantation of the PRIMA system. ( Palanker Lab "Before receiving the implant, it was like having two black discs in my eyes, with the outside distorted," says patient Sheila Irvine, who was recruited to the trial at Moorfields Eye Hospital in the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I was an avid bookworm, and I wanted that back. I was nervous, excited, all those things. There was no pain during the operation, but you're still aware of what's happening. It's a new way of looking through your eyes, and it was dead exciting when I began seeing a letter. It's not simple, learning to read again, but the more hours I put in, the more I pick up." It's important to note that 19 of the participants experienced adverse effects, all of which are known complications of eye surgery, and most of which were resolved quickly. Crucially, peripheral vision remained unaffected in all patients. Currently, PRIMA only works in black-and-white. The researchers are working to develop a grayscale version and to increase the resolution of the system. "Number one on the patients' wish list is reading, but number two, very close behind, is face recognition. And face recognition requires grayscale," Palanker says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is the first version of the chip, and resolution is relatively low. The next generation of the chip, with smaller pixels, will have better resolution and be paired with sleeker-looking glasses." The research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Related News KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Wyandotte County Sheriffs Office says a cash reward is being offered for any information leading to an arrest in the case of a 40-year-old man who was found dead at a park earlier this year. Deputies found the victim, Jacob Dupre, on the night of April 26, unresponsive inside a vehicle at Klamm Park located at 2515 N. 27th St. in Kansas City, Kansas. He was pronounced dead shortly after paramedics arrived. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office back in April said it was conducting a death investigation, but in a Facebook post shared on Tuesday, it indicated it is now investigating Dupres death as a homicide. It has not released information on how he was killed. The sheriffs office said a reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for any tips that lead to an arrest in the case. In the flyer, the sheriffs office says it believes Dupre was murdered on April 25 in the park. Anyone with information is asked to call the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers at 816-474-8477. An obituary posted for Dupre, of Gardner, described him as a father of three children, a veteran of the Marines and a manager for XPO Logistics. 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 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Mill Creek Park was the scene of red, white, blue and inflatable costumes and signs calling for No Kings. Watch 17 News, After Sunrise and more local news free on your smart TV. Click to learn more about KGET+ One of the things that weve noticed, I think all many of us have noticed, is that our rights are being stripped away from us as citizens, and that is just inevitably wrong in every way, said protester Janet Armentor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The No Kings protests began back on June 14 as a counter movement to President Trumps military parade in Washington D.C. back in June. Millions of people across the globe walked the streets against the Trump administration. Nationally, Saturdays protest had a turnout of 7 million. Thats 2 million more than the first protests in June. It was Louise Arreolas first time at the No Kings protest Saturday. I am so glad we still have the opportunity to celebrate freedom of the press, freedom of religion and freedom of speech. And I hope we continue to be able to celebrate that peacefully. The Bakersfield No Kings protest had residents walking down 19th and O streets ending back at Mill Creek Park. Officials said roughly a thousand people attended. There was singing, dancing and some celebrations by protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were similar protests in Ridgecrest and Tehachapi. Trump posts AI video dumping brown liquid on No Kings protesters After the walk-through downtown, local residents spoke about the power of protest and emphasized the importance of being peaceful, but having fun along the way. I think the energy is very supportive, said Armentor. Everyone here, I think, is very respectful and again, standing for peace, love, and freedom. And thats what were celebrating is the United States of America. Joshua Parea was glad the event was peaceful. Everyones having a great time and theres like no negative energy at all and never, you know, totally safe, but theres no problems at all, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many attendees didnt expect a large turnout. They say that seeing the community so involved is electric. RELATED: House Speaker Johnson: No Kings a stunt for Democrats amid shutdown Im frankly really surprised at how many people are here. I was there are so many more people than I thought were going to be here. And Im really proud of Bakersfield, really proud to see this kind of turnout, said Paul Grubb. Grubb remembered when he wanted to go to a Vietnam War protest as a young boy. He wanted to give his daughter the opportunity to make her voice heard even at a young age. Well, this was going to be a big event in the country. And my daughter its her future, right? So I wanted her to see and be a part of the biggest thing thats happening in her life at this point, and so that she can look back in 20 years or 50 years and say I was there. I was part of this, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ten-year-old Melissa Grubb had this to say about being at her first protest. Its very important to come out because if you dont, its like not voting. Its basically saying that you dont care because now it really hit the fan and a lot of people are in trouble especially people who are immigrants. The protests lasted for a couple of hours and went on without 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 KGET 17 News. SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) Conservative activist and former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines was appointed to the Sumner County Library Board Monday evening. In a 16-6 vote, Sumner County Commissioners decided to keep the library board at nine members (rather than reduce it to seven) and nominated Gaines to fill one of the two seats. Gaines posted on social media Tennessee banned tax dollars from funding woke gender ideology, but my own countys library board is ignoring it. These books (and others) were challenged by concerned parents in February, but to no prevail. Remove this filth from our libraries! along with images of books about gender identity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denied twice, Sumner County book ban policy is back again Currently, there are 9 positions on the board. 1 has been empty for several months. The commission and the committee on committees refuses to fill it. So there are 8 people. 4 conservatives and 4 non conservative. The non conservative members are either liberal, democrat, or RINOs. If they show up to a meeting they will be forced to vote for or against this policy that removes trans ideological books from the childrens section per state and federal law. They do not want to go on record for voting no. It would ruin their reputation. This is why they are always absent from the meetings. They are waiting until the chairman (Joanna Daniels) term is up in November. That way they can reduce the number on the board to 7 which will give the nonconservative members the majority making this policy go away, never to be voted on, Gaines added on social media. In August, the Sumner County Library Board again rejected a ban on transgender-themed books. The controversy began in May when the board tabled the first proposal to remove the books. Rep. Johnny Garrett (R- Goodlettsville) stated that he is a supporter of Gaines and a fellow Sumner County resident. When asked about her appointment, Garrett told News 2 hes glad Gaines will be able to use her voice and experience to push for change in the countys libraries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im more than excited that Riley has joined the effort to fight this liberal ideology that says becoming something that youre not, by going through these surgeries to become a girl or a boy at such a young age of five, six years old, this this information, this topic, shouldnt be in front of children in a cartoon-like book that says this type of activity is okay, he added. Gaines took to social media Tuesday to confirm her appointment to the board, adding that shes honored to serve the community that she grew up in and the one where shell raise her daughter. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Last week, the policy was back on the agenda, but half of the eight board members did not attend the meeting. Without a quorum, a vote was not allowed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaines is from Nashville and currently lives in Sumner County. She became an activist after she lost a competition to an openly trans woman in 2022. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Have you been involved in a dispute over a will? Get in touch with money@telegraph.co.uk Bereaved families are contesting more wills in an attempt to secure inheritances they believe theyre entitled to, official data has revealed. In 2024-25, 122 wills were challenged by families who said that they were invalid, a 61pc increase on 2020-21, when just 76 were disputed, according to Ministry of Justice data revealed by a Freedom of Information request from TWM Solicitors. A further 11,300 were challenged last year by financial dependants of the deceased who claimed they had not been left with reasonable financial provision. The number of claims on this basis was up 8pc from the year before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Families can challenge wills on the basis of validity if the documents were not completed properly, if the person making the will didnt have mental capacity when it was written or if they were under undue influence. Wills can also be declared invalid if there is evidence the person writing the will was defrauded or the document is a forgery. Courts are also increasingly hearing cases from family members who claim to have been unfairly disinherited, such as a child who can prove a parent intended to leave them a certain asset. In Britain, a person has testamentary freedom the right to decide to whom or what they leave their money in all but very limited circumstances. However, there are grounds on which a will can be challenged after the individual dies. Another circumstance in which wills can be challenged is when a person who was financially dependent on the deceased can lay claim to reasonable financial provision if it is not provided for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stuart Downey, partner at TWM Solicitors, said: People are not as willing to accept getting less than what they see as their fair share from a will than they used to be. With people living longer, inheritances often arrive when beneficiaries are already well into middle age and therefore have the resources to fund a legal claim. James Lister, head of private wealth disputes at law firm Stevens & Bolton, said: This is a classic symptom of economic instability in the country. We saw a rising trend in disputed estates shortly after the 2008 financial crisis too. It happens as individuals become more dependent on inherited or promised wealth to support themselves in otherwise difficult economic circumstances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Lister predicted that increases in wills being challenged, both under financial dependency rules and for other reasons, would spike in the next 18 months. Tamasin Perkins, head of the private wealth disputes at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, said: We see complex family dynamics (especially for international families) and complex asset structures as leading to an increase in will disputes. Provisions made during the pandemic for signing wills electronically could also be causing confusion, Ms Perkins said. She said: The rules for executing wills were briefly relaxed during Covid to allow for electronic signatures. This may have led to some confusion about exactly how a will should be executed to ensure it is valid and therefore more challenges based on invalid execution. Finding of landmark report The surge in feuds comes after the Law Commission published a landmark report into wills in May, nearly a decade after it began its investigation into the documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report found that current laws are not doing enough to protect the elderly and vulnerable from financial abuse, amid a rise in so-called predatory marriages, which are a form of abuse. The Commission also recommended that electronic wills be considered valid, that marriage should no longer invalidate a will and that those aged over 16 should be given the right to make a will, rather than just those over 18. It said that more informal wills should be recognised by courts and proposed changes to rules about when disabled or mentally incapacitated people can make decisions for themselves. Sarah Sackman, minister for courts and legal services, said in May: The Government recognises that the current law is outdated, and we must embrace change, but the guiding principle in doing so will be to ensure that reform does not compromise existing freedoms or protect the elderly and vulnerable in society from undue influence. 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 Riviera Beach woman was killed early Monday, Oct. 20 when the car she was driving struck a tree on President Barack Obama Boulevard, according to Riviera Beach Police. Police said the driver, identified as Marla Denise Andrews-Green, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was not wearing a seat belt of at the time of the crash, which was estimated to be around 1:50 a.m. Police said Andrews-Green was driving a 2018 Lexus E350 southbound in the 2300 block of President Barack Obama Boulevard and struck a large tree in the median. Speed and distracted driving are being considered as factors in the crash, though the investigation remains active. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Riviera Beach 911 Communications Center received the call at 1:51 a.m. from someone who saw the crash. The road was shut down for several hours while the Riviera Beach Police Department Traffic Fatality Unit conducted the on-scene investigation. James Coleman is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera woman dies after Lexus hits tree near West Palm Beach Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the demise of veteran actor Asrani, remembering his cinematic legacy that brought joy and laughter to people. In an X post, PM Modi wrote, "Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Govardhan Asrani Ji. A gifted entertainer and a truly versatile artist, he entertained audiences across generations. He particularly added joy and laughter to countless lives through his unforgettable performances." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1980478977924854266 Noting that the late actor''s contribution to Indian cinema will be cherished, the Prime Minister further extended condolences to his family and admirers. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid a homage to Asrani''s contributions to Indian cinema and wrote, "The demise of renowned actor Asrani Ji is deeply saddening. Asrani Ji contributed to Indian cinema throughout his life and carved a place in the hearts of millions by making people laugh. May God give strength to his family and admirers to bear this profound loss. Om Shanti." https://x.com/AmitShah/status/1980481397472289011 Actor-comedian Asrani passed away on Monday after a prolonged illness. He was 84 years old. His last rites were performed at Santacruz Crematorium where his family gathered for the last rites. Asrani''s manager, Babu Bhai Thiba told ANI "Asrani passed away today at 3 PM at Arogya Nidhi Hospital, Juhu. He is survived by his wife, sister, and nephew." Condolences have been pouring in since the news was confirmed. While fans are remembering Asrani''s iconic performances, celebrities also offered their heartfelt tributes. Actor Akshay Kumar, who worked with the late actor on several hit films like ''Heri Pheri'', ''Bhagam Bhag'', ''Welcome'', and ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa'', mourned his passing with an emotional message. "Speechless with grief at the passing of Asrani Ji. We had just shared the warmest of hugs just a week back at the shoot of Haiwaan. Bahot pyare insaan the...he had the most legendary comic timing. From all my cult films Hera Pheri to Bhagam Bhag to De Dana Dan, Welcome and now our unreleased Bhoot Bangla and Haiwaan...I had worked and learned so much from him. What an absolute loss to our industry. God bless you Asrani Sir, for giving us a million reasons to laugh. Om Shanti," he wrote. Kajol, Ayushmann Khurrana, Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, and Adnan Sami, also paid final tributes. (ANI) A major road connecting the three Baltic states to Poland opened on Monday at a time of rising tensions between Europe and Russia. The road, known as Via Baltica, will pass through a narrow strip of land between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad called the Suwalki Gap which has often been described as a potential target if Russia were to attack NATO. At an inauguration ceremony on the border between their countries on Monday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the road was the region's most important corridor and highlighted its role in the region's defence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NATO troops could potentially move faster in aid of the Baltics by using Via Baltica. "This road has a dual purpose it will help our economy and strengthen the defence capabilities of our region," Nawrocki said. Polish President Karol Nawrocki, left, shakes hands with Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda after a press conference in Vilnius, 8 September, 2025 - AP Photo Poland and its Baltic neighbours have been on high alert since multiple drones, thought to be from Russia, entered Polish territory and Russian fighter jets crossed into Estonian air space in September. The 970 kilometre-long Via Baltica route starts in Polands capital Warsaw and passes through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, where it finishes in Tallinn. The construction of the Polish section of Via Baltica took more than 10 years and cost more than 11 billion zlotys (2.6 billion), of which almost 1 billion came from European Union funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is part of the European route E67, which links Finland to the Czech Republic. The four-lane A5 highway connecting Kaunas, Lithuanias second largest city, with Suwalki in Poland is also a part of Via Baltica. Several northbound sections of Via Baltica are still just two lanes and will be expanded later, Lithuania's Transportation Ministry said in a statement. The Via Baltica road at Kolno - GDDKiA/fot.Krzysztof Nalewajko Nauseda said the road symbolises "freedom, prosperity and security," and that it "plays an extremely important economic, commercial, and logistical role in Lithuania, connecting us with the rest of the European market." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also under construction is a companion railway project, known as Rail Baltica, the first sections of which are due to be operational by 2030. Construction of the new 870-kilometre railway line, running from Tallinn to the Polish border began in 2019, but has been beset by delays and disputes between the Baltic governments over the routing of the line. There have also been problems from the European Commission which considers the price tag, with costs quadrupling from the original 6 billion to 24 billion, to be too high. ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR)- A Roanoke man convicted in the robberies of two Roanoke banks was sentenced to ten years in federal prison. Michael Anthony McCoy, 67, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery with the use of a dangerous weapon and one count of bank robbery, according to Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. McCoys accomplice, Dawn Davis, was previously sentenced to two years in federal prison for her role in the crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court records, Davis wrote the note used by McCoy during the October 26, 2022 robbery of the Truist Bank on Melrose Avenue NW. McCoy gave one bank employee the note and then brandished a firearm to a second bank employee. He made off with $6,485. The second robbery took place two days later at the Truist Bank on McClanahan Street SW, where nearly $6,000 was taken. PREVIOUS STORY: Roanoke man indicted for 2022 bank robbery makes first court appearance Once again our Ceasefire Virginia prosecutors continue to do tremendous work while protecting our communities, said Attorney General Jason Miyares. Roanoke families can sleep well knowing that individuals such as these are off our streets and behind bars. Michael Anthony McCoy, 67, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for robbing two Roanoke banks, while his accomplice Dawn Davis was sentenced to two years in federal prison for her role in the robberies. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Beamer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Robert De Niro is standing with everyone fighting against Donald Trump's actions. The Hollywood legend addressed the viral No Kings protests that occurred in several cities on Saturday, October 18, applauding those who stepped out for the event. He stressed that this is just the beginning, noting that people must keep pushing until Trump leaves. Robert De Niro has been vocal about his distaste for Donald Trump and his administration. They famously clashed last year after the actor called the president out for being a clown. Robert De Niro Implores Americans To Keep Protesting Against Donald Trump MEGA De Niro opened up about the No Kings protests during a recent interview on Sunday, October 19. He lamented how Trump had pushed Americans to revive a decades-old event to end what many perceive as a dictatorship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The original No Kings protest was 250 years ago, De Niro noted, referencing the American Revolution, also called the U.S. War of Independence. The battle to end British rule and establish the United States of America began in 1775 under the rule of King George III. De Niro told MSNBCs The Weekend that many fought a bloody war to regain America's freedom, only for Trump to allegedly attempt to end their Democracy. Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away? King Donald I. F-ck that. We are rising up again this time, nonviolently raising our voices to declare No Kings, the icon declared. The The Godfather Part II Star Advises Politicians To Pick A Side ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA De Niro added that he was pleased with the turnout across the country for the No Kings protests. He saw it as a good sign that people of different colors, races, genders, and political beliefs came together to say enough is enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He argued that protesters needed to do more going forward, because thats the only thing that the politicians are going to recognize, either face the wrath of Trump or the wrath of the people. De Niro stressed that politicians needed to fear the people's wrath more than Trump. The Hollywood legend believed that the more people protested across the country, the more politicians would be inclined to take action against Trump. Another reason the protests were needed was to get Trump out of the White House, with De Niro highlighting the risk of the president running for a third term. Inside The 'No Kings' Protests Across The Country ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Millions took to the streets of New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C, and more on Saturday to advocate for Democracy and reject Trump's administration. The BBC reported that the New York Police Department claimed more than 100,000 people took over the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thousands were spotted at the city's Times Square and surrounding streets, holding signs that condemned Trump's dictatorship. Democracy not Monarchy" and "The Constitution is not optional" were some of the messages protesters wrote on their signs. Beth Zasloff, a freelance writer and editor, addressed her participation in the New York protests. She told the outlet that she came out because of Trump's move toward fascism and an authoritarian government. Pedro Pascal's Participation In The Protests Sparked Mixed Reactions Pedro Pascal at the No Kings march in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/rpfPrHeveB Pedro Pascal Daily (Fan Account) (@pascalarchive) October 19, 2025 De Niro wasn't the only celebrity celebrating the No Kings protests, as actor Pedro Pascal joined the event in Los Angeles. He shared multiple images capturing him mingling with other protesters, including kissing someone's inflatable unicorn. #NoKings #LosAngeles PROTECT #Democracy, Pascal captioned the post. His words sparked thousands of comments from Instagram users, with fans and critics clashing. Some applauded the actor's stance while others condemned his behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you for being on the right side of history, a supporter penned. Another labeled Pascal a real-life unicorn, while a third claimed he was their king. On the other hand, critics slammed Pascal with clown memes, with one writing: This dude is a clown, thanks Trump for keeping Americans safe. Donald Trump Calls Robert De Niro A 'Wacko' After 'Clown' Diss Aaron Schwartz - Pool via CNP / MEGA A year before the No Kings protests, De Niro and Trump clashed over the latter's politics. The Blast covered the story, reporting that the actor had labelled the president a clown and accused him of trying to destroy the country. The POTUS did not take the insults quietly and vehemently called out De Niro, saying: I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was. Trump also took aim at the entertainer's career, claiming it had significantly declined. The Republican argued that De Niro was suffering from TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, a term he frequently used to describe opponents or critics who he believed were irrationally obsessed with criticizing him. Will more celebrities join Robert De Niro in protesting against Donald Trump? ROCKDALE, Texas (FOX 44) Rockdale Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Denise Monzingo has announced her retirement. The district says this decison comes after twelve years of leadership and four decades in education. Dr. Monzingos retirement is effective June 2026. Dr. Monzingo joined Rockdale ISD in 2014 and was named Superintendent of Schools. The district says that during her tenure, she has led the district through growth, innovation, and transformation, leaving behind a legacy rooted in excellence, equity, and opportunity for every student. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district says Dr. Monzingo is a lifelong educator. She earned her Bachelors Degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Education in Administration from Texas State University, and a Doctorate in Education from Texas A&M University in College Station. Her commitment to student success has earned her recognition across the state and beyond, including being named the Region VI Superintendent of the Year in 2017. Dr. Monzingo has 40 years in public education. Her experience spans from the classroom to district leadership. Prior to her time in Rockdale, she served in Pflugerville ISD as Executive Director of Accountability and Special Programs, Principal of both Park Crest Middle School and Dessau Elementary School, Assistant Principal at Dessau Middle School, and as a teacher across grades 58. Throughout her career, she has been recognized nationally for her work in professional learning communities and honored by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals as an Outstanding Principal, as well as a Region XIII Teacher of the Year. Rockdale ISD says it has experienced a period of growth and renewal under Dr. Monzingos leadership. She oversaw the complete renovation of Tiger Stadium, spearheaded a $30 million bond project in 2023 to renovate and expand district campuses, including a new elementary wing, a junior high band hall, and a gym expansion. She also grew the dual-credit partnership with Temple College, opening doors for students to earn college credit while still in high school. Most notably, Dr. Monzingo led efforts to secure a $5.25 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to fund the renovation of Rockdales new College and Career Academy, a project that will continue shaping opportunities for students long after her retirement. When Dr. Monzingo began her tenure with Rockdale ISD, only seven students were enrolled in dual credit courses through Temple College, traveling to Cameron to take English and Social Studies classes. Under her leadership, the program has grown significantly, transitioning from off-site courses in Cameron and Taylor to Temple College professors teaching directly on Rockdale campuses. Today, more than 100 Rockdale High School students earn college credit each year across multiple subjects, including opportunities to complete associate degrees and Texas Bio-Science concentrations before graduation. This expansion has created a true college-going culture in Rockdale ISD, giving students greater access to rigorous coursework and postsecondary success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district says that as Dr. Monzingo prepares to retire, the Board of Trustees will begin discussions regarding next steps for district leadership. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. ROCKFORD, Ill (WTVO) A Rockford man is arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of William Ellis. Emanuel Albert, 22, was taken into custody this morning at a home on West Pearl Avenue after investigators executed a search warrant. The deadly shooting happened on October 3. Officers were called to a report of shots fired near the 500 block of Locust Street around 9:30 p.m. William Ellis, 18, was found lying on the ground near the intersection of Locust Street and North Winnebago Street. He was taken to the hospital, where he died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An investigation led police to Albert, who was already wanted on an unrelated case for possessing a weapon and drugs. During Tuesdays search police say they recovered a loaded handgun. Albert is charged with first degree murder, possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and several other charges. Albert is being held in the Winnebago County Jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The state's handling of a patient who escaped a Claremore care home Oct. 14 put the public at risk, Rogers County's sheriff said Thursday. The Rogers County Sheriff's Office alerted its Facebook followers around noon Oct. 14 that the patient, Beaux Jones, had walked away from a state Department of Corrections facility in Rogers County. The post included a photo of Jones, a large man with long hair and a grizzly beard, and warned people to report sightings of him because "Jones is considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached." It accrued more than 650 comments and 2,600 shares. An update four hours later said deputies had found and returned Jones. It also corrected an error in the original post: Jones is not a DOC inmate, but a patient at the GRAND Mental Health Horizons Residential Care Facility north of Claremore. The facility is licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton said deputies found Jones six miles away on the Muskogee Avenue bridge over the Will Rogers Turnpike. "It is a mental health care facility that we were unaware of that was located there, where I have deep concerns of what type of people are being housed there, and what type of public safety threats they could be," Walton said. Walton said deputies who made contact with Jones found him scared and brought him back into custody with no incident. He said deputies took him to the GRAND hospital in Pryor. But Jones wasn't in custody to begin with, said Ron Brady, communications director for GRAND. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patients at the residential care facility, which sits off State Highway 88 and opened last November, filter there either from the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita or the Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman. The Forensic Center, where the state ordered Jones to go last October, is a detention facility; its residents are there because they were found not guilty by reason of insanity. But the Claremore care home is not, Brady said, and thus is not secured like one. He said the point of the facility is to help former inmates and psychiatric patients transition back into everyday life. "All residents have been clinically and legally deemed appropriate for this lower level of care by state clinicians and courts," Brady said. "While Horizons is not a secured facility and residents are not in custody, they are required to comply with all mandated conditions and facility guidelines as part of their reintegration process." Erin Dinsmore, an administrator at the facility, said last November the care home's patients may go outside when they want, attend community events and go shopping in a group. Dinsmore said caretakers make hourly checks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fourteen hours passed from the last time facility personnel saw Jones to the time they reported his disappearance to the sheriff's office, Walton said. They'd last spotted him around 8 p.m. Oct. 13, the sheriff said, but didn't realize he was gone until the next morning's med pass. Walton said he was told Jones climbed out of a window. Ballard said it was the sort of nightmare scenario all prosecutors fear. "There was a delay in us finding out that information, so that gives him time to not only get away, but now we don't know where he is, and we don't even know how long necessarily it's been that he's away," Ballard said. "... These are precisely the highest-risk type of situations that put law enforcement in jeopardy when you have a mental health patient, somebody that has displayed violent tendencies in the past." According to open court records, prosecutors in Jones' native Carter County have charged him twice for assault and battery on a police officer and once for malicious injury to property with a value over $1,000. Prosecutors eventually dismissed all three cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walton said the element of the situation that disturbed him most was a voicemail the sheriff's office received a few hours after apprehending Jones. John Settle, general counsel of the state mental health department, had left a message Walton called an "audio recording of bad legal advice." He played it aloud. "I need to talk to somebody with the sheriff's office ... regarding a Facebook post that one of my staff told me about," Settle said after introducing himself. "Apparently a patient of the department had walked away from the facility there in Rogers County, and he is declared a patient, so his name, likeness and all that kind of information is HIPAA-protected." The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is the federal law that restricts health care providers from freely sharing patient information. Law enforcement agencies aren't bound by HIPAA, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and health care providers like GRAND may release some information to law enforcement about a patient if they believe it will prevent or lessen "a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of an individual or the public." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If I had to do it over again, we'd have got the information out as fast and loud as we did, and we would show his image," Walton said. "Only way we received that information from people on the turnpike that we were having these sightings was when we put that information out by way of our local media contacts and our own social media." Walton said Thursday Settle's message was the last communication either had received from the state mental health department. Ballard said he was unconcerned about any potential violation of HIPAA, as the law applies only to health care providers. Walton said if he did violate the law, he'd be happy to do so to protect the people of Rogers County. "The actions of Grand Lake Mental Health and the Department of Mental Health certainly put people in Rogers County in harm's way," Walton said. "There's no question about it. I think their information that they were hiding behind was the HIPAA restrictions of what they can't say." Two Ukrainian nationals were detained in Romania and one in Poland in connection with a suspected sabotage plot in Bucharest orchestrated by Russian intelligence, local authorities said on Oct. 21. The news comes as Western countries raise alarms over suspected Russian-backed sabotage and arson attacks across Europe. The perpetrators were allegedly planning to set fire to the Bucharest headquarters of Nova Post, Ukraine's largest private courier service, which has offices around Europe and provides a key connection between Ukrainians abroad and their homeland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) said the plot has been foiled. Two Ukrainians, aged 21 and 24, were remanded in custody in Romania for 30 days, facing attempted sabotage charges. Both have reportedly traveled to Romania from Poland. A third suspected accomplice, a 21-year-old Ukrainian named Danylo H., was detained by the Polish security service. Russian foreign services often employ Ukrainian nationals during their subversive activities across Europe and within Ukraine, offering financial incentives. "Romania remains, along with other Eastern European states such as Poland and Moldova, a target of Russian aggression," SRI spokesperson Ovidiu Marincea said, according to Romanian news outlet Digi24. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its goals are to disrupt public order, foster social tensions, and disrupt international support for Ukraine, the spokesperson added. Earlier this year, Poland charged two Ukrainians in connection with suspected Russian-backed arson attacks at an IKEA store in Vilnius and a Warsaw shopping mall in 2024. Russia is also believed to be responsible for a fire that broke out in July 2024 in an airport hub run by the DHL courier in Leipzig, Germany. A flammable package was reportedly sent from Lithuania by plane and marked for delivery to a fake address in Birmingham, U.K. Read also: Why does Russia want Donbas? 6 things to know about the region Ukraine is being pressured to give up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ron Paul, a former House of Representatives member and presidential candidate, hammered President Trump on Monday over a post calling his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a nasty liddle guy. In an hysterical rant over the weekend, President Trump has blasted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as a couple of wackos who refuse to vote with the Republican Party, Ron Paul, a Libertarian and former Republican who represented Texas in the House and thrice ran for president, wrote in a social media post. Meanwhile, President Trump has just announced that his first in-person fundraiser of the election cycle will be forLindsey Graham! Also today, Israel breaks ceasefire and kills dozens more Palestinians in Gaza, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president has frequently slammed Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) as RINOs, meaning Republicans in name only, for breaking with the GOP on key legislative votes. The Kentucky senator notably voted against Trumps summer spending package dubbed the one, big beautiful bill. Whatever happened to Senator Rand Paul? He was never great, but he went really BAD! Trump wrote Sunday. I got him elected, TWICE (in the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky!), but he just never votes positively for the Republican Party. Hes a nasty liddle guy, much like Congressman Thomas Massie, aka Rand Paul Jr., also of Kentucky (which I won three times, in massive landslides!), a sick Wacko, who refuses to vote for our great Republican Party, MAGA, or America First. Its really weird!!! the president added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rand Paul was asked about Trumps post during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press. I think the problem is this is that in Washington, what I represent some people describe as unusual. And the president describes it as weird that Im for less debt and balanced budget, the Kentucky senator told host Kristen Welker. But when I come home to Kentucky or when I travel the United States, people come up to me and say, Stick to your guns. Youre the only voice up there, Republican or Democrat, whos still talking about the debt and still talking about balanced budgets. But I dont take it too seriously, he added. Later in the interview, he referenced Trump as the one of the best presidents, if not the best president, of my lifetime. 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. The Rotary Club of Rock Island and Rotary District 6420 are supporting and partnering with Nika Loves Charities to promote youth literacy opportunities for elementary students in Rock Island County, according to a news release. Nika Loves presentation at Longfellow Elementary School (Rotary Club of Rock Island) Through a series of engaging literacy events held at local schools, clubs and youth organizations, Nika Loves Charities will provide more than 340 students with free books, activity sets, stickers and a stuffed animal from a stuffie station. Each event features a dramatic group read-along of a selected childrens book, followed by themed activities that encourage students to connect more deeply with the story. When space allows, children also enjoy a 20-foot inflatable unicorn and photo wall to enhance their experience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2025 youth literacy series began Sept. 11 at the Boys & Girls Club of Moline, followed by events at Youth Hope (Moline) on Sept. 17, Longfellow Elementary (Rock Island) on Sept. 29 and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center (Rock Island) on Oct. 13. Upcoming events are at Earl Hanson Elementary at the Corn Crib on Oct. 24 and EveryChild (CASA, Moline) on Oct. 28. Additional events planned through November are with Childrens Therapy Center of the Quad Cities, Bethany for Children & Families, Project NOW Head Start, Rock Island County Childrens Advocacy Center, Youth Service Bureau of Rock Island County and the Rock Island County Regional Office of Education Early Childhood Program. Rock Island Rotarian Geno DelPreore, founder and director of Nika Loves Charities, proposed the project to the Rock Island Rotary Club. Our partnership with the Rotary Club of Rock Island will help promote literacy and emotional wellness among under-served children in our community, DelPreore said. By combining books and stuffed animals, were fostering both learning and comfort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rock Island Rotarians are actively volunteering at the eventsdistributing materials, assisting with activities, and engaging directly with the children. This collaboration gives our members the chance to make a hands-on, meaningful impact, DelPreore added. About Rotary Club of Rock Island Established in1914, the Rotary Club of Rock Island (part of Rotary International) has more than 100 members who are committed to making a difference in the community and in communities around the world. The club comprises members from varying professions and backgrounds who come together to enhance the Rock Island community through a variety of service projects. 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. King Charles III became the UK's monarch on 8 September 2022, making him the oldest person to succeed to the British throne, at the age of 73. The order of succession is the members of the Royal Family in the order in which they stand in line to the throne. [BBC] King Charles III Born: 1948 [Getty Images] Charles has been King since his mother Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022. The now former Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer, who became the Princess of Wales, on 29 July 1981. The couple had two sons, William and Harry. They later separated and their marriage was dissolved in 1996. On 31 August 1997, the princess was killed in a car crash in Paris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He married Camilla Parker Bowles on 9 April 2005. When Charles became King, she became Queen Consort, as per the wishes of the late queen. Following the coronation she is now known as Queen Camilla. Line of succession 1. William, Prince of Wales Born: 1982 [Getty Images] Prince William is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, and is now first in line to the throne. He was 15 when his mother died. He went on to study at the University of St Andrews, where he met his future wife, Kate Middleton. The couple were married in 2011. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On his 21st birthday he was appointed a Counsellor of State - standing in for the late queen on official occasions. He and his wife had their first child, George, in July 2013, their second, Charlotte, in 2015 and third, Louis, in 2018. The prince trained with the Army, Royal Navy and RAF before spending three years as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot with RAF Valley on Anglesey, north Wales. He also worked part-time for two years as a co-pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance alongside his royal duties. He left the role in July 2017 to take on more royal duties on behalf of his grandparents. William inherited the Duchy of Cornwall estate from his father and is now the Prince of Wales. Catherine is now the Princess of Wales. As heir to the throne, his main duties are to support the King in his royal commitments. 2. Prince George of Wales Born: 2013 [Getty Images] George Alexander Louis was born on 22 July 2013 at St Mary's Hospital in London. His father was present for the birth of his son, who weighed 8lb 6oz (3.8kg). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prince George of Wales, as he is formally known, is second in line to the throne, after his father. 3. Princess Charlotte of Wales Born: 2015 [Getty Images] Catherine, Princess of Wales gave birth to her second child, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, on 2 May 2015, at St Mary's Hospital. William was present for the birth of the 8lb 3oz (3.7kg) baby. She is third in line to the throne, after her father and older brother, and is known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales. 4. Prince Louis of Wales Born: 2018 [Getty Images] The new Princess of Wales gave birth to her third child, a boy weighing 8lbs 7oz, on 23 April 2018, at St Mary's Hospital in London. William was present for the birth of Louis Arthur Charles, who is fourth in line to the throne. 5. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Born: 1984 [Getty Images] Prince Harry trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and went on to become a lieutenant in the Army, serving as a helicopter pilot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his 10 years in the armed forces, Capt Wales, as he became known, saw active service in Afghanistan twice, in 2012 to 2013 as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner. He left the Army in 2015 and now focuses on charitable work, including conservation in Africa and organising the Invictus Games for injured members of the armed forces. He has been a Counsellor of State since his 21st birthday and stood in for the late queen on official duties. He married US actress Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018, at Windsor Castle. In January 2020, the royal couple said they would step back as "senior" royals and divide their time between the UK and North America. They said they intended to "work to become financially independent". Just over a year later, Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple would not be returning to royal duties, and would give up their honorary military appointments and royal patronages. 6. Prince Archie of Sussex Born: 2019 The Sussexes' first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on 6 May 2019, weighing 7lbs 3oz, with the duke present for his birth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Archie was not automatically a prince when he was born because he was not a grandson of the monarch. But he gained the right to that title when King Charles acceded to the throne. Harry and Meghan are understood to want their children to decide for themselves whether or not to use their titles when they are older. 7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex Born: 2021 The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to her second child in Santa Barbara, California, on 4 June 2021. Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor - to be known as Lili - is named after the Royal Family's nickname for the late queen. She was given the middle name Diana in honour of Prince Harry's mother, who died in a car crash in 1997 when he was 12 years old. Like her brother, she gained the right to use the royal title when her grandfather became king. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor Born: 1960 [Getty Images] Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was the third child of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - but the first to be born to a reigning monarch for 103 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was created the Duke of York on his marriage to Sarah Ferguson, who became Duchess of York, in 1986. They had two daughters - Beatrice, in 1988, and Eugenie, in 1990. In March 1992 it was announced the duke and duchess were to separate. They divorced in 1996. Andrew served for 22 years in the Royal Navy and saw active service in the Falklands War in 1982. In addition to royal engagements, he served as a special trade representative for the government until 2011. Andrew stepped away from royal duties in 2019 after an interview with the BBC about his relationship with US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges. In February 2022, Andrew agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to settle a civil sexual assault case brought against him in the US by one of Epstein's victims, although he made no admission of liability and had repeatedly denied the allegations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The scandal continued to dog Andrew and in October 2025 he gave up his titles, including the Duke of York, and days later was also stripped of his prince title. He remains eighth in line to the throne. 9. Princess Beatrice Born: 1988 [Getty Images] Princess Beatrice is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. Her full title is Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice. She married property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, in July 2020. The couple had been due to marry in May, but coronavirus delayed the plans. 10. Sienna Mapelli Mozzi Born: 2021 Princess Beatrice had a baby girl, Sienna Elizabeth, in September 2021, who is 10th in line to the throne. Princess Beatrice is also stepmother to Mr Mapelli Mozzi's son Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, from his previous relationship with Dara Huang. 11. Athena Mapelli Mozzi Born: 2025 The couple welcomed their second daughter, Athena Elizabeth Rose, on 22 January 2025. She was born several weeks prematurely weighing 4lbs 5oz. She is 11th in line to the throne. 12. Princess Eugenie Born: 1990 [Getty Images] Princess Eugenie is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. Her full title is Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and she is 12th in line to the throne. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like her sister Princess Beatrice, she has no official surname, but uses York. She married her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle on 12 October 2018. 13. August Brooksbank Born: 2021 Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son, August, born on 9 February 2021. 14. Ernest Brooksbank Born: 2023 Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's second son was born on 30 May 2023 making him 14th in line to the throne. 15. The Duke of Edinburgh Born: 1964 [Getty Images] Prince Edward was given the title Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday, almost two years after the death of his father Prince Philip, who previously held the title. It was understood that Philip had wanted Edward to take on the title, but the decision was left to King Charles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prince Edward's wife Sophie becomes the Duchess of Edinburgh and the prince's former title, the Earl of Wessex, has now been given to his son James, Viscount Severn. The couple also have a daughter, Lady Louise, born in 2003. After a brief period with the Royal Marines, the prince formed his own TV production company. He subsequently supported the late queen in her official duties and carried out public engagements for charities. He is 15th in line to the throne. 16. James, Earl of Wessex Born: 2007 [Getty Images] James, Earl of Wessex is the younger child of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. He was given the title after his father Prince Edward became the Duke of Edinburgh in March 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When James was born, he was given the title Viscount Severn - a "courtesy" title as son of an earl, rather than using prince. It is thought his parents made this decision to avoid some of the burdens of royal titles. 17. Lady Louise Born: 2003 [Getty Images] Born in 2003, Lady Louise Windsor is the elder child of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. However, she is lower in the line of succession than her younger brother because she was born before a law came into force scrapping the system that meant a younger son could displace an older daughter. 18. The Princess Royal Born: 1950 [Getty Images] Anne, Princess Royal is Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's second child and only daughter. When she was born she was third in line to the throne, but is now 18th. She was given the title Princess Royal in June 1987. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Princess Anne has married twice; her first husband Captain Mark Phillips is the father of her two children, Peter and Zara, while her second is Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. The princess was the first royal to use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor in an official document, in the marriage register after her wedding to Capt Phillips. She competed in equestrian events for Great Britain in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and is involved with a number of charities, including Save the Children, of which she has been president since 1970. 19. Peter Phillips Born: 1977 [Getty Images] Peter Phillips is the eldest of the late queen's grandchildren. He married Canadian Autumn Kelly in 2008 and together they have two daughters, Savannah, born in 2010, and Isla, born in 2012. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The children of the Princess Royal do not have royal titles, as they are descended from the female line. Mark Phillips refused the offer of an earldom when he married so their children do not have courtesy titles. Peter Phillips and his wife announced they were getting divorced in February 2020. 20. Savannah Phillips Born: 2010 [Getty Images] Savannah, born in 2010, is the elder daughter of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly and was the late queen's first great-grandchild. 21. Isla Phillips Born: 2012 [Getty Images] Isla, born in 2012, is the second daughter of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly. 22. Zara Tindall Born: 1981 [Getty Images] Zara Tindall followed her mother and father with a highly successful riding career - including winning a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics. She married former England rugby player Mike Tindall in 2011 and the couple had their first child, Mia Grace, in 2014. The children of the Princess Royal do not hold a royal title, as they are descended from the female line, but she remains 22nd in line to the throne. Their father, Mark Phillips, turned down an earldom when he married Princess Anne, so they do not have courtesy titles. 23. Mia Tindall Born: 2014 [Getty Images] Zara Tindall gave birth to her first child, Mia Grace, in January 2014. 24. Lena Tindall Born: 2018 [Getty Images] The couple's second child was born on 18 June 2018 at Stroud Maternity Unit, Gloucestershire, weighing 9lb 3oz. Lena Elizabeth was named in honour of her great-grandmother. Like her sister, Lena does not have a royal title and so will also be known as Miss Tindall. 25. Lucas Tindall Born: 2021 [Getty Images] Zara and Mike Tindall's son Lucas Philip, their third child was born on 21 March 2021 weighing 8lbs 4oz. He is 25th in line to the throne. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here. Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji is all return as the bold and fearless cop Shivani Shivaji Roy with the much-awaited ''Mardaani 3''. A third instalment in the blockbuster franchise, the film will bring Rani back in the uniform, showing her solve a "brutal case." Ahead of her return to the big screen, Rani has extended her heartfelt salute to the Indian Police Force on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day 2025. Expressing her heartfelt gratitude towards the Indian Police Force, Rani said "It is an honour for me to salute the Indian Police Force through my film franchise Mardaani and I also look forward to every opportunity possible to salute the hard work of the police across the country by participating in as many of them. In every corner of our nation, there are cops protecting people, risking their lives, sacrificing their personal time to keep us safe. Words cannot do justice to the work that the police force of our country does to put our nation and the people first." Paying her respects to the "unwavering courage, relentless dedication, and selfless service of the Indian Police Force" who work towards protecting and upholding justice for every citizen of India, she emphasised on the need to identify the contribution of police. "We should never forget that behind the uniform, there is a human being who chose to do good, chose the path of selfless service and decided that the country comes first. We should never forget that they are also someone''s son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother. I respect the force with all my heart and I will make it a point to say this loudly to every Indian," Rani said. The actor also hailed the police force''s selfless courage, especially while confronting dangerous crimes and criminals, adding that they have inspired her to live fearlessly. "We should not let their work and their sacrifices go unnoticed -- they miss important moments of their lives to serve the nation. It cannot get more selfless than this and I love honouring them through Mardaani. The Indian Police Force should be a reminder to us all what courage, devotion and unwavering patriotism means and how we can all learn from them and do our bit to stand up for the country," Rani said. Directed by Abhiraj Minawala and produced by Aditya Chopra, the third instalment of YRF''s ''Mardaani'' is set to release in cinemas on February 27, 2026. The makers unveiled a powerful poster of the film in September, coinciding with Navratri celebrations. (ANI) DES MOINES, Iowa A Runnells man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for fatally shooting his cousin in 2024. During the early morning hours of June 14, 2024, the Polk County Sheriffs Office responded to a report of a shooting in the 4500 block of SE 116th Street, north of Runnells. When first responders arrived, they found a man, later identified as 50-year-old Richard David Selby, inside a home dead with multiple gunshot wounds. Iowa teen charged with assault after chaotic classroom incident Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several hours after the shooting was reported, the sheriffs office said the shooting suspects vehicle, a GMC Sierra Denali, was spotted in Des Moines. Officers with the Des Moines Police Department managed to stop the vehicle and take the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Jacob Harbold, into custody. Authorities say that Harbold was discovered with a .30 caliber handgun that matched the shell casings that were found in the home. According to the Polk County Attorneys Office, Harbold and Selby were cousins and in early 2024 Harbold had moved into Selbys home. Selbys family said during their victim impact statements that Selby had helped Harbold get back onto his feet after serving time in jail, the attorneys office said. In 2017, court records say Harbold was convicted of second-degree theft. Initially, Harbold was charged with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm; but in early October, he pled guilty to just second-degree murder. On Tuesday, a Polk County judge sentenced Harbold to a maximum of 50 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 35 years. Harbold was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the victims estate. Metro news 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 who13.com. Russian forces have attacked Cherkasy Oblast, damaging a critical infrastructure facility. Source: Ihor Taburets, Head of Cherkasy Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Details: Taburets stated at 08:18 on 21 October that the Russians had attacked Cherkasy Oblast, targeting critical infrastructure. Ukrainian defenders managed to down three drones during the attack, but the number of hits is unknown. No casualties have been recorded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "Firefighters have extinguished fires at the facility. For obvious reasons no further details." Details: Meanwhile, drone debris damaged a transformer substation on a street in the Smila hromada. Over 150 customers are without electricity. Early reports indicated that damage to residential infrastructure had also been recorded. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.] Background: Russian forces launched a large-scale combined attack on Chernihiv Oblast, damaging a heating facility and an energy facility and leaving part of the oblast without electricity. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian occupation forces in temporarily occupied Crimea have detained Leonid Pshenychnov, a 70-year-old Ukrainian marine biologist and Antarctic researcher who opposed Russia's stance on the Southern Ocean, particularly its industrial fishing policy. He has been charged with treason. Source: National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine (NASC) Details: Pshenychnov worked for many years at the Southern Research Institute of Marine Fishery and Oceanography in Kerch, Crimea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2015, he moved to the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Ecology in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and later to its successor in Kyiv the Institute of Fisheries, Marine Ecology and Oceanography. Pshenychnov continued living in Crimea with his Ukrainian-issued passport, unable to leave his family behind. The scientist specialises in the biological resources of the Southern Ocean and has authored numerous international papers on Antarctic krill stock assessment and ichthyofaunal diversity. Since 1996, Pshenychnov has represented Ukraine in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which applies an ecosystem-based approach to prevent over-exploitation of marine resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In particular, the commission sets quotas for catching Antarctic krill and commercial fish species and develops measures to protect the living marine resources of Antarctica. These include the establishment of reserves specially protected areas of the Southern Ocean. Until 2025, Pshenychnov was actively involved in the commission's work and served as Ukraine's official representative. He held the position of technical coordinator for scientific monitoring of marine resource harvesting aboard Ukrainian industrial vessels. Since 1996, Pshenychnov has represented Ukraine in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Photo: National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine on Facebook Since 1996, Pshenychnov has represented Ukraine in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Photo: National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine on Facebook The scientist was also one of the authors of the rationale behind Ukraine's initiative to establish a new marine protected area (MPA) near the Antarctic Peninsula. However, this initiative, like similar ones, has been blocked by China and Russia, which consider it "inappropriate". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September 2025, shortly before the next session of the commission, Leonid Pshenychnov was arrested as a "Russian citizen" after being forcibly issued a Russian passport. The scientist was charged with treason and causing economic damage to Russia. His proposal to create an MPA was interpreted as an attempt to restrict the aggressor state's industrial fishing and to reduce its control over a strategically important sector of the global ocean. "Let the Russians now try to deny that ecocide is a state policy of the Russian Federation. And let them once again repeat at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting their false refrain that 'Antarctica is outside politics', which they have used since 2014 to deflect attention from their war against Ukraine. Unfortunately, Antarctica has not remained outside politics precisely because Russia has brought its policy of ecocide and repression against dissent even there. The 'Russian world' can bring evil even to the icy continent and even there, this evil must be met with a united international response," emphasised NASC Director Yevhen Dykyi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this year's commission meeting, which recently began in Hobart, Australia, Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko called on member states to take note of Pshenychnov's unlawful imprisonment and urged them to support Ukraine in demanding the scientist's release. He stressed that the persecution of the scientist is political in nature and aimed at undermining Ukraine's scientific contribution within CCAMLR. Myroshnychenko also described Pshenychnov's imprisonment as a gross violation of human rights. According to the National Antarctic Scientific Center, the Australian delegation condemned the detention of the Ukrainian scientist. Their position was supported by EU member states, Norway, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Korea. "We call on the global scientific and environmental community to stand in defence of a Ukrainian researcher of international standing. As recently as 2021, CCAMLR recognised Leonid's more than 20 years of contribution in its commemorative materials and now the scientist is behind bars," the Antarctic Center stressed. They also added that the biologist recently turned 70 and suffers from serious health problems, warning that any delay in his release could be life-threatening. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Anastasiia Hlukhovska is a Ukrainian journalist who was abducted by officers from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in occupied Melitopol in August 2023. She has been illegally held in Russian custody for more than two years without any official charges being brought or even an acknowledgement of her detention. Source: an investigation by Slidstvo.Info, an independent team of investigative journalists Details: The Slidstvo.Info editorial team has obtained official responses from a Russian investigative committee and the FSB. Both agencies claim that they "did not detain" Hlukhovska and "have no information about her whereabouts". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the journalists found a witness who confirmed that Hlukhovska is being held in detention centre No. 3 in Kizel in Russia's Perm Krai, where other Ukrainian prisoners, including Dniprorudne Mayor Yevhen Matvieiev and journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, have died. According to testimonies from former inmates, Hlukhovska was tortured in a makeshift detention site in the basement of a company named Ruslan-komplekt in occupied Melitopol. One former prisoner, Olena, said she had heard Hlukhovska screaming and seen the effects of electric shock torture. "A guard came and said: 'Olena, please look after Nastia. If she feels unwell, knock.' That's what he said," the witness recalled. Hlukhovska was later moved first to detention centre No. 2 in Taganrog, Russia, and then to Kizel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Slidstvo.Info sources in law enforcement, the journalist was moved to Kizel on 30 August 2024. "We were brought to Kizel at the end of November or early December. I fell ill," former prisoner of war Yevhenii Sholudko told Slidstvo.Info. "As soon as we woke up, they'd play the [Russian] national anthem. It started playing, and I fainted for the first time in 28 years. Later I was taken to a doctor and had a chest X-ray. It turned out I had either a lung infection or pneumonia. They took me to hospital for some injections. I was standing waiting for my turn when I heard Nastia's surname." Reporters Without Borders have confirmed that Hlukhovska is being held incommunicado with no official acknowledgment of her arrest meaning that Russia is effectively concealing her existence. The other Melitopol journalists who were detained along with Hlukhovska have already been sentenced: Heorhii Levchenko received 16 years in prison, and Vladyslav Hershon 15 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite having spent more than two years in captivity, Anastasiia Hlukhovska has still not been formally charged with any crime. Read more: The Viktoriia Project: the story of the captivity and torture endured by journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna and thousands of Ukrainians imprisoned by Russia Background: In March 2022, Viktoriia Roshchyna was captured by Russian forces and held for 10 days in the temporarily occupied city of Berdiansk. In 2022, Roshchyna wrote a series of articles for Ukrainska Pravda from the temporarily occupied territories. Her work included stories about life in occupied Crimea during the war, the sham referendum in occupied Donetsk Oblast, and a photo report from the devastated city of Mariupol. On 25 July 2023, Roshchyna left Ukraine for Poland, planning to make the three-day journey via Russia to the occupied part of Ukraine's east. On 3 August 2023, Roshchyna went missing in Russian-occupied territory. It was not until May 2024 that Russia admitted to having detained Roshchyna. The Russian Ministry of Defence sent a letter confirming this to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn. Russia delayed the repatriation of Roshchyna's body, which was only returned in February 2025. The Office of the Prosecutor General reported that Roshchyna's body bore multiple signs of torture and ill-treatment: abrasions, bruises, a broken rib and evidence of electrocution. The investigative team conducting the inquiry confirmed that the body was brought back to Ukraine after an autopsy conducted in Russia. Journalists learned from law enforcement sources that the body was missing several internal organs the brain, the eyeballs and part of the trachea. An international forensic pathologist believes this may have been an attempt to conceal the true cause of death, including possible suffocation. Viktoria's funeral was held in Kyiv on 8 August. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian troops have pushed into the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and immediately begun the casual commission of war crimes, with the murder of at least three civilians who were trying to flee the invaders. In footage shared with The Independent, an elderly woman lies on the verge of a road by a level crossing not far from the railway tracks on the outskirts of the city. She is wounded, and still. A few yards away, a body lies on its back inert, dead. Nearby, another victim lies collapsed next to the bicycle they had loaded with supplies before desperately bumping the wheels over the rails as the enemy approached. Slow and awkward, he or she must have been an easy target for Vladimir Putins vanguard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another body, male, in blue jeans, is sprawled on the tracks themselves, while smoke curls from the ruins of a nearby home. One ray of light in the grim scene is an unknown man rescuing the injured woman and carrying her out of range of Russias gunmen. These images were captured by a Ukrainian drone over Pokrovsk, which has been a tactical priority for Russia for more than a year thousands of soldiers on both sides have perished in the battle that will now become a house-to-house conflict as the city is reduced to rubble. A Ukrainian soldier walks past damaged buildings in central Pokrovsk in April (AP) As news filtered back to Ukraine over the weekend that Donald Trump had again reportedly told Volodymyr Zelensky that he should surrender the province of Donetsk as part of a ceasefire deal with the Kremlin, Putins forces launched more missiles at civilian targets across the country. Pokrovsk is in Donetsk. Like Kharkiv, which was hit with a new guided missile on Sunday night, it was home to a mostly Russian-speaking population before the war. So was Mariupol in the south, Bakhmut further north, and Avdiivka, just down the road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now theres nothing left of Bakhmut or Avdiivka. More than 350,000 people fled the Russians in Mariupol, and, according to Human Rights Watch, at least 8,000 civilians were killed there when Russia launched its campaign to rescue Russian-speaking people from Ukraines government. Trump and Zelensky met last Friday, with the Ukrainian president hoping to secure the agreement of the US to sell its Tomahawk cruise missiles. Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met in Washington last Friday (AP) There was no decision either way from the US president, but multiple media reports described the meeting as tense Trump apparently swore frequently and told Zelensky that Ukraine is at risk of being destroyed. It is not. Russia is making small, incremental gains, at a gigantic cost. The UK Ministry of Defence, which backs Ukraine, has estimated it would take Russia four more years, and cost the lives of 2 million more men, to capture the four Ukrainian provinces it already partly occupies in the east of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine, meanwhile, has been reaching deep into Russian territory to attack Putins logistics and energy infrastructure. It wants Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have a range of about 1,000 miles (1,600km), to increase the pressure on Putin. The heads of Germanys intelligence agencies recently warned that Russia was already involved in a hybrid war against Europe, which could escalate further in the next five years. Germany produces the Taurus missile, which, unlike the Tomahawk, is capable of ground-penetration attacks. Norway and Italy produce similarly capable missiles, but so far none of these countries, who claim to see Russia as a military threat, has agreed to supply them to Ukraine. Youngsters participate in a training course at a Russian military-patriotic camp in the Donetsk region (Reuters) This week, Zelensky will no doubt renew his pleas for more European help, as it again becomes clear that Trump is echoing Russian talking points in his meetings with the Ukrainian leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelensky is expected to join the European Coalition of the Willing for more talks in the near future, led by Keir Starmer. He said Kyiv was preparing contracts to buy 25 Patriot air-defence systems over the coming years, and that he hoped Europe would prioritise the supply of these weapons. Trump and Putin are expecting to meet in Budapest, in Hungary, in the next two weeks as guests of Viktor Orban, who has a largely pro-Putin agenda. Several European countries have expressed dismay at the idea of Putin, who has been indicted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court, setting foot inside the European Union. Russia has unveiled plans to raise two nuclear submarines from the Arctic seabed over fears they could leak radioactive waste into nearby waters. Decades after they were first sunk, the K-27 and K-159 nuclear submarines are to be extracted as part of a multi-billion-pound project being prepared by the Kremlin. It comes as officials grow increasingly concerned over decaying submarines, which both contain nuclear substances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rosatom, Russias nuclear agency, said preparations for the planned extraction will begin next year after Vladimir Putins government agreed to set aside funds. It said: The draft federal budget for 2026 and the 2027-28 planning period includes funding for the rehabilitation of Arctic seas from sunken and dumped radiation-hazardous objects, beginning in 2027. Preparations for the planned work will begin in 2026. However, the wording of Rosatoms announcement hides a nightmarish level of complexity and cost. The K-27 was an experimental attack submarine built in the 1950s that carried two reactors with a radical coolant system involving molten metal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It went into service in 1963, but the coolant system leaked radioactive gases into its own engine room, a problem its crew failed to recognise. This means the only victims ever claimed by the vessel belonged to its own crew, at least nine of whom died of radiation poisoning. A diver examines the hull of the sunken K-27 submarine. Shallow waters expose it to tides that could break it apart - Russian Geographical Society Its reactor also released radioactive elements into the submarine itself, making it unusable. The submarine was decommissioned in 1979, with the Russian navy filling the reactor compartment with tar to seal it before scuttling it in shallow water in the Kara Sea. The shallowness means it is exposed to tides and currents that could break it up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second sunken submarine, the K-159, was not meant to sink but instead went down after a botched operation by the Russian navy. It launched the vessel in 1963 as a nuclear attack submarine, however, it too suffered radiation leaks that contaminated the whole vessel, forcing constant repairs. It was finally decommissioned in 1989 and left to rust for 14 years until nearby Baltic nations gave Russia $200m (150m) to dismantle it along with 15 other decaying Russian nuclear submarines. However, its hull was so rusty that it sank while being towed to the shipyard, taking 800kg of nuclear fuel and nine Russian sailors to the seabed 700ft below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lifting a nuclear submarine from the seabed is expensive and difficult, but it has been done before. In 2002, the Dutch salvage company Mammoet raised another Russian submarine, the Kursk, after it sank with all 118 crew in the Barents Sea. A special salvage barge was built with wires attached underneath to extract the vessel. Norways Bellona Foundation, which monitors environmental threats in the region, issued a warning about the K-27 and K-159 last year. It said: These submarines pose the greatest challenge for clean-up efforts. Between them, they contain one million curies of radiation, or about a quarter of that released in the first month of the Fukushima disaster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sub was weighed down by asphalt to seal its fuel-filled reactors. But this solution will not last forever. Bellona added: The sealant around the reactor was only meant to stave off radiation leaks until 2032. More troubling still is that the K-27s highly enriched fuel could, in the right circumstances, generate an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction leading to a significant local release of radiation. The position of the second sunken submarine, the K-159, north of Murmansk, astride some of the Barents Seas most fertile fishing grounds and busiest shipping lanes, made it a source of special anxiety. A radioactive release from this wreck would be devastating not only to Norways fishing industry, but Russias as well. 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. Editor's Note: This is a developing story. A large-scale missile and drone attack on energy infrastructure across Ukraine killed six people and injured at least 44 overnight on Oct. 22, according to authorities. In Kyiv, two people were killed and 29 injured, while four were killed in the Brovarsky district of Kyiv Oblast, regional authorities said. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, at least 15 civilians were injured, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The strikes were widespread President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 22 that Russia had also struck sites in Odesa, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Sumy oblasts. Later on Oct. 22, a Russian strike hit a kindergarten in Kharkiv. Ukraine's biggest private energy firm, DTEK, said emergency power outages were in place in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and reported "significant damage" to energy infrastructure in Odesa Oblast. "I was sitting in the corridor, waiting out the attack, when I heard a powerful explosion." Halyna Ivanivna Sharii, a resident of a building in the Dniprovskiy District , located on the left bank of the capital, told the Kyiv Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For a moment, I thought our building was collapsing but it turned out it was the one next door. It was terrifying. But what can you do? Its not the first time my building has shaken like this. "We just have to endure it. This is war." Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast Kyiv residents heard explosions around 1:10 a.m. local time, shortly after authorities issued a ballistic missile warning, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Several more rounds of explosions followed about 30 minutes later. Several fires broke out in the city, and medics were dispatched to the attack sites. Klitschko reported that vehicle fires and damage to windows and courtyards of residential buildings occurred, and a blaze at a residential high-rise was contained. Additionally, emergency services rescued 10 people from the building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said that, in total, two people had been killed in Kyiv, and 29 injured, including five children. "Its hard to describe how I feel about it," Ira Lukiants who lives on the 9th floor of a building in the Dniprovskiy District that was hit told the Kyiv Independent. "The adrenaline is still rushing, the emotions will come later. I know the lower-floor apartments were hit much harder. I was lucky enough." Ira Lukiants pictured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Olena Zashko/Kyiv Independent) Residents look at a residential building damaged by a massive drone and missile strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images) The toll was higher in Kyiv Oblast, where four people were killed, Governor Mykola Kalashnik said. The bodies of a woman born in 1987, a 6-month-old child and a 12-year-old girl were found at the scene of a fire in a house in the Brovarsky district. He later said that the body of a man born in 1987 was also found in the Brovarsky district. Zaporizhzhia and Odesa oblasts Zaporizhzhia Oblast also came under heavy attack overnight. Governor Ivan Fedorov said Russian forces had carried out 860 strikes on 14 settlements. Thirteen people were injured in an attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, while another two were wounded in the Vasyllivsky district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor said he received 48 reports of damage to houses, cars, and buildings, including an apartment building. The attacks in Izmail, Odesa Oblast, reportedly caused power outages in the city. Recent attacks on the region's energy facilities have left thousands of households without power. A residential building in flames following a large-scale Russian attack overnight on Oct. 22. (Ivan Fedorov / Telegram) Zelensky condemned the attack, saying it was "another night proving that Russia is not feeling enough pressure for prolonging the war." "Our air defense forces, mobile fire groups, and interceptor drone crews worked throughout the night and morning. Ordinary cities were under attack, primarily targeting our energy infrastructure, but there were also many hits on residential buildings," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russian words about diplomacy mean nothing until Russian leaders feel critical problems. And this can only be achieved through sanctions, long-range action, and coordinated diplomacy by all our partners. The time has come to adopt a strong package of sanctions by the European Union," he added. The attack comes shortly after Ukraine launched Storm Shadow missiles in a mass strike on Russia, according to the General Staff. The attack allegedly struck Russia's Bryansk Chemical Plant, which produces key components for Russian missiles. This latest mass attack comes amid an intensified Russian assault against Ukraine's energy facilities ahead of winter. Another deadly missile strike on Kyiv on Oct. 10 damaged a thermal power plant and triggered large-scale blackouts. Read also: Russias childrens commissioner shamelessly describes kidnapping a Ukrainian child Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian drone attacks on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy and on a city in Chernihiv Oblast killed at least four people and injured 16 on Oct. 21, local authorities said. Russia attacked Novhorod-Siverskyi, Chernihiv Oblast, with Shahed-type drones, and about 20 sites were hit, Governor Viacheslav Chaus wrote on Telegram. Four civilians were killed two men and two women. Seven people were injured, including a 10-year-old girl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "(The girl) is being transported to the regional children's hospital. One of the injured is in serious condition, while the others are in moderate condition," Chaus said. "There is a lot of destruction in the city." Nine civilians were injured in a drone attack on civilian infrastructure in Sumy, Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Oct. 21. "A drone strike targeted the crossroad. Cars and civilian infrastructure were damaged. All victims are receiving the necessary medical assistance," Hryhorov said. He added that emergency services are working at the site of the attack. Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts, which border Russia to the north, have been a repeated target of Russian incursions and shelling since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 20, a heat supply facility and an energy facility were damaged in Chernihiv Oblast, Chaus reported. "As a result, the power supply in Chernihiv and the northern parts of the region has been cut off," he said. The attacks come amid Russia's intensifying aerial campaign targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter months. Read also: As Tomahawk pressure vanishes, Russia escalating strikes on Ukraines energy sector, Zelensky says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, as urged by European leaders, would, in his words, mean "preserving the Nazi regime" and "banning the Russian language". Source: RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency, as reported by European Pravda; Russian state-owned news outlet TASS Details: Lavrov spoke with journalists after meeting his Ethiopian counterpart and commented on a joint statement by European leaders who expressed support for Ukraine and backed US President Donald Trump's efforts to end the fighting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "A ceasefire now would mean only one thing that a vast part of Ukraine remains under the control of a Nazi regime. It would be the only place on Earth where an entire language is legally banned, not to mention that it is an official UN language and spoken by the majority of the population." More details: He added that "European patrons and masters" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy persuaded Washington to change its stance and avoid seeking a long-term settlement, instead opting to "simply stop and let history decide". Quote: "But such an approach completely contradicts what Presidents Trump and Putin agreed on in Anchorage when they decided to focus on the root causes." [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president ed.] Background: European leaders on 21 October issued a joint statement reaffirming their support for Ukraine and expressing approval of US President Donald Trump's efforts to achieve a ceasefire and stating that "the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations". According to The Washington Post, during his conversation with Trump, Putin demanded full control over Donetsk Oblast to end the war, hinting that he might concede parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts in return. Trump stated that he supports freezing the war along the current front line and denied claims that he urged Zelenskyy to give up all of Donetsk Oblast. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian authorities are reportedly planning to make active use of the seized port in occupied Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Source: National Resistance Centre (NRC) Quote: "The head of the Russian government, Mikhail Mishustin, signed a resolution according to which a permanent border post is being created in the seaport for the passage of cargo. This means that the occupiers are preparing to use Ukrainian infrastructure to finance their own economy and military machine." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: According to NRC sources, the process is overseen by Volodymyr Stelmachenko, the head of the company, who voluntarily agreed to cooperate with the Russians after the city was captured. After his appointment, Stelmachenko began following orders from Russian handlers he transferred all Ukrainian port property over to the occupation administration and organised a scheme to export Ukrainian grain to Russia. The NRC notes that some port workers are being forced to work under threat of dismissal or inspections by the FSB. Those who refused to cooperate face constant pressure or have already fled the area. Most of the current staff are specialists brought from Russia who lack the necessary qualifications, which has led to an increase in technical malfunctions and accidents, the report adds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sources also report that Stelmachenko is exploiting the port's recovery for personal gain, embezzling funds allocated by the occupation authorities for the supposed repair of hydraulic structures. Much of the money is being siphoned off through fake contracts and shell companies registered in occupied Crimea. Quote: "In fact, instead of restoring logistics, the occupation authorities are turning the Berdyansk port into another scheme for stealing resources, under the guise of loud statements about 'regional development'." Background: In August, Russia added Mariupol and Berdiansk to the list of ports "open to foreign vessels". In the port of occupied Berdiansk, Russian forces have already set up a cargo checkpoint on the so-called state border. Technical work to equip the checkpoint is expected to be completed by 2026. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Among a few actors who managed to carve a niche for themselves in the golden era of Hindi cinema, Govardhan Asrani, fondly known as Asrani, became a beloved figure across generations. The actor passed away on Monday after battling health issues for a long time. While tributes continue to pour in, veteran actor Raza Murad also offered his final respects, further reflecting on collaborating with the late actor and his cinematic journey. Speaking to ANI, Raza Murad said, "An era has come to an end with the passing of Asrani Sahab. An era that spoke with pride for almost six decades. I don''t think there would be any artist with the same versatility that Asrani Sahab had, except for two or three artists. You could give him comic roles, you could give him villainous roles, you could give him serious roles; he also appeared as a hero in many Gujarati and Hindi films. whatever role he played, he did it very successfully." The veteran actor remembered his old ties with Asrani, revealing being a student under him at the Film and Television Institute of India in 1969. "I had many other relationships with him. First, there was a guru-disciple relationship, then I was his co-actor; we worked together in Namak Haram. After that, I worked under his direction in the film Dil Hi To Hai. We also did many shows together," he shared. Remembering Asrani''s celebrated film career, Raza Murad stated that the late actor was born to not just act but also entertain people. "He lived a wonderful life, played all kinds of roles with great ease, and kept making people laugh, kept entertaining people, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. And one of his iconic roles, the jailor of the British era, became an immortal role," he added. Actor-comedian Asrani passed away on Monday after a prolonged illness. He was 84 years old. His last rites were performed at Santacruz Crematorium where his family gathered for the last rites. (ANI) Russian forces have attacked Ukraine since the evening of 20 October with 2 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 4 S-300 surface-to-air missiles and 98 attack drones of the Shahed, Gerbera and other types. All the missiles and 37 drones hit their targets. Source: Air Force of Ukraine on Telegram Quote: "As of 08:30, air defence units had destroyed or jammed 58 enemy UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera and other types over Ukraine's north, south and east. All missiles and 37 drones struck 10 locations, and debris from downed UAVs fell in 2 more." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Around 70 of the 98 drones were identified as Shahed-type strike UAVs. The air attack was repelled by Ukrainian aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups from Ukraine's defence forces. As of 09:00, the Russian attack was still ongoing, with several Russian drones remaining in Ukraine's airspace. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russia's rejection of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine may have jeopardised the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest. Source: Reuters, citing two senior European diplomats, as reported by European Pravda Details: The sources told Reuters that the postponement of the meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov could indicate difficulties in organising the US-Russia summit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They believe that the delay of the Rubio-Lavrov meeting suggests that the Americans may be reluctant to proceed with the Trump-Putin summit if Moscow does not soften its demands. "I guess the Russians wanted too much and it became evident for the Americans that there will be no deal for Trump in Budapest," a source said. Background: CNN earlier reported that the planned meeting between Rubio and Lavrov, which was due to take place this week, had been postponed. Earlier, 23 October was mentioned as a possible date for their meeting. They were supposed to prepare for the personal meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest. No specific reasons for the postponement have been given. However, one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is due to the very different views of Rubio and Lavrov on ending the Russo-Ukrainian war. CNN noted that this could also mean postponement of the meeting in Budapest agreed upon by Trump and Putin. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The safest cities in America have been ranked, with one New York City suburb sneaking up high on the list. The new ranking, released by finance website WalletHub, compared over 180 U.S. cities, including the 150 most populous cities, and ranked them on several important metrics, including community and home safety, natural disaster risks and financial safety. The cities were compared using 41 key indicators of safety, ranging from traffic fatalities per capita and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and the percentage of the population that is uninsured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coming out in first place was Warwick, Rhode Island. The Ocean States third-largest city scored highly due to having the third-lowest rate of aggravated assaults and the 32nd lowest number of murders out of all the cities in the study. It has the seventh-lowest number of thefts per capita and provides good conditions for financial safety. Meanwhile, Yonkers, the third most populous city in all of New York state, has ranked fifth on the list. Yonkers, a city just north of New York City, ranked number five on the list of the safest cities in America (City of Yonkers/ Facebook) The city of about 211,000 sits about 15 miles north of Manhattan and ranked third in WalletHubs home and community safety category. Yonkers also ranks 29th in natural disaster risks and 118th in financial safety, according to the study. Its neighbor, New York City, scored much lower overall, ranking only 117 on the list. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other safest cities included Overland Park, Kansas, which was second on the list, Burlington, Vermont, ranked third, and Juneau, Alaska, in fourth place. Overland Park performed well in part due to having safe roads. The city has the fifth-lowest pedestrian fatality rate and the 21st-lowest percentage of uninsured drivers. It also has good conditions for financial safety, with the 14th lowest unemployment rate in the country. Meanwhile, Burlington scored well due to having the 26th lowest murder rate and an overall low risk for several types of natural disasters and severe weather. WalletHub looked at 182 cities, including the 150 most populous U.S. cities and at least two of the most populated cities in each state, when conducting the study. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The financial website compared three metrics: Home and Community Safety, Natural Disaster Risk and Financial Safety. Each city could get at most 60 points for the first category, and 20 points maximum for the second and third. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale and weighted accordingly. The cities were then ranked on their composite safety scores. WalletHub releases a new list of Safest Cities in America each year. The safest country in the world for travellers in 2026 has been revealed, as US tourists show considerable favour towards Europe. Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection has released its latest safety rankings using data from the Global Peace Index, Numbeo and an average of the GeoSure Global scores of the major cities in each country. It has analysed these statistics along with a survey of American travellers who have visited select countries within the last five years. Worlds safest country for travellers in 2026 The Netherlands won first place due to its high ranking on the Global Peace Index and Numbeo, with The Hague and Eindhoven making the top 12. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US travellers also praised the country for its health measures, arguing it is a safe destination for females, LGBTQIA+ travellers, and people of colour. However, travel experts still warn tourists to watch out for cyclists, as many Dutch cities have their own bike lanes, which require pedestrians to look both ways before crossing. Related Young bikers affinity for high-speed, mini-bike-like e-bikes adds another element of danger, the report adds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Australia came second, the league tables were dominated by European countries. In fact, out of the worlds 10 safest countries for travellers in 2026, 50 per cent are in Europe. In the top 15 list, Europe took two-thirds of the positions. Netherlands Australia Austria Iceland Canada New Zealand United Arab Emirates Switzerland Japan Ireland Belgium Portugal France United Kingdom Denmark Has Iceland become less safe? While Iceland was ranked as last years winner - and is categorised as the worlds most peaceful country on the Global Peace Index - it came 4th in this year's list for travellers. The de-throning was caused by multiple eruptions at the Sundhnuksgigar fissure, which belched columns of smoke into the air and saw dramatic lava flows breach protective barriers near the fishing town of Grindavik. A volcanic eruption is visible near the town of Grindavik, on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, April 1, 2025. - Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved Tourists at the nearby hotspot of the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa were evacuated as a precaution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eruptions always carry the potential for disruption, but theyre particularly problematic in Iceland, since the lava flows very often affect the one main road that rings the country, the report says. This has the potential to leave travellers stranded. Despite the volcanic activity, Iceland received 1**.8 million international tourists** in the first nine months of 2025 as it eyes a potentially record-breaking year. UKs safety score drops The United Kingdomhas dropped from 13th to 14th place this year, despite survey respondents giving the country high marks for overall safety and health. While London is a safe city compared to many cities in the US, especially in terms of violent crime, it does have some issues with less-serious crimes like theft which can nonetheless be upsetting to travellers, the report says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts urge tourists to watch out for cybercrime by avoiding using public Wi-Fi networks and making purchases on unsecured websites. How travel safety changes Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection explains that its safety rankings are from a point in time and can very quickly change. Weve had wildfires ravage Australia shortly after it was named a top-five safest destination and volcanoes spew lava all over Iceland similarly, it says. Its therefore important that no matter how safe a country is deemed, tourists should make sure they keep themselves protected and stay ahead of any travel-safety issues. The second-biggest party in South Africas government proposed an end to Black economic empowerment laws, a move that threatens to upend the countrys shaky coalition. The pro-business Democratic Alliance party said it would attempt to end government procurement laws that favor Black-owned businesses, claiming they had become an excuse for state-sponsored corruption and fraud. The African National Congress, which until last year had independently ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid, is likely to strongly oppose the move, Bloomberg reported. Pretoria has been under pressure from the US, its second-biggest trade partner, to end laws that Washington says unjustly discriminate against the countrys white population. A Danvers woman who worked as a clerk magistrate in Salem District Court is facing charges after prosecutors say she misused thousands of dollars in bail funds and forged a form to cover up her crime. Michelle Bowman, 51, was indicted on charges of fiduciary embezzlement and unwarranted privilege and forgery and uttering, Attorney General Andrea Campbells office announced Tuesday. In May 2024, staff at Lawrence District Court discovered $25,000 in bail funds had never been received and were missing while attempting to process a bail forfeiture. Prosecutors say Bowman submitted a forged recognizance form to the court for the missing bail, trying to create the appearance the money was received more recently than it actually had been. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Trial Court audit discovered eight bails were missing and had never been turned over to the various courts. Prosecutors say Bowman took all eight, for a total of $71,000. The audit also found Bowman held some bail funds longer than allowed by bail magistrate rules, according to Campbells office. In one instance, prosecutors say she kept a $75,000 bail for more than six months before paying it to the relevant court. A review of Bowmans financial records showed several withdrawals from her bail account had been used for personal expenses, Campbells office said. Prosecutors say she made nearly $15,000 in payments to American Express, $14,000 in payments to her landlord and more than $8,500 in cash withdrawals. During the timeframe, Bowman traveled to Las Vegas, Barbados and Aruba and purchased jewelry, designer perfume, high-end clothing and event tickets, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bowman was arraigned in Essex Superior Court Tuesday, where she was ordered to turn over her passport. She will return to court on Dec. 12. More News Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Klamath River stretches about 260 miles from southern Oregon's beautiful Klamath Basin to northern California, and it has been the target for the largest dam removal project in history. This controversial project aimed to remove four hydroelectric dams along the river, which were built in the early 20th century to support growing industries and residential neighborhoods. Building these dams, however, disrupted natural wildlife and disturbed the river's ecosystem, including salmon populations, which have not thrived in the river ever since the dams were constructed between 1918 and 1966. Environmentalists praised the $500 million project, seeing the removal of these dams as a step towards sustainability, especially since upgrading the dams to meet current safety and environmental standards would cost far more. Taking down the dams, experts say, has addressed critical issues like toxins in the water, algae blooms, and tepid temperatures, which make it an ideal place for wildlife to return after decades and for adventuring like camping and rafting along the vast river. However, the project didn't come without risks. Some said that the disruption to the sediment would cause fish kills in the short term and decrease the value of waterfront properties. More saw the removal of these dams to be government overreach and detrimental to their rural communities, since the dams provide enough electricity for 70,000 homes. Many also relied on the reservoirs for firefighting, farming, and recreation, which caused significant distress when the removal of the dams coincided with droughts. Supporters of the project felt that these households reliant on the dams could find other renewable alternatives, but critics of the dam removal say they expect the change to result in more carbon emissions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The Rick Steves-Approved Checklist To Always Do Before Vacation The Klamath River is thriving one year later Man holding fish caught in Klamath River - Jordan Bard/Getty Images So how did the project hold up? Well, the Klamath River is thriving. Damon Goodman, Mount Shasta-Klamath's regional director for California Trout, said via Lost Coast Outpost, "What the fish have shown us is something extraordinary. The river seemed to come alive almost instantly after removal, and the fish returned in greater numbers than I expected, and maybe anyone expected." Many Native American tribes are also celebrating the return of the salmon on their historic lands, seeing the change as an opportunity for the land to heal. And heal it has. While there was a temporary disruption in the sediment as scientists predicted, temporarily decreasing the amount of oxygen in the water, data collected by the Karuk Tribe shows that water quality samples went from 58% testing as harmful to 100% testing as safe. The problems with water temperature, algae blooms, and even the sediment disruption have all pretty much vanished. Today, officials are doing their best to monitor the health of the river and the success of the project with limited federal funding and new fish-counting technology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and CalTech have partnered with them to build a sonar imaging platform that utilizes AI to give environmentalists real-time updates so that this river can be a model for future restoration projects. While the area still offers some amazing farm-to-table dining, farmers have been hit hard by the project, and some have had to either reduce or stop production due to a lack of water. At the very least, the return of the salmon is a milestone worth celebrating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) President Donald Trump keeps threatening to send National Guard troops to San Francisco next, blasting the California city as crime-ridden and saying its residents are clamoring for federal help. But local and state leaders say that couldn't be farther from the truth, noting overall crime is down and the city has started to turn around its downtrodden pandemic image. Residents and workers out downtown this week said theyre puzzled and concerned by Trumps threat. This is a safe American city, Mayor Daniel Lurie told The Associated Press last week. We got this in San Francisco. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican president has referenced crime as his justification for possibly sending troops to the city of roughly 830,000. He's deployed the Guard over crime concerns to Washington, D.C., where he has direct control of the National Guard, and Memphis, where the Republican governor supports their presence. Los Angeles was the first city where Trump deployed the Guard, arguing it was necessary to protect federal buildings and agents as protesters fought back against mass immigration arrests. He's since said they're needed in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, as well. Residents and leaders in Portland were surprised by Trumps attention when he described the city as besieged by violent protests. In reality, nightly protests were small and limited to the area outside a federal immigration building. While there were some arrests for violence, the demonstrations were far less intense than those that roiled the downtown in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. In San Francisco, too, Trump seems to be relying on an outdated picture of a city often targeted by conservatives. The difference is, I think they want us in San Francisco, Trump said Sunday on Fox News. San Francisco was truly one of the great cities of the world. And then, 15 years ago, it went wrong. It went woke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His comments angered and baffled Kate Freudenberger, who works in retail. Youve been walking around the city, its peaceful, there is no insurrection, she said Tuesday morning, adding that immigration authorities have not been as active in San Francisco as in other cities, so theres really been nothing for us to coalesce around. Marc Benioff, the chief executive of San Francisco-based software giant Salesforce, caused a stir when he told the New York Times earlier this month that he'd welcome Guard troops ito help quell crime ahead of his major annual business conference. He has since apologized for his remarks, saying the conference was the largest and safest in its history and the Guard is not needed. The city emerges from struggles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement San Francisco is still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, which emptied its downtown and brought renewed attention to street homelessness and open drug dealing. But signs indicate a city on the upswing. Artificial intelligence startups are snapping up office space, and home rental prices are rising. San Francisco saw a 21% increase from last year in office visits, according to location analytics platform Placer.ai, and public transit ridership is at its highest levels since the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal this week declared the city was emerging from its doom loop, an article the mayor eagerly shared on social media. Sidewalks are cleaner and tent encampments have largely disappeared from view. In the Tenderloin, one of the most troubled neighborhoods, teams of city and nonprofit workers on Monday helped school children cross the street, walked around picking up trash or counseled homeless people. It was a different image than during the pandemic, when hundreds of people camped on sidewalks. Still, the Tenderloin is a problem spot for public drug use and dealing, as are the Mid-Market and Mission neighborhoods. But overall crime is down more than 26% this year compared to the same period last year, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Vehicle break-ins which have vexed tourists and residents alike are at a 22-year low, Lurie said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lurie, a centrist Democrat who has tried to avoid confrontations with Trump by ignoring many of the president's comments, said Monday he'd welcome more federal help to arrest drug dealers and disrupt drug markets. But sending in the Guard wouldn't achieve that, he said. The National Guard does not have the authority to arrest drug dealersand sending them to San Francisco will do nothing to get fentanyl off the streets or make our city safer," Lurie said in a statement. San Francisco voters in 2024 gave police the authority to use drones, surveillance cameras and other technology to fight crime. They also ousted politically progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin in a 2022 recall election and installed Brooke Jenkins, considered to be much tougher on crime than her predecessor. Lurie has pushed to hire and retain police officers, and entry-level police applications are up 40% over last year. California leaders pledge to fight back Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration has said it would push back forcefully on any deployment, as it did when Trump first ordered the California National Guard into Los Angeles against Newsom's wishes. California Attorney General Rob Bonta vowed to be in court within hours, if not minutes if there is a federal deployment. Lawsuits by Democratic officials in Chicago and Portland have so far blocked troops from going out on city streets. Libby Baxter, a retired nurse, said Trump has sent the National Guard to Democratic cities to create "chaos and unrest" and she fears the same could happen in San Francisco. I believe that that may happen if they come to San Francisco because we are a very tolerant community, but we dont do well with somebody coming in and trying to dictate or take over certain parts of our city, she said. The event in London was organised in conjunction with the 'Ancient India: Living Traditions' exhibition and marked a celebration of cultural dialogue and artistic exchange. Founder Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani, also marked her presence at the prestigious event to support her daughter, Isha. In her address, Isha even paid a heartfelt tribute to her mother, acknowledging her as the source of her love for art, dance, and music, and for inspiring her belief in creativity as a way to connect people and cultures. Walking through the exhibition, Nita Ambani reflected on India's rich history and the power of art to unite the world through respect, warmth, and grace. Have a look at the stunning visuals from the Pink Ball event. https://x.com/ANI/status/1980597228361380151 https://www.instagram.com/p/DP-E2K1CBnX/?hl=en&img_index=1 https://www.instagram.com/p/DP_khpXjDFQ/?hl=en&img_index=1 The event was attended by a host of creative luminaries and celebrities, including Mick Jagger, Janet Jackson, Naomi Campbell, Sir Norman Foster, Lady Kitty Spencer, Luke Evans and James Norton. Isha was resplendent in a custom ensemble by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, long regarded as the bedrock of luxury Indian design, epitomising old-world romance and modern refinement. The blush pink chamoise satin jacket and column skirt were intricately hand-embroidered in old rose zardozi with pearls, sequins, and crystals, in a fresh, luminous palette. Over 35 artisans spent 3,670 hours bringing the couture vision to life. A special technique to honour the pink ball theme, the designers, for the first time, worked with pink zardozi, which is otherwise in gold. The result is an unexpected reinterpretation, an ode to craft and tradition, yet rendered in a way that felt modern, confident, and effortlessly cool. Her participation aligns with her broader efforts to champion Indian culture and creativity on the global stage. Earlier this year, Isha chaired the inaugural Host Committee alongside Michael Bloomberg for the Serpentine Summer Party 2025, the gallery's most significant annual fundraiser. She also serves on the boards of LACMA, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, and the Yale Schwarzman Center. Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also attended the event with Akshata Murty. (ANI) Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Sanae Takaichi was elected prime minister of Japan on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to lead the country. Japan's House of Representatives announced in a statement that Takaichi had been "chosen by open ballot" during a plenary session on Tuesday. Takaichi, the Liberal Democratic Party president, will be Japan's 104th prime minister. The Japan Times reported that she received 237 votes to Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda's 149. The vote was held after the cabinet of now-former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned en masse Tuesday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To all citizens, I express my deepest gratitude for your understanding and cooperation, and I ask for your continued strong support for the next cabinet and new prime minister as they face domestic and international challenges ahead," Ishiba said in a statement announcing the end of his coalition government. Takaichi's election was made nearly certain after her LDP agreed to form a new coalition government with the Japan Innovation Party on Monday night. "We will work to realize policies that overcome domestic and international challenges, protect the livelihoods of the people and the peace of the nation and strongly advance Japan forward," the LDP said Tuesday in a statement. Ishiba announced his resignation in early September to prevent a split of his LDP following recent election defeats. Takaichi was then made the party leader. Oct. 20A Sandpoint Police Department officer died suddenly on Thursday while being treated at Kootenai Health for health-related concerns. Cpl. Michael Hutter is remembered as a friend and mentor, wrote Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon in announcing Hutter's death. "Mike served this community with honor, compassion and unwavering dedication, both as an officer for the Sandpoint Police Department and as the former Chief of Police in Ponderay." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hutter first joined Sandpoint police in 1990 before joining Ponderay police in 1997, where he served until retiring in 2016. He then rejoined the Sandpoint force. In March 2018, he was shot in the leg and chest during an incident where he and another police officer, Eric Clark, were shot and wounded by a suspect, who was then killed when the officers returned fire. The officers had been responding to an apartment following a call seeking help. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Santa Teresa Middle School was placed on a secure status Tuesday, Oct. 21, after a report of a student bringing knives onto the campus, according to the Gadsden Independent School District. The school district said the student was quickly identified, and two knives were recovered and confiscated without incident. Parents were notified just after 11 a.m. through the Remind messaging system, alerting them that the school was in a secure/hold status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hold was lifted just after 12 p.m., and a second message was sent to confirm that normal operations had resumed, the school district said. The secure status was used to limit hallway movement and keep students in the classroom while law enforcement conducted their response, the school district said. At no point were any individuals endangered, and the measure was purely precautionary to maintain campus safety and order. Gadsden Independent School District Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Credit: Reuters Nicolas Sarkozy was clapped and cheered as he headed to jail to begin his five-year sentence, after being found guilty of seeking to acquire Libyan funding for his 2007 presidential run. The former French president walked out of his home holding hands with his wife Carla Bruni on Tuesday morning to applause from dozens of supporters, some holding up framed portraits of him and singing La Marseillaise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarkozy, Frances Right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012, was found guilty last month of conspiring to finance his presidential campaign with funds from Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator assassinated in 2011. He becomes the first former head of an EU country to serve time behind bars, and also the first French leader to be imprisoned since Philippe Petain, who was jailed for treason after the Second World War. He arrived at the prison to be processed at about 9.35am local time. By 9.40am it was officially confirmed that he had been taken into custody. From their cells, convicts shouted Welcome Sarkozy! and Sarkozys here as he entered the prison, according to reporters for Frances AFP news agency. Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his home with his wife Carla Bruni to head to La Sante prison - Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters He was admitted under the same protocol as all new inmates, with staff taking his photograph and fingerprints before issuing his prison number. He was forced to leave all personal belongings in a safe before completing a full-body strip search. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarkozy, who is 70, is expected to be held in solitary confinement for his own safety in a prison famous for holding terrorist Carlos the Jackal. The former president, who was allowed to take 10 family photos with him, has said he would use his time behind bars to write a book. Sarkozy said on social media as he was driven to La Sante prison in Paris: It is not a former president of the Republic who is being locked up this morning, it is an innocent man. He vowed to continue denouncing this judicial scandal, this path of the cross I have been subjected to for more than 10 years. Carla Bruni acknowledges her husbands supporters, making a thank-you sign with her hands - Jumeau Alexis / ABACA / Shutterstock He added: I am not to be pitied because my wife and my children are at my side and my friends are innumerable. The truth will triumph. But the price will have been overwhelming. One of his sons, Louis, had called for a rally in support of his father, and his children visited before he left for prison in what was described as a spirit of resistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Bruni has shared photos of Sarkozys children and songs in his honour on her social media feeds since his conviction. Sarkozy did not speak before he left for the prison, but he saluted and waved to the cheering crowd. As he was driven away with a police motorcycle escort, his wife and family remained behind to thank his supporters. His older brother, Guillaume Sarkozy, said: I am very proud of him. I am proud that we share the same name. I am proud that he is going to prison with his head held high, and I am totally convinced of his innocence. The former president waves to the gathered crowd as he walks to his car for the drive to La Sante prison - Julien De Rosa/AFP Emmanuel Macron, the French president, received Sarkozy at the Elysee on Friday. On Monday he defended the decision to welcome a conservative with whom he formed a friendship during his first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Macron said: I have always been very clear in my public statements about the independence of the judiciary in my role, but it was normal on a human level to receive one of my predecessors in this context. Sarkozy has said that he would take three books to prison the maximum allowed including Alexandre Dumass The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge, and a biography of Jesus. Jean-Michel Darrois, one of Sarkozys lawyers, said on Tuesday that the former president was mentally prepared to be held in solitary confinement, where he would be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons. Sarkozy kisses his wife, Carla, before leaving in a car for La Sante prison in central Paris - Benoit Tessier/Reuters He told France Info: First, he packed a bag with a few sweaters because its cold in prison, and earplugs because its very noisy. Isolation like what hes going to go through is painful, but he got himself prepared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarkozy will be on the top floor of the isolation wing, separate from other inmates, and will always be accompanied by a guard. His cell will be equipped with a bed, desk, shower, toilet and hot plate. He can also apply to have a fridge and a television. He will be able to make two visits a day to one of the prisons three gyms or small exercise yards. The Paris judge ruled that Sarkozy would start to serve prison time without waiting for his appeal to be heard, due to the seriousness of the disruption to public order caused by the offence. Under the ruling, Sarkozy will only be able to file a request for release to the appeals court once he is behind bars, and judges will then have up to two months to process the request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His lawyers have already made a request for his release, but the former president is expected to serve three weeks to a month before a Court of Appeal ruling. 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. Disgraced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been discreetly received by incumbent leader Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday ahead of the start of his prison sentence. A Paris court found Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy in connection with the alleged Libyan financing of his victorious 2007 presidential campaign in September and setenced him to five years in prison. That prison term is due to begin on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was normal that, on a human level, I should receive one of my predecessors," Macron said, when asked about the visit. Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, has always maintained his innocence and immediately appealed his conviction. French President Emmanuel Macron attends a plenary session at the summit of the informal MED9 group in Portoroz, 20 October, 2025 - AP Photo In an interview with the Le Figaro daily published on Sunday, Sarkozy said that he would enter the prison "with his head held high" and would take a biography of Jesus and The Count of Monte Cristo with him. "I will go and see him in prison," Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanin said in an interview with the radio station France Inter on Monday, admitting that he felt "a great deal of sadness" at the idea of the former president being incarcerated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those remarks were condemned by France's largest trade union for magistrates, USM, who accused Darmanin of "mixing of genres." Darmanin defended his comments saying that as minister of justice he is allowed to "visit any prison and any detainee whenever he wished" and that it was "his responsibility to ensure the proper organisation of this extraordinary detention." Related On the right of the political spectrum, former Prime Minister Edouard Balladur visited Sarkozy at his home on Monday while Chairman of the Senat Gerard Larcher said he was "sad" and praised Sarkozy's "courage." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former President Francois Hollande praised the independence of the judiciary while pointing out "what this imprisonment can represent for a man who served France." Sarkozy's prison sentence before his appeal trial has fuelled controversy in France. His sentence is "provisionally enforceable" meaning it can not be suspended pending appeal and that ensured Sarkozy was not be able to avoid prison. His lawyers will be able to request his release from the first day of detention. The court has a maximum of two months to reach a decision. If it is rejected, Sarkozy will have the opportunity to make another request. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy speaks with the media being sentenced by a court in Paris, 25 September, 2025 - AP Photo At the age of 70, Sarkozy could be incarcerated in a special section of the Parisian Sante prison intended for vulnerable persons, due to his age and public fame. In the verdict, the judges acquitted the former leader of three other charges, including passive corruption, embezzlement of Libyan public funds, and illegal election campaign financing, stating that there was no evidence to show that the money allegedly transferred from Libya had been used for his 2007 campaign or for his personal enrichment. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to meet President Trump at the White House on Nov. 18, on what will be his first Washington visit of Mr. Trump's second term, as the Gulf nation seeks a defense pact with the United States, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. The crown prince, often referred to by his initials MBS, was last at the White House more than seven years ago, although the two leaders met in May this year during the president's four-day Middle East trip aimed at bolstering economic ties, ending the Israel/Gaza war, and discussing a possible agreement to end Iran's nuclear program. At the November White House meeting, they're likely to discuss deals made in May, and military and intelligence sharing between the two countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials intend to have a signing event when the crown prince is with the president, but details were still in flux, two sources said. The Trump administration recently agreed to a defense pact with Qatar, pledging to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States and defend it with the U.S. military. The Saudis have indicated they would like to agree to a similar defense pact with the United States. Mr. Trump has been complimentary of Prince Mohammed in their interactions. Saudi Arabia was the first foreign country he visited in 2017, and the Crown Prince was the first foreign leader he telephoned in January 2025. He has called the Saudi leader "wise beyond his years." And in remarks during one of their meetings in Riyadh in May, Mr. Trump called the U.S.-Saudi relationship "a bedrock of security and prosperity." Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Portland resident says ICE agents entered home without a warrant A shopper who receives SNAP benefits slides an EBT card at a checkout counter in a Washington, D.C., grocery store in December 2024. (Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture) Meals for seniors in Kentucky are getting a $9.1 million temporary lifeline after pandemic-era funding expired, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday. Meanwhile, roughly 563,080 Kentuckians may go without food benefits in November as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is set to run out of funds in less than two weeks if the government shutdown persists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the shutdown continues, Beshear said, Kentucky will also not receive funds for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families known in Kentucky as KTAP which provides modest monthly payments to about 15,000 impoverished families with children. It appears at least as of today, we will not receive those funds from the federal government, Beshear said Monday. The state is going to foot the costs for November, but cannot guarantee anything beyond that, Beshear said. But the state cannot afford to pick up the costs of SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, if the federal funding is not there, Beshear said. Gov. Andy Beshear (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer) For November, more than 600,000 Kentuckians rely on SNAP. Thats 1 in 8 of our people, many of which are children, he said. This is a scary and stressful time, and team Kentucky is committed to processing benefits the moment the federal government provides the funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kentucky is already dealing with high levels of food insecurity. According to a report from Feeding America, about 17% of Kentuckians had a shortage of food in 2023. Rebuilding trust Republican state lawmakers criticized Beshear for not moving to fill the funding gap in meals for seniors last month after the administration notified Area Development Districts, which administer state programs for seniors, of an expected shortfall in the meals budget. The temporary funding that Beshear announced Friday comes from a previously-funded study that never took place and will help fund senior meals through the fiscal year, Beshear said. The legislature will need to retroactively approve the transfer of funds when it returns to Frankfort for the session in January, he said. A Senate Republican spokesman said that is expected to happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No Kentuckian should face hunger, Beshear said. And while Im glad we found a temporary solution, we must ensure that we understand our peoples needs, as well as the cost controls and procedures for the senior meal program to appropriately budget and run these programs in the future. Using extra funding provided by Congress during the pandemic, Kentucky expanded meals for seniors, including providing meals for pickup, and eliminated waitlists for meals. Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester. (Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus) Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester, the co-chair of the Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee, said in a Friday statement that the focus must be on getting meals delivered quickly and rebuilding trust with those who administer this critical program and the elderly Kentuckians who rely on it. The program provides nutrition services to people 60 and older and their spouses, according to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Meals are also delivered at home to people 60 or older who, due to illness or incapacitating disability, are unable to attend a congregate site and have no one in the home able to prepare a nutritious meal on a regular basis. Background: Seniorsdont have food to eat. Mondays funding transfer happened after multiple calls from Republicans in the legislature asking Beshears administration to find the funds. Beshear said that the transfer took so long because there was no ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding available and because the state is facing a projected $305 million revenue shortfall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve got to cut all the areas, because the law says we live under a balanced budget, just like each and every one of our families, Beshear said. On Sept. 8, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department for Aging and Independent Living notified Area Development District directors of a funding shortfall in the senior nutrition program. Due to reduced federal funding and other recent federal policy changes, fewer dollars will be available and more responsibility will be shifted to states, that letter said. It directed districts to prioritize older adults with the highest nutritional needs, reduce or stop drive thru senior citizen center meal services to maximize nutrition dollars and more. A Sept. 18 news release from Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency (KIDPA) said each development district would work to assess what these funding reductions mean for their communities. Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton. (LRC Public Information) The loss of funding to support the senior nutrition programs in the KIPDA region is going to have a dire impact on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, Jarrett Haley, KIDPA executive director, said at that time. KIPDA is committed to working with our dedicated network of providers to minimize the harm to the seniors that rely on these services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers also called on Beshear to address the problem. During an Oct. 9 committee meeting, Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, said there were seniors calling my office who dont have food to eat and asked why Beshear had not called a special session to address the problem. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Sioux City residents got another chance on Monday to hear from some candidates running for the three open seats on the school board. The Rotary Club of Sioux City hosted a candidate forum where six of the seven candidates answered questions. Cyndi Hanson was not able to participate due to personal reasons. The questions asked focused on having an independent investigator look into matters in the district, which is a challenge the school district is currently facing. Alongside that, the school district is also facing the struggles of attracting teachers and retaining them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues below Suprintendent Dr. Juan Cordova said that it is important for voters to learn about the candidates before casting their ballots. Dr. Cordova said, Well, I think its fantastic that we have so many people that are interested in serving. And we have all these new people that are interested in serving as they answered the qiuestions. I feel very confident that whomever wins the electionw ill be people that are standing for student staff and the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Rotary Club of Sioux City will host a candidate forum for Sioux City City Council on Monday, October 27, at the Sioux City Public Museum. That forum will take place at noon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This article was originally published in Chalkbeat. Charles Longshore distinctly remembers the tipping point that led his Alabama middle school to ban cell phones, two years before the state adopted its own ban. Longshore, then the assistant principal at Dothan Preparatory Academy, had gotten wind that two girls planned to fight in the courtyard between classes and pulled them into the office about 10 minutes before the scheduled rumble. That prevented the fight, but it didnt stop hundreds of other students from racing to the courtyard hoping to watch a spectacle advertised through texts and chats, with their own phones out ready to record it. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Stories like these along with countless less dramatic moments of distraction and disengagement have made cell phone bans a rare point of bipartisan agreement on education policy. Twenty-six states now have state-level bans or restrictions on cell phone use in schools. Two-thirds of principals said their school had a bell-to-bell ban in a recent RAND Corp. survey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Bring It On to This Policy Is Crazy, NYC Parents React to Cellphone Ban But so far there hasnt been much concrete evidence about the impacts of school cell phone bans. The policy action is just happening at a level that far surpasses the available evidence, said David Figlio, an economics professor at the University of Rochester. The available evidence is largely peoples hunches. Figlio and Umut Ozek, a senior economist at RAND Corp., a research organization, set out to address that gap. Their study, released Monday as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, analyzes data from a large, county-level urban school district in Florida, which was the first state to adopt a cell phone ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study found modest improvements in test scores in the second year of the ban, after an increase in suspensions in the first year. The Florida school district had adopted a bell-to-bell ban, more restrictive than the state law, which requires that students not use their phones during instructional time. Students violating the ban had their phones confiscated but got them back at the end of the school day. Students could also face discipline, including suspension, for violating the ban. Related Support for Phone Bans in Schools Is Growing, but Is It Enough to Help Kids? Florida students take standardized tests three times a year, and schools report discipline and attendance daily, giving researchers a lot of information to work with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using data about cell phone usage coming from each school building, the researchers first identified schools where students used cell phones at higher and lower levels before the ban, which went into effect in 2023. Middle schools had higher cell phone use than high schools before and after the ban. Researchers then used data from the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years to compare changes in schools with the highest cell phone use before the ban and those with the lowest. This study design, known as difference within difference, allows researchers to draw stronger conclusions about causality. In the second year of the ban, average test scores on the higher-stakes spring test went up by 1.1 percentiles more in the schools where students previously used their phones a lot, compared with low-activity schools. The results were more significant for middle and high school students, and boys seemed to benefit more than girls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Alarming National Data: Teens Use Cellphones for Quarter of School Day But the gains came with tradeoffs. Suspensions went up in the first year of the ban, the study found, especially for Black boys. And white students saw greater test score growth than Black students. Black students seem to be accruing fewer of the benefits of the cell phone ban and more of the disciplinary costs, Figlio said. The study cant answer why Black students who often face disproportionate discipline were suspended more often. The increase largely went away in the second year of the ban. Still, Figlio said, the finding calls for schools to be thoughtful about how they approach enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study didnt directly measure school climate the kind of improvement Longshore and other principals often notice most after they adopt a ban but researchers did track unexcused absences and students changing schools, potential proxies for how content or safe students feel at school. Both metrics improved after the cell phone ban was in effect. In fact, the study found that the improvements in attendance contributed to about half the increase in student test scores after the ban. Figlio called the test score increases meaningful but not game-changing. Its not transforming test scores, he said. But were observing palpable improvement. Were observing kids attending school more. Test score declines blamed on cell phones American students scores on key national and international tests have been trending down for the past decade, well before COVID disruptions. Researchers are not entirely sure why, but one theory is that the rise of cell phone and social media use among children has had deleterious cognitive and social effects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We lack direct evidence of a causal link between smartphones and learning, but Im convinced that this technology is a key driver of youth mental health challenges, a distraction from learning, both inside and outside of schools, and a deterrent to reading, Harvard education professor Martin West told the Senate education committee at a hearing last month. Because social media wasnt introduced to children through a randomized controlled trial, its hard to isolate the effects, West said at the hearing. Cell phone bans provide an opportunity to study what happens when social media is removed from the school environment. But West urged policymakers and parents to address social media use outside of school as well. A study published in JAMA earlier this month found that children who used more social media did worse in reading, vocabulary, and memory tests in their early teen years than those who used little or no social media. Figlio said hes prepared to say that cell phones are a driver of test score declines, but theres not enough evidence to say whether theyre the primary driver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Longshore, whose school was not involved in the study and who had not read the study when he spoke to Chalkbeat, said state test scores didnt change significantly after the school started requiring students to leave their phones in a lockbox all day. The school maintained its trajectory of slow but steady growth. But far fewer students failed their classes, he said. Longshore referred roughly 80 students to summer school the year before the ban. This past summer, it was just 20. Longshore, who left Dothan at the end of last school year to take a principal job in another district, didnt suspend students who violated the ban. Instead, after the first offense, the school would hold onto the phone until a parent could pick it up. At a high-poverty school where many parents work multiple jobs, students might go days without their phones and the parent usually made sure the child didnt bring it to school again. With chronic absenteeism already high, Longshore said the last thing he wanted was more students out of class as a result of the ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And in fact, discipline at the school improved significantly. There was less drama, Longshore said, and far fewer fights. The lunchroom got loud again with students talking to their classmates. Future research on cell phone bans could dig into school climate surveys or examine academic or discipline data in different school contexts, Figlio said. The question of impact is not asked and answered, he said. I care a lot about test scores, but I care even more about kids life outcomes graduating high school, attending college, workforce participation, he said. These are things we wont know for a while. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters. Taking to Instagram, she wrote, "In every pose, she mirrors yoga itself- strength and grace, movement and stillness, all in harmony. So proud of you Chets @chetnakohli." Anushka reposted Chetna's post in which she could be seen performing various asanas. "My poses are far from perfect and that's where my practice lives. Somedays I tremble, waver and somedays I flow. But every attempt is a prayer of becoming and willingness to learn, unlearn & evolve. A reminder that GROWTH IS SACRED EVEN IN ITS IMPERFECTIONS," Chetna captioned the post. Virat Kohli's sister Bhawna also dropped a heartfelt comment for Chetna. "Grace personified peaceful within peace outside," she wrote. Meanwhile, on the work front, Anushka has been away from the big screen ever since she embarked on the chapter of motherhood. Her upcoming project Chakda 'Xpress has reportedly faced multiple delays, and it remains unclear whether the film has been shelved or not. (ANI) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has joined calls for President Trump to withdraw the nomination of Paul Ingrassia for the Office of Special Counsel after alleged text messages emerged in which Ingrassia said he has a Nazi streak. Ingrassia, nominated in June, reportedly also made racist comments in a text chain with other Republican operatives in 2024. These texts are foul and disqualifying, Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor. And its hard to believe there is any process in any White House that would allow such a man through to be nominated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Politico reported Monday that Ingrassia told other GOP operatives that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs, adding that he has a Nazi streak. The 30-year-old also called Africa a shole and said the founding fathers were wrong that all men are created equal in arguing that we need competent white men in positions of leadership. Edward Andrew Paltzik, Ingrassias attorney, told Politico he and his client do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages, alluding to the possibility they were doctored or manipulated. Schumer said Tuesday that Ingrassia does not merit confirmation by the Senate, and called on Trump to pull his nomination before having lunch with GOP senators at the White House on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Ingrassia is not going to pass through this chamber, the New York Democrat said. Schumer added that Ingrassia should be dismissed from his job as White House liaison at the Department of Homeland Security and should never hold a position of leadership within the Republican Party or the government again. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment on Schumers remarks. The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, is responsible for protecting government whistleblowers from retaliation. The Senate Homeland Security Committee is set to hold a hearing on Ingrassias nomination Thursday. But two Republican members of the committee, Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.) and Ron Johnson (Wisc.), signaled opposition to Ingrassia on Monday, enough to block him, assuming all Democrats vote against him as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont plan on voting for him, Scott told NBC News, while Johnson told HuffPost that the White House ought to just pull that nomination. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) also told reporters Monday that Ingrassias nomination is not going to pass. Other Democrats in Congress have also called on the president to withdraw Ingrassias nomination. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer said he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reached out to President Donald Trump on Tuesday to sit down again to negotiate an end to the government shutdown. "We urged him to meet with us, and we said we'll set up an appointment with him, anytime, anyplace, before he leaves," Schumer told reporters. The senator did not say if the White House accepted the meeting request. (Reporting by Bo Erickson and Maiya Keidan, editing by Ismail Shakil) A climate scientist explained that there is hope to address Earth's rising temperature, and the solution may be closer at hand than we think. Dr. Doug McNeall (@dougmcneall) recently shared a TikTok video addressing the attitude that we are doomed to an ever-increasing planetary temperature. "If somebody ever tells you there's no hope that we can solve climate change, then just show them this graph," he says in the video. The graph in question shows the different sources of electricity being used worldwide since 1990. While coal has been in the lead for decades, data from the International Energy Agency suggests that renewable sources such as wind and solar will overtake it by 2026 at the latest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And that's great news because coal is one of the major sources of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a greenhouse gas, which causes global warming, which causes climate change," McNeall explains. "And more climate change is bad for ecosystems, it's bad for society." Indeed, dirty energy sources like coal and other fossil fuels are widely recognized as the driving force behind our planet's overheating. The more we rely on gas-powered cars and electricity generated from coal, the more heat-trapping gas is pumped into our atmosphere, and the hotter Earth gets. This makes the climate less stable, exacerbating extreme weather events that damage our economy and threaten human safety. The only long-term solution is to switch to clean energy like solar and wind, sources of electricity that don't produce heat-trapping air pollution. The more solar panels we put up and electric cars we drive, the better chance we have of turning climate change around. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And while not every country is on board, much of the world is making an effort. "Overall, the world is really paying attention and really taking active steps to combat climate change," McNeall says. That's something to celebrate. How often do you feel hopeful about the future of the planet when you read news stories or watch entertainment content? Often Sometimes Rarely Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. 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. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Heres what youll learn when you read this story: Minoxidil, the active medical ingredient in products like Rogaine, is a well-known treatment for hair loss, but has poor water solubility and skin permeability. A new study combines minoxidil with a microneedle that uses stevioside, a naturally occurring sweetener from the Stevia plant. Tested on mouse models, scientists found that seviosides increased the absorption of minoxidil, which helped boost the medicines overall effectiveness. FEW PEOPLE LIKE going baldtheres a reason why hair growth is a multi-billion industry. One of the leading causes of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, otherwise known as pattern hair loss, which impacts up to 50 percent of both men and women. One of the most widespread medications for baldness, which is the active ingredient in products like Rogaine, is minoxidil (originally developed to treat high blood pressure). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While this treatment has helped many people grow hair, it does come with a few downsides. Standard treatments typically have poor water solubility and skin permeability, so some hair growth experts resort to applying minoxidil with microneedling, a technique that punctures small holes in the top layer of the skin to stimulate growth factors and increase the medications absorption. As described in a new study, scientists from China and Australia have developed a dissolving patch that can perform this microneedling work while also delivering a dose of minoxidil to the scalp, and its derived from a somewhat unlikely ingredient: Stevioside (STV), the natural sweetener derived from the Stevia plant. The results of the study were published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials . Using STV as a novel solubilizing agent, we incorporated minoxidil into a dissolving microneedle patch, which was used to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of minoxidil and overcome the limitations of traditional carrier single-function approaches, the authors wrote in the study. This method not only enhances drug penetration into skin but also eliminates other issues associated with traditional topical formulations, such as slow onset of action and/or inaccurate dosing. As the authors note, while testosterone doesnt directly cause baldness, the enzyme 5-reductase converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, which triggers the apoptosis (or death) of keratin-producing cells in the epidermis. Minoxidil, however, suppresses certain enzymes and inhibits androgen receptors, which has the net effect of decreasing the formation and binding of dihydrotestosterone. It also boosts aromatase, which converts testosterone into estradiola kind of estrogen that further stimulates hair growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To test their new idea, researchers used mouse models with androgenetic alopecia and tested their new patch against standard treatments. In 35 days, scientists saw hair regrowth in 67 percent of the target area, compared to only 25 percent from the control groupa promising start for this Stevia-based hair loss treatment. Of course, mice are one thing, and humans are another. While the mouse model results are promising, human hair growth cycles differ, and androgenetic alopecia is influenced by multiple factors, Lifeng Kang, a co-author of the study from the University of Sydney, told Gizmodo. Therefore, clinical trials are essential to confirm efficacy and safety in humans. Unwanted hair loss isnt a thing of the past (at least, not yet), but science has it in its crosshairsno pun intended. Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: COURTESY DAVIDSON; ANDRE L. PERRY Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: COURTESY DAVIDSON; ANDRE L. PERRY Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shop Now Photo credit: Hearst Owned Shop Now Photo credit: COURTESY DAVIDSON; ANDRE L. PERRY Shop Now From: Popular Mechanics You Might Also Like Climate scientists are now sounding the alarm regarding the grim fate of glaciers in the Sierra Nevada mountains. What's happening? As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, steadily rising global temperatures have inflicted severe damage on mountain glaciers, which are typically very sensitive to climate changes. Scientists have studied glaciers for years to understand past and future climate conditions better. In a recent study, a team of climate researchers took a closer look at two of the largest glaciers in California's Sierra Nevada near Yosemite National Park. Despite persisting through the Holocene, or the current period since the last ice age, these mountain glaciers are now projected to vanish by 2100. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The researchers studied rocks recently uncovered by melting ice and measured carbon and beryllium levels that build up when rock is exposed to the atmosphere. Their results revealed that two of California's largest Sierra Nevada glaciers have been continuously covered by ice over the last 11,700 years, meaning they never fully disappeared, even during warmer periods. Why is the loss of mountain glaciers important? "We'll be the first to see the ice-free peaks. This has ecological implications for plants and animals. And it's a symbolic loss," said Andrew Jones, lead author of the study and a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. "Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are tangible. They're iconic features of the American West." According to the researchers, the rapid ice melt represents an "abrupt reversal of long-term glacier growth" in the last several thousand years. "We can really say now the glaciers have been around in the Sierra Nevada for at least 30,000 years," Jones added. In January, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year on record, playing a major role in glacier loss across the globe. The melting of mountain glaciers can have significant and far-reaching impacts that can greatly reshape our planet. This includes further sea level rise, contributing to increased coastal erosion and stronger storm surges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As noted by Jones, glacier loss can also alter freshwater systems, potentially creating water shortages for agriculture and drinking water supplies downstream. "I think of glaciers as high-mountain water towers. When the glaciers are gone, you will lose that bit of remaining water," said Jones. What's being done about rising global temperatures? Around the globe, countries have increased their efforts to address rising temperatures and the impacts of our changing climate. This includes reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and cutting down on carbon emissions by transitioning to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy. Other initiatives have sought to improve energy efficiency and protect our vulnerable natural resources. As communities face a growing list of climate concerns today, many are adapting to impacts from extreme weather events by enacting strategies such as early warning systems and more resilient infrastructure. How often do you feel hopeful about the future of the planet when you read news stories or watch entertainment content? Often Sometimes Rarely Never 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. More than 2,000 European researchers warned that the European Union is at risk of straying from scientific recommendations regarding its climate targets for 2040. "The political discussion is moving further away from the scientific evidence," the scientists warned in an open letter addressed at EU leaders who will debate the issue at an upcoming summit in Brussels later this week. The discussions will be based on a proposal by the European Commission to reduce emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. Part of this reduction is to be offset by internationally recognized climate certificates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposal still needs the approval of the EU countries and the European Parliament, but there is significant resistance to the target in several countries. "We urge policymakers to stick to science," the signatories from various universities and institutions said. The proposed reduction of at least 90% "is not just a political choice but an existential necessity for safeguarding Europes future, and securing peoples lives in face of increasingly high risks of surpassing critical tipping points." If implemented correctly, such a target also offers economic opportunities including significantly lower electricity bills, new jobs and savings on fossil fuel imports in the billions, they said in the letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider expects German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to support the proposal for a 90% reduction at the EU summit. The target is compatible with Germany's ambitions, but also with the connection between the economy and ecology, he said. SCOTT COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) On Monday, a former Scott County man was sentenced to 30 years behind bars after being found guilty of raping a child, said Jared Effler, the 8th District Attorney General. Michael Timothy Montgomery was found guilty by a Scott County Jury, according to the DA. Then, Scott County Criminal Court Judge Zachary R. Walden sentenced him to 30 years in custody of the Tennessee Department of Corrections. He has to serve the full sentence with no possibility of parole, Effler said. Ex-director of nuclear programs at Oak Ridge National Lab arrested on child sex charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Scott County Sheriffs Office investigated the case, and at sentencing, Assistant District Attorney General Apryl C. Bradshaw represented the State. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. The Scott County Sheriffs Office held a swearing-In ceremony Tuesday for three deputies with Quad Cities backgrounds at the Scott County Sheriffs Office Patrol Headquarters, 3206 S. 16th Ave., Eldridge. From left: Deputy Scott Hoffman, Sheriff Tim Lane, Deputy Andrew Schaeffer and Deputy Matt Wilkinson. (Scott County Sheriffs Office) Scott Hoffman was born in Davenport, and grew up in the Quad Cities. Hoffman graduated from Bettendorf High School in 2019 and started his career in law enforcement with the Scott County Sheriffs Office at the Scott County Jail as a corrections officer. Before that, he had his own tree service company for six years, and he also used to build cell towers. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, firearms training and spending time with family and friends Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrew Schaeffer was born in Davenport, where he lives. He graduated from Davenport West High School in 2018 and attended Scott Community College. Schaeffer started his law enforcement career with the Davenport Police Department in 2025. His hobbies include auto mechanics and spending time with family and friends. Matt Wilkinson was born in Waterloo, Iowa, and grew up in the Quad Cities. He graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in 2015 and started his law enforcement career with the Muscatine Police Department in 2019. He worked as a patrol officer, corporal, K9 handler, field training officer, and was a part of the Muscatine Special Operation Response Team. Wilkinsons hobbies include hunting, fishing, weightlifting and spending time with his friends and family. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Its not every day that the phrase habitual drunkards appears in a SCOTUSblog story. Keep reading to understand why it plays a role in the courts new Second Amendment case. Morning Reads Still the Stare Decisis Court (At Least For Now) (Jonathan H. Adler, The Volokh Conspiracy, Reason) For the past five years, the court has had a six-justice conservative majority, but its actually been less likely to overturn precedents than it was during the first 15 years of Chief Justice John Roberts tenure, according to data from the Library of Congress and Supreme Court database analyzed by Jonathan H. Adler. The confirmation of Justice Barrett to replace Justice Ginsburg unquestionably made the Court more conservativeand likely led to the overturning of Roe in Dobbs [but] it did not produce an immediate increase in the rate at which the Court has been moving the law in a conservative direction by overturning prior precedents. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Corner-Crossing Case (Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life) The courts Monday order list included the names of around 100 denied petitions. Among them was a dispute over corner crossing, or the practice of briefly passing over private property, or at least private airspace to move between two catty-corner public parcels of land, according to Outdoor Life. By denying review, the court left in place a ruling in favor of four hunters who used a ladder to move over private land in Wyoming. Specifically, they placed a ladder between two catty-corner public parcels of land, climbed over, and hunted elk and deer. The land owner had accused them of causing more than $7 million in damages. While the four hunters case is settled, corner crossing still remains fuzzy in many other states. US Supreme Court declines to revive antitrust lawsuit against Zillow (Mike Scarcella, Reuters) The justices also declined to take up a lawsuit by a now-defunct real estate brokerage that accused Zillow and the National Association of Realtors of conspiring to suppress competition in the online home listings market, according to Reuters. The brokerage, Real Estate Exchange Inc. (REX), had asked the court to review a lower court ruling that said it had failed to prove Zillow conspired with the National Association of Realtors to make REXs listings harder to find on Zillows platform. Eight years for a would-be assassin defies common sense (Jill Jacobson, The Washington Post) In a column for The Washington Post, attorney Jill Jacobson revisited the eight-year sentence given to Justice Brett Kavanaughs would-be assassin, contending that U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardmans decision to depart from the recommended sentence of 30 years to life was outrageous. In an era when violent threats and attacks on public officials are alarmingly common, the judiciary bears a unique burden to effectuate deterrence. The court neglected that duty in [Nicholas] Roskes case, Jacobson wrote. To explain the eight-year sentence, Boardman cited, among other factors, Roskes transgender status and that Roske may face hardship as a result of President Donald Trumps January executive order on prisons and transgender care. No explanation (Milt Policzer, Courthouse News Service) In a column for Courthouse News Service, Milt Policzer used humor to criticize the justices practice of providing almost no explanation for the moves they make on the interim docket. If the court doesnt need to explain why its putting a lower court order on hold, why should lower courts explain their rulings, he asked. Anyhow, maybe this is a crisis if good rulings are being thwarted. But consider the bright side there is now established precedent for not setting precedents and not explaining anything! SCOTUS Quick Hits Per its order list, released Monday morning, the court added three cases to the docket for the 2025-26 term and denied around 100 other petitions. For more on the additions, see Amys story in the On Site section below. Also on Monday, lawyers representing the state of Illinois and city of Chicago responded to the Trump administrations request for the court to clear the way for the president to federalize and deploy the National Guard in Illinois. Briefs from the small businesses and states challenging Trumps tariffs were filed on Monday. Amys analysis of the filings will be published this morning. A Closer Look: Unitary Executive Theory Perhaps few legal concepts are quite as controversial as the unitary executive theory. Put simply, this theory refers to the claim that the Constitution gives the president sole authority over the executive branch, including sole authority over the removal of executive branch officials. Although proponents of the unitary executive theory argue that this is justified on multiple grounds, one major textual source is the Constitutions vesting clause, which states that [t]he executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States. These words are read to support the notion that the president, and the president alone, is in charge of the executive branch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unitary executive theory has been in the spotlight for much of this year, as President Donald Trump has moved to remove the heads of federal agencies, and the Supreme Court has with one notable, but potentially temporary, exception allowed the removals to proceed. This term, the court is expected to directly address the unitary executive theory in Trump v. Slaughter, a case that asks whether the court should overturn 1935s Humphreys Executor v. United States, which allowed Congress to limit the presidents authority to fire executive officials. The case stems from Trumps effort to remove Rebecca Slaughter, a former member of the Federal Trade Commission. At least for now, Slaughter is not serving in that role, because the court on Sept. 22 cleared the way for her removal. Many court watchers believe the conservative majority will use the unitary executive theory to justify overturning Humphreys Executor, based on the idea that this is supported by a textualist and originalist understanding of the constitution. That said, not all originalists agree. Caleb Nelson, a law professor and former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, recently argued against the unitary executive theory on originalist grounds. Nelsons essay is particularly interesting because his work has been cited in more than a dozen Supreme Court opinions, including ones by every member of the six-justice conservative majority, according to The New York Times. SCOTUS Quote Admittedly, some high school students (including those who use drugs) are dumb. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice John Paul Stevens in Morse v. Frederick On Site From Amy Howe Court Agrees to Hear Additional Case on Gun Rights The court on Monday morning announced three additions to its docket for the 2025-26 term. Among the cases is a dispute over a federal statute that prohibits gun possession by users of illegal drugs. In asking the justices to allow the government to enforce that statute, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer acknowledged the importance of the Second Amendment but contended that drug use creates one of the narrow circumstances in which the government may justifiably burden that right. He described the law as a modest, modern analogue to founding-era restrictions on habitual drunkards, as Amy wrote in her analysis of Mondays order list. National Guard in Illinois Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers representing the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago urged the Supreme Court on Monday afternoon to leave in place a ruling by a federal judge that prohibits the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Illinois. Illinois Solicitor General Jane Notz told the justices that the unnecessary deployment of military troops, untrained for local policing, will escalate tensions and undermine the ordinary law enforcement activities of state and local entities, which would need to divert resources to maintain safety and order. Learn more about the filing by reading Amys analysis. Contributor Corner Supreme Court Clerks and Networks of Power In his latest Empirical SCOTUS column, Adam Feldman explored the clerkship universe, analyzing how long it takes to move from graduating law school to clerking at the Supreme Court, which justices are most likely to hire clerks who previously worked for a judge from the opposite party, where former clerks go when their clerkship is over, and how clerkship patterns are changing over time. For more Supreme Court news and analysis, visit SCOTUSblog. Read more at SCOTUSblog On the eve of Diwali, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma celebrated Diwali by lighting lamps at his residence on Monday. The Rajasthan Chief Minister prayed to Maa Lakshmi with his family. He also visited the Rajarajeshwari Temple to seek blessings. "On the auspicious occasion of the holy festival of Deepawali during the festival of lights, the Chief Minister lit a lamp at the Chief Minister's residence and performed the formal worship of Mother Lakshmi Ji along with his family. At the same time, he worshipped and prayed to Mata Rani at the Rajarajeshwari Temple and sought her blessings," said Bhajanlal Sharma on X. Additionally, he also extended Diwali greetings to the people of Rajasthan and prayed for their happiness and prosperity. "May this Deepotsav, by the infinite grace of the first-worshipped Lord Gajanana and Mother Lakshmi, infuse happiness, prosperity, good health, and positive energy into the lives of all the residents of the state--this is the auspicious wish," Sharma said. Besides the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, several other Chief Ministers celebrated Diwali with great enthusiasm. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta performed a puja with her family at the Chief Minister's Public Service Hall. During the ceremony, she prayed for the prosperity and bright future of the residents of Delhi. "Today, at the Chief Minister's Public Service Hall, I performed the Diwali puja with my family, following all rituals and traditions.I prayed to Maa Lakshmi and Lord Shri Ganesha for the prosperity, welfare, and bright future of all Delhi residents. Our Sanatan culture, values, and traditions are the foundation of our lives. The family is the strongest link in preserving these, where values are not just taught but lived. This continuity is the greatest strength of our civilization. Every lamp lit today is a symbol of faith, hope, and harmony, conveying the message of happiness, goodwill, and prosperity in our lives. On this auspicious occasion, I extend my heartfelt Diwali greetings to all of you. May the blessings of Maa Lakshmi and the grace of Lord Shri Ganesha bring happiness, prosperity, and auspiciousness to your lives. Happy Diwali!" wrote Gupta. Meanwhile in West Bengal, the state's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered prayers to Maa Kaali at her residence. Following the prayer, she expressed gratitude towards all people who attended the celebrations. "My heartfelt gratitude to all who joined in the celebrations and offered their love and wishes. May the eternal light of Maa Kali dispel darkness and fill every life with strength, harmony, and hope. Shubho Kali Pujo to all," wrote Banerjee. (ANI) A spat over the future of NASA under the Trump administration went public on Tuesday, with Elon Musk panning Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as having a 2 digit IQ and advocating for his ally Jared Isaacman to run the space agency in a string of social media posts. Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running Americas space program? the Tesla and SpaceX CEO asked in a poll on X, referencing Duffys prior career as a professional lumberjack athlete. One of the listed choices: Noo, he need moar brainz!" Musks tirade comes after Duffy, the acting NASA administrator, told CNBC on Monday that he was reopening SpaceXs contract to lead a return to the moon, accusing the company of having fallen behind initial projections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Duffy and Isaacman have lobbied to head up NASA, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, with Duffy angling to fold the agency into his much larger Transportation Department. But Musk is pushing for Isaacman, who President Donald Trump previously nominated for the job, to again be the presidents pick. The White House pulled Isaacmans nomination to lead NASA in May, shortly after Musk ended his time at Trumps Department of Government Efficiency initiative and left the White House. Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA! Musk wrote. SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A request for comment to a NASA spokesperson triggered an automated response that the agencys press mailbox was not being monitored due to the government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Department of Transportation spokesperson pointed to a post Duffy wrote on X Tuesday. "Love the passion," he wrote. "The race to the Moon is ON. Great companies shouldnt be afraid of a challenge. When our innovators compete with each other, America wins!" Its far from the first time Musk, a onetime key ally of the president, has lobbed broadsides at the administration. He campaigned hard against Trumps signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it made its way through Congress in the summer, calling it a disgusting abomination and threatening to launch his own third party. Trump, in turn, threatened Musks federal contracts. The two men have since seemingly made up, sitting together at a memorial for Charlie Kirk. While he was in the administration, Musk also went after Peter Navarro, one of the public faces of the White House trade agenda. At the time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the public feuding. Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue, she said in April. Fox News host Sean Hannity pressed former congressman George Santos to repay monies owed to defrauded donors Monday, despite his commutation erasing his restitution requirements, and warned the Republican that his explanation of the technicalities around who he owed funds to sounded like obfuscation. The 37-year-old ex-lawmaker, expelled from Congress in 2023 after admitting to wire fraud and identity theft, appeared on Hannity just days after the president intervened to release him from federal custody on Friday During the interview, Hannity pointed out that he had been a past constituent of Santos, prompting a direct apology from the congressman to both him and the American people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santos served only three months of his 87-month sentence at FCI Fairton in New Jersey. Trumps commutation also erased $373,750 in restitution he had been ordered to repay to donors he defrauded. After accepting the apology, Hannity turned his attention to the restitution. So, I have a question that no one has asked you, the host said. You dont have to pay back anything. It was an amount of restitution for victims of over $373,000. There was another incident where you had repeatedly charged contributions of credit cards without peoples authorization. Two donors transferred money to a liability company. These are things that you pled guilty to. He continued: Heres my question. Even though youre not compelled with this commutation to pay it back, you think you should? Santos replied: You know, Sean, Ive put a lot of thought into that and Ive spoken to my legal team. I think that the right thing to do is to explore a way to make it right. Part of actually squaring away with everything that has happened in my life is to start fresh and starting fresh, if it means we find a way to do it, sure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He continued: I just want to make sure the record reflects, Sean not obfuscating or deflecting part of the sum would have gone to the Republican National Republican Congressional Committee. [The] Merrick Garland administration at the DOJ determined that I was to pay back restitution to the Republican Party Congressional Committee campaign because they believed that they donated to my campaign and invested in my campaign under false pretenses even though the merits of that was to win a race and I did. So I understand the question. He added: Again, its been four days and we have a lot to process. Ill look into the best I can, best efforts. Like I said, its about doing what is right. Its about moving forward. Its about changing the ending of my life because I cant go back and change the beginning, but President Trump gave me an opportunity to change the end. With that, I want to help troubled youth. Hannity replied by insisting that the former congressman was speaking in technicalities and that he needed to go there as an important first step to setting his actions right. You charged money without peoples knowledge directly to their credit card and spent it for your own personal gain. In other cases, you talked about the monies actually, the Republican Committee blah, blah thats technically true, but that money came from people, Hannity contested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The host added: So, I would think I dont know, if you really are serious about the God thing, I think you really you have to go there, to me. I think that would be the important first step. Doesnt mean youre going to be able to make all that money, I know youre back doing greetings online and so on and so forth, and I hope youre successful and I hope youre successful in all of your business, but, you know, I think I hear too much obfuscation in your voice. Am I wrong? the host pressed. Its not obfuscation, its been four days Sean. This question was posed to me at the time of my release, I didnt know the conditions of my commutations. I didnt know that until I saw it on the chyrons of the TV in the cafeteria. Over at FCI Fairton, Santos replied. He continued: To answer your question, its something that I have definitely started putting thought into after it was posed to me. Again, I will definitely explore those avenues. Youre not wrong, it is the right thing to do and its definitely the Godly thing to do and I will do the best I can in my best efforts to find a way to do it. And again, not at all running away from my responsibility, culpability and looking forward to prove that, not just to President Trump, but to the American people. At the end of the day, the only road to redemption will be if I show and my actions show that I really am turning a leaf. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You said the right and Godly thing to do. I think that would that would make that answer to be you should be compelled to do it in your heart, Hannity nudged before moving on. Watch above via Fox News. The post Sean Hannity Pushes George Santos to Pay Back Victims Despite Trump Pardon: Too Much Obfuscation in Your Voice first appeared on Mediaite. Chicago police are searching for missing high school student Estefania Herrera. Herrera, 18, was last seen on Friday. She is a senior and part of the swimming team at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School. Chicago police said the 18 year old hasn't been seen since Friday. She was last seen wearing a black and white checkered fleece top and blue jeans, police said. She regularly wears a red backpack and a blue one. The 18-year-old is about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 200 pounds police said. "The Mother McAuley community is praying for the safe return of senior Estefania Herrera," the school said. Anyone with information is urged to contact Chicago police. This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com A sea of demonstrators filled downtown Seattle over the weekend in what organizers are calling one of the largest and most peaceful protests the city has seen in recent years. The No Kings rally was part of a nationwide movement opposing the policies and alleged authoritarianism of President Donald Trump. It drew nearly 90,000 people to the streets of Seattle alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protest began on Capitol Hill before moving through the citys core toward Seattle Center, where a large crowd gathered around the International Fountain. Police estimate the line of protesters stretched more than 1.5 miles through the city. Police closed roads to accommodate the massive march, which merged with another rally already in progress downtown. Tens of thousands protest Trump in peaceful No Kings There were no reports of daytime property damage, according to police. Officers were present but did not intervene. The Seattle rally was one of many held across Washington and the nation, with more than seven million participating in what organizers branded as a rebuke of authoritarianism, militarization, and corporate overreach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Events also took place in Tacoma, Olympia, Everett, and even Issaquah, where peaceful gatherings featured music, chants, and speeches from local activists. In Seattle, Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal addressed the crowd, sharply criticizing President Trumps use of the Justice Department and calling for renewed federal investment in healthcare, housing, and humanitarian aid for Gaza. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson joined a sister rally in Everett, while former Washington Governor Jay Inslee spoke at Tacomas Peoples Park, continuing his long-standing criticism of Trump-era policies. Seattles Emergency Operations Center had been activated in preparation, but city officials now say it was largely precautionary. Contributing: Frank Sumrall, Julia Dallas, Jason Sutich, MyNorthwest Staff. WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) A second person is facing charged for an alleged motorcycle theft that led to the suspects being chased by its owner. According to the Watertown Police Department, they arrested 28-year-old Jordan Ashley of Felts Mills. He was charged with robbery, grand larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property. Ashley, along with Derek Wetherwax, allegedly used a stolen pickup truck and a trailer on October 6 to steal a motorcycle parked near a building on West Main Street in the City of Watertown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The motorcycles owner witnessed the alleged theft and chased after the duo. Wetherwax allegedly rammed the stolen pickup truck into the owners vehicle in an attempt to run the vehicle off the road. The trailer was reported stolen from Snell Street in Watertown. Ashley, who was charged with the same charges as Wetherwax, is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $2,500 on a separate drug 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 WWTI - InformNNY.com. Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales and the directors of the Indiana Election Division are being taken to federal court over two new state laws that impact naturalized citizens who vote. Both laws, which became effective July 1 of this year, require some form of cross-check between voter information and citizenship status in a manner that some voting rights organizations, in a lawsuit filed Oct. 21, allege violates both the National Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act by creating unnecessary barriers for a certain class of U.S. citizen. Many individuals (we have) assisted to obtain citizenship over the years fled from countries where they never had the chance to participate in a democracy," Cole Varga, CEO of Exodus Refugee Immigration, one of the plaintiffs, wrote in a statement. "We cannot allow their voices to be silenced again in Indiana." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state laws were part of an "election integrity" effort sweeping Republican states to purge the voter rolls of potential noncitizen voters. Supporters argue the goal is not to restrict access to the polls but to make sure only legal citizens are voting. However, state-level audits and studies have found there's no evidence this is a widespread issue. Morales' own review of BMV records, pursuant to the new citizenship check provision in the 2024 law, unearthed just one allegation of a noncitizen voting that he referred to Vigo County law enforcement. Voter list maintenance legislation picked up steam during the 2020 election, during which dozens of claims of fraudulent voting were investigated and dismissed. More than a dozen states have enacted such laws since then. One Indiana law from 2024, House Enrolled Act 1624, requires election administrators to cross check the state voter rolls with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles' list of people who have been issued a temporary driver's license or ID, which are given to legal noncitizens. People flagged from this list then have to provide proof of their citizenship to their county within 30 days or else be kicked off the voter rolls. Those kicked off can appeal, but there is no deadline to resolve appeals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From 2024: Indiana wants to weed out non-citizens from voter rolls. It hasn't gone well in other states. The other one, House Enrolled Act 1680 passed this year, is similar: It catches people who register to vote using a temporary ID number and requires them to provide proof of citizenship. Unlike the first law, this law doesn't have an appeal process for rejected voters. The plaintiffs League of Women Voters of Indiana, Common Cause Indiana, Hoosier Asian American Power and Exodus Refugee Immigration are not only seeking a block to these laws, but a court order to compel the release of public records they requested on the number and identity of Hoosier voters these laws have flagged. Indiana is not the first state to be sued over such laws. When Texas experimented with a similar citizenship data review process in 2019, three federal lawsuits were filed, and three months in, the Texas secretary of state agreed to end the experiment as part of a settlement. Similarly in Georgia in 2018, a federal judge ordered the state to change its procedure flagging potential non-citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The secretary of state's office did not respond to a request for comment. Secretary of State Diego Morales listens to speakers Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, during a candlelight vigil for Charlie Kirk at Mulberry Fields in Zionsville. Why voter rights groups are suing Morales A problem with the method of citizenship verification, the plaintiffs argue, is these temporary credentials are a form of potentially outdated information. Noncitizens who obtain such credentials are not required to update the BMV and get new credentials when they do become citizens. They are allowed to use those temporary credentials until they expire up to six years even if that's after they become citizens. This time lapse will lead to lawful citizens being identified as noncitizens, the plaintiffs argue. That's what happened in the Texas and Georgia cases. Further, for those who do not have naturalization documents or passports handy, it is a lengthy and expensive process to procure new copies often longer than 30 days, the lawsuit notes. It costs hundreds of dollars and an average of seven months' time to replace a certificate of naturalization, they note. The cost and time could end up disenfranchising certain voters, the plaintiffs argue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit claims at least three U.S. citizens living in Marion and Monroe counties have been incorrectly flagged by the provisions of HEA 1264, and "several" in Marion County have been flagged through HEA 1680. They are claiming violations of the National Voting Rights Act in a few ways. First, the state provisions impose more stringent requirements than what the NVRA allows for federal elections, thereby creating two different processes that are not equivalent. Second, they say extra verification steps are not necessary to verify citizenship, which the forms already do via attestation under the penalty of perjury. And third, they allege the processes required of immigrants that people born in the U.S. do not have to go through amount to discriminatory treatment under the law. That last point also constitutes a violation of the Civil Rights Act, they argue. There is no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting or attempts to register to vote in our elections, said Ami Gandhi, director of the Midwest Voting Rights Program with the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, which is helping represent the plaintiffs. This will result in the wrongful disenfranchisement of eligible voters, many of whom are people of color. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X @kayla_dwyer17. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Voting rights groups sue Diego Morales over laws impacting new citizens NEED TO KNOW A retired Houston police officer who worked as a security guard at Camp Mystic is sharing his account of the deadly flooding on July 4 Im a big crier, a big crier. And Im too numb to cry, Glenn Juenke told The New York Times As a result of the flooding, 27 campers and counselors died at the all-girls Christian summer camp A Texas security guard who was trapped inside a cabin at a Texas summer camp amid rising floodwaters is speaking out about surviving the deadly ordeal. Glenn Juenke, a security guard at Camp Mystic, a girls-only Christian summer camp where 27 campers and counselors died as a result of the July 4 flooding, told The New York Times that in the hours before the camp was overwhelmed, he didn't have cell service and missed the National Weather Service's first flash flood warning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the severity of the storm soon became obvious. After calling his wife to tell her that he would be staying the night, Juenke, 57, was initially in the office with other staff members, keeping an eye on the storm. Then, around 2:30 a.m., Juenke went with his boss, Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland who died while helping campers and Eastland's son to begin evacuating campers by car. As the floodwaters kept rising, it became unsafe to continue driving to more cabins, so Juenke eventually went to another, called the Wiggle Inn, on foot. RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, July 2025 A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, July 2025 Juenke quickly realized the safest course of action would be to stay put and ride out the storm together with the campers inside the cabin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the retired Houston Police Department officer told the newspaper, he "just started thinking what I would always tell my kids," which was that, "I'm coming home at the end of my shift." Although he "was terrified," he tried not to let that show, explaining, "If I show that I am scared to death, thats not going to do any good for the 9-year-old girls who were terrified." Juenke wasnt the only one who tried to keep the young girls calm, telling the outlet that one of the Camp Mystic counselors led them in prayer. Were not going anywhere, he yelled above the raging water, according toThe Times. Were going to be OK. RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, July 2025 A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, July 2025 Juenke said that the deaths of the children, counselors and staff members he knew has weighed heavily on him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im a big crier, a big crier, Juenke said. And Im too numb to cry. 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. He previously told CNN in a July interview that while at the Wiggle Inn, he placed some of the girls on mattresses to help them float. Each of those sweet girls [were] cold, wet, and frightened but they were also incredibly brave, he added, per WSVN. They trusted me, and we leaned on each other through a long, harrowing night together inside their cabin. Read the original article on People The Louvre, the world's most iconic museum, remained closed Monday after thieves stole priceless treasures from the Apollon Gallery, the home of the French crown jewels. In a daring daytime heist Sunday, the thieves made off with eight pieces, but dropped one as they made their escape. Here's what the robbers got away with: Empress Eugenie's tiara / Credit: Zhang Weiguo/VCG via Getty Images The Pearl and Diamond Tiara was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III to celebrate his marriage to Eugenie de Montijo in 1853, according to Tatler. The piece features 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grand Corsage Bow brooch from Empress Eugenie / Credit: Jb Reed/Bloomberg via Getty Images The brooch seen above was originally the center of a belt made up of more than 4,000 stones belonging to the Crown Diamonds that was placed on display at the Universal Exhibition of 1855. It was later worn at least twice by Empress Eugenie, according to the Louvre's website. Tiara, necklace and earrings from Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense / Credit: The Louvre A sapphire tiara, necklace and single earring worn by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense were stolen from the Louvre on Sunday. Some have speculated that the set may have once belonged to Marie Antoinette. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie-Louise / Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images An emerald necklace and earrings stolen Sunday were originally a wedding gift from Napoleon to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise of Austria, in 1810. Diamond-encrusted brooch / Credit: The Louvre This diamond-encrusted brooch was originally made for the Empress Eugenie, according to the Louvre's website. The brooch is made from both diamond and gold. The crown of Empress Eugenie was discovered outside the museum / Credit: MAEVA DESTOMBES/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images The crown of Empress Eugenie was found outside the museum. The thieves apparently dropped the piece, made of gold, emerald and diamonds, as they made their getaway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say the robbers broke in using a crane-type lift to reach an upper window, smashed the glass of the display cases to grab the jewels, and then escaped on motorcycles or scooters. Tourists were inside at the time, but no one was injured. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati called the robbery the work of "professionals" who got in and out in just minutes. French police officers stand next to a crane-lift used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum and steal items from the gallery holding crown jewels on Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Ms. Rachel on raising her voice for kids everywhere A cross-border landmark faces a restrictive new future Update at 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 21 IROQUOIS COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) A semi-truck carrying nearly 40,000 pounds of beans caught fire on I-57 in Iroquois County Monday afternoon. Driver killed in Monday night crash near Clinton At approximately 3:55 p.m. on I-57, Illinois State Police Troop 5 responded near milepost 300, just south of Chebanse near crossroad County Road 3100 North, for the report of a semi-truck fire. State Police said the truck was reportedly loaded with nearly 40,000 pounds of beans. As a result of the fire, I-57 southbound was shut down for roadway clean-up until approximately 7:22 p.m. No injuries were reported during this incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Police was unable to specify what type of beans were being carried by the semi-truck at the time of the incident. IROQUOIS COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) Part of Interstate 57 closed for about two hours in Iroquois County Monday evening while authorities responded to a semi-truck fire. Around 5:40 p.m., Illinois State Police announced that troopers were handling a semi-truck fire on I-57 near milepost 300, just south of Chebanse. I-57 southbound lanes were closed in the area and traffic was rerouted at the Chebanse exit until the truck and debris could be removed. One dead, Fire Chief injured after Milford house fire Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, State Police said the closures were expected to last several hours. Just after 7:30 p.m., however, State Police announced that the roadway was back open. WCIA reached out to the Illinois State Police to find out more, but did not immediately receive a response back. 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 WCIA.com. Tripura Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu, along with the First Lady of Tripura, N Renuka, celebrated Diwali with children at the Raj Bhavan in Agartala on Monday. According to Raj Bhawan Agartala, the Governor and the First Lady interacted warmly with the children and distributed sweets and gifts among them. The event aimed to spread happiness and the message of togetherness on the occasion of the festival of lights. During the event, Governor Nallu extended his heartfelt wishes to the people of Tripura and the nation, praying for peace, prosperity, and harmony. He highlighted the importance of Diwali as a festival that symbolises the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The Raj Bhavan said that the premises was illuminated for the occasion and added to the festive ambiance of the evening. Earlier, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha participated in the grand celebration of Maa Kali Puja organised by Tripura Police officials and staff at Ad Nagar in the state's capital, Agartala. During the celebrations, the Chief Minister also offered prayers to Goddess Kali alongside officers and personnel, marking the occasion with devotion and enthusiasm. In a post on X, the state's Chief Minister Saha stated that he observed a vow during the worship of Ma Kali at Adi Nagar. "In Adi Nagar, I observe the vow in the worship of Ma Kali, organised by officials and other employees of the Tripura Police, and celebrate the Diwali festival together with everyone," wrote Saha. As part of the event, fireworks were displayed, which was witnessed by the Tripura Chief Minister, who was seated among the attendees. On the eve of Diwali, Saha expressed his happiness at joining the police personnel to celebrate this spiritual and cultural festival. He emphasised the importance of unity, devotion, and collective celebration during the occasion. (ANI) Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said a Muslim has no business being mayor of New York, and added that Muslims are trying to take over the U.S. If elected next month, Democratic state Rep. Zohran Mamdani would become the first Muslim mayor of the nations largest city. Mamdani was born in Uganda to Indian parents, who moved him to the U.S. when he was seven. The political upstart pulled off an upset in June by defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination. Cuomo has since mounted a third-party bid and is vying with Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to overcome Mamdanis big lead in the polls. Appearing on Mondays Kudlow on Fox Business, Tuberville was asked if he is ready for a Muslim mayor of New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are you ready for a Muslim mayor of New York City? Larry Kudlow asked. No, Tuberville replied. Looks like Mamdanis gonna do it, Kudlow said. What do you think, Senator? Tuberville responded by accusing Mamdani of wanting to implement Sharia and Muslims of trying to take over the country: I think we oughta pack him up and send him home. My God, we do not need that anywhere in this country, especially New York. You know, its what a great city that was. But hes gonna manage to bring it all the way down. Right now, its headed that direction with, you know, no law enforcement and all those crazy things that the Democrats are coming up with. But, you know, weve got a huge problem in this country, Larry, with Sharia law and the Muslims trying to take over all the areas in our country. And so, I hope we wake up and smell the roses. Yep, Kudlow agreed. Well, well see how it plays out. Senator Tommy Tuberville, thank you, Sir. As always, we appreciate your wisdom. Watch above via Fox Business Network. The post Senator Tuberville Claims Mamdani and Muslims Are Trying to Take Over the Country: Send Him Home first appeared on Mediaite. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) U.S. Senator Todd Young joined U.S. Senator Ron Johnson in introducing the Shutdown Fairness Act to make sure that Americans are paid during government shutdowns. Officials say this legislation would appropriate funds for pay and allowances of excepted federal employees for periods of work performed during a lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes. Excepted workers are federal employees who must continue working during a lapse in appropriations because their duties are legally authorized to continue, performing services to protect life, property or to ensure national security. Senator Young, others ask EPA to prioritize domestic feedstocks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Essential federal employees who continue to show up and do their jobs during this government shutdown manufactured by Senate Democrats shouldnt pay a price, said Senator Young. The Shutdown Fairness Act would make sure these hard-working Americans are paid on time for the work they perform, just as they deserve. Full text of the legislation can be found below. S.-3012-Johnson-Shutdown-Fairness-ActDownload Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). During the pandemic, the rules for school attendance with the sniffles were clear, if a bit draconian: Keep a child home from school at any sign of illness. Since then, school policies have softened significantly. At L.A. Unified, for example, parents are directed to send their children to school if they have a mild cold or cough. The main symptoms that require keeping a child home are fever of 100.4 and above, vomiting or diarrhea, according to district instructions on "How to Safely Send Your Student to School." But the rules aren't catching on among families. Parents still keep kids home for a light case of the common cold or some sniffles. And were beyond that reality, LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvalho said in an recent interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many parents disagree especially parents of children in kindergarten and transitional kindergarten, who have the highest rates of chronic absenteeism statewide as well as the germiest hands, snottiest noses and least developed immune systems. "I honestly wouldn't want to jeopardize his health for the learning," said Dulce Valencia, the mother of a kindergartner at San Fernando Elementary School, whose son has already been out sick two or three days this year. I know its their goal to always have their kids in school. But if my child is at risk of getting worse or getting other kids sick, Im not going to be sending him." What pediatricians say "A lot of parents have whiplash about these recommendations," said Dr. Eric Ball, a pediatrician in Orange County and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics California. During the pandemic, parents were told to test their children for COVID and keep them home for even the sniffles. "Then all of a sudden, we went back to our old recommendations," Ball said. "So I think that was really confusing to parents." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Young children are sick from eight to 12 times each year, mostly in the winter and fall, and often for a week or two at a time, Ball said. If they stayed home all of those days, they would be out of school a big chunk of the year. "We have to balance the public health of the classroom with the kids' ability to learn," he said. Read more: Kindergarten is important, but illness, tears make chronic absenteeism a challenge The pediatrics academy recommends that unless a child has fever, vomiting, frequent diarrhea or is "not well enough to participate in school," they can attend. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends several other instances in which children should stay home, including "respiratory virus symptoms that are worsening or not improving." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ball said these recommendations are based in part on the fact that by the time a child becomes symptomatic, they've probably already been contagious for a few days and shared their germs far and wide. Keeping them home just to prevent a virus from spreading usually isn't worth it. Schools are fighting chronic absenteeism For school districts, the policies are intended to keep more kids in the classroom, preventing the learning loss that comes from chronic absenteeism defined as missing at least 10% of school days. Even in the earliest years of schooling, research has found that chronic absenteeism can have long-term effects on literacy, future educational success and social-emotional development. The policies are also financial. Schools in California are paid based on their average daily attendance; if a child stays home for any reason, including an illness, the district will not be paid for the missed days of school. Across California the number of kindergartners and transitional kindergartners who are chronically absent peaked during the pandemic at 40% in the 2021-22 school year. Although the rate has fallen since then, the problem has been difficult to solve: 26% of California children in transitional kindergarten, called TK, and kindergarten were chronically absent in the 2023-24 school year, the most recent data available. This compares with 16% in 2018-19, according to state data analyzed by the nonpartisan research center PACE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Students are missing a lot more school. Why chronic absenteeism may be here to stay L.A. Unified has made chronic absenteeism a top priority in recent years and has lowered the kindergarten rate to 28% in the 2023-24 school year. But it remains high when compared with the 15% of kindergartners who were chronically absent in 2019-20. Los Angeles-based nonprofit Families in Schools, in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, recently held a series of focus groups on chronic absenteeism with Latino parents of kindergartners. Although parents said their child missed school for an array of reasons, most cited illness and chronic health conditions, which they didnt generally associate with a problematic absence. Could school sick guidance backfire? Thomas Dee, a Stanford University education professor and economist, warns that an overemphasis on telling parents to send their children to school with a cold could backfire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To me it just seems too narrow and almost tone-deaf, because there's clearly more going on when you see high levels of chronic absenteeism," he said. "I strongly suspect this cant be entirely due to how parents view the respiratory symptoms of their children." Dee said the absence rates are likely to be tied to "norm erosion" as parents got the impression that school attendance was not crucial, after campuses closed during the pandemic. Schools should better assess exactly why parents arent getting their kids into school, rather than "browbeating" parents about illnesses. At LAUSD, Valencia received a letter from the district saying that her son has "accumulated absences without an explanation." If she did not submit a note to excuse him within 10 days, the letter said, "the absence will be recorded as unexcused and may lead to your child being classified as a TRUANT." It kind of bothers me," Valencia said. "Its not like Im choosing for him to miss. Its his health. Im not allowing him to go to school because he's not healthy I just feel like [L.A. Unified] is concerned for the kids to go to school because otherwise they don't get paid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sydney Baune, an LAUSD TK teacher, said many parents seem to be embracing the sick day messaging. She sees many children in her class who she thinks would probably be better off at home: Kids with a lot of green and yellow mucus. Weve had kids with active lice in school." Last week, one parent dropped off a sick child, noting that she might have the flu. But after years of messaging about spreading disease, parents are also aware of the risks to others. I feel like it is the most inconsiderate thing for other children, for the teachers and for the other parents," said Nicole Berru, the mother of a TK student who attends a Catholic school in Highland Park that follows L.A. Unified's health guidelines. Berru said she still feels "scarred" by her experience during the pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We had so many people suffer during that time and so many adjustments we made. Ive become so much more health-conscious," she said. "It feels wrong to send my kids when it will expose other kids. This article is part of The Times early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed. 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. One of the most senior judges in the country has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used in the legal sector for every purpose under the sun as he weighs up the power of the technology to make decisions in court. Master of the rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos, the second most senior judge in the UK, said AI was like a chainsaw at his address to the Legal Geek Conference, in that it was useful in the right hands, but super dangerous in the wrong ones. The technology can and should be used to draft contracts and research legal questions, Sir Geoffrey said, especially noting how the summarising capability of large language models (LLMs) can save time and drudgery when used carefully. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turning to the possibility of AI making judicial decisions, the senior judge admitted the technology in its current form could conceivably solve a case that would take two years of human effort in just two minutes. However, he said the legal sector should baulk at this happening in practice. Sir Geoffrey Vos delivers his address at the Legal Geek conference (Legal Geek) This is because a judges decision is a last resort and generally irreversible, he explains, alongside AI technology being incapable of ever replicating human emotion, idiosyncrasy, empathy and insight. Machine learning is also generated from the state of intelligence at a given point in time, Sir Geoffrey adds, meaning that its long-term use may quickly become inappropriate compared to developing human thought. The increased use of AI in the legal sector came under scrutiny earlier this year when the High Court told senior lawyers to take urgent action to ensure the technology is not misused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The intervention in June came after it was found that two legal cases were blighted by misuse of AI that allowed dozens of fake case-law citations to be put before the courts. The first concerned claimants in an 89 million damages case against the Qatar National Bank that had made 45 case-law citations, 18 being fictions alongside many bogus quotes. Publicly available AI tools were used, the claimant admitted, while his lawyer admitted to not checking the research his client had carried out. Master of the rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos [R] pictured with then-justice secretary Shabana Mahmood [C] and lady chief justice Sue Carr [L] (Getty) The other case involving a regulatory ruling saw a lawyer for Haringey Law Centre cite non-existent case law five times. The pupil barrister denied using AI, but said she may have inadvertently done so by relying on AI summaries offered by Google or Safari. In her ruling, Dame Victoria Sharp, the president of the Kings bench division, said there were serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence in the justice system if artificial intelligence is misused and lawyers caught doing so could face public warnings or even face contempt of court proceedings and referral to the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such tools can produce apparently coherent and plausible responses to prompts, but those coherent and plausible responses may turn out to be entirely incorrect, she wrote. Tahir Khan, a barrister specialising in civil litigation, is an expert on the use of AI in the legal sector. He says most mistakes like these arise when lawyers use publicly available AI tools like ChatGPT, instead of tools specialised to the legal sector like one offered by legal intelligence company Lexis Nexis. But if youre using a tool which is predominantly AI, you still have to check, he says. You cant exonerate yourself by saying its the tools fault ... the buck stops with you. Haimi, a reservist of the IDF's Paratroopers Brigade, served as commander of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak's emergency response squad, and was murdered by infiltrating Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Tal Haimi was born and raised in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, a few kilometers from the Gaza border. When dozens of Hamas terrorists infiltrated his hometown on October 7, 2023, he showed extraordinary bravery in defending it from the onslaught. A third-generation resident of Nir Yitzhak, Haimi was born in 1981 and graduated from Maale Habesor School. Like many of his peers, he was a member of the pioneering Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair and even dedicated a year of service to the movement after high school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He enlisted in the IDFs 202nd Paratroopers Battalion of the 35th Paratroopers Brigade. According to Nir Yitzhaks memorial page, he stood out with his skills and was remembered as an outstanding warrior during his service. After completing his army service, Haimi studied mechanical engineering at Ben-Gurion University and later worked in a factory in Revivim, specializing in injection molding. Ela Chaimi and her four children at the Otzma Summer camp in Paphos, August 2024. Credit: (credit: Nir Davidson/IDFWO) Family mourns loss of slain hostage Tal Haimi In 2014, he and his wife, Ela, welcomed twins, Einav and Nir, followed by their son Udi in 2017. The kibbutz described the family as pillars of the community, known for organizing events and always lending a hand. On the morning of October 7, Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz, aiming to kill and kidnap residents. Tal urged Ela, who was in her second month of pregnancy, to take shelter in the safe room with their three children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the commander of the kibbutzs emergency response squad, he left to defend his community alongside other volunteers. He answered a phone call several hours into the fighting, but a message sent to him around noon went undelivered. Ela and the children spent more than 14 hours locked in their safe room. I started to think that I didnt know what was going on with Tal, Ela later recalled. Our families, our friends everything was going to be changed. When the fighting finally subsided, Ela saw members of the defense team returning home without her husband. That evening, he was declared missing, and his phone was tracked to Khan Yunis. For weeks, his fate was unknown. Then, in mid-December 2023, the IDF informed the family that Tal had been killed on October 7 and his body taken to Gaza. It broke my heart, and it broke my life, Ela said of that moment. You left me four gifts in your image, Ela said in her eulogy. In May 2024, she gave birth to their fourth child, a son named Lotan. In Hebrew, the name shares two letters with Tal, ensuring that his legacy lives on through his family and the community he died protecting. A judge resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez to 50 years to life in prison for the 1989 murders of their parents, ruling Tuesday the brothers will be eligible for parole. The brothers have been serving life without parole for the killings. The stunning decision came at the end of the first day of what was scheduled to be a two-day hearing about resentencing for the brothers, who were convicted of first-degree murder for the killings in the living room of the familys Beverly Hills home. Judge Michael Jesic said during the resentencing that a horrific crime was committed, but he was equally shocked by the letters from prison and corrections officers, saying its remarkable what the brothers have done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While they are immediately eligible for parole, Jesic said he is not suggesting they should be released, but one day they should get that chance. The state parole board and governor must still decide whether to grant parole. A hearing with the board is already scheduled for June 13 as part of a separate bid by the brothers. Theyre also seeking clemency from the governor, which could allow for their immediate release, and they have filed a habeas petition for a new trial. Its now up to the parole board and the governor of California, Jesic said. CNN has reached out to the governors office and the state parole board for comment on the ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parole board could either deny their request or recommend to the governor that they be granted parole. If the board recommends parole be granted, the decision will go to Gov. Gavin Newsom. In California, the governor has executive authority to affirm, reverse, or modify any Board decision to grant or deny parole to a convicted murderer, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Hell have 120 days to do that. In 2022, Newsom used that authority to deny parole for Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, after the board recommended Sirhan for parole. Last fall, former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon recommended resentencing for the brothers, but his successor, Nathan Hochman, has fought against it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez was a monumental one that has significant implications for the families involved, the community, and the principles of justice, Hochman said in a statement Tuesday evening. Our offices motions to withdraw the resentencing motion filed by the previous administration ensured that the Court was presented with all the facts before making such a consequential decision. The hearing moved much more quickly than expected. Jesic had given no indication about when or in what form he would rule, acknowledging the complicated nature of the case in which the family members are victims who also support the defense. It was even thought a decision wouldnt come before the end of proceedings Wednesday, he said. Brothers take full responsibility for the murders The high-stakes hearing began Tuesday with arguments about whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should be resentenced in the first place. The brothers appeared remotely from prison before the judge made the decision, and both took full responsibility for the murders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I committed an atrocious act against two people who had every right to live, my mom and dad, Erik said, adding that he created a crushing sadness for his family and there was no excuse for his behavior. I will never stop trying to make a difference whether I am inside or outside of prison, he said. Lyle also admitted to killing his parents, saying he was immature and filled with rage. Had I trusted others to help me, I wouldnt have committed these crimes, he said. I didnt think anyone would believe me about my sexual abuse. If he was let out of prison, he would continue to serve sexual abuse victims, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After court, defense attorney Mark Geragos said, I just know that on a day like today, that redemption is possible. The fact is, the Menendez brothers have done remarkable work, and today is a great day after 35 years, he said. They are a real family, real people who have lived through unimaginable horrors, and Im hopeful and glad that were one, one huge step closer to bringing the boys home. The brothers were hoping the judge would reduce that sentence to life with parole; Geragos said earlier Tuesday he hoped the judge would go even further and reduce the charge to voluntary manslaughter, with a sentence of time served. Family members and close supporters testify Family members who have long supported the brothers were in court Tuesday, with several taking the stand to plead for the brothers release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We just want this to end, cousin Anamaria Baralt testified. Relatives say the brothers have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, and that the severity of the sentence should be revisited because of an evolving understanding of childhood sexual abuse. The brothers have maintained they carried out the murders in self-defense after years of abuse by their father, and continued to say that Tuesday. Diane Hernandez, another cousin who testified Tuesday, lived with the Menendez family in their Beverly Hills home and viewed herself as an older sister to the boys. On the stand, she described how Jose Menendez intimidated and terrorized the house, and testified about his hallway rule that when he was with the brothers, no one else could be. Please be merciful, Hernandez told the judge. The brothers, she said, are remarkable human beings at this point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hochman, the current Los Angeles County district attorney, had said he was not opposed to resentencing, but doesnt feel its justified yet. The brothers, he says, have fabricated their claims of abuse and self-defense and must admit it first. The Menendezes have had numerous chances to come clean with all their actions and if and when they do, theyll be ready for resentencing, Hochman told CNN earlier Tuesday. Prosecutors pressed family members on whether they were aware of the brothers having lied to them over the years. Were you aware the brothers lied to the family, to law enforcement and to the media? Seth Carmack asked Tamara Goodell, another cousin. She said she was, but that the brothers never spoke about it to her one way or another and they talk about the murders with her only to say sorry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baralt was also asked whether the brothers had ever admitted to lying and trying to manipulate the case. She said Lyle had recently admitted asking a girlfriend to lie about his fathers abuse. Retired Judge Jonathan Colby, who knew the brothers through a prison program, also testified they were great inmates, calling them peacemakers in prison. Anare Brown, who met the brothers while he was in prison, said they have remorse and insight, and have helped dozens of people they were imprisoned with. Another factor Hochman cited in opposing resentencing is the recent finding the brothers would pose a moderate risk of violence if released. That came in a pair of comprehensive risk assessments conducted by the state parole board. Both brothers had committed cell phone violations while in prison, he said Lyle in November 2024 and Erik in January 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutor Habib Balian asked Baralt on Tuesday about the cell phones, and she acknowledged some of her conversations with Lyle had taken place on an illegal burner phone he had in prison. Efforts toward release Unlike a new trial, which would focus on the facts of the case, resentencing allowed the judge to consider a variety of factors, including the brothers rehabilitative efforts. The brothers have founded a long list of prison programs, with Erik starting at least five, including a support group for disabled and elderly inmates. Lyle founded a massive beautification program, raising more the $250,000 to install greenery to help prison life to resemble the outside world. Besides authority to change parole board decisions, Newsom also has the power to commute the brothers sentences, which would immediately free them but he has so far refrained from doing so. The comprehensive risk assessments the judge requested ahead of the resentencing hearing were commissioned by the states Board of Parole after Newsom asked them to investigate whether the brothers would pose an unreasonable risk to the public if released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for the Menendez brothers are also pursuing a new trial, formally known as a habeas corpus petition. Attorneys claim to have new evidence against the brothers father, including a 1988 letter from Erik Menendez to a relative referencing the alleged abuse. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Taylor Romine, Matthew J. Friedman and Nick Watt reported and wrote from Los Angeles, and Melissa Gray wrote from Atlanta. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com MUNCIE, IN A crash on Interstate 69 north of the Indiana 332 exit in Delaware County resulted in the southbound lanes being closed to traffic. The Delaware County Sheriff's Department described the crash reported at 1:08 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20 as "serious" and indicated a Lifeline helicopter was flown to the scene, presumably to fly those injured to an Indianapolis hospital. The crash was reported near the 243-mile marker, two miles north of the Indiana 332 exit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dispatchers said they believed southbound traffic was again moving on the interstate as of shortly after 3 p.m. Indiana State Police are investigating the accident. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: 'Serious' crash on Interstate 69 results in call for medical helicopter San Francisco leaders are speaking out against a possible National Guard deployment after President Donald Trump doubled down on the idea. "We just don't need it. It's not right. It's un-American. San Franciscans aren't going to have it," said San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman in response to Trump's threats to send the military to the city. The president has already deployed the National Guard to multiple cities around the country. RELATED: President Trump says he has 'unquestioned power' to send troops to San Francisco The fears that too could happen in San Francisco were reignited following an interview the president did on Sunday with Fox News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're going to make it great. It'll be great again. San Francisco is a great city. It won't be great if it keeps going like this. We're going to go to San Francisco. I think they want us in San Francisco," President Trump said. That interview prompted Mayor Daniel Lurie to also respond. In a pre-recorded video posted to social media on Monday, Lurie never mentions Trump by name but highlights the drop in crime the city has seen in recent years. "I trust our police officers, sheriff's deputies and district attorney to work together to keep our city safe," Lurie said. As your mayor, my top priority every single day is keeping San Francisco safe. With the support of local law enforcement, community leaders, and the appropriate federal law enforcement partners, were achieving that goal without compromising our values or our laws. As a result, pic.twitter.com/yw8n0AlfNC Daniel Lurie (@DanielLurie) October 20, 2025 Lurie has gotten criticism from some in the city for not pushing back more strongly against the president since he took office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Mandelman says he believes the mayor has taken a solid approach and will adjust accordingly. San Francisco political leaders have been unified in their opposition to the president's threats to send in the National Guard. Mandelman says there are better ways for cooperation with federal assistance. MORE: 'No Kings': Bay Area protests against Trump administration, joining nationwide movement "If the federal government wants to help San Francisco address drugs, we would welcome real assistance. We got real help during the Biden administration," he said. Mandelman says the city hasn't received confirmation if the National Guard will actually be sent to San Francisco. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He tells ABC7 News that if it does happen, he and his colleagues will be ready. "We are not looking for a fight with the federal government. But if the fight comes to us, we will be able to respond," Mandelman said. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors plans on discussing the issue on Tuesday. If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live Oct. 21Listen to "Talk-Line: Glen Hughes on Dixon police" on Spreaker. The TALK-LINE interview for Oct. 21 featured Dixon Mayor Glen Hughes with an update on city issues, including increasing the Dixon Police Department staff from 30 to 31 employees. Also discussed: a mural art project to take place on a building side wall in the city, an addition to the Public Safety Building, costs surrounding city insurance premiums, Purple Heart signage, sidewalk work and the city council action Tuesday declaring Tuesday October 21, 2025 "Steve Marco Day" in the city to honor the 45 years of service as morning show host on WIXN and Operations Manager of WIXN, WRCV and WURX in Dixon. Like what you hear? Be sure to visit WIXN, part of Shaw Local Radio. We're also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The West Agartala Police Station on Monday handed over 30 recovered mobile phones to their rightful owners. The devices had been stolen in various incidents registered over the past few months. According to police officials, out of the total recovered handsets, 16 were traced through the Central IMEI Register (CIR) system, which enabled investigators to track and identify the stolen devices efficiently. The operation was carried out under the vibrant leadership of Rana Chatterjee, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of West Agartala Police Station. Superintendent of Police (SP) Namit Pathak, Additional SP, and OC Chatterjee were present during the formal handover ceremony held at the station premises. Speaking to ANI, OC Rana Chatterjee said that a gang suspected to be involved in multiple theft and robbery cases has been identified and booked under relevant sections of law. He added that the police are determined to continue their efforts to dismantle such rackets in the coming days. Namit Pathak, SP of West Tripura district, emphasised that such citizen-centric measures not only enhance public confidence but also reaffirm the police department's commitment to ensuring safety and service for all. "Today, at the West Police Station, we handed over 30 stolen mobile phones to their rightful owners after recovering them. These mobile theft cases were registered here, and out of the total, we traced 16 phones through the Central IMEI Register (CIR). We hope to continue extending even greater assistance to the public in the future," said Pathak. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the Border Security Force (BSF), Tripura Frontier, in coordinated operations on Sunday apprehended 21 illegal infiltrators, which included 11 Bangladeshi nationals and 10 Rohingya migrants, from different locations in Tripura, the BSF said in a press release. Based on specific intelligence inputs, BSF teams detected suspicious movement at Agartala Railway Station, where 11 individuals were found to be Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered India and were attempting to travel further inland. (ANI) SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP The Shawnee Township Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Shawnee Township Fire Department, 2526 Fort Amanda Road, Lima. The purpose of the meeting is the promotion of a firefighter, according to a release from the township. A major shipping company is doubling down on its refusal to pay $1 billion in damages after one of its vessels contaminated nearly 50 miles of Sri Lanka's western coast. What's happening? Marine Insight reported that Singapore's Supreme Court ordered X-Press Feeders a Singapore-based independent common carrier to pay $1 billion after the sinking of the MV X-Press Pearl in June 2021. The sinking led to the country's worst environmental pollution disaster after a nitric acid leak sparked a fire. As the ship went down, it released hundreds of tons of plastic pellets into Sri Lankan waters, along with acid and other hazardous materials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, X-Press Feeders CEO Shmuel Yoskovitz told AFP that his company would not comply with the ruling, which occurred this July, calling it a "hanging guillotine" over normal operations and maritime trade, according to Marine Insight. Why is this important? Sri Lanka had to close beaches and ban fishing along its western coast for months, making it harder for fishers to stay financially afloat when they were already struggling due to COVID-19 mobility constraints, per the Centre for Poverty Analysis, an independent Sri Lankan think tank. The fire also released up to 14,330 tons of toxic air pollutants into the atmosphere, while the 331 tons of bunker oil spillage should have "lasting effects," even if beaches look clean. Elsewhere, oil disasters have led to continued biodiversity loss years later. First responders have also reported health complications they attribute to toxic exposure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yoskovitz said his company has already paid $170 million toward cleanup, wreck removal, and fisher compensation, according to Marine Insight. He said the company is open to paying more as part of a settlement under standard maritime conventions. However, the Sri Lankan government feels this isn't enough. What is Sri Lanka doing about this? Government spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said Sri Lanka is exploring its legal options, as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea recognizes the "polluter pays" principle. The court has also given police and prosecutors the green light to commence criminal proceedings if X-Press Feeders continues to buck the $1 billion fine, per Marine Insight. The ship's captain has not been allowed to leave Sri Lanka since the incident four years ago. Sri Lanka has also filed a complaint against X-Press Feeders in the Singapore International Commercial Court. However, a pre-trial hearing isn't expected until May 2026. First, Sri Lanka is challenging a London Admiralty Court order limiting X-Press Feeders' liability to $25 million. 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. When we first heard the Trump administration planned to fire live munitions over California's Interstate 5, we thought it sounded like a bad idea, because, yeah. That sounds like a bad idea. Still, it seemed like, if anything went wrong, it would probably be California residents dealing with the fallout. Maybe someone's house would get hit by shrapnel. Or their car. But even the most cynical among us never would have predicted the shrapnel would hit JD Vance's security detail, a very real thing the BBC reports actually happened on Saturday. Thankfully, no one was killed or even injured in the mishap. That said, we may have seen more damage or even some injuries if California Governor Gavin Newsom hadn't also closed part of the I-5 freeway prior to the demonstration. After all, we aren't talking about a glorified firework, here. We're talking about a 155-millimeter artillery shell fired from an M777 Howitzer that the California Highway Patrol says "detonated overhead prematurely." This incident is also a perfect illustration of why you don't fire live munitions over a highway, even if you're celebrating the Marines' 250th birthday. And it isn't like no one could have possibly predicted that something might go wrong, either. California's Governor Gavin Newsom even took time out of his busy day of podcasting with his right-wing friends and beating up the homeless to issue a statement saying, "The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety. Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn't just wrong it's dangerous" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Honda Super Cub: All About The History-Making Motorcycle How dare the governor worry about safety Newscum is lying. He closed the highway not only did nobody at the White House or the Marines ask him to do so, the Marines repeatedly said there are no public safety concerns with today's exercises. Newscum lies and tries to make it about himself? Day ending in 'y' https://t.co/i84RZI58gb pic.twitter.com/QE8fbtvGiF Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 18, 2025 Before the shrapnel his Vance's security detail, the White House's Rapid Response team attacked Newsom's plans to close the I-5 freeway, posting on Twitter: Newscum is lying. He closed the highway not only did nobody at the White House or the Marines ask him to do so, the Marines repeatedly said there are no public safety concerns with today's exercises.Newscum lies and tries to make it about himself? Day ending in 'y' While federal officials had previously claimed the exercise would be conducted with "all safety precautions in place," the fact that they planned to fire live munitions over an active freeway wasn't the only sign things might go wrong. According to the Los Angeles Times: But California officials expressed fears about those live rounds being fired over Interstate 5, which runs between the beach where the "landing" was taking place and the rest of the sprawling military installation. Then, on Friday evening, the Marines did a test run without notifying state officials, firing artillery rounds over the I-5, according to the governor's office all while motorists drove on the freeway. The California Department of Transportation captured the live fire on video. That seems bad, but then again, we're talking about a bunch of people who thought firing live munitions over a freeway was a good idea in the first place. The Marines responded to those who were upset with a statement, saying, "M777 artillery pieces have historically been fired during routine training from land-based artillery firing points west of the I-5 into impact areas east of the interstate within existing safety protocols and without the need to close the route. This is an established and safe practice." This isn't normal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clearly, though, it wasn't. One of the munitions fired over the freeway detonated prematurely. At least two vehicles were hit by shrapnel. If Newsom hadn't closed the freeway, there's a good chance this would have ended worse than it did. Because it wasn't just two pieces of shrapnel that falling on the highway. As the BBC reports, "One of the officers said it sounded like pebbles were raining down on his patrol motorcycle. Several pieces of shrapnel were found, including one that dented the hood of a patrol car." That might not have caused much damage to a stationary vehicle, but if vehicles were moving at highway speeds? That could have been a disaster. Also, the Marines' claim that it regularly fires munitions over I-5 seems a little suspect. CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado pushed back against the Marines' claim that it's normal to shoot artillery shells over the freeway, saying in a statement that "it is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway." Coronado also added, "As a Marine myself, I have tremendous respect for our military partners, but my foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of the people of California and the officers who protect them." The CHP also told the LA Times that it's "not aware of live fire occurring over Interstate 5 in the past." I, for one, cannot believe that Republicans would lie about that. Isn't lying supposed to be against their religion? Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Jalopnik. GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) This years Shrimp Festival attracted a lot of visitors to the event, according to the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber. Witness issues force DA to drop murder charge in Prichard shooting Scene from the Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores The chamber said that more than 325,000 people attended the four-day event in Gulf Shores two weeks ago. Hotels, condos and beach houses around the beach saw 76% occupancy. This year saw a big push for vendors to sell domestic shrimp, validated by DNA testing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UPDATE: Indivisible Baldwin County calls arrest of woman wearing inflatable-penis costume indefensible After such testing, only 5 of the 18 vendors were flagged for selling imported shrimp, and those were able to switch to domestic shrimp. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a GOP-led funding bill, for the 11th time, that would have ended the government shutdown currently in its third week. The vote in the U.S. Senate was 50 to 43 on the House-passed stopgap measure, which needed 60 votes to pass and would have funded the government through Nov. 21. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, voted with Republicans, while Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who had previously voted in favor of the measure, did not vote Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only GOP Senator to vote "no." White House officials speculated earlier Monday that the 20-day federal shutdown could end this week with over 700,000 U.S. government workers currently furloughed. Kevin Hassett (C), director of U.S. President Donald Trump's National Economic Council, is pictured August 27 outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. "Now there's a shot that this week, things will come together, and very quickly," Hassett said about the ongoing U.S. government shutdown of the GOP-controlled federal government. File Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI U.S. President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, predicted the government shutdown was "likely to end sometime this week." Hassett added the administration could impose "stronger measures" if Democrats don't come to the negotiating table. "Now there's a shot that this week, things will come together, and very quickly," Hassett said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A House-approved continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through Nov. 21 did not include an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits -- set to expire at the end of the year -- that could impact up to 22 million Americans. Senate Democrats have demanded a measure to extend the subsidies be added to the stopgap funding legislation. Three senators who caucus as Democrats have voted with Republicans to reopen: Sen. Angus King, I-Maine; Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev.; and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. On Thursday, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., voted with Republicans to advance an $852 billion defense funding bill, indicating she might become the fourth to join Republicans on the stopgap funding bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fetterman, who is facing backlash among Pennsylvania Democrats for his willingness to side with Trump and Republicans on select issues, has reiterated his commitment to extending the ACA tax credits but says "the government must reopen." "Food insecurity is real for many Pennsylvania families. It's one of many reasons why I could never vote for shutting our government down," the freshman Fetterman posted Sunday on Bluesky. "The moderate Democrats will move forward and get us an open government, at which point we could negotiate whatever policies they want to negotiate with regular order," Hassett said in an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box. Monday will be the first vote after the weekend's "No Kings" protests across the United States in opposition to Trump. Hassett accused Senate Democrats of saying it would have been "bad optics" to reopen the federal government prior to the demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hassett said the president has been "very active throughout this process, but it's also his position that this is a thing that the Senate needs to work out." But he stated "stronger" punitive actions could be pending. "I think that the White House is going to have to look very closely, along with [Trump's budget chief Russell] Vought, at stronger measures that we could take to bring them to the table," Hassett said. Meanwhile, around 1,400 federal workers overseeing the nation's nuclear stockpile will be furloughed Monday as the shutdown in the Republican-controlled federal government lingers on. A Silicon Valley company said one of its weather balloons may have been responsible for a midair incident that forced a United Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City last week. WindBorne Systems, a Palo Alto company that operates long-duration "smart" weather balloons, said Monday it believed one of its devices struck United Flight 1093 as the plane cruised at 36,000 feet on Oct. 16. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The startup, which has launched more than 4,000 balloons worldwide to collect weather data for U.S. and international agencies, said its devices comply with all federal aviation safety and weight limits. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, traveling from Denver to Los Angeles with 134 passengers and six crew members, diverted safely after the impact cracked the aircraft's multilayered windshield and injured one of the pilots. A weather balloon was launched from Windborne Systems in Palo Alto on Aug. 20, 2024. The company makes weather balloons to collect data used in forecasts. (Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle) "We learned about UA1093 and the potential that it was related to one of our balloons at 11 p.m. PT on Sunday and immediately looked into it," John Dean, WindBorne's chief executive and co-founder, wrote in a blog post. "At 6 a.m. PT, we sent our preliminary investigation to both the NTSB and FAA, and are working with both of them to investigate further." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the windshield was sent to its laboratory for analysis. Officials said the jet's layered design prevented a loss of cabin pressure, and United Airlines reported that the aircraft landed without further incident. The pilot was treated for minor injuries. A Silicon Valley company says one of its "smart" weather balloons may have struck a United Airlines flight, cracking the cockpit windshield and injuring a pilot. (United Airlines) Passengers reportedly recalled a tense atmosphere as flight attendants abruptly halted service and the captain announced the diversion. "The aircraft has collided with an object and a window in the cockpit has shattered," passenger Heather Ramsey, a college student, told ABC News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WindBorne said it made software changes to limit the time its balloons spend between 30,000 and 40,000 feet - the altitude range where most commercial aircraft fly - and is accelerating plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid planes. "We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce impact force magnitude and concentration," the company said. The incident comes as the federal government scales back its own weather balloon program. Since the Trump administration's staffing cuts to the National Weather Service, several launch sites have reduced or suspended twice-daily releases that once fed crucial data into U.S. forecasting models. Meteorologists warn that fewer launches could weaken forecast accuracy, especially across the Rockies and Great Plains, where many severe storms form. Victoria Vertrees launches a weather balloon outside Windborne Systems in Palo Alto on Aug. 20, 2024. The company makes weather balloons to collect data used in forecasts. (Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle) WindBorne, which operates a global fleet of long-duration "smart" balloons, has offered to share its sensor data with the National Weather Service to help fill gaps in coverage. The company says its balloons collect comparable data "for a fraction of the budget," and its system was recently named one of Time magazine's "Best Inventions of 2025." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The startup, which has launched more than 4,000 balloons worldwide to collect weather data for U.S. and international agencies, said its devices comply with all federal aviation safety and weight limits. "This is an extraordinary situation," aviation analyst John Nance told ABC News. "At 36,000 feet, you don't expect a bird or drone - so a weather balloon is one of the few things that could have the mass to cause such damage." Anthony Edwards contributed to this report. This article originally published at Silicon Valley startup admits its balloon may have struck United jet, forcing emergency landing. ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) Years after she was holed up in a bunker alongside her then-husband and president who had refused to step down following an election loss, Simone Ehivet Gbagbo is seeking to return to the presidential palace in Ivory Coast 's election this week in what analysts say is an unlikely comeback. Gbagbo, 76, is running for president in Saturdays election under the banner of the Movement of Skilled Generations party, competing against four other candidates including President Alassane Ouattara, who is seeking a fourth term. In a country where there has never been a female president, Gbagbo tells The Associated Press she could be a first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think this idea (of a female president) is much less shocking than it was 20 years ago, she said after a presidential campaign outing in Guiberoua in southern Ivory Coast, adding that she believes the country is ready for its first female president. Its good for a woman to run, and not just because its me. But if its me, then so much the better. An Ivorian iron lady As first lady, Gbagbo was both a powerful and controversial politician, and played an active role in her then-husbands rule. Nicknamed the iron lady due to her influence in power and often tough stance against the opposition and rebels, Gbagbo was Ivory Coasts first lady during years of conflict under her then-husband Laurent, whose rule witnessed both a civil war and an electoral crisis. After leading Ivory Coast from 2000 to 2010, including during a civil war between 2002 and 2007, the former president had refused to concede defeat to then-candidate Ouattara in the 2010 election, resulting in a fighting that brought the country to the brink of another civil war with at least 3,000 people dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Gbagbos were eventually arrested in 2011 after French troops and U.N. peacekeepers backed by pro-Ouattara forces stormed a bunker where they had been holed up at the presidential mansion in Abidjan. Laurent Gbagbo was charged by the International Criminal Court with involvement in the deadly violence of 2010-2011 but was eventually acquitted. The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Simone Gbagbo for crimes against humanity but lifted it in 2021 following her husbands acquittal. In 2015, Ivorian authorities prosecuted and sentenced her to 20 years in prison on charges including undermining state security." In 2018, she received an amnesty from Ouattara and returned to the political scene shortly after. The Gbagbos divorced in 2023, ending decades of not just marriage but an unusual political alliance in which both started off as young activists and grew into a powerful pair. Eyeing the presidency Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike her ex-husband, who was not cleared to contest in the presidential election, Simone was among the final list of five presidential candidates in what analysts say features a weak opposition challenge including her party. The electoral authorities earlier disqualified most of Ouattaras prominent rivals, including the former president and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam. Simone Gbagbo is hoping to ride into power relying on her past, having played a key role in Ivorian political history for half a century. As a teacher and trade unionist, she led major revolts for multiparty politics from the 1970s. She was Laurent Gbagbos comrade-in-arms before becoming his wife, and, like him, was imprisoned and tortured for her activism campaigns. As first lady, she embodied the hard line of the presidency and was a staunch opponent of Jacques Chiracs France, the former colonial power. She has been accused of being involved in the darker aspects of her husbands rule, particularly the extrajudicial abuses committed by death squads during the 2010-2011 political crisis, which she denies. Ivory Coast is one of the economic powerhouses of West Africa but suffers from high inequality, with 37.5% of the population living below the poverty line. Simone Gbagbo has promised social welfare programs and also reconciliation, with the wounds from the civil war still fresh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Simone Gbagbo expressed concerns over tensions amid an alleged clampdown on the opposition. Ivorians are angry and frustrated, and rightly so, she told the AP. "I think the wise thing to do would be to turn out en masse to vote and defeat the candidate they dont want. Singapore today launched the first of its drone motherships, or Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCV). The largest and most complex ship in the Republic of Singapore Navy, the Victory is the first of a planned six of these vessels. These will replace the existing Victory class missile corvettes, which entered service in 1989, and they will form the cornerstone of the navys fleet modernization effort. A rendering of the MRCV Victory. RSN The Victory was launched at ST Engineerings Benoi shipyard in Singapore, where it was formally christened by Mrs. Chan, the wife of the countrys minister for defense, Chan Chun Sing. Unusually, and somewhat confusingly, as well as the same name, the new warship carries the same pennant number, 88, as the lead ship of the Victory class MCVs. Mrs. Chan formally christened the new ship by breaking a bottle of champagne against the hull. RSN Navy Media 1 Now that the vessel is in the water, it will move to the Gul Yard for further outfitting, integration, and sea trials. It will then be formally commissioned. The six MRCVs are planned to be delivered progressively from 2028 onward. As a drone mothership, the MRCV is designed to support operations by uncrewed aerial, surface, and underwater systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, the MRCV is built according to a modular principle, so it can be more easily adapted in the future to accommodate other missions. Mr. and Mrs. Chan, together with senior defense officials, are briefed on the ships capabilities during their tour on board Victory. RSN The vessel was also built remarkably quickly, with just 12 months between keel laying and launch. This was aided by 3D modeling and digital twinning in the design phase. This meant that the MRCV could be tested in a virtual environment and refined before actual construction began, without the need for costly and time-consuming physical prototypes. Additional design input was also provided by Denmark and Sweden, both of which submitted proposals that were fed into the program at an early stage. This model seen recently at DSTA, with the person for scale, gives you an idea of the vessel's size. It will be the largest surface combatant to be operated by Singapore. pic.twitter.com/nniOyZl74M Ridzwan Rahmat (@ridzwan_rahmat) October 15, 2025 The MRCV has a fully loaded displacement of around 8,300 tons and is 492 feet long. In comparison, the Formidable class frigates displace 3,150 tons and are 376 feet 8 inches long, while the previous Victory class missile corvettes, which the MRCVs will replace, displace just 586 tons and are 203 feet 5 inches long. Republic of Singapore Navy Victory class corvette RSS Valiant. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Michael Colemanberry/Released Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Colemanberry Using integrated full electric propulsion (IFEP), which combines diesel engines with electric motors, the MRCV has a top speed in excess of 22 knots. In this IFEP arrangement, the diesel engines generate electricity, which is then used for both propulsion and to power other services and subsystems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Missile armament includes MBDA Aster B1 NT long-range and VL MICA NG short-/medium-range surface-to-air missiles, which provide very significant air defense coverage, including the ability to engage certain ballistic missile targets. For anti-surface warfare, the boats will be armed with ST Engineering/IAI Blue Spear anti-ship missiles. The MRCV is also fitted with a Leonardo Strales 76mm main gun and a pair of Rafael Typhoon Mk 30-C remotely controlled weapon stations (RCWS). An infographic showing the MRCV. RSN Electronics include the Thales SeaFire multifunction active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, Safran PASEO XLR electro-optical/infrared system, and Safran NGDS decoy launchers. As launched, the Victory notably lacks its mast, this being an integrated item that will be provided by Saab Kockums. Mounting the four AESA antennas for the SeaFire radar and other sensors, the mast will be made from carbon-fiber composite material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The center section of the hull and superstructure includes the mission bay, with space for eight modular containers. This allows the ship to be quickly configured for a wide range of missions within short periods of time. While the Singaporean Ministry of Defense specifically mentions a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) module, various other combat-related configurations would be possible. In terms of drone operations, the flight deck at the rear can accommodate multiple uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs) or a single medium-lift helicopter, like the Super Puma. Uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and uncrewed underwater vessels (UUVs) are handled by a launch and recovery system that includes a side-mounted crane and a ramp at the stern. The stern ramp can also be used to launch and recover (crewed) rigid-hulled inflatable boats. The exact types of drones to be fielded on the vessels are unclear. Singapore already operates the Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vessel (MARSEC USV), but is also investing in new systems to supplement or replace these. A video shows Singaporean MARSEC USVs during an exercise: Renderings of the MRCV also appear to show it operating Veloce 60 (V60) UAVs, a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone manufactured by ST Engineering and already used by the Republic of Singapore Navy for surveillance. Again, additional and more capable UAVs are eventually likely to be fielded aboard the MRCVs. We spoke to Roy Choo, a defense journalist and TWZ contributor, for his take on the MRCVs: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The MRCVs highlight Singapores drive to develop unmanned systems across all domains as a force multiplier. In the maritime domain alone, the RSN has already operationalized its Maritime Security USVs, which began patrolling the city-states busy waterways earlier this year. The RSN is also progressing towards developing a new fleet of USVs and AUVs for mine countermeasure operations from 2027. To complement the four P-8A Poseidon aircraft it recently acquired, Singapore may also consider procuring a long-range maritime surveillance UAS. In the longer term, its S-70B Seahawks the majority of which are now approaching 20 years old could potentially be partially or fully replaced by VTOL rotary-wing UAS. Using drones of different types, the MRCV will be able to conduct a wider variety of missions over a larger area than a more traditional warship, something that would otherwise require multiple crewed vessels to achieve. The drones will expand the vessels reach both in terms of surveillance and potentially also launch strikes. Even without the force-multiplying effects of the drones, the MRCV is a more capable ship than anything previously operated by the Republic of Singapore Navy. Its operational range of more than 7,000 nautical miles is double that of the services Formidable class frigates, currently its main surface combatants. The MRCV also has an endurance of more than 21 days before needing to be refueled or resupplied. The Republic of Singapore Navy Formidable class frigate RSS Supreme leads the Victory class corvette RSS Valiant, and the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Sampson in the South China Sea. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Michael Colemanberry/Released Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Colemanberry This performance is enabled by a very small crew, something that is standard for the Republic of Singapore, bearing in mind the countrys small population at six million, this is smaller than that of the state of Missouri. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement High levels of automation mean that each MRCV can be operated by fewer than 100 sailors. Whereas the bridge of a typical Republic of Singapore warship might otherwise be operated by five crew members, in the MRCV, this is reduced to two, with one rather than four crew members required to man the engineering control center. An official slide from March 2025, presenting Singaporean defense procurement plans. MINDEF The most important mission for the new MRCVs will be to safeguard the countrys sea lines of communication (SLOC). Singapore is almost uniquely reliant on the maritime trade that crisscrosses these major maritime routes. In the past, the role of the navy was perhaps only to defend our near shores, Minister for Defense Chan said at todays launch. But Singapores strategic lines of communications extend much further today, and new capabilities are needed to work together as an integrated Singaporean Armed Force to secure and defend these. Singapores two vital SLOCs comprise one that passes through the heavily disputed South China Sea, and the other through the Strait of Malacca. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China claims virtually the entire South China Sea as its national territory and is meanwhile busily expanding its efforts to bolster that position, including the construction of a constellation of man-made island military outposts in the region. An annotated satellite image showing Chinas man-made military outpost in Gaven Reefs, in the Spratly Islands chain, in the South China Sea. U.S. Department of Defense Singapore doesnt make any claim itself to any portion of the South China Sea, has generally good relations with Beijing, and has repeatedly called for a resolution to the current disputes through regional and international organizations. However, it is acutely aware of its economic vulnerability in the face of rising tensions in the South China Sea as China makes increasingly forceful moves to assert its claims in the region. China is preparing for potential contingencies in the South China Sea through the continued expansion of its anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities in the region, with the construction of man-made islets being one of the most notable expressions of this. Many of these islets already equipped with, or are suitable to accommodate, long-range surface-to-air missiles, shore-based anti-ship defenses, and even H-6 bombers that would present a significant challenge to any potential opponent in a crisis. At the same time, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy is in the midst of unprecedented growth and modernization and is introducing increasingly capable surface ships and submarines, which are now ranging further afield. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Singapores MRCVs, with their long endurance extended further by their organic drone capabilities, will be highly relevant in the context. The capabilities of the new vessels will also come into play in littoral areas closer to home, in particular the Malacca Strait, which could easily become a chokepoint in any wider regional crisis. More broadly, six new MRCVs are part of a process of overhauling Singapores maritime capabilities. The ongoing upgrade of Singapores naval capabilities also includes an upgrade of the Formidable class frigates and two additional Type 218SG submarines in addition to the previous four. Earlier this year, Singapore confirmed its selection of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon as its next maritime patrol aircraft, which will also provide a significant capability boost. Chan also described the future challenges in securing these SLOCs as being more multifaceted, more difficult, and more dangerous, while rapidly evolving threats mean that its vital that the MRCVs can be updated accordingly, via their modular design. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No ship will be able to anticipate the operational needs for the next 30 years, Chan said. What we need is a ship that can keep evolving with our operational requirements. The speed with which Singapore is pursuing its Multi-Role Combat Vessel program underlines the high priority assigned to it. While navies around the world are increasingly looking at harnessing the capabilities offered by drones, Singapores drone motherships are very much a signal of intent as it continues to upgrade its navy to better meet potential new threats. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com NEED TO KNOW Karl Davies, 42, was sentenced to 20 years in jail on Monday, Oct. 20 for allegedly sexually abusing a girl and encouraging her to cut herself with a razor Davies was convicted of 17 offenses including sexual activity with a child, grooming and encouraging or assisting serious self-harm "To encourage a vulnerable young girl to inflict harm on herself for your sexual gratification really does plumb the depths of abhorrent behavior, Judge Hilary Manley said during sentencing A British man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday for sexually abusing a girl and encouraging her to cut herself with a razor. Karl Davies, 42, previously pleaded guilty in May to seventeen offenses that included ten counts of sexual activity with a child, four counts of grooming, and two counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also pleaded guilty to the offense of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm. The father of two is the first person to be convicted of that offense under the Online Safety Act 2023, the BBC reported. "To encourage a vulnerable young girl to inflict harm on herself for your sexual gratification really does plumb the depths of abhorrent behavior, Judge Hilary Manley said during sentencing, per the BBC. "Your offending displays a monstrous sense of sexual entitlement and a sinister desire for control." 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. Authorities alleged Davies made contact with the girl, who was 13 at the time, on Snapchat in June 2023 using the alias Ben. Greater Manchester Police razor blade in Karl Davies' home razor blade in Karl Davies' home The communication soon led to image sharing, before Ben encouraged the girl to share images with another account under the name Chris, the Greater Manchester Police said in a press release. Over the following weeks, several accounts contacted the girl, disappearing and re-appearing at various points, with phone calls and further image sharing taking place. The accounts were in fact all managed by Karl Davies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, the accounts alternated between blackmailing her to send indecent images, or acting supportive of her issues. The contact continued for several months, with the teen sending multiple videos to the different accounts. This included the girl being asked to send videos of her hurting herself, using items at the encouragement of the accounts, police said. In June of 2024, Davies, using one of the accounts, told the girl she had to meet his friend Mark to engage in sexual acts. That same month, Davies, who was pretending to be Mark, drove from his home in Wirral to Stockport where he picked up the girl in her school uniform and abused her in his rental car. Police said the sexual abuse occurred several more times in June and July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Throughout this time, some of the accounts encouraged the girl to hurt herself, with Davies providing her with a razor during one of their meet-ups for the purpose of self-harm, police said. The girl subsequently sent images of her injuries to Davies accounts. The girl came forward to the police in Jan. 2025. Davies was arrested on Feb. 11. The girls social worker provided a statement to the court that was read by prosecutors during sentencing. "The impact on this victim has been astounding," the statement read, according to the Manchester Evening News. "The defendant used power, control, fear and blackmail to exploit and abuse a child in plain sight. It has obliterated her belief in safe relationships and she now struggles to leave her home." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Her scars will forever be a reminder of the pain she was encouraged to inflict on herself," the statement continued. ""The victim held shame for the abuse she endured, but the strength it has taken her to talk about what has happened has been astounding." Read the original article on People SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Police say it was a series of events and circumstances that led Sioux Falls police to shut down a portion of downtown Friday night. Police blocked off a large area around the Federal Court House after finding an abandoned vehicle parked in a handicap spot. It attracted the attention of police because it was the site of the No Kings rally the next day. Stopping the clock with KELOLAND archives Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adding to the suspicion was the windows were left open. Police brought in a bomb sniffing dog which alerted its handler to possible bomb making materials. That could be a lot of different things. It could be anything from ammunition, gunpowder, house hold goods like fertilizer, peroxide, stuff like that could cause a dog to indicate on a vehicle, said Sgt. Aaron Benson. According to Benson an eventual search of the vehicle did not turn up any obvious items, but it could have been something that was previously transported. You know this kind of stuff doesnt happen very often downtown, when you think of the court house being, you know weve had instances of, you know many many years ago of terrorists incidents involved courthouses, said Benson. So you think of a vehicle being parked there abandoned there, suspicious to us, you know the windows down, no permit in the vehicle in a handicapped parking spot and then an indication from the dog takes it to another level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After several tense hours, police determined the vehicle posed no threat. Benson says police know it was an inconvenience for people who were downtown that evening, including those at the Back to the Future performance at the Washington Pavilion, Authorities thank the public for their patience and cooperation, emphasizing that safety remains their top priority. It turns out the vehicle had been stolen the day before it was discovered parked near the Federal Courthouse. It was towed and the owner has been notified. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria visited the Udaipur market and participated in Diwali celebrations, praising the efforts of the people in decorating the market. Speaking to mediapersons, he extended Diwali greetings, and he described the decoration as people's efforts to show a new side of Udaipur to the tourists. "A very happy Diwali to the people of Udaipur. Their efforts to decorate this city are commendable and is an effort to show a new side of Udaipur to the tourists..." said Kataria. On the occasion of Diwali, Udaipur was adorned with decorations, which depicted various themes, including the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple of Ayodhya. As the entire nation celebrates Diwali, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav offered prayers at the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. During the festivities, he inaugurated a Light and Sound Show that showcased stories from the Shiva Purana and highlighted the glorious events of Avantika, focusing on Rudra Sagar. Additionally, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister also extended Diwali greetings to all the devotees. "Today, in the courtyard of Baba Mahakal, a Light and Sound Show was inaugurated with great joy. This show is displayed on Rudra Sagar and narrates the stories from the Shiva Purana to the glorious events of Avantika, enhancing devotees' knowing of their cultural heritage and strengthening their devotion to Lord Mahakal. Additionally, a new dimension has been added with the introduction of Sri Anna, specifically Sri Anna Laddu, as prasad... Heartfelt congratulations to all devotees on these developments and once again, best wishes for the auspicious festival of Diwali..." Yadav told ANI. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma celebrated Diwali by lighting lamps at his residence on Monday. The Rajasthan Chief Minister prayed to Maa Lakshmi with his family. He also visited the Rajarajeshwari Temple to seek blessings. "On the auspicious occasion of the holy festival of Deepawali during the festival of lights, the Chief Minister lit a lamp at the Chief Minister's residence and performed the formal worship of Mother Lakshmi Ji along with his family. At the same time, he worshipped and prayed to Mata Rani at the Rajarajeshwari Temple and sought her blessings," said Bhajanlal Sharma on X. (ANI) Orlando Health Hospital in Clermont is hosting a Sip and Screen event on October 28th to raise awareness about breast cancer. The event, scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. at the hospital on Don Wickham Drive, will provide free mammograms and doctor consultations. The Sip and Screen event will feature health screenings, a DIY flower bar, and mocktails. By providing free mammograms for early breast cancer detection, it encourages residents to take proactive health measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sip and Screen event at Orlando Health Hospital offers a community-focused opportunity to prioritize health in a supportive environment. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Six people have been charged in connection with a large-scale internal theft scheme that reportedly defrauded a retail store in Meriden out of more than $250,000. The arrests were announced in a statement issued Tuesday by Lt. Darrin McKay of the Meriden Police Department who said investigators anticipate making at least one more arrest. McKay said police began their long-term investigation in July 2024 involving an unnamed retailer where authorities believe several individuals used multiple scams to defraud the business out of more than $250,000 worth of cash and products. The case was investigated by Meriden Police Det. Femia, who is assigned to the U.S. Secret Services Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Femia, McKay said, collaborated with the loss prevention team at the retailer and was able to identify six suspects who have been arrested. Those who were arrested include: Jose Perez, 39, who was arrested on Aug. 18 on charges of first-degree larceny and receiving a commercial bribe. He is free on a $25,000 bond, court records show. Izay Ortiz, 23, was arrested on Sept. 18 and charged with second-degree larceny. He is free on a promise to appear, according to court records. Hector Mejia was arrested on Aug. 4 and charged with criminal attempt to commit third-degree larceny and commercial bribery, according to police. His case has been statutorily sealed, records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amardean Elsayed, 42, was arrested on July 3 and charged with commercial bribery and fifth-degree larceny. He is free on a $25,000 bond, records show. Luis Amaurys Rodriguez Pena was arrested on Sept. 12 and charged with commercial bribery, police said. His case has been statutorily sealed, according to court records. Ruel Gordon, 47, was charged on Aug. 6 with commercial bribery. He is free on a $50,000 bond, according to court records. PRAGUE (AP) A court in Slovakia on Tuesday convicted a man of a terror attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison over last years attempted assassination of the country's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. The shooting and the trial have shaken this small, European Union and NATO-member country where Fico has long been a divisive figure, criticized for straying from Slovakias pro-Western path and aligning it closer to Russia. Juraj Cintula opened fire on Fico on May 15, 2024, as the prime minister greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlova, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital of Bratislava. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cintula, 72, was arrested immediately after the attack and remanded in custody. When questioned by investigators, he rejected the accusation of being a terrorist. Fico was shot in the abdomen and was taken from Handlova to a hospital in the nearby city of Banska Bystrica. He underwent a five-hour surgery, followed by another two-hour operation two days later. He has since recovered. Cintula has claimed his motive for the shooting was that he disagreed with government policies. He refused to testify before the Specialized Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica. but confirmed that what he had told investigators about his motive remains true. The defendant did not attack a citizen, but specifically the prime minister, Igor Kralik, the head of the three-judge panel, said in delivering the verdict. He was against the government, he was inciting people to overthrow the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The verdict of the panel was unanimous. The court said that Cintulas age and the fact that he had no criminal record contributed to why he did not receive life imprisonment. It is unjust, Cintula kept saying in Slovak as he was leaving the courtroom. In his testimony, read by a prosecutor at the trial, Cintula said he disagreed with Ficos policies, including the cancellation of a special prosecution office dealing with corruption, the end of military help for Ukraine and the governments approach to culture. I decided to harm the health of the prime minister but I had no intention to kill anyone, he said in the testimony. He also said he was relieved when he learned the premier survived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cintula's attorney, Namir Alyasry, told reporters his client would very likely appeal the verdict. He was originally charged with attempted murder but prosecutors later dropped that charge and said they were instead pursuing the more serious charge of engaging in a terror attack. They said it was based on evidence the investigators obtained but gave no further details. Government officials initially said they believed it was a politically motivated attack committed by a lone wolf, but announced later that a third party might have been involved in acting for the benefit of the perpetrator. Fico previously said he had no reason to believe it was an attack by a lone deranged person and repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt. There is no evidence for that. The prime minister was not present at the trial and did not immediately comment on the verdict. Fico had previously said he felt no hatred towards his attacker, forgave him and planned no legal action against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won the 2023 parliamentary election after campaigning on a pro-Russia and anti-American message. His critics have charged that Slovakia under Fico is following the direction of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Thousands have repeatedly rallied in Bratislava and across Slovakia to protest Ficos pro-Russian stance and other policies. ___ AP video journalist Jan Gebert in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, contributed to this report. The owner of an East Los Angeles bakery is out thousands of dollars after a thief snatched the shops automatic card reader over the weekend. Footage captured by the stores security cameras showed the Oct. 18 incident inside Renes Bakery on Whittier Boulevard. The suspect, a woman wearing a dark-colored hoodie and sunglasses paid cash for the items she bought, but when the person behind the register briefly moved away, the woman is seen snatching the wireless card reader off the counter and putting it into the pocket of her hoodie and leaves as if nothing happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the incident, the bakerys owner, Rene Ocampo, told KTLAs Carlos Saucedo that hes been defrauded of more than $18,000. Ocampo believes the woman planned the theft, making sure to pay for what she bought with cash, so that she didnt leave a digital footprint. Having run the bakery for four years, he said its not fair that the alleged thief is now benefitting from his hard work and added that he and others in the strip mall where his bakery is located are frustrated with crime in the area. Woman captured on store surveillance cameras stealing an automatic card reader from an East L.A. bakery on Oct. 18, 2025. (viewer image) Woman captured on store surveillance cameras stealing an automatic card reader from an East L.A. bakery on Oct. 18, 2025. (viewer image) Woman captured on store surveillance cameras stealing an automatic card reader from an East L.A. bakery on Oct. 18, 2025. (viewer image) A van seen trying to ram its way into an East L.A. Metro By T-Mobile store. (viewer image) A Metro by T-Mobile store seen with damage to its storefront after a thief tried to ram him van into it. (viewer image) In an unrelated incident last week, a nearby Metro by T-Mobile storefront sits boarded up after it was targeted by a would-be thief in a white van who attempted twice to crash into the store but was unable to get through the metal security gates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement L.A. pursuit suspect fatally struck by drivers on 110 Freeway That truck came at about one in the morning, Giselle Lopez with Metro by T-Mobile told KTLA. He tried to get into the store, pushing it with his van and he broke into it but Im guessing he heard the alarm. Its really loud and he just left automatically, but he broke everything. While the attempted break-in did not amount to much for the wannabe thief, repairs to the storefront have been costly. Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department are investigating the incidents, but so far, no arrests have been made. 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. MISSION BEACH, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) San Diego Fire-Rescue confirmed Tuesday around noon, a small plane landed on the shores of Mission Beach. The pilot, Victor Schneider, was flying with his daughter, who is a flight attendant, when the planes engine suddenly failed. Thats my main concern, I didnt want to hit anybody, Schneider said. Schneider says he had about 10 feet of hard sand to land on and had to also maneuver the landing amid high tide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had a complete engine failure, Schneider said. I came over onto the beach, and there were very few people. I had a really good open spot to put it on the beach. The two were not injured during the emergency landing. There were also no injuries reported from beachgoers. See real-time road conditions on the FOX 5/KUSI Live Traffic Map The plane is a 1953 Cessna 170, and Schneider says hes logged about 25,000 hours of flying over the years. Hes had this Cessna for over 23 years, and he says this is the first time hes had a problem with it. The FAA is expected to arrive to help move the plane from the shore and return it to Oceanside, where it departed. 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. TYLER, Texas (KETK) Karen Phillips, the current Smith County Clerk, announced she will seek re-election in the Republican Primary on March 3, 2026. Phillips announced during a gathering with family and friends that she intends to run for another term and continue to serve the citizens with accountability and conservative leadership. A county clerk is responsible for maintaining public records, administering elections, issuing licenses and certificates, and serving as the primary contact point between the county and its citizens. Early Voting in East Texas: Find Your Polling Place for November 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She has served as the Smith County Clerk for the past 15 years and claims to consistently deliver on her promises while operating with fiscal responsibility. She also said that during her first two years in office, she helped reduce the departments budget by $150,000. I have worked hard to ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the County Clerks Office, Phillips said. It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Smith County, and I look forward to building on these successes in the years ahead. During her time as Clerk, Phillips has run into a few problems with the law. She was arrested in March of 2023 for interfering with a traffic stop. Phillips ended up filing a lawsuit against multiple law enforcement officials and Smith County for multiple violations of Constitutional rights in June 2023. Phillips sought $10 million in damages after a Smith County detective said she screamed at and pushed an officer. She claims she lightly poked the officer. Phillips went to trial and was found guilty of interfering with public duties. Originally, she was sentenced to a year of probation but later relinquished that and instead was sentenced to 30 days in jail. She was released after spending nine days in jail on Sept. 6, according to Smith County Jail records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas voters decide on homestead exemption increases in constitutional election The Republican Primary will be held on March 3, 2026, and Phillips asks for the continued support and vote of Smith County residents. As of Oct. 21, she is currently the only candidate to have filed to run for the position. 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. A sign on the door of a frozen food aisle reads "We accept SNAP food stamp program cards," at a Walgreens in Queens, New York, in 2024. Credit - Lindsey NicholsonGetty Images Concern is growing over the government shutdown, which started on Oct. 1, and what it means for federally-funded initiatives, specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), SNAP benefitsoften referred to as food stampshelped more than 41million people in the U.S. in 2024. SNAP decreases the likelihood of food insecurity by roughly 30% and the likelihood of being very food insecure by 20%, according to the USDA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But amid the government shutdown, with Republicans and Democrats locked in a bitter stalemate over spending and health care items, SNAP recipients are at risk of not getting the stamps that enable them to buy essential groceries. California's Gov. Gavin Newsom, a long-time critic of the Trump Administration, is one of many state leaders to warn that SNAP benefits could soon be halted due to the possibility of no new funds in November. Trumps failure to open the federal government is now endangering peoples lives and making basic needs like food more expensive, said Newsom on Monday, emphasizing the risk for people in his state. 5.5 million people in California use "CalFresh" SNAP benefits to do their grocery shopping, stated Newsom, adding that those recipients could begin to be notified as early as this week about the potential benefit delay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom continued his criticism of Trump on Wednesday when he announced that the California Military Department is being deployed to assist families whose food benefits are at risk of halting. We won't let the GOP's cruel inaction force millions of Californians to go hungry, he said. SNAP has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October. However, if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the nation, read a cautionary letter the USDA sent out to regional SNAP directors on Oct. 10. Considering the operational issues and constraints that exist in automated systems, and in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are forced to direct States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) vendors until further notice. This includes on-going SNAP benefits and daily files. Food banks across the U.S. are also preparing for increasing numbers of people using their resources as the shutdown stretches on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People are being told to come to food banks, but in all honesty food banks cant bear the weight of whats coming, Weston Edmunds, Director of Marketing & Communications at Weld Food Banks in Colorado, told 9News. In a statement shared with TIME, the Food Research & Action Center echoed these concerns and called out the Trump Administration. "Allowing hunger to deepen during a shutdown is not an inevitability; it is a policy choice," the statement read. "The Trump Administration has demonstrated urgency in funding other priorities, but not the same commitment to protecting low-income families access to food through SNAP." The Republican and Democratic Parties are each blaming one another for the government shutdown and, in turn, the looming impact on SNAP benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, Trumps U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, said: "Because of the Democrat shutdown, there are not enough funds to provide SNAP for 40 million Americans come Nov 1. Democrats are putting free healthcare for illegal aliens and their political agenda ahead of food security for American families." But Newsom and others are blaming the Trump Administration over the lack of available funds. Amid mounting concerns over Americans continued access to food assistance initiatives, heres what to know about SNAP and which states have issued warnings about access to the benefits. What are SNAP benefits? SNAP is administered by the USDAs Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). It provides assistance to around 41 million Americans who meet the eligibility requirements. Criteria varies by state, but it is provided to households that meet or come below the poverty line. Funding for each family also depends on income, and whether children, disabled or elderly people are living in the household. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those eligible to receive SNAP funds are given a certain amount of benefits each month, which are paid onto an electronic (EBT) card that can be used at participating stores. Eligibility for SNAP and the way that it is funded has changed under the current Administration, with Trumps Big, Beautiful Bill passing more of the funding burden over to state governments. States are now required to pay for a higher amount of error payments and other aspects of SNAP funding, something which researchers are concerned could result in some states dropping out of the program. Recipients who cant document that they are exempt (for example, because of a disability), plus those who receive SNAP and work more than 20 hours a week, are some of the Americans that will no longer be eligible for the benefits come late 2025 or early 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An estimated 13.5% of households, or 1 in 7, were food insecure in 2023, up from 10.5% in 2020, according to the USDA. With reports of grocery store prices increasing, peoples access to food, especially healthy food, is a major concern. Read More: What Is SNAP and What Challenges Is It Facing Under the Trump Administration? A farmers market that accepts Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) tokens through SNAP in Takoma Park, Maryland, on July 9, 2025. Al DragoGetty Images Which states have issued warnings about SNAP benefits amid the government shutdown? Both Democrat and Republican states have warned that SNAP beneficiaries may not be receiving their SNAP payments for November, should the government shutdown linger on. Mirroring Newsom's warning to Californians, the Human and Health Services Department (HHS) for Texas has confirmed that the benefits in the state for November will not be paid if the shutdown continues past Monday, Oct. 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Pennsylvania, some SNAP payments have already been halted, starting Oct. 16. SNAP benefits will not be paid until the federal government shutdown ends and funds are released, read a statement from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website. The statement accused Republicans of failing to pass a federal budget. The Illinois Department of Human Services also warned that 1.9 million recipients face missing out on SNAP benefits from Nov. 1. The department said the state administers more than $350 million in SNAP benefits each month, calling it a vital lifeline to nutrition for households that require it. If SNAP funds are not delivered by the federal government, the State of Illinois does not have the budgetary ability to backfill these critical resources, the department said on Oct. 16. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Minnesotas Department of Children, Youth, and Families has put a deadline on the government shutdown for the end of October, saying that should the D.C. stalemate continue into the next month, there will not be enough funds to pay November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The department has confirmed that benefits for October will not be affected. Oregon warned more than 750,000 recipients in the state that they will not be receiving their SNAP benefits after Oct. 31, unless the government reopens. This is a cruel and unacceptable situation. President Trump should focus on feeding families by negotiating a deal with Congress, not doing other things like deploying troops in American cities on taxpayers dime, Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, also of the Democratic Party, criticized the Trump Administration for the ongoing shutdown, saying that 3 million people in her state are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits. Lives depend on this, and Washington Republicans need to stop playing games. Release this federal funding right now and let states get this money to families to ensure they dont go hungry, said Hochul. New Jerseys Department of Human Services issued a similar warning, stating that November benefits may not be available on time if the shutdown persists. It is unclear if SNAP benefits loaded on your Families First EBT card prior to Oct. 31, 2025, will be able to be used after Nov. 1, 2025, the department said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Jerseys Gov. Phil Murphy criticized the Trump Administrations cuts to SNAP through the Big, Beautiful Bill on Monday, saying there is no doubt it was specifically designed to make life harder for working Americans. Local county governments are also issuing warnings that SNAP-beneficiary households will not receive their payments should the shutdown continue through October. Adams County in Colorado said that November SNAP benefits, for new and ongoing cases, will not be issued at this time. Contact us at letters@time.com. (WHTM) Swatara Township, Pa. State officials are telling SNAP recipients that November benefits cannot be paid due to the federal government shutdown. The shutdown has lasted four weeks, and food banks are preparing for whats to come. Lisa Rashid of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank said that they are monitoring what is happening at the state and federal levels. The food bank serves around 300,000 families a month across its 27-county territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said leaders are having serious conversations about making adjustments for those who need to be fed while navigating uncertainties amidst no November payments and budget cuts. It does heighten the sense of uncertainty and the anxiety that is felt at food pantries across the state, because you need to plan, you need to plan your budget. You need to be able to purchase food, to know what income you have to be able to do that to serve the neighbors, neighbors whose numbers are going way up because of what were seeing at the national level, said Rashid. In the last two years alone, food insecurity numbers have gone up 44%, according to Rashid, and she said she expects that number will go up again next month. The food bank is bracing for impact and looking to the community for donations to help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rashid said they are able to stretch $1 into four meals which is very efficient with prices at the grocery store. There is no reason anyone should be hungry. So, your area food pantry is there. Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is here. You can go to our website. Theres an option that can lead you to a pantry in your neighborhood thats close to you, thats convenient for you, so that information is accessible to you, said Rashid. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Millions of Americans could lose their access to food assistance if the government shutdown continues. November funding for SNAP assistance is set to run out. The federal funding, which is distributed by states, provides financial assistance for food to those living below the poverty line. Why is there a government shutdown? One in eight Americans relies on SNAP. It would be devastating, said Mayor Muriel Bowser. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to data from the USDA, roughly 137,261 people received SNAP benefits in D.C. in May of 2024. In Virginia, that number was 839,353. In Maryland, it was 697,963. However, Bowser said D.C. has a unique problem right now. Whats different from the other states, we are even more impacted by people not getting their paychecks because the government is closed. On top of people who are experiencing job loss because of DOGE and other federal actions, she said. The effect is compounding. Without a paycheck, theyre going to find it even harder, she said. Then layer upon that, other families who may not get food benefits for themselves and their children. It would be absolutely devastating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bowser said her administration is working on contingency plans, but she said it cant cover the amount the federal government provides. There wont be enough funding to cover SNAP, she said. Government shutdown: Whats open, closed? Meanwhile, more people in the DMV are relying on food assistance. Tuesday, more than 200 federal workers waited in line outside of No Limits Outreach Ministries, which partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank to provide free groceries for federal workers. Its no way I wouldve ever imagined this many people, said senior pastor Oliver Carter. According to Carter, the ministry serves food to the public every Friday. But he was still shocked by the number of federal workers who turned out on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think even our funders, the food bank we work with, we were all caught by surprise, he said. For him and his wife, Pamelia Carter, the mission is personal. Pamelia works as a federal employee. I walked the line just to go through and speak to people. This isnt the easiest thing to do, to get in line for food. And I ran into co-workers, I ran into people that work in my building that recognize me, she said. One federal worker, who asked not to be identified, described the hardship people are feeling right now. I feel overwhelmed, I feel stressed. I have never, ever taken advantage of community events like this before, but because we are so distressed and we dont know what end is in sight, Id rather take what little resources that I have and put them into things other than food, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Capital Area Food Bank will host pop-up distribution sites for federal workers throughout the week, partnering with various agencies, for federal workers. For a full list of locations, 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 DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Exuding confidence ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president Upendra Kushwaha on Monday said said that NDA is headed for a comfortable majority in Bihar and will form government with ease. "As in Mahabharat it was known who will emerge victorious, the same is in the Bihar Elections...NDA will form the government with a comfortable majority," Kushwaha said in an interview with ANI. Kushwaha also downplayed the electoral challenge posed by Jan Suraaj party, founded Prashant Kishor for the Bihar assembly polls. "I don't see Jan Suraaj anywhere... In the battle of Bihar, on one side there is NDA, and on the other side Mahagathbandhan," he said. His remarks came in response to Prashant Kishor's statement on October 18, where Kishor claimed that the opposition alliance (Mahagathbandhan) would finish in third place, positioning his party Jan Suraaj as the main challenger to the NDA. "INDIA alliance is going to finish third this time. The fight is between the NDA and Jan Suraaj," Kishor had said while speaking to the media. Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president Upendra Kushwaha on Monday emphasised the unity within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), stating that the alliance is "far ahead" of the Mahagathbandhan, both in coordination and campaign momentum. Kushwaha criticised the Mahagathbandhan, saying its constituents have fielded candidates against each other, while the NDA finalised seat-sharing earlier and is now running an organised campaign. "We (NDA) are all united and we are way ahead of them (Mahagathbandhan)... The parties in Mahagathbandhan are contesting elections against each other. We have already completed the seat sharing... We are moving forward at a good pace," Kushwaha said. The Mahagathbandhan alliance consists of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties including CPI, CPI (ML), CPI (M), and Vikassheel Insaan Party, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the chairperson. Meanwhile, after several rounds of talks, the RJD on Monday released its list of 143 candidates, while other Mahagathbandhan allies will contest on the remaining 100 seats. (ANI) (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) He was a 13-year-old cut-up in a middle school class I once taught who couldnt wait for the standardized test day administrators in his high poverty district dreaded. It wasnt the exam slog that made him euphoric, it was the snacks given out before the tests began. Like so many of his impoverished peers, he came to school hungry. I think of him now as millions of other hungry children and adults in Ohio will soon see their government food assistance terminated or cut substantially this fall under the Republican megabill enacted by Congress in July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are the invisible people who go to your church, shop at your grocery store, send their kids to the same school your kids attend. They just dont advertise how regularly their households have to choose between buying food and paying for rent, utilities, transportation and/or gas. Its embarrassing for the family who lives down the block, the veteran who socializes at the local American Legion post, the penniless older adult, the disabled person scraping by and lawfully residing immigrants with nothing. They dont want you to notice how often they dont eat. But they all face an imminent food crisis that anyone with an ounce of compassion cannot ignore. Unless Republicans, who control Congress and the White House, re-open the government and pass a budget bill by Nov. 1 that includes money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) more than 1.4 million Ohioans who rely on food stamps could lose a critical lifeline overnight. Food stamps help the working poor get through at least half of the month. Many juggle more than one job to make ends meet but still cant afford groceries and keep the lights on. With food prices rising exponentially, along with the cost of electricity, housing and basic necessities, the destitute need fierce advocacy in high places. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunger in Ohio is acute, especially among children and the elderly. Households stretched to the limit with resources are most at risk. But an exhausted single parent in Butler County with hungry dependents, who races to a second shift to supplement low wages, isnt seen at the Statehouse or on Capitol Hill. They dont have a voice or a powerful advocate. Neither does the 60-year-old who marginally manages at or below the poverty line and wouldnt eat some days but for SNAP benefits that make a thin food budget go further. Neither does the documented immigrant population (protected refugees and asylees) who has long been eligible for SNAP for nourishment in a new country. Neither does the homeless community whose struggles to exist would be even more monumental without the meager meals food stamps buy. Not only do the invisible people lack towering champions to fight for them in state and federal government, but they are also powerless to stop the cruelty and deprivation being unleashed against them today by controlling Republicans in Columbus and Washington. In March, the Trump agriculture department slashed federal funding to food distribution programs that supply staple food items to pantries nationwide. The cuts gutted food banks already reeling with less supply and record demand. The financial gap left by the federal government was too large for many food banks to replace with donations or private fundraising. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Food orders were cancelled. Pantries had to reduce the amount of food they gave out and were forced to drop programs that purchased food from local farmers for schools and underserved communities. But people kept coming. The many living paycheck to paycheck simply do not have enough cash left over after bills are paid to put food on the table. Tens of thousands of Ohio residents with budget shortfalls swallow their pride every month to get essential provisions from neighborhood food banks. Before the pandemic, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks said the states 12 regional food banks were serving about 2 million Ohioans each quarter. Toward the end of last year, they were approaching 4 million a quarter. Yet in June, Ohios Republican-controlled legislature passed a state budget, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine, that hammered food banks again with a $7.5 million funding cut or 23% reduction from the previous allotment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The problem of about 1.8 million Ohioans going hungry, including over 500,000 children, didnt go away but it couldnt compete with a $600 million giveaway to the billionaire owners of the Browns or a generous tax cut for the wealthiest few expected to cost the state at least $1.1 billion in lost revenue. In two weeks, the poverty-stricken many in Ohio will be on the losing end of another steal-from-the-poor-give-to-the-rich budget bill that every Republican member of Ohios congressional delegation, save one, rushed to enact in the summer. Like the measure Ohio Republicans voted for in the General Assembly, Trumps godawful law gives a massive tax break to the richest 1% of Americans on the backs of the poorest with draconian spending cuts to mostly health care and food assistance for children and families. The largest cuts to SNAP in the programs history are now in effect with changes that include stricter work requirements even though data shows most SNAP recipients who can work do. These eligibility alterations kick legal immigrants on protected status off food aid and shift sizable costs to states to maintain what the federal government used to fully fund. But at least the rich get richer and middle school cut-ups with empty stomachs take their tests. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) As the federal government shutdown nears its fourth week, Michiganders on SNAP benefits worry about the future. Shannon Myers-Rinehart is one of thousands of Michigadners, who relies on SNAP benefits every month. Weve been on them now for about two years, said Shannon Myers-Rinehart. We got them because my oldest daughter is a type 1 diabetic. Rinehart says her family gets a total of $816 a month and she is worried for whats to come next month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do coupon, but I have been putting money aside, said Rinehart. I mean, weve just been pinching pennies and but it scares me to think about. What if I cant and I have to choose between a bill that has to be paid in order to go and get this? Amber Petersen also receives SNAP benefits, and her family of four gets $700 a month. Helps generally for most of the month, said Amber Petersen. We usually get a meat bundle with that, fruits and veggies and things like that they need. Peterson says shes expected to get her October benefits, but is anxious for next months installment. Weve had to discuss with the kids, you know, that things maybe might be tight, and that their favorite foods they might have to go without, said Petersen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katelyn Cardoso, Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications, with the Greater Lansing Food Bank says theyve already been informed of possible delays from SNAP benefits. Cardoso adds she wants to reminds those in need that the food banks doors are always open. We do know from our partners at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said Cardoso. That there is that potential for delays and benefits if the shutdown does continue into November. As the shutdown continues, all Rinehart wants to do is keep her family fed. You think about if you dont get that extra, you know, $100, a couple $100, even $800, that helps out greatly, said Rinehart. 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. HOLYOKE While the Old Farmers Almanac and the Farmers Almanac have different weather predictions for this winter, its still going to be cold and with energy prices continuing to rise, the Valley Opportunity Council and the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund have started accepting applications for heating assistance. Our goal is to ensure households are safe and warm this winter, and also that they can stretch their dollars a little further, said Melissa White, the director of programs for the Valley Opportunity Council, which administers the Home Energy Assistance Program for Hampden County. HEAP helps eligible households challenged by the high cost of home heating fuel pay a portion of their winter heating bills and provides assistance through a fixed benefit amount for the cost of the primary source of heat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The HEAP Program can assist with whatever heat source you use for your home-oil, gas, electricity, wood, coal, etc., White said. To be eligible for the program, applicants must reside in Hampden County; household income cannot exceed 60% of the Estimated State Median Income; those who have heat included in their rent and meet income and residence eligibility may be eligible to receive a subsidy for a portion of their monthly income from November to April; and those who have heat included in their rent and have a subsidy must pay over 30% of their income towards rent in order to be eligible. Those who live in public housing are not eligible. White said it is simple to find out if your household qualifications by visiting the application link to the client portal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Applicants can apply online or in person at WG&E at 100 Elm St., Westfield or pick up an application at the Southwick Senior Center. When applying, please be prepared to share necessary information, including but not limited to photo identification; a list of all household members; proof of income, information on your heating bills, and an active lease or mortgage statement It is easy to apply, you can begin an application and schedule an appointment online, we also have walk-in and phone appointments, White said. For 41 years the Massachusetts Good Neighbors Energy Fund has provided energy assistance to hundreds of thousands of residents in temporary crisis and are struggling to pay their energy bills and do not qualify for federal and state energy funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This fund really helps the people who might otherwise not be served, mainly the underemployed of Massachusetts, said Justin Stearns, 2025-2026 GNEF chairperson. Without assistance from the GNEF, many households wouldnt be able to make a monthly utility payment. The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund is available to any state resident who, because of temporary financial difficulty, cannot meet a months energy expense and is not eligible for state or federal energy assistance. Income must fall between 60 and 80 percent of the states median income levels, according to the organizations website. To learn who qualifies, visit this link. The GNEF is administered by the Salvation Army. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To apply, visit the Springfield Corp, 170 Pearl St., Springfield, or call 413-733-1518. The GNEF is cooperative effort between sponsoring Massachusetts energy companies, including WG&E, and caring neighbors throughout the commonwealth, the Good Neighbor Energy Fund has raised over $25.5 million and assisted more than 97,500 households with a months energy expense since its inception in 1985. Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Oct. 20MOSES LAKE Solarity Credit Union announced the grand opening of its newest branch in Moses Lake at 411 East Fifth Ave. Solarity said in a press release that the new branch offers digital services and a local team ready to help members achieve their financial goals. "We're incredibly excited to be branching out into the Moses Lake community," said Mina Worthington, Solarity Credit Union President and CEO. "At Solarity, we offer a different type of banking solution than other banks and credit unions." From Oct. 20 through 31, community members are invited to stop by the new branch to celebrate with special offers, prize giveaways and more. The release said that throughout the two weeks, visitors can take advantage of limited-time special offers on loans and savings accounts, as well as enter the grand prize drawing for a 7-night Alaskan cruise. More details can be found at solaritycu.org/win Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We look forward to guiding individuals, families, and small businesses in Moses Lake with complex financial needs," said Worthington. "This celebration is our way of saying thank you and welcoming everyone to experience the Solarity difference." The new branch was designed with the community in mind, the press release said, providing an attractive space where members can connect with Solarity's team, explore financial resources and experience the services the credit union offers. Ivan Uss, the son of former Belarusian presidential candidate Dmitry Uss, was killed on the front line in Ukraine while fighting for Russia, the independent Belarusian outlet Nasha Niva reported on Oct. 19. Uss reportedly signed a contract with the Russian army on Jan. 17 but died just weeks into his service. In the mid-2010s, Ivan was an administrator of the pro-Russian "Antimaidan Minsk" group on the Russian social network VKontakte. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2020, he joined protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and was sentenced to 15 days in jail for participating in a demonstration, Nasha Niva reported. His father, Dmitry Uss, was a businessman and owner of a cartography firm where Ivan also worked. In 2010, Dmitry ran in Belarus's presidential election, receiving less than 0.4% of the vote. Following the election, he was arrested and sentenced to five and a half years in prison on charges of organizing mass riots, but was pardoned and released five months later. Belarus remains one of Russia's closest allies in the war against Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian authorities have reportedly been recruiting Belarusians through draft commissions operating inside Belarus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least 314 Belarusian citizens have been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, according to a report published on Oct. 13 by the Ukrainian project "I Want to Live." Belarusian recruits are reported dead approximately 6.5 months on average after signing contracts with the Russian military. Most of the deceased served in the 150th Motorized Rifle Division, and a significant number were reportedly recruited from Russian prisons. Read also: Ukraine had a plan on how to engage with Trump. Then, Putin called Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Exciting news for the hard Left. So far, efforts to launch a new socialist party provisionally known as Your Party have been beset by in-fighting between its two main factions: allies of Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, and allies of Zarah Sultana, his co-founder. There have been blazing public rows about membership emails, indignant accusations of sexism, furious threats of lawsuits and even an attempted takeover of Your Party by a group calling itself Our Party. Mercifully, however, senior party figures have now devised a brilliant plan to prevent further squabbles. In short: theyre proposing an official ban on factionalism. According to a newly published draft of the partys constitution, Appointed staff shall refrain from factional or political activity internal to the party. Well, its certainly a nice idea. The only trouble is that, as with all other Your Party decisions, it must first gain formal approval from members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which is why I cant help fearing that this attempt to unite the warring factions could horribly backfire Morning, comrade. Will you be voting in favour of the proposed ban on factionalism? Certainly, comrade. Sounds good to me. Glad to hear it. For the sake of party unity, this is an essential step forward. Quite frankly, its the only way to prevent your faction from causing more conflict. I beg your pardon? Well, all this factionalism was started by your faction. No it wasnt. It was started by your faction. Nonsense. It was yours. Thats why our faction proposed the ban on factionalism in the first place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oh really? So your faction wants to ban factionalism in order to undermine our faction? No. Our faction is simply trying to clear up the mess made by your faction. As usual. This is outrageous. Your faction is blatantly exploiting the row over factionalism as part of a cynical plot against our faction. Which means your factions clampdown on factionalism is pure factionalism. How dare you. That is a disgraceful smear against our faction. Mind you, I suppose it was naive to expect anything better from your faction. Its exactly as I said to the rest of our faction. I said: Their faction will never accept a ban on factionalism. Especially not if the ban on factionalism is proposed by our faction. After all, you know what their factions like. Theyll just use it as an excuse to attack our faction. Because their faction is so pathetically tribalistic. Unlike our faction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right, thats it. Our faction has had quite enough of your factions constant attempts to divide this party. We quit! British burka ban bust-up Portugal is about to ban the burka. Meanwhile, Italy is considering a similar plan. So why doesnt Britain do it, too? That, at any rate, is what Suella Braverman, the Conservative former home secretary, asked her followers on social media at the weekend. Inevitably, the suggestion proved to be more than a touch controversial. But, out of the many, many responses she received, perhaps the least helpful came from the pro-Gaza independent MP for Blackburn, Adnan Hussain. Why? he asked Mrs Braverman. What did a woman in a burka ever do to you? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, I suppose thats the award for Disingenuous Question of the Year all sewn up. Still, on the off-chance that Mr Hussain is sincerely looking for an answer: the objection isnt to the women themselves. The objection is to the insistence that women cover their faces. Because, believe it or not, quite a lot of British people find this insistence to be ever so slightly misogynistic, oppressive, and frankly disturbing. In the interests of balance, though, we should acknowledge that some women do embrace this style of dress with remarkable fervour. Take Farishta Jami, a 36-year-old Muslim woman from Stratford-upon-Avon. In February, she was found guilty of terrorism offences for planning to fly to Afghanistan to join Islamic State. Initially, West Midlands Police issued a standard mugshot of her. But after her lawyer complained that being made to show her face had caused her considerable distress, the police obligingly issued a second mugshot, in which her entire face, except for her eyes, was obscured by a niqab. This was of course delightfully inclusive of them, although it does make me wonder whether they entirely understand what a mugshot is for. I assume they dont grant similar privileges to all criminal suspects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, madam, do you recognise the man who stole your purse? No, officer. All the men in the line-up have put paper bags over their heads. 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. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid tributes to the brave police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty on Police Commemoration Day. In a post on X, CM Dhami saluted their courage and dedication, stating that their service inspires all. "On this Police Commemoration Day, I pay my countless salutations to the brave police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty while upholding their responsibilities towards peace, harmony, and the safety of the countrymen in the nation. Your courage and dedication serve as an inspiration to all of us. With a spirit of service, security, and cooperation, the Uttarakhand Police has demonstrated its efficiency in facing every challenge. Even during times of disaster, our police personnel have set an example of public service," Chief Minister posted on X. To honour the ever lasting memory of these gallant Policemen, who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, October 21 every year is observed as 'Commemoration Day' by the Police forces all over India. The significance of October 21 lies in the fact that ten brave Policemen were ambushed and killed by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959 in an unequal confrontation inside Indian territory. To honour the memory of these ten valiant Policemen, the DGsP/IGsP Conference held in 1962 decided to observe October 21 every year as Police Commemoration Day. Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized the importance of unity between the Army and police in ensuring national security, saying that both forces share the same spirit in safeguarding the country. Addressing the Police Commemoration Day programme at the National Police Memorial in national capital, Singh drew from his experience as a former Home Minister and his current role as Defence Minister, highlighting the critical roles both the police and Army play in the country's security. "I myself have served as Home Minister. I have had the opportunity to observe the operations of the police up close. Furthermore, as Defence Minister, I also have the opportunity to observe the actions of the Army closely. Both Army and police are pillars of the country's security. Whoever the enemy may be, whether it comes from across the border or lurks among us, every individual who stands up for India's security represents the same spirit," Rajnath Singh said during the event. Police Commemoration Day (October 21) is observed across the country to pay homage to police bravehearts. The main function is organised at National Police Memorial, New Delhi. (ANI) A portrait of Nick Lamb, Department of Corrections deputy director of institutional operations. South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden stated in an Oct. 20 news release that Lamb would take over as the state's Department of Corrections secretary sometime in November. A deputy director for Iowa's state correctional department will oversee South Dakota's prison system come November. South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden announced in an Oct. 20 press release that Nick Lamb, who currently serves as the deputy director of institutional operations in the Iowa Department of Corrections, will take over as secretary of the South Dakota Department of Corrections. Since November 2023, Lamb has worked as a deputy director within Iowa's correctional department, which oversees nine facilities, 2,500 employees and approximately 8,500 inmates, according to his LinkedIn profile. He served a short stint as warden of Anamosa State Penitentiary in Iowa between February and November 2023, and he worked a similar role as warden of northern Iowa's Fort Dodge Correctional Facility and North Central Correctional Facility from July 2021 to February 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamb also held a deputy warden of administration title within the New Mexico Corrections Department from July 2020 to June 2021. In Illinois, Lamb served in a variety of roles, including assistant warden of operations at Stateville Correctional Center in 2014 and Lawrence Correctional Center warden in 2017, across a more than 25-year span. "After an extensive interview process and aggressive national search, we found the right person that will help keep our corrections system strong and safe for both inmates and officers," Rhoden stated in the news release. "Nicks leadership will ensure strong implementation of rehabilitation services that will reduce recidivism and keep our communities safe. I am grateful for Secretary Waskos service and trust that Nick will pick up the torch with excellence, tenacity and a heart to serve." Former Secretary Kellie Wasko announced her resignation last month after 20 House lawmakers signed a joint letter on Sept. 1, in which they called on the governor to fire the DOC secretary ahead of a Sept. 23 special legislative session, during which the Legislature voted on the construction of a new, $650 million men's prison in Sioux Falls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wasko faced months of mounting scrutiny by state leaders and the public on the department's excessive use of prison lockdowns, and high numbers inmate in-custody deaths some of which were drug-related and gang-fights that have occurred during her time in the corrections chair. According to the governor's office's release, Lamb begins his work in South Dakota "mid-November." DOC Deputy Secretary Brent Fluke will serve as Wasko's replacement in the interim starting Oct. 21 and until Lamb's first day. According to the news release, Lamb is also a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant. His LinkedIn resume states he served in the Illinois, New Mexico and Iowa Army National Guard as a "combat and horizontal engineer" across a 21-year period. "For his dedicated service, Lamb was awarded the Two Army Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal with a Combat Device, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Long and Honorable Medal, and Army Combat Action Badge," the news release states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am honored and humbled to have been selected as the next Secretary of Corrections by Governor Rhoden," Lamb stated in the Oct. 20 news release. "I also want to thank outgoing Secretary Kellie Wasko for her many years of service to the State of South Dakota and for the positive changes she initiated during her tenure. I look forward to continuing the department's mission by working with our dedicated staff to rebuild lives and strengthen public safety with accountability." Lamb and his wife have seven kids and "soon to be 15 grandchildren," per the news release, and he holds a masters degree in psychology. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Iowa DOC deputy director Nick Lamb named South Dakota DOC secretary Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The grocery store chain Southeastern Grocers said Tuesday it's rebranding, closing stores in several states and putting a new focus on its Florida home base as company officials looks forward. Southeastern revealed as part of its new reorganization it will rebrand as the "Winn-Dixie Company" and will pull out of multiple states by the start of next year, according to company officials. "We're profoundly thankful to our associates and customers across all our markets for their loyalty," said Southeastern Grocers CEO Anthony Hucker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 130 grocery and 140 liquor stores in Florida and Georgia will remain operated by Winn-Dixie following its transition. Company officials said Southeastern will offload the large segment of 32 Winn-Dixie and eight Harvey's Supermarkets in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi but will leave open some southern Georgia stores. Discount grocery retailer Aldi has staked its regional presence in recent years after it acquired about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harvey's Supermarket locations across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Four Winn-Dixie's closed this year in three Alabama cities and currently operate 20 in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, Food City announced its plan to hire a majority of store associates. Meanwhile, Hucker will remain chairman and CEO of the Winn-Dixie Co. "As we move forward as Winn-Dixie, we'll do everything we can to ensure these transitions reflect the gratitude and respect our people deserve," Hucker added in a statement. A huge hunk of burning metal appeared in the Australian desert this past weekend, discovered by mine workers in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia. Yesterday, the Australian Space Agency confirmed that the smoking wreckage smashed into Earth from space, writing on X that, The debris is likely a propellant tank or pressure vessel from a space launch vehicle. Though officials there wouldnt conjecture as to the precise source of the junkThe Agency is continuing the process of determining the exact nature of the debris and its origin through engagement with global counterpartsat least one expert suspects it came from a Chinese rocket. Dutch archaeologist-turned-space scientist Marco Langbroek of Delft Technical University, wrote on his blog SatTrackCam Leiden that, the origin of this apparent space debris is a Chinese Jielong 3 upper stage. This is not the first time that smoldering space junk has pummeled Earth. Not by a longshot. The first recorded incident, in fact, was in 1969, when debris from a Soviet spacecraft struck the deck of a Japanese ship. And the space age has been littered with such events. Notably, in 1978 a Soviet satellite that descended through the atmosphere above Canada sprinkled radioactive debris across the northern part of that country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The number of satellites and assorted space jetsam in low Earth orbit has increased exponentially since those early days. Just comparing now with 2019, there are almost 10,500 more objects floating at altitudes below 1,200 miles above our heads. In total, there are now more than 24,000 objects in low Earth orbit. That 76 percent increase, according to a recent study in Acta Astronautica, is cause for alarm. Hugh Lewis, a professor of astronautics at the University of Birmingham in England, recently told Space.com that there is a 10 percent chance that those orbiting objects collide within a year. That could increase as more objects join the frayas more debris floats around our planet, the chances of more space junk raining down increases. Just last May, two pieces of the trunk section of the SpaceX Crew-7 Dragon vessel rained down from the sky in North Carolina, and several more space junk incidents have occurred this year. Though satellites and other spacecraft can and do perform evasive maneuvers to avoid such collisions, the more crowded low Earth orbit gets, the more errors in these maneuvers are apt to happen. And you thought traffic on your morning commute was bad. This story was originally featured on Nautilus. SpaceXs classified military satellites are emitting a mysterious signal that could be violating international standards, NPR reports. Experts told the public broadcaster that the Elon Musk-led space company could be flouting international standards set by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union. Nearby satellites could receive radio-frequency interference and could perhaps not respond properly to commands or ignore commands from Earth, Canada-based amateur satellite tracker Scott Tilley, who first spotted the signals, told NPR. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tilley accidentally discovered the unusual radio frequencies, which are in the 2025-2110 MHz range and are being emitted by at least 170 of SpaceXs defense satellites. It was just a clumsy move at the keyboard, he told NPR. I was resetting some stuff and then all of a sudden Im looking at the wrong antenna, the wrong band. The spectrum is usually reserved for sending data to orbiting satellites from Earth and shouldnt be used for transmitting data from space. Tilleys investigation into the unusual broadcasting led him to SpaceXs Starshield constellation of Starlink satellites, which is part of a $1.8 billion contract with the Department of Defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apart from leveraging Starlink tech and launch capability to support national security efforts, according to SpaceXs website, little is known about Starshield. Per the firm, the constellation provides assured global communications to government users. SpaceX has launched eleven batches of the secretive satellite since May 2024 on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office. In short, plenty of questions remain regarding the constellation. For one, we dont know why its emitting signals in such an unusual radio frequency. We also dont know whether its transmissions could be interfering with other space-based assets. Tilley told NPR that its unlikely to have done any damage so far, given the lack of any public complaints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, given the contentiousness of the radio band, SpaceX might be aware its crowding a forbidden frequency. SpaceX is smart and savvy, he argued, suggesting the company chose a do it and ask forgiveness later approach. More on Starshield: Elon Musks Drug Use Means He Isnt Allowed to Enter Certain SpaceX Buildings MADRID (Reuters) -Spain has imposed a temporary ban on exports of live cattle following an outbreak of the highly-contagious lumpy skin disease, Agriculture Minister Luis Planas told reporters on Tuesday. Lumpy skin disease is a virus spread by insects that affects cattle and buffalo, causing blisters and reducing milk production. It does not pose a risk to humans but often leads to trade restrictions and severe economic losses. "We have temporarily suspended exports of live animals to prevent the spread of the disease; France has done the same," Planas said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement France imposed a similar ban on cattle exports and events such as bullfighting on Friday. The Spanish outbreak was detected on a farm with 123 dairy heifers near Girona in the northeast, after three animals showed symptoms on October 1. (Reporting by Emma Pinedo and David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip) VIRGINIA (WAVY) Virginia Commonwealth Universitys school of Government and Public Affairs released data Tuesday showing that Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger has a seven percent lead over Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginias gubernatorial race, according to its latest Commonwealth poll. Virginia Poll: Spanberger holds 10-point lead over Earle-Sears for governor Spanbergers lead over Earle-Sears is down from VCUs September Commonwealth poll, which showed Spanberger leading with a 9-point margin. The Democratic candidate also possesses an 11% margin, 35% to 24%, over independent voters, with 20% undecided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our schools poll results reflect little change in the race for governor, though the lead for Democrats has narrowed (Spanberger 49% to Earle-Sears 42%), said L. Douglas Wilder, the 66th governor of Virginia. Sen. Ghazala Hashmi holds a one-point lead over John Reid, while Attorney General Jason Miyares leads former Del. Jay Jones 45% to 42% in the attorney generals contest. Only on 10: Jason Miyares reacts to Jay Jones controversial text messages These numbers represent a nine-point swing in the attorney generals race from Septembers poll, directly following Joness text of hypothetically shooting former House Speaker Todd Gilbert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorney generals race shows Jason Miyares moving into the lead over Jay Jones (Miyares 45% to Jones 42%). Wilder said. These results highlight that, with several weeks to go before the election, voters are paying attention to what the candidates are doing and what they have done as a precursor to what they will do if elected. In the October poll, voters also explained the rising cost of living would be the biggest influence in their vote during the upcoming election. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. DISCLAIMER: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) Shreveport police confirmed that a local high school principal was arrested after a reported domestic incident. The SPD Domestic Violence Unit was notified of an incident involving Nicholaus Smith, the principal of Huntington High School. According to the police, on October 20, 2025, police were called regarding allegations of domestic violence made against Smith. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Corporal Chris Bordelon said hes thankful the SPD was able to get this situation under control. You know anytime domestic violence occurs, its typically something thats been festering under the surface and has the propensity to increase in violence. We wanted to make sure we intervened before something ultimately terrible happened, said Bordelon. Two arrested, two sought in shooting outside Shreveport Job Corps Center On October 21, detectives secured an arrest warrant for him on two counts of domestic abuse battery with child endangerment. He turned himself in to the Caddo Parish Sheriffs Office with the assistance of the Caddo Parish School Board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its great to see organizations taking domestic violence seriously as we work to make our community a safer place for all citizens, said Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith. SPD said that the incident took place during Smiths personal time and not on school property or during school hours. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 driver who crashed into a Suffolk County police cruiser was sentenced to prison on Tuesday. Cody Fisher was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when he slammed into Officer Brendon Gallagher's patrol car back in January. Fisher was estimated to be driving at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Nine months after the crash that injured Officer Gallagher, the Highway Patrol cop came face-to-face with the drunk and drugged driver that almost took his life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Following surgery, I was placed in medically induced coma and put on a ventilator," Gallagher said. Officer Gallagher, who is a former Army veteran, was on patrol on January 5 when he encountered 29-year-old Cody Fisher driving more than 10 miles per hour on the Long Island Expressway. After crashing into a pole, Fisher was arrested and charged with vehicular assault and assault on a police officer. He pleaded guilty last month to a 10-count indictment, and the judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison on Tuesday. Fisher offered an emotional apology. "I would like to apologize to Officer Gallagher for my actions that day. I wish I could take it back," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think he's just sorry he got caught. Whenever somebody gets caught. They're always sorry," Gallagher said. Fisher violated his probation of a violent road rage encounter in Queens when he pulled a gun on another driver, officials said. Gallagher is still out of work on medical leave and hopes to return soon. This is not his first near-death encounter. Gallagher was stabbed while responding to a call three years ago. * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * Follow us on YouTube * More local news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. VIRGINIA BEACH Virginia Beachs election system referendum is drawing money into committees on both sides of the issue, but the one in favor of adding more at-large representation on the City Council and School Board has far outraised two opposing groups, according to the latest finance reports filed with the Virginia Department of Elections. Every Vote Counts has raised more than $600,000, mostly from Virginia Beach business and political leaders, since its inception earlier this year. The committee wants a City Council with seven district-based seats and three seats elected at-large along with the mayor and is encouraging people to vote no on the referendum. The referendum question on the ballot this year will ask voters whether they prefer that alignment or the current system, which has 10 single-member districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two referendum committees in support of the district-only system Yes for Virginia Beach and Vote Yes on 10-1 each saw an influx of funds in September from a Richmond-based nonprofit organization that receives a large chunk of its funding from undisclosed donors. Virginians for the Commonwealth has provided more than $100,000 in digital advertising, canvassing and other services in support of the two pro-district committees. Both committees encourage voters to say yes to the referendum. In total this year, Every Vote Counts has raised $604,250. Yes for Virginia Beach has raised $63,411. Vote Yes on 10-1 has received $63,620, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign finance. The reports detailed donations through Sept. 30, but large contributions of $10,000 or more to referendum committees in Virginia are reported upon receipt. Every Vote Counts has been pulling in a steady stream of donations ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 since forming in June. Friends of Barry Knight, a political action committee affiliated with the state delegate from Virginia Beach, contributed $20,000 on Oct. 1. Thin Blue Line Virginia, a state PAC from Chesapeake that supports law enforcement and victims of crime, donated $22,500 on Sept. 23. Other donors include Virginia Beach real estate developers, hoteliers and restaurateurs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Knight has said he supports at-large elected representatives on the City Council because he believes it would provide more accountability to voters on issues including preserving the citys agricultural industry. Thin Blue Line Virginia did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. Related Articles Over the last month, Every Vote Counts has ramped up promotional advertisements on social media. Short videos feature several current members of the City Council including Mayor Bobby Dyer and Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson advocating for at-large representation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes for Virginia Beach, steered by state Sen. Aaron Rouse, held a town hall in August and is distributing yard signs. Rouse and other supporters of the district system have said they believe it allows more people to run for office and keeps big money out of politics. Vote Yes on 10-1, a grassroots community organization headed up by political strategist Lisa Turner, has also hosted town halls, is selling 10-1 merchandise and recently held a day-long virtual information session featuring members of the NAACP, veterans and labor leaders who discussed the referendum and the citys current district system. The largest donor to both referendum committees in support of the 10-1 system in September was Virginians for the Commonwealth, a social welfare organization with a board of directors representing advocacy groups including Freedom Virginia, Virginia League of Conservation Voters and the Virginia Education Association. Virginians for the Commonwealth is a 501(c)(4) and is not required to publicly disclose the names or addresses of its contributors. More than 75% of the organizations budget comes from the advocacy groups it represents, said Shane Riddle, president of the board. It has also received roughly $300,000 from nondisclosed donors this year, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For its work focused on the 10-1 referendum, all donors are based in Virginia and are not private businesses, according to Kate McCarty, a consultant with the organization. Virginians for the Commonwealth donated nearly $50,000 of in-kind services to Yes for Virginia Beach, including $36,622 in field and canvassing on Sept. 17. It also made a $12,500 contribution in research services in August. Virginians for the Commonwealth has also contributed more than $58,000 in digital advertising and polling and research services to Vote Yes on 10-1, including $26,257 on Oct. 10; $19,679 on Sept. 26; and $12,500 on Aug. 21. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) A Wichita family has been turning their yard at 802 N. Arapaho Ave. into a spooky sensation for years but now they have a bigger purpose than just Halloween fun. KSN Photojournalist James Heier braved the scares and learned how the decorations help kids with cancer. You can watch in the video player above. KSN Photo KSN Photo KSN Photo KSN Photo KSN Photo KSN Photo KSN Photo KSN Photo KSN Photo 2025 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway To donate to Skeletons for St. Jude online, you can click here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. You can now download KSN+ and stream KSN live on Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV! Click here 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 KSN-TV. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid heartfelt tributes to India's police personnel on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, lauding their courage, dedication, and sacrifices in maintaining the nation's safety and security. In a post shared on X, PM Modi said, "On Police Commemoration Day, we salute the courage of our police personnel and recall the supreme sacrifice by them in the line of duty. Their steadfast dedication keeps our nation and people safe. Their bravery and commitment in times of crisis and in moments of need are appreciable." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1980477312060563556 Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the Police Commemoration Day programme at the National Police Memorial in Delhi on Tuesday. Paying heartfelt tributes to the bravehearts, Singh honored the supreme sacrifices made by police personnel in service of the nation. Police Commemoration Day, i.e., October 21, is observed across the country to pay homage to police bravehearts. The main function is organised at National Police Memorial, New Delhi. On October 21, 1959, ten valiant Policemen laid down their lives in an ambush laid by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs, Ladakh. Since then, October 21 is observed as Police Commemoration Day every year. In recognition of the sacrifices made by Police personnel and their paramount role in preserving national security and integrity, the Prime Minister dedicated National Police Memorial (NPM), Chanakyapuri, New Delhi to the nation on Police Commemoration Day 2018. The Memorial gives Police Forces a sense of national identity, pride, unity of purpose, common history and destiny, besides reinforcing their commitment to protect the nation even at the cost of their lives. The Memorial comprises a Central Sculpture, the 'Wall of Valour' and a Museum. The Central Sculpture, which is a 30-foot-high granite monolith cenotaph, stands for strength, resilience and selfless service of Police personnel. The museum is conceptualised as a historical and evolving exhibition on policing in India. The Memorial is a site of pilgrimage, a place of reverence for Police personnel and citizens alike. As a part of the remembrances, CAPFs/CPOs organise various Commemorative Events at National Police Memorial from October 22 to 30, which include visits of family members of bravehearts, Police Band Display, motorcycle rallies, run for fallen policemen, blood donation camps, essay/painting competitions for children and display of video films showcasing sacrifice, valour and services of Police personnel. Similar programmes are organised by all the Police Forces across the country during this period. (ANI) About 120 people attend the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners meeting on July 21, 2025 in Portland to urge the county jail to stop housing people for federal immigration authorities. (Photo by Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star) The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners initially voted to continue immigration detentions for federal authorities at Maines largest jail on Monday night, however at the eleventh hour the board decided to reconsider the issue and take it up again next month. The public has for months been calling for the board to end Cumberland County Jails contract with the U.S. Marshal Service to house federal detainees, which includes immigration detainees, arguing that cooperation with federal immigration authorities makes the county complicit with their increasingly aggressive tactics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the majority of the board, 3-2, argued on Monday that changing the contract would not actually stop the jail from housing immigration detainees, only transfer the financial burden. Further, if policy could ultimately change so immigration detainees were no longer housed in Maine, some board members also raised concern that that would only take people farther away from their families and legal counsel. That latter point is what has led some immigration advocates to take a more nuanced position on this issue, or refrain from taking a position at all, and instead put their efforts behind ending local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The money Explaining that even without a contract, the jail would still have to house federal detainees, several of the commissioners and Sheriff Kevin Joyce pointed to Maine law that stipulates county jails shall receive and safely keep all prisoners committed under authority of the United States until discharged. Unlike many other states, Maine doesnt have a dedicated ICE facility, which means local jails are relied on for detentions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will continue to hold ICE inmates until the law is changed or a court decides its unconstitutional and tells me otherwise, Joyce said. Stephen Gorden, who represents District 3, said county commissioners do not have the authority to prevent ICE from housing detainees in the countys jail and that ending the contract would simply transfer the financial burden from the federal government to the county taxpayer. Ending the contract could result in a loss of more than $2 million in jail operating costs, according to Gorden and Jean-Marie Caterina, commissioner for District 1, who voted to remove immigration detentions from the contract. She asked attendees to contact their legislators to push for the state to provide higher compensation for jails to account for that potential loss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sadly, while the federal government compensates $150 per day, the state only compensates us approximately $25 a day, Caterina said. Like many across the U.S., jails in Maine have concerns about being under-resourced. Joyce has previously said that the U.S. Marshal Service contract is a crucial part of Cumberland County Jails funding model. The other commissioner who voted to change the contract, Patricia Smith of District 4, said, Will this really solve the problem? Probably not, but Im all about a first step. Inherent challenges with immigration detention As Maine Morning Star reported in April, the majority of immigration detainees in Cumberland County Jail are not residents of nor were they arrested in Maine. Most were transferred to the facility from out of state, and they are often quickly transferred out, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal authorities may move people for any number of reasons space, staffing but legal experts say regardless of intent, this movement creates chaos and makes it more difficult for legal counsel to advocate for their clients and for families to keep in touch. Jim Cloutier, commissioner for District 5, and Tom Tyler, who represents District 2, argued on Monday that if the county were to stop housing immigration detainees, the change would exacerbate that challenge. As each of the commissioners took time to explain their stances, the chants of cancel the contract grew louder and louder outside. What you have advocated for tonight would do grave harm to a lot of people, Cloutier said over the chants. You may hate ICE, and I certainly do. I blame their management. They are poorly managed and the tactics are inconsistent with American law, but the people in the jail need as much help as we can arrange. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January, University of Maine Law School in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project started a project to provide limited consultations for ICE detainees at Cumberland County Jail. Ruben Torres, advocacy and policy manager for the Maine Immigrants Rights Coalition, which advocates for improving the legal, social and economic conditions for immigrants in Maine, spoke neither for nor against changing the contract on Monday. Maine Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, the only state-wide immigration legal services organization, has taken a nuanced stance on the issue, previously telling Maine Morning Star that the organization doesnt believe immigration detention should exist, but if it does, the group is in favor of people being held as close to their support systems as possible. Cloutier made the motion to reconsider the vote and table it until the board meets next, Nov. 17. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Oct. 21ROCHESTER A proposal to use a portion of Mayor Kim Norton's 2026 budget to provide pay increases for elected officials fell short Monday. "I offered $19,000 from my budget in order to do the right thing," Norton said during Monday's council meeting , noting the Rochester City Council hasn't seen a pay adjustment since 2022. "It was very painful for the board, that they did it," she said of adjustments in 2022, which increased annual salaries from $39,420 to $55,840. "It was the right thing to do, and they did it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The increases in 2022 also provided the current $64,216 annual salary for the council president and $83,760 salary for the mayor. The increases were the result of a two-part adjustment initiated in 2019 , when base council salaries were increased from $21,712 to $39,420, in an effort to better align with local salary averages. At the time, the council proposed annual increases based on state reports of the area median income, but it was determined that automatic increases are not a legal option. "It is a very painful thing to do, to discuss one's own salary, but when you're an elected official, it's what you have to do," Norton said, acknowledging the need for the council to act on any pay adjustments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed shift from the mayor's budget would provide a nearly 4% increase to the combined mayor and council salaries, but four of the seven council members said it was too late in the process to make adjustments to the overall budget. "I'm not afraid to talk about the wages and if we want to bring it up next spring when we talk about the budget, I would be fine with that," council member Shaun Palmer said. Council members Andy Friederichs, Norman Wahl and Patrick Keane also pointed to a desire to hold off on discussions. Council President Randy Schubring said he'd be willing to support the mayor's proposal, and pointed to the likelihood of discussing the issue next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In my role here, I will not have a problem taking a vote on our salary on an annual basis," he said. The issue of elected pay has largely been restricted since 2022, after the council directed staff to hold steady on their pay until the elected officials raised the issue. City Administrator Alison Zelms said that's what has prompted her to keep the expense flat in the annual budgeting process. She said the proposed process is possible for the 2026 budget, but it would require at least four council members to approve the change. "There are a number of steps that would need to happen between now and Dec. 1," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Council members Nick Miller and Dan Doering, along with Schubring, voiced a willingness to consider the mayor's proposal, but the numbers fell short. Miller said he'd also support making wages a regular part of the annual budgeting process, pointing to recent Olmsted County commissioner efforts to bring their pay in line with other counties. While council salaries have remained stagnant since 2022, the county commissioners have seen their annual salaries increase from $50,470 to $63,512 in the same period. The county board has approved pay adjustments in six of the last seven years. During this year's annual budget discussions in September, Olmsted County commissioners split on a proposed 10% pay increase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of commissioners pointed to other county salaries being higher and the changing roles of local elected officials, while others voiced a desire to cut the planned increase in half. The final county salaries for 2027 will be subject to a future vote. In making her proposal Monday, Norton said she's not proposing Rochester make adjustments similar to the last council pay adjustments, but she pointed to a desire to match cost-of-living increases given to city staff. "We are already out of sync four years, and I'm not suggesting we make up for those four years at all," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wahl separated the issue of staff pay and elected official salaries "It's much easier for me to advocate for staff members than for myself," he said, noting he'd be more willing to discuss other potential uses of the proposed $19,000 heading into the 2027 budget. Oct. 20They don't look like the other police officers. Wearing light blue uniform shirts under black vests, they appeared noticeably different than other police wearing the standard black uniform, as they intermingled with the thousands of people marching along Spokane streets during Saturday's "No Kings" protest. When crowds began marching down Garland and north on Monroe on Saturday, the groups of two officers in blue began walking with them. They would occasionally engage in small conversation with the protesters, speak to the organizers about their plan or communicate to other officers to tell them what roads to block to stop traffic so demonstrators could safely pass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Standing at the end of the march on Monroe Saturday was a young girl, holding a sign and chatting with others about whether or not she thought the police were going to deploy smoke canisters or tear gas at protesters like she had seen on television in other states. As she was talking, an officer in blue passed her. The two chatted for a bit before the girl reached out her hand across the street's yellow line, where the officer was standing on the other side to observe traffic. He smiled and gave her a high-five. She skipped away and joyfully commented to herself in a sing-song voice: "I love those guys." "Those guys" the officers wearing light blue among the crowds at protests in Spokane are members of the department's tactical team designated to manage large crowds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But they are also part of the department's evolving "dialogue unit," a group specifically trained to engage with protesters and organizers. It's a new strategy the department rolled out in April. Instead of the typical way people might see police at protests, Spokane Police's "dialogue" officers focus on mixing into the protest by establishing positive connections, building rapport and talking with participants, helping people exercise their First Amendment rights. "That's the mindset of the team as well. We talk about it a lot," Spokane Police Lt. Kyle Yrigollen said in April after returning from a dialogue policing conference. "People are out here to share their message, and we're here to support that." The strategy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The method, a practice that is beginning to make waves across local police departments, has seen benefits by filling needs the department had wrestled with for years. "The biggest gap that it has filled is our communication with our local activist groups," said Officer Karl Richardson, who led a dialogue policing-based training at Gonzaga University on Oct. 7. Officers are reaching out to organizers well in advance of their event and communicating with them consistently during the event to maintain peace. It's also led to a much better professional relationship with local community activists. "I think it's helpful for those that are protesting and those that are practicing their First Amendment rights to know who's showing up as a law enforcement presence," Richardson told The Spokesman-Review during his training session. "There's a realm of understanding, or a common ground of at least knowing each other that wasn't there before." Dan Lambert, an organizer with Spokane Indivisible, has been working with the dialogue team for a few months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are very grateful," Lambert said after Saturday's protest. "They really understand folks who want to exercise their First Amendment rights...They have been wonderful to work with, and we have been talking about what we could do better next time." Police in Columbus, Ohio, developed its dialogue unit after the murder of George Floyd sparked the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. Their department also was the first to help kickstart Spokane's dialogue-policing strategy. Or in the way Richardson puts it, "de-escalation before escalation." The blueprint is simple: If police communicate with people more often in an effective way, they will engage with officers as protest facilitators instead of protest suppressors. The officers will situate themselves in the middle of a protest to focus solely on helping people achieve their First Amendment expression within the confines of the law, rather than spending time entirely focused on enforcement and confrontation. It's where police will start to engage in an "open dialogue" with protesters or counter protesters to establish rapport, a publication from Police Chief Magazine states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The method also discourages police from showing up in "riot gear" at protests and silently watching protesters with little to no engagement with them, because demonstrators could see this as a threat or a technique to stifle their First Amendment expressions, the research states. Choosing to instead engage with demonstrators in a more welcoming way with less intimidating and clearly identifiable uniforms will instead lead to protesters policing themselves. This dialogue-based strategy has effectively reduced arrests at protests, the research claims. These types of connections also refute the common assumption that protesters are automatically violent and seek chaos and disorder in crowds. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project shows that despite the notion the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 were mostly violent, 93 % of them remained peaceful. The "No Kings" protest in Spokane on Saturday yielded zero arrests by 4 p.m., the time the event was scheduled to end. Despite some of the Trump Administration's top leaders calling the scheduled protest a "Hate America rally" or referring to those within the Democratic party that oppose President Donald Trump's policies as "terrorists" and "violent criminals," the protests were also mostly peaceful nationwide, even in cities that have been a focal point for Trump's ire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the day went on, an estimated 7 million people showed up at more than 2,700 "No Kings" rallies in cities and towns, according to reporting from NBC. Around 10,000 people showed up in Spokane. The effectiveness Richardson, who was one of the dialogue officers on duty at the time of Spokane's mass protest, said he was satisfied with the outcome. Protesters, some of whom had felt nervous around police before, were engaging with them more frequently. Some would walk up to them and smile, joke or laugh. Interactions with them were "overwhelmingly positive," he added. Other officers nearby commented they were continually approached by demonstrators, some of whom shook their hands or handed them stickers. They couldn't recall a tumultuous or unsettling interaction from the afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was a great, peaceful event," Richardson said on Saturday. "We wanna keep things safe, and today was a good day for that...The organizations here did a great job." Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane police liaison Jim Leighty told The Spokesman-Review at the rally that the communication with police officers was fluid and going well. Everyone was working together and communicating, he said. "The idea is to keep everybody safe," Leighty commented during the march. "It's a large crowd, and everyone's exercising their rights." A key strategy within the dialogue policing method is to connect and communicate with organizers enough to where police will not have to intervene. Lambert said afterward that the police's effort helped organizers maintain the crowds and do the de-escalation of any potential conflicts themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The protesters aren't as intimidated," Lambert said. "I can let people know why (the dialogue officers) are there. For some, it has been an icebreaker." In one instance, Richardson said, there were a few people observed at the protest who showed up clad in helmets, gloves and vests. Police asked organizers to check with those people to see if they were planning any demonstration out of the norm that officers should be aware of. After organizers had a conversation with the group, all was well, Richardson said. While there's no specific way to measure the dialogue method's success, there may be a strategy. In early October, when Richardson was leading the dialogue training for their tactical officers, he noted that sometimes dialogue-policing's effectiveness is observed based on whether communication with someone whose behavior is escalating inside a peaceful gathering has fallen in "temperature" following an interaction with police. Sometimes, it takes hours of work to get there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When an impromptu protest erupted on June 11 following federal immigration's detainment of two legal asylum-seekers, the dialogue officers weren't in their typical blue uniforms. But officers did their best to implement the same strategy they would have if the protest had been preplanned, Richardson said. "Just because dialogue wasn't deployed in their blue shirts, a number of us practiced dialogue principles and efforts throughout the entirety of the event," Richardson said. While upwards of 30 people were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly, there were many more instances where de-escalation was used and proven to be effective, he added. "Multiple times, that (strategy) was able to influence people set on being arrested to actually rejoining the crowd and peacefully participating in their First Amendment activities," Richardson said. "I try not to gauge our success in the deployment of a conversational tactic (because) it's very hard to gauge what the result could have been or would have not been." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also watches his body camera footage after a protest to determine how many people, either looking for a confrontation with an officer or not, he spoke with. If the conversation doesn't end pleasantly, Richardson said his typical response is, "Alrighty, enjoy your First Amendment activity." "Obviously, there's no magical potion that's going to stop any sort of police confrontation for the history of the world. If we knew that potion, we would all employ it, and none of us would deal with it, and it'd be awesome. Everybody would be happy," Richardson said. "But it is a tool in our toolbox. I think we're using it wisely." But maybe the success, Richardson said, is also measured in public perception. And it's a noticeable change. "We've seen an overwhelming, positive reception of our presence," Richardson said. "Not only at events, but an overwhelmingly welcomed reception of our communication before the event." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the air was cold and brisk on Saturday and officers walked miles in their shoes one officer commenting offhandedly he should have bought a better, more comfortable pair most of the six were still smiling and laughing by the end of it. "We are very grateful," Lambert said as he stood beside protesters, waving their flags over the sidewalks on Division Street. "I couldn't ask for a better relationship." WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Halloween is under two weeks away, and soon the ghosts and spirits will come to life across D.C., Maryland and Virginia for a night of thrills! As families get ready to celebrate the spooky season, several events are taking place across the DMV, inviting people to put on their best costumes and celebrate. To help with plans for this Halloween, DC News Now has compiled a list of events as the day creeps closer. Washington, D.C. Halloween Costume Skate Party | Friday, Oct. 31 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DC Department of Parks and Recreation is calling all Washingtonians to put on their Halloween costumes and grab their skates for the Halloween costume Skate Party. From 4- 7:30 p.m., the party will take off at the Kennedy Recreation Center. Event organizers said the spooktacular night will be filled with thrilling music, creepy costumes, roller-skating, and, of course, fun. Trunk or Treat Extravaganza | Friday, Oct. 31 The 3rd annual Trunk or Treat Extravaganza is coming back to Ward 7 just in time for the thrills and chills. Ward 7 representative Ebone-Rose Thomspon announced that the extravaganza will be held at RFK Lot 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The free event will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Oklahoma Avenue. If you plan to attend, sign up here. Free Lyft rides available in DC area this Halloween weekend Trunk or Treat Fall Festival | Friday, Oct. 31 Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of Neighborhoods Safety and Engagement are celebrating this Halloween with their Trunk or Treat Fall Festival. The 3rd annual event will kick off at 100 42nd Street NE. The event will include music, a Harvest market, a pumpkin patch and more. For more details, click here. Childrens Halloween Festival | Friday, Oct. 31 From trick-or-treating to spooky story time, the DC Public Library will host its Childrens Halloween Festival for kids 3 and up. Starting at 4 p.m. at the Woodridge Neighborhood Library, kids in the community will show off their creative costumes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will also be indoor trick-or-treating, and children will have the chance to take home a craft. The festival will end at 5:30 p.m. Maryland Monster Flash Halloween Bash | Oct 25 & 26 Beep! Beep! The Montgomery County Department of Transportation is bringing back its Monster Flash. The haunted house-themed bus will bring the thrill to three free events across Maryland. On Saturday, Oct. 25, the bus will appear at the Twinbrook Library at the lower-level parking from 10-12 p.m. in Rockville. The bus will then go to the Germantown Library from 2-4 p.m. on Century Boulevard. The Monster Flash bus will then appear at the HalloWheaton at the Marian Fryer Town Plaza. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Monster Flash Halloween Bash will also feature story time, a dance party, crafts and games and a tour of the spooky bus. Which are the most popular Halloween candies in the DMV? The Monster Flash bus draws attention to the Flash network in a creative way that reaches families and neighbors where they are. Events like these help residents learn about the investments were making to provide faster, more reliable transit. I appreciate MCDOTs work to make these projects real and to build enthusiasm for the future of transit in our County, said County Executive Marc Elrich. Harvest Fest | Sunday, Oct. 26 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A whimsical pumpkin patch is just days away from coming alive in Fort Washington. Jacobss Ladder Youth Foundation is inviting the community to its Harvest Fest! The fest will begin at 2 p.m., with food trucks, a bubble party and trunks full of treats. Treat-or-Treat in Downtown Hagerstown | Saturday, Oct. 25 Despite the creepy thrills, for others, Halloween is about collecting treats. On Saturday, in Downtown Hagerstown, several shops and restaurants will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. From 4- 6 p.m., Halloween participants can stroll along Potomac Street, Washington Street, and nearby side streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All trick-or-treaters are encouraged to bring their own bucket or bag. Virginia 29th Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade | Sunday, Oct. 26 One community in Alexandria has become a staple for its traditional Halloween celebration, and now the Del Ray Halloween Parade is back for its 29th run. For more than three decades, members of the community and local businesses have come together to decorate for Halloween, highlighting the fun and competition. On Sunday, the parade will begin marching on E. Bellefonte Avenue and continue along Mount Vernon Avenue. All furry friends, children and decorated strollers are welcome to join. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Del Ray Halloween Parade will feature a pet costume contest, stroller/ group contest and Halloween scavenger hunt. More details here. Trunk or Treat at Hilton | Friday, Oct. 24 The Hilton McLean Tysons Corner is hosting its trunk or treat party. The free event will feature a screening of the classic movie, Hocus Pocus, food, trunks filled with treats and music. The movie will start at 8 p.m. and attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket. Adding a twist to the party, the person with the best costume and best trunk will win a prize. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go directly to support breast cancer awareness, research and support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Register for the event here. DC News Now will continue to update this list as we learn about more events. Check DCNewsNow.com for updates. To keep up with the latest news and weather updates, download our Mobile App on iPhone or Android. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) The Springfield Police Department is investigating after officials said a group of men was involved in a $10,000 credit card fraud scheme. Theyre now asking for help through Crime Stoppers in solving the case. Officials said that on Oct. 16, officers received reports of four Black males approaching people outside several businesses on Springfields west side. They posed as employees of the Boys and Girls Club and asked for donations to help pay for funeral expenses. Springfield PD arrests three people accused of bank robbery Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victims gave over their credit cards to donate, officials said, but the men charged them much more than they had initially agreed to. The fraudulent donations totaled over $10,000. The men were described as being in their 20s and were later seen on surveillance cameras at Springfields Target. Chatham Police Dept. shares e-bike reminders amid community concerns Anyone who can identify these suspects are encouraged to submit their knowledge to Sangamon/Menard County Crime Stoppers in a tip. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 217-788-8427, visiting cashfortips.us or using the P3 Tips mobile app. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tips that lead to an arrest will be rewarded with up to $2,500 in cash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Water construction improvements have begun Monday on Birnie Avenue in Springfield and are set to continue until June 2026, according to officials. The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission stated that improvements to critical water infrastructure will be conducted on Birnie Avenue between Huntington Street and Arch Street starting Monday. Work will typically be performed on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Springfield considers expanding PILOT program for more revenue Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A vital section of Springfields drinking water distribution system will be targeted throughout this project, aiming to improve service reliability and safeguard water infrastructure. As repairs are underway, several roads and sidewalks will be closed to ensure public safety. The right lane and adjacent sidewalk along Birnie Avenue from Huntington St. to Arch St. will be closed to through traffic. Additional lane closures and pedestrian crossings will be managed by law enforcement using posted signs, barriers, and police details in the area. The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission says that residential water service is not expected to be impacted during this project. All construction is weather-dependent and may be subject to change. Residents with questions are encouraged to contact the Commission by calling 413-310-3501 or emailing cfs@waterandsewer.org. 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. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. 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. Oct. 21The teen involved in a hit-and-run on his dirt bike last month died of his injuries, according to the prosecutor's office. Fifteen-year-old Nathanial Thompson, identified in the indictment, died in the hospital, having been on life support. He died Oct. 3, according to his obituary. Christopher Oliver, 20, was re-indicted on charges of tampering with evidence, failure to stop after an accident and obstructing official business Monday. The new charges reflect the fact that the teen died, said Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Miller. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was previously indicted on charges of tampering with evidence, obstructing official business and two counts of failure to stop after an accident for the crash. The new indictment will replace the prior one, Miller said. The crash, which happened around 4 p.m. Sept. 21 in the area of North Florence Street and Lagonda Avenue in Springfield, occurred after the teen, who was driving a dirt bike on the sidewalk, attempted to enter the roadway and did not yield to a gold Toyota Camry. The Toyota struck and seriously injured the teen. The driver of the Toyota fled the scene, although not at fault in the initial crash, according to a press release from the Springfield Police Division. Oliver is believed to have attempted to fix the damage, according to a witness, before driving through the scene of the crash once again. Michelle Flynn also faces charges of tampering with evidence and obstructing official business, being accused of helping Oliver in his attempts to conceal the vehicle after the crash. The victim suffered multiple skull and facial fractures and significant swelling and bruising, according to court records. He was breathing mostly with a ventilator and may have had a serious brain injury, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thompson is survived by his parents, a 6-month-old son, stepmother, stepfather, two sisters and two grandparents, according to his obituary. He enjoyed riding dirt bikes and go-carts or "any activity that involved the roar of a motor," according to his obituary. "These pastimes were more than mere interests; they were extensions of his lively personality and an outlet for his boundless energy," his obituary reads. "Nathanial lived life to the fullest, embodying the spirit of adventure." OTTAWA Ottawas SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church is hosting its annual fall festival from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 at the churchs school cafeteria, 320 N. Locust St., Ottawa. The event will include chicken and roast beef dinners, available for $13 for adults and $6 for children. A country store, raffles and childrens games will also be featured at the festival. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) The Amite River Basin Commission (ARBC) approved a resolution authorizing the City of St. George to join a historic partnership between three parishes for a Bayou Manchac project. The partnership now includes Ascension, East Baton Rouge, and Iberville parishes and the City of St. George for the $30 million restoration project. According to ARBC, the project aims to restore natural channel features and realign the confluence of Ward Creek into Bayou Manchac in an effort to improve drainage. The City of St. George will have a role in monitoring the project while East Baton Rouge will keep leading it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amite River Basin Commission approves regional flood prevention plan Local leaders react to partnership approval The importance of this partnership cant be overstated, said ARBC President and Iberville Commissioner John Clark. Bayou Manchac Restoration is a top priority in the Capital Region, and the Amite River Basin Commission is where parishes and municipalities come to collaborate on our most important flood challenges. The parishes came together a few years ago to clear out Bayou Manchac debris, and now we welcome St. George to the team, said East Baton Rouge City-Parish Transportation & Drainage Director Fred Raiford. Clearly, a team effort will help make Bayou Manchac Restoration a success, said Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment. This project, the LA-22 Gapping Project, our New River Pump project, and countless other drainage improvements in Ascension Parish will significantly improve flood protection in the Lower Amite Basin. Latest News 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 Louisiana First News. ST. LOUIS A St. Louis man convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2024 was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years on Monday. Derrick A. Smith, 41, was found guilty of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful gun possession in the shooting death of 38-year-old Norma Angel Reano. Smith and Reano were a couple at the time and living together in Dutchtown. On July 19, 2024, police found Reano dead inside their home in the 5000 block of Alaska Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials work to rescue man hanging from broadcast tower According to 22nd Judicial Circuit Court documents, police found a shotgun in the basement of the home with one spent shell casing. Investigators also found Smiths DNA on the shotgun and gunshot residue on his hands. In court Monday, Reanos sister, Lupita Elias, said the jury trial was painful and she is still angry the jury found Smith guilty of second-degree murder instead of first-degree murder. Assistant Circuit Attorney Grant Simon said Reano was the victim of long-term abuse that escalated the night Smith killed her. Smith offered an apology to Reanos family in court while continuing to maintain his innocence in the case. St. Louis Circuit Judge Annette Llewellyn followed the states recommendation by giving Smith a life sentence for second-degree murder and a consecutive 10-year term for armed criminal action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She sentenced Smith to a concurrent seven-year term for unlawful possession of a firearm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A case has been registered against three unidentified women after a video showing them offering namaz on the premises of Pune's historic Shaniwar wada went viral on social media, sparking protests by BJP MP Medha Kulkarni and members of other organisations. According to the Pune City Police, the FIR has been filed under provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Rules, 1959, for allegedly violating restrictions applicable to protected monuments. The incident reportedly took place around 1.45 pm on Saturday, following which an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officer lodged a formal complaint to Pune City Police. The video led to protest demonstrations on Sunday by BJP MP (RS) Medha Kulkarni and other members of city based right wing outfit, they also performed Purification rituals at spot where namaz was offered, police have increase security deployment around Shaniwarwada. "We have invoked the relevant section of the AMASR Rules, which provides for penalties related to prohibited activities within protected monuments," a police officer said. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane, commenting on a viral video allegedly showing women offering namaz at Shaniwarwada and BJP performing "purification" there, stated that Shaniwarwada is a symbol of Hindu valor and close to the community's heart. He questioned if Muslims would accept Hindus chanting Hanuman Chalisa at Haji Ali, emphasizing that prayers should be offered at designated places. Rane supported Hindu workers raising their voice on the issue. "Shaniwarwada has a history. It is the symbol of our valour. It is very close to the Hindu community's heart. If you want to offer namaz there, will you be fine with Hindus going to Haji Ali and chanting Hanuman Chalisa? Will your sentiments not be hurt?... One should offer prayers only at the designated places. If Hindu workers raised their voice, then it is correct," he told ANI. (ANI) ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A Nigerian man filed a lawsuit against a St. Louis County woman last week for allegedly selling him a car for $147,000 but never delivering it. According to court records, plaintiff Briggs Egharevba inquired through Instagram about purchasing a newer model Lexus LX 600 with Adesuwa Renee Ogiozee in October 2023. Ogiozee operates Adesuwa Auto LLC as an online broker for luxury cars. After negotiations, a price of $147,000 was agreed uponwhich included $1,000 for the broker fee, $3,000 for shipping and $143,000 for the vehicle. Eghraveba paid Ogiozee the full amount on Oct. 8, 2023 and Ogiozee sent pictures of the vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ogiozee told Eghraveba on Nov. 23, 2023, that the car was delivered and he would receive it the following week. However, over the course of the next 15 months, until January 2025, delays in the vehicles delivery were attributed to processed paperwork, holiday shipping times, inspections, title documents on hold from authorities, and false promises of imminent shipping. These delays led to beliefs that the car was never ordered or purchased, the lawsuit says, as it was also determined that photos sent by Ogiozee were stock images. Eghraveba is suing Ogiozee on violation of Missouris Merchandising Practices Act, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and conversion, requesting Ogiozee pay back the $147,000, lawsuit costs, and further relief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX 2 reached out to Ogiozee and Eghravebas attorney for comment. Neither have immediately responded. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The city of St. Paul has joined Minneapolis, Ramsey County, Chicago, Denver, Boston and four other jurisdictions in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for allegedly placing unlawful and unrelated conditions on more than $100 million in public safety and disaster grants. Led by the city of Chicago and filed in federal court in Illinois, Chicago vs. Noem centers on grants administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for fire department staffing, port and transit security, flood prevention and counter-terrorism measures. St. Paul alone is at risk of losing $4 million in pending or awarded funds, including funding covering about half the staffing in the citys Emergency Management department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement St. Paul families and businesses pay billions in federal taxes, said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, in a written statement. We deserve support in a crisis, not a government that weaponizes government aid. Administration demands cities abandon DEI initiatives To qualify for grant dollars, the Trump administration has demanded that local governments abandon diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and comply with all executive orders related to grant funding. The lawsuit, according to a written statement from the city, asks the court to stop DHS and FEMA from using these life-saving funds as leverage for unrelated political agendas. The plaintiffs maintain that the conditions are unconstitutional and exceed the executives authority, falling outside of parameters authorized by Congress. Congress has made federal funding of state and local governments emergency-management operations an essential linchpin in the systems that secure the nation, reads the lawsuit. Without that funding, people across the country will face greater risk of suffering and death from disasters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include St. Paul, Minneapolis, Ramsey County, Baltimore, Boston, the city and county of Denver, Colo., New York City and New Haven, Conn. Lawsuit: Force multiplier at risk The lawsuit notes that through mutual aid agreements, the recipient agencies sometimes support surrounding cities and jurisdictions, a force multiplier at risk of being eroded. St. Paul expends approximately $2.5 million annually in funds from DHS to provide firefighting equipment and training, emergency response, paramedic training and terrorism prevention. The citys Emergency Management department currently has a cumulative award of $2.7 million in active grants from DHS, with another $804,000 pending finalization of grant agreements. The city has applied for another $3.09 million, and anticipates applying for $2.3 million within the next year, according to a written statement. Federal grant dollars cover five of the nine city employees in the Emergency Management department, as well as their equipment and training for emergency response, according to a spokesperson for the mayors office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These resources are life-saving investments, said Rick Schute, the citys director of Emergency Management, in the written statement. We cannot afford to compromise our ability to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies. Disaster relief funds The city received about $1.03 million in FEMA-level disaster relief funds for the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and $1.25 million in flood relief for Hidden Falls in 2019, according to Grants Director Lindsay Bacher. Downtown river flooding in 2023 and 2024 did not meet the threshold for FEMA relief. The legal fight over FEMA and DHS grants is the latest in a series of court battles involving the Trump administration and individual cities, counties or states over access to longstanding federal funding. In September, a federal judge based in Rhode Island blocked the Trump administration from making disaster aid to states contingent on their cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Related Articles Charges say a St. Paul man drove to Monticello to pick up a 13-year-old girl he had just met on a dating app, gave her alcohol and marijuana and sexually assaulted her at his apartment. Brandon Jesse Johnson, 32, was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and possession of a firearm without a permit in connection with the incident. A judge set Johnsons bail at $80,000, and he remained jailed Tuesday evening. An attorney is not listed in his court file. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the criminal complaint: St. Paul police about 11 a.m. Sunday responded to a call to assist another law enforcement agency looking for the girl. Officers tracked her phone to Johnsons apartment in the 1200 block of Sherburne Avenue in the citys Hamline-Midway neighborhood. Johnson answered his door wearing only jogging pants. When asked if he knew the girl, he said she was in the shower and allowed officers inside to check on her. Officers found her on a bed partially clothed. The girl told police she had downloaded a dating app and connected with Johnson early that morning. She said he picked her up around 3 a.m. at a park near her Monticello home and brought her back to St. Paul. He assaulted her multiple times at his apartment, the complaint says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She underwent a medical examination at Midwest Childrens Medical Center. She said Johnson offered her weed and alcohol in his car and that she felt completely out of it and fell at his doorstep. She said he had gun in his car and that it scared her and made her fear she would get shot if she left, the complaint continues. After the assaults, Johnson fell asleep and she texted her mom for help, the complaint says. In his car, police found a black semi-automatic pistol on the drivers side floorboard between the seat and pedals. A used condom was in a kitchen garbage can and a bottle of tequila on the kitchen counter. In an interview at the jail, Johnson denied having any sexual contact with the girl and said he did not pick her up for that purpose. Monticello is just under an hour northwest of St. Paul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson showed police messages he exchanged with the girl on the Lovely app. About 3:15 a.m., she reached out and said, Hey. He then told her to come to his place to watch a movie, the complaint reads. (The girl) said she couldnt drive and he offered to go and get her. Johnson also admitted the gun was his and that he didnt have a permit to carry, the complaint says. Evidence collected from the girls examination and a forensic examination of Johnson has been submitted to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing and comparison; results are pending. Related Articles Following reports of fliers with racist messages and language in St. Pauls Merriam Park area, community leaders will host a public event Wednesday to hear updates from law enforcement and next steps for community members. Organized by Hamline Midway Coalition, Bethlehem Lutheran In-The-Midway and Union Park District Council, the event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran In-The-Midway church at 436 Roy St. N. in St. Paul. Bethlehem Round Tables are an opportunity for us to gather as community & neighbors around topics that bring us joy, break our hearts, and give us hope for the neighborhood, Bethlehem Lutheran In-The-Midway posted on its Facebook page earlier this month. In recent weeks, vile, hateful flyers have circulated through our neighborhoods causing pain, fear, and frustration. This community conversation is a space to come together not to amplify that hate, but to respond with facts, connection, and care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement St. Paul police first responded to reports of the fliers in the Merriam Park area Oct. 2. Officers met with a resident who found fliers with racially motivated biases in the street of the 1600 block of Sherburne Avenue, according to police, at the time. Officers also recovered laminated fliers with hate speech from the 400 block of Fry Street the same afternoon. Police also responded to other areas to collect fliers including Cleveland Avenue between Roblyn Avenue and Carroll Avenue, Feronia Avenue between Prior Avenue and Lynhurst Avenue and the 2000 block of St. Anthony Avenue between Dewey Street and Prior Avenue. Police were investigating the fliers at the time and additional officers were canvassing the neighborhood. Residents at Wednesdays meeting will learn more about what they should do if they find additional flyers, how to report them, and what laws apply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents who find similar fliers are encouraged call 911 and report their location, according to the event organizers. The event also will focus on next steps to bring community together. Well explore how neighbors, faith communities, district councils, and local partners can stand together countering hate with connection, storytelling, and collective care, according to the event description. To register to attend the event in person or to receive an email with a Zoom link, go to tinyurl.com/58ewpw2t. Participants must register to in order to join by Zoom. Food will be provided for in-person attendees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents who find additional fliers also are encouraged to file an online police report at stpaul.gov/departments/police/file-police-report. Related Articles Stacey Abrams the two time Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia has a new mission: defending democracy and diversity, equity, and inclusion in equal measure. At a moment when Donald Trumps administration has made a crusade out of stamping out DEI initiatives in government even going so far as to repeal a Civil Rights-era order banning segregation by federal contractors Abrams continues to make the case that diversity is our strength. America works best, in her view, when folks without structural advantages are welcomed to the table and given a fair shot to contribute. To pursue this work, Abrams founded a nonprofit called American Pride Rises, with the tagline: We fight for opportunity for all, no exceptions. Just going off headlines and news of corporate and collegiate capitulation to Trumps anti-DEI agenda, you might think that Abrams is rowing against the tides. But DEI remains stubbornly popular among Americans not in the MAGA camp. And Abrams is determined to see the political pendulum swing back into line with popular opinion. Success will hinge on victories at the ballot box which are threatened by Trumps increasingly authoritarian mode of governance, and his marching orders for state legislatures to redraw congressional districts to his partisan benefit. Seeking to champion America as a pluralistic democracy, Abrams has also launched a new 10 Steps campaign. The initiative sounds the alarm about 10 signs of autocracy in America. But it also offers everyday people 10 constructive steps for fighting back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rolling Stone spoke with Abrams by phone earlier this month, shortly after Trump summoned Americas diverse military brass to Quantico to call for confronting what the president calls the enemy within. The transcript that follows has been edited for length and clarity. Im looking through your 10 signs of autocracy, and Its pretty harrowing. Weve already witnessed expanded executive power; attacks on the media; captured branches of government. It seems like were up to step eight or nine out of 10 here. Clearly you see this as a dangerous moment. Weve actually had all 10 steps. Look at step 10 which is ending democracy making certain we dont have free and fair elections. The way that manifests in autocracies is not that they dont hold elections. Venezuela has elections. Its that the elections dont mean anything, because they manufacture the outcome. Thats what watched happen when the president and the Republicans explicitly went to Texas to rig the system, to game the number of [congressional] seats they could win. They did the same thing in Missouri. Theyre planning to do it in other states. We saw Georgia purging 400,000-plus voters [from the rolls] after a 115,000 vote margin in 2024. Its very important that we understand we have hit all 10 steps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when you recognize it thats when the ability to resist and to thwart authoritarianism is made real. And thats the point behind the campaign. I think for many Americans this present moment feels awkward, or it feels bad, but it doesnt feel like authoritarianism because thats not what weve been trained to look for. Its critical that we understand that we are in it. This is not something thats coming. This is not if we do 10 more things, it happens. No, it is here. But we also know the playbook for resistance. And the 10 Steps for Freedom and Power are there to remind us that we know how to stop this from taking permanent hold. We all have to do something. A critical mass of people has to believe that they are part of thwarting this authoritarian takeover. Because when you have that critical mass, it works. The campaign is designed to say we dont need a single person or a single approach to win. What we need is the volume of action, the consistency of action and the engagement of every person willing to act. But weve got to meet people where they are. What are a couple examples that would be accessible to folks who are alarmed but are unsure of how they can help? One of the 10 steps is sharing, which may sound very small-ball. But the reason they tried to get rid of Jimmy Kimmel, the reason they defunded PBS and NPR, the reason they wanted Karen Attiah and Matthew Dowd fired, is because they dont want us to have good information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In nations where silence is the currency of the government, civil resistance relies on the ability and willingness to share effective information. There are 330 million of us, so sharing information changes things. When people actually see what the effects [of authoritarianism] are, theyre willing to take action on a larger scale. So if youre in Portland, when the National Guard is deployed, you should be filming everything they do, and you should be sharing that information because they dont want us to know whats happening. Another step is mobilize. We tend to think we have to go to a massive march. But maybe you live in a community where there are just 500 people and only 40 of them agree with you. A march may not be the thing. But you can host a conversation. You can all talk about, for example, the national park in your rural community where everyones been laid off because of the shutdown. These families arent eating right now because nobody there has a job. So you organize a Friday potluck where you are feeding them. That mobilization might feel small, but one of the ways you defend democracy is by showing people that were in it together. What other steps would you highlight? My two favorites are disruption and denial. Authoritarian systems require obedience. Disruption means you refuse to comply, you protest. Its also handing out Know Your Rights cards if you live in a community where you now have the armed military [forces]. They are not the police and they dont have the authority of police. Lets make sure people know what their rights are. Then, step seven, denial. This is using language theyre not going to like. For example: continuing to call it the Gulf of Mexico. Denial is a bridge to the conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion. How so? Authoritarians strip you of your language. They try to convince you that what you know is not true and that what you say is not valid. We have to deny authoritarians their ability to demonize our language. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEI is the currency of America. Diversity, equity and inclusion are three foundational values that let us survive and thrive, despite the perfidy that weve seen in this country. If you look at the original list of executive orders that came out in the first 48 hours [of Trumps second term], DEI was the most prominent attack. Because they dont like pluralism. They dont like diversity. They are afraid of equity. They are terrified that inclusion has actually made us stronger. So we have to not only use the language, but we have to understand that DEI is the core of how weve made this democratic republic function, and we should be fighting for it. Our military is Americas prime marker of inclusion being our strength. But watching Trump address the generals at Quantico was jarring. The president is up there making weird references to the n-word, and talking about how the Congolese have emptied their prisons into America. The racial coding is not difficult to understand. Its alarming how much of this authoritarian project appears to be twinned with reasserting white dominance. Their anger is grounded in our success. Theyre mad at DEI because it worked. Pete Hegseth has railed against the success of the worlds mightiest military actually achieving the intentions of a pluralistic democracy: The people fighting for America look like America. Thats what he was angry about. Thats what the president has reviled. We have to recognize that, while they are starting with DEI, theyre coming for everyone. The president of the United States is very clear in using language that not only has a white supremacist positioning, but it also speaks to restoration of the notion that women should not have positions of power. They start with race, because race is the original sin of this nation. But race is not the only predicate for discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is also gender. It is sexual orientation. It is the reason the secretary of defense made a disparaging comment about our transgender troops. It is the reason that they are eviscerating access to the Americans with Disabilities Act. When they slashed in half the Department of Education, what theyre denying are IEPs, individual education plans for disabled children and children with learning disabilities. They are attacking anything they do not believe speaks to this perfected, very pale, version of what they think America is. We cannot allow that to go unchecked. Unfortunately, for them, in this country, weve had 250 years of practice mounting strong resistance. We just have to be reminded of our muscle memory. Thats the intention of the 10 Steps program. The central pillar for me is DEI because there is nothing more terrifying to the fascism and authoritarianism than diversity, equity, and inclusion, because, by its very nature, it defies what they are attempting to create. I do worry that theres a sense of doomerism around American elections right now, that people may believe the fix is in and not show up at the ballot box. Whats your view on the importance of continuing to engage in the political process, despite the setbacks that may make elections less fair? My father was arrested when he was 14 for registering black people to vote in Mississippi. He believed as a teenager that this right was so fundamental that he was willing to sacrifice his freedom for something his father was sent to fight for but denied when he came home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exempting ourselves from the hard work of fighting for democracy is a luxury we cant afford. We may not guarantee the outcome. We can guarantee the fight. My broader mission is for us to remember we are not defeated, and, in fact, that we are winning. Because if theyve already won, they would not be doing what theyre doing. They would not be holding, you know, faux Patton-like spectacles, summoning the generals to pretend power. They wouldnt be issuing executive orders that are more fiction than the novels that I write. They also wouldnt be deploying the military to harass citizens. They wouldnt be standing up masked secret police. If they were already successful, they would be enjoying the fruits of their labor. Instead, they are laboring to convince us that weve already lost. We dont have to agree on everything, but we have to be aligned that democracy is worth fighting for and that we can win. 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. NEED TO KNOW The Perfect Neighbor has reignited the conversation around "stand your ground" laws The Netflix documentary tells the true story of Ajike AJ Owens, who was shot and killed by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz Florida was the first state to pass a stand your ground law in 2005 In Netflix's new documentary The Perfect Neighbor, "stand your ground" laws are at the center. Composed mostly of police body camera footage, The Perfect Neighbor tells the tragic true story of Ajike AJ Owens, who, in 2023, was shot and killed by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years in prison. According to the Associated Press, during her trial, Lorincz's legal team tried to argue that her actions fell under Florida's stand your ground laws. So, what are stand your ground laws? Here's what to know about the controversial form of defense and how it's involved in Netflix's The Perfect Neighbor. Stand your ground law allows individuals to use deadly force if they feel threatened Courtesy of Netflix Susan Lorincz in "The Perfect Neighbor" Susan Lorincz in "The Perfect Neighbor" In traditional self-defense laws, if someone is being attacked outside of their home, they have a "duty to retreat" before resorting to using deadly force, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Stand your ground laws remove the duty to retreat, allowing individuals to legally defend themselves in public areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It expands upon the "castle doctrine," which gives people the right to "use reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect themselves against an intruder in their home." Florida was the first state to enact a stand your ground law Netflix "The Perfect Neighbor" on Netflix "The Perfect Neighbor" on Netflix Florida, where The Perfect Neighbor takes place, was the first state to pass a modern stand your ground law in 2005, per The New York Times. At the time, the National Rifle Association (NRA) lobbied for the bill's passage, which was passed by the Florida House of Representatives and the Senate before then-Governor Jeb Bush signed it. Throughout the process, there was opposition, with then-Chief of the Miami Police Department John Timoney calling it unnecessary and dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a clear position that we will stand with victims of violent attacks when the law is in their favor," then-Representative Dennis K. Baxley of Ocala said. "People want to know we stand on the side of victims of crime instead of the side of criminals." Former NRA executive Wayne LaPierre added that the law would be introduced nationwide. In the past 20 years, nearly 30 states have followed Florida and passed their own stand your ground laws, according to FindLaw. Stand your ground laws have been attributed to an increase in gun violence and death Netflix "The Perfect Neighbor" on Netflix "The Perfect Neighbor" on Netflix After Florida's stand your ground law was backed by the NRA, the organization lobbied for it in multiple other states, according to Mother Jones. In the years since, the law has reportedly resulted in more gun violence and homicides, rather than deterring. "Several studies have found an increase between eight and 11 percent in homicides in states after they adopt these laws," Robert Spitzer, author of The Gun Dilemma: How History is Against Expanded Gun Rights, told PBS in April 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stand your ground laws also have a history of disproportionately affecting communities of color and Black people. According to the Urban Institute, "the odds that a white-on-black homicide is ruled to have been justified is more than 11 times the odds a black-on-white shooting is ruled justified." These laws are often weaponized by people," The Perfect Neighbor director Geeta Gandbhir told The Guardian in October 2025. "You just have to prove that you had a well-founded fear that your life was in danger. This is incredibly dangerous for people of color, who are often criminalized and seen as a threat." Susan Lorinczs legal team claimed she was legally justified under Floridas stand your ground law Courtesy of Netflix Susan Lorincz in "The Perfect Neighbor" Susan Lorincz in "The Perfect Neighbor" Two years of tension between Owens' family and Lorincz culminated in an altercation between Owens' children and Lorincz. Afterward, Owens knocked on Lorincz's door and asked to speak, but instead of answering, Lorincz called 911 and claimed that she felt threatened. A dispatcher told Lorincz to remain inside while police were on the way, but she grabbed a .380-caliber handgun and shot through the door, according to The New York Times. Owens was shot in her chest, and after her children called 911, she was transported to a hospital, where she died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lorincz was not charged immediately following Owens' death. According to The New York Times, due to Florida's stand your ground law, investigators had to examine whether deadly force was justified or not before [they made] an arrest." According to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, authorities were able to determine that Lorinczs actions were not justifiable under Florida law. Lorincz's legal team also tried to argue her actions fell under stand your ground laws, but the jury rejected the argument, according to NPR. She was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Per Orlando's News 6 WKMG, when Judge Robert Hodges read the sentence, he said he believed Lorincz "acted more out of anger than out of fear." The family of AJ Owens is fighting to repeal Floridas stand your ground law Courtesy of Netflix Pamela Dias in "The Perfect Neighbor" Pamela Dias in "The Perfect Neighbor" In November 2024, Owens' family and friends announced the creation of the Standing in the Gap Fund in honor of Owens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Standing in the Gap website, the fund "was created to support families like AJs who are suffering from loss and unsure of how to navigate the aftermath." The organization will also work to make legislative change, "particularly towards the repeal of stand your ground," Owen's friend Takema Robinson said, per WESH News. Read the original article on People TUPELO An estimated 400 people gathered outside of Sen. Trent Kellys office in Tupelo as part of Saturdays nationwide No Kings protest. The local protest was organized by Indivisible of Northeast Mississippi. Nationwide, the rallies were held in opposition to President Donald Trumps administration and its policies. An estimated 8 million took part nationwide. Northeast Mississippi residents held signs both handmade and professionally printed, many featuring wry critiques of the president and his policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shawn Brevard, a local organizer and advocate, said the event was a chance for those critical of Trumps policies to exercise the American tradition of open speech and government critique. I love my country with all its flaws. I trust a loving God, Brevard said, citing the Biblical commandment to love thy neighbor. My neighbor is everyone of you. There are no second-class citizens. The protest was meant as a peaceful show of force to urge local legislators and the federal administration to reverse course on what attendees believe represent profound government overreach, including mass detentions and deportations of undocumented immigrants across the nation and the gutting of federal safety nets. The protests springing up across the nation have been characterized as violent and aggressive, and in response, many protesters, including those in Tupelo, took to donning inflatable costumes, a movement that started in Portland, Oregon, during their protests against the federal deployment of the National Guard in their city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the second time activists and residents have gathered at Kellys office as part of a national No Kings protest. The last protest was in the spring. Teresa Roberts, a member of Indivisible and organizers, said the Trump Administrations actions show disregard for the ideals the country was founded on. This protest is very important We want to send a message to this administration that we the people will stand for justice, for rights and for the benefits that our people deserve, she said. This administrations actions do not show democracy. People come to us for freedom. Residents from across the region came to show support, including Bobby Carroll, a New Albany resident and former Republican who said he couldnt stand by the actions of the administration any longer. I dont believe in kings, he said, adding that this was his first protest. I was a Republican all my life, but I dont agree with what they are doing. We need our freedom. We need to stand up for our freedom regardless of party. Attendees packed the Sandoval County Commission chambers during an Oct. 20, 2025 town hall with U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) to ask questions about the federal government shutdown and other concerns under the Trump administration. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) During a Rio Rancho town hall with 80 attendees Monday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) said she does not see an upcoming end to the federal government shutdown as it stretches into its fourth week. Im not optimistic that well be out of the shutdown soon, she told people gathered in the Sandoval County Commission chambers. They canceled votes this week. Were scheduled to have votes next week, but in the interviews I heard today from the Republican leadership, they said that theyre not compromising and theyre not reopening the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Monday, the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, became the third longest full government shutdown in history. It began after Congress was unable to find a bipartisan path forward on a stopgap spending bill. New Mexico Democrats said they would not budge until Republicans agree to extend tax credits for people who purchase health insurance in the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Town hall attendees posed a wide range of questions on the shutdown and more, including: the potential impacts to federal retiree benefits; how to address government mistrust; and the Trump administrations plan to send $40 billion to Argentina. The attendees also aired concerns about the size of the federal deficit and the countrys credit rating. The Monday event followed Saturdays No Kings protests in New Mexico and across the country, in which organizers said millions of Americans took to the streets protesting President Donald Trump and his administrations policies. Stansbury, who attended the Albuquerque rally, said the No Kings protests constitute one of the best tools to increase political pressure, and urged attendees to really take care of each other, keep having courage and were going to have to keep standing up and speaking out. Attendee Dan Donahue, 57, an independent voter, posed the federal deficit question, and told Source NM that Stansbury provided all the answers and more. A lawyer, Donahue said he felt the need to attend the town hall to address what he sees as unconstitutional methods by the Trump administration to consolidate power in the executive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While I agree with some of the goals of the Trump administration, the methods that they are using to achieve these goals are just unconstitutional, he said. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) addresses attendees in a Rio Rancho town hall. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) During the town hall, Stansbury told attendees the blame for the shutdown lies solely on the shoulders of Republicans, noting that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has full control of the calendar. If the Speaker of the House wanted to pass the budget today, he could literally, literally call us back right this minute, Stansbury said. Stansbury said, in the meantime, her office would soon start hosting resource fairs for federal workers who are working without pay or people concerned about looking for food assistance or healthcare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What theyre doing is punishing the American people, and we know that its going to harm real families, Stansbury said. Stansbury credited New Mexico state lawmakers for passing legislation to address federal impacts during the two-day Oct. 1 special session, and said the state was looking into legal options to address a recent memo from the federal government warning that it would end funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in November. There will absolutely be legal action against the administration trying to essentially impound funding, Stansbury told Source NM in an interview after the town hall. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX NEED TO KNOW Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol revealed how the company was planning to implement AI to streamline service He addressed concerns that real baristas would be replaced by robots, saying that the focus was instead on creating artificial intelligence systems that would work as assistants for human employees In the future, Niccol envisioned a scenario where customers could place an order simply by speaking to their phone Starbucks is looking into the future and embracing the rise of AI. While speaking at Dreamforce, CEO Brian Niccol spoke about how the company has begun to utilize artificial intelligence and even addressed concerns about fully robotic coffee shops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Niccol said that the goal right now is to use AI to help make Starbucks the worlds greatest customer service company again," according to Fortune. Michael Reaves/Getty Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol In order to achieve that, it is not about developing a robotic staff. Instead, the CEO stressed that Starbucks' goal is currently to bring more partners back into our stores" with a focus on providing "a great, not robotic experience and an emphasis on real craft. The key place that AI is assisting with that currently is via the company's Green Dot Assist. First announced in June 2025, Niccol described the system as being like a "barista assistant." It currently helps employees if they're unfamiliar with the steps for crafting a drink or if other problems arise in a store. Using technology that Starbucks refers to as "smart Q," AI has also helped with the "bottlenecks" that occur as baristas prepare drinks that are ordered in store, via drive-thru, for mobile pickup and for delivery all at once. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the company handled orders on a "first in, first out" basis," Niccol noted that it wasn't the most efficient way and hoped that AI could assist with determining a better order. One place customers will be be able to experience the use of AI in the future is on the company's mobile app. The CEO envisioned a day in which orders could be placed without even having to open the app. In an ideal world, a customer could simply tell their phone, Hey I need my Starbucks order Ill be there in 10 minutes," and have their order placed, Niccol said. In a June press release, Green Dot Assist was described as "a virtual assistant built to help baristas in real time." Starbucks Starbucks' Green Dot Assist Starbucks' Green Dot Assist "Instead of flipping through manuals or searching for answers, partners can now ask questions on in-store iPads and receive instant, conversational responses. With this new solution, were simplifying access to essential information in the flow of work for partners, making their jobs a little easier while they build confidence and expertise," the release stated. Matthew Horwood/Getty Stock image of Starbucks Stock image of Starbucks The store was piloted in 35 shops with plans to expand it in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is a new era of innovation at Starbucksone where AI enhances the partner experience and strengthens the connection between baristas and customers. Because when we invest in our partners, were investing in the future of our Starbucks experience," the release read. PEOPLE reached out to Starbucks for additional comment on plans for AI. Read the original article on People Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over allegations of selling political positions in Karnataka, claiming that the credit for diverting state's resources to the "high command belongs solely to the BJP" and "not the Congress". Sharing a video post on X, Kharge referred to a conversation between former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and the late BJP leader Anant Kumar, in which it was reportedly disclosed that Rs 1,800 crore in black money was given to the BJP high command. "Have the @BJP4Karnataka leaders forgotten that it was revealed in the conversation between Shri Yediyurappa and the late Shri Anant Kumar that 1800 crore in black money was given to the BJP high command? If they have forgotten, we are reminding them once again. It would be better if MP B.Y. Raghavendra listens to his revered father's words once and then speaks," Kharge wrote on X. https://x.com/PriyankKharge/status/1980487980910538887 He further advised BJP MP BY Raghavendra to heed his late father's words before making public statements. "It was BJP members who said that 2,500 crore must be paid for the Chief Minister's post, and it was also BJP members who said that 60, 70 crore must be paid for ministerial positions," Congress leader said. Kharge added that the BJP itself had revealed that positions in the state government were put up for sale. "It was BJP members themselves who revealed that the BJP high command had put positions up for sale and turned it into a business. The credit for dedicating Karnataka's resources to the high command belongs to the BJP, not to the Congress," Kharge claimed. Earlier on Monday, Kharge also criticised the Central government, accusing it of discriminating against the state in the allocation of flood relief funds. Speaking to reporters, Kharge said despite Karnataka being the highest paying GST state and contributing 8.9 per cent to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the state is treated unfairly by the Union Government when it comes to the devolution of funds. (ANI) NASA is looking for new ideas for moon landers to help its astronauts return to the surface of the moon as progress for SpaceX's Starship megarocket has come slower than hoped. Sean Duffy, NASA's acting administrator, has recently made the rounds on network news stations to indicate his intention of reopening a contract awarded years ago to SpaceX. The lucrative agreement in question is for the commercial rocket company founded by billionaire Elon Musk to develop a vehicle to ferry Artemis III astronauts to the lunar surface before the decade is out. The move would subject SpaceX to competition from space technology rivals like Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin. The U.S. is also in the midst of a space race with China to return humans to the moon and set up a permanent base of operations ahead of planned expeditions to Mars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's evertyhing to know about NASA's moon landing plans, and SpaceX's now-threatened role in a potentially historic lunar return for the first time in half a century. What is NASA's Artemis lunar program? NASA's Artemis campaign is the agency's ambitious campaign to return Americans to the surface of the moon for the first time in more than 50 years when the Apollo era came to an end. The first Artemis mission got off the ground in November 2022, when an uncrewed Orion capsule launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a moon-orbiting mission to test the vehicle. When does Artemis II, Artemis III launch? Before a lunar landing mission is attempted, NASA is planning to launch four astronauts on its Artemis II mission in 2026 on a 10-day mission circling the moon. While no moon landing is in store for the Artemis II astronauts, the mission serves a vital role in testing the systems and hardware on the spacecraft needed for future expeditions to the lunar surface. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first of those could happen no earlier than 2027 with the much more ambitious Artemis III mission. Both the Artemis II and Artemis III missions will get off the ground from NASA's Kennedy Space Center along Florida's Space Coast near Cape Canaveral. The astronauts themselves will be aboard an Orion capsule that will hitch a ride out of Earth's atmosphere atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket. Why is NASA interested in the moon? NASA isn't looking to simply plant the U.S. flag before having its astronauts head back to Earth. Instead, the plan is for NASA astronauts to help establish a permanent lunar settlement that would be a catalyst in making future human missions from the moon to Mars possible. The moon's south pole region, which is largely unexplored except for a few uncrewed robotic missions, is believed to be home to subsurface water ice that could be a valuable resource for astronauts living and working at a lunar base. If water could be extracted, humans could use it for drinking, breathing and as a source of hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel. What is SpaceX's Starship? Its role in lunar landing Starship, the approximately 400-foot megarocket that SpaceX is testing for future spaceflight, is due to play a vital role during the Artemis III lunar landing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Composed of a lower stage Super Heavy rocket booster and the upper stage Starship vehicle, the spacecraft is regarded as the world's largest rocket when fully stacked. SpaceX, which is developing Starship to be fully reusable, recently completed flight tests for its second version of the rocket. The company has indicated that demonstrations for its third version of Starship, or V3, could begin either before the end of 2025 or early in 2026. NASA has contracted Musk and SpaceX to develop a configuration of Starship that would be capable of ferrying astronauts to the moon's surface. Under the U.S. space agency's lunar exploration plans, Artemis III astronauts aboard the Orion capsule would board the Starship while in orbit for a ride down. Starship development lags But Starship's progress has not come quite as fast as NASA has hoped or Musk has promised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rocket/vehicle combo has launched a total of 11 times since April 2023 from SpaceX's Starbase headquarters and company town in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. Early on, each test had generally improved upon previous demonstrations until SpaceX hit some setbacks at the beginning of 2025 with a series of three failed tests ending in explosions. What's more, the vehicle has yet to reach orbit in any of its tests and still has not attempted to refuel midflight, which is necessary to reach distant destinations. SpaceX further needs to land an uncrewed Starship on the moon in a vital test for NASA. During the past two Starship flight tests in August and October, though, SpaceX got things back on track with two successful missions that reached new objectives. Will Starship launch in Florida? SpaceX has also indicated its desire to ramp up Starship testing by expanding launch operations to Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While no official inaugural target launch date has been set, SpaceX is getting approval for Starship launches from Kennedy Space Center, where it is developing more infrastructure, as well as Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. The plans, which are expected to generate more than $1 billion in investment and lead to hundreds of new jobs, have drawn some concern during a series of public meetings about road closures and potential environmental devastation launches would cause along Floridas Space Coast. NASA reopens SpaceX contract Still, progress for Starship has been slow enough that NASA has opted to reopen its moon landing contract to other bidders. NASA advisors have estimated that Starship, selected by NASA in 2021 under a contract now worth $4.4 billion, could slip years behind schedule, Reuters reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy has recently suggested in a series of network news interviews that President Donald Trump wants to see the lunar landing take place before his White House term ends in January 2029. Duffy later added on social media site X that, "We are in a race against China so we need the best companies to operate at a speed that gets us to the Moon FIRST." We are in a race against China so we need the best companies to operate at a speed that gets us to the Moon FIRST. SpaceX has the contract to build the HLS which will get U.S. astronauts there on Artemis III. But, competition and innovation are the keys to our dominance in pic.twitter.com/dAo0so5qqZ NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy (@SecDuffyNASA) October 20, 2025 Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, didn't appear concerned about the prospect of competition in a post on social media. "SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry," Musk wrote on social media site X, which he owns, in a reply to a user. "Moreover, Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words." Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, others, could compete for moon landing Blue Origin, the space technology company owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is among the companies widely expected to compete for the mission, Reuters reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lockheed Martin also confirmed to the USA TODAY Network that it would explore providing human lunar lander options to NASA. Blue Origin develops moon lander in Florida Blue Origin also already has a roughly $3 billion Blue Moon lander in development in Florida as part of a similar lunar landing contract awarded by NASA in 2023 for later Artemis moon landing missions. Two private facilities near the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral are where Blue Origin is building its lunar landers, known as Mark-1 and Mark-2. Blue Origin is also preparing to launch its 322-foot New Glenn rocket for the second time in 2025 from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. "Blue Origin is ready to support," a Blue Origin spokesperson said in a statement to the USA TODAY Network. Elon Musk wants to send Starship to Mars, deploy Starlink satellites Part of the concern has to do with SpaceX's competing priorities for Starship, Reuters reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starship is the centerpiece of Musk's vision of sending the first humans to Mars, with plans for the first uncrewed Starship to head straight from Earth to the Red Planet as early as 2026. Human missions, Musk has claimed, could then begin in the 2030s. Musk also plans for Starship to one day send larger batches of Starlink internet satellites into space. For years, SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9, a two-stage 230-foot rocket, has been the primary rocket capable of launching and deploying Starlink satellites into a rapdily growing constellation essential to the company's lucrative internet business. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to compete with Elon Musk, SpaceX on moon lander ALBANY The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports is awarding more than $9.6 million from the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund to support two initiatives designed to increase access to a range of addiction services across the state. The In-Community initiative builds on previous outreach and engagement work by the agency to link high-need individuals to services, while the non-medical transportation initiative provides transportation help to allow New Yorkers impacted by addiction to access a range of recovery supports. To date, New York has made more than $454 million available through the opioid settlement fund, which is the most of any state in the country. A detailed list of initiatives funded with this money is available on the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund tracker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This funding builds on our ongoing work, which has already helped thousands of New Yorkers access important services and supports, OASAS Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham said. We continue to work closely with the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board to get this funding out quickly to communities that need it and help the individuals and families most impacted by the opioid and overdose epidemic. In-Community Clinic Services A total of $5,466,210 is being awarded to 10 providers for the In-Community initiative. This project is designed to reach individuals who may have difficulty accessing substance use disorder services. Through this initiative, which builds on previous outreach and engagement work by OASAS, outreach teams will work to engage individuals in a variety of community settings, such as social service agencies, hospitals, jails, shelters, and parks. Services can be delivered either in person or through telehealth. Award recipients are listed below by region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - Capital District Albany County Department of Mental Health: $574,566 - Finger Lakes Delphi Drug and Alcohol Council dba Delphi Rise: $459,524 - Long Island RiseWell Community Services Inc: $597,996 - New York City- Alliance for Positive Change: $600,000; Samaritan Daytop Village, Inc.: $600,000; Camelot of Staten Island, Inc.: $600,000; The Jewish Board: $389,498; Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, Inc.: $600,000 - Southern Tier The REACH Project, Inc.: $600,000 - Western NY Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc.: $444,626 Non-Medical Transportation OASAS is also awarding $4.2 million to fund non-medical transportation efforts. The non-medical transportation project supports a comprehensive program for New Yorkers seeking substance use prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services, by assisting them with transportation to a variety of destinations that support their recovery goals such as doctors appointments and job interviews. More than 40,000 rides have been given through this program since it began in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All providers listed below are receiving $300,000 for this initiative, which will extend funding through the end of 2029. - Capital District Capital Behavioral Health Collaborative - Central NY Helio Health, Inc. - Finger Lakes Finger Lakes Area Counseling and Recovery Agency, Inc. - Long Island Advanced Health Network, Inc. - Mid-Hudson CBHS, Inc. - Mohawk Valley Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council of Hamilton, Fulton, and Montgomery Counties, Inc. d/b/a HFM Prevention Council - New York City Advanced Health Network, Inc.; Coordinated Behavioral Care, Inc.; Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, Inc.; Community Health Action of Staten Island, Inc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - North Country Seaway Valley Council for Alcohol/Substance Abuse Prevention, Inc. - Southern Tier The Addiction Center of Broome County, Inc.; CASA-Trinity, Inc. - Western NY Save the Michaels of the World, Inc. Dedicated Fund New York State is receiving more than $2 billion through various settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies that were secured by Attorney General Letitia James. A portion of the funding from these settlements will go directly to municipalities, with the remainder deposited into a dedicated fund to support prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery efforts to address the ongoing opioid epidemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports oversees one of the nations largest systems of addiction services with approximately 1,700 prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery programs serving over 731,000 individuals per year. This includes the direct operation of 12 Addiction Treatment Centers where our doctors, nurses, and clinical staff provide inpatient and residential services to approximately 8,000 individuals per year. Contact Information New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the states toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, residential, or outpatient care can be found on the NYS OASAS website: osas.ny.gov The State Fair of Texas wrapped up this weekend, and social media comments about lighter crowds than usual were reflected in the in the final attendance number, Around 2 million people attended the event this year, according to a news release. This comes after the State Fair of Texas reported 2,385,855 people attended the event in 2024. VOTER GUIDE: Texas Voter Guide 2025 An exact count was not reported, but this could be the least attended State Fair since 2018 when 2,049,118 people attended. Since the 2020 cancelation of the fair due to COVID-19, the lowest official attendance has been 2,202,689 in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The State Fair opened Sept. 26 this year before having its final day Sunday. The Dallas Morning News reported on the online discussion about low attendance this year earlier this month, writing that people involved with the fair said the beginning of the festival is always the slowest. "The fair is not empty," State Fair spokesperson Karissa Condoianis said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "There are plenty of people here. People are coming to the fair. So I would say don't always believe what you see." SPACE NEWS: NASA reopens Artemis III moon-landing contract as SpaceX falls behind schedule in Texas A few days after the story ran, about 193,000 people attended the fair on the Saturday of the Red River Rivalry game between Texas and Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl. That was the first time since 2018 under 200,000 people attended the fair on game day. This article originally published at State Fair of Texas sees decrease of nearly 400K in total attendance. The state Commissioner of Securities Ty Nohara has fined Teapresso Bar LLC a civil penalty of $100, 000 for violating state franchise laws. In a, the state alleges that between December 2016 and July 2021, Teaspresso granted 26 Teapresso Bar franchises in Hawaii in violation of state franchise laws, according to a news release from the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Specifically, DCCA said, Teapresso, managed by Thanh Steve Nguyen, failed to provide an offering circular to prospective franchisees prior to the sale of the franchises, as well as to file required documents with the Commissioner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teapresso, which offers boba milk tea, organic coffee, and smoothies, has retail locations on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii island. In addition to the penalty, Teapresso is ordered to cease and desist from selling or making an offer to sell, purchase, or transfer a Teapresso Bar franchise or any other franchise within the state of Hawaii. The order was issued on Oct. 14, and the company has 30 days from then to request a hearing. Hawaiis franchise laws help ensure that prospective franchisees receive certain key information before taking on the significant risks of investing in a franchise, said Commissioner Nohara in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an Instagram post addressed to customers, Teapresso said each location is independently owned and operated under an individual licensing agreement. This is a matter of administrative compliance with the statenot a shutdown order, said Teapresso Corporate in the post. All Teapresso stores will continue to operate as usual. We remain committed to ensuring all locations continue to provide the same great drinks, service, and experience that our customers love. Thank you for your continued support and understanding. DCCA said anyone who has purchased a Teapresso Bar franchise is urged to contact its Securities Enforcement Branch at 808-586-2740 or. See more : Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1 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 ? . Horseshoe Lake, in the Thompson Chain of Lakes, and its surrounding forestland, which are within the footprint of the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement, funded in part through Habitat Montana. (Photo by Getty Images). The Montana Land Board voted 4-1 to approve a conservation easement across a more than 50,000-acre swath of land spanning three counties in northwest Montana, permanently providing public access and protecting wildlife habitat. Phase Two of the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement Project will more than double the protected land in the Cabinet Mountains between Kalispell and Libby, following the acquisition of a similar easement the Land Board approved in the fall of 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision before you today reaches far beyond one property boundary, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks director Christy Clark told the board at its meeting on Monday. This conservation easement represents a chance to protect something at the very heart of who we are: the Montana way of life. Its about keeping our forests, our open spaces and our working lands healthy. Its productive, and it gives us access for generations to come. Montana, forests and range lands are where livelihoods and wildlife meet, where families make a living, and where deer, elk and countless other species find habitat they need to survive In August, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission the board in charge of FWPs policy actions approved the easement, which will partially be paid from FWPs Habitat Montana funds. Approval by the state land board, comprising the top five elected officials in the state, was the last hurdle in a long process. Phase One, a 32,000-acre easement, was approved in 2024. Both phases of the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation project drew vast support throughout the public process from timber companies, conservation groups, politicians and recreationists, many of whom drove to Helena on Monday to speak in favor of the easement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Mike Cuffe, who represents the northwest corner of the state, told the land board that on his drive into town, he stopped behind a school bus and felt a bit of pride at the long, flashing signal arm that extended from the bus he had sponsored the legislation that mandated them. Few others will remember that, but I do. I helped create a good thing. This proposal, this conservation easement proposed today, is a good thing, Cuffe said. The Republican from Eureka spoke about his familys history in the area, including a great uncle who drove cattle from Frenchdown up through the easement property into the Tobacco Valley, his father, who was one of the last to pull a cross cut saw logging in the area, and his own experiences hunting, hiking and fishing in the region. Cuffe alluded to other portions of northwest Montana that are privately owned and where no trespassing signs are becoming increasingly common. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont want to turn it into a rich mans hunting paradise. We dont want to turn it into a subdivision area, Cuffe said. I encourage a yes vote today on each of your part. Im proud to support this. Im proud like I was behind that school bus. The states timberlands, once the lifeblood of a number of towns across the region, have become smaller and more fragmented over recent decades as companies have bought and sold swaths of forestland and parceled bits and pieces off for development. A map showing current and planned conservation easements in Northwest Montana. Phase 2 of the Montana Great Outdoors easement is shown in purple. (Courtesy Montana FWP) Just a decade ago, nearly 900,000 acres of the states privately-held forest land in the northwest was owned by Plum Creek timber. That company was purchased in 2016 by timber giant Weyerhaeuser, which three years later, sold off more than 600,000 acres to Southern Pine Plantations, a real estate investment company. Southern Pines subsequently sold nearly 300,000 acres to Green Diamond, a sixth-generation timber company. Green Diamond currently owns the land, which includes the nearly 86,000 acres comprising both phases of the Great Outdoors Conservation Easement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jason Callahan, Green Diamonds policy and communications manager, told the Land Board that the project was nearly six years in the making. Were excited about this project. We think it speaks for itself, and Im not going to tell you why its important for the community, Callahan said. Under the easement, Green Diamond retains full ownership but is selling one stick out of our property bundle, thats the development rights. Green Diamond will continue to manage the land as working forestland, and will continue to pay taxes to the three counties its land covers. The easement requires non-motorized recreational access for the public, but does not prohibit motorized access Green Diamond is free to work out if and where it allows riders if it wants to. The easements language also stretches in perpetuity, a condition required in order to qualify for federal money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (Perpetuity) creates generational access to the land, generational access to growing timber, to grazing leases, accessing a third-party mineral rights, and of course, public access that will go on for generations with no gates and no limitations, Callahan said. But the permanent easement clause did lead Attorney General Austin Knudsen to cast the one dissenting vote. Knudsen has long been a vocal opponent to perpetual easements but supports shorter duration options. Forever is a long time. We dont know what the future holds, and I think were really constraining ourselves, Knudsen said. He also said that voting for the project, being mostly federally funded, was akin to voting to increase the national debt. The value of the second phase of the Montana Great Outdoors Conservation Easement is approximately $57.5 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Funding for the project includes $1.5 million from FWPs Habitat Montana, which is raised from hunting licenses and a portion of recreational cannabis sales; $200,000 from the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust; and $35.8 million from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, which provides funding to conserve working forests through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Green Diamond has committed to donating approximately 35% of the easements value, roughly $20 million, as an in kind contribution. The biggest pushback to the easement came from representatives of mining and resource groups. WRH Nevada properties, a company that owns 54% of the mineral rights across the project area, had previously expressed concerns in both phases of the project that a conservation easement will limit its ability to conduct mineral exploration and future extractions. When we talk to mining companies, exploration companies, for possible partnerships or purchase, whenever the conservation easement comes up, their interest completely goes cold, said Lloyd Parsons, a representative of WRH. It has a real effect on our ability to do business in the state of Montana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that the appraisal of the easement property more than $50 million valued the mineral estate as worthless, even as the market for rare earth minerals has soared in recent years. The appraisal had also been done without consulting the company, he said, or offering to purchase the mineral interests. A district court judge in Lincoln County had previously clarified that the language of the easement did not interfere with WRHs mineral rights, which a lawyer for Green Diamond affirmed to the Land Board. The Montana Mining Association also expressed concerns over the precedent set by the easement and that the states mining interests will face major obstacles in the future if the easement prevailed without more consideration. Groups in favor of the easement included the Missoula Economic Partnership, the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, the Montana Logging Association and the Trust for Public Land, Stimson Lumber Company and Stoltze Land and Lumber Company. Several individuals with roots in the area also voiced their support. County commissions for Sanders, Lincoln, and Flathead counties also supported the project. Gov. Greg Gianforte was absent from the Land Board meeting while traveling to South Korea, but approved the project by proxy. Protecting and increasing public access remains our top priority, Gianforte said in a statement. This project does just that while preserving wildlife habitat while ensuring the timber industry remains a critical part of Montanas economy. This easement builds confidence for further investment in Montana. Oct. 20New Mexico State Police is investigating a shooting by an Eddy County Sheriff's Office deputy that wounded a man who had shot at deputies, the department said Monday. Eddy County deputies were dispatched around 6 p.m. Sunday to McKittrick Road, in Carlsbad, after receiving a call that a man later identified as Henley was walking down the street with a rifle, according to a news release from State Police spokesperson Wilson Silver. The caller told deputies the man started to run toward his car with the rifle in his hand while screaming and the caller told deputies he "thought he was going to die," according to an affidavit filed in Carlsbad Magistrate Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies arrived and saw 34-year-old Dustin Henley who allegedly shot "at least one round from a .22 caliber rifle" at deputies that hit a deputy vehicle as soon as they arrived, the affidavit states. The deputy shot back at Henley multiple times and injured him, according to the affidavit. Henley dropped his weapon and tried to hide in nearby bushes, but he would not comply with deputies' commands to show his hands. A K-9 unit was deployed and the dog bit Henley in the hand. Henley was taken into custody and transported to a medical center for his injuries, the affidavit states. Henley was arrested and charged with assault on a peace officer, shooting from a motor vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony possession of a firearm. He was arrested on Sunday and does not yet have an attorney. In 2024, Henley was charged with resisting an officer, but the case was dismissed without prejudice after a court deemed him incompetent to stand trial, according to a dismissal filed in Carlsbad Magistrate Court. The SunRunner, a bus route that runs from downtown St. Petersburg to the beach, will now have to negotiate car traffic on Pasadena Avenue after the state stepped in. The Tampa Bay Times reported in June that the Florida Department of Transportation was conducting what it called a routine review of lane repurposing projects around the state, including the SunRunner. What makes the SunRunner unique in Pinellas County is that its route has its own dedicated lane. Whit Blanton, executive director of transportation planning agency Forward Pinellas, said the local transportation secretary told him, worst-case scenario, the SunRunner could lose part of its lane along Pasadena Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now it appears that worst-case scenario has come to pass on a small portion of the services route. Pasadena Avenue is a state road. St. Petersburg controls much of the SunRunners route on First Avenues North and South, which will continue to have a rust-red dedicated lane. The SunRunner launched in 2022 under the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, which billed it as an efficient way to bypass traffic through St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach. The buses come every 15 minutes. Traffic lights are timed to stay green for the teal-and-yellow buses if theyre running behind schedule. But losing the dedicated lane on Pasadena Avenue could force Pinellas to return $22 million to the federal government. If we dont have a reasonable lane thats dedicated for buses and cars to turn, then it takes the R out of BRT (bus rapid transit), Darden Rice, chief planning and community affairs officer for the Pinellas transit authority, previously said. Theres nothing rapid about a bus stuck in traffic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After its launch, the SunRunner quickly provoked the ire of local Republican officials. We all see the near-empty or completely empty buses running all over the county, wrote Barbara Haselden, who led county efforts against light rail and now sits on the Pinellas transit agency board. First Avenues North and South were the most functional route across the peninsula in South Pinellas, and (the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) has ruined it in their attempt to stay relevant as their ridership tanks over the years. Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis joined the chorus of complaints. There are potentially local governments throughout Florida who ... (are) anti-commuter and even wanting to close lanes so that people are so miserable that they just abandon commuting altogether, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another SunRunner detractor, Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach, held a press conference Tuesday celebrating the SunRunner lane in South Pasadena opening to car traffic. Chaney introduced a bill last year that commissioned studies on projects that removed lanes for cars. That bill also resulted in the state transportation department raising the ridership standard for bus lane repurposing projects, preempting a SunRunner successor called the Spark from taking over a lane. DeSantis pointed to that bill as a device that would prevent localities from agenda-motivated lane reductions to force people out of their cars. Critics of the SunRunner also point to its declining ridership, which has dropped off since the service started collecting fares a year after it launched. In July 2023, the SunRunner had nearly 100,000 riders. The route was down to about 63,000 riders that same month this year, according to Pinellas transit agency data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Pasadena Mayor Arthur Penny and other city officials appeared at Chaneys event Tuesday, along with two St. Pete Beach commissioners and Pinellas Commissioner Chris Scherer. Some Pinellas residents who oppose the SunRunner appeared as well, holding signs reading traffic congestion relief. This is kind of a big deal, huh? Chaney said to applause. Weve been waiting a long time for this .... Today you, the taxpayers, get your road back. Chaney said the state transportation department conducted a recent study that found the annual number of crashes had increased 50%, from 36 to 54, on Pasadena Avenue after the bus lanes were added. Their team has thoroughly studied (Pasadena Avenue) and gave us the evidence we needed to get our lane back, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state will be removing signs today and repainting the lanes on Pasadena in the next one or two weeks, Chaney said. Other studies have suggested the SunRunner reduces congestion and improves safety. Forward Pinellas published a study this year finding that crashes involving death or serious injury were down 40% along a different portion of the route, First Avenues North and South. Travel times for car drivers and bus users alike were down six minutes during morning rush hour and three minutes during afternoon rush hour. In response to a request for comment, Pinellas transit agency spokesperson Stephanie Weaver pointed to numbers collected from a national database showing that there were fewer overall crashes, as well as fewer fatal and severe injury crashes, on Pasadena in 2023 and 2024 compared to 2017 and 2018, before the bus lanes were added. Crashes on that road were at their lowest point in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the transit agencys data. An earlier state transportation department study found that travel times for cars largely went down, and speeds increased, after the SunRunner lane was added. That study compared an eight-month period in 2018 and 2019 to an eight-month window just after the SunRunner launched in October 2022. Its really disheartening to see the SunRunner lose part of its dedicated lane, said Garrett Marple, a member of Activate St. Pete, which advocates for transit and pedestrian accessibility in St. Petersburg. These lanes were a step in the right direction in terms of creating options for premium transit .... It also improves safety and reduces congestion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dedicated lane on Pasadena Avenue also served as a lane for bike riders. Advocates have worried that cyclists will be less safe if they now have to share the lane with cars as well as buses. Chaney said she wasnt sure of the bike lanes fate either. A Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson did not answer emailed questions or provide the latest SunRunner study in time for publication. Millions of the poorest Americans may lose access to food stamps next month as the government shutdown stretches on with no clear end in sight. Roughly 42 million low-income Americans who receive Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits, also known as SNAP, will likely see their aid disrupted next month if Congress does not resolve its budget stalemate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the food stamp program, noted in a letter to states last week that the federal government would have insufficient funds for November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, over a dozen states have issued warnings to residents that they may experience delays in receiving food assistance, have their aid reduced, or not receive assistance at all. In the letter, obtained by The New York Times, the USDA directed state agencies to pause distributing funds to recipients' Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. While SNAP is federally funded and run by the USDA, states are responsible for administering benefits to residents in need. Several U.S. states are warning Americans may lose access to food stamps come November as the government shutdown enters its third week with no end in sight (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Were going to run out of money in two weeks, Brooke Rollins, the agriculture secretary, told reporters at the White House on Thursday. So youre talking about millions and millions of vulnerable families, of hungry families that are not going to have access to these programs because of this shutdown. In a statement to The Times, a White House official said that Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing that programs like SNAP would soon run out of funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When reached by The Independent, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson blamed the Democrats for the shutdown, writing in a statement, The Democrats decision to shut down the government is hurting Americans across the country. While Chuck Schumer thinks every day of the shutdown gets better, the Trump Administration and the American people know the reality: it doesnt. The Trump administration and congressional Democrats have spent weeks trying to cast blame on the other for the shutdown, but have swept the country's most vulnerable families into the crossfire as the shutdown continues with no signs of ending. On average, SNAP recipients receive about $188 per person per month, or about $6 per day. The money is administered on prepaid cards that they can use to buy produce, meat, dairy products and other grocery staples. SNAPs emergency contingency fund currently has about $6 billion, but the program would need $8.1 billion to cover November benefits, the USDA said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without the government aid, states have warned residents that their benefits will soon be up, with some local officials even pointing fingers at Republicans for the pause in spending. Officials in Pennsylvania warned the approximately 2 million residents reliant on SNAP that they will not receive food assistance until the government shutdown is over. Because Republicans in Washington, D.C., failed to pass a federal budget, causing the federal government shutdown, November 2025 SNAP benefits cannot be paid, an alert on the states SNAP website read. Illinois Department of Human Services officials noted that SNAP is a 100 percent federally funded benefit and the federal government withholding payments to the state would impact all 1.9 million recipients in Illinois. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state administers more than $350 million in SNAP benefits each month, funding that feeds families in every corner of the State, officials added, noting the state does not have the budgetary ability to backfill the resources. Missouris Department of Social Services website notes that residents November SNAP benefits may be delayed or may not be provided at all, depending on what the federal government decides. Texas, New York, New Jersey and Maryland have all issued similar notices to residents. Some 42 million low-income Americans receive SNAP benefits, or food stamps, each month. The program allows participants to receive produce, meat, dairy and other grocery staples each month While SNAP is entirely federally funded, each state chooses how it administers the benefits, meaning the shutdowns impact on SNAP varies state by state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates have warned that the impacts of the lapse in funding could be devastating to millions of Americans. Crystal FitzSimons, the president of Food Research & Action Center, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization, noted that USDA must ensure funding is available for SNAP so participants can continue to receive benefits as they have during previous shutdowns. SNAP not only fuels families, it bolsters our farmers, food retailers, and our overall economy. Just as the administration has found ways to protect its other priorities during this shutdown, it must also act with the same urgency to protect SNAP, FitzSimons said in a statement. USDA should utilize its contingency reserves and any additional funding sources to ensure that benefits are not disrupted. Time is running out. USDA must act quickly to support the power and promise of SNAP. The health and strength of our nation depends on it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even states that are going to try to do their best are going to face really difficult choices. And unless this is undone, it really is the end and Im not being dramatic, its a reality of SNAP as we know it, Gina Plata-Nino, interim director for SNAP at the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center, told the New York Times. The shutdown, now in its 21st day, is the second-longest in U.S. history. The longest shutdown, under Trumps first term, spanning the end of 2018 and into 2019, lasted 35 days. During that government shutdown, the USDA disbursed SNAP funds early to prevent benefits from running out. This administration didnt do any of that [this time], but they still have the contingency funding Plata-Nino told CBS News. They have the money, so it really is a policy choice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement States may also try to free up money from their own budgets to supplement the loss, though it would cost tens of millions of dollars that the federal government may not reimburse. The Independent has reached out to the USDA for comment. Patients have their blood pressure checked and other vitals taken at an intake triage at a Remote Area Medical mobile dental and medical clinic in Grundy, Va. Cuts to Medicaid will hit working-age adults who live in small towns and rural areas especially hard. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images. This article first appeared on KFF Health News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. WASHINGTON Nationwide, states are racing to win their share of a new $50 billion rural health fund. But helping rural hospitals, as originally envisioned, is quickly becoming a quaint idea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rather, states should submit applications that rebuild and reshape how health care is delivered in rural communities, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official Abe Sutton said late last month during a daylong meeting at Washington, D.C.s Watergate Hotel. Simply changing the way government pays hospitals has been tried and has failed, Sutton told the audience of more than 40 governors office staffers and state health agency leaders some from as far away as Hawaii. This isnt a backfill of operating budgets, said Sutton, CMS innovation director. Weve been really clear on that. Rural hospitals and clinics nationwide face a looming financial catastrophe, with President Donald Trumps massive tax-and-spending law expected to slash federal Medicaid spending on health care in rural areas by $137 billion over 10 years. Congressional Republicans added the one-time, five-year Rural Health Transformation Program as a last-minute sweetener to win the support of conservative holdouts who worried about the bills financial fallout for rural hospitals. Yet, the words used by CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and his agencys leaders to describe the new pot of cash are generating tension between legacy hospital and clinic providers and new technology-focused companies stepping in to offer new ways to deliver health care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its what I would call incumbents versus insurgents in the rural space, said Kody Kinsley, a senior policy adviser at the Institute for Policy Solutions at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Applications are due Nov. 5. The money will be awarded to states by the end of the year and distributed over five years. Half of the $50 billion will be divided equally among all states with an approved application; the other half will go to states that win points. Of the second half, $12.5 billion will be allotted based on a formula that calculates each states rurality. The remaining $12.5 billion will go to states that score well on initiatives and policies that mirror the Trump administrations Make America Healthy Again objectives. The application identifies specific policy goals such as implementing the Presidential Fitness Test and restrictions to food assistance, as well as broader investment strategies around remote care services, data infrastructure, and consumer-facing technology tools, which CMS identified as symptom checkers and AI chatbots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, after CMS officials released the application, Republican members of Congress from states with Democratic governors called for fairness, concerned their states might direct the money to urban areas. In a letter to Oz and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., they said the money will serve as a lifeline for rural and at-risk hospitals in our communities that are already struggling to keep their doors open. Smaller hospitals fear they will get a tiny little slice of each states share, said Emily Felder, who leads the health care practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a law firm whose clients include rural hospital systems. Theres a lot of frustration, Felder said. But Kinsley, who was previously North Carolinas secretary of health and human services, said using this money only to shore up a balance sheet is really just throwing good money after bad. In contrast, he said, insurgents such as technology-driven startups can offer new strategies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of those companies vying for funding is Homeward Health, a Silicon Valley-based company that contracts with Medicare managed care insurers. Using artificial intelligence analytics, Homeward helps patients get care in their home and with local providers. The company manages the health of 100,000 rural Michigan patients enrolled in insurance, said Homeward co-founder and chief executive Jennifer Schneider. The company was a sponsor for the Watergate summit. It also has ongoing meetings with Oz and his team, Schneider said. Theyre doing their job, and theyre talking to a lot of people in the ecosystem and really eager to learn from those of us that have been in the system, Schneider said. Were one of many in that position. KFF Health News requested an interview with Alina Czekai, director of the newly created Office of Rural Health Transformation. CMS spokesperson Alexx Pons said the agency was unable to accommodate facilitation of any interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, CMS provided an emailed statement from Oz saying the program will help states and communities reimagine whats possible for rural healthcare. Brock Slabach, chief operations officer of the National Rural Health Association, the largest organization representing rural hospitals and clinics, said the money would best be used to help pay for transformation that isnt sexy or revolutionary. If what we end up with is we have a wearable for every rural patient, I dont think thats transformational, Slabach said, referring to digital health monitors such as fitness-tracking watches. Slabach, a onetime small-hospital chief executive and an unofficial adviser to hundreds of rural facilities nationwide, named a few ideas for the money including paying for capital improvements such as electronic health records or equipment, loan repayment programs to aid workforce development, and creating SWAT teams that rescue rural hospitals on the brink of closure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 150 rural hospitals have closed nationwide since 2010 a statistic cited by CMS Sutton that is well known among industry watchers. The Sheps Center at the University of North Carolina, which compiles the closure data, also released a guide to help states calculate how rural they are for their applications. State applications will be reviewed by a panel, with some reviewers from within the government but others outside it, said Kate Sapra, acting deputy director of the Office of Rural Health Transformation, speaking at the Watergate. We will train them in the scoring criteria, Sapra said, adding that the panelists will not be coming from your state and will need to fill out conflict-of-interest forms. A portion of money each state gets will be reevaluated annually based on the progress it makes on its goals and priorities, according to CMS. States are creating stakeholder groups, asking for public comment, and working with their health agencies. Some, such as Mississippi and New Mexico, are hiring consultants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Montana, a collection of health providers and associations proposed a list of ideas for the cash, including creating a loan repayment fund for rural clinicians to try to ease worker shortages. Its one-time money, and its a little bit of money, said David Mark, a doctor who is the CEO of One Health, which has clinics dotted across eastern Montana and Wyoming. A state could receive a minimum of $100 million a year for five years if all 50 states have applications approved. How do you accomplish goals of a health care system transformation with an infusion of money like that? Mark said. Neither Montana nor Wyoming vast, rural states sent leaders to the Watergate summit, according to a copy of the attendees list. In the afternoon, attendees could rotate among planning tables and meet with corporate sponsors such as the electronic health records behemoth Epic and the emergency services company Global Medical Response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wyoming Department of Health Deputy Director Franz Fuchs confirmed his state did not send representatives to the event, because they were stretched with other commitments. Montana, Wyoming, and other states submitted an optional letter of intent signaling they will apply for the funds. CMS did not respond to questions about how many and which states have submitted letters. During the Watergate event, hints of brewing competition among states began to surface. I think Arkansas application is going to be better than yours, seasoned political adviser Jack Sisson said with a smile during a morning panel. The audience laughed. Sisson, who recently left his job as health adviser for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, had interrupted Michael Hendrix, policy adviser to another Republican governor, Tennessees Bill Lee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See, this is the kind of friendly competition that CMS is hoping for, Hendrix said. He grinned, thanked Sisson, and added, I look forward to us both winning. KFF Health News Montana correspondent Katheryn Houghton contributed to this report. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFFan independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Subscribe to KFF Health News free Morning Briefing. The two terror operatives identified as Mehakdeep Singh alias Mehak and Aditya alias Adhi, in Amritsar. The police recovered one Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) intended for a targeted terror attack, according to the release. Preliminary investigations reveal that the accused were in contact with a Pakistan ISI operative who supplied the weapon, and with Harpreet Singh alias Vicky, currently lodged in Ferozepur Jail, as stated in release. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Police Station of Gharinda in Amritsar, and further probe is underway to uncover the entire terror network. Punjab Police reiterated its commitment to dismantling transnational terror and organized crime networks sponsored by Pakistan's ISI, ensuring peace and harmony in the state. Earlier on October 18, Punjab Police in the coordination of Border Security Force (BSF), recovered one packet of heroin during a search operation near the village Tindiwala in Ferozepur. "Acting on specific intelligence, alert BSF troops, in coordination with Punjab Police, conducted a search operation and recovered 01 packet of heroin (Gross weight - 602 grams) from agricultural field near village Tindiwala in Ferozepur. On Amritsar border, based on a specific input of BSF intelligence wing, the alert BSF troops launched an extensive search operation culminating into recovery of 1 large packet containing ICE drug (Gross weight - 3.675 kg) from a farmland near village Bhaini Rajputana. The packet, wrapped in yellow adhesive tape with mental ring & illuminating strips attached, indicates a drone dropping," Public Relations Officer (Punjab Frontier) said in a release. "Yet another search operation conducted by the BSF troops led to the recovery of 01 pistol wrapped with yellow adhesive tape from a field near village Roranwala Khurd in Amritsar. These consecutive recoveries once again reflect BSF's resolute dedication towards ensuring the security and sanctity of the nation's borders," the PRO said. (ANI) This story was originally published on K-12 Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily K-12 Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: States should give clear guidance on how school districts should respond to immigration enforcement near school buildings, according to recommendations issued by nonprofit EdTrust this month. In addition, EdTrust said states should require districts to affirm that all students, regardless of immigration status, have the right to enroll in public schools. The guidance comes as some districts are experiencing notable increases in chronic absenteeism. A contributing factor, some educators and advocates said, is heightened immigration enforcement by the federal government and resulting fears from families about sending their children to school. Dive Insight: Research earlier this year from KFF, a health policy organization, showed that keeping students home from school due to immigration enforcement fears can hurt students' academic progress and also cause schools to take a funding hit because of lowered enrollment numbers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many states have made progress in reducing chronic absenteeism rates since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person learning. However, attendance levels overall have not caught up to their pre-pandemic baseline, according to FutureEd, an independent think tank at Georgetown Universitys McCourt School of Public Policy. For example, in Ohio, chronic absenteeism rate stood at 16.7% in 2018-19, almost doubled to 30.2% in 2021-22 and fell to 25.1% in 2024-25. In Michigan, chronic absenteeism rate in 2018-19 was at 19.7%, increased to 38.5% in 2021-22 and then dropped to 27.9% in 2024-25, according to FutureEd. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, or about 18 days, for any reason. Some immigrant families, meanwhile, have been hesitant to send their children to school due to fear of immigration enforcement activity, according to educators and immigration experts. In response, some schools have offered legal aid and other resources to affected families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said in late August that the district added bus routes and provided counselors and social workers to support families after the school day. Additionally, Carvalho said LAUSD was coordinating legal aid for families through its charitable foundation. Some districts are providing training to educators in how to respond to immigration enforcement, as well as how to communicate with families about their rights including that schools may not deny students a free public education based on their immigration status, under the U.S. Supreme Court's 1982 Plyler v. Doe decision. In September, the nations two largest teachers unions joined a lawsuit challenging federal immigration enforcement on school grounds and other sensitive locations. That case is currently on hold because U.S. Department of Justice attorneys are not permitted to work during the federal government shutdown. According to research from Fwd.us, a nonprofit social welfare organization, about 620,000 K-12 students were in the U.S. without legal permission in 2021. The organization estimated that most states had at least 1,000 such students in K-12 schools and that some states had much higher numbers, including Texas (111,000), Florida (74,000), and California (72,000). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Fwd.us said most states had tens of thousands of K-12 students with at least one parent who was in the country without legal permission. EdTrust recommends states support districts in developing safe and welcoming school climates through trauma-informed training, culturally responsive practices and multilingual communications that are sensitive to the stress immigrant families may be facing. States should also better understand model practices within districts and find ways to scale those approaches, according to the organization, which promotes educational equity for students of color and students from low-income families. The EdTrust report highlights four states California, Delaware, Maryland and New York that have released official guidance available to the public on immigration enforcement at schools. All educators have a responsibility to support each and every student, including immigrant students and children of immigrant parents, according to the American School Counselors Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Through the implementation of a school counseling program, school counselors can foster a school culture that is inclusive, safe and affirming for each and every student, regardless of race, ethnicity or immigration status," the association said in a paper this month. Recommended Reading States are warning struggling Americans who rely on food stamps to pay for groceries that they may miss out on benefits come November. "Starting October 16, SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits will not be paid until the federal government shutdown ends and funds are released to PA," reads a notice from the Pennsylvania state website. New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Texas are among the other states that have issued similar notices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wave of announcements come after the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal food stamps program, issued a letter to state agencies on Oct. 10 saying that if the lapse in appropriations continues, there will be "insufficient funds" to pay full November SNAP benefits. Reached for comment, the White House referred CBS News to the USDA, which then shared the letter it sent to states. Both declined to comment on what a lapse in funding could mean for the millions of Americans who rely on the program. Advocates and SNAP recipients have warned the effects of being cut off from nutrition assistance could be devastating. Gina Plata-Nino, interim director for SNAP at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a nonprofit focused on ending hunger, said delayed SNAP benefits would mean individuals have to make extreme choices such as whether to pay their rent or feed their kids. Many recipients, she said, are living paycheck to paycheck and that's the reason they depend on SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the USDA, 73% of SNAP recipients had a gross monthly income at or below 100% of the poverty level in fiscal year 2023. While the majority of beneficiaries are not expected to work while on SNAP, primarily because they are children, older adults or disabled people, most SNAP participants who can work do so, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute, said in an April report. How SNAP benefits are normally administered Over 40 million Americans are enrolled in SNAP. Recipients, on average, receive a payment of $187 (or roughly $6 per day) on prepaid cards that they can use to buy produce, meat, dairy and other household food staples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While SNAP is a federally funded program run by the USDA, states are responsible for administering benefits and setting their own disbursement dates. As described by The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) on its website, the program is a "delicate partnership of public and private entities." To ensure benefits are available at the first of every month, states send electronic case files with information on SNAP recipients on a monthly basis to an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) vendor so they can process the data and load recipients' cards. "EBT processors have to get all of this data in time," Plata-Nino explained. "They need to be able to process the payment so when that person utilizes their card at that EBT retailer, the money will be there for the retailer to be able to swipe." The shutdown, however, has thrown a wrench in the process. In its letter to state agencies on Oct. 10, the USDA directed states to hold off on sending electronic files to EBT vendors "until further notice." The pause opens the door to possible delays and disruptions in November benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That could be an issue for SNAP recipients like Deb Powers, a 66-year-old Massachusetts resident who receives around $260 a month in SNAP benefits. Powers said she'll be OK if benefits don't come through in November, but a longer delay would force her to change how she shops. The fresh produce she buys to keep a healthy diet would no longer be in her budget, she said. "Letting people go hungry is a choice, and it's not a good one," Powers told CBS News. Contingency funding One way for the USDA to cover SNAP costs, explained Plata-Nino, would be for the agency to tap into its contingency funds. According to FRAC, the reserve stood at $6 billion during the Biden administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Democrats and Republicans failed to come to an agreement to extend government funding on Oct. 1, 2025, the USDA said in its Lapse of Funding plan that the SNAP program has been provided for with multiyear contingency funds that could be used to cover state administrative expenses during a federal government shutdown. "These multiyear contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year," the plan states. However, it's unclear if the USDA plans to utilize those funds to ensure November SNAP benefits. The agency did not respond to CBS News' request for comment on plans under consideration. Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank, said in an email note that the administration is legally required to use contingency funds to pay for November SNAP benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It could have, and should have, taken steps weeks ago to be ready to use these funds," she said. In a separate move Thursday, the United States Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan organization that represents mayors in over 1,000 cities, sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, calling on the USDA to use "all available resources, including the SNAP contingency fund" to prevent SNAP benefits from being delayed. During the government shutdowns in 2018 and 2019, the USDA disbursed SNAP funds early to prevent benefits from running out, according to Plata-Nino. "This administration didn't do any of that [this time], but they still have the contingency funding ..." Plata-Nino said. "They have the money, so it really is a policy choice." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's also possible states could attempt to free up money from their own budgets to bridge the gap, although approval would be an uphill battle given that it costs tens to hundreds of millions of dollars monthly to cover SNAP benefits. Whether states would get that money back is unclear. Peter Hadler, the deputy commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Social Services, told lawmakers in his state Thursday that he doesn't expect the federal government to ever reimburse states. The fate of WIC funding Another social safety net program that could be affected by the government shutdown is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Known as WIC, the program provides nutrition assistance, including infant formula, to around 6.7 million people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National WIC Association (NWA), the nonprofit education arm for the government program, warned Tuesday that millions of families could lose access to their WIC benefits as early as Nov. 1, when certain state agencies are set to run out of funds. The group said the White House provided temporary emergency funds that will stabilize the program through Oct. 31, but noted that those funds are rapidly depleting. To keep the programing running for the first two weeks of November, an additional $300 million is needed, according to NWA. "Without additional funding, State WIC Agencies may be forced to take drastic measures that prevent families from accessing the services they need, such as halting food benefits," NWA said in a statement. Dozens charged in connection with illegal betting cases, FBI and DOJ announces White House takes questions about Trump's East Wing demolition for ballroom Soybean farmer says aid announced by Trump falls short as losses mount from trade war STEELTON, Pa. (WHTM) Nearly two weeks since a man was killed and another injured in Steelton, police are giving a clearer picture into the manhunt that closed nearby schools. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the Steelton Borough Police Department responded to a report of shots fired on South 4th St. between Locust and Walnut streets. When officers arrived, they found Kenyatta Henry, 26, dead and his brother, Nakeem T. McGraw, injured. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Alerts Within 30 minutes, the police identified a credible suspect, said William Shraub, the citys police chief. Police charged Quadir Rameau, 23, with first degree murder. Shraub said Rameau fled the area, despite Dauphin Countys Crisis Response Team swarming a property, and surrendered near Allentown days later. The incident was the third homicide of the year in Steelton, and Shraub said police are investigating a fourth. This is the most homicides in the borough in at least the past 30 years since Ive been here, Shraub said. In a community as small as Steelton, any violent crime is going to reverberate through the community. For example, because most students walk to and from school, The Steelton-Highspire School District had to cancel classes as a safety precaution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One dead after Harrisburg shooting, police say I think it has a lot of different variables that play a huge role in it, and I would love to be able to strategically figure out some type of way that we can be a resource and be solution to a lot of the issues we are seeing because it stems from a lot of different things and, unfortunately, law enforcement cant be the answer to all of it, Mayor Ciera Dent said. But I think together we can all figure out some type of way. Rameau is in the Dauphin County Prison without bail. The incident 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 ABC27. Step back in time at Clark County Museum this fall LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Looking for some fun fall activity in the Las Vegas valley with a Halloween Twist? The Clark County Museum sits on 30 acres filled with 16 historic homes and buildings that tell the story of life in Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Henderson through the decades. Museum administrator Amber Colbert, gave 8 News Now reporter JC a personal tour through several of the historic homes on the property. Their first stop was the Beckley House, originally located at 120 South 4th Street in downtown Las Vegas. Built in 1912, the home was relocated to the museum in 1979. Inside, Colbert pointed out mannequins dressed in vintage Halloween costumes and Colbert said that this is one of the homes that is reportedly haunted! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next up was the Boulder City Depot, which dates back to 1931. Inside the depot is an old telegraph machine, which led to a fun Nevada history lesson. Colbert explained that when Nevada wanted to become a state in 1864, they had to send their entire state constitution to Washington, D.C. and they did it via Morse code! The transmission took roughly six hours to send and was relayed across multiple telegraph stations until it finally reached the capital. Finally, JC toured the Candlelight Wedding Chapel, which was originally built in 1966 and once stood across from Circus Circus. At its peak the chapel hosted over 10,000 weddings a year, including ceremonies for stars like The Lone Ranger, Bette Midler, and Whoopi Goldberg. Amber shared that some couples who were married there decades ago have since visited the museum to relive their big day in the very same chapel which is now part of Vegas History. We also got a sneak peek at the future home of the Howard Hughes House, which will soon be relocated from behind Channel 8 to the museum grounds. Once the move is complete, visitors will be able to step inside and experience another fascinating piece of Las Vegas history. The Clark County Museum truly brings the past to life, making it the perfect fall stop for families looking for fun, history and maybe even a few friendly ghosts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Click here for more on the museum. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Late Show host Stephen Colbert pushed back against former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierres suggestion that Democrats calls for Joe Biden to step aside in 2024 were a betrayal of the former president. During their interview, Colbert inquired into Jean-Pierres decision to leave the Democratic Party this past summer. You believe that the Democratic Party betrayed Joe Biden, Colbert noted, before asking, In what way? In response, Jean-Pierre, who became the first Black person and first openly LGBTQ person to serve as White House Press Secretary during Bidens presidential tenure, said she was appalled by the visceral reaction people had to Bidens now-infamous debate performance against President Trump last year. Youve got to remember this is personal to me, because I was at the podium almost every day talking about this, she noted. Colbert, however, countered, It was personal to those of us who watched it, too, because it was a shock to our system to see that. The CBS host also noted that he helped raise over $20 million for Bidens 2024 campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It seemed like a dramatically different person, Colbert said of watching Bidens pivotal debate performance. At 81 years old, thats not entirely unexpected. You can imagine why people got so worried. Jean-Pierre then replied, No one is saying that he didnt age. Im talking about did he have the questions I was getting the mental acuity? Was he able to govern? The man that I saw nearly every day was someone who was engaging, understood policy, and was always putting the American people first and it showed in what we were able to get done. I dont think anybody questioned his heart or his policies, Colbert argued. But it takes more than that to be the President of the United States. And in a moment of great pressure onstage, we saw someone shock us and worry us, and nothing could assuage that worry. So I dont think it was necessarily a betrayal of Joe Biden. I disagree, Jean-Pierre responded. I saw every day a really ugly assault on someone who had 50-plus years of experience and who, again, objectively had done a good job as President of the United States, and it was heartbreaking to see that type of behavior. While Colbert noted that he could not fault the factual basis of Jean-Pierres comments or her personal feelings about Bidens presidency, he reiterated: What happened was the debate performance. Everything is downstream of that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one is saying the debate performance wasnt shocking, wasnt a disappointment, Jean-Pierre conceded, to which Colbert remarked, Disappointment is such a light term! Jean-Pierre replied that she was just using Colberts own words to describe the event. We are never going to agree on this, Colbert ultimately concluded, before sincerely telling Jean-Pierre, Im glad that you came here tonight. The post Stephen Colbert Argues With Karine Jean-Pierre Over Joe Biden Treatment: We Are Never Going to Agree | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Steve Bannon hasn't worked in the White House for years, but he played a pivotal, and previously unreported, role in the explosive meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year that changed the course of U.S. policy toward Ukraine. The story is first reported in an excerpt in The Atlantic magazine from ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl's upcoming book, "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America." Penguin Random House - PHOTO: "Retribution," a new book by Jonathan Karl. Karl reports on a meeting of Trump's national security team shortly before Zelenskyy's visit to Washington in February where Trump stopped the meeting and asked then-national security adviser Michael Waltz to "get Steve Bannon" on the phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hey, Steve, Ive got the boys here," Trump said. "Im going to put you on speaker." Trump, keeping Bannon on speakerphone for half an hour, had the MAGA firebrand make his case to the national security team against the deal, and Zelenskyy, who he referred to as "that punk." "I f------ hate it," Bannon said, arguing that the deal "ties us to Ukraine." "If that punk comes here, hes going to want a security guarantee, Bannon said of Zelenskyy to Trump and his top advisers. He told the group they "cant trust Zelenskyy" or "any of the Europeans." Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, February 28, 2025. The previously unreported conversation set the tone for Trumps combative meeting in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy, which devolved into a tense shouting match in front of reporters and television cameras. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Youre not acting at all thankful," Trump said to the Ukrainian leader. "Youre gambling with World War III." Zelenskyy left the meeting early that afternoon, and the relationship between the United States and Ukraine was at an all-time low since the start of the conflict with Russia. While their relationship recovered -- Zelenskyy visited the White House this past week seeking more American military assistance -- the moment underscored the volatile dynamic between the two leaders, and the abiding influence of Bannon over Trumps thinking. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images - PHOTO: Steve Bannon, the former Donald Trump White House strategist, addresses the media at the Federal Correctional Institution Danbury where he is expected to begin his four-month sentence, July 1, 2024 in Danbury, Connecticut. In "Retribution," Karl also reports that Bannon managed to keep in touch with Trump and his camp discreetly from federal prison, while he served four months after he was found guilty of contempt of Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bannon developed a "coded" system that allowed his daughter and top aide to pass along messages to Trump via the limited email communications he was allowed in prison, which were subject to review by the Bureau of Prisons, according to the excerpt of Karls book in The Atlantic. "Bannon claims that an investigative officer at Danbury -- an official he described as 'pure MAGA' -- had warned him that his communications were being reviewed by 'Main Justice,' otherwise known as the Biden administration," Karl writes. Steve Bannon says he has no regrets as he heads to prison "So he developed a coded system to let 'the girls' know which messages were to be passed on to Trump or to those around him, in particular the aide Boris Epshteyn: "I had just a system to get to Boris, kind of in quasi-code, through [daughter Maureen] into [aide Grace Chong],' he said. Was there literally a code word? 'Well, we had -- ' he began, before catching himself. I dont -- the Bureau of Prisons could go back through it. We had a way that they could get to him,'" Karl writes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MAGA star Steve Bannon plays outsized role in Trump's Iran decision: Sources According to Karl, Bannon used the system to tell Trump campaign officials he thought they were making a "huge mistake" by trying to "reduce tensions" across the country after the July 2024 assassination attempt against then-candidate Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Editor's note: Profanity included in the book has been altered for this account and some text has been edited for style. "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America," by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, is being published Oct. 28 and is available for preorder at Penguin Random House. Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon arrives at a press conference outside the federal correctional institution, on July 1, 2024 in Danbury, Connecticut. Former top Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon is expected to report to prison by July 1 to begin serving his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) Steve Bannon wants to make one thing clear: He did his time in a brutal prison, not in a leisurely camp like that p*ssy [Michael] Cohen. Bannon made that comment, and shared details about his four-month prison term for a forthcoming book from ABC Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl titled Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America; an excerpt from the book, set to be released on Oct. 28, was published by The Atlantic on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man who helped President Donald Trump win the 2016 election described the Danbury, Connecticut federal prison he was in as a rough place a f*cking low-medium security [prison] with gangbangers and f*cking drugs and stabbings. Bannon said that soon after he arrived in July 2024, he saw several inmates take a shiv out and f*cking rip a guy. There was blood everywhere, he said. But the last thing he would do is rat on his fellow inmates, he said, to the prison guards. When asked about the stabbing by a cop, Bannon said he kept his mouth shut. You answer any question a cop asks you, and youre done, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karl described Bannon as eager to talk about the friends he made in prison. Murderers [and] f*ckin mob hitmen were my besties, Bannon said. The key MAGA influencer was released from prison in October 2024, after he had been convicted of defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. Bannon described himself, as he was entering prison four months earlier, as a political prisoner who was fighting back against then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and his corrupt Justice Department. He told Karl that one of his closest buddies in prison was Vito Guzzo, a reputed member of the Columbo crime family. Guzzo was serving a 38-year sentence after pleading guilty to five murders in 1998, but was released early in April. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Guzzo was released from prison, his girlfriend sent Bannon a video of him walking out of Danbury; Bannon told Karl he was thoroughly impressed with his friends sharp look in the video. That guy is so impressive, Bannon said. Look at that guys tracksuit; look at the shoes; look at the hair. He added Guzzo walks out, totally precise. These guys amaze me. Bannon added prison gave him a better feel for the vibe of the U.S. and helped him understand that Kamala Harris had no shot in the 2024 race. It also gave him insight on other political and social topics, including Americans getting locked up for drugs. You can actually get a sense of where the country is in prison, Bannon said. Every Hispanic and Black family in America has someone they know thats incarcerated; thats just the reality. It may not be their son, but its a cousin, or nephew, or a next-door neighbor. These mass incarcerations are out of control for nonviolent drug charges. The post Steve Bannon on His Time in Prison: Gangbangers and Blood Everywhere first appeared on Mediaite. AMSTERDAM - The CEO of Sticker Mule is offering a scholarship that could increase enrollment by 65% at St. Mary's Institute. Anthony Constantino announced that he will fund 100 scholarships a year - at an annual cost of $515,000 - to the school he attended as a child. That school has only 160 students now, from age 3 through eighth grade. It will be a transformational gift, said Principal Kayla Bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We definitely have space for another hundred" students, she said. "We are extraordinarily grateful to Mr. Constantino for his tremendously generous gift." Constantino said the school initially approached him to fund some building improvements. "I said, listen, kids is more exciting," he said, but added that he'll be paying for building projects, too. He decided to fund the school partly to encourage other wealthy people to support private schools. "We need alternatives," he said. "There's a lot of pressure on me to perform and I make stickers. We need the same pressure on schools." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By funding excellent private schools, he said, wealthy people might create pressure for the nearby public schools to improve. "Hopefully, other people will copy us. There's a lot of people with extra money," he said. "People think a college scholarship is very expensive. An elementary school scholarship isn't as expensive. Less well-to-do people can think of doing it." He considered making a donation to his alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but he decided that would not have as big an impact. "These small private schools are more resource-constrained. Dollar-for-dollar you can do more. And there's a lot more room for innovation," he said. "And you can motivate other people. The country is not thinking about helping these private middle schools. It would just be a drop in the bucket if I gave to RPI." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Constantino will also donate about half a million dollars to "construct several incredible additions to our school," school officials said in a letter to the community. Families that want to enroll should apply to the school by emailing to apply@smik8.org the student's most recent report card and an essay on "Why SMI." The scholarship for the general public will be for students in grade 4 through 8; for Sticker Mule employees' children, applicants can be in grades K-8. A scholarship committee at the school will determine who gets the scholarships. Constantino isn't on the committee and said he fully supports the school making the decisions. But he did make one request: 50 of the scholarships must go to families who have a Sticker Mule employee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's not clear how many of his employees have children of the right age. It's possible there's only about 50 children who could be affected, he said. "The great thing would be everyone in my company who wants it gets it," he said. "In both regards we have no control - it's up to the committee." Sticker Mule is privately owned, so its finances are not publicly available, but Constantino has made a name for himself in recent years for more than his business success. He grabbed headlines during the run-up to the 2024 election when he put up a massive, lighted Vote for Trump campaign sign that caused a kerfuffle. Then he considered a third-party run for New York's 21st congressional district when it looked like U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik might become part of President Donald Trump's administration. Constantino said it would not be a hardship to fund the scholarship for many years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Sticker Mule is a much stronger company that people realize," he said. "We have a great company in a small town. I want my employees to be happy and a big part of that is living in a community that is flourishing." His long-term goal, he said, is to help St. Mary's Institute become one of the nation's top private schools. Bills, the school principal, said his gift is inspiring. "His generosity is definitely an inspiring reminder of how faith, gratitude and education can truly transform lives," she said. Sticker Mule is an ecommerce print-on-demand company that produces stickers, labels, magnets, T-shirts and so on. It employs 1,200 people, with factories in Amsterdam, South Carolina and Italy. This article originally published at Sticker Mule funding enough scholarships to increase local school enrollment by 65%. Families of released and killed hostages told lawmakers theyre still without adequate financial and psychological support, urging the government to act. Family members of former and slain hostages expressed an immediate need to receive more government assistance and long-term support during the Knessets Internal Affairs and Environment Committee meeting on Monday. Meirav Leshem Gonen, mother of former hostage Romi, spoke on the ongoing struggle that follows hostages and their families in the period following their return. Romi was held captive for 471 days in Hamas captivity and released by the terror group as part of the January hostage-ceasefire deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We look fine, we function, we smile, but no one knows what happens behind the scenes, Gonen told the panel. The financial support provided to families of the returnees simply doesnt exist. We are a family whose daughter came back severely injured, and we still havent returned to any kind of normal life, she said. I havent gone back to work, and its hard for me to keep our household running. Funeral of murdered Gaza hostage Tamir Nimrodi, October 16, 2025. (credit: ALON GILBOA) Gonen called for the government to find a solution, especially for those who came back after more than 700 days, referring to the most recent round of living and slain hostages returned as part of the current ceasefire-hostage deal this month. Three complex surgeries Gonen also spoke about her daughters ongoing rehabilitation process after she went through three complex surgeries due to the injuries she sustained on October 7. She called for government support toward physical rehabilitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The physical support provided to returnees amounts to just 4,000 shekels a year, when their physical needs require almost daily assistance. Further, she called for the government to fund psychological treatment for a very long period, for the entire family, especially for siblings, who are part of a massive support circle that has been deeply harmed and currently receives no adequate help at all. Hana Cohen, aunt of slain hostage Inbar Haiman, whose remains were returned from Gaza for burial last week after being held by Hamas since October 7, told the panel that Haimans father was granted only 20% disability benefits after submitting a request to the National Insurance Institute. Thats absurd, Cohen said, adding, Where is the support you promised to the families of the fallen hostages? They lost their jobs and will not be able to return to work. We are left with our pain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit), chairperson of the committee that led the discussion, called for clear procedures and structured budgets to be defined for the families. The discussion was based on findings from a previous report, which had revealed failures in coordination between the governments Hostages Directorate, ministries, and local authorities. The events of October 7 will stay with us for many years to come, and as a state, we must not leave the families of the hostages and the fallen alone, Kreuzer said. We demand to enshrine in law and in future budgets the rehabilitation process and the official status of these families and to create a uniform standard of care that does not depend on ones place of residence, he added. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday honored eight braveheart police personnel, highlighting their critical role in society. He emphasized that society must remember their sacrifices, as police maintain law and order, control riots, and protect citizens' rights, all of which are essential for the state's development. Addressing the Police Commemoration Day programme at City Armed Reserve Grounds on Bengaluru-Mysuru Road CM Siddaramaiah paid tribute to the police personnel, saying, "May their souls rest in peace. The government stands with their families." "Eight police personnel from Karnataka have become martyrs, and their family members are present here. Some have sacrificed their lives while performing their duties. Across the country, 191 police personnel have been martyred -- may their souls rest in peace. I pray that their families are given the strength to bear the pain of their loss. It is the duty of society to remember them. It is the duty of the police to maintain law and order in the state. Police are the ones who control riots and protect the rights granted to the people. The development of the state depends on the law and order maintained by the police department. Police also play a vital role in attracting investment to the state. Along with those who have sacrificed their lives, many have been injured -- the government stands with all of them," CM Siddaramaiah said. Police Commemoration Day (October 21) is observed across the country to pay homage to police bravehearts. The main function is organised at National Police Memorial, New Delhi. On October 21, 1959, ten valiant Policemen laid down their lives in an ambush laid by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs, Ladakh. Since then, October 21 is observed as Police Commemoration Day every year. In recognition of the sacrifices made by Police personnel and their paramount role in preserving national security and integrity, the Prime Minister dedicated National Police Memorial (NPM), Chanakyapuri, New Delhi to the nation on Police Commemoration Day 2018. The Memorial gives Police Forces a sense of national identity, pride, unity of purpose, common history and destiny, besides reinforcing their commitment to protect the nation even at the cost of their lives. The Memorial comprises a Central Sculpture, the 'Wall of Valour' and a Museum. The Central Sculpture, which is a 30-foot-high granite monolith cenotaph, stands for strength, resilience and selfless service of Police personnel. The museum is conceptualised as a historical and evolving exhibition on policing in India. The Memorial is a site of pilgrimage, a place of reverence for Police personnel and citizens alike. As a part of the remembrances, CAPFs/CPOs organise various Commemorative Events at National Police Memorial from October 22 to 30, which include visits of family members of bravehearts, Police Band Display, motorcycle rallies, run for fallen policemen, blood donation camps, essay/painting competitions for children and display of video films showcasing sacrifice, valour and services of Police personnel. Similar programmes are organised by all the Police Forces across the country during this period. (ANI) MAHOMET, Ill. (WCIA) The farmland in one Champaign County city is getting healthier, but not everyone is happy about it. In Mahomet, the Sangamon Valley Water Protection District is pumping wastewater into fields. However, theyre having to run pipes through the Thornewood Subdivision and it comes with an odor. Champaign Co. Crime Stoppers seeking tips on aggravated battery The chairman of the Sangamon Valley Public Water District, Cameron Wygant, said that this process is not harmful to the people in the neighborhood and theyre not pumping raw sewage. Rather, its a biosolid, which was once sewage that has been through the whole treatment process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wygant added that the biosolids have been fully approved by the Illinois EPA to be pumped. However, to get from point a to point b, theyre having to use a temporary pipeline system that runs through neighborhoods. It stinks, literally it stinks. Thats essentially the worst of it, a resident of the Thornewood Subdivision, Kristi Perkins, said. Perkins said the tubing goes up and over the bridge, past Route 47, and back into a field. She also shared that people in the Thornewood Subdivision werent pleased when the pipe bridge wasnt sealed tight. Fisher baseball player wins trip to World Series Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It leaked one day, Perkins shared. And it was dripping on cars that drove under the bridge. Wygant said that the leak was immediately detected and taken care of. He also shared that they even consulted with the EPA for further steps, despite the fact the biosolids are not harmful to people. The next day they had somebody out here, and he was working on it the whole time, and he was sweeping it up and cleaning it up, Perkins added. Wygant said that this project was planned, and the EPA granted a permit to do so in September, after ensuring the biosolids met compliance standards. He added that putting biosolids on farmland is widely accepted in agriculture. It fertilizes the fields, ultimately improving crop yields. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It pumps out into a tractor, down into a disc, and then it comes out the disc and goes into the field, and they are just tilling it into the soil. Its going to provide nutrients and everything that the soil needs to make nice, healthy soil, Perkins said. Carle trick-or-treat event reunites nurses with former patients She said that she believes the water district has been courteous with their work, but she is glad its temporary. Biosolids need to go somewhere, and Id rather get them out of there than sit there and be stagnant and stinky, and then we have to smell it every day rather than just a few days, and then it be gone, Perkins said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wygant said that the project is expected to be completed in the next three to five days. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 West Wyomissing man faces felony charges after Spring Township police said they found a stolen firearm when they stopped his SUV near his home last month for having a suspended registration. Kenneth A. Vento Morales, 22, of the 2000 block of Girard Avenue was charged with receiving stolen property and carrying a firearm without a license. He was free on $20,000 bail to await a hearing following arraignment Saturday night before District Judge Priscilla Campos in Reading Central Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court records: About 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, Officer Gregory Shober, while traveling east on Reading Boulevard in a patrol vehicle, pulled behind an SUV registered to Vento Morales that was stopped at a red light at the intersection with West Wyomissing Boulevard. He ran the license plate number for the SUV through a PennDOT database and learned it was suspended for unpaid traffic fines. There was also an insurance cancellation. As the light turned green, the officer activated his emergency lights, and the SUV pulled over on Reading Boulevard. Vento Morales, whose drivers license was also suspended, was in the front passenger seat. The driver, identified as Edwin Gutierrez, had a suspended New York drivers license and was wanted by the Berks County Sheriffs Office on a bench warrant. Further details of the warrant were unavailable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He and Vento Morales, who had eight open scofflaw warrants, were taken into custody. Police summoned a towing contractor for the uninsured vehicle. Before authorizing it to be towed, they conducted an inventory search per department policy. On the floor next to the front passenger seat where Vento Morales feet had been was a cross-body bag. Shober found a loaded 9 mm pistol with an extended magazine in the bag. There were 11 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. A check through a law enforcement database revealed the gun had been reported stolen on July 22 to Reading police. The owner said it was taken from his residence on Maple Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The gun was confiscated and sent to the Berks County Forensic Services Unit for DNA analysis. Police also obtained a search warrant to collect a DNA sample from Vento Morales. The results of the comparative analysis are pending. Crown jewels that were stolen in a dramatic weekend heist at the Louvre are worth an estimated 88 million euros, or $102 million, not including their historical value to France, the Paris prosecutor said Tuesday. About 100 investigators are now involved in the police hunt for the gems and heist suspects, said prosecutor Laure Beccuau, whose office is leading the investigation. "The wrongdoers who took these gems won't earn 88 million euros if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels," she said in an interview with broadcaster RTL. "We can perhaps hope that they'll think about this and won't destroy these jewels without rhyme or reason." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Questions have arisen about security at the Louvre, the world's most-visited museum, and whether security cameras might have failed as the thieves rode a basket lift up the Louvre's facade, cut their way through a window, smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels on Sunday morning. But France's culture minister said Tuesday that the security apparatus installed at the Louvre worked properly during the theft. "The Louvre museum's security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact," the minister, Rachida Dati, told lawmakers in the National Assembly. "The Louvre museum's security apparatus worked." Dati said she launched an administrative inquiry that comes in addition to a police investigation to ensure full transparency into what happened. She did not offer any details about how the thieves managed to carry out their heist given that the cameras were working. But she described it as a painful blow for the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The robbery was "a wound for all of us," she said. "Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the world's largest museum. It's a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony." The necklace and earrings of the set of jewelry of Empress Marie-Louise displayed at Apollon's Gallery on Jan. 14, 2020, at the Louvre museum in Paris. / Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Monday that the museum's alarm was triggered when the window of the Apollo Gallery was broken into. Police officers arrived on site two or three minutes after they were called by an individual that witnessed the scene, he said on LCI television. Officials said the heist lasted less than eight minutes in total, including less than four minutes inside the Louvre. Nunez did not disclose details about video surveillance cameras that may have filmed the thieves around and in the museum, pending a police investigation. "There are cameras all around the Louvre," he said. The theft focused on the gilded Apollo Gallery, where the Crown Diamonds are displayed. Eight objects were taken, according to officials: a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense; an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugenie's diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch, a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alain Bauer, a professor of criminology at France's National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, told CBS News that a lot of DNA was left at the scene by the robbers, including on the crown of the empress Eugenie, which was left behind by the thieves as they made their getaway on motorcycles. "We will catch them," he said of the thieves. But he added: "I don't think we will capture the jewels." The crown jewels are priceless in historical terms, but experts have told CBS News they would still be worth millions of dollars if broken up and sold on the black market. The jewels were not privately insured, the French Ministry of Culture said in a statement to the daily newspaper Le Parisien. French law prohibits entities like the Louvre from insuring its property, except when part of a collection is moved or loaned to another institution, Romain Dechelette, president of France-based Serex Assurances, a fine art insurer, told CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Eye Opener: Police arrest a man with an assault rifle at Atlanta's airport Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) After a very windy start to the day, that breeze will gradually back off as we head through the evening and into the night. With that said, though, areas east of I-29 arent quite done yet. A wind advisory remains in place until 6 pm CDT Tuesday for SW Minnesota and NW Iowa. Gusts may still reach and exceed 50 mph at times. As I mentioned, the wind does eventually get out of here as we head into the night. Cloud cover also dissipates East River as we head into the nightsetting the stage for a chilly night. Some areas to the east and southeast still havent reached 32 degrees or lower for an overnight low yet, and this may be the best chance we get. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second half of the work and school week is looking rather nice from here thanks to a ridge of high pressure that keeps us sunny and calm. Outdoor activities and the ongoing harvest will be able to go off without any major or even minor hitches. Even Saturday is looking good with a brief warm-up into the 70s for some of us. Cloud cover makes its move on Sunday, but we should stay mainly dry by day. By Monday, rain returns across the region with the arrival of our next system. Even next Tuesday holds a chance for a little more rain with low pressure lingering in the area. Heres a look at your extended forecast: 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. Oct. 20On Sunday, Harvey and Xenia Dock and their children said goodbye to their house and their village of Nightmute and boarded a series of planes. They were reluctant to leave. The community had not been under a mass evacuation like Kipnuk, where Harvey is originally from. The family's home had not been flooded or demolished by the fierce storm surge. But Nightmute's sewer lagoons had overtopped, fuel had spilled, and they grew worried about living amid contamination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They spent Sunday night at the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage, sleeping on cots with more than 100 other people evacuated from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta after a catastrophic storm caused widespread damage to the region's villages a week earlier. Hundreds of evacuees like the Dock family are now staring down a long and uncertain displacement in Alaska's biggest city. "It was the hardest decision I had to make," Harvey Dock said, taking a cigarette break on the sidewalk outside Monday. "It was my decision for the safety of my wife, my children. There could be contamination. You don't know what kind of pollution came from those tanks." Long-term shelter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With evacuations wrapping up, officials say organizations are now looking toward finding families longer-term housing so they can move out of mass shelters. "We know it's not comfortable," said Taylar Sausen, a Red Cross spokesperson. A mass shelter is "a temporary solution." The American Red Cross along with tribal health organizations and the municipality are "working at finding more comfortable and long-term accommodations" for evacuated people, which may include hotel rooms or placements in rental homes or with family, Sausen said. Specifics on the hotel rooms and other private housing weren't available Monday. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance is expected to hold a briefing Tuesday on the city's continuing role in hosting evacuees from Western Alaska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many people are already staying with kin or have found housing on their own. According to the American Red Cross, as of midnight Monday, about 250 people were in mass shelters with 75 staying at the Alaska Airlines Center shelter, 168 at the Egan Center and 16 in Bethel. That represents less than half of the roughly 630 people who had been evacuated as of Sunday, according to a report from the emergency operations center. Many people have stayed with family members and friends in other Y-K Delta communities or in Anchorage, or secured private housing on their own or moved into medical housing. "Staying with family and friends is more comfortable than staying on a cot in a shelter," Sausen said. The American Red Cross will want to get in touch with all evacuees, she said, to let people know what types of financial or other assistance will be available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [How to help the 'evolving needs' of Western Alaska evacuees in Anchorage] In Bethel, officials said they had wrapped up a major airlift operation that resulted in 659 people being evacuated from their communities to Anchorage, the Alaska National Guard said Sunday evening. The National Guard said it would still conduct small evacuations, if requested. In the coming days, the number of Alaska Organized Militia personnel in Bethel would increase from about 115 to 200 to help the guard clear debris and deliver equipment or fuel to communities before winter, the guard said Sunday. Other organizations, like the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., said they also would prioritize spending the week delivering supplies, fixing damaged homes or infrastructure and helping communities clean up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, families like the Docks from Nightmute are enrolling their children in Anchorage schools. As of Monday, 65 students began classes at schools across the district, including College Gate Elementary School's Yup'ik immersion program, the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School, Wendler Middle School, Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School and King Tech High School, according to a statement from the district. Some students are integrating into neighborhood schools while they stay with nearby family members. "These sites were chosen to help students remain connected to familiar faces, peers, and educators, and to ensure families can stay together whenever possible," the statement from district spokesperson Corey Allen Young said. "ASD's response brings together staff from migrant education, Indigenous education, immersion programs, the English language learners program, health services, mental health services, transportation, and more. Their shared focus is to provide stability, care, and cultural connection that honors every student." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a Friday press conference, Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said the Anchorage School District may add as many as 200 students, and will try to keep those students together in cohorts. Bryantt said the district's school buses were used to shuttle evacuees from the airport to shelters, and the district has provided translation services and supplies at the Alaska Airlines Center shelter. [Relief workers look to begin 'mucking out' flood-damaged homes in Western Alaska] 'The hardest decision' The Dock family said they would rather not spend long months in Anchorage, but believe their home and others in Nightmute need to be rebuilt in a safer location, on higher ground. Otherwise, Xenia Dock said, more storms will come and cause havoc again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, they are getting their bearings in Anchorage. The younger kids need to be enrolled in school. They are hoping a hotel room, or other housing, comes through soon. Their eldest daughter, 15, is nervous and has talked about wishing she stayed in Nightmute, her mom said. Back home, they'd be processing burbot, called lush fish, right about now, Xenia Dock said. They'd be preparing to ride snowmachine trails to Kipnuk to visit family on Halloween. Now, it's Anchorage for the time being. It could be 18 months or more to rebuild, Harvey Dock said. "I don't like the traffic, to tell you the truth," said Dock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bruce Igkurak was evacuated from Kwigillingok on Sunday too. He said his three-person household is staying with other family members in Anchorage and Wasilla now. His home is "ruined," he said floated off the foundation like so many others. It is now filled in places with deep mud. He was among those who stayed the longest, helping others evacuate. The moment when he, too, got on the plane was painful. "We live off the land, most of us," he said. "It's hard to leave that area." As soon as possible, he hopes to go back to work on cleanup and rebuilding in Kwigillingok. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I have a lot of hope," he said. "I'm not sure who wants to go back, but we'll make it a home, someplace they can come back to." Daily News journalist Marc Lester contributed. Storms to bring severe weather, flooding threat from Texas to Louisiana and Arkansas A storm that brought rounds of heavy showers and gusty thunderstorms to the interior Southwest through midweek has reached the southern portion of the Plains states, increasing the risk for severe thunderstorms and flash flooding, AccuWeather meteorologists say. The storm will encounter warm, moist air being drawn northward from the Gulf, fueling intense thunderstorm development. The severe weather threat drifted eastward Friday night from West Texas to central Oklahoma and northeast Texas. There were a handful of tornado reports from the Texas Panhandle to north-central Texas and a smattering of hail and damaging wind reports across the state as a line of thunderstorms pushed through. Even major metros like Fort Worth, Texas, observed intense storms with damaging winds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through Saturday night, the severe weather risk will extend from eastern Texas to Louisiana and portions of far southwestern Mississippi. AccuWeather.com As with Friday, there will be a zone where a greater concentration of severe weather may occur. This moderate risk of severe weather, as described by AccuWeather, will extend from Houston to Lafayette, Louisiana, to south of Shreveport, Louisiana. Along with the likelihood of some storms with high winds, there may be a few tornadoes. GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Flash flood risk to increase farther east As the storm progresses slowly through the Ozark Mountains, heavy rainfall will become a more widespread danger. Rainfall totals could reach 4-8 inches in pockets from eastern Oklahoma to far northeastern Louisiana, raising the risk for flash flooding in urban areas and along small streams. AccuWeather.com The AccuWeather Local StormMax total rainfall for this multiple-day event is 10 inches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since much of the rain will fall on a zone where the ground is dry due to months of drought, the rain will generally be absorbed by the landscape and may be of benefit. Because of low levels on tributary rivers, any boost to low water levels on the Mississippi River may be slight and of short duration. Much of the rain may fall on the Red River basin. The lowest Mississippi levels, relative to the historical average, are centered on the middle part of the river system and not farther south near the delta, where the Red River joins at the Atchafalaya flood control area. AccuWeather.com Motorists are urged to exercise extra caution along Interstates 30, 35, 40 and 44 in the region. Due to steep terrain in some areas, flash flooding poses a significant risk to campers in the Ozark Mountains. Several inches of rain in a short period may cause sudden and dangerous rises in water levels in the Ozarks and also at the underpasses in urban areas. As the weekend progresses, some downpours will extend farther to the east along the Interstate 10 and 20 corridors in the Gulf Coast states, but the risk for flash flooding is expected to decrease and become more localized by late weekend in the Mississippi Delta region and the central Gulf Coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking a strengthening Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean. While Melissa is not expected to impact the U.S. Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas, some indirect tropical impacts could still reach the U.S. Atlantic Coast later this month. There is the risk of significant direct impacts in South Florida. Melissa will continue to bring life-threatening impacts, including catastrophic flooding, storm surge and destructive winds, to parts of the Caribbean before any approach to the U.S. next week. 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. MENOMONIE With the final phase of a lab renovation project at UW-Stout complete, several lab spaces at the university are bringing new improvements to campus. The project entailed a $7.4 million revamp of the universitys Jarvis Hall Technology Wing and adjacent spaces. Most of the spaces impact UW-Stouts engineering and construction programs, as well as many other programs who utilize that space on campus. Daniel Freedman, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management, said the two-year renovation provides a variety of improvements to equipment, functionality and visibility of the spaces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of that space is occupied by four very large labs that support a number of key programs across the university, he said. Three of them are largely for engineering; theres a mechanical engineering lab what we call the Woods Lab and then the plastic engineering lab. And then the fourth is the large lab for the construction management program. This is sort of a technology hub for the campus. Theres just an enormous number of students that flow through and use these spaces. The $7.4 million renovations were funded as part of the 2021-2023 state capital budget. The first phase of the project completed summer 2024, encompassing 17,000 square feet of space in the Jarvis Hall Technology Wing and several of the lab spaces within. The second phase completed during this past summer, covering an additional 25,000 square feet. Freedman said there was essential work done to improve the HVAC and ventilation safety. In the Construction Lab spaces used by construction management students and professors, a new dust-collection system and exhaust fans as part of the ventilation upgrades will improve air quality and environmental safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other areas have new features, including some roll-up garage-style doors which ease access for large equipment and improve visibility into the spaces. A sprinkler system now encompasses the first floor of Jarvis Tech, and the look and feel of spaces in the facility have been upgraded along with several other improvements. In a press release from the university, Senior Facilities Officer Justin Utpadel said, This renovation is another step forward for UW-Stouts applied learning environment. The upgrades not only enhance safety and functionality but also increase the visibility and adaptability of our instructional spaces. A lot of it is improving the functionality of the space and making it easier for students, faculty and staff to be able to use it, Freedman said. Overall, were creating safer spaces that are easier to work in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to overall construction in the spaces at Jarvis Hall, Freedman talked about additional investments that are also contributing to the renovated spaces. The university anticipates the installation of a new concrete printer in the Construction Lab, supported by a $647,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The university will also house a new Amatrol Smart Factory Enterprise system as part of a $3.1 million donation from the Ronald and Joyce Wanek Foundation. The device, which will be in a space adjacent to the Woods Lab, will allow students to use an automated manufacturing system as they would be used in a modern production system. Its really exciting seeing the investment in these spaces, Freedman said. As a polytechnic university, were incredibly dependent on having functional lab spaces, and this is the kind of thing that really sets up the infrastructure and the labs to perform at a high level for years to come. Student loan forgiveness could soon resume for millions of Americans due to an agreement between President Donald Trump's administration and the American Federation of Teachers. In July, the Education Department suspended forgiveness for Income-Based Repayment plans to update its systems to accurately account for qualifying monthly payments. Now, things have changed. On Oct. 17, the Trump administration and the American Federation of Teachers reached an agreement to approve the cancellation of student debt for millions of borrowers who make regular payments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agreement enables the Department of Education to restart the cancellation of student debt for borrowers who are enrolled in income-driven repayment plans. This decision follows a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Teachers, which accused administration officials of unlawfully preventing access to repayment and forgiveness programs that have been in place for years. Here's what to know about the resumption of student loan forgiveness. How do you know if your student debt will be forgiven? According to USA TODAY, if loans are eligible for forgiveness, borrowers should receive a notification email stating this. Borrowers should ensure their contact information is accurate and up-to-date with Federal Student Aid and their loan servicers. The email should also allow borrowers to opt out of forgiveness. If borrowers want to decline forgiveness, they should contact their loan servicer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Otherwise, the Education Department will forward discharge information to loan servicers after Oct. 21, and loan servicers will then process the discharge. Who is eligible for student debt forgiveness? The Department of Education has reached an agreement with the AFT, confirming that student loan forgiveness is resuming under the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan. IBR allows for student loan forgiveness after 25 years of repayment, or after 20 years for borrowers who took out their student loans on or after July 1, 2014. IBR is one of four repayment Income Driven Repayment plans that consider your income to determine the monthly payment amount. The other three IDR plans are: Pay As You Earn, Income Contingent Repayment and the Savings on a Valuable Education, or SAVE. Payments on the other three plans are only counted toward forgiveness if the borrower enrolls in IBR, the department said. When will the student loan forgiveness go into effect? The government shutdown has already suspended the American Federation of Teachers class action lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of slow walking student loan forgiveness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Department of Justice attorneys arent allowed to work on the case during the shutdown, but the AFT is pushing for proceedings to resume as soon as possible to prevent delays that could affect borrowers' taxes. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 exempted student loan forgiveness from federal taxes until the end of 2025. "It really is urgent for those borrowers who are already entitled to have their loans canceled to make sure that cancellation does get processed before the end of the year," said Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director and Managing Counsel at the Student Borrower Protection Center. "Otherwise, they could face thousands of extra dollars in tax liability." If student debt forgiveness is pushed into 2026, federal taxes apply again, as well as any state taxes. The agreement awaits court approval to be legally binding. If approved, the administration must submit reports every six months on IDR and PSLF applications and loan cancellations. How many Tennessee residents have student loans? A study from SmartAsset, using data from September 2024, shows that 890,900 Tennessee residents have student debt, accounting for approximately 12.5% of the state's population. The same data indicates an average student loan amount of $37,120 per borrower. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Tennessee had a population of about 7.2 million as of July 1, 2024. The bureau estimated that 21.9% of the state's population was between the ages of 5 and 18, approximately 1.5 million people. Consequently, Tennessee could potentially have upwards of 1 million student loan borrowers over the next 13 years alone, which would likely increase the number of payments and the average cost of loans. USA TODAY contributed to this report. Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tennessee student loan borrowers could see debt forgiveness. What we know Bridging the gap between resources and exposure to Navy careers -- that's the goal of the Navy's latest strike team. In partnership with marketing services, the three display set-up gives students across the nation a feel of what different jobs would be like. Displays use virtual reality to help students literally see themselves in the Navy. "By developing this mobile attraction that really kind of uses the cutting-edge technology and gamifies many of these tasks associated with the Navy, it's just a way to really meet young people where they like to be in terms of gaming," explains Ken Woodmansee, with VML Advertising and Marketing Agency for the U.S. NAVY. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the last year, the Strike has traveled to over 200 sites, reaching thousands. On Monday, they made a stop at Tulare Union High School. "We want to make sure they know all those opportunities available so when they do leave us, we have done our part in educating them in what the future can offer to them, and each of their paths is going to look different," explains Tulare Union High School Principal, Michelle Nunley. The interactive tour is helping the Navy meet its recruiting goals.. For local students, like junior Ayden Carrillo, the experience is helping them plan their future. "It makes me feel really excited because it opens more doors for me, especially because I didn't think of anything else before the Navy, so I feel like this can really do good for me," expresses Ayden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you don't know what you want to do in life, try this, try the military, try the navy, try the army, air force, try it. You don't know what can happen," encourages freshman, Osie Early. Going beyond the in-person experience and stepping into the waters via virtual reality, while helping students explore Navy careers and plant seeds for generations to come. The next stop for the strike team is Wednesday at Golden West High School. If high schools are interested in having the strike team come out to their campus, you can reach out to them on the U.S. Navy website, or here. For South Valley news updates, follow Kassandra Gutierrez on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When he launched his campaign last week for a Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat, Representative Seth Moulton made sure that one of his first moves was to announce that he is returning campaign donations that he received from individuals affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and would no longer accept campaign support from the group. Also last week, popular podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan pressed Senator Cory Booker to answer whether he considered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal; The Ringers Van Lathan told Governor Gavin Newsom that Lathan would not support a 2028 candidate who took money from AIPAC, resulting in the governor literally squirming and using the word interesting repeatedly; radio host Charlamagne tha God asked Governor Josh Shapiro if AIPAC donations improperly influence U.S. decisions on Israeli-Palestinian issues; and MSNBCs Eugene Daniels asked Kamala Harris if Israels actions over the last two years constitute genocide. Those are the latest examples of a seismic new development in Democratic politics. For decades, Democratic politicians, particularly those running for Senate or president, have emphasized their support of Israel and commitment to maintaining strong U.S.-Israel ties, in part to woo pro-Israel center-left donors and activists. Now, we are seeing a new litmus test on Israeli-Palestinian issues: Many Democratic pundits and activists, particularly progressives, are demanding politicians rebuke Israels actions over the last two years and adopt a more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These progressives say they dont want to support candidates unless those politicians declare that Israels recent actions are a genocide, disavow AIPAC, and pledge to condition U.S. military and diplomatic support on the Israelis treating the Palestinians better. This new landscape is creating some awkward moments for Democratic officials. After an August interview on Pod Save America in which he refused to give a clear answer on whether he supported a bill that limited U.S. arms sales to Israel, Pete Buttigieg was criticized so widely that a few days later he backed the legislation. Earlier this month, Mallory McMorrow, a Senate candidate in Michigan, was pressed by activists at a campaign event on the genocide question. She paused for several seconds, exhaled, and responded, based on the definition, yes, according to Politico. Two weeks earlier, when asked about it by Politico, McMorrow had declined to use that term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats causing this new dynamic? I see four factors at play. First of all and most importantly, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become one of the defining issues of progressive politics. While there have long been people on the left deeply critical of the Israeli government, whats changed is that the number of Democratic activists and even average voters who are really invested in this issue, on the pro-Palestinian side, has grown dramatically in the wake of the Israeli military offensive in response to the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. We dont have great data on this, but I strongly suspect that the percentage of Democrats who are familiar with AIPAC (and have negative opinions about the group) has skyrocketed in the last two years. Moulton, like most Democratic officials, has traditionally defended Israel while not making it a central part of his political identity. His distancing himself from AIPAC suggests that being aligned with the group is electorally toxic in a Democratic primary in a deep blue state like Massachusetts. Its astonishing how quickly the politics are moving. The Democrats now deserting @AIPAC arent supporters of Palestinian rights. Theyre ambitious politicians who see which way the winds are blowing. They dont fear @AIPAC. They fear being associated with @AIPAC. The political rules of the last almost half-century are changing before our eyes, Peter Beinart, a Jewish writer who has become a leading skeptic of the Israeli government, wrote in a recent post on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, Israeli-Palestinian issues have become a proxy for a broader divide within the Democratic Party. The 2016 and 2020 primaries split the party along ideological lines. But the early years of the Biden presidency diminished those divides. The center-left, led by Biden, accepted some of the lefts criticisms of Bill Clintons and Barack Obamas economic policies and adopted a more populist approach. At the same time, progressives downplayed abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, reducing police funding, expanding Medicare to all Americans, and other stances that Biden-aligned Democrats argued were too electorally risky. But Bidens Gaza policy, Kamala Harriss overtly centrist 2024 campaign, her defeat, the Democratic establishments cautious approach to Trump, and the New York City mayoral race have reanimated tensions between the partys progressive and center-left wings. What many progressives and even some who arent really that ideologically left see is a Democratic establishment that keeps losing elections and whimpering in the fight against Trump and Republicans. And they are trying to figure out where Democratic politicians stand on this divide. Is Israel committing genocide? or, Do you oppose AIPAC? are in many ways a proxy for, Are your ultimate loyalties with the center-left donors, pollsters, and party leaders or with those of us who want to replace them? Politicians, I suspect, recognize that the Israel-Gaza questions arent just about Middle East policy. Maines Graham Platner may sincerely believe that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, but he is likely embracing that term in part because the progressive voters that he is appealing to hold that stance and want to hear it from candidates. Booker, Newsom, McMorrow, Buttigieg, Harris, and many other prominent Democrats get squeamish or deliver word salads when asked about Israeli-Palestinian issues. Thats because they are essentially being asked to align with the partys centrists or its progressives, but their political brands and strategies are to be palatable to both blocs. Third, the rise of Zohran Mamdani is reshaping Israeli-Palestinian politics within the party. He won the mayoral primary in New York despite a long record of skepticism about Israel, the citys sizable Jewish population, and constant accusations that he is antisemitic. Mamdanis victory has emboldened progressives, who might have backtracked from demanding candidates take Israel-skeptical positions if those proved electorally damaging. If a candidate like that can win a Democratic primary in New York without bowing to the pro-Israel side, its likely that such a candidate can win a primary anywhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fourth, theres the exit of Biden. The presence of a firmly pro-Israel figure at the top of the party probably diminished Israel-skeptical sentiments, even as more Democrats became concerned about the wars direction in 2024. With Biden out of office, fairly establishment-friendly voices, such as the Pod Save America hosts, can criticize the Israeli government without implicitly slamming their partys incumbent president. I dont want to exaggerate whats happening. Its entirely possible that we are in a unique moment thats over even eight months from now. Memories of the women and children dying from indiscriminate Israeli bombings in Gaza will inevitably fade. Perhaps the recently negotiated ceasefire will be enduring. And right now, I would argue that its not that Israeli skepticism is the new litmus test for the entire party, but that there are two different litmus tests for Democratic politicians. A candidate who wants to woo center-left Democratic donors and activists still needs to affirm certain pro-Israel positions. In his statement breaking with AIPAC, the fairly centrist Moulton emphasized his support for Israel existing as a Jewish-controlled state and that he is a friend of Israel. At the same time, those who want to win over progressive activists will have to be critical of AIPAC and U.S. military aid to Israel. It will be very tricky for candidates to meet both tests. And its entirely possible that the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee is from the pro-Israel camp, since most polls suggest Israel-Gaza issues are not the biggest concern of average Democratic voters. But those issues werent voters biggest concern five or 10 years ago, either, when many Democratic politicians worked intensely to court the partys pro-Israel contingent. Booker, who has forcefully defended Israel throughout his career and in the past emphasized his close ties to AIPAC leaders, whined in the interview with Welch and Sullivan that their question about whether Netanyahu is a war criminal is a litmus test. It is. But whats actually changed is that ambitious politicians like Booker, who have for years been confronted with and then adhered to pro-Israeli litmus tests, now have to address the other side of the issue. Its about time. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday paid homage to police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty during the Police Commemoration Day programme held at the Police Memorial at the Centre for Police Research in Pune. In a post on X, Ajit Pawar said, "On Police Commemoration Day, we pay our respects to all those bravehearts who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Their dedication and exemplary service will be always remembered." To honour the ever lasting memory of gallant Policemen, who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, October 21 every year is observed as 'Commemoration Day' by the Police forces all over India. The significance of October 21 lies in the fact that ten brave Policemen were ambushed and killed by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959 in an unequal confrontation inside Indian territory. To honour the memory of these ten valiant Policemen, the DGsP/IGsP Conference held in 1962 decided to observe October 21 every year as Police Commemoration Day. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid heartfelt tributes to India's police personnel on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, lauding their courage, dedication, and sacrifices in maintaining the nation's safety and security. In a post shared on X, PM Modi said, "On Police Commemoration Day, we salute the courage of our police personnel and recall the supreme sacrifice by them in the line of duty. Their steadfast dedication keeps our nation and people safe. Their bravery and commitment in times of crisis and in moments of need are appreciable." Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the Police Commemoration Day programme at the National Police Memorial in Delhi on Tuesday. He emphasized the importance of unity between the Army and police in ensuring national security, saying that both forces share the same spirit in safeguarding the country. Addressing the programme, Singh drew from his experience as a former Home Minister and his current role as Defence Minister, highlighting the critical roles both the police and Army play in the country's security. "I myself have served as Home Minister. I have had the opportunity to observe the operations of the police up close. Furthermore, as Defence Minister, I also have the opportunity to closely observe the actions of the Army. Both Army and police are pillars of the country's security. Whoever the enemy may be, whether it comes from across the border or lurks among us, every individual who stands up for India's security represents the same spirit," Rajnath Singh said during the event. Singh stressed that as India enters the 'Amrit Kal' and looks towards achieving 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, balancing internal and external security has become more important than ever. He further lauded the police for not only fighting crime but also for managing perception, saying, "Today, the police have to fight not only crime but also perception. It is a good thing that our police, along with its official duty, is also performing its moral duty very well. Today, the citizens of the country have confidence that if something wrong happens, the police will stand with them." (ANI) BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) Sullivan County Director of Schools Chuck Carter issued a statement Monday concerning a proposed speaking engagement at West Ridge High School. According to Carter, a representative of Club America, the high school initiative of Turning Point USA, approached him after the Oct. 10 Board of Education meeting. Bristol, TN City Council lowers property tax rate She asked for my permission to permit Riley Gaines to speak at a student assembly during an upcoming school day at West Ridge High School, Carter wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaines is a former collegiate swimmer known for her opposition to the participation of transgender athletes in womens sports. As the Director of Schools, I informed them we would be happy to consider an after-school event proposal should Club America submit our standard facilities usage agreement, Carter wrote. According to Carter, Club America has continued to ask that the event take place during the school day. Though I understand Club America has continued to request that their proposed event take place at a student assembly during a school day, I in consultation with our legal counsel stand by my original response, but remain more than happy to accommodate this as an after-school event so as not to disrupt the instructional day, Carter wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school board met in a closed attorney/client session at 5 p.m. Monday, but a called meeting that was scheduled to take place immediately after the closed session was canceled. The cancellation shocked and angered audience members who were in support of the event. Parent Brian Hartz said it was wrong of the board to cancel the meeting last minute and leave residents with questions. You got people taking time out of their day to come voice concerns and be a part of the community, he said. If anything, were trying to help build something for our kids and just being shut out. On top of that, to say we dont know when were going to hear your voice, its very discouraging and quite frankly, hurtful because were here trying to do stuff for our kids. People say, have a voice, but then we get shut out and you dont get to have a voice tonight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hartz said his daughter, a member of Club USA at West Ridge High School, was upset about the meeting being cancelled. He believes the school board is scared of criticism from opposing sides. I think theyre just afraid to kind of get their hands heard, Hartz said. Theyre afraid of any repercussions from someone else. Quite frankly, it feels like a bullying situation where because theyre theyre feeling so much pressure from one side, theyre just gonna let the other side kind of wash away or the other view. New Frontier Health in Kingsport to address teens mental health needs Carters full statement can be read below: On October 10, 2025, I was approached by a representative of Club America after a meeting of the Sullivan County Board of Education. She asked for my permission to permit Riley Gaines to speak at a student assembly during an upcoming school day at West Ridge High School. As the Director of Schools, I informed them we would be happy to consider an after-school event proposal should Club America submit our standard facilities usage agreement. Though I understand Club America has continued to request that their proposed event take place at a student assembly during a school day, I in consultation with our legal counsel stand by my original response, but remain more than happy to accommodate this as an after-school event so as not to disrupt the instructional day. Statement by Director of Schools Chuck Carter Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited the University of Vermont on Monday, holding a conversation with the universitys new president, Marlene Tromp. Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, left, with UVM President Marlene Tromp on Monday, October 20, 2025. (ABC22/FOX44 photo) Public registration for the event at the Ira Allen Chapel, according to the university, was filled a very short time after opening earlier this month. The event was part of the 2025 Leahy Public Policy Forum. Governor Phil Scott spoke first, before Sen. Peter Welch welcomed Dr. Tromp and Justice Sotomayor to the stage. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor steps onto the stage to a standing ovation. Pool photo by Catherine Morrissey/For the Burlington Free Press Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and University of Vermont President Marlene Tromp sit on stage. Pool photo by Catherine Morrissey/For the Burlington Free Press Former senator Patrick Leahy, a personal friend of the justice, wasnt able to attend in person, but he did address the group in a video which the justice said almost made her cry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She spoke about her early days of law school, saying she took a leap of faith about becoming a prosecutor, saying, Ive never been afraid to ask a question, never been afraid to say I dont know.' The justice addressed students specifically, advising them they could go ahead and plan their own futures until an opportunity presents itself. Then she said, throw the playbook away and take the chance. Her big message, that she delivered throughout the day to students, is to resist apathy; to be passionate about what you do, as she said at the very end tonight, to come at what you do with heart, and that message I think resonated with our students who wonder often about whether what they do can make an impact in the world, Dean of Patrick Leahy Honors College David Jenemann said. UVM alum named NASA astronaut candidate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice Sotomayors new childrens book was recently published, Just Shine! During the day Monday, the justice reportedly met with third, fourth, and fifth graders from the greater Burlington area, reading from her book. Justice Sotomayor has served on the U.S. Supreme Court for more than 16 years. She was appointed by then-president Barack Obama. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Graham Platner, an upstart Democratic candidate running to challenge Republican Maine Senator Susan Collins, reportedly acknowledged that his skull-and-crossbones tattoo is a Nazi military symbol. Jewish Insider reported Tuesday that an acquaintance of Platners had heard the former Marine refer to his chest tattoo as my Totenkopf, a German term referring to a specific skull and crossbones symbol used by a branch of the Nazi S.S. military that has since been resurrected by white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In a statement to Jewish Insider, Platner said that he absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if he knew the tattoo resembled the Nazi symbol, and he was already planning to have it removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Platner first publicly admitted he had the tattoo on his chest during an appearance on Pod Save America last week, after images of it had surfaced on social media. He claimed he got the tattoo in 2007, while he was very inebriated on leave with some fellow Marines in Croatia. We chose a terrifying skull and crossbones off the wall because we were Marines and skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing, Platner said. And then we all moved on with our lives. Platner denied holding antisemitic beliefs. I am not a secret Nazi. Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments, I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general, Platner said. Online, Platner has a history of making controversial statements, which he claims he made to get a rise out of peoplebut has seemingly made no comments targeting the Jewish people or faith. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Genevieve McDonald, Platners former campaign director, who resigned last week, suggested Tuesday that the candidate must have known about the images origins. Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest. Hes not an idiot, hes a military history buff, she wrote in a post on Facebook. Maybe he didnt know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means. McDonald, a former state representative, blamed the D.C. consultant class for the public relations disaster that could cost Democrats the Senate election. The vault is open for the GOP to crush any fucking dreams we had in the general, she wrote. NEED TO KNOW The number of children with food allergies specifically, life-threatening peanut allergies has dropped in recent years Since formal recommendations were made to introduce children under 3 to peanuts, the number of cases of allergies has dropped Eggs are now the top childhood food allergy The number of cases of children with food allergies has plummeted and deadly peanut allergies are significantly declining. In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that parents wait to introduce allergens like peanuts to children until they were age 3 or older. But later research showed that introducing children especially those at risk of a severe nut allergy to nuts could actually help them avoid developing the allergy. So in 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases formally recommended parents introduce children under the age of 3 to allergens like nuts. Getty Stock image of peanuts. Stock image of peanuts. New research shows that the recommendation is working. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We observed significant declines in the cumulative incidence of peanut allergies, research published in the journal Pediatrics found. According to the new research, which analyzed data from 125,000 children, there was a 36% decline in all food allergies between 2012 and 2020. The incidence of peanut allergies declined 43%, meaning that eggs have now replaced peanuts as the most common childhood allergen. Were talking about the prevention of a potentially deadly, life-changing diagnosis, said Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a pediatrician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, told The New York Times. This is real world data of how a public health recommendation can change childrens health. Peanut allergies are not just inconvenient, they can be fatal. Exposure to the nuts can trigger a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock, which can cause serious, life-threatening symptoms like difficulty breathing, according to Mayo Clinic. Patients are typically administered epinephrine, an adrenaline treatment. If the reaction isn't treated immediately, someone in anaphylactic shock can die. Getty Stock image of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Stock image of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 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. Per the 2018 recommendation, peanut butter can be safely introduced to babies starting at 4 months; Texas Childrens Hospital recommends mixing 1 or 2 teaspoons of smooth peanut butter with 2 or 3 teaspoons of water, formula or breast milk to thin it out, and then offer the baby a small amount of the thinned out peanut butter (the tip of a teaspoon, per the hospital) to start. Consult your pediatrician on how to introduce babies and babies at risk of a severe allergy to nuts and other allergens safely. Read the original article on People Most Germans are in favour of the nation's Olympic bid, according to a survey conducted by the YouGov market reaearch company on behalf of dpa. A total of 48% of the participants said they were either "somewhat" in favour (27%) or "strongly" in favour of Germany bidding to host the Summer Olympics in 2036, 2040 or 2044. That's a 4% increase compared to a similar survey conducted shortly after the 2024 Games in Paris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, 32% of the respondents are against an Olympic bid, with 18% saying they are "completely" against it. Some 21% of the participants didn't position themselves. Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr region are all vying to host the Olympic Games. According to the survey, most Germans (21%) would like Munich to be named the nation's candidate. The Rhine-Ruhr region is the second favourite option (19%), while Berlin (13%) and Hamburg (12%) would be the last choice by the respondents. Germany hosted summer Games 1936 in Berlin and 1972 in Munich. Several bids since then have failed or were stopped by referendums. On Sunday, Munich will host a referendum so citizens can give their opinion on the potential bid. Black Floridians are worried about their economic futures and stressed about the direction of the country, but young Black men are more sanguine, according to a survey. (Photo by Morry Gash/The Associated Press) Black Floridians are worried about their economic futures and stressed about the direction of the country, according to a comprehensive survey done this summer by a group that has researched Black attitudes over the past decade. In Our Own Voice: National Black Womens Reproductive Justice Agenda questioned more than 500 Black adults in Florida over several weeks and discovered that many of those who answered had insecurity about their finances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The survey found that 45% said they had less than $500 in savings, while 43% said they dont have enough money to pay for food and housing. Many of those who responded had a pessimistic view of what lies ahead. These findings come as affordability continues to be a major issue ahead of the 2026 elections. Florida Republicans say they plan to push ahead with ways to cut property taxes, while Democrats argue that steps should be taken to address years of property insurance hikes. Health insurance premiums for plans purchased on the federal healthcare exchange are expected to spike unless Congress steps in and restores Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Meanwhile, 76% of respondents said they fear the cost of living will go up under President Donald Trump, while 66% agreed that Black people will lose their rights and endure more racial discrimination. But the survey did find that a large segment of younger Black men a component that may have helped Trump make inroads with minorities in the 2024 election retain a positive outlook because Trump won. Fifty percent of Black men between the ages of 18 and 44 said they felt positively about Trumps election and 44% said they will feel safer and secure under his presidency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The survey also asked questions about policy including abortion; 69% of those who responded said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In terms of health care, 58% said they or a family member has had Medicaid coverage at some point in their lives. And of those who have been on Medicaid, 93% said the safety-net program for the poor, elderly, and disabled is important to them or their families, including 72% who said its been very important. Despite the importance of Medicaid, 32% of the respondents report having had trouble finding a Medicaid-participating provider to care for them. More than half of the Black women aged 18-44 surveyed (54%) said they want more children but just 29% plan to have them. Those respondents reported rising food, housing, health care. and childcare prices as reasons why. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mental health is of concern to Black Floridians, the survey shows, particularly among young females. Sixty-six percent of Black women aged 18-44 said they worried about their mental health at least once a week, compared to 57% of men the same age. Forty-two percent of women aged 45 and older said they worry about their mental health at least once a week, compared to 48% of men. The poll, The Lives and Voices of Black Adults Across 10 States, also explores how Black communities in nine other states are responding to Trump administration.Conducted in partnership with public opinion research firm PerryUndem, the poll surveyed more than 5,000 Black people in Florida, California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia It is not surprising that the major issues impacting Black families in 2025 are directly related to economic security and health care. Our communities already face significant barriers to accessing true Reproductive Justice due to centuries of systemic racism from deeply rooted inequities within our healthcare system, to a severe lack of representation across industries, said Regina Davis Moss, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Womens Reproductive Justice Agenda. Our new poll demonstrates that these issues have only been further exacerbated by the Trump administrations all-out assault on our civil rights, with Black communities bearing the brunt of his attacks. The results speak for themselves, and should signal an urgent call to action for state and federal lawmakers to utilize our 2025 Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda as a roadmap for the policy solutions necessary in order for Black women, girls and gender-expansive people to thrive. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (BLACK FOREST, Colo.) A suspect who ran from the scene of an incident involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Black Forest over the summer remains at large, according to officials. FOX21 News reached out to ICEs Denver office for an update on Jose Mendez-Chavez, who was inside a car that allegedly tried to ram an ICE vehicle during an incident on July 31 on Burgess Road in Black Forest. ICE was in the area conducting targeted enforcement, and when they were met with aggression from Mendez-Chavez, opened fire on his car. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect still at large after alleged attack on ICE officers in Black Forest Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mendez-Chavez and his passenger, Francisco Zapata-Pacheco, both abandoned the car and ran from the scene, though Zapata-Pacheco was apprehended later that afternoon. Mendez-Chavez has remained at large since the incident. Courtesy: ICE Denver According to ICE Denver, Mendez-Chavez was a previously convicted felon who had re-entered the U.S. illegally multiple times. According to FOX News, Mendez-Chavez was previously convicted in Ohio of domestic violence and was sentenced to 180 days in jail in 2013. Most recently, Mendez-Chavez was arrested for reckless endangerment and child abuse in 2019 in Colorado Springs. According to court papers, he pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in 2020. Mendez-Chavez is currently wanted on new charges of attempted assault on a federal officer. ICE Denver asks anyone with information on Mendez-Chavez or his whereabouts to contact the anonymous tip line at 866-DHS-2-ICE. 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 FOX21 News Colorado. SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) A man was arrested after shattering dozens of windows at a church in Greer. On Sunday, October 19, Pastor Nairobi arrived at Pelham Church of God of Prophecy, on Abner Creek Road, to prepare for service and discovered that 40 stained glass windows had been shattered. Spartanburg County deputies arrested Bradley George on Tuesday. George was charged with malicious injury to real property in an amount greater than $2,000, but less than $10,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Church leaders said the suspect is well known in the area. Its a neighbor, theyre in the neighborhood and thats what hurts the most, said Andrew Rice, an associate pastor at the church. Hes lived here for a very long time, and hes been here and the church has been here the whole time. PREVIOUS STORY: 40 windows broken at church in Spartanburg County Rice said George and his family live just 50 feet from the sanctuary. Im not going to hold a grudge. I cant thats not Christlike, he said. But I also have an obligation to protect my congregation in my church. Despite the damage, deputies said they are not investigating the case as a hate crime, as there is no evidence that the motive was out of hate or bias. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its amazing to me. Theres a lot of anger, Rice added. One window is one thing; two windows is something different, but 18 windows and then five stained glass windows, thats a lot of anger for a long time. Still, Pastor Rice said if this was a cry for help, the church will respond with compassion. If its truly been an ongoing issue for years, that means theres something underlying there that needs help, Rice continued. If nothing else comes out of this other than the help that is needed is gotten, then Ill give God all the glory for it. George was charged with malicious injury to personal property greater than $2,000 damage. He was given a bond of $15,000 Tuesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge ordered that George not contact church members, not to go on church property and to wear a GPS monitor until his trial. According to a church representative, the window damages will cost around $45,495 to repair. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A man wanted in the stabbing of his uncle in Cumru Township is in custody in Maryland, township police said. James Rice, 40, was taken into custody by Maryland State Police without incident Tuesday shortly after midnight, Cumru police said. According to Cumru police: They were dispatched Monday at 4:40 p.m. to the 1700 block of Acorn Drive for a report of an assault involving the stabbing of a man. Officers found the victim, a 61-year-old man, alert and conscious, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim told police that he had been stabbed by Rice, his nephew. The victim was transported to Reading Hospital for treatment. Rice fled in his vehicle, and police asked the public for help in locating him. Detectives obtained information for Rices phone, which provided his location in Maryland. That information was passed along to Maryland State Police, who went to a rest stop and took Rice into custody without incident. Police said Rice will be extradited to Pennsylvania on a warrant on attempted homicide and related charges. Interview: China capable of adapting to uncertainties for long-term development, says German business leader Xinhua) 08:03, October 21, 2025 This photo taken on Oct. 19, 2025 shows a container being unloaded from the "Istanbul Bridge," the first vessel on the China-Europe Arctic container express route, at the Port of Gdansk, Poland. (Xinhua/Cui Li) Amid rising protectionism and challenges to global supply chains, China's continued institutional opening-up sends a strong signal of stability, said a German business leader. BERLIN, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, China has demonstrated its ability to turn external shocks into opportunities for long-term upgrading, said a German trade group leader in a recent interview with Xinhua. Michael Schumann, chairman of the Board of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, noted that despite global uncertainties, China has continued to innovate, digitalize and pursue green transformation while maintaining social stability. "Few countries manage such a balance. I would describe these five years as a period of resilient transformation, where challenges became catalysts for modernization," he said. "China's planning has a different quality, as implementation tends to be more consistent, and the people involved are highly trained for execution." "China (has) advanced innovation, expanded digital infrastructure, accelerated the green transition and further improved people's well-being. That combination of structural reform and social stability is truly impressive," he added. He highlighted China's development philosophy, which centers on innovation, coordination, green growth and openness. "It reminds us that GDP figures alone are no longer sufficient; development must be measured by sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience," Schumann said. Building on this vision, he noted, the concept of "new quality productive forces" marks a significant shift in China's development model. "It shows that future growth depends less on low-cost labor and more on advanced technologies, green energy, digital platforms and human capital," he said. "For China, this means unlocking new drivers of modernization. For the world, it reshapes the engines of global growth toward sustainability and shared prosperity." Schumann said he has already visited China three times this year, witnessing the dynamism of the Chinese economy firsthand. During one of his visits to an electric vehicle factory in Beijing, he was deeply impressed by the high-level automation and efficiency, which he said reflected the strong momentum of China's industrial innovation. People learn about robotic arms at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Sept. 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo) Such progress, he added, is also reshaping global supply chains and business strategies. Many German firms are expanding in China to tap its market and stay connected to global manufacturing networks. The country's dynamic innovation environment acts as a "fitness room" for foreign enterprises seeking to stay competitive, Schumann said. Amid rising protectionism and challenges to global supply chains, China's continued institutional opening-up sends a strong signal of stability, he added. "At a time when many economies are turning inward, China is doing the opposite and continues to open up," he said, citing the steady growth of the China-Europe Railway Express as a concrete example of how connectivity can translate into shared growth. "The China-Europe Railway is not just about trade; it is about building trust, stability and development. Duisburg, for example, once an industrial city, is now transformed by logistics hubs and new businesses linked to the rail connection. The railway has truly created a ripple effect, boosting the local economy and providing tangible benefits to German communities," Schumann added. Looking ahead, Schumann said that China's Five-Year Plan mechanism remains one of its major institutional strengths, combining long-term vision with operational excellence and ensuring coherence across ministries, regions and industries, which is difficult to achieve elsewhere. As China prepares its 15th Five-Year Plan, Schumann expects the new framework to focus on green growth, digital transformation and the development of new quality productive forces. He also expressed hope that China will continue to deepen international cooperation in areas such as climate technology, sustainable finance and reform of global governance. "I expect to see a China that is even greener, more innovative, and more connected to the world -- a China that continues to foster stability and shared prosperity," Schumann said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday laid a wreath and paid homage to police personnel wh sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during the Police Commemoration Day programme held at the Police Parade Ground in Naigaon, Mumbai. CM Fadnavis offered floral tributes to the brave police personnel who sacrificed their lives for the nation. To honour the ever lasting memory of the gallant Policemen, who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, October 21 every year is observed as 'Commemoration Day' by the Police forces all over India. The significance of October 21 lies in the fact that ten brave Policemen were ambushed and killed by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959 in an unequal confrontation inside Indian territory. To honour the memory of these ten valiant Policemen, the DGsP/IGsP Conference held in 1962 decided to observe October 21 every year as Police Commemoration Day. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also paid homage to police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during the Police Commemoration Day programme held at the Police Memorial at the Centre for Police Research in Pune. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid heartfelt tributes to India's police personnel on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, lauding their courage, dedication, and sacrifices in maintaining the nation's safety and security. In a post shared on X, PM Modi said, "On Police Commemoration Day, we salute the courage of our police personnel and recall the supreme sacrifice by them in the line of duty. Their steadfast dedication keeps our nation and people safe. Their bravery and commitment in times of crisis and in moments of need are appreciable." Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the Police Commemoration Day programme at the National Police Memorial in Delhi on Tuesday. He emphasized the importance of unity between the Army and police in ensuring national security, saying that both forces share the same spirit in safeguarding the country. (ANI) Update: 10/21/2025, 8:42 p.m. CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) 12 News has received more information from law enforcement following a police chase Tuesday afternoon that left a man dead. In an interview by 12 News with West Virginia State Police Captain Jason Saurino, he disclosed that on Tuesday afternoon, a trooper attempted to make a routine traffic stop, but the driver of the vehicle took off and a pursuit ensued that led to Saddletree Road in Mt. Clare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cpt. Saurino said that the suspect involved had presented a firearm during the pursuit and that when the pursuit ended, he exited the vehicle with the firearm still in his possession. Cpt. Saurino said that law enforcement attempted to talk the suspect down, but he made an overt gesture that put the officers lives at risk, causing them to return fire, inflicting injuries that the suspect succumbed to on the scene. Cpt. Saurino said that no other injuries were reported. However, a 12 News reporter noted that a woman at the scene was seen getting into an ambulance. Saurino added that there was only one suspect in this case, but that their name would not be released until a later time. We just always ask the communitys support. If theyve identified individuals who may be at risk or may need some intervention, wed love to be involved. Hopefully, before then, before it leads to an unfortunate incident, Cpt Saurino said. Following the interview with Cpt. Saurino, 12 News spoke with Trey Matheny, a man who said that he witnessed the pursuit while driving with his child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He came up flying behind me and he was right up on my tail until I got over, and then I had a bunch of cops pass me and I seen them all go down 79, down this way toward Anmoore. He was going pretty fast, Matheny said. Matheny said that the driver was swerving in and out of traffic on I-79 and that he had never really seen anything like that. Just sucks that he ended up making that poor choice, but people do some crazy things, Matheny said. This is a developing story. Stick with 12 News for updates. Original: 10/21/2025, 6:09 p.m. CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) A man is dead following a high-speed chase by law enforcement in Harrison County Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details are limited at this time, but 12 News was made aware of a chase by law enforcement across Harrison County that ended in the area of Saddletree Road in Mt. Clare. 12 News sent a reporter to the scene, who was told by Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny that a suspect involved was shot and is dead. Photo from the ending scene of a high speed chase in Harrison County, West Virginia (WBOY image) Photo from the ending scene of a high speed chase in Harrison County, West Virginia (WBOY image) Man charged in 2024 Westover bank robbery Sheriff Matheny told 12 News that there may be two suspects in this case, but no first responders were injured. The West Virginia State Police is in charge of the scene. This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A suspect has died after shooting himself at Community Regional Medical Center with a Fresno Police officer's gun, chief Mindy Casto says. "This case started back last week, investigating organized retail theft crimes and this individual was identified as being involved with that. He was also identified as being involved in several impersonation of a police officer," said the Police Chief. Investigators had met with the 32-year-old man at the northwest Fresno police station in preparation for serving a search warrant at his home on Monday. When officer's attempted to take him into custody, Casto says he resisted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Mindy Casto provides an update on the person who died in Fresno Police custody. A fight broke out, and the suspect was tased four times while he tried to arm himself with what they later found was a loaded firearm in his bag that was recovered after the fight. Since the man was tased, per the department's policy, he was taken to CRMC for treatment. During a bathroom break at the hospital, the suspect suddenly attacked an officer and was able to disarm his holstered firearm. "Within split seconds, he was able to shoot himself in the head with the firearm," Casto says. Life-saving measures were provided but the man was pronounced dead at the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No officers or CRMC employees were injured. "I am eternally thankful that nobody else was hurt. The officer, I will tell you this, you can tell he was committed and was not going to let somebody else get hurt. He reacted very quickly," said Chief Casto. Police believe the suspect did have prior law enforcement experience but not with Fresno Police. The officer whose gun was used will be placed on administrative leave. For news updates, follow Vince Ybarra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) A federal grand jury has indicted a suspended Charleston judge who was arrested last month on charges related to an investigation into alleged child sexual exploitation. James B. Gosnell Jr. has been indicted on six counts, including possession of child pornography, receipt of and attempted receipt of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and conspiracy charges, according to federal court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday. Gosnell Jr., 68, has remained behind bars since he was arrested on the morning of Sept. 16 after a Homeland Security investigation linked an account known to be associated with Gosnell to a site in the United Kingdom that was distributing child sexual abuse material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a report, Gosnell cooperated with officials and even allegedly directed them to a flash drive that contained numerous images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. At least one image involved a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age, the indictment states. Prosecutors further allege that Gosnell and a second individual, whose name is redacted, conspired to receive, distribute, and exchange visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct with minors beginning in December 2023. The indictment accuses Gosnell of traveling with a USB drive containing child sexual abuse material to a redacted location, where he and the co-defendant viewed its contents together. The USB drive was allegedly left with the co-defendant and later mailed back to Gosnell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The co-defendant was indicted on one count of conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography and three counts of distribution of child pornography. Gosnells lawyer has attempted to characterize the circumstances surrounding his arrest as an isolated incident in his effort to push for pre-trial release. News 2 has reached out for comment regarding the indictment. However, information provided by prosecutors through court filings paints a much different picture. In a Sept. 21 motion arguing that Gosnell should remain behind bars, prosecutors described him as a grave danger to the community, particularly children, and a flight risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The brief cited conversations investigators found on Gosnells phone in which he allegedly detailed several instances of him raping and abusing children and infants. In one conversation on Telegram, a private messaging app, prosecutors alleged Gosnell exchanged messages with another individual who had a shared interest in pedophilia. The pair may have been romantically involved, and their romantic interests involved abusing children together, documents state. The documents described conversations in which Gosnell allegedly detailed his sexual abuse of an infant he was babysitting and another instance where he abused a five-month-old under a blanket in public in his neighborhood. Later in the conversation, Gosnell sent a selfie he took of himself and a 2-year-old child with the message my new buddy, the document stated. He claimed to have sexually assaulted the girl 2 weeks prior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Feds ask for help identifying victims of Charleston judge Prosecutors further alleged Gosnell once traveled to Mexico to have sex with children and engaged in other conversations suggesting he traveled internationally at other times for the purpose of engaging in sex with children. The indictment unsealed Tuesday does not reference any of the allegations regarding physical child sexual abuse. These allegations sent shockwaves through the Charleston community and drew strong condemnation from multiple elected officials, including First Congressional District Representative Nancy Mace. My concern number one is with any potential victims of this guy and anyone who was around. Im deeply concerned about children in West Ashley and other places that mightve been exposed to him and any potential physical abuse, sexual abuse that may have happened to those children, said Mace. Gosnell needs to have the full throat of the law thrown at him. He needs to face the full force of the law and if hes done what he says he has done, I hope he gets the maximum punishment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gosnell was released from the Al Cannon Detention Center on September 26 and transferred into federal custody, jail records show. This story is developing and will be updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A suspicious juvenile is in police custody after fighting a school resource officer and resisting arrest outside of Liberty High School, leading the school to go on lockdown Tuesday morning. According to the Liberty Police Department, at about 9:05 a.m., a school resource officer was patrolling the parking lot of Liberty High School when he saw a suspicious person standing near some of the cars. Police say the resource officer stopped to talk to the individual; however, the conversation led to a fight and ended with the suspect running away after resisting arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Electrical fire cancels classes at Kansas City elementary school Tuesday The resource officer called for emergency backup, leading Liberty police to join the chase and request help from other surrounding agencies. The police department says its reason for helping and calling in additional units was due to the unknown reason for the persons presence on school property and their resistance to the officer. At about 9:15 a.m., the suspect was found at a nearby business and taken into custody. Police say the suspect is a juvenile and was taken to the Clay County Juvenile Office. We want to thank all of the outside agencies who responded to help take the suspect into custody and to ensure Liberty High School remained safe and secure, the police department shared on Facebook. We also appreciate the assistance of the Liberty Public Schools Safety and Security Team. 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 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. SWANSEA, Mass. (WPRI) A Swansea man has pleaded guilty to tax evasion for illegally selling cigarettes in southeastern Massachusetts, according to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III. Prosecutors said Linwood Cowen drove to Nashua, New Hampshire, on June 15, 2022, to buy cigarettes and bring them back into Massachusetts without paying the $3.51 excise tax per pack. Cowen, 46, bought the cigarettes in bulk at a discounted price to then sell them at a lower cost, prosecutors said. A Mass. state trooper seized dozens of cartons from Cowen, who investigators determined was not a licensed cigarette wholesaler in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO: Rhode Island now taxing short-term parking, Zyn nicotine pouches Over a year and a half, the Department of Revenue reportedly lost about $78,000 in cigarette tax revenue. Cowen pleaded guilty on Sept. 29 and received a one-year suspended sentence, meaning he will only serve time if he violates the terms of his probation. I am pleased this joint investigation resulted in the defendant being charged with tax evasion, Quinn said. Crimes like this impact legitimate business owners who pay their taxes. 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. As temperatures drop in Ukraine, Russia has stepped up drone attacks on power facilities supplying millions of homes across the country. There are signs that the Russian military is repeatedly hitting the same areas to aggravate the populations suffering. The northern regions of Chernihiv and Sumy adjoining Russia and Belarus have seen constant attacks over the past month. Hundreds of thousands of people in Chernihiv were without power or water on Tuesday after more than 50 drones and missiles targeted essential facilities overnight. Two attack drones hit a heat supply facility and another energy installation, according to Vyacheslav Chaus, head of Chernihiv regional military administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later Tuesday, some 20 Russian drones targeted the town of Novhorod-Siverskyi, according to Chaus, killing two men and two women. Russia has targeted Chernihivs power infrastructure on 15 days over the last month, according to the regional energy company. There was also a massive Russian attack on energy facilities in several regions, including Kyiv, on October 10. Russias tactics are to kill people and terrorize them with cold, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday. And the Ukrainians see another new Russian tactic. The Russians are deliberately launching unmanned aerial vehicles that continuously circle over damaged facilities, making it impossible to carry out work safely and deliberately prolonging the humanitarian crisis, Ukraines energy ministry said Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia has developed a mix of drones and missiles in its attacks on energy infrastructure that sometimes overwhelm Ukraines air defenses. In Sumy, which borders Chernihiv, power is yet to be fully restored in the town of Shostka and surrounding area after strikes two weeks ago. After the latest strikes, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on allies to urgently mobilize additional assistance for Ukraines resilience: from energy equipment to energy sources and air defense capabilities. There are 203 key facilities in Ukraine that we need to protect with air defense systems, Zelensky said earlier this month, most of them to do with electricity, gas and water. The Ukrainian government has a two-pronged response to the growing Russian onslaught: more and better air defenses and longer-range missiles to intensify Ukraines own attacks on critical Russian infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said that Ukraine had targeted Russias Bryansk Chemical Plant which produces gunpowder and other explosive materials with long-range Storm Shadow missiles. Without mentioning the plant, the regional governor of Bryansk claimed on social media that Russia had detected and destroyed 57 enemy aircraft-type UAVs during a Ukrainian attack on Tuesday. CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment. But Ukraine is not getting US Tomahawk cruise missiles, as had been anticipated in Kyiv and its still chronically short of air defenses. Just a few weeks ago, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin felt real pressure and the threat of Tomahawks and immediately showed a willingness to return to diplomacy, Zelensky said Tuesday. As soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to jump off the diplomatic bandwagon. Ukrainian officials are anxious that US President Donald Trump is again souring on Kyiv ahead of a possible summit with Putin in Budapest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Ukrainian source described Zelenskys meeting with Trump at the White House on Friday as tense if constructive overall. Zelensky himself said that after many rounds of discussion they had agreed the starting point for any ceasefire is where we stand on the line of contact, provided all sides understand what is meant. Less than a month ago, Trump mused that Ukraine could win back all the territory it had lost. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a lunch meeting with US counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on October 17. - Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Zelensky eyes Russian assets Not for the first time, Zelensky is now turning to Europe for back-up, and will meet European leaders on Thursday. Russias stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace, Zelensky and 10 of the continents leaders said Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are developing measures to use the full value of Russias immobilised sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs, they added in a joint statement. About $200 billion of Russian assets in Europe have been frozen, and the European Union is exploring ways to use some of them as a loan to Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week he would call for the EU to provide a 140-billion euro ($163 billion) loan to Ukraine to finance its war effort. The Kremlin has described the idea as an illegal seizure of Russian property. Zelensky has suggested some of the frozen assets be used to fund the purchase of Patriot air defense batteries and long-range missiles. Hes aiming to procure 25 Patriot systems but acknowledged this would take years rather than months. German soldiers unload a US-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system in Jasionka, Poland, on January 23, 2025. - Omar Marques/Getty Images Zelensky and Ukraines European allies are also wary of a summit in Budapest hosted by Putins closest ally in Europe, Viktor Orban though the Kremlin said Tuesday that the venue and date have not been confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution, Zelensky said Sunday. Theres a clear pattern in Putins tactics, according to analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, based in Berlin. Whenever Trump becomes too angry or frustrated with Russia, Moscow reaches out, Stanovaya wrote on X Tuesday. After Putins conversation with Trump on the eve of Zelenskys visit to Washington, Trumps tone seems to have shifted, Stanovaya said. Hes back to saying that Russia is winning, that Ukraine will have to give up territory, and that the US cannot afford to keep sending missiles. Russias position has not changed at all it is the same as six months or even a year ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked on Sunday how Kyiv would respond if a meeting in Budapest went badly, the Ukrainian president replied: Even when it seems youre cornered, its not as hopeless as it looks. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com WOODBRIDGE, Va. (DC News Now) An investigation is underway at one Prince William County high school after swastika markings were found on school grounds, according to police. The Prince William County Police Department said the school resource officer at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge found the swastikas on the afternoon of Oct. 17 after someone notified them of vandalism in one of the boys bathrooms. Upon investigating, police said the officer discovered the swastikas drawn onto a bathroom stall wall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School staff removed the markings, and no other swastikas were found, officials noted. Police: Flyers referencing KKK found in downtown Leesburg; investigation underway In response to the vandalism, Forest Park High School Principal Richard Martinez sent the following letter to the school community: I am writing to inform you that we discovered anti-Semitic symbols inscribed in one of our bathrooms today. This behavior is completely unacceptable, and we took immediate action to remove the offensive vandalism. We are working closely with the Prince William County Police Department to ensure an investigation is conducted. Graffiti or vandalism of school property, particularly the use of anti-Semitic symbols, is a violation of the PWCS Code of Behavior, and we take this violation very seriously. I want to remind everyone that it is our collective responsibility to oppose hate and bigotry. Please talk to your children about our core values of inclusion and respect. We are proud of our diverse community and are committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Thank you for your continued support of Forest Park High School. Principal Richard Martinez Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA (WJHL) Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Congressman Morgan Griffith announced Tuesday that two abandoned mine land sites in Southwest Virginia will be revitalized for job opportunities. The following sites were selected to receive funding from the federally funded Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program, Youngkins office said in a news release. After dead vultures, agency asks Southwest Va. to report suspected avian flu cases Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buchanan County Food Incubator at Southern Gap ($1,120,000) Construction of a one-story metal building with concrete floors and conditioned space, restrooms, a common dining area and two kitchen rental spaces. The incubator will have up to five food truck slips with water, sewer and electricity for vendors. Wise County Camp Bethel Expansion Project ($3,050,000) The project includes geotechnical studies, engineering, property acquisition, road and building upgrades, excavation for a flat parking area, an engineered rock-climbing wall, adaptive snow tubing, ziplines, a playground and hiking trails. Virginia works best when every region has the opportunity to grow and succeed, Youngkin said in the release. Southwest Virginia has incredible assetsits people, its natural beauty, and its work ethic. AMLER funding helps transform those strengths into new opportunities by turning abandoned lands into thriving spaces for businesses, families, and visitors. The AMLER program is administered by the Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy) and funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, according to the release. AMLER stands out as a model of what is possible when federal resources are directed effectively, Griffith said in the release. Ive supported this program from day one because it delivers real economic benefits to Southwest Virginia communities. These latest projects show exactly why this investment continues to pay dividends for our regiontheyre creating spaces for small businesses to grow, drawing tourists in, and giving families more reasons to stay and build their lives 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. US Ambassador Tom Barrack recently argue that the Gaza peace deal will be remembered as "a defining moment in modern Middle Eastern diplomacy." How can that affect Lebanon's stability? October 13, 2025, will be remembered as a defining moment in modern Middle Eastern diplomacy, wrote US Ambassador Tom Barrack on October 20. He published an article on social media platform X that is gaining attention in the region. In Sharm el-Sheikh, world leaders did more than celebrate the release of hostages, a ceasefire, and the commencement of peace negotiations. They gathered to endorse President Donald J. Trumps bold, twenty-point vision for renewal, reconstruction, and shared prosperity across the region, he wrote. Barrack is the US Ambassador to Turkey. He has also been tapped as US Envoy to Syria. He has also played a role in Lebanon. As such he sits at the crossroads of important US diplomacy. He is dealing with Lebanon and Syria and therefore this represents the northern flank of Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hezbollah was partly defeated in an Israeli military campaign in September-November 2024. However, it still has weapons. Israel carries out airstrikes almost every few days on Hezbollah members in Lebanon. Lebanon would like to stabilize but the airstrikes make it difficult. On the other hand, Lebanon is supposed to disarm Hezbollah. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and U.S. special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not pictured) at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 26, 2025. (credit: MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS) Barracks article is titled A Personal Perspective Syria and Lebanon Are the Next Pieces for Levant Peace. He discusses several important topics. He argues that the changing situation in Syria will have a positive impact on Lebanon. As Damascus stabilizes, Hizballah grows more isolated. The militias foreign control undermines Lebanons sovereignty, deters investment, and erodes public confidence and is a constant red flag to Israel. But the incentives for action now outweigh the costs of inaction: regional partners are ready to invest, provided Lebanon reclaims the monopoly on legitimate force solely under the Lebanese Armed Forces. Should Beirut continue to hesitate, Israel may act unilaterally and the consequences would be grave. He also argues that disarming Hezbollah is important for Lebanon and Israel. For Lebanon, it means sovereignty restored and the chance for economic revival. For the United States, it fulfills the Presidents peace by prosperity framework while minimizing U.S. exposure. For the broader region, it removes an essential Iranian regime proxy alongside of Hamas and accelerates Arab modernization and integration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Furthermore he notes that the US is working to move Lebanon toward a peaceful solution with Israel. This is accomplished through incentives. The Trump administration was able to get the Gaza deal through incentives. This is how the administration works as part of Trumps concept of the art of the deal. Barrack notes that the United States just this month committed over 200 million additional dollars to the Lebanese Armed Forces. He argues that the United States must support Beirut to quickly separate from the Iranian backed Hizballah militia and achieve alignment with the anti-terrorist rhythm of its region before the new wave of zero tolerance for terrorist organizations consumes it. The Gaza peace plan that began in Egypt on October 8 now offers a new chance for the region. The rhythm of dialogue, however, now needs to be extended northward to Syria, and ultimately to Lebanon. The Abraham Accords for the entire region is the true North Star, Barrack writes. Influece of Barrack in Gulf states The article by Barrack may influence thinking in the Gulf. Al-Arabiya has written up a piece covering Barracks comments. However, there are hurdles ahead. The report at Al-Arabiya notes that last August, the Lebanese government approved the decision to hand over the party's weapons and tasked the army with implementing the decision, with the army submitting periodic reports to the government on the progress of its mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the Israeli army still occupies more than five locations in southern Lebanon and carries out near-daily raids on villages in the south and the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country, claiming to be targeting Hezbollah members. The continued airstrikes in Lebanon appear to be similar to the policy some would like to see in Gaza. Basically a ceasefire with airstrikes. The question is whether the Barrack view, about how the Gaza plan might help Lebanon, will prevail; or if conflict will continue on both of Israels borders. Five Syrians must stand trial before the Higher Regional Court in the German city of Koblenz starting from November 19 for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Syria. The court's state security chamber has accepted the indictment from the Federal Prosecutor General and opened the main proceedings, the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz announced on Tuesday. The stateless Syrian Palestinians, aged between 42 and 56, are accused of murder and attempted murder of civilians, as well as torture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are alleged on July 13, 2012, to have deliberately shot in Damascus at people, who were peacefully demonstrating against the Syrian government. At least six people are believed to have died in the shooting, including a 14-year-old. Other civilians were said to have been seriously injured. The men are alleged to have actively participated in the Syrian civil war from 2012 to 2014 as members of armed militias loyal to the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian intelligence service. They are also accused of repeatedly physically abusing civilians at checkpoints, including striking them on the head with rifle butts. The accused were arrested on July 3 last year and have been in pre-trial detention since then. The arrests took place in Berlin, in Frankenthal in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and near the small town of Boizenburg in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The court has scheduled more than 40 trial days up to June 25, 2026. A 55-year-old man was found unconscious inside his residence in Palam Village on Sunday morning and was later declared dead at a hospital, police said. The deceased, identified as Arvind Kumar Subah, resident of Mahavir Enclave, Palam, was working as an Under Secretary in the Goverment of India. According to police, a PCR call was received on Sunday at 8:20 am at Palam Village Police Station regarding a person lying unconscious inside a room. "Acting promptly on the information, the EO alongwith staff reached the spot where the Fire Team and PCR staff were already present. The District Crime Team was also called for inspection of the scene. The fire team broke open the upper window of the main door and entered the premises, where one male person was found lying unconscious on the floor," police said. He was immediately shifted to DDU Hospital, where the attending doctor declared him "brought dead". During the enquiry, it was revealed that the deceased was residing alone at his Delhi residence, while his family members were in Bihar to celebrate the Diwali and Chhath festivals. The family was informed about the incident and arrived in Delhi by flight at around 2:00 PM. His wife, elder son (aged 23 years) and younger son (aged 19 years) reached the spot. The post-mortem examination of the deceased was conducted at DDU Hospital Mortuary and after completion of all post-mortem formalities, the dead body was handed over to the family members. During enquiry, it came to light that the deceased had a history of seizure disorder, liver complications, and other medical ailments, which may have contributed to his sudden demise. Further inquest proceeding is underway. (ANI) SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Siouxland is home to many breweries that give us legendary brews that are unforgettable, KCAU 9 gives you an inside look into a few. Jackson Street Brewing Jackson Street Brewing opened in 2015, becoming the first brewery in Sioux City since the early 2000s. (The) ongoing running joke is the brewery not actually on Jackson, says owner David Winslow. Winslow talked with KCAU 9 about the brewerys history and the inspiration behind their logo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The logo which is a weather vane, comes from our neighbors garage on Jackson Street. Its an old working weather vane, that we thought was kind of unique and cool. Jackson Street Brewing occupies a 2,000 square-foot space that was once home to Fitzgibbons, a religious supply store. Winslow says changes to the building were made once they occupied the whole building. We took over that space about 4 years ago. Expanded, added a private party room. Moved all of our brewing equipment, just about all of it into the new space and then immediately ran out of space again. Pieces of history line the walls inside Jackson Street Brewing, Winslow shared with us several of those pieces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of our marketing for Jackson Street Brewing is weve always incorporated local names and themes into our beers and our branding. So, these arent all beer signs, but my favorite one is this Western Brew. Its about a 50 to 60 pound sign, very heavy, very interesting mounting that one up on the wall. Jackson Street Brewing will be moving from their current location at 607 5th St, to 901 5th St by the end of 2025. Marto Brewing Company Marto Brewing opened its doors in June 2019, recently celebrating its sixth anniversary. Our whole facility, tap room and brewing space is 7,300 square feet, says owner and head brewer Erik Martin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Martin first started brewing his own home brew and wanted to share that with Siouxland. (I) just had a lot of fun doing it as a hobby and thought wed be crazy and take the risk and turn it into a businesses and experience for people in Sioux City to enjoy. Marto Brewing brews all sorts of styles. Anything from lagers, ales, you know within those two types of beers. Were doing IPAs, fermented sours, traditional lagers brewed true to style. All the way to the crazy stuff barrel-aged stouts, different beers like that. Wise I Brewing When Wise I Brewing first opened its doors Sept. 2019, they were given a special recognition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opening was stressful, said owner and head brewer Ben Sitzmann. It was exciting We were the 100th brewery to open in Iowa! Wise I has six core brews that are always on tap a Vienna lager, a blonde and brown ale, a west coast IPA, classic American IPA, and an American light lager. Sioux City brewing history On Oct. 16, KCAU 9 attended a History at High Noon presentation at the Sioux City Public Museum to learn about the citys brewing history. Curator of history at the Sioux City Public Museum Matt Anderson says since the first brewer arrived into town, things have changed. Sioux City does have a long brewing tradition gong back to its very early years of existence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sioux Citys first brewery was founded by Rudolf Selzer in 1860 and since then has had some kind of brewing business for about two thirds of its history with several periods of prohibition during that time. Anderson talks about Sioux Citys first microbrewery that opened in the late 1990s. Fourth Street Brewing Company was Sioux Citys first microbrewery back in 1998. It opened and lasted until 2002. At that point, Iowa wasnt really set up legally to encourage the craft brew industry, much of it has to do with taxation. Anderson says the best part of buying from your local brewer is you can see how its made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a locally made product. These are small brewers here in our area that make the beer right on premises. You can kind of see it going on as youre in there. They all make a good product and theyre all enjoyable, family friendly places to go. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Tampa police arrested the driver suspected of fatally striking a pedestrian Monday in Grant Park and leaving without calling for help. Jeramey Sanders, 30, of Tampa faces charges of leaving the scene of a deadly crash and violating financial responsibility law, according to the Tampa Police Department. The crash happened about 8 p.m. when Gloria Lisbon, 46, was hit by a vehicle heading south on North 50th Street near East 30th Avenue, the police department said in a news release. The driver did not stop, leaving Lisbon in the roadway. Lisbon was then hit by another car. The driver of that car stopped immediately, called 911 and waited for police to arrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives collected evidence from the scene, including vehicle parts belonging to a gray 2018-2024 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV. Camera footage from the area also captured images of a Tiguan showing damage consistent with the crash. On Tuesday, a Tampa police officer spotted a Volkswagen Tiguan with damage consistent with the crash at an ATM near West Hillsborough and North Armenia avenues. Officers found Sanders at a nearby store and detained him. The damage to the Tiguan and additional evidence were confirmed to match those from the crash scene, the news release states. Investigators also learned that Sanders drivers license was suspended. Sanders was arrested, and his car was impounded. Records show he was being held at the Orient Road Jail without bond Tuesday. The quick work of detectives and the attentiveness of patrol officers led to a swift arrest in this tragic case, Tampa police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. We hope that this timely resolution provides the victims family with a first step toward closure during this incredibly difficult time. CNNs David Urban, a former Trump campaign adviser and frequent ally of the presidents on the airwaves, was highly critical of Trumps shakedown of the Department of Justice for $230 million on Tuesday. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that President Donald Trump was seeking the hefty payout as compensation for the investigations into him during the Biden administration. On CNNs The Arena With Kasie Hunt, conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg took the first at-bat reacting to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Goldberg called it weird politics and submitted that it shows you what a different time were in that this is even being considered, especially given the ongoing government shutdown and other corruption allegations against Trump. Then the Times Lulu Garcia-Navarro noted that the cash Trump was seeking was taxpayer money that would be going into the presidents pocketbook. Host Kasie Hunt then turned to Urban. Listen, I agree with Jonah that most of those cases that were brought against the president are just egregious, right? The Letitia James case, the Alvin Bragg case. I was, you know, a part of the 2016 campaign firsthand, and had to suffer through the James Comey Russiagate, watching my friends get dragged before grand juries so I can understand some of what the president wants, began the former Trump adviser. But to Lulus point exactly, this is taxpayer dollars, right? If the president wants to get an apology from the Department of Justice, or from somebody for doing him wrong one thing. For John Q.Public to come out of their checkbook to pay him money, its not like Donald Trumps brand has been hurt by that, right? If you go around the world and look at the Trump developments, and the Trump properties, and how profitable the Trump Organization is today, I dont think it was harmed by any of that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean, he may be personally aggrieved and deserved an apology from some of these folks, but, I think taxpayers paying that is-, its probably not something that you want to see, he concluded. Watch above via CNN. The post This Is Taxpayer Dollars! CNN Trump Defender Torches Presidents $230 Million DOJ Shakedown first appeared on Mediaite. (The Center Square) Since July 1, taxpayers have given the state roughly $89,000 each day, even as months have passed without any of it going into the programs it's meant to support. Its a crude figure calculated by dividing the states $10.1 billion in revenue collected since the official start of the commonwealths new fiscal year by 113 the exact number of days Pennsylvania has operated without any spending plan for all of that money in its checking account. Its not for lack of trying. Both chambers of the General Assembly have repeatedly approved budgets that have appealed only to their partisan interests, with narratives on negotiation differing wildly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is certain is that the Republican majority Senate OKd a $47.9 billion plan on Tuesday that cut nearly $3 billion in education and health care spending the Democratic majority House wanted. The lower chamber sent the pricier proposal to the Senate earlier this month in what Republican leadership panned as a political stunt, not a good-faith effort to bargain. Why? Because they say theres not enough money to cover it all without dipping into a $7 billion emergency savings account not meant for yearly expenses. Draining it, plus $3 billion held in surplus, will risk steep program cuts and tax increases akin to $2,000 per family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And its a strategy Republicans note that Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, supports. One day and one vote, said Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican from Indiana. Thats all we need from House Democrats to end this Shapiro shutdown. Maybe it would be helpful if the governor engaged in this in a real meaningful way and not travel all over the state taking pot shots at so many members of this republican caucus. The governor said while visiting Pittsburgh on Tuesday that the party has to "stop playing games" with the latest plan. "I mean its a joke," he said. "It doesnt actually met the obligations of this commonwealth. Its a gimmick and it's not designed to be serious or get the job done." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Democrats reiterated their House colleagues message on the chamber floor: the latest unserious plan cuts funding because costs rise annually, and theres a legal mandate to keep the money flowing at pace. That majority will try to say theyve done something, said Sen. Vince Hughes, a Democrat from Philadelphia. But the truth is, this does nothing. It does nothing because the House, when it returns to session on Monday, is unlikely to consider it. Nor will they approve a Republican-backed plan to loosen the treasurers lending requirements to give counties zero-interest loans to weather the impasse. In the meantime, money from paychecks, sales, and businesses flows into state coffers, and will continue to do so, no matter how long a deal takes. American taxpayers paid over $2.6 million to cover the security costs for Charlie Kirks huge memorial service, according to a new report. The event last month in Glendale, Arizona which was attended by over 100,000 people included protection from ARCUS Group, LLC, a full-service event management and security company. Documents obtained by TMZ showed that the U.S Secret Service paid the group $2,677,416.19 to secure the perimeter at State Farm Stadium, where the ceremony took place on September 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Independent has contacted the U.S. Secret Service for comment regarding the cost of security measures. As well as the 90,000 mourners inside the stadium and thousands more gathered outside, Kirks memorial was attended by a host of high-profile figures including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Kirks widow, Erika, also delivered a powerful eulogy. American taxpayers paid over $2.6 million to cover the security costs for Charlie Kirks huge memorial service, according to a new report (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Tens of thousands of mourners gathered inside the State Farm Stadium to mourn Charlie Kirk. (Getty) Pictures of the event showed snaking lines stretching back from the stadium, and memorial planners were forced to send attendees to Desert Diamond Arena one block north, which has a capacity of 20,000. ARCUS, which also provides disaster response services, specializes in event design and production, event programming, and internal and perimeter security, according to their website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company has extensive experience of providing security at high profile events, including Trumps second inauguration earlier this year. It provided the security for both national political conventions in 2024, as well as the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter and former President Joe Bidens inauguration. Pictures of the event showed snaking lines stretching back from the stadium, and memorial planners were forced to send attendees to Desert Diamond Arena one block north, which has a capacity of 20,000 (REUTERS) People wait in line before a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (AP) Kirks memorial, which took place less than two weeks after he was fatally shot during a speaking arrangement in Utah, went off largely without a hitch, though one man was arrested a day before the event. Joshua Runkles was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and taking a weapon into the stadium, though a spokesperson for Kirks political organization Turning Point USA later said he was known to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said on X that Runkles "was doing advance security for a known guest planning to attend the memorial service tomorrow. Kirks memorial was attended by a host of high-profile figures including president Donald Trump and the MAGA commentators wife Erika Kirk (Win McNamee/Getty Images) We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious, however the advance was not done in proper coordination with the TPUSA security team or US Secret Service, Kolvet added. It was not specified who Runkles was providing security for. His arrest came before the site had been fully sealed and locked down, Kolvet said. Tyler Robinson, 22, faces seven charges relating to Kirks death, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. TAZEWELL COUNTY, VA (WVNS) The Tazewell County Sheriffs Office asked for the communitys help identifying a person as part of an investigation. According to a post on the Tazewell County Virginia Sheriffs Offices Facebook page, the Tazewell County Sheriffs Office is trying to identify a person as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Man arrested for running drug lab in Summers County The Facebook post from the Sheriffs Office stated that the person was reportedly seen driving the white car in the photo above. 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. Many developing countries are under pressure to adopt digital technologies like AI to increase government efficiency. The short-term gains are real: streamlined services, faster decision-making, unlocking data siloes, and cost savings. But those benefits come with a greater cost. It deepens their dependence on foreign Big Tech infrastructure. The result is a new form of colonialism in which fragile or poorly regulated states become testing grounds for tools designed ultimately for repression. What does this look like in practice? Taking Kenya as an example. In November 2023, Kenya introduced the Maisha Namba, a digital ID card that replaced the previous generation of physical ID cards. The launch sparked public and judicial scrutiny amid accusations that it would create a central data store susceptible to political misuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics argue that the program was oversold and unnecessary. Roughly 90% of Kenyans already possess identification. The remaining 10% have historically struggled to access national IDs and birth certificates or live in areas with low internet coverage. Maisha Namba thus discriminates against those without internet access, while offering little more than convenience to those who do. The lack of tangible benefits on an individual level suggests that programs such as the Maisha Namba serve broader interests. Indeed, Kenyas previous iteration of digital identificationthe Huduma Nambafailed because officials failed to explain the systems necessity to the public. Was this due to incompetence? Or were officials so enamored by the systems surveillance capabilities that they forgot it actually had to be used by citizens? While tools like the Maisha Namba can seem like signs of progress and advancement, exporters and home-country regulators often treat these transactions as purely commercial deals; meanwhile, the downstream harmssocial exclusion, targeted surveillance, and erosion of local sovereigntypersist far longer. The AI algorithmic west Some observers now label these dynamics digital colonialism: the transfer of foreign technological infrastructure into developing countries in ways that deepen rather than address inequality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maisha Namba, like many digital ID projects in Africa, is backed by global entities like the United Nations Development Programme and the Gates Foundation, which lend legitimacy, advice, and funding. This raises uncomfortable parallels with past resource extraction by Western powers, except this time, data is the resource. In return for supporting the digital transformation of developing countries, tech giants, global entities, and external donors are permitted to test and fine-tune their models. Digital colonialism shares many other mechanisms with classic colonial patterns. For instance, these AI models are trained on data scraped from the global internet, which is dominated by Western languages, norms, and perspectives. When these models are deployed in non-Western settings, they bring those biases with them. A healthcare chatbot trained on Western medical data might overlook local practices. Or a facial recognition model may exhibit higher error rates for people of color and women, as they are trained on datasets overwhelmingly composed of light-skinned males, as highlighted by various studies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resulting wrongful arrests and discrimination lead to an erosion of trust, which is used to justify further surveillance and harassment. Because many of these systems are opaque black boxes, affected individuals face steep barriers to contest automated decisionswhether being denied services or flagged as dissidents. As AI models scale, they tend to flatten nuance, aggregating local cultures and data into homogeneous outputs shaped by Western values. The spread of digital ID frameworks and AI-driven surveillance is one vector by which Western values are becoming encoded into fragile states. There is a double standard here, too: Western democracies often criticise Chinas use of surveillance technology while their own companies sell similar tools to undemocratic regimes. Passing the blame and next steps When governments rely on foreign platforms, it is unclear who bears responsibility for harms or policy choices. Vendors can claim technical neutrality or invoke contractual limits, while host states may simply blame external issues or the vendor itself. This allows involved parties to displace responsibility. This diffusion of responsibility facilitates mission creep, where technologies sold for border control or public safety are redirected to political surveillance. The experience of firms such as Clearview AI, which quietly expanded facial-recognition deployments into Latin America and was later reported to have been used in conflict settings in Ukraine, highlights how these tools quickly travel beyond their intended use cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, the issue is that these systems may be too effective for their own good. When private companies expand into regions that have weaker privacy protections or are experiencing instability, the immediate operational advantages their systems provide fast-track them into other government systems and projects. In their wake, they leave a trail of questions over privacy, identification, profiling, and long-term mass surveillance. So what can be done? For one, there should be greater export controls on surveillance technology, such as continuous auditing of cross-border technology transfers. Additionally, these deals must commit to prioritizing citizens rights to privacy, with clear vendor obligations and liability. Contracts should embed enforceable protections for citizens privacy, clear vendor obligations, and liability clausesperhaps enforced through a global compliance framework. Governments should also prioritise investing in local, open, community-owned technology that builds domestic capacity rather than defaulting to multinational dealers. But above all, there needs to be more transparency: public disclosure of contracts, accessible complaint mechanisms for citizens, and independent oversight. "How technology companies ship surveillance AI to fragile states" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned Republicans not to dismiss the power of public opposition while talking to the media about this weekends No Kings protests across the country. Unquestionably, we should take political peril seriously, Cruz told Bloomberg Television on Monday, adding, There is a lot of energy. There is a lot of anger on the left. And elections can be dangerous when one side is mobilized, is angry. Politics: Democrats Emboldened After 'No Kings' Protests As Government Shutdown Drags On According to organizers, 2,700 rallies denouncing President Donald Trumps regime took places across the United States, reportedly drawing around 7 million people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cruz appears to be one of the few voices in the GOP who seem to be taking widespread outrage from its political critics seriously. Texas Senator Ted Cruz said that Republicans must take seriously the surge of political energy across the country after millions of people turned out for No Kings protests over the weekend opposing President Donald Trumps agenda https://t.co/E2Km4cCEnQpic.twitter.com/AQVKFTAppW Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) October 20, 2025 The president mocked the protests with a gross-out AI video of him dumping feces on the crowds, later calling the rallies very small and very ineffective. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) dismissed the demonstrations as a stunt during a Sunday morning appearance on ABC News This Week, where he claimed, If the president was a king, the government would be open right now. Politics: Ay Yay Yay: Donald Trump Panics Over A Mirror During White House Meeting The protests took place as the federal government shutdown crept towards its third week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Democrats are demanding Republicans offer some sort of concessions in exchange for their votes on the spending bill namely action on federal health care subsidies the GOP says it will refuse to negotiate until the government is reopened. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Republican Senator Ted Cruz warned his party of political peril in 2026 if the GOP doesnt take the No Kings protests seriously. Unquestionably we should take political peril seriously, Cruz said on Monday on Bloomberg Television. I think its bad for America when one of our two major political parties has gotten so extreme and radical the way the Democrats are. Theyre a party that is unified behind hate for Donald Trump. While the first part of Cruzs warning falls into the same hyperbolic rhetoric that the GOP has been pushing about No Kings being an antifa meetup, the second half rang surprisingly true. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of the midterms in 2026, its dangerous. Substantively Republicans have a lot to campaign on, he continued, citing things like the drop in illegal border crossings and the release of Israeli hostages. That being said there is a lot of energy, there is a lot of anger on the left, and elections can be dangerous when one side is mobilized, is angry. Ill tell you in terms of fundraising, the Democrats are raising a lot more money because their radicals hate Trump so much. And look, angry, energized voters show up to vote. And I do worry just about ordinary voters who are happy or complacent who say, Gosh, Trump won, things are good, I dont need to show up and vote. Theres no doubt that if one side shows up and the other doesnt, that that leads to a bad election. Texas Senator Ted Cruz said that Republicans must take seriously the surge of political energy across the country after millions of people turned out for No Kings protests over the weekend opposing President Donald Trumps agenda https://t.co/E2Km4cCEnQ pic.twitter.com/AQVKFTAppW Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) October 20, 2025 Even as they overexaggerate and misrepresent the Democratswhose leadership is clearly center-left, at bestCruzs point shows that Republicans are paying attention to the size and scope of the No Kings rallies. But they just still cant seem to figure out why everyone is so upset with President Trump. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) More than a year after a deadly shooting in Madison Park, the Metro Nashville Police Department announced an arrest in the case. Just after 2 p.m. on June 12, 2024, 16-year-old Justin Robinson was fatally shot in the 500 block of Dupont Avenue near the Madison Community Center. On Monday, the suspect accused of shooting Robinson 18-year-old Jerome Mackey was arrested by detectives with the MNPDs TITANS Unit on a criminal homicide charge. JUNE 2024 | My mother instincts just instantly kicked in: Witness speaks out after deadly teen shooting in Madison Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mackey was arrested in Madison Park and was armed with a pistol at the time of his arrest, police added. Detectives determined that Mackey was part of two rival groups from Hunters Lane High School, per the MNPD. The groups came across each other in the park when Mackey allegedly pulled a gun and fired in Robinsons direction. Because Mackey was 17 at the time of the fatal shooting, hes been booked at juvenile detention. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday praised the bravery and dedication of police personnel in combating naxalism while also promoting development in affected areas, as the state observed Police Commemoration Day. On the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, Chhattisgarh CM told ANI, "Police Commemoration Day is being observed to mark the sacrifices made by police and security personnel on the line of duty. The jawans ensure safety of all by remaining in tough situation." On fighting naxalism, CM Sai said, "Security personnel have showcased extreme courage while fighting naxalism. They have not just pushed naxals on the backfoot, but also ensured development in the area." The CM further reiterated the state government's commitment to eradicating naxalism from Chhattisgarh by March 31, 2026. "Recalling the commitment of weeding out naxalism from Chhattisgarh by 31 March 2026, said Sai that with the courage of our police personnel, the target will be acheived within the set time frame." Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma echoing the sentiments, emphasized the pivotal role of security personnel in both combating naxalism and driving development in the Bastar region. "Sending the message of courage while fighting naxalism, the security personnel are playing pivotal role in development of Bastar region," said Deputy CM Vijay Sharma. Paying tribute to the security personnel, who sacrificed their lives on the line of duty, Sharma also spoke about the commitment of Chhattisgarh Government towards the family members of jawans. He also informed about the memorial are being made at the village of jawans. To honour the ever lasting memory of gallant Policemen, who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, October 21 every year is observed as 'Commemoration Day' by the Police forces all over India. The significance of October 21 lies in the fact that ten brave Policemen were ambushed and killed by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959 in an unequal confrontation inside Indian territory. To honour the memory of these ten valiant Policemen, the DGsP/IGsP Conference held in 1962 decided to observe October 21 every year as Police Commemoration Day. (ANI) DOUGLAS COUNTY, Mo. A 16-year-old became the first successful hunter of the 2025 Missouri black bear season on its opening day. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, on Saturday 16-year-old Corbin Wallace was hunting with his grandfather Robert Wallace and harvested an estimated 300 lb. bear on private land in Douglas County. Black bear season opened on Saturday (Oct. 18) and runs through Oct. 31. The MDC says that the states black bear population has been increasing by about 9% every year, nearly doubling over the past decade. This growth has allowed the state to establish a regulated hunting season. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the first managed hunt in 2021, Missouri has allowed state residents to apply to hunt up to 40 bears each year. It is limited to three designated bear management zones in southern Missouri. This month marks the fifth hunting season, with up to 600 Missouri hunters being given the opportunity to buy permits to hunt. Hunters are only allowed to harvest lone black bears and are prohibited from using dens. Man has gun pointed at him after calling out acquaintance for speeding During the first four hunting seasons, hunters have harvested a total of 47 black bears. Last year recorded the highest number of harvests during that period, with a total of 15 black bears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information on MDCs black bear hunting season, click here. Note: The video attached to this article was from back in 2021, the first year where the state approved managed black bear hunts in Missouri. Any numbers or statistics from that time may have changed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEED TO KNOW A driver was reportedly found dead in an abandoned house in Indiana after he was involved in a nearby car crash The driver has since been identified as 18-year-old Logan Cooke "Logans kindness and dedication shone through in everything he did," his family said in a statement on GoFundMe An 18-year-old driver has been found dead in an abandoned house in Indiana after he crashed his car into a tree nearby, according to reports. The Starke County Sheriffs Office said deputies responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash in the area of Range Road and 250 North on Sunday, Oct. 19, according to CBS affiliate WSBT and WKVI. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There, deputies found an unoccupied vehicle that had gone off the road and hit a tree. However, they initially were unable to locate the driver, even after speaking with family and friends of the cars registered owner. Eventually, neighbors helped locate the driver inside an abandoned home a short distance away from where the crash occurred. The individual, identified as 18-year-old Logan Cooke, was found dead. PEOPLE reached out to the Starke County Sheriffs Office for comment on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Cooke was an extraordinary young man whose work ethic, generous spirit, and warm heart touched the lives of everyone he met, according to a statement shared on GoFundMe on behalf of the young mans family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also said Cooke was a skilled landscaper and talented mechanic who had a heart of gold and would help anyone in need. From a young age, Logan was self-made, driven by an unmatched determination to carve his own path, the family said in the statement. They noted that Cooke worked tirelessly to support those around him, offering help without hesitation. "Logans kindness and dedication shone through in everything he did," his family added. "His legacy of hard work and selflessness will live on in the countless lives he impacted. More than $15,000 has been raised through the GoFundMe to support Cookes family following his tragic death. Donations to the online fundraiser will help cover the costs of Logans funeral and memorial services, as well as to provide some support for his parents and siblings as they navigate this unimaginable grief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you for coming together to support Logans family during this painful time, the family said in their statement. His hardworking spirit, kindness, and love will forever remain in our hearts, and we are deeply grateful for your support in keeping his memory alive. 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. An investigation into the crash is ongoing. A preliminary investigation indicated that speed was one of the factors that led to the crash, according to WSBT and WKVI. It's unclear what caused the teen to leave the scene at this time. The Hamlet Fire Department and Knox-Center Township Fire Department both assisted with the search for the missing driver, the outlets reported. Read the original article on People A young man in Rome was found dead in the middle of the road on Tuesday morning. Police say they were called to Woodcreek Way where they found an 18-year-old lying in the street with a gunshot wound just before 5:30 a.m. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Investigators have identified the victim as Adam Hernandez. Police are still searching for answers as to how Hernandez was shot and ended up in the street. There is no word on possible suspects or motives. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Tuesday is going to be the warmest day in the next week, with temperatures in the mid-80s throughout Kern County. Heading into Wednesday, a weak disturbance will make its way through Central California, bringing slightly cooler temperatures to the Valley floor. Along with this, we can expect some breezy conditions, isolated showers, and even a few thunderstorms. Watch 17 News, After Sunrise and more local news free on your smart TV. Click to learn more about KGET+ Some areas in Kern County may not see any rain at all, but as we move into the latter part of the work week, dry conditions and temperatures in the upper-70s are on the horizon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By Sunday, a significant trough of low pressure is expected to move in, potentially giving us another chance for some much-needed rain. Its still a bit early to say for sure, but stay tuned as the forecast becomes more refined throughout the week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The U.S. Supreme Court's front steps in Washington, D.C. July 19, 2022. | Photo by Katherine Dailey/Michigan Advance. Updated at 4:32 p.m. Ten Tribal Nations in Michigan have filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court urging them to reject an attempt by Canadian oil pipeline company Enbridge Energy to have a federal court settle a lawsuit first brought by Attorney General Dana Nessel in 2019, asking instead to have the case remain in state court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For many years, Tribal Amici have called on the State to uphold its public-trust obligation to protect the Straits of Mackinac and the Great Lakes, including the fisheries, from these known dangers of the aging Straits Pipelines, the Tribal Nations wrote in their brief. Michigans suit against Enbridge is a long-overdue course correction. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The brief cites the leak of a different pipeline, Enbridges Line 6B, into the Kalamazoo River in 2010, and the environmental harms that resulted from that. Nessel is seeking to close the pair of pipelines that run through the Straits of Mackinac as the pipes were aging, looking to prevent a leak that could substantially contaminate the Great Lakes. While the suit was initially filed in state court, it has bounced between state and federal court in a question of who has jurisdiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals last year sent the case back to state court, which was a win for Nessel, but in June, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to take up the case on an appeal from Enbridge. While the case had been in the federal appellate court, 63 tribal nations again led by the Bay Mills Indian Community filed a similar brief seeking to have the case return to state court. The decision from the Sixth Circuit came down to a 30-day deadline to request the case move to federal court, which the court determined Enbridge missed. The Supreme Court took up the case in June, and will decide whether Enbridge should be granted an exemption to that 30-day deadline. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel gathers with environmental advocates and tribal community members in Cincinnati, Ohio ahead of oral arguments on Line 5 litigation on March 21, 2024. (Screenshot) No part of Section 1446 allows a defendant to escape the 30-day deadline by asserting that it only recently discovered that a federal court might be more sympathetic to its arguments, the amicus brief reads. But at bottom, that is Enbridges explanation for what it attempted here. Enbridge missed a court deadline by more than two years, without excuse, and now they want to change the rules, Caroline Flynn, a lawyer at Earthjustice who is representing the Tribes, added in a press release. The Supreme Court should see through Enbridges transparent attempt at gamesmanship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tribal Nations also argued that federal courts should not encroach on state court jurisdictions. If it were not for Enbridges procedural gamesmanship, the merits of this state public-trust dispute may well have been settled long ago and the risks to Tribal Amicis critical treaty-protected resources addressed, the brief continues. The Tribal Nations that joined the amicus brief are Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Hannahville Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribe (NHBP), Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The continued operation of Line 5 puts my Tribal Nation in grave danger, said Whitney Gravelle, President of the Bay Mills Indian Community, in the press release accompanying the brief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are encouraged the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the June 2024 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit remanding to state court the Michigan Attorney Generals lawsuit against Enbridge seeking to shut down Line 5, Ryan Duffy, a spokesperson for Enbridge wrote to the Advance. Duffy did not specifically comment on the amicus brief. The 6th Circuits remand decision is in conflict with decisions from two other federal Circuit Courts of Appeals, which both held that there can be exceptions to the 30-day limit, he added. The Supreme Court review will resolve this conflict in the courts of appeals. This story was updated with comment from Enbridge. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX AUCKLAND, New Zealand Its a bit unusual for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to apologize before even greeting his audience. But its also a bit unusual for Cox to greet his audience in Maori. I probably will offend many of you, he said at the beginning of remarks Monday at the University of Auckland. So I hope youll forgive me. Tena koutou katoa, said Cox, delighting his audience. Translation: Greetings to you all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governors visit to the island nations largest university helped kick off an ongoing trade mission to New Zealand and Australia organized by World Trade Center Utah thats populated by a sizable delegation that includes lawmakers, industry leaders and educators. For most in the 2025 trade missions delegation, its their first official visit to Oceania. A similar visit was planned in 2020 for Coxs predecessor former Gov. Gary Herbert before being nixed by the pandemic. Its natural for Utah and New Zealand to be trade partners, said Cox. The two regions share natural beauty that draws people from across the globe. We are not an island and yet we are, in some senses, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The people who settled Utah many, many years ago our ancestors who came and settled in that land (settled) a place that no one else wanted because it was very hard, it was very remote and it was very rugged. To survive, Cox added, Utahs settlers had to learn to work together and innovate and then innovate some more. Innovation has always been who we are and its why weve been so successful as a state. Its why we have had the No. 1 economy in the United States over the past 10 years. Cooperating and innovating also defines New Zealands history, said Cox. Thats why were here because you too have those two lessons as part of your culture. And the opportunities to expand the ways were working together are boundless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor was joined Monday at the University of Auckland by the leader of the Beehive States flagship university, University of Utah President Taylor Randall. University of Utah President Taylor Randall speaks on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, at the University of Auckland during the ongoing World Trade Center Utah 2025 trade mission to New Zealand and Australia. | Jason Swensen, Deseret News With a smile, Randall apologized for not also greeting his New Zealand audience in Maori before adding he was thrilled to be representing the states higher education system. It is a truly remarkable one that performs incredible research. Randall touted the ASPIRE collaboration between the Auckland university and Utah State University, which has unbelievable power to transform the world and transportation. Meanwhile, he said, the University of Utah focuses primarily on the biotech and energy area. Many of the schools innovations are now being commercialized by well-funded companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen in some of our (Auckland) visits already this morning the notion of protecting critical minerals processing for national interests, he said. Im sure all of you are also deeply engaged in many of those things. University of Auckland Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Frank Bloomfield welcomed Mondays visiting delegation that included Cox, Randall, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and several state lawmakers and Utah industry leaders. Were here today, said Bloomfield, because of our shared interest in aerospace technology, transport electrification, advanced technologies such as quantum and photonics, and of course, our countrys collaboration and defense. Greg Murison, CEO at Auckland Uniservices, spoke of the New Zealand schools history of innovation, research and entrepreneurship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Engaging with delegations such as World Trade Center Utah, he added, is critical for the Auckland institutions success. We dont operate in isolation, and so creating these connections is very important to us, both at the government level, but also at industry level, he said. Additionally, the opportunities for startup companies in the University of Aucklands portfolio, may be able to help you and the aspirations that you have in Utah as well. Mining potential New Zealand business partners Delegates from the World Trade Center Utah 2025 Trade Mission tour the Viasat satellite communication system facility in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. | Jason Swensen, Deseret News Monday marked the first full day for World Trade Center Utah delegates to branch out across Auckland and connect with businesses and organizations that could soon prove to be global partners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delegates are participating in one of three tracks: aerospace and defense; critical minerals, and development and innovation. The delegates opting for the aerospace and defense track, for example, spent Monday meeting and touring the facilities of several industry organizations such as the University of Aucklands Space Institute along with visits to a metal additive manufacturing company making headway into the space community and a satellite communications services provider. On Tuesday, the World Trade Center Utah delegation will fly to Sydney, Australia, for several days of meetings across those same three industry tracks, highlighted by Coxs participation in the International Mining & Resources Conference, Australias most influential mining event. The timing appears fortuitous; President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia on Monday in Washington, D.C., and the topic is rare earth minerals and expanding the relationship between Australia and the U.S. in that important sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Development and innovation delegates will also spend time at the Sydney Quantum Academy. Australia is a global leader in the quantum ecosystem. Meeting with New Zealands prime minister Cox began his Down Under tour with a Saturday meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The governor was joined at the meeting by first lady Abby Cox and Senate President Adams. The Utah press was not permitted to attend the gathering, but the governors office reported that the meeting was very productive discussing key issues and priorities important to both New Zealand and Utah. On his X account, Cox thanked Luxon for a productive meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With nearly 30 Utah businesses and organizations, our state trade mission to New Zealand and Australia is focused on opening markets and building partnerships in aerospace and defense, critical minerals , fintech, and other shared strengths Thank you, Prime Minister @chrisluxonmp, for a productive meeting and warm welcome. With nearly 30 Utah businesses and organizations, our state trade mission to New Zealand and Australia is focused on opening markets and building partnerships in aerospace and defense, critical pic.twitter.com/1PPBCHB1wW Governor Cox (@GovCox) October 18, 2025 Cox added that the Beehive State and New Zealand are joining together as pioneers in energy generation and diversification. Today in Auckland, I signed a Letter of Intent with Hon. Simon Watts, New Zealand Minister for Energy, to expand our cooperation, including geothermal. This partnership will help advance Operation Gigawatt as we work to create energy abundance. Utah and New Zealand are joining together as pioneers in energy generation and diversification. Today in Auckland, I signed a Letter of Intent with Hon. Simon Watts, New Zealand Minister for Energy, to expand our cooperation, including geothermal. This partnership will help pic.twitter.com/zHKKZQgIXo Governor Cox (@GovCox) October 18, 2025 New Zealand and Utah: A partnership of shared interests In a New Zealand market briefing on Sunday, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Melissa Sweeney said the relationship between New Zealand and the United States is the strongest its been in decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether its working together with New Zealand on bilateral issues of concern, or working cooperatively in the Pacific region on issues of shared interests, or tackling some of the global challenges including the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza the U.S. and New Zealand partnership is incredibly strong. Our relationship is guided by mutual respect, by our shared interests and by trade. Sweeney added that over the past decade, bilateral trade between the two nations has nearly doubled to just over $17 billion. And we spend tens of millions of dollars investing in businesses, including innovative research and development. Cox said the partnering opportunities for Utah and New Zealand are grand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states relationship with both New Zealand and Australia, he added, matter more than at any time since World War II. Its a very tenuous time in the Pacific, he said. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is joined by first lady Abby Cox and Utah Senate President Stuart Adams in a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. | Governor's Office We think that sub-national relationships really matter and that we can help build and strengthen the relationships between the United States at a sub-national level, which will help us for decades to come. And certainly that has been reciprocated. For Utahs businesses looking to expand into New Zealand: This is an incredible opportunity. Auckland is growing rapidly. Theres a huge tech presence here. For our friends in agriculture, the ag community here is really important to the worlds food supply, and there are things that we can learn from them as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Aerospace and Defense in New Zealand is huge. They launch a lot of rockets here in New Zealand, something that we want to do in our state as well, said Cox. And so there are opportunities for us to collaborate. The governor is eager for increased New Zealand business in the Beehive State. He added, smiling, that he hopes to disrupt the current trade pipeline between New Zealand and Denver. I cant imagine why anybody would be choosing Colorado over Utah when it comes to doing business, he said, drawing laughs. I love my friends in Colorado, but I will tell you our airport is much closer to our downtown. Our regulatory environment is so much better than Colorados right now. Our economy is growing much faster than Colorados. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And I think a lot of people are just missing out because they just dont know whats happening in Utah. James Waite, the divisional manager for New Zealands Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the United States, noted that the Pacific region is very challenged and highly contested. Were pretty worried about a lot of the headwinds but were very determined to partner with the United States in addressing those headwinds, and also with our ally Australia, he said. Waite also noted the historic link between Utah and New Zealand through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University and other institutions. And, of course, theres a strong Pacific community in Utah as well that includes a lot of people of New Zealand origins. In Tennessee, 48 local and state agencies are partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and reaping financial benefits. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) The Memphis Safe Task Force wont release the names of more than 1,000 individuals it has arrested or provide details about the charges they face. Arrest details and charges are routinely made available to the media and public to provide information about crimes taking place in communities and ensure transparency in the work of taxpayer-funded law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But multiple law enforcement agencies that comprise the task force have either declined to release detailed arrest information or ignored requests seeking it. A Department of Justice spokesperson last week provided a count of task force arrests by categories that include homicides, sex offenses, narcotics, firearms, probation/parole violations, ICE administrative warrants, other, and warrants. Arrests for outstanding warrants can range from misdemeanors to felony charges. ICE administrative warrants are not criminal warrants, and indicate only that an ICE official determined a person is removable from the United States. But the DOJ spokesperson cited operational security in declining to release the names and specific charges for each individual arrested. Asked to clarify what operational security meant in the context of releasing arrestee information, the spokesperson declined to provide an on-the-record explanation. The Tennessee Highway Patrol did not respond to multiple requests for information about arrestee names and charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service, the task forces lead agency, likewise declined to provide the names of those arrested, instead providing arrest numbers under broad categories of crime. As of Friday, task force members had made 1,044 arrests, spokesperson Brady McCarron said. But the numbers the Marshals Service listed, broken down into five categories homicides, narcotics, firearm, warrants, and sex offenses did not add up to 1,044. They do not add up as we are not releasing all numbers, McCarron said Friday in response to a request to clarify arrest numbers. McCarron subsequently provided numbers of additional arrests: 187 administrative and 155 others. He said the task force had also made an unspecified number of arrests on probation or parole offenses, noting that the agency has focused on releasing only the numbers that are the most in demand serious crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am not at liberty to answer the questions that were not answered above, he said in closing his emailed response to questions from the Lookout. In an email response received after publication of this story, the Department of Homeland Security provided the names and photographs of 11 criminal illegal aliens that it described as the some of the worst of the worst arrested in Memphis. The agency did not respond to questions about the number of immigrants without legal status arrested thus far or a full accounting of their identities and charges. The Memphis Police Department, which has access to booking information, referred questions about task force arrests back to the Department of Justice. The Lookout last week also sought this information via public records requests from the mayors of Shelby County and Memphis, and through a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Marshals Service but has not yet heard back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, one or more members of the task force appear to be compiling and sharing the names of those who have been arrested internally. MLK 50: Justice Through Journalism obtained a task force document that lists the names, dates of birth and charges for each individual placed under arrest on a single day in Memphis. On Oct. 13, the task force arrested 51 people, including seven for immigration-related offenses, MLK50 reported. Thirty of the 44 were arrested on warrants for misdemeanors such as failure to appear in court, trespassing and misdemeanor theft of property. Seven individuals were charged with the civil crime of being unlawfully present in the United States, not on criminal charges, the news organization, which did not publish individual names, reported. No dependable mechanism to flag task force cases State Rep. John Gillespie, a Memphis Republican supportive of the task forces presence to quell crime in the city, noted all arrest records continue to be public information and said journalists and others have just got to dig them up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court records in Shelby County are accessible online and in person listing the names of arrestees and crimes for which they have been charged. But when asked how one would differentiate the task force arrests, Gillespie said, I dont think it matters. I think an arrest is an arrest. I dont care whos getting the credit, whos doing what. Im grateful my familys grateful, my neighbors are grateful, he said. The peace of mind and my stress level while driving has gone down astronomically. I dont know why it matters if the FBI is arresting someone versus the state troopers. Just City, a criminal justice reform advocacy group in Memphis, has been manually combing through court and jail records and observing criminal court proceedings to try to determine the names of individuals detained as part of task force activities, with little success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres no dependable mechanism to flag task force cases, Josh Spickler, executive director, said. Hundreds of cases filed on court dockets sometimes include affidavits mentioning the involvement of Homeland Security or other federal officials in charges, but many contain such sparse detail its impossible to know if federal law enforcement was involved in an arrest, he said. Its being either intentionally, or incompetently, vague and difficult to parse and understand, he said. We need help, according to President Trump, according to Gov. Lee, so 1,500 law enforcement agents have been sent to a community that has less than 3,000 police officers and to measure that impact we need to know what theyre involved in and if its having an impact on violent crime, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Absent public reporting of those arrested and detained, family members are also having a difficult time finding loved ones, one local advocate said. A majority of phone calls coming into a community hotline set up to respond to the federal presence are asking for help finding individuals whom family members suspect have been detained by ICE, said Maria Oceja of Vecindarios 901 and Free the 901, community groups monitoring federal activity in Memphis. A hotline set up by Vecindarios 901 is receiving calls from people trying to find family members who may have been detained by law enforcement agencies, said Maria Oceja. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Accounting and transparency The lack of arrest details follows a pattern in which task force officials have so far refused to answer questions submitted by Lookout reporters. Gov. Bill Lees office and Tennessee Highway Patrol have not acknowledged questions about the daily costs of the operations or the number of THP officers and Tennessee National Guard members involved. Lookout reporters sent questions to Lees office on Oct. 14 and the highway patrol on Oct. 16. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They need to be very transparent on what that moneys spent on and how it goes out, said state Rep. Jesse Chism, a Memphis Democrat. I think there needs to be accounting and transparency. President Donald Trump and Lee launched the task force made up of hundreds of officers with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI, the ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and Tennessee Highway Patrol at the end of September to restore law and order in Memphis. The task force is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to move federal and military personnel into U.S. cities. Trump brought National Guard troops into Washington D.C. in August and has recently increased ICE raids in Chicago, drawing pushback from locals. The Memphis task force began operations on Sept. 29 and Tennessee National Guard members were spotted in Memphis over a week later. Lee told reporters in a news conference that the operation has no end date and the number of task force members in the city would fluctuate. U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta commands the operation. The task force holds regular meetings throughout the day, and week, that plans, organizes and executes the given operations of the day, an agency spokesperson said. These are joint meetings with all partners and participants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris declared a state of emergency due to the strain of arrests on the countys detention centers by the task force. Memphis is the largest city in Shelby County. On Friday, Harris and other state and local elected officials filed a lawsuit seeking an immediate halt to the National Guard deployment in Memphis. The lawsuit alleges the deployment violates the Tennessee constitution and state law. How much is this costing taxpayers? Shortly before forming the task force, Lee said he was designating $100 million in Violent Crime Intervention and Downtown Public Safety Grants for it. The legislature approved these two programs as part of its budget earlier this year, before the task force was created. State Rep. Antonio Parkinson, a Memphis Democrat, said at an initial meeting before the task force launched that Lee told him it would cost $1 million a day. But it was unclear whether this referred to costs to the state, federal or a combination of both. Parkinson, who wants the federal government to provide more funds for Memphis Police, said he had no idea how much the state is spending. Lees office has not answered any questions submitted by the Lookout related to the budget of the task force operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor has some latitude to move Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers around the state at his discretion. The Tennessee Highway Patrol has a budget of around $300 million, and roughly $72 million covers operations expenses, such as paying for troopers hotel lodging and other non-salary expenses incurred as part of the task force. Sam Stockard contributed. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Testimony got underway Monday in a murder trial that rocked Chicago's Chinatown. A man is accused of killing a grandfather who was out for a walk nearly four years ago. Technology played a huge role in the case. Numerous security cameras captured images of the alleged gunman as well as the car he was driving. Jurors saw some of that video Monday at the Cook County Courthouse. A large contingent of friends and supporters, many from Chinatown, left the courtroom during a break Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooting of a 71-year-old man in the middle of the day across the street from an elementary school angered many in the community. Woom Sing Tse was taking a walk in the 200-block of West 23rd Street in the heart of Chinatown. That's when a man fired numerous shots from a car in the street. Then, he got out of the car and stood over Tse and fired more shots. Prosecutors say it was a total of 22 rounds in all. They have charged Alphonso Joyner, who was 23 years old at the time, with first-degree murder. The Chinatown neighborhood watch responded quickly that day, providing police with numerous videos from security cameras. Police used license plate identification to locate the suspect within an hour of the shooting. Tse's family has been waiting for this trial, hoping for justice. Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Tuesday said that the controversy over the 'I Love Muhammad' campaign, which triggered violence in Bareilly on September 26, was an attempt to disrupt communal harmony. Speaking to ANI, Khan said, "Even if I were to call it a spark, how did this small matter become such a raging fire? Had the district administration wanted, the issue could have been resolved through dialogue. No matter how much the situation escalates, a solution is found only by sitting at the table. Just look at the results of the wars... This was a conspiracy to destroy harmony. Obviously, if someone loves someone, it is their birthright to love them..." The protestors pelted stones at the police during the protest after the Friday prayers. A group of people had gathered outside Ala Hazrat Dargah and Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan's house, holding "I Love Mohammad" placards. Following the chaos, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested Maulana Mohsin Raza in connection with the September 26 protests in Bareilly. Earlier, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the 'I Love Muhammad' poster controversy, stating that expressing love for Prophet Muhammad is a matter of "faith" and questioned why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was objecting to it. In an interview with ANI, the AIMIM President said that the UP government should release those who have been arrested in connection with the 'I Love Muhammad' poster row. "Why does the BJP hate love so much?... We demand that the UP government release those who have been arrested. This is not sending a good message within the country, or even abroad," AIMIM chief Owaisi. "The most precious thing in the world for us is love for the Prophet Muhammad. It is more precious than our parents, our wealth, our children; it is part of our faith. Now, if someone is expressing it, what's wrong with that? If someone resorts to violence, it is condemnable," Owaisi told ANI. (ANI) Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribunes daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. Gov. Greg Abbott has launched an operation in Austin to remove people experiencing homelessness and dismantle homeless encampments. Abbott, in a Tuesday morning news release, said the operation began late last week and has already removed 48 encampments. Its unclear where the state is taking people to and what services are being provided to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor said his motive is to make Austin safer and cleaner. His office said the operation so far has arrested 24 repeat felony offenders, seized over 125 grams of narcotics and removed 3,000 pounds of debris. Texans should not endure public safety risks from homeless encampments and individuals, Abbott said. Weapons, needles, and other debris should not litter the streets of our community, and the State of Texas is taking action. Abbott said he has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to lead the initiative, in collaboration with other state agencies. It did not coordinate with the city, Austin officials said. Abbotts office has not yet responded to additional questions from The Texas Tribune. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Homelessness has been a perennial political issue in Austin. In 2021, Austin voters supported a ban on public homeless encampments. The ban was previously lifted by Austin City Council, which argued that the policy led to citations for people experiencing homelessness that hurt their ability to find housing. An effort at the Legislature to enhance a statewide ban on homeless campsearlier this year but failed to become law. Abbotts announcement comes a day after Austin began its new effort to address homelessness, called the Citywide Encampment Management Prioritization Initiative. Monday evening, the city reported the clean-up of 46 encampments in which most people agreed to leave voluntarily and were connected to other shelters and services. It also said two people were arrested, one for criminal trespass and resisting arrest, and another on a drug-related charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These activities are personnel intensive and cost money, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement. There is also the issue that simply cleaning up a camp and not having a place for homeless people to go, such as a shelter or other housing, just moves them to someplace else in the city. The city has also put significant resources into those aspects so that we dont just move the problem from one place to another. The city is asking Austin voters in November to approve a higher tax rate to allocate millions of dollars for homelessness services, according to KUT. Earlier this year, the city said it needs nearly $101 million to address its homelessness population, including support services. Across Austin, there are nearly 4,000 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and more than 1,000 people experiencing sheltered homelessness, according to local nonprofit ECHO, the lead agency of Austins homeless system which works to connect unhoused people to other resources. Its really complicated work, folks are on our streets for a variety of reasons, said Matthew Mollica, executive director of ECHO. They have a variety of needs, and so, in order to best address homelessness in our community, we see that we know that a collaborative effort is the most effective and efficient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mollica said he would like to work alongside the governor to help people experiencing homelessness find permanent housing. But for now, he said hes asking the governor to address homeless encampments with compassion Lets talk and try to work on some lasting solutions to ending homelessness in our community, he said. Were here to collaborate and work with the state and federal government to address these issues humanely. ECHO served more than 28,000 people last year across Travis County, according to a report it published earlier this month, up from the year before when it served nearly 25,000 people. It also reported that last year, homelessness decreased for the first time since 2020 by 5% and attributes that to its priorities of connecting people with wraparound services, such as health care and workforce development. Abbotts announcement did not include an end date for this initiative, although homelessness is a growing statewide problem. The number of unhoused Texans has increased in recent years as housing costs have climbed. Nearly 28,000 Texans experienced homelessness last year, according to federal estimates, which is about 8% more than 2019. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A new Texas law designed to speed up the removal of squatters is now in effect, following a recent eviction in Northeast El Paso where deputies cleared more than 20 people and nearly 30 animals from a vacant property. Senate Bill 1333, which took effect Sept. 1, allows property owners to request an immediate removal if they can show a person is not a legal tenant or family member. The law removes the need for a full court eviction hearing in qualifying cases, giving law enforcement authority to act faster. Deputy Sgt. Deja Pascale with the El Paso County Constables Office for Precinct 2 said squatting has become a growing concern in the Northeast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Northeast does have a big squatter problem, Pascale said. Hopefully, now this law is buckling down because theyll get you out faster than in the past. Deputies handled one of their largest squatting cases to date at a long-abandoned home on Hemmingway Drive, which had reportedly sat vacant for nearly a decade after its owners passed away. Neighbors began reporting unusual activity in April, including tents in the yard, loud noise late at night and possible drug activity. Deputies estimate that up to 50 to 60 people stayed at the property over time. During the official eviction last week, between 20 and 25 individuals were removed. Five were taken into custody on outstanding warrants and one was arrested on a marijuana-related charge. El Paso Animal Services confirmed that 27 animals were also rescued from the property, many of them suffering from skin conditions due to dirty living conditions. Some have since been adopted, while others are still available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the Hemmingway case still had to follow the traditional eviction process, Pascale said future cases may move faster under SB 1333, depending on whether property owners meet required documentation standards. It expedites the process. It pretty much takes out the whole court proceeding, she said. Deputies are urging property owners to check vacant homes regularly and report suspicious activity early, adding they expect more enforcement under the new law in the coming 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 KTSM 9 News. AUSTIN (KXAN) Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson said her office conducted a full comparison and citizenship verification of the states voter registration list through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services SAVE database. During the overlook of the voter list, the state identified more than 2,000 potential noncitizens were registered to vote in the state of Texas, according to Nelson. Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections, Nelson said in a Monday press release. She said, in part, that having free and direct access to the data set has been a game changer to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KXAN Voter Guide: What to know for the November 2025 elections The release said 2,724 potential noncitizens were identified as being registered to vote in Texas. According to the release, those files were provided to Texas counties, who will conduct their own investigations into the eligibility of those voters. Once that process is complete, those individuals deemed noncitizens that voted in a Texas election will be referred to the Office of the Attorney General. Those identified as potential noncitizens will receive a notice from the county voter registrar and will have 30 days to provide proof of citizenship, the release said. If a response is not received by the county, the registration will be canceled. Everyones right to vote is sacred and must be protected, Nelson said. We encourage counties to conduct rigorous investigations to determine if any voter is ineligible, Nelson added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting runs from Monday, Oct, 20, through Friday, Oct. 31. Election Day is Tuesday, 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 KXAN Austin. AUSTIN (Nexstar) On top of each ballot this election are 17 constitutional amendments voters will need to decide on. A majority of those propositions are related to the states tax code. Two of the propositions, 11 and 13, would increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for the average homeowner, and up to $200,000 for those 65 and older or disabled. The homestead exemption reduces the value of a home that is taxed by local school districts. Texas voters to decide on 17 amendments starting Monday Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas legislature has proposed three separate homestead exemption raises in the past ten years. Each time, Texas voters have approved those increases. In 2015, the homestead exemption was just $15,000. Raising the homestead exemption is seen as a more equitable way of reducing the property tax burden on Texans. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, proposed the exemption increase during the regular session this year. This is real money buying down real property taxes, and Mr. President, theyll have this for the rest of their lives, Bettencourt said back in February on the Senate floor. He added that schools will not feel the impact if these exemptions are approved. The state would use its budget surplus to offset the nearly $3 billion loss of revenue to schools. He estimates it will save the average homeowner about $363 annually. Proposition 11 would add an additional exemption amount for seniors and disabled Texans who are living on a fixed income. Some experts have been quoted during legislative hearings that, if approved, the homestead exemption changes would allow between 80% and 90% of seniors to pay $0 on property taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the first day of early voting, which started Monday, some Texans headed to the polls early to cast their ballot. Sandy and Paul Wattles, a husband and wife from Austin, both brought little slips of paper with them to the poll called their cheat sheet that showed how they wanted to vote for the propositions. They both offset each others vote when it came to Prop 13. Sandy voted yes to the homestead exemption increase because she feels it will help people financially. I think it helps the unaffordability issue in Austin, Sandy reasoned. Paul, however, fears it would create a new burden elsewhere. Its just shifting the tax burden on to other segments of society and they may not be expecting it, and it may hurt overall public services, Paul said. Some analysts agree with Paul. Chandra Villanueva, the director of budget and policy at Every Texan a non-profit that analyzes policy to improve equity in healthcare, education, financial security, and food security said creating a permanent exemption in the state constitution could create problems in the future if there is an economic downturn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we see an economic downturn in the future and the state is unable to maintain its commitment to schools, will we be looking at cuts to our school funding, Villanueva questioned. She said the overarching concern in her eyes is the state weakening its sources of revenue. She compares taxation in other states as a three-legged stool: income tax, property tax, and sales tax. Texas does not have an income tax. When you start shaving away at the property tax over and over again, it just puts a greater reliance on the sales tax. The sales tax is our most regressive tax and its the most volatile, Villanueva explained. She also added none of the 10 propositions on the ballot that deal with taxation help renters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) It was a rare opportunity for a group of senior citizens to make friends with a couple of miniature therapy horses. They came in from the therapeutic HorseAbility center on Long Island to the Sunrise East 56th Street assisted living facility. More Local News They walked with canes, some came in wheelchairs, and smiles filled their faces as they interacted with 15-year-old Aden and 17-year-old Pearl. These gentle ponies are specially trained to provide comfort and therapeutic interaction for seniors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Facility resident Joann Girsh gushed, It just makes me feel so calm. It makes me feel better. I was just touched by this animal, and I want to cry because it gave me hope that there are good things in this world. I truly love this animal. These therapy ponies are out every week making special visits to assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals, and they have a lasting impact on the people they meet. Dani Green, Executive Director of the Sunrise at East 56th facility, said, Its amazing. It reduces anxiety, stress. Were not just here to do Juilliard concerts every day. Pony therapy is a step above puppy therapy. Patti Pearlstein, originally from Brooklyn, said she misses her younger days when she rode horses. I wish I could get up on stirrups and all. I really rode horses, but life changes. I cant do that anymore. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denise Ryder, a HorseAbility volunteer, noted, Horses can feel your heart beating from four feet away cause they meet these people who feel the calm energy, put their nose in their lap and just sit there and chill out with them. Known for their calm and patient demeanor, miniature therapy horses have a unique ability to connect with people of all ages, bringing happiness to everyone they meet, as they did with this group of senior citizens. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Put out those pumpkins, double check your holiday lights, and put new batteries in your smoke detectors. House fires are considered a significant issue in the United States, which leads to severe property damage and thousands of deaths and injuries. While house fires can occur at any time, they tend to increase during fall and winter, with fatal residential fires often peaking in December and January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Warm fires on cool nights: How to build and put out fire safely, plus burn treatment Delaware has already seen four fire-related casualties this year, with Georgetown, Dover and Odessa experiencing fires this month alone. Though having a smoke alarm in place is a crucial first step and many of us know not to play with matches and how to stop, drop and roll theres more to fire safety and prevention. Heres what Delawareans need to know about protecting themselves and their loved ones from house fires. When theres smoke... Lets start with smoke alarms. Smoke fills the airat the scene of a massive multiple-alarm fire burning through the Oldcastle APG lawn and garden mulch facility on Old Hanover Road just outside of Spring Grove Oct. 19, 2025, in Jackson Township. These devices help detect the first signs of a potential fire inside a building. When they pick up smoke, they sound a piercing, high-pitched noise, which then gives residents the precious, but limited, time needed to evacuate and get to safety, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is, if they are installed and maintained properly. Make sure you have a smoke detector located on the ceiling or wall on every floor of your house, including inside and outside bedrooms. Alarms should also be interconnected. The simultaneous signals may allow more time to escape. It is also recommended to test alarms every month. Related: Best temperature setting for thermostats this winter? Here's what Energy Department says Maintenance will vary according to the particular detector and its instructions. But if the alarm is fueled by a nine-volt battery, the general recommendation is to replace the batteries at least once a year and replace the entire detector every 10 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If your alarm is hardwired into the houses electrical network, make sure to replace the backup battery no less than once every year and, like the nine-volt-battery-powered detector, replace the entire alarm once every 10 years. What about fire extinguishers? Similar to smoke detectors, make sure there is unobstructed access to a fire extinguisher on every floor in your home and that you recognize the different types. Make a mental checklist as to when to use an extinguisher. This can include questions like if the fire is small and contained, if you have a straightforward escape route and if you are physically able to use said extinguisher. Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire in a home along the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. An arrest was made in connection to the fire, federal officials announced on Oct. 8, 2025. You should also be acquainted with how to use an extinguisher specifically, how to PASS, according to the U.S. Fire Administration: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pull the pin . Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle facing away from you and unleash the locking apparatus. Aim low , right at the foundation of the fire. Squeeze the lever smoothly and slowly. Sweep the nozzle from one side to the other. Be sure extinguishers are also undamaged and free of any dust, grease or other debris. Extinguishers should be used only on small fires. Contact your local fire department for questions or training. ICYMI: Can I legally burn leaves in Delaware? Asking for a friend Turn down the heat and gas Now that were heading into the colder months, its important to take the necessary precautions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you plan to light the fireplace or use a specific device to keep warm, the Delaware State Fire Marshals Office recommends you keep any object that can easily burn at least 3 feet away from heat sources. These objects include paper, clothing and furniture, as well as children and pets. Do not use oven to heat your house. Residents are also encouraged to turn off portable heaters and related items whenever they sleep or leave the room. In addition to smoke detectors, make sure your home is equipped with carbon monoxide alarms. These alarms should be placed in a central location on every level in the house and outside sleeping quarters. Crews from the Wilmington Fire Department put out a house fire Monday morning in the 1900 block of Lakeview. Nine years ago this month, a house fire on the same street killed three fire fighters. It is recommended that these alarms be tested no less than once a month and be replaced according to the instructions provided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you plan to use a portable generator, the fire marshal's office recommends you use them outside in a spacious area not in the garage no less than 20 feet away from all doors, windows and other openings. Make a plan An escape plan, coupled with having the right detectors and equipment in place, increases an individuals chances of surviving a house fire. Walk around your home with your loved ones and take note of all potential escape routes, exits and smoke alarms. Make sure exits are free of obstacles and easily accessible. More: Simple actions can make a big difference to protect homes from fire Know the number of the nearest fire department, and especially if elderly persons, small children or those with mobility restrictions reside in the home assign someone to assist them during a drill or emergency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the event of a real fire, when the smoke detectors go off, get out of the house and stay out. Never under any circumstances go back inside the building. As soon as you get to a safe space, call the fire department immediately. If someone is missing, notify the dispatcher when you make the call. Know the rules For those lighting a campfire this season, make sure to check local guidelines beforehand. Then, look at the forecast, get yourself prepared and follow the necessary safety measures. If you plan on cleaning up your yard this fall and want to simply burn your lawn debris, think again. Burning leaves, grass and trash is strictly prohibited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. If you have a tip or a story idea, reach out to her at omontes@delawareonline.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How to practice fire safety, precaution in the First State Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Tuesday paid homage to police personnel who sacrificed their life in a service to the nation on Police Commemoration Day. Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot was also present on the occasion. Speaking to reporters, Police Commissioner Gehlot said, "On this day, police forces across the country pay tribute to those who laid down their lives for the country. We get the inspiration that if needed, we will even sacrifice our lives for our country. Three officers and soldiers from Gujarat sacrificed their lives in line of duty this year." To honour the ever lasting memory of gallant Policemen, who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, October 21 every year is observed as 'Commemoration Day' by the Police forces all over India. The significance of October 21 lies in the fact that ten brave Policemen were ambushed and killed by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959 in an unequal confrontation inside Indian territory. To honour the memory of these ten valiant Policemen, the DGsP/IGsP Conference held in 1962 decided to observe October 21 every year as Police Commemoration Day. Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid heartfelt tributes to India's police personnel on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, lauding their courage, dedication, and sacrifices in maintaining the nation's safety and security. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said, "On Police Commemoration Day, we salute the courage of our police personnel and recall the supreme sacrifice by them in the line of duty. Their steadfast dedication keeps our nation and people safe. Their bravery and commitment in times of crisis and in moments of need are appreciable." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tributes to the bravehearts, honored the supreme sacrifices made by police personnel in service of the nation in the Police Commemoration Day programme at the National Police Memorial. In recognition of the sacrifices made by Police personnel and their paramount role in preserving national security and integrity, the Prime Minister dedicated National Police Memorial (NPM), Chanakyapuri, New Delhi to the nation on Police Commemoration Day 2018. The Memorial gives Police Forces a sense of national identity, pride, unity of purpose, common history and destiny, besides reinforcing their commitment to protect the nation even at the cost of their lives. The Memorial comprises a Central Sculpture, the 'Wall of Valour' and a Museum. The Central Sculpture, which is a 30-foot-high granite monolith cenotaph, stands for strength, resilience and selfless service of Police personnel. The museum is conceptualised as a historical and evolving exhibition on policing in India. The Memorial is a site of pilgrimage, a place of reverence for Police personnel and citizens alike. As a part of the remembrances, CAPFs/CPOs organise various Commemorative Events at National Police Memorial from October 22 to 30, which include visits of family members of bravehearts, Police Band Display, motorcycle rallies, run for fallen policemen, blood donation camps, essay/painting competitions for children and display of video films showcasing sacrifice, valour and services of Police personnel. Similar programmes are organised by all the Police Forces across the country during this period. (ANI) COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)-This year marked another tremendous turnout for the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalitions annual gathering an event filled with laughter, connection and powerful memories. Thousands of supporters came together in solidarity, underscoring the strength of our community and the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors. For more than two decades, WCGCC has championed cancer education, prevention and patient support across westcentral Georgia and eastern Alabama. Founded June 29, 2001, the Coalition offers vital programs: cancer screenings, patient navigation, outreach into underserved neighborhoods, and direct financial assistance through its Neighbors Helping Neighbors fund. wcgcc.org+2wcgcc.org+2 The event served not just as a fundraiser, but a heartening celebration of survivors, families and volunteers firmly committed to reducing the burden of cancer in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want to make a real impact? You can support the cause and help fuel WCGCCs ongoing work here: wcgcc.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. GREECE, N.Y. (WROC) Three people were arrested Monday after police in Greece pursued a stolen vehicle that had been flagged by the departments license plate reader system, officials said. Police said the alert came in around 4:30 p.m. for a white 2021 Kia Suburban reported stolen out of Rochester. Officers located the vehicle near Latta Road and Island Cottage Road, but the driver refused to stop, leading officers on a pursuit lasting about 13 minutes and ending on Frost Avenue in Rochester. According to police, the suspects abandoned the vehicle and ran from the scene. After multiple foot chases and a coordinated search with the Rochester Police Department and New York State Police, all three suspects were taken into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the juveniles resisted arrest, police said, prompting a brief use of force. A Greece police officer was injured during the struggle and was treated at a local hospital. Eighteen-year-old Javionte A. Webb of Rochester was charged with unlawful fleeing a police officer, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation, obstructing governmental administration, and multiple counts of possessing stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Two 15-year-old males, also from Rochester, face similar charges, with one also charged with resisting arrest and assault. Detectives later searched a nearby residence, but no additional evidence was found, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation remains ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 21A third member of the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in federal court. What was he sentenced to? Sentencing: Judge Michael J. Newman sentenced Daniel Hutten to 18 months in prison and one year of supervised release, according to U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio records. What was he convicted of? Plea: Hutten pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering before being sentenced on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Who else is involved? Fourteen charged: More than a dozen Thug Riders members were indicted in a conspiracy scheme to commit violent crimes in Southwest Ohio. Including Hutten, 14 members where charged Juan A. Robles, Joey A. Marshall, Jared T. Peters, Brandon W. Fisher, John A. Smith, Norman D. Beach, Michael S. Henry, Michael L. Reese, Matthew J. Hawkins, Justin J. Baker, Brent A. Egleston, Joseph M. Rader and Cody Hughes. Gang leaders: Robles helped start the Thug Riders Dayton chapter and was the Midwest regional "boss" at the time of the indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marshall was the sergeant at arms for the Midwest region. Peters, Beach and Smith were the former president, vice president and enforcer for the Dayton chapter. Egleston, Fisher and Reese allegedly were the president, sergeant at arms and enforcer of the Dayton chapter at the time of the indictment. What are they accused of? Violent crimes: Members reportedly committed multiple violent crimes, including murder, assault and arson, in Southwest Ohio and Kentucky. The indictment accused the Thug Riders of the following incidents: The explosion of a former member's pick-up truck in Huber Heights on May 25, 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fatal shooting of 43-year-old Joseph Nicholson in Harrison Twp. on Sept. 26, 2021. A gunfight on April 9, 2023, at a rival motorcycle group's clubhouse in Lexington, Kentucky. The Thug Riders reportedly fired 192 rounds during the attack, but no one was injured. A fight at a Dayton bar on June 17, 2023. The gang allegedly broke a man's leg and gave him a black eye. A gunfight at another motorcycle club's clubhouse in Springfield on March 20, 2024. Fisher was reportedly shot twice in the head. The assault of two members of a rival motorcycle club in London, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where do the other cases stand? Sentenced: Two other Thug Riders were sentenced previously. Newman sentenced Henry to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release and Rader to 15 months in prison and one year of probation. Pleaded guilty: Hughes, Baker, Peters and Hawkins pleaded guilty but have not been sentenced yet. Hughes is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 12. Sentencing dates have not been set for Baker, Peters and Hawkins. Fisher had a change of plea hearing scheduled for Oct. 7, but the details of the hearing are not available as of Tuesday. Trial: The trial for the remaining members Robles, Marshall, Smith, Beach, Reese and Egleston was scheduled to start on Monday. Oct. 21A trial date has been set for members of the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club accused of conspiring to commit violent crimes in Ohio and Kentucky. The gang's trial was scheduled to start on Oct. 20. "This date will not be changed unless there are extraordinary circumstances presented in a written motion," wrote U.S. Southern District of Ohio Judge Michael Newman. Fourteen members of the club are facing a combination of racketeering, conspiracy, assault and attempted assault charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Oct. 21, seven members have pleaded guilty: Jared Tyler Peters, Matthew Hawkins, Michael Seth Henry, Joseph Rader, Justin Baker, Cody Hughes and Daniel Hutten. Henry was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Rader was sentenced to 15 months in prison and a year of probation. Hutten was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a year of probation. Brandon Fisher had a change of plea hearing scheduled for Oct. 7, but the outcome of the hearing wasn't available as of Oct. 21. The remaining members facing charges are Juan Robles, Joey Marshall, John Smith, Norman Beach, Michael Reese and Brent Egleston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Thug Riders are accused of participating in violent crimes in Dayton, Huber Heights, Harrison Twp., Springfield, Logan County, London, Ohio, and Lexington, Kentucky. The Thug Riders were reportedly involved in the deadly shooting of 43-year-old Joseph Nicholson in Harrison Twp. on Sept. 26, 2021, and also allegedly had shootouts and gunfights with other motorcycle clubs in Springfield and Lexington, Kentucky. According to federal court records, members detonated an explosive device in a former member's truck in Huber Heights in May 2021 after the former member left the club without paying the $1,000 exit fee and didn't surrender their motorcycle. Robles helped create the Dayton chapter of the Thug Riders and was the Midwest regional "boss" at the time of the indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Other leaders include Marshall, Egleston, Fisher and Reese. Peters, Beach and Smith reportedly also held leadership roles previously. Thunder Over the Sound air show in Biloxi canceled due to government shutdown MISSISSIPPI (WKRG) The government shutdown is now in its third week, and effects are being felt across the Gulf Coast. In Mississippi, the annual Thunder Over the Sound Air Show has been canceled. UPDATE: Indivisible Baldwin County calls arrest of woman wearing inflatable-penis costume indefensible The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, an elite group of pilots based at Nellis AFB in Nevada, put on the show annually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They schedule demonstrations nationwide, primarily in the Air Forces premier multi-role fighter jet, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, according to the Thunderbirds website. They have performed 30 shows across the country this year, with the final one for 2025 set for Nov. 1-2 at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, but that show has been canceled due to a lack of funding. Likely murder-suicide on causeway: Spanish Fort Police According to the 81st Training Wing Commander, the Thunderbirds show will not return until 2027. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Oct. 21The Thurston County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) believes it finally has a tool in its arsenal to significantly enhance its services. The agency, led by Sheriff Derek Sanders, recently received an OH-58 helicopter from a law enforcement agency in North Carolina that will assist TCSO with pursuit mitigation and search-and-rescue efforts. The best part? The vessel was free almost. After more than a year of Sanders advocating for an aviation program, TCSO was placed on a list to receive a free helicopter through a surplus program from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency's Disposition Services and was notified that a helicopter was available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The helicopter itself was free; however, the North Carolina agency told TCSO that the chopper was equipped with about $250,000 of equipment and offered to sell it for $10,000, which TCSO agreed to. While the helicopter, which was formerly used as a training helicopter for the U.S. military before its law enforcement use, is already in TCSO's possession, the agency is approximately six months to a year away from implementing its aviation program. The aircraft was delivered to Northwest Helicopters in Olympia and requires further inspection and the installation of a law enforcement radio, the latter of which would cost about $94,000 and require Board of County Commissioners approval. But when the time comes, the program could be a game-changer for Thurston County and the region. From 2021 to 2024, TCSO has received 222 water rescue calls, including 148 in the Puget Sound and 23 in the Nisqually River. The agency is responsible for nearly all of the waterways in the county, with the exception of several lakes within the cities, Sanders told the Board of County Commissioners during an Oct. 15 board work session. TCSO's primary response vessel for water rescue calls is a Marine Services Unit vessel called Integrity, but both engines are blown and it has been unusable for about three years, according to Sanders. Even if the boat was back up and running, it uses about 50 gallons of fuel per hour with a cost of about $9 a gallon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The cost to repair them is about $130,000. We have the funding to do it through the dedicated state boater fund," Sanders said. "However, we did not want to put new engines on a vessel we don't own. The Port of Olympia owned the vessel. We recently got the ownership transferred into our name, so we are going to repower that vessel for our water response out in the Sound. There was just a big delay because the port got the boat through a grant from (the state Department of) Homeland Security, so they didn't want to give the asset up if it prevented them from getting future grants, but they were able to resolve that." Integrity alone is not the most effective solution in water rescue situations, Sanders said. He explained that a rescue call in the Nisqually River area would take the boat about 45 minutes to respond from where it's docked in the port. The aviation program should expedite that process exponentially, Sanders stated. "The benefit is that you can get anywhere in the county on a helicopter in 10 minutes," he said. "The manpower is less. The ability to assess incidents is more quick. A lot of times, we get duress calls out in the Sound about kayakers that are flipped over and appear to be drowning, and then we take the boat out there, we get there 40 minutes later and they've got their stuff turned back over and they're like, 'No, I'm fine. I just flipped over,'" Sanders said. "That could easily be spotted by a helicopter and resolved much quicker than what it would take to get two Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement deputies to launch that boat out there." The aircraft is also cheaper than the boat when it comes to burning fuel, with the helicopter burning 25 gallons of fuel per hour for $7 to $8 a gallon. It also burns less fuel and for a shorter duration, Sanders said. A potential bonus for TCSO is that the maintenance and pilots will both be provided by Northwest Helicopters, which relieves a significant expense for the agency. Northwest Helicopters is supported by a number of volunteer pilots, Sanders said. "Northwest Helicopters is kind of the hub of helicopters up here in the Pacific Northwest. They do a lot of the work where linemen are addressing power line issues," he said. "They're using their systems to take those linemen up and deal with high-level power lines. They do flying for Hollywood. They do a lot of really high-level helicopter stuff." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Northwest Helicopters will be donating its patented Human External Cargo (HEC) Rescue System, which costs about $34,500. The system was designed and tested for human external cargo, generally seen in the helicopter industry for powerline maintenance or construction services. Insurance costs run about $12,000 per year based on Northwest Helicopters' pilot service. As pilots are more experienced, insurance costs go down, Sanders said. The sheriff listed a number of pros for air support, including that it would allow police to disengage high-speed pursuits, provide higher capture rates, lower the risk to uninvolved motorists, provide intel to law enforcement in the area, provide support for K9 tracks, and assist with missing or lost subjects, among others. TCSO can also assist other law enforcement agencies in the region with its air support, if necessary. Air support assets have helped TCSO in multiple recent events. Most recently, a helicopter was used to assist in locating and leading fire and law enforcement response teams to the downed Joint Base-Lewis McChord helicopter near Summit Lake last month. In 2023, a Lacey double-homicide suspect fled on foot into the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge after a short pursuit with police. King County's Guardian One helicopter and the Washington State Patrol's Smokey aircraft were used to locate the suspect hiding in thick brush, and law enforcement took the suspect into custody without incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The aviation program does come with some risks, however. The helicopter cannot be flown in poor weather, and insurance can fluctuate depending on the pilot's experience. But the county commissioners expressed their support for the program. They also gave the sheriff's office authorization to research the establishment of a donation fund, as Sanders said the agency has received multiple sizable donations, including one for $19,000 and another for $17,000. "We've got some high-level donors who are interested in seeing a program like this thrive and succeed," Sanders said. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Officials at a Tigard middle school are warning parents and guardians that some students were mistakenly served contaminated pretzels at lunch on Monday. A spokesperson for the Tualatin-Tigard School District told KOIN 6 News that the incident happened during sixth grade lunch when pretzels served were mistakenly contaminated with oven cleaner. The spokesperson noted that a total of 37 pretzels were distributed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement November SNAP benefits stalled in Oregon due to federal government shutdown In an email shared with KOIN 6 News, Fowler Middle School Principal Cindy Pellici told parents, We understand that todays food incident created significant alarm within our school community. The safety and health of our students is our top priority, and we want to reassure you that protocols were followed to immediately identify the students who ate the pretzels and check for illness or adverse reactions. According to the school district, Oregon Poison Control Center was immediately contacted and gave the school guidance, noting, if ingested, Alto Shaam oven cleaner can cause a burning sensation or vomiting if consumed in large quantities. Health officials also advised the school district that students experiencing symptoms should rinse their mouth with water, eat food such as a granola bar or bread and to monitor symptoms for 24 hours. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules Trump administration can deploy National Guard to Portland Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TTSD said all families whose students reported eating all or part of a pretzel were contacted by a school staff member. Parents and guardians are advised to call poison control if students continue to experience symptoms and to call medical providers or 911 for serious adverse reactions such as trouble breathing. We are taking this situation seriously, and it is an unfortunate event; we will continue to ensure student safety, the principal wrote. We appreciate your patience today as we worked to respond to impacted students. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 American F-35 is widely viewed as the most advanced stealth jet in the world. Dubbed by military experts as the flying computer, it is equipped with a plethora of sensors, electronic warfare capabilities and weapons designed to ensure it can slip behind enemy lines and deliver devastating strikes. Yet this fearsome aircraft also has an unexpected Achilles heel rare earth magnets that play a critical role in the jets sensors, engines and wing flaps. Now, its this vulnerability that China is seeking to exploit by imposing a raft of new export restrictions on the magnets themselves as well as expertise and intellectual property related to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It means anyone, anywhere, who wants to export a product that contains 0.1pc of rare earth elements produced in China, or was made using Chinese technologies, must declare the proposed end use and obtain a licence from Beijing. On top of this, China has made clear that it will refuse applications where the product could be used by foreign militaries. The aim is clear, say experts: it is to choke off the American militarys crucial supplies of rare earth magnets and pile pressure on Donald Trump to capitulate in trade negotiations. Without urgent action, some experts have warned that Beijing will be able to turn off the tap of rare earths exports as they see fit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If China learns its control of rare earths is a trump card that it can use to extract anything it wants from other industrialised countries, it will push that advantage as far as it can, Noah Smith, the US economist, wrote on Saturday. After surrender on trade issues, the obvious next set of demands is geopolitical control of Taiwan, dominion over the South China Sea, US troops and ships out of Asia, and so on. This explains why Mr Trump initially reacted to the restrictions furiously earlier this month, threatening 100pc tariffs on China. Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, then went further by suggesting the move could prompt the West to decouple from China economically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for why the restrictions are so painful, it is because the F-35 and most other defence technologies rely on rare earth magnets made in China, says Gracelin Baskaran, a critical minerals expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). China produces more than 90pc of the worlds supply of processed rare earths - Reuters She says Chinas new restrictions effectively turn a tool repeatedly used by the US against other countries namely, extra-territorial control of exports over products such as semiconductors back on itself. Remember, it only has to have 0.1pc of Chinese heavy rare earths to be subject to that regulation, she says. So even if the magnet was made in France, but it contains a half a percent of Chinese-produced heavy rare earths, it is now subject to those rules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre not going to find many magnets worldwide that dont meet that threshold. China controls about 90pc of rare earth processing and of rare earth magnet production globally. For some specific types of magnets however, it controls nearly 100pc. Take for example, the samarium-cobalt magnets in the F-35. Used because of their powerful magnetic fields, small size and high heat tolerances, they are a linchpin of the jets various high-tech systems. They are found in its turbofan engine, its sensors and avionics, and even the mechanisms used by the pilot to adjust the wing flaps and rudders. It means that new restrictions applying to samarium could well impact F-35 production, Baskaran warns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Lockheed Martin spokesman said: We continuously assess the global rare earth supply chain to ensure access to critical materials that support our customers missions. A quantity of rare earth materials is already integrated into our value chain, providing a buffer against potential supply disruptions. But the F-35 is far from unique in its use of rare earth magnets particularly the heavy kind China has targeted with its latest restrictions. Other weapons in the US arsenal that depend on them include the Tomahawk cruise missile, navy destroyers and submarines, the air-to-air missile, the Stinger portable missile and the M1 Abrams tank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats more, the new measures aim to make it as difficult as possible for foreign states to build up their own rare earth supply chains by cracking down on the sharing of expertise and intellectual property. The restrictions pretty much make it illegal for Chinese nationals to work for other rare earths and magnet companies worldwide, explains CSISs Baskaran. You have to explicitly get Chinese permission. They have closed loopholes for technical leakage, human capital leakage they are literally closing off and protecting every comparative advantage that they have. In response, Mr Bessent has said the US is now engaged in a rare earths version of Operation Warp Speed, the rapid American effort to develop vaccines during the Covid pandemic. Beijings low-cost advantage But breaking Chinas rare earths stranglehold will be no quick fix. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinese dominance over rare earths has built up steadily since the 1980s, along with advantages in related areas such as low-cost chemical reagents needed for processing. Yet the biggest barrier to the Wests hope of challenging Beijings grip is cost, says Neha Mukherjee, of Benchmark Minerals Intelligence, largely because the government has ploughed so much state support into the sector. China has developed their IP over time, and its very efficient, very well advanced, she says. But cost is the biggest advantage they have, both in capital cost and operational costs. All their capital expenditures were subsidised, so they basically do not have to get an investor return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By comparison, any western company seeking to get into rare earths has to be able to guarantee its backers that they will make a return. b' 2110 The West is spending more money on rare earths ' To take an example of a light rare earth compound such as neodymium-praseodymium which is used in wind turbines, electric cars and other green technologies most Western firms require prices to be at $100 (75) per kilo to break even, she explains. But Chinese firms can comfortably continue production at below $60 per kilo, with prices currently sitting at around $80 per kilo. This structural disadvantage is why, over the past five years, the US government has increased its own backing of domestic mining and processing operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, the US Department of War became the biggest single shareholder in MP materials, a rare earths business behind a mine that extracts neodymium and praseodymium from Mountain Pass in California. Under the arrangements, the government has also signed up to a 10-year deal that will see it pay $110 per kilo for the mines output, helping to ensure its profitability. Elsewhere, rival American companies are also seeking to grow domestic supplies of rare earth metals needed for platforms such as the F-35 with British help. USA Rare Earth this month announced it had acquired Cheshire-based Less Common Metals (LCM), which claims to be the sole Western provider of critical materials including samarium-cobalt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deal, the companies said, will allow LCM to expand its capabilities, while the company will also supply its parent with essential feedstock for a massive new magnet production facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Midstream metal making is the linchpin of the global supply chain, and LCM is the only proven ex-China producer of rare earth metal, alloys, and strip casting at scale, says Michael Blitzer, of USA Rare Earth. But while these efforts may soon start to move the dial, the US is for now backed into a corner and must barter with Beijing, admits Baskaran at the CSIS. Weve had multiple rounds of negotiations, she says. And we will negotiate to get access back to these materials that are required for national security. 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. ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) As the mercury falls across Southwest Virginia, families are turning up the thermostat, but staying warm during the colder months can come with hidden dangers if youre not careful. Theres a heavy increase in fires during December, January, and February, said Laura Schneider with Roanoke County Fire and Rescue. So its essential to be on guard during that season. One of the most important tips is to give heat sources plenty of space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three feet from the heat, said Schneider. That means keeping anything flammable like socks, clothing, or curtains at least three feet away from all heating appliances. If youre using a space heater to stay warm, fire officials stress the importance of plugging it directly into the wall. Get your car winter-ready, learn more We definitely recommend, per the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), using only one heating appliance per outlet to avoid overloading and risking an electrical fire, Schneider said. Planning to cozy up next to a fire this winter? Experts say now is the time to get your chimney or vents inspected and cleaned. Built-up debris can turn your relaxing night by the fireplace into a serious hazard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No matter how youre heating your home, Roanoke County Fire and Rescue also recommends checking your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors regularly to make sure theyre working properly. And while youre winterizing the inside of your home, dont forget the outside. Ice your driveway, make sure all your sidewalks are shoveled, and ensure theres a clear, accessible way to get out of your home in case of a fire, said Schneider. A few simple steps now can help prevent disaster later, keeping your home and your family safe and warm all winter long. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. As the battle for Bihar's mandate intensifies, state BJP President Dilip Jaiswal on Tuesday said that the five parties of the NDA are starting the election campaign with rock-solid unity. Jaiswal stated that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is kick-starting his election campaign from today onwards from Minapur and Kanti Assembly constituencies in Muzaffarpur, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his election campaign on October 24 and address two public rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai. Speaking to ANI, Dilip Jaiswal said, "Today, CM Nitish Kumar is launching the election campaign. Today, we will begin the election campaign from Minapur and Kanti Assembly constituencies. In a very organized manner, with transparency, the five parties of the NDA are starting the election campaign with rock-solid unity. In this sequence, on October 24, Prime Minister Modi will launch his election campaign by paying tribute to Jananayak Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur. He has public meetings in Samastipur and Begusarai..." The Bihar BJP President further hit out at the opposition Mahagathbandhan, saying, "During his yatra (Voter Adhikar Yatra), Rahul Gandhi added Jannayak title in his name. On one hand, the Congress party is trying to snatch the Jananayak title of Karpoori Thakur, while on the other hand, PM Modi will pay tribute to Bharat Ratna Jananayak Karpoori Thakur in his village and begin his election campaign. This is the difference between the NDA and the INDIA alliance." Meanwhile, after several rounds of talks, the RJD on Monday released its list of 143 candidates, while other Mahagathbandhan allies will contest on the remaining 100 seats. The 2025 Bihar Elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) Police in New Castle County are investigating more than two dozen tire slashings reported overnight in two North Wilmington communities. Authorities say at least 30 vehicles were damaged in the Wynnwood and Brandywood neighborhoods. Detectives have released an image of a suspect wanted in connection with the vandalism. IMAGE: Police in New Castle County are searching for this suspect in connection with a series of tire slashings overnight on Oct. 20, 2025. "It's upsetting," said Eric Saulsbury. "l feel bad for everybody." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saulsbury said it's going to cost him about $1,200 to replace the four brand new tires on his work truck. "I'm concerned putting new tires and having it happen again," said Saulsbury. Brittany Nanni is one of many residents who had to find a ride to her job and then rent a car. "It's just been a headache. I thought it was no big deal, and then this morning it's just been snowballing," said Nanni. Nicholas Moore said he was on the ramp heading towards I-95 and felt his flat tires. When he was dropped off home, he realized his wife's vehicle was also targeted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You think they would be breaking into cars seeing if they can take something, but in this case, it was purely just let's cause chaos," said Moore. Neighbors say they're trying to stay positive. "When it's things out of my control, you just move on and do what you need to do," said Moore. Police are urging residents to check their vehicles for damage and review home surveillance footage for any suspicious activity. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (302) 395-8110 or submit a tip online. Tlingit hunter, fisherwoman, and artisan Heather Douville (Shankweidi Wolf Clan), known by her traditional name Kootink', is using modern media to carry forward cultural traditions. Born and raised on Alaskas Prince of Wales Island, Douville has built a digital following through her honest and grounded storytelling, sharing her experiences hunting, sewing furs, processing traditional foods, and living in close relationship with the land and sea. Her newest project, Our Way of Life (Haa Kusteeyi), marks her debut in long-form storytelling with the popular outdoor brand MeatEater. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The series, which premiered this fall, follows Douville and her father through the Tlingit seasons of harvest, featuring traditional practices such as seal hunting and processing, herring spawn, salmon smoking, and handcrafted halibut hook carving. Native News Online spoke with Douville about her journey, her collaboration with MeatEater, and what it means to share her communitys story on her own terms. Tell me a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to start what youre doing today? My tradition. So I did that, and I left and went down to what we call the Lower 48, and I was gone for quite some time. But theres always been this pull to come home, and this has just always felt like home. After about nine or ten years of being gone, I started that journey of growing, and I did. It began when I was 28. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had always sewn skins from the time I was a kid. I learned how to sew skins when I was eight. I returned during the colder months, which is a more dormant period for all of us. I got out some skins and furs that my dad had gifted me and started sewing again. I asked him to teach me how to hunt, and thats really where the journey began. Im a late bloomer. During the last ten years, Ive grown so much and hope to always be a student. During that time, I wasnt active on social media at all, but after about four or five years, I decided to sign up for Instagram and started posting the things my dad taught me and all the different harvest seasons. There was no goal other than sharing. My dad is such a treasure and a wealth of knowledge, and part of our values is to be generous and share knowledge. I just wanted to share that in case it could help somebody else reconnect or learn. It did, and surprisingly it grew so fast. Ive always kept my social media page aligned with what were doing or not doing. There are times I dont post for weeks or months, and other times I post every day. It just depends on how I feel. Maintaining that balance is really important; it always needs to stay grounded in the purpose of why I started it. With Our Way of Life, what inspired you to bring the series to life, and why now? There have been opportunities presented to me through other avenues, other networks, that Ive declined in the past. This door opened with MeatEater, and it wasnt an easy decision. I loved working for my regional tribe and my team. I honestly still feel like Im part of that team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a difficult decision, but I talked to my tribal president, my dad, some elders, people I respect, my clan, my community, and my team. They told me, You have to do this. What made me decide were two things. My niece, who was 10 at the time, was watching influencers and wanting to be like them. I was watching her grow up in two worlds, helping us cut fish and deer with her dad, but also looking up to girls online who didnt look like us or do what we do. I didnt do it for myself. I did it for youth, for my niece and all Indigenous youth, so they could see people like them just being who they are, celebrating and practicing their culture on platforms where we dont have much representation. The second reason was that, out of all the networks I spoke with, I felt MeatEater would allow me to be present in the process. I didnt want to hand my story over for someone else to shape. I trusted my intuition that this would be different. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And I was right. MeatEater has never once asked me to be, say, or do anything other than myself. Within the show, you share a lot of traditions with your dad. What was it like working alongside him and sharing that relationship on camera? This is funny I didnt realize my dad and I had such a funny relationship until I watched the episodes. I was laughing at how we talk to each other! Anyone else could say those things and Id be mad, but its my dad, so I just laugh. Its amazing to have these memories documented, this knowledge passed down in something tangible you can watch. Our cultures have survived through storytelling, and to actually see it happening is incredible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a learning curve because usually its quiet on the boat everyone just knows what to do. But for filming, we had to talk and explain things aloud. I decided to name the show Our Way of Life, which in my language is simplified in English. Its about preparing foods, practicing culture, sewing, weaving, and carving it encompasses everything. The series dives into seal hunting, herring spawn, and salmon smoking. Why was it important to feature those specific traditions? We kicked off with traditional foods and selected topics we were okay sharing, because not everything is shareable. Some practices, especially marine mammal hunting, exist within systems not designed to support us, so its for federal compliance that we have to do certain things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was an opportunity to share a story much bigger than myself the strength of our people practicing these ways. How did shifting from social media to a full production with MeatEater change your approach to storytelling? It was a learning curve, like with journalism. There are cultural differences and protocols that you just know in your community. Social media is like your personal space; you share what you want. Filming was different. But the team made it comfortable. They respected our pace and culture. The visuals are stunning. How did you and the team work to capture the emotion and spirit of Alaska? Our cinematographer Maggie captures those slow, beautiful, almost ASMR-like shots. You can feel her touch in those moments. Garrett is on the boat with us, capturing everything constantly the jokes, the quiet parts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The balance of the crews skills made it work. I feel lucky; they just get it. What do you hope non-Native audiences take away from Our Way of Life, and what do you hope it means for Indigenous viewers? In our culture, we dont think in terms of goals or messages. Its less about reaching an outcome and more about being true to the process, the relationships, and the places that shaped it. The story carries its own teaching, and each viewer will have their own takeaway. Looking ahead, how do you see Our Way of Life growing or influencing future projects that spotlight Indigenous foodways, hunting, and culture? Personally, I dont want to commercialize our way of life. Having these memories documented is rewarding enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If it grows, thats great, but it should stay rooted and grounded in how it began. Id love to visit other nations and uplift their stories in a way that aligns with their values. I just dont want it to become a formula. Every nations story is unique. About the Author: "Kaili Berg (Aleut) is a member of the Alutiiq\/Sugpiaq Nation, and a shareholder of Koniag, Inc. She is a staff reporter for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. Berg, who is based in Wisconsin, previously reported for the Ho-Chunk Nation newspaper, Hocak Worak. She went to school originally for nursing, but changed her major after finding her passion in communications at Western Technical College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. " Contact: kberg@indiancountrymedia.com NEED TO KNOW A toddler was killed and the child's sister and 25-year-old mother were hospitalized after a head-on car crash occurred on a highway in Taunton, Mass. on Saturday, Oct. 18 Investigators believe the Rav 4 that the family was traveling in crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a Chevy van The four men who had been riding in the Chevy van were uninjured, despite their vehicle taking "heavy damage" A toddler was killed and two others were injured in a recent head-on car crash in Taunton, Mass. The incident reportedly occurred on Broadway/Route 138 near Jackson Street at about 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, according to WCVB, NBC Boston and the Taunton Gazette, which cited the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crash involved a white Chevy van carrying four men and a blue Toyota Rav 4, which had two children passengers and was being driven by a 25-year-old woman. Investigators believe the Rav 4 crossed into oncoming traffic, the outlets reported. "The Rav 4 appeared to have crashed into the white van, resulting in heavy crash damage to both vehicles," the DA's office said, per WCVB. A girl, who was nearly 2-years-old, was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, according to the outlet. Following the crash, a 5-year-old girl was also reportedly transported to an out-of-state trauma center and was in stable condition. As for the 25-year-old driver of the vehicle who was identified as the childrens mother she was transported to an out-of-state trauma center and was in stable condition, the D.A.s office said, WCVB reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The four men who were in the Chevy van were not injured in the incident and reportedly stayed at the scene of the crash after it happened, per NBC Boston. The van was located at the scene in the center of a northbound lane in the correct direction of travel, according to the Taunton Gazette. The Bristol County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on the incident. Taunton Mayor Shaunna OConnell, weighed in on the incident in a statement to NBC Boston, saying, As a mother, I know there is no greater sorrow than to lose a child. Our hearts are with the family, and our prayers are with the five-year-old child that she will survive this horrific accident. Getty 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. She wasnt the only one who commented on the incident. Taunton resident Susanne Duquette also noted how dangerous that stretch of roadway, where the incident happened, could be due to careless drivers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a horrible, horrible thing, and it's just a reflection of how fast people are driving and how careless people can be," Duquette told the outlet. "Whatever direction you're trying to go in -- you're taking your life in your hands. I hate that cliche but that's exactly what it is." The crash is under investigation by the Taunton Police Department and Massachusetts State Police who are aiding the Bristol County District Attorney's Office with the case, per the Taunton Gazette. Read the original article on People Russia is intensifying attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin begins to ease, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 21. Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's energy sector in recent months, just as a cold snap drives up demand and puts additional strain on the country's power infrastructure. "In Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, restoration work is underway across all affected areas following Russian strikes on our energy infrastructure. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, (Russian forces) even used FPV drones to target transformers," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelensky added that every region has the necessary resources to restore energy infrastructure, and that special services are doing everything they can as should diplomats and political leaders. "Just a few weeks ago, Putin was under real pressure and facing the threat of Tomahawk missiles, and he immediately showed a willingness to return to diplomacy. But as soon as that pressure eased even slightly, the Russians began backing away from diplomacy and trying to delay dialogue," Zelensky said. Less than a week ago, hopes that the U.S. would provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles and place real pressure on Russia were high, but were derailed by a phone call from Putin to the White House. Zelesnky said that Russia's tactics are not only killing people but also terrorizing civilians by weaponizing cold weather. Zelensky added that sustained pressure on Moscow is the only way to stop Russia and move toward peace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Only a sufficient range of our defense brings Putin back to reality. This war must end and only pressure will lead to peace," he said. Ukraine's border regions, particularly Chernihiv Oblast, have been among the hardest hit by ongoing Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure. As of the morning of Oct. 21, repair crews could not begin restoration work in Chernihiv Oblast due to continued strikes, according to Ukraine's Energy Ministry. Russian forces launched a large-scale assault on the region overnight on Oct. 21, with 51 aerial targets detected, including two ballistic missiles. The attacks struck both a heat supply facility and a critical energy site, according to local authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Ukrainians brace for another harsh winter as blackout fears return Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. North Korea has fired ballistic missiles toward the east, Seoul says SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea performed its first ballistic missile tests in five months Wednesday, days before U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders are expected to meet in South Korea. South Koreas military said it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles that were launched from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 350 kilometers (220 miles) toward the northeast. The Souths Joint Chiefs of Staff didnt release more specific flight details but said the missiles didnt land in the sea. The Joint Chiefs added that the South's military remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on its solid military alliance with the United States. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) slammed President Donald Trump once again over his blanket pardons to rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Christopher Moynihan was arrested on Sunday after allegedly threatening to kill Jeffries when the top Democrat was scheduled to speak at an event on Monday, according to multiple news outlets. Moynihan was one of the hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump on his first day of his second term in office. On Tuesday, Jeffries criticized Trump again for pardoning those involved in the deadly riot at the Capitol. In a statement, Jeffries said he was grateful to state and federal law enforcement for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The person arrested, along with thousands of violent felons who stormed the US Capitol during the January 6th attack, was pardoned by Donald Trump on the Presidents very first day in office. Since the blanket pardon that occurred earlier this year, many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country, Jeffries said in a statement. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned. It is the honor of my life to serve in Congress during these challenging times. Threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people, he added. According to CBS News, Moynihan allegedly wrote in a text message: Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live. He also allegedly said Jeffries must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future, according to a court filing obtained by CBS. Moynihan was sentenced in February 2023 in connection with his actions at the Jan. 6 riot. He was found guilty in 2022 for obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges related to the riot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A number of Jan. 6 rioters have been arrested again since Trump issued blanket pardons for them earlier this year. The New York Times noted that Moynihan appeared to be the first pardoned rioter to be charged again for committing an offense against an elected official. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reacted to the threat made against Jeffries by attacking the left for political violence during a Tuesday press conference. I dont know any of the details of this at all. I dont know whos been alleged to have been involved in this. I will say that anybody, anybody who threatens political violence against elected officials or anyone else, should have the full weight and measure of the Department of Justice on their head. I trustthat will happen. I hope it will, he said. I will tell you this, the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. Dont make me go through the list, he added. Johnson on pardoned Capitol rioter charged for making threats towards Hakeem Jeffries: I will tell you this, the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. The rhetoric you saw on display Saturday, we highlighted yesterday, plays into this. pic.twitter.com/Gw7Mwh2fDQ Acyn (@Acyn) October 21, 2025 Stories by Lauren Sforza Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Bulwarks Tim Miller did not hold back against the performance of former President Joe Biden while speaking to his press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. During a live conversation on Monday, Miller directly asked Jean-Pierre if Biden could have served in office until 2028. Ahead of the 2024 election, the former president dropped his bid in July after a disastrous debate fueled age concerns, leaving former Vice President Kamala Harris with only three months to campaign until Election Day. Look, I cant speak to that, Jean-Pierre said, before the former GOP strategist chimed in: He didnt have the vigor for this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jean-Pierre went on to point to how the 2022 midterms did not end in a complete red wave as previously projected, arguing that Democrats were able to tout what we had been able to do as an administration in their own districts. Objectively, this president had a pretty successful couple of years as president, and he got that done because of his experience, she said. Now, were still in the winter-spring of 2023, he was the only person to have beaten [President] Donald Trump, still is. While acknowledging that she never even talked to Biden about his decision to run, Jean-Pierre added: And people in the Democratic Party, leadership in the Democratic Party, were actually saying that he should run for reelection. So we have to look at the time when he made this decision. While pressed by Miller about her lack of involvement with the oldest president in history, Jean-Pierre said she was not part of his political decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My job was to speak to what the decision he made in the sense of continuing, trying to lift up the policies and the legislative wins that we did have, Jean-Pierre said. Miller interjected: Sure, but he didnt talk about them that well, so. He couldnt talk about them. He did talk about them, whether it broke through or not. He did, Tim, Jean-Pierre replied. Miller said that Biden talked way less to the press than Trump, adding: He wasnt out there at all. He wasnt good off the cuff, he wasnt doing press conferences, lets just be real. Tim, thats not true. Tim, youre conflating all of it, Jean-Pierre responded. First youre telling me he didnt talk well about it, then youre telling me he didnt talk at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller shot back: He didnt do either. He didnt talk very often, and when he did it, wasnt very good. He sounded very old and feeble. Maybe you werent paying attention to what we were doing at the White House, Jean-Pierre said. I paid attention. Im with you on the policies, Im talking about his performance, Miller added. He later continued: People are pissed that Donald Trump is back in office again. People are pissed. Like the threat was great... Its not like some personal vendetta. Its that like people are rightly mad because all of this horrible s--- is happening, and its like, Well, what can we do better now to prevent this from happening again? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jean-Pierre has been promoting her new book, out Tuesday, titled Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, in which she explains why Americans must step beyond the two-party system and embrace life as independents. She previously made headlines after announcing in June that she would be leaving the Democratic Party. Stories by Rachel Cohen Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The fragile peace deal President Trump spearheaded between Israel and Hamas in Gaza appeared on Monday to have survived serious threats over the weekend. The top U.S. officials who helped negotiate the ceasefire and hostage release agreement senior envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were back in Israel on Monday to help ensure it does not unravel. Israel struck multiple targets inside Gaza after a deadly attack on Israeli soldiers. Hamas has rejected Israel's claim that it was involved in that attack. On Monday, the skies over Gaza were quiet again in the wake of the gravest threat since the ceasefire there came into effect on Oct. 10. Hamas and Israel accused each other of violating the terms of Mr. Trump's peace plan over the weekend, but both sides recommitted to the process on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a couple tense days, however, war was back in Gaza. Local health officials in the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory said 45 people were killed in Israeli strikes. Speaking Monday in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had dropped almost 169 tons of bombs in Gaza over the weekend. "One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace," he told lawmakers. "You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today Israel is stronger than ever before." The Israel Defense Forces said it launched the attack after two soldiers were killed when Hamas operatives opened fire with an RPG. Israeli soldiers stand next to vehicles near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: Amir Cohen/REUTERS As mediators raced to get the peace process back on track, President Trump said the situation would be "handled toughly, but properly," and added that in his view, the ceasefire remained in effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the weekend, Palestinian families had come out to enjoy a quiet moment at a seaside cafe in Gaza, when cameras captured the moment that an Israeli strike shattered the peace. Many feared the blood-soaked scenes left in the wake of the explosions were a sign that two years of relentless violence had resumed after just a week. "We were drinking tea," said Salih Salman, "when suddenly people were bombed." Smoke billows following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip, Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: EYAD BABA/AFP/Getty Once again Gaza's crippled hospitals filled up with dozens of injured in the wake of multiple Israeli strikes. The IDF said it was targeting Hamas forces responsible for ceasefire violations, and it provided video purportedly showing armed Hamas fighters moving toward Israeli troops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A media center in central Gaza was among the locations bombed, with the strike killing a cameraman and an engineer, and wounding three other people. "We are all journalists here," protested Ajeb Mohamed at the scene. "No-one else can even enter here." More than 220 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the war started, according to the international advocacy group Reporters Without Borders. Amid the renewed fighting and accusations over the weekend, an Israeli official said all humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza would be suspended. On Monday, however, COGAT, the Israeli government agency that handles affairs in the Palestinian territories, told CBS News that the Kerem Shalom border crossing was open for aid to transit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Nations and a number of humanitarian aid agencies have called repeatedly since the ceasefire came into effect for Israel to open all of the border crossings into Gaza to allow far more food, water, medicine, building materials and other essential items in. The ingress of aid which under the U.S. peace plan should be maximized under the ceasefire is likely to be among the key issues as Witkoff and Kushner meet with Israeli officials this week to ensure the process stays on track. Vice President JD Vance is also due in Israel this week, and set to meet with Netanyahu. Netanyahu met Monday with Witkoff and Kushner to discuss "developments and updates in the region," Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Netanyahu's office said Monday. She added that Vance and his wife were also expected in the country "for a few days and will be meeting with the prime minister," but neither she nor the White House have confirmed the Vances' arrival date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witkoff and Kushner were entrusted by Mr. Trump to broker the peace deal, and in an exclusive interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday, they said an apology phone call from Netanyahu to Qatar's leader, about unprecedented airstrikes on the U.S. ally's capital, Doha, and a moment of personal connection between Witkoff and Hamas' top negotiator marked two key turning points that led to the ceasefire. Trump says two survivors of U.S. strike on submersible suspected of drug smuggling will be sent home Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's extended 60 Minutes interview Ms. Rachel on raising her voice for kids everywhere TORRINGTON - The city is seeking to take ownership of the former Hendey factory complex, which burned for unknown reasons in a massive overnight fire on Sept. 28 and is now piles of brick, steel and timbers that hide unknown amounts of toxic chemicals, city Mayor Elinor Carbone said. Ownership through foreclosure on liens for unpaid blight fines will allow a stalled cleanup to begin in a month, Carbone said. The door would then be open to study eventual reuse options for the property, including construction of a public safety complex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one was injured in the three-alarm blaze that drew a response from 22 departments and more than 100 firefighters who couldn't stop the spread through highly flammable oil-soaked industrial floors and 130-year old timbers. A signature brick tower is now at risk of falling within the nine acre site bounded by Summer and High streets, Carbone said, all of it is surrounded by densely populated residential neighborhoods. Torrington is seeking to take ownership of the former Hendey factory complex on Summer Street, which burned for unknown reasons in a massive overnight fire on Sept. 28. (Brigitte Ruthman / Hearst Connecticut Media) Constructed to accommodate a growing demand for lathe and milling machines made by the Hendey Machine Co. in the early 1900s, it expanded as demand grew for war material in the 1940s. It was then sold to American Brass in the 1950s, then to the Missouri based Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., a paperboard packaging company which operated until 2000 when the site became vacant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A new public safety complex at the site is one of several options under consideration, Carbone said Monday. Also on the table for eventual discussion are any one of a number of transit oriented option that could take advantage of the rail line that runs to it. "The police department is operating in a former 1908 school and the fire department operates out of a 55-year-old building," Carbone said. "There is a need to consider what modern public safety looks like. The buildings we are using are tired and don't support modern technology. It's a very desirable option." But first, city officials eager to take the first step in cleaning debris and determining the extent of toxic chemicals like lead and asbestos need to find the owner. Efforts to locate the property owner, Wei Wang of Flushing, N.Y., have been unsuccessful, the mayor said. The city is now taking steps through a legal process to take ownership of the property for nonpayment of fines and taxes, Carbone said. It's also working with state officials to "fast track" a $6 million brownfield remediation grant to assess and clean up the site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have been unable to locate him through lawyers or translators," Carbone said. "We were finally told by a translator that he had gone back to China." "We haven't heard from the guy," City Corporation Counsel Michael Magistrali said Monday, 10 days after sending notice to gain permission to enter. Without a response, after 45 days, the city will have the right to begin environmental testing. The cause of the fire remains undetermined and will likely never be known based on the extent of the damage, Carbone said. Carbone, who will retire from her position after 12 years at the helm on Dec. 1, said there is an urgent need now to set plans in motion that can be handed off neatly to a new administration. More than 100 firefighters from 22 companies fought the blaze that destroyed a city block on Sept. 28. Still standing is the portion that houses Industrial Saws and Machining LLC. (Courtesy of the Terryville Volunteer Fire Department) Todd Campbell, who has rented space at the facility for the past 21 years to house Industrial Saws & Machining, had entered into a contract to buy 60,000 square feet of space where he shapes and cuts parts mainly used in the aerospace industry. He said he last saw Wang two days before the fire and learned that he had left the country hours before the fire started. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Campbell lost some machinery and is working to repair water and structural damage with personal funds. But his business was largely spared by a combined benefits of a sprinkler system, fire retardant walls and the efforts of firefighters who focused water streams on it. He returned to productivity shortly after the fire. Wang, who operates the Ying Bao corporation and Yun Hua LLC, owes $166,568 in back taxes and more than $1 million in fines for violating the city's blight ordinances, according to city tax and corporation counsel files. He paid $700,000 in cash five years ago for the complex, records show. He didn't have insurance, Campbell said. Wang told Carbone through an interpreter he intended to employ 100 to 200 workers to produce biodegradable take-out food containers. Efforts to work with Wang to clean up the soil and building contaminants including asbestos had already broken down by the time of the fire, Carbone said. Wang blocked access to the site which fell into further disrepair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is an urgency to get this site cleaned up," said Carbone, who envisions six to 12 months as the goal to make it happen and formulate a plan for future use. This article originally published at Torrington seeks to take over burned Hendey factory for cleanup, future use. The city of Chernihiv has been left completely without electricity as a result of Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure in Chernihiv Oblast. Critical infrastructure has been switched to alternative power sources. The authorities are urging residents to stock up on water. Source: Chernihivvodokanal, a water utility company in the city of Chernihiv Details: Chernihivvodokanal reported a critical situation caused by the complete power outage in the city on the morning of 21 October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "Dear residents of Chernihiv! The situation speaks for itself the facilities belonging to Chernihivvodokanal are without power, as is the entire city. Our staff began launching facilities using alternative power sources today, 21 October, from 05:30. We are making every effort to ensure water supply with sufficient pressure for the lower floors of high-rise buildings. Please make sure you have water supplies in advance." Details: Chernihivvodokanal also noted that drinking water will be delivered to certain areas of the city in the morning, with further information to follow. Background: Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Tuesday took a swipe at the opposition alliance, saying, "Mahagathbandhan puri tarah mahaphoot ka shikar hua hai." He criticised the RJD for ignoring its workers and giving tickets without any clear criteria, adding that none of the candidates in the RJD list are in a position to win. The polling for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly is scheduled to take place on November 6 and November 11, and votes will be counted on November 14. Speaking to ANI, Hussain said, "RJD has released its list... This makes it clear that RJD has not followed any criteria in ticket distribution. 'Mahagathbandhan puri tarah mahaphoot ka shikar hua hai,' and their list clearly shows that they have neglected their own party workers and given tickets to anyone. There is no one in the RJD list who will win...." Earlier today, Minister Ashok Chaudhary said that the opposition alliance has "completely broken." He noted that while Nitish Kumar had formed the Mahagathbandhan by allotting seats to Congress and RJD, the latter has "never been honest" towards Congress, highlighting persistent coordination issues within the alliance. On Monday, BJP President Dilip Jaiswal accused the Mahagathbandhan of "selling tickets to candidates for money" in the assembly election on Monday. He also suggested that there's "infighting" within the alliance." "The voters of Bihar are seeing the infighting in the Mahagathbandhan and how they are selling tickets for money... The mahagathbandhan has not been able to divide the seats till date... How will it run the government?" Dilip Jaiswal said. He further slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who he believed is attempting to "snatch" the term "Jan Nayak" from Bihar's former CM Karpoori Thakur. BJP Bihar President called this an "insult to Bihar and the backward community." Dilip Jaiswal criticism of Rahul Gandhi comes after several Congress leaders used "Jan Nayak" term for him. The term is commonly associated with Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur. Meanwhile, on Monday the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections. With this announcement the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. (ANI) The government shutdown didnt deter 26-year-old Nudrat Mahajabin from visiting Grand Canyon National Park earlier this month, even though the signs were clear: No entrance fees would be collected, the visitors center was closed and no park rangers were nearby. We had planned this trip a while back. So, there was really no going back, she said. I feel like a shutdown might not close the gates, but it does affect and impact the caretakers. And I guess thats what worries me the most. While many tourists like Mahajabin are yet to be discouraged by the government shutdown, national park advocates and businesses are worried about the safety of national parks and tourisms impact on the local economies that surround them if the congressional stalemate continues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shutdown, which congressional leaders do not appear close to resolving, has meant tourist destinations like the Smithsonian museums in DC are closed and 9,000 National Park Service employees are furloughed, impacting the operations of the parks. The Department of Interior is keeping many national parks partially open amid the shutdown, and some sites have gotten a boost from state funds. In West Virginia, where tourists typically flock for hiking, white water rafting and spotting fall foliage, New River Gorge National Park and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park are staying open using state funds because of an agreement made with the Department of Interior. The states Republican governor, Patrick Morrisey, said last week that West Virginia would keep the parks fully running through October 18 for Bridge Day, a festival where onlookers gather to see jumpers parachute off the New River Gorge Bridge. We know that tourism is huge for West Virginia, bringing in billions and billions of dollars every year, he said. So, this was not the time to be shut down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some business owners near national parks say they have yet to take a hit, while others say theyre bracing for bigger impacts down the road if the shutdown drags on. Rob Dobson, the owner of West Virginia Adventures near the New River Gorge National Park, told CNN hes not expecting a drop in reservations for white water rafting trips or cabin stays this fall. This shutdown has had zero effect on us. We are open for business, he said. Elisabeth Barton, general manager of Echo Adventure Cooperative, a guide service in Groveland, California, told CNN that with no one collecting fees at the entrances to Yosemite, the business is having a much busier October than we would normally have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, in Washington, DC, where business leaders are worried the shutdown may deter tourists from traveling to the nations capital, the shutdown has been a boon for some private museums, which have seen a rise in visitors since the Smithsonian Institute was forced to close its museums and the National Zoo on October 12. A spokesperson for Mount Vernon, the nearby home of George Washington, said the estate has seen 50% more visitors than during the first two weeks of October last year and has been averaging 100 phone calls per day. The National Law Enforcement Museum and the International Spy Museum, both private museums, also told CNN they are already seeing an uptick in visitors. In West Virginia, Harpers Ferry National Park is staying open using state funds because of an agreement made with the Department of Interior. - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Its unclear whether tourism overall in DC has taken a hit, nearly three weeks into the government shutdown. In the first nine days of the shutdown, total ridership on DCs trains and buses was higher than the same period last year, according to a CNN review of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authoritys data on daily train station entries and bus boardings. Concerns about long-term impact of the shutdown Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, a non-profit marketing group that promotes the nations capital, also warned of the shutdowns economic impact on the city, which lost about $47.4 million in revenue during the 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything from the small mom-and-pop sandwich shops to the larger entities are impacted by the shutdown, Ferguson told CNN. We are in the prime months and weeks for convention business and tourism. So, the impact is significant. And at the national parks, which have limited staffing, advocates are warning about the consequences of staying open there are no rangers at the park entrances to collect entrance fees, and there may be delays in law enforcement and emergency responses. A motorist passes through the Tioga Pass fee station at the eastern entrance to Yosemite National park, which is vacant of available employees on the first day of the government shutdown on October 1. - David McNew/Getty Images With the absence of park rangers and other Park Service employees in Yosemite, Barton, the business owner, said the park is getting a weird contingent of folks who have a need for unfettered access, who think I can do anything I want. She said there have been instances of people being frustrated, easily tuned-up. Her guides have witnessed people flying drones, which are generally banned in national parks. When her guides approached the operators and told them it was prohibited, she said many became hostile. She said that people are also base jumping leaping from structures and using a parachute to descend to the ground which is illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With these concerns in mind, the National Parks Conservation Association is asking national parks to close. Visitors might be able to access beautiful places, but theyre not going to have the full experience that theyre used to at national parks. And that also means that people are not going to be getting some of the fundamental guidance, David Lamfrom, the vice president of regional programs for the National Parks Conservation Association, told CNN, adding that staff reductions could impact safety and search-and-rescue operations. Emily Thompson, the executive director of the Coalition to Protect Americas National Parks, is concerned about the safety of the parks with limited staff. Park rangers and Park Service employees do so much at parks regarding safety and preventative messaging, she told CNN. Yosemite National Park with granite mountains El Capitan and Half Dome in the Sierra Nevada on October 7. - Patrick Pleul/Picture Alliance/Getty Images Thompsons group has already received reports of trash piling up in some national parks, an issue that arose in previous shutdowns, notably in 2018. One park ranger told CNN that as the shutdown goes on, they are increasingly worried about vandalism and trash buildup, which could create a backlog of work when the shutdown ends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Colorados Rocky Mountain National Park, staff and volunteers from the YMCA of the Rockies are gathering to clean up trash left behind on hikes. My hope in all this is that people are leaning in, said Jason Nelson, the groups communications director. We dont know how long this government shutdown is going to be. The Interior Department told CNN earlier this month that critical functions that protect life, property, and public health will remain in place, including visitor access in many locations, law enforcement, and emergency response. Meanwhile, some local businesses near national parks say they are doing OK but are watching closely for impacts to their business and their communities if the shutdown drags on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eddie Love, who runs Mountain Mama vacation cabins with his wife in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, told CNN bookings are down 30%, and that anecdotally, at least one person canceled because they had been furloughed due to the shutdown. While his business will be OK, fewer visitors could harm the shops in the downtown area, he noted. October is usually a pretty strong month for us, he said. Well be OK even if the shutdown continues, but I know there are lots of other businesses that are a little more on the margin and might have a harder time making ends meet if it dragged on. Similarly, William Torres, the owner of DC Trails a tour bus company told CNN the government shutdown is not a big concern at the moment. If it keeps going and it goes on, you know, past November and into the Thanksgiving season, then it could probably affect me some, he said. CNNs Marshall Cohen, Brian Todd and Austin Culpepper contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com CHICAGO (WGN) Over 200 people attended a town hall at Lake View High School on Monday aimed at educating people about their rights if they encounter Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The event was organized by Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), who spoke on a panel alongside Aldermen Bennett Lawson and Matt Martin, representatives from the ACLU and the Resurrection Project. Quigley says increased immigration enforcement in Chicago has led to the separation of families in his district, which includes parts of the North Side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everyone in the United States whos here has due process rights. Depending on your circumstances, theyre a little bit different, but you certainly have a right to counsel. You have a right to respond to them, so thats what this training is about tonight, Quigley said. Quigley says when he planned the Know Your Rights event, he never thought it would hit so close to home. Over the weekend, the father of a 16-year-old student was arrested by ICE. The family says Ruben Torres was picking up roofing materials at a Home Depot in Niles when ICE agents approached him. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They called me and I got scared. I went inside the car and locked the doors. They forced the door open and one of them pulled a gun and put it on my head, the mans wife, Sandibell Hidalgo said. The couples daughter, Ofelia Torres, has been battling cancer and receiving treatment at Lurie Childrens Hospital. She says this was the last thing she expected during her first time home in weeks. The whole reason I was allowed to go home is because like, youve been in the hospital for a month, your social life has been very limited, Torres said. Just to have them strip my dad away is horrible. The family says Torres needs the support of both of her parents while she undergoes chemotherapy. They hope by sharing their story, they can bring awareness to the impact of families being separated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quigley emphasized that knowing your rights can help families prepare documents, seek legal counsel and develop plans that may prevent family separation. The town hall was livestreamed on YouTube for those seeking the 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 WGN-TV. SCHENECTADY - The Capital Region Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network is hosting an event Tuesday morning at the offices of Transfinder, the Schenectady software company. Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella will give a talk to local college students called "From Intern to President & CEO: A Conversation with Antonio Civitella." The event is free and designed for local college students through the Young Professionals Network's Campus Connect program to help college students network with local young professionals just as they are preparing to enter the workforce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event is taking place at Transfinder's headquarters at 440 State St. in Schenectady. The event goes from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; Civitella is scheduled to speak just after 9 a.m. Light refreshments will be served. Civitella is a 1991 graduate of Siena College. While a student at the Loudonville school, Civitella was an intern at a management consulting firm called James Forth & Associates, where he developed the company's groundbreaking school bus routing software, Routefinder Pro. In 2000, Civitella purchased the company and changed the name to Transfinder. It is now one of the largest school transportation software companies in North America. The company had $42.2 million in revenue in 2024, up 20% from 2023. The company has had 27 consecutive years of revenue growth. This article originally published at Transfinder, Civitella to host young professionals event Tuesday. The lawyers for an MDC Brooklyn guard accused of chasing and shooting a suspected contraband smuggler wont be able to put the troubled federal jails violent reputation on trial, a federal judge has ruled. Brooklyn Federal Judge Pamela Chen said Monday that violence at the Sunset Park jail and the prevalence of contraband smuggling are not relevant to the charges against former Correction Officer Leon Wilson, whos accused of chasing a BMW with his Bureau of Prisons van, then shooting and wounding one of the cars passengers. There will be no evidence about the level of violence at the MDC introduced at trial, Chen said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chen issued her proclamation after cutting short defense attorney Jeffrey Grecos opening argument at Wilsons trial Monday. Wilson is charged with deprivation of rights under color of law and use of a firearm in a crime of violence. Greco called the jail one of the most dangerous detention centers in the United States, with a building full of inmates that are smuggling contraband drugs and weapons from the outside. When Greco started to describe how inmates drop a line down from a window to waiting smugglers on the ground below, prosecutors objected, leading to Chens decision. Im much more concerned about that suggestion that theres rampant drug smuggling. Im not saying thats not true, she said. The question is, What should the jury hear in assessing what happened that night? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detainees behind bars often conspire with accomplices on the outside to fish for packages of drugs, cigarettes and cell phones through unguarded windows at the jail, and several now-former correction officers have been caught sneaking in the contraband. Guards regularly recover improvised weapons, and last year, two inmates were stabbed to death. Still, Chen warned the defense, Do not suggest to the jury that this is what happens all the time, she said. Do not broaden it to: This is what happens on the regular at MDC. Wilson was on outer-perimeter duty at the Metropolitan Detention Center on Sept. 4, 2023, when a BMW backed into the parking lot, its occupants ready to deliver a package of cigarettes, pot and cell phones. He pulled his Bureau of Prisons van in front of the BMW, which peeled off, and he gave chase, firing at the car about a mile later and severely wounding one of the passengers. The car fled across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan, and Wilson returned to the jail, never telling his supervisors about the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greco argued to the jury that Wilson made a split-second decision to follow the car to find out why it was lurking in the jails staff parking lot. And when the BMW, which had a performance engine, slowed down in front of him, someone stuck a hand out of the window, holding what appeared to be a gun, Greco said. His life flashed before him and his training kicked in, Greco said. He drew his weapon. He fired several shots at the vehicle. Greco conceded that he didnt report the shooting, but said, Thats not a crime. Thats something to take up with MDC. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raffaela Belizaire said Wilson had no business chasing the BMW, whether it was involved in smuggling or not, and said he made a series of escalating decisions to abandon his duty and break the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was the danger to this community, she said. His responsibilities were to the jail and the jail alone. What he was not was a police officer. The shooting victim, Erick Encarnacion, took the stand Tuesday to describe what happened, and he said no one in the car had a gun or pointed anything at the vehicle chasing him. I felt scared, he said of being shot. It felt like there was something burning me on my back. A bullet pierced his back and remains in his chest to this day. Encarncion said he helped pack the cigarettes, and got into the car with his on-again, off-again romantic partner, but didnt realize that he was delivering the package to her cousin in MDC Brooklyn until the car neared the jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilsons defense lawyer, Mark DeMarco, pressed Encarnacion on inconsistencies in his story, his immunity agreement with the feds, and his planned civil suit over the shooting. So youre not getting charged with a crime? DeMarco asked. You could get $100 million if you win that lawsuit? I have nothing further. The trial continues Wednesday. Oct. 20Testimony began Monday in a lawsuit that stems from a 2023 policy at the Albuquerque police academy that required male cadets to razor-shave their heads each morning. An attorney for the city told jurors that the case centers on the harassment of a cadet by staff at the academy that ended in disciplinary actions against seven Albuquerque Police Department officers. An attorney for the officers who filed the lawsuit last year argued that APD leaders, including Chief Harold Medina, retaliated against the academy staff members who terminated a cadet in August 2023 whose father is a top APD commander. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This case begins with a lie told by a police cadet named Josh Vega," said Levi Monagle, who represents the seven officers. Vega lied when he told academy staff that he had razor-shaved his head that morning, Monagle said in opening statements. APD staff agreed to terminate Vega from the academy for the "class-one violation" of lying, he said. "This story begins with a lie and it ends with the erasure of that lie by some of the highest ranking members of the Albuquerque Police Department," Monagle told jurors. "Josh Vega suffered no formal sanctions from the department for his admitted dishonesty. The academy staff, who reported that dishonesty, were disciplined instead." Jessica Serrano, who represents the city of Albuquerque, said in opening statements that the academy staff was disciplined for hazing the cadet by forcing him to shave his head with a manual razor in front of fellow cadets while academy staff yelled at him. "The rest of the class was forced to perform physical training exercises in what is called a smoke session, and they were not going to be allowed to stop until Joshua Vega finished shaving his head," Serrano told jurors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit, filed in April 2024 in 2nd Judicial District Court, alleges that then-APD Cmdr. George Vega used his influence to get his son reinstated to the police academy in August 2023. The whistleblower lawsuit also alleges that city officials retaliated against the seven academy training officers for sending an Aug. 24, 2023, letter to Medina informing him of the incident. The suit alleges that Joshua Vega was quickly reinstated, after violating the policy and allegedly lying about it. It also alleges that seven staff members at the academy were illegally removed from their posts and later investigated for hazing for reporting the policy violation. All seven officers named as plaintiffs in the suit continue to serve as APD officers, city spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Monday. Serrano told jurors that Joshua Vega had shaved his head that morning with an electric razor. Following an internal affairs investigation, Vega was found to have violated a class-five violation far less serious than lying, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The evidence will also show you that Chief Medina does not condone hazing and has a history of not condoning hazing," Serrano said. The seven academy staff were temporarily assigned to other departments while an independent attorney investigated, she said. The officers later received "verbal reprimands." "After the conclusion of the investigation, and after they received these verbal reprimands, all of the plaintiffs could have returned to the academy," Serrano said. "However, not all of them did, for reasons of their own." The series of events began Aug. 1, 2023, when a new class of 128 cadets entered the academy, including Joshua Vega, the son of George Vega, who now is APD's deputy chief. Around the same time, Academy Cmdr. Joseph Viers reinstituted an "old school" policy that required cadets to razor-shave their heads every morning. On Aug. 16, 2023, a training officer noticed that Joshua Vega had not razor-shaved his head that morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When confronted, the cadet at first maintained that he had shaved his head, but later admitted that he had not, which was considered a "class one" violation of lying, Monagle contends. Viers terminated Vega from the academy on Aug. 17, 2023, after an APD Internal Affairs investigation found that Vega had lied to the staff, the suit alleges. That evening, the suit alleges, George Vega had a phone conversation with Viers. On Aug. 18, 2023, following a meeting between Viers and other APD leaders, Viers reversed his decision and reinstated Joshua Vega to the academy, the lawsuit states. Also that day, the seven academy training officers were called to APD headquarters and informed that they were being removed from the posts at the academy and assigned to other duties, it states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sept. 25, 2023, the seven officers received a letter from Medina notifying them that they were the targets of an investigation into "alleged inappropriate conduct, to possibly include hazing, toward a cadet," the suit alleges. Three of the officers who filed the lawsuit Lisa Neil, Shane Treadaway and Steve Martinez returned to work at the APD academy in January 2024. The other plaintiffs in the suit are Tillery Stahr, Alix Emrich, James Jacoby and Kelsey Lueckenhoff. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribunes daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. In this weeks episode of The Texas Tribunes political podcast, Matthew and Eleanor are joined by Tribune D.C. reporter Gabby Birenbaum and radio host Chad Hasty to unpack the three candidates vying to be the Republican nominee for Senate in 2026. Watch the video above, or subscribe to the TribCast on iTunes, Spotify, or RSS. New episodes every Tuesday. Tropical Storm Melissa, the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the central Caribbean Tuesday, Oct. 21. Forecasters are predicting Melissa will strengthen into a hurricane over the warm waters of the Caribbean, and the first advisory on the system at 11 a.m. Oct. 21 included a hurricane watch for Haiti and a tropical storm watch for Jamaica. Track Tropical Storm Melissa Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location Could Melissa impact Florida? "There is significant uncertainty in the track and intensity forecast of Melissa," the National Hurricane Center said. Here's what you should know. Highlights on what Tropical Storm Melissa is doing now Special note on the NHC cone: The forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Location : 305 miles south of Port Au Prince, Haiti; 1,047 miles southeast of Naples Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph Movement : west at 15 mph Pressure: 1003 mb Tropical Storm Melissa: What you need to know At 5 p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Melissa was located near latitude 14.2 North, longitude 73.0 West. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa is moving toward the west near 15 mph. A decrease in forward speed and a gradual turn to the northwest and north is expected during the next few days. On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti later this week. Maximum sustained winds remain near 50 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is expected during the next few days. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1003 mb. Spaghetti models for Tropical Storm Melissa Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Track Tropical Storm Melissa See map of hurricane/tropical storm watches, warnings issued for Florida As of 5 p.m. Oct. 21, no watches or warnings associated with Tropical Storm Melissa have been issued for Florida or the U.S. What tropical storm, hurricane warnings have been issued for Tropical Storm Melissa? A hurricane watch is in effect for: Southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince A tropical storm watch is in effect for: Jamaica A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. A tropical storm watch means tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. How strong is Tropical Storm Melissa and where is it going? At 5 p.m. Oct. 21, Tropical Storm Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving west at 15 mph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa should continue to slow down and gradually turn to the northwest and then north during the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center said. Key messages from the National Hurricane Center: What you need to know about Tropical Storm Melissa Melissa is expected to bring heavy rainfall and the risk of significant flash flooding and the danger of landslides to portions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the weekend. Hurricane conditions are possible in the southwestern peninsula of Haiti where a Hurricane Watch is in effect. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Jamaica. Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by Thursday. There is significant uncertainty in the track and intensity forecast of Melissa. Interests elsewhere in Hispaniola and Cuba should continue to monitor the latest forecasts. Current forecast: Where is Tropical Storm Melissa going and how strong could it get? As of 5 p.m.: 50 mph 12 hours: 50 mph 24 hours: 60 mph 36 hours: 65 mph 48 hours: 70 mph 60 hours: 70 mph 72 hours: 70 mph 96 hours: 75 mph 120 hours: 85 mph "The future intensity of Melissa is linked to the track and since that is quite uncertain beyond a couple of days, the strength of the storm is also quite uncertain," the National Hurricane Center said. Is there a hurricane coming toward Florida? Possible scenarios There is "significant uncertainty in the track and intensity" for Tropical Storm Melissa, according to the National Hurricane Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forecasters are predicting Melissa will strengthen into a hurricane. "There is some possibility of it becoming a very strong hurricane before it makes its move to the north," said Fox Weather hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross via email Oct. 21. "In that case, direct impacts of a major hurricane are possible on Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and/or somewhere in the Bahamas." Will it impact Florida or the U.S.? That's uncertain. "While not the most likely scenario, if there were to be any impact to the U.S. it would not be expected until at least the middle of next week," AccuWeather said via email Oct. 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Chances of some direct effect on Florida aren't zero, but they are extremely small," Norcross said. "The only way it could happen would be for Melissa to drift into the extreme western Caribbean before a dip in the jet stream moving across the U.S. came along to scoop it north," Norcross said. "There is no indication of that in the current reasonable track scenarios, however. Still, a track over Cuba and the Bahamas is not out of the question." Possible scenarios for Tropical Storm Melissa, according to AccuWeather, include: "If the storm drifts west in the Caribbean through the weekend and then turns north over Cuba next week, there is the possibility that it could bring at least rough surf to the East Coast of the U.S. If it were to track close to the coast, it could bring rain and gusty winds as well. "There is also another scenario where the storm tracks farther west and does not turn toward Hispaniola. In this case, the major flood risk across the island would be much lower. This westward track scenario would greatly increase the risk for strong winds and flooding across Jamaica and potentially Cuba or even parts of Central America." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AccuWeather said there is "a medium risk of tropical rain or wind impacts across the Bahamas and South Florida from Oct. 27-30." "Historically, tropical systems that reach the western Caribbean in October are more likely to be steered away from places like Texas and Louisiana. But the eastern United States and Florida in particular can still be impacted by intense storms." Best- and worst-case scenarios with Tropical Storm Melissa "The best case is that Thursday's jet stream dip grabs it (Melissa) and moves it quickly over the Dominican Republic or Haiti," Norcross said. "The worst case is that it sits close enough to one or several of the mountainous Caribbean islands and dumps feet of rain. Three or four feet are not out of the question." What impact could Tropical Storm Melissa have and what areas could be affected? Wind : Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area in Haiti beginning on Thursday. Tropical storm conditions could begin in Jamaica on Thursday or Friday. Rainfall : Melissa will bring heavy rainfall to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with totals of 5 to 10 inches expected through Friday. Additional heavy rainfall is possible beyond Friday, but uncertainty regarding the track and forward speed of Melissa reduces confidence in exact amounts. Areas of significant flash flooding and mudslides are possible. Over Aruba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected through Friday. Flash and urban flooding will be possible across Puerto Rico through at least Friday. Surf: Swells generated by Melissa are expected to spread to Hispaniola, Jamaica, and eastern Cuba during the next couple of days. Interactive map: What tropical storms, hurricanes have impacted your area in the past? Stay informed. Get weather alerts via text What's next? We will update our tropical weather coverage daily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here. This story has been updated to include new information. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Tropical Storm Melissa forms in Caribbean. Hurricane expected A weather system in the eastern Caribbean Sea continues to show signs of development on the afternoon of Monday Oct. 20, and forecasters say a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form within the next day or two. If it becomes a named storm as expected, it would get the name Melissa. While the system could impact the islands of the Caribbean later this week or by the weekend, "none of our model guidance shows future Melissa posing any threat to Florida or the mainland U.S.," said WPLG-TV hurricane specialist Michael Lowry in a Substack post on Oct. 20. "This is a concern for Caribbean interests from Honduras and Nicaragua to parts of Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic not us stateside in the U.S.," Lowry said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement October is still hurricane season: The most destructive storms in U.S. history Satellite view of Tropical Storm Melissa 10:30 a.m. Oct. 22, 2025. One of five homes that collapsed within 45 minutes on Sept. 30, 2025, as rough seas from two hurricanes pounded away at beaches along portions of North Carolina's Outer Banks. An image of the winds over the Atlantic Ocean, as seen on earth.nullschool.net on the morning of Sept. 30, 2025, as hurricanes Imelda and Humberto spin away from the United States. Hurricanes Imelda and Humberto swirl in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 30, 2025 in this image from NOAA's GOES 19 satellite. Hurricane Gabrielle spins in the Atlantic east of Bermuda, while two other potential storms are seen in the tropical Atlantic on the morning of Sept. 24, 2025. One is causing rain and storms over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and the other is east of the Leeward Islands. The National Hurricane Center is monitoring all three. Tropical Storm Chantal over the U.S. East Coast on the morning of July 5, 2025. Tropical Storm Andrea, the first storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, is seen via satellite on June 24, 2025. Barry made landfall on June 29, 2025, south of Tampico, Mexico as a tropical depression, after weakening from a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Chantal slammed North Carolina with heavy rain that caused extreme flooding to central parts of the state on Monday, July 7. Footage shared by Cassaundra Anderson, a Chapel Hill resident, shows rapidly rising floodwaters in her neighborhood, leaving cars partially submerged. The storm was dubbed a tropical depression upon landfall on Sunday, July 6, and further downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone on Monday, July 7, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical Storm Dexter on satellite on Aug. 4, 2025. Surfers take advantage of the swells coming from Hurricane Erin into Wrightsville Beach around Crystal Pier on Aug. 19, 2025, in Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Hurricane Erin crawls along the U.S. East Coast on the morning of Aug. 20, 2025. Hurricane Erin on a geocolor satellite image on August 16, 2025. Wave heights offshore could reach heights of 50 feet near the eye of Hurricane Erin as the storm passes the U.S. East Coast on Aug. 19-21. It's massive wind field is stirring up the ocean across an area hundreds of miles wide. An aerial view from a NOAA Aircraft along Highway 12 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina after Hurricane Erin's high surf surrounds homes on the beach in Buxton. Tropical Storm Fernand 2025 full track. Hurricane Gabrielle is seen via NOAA satellite as it moves eastward in the Atlantic Ocean east of Bermuda, on the morning of Sept. 24, 2025. On Oct 28, 2025, a Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite captured a vivid view of Hurricane Melissa's eye a few hours before landfall on Jamaica's southern coast. Dawn Jensen (from left) Leann Johnson, Denise Gjertson and Dean Gjertson traveled to Jamaica at the end of October and were stranded after Hurricane Melissa. They returned home Nov. 4. Flooded houses in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, Jamaica, November 5, 2025. Hurricane Melissa's eye is captured by NOAA satellite as the sun rises, as the Category 5 storm, with peaked sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts of more than 200 mph, approaches the island of Jamaica. Gloria Hutchins, 70, is assisted by a member of the army medical staff in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in Darliston, Jamaica on Nov. 3, 2025. Dorothy Headley, 75, prepares a meal of cow liver over a wood fire as damaged property is seen in the background in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in the Watercress community of Westmoreland, Jamaica, on October 31, 2025. A woman is evacuated from her home by emergency personnel after the Cauto River flooded due to Hurricane Melissa, in Rio Cauto, Granma Province, Cuba October 31, 2025. Hurricane scientist Andy Hazelton with the University of Miami took this photo inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa aboard a flight on the NOAA WP-3D hurricane reconnaissance aircraft dubbed Kermit, for Kermit the Frog. A damaged house is pictured after Hurricane Melissa slammed Boca de Dos Rios village, in Santiago de Cuba province, Cuba, on Oct. 30, 2025. People walk through a flooded street following Hurricane Melissa in Petit-Goave, 68km southwest of Port-au-Prince, on October 30, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was moving towards Bermuda on Thursday after ripping a path of destruction through the Caribbean that left at least 20 people dead in Haiti, and parts of Jamaica and Cuba in ruins. A drone view shows an affected area after Hurricane Melissa made landfall, in Crane Road, Black River, Jamaica, October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Maria Alejandra Cardona Drone view of flooding after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. A NOAA satellite captures the eye of deadly Hurricane Melissa at Jamaica's coast on Oct. 28, 2025. Storms of the 2025 hurricane season so far 1 of 30 Satellite view of Tropical Storm Melissa 10:30 a.m. Oct. 22, 2025. If Melissa forms, it would be the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. A typical year sees 14 storms, according to data from Colorado State University. Where is the system now? According to a bulletin from the National Hurricane Center released Monday Oct. 20, "a tropical wave located over the eastern Caribbean Sea is producing a concentrated area of showers and thunderstorms. The system is moving westward at 15 to 20 mph toward the central Caribbean Sea and is expected to slow down over the next few days." A tropical wave (red x) in the eastern Caribbean Sea is forecast to move west and likely become Tropical Storm Melissa over the next few days. "Compared to yesterday, surface observations suggest the circulation is gradually becoming better defined, and environmental conditions are forecast to become a little more conducive for development as the system slows its forward motion," the hurricane center said. The center added that environmental conditions are forecast to become more conducive for development, "and a tropical depression or storm is likely to form over the next day or two." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maximum sustained winds would have to be at least 39 mph to be designated as a tropical storm. Where will Melissa go? Some of the computer models that meteorologist use to forecast storms show Melissa heading west toward Central America, while others show it slicing right towards Hispaniola or Cuba. "At this time, the more likely outcome is the system eventually gets pulled northeastward by a dip in the jet stream toward Haiti and the Dominican Republic or eastern Cuba come late week into the weekend," Lowry noted. Worryingly, "trends on several models indicate an impact to Haiti and the Dominican Republic is possible as soon as Thursday (Oct. 23), so folks there should be preparing for a possible hurricane impact," Andrew Hazelton, an associate scientist at the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, said on X Oct. 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the afternoon of Oct. 20, the hurricane center said,"interests in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba should monitor its progress as there is a risk of heavy rain and flooding, strong winds, and rough surface later this week." Could future Melissa affect the mainland US? Computer models indicate there will be no impact from Melissa to the mainland U.S. Although late October and early November hurricane threats to the mainland U.S. can happen (and have happened), theyre the exception, not the rule, Lowry noted. "The subtropical jet stream has sunk deep into the lower reaches of the Gulf and seems content on parking itself there for the foreseeable future," he said Oct. 20. "Strong upper-level winds associated with this subtropical jet will continue to act as a staunch barrier against would-be threats, tearing apart anything trying to get close to the U.S. coastline." Spaghetti models for developing system Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Melissa soon to form in the Caribbean Tropical Storm Melissa is on track to threaten Haiti as a hurricane over the weekend, bringing heavy rains and life-threatening flooding to the island nation. Jamaica and Cuba also could feel the effects as the storm meanders slowly north in the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday put Haitis southern peninsula under a hurricane watch and Jamaica under a tropical storm watch. A watch means those conditions are possible in the next 48 hours. The big story is going to be the rainfall, said Michael Brennan, head of the NHC, in a live broadcast Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Haiti and the Dominican Republic could see 5 to 10 inches of rain through Friday, enough to cause dangerous mudslides and flooding to the mountainous island of Hispanola shared by the two nations. Jamaica and Puerto Rico could see 1 to 3 inches of rain through Friday, enough to cause flash flooding in Puerto Rico, the hurricane center said. Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, and it was expected to continue to strengthen over the next few days and it slowly moves north. Overnight, Melissa slowed down a bit and its expected to hit the brakes even harder for the next few days as it creeps north toward Haiti and Jamaica. The forecast track from the NHC predicts Melissa will be a Category 1 hurricane somewhere between Haiti and Jamaica on Saturday. Its slow movement will likely add to the rainfall and flash-flooding threats. Tropical Storm Melissa is on track to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Saturday. The hurricane center noted that theres significant uncertainty about the path of Melissa, partially because long-range storm models are still spitting out a wide array of possible tracks. Some take the system over Haiti, others take it over Cuba, other shooting the gap between the islands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the next week, Melissa is passing over some warmer than usual waters in the Caribbean, which has not seen a tropical storm or hurricane yet this season. And while hot water does typically fuel storms, meteorologists also pointed out theres a good deal of wind shear near Melissa, which could destabilize it and prevent it from getting super strong, super fast. Based on these mixed signals, the strengthening trend is expected to be slow and steady, not rapid. However, the future intensity of Melissa is linked to the track and since that is quite uncertain beyond a couple of days, the strength of the storm is also quite uncertain, they wrote. The Hurricane Hunters are also scheduled to observe the system later Tuesday, which will bring extra information that helps determine where the storm is and where it might go. A man was stabbed to death outside his residence in Shahbad Dairy during a violent altercation over a dispute while bursting crackers, police said. The incident occurred on the intervening night of October 20-21, at around 12:22 AM, when information regarding the attack was received at Shahbad Dairy police station. The victim, identified as Sitamber Prasad alias Dileep, son of Sikander Singh, was found lying in the street with a stab injury over right side of chest. "He was allegedly attacked by three to four persons and one of them stabbed him outside his house. The alleged persons also beat his brothers Deepak and Sandeep," police said. Upon the enquiry, it was further revealed that a fight occurred between Sandeep, his younger brother and alleged persons about one hour before the incident on issue of abuses while bursting crackers. Based on the statement of Deepak Prasad, a case was registered under FIR No 739/25 and under sections 103(1)/3(5) BNS (Punishment for murder), and investigation was launched. During the investigation, police recorded witness statements and examined CCTV footage from nearby areas. Technical surveillance has been initiated to trace the absconding accused persons. On the basis of manual efforts and technical surveillance, police team succeeded to apprehend the accused: Dheeraj, 24, resident of Shahbad Dairy; Akash alias Baba, 24, resident of Shahbad Dairy; and Tarun, 22, resident of Inderprasth Colony, Ashok Vihar. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fourth accused, Ajay alias Ali, with raids being conducted at multiple locations. Further investigation of the case is in progress. Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man was found unconscious inside his residence in Palam Village on Sunday morning and was later declared dead at a hospital, police said. The deceased, identified as Arvind Kumar Subah, resident of Mahavir Enclave, Palam, was working as an Under Secretary in the Goverment of India. According to police, a PCR call was received on Sunday at 8:20 am at Palam Village Police Station regarding a person lying unconscious inside a room. "Acting promptly on the information, the EO alongwith staff reached the spot where the Fire Team and PCR staff were already present. The District Crime Team was also called for inspection of the scene. The fire team broke open the upper window of the main door and entered the premises, where one male person was found lying unconscious on the floor," police said. He was immediately shifted to DDU Hospital, where the attending doctor declared him "brought dead". During the enquiry, it was revealed that the deceased was residing alone at his Delhi residence, while his family members were in Bihar to celebrate the Diwali and Chhath festivals. The family was informed about the incident and arrived in Delhi by flight at around 2:00 PM. His wife, elder son (aged 23 years) and younger son (aged 19 years) reached the spot. The post-mortem examination of the deceased was conducted at DDU Hospital Mortuary and after completion of all post-mortem formalities, the dead body was handed over to the family members. During enquiry, it came to light that the deceased had a history of seizure disorder, liver complications, and other medical ailments, which may have contributed to his sudden demise. Further inquest proceeding is underway. (ANI) For those who love winter, Chicagos snowfalls have been disappointing in recent years. But it arrived just in time for the festive switching on of lights on Michigan Avenue to usher in the holiday season. Invest 98L developed into Tropical Storm Melissa Tuesday morning, Oct. 21, according to an advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Tropical Storm Melissa formed in the central Caribbean on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and is expected to strengthen, according to the National Hurricane Center. Melissa is the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and forecasters expect it to strengthen. Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to strengthen gradually as it moves northwest, then north over the next few days. Beyond that, there is significant uncertainty in the track and intensity forecast for Melissa, hurricane center forecasters said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Track Tropical Storm Melissa Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location An Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system on Tuesday afternoon to assess the storm's strength and structure. Could Tropical Storm Melissa impact Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Lee County? What is Tropical Storm Melissa doing now? Special note on the NHC cone: The forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of 11 a.m., Oct. 21: Location : 300 miles south of Port Au Prince, Haiti; 1,047 miles southeast of Naples Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph Movement : west at 14 mph Pressure: 1003 mb Tropical Storm Melissa: What to know At 11 a.m., the center of the newly formed Tropical Storm Melissa was located near latitude 14.3 North, longitude 71.7 West. Melissa is moving toward the west near 14 mph. A decrease in forward speed and a gradual turn to the northwest and north is expected during the next few days. On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to approach the southwestern portion of Haiti and Jamaica later this week. Surface observations and satellite data indicate maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph, with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gradual strengthening is expected during the next few days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1003 mb. Tropical Storm Melissa Spaghetti models Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts. Track Tropical Storm Melissa Weather watches and warnings issued in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lee County, Florida. See map As of 11 a.m. Oct. 21, no watches or warnings associated with Tropical Storm Melissa have been issued for Florida or the U.S. What tropical storm, hurricane warnings have been issued for Tropical Storm Melissa? A hurricane watch is in effect for: Southern coast and Tiburon peninsula of Haiti A tropical storm watch is in effect for: Jamaica Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. A tropical storm watch means tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. Fort Myers storm tracker: Where is Tropical Storm Melissa headed? At 11 a.m. Oct. 21, Tropical Storm Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving west at 14 mph. Melissa should continue to slow down and gradually turn to the northwest and then north during the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center said. Key messages from the National Hurricane Center: What you need to know about Tropical Storm Melissa Melissa is expected to bring heavy rainfall and the risk of significant flash flooding and the danger of landslides to portions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the weekend. A hurricane watch has been issued for the southern coast and Tiburon peninsula of Haiti. A tropical storm watch has been issued for Jamaica. Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by Thursday. There is significant uncertainty in the track and intensity forecast of Melissa. Interests elsewhere in Hispaniola and Cuba should continue to monitor the latest forecasts. Current forecast: Where is Tropical Storm Melissa going and how strong could it get? As of 11 a.m.: 50 mph 12 hours: 60 mph 24 hours: 65 mph 36 hours: 70 mph 48 hours: 70 mph 60 hours: 70 mph 72 hours: 70 mph 96 hours: 75 mph 120 hours: 80 mph Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The future intensity of Melissa is linked to the track and since that is quite uncertain beyond a couple of days, the strength of the storm is also quite uncertain," the National Hurricane Center said. Is there a hurricane coming toward Florida? Possible scenarios There is "significant uncertainty in the track and intensity" for Tropical Storm Melissa, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters are predicting Melissa will strengthen into a hurricane. "There is some possibility of it becoming a very strong hurricane before it makes its move to the north," said Fox Weather hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross via email Oct. 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In that case, direct impacts of a major hurricane are possible on Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and/or somewhere in the Bahamas." Will it impact Florida or the U.S.? That's uncertain. "While not the most likely scenario, if there were to be any impact to the U.S. it would not be expected until at least the middle of next week," AccuWeather said via email Oct. 21. "Chances of some direct effect on Florida aren't zero, but they are extremely small," Norcross said. "The only way it could happen would be for Melissa to drift into the extreme western Caribbean before a dip in the jet stream moving across the U.S. came along to scoop it north," Norcross said. "There is no indication of that in the current reasonable track scenarios, however. Still, a track over Cuba and the Bahamas is not out of the question." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Possible scenarios for Tropical Storm Melissa, according to AccuWeather, include: "If the storm drifts west in the Caribbean through the weekend and then turns north over Cuba next week, there is the possibility that it could bring at least rough surf to the East Coast of the U.S. If it were to track close to the coast, it could bring rain and gusty winds as well. "There is also another scenario where the storm tracks farther west and does not turn toward Hispaniola. In this case, the major flood risk across the island would be much lower. This westward track scenario would greatly increase the risk for strong winds and flooding across Jamaica and potentially Cuba or even parts of Central America." AccuWeather said there is "a medium risk of tropical rain or wind impacts across the Bahamas and South Florida from Oct. 27-30." "Historically, tropical systems that reach the western Caribbean in October are more likely to be steered away from places like Texas and Louisiana. But the eastern United States and Florida in particular can still be impacted by intense storms." Best- and worst-case scenarios with Tropical Storm Melissa "The best case is that Thursday's jet stream dip grabs it (Melissa) and moves it quickly over the Dominican Republic or Haiti," Norcross said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The worst case is that it sits close enough to one or several of the mountainous Caribbean islands and dumps feet of rain. Three or four feet are not out of the question." What impact could Tropical Storm Melissa have and what areas could be affected? Wind : Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area in Haiti beginning on Thursday. Tropical storm conditions could begin in Jamaica on Thursday or Friday. Rainfall : Melissa will bring heavy rainfall to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with totals of 5 to 10 inches expected through Friday. Additional heavy rainfall is possible beyond Friday, but uncertainty regarding the track and forward speed of Melissa reduces confidence in exact amounts. Areas of significant flash flooding and mudslides are possible. Over Aruba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected through Friday. Flash and urban flooding will be possible across Puerto Rico through at least Friday. Surf: Swells generated by Melissa are expected to spread to Hispaniola, Jamaica, and eastern Cuba during the next couple of days. Interactive map: What tropical storms, hurricanes have impacted your area in the past? Stay informed. Get weather alerts via text Download The News-Press app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane tracker for Tropical Storm Melissa. Fort Myers, FL impact? President Donald Trump took a moment, during a speech at the White House on Tuesday, to admire the beautiful sound of construction on the new ballroom he commissioned, saying he loved the clanging even if his critics hate it and the project is costing him a bunch of dough. Ooh, thats music to my ears. I love that sound, Trump said, while holding his hand up to his right ear. The move was reminiscent of recently departed MAGA fan Hulk Hogan, who would make a similar gesture inside the ring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other people dont like it I love it, Josh, Trump continued, while pointing to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and drawing a few chuckles from the crowd. Trump added: I think, when I hear that sound, it reminds me of money. In this case, it reminds me of [a] lack of money, because Im paying for it. His quip comes a day after demolition began on the East Wing of the White House in order to make room for the $250 million ballroom Trump spearheaded. The New York Post reported, as construction workers maneuver excavators and cranes, that windows facing the Treasury Department are smashed and half-off their hinges, and the former upper-floor White House calligraphy office bears a gaping hole. Trump had previously promised not to interfere with the original White House structure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has championed the fact that taxpayers are not pitching in a dime for the new ballroom. Instead, it is being funded by private donors and donations from companies like Apple and Amazon. Not every American has been thrilled with Trumps revamp, though. Democratic politicians like Hillary Clinton and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) have complained about the ballroom, with Clinton saying on Tuesday Trump was destroying the White House. Its not his house. Its your house. And hes destroying it. pic.twitter.com/YchFF5U1nO Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 21, 2025 Some in the media are not happy about it, either, like The Atlantic staff writer Toluse Olorunnipa, who said on CNN on Tuesday morning that Trump had defaced the White House. You can watch Trump joke about the ballroom and how much it is costing above, via Fox News. The post Trump Addresses Controversial White House Ballroom Construction: Sound Reminds Me of Money first appeared on Mediaite. The Interior Department has revealed sweeping layoff plans that would make deep cuts to the agencies overseeing America's public lands in response to a federal judge's order to disclose details of its reduction-in-force strategy. Court documents detailing the department's intention to fire 2,050 employees were made public after Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco stated that the Donald Trump administration is acting unlawfully in implementing the cuts and ordered more details be disclosed on which agencies intend to proceed with the layoffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Park Service is preparing to cut 270 positions - about 2% of its workforce. The Bureau of Land Management faces deeper reductions, with 474 employees cut, mainly across the West and equaling roughly 5% of its workforce. The U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service workforces are also slated for significant cuts. BEST OF SFGATE History | Why a wealthy banker blasted a huge hole in a Bay Area cliff Local | There's a mansion hidden directly under the Bay Bridge Culture | Inside the Bay Area's cult-like obsession with Beanie Babies Local | The world's last lost tourist thought Maine was San Francisco Get SFGATE's top stories sent to your inbox by signing up for The Daily newsletter here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In total, the department intends to fire at least 2,000 employees across the agencies, which have already been hampered by significant staff cuts, legislation that has targeted public lands management, and law enforcement issues due to the federal government shutdown. The administration is currently prevented from implementing the cuts because of Illston's court order, though. "This will hurt natural and cultural resource protection and important construction and maintenance projects if it goes through," Kristen Brengel, vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, told Politico. Information on Park Service positions were not laid out by park but by regional offices. Regional offices in the Southeast, Northeast and Pacific West were hit hardest, losing about 60 staff members each. The Park Service's Denver Service Center, the agency's hub for planning and construction, could lose 40 employees, nearly one-fifth of its staff. The remaining cuts will come from Park Planning, Facilities and Lands offices, the multi-state Chesapeake Bay Program, the Environmental Quality Division, and the director's office. Mount Rainier rises above the landscape at Mount Rainier National Park. (aaaaimages/Moment RF via Getty) "These are obviously support positions to the parks. This might not hurt large parks with larger staffs that have the ability to adjust to those losses," Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, told SFGATE in an email. "However, this is likely to hurt the areas with small staffs that have no other way to obtain the support but from those central offices." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Interior Department can still issue reduction-in-force notices to employees who are not covered by the lawsuit. This applies to those who are not represented by the unions involved in the case that resulted in the temporary restraining order: American Federation of Government Employees and American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees. Employees represented by other unions are not protected by the ongoing lawsuit. The court document states that the DOI has halted work on these RIF notices and will not resume the process unless the government shutdown ends or a higher court lifts the restriction. It also states that the RIF plan has nothing to do with the federal government shutdown and that these layoffs were planned beforehand. More National Parks - Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown - Joshua Tree National Park now an epicenter of concern, confusion - Government shutdown threatens survival of one of America's rarest animals - California's redwoods hid a secret war machine Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We love national parks just as much as you do, so we have a newsletter that covers them from top to bottom. Sign up here. This article originally published at Trump is going after the National Park Service again, in a sweeping way. The Trump administration has filed a motion seeking to dissolve the remaining order preventing them from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. The filing on Monday came after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned, earlier that day, another temporary restraining order that prevented the Trump administration from deploying the Oregon National Guard to Portland. A panel of judges found that the Trump administration was likely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the TRO. A broader order that prohibits any state's National Guard from deploying into Portland remains in effect. Jenny Kane/AP - PHOTO: Law enforcement officers talk with protesters outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Ore., Oct. 20, 2025. The government referenced the appeals court's decision in its filing on Monday, stating, "Given the Ninth Circuit's clear statements on the second TRO's validity, the Court should address this motion in part today and without awaiting plaintiffs' response due tomorrow evening." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ninth Circuit's decision "plainly warrants dissolution of this Court's second TRO," the government's motion stated. Trump administration can deploy National Guard to Portland, court rules Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield decried Monday's ruling, saying the panel of Ninth Circuit judges "has chosen to not hold the president accountable" and urged the "full Ninth Circuit to vacate today's decision before the illegal deployments can occur." "Portland is peaceful. The military has no place in our streets," he said in a statement. "We will continue to hold the line and fight for Oregon's sovereignty." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney General Pam Bondi, meanwhile, celebrated the ruling, saying the appeals court found that the president "has the right to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, where local leaders have failed to keep their citizens safe." Jenny Kane/AP - PHOTO: People protest outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Oct. 20, 2025. Adding to the ongoing legal challenges between Oregon and the Trump administration, on Tuesday, the state asked a court to block the federal government from sending out-of-state National Guard members to Portland. State attorneys said the courts earlier stay of a separate restraining order is not final because an en banc vote has been called, meaning the full court may review the issue. In late September, President Donald Trump issued an order federalizing 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to protect federal property amid ongoing protests at a Portland ICE facility, despite objections from local officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the city of Portland and state of Oregon sued, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut earlier this month prohibited the deployment of the Oregon National Guard into the Portland area, finding that conditions in Portland were "not significantly violent or disruptive" to justify a federal takeover of the National Guard, and that the president's claims about the city were "simply untethered to the facts." The Ninth Circuit's ruling on Monday, which lifted Immergut's TRO, found that the Trump administration was likely to succeed on the merits of its appeal of Immergut's ruling. "After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority" to federalize the National Guard, the court stated in the majority opinion. Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem visits ICE facility at center of Portland protests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immergut issued a second TRO following the Trump administration's attempt to deploy members of the California National Guard to Portland. The government is seeking to dissolve that TRO or "at a minimum" to stay, or suspend, the order until it expires on Nov. 2, according to the motion filed Monday. The city of Portland and state of Oregon have not yet filed a response to the government's motion, according to the online docket. A trial in the matter is scheduled to start on Oct. 29. Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced that it would slash $7.5 billion worth of Joe Bidenera green energy projects in blue states. The cancellation of federal energy spending has now extended to Republican states, too. On Monday, E&E News reported that the Energy Department had "canceled more than $700 million in battery and manufacturing awards" in the second week of October. This swath includes grants for "Ascend Elements, American Battery Technology Co., Anovion and ICL Specialty Products," and "glass manufacturer LuxWall," per E&E. All of these companies had plans to break ground on projects in states that voted for President Donald Trump in the last presidential election. Ascend, the largest grant recipient of the group, specializes in creating cathodesthe positive electrode in lithium-ion batteriesout of used batteries. In 2022, the company was awarded over $316 million by the Energy Department to build a facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to scale up Ascend's cathode production. Of this total, $206 million has already been spent, meaning that the Energy Department's announcement only affects a little over $110 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other grantees were awarded money for similar projects. Anovion was given $117 million to build a facility in Alabama to produce synthetic graphite for lithium-ion batteries, and ICL was awarded $197 million to construct a facility in Missouri to make phosphate powder for these batteries. American Battery Technologies, meanwhile, was awarded a $57.7 million federal grant in 2022 to develop a commercial-grade cathode material facility in Nevada. The company was then awarded $123 million in 2024 to build another facility, but this grant wasn't affected by the recent cancellation. LuxWall, the only company on the list that doesn't specialize in battery materials, lost federal funding for a vacuum-insulated window facility in Detroit, which was expected to improve energy efficiency in buildings. The termination of these grants is a win for taxpayers. All of these projects "had missed milestones, and it was determined they did not adequately advance the nation's energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars," an Energy Department spokesman told E&E. The announcement builds on other spending cuts at the agency, including $5 billion worth of green energy loan cancellations in May. While these efforts might signal fiscal restraint, federal spending has increased under Trump, and the Energy Department has traded much of Biden's green energy spending for its own wasteful initiatives. Since Trump's return to office, the federal government has taken stakes in several mineral firms, approved millions of dollars' worth of coal bailouts, continued subsidizing nuclear power, and finalized a loan for a multistate transmission line project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, the administration deserves credit for the little spending it has cut. With global demand for lithium-ion batteries to power energy storage and electric vehicles expected to grow through 2030, these projects never needed the backing of the federal government to survive, a fact that is supported by American Batteries' recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. As E&E reports, the firm said that "regardless" of whether the funding rescission is reversed, "the Company intends to move forward with the project without impact to timeline or scope." The $700 million cut could be the tip of the iceberg. The Energy Department has reportedly outlined $20 billion worth of energy projects (including the $700 million announced) that could get the ax, but it's unclear if it'll move forward with canceling this funding. Doing so might upset the politicians who are fighting the agency on these cuts, but it would be a welcome step in reversing the government's yearslong intervention in America's energy sector. The post Trump Administration Cancels $700 Million in Biden-Era Energy Contracts for Red States appeared first on Reason.com. How much does it cost to fly Air Force One? It's in the six-figures range ... per hour. Air Force One is one of two official presidential airplanes. Both planes are Boeing 747-200s. When President Donald Trump flies on one, it's called Air Force One. When Vice President JD Vance flies on one, it's called Air Force Two. So far in his second term as commander-in-chief, Trump has used Air Force One for frequent trips to his home and private club, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and several high-profile sporting events in and out of the Sunshine State (see below). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How much are Mar-a-Lago trips? No tally on Trump trip costs to taxpayers. But here is where to look to prep an estimate Below is more information about Air Force One, how much it costs to operate the Boeing 747 and what to know about Trump's usage of the iconic plane. How much money does it cost for President Donald Trump to fly Air Force One? Air Force One is one of two official presidential airplanes. Both planes are Boeing 747-200s. Air Force One is a highly secure, mobile command center for the U.S. president, equipped with advanced communication systems, medical facilities, and defensive technology, according to the Air Force. The cost to operate the Boeing 747 military aircraft is about $200,000 per hour, according to a March 7, 2025, Palm Beach Post story on presidential travel. The flight time from Washington, D.C., to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in Palm Beach, Florida, is about two hours. So that's $800,000 for every trip to South Florida, assuming it's a direct flight from Washington to Palm Beach County. It costs $200,000 per hour to operate presidential airplane Air Force One There is not an up-to-date, publicly-released tally of expenses, nor even all-encompassing line items that are presented each fiscal year. Instead, government watchdogs simply look at the various uses, such as travel on Air Force One, security protection, etc., to calculate and surmise more or less what a "Trump and Mar-a-Lago travel budget" might look like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Palm Beach Post coverage, it costs about $200,000 per hour to operate the Boeing 747 military aircraft, Air Force One. Before Air Force One arrives, a Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy, one of the largest airplanes in the world, arrives carrying the presidential helicopter, called Marine One when the president rides in it, as well as presidential SUVs and other items needed by the president and his entourage each time he visits. There are a lot of other factors to include, including the Air Force cargo planes that bring motorcade vehicles to Palm Beach County, Florida. And the costs of operating "The Beast" limousine and other vehicles. Is Air Force One escorted by fighter jets? The aircraft is often accompanied by fighter jets, such as F-16s or F-22 Raptors, for additional protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These jets are deployed to ensure the safety of the president, intercepting any potential threats. Air Force Ones combination of advanced technology and military support makes it one of the most secure aircraft in the world, capable of keeping the president operational even in emergencies. Watching Trump motorcade by Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and Air Force One landing is a thing. Here's a guide What are the features of Air Force One? As a businessman, Trump flew on his personal airplane, a Boeing 757 with a "Trump" logo on it. Some call it "Trump Force One." The current presidential aircraft has an iconic look, colored mostly robin egg blue, with the presidential seal on it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Air Force, the planes have an executive suite with a stateroom that includes a dressing room, bathroom and shower and the president's office. There's a conference/dining room for the president, his family and staff and eating areas for up to 100 meals in one sitting. There are also accommodations for guests, senior staff, Secret Service, security personnel and the media. On occasion, Trump will make statements to the news media onboard in his office on Air Force One (see photo gallery with this story) or in the doorway of his office. In 2023, then-President Joe Biden chose a light-blue paint scheme. Trump has said he wants a red, white and blue design for Air Force One. In fact, during his Jan. 20, 2025, inaugural ball, Trump uses a sword to cut a cake adorned with a model of his "new" plane Air Force One, sporting the red-white-and-blue colors. Later that month, while aboard Air Force One, Trump told the Associated Press: We want power blue, not baby blue. Everything has its time and place. Well be changing the colors. Which sporting events did Trump attend via Air Force One when his term started in 2025? President Donald Trump has made high-profile sporting events part of his legacy during his second administration. As of April 11, 2025, Trump has attended: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can Trump supporters go to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida and see Air Force One land? Just like watching President Trump's motorcade traveling over the Southern Bridge to and from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, people have watched Air Force One take off and land at Palm Beach International Airport, 1000 James L. Turnage Blvd., West Palm Beach, Florida. When he arrives at the airport, typically there is an "invited" list of people who can be on the tarmac, and the president would wave and possibly sign autographs. There also are places close to Palm Beach International Airport to watch Air Force One land or take off. Nighttime takeoffs or landings are not as well-attended, visual or popular, according to Palm Beach Post archive coverage. Watching the Trump motorcade, however, does draw a lot of people. Can you take selfies with Air Force One in Florida? Where to see Trump Force One plane, take #TrumpForceOne photos, video and selfies Air Force One became a selfie-snapping, tourist attraction of sorts when parked off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, Florida, during Trump's 30-plus visits to Palm Beach during his first term in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Trump is in Palm Beach, his planes take off and lands at Palm Beach International Airport. The Trump jet or Air Force One are then typically parked at Atlantic Aviation on Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach. People will take pictures of Air Force One or Trump Force One, which was coined by Trump's hometown newspaper, the Palm Beach Post and post them on social media. There's a grassy lot in front of the Atlantic Aviation building, and people would park there and get photos and video of #TrumpForceOne as of April 11, 2025, there are more than 5,000 Instagram using this hashtag. Contributing: Diamond Walker, Palm Beach Post This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump, Air Force One to Palm Beach, Florida, How much does it cost? President Donald J. Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a series of economic and defense agreements Monday, securing over $3 billion in critical mineral investments and billions more in military purchases. The centerpiece Critical Minerals Framework will see both governments invest more than $3 billion in mineral projects within the next six months, with recoverable resources worth an estimated $53 billion, according to the White House. The Department of War will fund the construction of a 100-metric-ton-per-year advanced gallium refinery in Western Australia, advancing U.S. self-reliance in processing critical minerals used in semiconductors and defense systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australia committed to major defense purchases, including $1.2 billion in Anduril unmanned underwater vehicles and $2.6 billion in Apache helicopters. Since February, Canberra has contributed $1 billion to expand U.S. submarine infrastructure, with another $1 billion pledged by years end. The nations also agreed to develop a bilateral Technology Prosperity Deal for cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies. NASA and the Australian Space Agency signed a framework agreement for space cooperation, with Australia contributing a lunar rover to NASAs Artemis program. The deals expand market access for U.S. beef in Australia and reinforce munitions supply chains supporting more than 200 manufacturers in Texas, Florida, Arkansas, and Alabama. Lindsey Halligan, Trumps hand-picked prosecutor, reached out to a reporter about her coverage of New York Attorney General Letitia James indictment in what became a 33-hour exchange and then insisted the conversation was off the record. Last month, Trump tapped Halligan to serve as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after her predecessor resigned and reportedly found insufficient evidence to criminally prosecute James. Overseen by Halligan, James was accused earlier this month of making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a loan for a property she purchased in 2020. She has denied any wrongdoing. The New York Times then published an expose about James Norfolk, Virginia, home in question. Lawfare reporter Anna Bower tweeted screenshots of the article, which seemed to poke holes in the James indictment, and added her own commentary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an unusual move, Halligan reached out to Bower through the encrypted app Signal. Prosecutors rarely discuss ongoing cases. Still, the pair went back-and-forth and at the end, Halligan insisted everything was off record. By the way - everything I ever sent you is off record. You're not a journalist so it's weird saying that but just letting you know, the prosecutor wrote, according to the exchange published by Lawfare. Lindsey Halligan is doing an outstanding job making Virginia safe again and wont be distracted by lazy reporting from a blogger uninterested in the facts, a Justice Department spokesperson told The Independent in a statement. Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-picked interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, reached out to a reporter to discuss her coverage of Letitia James indictment and then demanded the conversation was off record. (AP) The exchange began after Bower tweeted segments of a Times article that seemed to contradict parts of the indictment against James. The indictment accuses James of misrepresenting the purpose of the home; James sought a loan to use the property as a second residence, but she instead used it as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family, prosecutors say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family member, the Times reported, testified to a separate grand jury in June that she had lived in the Norfolk home for years and hadnt paid rent. James makes regular visits to the residence, the paper reported. Bowers screenshotted these details, calling them important exculpatory evidence in tweets that caught Halligans attention. Halligan then reached out to Bower to tell her that her reporting was inaccurate. You are reporting things that are simply not true. Thought you should have a heads up, Halligan wrote. Bower then clarified that she was commenting on the Times reporting and asked if she wrote something inaccurate in one of her tweets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You're assuming exculpatory evidence without knowing what you're talking about. It's just bizarre to me. If you have any questions, before you report, feel free to reach out to me. But jumping to conclusions does your credibility no good, Halligan replied. Bower continued to ask what she could correct but needed to know specifics, noting she would be willing to retract her statements but I can't do that if I don't know what the supposed error is. Halligan told her to read the indictment, quoting where it states James had received thousands of dollars in rent. The reporter again asked for clarification: Though the indictment says there were thousands of dollars of rent paid *at one point,* I dont see that as inconsistent with her testimony as reported by the NY Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecutor replied: You're biased. Your reporting isn't accurate. I'm the one handling the case and I'm telling you that. If you want to twist and torture the facts to fit your narrative, there's nothing I can do. Waste to even give you a heads up. Prosecutors have accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of fraud and making false statement. She has denied any wrongdoing (AP) The following day, Bower reached out with additional questions about the case and other related media reports. Thats when Halligan demanded their exchange be off record. I'm sorry, but that's not how this works. You don't get to say that in retrospect, Bower shot back. Halligan pushed: Yes I do. Off record. Bower then said if she had asked, they could have spoken off the record and inquired whether Halligan had any comment for the story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's obvious the whole convo is off record. There's disappearing messages and it's on signal, Halligan replied. What is your story? You never even told me about a story. The 36-year-old prosecutor has also overseen the indictment of another one of President Donald Trumps perceived political enemies: former FBI director James Comey. The indictment accuses him of making false statements and obstructing justice during congressional testimony he gave in September 2020. He has pleaded not guilty. This week, Comeys attorneys filed to dismiss the indictment against him. In part, they argued Halligan was invalidly appointed to serve in her post. She had no prosecutorial experience before being appointed to the role. Halligans predecessor had been appointed to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who, by law, can only serve 120 days. He exceeded the 120-day limit before resigning; if that 120-day limit expires, the district court is required to appoint a U.S. attorney to fill the vacancy, according to the law. Pam Bondi appointed her, but she lacked authority, the attorneys argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Trump posted on Truth Social, in what was reportedly intended to be a private message to Bondi, complaining that nothing is being done against James, Comey, and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who are all guilty as hell. Editor's Note: This article was updated October 21 at 1:45pm EST to include a response from the Justice Department. The Patiala House Court has recently granted bail to accused after 18 months of custody in drugs case. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) in June 2024. The court granted bail to accused in view of lack in proceedings. Special Judge (NDPS) Atul Ahlawat to Praveen Kumar subject to conditions including furnishing a bond of Rs. 50000 and two local sureties in the like amount. The court noted that despite having prior information the raiding team did not conduct the videography of proceedings which was carried out at public place in the presence of public witnesses. " Therefore, a shadow of doubt is created upon the said proceedings," Special Judge Ahlawat said in the order of October 17. The court observed, " After considering the rival contention of the parties, considering the facts & circumstances of the present case, the contra-band which was allegedly recovered during the raid from the accused was in red color American Tourister Bag, however the said bag was never seized by the IO. It Further said that , the investigation officer (IO) did not issue any notice to the independent panch witnesses Ghansyam and Harbhan Lal and their statements were never recorded. Advocate Arpit Batra, counsel for accused, submitted that accused has been falsely implicated in this case and there no recovery effected from him. It was also submitted that he has remained in custody for over 16 months and trial is yet to begin, since the charges against the applicant/accused have not been framed. The confessional statement of the applicant/accused and the co-accused have no evidentiary value. The bail plea was opposed by the Special Public Prosecutor for the department. Meanwhile, on June 3 an information was received that the applicant Praveen Kumar a resident of Rewari is illegally involved in the buying and selling of NDPS medicines. He usually purchases and sells illegal NDPS medicines at near the tea stall in front of KBC Pharma in Ram Gali at Bhagirath Palace. If a search at the same place is conducted at the above said place, huge quantity of illicit NDPS medicines will be recovered from his possession and various customers who purchase or sale illegal NDPS medicines can be found on the spot. (ANI) Donald Trump asked Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre if she could babysit during their first encounter at his Mar-a-Lago club, according to her posthumous memoir. In a copy obtained by The Independent, Giuffre wrote that she was introduced to Trump by her father after she was hired as a locker room attendant in the summer of 2000. She said that within days of starting, her father, then a maintenance man at Mar-a-Lago, introduced her to Trump in his office. Trump couldnt have been friendlier, telling me it was fantastic that I was there, she wrote. Do you like kids? he asked. Do you babysit at all? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump told Giuffre he owned several houses in the area that he had lent to friends, many of whom had children who needed looking after, the book says. Virginia Giuffres posthumous book is released this week (PA Media) She told him that she had babysat before, and was soon making extra money a few nights a week, minding the children of the elite. Giuffre wrote in the memoir, Nobodys Girl, that Trump and her father werent friends exactly, but that Dad worked hard, and Trump liked that. The $9-an-hour job as locker room attendant, usually in the locker room, handing out towels, was an opportunity to get back on her feet after dropping out of high school, she explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was my day job that gave me my first real vision of a better future, she said, adding that whenever possible she would question the massage therapists about what they did and how they had learned to do it. Weeks before her seventeenth birthday that August, Giuffre said she was walking toward the spa when Ghislaine Maxwell first saw her. Giuffre reflected that she thought she would be lucky if she could grow up to be anything like the polished British socialite. Nobodys Girl is released on Tuesday, October 21 (Transworld Publishers Ltd) She claimed that Maxwell approached her, introduced herself and said she knew a wealthy man and longtime Mar-a-Lago member who was looking for a massage therapist to travel with him. He loves to help people, Ms Giuffre recalled Maxwell telling her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giuffre said she had not trained as a massage therapist but hoped to, and was invited for an interview anyway. The memoir continues to describe years of alleged abuse by Epstein, his circle of elites and Maxwell, who she said played den mother to Epsteins dysfunctional family of underage girls. As the memoir notes, Trump reportedly banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club for hitting on the daughter of another member, according to the 2020 book The Grifters Club. Trump said earlier this year that he fell out with Epstein after he stole young women who worked at his Mar-a-Lago club spa. Giuffre claimed that she was hired by Ghislaine Maxwell (L) to give massages to Jeffrey Epstein (R) (US District Court for the Southern District of New York) He took people, I say 'don't do it anymore', you know they work for me... beyond that, he took some others, Trump said in July, returning from a visit to Scotland. "Once he did that, that was the end of him." He added that he kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said that one of the young women was Giuffre, who he said began working at the club in the summer of 2000, when she was 16. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, aged 41. Trump has faced ongoing political pressure in the US to release the Justice Departments files on Epstein, not least from his own supporters, some of whom have accused the administration of engaging in a coverup to protect influential people. The president himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein but has faced repeated calls to explain his past friendship with his fellow New Yorker, whom he knew socially in the 1990s and early 2000s when they were neighbours in Palm Beach. Trump has insisted the two men fell out long before Epstein was accused of sex trafficking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobodys Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice is released on Tuesday. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in the UK, on 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. T Shelbyville Republican Ed Gallrein, left, takes a photo with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. (Photo provided by Gallrein campaign) A Shelbyville Republican who President Donald Trump publicly endorsed to challenge Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie last week formally entered the race Tuesday. However, Massie says he remains committed to being an independent conservative voice for voters in the states 4th Congressional District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump introduced Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and businessman, to national politics last week with a lengthy post to Truth Social, encouraging him to unseat Massie. The incumbent congressman has become a thorn in the side of the president, opposing him on prominent issues like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and leading the charge to release the federal investigation files into convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein. Ive dedicated my life to serving my country, and Im ready to answer the call again, Gallrein said in a statement Tuesday morning. This district is Trump Country. The President doesnt need obstacles in Congress he needs backup. Ill defeat Thomas Massie, stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, and deliver the America First results Kentuckians voted for. The press release from the Gallrein campaign highlighted Trumps Complete and Total Endorsement, which also was highly critical of Massie. Trump said the congressman is a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES who must be thrown out of office, ASAP! Gallrein followed the presidents lead, adding that Massie has become one of the biggest roadblocks to President Trumps America First agenda and vowed to stand with Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leading up to Gallreins announcement, a super PAC tied to the president spent more than $1 million on ads against the congressman before a challenger candidate was named. The Republican primary in Kentuckys 4th Congressional District is shaping up to pit two wings of the party against each other Trump Republicans vs. Massies Libertarian base. Since Trumps endorsement was issued last week, Massie has written Gallrein off as a failed candidate and establishment hack. Gallrein lost a competitive Republican primary to state Sen. Aaron Reed in the 7th Senate District last year. Following Gallreins announcement Tuesday, Massie said in a statement to the Kentucky Lantern: The uniparty in DC finally found someone willing to be a rubber stamp for globalist billionaires, endless debt, foreign aid, and forever wars in failed candidate and Lindsey Graham donor Ed Gallrein. Massie has been circulating on X a 2020 donation from Gallrein to the South Carolina senators campaign committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fourth district voters appreciate having an independent conservative voice who works for them and I look forward to continuing my fight for transparency, constitutional rights, secure borders, a true America-first foreign policy, and fiscal responsibility, Massie said. Later Tuesday afternoon, Trump criticized a Kentucky ally of Massies, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, without naming him but said he was missing from a lunch with GOP senators at the White House. Paul endorsed Massies reelection bid when the two toured the 4th Congressional District last month. We have everybody but one person here, Trump said. Were just missing one person. Youll never guess who that is. Let me give you he automatically votes no on everything. He thinks its good politics. Its really not good politics. Trump added, But look, if he wanted to come, Id probably let him come, right? Id let him come begrudgingly, but would let him come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul posted a photo of himself with Massie on X as a response. I actually wasnt invited to the White House lunch today, but thats ok I had a previously scheduled Liberty Caucus Lunch with @MassieforKY, Paul said. This story was updated with additional information Tuesday afternoon. U.S. President Donald Trump guaranteed the countrys commitment to providing nuclear submarines to Australia as part of the AUKUS agreement on sharing nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia and the United Kingdom, ending uncertainty following a Pentagon review. Trump joined Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a joint press conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday and affirmed that the submarines pledged to Australia as part of the deal are currently under construction. We have it all set with Anthony [Albanese], Trump told reporters. Weve worked on this long and hard and were starting that process right now and I think its really moving along very rapidly, very well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to questions, Trump confirmed the process of providing Australia with the submarines is being expedited. We are doing that, he said. The presidents remarks end months of speculation that pledges to provide Australia with submarines as part of the AUKUS agreement would be scuttled following a review announced unexpectedly by the Pentagon in June. The Department is reviewing AUKUS as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous Administration is aligned with the Presidents America First agenda, a Pentagon spokesperson wrote in a statement at the time, in a move that reportedly rattled Australian allies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking with journalists Monday, Trump gave his assurances that submarine production for Australia is moving forward. He said the agreement would not see any more major reviews. There shouldnt be any more clarifications, because were just going now full steam ahead building, Trump said. The agreement will see the U.S. deliver three Virginia-class fast-attack submarines to Australia in the 2030s, followed by a new class of five nuclear-attack submarines in the 2040s. The promised submarines represent a technological jump for the Royal Australian Navy, which currently relies on Collins-class diesel-electric submarines. Australian sailors have been training with the U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program to learn how to maintain and operate nuclear-powered vessels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doubts have clouded the future of AUKUS in previous months, not only in light of the Pentagon review but also as U.S. lawmakers have lamented the lagging condition of Navy shipbuilding. Recent months have seen increased efforts to kickstart the manufacturing process, with the Pentagon awarding a $5 billion contract this summer to speed up ship manufacturing and several landmark investments by South Korea. (The Center Square) - The Trump administration officially started accepting $100,000 payments for H-1B visas. On Sept. 19, President Trump issued a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on future H-1B visa holders. The H-1B visa is typically used by the technology industry to hire high-skilled foreign workers in the United States. In an update on Monday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided guidance for H-1B employers to file new petitions in line with the presidents order. Any new H-1B application submitted on or after Sept. 21 must be accompanied by an additional $100,000 payment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fee will not apply to immigrants already on H-1B visas or their beneficiaries and to immigrants who are approved for an extension of stay, change of status or amendment under their visa application. This exception could apply to student visa holders who use the H-1B program for employment. However, immigrants who are ineligible for change of status, amendment or extension of stay due to not being in the United States on an approved visa must pay the Trump administrations proposed fee. USCIS also provided access to a federal government payment portal for applicants to submit the $100,000 fee. Payments must be received before filing the visa petition because a receipt of payment is included with the application. The proclamations fee also does not apply to petitions in the extraordinarily rare circumstance that the Department of Homeland Security Secretary deems a foreign worker essential to the national interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Trump administration last week over its proclamation implementing the fee. "If implemented, that fee would inflict significant harm on American businesses, which would be forced to either dramatically increase their labor costs or hire fewer highly skilled employees for whom domestic replacements are not readily available," the chamber said in its court filing. A coalition of unions also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the proposed fee. Most fundamentally, the President has no authority to unilaterally impose fees, taxes or other mechanisms to generate revenue for the United States, nor to dictate how those funds are spent, the lawsuit reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite several attempts to prevent the fee, the Trump administration appears to be moving forward with issuance of the $100,000 payment plan. In July, USCIS announced it received enough petitions from employers to reach the congressionally mandated cap of 85,000 H-1B visas. The agency said it will continue to accept petitions to extend the amount of time an H-1B worker can stay in the United States or change employers. Some of these petitions could require an H-1B fee if filed on or after Sept. 21. A newfound alliance between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has been at the center of President Donald Trumps increasingly aggressive actions against Venezuela, according to three people familiar with internal conversations. The two top officials who previously disagreed about how combative to get with the Venezuelan government have coalesced around the current no-limits approach to combating drug trafficking, the people said. All were granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive conversations within the Trump administration. Thats a big win for Rubio, who has long advocated for increasing political and economic pressure to force out Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Miller had previously been seen as more focused on keeping relations with Venezuela stable enough to ensure the country accepts deportation flights from the United States. One of the people said that since the summer, Miller has embraced the perspective of Rubio and the Venezuelan opposition that Maduro is a dangerous drug kingpin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The seven U.S. military strikes in the international waters off Venezuela, which have killed dozens of people the U.S. accuses of participating in drug trafficking, represent the most provocative shows of force against the Maduro government to date. There was the conventional wisdom early in the administration that Marco Rubio was marginalized and that the State Department might not be in the driver's seat. And that's clearly not the case with regard to Venezuela policy, said Benjamin Gedan, who worked on South America policy on the Obama administration National Security Council. Its been really surprising to see an increase in tensions with Venezuela and it's really hard to explain that other than the influence of Marco Rubio. Miller and Rubio are now moving in lockstep on Venezuela, the three people said. Theyre both on the same page about the U.S. government approaching the South American petrostate as akin to a transnational criminal group, said another one of the people familiar with discussions. Together, theyve managed to sideline a third group: those who want to preserve some access for oil majors to the petrostates vast energy reserves and generally normalize relations with Caracas. That group had pushed for diplomatic engagement with Caracas. Now many in that corner are resigned to the idea that Trump will hit Venezuela hard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That leaves few voices in the administration who might argue against further escalation toward Venezuela in the coming months. The administration has already said it would consider striking cartels on Venezuelan soil, and Trump confirmed Thursday that he had authorized intelligence agencies to conduct covert operations in the country, ostensibly to further destabilize the Maduro regime. One of the most high-profile members of the third camp is special envoy Richard Grenell, whom Trump told to halt diplomatic outreach to Caracas earlier this month. We seem to be at a point now where the misfit toys have been put in their place and the administration is moving full speed ahead, the second person familiar with discussions said, listing Grenell and energy magnate Harry Sargeant III, who has connections with the Trump administration, as the misfit toys. White House officials have repeatedly downplayed suggestions that much daylight has ever existed between the varying schools of thought within the administration and its orbit on Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the support of his entire administration, President Trump is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said. The White House maintains that it is Trump who is driving Venezuela policy, and none of the people POLITICO spoke to who were familiar with the discussions would go as far as to say that Rubio, who is also acting national security adviser, is the primary person setting the agenda. But certainly his philosophy is permeating policy decisions. Wed all like a magic wand when it comes to getting our way in foreign affairs; at this juncture, Marco Rubio may just have found his, said former U.S. Ambassador to Panama John Feeley. Grenell and Sargeant did not respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres long been consensus among the three camps that Maduro isnt an easy counterpart for the U.S. to be dealing with. But divergences between Miller, Grenell and Rubio were visible earlier in the Trump administration. Grenells trip to Caracas in the early weeks of the administration where he met with Maduro and secured the release of Americans in Venezuelan custody elicited public expressions of displeasure from State Department officials at the time. The split between Rubio and Miller has been less public. The first person familiar with the conversations in the administration over Venezuela emphasized that Miller has always been consistent on security threats from the Maduro regime. But Miller was seen as more supportive of Grenells early efforts, which led to the resumption of deportation flights from the U.S. to Venezuela. Now the two men generally agree that treating Venezuela as a criminal cartel structure is the best course of action, even if it breaks the mold of how the United States has typically approached adversaries in Latin America, according to the second person familiar with the discussions. Right now, Venezuela is not being treated as a foreign policy issue, said Carrie Filipetti, who led Venezuela policy at the State Department under the first Trump administration. Its being treated as a homeland security issue, and rightfully so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That has resulted in unified messaging from the White House and the Venezuelan opposition about how much of a threat Venezuela poses as a hub for global drug trafficking. Asked about the administrations Venezuela policy in an Oct. 5 Fox News interview, Rubio emphasized that the White House is taking action against these traffickers of poison who are ultimately winding up in our streets, contributing to crime in our streets, not to mention the death of Americans. Its unclear the extent to which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is involved in strategy for Venezuela. A defense official said Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine have been involved in the planning of the strike campaign. Hegseth, per another defense official, is very involved in the internal debates on the deployment and planning, and is pushing for tangible results, including strikes and metrics, to be shown quickly. In previous administrations, and even in the first months of Trumps second term, the U.S. approach to Venezuela often involved backchanneling with Caracas and cycles of imposing and removing sanctions as a lever for change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is practically no sympathy for Maduro within the administrations ranks and there is a broad recognition that the current government in Caracas isnt aligned with U.S. interests, according to the first person and another one of the people familiar with the discussions. Even so, those who are aligned on the current approach to Venezuela have different long-term goals. Where Rubio and others want to see Venezuela move towards a democratic government, ideally led by an opposition movement friendly to Washington, other factions have been seen as far more agnostic about the ultimate shape of a Venezuelan state. In the first months of Trumps second term, the administration also oscillated between revoking and extending a Treasury Department license allowing Chevron to drill in Venezuela. Rubio and his allies on Capitol Hill Florida Republican Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar used their influence to push for the licenses revocation, arguing the drilling revenue propped up Maduro. Others in the administration, including Miller and Grenell, were seen as less concerned about the need to cancel the license, especially given their desire to continue working with Venezuela on deportation flights. The license was revoked in March, though Chevron was granted a new license in the summer, as tensions with Caracas were rising. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its unclear how long the unity between the camps will last. Advocates for regime change in Venezuela have praised the strikes, which are seen as adding political pressure to Maduro and the elites that support his rule. The strikes also establish more deterrence against the drug traffickers Miller has focused on. Yet hawks outside the White House including Salazar and Gimenez have continued their calls for supporting a democratic transition in Venezuela and forcing Maduro to cede power to the opposition, which international observers say rightfully won last years presidential election. Those calls intensified after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. For now, theres a clear focus in the administration on punishing Maduro and projecting U.S. strength. Asked about efforts by Maduro to negotiate with the White House on Friday, Trump expressed contempt towards the Venezuelan leader. He's offered everything. You know why? He doesnt want to fuck around with the United States, Trump quipped. Paul McLeary and Nahal Toosi contributed to this report. Ukraine is the war in Europes backyard. But the continent is firmly in the backseat. It was only two months ago that leaders including Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz flew to Washington at short notice to accompany Volodymyr Zelensky and project European strength and unity. Donald Trump was a generous host, but the goodwill didnt last. Vladimir Putin is back in his ear, and Europe has been left scrambling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, the US president raged at Mr Zelensky, demanding he end the war by accepting Putins unacceptable demands. Handing over the entire Donetsk region is a red line the Ukrainian president simply wont cross, and he is now being portrayed as the obstacle to peace. Donald Trump told Mr Zelensky he was losing the war during talks at the White House on Oct 17 - UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images European leaders strained every diplomatic sinew to repair the damage from the infamous Oval Office clash between Mr Zelensky, Mr Trump and JD Vance in February. There was cautious optimism that they had begun to bring the president around to their way of thinking. Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskys talks at the Popes funeral felt like a game-changer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More recently, the mercurial American called Russias army a paper tiger and threatened Putin with tariffs. But last week, after a phone call with the Russian leader, cracks began to appear. First, Mr Trump chose Viktor Orban of Hungary to host his next peace summit with Putin. Then he told Mr Zelensky that he would not be supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. The tables appear to be turning away from Ukraine. The huddle between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky proved one of the most dramatic photos to come out of Pope Franciss funeral - AFP via Getty Mr Orban is Putins closest ally in the EU, an opponent of Western sanctions on the Kremlin, and no friend of Mr Zelensky. He is, though, a darling of the Maga conservatives who want to stop the US from paying for a war Mr Orban insists Ukraine can never win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American weapons remain absolutely crucial for Ukraines defence, an EU diplomat told Politico. But with a single phone call, Putin appears to have changed President Trumps mind on Ukraine once again. The British-French-led Coalition of the Willing calculates the best strategy is to make preparations for a peace deal they think may never come. The thinking is to placate Mr Trump by going through the motions in the hope he will eventually realise Putin is as the president once said tapping him along. President Zelensky is expected at a European Council summit in Brussels later this week to drum up more support from the EU after the disappointing Washington meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement EU foreign ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday to try to break the deadlock over a plan to seize frozen Russian assets and use them to help Ukraine. But reports that Mr Trump is once again echoing Kremlin talking points painfully expose the limits of European influence. As the Gaza ceasefire showed, Mr Trump thinks Europes role is to do what it is told, cheer him along, and, crucially, get its wallet out. Volodymyr Zelensky, pictured at a lunch meeting with Mr Trump on Oct 17, is reluctant to hand over the entire Donetsk region to Russia - Andrew Harnik/Getty Images When it comes to the reconstruction of Gaza, the EU will be a payer but not a player. European leaders still flew en masse to Egypt to praise Mr Trump. With Ukraine, the UK, EU countries, and Nato allies will be expected not only to pay but to do the heavy lifting on security. But they are not in the negotiating room where the future of Europes security will be decided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you are not at the table, you risk being on the menu. But the truth is the UK and EU have no choice but to accept a Ukraine peace deal, if it comes. The leaders of Germany, Poland, Finland, and the UK went on social media to show their support for Mr Zelensky over the weekend. But the Prime Minister, Emmanuel Macron, and Friedrich Merz are just backseat drivers. They can try to correct matters beyond their control, but are easily ignored. As for Mr Trump, he seemed to have executed another U-turn. He told reporters on Air Force One yesterday that the Donbas should be left divided, as it is now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Europe is playing diplomatic roulette. It can only hope that once the wheel stops spinning, the bouncing ball of the presidents loyalties lands on Ukraines colour. 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. Donald Trump has said he does not think China will invade Taiwan because of the strength of the US military and his own relationship with Xi Jinping. The US president said on Tuesday that he expected to discuss the issue at a meeting with Mr Xi, his Chinese counterpart, on the sidelines of an economic conference in South Korea next week. Asked whether Mr Xi could attempt to seize Taiwan in the next six years, Mr Trump told reporters: I think well be just fine with China. China doesnt want to do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now that doesnt mean its not the apple of his eye, because probably it is, but I dont see anything happening, Mr Trump added, speaking at a meeting with Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia. Without commenting on whether he would come to Taiwans defence, the US president said China knows that the US is the strongest military power in the world by far. We have the best of everything, and nobodys going to mess with that. And I dont see that at all with president Xi, Mr Trump said. I think were going to get along very well as it pertains to Taiwan and others. Historically, the US has subscribed to the practice of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan, refraining from saying outright whether or not it would defend the island nation in the event of an attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joe Biden, Mr Trumps predecessor, broke from the norm on several occasions to confirm that the US would help Taiwan. Other US government figures have taken steps to show their support for Taipei But Mr Trump has maintained the position of ambiguity. On Monday, Ted Cruz reintroduced a bill that would allow Taiwanese diplomats and military personnel to display the countrys flag and wear official uniform while in the US on official business. Taiwanese military helicopters carrying their flag over Taipei on Oct 10 - Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty This would reverse a decision made in 2015 by Barack Obamas administration, in response to protests by the Chinese embassy. Mr Cruz, a Texas senator, has previously pushed to strengthen Taiwan-US relations and has championed Taiwans recognition by bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Mr Trump spoke of his regard for Mr Xi and their great relationship, saying: I want to be good to China. I love my relationship with president Xi. Donald Trump said he loved his relationship with Xi Jinping - Jim Watson/AFP via Getty The two leaders will meet in South Korea later this month to discuss trade issues, which will be their first face-to-face meeting since Mr Trump took office for the second time. Mr Trump added that the US commanded great respect from Beijing and said he was confident that he would be able to reach a fantastic deal with the Chinese leader. Though China has made its focus on resolving trade issues with the US clear, Taiwans top security official accused Beijing of expansionism on Tuesday. Taiwans reserve army on a training exercise. The island nation is in constant fear of Chinese invasion - Richie B Tongo/EPA/Shutterstock Joseph Wu, the head of Taiwans National Security Council, said that Chinas military parade in early September gave an impression of China still seeking global dominance, not solving domestic economic and social problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A senior Taiwanese foreign affairs official said on Tuesday that Taipei was in close contact with Washington about the meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Xi. We will make sure that bilateral relations between Taiwan and the US continue to deepen steadily and that Taiwans interests are protected, said Wang Liang-yu, the head of Taiwans Department of North American Affairs at its foreign ministry. 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. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the opposition Mahagathbandhan after Sasaram RJD candidate Satendra Sah was arrested shortly after filing nominations on charges of dacoity. Maurya further hit out at the opposition after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha withdrew from the Bihar elections. Speaking to reporters, Maurya said, "I have seen that he (RJD candidate Satendra Sah) has been arrested by the Jharkhand Police on charges of dacoity. JMM was going to fight in the elections but they have separated from the alliance. The Mahagathbandhan has been destroyed..." The BJP leader exuded confidence in the NDA alliance's victory in the Bihar elections, saying, "In 2025, the people of Bihar wants NDA to win the elections. After 2047, the people of Bihar would want Mahagathbandhan to win the elections..." On Monday, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced its withdrawal from the Bihar elections after an earlier declaration to contest six seats independently. The announcement was made by Jharkhand Minister and party leader Sudivya Kumar in Giridih, where he stated that the "political cunning" of the leading party in the Bihar alliance has harmed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. He stated that it shattered the aspiration of the party to contest the Bihar polls. "With great regret, JMM is compelled to state that the party will not be participating in this election. The political cunning of the leading party in the Bihar alliance has harmed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. It has shattered our aspiration to contest the elections in Bihar," Sudivya Kuma told reporters. The minister accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress of political deceit and added that the consequences of this will be seen in the future. He clearly stated that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has now separated itself from the Bihar Assembly elections. He further explained that a meeting regarding seat sharing was held on October 7 in Patna. He had attended the meeting with his colleague Vinod Pandey. From October 7 to October 20, the RJD engaged in manipulation, and the Congress supported them in this behaviour. The 2025 Bihar Elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) President Donald Trump brushed off a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan on Monday, making a rare remark about how his administration views the future of the island amid increasing threats from Beijing. I think well be just fine with China. China doesnt want to do that, the president told reporters in response to a question about President Xi Jinpings appetite for invading Taiwan. As it pertains to Taiwan, and that doesn't mean it's not the apple of his eye, because probably it is, but I don't see anything happening. The optimistic assessment comes ahead of a planned meeting with Xi at the end of October in South Korea. Trump hopes to use that visit to strike a trade deal and de-escalate the increasingly fraught U.S.-China relationship, which has seen the two leaders regularly threatening aggressive economic policies meant to punish the other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has stayed away from irking Xi on military matters, instead focusing on trade, specifically getting more U.S. goods into China. But concerns remain about just how willing China is to make good on its One China principle the belief that Taiwan is a part of China and take hold of the island, which produces the majority of the worlds sophisticated semiconductor chips. China analysts say the Peoples Republic could invade as early as 2027 amid increased Chinese incursions in the Taiwan Strait and elevated military presence in the South China Sea and East China Sea. First of all, the United States is the strongest military power in the world by far. It's not even close, Trump said, tamping down anxiety surrounding the next possible conflict. We have the best equipment. We have the best of everything, and nobody's going to mess with that. And I don't see that at all with President Xi. I think we're going to get along very well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is only the second time Trump has publicly spoken about Taiwan since taking office in January. In August, Trump said Xi had told him he wouldnt invade as long as Trump was president. President Xi told me that, and I said, 'Well, I appreciate that,' but he also said, 'But I am very patient, and China is very patient,'" Trump told Fox News Brett Baier. The president wouldnt say if the independence of Taiwan will be a bargaining chip in his discussions with Xi on a trade deal in their upcoming meeting. I think when we finish our meetings in South Korea, China and I will have a really fair and really great trade deal together, he said, threatening to up tariff rates by 100 percent if China doesnt come to the table by Nov. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taiwans President Lai Chin-te told "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" on Oct. 7 that Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize if he successfully talks down China from its military plans. We hope to continue receiving President Trumps support. Should President Trump persuade Xi Jinping to permanently abandon any military aggression against Taiwan, President Trump would undoubtedly be a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Lai said at the time. United States President Donald Trump has suggested that several countries in the Middle East have offered to send forces to Gaza to fight Hamas, renewing his threats to the Palestinian group amid the fragile ceasefire in the territory. Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and straighten our Hamas if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. Trump did not specify which countries offered to go into Gaza, but he did single out Indonesia for its assistance in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the USA, Trump said. Jakarta and other governments have offered to send peacekeeping troops to restore security and stability in Gaza, but no country has said that it would be willing to clash directly with Hamas. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, NOT YET! There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right, the US president said. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel has killed nearly 100 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect on October 10. Trump often issues similar threats to Hamas. But it is not clear what the US or any other force can do to strong-arm the Palestinian group that Israel has not. Over the past two years, Israel has killed most of Hamass political and military leaders, while also killing more than 68,000 other Palestinians, levelling Gaza to the ground, and imposing famine on the territory in a campaign that leading rights groups and United Nations investigators say is a genocide. Shaky ceasefire Trump had been hailing the ceasefire, which his administration helped broker, as a historic turning point to bring peace to the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But from the outset of the truce, Israel has been killing Palestinians it claims were approaching areas under control of the Israeli military, which are not clearly marked. Moreover, Israel has continued to restrict aid to Gaza despite commitments in the deal to allow a surge in humanitarian assistance to the territory. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel has only allowed the entry of 986 aid trucks into the enclave since the start of the ceasefire, a fraction of the expected 6,600 trucks, at a rate of 600 daily. On Sunday, the agreement was pushed to the brink when Israel launched a wave of air strikes that killed dozens of Palestinians and fully suspended the entry of aid to Gaza after two Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel blamed Hamas for killing the troops, but the Palestinian group denied any involvement, underscoring that the incident took place in an area under Israeli control. Some US media outlets reported that the Israeli soldiers were killed after they drove over an unexploded ordnance. Besides the day-to-day issues threatening the truce, question marks continue to hang over the long-term future of Gaza, including how the territory will be governed. Trump has stressed that Hamas must disarm, but the Palestinian group has linked giving up its weapons to the establishment of a Palestinian state. On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that there is no hard timeline for Hamas disarmament. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that day, his vice president, JD Vance, who is currently visiting Israel, suggested that an international force needs to deploy to Gaza and establish security infrastructure before Hamas disarms. Vance optimistic about ceasefire Speaking to reporters in Israel later on Tuesday, Vance expressed optimism about the future of the ceasefire, saying that the bursts of violence were not unexpected. We are doing very well. Were in a very good place. Were going to have to keep working on it, but I think we have the team to do exactly that, he said. Vance reiterated that Hamas must disarm, but he acknowledged that the process will take time. Asked about efforts to return the bodies of slain Israeli captives, an issue that Israel has cited to justify blocking aid to Gaza, the US vice president highlighted the difficulty in reaching the remains amid the widespread destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not going to happen overnight, he said. Some of the hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages no one even knows where they are. While the bodies of around 15 Israelis remain in Gaza, thousands of Palestinians have gone missing throughout the war, many presumed dead and buried under the rubble. Israel has returned the bodies of at least 135 Palestinian captives to Gaza, with many showing signs of torture and execution, according to health officials in the territory. On Tuesday, Vance announced the opening of the Civilian Military Co-operation Centre (CMCC), a US-led base in Israel that will facilitate reconstruction and aid delivery to Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brad Cooper, the commander of the Middle East-based Central Command of the US military, said there are 200 American troops serving at the centre. This facility will be the hub for the delivery of everything that goes into Gaza as we look to the future, he told reporters. The US military had said that American soldiers would not be on the ground inside Gaza. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Two judges appointed by President Donald Trump allowed him to deploy the National Guard into Portland, Oregon, on Monday, granting the executive branch sweeping authority to suppress peaceful protests based on false claims of widespread violence. The 21 decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rested on a credulous reading of the record: The majority largely accepted the administrations portrayal of Portland as a war zone, dismissing the district courts extensive findings to the contrary. As dissenting Judge Susan Graber pointed out, Trumps illegal deployment of troops rests on false pretenses, fabrication, and propagandaall political theater that no court should dignify. As bad as Mondays decision was, it could have been far worse. In a concurrence, Judge Ryan Nelson argued that the judiciary has no power at all to review (or halt) a presidents deployment of the National Guard to suppress alleged domestic unrest. In Nelsons view, Trump enjoys absolute discretion to send troops into American cities for any reason he deems necessary, and no court may stand in his way. It may be tempting to dismiss this argument as Nelsons audition for a Supreme Court seat. But it must be taken seriously, because it is precisely what the Trump administration is now asking SCOTUS to embrace. And it is wrong from top to bottom: As a matter of constitutional principle, statutory text, precedent, and history, there is no remotely plausible argument that courts cannot review a presidents domestic deployment of the National Guard. Indeed, the weight of evidence points in the opposite direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before delving into why Nelsons claim is wrong, consider its radical and disturbing consequences. Trump could mobilize a states National Guard over its governors objections for blatantly illegal purposes, and courts would be powerless to stop him. He could send in the Guard to punish voters, protesters, and lawmakers who oppose his agendaas he is doing in Portland and Chicagoresponding to political disagreements with a militarized crackdown. He could flood Democratic cities with troops during an election to obstruct people going to the polls. He could dispatch soldiers to surround critical media outlets, sending the message that dissent will be met with force. The opportunities for repression are boundless, which is one reason why the Framers were so hostile to the idea of a standing army responsible for domestic security. In light of these dire consequences, one might expect Nelson to mount a robust defense of his belief that Trumps mobilization of the Guard may not be reviewed by the federal courts. But he devoted a sum total of fewer than six pages to this radical claim and spent most of them mischaracterizing Supreme Court precedent. The key case, to his mind, is 1827s Martin v. Mott, a dispute over President James Madisons authority to call up the states militias (the predecessors to our National Guard) during the War of 1812. In his unanimous opinion, Chief Justice Joseph Story held that Madisons mobilization was lawful because the British invasion constituted a genuine emergency. The ruling included a sentence that the Trump administration has repeated ad nauseam: We are all of opinion, Story wrote, that the authority to decide whether the exigency has arisen, belongs exclusively to the President, and that his decision is conclusive upon all other persons. Plucked from context, these words seem to imply that the president alone may determine when there is an emergency that requires state militias, and courts may not second-guess his decision. Thats precisely what Nelson insisted on Monday. But as professor Steve Vladeck has explained, the sentence means something entirely different in the context of the opinion. Mott addressed a debate about whether the president could make the initial determination that an emergency exists, or whether officers lower in the militarys chain of command could do so instead. The Supreme Court, professors Joshua Braver and John Dehn have shown, was concerned about preserving the military chain of command, specifically during a foreign invasion; it wanted to ensure that the commander in chiefs military subordinates could not defy his decision in a crisis. To that end, Mott announced that the president, rather than officers of inferior rank, could make the first call to deploy the militia in a national crisis. The ruling did not say, or remotely imply, that courts lack authority to review the presidents decision, as Nelson wrongly asserted. That mistake has been definitively debunked by Braver, Dehn, and a comprehensive account of the case by the Constitutional Accountability Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is another reason why neither Mott nor any other 19th-century case that Nelson cites could possibly stand for the proposition that courts may not review the presidents declaration of an emergency: They involved a different statute than the one Trump now relies upon. Those cases interpreted the Militia Acts of 1795 and 1807, which broadly empowered the president to call forth the militia to counter an insurrection or rebellion as he shall think proper. These statutes gave immense deference to the presidents judgment and imposed few limitations. But Congress later stripped out that deferential language and replaced it with explicit restrictions on federalization of the National Guard. The modern statute allows the president to send in the troops only in the case of insurrection, rebellion, or an inability with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States. Nelson ignored this significant revision of the statutory text. He wrote that the current statute uses similar language to its predecessors, disregarding Congress deletion of a clause that gave more deference to the president. But as Judge Graber pointed out in dissent, todays statute includes careful limitations on the presidents discretion. And those limits create a judicial responsibility for courts to rebuff the president when he deploys the Guard in a situation far divorced from what Congress envisioned. There is, Graber noted, a deeper principle that counsels judicial review here. The Constitution does not give the president control over the militia; it allows Congress to decide when the militia may be called up. Congress has decided when deployment is appropriate and instructed the president to send in troops in those circumstances alone. Nelsons theory would nullify Congress constitutional authority over the National Guard by letting the president summon it whenever he wants. Without judicial review, after all, who could stop him? Congress might try to deny funding for his partisan deployments, but Trump has already asserted the right to redirect money appropriated for other purposes. Combined with his ability to unlawfully withhold federal fundswhich SCOTUS recently greenlitTrump now has a license to take money from programs he dislikes and repurpose it for his own military objectives. The Supreme Court is currently considering these questions in a closely related case out of Chicago. The administration has asked the justices to freeze an order by a cross-ideological panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that blocked Trumps deployment of troops in the Windy City. SCOTUS decision may tell us whether a majority of justices share Nelsons fringe view that the judiciary has no power to enforce Congress restrictions on presidential exploitation of the Guard. If a majority embraces his position, it will effectively approve Trumps use of military force to combat not a foreign enemy, but American citizens exercising their First Amendment freedoms. There are words to describe regimes like that, but democracy is not one of them. Photo by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via AP President Donald Trump boasted that his administration is bringing law and order back just three days after commuting the sentence of convicted fraudster and former Rep. George Santos (R-NY). On Friday, Trump issued a commutation that got Santos, a vocal supporter of the presidents, off the hook for the remaining 84 months of his 87-month (seven years and three months) prison sentence for wire fraud and identity theft. Santos was also ordered to pay more $374,000 in restitution, which, thanks to the commutation, he is no longer obligated to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement George Santos was somewhat of a rogue, but there are many rogues throughout our Country that arent forced to serve seven years in prison, Trump said while announcing the commutation. George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life! On Monday, the president fired off a post on Truth Social to once again boast that he is administration is bringing back law and order: The FBI, under my Administration, is doing an incredible job. Since January 20th, more than 28,000 Violent Criminals have been arrested (RECORD BREAKING!), with over 6,000 illegal weapons seized, more than 1,700 child predators and 300 human traffickers taken off the streets, 5,000 innocent children rescued, 2,000 Criminal Enterprises disrupted, 1,900 kilos of Fentanyl (Enough to kill 125 Million people!) taken out HISTORIC RESULTS. We are bringing LAW AND ORDER back to America. Kash, Dan, Andrew, and the men and women of the FBI, are doing a tremendous job, MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN! Trump did not cite any sources for the data he posted. Since being released, Santos has appeared on Fox News and CNN. The post Trump Declares We Are Bringing LAW AND ORDER Back Just Days After Commuting Fraudsters Prison Sentence first appeared on Mediaite. Donald Trump is reportedly trying to loot the federal government to the tune of $230 million. Thats how much hes demanding from the Department of Justice in compensation for past federal probes of his misdeeds, according to a Tuesday report in The New York Times. The Times sources say that before he returned to the White House, Trump filed administrative claims, or formal requests for relief from a government agency, which often precede a lawsuit. One 2023 claim seeks damages for investigations into Russian election interference and ties to the Trump 2016 campaignanother, filed in 2024, for the 2022 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents. The president reportedly expects to be paid a settlement but, so far, has not gotten his nine-figure payday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The potential settlement, being for an administrative claim, would not need to be publicly announced, and would simply need the approval of one of two Trump-friendly officials: Todd Blanche, who is the deputy attorney general and Trumps former criminal defense attorney, or DOJ civil division chief Stanley Woodward Jr., who has represented many of the presidents aides and alliesfrom Trumps co-defendant in the classified documents case to participants in the January 6 Capitol attack. Compensation in such cases is typically covered by taxpayers, the Times reports. Of the unprecedented situation, Bennett L. Gershman, an ethics professor at Pace Law School, told the Times that the ethical conflict is just so basic and fundamental, you dont need a law professor to explain it. Trump seemingly acknowledged the abysmal optics of his stickup during a press conference last week: I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president, I said, Im sort of suing myself. I dont know. How do you settle the lawsuit? Ill say, Give me X dollars, right? And I dont know what to do with the lawsuit. Its a great lawsuit, and now I won, it sort of looks bad. Im suing myself, right? So I dont know. President Trump has reportedly demanded the Justice Department pay him $230 million in compensation for past investigations against him and he just may get his wish. Trumps claims against the department, which hes staffed with allies including his former personal attorney, is without precedent, according to The New York Times. Justice Department regulations allow for the deputy attorney general to sign off on such a settlement. That office is occupied by Todd Blanche, who worked for Trump in the private sector and famously represented him during his 2024 hush money trial in New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stanley Woodward Jr., who heads the departments civil division and has represented a number of other MAGA figures, including FBI Director Kash Patel, is also permitted to authorize a payment. Trumps demand reportedly came in the form of two administrative claims that could be heard by a court if ignored or declined by the DOJ. However, thats unlikely considering the president is already negotiating, in essence, with his subordinates, according to The Times, citing sources familiar with the matter. Trumps claims were filed in 2023 and 2024. The first one reportedly says that, among other things, his rights were violated when the FBI and a special counsel investigated potential links between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russian interlopers. The second complaint alleges the FBI and the DOJ violated his privacy when his Mar-a-Lago estate was searched for classified documents in 2022. It also accuses the DOJ of malicious prosecution in charging him with mishandling the sensitive records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump seemed to allude to his claims against the federal government in the Oval Office last week. I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president, I said, Im sort of suing myself, he told reporters. I dont know, how do you settle the lawsuit, Ill say give me X dollars, and I dont know what to do with the lawsuit. When asked about the potential ethical conflicts involved in such a payment being approved by Trumps allies, a DOJ spokesman told the New York Times that in any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials. The Justice Department isnt required to publicly announce settlement agreements reached on administrative claims, according to department officials. Such compensation is typically paid with tax dollars. _____ Paul Ingrassia, the 30-year-old lawyer whom President Donald Trump has nominated to a five-year term to lead the Office of Special Counsel, appears to be dead in the water ahead of his Thursday Senate confirmation hearing. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday that he hopes the White House will withdraw the embattled nominee in the wake of a Politico report that revealed Ingrassia had allegedly described himself as having a Nazi streak while using racial slurs in a private group chat. Hes not gonna pass, Thune said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ingrassia, a Cornell Law School graduate who currently serves as a White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, was tapped by Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel shortly after his inauguration in January. The independent agency is charged with protecting government whistleblowers and enforcing ethics laws. The agency, which has nothing to do with the individual special counsels used by the Department of Justice to investigate high-profile or politically charged matters, is tasked with investigating and prosecuting violations of the Hatch Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Civil Service Reform Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act. Hes not gonna pass, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said of Trumps nominee Paul Ingrassia (at left). (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) Ingrassia, who only recently passed the bar and lacks experience with those arcane laws, reportedly made the incendiary remarks in a group chat with other GOP operatives and influencers. One message revealed in the report portrays him as allegedly calling the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. the 1960s George Floyd and stating that the federal holiday which memorializes King should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another message from the same text chain showed him using a racial slur for Black people and complaining about multiple federal holidays and other observances. No m******n holidays From kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth, he allegedly said. The Senate Homeland Security Committee and Government Affairs Committee is scheduled hear testimony from Ingrassia on Thursday, months after he was initially set to appear before the panel. Senators pushed back his nomination hearing in July amid concerns over alleged antisemitic remarks made by the young operative, as well as misgivings over his relative youth and inexperience for a position that has generally gone to career experts in ethics law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, Florida Senator Rick Scott said Ingrassia had had some statements about antisemitism that were a big thing for his Sunshine State constituents. Scott told Semafor on Monday that he doesnt plan on voting for Ingrassia in the wake of the Politico report. Another GOP member of the panel, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, told reporters he hopes the White House will pull the pick. But as of Monday, HSGAC chair Rand Paul said Ingrassia is still on the list for Thursdays hearing unless somebody tells us otherwise. They have to decide if he can go through. Ive told them to count the votes the White House needs to make a decision. Im leaving it up to them, Paul added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ingrassias nomination was not expected to receive support from any Democratic senators, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer nonetheless called for Trump to withdraw the pick and sack him from his current position in remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday. Schumer said Ingrassias texts were appalling and point to a really disturbed individual. These texts are foul and disqualifying, and it's hard to believe there be any process in any White House that would allow such a man through to be nominated, he said. This person does not merit confirmation by this body ... the president should pull Mr. Ingrassias nomination immediately, he should be fired from his current job within the administration, and he should never, never hold a position of leadership within the Republican Party or the government again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A decision to withdraw Ingrassia would mark a rare retreat by the White House rather than confront and push through GOP opposition to a controversial nominee. The Republican-controlled upper chamber has routinely confirmed the presidents picks regardless of qualifications, including by voting along party lines to change Senate rules to confirm nominees in groups rather than by individual up-or-down votes last month. Multiple White House officials contacted by The Independent about whether Trump intends to withdraw Ingrassia did not immediately respond. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan sent Lawfare Senior Editor Anna Bower dozens of text messages earlier this month to complain about her reporting and then attempted to claim after the fact that the conversation was off the record. It was most certainly not off the record, and on Monday evening, Bower published screenshots of their texts. EXCLUSIVE: One Saturday afternoon in October, my phone lit up with a notification. I glanced down at the message. Anna, Lindsey Halligan here, it began. So began my text exchange with the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia. https://t.co/nES7Y0tp5G pic.twitter.com/1huo6rwBsK Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) October 20, 2025 In her article, Bower described how on the afternoon of Saturday, October 11, she got a new message alert on Signal the same app where Trump administration officials infamously shared attack plans on a group chat that purported to be from Halligan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bower initially assumed the exchange was a hoax, she wrote, because while it is not unusual for lawyers to reach out to me about my reporting or commentary, it is highly unusual for a U.S. attorney to do so regarding an ongoing prosecutionparticularly in a high-profile case in which her conduct is already the subject of immense public scrutiny. It was not a hoax, and Halligan sent her dozens of messages before attempting to claim after the fact that their conversation had been off the record. Halligan, President Donald Trumps former attorney before he appointed her as U.S. Attorney, was annoyed about tweets Bower had posted regarding the prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump nemesis for the civil judgment her office obtained against the president and his company last year. The massive financial penalty was tossed out by a New York appeals court a few months ago, but the ruling seemed to do little to calm the presidents ire towards James. Multiple media outlets reported that the previous U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, found the allegations that James had committed mortgage fraud to be unsupported by sufficient evidence. After Siebert refused to move forward with the case and resigned, Halligan took over, and James was indicted for mortgage fraud earlier this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James blasted the indictment as political retribution and called the charges baseless. Numerous attorneys and commentators including Bower have expressed deep skepticism regarding the validity of the charges against James, and it was a few of Bowers tweets sharing screenshots of a New York Times article with factual inconsistencies in the indictment that drew Halligans attention. After verifying that the person messaging her was actually Halligan, Bower asked her what was inaccurate in her tweets, and Halligan accused her of assuming exculpatory evidence without knowing what youre talking about and jumping to conclusions, but declined to be more specific. The two continued to message back and forth, with Halligan accusing Bower of being biased and of want[ing] to twist and torture the facts to fit your narrative, and Bower making repeated requests for Halligan to specify what was inaccurate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halligan also told Bower she should feel free to reach out with questions, and scolded her about fact-checking before sharing other outlets reporting. But when Bower later attempted to do that, Halligan accused her of not reporting fairly and refused to answer her questions. Bower made additional attempts to ask Halligan what was inaccurate about her reporting, but could not get an answer. As Bower observed, Halligan was very chatty with her, [b]ut there was an important thing she had not said during the entirety of our communications: Off the record or On background or anything whatsoever about the terms on which we were talking. The request to have the conversation off the record did not come until Monday, after Bower reached out to the DOJs Office of Public Affairs for comment with a 4:15 pm ET deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Five minutes before that deadline, Halligan attempted to retroactively make their conversation off the record, getting a Im sorry, thats not how this works reply from Bower, as seen in the screenshot below: Anna Bower and Lindsey Halligan signal chat Screenshot via Lawfare. Considering Halligans past experience as Trumps attorney, frequently dealing with the media, Bower thought it was baffling that she would reach out over text and share so much information without first requesting to be on background, off the record, or some other restriction. She knew I was a journalist, wrote Bower. She approached me. She invited my questions. She even encouraged me to stop chasing other reporters stories and focus on my own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turns out, she gave me a great one, she added. Read Bowers article at Lawfare and the screenshots of the text messages here. The post Trump DOJ Prosecutor Lindsey Halligan Sent Journalist Dozens of Texts Then Tried to Claim Off the Record first appeared on Mediaite. BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday reacted sharply to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM) decision to withdraw from the Bihar Assembly elections, saying the move exposes the weaknesses within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. Speaking to ANI, Naqvi said, "Mahagathbandhan has been completely exposed and failed; parties are forfeiting ground before the election. Their personal ambitions have overshadowed the alliance's collective goals; such people do eventually meet their ill fate." Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which earlier announced to contest alone on six seats in the Bihar assembly elections, on Monday withdrew from the polls. The announcement was formally made by senior JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar. "With great regret, JMM is compelled to state that the party will not be participating in this election. The political cunning of the leading party in the Bihar alliance has harmed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. It has shattered our aspiration to contest the elections in Bihar," Sudivya Kumar told reporters. The minister accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress of political deceit, and added that the consequences of this will be seen in the future. He clearly stated that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has now separated itself from the Bihar Assembly elections. He further explained that a meeting regarding seat sharing was held on October 7 in Patna. He had attended the meeting with his colleague Vinod Pandey. From October 7 to October 20, the RJD engaged in manipulation, and the Congress supported them in this behaviour. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates on Monday. With this announcement, the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear, with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will contest from Raghopur constituency, Lalit Yadav from Darbhanga Rural, and Dilip Singh from Barauli, Ram Vilas Paswan in Pirpainti (SC), and Savitri Devi in Chakai. Polling in the Bihar 2025 assembly elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) By Andrea Shalal and Jarrett Renshaw WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he expects to reach a fair trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping and downplayed risks of a clash over the issue of Taiwan, even as his top trade negotiator accused Beijing of engaging in "economic coercion." Trump suggested to reporters that China had no designs on invading Taiwan but acknowledged he expected the issue to be on the agenda at a planned meeting with Xi on the sidelines of an economic conference in South Korea next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trade tensions between the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest economies, have lingered. Disputes over tariffs, technology and market access remain unresolved days before the meeting. Trump spoke at the start of a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese where the two signed a critical minerals agreement aimed at countering China. TRUMP SAYS CHINA DOESN'T WANT TO INVADE TAIWAN Trump's comments on Taiwan reflect one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.-China relations. Beijing has repeatedly pressed Washington to alter the language it uses when discussing its position on Taiwanese independence. Trump pledged to accelerate deliveries of nuclear submarines to Australia and was asked if U.S. actions in the waters of the Indo-Pacific were a sufficient deterrent to keep Xi from invading Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "China doesn't want to do that," Trump said, before boasting about the size and strength of the U.S. military. He added: "We have the best of everything and nobody is going to mess with that ... I think we'll end up with a very strong trade deal. Both of us will be happy." But U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer took a tougher line later in the day, warning the U.S. would respond with unspecified action to what he called a "broader pattern of economic coercion" by Beijing against firms that make strategic investments in critical U.S. industries. Officials in South Korea said last week that China's sanctions on U.S.-linked units of shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean threatened to impact ambitious plans for shipbuilding cooperation between Seoul and Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Attempts at intimidation will not stop the United States from rebuilding its shipbuilding base and responding appropriately to China's targeting of critical industrial sectors for dominance," Greer said in a statement. TRUMP SAYS TAIWAN COULD COME UP IN CHINA TALKS Asked by a reporter whether the U.S. might adjust its position on Taiwan independence in order to reach a trade deal with China, Trump said, "We're going to be talking about a lot of things. I assume that will be one of them, but Im not going to talk about it now." Speaking in Taipei, Wang Liang-yu, head of the Taiwan foreign ministry's North American Affairs Department, said Taiwan-U.S. communication is "quite smooth", and that since Trump took office, the U.S. has repeatedly reiterated its support for Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The foreign ministry will continue to closely pay attention to relevant developments and will maintain communication with the U.S. side to ensure Taiwan-U.S. relations continue to deepen in a stable way and that our interests can really be guaranteed," she added. Beijing has ramped up a campaign of military and diplomatic pressure on democratically governed Taiwan, which it views as its own territory. China has never renounced the potential use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties. Beijing regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington and Jarrett Renshaw in Philadelphia; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Trevor Hunnicutt, Matthew Lewis and Lincoln Feast.) Republican Ed Gallrein, who President Trump endorsed to challenge Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), launched his campaign to challenge the incumbent Republican in the states 4th Congressional District on Tuesday. This district is Trump Country. The President doesnt need obstacles in Congress he needs backup. Ill defeat Thomas Massie, stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, and deliver the America First results Kentuckians voted for, Gallrein said in a statement. Gallreins campaign launch comes after Trump endorsed him in a Truth Social post on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hope Ed gets into the Race against Massie, who is now polling at about 9% because the Great People of Kentucky are wise to him He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left, the president wrote. Unlike lightweight Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN, he added. Trump and Massie have been on the outs following the Republican lawmakers break with the president on a number of policy issues, including Trumps massive reconciliation package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Additionally, Massie has teamed up with progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to push for the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Massie, in turn, has sought to make hay out of Trumps criticism. The Republican has more than $2 million in cash on hand for his reelection bid after receiving $768,000 in contributions from July to September, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After having been rejected by every elected official in the 4th District, Trumps consultants clearly pushed the panic button with their choice of failed candidate and establishment hack Ed Gallrein, Massie said. Eds been begging them to pick him for over three months now. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Monday will allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in Portland an important legal victory in a showdown over presidential power thats happening on multiple fronts. The ruling overturns one of two lower court decisions to block the deployment as the appeal process plays out, but because the second decision is still in force, the troops cant immediately be deployed. The three-judge panel weighed in on a temporary restraining order issued by US District Judge Karin Immergut, who last week ruled to extend two temporary restraining orders barring the deployment of federal troops to Portland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In light of the appellate courts ruling, the Trump administration is asking that Judge Immerguts second order be thrown out or paused, arguing in a Monday evening filing that both lower court orders relied on the same legal reasoning. President Donald Trumps success in Oregon comes days after he urged the Supreme Court to allow him to deploy the National Guard in Chicago in an emergency appeal of a lower court order that the administration said improperly impinges on the presidents authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property. Even if Trump exaggerates the severity of Portlands protests on social media, this does not change that other facts provide a colorable basis to support the statutory requirements, the majority said in the ruling. Two Trump-appointed judges, Ryan D. Nelson and Bridget S. Bade, sided with the administrations appeal while a third, former President Bill Clinton appointee Judge Susan P. Graber, dissented, saying, Todays decision is not merely absurd. It erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States control over their States militias and the peoples First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the governments policies and actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majoritys ruling, from the White Houses point of view, proves the lower courts decision was incorrect, according to Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson. As we have always maintained, President Trump is exercising his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel following violent riots that local leaders have refused to address, Jackson said. The president has cited protests outside Portlands Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility to justify the call-ups of troops in the deep blue city. Todays ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement Monday. We are on a dangerous path in America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rayfield asked the Ninth Circuit to act swiftly and throw out the majoritys ruling through an en banc review in which a larger panel of 11 appellate judges would reconsider the case. Federal agents clash with anti-ICE protesters at the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on October 12 in Portland, Oregon. - Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images Separately, a Ninth Circuit judge Monday afternoon asked the court to vote on whether the case should be reheard en banc. While such a request is not unusual, its more common for either plaintiffs or defendants to request such a rehearing. The state plans to file its own petition for an en banc review, a spokeswoman for the Rayfields office said Monday. Attorneys for the state and the Trump administration have until midnight on Wednesday, October 22, to make their case for or against an en banc review. Im very troubled As the legal battle in Oregon wages on, hundreds of National Guard troops are in a holding pattern far from home, Gov. Tina Kotek said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im very troubled by the decision of the court, Kotek said in a virtual press conference Monday. These citizen soldiers have been pulled away from their families and their jobs for weeks to carry out some kind of mission in Oregon. Kotek echoed the sentiments in Judge Grabers dissent and asked that the Ninth Circuit review the case again given the seriousness of the situation. I think it was a really important development that the one judge in the 2-1 ruling was immediately calling on their on her colleagues, to vacate this order, Kotek said. If the second temporary restraining order is revoked, Kotek added, it is unclear where troops would be deployed or how many would federalized, citing a lack of communication from the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kotek, along with other leaders in Oregon, has emphatically disputed the presidents characterizations of the city as war-ravaged and uncontrollably violent, arguing in court the situation on the ground in Portland is nowhere as extreme as federal officials portray it to be. Protests in Oregons biggest city over White House immigration policies started in June, with a declared riot and arson arrests in mid-summer. The scene was largely calm until Trump declared in late September he was sending 200 Oregon National Guard troops to the city. In a letter sent Friday to the Defense Department Office of Inspector General, a group of senators, including those from Oregon, asked for an inquiry into recent deployments of National Guard troops across the country. The senators argued that deployments were fundamentally un-Constitutional, dangerous for American civil rights and risk straining military readiness and resources, according to the letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We urgently request that you initiate an inquiry into the cumulative effects of these domestic deployments of U.S. active-duty troops and the National Guardover the objections of state and local officialson military readiness, resources, personnel, and our military as an institution, the senators requested. The ruling comes as President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to send the National Guard to San Francisco as his administration continues an effort to crackdown on a growing list of cities it claims to be ridden with crime. San Francisco was truly one of the great cities of the world, and then 15 years ago it went wrong, it went woke, Trump said during an interview with Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo Sunday. Were going to San Francisco and were going to make it great. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobody wants you here, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a social media post in response to Trumps comments. You will ruin one of Americas greatest cities. The president told Bartiromo the cities he feels are in need of troop deployment are almost exclusively Democrat-run, describing them as unsafe and a disaster. Trump also claimed he could, at any moment, invoke the Insurrection Act a seldom-used law that allows the president to deploy military forces in the US in certain limited situations. The mobilization of National Guard troops to cities like Chicago; Memphis, Tennessee; and Portland, Oregon, has been met with fierce backlash from residents as well as local and state leaders including some who have gone so far as to sue the administration. Federal deployments have also sparked pop-up protests in these cities and helped fuel a second No Kings rally over the weekend, where millions took part in more than 2,700 events across the country to protest the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres the latest on Trumps efforts to federalize troops in several US cities: San Francisco Trump toyed with the idea of deploying federal troops to the Bay Area last week when he told FBI Director Kash Patel that San Francisco was among the great cities that can be fixed. San Francisco neither needs nor wants Trumps personal army on our streets, California state Senator Scott Wiener, whose district includes San Francisco, said on X. We dont need Trumps authoritarian crackdown in our city. Bottom line: Stay the hell out of San Francisco. Trump initially received support from Bay area tech billionaire and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who told the New York Times ahead of his Dreamforce AI conference last week, he backed Trumps troop deployment to the city. But Benioff later backtracked, saying on X he does not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco and his comments were made out of an abundance of caution around the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused, he said. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has not directly commented on Trumps comments, but said in a news conference last Friday crime in the city is down 30% the lowest point in decades. The city has faced a shortage of police officers but recently reported its largest surge of recruits in years, according to the San Francisco Police Department, with 3,375 entry-level applications so far this year, up more than 40% from last year. For his part, Newsom sued the Trump administration in June over the federalization of the California National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles and joined a lawsuit in Oregon earlier this month over Trumps attempt to send federalized troops in Los Angeles to Portland to respond to protests there. Memphis A group of seven elected officials in Tennessee filed a lawsuit against the states governor and attorney general last week, challenging the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis at the direction of Trump. US Army National Guard members assist the Memphis Police Department in the entertainment district, Beale Street, in downtown Memphis, on October 16. - Karen Pulfer Focht/Reuters Governor Lees deployment violates both the Tennessee Constitution and state statutes, which allow the Guard to be called up only in the event of a rebellion or invasionand only when the General Assembly declares that public safety requires it, the officials said in a statement published by the National Immigration Law Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No such conditions exist in Memphis today. Federal troops were seen in Memphis for the first time on October 10, the Associated Press reported, including soldiers accompanied by Memphis police officers patrolling at the Pyramid, an iconic landmark in the city. Memphis Mayor Paul Young, defended the city, noting crime has fallen by double-digit percentages since last year, but acknowledged the situation is different from efforts to fight the federalization of troops in Portland or Chicago, CNN affiliate WMC reported. Memphis is different than L.A. and Chicago or Portland in that the governor of Tennessee and the president of the United States made the decision to bring the National Guard and the federal resources to the City of Memphis, Young said Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis said last week she hoped troops would help direct traffic and have a presence in public retail spaces, but not operate at checkpoints, the AP reported. From a public safety standpoint, were trying to utilize Guard personnel in non-enforcement types of capacities, so it does not feel like there is this over-militarization in our communities, in our neighborhoods, and thats not where were directing those resources, either, she said. Chicago Demonstrators protest during the "No Kings" march at Grant Park on Saturday in Chicago. - Joshua Lott/The Washington Post/Getty Images The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago in a court filing Monday asked the US Supreme Court to block the Trump administration emergency request to keep National Guard troops in the state to help combat protests and perceived crime despite objections from local officials. Earlier this month, a district court issued a temporary restraining order against the federalization and deployment of troops in the city. The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit partially stayed that ruling, allowing federalization but not deployment. The temporary restraining order expires Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, the Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether to allow the deployment while the legal battle continues. The filing says there is no rebellion or inability to execute federal law in Illinois, arguing that the administration hasnt met legal requirements to activate troops over the states dissent. No protest activity in Illinois has rendered the President unable to execute federal law, the filing says, describing protests at the ICE facility in Broadview as small and manageable by local authorities and saying they never hindered the continued operation of the ICE facility there. The filing addresses constitutional concerns that the federal government is pressuring Illinois to either use its own National Guard to carry out the Trump administrations priorities or let federal troops take over, stating, Such coercion is independently unconstitutional. In Trumps appeal of the temporary restraining order, the administration said the lower court order improperly impinges on the presidents authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property. The appeal describes the situation in Chicago as threatening, asserting that federal officials there have been assaulted, attacked in a harrowing pre-planned ambush involving many assailants. Clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Chicago became the focus of courtroom discussions last week with a judge demanding answers from federal authorities over violent encounters with protesters. US District Judge Sara Ellis said recent news reports were leading her to believe the Trump administration was not following her instructions to limit use of force and actions against journalists documenting Chicago protests. Ellis last week expanded her restraining order, requiring all federal agents with body cameras involved in quelling protests to have them on when encountering demonstrators. Her order, however, does not require agents to wear body cameras if theyre undercover, not in uniform or exempt from Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Department of Homeland Security policy. CNNs John Fritze, Bill Kirkos and Josh Campbell contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com SARA SIDNER: Where is the Republican outrage to this? Ill start with you, Batya. BATYA UNGAR-SARGON: Im utterly Im not a Republican, but Im utterly outraged by this. I think its disgusting. I think the text messages in that group chat of Young Republicans were disgusting. I think its appalling that the vice president couldnt unequivocally condemn them. I dont know what he was thinking. The Republican Party needs to have one of those Buckley moments when he kicked the John Birch Society out of the Republican Party, said, youre not part of the conservative movement. The moment is now. And I dont know why theyre hesitating. You cannot build anything with those people. And, by the way, like the people in your coalition on the far right who want you not to condemn anti-Semitism, disgusting, anti-black racism, theyre not the people you need to win. Im the person you need to win, and Im not voting for that. So, you know, its very strange to me that they dont seem to understand that. This is not what people voted for. Donald Trump won a record number of black voters, a record number of Jewish voters, and I think it is appalling to throw that in their face and not be able to vociferously and immediately and without hesitation condemn this disgusting writing. BOYKIN: Because Donald Trump has a history of racism himself. UNGAR-SARGON: No, that not true. BOYKIN: Are you kidding? Donald Trump started his career with racism. In the 1970s, he was sued for housing discrimination. In 1989, he was a part of the hes led a lynch mob against the Central Park Five. In 1990s, he was sued by casino workers for racial discrimination. He led a five-and-a-half year campaign against Barack Obama for allegedly not having an accurate birth certificate. Donald Trump came in office talking about he was going to ban Muslims, and hes called Mexicans were supposedly bringing drugs UNGAR-SARGON: He has the most multiracial coalition BOYKIN: Donald Trump has a long history you didnt deny anything of the things I just said there. Donald Trump just this year said that hes allowing white South Africans to come to the United States, but not black South Africans. What could be more racist than that? UNGAR-SARGON: So, why does the majority of Latino men vote for him? Why did 25 percent of black men vote for him? BOYKIN: It was not 25 percent. And still, black people are the most loyal group against Donald Trump, in fact, because we clearly could see through the charade that he was putting up. Donald Trump has a 50- year history of racism. UNGAR-SARGON: Why did a majority of Hispanic men vote for him if hes BOYKIN: Im not a Hispanic person. I can tell you as a black man that Donald Trump is a racist. Thats unquestionable. UNGAR-SARGON: I dont agree with that at all. U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Aug. 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Credit - Andrew HarnikGetty Images What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, Ukraines supporters were watching on optimistically, as all signs pointed toward Donald Trump allowing Ukraine to acquire long-range Tomahawk missiles at a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giving the green light for Ukraine to buy and use such powerful weapons would have dramatically increased the countrys firepower and ability to strike military infrastructure inside Russia. But Trump, whose tone towards Russia had hardened since his Alaska Summit with Putin in August failed to produce any meaningful results, made a U-turn that few saw coming. Read More: To Understand Trump, Look to the Roman Empire Zelenskys most recent trip to Washington had a lot more in common with the notorious shouting match that took place in the Oval Office in February. On top of Trumps withholding of weapons Ukraine needs, he returned to some of his old talking points. Most alarmingly, he insisted that any halt to fighting would mean Ukraine give up the Donbas region to Putinan area Russia has failed to take total control of, despite 11 years of fighting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a report in the FT, Trump told the Ukrainian leader that if he did not bow to Putins will, Ukraine would be destroyed. The meeting reportedly descended into a bad-tempered shouting match, with Trump throwing away maps of the frontline, repeatedly swearing, and echoing a Kremlin talking point that the invasion is a special operation, not even a war. Trump held a surprise two-and-a-half-hour phone call with the Russian President Vladimir Putin while Zelensky was on his way to America. During that call, Trump reportedly agreed to a second face-to-face summit with Putin, this time in Budapest. Hungary is one of Putins few allies in the West, and its Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has repeatedly dug his heels in on Western efforts to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. To say it will be an embarrassment not just for Ukraine but many of its European allies is an understatement. Read More: Why Trump's Alaska Summit With Putin Failed Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting will allow Putin onto E.U. and NATO soil, where in theory he should be arrested given an ICC arrest warrant. The sight of Putin standing alongside the most powerful man in the world in a NATO country will instead likely be used as Kremlin propagandaand another sign that Trump has once again been played for a fool by Putin. For all the positive noises that have come each time Trump has made commitments to Ukraine, or encouraged NATO allies to spend more on defense, or apparently started to see Putin for who he really is, the facts speak for themselves. A BBC Verify report in August found that the number of Russian attacks on Ukraine has doubled since Trumps inauguration. In recent weeks, mounting drone incursions have even brazenly entered NATO skies. Trumps desire for the war to end seems sincere. He has also made no secret of his wish to win a Nobel Peace Prize. But if the war in Ukraine ends with the nations future largely in the hands of its invader, the very idea that Trump is deserving of the prize would be a dishonor. Read More: Why Trump Didn't Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Russian President is a man who lives by the axiom: give an inch, take a mile. When the Obama Administration let down Syria, Putin was more than happy to intervene there to prop up his ally Bashar al-Assad. The Wests decision to turn the other cheek after Putin annexed Crimea in 2014 may have also emboldened him to launch his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin scoring another summit with Trump is a diplomatic coup. So is Trumps decision to renege on Tomahawks for Ukraine and swing back to Putins way of thinking. A version of Occams razorthat the simplest explanation for a phenomenon is probably correctapplies here. If Trump continues to reward Putin and punish Kyiv, Putin will most likely further escalate in Ukraine and test the West. There is still hope that Trump may swing back to Ukraine, and heeding Zelenskys call for an additional 25 U.S. Patriot anti-missile batteries is a good start. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those closest to the U.S. President should urge Trump to do more for Ukraine, and stress that his current strategy is making Putin look smarter and stronger than Trumps America. For a man who cares about optics, that may be Ukraines best hope. Contact us at letters@time.com. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is expected to leave for Asia at the end of the week, betting that an around-the-world journey will help him untangle big issues that he cant afford to get wrong. At stake is nothing less than the future of the global economy, which could hinge on whether hes able to calm trade tensions during an expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A misstep could send shock waves through American industries that have already been rattled by Trumps aggressive tariffs, government layoffs and political brinkmanship. Trumps strategy of improvisation has had both hits and misses since he returned to office in January. Hamas returned hostages to Israel but the ceasefire in the Middle East remains fragile; a trade war with China has ebbed and flowed this year; and Russias invasion of Ukraine hasnt slowed down despite Trumps efforts to resolve the conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There's been some mystery around Trump's trip, with no official announcements from the White House about much of his itinerary. The president said Monday that he plans to go to Malaysia, which is hosting a regional summit, then Japan, where he's trying to nail down foreign investment. He'll also visit South Korea, where he's working on more trade issues and expects to sit down with Xi. Beijing has yet to confirm that theyll meet, and the two leaders have recently exchanged threats of tariffs and export restrictions. "I have a very good relationship with President Xi of China, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. He offered to lower tariffs but they have to give us some things too, including buying U.S. soybeans, reducing the flow of fentanyl ingredients and ending limits on rare earth minerals that are critical for high-tech manufacturing. Trump expressed even more confidence on Monday, saying, I think were going to end up having a fantastic deal with China" and "its going to be fantastic for the entire world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This will be Trump's first trip to Asia in his second term With just days to go before Trump leaves, theres an unusual level of ambiguity even for a president who loves to keep people guessing about his next move. The whole trip has seemed so uncertain from the beginning, said Bonnie Glaser, a managing director at the German Marshall Fund, a Washington-based think tank. It's Trump's first trip to Asia since returning to office. Although hes hosted leaders from the region at the White House, he hasnt forged the kind of foundational relationships that he has on other continents. Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the president, responded to a list of questions about Trumps plans by saying he will participate in meetings and events in Asia that will result in many great deals for our country. She added, Stay tuned! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps approach to Asia has focused on using tariffs to realign what he describes as unfair trade practices, unnerving countries that depend on the United States as the worlds largest market for exports. Theres also anxiety about Trumps meeting with Xi, and the potential that a feud between the two leaders could send the international economy into a tailspin. There will be some appreciation for the fact that hes there, but I dont think it will go far enough to quell the doubts that are pervasive in the region, Glaser predicted. The Republican president has downsized his foreign policy team since his first term, eschewing the typical array of advisers at the National Security Council in favor of a core group of loyalists. Theres not very many White House staff to do this kind of work, said Rush Doshi, who worked on China policy under President Joe Biden. All of this puts us in uncharted waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael Green, who worked on President George W. Bush's National Security Council and now leads the United States Studies Centre in Sydney, Australia, said there's been no clear Asia strategy from Trump. Everyone is waiting to see where hes going to come down on all of this," he said. Others say Trump's approach is paying off. Anthony Kim, a research fellow in international economic affairs at the Heritage Foundation, said Japan and South Korea are eager to work with the administration to solidify partnerships. The message from them has been lets sit down, talk about relevant details to make a deal, Kim said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's plans remain in flux as the trip approaches Malaysia is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, an annual summit that Trump attended only once during his first term, even skipping it when it was held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this year the summit offers an opportunity to highlight Trump's peacemaking efforts, which he's made central to his foreign policy agenda. Thailand and Cambodia skirmished along their disputed border over the summer, and Trump threatened to withhold trade deals with each country if they didn't stop fighting. They were willing to come together and talk to avoid more economic pain, said Ja Ian Chong, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Malaysia and the U.S. have been working toward securing an expanded ceasefire. The Malaysian foreign minister said Trump looks forward to the signing of an agreement at the summit. Trump's next stop is Japan. Washington and Tokyo reached a trade agreement earlier this year, which included the promise of $550 billion of investments in U.S. projects. Japan is in a moment of political transition, with Sanae Takaichi elected Tuesday to be the country's first female prime minister. Takaichi is a protege of Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister who was assassinated after leaving office. Trump was close with Abe during his first term, and Green said Takaichi "has the potential to also play that role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Working with Trump and keeping him committed to U.S. alliances requires a level of interaction and trust that none of the Asian leaders have, Green said. South Korea is Trump's final stop on his trip The climax of the president's journey will likely be South Korea, which is hosting this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Trump has said he'll sit down with Xi while he's there. Tensions have increased in recent weeks, particularly with Chinas announcement of restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals. Trump threatened to retaliate with tariffs so high that he admits they would be unsustainable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doshi, the former Biden adviser, said there are three potential outcomes from Trump's meeting with Xi deal, no deal or disaster. He said China is emboldened after Trump backed down on an earlier tariff announcement when Beijing restricted the export of rare earth magnets. The Chinese feel they have President Trumps number," Doshi said. "They feel that if they push on this, hell fold. Trump said Monday that China has treated us with great respect since he's been in office. He said I could threaten them with many other things, but I want to be good to China. Another open question will be Trump's trade negotiations with South Korea, which is facing U.S. tariffs that could undermine its auto industry. However, Seoul has balked at Trump's demand for a $350 billion investment fund similar to the one in Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres some momentum to the talks," said Wendy Cutler, who spent more than two decades as a U.S. trade negotiator and is now senior vice president at the Asia Society. "But I dont want to overstate it, because there are some fundamental differences about this fund that need to be sorted out. She said it's not unusual for talks to go down to the wire, but this time there are so many balls in the air. ___ Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report. President Donald Trumps newly appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, raised eyebrows after contacting a reporter about the federal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James. In screenshots of text messages released by Lawfares Anna Bower on Monday, Lindsey Halligan, who also brought the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey, texted her on the encrypted platform Signal earlier this month. Anna, Lindsey Halligan here, she wrote on Oct. 11. You are reporting things that are simply not true. Thought you should have a heads up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bower said she and Halligan exchanged texts over the course of two days related to the indictment of James, who was charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of false statements to a financial institutions in connection with her home in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020. Bower had posted snippets on X from a recent article in The New York Times, which revealed that the property has been occupied by James great niece, who previously told a Norfolk grand jury that she had lived in the house for years and did not pay rent. James also stays at the residence several times a year alongside the family member, according to the outlet. NYT reports that Letitia Jamess great niece lives in the home that is the subject of the indictment. The niece reportedly testified before a *different* grand jury, telling them that she had lived there for many years without paying rent. James visits regularly. pic.twitter.com/KQcfUenP5P Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) October 11, 2025 I didnt think much of the tweets at the time, Bower wrote in a story published by Lawfare. Sharing other journalists reporting is a routine part of how I try to keep people apprised of the cases I follow. But the prosecutor who personally presented Jamess case to the grand jury apparently saw my tweets very differently. After Halligan first contacted her, Bower asked directly, Im all ears: What am I getting wrong? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Honestly, so much. I cant tell you everything but your reporting in particular is just way off. I had to let you know, Halligan replied, before adding: Its clear you dont have sources that are accurately telling you what youre writing. Seems clear to me that you just jump to your biased conclusions based off of what you read instead of truly looking into the evidence. When pressed by Bower on which part was inaccurate, Halligan said that she was jumping to conclusions without looking into evidence. Bower described the exchange as highly unusual in a number of respects. She initiated a conversation with me, a reporter she barely knew, to discuss an ongoing prosecution that she is personally handling, Bower wrote. She mostly criticized my reportingor, more precisely, my summary of someone elses reporting. But several of her messages contained language that touched on grand jury matters, even as she insisted that she could not reveal such information, which is protected from disclosure by prosecutors under federal law." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halligan did not also suggest that the correspondence was not on the record, according to Bower. The prosecutor had insisted that the entire conversation had been off the record after Bower had reached out to the Justice Department for comment. Halligan was attempting to point you to facts, not gossip, but when clarifying that she would adhere to the rule of the law and not disclose Grand Jury information, you threaten to leak an entire conversation, Justice Department spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre said in a statement to Bower on Monday. Good luck ever getting anyone to talk to you when you publish their texts. The uncommon messages, which disappeared after eight hours, come as Trump has said there will be others after Comey was indicted last month, becoming the first of the presidents perceived political enemies. In a lengthy statement, James described her charges as baseless, saying that they are nothing more than a continuation of the presidents desperate weaponization of our justice system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presidents actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties, she added. Halligan, in a press release following the announcement, said that the charges alleged in the case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the publics trust. Stories by Rachel Cohen Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and extended Diwali greetings during a courtesy visit. In a post on X, Delhi CM expressed her gratitude after meeting the Prime Minister, describing him as "the world's most popular leader and India's illustrious Prime Minister." https://x.com/gupta_rekha/status/1980540899273896327 "Paid a courtesy visit to the world's most popular leader and India's illustrious Prime Minister, the honourable @narendramodi ji, and conveyed heartfelt Diwali greetings. The esteemed Prime Minister ji's company and his blessings inspire new energy and determination to serve Delhi with even greater dedication. Heartfelt thanks for your valuable time and guidance," CM Gupta said. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and shared Diwali greetings. The President of India in a social media post said, "Prime Minister Shri@narendramodicalled on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and shared Diwali greetings." Earlier today, President Droupadi Murmu extended Diwali greetings to the nation. Sharing an X post, President Murmu wrote, "On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all Indians, both in India and across the world." "This festival of joy is also an occasion for self-reflection and self-improvement. This festival is also an opportunity to help and support the deprived and the needy, and to bring joy into their lives. I urge everyone to celebrate Diwali safely, responsibly and in an environmentally friendly manner. May this Diwali bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to all," the President added. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday continued his tradition of celebrating the festival of Diwali with soldiers, as he visted the INS Vikrant off the coast of Goa and Karwar this year. PM Modi interacted with the soldiers and said he was fortunate to celebrate the festival of lights with the Naval personnel. "Today, on one side I have infinite horizons, infinite sky, and on the other side I have this giant, INS Vikrant, embodying infinite powers. The glow of the sun's rays on the ocean's waters is like the Diwali lamps lit by brave soldiers," he said in his address to the soldiers. Diwali is a five-day festival that starts on Dhanteras. On Dhanteras, people purchase jewellery or utensils and worship the Gods. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is also known as Chhoti Diwali, or Small Diwali.The third day of Diwali is the main day of the celebrations. People worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day, offering prayers to bless them with wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is called Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and brothers give gifts to their sisters. (ANI) President Donald Trumps hand-selected prosecutor reportedly voluntarily offered up information about sensitive grand jury matters while complaining to a legal reporter about a social media post. Lindsey Halligan, Trumps former personal lawyer whom he recently installed as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, reached out to Lawfares Anna Bower almost two weeks ago to discuss the recent indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud. Anna, Lindsey Halligan here, she began, messaging Bower on Signal. You are reporting things that are simply not true. Thought you should have a heads up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halligan proceeded to discuss her efforts to indict James. Throughout the entire exchange, she never requested that she be allowed to speak off the recorduntil Bower later reached out to the Department of Justice for comment. Halligan took issue with Bowers sharing excerpts from The New York Times to X. The Times had reported that Jamess second home was being occupied by her niece Nakia Thompson, who testified before a grand jury that she had lived in the house for years and that she did not pay rent. Bower wrote on X that the article was important exculpatory evidence because the reporting undermined the prosecutions central claim that James used the second property as a rental home. But Thompson seemed to have testified before a separate grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, not the one in Alexandria that had indicted James. Thompson did not testify again. Did they get something wrong? Bower asked Halligan, referring to the Times report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes they did but you went with it! Without even fact checking anything!!!! Halligan replied. And they are disclosing grand jury infowhich is also not a full representation of what happened. I guess I expect them to do that but I was surprised by you running with it. When Bower prompted Halligan to specify what she would like corrected, the interim U.S. attorney referred her to the indictment, which alleged that James had received thousands of dollars in rent. I cant tell you grand jury stuff, Halligan added. But her correspondence with Bower had already touched on grand jury materials, which is wildly abnormal and legally risky. While Jamess tax information was not publicly available, the New York attorney generals ethics disclosures revealed that she had previously collected rent on the propertybut only once in 2020, and for a sum between $1,000 and $5,000. When Bowers relayed these findings, Halligan started ranting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre biased. Your reporting isnt accurate. Im the one handling the case and Im telling you that. If you want to twist and torture the facts to fit your narrative, theres nothing I can do. Waste to even give you a heads up, she wrote. When Bower reached out to the Department of Justice for comment, they said that Halligan was attempting to point you to facts, not gossip, but when clarifying that she would adhere to the rule of the law and not disclose Grand Jury information, you threaten to leak an entire conversation. Good luck ever getting anyone to talk to you when you publish their texts, DOJ added. Later, Halligan texted Bower again to insist they had been speaking off record. Youre not a journalist so its weird saying that but just letting you know, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im sorry, but thats not how this works. You dont get to say that in retrospect, Bower replied. Yes I do. Off record, Halligan responded. I am really sorry. I would have been happy to speak with you on an off the record basis had you asked, Bower replied But you didnt ask, and I still havent agreed to speak on that basis. Do you have any further comment for the story? Even then, Halligan continued. Its obvious the whole convo is off record. Theres disappearing messages and its on signal. What is your story? You never told me about a story. This isnt the first gaffe Halligans made since being installed. She previously submitted faulty paperwork in both Jamess case and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Peace talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have been called off after Russia refused to accept Americas terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The White House said on Tuesday that the US president would not meet his Russian counterpart in the immediate future after a phone call between negotiators to prepare for their summit in Hungary turned sour. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, told Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, that Russia would not agree to a ceasefire that froze the front lines in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An immediate ceasefire in Ukraine would mean only one thing: most of it would remain under Nazi rule, Mr Lavrov said, suggesting that Russia was still determined for regime change in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines president, and his European allies leapt on the Kremlins refusal to negotiate, accusing Putin of stalling tactics. Seeking to take advantage of Russias stubbornness, Europe swiftly dispatched Mark Rutte, Natos secretary-general, to brief Mr Trump on a separate 12-point peace plan being worked up by the coalition of the willing, the European grouping of countries formed to back Ukraine. The preparations for a Trump-Putin meeting descended into acrimony when Moscow cancelled a planned face-to-face meeting between Mr Lavrov and Mr Rubio in Hungary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, the pair had a phone call on Monday, in which the Russian told his opposite number he would not agree to a ceasefire on Americas terms. Signalling a breakdown in the talks between Washington and Moscow, a White House official said on Tuesday that the call between Mr Rubio and Mr Lavrov had been productive, adding: Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the secretary and foreign minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future. The Kremlin then pointed out that no clear date had been set for the meeting, even though the US president said last Friday that it would likely happen within two weeks. Listen, we have an understanding of the presidents, but we cannot postpone what has not been finalised, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said. Neither President Trump nor President Putin gave exact dates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked why the summit was cancelled, Mr Trump said he didnt want to have a wasted meeting. I dont want to have a waste of time, so Ill see what happens, he told reporters in the Oval Office. Mr Trump added that he still sees a chance for a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. A phone call between Marco Rubio (left) and Sergei Lavrov reportedly did not go well - FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA/Shutterstock Mr Trump announced last week that he had ordered officials to prepare a second peace summit with Putin, months after their meeting in Alaska failed to break the deadlock. But Mr Lavrov told Mr Rubio that Moscows maximalist war aims, which include ousting Mr Zelensky, had not changed since the two presidents last meeting in August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to officially confirm: Russia has not changed its position compared to the understandings that were reached during the Alaska summit, Mr Lavrov said. Russia has long demanded that Ukraine withdraws from the entirety of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions as the precondition of peace. During a two-hour phone call on Thursday, Putin told Mr Trump that he would relinquish claims over unoccupied parts of the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in exchange for a complete Ukrainian surrender of the two Donbas regions. Steve Witkoff, the US presidents peace envoy, who has regularly met with Putin, told Mr Zelensky that Russia had a constitutional claim to these lands. Steve Witkoff (centre) speaks in southern Israel on Tuesday. He has regularly met with Vladimir Putin - Nathan Howard/REUTERS The Ukrainian president has repeatedly rejected this and insisted he would not cede land not occupied by Russian forces that Putin had claimed via sham referendums. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During their bruising White House meeting on Friday, Mr Trump reportedly pressured Mr Zelensky to surrender the Donetsk region to Russia. Ceding Donetsk, which Moscow has failed to fully occupy since 2014, remains a red line for the Ukrainian president. However, speaking after the talks, Mr Trump appeared to row back behind the Ukrainian position, insisting he wanted to see the fighting stop at the lines where they are, the battle lines. Russia avoiding diplomacy On Tuesday, Mr Zelensky wrote on social media: The front line can be the beginning of diplomacy. Meanwhile, Russia is once again doing everything to avoid diplomacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Zelenskys plea at his White House meeting for long-range Tomahawk missiles also went unanswered by Mr Trump. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said the visit had not gone as Zelensky hoped. But on Tuesday, Europeans were buoyed by Russias refusal to negotiate, sensing an opportunity to sway Mr Trumps support back in favour of Kyiv. A Western official told The Telegraph: I see it as a positive development. Russia has been clear their position has not changed so why the meeting? Mr Trump speaks with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House - HANDOUT/AFP In a statement published on Tuesday, Mr Zelensky and his supporters in the coalition of the willing argued any future peace talks with Putin must be held on the basis that the current line of contact should be the starting point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force, they added. Meanwhile, they finalised a 12-point peace plan to be presented to Mr Trump on Wednesday, which included points such as the return of stolen Ukrainian children, a rapid pathway to European Union membership and reconstruction reparations. The pact will demand that the starting point of any future peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv be on the basis of the current front lines. European officials have gone to great lengths to highlight Russias struggles to capture less than 1 per cent of Ukrainian territory in over 1,000 days of war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sources said Europes proposal was modelled on Mr Trumps peace deal for Gaza, which gave him renewed impetus to end the fighting in Ukraine. Jonathan Powell, Britains national security adviser, has been credited with the idea of playing on the Americans ego. The plan will be discussed at a meeting of the coalition of the willing hosted in London by Sir Keir Starmer on Friday, which Mr Zelensky will attend in person. The European Union is expected to sign off on a separate plan to deliver a 140bn loan to Kyiv using frozen Russian assets at a meeting of the blocs leaders in Brussels on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It emerged on Tuesday night that Ukrainian forces had used British-made Storm Shadow missiles to strike the Bryansk Chemical plant in Russia. The plant is deemed critical for Putins war machine, producing gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel. Meanwhile, Russia has been accused of shooting innocent civilians in the Donetsk region garrison town of Pokrovsk. Moscows forces have been attempting to seize the key logistical hub in a months-long offensive, but have only succeeded in breaching its defences with small infiltration groups. Behind enemy lines, they attempt to sow havoc: killing what they can before either they are eliminated or reinforcements arrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The drone footage shared on Telegram only shows the aftermath of the attack, with the bodies strewn around 100m apart. One female survivor, who appears to have been shot in the legs, props herself up on a grassy verge by the side of the road. The watching Ukrainian drone then records a moment of heart-stopping bravery: a young man carrying her in his arms down the road to safety. Only once does he pause to adjust his grip. May God grant him health for his courage, said Denys Khyrstov, the Ukrainian volunteer who shared the footage, asking if anyone could help identify the man. 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. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images A cannabis industry figure in Metro Detroit who supported and donated to the campaign of President Donald Trump has been named as the new U.S. special envoy to Iraq. Trump announced Sunday on his Truth social media platform that Mark Savaya, the owner of Leaf and Bud dispensaries throughout southeast Michigan, would serve in the role. Marks deep understanding of the Iraq-U.S. relationship, and his connections in the region, will help advance the interests of the American people, Trump wrote. Mark was a key player in my campaign in Michigan, where he, and others, helped secure a record vote with Muslim Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Savaya thanked Trump in an Instagram post, saying he was deeply humbled and grateful to [Trump] for his appointment. I am committed to strengthening the U.S.-Iraq partnership under President Trumps leadership and guidance, Savaya said. Thank you, Mr. President. Savaya, a member of the Catholic Chaldean community that has deep roots in Metro Detroit, was a prominent supporter of Trump during his 2020 and 2024 campaigns. His personal Instagram page is riddled with pictures and videos of Savaya either hanging out with Trump or within his orbit, including a video where Savaya appears to be at Trumps Florida Mar-A-Lago resort. He donated $10,000 to Trumps campaign in 2020, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Savaya also supported the 2024 campaign at rallies and was seen with the current president and his surrogates during other events. President Donald Trumps special counsel nomination is poised to crumble after a report alleged he sent disturbing, racist texts in a group chat with GOP operatives and influencers. Politico published the purported texts from former White House staffer Paul Ingrassia, whose Senate confirmation hearings are set to start Thursday, on Monday. In one message sent in May of last year, Ingrassia allegedly said he had a Nazi streak, alarming other members of the six-person chat. Politics: Trumps AI Video Sparks Outrage White House Responds With Something... Peculiar In others sent months earlier, Ingrassia, 30, purportedly complained that MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs. More alleged texts showed him using an Italian slur for Black people and saying all holidays celebrating them need to be eviscerated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Politicos report comes months after Ingrassias ties to right-wing extremist Andrew Tate and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes came to light after Trump nominated him in May. The scandal could mean Ingrassias nomination to lead the whistleblower agency is dead in the water. In an interview with HuffPosts Igor Bobic, a Republican key to his path forward said Trump should rescind it. Paul Ingrassia arrives before Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House in June. via Associated Press The administration ought to just pull that nomination. I hope that happens, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said. Johnson sits on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is set to hear Ingrassias testimony this week. Politics: Trump Is Privately Pressing Senators To Confirm Matt Gaetz: Reports Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, echoed Johnsons calls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes not gonna pass, Thune told reporters. Other Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee told reporters they also plan to reject Ingrassia, including Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and James Lankford of Oklahoma. Scott raised concerns about Ingrassia over the summer, saying he had some statements about antisemitism. Politics: Democrats Emboldened After 'No Kings' Protests As Government Shutdown Drags On Ingrassias lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, initially said the texts were jokes but also questioned their authenticity. Looks like these texts could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted, he told Politico. However, arguendo, even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters Nazis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a subsequent statement, he suggested the texts could be concocted by artificial intelligence. In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult, he said. What is certain, though, is that there are individuals who cloak themselves in anonymity while executing their underhanded personal agendas to harm Mr. Ingrassia at all costs. We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages. Politics: These GOP Senators Are Breaking With Trump Over Punishing Blue States Amid Shutdown Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have also called for Trump to withdraw Ingrassias nomination, pointing to both the new Politico report and an earlier one about his alleged history of sexual harassment. They also said he is completely unqualified for such a position of power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Ingrassia only recently graduated law school has less legal experience than many of the people who apply for entry-level positions at the organization he is nominated to lead, they wrote. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Embattled Office of Special Counsel nominee Paul Ingrassia reportedly joked about harboring a Nazi streak and raged against holidays celebrating African Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr., in a text message exchange with other Republicans. Ingrassia, who is scheduled to make his case to lead the Office of Special Counsel in the Senate Thursday, also appeared to use an Italian slur for Black people and denigrated Indians and Chinese people in a text exchanged viewed by Politico. The texts cited in the report happened in 2023 and 2024. MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs, Ingrassia allegedly suggested in January 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He further called for Kwanzaa, Black History Month and Juneteenth to be eviscerated. Ingrassias lawyer wouldnt confirm the authenticity of the texts that he suggested couldve been manipulated and lacked context. Politico said it confirmed the exchange with two of the six people involved. Some of the participants warned Ingrassia that he was coming across as a white nationalist, to which he replied: I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it. Ingrassias lawyer argued his client isnt a Nazi and has support from the Jewish community. When discussing former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Ingrassia reportedly warned: Never trust a chinaman or Indian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several of his texts appeared to promote white supremacy, including a February 2024 call for competent white men to be in leadership positions. The founding fathers were wrong that all men are created equal We need to reject that part of our heritage, hes said to have texted. Politico reported earlier this month that Ingrassia was accused of sexually harassing a female colleague. His lawyer dismissed that allegation as a fairytale. Trump nominated the 30-year-old Fordham University and Cornell Law School graduate in June. He currently serves as a White House liaison to U.S. Department of Homeland Security. _____ Before Russell Vought became the director of the Office of Management and Budget, he was Donald Trumps side project. In the background of Trumps 2024 presidential campaign, the Republican presidential candidate and the Project 2025 architect shared regular calls, though the topic wasnt always politics. Instead, Trump was fixated on getting the recently divorced Vought laid, reported Zeteos Swin Suebsaeng on Tuesday. Voughts ex-wife, Mary Vought (of the Heritage Foundation), had left him in 2023. Trump, in turn, appointed himself as Voughts wingman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump spoke to Vought, a self-described Christian nationalist whos now one of the presidents most hardline enforcers, about the gorgeous and beautiful ladies who roam Trumps club, Mar-a-Lago, so often that it weirded out some of his advisers, sources told Zeteo. And Trump spoke crudely of all the pussy that Vought would surely get as the presidents favorite bachelor. The report is a crass and unsurprising illustration of the president, who famously boasted on a hot mic that he grabs women by the pussy before millions of Americans voted him into the nations highest and most powerful political office for the first time. But Trumps gross language doesnt bode well as his administration continues to bungle the release of the Epstein files. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to his death, pedophilic sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein described himself as one of Trumps closest friends. The socialites were named and photographed together on several occasions and were caught partying with underage girls in New Jersey casinos. Epstein was invited to attend Trumps wedding to Marla Maples in 1993, and in 2002, Trump told New York magazine that Epstein was a terrific guy. Hes a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side, Trump told the magazine. But Trump also has a terrible track record with how he treats women all on his own. The current president was found liable by a jury two years ago for sexually abusing Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll, and was convicted as a felon for crimes relating to his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to kill House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher Moynihan, who was among a small group of Jan. 6 rioters convicted for breaching the Senate floor and rifling through senators desks, was arrested by New York State Police after a thorough investigation, which authorities say began with an anonymous tip to the FBI. Court records reflect that the FBIs tipster told the bureau that on Oct. 17, Moynihan made statements regarding the assassination of Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and that he planned to carry out the attack in a few days, while the Democratic House leader was in New York. The person told the FBI that Moynihan described the motivation for the plot as the future and voiced concern that the man given clemency by Trump had been abusing drugs and expressing increasing homicidal ideations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators also indicated they had reason to believe Moynihan owned or had access to a firearm. Moynihans Oct. 19 arrest was first reported by CBS News. He faces a charge of making a terroristic threat against a member of Congress. Jeffries praised state and federal authorities for apprehending Moynihan and lamented Trumps blanket pardon. Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned, Jeffries said in a statement. Moynihan was part of a group of Trump supporters who entered the Capitol early Jan. 6, reaching the Senate chamber just minutes after lawmakers evacuated. Charging documents from that case say Moynihan could be seen on video reviewing papers on senators desks and saying, Theres got to be something we can use against these fucking scumbags. He then stood on the Senate dais where then-Vice President Mike Pence had stood just minutes earlier alongside QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley and others who formed the early vanguard of the Jan. 6 mob. Moynihan was convicted in 2022 at a bench trial by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who later sentenced him to 21 months in prison for obstructing Congress proceedings on Jan. 6, 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cooper released him from prison a year into his sentence after the Supreme Court agreed to review questions about the way obstruction charges had been applied to those who attacked the Capitol. In reaching the decision,Cooper emphasized that he believed Moynihan would not present a danger to the community upon release. After Trumps inauguration, Moynihans case was dismissed altogether, following Trumps grant of clemency to those who participated in the Jan. 6 riot. Moynihan is one of a growing list of Jan. 6 defendants who have been charged with, convicted of, or sentenced for other crimes since Trump ended the nationwide manhunt. One of them, Edward Kelley, was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for attempting to carry out an assassination plot against law enforcement officials who investigated him over his role in the riot. Others have faced burglary, possession of child pornography or firearms-related charges. But Moynihan is the first Jan. 6 defendant accused of explicitly targeting a member of Congress for violence after Trumps pardon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moynihans arrest is also notable because it arrives in the midst of a national debate over political violence, particularly in the wake of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Trump and his allies have repeatedly ascribed political violence exclusively to left-wing extremists, and the president has worked in recent weeks to push conspiracy theories that the Jan. 6 attack was instigated by the FBI or other government actors, rather than supporters who believed that the 2020 election was stolen. Asked about the threat against Jeffries, Speaker Mike Johnson called it terrible "Anybody who threatens to kill any political official, we denounce it absolutely, Johnson told reporters. Gotta have justice fall upon their head I will say that anybody, anybody who threatens political violence against elected officials or anyone else, should be having [the] full weight and measure of Department of Justice on their head. I trust that will happen. I hope it will. But he nevertheless reiterated the claim that the violence on the left is far more prevalent than the violence on the right. Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live. Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. I will kill him for the future, the text messages read, according to the complaint, dated Saturday. The messages were sent on Friday, it said. These text messages placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant, the complaint said. Tensions between Colombia and the United States reached a new peak Sunday, with Donald Trump calling Colombian President Gustavo Petro an illegal drug dealer, promising to end payments to the country, and even alluding to military action against Colombian drug producers. The White Houses threat to suspend all funds to Colombia could deal a heavy blow to the countrys security forces at a critical time and curb the Trump administrations counter-narcotics efforts. Reports the White House is considering tariffs on imports from the South American nation also threaten to undermine the countrys economy, which depends on exports to the U.S. Trumps announcement follows a year of tumultuous relations with Petro, who has clashed with the White House on issues ranging from deportations to drug control, most recently accusing the U.S. of violating Colombian sovereignty in an alleged attack on a fishing boat on Sept. 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Gustavo Petro, of Columbia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, Trump wrote Trump in a Sunday morning post on Truth Social, misspelling the countrys name. He adde that any form of payment, or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia. His announcement came hours after Petro claimed that a U.S. boat attack in the Caribbean last month invaded our national territory, with a missile aimed at a humble fisherman. Worst case scenario Trumps declaration has caused alarm in Colombia, which already lost 70% of all humanitarian funds when the White House shuttered USAID programs worldwide in February. Sundays announcement could signal fresh cuts, this time to vital security assistance, which made up 64% of the $14.2 billion in aid to Colombia from the U.S. since 2000, according to the Washington Office on Latin America, a research and advocacy group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If that funding was to be cut I think were really looking at a real worst-case scenario, said Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Colombia Analyst at International Crisis Group, an independent organization that works to prevent wars. Colombias police and army depend on the U.S. not just for direct funding but also for training, intelligence and communications. Currently Colombias security forces are facing their biggest threat since the 2016 peace deal with FARC rebels, fighting a slew of powerful armed groups tied to the narcotics trade. Colombia is currently facing its most serious internal security crisis in the last decade, and the capabilities of the security forces are already very stretched, Dickinson said. A full-blown funding cut could not only jeopardize Colombias internal security goals but would also deal a blow to an alliance that has been crucial to Washingtons counter-narcotics policy over the last three decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The overlap between Colombian and U.S. goals was exemplified when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Sunday that Washington destroyed an alleged drug boat on Friday belonging to the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas, who are currently fighting the Colombian military. A full funding cut would really be sort of the U.S. shooting themselves in the foot in terms of counter-narcotics policy, Dickinson said. Empty threat? Given the potential blowback of cutting funds to the Colombian military, Trumps announcement may be an empty threat. Its really hard to imagine a Republican administration doing that. But if they do, the outcry within the Defense Department will be just deafening, said Adam Isacson, director for Defense Oversight at Washington Office on Latin America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite political tensions between the White House and Bogota this year, the security establishments in Colombia and the U.S. still enjoy close ties. But that alliance will be put to the test if the White House cuts funds or follows through with a thinly veiled threat to use direct military force inside Colombia. Petro better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it wont be done nicely, Trump said Sunday. Isacson told the Herald he believes it unlikely the White House will engage in unilateral military action: Its not well thought out, and its certainly not something that I think came out of conversations with the Pentagon. Blow to Colombias economy In addition to security ramifications, Trumps backlash against Petro could deal a blow to Colombias economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham posted on X that Trump is planning to announce major Tariffs against the Country of Colombia, today or tomorrow. If true, the measures could be devastating for Colombias economy, which is highly reliant on exports to the U.S., its largest trading partner. In 2024, Colombias exports to the U.S. were valued at around $15 billion, according to the United Nations database on international trade. Maria Claudia Lacouture, president of the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce, responded to Graham, saying: Hitting the wallet doesnt strike a president; it lands on workers, farmers, and small businesses. Lacouture joined the voices calling for restraint and diplomacy, telling the Herald: Preserving bilateral relations and diplomatic channels is essential to protect the progress made and avoid setbacks in the countrys growth, stability and reputation. DONALD TRUMPS REVENGE TOUR is now in full swing. His Justice Department has already indicted three of his political adversaries, James Comey, Letitia James, and John Bolton. Comey and James were indicted on the most ephemeral charges imaginable. The Bolton indictment, perhaps not quite as loony as the first two, charges the former national security advisor with mishandling national defense information. This appears to be just the beginning of Trumps campaign of retribution. He has openly directed Bondi to target other political opponentsSenator Adam Schiff, Jack Smith, Lisa Monaco, and Fani Willis, to name a fewwhom he has characterized as guilty, criminals, and worse. Faced with the impossible task of defending the indefensible conduct of their Dear Leader, the GOP has adopted a so-called karma defense: What goes around comes around. They did it to Trump, the argument goes, now hes just doing it back to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jonathan Chait perfectly captured the letter and spirit of Trumps morally bankrupt karma defense in a recent Atlantic piece: When Republicans find themselves unable to defend something Donald Trump has done, they tend to look for a way to turn the blame onto his opponents. So it is with the presidents prosecutorial rampage against his enemies. The anti-anti-Trump right has declared that, although [the] series of vindictive charges . . . may be regrettable, Democrats brought it on themselves. Chait quotes right-wing radio host Erick Erickson (Two wrongs do not make a right, but Democrats did start this), National Review writer Dan McLaughlin (Trumps lawsuits are the predictable consequences of the Biden-era lawfare campaign against Donald Trump), and a truly terrible Washington Post editorial (Many Democrats still cannot see how their legal aggression against Trump . . . set the stage for [his] dangerous revenge tour). The problem with the GOPs retributive karma defense is not only that it is morally repugnant, but also that it is premised on lies. The first lie is that Trump himself was a victim of weaponized lawfare. Chait debunks this by pointing out that, with the possible exception of the New York state case in which Trump was convicted on 34 felony countswhich Chait and others believe may have been legally sound, but was nevertheless too marginal to merit prosecutionTrump was no victim of the legal system. To the contrary, in the cases brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith, Chait observes correctly that Trump benefited from notably lenient treatment by prosecutors, the courts, or both. Both the Florida classified documents indictment and the D.C. election-subversion indictment are replete with detailed allegations of corrupt, lawless behavior, much of which was never disputed. (And by the way, although hypocrisy is now so rampant that it normally passes without comment, how do Attorney General Pam Bondi and Vice President JD Vance square their argument that since Comey was indicted by a grand jury, there could not have been weaponization with their argument that the proof that Trump was the victim of weaponization is precisely that he was indicted by grand juries on far more serious charges than those leveled against Comey and James?) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Support our independent political journalism by signing up for a free or paid subscription: THE SECOND BIT OF DISHONESTY at the core of the karma defense is that the Biden administration corruptly targeted not only Trump, but also other people and organizations whose political views they disfavored. Senator Josh Hawley made the most comprehensive case that the Biden administration weaponized the DOJ against its political foes in an October 7 Senate Judiciary hearing. Hawley urged Bondi to investigate what he called a litany of abuses that Bidens DOJ committed against everyday Americans, including pro-lifers, parents at school board meetings, and ninety-two conservative advocacy organizations, like Charlie Kirks Turning Point USA. But none of the so-called abuses alleged by Hawley are real. They are tortured, misleading mischaracterizations of routine investigative conduct at best, outright lies at worst. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hawleys supposed big reveal was that the Biden FBI tapped my phone . . . tapped Lindsey Grahams phone, tapped Marsha Blackburns phone, tapped five other phones of United States senators. This one, quite simply, is a lienot a mistake or an exaggeration, a flat-out lie. The alleged wiretapping of GOP senators never happened. No senators were wiretapped, and Hawley knows it. What Hawley was referring to is a document released by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that indicated that Smith had obtained subpoenas to acquire a narrowly tailored range of cellphone tolling data of more than a half-dozen G.O.P senators to determine whom they had spoken to just before and after the January 6th riot at the Capitol. Hawley, a Yale Law School graduate, certainly knows the difference between obtaining such phone logs, which show whom the GOP lawmakers called, who called them, and when and where the calls were made, and tapping a phone, which records the content of the calls. This is not a minor distinction: One is a common investigative tactic that doesnt reveal the contents of conversations, and the other is a highly intrusive invasion of privacy requiring a court order. Hawleys other accusations of Biden-era weaponization are no better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His claim that the Biden administration was targeting Catholics who went to a certain kind of Mass and terrorizing everyday pro-lifers is equally dishonest. This is a reference to an eleven-page memo issued in early 2023 warning that increasingly observed interest of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology (emphasis added) might be mitigated by new avenues of intelligence gathering. The memo, which targeted violent extremists, not Catholics in general or everyday pro-lifers, was quickly withdrawn after it was leaked, and although DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz later concluded that errors in tradecraft and professional judgment had been made, he found that there was no evidence of malicious intent or an improper purpose. The FBI agreed with Horowitzs findings and stated that there was no intent or actions to investigate Catholics or anyone based on religion. Share Then theres the accusation that Merrick Garland, at the direction of the White House, issued a memo activating the FBIs counterterrorism division against parents who attended school board meetings and had the temerity to ask what their kids were being taught. Another lie. Garlands memo said nothing of the sort. It did not target parents who asked what their kids were being taught. Instead, it announced DOJ efforts to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel in light of an increase in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers in our nations public schools. Hawley, in other words, is accusing the Biden DOJ of investigating criminal conduct and threats of violence. Thats not improper weaponization; its exactly what the American justice system is supposed to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hawley then claimed that an individual named Mark Houck was prosecuted for going to an abortion clinic and praying on a sidewalk. False. Houck was charged with assaulting a 72-year-old volunteer outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia. He was ultimately acquitted of the charge, but he never denied that he twice shoved an elderly volunteer to the ground. To the contrary, he admitted it, but claimed that he did so to protect his 12-year-old son. Houck went through a trial and is thus entitled to his acquittal, but Hawley is not entitled to lie that Houck was arrested for going to an abortion clinic and praying on the sidewalk. Hawleys accusation that ninety-two conservative organizations were put under surveillance, targeted for potential prosecution is equally misleading. It refers generally to the FBIs Arctic Frost investigation into efforts by Trump and his supporters to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The accusation sweeps in not only the eight senators whose phone-tolling data was obtainedbut who were never tapped, targeted, surveilled, or accused of anythingbut also dozens of subpoenas that were issued to investigate what individuals or organizations might have been complicit in Trumps effort to overturn the election. That investigation resulted in grand jury indictments of Trump on criminal charges that were later dropped, but only because Trump won the 2024 election and could no longer be prosecuted under DOJ guidelines. Nobody else was indicted, and the vast majority of the people and organizations that received routine investigative subpoenas were neither put under surveillance nor targeted for potential prosecution. There is really no other way to put it: The GOPs tit-for-tat karma defense is not only morally appalling but also an artifice built on lies. And even if some of it were truewhich it isntit would not justify, excuse, or mitigate the orgy of real weaponization currently taking place at Trumps explicit direction. Share RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of misleading the people of Bihar with hollow promises on industrial development. His remarks came after Shah spoke about the state's land shortage as a major hurdle in setting up large-scale industries. Sharing a clip of Amit Shah's interview to a News network on X, Tejashwi wrote, "Even after running the government in Bihar for 20 years, the Home Minister is making excuses, saying that the factory will be set up in Gujarat only, but the labour there will be from Bihar. Biharis will no longer fall for these deceptions." https://x.com/yadavtejashwi/status/1980539113720934507 In the video, Amit Shah can be heard explaining that Bihar faces practical difficulties in bringing large industries due to a lack of available land. "We all know that there is a shortage of land in Bihar. Bringing any major industry to Bihar presents significant difficulties in finding land. Therefore, we should focus on industries that require minimal land. That's why we want to make Bihar the nation's AI hub. We want to make Bihar a hub for the software industry," Shah said. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah sounded the bugle for the high-stakes Bihar assembly elections and announced that if the NDA returns to power in Bihar, it will transform the state into an "industrial hub." Addressing the Intellectuals Conference in Bihar's Patna, Shah affirmed that the youth of Bihar have the highest intelligence in the whole world, and now it's time for Bihar 3.0. "Now it's time for Bihar 3.0... We will make Bihar an industrial hub... Youth of Bihar have the highest intelligence in the whole world. Bihar may have a shortage of land, but we can introduce projects that require more mental work and less land," Shah said in Patna. Shah also launched a sharp attack on RJD supremo and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav, saying that the 15-year 'jungle raj' of Lalu-Rabri pushed Bihar back by almost half a century, adding that the state lost its dignity, splendour, and excellence during the same time. Shah, in a veiled attack on Tejashwi Yadav, said the same "jungle-raj" is before the people of Bihar today, with new faces and asking for votes. The Union Minister stated, "What era was that, in which Bihar became a sick state. In the 15 years of jungle rule alone, Bihar lost its pride, wealth, and knowledge. During the 15 years of jungle raj, Bihar had lost all its dignity, splendour, and excellence of every kind. Imagine how those 15 years must have been... The period in which Bihar's reputation declined..." He further alleged that the industries set up in Bihar after independence left the state due to "Lalu Yadav's jungle-raj. The Union Minister said, "When he (Lalu Yadav) came out of jail in a corruption case and a procession was taken out on an elephant, we could not understand this kind of shamelessness... The industries that were established in Bihar at the time of independence gradually started leaving Bihar... That 15-year rule pushed Bihar back by almost half a century. The same 'jungle raj' is in front of the people of Bihar today with new faces." Meanwhile, on Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections. With this announcement, the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear, with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. The polling for the 243-seat Assembly is scheduled to be held on November 6 and November 11, with counting set for November 14. (ANI) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The nominee for U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, told a group of other Republicans in a text chain that the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell" and that he has a "Nazi streak," according to a report published on Monday by Politico. Ingrassia, who currently works as White House liaison at the Department of Homeland Security, also called assassinated civil rights leader King the "1960s George Floyd," referring to the Black man killed by Minneapolis police in 2020, the report said. Ingrassia's Senate nomination hearing for the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates federal whistleblower complaints and discrimination claims, is scheduled for Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lawyer for Ingrassia, Edward Andrew Paltzik, told Politico that the messages could have been manipulated or doctored to damage Ingrassia's confirmation chances. "We do not concede the authenticity of any of these purported messages," Paltzik said. Paltzik did not respond to a request for comment, and Reuters was unable to reach Ingrassia directly. Both the White House and DHS did not respond to requests for comment. Over the summer, the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee postponed Ingrassia's hearing, without giving a reason. Politico said in its report that the delay was over concerns that Ingrassia had expressed antisemitic views. Senators have also said they are concerned about 30-year-old Ingrassia's lack of legal experience. As part of the group chat obtained by Politico, Ingrassia at one point said he didn't believe in holidays that celebrate Black Americans "from kwanza [sic] to mlk jr day to black history month to Juneteenth." He then added: "Every single one needs to be eviscerated." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another chat, he reportedly said, "I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it." The text chains date back as far as December 2023, according to Politico. (Reporting by James Oliphant, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) US President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest appears increasingly uncertain, according to US media reports on Tuesday. Politico reported, citing the White House, that the planned meeting in Budapest was no longer in the works after Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday. CNN also reported that the summit could be delayed, with a preliminary meeting between Rubio and Lavrov seen as a key step before the leaders meet put on hold, citing White House sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NBC News said the Monday call had been productive, but that officials believed Russia and Ukraine were not ready for serious peace talks. The Washington Post also wrote that there were no plans for a meeting in the near future. An enquiry by dpa to the White House and the State Department initially went unanswered. Trump had announced on Thursday that he wanted to meet with Putin in Budapest to discuss the war in Ukraine. The US president did not specify a date - but shortly afterwards spoke of "probably in the next two weeks." (The Center Square) The in-person meeting between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has apparently been called off, days after it was announced the two leaders had planned to meet in Hungary. The White House released a statement saying that, due to a productive call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, an in-person meeting between Rubio and Lavrov is not necessary. It went on to say that there are currently no plans for Trump and Putin to meet in the immediate future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unclear if the meeting was called off due to a breakdown in negotiations between the two countries. On Thursday, the president announced that following a phone call that he described as a very productive one, the two had agreed to meet in Budapest, to work on bringing the inglorious war between the two Eastern European countries to an end. The proposed meeting between Trump and Putin would have been the second time the two would have met this year. Trump met with Putin in August, where the two appeared to make progress, opening the door for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. The meeting between the two Eastern European leaders has yet to happen, despite hopes from Trump that it would lead to peace. On Friday, the president hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. Trump pushed for the two leaders to make a deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was very interesting, and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts, the president posted to Truth Social Friday evening. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide! The president pleaded with the leaders to stop shooting, no more Death, no more vas and unsustainable sums of money spent. The president has stated that he is eager to strike a peace deal between the two countries, noting that he believed the war would be easier to resolve, and adding that there is a lot of bad blood between the two leaders. President Donald Trumps own words were used in a blistering motion to dismiss the case against former FBI Director James Comey for vindictive prosecution, among other things. Comey was indicted shortly after Trump publicly pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to go after a list of enemies in a DM-style Truth Social post and again in remarks to reporters. Many experts have observed that Trump, who continued to rail against Comey uncontrollably, could be helping Comey build a case for malicious prosecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That premise was put to the test on Monday, when Comeys Patrick Fitzgerald-led legal team filed motions to get the case dismissed over those attacks, and for what they say is an illegal appointment of former Trump attorney-turned-US Attorney Lindsey Halligan. Comeys team filed a motion to Dismiss Indictment based on Vindictive and Selective Prosecution by James B. Comey, Jr, and another motion to Dismiss Indictment based on Unlawful Appointment. The former motion begins: The indictment in this case arises from multiple glaring constitutional violations and an egregious abuse of power by the federal government. The United States Constitution entitles individuals to speak out against the government and, in turn, forbids the government from retaliating against individuals for their protected speech. And bedrock principles of due process and equal protection have long ensured that government officials may not use courts to punish and imprison their perceived personal and political enemies. But that is exactly what happened here. President Trump ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute Mr. Comey because of personal spite and because Mr. Comey has frequently criticized the President for his conduct in office. When no career prosecutor would carry out those orders, the President publicly forced the interim U.S. Attorney to resign and directed the Attorney General to effectuate justice against Mr. Comey. He then installed a White House aide with no prosecutorial experience as interim U.S. Attorney. The Presidents new hand-picked interim U.S. Attorney indicted Mr. Comey just days laterand days before the relevant statute of limitations was set to expire. Attached to the motion was a whopping 59-page list of attacks by Trump on Comey dating back to 2017. The post Trump Rants Cited In Blistering Motion To Dismiss Comey Case For Vindictive and Selective Prosecution first appeared on Mediaite. President Trump received the Architect of Peace Award from the Nixon Foundation during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. Among those presenting it were Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia Nixon Cox; former national security adviser Robert O'Brien; and Jim Byron, the acting archivist of the U.S., sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. Per the Richard Nixon Foundation's website, the award, established in 1995, is given to people who embody Nixon's "lifelong goal of shaping a more peaceful world." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Trump was central to the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which was announced two days before the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded. Mr. Trump has publicly advocated that he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he had intervened in numerous conflicts. After the Nobel Prize was awarded to Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, White House communications director Steven Cheung accused the Nobel committee of choosing "politics over peace." Mr. Trump, for his part, said he called Machado to congratulate her and said she said "I'm accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it." Eye Opener: Police arrest a man with an assault rifle at Atlanta's airport Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Portland resident says ICE agents entered home without a warrant The theory of soft power probably isnt something that the average Kansan thinks about on a regular basis. But we probably should, because it affects us pretty dramatically. I had a fascinating interview last week with an expert on this, Thomas Garrett, the president of the American Committees on Foreign Relations. He was in town as the guest speaker for the Wichita Committee on Foreign Relations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crux of his talk was that there are two kinds of power the United States can exercise on the world stage hard power and soft power. And balancing the two is the key to effective foreign policy a balance thats been abandoned by the Trump administration. Hard power includes things like military might and economic pressure tactics, such as tariffs and sanctions. Soft power leans more toward being the good guys in the world, providing such things as food, medicine, mosquito nets and education to struggling countries, along with clear messaging about the ideals, culture, values and generosity of the American people. As Garrett puts it, soft power is persuasive, as opposed to hard power, which is coercive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since World War II, presidents from the most conservative Republicans to the most liberal Democrats have exercised both kinds of power, which made us the most successful and influential country on the globe. But thats changed. In the first 10 months of the Trump administration, were seeing almost a sole reliance purely on the idea of hard power. Through Elon Musks Department of Government Inadequacy Efficiency, the Trump administration shut down Americas most effective ways of projecting soft power, including USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), which used to distribute humanitarian aid to the world. And the administration is in court over cuts to cripple another instrument of soft power, the Voice of America, which broadcasts uncensored news to people living under totalitarian regimes. And where were moving out, our adversaries, primarily China, are moving in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We had projects that had just begun that just stopped abruptly you know, days notice. Sorry, but were out of here, Garrett said. This has just handed China this very low cost, high yield opportunity to say, You know, were a responsible member of the neighborhood. Were a responsible member of the global community. Were a leader in development. Were going to pick up all these places where the United States has dropped the ball. Here in the heartland, its easy to forget that we have a huge stake in international affairs. When our nation sends aid to a struggling Third World country, we arent just writing a check and saying, Go forth and feed your people. The checks actually go to American businesses and support American jobs many of them right here in the mid-continent. In the field of foreign assistance concerning commodities, probably theres not been a good job done in explaining to the American people that when they hear about these large sums at USAID, thats purchasing American grain, thats purchasing American products, Garrett said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So were not just starving people worldwide, were hurting ourselves in the process. The farm community was one of the single largest blocs in support of President Trumps reelection last year, Garrett said. As far as demographic groups go, theyre suffering, I think, pretty intensely right now. The impact of their vote has happened pretty quickly to this bloc. Case in point: the $20 billion (which may grow to $40 billion) in bailouts that Trump has promised to Argentina to prop up its failing economy is hard power masquerading as soft power. It comes with a big string attached: To get Americas help, Argentinian voters have to keep the ruling party of President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, in power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Economic hard power doesnt have to only be tariffs, Garrett explains. It can actually be a bailout that I think almost no credible economist supports. Argentina has fairly solid history of not repaying loans. But as usual with this administration, its politics over the interests of the American people. The bailout is required, really, for ideological purposes to support someone who was DOGE before DOGE, Garrett said. You know, it was President Melei of Argentina that gave Elon Musk the chainsaw that he brandished at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference). The chainsaw, which did represent what Elon Musk did to the (U.S.) government in his brief time there, was the trademark symbol of Argentinas president during his campaign and his presidency. So whats a $20-$40 billion bailout between friends, right? Hows that hurt us? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres how: When Trump levied tariffs on Chinese imports (a classic hard-power move), China responded by boycotting U.S. soybeans. Soybeans are the fourth-largest cash crop for Kansas agriculture: $1.4 billion a year. Our farmers are scrambling to find a new market for their crops while Chinas buying beans in South America, primarily Brazil and Argentina. And that was before Trump announced a plan to flood American markets with Argentine beef to bring down prices. For the record, cattle and calves are Kansas No. 1 ag product, almost $15 billion last year. These are uncertain times for the Kansas economy, but this much is certain: the cost of owning the libs has never been higher. Disgraced former Rep. George Santos had served just three months of a seven-year prison sentence for fraud when President Donald Trump gave him a commutation last week. The news was a shock to the disabled Navy veteran he defrauded, but not surprising to legal experts who have been tracking Trumps expansive use of the pardon power. At this stage in his second term, Trump has far exceeded the clemency record of his first stint in the Oval Office, and he has front-loaded these actions compared to past presidents, who typically issued pardons and commutations in their final days in office. So far, less than a year into his second term, the president has granted clemency to more than 1,600 people, according to the Justice Departments website, far exceeding the level of most presidents in a full four-year term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bulk of those actions went to Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot offenders. Those offenders protested the results of the 2020 election, which Trump continues to falsely claim was stolen due to widespread voter fraud. On his first day as president, Trump fulfilled a campaign vow with the bulk pardons, relieving his supporters in mass who faced investigations for their actions on Jan. 6. Trump ran his 2024 president campaign while facing four criminal cases, dismissing his prosecutions as retribution from his political opponents. After Trump won Novembers general election, all of those cases were dismissed in line with longstanding tradition that prevents the Justice Department from prosecuting a sitting American leader. Last week, Trump even encouraged Israeli President Issac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption in three separate cases. Cigars and champagne who the hell cares about this? he told Israels parliament. Its no surprise that most of Trumps clemency actions have also focused on individuals he has deemed victims of politically motivated prosecutions, including nearly two dozen anti-abortion activists. Many such activists were accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE, Act for obstructing the entrances to reproductive health care clinics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other beneficiaries include white-collar criminals like Santos. Trumps clemency grant to Santos clears him of his obligation to pay $373,749.97 to his victims for his crimes, including campaign donors, political parties, government agencies, elected bodies, his own family members, and his constituents, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York said in an April statement. The justice system has lost more than $1 billion in fines, forfeitures and restitution as a result of the presidents pardons, according to Liz Oyer, a former Justice Department pardon attorney who tracks the activity in a database. Such losses can prevent victims from receiving debts owed to them, or the government from collecting on expected revenue. President Trump has applied the same norm-busting approach to the pardon power as he has to other aspects of his presidency, said Jeffrey Crouch, an associate professor at American University with an expertise in executive clemency powers, by email. Like in his first term, he seems unconcerned by blowback related to controversial pardons of political allies and celebrities. Legally, he has a lot of flexibility to use the clemency power as he sees fit, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presidents move to pardon Santos came days after the former representative penned an open letter to the sitting president in a local Long Island newspaper. Santos pleaded guilty in his case, where he was accused of wire fraud and identity theft. Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene also advocated for his release. Former President Joe Biden issued a series of controversial pre-emptive pardons in his final days in office, including for his son Hunter Biden and other Biden family members. Anthony Fauci, who became the face of the federal governments response to the Covid-19 pandemic, was also included on the list after he became a target of Republicans political ire. Members of the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6 riot were covered, too. Biden still holds the record for the acts of clemency during a single term with 4,245 instances, according to the Pew Research Center. Earlier this year, Trump appointed a pardon czar, Alice Marie Johnson, a 70-year-old woman who spent decades in jail as a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. Reality television star Kim Kardashian played a key role in lobbying for her release. Johnson was sentenced to life in prison before Trump commuted her sentence and later granted her a full pardon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supporters of the president, like Santos, have received the early share of his clemency actions. The president told reporters that Sean Diddy Combs, the rapper sentenced to prostitution charges earlier this year, had asked for a pardon, despite Trump describing Combs as very hostile toward him as a politician, though they previously had a cordial relationship. If I think someone was mistreated, it wouldnt matter whether they like me or dont, Trump told reporters. Ill take a look at it. Subscribe to the Project 47 newsletter to receive weekly updates on and expert insight into the key issues and figures defining Trumps second term. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plan to meet at the White House on November 18 to discuss new defense and intelligence agreements between Washington and Riyadh. US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plan to meet at the White House on November 18, CBS News said on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The visit would mark the first time he has visited Washington since Trump won a second term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two are also likely to discuss deals made in May, as well as military cooperation and intelligence sharing between the two countries, CBS reported. There is likely to be a signing of the deals during the visit, but details are still in flux, two sources told CBS. While the Saudi crown prince has not visited the White House in over seven years, he met with Trump during the latter's four-day Middle East trip earlier this month. US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman shake hands during a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER) Saudi Arabia reportedly seeking defense pact with Washington Saudi Arabia has signalled that it would like to sign a defense pact with Washington, similar to the one the US recently signed with Qatar, pledging that an armed attack on the Gulf state would be treated as a threat to the US, resulting in being defended by the US military. Oct. 20 (UPI) -- One week after a cease-fire deal in Gaza, two U.S. envoys -- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- met Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Monday regarding the fragile truce. The deal has been tested, including after Israel carried out a series of deadly strikes Sunday the south of the Palestinian enclave. The two sides traded blame for the clashes. One day after the attacks, CBS News reported the skies over Gaza were quiet. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said 45 people were killed in the Israeli airstrikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, plan to vist Israel starting Tuesday, including meeting with Netanyahu. Trump, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were in Israel earlier as the hostage and prisoners were exchanged, then they went to Egypt for a deal signing. Kushner, who is the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, spoke with Witkoff and Netanyahu about "developments and updates in the region," Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Netanyahu's office, said during a news conference. Israeli tanks move out from a position along the border fence with the Gaza Strip on Monday. Israel and Hamas exchanged fire Sunday with two Israelis soldiers killed and some 45 Palestinians killed. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI "Do not act in a way that would endanger the cease-fire," The Times of Israel reported they told Netanyahu. "We want to do everything to reach the second phase," noting "self-defense" is acceptable, but "risking the ceasefire" is not. Netanyhau also appeared at the opening winter session of the parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem. Injured children receive treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis following an Israeli strike on a tent sheltering displaced persons in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday. Photo by Haitham Imad/EPA The prime minister urged unity from Israel's political spectrum after a scathing speech by opposition leader Yair Lapid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I call on everyone, on both members of the opposition and the coalition, and through you to the public ... we know what a terrible catastrophe baseless hatred caused in our history," Netanyahu said. "This is the time to lower the flames." An Israeli soldier gives the "love" hand gesture from the turret of his tank Monday as it deploys from a position along the Israel side of the border fence with the Gaza Strip toward a crossing point before entering the Palestinian enclave. Israel said it was returning to the cease-fire after clashes over the weekend. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI He added: "In a democracy, we can come to decisions of majority and minority. It is also possible to reach compromise. It also possible, and necessary, to debate disagreements. But to do this with a focus on the matter at hand, certainly not with violence, certainly not with threats of murder of elected officials, certainly not with threats of murder against the prime minister and his family, and also the families of ministers." Witkoff and Kusher are in Israel to work on any obstacles to the cease-fire, including Hamas releasing the remainig dead hostages. The militants said Israel is banning the equipment to find the bodies in rumble isn't allowed. Israel Defense Forces tanks move out from a position along the Israel side of the border fence with the Gaza Strip on Monday toward a crossing point before entering the Palestinian enclave. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI On Monday night, Israel Defenses Force said it received from the Red Cross the remains of one hostage, which went to Tel Aviv for identification. The family has been informed, Netanyahu's office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sixteen bodies have not been released. The remains of 12 have been returned. Israeli soldiers push a military Humvee in a staging area along the border with the Gaza Strip on Monday. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI One week ago, Hamas released the last 20 living hostages, within 72 hours of Israel's withdrawal to the Yellow Line. One of those deceased hostages was a soldier killed in fighting in the 2014 war. The others were abducted when Hamas attacked Israel on June 7, 2023, when Hamas took 251 people hostage and more than 1,200 Israelis were killed. The Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll has passed 68,000, including militants and civilians. Before the cease-fire, 138 hostages had been released, including during truces, while eight have been rescued by the Israeli military. Hamas is holed up on the eastern side of the Yellow Line with 53% of the Gaza Strip under Israel control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Any Hamas operative found beyond the Yellow Line in territory under Israeli control must evacuate immediately," Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. "The leaders of Hamas will bear responsibility for any incident. Anyone who remains in the area will be targeted without any further warning, to allow IDF troops to operate freely and immediately against any threat." On Friday, Katz ordered that physical markers be set up along the Yellow Line as a warning, and any violation or attempt to cross the line will be met with fire." On Sunday, a day after a gunmen emerged from a tunnel deep within Israeli-held territory in southern Gaza's Rafah, killing two soldiers. Another three troops were wounded by sniper fire in the same area. In response, the military carried out strikes against 20 targets in Gaza, which the Hamas-run civil defense agency said killed 45 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas denied responsibility, claiming "communication has been cut off" with operatives in Israeli-controlled areas. Trump spoke tough to Hamas on Monday. "If we have to, they'll be eradicated, and they know that," Trump said at the White House. "We're going to go in and straighten it out, and it'll happen very quickly and pretty violently." U.S. troops won't be involved in any fighting, Trump, adding other forces are in place and ready to carry out orders. On Sunday night, Trump insisted that a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas remained in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said the agreement would hold and that "rebels" that he did not identify were responsible for alleged violations, not, Hamas. "Either way, it's going to be handled properly. It's going to be handled toughly, but properly," Trump added. The Israeli military said it struck dozens of targets through Sunday evening in retaliation for Hamas' alleged "anti-tank missile and gunfire" that killed two soldiers in Rafah. Aid deliveries were suspended. Hamas denied all knowledge of the attack in Rafah and reiterated its commitment to the cease-fire. It accused Israel of violations, warning that the attacks were jeopardizing the truce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IDF announced late Sunday that the operation was over and that it was resuming "enforcement of the cease-fire" and would permit aid to begin to flow again Monday, but warned that any violation of it would be met with a "firm response." This was the worst setback since the deal came into force Oct. 10. Before departing the United States, Kushner told CBS News that while the truce was fragile, he believed Hamas was acting in good faith to stick to the agreement and was "seriously looking for the bodies" of the 16 Israeli hostages it had promised to return but had yet to do so. Vance also sought to explain the violence, saying some turbulence was normal in the early stages of any cease-fire. His schedule also includes meetings with hostage families and a visit to a humanitarian facility in Gaza. "Hamas is going to fire on Israel. Israel's going to have to respond, of course. There are going to be moments where you have people within Gaza that you're [not] quite sure what they're actually doing. But we think it has the best chance for sustainable peace," he said. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Tuesday paid heartfelt tribute to police personnel who made the "supreme sacrifice" while serving the nation on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day. In a post on X, Rajasthan CM said, "I pay humble tribute to all the brave police personnel who made the supreme sacrifice while performing their duty towards national service. The saga of your courage, dedication to duty, and patriotism will forever remain a source of inspiration for the coming generations of the country." https://x.com/BhajanlalBjp/status/1980459635548041245 To honour the everlasting memory of gallant Policemen, who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, October 21 every year is observed as 'Commemoration Day' by the Police forces all over India. The significance of October 21 lies in the fact that ten brave Policemen were ambushed and killed by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959, in an unequal confrontation inside Indian territory. To honour the memory of these ten valiant Policemen, the DGsP/IGsP Conference held in 1962 decided to observe October 21 every year as Police Commemoration Day. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid heartfelt tributes to India's police personnel on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, lauding their courage, dedication, and sacrifices in maintaining the nation's safety and security. In a post shared on X, PM Modi said, "On Police Commemoration Day, we salute the courage of our police personnel and recall the supreme sacrifice by them in the line of duty. Their steadfast dedication keeps our nation and people safe. Their bravery and commitment in times of crisis and in moments of need are appreciable." Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the Police Commemoration Day programme at the National Police Memorial in Delhi on Tuesday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also laid a wreath and paid homage to police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during the Police Commemoration Day programme held at the Police Parade Ground in Naigaon, Mumbai. Whereas, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar paid homage to police martyrs during the Police Commemoration Day programme held at the Police Memorial at the Centre for Police Research in Pune. (ANI) President Donald Trump said he would be open to talking to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries if they first agree to reopen the government. Trump made the comments at the White House on Tuesday during a Diwali celebration as the government shutdown entered its 21st day. I would like to meet with both of them, but I set one little caveat, Trump told reporters. They have to let the country open. The people want to go back to work. They want to be served. They want to, they need the services of some people, and a lot of people need the money, the payroll, so I'll do it as soon as they open up the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Democrats so far have blocked a so-called continuing resolution, a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open while the Senate and House negotiate the spending bills for the fiscal year. While the CR keeps spending at current levels, Democrats say they want to include an extension of the Covid-era enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Acts health insurance marketplaces. Many states marketplaces will begin to notify customers about premium increases come next month. President Donald Trump said he would talk to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York on one condition. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) But Republicans have argued that they cannot negotiate in good faith while the government is shut down and talks are nearly nonexistent. On Tuesday, the president invited Senate Republicans to the White House for a luncheon on the patio. During a rambling and incoherent speech, he touted how Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, who he likened to Darth Vader from Star Wars, was cutting all the things that they wanted, in reference to projects in Democratic-leaning states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed when asked about whether there could be any negotiations. The Independent asked why he, Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Jeffries and Schumer cant meet with the president. That can happen as soon as we reopen the government, Thune said. Johnson for his part has kept the House out of session ever since he passed a continuing resolution last month with only one Democratic member of Congress voting for it and little Democratic input. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also expressed frustration after the luncheon when asked why senators could not meet in a room as in the days of yore and work out a deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do have good people that are doing exactly that, but I think it's well recognized that it's not just the House that has to figure this out, she told The Independent. That the administration is going to have to sign off on it so that the House will ultimately sign off on it. Dealmaking has become essentially nonexistent throughout the shutdown, with neither side being willing to give in an inch. Many Republicans have long opposed the Affordable Care Act ever since Barack Obama signed the legislation in 2010 with no Republican support. Democrats scoffed at Trumps proposal. This guy, you know, he claims he knows the art of the deal, Sen Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), who represents a state Trump won, told The Independent. He doesn't know anything about that, obviously, from his behavior. But Baldwin said that Trump might want to find a deal on health care tax credits. He wants to solve this, he's just being obstinate, she said. He owns this shutdown. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he does not think Ukraine can win the war against Russia, but added, "anything is possible". "They could still win it," Trump said at the White House on Monday. "I don't think they will. They could still win it. I never said they would win it ... you know war is a very strange thing." On Friday, Trump called on Kyiv and Moscow to freeze the battle lines and "stop where they are" in a bid to end Russia's ongoing all-out war following a lengthy meeting in Washington with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The comments on Monday represent another shift in Trump's position on the fighting. After meeting with Zelenskyy in New York on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly last month, Trump even said he believed the Ukrainians could win back all the territory they had lost to Russia since Putin launched the full-scale invasion in 2022. US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, 19 October, 2025 - AP Photo That was a dramatic shift for Trump, who on the 2024 campaign trail and for much of the early part of his second term as president, insisted that Kyiv would have to cede land lost to Russia to end the fighting. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said his reportedly tense meeting with Trump on Friday was "positive" even though he did not secure the Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelenskyy said Trump reneged on the possibility of sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine, which would have been a major boost for Kyiv, following his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin hours before the Ukrainian leader and US president were to meet on Friday. "In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them," Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday in comments that were embargoed until Monday. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to reporters in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, 17 October, 2025 - AP Photo Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defence systems from US firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but Zelenskyy said procuring all of these would require time because of long production queues. He said he spoke to Trump about help procuring these quicker, potentially from European partners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Zelenskyy, Trump said during their meeting that Putin's maximalist demands, that Ukraine cede the entirety of Ukraines eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, was unchanged. Zelenskyy was diplomatic about his meeting with Trump despite reports that he faced pressure to accept Putin's demands, a tactic he has kept up since the disastrous Oval Office spat in February when the Ukrainian president was scolded on live television for allegedly not being grateful enough for continued US support. A damaged car and street in Kostiantynivka, 13 October, 2025 - AP Photo Zelenskyy said that because Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the current front line his overall message "is positive" for Ukraine. He said Trump was looking to end the war and hopes his meeting in the coming weeks with Putin in Hungary will pave the way for a peace deal after their first summit in Alaska in August failed to reach such an outcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone on Monday to discuss next steps toward ending the war, following conversations last week between presidents Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin. Both ministries issued similar vague statements that the conversation built on understandings reached by Trump and Putin in their 16 October call. Related After that, Trump reiterated that he expected to meet with Putin soon and that Rubio would meet a high-level Russian delegation, presumably led by Lavrov, this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither the US or Russian statements mentioned when either of those meetings might happen or where. The Russian statement described Rubio-Lavrov call as "constructive" while the US statement said that Rubio had "emphasised the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war." President Trump chided a reporter for asking why struggling American farmers should support a bailout for Argentinas beef industry, telling the young lady that you dont know anything about it. The White House recently announced a $20 billion package to help the South American country and its President Javier Milei, an early Trump ally, and floated a possible deal to buy some beef from the nation in order to bulk up supply in the US and lower prices. Aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening, a reporter asked Trump: What do you have to say to US farmers who feel that the deal is benefiting Argentina more than it is them President Trump lashed out at a reporter who asked why struggling American farmers should support a deal for Argentinas beef industry. AP Trump speaks to the press on October 19, 2025. Getty Images Trump cut off the reporter, saying: Look, look, Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You dont know anything about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reporters identity could not immediately be confirmed. Nothing is benefiting Argentina. Theyre fighting for their life. You understand what that means? the president continued. I happen to like the president of Argentina I think hes trying to do the best he can but dont make it sound like they are doing great. They are dying, alright? They are dying. The White House is planning a $20 billion currency swap, or loan, with Argentinas central bank in an effort to prop up the Argentine peso. Trump with Argentinian President Javier Milei at the White House on October 14, 2025. REUTERS The US Treasury will exchange dollars for pesos, with the expectation that the funds will eventually be paid back, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The arrangement angered US soybean farmers, who have lost market share to farmers in Argentina and Brazil amid Trumps trade battle. Just before the bailout was announced, Argentina also dropped its export taxes. China swooped in to purchase 7 million metric tons of soybeans from the nation. It imported zero soybeans from American farmers in September. Argentina President Javier Milei leads a campaign rally last week ahead of national elections. AP At a time when we should be finding ways to help American farmers deal with this chaotic trade policy, its extremely disappointing to see us bailing out Argentina and Argentina farmers in the process, Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union and a soybean grower, told NBC News. As Trump spoke to reporters about the bailout on Sunday, he also floated the idea of buying some beef from Argentina to lower prices at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, the National Cattlemens Beef Association said such a beef deal would harm American cattlemen and women, while also interfering with the free market. Justin Tupper, president of the US Cattlemens Association, said increasing our reliance on foreign beef weakens our industrys foundation and undermines rural America. Trump cut off the reporter and scolded her about Argentinas situation. NewsNation Ground beef prices have hit $6.32 per pound jumping about 13% from $5.58 at the same time last year, according to August data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Extreme droughts wreaked havoc on the cattle industry last year. The abnormally dry conditions reduced the amount of grass available for grazing, making farmers more reliant on feed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spike in demand helped inflate feed prices, piling on additional costs for ranchers and forcing them to shrink their herds. Further hampering supply was a flesh-eating pest called the New World Screwworm discovered in Mexican cattle herds, forcing the United States to halt imports. Washington resumed US cattle imports from Mexico in February. The White House has given Mexico a reprieve on steep 30% tariffs until the end of this month, though the nation still faces the same item-specific tariffs targeting steel and other businesses as other nations. The Trump administration has been given the green light to send the Oregon National Guard into Portland after a federal appeals court on Monday overturned a lower courts order to bar the deployment but theres at least one more legal hurdle to clear before there will be boots on the ground. After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority, the 2-1 ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Monday said. The ruling, supported by two judges appointed by President Donald Trump, overturns a temporary restraining order issued by US District Judge Karin Immergut, who last week extended two orders blocking the mobilization of federal troops to Portland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also marks a big win for the administration as it continues to battle other Democrat-led cities over troop deployment efforts that local and state leaders say are a disproportionate response to protests against the administrations immigration enforcement crackdown. Heres what else we know: When will troops be deployed? The ruling overturns only one of two lower court decisions to block the deployment of the National Guard in Portland, and because a second decision is still in force, troops cant immediately be mobilized. The second restraining order blocks the administration from mobilizing National Guard troops from anywhere in the US in Oregon. The administration argued in a Monday evening filing the second order should also be overruled given both lower court orders relied on the same legal reasoning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the legal battle over Oregon continues, hundreds of National Guard troops are in a holding pattern far from home, Gov. Tina Kotek said. Im very troubled by the decision of the court, Kotek said in a news conference Monday. These citizen soldiers have been pulled away from their families and their jobs for weeks to carry out some kind of mission in Oregon. If the second temporary restraining order is revoked, it is unclear when troops would be deployed or how many would be federalized, Kotek said, citing a lack of communication from the Trump administration. We have approximately 200 Oregon National Guard members still at Camp Rilea in limbo, as well as California National Guard members at Camp Withycombe. No idea of the mission. No idea of the timeline, Kotek said Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A response Tuesday from the state of Oregon and others argued the court should not end or pause the second temporary restraining order. Until there is an en banc vote, it would be legal error for this Court to construe the panels non-final decision as a significant change in the law warranting dissolution of the Second TRO. Had Defendants appealed the Second TRO, the relief they now seek from this Court would already be before the Ninth Circuit, the filing said. Now, in their rush to file their Motion to Dissolve, Defendants have misconstrued the finality of the Ninth Circuit proceedings, failing to carry their burden for dissolution of the Second TRO, it added. Will the state or city appeal? The sole dissenting vote on the three-judge appellate panel came from Judge Susan P. Graber, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todays decision is not merely absurd. It erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States control over their States militias and the peoples First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the governments policies and actions, Graber wrote in her dissent. Echoing Grabers sentiments, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement, Todays ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification. Rayfield asked the 9th Circuit to act swiftly and throw out the majoritys ruling through an en banc review, in which a larger panel of 11 appellate judges would reconsider the case. Separately, a 9th Circuit judge Monday afternoon asked the court to vote on whether the case should be reheard en banc. While such a request is not unusual, its more common for either plaintiffs or defendants to request such a rehearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for the state and the Trump administration have until midnight on Wednesday to make their arguments. Protests in Portland against White House immigration policies started in June, with a declared riot and arson arrests in mid-summer. The scene was largely calm until Trump declared in late September he was sending 200 Oregon National Guard troops to the city. Administration officials have characterized Oregons biggest city as war-ravaged and uncontrollably violent, which Kotek and other leaders in Oregon have emphatically disputed. Kotek on Monday said in court that the situation in Portland is nowhere as extreme as federal officials portray it to be. In a letter sent Friday to the Defense Department Office of Inspector General, a group of senators, including those from Oregon, asked for an inquiry into recent deployments of National Guard troops across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The senators argued that deployments were dangerous, unconstitutional, and also straining military readiness and resources, according to the letter. We urgently request that you initiate an inquiry into the cumulative effects of these domestic deployments of U.S. active-duty troops and the National Guardover the objections of state and local officialson military readiness, resources, personnel, and our military as an institution, the senators requested. What this means for other states Trumps success in Oregon comes on the same day officials from Illinois and the city of Chicago asked the US Supreme Court to block the administrations emergency request to keep National Guard troops in that state. The filing notes there is no rebellion or inability to execute federal law in Illinois, arguing the administration hasnt met legal requirements to activate troops over the states dissent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No protest activity in Illinois has rendered the President unable to execute federal law, the filing says, describing protests at the ICE facility in Broadview, near Chicago, as small, manageable by local authorities and having never hindered the continued operation of the ICE facility there. The filing addresses constitutional concerns that the federal government is pressuring Illinois to either use its own National Guard to carry out the Trump administrations priorities or let federal troops takeover, stating, Such coercion is independently unconstitutional. The Monday filing comes after Trump on Friday urged the Supreme Court to allow him to deploy the National Guard in Chicago in an emergency appeal against a lower court order that blocked the deployment of troops in the city. That temporary restraining order is set to expire on Thursday. The ruling, the administration argues, improperly impinges on the presidents authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Describing those protesting the administration in Chicago as rioters who are leading a violent resistance, the Trump administration told the justices Tuesday its decision to deploy the National Guard is unreviewable by courts or at the very least is entitled to great deference. If the presidents determination is reviewable at all, such review must be extremely deferential, the administration told the Supreme Court, pointing to recent decisions from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals that endorsed the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles and Portland to address similar violent resistance to federal immigration enforcement. In Tennessee, a group of seven elected officials sued the governor and the states attorney general last week for allowing the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis at the direction of Trump. US Army National Guard members patrol in the entertainment district, Beale Street, in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday. - Karen Pulfer Focht/Reuters Governor (Bill) Lees deployment violates both the Tennessee Constitution and state statutes, which allow the Guard to be called up only in the event of a rebellion or invasionand only when the General Assembly declares that public safety requires it, the officials said in a statement published by the National Immigration Law Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No such conditions exist in Memphis today. Lees office responded Monday to the lawsuit filed against him, saying the governor has the authority to deploy the states Guard troops under Tennessee law, CNN affiliate WATN reported. Federal troops were seen in Memphis for the first time on October 10, the Associated Press reported, including soldiers accompanied by Memphis police officers patrolling at the Pyramid, a landmark in the city. And for the second time in a week, Trump said on Sunday he would send the National Guard to San Francisco, telling Fox News Maria Bartiromo that the city went wrong, went woke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were going to San Francisco and were going to make it great, the president said. In response to Trumps comments, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video address that sending the National Guard would not help with the citys ongoing efforts to combat drug dealing. I am deeply grateful to the members of our military for their service to our country, but the National Guard does not have the authority to arrest drug dealers and sending them to San Francisco will do nothing to get fentanyl off the streets or make our city safer, the mayor said. While welcoming stronger coordination with federal authorities, Laurie cited declines in violent crime rate reaching levels not seen since the 1950s and record low tent camps to show the city achieving safety without compromising on our values or our laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobody wants you here, California Gov. Gavin Newsom also said in a social media post in response to Trumps comments. You will ruin one of Americas greatest cities. CNNs Amanda Musa, Andy Rose and Danya Gainor contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a significant critical-minerals deal at the White House, as the U.S. seeks to secure Australias rich rare-earth resources amidst Chinas increasingly stringent export regulations. The agreement, described by both leaders as an $8.5 billion pact between the allies, was the culmination of several months of negotiations, according to Trump. Albanese stated that the deal was just taking the relationship between the U.S. and Australia to the next level. This development follows Beijing's recent announcement that foreign companies will now require Chinese government approval to export magnets containing even trace amounts of rare-earth materials originating from China or produced with its technology. Trump's Republican administration views this as granting China extensive control over the global economy by dominating the technology supply chain. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sign an agreement on rare earth and critical minerals (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque) Australia is really, really going to be helpful in the effort to take the global economy and make it less risky, less exposed to the kind of rare earth extortion that were seeing from the Chinese, Kevin Hassett, the director of the White Houses National Economic Council, told reporters on Monday morning ahead of Trumps meeting with Albanese. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hassett noted that Australia has one of the best mining economies in the world, while praising its refiners and its abundance of rare earth resources. Among the Australian officials accompanying Albanese are ministers overseeing resources and industry and science, and Australia has dozens of critical minerals sought by the U.S. The prime minister's visit comes just before Trump is planning to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month. For Albanese's part, the prime minister said ahead of his visit that the two leaders will have a chance to deepen their countries' ties on trade and defense. Another expected topic of discussion is AUKUS, a security pact with Australia, the U.S. and the United Kingdom that was signed during U.S. President Joe Bidens Democratic administration. Trump has not indicated publicly whether he would want to keep AUKUS intact, and the Pentagon is reviewing the agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australia and the United States have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in every major conflict for over a century, Albanese said ahead of the meeting. I look forward to a positive and constructive meeting with President Trump at the White House. The center-left Albanese was reelected in May and suggested shortly after his win that his party increased its majority by not modeling itself on Trumpism. Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future, Albanese told supporters during his victory speech. ICE has spent more than $70 million on new weapons in the first nine months of President Donald Trumps second term, a 700 percent increase on the same period in 2024, according to a report. Citing records from the Federal Procurement Data System, Popular Information reports that the immigration force, which answers to Kristi Noems Department of Homeland Security, spent $71,515,762 on purchases of small arms, ordnance and ordnance accessories manufacturing between January 20 and October 18. That compares to $9,715,843 in the equivalent period in 2024 under Trumps predecessor, Joe Biden, and an average annual spend of just $8.4 million in the current presidents first term between 2017 and 2021. ICEs spending on weapons is up 700 percent year-on-year as the Trump administration ramps up its operations (Getty) Small arms refers to armor, explosives, chemical weapons, pistols, and rifles while ordnance and ordnance accessories manufacturing denotes other materials like artillery, barrels, extractors, and mounts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Independent that reporting that some of ICEs spending had gone on guided missile warheads and explosive components was false. ICE buying its law enforcement officers guns and non-lethal resources is a non-story, she said. It should come as no surprise that we purchase and acquire firearms for law enforcement especially amid the increased onboarding of 11,000 agents thanks to President Trumps Big Beautiful Bill. McLaughlin urged the press to cover the 1,000 percent increase in assaults against law enforcement including terrorist attacks, cars being used as weapons, and officers having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them. While the majority of the money has been spent on guns and armor for field agents, the outlay has also seen ICE purchase guided missile warheads and explosive components, according to Popular Information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Independent has also contacted the White House and ICE for comment. Despite the rapid uptick in investment, officials from the agency claimed that more money from Congress would be needed to expand the use of bodycams, the Associated Press reports. The comments came from Shawn Byers, deputy field office director for ICE, at a hearing on Monday as he addressed complaints that ICE agents are using increasingly combative tactics. Trumps mission to bring about the largest mass deportation program in history by rounding up and removing undocumented immigrants in the United States illegally has seen ICEs role greatly expanded and the agency flooded with federal funding. People march in protest against ICE in Chicago earlier this month (AFP/Getty) It currently estimates that it has approximately 20,000 active agents but Assistant Secretary McLaughlin recently said it has received more than 175,000 applications to join its ranks as a result of an ad blitz on platforms like Spotify, X, Meta, YouTube, and LinkedIn, with more than 18,000 tentative job offers issued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McLaughlin added that the departments incentive processing, such as signing-on bonuses, will continue during the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, which she blamed Democrats for. Official data published at the end of September reported that there are currently 59,762 people being held in ICE detention centers. The agencys increased prominence has brought increased criticism over its methods, however. In June, its operations in downtown Los Angeles attracted mass protests, prompting Trump to activate the National Guard against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who warned it would escalate the existing tensions. ICE has also attracted a deluge of unwanted headlines for the administration, including the recent revelation that it has arrested at least 20 children who are American citizens this year, two of whom had cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports of operations involving armed agents traumatizing mothers and children and firing pepper balls at a priest attending a demonstration have not helped their publicity drive. What were seeing is a general escalation of violence and the use of excessive force by ICE officers, Ed Yohnka of ACLU Illinois told NPR recently. Yohnka has filed a lawsuit on behalf of protesters who believe that ICEs tactics have violated their constitutional rights, stating: All over the country, federal agents have shot, gassed, and detained individuals engaged in cherished and protected activities. The suit accuses ICE and other federal agencies of the dangerous and indiscriminate use of near-lethal weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper-balls, flash grenades, and other unwarranted and disproportionate tactics. Oct. 21 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Monday said his administration is considering buying beef from Argentina, angering American cattle ranchers at a time when U.S. agriculture has been strained by high costs and trade uncertainty. Trump made the comment to reporters aboard Air Force One as a possible way to lower the price of beef in the United States. "One of the things we're thinking about doing is [importing] beef from Argentina," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement comes on the heels of the Trump administration on Oct. 10 stating his administration had finalized a $20 billion financial framework for Argentina. The deal has angered Democrats and some Republicans, because the bailout was announced roughly 10 days into the U.S. federal government shutdown. Argentina, led by vocal Trump ally President Javier Milei, directly competes with U.S. soybean farmers for the Chinese market. Asked what he would say to American farmers who feel the new deal is benefiting the South American country more than them, Trump said, "Argentina is fighting for its life." "You don't know anything about it," he said, directly addressing the reporter who asked the question. "They're fighting for their life. Nothing's benefiting Argentina. They're fighting for their life. Do you understand what that means? They have no money. They have no anything. They're fighting so hard to survive. If I can help them survive in a free world -- I happen to like the president of Argentina. I think he's trying to do the best he can." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Concerning the beef deal, he explained the United States would "buy some beef from Argentina," explaining "if we do that, that will bring our beef prices down." He said the Trump administration wouldn't buy "that much from Argentina" but doing so would help the South American nation while lowering beef prices at home. The cost of beef in the United States has hit record highs this year, steadily rising since December. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, the cost of beef has increased for the eighth consecutive month through August and was 13.9% higher in August compared to a year earlier. The announcement was met with swift anger from American beef ranchers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices," Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said in a statement. Woodall also pointed out that in the past five years, Argentina has sold more than $801 million of beef into the U.S. market, compared to just over $7 million worth of American beef to its market. Nonpartisan Farm Action, an agricultural sector watchdog, lambasted Trump's plan in an emailed statement to UPI, calling it "a betrayal of the American rancher." "After crashing the soybean market and gifting Argentina our largest export buyer, he's now poised to do the same to the cattle market," Christian Lovell, an Illinois cattle producer and Farm Action's senior director of programs, said in the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Washington should be focused on fixing our broken cattle market, not rewarding foreign competitors. With these actions, President Trump risks acting more like the president of Argentina than president of the United States." Sen. Deb Fisher, a Republican representing Nebraska, said she has been in touch with the Trump administration since his comments, saying that U.S. intervention in the beef market will "hurt" American ranchers. "Bottom line: if the goal is addressing beef prices at the grocery store, this isn't the way," she said in a statement. "I strongly encourage the Trump administration to focus on trade deals that benefit our ag producers -- not imports that will do more harm than good." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meriwether Farms, a Wyoming-based beef producer and Trump supporter, issued a letter to the president, saying the plan to buy beef from Argentina to stabilize U.S. prices would be "an absolute betrayal" of the American cattle rancher. "The practice of solving problems 'over there' before solving problems here on our soil is what contributed to the downfall of our country: Americans always come last," Meriwether Farms said. The U.S. soybean market has also been hit. In May, China stopped importing soybeans from the United States over Trump's imposition of tariffs, and found suppliers in Argentina and Brazil. President Donald Trumps planned second summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was shelved indefinitely Tuesday after Russia signaled it isnt interested in a new U.S. proposal for Ukraine peace negotiations. Just a few days after Trump announced the forthcoming summit, the meeting planned for Budapest was put on pause after a call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. There are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future, a White House official said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Russians have said they arent onboard with Trumps latest suggestion that a ceasefire would freeze the current front lines between invading Russian troops and Ukraine in the occupied Donbas region. Russias position has remained largely unchanged, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. Preparation is needed, serious preparation before a fresh meeting between Trump and Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added. Ukraine and its European allies may be breathing a sigh of relief that Putin, considered a master manipulator, wont get another chance to bend Trumps ear in person. Trump, who has flip-flopped several times in recent months on Ukraine, seemed ready to adopt Kremlin talking points again after a phone call with Putin last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A face-to-face meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday reportedly turned tense, with Trump rebuffing Kyivs request for U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles to strike deeper into Russia. European leaders oppose pressuring Ukraine to surrender occupied land, although Ukraine supports a ceasefire along the current front lines to permit peace talks to start. Putin believes the military momentum is on his side and has told Trump he would stop the war only if Ukraine cedes all of the Donbas. Ukraine still holds about 28% of the region after 3 1/2 years of the Russian invasion. Trump did not immediately comment on the summit delay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two leaders first summit of Trumps second term in Alaska produced no breakthrough, but Trump insisted it was a success. Zelenskyy has been talking up what he says is Ukraines improved position on the battlefield ahead of the looming winter, when major offensives are practically impossible. He says the only way to peace is to increase attacks on Russias military heartland. We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace, Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a Telegram post. Trumps stance on the war has swung wildly in recent months, making it difficult for allies to maintain a united front with Kyiv or predict where the war might be headed next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He initially focused on pressuring Ukraine to make concessions and carried out a shouting match with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. He later grew frustrated with Putins hard-line stance and refusal to make any concessions to make progress toward talks. _____ President Donald Trump nominated a new general to take over the role of the second-highest-ranking military leader in the Army, a move that would replace a four-star that has spent less than two years in the job. Trump nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve as the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army on Monday, according to a notification to Congress. LaNeve currently serves as a senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. If approved by the Senate, he would replace Gen. James Mingus, who has been serving as the Armys number two since January 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the vice chief declined to comment on why Mingus was being replaced and what his next assignment would be. A spokesperson for the Defense Department said they did not have any additional information, but to expect a statement on the nomination soon, given the press interest. It is unclear when Congress will hold LaNeves nomination hearing. Top Stories This Week News Captain of ship at center of Navy SEAL drownings sentenced to 40 years By Drew F. Lawrence News One Marine killed, another injured in helicopter crash By Nicholas Slayton News Marine artillery shell detonates over freeway during Camp Pendleton event By Nicholas Slayton The Office of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army will not comment on pending nominations, Maj. Peter Sulzona, a spokesperson for the office, told Task & Purpose in a statement on Tuesday. [Gen.] Mingus will continue to execute the duties [and] responsibilities of his position, focusing on warfighting and the wellbeing of our soldiers. Mingus previously served as the director of operations and director of the Joint Staff starting in 2020. He commanded the 82nd Airborne Division between 2018 and 2020. Breaking Defense, which first reported the nomination, noted that he helped usher in the Armys sprawling organizational restructuring known as the Army Transformation Initiative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Washington Post reported in April that Mingus was in the running to head U.S. Central Command, but Hegseth chose Vice Adm. Brad Cooper instead. Alex Wagner, a former chief of staff for the Army secretary, said the term for the vice chief of staff is typically four years. Some have served far shorter periods, often going on to higher positions, such as Gen. Randy George, the current Army chief of staff. Previously, general officers in the vice chief of staff position have retired, moved into combatant command positions, or, usually, its a stepping stone to the Army chief of staff role, he said. Wagner, who served as the Army secretarys chief of staff between 2015 and 2017, said it would be unprecedented to fire a vice chief, but its also unprecedented to fire a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and chief of naval operations without cause, so at some point its just a new precedent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Get Task & Purpose in your inbox Sign up for Task & Purpose Today to get the latest in military news each morning. Sign Up By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. There is extensive succession planning in general officer management. Extensive succession planning. People are moved in and out of jobs in order to get them the right nature of experience to ensure that they have both the breadth and depth and qualifications to serve in a future role, Wagner said. This is kind of an upheaval of extensive iteration of general officer management. LaNeves nomination, and the possible replacement of Mingus, comes after a series of shakeups in top military roles since Trump took office. For example, Hegseth announced last week that Adm. Alvin Holsey would be retiring after having served less than two years as the head of U.S. Southern Command the entity in charge of an increasing number of military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About a dozen top military leaders have been fired or departed their posts early since January. LaNeve served as the commanding general of the Eighth Army in Korea before being tapped as Hegseths senior military assistant in April. He also served as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in 2022. Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Minister Ashok Choudhary on Tuesday said that the opposition's Mahagathbandhan alliance is "completely broken", while asserting that Rashtriya Janata Dal is not honest towards Congress when it comes to the distribution of seats. Speaking to ANI, Choudhary said, "Nitish Kumar looked very good; his campaign has begun. The current is quite in favour of the NDA, so there are no problems anywhere. The work done by Nitish Kumar is clearly showing a positive trend." The polling for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly is scheduled to take place on November 6 and November 11, and votes will be counted on November 14. On the Mahagathbandhan seat sharing, Choudhary said, "After such a long period of exercise, you are now having a friendly fight. It means you couldn't establish mutual coordination. In a way, their alliance has completely broken. RJD has never been honest towards Congress." Meanwhile, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal accused the Mahagathbandhan of "selling tickets to candidates for money" in the assembly election on Monday. He also suggested that there's "infighting" within the alliance." "The voters of Bihar are seeing the infighting in the Mahagathbandhan and how they are selling tickets for money... The mahagathbandhan has not been able to divide the seats till date... How will it run the government?" Dilip Jaiswal said. He further slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who he believed is attempting to "snatch" the term "Jan Nayak" from Bihar's former CM Karpoori Thakur. BJP Bihar President called this an "insult to Bihar and the backward community." Dilip Jaiswal criticism of Rahul Gandhi comes after several Congress leaders used "Jan Nayak" term for him. The term is commonly associated with Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur. Meanwhile, on Monday the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections. With this announcement the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. (ANI) President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve to serve as the Armys second-highest-ranking officer, according to congressional records. Gen. James Mingus is currently vice chief of staff and has not publicly said he plans to step aside. He has been in the job less than two years, and it is typically a tenure that lasts at least three years. The move, which was posted in congressional records Monday, is the latest in a series of surprise and unexplained firings, reassignments and promotions that have been transforming the senior ranks of the military under Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials in the Army and Hegseths office would not offer any details on Mingus apparent ouster and the effort to promote LaNeve, who is now Hegseths top military aide. Maj. Peter Sulzona, a spokesman for Mingus, told The Associated Press by email that he would not comment on pending nominations but that Mingus will continue to execute the duties & responsibilities of his position, focusing on warfighting and the wellbeing of our Soldiers. Before taking up the vice chief post last year, Mingus was at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, starting in 2020 under then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley. Milley, though appointed by Trump in his first term, would later anger the president and become a target for significant criticism in his second term. The nomination and replacement come less than a week after Adm. Alvin Holsey, the Navy admiral who is overseeing military operations against alleged drug boats off Venezuela, announced a surprise, early retirement in December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About a month ago, Gen. Thomas Bussiere, head of the Air Forces Global Strike Command, also suddenly announced his retirement, citing personal and family reasons. That came a little over a month after the head of the Air Force, Gen. David Alvin, also announced a surprise early retirement. Those retirements come after a spate of unexplained firings in August that included Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, then the head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency; Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of the Navy Reserve; and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversaw Naval Special Warfare Command. Kruses agency produced an initial intelligence assessment of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites that leaked to the press and contradicted claims from the Trump administration. In April, Hegseth also abruptly fired Air Force Gen. Tim Haugh, who was leading the National Security Agency and an admiral who held a top NATO post. Early in the administrations time in power, Trump also fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the Navys top officer, the Air Forces second-highest-ranking officer, and the top lawyers for three military service branches. NEED TO KNOW President Donald Trump called out Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during a tense meeting with Australian officials this week Rudd has previously referred to Trump as a "village idiot" and a "traitor," though he told the president he made those remarks before becoming the current Australian ambassador to the U.S. "I dont like you either, and I probably never will," Trump told Rudd President Donald Trump had a blunt assessment of an Australian official on Monday, Oct. 20 Trump was meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to strike a deal on rare earth minerals, but it was another politician who drew his ire. Seated across the table from Trump and Albanese was Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who is now the Aussie ambassador to the U.S. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Donald Trump Donald Trump Rudd has frequently been critical of Trump in the press. He called the president a quack apothecary for promoting unproven cures during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the world had seen "what "America First' means in practice: dont look to the United States for help in a genuine global crisis, because it cant even look after itself." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has also called the president a "village idiot," a political liability and a traitor to the West. So, when a reporter pointed out that Rudd was in the room, Trump wasn't pleased. I dont know anything about him, the president said. If he said bad, then maybe hell like to apologize. He then asked Albanese, Where is he? Is he still working for you? Albanese pointed across the table at Rudd, who told Trump that his comments were made before he took up his position as ambassador to the U.S. I dont like you either, Trump retorted. And I probably never will. Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Donald Trump sits in the Cabinet Room during a meeting with Australian officials on Oct. 20, 2025 Donald Trump sits in the Cabinet Room during a meeting with Australian officials on Oct. 20, 2025 Albanese weighed in on the exchange while leaving the meeting, praising Rudd for his work as ambassador. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Kevin Rudd is doing a fantastic job as the ambassador and I've got to say, up on The Hill, every single person who we met with and the people who spoke this morning also exactly the same thing," he said, per Australia's ABC News. That wasn't the only awkward moment during the meeting. In the midst of his conversation with Albanese, Trump paused to reprimand a camera operator for bumping into an antique mirror. "You better watch that. You're not allowed to break that," the president said to the operator, as captured in a C-SPAN video. 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 comment was met with laughter from the journalists and government officials in the Cabinet room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That mirror is 400 years old. A camera just hit the mirror," Trump said, adding a dismayed "ay-yi-yi." "I just moved it up here, special from the vaults, and the first thing that happens a camera hits it," the president continued. "Hard to believe isn't it? Hard to believe, but these are the problems in life." Read the original article on People By Bo Erickson and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump on Tuesday rebuffed a request by top Democratic lawmakers to meet until the three-week-old U.S. government shutdown ends. "I would like to meet with both of them, but I said one little caveat, I will only meet if they let the country open," Trump told reporters, referencing the request by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to meet "anytime, anyplace." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All but three senators in the Democratic caucus are withholding their support for the Republican-led stopgap funding bill, unless Trump and enough Republican lawmakers agree to an extension of an enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credit that is due to expire on December 31. Without an ACA extension, millions of Americans are girding for significant increases in their healthcare premiums, which Democrats have called "a healthcare crisis." Meanwhile, Republicans who control Congress have begun talking about possible next steps in what has been a stalemate with Democrats who are withholding their support from a temporary funding bill until they win an extension of a healthcare subsidy. Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee that oversees federal spending, on Tuesday told reporters that Republicans will likely need to extend their stopgap bill to reopen the government and fund operations beyond its November 21 end-date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's a realization that we're going to have to have an extension because we've wasted all these weeks," the Maine Republican said, noting she does not want to see stopgap funding go into 2026. Her remarks follow those of Senate Majority Leader John Thune late on Monday acknowledging that more time would be needed to finish the 12 annual spending bills that fund Washington's "discretionary" programs. Thune needs the support of a handful of Senate Democrats in order to win passage of the temporary funding bill approved by the House of Representatives last month. Republicans have a narrow, 53-47 majority in the 100-member Senate, with 60 votes needed to advance most bills. Thousands of federal workers have been furloughed as federal agencies pared their activities beginning on October 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Simultaneously, previous-year funding expired on about $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to about one-quarter of annual federal spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump huddled with Republican senators at midday on Tuesday but they did not discuss an ACA extension, according to Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who attended the get-together. Republicans want to kick such talks toward the end of the year. (Reporting by Richard Cowan and Bo Erickson in Washington and Maiya Keidan in Toronto; Editing by Scott Malone and Matthew Lewis) Donald Trumps latest meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy began with lunch and ended in a shouting match. The attempted peace negotiation Friday reportedly saw Trump cussing out the Ukrainian leader and throwing Zelenskiys maps of the battlefield while insisting that he cede portions of Ukraine-controlled eastern Donbas to Russia. Trumps options for the war-battered leader, according to a European official that spoke with the Financial Times, were either accept Russian President Vladimir Putins terms or be destroyed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you, Trump reportedly told Zelenskiy. But leaders in Ukraines Parliament understand that Putins offer is a fundamentally impossible choice. To give [the Donbas] to Russia without a fight is unacceptable for Ukrainian society, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows that, Oleksandr Merezhko, who chairs the Ukrainian Parliaments foreign affairs committee, told the Financial Times. European governments rushed to Zelenskiys defense, alarmed by Trumps trust that the Russian dictator would end the encroachment on such terms. We see President Trumps efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, all these efforts are welcome but we dont see Russia wanting peace, Kaja Kallas, the EUs top diplomat, told the Financial Times on Monday. We are discussing what more we can do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump (and his wife Melania) has boasted for years about his cozy relationship with Putin, but in recent months appeared to pull an about-face on his opinion of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, seemingly negotiating in favor of Ukraine. Last month, Trump claimed that Ukraine could reclaim all of its occupied territory, and last week raised the possibility of delivering Tomahawk missileswhich have a range of more than 1,500 miles with incredible accuracyto Kyiv should Russia not end its assault. Putins other strategies for a peace deal have similarly involved egregious land grabs. Earlier this year, Trump and his allies were more than willing to reverse long-standing U.S. policy by acknowledging Crimea as part of Russia. That flub made Kremlin propagandists on state-sponsored television laugh at the downfall of American power. Trump claimed Sunday night that he and Zelenskiy never discussed ceding all of Donbas, but that the Ukrainian president should just let it be cut the way it is. I think 78 percent of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is right now, he told reporters on Air Force One. President Donald Trump is leaning on a new appeals court ruling that endorsed his deployment of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, as he urges the Supreme Court to let his administration carry out a similar effort in Chicago. Describing those protesting the administration in Chicago as rioters who are leading a violent resistance, the Trump administration told the justices Tuesday that its decision to deploy the National Guard is unreviewable by courts or at the very least is entitled to great deference. If the presidents determination is reviewable at all, such review must be extremely deferential, the administration told the Supreme Court, pointing to recent decisions from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals that endorsed the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles and Portland to address similar violent resistance to federal immigration enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one of the most significant emergency cases involving the second Trump administration to reach the Supreme Court so far, the justices are reviewing whether lower federal courts were correct to block Trump from deploying hundreds of guard members to an ICE facility in Chicagos suburbs. The Supreme Court is likely to hand down a decision in the Chicago case quickly, potentially within a few days. Trumps broader campaign to deploy the guard on US soil was buoyed this week when a divided three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit said the president was entitled to deference when making decisions about when such deployments are necessary. The full 9th Circuit is weighing whether to reconsider that decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the case before the Supreme Court is focused on Chicago, the decision will almost certainly spill over into other litigation playing out as Trump seeks to send the National Guard to multiple US cities. In its latest filing, the Department of Justice framed Trumps decision to send the Guard into Illinois as a response to what it described as a broader national threat. As the Ninth Circuit recognized, the president can, and should, consider the totality of the circumstances, and it is error for courts to discount evidence they deem less relevant, US Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court. That is especially so where, as here, the events in Chicago are not occurring in a vacuum, as violent riots have occurred in Los Angeles and Portland, a shooter tried to murder federal agents in Dallas, and Mexican cartels are offering bounties on DHS personnel. The states fighting Trump have scoffed at the idea that protests merit sending in the troops. When she temporarily blocked the deployment in Illinois earlier this month, US District Court Judge April Perry disputed the administrations description of what has been happening on the ground at the ICE facility in Broadview. Perry, nominated by former President Joe Biden, pointed to what she described as a troubling trend of the administration of equating protests with riots. The Chicago-based 7th Circuit largely upheld Perrys temporary order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To make its case for the deployments, the Department of Justice has relied on a Supreme Court decision from 1827 Martin v. Mott. The case dealt with Jacob Mott, a member of the New York militia who disobeyed President James Madisons order to mobilize during the War of 1812. The Supreme Court rejected Motts argument that Madison had misjudged the danger and wrote that the authority to decide whether the exigency has arisen belongs exclusively to the president. Chicago officials have balked at the notion that the protests against ICE agents are akin to an invading foreign army. State and local law enforcement officers have handled isolated protest activities in Illinois, and there is no credible evidence to the contrary, Illinois officials told the Supreme Court in their own set of written arguments this week. The War of 1812, they wrote, entailed vastly different facts than the record below. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is making a last-minute trip to Washington to meet with President Donald Trump, just days after Trump appeared to acquiesce to Russian President Vladimir Putins demands to end the war in Ukraine. A short press release from NATO confirmed the two-day trip and that Rutte will meet with Trump. It did not provide any further details about the reason for the trip. Rutte is among several European leaders who have spent the past several months coaxing Trump into backing Ukraine more forcefully. The announcement follows Trumps sudden shift late last week bringing him more in line with Putins position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following a two-hour phone call with Putin Thursday, Trump announced that the two leaders agreed to meet again in Budapest to discuss an end to the war. A day later during a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump largely dismissed a request to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles and then, in a social media post after the meeting, called for Ukraine to cede large swaths of its territory to Russia in exchange for peace. But plans for another Trump-Putin summit fell apart on Tuesday following a phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that made clear Russia was not ready to budge off its demands for ending the war. Despite that, Trumps turnabout frustrated European leaders who have spent months backing Zelenskyy and praising Trump for his efforts to broker an end to the war while working to persuade him that Russia, not Ukraine, is responsible for the war and uninterested in peace. Donald Trumps nomination to the Office of Special Counsel has withdrawn after text messages were leaked in which he allegedly said he had a Nazi streak. Paul Ingrassia, Andrew Tates former lawyer, said he is pulling out of this weeks hearing because he does not have the votes to be confirmed. It comes as he is mired in controversy after reports that he sent a series of racist texts. In messages sent in January, Mr Ingrassia allegedly told a group chat of fellow Republicans: I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also allegedly said Martin Luther King Jr day, a federal holiday, should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell in messages sent in January, according to Politico. At least five Republican senators, including John Thune, the majority leader, signalled that they would oppose the nomination of Mr Ingrassia to the role. Hes not gonna pass The 30-year-old was set to testify on Thursday before the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee, after which his nomination was to be approved or denied. If, as expected, all Democrats had opposed Mr Ingrassias nomination, he could only have afforded to lose the votes of three Republicans. Hes not gonna pass, Mr Thune told Politico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the messages sent in January, Mr Ingrassia is also said to have used an Italian slur for black people, saying: No moulignon holidays... From kwanza [sic] to MLK Jr day to black history month to Juneteenth. He purportedly added: Every single one needs to be eviscerated. Mr Ingrassia is the presidents nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, the independent anti-corruption agency Additionally, in January 2024 he supposedly wrote: Never trust a chinaman or Indian, when referring to Vivek Ramaswamy, the former Republican presidential candidate, whose parents are Indian immigrants. A lawyer for Mr Ingrassia suggested the texts could be fake or taken out of context. The allegations have added to a cloud of controversy hanging over Mr Ingrassia, who worked on Tates legal team and is a staunch defender of the manosphere influencer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tate, a self-described misogynist, is facing rape and human trafficking charges in Britain. In 2023, Mr Ingrassia described him as an extraordinary human being who is the embodiment of the ancient ideal of excellence. Earlier this month, a HR complaint was filed against Mr Ingrassia, then retracted days later, accusing him of sexual harassment. He was accused of attempting to make a junior female colleague share a hotel room with him. Mr Ingrassias lawyer has denied the allegations. Republicans turn on nominee Mr Ingrassia, a self-described constitutional law expert who hosted a Right-wing podcast with his sister, had his nomination hearing postponed in July amid a widespread outcry over his lack of legal experience, denigration of federal workers and association with hard-Right figures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Ingrassios mother, Donna Gallo Ingrassia, confirmed to the website NOTUS that she visited the offices of two Democrats who signed a letter in June saying her son was unfit for the role of special counsel. Paul is a strong, unwavering Catholic who is a staunch supporter of President Trump and his agenda. This is an effort to muddy and derail the best candidate for the job, she told the website. At the time the nomination hearing was postponed, James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican senator, said: Hes been an attorney for one year. Following the leak of Mr Ingrassias alleged texts by Politico, Mr Lankford signalled he would not support him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rick Scott, the Republican senator from Florida, also said he would not vote him through. He told reporters he had spoken to the administration about Mr Ingrassia, adding: I cant imagine how anybody can be anti-Semitic in this country. Its wrong. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, also opposed Mr Trumps pick. Mr Ingrassia, who graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022, according to his LinkedIn, has also advocated for Nick Fuentes, the white supremacist and Holocaust denier. In June 2024, he attended a rally led by Mr Fuentes, where supporters chanted: Down with Israel, according to NPR. He has written at length about his disdain for civil servants, whom he will represent if confirmed, describing them in November 2024 as bugmen and parasites who leech off the diminishing lifeblood of the dying Republic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the 2024 Republican primary, he spread a conspiracy theory, trumpeted by Mr Trump, that Nikki Haley was ineligible to run for president because her parents were not citizens at the time of her birth. At least four Republican senators have signalled they plan to oppose Mr Ingrassias nomination In a post on X in 2020, Mr Ingrassia called on Mr Trump to declare martial law and secure his re-election following his defeat by Joe Biden. He had been tapped to replace Hampton Dellinger, the former head of the Office of Special Counsel, whom Mr Trump controversially fired in February. The announcement was made in a one-sentence email and gave no reason for the termination, triggering a legal battle with Mr Dellinger, who argued that the special counsel can only be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, according to statute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He dropped his case in March when an appeals court ruled against him. Mr Dellinger was dismissed after his office began scrutinising appeals from federal workers who believed they were wrongfully dismissed under mass firings carried out by Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). The allegations against Mr Ingrassia follow another group chat leak, reported by Politico, showing young Republican activists using racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic language. JD Vance dismissed the chat as stupid kids telling edgy, offensive jokes. Edward Andrew Paltzik, a lawyer for Mr Ingrassia, told Politico: In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Telegraph contacted Mr Ingrassia for comment. 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 is pressing for his Justice Department to pay roughly $230 million as a settlement for investigations he faced during the Biden administration and his first term in office, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News Tuesday. The extraordinary arrangement, as first reported by The New York Times, would likely first need sign-off from top officials in the department who previously served as Trump's defense attorneys or otherwise represented his allies. The settlement negotiations stem from two separate administrative claims that were submitted by attorneys for Trump while he was out of office in 2023 and 2024. One sought damages over the investigation he and those in his orbit faced surrounding ties his 2016 campaign had to the Russian government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for former special counsel Jack Smith dispute 'inaccurate' claims he tapped senators' phones The second claim, which was previously reported publicly last year, related to accusations that he was prosecuted maliciously by then-special counsel Jack Smith and that his privacy rights were violated when the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents in August of 2022. In an appearance in the Oval Office last week with Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump appeared to allude to the negotiations and the unusual nature of a Justice Department paying out a settlement to the current sitting president. "I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president I said, 'I'm sort of suing myself.' I don't know, how do you settle the lawsuit, I'll say give me X dollars, and I don't know what to do with the lawsuit," Trump said. "It sort of looks bad, I'm suing myself, right?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Justice Manual, any settlement would have to get sign-off from either the deputy attorney general or the associate attorney general. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters - PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks as he hosts a Rose Garden Club lunch at the White House in Washington, October 21, 2025. Blanche represented Trump in both the classified documents case and the Jan. 6 case brought by Smith, and the associate attorney general, Stan Woodward, represented Walt Nauta, Trump's co-defendant in the classified documents case. Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases before both were dropped following Trump's reelection, due to a long-standing Justice Department policy barring the prosecution of a sitting president. Trump, asked Tuesday by reporters in the Oval Office about the New York Times' story, said regarding the Justice Department, "I don't even talk to them about it -- all I know is that they would owe me a lot of money, but I don't, I'm not looking for money. I'd give it to charity or something." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's interesting, because I'm the one that makes a decision, right?" Trump said. "And you know that decision would have to go across my desk, and it's awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself. In other words, did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you're paying yourself in damages? But I was damaged very greatly, and any money that I would get, I would give to charity." Asked whether either Blanche or Woodward would be considered conflicted out of signing-off on such a settlement, a DOJ spokesperson told ABC News, "In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials." The department declined to further comment on the status of the negotiations. President Donald Trump is demanding the Department of Justice pay him $230 million for expenses incurred while defending himself against federal criminal investigations and charges, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The president has filed two administrative complaints against the DOJ, one for the investigation over 2016 Russian interference claims and the other for the investigation into mishandled classified information, per the Times. Trump seemed to acknowledge making the demand to the DOJ during an Oct. 15 event in the Oval Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president. I said, Im sort of suing myself. I dont know, how do you settle the lawsuit?? Ill say give me X dollars, and I dont know what to do with the lawsuit, Trump told reporters. It sort of looks bad, Im suing myself, right? So I dont know. But that was a lawsuit that was very strong, very powerful. Politics: Trump Starts Tearing Down Part Of White House To Make Way For New Ballroom Considering that the decision to give Trump nearly a quarter of a billion dollars will fall in the hands of his own appointees and allies, its no wonder the Times called the demand the starkest example yet of potential ethical conflicts in the White House. After the Times story broke, a reporter asked the president about it and he seemed to admit it was true, albeit in a roundabout way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, I guess they probably owe me a lot of money for that, Trump replied. Probably, yeah, thats true. Thats very interesting. No, I get no salary. I gave up my salary. Its a good salary. Trump said that if he does get the cash, hell do something nice with it, like give it to charity or give it to the White House, where we restore the White House. And were doing a great job in the White House. As you know, the ballroom is under construction. Naturally, the potential payout was heavily condemned by the presidents critics on social media. Soafter being investigated for alleged wrongdoing, his next move is to demand taxpayers pay him hundreds of millions because the DOJ did its job? Fascinating legal strategy: You caught me, now fund my feelings.Grifter just keeps on grifting. Terra (@Iget2bme72) October 21, 2025 Trump is demanding the Department of Justice pay him $230 million of YOUR MONEY to cover his legal fees. Are you fucking kidding me? Hasnt this guy put enough cash in his pocket since taking office? The most corrupt president in American history... by a mile. Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) October 21, 2025 This would be the most corrupt act in presidential history. No complicated schemes, no outside actors, just a straight up looting of the taxpayers to put $230 million in Trump's pocket. https://t.co/lX0tfgMEL9 Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) October 21, 2025 Trump commits crimes, gets away with it, gets elected, install cronies, gets cronies to approve a personal quarter billion payment to him personally. pic.twitter.com/BqMlYF3lYO Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) October 21, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's hard to think of an action more purely corrupt than a a president ordering the executive branch to pay him hundreds of millions of dollars. I cannot wait to read the MAGA defenses of this (and there will be many). They'll display Soviet levels of sycophancy. https://t.co/LZOZypchZK David French (@DavidAFrench) October 21, 2025 #GOP@RepMcCaul@RepDavidKustoff@RepKnott & @RepBrianFitz are all former US Attys. I have no doubt all 4 of them will very forcefully condemn the shameless, naked corruption of Trump demanding his criminal defense team loot DOJ to reimburse him for the legal fees he paid them. pic.twitter.com/pBwbsW1hVE Another Wonderful Secret (@OK_Dumbass) October 21, 2025 Turning investigations into profit is corruption, not governance. A president demanding cash from DOJ for doing its duty shreds the boundary between the public purse and private gain, one of the last lines holding our republic upright. Constitutional Advocate (@ConstAdvocate) October 21, 2025 Trump 2016 - I wont accept presidential salary Trump 2025 - I demand $230 million payout pic.twitter.com/DlwvxWBmAz Denise Wu (@denisewu) October 21, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related... Read the original on HuffPost Criticising the Rashtriya Janata Dal on the arrest of his own party candidate Satendra Sah, Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha on Tuesday asserted that the RJD party has such leaders because of whom everyone feels "ashamed to call themselves Bihari in front of the world". Jha's remarks come after RJD candidate from Sasaram Assembly constituency, Satyendra Sah, was arrested by police after filing his nomination papers. Speaking to reporters in Patna, JDU MP said, "These are the kind of people they have given tickets to. Their (RJD) culture has not changed. For 15 years, their party had such people because of whom we felt ashamed to call ourselves Bihari in front of the world, and even today, they have the same kind of people. The prominent faces of the jungle raj have been given tickets to their family members. The people of Bihar know everything, and when the results come on November 14, they will be taught a lesson." Meanwhile, on Monday, RJD candidate from Sasaram Assembly constituency, Satyendra Sah, was arrested by police shortly after filing his nomination. During the arrest, his supporters protested, surrounding the police vehicle and pounding on the windowpanes. The police vehicle then sped away to avoid escalation. The nomination process had been completed at the subdivision office premises, following which the police took action. Speaking after his arrest, Sah said, "I have been arrested with the intention of deliberately harassing me. My wife contested the municipal elections, for which I campaigned. This Dussehra, I was in charge of the Takiya Durga Puja Committee and was present there throughout the puja. No action was taken at that time. Now that I have filed my nomination, I am being arrested, citing the 2004 case. The public is watching. The public will contest the elections." Dilip Kumar, SDPO, said, "The police arrested Satyendra Sah under a warrant issued by the Garhwa court in relation to a case under sections 395, 397 and 420. Today, police arrested him and will present him in the Garhwa court." Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the opposition Mahagathbandhan after Sasaram RJD candidate Satendra Sah was arrested shortly after filing nominations on charges of dacoity. Speaking to reporters, Maurya said, "I have seen that he (RJD candidate Satendra Sah) has been arrested by the Jharkhand Police on charges of dacoity. JMM was going to fight in the elections, but they have separated from the alliance. The Mahagathbandhan has been destroyed." (ANI) An estimated 7 million Americans nationwide demonstrated peacefully on Saturday against what organizers view as U.S. President Donald Trumps authoritarian overreach. The No Kings protests, as they are called, were the second such nationwide version of an ongoing string of everyday actions at facilities used by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in places like Portland, where protesters have used satire and pageantry as well as peaceful marches to oppose the arrest and detention of immigrants, and Chicago, where a federal judge criticized police for tear-gassing protesters without provocation in the run-up to the nationwide protests. In the aftermath of Saturdays demonstrations, the police departments in Washington and New York both announced that there had been zero law enforcement actions in connection with the No Kings protests, and the vast majority of related protests have been peaceful. But a few instance of political violence have occurred as well in recent weeks, including a sniper attack on an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas, in late September. Shortly thereafter, Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, or NSPM-7, appearing to define all left-wing anti-fascist dissent as terrorism and tasking the National Joint Terrorism Task Forceformerly aimed at foreign terrorists like al-Qaidato root out domestic anti-fascist activists. This is dramatically different from standard FBI definitions of terrorism that involve acts or threats of actual violence, causing many commentators to express alarm. To those concerned with the rise in political violence in the United States, the move seems like an effort to associate any opposition to fascismoften referred to as antifa, short for anti-fascistwith the violence of an extreme minority, which could then empower further political violence against the left. In response, the largely peaceful No Kings protesters have quickly claimed the Antifa label as their own, proudly claiming to be anti-fascist while working overtime to ensure that those on the streets use nonviolent tactics, refuse to be baited into escalation and police their ranks to ensure the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, those on the American right argue that coverage of peaceful protests whitewashes a genuine rise in left-wing political violence that threatens civil liberties and free speech rights, and therefore necessitates government attention. They point to the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk by someone whose motives reportedly included transgender rights; to last years assassination attempt on Trump himself, although no clear motive has been established for it; and to the use by some on the left of doxxing campaignsor publicly revealing an individuals phone number, address and other private datato harass right-wing influencers, politicians and civil servants. To them, the first indictment under NSPM-7 of purportedly violent left-wing activists as terrorists, which was handed down this week, is a welcome development. To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter. The entire debate begs bigger questions: What is fascism? What is anti-fascism? To what extent is the anti-fascist movement an organization, and if so, to what extent is it linked to political violence? What then would it mean to define it as a terrorist organization? And to what extent should Americans fear a rise in political violence more than they fear a breakdown in civil liberties? The data shows it behooves citizens and governments to distinguish between specific ideologies and the tactics used to promote themand that citizens should be far more afraid of government counterterrorism efforts than of organized violence by their compatriots. First, while fascism is often used as a slur for any political movement or idea people dont like, the definition accepted by social scientists and used in encyclopedias is a far-right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy. In that sense, to be anti-fascist is simply to defend and promote views that generally correspond with Western liberalism and are enshrined in international human rights law: democracy, rule of law, checks on centralized power, free speech rights, civil liberties and protection of minorities against majority rule. In short, anti-fascism is not an organization or even necessarily a movement, though it can fuel such forms of collective action, but rather a set of values. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, people can and historically have sometimes used political violence to promote both fascist and anti-fascist ideologies, as well as ideologies on the right andthe left more generally. In the United States, right-wing violenceincluding the Charleston church massacre, the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre and the El Paso Walmart massacrehas dramatically outnumbered left-wing violence since 2011, though right-wing violence has dramatically declined this year, while left-wing attacks have ticked up slightly. However, a new study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies points out that much political violence cannot easily be classified on the left-right political spectrum. Historically, the threat of counterterror tactics deployed by a state against its own people has been a far greater threat to human security than political violence by citizens or nonstate actors against one another. Third, the vast majority of most political movements on both sides use nonviolent means and oppose violent ones. This makes sense for several reasons. First, under international human rights law, only nonviolent protest activities are protected as a form of legitimate political activism. Second, nonviolent protest is more likely than violent tactics to be effective over time. Repudiation of violence also protects societies from civil war, with an equilibrium maintained as long as the state protects the right of peaceful protest and criminalizes violent protest regardless of the ideology behind either. A different situation arises when a central government adopts a partisan stance either toward the protection of nonviolent protest or the criminalization of violence. For example, the Trump administration has rightly prosecuted the perpetrators of left-wing violent attacks on federal agents and condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk for his protected speech. At the same time, however, Trump pardoned and even valorized numerous Jan. 6 protesters who engaged in violent attacks on members of the federal government, including police, and seems less concerned with right-wing assassinations of left-wing politicianssuch as Minnesota Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortmanor right-wing terrorism against minorities. Moreover, as a report from the nonpartisan Brennan Center at New York University details, NSPM-7 appears to take aim not at domestic terrorism generally, but left-wing anti-fascist terrorism specifically. Moreover, its definition of anti-fascist terrorism appears to include not just violent acts carried out in the name of anti-fascism, but any supportmaterial or symbolicfor anti-fascist ideas,construing Antifa as an organization rather than a movement opposing right-wing fascism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Historically, such rhetoric not only misleads and frightens citizens, but creates a pretext for government crackdowns on civil liberties that ultimately silence dissent and sweep up citizens across the political spectrum. This, too, is not a right- or left-wing phenomenon but a characteristic of authoritarian power. For example, Nazi leaders used the threat of left-wing terrorism to consolidate power in 1930s Germany, and communist regimes used the threat of terrorism to consolidate power and weed out counter-revolutionary enemies of the state in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. These examples also show how, historically, the threat of counterterror tactics deployed by a state against its own people has been a far greater threat to human security than political violence by citizens or nonstate actors against one another. For example, the vast majority of victims in the Syrian civil war were killed by the Assad regime, not by nonviolent revolutionaries nor even by the myriad rebel groups that took up arms to support them. Similarly, the 20-year U.S.-led war on terror killed orders of magnitude more civilians than the al-Qaida terror attacks of 9/11the deadliest nonstate terrorist incident in historyto which it responded. For American citizens concerned for their safety, the good news is that rumors of a rise in the incidence of and/or support for political violence of this type in the United States are greatly exaggerated. As Mike Pesca points out, headline-grabbing polls suggesting support for political violence is on the rise mostly ask about force in the abstract, which means different things to different people, without asking people about specific kinds of violence. When you do that, as Brendan Nyhan does, or ask people to explain their answers, as Ryan Kennedy does, the numbers of Americans who support violent felonies against the opposition is actually lower than 4 percent, and only 1 percent support murdering political opponents. But the bad news is that popular perceptionsof the bloodthirstiness of those in the other party can lead to a rise in the view that political violence is necessary. As Elliot Morris explains, misleading polls can actually create the problem they are trying to measure. Similarly, elite cuessuch as that all anti-fascists are terroristscan create the very desire to solve things with violence they claim to be trying to stamp out: As Morris writes, [g]iven our tribal mentality, spreading misperceptions by blaming one side of the aisle is particularly dangerous. Thats why one very powerful effect of the No Kings protests, irrespective of any policy impact, is to signal publicly to Americans and the world that the vast majority of the vocal left are standing up for American ideals nonviolently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More good news may lie in a grain of truth included in Trumps NSPM-7: that the anti-fascist movement is a transnational movement dating back to the 1920s, not a recently formed U.S. domestic movement grounded in opposition to the American right. On a global level, one poll of 22,000 people across 30 countries showed overwhelming support for human rights and the rule of law. While satisfaction with the performance of democratic institutions is on the wane worldwide, commitment to democracy as an ideal remains strong. The largely peaceful protests in America this weekend bear this out. Charli Carpenter is a professor of political science and legal studies at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, specializing in human security and international law. She tweets at @charlicarpenter. The post Trump Is Weaponizing Counterterrorism to Silence Peaceful Protest appeared first on World Politics Review. In the Marshall Islands, where the land averages only 7 feet (2 meters) above sea level, people are acutely aware of climate change. Their ancestors have lived on this string of Pacific islands for thousands of years. But as sea level rises, storms more easily flood communities and farmland with saltwater. Warming ocean water has triggered mass coral-bleaching events, harming habitats that are important for both tourism and fish that the islands economy relies on. If the world fails to rein in the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, studies suggest low-lying islands like these could be uninhabitable within decades. Climate change isnt just a problem for islands. Countries worldwide are experiencing intensifying storms, dangerous heat waves and rising seas as global temperatures rise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, after 30 years of international climate talks, 10 years of a global treaty promising to keep temperatures in check, and trillions of dollars in damage, the world is still not on track to stop rising global temperatures. Greenhouse gas emissions were at record highs in 2024, and it was Earths hottest year on record. I study the dynamics of global environmental politics, including the United Nations climate negotiations. And I and my lab have been tracking countries latest climate pledges known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs to see which countries have stepped up their efforts, which have slid back and who has ideas that can deliver a safer world for everyone. While the Trump administration has been pressuring countries to back away from their climate commitments and succeeded in delaying an International Maritime Organization vote on a global plan to tax greenhouse gas emissions from shipping after threatening other counties with sanctions, visa restrictions and port fees if they supported it many countries are still pressing ahead. Trump agitates, but many countries are steadfast U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration came into office vowing to eliminate climate regulations and boost the fossil fuel industry, derided concerns about climate change in his Sept. 23, 2025, speech to the U.N. General Assembly. He called climate change the greatest con job ever perpetuated and ridiculed green energy and climate science. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps language no longer surprises world leaders, though. More than 100 other countries announced new climate commitments during a high-level summit a few days later. China, currently the worlds largest greenhouse gas emitter, was lauded for hitting its green energy targets five years early. Its rapid expansion of low-cost renewable energy and electric vehicle manufacturing has reduced pollution in Chinese cities while also boosting its economy and expanding the governments influence around the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the countrys first absolute emissions reduction goal at the summit, committing to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels by 2035. China also committed to nearly triple its solar and wind power capacity and expand reforestation efforts. While advocates and other governments had hoped for a stronger announcement from China, the new goals mark an important shift from the countrys earlier carbon intensity targets, which aimed to decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic output but still allowed emissions to grow over time. The European Union has yet to submit its new commitments, but the group of 27 European countries delivered a letter of intent, saying it would commit to a 66% to 72% collective decrease in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared with 1990 levels. Europe has seen a swift rise in renewable energy, up sharply since Russias invasion of Ukraine put the continents natural gas supplies in jeopardy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EU has also made waves by extending its carbon pricing rules beyond its borders. The EUs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, scheduled to begin in January 2026, will be the first system to charge for the climate impact of imported goods coming into Europe from countries that dont have carbon prices similar to the EUs. The measure, meant to even the playing field for EU industries, sets a global precedent for linking carbon emissions to trade. However, the EUs climate plans are also facing some headwinds. Its parliament is moving toward softening new corporate sustainability requirements after pressure from companies. And it may face calls from some member countries to delay a new carbon market meant to cut emissions from road transportation and buildings, Politico reported. The EU has pledged to mobilize up to 300 billion Euros (about US$350 billion) to support the global clean energy transition in developing countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Kingdom, Japan and Australia submitted their most ambitious targets to date. All three put them on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, meaning any greenhouse gases they emit will be offset by projects that avoid carbon emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere. In Australia, Queenslands recent announcement that it would extend existing coal power plant use to the 2030s and 2040s may slow national progress. But Queensland also supports scaling up renewable energy and is still aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. Norway committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% by 2035 compared with 1990 levels, which would align with the Paris Agreement goal to keep global emissions below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). However, it plans to remain a major oil and gas exporter. Notably, many developing countries also stepped up their commitments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brazil pledged a net emissions reduction of 59% to 67% by 2035 and is maintaining its 2050 net-zero target. The government also drew criticism for approving plans for oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River. Free riding and taking cover behind the US However, while some new climate commitments signal important momentum in the fight against climate change, the tug-of-war between global ambition to slow climate change and strategic self-interests was palpable at the New York summit. The responses to Trumps remarks revealed both veiled critiques and deceleration of climate action by some governments. China criticized backsliding by some countries, without naming names. Brazil used the summit to call out countries that were late in submitting their updated climate commitments. Only about a third had submitted their updated pledges at that point. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will host the 30th annual U.N. climate conference, COP 30, in November 2025, talks with other world leaders at the U.N. in September 2025. AP Photo/Peter Dejong While it is difficult to parse out individual country motivations economic stress, wars and political influence can all play a role many scholars worry that U.S. backsliding will lead other countries to reduce their climate commitments, and some recent pledges appear to back this up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many petroleum-producing countries missed the U.N. pledge deadline. Qatar, which recently gifted the U.S. a jet plane for Trumps use and has an economy largely bolstered by the oil and gas industry, has not updated its pledge since 2021. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Councils average emissions reduction target is even lower than Qatars, at around 21.6% by 2030. Similarly, Argentina, among the worlds top holders of shale oil and gas reserves, has not released its updated commitments. Progress on its previous commitment has been undermined by political shifts since President Javier Mileis election in 2023. Argentine President Javier Milei meets with U.S. President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2025, in New York. Trump offered Argentina a $20 billion currency swap to help Milei stabilize his struggling economy. AP Photo/Evan Vucci Milei initially vowed to abandon the 2030 agenda entirely and withdraw from the Paris Agreement, though his administration later backtracked. His dismissal of climate change as a socialist lie has aligned Argentina closely with Trump, culminating in a recently planned US$20 billion aid package from the U.S. to Argentina and raising questions about whether Argentinas climate stance reflects genuine policy or geopolitical strategy. Also noticeably absent are commitments from India, Mexico, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. Angola weakened its climate pledge, citing lack of international funding. A new way to make climate commitments? While many countries are promising progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the commitments formally submitted as of Oct. 20 were still far below the level needed to keep global temperatures from rising by 2 C (3.6 F), let alone 1.5 C. CC BY Countries new climate pledges known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs as of Oct. 20, 2025, compiled by ClimateWatch, were still far from keeping global warming under 2 C (3.6 F), let alone 1.5 C (2.7 F). The total includes 62 countries that had submitted pledges, including a U.S. pledge submitted before the Trump administration took office. It does not include Chinas announced pledge or the European Unions expected pledge. ClimateWatch To help boost national efforts and accountability, Brazil has proposed a new approach it calls a globally determined contribution. Unlike the 1997 Kyoto Protocol framework, which set fixed, country-specific emission reduction targets based on historical baselines, or the 2015 Paris Agreements pledge-as-you-can system, it would establish global targets aligned with the Paris Agreements temperature goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, a globally determined contribution might state, for example, that the world will triple its renewable energy production and reverse deforestation by 2030. A target like that gives countries a clearer path of action. The new format would also allow city and state actions to be counted separately, increasing incentives for them to act. As the host of the COP30 climate talks Nov. 10-21, 2025, Brazil is uniquely positioned to champion this concept. In the absence of U.S. leadership, the proposal could offer a rare opportunity for countries to collectively strengthen commitments and reshape treaty language in a way never seen before leaving open the possibility for progress. Wila Mannella, a research assistant and graduate student in environmental studies at USC, contributed to this article. Shannon Gibson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. President Donald Trumps working lunch with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday turned acrimonious when the US leader insisted Ukraine make territorial concessions to Russia to end the war, according to European officials briefed on the meeting. Trump, who would later endorse a freeze in current battle lines as part of a peace settlement, grew frustrated and raised his voice multiple times, the officials said. The episode was the latest chapter in the fraught relationship between the two men, and amounted to another shift in Trumps approach to how the war will be settled. Last month, after meeting Zelensky in New York, Trump claimed Ukraine might be able to regain all its territory lost to Russia. But now Trump is preparing for another high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, this time in Budapest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was after a call with the Russian leader on the eve of the Zelensky meeting that Trump again insisted Kyiv must give up swaths of land for the conflict to end. Trump shrugged off the apparent reversal on Monday. I never said they would win it. I said they could win, he said of Ukraine at the White House, where he was meeting the prime minister of Australia. Anything could happen. You know, war is a very strange thing. A lot of bad things happen. A lot of good things happen. He said he still believed Ukraine could win, but that he didnt think it would. Zelensky emerged from that meeting to brief European leaders on a call in which he sounded pessimistic about Trumps position, the European officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Ukrainian source separately called the White House meeting tense, but said there was no shouting, downplaying reports of a volatile encounter between the two leaders. Overall, the source called the meeting constructive, since Trump ultimately declared that a ceasefire be along the current frontline. Zelensky later endorsed the idea in remarks to reporters. Asked about the European characterization of the meeting, the White House pointed to comments Trump made Sunday on Air Force One. We think that what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are, the battle lines, he said. The rest is very tough to negotiate if youre going to say, You take this, we take that. For Trump, ending the Russia-Ukraine war is now a top priority after he brokered a truce between Israel and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza. He emphasized the need to end the war quickly in Fridays talks, the European officials said. In his phone call with Trump a day earlier, Putin proposed a plan where Ukraine would surrender the eastern Donbas region in exchange for some Russian-held parts of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the European official said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposal, which the officials characterized as a slightly less sweeping demand than what Putin raised during his August summit with Trump in Alaska, would still amount to a major loss of territory for Ukraine. Trump later arrived at the position of ending the war along the current battle lines. Trump on Sunday denied he asked Zelensky to concede the entire Donbas region, which Ukraine views as strategically important. Its cut up right now, I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia, he said on Air Force One. They should stop right now at the battle lines. Go home, stop killing people and be done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Trump told reporters he had asked Putin during their phone call to stop attacks on civilian areas but went on to talk about how many soldiers are dying. Several people familiar had previously told CNN that last weeks Trump-Zelensky meeting was tense, frank and, at times, uncomfortable with the two leaders split over the future of the war. Trump made clear to Zelensky in a direct and honest conversation that for now the Ukrainian leader would not receive the long-range missiles that can reach far into Russia that he was seeking. One US official said Trump was under the impression that Ukraine is seeking to escalate and prolong the conflict and is worried about potential losses during an upcoming harsh winter. Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna on Monday disputed that the meeting was aggressive or negative, saying that it was a dialogue on ending the war. She said Trump and Zelensky left their meeting Friday with full clarity on next steps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the European officials, Zelensky and his delegation came to the White House with maps showing current battle lines, hoping to convince the US president to maintain and expand American support. Trump seemed uninterested in the arguments, and forcefully insisted Ukraine agree to land concessions for the war to end, they said. In an interview taped last week, Trump said for the war to end, Putin was going to take something, hes won certain property. Trump has told those around him that his demand for a ceasefire along current battle lines was due to the realities of where the conflict stands, arguing there was too much devastation and too much killing, according to one US official. Both sides need to make a deal, another US official said arguing the conditions are only going to get worse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelensky cast the meeting as a pointed conversation in a post to social media but said its outcome can really help bring this war closer to an end. This story has been updated with additional comments from President Donald Trump. CNNs Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes, Victoria Butenko and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The American cattle ranching industry is blasting President Donald Trumps proposal to purchase beef from Argentina in an effort to lower supermarket beef prices. This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices, Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemens Beef Association, said in a statement Monday. Wyoming-based cattle operation Meriwether Farms addressed Trump directly in a social media post Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We love you and support you but your suggestion to buy beef from Argentina to stabilize beef prices would be an absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher, the farm wrote on X. By midday Tuesday, the post had already received 4 million views. A representative for Meriwether Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump floated purchasing beef from the South American nation Sunday aboard Air Force One to push down U.S. beef prices by increasing the overall supply. "We would buy some beef from Argentina," he told reporters, "If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beef prices have hit record highs this year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fueled in part by depleted herd counts and steady demand from U.S. consumers. If we buy some beef now Im not talking about that much from Argentina, it would help Argentina, which we consider a very good country, a very good ally, Trump said Sunday. Asked on Air Force One whether a beef deal would benefit foreign cattle raisers at the expense of American ranchers, Trump did not directly answer. Argentina is fighting for its life, he said. Nothing is benefiting Argentina. The Trump administration has gone to extraordinary lengths to help Argentina and its beleaguered president, Javier Milei, an early Trump ally whose party faces crucial midterm elections this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I happen to like the president of Argentina. I think hes trying to do the best he can, Trump said Sunday. And if we buy some beef now, Im not talking about that much from Argentina, it would help Argentina, which we consider a very good country. In recent weeks, the Treasury Department has announced plans to organize $40 billion in currency swaps and loans and other financial aid for Buenos Aires to boost Mileis administration. President Donald Trump greets Argentine President Javier Milei at the White House on Oct. 14. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images) The libertarian Milei has pushed through an unprecedented privatization agenda, coupled with severe austerity measures and cuts to the civil service. But his efforts have faltered with voters, prompting a run on Argentinas peso. A White House representative did not respond to a request for comment on the beef proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps support for Milei has already come in for criticism from another part of the U.S. agricultural industry: soybean farmers. Shortly before Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an initial $20 billion in U.S. support for Argentina, Buenos Aires announced it would suspend its export taxes. Within days, China purchased a reported 7 million metric tons of soybeans from Argentina. Meanwhile, China imported zero soybeans from American farmers in September. It was the first time China had effectively embargoed U.S. soybeans since November 2018, the last time Beijing feuded with the Trump administration. Now Chinas soybean imports from South America predominantly Brazil and Argentina are surging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a time when we should be finding ways to help American farmers deal with this chaotic trade policy, its extremely disappointing to see us bailing out Argentina and Argentina farmers in the process, Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union and a soybean grower, said in an interview last week. Weve already alienated so many of our trading partners around the world, and our buyers are going to farmers in other countries rather than coming to us, he said. On Monday, Argentinas central bank announced it had signed a so-called currency swap worth $20 billion with the U.S. Treasury, six days ahead of midterm elections that will determine whether Milei can push ahead with his fiscal overhaul. Mileis austerity measures and cuts have won him praise from investors abroad but drawn fierce resistance from wide swaths of Argentinian society. A Treasury official did not respond to a request for comment. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com On Sept 2, President Donald Trump shared a grainy video of a U.S. missile strike against a boat carrying what he described as a group of narcoterrorists traveling in international waters from Venezuela. The strike would be the first of many to come against the Tren de Aragua gang, a cartel that the Trump Administration designated a terror organization on his first day in office, despite it not having carried out attacks on the United States. The campaign, launched without congressional approval against an ill-defined enemy and with little oversight, has already drawn comparisons to the long years of the War on Terror. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the comparison himself when announcing the latest strike on Sunday, this time on a Colombian cartel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These cartels are the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere, using violence, murder and terrorism to impose their will, threaten our national security and poison our people, Hegseth wrote on social media. The United States military will treat these organizations like the terrorists they arethey will be hunted, and killed, just like Al Qaeda. Read More: Trump Tells Congress U.S. Is at War With Cartels: What That Means The sprawling War on Terror blurred the lines between war and peace and vastly expanded executive power. But some who were involved in it believe these strikes could be even more legally questionable, and may again lead to the kind of endless wars Trump campaigned to finish. President Trump seems to believe that by simply designating them a terrorist group, that means that the U.S. can use force to kill them. But that was not the analyses of President Clinton, President Bush, or President Obama, John Bellinger, a former legal advisor for the U.S. Department of State and the National Security Council during the George W. Bush Administration, tells TIME. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What's different here with President Trump is he had no congressional authorization to do this, and he made no showing that these people actually either had attacked the United States or were planning an attack against the United States, Bellinger says. The War on Terror grew in response to the coordinated hijacking of four U.S. commercial jets on Sept. 11, 2001 by Al Qaeda terrorists that killed 2,977 people. The U.S. effort to dismantle Al Qaeda and a sprawling network of Islamist terror organizations prompted the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the CIAs use of torture to interrogate detainees under President George W. Bush, and the use of more than 540 military drone strikes to kill suspected terrorists in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia during President Barack Obamas two terms in office. Those actions were justified using authorizations for the use of military force passed by Congress in 2001 and 2002. Bellinger spent four years at the White House and four years at the U.S. State Department analyzing the legality of the Bush Administrations use of force throughout the War on Terror years. He also worked on the legal basis for detaining prisoners during the War on Terror, including at Guantanamo Bay. The U.S. received international condemnation for its use of unilateral force against terror groups across the world during those years. Still, Bellinger says that Trump is acting on a dangerous logic to justify the strikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have the president using force against civiliansthey may be breaking narcotics laws, they may be criminalsbut he has simply killed them without due process, people who were not posing a threat against the United States, he says. Either Trump does not know about international law, or he does not care, Bellinger says. He puts part of the blame on the advisors surrounding Trumpincluding his dual-roled Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio, his Attorney General Pam Bondi and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Bellinger says Hegseth is making a false comparison by raising the spectre of Al Qaeda. Unlike Al Qaeda, these groups are not engaged in an armed conflict with the United States and their members are not combatants, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bellinger is not the only veteran of the War on Terror to have raised concerns about the strikes. John Yoo, a lawyer known for his role in forming the legal basis for the Bush Administrations War on Terror policies, including the legal basis for torturing terror suspects under interrogation, authored an opinion piece for the Washington Post and has given interviews in which he criticized Trumps strikes. There has to be a line between crime and war, said Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general under Bush, in an interview with POLITICO. We cant just consider anything that harms the country to be a matter for the military. Because that could potentially include every crime. Much like the open-ended War on Terror, the initial strikes on alleged terror targets now threaten to expand into something greater. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sunday, Hegseth outlined the latest strike against a boat connected to a Colombian insurgent group that he alleged was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling in the Caribbean on Friday, bringing the death toll to at least 30 people killed by the Administrations strikes since the campaign began. Trump and Hegseth continue to reiterate in their posts about these strikes that intelligence said that this boat was trafficking narcotics, yet no one outside of the administration has seen proof that they were cartel members. Colombias leftist President Gustavo Petro called the move murder. US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters, Petro wrote on social media, adding that we await explanations from the US government. Petro said that one of those identified as having been on the boat, Alejandro Carranza, has no ties to the drug trade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure, Petro said of the boat struck Friday. The bombing campaign has since spiralled into what the Trump Administration has called a non-international armed conflict and is now threatening to extend to target any boat suspected of being related to cartels, and Venezuela, which the White House accuses of backing the group, with little evidence. A quagmire in the Americas For Trump, says Michael McCarthy, Professorial Lecturer at George Washington Universitys Elliott School of International Affairs, Venezuela is unfinished business after his first term in office, when he tried to push Nicolas Maduro out of power. The Administration has accused Maduro of being one of the worlds largest narco-traffickers and of working withand even leadingcartels to traffic fentanyl-laced drugs to the United States. In August, a reward for information leading to his arrest was raised to $50 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Trump has denied that he is looking to push for regime change in Venezuela, McCarthy says that Trumps fight with Venezuela represents a reboot of gunboat diplomacy in the Caribbean not seen for over a century and combines both Trumps domestic and foreign policy priorities. Read More: Where Venezuela Goes From Here Trumps campaign on Maduro allows his administration to pressure Maduros government, and pressure Venezuela to take back more undocumented immigrants from the U.S., while simultaneously demonstrating that he is protecting the U.S. from cartels. It sort of encapsulates the Administration's agendas, because of the effort by Trump and others in his team to get rid of undocumented folks in the U.S., and he can claim that he's doing something important for advancing national security interests beyond our territorial borders, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are two deportation flights a week from ICE down to Caracas. That's not changed amid the tensions, McCarthy says. Maduro knows that he can't pull the plug on that because that would truly enrage Trump. In a letter from Maduro to Trump last month after the strikes, the Venezuelan leader denied being involved in narco-trafficking, calling out what he says is fake news, and offered to engage in a direct and frank conversation with [Trumps] special envoy. Trump has now authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, a controversial act he acknowledged last week. Maduro responded directly to the revelation, calling the move a desperate attempt at regime change. We will defeat this open conspiracy against peace and stability in Venezuela, Maduro told reporters from Caracas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But as Trump seems to inch closer and closer to direct confrontation with Venezuela, some have begun to question how far Trump will push. Prior to Fridays strike on a boat carrying Colombians, Trump had lashed out in recent days at the countrys president, Gustavo Petro, calling him an illegal drug leader who is low rated and very unpopular. Trump then threatened Petro, saying he had better close up drug operations or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely. Risks of escalation Rebecca Ingber, Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School and an expert in international law and national security who also previously served at the State Department, worries that there is no limiting principle to Trumps campaign if there is no challenge to his authority, and believes Congress should flex their muscles. Last week, Senate Republicans struck down a measure that would have blocked Trump from continuing his assault on unmarked boats. In a 48-41 vote, the measure failed, though Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski voted with nearly all Democrats for the measure, with Sen. John Fetterman joining the rest of the Republican side in opposing it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resolution, which was led by Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia, said that Congress had not received sufficient information regarding the vessels' passengers, cargo, or affiliation, the boats destination, any justification for lethal force against the vessels, the potential availability to use non-lethal force, or any domestic and legal basis to conduct these strikes. Paul has been a strong Republican voice in opposition to the strikes, condemning Vice President J.D. Vance for saying that "killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military." What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial," Paul said in response on X. Ingber argues, however, that the Trump Administrations legal basis for these strikesor lack thereofcould have implications beyond just Trumps handling of alleged cartels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If he could do this on the high seas simply by calling these people terrorists and waving around that word, he could do it anywhere. And just consider who this administration has called a terrorist, Ingber said. Last month, the Trump Administration designated the decentralized left-wing idea of Antifa as a terrorist organization. Last week, the Administration also came under fire for a directive that expanded the definition of domestic terrorism indicators to include a wide range of political beliefs, including ideological markers such as anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity. Ingber also notes the numbed response to these strikes from much of the American public, something that, in part, may come from the routine nature of these drone strikes as something that the nation has become desensitized to dropping bombs on enemies. There are truly extreme risks of escalation here, she says. And more broadly, I think we're just eroding the norms, I think we're eroding the rule that is the backbone of the modern international law system that states may not use force except in the most narrow exceptional circumstances. Additional reporting by Brian Bennett. Contact us at letters@time.com. GHENT, WV (WVNS) Halloween is creeping around the corner and ghouls, ghosts, goblins and more are out looking for places to find sweet treats and spooky fun. Multiple Trunk-or-Treat and other Halloween events will take place throughout southern West Virginia at the end of October, giving families an opportunity to enjoy some candy and spooky Halloween fun. Infamous Halloween murders If you do not see your event or an event you know that is happening in your area, reach out to us and we will add it to the list below! Mercer County Concord University Trunk-or-Treat: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at the Sarvay parking lot on Concord Universitys campus in Athens. Mall-O-Ween at Mercer Mall: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 First United Methodist Church, Princeton: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 29, 2025 Pipestem Resort State Park: 3:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Bluefield Parks and Recreation Halloween Festival and Trunk-or-Treat: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Bill Cole Automall Bluefield: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 3rd Annual Bramwell Spooktacular: 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Main Street, Bramwell 3rd Annual Bramwell Spooktacular Haunted Happenings: Adult hauntings begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025. Ghostwalk from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. $15 for kids 12 and over, $6 for kids 2 to 11 years old, and free for children 2 and under. Located at Main Street, Bramwell. Additional information can be found by calling the Town Hall of Bramwell at 681-284-2061 and tickets can be found by calling 304-952-8639. Haunted Mountain Coaster event at Brush Creek Hollr: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, 2025, and 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Friday October 31, 2025 to Sunday, November 2, 2025 City of Princetons Third Annual Boo Bash: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Parks Dark Carnival: Every Friday and Saturday in October and first Saturday in November. Ticket booth opens at 6:00 p.m. A Special Fall Festival held by the Special Needs Collaborative of Mercer County: 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 at Stumpkins Pumpkin Farm Creepin at the Creek: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 at Camp Creek State Park Little Blessings First Annual Trunk or Treat and Car Show: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 1040 Blue Prince Road in Green Valley Mercer Monster Mash: 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 at Mercer Street Grassroots District Summers County Pipestem Resort State Park Trunk-or-Treat: 3:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 49th Annual Pipestem Pumpkin Run and Costume Contest : Saturday, October 25, 2025. 5K and 10K begin at 10:00 a.m. and Fun Run begins at 11:00 a.m. Hinton Area Elementary Trunk-or-Treat and Costume Parade: 1:00 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 Raleigh County Little Beaver State Park: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Ghent Volunteer Fire Department: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 (Admission: One canned food item) Outback: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, 2025 Beckley Moose Lodge: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Bradley-Prosperity Volunteer Fire Department and EMS: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, 2025 Tech-or-Treat: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at ACT Academy of Careers and Technology Fayette County Montgomery Trunk-or-Treat: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, October 23, 2025 Ansted Trunk-or-Treat : 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Smithers Trunk-or-Treat : 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Pax Trunk-or-Treat : 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 Fayetteville Trunk-or-Treat : 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 Fayette County 4H Haunted House: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, 2025 at Rec Hall Fayette County Park. $8 admission for adults and $5 for youth, cash only. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halloween and other traditions from around the world Greenbrier County Davis Stuarts 3rd Annual Creepy Crawl 5k Fun Run: Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. and race begins at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at Dorie Miller Park in Lewisburg. Costumes are encouraged for the event. McDowell County Spooktacular Halloween Carnival : 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday, October 24, 2025 at 17586 Rocket Boys Drive, War, WV. City of Welch, WV Haunted Holler Hay Rides: Non-scary rides start at 6:00 p.m. and scary rides start at 6:30 p.m. Friday, October 24, Saturday, October 25, and Friday, October 31, 2025, and November 1, 2025. Admission is $5 per person and there will be concessions for people to buy. Pick-up for the event will be at the Welch Volunteer Fire Department. Tazewell County Downtown Bluefield (Virginia Ave) Jeeptoberfest Trunk-or-Treat: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 25, 2025 9th Annual Shake Rag Forever Halloween at Shake Rag 341 Carline Ave in Tazewell: 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 Downtown Bluefield (Walnut St): 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 Jewell Ridge Haunted School: 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. weekends from Friday, October 3, 2025 to Saturday, November 8, 2025 located at 1178 Jewell Main Road, Jewell Ridge, VA. $10 per person, ages 5 and under can attend for free. Pocahontas Haunted House: 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. with family-friendly hour at 7:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from Friday, October 10, 2025 to Friday, October 31, 2025 at 124 East Water Street, Pocahontas, VA. $10 per person and $5 per child during family hour with parent free. Haunted Maze Cedar Bluff: From dark until 10:00 p.m. Thursday, October 23, 2025 to Thursday, October 30, 2025 at 122 School House Road, Cedar Bluff, VA, and is $5 per person. Halloween Bash with Little Ozzy: 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Thursday, October 30, 2025 at Wayfarer Appalachia Richlands Police Department Trunk-or-Treat: 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at Richlands Police Department Pocahontas, VA Halloween Parade and Trunk-or-Treat: Halloween Parade at 5:00 p.m. and Trunk-or-Treat at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2025 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. "Israels population decreased by 29,700 citizens due to emigration; in 2023, by 58,600 people; and in 2024, up to August, by 36,900 Israelis," a Knesset Research and Information Center member said. A report showing a spike in citizens leaving Israel since 2022, revealing a decline of 125,200 people from the countrys migration balance, was presented on Monday in the Knessets Committee for Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs. The report was conducted by the Knessets Research and Information Center (RIC) and was presented in the committee meeting led by its chairperson, MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tens of thousands of Israelis have chosen to leave Israel in the past two years. This is not a wave of emigration; its a tsunami of Israelis choosing to leave the country, he said. The migration balance of Israelis has declined by approximately 125,200 people since the beginning of 2022, the report said. This number was calculated by subtracting the amount of long-term departures from the number of long-term returnees, excluding new immigrants and naturalized citizens. Aliyah, Absorption and Diaspora Committee, October 21, 2025. (credit: Danny Shem-Tov/Knesset Spokespersons Office) Dr. Ayala Eliyahu, from the Knessets RIC, told the panel that since 2022, weve seen a clear increase in the number of Israelis choosing to leave the country for long stays abroad, alongside a decline in the number returning. Continuous increase in Israelis leaving She showed that there was a continuous increase in those leaving throughout the years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israels population decreased by 29,700 citizens due to emigration; in 2023, by 58,600 people; and in 2024, up to August, by 36,900 Israelis, she said. In the committee meeting, Kariv called on the government to recognize the seriousness of this trend and to focus efforts on stopping it. There must be a comprehensive government plan to encourage the return of Israelis who are living abroad for extended periods, he added. Vladimir Beliak (Yesh Atid) addressed the financial aspect and harm that the spike in Israelis leaving the country can cause to the panel. Those who choose to emigrate have a tremendous impact on Israels economy, and their departure causes financial damage amounting to billions of shekels, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A coherent policy must be developed to keep our best and brightest in Israel, Beliak added. Eric Michaelson, deputy director-general for immigration at the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, told the committee that it was not the ministrys job to prevent emigration from Israel. We are the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, not a ministry for preventing emigration, he said. I am not aware of any internal planning within our ministry for preventing emigration. The populations of new immigrants and returning residents are under our responsibility, and we work to help them stay in Israel long-term, he told the panel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adv. Danny Zaken of the National Insurance Institute spoke on the increase of those terminating their residency in the country. We initiate termination of residency only after five years abroad. On the other hand, citizens can contact us proactively and request earlier cancellation of their Israeli residency, Zaken explained. From 2015 to 2021, there were an average of about 2,500 such requests per year. In 2022, the number rose to about 3,700; in 2023, to about 6,300; and in 2024, over 8,400 requests were submitted to terminate residency. There is a clear trend of more families proactively requesting to cut off residency, he said. Kariv said that he would hold a follow-up meeting on the spike of Israelis leaving the country and concluded in his remarks to the panel that there must be a coordinated government effort to stop this trend. College campuses have long welcomed controversial speakers, often to the chagrin of opposing students and residents. That disagreement can escalate into clashes that obstruct some people's First Amendment rights. The Indiana University chapter of Turning Point USA is welcoming former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to campus Oct. 21. It was a stop scheduled on conservative activist Charlie Kirk's American Comeback Tour before he was killed while conducting a question-and-answer session with students at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Carlson's views have prompted some in the Bloomington community to criticize IU for allowing the event to go on and are calling for protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression warns against campus protesters overtaking speakers' ability to express their views. "By canceling an event, all they do is incentivize more heckler vetos and they incentivize more objectors to an event to try to get the event canceled," Graham Piro of FIRE said. "That's a dangerous road, so it's important for Indiana to stand by its First Amendment obligations." The university community has had a checkered past with speakers, FIRE says. For example, two protesters were detained last year at a talk with then-U.S. Rep. Jim Banks and conservative TikTok influencer Chaya Raichik. Why do universities allow controversial speakers? Universities have been uniquely identified in First Amendment case law as a platform for the marketplace of ideas, Piro said. These spaces are traditionally set aside for open debate and inquiry, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With that understanding, he said, it's not the university's prerogative to decide who can and cannot be invited to campus. Speakers invited to speak on campus are often courted by student groups or faculty, not administrators. "When a university unduly restricts speakers who may come to campus on the basis of viewpoint, that harms discourse on campus," he said, "And it suggests that universities are going to treat people or student groups or faculty members who espouse certain viewpoints ... more harshly." What does it mean to shout down a speaker? A shouting down occurs when one or multiple people seek to disrupt the event through shouting, chanting, going up on stage or other actions that drown out the speaker and disrupt the event. Often, police or security remove such disruptive attendees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A shouting down is an example of a "heckler's veto." These situations could lead down a slippery slope where a university may charge higher security costs for different events due to a perceived audience reaction, Piro said. That could raise constitutional concerns over disproportionate costs for similar events with different perceived crowd reactions. When a shouting down occurs, Piro said, the student group and attendees are deprived of hearing a speaker they invited. It also removes the ability for audience members to challenge a speaker during question-and-answer sessions. "When you shout down a speaker, you basically just cut speech off at the knees," he said. Is shouting down a speaker an exercise of free-speech rights? Not really. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes, a shouting down includes a disrupter using their speech. However, Piro said, the freedom to speak also involves the freedom to hear when an expressive event is held. And, a student group or faculty member has the right to invite certain speakers to campus to hear their views. Still, not every incident is a violation of the First Amendment. It's case-by-case whether something is illegal, Prio said, and a situation typically needs to elevate to extreme circumstances. Regardless, advocates often advise against speech activities that, while legal, damage the environment for open discourse. What are First Amendment-friendly ways to oppose campus speakers? There's a big difference between disrupting an event and peacefully protesting, Piro said. And there are many ways to do so while encouraging a healthy free-speech environment, he said. People can protest without impeding others from getting into the event, he said, or they can host a counter event focused on their point of view. A person may also choose to attend to challenge a speaker during a Q&A or hold a sign that does not block others' view. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That sort of non-disruptive protest is acceptable and a very likely more effective way of making your message heard, without crossing the line into disrupting the event and potentially getting in trouble," he said. The USA TODAY Network - Indiana's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Cate Charron by email at ccharron@indystar.com, on X at @CateCharron or Signal at @cate.charron.28. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Want to protest Tucker Carlson at IU? What First Amendment experts say Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson will be speaking Oct. 21 at the Indiana University Auditorium at a Turning Point USA event in honor of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk, founder of TPUSA, had been scheduled to speak in Bloomington as part of his American Comeback Tour. He was killed while conducting a question-and-answer session with students at Utah Valley University, the Sept. 10 stop on his tour. "Each stop is a chance to honor Charlies mission and keep the fight alive," the Turning Point USA website reads. "We know he wouldnt want us to surrender or be coerced into silence. Free speech is only free if we use our voices." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those wishing to attend, all available tickets for the Tuesday event have been claimed. However, standby lines for students and the general public will be permitted to start at 4:30. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and ticketholders must be in their seats by 6:15 p.m. As part of the American Comeback Tour, Kirk visited college campuses around the country, where he primarily debated students under his "prove me wrong" mantra. Carlson, one of several conservatives filling in for Kirk, is known for his time as a fiery host on Fox News before he and the network parted ways in 2023. He now produces conservative content on his Tucker Carlson Network. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turning Point is going ahead with several other planned events this fall. Guest speakers at other events include Megyn Kelly, Sen. Mike Lee, Vivek Ramaswamy and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. The USA TODAY Network - Indiana's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Have a story to tell? Reach Cate Charron by email at ccharron@indystar.com, on X at @CateCharron or Signal at @cate.charron.28. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tucker Carlson is coming to Bloomington. Can you see him? Bihar Minister Santosh Suman on Tuesday hit out at the opposition Mahagathbandhan as the alliance eluded to share the clear picture of their seat-sharing pact. As the Congress and RJD are set to witness 'friendly fight' on some seats, the Bihar Minister said that there is no such thing as a friendly fight and Mahagathbandhan is broken. Speaking to ANI, Santosh Suman said, "There is no such thing as a friendly fight. Mahagathbandhan is half broken... The opposition, particularly the RJD and Congress do not have a solid alliance. Candidates are fighting against each other... Bihar's public does not trust Rahul Gandhi. He just comes here for political tourism and leaves." On Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections. With this announcement, the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear, with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which earlier announced to contest alone on six seats in the Bihar assembly elections, on Monday withdrew from the polls. The announcement was formally made by senior JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar. "With great regret, JMM is compelled to state that the party will not be participating in this election. The political cunning of the leading party in the Bihar alliance has harmed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. It has shattered our aspiration to contest the elections in Bihar," Sudivya Kumar told reporters. The 2025 Bihar Elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) (FOX40.COM) Union educators in Twin Rivers United Educators are planning to rally outside of the Twin Rivers Unified School District Tuesday night in an effort to address the alleged staffing crisis. Video Above: Natomas teachers demand action from school board on staffing, pay The California Teachers Association claims that 100 teaching positions remained open as of early 2025, resulting in overcrowded classrooms. CTA said that this has made it difficult for educators to provide each student with the attention they deserve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While district administrators claim they are transparent in their financial decisions, financial records show that over the last 5 years, they have redirected $226 million funds originally designated for salaries and benefitsinto a capital improvement slush fund without community input, CTA officials said. Meanwhile, TRUE educators bear the burden of one of the least competitive benefit packages in the region, leaving some families paying as much as $1500 per month for health coverage. Elk Grove, Roseville rank top 20 safest cities for Halloween trick-or-treating Teachers, parents and community members plan to rally at 5 p.m. for smaller class sizes and fully staffed schools. FOX40 has reached out to the TRUSD and is waiting for a response. 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 FOX40 News. Twitter spats could be investigated as criminal offences if non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) are scrapped, campaigners have warned. Scotland Yard became the first force in Britain to announce it would no longer investigate controversial NCHIs, with others expected to follow when a long-awaited national review is published. Free speech campaigners have given the announcement a lukewarm response, pointing out that while the Met will no longer investigate NCHIs, it will continue to collect the data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Others have also expressed concern that if NCHIs are scrapped, police forces may instead treat minor social media disputes as crimes, making the situation even worse. The Met made its decision after Graham Linehan, the Father Ted creator, who was arrested at Heathrow by five armed officers over a series of social media posts, was informed he would face no further action. Mr Linehan was taken to hospital with high blood pressure following his arrest in September Following the announcement, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: The Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations. These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes, allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection. Responding to the statement, Mr Linehan said: A lot of people are congratulating me for the result, but I think the police are engaging in shenanigans. Lord Young of Acton, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, said: Sir Mark Rowleys next move, I hope, will be to announce that NCHIs recorded by the Met will no longer be disclosable in enhanced DBS checks. I described this to the Free Speech Unions staff as El-Alamein, but not D-Day. Weve still got quite a few battles to fight. The Womens Rights Network posted on X: The Met Police have announced that they will no longer investigate NCHIs. But they werent anyway, they were investigating crimes and they will, of course, continue to do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quietly buried in the Met statement is the fact that they will continue to record NCHIs. Too often, women have been the target of malicious and vexatious reports just for understanding reality and defending their rights. What has actually changed? Absolutely nothing. Nice try, Sir Mark Rowley. But, no cigar. Yet. Met accused of dishonesty Harry Miller, the free speech campaigner, who set up the organisation Fair Cop to remove politics from policing, said: The Met are still going to be recording NCHIs, so there are still going to be consequences for the person, and there are still questions that need answering. Will the NCHI still appear on an enhanced DBS check? Will the subject still find themselves turning up on police intelligence reports? Will forces let people know that they have had something recorded against their name? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NCHIs need scrapping altogether and the police need to get back to gathering old-fashioned intelligence and evidence about crimes that are going to take place. My concern is what are they going to replace them with. Are they going to snuffle around until they find a pretext for a crime to justify an investigation where no crime exists? I worry this is a smokescreen to allow them to do something far more sinister. Sarah Phillimore, barrister and campaigner, accused the Met of dishonesty over the announcement, warning that minor matters could now end up being treated as crimes. She said: We are now in the worst of all possible worlds. Faced with applying boundaries to NCHIs, the police are now simply recording crimes instead and not informing the person recorded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Met is, in my view, being dishonest in pretending that they are doing something special by not investigating NCHIs. This is an entirely usual state of affairs. They arrested Graham Linehan for a crime. The National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing are currently carrying out a review into NCHIs and are expected to publish the results soon. Police should focus on tackling real crime Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, NPCC chairman, said the current system was not working as it should. He said: Police officers are operating in an increasingly polarised world with regulations that expect them to referee societal debate rather than focus on real-world threat and risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We continue to work hard with the College of Policing to progress our review into non-crime hate incidents and will share its findings when complete. It is vital that we continue to record and gather intelligence around hate and monitor community tensions, as we remain vigilant to precursors to violence and other more serious crimes. A Downing Street spokesman claimed police forces will get the clarity they need to keep our streets safe when the review findings are published. He said: The police should focus on tackling real crime and policing the streets. The Home Secretary has asked that this review be completed at pace, working with the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We look forward to receiving its findings as soon as possible, so that the other forces get the clarity they need to keep our streets safe. 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. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) Two New Mexico high school graduates were recognized by the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, which honors the nations most exceptional high school seniors for their achievements in academics, the arts, and career and technical education. This year, Roy School graduate Ayden J. Clavel, and Los Alamos High School graduate Uxue Sansinena, received the prestigious distinction. UNM aiming to reduce crime through architecture Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clavel is currently pursuing Animal Science with a minor in Agricultural Business and Economics at West Texas A&M University and Sansinena is pursuing political scienceeconomics on a pre-law track, building on her passion for leadership and public service at Columbia University, according to the New Mexico Public Education Department. Both students were asked by NMPED to reflect on their journey and offer advice to New Mexico students. Their responses are included below: I would just like to encourage students to put in the work and effort to be successful in not just school, but in life as well. There is a decline in the younger generations willingness to go through trials to achieve what they really want for themselves. Instead, they lower their goals and expectations. Do not let the work or struggles detour you from not doing the right thing or what you truly want to accomplish. Put in the work and time. Experience the trials and eventually you will experience success in achieving your true goals and full potential, Clavel said. My fondest memories and most valuable experiences came from following my passions and interests. Never do something just for the resume instead, follow what sparks your curiosity and motivates you. I hope all New Mexico students find the courage to step outside their comfort zone and never assume a goal is out of reach, said Sansinena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Two universities the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona have become the latest to reject the Trump administrations demands to impose transgender bathroom bans on their campuses. They join five other universities that have similarly refused letters from the administration offering large financial incentives in exchange for adopting so-called reforms, which include anti-transgender measures, anti-immigrant provisions, attacks on diversity programs, and new restrictions on student protests. The rejections come after notable institutions folded to earlier anti-LGBTQ+ demands, including Brown, Columbia, Harvard, and Penn some of which rejected this latest compact. USC fully agrees that academic excellence cannot exist without a 'vibrant marketplace of ideas where all different views can be explored, debated, and challenged.' To foster such an environment at USC, we have committed ourselves to institutional neutrality and launched a number of initiatives designed to promote civil discourse across the ideological spectrum. Without an environment where students and faculty can freely debate a broad range of ideas and viewpoints, we could not produce outstanding research, teach our students to think critically, or instill the civic values needed for our democracy to flourish, said USC interim president Beong-Soo Kim in response to the demands. Last month, the Trump administration sent letters to nine universities proposing a so-called compact that offered preferential access to federal grants in exchange for sweeping changes to campus policy. The agreement demanded that universities curb what the administration described as the punishment of conservative viewpoints, limit the enrollment of foreign students, and adopt measures targeting transgender people. The compact called for a complete rejection of transgender students gender identities and imposed bans in bathrooms and campus sports. A copy of the administrations demands regarding transgender students can be seen here: Trump Compact // WAPO Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both universities faced immediate and forceful backlash from students and faculty. At an October 6 meeting at USC, more than 500 attendees signed up to voice opposition to the administrations compact and not a single speaker spoke in favor of it. History will not judge USC kindly if it agrees to this compact. The government is clearly engaged in a war on education. Capitulation is the fastest route to ruin, said Edward Saxon, professor of cinematic arts. There can be no negotiation. They are playing by the fascist playbook, added Amelia Jones, vice dean of faculty and research at the School of Art and Design. At the University of Arizona, the administrations proposed compact sparked widespread protest among students and faculty alike. Eighteen student organizations including the Black Student Association, the Pride Alliance, and College Democrats joined together in a demonstration condemning the proposal. At an October meeting, numerous professors denounced the compact as both discriminatory and politically motivated. For those of you who are trans on this campus, we stand by you. What Im worried about as we sit here and determine whether our university is going to sign this compact is that its already being leveraged by this administration, said Dr. Carol Brochin of the College of Education. Senator Zeiders, representing the School of Family and Consumer Sciences (CALES), added that the compact shifts focus from the quality of scholarship to compliance with political directives. When the Faculty Senate finally took a vote on the compact, it failed overwhelmingly 40 to 8. Five other universities have already rejected the compact, though not all have been consistent in standing up to the administrations broader pressure campaign. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Virginia, and Dartmouth all rejected the proposal outright. Brown and the University of Pennsylvania also turned it down but both had already accepted separate demands from the administration tied to federal funding, incorporating elements of its discriminatory agenda into their campus policies. Meanwhile, other prestigious institutions, including Harvard and Columbia, have capitulated entirely, enacting anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ measures after facing federal threats. These two universities join a growing coalition of institutions choosing resistance over compliance. From public school districts in Northern Virginia to Chicago, Denver, and New York City, educators and local officials across the country are rejecting the Trump administrations attempts to weaponize federal funding against transgender students. Just this week, a federal judge sided with 16 states challenging a similar policy targeting LGBTQ+ inclusive education, blocking the administrations effort to withhold funds. While too many institutions including some hospitals and universities have capitulated to these demands, the decisions by USC and the University of Arizona stand out as moments of moral clarity. Their refusal will be remembered by the transgender community as proof that not everyone bowed to fear when it mattered most. This article originally appeared on Advocate: Two more colleges Arizona and USC reject Trump trans bathroom ban compact MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) One person was taken to the hospital after multiple vehicles collided on the Capital Beltway during two separate crashes on Tuesday morning. Details about the crashes remain limited; however, both took place on Interstate 495 near Greentree Road in Montgomery County just before 6:45 a.m. on Oct. 21. Two more suspects arrested in attack on DOGE staffer in DC, USAO announces Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maryland State Police told DC News Now that between the two crashes one person was taken to the hospital. Their condition is currently unknown. Currently, it is unknown how many vehicles were involved in both collisions. What led up to the two collisions remain under investigation. Check DCNewsNow.com for updates. To keep up with the latest news and weather updates, download our Mobile App on iPhone or Android. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State for its population's eagerness to go into battle for this country, but it may just be developing another reputation for bad drivers. That's because when Consumer Affairs published its graphic showing the 10 cities with the worst drivers in the country, two of them Memphis and Knoxville were located there. In fact, those cities were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, in that order, while no other state had more than one location listed. The results are based on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2024 estimates of traffic deaths that overall did show a slight decline in annual fatalities, from 40,901 in 2023 to 39,345 last year. On the other hand, traffic deaths remain a "public health crisis" in this country, and the rate of total traffic fatalities in Memphis reached 38.79 per 100,000 people in 2024. Knoxville's rate was 31.49 traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents. But Consumer Affairs dug deeper than that, too. Its overall rankings further took into account the number of crashes per 100,000 people that involved things like driving under the influence, speeding, and just plain "bad driving" as defined by a variety of aggressive or careless maneuvers. For example, in ranking Waterbury, Connecticut, in third place, Consumer Affairs pointed to the city's driving fatalities that involved someone being under the influence. Waterbury's rate, 7.87 deaths per 100,000 people, was more than four times the national number. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: These Are The Most Dangerous Cars Our Readers Have Driven Where are America's worst-behaved drivers? Cars crowd along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, Hawaii - Jewhyte/Getty Images Of course, numbers can be funny things. As the old saying goes, statistics can be considered one of the three basic forms of untruths, along with lies and damned lies. Here's what we mean: While NHTSA made its pick for worst drivers based on fatal outcomes, that although important certainly isn't the only way to look at the matter. For instance, when Forbes Advisor set out to analyze folks' on-road behavior, like distracted driving or make aggressive moves to get ahead of traffic, Tennesseeans were among the best-behaved drivers in the nation last year. In this study, which relied on self-reporting from drivers, the worst driving behaviors were found in Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Oregon, and right at the bottom Hawaii where 20% of drivers admitted to changing lanes/turning without using their indicators, 13% to going at least 20 mph above the speed limit, and 8% to running red lights. Indeed, the Aloha state was the top-ranked state in all three categories, albeit in a tie with Texas and Oregon in the last one. In addition, and again tying with other states, Hawaii had the second-highest percentage of people admitting to driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and the fourth-highest percentage of drivers texting behind the wheel. So it's probably a good thing for those states that the new General Motors invention that analyzes behavior to help get dangerous drivers off the road is still a work in progress. Where are the best drivers in the United States? A vintage Ford Mustang on the streets of Brownsville, Texas during a parade - Roberto Galan/Getty Images Checking with one more source Allstate insurance's 2025 Best Drivers Report gives us yet even more data points for deciding where the country's best and worst drivers live. Now, right off the bat, the statistics in this study show that Knoxville, which Consumer Affairs rated as the city with the second-worst drivers in America, was the 17th in the country for longest timespan between collisions. In other words, drivers in that city are about 8.4% less likely to be involved in a collision than the national average. True, that's a fair way off the best city in this study, but it's significantly better than the Consumer Affairs results. Advertisement Advertisement FWIW, Memphis, the worst city according to Consumer Affairs, finished 88th among the 200 cities ranked in the Allstate research. But it was Boston drivers who were once again declared the absolute worst in the annual rankings. They're an amazing 244% more likely to be involved in a crash than the national average and can expect to be involved in a collision just about every three years. Actually, three Massachusetts cities made the bottom five, since Worcester and Springfield finished 197th and 196th. The other side of the spectrum had America's best drivers coming from Brownsville, Texas, where the relative collision likelihood was nearly 26% lower than the national average. Rounding out the top five were Boise, Idaho; Fort Collins, Colorado; Cary, North Carolina; and Laredo, Texas. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Jalopnik. SOUTH PEKIN, Ill. (WMBD) Two vehicles were involved in a crash near Illinois Route 29 and Hurt Road in South Pekin on Tuesday. Both drivers, a 16-year-old girl and a 57-year-old man were taken to the hospital, Tazewell County Sheriff Jeffrey Lower said. Lower said that the 16-year-old was driving westbound from Main Street and attempted to cross Route 29 onto Hurt Road. The 57-year-old was driving a Dump truck northbound on Illinois Route 29. The girl allegedly pulled into the path of the dump truck, causing it to overturn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tazewell County Sheriffs Office, South Pekin Fire Department and Cincinnati Township Fire Department all responded to the crash. A release from the Tazewell County Sheriffs Office said that the roadway is closed until further notice and encourages drivers to find alternate routes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Aaron Penington is now one of the Most Wanted Fugitives in Massachusetts Two years after the cold-blooded murder of his wife, Breanne Pennington, Aaron Pennington is still out there. No one knows if he is dead or alive. But the hunt is on. Mass State Police Det Lt John Sullivan is heading up the search. How frustrating is it that this guy is still out there? Boston 25s Bob Ward asked. For me, Ive been doing fugitive (cases) for over a decade. Ive never had a case like this, Sullivan said. Weve done quite a bit on this case. Its active. We revisit it constantly. Anything that actionable has come in we follow up on, but we are still nowhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators believe Aaron Pennington shot and killed Breanne Pennington in the bedroom of their Gardner home and then ran from their house. Aaron Penningtons white BMW was quickly found three miles away deep in woods near Gardners Camp Collier. But, despite a massive land and air search, not a single trace of Aaron Pennington turned up. Breanne, best known by her nickname Breezy, was the mother of four young children. I spoke to Breannes aunt on the phone. She believes Aaron Pennington is still alive. He wouldnt go and hide to kill himself, when he knows there are death benefits for his children, Hull said. He definitely had a plan to execute Breezy. He communicated with numerous people at church that he was ten steps ahead of everybody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aaron Pennington is 6 2, 175 pounds, police consider him armed and dangerous. Well never give up, Det Lt Sullivan said. Id like to see him stand up, be a man. Turn yourself in, Aaron, Brenda Hull said. Do it for your kids. If you have any TIPS in this case, contact Mass State Police VFAS at 1.800.KAPTURE. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Criticising the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for not working on development in any ward of Jubilee Hills when it was in power, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday asserted that "voting should be done only on the basis of development". Avoiding the question of whether he'll support Congress leader Revanth Reddy, the AIMIM chief said that he is the chief minister of the state, and neither this by-election would form the government nor will it change the government. "By-elections are going to take place in Jubilee Hills. Revanth Reddy is the Chief Minister of the state. Neither this by-election will form the government nor will it change the government. Secondly, the people of Jubilee Hills gave 10 years to the former MLA from BRS, but he did not make use of it. No development took place in any ward of Jubilee Hills. Thirdly, voting should take place there only on development," Owaisi told reporters. The AIMIM chief also announced that the party will not field a candidate in the by-election. He appealed to the people of Jubilee Hills to support Congress nominee Naveen Yadav. "AIMIM is not fielding a candidate from Jubilee Hills. We appeal to the people of Jubilee Hills to vote for a young leader, Naveen Yadav (Congress candidate), so that he can bring development to Jubilee Hills. This is the decision of the party," he informed. Owaisi further commented on the stability of the current government, noting, "The current government will stay at least 2.5-3 years in power, and this by-election is not going to make any changes. When the assembly election takes place in 2028, you will see what AIMIM will do in Jubilee Hills." Meanwhile, on October 19, AIMIM chief said that the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978, has been "misused" by every elected and unelected government, which has led to "untold suffering and human rights violations". "Sab kuch luta ke hosh mein aaye to kya kiya. Din mein agar chiragh jalaye to kya kiya," Owaisi posted on X. He said that the previous Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, including Omar Abdullah, could have repealed the PSA and prevented human rights violations. (ANI) TYLER, Texas (KETK) A Tyler man has pleaded guilty to two drug-related charges on Monday and accepted a 40 year prison sentence in connection with a 2024 fentanyl death. Calvin Thomas Spencer, 28, was intially charged with first-degree murder, after Michael Crone, a Tyler-native, died after taking fentanyl pills. The Smith County Sheriffs Office said Spencer was a barber at a truck stop in the 400 block of East-Northeast Loop 323 in Tyler where he was known to give Crone haircuts. An arrest affidavit also revealed that Spencer sold Crone M-30 fentanyl pills and later died on Oct. 5, 2024. Mugshot of Calvin Spencer, courtesy of the Smith County Jail. According to an autopsy and toxicology report from the Forensic Medical of Texas at Tyler, Crones cause of death was listed as mixed alprazolam, diazepam, codeine and fentanyl toxicity and cause of death was ruled as fentanyl toxicity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spencer made admissions to purchasing the pills on the previous night with cash and a Cash App. Spencer also admitted to purchasing fentanyl pills at least on four other occasions within the last couple of months, the sheriffs office said. Spencer also admitted to having previously sold M-30 pills to Michael Crone, but that Mike had previously died. 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. NEED TO KNOW A 34-year-old Army sergeant is dead after a training accident in Germany on Oct. 18 The man, who was from New Jersey, was on his second deployment An investigation into the incident is ongoing A 34-year-old sergeant of the U.S. Army has died following a training accident in Germany. Now, hes being remembered as an exemplary leader. On Saturday, Oct. 18, Sgt. Terell Seales was wounded during a vehicle accident at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Bavaria, the Army said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 34-year-old, who hailed from Florence, N.J., was a motor transport operator assigned to the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Strike), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He died of his injuries, the Army said. The Army did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for further comment. Seales joined the Army four years ago. He served at bases in Texas and New York before arriving at Fort Campbell in 2024, which is located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, according to the release. His time in Germany was his second deployment. In 2023, he was deployed to Lithuania. Before his death, Seales was awarded the Army Commendation Medal twice, the Army Achievement Medal four times and the Army Good Conduct Medal twice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also received the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Driver and Mechanic Badge. CTK via AP The Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Bavaria, Germany. The Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Bavaria, Germany. In a statement after Seales' death, Col. Duke Reim, Commander of the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Strike), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), remembered him as "an exceptional leader and soldier who inspired others to give their very best." "We remain in close contact with his family to provide care and any support they may need during this difficult time, Reim added. The commander said that the Army was grateful to their German allies for their quick response to the tragedy and the support of their soldiers. 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. Earlier this year, the Army described the Joint Multinational Readiness Center as its "premier training center in Europe." The "international training environment" is a space that's "optimized for establishing global deterrence amid emerging challenges and uncertainties," the agency said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Faced with a multitude of competing demands for resources and focus," the Army said in a March press release about modernizing the site, "the Armys priorities to build readiness, lethality and warfighting capabilities continue to dominate planning and training efforts toward providing the most realistic training for U.S., NATO and partner forces." An investigation into the accident is ongoing. Read the original article on People Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Vice President JD Vance gave a press conference Tuesday in Israel in which he said the peace is "durable" and that if it falls apart, Hamas will be "obliterated." Vance arrived for the two-day visit to Israel on Tuesday to head up efforts by President Donald Trump to bolster the cease-fire agreement with Hamas that has been coming under increasing strain amid apparent violations of the deal. Vance's presence was aimed at warning both parties not to sabotage the truce, which was based on Trump's 20-point peace plan and which he leaned hard on all sides, including allies in the region, to buy into, analysts told The New York Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The press conference about the U.S.-brokered peace plan between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza, included Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, investor Jared Kushner and Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the U.S. Central Command. The Americans and their Arab allies want to deliver all the elements for a permanent peace, including Hamas disarmament, replacing Israeli forces in Gaza with a multinational security stabilization force and establishing an independent Palestinian administration. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to help bolster the cease-fire with Hamas. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI Vance is tasked with pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin negotiations on those issues to ensure the decades-long conflict with Hamas is consigned to history. Vance, answering a question about Hamas' role in the cease-fire, said "It's that Hamas has to disarm, it's that Hamas has to actually behave itself, and that Hamas -- while all the fighters can be given some sort of clemency -- they're not going to be able to kill each other, and they're not going to be able to kill their fellow Palestinians." He also referred to Hamas as a "terrorist organization." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I feel confident that we're going to be in a place where this peace lasts, where it's durable," he said. "If Hamas doesn't cooperate, then as the president of the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated." The four spoke from the new Civilian-Military Cooperation Center in Israel, which Vance said is central to keeping the cease-fire agreement going. "You have Israelis and Americans working hand-in-hand to try to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, to implement a long-term peace and to actually ensure that you have security forces on the ground in Gaza -- not composed of Americans -- who can keep the peace over the long term," Vance said of the center. Kushner discussed the plans to rebuild Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "No reconstruction funds will be going into areas that Hamas still controls," he said. But the reconstruction would "give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live," Kushner said. Details of those plans are still unclear. Vance also lamented a "weird attitude" in American media, "where there's almost this desire to root for failure that every time something bad happens that every time that there's an act of violence there's this inclination to say, 'Oh this is the end of the cease-fire. This is the end of the peace plan.' It's not the end. It is, in fact, exactly how this is going to have to happen." Kushner reiterated the challenges of keeping the peace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A lot of people are getting a little hysterical about different incursions one way or the other, but what we are seeing is that things are going in accordance, both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture," Kushner said. Vance also advised patience in the wait for the bodies of dead hostages. "It is a focus of everybody here to get those bodies back home to their families so that they can have a proper burial," he said. But, "this is not going to happen overnight. Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are. That doesn't mean we shouldn't work to get them, and that doesn't mean we don't have confidence that we will. It's just a reason to counsel in favor of a little bit of patience." Witkoff said the CMCC will be used in the future to moderate future conflicts of other nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witkoff and Kushner, who were central in getting the Oct. 13 deal over the line in partnership with Qatar and Egypt, arrived Monday for meetings with senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, to advance the process beyond the initial first phase. NOW: Vice President @JDVance and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel pic.twitter.com/w7EF9QhLDW William Martin (@VPCommsDir) October 21, 2025 Administration officials were said to be concerned about Netanyahu's commitment going forward and that he may be planning to back out and resume a full-scale offensive against Hamas amid problems with hostage returns and flare-ups in the violence. In a speech in the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday, he brushed over his upcoming summit with Vance and boasted of Israel's military prowess. "We will talk about two things, mainly the security challenges and the diplomatic opportunities we face. We will overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities," Netanyahu said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told lawmakers how Israeli forces had dropped 153 tons of ordnance on Gaza on Sunday in retaliation for what he said was a "blatant" cease-fire violation by Hamas that killed two soldiers in Rafah after they were targeted with "anti-tank missiles and gunfire." Hamas has denied any involvement in the incident. "One of our hands holds a weapon; the other hand is stretched out for peace," he said. "You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today, Israel is stronger than ever before," Netanyahu said. HOPE/TEXARKANA, Ark. (KTAL/KMSS) Aubrey Ferguson, the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkanas (UAHT) 2025 Academic All-Star, was honored at the annual Arkansas Community Colleges Conference in Hot Springs. Bowie County residents eligible for U of A Transfer Achievement Scholarship Over $500,000 in scholarships were awarded to students from 22 Arkansas community colleges. The scholarships allow these students to transfer to any public four-year university in the state to finish earning their bachelors degree, covering the full tuition amount. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her time at UAHT, Ferguson has been President of the Student Government Association (SGA), received the AB & Pauline King Scholarship, was named to the Vice Chancellors Honor Roll twice, received the Deans Emerging Leader Award, and was named the 2025 TRiO Achiever of the Year, a press release stated. After graduating from UAHT, Aubrey plans to transfer to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to major in psychology and work towards her doctorate to become a therapist or counselor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. STORRS A UConn student from the Storrs campus was named as the recipient of the Eileen Kraus Scholarship for 2025. The award, which was given through the Connecticut Womens Hall of Fame, was presented to first-year UConn student Tasneem Zoghol. Zoghol wrote an essay about Dr. Helen Smits, who was identified as one of her greatest inspirations. Her inspiration is to become a physician and to advocate and catalyze change to make healthcare a right, not a privilege. She also aims to improve living conditions in marginalized communities and care for vulnerable and sick people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The story of my life and dreams is an accumulation of others from many corners of the world, Zoghol said. The dreams that were crushed and left unaccomplished because of poverty, the lives that were lost to treatable illnesses because of medical disadvantage, and the hidden stories that were left without a happy ending. Zoghols family came to the United States from Jordan. While Zoghol was raised in the United States, she would often visit her family overseas. While visiting the village, Zoghol said residents accessing adequate medical care, clean water and enough food was very difficult for many families. It was one day that Zoghol recalls one of the most heartbreaking moments that inspired her to continue her studies in her field. Zoghol found a 4-year-old girl roaming around the lobby of a building wearing dirty princess pajamas and sandals that were too small for her feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was waiting for her mother, who had come to visit the volunteer doctors and ask for medication, Zoghol said. Zoghol would learn the little girls father had died from a preventable disease, and her mother suffered from severe anemia. Zoghol discovered that same day that the little girl hadnt eaten in four days. As an aspiring physician and global health advocate, I envision a world where medicine and education are freely accessible to all children, where theyre no longer defined by the limits of their circumstances, Zoghol said. Zoghol added she wants to return to the children in the orphanage, where she will be equipped to improve their lives and those of communities impacted by poverty and lack of access to medical care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smits was an influencer and advocate in the United States who spoke to several healthcare initiatives abroad. She was a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship and served under the leadership of the Carter and Clinton administrations. I imagine a world that Helen Smits fought for, said Zoghol, a Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences major with a double minor in biology and global studies. A world that I strive to fight for. A rare microorganism could escape Earth's most stringent spacecraft clean rooms and infiltrate space - or another planet - by using this spooky trick. It plays dead. Microbiologists at the University of Houston confirmed that a bacterium found in a NASA spacecraft assembly room, called Tersicoccus phoenicis, will go dormant when it runs out of food. Dormant bacteria are very difficult to detect. So it's possible T. phoenicis - or nastier dormant bacteria that can cause diseases - could already be on the moon or Mars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MARS NEWS: A rock on Mars could suggest that tiny life once existed on the Red Planet, NASA says Or in a hospital here on Earth. "This is what bothers me the most," said William Widger, a professor in the UH Department of Biology and Biochemistry. "You have clean rooms in pharmaceutical companies. You have clean rooms in hospitals. You have clean rooms in food preparation. Have they ever checked for dormant bacteria in there?" Four UH microbiologists recently published a study on T. phoenicis in the Microbiology Spectrum journal. Madhan Tirumalai, a research assistant professor in the UH Department of Biology and Biochemistry, was the lead author. Widger was a co-author. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The T. phoenicis bacterium was found more than a decade ago in spacecraft clean rooms in Florida and French Guiana. Clean rooms, as the name suggests, are meticulously sanitized and frequently swabbed for bacteria. Scientists don't want to contaminate other planets, but they know some cross-pollination is inevitable. Swabbing for bacteria creates an inventory that can be referenced later. For instance, it allows scientists to cross-check Martian rovers' findings so they don't declare alien life if they find microorganisms that actually hitchhiked to the Red Planet from Earth. "You cannot completely get rid of microbes from spacecraft or spacecraft clean rooms," Tirumalai said. "Wherever humans go, we drop skin cells. We drop hair particles. And there will always be human-associated microbes in these environments." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After swabbing a clean room, scientists will typically submerge the swab in a food that encourages bacteria to grow. But dormant bacteria may take a longer time to grow or won't grow at all during this test. They are found by extracting their DNA from the swab and processing it with gene sequencing. This was how scientists first detected T. phoenicis. To determine if it truly goes dormant, the UH microbiologists smeared the bacterium on a glass plate and let it dry over 10 days. Then they gave it food. The food did not encourage its growth. Instead, the bacterium woke up after receiving a so-called "resuscitating protein," which is known to reanimate other dormant bacteria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a survival strategy to counter extreme stress," Tirumalai said of why bacteria become dormant, "and dormant microbes can wake up when conditions improve." Proving the T. phoenicis bacterium plays dead was just the first part of their planned research. Tirumalai and Widger said there are bigger questions to be answered. T. phoenicis can create its own resuscitating protein. But can its resuscitating protein awaken other dormant bacteria, or can those other bacteria's resuscitating protein awaken T. phoenicis? Does being in microgravity and being exposed to higher levels of radiation in space affect when bacteria are dormant or awake? Tirumalai and Widger are also interested in learning if they can kill T. phoenicis by preventing it from going dormant. That answer might help scientists eradicate tuberculosis, which is highly resistant to antibiotics when it goes dormant inside the human body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We would expect that the drugs that normally will kill tuberculosis will also kill dormant bacteria," Widger said, "if we can break them out of dormancy or prevent them from going into dormancy." This article originally published at UH scientists find NASA clean room bacterium plays dead.' Could other dormant germs be in hospitals?. A spying row is complicating the UK governments already vexing decision to allow construction of an enormous new Chinese embassy in London. Critics fear the proposed building could be a surveillance threat, given its location near the UKs financial centers. The British government is accused of being soft on Beijing: It refused to provide evidence in an espionage case in which two men allegedly working for China were accused of spying on lawmakers, and kept China off a list of potential threats to national security. A decision to approve construction of the 215,000-square-foot embassy site that was due today has been delayed, sparking anger from Beijing, which said the UK would bear all consequences if permission was refused. The US has agreed to provide up to 200 troops to support the force without being deployed in Gaza itself. A small contingent of British military planning officers has been sent to Israel to join a task force led by the United States to support stabilization efforts in Gaza, the UK defense ministry said. Gaza mediators - the United States, Egypt, and Qatar - stepped up their efforts this week to stabilize the early stages of the truce between Israel and Hamas and to push forward US President Donald Trump's 20-point ceasefire plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A US-backed stabilization force, known as the Civil-Military Coordination Centre, or CMCC, is meant to ensure security in Gaza. Its composition, role, chain of command, legal status and other issues are yet to be agreed. The US has agreed to provide up to 200 troops to support the force without being deployed in Gaza itself. US officials have said they are also speaking to Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute. A UK ministry of defense spokesperson said in a statement that a "small number of UK planning officers" had embedded in the CMCC, including a two-star deputy commander. US President Donald Trump looks on as he speaks to military personnel following a Beating Retreat military ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of the president's second state visit to the UK, September 17, 2025. (credit: Jordan Pettitt/Pool via REUTERS) The spokesperson said the deployment was intended to ensure the UK remained integrated into US-led planning efforts for post-conflict stability in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The UK continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where the UK can best contribute to the peace process," the spokesperson added. Britain has 'specialist experience, skills' British media reported that defense minister John Healey said on Monday that Britain had "specialist experience and skills that we have offered to contribute," adding that while the UK would not lead the effort, it would play its part. Healey said the deployment was made in response to a request from the United States. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) A British woman will avoid execution for drug smuggling in Indonesia under an agreement signed Tuesday between the two nations to repatriate her and another Briton serving a life sentence. Lindsay Sandiford, 68, has been imprisoned on Bali since 2012. She was arrested at the resort island's airport after authorities found 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) of cocaine worth $2.5 million hidden in the lining of her suitcase. During the trial, she said she was forced to carry the drugs by a gang that threatened her children. She was sentenced to die by firing squad and Indonesias highest court upheld it in 2013. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another prisoner, Shahab Shahabadi, 35, has been serving a life sentence since 2014. He was arrested in Jakarta as a result of an investigation into an international drug trafficking network. He had previously sent 30 kilograms (15 pounds) of methamphetamine powder in several shipments from Iran to his partner for distribution in Jakarta, before finally arriving in Jakarta himself, prosecutors said. Both of them are facing problems. The first one is ill and has been examined by a doctor from the British Consulate in Bali. She is seriously ill and is 68 years old," said Indonesias Senior Minister of Law Yusril Ihza Mahendra. He signed the repatriation agreement with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. Mahendra said the transfer of the prisoners will take place after both countries have completed technical and administrative steps. Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto's administration has sent several foreign prisoners home under bilateral agreements with each of their countries. They included a Filipina who faced the death penalty for drugs and five Australians convicted of heroin trafficking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including nearly 100 foreigners, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections data showed last month. Indonesias last executions, of a citizen and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016. This story was first published on Oct. 21, 2025. It was updated on Oct. 22, 2025 to correct the attribution of a quote that begins, Both of them are facing problems ... The quote came from Yusril Ihza Mahendra, not Yvette Cooper. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Tuesday his plan for a swift meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was on hold because he didn't want it to be a waste of time. It was the latest twist in Trump's stop-and-go effort to resolve the war in Ukraine. The decision to hold off on the meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which Trump had announced last week, was made following a call Monday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. I dont want to have a wasted meeting, Trump said. I dont want to have a waste of time so well see what happens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lavrov made clear in public comments Tuesday that Russia is opposed to an immediate ceasefire. Trump, meanwhile, has been shifting his stance all year on key issues in the war, including whether a ceasefire should come before longer-term peace talks, and whether Ukraine could win back land seized by Russia during almost four years of fighting. Trump's hesitancy in meeting Putin will likely come as a relief to European leaders, who have accused Putin of stalling for time with diplomacy while trying to gain ground on the battlefield. The leaders including the British prime minister, French president and German chancellor said they opposed any push to make Ukraine surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as Trump most recently has suggested. They also plan to push forward with plans to use billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraines war efforts, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences of such a step. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. and Russian presidents last met in Alaska in August, but the encounter did not advance Trumps stalled attempts to end a war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kremlin didnt seem to be in a rush to get Trump and Putin together again either. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that preparation is needed, serious preparation before a meeting. Trump suggested that decisions about the meeting would be made in the coming days. What Ukraine wants from the US Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been trying to strengthen Ukraine's position by seeking long-range Tomahawk missiles from the U.S., although Trump has waffled on whether he would provide them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace, Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a Telegram post. He noted that Putin returned to diplomacy and called Trump last week when it looked like Tomahawk missiles were a possibility. But "as soon as the pressure eased a little, the Russians began to try to drop diplomacy, postpone the dialogue, Zelenskyy said. On Wednesday, Trump is expected to hold talks in the White House with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The military alliance has been coordinating deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, many of them purchased from the U.S. by Canada and European countries. A meeting of the Coalition of the Willing a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine is due to take place in London on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How Trump's stance on the war has shifted Trump initially focused on pressuring Ukraine to make concessions, but then grew frustrated with Putin's intransigence. Trump often complains that he thought his good relationship with his Russian counterpart would have made it easier to end the war. Last month, Trump reversed his long-held position that Ukraine would have to give up land and suggested it could win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. But after a phone call with Putin last week and a subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump shifted his position again and called on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are" and end the war. On Sunday, Trump said the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine should be cut up, leaving most of it in Russian hands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said Monday that while he thinks it is possible that Ukraine can ultimately defeat Russia, hes now doubtful it will happen. Ukrainian and European leaders trying to keep Trump on their side We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the leaders' statement said. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction." Lavrov made clear Tuesday that Russia opposes a ceasefire, Russian state news agencies reported. He told journalists in Moscow that it would go against what the two presidents agreed upon in Alaska. Trump had hoped to get Russia to stop the fighting, but he was rebuffed by Putin, who has pushed for a comprehensive settlement to end the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, but carving up their country in return for peace is unacceptable to Kyiv officials. Also, a conflict frozen on the current front line could fester, with occupied areas of Ukraine offering Moscow a springboard for new attacks in the future, Ukrainian and European officials fear. The statement by the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Denmark and EU officials came early in what Zelenskyy said Monday would be a week that is very active in diplomacy. More international economic sanctions on Russia are likely to be discussed at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We must ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and its defense industry, until Putin is ready to make peace, Tuesdays statement said. ___ Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed reporting. __ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Rajya Sabha MP Lahar Singh Siroya met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday, stating that their discussion centred around the state's development rather than politics. Speaking to ANI, Siroya said, "The discussion wasn't political; it was about the state's development. I've assured them that we will also discuss this with the central government." He further urged the state government to reconsider its flagship guarantee schemes, claiming they have hindered economic growth. "They should reconsider the guarantee schemes because these schemes have only slowed down the pace of development in the state," Siroya said. Meanwhile, Biocon chief and industrialist Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Tuesday morning met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at his residence in Bengaluru. During the meeting, they discussed Bengaluru's growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnataka's growth story. In a post on X, DK Shivakumar wrote, "It was a pleasure to meet Ms. @kiranshaw, entrepreneur and Founder of Biocon, at my residence today. We had an engaging discussion on Bengaluru's growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnataka's growth story."This comes amid the feud between the duo over infrastructure in Bengaluru. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has earlier expressed frustration over Bengaluru's infrastructure woes, citing poor road conditions and garbage management issues on several occasions. She emphasised the need for timely garbage clearance and road resurfacing, holding government ministers accountable for the city's state. Her comments followed an overseas business visitor's tour of Biocon Park, who raised questions about the state of the city's infrastructure. In a post on X, Shaw wrote, "I had an overseas business visitor to Biocon Park who said, 'Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn't the Govt want to support investment? I have just come from China and cant understand why India can't get its act together especially when the winds are favourable?' "In response to criticism, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar took a jibe at Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw over the latter's criticism of road infrastructure in Bengaluru, saying that she could develop the same if she wants. "If she wants to develop them (roads), let her do it. If she comes and asks, we will give her the roads," Shivakumar said while conducting the "Bengaluru Nadige (Walk for Bengaluru)" program in the KR Puram area. On Sunday, Shivakumar lashed out at "some" Bengaluru-based industrialists for their alleged unwarranted caustic remarks about Bengaluru's urban infrastructure. "Some of the industrialists who owe their success to Bengaluru are today criticising the city. They are forgetting their humble beginnings in Bengaluru and how the city helped them grow. I believe that we should not forget our roots," the Deputy CM said while speaking to reporters after participating in 'Walk with Bengaluru' initiative at Koramangala. (ANI) Kyiv and its European partners on Oct. 21 supported Washington's proposal for ending hostilities along the current front lines in Ukraine, a plan opposed by Russia. "We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations," read a joint statement by President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Poland, the EU, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Spain, and Sweden. Following what was reportedly a tense visit by Zelensky to Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Russian and Ukrainian forces should halt hostilities based on their current positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump referred to Ukrainian territory as "property" Moscow has "won" in the war, but denied earlier reporting that he pressed Zelensky to cede all of Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast including Ukrainian-held areas to Russia. Zelensky confirmed on Oct. 19 that Trump's Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, "conveyed" Moscow's demands for a full Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out ceding any unoccupied territories, calling instead for a full ceasefire as the first condition for any further peace talks. Moscow, in turn, has repeatedly rejected halting hostilities along the current front line, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying on Oct. 20 that this position has not changed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russia's stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace," the Oct. 21 statement by European leaders read. "We can all see that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin continues to choose violence and destruction." The European leaders also called for increased pressure against Moscow, even as the Trump administration remains reluctant to arm Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles or to back European plans to expand the use of Russian assets to fund Kyiv. While Trump's stance appeared to have shifted in Ukraine's favor in recent months, Putin's phone call with the U.S. president on Oct. 16 led to another unexpected turnaround. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two leaders announced that they would meet in Budapest in the coming weeks to discuss peace efforts in Ukraine, although no specific date has been set. Trump also walked back his statements from September that Ukraine is capable of reclaiming all of its occupied territories. It remains unclear whether Ukraine or European partners will be invited to Budapest, though Zelensky voiced readiness to do so if offered. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that any discussions about Ukrainian and European security cannot take place without all relevant parties present. Europe has rushed to publicly back Ukraine ahead of the summit, with Zelensky scheduled to meet the leaders of the "Coalition of the Willing" in London on Oct. 24. Read also: Why does Russia want Donbas? 6 things to know about the region Ukraine is being pressured to give up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. For a man who prides himself on conducting diplomacy by instinct and through personal relationships, Donald Trumps susceptibility to Vladimir Putin has long puzzled observers and rightly caused extreme distress to those who stand to lose the most from it. He really doesnt seem to be able to see Vladimir Putin for what he is: a cunning, ruthless and cruel imperialist, and a danger to the West. Some speculate that the Kremlin has explosive kompromat on the president but, if so, Mr Trump has hinted that he doesnt care. The possibility has, in fact, not prevented Mr Trump from occasionally standing up to the Russians. Were the US presidents predilections more consistent, they might be easier for his allies to manage. But, capricious as he is, President Trump never quite seems to make his mind up about his Russian counterpart. He even openly says that he thinks his Russian counterpart might be playing him along. Any such impatience is, however, usually resolved with a conversation, face-to-face or over the hotline to the Kremlin, and Mr Trump starts spouting Kremlin talking points again. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, seems equally hopelessly in thrall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately for Ukraine and its European allies, President Trump does not seem nearly as ready to treat Volodymyr Zelensky as an equal, nor even listen to him with much respect. Vladimir Putin, however misguidedly, is treated as another strong man, with the potential for all sorts of lucrative deal-making, even when he lets his American friends down by bombing Ukrainian schools and care homes. Mr Zelensky, despite agreeing to talks based on every peace proposal made by Mr Trump, dressing as required, and conceding a lucrative minerals deal, is treated with painful contempt. The accounts that have emerged from the recent encounter between the pair are, sadly, all too believable. The earnest Ukrainian leader prefers to speak in his imperfect English and tries to stand up for his brave homeland, and has the unfortunate knack of being able to wind up Mr Trump while trying to do the opposite. So there was a shouting match, some cursing and perhaps no president since Richard Nixon has dropped as many F-bombs as Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskys maps of his country were pushed aside. Only because this meeting was in private could it be said to have been less humiliating and less of a disaster for Ukraine than the infamous row in the Oval Office in February. The meeting certainly did not last long, in stark contrast with Mr Trumps most recent phone conversation with Putin, a few days before. Needless to add, Mr Zelensky did not get the Tomahawk missiles he had sought. Instead, the Ukrainian leader was at first told to settle the war on Russias current terms surrendering the entire Donbas region, including large stretches of strategically vital territory that the Russians, even after more than two years of combat, have still not captured. Scarcely less alarming, Mr Trump now advocates the simplest of all settlements that the combatants simply freeze the current front lines and go home. On his Truth Social channel, Mr Trump put it in real estate terms: Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever History does eventually decide, such a settlement carries immediate risks for the West. Mr Zelensky accepts it but only as the basis for more talks. He says that Putin does not want peace, and he is right about that. However, given the parlous state of the Russian economy, and thus Putins war machine, a temporary phase in the fighting and the relaxation of US sanctions on Russia would offer advantages for the Kremlin hence the offer being made via Mr Trump. In reality, for Mr Zelensky, a continuation of the war to the stage where the Russian economy could not sustain it some say a matter of months would be preferable. But such an outcome would offend Mr Trump (making his Nobel Peace Prize still less likely), and could attract characteristically spiteful retaliation. America could adopt a position of bogus neutrality, ending arms supplies to Ukraine, even to the European powers willing to purchase them on Kyivs behalf. If Putin caught Mr Trump in the right sort of mood, America might even end up easing trade restrictions and economic sanctions against Moscow, thus kick-starting the war machine. As has been clear since Mr Trump won the election almost a year ago, the defence of Ukraine has to fall to Europe and its associated partners around the world. America is simply too unreliable an ally; in effect, it has almost switched sides. So far, the coalition of the willing, constructed under the joint leadership of Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, has shown worrying signs of reluctance to make sure that Ukraine can win the war, rather than continuing to offer the bare minimum required to ensure that it does not lose it. For Europe, it is a matter of money, of technology transfer, of expanding industrial capacity, and of persuading America to keep selling the advanced weaponry to pass on to Mr Zelenskys beleaguered nation. All of these components of a successful strategy can be achieved with political will. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Trump, despite his wobbles and his weaving, knows what he wants an end to the war on any available terms, preparatory to a historic rapprochement with Russia. Mr Zelensky, to borrow a phrase, wants his country back, or at least as much as can be realistically regained if and when Russia sues for peace. Yet since the very first day of Putins special military operation in February 2022, Europe as a whole has been unable to define its war aims, and remains divided about what they might be. British ministers, for example, no longer declare that Ukraine must win. If Ukraine falls, plenty of blame will attach to the indifference of Mr Trump to the rights of small nations and international law, but it will also show that European defence is, as yet, merely a coalition of the unwilling. The Kremlin will draw the obvious conclusions. Oleksandr Ilkov, head of the Government Office for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, has said that Ukraine expects a response from the European Union on its implemented reforms and calls to begin an informal negotiation process despite the veto by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Source: Ilkov's statement at the Accession Exchange Forum in Kyiv, as reported by European Pravda Details: Ilkov stressed that Ukraine continues technical preparations for negotiations even though Hungary is blocking the formal decision to start them. "By the end of the year, Ukraine will be fully ready to open all six clusters," he asserted, noting that work on Clusters 1, 2 and 6 has already been completed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are approaching a moment where the predictability of our partners is absolutely essential. We are not asking for concessions. Our request is predictability. We need a roadmap where specific progress leads to specific decisions," Ilkov said. He emphasised that the government remains committed to moving towards EU membership despite the obstacle of Hungary's veto. To this end, he proposed introducing a new element to the accession process to bring Ukraine and the EU closer even before formal negotiations begin a format of informal consultations through which both sides could advance talks. "We understand that consultations remain informal and cannot replace negotiation procedures," he added. It is worth noting that until recently, Kyiv opposed "informal" tracks within the enlargement process, insisting on the formal opening of negotiation clusters. Recently, however, signals have emerged that Ukraine is ready to consider the informal path as well. Background: Earlier, European Pravda suggested that the EU consider a "two-step" approach to launching negotiations. Details are available in the article Getting round Orban. It was also reported that the EU is discussing a new model of Ukraine's accession without full voting rights. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Hi, this is Yuliia Taradiuk reporting from Kyiv on day 1,336 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has "destroyed" two Russian light aircraft used for intercepting drones, the service said on Oct. 21. According to SBU, planes were placed at airfields in a Russian-occupied territory and used to shoot down Ukrainian long-range drones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exiled Mariupol's mayoral adviser, Petro Andriushchenko, said on Oct. 21 that one of the airfields the private Korsak airfield is located near the rural settlement Pryazovske in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, 80 kilometers from the front line. The video footage released by the SBU shows the moment the planes were struck in an operation by the SBUs Special Operations Center "A." 0:00 / 1 "This work to 'clear the way' for our long-range drones ensures uninterrupted strikes on Russian rear areas," the SBU said. "The SBU continues to strike the occupiers with all available means. They will pay justly for every crime they commit!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims. Russia has not officially commented on the reported strikes. Blasts hit Romanian, Hungarian oil refineries tied to Russia, media reports Explosions occurred at oil refineries in Romania and Hungary on the evening of Oct. 20, both of which have links to Russia, local media reported on Oct. 21. Russian oil remains a key source of revenue for Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. Despite the European Union's push to fully phase out Russian energy, several member states continue to receive supplies. A midday explosion occurred at the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery in Ploiesti, southern Romania, on Oct. 20. The facility, owned by a subsidiary of Lukoil, one of Russia's largest privately owned oil and gas companies, had reportedly been offline since Oct. 17 due to a planned technical inspection, according to Hungarian newspaper Vilaggazdasag. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An explosion also occurred at Hungary's largest oil refinery, located in the city of Szazhalombatta, which receives crude oil from Russia, according to Hungarian media outlet Telex. The Danube Refinery, situated 27 kilometers (about 17 miles) from Budapest and owned by the Hungarian oil company MOL, caught fire on the evening of Oct. 20 following the explosion. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze by the morning of Oct. 21. No injuries or fatalities have been reported. The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation. The Szazhalombatta facility, considered the most advanced in Hungary's oil refining sector, may now face a temporary shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The refinery is supplied with crude oil from Russia through the Druzba pipeline. Read also: Blasts hit Romanian, Hungarian oil refineries tied to Russia, media reports Russian drone attacks kill 4, injure 16 in Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts Last updated 6:32 p.m. Kyiv time. Russian drone attacks on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy and on a city in Chernihiv Oblast killed at least four people and injured 16 on Oct. 21, local authorities said. Russia attacked Novhorod-Siverskyi, Chernihiv Oblast, with Shahed-type drones, and about 20 sites were hit, Governor Viacheslav Chaus wrote on Telegram. Four civilians were killed two men and two women. Seven people were injured, including a 10-year-old girl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "(The girl) is being transported to the regional children's hospital. One of the injured is in serious condition, while the others are in moderate condition," Chaus said. "There is a lot of destruction in the city." Nine civilians were injured in a drone attack on Sumy, Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Oct. 21. "A drone strike targeted the crossroad. Cars and civilian infrastructure were damaged. All victims are receiving the necessary medical assistance," Hryhorov said. He added that emergency services are working at the site of the attack. Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts, which border Russia to the north, have been a repeated target of Russian incursions and shelling since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Russian drone attacks kill 4, injure 16 in Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts Italy ready to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine, Bloomberg reports Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has said Italy is prepared to cover the costs of U.S. weapons purchases for Ukraine through a special procurement program, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 20. Speaking at a meeting of defense ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last week, Crosetto said that Italy is ready to pay for the weapons, as they are crucial to Ukraines efforts to repel Russias war, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke to Bloomberg. Italy has developed at least 10 military aid packages for Ukraine. According to sources, Romes contributions included providing air defense systems like SAMP/T batteries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read the full story at Bloomberg. Belgium's F-16 won't arrive in Ukraine for at least a year Belgium still plans to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets but they won't arrive for at least one year, Belgium Defense Minister Theo Francken told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Oct. 21. Speaking at the European Policy Center (EPC) forum, Francken said it will give F-16s to Ukraine after it receives and commissions newer U.S.-made F-35 jets. The first three F-35s were delivered on schedule. "Now (F-35s) have to become operational, which I think will take a year or a year and a half," Franken said. "Once we have operational capability, we will be able to transfer our F-16s to Ukraine." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that the F-35 rollout process is "a very important phase" for the Belgian Air Force and is directly linked to the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine. Francken also added that Belgium is part of NATO's nuclear deterrent, so its transition to the F-35 is of strategic importance. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Aug. 26 that the first F-16s could be delivered to Ukraine in the coming months. As of Oct. 21, Kyiv hasnt received any F-16s from Belgium. Ukraine received its first U.S.-made fighter jets last year from Denmark and the Netherlands. Read the full story at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). As Tomahawk pressure vanishes, Russia escalating strikes on Ukraine's energy sector, Zelensky says Last updated 3:17 p.m. Kyiv time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia is intensifying attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin begins to ease, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 21. Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's energy sector in recent months, just as a cold snap drives up demand and puts additional strain on the country's power infrastructure. "In Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, restoration work is underway across all affected areas following Russian strikes on our energy infrastructure. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, (Russian forces) even used FPV drones to target transformers," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. Zelensky added that every region has the necessary resources to restore energy infrastructure, and that special services are doing everything they can as should diplomats and political leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Just a few weeks ago, Putin was under real pressure and facing the threat of Tomahawk missiles, and he immediately showed a willingness to return to diplomacy. But as soon as that pressure eased even slightly, the Russians began backing away from diplomacy and trying to delay dialogue," Zelensky said. Less than a week ago, hopes that the U.S. would provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles and place real pressure on Russia were high, but were derailed by a phone call from Putin to the White House. Read also: As Tomahawk pressure vanishes, Russia escalating strikes on Ukraines energy sector, Zelensky says UK ready to deploy forces to Ukraine if Trump brokers a peace deal The U.K. is ready to deploy troops to Ukraine if U.S. President Donald Trump secures a peace deal with Russia, Sky News reported on Oct. 21, citing British Defense Secretary John Healey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Healy gave a lecture at London's Mansion House, where he said the U.K. is prepared to spend over 100 million on a potential deployment of British troops to Ukraine. "So, as President Trump leads the push for peace here in Europe, we are ready to lead the work to secure it in the long-term," Healey said. "For our Armed Forces, I am already reviewing readiness levels and accelerating millions of pounds of funding to prepare for any possible deployment into Ukraine," he added. The defense secretary's plan involves preparing military personnel to join a multinational force that would assist in securing Ukraine's borders, after a potential ceasefire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Healey also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin considers Britain his "number one enemy" due to the country's support for Ukraine. Additionally, he warned of a "new era of threat" and mentioned that the likelihood of a broader conflict in Europe has not been this high since the end of the Second World War. The Ukrainian parliament on Sept. 17 ratified a 100-year partnership agreement with the U.K., marking a deepening relationship between the two countries. Read the full story at Sky News. Russia's Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery ceases operations following drone attack Russia's Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery ceased operations following a Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters reported on Oct. 20. The Novokuibyshevsk refinery, located in Russia's Volga region, is part of Rosneft's Samara group of refineries, which also includes the Kuibyshevsk and Syzran plants. The refinery halted primary crude processing on Oct. 19, following the second drone attack in a month, industry sources told Reuters. Two crude distillation units CDU-11 with a capacity of 18,900 metric tons per day and CDU-9 were taken offline in the strikes, the sources said. Read the full story at Reuters. Blaze reignites at oil depot in Russian-occupied Crimea, media reports, Ukrainian drones spotted in area Last updated 12:27 p.m. Kyiv time. A fire at the ATAN oil depot in the village of Hvardiiske, located in Russian-occupied Crimea, reignited with increased intensity, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported on Oct. 21. The facility had been previously targeted by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces on Oct. 17, sparking a blaze that sent smoke billowing for dozens of kilometers. Light smoke was still rising from the site by noon on Oct. 20, with three fire trucks actively dousing a burning tank. By the following morning, the fire had grown more intense, with a thick column of smoke visible above the facility, Crimean Wind said, citing local residents. Residents also reported hearing air defense systems and spotting drones flying over the village on the night of Oct. 21. It remains unclear whether the renewed fire is connected to the reported drone activity, according to Crimean Wind. Read also: Blaze reignites at oil depot in Russian-occupied Crimea, media reports, Ukrainian drones spotted in area Ukrainian drones launch 'massive air attack' on Russia's Bryansk, Rostov oblasts Last updated 10:48 a.m. Kyiv time. Ukrainian drones launched a "massive air attack" on Russia's Bryansk and Rostov oblasts overnight on Oct. 21, local authorities claimed, injuring two people and causing limited damage. Three cars were damaged, alongside the exterior of two apartment buildings in the Russian city of Klintsy as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack, Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a post to Telegram. "A teenager born in 2010 sustained bruises. The ambulance team provided the boy with all necessary medical assistance on site," he added. Meanwhile, in Rostov Oblast, a residential building, a medical clinic, shops, and several homes have been damaged as a result of a drone attack, local authorities claimed. One person was injured in the city of Rostov-on-Don as a result of falling debris. "According to the military, a massive air attack was repelled last night," Rostov Oblast Governor Yuriy Slyusar said in a social media post. "Due to the damage to the transformer substation in the village of Nedvigovka in the Myasnikovsky district, about three thousand residents remain without electricity," he added later. Read also: Ukrainian drones launch massive air attack on Russias Bryansk, Rostov oblasts, local authorities claim At least 3 killed, 9 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day At least three people have been killed and 9 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Oct. 17. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 58 out of the 98 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones launched by Russia overnight, according to the Air Force. Thirty-seven strikes were recorded at 10 locations. In Kherson Oblast, one person was killed and six people were injured, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. A car, two multi-story buildings, 12 houses were damaged. A 70-year-old woman was killed and two were injured during air strikes in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed one civilian in Kostiantynivka, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. In Kharkiv Oblast, one person, a 65-year-old man, was injured in a Russian attack, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast with 2 drones and 9 guided bombs. In Kharkiv, 14 houses were damaged. In Chernihiv Oblast, a heat supply facility and an energy facility were damaged, Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported. "As a result, the power supply in Chernihiv and the northern parts of the region has been cut off," he said. The attacks come amid Russia's intensifying aerial campaign targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter months. General Staff: Russia has lost 1,132,200 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022 Russia has lost around 1,132,200 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Oct. 21. The number includes 1,130 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day. According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,278 tanks, 23,436 armored fighting vehicles, 65,026 vehicles and fuel tanks, 33,902 artillery systems, 1,524 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,229 air defense systems, 428 airplanes, 346 helicopters, 72,600 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF) have reported on a special mission on the North Slobozhanshchyna front conducted by fighters from their Alpha Group of the 1st Detachment of the 144th Special Operations Forces Centre, resulting in the killing of 13 Russian soldiers. Source: Special Operations Forces Details: The SOF soldiers moved beyond the outermost Ukrainian positions and quietly infiltrated Russian-controlled territory. After conducting reconnaissance, the special forces carried out a raid, destroying Russian troops in a dugout and in firing positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following an ACE (Ammunition, Casualties, Equipment) report, the SOF fighters decided to stay overnight at the captured positions and set up an ambush for Russian reinforcement groups. Quote: "Thanks to the decisive actions of the soldiers and the coordinated work of UAVs and mortar crews, several more enemy assault groups were killed. Thirteen Russians have been confirmed killed as a result of the special operations." Details: The timeline, as is usual for such operations, has not been disclosed. It was noted that the SOF group had successfully exfiltrated and is preparing for its next task. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) extended martial law and general mobilisation for another 90 days at its session on 21 October. Source: Verkhovna Rada Details: A total of 317 MPs voted in favour of the bill approving the president's decree On the Extension of Martial Law in Ukraine. MPs Serhii Rudyk and Iryna Herashchenko noted that this was already the 18th vote on the same issue. The decision to extend mobilisation was supported by 315 MPs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The period of martial law and general mobilisation will be extended from 5 November for 90 days until 3 February 2026. Background: Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted draft laws to the Verkhovna Rada proposing to extend mobilisation and martial law for another 90 days starting from 5 November. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Artificial intelligence will soon join cadavers, robots and other high-tech teaching aids to boost efforts to train the next generation of surgeons in Maryland. The University of Maryland, Baltimore, partnered with Axis Research & Technologies to develop the nations first AI-powered smart surgical performance center. This state-of-the-art facility positions both organizations at the forefront of the industrys next chapter, said Jill Goodwin, CEO of Axis, merging academic excellence with real-world performance insights. It offers exclusive opportunities to collaborate with surgeons, fellows, and residents and to become founding members in this transformative new model for surgical education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Axis provides surgical training facilities that are designed to give familiarity and practice in real-world procedures using cadavers, along with access to medical devices and implants, new technique development, and team training with nurses and assistants. Axis OMNIMED SmartOR technology will provide surgery students and professors with real-time, AI-driven analysis of operating room video footage, offering feedback on surgeons skills, teamwork, and mastery of procedures. The analysis of this data will give our students and clinicians unparalleled insights and opportunities to improve the way we perform surgical procedures, said Justin Blome, the universitys chief of marketing. Ultimately, this technology will help our clinicians advance surgical treatments and, most importantly, achieve better patient outcomes. The location of the planned 36,000-square-foot surgical center has not been determined. We are in the very early stages of planning, Blome said. This facility will be the first AI-driven surgical ecosystem of its kind in Maryland, and we are excited to be the first to bring OMNIMED AI technology into an academic medicine setting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Axis operates similar facilities nationwide, including a training center in Columbia, Maryland. Artificial intelligence in teaching institutions is not new. The University of Maryland, College Park, utilizes AI to analyze video and audio recordings of a violin student playing, providing real-time feedback on posture, technique, and sound quality between lessons with an instructor. The technology is intended to augment, not replace, human instruction. The technology can also aid teachers in tailoring their content to individual students needs and assist in administrative tasks, freeing teachers to focus on the needs of their students, according to the Iowa College of Education. Training the next generation of surgeons in a simulation setting traces back to the earliest days of medical education in Maryland. The universitys School of Medicine was founded in 1807, and its surgery auditorium, Davidge Hall, opened in 1812. Students will be able to learn anatomy and surgery using human cadavers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, surgical students still use cadavers, as well as high-fidelity mannequins that simulate biological functions such as a heartbeat, body temperature and even bleeding. These simulations provide valuable experience in developing bioskills the foundational components of surgery before practicing on live patients. This partnership represents the next major milestone in the evolution of bioskills and surgical education, Goodwin said. Today, Axis and the University of Maryland are taking that innovation to its next evolution merging data science, AI, and hands-on experience to create a continuous learning loop that elevates surgical performance and advances patient care. Have a news tip? Contact Karl Hille at 443-900-7891 or khille@baltsun.com. UN climate chief Simon Stiell is urging faster action on climate change one month before the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP30. Upon the release of the report on climate change adaptation, the Grenadian politician said there was both good and bad news. The good news, he said, is that the direction is now correct, with almost all countries striving to adapt to the consequences of rising temperatures. "This new ... report shows that real progress is being made," Stiell said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the bad news is that everything is moving far too slowly. "So this report could easily be sub-titled: 'No more excuses, investors!'" said Stiell, who heads the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) based in the German city of Bonn. Next climate conference to be "key test" Particularly poorer countries, he said, have problems gathering the necessary financial resources for corresponding climate efforts. To tap into the money fundamentally made available by richer countries, often cumbersome application procedures are required. Poorer countries also frequently lack expertise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Climate financing, however, is not an act of charity from the leading economic nations, but an absolute necessity in their own interest - only in this way can global supply chains, for example, be maintained in the long term. "Every year, the impacts of climate change grow more intense, and more uneven," said Stiell. Adapting to global warming means protection against floods, droughts, wildfires and storms. This is equivalent to protecting the economy, which is severely affected by such natural disasters, Stiell said. UN climate chief Simon Stiell is urging faster action on climate change one month before the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP30. Upon the release of the report on climate change adaptation, the Grenadian politician said there was both good and bad news. The good news, he said, is that the direction is now correct, with almost all countries striving to adapt to the consequences of rising temperatures. "This new ... report shows that real progress is being made," Stiell said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the bad news is that everything is moving far too slowly. "So this report could easily be sub-titled: 'No more excuses, investors!'" said Stiell, who heads the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) based in the German city of Bonn. Next climate conference to be "key test" Particularly poorer countries, he said, have problems gathering the necessary financial resources for corresponding climate efforts. To tap into the money fundamentally made available by richer countries, often cumbersome application procedures are required. Poorer countries also frequently lack expertise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Climate financing, however, is not an act of charity from the leading economic nations, but an absolute necessity in their own interest - only in this way can global supply chains, for example, be maintained in the long term. "Every year, the impacts of climate change grow more intense, and more uneven," said Stiell. Adapting to global warming means protection against floods, droughts, wildfires and storms. This is equivalent to protecting the economy, which is severely affected by such natural disasters, Stiell said. Preparation for ever-higher temperatures and extreme weather COP30 is scheduled to take place from November 10 to 21 in Belem in the Brazilian Amazon region. The topic of adaptation will play a significant role there, said Stiell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "On adaptation issues, but also more broadly, COP30 will be a key test of global solidarity," said Stiell. One example of how countries are dealing with the challenges is Germany, where in 2023 the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, passed a law for better climate adaptation. It aimed to prepare Germany for ever-higher temperatures and the associated consequences and to take risk precautions. Specifically, it involves creating more green spaces and designing cities to absorb water during heavy rainfall and store it for drought periods. The population is also to be better warned about extreme weather events. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday emphasised the need for optimal utilisation of national resources, stating that it can be achieved only through better coordination and integration among security agencies. Addressing a gathering at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, Singh underlined that society and the police are interdependent and stressed the importance of maintaining a balanced relationship between the two to make the security apparatus more robust and vigilant. "Policing can function effectively only when citizens work as partners and respect the law. When the relationship between society and the police is based on mutual understanding and responsibility, both prosper," the Defence Minister said. He urged citizens to cooperate with law enforcement agencies to strengthen internal security and ensure a safer and more harmonious society. Speaking at the event, the Minister paid glowing tributes to the fallen heroes, expressing gratitude to the police and paramilitary forces for their service to the nation. It was on this day in 1959 that 10 valiant policemen laid down their lives in an ambush laid by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs, Ladakh. He described the armed forces and police forces as pillars of national security, stating that while the former protects the country and its geographical integrity, the latter safeguards society and social integrity. "The military and police function on different platforms, but their mission is the same - to protect the nation. As we look towards Viksit Bharat by 2047, balancing the external and internal security of the nation is more important than ever," Singh said. On the present-day challenges, the Defence Minister said that while there is instability on the borders, new types of crime, terrorism and ideological wars are emerging within the society. He pointed out that crime has become more organised, invisible, and complex, and its purpose is to create chaos in society, undermine trust, and challenge the stability of the nation. He commended the police for carrying out its official responsibility of preventing crime, while fulfilling its moral duty of maintaining trust in society. "If people are sleeping peacefully today, it's due to their confidence in our vigilant Armed Forces and alert police. This confidence is the foundation of our country's stability," he said. Drawing attention to Naxalism, which had been a major internal security challenge for a long time, Singh asserted that the concerted and organised efforts of police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), and local administration have ensured that the problem did not escalate. The people in the left-wing extremism-affected areas breathed a sigh of relief. He exuded confidence that the problem would end by March next year. "Several top Naxalites have been eliminated this year. Those who previously took up arms against the state are now surrendering and joining the mainstream of development. The number of districts affected by left-wing extremism has come down drastically. Areas that were once Naxalite hubs are now becoming educational hubs. Areas that were once known as the Red Corridor have now transformed into growth corridors. Our police and security forces have contributed significantly to this success," said the Minister. The Defence Minister reiterated the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's commitment towards ensuring national security, and the police forces engaged in this endeavour. "For a long time, we, as a nation, didn't fully recognise the contributions of the police. However, under the leadership of PM Modi, the government established the National Police Memorial in 2018 to honour the memories of our police forces," Singh pointed out. In addition, the Minister said, police have been provided with state-of-the-art weapons and improved facilities. They now have modern equipment such as surveillance systems, drones, forensic labs, and digital policing. "Adequate resources are also being provided to the states for the modernisation of the police forces," he said. Rajnath Singh called for optimal utilisation of resources, which can only be achieved through coordination and integration with security agencies. A joint parade of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Delhi Police was held as part of the event. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary, other heads of CAPFs, retired DGs, and officers from the police fraternity attended the event. (ANI) Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A preliminary report released Tuesday about last month's deadly crash of one of Lisbon's famed funiculars found that an unapproved underground cable snapped just before the incident. The Sept. 3 crash of the Elevador da Gloria, a 111-year-old two-car funicular that operates the sloping streets of Portugal's capital, killed 16 people after one of the cars broke free and crashed into a building along the route. More than a dozen other people were injured in the incident. The preliminary report by Portugal's Air and Rail Accident Investigations Bureau found that the cause of the crash was an underground cable that snapped, allowing the car at the top of the hill to break free. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the cable had a minimum breaking load within the safety parameters of the Gloria Funicular, the investigators found the cable was not in compliance with specifications by the city's transport operator, CCFL. The haulage cable ran between the two cars and acted as a counterweight between them as one descended the hill and the other ascended from the opposite direction. The cable broke seconds after the two cars began their 54th trips of the day. While the bottom car abruptly stopped and remained largely in place at the bottom of the hill, the top car lost power and began to increase speed down the hill. According to investigators, the brakeman of the top car attempted to engage the pneumatic brake system, and when that didn't work, he tried to use the manual brake. While the brakeman's maneuvers caused a slight decrease in acceleration, the car was still steadily increasing its speed down the hill. It successfully negotiated the first slight curve in the track, but derailed at the next, sharper bend in the track. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The car then slammed into a building along the route. Investigators said the haulage cable -- multiple strands of twisted steel -- showed various breaks in the smaller metal strands that happened at different times. "The failure occurred progressively over time and involved multiple fracture types," the report said. Workers installed the cable between Aug. 26, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2024, as part of what the bureau described as an intermediate repair of the Gloria Funicular. This type of cable is commonly used in funiculars, the report said. However, the manufacturer of the cable said it could not be used with a swivel, a rotating part on the cars that attached them to the cables. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "At this time, it cannot be said whether the use of this type of non-compliant cable intervened, or what intervention it had, in the rupture," the report said. "And it is certain for the investigation that there were other factors that had to intervene." Since the crash, the head of Lisbon's public transport has been fired and though Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas faced accusations he failed in his oversight of the funiculars, he won re-election Oct. 12, according to the BBC. He told SIC television the results of the report released Monday "reaffirms that the unfortunate tragedy ... was due to technical and not political causes." The bureau is expected to release a final report on the crash in September 2026, The New York Times reported. (NewsNation) China, the worlds biggest buyer of soybeans, has stopped purchasing from U.S. farms in response to President Donald Trumps tariffs. Darin Johnson, president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, joins Morning in America to discuss how Chinas boycott is affecting farmers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) An undocumented immigrant admits he sold a Las Vegas man fentanyl, which led to his death, according to court documents obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators. Jorge Miranda, 47, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, trafficking in a controlled substance, and selling, transporting, or attempting to sell or transport a controlled substance. Miranda sold fentanyl pills to 45-year-old George Kalianiotis, who died of an overdose last year, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. Miranda had a firearm with him at the time of his arrest, and police found additional firearms, drugs, and drug packaging material at Mirandas home, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plea agreement specified a 4-to-10-year prison term. Prosecutors also agreed they would not refer Mirandas case to the federal government for illegal reentry charges. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told the 8 News Now Investigators that Mirandas defense attorney requested the agreement not to refer Mirandas case to the federal government for illegal reentry charges, and it became part of the negotiations. He said his offices agreement does not prevent federal authorities from taking action. Wolfson said his team believed the plea deal was the best way to secure prison time, especially because of questions surrounding the admissibility of statements Miranda made to the authorities. Wolfson also said prosecutors considered Miranda to have a minimal prior criminal history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miranda had been previously deported from the United States, his visa expired in 2016, and he had two active warrants, one for a drug-related case and the other for a traffic violation, at the time of his arrest in February 2024, according to records. The 8 News Now Investigators obtained six booking photos identified as Miranda from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officials, dating back to 1997. In May 1988, Miranda was admitted to the U.S. in Los Angeles, California, and later violated the terms of his admission, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. In February 1997, Miranda was convicted of robbery and petit larceny in Las Vegas Justice Court, according to ICE. He spent approximately five months in jail, according to LVMPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In October 1998, Miranda was convicted of grand larceny in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, according to ICE. The following year, he spent less than two months in LVMPD custody, according to the department. In court filings, prosecutors included documents from the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Board affirmed Mirandas removal from the United States as ordered in 2002, according to a 2004 decision. According to ICE, Miranda later returned to the U.S. at an unknown date and location without being inspected by an immigration official. One previous warrant for Miranda was in connection with an April 9, 2016, arrest for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, driving without a license, and speeding 21 to 30 miles more than the speed limit, according to police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An LVMPD officer said he stopped Miranda after he noticed him driving approximately 90 miles per hour on southbound U.S. 95. According to police records, the officer could smell marijuana when Miranda rolled down the drivers window before nearly 332 grams of marijuana were discovered inside the car. Miranda had a passport from Ecuador and said he had no drivers license or other form of identification, according to police documents, and he was released from jail the next day. Miranda spent one day in LVMPD custody in October 2019 in connection with the case, according to records. The other warrant for Miranda was on suspicion of driving without a license, just five days before the marijuana-related arrest, according to police. The 8 News Now Investigators obtained a citation dated April 4, 2016, issued by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officials. In May 2016, Miranda was removed to Ecuador, ICE reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 5, 2024, ICE placed a detainer, or a request for police to notify them before the individual is released from jail, on Miranda with LVMPD, according to the agency. Miranda is a citizen of Ecuador who is illegally present in the United States, the ICE spokesperson wrote in an email on June 6, 2024. The investigation into the fatal drug overdose began after a family member of the man who overdosed contacted police and informed them about text messages found on the victims phone about the alleged fentanyl purchase with Miranda under the name John Fenty. Detectives used the phone to pose as the victim and set up another drug deal, according to grand jury transcripts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An LVMPD officer testified that the victim was found deceased in his bedroom at his parents home in the Centennial Hills neighborhood with tin foil and three straws that were taped together. Miranda met an undercover detective to sell 20 fentanyl pills for $400, according to an arrest report obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators. Miranda had a gun in his right front pocket, police said. Miranda also had an Ecuador identification card in his wallet, according to police. Detectives executed a search warrant at Mirandas home near Staton Elementary School in the Summerlin community of Las Vegas. There, investigators found M-30 fentanyl pills, also known as blues. Additionally, police found drug packaging materials and cocaine inside a Ninja Turtles lunch box, alongside more fentanyl and cocaine, a Herstal 9-millimeter handgun, a Mossberg shotgun, and a Remington saw-off shotgun, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators determined Miranda had more than 174 grams of fentanyl M-30 pills and more than 243 grams of cocaine inside the home. In addition, more than $19,000 in cash was found throughout the home, according to police documents. Detectives said Miranda admitted he sold the victim fentanyl pills, and stated he had firearms, his wife and two children lived with him, and he had been using fentanyl for approximately one year. A Clark County grand jury indicted Miranda on 17 felony charges, including second-degree murder, carrying a concealed firearm or other deadly weapon, possession of a short-barreled shotgun, two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, two counts of sale of a controlled substance, four counts of ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and four counts of use or possession of a firearm by a person committing a drug-related offense, in May 2024. In his most recent case, court records show bail had previously been set at least three times. Miranda has remained in LVMPD custody since his arrest, according to the department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 19. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Federal agents block people protesting an immigration raid at a licensed cannabis farm on near Camarillo, California, on July 10, 2025 . (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) This story was originally published by ProPublica. Sign up to receive their biggest stories. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed through Santa Ana, California, in June, panicked calls flooded into the citys emergency response system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recordings of those calls, obtained by ProPublica, captured some of the terror residents felt as they watched masked men ambush people and force them into unmarked cars. In some cases, the men wore plain clothes and refused to identify themselves. There was no way to confirm whether they were immigration agents or imposters. In six of the calls to Santa Ana police, residents described what they were seeing as kidnappings. Hes bleeding, one caller said about a person he saw yanked from a car wash lot and beaten. They dumped him into a white van. It doesnt say ICE. One womans voice shook as she asked, What kind of police go around without license plates? And then this from another: Should we just run from them? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a tense public meeting days later, Mayor Valerie Amezcua and the City Council asked their police chief whether there was anything they could do to rein in the federal agents even if only to ban the use of masks. The answer was a resounding no. Plus, filing complaints with the Department of Homeland Security was likely to go nowhere because the office that once handled them had been dismantled. There was little chance of holding individual agents accountable for alleged abuses because, among other hurdles, there was no way to reliably learn their identities. Since then, Amezcua, 58, said she has reluctantly accepted the reality: There are virtually no limits on what federal agents can do to achieve President Donald Trumps goal of mass deportations. Santa Ana has proven to be a template for much larger raids and even more violent arrests in Chicago and elsewhere. Its almost like he tries it out in this county and says, It worked there, so now let me send them there, Amezcua said. Current and former national security officials share the mayors concerns. They describe the legions of masked immigration officers operating in near-total anonymity on the orders of the president as the crossing of a line that had long set the United States apart from the worlds most repressive regimes. ICE, in their view, has become an unfettered and unaccountable national police force. The transformation, the officials say, unfolded rapidly and in plain sight. Trumps DHS appointees swiftly dismantled civil rights guardrails, encouraged agents to wear masks, threatened groups and state governments that stood in their way, and then made so many arrests that the influx overwhelmed lawyers trying to defend immigrants taken out of state or out of the country. And although they are reluctant to predict the future, the current and former officials worry that this force assembled from federal agents across the country could eventually be turned against any groups the administration labels a threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One former senior DHS official who was involved in oversight said that what is happening on American streets today gives me goosebumps. Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, the official rattled off scenes that once wouldve triggered investigations: Accosting people outside of their immigration court hearings where theyre showing up and trying to do the right thing and then hauling them off to an immigration jail in the middle of the country where they cant access loved ones or speak to counsel. Bands of masked men apprehending people in broad daylight in the streets and hauling them off. Disappearing people to a third country, to a prison where theres a documented record of serious torture and human rights abuse. The former official paused. Were at an inflection point in history right now and its frightening. NEW YORK, NEW YORK JUNE 10: An ICE officers badge is seen as federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on June 10, 2025 in New York City. Federal agents are arresting immigrants during mandatory check-ins, as ICE ramps up enforcement following immigration court hearings. The Trump administration has ordered officials to increase detentions to 3,000 migrants per day. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Although ICE is conducting itself out in the open, even inviting conservative social media influencers to accompany its agents on high-profile raids, the agency operates in darkness. The identities of DHS officers, their salaries and their operations have long been withheld for security reasons and generally exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. However, there were offices within DHS created to hold agents and their supervisors accountable for their actions on the job. The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, created by Congress and led largely by lawyers, investigated allegations of rape and unlawful searches from both the public and within DHS ranks, for instance. Egregious conduct was referred to the Justice Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CRCL office had limited powers; former staffers say their job was to protect DHS by ensuring personnel followed the law and addressed civil rights concerns. Still, it was effective in stalling rushed deportations or ensuring detainees had access to phones and lawyers. And even when its investigations didnt fix problems, CRCL provided an accounting of allegations and a measure of transparency for Congress and the public. The office processed thousands of complaints 3,000 in fiscal year 2023 alone ranging from allegations of lack of access to medical treatment to reports of sexual assault at detention centers. Former staffers said around 600 complaints were open when work was suspended. The administration has gutted most of the office. Whats left of it was led, at least for a while, by a 29-year-old White House appointee who helped craft Project 2025, the right-wing blueprint that broadly calls for the curtailment of civil rights enforcement. Meanwhile, ICE is enjoying a windfall in resources. On top of its annual operating budget of $10 billion a year, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill included an added $7.5 billion a year for the next four years for recruiting and retention alone. As part of its hiring blitz, the agency has dropped age, training and education standards and has offered recruits signing bonuses as high as $50,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supercharging this law enforcement agency and at the same time you have oversight being eliminated? said the former DHS official. This is very scary. Michelle Brane, a longtime human rights attorney who directed DHS ombudsman office during the Biden administration, said Trumps adherence to the authoritarian playbook is not even subtle. ICE, their secret police, is their tool, Brane said. Once they have that power, which they have now, theres nothing stopping them from using it against citizens. Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, refuted descriptions of ICE as a secret police force. She called such comparisons the kind of smears and demonization that led to the recent attack on an ICE facility in Texas, in which a gunman targeted an ICE transport van and shot three detained migrants, two of them fatally, before killing himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a written response to ProPublica, McLaughlin dismissed the current and former national security officials and scholars interviewed by ProPublica as far-left champagne socialists who havent seen ICE enforcement up close. If they had, she wrote, they would know when our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by highly sophisticated gangs and other criminals. McLaughlin said the recruiting blitz is not compromising standards. She wrote that the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is ready for 11,000 new hires by the beginning of next year and that training has been streamlined and boosted by technology. Our workforce never stops learning, McLaughlin wrote. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson also praised ICE conduct and accused Democrats of making dangerous, untrue smears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law, arrest criminal illegal aliens and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism, Jackson said. Anyone pointing the finger at law enforcement officers instead of the criminals are simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens and fueling false narratives that lead to violence. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Trump pick who fired nearly the entire civil rights oversight staff, said the move was in response to CRCL functioning as internal adversaries that slow down operations, according to a DHS spokesperson. Trump also eliminated the departments Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, which was charged with flagging inhumane conditions at ICE detention facilities where many of the apprehended immigrants are held. The office was resurrected after a lawsuit and court order, though its sparsely staffed. The hobbling of the office comes as the White House embarks on an aggressive expansion of detention sites with an eye toward repurposing old jails or building new ones with names that telegraph harsh conditions: Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades, built by the state and operated in partnership with DHS, or the Cornhusker Clink in Nebraska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is a shocking situation to be in that I dont think anybody anticipated a year ago, said Erica Frantz, a political scientist at Michigan State University who studies authoritarianism. We mightve thought that we were going to see a slide, but I dont think anybody anticipated how quickly it would transpire, and now people at all levels are scrambling to figure out how to push back. Authoritarian playbook Frantz and other scholars who study anti-democratic political systems in other countries said there are numerous examples in which ICEs activities appear cut from an authoritarian playbook. Among them was the detention of Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was apprehended after co-writing an op-ed for the campus paper that criticized the schools response to the war in Gaza. ICE held her incommunicado for 24 hours and then shuffled her through three states before jailing her in Louisiana. The thing that got me into the topic of maybe ICE is a secret police force? said Lee Morgenbesser, an Australian political science professor who studies authoritarianism. It was that daylight snatching of the Tufts student. Morgenbesser was also struck by the high-profile instances of ICE detaining elected officials who attempted to stand in their way. Among them, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was detained for demanding a judicial warrant from ICE, and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a DHS press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And David Sklansky, a Stanford Law School professor who researches policing and democracy, said it appears that ICEs agents are allowed to operate with complete anonymity. Its not just that people cant see faces of the officers, Sklansky said. The officers arent wearing shoulder insignia or name tags. U.S. District Judge William G. Young, a Ronald Reagan appointee, recently pointed out that use of masked law enforcement officers had long been considered anathema to American ideals. In a blistering ruling against the administrations arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters, he wrote, To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police. The Trump administration has said it will appeal that ruling. Where the fallout is felt The fallout is being felt in places like Hays County, Texas, not far from Austin, where ICE apprehended 47 people, including nine children, during a birthday celebration in the early morning of April 1. The agencys only disclosure about the raid in Dripping Springs describes the operation as part of a yearlong investigation targeting members and associates believed to be part of the Venezuelan transnational gang, Tren de Aragua. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Six months later, the countys top elected official told ProPublica the federal government has ignored his attempts to get answers. Were not told why they took them, and were not told where they took them, said County Judge Ruben Becerra, a Democrat. By definition, thats a kidnapping. In the raid, a Texas trooper secured a search warrant that allowed law enforcement officers to breach the home, an Airbnb rental on a vast stretch of land in the Hill Country. Becerra told ProPublica he believes the suspicion of drugs at the party was a pretense to pull people out of the house so ICE officers who lacked a warrant could take them into custody. The Texas Department of Public Safety did not respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has yet to produce evidence supporting claims of gang involvement, said Karen Munoz, a civil rights attorney helping families track down their relatives who were jailed or deported. While some court documents are sealed, nothing in the public record verifies the gang affiliation DHS cited as the cause for the birthday party raid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres no evidence released at all that any person kidnapped at that party was a member of any organized criminal group, Munoz said. McLaughlin, the DHS spokesperson, did not respond to questions about Hays County and other raids where families and attorneys allege a lack of transparency and due process. In plain sight Months after ICEs widely publicized raids, fear continues to envelop Santa Ana, a majority-Hispanic city with a large immigrant population. Amezcua, the mayor, said the raids have complicated local policing and rendered parents afraid to pick up their children from school. The city manager, a California-born citizen and Latino, carries with him three government IDs, including a passport. Raids of car washes and apartment buildings continue, but the community has started to push back, Amezcua said. Like many other communities, the neighbors come out. People stop in the middle of traffic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With so few institutional checks on ICEs powers, citizens are increasingly relying on themselves. On at least one occasion in nearby Downey, a citizens intervention had some effect. On June 12, Melyssa Rivas had just started her workday when a colleague burst into her office with urgent news: ICE is here. The commotion was around the corner in Rivas hometown, a Los Angeles suburb locals call Mexican Beverly Hills for its stately houses and affluent Hispanic families. Rivas, 31, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, belongs to Facebook groups where residents share updates about cultural festivals, church programs and, these days, the presence of Trumps deportation foot soldiers. Rivas had seen posts about ICE officers sweeping through LA and figured Downeys turn had come. She and her co-worker rushed toward the sound of screaming at a nearby intersection. Rivas hit record on her phone as a semicircle of trucks and vans came into view. She filmed at least half a dozen masked men in camouflage vests encircling a Hispanic man on his knees. Her unease deepened as she registered details that didnt seem right, Rivas recalled in an interview. She said the parked vans had out-of-state plates or no tags. The armed men wore only generic police patches, and most were in street clothes. No visible insignia identified them as state or federal or even legal authorities at all. When is it that we just decided to do things a different way? Theres due process, theres a legal way, and it just doesnt seem to matter anymore, Rivas said. Where are human rights? Video footage shows Rivas and others berating the officers for complicity in what they called a kidnapping. Local news channels later reported that the vehicles had chased the man after a raid at a nearby car wash. I know half of you guys know this is fucked up, Rivas was recorded telling the officers. Moments later, the scene took a turn. As suddenly as theyd arrived, the officers returned to their vehicles and left, with no apology and no explanation to the distraught man they left on the sidewalk. Through a mask, one of them said, Have a good day. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Union County 4-H has partnered with Union County Electric to launch a wildflower planting initiative that will be located beneath the companys newly installed solar arrays. Gevo CEO: Not 1 dime taken in state money Union County 4-H youth will plant and establish plants underneath the solar panels, according to a news release. The project will teach members about pollinators critical role in local ecosystems and how they can create community habitats that are pollinator-friendly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be three phases of the project, including sowing wildflower seeds on site in January and February, cultivating wildflowers under grow lights throughout the spring, and transplanting the flowers outdoors in early summer. This solar project will not only benefit our Cooperative, but it will educate people, help the environment, and help our 4-H youth along the way, Matt Klein, General Manager of Union County Electric, said in a press release. Union County Electric will fully fund the initiative and plan on making a donation to the 4-H program in recognition of the youths efforts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 United Airlines flight diverted to Salt Lake City for a bizarre reason last Thursday while flying from Denver to Los Angeles. A mysterious object struck the windshield of the airline's Boeing 737 Max over Utah, showering the cockpit with bits of glass. The captain suffered minor cuts, but the damaged pane held in place and the cabin remained pressurized. He reportedly claimed the object was "space debris." The captain's claims can only be confirmed after an investigation, but there aren't many things a pilot could hit at 36,000 feet. United Airlines 737 MAX pilot injured after the windshield cracked at 36,000 while flying from Denver to Los Angeles on Thursday.Reports have suggested the possibility of the aircraft being hit by falling space debris or a small meteorite, though this remains unconfirmed.... pic.twitter.com/8qNg6aA0uE Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) October 18, 2025 United Airlines Flight 1093 landed safely in Salt Lake City, and the passengers were put on another plane to LAX. The flight's smashed windshield is headed to a National Transportation Safety Board laboratory. The agency announced on Sunday that it's investigating the incident. The NTSB is also gathering as much information as possible to figure out what happened, from radar and weather information to flight recorder data. Read more: These Are The Most Uncomfortable Cars You Have Ever Owned It might not be space debris, but I want to believe The glass shard-covered instrument panel of United Airlines Flight 1093 in Salt Lake City, Utah - @aviationbrk / X Images of the damaged aircraft have spread across social media like wildfire. Exterior photos showed that the object hit the top-left corner of the front right windshield. Away from the point of impact, the laminated safety glass was damaged to the point that there was no way the first officer could have looked through it. According to Ars Technica, hail or an unregulated weather balloon could also be the mystery object. However, we want to believe that it's something from beyond the atmosphere, like a meteorite or man-made debris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the torrent of satellites that humans are launching into orbit, they generally aren't controlled once they're up there. SpaceX and other private space companies design their newest satellites to burn up entirely when they reach the end of service and atmospheric drag pulls them back to Earth. While the current state of affairs has developed without major incident, it might not continue for perpetuity because satellites are getting larger and new players are entering the space industry with a more lax approach to operations. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Jalopnik. A general view of the White House as U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade returns following a trip to Trump National Golf Club, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Al Drago By Helen Coster NEW YORK (Reuters) -The University of Arizona on Monday cited academic freedom as it became the seventh elite college to decline to sign onto a Trump administration proposal that offered nine of them preferential consideration for federal funding in exchange for agreeing to a set of policies. Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas at Austin have yet to announce whether they will sign the proposal, for which the administration gave a Monday deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposal has been rejected by Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Southern California, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, and Dartmouth College. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his White House has targeted what it deems liberal-leaning institutions in various fields and tried to withhold funding from colleges and universities over issues such as pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza, transgender policies, climate initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The administration has canceled federal contracts worth millions of dollars with numerous schools to pressure them to drastically change their admissions and hiring policies, among other issues. Courts have ordered many of the federal cuts be restored. The compact, sent to the nine universities early in the month, marked a new approach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A number of the proposed federal recommendations deserve thoughtful consideration as our national higher education system could benefit from reforms that have been much too slow to develop," wrote University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella in a statement. "In fact, many of the proposed ideas are already in place at the U of A. At the same time, principles like academic freedom, merit-based research funding, and institutional independence are foundational and must be preserved." Garimella said the university submitted to the Department of Education its existing Statement of Principles, which outlines such university policies as merit-based hiring and prioritizing admission of qualified Arizona students and applicants from U.S. tribal nations. In the White House's 10-point memo titled "A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," the administration asked the nine elite colleges to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions and define genders based on biology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The memo called for "transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas," but did not include similar measures to protect liberal ideas. It also proposed that the Classic Learning Test, embraced by some conservatives and already authorized for use by Florida's public university system, be among the college entrance exams considered alongside the SAT and ACT. Schools that pursue "models and values" beyond those outlined in the memo could "forgo federal benefits," the memo reads, while institutions that comply could be rewarded. A White House official has said schools other than the nine initially approached could sign on to the proposal. (Reporting by Helen Coster in New York; editing by Donna Bryson and Richard Chang) University of Arkansas students Kevin Durden, Muskan Taori, Sydney Stewart and Wyatt Rice are working to place on the 2026 ballot a constitutional amendment to protect the Natural State's environment. (Photo by Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Inspired by peers in Montana, four University of Arkansas students are working to protect the Natural States environment through a proposed constitutional amendment. The Amendment to Keep Arkansas Natural would preserve the states outdoors and natural resources for recreation, economy and public health, and give Arkansans the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed ballot measure would require the Legislature to enact laws to protect wildlife and natural resources from unreasonable misuse, and allow Arkansans to sue the state for violating the measure. Kevin Durden, a UA sophomore and one of the drafters of the measure, said he and UA juniors Wyatt Rice, Sydney Stewart and Muskan Taori, are taking action because time is running out to address the climate crisis. LISTEN: Hear three University of Arkansas students explain, in their own words, why theyre proposing a constitutional amendment to protect the states environment. https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20251020_UABallot.mp3 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One constitutional amendment in Arkansas isnt going to fix everything, but itll fix part of it, and doing somethings better than nothing, he said. Durden decided to investigate what protections existed for Arkansas environment earlier this year after reading about sixteen Montana youth who filed a lawsuit in 2020 that challenged fossil-fuel based provisions of state laws. The plaintiffs, ages 2 to 18, argued the laws contributed to climate change, which violated their right to a clean and healthy environment guaranteed in the states constitution. A judge ruled in favor of the young Montanans in 2023, and the Montana Supreme Court upheld the decision in December. Last month, a judge awarded $3 million in attorneys fees in the case, and the Montana Attorney Generals Office said it would likely appeal, according to the Daily Montanan. Several of the Montana plaintiffs joined other young Americans in filing a separate lawsuit in May against the federal government over a series of climate and energy policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though climate discussions can be divisive nationally, Rice said what he appreciates about the text of the amendment, which is inspired by Montanas constitution, is that its not specifically about climate change. Arkansans generally interact with their environment through recreation and leisure, important things that arent nearly as controversial as some people like to make climate change out to be, Rice said. Thats something that really works in our favor, he said. I dont know anybody that doesnt want their kids and their grandkids to have access to the beautiful environment that we have in Arkansas, and so I think thats really what were trying to protect. Let us know what you think... The students, who drafted most of the proposal on their own, are receiving pro bono services from Jennifer Waymack Standerfer, a Bentonville attorney whos worked on other Arkansas ballot measures. Its cool language, its a cool group of kids who came up with it on their own, and I couldnt say no to helping them, Standerfer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The students have been revising their proposal after Attorney General Tim Griffin rejected their initial submission on Oct. 3. According to an opinion prepared by Assistant Attorney General William Olson, problems with the proposed amendments text prevented the attorney general from ensuring the ballot title was not misleading or substituting a more appropriate ballot title. Cited issues included the lack of definition of environment, the inclusion of partisan coloring language and grammatical errors. After submitting their first draft, the students had a meeting with the attorney generals office to learn more about the ballot initiative process and were surprised when Griffin joined for part of it. It was a pleasure to meet with this group of students and see their interest in learning about the political process, Griffin said. Being civically engaged at all stages of life is a wonderful thing and is something we should all encourage. Attorney General Tim Griffin (left) and Assistant Attorney General Will Olson meet with University of Arkansas students Kevin Durden (front) and Wyatt Rice in Little Rock on Oct. 2, 2025 to discuss the ballot initiative process. (Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Attorney Generals office) Stewart, who joined the in-person meeting over Zoom, was grateful for the feedback. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was just really appreciative that they approached it in a way that we want to see this be as successful as possible, she said. Arkansas is one of 24 states that allow citizen-led initiatives such as the students proposed amendment, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The direct democracy process allows Arkansans to propose constitutional amendments and state laws and put them to a statewide vote. The process, particularly the petition-gathering phase, will see several changes during the 2026 election cycle due to laws passed during the legislative session this spring. While supporters say the statutes, a number of which are being challenged in court, will protect the integrity of the direct democracy process, opponents have argued it will make it more difficult for Arkansans to propose their own laws. Durden paused his work on the amendment this spring after realizing the rules were changing in real time during the legislative session. When Durden resumed the project this summer, he felt a sense of urgency because he realized the process could face more restrictions in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think most people like being the Natural State. I dont think anyone wants to see that go away, and getting to use that power for us to bring initiatives, especially at a time when we see a lot of laws trying to restrict that, I thought was really cool, he said. If the attorney general eventually certifies their proposals language, the students must then collect nearly 91,000 signatures from registered voters in at least 50 counties. Durden said he wants to avoid paid canvassers and plans to develop a broad network of volunteers at other colleges and environmentally-related groups to help collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. While theres a lot of pessimism in politics and people often see younger generations as disengaged and disaffected, Rice is hopeful their work will demonstrate thats not the case. No matter what happens, I think its important for people to see that young people do care about what happens in their government and what happens in their future, he said. And so I think thats another reason why we want to build this as a large, broad-based movement of younger people, is to get that out there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stewart said she has felt very empowered by this process because its something she can do, and she hopes it demonstrates how others can take action too. Durden agreed. I have a lot of anxiety about a lot of things, but being able to channel that anxiety into something that is productive and that I care about in this initiative has kind of helped mitigate that, he said. The four students are continuing to work with Standerfer to revise their amendment and plan to submit their proposal as soon as possible. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The post-war narrative of the German U-boat efforts follows several stages: the first Happy Time, followed by the second Happy Time, and then utter destruction by the Allies. In reality, the history is unsurprisingly more complicated than that as are the humans who waged the war. In his latest book, Wolfpack: Inside Hitlers U-Boat War eminent scholar Roger Moorhouse peers deeper into the historiography to deliver a full, first-hand account of the German U-boat war and the men who waged it. The book officially released in the U.S. on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moorhouse recently spoke to Military Times to dispel myths, discuss the rampant fungal and sexually transmitted infections that plagued the Kriegsmarine and explain why he pushed back on being called a military historian. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Lets talk about perception vs. reality of the Battle of the Atlantic. Winston Churchill famously declared the only thing that truly frightened him during World War II was the U-boat threat, yet the reality was that the capability of the German Navy was somewhat limited. In fact, historian Gerhard Weinberg has suggested that the Germans would have been better off in WWII if they had built no navy at all and devoted those resources to the army and the Luftwaffe. In your research for Wolfpack, do you find that a fair statement? Thats an interesting position that Gerhard Weinberg takes. I wouldnt go that far. I would certainly say that the Germans would have done better to not have built their surface fleet, because the surface fleet was vastly expensive and achieved precisely nothing in sort of strategic terms in World War II, and they could have devoted all of that energy and manpower and resources to the U-boat fleet instead. I think the U-boat arm did have strategic potential, so in that sense, I would disagree with Weinbergs statement there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea of using the U-boat arm to attack British shipping lines to essentially strangle Britain out of the war, or at least to force Britain to negotiate I think that was an idea that had legs, and this is where Churchills comment came from. Churchill writes that after the war, when hes writing his memoirs, but he was referring to a very specific time, which was the winter of 1940- 41. At that point, bear in mind that British imports in January 41 versus January 1940 had precisely halved, and to a large extent, because of the predations of the German U-boat, so at that moment, is perfectly justifiable for him to express that concern. In terms of historiography, what I think has happened is that that sentiment that he expressed has been kind of expanded to cover the whole U-boat war, as if we were under the same grievous threat. And that really isnt the case. The second half of the war, its effectively a turkey shoot. Its murderous. A German U-boat surfaces to allow the crew to have a You write about these unimaginable conditions aboard the subs the psychological strain, the staggering 75% death rate, which is the highest of any branch in the German armed forces. Can you talk about the conditions that these men operated under? In short, theyre horrific. To some extent, I think the same situation very broadly applies across U-boat forces in World War II because this is still a relatively primitive piece of technology. In WWII, there are generally submersibles, rather than submarines, so they spend most of the time on the surface. In the German case, they can dive for something like 24 hours on average. Thats quite a good maximum time that they can dive for. That means theyre being tossed around quite a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A U-boat ... is a relatively small thing, something about 65 meters long. You have these huge diesel engines, electric motors, torpedoes, bunks for the crew and all the rest of it. So imagine that space. Theyre living very much on top of each other. Everything is damp all the time. Theres mold. I mean, theres accounts of U-boat crews watching the mold literally grow on the inside surface of their of their vessel. They have skin diseases, because they dont wash effectively. Fresh water is rationed. You can have a sort of splash in a bowl of fresh water if you want, but thats all youre going to get for the day. Because of the lack of space, theyre allowed to take one change of underwear for an eight-week patrol. Theyre wearing the same clothes every day, the sweat, the [body odor] ... that aspect of it is rather unimaginable. Adding to that is the ubiquitous presence of diesel, because theyve got two massive diesel engines in a U-boat. The fumes are everywhere. So that mixture of all those things, if you could imagine, is what they used to call the U-boat stink, which comes across very strongly from all the memoir accounts. Theres one account that I mention of a U-boat pulling in, and they open the conning tower hatch, and then the shore crew who are there to help them out reel backwards as the stench comes out of the boat. It has a knock-on effect as well, on the submariners health, because theyre living in such sort of filthy conditions on top of each other, hot-bunking all the time. All of the men hot-bunk besides the officers. So as soon as someone has a skin infection or a fungal infection, which is also very common, or things like scabies, it spreads very rapidly through the ship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sexually transmitted diseases also spread fairly quickly, and you had a regime whereby infection was then cause for punishment. Thats quite an interesting aspect of the narrative. Historian Roger Moorhouse's new book, which draws on war diaries, archival records and the voices of the German submariners to tell the story of Germanys U-boat campaign. You tell the story of Wolfpack from the perspective of the Germans and offer a rare look inside the minds and missions of the U-boat crews themselves. Can you talk a little bit about your primary source research and what was all involved in telling this story? One point thats worth making, and this sort of this illustrates the wider collapse of the U-boat war, is that [the British] interrogation reports, there are a lot of them for 1940, 41, 42. In 1943, there are fewer. In 1944, theres fewer still, and then they sort of stopped midway through 1944, which I found a bit baffling at the time, because I was systematically working through them. Then you realize why that is, and its because Allied countermeasures have become so effective by that point that there are basically no longer any prisoners to take. They dont have the chance to surface. So that in itself is quite instructive. The other thing is, after that first generation of crews and commanders has really been wiped out by 1941, youve got the next generation that are, of necessity, less well trained, less effective and less effective at countering what was fast becoming very effective Allied countermeasures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crews themselves, the quality of them, deteriorates so much that by the latter stage of the war, the German U-boat arm is pulling naval officers from desk jobs, [who are] given a perfunctory bit of training and sent out on patrol. It sort of becomes something of a perfect storm. Adm. Karl Donitz gives a few words of welcome to a submarine crew on its safe return to Germany. (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) Later histories have painted Karl Donitz as tactician with little interest in the potential of technology to extend the reach and impact of his offensive. How did the British evolution of defending against the U-Boat threat versus the German lack thereof, affect the German U-boat campaign? I would push back against that, to be honest. Donitz is flawed in many ways. Hes a convinced Nazi for one thing, but I dont think he was necessarily blind to the technological possibilities and technological advancements. Another strand of the book is the way in which you have this technological game of cat and mouse between the Allies and the Germans. Its not just this one-way street in which the Germans are constantly having to play catch up and having to adapt to Allied innovations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Th Alberich sonar cloaking, for example, which they use very effectively in late 1944, has to then prompt a response from the Allies. Theres not this sort of a bullish, Lets just carry on with what were doing, lads, and well be fine attitude. Donitz withdraws his wolfpacks from the Atlantic in May 1943 after the so-called Black May, and the reason that he gives is that the German U-boat arm is technologically at a disadvantage from the Allies and they want to rectify that disadvantage before they go back into the field. Whats decisive in the wider grand scheme is the confluence of the logistical air coverage across the whole of the Atlantic, where there is nowhere for the U-boats to hide. I mean, that was crucial. Enigma was crucial. Having persistent oversight of Enigma traffic was crucial. The development of aerial radar is, if were going to pin down one thing, probably the most decisive. More U-boats are sunk by aerial attack than by anything else, which cuts against the stereotype of the effectiveness of depth charging. Thats what we see in the film Greyhound, for example. Thats the popular image of the countermeasures against the U-boat. Ultimately, though, its the use of radar-equipped aircraft. My personal favorite sub story is that of U-1206 and how it was thwarted by its new-fangled toilet system, and the crew was forced to surface and be rescued by a Scottish fisherman. Do you have a story that you came across that might not have fit the narrative for Wolfpack, but has stayed with you? One that sticks with me is U-977, which is one of the two vessels that went to Argentina at the end of the war. [Donitz] gives the order to his own former fiefdom to raise a black flag and to surrender to the nearest Allied port. To a lot of them, the idea of raising a black flag and then sailing to surrender your vessel to the enemy was something that ran counter to everything they believed in, so a vast majority opted simply to scuttle their vessels. Some of them chose to escape. Two vessels opted to try and go to Argentina, and one of those is U-977. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interestingly, they took a poll from the crew and said, What do you want to do? Which I thought was interesting because these are representatives of a dictatorship, after all, and theyre having a democratic vote. Amusing moment. But theres the last speech that the commander gives to his men before they hand themselves over, where he commends them for their effort for what theyve done in terms of seamanship and then he said, which I thought was very telling, We at least have had four months more freedom than any of our fellows. Thats one that does stick with me. Im occasionally accused of being a military historian, [but] I always push back against that a little because I think whats to me more significant are the human stories. These are human stories in a military setting, rather than being pure military history to me. Im interested in telling those human stories, and I hope Ive managed to achieve that. As Mahagathbandhan is set to witness a 'friendly fight' on some seats in poll-bound Bihar, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Tuesday suggested that the differences in the Opposition's alliance are a result of their "personal interests." Speaking with ANI, Union Minister Manjhi questioned the alliance's competence to run a government even if they win the election. "Those in the Congress and RJD or the INDIA alliance are all there for their personal interests... Where personal interests are concerned, there will inevitably be differences... Now they (Mahagathbandhan) are saying that they are having friendly contests on several seats. Can that even happen? The public will give the answer to this in the elections," Manjhi said. "If you can't stay united in an alliance, then even if you get the opportunity, you will interfere in forming the government... You will form a government today that will break tomorrow," he added. The former Chief Minister of Bihar emphasised the necessity of a stable government for development, asserting that this is possible with the NDA. "Until there is a stable government, there will be no development in any state or country. This is only possible with the NDA... The NDA government will be formed, the state will be served, and the double-engine government will gain momentum," he said. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday released its list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections, fielding 143 contenders across the state. The official list was released on the last day of nominations for the second phase. 24 Women candidates are among the 143 named as contestants. After comparing the candidate lists from the RJD and the Indian National Congress (Congress) for the Bihar assembly elections, there are some common seats where both parties have fielded a candidate despite being in the Mahagathbandhan. In Narkatiaganj, Deepak Yadav (RJD) will face Shaswat Kedar Pandey (Congress); in Kahalgaon, Rajnish Bharti (RJD) will compete against Praveen Singh Kushwaha (Congress); and in Sikandra (SC), Uday Narayan Chaudhary (RJD) will go up against Vinod Chaudhary (Congress) while in Lalganj (Vaishali) Shivani Shukla is likely to go up against Aditya Raja of Congress. However, there is likely to be a compromise between the allies, with one of the parties withdrawing in favour of the other. Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) Oct. 21UPPER SIOUX COMMUNITY The might lose one of its largest customers in its dispute over renewable energy with the . The Upper Sioux Community has asked the to allow it to purchase electricity for its in rural Granite Falls from Xcel Energy in place of the power it now buys from the rural cooperative operating in west central Minnesota. The formal request asks the PUC to place Prairie's Edge in the service territory of Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement of Minneapolis. The PUC will decide at its whether to investigate the request. It is expected to look favorably on it. PUC member John Tuma had raised the possibility of re-assigning the service territory during a July 24 hearing on the tribal community's complaint with the cooperative. At the hearing, commission members chastised the cooperative for its threat to turn off electrical service to Prairie's Edge if the Upper Sioux Community activated a 2.5-megawatt solar array and battery system. The Upper Sioux Community has constructed a system to provide renewable energy, partially offsetting the electricity purchased for its commercial operations. The behind-meter solar system will not connect to the Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association's distribution system, which currently provides power to Prairie's Edge. Prairie's Edge Casino Resort operations require roughly 18 megawatts of power on an average day, according to documents filed with the PUC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In filings with the PUC, Minnesota Valley challenged the Upper Sioux Community's request to change the service territory. Minnesota Valley charges in its filing that the PUC lacks jurisdiction or authority to consider the transfer under Minnesota law, as the Upper Sioux Community is not an electric utility. The cooperative also stated that it has embedded costs based on projected future electrical use by the Upper Sioux Community and other cooperative members. "To allow Upper Sioux to be served by another electric utility provider would be at a cost to all other members of Minnesota Valley and (would) be inconsistent" with a Minnesota statute, according to the filing by Matthew Haugen, attorney with Nelson Oyen Torvik, representing the cooperative. Based in Montevideo, the cooperative serves roughly 5,200 rural customers in eight counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Xcel Energy indicated it is open to serving the tribal operations. It stated it has met with tribal leadership about the possibility of serving Prairie's Edge Casino Resort. The private utility is determining the feasibility and costs of extending its distribution lines to Prairie's Edge Casino Resort. A portion of that cost would be charged to the Upper Sioux Community, according to a filing with the PUC by Nicholas Martin, director of strategic outreach and advocacy with Xcel Energy. The Upper Sioux Community stated in its filings that Xcel Energy has an adequate power supply to serve Prairie's Edge, and that no significant or duplicative infrastructure investment would be needed. Xcel has a distribution network in the vicinity of the location. The Upper Sioux Community prefers to transfer to the service territory of Xcel Energy. The threat to discontinue electrical service by Minnesota Valley if the solar system is activated jeopardizes the community's access to adequate, reliable power, according to its filing with the PUC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Without adequate and reliable power, the Community's ability to fund its essential government functions will be at risk," stated Joshua Peerson, with the law firm of Faegre Drinker, representing the Upper Sioux Community in the filing with the PUC. Peerson also referenced the "contentious" relationship between the tribal entity and the power cooperative in his filing. The Upper Sioux Community filed its initial complaint with the PUC over the threat to discontinue service by Minnesota Valley if the solar system was activated. Minnesota Valley charges that the solar system violates the cooperative's policies. The system would reduce revenues to the cooperative, which would increase the cost of power for all of the cooperative's members, the cooperative's attorney told the PUC at the July hearing. The Minnesota Department of Commerce and Minnesota Attorney General's Office filed a motion with the PUC asking that the complaint between the Upper Sioux Community and Minnesota Valley be stayed while the request for a change in service territory is considered. It pointed out that if the service territory change is enacted, the complaint would become moot. GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) An Upstate man was sentenced on charges, including domestic violence and kidnapping, from a 2022 investigation in Greenville County. Cleashon Jarbar Poindexter, of Greenville, pled guilty Tuesday, Oct. 14, to charges of domestic violence of a high & aggravated nature, kidnapping and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. The charges stem from an incident on December 23, 2022, in Greenville County, where deputies responded to a call reporting that Poindexter had punched and strangled the victim and had a shotgun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon arrival, deputies found Poindexter using the victim as a shield and had to force entry to rescue her. Authorities reported hearing screaming and found the door barricaded with a couch. They forced entry through a window as Poindexter dragged the victim up the stairs. However, deputies were able to free the victim and take Poindexter into custody safely. Poindexter was sentenced to 15 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Monday called for the US and Bolivia to exchange ambassadors again for the first time in nearly two decades, following the countrys election of a new pro-business, centrist president. Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in a joint statement first shared with Semafor congratulated Rodrigo Paz on his electoral victory Sunday and said the elections demonstrate the will of the Bolivian people to chart a new course for their country and mark a victory for peaceful, democratic change in the region. Bolivia and the United States share significant diplomatic, economic and security interests, and it is our hope that this election will serve as a starting point to deepen those connections, Risch and Shaheen wrote. The United States and Bolivia have not exchanged ambassadors since 2008. To strengthen our relationship, we support efforts to upgrade our diplomatic presence in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pazs election represents a potential turning point in US-Bolivia relations, which soured after then-President Evo Morales expelled the US ambassador to Bolivia in 2008. Paz, whose election ends two decades of socialist rule in Bolivia, has expressed a desire to strengthen ties with the US and increase foreign direct investment. The State Department also congratulated Paz on his victory, the first time in years the US has sent a similar message to a Bolivian president-elect. JD Vance has arrived in Israel with a clear message to both sides: dont upset the ceasefire. Before the US vice-president even took off, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were hard at work, making statements and holding meetings that have put Benjamin Netanyahus government on the back foot. In downtown Tel Aviv on Monday, Donald Trumps son-in-law and his Middle East envoy descended into the bowels of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters known as the Kirya for direct talks about the tactical situation in Gaza with Major General Shlomi Binder, the director of intelligence, and other high-ranking officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the government stressed that the meeting had been fully approved, it was too much for some commentators. It proved that Israel was now operating almost as a US client state, said one, with Trump aides able to fly in and demand briefings from key military figures almost on a whim. They were also troubled by what the two Trump confidantes were saying in public. Steve Witkoff (left), Trumps Middle East envoy, and Jared Kushner (right), Trumps son-in-law, have travelled to Israel for talks - EPN/Avalon In an interview with CBSs 60 Minutes, Mr Kushner made it clear that Israel would only be integrated into the region if it started to improve Palestinian lives. For his part, Mr Witkoff recalled bonding with the Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya over the pain, suffered by both men, of losing a son. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The notes of reconciliation were very much on message from an administration that claims to have brought peace to the Holy Land after 3,000 years of turmoil. On Sunday, that fragile peace was threatened after fighters in Gaza killed two Israeli troops. Hamas denied responsibility, but Israel responded with a wave of air strikes, killing dozens of people. Mr Netanyahu then said aid to the enclave would be cut off. Within an hour, he was forced to perform an about-turn after taking a call from the White House. Together with the Witkoff-Kushner meetings at the Kirya, it demonstrates beyond any serious doubt that, for now, Mr Trump is calling the shots in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Israels security establishment is not happy. Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees on Sunday - Eyad Baba/AFP The ultimate pragmatists, their vision is unclouded by the triumphant optimism of Mr Trumps visit last week to mark the return of the hostages, and in Hamas, they see a terror organisation which has no intention of disarming. In last weeks gruesome videos of a mass execution in the streets of Gaza City, Israeli security officials recognised not just another instance of barbarism from the group behind the Oct 7 atrocities, but a calculated attempt by Hamas to subjugate its rivals in the Strip, the so-called clans. At the same time, they worry that Hamas is using the space yielded by the withdrawal of the IDF to regroup and rearm: sparking into life whatever underground weapons workshops it has left, and pilfering a considerable amount of unexploded Israeli ordinance to convert into IEDs. Still from video of Hamas public executions in Gaza after the peace treaty Yossi Kuperwasser, a former head of research at the IDF military intelligence and now head of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, said Hamass key aims were to re-establish both physical and ideological control over the Gazan population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of that is trying to convince them against overwhelming evidence that Oct 7 was not a disaster. Because of this, he said, Hamas cannot afford even the symbol of disarming. Even accepting the idea of disarmament is beyond their capability, he said. In a sense, Sundays attacks against IDF troops are a sideshow. Many among Israels securocrats do not believe it was conducted with the blessing of Hamas high command. They speculate that it may have been the work of a different group entirely, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is close to Iran and hates the Trump deal. Despite this, Israel has been troubled by Mr Trumps public acceptance of the narrative that Hamass leadership is not to blame. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also appeared to accept its explanation for the sluggish return of the dead hostages namely, that the corpses are hard to locate. Israelis, on the other hand, see this as a naked attempt to slow-roll the repatriation, piling more pain on the families and political pressure on Mr Netanyahu. A rabbi blesses a released hostage at a funeral for Daniel Peretz, an Israeli soldier who was captured on Oct 7 - Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty At the same time, Hamas negotiators in Egypt are said to be pushing for Palestinian technocrats aligned with their position to be included in the interim administration of the Strip. In Israels corridors of power, officials worry that all of this, coupled with the apparent influence of Qatar and Turkey, risks putting off Saudi Arabia and others from contributing to a stabilisation force that would guarantee the security of Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Hamas entrenches its renewed hold on the urban areas of Gaza, Israel will be itching to re-engage militarily and disarm them by force. According to Mr Kuperwasser, doing so would have total legitimacy, as a disarmed Hamas is a key point of the Trump plan, which has broad international backing. He said: We wouldnt risk international condemnation because there is international support for the plan and it says Hamas has to disarm. Technically, that is correct. Although the plan does not state how Hamas should be rid of its weapons. In reality, a renewed bombardment and the inevitable suffering of Palestinian civilians it would bring might well cause support for the Trump agreement to melt. Excavation work to recover the bodies of Israeli hostages killed in Gaza - AFP From an Israeli point of view, other international support and explicit US backing would be critical for legitimacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enter Mr Vance. He is expected to issue a stern message to Israel not to upset the ceasefire. This follows reporting in the New York Times that the White House fears Mr Netanyahu might be trying to do just that. Mr Vance is regarded as a particular challenge in Israel. He is less emotionally invested in the situation than Mr Trump, Mr Kushner or Mr Witkoff, and more aligned with the Maga base in his isolationism. However, Israel has a strong track record of turning foreign dignitaries to its point of view when they visit. Elbridge Colby, the staunch isolationist serving as under secretary of defence, is just one recent example. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli former military diplomat and Foundation for Defence of Democracies senior fellow, said: The number one priority will be pushing for a timetable from the Americans a commitment that forces Hamas to disarm within a certain amount of time and specifies contingencies for what happens if they dont. Despite the quiet frustration of security officials, Mr Conricus said that ultimately Israels trump card might be Hamas itself. I think we can probably count on Hamas to bring the situation to such a state of absurdity, where the gulf between the agreement and the reality is so obvious, where it would be tasteless and illogical to force Israel into phase two without having forcibly disarmed them. 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. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The 20-day U.S. federal government shutdown is likely to end this week, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Monday. "I think the Schumer shutdown is likely to end sometime this week," White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in an interview on CNBC, referring to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, said his "friends in the Senate" believed it was "bad optics for Democrats to open the government before the 'No Kings' rallies and that now there's a shot that this week things will come together." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters from all age groups took to the streets for "No Kings" rallies across the United States on Saturday, denouncing what they view as authoritarian tendencies and unbridled corruption of U.S. President Donald Trump. With the protests done, Hassett said that if the shutdown does not end, the White House would consider additional cost-cutting action. "We've been basically hearing from moderates that, look, we just can't do it in front of the 'No Kings' rally. If that ends up not being true, then I think that the White House is going to have to look very closely, along with (White House budget director) Russ Vought, at stronger measures that we could take to bring it to the table." (Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu) By Nolan D. McCaskill and Katharine Jackson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A Republican-led congressional committee is seeking testimony from former Democratic President Bill Clinton as part of its investigation into the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, its chairman said Tuesday. Representative James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told reporters the panel was working on arranging a closed-door interview with Clinton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Public reporting, survivor testimony and official documents show that Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein" than President Donald Trump, Comer said. "We're working to bring former President Clinton in for a deposition." A representative for Clinton did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The committee has been reviewing the federal government's handling of Epstein's case, releasing tens of thousands of pages of documents, including files from Epstein's estate. "The evidence we've gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way," Comer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oversight Democrats publicized a 2003 birthday letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein. The letter was dated three years before allegations of Epstein's sexual abuse became public, and the White House denied its authenticity. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said the committee has continued its Epstein investigation amid the government shutdown that began on October 1 after Congress failed to pass funding legislation for fiscal year 2026. The shutdown was in its 21st day on Tuesday. Every House Democrat and four Republicans have signed a discharge petition to force a vote on a resolution requiring the U.S. Department of Justice to publicly release all unclassified Epstein records. Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who won a September 23 special election to succeed her late father in Congress, would be the 218th signature on the petition, triggering action on the resolution. But Johnson has refused to swear her in while the House is out of session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chamber passed a stopgap bill to fund the government on September 19, which so far does not have enough support to pass in the Senate. The House has not voted since that date. (Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill and Katharine Jackson in Washington; Editing by Richard Cowan and Matthew Lewis) The United States State Department has elevated its travel advisory for Madagascar to Level 3. The warning urges Americans to reconsider travel to the island nation due to escalating violence, political instability, and criminal activity. The updated advisory, issued on September 27, comes in the wake of widespread protests throughout the country that have turned violent. According to the New York Post, security concerns have intensified following recent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Protesters are engaging in rioting, looting, vandalism, and destruction of property across multiple regions. The situation deteriorated further after a military coup unfolded when the countrys parliament voted to impeach President Andry Rajoelina, who has reportedly fled the nation. The Daily Mail reports that Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as the new president on October 18, following weeks of growing unrest primarily led by young citizens protesting poor economic conditions, lack of basic services, and regular power outages. Violent Protests And Political Instability Across Madagascar American officials have specifically cautioned that protests may develop quickly, especially after dark, and advise U.S. citizens to avoid areas with demonstrations. Recent confrontations have been particularly intense in the capital city of Antananarivo. On October 11, members of the Malagasy army joined demonstrators during protests calling for President Rajoelinas resignation. According to reports from the New York Post, this elite military unit, the same one that had helped bring Rajoelina to power in a 2009 coup, declared they had taken control of the nations armed forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Daily Mail notes that both the United Nations and the African Union have condemned the military takeover. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a reversal of the unconstitutional change of government, and the African Union has suspended Madagascars membership while demanding a return to civilian rule. Rising Criminal Activity The State Departments advisory emphasizes that violent crime is increasing across Madagascar. The Dahalo, described as criminal gangs known for stealing cattle, are increasingly clashing with security forces, particularly in areas south and west of the capital. Travelers are also warned about the risks of armed robbery and assault, which can occur in remote areas as well as on major national roads, making travel between destinations potentially hazardous. The State Department specifically notes that violent crime occurs throughout Madagascar, particularly after dark. While the U.S. government has not explicitly condemned the military takeover, it continues to urge Americans to exercise caution when traveling to Madagascar. This signals to potential visitors that they should carefully evaluate whether travel is necessary and take comprehensive precautions if they decide to proceed with their plans. The post US Issues Level 3 Travel Advisory For Madagascar Amid Growing Unrest And Violence appeared first on Travel Noire. To be prepared for any circumstance, U.S. and European military forces have been training in the Arctic. However, melting ice is throwing a wrench into prior strategies for Arctic combat, the Wall Street Journal reported. What's happening? While previous Arctic training has required combatants to be prepared and equipped for the bitter cold, the Swedish Subarctic Warfare Center has recently offered training outside the winter months, which involves an entirely different climate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Sergeant Major Fredrik Flink of the Swedish Army's Subarctic Warfare Center: "This requires a completely different way of fighting. You can almost compare it to the jungle." When the landscape isn't frozen over, everything is wet. As in a jungle, mud, puddles of water, and bugs are common issues. NATO allies gather at the Subarctic Warfare Center to train together for the varied challenges that a conflict in the Arctic would present. Captain Barney Walker, a member of the British army's Ranger Regiment, said, "It's a slow learning curve." Why is Arctic ice melt important? Melting ice in the Arctic has a wide range of impacts on the planet and its inhabitants. Burning dirty energy sources that release pollution into the atmosphere is exacerbating the effects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the ice recedes, microbes that have been frozen for centuries can become airborne, raising public health concerns as animals can pass the unearthed diseases to humans. Based on NASA's data, summer measurements of Arctic sea ice have been shrinking at a rate of around 12% per decade since 1980. When the ice melts into the ocean, it contributes to rising sea levels. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, global sea levels have risen eight to nine inches since 1880, with the rate of rise accelerating rapidly. This poses a distinct risk to coastal communities, which lose land as the water creeps in, face harsher flooding conditions, and risk their fresh water being contaminated with salty ocean water. Hotter atmospheric temperatures and higher oceans can also supercharge storms, leading to more destructive hurricanes and floods. What's being done about ice melt? According to the Guardian, ice melt has slowed, but this is likely only a temporary reprieve from climate variation, as countries worldwide continue to burn dirty energy sources that pollute the atmosphere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While technologies are being developed to address Arctic ice melt, most experts see these as Band-Aids. These temporary approaches may ultimately cause more harm in the long run. The only way to reduce Arctic ice melt is to slow the rise in global temperatures, which will require a concentrated and collaborative effort from people 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. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing them of poaching leaders and pressuring his party candidates from withdrawing their nominations. Speaking to the reporters, Kishor alleged that there is no democracy or alliance left in Bihar, and three of his party's candidates have withdrawn their nominations under the BJP's pressure. "We have seen a pattern in this country where, after elections, opposition MLAs are often poached, something the BJP has done multiple times across various states. Now, the same is happening in Bihar. There is no true alliance or democracy in play in Bihar right now. Jansuraaj's candidates are being systematically obstructed. Several of our candidates were stopped from even filing their nominations. So far, three of our candidates have been forced to withdraw their nominations under pressure," Kishor said. He further said that in Danapur, Mutur Shah whom the Jan Suraaj party had announced as its candidate, did not file his nomination as he was allegedly abducted. Kishor said that while BJP has accused Rashtriya Janata Dal's candidate Ritlal Yadav as responsible for Shah's "abduction" the reality was wholly different. "In Danapur, our candidate Mutur Shah was preparing to contest. However, he was allegedly kidnapped and could not reach the nomination centre. BJP has claimed that RJD's Ritlal Yadav threatened him, but the reality is different. Our candidate was last seen with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Where is the Election Commission now? Why is no action being taken?," Prashant Kishor added. Several Jan Suraaj leaders, including state spokesperson Amit Kumar Paswan, former district councillor Anita Kumari, and party founding member Karmveer Paswan, have joined the BJP in the past two days. Earlier, Prashant Kishor said Jan Suraaj won't back down and is prepared to fight the elections fiercely. "We won't relent until we defeat the BJP and uproot the NDA. The results will be out on November 14 and the truth will be revealed. They're trying to create an atmosphere that we're scared. Prashant Kishor, along with his Jan Suraaj colleagues, is not afraid of anyone. Buy as many candidates as you want, threaten as many candidates as you can, and imprison as many candidates as you can in their homes. The election will be fought, and it will be fought with such force that it will leave you reeling. We are not the Mahagathbandhan," he said. "These people don't care about the Mahagathbandhan candidates...they will go and tell the public, 'these are the people of Jungle Raj. If you don't want them to come back, vote for us.' But they fear good people... They aren't afraid of corrupt politicians. This is the fear of Jan Suraaj. So many good people have been fielded that they don't have the courage to fight. Our candidates' friends and families have been pressurised so that they withdraw their nomination," Kishor alleged. Kishor had said previously stated that he will not contest Bihar assembly elections. Electioneering has gained momentum in the state with almost a fortnight left for the first phase of elections. Bihar will face polls in two phases on November 6 and 11 and the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) Officials from Great Smoky Mountains National Park proclaimed in September that a vulnerable species of wild salamander had been found crushed to death. They blamed the activity known as "rock-stacking," as an Instagram post from Backpacker Magazine spotlighted. "Recently, an eastern hellbender, the largest salamander in North America, was found crushed beneath rocks that had been moved and stacked by people in the park," the park's statement read on Facebook. "Building dams, channels, or rock stacks might seem harmless, but for the wildlife hiding below, it can be deadly. Beneath those stones are fragile ecosystems: nests, shelters, and homes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rock-stacking has become somewhat trendy in recent years among hikers and nature observers for a variety of reasons, including setting up photos for social media. But despite it seeming harmless, it can have impacts on the surrounding environment, as the park's statement suggested. Animals will use natural rock formations and placements as shelters or nesting locations, and studies have shown that moving rocks from their traditional locations can potentially disturb soil and increase the possibility of erosion, as detailed elsewhere by the National Park Service. Hikers may use rock stacks or cairns as markers so they don't get lost, and disrupting those formations could confuse or potentially even strand them, according to the park service, which has noted that rock cairns may be used by officials in some parks to mark trails these are to be left alone, and not added to reproduced as unauthorized cairns, according to an NPS article. As Backpacker has reported, there can be a variety of reasons why unauthorized rock-stacking is significantly more harmful than it appears to be, ranging from confusing other hikers who think they are for navigation to disrupting habitats or even crushing animals, as noted in the social media posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commenters on the Backpacker Instagram post announcing these salamander deaths largely condemned rock-stacking. "I'm a proud destroyer-of-rock-stacks," one top comment read. "Rock stacking is the worst!" another user wrote. Yet another response drove the message home by citing a popular nature phrase: "[Leave no trace], it's as simple as that." Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure 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. Member countries of the United Nations shipping agency bowed to U.S. pressure on Friday by deciding to postpone by a year a critical vote over a global measure requiring cargo ships to restrict their greenhouse gas emissions or pay what amounts to a pollution tax. The London-based International Maritime Organizations motion to delay the approval of the so-called Net-Zero Framework, which was provisionally greenlit in April with the support of American allies such as Britain, Canada, the European Union and Japan, plus that of the World Shipping Council, narrowly passed by a simple majority of 57 countries, with 49 opposing and the remaining absent or abstaining. More from Sourcing Journal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, which is scheduled to meet this week, will stay the course and work on the guidelines for implementing the NZF. Maritime shipping accounts for roughly 3 percent of human-caused global greenhouse gas emissions. The move came a day after President Donald Trump expressed his outrage over the deal on his Truth Social platform, saying that the United States would NOT stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping, and will not adhere to it in any way, shape or form. Writing in a joint statement last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the United States was mulling possible action against countries that backed the measure, including initiating antitrust probes and sanctions, imposing additional port fees and other penalties on their ships, and perhaps even blocking vessels registered in those countries from U.S. ports. They said that the agreement would unduly or unfairly burden the United States, harm the interests of the American people and raise global shipping costs by as much as 10 percent. While the United States walked out of Aprils deliberations over a draft agreement, Russia and Saudi Arabia joined in its dissent at the time by voting against the measure. All three pressed for the frameworks delayed adoption. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States will be moving to levy these remedies against nations that sponsor this European-led neocolonial export of global climate regulations, the officials wrote. We will fight hard to protect our economic interests by imposing costs on countries if they support the NZF. Our fellow IMO members should be on notice. In a terse response two days later, the European Commission said that it was in favor of efforts to decarbonize the shipping sector and level the global playing field. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saw Fridays decision as a missed opportunity for member states to place the shipping sector on a clear, credible path toward net-zero emissions. It was only in September that Trump, a longtime fossil fuel proponent who made drill, baby, drill a frequent campaign slogan, told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly that climate change was the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong, he said. They were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success. If you dont get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail. Earlier this month, the White House nixed $7.6 billion in grants that underpinned hundreds of clean energy projects in more than a dozen statesall of which voted for the Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in last years presidential election. President Trump promised to protect taxpayer dollars and expand Americas supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy, Wright had said. Todays cancellations deliver on that commitment. The NZF would require cargo ships weighing 5,000 gross tonnage or more to pay a fee if their carbon emissions exceed a certain mandatory limit, thereby incentivizing cleaner fuels and technologies. Collected revenue would be used to reward low-emissions ships, mitigate negative impacts on vulnerable member states and support innovation and research in developing countries. If the measure had gone through, it would have marked the first time a legally binding global carbon price was levied on any sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A missed opportunity aside, the delay is also a setback that will derail innovation, deepen inequities and render more difficult and expensive the transition to clean shipping, said Natacha Stamatiou, global shipping and IMO delegation lead at the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. We know progress is possible when governments act together; now they have the opportunity to prove it, she said in a statement. We cannot afford to wait any longer. It is vital that member states return to the negotiating table and deliver a measure that reflects wise ambitionone that delivers a just and effective energy transition to secure a cleaner, more equitable future for generations to come. In his closing remarks on Friday, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez urged member states to work together and arrive at an accord over the next year. Even though you have differences of opinion, you all spoke in support of the work of this organization, he said. There are no winners and losers in this session. Let us take this moment to learn from it and come back ready to negotiate and take the next steps needed to meet the goals you all agreed to in the 2023 GHG strategy. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) President Donald Trump s plan to cut record beef prices by importing more meat from Argentina is running into heated opposition from U.S. ranchers who are enjoying some rare profitable years and skepticism from experts who say the presidents move probably wouldnt lead to cheaper prices at grocery stores. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association along with the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America and other farming groups who are normally some of the president's biggest supporters all criticized Trump's idea because of what it could do to American ranchers and feedlot operators. And agricultural economists say Argentine beef accounts for such a small slice of beef imports only about 2% that even doubling that wouldn't change prices much. South Dakota rancher Brett Kenzy said he wants American consumers to determine whether beef is too expensive, not the government. And so far there is little sign that consumers are substituting chicken or other proteins for beef on their shopping lists even though the average price of a pound of ground beef hit its highest point ever at $6.32 in the latest report before the government shutdown began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I love Make America Great Again rhetoric. I love America First rhetoric, he said. But to me this feels a lot like the failed policies of the past the free trade sourcing cheap global goods. Several factors have sent beef prices soaring, starting with continued strong demand combined with the smallest U.S. herd size since 1961. In part, that small herd is due to years of drought and low cattle prices. Beef imports also are down overall because of the 50% tariffs that Trump imposed on Brazil, a big beef exporter, and limits on Mexico, where the country is fighting a flesh-eating pest. Kansas State University agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor said Argentina can't produce enough beef to offset those other losses of imports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through July, the United States has imported 72.5 million pounds of Argentine beef while producing more than 15 billion pounds of beef. Much of what is imported is lean beef trimmings that meatpackers mix with fattier beef produced in the United States to produce the varieties of ground beef that domestic consumers want, so any change in imports would affect primarily hamburger. Steak prices that were averaging $12.22 per pound probably wouldn't change much. Idea creates uncertainty among US ranchers Even if increased imports from Argentina won't reduce prices, the idea creates uncertainty for ranchers, making them less likely to invest in raising more cattle. Were always going to have uncertainty in the world. But the more uncertain something is, the less likely most are to put money on the line, Tonsor said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Argentine livestock producers like Augusto Wallace are excited about the prospect of selling more beef to America because he said whenever an additional buyer comes, it's beneficial for everyone, right? For all the producers. But economists caution that exporting too much beef could backfire for Argentina because that would drive up prices for consumers there. American ranchers say the idea of boosting imports from Argentina runs counter to the stated purpose of Trump's tariffs to encourage more domestic production and help American ranchers compete. Its a contradiction of what we believed his new course of action was. We thought he was on the right track," said the president of R-CALF, Bill Bullard, who hoped Trump's policies would discourage imports and encourage ranchers to expand their herds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas A&M livestock economist David Anderson said ranchers are finally getting prices that are going to make up for some really bad years in the past with the drought, low prices and high costs. We finally get some good prices. And we start talking about government policy to bring down prices. Bryant Kagay, part owner of Kagay Farms in Amity, Missouri, said he thinks the plan would hurt ranchers. Cattle prices that had been averaging around $3,000 for a 1,250-pound animal slipped more than $100 immediately after Trump mentioned the idea of intervening in beef prices last week, though they have recovered a bit since then. Ranchers hope Trump changes his mind Although Kagay voted for Trump in the last election, he worries the trade war is hurting farmers and ranchers by driving up costs and costing them major markets like China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I continue to see things that I dont really think are in the best interest of our country and the average citizen, Kagay said. I guess I hope he starts to see that and quits worrying about punishing opponents and winning whatever battle hes involved in, and then tries to do whats best for everybody. Ranchers are hopeful Trump will reconsider this plan. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday on CNBC that the administration remains committed to helping ranchers prosper while trying to reduce consumer prices. She promised more details soon about the Argentina plan and a larger effort to reinvigorate U.S. beef production by opening up more land and opening new processing plants while securing trade deals for new markets. The administration wants ranchers to raise more cattle and produce more beef. The bigger supply even aligned with a bigger demand is going to allow those prices to come down, but also to have a vital industry for these ranchers to be able to survive, which is what we've got to do, Rollins said. Sen. John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, said Tuesday that after talking to Trump and others in the administration, he expected to see more details about the policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its very important that we support our cattle ranchers, Hoeven said. Rancher Cory Eich, who lives near Epiphany, South Dakota, said he doesnt consider the Argentina idea a serious threat in the long term and doubts ranchers will make changes to their operation in light of the news. Nobodys happy about it, lets put it that way, Eich said. Personal opinion, I thought it was kind of a ruse when he mentioned it. I mean, its coming from Trump, so take everything there with a grain of salt. ___ Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press videographer Cristian Kovadloff contributed from Coronel Brandsen, Argentina. NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver is expected back in court on Tuesday after she was accused of assaulting ICE agents outside a New Jersey detention center. A judge will hear oral arguments starting at 11 a.m. on whether the charges against McIver should be dropped. A rally outside the courthouse is expected before the hearing. More Local News McIver pleaded not guilty to the three criminal charges stemming from the clash at Delaney Hall in May. Federal authorities accused her of attacking and interfering with ICE agents during a visit with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was also arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barakas charges were later dismissed. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State If the charges against McIver arent dropped, she could face several years in prison. Two of the charges carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years. The third charge is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of one year in prison. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. By Bo Erickson and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Three weeks into a U.S. government shutdown, Republicans who control Congress have begun talking about possible next steps in what has been a stalemate with Democrats who are withholding their support from a temporary funding bill until they win an extension of a healthcare subsidy. Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee that oversees federal spending, on Tuesday told reporters that Republicans will likely need to extend their stopgap bill to reopen the government and fund operations beyond its November 21 end-date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's a realization that we're going to have to have an extension because we've wasted all these weeks," the Maine Republican said, noting she does not want to see stopgap funding go into 2026. Her remarks follow those of Senate Majority Leader John Thune late on Monday acknowledging that more time would be needed to finish the 12 annual spending bills that fund Washington's "discretionary" programs. Thune needs the support of a handful of Senate Democrats in order to win passage of the temporary funding bill approved by the House of Representatives last month. Republicans have a narrow, 53-47 majority in the 100-member Senate, with 60 votes needed to advance most bills. All but three senators in the Democratic caucus are withholding their support for the Republican bill, unless President Donald Trump and enough Republican lawmakers agree to an extension of an enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credit that is due to expire on December 31. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer said he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reached out to Trump on Tuesday to sit down to negotiate an end to the shutdown. "We urged him to meet with us, and we said we'll set up an appointment with him, anytime, anyplace," Schumer told reporters. The senator did not say if the White House accepted the meeting request. Without an ACA extension, millions of Americans are girding for significant increases in their healthcare premiums, which Democrats have called "a healthcare crisis." Thousands of federal workers have been furloughed as federal agencies pared their activities beginning on October 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Simultaneously, previous-year funding expired on about $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to about one-quarter of annual federal spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump huddled with Republican senators at midday on Tuesday but they did not discuss an ACA extension, according to Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who attended the get-together. Republicans want to kick such talks toward the end of the year. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also a senior appropriator, said neither Republicans nor Democrats are winning the hard-fought battle over reopening the government. "Right now, both sides think that they have an advantage, and as long as you think you have an advantage, there's no incentive to dial it back," Murkowski said. Hanging over Congress is the prospect of hammering out deals for the dozen spending bills or an alternate route that is abhorrent to many lawmakers: another full-year continuation of last year's spending that would not address new needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's a bipartisan desire to get something done" and avoid that alternative, Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii told reporters. But he added that the first step would be reaching bipartisan agreement on the overall discretionary spending level for fiscal year 2026 that expires next September 30. (Reporting by Richard Cowan and Bo Erickson in Washington and Maiya Keidan in Toronto; Editing by Ismail Shakil and Matthew Lewis) Editors note: This report has been updated to include details of a U.S. strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility on Oct. 17. Two survivors of a U.S. military strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat last week will be sent to their countries of origin after reportedly being rescued by the U.S. military, President Donald Trump announced Saturday. The U.S. destroyed a submarine allegedly carrying narcotics in the Caribbean on Thursday, killing two and also leaving two survivors, according to Trump. It is believed to be the first time there have been survivors after such strikes, according to The Associated Press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. Thursdays strike is at least the sixth U.S. strike on alleged drug-carrying vessels in the area since September. A day later, on Oct. 17, the U.S. military struck an alleged drug-carrying vessel affiliated with Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, a Colombian rebel group, in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, killing three individuals aboard the vessel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday. At least 32 people have been killed as a result of the seven strikes, according to the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president said the alleged drug-carrying submarine that was destroyed Thursday was heading toward the United States on a narco-trafficking transit route and that U.S. intelligence had confirmed the submarine contained fentanyl and other narcotics. Survivors of Thursdays strike were reportedly picked up by a helicopter and held aboard a U.S. Navy ship, according to Reuters, which was first to report news of the strike. Trumps Truth Social post also contained an unclassified military video of the submarines destruction. Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed Saturday that one of the survivors of the U.S. military strike was returned home safely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We received the Colombian detained in the narco submarine; we are glad that he is alive and he will be processed in accordance with the laws, Petro said in a post on the social media platform X. It wasnt immediately clear if the second survivor had been repatriated to Ecuador. The Navy referred Military Times request for comment to the White House, which did not immediately return the request. The Trump administrations counter-narcotics campaign began on the presidents first day in office when he signed an executive order codifying cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Since then, at least eight U.S. vessels have been assigned to the Southern Command area of operations in support of counter-narcotics efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, Hegseth announced on Thursday that Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander of U.S. Southern Command overseeing the military strikes in the Caribbean, would be stepping down from his post. While Hegseth described the departure as a product of elected retirement on Holseys part, the New York Times reported that the move came as friction between Holsey and Hegesth mounted over Holseys concerns over the objective of the strikes and the attacks on the alleged drug boats. Holsey, who has served in the military for 37 years, was only a year into his tenure as commander when he seemingly decided to retire. Trump also confirmed Wednesday that he awarded authority to the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and that he is mulling over ordering land operations in the country. The meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov which was scheduled for this week has been postponed for unknown reasons. This casts doubt on whether the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will take place. Source: European Pravda, citing CNN Details: A White House source speaking to CNN said that the anticipated meeting between Rubio and Lavrov had been delayed, at least for the time being. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier, 23 October was mentioned as a possible date for their meeting. They were supposed to prepare for a new personal meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest. No specific reasons for the postponement have been given. However, one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is due to the very different views of Rubio and Lavrov on ending the Russo-Ukrainian war. According to one source, their recent conversation showed that the Russians have not significantly softened their maximalist demands. As a result, Rubio is unlikely to recommend moving forward with plans for a Trump-Putin meeting. Sources suggest that the US secretary of state will probably speak with Lavrov again this week. Background: Trump spoke with Putin on 16 October for the first time in nearly two months. Following the conversation, he announced plans for a meeting in Budapest, which would be Putin's first appearance in an EU capital since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The call took place ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington for talks with Trump, in which a key topic was the possible provision of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. According to media reports, during the meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump pressed him to accept Russia's conditions and also discussed providing security guarantees for both Kyiv and Russia, which unsettled the Ukrainian delegation. Meanwhile, Trump denied urging Zelenskyy to hand over all of Donbas to Russia. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Republican lawmakers in Michigan have proposed a pervasive internet content ban while disallowing popular tools to access it. Dubbed the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act (link downloads a PDF to your device), the bill lumps depictions of transgender individuals, pornography, ASMR, and various forms of graphic imagery as "corrupting" public morals, proposing major fines and jail time for posters and platforms hosting said content. Beyond its dehumanizing categorization of transgender people, the bill outlaws "circumvention tools" like virtual private networks, proxy servers, and encrypted tunneling. Virtual private networks (VPN) disguise a user's IP address through an encrypted tunnel to a remote server, making it appear as if the user is connecting through a different network. The ban is part of a larger censorship movement in America and abroad. Legislators have introduced nationwide obscenity bans, while half of the U.S. has passed age-verification requirements. For activists, the Michigan ban is about more than moderating content. Globally, VPNs play an essential role in protecting citizens' right to access and share information, particularly in authoritarian countries with major content bans and firewalls. Nepalese activists used the technology to circumvent social media bans and organize a revolution in September 2025. Historically, authoritarian regimes like Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China have restricted VPNs to enforce stringent censorship laws, though the success of such efforts is widely mixed. Activists have responded with a global campaign to stop the legislation. Led by the organization Fight for the Future, the VPN Day of Action saw thousands of users sign an open letter demanding lawmakers defend access to VPNs. While it's unlikely that the Michigan law will go into effect, observers stress it as a major milestone in a nationwide struggle over informational freedoms. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: iOS 18.7 Vs. iOS 26: What's The Difference? The Ban A computer is wrapped in barbed wire, symbolizing restrictions on its usage. - Francesco Carta Fotografo/Getty Images Michigan House Bill 4938 could spark a paradigm shift in U.S. censorship laws, as it seeks not to only restrict content but also disrupt access to privacy tools like VPNs. The first of its kind in the U.S., the ban would put Michigan alongside authoritarian regimes like Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Russia, and China in its restriction of VPN access. Such laws might become increasingly popular in Western countries, however, as lawmakers in the United Kingdom have discussed limiting access to the technology after age-verification bans caused VPN downloads to spike in 2025. In fact, a 2023 study by VPN provider Surfshark found that roughly half of global internet users are subject to VPN restrictions. If passed, the law would be one of the most important technology bans in U.S. history, carrying major political, privacy, and security consequences. Despite not making users totally anonymous, VPNs are a critical piece of the privacy puzzle. Recent history is replete with evidence of VPNs helping preserve such critical freedoms, from spurring revolutions in Nepal to enabling Chinese teenagers to play video games. However, VPNs are more than a workaround for state censorship and serve as an important privacy tool. In a cybersecurity world in which private citizens, businesses, and public infrastructure are increasingly the targets of hacking groups, cybercriminals, and nation-states, the ban could jeopardize the online security of constituents. Some observers believe banning VPNs fundamentally misunderstands the technology, ignoring its various uses while dismantling citizens' toolbox for protecting themselves and their information from both government overreach and cybercriminals. Activists push back A user starts up their Virtual Private Network. - Nongasimo/Getty Images Following the ban's introduction on September 11, 2025, the NGO Fight for the Future launched a petition calling for global lawmakers to protect users' access to VPNs. Orchestrated in conjunction with several VPN lobby groups, the campaign has garnered north of 15 thousand signees. While Michigan's VPN ban is unlikely to become law, observers caution that its impact may vastly outweigh its immediate legislative lifespan. Advertisement Advertisement According to Fight for the Future's campaign and communications director Lia Holland, the danger of such a proposal isn't just whether it goes into effect, but how it changes the discussion on censorship more broadly. Holland notes in an interview with the Detroit Free Press that the introduction of a VPN ban could move the spectrum of policies discussed in popular politics, opening the door for more restrictive bans by bringing radical ideas into mainstream discussion. Advocates note that the ban exists within a broader trend of media, internet, and academic censorship. Since 2023, 25 states have passed age verification laws, a policy touted as protecting underage users but one that critics say endangers user privacy while introducing legislative gateways to more stringent censorship. Some websites, like Bluesky, have been forced to block users in several states to avoid liability under these restrictions. The Take it Down Act, which was signed into effect in May 2025 to prevent non-consensual pornography, is another recent example of legislation that organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation warn creates the legal framework for broad censorship. Within the context of the Trump administration's various censorship efforts, advocates have begun to rally against the dangerous precedents these policies create, hoping to preserve the internet as a free and open public resource. Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. Special Envoy Kushner stated that Israel and Hamas are transitioning to a peacetime posture. There is a good chance the Gaza peace deal between Israel and Hamas will remain intact, US Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday. What weve seen last week gives me great hope that the ceasefire is going to hold, he said during a press conference in Kiryat Gat. Given the history of the conflict, I think everyone should be proud of where we are today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I feel very optimistic, he added. Can I say with 100% certainty that its going to work? No. Vance thanked Americas regional partners and those who have reportedly signed on to be part of the peacekeeping force in Gaza. The Israeli government has been remarkably helpful in implementing the Gaza plan, he said. Thanks to our partners in Israel, all across the Gulf Arab states, Indonesia, and the Turks, we are doing an amazing thing here. Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin greets US Vice President JD Vance after the vice president lands in Israel. October 21, 2025. (credit: Shlomi Amsalem/Foreign Ministry) Everyone has a role to play in deciding which countries will contribute to the peacekeeping force in Gaza, Vance said, adding that the decision was ultimately up to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What troops are on the ground in Israel is going to be a question Israelis have to agree to, he said, and Im sure Netanyahu will have opinions about that. But we think everybody has a role to play here. Regarding the return of the remaining deceased hostages, Vance said the location of some of them was unknown. The issue is difficult and would not be resolved overnight, he said. It is a focus of everybody here to get those bodies back home to their families so that they can have a proper burial, Vance said. Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble, he said. Some of the hostages nobody even knows where they are. That doesnt mean we shouldnt work to get them, and that doesnt mean we dont have confidence that we will. Its just a reason to counsel in favor of a little patience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance also said the US would obliterate Hamas if it did not disarm. If Hamas doesnt comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen, he said. But Im not going to do what the president of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult. A lot of this stuff is unpredictable. Regarding Iran, Vance said the US would like to improve relations, but Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon. US President Donald Trumps special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, also expressed optimism about the Gaza deal. Kushner said he believed the peace agreement was progressing well despite media speculation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of people are getting a little hysterical about different incursions, he said. But what we are seeing is that things are going in accordance with the plan. Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to a peacetime posture. Kushner said he believed that reconstruction of Gaza under the IDFs supervision was being strongly considered. There are considerations happening now in the area that the IDF controls... as long as that can be secured to start the construction of a new Gaza in order to give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live, he said. No reconstruction funds will be going into areas that Hamas still controls, Kushner said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance said the base of US Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Kiryat Gat area was now fully operational. The peacekeeping forces on the ground in Gaza would not be Americans, he said. CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the base would be the hub for everything coming in or out of Gaza. Witkoff said he thought current efforts to maintain the ceasefire had exceeded expectations. Before visiting the US base near Kiryat Gat, Vance met with Kushner and Witkoff at Ben-Gurion Airport. On Monday, Netanyahu said he would discuss regional challenges and opportunities with Vance during his visit to Israel. Kushner and Witkoff arrived in Israel on Monday and met with Netanyahu. In that meeting, they emphasized the importance of maintaining the deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahu reportedly was told it is legitimate to act in self-defense, but not in a way that endangers the ceasefire. Kushner and Witkoff met with recently released Gaza hostages. This followed Netanyahus meeting with senior security officials concerning Hamass delay in returning the remains of the slain hostages and the next phase of Trumps plan. Industrialist and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Tuesday met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and extended Deepavali greetings. Earlier in the day, she also visited Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at his residence in Bengaluru. These visits came after the Mazumdar's recent highlighting of the "poor" infrastructure in Bengaluru. "Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw met Chief Minister @siddaramaiah and extended Deepavali festival greetings. Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti was present on this occasion," the Karnataka Chief Minister's Office posted on X. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw also met Karnataka Minister MB Patil at his residence in Bengaluru. "She came to invite me to her nephew's wedding on the 9th of November. When the work is going on, at that time such comments are not necessary... If we weren't doing the work, then it would have been a different matter, but since we are doing the work, then the matter ends there," Patil told ANI after her visit. "She discussed a lot of things with me and was proud of us, and we are very proud of her too... We look forward to her support," he added. During the meeting, Mazumdar-Shaw and Shivakumar discussed about Bengaluru's growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnataka's growth story. In a post on X, DK Shivakumar wrote, "It was a pleasure to meet Ms. @kiranshaw, entrepreneur and Founder of Biocon, at my residence today. We had an engaging discussion on Bengaluru's growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnataka's growth story." Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has earlier expressed frustration over Bengaluru's infrastructure woes, citing poor road conditions and garbage management issues on several occasions. She emphasised the need for timely garbage clearance and road resurfacing, holding government ministers accountable for the city's state. In a post on X, Shaw wrote, "I had an overseas business visitor to Biocon Park who said, 'Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn't the Govt want to support investment? I have just come from China and can't understand why India can't get its act together especially when the winds are favourable?" In response to criticism, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar took a jibe at Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw over the latter's criticism of road infrastructure in Bengaluru, saying that she could develop the same if she wants. "If she wants to develop them (roads), let her do it. If she comes and asks, we will give her the roads," Shivakumar said while conducting the "Bengaluru Nadige (Walk for Bengaluru)" program in the KR Puram area. (ANI) US Vice President JD Vance, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner will travel to Israel on Tuesday to convince Netanyahu not to return to war. There is concern within the Trump administration that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may abandon the ceasefire deal, several American officials told The New York Times on Tuesday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reportedly said that the strategy is now for US Vice President JD Vance, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and former Trump advisor, Jared Kushner, to keep Netanyahu from resuming military operations against Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report follows an incident on Sunday where, in what the IDF described as a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and opened fire on Israeli soldiers in Gaza. US President Donald Trump later said that the incident was not ordered by Hamas leaderhsip, but was carried out by "rogue elements." Still, the president has issued new threats against Hamas, claiming that the terror groups murder of Palestinian civilians was a violation of the agreement. Trump says Hamas must commit to deal or be 'eradicated' We made a deal with Hamas that, you know, theyre going to be very good. Theyre going to behave. Theyre going to be nice, Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. And if theyre not, were going to go andwere going to eradicate them if we have to. Theyll be eradicated. And they know that. Palestinians seen near destroyed buildings amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, October 19, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj) Also in violation of the agreement, Hamas officials told Reuters that the group intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period and that it could not commit to disarming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal also said the group was ready for a ceasefire of up to five years to rebuild devastated Gaza, with guarantees for what happens afterwards depending on Palestinians being given "horizons and hope" for statehood. Other US officials have also worked to have prominent ministers change their position on the deal. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday, and "encouraged" him to accept US President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza deal. Bessent also "underscored the historic return of the hostages, and the great potential for expansion of the Abraham Accords." In recent years, leaders of American academic medicine have struggled to explain why public trust in medical science and education has eroded. Once admired as bastions of scientific rigor and professional integrity, many medical schools are now seen as politicized, ideologically rigid and out of touch with their original mission: preparing physicians to provide excellent, evidence-based, compassionate care. This loss of faith is neither sudden nor inexplicable. Last month, the Center for Accountability in Medicine at Do No Harm, a physician-led organization that advocates for merit-based, non-political approaches in medicine, released its first comprehensive ranking of U.S. medical schools. The University of South Floridas Morsani College of Medicine, where I serve as dean, was named the best medical school in America and the only one to receive a perfect score. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How, in a landscape dominated by elite private institutions, did a relatively young public medical school in Tampa achieve what no other could? The reason is simple: USF Health has held fast to fundamental principles that others have abandoned. The Do No Harm ranking was based on unambiguous criteria: merit-based admissions, academic freedom, clinically relevant evidence-based curricula and freedom from political bias and ideology. On each of these measures, USF excelled. Academic medicine adrift Across American academic medicine, admissions previously governed by empirical achievement measured by GPA and MCAT scores, unquestionably the most reliable predictors of medical school success and residency performance have been increasingly de-emphasized in favor of less objective criteria. Curricula once strictly grounded in scientific empiricism (i.e., anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology) have increasingly devoted attention to politically charged social theories in the name of advocacy. Simultaneously, medical schools have succumbed to the culture of safetyism that has infected higher education, leading to the widespread use of trigger warnings, a narrowing of acceptable viewpoints and the elimination of stressful educational challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the name of reducing stress, many schools have abandoned traditional grading, and even Step 1 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination long a rigorous, graded test of medical knowledge has been turned into a pass-fail exercise. Predictably, national pass rates have precipitously fallen, the residency application process has become chaotic and competency gaps have widened. These reforms have yielded record levels of burnout, anxiety and dissatisfaction. A different path The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine took a radically different path. Admissions are merit-based and color-blind, in accordance with Gov. Jeb Bushs 1999executive order. Our curriculum is also demanding, evidence-based and competency-driven. We use proven adult learning methodologies, including self-directed study, small group problem-based learning, deliberate practice and frequent assessments. Research is emphasized. The curriculum addresses social determinants of health with empirically based components on nutrition, exercise and patient personal responsibility. Since learning occurs at the point of discomfort, students are graded, not coddled; challenged, not shielded. Our educational leaders are required, and faculty encouraged, to read The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, which argues that shielding students from intellectual challenge fosters fragility and anxiety. Every incoming student receives Ryan Holidays The Obstacle Is the Way, a modern guide to Stoic philosophy showing how adversity, rightly faced, builds strength and wisdom. Together, these texts anchor a culture that rejects fragility and cultivates resilience. Res ipsa loquitur Evidence of success in medical education must be objective, measurable and dramatic. USFs Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 pass rate stands at 99% (vs. 91% nationally), and our Step 2 pass rate is 100%, with an average score well above national averages (256 vs. 245). The average graduate has four peer-reviewed research publications, and our students routinely match into top residency programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This success is also reflected in USFs rapid ascent among the countrys top research-intensive medical schools. Alongside its No. 1 ranking by Do No Harm, USF is also one of only 16 medical schools nationwide to earn a Tier 1 designation for research from U.S. News & World Report, a remarkable rise from its ranking of No. 80 just 10 years ago. A lesson for all If the dominant theory that favoring stress-free education produces happier students is correct, our rigorous approach should yield very dissatisfied students. Yet, the opposite is true. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire, students at USF Health report among the highest levels of satisfaction with their medical education nationally especially in how it prepares them for residency and practice. Challenge, it turns out, builds competence, confidence and resilience. The message should be unmistakable. Merit-based admissions, objective assessment and a challenging, evidence-based curriculum produce more competent, more resilient and emotionally balanced physicians doctors who retain the empathy and compassion with which they entered medical school but who are strengthened by discipline and rigor. If American medicine hopes to restore the publics confidence, it must rediscover these fundamental principles that once made it among the most trusted professions in the world. Charles J. Lockwood, MD, is the executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is now in Croatia, officials said. The Ford, which is based out of Norfolk and is the Navys most advanced aircraft carrier, sailed toward the coast of Split, which is located on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, Tuesday morning. The U.S. Embassy in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, stated the Fords visit reflects the enduring friendship and cooperation between the United States and Croatia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The recent visit marks the Fords second Port of Call since June of 2023, which was first launched in 2017. Military officials said that during the visit, the Ford will host local officials and key leaders for a reception. Continue to check WAVY.com for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Officials at the University of Texas refuse to say whether they will accept a deal with the president's administration in exchange for federal funding opportunities despite a key deadline passing becoming the only institution that was offered the deal to not publicly indicate its decision or feedback. Seven of the nine schools offered money in exchange for promises to protect conservative voices, cap international student enrollment and teach that there are only two genders rejected the terms. Vanderbilt University said publicly it was open to more discussion but has not accepted or rejected the deal. A spokesman for UT did not respond to questions asking about the schools response, though the deadline to provide feedback to the presidential administration was Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trumps administration offered the deal, called the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education to nine universities on Oct. 1, after which the University of Texas System eagerly jumped to review the terms. Since then, higher education organizations, students and faculty have warned that accepting the terms threaten academic freedom and university independence. In a statement Oct. 2, UT Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said UT was proud to work with the Trump administration at this crossroads moment and would immediately start reviewing the compact. Though the flagship remained quiet throughout deliberations, UT leaders enacted their own reform on campus to confront the changing landscape of higher education, firing key leaders from their administrative appointments, launching a core curriculum committee to investigate how best to prepare students for civic and professional life and auditing classes in LGBTQ studies and other unspecified departments. After four universities rejected the terms, the White House met virtually with higher education leaders, including the University of Texas, to discuss the compact ahead of the Oct. 20 deadline to provide feedback. The deadline to sign the compact is Nov. 21, according to a copy of the compact obtained through open records request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Administration is committed to a forward-looking vision of higher education that serves our nation by helping the next generation grow into resilient, curious, and moral leaders, inspired by American and Western values, Vince Haley, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at the White House, emailed President Jim Davis Oct. 1, according to the records obtained. 'Corrupting our youth' The declining schools and the critics who urged the rejection said the compact would allow financial awards to be determined for allegiance to political priorities, not just merit of scientific research. Many acknowledged that they agreed with some of the Trump administrations priorities but feared signing the compact is not the way to achieve excellence. UT also already adheres to some principles in the compact, such as institutional neutrality; international student enrollment below 15%; and no diversity statements in hiring. Some UT students protested the compact last week, citing fears it would infringe on their institutions freedom to teach and govern itself freely. READ MORE: Do not sign: UT students ask university to reject Trump proposal In a Truth Social post Oct. 12, Trump accused higher education of corrupting our Youth and Society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology that serves as justification for discriminatory practices and said the compact would reform education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conservative Texas lawmakers championed such reform during the last two legislative sessions, banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices, hiring practices and staff in 2023. More recently, lawmakers restricted faculty senates and empowered governor-appointed regents with more control over curriculum, hiring and degrees in Senate Bill 37. Gov. Greg Abbott took a greater interest in higher education this fall, urging the termination of a Texas A&M University professor for teaching about gender identity in a childrens literature course. The universitys president, dean and department head resigned or lost their appointments in the aftermath. Abbott also urged two universities to expel students who allegedly mocked the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. RELATED: Texas Legislature OKs sweeping higher education reform bill. Here's how SB 37 will affect faculty senates, regents' authority. Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation, Abbott said in a post on Sunday celebrating the termination of an academic affairs leader at UT. We must end indoctrination and return to education fundamentals at all levels of education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American Council on Education, a coordinating body for nearly 1,600 universities and colleges, signed a letter opposing the compact with 35 other higher education organizations. Locally, the UT Austin Chapter of the American Association of University Professors voted to reject the compact, urging leaders to defend UTs independence, and uphold facultys and students academic freedom. The AAUP is a professors union founded in 1915 with more than 500 national chapters. TURNOVER AT UT: 'Inflection point': leadership shakeups over ideological differences continue at UT The AAUP chapter said it fears that accepting the compact will result in the targeting of academic units that the Trump administration perceives as hostile to undefined conservative ideas, such as classes that affirm the existence of transgender individuals. They also fear the tuition stipulations would impede the universitys control over its finances, the resolution states. Those who teach and study at UT Austin are worried, the AAUP resolution on the compact stated. The Compact reflects a grave threat to the mission of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed that the University of Texas at Austin dismissed psychology professor Art Markman from his administrative role as senior vice provost for academic affairs due to ideological differences. Markman announced his dismissal on Wednesday in a post on LinkedIn. He has worked at UT Austin for 27 years and joined the provosts office in 2021. He also co-hosts the Two Guys on Your Head podcast on KUT News. Abbott said on X that Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation. Univ. of Texas professor was dismissed from an administrative post overseeing university academic affairs because of ideological differences. Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation. We Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 19, 2025 The decision follows similar actions involving faculty at other state universities. Texas State professor Tom Alter lost his position after speaking at an online socialist conference. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Texas A&M professor Melissa McCoul was dismissed earlier this year after a video of her discussing gender identities with a student went viral. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Markmans removal also comes as UT Austin reviews a White House initiative that could give universities a financial advantage in accessing federal funds. The compact calls on participating schools to ensure no violence against conservative ideas and to revise governance structures promoting open discourse. UT System officials said they are enthusiastically reviewing the proposal. Concerns about academic freedom have grown across Texas campuses. The UT System recently began auditing gender studies courses, and students in Austin and Dallas filed a lawsuit challenging a state law they claim limits free speech on college grounds. Markman stated that he remains on the faculty within the College of Liberal Arts. Im focusing on gratitude throughout this process, he said to KUT News, adding that he would rather not get caught up in these political discussions. A university spokesperson declined to comment, citing personnel policies. UT Austin named psychology professor Juan M. Dominguez as interim senior vice provost for academic affairs. To understand the challenges the Utah Humanities Book Festival faced this year, you have to go back to April 3. That was the day, according to Jodi Graham, the executive director of the nonprofit Utah Humanities, that the organization received an email out of the blue, letting them know that their operating support grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities had been canceled. That meant a loss of over $1 million half of Utah Humanities operating budget. Utah Book Award acrylics are on display at the Utah Book Awards at the Salt Lake Main Library on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Sam Morse The email came as DOGE, a department headed up by Elon Musk earlier this year, was tasked with cutting government spending. Utah Humanities, which has hosted programs and offered grants to organizations across Utah for 50 years, was hardly the only group affected. Arts groups across the country saw their funding slashed overnight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But for Utah, this had real impacts on events and programs across the state, and for Utah Humanities, it meant pausing its 50-year-old grant program and dramatically reducing its Humanities in the Wild events. Author Heather B. Moore shakes hands with Josh Wennergren, director of Higher Education Access, at the Utah Book Awards at the Salt Lake Main Library on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Sam Morse Which brings us back to the Utah Humanities Book Festival, which is on its 28th year and is the only statewide book festival in Utah. After the funding cuts, the festivals budget was cut by 30%. This meant that the festival had some hard choices to make and some difficult conversations with organizations the festival had partnered with in the Utah book community. But those festival partners, said Kase Johnstun, who is program manager for Utah Center for the Book and has run the festival for the last three years, werent going to let it drop. So with help from groups across the state from local libraries to bookstores to universities the Utah Humanities Book Festival is back this year with a robust lineup that includes author readings, discussions and workshops. It even, for the first time in 10 years, has brought back the Utah Book Awards, which celebrates the work of local authors and the states literary culture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were just glad to be here this year, Johnstun told the Deseret News. 28 years of the Utah Humanities Book Festival A reception on the rooftop at the Utah Book Awards at the Salt Lake Main Library on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Sam Morse The festival has certainly grown from its beginnings in 1998, when it was known as The Great Salt Lake Book Festival. In its first year, it was a one-day event. Now, its expanded to host events throughout the entire month of October. The goal of the Utah Humanities Book Festival is different than that of many other book festivals, according to Johnstun, who is is an author himself and is also Utahs representative to the Library of Congress. That goal is to really create statewide conversation based on whatever book were discussing and whatever author that we bring in, Johnstun said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were using the book as the vehicle and the author as the driver to really open up conversations. In order to spark those conversations, Johnstun says the festivals events are organized to be interactive, making sure to leave plenty of time for audience discussion. Those events include appearances by authors, including a Reeses Book Club Mystery Night, featuring authors like Ally Condie whose books have been included in actress Reese Witherspoons book club, and (for the first time) a Utah Horror Day with authors Philip Fracassi and Stephen Graham Jones. Johnstun also prioritized bringing back the Utah Book Awards after a 10-year hiatus, honoring work this year by seven Utah authors, including Maggie St. Clair, Jennifer A. Nielsen and poet Paisley Rekdal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another important goal of the festival is making sure that communities across the state of Utah, not just in the Salt Lake area, are included. One of the really biggest advantages is being able to get not only local authors but national authors to places that typically wouldnt be able to host them, said Graham, whos led Utah Humanities since 2018. So really giving opportunities for communities to participate when they arent on the Wasatch Front. How the festival lost its funding and Utahs book community stepped in Utah Humanities Executive Director Jodi Graham at the Utah Book Awards at the Salt Lake Main Library on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Sam Morse When Utah Humanities received the email on April 3, letting them know their federal funding had been cut, it went to their malicious emails folder, because it hadnt been sent by a government email address, Graham said. But the email said that it was from the chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a government agency that has provided funding to Utah Humanities for 50 years. Since it was created in 1965, the NEH has awarded over $6.4 billion in funding to over 70,000 projects in all 50 states, according to The New York Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Half of our operating support budget comes from the National Endowment, said Graham. So when we received that email, we literally lost, we just lost half our budget overnight. Through fundraising efforts and some assistance of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, Utah Humanities has received some support over the last few months. But things still havent been easy. The book festival had to make do with a much smaller budget this year which was a challenge for Johnstun, particularly as he worked to coordinate with the festivals many partners, including libraries, bookstores and universities, across the state. There were multiple times this spring when I teared up because I had to call partners and say, Were not where we were, Johnstun said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the festivals partners from across Utahs book community stepped up. When we reached out to everyone across the state and said, We dont have the amount of funds that we had before, our partners were so giving he said. We had people saying ... We can make this happen. This will work. This is our book festival. This is 28 years. We can find money ourselves. We can make this happen. Author Barbara Jones Brown signing a book with a fan at the Utah Book Awards at the Salt Lake Main Library on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Sam Morse Many of the partners offered to volunteer or donate venue space to help out, according to Johnstun. Some of the festivals partners include the Salt Lake City and County libraries, local publishing companies like Torrey House Press, and many of the states universities, including Weber State and the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah. Graham sees this coming together as a unique facet of Utahs arts community, noting that something similar happened when many arts and cultural organizations were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the arts and cultural community in Utah is in crisis, we have a tendency to band together, and rally together in support of each other, Graham said. Arts and culture are in our DNA, she added. What does the future hold for Utah Humanities? Author Richard E. Turley reads from Vengeance is Mine at the Utah Book Awards at the Salt Lake Main Library on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Sam Morse When it comes to the future of Utah Humanities and the arts in general for Utah Graham says shes cautiously optimistic, even though were not in the clear. Particularly as the government shutdown drags on, leaving hanging questions about the fate of the National Endowment of the Humanities. Im cautiously optimistic, because of the strength of what we do and what weve been doing, and not only us but our partners and sort of Utahs larger cultural community, she said. We have really great bipartisan support in Congress, and I dont think that that has changed. I think that we still have that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even so, Graham says there are a lot of challenges ahead. But she says there are ways that Utahns can help. The first way to help? Come and participate in the Utah Humanities Book Festival, Graham said. And if you really like what you see, reach out to the people who represent you and tell them why its important to you. Tell them why you think this is a good thing to support and let your voice be heard. So join the conversation. For both Graham and Johnstun, it all comes down to creating opportunities for conversation and discussion in the community. And to both of them, books are an ideal opening for those conversations. Author Abigail OBryan with her family at the Utah Book Awards at the Salt Lake Main Library on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Sam Morse In some ways, books can serve as a buffer or a shield to help people discuss more serious topics, including politics, Johnstun said. They can also help people connect over deeper, shared truths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because were all human and were all sharing this world, and were all sharing our lives together, he said. And we all experience the same things, right? Love, life, death, disappointment, growing, losing people. Remembering our shared humanity is particularly important at this moment in time, according to Graham. What we all need so much more of in the current state of our world is to have those moments to interact with each other and to be able to gather in a space in person and have that face-to-face conversation and that exchange of ideas, she said. So many of ... the problems and the things that were seeing happen, those are just gonna continue until we can start seeing each other as humans again. Wayne Niederhauser, the state homeless coordinator, talks to a packed meeting with community members at the Day-Riverside Branch library in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 to discuss the newly announced site for a homeless services campus. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) A former Utah Senate president who most recently spent more than four years as one of the top leaders of the states homelessness system is expected to step down by the end of the year. The governors office announced in a news release Tuesday that Wayne Niederhauser will retire on Dec. 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With more than 12 years in the Utah Senate, including six as Senate President, and nearly five as state homeless coordinator, Niederhauser has made a lasting contribution to Utah, the release said, crediting Niederhauser with strengthening statewide coordination and accountability in Utahs homeless system. The announcement comes at a key time for Utahs homeless system which is currently under pressure from top Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Spencer Cox to undergo a sea change away from Housing First strategies and toward more of a focus on substance abuse treatment, accountability, and potentially more civil commitment, or court-ordered mental health treatment. Niederhausers departure means hell be leaving unfinished a major project that hes been working on the creation of a 1,300-bed homeless campus that he and other state homeless leaders decided to put in northwest Salt Lake City. Whether that campus gets built or operationally funded largely hinges on whether the office Niederhauser has led over the past four years, the Utah Office of Homeless Services, will be able to obtain enough funding during the Utah Legislatures 2026 general session scheduled to begin in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State leaders including Gov. Spencer Cox, who first appointed Niederhauser to the homeless coordinator position in 2021, have lauded Niederhauser as an influential and trusted negotiator, saying his relationships with legislators have been key to not only transform Utahs homeless system but also lobby for funding. Asked whether Niederhausers departure could jeopardize the homeless campus future progress or other key homelessness funding, Utah Homeless Services Office spokesperson Sarah Nielson said Niederhausers interim replacement, Assistant State Homeless Coordinator Nick Coleman, will carry on his work. The proposed homeless services campus remains a top priority for state leaders and the Utah Homeless Services Board, the Nielson said in a statement. Interim Coordinator Nick Coleman will continue to collaborate with legislative and local leaders to develop plans and secure funding. During his time as state homeless coordinator, Niederhauser helped establish the Utah Office of Homeless Services, and he led the publication of the states first-ever plan to address homelessness. He also secured record state funding for homelessness and housing initiatives and helped coordinate years of emergency winter homeless beds, securing multi-county funding to support shelter operations at the most critical times of the year, the governors office said in the news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Niederhauser pioneered innovative approaches to address homelessness in Utah, the office continued. He piloted non-congregate pod shelters, which have directly helped Utahns transition out of homelessness, and advanced planning and funding to secure land for a new transformative homeless services campus. Cox, in a prepared statement, thanked Niederhauser for his exemplary public service. Wayne met hard problems with solid leadership and a focus on people, the governor said. He built partnerships, plans, and tools that now anchor Utahs response to homelessness. Im grateful for his years of service and for the steady foundation he leaves for the next coordinator. Niederhauser said he was proud of what we accomplished. Thank you to the teams and partners who show up every day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This work is about helping people move forward with dignity, stability, and a real next step, Niederhauser said. Cox has appointed Coleman to serve as interim homeless coordinator after Niederhauser retires on Dec. 5, and while state leaders search for a permanent replacement. In the meantime, durable systems established during Niederhausers tenure will guide the interim coordinator during the transition, the governors office said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, and Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Riverton, talk to reporters after a meeting of the Utah Legislative Redistricting Committee during a special legislative session at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) The legal battle over Utahs redistricting process and what congressional boundaries should be used for the 2026 election is reaching a new fever pitch with more complexity and uncertainty than ever. As a Nov. 10 deadline looms for 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson to pick a new congressional map, a flurry of court filings have flooded her court docket over the past week. On Thursday and Friday, shes scheduled two days of evidentiary hearings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the filings, legislative attorneys and plaintiffs in the states ongoing court-ordered redistricting process argue over their preferred maps, their dueling redistricting experts, and what statistical tools should and shouldnt be used to determine partisan slants or gerrymandering. Both sides are calling each others maps partisan gerrymanders. Meanwhile, uncharted legal waters are becoming increasingly murky as the Utah Republican Party mounts an effort to both block the map the GOP-controlled Utah Legislature advanced earlier this month (which the party also encouraged Republicans to support as the least damaging option) and pursue whats called an indirect initiative to overturn the states independent redistricting law. If successful, that indirect initiative could force lawmakers to take an up or down vote on repealing Proposition 4, the 2018 voter-approved law that requires an independent redistricting process, which the courts recently deemed is now the law after determining the 2021 Utah Legislature acted unconstitutionally when it undid it to draw the map adopted that year. Legal fight over indirect initiative The lawsuits plaintiffs are urging Gibson not to pick the Legislatures chosen 2025 map, known as map C, pointing to expert analysis alleging it favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats to an extreme degree. Meanwhile, plaintiffs are also asking the judge to block the GOPs indirect initiative, arguing that even if they succeed in gathering the required 70,374 signatures by Nov. 14, an indirect initiative doesnt have the power to unravel what more than half a million voters supported and enacted in 2018. A mere 4% of voters (70,374) cannot convert an unconstitutional legislative repeal of Proposition 4 into a constitutional one through a vehicle the indirect initiative with no constitutional genesis, plaintiffs attorneys wrote. To conclude otherwise would be to allow the Legislature (to) enact by a statute a mechanism to violate the Peoples constitutional rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Legislatures attorneys, on the other hand, argue that both of the alternative maps plaintiffs have submitted to the court are partisan gerrymanders. At best, (the plaintiffs) plans are not as fair as the 2025 (map) and, at worst, their plans are themselves purposeful partisan gerrymanders, legislative attorneys wrote, adding that the upcoming evidentiary hearing later this week, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will confirm why the 2025 (map) is lawful and Plaintiffs proposals are extreme partisan outliers. Plaintiffs have also filed another complaint asking Gibson to block a companion law legislators passed alongside their 2025 maps that requires three specific tests to determine whether a congressional map unduly favors or disfavors a political party. Plaintiffs allege those tests were cherry picked to infect Proposition 4 with methods that will favor majority parties in states like Utah that have a dominant majority party. Legislative attorneys, however, argue the tests have merit, and were the result of legislators good-faith effort to clarify vague terms in Proposition 4 and exercise their discretion to determine which tests would be best to use. A proposed Utah congressional map, Option C drawn by Sean Trende for the Utah Independent Redistricting Committee. (Source: Utah Legislative Redistricting Committee) What could happen next? Each outstanding legal question could have major implications for Utahs court-ordered redistricting process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Gibson picks the Legislatures map C, but the Utah GOPs application for the citizen referendum on the map is successful, that could leave the state in limbo with a big question mark over which map would govern the 2026 elections, since the courts have already voided the 2021 map as the result of an unconstitutional process. To successfully put the map referendum on the ballot, the party must gather more than 140,000 valid signatures (or 8% of the number of active voters statewide and in 15 of the 29 Senate districts) in 30 days, but no later than Nov. 15. Clerks will have 21 days to verify signatures, but voters will also be allowed up to 30 days to remove their signatures. If the referendum application qualifies for the ballot, the lieutenant governor would block the map from being used in the 2026 election, until voters could weigh in. However, the partys signature gathering window wouldnt end until after Nov. 10, which Utahs top election officials have said is the latest possible deadline to give county clerks time to set their precincts ahead of the 2026 elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Gibson picks one of the plaintiffs maps? Republican lawmakers have already indicated theyll fight the decision tooth and nail, arguing theres nothing in the Utah Constitution that allows a judge to pick a map over one drawn by lawmakers. The plaintiffs, however, argue redistricting cases in other states set a strong legal precedent for a judge to pick remedial maps when legislators fail to follow the law. Theres also legal uncertainty around the indirect initiative. If the Republican Partys effort succeeds, that could push the Utah Legislature to repeal Proposition 4 and its independent redistricting commission but likely not until lawmakers 2026 general session begins in January, well past the Nov. 10 deadline to set a 2026 map. And it remains to be seen whether the judge agrees with plaintiffs that an indirect initiative cant trump a voter-approved ballot initiative. Dueling redistricting expert reports In addition to sorting through these legal questions, Gibson must also wade through hundreds of pages of dueling analyses from redistricting experts retained by both the Legislature and the plaintiffs. Plaintiffs in the redistricting lawsuit challenging Utahs 2021 congressional district map has proposed two maps, including pictured Map 1 to the court for consideration. (Courtesy of Campaign Legal Center) Their slate of experts are at odds over which maps are fair and which statistical methods are best suited for a politically lopsided state like Utah with only four congressional districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the Legislature, three experts have filed declarations: Michael Barber, political science professor at Brigham Young University and director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy; Sean Trende, senior elections analyst for Real Clear Politics; and Jonathan Katz, professor of social sciences and statistics at the California Institute of Technology. The plaintiffs have retained the following experts: Chris Warshaw, a professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University; Jowei Chen, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Kassra Oskooii, an associate political science and international relations professor at the University of Delaware. Pointing to Chens expert analysis, which compared map C with 10,000 computer-simulated maps, plaintiffs wrote it showed that over 99.9% of simulations create one Democratic-leaning district including northern Salt Lake County, and three Republican-majority districts reflective of Utahs political geography and makeup. By contrast, Map C cracks Salt Lake Countys Democratic voters in half creating four safe Republican districts, a result almost never observed among neutral simulations programmed to follow Prop 4s neutral criteria, they wrote. Map C is thus an extreme outlier and exhibits a statistically significant degree of electoral bias in favor of the Republican Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plaintiffs also argued Chens report showed Trendes methods to assess map Cs partisan intent was deeply flawed and was infected with partisan bias from start to finish. Trende, in his declaration, defended his methods while arguing that Proposition 4 clearly, in my view, forces the legislature to adopt partisan bias as one of its standards, as it is the only standard that truly measures symmetry. Plaintiffs suggest that I have cherry-picked the standards that Utah could meet in order to enable a Republican gerrymander, Trende wrote. To be clear, this is false. I employed partisan bias because I believe Prop. 4 mandates its use. Plaintiffs in the redistricting lawsuit challenging Utahs 2021 congressional district map has proposed two maps, including pictured Map 2 to the court for consideration. (Courtesy of Campaign Legal Center) Trende also disputed claims that he drew maps with the purpose and intent of favoring Republicans and disfavoring Democrats, calling them untrue. He said the final maps considered by lawmakers were based on maps drawn by computers. Not only were they not drawn with partisan intent; they were drawn by machines deprived of any partisan information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Trende wrote that map C creates two districts that are more Democratic than a very competitive district from the prior decade which is inconsistent with any claim of a free-rein Republican gerrymander. In short, Trende wrote, Plaintiffs seek to replace a map with two competitive districts with one engineered to contain one safely Democratic district. In contrast, Chens analysis said map Cs creation of four Republican-favoring districts clearly goes well beyond any natural level of electoral bias caused by Utahs political geography or the political composition of the states voters because Map C is such an extreme statistical outlier in terms of its partisan characteristics when compared to the 10,000 computer-simulated plans. It creates more Republican-favoring districts than 99.94% of the simulated plans, Chen wrote. This extreme, additional level of partisan bias in Map C did not follow from Utahs political geography and can be directly attributed to the map-drawers efforts to favor the Republican Party. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Soldiers line up for the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade. (Getty Images) Veterans and service members in Utah may have an easier way to transition back into the workforce next year, when lawmakers consider a bill counting their skills learned in the military toward state occupational licensing coursework. The Veterans and Military Affairs Commission had an initial view of the draft sponsored by Sen. Heidi Balderree, R-Saratoga Springs, that would direct the Utah Division of Professional Licensing to create a public document identifying where military experience is substantially equivalent to state licensing requirements in consultation with the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Right now, many veterans complete rigorous, high-level training in the armed forces, skills that often match or exceed civilian standards, but they still face redundant coursework or certification hurdles when applying for a professional license, Balderree told the commission on Monday. The bill would also require the division to count verified military training and experience toward civilian licensure. A report due late 2028 would inform the Legislature how the program has been utilized. During the meeting, Jason Chipman, director of public policy at the Libertas Institute think tank, said the legislation is modeled after the military occupational crosswalk implemented in Pennsylvania, a law that eases and expedites the path to licensure for service members, veterans and their spouses. All of the money and time that we spend putting somebody through school, through all the training year after year, especially if they if they do a career in the service, is almost wasted when they get out and theyre told they cant keep doing what they were trained to do in the civilian world, Chipman said, even though theyre probably just as qualified, if not more, than many civilians are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans and service members would still be required to take exams for certain licenses, but could skip mandatory training for skills they acquired in the military. The Libertas Institute has already created a document to advise the Division of Professional Licensing on equivalences between licenses and military occupational job duties. Mostly it tackles some of the heavy jobs, Chipman said. Under the proposal, veterans trained on pavement, construction equipment, quarrying or cargo work could fast-track their crane operator license, Navy barbers could count military work hours toward a cosmetology license, and so on. Mark Steinagel, director of the Division of Professional Licensing said his office is eager to become a leader in helping military members and veterans to receive credit for their education and experience. However, the division is neutral on the proposal after the bill sponsor updated the draft with a couple of suggestions that moved some dates and eliminated the potential requirement to create a complete new interface for the system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Probably the primary reason were neutral is that the current bill draft probably has a fiscal impact, Steinagel said. And of course, we need to support whatever budget the governor submits. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed three observers for the Jubilee Hills by-election, scheduled to be held on November 11. This is done to ensure a fair and transparent voting process. According to the officials, the observers will oversee the procedure and ensure it goes on smoothly with no discrepancies. The three observers are IAS Ranjit Kumar Singh (General Observer), Om Prakash Tripathy (Police Observer), and IRS Sanjiv Kumar Lal (Expenditure Observer). These officers will monitor various aspects of the electoral process, including general arrangements, law and order, and election expenditure. They will also be responsible for the fair conduct of the Jubilee Hills by-elections. The observers will oversee critical components of the election process, from ensuring a model code of conduct compliance, monitoring law and order, to scrutinising election expenditure. Meanwhile, the Congress has fielded Backward Class (BC) leader V Naveen Yadav, while the BRS has fielded Gopinath's widow Sunitha in the Jubilee Hills by-poll. the BJP has nominated Lanka Deepak Reddy. Earlier today, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that his party will not field any candidate for the bypoll as it will extend support to the Congress candidate. He appealed to the people of Jubilee Hills to support Congress nominee Naveen Yadav. "AIMIM is not fielding a candidate from Jubilee Hills. We appeal to the people of Jubilee Hills to vote for a young leader, Naveen Yadav (Congress candidate), so that he can bring development to Jubilee Hills. This is the decision of the party," he informed. Earlier, on October 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that by-elections for eight assembly constituencies across seven states and Union Territories will take place on November 11. These by-elections are being held to fill vacancies caused by various reasons such as resignations, deaths, or disqualifications. The by-elections will take place in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam and Nagrota districts, Rajasthan's Anta district, Jharkhand's Ghatshila district, Telangana's Jubilee Hills district, Punjab's Tarn Taran district, Mizoram's Dampa district, and Odisha's Nuapada district. (ANI) TOWN OF TRENTON, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) A Utica man faces a laundry list of charges after he threatened and beat a victim in the Town of Trenton over the weekend, according to New York State Police. Troopers were called to Church Road in the Town of Trenton at approximately 10 am on Sunday, October 18. A preliminary investigation found that the suspect later identified as 39-year-old Cesin Hechavarria of Utica arrived at the victims residence on Church Road on a bicycle while carrying a can of gasoline. Hechavarria then allegedly poured the gasoline on two vehicles and the victim. He then proceeded to enter a garage on the property, where police say he threatened and beat the victim with a stick, paver bricks, and a metal shovel. Police say he also caused extensive damage to the two vehicles at the residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was transported to the Wynn Hospital in Utica for treatment of his injuries. Their condition is currently unknown. Hechevarria was taken into custody and transported to the Oneida County Jail for arraignment. He is being charged with: third-degree Burglary, a Class D Felony, two counts of second-degree Criminal Mischief, a Class D Felony, second-degree Assault, a Class D Felony, fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, a Class A Misdemeanor, second-degree Menacing, a Class A Misdemeanor, and second-degree Reckless Endangerment, a Class A Misdemeanor. Hechevarria was remanded to the Oneida County Jail in Oriskany. He is scheduled to appear in the Town of Trenton Court on Wednesday, October 22. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New York State Police were assisted on the scene by the Oneida County 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 WUTR/WFXV - CNYhomepage.com. BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) Increased tuition rates for in-state and out-of-state students were recently approved by the UVM Board of Trustees at their fall 2025 meeting. The University confirmed that they are raising tuition following discussion in the Budget, Finance and Investment Committee for the 2026-2027 academic year. While out-of-state tuition will increase by 4.5% to $46,655, in-state tuition for Vermonters will reportedly go up by 2% to about $16,938. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UVM nurses practice at state-of-the art virtual hospital School officials in the fall committee meeting outlined the balance of UVMs goal of affordability and the operating costs, while also considering student experiences often covered by tuition and fees. The Board of Trustees also highlighted the UVM Promise Program, which now reportedly benefits over 200 in-state students every year. This opportunity allows Vermont students from in-state families, which earn up to $100,000, to attend UVM tuition-free. The recently-installed UVM President Marlene Tromp was also in attendance at the meeting. Tromp was installed less than one month ago: 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. EDITORS NOTE: This story involves discussion about veteran mental health issues that some readers may find upsetting. If you feel you are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 24-hour Suicide Crisis Lifeline. Veterans and their loved ones can dial 988 then Press 1 or text 838255 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. An edge comes to Michaels voice when he speaks about his time serving in Afghanistan and his struggles living with post-traumatic stress disorder. A hardened Marine veteran, Michael who asked to use the pseudonym to speak candidly about sensitive health issues describes in tones that are measured but laced with irritation what he saw in conflict: vehicles being blown up, children being exploited, cellphones that could trigger unexpected detonations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though he left the armed forces years ago, he still has flashbacks. To this day, he is trying to figure out how to stop the nightmares, he said. It took him years to find a trusted VA therapist, who gave him a lifeline after he struggled with addiction and was hospitalized following multiple suicide attempts, he said. But recently, Michaels one-on-one sessions with the provider were suddenly terminated. Some Veterans Affairs hospitals, including the one where Michael gets his care, have stepped up enforcement of a policy in recent years that limits the number of long-term therapy sessions available to individuals, according to half a dozen mental health providers and VA patients at locations across the country who spoke to CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the policy, put in place under earlier administrations, patients initially get a certain number of one-on-one therapy sessions, which can vary between four and 24 sessions, depending on the type of treatment. Mental health care providers at four facilities have told CNN that, whereas in the past they had discretion to extend the number of sessions based on their assessments of their patients, the VA is now pressing them to stop one-on-one sessions at the end of the allotted series, and more broadly reduce the number of patients who get this long-term care without consideration for whether this is clinically appropriate. The providers asked not to be named for fear of retribution. In some cases, providers told CNN that if they pushed back on the policy, they faced disciplinary consequences, which could result in their privileges to practice therapy at VA facilities being removed. CNN has viewed some of these documents discussing disciplinary measures. Some providers said they had to justify extending care to more sessions in writing a change from previous practice at their VA facility. Contacted by CNN, the VA denied veterans arent getting the care they need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the department said it was not aware of providers facing disciplinary reviews for challenging a policy to limit sessions. There are no limits on the number of VA appointments a Veteran can have in mental health or any other areas, Peter Kasperowicz, the spokesperson, said. The VA works with Veterans over an initial eight to 15 mental health sessions and collaboratively plans any needed follow-on care, he said. As part of this process, Veterans and their health care team decide together how to address ongoing needs, including whether to step down to other types of care and self-maintenance, or continue with VA therapy. The goal is recovery, healing and helping Veterans achieve greater independence and resilience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While some providers who spoke to CNN said they are given some flexibility to extend care, all said there has been a draconian effort to move patients out of individual therapy more quickly since President Donald Trump took office in January and installed Doug Collins as VA secretary - a dynamic first reported by The War Horse. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins testifies before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 6, 2025. - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/File Its really, really frustrating. These people need help, one provider said. The person stressed that some mental health conditions are chronic, and those patients would need treatment for life. Another provider described having to inform one of their patients that sessions would be ending, saying: It was terrible. The timing wasnt right. There were still things we were working on. It felt like it was a moral failing on my part, even though it wasnt my fault, the provider said. Its re-traumatizing for the veteran. It almost feels like Im a perpetrator of that, having to carry out those orders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael, the combat veteran, said that finding out his therapy sessions were to stop felt like being abandoned youre thrown away like yesterdays trash. Im not ready to address all my issues on my own yet, he said. It feels like they took the training wheels off before Im ready. He has re-applied for one-on-one care and is in the middle of a monthslong waiting period. A larger debate Some providers said they were told the rationale for the renewed push to limit therapy sessions is to free up room for more veterans to enter the VA system and receive mental health treatment, and to move patients through the system more rapidly. Some studies do suggest that shorter-term, limited sessions can work well for particular veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the practice of limiting longer-term mental health care for some patients is also commonplace in the private sector. Larger hospitals and health care systems do sometimes place limits, said Caitlin Thompson, a former VA psychologist who oversaw the Veterans Crisis Line and suicide prevention program and now works in the private sector. It depends on whats clinically appropriate, she added. One former VA mental health care provider, who is now in the private sector and didnt want to give their name, said: When insurance is paying for mental health care, utilization review is standard practice. Its not open-ended. There are weigh stations. It is often important to set goals and timeframes in treatment to track progress, they added. However, VA providers who spoke to CNN said there were problems with how the limits were being implemented at their VA facilities. One provider said that while they agreed with the objective to bring more veterans into the system to access care, it should be agreed upon between the patient and the therapist regarding when treatment should end and not be imposed by the institution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another mental health care provider at a VA facility in the western US said that because of the intensified push to limit sessions, we have been hemorrhaging staff as some mental health providers quit in frustration over the policy at a time when the VA already has a severe shortage of psychologists, according to a recent VA Inspector General report. Veterans, family members and activists demonstrate during a protest against the Trump administration's cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, in Washington, DC, on June 6, 2025. - Kent Nishimura/Reuters/File Stephen Long, a former VA psychologist at the Northport VA Medical Center on Long Island, told CNN that he retired in 2024, in part because he was told to limit one-on-one sessions with patients. Longer-term, more open-ended therapy builds more trust between veterans and their therapists, he said. If you cant have this kind of therapy, youll miss opportunities to develop that trust. Some veterans will need therapy for the rest of their lives, Long said. Treatment needs for physical illnesses would never simply be cut off If you need insulin for your diabetes, you dont stop it, he said and mental illnesses should be treated the same. Some providers who spoke to CNN also said veterans often have issues that lend themselves to needing longer-term care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark Jorges, a former psychotherapist and mental health counselor at the VA hospital in Temple, Texas, says he resigned this May in part because of his frustrations over the mandate to limit sessions. I brought it up all the time to leadership at his hospital, Jorges told CNN. He says from the time he started working at that VA facility in 2021, there have been various attempts to have therapists limit sessions. But setting a set number of sessions as a directive is not appropriate clinically, because veterans have different pathologies according to what theyve been through, Jorges said. You could be talking about someone with PTSD, depression, anxiety, acute stress disorder thats the majority of patients I saw. You cant put a cap on it. Its just not appropriate. The American Psychological Association, the largest scientific and professional organization for psychologists in the US, told CNN it is aware of reports from VA psychologists of mental health visits being limited for some veterans, and is looking into them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans deserve individualized, recovery-oriented care based in shared decision-making between the provider and the Veteran, Katherine McGuire, the APAs chief advocacy officer, said in a statement. The VA has a great history of providing excellent mental health care by exceptionally skilled providers apt at assessing veterans needs and appropriate treatment options. Patients were offered other options for treatment, such as group therapy or the chance to re-apply for one-on-one treatment. But some veterans who have come to depend on their trusted therapists say those are not palatable options. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael said he was offered group therapy, but does not want to take it as he feels uncomfortable speaking about his issues in a group setting. Even when he is approved for one-on-one treatment, which can take months, he is not assured of seeing the same therapist. He feels uneasy about potentially seeing another therapist, he said. It took me a long time to open up to his trusted therapist, he said. Veteran Jake Pannell, center, speaks during a demonstration outside the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC, on September 23, in this screenshot taken from a video. - CNN Jake Pannell, an Army veteran whos been receiving one-on-one mental health treatment for PTSD and anxiety at a VA facility in Washington state for several years, told CNN that in recent months, providers have told him that unless theres an active crisis, they are no longer going to do just check-in visits. Ive continuously received one-on-one treatments at the VA for many, many years, Pannell said. And as were starting to get notified of these things, even the providers that are taking care of these veterans are telling us that, regardless of what the condition is, or regardless of what the veterans going through at the time, they are limiting a certain time frame down to 8 to 12 visits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pannell, who now works for a federal workers union, has himself previously worked as a VA behavioral health counselor specializing in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Weve got veterans with severe PTSD, drug and alcohol issues. And that requires continuous maintenance, he said. Once that crisis happens, so we have to wait till veterans threaten to kill themselves before they get care? he asked. Im scared to death. Im scared to death for my veterans. We just want the care that we were promised, Michael, the Afghanistan combat veteran said. His main concern as hes waiting for a new set of therapy sessions, he says, is just lettin everything take back over. This story has been updated for clarity. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance touched down in Israel on Tuesday to stabilize the fragile ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump after several spouts of violence erupted in recent days. Vance was greeted by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin. He had lunch with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been key players in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Vance is in the Middle East to ease tensions in recent days since the start of the ceasefire earlier this month. The vice president, however, insisted on Tuesday that things were going well in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are doing very well. We are in a very good place. Were going to have to keep working on it but I think we have the team to do exactly that, he said from a press conference flanked by Kushner and Witkoff. U.S. Vice President JD Vance speak to the media as U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner stand next to him, in Kiryat Gat, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. | Francisco Seco The ceasefire survived a rocky weekend after the Israel Defense Forces sent a series of strikes against Hamas in Gaza over what the IDF said was a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. Israeli forces said two of its soldiers were killed by Palestinian forces in an area agreed to be in Israeli occupation under the ceasefires first phase. Israel declared a pause in humanitarian aid heading into Gaza but later reversed course and said the much-needed aid would begin on Monday and the critical Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza would be open. Trump issued a threat to Hamas after as many as 27 members of the Dughmush family were killed in Gaza. He reupped the threat in a post online Tuesday, noting that U.S. allies will gladly go into Gaza and end the group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the next steps in the ceasefire, Hamas would not have any role in governance in Gaza and would be demilitarized. Its unclear when the group would disband, especially as it clashed with Palestinians in Gaza in recent days. Vance admitted that he didnt have the answer to what the new governing authority in Gaza would look like, but it would be very flexible to what is happening in the territory. We need to reconstitute Gaza. We need to reconstruct Gaza. We need to make sure that both the Palestinians living in Gaza, but also the Israelis, are able to live in some measure of security and civility, he said. He also argued that security, rebuilding and distribution of aid must first happen and if discussions centered around Gazas governance, we should pat ourselves on the back because its a very good problem to have given what needs to be done first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House is apparently aware of how fragile the ceasefire is, particularly as Hamas is slow in its return of the deceased hostages and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu originally would have liked to continue the war until Hamas is completely disarmed and disbanded. Vances visit, just about a week after Trump was in the region to set the peace plan in motion, shows the administrations intention to keep the peace in the region and show force in negotiating the second phase of the deal. The vice president confirmed hed be in Israel for several days. Vance said he has great optimism given what has been accomplished in the region in the last week and believes that the ceasefire is going to hold. If we get from where we were a week ago to long term, durable peace between Israel and Gaza, there are going to be hills and valleys, Vance said. There are going to be moments where it looks like things arent going particularly well. But given that, and given the history of conflict, I think everybody should be proud of where we are today. Its going to require constant effort. Its going to require constant monitoring and supervision, he continued, later adding, But look, right now, I feel very optimistic. Vice President JD Vance declined to be drawn on how long Hamas would have before the US took action to force the Islamist movement to disarm as part of the Gaza cease fire agreement. "If Hamas doesn't comply with the deal, very bad things are gonna happen," Vance said. "But I'm not gonna do what the President of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult," he added as he arrived in Israel to discuss progress on the cease fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that Hamas disarm, but Hamas has refused to do so. Vance said the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip would be at the focus of his visit. "We're going to keep on working at this process, and we're going to keep on trying to bring the deceased hostages home, but also make sure that all Gazans are able to live in a prosperous and safe place," he said. But he noted that the operation was difficult, as some of the bodies were buried under tons of rubble and their precise location was unknown. Vance said that the long-term goal was a flourishing and secure environment for the population of the Gaza Strip. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a key figure in the negotiations, said funds would flow only to areas where Hamas was not in control. It is extremely rare for a foreign leader - even the US President (or a Vice President as close to him as Vance) - to hold a working meeting with the Israeli Chief of Staff. US Vice President JD Vance will meet with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday. It is extremely rare for a foreign leader - even the US president (or a vice president as close to him as Vance) - to hold a working meeting with the Israeli chief of staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vice president has also been invited to the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv to watch live drone footage of Gaza. Following the meeting of US Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with the heads of Military Intelligence and the IDF Planning Directorate, this underscores how deeply the Americans are involved in advancing Trump's plan, including in their discussions with senior military and political officials. Additionally, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to Israel later this week or over the weekend, Axios reported, citing US and Israeli officials. This is a developing story. (The Center Square) No U.S. troops will be on the ground in Gaza, Vice President JD Vance reassured Americans during a visit to Israel on Tuesday. There are not going to be American boots on the ground in Gaza. The president of the United States has made that very clear, the vice president reiterated during a news conference. Vance also expressed optimism about the ceasefire plan after a turbulent weekend where two Israeli soldiers were shot and killed, threatening to upend the week-old ceasefire as part of the first phase of President Donald Trumps agreed to 20-point peace plan between Israel and Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Look at what weve seen the past week. It gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold, and if we get from where we were a week ago to a long term, durable peace between Israel and Gaza. There are going to be moments where it looks like things arent going particularly well. But given that, and given the history of conflict, I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today, its going to require constant effort, said the vice president. Despite the vice presidents optimism for lasting peace, the president issued a dire warning to Hamas on Tuesday morning. Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and straighten ou[t] Hamas if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us, the president posted on Truth Social Tuesday morning. There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! the president added. The vice president reiterated the presidents message, adding that they are still working towards peace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We know that Hamas has to comply with the deal, and if Hamas doesn't comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen... in order for us to give it a chance to succeed, we've got to be a little bit flexible," said Vance. Vance said that the U.S. will oversee the coordination of the security plan, reconstruction efforts, and ensure that aid reaches its intended destination. The vice president addressed concerns regarding some countries participating in the security operations, stating that the details still need to be worked out and agreed upon by Israel. The presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has been instrumental in securing the peace deal, underscored that no reconstruction funds will be going into areas that Hamas still controls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As far as the demilitarization goes, once the ISF is up, there needs to be a security force that they can feel safe from that in order for it to be the transition to be completeThere are consideration happening now in the area that the IDF controls, as long as that can be secured, to start the construction as a new Gaza, in order to give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live, Kushner told the press. The vice president also addressed questions regarding the killings of Palestinian civilians by Hamas. He warned that Hamas cannot kill their fellow Palestinians as part of the agreed-upon 20-point peace plan, requiring the terror group to disarm totally. He warned that Hamas must behave itself, reiterating the presidents warning that if they dont, they will face severe consequences. The vice presidents visit comes a week after Trumps historic visit to the region, meeting with Israeli leaders as well as leaders from Arab, Muslim and European countries vowing to play roles in securing peace in Gaza. Uttar Pradesh Minister and NISHAD Party Chief Sanjay Nishad on Tuesday took a jibe at the opposition's Mahagathbandhan, saying that whatever formula they adopt, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form the government in Bihar. Speaking with ANI, Nishad stressed that every party and alliance has its own ideology and system, but the Mahagathbandhan leaders have turned politics into a profession. "Whatever formula they adopt, the NDA will come to power in Bihar... Every alliance has its own ideology and system. Everyone works according to that, but these people have turned politics into their profession," he stated. Meanwhile, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said on Tuesday that the Mahagathbandhan is on the verge of collapse even before it is formed. He also claimed that the charisma of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had faded. "They (RJD) lack a political agenda. The 'Mahagathbandhan' is on the verge of collapse even before it's formed... Everyone knows that Tejashwi's charisma has faded. Now, the only person who will be successful is Nitish Kumar," Sharma said. Earlier, on Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections. With this announcement, the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear, with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. The 2025 Bihar Elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) In a Monday update sent to the Vanderbilt community, the university said it has not been asked to accept or reject the draft compact, instead affirming its participation in an ongoing dialogue. Earlier this month, the White House asked nine universities including Vanderbilt University to adopt the Compact for Academic Excellence in Education. Per previous reporting from the Associated Press, the compact asks universities to stop considering race, gender and other student demographics in the admissions process, accept the federal governments definition of gender and more. Read Diermeiers full message here Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite reporting to the contrary, we have not been asked to accept or reject the draft compact. Rather, we have been asked to provide feedback and comments as part of an ongoing dialogue, and that is our intention, Vanderbilt Universitys Chancellor, Daniel Diermeier, said. [O]ur policy of institutional neutrality not only permits comment by the universitys leadership, it encourages it. Therefore, Vanderbilt will continue to share our point of view with the administration. Some student organizations have weighed in on the compact, with Vanderbilt College Republicans previously telling News 2 they were excited to receive the White House memo while Vanderbilt College Democrats called the proposal dangerous. A member of the Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United Union created a petition urging the university to reject the compact. RaeAnna Morales with Vanderbilt College Republicans applauded the chancellors statement. Were glad that the chancellor is looking at the compact and talking through it and that we can negotiate to where we can have our college brought together, both liberals and conservatives, Morales said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was also in favor of the five-year tuition freeze, included in the compact. Vanderbilt is known to be an expensive college, Morales said. We pay a lot, so we think halting that and seeing where the university can cut funding and decrease it for students is really important for student debt overall. Other students also stood with the chancellor. Chancellor Diermeiers done a great job since hes come to Vanderbilt, and I think not getting on the wrong side of an administration thats trying to take a really active role in higher education is a good thing, Daniel Gaw, who works at Vanderbilt, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other students said they felt left out of the conversation and felt the chancellors statement was vague. As someone who interacts and is friends with many international students, its very concerning to read a compact that wants to restrict the amount of international students that go here, and while Vanderbilt University promotes this institutional neutrality, I dont know if you can necessarily be neutral about human lives, said Melina Mueller, a PhD student in Psychology. Zofia Sante Hunter with Vanderbilt Indivisible also shared concerns over international students, and felt that the compact should have been rejected. As a hard sciences major at Vanderbilt, theres threats to how we learn about objective fact, Hunter said. As a student who loves this school, who loves Nashville, who loves the opportunities Im presented with here, I do not want to compromise my integrity for the sake of preferential funding or for the sake of falling in line with a fascist political administration. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Over the last two weeks, many of you students and faculty, family members and alumni shared your thoughts about the compact. Your input continues to be invaluable, and I am grateful to be part of such an engaged and passionate university community, Diermeier added. We look forward to continuing the conversation on our campus and with leaders in government and higher education as we work toward our shared goal of restoring public trust in higher education and ensuring that Americas universities remain the best in the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of publication, the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia rejected the compact. The University of Texas at Austin has not yet issued a public response about the compact. Vanderbilt College Democrats sent the following statement to News 2: We are deeply disappointed with the Chancellors statement yesterday. This compact is a defining moment in the future of higher education, and Vanderbilt should have stood with the vast majority of our fellow institutions who were offered the compact and rejected. This moment calls for greater courage from our leadership. 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. American warships operating off Venezuelas coast are not doing so without a credible threat. This comes from the presence of the Russian-made Kh-31 high-speed air-to-surface missile. Known to NATO as the AS-17 Krypton, the ramjet-powered weapon is available in both anti-radiation and anti-ship versions, with the ship-killer being the most relevant in this context. With this reality, combined with the steady drumbeat of reports raising the prospect of a military intervention of some kind in Venezuela, its worth looking closer at this unique capability within its arsenal. While we have previously discussed in detail the different layers of Venezuelas air defense system, its one of the key assets of its air force, the Aviacion Militar Bolivariana Venezolana, AMBV, or Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation, that is the launch platform for its Kh-31s. This is the Su-30MK2V Flanker multirole fighter, 24 of which were delivered between 2006 and 2008, and 21 of which survive in service today. A Venezuelan Su-30MK2V lands at an airbase in Maracay, around 60 miles away from Caracas, Venezuela, in December 2006. JENNY FUNG/AFP via Getty Images AFP It should be noted that its not entirely clear whether Venezuela received both the anti-radiation Kh-31P and the anti-ship Kh-31A to arm its Su-30s. However, the Kh-31A, at least, appears to have been supplied, as seen in official videos showing AMBV Su-30s carrying the missiles while flying off the coast of Venezuela. Most recently, this kind of footage has been distributed by Caracas in an apparent statement of resolve against potential U.S. aggression. Venezuela has publicized its anti-ship quick reaction alert drills with these missiles in the past, as well. Moreover, the Kh-31P could also be used in anti-ship capacity, homing in on warships radars. #BREAKING Venezuelan Air Force shows off it's Russian SU-30 armed with a Russian supersonic Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles as tensions continue to rise between the US and Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/Oap2BS2uUB Monitor (@MonitorX99800) September 15, 2025 A Venezuela colocou os seus cacas Su-30MK2V em alerta maximo. Esses jatos podem ser armados com misseis antinavio supersonicos Kh-31 (Mach 3+, alcance de 110 km). Relatos de que 21 Su-30 estao operacionais de um total de 24 adquiridos. No video, um Su-30 dispara o Kh-31A. pic.twitter.com/UexRGVkVrz Analise Geopolitica (@AnaliseGeopol) October 17, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A video shows Venezuelan Su-30s using Kh-31s to launch a mock attack on a ship from an alert posture: The development of the Kh-31 series of missiles began in the late 1970s in what was then the Soviet Union. The original requirement was for a high-speed anti-radiation missile that would be able to home in on and destroy the radars associated with then-new and emerging western air defense systems, such as the U.S. Armys Patriot surface-to-air missile system and the U.S. Navys Aegis combat system. The Kh-31A anti-ship missile entered production in 1990. Outside of Russia, it has proven an export success, with around a dozen operators, including China, India, and Vietnam. An infographic showing the features of the Kh-31 and various loadout configurations for different Russian aircraft. The complete missile depicted is a Kh-31P anti-radiation variant, with the alternate guidance and warhead configuration for the anti-ship Kh-31A variant also shown below. Boeing Looking at the Kh-31A in more detail, it is fitted with an active radar seeker with a lock-on range of around 18 miles. The seeker works in both lock-on before and lock-on after launch modes. The missile also has a radio altimeter to ensure it can fly precisely at low altitude flight over water. All Kh-31s use a rocket-ramjet propulsion system to achieve sustained supersonic speeds. A rocket in the rear of the weapon boosts it to an optimal speed for the air-breathing ramjet to take over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combined with its high terminal speed, the Kh-31A has a penetration warhead, designed to punch through the side of a warship and detonate. This is in contrast to the high-explosive/fragmentation warhead in the Kh-31P. Making the missile harder to defeat is its ability to perform multi-axis maneuvers at up to 15G while skimming over the waves. A Venezuelan Su-30 overflies the Russian nuclear-powered cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, during joint naval maneuvers in December 2008 in the Caribbean Sea. Photo by MAIQUEL TORCATT/ABN/AFP via Getty Images MAIQUEL TORCATT In terms of performance, the Kh-31A has a maximum range of 31 miles and a minimum launch distance of 9.3 miles. A longer-range version, the Kh-31AD, exists, with a maximum range of 75-100 miles, but its unclear if this was ever supplied to Venezuela. The missile is accelerated to a speed of Mach 1.8 by means of a solid-propellant rocket booster; when the solid fuel is expended, the engine is ejected and the inside of the missile body is transformed into a combustion chamber for the ramjet, which accelerates the missile to Mach 3.5 at an altitude of 53,000 feet, or Mach 1.8 at sea level. A promotional image of a Kh-31 showing the basic arrangement of the missile. Rosoboronexport Each round weighs 1,323 pounds at launch, of which 192 pounds consists of the warhead. The Kh-31A is a notably big missile, with a total length of 15 feet 5 inches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A good indicator of just how seriously the U.S. Navy takes the threat posed by the Kh-31A can be seen in its decision to buy the missiles from Russia and repurpose them as anti-ship missile targets to test the air defenses of its warships. The resulting target missile was known as the MA-31 and is a topic that we have written about in depth in the past. A Boeing briefing slide showing the MA-31s performance envelope compared to other targets. Boeing Boeing Today, the Kh-31A may be old technology and also a weapon that the U.S. Navy has had first-hand experience of defeating (albeit in non-operational scenarios), however, its potency as an anti-ship weapon shouldnt be underestimated. A still from a video showing what appears to be a live Kh-31-series missile under the wing of a Venezuelan Su-30. via X Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another still shows a Venezuelan Su-30 with two Kh-31-series missiles under the wing. via X via X This is true especially considering the variety of U.S. naval assets now sailing in relatively close proximity to Venezuela, in an operation aimed at putting pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Kh-31A is a threat to be taken seriously. The U.S. naval presence in the region includes the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG)/22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), with more than 4,500 sailors and Marines on three ships: The Wasp class amphibious assault ship, the USS Iwo Jima, and the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships, the USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale. New details on U.S. Navy deployments to Southern Command 3 destroyers will reportedly arrive off the coast of Venezuela within 24 hours (USS Gravely + USS Jason Dunham left Mayport last week, USS Sampson is near the Panama Canal) Littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-St. pic.twitter.com/9JOlNSx3Bk Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) August 19, 2025 Also deployed in the region are several Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers, a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser, and the Ocean Trader, a shadowy special operations mothership. The presence of a cruiser, in particular, shadowing the Ocean Trader, underscores the fact that the Pentagon is taking the threat to this vessel very seriously. After all, the Ocean Trader has no organic defenses against anti-ship missiles and has, at times, operated very close to the Venezuelan coast. Is the Noose Tightening? US Special Ops Mothership Operates with Cruiser Near Venezuelan Waters OSINT Update (Oct 6): The USS Lake Erie (CG-70), a high-value, highly capable, Ticonderoga-Class Cruiser, operating in close proximity (<6 km) with the shadowy US Special pic.twitter.com/j8xemFDF7N MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) October 8, 2025 As for the Arleigh Burkes, it is worth recalling that the Navy has already made efforts to bolster the defenses of some of these. Those that are forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, feature specific kinetic and non-kinetic systems to operate in the face of anti-ship cruise missiles in high-threat areas, including off the coast of Syria, but also in the Black Sea, which is a nearly land-locked super anti-ship missile engagement zone. Other electronic warfare upgrades continue on various surface combatants across the fleet, including some that are radical in scope. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While these ships are capable of dealing with Kh-31s, and the Navy has learned a lot when it comes to defending against complex attacks on their ships over the last couple of years, that doesnt mean they can ignore them. Its speed leaves very little reaction time, especially considering early warning would be limited if the vessels were operating very close to the Venezuelan coastline. Exactly what the U.S. plans to do with its military assets in regard to Maduro remains unclear. Back in August, as the military buildup gathered pace, U.S. officials told CNN that it had ordered naval movements in the region to contain the threat from drug-trafficking groups. As we have outlined in the past, the deployment of an ARG and various surface combatants, as well as other high-end assets, sends a very strong signal to Maduro and the cartels. The Pentagon could carry out airstrikes or even put a limited number of boots on the ground from international waters in a hurry via special operations raids should President Donald Trump so decide. These may be aimed at cartels linked to Maduro and not the regime itself, but they still would be unprecedented. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during celebrations for the Independence Day, in Caracas on July 5, 2025. Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP JUAN BARRETO Were such a military option to be launched, it would be possible that Venezuelas Su-30s, armed with Kh-31A missiles, would be called into action, although targeting a U.S. Navy warship would be a huge deal, with massive repercussions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent weeks, however, Venezuela has flown its fighters directly at U.S. warships, a Pentagon official having confirmed to TWZ that a pair of Venezuelan F-16s flew close to a U.S. Navy vessel in September, as you can read about here. Other similar instances have reportedly occurred. With U.S. Navy vessels operating close to the Venezuelan coast, there exists the very real possibility of a surprise attack on these ships as these close encounters would have put fighter aircraft within the Kh-31s launch range. Aside from the Su-30/Kh-31 combination, Venezuelas anti-ship missile capabilities are currently fairly limited. The Venezuelan Navy has a single operational Mariscal Sucre class frigate, the Almirante Brion, part of a group of warships that were commissioned in the early 1980s. The Italian-made warship was supplied armed with eight launchers for Otomat Mk 2 anti-ship missiles. The same missiles, in twin launchers, were fitted to the Venezeulan Navys Constitucion class fast attack craft, of which three are reportedly still operational. The @ArmadaFANBVzla ( ) has also put the Mariscal Sucre-class frigate, Almirante Brion (F-22), into dock to be cleaned and maintained by @DiancaAstillero. This in contrast to her sister ship Almirante Salom (F-25) who was sent to the yard for scrap. pic.twitter.com/zj6hUmYrHG SA Defensa (@SA_Defensa) January 12, 2023 Italy also supplied Venezuela with Sea Killer anti-ship missiles, which armed Venezuelan Navy AB.212 helicopters, several of which remain active, although primarily now used for assault and logistics missions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operational status of these Italian-made systems should be considered questionable. Even if still serviceable, they are a far less threatening proposition than the Kh-31A. Both missiles have subsonic performance. The Otomat Mk 2 has a range of around 110 miles, while the Sea Killer can hit targets out to a range of around 6.2 miles. More recent anti-ship missile deliveries comprise the Iranian-made CM-90 (an export version of the Nasr) that were supplied by Tehran along with Peykaap III (Zolfaghar class) fast attack craft. These are also subsonic weapons. The Venezuela Navy deployed Iranian-built Peykaap-III (Zolfaghar-class) fast attack craft equipped with CM-90 Anti-Ship Missiles (ASCM) supplied by Iran. pic.twitter.com/vc2aiSIKxI OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) September 6, 2025 Although the U.S. Navy is now much more familiar with the threat posed by the AS-17 Krypton, and while its warships are fitted with air defense systems that are capable of dealing with just such a threat, among others, this remains a very potent weapon. If Venezuela were to directly attack an American warship, it would very likely result in being at war with the United States. But if the regime was already in such a predicament, or if it was facing imminent collapse, such an act could become a greater possibility. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com A Vermont man is dead after drowning in a New Hampshire River on Sunday, according to officials. At 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, first responders were dispatched to Ferry Road in Westmoreland for a report of a missing adult male. Responders say they found the body of Cory Walker, 41, of Westminster Station, Vermont, a short distance away from his capsized canoe in the Connecticut River, the New Hampshire Department of Safety told Boston 25 News. The canoe was anchored to shore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials contacted Vermont State Police and were told that Walker frequently camped near or on the Connecticut River and occasionally slept overnight in his canoe. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be an accidental drowning after an autopsy. Walkers death is not considered suspicious but the circumstances leading to the canoes capsizing remain under investigation. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW An Oakland, Calif., grocery store displays a sign notifying shoppers that it accepts electronic benefit transfer cards used by state welfare departments to issue food assistance benefits. States are just beginning to implement changes to work requirements for the national food stamp program approved by Congress and President Donald Trump this summer. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) States are rushing to inform some residents who rely on food stamps that they will soon be forced to meet work requirements or lose their food assistance. Recent federal legislation ended exemptions to work requirements for older adults, homeless people, veterans and some rural residents, among others. A rapid timeline to put the changes into effect has sparked chaos in state agencies that must cut off access if residents dont meet certain work, education or volunteer reporting requirements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement States are implementing these permanent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program commonly called food stamps amid the uncertainty of the federal government shutdown. The budget impasse could result in millions of Americans not getting their SNAP benefits next month if money runs out. But even before the shutdown, states were assessing the new work rules for food stamps the first in a wave of cutbacks to the nations largest food assistance program required under President Donald Trumps major tax and spending law enacted in July. Known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the law mandates cuts to social service programs, including Medicaid and food stamps. In the coming years, the law will require states to pay a greater share of administering SNAP and could cause millions of Americans to lose benefits. But states are currently confronting the end of exceptions to work requirements for older adults, homeless people, veterans and those recently living in foster care. Those could threaten benefits even for people who are working but who may struggle with the paperwork to prove theyre meeting the requirements, advocates say. Under the new law, states have also lost funding for nutrition education programs, must end eligibility for noncitizens such as refugees and asylees, and will lose work requirement waivers for those living in areas with limited employment opportunities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They've given us a virtually nonexistent window in which to implement the changes. Andrea Barton Reeves, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services And the federal government wants those changes made quickly. Theyve given us a virtually nonexistent window Ill just describe it that way in which to implement the changes, so we are working on them very quickly, Andrea Barton Reeves, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Social Services, told lawmakers last week. She said changing work requirements could threaten the benefits of tens of thousands of people in Connecticut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do believe that if we cannot in some way either move them into another exemption category or they dont meet the requirements, we have about 36,000 people in these new categories that are at risk of losing their SNAP benefit, Barton Reeves told lawmakers. The federal government issued guidance to states earlier this month saying several key changes to food stamps would need to be implemented by early November. The Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit working to address poverty-related hunger, characterized that deadline as an unreasonable timeline for states. In California, for example, the state previously had been approved for a waiver to work requirements through January 2026. But this month, USDA told states they had 30 days to terminate waivers issued under the previous guidelines. In California, the end of that waiver could affect benefits for an estimated 359,000 people. Gina Plata-Nino, interim SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center, said states must quickly train their social services workers on eligibility changes, communicate those changes to the public and deal with an onslaught of calls from people relying on the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its incredibly complex, she said. Plata-Nino said implementation will be uneven: Some states are already in compliance with the changes, while others will phase them in as households go through regular eligibility reviews. USDA and the White House did not respond to Statelines questions about the changes. Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, have said the cuts would eliminate waste in the food assistance program. In a June news release, he characterized SNAP as a bloated, inefficient program, but said Americans who needed food assistance would still receive it. Democrats will scream cuts, but what theyre really defending is a wasteful program that discourages work, mismanages billions, and traps people in dependency. Republicans are proud to defend commonsense welfare reform, fiscal sanity, and the dignity of work, Johnson said in the release. Rural residents Changes to work requirements will prove especially burdensome for rural residents, who already disproportionately rely on SNAP. Job opportunities and transportation are often limited in rural areas, making work requirements especially difficult, according to Plata-Nino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of these bills came with a job offer, Plata-Nino said. None of them came with additional funding to address the lack of transportation. Remote and rural areas dont have public transportation they dont even have taxis or Ubers. With waivers, states previously could show USDA evidence that certain areas had limited job opportunities, thus exempting people from work requirements. Because it doesnt make sense to punish SNAP participants for not being able to find a job when there are no jobs available, right? said Lauren Bauer, a fellow in economic studies at the left-leaning Brookings Institution and the associate director of The Hamilton Project, an economic policy initiative. The legislation changed the criteria for proving weak labor markets to what Bauer characterized as an utterly insane standard, of showing unemployment rates above 10%. (The national unemployment rate was 4.3% in August, according to the most recently released figures by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The national economy during the Great Recession hit 10% in one month, Bauer said. Ten percent unemployment is a very, very high level. So they set this standard basically to end the waiver process. That change will not only affect recipients now but also will drastically impair the programs ability to respond to recessions: Traditionally, SNAP has quickly helped people who lose their jobs. But the new law requires states to cover more costs, meaning they will be stretched even thinner during economic downturns when demand increases. Not only are these changes difficult to implement and certainly at the speed that the administration is asking for they could be devastating to the program, to residents who are in need in their states, and eventually SNAP may no longer be a national program because states will not be able to afford to participate, Bauer said. Widespread confusion Since July, Pennsylvania officials have been working to not only inform the public about the federal changes, but also to update information technology systems a process that generally takes a minimum of 12 months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strictly speaking from an IT perspective, were talking about massive systems that generate terabytes of data and are working with records for hundreds of thousands and in the case of Pennsylvania, 2 million people, said Hoa Pham, deputy secretary of the Office of Income Maintenance for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Pham said the timing of the federal legislation and lagging guidance from USDA was simply not ideal. But the state is doing its best to train thousands of employees on the changes and help affected recipients get into compliance by finding work, education or volunteer opportunities that meet federal guidelines. The end of geographic waivers put the benefits of about 132,000 SNAP recipients at risk in Pennsylvania. It is difficult, it requires time, it requires planning, it requires money, she told Stateline. And I want to be super clear that H.R. 1 [the new law] delivered a ton of unfunded mandates to state agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pennsylvania created a detailed webpage outlining the changes and will notify individuals if their eligibility is jeopardized in the coming months. Pham said those who depend on SNAP should make sure their contact information is up to date with both the department and the post office. As a state agency, were working very hard to make sure that people have accurate, factual information when it is most immediately necessary for them to know it, she said. States are implementing the SNAP changes even as the ongoing federal government shutdown might temporarily cost recipients their benefits. New Hampshire leaders say they are days away from running out of food stamp funds. No new applications will be approved in Minnesota until the government is reopened, officials announced last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the changes hit agencies already strained from staffing shortages and outdated software, said Brittany Christenson, the CEO of AidKit, a vendor that helps states administer SNAP and other public benefits. The result is widespread confusion among both administrators and beneficiaries, as states are tasked with integrating new compliance requirements while maintaining service continuity. The changes not only increase workloads for states, but they can lead to more errors and longer wait time or applicants, Christenson said. Beneficiaries face a heightened risk of losing aid not because they are unwilling to work, but because they cannot meet new documentation or compliance requirements on time, she said. Slow trickle of changes In Maine, the new work requirement rules are in place, but recipients have some time to meet the altered guidelines, the Portland Press Herald reported. The state estimates changes to work requirements could affect more than 40,000 recipients as soon as this fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to Stateline requests for comment. But advocates said food banks are already struggling to keep up with increased demand and decreased supply because of the high cost of food. Theyre seeing huge increases in families and individuals showing up, needing groceries, needing food every month, some every week, and thats before any of these cuts to SNAP have happened. So were really, were very worried, said Anna Korsen, deputy director of Full Plates Full Potential, a nonprofit focused on ending childhood hunger in Maine. More than 70% of Maine households receiving SNAP have at least one person working, Korsen said. While some recipients including those who are caretakers for relatives cannot work, many more who are employed will struggle to meet documentation requirements. They call them work requirements, but weve started calling them work reporting requirements, because we think thats a more accurate way to portray what they are, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alex Carter, policy advocate at the nonprofit legal aid organization Maine Equal Justice, said SNAP recipients will be affected on a rolling basis because of regular six-month eligibility reviews. For example, a 59-year-old who previously would have been exempt from the work requirement may not be notified until next month that their eligibility status is in jeopardy. So people are not going to be losing their benefits this month because of those changes, which I think is the thing that is hard to explain to people, she said. These things are happening, but we cant tell people this will happen to you in October or this will happen to you in January. Its different on a case-by-case basis. Carter said her organization is urging Mainers to ensure their contact information is correct with the state and to remain vigilant for official communications on SNAP. While states are forced to implement the federal changes, Carter said they should emphasize theyre only the messengers. She said Congress and the president should be held responsible for the fallout when people begin losing benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its very natural to think this is a state decision, or this is a departmental decision, and to direct your anger and your frustration there, she said. In this case, this is not a state decision. They are required by federal law to implement these work reporting changes. Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Screenshot Tucker Carlson was roundly condemned this week after pushing the conspiracy theory that Covid-19 was created in a way to make Jews immune to it. On Tuesdays episode of The Tucker Carlson Show, Carlson was joined by veteran and author Dr. Andrew Huff for a lengthy discussion about the Covid-19 pandemic. Near the end of the episode, Carlson cited Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. highly controversial claim that the coronavirus could be tailored to have more adverse effects on specific groups of people. Huff said it was scientifically true before adding: There was a finding in a scientific publication that two different populations of, well, two different populations of people of Jewish ancestry depending on which line theyre from one was more heavily impacted than the others. Tucker interjected to clarify that Huff was referring to Sephardic/Ashkenazi Jews. This is going to get Tucker in Trouble Covid-19 Had been Engineered so that Ashkenazi Jews were Immune Thats scientifically true.. there was a finding in a scientific publication that people of Jewish ancestry, which line theyre from, one was more heavily impacted than https://t.co/kGLgUBqEOX pic.twitter.com/DTKcUinmQ1 MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) October 20, 2025 Although the assertion came from Huff, Tucker also received heat for hosting the conversation and driving it in that direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of that backlash came from his fellow conservatives. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) sarcastically asked if Jews were running the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Waitthe Jews were running the Wuhan Institute for Virology?? Who knew? https://t.co/zEUqjqfJBZ Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 21, 2025 RedState.com writer Bonchie proclaimed that anyone still pushing theories about Covid-19 being created by Jews was a clown. Ah yes, it was the Joooos who created Covid-19 and not, you know, the Chinese in China, where the disease orginated, in a lab, controlled by the Chinese. I'm sorry, but if you're still doing the "he's just asking questions" thing, you're a clown. https://t.co/4kz3JZFIOM Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 21, 2025 Right-wing commentator Arynne Wexler accused Carlson of copying centuries-old blood libel. And Europeans blamed the Jews for the Black Death That led to massacres Were talking thousands of Jews slaughtered, burned alive, entire communities annihilated Tucker isnt creative, hes copying centuries-old blood libel https://t.co/fh5unvJREN Arynne Wexler (@ArynneWexler) October 21, 2025 The comments were roundly condemned by a host of others, as well. Vicious and depraved rhetoric. We recorded hundreds of names of members of the Jewish community that passed away in just the first months of the pandemic.https://t.co/OPIGgj5dm2 https://t.co/IIQQRZ75Fd pic.twitter.com/SjTGkmh3OF Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone (@Mottel) October 21, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement History doesn't necessarily repeat, but it does rhyme. In medieval Europe the Jewish people were accused of causing the plague, or using some sort of dark magic to protect against it. It turned out that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation: The Jews practiced Old https://t.co/k64stn0YY4 Matthew J. Cordes, EA (@cordes_tax) October 21, 2025 I was immune, huh. If someone had said that to me when I got it the first time the bad time Id have made them regret it. https://t.co/lxqqXkrfti Cyborg Pediatrician (@CyborgPeds) October 21, 2025 During COVID, while our people were dying in large numbers, hospitalized, and struggling to breathe, they used it to accuse us of spreading the virus. Cuomo pointed to the high infection rates in our communities as proof of our guilt. Now that its over, they say the Jews were https://t.co/LbAllpt6HI (@Yakovolf) October 21, 2025 Covid-19 was created by the CCP, but rather than ridicule the CCP, Tucker has managed to blame the Jews somehow. https://t.co/5UEX5RuezI Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) October 20, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post Vicious and Depraved: Tucker Carlson Slammed for Pushing Conspiracy Theory That Jews Were Made Immune to Covid-19 first appeared on Mediaite. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) A spokesperson for the Anderson family has shared details of a planned vigil for members of the family who died in a plane crash in Montana on Friday. The spokesperson said a candlelight vigil will be held on Wednesday at Milton Frank Stadium. The family said the event will be open to the public to attend and ask people to enter through the south gate, as that will be the only one open. RELATED: Huntsville family killed in Montana plane crash Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with the program set to begin at 6:30 p.m. The family spokesperson said the Church of the Highlands Praise band will perform along with a slate of speakers. The immediate family will not be in attendance at the event. The plane crash occurred in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area in Montana. The Powell County, Montana, Coroners Office identified the plane crash victims as Huntsville native Mark Anderson and his two daughters, Lainey and Ellie. The sheriffs office in Powell County said it received a report of a possible downed aircraft on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, about 9 a.m., PCSO said a helicopter located the wreckage of the aircraft in a wooded area. The Missoula County Sheriffs Office told News 19 that the wreckage of the plane was located by USAF aircraft and identified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All three were pronounced dead on the scene, according to PCSO. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A downtown Dallas rally titled No Kings turned violent Saturday after attendees wearing Antifa insignia clashed with Trump supporters and shouted anti-enforcement slogans, according to witnesses and video reviewed by The Dallas Express. Demonstrators carried signs reading Impeach Trump, Facts Over Fear, and Lock Him Up, while organizers led anti-enforcement chants during the march through downtown. The events organizers promoted the rally online, writing, The president thinks his rule is absolute join us, according to the No Kings website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite rain, the event drew several thousand participants, according to police estimates. One attendee identifying as a Palestinian activist told The Dallas Express, They could be a future KKK, expressing distrust toward masked demonstrators. A man identifying himself as Azael Alvarez appeared on video reviewed by The Dallas Express declaring he was the CEO of Antifa. During his remarks at the Dallas No Kings rally, Alvarez denounced ICE enforcement agents and called them Gestapo, saying he was willing to fight these agents terrorizing our communities. Later in the rally, the same activist shouted anti-ICE enforcement slogans while the crowd chanted, No KKK, no fascist USA, F* Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The march was led by attendees dressed in black tactical gear, including at least one individual wearing a vest labeled ANTIFA, and others with vests reading MELT ICE, according to video reviewed by The Dallas Express. President Donald Trump formally designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization on September 22, 2025, citing what he called the groups campaign of violence and terrorism against law enforcement and political opponents, according to an executive order published in the Federal Register. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, federal data show a sharp increase in reported assaults against officers since January 2025. A Trump supporter recording the protest told The Dallas Express he was assaulted by several masked demonstrators. They pepper sprayed me and punched me in the face, the man said, adding that one attacker wore a dog mask marked Antifa. He said an earlier confrontation occurred while he was speaking with another reporter. Im just here to film. Im just here to ask people questions, he added. Another woman at the rally referenced the recent assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, saying, Charlie Kirk was spreading very harmful rhetoric Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By the rallys conclusion, tensions escalated. A group surrounded the Trump supporter, taking his hat. Commentator Alex Stein and The Dallas Express reporter Carlos Turcios were also struck by attendees before police intervened. DALLAS, TEXASAlex Stein was ASSAULTED at the Dallas No Kings march. Dallas Police intervened as leftists hurled profanity, threw water bottles, and hit conservatives. Does this look peaceful to you? Follow:@dallasexpress@Carlos__Turcios pic.twitter.com/Ud9iNwW8vZ Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) October 18, 2025 Dallas police officers arrived shortly after, and the crowd dispersed without immediate arrests, according to a department spokesperson. The Dallas Express reached out to the No Kings organization for comment but did not receive a response as of publication. Virginia Giuffre alleged in her memoir that her father abused her when she was as young as seven and may have accepted money from the billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Sky Roberts, Giuffres father, has denied his late daughters accusation and said in a statement included in her book, Nobodys Girl, that he never knew what was going on with Epstein until he read about his sex crimes online. In an interview with NBC News, her brother, Sky Roberts Jr, said that he had confronted their father about the allegation, choking up as he recalled: I just, I said we know, he recalled, choking up. I mean, you were Dad. You sexually abused your daughter. Its absolutely heinous what he did. Virginia Giuffre has alleged in her posthumous memoir that her father abused her long before she was groomed by Jeffrey Epstein (Crime+Investigation) He also remembered his father buying decently nice things at various points in their childhood, including a boat. He added: If there was a payment wired to him, like it would, would be disgusting, be disgusting that he accepted money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guiffre was just 41 when she died by suicide in April this year after fighting to expose the true extent of Epsteins abuses and hold his accomplices to account on behalf of their many victims. Her 400-page autobiography, which she was working on with co-author Amy Wallace when she died in Western Australia this spring, has already caused a firestorm. The British royal family has stripped Prince Andrew of his titles over his association with Epstein, and the U.K. government is now under pressure to formalize the process by Act of Parliament. Giuffre claims in the book that she was forced to have sex with the now ex-Duke of York by Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell on three occasions, the first of which occurred in London when she was 17 and he was 41. Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing or ever meeting Giuffre, but settled with her out of court in 2022 after she sued him for sexual assault in the U.S. Giuffres memoir Nobodys Girl has already led to Prince Andrew being stripped of his royal titles (PA) Her book also contains an accusation that the prince tried to hire internet trolls to target her to cast doubt on my credibility in response to the allegations against him, allegedly passing her date of birth and social security number on to a Metropolitan Police bodyguard to enable them to attempt to dig up dirt for a smear campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein himself pleaded guilty to procuring an 18-year-old for prostitution in 2008 and went on to serve 13 months of his 18-month jail sentence. Federal prosecutors in New York then brought new charges against him in 2019, but he died in jail in August that year, also by suicide. Outrage over his crimes flared back into life in early July when President Donald Trumps Justice Department and FBI issued a joint statement attempting to draw a line under calls for justice for Epsteins victims by stating that the disgraced financier had left behind no client list and that his death was not the result of foul play, contrary to conspiracy theories, which only inspired a fresh wave of indignation. Trump himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing concerning Epstein, but has faced intense pressure to explain his past friendship with his fellow New Yorker, whom he knew socially in the 1990s and early 2000s when they were neighbours in Palm Beach, Florida. He has insisted the two men fell out long before Epstein was accused of sex trafficking and is currently suing The Wall Street Journal for $10 billion in damages for reporting that he sent Epstein a bawdy signed doodle for his 50th birthday in 2003 only for the financiers estate to produce an item closely resembling the newspapers description of the note in compliance with a House Oversight Committee subpoena. Trump denies authorship. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. A highly anticipated memoir written by one of Jeffrey Epstein's chief accusers has reignited a fresh wave of interest in the case's details. "Nobody's Girl," releasing on Oct. 21, is the harrowing first-hand account of Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Epstein's who played a significant role in his conviction and that of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The book is publishing posthumously, as Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Described as Giuffre's story told in full in her own words, an excerpt released in advance of the book has already made waves, prompting the Metropolitan Police in London to "look into claims" made about Prince Andrew in relation to Giuffre, who filed a sex abuse lawsuit against the royal in 2021. Here's what to know about Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks at a press conference following a hearing where Jeffrey Epstein victims made statements, at Manhattan Federal Court on Aug. 27, 2019, in Manhattan, New York. Virginia Giuffre memoir on alleged abuse by Prince Andrew coming months after her death. Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks at a press conference following a hearing where Jeffrey Epstein victims made statements, at Manhattan Federal Court on Aug. 27, 2019, in Manhattan, New York. Who was Virginia Giuffre? Virginia Louise Roberts was born to parents Sky and Lynn Roberts on Aug. 9, 1983 in Sacramento, California. She had two stepbrothers, Sky Roberts and Daniel Wilson. The family moved to Loxahatchee in Palm Beach County, Florida when she was a young child, where her father became a maintenance manager at Mar-a-Lago. She later secured a job as a locker room attendant at now-President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as a teenager. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giuffre's childhood was marked by sexual abuse that caused her to run away and live on the street for a time, she told multiple media outlets including NBC, The Cut and the Miami Herald, where she said she was exposed to further sexual abuse and trafficking. In 2000, while working as a spa attendant at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club, Giuffre was approached by Maxwell and offered a job as Epstein's masseuse. She began working for the pair under the guise of being trained as a professional massage therapist. Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks at a press conference following a hearing where Jeffrey Epstein victims made statements, at Manhattan Federal Court on Aug. 27, 2019, in Manhattan, New York. How was Virginia Giuffre involved in the Epstein case? Giuffre was among the most outspoken of Epstein's abuse accusers. She played a critical role in the investigations that eventually led to criminal charges against the financier and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. In 2015, Giuffre accused Epstein of paying her when she was 17 years old to have sex with him, Prince Andrew, and some of Epsteins other friends. She alleged that Maxwell lured her into Epsteins circle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in 2019 but died by suicide in federal custody before he was brought to trial. Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison. Giuffre previously told The Miami Herald that the birth of her daughter in 2010 led her to speak out about the abuse. What did Virginia Giuffre say about Prince Andrew? Giuffre also filed a sex abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew in 2021, alleging that she had been trafficked to the British royal family member by Epstein three times around 2001 when she was a teenager. Andrew settled the suit in 2022 and denied the allegations. On Oct. 17, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew will no longer use his royal titles after being stripped of his patronages and military associations in 2022 when the suit was ongoing. Who is Virginia Giuffre's family? Giuffre shared three children, Christian, Noah and Emily, with her estranged husband Robert Giuffre. The pair were married for over two decades, though they experienced public marital issues in the years leading up to Virginia Giuffre's death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, Virginia Giuffre accused her husband of abusing her and her family later told several media outlets that the couple were engaged in a custody battle. Family members of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Sky Roberts (C), his wife Amanda Roberts (R) and brother Daniel Wilson, speak during a rally in support of the victims of disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein outside the U.S. Capitol on September 03, 2025, in Washington, DC. Virginia Giuffre's brother and sister-in-law, Sky Roberts and Amanda Roberts, as well as brother Daniel Wilson, have been vocal about her plight, speaking to media organizations and releasing statements. How did Virginia Giuffre die? Giuffre died by suicide near her home in Neergabby, Australia, in April. Her family called her a "fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking" in a statement at the time. "She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure," they said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," Giuffre's sister-in-law and brother Amanda and Sky Roberts dismissed conspiracy theories alleging that Giuffre did not take her own life. "I was with her in her final days. I mean, I was the one that found my sister when she had passed," Amanda said. "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice" by Virginia Giuffre releases on Oct. 21, 2025. What to know about Virginia Guiffre's book Giuffre's memoir, "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," is set to be released Oct. 21. In a summary shared by publisher Powell's Books, the memoir is described as Giuffre's story told in her own words for the first time. "Here, Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men. She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell's grasp at nineteen. Giuffre remade her life from scratch and summoned the courage to not only hold her abusers to account but also advocate for other victims," says the book's description. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Nobody's Girl" can be pre-ordered on Powell's Books' website for $35. Contributing: Karissa Waddick, James Powel, USA TODAY If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINNs National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Espanol RAINN.org/es. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who was Virginia Roberts Giuffre? Epstein accusations, family, death On 17 October 2025, in a heartfelt tribute to regimental legacy and enduring camaraderie, four newly commissioned young officers of the Assam Regiment of the Indian Army engaged in a regimental outreach with ex-servicemen and their families in Churachandpur district of Manipur. According to a release, the programme commenced with a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the HQ War Memorial, where tributes were paid to fallen comrades whose sacrifices continue to inspire generations. Following this, the Officers visited the homes of veterans who had served in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, as well as others residing in the district. These visits were marked by warm receptions. The officers were greeted with traditional tribal shawls and local cuisine, gestures that reflected the region's cultural richness and hospitality. The interactions fostered a spirit of unity and mutual respect, bridging generations through shared stories of service and resilience. The day concluded with a rendition of the regimental song "Badluram Ka Badan," a stirring anthem that encapsulates the ethos of the Assam Regiment. This initiative honoured the contributions of Ex-Servicemen and served as a motivational experience for the Young Officers, instilling in them a deeper appreciation of the regiment's traditions and the spirit of "Tagra Raho" -- Stay Strong. Meanwhile, Assam Rifles, in conjunction with Manipur Police and the Indian Army, recovered weapons and war-like stores during an intelligence-based operation in Manipur, a release said. Based on specific intelligence inputs regarding the presence of a weapons cache, Assam Rifles, in conjunction with Manipur Police and the Indian Army, launched a joint operation in the general area of Phubala, Bishnupur District, Manipur, on October 13, it added. The operation was initiated in the early hours with columns tactically moving to the general area. During the conduct of the operation, the team successfully recovered weapons, ammunition and other War Like Stores, the release stated. "The recovered items include one INSAS Light Machine Gun (LMG) with magazine (Registered No. 18531137, confirmed as looted), one Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) gun, one Chinese Hand Grenade, Five rounds of 5.56 mm INSAS live ammunition, Five Ballistite cartridges, Six 12 Bore cartridges, Three .303 rounds chargers, One Tube launching cylinder, one Baofeng Hand Held set, Three Bullet Proof (BP) helmets, Four BP plates, One rubber tube," a release stated. (ANI) Virginia Roberts Giuffres memoir, Nobodys Girl in which she details a lifetime of horrific sexual abuse culminating in her being trafficked by late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his friend, Ghislaine Maxwell was released posthumously on Tuesday, October 21. The National Enquirer has obtained a copy and can reveal some of the books biggest revelations. ABC Killed Her Interview with Amy Robach The memoir isnt the first time Giuffre told all about being at the center of Epsteins sex-trafficking ring. In 2016, she sat down with former ABC news anchor Amy Robach, 52, and told her everything I knew, Giuffre wrote. I told her the names of several men Id been trafficked to. I wept a few times when she asked me to go into detail about particular incidents of abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Giuffre was relieved and proud to learn the interview would air on Good Morning America and other ABC news programs. But then the waiting began. We were strung along for weeks with no explanation for the delay, Giuffre added, revealing that she was eventually told that ABC had reached out to Epstein and Buckingham Palace for comment. Robach and her producer were outraged. But for whatever reason, ABC never aired the interview. And I couldnt help but wonder, if a media giant like ABC could be shut down in its attempts to reveal the truth, was there any hope for survivors like me? Giuffre questioned. The book later references a 2019 recording in which Robach was caught on a hot mic complaining about the story being killed. First of all I was told, Whos Jeffrey Epstein? No one knows who that is. This is a stupid story, Robach said at the time. Then the Palace found out that we had her whole allegations about Prince Andrew and threatened us a million different ways. We were so afraid we wouldnt be able to interview [Princess] Kate and [Prince William], that also quashed the story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robach later clarified in a statement to People: As a journalist, as the Epstein story continued to unfold last summer, I was caught in a private moment of frustration. I was upset that an important interview I had conducted with Virginia Roberts [Giuffre] didnt air because we could not obtain sufficient corroborating evidence to meet ABCs editorial standards about her allegations. ABC responded to People, noting, At the time, not all of our reporting met our standards to air. Her First Meeting with President Donald Trump Giuffre who got a job working as a locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida in 2000 wrote of being introduced to the clubs owner by her father, Sky Roberts, who was also employed there. They werent friends, exactly. But Dad worked hard, and [Donald] Trump liked thatId seen photos of them posing together, shaking hands, she wrote, adding that the future president couldnt have been friendlier when they met, and even asked her if she babysat on behalf of friends. Epstein Allegedly Paid Off Her Father In the book, Giuffre claimed a source who she knew and trusted told her that her father who she also accused of sexual abuse, which hes denied had taken a sum of money from the billionaire financier in 2000, not long after she began training to be a sex slave with Epstein and Maxwell. Had Dad profited from my pain? she wrote. I did not want to believe this. When she confronted her father, he started yelling at me about being an ungrateful daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a brief silence, Giuffre recalled telling her father, If one of my kids, God forbid, ever accused me of something as disgusting as this, I would tell them the truth. If I hadnt done it, Id say I hadnt done it. But Im not hearing you say that. Youre not saying a thing. She Believed Epsteins Body is Cryogenically Preserved There has been much speculation about the manner of Epsteins death after he died while in jail awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in 2019 though the medical examiner ruled his death as suicide by hanging. I can make a case for either suicide or murder, Giuffre wrote. But what made her most skeptical: That the billionaire is buried in an unmarked grave in Palm Beach, Florida. Epstein had repeatedly told me exactly what would happen when he died: his body would be placed in some sort of cryogenic chamber to be preserved until technology advanced far enough to bring him back to life, she wrote. Previous Suicide Attempts Not only did she turn to Xanax, oxycodone and other painkillers to numb the pain of her abuse and various injuries, but Giuffre writes of trying to take her own life twice, despite tweeting in 2019 that she was not suicidal and evil people wanted to see her quieted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While hospitalized with COVID in 2021, all my feelings of sadness and shame overtook me, she recalled, adding that she was weary of defending myself against vicious, hurtful words and sick of reliving her abuse in nightmares. It would be better for everyone if you werent here, she told herself, adding that she then downed about 240 painkillers. Giuffre eventually died by suicide in April at age 41. Naming Names While Giuffre details her alleged sex with Prince Andrew (which hes repeatedly denied) and encounters with a few other famous men, there are many names she only hints at, including: a well-known prime minister who brutally raped her, a gubernatorial candidate who was soon to win election in a Western state and a former US senator. I have not named all the men I was trafficked to. Partly that is because I still dont know some of their names. Partly, too, that is because there are certain men who I fear naming, she wrote, adding that she was also worried about facing expensive, life-ruining litigation from her alleged abusers. This story Virginia Giuffre Slammed ABC For Withholding Amy Robach Interview, More Revelations From Memoir first appeared on National Enquirer. Add National Enquirer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent victims of Jeffrey Epsteins sex-trafficking ring, wrote in her posthumous memoir that she was brutally beaten and raped by an unidentified prime minister and that she feared she might die a sex slave. In my years with them, they lent me out to scores of wealthy, powerful people. I was habitually used and humiliated and in some instances, choked, beaten, and bloodied, Giuffre wrote of Epstein and his circle. I believed that I might die a sex slave. Six months after her death by suicide in Australia, Giuffres memoir Nobodys Girl was published Tuesday and contains harrowing details of the abuse she allegedly suffered as a teenager, and her years attempting to get justice for herself and her fellow victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the US version, Giuffre claims she was raped by a man whom she had taken pains to describe in my legal filings only as a well-known Prime Minister. In the UK version, the passages are almost identical but refer to the man as a former minister. It was not clear what accounted for the discrepancy. While on the sex offenders Caribbean island, Giuffre described how Epstein trafficked me to a man who raped me more savagely than anyone had before. She wrote she was 18 at the time. He repeatedly choked me until I lost consciousness and took pleasure in seeing me fear for my life. Horrifically, the Prime Minister laughed when he hurt me and got more aroused when I begged him to stop, she wrote. Afterward, I tearfully begged Epstein not to send me back to him, Giuffre wrote. I got down on my knees and pleaded with him. I dont know if Epstein feared the man or if he owed him a favor, but he wouldnt make any promises, saying coldly of the politicians brutality, Youll get that sometimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The memoir will intensify a transatlantic scandal over the proximity of the rich and powerful to Epstein, which has claimed political scalps in Britain and for months wracked Congress in the United States. Its publication will heap fresh scrutiny on Prince Andrew, the disgraced British royal accused by Giuffre of sexually assaulting her while she was a teenager. Andrew, whos King Charles brother, vehemently denies the accusations against him. "Nobody's Girl," Giuffre's memoir, will be published Tuesday. - James Manning/PA Facing further public outrage over his relationship with Epstein, Andrew announced last week he had relinquished the use of his royal titles and would no longer be known as the Duke of York, saying: I have decided, as I always have, to put duty to my family and country first. He will, however, retain the title of prince, since he is the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. While Buckingham Palace would have hoped Andrews decision could mark the end of a scandal that has plagued the royal family for years, the latest revelations in Giuffres memoir will likely deepen the princes disgrace. Among those is Giuffres claim that Andrews team tried to hire online trolls to harangue her around the time she brought a civil case against the prince in New York. Giuffre alleged that, having been trafficked by Epstein, she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, including when she was 17. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite claiming never to have met her, Andrew reportedly paid millions to settle the civil case in 2022. Writing of that settlement, Giuffre said: After casting doubt on my credibility for so long Prince Andrews team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well. A photograph appearing to show Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein. - Southern District of New York The allegation that Andrew tried to hire trolls comes after the Mail on Sunday, a British paper, reported that Andrew in 2011 asked a police officer assigned to him as a bodyguard to dig up dirt on Giuffre. Londons Metropolitan Police said it was actively looking into the report. Another damaging report found that Andrew had kept up his friendship with Epstein two months after he insisted he had broken it off. In a disastrous 2019 BBC interview, in which Andrews attempt to clear his name backfired spectacularly, the prince insisted he had broken off his friendship with Epstein during a walk in New Yorks Central Park in December 2010. Newly unearthed emails have contradicted that claim. The Mail on Sunday reported that, in February 2011, a day after the British press published an image of the prince with his arm around the teenage Giuffre, Andrew wrote to Epstein: It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and well play some more soon!!!! CNNs Max Foster contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Lee County Community Hospital in Pennington Gap was once shuttered before Ballad Health took over and reopened the facility in 2021. Now it is among Virginia's vulnerable hospitals amid federal funding changes to public health. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) This article, Part Two of the Mercurys Pulse Check series, was produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalisms 2025 Impact Fund for Reporting on Health Equity and Health Systems. Lee County Community Hospital, a once-shuttered facility enveloped by mountains on the far western edge of Pennington Gap deep in Southwest Virginia, was resuscitated by Ballad Health in 2021. Now, it is one of six Virginia hospitals considered vulnerable amid big federal changes to Medicaid and hospitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the years since its reopening, it has incrementally added new services, like an MRI machine to bolster cancer screenings, additional hospital beds, and a helicopter pad. Despite not having an obstetrics unit, administrator Cindy Elkins said its emergency room has still delivered 14 babies since it opened. Ive had a couple of our (emergency department) providers actually tell me that its sometimes more challenging to work here than a level one trauma center, because they dont know whats coming in the door, and it can be anything, Elkins said. She said anything includes women in labor, farm equipment injuries, and impoverished people coming in for help wearing shoes that were falling apart and sifting through the hospitals donation pile for clothing. The area had spent nearly a decade without a local hospital. Although the shifting federal rules pose a risk to services and funding for the facility, Elkins said theres good news. Lee County Community Hospital is designated as a Critical Access Hospital, the type of facility where Medicare reimbursement fares a little better. Still, the reconciliation bill Congress passed this summer could cause thousands of Virginians and millions nationwide to lose health coverage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Obviously its a huge concern for us, Elkins said. What the changes mean for patients, hospitals An MRI machine in Lee County Community Hospital, a once-shuttered facility that Ballad Health reopened in 2021. Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury Congress One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes changes to provider assessment rates and state-directed payment programs. The two funding mechanisms are critical to hospital operation in Virginia and determine how hospitals chip in to the states expanded Medicaid coverage. The states hospitals are bracing for a $2 billion hit as the changes are fully implemented. Of Virginias roughly 1.9 million people on Medicaid, roughly 600,000 who became eligible when the state expanded its program in 2018 would be most affected.That year, Virginia became the 33rd state to expand its program to reach others who may otherwise struggle to access health insurance. That population will become subject to work requirements and twice-yearly verification for coverage, once the federal changes take hold. State agencies and local governments are preparing for strains in implementing these requirements and advocates say they will be challenging for enrollees to navigate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Lee Countys hospital, administrator Elkins shared that about 75% of its patients have either Medicaid or Medicare coverage. Meanwhile, 21% percent of patients have private insurance theyve purchased on their own or that is provided by their employers. Ballad Healths chief operations officer Eric Deaton characterized the forthcoming challenges as pretty scary. He predicts Ballad could lose around $25 million in the first year the reconciliation bills hospital funding changes take effect. Ballad is one of the few hospital chains to have a footprint in rural areas. This can mean less profits and smaller operating margins than more urban, suburban or affluent areas, but Deaton called rural communities a calling for some physicians and hospital systems. Were very concerned and were really focused on what can we do to work with our legislators in the future? he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With uninsured people less likely to seek preventative care, they are more apt to wait for emergencies to get help. That care becomes costlier; hospitals may absorb it for a time but will likely have to find ways to offset costs. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, which represents Ballad and other chains, has noted the potential for staff or service reductions or facility closures. The newly created federal Rural Health Transformation Fund stands to make matters a little better, but Ballad government affairs manager Stacey Ely said its inadequate to offset the damage done by Congress reconciliation bill. With $50 billion earmarked over the next five years, states can apply for a piece of the annual $10 billion-per-year pie. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz emphasized in a recent press call how the awarded funds may go towards workforce investments or information technology upgrades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its a little bit misleading to say that this is going to save rural hospitals, Ely said. Its a $50 billion plug for a $300 billion hole. Speaking out U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia participates in a roundtable discussion about forthcoming changes to healthcare access and affordability outlined in Congress reconciliation bill that it passed this summer, despite his opposition. Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury Southampton Memorial Hospital in Franklin, a seven-hour drive east of Lee Countys hospital, is another vulnerable health care facility in Virginia. During a roundtable discussion with local community members in Franklin, Virginias federal and state lawmakers emphasized how the reconciliation bills health care impacts stand to affect more than those whove relied on Medicaid, echoing concerns hospitals relayed all summer. When emergency rooms fill with urgent care needs from uninsured patients, hospitals negotiations with private insurers could raise rates to offset those costs, Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., warned. Theyre going to drive up all of our rates, Warner said. This will drive up healthcare costs for all of us rich, poor, middle class and anywhere in between. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also issued a call to action for more hospitals to be transparent with the local communities. The roundtable event had been hosted at a nearby community center, though Warner said hed originally sought to host it at the hospital. While Bon Secours, the health system that operates Southampton, has not spoken about imminent changes publicly, it is part of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association the entity that sent the group letter to Congress this summer. Ballad cranked the transparency up a notch with CEO Alan Levine frequently commenting on social media and Ballad granting The Mercury multiple interviews along with a Lee County Community Hospital tour. The process of passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, led by Republicans, experienced some inter-party disagreements over the health care changes, which factored into the creation of the Rural Health Transformation Fund. Virginia U.S. Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and Jen Kiggans, R-Virignia Beach, had joined a letter in opposition to versions of the bill before ultimately voting for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pair framed the bill as a way to protect the longevity of Medicaid in the long term, with the health care changes not poised to take effect until 2027 and 2028 after each incumbents 2026 midterm elections. Safety nets feel a growing strain Health Brigade executive director Karen Legato speaks at a town hall on May 29, 2025 to discuss state and federal funding cuts to Virginias network of free clinics. Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods / Virginia Mercury While hospitals brace for patient strain, free clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers have already been triaging matters. Both entities have long considered themselves the safety net to the safety net and their struggles pre-date federal funding fallouts of the past year and forthcoming years. Virginias free clinics, for instance, have asked state lawmakers to give them a funding boost as theyve experienced surges in patients but stagnant funding from the state. This year, the facilities had collectively hoped for $4 million more than typically budgeted for to keep up with its growing demand pre-OBBBA, but received $500,000 more to be used among the states 70 free clinics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, federal grants administered through the state health department were stalled this year amid federal funding changes and the departments own preexisting issues causing a Richmond clinic to take out a line of credit and hope for the best. Health Brigade executive director Karen Legato shared this summer that the Richmond-based clinic has lost $1.8 million in state and federal funding over the past year. To continue as many services as possible, Health Brigade is putting its building up for sale. Likewise, about three hours west in Roanoke, the Council of Community Services has also experienced real estate downsizing, moving all of its operations into the building that has long served as its drop-in clinic. While both the Council and Health Brigade have worked to diversify their funding sources, Legato noted damaged trust with state and federal entities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, which represents the states clinics, will continue to advocate for state funding. CEO Rufus Phillips has been in touch with hospitals, federally qualified health centers and VDH throughout the year. Were all in this together as the safety net, he said. Hospitals certainly want to lean on the free clinics to meet people at the primary care level to reduce emergency room care. Our clinics are happy to help where they can but theyre strapped as it is. Lawmakers look ahead A view of the Virginia House of Delegates Chamber in Richmond. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury) As the U.S. Congress has grappled with a government shutdown this fall and Virginia is about to elect a new House of Delegates, governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, it is the state government that may have to carry health care financial burdens at least in the next year. Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, a member of the Senate finance committee who has a background as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, emphasized that both state chambers money committees will have a retreat later this year where the emerging health care changes will be on the agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats going to be a key point to receive the outgoing governors budget and start to pick apart what the real revenue predictions are, what kind of resources we will have or not have, and be able to tackle some of the major issues that are coming Virginias way, McPike said. While term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin can present a draft of a state budget that the next governor can work with, all 140 state lawmakers will have some hand in further crafting it. As federal workforce cuts continue with Virginia, Texas and Maryland having the most federal workers among states trimming public health funding and plugging competing federal funding holes stand to dominate portions of next years budget negotiations. I think thats where we are right now, McPike said. Its just the macro until we get into more details here in the coming months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part Three of the Virginia Mercurys Pulse Check series, on why advocates and researchers say the reduction of the Ryan White funding program could mean an increase in the spread of HIV/AIDS and new challenges for those living with it, will be published Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX NEED TO KNOW A 45-year-old Virginia man has been given two life sentences for his involvement in a road rage shooting that left two people injured The incident, which took place in October 2024, saw a mother shot in the face and her teenage son hit with three bullets in both of his arms, according to local media outlet WAVY Victim Molly Haskin recalled in court how she repeatedly told herself, "I will not die" as she was airlifted to a hospital, per WAVY A Virginia man who shot and wounded a mother and son in a road rage incident has been handed two life sentences in prison. In a news release shared on Monday, Oct. 20, the James City County Police (JCCP) said Joseph Adams, 45, was sentenced by the Williamsburg-James City Circuit Court to two consecutive life terms plus 19 years in prison for his role in a road rage shooting in October 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five other charges in connection with the October 2024 shooting, local media outlet WAVY reported. These included four firearms-related charges and malicious shooting/throwing at a train or car. At around 3 p.m. local time on Oct. 5, 2024, authorities responded to reports of two individuals with gunshot wounds they were shot inside their vehicle while driving at the intersection of Centerville Road and Monticello Avenue, police said in a news release at the time. The suspect was later identified as Adams of Surry County. The shooting occurred as a vehicle carrying three occupants turned from Centerville Road onto Monticello Avenue while the suspect, driving a red Toyota Solara, was traveling on Centerville Road toward John Tyler Highway, police said. According to the release, Adams fired multiple shots from his vehicle into the victims vehicle before fleeing the scene. The victims vehicle came to a stop at the Monticello Avenue/Greensprings Plantation Drive intersection, where they were treated by first responders. Adams had fled in his vehicle onto the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry, which was heading to Surry County. The ferry was held at the dock once it arrived in Surry and Adams was taken into custody, the JCCP stated in the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One victim was identified as Molly Haskin. She suffered life-threatening injuries after being shot in the face. Her teenage son was also shot three times in both his arms, per WAVY. The third victim in the vehicle was unharmed in the shooting. 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. 13News Now The road where the incident took place in James City County The road where the incident took place in James City County Adams was initially charged with one count of driving under the influence. He was additionally charged with 23 other offenses, which included two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, three counts of brandishing a firearm, five counts of reckless handling of a firearm and five counts of shooting from a vehicle, per the police release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I apologize to the victims, Adams said in the James City County courtroom on Monday. His attorney, Rob Jones, had requested a light sentencing for Adams as he stated that he was a functioning alcoholic with mental illness and substance abuse issues, per WAVY. While speaking in court, victim Haskin recalled how she repeatedly told herself, I will not die as she was airlifted to a hospital in Richmond, per the outlet. Her son also took to the stand and recalled the pain he felt after being hit in both of his arms by three bullets, as well as seeing his mother being shot in the face. Adams remains behind bars at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, per police. PEOPLE has reached out to the James City County Court for comment. Read the original article on People Many national parks are open during the government shutdown, but with limited services. My visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks was great but required extra planning ahead. Visitor centers were closed but there were still plenty of tourists at the parks. The federal government is shut down, but that's not stopping tourists from visiting America's national parks. I visited two national parks over the weekend, more than two weeks after the shutdown began: Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, which are adjacent to each other and located in central California, about a 4.5 hour drive from Los Angeles in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the shutdown began on October 1, there's been a lot of confusion about what that means for the national parks and what visitors can expect to find when they go. The National Park Service has said parks will remain as accessible as possible during the shutdown, though the situation varies from park to park and most are running on limited crews to handle basic services, like bathroom maintenance and trash disposal. Both parks were open, had plenty of visitors, and were as gorgeous as they always are, but it wasn't business as usual. With fewer services available, planning ahead before the trip was more important than ever, and I took extra care to prepare before I went. There were still plenty of visitors at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Kelsey Vlamis No entrance fees and closed visitor centers Sequoia and Kings Canyon are technically two different parks, though in many ways they function as one a single $35-per-vehicle entrance fee gets you into both. That is, when entrance fees are being collected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I approached the entrance gates on Friday afternoon, there was no one on duty. In place of an attendant passing out maps and collecting fees 80% of which go toward maintaining and improving park facilities and services there was a sign about the shutdown. No one was collecting entrance fees. Kelsey Vlamis "During this lapse in appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible," the sign said. "We are doing our best to take care of your parks at this time, but some amenities and services may not be available." That was the first sign things were not normal. When I tried to stop by the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, it was closed, as were the other visitor centers that are typically open this time of year. The same sign about the lapse of appropriations was posted outside the entrance. The Kings Canyon Visitor Center was closed. Kelsey Vlamis Visitor centers are often a first stop for park-goers. Rangers are usually available to hand out maps and other informational materials, answer questions about weather and trail conditions, and recommend hikes that are appropriate for the group's fitness levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I saw some tourists peering through the visitor center windows and scanning the large map that was hung up in the window. When another person from the group approached and asked if they were able to find a map they could take with them, one replied, "They're in visual distance, but denied!" The closed visitor center also meant that tourists hoping to get their "National Park Passport" stamped were out of luck. Park-goers looking for information outside a closed visitor center. Kelsey Vlamis Trails, bathrooms, markets, and restaurants were open While many buildings run by the NPS were closed, bathrooms at many locations were still open and being maintained. Buildings run by concessionaires, or private companies that work in partnership with the parks, were also open. At Grant Grove, across from the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, a market, gift shop, and restaurant were open and serving tourists. Same with the market, restaurant, showers, and laundromat at the Lodgepole area of Sequoia. Markets and restaurants were still open. Kelsey Vlamis Many, if not most, of the popular trails were also open, including for the parks' most famous trees, General Sherman and General Grant, and the Moro Rock Trail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some campgrounds were also open. The bathrooms at Sentinel Campground, where I stayed, were maintained with plenty of toilet paper and as clean as can typically be expected. The potable water at the campground also appeared to still be available. In fact, if a tourist had planned their trip in advance and did not try to stop by a visitor center, they might not have realized anything was out of the ordinary. Signs about the government shutdown were posted throughout the park. Kelsey Vlamis I did see plenty of people breaking park rules walking off trail or bringing their dogs on trails where pets weren't allowed but I'm not sure visitors were misbehaving any more than they usually do at national parks. Downloading online resources and planning ahead were key I had visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon before but knew the visitor centers would be closed, so I planned ahead even more than I usually would. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There's almost no cell service in the parks, so before I left I downloaded an entire map of the area on Google Maps, as well as the official NPS map of the parks. I researched which sites we wanted to visit and downloaded trails on the AllTrails hiking app. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that online resources for the national parks were still very useful during the shutdown. The real-time weather forecast for various areas of the parks are still being updated on the park service website, so I was able to plan accordingly and feel pretty confident about the conditions we would find in the park. Many of the trails were still open. Kelsey Vlamis I was feeling some uncertainty over which campgrounds might be open, so I used Recreation.gov, the federal government website for outdoor reservations that is still running during the shutdown, to book a site in advance. I was able to grab a spot just one day before my trip. Being a self-reliant and responsible visitor It's difficult to be certain about what you might find when visiting a national park during a government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's safest to be self-reliant by taking extra care to plan and bring anything you might need with you. I packed extra toilet paper and brought my own water. It's also more important than ever to follow park rules and minimize your impact on the natural environment. Moro Rock Trail was open and full of visitors. Kelsey Vlamis Park advocates like the National Park Conservation Association urge the government to close national parks during shutdowns out of concern for the park itself and visitor safety. During the federal government shutdown in 2019, some parks were vandalized and their landscapes damaged. Issues with human waste and trash got so bad at Sequoia and Kings Canyon that the parks were forced to close, according to NPCA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Some parks are open. Some parks are closed. More than 60% of national park staff are on furlough," Kyle Groetzinger, an NPCA spokesperson, told me earlier this month. "The shutdown is leaving national parks without the experts needed to protect fragile ecosystems, interpret American history, and serve the public." Overall, as an experienced national park visitor and camper, I felt comfortable visiting during the shutdown. As for first-time visitors, it might be better to wait until the shutdown ends and the parks are operating at full force. At the very least, I recommend doing a lot of research in advance and learning about Leave No Trace principles to protect yourself as well as the parks. Do you have a story to share about the national parks? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) Honor Flight of Southern Indiana will leave for its 19th trip with 86 veterans. The flight will be on Saturday morning. To prepare, volunteers helped with mail sorting, one of the many traditions of Honor Flight. Honor Flight using Fall Fest parking as fundraiser for veterans Volunteers spent several hours sorting through hundreds of letters for Operation Mail Call. During the return trip, each veteran receives a stack of letters from friends, family and community members thanking them for their service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This generation really relied on mail calls being dropped when they were serving, says Diane Shaw. Especially with those Vietnam veterans. They kind of relive those days and it means a lot to them. Honor Flight guardians gear up for October flight A meet and greet is also taking place at the CK Newsom Center on Thursday, where veterans and their guardians will receive their marching orders before take off. Eyewitness News Ann Powell will be on the flight and have coverage from the trip. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). The recently announced shuttering of the New Georgia Project which has mobilized hundreds of thousands of voters across the state since former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams founded the group in 2013 was disappointing, but not surprising to Black Voters Matter co-founder Cliff Albright. Weve known for some time that theyve been headed in that direction, Albright told Capital B Atlanta of NGP on Monday. Its a loss, but its one that I think the rest of the organizations here are capable of filling. Leaders of the New Georgia Project were accused of extensive financial mismanagement and corruption years prior to the organizations announced shut down last week. Years of door knocking, phone banking, mobilization and organizing by Abrams, her peers, and her successors have been credited with turning Georgia blue in 2020 for the first time since 1992, and sending two Democrats to the U.S. Senate for the first time in decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrams left the organization to run for governor in 2017, years prior to its downfall. In January, the State Ethics Commission issued a $300,000 fine against the New Georgia Project over its 2018 campaign spending in support of Abrams and other Democrats running for office. Abrams could not be reached for comment. Much of the New Georgia Projects Black voter engagement work, advocates fear, has been undone by Republican officials looking to help their party maintain power, both in the Georgia General Assembly and the White House. In response to historic Black turnout during the 2020 election cycle, Republicans in the Gold Dome enacted SB 202, which made it illegal to give water to voters within 150 feet of a polling place, and SB 189, which made it easier for conservative activist groups to issue mass voter eligibility challenges in Georgia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the past, New Georgia Project has taken credit for registering 500,000 voters in Georgia. The secretary of states controversial voter list maintenance work has led to an estimated 478,000 inactive voters being removed from the states voter registration rolls earlier this year. A study conducted by Fair Fight found that Black people were overrepresented among those on the cancellation list once people who have voted in other states were removed from the overall count. The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case that advocates also fear could eliminate a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act regarding allowing minority voters to elect their preferred candidates. New Georgia Project canvassers Kayla McCall (left) and Mardie Hill go door-to-door to inform residents about the upcoming primary election in May 2022, in East Point. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images) The work continues Albright and other leaders of some of Georgias most prominent voter-engagement groups say theyre prepared to continue the work theyve been doing alongside the New Georgia Project. While they say Black voter fatigue remains a challenge in the wake of lower turnout figures in 2024, the negative impact President Donald Trumps policies have had on Black peoples lives since taking office in January could motivate many to head to the polls during the 2026 midterm elections. Since January, thousands of federal government workers have been laid off, furloughed, or forced to work without pay during an ongoing government shutdown. Even more are expected to be impacted by funding cuts to social safety net programs, such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Housing and Urban Development rental assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs nationally has been partially blamed for a combined total of at least 319,000 Black women losing their jobs between February and July, according to one prominent gender economist. Albright said the impact the government has had on Black people under Trump this year is motivating many to head to the polls. If youre somebody who was skeptical about whether whose president matters, I think that the answer to that is clear, Albright said. We even hear people that will say, You know what? I really didnt think that [voting] matters. I didnt really think that there was a difference and I was wrong. Ima vote this time, or Ima vote differently this time. Helen Butler, executive director of the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda, said the number of Black people her group has registered to vote this year is on par with other non-presidential election cycles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were back to where we normally would be, Butler told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. People are beginning to turn out for the local municipal races. I think well see an increase in turnout. Black voter engagement is stronger than its ever been, according to Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs, who said its misleading to compare 2024 turnout to the levels it reached in 2020 during the pandemic, which boosted mail-in voting. He pointed out overall turnout reached record levels in 2024, when 68.3% of eligible voters in Georgia participated in the presidential election, exceeding the national average of about 65%. In 2020 it was about 5 million voters, Griggs said. A large percentage of that was African-American voters. Were still voting at [about] the same level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Multiple gubernatorial candidates recently spoke at the Georgia NAACPs state conference earlier this month. Griggs said the national NAACP has earmarked $1 million in 2026 midterm election cycle spending on voter mobilization in Georgia. Thats twice as much as they invested in 2024 and 2020, he said. As much as we hate to see New Georgia Project go, as the oldest civil rights organization and the one responsible for voter engagement and voter turnout for over 100 years, nothings changed. Read More: The post Voter Engagement Groups Stepping Up as New Georgia Project Shuts Down appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. With the statewide special election for Proposition 50 just two weeks away, Attorney General Rob Bonta shared a message to California voters. "The right to freely cast your vote and have it counted is the very foundation of our democracy," Bonta said. The single-item ballot will decide whether or not California's current congressional district maps will be replaced by new boundaries, drawn by the state legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Monday marked the final day to register to vote in advance of the election, although voters can still complete the Same-Day Voter Registration process and request their ballot in person through election day. RELATED: Prop 50 sparks debate in Fresno, Clovis as special election nears and voters prepare to decide The number of in-person sites will be more limited. "We only get 75 days to prepare for this election. That meant that we couldn't get all the locations we want, and we couldn't get all the staffing necessary to properly staff those locations," said Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, James Kus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Fresno County, Kus is working to ensure voters know how to cast their ballot in this special and sudden election. "The opportunity is there for every member of the public to actually come down and see what's going on, to ask those questions and get their questions answered," Kus said. Fresno County currently has a record high 530,000 registered voters, but county records show as of Monday morning, just over 60,000 ballots have been returned, though many voters wait until the final days to cast a ballot. The election comes in response to President Trump asking Texas to draw new maps that lead to five new republican districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This was why the governor proposed this, why the legislature worked on it was to neutralize the abuse of power from Texas. The redistricting that was blatantly partisan," Bonta said. If passed, the governor's proposal would override maps created by an independent commission voters approved in 2010. Opponents say Prop 50 creates "safe seats" for Democrats that split up representation for communities, adding "two wrongs don't make a right." Registered voters can find their nearest ballot drop-off location at their counties local election website. The election for Prop 50 will take place on November 4. LITTLE ROCK The Democratic Party of Arkansas and four Pulaski County residents have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Secretary of State Cole Jester, alleging that the governors decision to delay the special election for House District 70 violates state law and the Arkansas Constitution by depriving voters of representation during next years legislative session. The verified petition for writ of mandamus, filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court, argues that Sanders Oct. 10 proclamation scheduling the special election for June 9, 2026 more than eight months after Rep. Carlton Wings resignation is unlawful. Petitioners include Cordelia Smith-Johnson, an announced Democratic candidate for the seat, along with Scott Perkins, Janie Ginocchio and Julie Rhodes, all residents and voters of District 70. Party Chair: 'Taxation without representation' Arkansas Democratic Party Chair Col. Marcus Jones (Ret.) said the lawsuit was filed to defend Arkansans basic right to representation in government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You might have noticed that our Governor has been breaking the law as it relates to the special election dates in House District 70, Jones said. We noticed that, too. Thats why today the Democratic Party of Arkansas is filing suit against the Governor and Secretary of State for denying the good people in House District 70 representation during the upcoming legislative session and a say in our state budget. In America, historically, voters do not like taxation without representation. The idea that people who pay taxes should have a voice in how that money is being spent is as old as, well, at least as old as this country, as we all know. Jones also called on the Republican Party of Arkansas and its chair, Joseph Wood, to join the effort. Refusing to fill this seat, violating state statute, and leaving Arkansans without representation its just plain wrong, Jones said. This suit is how we hold the Governor and Secretary of State accountable to the 30,000 Arkansans that live in House District 70. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And because this isnt a partisan issue, Im inviting the Republican Party of Arkansas and any of the Republican candidates who intend to run in House District 70 to join us. Be on the right side of history. Plaintiff: 'A direct attack on representation' Plaintiff Scott Perkins, a North Little Rock resident, said the issue transcends party lines. The deliberate delay in filling the vacant seat for House District 70 is not a partisan issue it is a direct attack on the fundamental right to representation, Perkins said. Perkins added that he and other residents already were preparing to take legal action when they learned of the Democratic Partys filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As voters and residents of District 70, we were prepared to file this lawsuit independently, Perkins said. However, upon learning of a similar action from fellow residents of the district, the path of efficiency and fiscal responsibility became clear. Joining this suit accelerates our impact and minimizes legal costs to the state a win for all taxpayers. But make no mistake: the urgency is critical. To intentionally exclude the people of North Little Rock and Sherwood from the upcoming fiscal session is unscrupulous and profoundly anti-Arkansas. It is a calculated move to deny a community its voice in deciding how its tax dollars are spent. Candidate says voters deserve a voice Smith-Johnson, who is also a plaintiff in the case, said she joined the lawsuit because she believes District 70 voters are being silenced. I ran to be a voice for the voters in this State House District, she said. And they need one. Right now, voters are being denied a say in our state budget and representation in our State House. Hard-working taxpayers are being silenced, and thats a problem. I signed onto this lawsuit to be a part of the solution to that problem. Lawsuit challenges June election date According to the filing, Wing resigned his seat on Sept. 30, 2025, triggering the governors constitutional duty to issue a writ of election as soon as possible and within 150 days of the vacancy. Instead, Sanders set the special primary for March 3, 2026, the same day as Arkansass regular primary elections and scheduled the special general election for June 9, well past the 150-day limit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit argues that because March 3 is already established for statewide primaries, it is by definition a practicable date for the special election itself. Petitioners contend that Sanders misread the law by using that date for a primary rather than the special election, which will leave District 70 unrepresented when the General Assemblys Fiscal Session begins April 8, 2026. The plaintiffs also assert that the delay amounts to taxation without representation, since the Fiscal Session determines how billions of taxpayer dollars are spent. The suit asks the court to order Sanders and Jester to: Reset the special election for March 3, 2026 (154 days after the vacancy) Schedule the special primary for Dec. 9, 2025, or Jan. 13, 2026 And take all steps necessary to ensure District 70 has representation by the start of the fiscal session Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The petition emphasizes that sovereign immunity does not protect the governor from being compelled by a writ of mandamus to perform her legal duties, citing the 2022 Arkansas Supreme Court decision Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration v. 2600 Holdings, LLC. Whos running in District 70 Three candidates have announced intentions to seek the seat: Cordelia Smith-Johnson (D) of North Little Rock, a community advocate and plaintiff in the lawsuit. Alex Holladay (D) , also of North Little Rock, who previously ran for the seat in 2024. Bo Renshaw (R), a Republican from North Little Rock. Parallel lawsuits challenge Sanders election scheduling in two districts Both lawsuits Colt Shelbys petition for Senate District 26 and the Democratic Partys petition for House District 70 raise nearly identical legal arguments against Gov. Sanders and Sec. Jester. Issue District 26 (Shelby v. Sanders) District 70 (DPA et al. v. Sanders) Vacancy date Sept. 2, 2025 (death of Sen. Gary Stubblefield) Sept. 30, 2025 (resignation of Rep. Carlton Wing) Governor's writ issued Sept. 26, 2025 (amended) Oct. 10, 2025 Scheduled election date June 9, 2026 (279 days after vacancy) June 9, 2026 (253 days after vacancy) Legal claim Violates 150-day limit under Ark. code 7-7-105; deprives voters of representation Violates same statute; deprives voters of representation Key argument Election must be held within 150 days or as soon as practicable Election must be held within 150 days or as soon as practicable Proposed remedy Order election for Dec. 9, 2025 Order election for March 3, 2025 Constitutional basis Arkansas Constitution, Art. 3 (Free and Equal Elections) and Art. 5 (Representation) Same adds explicit taxation without representation argument Relief sought Writ of mandamus, declaratory judgment, and injunction Writ of mandamus Representation gap District 26 unrepresented during April 2026 Fiscal Session District 70 unrepresented during April 2026 Fiscal Session Both petitions contend that Sanders extended election schedules violate Arkansass 150-day limit for filling legislative vacancies and leave tens of thousands of Arkansans without representation during the 2026 Fiscal Session, when the legislature sets the states budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each lawsuit accuses the governor of exceeding her constitutional authority by setting election dates far beyond what is practicable without offering evidence that an earlier date would be impracticable or unduly burdensome. "We stand with our friends in District 26. This is a non-partisan issue of legal accountability and fundamental representation. The governor is breaking the law, and it's anti-Arkansans," Perkins said. "The most immediate harm is to the taxpayers of this district. This means no one is at the table to fight for their tax dollars, for their schools or for their community's needs. That's not just wrong, it's targeted against us." This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: District 70 joins District 26 in court battle over delayed special elections The village of Mota Ankevaliya in Gujarat's Surendranagar district is fast emerging as a model of rural development and cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Combining government support with strong community participation, the village has set benchmarks in sanitation, healthcare, and education. Door-to-door waste collection has become a daily routine in Mota Ankevaliya, carried out using a tractor funded by the 15th Finance Commission. The collected waste is systematically segregated at a designated shed, ensuring the village maintains high hygiene standards. The area also boasts one of the region's most efficient Primary Health Centres (PHCs), further enhancing residents' well-being. BG Gohil, Chief District Health Officer of Surendranagar, highlighted the proactive health initiatives in the village. "Health officials regularly monitor the operations at the Primary Health Centre. They make people aware of their health," he said. Education has emerged as another pillar of progress in Mota Ankevaliya. The Shree Pay Center School has integrated digital learning tools to improve the quality of education while promoting hygiene and social awareness. On Global Handwashing Day, students participated in practical demonstrations on hygiene, reinforcing habits of cleanliness from an early age. Imran Sarfuddin Teli, a teacher at the school, explained the impact of technology-driven learning. "In smart class learning, students get smart digital lessons. They are learning well due to this. When they visit their computer class, they also do self-learning as part of the G-Shala digital learning initiative," he said. The village's progress is rooted in its sense of unity and cooperation. Teachers, health workers, and villagers work hand-in-hand to address local challenges. Regular meetings are held to discuss education and healthcare concerns, ensuring that development reaches every household. Rajesh Patel, the Sarpanch of Mota Ankevaliya, said, "Each month a meeting of parents is conducted to resolve issues in education. Similarly, health-related issues are resolved in a monthly meeting held at the Primary Health Centre." Villagers also recognise the improvements in their living standards. Karshanbhai Charola, a resident of Mota Ankevaliya, shared, "There are several facilities in our village, which have been made available by the gram panchayat and the government. In our village, a tractor is deployed to collect garbage. It goes to each home, and women throw the garbage in it. After that, at a designated place, it is segregated." The transformation of Mota Ankevaliya shows Gujarat's progressive vision for rural India. (ANI) Gov. Phil Scott has chosen a replacement for the Democratic state representative who resigned and moved to Canada this summer out of fear for a second Trump administration. On Oct. 17, Karen Lueders, an attorney and fellow Democrat from Lincoln, was appointed to fill the open Addison 4 seat, which Mari Cordes vacated in June to start a job in Nova Scotia after six years in the Legislature. Cordes attributed her departure to fears that the Trump administration might cut Social Security, continued concerns about her safety as a queer woman in the U.S and a loss of work hours at her nursing job at the University of Vermont, according to VTDigger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before she moved to Canada, Cordes occasionally made the news for her activism, especially regarding medical and social issues. In 2018, she was arrested in Washington, DC, after joining hundreds of other women to protest U.S. immigration policies. In October 2025, Karen Lueders was appointed to fill the open Addison-4 seat in the Vermont House, left vacant by Mari Cordes, who resigned over the summer to move to Canada. Lueders will represent the district's four towns: Lincoln, Bristol, Starksboro and Monkton. "Karen has strong ties to her community, which will bring a valuable perspective to Montpelier," Scott said in an Oct. 17 press release. "With many years of public service, I believe she will be an effective legislator and represent her constituents well." Who is Karen Lueders? Lueders has extensive nonprofit and volunteer experience, according to the press release from the governor. She is a board member for Addison Housing Works and serves on a Lincoln Selectboard-appointed committee tasked with studying and recommending improvements to local voting, including during Town Meeting Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lueders previously sat on boards for Addison County Home Health and Hospice and Habitat for Humanity. Along with her law office, Lueders also ran Walkover Gallery and Concert Room in Bristol for 17 years until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Lueders' son is Tim Lueders-Dumont, who serves as the executive director of the Vermont Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs. I am grateful to the governor for the opportunity to represent Addison 4 in the Vermont House of Representatives, said Lueders in the press release. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to find solutions for the complex concerns that affect our communities across the state. Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Karen Lueders fills VT House seat after predecessor moved to Canada Our Jamie Hunter went to Wichita to fly aboard Beechcrafts M-346 jet trainer, which could replace the Navys T-45 Goshawk. Steven Helmer, a flight test and demonstration pilot for Textron Aviation and Defense, gave us a walk-around tour of the M-346 prior to taking to the skies. The demonstrator Beechcraft is using is an M-346FA (fighter-attack) model of Leonardos M-346 Master family of jets. Leonardo and Textron, the latter of which owns Beechcraft, have joined forces for the Navys next generation trainer opportunity. The Navys M-346 variant will be configured slightly different, with the company giving the concept the designation M-346N. You can read all about this proposed variant here. A render of the M-346N. (Textron) The next generation Navy jet trainer is unlikely to be required to land or launch from a carrier, a controversial move to say the least, but this decision has opened up the field to types that wont require as extreme of a modification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With all that being said, check out our walk-around tour below and stay tuned for a much deeper dive in the M-346 for the Navy in an upcoming video of Jamies flight. You can also check out Textrons pitch for the M-346N in our previous video below from Sea, Air, Space symposium earlier this year: Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) WalletHub released findings on Monday from its study on the safest cities in America in 2025 naming one Oregon city among the top 10 safest. To determine the cities where Americans feel the most protected against lifes hazards, including nonphysical forms of danger, the personal finance platform compared more than 180 cities across 41 metrics. The data ranges from traffic fatalities per capita to the unemployment rate and the percentage of the population that is uninsured. When people think about safety in a city, their minds probably immediately go to things like the crime rate, auto fatality rate or risk of natural disasters. The safest cities in America protect residents from these threats of bodily harm and property damage, but on top of that, they also help secure peoples financial safety. Financial safety includes things like minimizing the risk of fraud and identity theft, keeping the population employed and insured, and combating homelessness, said WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules Trump administration can deploy National Guard to Portland Earning the 10th spot among the safest U.S. cities: Salem, Oregon. Salem, Oregon ranked among the top 10 safest cities in the U.S. largely because it performed well across multiple safety measures, ranging from community well-being to financial stability, Lupo said in a statement shared with KOIN 6 News. The city ranked 52nd in Home and Community Safety, 13th in Natural-Disaster Risk, and 31st in Financial Safety, a strong overall balance when compared to most U.S. cities. Salems minimal exposure to natural disasters and relatively secure financial environment helped offset its low number of law-enforcement employees per capita. Together, these factors suggest that residents benefit from both a stable economy and little likelihood of major environmental or safety threats. Other safest cities on the list include, Warwick, Rhode Island; Overland Park, Kansas; Burington, Vermont; Juneau, Alaska; Yonkers, New York; Casper, Wyoming; South Burlington, Vermont; Columbia Maryland and Lewiston, Maine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement November SNAP benefits stalled in Oregon due to federal government shutdown Meanwhile, Portland, Oregon ranked 132nd on the list out of more than 180 cities. According to WalletHub, the least safe cities include Cleveland, Ohio; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Bernardino, California; Houston, Texas; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; Detroit, Michigan; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WALLINGFORD - A town man was arrested last week after investigators found child sexual abuse material while searching his electronic devices, police said. Roy C. Edwards, 48, of Wallingford, was charged on Oct. 13 with first-degree possession of child pornography, according to Wallingford Police Lt. Stephen S. Jaques Jr. Jaques said police began investigating Edwards in December when they received a complaint from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to a Verizon Wireless account. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Members of the Wallingford Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, along with the FBI Task Force, conducted a months-long investigation into the complaint," Jaques said. Jaques said police executed a search warrant at Edwards' home where they seized his electronic devices. He said police then found multiple videos and still images of child sexual abuse material on the devices. Edwards turned himself into police and was released after posting a $75,000 court-set bond, Jaques said. He said Edwards is expected to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Oct. 30. This article originally published at Wallingford man arrested for possessing child sexual abuse material, police say. Ramadan asserted that the chamber was aware of the desires of the Palestinian people and wanted a role in communicating those wishes to Gazas new leadership. The Gaza Chamber of Commerce aspires to have a role in advising the future democratic government of Gaza and to be involved in the enclaves reconstruction efforts, the organizations chairman, Iyad Abu Ramadan, told N12 News on Tuesday. We are a group of intellectuals, engineers, and field personnel who work in the humanitarian field, Ramadan told the Israeli outlet. We have no ambition to be in power, and we do not seek to be a substitute for any government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want a democratic leadership to be established in Gaza, which will allow for a peaceful change of government within the Palestinian national framework and under the Palestinian national umbrella, Ramadan asserted. We are not positioning ourselves as a substitute for anyoneOur goal is to assist those who will govern Gaza in making the right decisions. Ramadan stated that the chamber was aware of the desires of the Palestinian people and wanted a role in communicating those wishes to Gazas new leadership. Palestinian gunmen walk as heavy machinery operates at a site where searches for deceased hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel are underway amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed) Our vision for Gaza after the war is that there will be freedom of movement at the crossings, both for goods and people, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The universities in Gaza will be rebuilt and linked to universities around the world for research and learning. The young people will work and take an active part in building Gaza. In addition, the government in Gaza will be democratic, subject to public accountability and a peaceful change of government. An essential component of Gazas future prosperity and the reconstruction efforts, he claimed, is that there is no future Israeli threat to Gaza. The real threat, from our perspective, is from Israel to Gaza not the other way around, Ramadan claimed. Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel: we have no armies, and we do not have nuclear weapons, while Israel has both. Vision for Gazas future Speaking on Hamas, Ramadan claimed it was not possible for the terror organization to re-establish itself under the current siege. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, it is possible that it will regain its influence if they dont move to the second phase of the agreement: opening the crossings, returning life to normal, integrating young people into work, and providing hope for the future. Strengthening Hamas or strengthening armed activity, regardless of who is carrying it out, is done through imposing the siege and destroying hope among the youth of Gaza: conveying the message that you will not live like the rest of the world, and then the youth will turn to violence and the cycle of violence will continue, he said. This cycle of violence must be broken by granting Gaza freedom: freedom of movement, entry of goods, finding work. In other words, decent employment opportunities for the young and all residents so that they can engage in building their future and the future of their children, he concluded. Established in 1925, the chamber claims to represent the voice of the private sector and act as the primary driver of the Gazan economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ramadan was one of 17 prominent Gazan figures who wrote to US President Donald Trump in September, asking that he pressure the Jewish state to halt the fighting. In the letter, he described the war as a one-sided attack against Palestinian civilians. LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) A wanted suspect is in the Wilson County Jail on multiple charges after he barricaded himself inside a Lebanon home Monday afternoon, officials said. According to the Lebanon Police Department, the activity was isolated to a single residence at the Crosswinds Condominiums, and there was no threat to the public. Officials added any residents in need of evacuation were evacuated. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Courtesy: Lebanon Police Department Photo: WKRN Nearby schools were reportedly placed on a soft lockdown as a precaution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 3 p.m., officers and negotiators were still working to bring the suspect out, according to the LPD. Officials reportedly asked people to avoid the area, and also made arrangements for transportation for schools that drop off students at Crosswinds Condominiums. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee However, shortly after 3:40 p.m., Lebanon police announced that the suspect had been detained. During a Monday afternoon press conference about the incident, LPD Public Information Officer Zach Patton said officers were sent to the residence after the primary resident expressed concern for the suspects wellbeing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon further investigation, law enforcement reportedly learned that the suspect may have been armed and had multiple felony warrants out of Wilson and Rutherford County. When officers knocked on the door of the residence, the suspect did not answer, according to police. However, after authorities were granted permission to enter the home, the suspect reportedly barricaded himself in the master bedroom. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Patton said officers backed out of the home as a safety precaution and waited for additional resources. After several failed attempts to communicate with the suspect, law enforcement decided to enter the home and found the suspect in a closet in the master bedroom, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to authorities, the suspect sustained minor injuries during the incident. Patton later identified the suspect as 42-year-old Roger Watts of Nashville. Watts was taken into custody without incident, officials said, and then taken to the Wilson County Jail. He was wanted out of Wilson and Rutherford Counties on the following charges: felony failure to appear (bond jumping) for aggravated domestic assault and theft of property ($10,000 to $60,000) theft of property ($10,000 to $60,000) failure to appear for first-degree driving under the influence and implied consent two counts of violation of probation for the underlying charge of attempted aggravated child abuse Officials said more charges are pending from the LPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No additional details were immediately released. Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. If America goes to war with China, rocketry may be the U.S. Armys most important contribution. A conflict across the vast Pacific would be waged primarily by air and sea forces, backed by small contingents of ground troops. But while the Army may not storm Shanghai in a ground assault, it certainly has the ability to strike Chinese territory. The Army has an arsenal of long-range munitions in service or under development, including the shorter-range Precision Strike Missile, the Typhon Strategic Mid-Range Fires system and the Dark Eagle Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon. These missiles can hit targets 1,000 to almost 3,000 kilometers away. A likely target would be Chinese ports that would be key to supporting the Chinese fleet, staging an amphibious invasion of Taiwan and sustaining Chinese exports and imports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But damaging Chinese ports or seizing Chinese economic facilities is a bad idea, warns an Army National Guard officer. In fact, the Army should preserve Chinese maritime shipping infrastructure during conflict so that it is usable postwar, wrote Capt. Micah Neidorfler in a recent essay for Military Review. This sounds counterintuitive; compelling the enemy to capitulate by destroying his strategic infrastructure has been a plank of U.S. policy since the B-17 bombers of the 1930s. But despite U.S. efforts to decouple its economy from Chinas, America still depends on China for everything from iPhones and rare earths to providing an export market for American farmers. Much of the global economy especially manufacturing relies on Chinese industry. Yet, U.S. joint doctrine specifically identifies ports as targets, and predictions for a U.S.-China war perceive Chinese ports as likely targets for U.S. strikes, Neidorfler noted. Therefore, in any U.S.-China conflict, Chinese maritime infrastructure will be exposed to the devastation of twenty-first-century warfare. If devastating Chinas ports cripples the global or U.S. economy, any victory could prove pyrrhic. Since an unconditional Chinese surrender is unlikely, there will inevitably be a negotiated peace and a need to restore postwar trade, Neidorfler argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suggesting that the Army should preserve enemy strategic infrastructure might make many balk, but the reasoning is sound, wrote Neidorfler. U.S. domestic prosperity significantly depends upon international trade and the global economy, which in turn are deeply intertwined with China. But Neidorfler sees a way out of this dilemma. Ports are complex entities with numerous and vulnerable components for loading and unloading cargo, storing it and transporting goods to and from the site. Thus, ports are vulnerable to disruption at many points, including cranes, piers, rail yards and oil storage tanks. It is possible to hit specific targets that render a port temporarily inoperable, but without inflicting long-term damage. Applying this tactic to Chinese ports would fulfill a strategic aim of preventing or degrading their utility during wartime while remaining relatively easy to repair post-conflict, allowing China to return to maritime trade quickly, argued Neidorfler. In addition, because destroying subcomponents does not threaten ports long-term functionality, this dramatically reduces the escalatory nature of targeting them. All of this ties into the larger question of the Armys role as a major player in a Pacific war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defense tank analyses of a possible U.S.-China war have ignored Army contributions or focused on the services niche capabilities, Neidorfler noted. But in reality, over the last decade, the Army has focused on five main themes, he wrote, including command and control for the joint force, sustaining the joint force and also protecting it via air defense, ground-based long-range fires and traditional maneuver forces. Whether the U.S would actually attack Chinese ports is open to debate. Given that China has the worlds third-largest nuclear arsenal and ICBMs that can reach the continental United States, the decision to fire missiles at Chinese cities may be more of a political than a military decision. However, Neidorfler offers an alternative: using the Army to seize Chinese-owned ports in other nations, to use as bargaining chips or to prevent their use as military and intelligence bases. Chinas investment in foreign ports is massive: 129 projects in which Chinese companies own equity or are involved in port operations, according to a 2024 estimate. He argues the majority of the Armys force structure would be available for such a strategy, as a U.S.-China conflict would not require a vast number of maneuver units in the Pacific. The Army would enjoy a variety of means to capture Chinese-owned overseas infrastructure that would be lightly defended at best, he argued. These include special operations forces, and for a more diplomatic approach, Army foreign area officers and National Guard bilateral affairs officers who could work with the host nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But even here, there are political complications, Neidorfler cautioned. Seizing Chinese property raises sovereignty issues for the nations housing Chinese ports, and the United States could not pursue this unilaterally, wrote Neidorfler. Since many countries especially in the Global South are unlikely to welcome American military intervention, third-party states own militaries seizing assets would be more realistic. U.S. experts on China have misgivings on these ideas. Authorization to attack Chinese ports is not a given, Lonnie Henley, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told Defense News. Who knows what some future president in some unspecified global circumstances would decide, Henley said. As for Army long-range missiles, you need a place to stand to launch those weapons, and you have to get the forces there, and sustain them, and defend them from counterattack, said Henley, a former Army lieutenant colonel with long experience as an intelligence expert on East Asia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy already have plenty of missiles. More weapons on target is always good, but how many more can the Army provide, compared to another dozen B-52 sorties? Henley asked. The U.S. and its allies could probably cut off most Chinese maritime trade. So whats the added benefit of seizing ports in third countries? Henley said. None that I can see. Even Neidorfler admits that his ideas are not an intuitive strategy, as culturally, the Army is focused on achieving decisive victory in the shortest time possible. Yet short of global nuclear war, a Sino-American war would inevitably end in some kind of peace agreement. If the U.S. Army is truly preparing for a conventional war, it must recognize that any settlement must be mutually acceptable for it to last, Neidorfler concluded. WARE, Mass. (WWLP) The Ware Police Department is asking the public to help locate a German Shepherd that may have been hit by a car on West Street on Tuesday morning. South Hadley police seek suspect in Buttery Brook Park armed robbery The department stated on social media that the dog was last seen at around 5:15 a.m. by Taco Bell on West Street. If you have seen this dog or have any information, you are asked to contact the police at 413-967-3571 or the owner, Scott, at 413-967-7300. (Ware Police Department) Massachusetts law requires drivers to call the police and report any accident involving a domestic pet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operator of a motor vehicle that strikes and injures or kills a dog or cat shall forthwith report such an accident to the owner or custodian of said dog or cat or to a police officer in the town wherein such accident has occurred. A violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100 for a first offense or not more 10 days in a house of corrections and a fine of $500 and the cost of medical expenses, not to exceed $2,500, imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 6 months or both such fine and cost and imprisonment for a second and subsequent offense. Nothing in this section shall preclude a civil cause of action including, but not limited to medical expenses, by the aggrieved party. -Massachusetts Law: Motor vehicles; striking, injuring or killing dogs or cats. 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. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. 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. As Chicago aldermen began to wrap their minds around Mayor Brandon Johnsons budget proposal Tuesday, what lies ahead at City Hall came into focus: another long, uphill battle. City Council members got their first chance to ask questions and set hard lines as Johnsons top finance leaders sat before them during the first of a planned months worth of budget hearings on the mayors $16.6 billion plan. And if Tuesdays first look shows whats in store for the negotiations ahead, Johnsons knotted path to winning a City Council majority could once again draw out the process. That challenge only grew more complicated away from council chambers when Gov. JB Pritzker came out in opposition to the reinstated $21-per-employee head tax on larger businesses that Johnson has proposed to raise an estimated $100 million to help balance the budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pritzker told the Economic Club of Chicago Tuesday he is absolutely, four-square opposed to the tax, drawing emphatic applause from the assembled business leaders. It penalizes the very thing that we want, which is we want more employment in the city of Chicago, and it makes it very hard to attract companies from outside of Chicago to come into Chicago and harder for companies that are in Chicago to stay, he said. Pritzker said Johnson and the City Council should focus instead on fostering economic growth and finding efficiencies, a byword for budget cuts. I havent seen any of that in this budget so far, Pritzker said. I think thats going to have to happen because there are going to be changes people are not going to like, certain kinds of revenue enhancements that hes got in his budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back at City Hall, Ald. Anthony Beale, one of Johnsons most antagonistic opponents, was the first of around 40 aldermen in attendance to take his 10-minute turn probing the mayors team. Like other mayoral adversaries, the Far South Side alderman used his time as an opportunity to slam Johnsons proposal. Beales opening salvo was a reminder that the mayor has an all-but-zero chance of winning over some aldermen, narrowing his path to getting 26 votes. This is all smoke and mirrors, and I think when the smoke clears, everyone will see that this is a horrible budget, and that it needs to change, Beale said. But while Johnsons predictable foes quickly stated their outright objection, many of the middle-of-the-council aldermen he will need to persuade also made clear their initial skepticism of his plan. Chief among their complaints was the mayors bid to sweep a record-smashing $1 billion surplus from the citys tax increment financing districts. The move would take away money set aside for dozens of projects being planned in neighborhoods across the city, the critics argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Budget Director Annette Guzman told aldermen the so-called TIF sweep followed a preset method as aldermen complained that the purses they largely control could be emptied. I hear that theres money sitting, but it takes so long in the city of Chicago to bring a project to the table, said Ald. Michelle Harris, Johnsons handpicked Rules Committee chair. If we sweep the TIF in communities like mine, then my future projects are dead. Ald. Nicole Lee said later she was shocked at the number when she saw it. Projects she has been working toward for years, like a Donovan Park field house, would have no money to move forward, she said. To not have had the conversation with us at the ward level, the aldermanic level, it was very off-putting, she said. We all have plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even Ald. Jason Ervin, picked by Johnson to lead the Budget Committee, interjected to say 70% of the swept money would come from disadvantaged areas. Ervin also drew a clear line in the sand: This budget will not leave this committee without a signed intergovernmental agreement from Chicago Public Schools, he said, a reference to CPS promise to reimburse the city for over $100 million if aldermen authorize a large enough surplus counted on in the school systems budget. Other aldermen questioned the overall fiscal responsibility of Johnsons budget. Ald. Brendan Reilly questioned whether the budget was truly made of lasting structural changes, as Johnsons team has said it is, given the massive one-time TIF sweep. This is a roadmap to structural balance for the city, Guzman told him. The city didnt get here overnight in fact, its been decades in the making and the city wont get out overnight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reilly also cast doubt on the legal feasibility of Johnsons plans to add a first-of-its-kind tax on social media tech giants. Ald. Pat Dowell, Johnsons Finance Committee chair, questioned Guzman on a new fund the mayor wants to use to pay for anti-violence programs like youth summer jobs with permanent city money as federal grants expire. Im of the thought, budget director, that when you max out your credit card and your bill is high, you shouldnt be adding new stuff to the house, Dowell said. Other aldermen sounded the alarm against proposed layoffs in the city workforce. We cannot balance this budget on the backs of working people, and particularly those working people who are employed by the city of Chicago, said Ald. Michael Rodriguez, chair of the Workforce Development Committee. I could not support a budget thats balanced on the backs of our workforce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aldermen also repeatedly asked what the odds are that the proposal would lead to credit downgrades, a concern several progressives raised in light of Johnsons plan to largely cut a proactive pension payment first put in place by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Tuesdays hearing was the first of several over the next few weeks in which department heads will appear before aldermen, who can grill them about plans for next year. Since September, ICE agents deployed by President Donald Trump have wreaked havoc on the Chicagoland area, with raids, detainment, and what rapper Recoechi tells Rolling Stone amounts to abduction taking place in predominantly Black and brown communities. In September, Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, a 38-year-old Chicago man, was fatally shot by an ICE agent, while 30-year-old Marimar Martinez was shot by Customs and Border Protection Officers on October 4; in both instances, there are conflicting stories between the Department of Homeland Securitys narrative and witness accounts. Viral clips show ICE agents teargassing residents for protecting their neighbors from potential detainment, and other violent actions. In September, a 130-unit building in Chicagos South Shore was raided, with almost every one of the buildings residents even children being detained. More from Rolling Stone Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hip-hop community has long held a mirror to the world and amplified the peoples plight. Thats continuing to happen in Chicago, with Chance The Rapper displaying a Fuck ICE sign at a show while rapping his Drapetomia lyrics: I got a new chain that say, Fuck ICE. Recently, Vic Mensa penned a New York Times op-ed where he called for solidarity while exploring the citys Black and brown relations. And musically, Chicago rapper Cece Bke dropped FCK ICE on her social media platforms, a song that explores the predicament of ICE lurkin through my city like they own the fuckin spot / kickin doors, tryna rip all these families apart. On the fiery track, the up-and-coming artist rhymes, Bitch dont ask how Im ridin for my Migos / Imma slide for them cause they would slide if it was me hoe. Theres been a misguided assertion that whats happening with ICE is only a Latino issue, but ICEs bombardment of both Black and Brown communities in Chicago demonstrates otherwise. Rolling Stone reached out to over a dozen of Chicagos whos who of rappers. Some didnt respond, others outright declined comment, while four of them shared their thoughts, which are below. Cece Bke I feel like ICE is targeting Black and Brown people, breaking up families, and creating fear in our neighborhoods. Instead of protecting us, they criminalize us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Theyre] causing fear, trauma, and division. Families are scared to leave their homes, kids [are growing] afraid their parents wont be there when they come back from school. It breaks up households, it takes people away from jobs, and it destroys trust between communities and the systems that are supposed to serve us. Instead of helping, theyre hurting us. Trump calling Chicago a war zone is disrespectful to the people who live here and fight every day for better. Yes, theres violence, but that comes from poverty, lack of resources, and generations of neglect. Chicago isnt a war zone, its a city full of love, culture, and resilience. What we need is opportunity, not oppression or over policing. Defcee In order to squash the best qualities of human beings who live in the U.S.those qualities that, when prioritized, eventually lead to the questioning of any and all oppressive, fascistic, and/or authoritarian government practicesICE has been indiscriminately kidnapping and/or arresting Black and Brown people, including young children and infants, in predominantly Black and Brown communities in both Chicago and its suburbs. Children are afraid to attend school, and their parents are afraid to go to work. Many people have been terrorized into refusing to leave their homes, at the expense of their employment status and ability to support themselves and their families, even if they are documented U.S. citizens. In many cases, those who have been arrested are, in essence, disappeared into the federal penal system. This process begins with their being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicagos downtown, a labyrinthine carceral complex, without being given access to legal representation or communication with their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I can only imagine where things go from there for those who do not possess what the U.S. government would consider to be acceptable documentationand I mean only imagine in the literal sense, as there has been barely any transparency regarding what the judicial process looks like in Chicago for those being detained by ICE, if it exists at all. Chicagos Black and Brown communities are not only essential to the citys activist historythey are also emblematic of the kinds of creative, community-based initiatives which have lowered the violent crime rate in the city. Ironically, Chicago in 2025 didnt resemble a war zone until ICE came to town. ICE is a collection of cowards finding strength in numbers. They are, beneath the posturing and rhetoric, deathly afraid of racial equity, kindness, compassion, and empathy directing the moral compasses of anyone currently living in the United States. Chicago is being usedas it has been in the pastas a testing ground for the worst impulses of an authoritarian presidential administration at the expense of human life. Fortunately, Chicago has also come together to combat these tactics, using those same community-centered organizing principles that have made this city one of the greatest in the world when it comes to taking care of our neighbors, even those neighbors we dont always get along with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one asked ICE to come to Chicago, no one needs them here, and no one benefits from their being here except for the political agents driving the Trump administrations current white supremacist domestic policy agenda, as well as the hateful racists who are ideologically aligned with it. Everyone else in the city and suburbs will continue to oppose that agenda in any way they can, because they can see ICEs presence in Chicago for what it isa cowards enabling of the cowardly to oppress those who are least likely to harm them, who courageously continue to fight for the freedom and agency of themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors. femdot. I think its overly insane. There is no justification for whats going on. This shit [is] domestic terrorism. Its like no parameters on what they can and cant do. Theres no order. Just people brought in to incite chaos. I hate everything about it to be honest. There are so many issues that ICE is causing here. First of, its causing a divide. So many people have seen videos of raids on the Southside, and Black people seemingly being confused on why its happening to us versus Latino folks and thats what they want. For the people at the bottom to fight each other rather than fight the people who actually couldnt care less about us as a whole. Whatever to justify unlawful force on all of us, on anyone who doesnt fit what they deem as American. We are seeing real families everyday living in fear. Folks being tear-gassed, beat, detained and all types of shit, regardless of their citizenship. So it was never about that for real. People are scared to go out. Even scared to celebrate themselves. Chicago has always been segregated, but it has also allowed a lot of ethnic holidays to be really large and festive. So seeing historically lively neighborhoods silent during cultural events out of fear of ICE is heartbreaking. Things like Cinco De Mayo and Mexican Independence Day were the quietest Ive ever seen in my life this year. Its crazy. Im a professor at a university here, and damn near a quarter of my introduction to teaching was dialogue about what to do in case of an ICE emergency. Having to adjust how we talk to students and all this crazy shit. Its nuts. The idea of the government occupying a US city is real-life madness. Chicago has been used as a poster child for Americas problems for a very long time, particularly by folks who dont actually live here. Its super frustrating and undermines all the work the people have been doing here for years. Using false information to fuel a full-on attack on your own country is crazy. [Trump is] calling it a war zone so people feel more justified in allowing [him] to send the military into a US city. Lets be real, we are a Sanctuary City. If you just casually said, Hey, we are about to essentially use the military to harass, detain, and abuse anyone who doesnt look like me, in every city that did not immediately oblige to my policies, that would be a harder sell. Or maybe not, at this point. I dont know, man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This war zone narrative is tired. Are there places that are dangerous? Absolutely. But this isnt actually about any of that. This is not about even fixing any of that. Data shows we need resources and time to fix that. There are stats that show that things are changing. But thats not important. And this most definitely isnt about making us safe. Its about power. I truly believe we are watching fascism in real time. And the place I love and call home is experiencing it firsthand. Recoechi I think its utter bullshit. Its in defiance of basic humanity. I feel that this is a tactic to bring the National Guard to Chicago and justify its presence here. The agents are tearing families apart. People are seeing their mothers, wives, aunties, uncles, cousins, little sisters, and brothers being taken from their hands. Ive seen a video of a little boy pleading for an officer not to take his dad away. You can see actions like that, and it makes you feel like the agents have no humanity. Its a war on the people, thats what it truly is. Im from the Southside, and a lot of the brothers from the hood we are not taught or educated on whats really going on. They just think there are immigrants in their hood without knowing why these immigrants are here. And so, some of them are even saying, Im happy that ICE is there. They dont even understand the importance of coming together right now. ICE, and how immigration is being framed, is dividing Black and Mexican communities. The Blacks that know, we know these are our brothers and sisters. We gotta lock in with them. We gotta go against the oppressor. But there are also Black folks who are ignorant of this. We gotta talk to our own people about this. Its causing a lot of division and separation of our communities, but it is also exposing the miseducated folks, the people who need to know that we need ICE gone. Its not just Mexicans getting abducted. They can pull up on you in a car, just grab you, thats abduction. I feel that there is a true opportunity for us to come together, but right now, theyre causing a huge divide. In all seriousness, this is why I made the song, Concentration USA. We are here because of money. People want more money. Whether its Trump, whether its Democrats, everybody wants more money. Even if thats at the sake of capturing and putting harm towards US citizens, the President is causing a war here. Theres been a war on Black folks from the Chicago police department since they were invented, on minorities since they were invented. And now hes coming here, bringing ICE, amplifying that energy. Its causing a war on the inside to try and trigger the Black and Brown and anyone else with a brain or conscience that is against this shit to be able to have probable cause to call the National Guard. Everyone knows Chicago is the most revolutionary city ever. They know we not for that. The people will stand together and stand in front of tanks before they let tanks roll through the streets of Chicago. Chicagos a warzone? Thats bullshit. This is a Warzone created by Donald Trump and every other politician that has caused harm or put minorities and Black folks, Mexicans, and everybody in this predicament, where we are now at war with each other. Theyre doing this to us, and some people are not even educated enough to understand whats happening to them, so theyre just reacting to it instead of really dissecting it. Theres a lot of that going on right now. Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, on Tuesday, accused the Aam Aadmi Party of "forcing" Punjab farmers to burn stubble, which raises pollution levels in the national capital. The minister, who addressed a press conference, showed videos of stubble burning in Punjab and alleged that farmers did not want to burn stubble but were being forced to do so. "I want to show you how the Aam Aadmi Party is deliberately forcing farmers to burn stubble in Punjab by covering their faces... Farmers don't want to burn stubble, but they were told to do so. They've been forced to burn stubble by covering their faces, so that this stubble can have an impact on Delhi. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal spent ten years as Chief Minister, abusing the farmers of Punjab," he alleged. Sirsa said the BJP government in Delhi has been, for the past nearly seven months, "working on a disease that had been going on for the past 27 years". The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), on Sunday, imposed Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR. CAQM said actions under Stage I and II of the extant GRAP shall be implemented, monitored, and reviewed earnestly by all concerned agencies in the NCR to ensure that AQI levels do not slip further. All implementing agencies have been asked to maintain a strict vigil and intensify measures to the extent specified in the GRAP schedule. The concerned agencies have also been asked to take appropriate dust mitigation measures in the Delhi-NCR. (ANI) (The Center Square) The Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, or EFSEC, has unanimously voted to significantly scale back the Horse Heaven wind, solar and battery project from its original proposal, in order to protect ferruginous hawks, which are endangered in Washington. The Washington Supreme Court could end up ultimately deciding the size of the Horse Heaven wind farm by potentially hearing lawsuits that challenge its approval. The Horse Heaven energy project located some four miles southwest of the city of Kennewick and the larger Tri-Cities urban area is set to cut dozens of turbines to protect the birds, based on last weeks EFSEC decision. The exact number of turbines to be cut depends on which of two project configurations the project developer, Scout Clean Energy, chooses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Gov. Jay Inslee originally gave Scout Clean Energy the green light to construct what would be the largest wind and solar project in the state up to 222 turbines, as well as solar panel arrays and battery storage facilities. EFSEC then approved a smaller project with protection for the hawks and consideration for culturally sensitive tribal lands. Lawmakers and community groups also raised concerns about the destruction of ridgeline views and declining property values with the landscape obstructed by giant turbines and solar panels. Inslee pushed back on EFSEC, urging them to approve the original project to prioritize Washingtons climate goals and EFSEC agreed to reconsider. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The board ended up approving most of the original project, nixing only about three dozen proposed turbines. Last December, a citizen group called Tri-Cities C.A.R.E.S., Benton County and the Yakama Nation filed separate lawsuits against the project, and those groups now combined legally are waiting to find out if the states highest court will take the case, as recommended by a Thurston County Superior Court judge. EFSEC established a pre-operational technical advisory group, or PTAG, to consider concerns about the hawks and other environmental issues raised by locals. PTAG found more than 40 hawk nests near the proposed site and said a buffer of more than a half mile was justified to protect the birds. They said a few additional nests needed a wider 2-mile buffer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This past spring, a breeding pair and fledglings were found in a nest. It was the first time in a number of years. Well take any signs we can get, said Dave Sharp, vice president of Tri Cities C.A.R.E.S, during a Monday interview with The Center Square. Scout Clean Energy did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication on Monday. The developer previously emailed a statement to The Center Square while EFSEC was still considering scaling back the project. While ferruginous hawks are listed as endangered in Washington, they are fairly common across their range, which encompasses the western U.S. and Canada. Their rarity in Washington is a function of geography as much as anything, as they are only in the state during the breeding season, and migrate to other parts of their range during the non-breeding season, Scout Energy spokesperson Chad Thompson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ahead of last weeks vote to approve the resolution scaling back the project, EFSEC members heard a discussion about some of the legal concerns raised by Benton County, including a complaint that a county representative legally required by statute to have a voice on the board was told he was no longer needed last year. Jon Thompson, Ecology Division assistant attorney general, explained that EFSEC rules only require that the county representative remain on the board until the project has been approved or rejected. When that occurs is when the governor makes a decision either accepting or rejecting, in this case accepting the application for site certification, he said. Thompon explained that when Inslee signed off on the project a year ago, it was no longer a requirement that a Benton County representative be on the board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres really no basis in my opinion to the countys assertion that the county representative should still be sitting on the council, Thompson said. Benton County also argued that PTAG meetings that provided technical and scientific advice to the board about mitigating concerns regarding the hawks and other environmental issues should have been subject to the Open Public Meetings Act, instead of meeting behind closed doors. These meetings were not required to be conducted under the OPMA, Thompson noted. The OPMA applies to the meetings of governing bodies of government agencies, and it does not apply to committees thereof when the committee acts on behalf of a governing body. Sharp said his organization is also dissatisfied with EFSECs most recent decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tri-Cities C.A.R.E.S. is not happy either because although they agreed on some of the nests and they put exclusion zones in for some nests, there was no consensus on it, he explained. I think EFSEC leaned more towards what the wildlife biologists people recommended. Tri-Cities C.A.R.E.S. claims the wind farm will obstruct the views of more than 100,000 Benton County residents who would live within six miles of a turbine, and bring down property values by as much 20% or more. At this point, it is unclear what the scaled back project will consist of, or if the developer will wait until a potential court ruling before breaking any ground. EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so for this edition of 12 Health, host Shannon Hegy sat down with a survivor and her doctor to discuss the disease and how its treated. Christine Alex of Bristol was diagnosed last year at the age of 39. Knowing her family has a history of breast cancer, she started getting mammograms at 35, and following her diagnosis, she made the difficult decision to undergo a double mastectomy. MORE: Breast cancer survivor recounts journey after early detection Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Sophia Rizk, an oncologist with Southcoast Health, said its crucial for women to know their family history since it could mean getting mammograms before the recommended age of 40. Dr. Rizk also discussed new treatments including immunotherapy, disparities in survival rates among Black women, new technology in detecting cancer in those with dense breast tissue, as well as New York becoming the first state in the country to require insurance to cover cold caps for hair preservation during treatment. 12 Health airs Tuesdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on the free WPRI 12+ TV app, which is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung streaming platforms and TVs. How to get the WPRI 12+ TV app 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 Special Coverage & Notices Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. New Jerseyans are set to make a big decision two weeks from today: picking a brand new governor. So we sat down with the two major-party candidates in the race to help you out. We held on-camera interviews in recent days with both Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill, asking them identical sets of questions about key issues: skyrocketing electric bills, housing, property taxes (the nations highest), education, and vaccines. We also asked Ciattarelli how he differs from President Donald Trump, the fellow Republican who endorsed him. And we asked Sherrill about how she differs from Gov. Phil Murphy, the outgoing Democratic governor. Ciattarelli has warned Sherrill would be a continuation of Murphy. Sherrill has warned Ciattarelli would be a rubber stamp for Trump. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Republican leaders will brief reporters Tuesday morning as the government shutdown entered its 21st day. Johnson, in frustration, has signaled that he will not recall lawmakers back to Washington for votes until the government reopens. Senate Democrats on Monday blocked the GOP-led continuing resolution (CR) for the 11th time. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) following the latest vote suggested it may be time for the House to come back to work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The press conference is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT. Watch the live video 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 The Hill. The Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control is holding a hearing Tuesday afternoon looking into the alleged ties between Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, and Latin American drug trafficking operations. The hearing is expected to examine the Lebanese militant groups reported financial support of the movement of drugs through Latin America and the U.S. governments response to such threats, according to the panel. It comes as the Trump administration has ramped up efforts to quash drug trafficking in the Caribbean with military intervention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. EDT. Watch the live video 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 The Hill. (The Center Square) In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop reviews the latest in the legal battle over whether the Trump administration can use the National Guard for public safety in Illinois with an emergency motion to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bishop also shares the latest comments from President Donald Trump about the status of soybean sales to China, which didn't buy any soybeans in the most recent report from the USDA. Illinois is the largest producer of soybeans in the country. Subscribe to Illinois in Focus Daily with The Center Square on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the Illinois in Focus podcast to get the entire show uninterrupted. NewsNation reporter Jessica Kartalija captured the frenzied clash between protestors and ICE agents in New York City on Tuesday on live TV, reporting protestors yelling racial slurs and pushing federal agents as they swarmed their vehicles. People are pounding on the windows of the car, Kartalija reported. The ICE agents are trying to get out theyre not letting them leave! she exclaimed a moment later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also reported people have been throwing things at the ICE agents and that protestors were shoving agents some of which was caught on camera. Kartalija was following the protestors as they moved down the street, chanting ICE OUT NOW!, and interviewing a few along the way. The crowd made it clear they hated that President Donald Trump was using ICE and border patrol agents to deport illegal immigrants. We dont want them in our f*cking city! one female protestor yelled at Kartalija. Theyre fakers, I dont believe them to have this authority, I dont think they should be able to cover their faces. They should not be able to kidnap people in the streets! The young woman, a moment later, flipped out when Kartalija asked her about the traffic the protest was causing. Its New York City! Traffic being blocked is okay if were going to stop them from kidnapping people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kartalija estimated there were hundreds of protestors involved. She said the media and others had been tipped off to an ICE raid that was being made on Canal Street in Lower Manhattan. She reported one man was spotted running up and down the street yelling, ICE is coming! ICE is coming! Agents let him go when they learned he was a U.S. citizen, she reported. Later, Kartalija said this was unprecedented, Ive never seen anything like this, and that the scene looked like a war zone. You can watch part of her wild coverage above, via NewsNation. The post NYC Protestors Clash With ICE on Live TV: We Dont Want These People In Our F*cking City! first appeared on Mediaite. )The Center Square) Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he is not for open borders and wants immigration law enforced, just not how the Trump administration is doing it. Monday at a stop in Florida, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the feds are working with local authorities in various states, but not in Illinois. "Governor Pritzker in Illinois is putting his people in danger every day by going against us and not working with us to make sure that we're detaining individuals who have criminal charges against them or have been convicted, and then rereleasing them out on the streets," Noem said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illinois law prohibits state and local law enforcement from assisting federal officials with immigration enforcement of civil detention orders. Tuesday during a discussion with The Economic Club of Chicago, Pritzker said he doesnt support open borders and wants immigration law enforced, but criticized the Trump administration "My objection is not having an, an immigration enforcement mechanism. My objection is the way they're doing it," Pritzker said. "They are breaking all of the protocols and rules that normally apply to police in this country. And we're just sitting back and allowing it to happen is not right." Pritzker pushed for immigration reform to allow those who are here illegally, but not breaking other laws, to remain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump administration officials say they are enforcing immigration on the streets because of Illinois migrant sanctuary laws. Illinois legislators could come back to Springfield next week and advance measures to enhance the states migrant sanctuary policies. Last week, a Cook County judge ordered that Immigration and Customs Enforcement cant conduct enforcement actions at the county courthouse. After that ruling, Pritzker praised the move, but said there are challenges to enhancing the states sanctuary policies. "We may be able to make tweaks to the law to protect people better in the state," Pritzker said Oct. 15. "Although, as you know, I think we've done a pretty good job of Trump proofing the state as best we could." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Patrick Sheehan, R-Homer Glen, who is also a law enforcement officer, said the states migrant sanctuary policies need to be repealed, not enhanced. He said its causing confusion among local police. "We've seen the misdirection, the Chicago Police Department and local law enforcement, they're not sure what to do," he told The Center Square. "When you take away the instinct from a police officer, you've completely broken, how law enforcement operates." Legislators are expected to return for the final three days of session scheduled for the year beginning Tuesday. President Donald Trump on Monday had a tense exchange with a reporter who questioned his plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. During a press conference in the cabinet room of the White House, Australian journalist Latika Bourke asked the president why he could not just enable Ukraine to finish this war tomorrow. Well, if you knew anything about what you were talking about, Trump responded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do, Bourke said. You do? I dont think you do, really, Trump said. I dont think you do. Because its a little more complicated than that, but it sounds easy. Trump last week reiterated his request for an immediate halt to the war in Ukraine, calling on Kyiv and Moscow to stop where they are and end their conflict following a lengthy, reportedly tense White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine would have to cede a portion of territory in the eastern Donbas region, Trump said, with much of the area now occupied by Russias invading forces. Trumps new proposal indicated a shift in his position after the president previously suggested Kyiv could recapture its Russian-occupied territories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow said its position remained unchanged in rejecting Trumps latest plan to freeze the war. Were in the process of trying to make a deal, Trump said Monday. If we make a deal, thats great. If we dont make a deal, a lot of people are going to be paying a big price. REPORTER: Mr. President, on the war that you haven't solved yet - the Ukraine-Russia situation... Can you explain? Just a few weeks ago, you said Ukraine could possibly win the war and keep its territory, but now that story says something different... US PRESIDENT TRUMP: They pic.twitter.com/Iu8VaEs8vT Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) October 20, 2025 Trump is expected to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the coming weeks to discuss ending the war. The White House announced the proposed meeting last Thursday after the two world leaders spoke by phone for nearly two and a half hours. Zelenskyy said he would join Trump and Putin in Budapest if invited, adding that he was ready for an immediate ceasefire but that Ukraine would not gift anything to the aggressor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we really want to have just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy, Zelenskyy said. How can there be some deals without us about us? Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone Monday to discuss the next steps toward ending the war. The U.S. State Department issued a brief statement following their call: The Secretary emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, in line with President Trumps vision. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Supreme Court has recently issued a notice to Fortis Hospital in a plea by a child, Devarsh Jain, seeking compensation for an alleged brain injury at the time of his birth in 2017. The child approached the apex court through his mother against the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC), which refused orders for compensation. The bench of justices Sanjay Kumar and Alok Aradhe issued notice to Fortis Hospital and other respondents. The matter has been listed for further hearing on December 8, 2025. The appeal has been filed against the order dated March 17, 2025, passed by the NCDRC dismissing the original complaint of the appellants in limine. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, along with Advocate Rajiv Ranjan Dwivedi, appeared for the appellant Devarsh Jain, an 8-year-old child who is in a vegetative state. The appeal stated that the appellant, Devarsh Jain, suffered severe brain damage at the hands of two paediatricians employed by the super-speciality NABH-certified Fortis Hospital at Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi. It is alleged that despite being unqualified professionals, both these doctors have been appointed to senior-most positions in the hospital, especially to admit and treat newborn babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It is further stated that both doctors brutally mishandled the appellant's child, causing irreversible brain damage. As a result, the child has been reduced to a permanent vegetative state. The damage culminated in Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy, condemning him to a life of endless seizures, complete muteness, and severe visual impairment. "He now lies permanently confined to a cot-silent, motionless, and unresponsive. His existence has been reduced to a living tragedy, inflicted solely by the reckless hands of those as doctors," the plea said. The child had filed a complaint under Section 35(1)(c) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, before NCDRC, on behalf of and for the benefit of numerous other patients who had faced similar misrepresentation at the hands of the respondents. It is also stated that NCDRC dismissed the complaint while completely misconstruing the basic facts of the complaint. "The Commission erroneously proceeded to treat the complaint as a Public Interest Litigation against the entire medical industry. It further erred in observing that the respondent doctors, who caused brain damage to the appellant child, were merely cited as illustrations," the plea said. In a statement from Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, it stated that it has not yet been served with any notice from the Supreme Court of India in this matter. "We retain all our rights to review the allegations and will issue a formal response in accordance with the law once the relevant documents and legal filings are received," it said. (ANI) A California-headquartered water filter maker plans to make Walterboro, S.C, the home of its first East Coast manufacturing operations. (File photo by Getty Images) A California-headquartered water filter maker announced plans Tuesday to make Walterboro the home of its first East Coast manufacturing operations. QMP, Inc., pledged to hire at least 233 people over the next five years. The company plans to invest $5.1 million in a 22,000-square-foot facility that previously housed a printing business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 30-year-old company based in Valencia, Calif., makes water filtration systems for both residential and commercial use. It will be looking for skilled craftsman, as well as general operators and laborers to run the facility in rural Colleton County, according to Brantley Strickland, who heads the countys economic development alliance. While many manufacturers have chosen to move production overseas, QMP remains deeply committed to American manufacturing. Expanding into South Carolina allows us to continue building on more than three decades of excellence and innovation right here in the United States, QMP Vice President Vanessa Vidal Forsyth said in a statement. The average wage, Strickland said, will be $25 per hour, which is a couple of dollars above the current county average. Colleton County sees about 10,400 of its residents commute outside the county every day for work about 15% of those for manufacturing jobs, Strickland said. QMP would offer an opportunity closer to home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hopefully this can give some of those people a couple hours back in their day and put a little more money in their pocket, Strickland said. If QMP meets its jobs projections, it would become Colleton Countys largest manufacturer, Strickland said. By comparison, food and beverage maker Gehl Foods employs 140 people in the county since coming to South Carolina in June 2022. The building QMP plans to move into has been vacant since the printing company shuttered in 2020, Strickland said. QMP plans to buy an additional five acres and add on to the existing space. In exchange for the companys investment, Colleton County Council is considering a deal to offer the company tax breaks, though the details of that agreement arent yet publicly available. It will likely be December before a deal is finalized, Strickland said, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state has approved the county for corporate income tax credits worth $20,250 per new job, as well as a $250,000 grant to help pay for improvements to the property. Operations are expected to begin in January 2026. Those wishing to apply can email QMP at info@qmpusa.com. Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. (Montana Department of Corrections photo) Montana State Prisons drinking water has routinely tested positive for coliform, a bacteria found in fecal matter, and the facility has received numerous drinking water violations over the past three decades, according to the states Safe Drinking Water Information System. Publicly available drinking water tests from the Department of Public Health and Human Services Environmental Lab show the prisons aging and troubled system tested positive for coliform 11 times in 2025 and eight times in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Questions about water quality have come to the surface since a reported water pipe break at the prison 10 days ago that left inmates without consistent drinking water and in some cases not enough water, according to an inmate and family members. But water quality at the prison appears to be a longstanding issue. The Department of Corrections said it takes those concerns seriously. The safety of inmates and staff members at Montana State Prison (MSP) is paramount, and any safety concerns brought to the departments attention are addressed immediately, Department of Corrections spokesperson Carolynn Stocker wrote in an email to the Daily Montanan. The Department works closely with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to ensure the safety of water. The facility has received seven individual violations since 2022. When inspections reveal issues, there is a set notification process. The violations, which follow testing, were over E. coli monitoring, multiple consumer confidence violations a mandated water quality reporting process by the Environmental Protection Agency as well as notifications about copper and lead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEQ has informed the DOC that lead and copper values are less than federal action levels, Stocker wrote in an email. When there is an issue with water that requires public notification, its called a violation. Even things like not responding to a correction or repair request within a certain time period can be considered a violation, according to a DEQ reference sheet on federal rules surrounding coliform. Following that notification, water facilities are asked to come back into compliance. In an email late Monday, the Department of Corrections did not directly answer a question regarding consumer confidence report violations the Daily Montanan sent Friday. The DOC referred those questions to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which did not respond to the Daily Montanan by press time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have been about 50 tests for coliform, a different bacteria than E. coli, over the past year, according to the data set. During those coliform tests the state also tests for E. coli. None of the E. coli tests showed the presence of that pathogen, and prison water hasnt tested positive for that bacteria since 2000, and even then it was in non-potable water, the Department of Corrections said in an emailed response to questions from the Daily Montanan. On Monday, inmates were handed a notification dated Oct. 10, saying that there were questions about the quality of the water supply, in this case, potentially from the infrastructure problems at the prison. Amanda McKnight, who has been advocating for inmates during the water crisis, said her husband, who is an inmate, read the statement and she transcribed it. Our water system recently experienced a loss of pressure, which could have resulted in contamination of the water supply, the statement reads. Because of the loss of pressure, it is unknown if contaminants could have infiltrated the distribution system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement goes on to say water from the prisons supply should be boiled before usage. Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and headaches, the statement reads. The DOC did not immediately respond to a request late Monday for comment on the boil order notification. On Wednesday morning a portable shower unit was set up on the low security side at Montana State Prison. (DOC photo) McKnight said her husband had severe stomach issues for six months after entering the prison. Even before the current water crisis, she was sending him extra money for bottled water, she said, and thats been a consistent worry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its devastating to know that my husband and 1,600 other human beings along with the staff who work there are being forced to live in conditions we wouldnt tolerate for animals, McKnight, who shared the violations with the Daily Montanan, wrote in a message. Clean water is a basic human right. The State has known about these water issues for years and has done nothing. This isnt an accident, this is neglect. The testing data goes back decades, and prison water has tested positive for coliform 37 times since 2001. Coliform bacteria arent necessarily harmful, though their presence in drinking water can indicate pathogens are in the water. Following a water sample, bacteria is grown in a petri dish overnight, said Ben Rigby, the executive director of Montana Rural Water Systems. If its a hit or when a sample tests positive for a specific pathogen, theyll take several more samples, Rigby said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rigby was previously the Water Treatment Superintendent city of Helenas water system and said theres always a possibility of false positives too. Reporting out any water issues is paramount to public trust, he said. Thats kind of rule number one, as an operator in a public water supply, Rigby added. There are significant federal regulations around water quality, including the Revised Total Coliform Rule. Total coliforms are a group of closely related bacteria that are natural and common inhabitants of soil and surface waters, the rule states. Their presence in drinking water suggests that there has been a breach or failure in the water system (for example, a hole in the pipe); and pathogens, which are disease-carrying organisms, may have entered the drinking water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was unclear how high the levels were of coliform bacteria. Positive tests for coliform at the prison date back to 1981, state records show. A test on Sept. 23 of this year showed the presence of coliform in the drinking water. In an email, the Daily Montanan asked the DOC to explain the severity of the test results and its response. A DOC spokesperson explained the process the DOC uses to meet standards but did not elaborate on the positive results for coliform. The state samples water at the facility about three times per month, Stocker wrote in an email. Those samples are delivered to the DPHHS environmental division, which then reports the results to the Department of Environmental Quality. If there are any concerns with the results, Corrections works with DEQ to identify and address any problems and to ensure water meets the requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and state laws, Stocker wrote. This could include, but is not limited to, mitigation strategies such as boil advisories. The DOC continues to work with DEQ until a negative test result is achieved and the water is confirmed free from the contaminant. When public notice is required, MSP posts that information in all public areas at the facility for staff and in the communal areas in the prison units for inmate access. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sewer and water issues arent new at the prison, and last year, Montana Public Radio reported a sewage backup lasted for days. As a wife, it breaks me to know that my husband and every man inside those walls has been drinking, showering, and living in contaminated water for years, said Ariana Smith, whose husband is also in the facility, said in a statement last week. The National Guard has delivered thousands of gallons of water to the prison from the city of Deer Lodge. The prison is also drawing from two on-site wells, Lee Newspapers reported on Monday. A valve key is used to reach six feet down to turn on and repressurize the water system at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. (Provided by the Montana Department of Corrections) But theres been major issues with the city of Deer Lodges water system as well. One of the citys three public wells shut down following a 2013 violation for arsenic contamination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two remaining wells are also susceptible to arsenic contamination due to the proximity of the Clark Fork River, a 2024 Department of Natural Resources and Conservation environmental assessment states. Having only two remaining production wells poses a severe risk to the Citys ability to provide reliable water service due to lack of redundant water supply. Deer Lodge and the state prison both lie within the Anaconda Company Smelter Superfund Site. Milling and smelting operations produced high concentrations of arsenic, lead, copper, cadmium and zinc that contaminated soil and groundwater. Last week, the Department of Corrections said it was going to take $21 million in appropriated money from 2025 budget legislation to modernize the prisons water system following the break. This work is expected to take from 60 to 90 days, the DOC said in an Oct. 18 press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DOC officials said they have tried to find the source of the problem, calling in multiple water experts, the states National Guard and a Department of Natural Resources and Conservation command team. Last week, the DOC announced in a press release that water had been restored to the Secure Adjustment Unit and units 1 and 2 on the high-security side of the facility. Work to stabilize water access continued over the weekend, the agency said in an Oct. 18 press release. On Monday, 13 plumbers were expected to be on site, DOC Director Brian Gootkin said in a statement. A leak was found outside the A unit in the low security side of the prison, and the DOC said maintenance staff believe repairing that will help with water pressure in units A, B and C. Some work to excavate pipes at the prison has to be done by hand, according to the DOC. It seems like every time we fix one leak, another one pops up affecting the system in a different way, Gootkin said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Corrections also said a Department of Public Health and Human Services sanitarian inspected the prison last week and provided technical assistance on the safety and adequacy of the facilitys temporary water system. The temporary water system inspected today meets the highest standards to ensure the health and safety of MSP inmates and staff, DPHHS sanitation Jenna Fisher stated in a DOC press release. A DOC release said Fisher confirmed that the facility is supplying necessities including portable restrooms, showers, and bottled water in quantities they said exceed levels recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On Friday, the Department of Corrections announced potable water trucks supplied the prisons food factory, allowing that facilitys cooking operations to resume. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the DOC said Fisher observed that the prisons kitchen is maintaining safe sanitation water is being boiled, the release said and laundry facilities remain fully operational. Construction planning is also progressing, with plans to replace the failing water system to begin this week, the agency said. WATERTOWN - Officials in Watertown are seeking permanent custody of seven adult dogs seized last month from a Cobb Street home, the owner of which is facing 50 counts of animal cruelty. Martin Oliver, 52, was arrested Sept. 30 after police and animal control officers found 43 puppies, cats and kittens in addition to the seven dogs living in filthy conditions inside Oliver's three-bedroom, single-family home, despite months of warnings from the town, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watertown police received numerous complaints over the past year about Oliver's unvaccinated dogs roaming, according to a search warrant affidavit filed by Animal Control Officer Emily Mosakowski. In February, Watertown police had arrested Oliver after he went to retrieve a firearm from his home during an argument with his neighbor over Oliver's roaming dog. He pleaded guilty Aug. 26 to second-degree threatening, second-degree breach of peace and illegal display of a firearm. He received a suspended sentence of 11 months in prison and two years' probation, according to court records. Officers were aware that he owned several dogs, including two German shepherds named Titan and Harmony and a Husky named Lexi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite warnings to stop breeding the animals, Mosakowski wrote that Oliver allowed the dogs to produce multiple litters, according to the affidavit. By spring, Lexi and Titan had a second litter of five puppies and two of their offspring later became pregnant by their own littermate. Oliver also had several unvaccinated cats, one of which was pregnant, police said. On Sept. 14, Watertown police responded to a disturbance at Oliver's home and found feces and urine throughout the residence, according to the affidavit. Days later, investigators learned Oliver had reached out to a rescue organization for help and admitted to the organization that the number of animals had gotten "out of hand." He reported having more than 20 cats and kittens and several litters of puppies in his 1,165-square-foot home, according to the affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police obtained a search warrant in late September and seized the animals, which were taken to area shelters and rescues for care. The town on Oct. 3 filed a lawsuit in Superior Court in Waterbury, asking a judge to transfer custody of seven dogs. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3. The status of the remaining 43 animals seized was not immediately clear. This article originally published at Watertown seeks permanent custody of 7 dogs seized in animal cruelty case. A 26-year-old Waukesha woman has been charged after authorities say she struck two children with a vehicle while they were riding a minibike Oct. 18 in the Village of Lisbon. Zuyelmar Barrios Alvarez was charged with knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a valid license - causing great bodily harm, and hit and run, causing great bodily harm, according to criminal complaint filed Oct. 20 in Waukesha County Circuit Court. The crash took place around 6 p.m. Oct. 18 at the intersection of Lynndale Lane and Willow Creek Drive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of the accident, the sheriff's office said an 11-year-old boy was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition. Family members took an 8-year-old girl to the hospital for minor injuries. According to the criminal complaint: When the police arrived, Pewaukee Fire/EMS was administering the aid to a child bleeding from his head and wrist while lying in the roadway. He was not responding, but was breathing on his own. Alvarez, who did not speak English and required Spanish-translation services, told officers she approached the intersection at 15 to 20 per hour and did not notice any other vehicles. After seeing the minibike, she said she attempted to brake and swerve to her right but could not avoid the collision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alvarez said she did not call 911 but knew another person did. A witness' surveillance video indicates Alvarez drove away for two minutes and 10 seconds before returning to the scene. She did not stop or remain on the scene until confronted by witnesses. The victim was transported by ambulance to Children's Hospital with a serious head injury and two broken legs. Alvarez told authorities she lived in Waukesha for eight months, but did not have a Wisconsin driver's license, only one from Illinois. If convicted, Alvarez can face up to 18 years and six months in prison. Her preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 29. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha woman charged after authorities say she drove into minibike in Lisbon LORAIN, Ohio (WJW) The Lorain community is grieving after the tragic shooting death of 18-year-old Isaac Brocco Rivera. There is no way to describe this, said Kevin Smith of Vermilion. Its tragic, senseless and just gut-wrenching. Smith said Isaacs mother works at his barbershop and called him Saturday night after learning what happened. Police discovered Isaac fatally shot in the head at Lakeview Park that night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was on his way to homecoming and he never got there or home, Smith said. She talked about how he was so excited to be 18, to get a car, and to go to homecoming. Isaac was a student with Lorain City Schools, a senior at the Lorain Success Academy. The Lorain City School District said counselors would be available beginning Monday morning to support students and staff. Local high school football player seriously injured during game, remains in hospital In a statement, the superintendent said, Please know that we have engaged our crisis team and will have supports available for as long as needed for students and staff. Hold your loved ones a little closer and a little tighter. Photo courtesy GoFundMe Police said Monday afternoon that the investigation is ongoing and are urging anyone with information to contact Lorain police investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the community is rallying around Isaacs family. Smith has launched a GoFundMe to help Isaacs mother and two brothers with funeral costs. Inquest: Dad sends 11-year-old to bed thinking he was drunk, boy later dies of snake bite We just have to show her were there that we care, Smith said. It will never be the same, but if we can help ease the burden so she can grieve how she needs to, said Smith. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Self-driving car company Waymo is now under federal investigation following reports that one of its vehicles failed to stop for a school bus as students were disembarking. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched the investigation following the incident on September 22 in Atlanta, Georgia, which is being carried out by its Office of Defects Investigation. Despite the school bus being stationary, with its red lights flashing and stop arm deployed, the Waymo failed to stop, the ODI report stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The self-driving vehicle reportedly approached the bus from a perpendicular side street and halted briefly, but then turned right and passed in front of the vehicle and down its entire left side, the report states. During this maneuver, the Waymo AV passed the buss extended crossing control arm near disembarking students (on the buss right side) and passed the extended stop arm on the buss left side, the ODI said. At the time of the incident the Waymo was being operated by the companys 5th Generation Automated Driving System (ADS) and no safety operator was in the vehicle. Self-driving car company Waymo is now under federal investigation following reports that one of its vehicles failed to stop for a school bus, narrowly missing kids getting off it (AP) Waymos ADS surpassed 100 million miles of driving in July of 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Operations involving Waymos ADS currently accumulate approximately two million miles per week, according to the ODI. The department added that, based on the incident and the accumulation of operational miles, the likelihood of other prior similar incidents is high. ODI has opened a Preliminary Evaluation to investigate the performance of the Waymo ADS around stopped school buses, how the system is designed to comply with school bus traffic safety laws, and the systems ability to follow those traffic safety laws, ODIs report stated. During this investigation, NHTSA will seek to identify the scope of the issue presented by this incident and identify any other similar incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement shared with The Independent, a Waymo spokesperson said: Safety is our top priority, as we provide hundreds of thousands of fully autonomous paid trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments in the U.S. The investigation comes shortly after a separate incident in San Bruno, California, in which traffic cops accidentally stopped a driverless Waymo for a suspected DUI, after it performed an illegal U-turn (San Bruno Police Department) The data shows we are improving road safety in the communities in which we operate, achieving a fivefold reduction in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers, and twelve times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians. NHTSA plays a vital role in road safety, and we will continue to work collaboratively with the agency as part of our mission to be the worlds most trusted driver. It comes shortly after a separate incident in San Bruno, California, in which traffic cops accidentally stopped a driverless Waymo for a suspected DUI, after it performed an illegal U-turn. Since there was no human driver, a ticket couldnt be issued (our citation books dont have a box for robot), the department wrote in an online post. LANSING, Mich. )WLNS) Cooler temperatures are set to move into our region this week, which will lead to lake-effect rain across Mid-Michigan. Rain showers will arrive Tuesday afternoon, increasing in coverage overnight. A few storms are also possible Tuesday afternoon, some of which could produce small hail due to cold temperatures aloft. Lake-effect rain showers will persist on Wednesday and Thursday, eventually drying up on Friday. Most in Mid-Michigan could see between .25 to .75 of rain through Thursday night, though rainfall totals will likely be higher closer to Lake Michigan. Gusty winds will accompany this system, with gusts of 30-40mph possible Tuesday and Wednesday, decreasing slightly on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A proposal by Wellstar Health in May to build a new hospital in Acworth is officially moving forward after state health officials approved the facilitys construction. Previously, Channel 2 Action News reported that Wellstar wanted to build a new 230-bed hospital in Acworth, citing the growing need for medical care in the northern part of Cobb County. While competitors are legally allowed to contest the potential build, and did so, Wellstar said Tuesday that the Georgia Department of Community Health had given permission to develop the new hospital. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] In June, the health company released designs of the proposed hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Wellstar said its Kennestone Regional Medical Center at Acworth will get underway, even though several competing health systems filed objections. TRENDING STORIES: In a statement shared with Channel 2 Action News, a company spokesperson said in part that the of the competing health systems that objected to the new build, none of those health systems have the commitment and existing operational abilities to meet the current and future medical needs of residents in Cobb, Paulding, Cherokee and Bartow counties and the future need for improved access to hospital services for the Acworth community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The competitors who opposed construction were not named in Wellstars statement. In the approval letter shared with Wellstar by DCH, Wellstar said the state agency expects the new hospital will have a positive relationship to the existing health care delivery system in the service area. Wellstar will now go ahead with future planning steps to build the hospital in Acworth. Once complete, the proposed eight-story facility would include eight operating rooms and 70 emergency room bays, as well as bringing an estimated 1,500 jobs to the Acworth area. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The Phoenix Zoo's lion cub brothers are departing Phoenix for South Florida. Jasiri and Azizi, both born in June 2024, are leaving in early November 2025 for Zoo Miami, according to the Phoenix Zoo spokesperson Linda Hardwick. The lions have reached the age they would naturally leave their family pride in the wild, Hardwick said. The departure was recommended by the Lion Species Survival Plan, which guides lion management for many zoos, according to Hardwick. The brother cubs "have delighted guests with their playful personalities and strong bond. While the Zoo team will greatly miss them, staff are thrilled that the brothers will remain together as they grow and mature in their new home," a statement from the Phoenix Zoo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A going-away party themed after the 1980s TV cop drama "Miami Vice" will be held 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Oct. 26 at the zoo, Hardwick said. Attendees can watch cubs playing with enrichment toys, may leave farewell messages at a card station and have their photo taken, according to Hardwick. Jasiri and Azizi were the first African lions born at the Phoenix Zoo since 1976, the zoo told The Arizona Republic previously. They are the children of the lioness Zuri and of the late lion Boboo, who died shortly after their births. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Zoo's first African lions born there in decades are leaving The Tripura Frontier of the Border Security Force, on Tuesday observed Police Commemoration Day with solemnity and reverence at Frontier Headquarters, Salbagan, Agartala, an official release said. Aloke Kumar Chakraborty, Inspector General, BSF Tripura Frontier, and all ranks, paid heartfelt tributes to the brave souls who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. During the ceremony, the Inspector General laid a wreath at the Smriti Sthal in honour of the police personnel who served the nation. Addressing the gathering, he read out the names of 191 martyrs, including 23 BSF personnel, and highlighted their extraordinary courage and dedication to duty. Every year, this day serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifice made by 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who lost their lives while valiantly defending the nation against Chinese aggression on 21st October 1959 at Hot Springs, Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir). The observance of this day not only honours their supreme sacrifice but also reinforces the Force's collective resolve to uphold the values and ideals they stood for. A press release said that on October 17, Aloke Kumar Chakraborty, IG (Designate), took over the charge of Inspector General, Tripura Frontier, BSF from AK Sharma, IG, who was posted to Manipur. Aloke Kumar Chakraborty is a highly decorated BSF officer and a recipient of the Police Medal for Meritorious Service, the UNMIK Medal, and the Ati Utkrisht Sewa Padak. He brings with him vast experience in both operational and administrative roles, having served on the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pakistan borders as well as in Anti-Naxal operations. He has also had instructional assignments in premier training institutes like the BSF academy, Gwalior and the Central School of Weapons and Tactics, Indore. In addition, he has served on deputation to the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Under his dynamic leadership, BSF Tripura Frontier is expected to continue its exemplary work in ensuring border security and maintaining peace and harmony along the Indo-Bangladesh International Border in Tripura. (ANI) Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribunes daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. Following our announcement of the full 2025 Texas Tribune Festival lineup, we have even more big news to share: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore opens this years festival in conversation with former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elected governor in 2022, Moore joins Todd for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of his state, the state of the nation, and the state of his party in this extraordinary moment. Our opening keynote begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at First Baptist Church Sanctuary, following a full day of cant-miss TribFest programming in downtown Austin. Moore is the 63rd governor of Maryland, the first Black governor in the states 246-year history, and only the third African American ever elected governor in the United States. Hes the author of The Other Wes Moore, a perennial New York Times bestseller, and the recent Five Days, which tells the story of Baltimore in the days that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015. Todd is host of The ChuckToddCast, a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with political leaders. The six-time Emmy winner previously moderated Meet the Press and co-moderated major presidential debates. Our opening keynote is just one of more than 120 conversations across three days with national and Texas leaders shaping our politics, policy and our future. At TribFest, they come to engage with one another and you because those who gather here shape the future of our communities. Buy your TribFest tickets now and join the conversation. Disclosure: New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Levi Bachmeier speaks during a press conference after being appointed the North Dakota superintendent for the Department of Public Instruction on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Tuesday appointed West Fargo School District Business Manager Levi Bachmeier to be North Dakotas next state superintendent of public instruction. Bachmeier will begin the position after outgoing Superintendent Kirsten Baesler is sworn in as an assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since 2019, Bachmeier has served as business manager of the West Fargo School District, the states fastest-growing school district. He was policy director and education policy adviser for Gov. Doug Burgum from 2016-2019. He previously taught high school social studies for two years with Teach for America and spent a summer as a policy analyst fellow with the U.S. Department of Education. Bachmeier, a West Fargo native, has a bachelors degree in education from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He serves on the State Board of Public School Education, the State Board of Career and Technical Education and the State Board of Higher Education. He plans to resign from those boards prior to becoming state superintendent. Armstrong credited Bachmeier with supporting innovation and accountability in K-12 schools. Levi has established himself as a trusted voice and highly capable leader in K-12 education over the past decade, Armstrong said during a press conference Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bachmeier would need the approval of voters during the 2026 election to fulfill the remainder of Baeslers term, which expires in 2028. Superintendent of public instruction is a nonpartisan post, but candidates typically seek a letter of support from a political party. I would say that you can probably expect news on the campaign side in relatively short order, Bachmeier said. Bachmeier said Armstrong is a Republican, his former boss, former Gov. Doug Burgum, is a Republican and he previously served in a number of other Republican focused roles. We have Republicans and Democrats who send their children to our schools and each and every one of them deserves a great experience that is balanced, he said. Im going to work really hard to make sure its nonpartisan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked if he supported school voucher programs or tax dollars going to private schools, Bachmeier said he supports a robust conversation on ensuring any child receives a great education in the state. That means that any policy needs to support and impact all students, he said. I think there is always more that can be done to continue to promote choice within the public system. He added he appreciated Armstrong vetoing what he considered a school voucher bill during the 2025 legislative session that catered to a narrow subset of North Dakotans. The state superintendent supervises elementary and secondary education, including developing course standards and student assessment. The superintendent also is a member of the Board of University and School Lands, which oversees the Common Schools Trust Fund, valued at more than $7.7 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state superintendent position pays $147,978 per year. Baesler was confirmed Oct. 7 by the U.S. Senate to serve as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education in the U.S. Department of Education. However, the federal government shutdown is delaying her start date. This story has been updated with additional reporting. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) West Middle School has been dismissed early Tuesday. According to the Sioux City Community School District (SCCSD), students were evacuated out of the school building Tuesday morning after the smoke detectors went off. Following an investigation, the school district said that they determined this was caused by a fan belt motor. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So that the motor can be repaired, students have been dismissed early. SCCSD said that bus students will be dropped off along their normal bus route, and parents who pick their children up from school should meet them by the West High softball fields. Students who walk home are being dismissed normally. The school said that any student who left personal belongings inside of the school can pick them up from the school on Wednesday. The school plans to resume classes on Wednesday. Additionally, there will be no after school activities on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) Over the past month, West Virginia has been working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to crack down on illegal immigration within the state, and the governor said that operations last week contributed nearly a third of the agencies total arrests. Governor Morrisey said in a release that on Saturday, Oct. 18, state troopers were staged on Interstate 77 near the U.S. 19 interchange to direct traffic around the New River Gorge for Bridge Day. Troopers were assisted by the West Virginia Public Service Commission, ICE and the DEA and said that they found nine people believed to be in the country illegally and placed them under arrest. Man charged in 2024 Westover bank robbery Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor added that on the same day, another nine people were arrested for the same reason by a detail set up at the Interstate 79 and U.S. 19 interchange in Braxton County. On top of that, five people were arrested on Oct. 12 from an operation conducted on the West Virginia Turnpike. My administration continues to take aggressive action to combat illegal immigration with the support of President Donald Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE, Morrisey said. Our intent is to take any legal action necessary to protect West Virginians. If you are here illegally, if you are caught breaking our laws, if you are smuggling drugs you will be arrested, you will be tried, and if found guilty, you will pay a heavy price. West Virginia has been working with ICE on illegal immigration operations since Sept. 22. As of Oct. 3, 37 people had been arrested, but with last weeks numbers, that number has now grown to a total of 60. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A wooden cross marks a grave at the Wounded Knee Memorial on the Pine Ridge Reservation. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Leading Catholic officials in western South Dakota have issued a statement saying they firmly reject the secretary of defenses recent affirmation of medals awarded for the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. The written statement is from the Most Rev. Scott Bullock, bishop of Rapid City, and the De Smet Jesuit Community of West River, South Dakota. The faith leaders said the facts of the historical tragedy are clear, and the massacre was not a battle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who died at Wounded Knee are sacred. Jesus stands with all who suffer and die at the hands of others, said the statement, issued Monday. Those who committed the violence are also sacred; for this reason, Jesus offers them mercy and healing. Yet the acts themselves were grave evils and cannot be honored. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced last month that the medals awarded to soldiers for their participation in the massacre will not be rescinded. He called the massacre a battle and said soldiers deserve the medals they were awarded. Hegseths predecessor during the Biden administration, Lloyd Austin, created a panel last year to review the medals. At the time, the Department of Defense said approximately 20 soldiers had received a Medal of Honor for participating in the massacre. Historians have said the records associated with some of the medals are incomplete or unclear. There was no public report from the panel and no public action on the matter before Biden left office. Hegseth made his announcement in a social media video, while holding a report that he said was generated by the panel. The Defense Department has not published the report or responded to South Dakota Searchlights requests for a copy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hegseth said the review panel recommended against rescinding the medals, and he alleged that Austin declined to publicize the recommendation because he was more interested in being politically correct than historically correct. The Catholic faith leaders addressed that criticism in their statement. To recognize these acts as honorable is to distort history itself, the statement said. Our response, therefore, is rooted not in political correctness but in prayerful correctness, grounded in truth, conscience, and compassion. The massacre occurred after years of conflict between the Lakota nation and the U.S. government had concluded with many Lakota people ordered onto reservations. On Dec. 29, 1890, a large group of Lakota people traveling to the Pine Ridge Agency in southwestern South Dakota made camp near Wounded Knee Creek, where they were surrounded by hundreds of Army soldiers. A shot rang out while the soldiers tried to disarm the camp, and the soldiers opened fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fewer than 40 soldiers were killed (some by friendly fire, according to historians), while estimates of Lakota deaths ran from 200 to 300 or more, depending on the source, including men, women and children. After some of the bodies froze on the ground for several days, a military-led burial party placed them in a mass grave. One hundred years later in 1990, Congress passed a resolution expressing deep regret for the massacre. Wounded Knee Joint Statement 2025 A statement issued Oct. 20, 2025, by the bishop of Rapid City and the De Smet Jesuit Community of West River, South Dakota. The UN World Food Programme says that supplies to Gaza have ramped up after the US-brokered ceasefire, but are still far short of its daily target of 2,000 tonnes because only two crossings into the Palestinian territory are open. Approximately 750 metric tonens of food are now entering the Gaza Strip daily, according to the WFP, but this was still well below the scale of needs after two years of Israels devastating war that has reduced much of Gaza to ruins. To be able to get to this scale-up, we have to use every border crossing point right now, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told a Geneva news briefing on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said only two of the Israeli-controlled crossings into Gaza were operational the Karem Abu Salem in the south and al-Karara in the centre (called Kerem Shalom and Kissufim in Israel, respectively). Etefa said that sustaining the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump was vital; really its the only way we can save lives and push back on the famine in the north of Gaza. The US presidents 20-point plan for ending the war envisages full aid being sent into Gaza. An Israeli security official told Reuters that humanitarian aid continues to enter through the Karem Abu Salem crossing and additional crossings in accordance with the plan, without naming them. The spokesperson said the UN agency now had 26 food distribution points open in Gaza up from five on Friday, but still far short of the 145 it hopes to run throughout the territory. Most are in the south and centre of the Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain closed until further notice, with its reopening dependent on Hamas handing over the bodies of deceased captives. Hamas on Tuesday said it would hand over the remains of two more Israeli captives. The Qassam Brigades said it will hand over the bodies of two Israeli prisoners that were exhumed today in the Gaza Strip at 9pm Gaza time (18:00 GMT). The group has so far handed over 13 of the 28 captives bodies it had pledged to return under the deal. Some nutrition supplies for children and pregnant women have reached northern Gaza via the south, Etefa said, but far short of the level required. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We havent had large-scale convoys into Gaza City or to the north of Gaza, she said, adding that the WFP had not been granted permission to use the main north-south Salah al-Din Street. Food supplies delivered so far are enough to feed about half a million people for two weeks, she said. Many Palestinians in Gaza were storing the food they are receiving because they are afraid that supplies might again dry up. They eat part of it, and they ration and keep some of the supplies for an emergency, because they are not very confident how long the ceasefire will last and what will happen next, she said. NEED TO KNOW Charlie Otero and two of his siblings survived Dennis Rader's brutal murder of their parents and two younger siblings in January 1974 Rader, who was given the moniker the BTK Killer, broke into their Wichita home and killed parents Joseph and Julia and children Josie and Joey Charlie has since spoken about surviving the grief and using his experience to try to help others Charlie Otero was 15 years old when his family was brutally murdered by Dennis Rader, a.k.a. the BTK Killer. In January 1974, while Charlie and two of his siblings were at school, his parents, Joseph and Julia Otero, were at their home in Wichita, Kan., with their youngest children, daughter Josie and son Joey. Rader had been stalking the family, and ultimately carried out the cruel murders on Jan. 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seven months after the four Otero family members were murdered, Rader used the BTK pseudonym which stands for "bind, torture, kill" for the first time in a letter to The Wichita Eagle, in which he took credit for the murders. The Otero family murders went cold for nearly three decades before Rader was caught after he sent another letter about the Otero murder to The Wichita Eagle in 2004. After finding DNA evidence and securing a familial match, Rader was arrested for 10 murders including the Oteros on Feb. 25, 2005. He pleaded guilty to all charges later that year and was sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences, according to The Washington Post. Since the brutal murders took place, Charlie has spoken about the traumatic incident, including detailing how he found his deceased parents. Although he hit a brief rough patch when he went to prison for aggravated battery in the early 2000s, per The Topeka Capital-Journal, Charlie has since focused on his passion for motorcycles and motivational speaking. Here's everything to know about where Charlie Otero is now, 51 years after four of his family members were murdered by Dennis Rader, a.k.a. the BTK Killer. Rader killed four members of the Otero family Bo Rader-Pool/Getty Dennis Rader, the admitted BTK serial killer at the Sedgwick County Courthouse August 17, 2005 in Wichita, Kansas. Dennis Rader, the admitted BTK serial killer at the Sedgwick County Courthouse August 17, 2005 in Wichita, Kansas. On Jan. 15, 1974, Rader committed his first-known murders when he carried out the killings of four members of the Otero family. Prior to the murders, he stalked the family for weeks to learn their behaviors and routines, as he revealed in the 2022 docuseries, BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rader approached the home thinking only the mother, Julia, was home with her two youngest children, but he later discovered that Joseph was also home. Before entering the house, Rader climbed a fence and cut off the family's phone lines, per a CNN transcript from court. He walked through the backyard and confronted 9-year-old Joseph, who let him in the house after Rader threatened him with a gun. Rader then bound Joseph, Julia, Joey and their 11-year-old daughter Josie with a rope. He suffocated Julia, Joseph and Joey in the bedroom before taking Josie to the basement and hanging her. Charlie and his siblings found his parents murdered in their home Bo RADER/AFP via Getty Larry Thomas, of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, holds up a t-shirt that was taken from the head of Joey Otero at Dennis Rader's 2005 sentencing. Larry Thomas, of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, holds up a t-shirt that was taken from the head of Joey Otero at Dennis Rader's 2005 sentencing. Charlie and his younger siblings, brother Daniel and sister Carmen, discovered his parents' bodies after the brutal murders. He explained to 20/20 in 2019 that he immediately knew something was off when their dog was waiting in the backyard all alone. "I went to the back door of the kitchen entrance and opened it up and walked inside, and I looked at the stove. And my mom's purse was on the stove, flipped up and disheveled, stuff thrown everywhere," he recalled. "That wasn't typical of my mother at all. She was a very tidy person and the kitchen never looked like that. So I yelled out. I said, 'Is anybody home?' " Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charlie and his siblings ventured upstairs when they noticed their dad was lying on the floor and his mom was on the bed. "I ran down the hall, went in their bedroom and saw my mother on the bed, my father on the floor, and my heart just got ripped out of my chest," he shared. "My life changed instantly. When I looked at my mother, she was tied up. It didnt even look like my mother. My dad, he had a belt wrapped around his neck." Charlie described how it felt finding his mom to PEOPLE in October 2025, "It physically felt like somebody grabbed my chest, ripped it open, and pulled my heart out. It hurt. It hurt. And it stayed empty forever." The three older siblings called the police from their neighbor's house, and the police found Joey's body in another room and Josie's body in the basement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I thank God every day for the fact that I didnt find Joey and Josie, because I dont know how I would have handled it," he said, while adding that they found out about their siblings' deaths later from the police. Charlie and two of his siblings were at school during the murder Larry W. Smith/Getty Charlie Otero, Carmen Montoya and Daniel Otero outside the courthouse for Dennis Rader's sentencing in August 2005. Charlie Otero, Carmen Montoya and Daniel Otero outside the courthouse for Dennis Rader's sentencing in August 2005. At the time of Julia, Joseph, Joey and Josie's murders, the oldest three siblings Charlie, Danny and Carmen were at school. Charlie was 15 years old and in 10th grade at Southeast High School at the time of the slayings, according to The Wichita Eagle. Although the three siblings escaped death, the murders took an intense toll on them. "PTSD kicked in my first semester at college," Charlie told 20/20. "[I] started drinking, using drugs, trying to get the memory out of my head, trying to get the visions out of my head [and] just trying to deal with the grief and the anger that I had going on inside me." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charlie, Danny and Carmen all appeared at Rader's sentencing hearing in 2005, where Carmen directly addressed the killer. In October 2025, Charlie told PEOPLE that he loves his siblings but they aren't close, as the trauma of their family's murders took a toll. Charlie became passionate about motorcycles after his dads murder Larry W. Smith/Getty Charlie OTero outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse on the first day of sentencing for Dennis Rader in 2005. Charlie OTero outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse on the first day of sentencing for Dennis Rader in 2005. While Charlie struggled with his grief, he turned to one of his dad's passions, motorcycles. He explained to KAKE ABC in 2021 that his dad was the person who got him interested in motorcycles and bought him his first bike when he was 11 years old. "He gave me a bike and said, 'Here you go, you know, you keep it running.' So I learned how to fix it and just continued from there, Charlie shared. He went on to work at a motorcycle repair shop which is located only a few miles away from the prison housing Rader for 40 years before he had to take a break in 2021 after two separate injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hes in there, and Im out here. Hes locked up and will never get out, and Im free and will never go back," he told The Wichita Eagle of working close to Rader in 2019. Charlie has spoken about his experience in documentaries and has become a motivational speaker Larry W. Smith/Getty Charlie Otero talks to the news media outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse during Dennis Rader's sentencing in August 2005. Charlie Otero talks to the news media outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse during Dennis Rader's sentencing in August 2005. More than 50 years after his parents and two siblings were murdered, Charlie has not given up talking about their legacy while also trying to help others as a motivational speaker. Charlie pivoted his career towards speaking engagements and has shared his story at universities, churches, prisons, schools and businesses. "I offer a message of hope and strength and my love for the Lord, who without Him, I would not be the man I am today," he shared in his LinkedIn profile. Charlie told PEOPLE in October 2025, "I figured if I could keep one guy from getting out of prison and going and killing a bunch of people, then I'll have done what I promised God I would do." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his talks, Charlie sheds light on finding his parents deceased while explaining how it affected him for decades. When I saw them, I hated God. I lost my religion," he said in one 2019 speech, per The Wichita Eagle. "Im an orphan. I cant explain to you how intense my emotions were at the time. Charlie went into detail about how he initially wanted to hurt Rader at his 2005 sentencing, but he changed his mind after learning that his son had gotten into an accident. Instead of physically confronting Rader, he developed a relationship with his son and focused on that. In addition to his motivational speaking, Charlie has also discussed his trauma in several docuseries and documentaries. He recalled the events for the 2012 documentary, I Survived BTK, where he shared his side of the story and emotions about that fateful day. Charlie had plans to make his own podcast, Zero Degrees of Separation, in 2025. Read the original article on People Israeli military tanks are seen in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, on Oct. 14, 2025. Credit - Mostafa AlkharoufGetty Images The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which took hold on Oct. 10, remains in place as of Tuesday evening, local time, but it appears to be fragile following reports of clashes in Gaza and accusations of violations from both sides. With the U.S. eager for the cease-fire to hold, Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday morning. He's set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem during his trip. On Tuesday afternoon, Vance joined U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, for a press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance said the cease-fire is going "better than [he] expected," emphasizing we are in a very good place. Vance said his trip was not organized in response to the recent clashes and had been planned in advance. My visit had nothing to do with the events of the past 48 hours, he told reporters. Vance said he is confident that were going to be in a place where this peace lasts, but also echoed Trump's warnings to Hamas, saying if the group doesnt cooperate, it will be obliterated. Kushner said of the sensitive truce: Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture. Israel again accused Hamas of violating the terms of the truce over the weekend, saying they targeted and killed two Israeli soldiers. Israel reported that its military personnel were targeted by Hamas in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, which is still under Israeli control. Responding to what it called Hamas' "blatant violation" of the deal, Israel launched air strikes in the territory on Sunday and temporarily suspended humanitarian aid. Hamas has maintained it was Israel that first breached the cease-fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were further threats to the cease-fire's stability on Monday morning, when the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that terrorists had approached Israeli troops in the Shejaiya area of northern Gaza, crossing the agreed-upon withdrawal line within the territory. The troops fired toward the terrorists who crossed the yellow line in order to remove the threat to them, said the IDF. "IDF troops are deployed in the area in accordance with the cease-fire agreement, and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat." Hamas returned the body of another deceased hostage to the Israeli authorities on Monday night, signalling that both sides remain engaged in the cease-fire for now. But tensions remain high under the watchful eye of leaders from across the globe. Heres what to know about the current status of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire: Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the cease-fire Two IDF soldiers were killed in clashes in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Sunday, Israels Foreign Ministry confirmed. The IDF claimed that "terrorists" fired an anti-tank missile as well as gunfire towards Israeli troops, accusing Hamas of violating the terms of the cease-fire. The Israeli military stated it had carried out a series of strikes in response to said violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TIME has contacted Netanyahus office for comment. In response, the Hamas Government Media Office in Gaza accused Israel of committing 21 violations on Sunday, bringing the total alleged violations by Israel to 80 since the cease-fire began. Hamas alleged 97 Palestinians have been killed and over 230 injured as a result of the violations. (In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME.) We hold the occupation fully responsible for these violations and aggressions, and we call upon the United Nations and the guarantor parties to urgently intervene to compel the occupation to cease its continuous aggression, Hamas said in a statement released on Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The clashes over the weekend came as the cease-fire already appeared to be on rocky ground. Israel on Thursday accused Hamas of not complying with the cease-fire terms to return all of the hostages to Gaza. While all of the live hostages have returned home, Israel is awaiting the handover of the bodies of the deceased hostages. As of Tuesday morning, 13 bodies have been returned to Israel, with 15 still in Gaza. The IDF reported that the most recent body, returned to Israel on Monday night, belonged to Sergeant Major Tal Haimi, who "fell during combat defending the kibbutz on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023." Per the IDF, Haimi's body was taken into Gaza by Hamas. Hamas has reported difficulty in locating the remaining bodies, with the group citing it needs special equipment to retrieve those buried under rubble. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Per the agreement, Israel is also returning the bodies of Palestinians taken from Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. So far, Israel has released around 150 bodies back to Gaza, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is facilitating the exchange of bodies from both sides. Hamas said the returned Palestinian bodies showed signs of beatings and abuseallegations the IDF has staunchly rejected. "The IDF operates strictly in accordance with international law and the bodies returned are those of combatants," the Israeli military said in a statement to TIME on Thursday. Read More: How the Trump Administration Sealed the Gaza Ceasefire Deal What has Trump said about the status of the cease-fire? On Tuesday, Trump echoed Israel and accused Hamas of committing cease-fire violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post on Truth Social, Trump said numerous U.S. allies in the Middle East and its surrounding areas had "explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into Gaza with a heavy force and 'straighten our Hamas' if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us." Vance supported Trump's statement during his press conference in Israel, saying he thought the President's words were very instructive. He doubled down on the U.S. warning, adding: If Hamas doesn't comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen. This comes after Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that any violations would be handled toughly, but properly. The President stated that Hamas has been acting quite rambunctious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont believe it was the leadership, they had some rebellion in there amongst themselves and they killed some people. If they keep doing it, were going to go in and straighten it out, said Trump, adding that U.S. troops would not be involved in a resumption of military action, should the cease-fire collapse. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press aboard Air Force One on Oct. 19, 2025. Alex WongGetty Images Read More: What Trump Doesand DoesntGet Credit for in Gaza What is set to happen next? The cease-fire seemingly remains on shaky ground, as Israel pushes for the remainder of bodies belonging to the deceased hostages to be returned home. We know that Hamas can return them and we know that Hamas is aware of where they are located, said spokesperson Bedrosian, who referred to Hamas claim that some bodies cannot be located as "propaganda." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance encouraged patience at Tuesday's press conference, saying how some of these hostages are buried under 1000s of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are. The Vice President added that he feels optimistic about the situation in Gaza, and said the next step is to make sure that both the Palestinians living in Gaza, but also the Israelis, are able to live in some measure of security and stability. then we'll worry about what the long term governance of Gaza is. Meanwhile, aid trucks entered the territory on Monday via the Kerem Shalom crossing situated in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt and Israel. The United Nations is set to continue its 60-day plan to restore a more consistent flow of aid into Gaza. Fuel tankers waiting to pass from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, en route to the Kerem Shalom border crossing, are seen on Oct. 20, 2025. Getty Images U.N. Humanitarian Aid Chief Tom Fletcher, who visited Gaza over the weekend, announced on Monday that U.N. bulldozers and other equipment are being used to clear roads in the territory and improve the flow of aid. He referred to the process of readying Gaza for the next stage of the cease-fire as a massive task. Contact us at letters@time.com. Flu season is underway and the time to protect yourself against the virus is now. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) urges everyone age 6 months and older to get vaccinated. Heres a guide to help you find free flu shots across the Chicago area. It is always recommended to call ahead to confirm availability, times, and eligibility. Chicago locations The Chicago Department of Public Health is hosting a series of vaccination clinics over the next several months for residents to receive updated flu, as well as COVID-19, vaccines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All Chicago residents are eligible to receive Flu, MMR, and Mpox vaccines at CDPH Immunization Clinics. CDPH Clinic Locations and Hours Location: Greater Lawn West 55th Street Health Hub, 4150 West 55th Street Hours: MondayWednesday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Location: Uptown West Wilson Avenue Health Hub, 845 West Wilson Avenue, 2nd level Hours: Monday-Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Location: Pilsen South Ashland Health Hub, 1713 South Ashland Avenue Hours: Thursday & Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Location: Roseland East 115th Street Health Hub, 200 East 115th Street, 2nd fl. Hours: Thursday & Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is highly encouraged. To register for an appointment, go to: GetVaxChi. For more information, go to: www.chicago.gov City Colleges of Chicago Locations and Hours Kennedy-King College , 6301 S Halsted St, Saturday, October 12, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Arturo Velasquez Institute , 2800 S Western Ave., Saturday, October 19, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Wilbur Wright College , 4300 N Narragansett Ave, Saturday, October 26, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Richard J. Daley College , 7500 S Pulaski Rd, Saturday, November 2, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Truman College , 1145 W Wilson Ave, Saturday, November 16, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Olive-Harvey College , 10001 S Woodlawn Ave, Saturday, November 16, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Malcolm X College, 1900 W Van Buren St, Saturday, November 23, 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Cook County Locations and Hours The walk-in clinics, held in partnership with Cook County Health and CountyCare, will be open on select Saturdays from Oct. 18 through March 28, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The five clinics are: North suburbs Location: Arlington Heights Health Center, 3250 North Arlington Heights Road Suite 300 Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinic dates: Oct. 25, Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 24, Feb. 28, March 28 West suburbs Location: North Riverside Health Center. 1800 South Harlem Ave. Suite A Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinic dates: Nov. 1, Dec. 20, Feb. 7, March 21 South suburbs Location: Blue Island Health Center, 12757 South Western Ave. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinic dates: Nov. 15, Jan. 3, Feb. 21 Location: Cottage Grove Health Center, 1645 South Cottage Grove Ave. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinic Dates: Nov. 8, Dec. 13, Jan. 10, Feb. 14, March 14 Location: Robbins Health Center, 13450 South Kedzie Ave Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinic dates: Oct. 18, Dec. 6, Jan. 17, March 7 Anyone who needs more information can email healthycook@cookcountyhhs.org. A full list of clinic locations and the dates they will be open is below. Local pharmacies The flu, as well as the COVID-19 vaccine, are widely available at commercial pharmacies. According to the CDPH, people with private health insurance or Medicaid or Medicare coverage are encouraged to visit a pharmacy or doctors office to get their updated COVID-19 vaccine. Visit www.vaccines.gov or www.vacunas.gov to find a vaccine provider near you, but check to see if your health plan requires you to visit an in-network provider. 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. This year voters around the United States will visit polling places on Tuesday, Nov. 4 to cast their ballots. But South Carolina voters who want to get a head start can also go to select voting locations for early voting through the end of October, and eligible voters can vote absentee. Heres what Horry County voters should know about when, where and how to make their voices heard this election season. How to check South Carolina voter registration Before heading to polling locations, voters can check their registration quickly online on the MySCVotes website. After entering their name, county of residence and the last four digits of their social security number, voters can see whether theyre registered and get a sample ballot Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because Horry County is home to many unincorporated areas near municipalities, some residents may have mailing addresses that dont match their actual election ballot. For example, a Carolina Forest residents mailing address might say Myrtle Beach, but that doesnt mean theyre actually eligible to vote in the Myrtle Beach general election. Checking voter registration on MySCVotes also allows voters to see their voting precinct, polling location and if theyre eligible to vote in a municipal election this fall. South Carolina voters need photo ID to cast a ballot. South Carolina voting requirements No matter how voters cast a ballot early or on Election Day, theyll need one of the following approved forms of photo identification: South Carolina drivers license South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card, including SC Concealed Weapons Permit SC Voter Registration Card with a photo US Passport Federal Military ID, including all Department of Defense Photo IDs and Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Card Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through Election Day, registered voters who dont have an approved photo ID can get one from the Horry County Voter Registration Office. DMV offices also issue free ID cards. Early voting in South Carolina runs weekdays through the end of October. Early voting in Horry County Registered voters can vote early at select polling locations Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Oct. 31. Unlike Election Day, voters casting early ballots dont report to their polling place listed on MySCVotes. Instead, voters who live in the City of Myrtle Beach should visit Chapin Memorial Library at 400 14th Ave. N., Myrtle Beach, SC, 29577. Horry County early voters in all other municipalities should go to the County Voter Registration Office at 1515 4th Avenue, Conway SC 29526. Early voters must cast a ballot at Chapin Memorial Library or the Horry County Voter Registration Office. Horry County Election Day voting Voters casting a ballot on Election Day must go to their precincts polling location listed on MySCVotes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All polling places will open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and any voters in line by 7:00 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot. This year Election Day falls on Tuesday, Nov. 4. How to vote absentee in Horry County South Carolina allows absentee voting, but only for certain qualified voters. People admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient within four days of Election Day can have an immediate family member apply for and deliver a ballot to them. All other absentee voters must apply to vote absentee. Eligible voters include: People over the age of 65 People with physical disabilities Members of the US Armed Forces and Merchant Marines, their spouses and dependents that resides with them People with employment obligations which prevent them from voting during early voting and Election Day hours People attending a sick or physically disabled person which prevents them from voting during early voting and Election Day hours People in jail or a pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial during early voting and Election Day People who will be absent from their county of residence during early voting and Election Day Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Voters who want to vote absentee can request an application in-person, by phone at (843) 915-5440 or by mail at the Horry County Voter Registration Office. However, with just weeks until Election Day, its best to make a request by phone or in person. Absentee voting applications must be returned to the Horry County Voter Registration Office by mail or personal delivery by 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day prior to the election. In-person requests, application returns and ballot deliveries can also be made on behalf of the voter by an immediate relative or authorized representative whos registered to vote. Eligible relatives include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spouse Parent or parent-in-law Child or child-in-law Sibling or sibling-in-law Grandparent Grandchild An authorized representative must: Have permission to act on the voters behalf Complete an Authorized Representative form Not be a candidate, staff or volunteer, unless theyre a member of the voters family Once an application has been submitted, it can be tracked online or through the Horry County Voter Registration Office. Absentee voters can return their ballot to an early voting center or the Horry County Voter Registration Office by mail or personal delivery. Voters submitting a ballot by mail must have someone 18 years or older witness their signature on the voters oath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ballots returned in-person by an eligible family member or representative must be presented with one of the forms of voter ID required for in-person voting at early polling or on Election Day. Voters submitting ballots by mail should be placed in the ballot here-in envelope, which goes in the return envelope. In order to get a ballot in on time, absentee voters should mail their ballots in no later than one week before Election Day. This year, that means Tuesday, Oct. 28. No matter how a ballot is returned, it cannot be counted if the office or center receives the ballot after 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4. In a rare blend of history, devotion, and cultural heritage, the villagers of Dhami, a small, picturesque settlement about 40 kilometres from Shimla, gathered on Tuesday to celebrate their centuries-old Stone-Pelting Fair, a ritual that has survived nearly four centuries. The event, held every year on the day after Diwali, continues to attract thousands of visitors from across Himachal Pradesh and beyond, keeping alive a unique legacy that once marked the end of human sacrifice. What began as a symbolic offering to Goddess Bhadrakali has now evolved into a controlled ritual where villagers from different clans hurl stones at each other until one participant receives a minor injury, seen as a sacred offering of blood to the deity. The ritual symbolises sacrifice without cruelty and represents the village's enduring faith and unity. "It is a centuries-old tradition, and we feel proud to continue and preserve it," said Jagdip Singh Kanwar, a representative of the Dhami royal family. "This fair reflects our faith in God and the goddess, and we want to carry this forward, teaching our children about its significance," he said. Kanwar explained that the ritual originated when villagers, under the guidance of the royal family, decided to end human sacrifices to appease the local deity. Instead, they adopted a symbolic form of offering a drop of blood through a controlled injury during the stone-pelting event. Adding to the pride and continuity of tradition, the younger generation of the royal family has shown equal enthusiasm in carrying forward the legacy. "This tradition is rich and something I have witnessed since childhood," said Ananjay Singh, the young son of Jagdip Singh. "My father has continued my grandfather's legacy, and I would like to promote and carry forward this rich tradition. I feel happy to be part of this festival and its unique culture," he said. The fair pits villagers from the Jathoti, Tunru, Dhagogi, and Karedu clans on one side against those from the Jamogi clan on the other. Before the ritual begins, a prayer procession is held from the ancient temple dedicated to Lord Narsingh, built by a former king of Dhami. The ritual then commences under the supervision of the royal family and village elders, with safety being the top priority. The ritual is closely monitored by local authorities and the organising committee to ensure no one sustains serious injuries. Safety nets, boundaries, and medical teams are placed strategically around the field. Behind the organisation and continuity of the event stands Ranjeet Singh Kanwar, the secretary of the fair's organising committee, who has been overseeing preparations for nearly 45 years. "The fair's roots go back to the time when human sacrifices were made to honour Goddess Bhadrakali. However, a compassionate queen of Dhami centuries ago sacrificed herself to end the practice of human offerings. She asked the villagers to continue the ritual in a symbolic, non-violent way, and thus, the stone-pelting tradition was born," he said. Kanwar emphasised that the fair is not about violence, but about preserving culture and faith while rejecting superstition. "We ensure safety for all participants. It is our duty to respect our ancestors' intentions and keep the tradition alive responsibly," he added. Over the years, the Dhami Stone-Pelting Fair has become not only a spiritual observance but also a cultural attraction, drawing tourists, historians, and photographers who come to witness one of India's most unusual and ancient rituals. For locals, however, it remains far more than a spectacle; it is a living expression of faith, history, and unity. As the sun set over Dhami's hills, chants and cheers filled the air, marking yet another year in the long continuum of this 400-year-old legacy. For the villagers, and especially for the youth now stepping forward, the fair stands as a reminder of their roots, a symbol of heritage, devotion, and resilience. "We come here to preserve and witness our rich tradition, and we wait till the end once a person gets the blessing of the Goddess. To get hit by a stone and blood stains are out, and this is how the festival ends for the day. We come here annually. Hundreds of villages gather here for this faith and tradition," said Deep Ram Sharma, a villager. (ANI) For the past decade, Confederate memorials have been a flashpoint in America's heated culture wars. More than 150 statues and monuments were doused with paint, defaced and brought down by protesters, but in President Trump's second term, they are being reinstalled. A statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike is returning to Judiciary Square in Washington, D.C., and another, known as the "Reconciliation Monument," will be restored to Arlington Cemetery. The tumultuous state of affairs is supercharging a provocative, highly anticipated new exhibition titled "Monuments," featuring nearly a dozen removed statues, some towering up to 15 feet. The show, co-organized and co-presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Brick, opens Thursday and runs through May 3, 2026. "Monuments" was originally supposed to debut two years ago, and if it had, it would have entered a radically different political landscape. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Suddenly everyone thinks that we're doing this in response to our president, which isn't at all the case. This is more a case of the political moment coming around to capture us," said MOCA senior curator Bennett Simpson, who organized the show alongside Brick director Hamza Walker, artist Kara Walker (no relation to Hamza), Brick curatorial associate Hannah Burstein and MOCA assistant curator Paula Kroll. Read more: How the Getty is preserving L.A.'s Black heritage amid Trump's DEI rollbacks The urgent, raw and ongoing nature of the public debate around civil rights, made all the more incendiary by the Trump administration's attempts to minimize the history of slavery by threatening to remove artworks related to it at the Smithsonian and national parks, contributes to the power of the exhibition, which juxtaposes the statues with art that elicits emotionally charged responses. "This is an associative poetic art show," Simpson says of the 18 contemporary participating artists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At MOCA, a statue titled "Confederate Women of Maryland," erected in Baltimore by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, features two women one of whom is cradling a fallen male soldier in her lap in a tableau resembling Michelangelo's "Pieta." This monument resides directly across from a series of photographs by Jon Henry featuring Black mothers similarly holding their sons in urban environments. A statue of Matthew Fontaine Maury is flanked by paintings from Walter Price's "Cadence" series in MOCA's "Monuments" exhibition. Maury is considered the father of modern oceanography. He also wanted to expand slavery to Brazil. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times) Some, such as a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, were splattered in paint by protesters. Others, including the base of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee, were covered in graffiti with phrases like "Protect Black Women." They appear in the museum just as they looked when they were removed from parks and plazas in Richmond and Charlottesville, Va., respectively. Davis now rests on his side in a room with a group of chilling photographs taken by Andres Serrano of hooded Ku Klux Klan leaders in Georgia. A statue of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney who in 1857 wrote the majority opinion in the notorious Dred Scott case, which ruled that slaves could never be citizens and were thus property sits beside a statue of prominent newspaper owner Josephus Daniels, who helped foment the 1898 Wilmington massacre in which a mob of more than 2,000 white supremacists killed as many as 300 people in the course of overthrowing the city's duly elected biracial government. Across from these frozen-in-time relics is a wall of studio portraits of Black North Carolinians taken in 1910 by photographer Hugh Mangum, whose contact sheets of both Black and white people show that he ran an integrated studio in the Jim Crow South. The people in the proud, haunting photos would have been alive during the Wilmington massacre, Simpson noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It felt important for him to meet his public," Simpson said, gesturing at Daniels. Document s ation and photos illustrating the creation of an equestrian statue of Confederate g eneral Stonewall Jackson, which was removed from a park in Charlottesville , Va., and has been re - imagined by artist Kara Walker in the exhibit "Monuments" at the Brick. Studies and inspiration used by artist Kara Walker s as she worked on re-imagining a statue of Stonewall Jackson for an exhibit at the Brick . Etienne Laurent / For The Times Hamza Walker first conceived of "Monuments" when the statues began coming down in the wake of the 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. The hate crime, which targeted Black people, resulted in nine deaths and sparked a mass movement against the veneration of figures who fought to perpetuate slavery in America. What to do with the country's many Confederate statues and monuments had become a matter for debate. Some people thought they should remain untouched, with added plaques addressing the history of slavery. Others felt they should be destroyed. Hamza Walker wanted to use them in an art exhibition and ask artists to respond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the most part, the removed statues were tucked away out of sight. The pieces featured in "Monuments" are on loan to MOCA, trucked in on tractor trailers from whatever obscure location they were stored hidden under tarps in water treatment facilities and stashed in warehouses alongside bags of salt and snow plows. Read more: Where have statues of Confederates, and other historical figures, been removed? Getting the monuments proved to be a time-consuming undertaking, made all the more so by their controversial nature. After the city of New Orleans took down four statues in May 2017, a fierce backlash erupted, culminating in the infamous Charlottesville rally in August. For two days during what is now called "the Summer of Hate," white nationalists and neo-Nazis carrying tiki torches, swastikas and Confederate flags filled the streets. A man rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a 32-year-old, and President Trump famously declared there were "very fine people on both sides." The "Monuments" curators spent countless hours writing detailed proposals about how they intended to use the statues, which, for the most part, have to be returned. They needed to give assurances that the pieces would be treated with care, insured and protected from harm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A single artwork is housed across town at the Brick it is set in relief because it stands in a category all its own, said Hamza Walker. The sculpture, Kara Walker's "Unmanned Drone," is the only monument that has been physically altered. A detail of the horses nostril on Kara Walker's re - imagined Stonewall Jackson sculpture. Walker used a plasma cutter to take the statue apart and weld it back together in an entirely new way. A detail of the sword on Kara Walker's re-imagined Stonewall Jackson sculpture. Jackson's other arm is totally detached from his body in Walker's sculpture, mirroring the arm Jackson had amputated before his death . A detail of an arm on Kara Walker's re-imagined statue of Stonewall Jackson. Jackson was hit by friendly fire during the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863 and had his arm amputated before he died. Jackson was so revered that his arm had its own grave. Etienne Laurent / For The Times Walker used a plasma cutter to slice apart a statue of prominent Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson, which she welded back together in an entirely new form. Jackson no longer has a face, but his hair is speared by a portion of his horse's upper thigh. The horse now appears to be standing upright with its head protruding from the back of its saddle. Jackson's arm, which was amputated before his death, is now separated from his body and affixed to the edge of the statue's base. His legs are sliced open, and his saber rests on the ground beside the dissected, reconfigured whole. The effect is breathtaking and violent. Read more: The most significant American art museum show right now topples white supremacy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Ideologically it's an affront, aesthetically it's an affront ... on a piano, it's not just a chord, this is a tone cluster," said Hamza Walker, of the reimagined statue. "Kara went for it. She did what artists do in terms of marshaling an energy and force, and then concentrating it on this object and coming up with this piece." The statue was deeded to the Brick which wrote a competitive proposal to get it for the sole purpose of transformation. This is because the statue, by virtue of its recent, ugly history, had become radioactive, Hamza Walker said. That history is detailed in photos, newspaper articles and letters at the Brick. The year after the Charleston church massacre, a young Black woman, Zyahna Bryant, petitioned the city of Charlottesville to remove its statues of Jackson and Lee. In the midst of her efforts, the city became the national focal point of ongoing American racism as Unite the Right protesters gathered around Lee's statue in Market Street Park. Hank Willis Thomas installation A Suspension of Hostilities at MOCAs Monuments replicates the 1969 Dodge Charger from the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard, which is named General Lee. Hank Willis Thomas' installation, "A Suspension of Hostilities," at MOCA's "Monuments . " exhibit. The 1969 Dodge Charger, from the TV show, "The Dukes of Hazzard," is named General Lee. Karon Davis' sculpture , "Descendant" "Found Cause," at MOCA's "Monuments" exhibit. The statue is of the shows the artist's son holding a small Confederate horse by its tail. Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times "The mask is off, right? These things are now straight-up toxic, there's no going back," Hamza Walker said of the Charlottesville statues, explaining that the city's mandate was to get rid of them, not to just put them in storage. "That's what distinguishes Charlottesville from other places." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, the city gave its Lee statue to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, which spearheaded a project to melt the 10,000-pound statue and use the resulting bronze ingots for an entirely new piece of art. Kara Walker's sculpture seeks to take the focus off Jackson and put it on his horse, a trusty steed named Little Sorrel that Jackson valued for his bravery in battle. Jackson died from his wounds eight days after being hit by friendly fire while returning to camp during the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. He attained saint-like status in the South, which surrendered the Civil War two years later. Little Sorrel was also revered. The red war horse lived to a ripe old age and was trotted out for special events. True believers took patches of Little Sorrel's fur, and upon its death, the horse was taxidermied. "With the nature of this object, what do you do with it?" Hamza Walker said of the Jackson statue. "Yeah, here's your monument back." Andres Serrano's series "The Klan" at MOCA's "Monuments" exhibition. The 1990 portraits feature Ku Klux Klan leaders in Georgia. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times) Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. CHICAGO Owner Vanessa Aguirre-Avalos was busy watching over a small group of young children at Luna y Cielo Play Cafe when she heard what sounded like a helicopter circling over the neighborhood. Concerned, she stepped outside to figure out what was going on. She watched as federal immigration agents passed by in trucks. Aguirre-Avalos immediately blew the whistle hanging around her neck. I was blowing the whistle several times. I dont know if I was even using the right cadence, she said about the scene she witnessed last month, which devolved into the agents throwing smoke canisters into the street just steps away from Funston Elementary School and her Logan Square play space. But it was my first reaction, just to get people to know what was happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aguirre-Avalos said the small, inexpensive devices are useful in alerting neighbors to ICE activity, which is why she hands them out for free at her business. From coffee shops to bars to adult stores, businesses and other volunteers have handed out thousands of whistles across the city in solidarity. Hundreds have also assembled whistle kits at Whistlemania events. The kits include Know Your Rights information, whistles and a zine with instructions on how to use them. They have been passed out to businesses, schools, Little Free Libraries and more. Others have distributed Hands Off Chicago posters to hang in windows or carry during the large No Kings protests over the weekend. My grandparents, on both sides, came (to the United States) for a better life, and why not fight back? Aguirre-Avalos said. Its the least I can do. They were able to give me this life, a better life, and why not use my privilege and my voice? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erin Tobes, a volunteer with a rapid response group in the Bowmanville neighborhood of the Lincoln Square community, explained how the whistles are used. A short blast means a confirmed sighting of a federal immigration agent, and a long hold is for when an agent is detaining someone. Noise equals more visibility, she said. They also help other volunteers identify each other in neighborhoods, she said. Pamphlets distributed alongside the whistles also say to remain nonviolent. Its kind of an extra comfort, she said. It lets people know that they have a way of being heard if something were to happen, they have a way of calling out for help if they feel like theyre in a situation that becomes a little scary. Distributing the whistles and other information has been a community effort, Tobes said. She hands them out with a friend outside a nearby elementary school, while another man in her neighborhood made around 150 whistles on his 3D printer, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its so important for everyone in the community to feel seen and especially our vulnerable neighbors, are what Im thinking of, and I want them to feel like the whole community stands behind them, Tobes said. Brendan Byrne assembled packets at his Avondale restaurant Wolfhound Bar and Kitchen. Hes already given out around 200 packets, and has 600 more to package up. Byrne also said hes the son of Irish immigrants and thinks the actions of federal immigration agents in Chicago are unconstitutional and a threat to the way of American life. They can make noise. They draw attention to things they see that are happening in our community and cause a response, he said. Whether thats just getting more people out, more eyes on it, getting in on film. If this is the only effect we can have at the moment thats not going to end up with every citizen getting pepper ball in the face and thrown in the back of an unmarked car maybe thats the step were at, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres also been heightened interest in the Hands Off Chicago posters that are decorated with a Chicago flag and hanging on many businesses windows and doors, said Jake Lewis, a spokesperson for the coalition. He said many stores have offered to distribute the signs on their own, an organic response he said he didnt expect. He estimates thousands have been printed. It shows that people are fired up about this and want to get involved and show their opposition, he said. As immigration enforcement in Back of the Yards has picked up, Rolando Santoyo, the owner of La Selva clothing shop, said hes watched as his sales have dropped as fearful neighbors stay inside. He said his kids have been shaken up by the ICE presence as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hard to see, and its something that Im really worried about, honestly, because at this point it seems like (federal immigration agents) just dont care, he said. Its been pretty tough, just to have my kids see that its hard. Walk-in traffic is down dramatically, and hes shifted to making home deliveries instead, he said. But for anyone who stops by whether they purchase something or not he gives out the whistles and Know Your Rights cards. In Rogers Park, Mark Selner said handing out whistles at his adult store called Red Vault was an easy way to help. If moms with strollers or young people arent comfortable coming inside the shop, he passes out the whistles outside. He said hes passed out more than 100 whistles in a week. Im in the middle of a neighborhood thats very Latino, and I worry, he said. I figured Id take advantage of my white privilege. _____ The Trump administration has ordered government employees not to take or share photographs of construction work happening at the White House. Pictures of the buildings East Wing being torn apart, apparently taken from the adjacent Treasury Department building, were shared online widely on Tuesday. Footage showed an excavator ripping into the East Wings facade, smashing the windows as work began to construct the 90,000 square foot ballroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the images were shared online, staff at the Treasury Department were instructed not to share pictures of the building work. As construction proceeds on the White House grounds, employees should refrain from taking and sharing photographs of the grounds, to include the East Wing, without prior approval from the Office of Public Affairs, a Treasury official said in an email to staff on Monday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The US president previously said the ballrooms construction wont interfere with the East Wing. Tree clearing and other work to prepare the site for the ballroom project started in September. Credit: Nikki Schwab Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House ballroom, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social social media platform on Monday. He added: Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernised as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete. I am honoured to be the first president to finally get this much-needed project underway, he said. On Tuesday, Mr Trump brushed off criticism over the demolition, saying the sound of the construction work was music to my ears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were building a world-class ballroom. For 150 years theyve wanted a ballroom, Mr Trump told a lunch for Republican Senators at the White House as the sounds of machinery could be heard in the background. You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction to the back. You hear that sound? Oh, thats music to my ears. I love that sound. Donald Trump previously said the ballrooms construction wont interfere with this wing - JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock Mr Trump, who made his fortune in construction and real-estate, added: When I hear that sound, it reminds me of money. In this case it reminds of lack of money because Im paying for it. The US president has said that he is partly funding work on the giant ballroom while private and corporate donors will cover the rest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karoline Leavitt, Mr Trumps press secretary, responded to critics of the project on Monday by sharing examples of former presidents White House renovations. Among the building work listed was Theodore Roosevelts building of the West Wing in 1902 and Harry Trumans extensive White House renovations in 1948. Construction has always been a part of the evolution of the White House, Steven Cheung, White House communications director, wrote on X. Losers who are quick to criticise need to stop their pearl clutching and understand the building needs to be modernised. Otherwise youre just living in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House has insisted that it does not need approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for the demolition, only for new construction. Mr Trump insisted he did not need approval to carry out the demolition - Kevin Dietsch The commission is responsible for approving construction and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area. Its chairman, Will Scharf, is also the White House staff secretary and a top aide to Mr Trump. However, it has not approved the construction yet and it is unclear whether the White House has submitted the ballroom plans to the agency. The commissions offices are closed because of the US government shutdown. Mr Trump has already carried out extensive redecoration of the White House since returning to office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has covered the Oval Office in gold ornaments and fittings which mimic the style of decor at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He also paved over the grass in Jackie Kennedys Rose Garden, saying his female guests high heels were sinking into the lawn. Mr Trump said he wants to create a ballroom because the largest room in the White House the East Room only has space for 200 people. In July, he said building for the ballroom would respect the existing East Wing. It will be near but not touching [the East Wing] and pays total respect to the existing building, Mr Trump said. The new ballroom will have space for around 1,000 and will be completed before Mr Trumps second term ends in January 2029 at an estimated cost of $200m (150m). A rendering of what it will look like inside the ballroom - McCrery Architects/White House Earlier this year, the US president spoke fondly of his renovation plans when he met Ursula von der Leyen, the European Council president, at his ornate Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland to hammer out details of a trade deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You know, we just built this ballroom and were building a great ballroom at the White House, Mr Trump said. No president knew how to build a ballroom I could take this one, drop it right down there, and it would be beautiful. The East Wing is traditionally the base for the First Lady. Melania Trumps staff packed their belongings and cleared their desks in September before the demolition, the New York Times reported. A Treasury spokesman told The Telegraph: Carelessly shared photographs of the White House complex during this process could potentially reveal sensitive items, including security features or confidential structural details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of an abundance of caution, we have urged our employees to avoid sharing these images. 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. Contrary to a new report, Donald Trump isn't ready to free Diddy from prison this week! A White House spokesperson denied the claims of an insider alleging that the president was considering granting the embattled rapper a pardon. It is no secret that Diddy has been hoping to use Trump as his get-out-of-jail card. Diddy received a 50-month prison sentence on October 3 after he was found guilty on two charges of transportation for the purposes of prostitution. The jury acquitted him of the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges. White House Slams Diddy Clemency Rumors Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA A White House spokesperson shut down the Diddy pardon speculations in a response to The Daily Mail. "There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would've gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news," the representative stressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The president, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations," the spokesperson added. Regarding Trump's feelings about granting Diddy a presidential pardon, his past comments suggest a "no" due to his contentious history with the rapper. While speaking to reporters in August, Trump noted that he was unlikely to grant Diddy a pardon. He echoed similar sentiments in May, when he reflected on how his friendship with the entertainer turned sour during his first presidential campaign. Inside The Alleged False Pardon Report Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA The pardon speculations began after TMZ claimed that a source had told them Trump was contemplating helping Diddy. They alleged that White House staff were against the president's decision. However, the source stressed that "Trump will do what he wants." According to the report, Trump could pardon Diddy as early as this week despite their past. The news followed the politician's decision to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diddy received a 50-month sentence for his crimes and has served 13 months since his September 2024 arrest. He has been locked up at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after repeatedly failing to regain his freedom with tempting bail offers. The Embattled Rapper Asked The POTUS For A Pardon ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Weeks earlier, The Blast reported that Trump had confirmed Diddy's interest in receiving a presidential pardon. While speaking to reporters at the White House on October 6, the president revealed the record producer had contacted him, begging for clemency. However, Trump did not share whether he would accept or reject Diddy's plea. Sources claimed the disgraced entertainer had contacted the White House to push for a pardon immediately after his October 3 sentencing. The plea for a presidential pardon began months earlier, with Nicole Westmoreland, one of Diddy's legal representatives, revealing that they had taken steps to secure a presidential pardon. On the other hand, the White House had refused to comment on the existence of Diddy's clemency request. The Bad Boy Records Founder's Attorney Believed They Had A Shot ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA One of Diddy's attorneys, Mark Geragos, believed they had a shot at receiving a pardon from Trump. He shared his thoughts in August, speculating that Trump and Diddy could reunite over their shared hatred for prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Geragos noted that Diddy and Trump could bond over their legal ordeals, particularly how it felt to be targeted by prosecutors. Additionally, the attorney implied a pardon would be a give-and-take situation for the former pals. The legal rep declared that Diddy would be a massive supporter of Trump's MAGA administration if the latter granted him clemency. Diddy and Trump fell out during the presidential campaign, with the record producer criticizing his former pal's political ambitions. Diddy Reveals Plans To Appeal His 50-Month Sentence ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Although Diddy has been begging Trump for clemency, he isn't leaving his fate in the president's hands. The Blast recently reported that Diddy has filed to appeal his conviction and sentencing following his request to be transferred to FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey. Diddy's team is expected to submit its full appeal brief within four to six weeks, documents that will likely include key details about his sex crimes trial. Alexandra A.E. Shapiro is leading the appeal as the music mogul's counsel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeal first made waves after Diddy's sentencing, when his attorney Marc Agnifilo slammed Judge Arun Subramanian for acting like a jury member. He accused the legal umpire of a biased ruling, arguing that he punished Diddy for the crimes the jury had dismissed. Will Donald Trump do a complete 180 and grant Diddy's clemency request? The White House has denied a TMZ report that said President Donald Trump is considering commuting convicted music mogul Sean Diddy Combss 50-month sentence. TMZ reported Monday that Trump could potentially release the music mogul as soon as this week, against the advice of some of his White House staff. Politics: Trump Says Potential Diddy Pardon Is 'Difficult' Because Of His Past Criticism Of The President There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we wouldve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news, a White House official said in a statement to HuffPost and other outlets. The President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But TMZ doubled down on its reporting. The White House Communications Office is saying our story is not true. We stand by our story. Our story is accurate, TMZ said in an update added to the top of the same story. A TMZ official also told HuffPost that they stand by their story. Combs was convicted in July after a two-month-long trial. Prosecutors tried to convince the jury that Combs ran a criminal empire, using his power and fame to harm people, mainly women, in his orbit. People wait outside Manhattan Federal Court to catch a glimpse of Sean "Diddy" Combs' family following his sentencing in New York on Oct. 3. TIMOTHY A.CLARY via Getty Images The jury found Combs guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. However, the jurors acquitted him on one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. If he were convicted of the latter, he would have faced a life sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, who is the first U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes, pardoned more than 1,500 Capitol rioters when he returned to office in January. News: Immigration Agents Shot A Suspect After He Rammed Their Vehicle During LA Stop, DHS Says He has also spoken publicly about pardoning Combs. A lot of people have asked me for pardons, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 6. I call him Puff Daddy, [he] has asked me for a pardon. In August, Trump also previously talked about being friendly with Combs before running for office. Combs, however, supported Biden in 2020. You know, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great; (he) seemed like a nice guy. I didnt know him well, but when I ran for office, he was very hostile, Trump said during a Newsmax interview with host Rob Finnerty. News: Trump Nominee Says He's Withdrawing From Confirmation Hearing After Racist Texts Leak You know, like you, were human beings and we dont like to have things cloud our judgment, right? Trump added. But when you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office, and he made some terrible statements so I dont know ... it makes it more difficult to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HuffPost reached out to Combs press team for comment. Related... Read the original on HuffPost NEED TO KNOW The White House denied a report from TMZ that President Donald Trump was weighing commuting the sentence of Sean "Diddy" Combs Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison following his conviction on prostitution charges Trump had previously said it would be "difficult" to pardon Combs The White House denied a report that President Donald Trump was considering commuting the sentence of Sean "Diddy" Combs. The denial came after TMZ reported, citing a high-level White House official, that the president had been weighing clemency for the Bad Boy Records founder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Related: Donald Trump Says It Would Be 'More Difficult' to Pardon Diddy After He Made 'Terrible Statements' During Election Combs' high-profile federal trial ended in July with his acquittal on the two most serious charges he faced: sex trafficking and racketeering. Trump was previously asked about potentially pardoning Combs in May, at the outset of the music mogul's trial. "I don't know. I would certainly look at the facts," Trump said at the time, according to ABC News. "If I think someone was mistreated it wouldn't matter whether they like me or don't." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump was again asked about the possibility of clemency for Combs in August, after his trial concluded, and appeared to pour cold water on the potential for a pardon. "I got along with him great," Trump told Newsmax. "Seemed like a nice guy. I didn't know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile. ... It's hard." "We're human beings," he continued. "We don't like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements. So, I don't know. It's more difficult. Makes it more, I'm being honest, makes it more difficult to do." Read the original article on People Despite a White House denial that President Donald Trump is considering commuting Sean Diddy Combs 50-month sentence for prostitution-related charges, TMZ is standing by its report that the president is vacillating on the matter and could make a decision this week. Combs has served 13 months of his sentence at Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center. Some White House staffers are reportedly urging the president not to get involved in the 55-year-old Harlem natives case, but Trump will do what he wants, according to a TMZ source. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combs legal team first contacted a high-ranking White House official who has the ear of the president about commuting the Grammy winning artists sentence as soon as it was handed down on Oct. 3. He was arrested Sept. 16, 2024, on charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs was acquitted of the first two charges and convicted on the third. His team said Monday it would appeal that conviction, according to The New York Times. We stand by our story. Our story is accurate, TMZ insisted after being told by the White House that their story isnt true. Trump used his presidential powers to commute the sentence of convicted fraudster and former U.S. Rep. George Santos last week. The disgraced ex-congressman was released from New Jerseys FCI Fairton on Friday, where be began serving what wouldve been an 87-month sentence in July. Santos claimed he learned he was being set free while watching television. _____ A White House official on Tuesday pushed back on a report that President Donald Trump is considering commuting Sean "Diddy" Combs' prison sentence as soon as this week. TMZ reported Monday that the president was "vacillating" on a commutation for the music mogul, citing a "high-ranking White House official." "There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we wouldve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news," the official told NBC News in a statement. "The President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Casey Carver, a spokesperson for TMZ, said in a brief statement: "We stand by our story." Lawyers for Combs did not immediately return a request for comment about the disparity between the White House statement and TMZ's reporting. However, Combs' lawyers have previously told NBC News they have been pursuing a pardon for their client. Combs was convicted in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but was acquitted on more damning charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. On Oct. 3, a federal judge sentenced him to 50 months in prison, fined him $500,000 and ordered five years of supervised release. He pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Aug. 1, Trump was asked about potentially pardoning Combs in an interview with Newsmax. "You know, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great and seemed like a nice guy. I didnt know him well," Trump said. "But when I ran for office, he was very hostile." When asked if he was suggesting that he wouldn't pardon Combs, Trump said, "I would say so." "When you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office, and he made some terrible statements. So, I dont know, its more difficult," Trump said. "Makes it more Im being honest, it makes it more difficult to do." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has issued several controversial pardons and commutations in his second term as president. In January, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants in connection with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In May, Trump pardoned the imprisoned reality television couple Todd and Julie Chrisley. And last week, Trump commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., after the disgraced congressman pleaded guilty to charges of committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Combs has asked to serve out his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey, but the Bureau of Prisons has yet to approve the request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the 50-month sentence, the rapper faces strict conditions upon his supervised release, according to court documents filed in the weeks after his sentencing. Among the conditions is that he attends regular meetings with his probation officer and refrain from drug use, with a drug test taken within 15 days after his release and two periodic tests after that time frame, according to the seven-page filing. Combs must also participate in an outpatient program that includes testing, an outpatient mental health treatment program and an approved program for domestic violence, the filing states. Lawyers for Combs filed a notice of appeal in federal court on Monday, aiming to overturn the music moguls conviction and sentence. A Justice Department representative did not immediately return a request for comment on the anticipated notice. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com After Leavitt used a "your mom" joke to respond to a HuffPost reporter's question about Trump's meeting with Putin, the 28-year-old was met with backlash online, and accused of being "bratty" and "juvenile." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has gone viral online over an unusual response she gave to a journalist. On Monday, Leavitt -- who has served as Trump's Press Secretary since January -- shared a screenshot that seemingly showed a text message between herself and HuffPost White House correspondent -- and veteran journalist -- S.V. Date, in which she used a "your mom" joke to respond to the reporter's question about the location of the president's meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin. The View Tackles Trump's 'Unpresidential' Response to 'No Kings' Protests: 'He's Very Concerned About Size' - Click image for related story "Is the president aware of the significance of Budapest? In 1994, Russia promised, in Budapest, not to invade Ukraine if it gave up the nuclear weapons it inherited when the Soviet Union dissolved," Date wrote, per the screenshot. "Does he not see why Ukraine might object to that site?" (Putin broke the 1994 Budapest Memorandum in 2014 when he annexed Crimea and again when he invaded Ukraine in 2022.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Who suggested Budapest? Thanks," Date asked, to which Leavitt, 28, replied, "Your mom did." "Is this funny to you?" Date hit back at Leavitt, who responded, "It's funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic]. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don't tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls--t questions." HuffPost first revealed Leavitt's unusual one-liner response to Date's question on Friday, also reporting that White House Communications Director Steven Cheung had chimed in, echoing Leavitt by answering the question with, "Your mom." Alongside the screenshot of her and Date's text exchange, Leavitt continued to slam Date, writing, "For context, S.V. Date of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Just take a look at @svdates feed, it reads like an anti-Trump personal diary. Here is my full response to his 'inquiry,'" she continued, referring to the screenshot of the text messages. "Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession." Shortly after, Date clapped back, replying to Leavitt's post. "Feel better now? Now can you answer the question? Please and thank you," he wrote. Users on X joined Date in criticizing Leavitt's remarks, which they slammed as "juvenile" and immature. "I don't know how, but for some reason you thought posting your text made you look better? It did not. It was a legitimate question, asked respectfully, but since you are perpetually in a defensive crouch because people are getting sick of being lied to, your reply was extremely crude," a person wrote. "You come across as bratty, juvenile, and highly unprofessional. That you would publicly conduct yourself this way may please your current boss, but the rest us are just shaking our heads." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What are you 11?" a second user asked, while another commented, "Are you a press secretary or a 5-year-old? Seriously, you need to grow up." "What was wrong with the question? The Budapest memorandum is a real agreement that the U.S. entered into with Ukraine," another asked. "And even if you didnt like the question, why do you think its okay to behave like a juvenile? You represent the United States Of America" As Leavitt's comment started to become trending on X, Date posted a lengthy thread addressing his exchange with the press secretary, and added further context. "The press secretary is tossing out ad hominem attacks, hoping to discredit me and HuffPost," began the veteran reporter. "So here is some actual context: Ive been doing this professionally for a dozen years before she was even born." Date detailed his decades-long career as a journalist, beginning with his first job out of college, all the way until he came to DC in his 40s, and ultimately began covering the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "All of those jobs were at mainstream, traditional media. HuffPost is my first at someplace that brands itself as progressive which allowed be the on the cutting edge of journalists to point out Donald Trump as an autocratic threat," he wrote. " "Trump is not 'conservative' or 'liberal' or any of that. He is a conman and, now, a criminal who is moving us every day closer to an autocracy," he continued, adding that his comment isn't "bias" but "40 years in this business, 30 of which were watching small 'd' democracy work within the norms established over two centuries." Sabrina Carpenter SNL Sketches Ranked: Domingo, Trump 'Fire' in Pre-Teen Podcast and More - Click image for related story "People like Ms. Leavitt keep tossing around 'objectivity' as if that means reporters are not permitted to use their expertise and their experience to describe whats going on," Date went on, before listing several of the disturbing allegations against Trump. The veteran journalist accused Trump of "using his office to enrich himself -- the definition of corruption -- more than any previous president did, in fact, more than any previous president likely ever dreamed of doing. And it's not even close." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These are all facts. Indisputable. I'm not being 'biased' to point them out," he said, before concluding, "Ms. Leavitt may not like my questions. Thats fine. I have a right and a responsibility to ask them. This is still America." Meanwhile, Leavitt's now-infamous joke was used once again on Friday after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wore a red, white, and blue tie during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House that raised eyebrows over the tie pattern's apparent resemblance to the Russian flag. Russia's news agency, TASS, also praised Hegseth's accessory, according to The Telegraph on Sunday. Getty HuffPost reported that it asked Hegseth's aides about Russia's comments about his neckwear and if he's worn the accessory before, writing that the Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell replied, "Your mom bought it for him -- and it's a patriotic American tie, moron." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The publication said it further pressed by asking if Hegseth knows the US flag code, which notes the flag "should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery." Hegseth often wears ties that feature red, white, and blue print. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson addressed HuffPost's question by slamming the outlet. "If loving ones country enough to represent it head to toe is a crime in the eyes of the leftist blog known as HuffPost, then consider Secretary Hegseth guilty. He is a patriot who reveres this country and our flag," Wilson said, per HuffPost. Having successfully used it to bring down 6-7 Pakistani fighter and spy planes in Operation Sindoor, India is looking to buy a large number of missiles worth around Rs 10,000 crore from Russia for its S-400 air defence system. The S-400 air defence system of the Indian Air Force brought down five to six Pakistani fighter aircraft and one spy plane at a distance of over 300 Km deep inside Pakistan during the four-day conflict and has been termed as a game-changer by the Indian Air Force. "The Indian Air Force is looking to buy the missiles in significant numbers to further bolster its air defence capabilities. The discussions with the Russian side are already on in this regard," defence sources told ANI. The Defence Ministry is likely to take up the proposal by the Indian Air Force for approval at a defence acquisition council meeting planned to be held on October 23, sources said. India and Russia had signed a deal in 2018 for buying five squadrons of the S-400 air defence missile systems. The Indian side is also looking to add more S-400 squadrons to its inventory and is asking Russia to supply the remaining two squadrons of the missile systems, of which three have already been inducted and operationalised. The three squadrons were delivered as scheduled, but just before the delivery of the fourth squadron, war broke out between Russia and Ukraine. The two sides have also discussed Indian's plans to induct more S-400 and S-500 air defence systems at various levels. The Russian military establishment is producing a large amount of equipment for its forces in the fight against Ukraine. Indian side is also looking at the option of buying new air-to-air missiles from Russia to bolster its beyond visual range capability. India and Russia have also discussed further enhancing the capabilities of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and their variants. India and Russia have close military ties, and a major portion of the Indian Air Force's strike capability is of Russian origin. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also scheduled to visit India in December, where the two sides will discuss further strengthening their military hardware cooperation. (ANI) The White House currently sees no reason to arrange a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It was previously reported that the meeting had been postponed. Source: Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing a White House representative, as reported by European Pravda Details: The White House official said that US President Donald Trump has no plans to meet with Vladimir Putin "in the immediate future", as NBC News sources had reported earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote from Axios' source: "Rubio and Lavrov had a productive call. Therefore, an additional in-person meeting between the secretary and foreign minister is not necessary." Background: Earlier, the media reported that the meeting between Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov, which was expected to take place this week, had been postponed. No specific reasons for postponing the meeting were given, but an anonymous source told reporters that the decision was likely driven by deep disagreements between Rubio and Lavrov over what would constitute an acceptable conclusion to the Russo-Ukrainian war. Reuters sources said Moscow's rejection of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine may have put the planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at risk. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Floridas new super speeder law, intended to slow dangerous drivers, has demonstrated that some lead-footed motorists ought to practice their excuses. Like the guy driving 100-mph-plus through Orange County to make it to a birthday party on time, or the woman who hit 113 mph on State Road 417 because she was in a hurry to pick up her dog. Then theres the Apopka man who said he didnt realize he was going 119 mph because wait for it his speedometer was broken. The law mandates a court appearance and allows officers to jail speeders rather than send them on their way with a ticket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of people we pull over are just in shock, said Trooper Migdalisis Garcia, spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol unit headquartered in Orlando that is responsible for motor safety on Interstate 4, Floridas Turnpike and other state roads in six counties. Tampa Bay street races often are posted online for attention. A new law makes it evidence. Most accused offenders expected a fine, not handcuffs, she said. Some are like, Wait. What? Im going to jail now? Since the law went into effect July 1, nearly 100 motorists have been booked into the Orange County jail on the more punitive charge, dangerous excessive speeding, for driving 100 mph or faster and in a manner alleged to be reckless or to threaten the safety of others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats usually tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic and failing to signal a lane change, a review of arrest reports shows. Under the new law, anyone convicted of excessive speeding for the first time would be required to pay a $500 fine and/or spend up to 30 days in jail. A second-time offender would have to pay double the fine and/or spend up to 90 days in jail. If violators are convicted a second time within five years, their license would be revoked for 180 days and possibly as long as a year. Many cited in Orange County are fighting the charge. Its my first time ever in trouble, said Ethan McArthur, 19. It was stupid, but my driving records clean. Shouldnt that matter? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said prosecutors are demanding he serve no less than 10 days behind bars. It seems excessive. There are people who get caught selling drugs who dont go to jail, McArthur said. A pool equipment salesperson in Polk County, McArthur was arrested in August after an Orange County deputy in an unmarked Dodge Charger used radar to gauge the speed of the vehicle McArthur was driving also a Charger at 112 mph in afternoon traffic on State Road 408. McArthur said he was hurrying to a birthday party and didnt want to be late. He said he was unaware of the new law. The deputy alleged McArthur made rapid and jerky lane changes, cut in front of other vehicles and zipped past a broken-down semi at the side of the toll road without slowing. The arrest report noted that two vehicles honked while passing the deputys traffic stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This usually communicates appreciation from other vehicles for enforcing stopping action, the report said. McArthur said he doubts he was traveling as fast as the deputy alleged. And those people honking were actually my friends driving by and laughing that I got pulled over, he said. Although Florida courts have held that excessive speed, by itself, does not constitute reckless driving, excessive speed is a contributing factor in about one of every four traffic fatalities nationwide, according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. In 2023, the most recent year for complete state data, the agency reported 38,861 crashes on Florida highways that were categorized as caused by or related to speeding or aggressive driving, resulting in 437 deaths and over 1,200 incapacitating injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Highway speeds of 100 mph or faster are just fatal speeds, said Garcia, the Highway Patrol spokesperson. Theres no room for error. She said many people offer weak excuses, or none at all. Some had babies in their vehicles. A 31-year-old man, accused of driving 111 mph, said he was just trying to get home after drinking a couple of tequila and pineapples at a company outing with an open bar and spending much of the night walking around Disney Springs playing Pokemon. A 28-year-old Orlando man who whizzed away from a pack of cars at a traffic signal on South Orange Blossom nearly reached triple-digit speeds before a sheriffs deputy pulled him over. He insisted he wasnt drag racing only trying to avoid the speeding car behind him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arresting officers, typically driving unmarked vehicles, often had difficulty catching up to speeders, arrest reports show. A 25-year-old driver who was clocked at 120 mph on I-4 near Lake Mary said he thought the arresting trooper in a marked cruiser was trying to race him. Garcia said she believes the new law is making a difference, though it may still be too soon to know for sure. People still speed, but hopefully theyre starting to understand there are serious consequences for it, she said. Before, when speeding resulted in just getting a citation, offenders didnt necessarily understand their risks. They maybe thought, Oh, its just a little financial burden, she said. But now that people are being arrested, vehicles towed and impounded, thats hopefully changing. Elon Musks hostilities with Sean Duffy reignited Tuesday with the billionaire accusing the Trump administrations Transport Secretary of trying to kill NASA and attacking him with crude comments online. The richest man in the worlds onslaught of criticism comes just a day after Duffy told CNBC that Musks rocket company was falling behind the administrations timeline for getting humans back to the moon, and that he would now be opening up the government contract to others including the Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin. Were not going to wait for one company, Duffy, who is also the Acting Administrator for NASA, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were going to push this forward and win the second space race against the Chinese. Get back to the moon, set up a camp, a base and from there were gonna figure out how we can get to Mars, he said. The SpaceX boss made a series of posts on his social media platform X in response to Duffys remarks, including a GIF of a famous exchange in which an anchor asked a guest, Why are you gay? Elon Musks took new shots at Sean Duffy Tuesday with the billionaire accusing the Transport Secretary of trying to kill NASA and attacking him with childish comments online (Getty Images) But the disparagement from the Tesla co-founder did not stop there. As well as his offensive GIF post, Musk dubbed the former Fox Business co-host Sean Dummy, claiming he was trying to kill the agency. The billionaires accusation followed aThe Wall Street Journal report that said Duffy planned to fold NASA into the Department of Transportation. Musk, alongside others on his platform X, said they believed such a move would mark the beginning of the end for American dominance in space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The person responsible for Americas space program cant have a 2 digit IQ, he wrote in a separate post on Tuesday. NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens told The Independent that Duffy had floated the idea of NASA benefiting from being part of the cabinet maybe within the Department of Transportation, but hes never said he wants to keep the job himself. The president asked him to talk with potential candidates for administrator, and hes been happy to help by vetting people and giving his honest feedback. The bottom line is that Secretary Duffy is here to serve the president, and he will support whomever the president nominates, she said in an emailed statement. The Independents request for comment from the Department of Transportation was not immediately returned. Prior to the cosmos-based arguments, The WSJ reported that Duffy had recently interviewed Musk-backed billionaire SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead NASA (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Trump cited Isaacmans ties to Musk and his alleged political leanings in his decision but some have speculated online that the withdrawal was due to the explosive falling out between Trump and Musk in June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Isaacman himself claimed that his nomination was pulled as there were some people who had some axes to grind. Musk remains a strong advocate for Isaacman to lead the space agency now several months after President Donald Trump pulled his nomination, reposting a message in support of him. And Musk questioned if Duffy was qualified to head the agency even sharing a call for the former lumberjack and The Real World: Boston cast member to be ousted. Alright, Duffy has got to go, said user @IronMan198XAD. Duffy did not reply to Musks barrage of criticism but did write Tuesday that he loved Musks passion related to SpaceX and NASAs ambitious Artemis program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The race to the moon is ON. Great companies shouldnt be afraid of a challenge, he said Tuesday. When our innovators compete with each other, America wins! Some online speculated that Trumps withdrawal of Musk ally Jared Isaacmans nomination for NASA administrator was part of the reason for the two mens explosive falling out in June (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) SpaceX was previously awarded the $2.9 billion contract to build the lander system that will get American astronauts back on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. But a timeline for such an achievement under the Artemis III mission is up in the air maybe coming by 2028, Duffy told CNBC. Since he was appointed acting administrator, Duffy has sounded the alarm over Chinas progress toward the moon. The East Asian power player plans to land its astronauts there by 2030 and appears to be making steady progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the presidents direction, Sean has focused the agency on one clear goal making sure America gets back to the moon before China, Stevens noted. NASAs Artemis II the second of six planned missions is still expected to launch people around the moon as soon as February 2026. The program is expected to pave the way for future crewed missions to Mars: a major focus for Musk. Two weeks before the election, Republican officials are threatening a lawsuit in Passaic County over claims local officials failed to adopt stronger security procedures to protect ballots. Republicans called for installing video cameras where vote-by-mail ballots are stored, creating access logbooks and requiring one Democrat and one Republican to be present during signature verification. John Currie, chairman of the Passaic County Board of Elections, also serves as chair of the Passaic County Democratic Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currie and the Passaic County Board of Elections did not immediately respond to a request to comment. Democrats on the Passaic County Board of Elections blocked the enhanced security measures, state Republican Party Chairman Glenn Paulsen said on social media. The fact that the BOEs chairman also happens to be the county Democratic chairman makes it even worse, Paulsen wrote. The New Jersey State Democratic Committee declined to comment and referred questions to the county board of elections. Passaic County has faced controversy over election fraud allegations in recent years. In 2020, then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal launched an investigation into voter fraud involving multiple Paterson City Council members. Paterson is Passaic Countys largest municipality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional voter fraud accusations were made by the state attorney generals office in April. Despite these indictments, the New Jersey Attorney Generals office has proven incapable of prosecuting these matters, Jason Sena, a lawyer representing the New Jersey Republican State Committee, said in a letter to the federal Department of Justice shared on social media on Monday. It is clear that the New Jersey Attorney Generals office is incapable of enforcing the law and protecting the integrity of elections in Passaic County, Sena said. The New Jersey Attorney Generals office disputed those claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state is committed to ensuring the integrity of our elections and protecting the right of every eligible voter to have their vote counted, said Michael Zhadanovsky, a spokesperson for the state Attorney Generals office. The Constitution gives states, not the federal government, the primary responsibility for running elections, Zhadanovsky added. It would be highly inappropriate for the federal government to interfere in this Novembers state election. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that no voter is intimidated and that every eligible voter has their ballot counted on Election Day. Passaic County is shaping up to be a key battleground in the states gubernatorial election between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Multiple polls show Sherrill with a lead, but some indicate Ciattarelli has an advantage among independent voters and better chances that his voters will turn out for the election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paulsen said turnout will be key in the statewide election. We are paying attention, we are vigilant, but the way we are going to win is making it too big to rig, he said. Passaic County, once considered solidly Democratic, is now a swing county. It is one of New Jerseys most populous counties and one that President Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election. Democrats still hold a voter registration advantage in New Jersey. But the Democrats have lost voters over the past four years, while Republicans have gained. The number of Republicans has surged statewide since 2021, with the party gaining more than 163,800 voters in the past four years. That is an increase of more than 10%. Jelani Gibson Stories by Jelani Gibson Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. As St. Petersburg continues to evolve as a city where everyone has the opportunity to find success and enjoy the amenities that our progressive city offers, it is essential that public transit evolves as well to help us meet those goals. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is taking a major step forward with the Oct. 26 launch of Spark, a premium express bus service along 34th Street South that will dramatically improve connections between our southwest neighborhoods and downtown St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach and beyond. This is the most exciting, change-making transit enhancement since PSTA launched the SunRunner, the bus rapid transit service linking downtown St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach, three years ago. Spark is another critical piece of a stronger transit system, with positive impacts for residents, workers, the local economy and our transportation network overall. This frequent, reliable and energy-efficient bus service aligns with St. Petersburgs economic and transportation strategies, with hopes that this addition should have positive ripple effects throughout Pinellas County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For residents from college students to seniors Spark will make it faster and easier to reach downtown St. Petersburg and beyond. This high-frequency route connects Eckerd College to PSTAs Grand Central Station travelling along the 34th Street corridor. Students at Eckerd, Pinellas Technical College, Gibbs High School and St. Petersburg College will benefit, as will all the residents moving into new apartments in the revitalized Skyway Marina District, which is undergoing a transformational growth. Spark will also boost the local economy. Our workforce can more easily reach employment downtown and in the Skyway Marina District, creating a larger workforce pool for businesses and more accessible job opportunities for residents. Tourists and shoppers will find it easier to get to shops and restaurants downtown, and to explore the growing Skyway Marina District. With affordability a constant challenge, the more ways we can efficiently get people to jobs, businesses and the beaches without them relying on cars and paying for parking, the better. From a transit perspective, Spark brings major improvements. There will be 18 stops along 34th Street, with buses arriving every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and every 30 minutes from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and from 8 p.m. to midnight. Each stop will have dedicated shelters and branded signs showing real-time arrival information. Clean, efficient, all-electric buses will run along the route, and Spark will help relieve traffic congestion as each bus can take as many as 50 cars off the road. While Spark and the SunRunner both offer high frequency and have many similarities, there are differences. Spark will not have dedicated bus-and-turn lanes or specially branded vehicles like the SunRunner, and Spark will accept both cards and cash. Importantly, Spark and the SunRunner will complement each other, and it will be easy for riders to switch from one to the other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along with Sparks launch, PSTA is updating its entire county-wide transit system on Oct. 26, rolling out the Connected Community Bus Network. Following extensive public outreach, the network reorganizes routes and schedules to create a bus system that is clearer, more consistent and more connected. The timing of Sparks debut could not be better. The Skyway Marina District continues to transform into a vibrant residential and commercial district, and our southwest neighborhoods now have more accessibility. A reliable, clean, robust public transit system is key to building a connected community that everyone can access and enjoy, and Spark is another strong step toward that vision. Deborah Figgs-Sanders is a St. Petersburg City Council member and represents District 5, which includes portions of the Spark route. She chairs the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority Board of Directors. President Donald Trump might be in no rush to end the shutdown this time around, according to CNN analyst Harry Enten. Enten compared Trumps current net approval rating to his net approval rating during the government shutdown in his first term in office. At this point during the 2018-2019 shutdown, Enten said Trumps net approval rating had already dropped three percentage points and would fall considerably more. He then explained that the ongoing government shutdown has not negatively affected Trumps support at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This shutdown hasnt eaten into Donald Trump support at all. His net approval rating is actually up a point in terms of his popular support, Enten said. So the bottom line is this: the first shutdown during Trumps first term, 2018-2019, was hurting Donald Trump. This one is not hurting him at all. Theres no real reason Donald Trump might say, at least when it comes to popular support, I want to get out of this shutdown. He said Trumps approval rating has not dropped because fewer people are blaming him for the ongoing government shutdown than during his first term. In 2018-2019, 61% of Americans blamed Trump for the shutdown. Now, just 48% of Americans do, according to Enten. Again, its no real wonder that Donald Trump, at this point, looking at the shutdown, says, You know what? Its not actually harming me politically, in large part, because hes getting less of the blame, Enten said. In a Monday post on social media platform X, Enten reiterated that Trump is in a much better spot. This shutdown is a different world for Trump than the 2018-19 shutdown. He's in a much better spot. His net approval is up slightly during this shutdown vs. dropping during 2018-19. Why? The % who blame him a great deal for the shutdown is down significantly now vs. 2018-19. pic.twitter.com/WHEqHaqo4M (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) October 20, 2025 Its not clear when the shutdown might end as it approaches its third week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have vowed to oppose any spending bill that does not include an extension for Affordable Care Act subsidies that are expiring at the end of the year. And Republicans have refused to negotiate across the political aisle to reopen the government. With just narrow majorities in Congress, Republicans need a handful of Senate Democrats to join them to pass a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government. Stories by Lauren Sforza Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. How much snow will Delaware get this winter? Farmers' Almanac has a forecast, AccuWeather has a forecast, and the National Weather Service will give precipitation and temperature predictions. Of course, all three will discuss El Nino and La Nina. It's as if the three services have a crystal ball giving everyone the forecast, and sometimes the predictions are as accurate as a Magic 8 ball. Here's what to know about long-range forecasts. When is the first day of winter? The first day of winter, or the winter solstice, is Dec. 21. Meteorological winter begins on Dec. 1. Why is winter weather hard to forecast? While meteorology is a science, it's still incredibly difficult to predict snowstorms and snowfall totals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Any snow forecast beyond three days is unreliable," said Alex Staarmann, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Mount Holly office. "Especially in Delaware because of its snow track." While you can track a storm and produce models for the storm, each model is different, and several variables come into play in determining if an area will get snow and how much. The rule of thumb is to take any forecast more than three days out with a grain of salt and know things can change. And with preseason snow predictions, you may need to take it with a 50-pound bag of rock salt. Thermostat battle: Best temperature setting for thermostats this winter? Here's what Energy Department says Was Farmers' Almanac or National Weather Service correct last winter? The Farmers' Almanac called for "stormy with above-normal amounts of winter precipitation and near-to above-normal temperatures. Snow will be most prevalent over the interior and mountainous terrains, while sleet and rain will be more common near the coast, especially near and along the I-95 corridor, which includes Wilmington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Almanac was not correct about the above-normal amounts of precipitation. January was the fourth driest in history, according to the Delaware Climate Office, and February was just near normal. It was also incorrect about the type of precipitation Delaware would receive. Delaware got a lot of snow last winter there were eight snow events in Delaware. Wilmington Airport received about 10 inches of snow last winter. Southern Delaware was hit the worst with two major snowstorms. According to information from the DEOS Snow Monitoring Network, Bridgeville had 20.5 inches of snow last winter, closely followed by Ellendale with 19.9 inches. Stockley had 17.7 inches, and Nassau had 17.1. The National Weather Service was on the fence as to whether there would be more precipitation, saying there was an equal chance for above- or below-average precipitation. You can't say they were right, but you can't say they were wrong either. The National Weather Service also predicated a higher chance for above-normal temperatures in Delaware. According to the Delaware Climate Office, both January and February were colder than normal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, both forecasts show the difficulty of predicting weather long term as neither was completely correct. How much snow will Delaware get this winter? For those who want to know what's being predicted, here you go, but remember the bag of rock salt. Farmers' Almanac Delaware, which the Almanac placed in the Northeastern, is expected to have a cold and snow-filled winter. "Areas up and down the Atlantic Coast will see significant rain, mixing with snow from time to time," the Farmers' Almanac winter forecast said. "The Mid-Atlantic region is forecast to see some decent snow, especially for areas in the mountains." National Weather Service National Weather Service winter weather outlook. The National Weather Service's seasonal outlook predicts temperatures are more likely to be above normal this winter. There's a 33% to 40% chance temperatures will be higher than normal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The precipitation forecast is calling for an equal chance of it being above or below normal for New Castle and Kent counties. In Sussex County, there's a 33% to 40% chance for below-normal precipitation amounts. If temperatures are expected to be above normal, the First State should expect a rainy winter. Accuweather.com Accuweather is calling for below-normal snowfall in Delaware this winter with higher-than-average temperatures. However, AccuWeather is expecting more snow than last year in Philadelphia, which could mean higher totals in northern Delaware. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why are winter snow predictions wrong? Editors note: Updates the date on when rental rules will return to the Wichita City Council. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The Wichita City Council is considering changes to the citys rental rules. It was a hot topic on Tuesday, sparking hours of discussion among council members, landlords, and Wichitans. City council spent nearly six hours on the issue, and the public comment section saw 38 people take the podium to speak up. When all was said and done, nothing was passed. The changes would have created a public registry of landlords with two or more code violations, added source of income to the list of protections against which landlords cant discriminate, and adopted a code requiring landlords to keep their properties in livable condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the end, the council voted to cut the income considerations and landlord registry from the plan. Instead, opting to create a task force to further deliberate on the livable conditions code. Landlords are still allowed to dictate who can live in their houses and are not required to accept everyone. This means they can choose who to rent to based on source of income and can deny those with Section 8 housing vouchers or those on social security. My heart also goes out to those of our neighbors with our neighbors who are waiting with housing vouchers, tribal benefits or social security in hand if only they could find a landlord to accept them, Adalia Carter, the founder of ICT Tenants Union, said. Wichita City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (KSN Photo) Wichita City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (KSN Photo) Wichita City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (KSN Photo) Wichita City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (KSN Photo) The popular complaint among those opposed to the proposed rules is that these changes are too widespread and dont discriminate between responsible and negligent landlords. In contrast, those in favor point out that the language of the changes targets repeat offenders, specifically adding landlords with two or more code violations in a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do not think that there should be a registry of landlords who make repeated violations. I dont think its something that we should do as a country, as a society, as a community. The public knows that people that are trying their best and reasonable rent for most of the tenants, landlord Joe Kouri said. The ruling class is playing Robin Hood to take from the rich and give to the poor, but most of the people youre taking from arent rich. Some advocates of the original plan said that for landlords, a bad tenant threatens their bottom line, but for tenants, a bad landlord could mean homelessness. A lot, if not most, of these landlords, this is but a second or a third income. I dont have that luxury, and a lot of the folks that speak on behalf of the tenants dont have that luxury. Were missing work to come to this. These people dont have a 9-5. That just shows theres a difference between a hustle and a necessity, and the landlords are here to protect their hustle, Cat Butler with the ICT Tenants Union said. Previously: Amid new Wichita tenant protections, landlord says they impact bad landlords Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Council member Brandon Johnson led the voices in favor of the changes. It may not be some of you fine folks in this room, but there are some people that probably need some much more assertive penalty for what theyre doing, he said. Despite Johnson pointing out that these changes had been in the works for nearly a decade, council member Dalton Glasscock said there hadnt been enough discussion, arguing the changes didnt discriminate between responsible and negligent landlords. Recognizing and seeing something as black mold as an overgrown lawn, we have to figure out a different approach to be able to address the concerns, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson strongly opposed delaying the vote, saying this issue has been in discussion for years, and pushing it back even further hurts those living in terrible conditions. People are suffering today, and action needs to be taken, Johnson said. Nothing is stopping the task force from considering the items the city council voted to cut, and they will vote again on a new proposal on Dec. 9. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click 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 KSN-TV. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) For the third time in recent years, and the second time in less than a month, another Mane Event painted horse was found damaged in Wichita Falls. The most recent one sat in front of Texas Oncology. Late Friday afternoon, October 17, employees saw their painted horse lying in the bushes with its legs broken. They said the community helped fundraise for the horse in 2019, and a staff member named Nell Nations, a cancer survivor, painted it. Earlier this year, the horse was dedicated to another co-worker Texas Oncology lost to cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Office Administrator Debbie Moody said the horse was also a photo spot for patients who finished treatment over the years. Its heartbreaking because its more than just a statue. She has a symbol. She gives hope and strength to our patients who are coming here for treatment, Moody said. WFPD said they are investigating, and right now, it is a criminal mischief charge, which is an arrestable offense. If you have any information, please call Crime Stoppers at (940) 322-9888. You can always remain anonymous, and your information could earn you a cash reward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) An 18-year-old from Wichita made his first appearance in court on Tuesday in connection with a shooting that left four wounded. Diego Murdock booking photo (Courtesy: Sedgwick County Jail) Diego Murdock was charged with one count of criminal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily harm and four counts of aggravated battery. Four people were injured in the incident. A 21-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman both sustained injuries to their lower legs, and a 19-year-old man was shot in the midsection. All three were said to be in stable condition. A 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body and was listed in critical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man charged in viral Wichita Ring video incident It happened around 3 a.m. on Oct. 12. Police say the victims were inside a vehicle at the intersection of Clifton Avenue and Morris Street when an unknown suspect fired multiple shots at them. Using the FLOCK, surveillance cameras, and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), police were able to identify and apprehend Murdock. Murdocks bond is set at $1 million, and his next hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 3. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click 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 KSN-TV. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said a detailed project report is being prepared to white top 500 km of roads at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore. Speaking to reporters after kickstarting white topping and road development works in Gandhinagar Assembly constituency, he said, "White topped roads last 25-30 years. We have already taken up 148 km of roads for white topping, and we are spending Rs 1,800 crore for white topping 83 roads." "Black topping is going on in 350 km of roads at a cost of Rs 695 crore. The CM has given a grant of Rs 1,100 crore and we have taken up asphalting of 550 km of roads," he added. He said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to Bengaluru for the inauguration of the Metro Yellow line, the State government had appealed to him for the grant of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for development activities in Bengaluru. But the State government has received no reply from the Prime Minister till now, he said. "When the PM came to Bengaluru for the inauguration of the Metro Yellow line, we had appealed to him to give us a grant of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for development activities in Bengaluru. We have not received any reply from the PM on this till now," DK Shivakumar said. "Our government has decided to build 113-km elevated corridor. We are also building 40 km of tunnel roads in the first phase. One loudmouth MP has been busy tweeting about this. Bengaluru has elected five MPs but none of the MPs have got even a single paise for Bengaluru," DK Shivakumar added. Shivakumar claimed that Bengaluru got a lot of projects and funds during the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre. He alleged that the contribution of BJP MPs for the development of the State is nil. "We have filled 10,000 potholes till now. The Bommai government had given an affidavit to the court that there were about 20,000 potholes in the city. We have given the opportunity to the public to identify and report potholes," he said. "We are here to give a new shape to the Bengaluru built by Kempe Gowda. We are committed to taking Bengaluru to global heights. The people of Bengaluru will appreciate our work in 10 years' time. Change is not possible in one day, and we are doing it in a phased manner," he added. The Deputy Chief Minister noted that the State government has formed five corporations to take administration closer to people. "This decision will yield great results in the days to come. The Opposition is criticising the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), but they were taken into confidence while forming the GBA," he said. "The court has stayed decisions on garbage disposal, advertisement policy, and premium FAR introduced by the previous government, but our government is moving forward confidently," he added. (ANI) (Corrects garbled and missing words in sixth paragraph) By Jonathan Landay, Sarah N. Lynch and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of dozens of officials from across the federal government, including U.S. intelligence officers, has been helping to steer President Donald Trump's drive for retribution against his perceived enemies, according to government records and a source familiar with the effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Interagency Weaponization Working Group, which has been meeting since at least May, has drawn officials from the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Justice and Defense Departments, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Communications Commission, among other agencies, two of the documents show. Trump issued an executive order on his inauguration day in January instructing the attorney general to work with other federal agencies to identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the federal government related to the weaponization of law enforcement and the weaponization of the Intelligence Community. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard earlier this year announced groups within their agencies to root out those who they say misused government power against Trump. Video: Former national security adviser John Bolton faces classified documents charges Shortly after Reuters asked the agencies for comment on Monday, Fox News reported the existence of the group, citing Gabbard as saying she "stood up this working group." Key details in the Reuters story are previously unreported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several U.S. officials confirmed the existence of the Interagency Weaponization Working Group to Reuters in response to the questions and said the group's purpose was to carry out Trumps executive order. None of this reporting is new, said a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity. ODNI spokeswoman Olivia Coleman said, Americans deserve a government committed to deweaponizing, depoliticizing and ensuring that power is never again turned against the people its meant to serve. The existence of the interagency group indicates the administrations push to deploy government power against Trumps perceived foes is broader and more systematic than previously reported. Interagency working groups in government typically forge administration policies, share information and agree on joint actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and his allies use the term weaponization to refer to their unproven claims that officials from previous administrations abused federal power to target him during his two impeachments, his criminal prosecutions, and the investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election. The interagency group's mission is "basically to go after 'the Deep State," the source said. The term is used by Trump and his supporters to refer to the president's perceived foes from the Obama and Biden administrations and his own first term. Reuters could not determine the extent to which the interagency group has put its plans into action. The news agency also could not establish Trumps involvement in the group. BIDEN, COMEY, OTHERS REPORTEDLY DISCUSSED Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among those discussed by the interagency group, the source said, were former FBI Director James Comey; Anthony Fauci, Trump's chief medical advisor on the COVID-19 pandemic; and former top U.S. military commanders who implemented orders to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for servicemembers. Discussions of potential targets have ranged beyond current and former government employees to include former President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, the source said. A senior ODNI official disputed that account and said there was no targeting of any individual person for retribution. IWWG is simply looking at available facts and evidence that may point to actions, reports, agencies, individuals, etc. who illegally weaponized the government in order to carry out political attacks, the official said. Lawyers for Comey and Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and there was no immediate response from Fauci. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reuters reviewed more than 20 government records and identified the names of 39 people involved in the interagency group. Five of the records concerned the interagency group, five pertained to the Weaponization Working Group that Bondi announced in February, and nine referred to a smaller subgroup of employees from DOJ and several other agencies that remain focused on the January 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol. The source said an important player in the interagency group is Justice Department attorney Ed Martin, who failed in May to win Senate support to become U.S. attorney for Washington after lawmakers expressed concern about his support for January 6 rioters. Martin, who also oversees Bondis DOJ weaponization group, is the departments pardon attorney. Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Other people working in or with the group include COVID-19 vaccine mandate opponents and proponents of Trumps false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, according to a Reuters review of their social media accounts and public statements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Justice Department spokesperson acknowledged that Bondi and Gabbard were ordered by Trump to undertake a review of alleged acts of weaponization by previous administrations but did not comment specifically on the Interagency Weaponization Working Groups activities. Reuters could not determine whether the group has powers to take any action or instruct agencies to act or if its role is more advisory. RUSSIA PROBE AND JAN.6 PROSECUTIONS WERE ISSUES The source said ODNI official Paul McNamara was a leading figure in the interagency group. McNamara is a retired U.S. Marine officer and an aide to Gabbard. Two other sources said McNamara oversees Gabbards Directors Initiatives Group (DIG), as first reported by the Washington Post. He is among at least 10 ODNI officials associated with the interagency group, two documents show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McNamara did not respond to an email making a request for comment. Senators from both parties have already raised questions about the DIGs operations, with Republicans and Democrats approving a defense budget bill this month containing a measure requiring Gabbard to disclose the groups members, their roles and funding and how they received security clearances. The source recalled the group being told that the ODNI, which oversees the 18-agency U.S. intelligence community, had begun using what they called technical tools to search an unclassified communications network for evidence of the deep state and hoped to expand its search to classified networks known as the Secure Internet Protocol Router, or SIPRnet, and the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System, or JWICS. The ODNI official disputed this as inaccurate and not how the systems operate. Reuters could not obtain independent information about the tools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A "big pillar they pushed" at the interagency group, said the source, was purging officials involved in investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and in compiling a 2017 multi-agency U.S. intelligence assessment that determined Moscow attempted to sway the race to Trump. Gabbard said in July that the DIG had found documents showing former President Barack Obama ordered intelligence agencies to manufacture the 2017 assessment charges an Obama spokesperson rejected as bizarre. The 2017 assessments conclusion was corroborated by a bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report released in August 2020 and by a review ordered earlier this year by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Another focus for the interagency group was retribution for the prosecution of the Jan. 6 rioters, said the source. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bondi tasked the DOJ Weaponization Working Group with reviewing the J6 prosecutions. Some of the documents seen by Reuters show that a smaller sub-set of employees from across the government have been convening on the topic. The Justice Department denied in its statement to Reuters that a separate January 6 group exists. Among other issues the source recalled being discussed were the Jeffrey Epstein files, the prosecutions of Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, and the possibility of stripping security clearances from transgender U.S. officials. Reuters could not independently confirm these were the subject of discussions. The White House official said the Epstein files have not been part of the conversation. The official also disputed Reuters characterization of what the working group has focused on. The senior ODNI official also denied the group discussed the Epstein files, revoking security clearance for transgender officials or Bannon and Navarros cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bannon did not respond to a request for comment. Navarro said his case was an example of Bidens weaponization of government. MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED HAVE BEEN VOCAL TRUMP BACKERS The five documents pertaining to the interagency group indicate the involvement of at least 39 current and former officials from across the government. In one document written before a spring gathering of the interagency group, ODNI official Carolyn Rocco said she hoped participants could help each other understand current implications of past weaponization. Reuters could not determine Roccos position at the ODNI; the office only makes public the names of top officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The source identified her as one of two former U.S. Air Force officers involved with the group who work for Gabbard and have been vocal opponents of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the military. Rocco signed a January 1, 2024, open letter pledging to seek court-martials for senior military commanders who made the shots mandatory for service members. Rocco did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Some people on the list Reuters compiled from the documents it reviewed related to the interagency group have amplified Trumps false election fraud claims. One is former West Virginia secretary of state Andrew McCoy Mac Warner, according to two documents. Now an attorney in the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, Warner alleged while running for West Virginia governor in 2023 that the CIA stole the 2020 election from Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warner did not respond to a request for comment. Other names found in two of the documents include at least four White House officials, an aide to Vice President JD Vance, and at least seven Justice Department officials, including former FBI agent Jared Wise, who was prosecuted for joining the Jan. 6 assault and is now on Bondis DOJ weaponization group. Wise did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Two of the documents show the involvement of two CIA officers but Reuters could not determine what roles they may have played in the interagency group. The CIA is legally prohibited from conducting operations against Americans or inside the U.S. except under very limited and specific circumstances. The CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials from other federal agencies that have some involvement in the interagency working group, including the FCC, the FBI and the IRS, did not respond to requests for comment. The DOD did not respond to a request for comment. A DHS spokesperson said the agency is working with other federal departments to reverse the harm caused by the prior administration. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay, Sarah N. Lynch and Phil Stewart. Editing by Don Durfee and Claudia Parsons) Amazon Web Services (AWS) said widespread internet outages have been resolved after impacting many users for much of Monday, preventing access to some popular websites. The Amazon cloud computing company, which supports wide swaths of the publicly available internet, issued an update Monday evening, saying all AWS services returned to normal operations. Benoit Tessier/Reuters - PHOTO: A logo for Amazon Web Services is seen in Paris, France, June 12, 2025. Outage reports for AWS began to decline at about 2 p.m. ET, though they remained elevated, according to DownDetector, a site that tracks online problem reports from users. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An elevated number of outage reports on Monday afternoon indicated ongoing problems affecting a slew of popular online applications, including Venmo, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom, Snapchat and Lyft, DownDetector showed. Outages were also reported for Amazon, as well as its Alexa assistant and Ring cameras. The first message, posted at 3:11 a.m. ET, said the company was "investigating increased error rates" for its East Coast region, which it refers to as "the US-EAST-1 Region." DownDetector showed at about the same time a spike in outages across the internet. Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters - PHOTO: People walk past the logo of Amazon Web Services (AWS) at its exhibitor stall at the India Mobile Congress 2025 at Yashobhoomi, a convention and expo center in New Delhi, India, Oct. 8, 2025. After a series of updates on technical matters, AWS at about 5:22 a.m. ET said it had applied "internal migrations" that were leading to "early signs of recovery" from some services using AWS. A few moments later, the company said it was seeing "significant" signs of recovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Most requests should now be succeeding," an AWS update said. "We continue to work through a backlog of queued requests. We will continue to provide additional information." Shares of Amazon ticked up 1.3% in midday trading, despite the outage. The family of a hospital security guard on Long Island is pleading for answers, and change, after he was beaten by a patient so badly, he's now on life support. The wife of 63-year-old Gardy Coriolan spoke exclusively to Eyewitness News. "My husband gave his entire life to law enforcement and saving people and serving the community," said the wife of the victim, Sonya Coriolan. "He belonged to someone. He belonged to us." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wife and daughters of 63-year-old Gardy Coriolan were at his side at Mercy Hospital on Monday night, where he worked for 28 years as a hospital police officer, and where last Wednesday he was attacked. "He was defending someone else, coming to someone else's aid, like he often did," Sonya Coriolan said. When a patient in the ER became violent, Gardy Coriolan stepped in to protect a doctor, suffering a beating that sent him into cardiac arrest. "I was told today that he has 90% brain damage, and he will never wake up," Sonya Coriolan said. Eduard Lopez, 28, is charged with assault. Coriolan's family wants him charged with attempted murder, and for anyone else who attacks a hospital officer in New York to face additional consequences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I just feel that laws should be passed, that if they're assaulting these hospital police, that they have some very stiff penalties," Sonya Coriolan said. Coriolan retired from the New York City Correction Department, simultaneously working and mentoring officers in hospital and school safety. "He did 20 years on Rikers Island and came out unscathed," Sonya Coriolan said. "He did 16 years with the Uniondale School District. Unscathed." But it was at the hospital where his wife says he felt it was the most dangerous. He was unarmed, usually working with only two others, and sometimes alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the hospital issued a statement saying, in part, "We remain focused on ensuring the well-being and safety of everyone in our Emergency Department," his family isn't so sure. "One of his major concerns, and his exact words that he quoted to myself and leadership at the hospital was, 'the shortage of staff here is going to get someone hurt, or someone is going to die.' And now, I'm living that," Sonya Coriolan said. The officer's family says there is video of the brutal attack, which they would like to see. Lopez is due in court on Tuesday on that second-degree assault charge, which could be eventually upgraded, given the officer's delicate condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation is ongoing. ---------- * More Long Island news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. WILBRAHAM, Mass. (WWLP) The man arrested in connection with a police standoff in Wilbraham has been held without the right to bail. Palmer police detain suspect after alleged assault on paramedics The Hampden District Attorneys Office states that on October 3rd, at approximately 7:12 a.m., the Wilbraham Police Department received a 911 call from a victim in the area of Crane Hill Road reported being physically assaulted. The victim tried to leave the home; however, when they entered their vehicle, the suspect, 34-year-old Nidal Adam Sholi of Wilbraham, allegedly pointed a gray handgun at them while they were attempting to leave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers were sent to the home and tried to make contact with Sholi. Officers at the incident then heard gunshots a short time later coming from the area of the home. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the surrounding neighborhood. The Massachusetts State Police STOP Team and Crisis Negotiation Unit arrived to assist. The victim told officers that Sholi was intoxicated and owned several firearms, and that he had an active License to Carry (LTC). An arrest warrant was granted, and Sholi was located inside his bedroom and taken into custody by members of the State Police STOP Team without further incident. Nidal Sholi (Hampden County Sheriffs Office) (WWLP-22News) (WWLP-22News) (WWLP-22News) (WWLP-22News) (WWLP-22News) (WWLP-22News) (WWLP-22News) An executive search warrant was granted for the home, and several bullet holes and shell casings were found throughout the residence. Bullets had passed through interior and exterior walls, windows, furniture, and appliances, with some rounds exiting the home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total of 11 firearms were found, including three rifles meeting the statutory definition of an assault weapon. Additionally, 57 rifle and pistol magazines, 36 of which were high-capacity, capable of holding more than 10 rounds, were also seized. Approximately 5,000 rounds of ammunition were seized pending inventory, as well. Sholi has been charged with: Assault and Battery by Strangulation or Suffocation Discharge of a Firearm within 500 feet of a Building Violation of an Abuse Prevention Order Improper Storage of a Large Capacity Weapon Unlicensed Possession of an Assault Weapon Assault and Battery on a Family/Household Member Assault with a Dangerous Weapon Threat to Commit a Crime On October 10th, Sholi was found guilty of dangerousness in Palmer District Court and was ordered held without the right to bail for 120 days. That same day, the defendants mother filed a Section 35 petition, which was allowed for 90 days. This allows the court to involuntarily commit an individual to a treatment facility for substance use when their behavior poses a risk to themselves or others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sholis next court date is December 16th and is presumed innocent of all allegations until proven guilty. 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. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. No One Saw Us Leave spoilers follow. A new compelling Netflix drama has shot to the top of the streaming charts with its hard-hitting, real-life story. Inspired by true events, No One Saw Us Leave retells a scandal that rocked the Jewish community in 1960s Mexico. The series adapts author Tamara Trottner's 2020 memoir of the same name (original title: Nadie Nos Vio Partir), chronicling her and her brother's 1968 kidnapping at the hands of their father. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The star of the five-part drama is Narcos: Mexico's Tessa Ia as Valeria Goldberg, a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to Leo Saltzman (Emiliano Zurita), the son of influential constructor Samuel (Juan Manuel Bernal). When Leo discovers that Valeria has been cheating on him with his brother-in-law, no less he hatches a cruel plan to punish her and remind her of her place in the family. Pressured by his controlling father, Leo takes their kids, Tamara (Marion Siro) and Isaac (Alexander Varela Pavlov), away from his estranged wife, fleeing to Europe with a half-baked plan to reach Israel and live on a kibbutz. Meanwhile in Mexico, a devastated Valeria is determined to reunite with her children and ride out the smear campaign against her that Samuel has put on. Netflix The drama has climbed the most watched TV chart on the streamer globally, claiming the number one spot in 37 countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite drawing in big viewership numbers, No One Saw Us Leave has largely flown under the radar as it only has four reviews on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. These are mostly positive, with critics praising the series for its "gripping" and "emotional" exploration of motherhood and stigma (via Screen Rant). Leisurebyte called the drama "brutal and impactful", while EscribiendoCine said that it's a "reflection on memory, motherhood, and authority". A real-life thriller with a courageous protagonist denouncing the double standards faced by women ticks all the boxes of a Netflix hit. Interestingly, the series explores vicarious violence, an insidious form of gender-based violence where the abuser, who's usually a partner or ex-partner, intends to harm a woman through her affective bonds, particularly her children. Netflix's No One Saw Us Leave ending explained The series tells Valeria's story in flashbacks, going back to the roots of her unhappiness in her relationship with Leo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kicking off with Leo's kidnapping of the kids, No One Saw Us Leave then adopts a timeline-hopping narrative to let viewers in on Valeria's wedding day and her romance with Carlos (Gustavo Bassani). Far from being Valeria's big day, the nuptials feel more like a business deal between Leo's father Samuel and Valeria's steel entrepreneur dad. Valeria opens up about her doubts to her sister-in-law, Leo's sister Gabriela, though the groom is equally miserable about the union. The series frames Leo as the abuser in perpetuating the cycle of violence that exists within his family, but also affords him some empathy. With dreams of being an architect, Leo is figuratively strangled by his father's will, a grip that remains ever-tight when the family's honour is put at stake by Valeria's affair. "In our community, betrayal is punished," Samuel tells Valeria, who refuses to cave to his intimidatory tactics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Gabriela's marriage to Carlos is equally hitting the rocks. At a party, with all guests dolled up in fabulous 1960s outfits, Carlos and Valeria realise they may have more in common than they thought. As their secret romance begins, it doesn't take long for Leo and Gabriela to put two and two together Valeria and Carlos aren't the most convincing liars we've ever seen. Instead of entering a custody battle, Leo jumps the gun and takes the children to France. Valeria then teams up with an ex-Mossad agent-turned-PI, Elias (Ari Brickman), to hunt them down across the Atlantic. Netflix A two-year chase sees Leo narrowly escape an Interpol warrant of arrest across France, Italy and South Africa, where the show touches upon the anti-Apartheid movements of the 1960s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Mexico, Valeria can only count on her parents and Carlos, as her former friends have all turned their backs on her. When her appeals to her mother-in-law lead her nowhere, she agrees to tell her truth to the local media. In the fourth episode, a pregnant Valeria doesn't hesitate to jump on a plane to Israel when she gets word of Leo's most recent whereabouts. With Carlos in tow, the protagonist suffers a heartbreaking miscarriage but continues her pursuit until she's reunited with Tamara and Isaac. In the final episode, Valeria and Leo appear in court in Israel, where a judge rules that the family should return to Mexico for a custody hearing. Valeria is relieved, though No One Saw Us Leave has yet another twist in store for her, and not of the good kind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon their return back home, there is no trace of Leo and the kids, as Valeria fears her ordeal is turning into a reoccurring nightmare. The series reveals that Leo is hiding with the kids in a different neighbourhood. His sister Gabriela, who's hurt over the end of her marriage to Carlos, insists they stay hidden, but Leo sees reason. Worn down by years on the run and finally putting his children before his pride, he decides to hand them over to Valeria. It's a teary reunion for the family and a separation for Valeria and Leo after years of suffering. Netflix The real story behind Netflix's No One Saw Us Leave No One Saw Us Leave dramatises a shocking, real-life case of parental child abduction five decades after it took place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Placards at the end of the final episode inform the audience that Tamara and Isaac didn't see their father Leo for 20 years after the kidnapping. Valeria and Carlos had their happy ending and remained together until his death in 1997. Tamara Trottner has since become a writer, publishing 2020's No One Saw Us Leave and 2024's Pronunciare sus nombres [I Will Pronounce Their Names], recounting her maternal grandparents Ana and Moishe's journey to America during the Nazi occupation of Europe. Speaking of her years being dragged across Europe with her brother, Trottner has no doubt that "revenge" was her father's main motivation. "On my fifth birthday, my dad kidnapped me and my brother to get revenge on my mom. For two years, we traveled the world and visited three continents, and our perception of life, childhood, love, and security was colored by this experience," the author explained (via Que Leer Libros). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Netflix's No One Saw Us Leave can be considered a period drama in many regards, the issue at its core is far from being a thing of the past. Cases of abduction at the hands of one of the parents continue threatening children's well-being, with recent figures showing that at least 925 children in the UK have been abducted by a parent between 2019 and 2023. No One Saw Us Leave is streaming on Netflix. The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Ariana & Witches in newsagents or online, priced at just 8.99. You Might Also Like The death of an 85-year-old man and the investigations into the facility in which he lived has sparked conservation relating to the oversight of elder care and senior living facilities in Connecticut. Raymond Hessel, who was suffering from dementia, died in 2023, 10 days after falling out of his bed, according to a police report. Hessel had been living in a Norwalk-based facility operating without proper licenses, according to agreements between the man running the facility and two state departments. The Norwalk location, along with four run by the same man in Stamford, closed as part of the agreements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hessel's family has filed a lawsuit claiming fraud and misrepresentation after the services they were marketed for Hessel did not line up to what was provided. A similar lawsuit, filed by multiple families who lived at other facilities, makes similar claims. What services can be offered in a group living facility in Connecticut can vary based on how a company or agency is registered or licensed. The facilities run by Greenwich resident Gary Ferone was registered as a homemaker-companion agency, which can offer limited services. "Homemaker companions help out in a person's home (not in a residential care facility) with basic tasks such as laundry, housekeeping, cooking, shopping, errands, personal hygiene, rides to appointments and other nonmedical services," said Department of Consumer Protection spokesperson Kaitlyn Krasselt, whose department oversees homemaker companion registration. "Homemaker companions can not provide any medical services such as take blood pressure, administer medications, or provide physical therapy. The homemaker companion agency is just the business that employs homemaker companions. It is not a residential facility where patients live." But the Norwalk facility was offering medical services and the lawsuit from the Hessel family claimed some staff were "untrained, unqualified, unsupervised, unlicensed, and uncertified aides." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some lawmakers and advocates interviewed about the state of elder care in Connecticut agreed, there is more room for regulation. While some cases, can slip through the cracks, there is some clear cleanup that can be done, they say. Eilon Caspi, a gerontologist and dementia behavior specialist, said that when it comes to assisted living, "It's the wild west here in Connecticut." "Assisted living is regulated by states, not by the federal government, and oftentimes the regulations are very weak across the country," he said. "we're waiting for the next tragedy to happen, the next newspaper article to come out. Maybe lawmakers will wake up." Overlapping agencies? A report produced in 2023 by a legislative Homemaker Companion Task Force acknowledged the rise in the sheer number of such companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There has been an about 137% expansion of the number of [homemaker companion agencies] over the past 10 years (from 380 to over 900), while there has been no increase in state regulatory staff overseeing these agencies," the report said. Though she said the aging committee has "made great strides" since she became co-chair three years ago, state Rep. Jane Garibay, D-Windsor, said the growth of home care agencies and the the elder care industry as a whole has made it a "systemic issue." "The aging population is growing," she said. "During COVID, I think we went from 300 home care agencies to over 900 or 1,000. That, in itself, is a little bit of a challenge." The Homemaker Companion Task Force, of which both Garibay and her co-chair, state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Jan Hochadel, D-Meriden, were a part, suggested there is "confusion regarding oversight" of elder care facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Department of Consumer Protection currently regulates homemaker companion agencies, but the Department of Public Health has oversight over health care agencies and service providers through their Facilities Licensing and Investigations Section," the 2023 report said. "DCP's oversight of HCAs should be transferred to DPH. The two agencies should develop a transition plan to transfer the authorities, expertise, and staff to provide more uniform enforcement to these similarly situated subject matter areas." Garibay said the two types of agencies have different business models, which is one reason why the proposal did not come to fruition. "What I would hope is that our agencies are working together," she said. Both the state Department of Consumer Protection and Department of Public Health investigated following Hessel's death, each drafting their own agreements signed by Ferone. In addition to those departments, there are cases where a third department has involvement in elder care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Personal care attendants, the individuals themselves who often work for homemaker companion agencies, are in some cases overseen by DPH and in others by the state Department of Social Services. "DSS plays a significant role in credentialing providers for Medicaid waivers which adds to the confusion with another agency's perceived authority to seek resolution for a complaint," the 2023 task force report reads. "Lines of jurisdiction and coordination are not clear for each state agency involved." A dedicated unit After being prevented from seeing her due to COVID pandemic restrictions, Mitch Bolinsky was there when his mother died. "I got to see my mom's last two breaths. That was it. I sat and sat out in my car, outside the emergency room entrance, waiting to be allowed back in," he said. "I've done nothing but try to strengthen the laws ever since." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bolinsky, a state representative from Newtown, was not satisfied with the care his mother received at her nursing home. Bolinsky is ranking member on the legislature's committee on aging. He and other committee leaders say partisan politics rarely prevents the body from taking action. "One of the pieces of legislation that we push in the aging committee that I'm particularly not very Republican about, is the regulation of behavior of long term care facilities," he said. "I don't believe in regulation for regulation's sake, but when there are lives involved, it's terribly important." In addition to lawmakers, the elder care ombudsman's office has been seen as a way to create a backstop for residents and their families. Bolinsky said the aging committee has repeatedly increased the office's budget. "We've doubled it and doubled it again, and we've regionalized our Ombudsman's program so that it's not centralized in Hartford," he said. "We have our long term care ombudsman stationed with the five area agencies on aging, so that they are within their territories' now, and they have regular call schedules, as opposed to a random inspection schedule, where they might only get to a particular facility once every year or longer." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mairead Painter, Connecticut's elder care ombudsman, though, said there is one inspector for each of the state's five regions. "I think there's really good intent there," she said. "I do think it's an area where we need to be able to grow support, but we need to have the financial ability to appropriately provide that oversight. People call the office for understanding their rights related to any type of long term service and support. But we can't do as much as we would be able to if it was fully staffed." Charges In the case of Hessel, one staff member working at the facility was charged with first degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons. Hessel was left lying on the floor for at least four hours and was found in a pool of blood, according to the police report. Speaking generally, both the departments of Consumer Protection and Public Health, which oversee different kinds of elder care facilities, say they do refer cases for criminal prosecution when necessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "After the special investigator establishes probable cause, the investigator applies for a warrant that is submitted to the Superior Court," Krasselt said, noting that state law outlines when that can occur and setting a $1,000 limit on fines for homemaker-companion agencies. DPH spokesperson Brittany Shchaeffer said only that, "When DPH identifies potential criminal violations, it refers matters to the appropriate law enforcement agency depending on the circumstances." For at least the past three years, legislation has been proposed to create a unit within the state's criminal justice framework dedicated to investigating crimes of fraud, abuse and neglect against the elderly. Both the Division of Criminal Justice and Ronnell Higgins, commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, testified in committee against such a proposal. The office of the Chief State's Attorney, in unsigned submitted testimony, called it an "unfunded mandate," though the agency acknowledged that, "Crimes committed against elderly persons represent some of the most reprehensible offenses committed in this state because they are targeted at one of our most vulnerable populations." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It is anticipated that staffing levels of an elder justice unit at the Office of the Chief State's Attorney would require, at a minimum, two prosecutors, five inspectors, and one forensic accountant," the testimony reads. "At this time, the division does not have the appropriated funds necessary to sustain this increase in personnel or to provide the specialized training and expertise such personnel would need to properly carry out the functions of an elder justice unit." Higgins did not immediately reply to requests for comment on this story, but his submitted testimony raised questions not only about the cost of such an initiative but on the "narrow" scope of an elder justice unit. "Fraud schemes know no age limit when it comes to victims," Higgins testified. "Creating a task force would take troopers out of the field and require a redistribution of resources and personnel to meet our overarching mission." Painter said there's more that can be done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Often when there are crimes against older adults or individuals with disabilities related to health care, we hear that they were told it's a civil matter, and these aren't civil matters," Painter said. "When you have abuse, neglect, misappropriation of funds, when you are misleading people into the care and services, I believe that that is criminal, and we shouldn't just tell people that they need to deal with it on a civil level." This article originally published at 'Wild west' of elder care: CT advocates point to overlapping oversight, underfunded agencies. Texas birders expressed excitement after a rare avian visitor made an appearance in the southern tip of the state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that a northern jacana, a tropical waterbird that primarily inhabits Central America, was spotted at the Santa Ana & Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. According to Chron, the northern jacana rarely makes its way into the U.S., though the species once had a small but stable breeding population at a lake south of Houston until the late 1970s. Its decline is tied to an attempt by landowners to manage the lake for wintering waterfowl by poisoning floating vegetation which ultimately destroyed the jacana's nesting habitat and a series of cold winter storms that followed. Photo Credit: Facebook Photo Credit: Facebook This is the first time in nearly a decade that the bird has been spotted in Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This fancy-looking, chicken-like water bird is a rare visitor from Mexico," the refuge wrote in a Facebook post. Ardell Winters, a birder from San Antonio who traveled to the wildlife refuge after reading reports about the jacana sighting, described catching a glimpse of the bird along with other species such as great kiskadees, tropical kingbirds, least grebes, and Couch's kingbirds. The experience was "a feast for the eyes and ears of a birder," she told Chron. According to another article from the news site, Texas birders have experienced an unusual streak of rare bird sightings in 2025. Experts think this could be tied to easier detectability thanks to technology and the state's southern location closer to Latin America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, shifts in climate and habitat may also play a role, they added. For instance, birds such as the yellow-headed caracara are showing up more often, likely due to agriculture-driven habitat changes in Central America and massive fires. Anyone can help document bird species, assisting in conservation efforts and the reportage of "rare visitors" such as Texas' famed jacana. For instance, the Merlin Bird ID app helps people identify birds through sounds and photos. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Meanwhile, trail cameras are another valuable tool that wildlife managers use to monitor animal populations and assess conservation success. In fact, trail cameras in the San Rafael Valley in southern Arizona have been helping researchers track a male jaguar, and in China, this technology has helped scientists capture rare footage of a mother snow leopard and her offspring. This kind of smart wildlife management benefits humans, as balanced ecosystems help supply us with clean air and water, along with a stable food supply. 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. After two stolen chained electric bikes and a murder on my street in the same year, I knew it was time to move out of Washington, D.C. Granted, the city is heaven for art and history buffs due to its many free and world-class museums and memorials, and I'll never stop recommending it to travelers. But before you plan your trip, it's worth understanding D.C.'s crime rates and knowing which neighborhoods to explore and which to avoid. In 2025 so far, from January through to mid-October at the time of writing, 1,095 robberies, 113 homicides, 717 assaults with a deadly weapon, and 3,394 motor vehicle thefts have taken place in D.C. Crime in the nation's capital made international headlines in August, when President Donald Trump took over the city's police force and deployed the National Guard in an attempt to curb high rates of violent crime (a move whose legality is being debated). Those rates are declining overall though violent crime still regularly occurs in D.C. While it is true that fewer violent confrontations have occurred in D.C. since Trump's intervention, those that do are more likely to end in death than a decade ago. "Lethality has climbed significantly," Ernesto Lopez, a senior researcher with the Council on Criminal Justice, told WTOP News. "We look back to 2012 lethality again, that share of violence that ended a homicide that increased by over 300% from 2012 to 2024, even [if] the homicide rate drops. So the violent situations can be getting less frequent, but when those violent situations occur, they [are] more likely [to] end in a fatality than over a decade ago." For tourists, this means that you're better off avoiding some neighborhoods completely. Going east of the Anacostia River, particularly in Wards 7 and 8, is not a good idea, especially at night. No major tourist spots are in this area, though. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The Best Vacation Destinations Where The US Dollar Goes Furthest Choose wisely where to stay around Washington, D.C. to avoid violent crime National Mall in Washington, D.C. at night - Philip Yabut/Getty Images The area around D.C. isn't as rife with crime as the capital itself. When I moved, for example, I didn't have to go far Arlington, a quiet city with significantly lower crime rates than D.C., is just on the other side of the Potomac. It's easy to travel between D.C. and Arlington, too: A 20-minute bike ride already had me in Georgetown. Many suburbs outside the city in both Virginia and Maryland are just as quiet and safe. Plenty of hotels and Airbnbs are located in Arlington, and with the metro or a 10-minute Uber ride, you can get to Downtown D.C. If you do want to stay in D.C., stick to central Northwest neighborhoods like Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, or Foggy Bottom. Fortunately, most of the city's museums and memorials are clustered in this area. That said, the National Mall and its nearby museums are best avoided after dark. The Washington Monument's glow can be stunning at night, but the surrounding expanse is pitch black, so walking all the way to the center of the park is not worth it. Be mindful, too, that regular political protests might also make your trip complicated. It was no surprise to me to meet several D.C. locals who carry pepper spray. It is legal to carry and use pepper spray in the capital, as long as it's for self-defense, contains approved active ingredients, and meets the city's packaging and labeling standards. However, be careful if you usually use guns for self-defense. Open carry is prohibited in D.C., and regulations are tighter than in the average U.S. state, so it's best to leave them at home if you're planning a trip to the nation's capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday participated in the 'Govardhan Parv' programme organised at Ravindra Bhawan in Bhopal, performed puja rituals, and prayed for the well-being of the people of the state. On the occasion, CM Yadav also honoured organisations that have made outstanding contributions in cow service and cow-based product production. He also visited the exhibition organised by the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department, which was based on organic farming and self-reliance. "Madhya Pradesh is number one in natural farming... Today, I participated in the 'Govardhan Parv' program in Bhopal and honoured organisations that have made outstanding contributions in the field of cow service and cow-based product production. On this occasion, following traditional rituals and customs, prayers were offered to Govardhan Dev for prosperity, good health, and peace for all. Also visited the exhibition organized by the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department, which was based on organic farming and self-reliance," CM Yadav stated in a post on X. Speaking to reporters on the occasion, the CM said, "The tradition of performing Govardhan Puja on the second day of Diwali has been observed across the country and Madhya Pradesh for many years. Since last year, the Madhya Pradesh government has decided to celebrate Govardhan Puja, Dussehra, Shastra Puja, Raksha Bandhan, Makar Sankranti, Holi, and all the festivals along with their social groups. The cow is the strength of our Animal Husbandry Ministry. Our natural farming should be good, and several schemes have been introduced to elevate Madhya Pradesh's position in the field of milk production across the country. Several awards have also been distributed to the organisation related to Gaushalas in Bhopal... Heartiest congratulations to all the residents of the state on Govardhan Puja." He also appealed to people to rear cows in every house, protect cows, and get connected with Gaushalas. Additionally, opt for natural farming and promote nutrition-based farming. "With several means of milk production, the Madhya Pradesh government is continuously working on the basis of schemes in the animal husbandry ministry to double the income of farmers. We have also doubled the grants of Gaushalas...," the CM added. (ANI) Enrollment in Wisconsin's public school districts has continued to fall, while other types of schools are gaining students, according to the state's annual late September count. The numbers released by the Department of Public Instruction on Oct. 15 are unaudited and likely to change. But the initial tally, recorded on the third Friday in September, is one of the factors that determine the amount of state funding schools will receive. The state may still adjust aid amounts based on a second enrollment count, which school districts conduct on the second Friday in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the preliminary numbers, enrollment for public school districts fell by about 13,600 full-time equivalent students to a total of about 759,800 this year, a nearly 2% decrease from last years estimate. Over three-quarters of the states 421 districts lost students this year, the data show. Meanwhile, the number of students using state-funded vouchers to attend private schools rose by nearly 2,650 to the equivalent of about 59,600 full-time students, more than a 4% gain for those programs. The number of students attending independent charter schools, which run separately from public school districts, rose by about 550 to the equivalent of nearly 12,450 full-time students, a more than 4% increase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The third Friday count excludes students who are homeschooled or pay tuition to attend private schools. How many students are attending Milwaukee Public Schools? Milwaukee Public Schools, the state's largest school district, again saw a dip in enrollment this year, mirroring trends at other public school districts statewide. Declining enrollment has long been an issue for schools as birth rates have fallen across Wisconsin and as competition increases among public, charter, private and choice schools. The Milwaukee school district reported the equivalent of about 64,580 full-time students this year. The data show a loss of over 1,600 students compared with last years initial count, a more than 2% decrease. In crafting this school years $1.5 billion preliminary budget, the district had anticipated enrollment to drop less than 1%, to a total of about 65,300 students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even so, the district is set to receive an additional $104.9 million in general state aid this school year, a nearly 18% increase from last year, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. The agency will allocate over $692 million total in general aid to Milwaukee Public Schools. Sara Shaw, a researcher at the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum, said Milwaukee will receive more aid because the state's funding formula also factors in district spending and property wealth. The district's $252 million referendum, which voters passed last year, increased school spending. Property values within the district are also growing at a slower rate compared with other districts in the state, making Milwaukee Public Schools eligible for more aid, Shaw said. General aid is the largest form of state support for schools in Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers current state budget for the next two years kept funding for general school aids in the 2025-26 school year flat at $5.58 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a press release, the Department of Public Instruction said over 25% of the states 421 school districts will receive more aid this school year than the previous year. About 70% will receive less. Shaw said the decreases are largely due to declining student enrollment across the state. With overall state aid remaining flat, funds were also redistributed to districts with rising costs or slower property value growth, she said. How many students are attending voucher schools? Carol Shires, vice president of operations for the advocacy group School Choice Wisconsin, said this years enrollment numbers for choice programs broke records, reflecting a need for more educational options other than public schools. The state's choice programs subsidize the cost for lower-income students and students with disabilities to attend private schools using publicly funded vouchers. "Lawmakers in Madison should continue to prioritize protecting these private-school options for all students, Shires said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the Wisconsin-based right-leaning think tank Institute for Reforming Government warned that growth in enrollment has slowed at choice schools, likely due to declining birth rates and increased school options. Based on this years preliminary numbers, the equivalent of about 22,900 full-time students are enrolled in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, a growth of about 1,900 students, or a 9% increase. The equivalent of about 29,240 full-time students are enrolled in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program this year, about 320 students more than last year and over a 1% increase. The Racine Parental Choice Program lost the equivalent of about two full-time students, with a total enrollment of 4,070 full-time equivalent students this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State funding to the states three private school choice programs and the Special Needs Scholarship Program will total about $700.7 million this year, about $69 million more than last year, according to estimates from the Department of Public Instruction. The agency said about $357.5 million will be drawn from public school districts general school aid to fund the Wisconsin and Racine parental choice programs, as well as the Special Needs Scholarship Program. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which is fully funded by state general purpose revenue, is estimated to cost nearly $336.3 million this year, according to the Department of Public Instruction. Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions at the Journal Sentinel. Reach her at khuynh@gannett.com and follow her on X at @_kaylahuynh. All of her work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors. Kaylas position receives support from Kohl Philanthropies and contributions to the Community-Funded Journalism Project. Help continue this reporting with a tax-deductible donation at jsonline.com/support. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin public school enrollment decline continues, vouchers on the rise Maria Lvova-Belova Russias Commissioner for Childrens Rights, wanted by the International Criminal Court for the abduction of Ukrainian children has revealed new details about kidnapping a boy from Mariupol whom she later claimed to have adopted. In a recent interview on the Russian talk show "Smotri i Dumai" ("Look and Think,") Lvova-Belova described how she "took in" a 15-year-old boy named Filip from Mariupol, the city Russia demolished and occupied early in the war. She said that Filip "did not want to go to Russia" and said that he was "annoyed by Moscow and Russia," but she managed to re-educate him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for both Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing them of the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. The Kremlin has rejected the accusations as politically motivated. By telling the story of kidnapping Filip, Lvova-Belova effectively confirms the act that made her wanted for war crimes taking a child from occupied territory and reshaping his identity to fit Russias narrative. Lvova-Belova became the second woman in history to be the subject of an ICC arrest warrant, charged with war crimes related to the forced transfer of civilians during an armed conflict. 'Re-educated' and made to love Russia Lvova-Belova met Filip in Mariupol, describing it as part of her "humanitarian trips" to occupied Donbas, where she "helped evacuate children." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the boy "seriously complicated the family atmosphere," as he arrived suffering from post-traumatic stress and, as she put it, a negative attitude toward Russia. "He said, I dont want to live in Russia. I love Ukraine. He sang Ukrainian songs all the time. I told him, Are you trying to provoke me by singing in Ukrainian? We are brotherly peoples," she said. She claimed that Filips hostility came from anti-Russian propaganda in Mariupol schools and described how she tried to "re-educate" him. "There was a turning point. He kept reading pro-Ukrainian websites while already living with my family in Moscow. I told him, Listen, youre in Russia now, you need to change your attitude. He said, I always read them. And I said, Son, at least for my sake. So we tried little by little." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the interviewer asked why she had taken him in if he didnt want to live in Russia, Lvova-Belova said: "Its just a teenage thing." The Hague Warrant When the interviewer asked Lvova-Belova about the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague, she dismissed the charges against her as fiction. "They keep promoting their myth that we forcibly remove children, change their identity, re-educate them in Russian patriotism, or send them to the front," she said. At the same time, Lvova-Belova admitted that the case involving Filip was one of the reasons for the ICCs arrest warrant. "That was one of the reasons. Because I kidnapped a Mariupol child and took him into my family thats how they see it," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also claimed that no formal charges had ever been presented to her directly. "We learned about the warrant from the media. We havent seen any official documents. It was all just in the press." The arrest warrant is publicly available on the ICCs official website. The court states that Lvova-Belova and Putin are suspected of being responsible for "the unlawful deportation" and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. The interviewer also asked her how many children Russia had taken. Lvova-Belova replied that the number was around 20,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Ukraines official Children of War database, at least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion , and around 1,200 have been brought home. The issue of abducted children remains one of Ukraines key priorities in peace negotiations, along with a ceasefire and the return of prisoners of war. Read also: Why does Russia want Donbas? 6 things to know about the region Ukraine is being pressured to give up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. NEED TO KNOW A British woman has managed to play her "beloved" clarinet during brain surgery after her Parkinson's disease symptoms left her unable to Denise Bacon, 65, underwent a four-hour operation to undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS) in London earlier this year Bacon, who stopped playing five years ago due to her symptoms, said she was "delighted" that she was able to use her instrument more easily when the stimulation was applied A British woman with Parkinson's disease has said she's "delighted" after managing to play the clarinet while undergoing brain surgery. Denise Bacon, 65, from the U.K. town of Crowborough in East Sussex, underwent a four-hour operation at King's College Hospital in London to undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS), per a news release shared by the hospital on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hospital confirmed to PEOPLE in an email that Bacon underwent the procedure on July 16 of this year. According to the Mayo Clinic, DBS "involves implanting electrodes within areas of the brain. The electrodes produce electrical impulses that affect brain activity to treat certain medical conditions. The electrical impulses also can affect cells and chemicals within the brain that cause medical conditions." "The amount of stimulation in deep brain stimulation is controlled by a pacemaker-like device placed under the skin in the upper chest. A wire that travels under the skin connects this device to the electrodes in the brain," the site adds. Bacon who is a retired speech and language therapist was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease back in 2014 and it has since affected her ability to "play her beloved clarinet," as well as her ability to walk, swim and dance, the hospital noted. Karen Welsh/King's College Hospital Denise Bacon playing her clarinet during surgery Denise Bacon playing her clarinet during surgery The amateur musician used to play the instrument in the East Grinstead Concert Band until she had to stop five years ago due to her Parkinson's symptoms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Bacon played her clarinet while undergoing DPS, this offered surgeons immediate, audible evidence of the surgery's success, the release stated. The patient "had been experiencing slowness of movement (bradykinesia) and muscle stiffness (rigidity) resulting from Parkinsons disease," the hospital explained, adding in the release, "The results were instantaneous on the operating table. The movement in Denises fingers improved immediately, allowing her to play the clarinet with much greater ease." The release said, "Supported by a team of specialists comprising a neurologist, neuropsychologist, as well as DBS and [theater] nurses, the electrodes were connected to a pulse generator, similar to a pacemaker, to deliver electrical impulses to modify brain activity and reduce Denises symptoms." Keyoumars Ashkan, a professor of neurosurgery at Kings College Hospital, performed the procedure on Bacon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ashkan said, Holes half the size of a five pence piece were made in Denises skull after a frame with precise coordinates was placed on Denises head, acting as a sat nav to guide us to the correct positions within the brain to implant the electrode." Karen Welsh/King's College Hospital Denise Bacon during her surgery Denise Bacon during her surgery Once the electrodes were in place on the left side of Denises brain, the current was switched on and an immediate improvement was noted in hand movements on her right side. The same happened on her left side when we implanted electrodes on the right side of her brain," the professor recalled, per the release. He added, As a keen [clarinetist], it was suggested Denise bring her clarinet into the operating [theater] to see whether the procedure would improve her ability to play, which was one of Denises main goals for the surgery. We were delighted to see an instant improvement in her hand movements, and therefore her ability to play, once stimulation was delivered to the brain. Bacon was given a local anesthetic "to numb her scalp and skull" but "remained awake during the procedure so her symptoms could be monitored throughout," the hospital confirmed, pointing out that the brain itself has no pain receptors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the procedure, Bacon said she was "delighted" that she'd been able to play her beloved instrument. She shared, I remember my right hand being able to move with much more ease once the stimulation was applied, and this in turn improved my ability to play the clarinet, which I was delighted with," per the release. Im already experiencing improvements in my ability to walk, and Im keen to get back in the swimming pool, and on the dance floor to see if my abilities have improved there," Bacon continued. 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 patient "opted for the rechargeable type of pulse generator battery that is implanted in her chest, which can last up to 20 years before it requires replacing, delivering a continuous electrical current to her brain," the hospital said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The innovative generator will monitor her brain activity and can help automatically adjust the stimulation when needed," the release continued. DPS can control Parkinson's motor symptoms such as tremors, but it's not a cure and doesn't stop the disease from progressing, per The Times. According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson's disease is a "movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time." Read the original article on People MEMPHIS, Tenn. A woman is accused of forging three checks made out to a Memphis business, replacing their name with hers and depositing more than $13,000 into her bank accounts. Shantaye Riley, 48, is charged with three counts of theft, $2,500 to $10,000; three counts of identity theft; three counts of criminal impersonation and three counts of forgery, $2,500 to $10,000. Detectives said the investigation began July 2, when they responded to a report of counterfeiting at Plant Maintenance Corp. on Fite Road. Shantaye Riley Two different bank representatives had contacted the company, saying they had identified suspicious checks in which someone had apparently washed the company name from the check and replaced it with a womans name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company contacted a third bank, who informed them they had also identified two more suspicious checks. Woman who hit minor, adult with SUV out on bond: MPD Three of the checks had the name Shantaye Riley. Investigators said Riley allegedly deposited the checks into two bank accounts. Two more women were identified as possible suspects in an affidavit from investigators, but their names do not appear in the Shelby County jail system or court records. The three names were associated with six different fraudulent checks, authorities said. The companys bookkeeper told detectives neither she nor the company had any association with the women, and they were not authorized to be in possession of the checks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE responds after task force arrest in Memphis Riley was arrested Monday. No bond has been set. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A woman is recovering after being attacked by a coyote while she was outside with the family dog in Bergen County on Monday afternoon. Surveillance video captured the attack around 1:20 p.m. at a home on Woodcrest Drive in Woodcliff Lake. The animal pounced on a 31-year-old housekeeper, leaving her with open wounds on her shoulder, arm, back and leg, while she was with a golden retriever in the backyard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Within seconds on surveillance video, the homeowner bravely runs outside to fight off the animal. Officials say the coyote also went after the woman's dog, but it was not seriously injured during the encounter. The coyote then took off. The backyard of the house is a wooded nature preserve. "That coyote really attacked that woman. That coyote is probably rabid. Everyone listening should be careful today," Dr. Dyan Muller a veterinarian said. The dog's vet happens to live across the street and said the dog is OK. The homeowners said the housekeeper is still shaken and now has to undergo a month of rabies shots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the coyote was not caught, it is not known at this point if the animal is rabid. The local police have reached out to NJ Fish and Wildlife while they caution homeowners to not leave anything edible outside that might tempt wildlife. "Keep pet food inside, don't leave it outside. Keep your garbage cans locked, again clear any kind of heavy brush that's in the area because they like to hide in that. Any bird feeders that knock off seeds attract small animals, which attracts coyotes," Woodcliff Lake Captain Chad Malloy said. Capt. Malloy says coyote attacks in the nearby area are rare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Monday's attack and with questions about the health of the animal, however, police are warning residents to be extra mindful of their surroundings, including keeping an eye on their pets, especially if they're out on walks with or without them. Residents are also urged to have nothing around their homes that might attract wild animals like coyotes. "If you live near a wooded area, that's where you got to be more aware of your surroundings, because obviously they lurk in heavily brushed areas," Malloy said. In September, police euthanized a coyote after two people were attacked while walking their dogs in the borough of Saddle River in Bergen County. ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. LIVINGSTON, Texas (KETK) A 62-year-old East Texas woman is accused of assaulting an officer and carrying a loaded pistol after entering the Livingston Police Department lobby. Mugshot of Brenda Bradshaw, courtesy of the Polk County Jail Arrest documents obtained by KETK News show the incident began after the officer Bradshaw allegedly assaulted declined to provide her a courtesy ride from the hospital. Instead, she was taken by taxi. The report states the interior of the taxi smelled like cigarette smoke, which Bradshaw said caused her to relapse and smoke again, something she blamed the officer for. Lone Star man arrested for child grooming, online solicitation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Bradshaw arrived at the police department on Saturday, she asked to speak with the same officer, saying she felt comfortable with him because of past interactions. After several minutes of conversation, Bradshaw reportedly swung toward the officers face. The officer said he was able to move backward to avoid being struck and told her to leave the department. She then attempted to hit him twice more. The officer pinned her against the wall, at which point Bradshaw began kicking backward and struck his right ankle several times, causing pain and visible redness, according to the report. Police said officers later discovered that Bradshaw had a loaded revolver with her at the time of the incident. She was taken into custody and booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of assault of a peace officer and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Bradshaw is being held on a $27,500 bond. 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. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) The woman accused of assaulting a 75-year-old man on Culver Road in August pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault in court on Tuesday. Toni Palermo appeared before a judge for her arraignment, breaking down when her potential bond was discussed, prompting anger from the family of the victim, Jim Spampinato. They shouted insults and expletives at Palmero outside of the courtroom. Surveillance footage obtained by News 8 shows a tense verbal exchange between Palermo and Spampinato before she is seen shoving him to the ground. Spampinato suffered a fractured neck and hip in the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Mikael Pelkey, of the Monroe County Special Victims Unit, brought up prior charges against Palermo in Polk County, Florida, that she said the court had not been aware of during the initial arraignment. Those charges stem from a 2022 incident in which Palermo allegedly assaulted two juveniles: punching one in the face and spitting on the other. Judge Randall acknowledged the Florida charges but noted that Palermo had not been logged as a fugitive by that state. The court ordered Palermo to submit to electronic home monitoring within 48 hours. I think that just based on the prior court experience they were looking for monetary bail, but this is still a win because its something to hold her accountable, Pelkey said. The whole point of this is just justice for their father, and thats why we do what we do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An order of protection was also issued, requiring Palermo to have no contact with Spampinato. Palermo is scheduled to return to court on December 16 for motion arguments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) A woman faces multiple charges in South Hadley after allegedly crashing her vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. The South Hadley Police Department stated that last Friday, October 17, at approximately 1:30 p.m., officers were called to the intersection of Route 202 and Route 33 regarding a crash between a car and a landscaping truck towing a trailer. Five suspects charged in East Longmeadow abandoned building break-in Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following an investigation in the area and speaking with witnesses, officers determined that the accident was caused when a car driving southbound on Route 202 reportedly failed to stop for a red light, colliding with the landscape truck. A fire had also started inside the car as a result of the crash. Courtesy of the South Hadley Police Department. After the fire was put out, police spoke with the driver, identified as Megan Flannery of Chesterfield, N.H. Officers discovered that Flannery had been driving under the influence of alcohol and that her young child was also inside the vehicle. Police said that the child was later released to their father. Flannery was arrested and charged with: Operating under the Influence of Liquor Endangerment of a Child while Operating under the Influence Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle Fail to Stop for a Red Light 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. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. 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. Governor of Kerala Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister George Kurian received President Droupadi Murmu at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport. The President of India''s official account on X posted, "Governor of Kerala Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri George Kurian received President Droupadi Murmu on her arrival at Thiruvananthapuram." Kerala CM Vijayan also posted on X over President Murmu''s visit to the state. "Warmly welcomed Hon''ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, on her visit to Kerala. Her presence is a great honour for the State and our people," CM Vijayan said. According to a release, the President will perform Darshan and Aarti at the Sabarimala Temple on October 22. On October 23, the President will unveil the bust of former President of India, K.R. Narayanan at Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. Later, she will inaugurate the observance of the Mahasamadhi Centenary of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala. She will also grace the valedictory function of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas College, Palai. On October 24, President Murmu will attend the centenary celebrations of St. Teresa''s College, Ernakulam, the release added. Earlier on Monday, President Droupadi Murmu extended Diwali greetings to the nation. Sharing an X post, President Murmu wrote, "On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all Indians, both in India and across the world." "This festival of joy is also an occasion for self-reflection and self-improvement. This festival is also an opportunity to help and support the deprived and the needy, and to bring joy into their lives. I urge everyone to celebrate Diwali safely, responsibly and in an environmentally friendly manner. May this Diwali bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to all," the President added. (ANI) MEMPHIS, Tenn. A 24-year-old woman is accused of hitting two people, one of them a minor, with her Chevrolet SUV in North Memphis, according to the Memphis Police Department. Dierra Boyland was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and child abuse. Dierra Boyland (SCSO) Boyland was released from jail on a $40,000 bond. On October 3, MPD responded to an aggravated assault in the 1500 block of North Trezevant Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said they spoke with the minor on the scene, who told them that Boyland had hit her and another woman with her SUV. The woman was taken Methodist North for her injuries. Vice Lords member arrested for possession of gun, agents say Police went to the hospital to question the woman, and she informed them that Boyland was her boyfriends sister and that it all started after a heated argument in Boylands vehicle. The woman told investigators that because of the argument, Boyland pulled over and they all began fighting each other outside of the vehicle. The woman said Boyland got into her SUV and hit the female juvenile twice and left the scene to return minutes later, start another argument, and then struck her before leaving the scene again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both victims identified Boyland in a photo lineup. She appeared in court October 15. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A woman is dead after a sneaker wave dragged her out to sea near Siletz Bay on Sunday. A call to first responders prompted a massive search along the Oregon Coast, but that woman was eventually found dead. She was later identified as 43-year old Caroline Moses of Corvallis. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules Trump administration can deploy National Guard to Portland The National Weather Service had issued a warning about potential sneaker waves for on Friday and Saturday which has now been extended through Wednesday, according to North Lincoln Fire and Rescue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crews were called to a surf rescue around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The report said a sneaker wave had swept someone out so far that people back on the beach couldnt see them. NLF&R launched their rescue jet-skis with the help of the U.S. Coast Guard and Lincoln City police. Two hours later, Oregon State Police said Moses was found dead on the beach nearly four miles south from where she went in. Damaging winds, heavy rain possible as a strong Pacific storm arrives on Friday Investigators said Moses was actually on the sand walking back to the car when the sneaker wave hit. The wave came up, knocked them off their feet and swept them out into the ocean, Cody Heidt with NLF&R said. One of the other people in their party tried to go in after them and was nearly swept out as well. So we always encourage people just to immediately call 911 and try and keep eyes on the person in the water and let us go out there. One person died when a sneaker wave hit near the mouth of the Siletz Bay, October 19, 2025 (North Lincoln Fire & Rescue) One person died when a sneaker wave hit near the mouth of the Siletz Bay, October 19, 2025 (North Lincoln Fire & Rescue) Heidt said that, in this case, Moses was not dressed for the water and was wearing heavy clothing when she was dragged out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to NLF&R, they get as many visitors to the coast in the winter as they do in the summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. RAMONA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) A 76-year-old woman riding a three-wheel mobility scooter was hit and killed by a vehicle over the weekend in the Ramona area. The incident occurred around 4:57 a.m. on Main Street and Julian Street, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release Monday. Authorities say a 54-year-old man driving a 2014 Toyota Camry northbound on Main Street (State Route 67) when the vehicle collided with the woman on the three-wheel mobility scooter traveling northbound on Main Street in low-lighting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ramona woman was ejected from her mobility scooter onto the roadway. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Toyota, of Santa Maria, CA, was not hurt from the collision. For the safety of all roadway users, individuals operating mobility scooters are urged to use sidewalks or designated pathways whenever available, said Cpt. Monteagudo with CHP. When operating near roadways, wearing reflective clothing, using lights, and remaining in well-lit areas can significantly reduce the risk of collisions. CHP confirmed driving under the influence was not a factor in the crash. The crash remains under investigation. 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. Jada Wilkinson said she saw that fateful email, all her money wiped out, transferred to a person she said she didnt recognize. They left it at zero, she said. I work full-time, Im also a full-time student, so, you know, when you take out $2,000 from my account, you know, especially with this economy, it really does put, you know, a hurt on me. She insists she didnt do anything wrong, didnt share her account information with anyone she didnt know, didnt click a link she shouldnt have, etc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have no idea how they got access, she said. READ: Man says Social Security thinks they overpaid him, trimmed monthly benefits She filed a claim with the financial institution, Chime. Technically, its not a bank. But in a lot of ways it acts like one. Wilkinson says Chime denied her claim, writing, [N]o error occurred. Therefore, no funds will be credited to your account... The more I think about the more upset I get because I work hard for that money right now. I just I just want it back. Thats it, simply, she said. We take matters like this very seriously and our team thoroughly reviews these cases. While privacy considerations prevent us from disclosing individual member data, we stand by the decisions based on our investigations, Chime says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erik Beguin, of Austin Capital Bank, says fraud attacks are big business themselves, usually hundreds or even thousands of people working together, often in southeast Asia. Theyre using the latest AI tools and theyre innovating rapidly to try to defraud Americans, he said. Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke says no matter what money app you use: Always pause before you pay. Only send money to people you know and trust. Dont trust a caller just because they say theyre with your financial institution. If you think theres any chance the caller may be right, hang up and call the company directly. You can always file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ >>CLICK HERE for more Action 9 reports WATCH: Charlotte activist at center of FBI raid An investigation is underway after a customer shot and killed a man inside a Compton store who was reportedly threatening customers after groping a female victim, officials announced. The Oct. 19 incident, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, occurred just before 3:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Alondra Boulevard, near the intersection of Poinsettia Avenue. A preliminary investigation revealed that an unidentified man followed a female customer into a beauty supply store and groped her, prompting employees at the establishment to demand he leave the premises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The male became increasingly verbally assaultive toward employees and customers, the release noted. He started throwing and damaging merchandise in the store. The incident escalated rapidly. While the man was reportedly threatening to kill and harm customers and employees, witnesses told investigators that they believed he was armed with a knife. A second customer in the store, fearing for the store employees, herself and other customers, retrieved a personal firearm and fired a warning at the male, investigators said. The male turned toward that customer, fearing she was going to be attacked, fired a second shot striking the male. L.A. deputies on the scene of a fatal shooting inside a beauty store in Compton on Oct. 19, 2025. (RMG News) L.A. deputies on the scene of a fatal shooting inside a beauty store in Compton on Oct. 19, 2025. (Citizen) L.A. deputies on the scene of a fatal shooting inside a beauty store in Compton on Oct. 19, 2025. (RMG News) L.A. deputies on the scene of a fatal shooting inside a beauty store in Compton on Oct. 19, 2025. (RMG News) L.A. deputies on the scene of a fatal shooting inside a beauty store in Compton on Oct. 19, 2025. (Citizen) L.A. deputies and personnel with the Compton Fire Department responded to the scene where the man was pronounced dead by paramedics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In footage of the investigation posted to the Citizen App, a large presence of deputies could be seen at the location, which was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape, well into the evening hours. Based on video evidence viewed by authorities, they believe there were additional witnesses inside the store and in the parking lot when the ordeal happened and asking anyone who may have information to come forward and contact LASDs Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Authorities did not provide any information on the customer who shot the man, nor did they report any arrests, though they said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org. 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. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) The Caddo Parish Sheriffs Office is searching for a woman wanted for multiple felonies, including theft and extortion. Tawanda Cherice Daughtry (Source: Caddo Parish Sheriffs Office) CPSO said Tawanda Cherice Daughtry, 43, has multiple felony warrants for charges including forgery, exploitation of persons with infirmities, extortion, criminal conspiracy, and theft. The sheriffs department did not provide specifics on Daughtrys crimes, but they did list numerous aliases: Towanda Daughtry, Tyeshia Anderson, Tawwanda Daughtry, Tawanda Jones, Tiawanda Jones, Kimberly Pipkins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is encouraged to contact CPSO through its non-emergency number at 318-675-2170 or contact Caddo Shreveport Crime Stoppers at 318-673-7373. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,000 for information leading to Daughtrys 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 KTALnews.com. Editors note: This article has been edited to reflect that the woman in the surveillance video is a person of interest. MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) Police released new video of a woman wanted for questioning after a baby was abandoned on a subway platform in Penn Station. Police said the infant was found on the No. 1 subway platform wrapped in a blanket around 9 a.m. Monday. She was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated, according to authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More Local News Sources told PIX11 News that the baby, a newborn, still had her umbilical cord attached. Police said the woman fled the subway station, but its unclear where she went. 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). Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work 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. (WJW) A Michigan woman is celebrating a windfall of cash thanks to the help of artificial intelligence. According to a media release, the 45-year-old Wyandotte woman won a $100,000 Powerball prize in the Sept. 6 drawing using a set of numbers generated by ChatGPT. Local HS football player seriously injured in game I only play Powerball when the jackpot gets up there and the jackpot was over $1 billion so I bought a ticket, said Tammy Carvey in the release. I asked ChatGPT for a set of Powerball numbers and those are the numbers I played on my ticket. ChatGPT is an online tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI). It is described as being able to help users do everything from writing articles and emails to planning trips and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I-Team: Police say teen was killed by friendly fire The lucky winner bought her winning ticket online at MichiganLottery.com, according to the release. She told lottery officials that she plans to pay off her home and save the rest. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEED TO KNOW Officials said a funeral home worker has died after a burial vault fell on top of him at his job in Dallas The man sustained serious injuries to his lower body and later died at the hospital The identity of the man who died has not been made public A man has died after being crushed by a burial vault while working at a Dallas funeral home. Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said the incident occurred around 2 p.m. local time on Monday, Oct. 20, at Restland Funeral Home on Greenville Avenue, according to NBC affiliate KXAS and FOX affiliate KDFW. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fire crews who arrived at the scene found that the worker had been pinned from the waist down by a burial vault which is believed to have fallen on the individual. Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans said the crew on the first fire truck to arrive at the scene lifted the vault off the man, according to The Dallas Morning News. The crew used spreaders, which are used to open vehicles after accidents and sometimes referred to as the jaws of life, and air bags to lift the vault, Evans explained. After the man was freed, he was taken to a hospital with serious injuries to his lower body, according to KXAS and The Dallas Morning News. He later died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities have not publicly identified the man who died, and it is unclear what led to the incident at this time. Dallas Fire-Rescue and Restland Funeral Home did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs requests 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. Burial vaults are typically made of concrete and act as protective containers for caskets and coffins, according to The Dallas Morning News. They can also be made of plastic or steel. Some burial vaults can weigh more than 2,000 lbs., according to vault manufacturer Trigard. Read the original article on People ST. LOUIS A construction worker who was struck by a vehicle in the Central West End last Monday, Oct. 13, has passed away from his injuries, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) announced. Officials say 36-year-old Joe Mahoney, of OFallon, Missouri, passed away on Oct. 16. The incident happened after 6:15 a.m. in the area of N. Kingshighway and Lindell, where Mahoney was blocking traffic for construction equipment to move. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their preliminary investigation of the incident, Accident Reconstruction did not locate any warning devices that could have informed drivers of a lane closure. Officials say the driver remained at the scene, and is cooperating with police. Joe is survived by his wife and two children. A GoFundMe has been created to support Mahoneys family. The campaign 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 FOX 2. Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan has paid tribute to the courage and sacrifice of police personnel on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, a release said on Tuesday. In his message, the Vice-President said that Police Commemoration Day is an occasion to honour the exemplary courage and supreme sacrifice of the members of our police forces. He said their unwavering commitment to safeguard the nation and ensure the security and well-being of the people commands the deepest respect of all citizens. The Vice-President noted that police personnel exemplify bravery, compassion, and an unyielding sense of duty through their steadfast dedication and readiness to serve even in times of crisis and humanitarian need. "On Police Commemoration Day, I solemnly pay tribute to the exemplary courage and supreme sacrifice of our police personnel. Their unwavering commitment to safeguard the nation and ensure the security and well-being of our people commands our deepest respect," the Vice-President said in a post on X. "Through steadfast dedication and readiness to serve even in times of crisis and humanitarian need, they exemplify bravery, compassion, and an unyielding sense of duty. I salute their noble service to the nation," he added. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid heartfelt tributes to India's police personnel during Police Commemoration Day, lauding their courage, dedication, and sacrifices in maintaining the nation's safety and security. In a post shared on X, PM Modi said, "On Police Commemoration Day, we salute the courage of our police personnel and recall the supreme sacrifice by them in the line of duty. Their steadfast dedication keeps our nation and people safe. Their bravery and commitment in times of crisis and in moments of need are appreciable." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the Police Commemoration Day programme at the National Police Memorial in Delhi on Tuesday. Paying heartfelt tributes to the bravehearts, Singh honored the supreme sacrifices made by police personnel in service of the nation. Police Commemoration Day, i.e., October 21, is observed across the country to pay homage to police bravehearts. The main function is organised at National Police Memorial, New Delhi. On October 21, 1959, ten valiant Policemen laid down their lives in an ambush laid by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs, Ladakh. Since then, October 21 is observed as Police Commemoration Day every year. In recognition of the sacrifices made by Police personnel and their paramount role in preserving national security and integrity, the Prime Minister dedicated the National Police Memorial (NPM), Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, to the nation on Police Commemoration Day 2018. The Memorial gives Police Forces a sense of national identity, pride, unity of purpose, common history and destiny, besides reinforcing their commitment to protect the nation even at the cost of their lives. The Memorial comprises a Central Sculpture, the 'Wall of Valour' and a Museum. The Central Sculpture, which is a 30-foot-high granite monolith cenotaph, stands for strength, resilience and selfless service of Police personnel. The museum is conceptualised as a historical and evolving exhibition on policing in India. The Memorial is a site of pilgrimage, a place of reverence for Police personnel and citizens alike. As a part of the remembrances, CAPFs/CPOs organise various Commemorative Events at National Police Memorial from October 22 to 30, which include visits of family members of bravehearts, Police Band Display, motorcycle rallies, run for fallen policemen, blood donation camps, essay/painting competitions for children and display of video films showcasing sacrifice, valour and services of Police personnel. Similar programmes are organised by all the Police Forces across the country during this period. (ANI) (NEXSTAR) While some employees paid biweekly are in line to receive their second of three paychecks this month on Friday, many federal employees wont see a check at all as the government shutdown drags on. As of Tuesday, the government shutdown has entered its 21st day, the second such shutdown to last three weeks. Should the shutdown continue into November, it could approach and even surpass the longest on record. Without a deal, many of the 2.4 million-strong federal workforce remain without pay. They last received paychecks on Oct. 10, but that only covered a pay period through Sept. 30, leaving them without four days of pay, essentially. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As The Hill reported earlier this month, workers who received partial paychecks were air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees critical for keeping the nations airports running. Will SNAP benefits be paid in November? Some federal workers who would otherwise not be paid during a shutdown have received some reprieve, too. That includes U.S. Coast Guard service members, who are being paid with funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, The Hill previously reported. These service members, along with the rest of the military, were paid last Wednesday. For the latter group of service members, paychecks were disbursed using approximately $8 billion of unobligated research testing and evaluation funds (RDTE) from the prior fiscal year, a Defense Department official told The Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A second payment to servicemembers, should the shutdown continue, seems unlikely, the Associated Press reported last week. Funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill will also be used to pay more than 70,000 sworn law enforcement officers under the Department of Homeland Security, a spokesperson confirmed to Nexstar. That includes officers with Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Secret Service Special Agents, and air marshals with the TSA. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said these super checks covering the 4 days lost, their overtime, and their next pay period would be dispersed by Wednesday. FBI Director Kash Patel said last week that FBI special agents would also still be paid, though he did not say where funds would be coming from. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other workers like those air traffic controllers and TSA agents who received partial paychecks continue to work without pay. Some of those employees have instead opted not to work, prompting staffing shortages at U.S. airports, including in some of the nations biggest cities. Thousands more federal employees have been laid off or furloughed since the shutdown began, the latter including more than three-quarters of the staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the U.S.s nuclear stockpile. The government tab for paying furloughed workers while they are at home comes to roughly $400 million a day, according to a CBO estimate provided at the request of Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Federal workers will get paid after shutdown: Heres why Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Traditionally, those who go unpaid during shutdowns receive back pay once the stalemate ends. President Trump has, however, threatened to do away with that guaranteed back pay, despite a law passed during his first term stipulating that federal workers must be paid after a shutdown. The administration is also trying to fire thousands of federal workers in agencies that dont align with its priorities. Republican leaders in Congress have said thats part of the fallout from a shutdown. Past presidents, however, did not use shutdowns to engage in mass firings. The Senate, which was unable to pass the House-passed continuing resolution on Monday, is scheduled to vote on the stopgap funding bill Wednesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. Rebuilding Syria after more than a decade of civil war is estimated to cost around $216 billion, the World Bank said on Tuesday, roughly 10 times the country's gross domestic product last year. The estimated costs include $82 billion for infrastructure, $75 billion for residential buildings, and $59 billion for commercial and public facilities. Syria was devastated by multi-sided conflict that erupted in 2011, when protests against then-president Bashar al-Assad escalated into a civil war. Al-Assad was overthrown last December, and the new government under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has taken control in Damascus and is seeking to restore stability across the country. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) Rebuilding Syria after over a decade of civil war is expected to cost about $216 billion, the World Bank said in an assessment published Tuesday. The cost is almost ten times Syrias 2024 gross domestic product. Syria's civil war began in 2011 when mass protests against the government of then-President Bashar Assad were met with a brutal crackdown and spiraled into armed conflict. Assad was ousted in December in a lightning rebel offensive. The conflict destroyed large swaths of the country and battered critical infrastructure, including its electrical grid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The World Bank says the rebuilding may cost between $140 billion and $345 billion, but their conservative best estimate is $216 billion. The World Bank estimates that rebuilding infrastructure will cost $82 billion. It estimated the cost of damages for residential buildings at $75 billion and $59 billion for non-residential structures. The province of Aleppo and the Damascus countryside, where fierce battles took place, will require the most investment, according to the assessment. The challenges ahead are immense, but the World Bank stands ready to work alongside the Syrian people and the international community to support recovery and reconstruction, World Bank Middle East Director Jean-Christophe Carret said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite reestablishing diplomatic relations with the West and signing investment deals worth billions of dollars with Gulf countries since Assad was ousted, the country is still struggling financially. While the United States and Europe have lifted many of the sanction s imposed during the rule of the Assad dynasty, the impact on the ground has so far been limited. Cuts to international aid have worsened living conditions for many. The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syria's population lives in poverty. Oct. 21Idaho Fish and Game officers had to euthanize a bullet-wounded cow moose that still had a pair of yearling calves at her side near Clearwater on Saturday. According to an Idaho Department of Fish and Game news release, the cow was unable to stand and appeared to have been in the same spot without access to adequate food or water for multiple days. Conservation officers were called to the area when residents reported a pair of moose calves that were reluctant to leave a pasture near the unincorporated community above the South Fork of the Clearwater River south of Stites. The officers soon found the wounded cow and were unable to prompt the animal to stand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the news release, the officers "made the difficult decision" to put the animal down. Its meat was salvaged and donated to a local family. Jennifer Bruns, a spokesperson for the department, told the Lewiston Tribune that officers discovered the cow had a shattered knee with bullet fragments lodged in the joint. The two calves were no longer nursing, which increases their chances of surviving, according to the news release. The department is seeking information about the shooting and through its partner Citizens Against Poaching offering a $700 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Moose hunting is highly regulated and shooting one without a permit and tag, or out of season is illegal. There was not an open cow moose season in the area at the time of the shooting Game Management Unit 15, where moose are a low density animal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fish and Game seeks information partial elk wasting case BOVILL Conservation officers for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are investigating the partial wasting of two bull elk near Bovill that were field dressed using the "gutless method." According to a news release from the agency, the tenderloins of the two bulls were not taken by those who shot them between Oct. 13 and 15. The tenderloins are located along the spine inside the body cavity. By law, the edible portions of big game animals must be retained by hunters. Statute defines edible portions as the hind quarters, front quarters, loins and tenderloins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The gutless method of field dressing is viewed as faster by many hunters. It involves removing the front and hind quarters and the backstraps but leaving the internal organs in the body cavity. Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM When the method is used, Senior Conservation Officer Brian Perkes said in the news release "hunters are still required to extract the tenderloins." Leaving them can result in misdemeanor charges. Whitetail buck shot and left to waste near Grangeville GRANGEVILLE The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is investigating a whitetail buck that was shot and left to waste near Grangeville over the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deer was shot and killed along Mount Idaho Grade east of Grangeville, and only the head was taken with no attempts made to recover the animal, according to an agency news release. The deer was killed between Sunday evening and 9 a.m. Monday. Evidence recovered at the scene indicates the shooter operated from the road. The agency is hoping the higher traffic on Mount Idaho Grade will bring in leads, according to the news release. Bull elk left to waste near Lenville Road MOSCOW A bull elk shot and left to waste along Lenville Road southwest of Moscow has prompted an investigation by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a news release from the agency, the bull was shot the evening of Oct. 10 or the morning of Oct. 11 and likely died on the spot. Anyone with information on this or any other incident may call the Clearwater Region Office at (208) 799-5010, or the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1 (800) 632-5999. Callers may remain anonymous, and those who provide information that leads to a citation are eligible for financial rewards. Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com. How to Report a Tip Those with information on one of these cases is asked to call the Clearwater Region Office at (208) 799-5010 or the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1 (800) 632-5999. Callers may remain anonymous, and those who provide information that leads to a citation are eligible for financial rewards. A woman was killed and another man critically injured late Sunday after police say a wrong-way driver caused a head-on crash on Interstate 35 near downtown San Antonio. Carlos Guerra, 42, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and assault, court records show. The crash happened around 11:45 p.m. Sunday in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 near St. Mary's Street, police said. Investigators said a blue 2021 Chevrolet Silverado was traveling south in the northbound lanes when a Bexar County sheriff's deputy spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop it using emergency lights from the correct side of the highway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ALSO READ: Melissa Perez death trial: Officer says police had the 'right' to enter apartment The driver of the Silverado, Guerra, did not stop and moments later collided head-on with a white 2024 Chevrolet Express van in the No. 1 lane of the interstate. Police said a 50-year-old woman, who was a passenger in the van, died at the scene. The van's driver, a 50-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Officers said Guerra showed signs of intoxication and was arrested at the scene. The deceased woman has not yet been positively identified, police said. This article originally published at Wrong-way driver accused of intoxication manslaughter after fatal crash, say San Antonio police. Editors note: Details about the victim in this story have been updated after the West Virginia State Police issued a correction to its original release. ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) The West Virginia State Police Elkins Detachment have identified the woman found dead on Back Road in Mill Creek on Saturday. The victim was identified as 38-year-old Amber N. Shreve of Beverly, who was struck by a vehicle while on Back Road in Mill Creek according to a release from the WVSP. The cause and circumstances surrounding the crash are still being investigated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victim dies in Fairmont hit and run, driver charged with Erins Law The identification comes after investigative efforts by WVSP and confirmation by the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Those with any tips or information on this case can contact the WVSP Elkins Detachment by calling 304-637-0200. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A locally well-known World War II veteran who received worldwide attention when he embraced President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine at a D-Day anniversary celebration last year died Sunday at the age of 100. According to The New York Times, Melvin Hurwitz was introduced to Zelenskyy by then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a gathering at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the June 1944 D-Day invasion. The commemoration was held in June 2024. Youre the savior of the people, Hurwitz says to Zelenskyy after pulling the Ukrainian leader into a hug, as shown in a video. You bring tears to my eyes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No, no, no, you saved Europe, Zelenskyy responds. Hurwitzs niece by marriage, Patty Hurwitz, told The Frederick News-Post on Monday that her uncle was not part of the D-Day invasion, but was a radio gunner and operator on B-17 planes in the European theater following the invasion for the Army Air Corps. She said he flew about 30 missions, many of which were humanitarian. According to The Friends of The National WWII Memorial website, Hurwitz was part of Operation Chowhound, which involved food drops that fed over 4.5 million hungry Dutch people near the end of the War. Patty Hurwitz said one of his favorite stories was of a time when the Dutch people spelled out the words, Thank you Yanks, in their tulip fields as relief planes flew overhead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He cries when he tells that story because it was just so emotional for these young kids to have been thanked, Patty Hurwitz recalled of her uncle. In August 2020, Melvin Hurwitz told The News-Post that after his missions in the European theater, he was sent to a base near Clovis, New Mexico, to train on B-29 planes in preparation for a mission to Japan, but the country surrendered before he was deployed. Its finally over, he recounted to the News-Post of the mood on his base when victory was announced. The world was going through hell for five years. Patty Hurwitz said that in recent years, he became involved with The Best Defense Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps retired special forces operators return to civilian life, according to the organizations website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization also brings veterans back to visit the battlefields where they served to remember their fallen comrades and gain closure of a time in their life that had an impact on the world. Patty Hurwitz said her uncles involvement with veteran activities was very meaningful to him. In addition to the commemoration at Normandy, she said, hes been to events at Pearl Harbor and Germany. Melvin Hurwitz was also well-known in Frederick, she said, for his long tenure at Colonial Jewelers in downtown Frederick, a business founded by Melvin Hurwitzs father in Westminster in the 1920s before coming to Frederick in 1948. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patty Hurwitz said Melvin Hurwitz spent about 30 years at the store, then spent about 30 years retired, before coming back in 2016 after his wife died. Jeffrey Hurwitz, Melvin Hurwitzs nephew, said in an interview that his uncle became the stores cheerful greeter, frequently telling stories of the old days. He just liked to hang out and talk to people, Jeffrey recalled. He actually met someone he sold a ring to back in the day. Then, of course, he knew some of the customers grandparents and that sort of thing. Patty and Jeffrey Hurwitz, who are married, said that, despite his great age, their uncle remained in excellent health until about four or five weeks before he died. They said he had colon cancer and contracted pneumonia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said that as recently as July or August, their uncle had been given a private tour of Camp David, which was a highlight of his life, Patty Hurwitz said. He was getting along really great and he had a very rapid decline, she said. This just started falling down for him really quickly, unfortunately. The couple said the family has not yet planned a memorial service. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Wyoming County man has been found guilty of a 2023 murder in Warsaw, the Wyoming County District Attorneys Office said Tuesday. A jury found that Michael Bellaire, 43, murdered Cheryl Cook, at Cooks home on Nov. 2, 2023 by strangling her. Bellaire then stole Cooks debit card and fled to Mexico, where he spent nearly a year on the run before he was captured. Cooks body was discovered five days later when authorities conducted a welfare check. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree grand larceny. He faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 9, 2026. Latest Local News Aidan Joly was named News 4s Digital Executive Producer in 2025. He has been on staff since 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. NEED TO KNOW A man who admitted to raping a Pennsylvania woman in Facebook messages sent years after the assault has been sentenced to two to four years in prison Authorities said Ian Cleary snuck into Shannon Keeler's dorm room at Gettysburg College in 2013 and sexually assaulted her In the aftermath of the sentencing, Keeler told ABC News' Juju Chang that she forgives her assailant A Pennsylvania woman is speaking out as the man who admitted to raping her in a Facebook message is sentenced, five years after she read his chilling confession. Ian Cleary, 32, was sentenced to two to four years in prison on Monday, Oct. 20 after pleading guilty in July to second-degree sexual assault, according to the Associated Press, ABC27 and WGAL. He was extradited to the U.S. from France earlier this year to face charges following his April 2024 arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a probable cause affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE, authorities said Cleary stalked Shannon Keeler at a party, snuck into her dorm at Gettysburg College and sexually assaulted her in December 2013. Keeler, then 18, reported the attack to police, undertook a rape kit test and found witnesses who saw Cleary that night, per the affidavit. But nothing came of it after Keeler had spent years trying to convince prosecutors to charge Cleary, who later moved to California. Then in 2020, Keeler said she read an unopened Facebook message Cleary had sent her in 2019. "So I raped you, Cleary wrote, per the affidavit. He also said, I need to hear your voice. I need to know if I did it or not." Investigators verified the Facebook account belonged to Cleary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities then took a new look at the case, weeks after Keeler spoke to the Associated Press in 2021 for a story about how difficult it is to prosecute sex crimes on college campuses. Cleary was indicted later that year. Speaking to ABC News journalist Juju Chang on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Keeler explained why she has since forgiven her assailant. Forgiveness doesnt just set him free, it sets me free too," Keeler said. "And I don't want to live with anger and I believe in redemption as well. And he still has the power to live a good life and become a good person...do the right thing, and I hope he does." Keeler also said Cleary's sentence was less than what she believed "he deserved," but told Chang "he's going to jail and he's going to have the label of a sexual predator for the rest of his life and that's accountability...that's justice." 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. According to the AP, prosecutors proposed a four to eight year sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At his sentencing hearing, Cleary apologized for his actions and said he's "committed to getting treatment for mental health and stuff like that as I go forward," the AP reported. Read the original article on People ALBANY - Democrats in New York introduced a bill Monday that would prohibit other states, territories or districts from sending their National Guard troops to the Empire State without approval from the governor. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, is intended to make it clear that only New York's governor can approve the presence of another state's National Guard in the Empire State. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It follows the announcement that several Republican governors were sending hundreds of troops to Washington, D.C., to support President Donald J. Trump's hard-line crime and immigration policies. Should New York's bill become law, the state attorney general would have grounds to seek a preliminary injunction from a court. "It's deeply sad that we need to take steps to protect New Yorkers from a potential military invasion by fellow Americans, but this is the dark place Trump has brought us to," Gounardes said. The bill does not preclude the authority of the U.S. president to call military units into active service in New York. Trump has threatened future military interventions in New York, as he has done in Chicago and Portland. The National Guard is a state-based military force when not activated for federal service and is under the command of the governor and the president. Some states, most recently Washington, have passed similar laws that restrict outside National Guard from entering their respective borders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But using National Guard troops for law enforcement and public safety purposes is not unusual. In December 2024, Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the deployment of 750 National Guard troops into the New York City subway system to augment increased security in response to heightened concerns about crime. The troops were armed with semiautomatic weapons and assisted New York City police officers in searching people's bags. The governor later deployed an additional 250 National Guard troops on the detail. "It's clear to me, as I've heard from many people, that the presence of the National Guard has made not just a physical difference, but a psychological difference in how they feel about safety," Hochul said at the time. "When people see a person in uniform, NYPD, MTA Transit, even our National Guard, they feel more secure." Supporters of the bill proposed by Gounardes contend the legislation is a necessary safeguard for state sovereignty and public safety. The National Guard, they note, traditionally operates under the control of governors and plays vital roles in emergencies ranging from natural disasters to national crises such as 9/11 and the coronavirus pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent years, questions have emerged about whether and under what circumstances a state's National Guard may be deployed across state lines without the host state's consent. Proponents of New York's bill say such deployments raise significant constitutional questions related to the 10th Amendment and the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars any use of the federal armed forces for traditional, nonmilitary law enforcement. California recently used the Posse Comitatus Act to win an early legal victory when Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to their deployment over the summer. "New Yorkers don't need out-of-state troops telling us how to run our cities," said Susan Lerner, executive director of the watchdog nonpartisan nonprofit Common Cause New York. "Our National Guard should serve the people, not President Trump's political agenda. We look forward to working with Sen. Gounardes to pass this bill and send a clear message to any state that thinks it can send troops into our communities without our consent - get outta here." But a panel of judges from the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Monday issued a ruling allowing the Trump administration to send National Guard troops into Oregon against the wishes of that state's governor. That ruling lifted a lower court's judge's order that had barred the deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The panel ruled 2-1 that the Trump administration's deployment of National Guard troops in Portland was an appropriate response to protesters who had damaged a federal building and threatened U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. "After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the president lawfully exercised his statutory authority," the 9th Circuit panel wrote in the ruling. This article originally published at New York bill would restrict outside National Guard from entering state. The Indian Army marked a key milestone by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi Technological University (DTU) in Delhi. The MoU aims to promote research and offer courses for military personnel in key domains, including defence technology, artificial intelligence and cyber security. In a post on X on Tuesday, the Indian Army said, "In a landmark MoU signed between the #IndianArmy and Delhi Technological University, a significant stride has been taken towards advancing #AtmanirbharBharat through innovation and Military-Civil synergy." "The collaboration focuses on research and courses for military personnel in key domains, including Defence Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Cyber Security, Geoinformatics, Data Analytics and Soldier Upskilling. By bridging operational experience with academic excellence, the partnership aims to build a technologically empowered, future-ready force and drive India's #DecadeofTransformation," the post added. Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth Rs 659.47 crore for the procurement of Night Sights (image intensifiers) for the 7.62x51 mm SIG 716 assault rifle and associated accessories for the Indian Army, the ministry said in an official release.The Night Sights will enable soldiers to fully exploit the longer effective range of the SIG 716 Assault Rifle. According to the release, the procured Night Sights will enable accurate engagement of targets up to an effective range of 500 metres, even under starlit conditions, and will provide a marked improvement over currently fielded Passive Night Sights (PNS). The procurement has been classified as a Buy (Indian-IDDM) case, with over 51 per cent indigenous content, marking a significant step towards Aatmanirbharata (self-reliance) in defence manufacturing. The ministry stated that the initiative is expected to enhance domestic defence industry capabilities and create opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to be involved in component manufacturing and raw material supply chains. The contract was signed with the consortium comprising M/s MKU Ltd (Lead Member) and M/s Medbit Technologies Pvt Ltd on October 15, 2025. The Night Sight will enable soldiers to fully exploit the longer effective range of the SIG 716 Assault Rifle, the defence ministry said. (ANI) NEW YORK (Reuters) -A jury convicted a former New York correctional officer of murder in the fatal beating of an inmate late last year while acquitting two other former guards in the killing, which prompted Governor Kathy Hochul to order sweeping prison reforms. The three state correctional officers involved in the beating death of Robert Brooks, which was captured on body-worn cameras, stood trial in Utica, New York, while six others pleaded guilty and were sentenced earlier this year. On Monday, the jury found David Kingsley guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. His fellow correctional officers, Mathew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer, were acquitted of both murder and manslaughter charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hochul said she was disappointed by the acquittals. "I am deeply committed to the changes we are making to ensure that New York States correctional facilities are safe for all who enter - employees, the incarcerated, visitors and volunteers alike," Hochul, who ordered sweeping prison reforms after Brooks' death, said in a statement. SON REACTS, GOVERNOR ORDERS CHANGES Brooks, a 43-year-old Black inmate, had been imprisoned since 2017, serving a 12-year term on an assault conviction. He died on December 10, hours after he was beaten at Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy, about 50 miles (80.5 km) east of Syracuse in upstate New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video released by New York Attorney General Letitia James after the incident showed Brooks, his hands and feet in restraints, being punched and kicked by several corrections officers, most of whom appeared to be white. After the verdict, Robert Brooks Jr., the dead man's son, said that indicted guards "were part of a rotten system, doing what state officials have allowed them to do," according to a statement quoted by the New York Times. "Today, the jury made the right decision in finding David Kingsley guilty of murder. While it was hard to see Matthew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer be given a pass, it highlights the need for systemic change," Brooks said. After Robert Brooks' death, Hochul appointed a new permanent superintendent for the facility and expedited $400 million in funding to install fixed cameras in all state prisons and distribute more body-worn cameras for corrections officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New York governor also ordered an outside firm to conduct a review of the culture, patterns and practices of all state prisons, and an expansion of an anonymous whistleblower hotline for state prisons. She is also increasing funding for a group that provides independent monitoring and oversight of prisons. Two months after Brooks' murder, another inmate, 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, was beaten to death in nearby Mid-State Correctional Facility. Ten prison guards were charged in connection with that beating. (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Bill Berkrot) NEW YORK (Reuters) -A jury convicted a former New York correctional officer of murder in the fatal beating of an inmate late last year while acquitting two other former guards in the killing, which prompted Governor Kathy Hochul to order sweeping prison reforms. The three state correctional officers involved in the beating death of Robert Brooks, which was captured on body-worn cameras, stood trial in Utica, New York, while six others pleaded guilty and were sentenced earlier this year. On Monday, the jury found David Kingsley guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. His fellow correctional officers, Mathew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer, were acquitted of both murder and manslaughter charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hochul said she was disappointed by the acquittals. "I am deeply committed to the changes we are making to ensure that New York States correctional facilities are safe for all who enter - employees, the incarcerated, visitors and volunteers alike," Hochul, who ordered sweeping prison reforms after Brooks' death, said in a statement. Lawyer Kevin Luibrand, who represented Galliher, one of the acquitted guards, said his client "was wrongfully accused of serious crimes." "The video recordings shown to the jury established that he intervened to try and help Mr. Brooks and his actions were distorted by the government so as to accuse him of committing crimes," Luibrand said in a statement emailed to Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers of Kingsley and Kieffer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. SON REACTS, GOVERNOR ORDERS CHANGES Brooks, a 43-year-old Black inmate, had been imprisoned since 2017, serving a 12-year term on an assault conviction. He died on December 10, hours after he was beaten at Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy, about 50 miles (80.5 km) east of Syracuse in upstate New York. Video released by New York Attorney General Letitia James after the incident showed Brooks, his hands and feet in restraints, being punched and kicked by several corrections officers, most of whom appeared to be white. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the verdict, Robert Brooks Jr., the dead man's son, said that indicted guards "were part of a rotten system, doing what state officials have allowed them to do," according to a statement quoted by the New York Times. "Today, the jury made the right decision in finding David Kingsley guilty of murder. While it was hard to see Matthew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer be given a pass, it highlights the need for systemic change," Brooks said. After Robert Brooks' death, Hochul appointed a new permanent superintendent for the facility and expedited $400 million in funding to install fixed cameras in all state prisons and distribute more body-worn cameras for corrections officers. The New York governor also ordered an outside firm to conduct a review of the culture, patterns and practices of all state prisons, and an expansion of an anonymous whistleblower hotline for state prisons. She is also increasing funding for a group that provides independent monitoring and oversight of prisons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two months after Brooks' murder, another inmate, 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, was beaten to death in nearby Mid-State Correctional Facility. Ten prison guards were charged in connection with that beating. (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Bill Berkrot) ALBANY - If a resident of New York is asked what the state comptroller does, there's a good chance they won't have anything to say about the powerful but obscure officeholder. It's one of only four statewide elected positions, the others being governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. But the duties of the office often do not draw scrutiny of everyday New Yorkers. Two Democrats running in next year's election for state comptroller want to change that perception for the public. One of them plans to make his first big introduction to voters Wednesday night in a race that often receives little attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Drew Warshaw, most recently an executive at the largest affordable housing nonprofit in the U.S., will introduce himself Wednesday night to voters tuning in for the final debate in the race for New York City mayor on Spectrum News' NY1. His campaign will air its first television ad in the commercial break right before the debate begins. It will focus on the state's high cost of housing, Warshaw said in an interview. "There's a lot of promises being made about addressing the affordability crisis and we're going to hear some of those on the debate stage," Warshaw said. "I thought it was important to come forward with an actual concrete way to address this crisis." It was produced by the same agency behind the ads aired by Zohran Mamdani, the self-proclaimed socialist who Democrats chose as their nominee for New York City mayor in June. Mamdani still leads that race, polls have shown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's an unusual move to air an ad more than eight months before the scheduled primary in June, Warshaw admits. But he wants to bring more attention to the race - and his platform. He'll also highlight a signature proposal of his campaign: He wants to take $10 billion from the state's $283 billion pension fund for public workers and make it available to finance affordable housing projects. "We need to be relentless," Warshaw said. "We need to be urgent and we need to be unconventional about tackling the high costs that are crushing New Yorkers." That's one of a handful of ideas Warshaw has proposed as part of his campaign to unseat incumbent state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, who's facing his first serious challenge for the position since taking office 18 years ago. Drew Warshaw will air the first ad of the race Wednesday night, just before the debate for New York City mayor airs on Spectrum News NY1. (Drew Warshaw Campaign) Amid several disruptions in state government - the resignations of two governors, one attorney general and one lieutenant governor - DiNapoli has been a stable presence at the state Capitol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doug Forand, a campaign spokesman for DiNapoli, said that's one reason why he's confident Democrats will choose him as their nominee for a fifth time over other candidates with "unrealistic promises." "Trump's attacks on New York and the overall chaos in Washington are bringing unprecedented challenges to New York," Forand said. "While many politicians offer political slogans, unrealistic promises and gimmicks, voters know that Tom DiNapoli's proven leadership and steady hand are the key to protecting New York's taxpayers, small businesses and retirees." DiNapoli has rarely been the target of criticism from elected officials in either party and has largely cruised to reelection since he first became comptroller in 2007. This is the first time since then that he's facing a serious challenge within his own party. He's well-liked in the state Democratic Party and has rarely caused friction between himself and other elected officials, preferring to perform the statutory work of his office without fanfare or an attempt to grab headlines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The duties of the state comptroller include management of the state's public pension fund, oversight of state and local agencies through regular audits and the disbursement of money on behalf of New York. DiNapoli's office regularly releases findings of misspent funds in major programs like Medicaid, but has also published audits on the state's administration of agencies and operations during times of crisis. It was his office, for example, that released a report that confirmed the state had significantly undercounted the number of nursing home residents who died at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. But he hasn't used those powers effectively to oversee state government and address the real problems facing residents of New York, in Warshaw's view. He's not the only Democrat who holds that opinion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raj Goyle, the other Democrat vying for the comptroller's position, said in an interview that he's running for the same reason. "It absolutely makes my blood boil that we have an office like the state comptroller that has huge power to help New Yorkers live better lives and it's being squandered right now," Goyle said. Raj Goyle launched his campaign for state comptroller in September but is confident he can built a strong coalition. (Raj Goyle Campaign) He launched his campaign in late September with a platform not unlike the one proposed by Warshaw. Both candidates want to more aggressively use the office's auditing power. While DiNapoli's office regularly audits programs administered by state and local agencies, Warshaw wants to go a step further and inspect those agencies themselves to see if they could do more to lower costs for consumers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The affordability crisis is ultimately a choice," Warshaw said. "We have the money. We have the power. We don't have the leaders to get it done." Warshaw has raised a lot of campaign funds. Since announcing his campaign earlier this year, he's built a war chest of about $900,000, according to the most recent campaign filings. DiNapoli had about $618,000. Goyle's initial fundraising won't be public until the next filing period in January. He's confident, he said, that he can build a strong coalition to compete in the race. The message he's trying to send to voters in the meantime is that he's the candidate best-positioned to use the office as a bulwark against actions from Republicans at the federal level, including President Donald J. Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Goyle's strategy toward that end is to work with the comptroller's equivalents in other states controlled by Democrats to pool the power of their public pension funds. Because those funds are invested in major corporations across the board, the idea would be to leverage their collective positions as shareholders to push back on business practices that don't align with their values. "I feel a real calling in my heart and my head to not only make the case to Democratic voters in New York that we can do better but that we can actually fight Donald Trump far more aggressively than we are," Goyle said. Goyle worked in the tech industry after he moved more than a decade ago to New York City from Kansas, where he was a member of the state Legislature and an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He'll now be one of three Democrats who plan to be on the ballot in next year's primary for state comptroller. That's scheduled to be held in June. This article originally published at New York's cost-of-living crisis draws rare challengers in state comptroller's race. (The Center Square) State Attorney General Dave Yost told the Ohio Supreme Court parents dont have the right to approve sex-change treatments for their children based on opinions of so-called experts. In a brief to the Ohio Supreme Court, Yost called a 10th District Court of Appeals ruling in March that stopped part of the states ban on gender-affirming care harmful to children. We look forward to showing once again that the Legislature acted properly in enacting this constitutional law, which protects our children from irreversible medical decisions, Yost said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Franklin County court blocked the provision of House Bill 68 that banned puberty blockers and other prescription drugs for minors. It left in place a ban on gender-affirming surgeries for minors and a ban on boys playing girls sports. The lawsuit, filed a year ago by two sets of parents with help from the ACLU, did not challenge HB68s provisions that banned gender-affirming surgery for minors and males playing female sports. The ruling said the state does not ban the same drugs when used for other reasons, which makes the ban inequitable. It also said the ban interferes with parents' rights to make health care decisions for their children. Yost challenges the credibility of what he termed so-called experts in his brief to the Supreme Court, saying the Appeals Court was wrong to say parents have a constitutional right to approve treatments for their children based on those experts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also asserts Ohioans through the Legislature should make the decisions on sex-change procedures, being limited to adults. The 10th District did not decide that every family truly decides for itself, or that the people, through their representatives, decide. Instead, the lower court said the scope of our rights is decided by unelected advocacy groups that the court deemed experts,'" the brief says. The racist, antisemitic chat messages between Young Republican leaders published last week in POLITICO were yet another example of the rights efforts to own the libs, albeit one meant to remain private. This kind of norm-busting isnt the only reason Americans are polarized the lefts identity politics soured even many Democrats. But while President Donald Trump has raised owning the libs to an art form, he didnt invent the practice of dogmatically disrupting suffocating progressive orthodoxy. Nor did the Tea Party or birthers, whose hostility toward the first Black president ignored standard rules of evidence. Nor did Pat Buchanan and his culture-war obsessed presidential run in 1992. Rather, it was a newspaper run by college kids that pioneered these damn-the-torpedoes-full-troll-ahead tactics more than four decades ago. Charlie Kirk was famous for evangelizing at hostile college campuses before his horrific assassination, but he was following a blueprint laid down by the Dartmouth Review more than a decade before he was born. I know because I was present at the creation of the Review and witnessed its putatively populist provocations of progressives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January 1986, anti-apartheid students at Dartmouth College (my alma mater) had sheltered in shanties on the college green for months to protest the administrations policy of investing in South African companies. At 3 a.m. on the morning following Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a rented flatbed pulled up to the green, disgorging a dozen students, most of them Review staffers, all of them fed up with what they considered administrators paralysis in removing the unsanctioned shanties. They proceeded to beautify the quad by sledgehammering the structures. The destruction awoke two women sleeping inside, who ran away, terrified, in their long underwear. In outraged response, 175 students occupied Dartmouths main administration building. In the age of Reagan, 1960s-style student protests on an Ivy League campus proved catnip for the national media, especially since this time, the initial agitators were from the far right, rather than the far left. The Reviewers who demolished the shanties were suspended, a punishment that was subsequently reduced to probation. Id graduated in 1981, one year after the Reviews founding, and covered the 1986 mayhem as a reporter for the local newspaper. Scrambling to keep up with the chaos, distracted and fatigued, I started one interview with anti-apartheid protesters by identifying myself as a Review staffer, correcting my slip of the tongue in time to avoid being bounced. Dartmouth, one of the most tradition-treasuring of the Ivies, was a natural incubator for the Review. The paper launched in the living room of English professor Jeffrey Hart, an editor at William F. Buckleys National Review, as he mentored disillusioned conservative students in starting an alternative outlet. At the time, I didnt recognize that I was witnessing the birth of far-right, roil-the-waters populism. It took the recollections this year of New York Times columnist David Brooks, who wrote for Buckleys Review and the Wall Street Journal in the 80s, to connect the dots between Dartmouth and MAGA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brooks brand of bookish, starched-collar conservatives found apartheid appalling, he remembered, yet the shanty-smashers didnt seem to worry about the appearance that they were defending the indefensible. Their violent tactics fell short of an insurrection, but your typical, quiet night in bucolic Hanover, N.H. isnt shattered by sledgehammers splintering wood. It was an act more Gestapo than Edmund Burke, Brooks said. The Review had practiced owning the libs since its founding. As an undergrad, I knew several staffers and founders, some of whom had defected from The Dartmouth, the traditional student daily for which I wrote. And some studied and worshiped with me at Aquinas House, the Catholic student center. Star writers and editors for the Review would become stars in our current populist firmament, connecting the 20th-century Review and 21st-century MAGA. One was Dinesh DSouza, the author,filmmaker and Trump-pardoned felon (he pleaded guilty to violating campaign contribution laws during a 2014 Senate race in New York). DSouza was an amiable freshman at Dartmouth when I edited a story he did for The Dartmouth about longshot 1980 presidential candidate Phil Crane. (Reagan without the wrinkles, Dinesh memorably called him.) When the Review was born, it gave DSouza, as editor and writer, a platform for provocation. He wrote an article outing members of the colleges Gay Student Association and oversaw highly controversial articles, including one featuring an interview with a former KKK member by a Black Review staffer, illustrated with a staged photo of an African American hung from a tree. Another condemned affirmative action in a column, entitled Dis Sho Aint No Jive, Bro, written in mock African American dialect. That last article drove New York Rep. Jack Kemp, a Republican who worked to bridge the partys divide from people of color, to resign from the Reviews advisory board proving you could own the cons as well as the libs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then theres Laura Ingraham, today a Fox News star, back then a Review editor best known for her critique of Bill Cole, a beloved music professor whom the Review deemed incompetent even though he was tenured and the chair of the Music department. (It should be noted that Cole is Black.) In her Review article, Ingraham quoted a student description of the professor as resembling a used Brillo pad. Cole later sued for libel but dropped the litigation. I didnt know Ingraham well, but I recall her telling me about the professor verbally accosting her over her coverage. She seemed both taken aback and bemused by his outburst. (Neither DSouza nor Ingraham responded to requests for comment.) More than a media celebrity, Ingraham informally advisedTrump in his first term. Another Reviewer is an official member of the presidents second administration. Harmeet Dhillon was nominated by Trump and confirmed as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. She was the Reviews editor-in-chief when it published a 1988 satire likening James Freedman, Dartmouths then-president, who was Jewish, to Hitler. At the time, Dhillon denied any antisemitism behind the column titled ''Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Freedmann defending it as a condemnation of liberal fascism that discriminated against conservative students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These embryonic MAGA brawlers enjoyed their power to provoke campus administration/faculty/students to rage, like a bullfighter waving a red cape. They garnered bigfoot media coverage, including Sixty Minutes, from the shanties to the music professor departing Dartmouthafter years of run-ins with the Review. In 2015, DSouza recounted the adrenaline rush to Vanity Fair: Here I am. Im 20 years old, 21, and I find myself being written about in The New York Times and Newsweek. I knew the jive-column author, Keeney Jones, a baby-faced Catholic student who told me he relished the dyspepsia his writing engendered. (Jones eventually became a priest.) Ingraham may have been shaken by that professors sputtering vehemence, but she also gave me the impression of contentment at having hit her target. Shortly after its founding, the paper was parodied by Dartmouths humor magazine, the Jack-o-Lantern, which produced The Dartmouth Rearview. One story carried the headline A Sensitive Defense of the Swastika, riffing off a similarly titled Review argument for reinstating Dartmouths Indian mascot, discarded in the 1970s in deference to Native American students objections. The Rearview featured a byline, Distort Dnewza, a mocking homage to Dinesh DSouza. The problem was less their ideology than their cruelty, recalls one Jack-o-Lantern staffer who contributed to the parody, citing an instance when Reviewers staged a lobster-and-champagne lunch on a day when students were fasting in observance of Oxfam World Hunger Day. (The Reviewers later sent the proceeds to Mother Teresa.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Reviewers apparently didnt mind being satirized, remembers the Jack-o-Lantern staffer, who was granted anonymity because of sensitivities with his current job: To their credit, some [Review] guys said they found the parody funny. Any publicity, after all, is good publicity. The Dartmouth community found the Review anything but funny. As an alumnus, I considered the mass, Pavlovian foaming-at-the-mouth response to the Review to be counterproductive; better to starve the beast of its attention fix, I thought, except when acts like the shanty attack made that impossible. Today, however, the Young Republican chats have me reconsidering. They suggest the peril in leaving unchallenged the routine trampling of decency norms. Only the comatose are unaware that too many young men communicate online in the vilest vernacular. One defector from the online right, Richard Hanania, told POLITICO Magazine that such rhetoric among young conservatives is nothing new. When Young Republicans become Old Republicans, will their white ethnonationalism, as Hanania put it, infest party elders outlook? Many chatters have been punished New York state Republicans disbanded their Young Republicans group, and a Vermont state senator who engaged in the chat resigned. Yet Vice President JD Vance succored the participants, pooh-poohing their racism as stupid things [by] young boys. Born in resentment of liberal campus conformity, suckled on the sugar high of attention-grabbing controversy, maturing into a shanty-demolishing spasm in adolescence, the Dartmouth Review hasnt attracted significant off-campus notice for years. It has passed the baton of ruining the libs sleep to the federal administration and its supporters, some of whom are learning that toxicity is the price of performative provocation. Thats one lesson to be excavated from 40-plus years ago near the foothills of New Hampshire. FILE PHOTO: The northern lights glow behind a Patriot missile M903 launcher station assigned to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, during Exercise ARCTIC EDGE 2022 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, March 5, 2022. U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille/Handout via REUTERS By Max Hunder KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy painted his meeting last week with Donald Trump as a success that yielded progress on acquiring new air defence systems, a contrast from reports that Trump had berated him with obscenities in the White House. In comments made to media on Sunday initially off-the-record but authorised for publication on Monday, the Ukrainian leader described Trump's message at the meeting, which ended with Trump calling for a ceasefire with forces in place, as "positive". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result of Zelenskiy's visit to Washington, Ukraine was now preparing a contract to buy 25 Patriot air defence systems, a major boost to its defences against Russian missile attacks, Zelenskiy said. Zelenskiy was speaking before Reuters and other news organisations reported that Trump had pushed Zelenskiy to give up territory during their meeting, which sources described as more tense than initially disclosed. TRUMP'S 'MESSAGE IN MY VIEW IS POSITIVE', ZELENSKIY SAYS "After many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with (Trump) and his team, his message, in my view, is positive: that we stand where we stand on the front line," Zelenskiy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine and its allies have long called for an immediate ceasefire with troops in place, while Moscow has demanded Ukraine cede further territory before it would halt fighting. Zelenskiy did not specify how close Ukraine had come to signing the contract for the 25 Patriots, but he said that a great deal of time on his trip had been spent discussing the issue, including directly with Trump. Zelenskiy did not achieve his stated aim of persuading Washington to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles for long-range attacks inside Russia. Zelenskiy said he believed this was because Trump did not want to take steps that would anger Vladimir Putin shortly before a plan to meet the Russian president at a summit. Zelenskiy has spent half a year rebuilding his relationship with Trump since a disastrous meeting in February, in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader in front of cameras in the White House Oval Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelenskiy returned to the White House on Friday to meet Trump, a day after Trump spoke by telephone to Putin. Three sources described Trump's meeting with Zelenskiy as tense, with Trump repeatedly using profanity. "It was pretty bad," one of the sources said of the meeting. "The message was, 'Your country will freeze, and your country will be destroyed'" if Ukraine doesn't make a deal with Russia. It was the latest apparent shift in positions for Trump, who had said for months that Ukraine must give up territory to make peace, only to describe Russia last month as a "paper tiger" and say Ukraine could potentially win back all its land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and Putin are planning to meet in Budapest, capital of Hungary, a NATO and EU member that has maintained warm relations with Moscow throughout the Ukraine war. Zelenskiy criticised the choice of venue, suggesting that Hungary's domestic politics had played a role in the choice: "We are talking about peace in Ukraine, not elections in Hungary". However, he said that he would be willing to attend talks there if he were to be invited. (Reporting by Max Hunder; Editing by Peter Graff) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued Tuesday that President Trumps decision to refrain from sending long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine deflated Russias interest in engaging in diplomacy that could lead to the potential end of the war in Eastern Europe. The front line can spark diplomacy. Instead, Russia continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy, and as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us for Ukraine became less immediate, Russias interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically, Zelensky said during his daily video address. This signals that this very issue the issue of our deep strike capabilities may hold the indispensable key to peace. Zelensky met with Trump in Washington on Friday in what the Ukrainian leader said was a positive huddle, even with failing to secure a commitment from the U.S. to send the powerful munitions, which have a range of about 1,000 miles, depending on the variant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not easy for us to give youre talking about massive numbers of very powerful weapons, the president said Friday, minutes ahead of his behind-closed-doors meeting with Zelensky. So, thats one of the things well be talking about hopefully, they wont need it, hopefully, well be able to get the war over with, without thinking about Tomahawks, Trump added. The missiles are built to travel at high subsonic speeds and low heights to better dodge radars, providing Ukraine with a lot more capability and range to target Russian military outposts and energy facilities deep inside the country, military experts told The Hill last week. Zelensky emphasized the Tomahawks capabilities Tuesday and added it is the kind of weapon that Russia takes seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The greater Ukraines long-range reach, the greater Russias willingness to end the war. These weeks reaffirmed it. The discussion on Tomahawks turned out to be a major investment in diplomacy we forced Russia to reveal that Tomahawks are precisely the card they take seriously, Zelensky said. We will continue engaging with Europeans and Americans on long-range capabilities, the Ukrainian leader added. Air defense is, of course, the top priority. On Sunday, Zelensky shared that the U.S. and Ukraine are finalizing a long-term agreement for Kyiv to get 25 Patriot air defense systems. Trump has continued his push to help end the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been raging for about 3 1/2 years. The president said last week that he expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin within two weeks or so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hill on Tuesday there are no plans for Trump to meet with Putin in the immediate future, after a call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which the official argued was productive. Therefore, an additional-in-person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future, the official 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 The Hill. By the end of 2025, the Ukrainian forces should be equipped with at least 50% Ukrainian weapons. Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter) Details: This provision was discussed during a meeting between Zelenskyy and the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC), Rustem Umierov. According to Zelenskyy, this is one of the government's priorities. Quote: "Third point we discussed the agenda for upcoming [Supreme Commander-in-Chief] Staff meetings. We are also working in detail on the needs of our defence industry to ensure they are met as fully as possible in particular, the NSDC apparatus will undergo transformation. The share of frontline supplies [of] Ukrainian-made weapons must reach at least 50 per cent by the end of this year. This must be achieved." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: The meeting also discussed the preparation of new defence agreements that will strengthen Ukrainian combat aviation and upcoming meetings with leaders of the European community and the Coalition of the Willing. Background: Earlier, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was ready to sell domestically produced drones to the United States. Taking into account bilateral partnership programmes, Ukraine is ready to provide them if it receives American missiles. Zelenskyy also said that during his visit to Washington, he discussed the possibility of signing a contract to supply Ukraine with 25 Patriot systems, which it would receive over several years. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, CP Radhakrishnan, undertook a visit to various sections of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat at Parliament House on Tuesday. During the visit, he interacted warmly with officials and staff members, extended Deepawali greetings, and lauded their contributions to the efficient functioning of the Upper House. Emphasising dedication and professionalism, VP Radhakrishnan encouraged continued efforts towards strengthening parliamentary processes and serving the nation with commitment. The Vice President's official handle on X posted about VP Radhakrishnan's visit to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. "Hon'ble Vice-President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan visited various sections of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat today, including the Table Office, Legislative Section, Question Branch, Members' Salaries and Allowances Branch, Members' Amenities Section, Bill Office, Notice Office, Lobby Office, and Reporters' Branch at Parliament House," it posted. "Hon'ble Vice-President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, interacted with the officials and staff, extended Deepawali greetings, and appreciated their role in ensuring the smooth and effective functioning of the Rajya Sabha. He encouraged them to continue contributing with dedication and professionalism, strengthen parliamentary functioning, and remain committed to the service of the nation," the post added. Meanwhile, the Vice President also extended Diwali greetings to the nation on Monday. "On the auspicious occasion of Deepawali, I extend my warm greetings and hearty wishes to all Indians and friends of India, both in the country and abroad. Deepawali celebrates the triumph of goodness over evil and knowledge over ignorance. Deepawali is the time when values of generosity, charity, and inclusivity, so deeply ingrained in our civilizational ethos, become profoundly evident when we share and extend our support towards the needy and underprivileged sections," Vice President Radhakrishnan said in a message posted on X. The Vice President stated that citizens must adopt positivity and Dharma "not only for our own individual good but also for the overall progress of the Nation." Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan was elected as the Vice President of India after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his position, citing health reasons. He previously served as the Governor of Jharkhand from February 2023 to July 2024. He also held additional charge as the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry between March and July 2024. Radhakrishnan had earlier also served as the Governor of Jharkhand, Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. (ANI) With more than 40 million Americans at risk of losing SNAP benefits on Nov. 1, states across the country are scrambling to try to prevent their residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from going hungry. Dozens of states filed an emergency lawsuit this week in an attempt to force the Department of Agriculture to use billions of dollars it has in a contingency fund to partially cover November SNAP benefits. On Friday, a federal judge ruled in their favor, ordering the Department of Agriculture to send out at least partial benefits. A second judge issued a similar ruling in a separate case almost simultaneously. What those decisions mean for SNAP recipients is still unclear. Both judges gave the USDA until Monday to respond. The Trump administration may choose to appeal. Even if it doesnt, it may take days or even weeks for benefits to be distributed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Late last week, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency to give his administration the authority to use state funds to cover the cost of November benefits for the 850,000 Virginians who are enrolled in SNAP. The Commonwealth will provide food benefits until Congressional Democrats put the interests of Virginians in need ahead of their politics, Youngkin, a Republican, wrote in a release in which he blamed congressional Democrats for preventing the government from reopening. Virginia will reportedly pull $150 million from its $10 billion budget surplus to pay for November benefits. Most states dont have billions in surplus funds on hand, so theyre not able to fully replace missing federal SNAP funds in the way Virginia can. The governors of Louisiana and Delaware have also made similar emergency declarations, but theirs are short-term orders that last only through the beginning of November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins first began warning that the shutdown could threaten SNAP benefits in mid-October, writing that there were not enough funds available to pay for November benefits if a deal wasnt reached to reopen the government before the end of the month. Two bills, one from each party, have been put forward in the Senate. Neither proposal stood a realistic chance of passing through the chamber, which has been deeply fractured along partisan lines throughout the shutdown. President Trump recently said his administration is going to get it done but offered no specifics to back up that claim. More than a dozen other states have pledged to give millions of dollars to food banks where SNAP recipients can receive free food until their benefits are restored. Those states include California, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York. While those funds will help, they represent a tiny fraction of the amount that typically goes toward SNAP benefits each month. California, for example, is providing $80 million to food banks. The state normally receives more than $1 billion for SNAP every month. What is SNAP? SNAP is better known to the public by its previous name: food stamps. It was renamed in 2008 to avoid the stigma that had plagued the program for decades. SNAP is the federal governments largest food assistance program. It provides money directly to low-income Americans to help them cover food costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Participation in SNAP has increased dramatically in recent years, and so has its price tag. Last year the government provided more than $100 billion in SNAP benefits to a total of 41.7 million people. Only about a third of SNAP recipients are able-bodied adults. The rest of the funding goes directly to children, elderly people or people with disabilities, according to the USDA. More than 85% of SNAP benefits go to households below the federal poverty line, with half of those benefits going to those considered to be in deep poverty. Unsurprisingly, SNAP recipients are less likely to go hungry than those who dont get food assistance. The program has also proved to be effective at lifting people out of poverty, USDA data shows. On top of the disruption caused by the shutdown, states are also dealing with significant cuts to SNAP that were passed this summer as part of President Trumps so-called One Big, Beautiful Bill. The bill tightened work requirements for SNAP recipients and substantially limited the number of people who can be exempted from those requirements. Those changes also go into effect on Nov. 1. More cuts to the program, including the requirement that states cover the cost of benefits for the first time, will kick in over the next few years. In total, the bill is expected to reduce federal spending on SNAP by $187 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Jean-Jacques Ducom, senior project director for Manzana Products Co., shows guests plans for the company's new apple processing facility in Sunnyside during a tour of the development this summer. Also pictured, from left, are Andy Kay, CEO for Manzana Products Co.; Port of Sunnyside Commissioner Arnold Martin; Port of Sunnyside Executive Director Lucia Navarro; Yakima County Commissioner LaDon Linde; and Congressman Dan Newhouse. Contact Alexander Banks by email at abanks@yakimaherald.com, or by phone at 509-577-7654. Alexander Banks reporting for the Yakima Herald-Republic is possible with support from Report for America and Yakima community members. For information on republishing, email news@yakimaherald.com. To support local journalism, click here. The Kashmiri pandits celebrated the festival of Diwali with great fervour at the Surya Mandir located in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The temple is situated near the sacred springs and is traditionally a site for religious activities. It is one of the most sacred and significant places of the Diwali celebration. It holds a special significance for the Kashmiri Hindus, especially the pandits. Manisha, a devotee from Mattan, expressed happiness as she lit the diya at the Surya Temple. "I am thrilled to be celebrating the festival of Diwali...I seek blessings for the peace and happiness of all. May there be harmony in the world...may god bless us all," she said. Ashok Kumar, President of Martand Terath Trust, prayed for peace and the return of harmony in Kashmir. He revisited the epic saga of the Ramayana as he narrated the story of Lord Ram's Vanvas, the challenges he faced and the celebration that took place upon his return to Ayodhya city. "Around 10,000 years ago, Lord Ram was sent for a 14-year Vanvas along with Mata Sita and brother Laxman...upon his return, the Ayodhya city celebrated his arrival with great enthusiasm by lighting diyas...since then, we have all been celebrating Diwali in his honour...every household lights the diyas and bursts firecrackers...I pray for the peace and happiness of everyone on this auspicious festival. Kashmir stays in harmony, people remain happy, and no disaster strikes us...I pray for the brotherhood in Kashmir before the 1990s," he stated to ANI. Deepavali or Diwali is an Indian festival of lights. 'Deepa' means lamp or light, and 'Vali' means string or row, and Deepavali means rows of lights. It celebrates the victory of good over evil. Diwali is a five-day festival that starts on Dhanteras. In Dhanteras, people buy jewellery or utensils to worship God. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is also called Chhoti Diwali or Small Diwali. The third day of Diwali is the main day of the celebrations. People worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day and offer prayers to bless them with wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is called Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and brothers give gifts to their sisters. (ANI) Other senior officials of the concerned departments accompanied them in the meeting. During the meeting, the Union Ministers reviewed various aspects of the project to ensure its timely completion of the Project. "Held a meeting with senior officials alongside Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways @SarbanandSonwal ji and Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change @BYadavBJP ji on the Vadhavan Port Project. We reviewed various aspects of the project to ensure its timely completion. The Vadhavan Port will play a key role in generating employment opportunities & expanding global maritime trade avenues," Piyush Goyal wrote on 'X'. Earlier today, Piyush Goyal, along with the senior officials of the ministry, called on Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan at Parliament House on Tuesday, a release from the Vice President's office said. During the meeting, the Vice President was briefed on the Ministry of Commerce & Industry's key initiatives and activities. The discussion covered the current status of manufacturing and foreign trade, as well as various government initiatives aimed at easing business operations, strengthening India's manufacturing capabilities, and positioning the country as a global export hub. The initiatives discussed included Make in India, PLI Scheme, PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, Start-up India, National Manufacturing Mission, FTAs, One District One Product, industrial corridors, SEZs, and the protection of intellectual property rights. The Vice President appreciated the Ministry's efforts in making India a global hub for manufacturing and exports and recognised its initiatives to enter new markets. He emphasised the importance of coordinated action across all departments to achieve Viksit Bharat's vision. (ANI) Economy Minister Marton Nagy spent an average of Ft 831,000 per night for accommodation while on an official visit to Brussels in November last year, and Ft 721,000 in August of this year, the ministry informed website 24.hu. Late last October Nagy travelled to Austria for a strategic partnership consultation, where he stayed in a room rented for Ft 796,000 per night. Nagy paid two further visits to Brussels, paying Ft 435,000 and Ft 511,000 for one nights accommodation. In 66 official visits abroad between January 2023 and November 2024, the hotel and transport costs for himself and the delegations escorting him exceeded Ft 132 million in two years, and Nagy spent more than Ft 60 million on private planes alone. Photo: Economy Minister Marton Nagy's Facebook page ********************************************************************************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop: As an independent portal were grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the move as a clear demonstration of Indias intent to deepen cooperation across all areas of mutual interest with Afghanistan. In a tragic incident in Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar, a person was stabbed by five people. The victim lost his life after being admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, a police official said. After a thorough investigation, the police arrested the five accused, out of whom one is currently under treatment in Safdarjung hospital after sustaining injuries, the Deputy Commissioner of Police said. According to police, on October 20, information was received at PS Ambedkar Nagar from Safdarjung Hospital, wherein one injured person was admitted in an unconscious state, and the doctor declared him brought dead. During the initial enquiry, it was revealed that the injured person was stabbed by some persons over a "petty issue," as mentioned by the police. Further enquiry revealed that the accused Lalit (name changed) R/o Sangam Vihar, Age 22 years, along with his associates, were involved in stabbing the deceased. Subsequently, further information was received regarding the MLC of the accused, who had also sustained injuries and was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, police said. During intensive enquiry, it was revealed that the accused, along with his co-accused persons, all residents of Dakshinpuri, jointly attacked and stabbed the deceased. The accused, Lalit, is currently under treatment at Safdarjung Hospital, while the other five accused persons have been apprehended by the staff of PS Ambedkar Nagar. A case under relevant sections of law was registered, and further investigation is underway. Earlier, in another incident of criminal conduct, Delhi Police arrested a 42-year-old woman in connection with a hit-and-run case that led to the tragic death of a 13-year child, a student, in Delhi on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Pooja, wife of Harish Sehrawat, and a resident of New Nangal Dewat, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, was driving a Mahindra Thar, which killed the child, a police official said. (ANI) Japanese PM on India Visit: The Prime Minister of Japan has arrived on his India tour. The Japanese PM has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G-7 meeting. The Japanese PM offered flowers at the Bal Bodh tree at Buddha Jayanti Park. Both the countries have also signed several agreements. Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Tuesday admitted "tussle" within the Mahagathbandhan during ticket distribution in the Bihar assembly elections, stating that it has sent a wrong message to the common people. "I don't deny that there indeed has been a little mess up. The manner in which there was a tussle over the distribution of tickets has indeed sent a wrong message," Akhilesh Prasad Singh told ANI, while replying to a question related to Mahagathbandhan allies facing each other on 12 seats. He further stated that the issue should be resolved immediately, as there is no friendly fight in elections. Singh mentioned that the Congress high command would address and resolve the issue. "There should not be a friendly fight. There is time until tomorrow (for withdrawal of nominations). It should be resolved immediately, and I think the senior leaders of the Congress and leaders sent by the high command are working on it," Akhilesh added. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday released its list of candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections, fielding 143 contenders across the state. The official list was released on the last day of nominations for the second phase. 24 Women candidates are among the 143 named as contestants. After comparing the candidate lists from the RJD and the Indian National Congress (Congress) for the Bihar assembly elections, there are some common seats where both parties have fielded a candidate despite being in the Mahagathbandhan. In Narkatiaganj, Deepak Yadav (RJD) will face Shaswat Kedar Pandey (Congress); in Kahalgaon, Rajnish Bharti (RJD) will compete against Praveen Singh Kushwaha (Congress); and in Sikandra (SC), Uday Narayan Chaudhary (RJD) will go up against Vinod Chaudhary (Congress) while in Lalganj (Vaishali) Shivani Shukla is likely to go up against Aditya Raja of Congress. However, there is likely to be a compromise between the allies, with one of the parties withdrawing in favour of the other. The 2025 Bihar Elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal include Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. Meanwhile, polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) The Rouse Avenue Court has recently rejected the plea moved by BJP MP Yogendra Chandolia against the charges framed against him for the alleged offences of abusing a traffic cop. The Cop was on duty on the crane with other staff and was removing the wrongly parked vehicle. This case pertains to the incident that took place in the Tank Road area of Karol Bagh in 2020. Delhi Police lodged an FIR on the complaint filed by Traffic Head Constable Raj Kumar. At the time, Chandolia was not an MP. Special Judge (MP-MLA court ) Dig Vinay Singh rejected Chandolia's revision after considering the arguments of counsel for the petitioner and the Prosecution. "Consequently, no illegality, impropriety, incorrectness, irregularity, or arbitrariness is found in the impugned order, and therefore, the revision petition is meritless. The revision is dismissed," Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh ordered on October 18. Chandolia, a sitting Member of Parliament, challenged the framing of criminal charges against him. He had challenged the Order of May 3, 2025, which ordered the framing of charges under sections 353, 356, 341, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (now Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita), linked with an incident of October 7, 2020, and sought to be set aside. The counsel representing Chandolia submitted that the charges are neither legally nor factually sustainable, arguing that the Trial Court made an error by mechanically accepting the prosecution's allegations. It was also contended that the essential elements of the charged offences are missing; the prosecution's case is undermined by significant evidentiary weaknesses, including the absence of independent witnesses, medical evidence, and CCTV footage. The entire process is accused of being a politically motivated, malicious attempt to harass the revisionist, who is a public representative. While dismissing the revision, the court said that the mere absence of medical evidence of the complainant cannot be a reason to dismiss Section 353 (assaulting a public servant or using criminal force against him) IPC. The court rejected the other contention and said, "The argument of independent corroboration from independent witnesses cannot assist the revisionist at this stage. Similarly, the argument of non-collection of CCTV footage, or absence of injury and the medical report of the complainant, does not help," the court said in the order. The FIR in question was registered on October 8, 2020, regarding an incident dated October 7, 2020, at Police Station Prasad Nagar under sections 186, 353, 356, 341, and 34 IPC (now BNS), based on a complaint by Head Constable Raj Kumar. The complainant had alleged that he was on duty as a Traffic Constable on a Crane at Karol Bagh Circle. Around 4:30 PM, while on crane duty with his labourers, he reached Tank Road near Shiv Mandir at Karol Bagh noticed a Scooter parked improperly. He asked for it to be removed. The rider took the scooter away. The cop alleged that the accused then started yelling at him. The complainant ignored the accused, and as he proceeded further on his crane, the accused blocked his way, stopped him, and said that the complainant did not know him. It is alleged that the accused abused the complainant, instigating the gathered crowd. When he tried to pacify the accused, the abuse continued. The complainant attempted to record the incident on his phone, but the accused tried to snatch the phone and pull him down from the crane. To protect his phone, the complainant handed it to a labourer on the crane, namely Beera. An unknown associate of the accused, who could not be identified, snatched the phone from Beera. (ANI) Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party president Swami Prasad Maurya on Tuesday stirred debate with his remarks questioning the practical impact of worshipping Goddess Lakshmi on poverty alleviation. Citing widespread poverty and unemployment in the country, Maurya stated that if prayers alone could bring wealth, India would not have 80 crore people dependent on subsidised food grains. Emphasising respect for women managing households, he urged people to worship the "Ghar ki Lakshmi", the woman of the house, for true prosperity and harmony. Clarifying that he is not opposed to any form of worship, Maurya said his comments were meant as a rational appeal, not a religious provocation. "Offering prayers to Goddess Lakshmi might be a tradition, but this is miles away from practicality. Had praying to Goddess Lakshmi made one rich, India would not have been one of the poor nations in the world. 80 crore people in the country still lead a life of poverty...People may or may not accept it, but can those 80 crore people who survive on 5-10 kgs of rice send their children to Universities? Can such people make their children doctors, engineers, professors, advocates, IAS, IPS or scientists? Never," Maurya told ANI. "Crores of youths are unemployed today. Had praying to Goddess Lakshmi eradicated poverty, 80 crore people would not have survived on just 5-10 kgs of rice and crores of youth would not have been unemployed...I didn't oppose any form of worship, I just said that 'Ghar ki Lakshmi' (should be worshipped) because she keeps the house tidy round the clock and makes it heavenly...If you have to pray, pray to 'Ghar ki Lakshmi' so that there is joy and prosperity at home. This is an appeal. If people take this otherwise, it depends on their mindset...," he added. Diwali is a five-day festival that starts on Dhanteras. On Dhanteras, people buy jewellery or utensils and worship God. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is also called Chhoti Diwali or Small Diwali. The third day of Diwali is the main day of the celebrations. People worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day and offer prayers to bless them with wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is called Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and brothers give gifts to their sisters. (ANI) Over 5,000 security personnel have been deployed for the security of President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived in the Kerala capital this evening on a four-day visit to the state. Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister George Kurian received her at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport. She is on a four-day official visit from October 21 to 24. Before her arrival, Kerala Police held a high-level coordination meeting to check the level of preparations for President Murmu ''s upcoming visit. "A high-level coordination meeting was called to check the level of preparations... Over 5,000 security personnel have been deployed for security," Kerala DGP, Ravada A Chandrasekhar, told ANI. She will perform prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala on Wednesday, followed by her visit to Varkala and Ernakulam. According to a President''s Secretariat release, the President will unveil the bust of former President K R Narayanan at Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Later, she will inaugurate the observance of the ''Mahasamadhi'' Centenary of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala. She will also grace the valedictory function of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas College, Palai. On October 24, the President will attend the centenary celebrations of St. Teresa''s College, Ernakulam, the release added. Meanwhile, on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and shared Diwali greetings. The President in a social media post said, "Prime Minister Shri@narendramodicalled on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and shared Diwali greetings." President Droupadi Murmu also extended Diwali greetings to the nation. Sharing an X post, President Murmu wrote, "On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all Indians, both in India and across the world." "This festival of joy is also an occasion for self-reflection and self-improvement. This festival is also an opportunity to help and support the deprived and the needy, and to bring joy into their lives. I urge everyone to celebrate Diwali safely, responsibly and in an environmentally friendly manner. May this Diwali bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to all," the President added. (ANI) The Central government has issued a gazette notification in which the citations for gallantry awardees whose names were announced on August 15 this year have been mentioned. The gallantry awards were conferred on Independence Day for counter terrorist operations across the country, along with Operation Sindoor, the escalated conflict with Pakistan. The awardees include several officer who demonstrated their valour during Operation Sindoor. The personnel whose contributions stood out in the success of Operation Sindoor include: Colonel Koshank Lamba, 302 Medium Regiment: Colonel Koshank Lamba displayed flawless leadership and, at short notice, executed the first-ever air mobilisation of a specialised equipment battery, thereby ensuring timely inter-command induction for 'Operation' with utter secrecy. The officer, because of his vast experience, was moved at short notice and was instrumental in carrying out the acquisition and analysis of one of the most difficult targets. His technical prowess on equipment, tactical knowledge and time-bound, relentless mission-oriented training transformed his subunit to mission-capable within five days. Once the unit was tasked to orchestrate coordinated precision engagement of the most vital terrorist infrastructure in Northern Command, the officer demonstrated extreme courage and directed a synchronised fire mission with absolute surprise despite being under enemy observation and fire. Once the enemy retaliated with heavy bombardment, with utter disregard for personal safety, the commanding officer kept moving from gun to gun, thereby motivating his troops, ensuring mission accomplishment. His resolute leadership and bravery in the face of enemy fire resulted in the destruction of multiple terrorist Camps and neutralisation of a large number of terrorists. For displaying exceptional bravery, valour and courage under fire, reflecting the traditional martial ethos of the Indian Army. Colonel Koshank Lamba has been awarded "VIR CHAKRA." Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, 1988 (Independent) Medium Battery: During the Operation Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht as Officer Commanding, displayed exceptional courage, leadership and operational brilliance. He led his unit to resounding success by causing complete destruction of terrorist camps. Displaying exceptional operational acumen, he undertook intense planning to determine precise target coordinates using latest satellite imagery and meticulously briefed commanders-in-chain on execution methodology. Officer also led his unit through rigorous rehearsals, focusing on achieving tactical surprise and swift extrication. Upon receiving orders to strike terrorist camps, he swiftly deployed his unit under cover of darkness. Showing unparalleled courage and utter disregard for personnel safety, he led the assault by targeting precisely, causing complete target destruction. Despite enemy counter bombardment threat, he ensured safe and timely extrication of all troops under his command. Again, he was tasked for destruction of a key target. Without delay, officer brought his unit to readiness and displaying undaunted courage under intense attack and constant enemy shelling, led his men to success. He was awarded "VIR CHAKRA". Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu (Pilot): During the operation, his squadron equipped with the formidable fighter aircraft, was chosen for strike missions over a predetermined target. His squadron subsequently conducted successful strikes over the targets and achieved the desired objectives. As the Commanding Officer, Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu exhibited exceptional acts of gallantry on multiple occasions, displayed resolute leadership and unwavering dedication to duty in a complex and high-stakes combat environment with disregard to personal safety. He ensured the planning and execution of air operations of his squadron from three different locations along the Western sector. He led from the front by flying multiple deep-penetration strike missions to destroy the designated targets with surgical precision and flew Air Defence missions in aid of own forces flying similar strike missions. In each of these missions, he faced complex threat scenarios and layered air defences. Despite overwhelming odds, he demonstrated unmatched courage and outstanding tactical acumen, thus ensuring mission success. His constant liaison and advise to war planning staff ensured achievement of all mission objectives. Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu made dynamic, real-time decisions in the air, adapting swiftly to emerging threats and operational variables. His bold leadership and composure under fire were instrumental in achieving the intended strike outcomes while ensuring survivability of own forces that were undertaking missions under the AD cover of his squadron. Beyond his own missions, he remained deeply engaged in inspiring, motivating and professionally guiding the squadron personnel. As the Commanding Officer of the unit, he executed the preparatory tasks and undertook operations with outstanding leadership. He motivated all the officers and airmen placed under his command to keep the aircraft combat-ready and serviceable over extended periods during the operations. The IAF was able to achieve an enhanced offensive posture owing to the unequivocal results achieved by the squadron under his leadership. For his act of exceptional gallantry and courage, Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu is awarded "VIR CHAKRA". Group Captain Animesh Patni (Pilot): During the operation, the officer was stationed at a forward airbase, commanding a strategic Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) squadron. On the designated day, he demonstrated exceptional leadership, guiding his team with precision and flair, resulting in a decisive blow to the capabilities of adversaries, inflicting significant losses without suffering any damage. The officer's contributions during the operation were instrumental, as he supervised surveillance over a very large area and controlled two firing units. His unwavering focus, unrelenting drive, and ability to devise innovative solutions to complex problems ensured substantial losses of opposing forces while safeguarding his equipment, even in the face of intense fire. During the Ops, as Commanding Officer, his unit engaged multiple aerial targets. The Unit dynamically relocated to deceive the adversaries and continued to maintain an offensive posture. The destruction achieved by his unit thwarted strike missions of opposing forces. Group Captain Animesh Patni's foresight, meticulous planning, and liaison skills were evident in the successful conduct of a pioneering Offensive Air Defence Operation. Moreover, under his watchful eye and robust security setup, the squadron apprehended a suspected enemy Intelligence Operative near their operational location. The officer's exemplary leadership, discipline, and management skills ensured incident-free and effective firepower throughout the operation. The high morale and positivity within the squadron are a testament to his ability to motivate and inspire personnel under his command. For his act of exceptional gallantry and courage, Group Captain Animesh Patni is awarded "VIR CHAKRA". Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik, Flying (Pilot): During the mission at midnight, he flew as deputy mission leader of an unescorted strike package to neutralise predesignated targets that were heavily fortified by the latest and highly potent air defence weapon systems. Adversary's airspace had seamless radar cover and was defended round the clock by aircraft equipped with long range state of the art beyond visual range missiles. The opportunity to penetrate this hostile threat envelope was extremely restricted and launch window available to deliver the weapon was miniscule. His profile entailed tactical formation routing at low level by dark night, aggressive manoeuvring to achieve launch parameters to deliver the weapon accurately and evade defences of opposite forces. Despite the overwhelming presence of the adversary, he fired his first weapon on the target, keeping Mission Objectives over personal safety. During weapon delivery, he was under the adversary's lethal ranges and had multiple aerial and ground launches on him. Even in such a grave situation, he ensured successful target destruction, displaying dynamic decision making. The officer carried out an additional attack on the second target while flying in a high-risk engagement zone and successfully annihilated another target. In attack phase of flight, he was challenged by aggressive electronic countermeasures which were evaded successfully. During the operation, officer led multiple missions amidst escalated hostile flying environment and fired weapons on target rendering them inoperable. He displayed resolute valour, tactically adapted, audacious and aggressive manoeuvring to plunge the adversaries into tactical chaos. For his act of exceptional gallantry and courage. Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik is awarded "VIR CHAKRA". Squadron Leader Siddhant Singh, Flying (Pilot): During the operation, three ac formation was tasked for Stand-Off precision strike on a predesignated target. This required precise engagement of particular structure with the weapon system that had limited stand-off capability and required precise control of weapon till impact. The operation entailed accurate planning, precise coordination, exceptional flying skills and highest level of airmanship owing to presence of heavily networked and integrated Air Defence, which included long and medium-range Surface to Air Guided Weapons (SAGWs) and Air Defence aircraft armed with long-range Beyond Visual Range Missiles. On the early morning hours, as part of the precision strike package, the formation flew at low levels on the tactical route in order to avoid detection by radars and at opportune moment pulled up to higher levels for weapon release. As the mission progressed, the strike package was challenged by rapid air response both by way of Air Defence aircraft and SAGWs. Despite a networked hostile threat environment in air and ground, the officer displayed exceptional courage, enhanced situational awareness and optimal decision making in air and ensured successful delivery of weapon and its successful guidance till impact on target. Throughout the mission, despite being within lethal range of weapon systems, he maintained calm and focus to ensure destruction of the designated targets. For his act of exceptional gallantry and courage, Squadron Leader Siddhant Singh is awarded "VIR CHAKRA". Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives. Operation Sindoor hit the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK. Indian Armed Forces also effectively repelled subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. (ANI) He said, "Indian Railways (IR) has made extensive arrangements to meet the surge in passenger demand during the ongoing festive season. To ensure smooth travel during Puja, Diwali, and Chhath, Indian Railways is operating 12,011 special trains, a significant increase from 7,724 trains during the same period last year. In the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone, 48 special festival trains are running, covering a total of 620 trips across various routes from September to December 2025." "Special arrangements have been made at major stations like Katihar, New Jalpaiguri, Guwahati, Jogbani, and Kishanganj, including holding areas, passenger announcement systems, fans, additional ticket counters, and automatic ticket vending machines to ensure smooth passenger movement," he added. Round-the-clock war rooms and additional staff, including RPF personnel, have been deployed for effective crowd management and passenger assistance. Special trains are operating to key destinations such as Katihar, Kishanganj, New Jalpaiguri, Sonpur, Dauram Madhepura, Agartala, New Tinsukia, SMVT Bengaluru, Amritsar, Patna, Dibrugarh, Gorakhpur, Silchar, Naharlagun, Kolkata, Guwahati, Ranchi, Charalapalli, Mumbai Central, Agra Cantt, Jogbani, Lumding, Howrah, Gomti Nagar, Anand Vihar, Kamakhya and many others. On October 22, 2025, trains scheduled include: Train No. 05978 Dibrugarh - Gorakhpur (Weekly Special), which will depart from Dibrugarh at 9:10 hours and arrive at Gorakhpur at 19:00 hours. Train No. 05736 Katihar - Amritsar (Weekly Special) will depart from Katihar Jn. at 21:00 hours and arrive at Amritsar Jn at 09:45 hrs. Train No. 07541 Katihar - Dauram Madhepura (Daily Special) will depart from Katihar at 19:00 hours and arrive at Dauram Madhepura at 22:00 hours. Train No. 07542 Dauram Madhepura - Katihar (Daily Special) will depart from Dauram Madhepura at 22:45 hours and arrive at Katihar at 2:30 hours. Train No. 07540 Katihar - Manihari (Daily Special) will depart from Katihar at 20:30 hours and arrive at Manihari at 21:30 hours. Train No. 07539 Manihari - Katihar (Daily Special) will depart from Manihari at 5:00 hours and arrive at Katihar at 6:00 hours. Passengers are advised to plan their journeys in advance and cooperate with railway staff to ensure safe and comfortable travel during the festive season. (ANI) Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagenthran on Tuesday urged the DMK government in the State to be prepared to handle any kind of disaster as the regional weather office has issued intense downpour alerts for several coastal districts. "In view of the heavy rainfall, the DMK government must make appropriate preparations! Following the formation of two different cyclonic systems in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the Weather Research Center has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in 8 districts of Tamil Nadu today and an orange alert for very heavy rainfall in 10 districts," Nagenthran said in a post on X. "At this critical juncture, the DMK government must not limit itself to mere video conferences but should make adequate preparations on a war footing. Similarly, I urge the DMK government to be prepared to handle any kind of disaster. As the northeast monsoon intensifies, I humbly request the public and fishermen to stay safe," he added. Furthermore, he assured that the BJP will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Tamil Nadu government, providing full support and actively participating in fieldwork for all measures taken to protect the welfare of the people. Earlier today, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reviewed measures to tackle heavy rains with officials. Many districts of the State, including Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, and the Delta districts, are witnessing heavy rain. "I conducted an advisory meeting today through a video conference regarding the measures to tackle the heavy rains currently lashing Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, and Delta districts," Stalin said in a post on X. "I have instructed that immediate action be taken on complaints received from the public and that rice procurement operations be carried out without any lapses, and I have inquired about the precautionary measures that have been taken. People's representatives and the entire government machinery will work tirelessly in the field, and we will protect the people!" he added. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has issued orange and yellow alerts for various parts of the State for the next four days, as weather systems over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea continue to feed moisture into the region. The RMC has issued an orange alert for seven coastal and delta districts, including Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore and Thanjavur and Puducherry, till 8.30 am on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in view of the continuous heavy rainfall across Thoothukudi district, Minister for Social Welfare and Women's Rights, P. Geetha Jeevan, convened a review meeting with departmental officials at the District Collector's office on Tuesday. (ANI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday hit back at BJP leaders BY Vijayendra, BY Raghavendra, and others for alleging that the Congress party was sending money to the Bihar Assembly elections. Speaking to reporters at Gandhinagar, Shivakumar said, "They are remembering their past work. We neither have such a practice nor is there a need for such a thing. This is just a hit-and-run statement; let them present evidence if they have. They are making such allegations as they are worried that the INDIA block would come to power in Bihar." He was responding to questions on the BJP's allegations that Congress was sending money to the Bihar elections. Reacting to BJP leader R Ashoka's claim that the Karnataka government would collapse by November, Shivakumar said, "There must be some problem with the Union government, and hence he is diverting attention by talking about the state government. Congress government is stable with 140 MLAs but there is a coalition government in the Centre." On his meeting with Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the Deputy CM said, "We discussed Bengaluru. She has promised to support developmental works in Bengaluru and not to tarnish its image. I will visit the area and hold meetings on Wednesday or Thursday." When asked if she provided a list of roads for repair, Shivakumar said, "No list was shared. The IT-BT industry has assured support in the development of Bengaluru. We will hold talks with companies too and take necessary action." The 2025 Bihar Elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. The Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal includes the Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. Polling in the Bihar 2025 elections is scheduled to take place on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. On Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) released its list of 143 candidates, effectively concluding prolonged seat-sharing talks within the Mahagathbandhan alliance. However, the alliance suffered a blow as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally withdrew from the elections. With this announcement, the shape of the Mahagathbandhan alliance is also clear, with RJD contesting 143, Congress 61, CPI ML 20 and the remaining likely to go to Mukesh Sahani's VIP. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which had earlier announced its intention to contest alone on six seats in the Bihar assembly elections, withdrew from the polls on Monday. The announcement was formally made by senior JMM leader and minister Sudivya Kumar. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday paid homage to the country's police and security personnel, highlighting their role in safeguarding not only public safety but also the nation's sovereignty and integrity. According to a release, CM Saha made the remarks while attending the Police Commemoration Day at Manoranjan Debbarma Smriti Stadium in Agartala. He said that on 21st October, the entire country observes Police Commemoration Day. "On this day, we are remembering the brave martyrs who have made supreme sacrifices in the service of the country and to protect the people. In India, the Armed Forces, Border Forces, and Police have worked for the country's safety and security; in the coming days, they will continue to do so with their skills and abilities. Not only this, but they have also protected the sovereignty and integrity of the country," he said. He recalled that on October 21, 1959, at Hot Springs in Ladakh, ten Indian police personnel lost their lives when Chinese forces attacked during a patrol. Since 1961, the Government of India has observed this day as Police Commemoration Day, a tradition followed in Tripura as well. "From 2024 till 31st August 2025, around 191 police and security personnel lost their lives. There are two constables from Tripura -- Constable David Darlong of Tripura Police and Jawan Milon Debbarma of the 8th Battalion of Tripura State Rifles. On 12th October 2024, at Khedacherra, the vehicle of David Darlong fell into a deep gorge, and he lost his life while on duty. Jawan Milon Debbarma in Kailashahar, on 31st July 2025, died while he was on duty during an accident. I pay my deep respect to both of them," the CM added. The event was attended by Chief Secretary JK Sinha, DGP Anurag, and other senior officials. (ANI) A day after Israel claimed that Hamas had violated the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) issued a stark warning to the militant group, saying it would face "eradication" if it violated a truce in the region. Speaking on the recent developments in the Middle East at the Oval Office, Trump emphasised that the militant group must "be good" and "behave" to avoid severe consequences. "We have peace in the Middle East for the first time ever. We made a deal with Hamas that, they gonna be very good. They're going to behave, they're going to be nice, and if they're not... we're going to eradicate them if we have to. They'll be eradicated -- and they know that," the US President said. He accused Hamas of past violence and suggested the group no longer enjoys significant external backing, particularly from Iran. "They went in and killed a lot of people. They're violent people. Hamas has been very violent. But they don't have the backing of Iran anymore. They don't have the backing of really anybody anymore. They have to be good, and if they're not good, they'll be eradicated," Trump added. The US President also stressed that Washington would not deploy troops for this purpose, stating that there would be 'no involvement of US forces'. Trump's remarks came during his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Oval Office, where both leaders signed a multi-billion dollar agreement on critical minerals and defence cooperation. Earlier on Sunday, Israel stated that it has announced a "renewed enforcement" of the ceasefire agreement following a series of air strikes in Gaza, launched in retaliation for what it claims to be attacks on its forces by Hamas. Following this, top White House officials US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, as reported by the Times of Israel. Meanwhile, US Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, are also set to visit the country on Tuesday. In a post on X on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated, "In accordance with the directive of the political echelon, and following a series of significant strikes in response to Hamas' violations, the IDF has begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire, in line with the terms of the agreement. The IDF will continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement and will respond firmly to any violation of it." The IDF reported that it had carried out air strikes targeting dozens of Hamas-linked sites across Gaza. These included weapons storage facilities, firing positions, terrorist cells, and approximately 6 kilometres of underground tunnels allegedly used for planning attacks against Israel. The strikes follow an escalation by Hamas militants in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, as claimed by the IDF, where the defence forces claim that an anti-tank missile and gunfire were directed at IDF troops operating to dismantle terror infrastructure, in accordance with the ceasefire terms. Till Sunday, the Gaza Media Office reported that 97 people have been killed and 230 others injured since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10. In a statement posted on Telegram, the office accused the Israeli military of carrying out 80 violations since October 10, calling them "blatant and clear breaches" of the ceasefire agreement and international humanitarian law. According to Al Jazeera, citing hospital sources in Gaza, at least 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli military fire in multiple areas across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest days since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect. (ANI) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday (local time) hailed the landmark agreements worth billions signed with the US, aimed at strengthening cooperation on critical minerals and defence collaboration. In a post on X, the Australian PM stated the deals were "an exciting new chapter" in the shared history of the two allies. "For decades, Australia's alliance with the United States has supported security and prosperity. Our partnership is strong. And I'm here in Washington D.C. with President Trump building on it for the future," Albanese said in the post, following the official signing of the deals at the White House. "Today we've announced we'll make more things together -- using Australia's critical minerals to power American technology. A huge investment by both our countries in Australia. And an exciting new chapter in our shared history," he added. The agreements were signed during a joint event with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, marking a significant step in expanding economic and strategic ties between the two countries. "We are great friends and we're great allies. Our defence and security partnership with AUKUS is so important and our economic relationship is so important. Today's agreement on critical minerals and rare earths is just taking it to the next level," Albanese said during the ceremony. President Trump also praised the enduring relationship between the two nations, saying, "We've been long-term, long-time allies. And I would say there's never been anybody better. It's a great honour to have you in the United States of America." A factsheet released by the White House described the Critical Minerals Framework as a "model for supply-chain cooperation globally". According to the factsheet, the two governments plan to jointly invest more than USD three billion into critical mineral projects, with recoverable resources valued at USD 53 billion. The US Export-Import Bank has issued seven Letters of Interest amounting to USD 2.2 billion in financing, potentially unlocking up to USD 5 billion in total investments in critical mineral and supply-chain security projects. It also stated that the US Department of War will fund the construction of a 100 metric tonne-per-year advanced gallium refinery in Western Australia, further pushing for self-reliance in critical mineral processing. Albanese underscored the scale of the collaboration, stating, "USD 8.5 billion in the pipeline... There will be USD 1 billion contributed from Australia and the United States over the next six months with projects that are immediately available." On the defence front, Australia has agreed to purchase USD 1.2 billion worth of Anduril unmanned underwater vehicles and will begin receiving the first tranche of Apache helicopters under a separate USD 2.6 billion deal. In addition, Australia has already contributed USD 1 billion to help expand the US submarine industrial base, with another USD 1 billion expected by the end of the year. According to the factsheet, these efforts are part of strengthening the trilateral AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Australia is also investing heavily in its air and missile defence capabilities, including USD 2 billion in contracts with US companies for its Joint Air Battle Management System. The US-Australia alliance is additionally working to reinforce munitions supply-chain resilience under Australia's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) initiative. The new agreements are also poised to support over 200 manufacturing suppliers across US states, including Texas, Florida, Arkansas, and Alabama, as stated in the factsheet. (ANI) In a post on X it staated that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 110 kilometres at 07:43 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) "EQ of M: 4.3, On: 21/10/2025 07:43:25 IST, Lat: 36.35 N, Long: 70.86 E, Depth: 110 Km, Location: Afghanistan", NCS wrote on X. https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1980461856914333710 Previously on October 17, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan on Friday evening, marking the fourth quake to hit the country in less than a month and the second quake to hit the country in less than 12 hours. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor occurred 47 km north-northwest of Khandud at 12:15 UTC (5:45 pm IST) at a depth of 43 km. No immediate damage or casualties were reported from Afghanistan. On September 18, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, reaffirmed India's commitment to promote peace, stability and development in Afghanistan. Addressing the UN Security Council quarterly briefing on Afghanistan, Ambassador Parvathaneni emphasised India's priorities to provide humanitarian assistance and implement capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people. "India's immediate priorities in Afghanistan include provision of humanitarian assistance and implementation of capacity-building initiatives for the Afghan people," he added. He also reaffirmed India's commitment to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Ambassador Parvathaneni expressed gratitude to Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Roza Otunbayeva, for her briefing. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India lie in one of the most seismically active zones in the world, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. The region frequently experiences moderate to strong earthquakes, often felt across borders due to the proximity of fault lines. (ANI) Confirmation came from the Chinese authorities on October 17 that nine prominent members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had been expelled from the all-powerful party that controls every aspect of life in modern China. The announcement came just days before the Central Committee's Fourth Plenum began on October 20. If rumors prior to the four-day conclave are correct, then only 168 of 205 members (82%) of the Central Committee and 159 of 171 (93%) alternates are present at the Fourth Plenum. Even worse, perhaps just 17 of 44 (39%) PLA members are there. If these estimates are correct, this would underscore how severe Xi's purge of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been in recent months. The highest-ranking victim of the nine military detainees was He Weidong, once the Central Military Commission's (CMC) vice-chairman. That meant he was number two in the organ controlling the PLA, People's Armed Police (PAP) and China Coast Guard. The other outcasts dismissed were Miao Hua, former head of the Political Work Department; He Hongjun, former deputy head of the same department; Wang Xiubin, former deputy chief of the CMC's Joint Operations Command Center; Lin Xiangyang, former commander of the PLA Eastern Theater Command; Qin Shutong, former Political Commissar of the PLA Ground Force; Yuan Huazhi, former Political Commissar of the PLA Navy; Wang Houbin, former commander of the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF); and Wang Chunning, former commander of the PAP. Zhang Xiaogang, the Ministry of National Defense spokesperson, stated, "With approval from the CPC Central Committee and the CMC, the military's top anti-corruption watchdog CMC Discipline Inspection Commission conducted investigations on them successively. The probe found the nine people had committed serious violations of party discipline and are suspected of severe duty-related crimes, involving huge amounts, with an extremely serious nature and egregious impact." Zhang noted that the Central Committee had expelled them from the party and had transferred their cases to military procuratorial authorities for further review. The nonet had already been stripped of military rank and status. Zhang added that this announcement "once again demonstrated the CPC Central Committee and the CMC's firm resolve to carry the anti-corruption campaign through to the end". As a result, China's armed forces, he claimed, are "cleaner, more consolidated, and possess stronger cohesion and combat capability". The demise of these figures is not a surprise, for investigations had been announced previously. For instance, Miao Hua was removed from the CMC in June. Miao, along with He Weidong and He Hongjun appear to be the worst offenders, for they were singled out for "strict disciplinary action". K Tristian Tang, an Associate Fellow at the Research Project on China's Defense Affairs, noted, "The common link between Miao Hua, He Weidong and He Hongjun, and the charge of 'serious job-related crimes', lies in the PLA's personnel management system. He Weidong served as the CMC vice chairman overseeing personnel affairs, while Miao Hua and He Hongjun were the top two officials in the CMC Political Work Department, which manages personnel matters. In other words, problems in the evaluation and promotion of general officers appear to be the central issue." Tang suggested "the nine appear to have formed an improper network centered around Miao Hua and He Weidong". Miao advanced the fastest, and seven of the nine disgraced personnel previously served in the Eastern Theater Command. Only Yuan Huazhi and He Hongjun did not enjoy this regional connection, but both had direct subordinate relationships with Miao. Several of them also spent extended periods with the 73rd Group Army, and such overlaps likely fostered personal connections. Tang concluded, "The purge of these nine generals represents one of the most visible examples of CMC Chairman Xi Jinping's ongoing effort to overhaul and tighten control over the PLA's personnel management system. Xi aims to address the military's long-standing problems in promotion and personnel oversight. This explains why political work and discipline within the PLA this year have placed extraordinary emphasis on personnel management." The public shaming of these nine commanders came just a few days before the conclave set the agenda for China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which is expected to embed Xi's vision for China's techno-industrial dominance. However, based on the numbers quoted earlier, it could be one of the most sparsely attended plenums in living memory, representing a big drop from the 199 members and 165 alternates at the Third Plenum last July. Although illness and travel may explain some absences, most will be due to political shenanigans. Civilian members of the Central Committee will also be missing, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian; Yu Jianhua, Director of General Administration Customs who died on December 10, 2024; and Jin Xiangjun, Governor of Shanxi. Others are known to be under investigation, such as Lan Tianli, Governor of Guangxi; Wang Lixia, Governor of Inner Mongolia; and Yi Huiman, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Others are just plain missing, like Lei Fanpei, Executive Deputy Director of the CCP Military-Civil Fusion Commission General Office; Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong; and Liu Jianchao, Head of the CCP International Department. Neil Thomas, a Fellow on Chinese Politics at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, asked: "Do all these absences mean Xi is in political trouble? No. Purges show Xi's political strength, not weakness. Removing high-ranking cadres and generals shows Xi can impose his will on the party and the PLA." Thomas said the contrast with Xi's predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin is stark, as neither could dismiss generals the way Xi has. "Much is made of the fact many targets rose under Xi - perhaps it shows pushback from other factions? But after 13 years as leader, everyone has been promoted by Xi these days, and none of the fallen belonged to his true inner circle [such as] Li Qiang, Cai Qi, He Lifeng, etc.," shared Thomas. "What 'Xi doomers' miss is that he wants purges, if they reinforce his power and make the party stronger. His top priority is advancing the party's 'self-revolution' into a clean, disciplined and effective organization that's capable of ruling China indefinitely. Self-revolution is Xi's 'second answer' for the party to escape the historical cycle of dynastic rise and fall. This stands alongside Mao Zedong's 'first answer' of democracy, a rare instance of Xi comparing himself directly with the chairman." Thomas pointed out, "Xi's deepest fear is a Soviet-style collapse of the party and its nation-building project, which define both his life and career. Taking power, he faced corruption, decay and moral crisis. Fighting graft has sidelined rivals but also advanced Xi's own China dream." Thomas concluded, "Despite the 'purge surge', chances of major reshuffles at the Fourth Plenum are uncertain. Central Committee members are not expelled until after internal investigations, which can take years. More expulsions are likely, but most high-level promotions follow Politburo meetings not plenums. Xi is still very much in charge and can remain paramount leader for the next 10-15 years." Discussing the dismissal of PLA leaders specifically, Dr. William Matthews, Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House's Asia-Pacific Programme, explained that their demise, including those appointed by Xi, "indicates that loyalty and control of the military is more important than avoiding shorter-term instability in command structure and significant embarrassment". Xi has already stated that the PLA must be able to "fight and win wars". Given that China has martial designs to eventually control Taiwan, this means Xi requires a military that can prevail over the USA in a regional conflict. Matthews warned, "Material capability is of limited use if not backed up by an effective command structure. Systemic corruption and concerns over loyalty and control have led Xi to extensive purges of the PLA and its associated industrial complex, alongside measures to restructure the PLA for an era of new military technology". Interestingly, in August-September 2025, the PLARF terminated 74 bid evaluation experts and 116 suppliers from taking part in future contracts. This followed an investigation into procurement corruption covering the preceding nine years. The authorities began investigating the military procurement sector after the titanic fall of then defense minister Li Shangfu in 2023. Matthews pointed out that Xi's sweeping purges come with attendant risks, however. "In addition to the reputational costs to Xi himself as CCP and CMC chairman, whose personal appointments suggest a pattern of misjudgment, there are consequences for how the PLA is seen by potential adversaries. As Beijing seeks to deter US and allied involvement in a potential Taiwan conflict, any perception of a leadership unable to command effectively or keep on top of discipline risks undermining belief in the PLA's ability to coordinate its branches and implement its doctrine effectively." Furthermore, "This has the potential to increase the appetite for risk on the part of Beijing's adversaries when it comes to confronting China's efforts to coerce Taiwan and assert its claims in the South China Sea. Likewise, it could well add weight to the perception that the PLA's lack of recent combat experience places it at a disadvantage in relation the US military." Of course, it is possible to overstate how ready the US itself is for combat, given that it has not really fought a peer competitor since the Korean War. Certainly, it is clear the loss of some PLA leaders has done absolutely nothing to arrest China's military coercion of Taiwan. Aircraft and naval intrusions around Taiwan continue unabated. There is a silver lining for Taiwan nonetheless. All this upheaval in the military suggests Xi is not ready to go to war anytime soon. Matthews assessed: "Until Xi is confident that a stable, loyal and clean PLA command structure has been established, it is unlikely that he would seek to start a conflict over Taiwan. The importance of success would be so high, and so vital to his legitimacy, that the gamble is too risky unless the outcome is all but guaranteed." In September, the PLA had expelled four generals: Zhang Lin, head of the Logistics Support Department; Gao Daguang, Political Commissar of the Joint Logistics Support Force; Wang Zhibin, Secretary of the Rocket Force Discipline Inspection Commission; and Wang Chunning, Commander of the PAP, who was already listed at the start of this article. Wang Zhibin's case is interesting, since he had been transferred from the army to the PLARF after its former commander and political commissar had been sacked. Likewise, the PAP is a vital political tool in the CCP's hands, for this force would quell civil unrest in China. The PAP has contingency plans to deploy PAP troops to the capital to handle any disturbances there. It is therefore imperative to the party that the PAP leadership, who might one day have to execute a Tiananmen Square 2.0 massacre, possess the utmost loyalty and reliability. Clearly, Xi could not trust Wang Chunning, whose career overlapped those of disgraced CMC members He Weidong and Miao Hua. Xi seems to be relying on a balance of power and fear to keep the military hierarchy pliant. He is not content to co-opt the PLA, but rather he wishes to subjugate it. One can speculate that this churn has probably caused many senior officers to lie low, keeping their heads below the parapet or deflecting suspicion upon others to exonerate themselves. Yet if Xi cannot trust those confidants who rose through the ranks the same time as him in Fujian Province, who can he trust? Jonathan A. Czin, a fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institute, commented, "If Xi's peers do retire, in his fourth term Xi will find himself surrounded by officials who are a generation younger than he is, with whom he may have little familiarity, and who in all likelihood will be his proteges' proteges." Who then can Xi trust, and who can he elevate to fill the gaps he has created? (ANI) The Consulate General of India in Toronto shared on Tuesday that the city of Toronto has officially proclaimed October 20, 2025 as 'Diwali Day'. In a post on X, it hailed the recognition celebrating the spirit of Diwali and acknowledges the immense contribution of the Indian community to Toronto's cultural and social fabric. "The @cityoftoronto has officially proclaimed October 20, 2025 as "Diwali Day" in Toronto. This recognition celebrates the spirit of #Diwali of victory of light over darkness, and acknowledges the immense contribution of the Indian community to Toronto's cultural and social fabric", the Consulate wrote on X. https://x.com/IndiainToronto/status/1980373762831970607 It also shared the proclamation by Mayor Olivia Chow of Toronto, who said, "On Diwali Day, we recognize and celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of the South Asian community that form an important part of the City of Toronto's motto: 'Diversity our Strength'". "Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Diwali brings together family, friends and community members throughout this special occasion sharing messages of hope and optimism. It is also a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the many rich customs and traditions that take place during this joyous celebration, reminding us that good always prevails... NOW THEREFORE, I, Mayor Olivia Chow, on behalf of Toronto City Council, do hereby proclaim October 20, 2025 as "Diwali Day" in the City of Toronto", the letter said. Earlier, Canadia PM Mark Carny extended his wishes on the ocassion of Diwali, "Tonight, families and communities across Canada will light diyas and celebrate the triumph of light over darkness -- of good over evil. Wishing everyone celebrating Diwali a joyful Festival of Lights." While, Canadian FM Anita Anand celebrated the festival with her family saying, "Over the course of my life, one of the most special times of the year has been Diwali with my family, and the celebration of light over darkness and good over evil. From my family to yours, happy Diwali." Diwali is a five-day festival that starts on Dhanteras. On Dhanteras, people buy jewellery or utensils and worship God. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is also called Chhoti Diwali or Small Diwali. The third day of Diwali is the main day of the celebrations. People worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day and offer prayers to bless them with wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is called Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and brothers give gifts to their sisters. (ANI) US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he wants "to be good to China" as he announced that he is soon travel to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. "I have been invited to go to China and I will be doing that sometime fairly early next year," Trump said while addressing reporters as he met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. "I'll be in Malaysia, I'll be in Japan, I'll be in a couple of others. We'll be sort of doing a little bit of a tour," Trump said. He said that US and China have a "great relationship" and he anticipates a "fair deal" for both countries. "I think we're going to end up having a fantastic trade deal with China," Trump told reporters. "We're going to have a fair deal. I want to be good to China. I love my relationship with president Xi," Trump said on his ties with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. His comments come amid trade tensions between the United States and China. Trump imposed 57 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports and China on October 9 announced restrictions on the exports of rare-earth minerals. Trump said that unless a deal is reached by November 1, the US tariffs on China could rise significantly, as announced, to 157 per cent. "And I'm meeting with President Xi. We have a very good relationship. We're going to be meeting in South Korea in a couple of weeks, and we will see what we can do," Trump said. "I believe after leaving South Korea...We thought that would be a good place to meet, and we're going to be meeting ," the US President said. South Korean city of Gyeongju is hosting the the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering from October 31- November 1. "I think China's been very respectful of us. They are paying tremendous amounts of money to us in the form of tariffs. As you know, they are paying 55 per cent; that's a lot of money," Trump said. The US President also added that many countries had previously taken advantage of the United States but emphasised that such practices were no longer tolerated. "A lot of countries took advantage of the US and they are not able to take advantage anymore. China's paying 55 per cent and a potential 155 per cent come November 1st unless we make a deal," he said. "If they don't want to do business with us, China is in big trouble," Trump said. "I don't want them to be in trouble. I want them to thrive. We want to thrive together. It is a two-way street." Malaysia is scheduled to host the the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit from October 26-28. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had on Friday said that he and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng are likely to hold talks in Malaysia this weekend to "prepare for the two presidents to meet." (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday thanked Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for his warm greetings on the occasion of Diwali and extended his heartiest wishes on the birthday of his Israeli counterpart. In a post on X, he expressed optimism in the India-Israel ties. "Thank you, my dear friend, for your warm Diwali greetings. I also extend my heartiest wishes on your birthday. Wishing you good health and success. May India-Israel Strategic Partnership continue to flourish in the years to come", he said. https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1980507287853641930 Earlier on Monday, Israeli PM Netanyahu had wished people on the occasion of Diwali. He said on X, "PM Netanyahu: "Wishing my friend @narendramodi & the people of India a very Happy #Diwali! May the Festival of Lights bring hope, peace & prosperity to your great nation. Israel & India stand together. Partners in innovation, friendship, defence and a brighter future". https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/1980290843102888097 Greetings poured in from leaders across the world on the occasion of Diwali. US President Donald Trump also extended wishes on the occasion of Diwali."Today, I send my best wishes to every American celebrating Diwali--the "Festival of Lights," Trump said in a statement. "For many Americans, Diwali is a timeless reminder of light's victory over darkness. It is also a time to bring families and friends together to celebrate community, draw strength from hope, and embrace a lasting spirit of renewal. As millions of citizens light diyas and lanterns, we rejoice in the eternal truth that good will always triumph over evil. To every American celebrating Diwali, may this observance bring abiding serenity, prosperity, hope, and peace," he said. Diwali is a five-day festival that starts on Dhanteras. On Dhanteras, people buy jewellery or utensils and worship God. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is also called Chhoti Diwali or Small Diwali. The third day of Diwali is the main day of the celebrations. People worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day and offer prayers to bless them with wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is called Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and brothers give gifts to their sisters. (ANI) Members of the Baloch Diaspora in the United Kingdom staged a protest outside 10 Downing Street, London, condemning the ongoing military offensives by the Pakistani state in Balochistan, with a particular focus on the recent surge of violence in the Zehri region of Khuzdar district. The demonstrators gathered to draw international attention to what they described as a "systematic campaign of state violence" against Baloch civilians. Protesters held placards and raised slogans denouncing Pakistan's military operations and drone attacks, which they said have led to the deaths of numerous innocent civilians, including women and children. The Zehri region has emerged as a flashpoint in recent weeks amid reports of intensified military aggression by the Pakistan Army. Protesters alleged that entire villages have been raided, homes set ablaze, and unarmed civilians targeted under the guise of anti-insurgency operations. "This protest is not just about one region, it's about decades of brutality," said one of the protesters. "But what's happening in Zehri right now is a humanitarian crisis. Children are being killed, families are being displaced, and the world remains silent." Baloch activist Mansoor Baloch, addressing the gathering, said, "We are all here in front of the British Prime Minister's office, all the brothers, sisters and children, to raise our voice against Pakistan because the Pakistani military has occupied Balochistan illegally. Recently, on the 5th of October, they occupied one of the most important areas in Balochistan called Derry, and they killed so many children as well." Mansoor Baloch accused the Pakistani Army and its intelligence agency, the ISI, of being "terrorist organisations." He urged the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the United States to "pressurise Pakistan to stop military operations, stop abductions, stop torture, and stop the Baloch genocide in Balochistan." He claimed that over the past two decades, thousands of Baloch civilians have been killed, while around 25,000 remain in Pakistani custody. "They are abducting innocent civilians and labelling them terrorists," he said. "Baloch are not terrorists; we are fighting for our basic rights. This is not a crime. Pakistan is committing crimes against humanity by killing innocent Baloch civilians." Referring to recent protests in Balochistan, Mansoor Baloch recounted that security forces had opened fire on demonstrators demanding the release of missing persons. "A 12-year-old boy was killed in front of Baloch mothers and sisters," he said, condemning the continued brutality. The protesters urged the UK government and the British Parliament to reconsider their stance toward Pakistan. "Do not support Pakistan. Support the Baloch people because Pakistan is a terrorist state," Mansoor Baloch said. "We demand the UK government to pressurise Pakistan. The Baloch are asking for their rights and freedom. It's not a crime." He added, "Other countries have achieved their freedom, and we Baloch are human beings too. We need our freedom from Pakistan because Pakistan illegally occupied Balochistan. The British government must intervene to support the Baloch in their struggle for independence." The demonstration, organisers said, is part of a broader international campaign to amplify the voices of those in Balochistan who have long been ignored by the global community. "We are standing here today to be the voice of the voiceless," the protesters emphasised. "The people of Balochistan deserve justice, dignity, and peace." (ANI) The Baloch National Movement (BNM) organised a demonstration in Hanover, Germany, to protest against Pakistan's ongoing military actions, drone strikes, and serious human rights violations occurring in Balochistan. Demonstrators held up banners and placards demanding justice for the victims and an immediate halt to the military aggression by the Punjabis, as stated in a release by BNM. Speakers highlighted that the Punjabi army conducted both aerial and ground assaults in Zehri, a sub-district located in Khuzdar within occupied Balochistan, resulting in the deaths of women and children and destroying homes and entire villages. They claimed that Zehri has been under relentless bombardment for over a month, with communications severed, curfews enforced, and humanitarian aid obstructed. Protesters urged the European Union, the United Nations, and other international bodies to deploy a fact-finding mission to the region, according to BNM's release. BNM leaders in Germany, including Shar Hassan Baloch (President, Germany), Safia Baloch (Vice President), Shali Baloch (Joint Secretary), Jabbar Baloch, Sami Baloch, Luqman Baloch, Hammad Baloch, Sara Baloch, Mujeeb Abdullah Baloch, Akbar Sabz, Salam Baloch, and Safia Gohar, spoke to the demonstrators. They denounced Pakistan's military attacks, enforced disappearances, and drone strikes, referring to them as a form of collective punishment inflicted on the Baloch nation. They described the current situation in Zehri as having been turned into a "slaughterhouse." The speakers called upon the United Nations, the European Union, and human rights organizations to take immediate action. They stressed that the Baloch struggle is centered around justice, dignity, and the pursuit of self-determination. Multiple speakers referred to recent events, indicating that numerous civilians in Zehri and nearby areas were killed due to drone strikes and helicopter bombardments. They asserted that these assaults are part of a larger pattern of aggression by the Punjabi state against the Baloch community, which has persisted for years. The speakers also noted that the Punjabi army attempts to rationalize its actions by employing religious and nationalist rhetoric, as highlighted in BNM's release. The Baloch National Movement (BNM) urged international human rights organisations to hold Pakistan responsible for these crimes and to pressure Islamabad and Rawalpindi into halting the ongoing genocide campaign against the Baloch nation. At the conclusion of the protest, participants pledged to continue their fight for justice, freedom, and human dignity. One speaker remarked, "The global silence inflicts deeper wounds upon us every day; this silence must be shattered now," according to BNM's release. (ANI) European Union countries have agreed to ban all Russian energy imports from January 1, 2028, after voting for a European Commission proposal on the same. Energy ministers of almost all EU countries voted in favour of the draft regulation, which applies to both pipeline oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), during a meeting in Luxembourg held on October 20. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU's REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy, following "Russia's weaponisation of gas supplies" and "repeated disruptions of gas supplies to the EU with significant effects on the European energy market," according to a statement by the European Council. The Council confirmed that imports of Russian gas will be prohibited from January 2026, while maintaining a transition period for existing short term contracts from June 2026 whereas long-term contracts may run until January 1, 2028. Lars Aagaard, Energy minister of Denmark, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency called the proposal a "crucial" step to make Europe energy independent. "Although we have worked hard and pushed to get Russian gas and oil out of Europe in recent years, we are not there yet," Aagaard said. "Therefore, it is crucial that the Danish Presidency has secured an overwhelming support from Europe's energy ministers for the legislation that will definitively ban Russian gas from coming into the EU," he said. Negotiations are set to begin with the European Parliament to agree on the final text for the regulation. Following Russia-Ukraine war, EU leaders agreed, in the Versailles Declaration of March 2022, to phase out dependency on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible. As a consequence,gas and oil imports from Russia to the EU have both decreased significantly in recent years. However, while imports of oil have dropped to below 3 per cent in 2025, Russian gas still accounts for an estimated 13 per cent of EU imports in 2025. This, explained the European Council, leaves the EU exposed to significant risks in terms of its trade and energy security. In order to address this vulnerability, in May 2025, the Commission adopted the REPowerEU roadmap to ensure a stepwise approach to the phasing out of the remaining Russian energy imports and to boost the EU's energy independence and security. In June 2025 the Commission put forward a proposal focusing on a gradual phasing out of the remaining pipeline gas and LNG, with a full prohibition by 1 January 2028. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on October 20 as foreign ministers from member countries gathered in Luzembourg that "Russia only negotiates when put under pressure" and that the EU is working towards adopting its 19th package of sanctions. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council yesterday, Kallas said, "We see President Trump's efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. Of course, all these efforts are welcome, but we don't see Russia really wanting peace. Russia only understands strength and only negotiates when it's really put to negotiate. So right now we don't see it yet." "Ukraine has been ready for an unconditional ceasefire already since February, but Russia has no genuine interest in peace. We all support President Trump's efforts to end the war, but Putin will only negotiate seriously if he thinks he is losing," Kallas said in press remarks after the meeting of European foreign ministers. In response to a question on President Trump's efforts to stop the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, EU's top diplomat Kallas said on October 20 that Ukraine shouldn't have to give up territory as part of a peace deal with Russia. "Everybody says territorial integrity is an important value that we stand for. And I think we have to keep to that, because if we just give away the territories, then this gives a message to everybody that you can just use force against your neighbours and get what you want. I think this is very dangerous. That is why we have international law in place that nobody does that." She also said EU ministers are also working to tighten enforcement against Russia's "shadow fleet," a network of vessels allegedly helping Moscow bypass Western oil-export restrictions. "We are discussing with the member states how to coordinate our actions regarding the shadow fleet better. We need to be more creative because they are also creative in bypassing these measures," she said. US President Donald Trump had in his speech at the UN General Assembly accused NATO countries of continuing to use Russian gas and oil and "funding a war against themselves." Kallas was asked on Monday about US President Trump meeting with Putin without Zelensky and whether she thinks that Trump is a reliable partner for Europe. "I think President Trump is sincere in trying to end this war. So, that is very clear. We also want to end this war. Ukrainians definitely want to end this war. Who does not want to end this war is Russia. We should not be distracted. I think our course here is very, very clear. Our point is that we have to make also Russia to want peace, and that is why we are working also trying to convince our allies all across the world that nothing can come out of these meetings, if Ukraine or Europe, is not part of it," Kallas said. (ANI) A recent massive strike across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, led by the Joint Awami Action Committee, brought life to a standstill as people united over demands for free healthcare, free education, and fair internet access. Senior journalist from PoJK, Roshan Mughal, said the protest reflected growing frustration with decades of failed governance and political disunity. Despite minor incidents, the strike remained largely peaceful, showing rare unity beyond tribal and political divides, he said. Roshan said, "For the past four years, there was no real opposition in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir -- no one to raise the people's voice. The legislators in the assembly only spoke for their parties, their personal interests, and mutual differences. Many people whose candidates never made it to the assembly were left without representation. For them, this movement brought new hope --hope that a major step could be taken for the problems of ordinary people, that such a large-scale shutdown and protest could be organised purely for the common man's issues. This has created hope among people." With 38 key demands, including the abolition of disputed refugee seats and stronger public accountability, the movement has reignited hope among citizens. Analysts say this show of unity and peaceful mobilisation marks a defining moment for PoJK, where Pakistan has so far subjugated the rights of the common people. Roshan Mughal stated, "The fourth and another very important aspect was that these were not small, selfish interests - they were about broader, shared necessities like flour, which everyone needs, rich and poor alike. Similarly, the internet, healthcare, and education are everyone's needs. Among the 38 demands, all reflected public aspirations; they came from the common man's perspective." Pakistan has long denied the people of PoJK their fundamental rights, maintaining control through political repression and neglect. Political representation remains weak, with legislators prioritising their own interests over those of the people. This systematic denial has left ordinary citizens marginalised and voiceless for decades. (ANI) Sadayuki Komori, a Member of Parliament representing Takatsuki Town in Osaka, Japan, paid a visit to the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, where he held a meeting with Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) reported. During their discussion, the Deputy Speaker provided MP Komori with an overview of the grave situation currently unfolding in Tibet, the journey of Tibetan democracy, and the operations of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. As reported by CTA, she underscored the importance of his visit, highlighting the common Buddhist values of compassion and kindness that unite the Japanese and Tibetan people. She also conveyed hopes for stronger collaboration in fields like environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, and spiritual exchange. According to CTA, the Deputy Speaker highlighted Dalai Lama's first overseas visit after going into exile was to Japan in 1967, and she also mentioned the 9th World Parliamentarians' Convention on Tibet held in Tokyo earlier this year. She extended her heartfelt gratitude to Japan for its longstanding support for the Tibetan cause and noted that the Japan Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet remains the largest parliamentary support group for Tibet in the world. According to reports, she also addressed the deteriorating conditions in Tibet, drawing attention to the growing restrictions on Tibetan cultural, religious, and linguistic practices and calling for increased international support. "We are not against the Chinese people, but against the CCP's policies that are driving Tibetans to self-immolate," she said. CTA reported that Dolma Tsering further drew attention to the Chinese government's destruction of Tibet's fragile environment, urging the international community to hold China accountable for its human rights violations and environmental destruction while engaging in business with the country. MP Komori, as per the report, shared that the Dalai Lama had visited his school in Japan multiple times, and that Tibet has always had a special meaning for him, an inspiration behind his visit to Dharamshala. To conclude the meeting, the Deputy Speaker presented him with a traditional Tibetan ceremonial scarf and souvenirs, followed by a tour of the Parliament Hall. (ANI) Fierce clashes broke out in the Zehri area of Khuzdar after the occupying Pakistani army attempted an aggressive advance into territories controlled by the Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), the coalition of Baloch armed groups. According to a statement issued by BRAS spokesperson Baloch Khan, dozens of Pakistani army personnel were eliminated during the confrontation. At the same time, six fighters from BRAS died in the battle. The statement described the clashes as part of the continuing resistance movement in Balochistan, asserting that the struggle has not weakened despite the ongoing military oppression by Pakistan but has instead become "more organised and coherent." "The blood of Zehri's fighters is another milestone in the struggle for Baloch national liberation," the statement read. "It is giving this movement a new direction, a new impetus, and a new history." Baloch Khan reiterated BRAS's commitment to unity among all Baloch resistance fronts, emphasising that the coalition, comprising the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Republican Guard (BRG), and Sindhu Desh Revolutionary Army (SDRA), will remain united under the same flag of national independence. He noted that the alliance of BRAS is not confined to military coordination alone but extends to political and organisational cooperation as well. "The BRAS Ittehad is a symbol of the collective unity of the Baloch nation, which will remain permanent despite all conspiracies of the enemy," Baloch Khan stated. Balochistan has long been a focal point for ongoing human rights issues. The region has faced recurring cycles of violence tied to separatist movements, a strong military presence, forced disappearances, and economic neglect. These problems have garnered attention from human rights organisations, journalists, and international observers. Human rights organisations have consistently accused Pakistani authorities of abducting civilians in Balochistan without due legal process, employing enforced disappearances as a means to suppress dissent and intimidate communities in troubled areas. While Pakistani authorities routinely reject these claims, civil society continues to denounce the security forces' involvement in systematic abductions targeting students, political activists, and residents. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday congratulated Motegi Toshimitsu on his appointment as Foreign Minister of Japan. Jaishankar said India looked to advance Special Strategic and Global Partnership with Japan. In a post on X, he said, "Congratulate my friend Motegi Toshimitsu on his appointment as Foreign Minister of Japan. Look forward to working together to advance our Special Strategic and Global Partnership." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1980576763219714193 Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended congratulations to Japan's newly elected first woman Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. He underscored that the deepening ties between India and Japan are crucial for peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. PM Modi said in a post on X, "Heartiest congratulations, Sanae Takaichi, on your election as the Prime Minister of Japan. I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1980507662715400522 Rebuilding Japan through the cooperation of each generation via relentless work featured prominently in the speech of Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. In her speech to the members of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who elected her, Takaichi said, "I will keep my promises. We can only rebuild by reuniting every generation and with everybody's participation. Because there are only a few of us, I ask everybody to work; Work like a horse. I myself will cast aside the idea of "work-life balance". I'll work, work, work, work, and work." She stressed that in order to "rebuild Japan and LDP", each has to "work tirelessly in area of your expertise. I'll also, work with humility so please provide me your guidance." Japan's Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi was elected Prime Minister by parliament on Tuesday, to become the country's first woman leader. Takaichi avoided a runoff with a victory in the first round of voting in the Lower House, garnering 237 votes against Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda's 149, Kyodo reported. (ANI) Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected US President Donald Trump's offer to restart nuclear talks, dismissing Trump's claim that the US destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities. Iranian state media IRNA on Tuesday criticised the US for its "interventionist and bullying stance" on Iran's nuclear program. Khamenei referred to Trump's claim about the "obliteration" of Iran's nuclear facilities in airstrikes by Washington and Tel Aviv during the 12-day war of aggression launched by Israel in June this year. "Keep dreaming. But who are you, anyway, to set dos and don'ts for a country simply because it possesses a nuclear industry? What does it have to do with the United States whether Iran has nuclear capabilities or not? Such interference is inappropriate, wrong, and bullying," Ayatollah Khamenei was cited as saying by IRNA. Iran's supreme leader further took a jibe at Trump, stating, "If he is truly powerful, let him calm the millions of people in all US states who are chanting against him." Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticised Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over his "baseless claims and meddlesome remarks" against the Islamic Republic. Araghchi made the comments in Polish on X, one day after Sikorski alleged that Iran was selling drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. According to Iranian state media, on October 14, Sikorski participated in an anti-Iran presentation at the UK Parliament in cooperation with a US-Israeli-affiliated group, displaying the wreckage of what they claimed to be an Iranian-made drone used by Russia in its war in Ukraine. Subsequently, Iran summoned Poland's charge d'affaires in Tehran to protest Sikorski's involvement in the anti-Iran event. Recently, Iran announced that it was no longer bound by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) of 2015, under which international sanctions were lifted in exchange for limitations on Tehran's nuclear programme. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had, in a statement, said all UN sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program would officially expire when Resolution 2231 expires on October 18. In 2018, during his first term as president, Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the deal and reinstated sanctions. Recently, in his address to the Israeli Parliament, Trump said, "Yet even to Iran, whose regime has inflicted so much death on the Middle East, the hand of friendship and cooperation is open." "I'm telling you, they want to make a deal. That's all I do in my life. I make deals, I'm good at it," the US President said. "Neither the United States nor Israel bear the people of Iran any hostility. We merely want to live in peace," Trump said. "We don't want any looming threats over our heads, and we don't want to even think in terms of nuclear destruction. But I'm gonna say this, that we are ready when you are. And it will be the best decision that Iran has ever made. And it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen," Trump said. (ANI) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to strengthen the mutual ties, and better future for the two countries and the Indo-Pacific. Albanese said that the two countries were a force for good in the world for more than a century. In a post on X, he said, "Together, Australia and America have been a force for good in the world for more than a century. Tonight I met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as we strengthen our work together towards a better future for both our countries and the Indo-Pacific." https://x.com/AlboMP/status/1980418575761609055 Earlier, Albanese on Monday (local time) hailed the landmark agreements worth billions signed with the US, aimed at strengthening cooperation on critical minerals and defence collaboration. In a post on X, the Australian PM stated the deals were "an exciting new chapter" in the shared history of the two allies. "For decades, Australia's alliance with the United States has supported security and prosperity. Our partnership is strong. And I'm here in Washington D.C. with President Trump building on it for the future," Albanese said in the post, following the official signing of the deals at the White House. "Today we've announced we'll make more things together -- using Australia's critical minerals to power American technology. A huge investment by both our countries in Australia. And an exciting new chapter in our shared history," he added. The agreements were signed during a joint event with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, marking a significant step in expanding economic and strategic ties between the two countries. "We are great friends and we're great allies. Our defence and security partnership with AUKUS is so important and our economic relationship is so important. Today's agreement on critical minerals and rare earths is just taking it to the next level," Albanese said during the ceremony. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended wishes to Rodrigo Paz Pereira, on his election as the President of Bolivia. Prime Minister Modi said he looked forward to deepen the partnership between both the nations. In a post on X, he said, "Warm congratulations, Mr. Rodrigo Paz Pereira, on your election as the President of Bolivia. Close and friendly ties between India and Bolivia have long underpinned our mutually beneficial cooperation. I look forward to deepening our partnership for shared progress and prosperity in the years to come." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1980620267673260193 Bolivians elected Rodrigo Paz of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party (PDC) as their new president, ending almost 20 years of governance by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, Al Jazeera reported. With 97 percent of ballots counted, Paz had won 54.5 percent of the vote in Sunday's run-off race, well ahead of right-wing former interim President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, with 45.4 percent of the vote, according to the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). Paz, 58, followed his father, former left-wing President Jaime Zamora, into politics. After studying economics in the United States, Paz returned home to Bolivia, where he went on to become a city councillor and mayor of the southern city of Tarija, before becoming a senator for the region in 2020, as per Al Jazeera. He has pledged a "capitalism for all" approach, promising tax cuts, tariff reductions, and the decentralisation of the national government. After the results were announced, Paz's vice-presidential running mate, Edmand Lara, made a call for "unity and reconciliation," as per Al Jazeera reported. "We must ensure the supply of diesel and gasoline. People are suffering. We need to stabilise the prices of the basic food basket, and we must put an end to corruption," Lara said. Sunday's run-off came after the incumbent MAS party suffered a major defeat in August's preliminary election, after former left-wing President Evo Morales was barred from running and outgoing President Luis Arce, who had fallen out with Morales, opted out of the race. Courts had ruled against Morales's candidacy over term limits and technicalities related to party affiliation, as per Al Jazeera. (ANI) Taiwan President William Lai stated that it would be unfeasible to attain cross-strait peace merely by endorsing the so-called "1992 consensus" and Beijing's "one China" doctrine, the Taipei Times reported. Lai asserted that peace cannot solely be achieved through a peace agreement or by acquiescing to conditions set by an aggressor. "Attempting to maintain peace simply by agreeing to the '1992 consensus' or the 'one China' principle is unfeasible," he stated. Lai expressed these thoughts during the opening ceremony of the Overseas Community Affairs Council Conference in Taipei following the election of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun as KMT chairwoman. Cheng advocates for closer relations with Beijing. The KMT confirmed on Sunday that Cheng received a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding her election, and she reaffirmed her backing for the "1992 consensus" in her response to Xi. The term "1992 consensus," which former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi admitted to fabricating in 2000, refers to an unspoken understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both parties acknowledge there is "one China," with each having its distinct interpretation of what "China" means, as reported by the Taipei Times. During the conference in Taipei, Lai acknowledged the contributions of overseas Taiwanese communities to the nation, stating that they embody Taiwan's pride. The conference, which commenced on Sunday and continues through Monday, centres on whole-of-society defence resilience, featuring 117 council members and representatives from 34 countries. The President also committed to providing disaster relief subsidies for agricultural losses incurred due to typhoons in southern and eastern Taiwan, as noted by the Taipei Times. Lai mentioned that he is following in Tsai's footsteps to bolster Taiwan's defences against Chinese threats. "We must strive for peace, which, however, cannot be founded on illusions," he remarked. According to President Lai, Taiwan's semiconductor, information and communications technology, and electronic component manufacturing sectors can aid in developing the local defence industry and integrating into the global defence industrial chain, as reported by the Taipei Times. (ANI) US President Donald Trump has warned Hamas not to violate the Gaza peace plan, saying there is still hope that it will do what is right and "if they do not, an end to Hamas will be fast, furious and brutal". Trump's warning came in a post he made on his social media handle, Truth Social. "Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and "straighten our Hamas" if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, "NOT YET!" There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right," he said. "If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help. Also, I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the U.S.A. TO EVERYONE, thank you for your attention to this matter," he added. https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1980623129434288500 To date, only Indonesia has publicly expressed willingness to contribute troops to a UN-mandated international force that would help secure postwar Gaza, while Turkey and Azerbaijan have privately expressed willingness to do so, officials have told The Times of Israel. The New York Times said earlier today that -- contrary to Trump's claims -- countries are hesitant to send forces to the Strip over concerns that they'll have to clash with the terror group while trying to stabilise the territory. US Vice President JD Vance has arrived at the "Civilian Military Coordination Center," as per The Times of Israel. The Kiryat Gat site, in southern Israel, is the headquarters of the fledgling US-led force meant to oversee the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire. "The Vice President is here for private briefings with members of the military," The Times of Israel stated. Meanwhile, Hamas's military wing announced that it will transfer two bodies of deceased hostages to Israel tonight at 9pm (local time). The terror group said the hostages were "retrieved today in the Strip," and did not identify them, as per The Times of Israel. (ANI) Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Yu Jing on Tuesday said that Indian and Chinese troops exchanged sweets on the occasion of Diwali. The act marked a goodwill gesture on both ends. "China and India troops exchanged sweets at LAC on Diwali, marking a gesture of goodwill between the two sides," she said in a post on X. https://x.com/ChinaSpox_India/status/1980562955356746148 Earlier on March 25, the 33rd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held in Beijing. During the meeting, the officials of the two nations reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas and agreed on the early resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges, including on trans-border rivers and Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release, both nations explored various measures and proposals to implement the decisions taken during the meeting of the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question in Beijing in December 2024 and advance effective border management. The two sides agreed to maintain and strengthen diplomatic and military mechanisms. In a press release, the MEA stated, "Held in a positive and constructive atmosphere, the meeting comprehensively reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas. Peace and tranquillity on the border are critical for the smooth development of overall bilateral relations." "The two sides explored various measures and proposals to give effect to the decisions taken during the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question in Beijing in December 2024 and to advance effective border management. The two sides agreed to maintain and strengthen relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this end. They also exchanged views on early resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges, including on trans-border rivers and Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra," it added. According to the MEA statement, Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia), led the Indian delegation to the meeting, and Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the Chinese delegation. (ANI) Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday said that the 9th Circuit - the United States Court of Appeals - found that US President Donald Trump has the right to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, citing that the safety of citizens is at stake. Bondi said that this was because Trump was the Commander-in-Chief. In a post on X, Bondi said, "Today, the 9th Circuit found that US President Donald Trump has the right to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, where local leaders have failed to keep their citizens safe. This follows hard work by US Justice Department attorneys and helps re-affirm a simple truth: President Trump is the Commander-in-Chief. We will continue fighting and winning in court to defend President Trump's agenda." https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1980389228858016098 A United States court of appeals has ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump can move forward with plans to deploy soldiers to Portland, Oregon, although another earlier ruling still bars it from doing so, for now, Al Jazeera reported. The Monday ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court will allow the Trump administration to send 200 National Guard members to the Democrat-run city, despite the absence of any serious emergency and the objections of state and local officials. It comes after Trump's Department of Justice appealed the first of two rulings from US District Judge Karin Immergut, prohibiting Trump from calling up the troops so he could send them to Portland, as per Al Jazeera. "After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority" when he federalised the state's National Guard, the Court of Appeals wrote in its majority opinion, supported by two judges out of a panel of three. Another temporary restraining order, which prohibits the president from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all, and which was issued by Immergut after Trump tried to evade the first order by deploying California troops instead, remains in place, Al Jazeera reported. Soon after the ruling on Monday, the Justice Department asked Immergut to immediately dissolve her second order, arguing that it is not the role of the courts to second-guess the president's determination about when to deploy troops. (ANI) US Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Brian Fitzpatrick on Tuesday (local time) introduced a bipartisan resolution in the US House of Representatives to recognise the religious and historical significance of Diwali, which began on October 20. According to a press release, the resolution honours Diwali's cultural, spiritual, and historical significance to over three million Indian-Americans, including Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, and reflects the growing recognition of the Indian diaspora's contributions to the US. "Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil," Congressman Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. "For the millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains here in the US celebrating with friends, family, and loved ones, it's my hope that this bipartisan resolution brings our communities together and inspires us to see the light in the world and overcome the challenges we face." Congressman Fitzpatrick emphasised the universal values symbolised by Diwali, stating, "Diwali speaks to the enduring human belief that light will always conquer darkness, that truth will outlast fear, and that unity is our strength." He also praised the Indian-American community's contributions in Pennsylvania and across the nation, calling local Mandirs "critical community pillars of faith, service, and unity." The resolution highlights Diwali's deep significance for Indian-Americans, noting that the festival is a time for thanksgiving and prayer for health, knowledge, and peace. It underscores the tradition of lighting small oil lamps to symbolise the inner light that dispels the darkness of ignorance, celebrated on the last day of the lunar calendar's final month as a day of gratitude and renewal for many Hindus. The resolution further added that for Sikhs, the festival marks the release of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, from Mughal captivity. At the same time, for Jains, it commemorates Lord Mahavira's attainment of Nirvana. The resolution also acknowledges Diwali's importance across Indian-American communities, emphasising its universal message of hope and unity. The resolution concludes by expressing the House of Representatives' respect for Indian Americans and the Indian diaspora, appreciating the religious diversity in both India and the United States, and reaffirming the enduring relationship of collaboration and mutual respect between India and the US. "Recognising the religious and historical significance of Diwali... [it] expresses deepest respect for Indian-Americans and the Indian diaspora on this significant occasion... Acknowledges and supports the relationship of collaboration and respect between the United States and India," the resolution added. Diwali is a five-day festival that starts on Dhanteras. On Dhanteras, people purchase jewellery or utensils and worship the gods. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. It is also called 'Chhoti Diwali' or Small Diwali. The third day of Diwali is the main day of the celebrations. People worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day, offering prayers to bless them with wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is called Bhai Dooj. On this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Tika ceremony, and brothers give gifts to their sisters in return. (ANI) Moroccan-American military cooperation prospects were at the center of talks held Monday separately in Rabat by U.S. AFRICOM Chief Gen. Dagvin Anderson with Minister Delegate in charge of National Defense Administration Abdeltif Loudyi and Lt. General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the South Zone. The American General and Mr. Loudyi welcomed the excellent military cooperation ties existing between Rabat and Washington. They also reaffirmed commitment to deepening the Moroccan-American partnership in line with the 10-year defense cooperation agreement signed by the two countries in 2020. The two officials reiterated interest in boosting further military cooperation and supporting Moroccos nascent Defense industry, said a statement issued by the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces. Talks between General Anderson and Lt. General Berrid focused on advancing Moroccan army capabilities & readiness, joint training and the annual African Lion military exercise to foster interoperability of the two countries forces. The two Generals also discussed latest regional developments and ways of strengthening security and stability in the region. The U.S. Africa Command Chief hailed professionalism of the Royal Armed Forces, which play a leading role in fostering cooperation with their African counterparts for shared peace and security. The Moroccan-American military cooperation is based on sharing expertise & experiences, developing defense industry, joint training, and harmonizing military strategies to counter common threats. Royal Air Maroc and China Eastern Airlines have signed a comprehensive partnership agreement in Shanghai to substantially enhance air connectivity between China and Africa, responding to growing economic, cultural, and tourism exchanges between the regions. The strategic collaboration encompasses codeshare agreements on major routes, extended connections beyond respective hub airports, and a Special Prorate Agreement designed to maximize network complementarity. These arrangements provide passengers expanded destination options, smoother connections, and optimized travel experiences between China and Africa through coordinated scheduling and seamless transfers. Royal Air Maroc CEO Abdelhamid Addou emphasized the partnerships alignment with King Mohammed VIs vision following the sovereigns 2016 China visit, which established frameworks for renewed bilateral dynamics and effective South-South cooperation models. The Moroccan carrier pioneered this connectivity by launching the first direct Casablanca-Beijing service in January 2025, operating three weekly frequencies and marking a historic milestone in bilateral aviation relations. China Eastern President Wang Zhiqing highlighted the natural complementarity between Shanghais strategic hub position and Royal Air Marocs extensive African network. The Chinese carriers subsidiary, Shanghai Airlines, inaugurated Shanghai-Casablanca service via Marseille in January 2025, subsequently adding a fourth weekly frequency in September and introducing direct flights to optimize passenger comfort and connection efficiency. The partnership leverages Moroccos geographic advantages as a gateway between Asia, Africa, and Europe while capitalizing on Chinas growing economic engagement with the African continent. Both carriers envision expanding collaboration into additional aviation sectors, demonstrating shared ambitions for high-quality service delivery and enhanced operational synergies. The agreement represents more than commercial cooperation; it establishes critical infrastructure supporting China-Africa economic integration. As trade volumes and investment flows intensify between the regions, improved air connectivity becomes essential for facilitating business travel, tourism growth, and cultural exchange. The partnership positions both airlines to capture increasing demand while contributing to broader economic development objectives across Africa and strengthening Moroccos role as a continental aviation hub. The lead investigator in the trial of suspended First Vice-President Riek Machar testified on Monday, October 20, that the opposition leader personally authorised the mobilisation of the White Army militia for coordinated assaults on South Sudan Peoples Defence Forces (SSPDF) bases in Nasir and Ulang, Upper Nile State, in March 2025. Presenting evidence before a special court in Juba, Maj. Gen. Basilio Thomas Wani alleged that Machar, as commander-in-chief of the SPLA-IO, issued written instructions to local officials to organise security teams that later launched deadly attacks on government garrisons. Wani told the court that after the militia overran Nasir, Machar failed to prevent the execution of surrendered soldiers, including Gen. David Majur Dak. Prosecutors said the White Army and SPLA-IO forces executed wounded troops after disarming them during an UN-assisted evacuation. Machar, 75, and seven co-defendants are charged with treason, crimes against humanity, terrorism, and mass murder. The prosecution accused Machars allies of aiding the attacks through intelligence leaks, funding, and weapons procurement. Among them, MP Gatwech Lam Puoch allegedly spread intelligence to support militia mobilisation, while Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, the acting SPLA-IO chief of staff, was accused of sharing classified SSPDF data and discussing ammunition purchases. Another accused, Mam Pal Dhuor, allegedly financed operations through mobile money transfers and relayed casualty lists via WhatsApp, while National Security Service officer Camilo Gatmai Kel was said to have helped move unlicensed weapons. Other defendants include radio operator Mading Yak Riek, accused of leaking troop movements and attempting to destroy evidence, and Dominic Gatgok Riek, who allegedly circulated promotion lists rewarding SPLA-IO officers after the Nasir assault. Machars defence lawyer, Dr. Geri Raimondo Legge, objected repeatedly to the prosecutions line of questioning, claiming it was leading and prejudicial, but most objections were overruled by Presiding Judge James Alala Deng. The trial, which began on 22 September, was adjourned until Wednesday, 22 October, with the court yet to determine the status of several accused individuals still at large. The Mauritanian Government has announced plans to allocate over 27 billion old ouguiyas (approximately 59 million) as compensation for Afro-Mauritanians affected by ethnic violence between 1989 and 1991. The move, unveiled over the week-end, marks a significant step toward acknowledging the injustices suffered by this community. Representatives of the victims, who engaged in lengthy negotiations with state authorities, view the offer as the culmination of years of advocacy. According to Lo Souleymane, one of the negotiators, the governments proposalslightly below the 35 billion ouguiyas requestedremains subject to approval by the victims representatives. However, the proposed compensation has drawn mixed reactions from civil society groups and associations of victims. The Collective of Widows and Orphans of Mauritania has criticized the offer, calling for truth and accountability over financial restitution. Justice must be done, and the truth about the massacres must be revealed. Money cannot replace what was lost, said Maimouna Alpha Sy, the organizations president. Many continue to demand the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry to uncover the full scope of the atrocities, arguing that financial compensation alone cannot heal the deep scars of past violence. Moroccos draft budget for 2026, unveiled Monday by Economy and Finance Minister Nadia Fettah, prioritizes social sectors by creating 36,895 new civil service positions, with health and education accounting for 70% of the total. According to the bill, 8,000 posts will go to the health sector, while 19,000 positions are earmarked for education, mainly to recruit new teachers. An additional 600 posts will go to Phd holders, under a 2023 agreement with unions. Combined, these measures bring the education sectors share to nearly 20,000 jobs, underscoring the governments push to strengthen schools and healthcare. Other allocations include 13,000 positions for the interior ministry, 5,500 for national defense, and smaller contingents for finance. The Prime Ministers office will also manage 500 posts, with 200 reserved for persons with disabilities. The bill complements these hiring plans with a record 140 billion dirhams budget for education and health, signaling a strong commitment to improving public services. Increased spending on public services is part of a new generation of reforms the King urged to reduce disparities and develop rural areas. Under mounting pressure ahead of what diplomats describe as a historic vote at the UN Security Council later this month, Algeria and its proxy, the Polisario Front, are scrambling to project an image of flexibility. The separatist group announced a so-called expanded proposal for a political solution to the Sahara conflict, a move widely seen as a desperate attempt to salvage relevance as the tide turns decisively in favor of Moroccos autonomy plan. For decades, the Polisario, operating under Algerian tutelage, clung to the obsolete and unfeasible notion of a UN-supervised referendum. Today, leaks from New York confirm that the draft resolution-penned by Washington- will enshrine Moroccos autonomy initiative as the sole credible basis for a lasting settlement. The resolution is expected to pass with strong backing from three permanent members: the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, while Spain backs the Moroccan proposal and even traditionally cautious powers like Russia and China signal openness to dialogue under Moroccos framework. In an exclusive interview, Trumps middle east envoy Steve Witkoff, speaking alongside Jared Kushner, revealed that the US administration is preparing a Morocco-Algeria peace deal aimed at defusing decades of tension and unlocking regional integration. This diplomatic push coincides with a strategic recalibration at the UN. According to leaked documents, the Security Council will not only endorse Moroccos autonomy plan but also shorten MINURSOs mandate to three months, signaling the end of an open-ended mission and the beginning of a results-driven process. Algeria, increasingly isolated on the international stage, continues to pull the strings of the Polisario while railing against what President Abdelmadjid Tebboune calls imposed solutions. His rhetoric, however, rings hollow as Algiers faces dwindling support and growing scrutiny over its role in perpetuating instability in the region via proxies such as the Polisario and other armed groups in the Sahel. The Polisarios latest communique- curiously absent from its official channels- offers nothing new beyond recycled demands for a phantom referendum and vague promises of strategic relations with Morocco. Analysts see this as a cosmetic maneuver, a diplomatic pirouette masking panic. Algeria and the Polisario are cornered, at a time the autonomy plan has gained unstoppable momentum, and the upcoming resolution will seal that reality. The Algerian regime, which is reeling under growing international isolation, has agreed to take back thousands of illegal migrants from Spain to break the ice and mend relationship with Madrid. According to Spanish press reports, the Algerian authorities have received lately the first group of illegal migrants including minors following months of diplomatic brawl over the Sahara issue after Spain joined countries supporting Moroccos Autonomy plan for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty. Algerias refusal to accept the return of many of its nationals whom France is attempting to deport, has triggered serious diplomatic crisis between the two countries. The Algerian regime, which has strained relations with its European partners and all neighboring countries, except Tunisia, has bowed to Spanish pressure in order to avoid more crises and keep a lifeline for trade as Algerian rulers started feeling the noose tightening. Spanish-Algerian relations improved in 2025, after diplomatic freeze that began in 2022. The two countries are currently focusing on security, trade and energy, despite lingering political disagreements over the Sahara conflict. We will then look at some of the key market movers early this week before providing you with the latest analysis of the top news events taking place in the global energy complex over the past few days. We hope you enjoy. Turkey and India ramp up fuel supply to the EU - The European Union has finally shed light on the details of its upcoming import ban on refined products made from Russian crude, tightening the screws for Turkish and Indian exporters eyeing European markets. - Effective from January 21, 2026, fuel importers in EU member states will be required to demonstrate that incoming refined products were not produced from Russian crude oil. - Brussels highlighted this week that the EU will not accept mass-balancing, i.e. demonstrating that proportionate volumes of non-Russian crudes were used for fuel exports, aiming for strict enforcement. - India and Turkey combined have been supplying 400,000 b/d of refined products to EU countries in 2023-2025, mostly diesel and jet fuel, leaving European importers with few alternative options to buy from. - Diesel prices have been relatively rangebound lately, with ICE gasoil futures trading within the $630-640/mt range. Market Movers - UK oil major BP (NYSE:BP) announced an oil and gas discovery in Namibias Orange Basin with its Volans-1X exploration well, hitting 26 m of net pay with light oil, with a high condensate-to-gas ratio. - Olivier Le Peuch, the top executive of drilling giant SLB (NYSE:SLB) stated that the company does not see any significant pickup in US drilling activity due to stubbornly high production costs. - Hungarys oil and gas company MOL (BSE:MOL) reported a fire at its 165,000 b/d Szazhalombatta refinery, the only operational plant in the country, losing 40% of its nameplate capacity. - Portugals state oil firm Galp (ELI:GALP) hopes to sell a 40% stake in its giant Mopane discovery offshore Namibia by the end of this year, reporting advanced talks with several oil majors at the same time. Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Kazakhstans unforeseen production curbs, as well as healthy Asian crude buying, have helped lift crude from a psychological low point, sending ICE Brent front-month futures to $61 per barrel. The waning of global geopolitical risk premiums, amidst prospects of a Trump-Putin summit, has stopped as the US President threatened massive tariffs on India, provided its refiners dont halt purchases of Russian oil. Gaza Truce or Not, Tankers Burn in The Red Sea. A liquefied petroleum gas tanker exploded off Yemens coast, carrying a full load of presumably Iranian-origin LPG (the tanker previously called at Irans Assaluyeh terminal) to Djibouti, raising navigation risks in the Bab el Mandeb strait again. Chinas Refiners Fire on All Cylinders. Seeking to benefit from the highest margins in 2025 to date, Chinese refiners lifted run rates to 15.26 million b/d in September, a 6.8% increase year-on-year and the highest processing rate since September 2023, according to the countrys Bureau of Statistics. EU Agrees to Cut Russian Gas Imports by 2028. European energy ministers agreed to a gradual phase-out of Russian gas imports to the EU by January 2028, banning new contracts from January 2026, to be followed through with an end to existing short-term deals by June 2026. Iraq to Start Importing US LNG. Having recently signed a deal to develop a floating LNG import terminal in Iraq, US LNG developer Excelerate Energy (NYSE:EE) clinched a new deal with the federal government in Baghdad to supply liquefied gas from the US to the soon-to-be-built terminal. Ukraines Drone Strike on Russia Hurts Kazakhstan. Ukraines drone strike on the Orenburg gas plant has backfired against Kiev as the site was used to treat natural gas from Kazakhstans third-largest Karachaganak field, forcing its operators to cut output by 70,000 b/d immediately. US Gas Exports to Mexico Hit New Record. US natural pipeline gas exports to Mexico rose to the highest ever monthly reading in Mar 2025, averaging 7.5 BCf/d, with further growth expected as Americas four 14.8 BCf/d capacity southbound export corridors wield a 50% utilization rate. China Eyes Saudi Renewables Market. As Riyadh seeks to commission 15 GW of renewable and gas-fired power generation capacity by 2028, Chinas CEEC and PowerChina secured two contracts worth $4.4 billion to build a combined 9 GW of solar and wind farms including transmission lines. Brazil Greenlights Key Drilling Campaign. Brazils main oil regulator Ibama has approved Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) permit to drill an exploration well in the Foz do Amazonas basin, believed to be the next frontier basin in the Latin American countrys offshore, in an environmentally sensitive zone. API Turns Against Expanded Biomandates. The American Petroleum Institute, representing the interests of oil firms, voiced its disapproval for year-round sales of E15 gasoline (containing 15% ethanol), reversing its previous support for the cause amidst shifting federal and state mandates. Golds Record Rally Runs Out of Breath. Gold prices have corrected downwards to $4,180 per ounce, marking an almost 4% daily drop on Tuesday and shedding some $200/oz since the bullion posted a record high on Monday, on the back of a stronger US dollar and investors profit-taking. Iran Expands Downstream Capacity. Irans state-controlled downstream firm NIORDC has added 15,000 b/d of refining capacity at its 265,000 b/d Shazand refinery, the countrys fourth-largest asset, as Tehran still struggles to meet its booming 800,000 b/d gasoline consumption. Russia Floods the Markets with Crude. Russias seaborne crude exports are continuing to rise on the back of lower domestic refinery runs - a consequence of widespread drone damage from Ukrainian strikes with October average moving up to 3.82 million b/d, the highest since May 2023. Egypt to Open Up New Offshore Basin. As Egypts gas production continues to decline, dipping to 3.5 bcm per year in July 2025, the North African country is seeking to launch a new bidding round for four giant offshore blocks in its Red Sea basin, to be officially announced in November 2025. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A study by X-energy Canada has confirmed the feasibility and benefits of repurposing an existing thermal generation site in Alberta with X-energy's small modular reactors, World Nuclear News reports. Funded by Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), the study found that the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor is uniquely suited to Alberta's energy needs. As well as producing electricity, it is specifically designed to provide 565C heat and steam for industrial applications, unlocking a broad range of use cases for Alberta's industrial and oil and gas sectors, the company said. The province's established supply chain capabilities are well-positioned to support the manufacturing and construction of the technology, while the Xe-100's design means it can use air-cooling systems, significantly reducing overall water usage, and offering greater siting flexibility over conventional light-water reactors. In 2023, ERA committed $7 million for Cenovus, a Calgary-based energy company, to study the use of small modular reactors in the oil sands. In August, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the government sees tremendous potential for nuclear in the province. While Alberta does not currently have any nuclear generating capacity, in 2021 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan to collaborate on SMR development, and has signed MOUs with several SMR developers. According to World Nuclear News, Energy Alberta has proposed building a nuclear power plant based on large-scale Candu Monark reactors at a site in the Peace River region of northern Alberta. It adds that Canada currently gets about 15 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, with 17 reactors mostly in Ontario providing 12.7 GWe of power capacity. SMRs are considered ideal for deployment to off-grid, remote locations such as mine sites or the oil sands, as well as communities in northern Canada reliant on diesel-fueled generators for electricity. SMRs are constructed with prefabricated modules and can be transported by truck or by rail making them ideal for remote locations where a conventional reactor would not be feasible. Another important advantage is they are less likely to overheat, because their small cores produce less heat than those of large reactors. They also have fewer moving parts, including coolant pumps, which reduces the likelihood of failures that could cause an accident. The fuel, steam and generator are all in one vessel. SMRs are powered by a radioactive solution that blends fissionable isotopes with a liquid salt. While they can be powered using uranium, they run optimally on thorium, a cleaner, safer, and more abundant nuclear fuel. X-energy Canada is a subsidiary of X-energy Reactor Company, LLC. Its first proposed plant at Dow Chemicals Seadrift site in Texas will provide the operation with both power and steam. After that project, X-energy and Amazon have committed to deploy 5 gigawatts by 2039, beginning in Washington State. The Ontario government recently green-lit Ontario Power Generation to build the first of four small modular reactors. OPG says it will be the first commercial grid-scale SMR in North America, with an in-service target date of 2030, and the first new nuclear build in Ontario in more than three decades. Ontario government support for the CAD$20.9 billion project came after OPG received a Licence to Construct in April from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The first SMR would cost $7.7 billion. All four SMRS are to be located next to the Darlington nuclear power plant east of Toronto and are expected to be running by 2035. The BWRX 300 modular plant was designed by G.E. Hitachi Nuclear Energy. It will have capacity for 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes. By comparison, Darlingtons four conventional nuclear reactors each provide 935 MW. In addition to OPG, other utilities including Saskatchewans SaskPower and the Tennessee Valley Authority have expressed interest in building BWRX 300s, as have companies in Poland and Estonia, The Globe and Mail reports. Some of the most advanced research on SMR technology is being conducted in New Brunswick. NB Power is currently working with two private-sector partners, ARC Clean Technology and Moltex Energy, to advance Generation IV Plus Grid-sized SMR technology for use at the existing Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station. While no SMRs have yet been built in the United States, the Department of Energy has announced up to $5.5 billion in funding. One of the more recent cheerleaders of nuclear is Donald Trump. In May, the US president signed executive orders pledging to expand American nuclear energy capacity from approximately 100 gigawatts in 2024 to 400 GW by 2050. "Swift and decisive action is required to jumpstart Americas nuclear energy industrial base and ensure our national and economic security by increasing fuel availability and production, securing civil nuclear supply chains, improving the efficiency with which advanced nuclear reactors are licensed, and preparing our workforce to establish Americas energy dominance and accelerate our path towards a more secure and independent energy future," World Nuclear News quoted from the executive order Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base. There are currently 54 nuclear power plants operating in the United States, with 28 states having at least one reactor. According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), Unit 3 at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia entered service on July 31, 2023 as part of a two-unit expansion project. It has 1,117 megawatts (MW) of net summer electricity generation capacity. Unit 4, a Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized light water reactor, began commercial operations in April 2024. It is now the largest nuclear power plant in the United States, with four reactors and a total of 4,536 MW net summer electricity generation capacity. 2024 was a record year for nuclear power generation, according to the World Nuclear Performance Report 2025. The report says nuclear reactors worldwide generated 2,667 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity last year, beating the previous record of 2,660 TWh set back in 2006. The report by the World Nuclear Association also said the increase in global nuclear power generation over the past decade was mostly due to Asia, which accounts for 56 of the 68 reactors commissioned. Of the 70 reactors currently under construction, 59 are in Asia. By Andrew Topf for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: For years, Canadas oil and gas sector was plagued by pipeline shortages that severely limited the countrys capacity for export and forced producers to sell at a major discount as storage capacity became maxed out across the nation. But all of that changed when the Trans Mountain Expansion project finally came online after years of delays on May 1, 2024. Now, suddenly, Canada is a major competitor in global markets, with the ability to ship crude directly from Vancouver to Asian ports. The resulting trade boom reflects a monumental shift in global geopolitics. As of 2019, the lack of transport capacity was costing Canadian producers an estimated $20.62 billion annually. But since the commercial opening of the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline last year, oil producers in the central province of Alberta can now send three times more crude oil to the Canadian Pacific coast. This amounts to nearly 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) of additional market access and has almost single-handedly revitalized the sector after years of struggle. Highlighting how meaningful this new trade route is for global markets, the Baltic Exchange - a global leader in maritime market data tracking - has introduced not one, but two new benchmarks aimed solely at tracking Canadian crude exports to Asia. As of October 13, you can now track shipments from Vancouver to Ningbo, China, and from Vancouver to the Pacific Area Lightering zone off the US West Coast using Aframax tanker benchmarks TD28 and TD29, respectively. The benchmarks are listed on the Intercontinental Exchange. This is a classic example of the Baltic responding directly to market needs, Matt Cox, Head of Benchmark Production at the Baltic Exchange, was recently quoted by flagship maritime and offshore news outlet gCaptain. The development of these new routes reflects how trade flows evolve in response to geopolitical realities, from tariff disputes and shifting alliances to sanctions and changing energy security priorities. Our role is to ensure the market has reliable benchmarks that reflect these new dynamics. This development reflects critical changes and tensions in global politics as China, the worlds largest importer of fossil fuels, and the United States, one of the worlds biggest exporters of natural gas and a top oil exporter, continue to accelerate a globally impactful trade war. While the Trump administration has continued to slap tariffs on Chinese goods amid ongoing threats to push them higher, China has introduced retaliatory port fees on U.S. vessels, increasing costs to ship oil and gas from the U.S. to China. Related: U.S. Oil Growth Shifts from Shale to Gulf As the globes two biggest economies continue to tiff, alternative trade partnerships arent hesitating to step into that lucrative vacuum. Canada has made no bones about its plans of ramping up its oil and gas exports as U.S. policy has left openings in the market first under the Biden administrations liquefied natural gas export pause, and now under Trumps nationalistic trade approach. As a result of these geopolitical shifts, in addition to its newfound export capacity thanks to the Trans Mountain Expansion, Canada is an increasingly key player in global oil and gas markets. Chinas appetite for Canadian oil is headed for all-time high, blared a Bloomberg headline from this week. The report goes on to detail that over 70 percent of oil tankers departing from British Columbia have headed straight to China. The result is a win-win for Canada and China, as Beijing continues to fill its strategic reserves as it pivots away from trade with the United States, and Canada has seen its strongest crude prices since July, when prices are traditionally stronger. Not everyone in Canada, however, is in support of the countrys newfound dominance in global fossil fuel trades. The country is increasingly divided on climate issues, and new Prime Minister Mark Carney has to walk a tightrope between strengthening Canadas economy in the face of increasing hostility from its ally to the South, while also holding true to climate goals that Canada has, so far, not lived up to. In the first months of his term, Carney has plunged full speed ahead into global oil and gas markets, putting Canada on the map and in the maritime benchmarks, while also trying to maintain an eco-friendly image. We are not abandoning our climate goals, he has stated. We are recalibrating our tools to support Canadian families and businesses through a difficult economic moment. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Fossil fuels arent going anywhere. Oil, natural gas, and coal are set to represent about half of global energy consumption in 2050 and beyond, according to the tenth annual McKinsey report, which showed the biggest shift in the consultancys thinking on energy systems in a decade. McKinseys Global Energy Perspective 2025 offers a chance to reflect on the lessons learned over the past decade and to look ahead to the next one, the consultancy said. The reflection revealed that of the three energy system priorities affordability, reliability, and sustainability the lack of affordability, as well as bankability, is holding back the widespread adoption of new low-carbon technologies. First, cost competitiveness and an economically pragmatic energy transition remain paramount, McKinsey noted in this years report. Second, there is no silver bullet for decarbonization. Countries and regions will follow distinct trajectories based on local economic conditions, resource endowment, and the realities facing particular industries, McKinsey said. Related: McKinsey Sees Fossil Fuels Dominating for Decades The consultancys 2025 report comes after years of other consulting firms and most notably, the International Energy Agency (IEA), advocating for a rapid energy transition to slash emissions and predicting peak oil demand by 2030. McKinseys new report notes that geopolitical uncertainty, shifting policies, and increasing demand for power are reshaping the energy landscape. All three factors will lead to prolonged use of fossil fuels to meet demand, even beyond 2050. Fossil fuels, especially natural gas, are projected to retain a large share of the global energy mix well past 2050, McKinseys report found. Oil, gas, and coal are still set to represent between 41% and 55% of global energy use in 2050, according to McKinsey. This share would be lower compared to the current share, but higher than previously expected. Natural gas, which will see growth in use for electricity generation, as well as for final consumption, is expected to post the strongest demand increase, displacing higher-emission fuels in many cases. Coal use may also persist at higher levels than seen in previous McKinsey outlooks, depending on the scenario, the consultancy said. Moreover, crucial alternative fuels are not likely to achieve broad adoption before 2040 unless mandated, McKinsey said. The affordability issue would suggest that some alternative sources, such as green hydrogen and some other sustainable fuels, may not be competitive with traditional fuels in the near term. McKinsey acknowledges that energy security and reliability are trumping sustainability amid geopolitical upheavals and uncompetitive emerging low-emission technologies. The new energy perspectives report makes the calls from OPEC for continued investment in oil and gas more relevant and mainstream than in previous years. A few years back, the calls for increased oil investment from some of the worlds biggest oil producers were dismissed and downplayed by the IEA and other forecasters, expecting net-zero to drive energy policies, instead of affordability, security, and reliability. The oil industry must step up exploration and investment in new supply; otherwise, the world risks a supply shortage, Amin Nasser, the chief executive of the Saudi state oil giant Aramco, said last week. We had a decade . . . where people didnt explore. Its going to have an impact, Nasser told the Financial Times. If it doesnt happen, there will be a supply crunch, said the top executive of the worlds biggest oil firm by both production and market value. Also last week, Nasser said in a speech at the 2025 Energy Intelligence Forum that the energy transition faces a reality check and reality on the ground points not to an energy transition, but to an energy addition which requires all hands on deck. We also see resilient demand, and the pressing need for long-term investments in supply is now widely accepted, Nasser said. In recent months, energy security and affordability have trumped fears of stranded assets, prompting the worlds biggest international oil and gas firms to shift focus back to exploration after years of trying to develop clean energy solutions. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: BHP expects resilient commodity demand going forward despite slowing growth in China in the second half of this year, the worlds biggest miner by market value said in a quarterly operational review on Tuesday. During the quarter ended September 30, BHPs copper production increased by 4% from the first quarter of 2025, with record concentrator throughput at Escondida in Chile. Production of steelmaking coal rose by 8%, while iron ore output inched down by 1%. Overall macro-economic signals for commodity demand remain resilient, and global growth forecasts are moving higher, chief executive officer Mike Henry said in a statement. BHP sees Chinas GDP growth at around 5% this year despite an expected deceleration in growth in the second half, Henry added. China is currently in tense negotiations with BHP over iron ore prices, and China Mineral Resources Group, the state-owned Chinese iron ore buyer, has reportedly told domestic steelmakers and traders not to buy or take any iron ore cargo from BHP. The Australia-based miner hasnt officially commented on what happens in its Chinese market. But BHP remains bullish on copper globally. In copper, major disruptions at some of our competitors mines have tightened overall market fundamentals, benefitting our world-class portfolio of assets, the CEO Henry said. Earlier this month, BHP said it is investing US$555 million (AUS$840 million) in several projects at its Olympic Dam copper operations in South Australia to boost production and processing capabilities at the site. BHP is the largest producer of copper in the world, and we expect to grow our copper base from 1.7 million tonnes to around 2.5 million tonnes per annum, said Edgar Basto, the mining giants chief operations officer. The mining giant holds the worlds largest copper resources with Escondida in Chile and Copper SA in Australia. BHP expects global copper demand to jump 70% by 2050 driven by population growth, rising living standards, and the energy transition. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oiloprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The fight over Venezuelas last major foreign asset just got nastier. Lawyers for Citgo Petroleum and its owner, PDV Holding, told a Delaware court this week that Elliott Managements affiliate Amber Energy shouldnt even be in the running for Citgos parent companycalling its bid so low it shocks the conscience. What began nearly six years ago as a straightforward plan to settle old creditor claims has turned into something else entirely a slugfest over conflicts of interest, political meddling, and whether a Delaware judge will sign off on a hedge fund cash-grab. Ambers $5.9 billion bidsweetened by a $2.1 billion side deal to pay off Venezuelan bondholderswas inexplicably recommended by the courts special master, despite a rival $7.9 billion offer from a subsidiary of Gold Reserve. Gold Reserves lawyers called the Elliott bid a back-room carve-up that diverts billions from legitimate judgment creditors to bondholders still fighting over the validity of their notes in a New York court. The drama has turned the Citgo sale into something far larger than a bankruptcy-style auction. Once the U.S. arm of PDVSAthe state oil giant gutted by corruption and sanctionsCitgo was Washingtons last leverage over Caracas. Since 2019, its been run by opposition-appointed boards, now forced to watch its ownership decided in an American courtroom. With accusations of a defective process and $170 million in advisory fees now under scrutiny, Judge Leonard Stark faces a no-win choice: bless a deal seen as cheap and compromised, or blow up an auction the U.S. Treasury must still approve. Either way, Venezuelas crown jewel is slipping awayand nobodys pretending its about fairness anymore. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Japan will base any decisions about energy imports on its national interests, the countrys trade minister Yoji Muto has said, following suggestions from the Trump administration that Japan suspends all purchases of Russian oil and gas. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Japan has been steadily reducing its dependence on Russian energy, Muto told media earlier today, as quoted by Reuters, following a meeting between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato, at which Bessent urged Kato to stop buying Russian oil and gas. In a sign of conformity with is European G7 peers, Japan in September lowered a price cap on Russian crude from $60 to $47.60 although it was more of a token gesture than anything elseJapan has a waiver from the price cap due to the essential nature of Russian oil for its energy security, per Japanese government officials. We recognise that LNG from Sakhalin-2 plays an extremely important role in Japan's energy security, Trade Minister Muto also said, adding that it accounted for 3% of Japans electricity generation. While small as a percentage, the amount is likely not insignificant in absolute terms, given the size of Japans economy. The Trump administration has embarked on a pressure campaign against all large importers of Russian hydrocarbons on the grounds that depriving Russia of energy export revenues would deprive it of the financial means to continue fighting the Ukrainian forces. Yet it is unlikely that the campaign will succeed as planned, even with the deployment of stick-and-carrot approach that President Trump has chosen in his dealings with the two top buyers of Russian oil and gas, China and India. However, sanctions and price swings on international markets have already affected Russian energy export revenues in a negative way, which has failed to change anything about Moscows goals in what it calls a special military operation and has had zero effect on developments on the battlefield. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Kazakhstans Karachaganak field producing oil and gas condensate has curbed production after what it referred to as an incident at a gas processing plant in Russia, which was hit by a Ukrainian drone on Monday. The Karachaganak Venture operating the field confirmed it reduced output in an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday. Italys energy giant Eni and UK-based supermajor Shell are joint operators of the Karachaganak Venture, with each holding a 29.25% interest in the venture. U.S. supermajor Chevron and Russias second-largest oil producer, Lukoil, hold interests of 18% and 13.5%, respectively. Kazakhstans national company KazMunayGas has a 10% stake in the venture. On Monday, reports emerged that a Ukrainian drone attack had halted gas processing at Russias Orenburg complex, one of the biggest in the country. Gas extracted in northwest Kazakhstan flows north for processing before returning for domestic use or export. When Orenburg stops, Karachaganaks condensate and gas production both fall, threatening more than 250,000 barrels per day of oil-equivalent output. Neither the operator of Karachaganak nor the Kazakh Energy Ministry have provided data on how much production had been curbed. Anonymous sources told Reuters on Monday that production at Karachaganak fell to below 200,000 barrels per day of oil equivalent. Despite the halt at the Orenburg processing plant in Russia, Kazakhstans gas supply remains uninterrupted, the Kazakh Energy Ministry said on Monday, refuting reports of the contrary in the Kazakh media. The suspension of operations at the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant has had no effect on gas exports to Kazakhstan, the Kazakh ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agency Interfax. The stability of supply is guaranteed by reserve mechanisms which have been put in place in advance. Any portion of the planned volume which is not supplied is promptly substituted under existing contracts, and there is therefore no gas deficit for domestic consumers, including thermal power plants in the capital, nor are any deficits predicted, Kazakhstan said. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Spanish gas demand for electricity production jumped by nearly 37% between January and September, as Spain relied on more gas-fired power generation to keep the grid stable after Europes worst blackout in modern history. In late April, the worst blackout Europe has ever seen in modern times, when Spain and Portugal were left without electricity for hours, was a wake-up call for the EU and the rest of the world that regardless of booming renewable energy capacity installations, power supply will not be secure unless grids are capable and flexible enough to accommodate clean energy and meet rising demand. As a result of the outage, the share of combined-cycle generation jumped by 36.8% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to a year earlier, as gas served as a reinforcement to the security of electricity supply, Spains gas grid operator Enagas said on Tuesday in its results for January to September. Spains total demand for natural gas and exports stood at 267.6 terrawatts (TWh) during the first nine months of 2025, up by 6.6% from a year earlier, Enagas said. Spain also boosted gas exports, driven by higher deliveries to France to help fill the French underground storage facilities and carry out maintenance at its regasification terminals. Earlier this month, an expert panel of the European network of electricity transmission system operators, ENTSO-E, released its report on the April blackout in Spain and Portugal. The report highlighted the exceptional and unprecedented nature of this incident - the first time a cascading series of disconnections of generation components along with voltage increases has been part of the sequence of events leading to a blackout in the Continental Europe Synchronous Area. In short, the report said that excessive voltage was the driver behind the blackout. A final report is due out in the first quarter of 2026, and will present the findings from investigations into the root causes for the outage. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Trump administration is dipping its toebarelyinto refilling the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), announcing plans to purchase one million barrels of crude for delivery in December and January. The move, while symbolically significant, amounts to little more than a rounding error in a reserve that once held 700 million barrels. The Department of Energy will use $171 million from President Trumps new tax and spending law to fund the purchase, issuing a solicitation for crude to be delivered to the Bayou Choctaw site in Louisiana. Bids are due by October 28, with contracts tied to spot market prices. At around $58 per barrel, the timing is opportunistic. WTI has fallen roughly 30% since January amid swelling inventories, record U.S. production of 13.6 million bpd, and a global supply glut that has traders talking about $50 crude again. The SPRAmericas emergency oil cushionwas gutted during the Biden years, when 180 million barrels were released to tame gasoline prices. That drawdown left the reserve at its lowest level in four decades, around 395 million barrels. Refilling it wont be cheap or quick. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said it could take years and as much as $20 billion to rebuild the stockpile. Congress has since pushed through $1.3 billion in funding for refills and maintenance while repealing the mandatory drawdowns that raided the reserve in prior years. Still, a one-million-barrel purchase is more political gesture than energy strategy. With maintenance delays pushing other scheduled deliveries into late 2025, and each government buy signaling to traders that prices could rise, Washington is walking a fine line between refilling reserves and fueling another rally. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Several of my columns over the last couple of months have discussed the use of small modular reactors (SMR) as the demand for electrical power has skyrocketed. The rapidly advancing technology provided by artificial intelligence (AI) and massive data storage and retrieval solutions has been adversely impacted by the inability of the current antiquated power grid and the power technologies (hydro, carbon fired, nuclear, solar, and wind turbines. The principle limitations require any new producer of energy to be located near the existing grid in order to connect to the distribution network. That coupled with the myopic view that increased demand for power must be met by the current technologies which to a man are inflexible.. For industries requiring substantial power, it means that they have to locate their facilities near the power grid and wait for the power generators to plan, locate and construct the next massive power generation facility to meet the increased demand. Not only does that retard the growth of industries that are power dependent, but it basically closes out the location of those industries in rural areas where land is abundant. My favorite example is Portal, North Dakota which enjoys abundant land and naturally occurring cooling* as an excellent choice for data centers which currently require massive amounts of power to provide refrigeration to offset the heat generated by the acres of computers necessary for the collection, storage and retrieval of data for any number of businesses. Those columns went on to describe the entry of small modular reactors that are scalable by simply adding or subtracting units. I mentioned NuScale Power because it is Oregon based and has been in the field for at least a dozen years. But there are at least twenty others, the majority of which have working models and are currently manufacturing units for delivery in the near term. It is a robust, competitive market and the competitive market will drive innovations for size, power production scalability, and cost. That is why I was surprised and disappointed to read an announcement from the United States Army that it was launching a program to design, build and deploy small modular reactors in at least five locations by September of 2028. The program will build commercial microreactors through a nimble, milestone-based contracting model in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), accelerating delivery of advanced energy solutions to the warfighter. The reactors will be commercially owned-and-operated, with the milestone payments intended to help companies close their business cases as they seek Nth-of-a-kind production. The Army and DIU will be modeling this contracting mechanism off of NASAs Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. We are just coming off of a thirty year drunken binge of spending trillions of dollars on a series of technologies that common sense would tell you were not going to provide growth in reliable energy production over either the near or long term. Billions on wind farms that failed to recognize that the wind doesnt blow all of the time at a reliable rate and that even a brief experience demonstrated that individual wind generators were down nearly as often as they were operational. Billions on a technology that had no solution as to what to do with the broken parts or the abandoned fields of wind farms. Billions more dollars on solar technology that failed to recognize that the sun does not shine all of the time. Billions of dollars on solar alternatives like solar mirrors that never worked from the day they were installed. And even other alternatives like thermal energy that common sense will tell you has severe limitations the principle one (like coal fired plants and hydro electric) requires you to locate within limitations for connectivity with the antiquated national power grid. And all because there is some b.s. government program that will pay for little or no progress. I thought we were moving beyond that under President Donald Trump but apparently not. What the Army is proposing already exists from a variety of providers. There is nothing new, innovative or necessary in this so-called Janus project. This reminds me of the Portland City Commission that repeatedly declined to go out and purchase an accounting and billing system for their water and sewer programs always smuggley announcing that the bureaucrats had a better way an Oregon way. A solution that always cost multiple times what existing and available systems would have cost and always failed to deliver a usable program. If the nations bureaucrats local, state and federal were so effing smart they would be out in the private sector putting their great ideas out in competitive environment you know like the one that exists for SMRs and will not be improved by a bunch of know-it-alls overseeing private technology. So Mr. Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth, you would do yourself and the country a huge favor if you would alter the charter for the Janus project to ensure that is providing a list of energy needs and not energy design. That no federal dollars are spent redesigning what is already available. And that no federal bureaucrats is in charge of design, construction or placement. In fact, you would do all of us a favor and make sure we arent growing the next green energy scam. For me, I trust NuScale Power, TerraPower, Okio and Kairos Power they have all proved that they know what they are doing. They have existing and operating models. Who I dont trust is the federal bureaucrats and their continuing lack of accomplishments on anything other than raising the cost or delaying the completion date of any project. If you are ever tempted to believe government is the answer, I have a tunnel project and a high speed rail line in California that are both years behind and billions of dollars over budget. Go figure. ________________________________________ * Its cold in Portal, North Dakota, located near the Canadian border where the average low temperature in January and February is -10 and -8 degrees respectively. Even in summer the average low temperature is 50 degrees. In essence Portal has freezing temperatures from October to through April. Not exactly the temperatures likely to entice a tourist rush but nearly perfect for mitigating the cooling required for data centers. The same can be said of numerous communities in Alaska. By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com The appeals court has reversed the decision made by a lower court judge in Oregon, paving the way for allowing President Trump to send the National Guard to Portland to help quell the rioting outside the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement building (ICE). Why this matters: Rioting, street takeovers and over-size hostile protesting have occurred for over 120 days outside the Portland ICE office. The ICE building has been closed for three weeks this year due to rioting. The front door of the ICE building has been destroyed and boarded up. In order for employees/criminal suspects to enter or exit building, it requires nearly 20 fully riot-gear equipped ICE agents to clear the road for the vehicles to pass. All the windows to the ICE building are blocked to avoid sniper shots. Protestors have sent drones into the ICE building. Protestors have started fires. Protestors have an illegal encampment adjacent to the ICE building. The school nearby was forced to close and relocate over security concerns. 911 calls for the whole neighborhood have increased perpetually. Police have stopped responding to many of the resident 911 calls because they are unable to help. Emergency vehicles have been delayed because of the ICE protest. On one night, all helicopters (including hospital life flights) were re-routed over safety. Federal ICE agents have a right to protect themselves and local residents have a right to have laws enforced and 911 calls answered. Help us spread the word. Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty). 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: A red cusk-eel burrowed in among tubeworms at a methane seep off the coast of El Quisco in central Chile. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute A team of scientists from Chile and the United States discovered dozens of red cusk-eels, fish prized in Chilean seafood markets and celebrated in a poem by renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, embedded in a bushy thicket of tubeworms at a methane seep off the coast of central Chile. This is the first time this commercially important species has been documented using methane seeps as habitat. It's not yet clear what drew the fish to the methane seep, but some evidence suggests the fish may have been receiving a parasite cleaning from resident spider crabs. "Methane seeps are important places for deep-sea biodiversity," said Lisa Levin, co-author of a study detailing the discovery and professor emeritus at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "Our findings show these seeps are not just home to communities of obscure creatures that are cut off from the rest of the deep sea. They are also important for commercially fished species and may be much more connected to the rest of the ocean than one might expect." The discovery places the cusk-eels among a small but growing list of other commercially significant species using methane seeps. The study is published in the journal Ecology. Red cusk-eels (Genypterus chilensis) can reach lengths of 1.6 meters (five feet) and are usually found near the bottom at depths up to 350 meters (1,100 feet) from northern Peru to southern Chile. They are not true eels but their long slender body shape and undulating swimming style make it easy to understand how they got their name. In 2022, Chilean fishers hauled up roughly 2,000 tons of red cusk-eel (known locally as "congrio colorado"), and the fish features prominently on coastal restaurant menus. Research suggests the species is being overfished, with a 2003 study finding that 75% of the catch had not yet reached sexual maturity. Methane seeps are where methane and hydrogen sulfide emerge from the seafloor. Thousands of these seeps have been discovered around the world, typically near continental margins. The seeps provide food for microbes that specialize in converting the leaking chemicals into energy through a process called chemosynthesis. These microbes form the base of thriving ecosystems that exist largely apart from the sun. Methane seeps have gained recognition as critical habitats for some species targeted by commercial fishing fleets, including thornyhead rockfish, Chilean seabass (also known as Patagonian toothfish) and deep-sea snow crabs. An October 2024 oceanographic expedition aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Research Vessel, Falkor (too), set out to map and explore methane seeps off the coast of central and south Chile and to study the unique ecosystems they support. The research team used a combination of shipboard sonar and expertise from collaborating geologists to locate mounds on the seafloor that were potential methane seeps. The team then deployed Schmidt Ocean Institute's ROV SuBastian to explore and film these sites. Red cusk-eels embedded in a tubeworm bush at a methane seep off central Chile. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute. The team discovered a large mound roughly 18 kilometers (11 miles) off the coast of El Quisco, a small town about 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Valparaiso. On a dive to survey the mound some 435 meters (1,427 feet) below the surface, the team was impressed by the size and density of tubeworms attached to the mound's surface. 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. Tubeworms, which flourish via a symbiotic relationship with the seep's chemosynthetic bacteria, form cylindrical tubes to protect their soft bodies, and large numbers of them create tangled bushes on the seafloor. "At first we were amazed by the size of the tubeworm bush," said Levin. "Eventually we noticed all these fish with their heads poking out from inside the bush." The team sent the ROV down to the mound twice over the course of two days and counted 46 to 48 red cusk-eels nestled within a large, dense tubeworm bush on this single mound. Researchers observed the fish swimming backwards into their hiding spots. Video also showed cusk-eels receiving what looked like a parasite cleaning from spider crabs that live in the tubeworm bushes. Levin said the fish could also be congregating to feed, reproduce or seek refuge. "The presence of this important fishery resource on a methane seep ecosystem close to the coast where it faces pressure from fishing and pollution forces us to think about measures to protect and conserve these habitats," said Eulogio Soto, a researcher at the University of Valparaiso in Chile who served as a chief scientist of the expedition and co-authored the study. "Our discovery took place over the course of just two days, so we don't know what life exists or what is happening at other times of the year. We must go back." The mound appeared to be singular in its appeal to the fish, with surveys of eleven other nearby mounds turning up only three fish in total. The surrounding seafloor near the methane seeps was littered with lost nets and other fishing gear, suggesting this location may be known to local fishers. The findings could inform the management of the red cusk-eel fishery, perhaps serving as the basis for protecting the site and others like it from fishing. The study authors said future research should explore whether these aggregations represent spawning sites, feeding grounds, refuges or parasite cleaning stations. "Almost every time we visit these ecosystems, we find something new," said Levin. "There is so much more for us to learn, and we need to keep exploring and studying them." In addition to Levin and Soto, the study was co-authored by Yerko Castillo of the University of Valparaiso, Patricia Esquete from the University of Aveiro and Jeffrey Marlow of Boston University. More information: Lisa A. Levin et al, Congregation of cuskeels (Genypterus chilensis, Ophidiiformes) at a deepsea methane seep off Chile, Ecology (2025). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.70237 Journal information: Ecology 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 Erie Canal, seen here in Pittsford, N.Y., opened up western regions to trade, immigration and social change. Credit: Andre Carrotflower via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Two hundred years ago, on Oct. 26, 1825, New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton boarded a canal boat by the shores of Lake Erie. Amid boisterous festivities, his vessel, the Seneca Chief, embarked from Buffalo, the westernmost port of his brand-new Erie Canal. Clinton and his flotilla made their way east to the canal's terminus in Albany, then down the Hudson River to New York City. This maiden voyage culminated on Nov. 4 with a ceremonial disgorging of barrels full of Lake Erie water into the brine of the Atlantic: pure political theater he called "the Wedding of the Waters." The Erie Canal, whose bicentennial is being celebrated all month, is an engineering marvela National Historic Monument enshrined in folk song. Such was its legacy that as a young politician, Abraham Lincoln dreamed of becoming "the DeWitt Clinton of Illinois." As a historian of the 19th-century frontier, I'm fascinated by how civil engineering shaped Americaespecially given the country's struggles to fix its aging infrastructure today. The opening of the Erie Canal reached beyond Clinton's Empire State, cementing the Midwest into the prosperity of the growing nation. This human-made waterway transformed America's economy and immigration while helping fuel a passionate religious revival. But like most big achievements, getting there wasn't easy. The nation's first "superhighway" was almost dead on arrival. Clinton's folly The idea of connecting New York City to the Great Lakes originated in the late 18th century. Yet when Clinton pushed to build a canal, the plan was controversial. The governor and his supporters secured funding through Congress in 1817, but President James Madison vetoed the bill, considering federal support for a state project unconstitutional. New York turned to state bonds to finance the project, which Madison's ally Thomas Jefferson had derided as "madness." Some considered "Clinton's big ditch" blasphemy. "If the Lord had intended there should be internal waterways," argued Quaker minister Elias Hicks, "he would have placed them there." Construction began on July 4, 1817. Completed eight years later, the canal stretched some 363 miles (584 kilometers), with 18 aqueducts and 83 locks to compensate for elevation changes en route. All this was built with only basic tools, pack animals and human musclethe latter supplied by some 9,000 laborers, roughly one-quarter of whom were recent immigrants from Ireland. 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. Boomtowns Despite its naysayers, the Erie Canal paid offliterally. Within a few years, shipping rates from Lake Erie to New York City fell from US$100 per ton to under $9. Annual freight on the canal eclipsed trade along the Mississippi River within a few decades, amounting to $200 millionwhich would be more than $8 billion today. Commerce drove industry and immigration, enriching the canal towns of New Yorktransforming villages like Syracuse and Utica into cities. From 1825 to 1835, Rochester was the fastest-growing urban center in America. By the 1830s, politicians had stopped ridiculing America's growing canal system. It was making too much money. The hefty $7 million investment in building the Erie Canal had been fully recouped in toll fees alone. Religious revival Nor was its legacy simply economic. Like many Americans during the Industrial Revolution, New Yorkers struggled to find stability, purpose and community. The Erie Canal channeled new ideas and religious movements, including the Second Great Awakening: a nationwide movement of Christian evangelism and social reform, partly in reaction to the upheavals of a changing economy. Though the movement began at the turn of the century, it flourished in the hinterlands along the Erie Canal, which became known as the "Burned-Over District." Revivalists like Charles Grandison FinneyAmerica's most famous preacher at the timefound a lively reception along this "psychic highway," as one author later dubbed upstate New York. Some denominations, like the Methodists, grew dramatically. But the "Burned-Over District" also gave birth to new churches after the canal's creation. Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often known as Mormons, in Fayette, New York, in 1830. The teachings of William Miller, who lived near the Vermont border, spread west along the canal routethe roots of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Door to the West As Clinton predicted, the Erie Canal was "a bond of union between the Atlantic and Western States," uniting upstate New York and the agrarian frontier of the Midwest to the urban markets of the Eastern seaboard. In the mid-1820s, Ohio Gov. Ethan Allen Brown praised America's canals "as veins and arteries to the body politic" and commissioned two canals of his own: one to link the Ohio River to the Erie Canal, completed in 1832; and another to link the Miami River, completed in 1845. These canals in turn connected to numerous smaller waterways, creating an extensive network of trade and transportation. Like New York, Ohio had its canal towns, including Middletown: the birthplace of Vice President JD Vance and a city emblematic of America's shifting industrial fortunes. While America's canal boom brought prosperity, this wealth came at a cost to many Indigenous communitiesa cost that is only slowly being acknowledged. The Haudenosaunee, often known by the name "Iroquois," especially paid the price for the Erie Canal. The confederacy of tribes was pressured into ceding lands to the state of New York, and further displaced by ensuing frontier settlement. Past and future As the U.S. nears its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, the official website of this commemoration urges Americans "to pause and reflect on our nation's past and look ahead toward the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond." As the recent federal government shutdown suggests, however, the nation's political system is struggling. Overcoming gridlock demands bipartisan consensus on basic concerns. Technology changes, but the demands of infrastructurefrom rebuilding roads and bridges to expanding broadband and sustainable energy networksand the will needed to address them, persist. As the Erie Canal reminds us, American democracy has always been built upon concrete foundations. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Maintaining so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan authorities will lead nowhere: FM spokesperson Xinhua) 08:05, October 21, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday said maintaining so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan authorities will lead nowhere, urging the governments of the very few individual countries to make the right political decision at an early date. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked to comment on a Paraguayan official's recent call for "a serious and broad debate" to explore possible diplomatic and trade ties between Paraguay and China, stressing that it concerns Paraguay's long-term interests. Guo said the one-China principle is a prevailing consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. Maintaining so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan authorities will lead nowhere, Guo said, adding that it will not shake the solid and strong international commitment to the one-China principle, or stop the overriding trend of the times towards China's reunification. Guo noted upholding the one-China principle is the right thing to do and is where the arc of history bends and public opinion trends. "We urge the governments of the very few individual countries, including Paraguay, to see the true picture, listen to the voice of the visionaries, not to turn a blind eye to the will of the people, and make the right political decision at an early date that serves the fundamental and long-term interests of their people," Guo said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Elizabeth Olsen doesn't want the public to know her personality "all that well". Elizabeth Olsen refutes the idea she's mysterious The 36-year-old actress previously took a break from Instagram, before deciding that she would never return to the photo-sharing platform, and Elizabeth now admits that she doesn't want to share too much of her life with the public. She told InStyle magazine: "If you put yourself out there, people think that you want them to come in. I think for me, I don't want anyone to know my personality all that well. Or identify me as someone who does a specific type of goofy trope video or something on Instagram once a month. "I don't want people to associate me with a brand; I want people to watch a movie and see me as a character. I think there are people who do both beautifully. I don't think it means that someone cant be online and also a great actor." Despite this, Elizabeth refutes that idea that she's "mysterious". The Hollywood star explained: "Im not mysterious. I think I'm private in certain aspects, but I say too much. I'm long-winded. And circuitous." Elizabeth always knew that she wanted to become an actress - but she wasn't in a rush to achieve her goal. She said: "I thought I wanted to be a child actor, but then my ballet teacher wouldn't put me in The Nutcracker because I'd missed so many rehearsals. And that was the only Nutcracker I wasn't in my whole life because I was auditioning for TV or film or whatever. "I wanted to have the career I have now, but I didnt need to do it until later. I wanted to do recess with my friends." Elizabeth previously admitted that she feels her acting is improving with every passing year. The movie star told The Talks: "I feel more capable. And I do think there's something to be said about a certain amount of hours spent doing anything, practising anything or doing any kind of job that you learn from. I think the amount of hours that you rack up, that does affect growth. I just hope that continues." 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: Spontaneous fragmentation of a rotating crystal comprised of transversely interacting particles into multiple rotating crystal fragments. Credit: Wayne State University/Zhi-Feng Huang It sounds bizarre, but they exist: crystals made of rotating objects. Physicists from Aachen, Dusseldorf, Mainz and Wayne State (Detroit, U.S.) have jointly studied these exotic objects and their properties. They easily break into individual fragments, have odd grain boundaries and evidence defects that can be controlled in a targeted fashion. In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers outline how several new properties of such transverse interaction systems can be predicted by applying a comprehensive theory. Transverse forces can occur in synthetic systems, such as in certain magnetic solids. They exist in systems of living organisms too, however. In an experiment observing a host of starfish embryos conducted at American university MIT, it was found that, through their swimming movements, the embryos influence each other in a manner leading them to rotate around one another. What biological function this may have is not yet understood. The common thread in these systems is that they involve rotating objects. Professor Dr. Hartmut Lowen of the Institute of Theoretical Physics II at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) explains, "A system of many rotating constituent elements exhibits a qualitatively new behavior that is non-intuitive: At high concentrations, these objects form a solid body of rotors, which possess 'odd' material properties." The property of odd elasticity, for example, is affected. When a conventional material is pulled, it deforms in the pull direction, but an odd elastic material will not deform, but rather twist. Such an odd twisted solid can spontaneously disintegrate into many rotating crystallites if its building blocks rub against each other so strongly that they form fragments. Remarkably, in addition to breaking up into pieces, the crystal can also reassemble itself. A team of physicists headed by lead author Professor Dr. Zhi-Feng Huang of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Wayne State University and corresponding author Professor Lowen has developed a cross-scale theory for such odd crystals. Applying this theory, model calculations were run, which have yielded conclusions regarding potential new applications for such strange solids. It was observed that large transversely interacting crystals intrinsically decay into small rotating crystal units. Smaller crystals, however, will grow until they reach a critical size. This behavior runs counter to normal crystal growth, i.e. that crystals grow increasingly larger under favorable thermodynamic conditions. Professor Huang comments, "We have discovered a fundamental property of nature underlying this process which determines the relation between the size of the critical fragments and their rotation speed." Study co-author Professor Dr. Raphael Wittkowski of the DWILeibniz Institute for Interactive Materials and of RWTH Aachen University, further elucidates, "We furthermore demonstrated how defects in the crystals exhibit dynamics of their own. The formation of such defects can be influenced from outside, which allows properties of the crystals to be specifically controlled with a view to usage applications." 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. "Our far-reaching theory encompasses all systems evidencing such transverse interactions. Conceivable applications range from colloid research to biology," said co-author Dr. Michael te Vrugt, Assistant Professor at the University of Mainz. Professor Lowen adds, "The model calculations indicate concrete application potential. The novel elastic properties of these new crystals could be exploited to invent new technical switching elements, for example." In physics, fundamental interactions such as gravity between two masses and the Coulomb force between two charged bodies, are called central forces because they act along a line connecting the centers of the two bodies. Central forces cause bodies to move towards or away from each other. Transversal interactions have recently been discovered, however, which are an exotic phenomenon in which the mutually exerted force acts perpendicular to the axis of their centers. This spontaneously causes the two bodies to start rotating around each other. 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: Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels When a departing family CEO actively mentors a younger family leader, that leader is more likely to keep the business financially successful, especially if non-family advisors also weigh in. A study published in Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal analyzed data from 1,787 Italian family firms over 14 years, exploring how mentoring impacts firm performance after CEO succession. The research team, led by Fabio Quarato of the Department of Management and Technology at Bocconi University in Milan, found that firms showed improved financial performanceespecially in the short to medium termwhen they were headed by incoming CEOs who had been mentored. "Greater commitment to the business, and identification with it, are expected from mentors who are family members," Quarato's team explained. "CEOs who belong to the controlling family may be more motivated to transfer their tacit knowledge to incoming family CEOs . . . and the new CEO is more likely to act as a steward to guard family-centered goals while seeking to bolster the firm's family performance." Meanwhile, having a higher proportion of non-family directors on the firm's board of directors tended to strengthen the positive effect of family CEO mentoring. Because non-family leadership focuses less on patrimonial legacy and more on economic goals, the balance they bring to the table gives the company an additional leg up, the team found. "Non-family directors' fresher ideas, broader range of information, and cognitive openness arising from a different perspective to family directors might complement family CEO mentoring in useful ways," they said. Volatility within the industry, however, dampens mentoring impact. Rapid changes require fresh resources and innovation, and practices based on a longstanding legacy aren't as valuable when the commercial environment is unstable. What's the intersection of legacy and agility? An earlier Bocconi University study demonstrated that when, after a period of professional leadership, a family CEO returns to the helm, profits increase by 18%. A 2016 analysis of Pakistani business portfolios suggested that selling off a satellite business was preferable if it couldn't stay in the family. Other studies explored how success or failure may hinge on the "personality" of the transition . . . or on the emotions of individuals in the thick of it. Quarato and colleagues identified a few practical takeaways from their results. Outgoing family CEOs should actively share information, feedback, and longstanding networks with their successors to help ensure continuity of leadership and reinforce business values. Firms should balance their financial oversight with a mix of non-family directors. And, for more effective transitions and sustained financial results, leadership should prepare ahead of timeimplementing a formal succession plan in the governance process, with the input of directors outside the family. They cited a conceptual model by LeCounte and team designed to help family firms navigate the change. 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. Quarato's team backed their findings with robust empirical models that measured how business profits stacked up against a wide range of variablesincluding the influence of younger board members, women board members, CEO tenure, and the age of the firm. One dependent variable, however, was harder to pin down: Precisely what counted as "mentoring," and when and how it happened. "We have used an indirect proxy to measure family CEO mentoring because we rely on secondary data, which makes it exceedingly difficult to reliably identify mentoring," the authors wrote. The fact that a departing senior CEO and a younger incoming CEO have both occupied the same role doesn't guarantee that "mentoring" has taken place. "Indeed, family mentoring between two CEOs may happen without any tenure overlap in their formal positions, but through their socialization within the family setting," noted the researchers. They hope that their contributions to the literature on family CEO succession will prompt further analysissuch as how mentor demographics like race and gender might factor into the transitionand provide a novel framework for a family mentoring process that can facilitate the transfer of leadership roles from one generation to the next. More information: Fabio Quarato et al, Family CEO mentoring and postCEO succession performance, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (2025). DOI: 10.1002/sej.1539 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: Tom Fisk from Pexels In a time of tariffs and political trade disputes, new UBC Okanagan research shows that it's not what you know but who you knowand how well you treat them. The research demonstrates that strong and strategic international alliancesnot just diversificationare key to protecting supply chains from political trade disruptions. Dr. Amin Ahmadi Digehsara, Assistant Professor in UBCO's Faculty of Management, says creating strong global supply chain networks requires countries to make strategic decisions about facility locations, how to allocate capacity and how to manage operations across international markets. While globalization has improved efficiency and geographic reach, it has also made supply chains more vulnerable to large-scale disruptions. He explains that major global supply chain disruptions fall into two categories: natural interruptions, such as extreme weather events or pandemics, and human-caused disruptions caused by deliberate or unintended actions by state and non-state policymakers. The study, published in Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, shows that while spreading operations across countries can help during natural disasters or local shutdowns, it does little against systemic and intentional actions such as tariffs or quotas. In those cases, alliances like joint ventures or long-term agreements greatly reduce risk. "When countries like the United States and Canada cooperate through strong alliances, supply chains can be up to eight times more resilient," says Dr. Ahmadi Digehsara. "Without that cooperation, even moderate disruptions can cut profits by 20 to 30%." The research was partly inspired by trade barriers introduced by United States President Donald Trump's administration, which disrupted industries almost overnight. "The tariffs under President Trump showed the world how quickly trade policies can disrupt entire industries," he says. "Companies with alliances were able to keep business moving, while others faced sudden costs and uncertainty." For example, in 2018, when China raised tariffs on US-built SUVs, BMW's joint venture with Brilliance Automotive let it shift production locally and keep record saleswhile other vehicle manufacturers without similar alliances struggled. The study was a collaboration between UBCO researchers Dr. Ahmadi Digehsara and Dr. Amir Ardestani-Jaafari, as well as Dr. Sam Aflaki from HEC Paris Business School. They developed a two-stage model that simulates strategic alliances and includes long-term planning for things like facility location and capacity. "Using both real and simulated data, our modeling demonstrates that strategic alliance structures significantly improve worst-case scenarios, particularly in high-uncertainty environments," says Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari. "Even a single strategic alliance between two countries can boost profits by 50%." These findings highlight the value of incorporating strategic alliances into global supply chain network design. Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari advises that alliances don't need to happen only at the government level. Individual companies should prioritize partnershipsthrough co-production, shared logistics networks or long-term contractsto protect their operations in politically uncertain times. "Global supply chains are increasingly fragile," he says. "The companies that will thrive are the ones that build strong, flexible relationships to keep goods moving and markets stable. Every dollar invested in these alliances cuts disruption costs two to three times more than just holding extra inventory. These partnerships offer backup plans when trade policies shift, keeping goods flowing and supporting both customers and employees." More information: Amin Ahmadi Digehsara et al, Geopolitical disruptions in global supply chains: The role of strategic alliances, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.tre.2025.104448 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: Inside the Cove Cave, northern Greenland: A team of Innsbruck scientists studies deposits from a time when the Arctic was much warmer than today. Credit: Robbie Shone In a remote cave in northern Greenland, a research team led by geologists Gina Moseley, Gabriella Koltai, and Jonathan Baker from the University of Innsbruck has discovered evidence of a significantly warmer Arctic. The cave deposits show that the region was free of permafrost millions of years ago and responded sensitively to rising temperatures. The findings, published in Nature Geoscience, provide new insights into past climate conditions and their relevance for today's climate protection efforts. Understanding Earth's climate during earlier warm periods is key to predicting how it may change in the future. One particularly revealing time is the Late Miocene, which began about 11 million years ago. During this period, Earth's distribution of land and ocean was similar to today, and both temperatures and atmospheric CO levels were comparable to projections for the coming decades. Although the Arctic is known to be highly sensitive to climate change, its environmental conditions during the Late Miocene have remained poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, Moseley and her team traveled to one of the most remote regions on EarthGreenland's far northern coast. The cave known as Cove Cave can only be reached by small aircraft and hiking through uninhabited terrain. During the expedition, the researchers discovered calcite deposits that can form only when the ground is unfrozen and water is flowing. "These deposits are like tiny time capsules," says Moseley from the Quaternary Research Group at the Department of Geology. "They show that northern Greenland was once free of permafrost and much wetter than it is today." Credit: University of Innsbruck Insights into past warm periods The analyses revealed several warm and humid phases during the Late Miocene, between about 9.5 and 5.3 million years ago. During these intervals, average annual air temperatures in northern Greenland were about 14C higher than today, and atmospheric CO concentrations were at 310 parts per million (ppm) or higher. The cave record also shows that between the warm periods, the climate cooled and small glaciers formed. "From this we can see that the climate reacted strongly and rapidly to changing boundary conditions," explains Moseley. Until now, such detailed insights into the climate history of the High Arctic have only come from marine sediments. "Normally, climate records of this age come from the ocean," Moseley says. "Our study provides the first high-resolution terrestrial record from this region, and it matches the marine data remarkably well." The results demonstrate that the climate in the High Arctic could already shift rapidly under relatively moderate CO levels. For Moseley, this is an important clue for the present: "The Arctic has never been a stable system," she says. "It shows how dynamic this region is and how quickly environmental conditions can change." Researchers reached the cave entrance after several days of travel through uninhabited Arctic terrain. Credit: Robbie Shone Relevance for the future The study underscores that even small changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide can have major effects on the Arctic. "Our results highlight how sensitive the Arctic climate is and that every fraction of a degree matters," Moseley emphasizes. Today, CO levels are well above the minimum concentrations associated with permafrost absence during the Late Miocene, highlighting an increasing risk of widespread thaw. These permanently frozen soils store vast amounts of carbon, which can be released as carbon dioxide and methane when the ground thaws. "Every small step we take to limit warming helps to avoid these feedbacks and to reduce the impacts of climate change," Moseley says. More information: Late Miocene Arctic warmth and terrestrial climate recorded by North Greenland speleothems, Nature Geoscience (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01822-0. Journal information: Nature Geoscience This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Over the summer, the United States deployed warships to the Caribbeanostensibly to menace drug traffickers but also as a none-too-subtle warning to Venezuela. Earlier in the year, a U.S. Navy destroyer bobbed along waters close to Iran for similar reasons. And in the Taiwan Straits and Pacific, China and the U.S. frequently show off their respective maritime military might. Close to 200 years after first being used to assert geopolitical dominance, gunboat diplomacy is very much alive and well. In fact, the tactics employed by the U.S., China and others today fit naval strategist James Cable's classic formulation for gunboat diplomacy as "the use or threat of limited naval force, otherwise than as an act of war, in order to secure advantage or avert loss." The ships, boats and objectives have shifted since Cable first penned his now-classic definition in 1971, to be sure. But the core logic is the same: Conducted in tandem with political diplomacy, deploying state-of-the-art military vessels off or near a rival's coast makes one hell of a statement. Gunboat diplomacy sets sail Gunboat diplomacy originally took shape in the mid-19th century during an era of industrial navies, imperial rivalry and weak international law. Steam power and heavy guns delivered mobility and shock, while diplomacy often happened via a few warships off a harbor, a short blockade or a punitive raid. These were highly visible acts, clearly attributable and designed to stop just short of war. U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew Perry's fleet, known as "Black Ships" on account of their painted hulls, are seen as the archetype. Anchoring in Tokyo Bay throughout 185354, they helped secure the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, forcibly opening the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American ships. Similarly, during the Don Pacifico affair of 1850, British navy squadrons pressured Greece to compensate a British subject. A half-century later, Britain, Germany and Italy united to impose a naval blockade on Venezuela, seizing ships and customs houses to force the Venezuelan government to pay its foreign debts. In each case, a limited naval force was openly brandished at a chokepoint or capital to win a narrow concession and then withdraw. Troubled postwar waters After 1945, nuclear risk, alliance politics and evolving maritime law made traditional gunboat diplomacy less attractiveand riskier. As a result, the method adapted. Coercion shifted toward temporary, reversible shows of force and tools such as law enforcement actions at sea, patrols, boardings and embargo enforcement, rather than outright coercion or punishments. The U.S.'s 1962 "quarantine" of Cubadeliberately not called a "blockade"used naval power to halt missile shipments from the Soviet Union while managing escalation and legal exposure. At the other end of the spectrum, Iceland's Cod Wars from 1958 to 1976) pitted coast guard cutters and net-cutters against British trawlers. Controlled ramming and "lawfare" pushed fishing limits outward without triggering a shooting war between allies. The classic logic of gunboat diplomacy endured, but it was increasingly hedged by law, alliance relations and fear of nuclear escalation. 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. Maritime policy in the modern age Today global and regional great powers jostle with one another for power and influence across the intertwined domains of global economics, technology standards, information and law. That geopolitical environment has further called for the adaptation of gunboat diplomacy. It has resulted in states being pushed to compete with one another in the gray zone between peace and war. Analysts now describe a "maritime hybrid warfare" rather than out-and-out naval confrontation. This consists of persistent, below-threshold uses of legal, informational and paramilitary tools alongside limited force to make routine activity at seatransits, resupply, repairsriskier, slower and more expensive. The tool kit of maritime hybrid warfare blends nonmilitary coast guards with maritime militias, legal moves, cyber and electronic interference and pressure on undersea infrastructure. In the South China Sea, China's coast guard and maritime militia have blocked, rammed and used high-pressure water cannons to disrupt Philippine resupply at disputed islands. Beijing presents such actions as law enforcement, but the effect is coercive restraint of movement at sea. In the BalticNorth Atlantic, the 2023 damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline and nearby telecom cableslinked by investigators to an anchor drag from the Hong Kong-registered New Polar Bearand persistent GPS jamming allegedly emanating from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad show how seabed infrastructure and electronic warfare can raise risk and uncertainty without a shot being fired. And then there is the U.S. Since early September 2025, counternarcotics and maritime security operations in the southern Caribbean have involved a conspicuous U.S. Navy and Coast Guard presence, high-seas interdictions and publicly released videos of precision strikes on small boats near Venezuela. The Trump administration has framed these actions as part of a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels. But functionally, this is gunboat diplomacy. Indeed, gunboat diplomacy remains what it has always been: the application of limited, credible maritime power to shape the behavior of other states. Only now, nations have found a way to update an old strategy to make it relevantand usefulto navigating a 21st-century waterscape. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. 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: Pseudomasaris vespoides, a pollen wasp is showing up much earlier than it used to in the historical study. Credit: Julian Resasco/CU Boulder Warming temperatures and earlier snowmelt are disrupting the long-running relationship between wildflowers and their pollinators on Colorado's Pikes Peak. In a study published in the American Naturalist, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found many of the region's plants and pollinators are now emerging earlier in the spring than they did a century ago. But some species are falling out of sync, potentially adding challenges for pollinators already under threat. "Pollinators are so important to our ecosystem, supporting everything from wildflowers to the food we eat," said Julian Resasco, the paper's senior author and associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "Having data from 100 years ago gave us a unique opportunity to take a glimpse of these long-term trends under a changing climate." Starting in 1910, ecologist Frederic Clements and his student Frances Long began documenting the interactions between local plants and their pollinators at the now-closed Carnegie Institution's Alpine Laboratory on the slope of the 14,115-foot Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs. Over the past century, Colorado has warmed by an average of 2.9F, with the average winter temperature rising even faster, by 3.3F. Climate change has also decreased the amount of snow accumulating on top of the mountains, or snowpack, in the western United States, reducing the amount of water available for mountain species in spring and summer. Warming temperature and snowmelt are vital environmental cues for plants and insects to emerge from their winter inactive state. As the climate warms and snow melts earlier, plants may begin flowering sooner and pollinators may start flying earlier. But not all species respond to it in the same way or at the same pace, said Leana Zoller, the paper's first author and a former postdoctoral associate at CU Boulder. Resasco, Zoller and their team returned to Clements and Long's study area to see if the interactions between plants and pollinators have shifted over the past century. Because Pikes Peak is a protected wilderness area, its environment has remained largely undisturbed. This allowed the team to study the impact of climate change without other influences such as land use change. Between 2019 and 2022, the research team analyzed 25 wild pollinator species, including bumblebees, wasps and flies, as well as 11 flowering plants the insects interact with, forming 149 pairs of interactions. Of the species that could be compared between the historical and contemporary datasets, they found that wildflowers were blooming about 17 days sooner than a century ago, and pollinators started to fly 11 days earlier. Out of the 149 pairs of plant-pollinator comparable interactions, nearly 80% have more overlap in their active periods than before. While this trend appears beneficial for pollinators now, the advantage may be short-lived. 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. Historically, pollinators were active earlier than plants started flowering. "In our study system, plants have advanced more rapidly than pollinators. If the trends continue, we may see plants flower before pollinators become active in the future," said Zoller, who is currently a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. "Mismatches may occur among these currently overlapping pairs as plants and pollinators continue to respond differently to changing conditions," she added. Some species are already slipping out of sync. The western bumblebee, for example, is emerging 12 days later than a century ago, which could leave it struggling to find enough food. Once common and widespread in the western United States and Canada, this species has sharply declined by at least 57% since 1998 due to a mix of disease, habitat loss and pesticides. "This mismatch in the schedules of western bumblebees and the plants they historically fed on could add another stressor on top of everything else this species is facing," Resasco said. Pollinators, including domestic honeybees and wild species, contribute to the reproduction of 75% of the world's flowering plants and about 35% of the world's food crops. Their decline could have far-reaching effects on both natural landscapes and agriculture. "Wild pollinators help maintain the biodiversity of plants in our ecosystems. We have a responsibility to make sure they don't disappear," Resasco said. More information: Leana Zoller et al, Phenological Shifts in Plants and Pollinators over a Century Disrupt Interaction Persistence, The American Naturalist (2025). DOI: 10.1086/738351 Journal information: American Naturalist 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: As autumn rains begin in Finland waterproof overalls are pulled out from closets. Since the 1950s they have kept children dry, but researchers at the University of Oulu, reveal that mud pants represent much more than just protection from dirt and wetness. Credit: University of Oulu / Mikko Tormanen What exactly are mud pants? Rows of mud pants are a familiar sight in Finnish preschool cloakrooms. Since the 1950s, they have kept children dry, but children rarely like wearing them, and educators find them cumbersome. University of Oulu researchers Virve Keranen and Susanna Kinnunen wanted to explore what role mud pants play in everyday preschool life, and what they reveal about early childhood education, childhood itself, and societal expectations. They have investigated how mud pants have shaped Finnish childhood and what the daily dressing routines in preschools tell us about our values. The findings are published in the journal Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. According to the researchers, children in mud pants symbolize a happy, clean, and healthy outdoor life. At the same time, the pants restrict children's movement and cause discomfort, which complicates the idealized image of a happy childhood. "Mud pants enable the ideal of a healthy outdoor life, but it is contradictory if they must be forced on children. They are not only difficult for children, but also for preschool staff and parents who struggle with them. Around a child in mud pants, there is the whole surrounding community," says Virve Keranen. The researchers highlight a paradox: How can a garment meant to support children's well-being be so uncomfortable for many? "Mud pants sparked our interest in examining how objects and rules dictated from positions of authority shape childhood: what kind of childhood these rules produce, on what grounds they are created, and whether children themselves have a chance to participate in shaping them." Mud pants play a bigger role than we might think The research shows that preschools are full of material actors, like mud pants, that shape practices, rules, and routines. Children themselves often have little agency in relation to these. According to the researchers, mud pants are not merely practical rainwearthey also influence relationships between children and adults, daily schedules, and even the very image of what a "good childhood" looks like. "Our aim is not to criticize mud pants, but to examine and shake up the practices and rules surrounding them," says Susanna Kinnunen. The researchers remind us that early childhood education is not only about curricula and pedagogical philosophies. Material thingszippers, hair ties, bows, mud pants, and puddlesalso shape what childhood and preschool life become. They do not provide a direct answer on whether mud pants should be abandoned. Instead, they encourage critical reflection on early education practices. "Mud pants can reveal a great deal about the expectations society places on children, and about the significant role even small objects play in everyday life." The research supports earlier childhood studies that highlight the importance of material relations in education, while adding a new perspective to the debate on children's agency. Through materiality, children also carry with them the socioeconomic status of their parents. The findings can be applied in preschools by reflecting on whose rules and norms are being followed, and whether children themselves can participate in shaping them. The results encourage considering material relations in preschool life from many angles, beyond conventional views and in dialogue with children. The study is a neomaterialist discourse research analysis, drawing on the researchers' memories and experiences as well as news articles, guidelines, and public discussions. More information: Virve Keranen et al, "Do I have to wear mud pants?": Mud pants as material agent in Finnish preschool, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education (2025). DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2025.2452398 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 In July 2025, Uganda's courts swiftly dismissed a petition challenging the legality of polygamy, citing the protection of religious and cultural freedom. For most social scientists and policymakers who have long declared polygamy a "harmful cultural practice," the decision was a frustrating but predictable setback in efforts to build healthier and more equal societies. In the vast majority of cases, polygamy takes the form of one husband and multiple wivesmore precisely referred to as polygyny, originating from the Greek words "poly" ("many") and "gyne" ("woman or wife"). The opposite arrangement of one wife and multiple husbands is referred to as polyandry (from "aner" meaning "man" or "husband") and is exceedingly rare worldwide. Critics of polygyny present two main arguments. First, they contend it squeezes low-status men out of the marriage market, fostering social unrest, crime and violence against women by frustrated unwed men. Second, it harms women and children by dividing limited resources among more dependents. This logic has led leading political scientist Rose McDermott to describe polygyny as evil. Other researchers, such as anthropologist Joseph Henrich, even go as far as to credit Christianity's derision of polygyny as a driving force of Western prosperity. However, a trio of new studies, all relying on the highest standards of data analysis, contend that these arguments are misguided. I have spent my career working at the intersection of anthropology and global health, researching how and why family structure variesand what this diversity means for human well-being. Much of this work has been carried out with colleagues in Tanzania where, like Uganda, polygyny is relatively common. This new wave of work underscores the value of our research, effectively demonstrating that good intentions and intuition are no substitute for cultural sensitivity and evidence. Does polygyny lock men out of marriage? A new study published in October 2025 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences presents the first comprehensive, large-scale analysis of polygyny and men's marriage prospects. The project is a collaboration between demographer Hampton Gaddy and evolutionary anthropologists Rebecca Sear and Laura Fortunato. The researchers drew on demographic modeling and an extraordinary trove of census dataover 84 million records from 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Oceania, plus the entire U.S. census from 1880, when polygyny was practiced in some American communities. They demonstrate that polygyny does not lock large numbers of men out of marriage. In fact, in many contexts, men are actually more likely to marry where polygyny is common than where it is rare. The narrative that polygyny leads to lonely bachelors is intuitive. In a community with equal numbers of men and women, if one man marries two wives, then another man must remain unmarried. Expand that across a whole society, and polygyny looks like a recipe for an army of resentful, single men. 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. Parallel arguments have been made about the rise of incela portmanteau of "involuntary" and "celibate"subcultures within monogamous nations, including the U.S. Here, the argument is that high-status men leave low-status men sexless and frustrated, ultimately leading to violence. The trouble is that real demography is not so simple. Women typically live longer than men, men frequently marry younger women, and populations in many parts of the world are growing, ensuring younger spouses are available for older cohorts. These factors, which are characteristic of many contemporary African nations, tilt the marriage market toward a surplus of women. Under many realistic conditions, a sizable proportion of men can have multiple wives without leaving their peers out in the cold. In fact, in nearly half of the countries examined, higher rates of polygyny were associated with fewer, not more, unmarried men. Only a handful of countries showed the expected positive relationship, and even then inconsistently over time. The case of historical Mormon communities in North America is equally revealing. When the researchers compared counties with documented Mormon polygyny to others in the 1880 census, they found lower rates of unmarried men in polygynous areas. Gaddy and his colleagues contend that this is explained by the tendency for cultural norms that favor polygyny to also be relatively pronatalist, driving marriage rates upward for all. Do women and children get a smaller share? What about the argument that polygyny harms women and children by dividing male-owned wealth among more mouths to feed? There certainly are studies that have demonstrated associations between polygyny and poor health. But another line of thinking argues that correlation should not be equated with causation. Ten years ago, my colleagues and I documented that polygyny is associated with higher food insecurity and poor child health when comparing outcomes across over 50 Tanzanian villages. However, this pattern was an artifact of polygyny being most common in marginalized Maasai communities, which tend to live in drought-prone areas with inadequate health care. Moreover, when comparing families within communities, polygynous households were typically wealthier, a key factor in making polygyny attractive to women, and children were not disadvantaged. Echoing these results, anthropologist Riana Minocher and her colleagues recently published a study that uses a detailed, longitudinal dataset from a 20-year prospective study in another region of Tanzania. Analyzing survival, growth and education for thousands of children, they found no evidence that monogamous marriage is advantageous. Together, these results support a theory known as the polygyny threshold model. Simply put, provided women have choice in marriage, sharing a husband is unlikely to be economically detrimental, since they will prioritize marrying men with sufficient wealth to offset any cost. This scenario may not fit all contexts, but these studies clearly undercut claims that polygyny is unequivocally harmful. Hidden advantages of polygyny Another recent study, published in August 2025 by economist Sylvain Dessy and his colleagues, goes further, suggesting that polygyny has unrecognized advantages when times are tough. Drawing on crop yield data from over 4,000 farm households across Mali, census data on marriage patterns and detailed meteorological records, they found that in villages where polygyny is rare, droughts cut harvests dramatically. But in villages where polygyny is common, that blow is softened. The researchers argue that polygynous marriage, by increasing the number of in-laws, creates stronger networks of social support. Furthermore, with wives often coming from different villages and regions, extended kin are well positioned to send food, money or labor when local crops fail. Such support helps to explain both the resilience of polygynous communities during drought and the continued endurance of the marriage practice from one generation to the next. So, is polygyny harmless? These studies don't mean that polygyny is harmless. Indeed, allowing men but not women to have multiple spouses is clearly unequal and entwined with patriarchal ideology that positions women as subordinate or inferior to men. Recent studies, for example, have suggested that polygynous marriages are more prone to intimate partner violence. In short, there remain multiple ways polygyny can be harmful. Nevertheless, the best evidence suggests that polygyny is unlikely to be a root cause of social unrest. Moreover, within wider patriarchal systems that afford few women, regardless of marital status, economic and social security, polygyny may not just be a tolerable choice but in some contexts a preferred arrangement with tangible benefits for both genders. Simplistic stories about the dangers of polygyny can be compelling and intuitive, but they risk misleading the public, reinforcing stubborn notions of Western cultural superiority and disrupting effective global health policy by sidelining more pertinent initiatives. Building healthier societies necessitates paying attention to the evidence and remaining open to the possibility that all family structures have capacity to cause harm. More information: Hampton Gaddy et al, High rates of polygyny do not lock large proportions of men out of the marriage market, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2508091122 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The federal government has just released an expert review to try and prevent bullying in schools. One of the greatest areas of concern is cyberbullying, which is alarmingly common among young people. As federal Education Minister Jason Clare said over the weekend, "[] now it's just not happening in the playground, it's not push and shove in the ground or stealing lunch money, it's so much more insidious than that, and it happens day and night, and everybody can see it." The eSafety Commission says cyberbullying has increased by more than 450% in the past five years. Of these incidents, 46% related to children 13 and younger. A 2025 eSafety survey also showed 53% of Australian children aged 1017 had experienced cyberbullying. Cyberbullying and cybertrolling often occur anonymously, allowing perpetrators to hide behind fake profiles and act with impunity. The impacts can be devastating for victims' mental health and social lives. One common way to try and stop this is simply to limit young people's time online. But our peer-reviewed research suggests we need to factor in the role young people's personalities play in cyberbullying and cybertrolling. What is the difference between cyberbullying and cybertrolling? Cyberbullying refers to ongoing, targeted acts of harm via digital platforms. It is often intended to intimidate or emotionally damage an individual. Cybertrolling involves provocative or disruptive online behavior aimed at provoking conflict. It can leave victims feeling powerless or humiliated. The key difference is cyberbullying is typically ongoing and involves a power imbalance. Cybertrolling is more likely to be opportunistic, impersonal, and driven by provocation. What role does personality play? One way parents and schools try to reduce exposure to or involvement in harmful online behaviors by limiting screen time. This suggests young people cyberbully or troll mainly because they have the opportunity to do so. Other reasons could be that people bully or troll because they are unhappy with their lives. While these may be partly true, what if there are other factors at play? In our research, we were interested to further understand the role of personality in cyberbullying and cybertrolling. We were particularly interested to understand the role of what's known as the "dark tetrad." This is a well-established psychological framework for understanding antisocial behavior. It involves four interrelated personality traits: Machiavellianism (manipulative) narcissism (entitled and self-centered) psychopathy (impulsive and lacking empathy) sadism (enjoyment from causing others pain). 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. Our research In 2021, we surveyed 189 Australians aged 1619 who were active social media users. Participants were recruited online through social media posts and university research platforms, such as Facebook. Using an online survey, participants completed questionnaires to examine whether they had dark tetrad traits and whether they had experienced cyberbullying and cybertrolling (either as perpetrators or targets). We also asked about their life satisfaction and how much time they typically spend online. We wanted to examine whether personality traits could explain antisocial online behavior beyond external factors such as screen time or wellbeing and life satisfaction. In turn, we wanted to identify if someone was likely to bully or troll online. Our findings Using statistical analysis, we found narcissism, sadism and psychopathy traits were consistently linked with both cyberbullying and cybertrolling in our study group. In other words, teens with higher levels of aggressive and thrill-seeking traits and/or pleasure-seeking from the suffering of others were more likely to bully or troll others online. There was no relationship with Machiavellianism or having a manipulative personality. This suggests while manipulation may occur in offline contexts, it may not directly motivate online aggression. These effects remained significant even when we accounted for how much time participants spent online and their life satisfaction. This means those high in these dark traits were also still likely to cyberbully or troll even if they were happy with their lives overall. Meanwhile, spending more time on the internet did not make people more likely to bully or troll. What does this mean? Our findings challenge common assumptions that online harm is driven mainly by time spent online or unhappiness. While digital literacy, adult supervision and wellbeing promotion are still important, these may not be enough to prevent online harm. We also need to recognize the role personality plays. What can we do? Our findings also suggest we may be able to take more pre-emptive action against cyberbullying. If schools can identify young people showing persistent callous or manipulative traits, early social-emotional support could reduce risk before harmful patterns take hold. Just as we teach physical safety online, we should also teach psychological safety, helping young people understand empathy, recognize the impact of their actions, and build healthier relationships. Young people at risk could be identified through school wellbeing or pastoral-care programs that monitor persistent traits like callousness. Schools could also make use of teacher or counselor observations supported by validated personality checklists. At the same time, we do not want to unhelpfully label some teens as "bad." Instead, we emphasize the need for early intervention that addresses social and emotional development. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. 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: This is a graphical representation of the dynamics of the helical polymer. Credit: University of Groningen / Nature Chemistry Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have developed a polymer that adopts a coiled spring configuration at low temperatures and unfolds again upon heating. Furthermore, the molecule can break down into smaller molecules under certain conditions. The Shanghai Tower, with its spiral shape, served as the inspiration for the project following a visit five years ago. A description of the resulting helical polymer was recently published in Nature Chemistry. Spiraling structures are common in biological molecules. A well-known example is the double helix of DNA; another is the alpha-helix domains in proteins. Various artificial helices have been created, some of which can change their shape. Other synthetic polymers can be recycled into their monomers, but so far, no polymers have been developed that can both change shape and be recycled into their chemical building blocks. Broken down in living tissues Qi Zhang, postdoc at the University of Groningen, and colleagues have designed and synthesized such a molecule, based on amino acids and disulfides. At low temperatures, the molecule looks like a coiled spring, which unfolds upon heating. "These helical polymers could be suitable for biomaterials," explains Zhang. "For example, they might interact with cell membranes or proteins." In certain circumstances, the molecule can deconstruct itself, mirroring the way proteins are fragmented into amino acids. In contrast to synthetic plastics, the building blocks of these molecules can be broken down in living tissues. However, such applications are still far off, as the current generation only works in organic solvents. "There is still a lot to be explored," says Zhang. The team was led by University of Groningen organic chemist Ben Feringa, one of the recipients of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Zhang recounts that the initial design for the molecule was sketched by Prof. Feringa on a napkin in the Shanghai Tower, which had just inspired the two of them to discuss helices. From that moment on, it took about five years and the collaboration of six institutes in three countries to turn the sketch into reality. "We all enjoyed exchanging knowledge and experience in this project." More information: Qi Zhang et al, Dual dynamic helical poly(disulfide)s with conformational adaptivity and configurational recyclability, Nature Chemistry (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41557-025-01947-0 Journal information: Nature Chemistry Mark Wahlberg has splashed out $37 million on a new Florida mansion. Mark Wahlberg has splashed out $37 million on a new Florida mansion The Daddy's Home actor is said to have forked out the huge sum for a plush pad in the gated community of Stone Creek Ranch, in Delray Beach, Florida, which is known as "Billionaires Row". According to Realtor.com, Wahlberg purchased the seven-bedroom home fully furnished from spec developer Aldo Stark. Stark, who had named the Italian-style house Palazzo di Lago, had previously forked out $26 million for the mansion, which he completely revamped before re-listing it in March for $45 million. While Wahlberg won't have a problem finding somewhere to sleep in the property thanks to its seven bedrooms, he is also unlikely to be caught short there. That's because his new pad boasts an incredible 10 full bathrooms. If he so wishes, the Hollywood actor can also sit back, relax and unwind watching some of his movies - including Ted, Shooter, and The Family Plan - in his new home theatre. Wahlberg's mansion also boasts a cigar lounge and wine cellar, as well as a gym, sauna and resort-style pool. The actor is no stranger to a motor-focused movie, having featured in the 2003 remake of The Italian Job, and one attraction of his new Florida property is its seven-car garage. Mark's new home was listed by Senada Adzem of Douglas Elliman, and the listing claims Stone Creek Ranch offers "privacy, security, and exclusivity". What's more, the listing states his new home, Palazzo di Lago, is inspired by the "tranquil glamour" of Italy's Lake Como. It reads: "This Italian contemporary estate is one of the most distinguished and impeccably executed residential compounds in the United States. "Inspired by the tranquil glamour of Lake Como and infused with the seductive allure of Bonds Casino Royale, this Italian contemporary masterpiece is an ode to elegance, privacy, and security." 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: An 1838 print showing people in and outside a terraced house in Manchester, above and below street level. Credit: Manchester Libraries Work, shopping, church and the pub kept different classes apart far more than 'residential segregation' in 1850s Manchester, undermining key assumptions about the Industrial Revolution. Historians have long assumed that Manchester's middle classes sheltered from the poor in town houses and suburban villas. But by mapping digitized census data, new research shows that many middle-class Mancunians, including doctors and engineers, lived in the same buildings and streets as working-class residents, including weavers and spinners. Friedrich Engels, the co-founder of Marxism, visited Manchester in 1842 and began recording examples of rampant inequality in the rapidly industrializing city. He described a commercial core encircled by "unmixed working-people's" quarters, then the "middle bourgeoisie" and further beyond, the upper classes. Many historians have relied on Engels' account but the conflation of class division and spatial segregation has come under increasing scrutiny. Now Cambridge University historian Emily Chung has used data from the digitized 1851 census to precisely map where people from different social classes were actually living in the city. Her findings, published in The Historical Journal, are startling and undermine the idea that different classes clustered in separate parts of the city. "Manchester's wealthier classes did not confine themselves to town houses in the city center and suburban villas, as we've been led to believe," Emily Chung says. "I found doctors, engineers, architects, surveyors, teachers, managers and shop owners living in the same buildings as poor weavers and spinners." "Segregation in cities remains a major concern in many parts of the world, including Britain, so understanding what people experienced in Manchester, one of the world's first industrialized cities, is really important," Chung says. "It teaches us that where we live matters but other factors can be even more influential. How people work, shop and relax divides social groups and can even make them invisible." Chung, a Ph.D. researcher at St John's College, Cambridge, used ordnance survey maps, commercial directories and the 1851 census to link individuals to their specific residential address. She spent eight months painstakingly pinpointing buildings using known landmarks, including pubs, to guide her. At her most efficient, Chung could map 700 buildings per day. AI isn't yet capable of doing this work accurately. Chung then used this huge dataset to analyze spatial patterns. Spinning, no. 6 from JR Barfoot's The Progress of Cotton (1840). In this period, Manchester was the center of the cotton industry and referred to as 'Cottonopolis'. Before the introduction of labor reforms, many of Manchester's semi- and unskilled workers put in twelve-hour days, six days a week, trapping them inside while wealthier people were free to move around the city, working, shopping and socializing. Credit: Manchester Libraries She used official occupational descriptors and wage data to categorize individuals into one of six classes: Professional occupations, such as doctors, engineers and clergymen Managerial and technical occupations, and dealers, including shop owners Skilled occupations, including clerks and those employed in the transport and building industries Partly-skilled, including police and laborers in semi-specialist industries Unskilled general laborers Unskilled laborers in the textile, mining and agricultural sectors Chung found that the commercial district to Manchester's southwest was significantly more socially diverse than the residential zones of the city to the north and east. But even in Ancoats, the main working-class slum which so appalled Engels, around 10% of the population belonged to the wealthier employed classes. Across the city, the working-class represented 79.3% of the population on average. Looking at Manchester's surrounding townships, Chung found that Cheetham had a higher proportion of upper-middle-class residents while Salford, traditionally viewed as a 'working-class' suburb, closely mirrored Manchester's mixed population, as did Hulme and Chorlton-Cum-Medlock. A depiction of St Peter's Church and the Theater Royal on Peter Street, Manchester, around 1855. At this time, Manchester's streets were rarely occupied by rich and poor at the same time. The cultural and recreational habits of the city's different classes reinforced their segregation. Manchester's middle classes were increasingly drawn to church while the city's 600 pubs had a far greater pull on the working classes. Credit: Manchester Libraries 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. Sharing buildings Chung's findings became even more interesting when she zoomed in on individual buildings. She found that over 60% of the buildings which housed the wealthiest occupational classes also housed unskilled laborers. "This was a big surprise," Chung says. "I started with the city center and I thought the pattern might end there, but as I moved onto the next part of Manchester, I kept finding this mixing. The most exciting moment was discovering that one in ten people living in Ancoats, the notorious working-class slum, were middle-class." "Middle-class Mancunians might have seen their homes as stepping stones to something better," Chung says. "But architects and shop owners also valued the convenience of living close to where they worked. Commuter trains weren't popular yet." Chung argues that while different classes lived cheek-by-jowl, the construction, design, and maintenance of housing in 1850s Manchester limited interaction between them. In the first half of the 19th century, Manchester couldn't build houses fast enough to keep up with its booming population. "Manchester grew almost organically with very little regulation and developers were determined to make maximum profit from as little land as possible," Chung says. To do this, they converted existing buildings into subdivided tenements. More respectable ground- and first-floor units could be rented to one or two middle-class households, while multiple poor families were crammed into filthy underground cellars. "Manchester's housing experiment stacked multiple households one on top of another. Different classes were living so close together but walls, ceilings and different routines minimized interaction between them," Chung says. Union Street Mill, Ancoats, Manchester. Engraving by John McGahey after Samuel Austin, 1835. Emily Chung found that even in Ancoats, the main working-class slum in Manchester, around 10% of the population belonged to the wealthier employed classes. Credit: Manchester Libraries Segregating routines Occupational status played a major role in segregating people through their daily routines, Chung argues. Before the introduction of labor reforms, many of Manchester's semi- and unskilled workers put in twelve-hour days, six days a week, trapping them inside while wealthier people were free to move around the city, working, shopping and socializing. The middle and upper classes had flexible access to shops and markets but factory workers often had to wait for their wages on Saturday evenings before they could buy food. Chung says, "While Victorian London and Liverpool bustled with daytime activity, Manchester's public spaces were almost deserted. Its streets were rarely occupied by weavers and doctors at the same time." Leisure and culture The cultural and recreational habits of Manchester's different classes reinforced their segregation, Chung argues, highlighting the opposing institutions of church and pub. In this period, Manchester's middle classes were increasingly drawn to church, while the city's 600 pubs had a far greater pull on the working classes. Churches no longer distributed poor relief as they had under the Old Poor Laws and public services made many poor people feel ashamed. Even when the poor did attend, many churches and chapels deliberately kept different classes apart. Morning services rented out pews on an annual basis, and catered towards the middle and upper classes, while afternoon or evening services were more likely to be frequented by the working class who could not afford regular rents. Pubs offered more welcoming and affordable respite for working-class Mancunians but, Chung points out, as soon as they went outside, the city's police were ready to re-enforce class segregation. Historian Emily Chung stood in front of a Victorian building. Emily Chung is a Ph.D. researcher at St John's College, Cambridge and a member of the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure (CAMPOP), which has been busting myths about family, sex, marriage and work in English history for over 60 years. Credit: Guillaume Proffit "Even small groups of working-class men were made to disperse by officers on rotation," Chung says. "They were determined to keep the city's middle-and upper-class-dominated public realm clear, clean and calm, so they forced the working poor out of sight into more neglected parts of the city." "What the Victorians 'thought' was happening in Manchester still matters, but comparing these perceptions against concrete geographic patterns means we can reconstruct life in the city more accurately. Then we can understand how those perceptions arose." One thing that remains a mystery is how multiple families from different classes shared outdoor toilets or privvies. "Annoyingly, this isn't something that people wrote about at the time," Chung says. "I suspect that the middle classes still used chamber pots so they weren't so reliant on shared privies." Emily Chung is a member of the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure (CAMPOP), which has been busting myths about family, sex, marriage and work in English history for over 60 years. More information: Emily Chung, Proximity and Segregation in Industrial Manchester, The Historical Journal (2025). DOI: 10.1017/S0018246X25101246 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: Field photographs and geometric reference diagrams illustrating the mismatch between the half-ellipsoid crown geometry assumed by the Kauffman and Cummings (2024) predictive model and the actual structure of willow (Salix spp.) plants in northern Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Global Ecology and Conservation (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03899 A new analysis challenges one of the most publicized claims about Yellowstone's wolves. In a detailed comment published in Global Ecology and Conservation, researchers from Utah State University and Colorado State University demonstrate that the 2025 study by Ripple et al. overstated the ecological effects of wolf recovery in Yellowstone National Park. "Ripple et al. argued that carnivore recovery produced one of the world's strongest trophic cascades," said Dr. Daniel MacNulty, lead author and wildlife ecologist at Utah State University. "But our re-analysis shows their conclusion is invalid because it relies on circular reasoning and violations of basic modeling assumptions." Ripple et al. based their conclusion on a 1,500% increase in willow crown volume, calculated from plant height data using a regression model that defines and predicts volume from the same variable. "Because height was used both to compute and to predict volume," MacNulty explained, "the relationship is circularmathematically guaranteed to look strong even if no biological change occurred." The authors identified several additional issues: The height-to-volume model was applied to heavily browsed willows with distorted shapes, violating model assumptions and exaggerating apparent growth. Willow plots compared between 2001 and 2020 were largely unmatched, conflating ecological change with sampling bias. Global comparisons of trophic cascade strength ignored equilibrium assumptions that do not apply to Yellowstone's still-recovering, non-equilibrium system. Selective photographic evidence and omission of key factors such as human hunting further distorted causal interpretation. "Once these problems are accounted for, there is no evidence that predator recovery caused a large or system-wide increase in willow growth," said Dr. David Cooper, co-author and emeritus senior research scientist at Colorado State University. "The data instead support a more modest and spatially variable response influenced by hydrology, browsing, and local site conditions." The authors emphasize that their critique does not diminish the ecological significance of large carnivores but underscores the need for rigorous methods when evaluating complex food-web interactions. "Our goal is to clarify the evidence, not downplay the role of predators," MacNulty said. "Predator effects in Yellowstone are real but context-dependentand strong claims require strong evidence." The study reconciles conflicting interpretations of the same dataset. Ripple et al. (2025) concluded that carnivore recovery produced a strong trophic cascade, whereas Hobbs et al. (2024), who collected the data through two decades of field experimentation, found only weak cascade effects. More information: Daniel R. MacNulty et al, Flawed analysis invalidates claim of a strong Yellowstone trophic cascade after wolf reintroduction: A comment on Ripple et al. (2025), Global Ecology and Conservation (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03899 Journal information: Global Ecology and Conservation 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: Eranga Galappaththi, Jennifer Russell, and Sithuni Mimasha. Credit: Chris Moody for Virginia Tech Undergraduate and graduate students took a lead role in a Virginia Tech study that analyzed global research on marine debris, uncovering surprising sources of ocean trash and pointing out solutions for a growing environmental crisis. From plastic bottles to fishing nets to ink cartridges, trash is piling up in the world's oceans and coastlines. Marine debris costs billions of dollars each year, harms more than 800 species, and affects human health. The new study, published in Global Environmental Change, takes a closer look at the issue and highlights what is needed to address it. Jennifer Russell, associate professor in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, and Eranga Galappaththi, assistant professor in the Department of Geography, combined their expertise for the project. Galappaththi brought years of experience working with coastal systems and local communities, while Russell brought her background in circular economy and sustainability. With a small grant from the Virginia Tech Coastal Collaborator, which evolved from the Center for Coastal Studies, dedicated to student assistantships, the two researchers trained undergraduate and graduate students to collect data, review global research, and draft the manuscript. Marine debris is defined as: General waste: Mixed items, often including macroplastics Microplastics: Tiny plastic fragments and particles Fishing-related debris: Discarded or lost nets, lines, traps, and other gear Ink cartridges: From cargo spills Petroleum waxes: Linked to shipping operations While the first two authors on the paper were Galappaththi and Russell, undergraduates and graduate students contributed to data analysis and writing. Their weekly "teatime" meetings gave the team research experience and helped chart the course of the study. "This kind of collaboration gave students the chance to do more than assist," Galappaththi said. "They were leading the work and interpreting the results." The study found that while the public often pictures a single plastic bottle floating in the ocean, the reality is broader and more surprising. Impacts are felt around the world, such as fishers in the Arctic reporting their boat motors being clogged with plastic marine debris. According to the study, debris has been documented everywhere, from beaches and mangroves to deep seabeds and even remote places such as Antarctica. The study identified several key findings: Natural forces shape where debris ends up. Winds, ocean currents, and coastal geography often determine where trash gathers more than direct human activity. Most research measures the amount of debris. Much of the existing work is focused on how much trash is present, with everyday waste items being the most common category studied. The problem is spreading. Debris is not only increasing in volume but also showing up in new regions around the world. Better tools are needed. There are major gaps in monitoring systems. Technologies such as satellites, specialized databases, and computer models could help track debris more effectively. Sources of waste and trash are wide-ranging. Waste management system challenges, shipping, fisheries, aquaculture, urban runoff, consumer culture, and tourism all contribute to the problem. 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. "This project was valuable to my undergraduate studies because it exposed me to the rigors of the academic process," said Mitch Dolby '22, who earned a degree in geography. "It gave me a better understanding of what it takes to conduct quality research, and I now feel more confident to work on impactful projects in the future." Along with building collaboration skills, the project pushed graduate students to think critically about the global scale of the problem. "Marine debris is a pressing global concern, touching every coastline and ecosystem," said Sithuni Mimasha, a graduate student in the Department of Geography. "Our study provides evidence of its impact on a worldwide scale, reminding us that we have a responsibility to be environmental stewards. The findings call for a future where humans, animals, plants, and entire ecosystems can thrive together." The study emphasized that individuals have a role to play. Following the "R" principles can make a difference: Refuse and reduce plastic use whenever possible, reuse items such as printer cartridges, redirect wastes into the proper containment system, and recycle responsibly. Many debris problems come from poor management, such as uncovered trucks, open landfills, or litter that gets blown into waterways, the study found. "This kind of research shows that everyday products can end up in unexpected places, like the ocean," Russell said. "By understanding where debris comes from and how it moves, we can make smarter choices and better policies." More information: Eranga K. Galappaththi et al, Status of global accumulation of marine debris, Global Environmental Change (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103058 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: 4MOST first-light field-of-view. Credit: AIP/Background: Harshwardhan Pathak/Telescope Live A powerful new telescope has captured its first glimpse of the cosmos, and could transform our understanding of how stars, galaxies and black holes evolve. The 4MOST (4-meter Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope), mounted on the European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope in Chile, achieved its 'first light' on 18 October 2025: a milestone marking the start of its scientific mission. Unlike a typical telescope that takes pictures of the sky, 4MOST records spectrathe detailed colors of light from celestial objectsrevealing their temperature, motion and chemical makeup. Using 2,436 optical fibers, each thinner than a human hair, the telescope can study thousands of stars and galaxies at once, splitting their light into 18,000 distinct color components. "This is an outstanding feat made possible by an amazing development team," said Dr. Roelof de Jong, Principal Investigator of 4MOST at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), which leads the international project. "The first data already look fantastic. To catch light that's traveled for billions of years in a fiber the size of a hair is mind-boggling." When fully operational, 4MOST will scan the entire southern sky every few minutes, building a catalog of tens of millions of objects. The data it gathers will help answer fundamental questions about how the Milky Way formed, how galaxies grow, and the mysterious forces of dark matter and dark energy shaping the universe. The telescope's first images targeted two specific regions: the Sculptor galaxy, a star-forming spiral 11.5 million light years away, and Globular Cluster NGC 288, a dense sphere of 100,000 ancient stars on the Milky Way's edge. The observations demonstrated 4MOST's ability to capture a wide range of celestial objects in a single shot. "With first light, we're opening a new chapter in sky surveys," said Professor Matthias Steinmetz, Scientific Director at AIP. "4MOST will help to answer fundamental questions about the formation of the Milky Way, the evolution of galaxies and the forces that shape the universe." The project has been more than a decade in the making, involving 30 universities and research institutesincluding the University of Cambridgeacross Europe and Australia. Engineers have equipped the VISTA telescope with a new optical camera nearly a meter wide, giving 4MOST one of the largest fields of view in the world for a telescope of its kind. Every 10 to 20 minutes, its fibers can reposition to observe a new set of targets, with a precision that allows it to switch focus across the sky in under two minutes. Light captured from each fiber travels to a set of three spectrographs that separate it into red, green and blue components, then into finer detail using detectors with a total of 36 megapixels. Two of these spectrographs analyze the full visible and infrared spectrum, while a third focuses on specific color bands to reveal the chemical fingerprints of stars. Behind the telescope is an international team of more than 700 scientists working across 25 major science programs. Some will focus on rare or exotic celestial objects, while others will build large statistical surveys of stars and galaxies. 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. Planning of nightly observations will be coordinated from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany. The European Southern Observatory will operate the system from its Chilean base. Data from the telescope will be transferred to the University of Cambridge, where researchers at the Institute of Astronomy lead data management. The Cambridge team will extract physical information from the raw spectra before transferring to AIP and ESO, who will distribute the processed results for use by the global astronomy community. "The 4MOST instrument, with its huge number of optical fibers, has meant the development of a highly sophisticated, high throughput, data flow system, running in Cambridge," said Dr. Nicholas Walton, 4MOST Data Management lead. "Our advanced pipeline delivers the highest quality science data, underpinning the amazing discoveries that 4MOST will enable." "This is such an exciting time to be an astronomer, as 4MOST and other next-generation telescopes come online," said Dr. Lisa Kelsey from Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, a member of the 4MOST team. "It's taken a long time and a huge team to get here, but we can't wait to get to work on some exciting new science." Kelsey and her Cambridge colleagues are members of one of the first major research projects to use 4MOST: the Time Domain Extragalactic Survey (TiDES). TiDES will focus on extragalactic transients: brief, dramatic events such as supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts and stars being torn apart by black holes in distant galaxies. By capturing these fleeting flashes of light as they happen, TiDES will help astronomers understand how stars die, how black holes feed, and how the universe evolves on its most violent timescales. Over its planned 15-year lifetime, 4MOST is expected to revolutionize astrophysical research. By combining an enormous field of view with the ability to study thousands of objects simultaneously, it will deliver one of the most ambitious spectroscopic surveys ever undertaken. 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: Map of Salton Sea and dust collection sites. Credit: mSphere (2025). DOI:10.1128/msphere.00209-25 https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00209-25 Dust from California's drying Salton Sea doesn't just smell bad. Scientists from UC Riverside found that breathing the dust can quickly re-shape the microscopic world inside the lungs. Genetic or bacterial diseases have previously been shown to have an effect on lung microbes. However, this discovery marks the first time scientists have observed such changes from environmental exposure rather than a disease. Published in the journal mSphere, the study shows that inhalation of airborne dust collected close to the shallow, landlocked lake alters both the microbial landscape and immune responses in mice that were otherwise healthy. "Even Salton Sea dust filtered to remove live bacteria or fungi is altering what microbes survive in the lungs," said Mia Maltz, UCR mycologist and lead study author. "It is causing deep changes to our internal environment." Scientists have studied the gut microbiome extensively, linking it to digestion, immunity, and even mental state. In contrast, the lung microbiome remains less well understood, though it's increasingly seen as important to overall health. "Our lab studies discovered that the dust generated at the Salton Sea can have significant health effects especially in the lung, and it is likely a major factor in the high incidence of asthma in the nearby communities," said David Lo, a UCR distinguished professor of biomedical sciences and study author. The researchers collaborated on the design of an exposure chamber that mimicked real-world air conditions. The team collected dust samples both closer to and farther from the Salton Sea, then exposed mice to the aerosolized particles during a series of one-week trials. There were some clues about ill effects even before deeper analysis. "Salton Sea residents have ongoing suspicions that the environment is linked to respiratory illness, and our lab has definitely felt the effects of the heat, dustiness, and pungent air while out there on field work," said Talyssa Topacio, UCR graduate student and co-first author of the paper. "The dust also just doesn't smell good," said Emma Aronson, UCR environmental microbiologist and study author. "When we were processing it in the lab, it could be stinky." Among the bacterial species that proliferated among mice exposed to the sea dust were Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus, both linked to respiratory inflammation. The most affected samples were rich in bacteria that produce LPS, a molecular residue on their outer membranes known to trigger immune responses. "We think microbial products like LPS are part of what's causing the inflammation," Maltz said. "It's like breathing in a chemical fingerprint of dead bacteria." Some dust samples were especially potent. In one case, up to 60% of lung immune cells contained markers of neutrophil activation, showing aggressive inflammation. In mice breathing filtered air, levels of neutrophils were only 10% to 15%. 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. Aronson said the findings challenge longstanding assumptions in pulmonary science. "We've seen these kinds of microbial shifts in people with cystic fibrosis or infections," she said. "But these mice had no pre-existing conditions. This was a clean slate, and it still happened." As the Salton Sea lakebed continues to dry, more of its toxic sediment becomes airborne. The research group is examining whether similar microbial shifts occur in local children. "Breathing in the dust over time may have chronic impacts in the lung, and these studies on the potential for altering the lung microbiome are an important first step in identifying factors that could lead to asthma and other chronic diseases," Lo said. The research also raises broader questions. If dust can alter lung microbes, what about smoke, exhaust, or vaping aerosols? The researchers plan to test whether other exposures cause similar disruptions. This study relied on a method Maltz developed over four years to isolate microbial DNA from host tissue, enabling a more detailed look at the lung microbiome than ever before. The next step is to determine whether protective species are being lost, and how long any noticeable changes to the microbiome persist. "We've only just begun to understand how dust exposure changes the lung microbiome," Maltz said. "We don't yet know how long the changes last, or whether they're reversible. That's another big question." More information: Mia R. Maltz et al, Lung microbiomes' variable responses to dust exposure in mouse models of asthma, mSphere (2025). DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00209-25. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00209-25 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 In Australia, where turning up to vote is mandatory, deliberately spoiling your ballot is one of the only legal ways to protest or opt out. This practice of "intentional informal voting" is an increasingly significant issue. The number of informal ballots in federal elections has more than doubled in the past few decades, rising from 2.5% in 1977 to 5.6% in 2025. These "wasted" votes aren't just a side note. They can have real consequences. Our analysis shows in nearly two-thirds of Australian federal elections since 1987, the number of informal ballots was greater than the margin of victory. This means the outcome technically could have been different in eight of the past 13 federal elections if those votes had been cast formally. A common assumption, supported by some previous research, is that younger voters are the main culprits, spoiling their ballots as an act of youthful protest. But is it really that simple? Our new research challenges this stereotype. Using an original large survey of more than 25,000 voters in Victoria, we found a more nuanced story. While young voters tend to intentionally cast informal votes in higher proportions than older voters, it's not their age that directly predicts whether they will spoil their ballot, but rather their grievances toward democracy. Dissatisfied with democracy Our survey, conducted in partnership with the Victorian Electoral Commission after the 2022 state election, specifically asked voters if they knew they had marked their ballot incorrectly. This allowed us to focus on deliberate, intentional acts of informality. When we crunched the numbers, we found only a very small and statistically insignificant relationship between age and the likelihood of casting an informal vote on purpose. In other words, age alone does not explain intentional informal voting and, therefore, young voters are not voting informally because they are young. Instead, the real drivers included three specific attitudes toward democracy: low interest in politics dissatisfaction with how democracy is working dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates. What we see here is a clear example of democratic disconnect among young voters. This is caused by either a lack of interest in politics generally or particular grievances about the way their democracy is representing them. In fact, our analysis revealed the link between age and informal voting is fully explained by these three factors. Younger voters are marginally more likely than other voters to spoil their ballots, but it is not because of their youth or immaturity. Rather, it's because they're more likely to be uninterested in politics, dissatisfied with the democratic process and unhappy with the candidates on offer. This is a trend which is particularly salient among young people. We don't see similar grievances or disaffection among older age groups. 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 can be done? These findings have important policy implications. If we want to reduce the rate of informal voting and improve the health of Australian democracy, simply blaming young people is not the answer. The focus must shift to addressing the underlying causes of democratic disconnect. Our research points to several potential solutions. Boosting political literacy, particularly by enhancing civics education, could help mitigate feelings of disenchantment and low levels of interest among youth. There are some current major initiatives around the country in this space that have potential. These include the now annual South Australian Active Citizenship Convention. This initiative seeks to promote civics and democracy and is organized by the SA Department for Education in collaboration with the Jeff Bleich Center at Flinders University. Fostering genuine participation is another important piece of the puzzle. We need to give citizens a greater stake in the system. Mechanisms like citizen assemblies and participatory budgeting have been shown to empower citizens and enhance their sense of political efficacy. These initiatives bring citizens directly to the table. Deliberative assemblies, for instance, bring together groups of citizens to learn about, discuss and make recommendations on specific policies. Tailoring these initiatives in ways to promote active participation by young voters could go a long way in creating a sense of belonging and also a sense of agency among youth. Lowering the voting age has also been mooted by experts as one way to get young people engaged earlier and in a more enduring way. Finally, demanding more from parties and candidates will also improve the connection between young voters and the democratic process. Political parties must do more to offer policies tailored to the needs and interests of a young electorate. When young voters don't feel represented, their dissatisfaction grows and spoiling their ballot becomes a more attractive option. Ultimately, requiring people to vote does not necessarily guarantee all citizens will be engaged. For those who feel alienated or unrepresented, spoiling their ballot is a rational act of protest. To reduce this, we must stop pointing the finger at a specific generation. Instead, we need to start building a more responsive and inclusive political system that earns the trust of all Australians. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Authorities charge 10 in recent PDC land takeover attempt Playa del Carmen, Q.R. State authorizes have reported that 10 people have been arrested and charged for illegal land invasion. According to State Attorney Raciel Lopez Salazar, they were arrested October 7 during the eviction in the Ejido neighborhood of Playa del Carmen. A group of approximately 60 men arrived to take over a plot of land for a new invasion zone. A group of nearly 60 people were found on the land (plot 186) illegally felling trees and building a concrete wall. Area residents who watched the attempted land takeover made the report to authorities. According to Salazar, a group of approximately 60 people entered the La Gloria Escondida property with machinery. Authorities deployed SSC Citizen Security personnel to stop the illegal activity. During the operation, tensions erupted that lead to an SSC bus being set on fire. Following that, 10 people were arrested at the scene and the machinery seized. These are 10 people who are already facing charges for their probable involvement in the events. The investigation remains open and further legal action against those involved in the invasion is not ruled out, Lopez Salazar said Monday. He says all 10 are have been charged with resisting arrest and attack on authorities in addition to property damage and environmental crimes. The group are also accused of setting a police bus on fire in retaliation for the eviction. Salazar said that land invasions will be dealt with firmly in coordination with the Secretariat of Citizen Security and the Playa del Carmen City Council to ensure respect for property rights and the rule of law. Adults should avoid kissing babies on the face or hands to prevent the spread of dangerous infections, a parenting expert has warned. Experts warn kissing babies on face or hands could transmit fatal infections The Enchanted Nanny, known for her parenting advice on social media, issued a stark message urging people not to kiss young babies unless they are the parent or have permission. In a video shared on TikTok, she said: This is so important and I am regularly shocked at how many people ignore this. You may not suffer or know that you suffer from cold sores or other nasty illnesses that shed before they show symptoms, you might be feeling as fresh as a daisy and really well, and not know that you're actually carrying something that a newborn baby does not have the immunity to fight. There have been so many more cases than I could count of babies picking up these different nasty illnesses from something like cold sores and sadly not making it. She added: Don't do it. Don't ask to do it. If you really need to nuzzle the baby to bond if you're a grandparent and you really want that closeness, the feet are okay. A survey of 2,300 parents by baby charity The Lullaby Trust found 54% would let friends or family kiss their newborn, and 63% felt uncomfortable asking others not to. The advice struck a chord with many parents online, who shared similar concerns. One user commented: I do suffer from [cold sores] and I do not kiss my baby, and if I can't kiss him nobody is allowed to. I don't know if other people suffer from them. Another said: Tried to put this boundary in place prior to our bundle arriving imminentlygot so much backlash I dont know what to do. Jenny Ward, chief executive of The Lullaby Trust, said: Even infections that cause mild symptoms such as a common cold in adults and older children can be life-threatening for babies. She added: We have an important job to do in terms of making parents and the public aware of the risk infection poses to babies. Likewise, we need to empower parents to ask friends and family to follow the THANKS guidance to keep their babies safe. Three charged for back-to-back murders in Cancun Cancun, Q.R. Three people have been charged for at least two back-to-back murders in Cancun. All three are facing charges for their alleged involvement in the October 13 murder of a man and woman. Carlos Humberto N, Luis Angel N and Karen Aurora N have been charged for the two murders. According to the State Attorney General (FGE), Raciel Lopez Salazar, the three suspects arrived on a motorcycle taxi at the home of Victoria and Mario Alexander on October 13. After breaking into the home, they threatened the victims with a firearm. Mario was tied up and executed with at least seven shots at point-blank range. Victoria was killed with a single shot. All three then fled, abandoning the motorcycle taxi in SM 248 where it was later found by police. According to Salazar, forensic analysis and the ballistic analysis carried out using the IBIS system revealed that the weapon used matched the one used in another murder, which occurred on October 12 in the Casas del Mar subdivision, where a man identified as Salvador N was killed. The investigation indicates that Luis Angel was the material author behind both crimes. The Prosecutors Office indicated that all three victims had ties to drug sales and use. He reported that their main line of investigation is focusing on disputes between drug dealing groups. Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan opened up about navigating foreign policy domestically. (PHOTO: TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP via Getty Images) There's been a growing public interest in international affairs and it's not lost on Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who has spent hundreds of sessions engaging Singaporeans on the countrys foreign policy. He noted that in Parliament, more MPs are now questioning foreign policy decisions, whether during Budget debates or ministerial statements a marked change from the past. "In the past, I would have had very few questions in Parliament," he told The Straits Times (ST). "(But) today, yesterday, or the last month, you can be on the front lines in Parliament, which means foreign policy now has domestic salience." Dr Balakrishnan explained that Singapores multiracial and multi-religious society makes it natural for citizens to view global conflicts through different lenses. However, he emphasised the importance of maintaining internal alignment despite differing responses to wars abroad. He acknowledged that the Government increasingly considers domestic sentiments in shaping its foreign policy, citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza as a "horrible tragedy" and a current example of this balancing act. On whether Israels actions amount to genocide, a term used by some countries and the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, Dr Balakrishnan refrained from taking a definitive position. Instead, he referenced the International Court of Justice, and said, "Thats for the court to decide." The minister also recognised a growing public desire for symbolic gestures in foreign policy actions that underscore national values and moral stances. "I think it is not unreasonable for people to say, 'I want you since you are my representative on the global stage to reflect our identity, to reflect what we hold dear, and to reflect the principles upon which we organise ourselves.'" he said. However, Dr Balakrishnan cautioned against allowing moral outrage or values-based activism to dictate foreign policy. He pointed out that "Westerners have been lecturing us about how to organise our society... on this assumption that there is a single superior set of values", but yet Singapore doesn't want "external interference" on such matters. He added, "If I say I dont want a lecture from others, I dont go around lecturing other people too." Addressing those who call for a stronger moral stance against Israel, he said, "Well, thats a matter of degree. But have we said that this has gone on too long, too far, too much? Yes, we have. Have I told this directly to the Israeli leaders? Yes, I have." He added that Israel "cannot be pleased with it". Yet, he thinks it won't make a difference. "The issues are too complicated, too complicated, too deep," he said. For more of Vivian Balakrishnan's thoughts on foreign policy, read here. CCTV: Yesterday, the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation was held in Hong Kong. Could you share more information on that? Guo Jiakun: On October 20, the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) was held in Hong Kong. Representatives from over 30 founding member states and nearly 200 representatives from various sectors in Hong Kong attended the ceremony. Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying attended the ceremony and delivered remarks. The vision of the IOMed has a lot in common with the Global Governance Initiative put forth by President Xi Jinping. The IOMed aims to promote reconciliation, cooperation and harmony, defend fairness, justice and equity, uphold extensive consultation, joint contribution for shared benefit, and focus on people-centered approach and real results. Establishing the IOMed is a pioneering act in international rule of law. The IOMed will play a positive role in advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity by promoting the rule of law, and will help make Hong Kong the capital of mediation. On May 30 this year, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi attended the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the IOMed and, on behalf of China, signed the convention in Hong Kong. Effective from August, the convention now has 37 country signatories and has been ratified by eight of them. Within just five months, the IOMed has seen its convention signed and put into effect, and started operation, which is not often the case for international organizations. This fully shows that the establishment of the IOMed echoes the trend of the times and is supported and welcomed by the international community. As the IOMeds initiator and host country, China welcomes more countries to join the IOMed at an early date, engage in close cooperation with the organization and together make new contribution to world peace and development. AFP: U.S. President Donald Trump voiced doubt on Monday that China would invade Taiwan, expressing confidence in his relationship with Chinese leader. When asked about an earlier Pentagon assessment that Chinas mainland was eyeing 2027 to attempt to seize Taiwan, Trump said, I think well be just fine with China. China doesnt want to do that. Trump also said he would travel to China early next year. What is the Foreign Ministrys response to Trumps comments? And can you confirm that he was invited to China? Guo Jiakun: Chinas position on the Taiwan question remains consistent and clear. Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The Taiwan question is purely Chinas internal affair and a matter for the Chinese ourselves to resolve. We stand ready to strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and the greatest effort, but we will never ever allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China in any way. Regarding your question on heads-of-state diplomacy, let me stress that heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations. The two heads of state maintain close communication and exchanges. For the specifics you asked about, I have no information to share at the moment. CRI: Its reported that on October 19 local time, candidate Rodrigo Paz from the Christian Democratic Party won 54.5 percent of the vote in Bolivias presidential runoff, according to early results from Bolivias electoral tribunal. Whats Chinas comment? Guo Jiakun: China congratulates Mr. Paz on winning the runoff. We are confident that under his leadership, Bolivia will score new achievement in its national development. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China-Bolivia diplomatic relations. Bolivia is Chinas strategic partner. China stands ready to work with the new Bolivian government to move forward bilateral ties and deliver more tangibly for the two peoples. Bloomberg: According to the latest reports, U.S. President Donald Trump recently declared full steam ahead on the AUKUS pact among the U.S., Australia and the UK, signaling his support for the Biden-era security agreement that had been under a cloud since his return to office. Can the Foreign Ministry provide comments on the reports? Guo Jiakun: China has made clear more than once its position on the so-called trilateral security partnership between the U.S., the UK and Australia designed to advance cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting-edge military technologies. We oppose bloc confrontation and anything that increases the risk of nuclear proliferation and exacerbates arms race. China Daily: Recently, the U.S. announced visa restrictions on those citizens of Central American nations as well as their immediate family members who work with the Communist Party of China and undermine the rule of law in Central America. The business community in Central America was also threatened by the U.S. not to carry out cooperation with Chinese state-owned enterprises. Whats Chinas comment? Guo Jiakun: Regarding the recent visa restrictions announced by the U.S., China has already made clear its position and lodged serious protests with the U.S. The U.S. takes illegitimate measures in the name of the rule of law, uses unilateral sanctions for political suppression and economic coercion targeting relevant regions, countries and personnel, puts its own domestic law above international law and its international obligations, and undermines the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of other countries. This is yet another example of U.S. bullyism which seriously violates the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in other countries internal affairs and sabotages the international order. The U.S. pointed fingers at Central American countries normal exchanges with China, and its accusations are ill-intentioned and groundless, and lack the basic respect for Central American countries. Its yet another example of U.S. bullying and domineering acts. That reveals relevant U.S. politicians deep-seated arrogance and bias. Weaponizing visa will not intimidate those supporting the right cause. Nor will it hold back the flourishing ties between China and Central American countries. China will continue to be the good friend and good partner of Central American countries in the common pursuit of development and vitalization, and in building a China-LAC community with a shared future. Reuters: U.S. President Trump said he could threaten China with further restrictions on U.S. airplane parts while also saying that he looks forward to meeting Chinese leader in South Korea. Whats Chinas response to this? Guo Jiakun: Chinas position on economic and trade issues between China and the U.S. is consistent and clear. Tariff wars and trade wars serve no ones interests. The two sides need to address relevant issues through consultation on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit. On your question concerning interactions between the two heads of state, I have made a response just now. Kyodo News: Japans Liberal Democratic Party head Sanae Takaichi was just elected as Japans Prime Minister. Whats the Foreign Ministrys comment on that and expectation of the new prime minister? How will that affect China-Japan ties? Guo Jiakun: China noted the result of the vote and considers it Japans internal affair. China and Japan are each others neighbors. Chinas fundamental position on its relations with Japan is consistent and clear. We hope Japan will work with China, observe the principles laid down in the four political documents between the two countries, honor its political commitments on major issues concerning history and Taiwan, uphold the political foundation of the bilateral relationship, and fully advance the China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit. Beijing Youth Daily: We noted that today, the third Workshop on AI Capacity Building opened in Beijing. Could you share with us more details? Guo Jiakun: China has hosted the Workshop on AI Capacity Building several times. This is a results-oriented move to implement the UN General Assembly Resolution on Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence and the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All. Representatives from foreign governments were invited to the workshop for discussions on how to promote AI development for good and for all and the global governance of AI. China was commended for hosting the workshop, which demonstrates its credibility and responsibility as a major country. Through the workshop, China looks forward to an in-depth exchange of views with all parties to deliver the benefits of modernization, including AI, to people worldwide and offer new opportunities to world development through the achievements in Chinese modernization. Reuters: President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Albanese have both signed a critical minerals agreement with the aim to counter China. What is your comment on this? Guo Jiakun: The global industrial and supply chains came into shape as a result of the choices of the market and businesses. Countries with critical mineral resources need to play a positive role in keeping industrial and supply chains safe and stable and to ensure normal trade and economic cooperation. Panic! At The Disco are releasing a deluxe anniversary edition of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Panic! At The Disco are re-releasing A Fever You Can't Sweat Out The I Write Sins Not Tragedies emo legends celebrated 20 years of their iconic 2005 debut album at When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas over the weekend, and now they have confirmed a special release. On January 23, the group - which was founded by Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, Ryan Ross and Brent Wilson - will drop a limited edition boxset including a remastered version of the record. The collection - which is available for pre-order at 164.99 - will also feature 11 unreleased demos, and an exclusive vinyl release of 2006's Live In Denver. The live show has also been uploaded in full to YouTube. On the band's official UK store, they wrote: "To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Panic! At The Disco's seminal debut album, this limited edition box set brings together a comprehensive time capsule celebrating the record's impact. "This release includes the original album remastered for the first time ever, 11 unreleased demos, plus the legendary 2006 Live In Denver performance - never before released on vinyl or CD. "The box set also includes a 12 page zine with never before seen pictures from the era, a sticker set, a door hanger and paper doll set." The band - which had effectively become a Urie solo project by the end - performed what was billed as their final ever show in Manchester, UK in 2023. The frontman said in a statement at the time: "Sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin. Weve been trying to keep it to ourselves, though some of you may have heard Sarah and I are expecting a baby very soon! "The prospect of being a father and getting to watch my wife become a mother is both humbling and exciting. I look forward to this next adventure. However, Panic! headlined WWWY over the weekend performing A Fever You Can't Sweat Out in full alongside other hits like This Is Gospel and Nine in the Afternoon. In a special moment, they played I Write Sins Not Tragedies for a second time at the end of the night, as Smith reunited with Urie for the performance. Last weekends No Kings demonstrationsby some estimates, the largest single-day protest in more than 50 yearswere filled with signs and slogans expressing just about every anti-Trump opinion imaginable. There were references to the Declaration of Independence and the New Testament, placards crammed with tiny type alleging vast pedophile conspiracies while demanding the release of the Epstein files, and, at least in Texas, T-shirts and posters reading Chinga tu MAGA. At the demo I stopped by, some enterprising soul had even gotten up early to plant signs promoting freedom through cryptocurrency. The array of ideas verged on ideological cacophonythere was even someone protesting the ineffectiveness of the No Kings protestsbut the point wasnt to send any singular message, beyond general opposition to the massive rightward lurch of the last 10 months. In a way, it was protest for protests sake, for the sake of being surrounded by others who, whatever their individual agendas, could agree on the notion that the way things are going is not OK, and neither is staying silent about it. The point was to be there, to be seena point that somehow found its purest and most infectious expression in the form of an inflatable frog. In the past couple of weeks, images of protestors in inflatable frog costumes have become a defining image of the anti-Trump resistance, along with comrades clad as unicorns, chickens, even the odd 5-foot penis. The people inside those outfits were sometimes quite eloquent about their reasons for turning out, but the most potent message was the one sent simply by their presence. Seth Todd, the original Portland Frog, came out to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions and deportations, but the heart of the movement that the 24-year-old inadvertently started was, as Todd told an interviewer, looking ridiculous. In the face of the administrations claims that federal agents carrying out their lawful duties were facing off against mobs of violent Antifa thugs, Todd and others showed up in a guise that was not only nonthreatening but absurdas preposterous as the nonexistent insurrection Trump was federalizing troops to quell. Todd was just hoping to make the president and the feds look dumb, he explained. There was no higher point beyond that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While some have cast the proliferation of Portland Frogs as a reclamation of a symbol once owned by the racist alt-right, the true strength of Portland Frog is that it has no purpose beyond being Portland Frog. Unlike No Kings welter of overlapping signifiers, Portland Frog just is. The Soviet-born writer Gary Shteyngart linked it to the tradition of tactical frivolity that goes back to at least the Yippies of the 1960s, but the Verges Sarah Jeong linked it to a more contemporary phenomenon: the shitpost. The shitposts purpose is not to create meaning but to attack it, to mock the idea of meaning itself. What are you getting so worked up about? Its just a frog. Portland Frog doesnt just make opposition look more harmless to the powers that be. It makes it feel less threatening to the people who are still inside, wanting to be part of the movement but unsure whether its safe, or whether they belong. Dressing up in a silly costume makes protest look fun. The images of mass dissent that circulate in our culture tend to be characterized by a sense of danger or alienation; think of the civil rights marchers beaten and killed in Selma, or the scattered freakshow of Eddingtons Black Lives Matter demonstrations. But while those images are based in truth, theyre only part of the picture. Which is why, as Ive been thinking about Portland Frog, my mind keeps turning to Bob Ferguson. Advertisement Advertisement The simplest take on One Battle After Anothers shambling dissident is that hes an aimless clown, getting high to watch The Battle of Algiers while the real work of political change goes on elsewhere. But a closer reading reveals that Bob does play an important role in the struggle, if not the one were accustomed to seeing inhabited by white male protagonists played by major movie stars. In the movies opening sequence, a gun-toting group led by Bobs militant lover, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), liberates an immigrant detention center, while Bob stays outside to set off fireworks. Its a silly, even emasculating task, the kind youd give to someone whos no good in a tight situationa characterization that Bobs behavior throughout the rest of the movie bears out. But Bobs skills do make a difference. The fireworks turn armed revolt into celebratory spectacle, insurrection into political theater. Advertisement Advertisement Leonardo DiCaprio does the same thing for One Battle After Another. Paul Thomas Andersons movie is about anti-government resistance, armed and otherwise: The French 75, the group to which Bob belongs in the movies first timeframe, robs banks and blows up buildings; the unnamed group led by Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio Del Toro) in the movies second part shelters immigrants. Bob, meanwhile, just floats alongside them, army-crawling in his bathrobe while others get things done. Despite the fact that hes ostensibly the movies main character, he functions as comic relief, a purposeful misdirection from subject matter that under different circumstances might be seen as incendiary. (The influence of Andersons idol Robert Altman hasnt always been directly apparent in his movies, but DiCaprios clueless stoner feels like a dead ringer for Elliott Goulds half-baked detective in The Long Goodbyehes just as much Philip Marlowe as he is the Dude.) DiCaprios performance is such a delightfully sustained piece of gonzo physical comedy that it took weeks for most right-wing media outlets to notice that a major American studio had released a movie that presents a sympathetic (albeit nuanced) portrait of domestic terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One Battle is, I think, not a political movie so much as a movie about politics, one that embodies the feeling of what its like to exist in a world controlled by extremist interests that calls for an equally extreme response. People like Ben Shapiro arent wrong to be outraged by the suggestion, however wrapped in satirical overkill, that the United States is controlled by a secret society of white supremacists. Its an outrageous idea, but we live in outrageous times. (Imagine how upset Shapiro might have been if Andersons movie showed the president of the United States posting a video of himself dumping tons of liquid shit on American citizens!) Bobs hapless flailing allows the movie to pass off its most incendiary imagesincluding the image of Black women wielding automatic weapons and sexually humiliating white male military officersas tongue-in-cheek, not quite a joke, but not to be taken too seriously. Like Bob Ferguson, Portland Frog isnt meant to be the vanguard of a political movement. But he makes what might otherwise seem dangerous feel approachable, even appealing. Bob and his amphibian counterpart wont get the job done, but they clear a place for others to do it, with a song, or a croak, in their hearts. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Graham Platner, one of the Democrats gunning to oust Republican Susan Collins in Maines contested senator slot in 2026, had become something of an up-and-coming star in the party for his gruff demeanor, oyster farming, and military backgroundas well as a Bernie-esque communication style that has rankled some party elders. But over the course of the last week, and especially the past few days, he has been wrapped up in a truly unbelievable suite of scandals. I will now regale you. Strap in, its about to get ugly. So, who is Graham Platner? Like, what did we know about him before last week? Up until about a month ago, he was a pretty anonymous political figure, which I think is instructive of how certain factions of the Democratic Party got themselves into this mess. Basically, Graham Platner is a guy from Maine and a former Marine who completed several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2016. After wrapping up his combat duties, Platner became an oyster farmer and held a couple of minor community positions around the microscopic town of Sullivan. Earlier this year, he announced a campaign for the Senate seat currently occupied by Susan Collinswhich is one of the very few opportunities Democrats have to gain ground in congress. Platner gained a national profile following a buzzy campaign video accentuating his working-class bona fides, clearly staking out a position on the partys leftward flank. He advocated for socialized health care and child care, and signaled a distaste for Americas close relationship with Israel, which made him a favorite among dormant Bernie Bros. Planter has kept the momentum up with magazine profiles and a viral moment at a town hall where he eloquently answered a question about false claims of immigrants getting federal benefits. It seemed like he had a real shot to make noise next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You fell for it, didnt you? Theres no way you didnt like this guy. There are some Man, maybe Platner could be president someday texts in my phone that Id like to take back, yes. So, wait, were there any red flags before all of these controversies started popping up? Anything I should know about? Not especially. I mean, we did know that in 2018, Platner signed up with Constellis, the former Blackwateras in, the comically evil private military contractor. That raised some eyebrows, but honestly, we didnt really know much about Platner other than what was orbiting out of his campaign. In retrospect, that might have been strategic on his part. OK, so whats all this about his Reddit posts? Right, so, last week a couple of reporters at CNN examined Platners Reddit history and found a number of posts that rankled the Democratic Partys more conservative constituency. He wrote about how, as hes gotten older, hes become a communist, and agreed with another user that all cops are bastards. Frankly I think that kind of language is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, but whatever. So it goes. Advertisement Advertisement However, in the days that followed, other posts that have popped up in Platners history have been more damning. In an AskReddit thread about what other users have always wanted to ask someone of another racean insane premise, by the wayPlatner wrote, Why dont black people tip? (He also made a gross comment about how victims of sexual assault should take some personal responsibility in the matter.) For his part, Platner has responded to the fracas by asserting that he was adrift, unmoored, and fucking around the internet while making those posts. His campaign went on to release other selections from Platners Reddit career that paint his presence on the platform in a more sympathetic light. In particular, he has used the platform to advocate that other veterans get mental health assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Advertisement I suppose now we have to talk about the Nazi tattoo, right? Advertisement You bet we do. I dont really know how to say this, but Graham Platner has a giant totenkopf tattooed on his chest. As in, the skull-and-crossbones worn by the SS. Or, in other words, one of the most antisemitic symbols anyone could inflict upon their skin. It is murky how this story broke, exactly. But last night, the Pod Save America network posted an interview with Platnerinterspersed with the candidate gloriously drunk and shirtless at a wedding, with the totenkopf for all to seewhich at least appeared to be a coordinated attempt to control a looming narrative. (That is at least what his former political director alleges.) Platners story is that he found himself in Croatia during one of his many combat tours, and, after wandering into a tattoo parlor, elected to get inked with a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones. Platner claimed to be basically ignorant of the tattoos greater historical context. And, well Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im going to guess there is a reason to doubt that alibi? You are correct! Earlier today, Jewish Insider published a story featuring a former acquaintance of Platners who recalled the candidate referring to the blotchy skull on his chest as a totenkopfusing the precise terminology for, again, one of the most recognizable insignias of Nazi terror. This allegedly happened all the way back in 2012, which, if true, would mean that for a very long time, Platner was aware he had a Nazi tattoo. The man now faces maybe the most damaging and invincible political question of all time, which is: Why did you not get the giant SS symbol on your chest covered up with literally anything else? This whole situation seems unbelievably careless. Like, how did he think this was going to work out for him? Hes trying to be a senator, for gods sake. Advertisement Advertisement Your guess is as good as mine. Even the most charitable reading of the sequence of eventsan idiot accidentally signs up for a Nazi tattoo, and celebrates its edginess for years before having a change of heartis tough to swallow. Its the kind of baggage that poisons every aspect of ones political project. Are you really going to reprimand Trumps fascist leanings with a totenkopf on your chest? Do you really think youre the one to advocate for more humane treatment of Palestinians? There is an attitude, among Democrats, that we must be more amenable to voices that dont fit neatly within the confines of the platform. That we need to be less preachy, and administer fewer purity tests. Where do we draw the line of who gets invited into the big tent? Ive got an idea. How about we draw the line at Nazi tattoos? I think we can all agree on that. Advertisement I still cant believe he wasnt vetted more properly. Yep, everyone wants an outsider until they show up with a Nazi tattoo. Speaking of which, Platners flatlining opens the runway for Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who just announced her Senate candidacy, and is turning 78 in two months. Were all going to die! Update: Luke, you wrote about this yesterday. Anything else of note happen today? Funny you should ask. On Wednesday, Platner disclosed that he had covered up the problematic tattoo with a new piecethis one without any Nazi iconography. Its an odd mashup of runes in a circle and a dog (or maybe wolf?) running. But again, it seems pretty Nazi-free, while rather confusing. Platner is also saying he has no plans to drop out. I cant tell you whether this is the end for Platner: Anyone who claims to have any understanding of what the tolerance level is of the American public circa 2025 is lying to themselves, and I include myself in that. But as per always, whatever happens next will probably just make the situation dumber. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. When biographer Amanda Vaill read Ron Chernows Alexander Hamilton (2004), her first thought, she said in a recent interview, was Oh! Somebody should write about Hamiltons wife and her sister! Hes married to Eliza but seems to be attracted to Angelica! But, Vaill added, I was in the middle of a book of my own, so it wasnt going to be me. At about the same time, Lin-Manuel Miranda also read Chernows book. By 2015, Mirandas hip-hop musical Hamilton had opened off-Broadway, where Vaill saw it shortly before it moved to Broadway. By then Vaill, past recipient of a Guggenheim, Peabody, and Emmy for her work as a writer and documentary screenwriter, had completed the biography shed been working on and was looking for her next project but hadnt found anything that compelled her. Im not interested in describing or exploring a subject, she says. Im interested in telling a story. And I wasnt in that theater for 20 minutes before I thought, Whoa! I need to check this out! The musical, which depicts Eliza Schuyler, Hamilton, and Angelica Schuyler as emotionally entangled right from the get-go, catalyzed Vaills earlier feeling that there was a backstory to Hamiltons relationship with his wife and sister-in-law that should be told. Vaill had a book contract in hand before Hamilton even got to Broadway, where it became the Pulitzer Prizewinning blockbuster it has been for the past 10 years. Not that Vaill presumed writing her new book, Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution, would be easy. I was gently counseled by a writer who does famous men that this was maybe going to be a fools errand, she recalls. Thats what happens when you work in womens history. With famous men, the stuff is there. You dont have to hunt in weird places, which is enormously time-consuming but also completely fascinating. With women, you find stuff you didnt know you were looking for. Vaill, a historian and former executive editor at Viking Penguin, has had a lifelong interest in stuffmaterial culturethat she dates back to her first glimpse as a child of a facsimile of a letter, complete with bloodstains, that the French lawyer and statesman Maximilien Robespierre was writing when he was shot in the jaw. Her mother bought it at the Musee Carnavalet in Paris during Vaills childhood, and to this day she has it. Documents! Documents speak to me, not just whats in them but the way they are. Everything tells a story, she says. The Schuylers were not only letter writers; they were scrutinizers of their surroundingsblueprints for the homes they wanted to live in, the fashions they wanted to wear, their furniture, jewelry, portraits, you name itmuch of which Vaill examined and brings to her understanding of Eliza and Angelica. Slate receives a commission when you purchase items using the links on this page. Thank you for your support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vaill, Chernow, and Miranda, it turns out, agree on the basic facts about Hamilton and the Schuyler sisters. He was a brilliant immigrant from the West Indies who survived a traumatic childhood, became the architect of Americas financial system, made friends of many with his affable, spontaneous wit and enemies of many with his angry, impulsive screeds, was blackmailed after an ill-advised affair with a woman named Maria Reynolds which ended his political career, and died before he was 50, following a duel initiated by thenVice President Aaron Burr. And yes, all three authors wondered whether Hamilton was having an affair with his sister-in-law Angelica. As it turns out, all three used those facts to tell different stories. As Chernow said in an interview, he had long written about bankers, such as J.D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan, including in a project for which he won the National Book Award, but he feared that more books about Gilded Age moguls would make him stale. Taking on the project of writing a go-for-broke, authoritative text appealed to him: Hamilton drew me back to the founding of Wall Street. (And his next biography, of George Washington, would win him a Pulitzer Prize.) Advertisement Advertisement Miranda, the son of immigrants and author of the musical In the Heights, about immigrants, had a different story to tell. What I recognized in Hamilton was his relentlessness. I recognize that relentlessness in so many immigrant stories I know, he told an interviewer in 2016. Immigrants know they have to work twice as hard to get half as faror, as one set of his lyrics puts it, Immigrants! We get the job done. For Miranda, the powerful attraction between Hamilton and Angelica was useful. It created an occasion for gentler music, a melodic alternative to the rapid-fire lyrics that reflected hip-hops association with masculine aggression. It also seemed plausible that musical variety, which he had long been drawn to, would appeal to a wider audience. But Miranda took some liberties with historical accuracy, as musicals often do, creating an Angelica who was determined to marry a rich man, ending the romantic subplot with Hamilton. It was Burr, not Eliza or Angelica, who was essential to Mirandas version of a biography of Hamilton. Burr meetsand disparagesHamilton in the plays first minutes, beginning a tension that grows until, at the plays close, Burr fires the shot that will end Hamiltons life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With her focus on sisters born in 18th-century rural New York and coming of age during the American Revolution, Vaill moved to entirely new territory. She is clear about her admiration of both Chernow and Miranda (the latter of whom, it happens, she has known in person since he was in a high school jazz chorus with her daughter), but where she found less of a consensus with them was in their view of women. Everyone, including Chernow and Miranda, made Eliza out to be this two-dimensional stick figure, almost unbearably loyal and self-effacing, says Vaill. Chernow said in an interview that he found Eliza gutsy, and given his understanding of Hamiltons volatility, he praises her as an ideal companion for Hamilton, lending a strong home foundation to his turbulent life. He also offered an appraisal of their respective attractions as women. Eliza, though pretty, might have been a tomboy, while Angelica, with whom Hamilton had a friendship of unusual ardor, had a more mysterious femininity than her sister. Advertisement What does Vaill think of this? Without being too feminist, its a really male thing to make Angelica into the sexy one and Eliza into the good one, the biographer says. Other male historians went the same route. Basically, they all want to date Angelica, and they all think that Eliza is a bore. Vaill also takes exception to the characterization of Eliza as self-effacing. I really love my girls, she says of Eliza and Angelica, and I think I go a step or two beyond Chernow on the Eliza front. What I find interesting about Eliza is the stealth influence she has over Hamilton that no one was aware of. She cant spell worth beans, but she can definitely write! Advertisement One instance of many that reinforced Vaills conviction about Elizas influence occurred early in Washingtons presidency. Hamilton, as secretary of the Treasury, had proposed to charter the Bank of the United States. Though the move was approved by Congress, James Madison, who, like Thomas Jefferson, was wary of a strong federal government, encouraged Washington to veto it as unconstitutional. Washington turned to Hamilton, asking him to write a memo with his reasons for support. Advertisement Advertisement I dont think Chernow was lucky enough to find them, says Vaill, whose research took her to various archives and libraries, but there was this multivolume economic series by Adam Anderson, History of Commerce, that she came acrossand they had [Elizas] name in them! The volumes, linking British governance to its economic stability, were cited by Hamilton in his 1791 memo, supporting his argument in favor of establishing the Bank of the United States, and were likely in the Philadelphia home Eliza and Hamilton lived in at the time. They were Elizas books! Not his! Vaill says. Eliza talked about how they sat up talking on those long nights. In the end, Washington did not use his veto, and my inference is that Eliza helped [Hamilton] do all this, writing down as he dictated. Shes not just keeping his slippers warm and making dinner. Advertisement Advertisement In Vaills first three biographies, her focus was largely on 20th-century artists professional and intimate lives during moments of cultural upheavalthe Lost Generation after World War I, in Everybody Was So Young (1998); reporters, photographers, and press officers covering the Spanish Civil War, in Hotel Florida (2014); or the choreographer Jerome Robbins living through McCarthyism in Somewhere (2006). Eliza and Angelica, born 300 years earlier, had been raised to expect a life like their mothers, as wealthy Dutch colonial wives overseeing a large country estate in New Yorks Hudson Valley. Instead, says Vaill, they went on to live these really quite unconventional extraordinary lives, in whom they married, where they lived, and what they did. These womens stories emerged from history. Using the metaphor of warp and weft, these women are living in history. They are weaving their lives through history. Its influencing them. They are influencing it. Advertisement Advertisement Vaills own literal hands-on encounter with Elizas books is one of many illustrations she offers about historys influence on the individual and the individuals influence on history. But some history that happens is like those unheard trees falling in the forest. Vaill, like some historians, believes that the story told of the American Revolution remains one that has been told by and about menthose who take pens to parchment, as well as those who take muskets to battlefields. Vaill could have made Pride and Pleasure a briefer book if she had chosen to constrict the male narrative and focus on the sisters alone. But in joining it with her own now-recovered narrative, she is restoring sound to the fallen forest trees, and possibly presenting a new conception. Determined not to quarantine either story, she prefers what she calls the egalitarian jump cut, to the subordinating meanwhile. Advertisement Advertisement Vaill never writes her books in a style she would call her own. She cultivates at least a single voice, stylistically appropriate, for each of her books. In Pride and Pleasure, Vaill uses two voices, applying tone aesthetically and instructively, almost as Miranda does. For the historical narrative that we already know, she includes dated words like tonnish and branglers, as well as dated metaphors, characterizing conversations among diplomats as decorous minuets, and sprinkling in references to 18th-century authors like Tobias Smollett and Laurence Sterne. For the girls story, I just started writing in the present tense, and it seemed so fluid and immediate, she says. A reader may feel the difference between the two voices without registering it. What about her attitude toward Hamilton himself? As a biographer, she does not offer opinions and does not speak in her own voice in print, but in conversation she is funny, emotionally generous toward Hamilton and sometimes amused by him. Hes brilliant, no doubt, but hes an orphan, dependent on charity growing up. And hes needy! Male historians have maybe seen it, but they havent really seen it. The letters he writes to [Eliza], even during their courtship, oh my God! Hes constantly saying to herand here Vaill adopts a whiny, sulky toneIve written you three letters in the last two days, and you havent written me one. You have nothing to do! Just write to me and love me, love me, love me!!! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What about the Did-they-or-didnt-they? that has prompted so much curiosity about Hamiltons relationship with Angelica? Chernow believes there was an intense attraction between the two, and writes that many of their contemporaries assumed they were lovers, but he does not join that consensus, and neither does Miranda. What about Vaill? She wont say what she thinks, but she includes more than a few salient paragraphs: For instance, Angelica, who has been living in Paris and London for several years, returns to New York in the spring of 1789 for Washingtons inauguration, and, Vaill writes, for most of July, she and Hamilton are alone in New York together, while Eliza is in upstate New York with her family. When Angelica first arrives, Hamilton rents her a horse and carriage, but then, Vaill writes, for some reason, he seems to rent Angelica a different carriage, and horses than those she had previously. Perhaps the new equipage is less recognizable. The two in-laws were seen around town together, causing a murmur of conjecture in society, Vaill writes, pointing out that the murmurers know thatsince women wear no undergarments other than stays and shiftsit doesnt take time or even a special place to gratify desire. Gouverneur Morris [a close friend of Hamiltons] can do it in a carriage. Advertisement Several years later, after another visit, Angelica becomes pregnant with her last child, a son she names Richard. In an aside tucked away in a footnote, Vaill notes: Surviving photographs of [Richards son] bear an uncanny resemblance to portraits of Alexander Hamilton, particularly the [James] Sharples pastel [portrait] that family members consider the best. Related From Slate For One Brief and Shining Moment, Fashionable Women Faked Looking Pregnant Read More In the end, it is Angelica whose words provide the books title, writing to Eliza, You would not have suffered if you had married into a family less near the sun, but then you would have missed the pride, the pleasures, the nameless satisfactions. And perhaps there is an irony in having Angelica address that line to Eliza, since it was Hamilton and Angelicaand not Eliza at allwho were most intent on being highfliers. Hamilton was dead by 1804, and Angelica 10 years later. Vaill says she sees Angelica herself as a tragic figure, a woman who aspired to have political power in the world of European salons, failed in her bungled effort to get Lafayette out of jail after the French Revolution, and never could have the man she loved. Although she made flirtatious connections with Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, the Prince of Wales, and others, she was never as influential as she hoped to be. Vaill calls firstborn Angelica an alpha female who adored her younger sister but wondered, Howd she get him? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previous biographies of Hamilton end with his death in 1804. Chernow ends with a brief chapter devoted to Elizas life during her 50 years of widowhood, while Vaill makes her the focus of the 100-plus pages of Part 3. Chernow characterizes Eliza as a woman of towering strength, noting her dedicated work for an orphanage she co-founded as well as the Hamilton Free School, a no-tuition primary school not far from Elizas home in upper Manhattan that she established, and that was the first in the neighborhood for families who could not afford tuition. He regrets that due to the destruction of her own letters, historians could not tell a well-developed story about her, unlike other wives of the Founding Fathers, like Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, and Dolley Madison. But without Elizas devotion to compiling Hamiltons writings (and, eventually, her race against time to interview his peers before they died), his own designation as a Founding Father might not have been guaranteed, especially since the phrase wouldnt even be coined until the 20th century, and is therefore based entirely on the posthumous reputations of those so designated. Advertisement Hamilton was so in disfavor when he died that he was just in the wilderness, says Vaill. Without Eliza, who in a way was his first biographer, he would have just been a blip on the radar. She just insisted on his primacy, insisted on it!lobbying Congress till it purchased a good many of his papers for the Library of Congress and pushing her son John Church Hamilton to write the biography, a work not completed till after her death. Vaill also notes that Eliza never remarried and wore black widows weeds for the rest of her life, a choice not customary in early 19th-century America, where most widows moved toward everyday dress within two years. Underneath her outfit, in a little bag next to her skin, Vaill says, she wore his little poem, a love sonnet hed written her during their courtship. And I dont think Ive ever said this in so many words, but I did think to myself that once Hamilton was dead, she had him to herself. Nobody would get to come between her and him ever again. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Why are U.S. Special Forces sinking boats in the Caribbeanseven vessels to date, killing 32 people onboard? Is it part of the war on drugs? Were the boats ferrying deadly drugs to our shores? Is this prelude, whether justified or contrived, to a regime-change war against Venezuelaand now, possibly, Colombia? These questions are hard to answer, in part because the Trump administration has furnished so few details about the operations and no evidence supporting its fist-bumping claims. After the first sinking, on Sept. 3, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth crowed, 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 going to meet the same fate. What other person in Hegseths position has ever talked like this, especially in describing the rather effortless action of a superpower with a $1 trillion military budget going up against a small boat that didnt get off a single shot, if it was armed to begin with? But quite apart from his juvenile braggadocio, neither Hegseth nor anyone else offered the slightest evidence that the boat was carrying drugs. Even if it was, that doesnt make them terrorists, in the same sense as ISIS or al-Qaida (Hegseth likened them explicitly) or justify killing them. Many retired officers, including military lawyers, have said that there is no legal justification or tactical need to do what the administration has done seven times now. Even if these were drug smugglers, and even if they were carrying illicit narcotics to American shores (another uncertainty), international law draws a clear line between criminals and terrorists, which, in order to justify the use of deadly force, have to be part of an organized armed group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A telling fact, unmentioned by the administration (and unreported by most news media): A couple of weeks after the first boat-bombing, the U.S. Coast Guard seized the largest haul of narcotics in its history76,140 pounds, having a value of $473 million, enough to supply 23 million lethal dosesin 19 interdictions in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The Coast Guard did this not by blasting the drug boats, but in the usual wayhalting the boats, boarding them, seizing the drugs, and arresting the smugglers. In 2022, the most recent year for which there is complete data, the Coast Guard seized 105 tons of illegal narcotics in this way. By any measure, the seven boats, even if they were loaded to the brim with drugs (and they may well have been), are small potatoes by comparison. As he often does, Trump exaggerates the effect of his boat-sinking operation, saying that each boat had enough fentanyl onboard to kill 25,000 Americans, so if three or 11 Venezuelans were killed in the process, the trade-off is worth it. Actually, very little fentanyl comes from Venezuela, but lets say all of it does. Trumps math still makes no sense. About 80,000 Americans died in 2023 from overdose of opioids (mainly fentanyl). If Trumps claim were true, sinking three boats solves our drug epidemicbut of course it still exists. Advertisement Advertisement Theres another sign that the administration is playing loose with the facts. In the Pentagons latest bombing of an alleged drug-smuggling boat, two of the people onboard were rescued, briefly detained, then extradited to their home countries. This incident raises some interesting questions. First, if the captured men really were drug smugglers, certainly if they were terrorists, the standard practice would have been to arrest them, and maybe send them to Guantanamo Bay or some other military prison. In this case, even a mediocre defense lawyer could have kept them out of jail, and probably even evaded a trial, because there was no evidence that they were drug smugglers; the evidence was on the boat, which (in Hegseths language) had been smoked to the bottom of the sea. Advertisement Once they get home, they will of course spread the news far and wide that they were just poor fishermen bombed or shelled by reckless American imperialists. In fact, they, as well as relatives of some of those killed, are claiming (truthfully or not) just that. Advertisement Second, and more intriguing still: Who rescued these guys? Was it someone from Special Forces or the Navy or a Coast Guard vessel that happened to be nearby? Certainly the good Samaritans must have known the two boatmen were not going to be put on trial, owing to lack of evidence. Was the rescue meant to demonstrate that somethings not quite right about this whole boat-bombing enterprise? Does it reflect a schism within the military over its propriety? Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Why Couldnt Biden Get the Results Trump Just Did in the Middle East? Read More It is worth noting, in this context, that Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, which runs all military operations in that region (including the Caribbean), stepped down last week, after just one year on the jobthe only time in recent memory that any flag officer has quit a command post so soon. A retired admiral, who is plugged in to ongoing activities, told me on background that Holsey had raised questions to top Pentagon officials about the legality of the boat-sinkings. Advertisement Was Holsey fired for raising those questions? Did he resign in quiet protest rather than follow orders that he saw as unlawful? The Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee want to call Holsey to testify; they need a couple of Republicans to support the effort. Will Trump, Hegseth, and House Speaker Mike Johnson block the move? Watch that space. Then again, maybe its a coincidence. Maybe Holsey, who is Black, was canned because Hegseth figured hed been promoted because of DEI. (It wouldnt be the first time.) Advertisement These operations may have less to do with stopping drugs than with laying the groundwork for a war against Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Trump has pretty much acknowledged that such a war has begun, admitting to reporters that the CIA is conducting covert operations against his regimethough admitting this publicly sort of takes the c out of covert. Advertisement Advertisement Lets be clear. Maduro is worth overthrowing. He is a brutal dictator. He at least condones, if not actively runs, drug-running operations. More to the point, he mounted a coup to retain political power after he was clearly defeated in an election. (The real winner, and now the leader of the democratic opposition, Maria Corina Machado, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her courage and integrity. She publicly supports regime-change efforts and has praised Trump for leading the way.) Still, if the idea of the mission is to restore law, order, and democracy, it should be done in orderly ways. (Even CIA covert operations have oversight procedures through the House and Senate leaders and the top members of the Select Committees on Intelligence.) Turning the Caribbean into a free-fire zone, smoking boats that might be carrying drugs (or doing so without revealing the evidence to that effect), and citing the need to halt drug smuggling (an electorally appealing issue) as an excuse to start a war, without explaining why such a war is in our national interestthis is the sort of prelude that leads up to a very bad war. Advertisement Maduro is mobilizing his reserves to stave off an American invasion. He says that millions of Venezuelans are prepared for the fightwhich is no doubt an exaggeration, but warning cries of an imminent foreign invasion are a familiar way for unpopular tyrants to shore up domestic support. And Maduro isnt crying wolf. Besides acknowledging a CIA covert operation afoot, Trump has casually raised the possibility that he might indeed strike Venezuela by land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is still pissed that he didnt win the Nobel Peace Prize. He has complained about the loss to everybody hes talked to latelyto the crowd of senior officers, to the Israeli Knesset, on his phone call with Vladimir Putin, his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky. If he wants to know why he lost, he should read the transcripts of what hes been saying latelyabout Venezuela, Colombia, and, while hes at it, Portland and Chicago. A peacemaker, which is what he says he wants to be, doesnt talk so volubly and casually about making war, especially unnecessary warswars whose issues could be settled in other ways. The following essay is adapted from Master Plan, a new book by David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher based on their award-winning podcast. When the Supreme Court issued its 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, the floodgates opened for unlimited corporate and dark money to pour into American elections. Billionaires could now bankroll candidates anonymously. Super PACs flourished. And a once fringe conceptthat money is speech, and corporations are peoplebecame enshrined in constitutional law. As Justice Anthony Kennedys legacy is cemented with fawning profiles timed to his new memoir, Life, Law & Liberty, its worth recalling his role authoring the decision that devastated American democracy. Anthony Kennedys story begins in mid-20th-century Sacramento, California, a city that resembled the fictional Hill Valley from Back to the Futurebustling, idyllic, and full of white picket fences. But beneath its charm lay Californias version of a political swamp. As the state capital, Sacramento teemed with lobbyists, politicians, and a steady flow of money greasing deals over everything from water to redevelopment. Kennedys father was at the center of this world. A powerful lawyer and lobbyist, he ran a thriving business of influence-peddling focused on the state legislature. When Kennedys father died of a heart attack in 1963, 27-year-old Anthony took over the firm. In his early career as a lobbyist, Kennedy quickly earned a reputation for his skill in distributing campaign money to legislators on behalf of his clients. Among his contemporaries was Ed Meese, a recurring figure in the conservative movement and a close ally of a certain B-movie actor turned archconservative governor of California: Ronald Reagan. Gov. Reagan eventually recommended Kennedy to President Gerald Ford for a federal judgeship in 1975. At just 38 years old, Kennedy became the youngest federal appellate judge in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the bench, Kennedy quickly developed a reputation for being mild-mannered, polite, and pragmatic. While undeniably conservative, he leaned toward a libertarian philosophy that emphasized individual freedoms and preferred narrow, case-by-case decisions over sweeping ideological rulings. By the late 1980s, he was recognized as a leader of a conservative minority on the more liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Advertisement Then came 1987, when Justice Lewis Powell announced he was stepping down, setting off a political frenzy. His departure gave President Reagan the chance to nominate a new justice. After a pair of disastrous failed nominations, Reagan turned to a safe choice: his old Sacramento ally, Anthony Kennedy. Unlike Reagans other doomed picks, Robert Bork and Douglas H. Ginsburg, Kennedys nomination was controversy-free. He was widely seen as the nice guy alternative to Borks combative demeanor and Ginsburgs youthful indiscretions. Even Kennedys past as a lobbyist in Sacramento didnt raise red flags. This time, Senate Democrats offered no resistance. Kennedy was unanimously confirmed on Feb. 3, 1988. When Kennedy joined the Supreme Court, he began to carve out a moderate profile, particularly on social issues. In 1992, he co-authored the majority opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe v. Wade while allowing for certain abortion restrictions. The ruling cemented Kennedys image as a centrist willing to straddle ideological lines. Advertisement Advertisement But all the while, Kennedy was sending subtle signals to those working to implement the vision laid out in the infamous Powell Memo. In 1990, he dissented in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, a case that upheld a state law barring corporations from using treasury funds to support political campaigns. Kennedy argued against such restrictions, framing them as an infringement on free speech. He also voted to allow political parties to make unlimited expenditures on behalf of their congressional candidates, so long as they didnt coordinate directly with those campaigns. Later, he dissented in the case that upheld provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. Advertisement For most of his first 17 years on the court, however, Kennedy kept a relatively low profile. But his quiet presence on the bench took on seismic importance when Sandra Day OConnor and William Rehnquist were replaced by John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Advertisement Suddenly, Anthony Kennedy found himself in a uniquely powerful position. With four liberal justices and four solid conservatives, Kennedys vote became the swing vote, capable of deciding the most contentious issues of the day. By the late 2000s, the media had fully embraced Kennedys role as the courts kingmaker. News reports highlighted him as the swing vote in a divided court, as a moderate conservative whose votes on high-stakes cases are close to impossible to predict, and the man in the middle, the right-leaning justice who often swings left on some of the most hot-button cases. Advertisement Advertisement For many liberals, Kennedys rulings with liberal justices on LGBTQ+ issues, habeas corpus, and abortion rights seemed like a bulwark against the court swinging too far to the right. Conservative legal strategists like James Bopp Jr. knew better. The small-town lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, launched a legal blitz on the issue of campaign finance, filing dozens of lawsuits in state and federal courts. Some failed. But each case was a potential stepping stone, a way to test arguments, refine tactics, and nudge the judiciary closer to his vision of deregulated campaign spending. And his eyes never strayed from the ultimate prize: the Supreme Court. Advertisement Bopp knew his cases wouldnt matter unless they reached the right court at the right time. One justice in particular became the focus of Bopps attention: Anthony Kennedy. Crucially, Kennedy held strongly personal beliefs about the First Amendment, viewing it as a near-sacred pillar of individual freedom. As with any case before the Supreme Court, winning wasnt just about knowing the lawit was about knowing your audience. Bopp recognized that if he could craft the right case, one that appealed to Kennedys First Amendment absolutism, there was a real chance to rewrite the rules of American democracy. Advertisement Advertisement For Bopp, this opportunity came in the form of a case that he described as absolutely critical: Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life. Heard by the Supreme Court just after John Roberts and Samuel Alito joined the bench, it presented the perfect moment for Bopp to test the inclinations of the new conservative majorityand Kennedy, the pivotal swing vote. Advertisement In 2004, the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Right to Life had contacted Bopp with a dilemma. They wanted to pressure Wisconsins two Democratic senators not to filibuster judicial nominees during an upcoming confirmation vote. One of those senators, Russ Feingoldthe coauthor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance lawwas particularly vulnerable, as he was up for reelection that year. To apply pressure, Wisconsin Right to Life began airing TV ads stating that There are a lot of judicial nominees out there who cant go to work, and urging viewers to Contact Senators Feingold and Kohl and tell them to oppose the filibuster. These ads fell within the blackout period imposed by McCain-Feingold, which prohibited certain types of election-related advocacy within 60 days of a general election. Because the ads named Sen. Feingold, they were considered electioneering and thus subject to regulation under the law. Bopp filed a lawsuit arguing that these restrictions violated free speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate The Supreme Courts Arrogance Is Creating Surprising Problems for Trump Read More The case reached the Supreme Court, and on April 25, 2007, Bopp argued before a bench now including Roberts and Alito. The central issue was whether the Wisconsin Right to Life ads constituted legitimate issue advocacy or covert electioneering. Justice John Paul Stevens pressed Bopp on whether the ads were genuinely intended to influence Sen. Feingolds stance on filibusters. Bopp confirmed that this was the case, explaining that the purpose of the ads was to lobby the senator ahead of the upcoming vote. Stevens, unconvinced, asked if such an effort was realistic. Bopp insisted it was. Grassroots lobbying can change minds, he said. At this point, Anthony Kennedy interjected: Is that called democracy? Advertisement We are hopeful, Your Honor, Bopp responded. With Kennedy as the key swing vote, the courts conservative majority ultimately sided with Bopp. The narrow ruling held that Wisconsin Right to Lifes ads did not constitute express political advocacy because they didnt explicitly tell viewers to vote for or against a candidate. This decision exempted the ads from McCain-Feingolds restrictions. Advertisement In plain terms, the Roberts court had overturned a significant portion of McCain-Feingold just four years after the Rehnquist court had upheld it. For Bopp, the case was a critical victorynot just because it struck a blow to McCain-Feingold, but because it provided insight into the Roberts courts leanings on campaign finance. It also revealed something important: a concurrence penned by archconservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who argued that the court should have gone further and struck down McCain-Feingolds restrictions on unlimited corporate spending entirely. Advertisement Scalias concurrence was joined by Clarence Thomasunsurprising given his hard-line stance. But the third signature was the most intriguing. Anthony Kennedy, the former corporate lobbyist from Sacramento, had signed on. To Bopp, this was a flashing neon signal. Kennedy, like Lewis Powell decades earlier, could be swayed to go big. With the right case, Bopp believed, Kennedy could help deliver the conservative movements ultimate prize: the dismantling of decades of campaign finance restrictions in one fell swoop. The moment would come soon. Advertisement In 2007, Bopp got a call from conservative activist David Bossie, president of Citizens United, with a provocative proposition. Im working on a movie called Hillary: The Movie, Bossie told Bopp. Hillary Clinton, then a U.S. senator from New York, had recently announced her candidacy for president, and Bossie and his funders were eager to go on the attack. Advertisement Bossie wanted to broadcast the 90-minute smear infomercial before the 2008 primaries. The problem: McCain-Feingold barred corporations from funding election ads in the final weeks before an election. And he didnt want to disclose his donors. He asked Bopp to review the script and find a legal strategy to sidestep the rules. Advertisement Advertisement Bopp had a plan. Instead of waiting for the FEC to come after Bossie, Bopp filed a lawsuit preemptively, seeking a declaratory judgment that the film wasnt electioneering. As expected, the lower courts rejected the claim. But that gave Bopp what he wanted: a path to the Supreme Court. Advertisement As the case moved forward, Citizens United replaced Bopp with Ted Olson, a seasoned Supreme Court litigator. Olson framed the film as a documentary and cast the case as a First Amendment battle. Olson portrayed Hillary: The Movie as a piece of documentary journalism rather than a blatant political ad. He argued that the McCain-Feingold Act wasnt designed to restrict films distributed through video-on-demand services and that the government couldnt prove the movie posed any threat of corruption. Justice David Souter wasnt convinced. Reading a series of quotes from the film, he pressed Olson: Doesnt this one fall into campaign advocacy? The conservative justices, however, had a different agenda. Kennedy floated increasingly abstract hypotheticals, asking whether restrictions could apply to books or satellite-transmitted e-books. The governments lawyer tried to redirect the conversation back to the questions at handwhether corporations could anonymously funnel money from their coffers into election communications without restriction. But the conservative justices had already reframed the debate as a First Amendment question over book banning. Advertisement Advertisement This wasnt the case Bopp had initially crafted, nor the arguments Olson presented, but it was exactly what the master planners on the court needed: a platform to begin dismantling campaign finance laws under the guise of defending free speech. Advertisement After an hour of increasingly esoteric questions and hypothetical scenarios, oral arguments concluded. Chief Justice Roberts began drafting a narrow opinion that would grant Citizens United a win on narrow statutory grounds. However, Kennedy, never one to shy away from sweeping declarations, circulated a much broader decisiona blueprint to overturn Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and McConnell v. FEC, landmark rulings that had previously upheld limits on corporate political spending. It was Kennedys draft that changed everything. According to court watchers, Roberts was so taken with it that he scrapped his own opinion and let Kennedy write the majority. This would not be a minor clarification of McCain-Feingold. It would blow a giant hole that big-money donors could flow through. Advertisement Justice David Souter was reportedly furious. He had begun drafting a blistering dissent, calling out the majority for effectively inventing a new question in order to issue a sweeping decision that went far beyond the scope of the case. But before his dissent could see the light of day, Souter announced his retirement from the court. Advertisement Advertisement What happened next shocked even veteran court observers. Rather than issuing a decision, Roberts hit pause. He ordered a rare reargument and instructed lawyers from both sides to submit new briefs addressing completely different constitutional question: Did corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited money in elections, so long as the spending was independent and not directly coordinated with candidates? By signaling its intent to tackle such sweeping issues, the court was positioning itself to deliver a truly transformative decision. When the court reconvened in September 2009, Justice Sonia Sotomayor had replaced Souter. Olson returned to the lectern with a new brief and a broader argument. Advertisement It was no longer about Hillary: The Movie. Instead, it was about whether corporations had a fundamental right to spend unlimited money on elections. Advertisement The governments attorney tried to keep the case grounded: This was about a film funded by undisclosed donors, aired during a federal campaign. But the conservative majority was already down the rabbit hole, spinning hypotheticals about book banning and free speech. Advocates for reform warned that a decision for Citizens United would essentially turn American democracy into a corporate free-for-all. Public officials would become de facto employees of their largest donors, and elections would be determined by who could spend the most money. The question loomed: Was the Roberts court radical enough to go that far? On Jan. 21, 2010, Justice Anthony Kennedy provided the answer. Political speech is indispensable to decision making in a democracy, he wrote, and this is no less true because the speech comes from a corporation rather than an individual. Advertisement Advertisement But the opinion went even further: Only quid pro quo corruption counted as real corruption. According to Kennedy, access and other forms of political influencelike the kind Kennedy himself had facilitated as a young lobbyist in Sacramentowere not corrupt. It was the most radical redefinition of political corruption in modern history. And it came in a case that hadnt even asked that question. In the 2010 midterms, dark money groups spent $134 million, a 427 percent increase from the previous cycle. By 2024, campaign spending had reached nearly $18 billion. Today, the logic of Citizens United so permeates American politics its easy to forget it wasnt always this way. Lawmakers now treat chasingor dodgingbillionaire-funded super PACs as a core part of their job. Disclosure laws are eroding. And in the term that started this month, the Roberts court is set to weigh a case that could erase one of the last remaining guardrails. Advertisement Kennedys new memoir may celebrate a life of moderation and pragmatism, but his most defining act is the radical and delusional Citizens United opinion, in which he unironically asserted that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption and insisted that the appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy. That ruling was the culmination of a decadeslong plot to turn elections into auctions, and transform political discourse into a one-way monologue by those wealthy enough to buy a megaphone to drown out the rest of us. The story of how corruption became legal in America isnt just about memos, movements, and legal strategies. Its also about seemingly technical moments inside the chamber, when a single justice fused his maximalist vision of free speech to the raw power of cold, hard cash. Kennedy is now trying to shape his legacy on his own terms, and he says hes worried about the survival of democracybut democracy is in crisis in no small part because of the decision he authored. Stefan Dennis has withdrawn from Strictly Come Dancing due to injury. Stefan Dennis has withdrawn from the show The 66-year-old actor - who is best known for playing Paul Robinson in Neighbours - has been forced to withdraw from the BBC show after tearing a calf muscle. Stefan - who was partnered with Strictly professional Dianne Buswell - said in a statement: "This morning I woke up to the most disappointing day of the time in my Strictly journey. "Just when I had finally gained the confidence to do well with my dancing in the comp and achieve more great dances along the way, I was told that on Saturday I had torn my calf so significantly that I am now forced to withdraw from the show. "I cant tell you how devastated I am to have to leave so prematurely especially, as there has been, and still is, so much love and support from everyone for both Dianne and myself. "I owe both the Strictly family and Dianne a massive debt of gratitude for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dream of being able to dance with my wife. (When my leg is better)." Sarah James, the executive producer of BBC Studios, has also expressed her disappointment for Stefan. She said: "We've adored having Stefan on Strictly Come Dancing, and are heartbroken that his Strictly journey - and his fantastic partnership with Dianne Buswell - has been cut short. "It's been a joy to see him embrace the series with such enthusiasm and we really hope that, once better, he will keep dancing." Stefan was forced to miss Movie Week due to illness, and he only resumed training last week. The actor said in a clip before his return to the show: "Hi everyone, just want to say thank you very much for all your support and well wishes while I was away last week. "We're back in the training room, aren't we, and if all goes well - which it will - I'm going to be back on the floor with the lovely Dianne this Saturday." The John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes started a four-card run at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Monday, Oct. 20 with the eight stakes classes divided into two events each day, and each one named after a champion associated with the U.S. Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, the stakes youngsters coming out for two $64,718 divisions of the Bret Hanover for freshman colt pacers and three $42,254 divisions of the Elma for sophomore trotting fillies were greeted by cool weather and a sloppy track, eliminating chances for a fast mile. Yet three favourites and a second choice won in the Simpson action. In the first division of the Bret Hanover, the Stay Hungry-Tempest Blue Chip gelding Thai Hanover was made the favourite after going 1:20.4 in a recent Lexington stakes and missing just a length in a 1:48.4 mile. Thai Hanover (pictured above) justified the crowds faith by getting the lead in a blink of an eye and maintaining control of the proceedings to the wire, winning in 1:55.2 by 1-1/4 lengths over Easy Breeze for driver Jeremy Indof and trainer Mitchell York, co-owner with Erin York. Poconos leading driver Tyler Buter kept his cool behind the Captaintreacherous-Sweet Lucy Lou colt Treacherous Lou, and the rookie came up the inside to win the other Bret Hanover division in 1:57.3. Treacherous Lou, the second choice, was sitting in the pocket behind favourite Superchamp Hanover on the far turn when that one made a break, pushing Treacherous Lou inside the pylons and the rest of the field wide. Buter got the horse back on course, though fourth at headstretch, but the winner had enough recovery kick to defeat 60-1 outsider Whiskey Venom by a length for trainer Robert Cleary and Royal Wire Products Inc. The quickest winner in the three divisions of the Elma was the Southwind Frank miss Hangover, who left strongly and forced tucks, rated the middle half, then drew clear for an easy 1:57.1 success as the punters choice. Trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt is also the co-owner of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner with Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing Stable, Little E LLC and Rivers Stable. The International Moni filly Country Victory set the pace as the favourite in her division, opened up a good margin around the far turn, then tired some but had taken enough of a lead to keep steady grinder Truly Authentic a half length behind her at the wire in 1:58. A Keystone Classic divisional winner and second in the Jugette, Country Victory was driven by Jason Bartlett for trainer Melvin Schmucker and Yacht Club 140 LLC. My Debt Collecter, a millionaire New York champion, was made the odds-on choice in her cut despite the outside post six, and with many leaving inside, she had to take back to last early. Jersey Slide was pointed frontward from the start by driver Jordan Stratton, and though it took her three-eighths to clear, she never surrendered the lead with a strong front-end effort. My Debt Collector, 6-3/4 lengths back at the three-quarters behind the runaway, closed steadily but came up three-quarters of a length short in a 1:57.3 race. The familiar combination of trainer Jim Campbell and Runthetable Stables are the connections of Jersey Slide, who is a daughter of Muscle Hill. The French horseman Alexis Collette, a winner of 500 races on the other side of Atlantic including nearly one-third of them to saddle (monte), made his U.S. debut in an overnight race, guiding the longest shot on the board, Mrstery Deal. But Collette followed second-over behind favoured Choco Charlie, then sliced through a narrow opening inside of Charlie and was hustled along to a neck victory. Tyler Buter had four winners on the afternoon; besides his nifty handling of Treacherous Lou in the stakes, three times he brushed strongly down the backstretch to a lead nobody could surmount. Ake Svanstedt had the only training double; besides his stakes win with Hangover, he also won with Warrior, who handed Super Chapter a defeat at Lexington two starts back. As noted, Simpson Stakes continue on Tuesdays 1 p.m. card, and then on the following Saturday and Mondays programs at 1 p.m. Tuesdays racing will feature three $30,000 USD divisions of the Super Bowl for two-year-old trotting colts and a similar turnout for the Hardie Hanover three-year-old pacing filly event. (With files from PHHA/Pocono Downs) Owner Daniel Plouffe of Bromont, Que. has informed Trot Insider that his horse of a lifetime, the winner of the 1999 Pacing Triple Crown, Blissfull Hall, has passed away at the age of 29. Plouffe said that since his champion finished his breeding career, the horse has lived a wonderful retirement at Bona Terra Farms near Lexington, Kentucky. "Unfortunately, due to health conditions, and to preserve him from suffering, we had to make the very sad decision to put him down," said a sorrowful Plouffe. "He gave us so many thrills, as both a racehorse and as a sire... so many wonderful memories." Developed and trained by Canadian Hall of Famer Ben Wallace throughout his entire 31-start career, the son of Cambest-Hundred Kisses, bred in Kentucky by Walnut Hall Limited, won four of eight starts as a freshman, all with Rick Zeron in the bike, and took his two-year-old mark of 1:53.2 while capturing the $100,000 consolation of the Metro Pace. He finished that year with a close third-place finish to The Panderosa, at The Red Mile, pacing his own mile in 1:52. It was at age three that the colt made all of North America take notice, however. After blazing home in :25.2 to upset The Panderosa in his Meadowlands Pace elimination, at odds of 27-1, Blissfull Hall and Dan Dube suffered a blocked trip and finished seventh in the final. After that, however, the star pacer never missed the top three again, winning 13 of his final 19 career starts along the way. It was his 3 1/2-length romp in the Messenger Stakes, on Oct. 16, 1999 at The Meadows, for his regular driver Ron Pierce, that made Blissfull Hall the Triple Crown winner, but arguably, it was his race-off victory in the 1999 Little Brown Jug that he'll be remembered for by most. After easily winning his first heat, despite being parked past the quarter in :26.3 from post position seven, he got pushed to three-quarters in 1:22.2 in the second heat and faded to third. Thus the race-off. Lined up beside Looking For Art, Mystical Shark and Royalfush Hanover, Pierce got away in third, and allowed Mystical Shark to cut leisurely fractions, while he followed Royalfush Hanover second-over. Tipping three-wide approaching the last turn, Pierce and Blissfull Hall blew by their foes with a memorable rush, and paced home in :26.3 to easily capture The Jug. Blissfull Hall was retired to stud just over two months later, with a stat line of 31-19-4-6, good for $1,468,648 in earnings and a three-year-old mark of 1:49.2, taken while winning the $238,000 American National at Balmoral Park. He was named Canada's 1999 Horse of the Year. As a stallion, Blissfull Hall has sired 643 winners to $76.9 million in earnings, and 19 with marks of 1:50 or better, with millionaires Marnie Hall p,1:49 ($1,236,585) and Camelot Hall p,1:49 ($1,024,929) leading the way. A $47,000 yearling purchase from the Tattersalls Sale in Kentucky, Blissfull Hall was a 2018 inductee into Canada's Horse Racing Hall of Fame. When interviewed for his Hall of Fame bio, trainer Ben Wallace was asked for one word to best describe the horse. Wallace paused briefly before he gave his answer. Complete, he said. There was nothing lacking. I always look back and I know that he was bought right, he was owned right, he was trained right and he was driven right. It was a situation where we all had a little bit to do, but he made it a lot easier for all of us. It worked out great. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Blissfull Hall. (Standardbred Canada) 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: Trends in multimodal AI research (20192024) and the dominance of vision and language. Credit: Nature Machine Intelligence (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-025-01116-5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-025-01116-5 A new "blueprint" for building AI that highlights how the technology can learn from different kinds of databeyond vision and languageto make it more deployable in the real world, has been developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield and the Alan Turing Institute. The framework, which can act like a guide in how to create and deploy AI, could make the technology more practical, ethical and effective in solving real-world problems. Published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, the framework is a roadmap for building multimodal AIsystems that learn from different types of data such as text, images, sound, and sensor readings. AI typically learns from one type of information, such as text or images, but these more advanced multimodal AI systems integrate different data sources to form a more complete picture of the world. However, despite these advantages, the study has found that most multimodal AI systems and research are still mainly learning from vision and language data, which the researchers say limits its ability and potential to tackle complex challenges that require broader data. For example, combining visual, sensor and environmental data could help self-driving cars perform more safely in complex conditions, while integrating medical, clinical and genomic data could make AI tools more accurate at diagnosing diseases and supporting drug discovery. The new framework could be used by both developers in industry and researchers in academia, particularly in light of findings showing that 88.9% of papers featuring AI that draw on exactly two different types of data posted on arXiva leading open repository for computer-science preprintsin 2024 involved vision or language data. Professor Haiping Lu, who led the study from the University of Sheffield's School of Computer Science and Center for Machine Intelligence, said, "AI has made great progress in vision and language, but the real world is far richer and more complex. To address global challenges like pandemics, sustainable energy, and climate change, we need multimodal AI that integrates broader types of data and expertise. "The study provides a deployment blueprint for AI that works beyond the labfocusing on safety, reliability, and real-world usefulness." The research illustrates the new approach through three real-world use casespandemic response, self-driving car design, and climate change adaptationbringing together 48 contributors from 22 institutions across the U.K. and worldwide. Dr. Louisa van Zeeland, Research Lead at the Alan Turing Institute, said, "By integrating and modeling large, diverse sets of data through multimodal AI, our work together with Turing collaborators is setting a new standard for environmental forecasting. This sophisticated approach enables us to generate predictions over various spatial and temporal scales, driving real-world results in areas from Arctic conservation to agricultural resilience." 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: Discrimination of the cause of incidents reported in hydrogen facilities in the HIAD 2.0 database up until 2024. Credit: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.151155 Hydrogen is often touted as a clean, carbon-free energy carrier that could help decarbonize industry and transportation. Yet the very properties that make it efficient and lightweight also make it uniquely tricky to handle safely. A new study published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy by researchers at NYU Tandon and University College London takes a systematic look at what truly makes hydrogen accidents different from conventional industrial failures, and what that means for safety and regulation. By analyzing more than 700 incidents in the Hydrogen Incidents and Accidents Database (HIAD 2.0), the team found that 59% of mishaps involving hydrogen stem from the same sorts of issues that plague other energy systems: design flaws, mechanical failures, and human error. Only 15% can be directly traced to the intrinsic properties of hydrogen itself, such as its high diffusivity, low ignition energy, or ability to degrade metals from within. The remaining cases lacked enough detail to tell one way or another. "Of course, in the case of hydrogen, the consequences of a fire or an explosion can be a lot more severe due to the unique combustion properties of this gas. But when looking at the root cause of an incident, hydrogen is not inherently more dangerous than other flammable gases used in industry," says lead author Augustin Guibaud, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. "However, the way it interacts with materials and the environment is fundamentally different. The danger comes from misunderstanding those differences." Those differences arise from hydrogen's atomic scale. Its extremely small molecules slip through metal lattices where larger gases like methane cannot, leading to subtle but serious material failures. The study details several such mechanisms: hydrogen embrittlement, which weakens metals by disrupting atomic bonds; hydrogen-induced cracking, in which pressurized gas accumulates inside tiny voids until the material bursts; and high-temperature hydrogen attack, where hydrogen reacts with carbon in steel to form methane, eroding its structure. Other hazards include hydrogen-assisted corrosion and the effects of storing the gas at pressures up to 700 bardozens of times higher than those used for natural gas. These microscopic processes have huge consequences. The 2019 explosion at a hydrogen refueling station in Sandvika, Norway, for example, stemmed from a faulty high-pressure component rather than combustion chemistry, but it underscored how even small mechanical flaws can escalate quickly under hydrogen service conditions. Guibaud, who is also a member of the Center for Urban Science + Progress, notes that the goal of the research is not to minimize hydrogen's risks but to clarify them. "Our findings also highlight where traditional safety practices fail to capture hydrogen's unique behavior. If we can distinguish between what is general and what is hydrogen-specific, we can focus regulation and design standards on the right problems." That distinction, the authors argue, is essential as hydrogen infrastructure expands beyond controlled industrial sites into urban fueling stations, residential heating, and renewable power storage. Current regulations, they point out, often apply "one-size-fits-all" safety distances or design codes that lack a strong scientific basis. Overly cautious rules can slow deployment and raise costs, while overly permissive ones can leave gaps in protection. Instead, the researchers advocate for risk-informed, evidence-based safety standards grounded in hydrogen's particular chemistry and physics. They also call for improved data collection and international coordination, noting that the hydrogen industry today lacks the tools to improve systematic data collection and transparency. "The challenge," says Guibaud, "isn't just preventing accidentsit's learning from them fast enough to guide a rapidly changing energy landscape." As hydrogen moves from the lab to the mainstream, knowing which failures are truly "hydrogen failures" may prove as vital as the technology itself. More information: Yutao Li et al, Differentiating hydrogen-driven hazards from conventional failure modes in hydrogen infrastructure, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.151155 Journal information: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 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: A Venmo mobile app shows it is not available during the Amazon Web Services outage, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Chicago. Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato Amazon says a massive outage of its cloud computing service has been resolved as of Monday evening, after a problem disrupted internet use around the world, taking down a broad range of online services, including social media, gaming, food delivery, streaming and financial platforms. The all-day disruption and the ensuing exasperation it caused served as the latest reminder that 21st century society is increasingly dependent on just a handful of companies for much of its internet technology, which seems to work reliably until it suddenly breaks down. About three hours after the outage began early Monday morning, Amazon Web Services said it was starting to recover, but it wasn't until 6 p.m. Eastern that "services returned to normal operations," Amazon said on its AWS health website, where it tracks outages. AWS provides behind-the-scenes cloud computing infrastructure to some of the world's biggest organizations. Its customers include government departments, universities and businesses, including The Associated Press. Cybersecurity expert Mike Chapple said "a slow and bumpy recovery process" is "entirely normal." As engineers roll out fixes across the cloud computing infrastructure, the process could trigger smaller disruptions, he said. "It's similar to what happens after a large-scale power outage: While a city's power is coming back online, neighborhoods may see intermittent glitches as crews finish the repairs," said Chapple, an information technology professor at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. A Hulu mobile app shows it is not available during the Amazon Web Services outage, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Chicago. Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato Amazon blames domain name system Amazon pinned the outage on issues related to its domain name system that converts web addresses into IP addresses, which are numeric designations that identify locations on the internet. Those addresses allow websites and apps to load on internet-connected devices. DownDetector, a website that tracks online outages, said in a Facebook post that it received over 11 million user reports of problems at more than 2,500 companies. Users reported trouble with the social media site Snapchat, the Roblox and Fortnite video games, the online broker Robinhood and the McDonald's app, as well as Netflix, Disney+ and many other services. The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and the Signal chat app both said on X that they were experiencing trouble related to the outage. Amazon's own services were also affected. Users of the company's Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa-powered smart speakers reported that they were not working, while others said they were unable to access the Amazon website or download books to their Kindle. Many college and K-12 students were unable to submit or access their homework or course materials Monday because the AWS outage knocked out Canvas, a widely used educational platform. A Hulu mobile app shows it is not available during the Amazon Web Services outage, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Chicago. Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato "I currently can't grade any online assignments, and my students can't access their online materials" because of the outage's effect on learning-management systems, said Damien P. Williams, a professor of philosophy and data science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The exact number of schools impacted was not immediately known, but Canvas says on its website it is used by 50% of college and university students in North America, including all Ivy League schools in the U.S. At the University of California, Riverside, students couldn't submit assignments, take quizzes or access course materials, and online instruction was limited, the campus said. Ohio State University informed its 70,000 students at all six campuses by email Monday morning that online course materials might be inaccessible due to the outage and that "students should connect with their instructors for any alternative plans." As of 7:10 p.m. Eastern, access was restored, the university told students. Record of past outages This is not the first time issues with Amazon cloud services have caused widespread disruptions. A Starbucks mobile app shows that the mobile ordering is unavailable during the Amazon Web Services outage, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Chicago. Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato Many popular internet services were affected by a brief outage in 2023. AWS's longest outage in recent history occurred in late 2021, when a wide range of companiesfrom airlines and auto dealerships to payment apps and video streaming serviceswere affected for more than five hours. Outages also happened in 2020 and 2017. The first signs of trouble emerged at around 3:11 a.m. Eastern time, when AWS reported on its "health dashboard" that it was "investigating increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services in the US-EAST-1 Region." Later, the company reported that there were "significant error rates" and that engineers were "actively working" on the problem. Around 6 a.m. Eastern time, the company reported seeing recovery across most of the affected services and said it was seeking a "full resolution." As of midday, AWS was still working to resolve the trouble. Sixty-four internal AWS services were affected, the company said. Just a few companies provide most internet infrastructure Because much of the world now relies on three or four companies to provide the underlying infrastructure of the internet, "when there's an issue like this, it can be really impactful" across many online services, said Patrick Burgess, a cybersecurity expert at U.K.-based BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. An AWS, Amazon Web Services, logo is displayed at LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference, in Menlo Park, Calif., Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File "The world now runs on the cloud," Burgess said. And because so much of the online world's plumbing is underpinned by so few companies, when something goes wrong, "it's very difficult for users to pinpoint what is happening because we don't see Amazon, we just see Snapchat or Roblox," Burgess said. "The good news is that this kind of issue is usually relatively fast" to resolve, and there's no indication that it was caused by a cyberattack, Burgess said. "This looks like a good old-fashioned technology issue. Something's gone wrong, and it will be fixed by Amazon," he said. There are "well-established processes" to deal with outages at AWS, as well as rivals Google and Microsoft, Burgess said, adding that such outages are usually over in "hours rather than days." 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. 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: This figure illustrates the automated classification and placement system that integrates a capillary force gripper with machine learning. The left panel shows the system configuration, in which a liquid bridge is used for gripping sub-millimeter objects detected and classified by the trained model. The right panel presents the experimental results of automatic pick-and-place operations performed on four different categories of sub-millimeter objects (e.g., screws, capacitors, and glass beads). Credit: Yokohama National University Miniaturized electronics and intricate objects require a certain finesse. Researchers have looked into the development of a machine capable of these fine movements, while identifying and categorizing the objects using machine learning. Advances in technology have led to the miniaturization of many mechanical, electronic, chemical and biomedical products, and with that, an evolution in the way these tiny components and parts are transported is necessary to follow. Friction-based or pneumatic-based mechanisms can be disruptive and damaging to small, complex-shaped and fragile objects, which is what most conventional microgrippers operate with. Researchers aimed to solve this problem by developing a pneumatic-free and frictionless system using machine learning-based object detection grippers powered by capillary force to handle picking up and placing tiny components and objects. These capillary force grippers can be useful in many fields aside from miniature electronics, such as geological microfossil classification, cell manipulation and the precise sorting of minuscule complex-shaped fragile components. Their research is published in the journal Advanced Intelligent Discovery. These results demonstrated success in the capillary force grippers using machine learning to classify objects; the machine learning that goes with the microgrippers reduces the workload that comes with categorizing and sorting sub-millimeter-sized objects. 60 objects in total, from four separate categories, were successfully handled with an average operation time of 86 seconds. Capillary force, which is the force that acts on an object and a liquid surface, comes into play with the microgrippers by using a liquid bridge. This technique uses a small volume of liquid to connect two surfaces. This works thanks to the surface tension of the liquid, which allows for the bridge effect to take place and allows for more delicate maneuvers of the grippers. In previous studies, only simple objects were used and none were smaller than a millimeter. Here, researchers challenge their capillary force microgrippers with complex shapes and sub-millimeter sizes. Delving into the droplet side of things, the results determined that the smaller the volume of liquid used, the better. Smaller droplets were shown to improve the stability of the grippers in addition to reducing placement error; this is because the smaller the droplet, the greater the capillary force is. "This study demonstrates that integrating capillary force grippers with machine learning enables an automatic classification and placement system for sub-millimeter-sized complex-shaped fragile objects," said Ohmi Fuchiwaki, associate professor at Yokohama National University and author of the study. Future work for this project includes further reducing task time, ideally by integrating electric heating wires for decreasing the placing time, and expanding what liquids are compatible with the device. Expanding liquid compatibility allows for more accessibility in the future for other tasks, such as microfossil classification or the manipulation of biological cells. "Ultimately, the goal is to establish a reliable automatic classification and placement technology for sub-millimeter-sized complex-shaped objects, with applications not only in geological, medical, and precision engineering fields but also in replicating traditional crafts such as diatom art, which have previously relied on manual work," said Fuchiwaki. These tools and accompanying research are important for the advancement of automated micromanipulation for complex tasks, which can be tedious, expensive and time-consuming when done manually or using conventional methods. Satoshi Ando, Naoto Watanabe, Chihiro Sekine, Shogen Sekiguchi and Ohmi Fuchiwaki of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Yokohama National University contributed to this research. More information: Satoshi Ando et al, Autonomous Machine LearningBased Classification and Arrangement of Submillimeter Objects Using a Capillary Force Gripper, Advanced Intelligent Discovery (2025). DOI: 10.1002/aidi.202500068 The top US envoys to the Middle East conflict arrived in Israel on Monday to inspect progress on the Gaza plan after weekend violence threatened to wreck the hard-won ceasefire. Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing in to Gaza for aid shipments, a security official and a humanitarian source said, after it was closed briefly on Sunday following the killing of two Israeli soldiers. In response, Israel carried out dozens of strikes targeting Hamas across Gaza, accusing the militant group of carrying out "a blatant violation" of the truce. But both sides insisted that they remained committed to the ceasefire and US President Donald Trump, who helped broker the deal, told reporters in Washington that as far as he was concerned, it was still in effect. "We want to make sure that it's going to be very peaceful with Hamas," Trump told reporters. "It's going to be handled toughly, but properly." Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Israel on Monday for further talks on the plan, a US embassy spokesperson confirmed to AFP. Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people across the territory on Sunday alone. Four hospitals in Gaza confirmed the death toll to AFP, while Israel's military said it was looking into the reports of casualties. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. The army said that, after carrying out air strikes in response to a deadly attack on its soldiers, it had "renewed enforcement of the ceasefire" late Sunday but vowed to "respond firmly to any violation of it". Hamas denied the accusations, and one official from the militant group accused Israel of fabricating "pretexts" to resume the war. The ceasefire, which began on October 10, halted more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The deal established the outline for hostage and prisoner exchanges, and proposed an ambitious roadmap for Gaza's future. But it has quickly faced challenges to its implementation. Palestinian witnesses told AFP clashes erupted in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel. Abdullah Abu Hasanin, 29, from Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza where Israel launched strikes, said: "The situation is as if the war has returned anew. "We had hoped the agreement would hold, but the occupation respects nothing -- not an agreement, not anything." He said he had rushed to the site of the bombing to help, adding: "The scene is indescribable. Blood has returned again." AFP images from Bureij showed Palestinians running for cover from the strikes, as well as the dead and wounded arriving at Deir al-Balah hospital, accompanied by grieving relatives. On Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance called on Gulf Arab countries to establish a "security infrastructure" to ensure that Hamas disarmed -- a key part of the peace deal. Under Trump's 20-point plan, Israeli forces have withdrawn beyond the so-called Yellow Line. Israeli troops have fired on Gazans "approaching" these positions several times since the ceasefire was declared, often with deadly results. On Monday, troops equipped with earth movers were lifting into place a line of yellow concrete blocks to mark this new frontier within Gaza, according to videos shared by the Israeli defence ministry. The withdrawal to the Yellow Line leaves Israeli forces in control of around half of Gaza, including the territory's borders but not its main cities. Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages and is in the process of returning the remaining bodies of those who have died. Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total number handed over to 150, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Israel has linked the reopening of the Rafah crossing -- the main gateway into Gaza from Egypt -- to the recovery of all of the deceased. Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies from under Gaza's rubble. The war, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,159 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible. The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. 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: A Hulu mobile app shows it is not available during the Amazon Web Services outage, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Chicago. Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato A major Amazon Web Services outage disrupted scores of online platforms on Mondayleaving people around the world unable to access some banks, chatting apps, online food ordering and more. History shows these kinds of system outages can be short-lived, and are often minor inconveniencessuch as placing a lunch order in person or waiting a few hours for a gaming platform to come back onlinethan long-term problems, but recovery can be a bumpy road. And for people trying to move money, communicate with loved ones or work using impacted services, disruptions are especially stressful. Consumers may not realize how many platforms they use rely on the same back-end technology. AWS is one of only a handful of major cloud service providers that businesses, governments, universities and other organizations rely on. Monday's outage is an important reminder of thatand experts stress it's important to diversify our online lives where we can, or even have some "old school" alternatives to turn to as a backup plan. "Don't put all your eggs in one digital basket," said Lee McKnight, an associate professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, noting these kinds of outages aren't going away anytime soon. So what, if anything, can you do to prepare for disruptions? Here are a few tips. Keep your money in more than one place During Monday's AWS disruptions, users on outage tracker Downdetector reported problems with platforms like Venmo and online broker Robinhood. Banks such as Halifax and Lloyds also said some of their services were temporarily affected, although some customers continued to report lingering issues. Even if short-lived, outages that impact online banking and other financial services can be among the most stressful, particularly if a consumer is waiting on a paycheck, trying to pay rent, checking on investment funds or making purchases. While much of your stress will depend on the scope and length of disruptions, experts say a good rule of thumb is to park your money in multiple places. "I'm a big fan of holding multiple accounts that can give us access, to some degree, of funds at any given time," said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate. This underlines the importance of having an emergency savings account, he explains, or other accounts separate from something like day-to-day checking account, for example. Keeping some cash in a safe place is also a good idea, he addsand emergency preparedness agencies similarly recommend having physical money on hand in case of a natural disaster or power failures. Still, it's important to keep hoarding in moderation. "We shouldn't go overboard, because we can lose cashit can be stolen or misplaced," Hamrick said. And in terms of prudent financial practices overall, he explains, you also don't want to have lots of money "stored under a mattress" if it could instead be earning interest in a bank. Depending on the scope of the outage, some other options could still be available. If digital banking apps are offline, for example, consumers may still be able to visit a branch in person, or call a representative over the phonealthough wait times during widespread disruptions are often longer. And if the disruptions are tied to a third-party cloud services provider, as seen with AWS on Monday, it's not always something a bank or other impacted business can fix on its own. Have backup communication channels Monday's AWS outage also impacted some communications platforms, including social media site Snapchat and messaging app Signal. In our ever-digitized world, people have become all the more reliant on online channels to call or chat with loved ones, communicate in the workplace and more. And while it can be easy to become accustomed to certain apps or platforms, experts note that outages serve as an important reminder to have backup plans in place. That could take the form of simply making sure you can reach those who you speak to regularly across different apps, again depending on the scope of disruption. If broader internet and cloud services that smartphones rely on are impacted, you may need to turn to more traditional phone calls and SMS text messages. SMS texting relies on "an older telecom infrastructure," McKnight explains. For that reason, he notes that it's important to have contacts for SMS texting up to date, "and not just the fancier and more fun services that we use day to day" in case of an emergency. Meanwhile, there can also be outages that specifically impact phone services. For non-cloud service outages in the past, impacted carriers have suggested users try Wi-Fi calling on both iPhones and Android devices. Save your work across multiple platformsand monitor service updates Overall, McKnight suggests "building out your own personal, multi-cloud strategy." For online work or projects, that could look like storing documents across multiple platformssuch as Google Drive, Dropbox and iCloud, McKnight explains. It's important to recognize potential security risks and make sure all of your accounts are secure, he adds, but "having some diversity in how you store information" could also reduce headaches when and if certain services are disrupted. Many businesses may also have their own workarounds or contingency plans in case the technology they use goes offline. While a wider recovery from Monday's outage is still largely reliant on Amazon's wider mitigation efforts, individual platforms' social media or online status pages may have updates or details about alternative operations. You can also check outage trackers like Downdetector to see if others are experiencing similar problems. Even after recovery, experts also suggest checking payments, online orders and messages you may have sent during or close to the outagein case something didn't go through. 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Actor Lee Joo-ahn disclosed the experience of giving up the greater part of his liver to rescue his mother on the October 18 episode of MBC variety show "Omniscient Interfering View," reports Maeil Business Newspaper. As reported by TenAsia, Lee made headlines when he showed up on the program shirtless, displaying a visible mark on his belly. On the show, he clarified, "It's a surgical scar from donating my liver to my mother." He remembered the early problems his mother had. "About eight years ago, my mother was suffering from cirrhosis. I was told my liver was slightly smaller than average. Of the three doctors at the time, one opposed the procedure, and my mother initially told me not to go through with it," Lee revealed. The Maeil Business Newspaper reported that, when Lee's mother's condition deteriorated, Lee chose to go ahead with the transplant. He stated, "Her illness progressed to liver cancer and she fell into a coma. The decision was in my hands, and I resolved to go ahead with the surgery, thinking, 'Let me return to my mother what came from her.'" Read more: Actor Lee Joo Ahn Reveals Military Exemption After Donating Liver to His Mother He also shared the emotional burden of the surgery. "I was far more worried about something happening to my mother than I was afraid of the surgery itself," he said, Lee attested that his mother has since made a complete recovery. Lee explained the risks and complications that he went through during the surgery. "I had 70 to 80% of my liver removed. Before the operation, the doctor warned me that I could die. Usually, the donor is discharged first, but on the night I was discharged, I had complications near my gallbladder and had to return to the emergency room. In the end, my mother was discharged before me and even visited me in the hospital," he said Looking back on the long-term impact, Lee added, "Although the liver is said to regenerate after donation, I feel its function has slightly diminished." Lee Joo-ahn's honest report brings to light the great physical and emotional costs of living organ donation. His experience has elicited widespread acclaim for his love of his mother and for his honesty regarding the difficulty of the transplant process. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar celebrated Divali at her Phillipine residence with her friends and family. We are hearing a lot about the 10% to be paid to public servants, but nothing is said about Amid the grief over the loss of Argentine artist Fede Dorcaz, his parents have taken on a new battle: securing the funds to repatriate his body from Mexico. The family has launched a campaign to raise 30,000 euros to cover the logistical, legal, and transportation costs of an international transfer. Fede Dorcaz, 29, was murdered on October 9 while driving his vehicle along the Periferico ring road in Mexico City. According to reports from the Ministry of Citizen Security, as reported by Infobae, his truck was intercepted by two motorcycles whose occupants opened fire on him. To date, no arrests have been made or definitive official versions of the motive for the crime. Some lines of investigation point to a direct attack, while other media outlets are considering the theory that the artist resisted an attempted robbery. Days after the murder, a theory emerged linking a video Dorcaz recorded and later deleted with the possible motive for the attack. This footage may have revived rumors about previous threats or a link to the artist's social media content. The artist's funeral was held in Mexico City on October 15. There, his closest friends said their goodbyes, and his mother demanded respect in the face of the rumors spreading online. But the mourning process also gave way to the harsh reality of the costs involved in repatriating his remains. Fede's parents, Eugenia and Walter, traveled from Spain to Mexico City to handle the arrangements in person. Given the urgency, friends of the artist created a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising 30,000 euros, an estimated amount that includes transportation of the body, funeral services, flights, lodging, and legal assistance between Mexico and Argentina. So far, they have raised more than 22,000 euros. This effort not only involves digital media mobilization, but also a public outcry for the artistic community, fans, and citizens to collaborate with donations and publicity. The completion of this transfer will be a symbolic act, an attempt to ensure that the artist is laid to rest in his homeland, as his parents, and he himself, had hoped. Meanwhile, the homicide investigation remains open in Mexico. Authorities are analyzing surveillance cameras that captured the moment leading up to the attack, with two motorcycles at the center of the scene. A coordinated attack has not been ruled out. The family faces the double challenge of grief and the financial cost of repatriating their son, a task they can hardly undertake alone. This case highlights the shortcomings of international mechanisms when it comes to tragedies that cross borders. But it also reveals the public power of solidarity that can emerge in the face of grief. PHOENIX Attorney General Kris Mayes wants more time to decide what she intends to do next in the currently stalled case against the fake electors in Arizona and their allies. In a new court filing Monday, Mayes told the Arizona Supreme Court she wont be ready with an answer by Wednesday. That is the deadline for her to decide whether to seek review of a lower court ruling that tossed out the indictments tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Most immediately, if Mayes does not meet the Wednesday deadline, that paves the way for the grand jury indictment to be dissolved and the charges dropped on all the remaining defendants. None of that would keep her from presenting evidence to a new grand jury and seeking new indictments. But given that it took more than two years to get the first charges approved, that presents logistical problems. The simplest thing, at least from the attorney generals perspective, would be if the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sam Myers got it wrong earlier this year when he tossed the indictment. Myers said grand jurors were not given access to an 1887 federal law. That law, he said, could be relevant to whether there was enough evidence to bring charges of forgery, fraud and conspiracy against not just the 11 Republicans who filed documents declaring that Trump had won the popular vote in Arizona he did not and was entitled to the states electoral votes, but also to indict others involved with Trump and his reelection campaign. The case either needs to be sent back to the grand jury or the charges dismissed, Myers said. Mayes is reviewing a third option: get the states high court to rule that Myers was wrong. That appears to be the position she is taking, calling the trial judges order erroneous. But in Mondays filing, the attorney general made it clear she hasnt quite made up her mind. The state is still considering whether to pursue a petition for review, her office wrote. And what she wants is more time until Nov. 21 to make a decision. Such an extension is not automatic. And, in asking for the extension, Mayes acknowledged that lawyers for several of the defendants are opposed. But Mayes told the justices this isnt an idle request. Counsel avows that this request is not being made for purposes of delay, and that an extension of time is indispensable to the interests of justice, she said. Whether Mayes will have any luck with the Supreme Court is debatable. She previously had asked the state Court of Appeals to overturn what Myers decided. But in a brief order last month, Presiding Judge Kent Cattani said he and two of his colleagues considered the request and decided not to step in. Whats behind the voided indictment is the Electoral Count Act of 1887. It specifically addresses the possibility of competing presidential electors from a state and how Congress must handle them. That is crucial because the defendants are claiming they were not trying to commit fraud by filing paperwork showing that Trump won even after the official results showed he lost to Joe Biden by 10,457 votes but that they were preparing an alternate slate of electors to send to Washington if a lawsuit overturned those results. There is no way to know whether providing that federal law to the grand jurors would have made any difference in their decision to indict the electors and others involved in the plan. But Myers said the jurors were entitled to that information. And since they did not get it, he ruled, the indictment is flawed. Even if Mayes gets the indictments reinstated whether through a Supreme Court ruling or taking the case to a new grand jury that still doesnt mean the case is ever going to court. Still undecided is whether the judge will toss the charges based on a different complaint by the defendants. They are citing the states strategic actions against public participation law. It specifically is designed to keep public officials from using the court to silence individuals because of their lawful exercise of a constitutional right. It allows defendants to seek immediate dismissal if they can prove the legal action against them was substantially motivated by a desire to deter, retaliate against or prevent the lawful exercise of a constitutional right. In this case, the defendants contend that Mayes, a Democrat, is going after them for their political views. Mayes has countered that the charges stem from filing false documents the certificates saying Trump won Arizona and theres nothing about that which is protected by the Constitution. Myers has deferred a ruling on that anti-SLAPP claim while there is an appeal of his ruling that the indictment is not valid. But he previously concluded that at least some of what is included in the indictment might be protected by the First Amendment. And that puts the issue front and center if the Supreme Court reinstates the charges or Mayes succeeds in getting a new indictment. Aside from the 11 GOP electors, charges also were brought against others in the Trump orbit, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and several of Trumps attorneys, including John Eastman, Christian Bobb and Rudy Giuliani. Another Trump attorney, Jenna Ellis, is having the charges against her dismissed after she agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Trump himself was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator. 'No Kings' drew Hollywood into the streets as demonstrators and stars marched side by side against what they called authoritarianism. Millions of protesters turned out across the United States on 18 October 2025 for the second nationwide 'No Kings' day of action, and among them were a raft of high-profile actors, presenters and filmmakers who posted photos, reels and short statements from the marches. The day combined choreographed street theatre, political speeches and a visible celebrity presence that organisers said helped amplify an already vast mobilisation. While the protests were peaceful in most places, the scale and the involvement of well-known figures sharpened both public attention and political pushback. A-List Presence: Who Was Seen on the Front Lines Pedro Pascal, Kerry Washington and Glenn Close were among the celebrities photographed and filmed at marches in Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere, sharing images and short clips on their official social channels that underpinned media coverage. Pascal's attendance in Los Angeles was documented in multiple Instagram reels and posts showing him chanting, dancing and posing with signs; fans and local outlets posted footage that circulated widely online. Pedro Pascal was spotted at the No Kings protest in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/75qvP1RwY1 Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 20, 2025 Kerry Washington, who has a history of public political engagement, posted photos and a video from a New York march, celebrating the energy on the ground while urging followers to keep involved. Her caption and reel emphasised collective action rather than personality-led spectacle. Glenn Close shared an image of herself holding a hand-made placard that read, in part, 'No oligarchs. No dictators. No despots. No autocrats. No kings!!', a succinct declaration that many stars echoed across platforms on the day. Actress Glenn Close holds a No Kings sign to protest against Trump. No Dictators. pic.twitter.com/UbX07Ikpat Oli London (@OliLondonTV) October 19, 2025 Other industry figures, from Jimmy Kimmel to Robert De Niro and Spike Lee, either attended local rallies or publicly voiced support in posts and statements. NYC- No Kings protesters are holding up signs labeling Gavin Newsom, Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, AOC and Jimmy Kimmel ANTIFA. ANTIFA, the same domestic terrorist organization that uses tactics of violence and threats to silence their opposition: pic.twitter.com/PeWVKw8SMY Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) October 18, 2025 Political Stakes and Organisers' Claims Organisers of the 'No Kings' movement said the October action was significantly larger than the first mass day in June, claiming turnout in the millions across more than 2,600 events, figures that, if accurate, would place the mobilisation among the largest single-day protests in recent US history. Independent tallies and city police estimates vary by locality, but the nationwide sweep of events and the visual scale of many rallies made the claim plausible to many analysts. The political context helps explain the celebrity interest: the movement frames itself as a defence of democratic norms and a response to perceived executive overreach. For public figures, the decision to attend appears to have been driven by a mix of personal conviction, solidarity signalling and the recognition that high visibility can push issues into mainstream coverage. Backlash and The White House Response The mass demonstrations produced predictable political pushback. President Trump responded on social media with an AI-altered video that mocked protesters by depicting himself in a jet marked 'King Trump', a stunt that media outlets described as provocative and that generated further debate about the use of synthetic media in political contests. The administration's tone hardened in some quarters, while Republican leaders denounced the rallies as unpatriotic. Despite the flash of star power, most of the day's public record is human: teachers, veterans, immigrant families, activists and first-time marchers gave interviews and footage that grounded the event in concrete grievances and hopes. The substantive result of the day will be judged not by the faces at the front but by whether the mobilisation translates into policy pressure and sustained civic engagement. For now, the images of stars like Pascal, Washington and Close walking shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary Americans are the clearest metric of how culture and politics intersect in the streets. 'No Kings' was both a political event and a cultural moment, and the celebrities who attended made sure it reached an audience beyond the marchers themselves. Originally published on IBTimes UK By Ed White ELM CREEK, Manitoba (Reuters) -Colin Penner, who farms about 3,700 acres an hour's drive north of the U.S. border, crunched up a handful of plump canola pods and blew the chaff into a stiff prairie breeze. A small pile of tiny black seeds remained in his palm. Last summer, high heat and harsh sun scorched canola's yellow flowers and ruined their pollen, knocking down yields across Western Canada. This summer, smoke from nearby wildfires shrouded the July skies and protected Penner's young crop from the sun's burning rays, resulting in more seeds per pod and more pods per plant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Look at all these pods," he said. He would wait to see what the harvest brings, but "smoke will likely be a positive thing." PROTECTION FROM EXTREME HEAT As Canada's western provinces experience the second-worst wildfire season in decades, driven by hotter and drier conditions due to climate change, some canola farmers say they are seeing an unexpected benefit to the hazy summer skies - so long as they occur in July, when the crop is flowering. The smoke is shielding the delicate flower petals and pollen of canola plants from intense heat and sunlight, mitigating the impacts of a drought which continued through most of this summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The finding contrasts with scientists' understanding that extended periods of heavy smoke have largely negative impacts on crop yields and food quality. Reuters spoke to dozens of farmers and 10 crop experts who said the smoky skies of midsummer had mainly positive impacts for canola - although the experts cautioned that more research is needed. Bruce Burnett, a crop analyst with the Western Producer Markets Desk trade publication, told Reuters that the smoke's cooling effects countered high daytime and nighttime temperatures, which can hurt the crop when it's flowering. Canada is the world's largest producer of canola, growing 21 million acres in a band along the country's vast northern forests. Its seeds are crushed to make cooking oil, biodiesel and animal feed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Canola, which is grown mainly on the cool northern plains of North America, Europe and China, and as a winter crop in Australia, does not like it hot. Scorching heat can melt its pollen, preventing fertilization and seed production. Harsh sunlight can burn off flower petals. "We've had a couple of really hot Julys where we've had temperatures above 31C (87.8F) and that's where the damage occurs," said Curtis Rempel, vice president of crop production and innovation at the Canola Council of Canada. Smoke can lower temperature and dim sunlight, he said. SCIENTISTS REVISITING IDEAS ABOUT SMOKE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Nations' climate science panel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2022 forecast that a hotter world with shorter winters would lead to longer and more extreme wildfire seasons. Canadian government officials said in August that wildfires were already growing longer and more intense as winters become shorter, and spring, summer and fall warmer. Four of the crop experts who spoke to Reuters said smoke is probably mostly bad for North America's biggest crops, like corn and soybeans, reducing heat and sunlight which the plants need to grow. In California, smoke from wildfires has devastated wine grape production, with severe damage in 2017 and 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Ohio, researchers found mixed effects. While the smoke reduced light and lowered temperatures, average yields of corn, soybean and wheat reached a 10-year high, the researchers found. The Canadian government is launching research next year on how wildfire smoke is affecting canola, wheat and barley, said Raju Soolanayakanahally, a senior researcher at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Despite farmers' accounts of some benefits to this year's canola crop, smoke can also slow and weaken crop development, Soolanayakanahally said. The haze can degrade the chlorophyll that is essential for photosynthesis and reduce the efficiency of enzymes that are critical to plants' development. An industry review of existing research on the effects of smoke on U.S. corn also found a mostly negative effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Mark Jeschke, Agronomy Manager at Corteva Agriscience's Pioneer Seeds and author of the study, told Reuters further research was needed on how ground-level and airborne smoke affect corn when it is pollinating and maturing. "The timing of a stress event can matter a lot." SMOKE-TAINTED WINE In 2020, when more than 8,000 fires tore across 4.3 million acres of California, most vineyards escaped direct damage from the flames. But vintners later discovered the grapes produced a slurry tainted by a foul taste and smell, making it unusable for wine. The term "smoke taint" became part of the wine lexicon. Up to 325,000 tons of wine grapes worth more than $600 million were ruined that year, according to the California Association of Winegrape Growers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The industry and researchers have been experimenting with treatments to remove smoky compounds from fermented grape slurry, and testing a spray that would prevent grapes-on-the-vine from absorbing smoke. "We still have so much to do," said Natalie Collins, the president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. (Reporting by Ed White. Editing by Emily Schmall, Tom Polansek and Suzanne Goldenberg) This is a testament to the 17-year persistent journey of creation and trade connection by Alliance Handicraft & Wooden Fine Art Corporation (Lien Minh Company), a rare purely Vietnamese enterprise that has successfully built an internationally standardised trade fair brand. The boldness of a pioneer VIFA EXPO was initiated in 2008, at a time when Viet Nam's wood export market was still fragmented and lacked a major platform for businesses to connect directly with international partners. In this context, Lien Minh Company chose a path few dared to take: building a specialised trade fair according to international standards, a place that connects the entire value chain from production and design to export and distribution. The success of VIFA EXPO stems from a steadfast commitment to standardisation and the creation of sustainable value, rather than the pursuit of short-term growth. With each exhibition, standards are continually elevated, from space planning and business support services to trade connection activities. Every element is designed to deliver a professional, effective, and distinctively Vietnamese experience. After 16 consecutive editions, VIFA EXPO has become the golden meeting point for Vietnamese exporting enterprises and international buyers. Turning a trade fair into a national brand We are not just organising a trade fair; we are creating a national brand, shared Dang Quoc Hung, General Director of Lien Minh Company. To achieve this, Lien Minh Company focuses on three strategic directions: First, professionalising operations by standardising the entire organisational process according to international practices, ensuring quality and transparency. Second, expanding the trade ecosystem by developing VIFA ASEAN (in 2023) as an extended arm, connecting domestic and foreign furniture businesses in the region. Third, investing in experience and utilities, continuously innovating to make VIFA EXPO a place where meetings lead to cooperation, through specialised programmes like Business matching, Factory visit tours, Industry seminars, and dedicated support systems for travel and accommodation. From record to vision In September 2025, less than a month after VIFA EXPO was officially recognised by the Viet Nam Records Organisation (VietKings) with the title: The annual oldest established & largest International Furniture & Home Accessories Fair Brand in Viet Nam (since 2008), Lien Minh Company was further honoured by SIDECM and CONPROCEN with the title Top 20 Leading Excellent Enterprises of Viet Nam 2025. These two consecutive honours not only reflect the company's prestige but also provide a comprehensive picture of the management capacity and strategic vision of an enterprise that knows how to achieve sustainable development in the inherently challenging field of event organising. 2026 breakthrough: From sustainability to acceleration Following this success, VIFA EXPO 2026 - the 17th edition of the exhibition - is expected to be the largest to date. It will take place from March 811, 2026, at two major exhibition centres in Ho Chi Minh City: WTC EXPO (Binh Duong Ward) and SKY EXPO (Trung My Tay Ward), gathering over 2,800 booths across a total area of 51,000 sqm. This is the first time the VIFA EXPO Fair has been organised at two venues, so the organisers are investing in visitor transportation with a free shuttle bus programme. This programme will feature three main routes connecting the two exhibition centres and the city centre, running continuously with 89 trips per day throughout the four days of the exhibition. VIFA EXPO 2026 will also provide a synchronised system of support programmes and utilities, including: online and offline Business matching programmes, Factory visit tours, Industry seminars, and special offers from the official 35 star hotel system in HCM City, along with service partners providing services such as tourist SIM cards, ride-hailing vehicles, and more. In parallel with VIFA EXPO, VIFA ASEAN is considered the company's second strategic piece, aimed at connecting the ASEAN indoor and outdoor furniture and handicraft export-import community, aspiring to create a regional platform with a Vietnamese imprint. The VIFA ASEAN 2026 Fair (the 4th edition), taking place from September 25, 2026, at SECC, will further consolidate Viet Nams position as the new furniture trade hub of Southeast Asia. It can be said that in the event organising industry, where the rule is often quick effect but slow results, Lien Minh Company has demonstrated that persistence is indeed the strongest competitive advantage. From a small enterprise, they have gradually built a brand with national influence through a clear strategy, international standard management, and belief in Vietnamese value. The Viet Nam Record and the Top 20 Excellent Enterprises 2025 are merely two milestones in a long journey. For the company, however, they are proof of a sustainable development strategy, where each fair not only generates revenue but also elevates the position of the Vietnamese brand on the global economic map. HA NOI Enhancing governance capacity, ensuring supply chain transparency and complying with rules of origin are key components to allow enterprises to cope with trade defence measures from international markets. According to the Vietnam Trade Office in India, India has so far initiated 34 trade defence cases against Vietnamese exports, including 27 anti-dumping, six countervailing and one safeguard investigation. These figures clearly reflect Indias increasingly strict monitoring of Vietnamese exports and serve as a warning about rising trade legal risks. Not only India, many other markets have recently strengthened their use of trade defence instruments against imports. Trade defence measures remain a major challenge for Vietnamese exporters striving to access potential markets. Data from the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) show that to date, Viet Nam has faced 293 investigations initiated by foreign partners. The authority noted that globalisation and trade liberalisation remained inevitable global trends, reflected in the signing of numerous bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), which facilitate Vietnamese goods access to international markets. The reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers has helped increase competitiveness and ease market entry for Vietnamese products. However, alongside trade liberalisation, protectionism has also become increasingly complex and unpredictable in recent years. Not only major economies like the US and the EU, but many other WTO members are also strengthening protection through stricter technical standards and trade defence measures to safeguard domestic industries from rising import pressures. When such defence measures are activated, some businesses attempt to 'circumvent the law' by transhipping through third countries, falsifying the origin of goods or shifting their investments. This has prompted import authorities to tighten investigations further, increasing the risk that Vietnamese goods may be inadvertently implicated in circumvention cases. Proactive response A major reason Vietnamese enterprises are often passive in trade defence lawsuits is their lack of understanding of international trade law, along with poor data management and weak risk control. Many, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, still consider being sued as something distant until reality hits and losses occur due to a lack of preparation. Bui Trung Thuong, commercial counsellor and head of the Vietnam Trade Office in India said that India, currently the worlds fifth-largest economy and on track to become the third, was a vast and promising market. Trade defence was considered a normal legal tool in India to protect domestic industries, he said. Therefore, he added, Vietnamese enterprises must view it as an inevitable part of international integration and proactively respond rather than fear it. However, the representative also noted that India was tightening its import standards, applying numerous regulations on quality, safety, origin and the environment, all of which serve as technical trade barriers. Businesses must enhance management capacity, invest in technology and ensure supply chain transparency, said Thuong. These would be key for Vietnamese firms to maintain competitiveness and take the initiative in responding to tax investigations, he said. Positive outcomes show that in many Indian cases, Vietnamese enterprises achieved favourable results with low or even zero anti-dumping duties. This proves that if businesses prepare adequate documentation and cooperate transparently with investigating authorities, maintaining market access is entirely feasible. Amid global trade volatility, Tran Thanh Binh, a representative from the MoITs Agency for Foreign Trade, recommended that enterprises equip themselves with essential information to adapt and avoid trade disruptions. Businesses should also develop long-term business plans, strengthen their competitiveness in open-market conditions, and strictly comply with rules of origin to avoid any involvement in origin fraud, she said. In addition, businesses are advised to explore and leverage FTAs to expand export markets; invest in human resources and digital technology to sustain competitiveness; and prepare contingency plans to mitigate market risks and shocks. They must also be ready to respond to protectionist measures and trade defence lawsuits. VNS HCM CITY In response to the severe devastation left by Typhoon No 10 (Bualoi) and Typhoon No 11 (Matmo), Manulife Vietnam has donated VN1.5 billion (about US$57,000) to support communities in northern provinces affected by the natural disasters. The funds were raised through a company-wide campaign held from October 14 to 16 under a matching donation scheme. Every contribution from Manulife employees and agents was matched by the company, effectively doubling the total collected for disaster relief. All proceeds have been handed to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to assist in emergency relief operations and post-disaster recovery efforts. Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Vietnam Tina Nguyen said: We believe that coming together to provide timely support is crucial during challenging times like this. Manulife hopes to help ease the losses and bring hope to the people in the northern provinces as they work to overcome these difficult days and rebuild their lives. This marks the second consecutive year Manulife has responded to natural disasters in Viet Nam through its matching donation initiative. In 2024, the company raised VN2.6 billion to support communities impacted by Typhoon Yagi. Alongside fundraising efforts, Manulife Vietnam has also prioritised customer service in affected areas, proactively contacting policyholders to ensure insurance claims are processed swiftly and efficiently, reinforcing its commitment to being a trusted financial partner in times of crisis. VNS HA NOI As foreign direct investment (FDI) continues to flow strongly into Viet Nam, industrial parks featuring synchronised infrastructure, green utilities, and comprehensive service ecosystems are emerging as top choices for international investors. Sustainability-driven industrial parks appeal to global investors Since early this year, a growing number of investors from Europe, the US and Japan have been touring southern Viet Nam to seek potential investment locations. While land costs and location were once the main concerns, sustainability has now become a decisive factor, including renewable energy use, integrated services, and environmentally friendly living spaces. In HCM City, the Viet NamSingapore Industrial Park (VSIP) 3 has become a model for the next generation of green and sustainable industrial parks. The complex integrates smart technologies across operations, from energy and water management to waste treatment, transportation, and security systems. This innovative model has attracted major global corporations such as Lego, Pandora, and Giant, all of which prioritise clean energy and carbon neutrality. Their investments not only inject significant capital into Viet Nams economy but also set new development standards for industrial parks nationwide. Neighbouring provinces such as ong Nai and Lam ong (after administrative merger) are also drawing FDI enterprises through similar green and smart development strategies. A representative of the Sonadezi Corporation reported that at Tan uc Industrial Park, eight domestic and foreign investors signed land-lease agreements totalling about 40 ha in the first half of 2025. From production zones to sustainable ecosystems Investment attraction today is no longer defined merely by land size or location but by the capacity to create sustainable ecosystems that harmonise industry, urban development, and services. A successful industrial park is one where investors operate efficiently, workers enjoy stable living conditions, and local communities benefit from shared development. This evolution has prompted industrial park developers to move beyond the traditional land rental approach toward offering comprehensive service packages. Major southern localities such as HCM City, ong Nai, and Tay Ninh are accelerating the development of a network of eco-industrial parks. According to Truong Khac Nguyen Minh, Deputy General Director of Prodezi Long An, modern investors seek more than just land, they look for sustainable environments that enable long-term operations and meet ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria. Prodezis eco-industrial park model incorporates green infrastructure, renewable energy systems, and circular economy principles right from the design phase to align with global corporations high environmental and social standards. The shift towards green and smart industrial parks is redefining Viet Nams industrial landscape. These next-generation developments not only attract high-quality FDI but also act as drivers of regional economic growth, linking industry with urbanisation, technology, and environmental stewardship. Nguyen Phu Thinh, General Director of VSIP J. V. Co., said international investors are becoming more demanding in terms of environmental standards, energy efficiency, and quality of life. A well-planned industrial park offering modern amenities and a liveable environment not only attracts major projects but also retains a skilled workforce, that is the true measure of success, he said. VNS HA NOI Viet Nams benchmark indices bounced back on Tuesday after a turbulent session, as foreign investors returned with strong net buying, helping the market recover from its sharp fall a day earlier. On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index climbed 27 points, or 1.65 per cent, to 1,663.43 points, following Mondays shock plunge of nearly 95 points. Market breadth turned positive, with 213 stocks advancing and 133 declining. Liquidity eased slightly but stayed high at nearly VN48 trillion (US$1.8 billion). The VN30-Index also staged a solid recovery, gaining more than 45 points, or 2.41 per cent, to 1,915.9 points. Twenty-six of the 30 large-cap stocks advanced, while only four retreated. Similarly, the HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) edged up 1.63 points, or 0.62 per cent, to 264.65 points. Driving the rebound were major names such as Vingroup (VIC), which rose 4.36 per cent, LPBank (LPB) up 3.16 per cent and Vinhomes (VHM) gaining 2.69 per cent. FPT Corporation (FPT) hit its ceiling price of VN93,000 per share, while HDBank (HDB) also surged by the daily limit of 7 per cent. However, some stocks still faced selling pressure, including Masan Group (MSN), which dropped 4.76 per cent, VIX Securities (VIX) down 2.94 per cent, Novaland (NVL) off 6.8 per cent and VNDirect Securities (VND) falling 4.1 per cent. Tuesdays recovery followed the markets record one-day fall on October 20, buoyed by encouraging domestic indicators such as steady GDP growth and strong third-quarter corporate earnings. Adding to the upbeat mood, foreign investors made a net purchase of over VN2.4 trillion on HoSE and VN83.48 billion on HNX. Viet Dragon Securities Corporation (VDSC) forecast the market would stabilise in the coming sessions, reflecting similar profit trends seen in June and August. The VN-Index is expected to fluctuate between 1,489 and 1,758 points in the short term. Analysts advised investors to stay calm and avoid panic selling, suggesting that the recent correction could offer attractive entry points for medium-term positions. According to Saigon - Hanoi Securities (SHS), short-term demand may strengthen if the VN-Index retests the 1,5701,600-point range. Investors were urged to maintain balanced portfolios and focus on fundamentally strong stocks in strategic sectors with high growth potential. BIZHUB/VNS HCM CITY Viet Nam and the European Union (EU) are strengthening cooperation in digital investment and technology as both sides pursue sustainable growth and comprehensive digital transformation. Speaking at the international forum Expanding Digital Investment: Connecting European Technological Strengths with Vietnams Digital Future in HCM City on Tuesday, Bui The Duy, deputy minister of Science and Technology, said Viet Nam is entering a new phase of development in which digital transformation is not merely a trend but a necessity to achieve rapid, sustainable, and autonomous growth. He said the country views digital transformation as a key driver of socioeconomic development, built on three main pillars such as digital government, digital economy, and digital society with data, technology, and human resources as its foundation. He praised the EU as an important and reliable partner, noting Europes leadership in promoting ethical, responsible, and sustainable digital technologies, which align closely with Viet Nams long-term vision. The forum provides a platform for government agencies, businesses, and research institutions from both sides to strengthen partnerships in innovation, investment, and technology transfer, building a sustainable, human-centred, and prosperous digital future, he added. EU Ambassador to Viet Nam Julien Guerrier said the event coincides with the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the EU and Viet Nam, which have evolved into a trusted and strategic partnership, particularly in science, technology, and sustainable development. He reaffirmed the EUs commitment to supporting Viet Nams digital transition and green growth, emphasising that both sides can leverage complementary strengths to expand cooperation in digital investment, technology transfer, and innovation. With a shared vision for the digital economy and sustainable growth, this forum serves as a catalyst for deeper collaboration between European and Vietnamese enterprises in areas such as digital infrastructure, transport technology, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, he said. EU a strategic partner of HCM City Nguyen Loc Ha, chairman of HCM City Peoples Committee, said the city views Europe as a strategic partner in its comprehensive digital transformation journey, aligned with its three strategic breakthroughs: institutional reform, digital infrastructure, and human resource development. He urged European banks and financial institutions to leverage tools such as the European Sustainable Development Fund and the Global Gateway Initiative to invest in the citys semiconductor, digital, and green technology sectors. Nguyen uc Khuong, vice president for international development at De Vinci Higher Education Group, called for broader cooperation with professional associations and private sector players to strengthen technology partnerships. He identified four key priorities: developing skilled human resources, advancing technology transfer, promoting transparent data governance, and learning from the EUs frameworks on digital standards and regulation. According to the General Statistics Office, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Viet Nam reached US$28.5 billion in the first nine months, up more than 15 per cent year-on-year. The EU remains one of Viet Nams top 10 foreign investors, with around 2,450 active projects worth over $30.6 billion, mainly in high-tech, services, and value-added industries. The forum was co-organised by D4D Hub, the EU Delegation to Viet Nam, AVSE Global, and EuroCham Vietnam, in collaboration with the National Data Association (NDA) and the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA). It featured six thematic sessions focusing on cooperation in semiconductors, telecommunications, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and enterprise digitalisation. Organisers said the event aims to build an open, trusted, and inclusive digital ecosystem grounded in data sovereignty, transparency, and shared sustainable values. VNS HELSINKI General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee To Lam and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation met with representatives of leading Finnish enterprises, within the framework of their official visit to the European country in Helsinki on October 21 afternoon (local time). At the meeting, Finnish Minister of Employment Matias Marttinen stated that over the past decades, Finland and Viet Nam have built a strong cooperative relationship based on mutual respect, regular exchanges, and close business ties. Having established diplomatic relations more than 50 years ago, the two countries have seen their economic and trade relations grow remarkably in recent years, with Viet Nam becoming Finlands largest trading partner in Southeast Asia. He emphasised that Finnish businesses are proud to be active partners in Viet Nams growth journey in such fields as clean energy, digitalisation, information technology, construction, maritime industries, and water management. Finland regards Viet Nam not only as a dynamic and rapidly developing market but also as a partner in fostering smart, green, and sustainable growth. Looking toward the future, Finland also sees great potential to strengthen bilateral cooperation in building resilient economies capable of thriving in a green and digital future, while jointly exploring new partnerships that create real value - not only economically, but also for the environment and for future generations, the minister stated, affirming that Finland stands ready to work with Viet Nam to elevate the bilateral relationship to new heights. At the meeting, representatives of leading Finnish enterprises in the fields of circular economy, industry and energy, technology, services, and infrastructure shared their ideas, valuable experiences, and concrete cooperation orientations. They proposed several initiatives to open new areas of cooperation in line with global development trends and the strategic interests of both countries. General Secretary Lam told participants that during his official visit, the bilateral relationship has been elevated to a Strategic Partnership, which, he stressed, marks a major opportunity to advance economic, trade, and investment relations - key pillars of bilateral cooperation - to a new level. He shared that Viet Nam is continuing to pursue a high-quality development strategy with a strong focus on science and technology, green economy, digital transformation, and innovation. It is also expanding its markets with international partners, constantly improving the investment environment and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors, while promoting breakthrough, flexible, and more favourable policies. Welcoming the proposals from Finnish enterprises in the field of circular economy, the General Secretary affirmed that Viet Nam considers businesses as the centre of development and the driving force to realise its aspiration of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045. He emphasised that Viet Nam is committed to continuously improving the investment and business environment, and building a dynamic and transparent market economy driven by innovation and centred on people. In the time to come, General Secretary Lam stressed the importance of encouraging the business communities of both countries to further strengthen exchanges, connectivity, investment, and cooperation in areas of mutual strength and shared interest such as renewable energy, clean industry, environmental technology, forest resource management, education, science and technology, and innovation. He urged the two sides governments, ministries, agencies, and localities to continue close coordination and provide more practical support to the business communities, while creating an open, stable, and transparent investment environment, and encouraging publicprivate partnerships, research collaboration, training, and technology transfer. The Party chief expressed his belief that the future holds vast potential, and the two sides can work together to build a model of cooperation between a developed Northern European economy and a dynamic Southeast Asian nation. This is not only joint work between the two governments but also between their business communities, based on mutual trust, respect, and shared development. At the meeting, General Secretary Lam and the high-level delegations of Viet Nam and Finland witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents between the two countries. These included a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Viet Nams Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group and Finlands ICEYE on the research and development of Earth observation satellite technologies; and another MoU between Viettel and Nokia Finland on digital transformation and the development of next-generation telecommunications infrastructure in Viet Nam. Additionally, the Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and Nokia signed an MoU to develop VNPTs radio access networks in Viet Nams Ha Noi, border provinces, and southern regions for 20252026, while VNPT and F-Secure of Finland inked an agreement on strategic cooperation in cybersecurity to protect citizens from cyberattacks and online fraud, and to expand collaboration in the Asia-Pacific market. Another MoU was also inked between Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company of Viet Nam and Airways Aviation of Finland to train high-quality human resources for the international aviation industry. Later in the afternoon, the Viet Namese leader and his entourage visited Nokias Executive Experience Centre. VNA/VNS Benghazi, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the media committee of the Libyan House of Representatives, Jalal al-Chouwaihdi, and the secretary general of the Union of Journalists of the Maghreb (UJM), Nasr al-Mahdawi, on Monday signed an agreement for the establishment of the headquarters of the Union in Benghazi HA NOI For the first time, Vietnamese ao dai and traditional costumes have been showcased at an international concert by world-renowned opera artist Miklosa Erika and the Budapest Jazz Orchestra at Klauzal Gabor Theatre in Budapest. The event, organised by the Vietnamese Womens Association in Hungary, formed part of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Culture Month in Europe and celebrated the Vietnamese Womens Day (October 20). Initiated by the Vietnamese Womens Forum in Europe and the Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club in Europe under the Vietnam Ao Dai Culture Association, the programme aimed to honour ao dai as a symbol of the Vietnamese identity and spirit, while highlighting the creativity and active role of Vietnamese women in promoting the national culture abroad. This was the first time an ao dai performance had been integrated into a classical concert by an international artist in Hungary, representing an innovative approach to cultural diplomacy. The graceful ao dai under stage lights created a mesmerizing blend of Eastern and Western art, leaving a deep impression on Hungarian and international audiences. During the event, Dr. Phan Bich Thien, Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Womens Association in Hungary, presented Miklosa Erika with a handcrafted Vietnamese ao dai as a symbol of friendship between the peoples of Viet Nam and Hungary. Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Thien said that featuring ao dai in a concert setting was a new way to promote Vietnamese cultural values, subtle, effective, and harmonised with the global cultural flow. Expressing her appreciation, Erika said she was deeply touched by the gift, adding that she could feel the beauty of the Vietnamese soul and spirit through each detail of the costume, describing it as elegant and feminine. The event not only helped introduce the image of Viet Nam and its people to international friends but also demonstrated the creativity, confidence, and integration spirit of Vietnamese women in Hungary and across Europe, where ao dai continues to shine as a proud emblem of the Vietnamese culture on the global stage. VNA/VNS HONG KONG Vietnamese exhibitors stand out with their creative and eco-friendly designs at the ongoing Mega Show Hong Kong 2025, one of Asias largest international exhibitions for handicrafts, gifts, toys, and household goods. Featuring more than 3,000 booths from 31 countries and territories, the annual event, taking place in Hong Kong (China) from October 20 to 23, has once again affirmed its role as a global sourcing platform. The Ha Noi Centre for Industrial Promotion and Development Consultancy under the citys Department of Industry and Trade led a delegation of 22 enterprises to the exhibition, showcasing diverse products such as furniture, bamboo and rattan crafts, lacquerware, ceramics, embroidery, interior textiles, and tourism-related gifts. The Vietnamese booths drew strong attention from international visitors for their fine craftsmanship and distinctive cultural style. Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Hoang Quan, Deputy Director of the centre, said Ha Noi has actively supported outstanding local businesses in the handicraft and gift sector as well as others it is strong at to join global trade fairs. He noted that Hong Kong serves as a gateway for promoting Vietnamese handicrafts to the world. Participating firms prepared carefully for the show, focusing on new designs and models that reflect the unique traditions of Ha Noi and Viet Nam. In the coming years, the city plans to expand participation, enabling more businesses to strengthen export promotion and trade connections. Nguyen Tuan Anh, a representative of the Phu Tuan Export-Import Co. Ltd, shared that the show offers valuable access to new markets in Asia and beyond while helping the company connect with buyers from the US and Europe. Its eco-friendly products made from rattan, bamboo, and water hyacinth are now being introduced to potential clients in the Middle East, India, and other Asian countries. Meanwhile, Mike Jackson Jr, CEO of Charleston Wrap, praised Vietnamese craftsmanship, noting that the firm is seeking new ideas and factories in Viet Nam, adding that with competitive pricing, Vietnamese products still hold advantrages despite the current tariff context. Held every October, the Mega Show Hong Kong continues to attract professional buyers worldwide, serving as an important platform for introducing innovative and sustainable products from Viet Nam to the global market. VNA/VNS KHANH HOA The Kate Festival 2025 of the Cham Brahman community opened on October 20 in Ninh Phuoc District, Khanh Hoa Province, celebrating the Cham peoples rich spiritual and cultural traditions. The festival commenced with a solemn procession of the sacred costume of Goddess Po Inu Nagar, revered by the Cham as the Mother of the Land who taught them farming, weaving, and animal husbandry. The ritual brought together Cham communities from Huu uc, Tan uc and Thanh uc villages, along with Raglai ethnic representatives from Phuoc Ha Commune. In the afternoon, the rhythmic sounds of gongs and drums echoed across the village, signaling the start of the vibrant parade. Led by Brahman dignitaries, the procession featured flag bearers, performers, and hundreds of participants in traditional attire. During a ceremonial stop, Raglai representatives symbolically handed over the sacred costume to Cham elders before the parade continued to the main stage for the official opening ceremony. Local authorities delivered greetings and extended congratulations to the Cham community. The sacred items were later returned to the temple in Huu uc Village, marking the continuation of rituals and festive activities. Throughout the celebration, visitors enjoyed graceful fan and water-balance dances, accompanied by the Paranung drums and Saranai flute, highlighting the Cham people's artistry, harmony, and deep pride in their heritage. Local households began preparations weeks in advance, decorating their home, making offerings, weaving new garments, and rehearsing traditional dances. Each drumbeat and flute note fills the locals with pride and belonging. Kate is not only a time of worship but also a way to teach children their traditions. Running from October 20 to 22, the festivals main ceremony takes place on October 21 at three sacred Cham sites, Po Klong Garai tower, Po Rome tower, and Po Inu Nagar temple. Key rituals include the costume procession, tower-opening, statue bathing, clothing ceremony, and peace prayers, followed by cultural performances, traditional cuisine, and craft displays. Recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, the Kate Festival not only fulfills the spiritual needs of the Cham people but also stands as a vivid symbol of cultural preservation, strengthening community bonds and connecting Khanh Hoas heritage with both domestic and international visitors. VNA/VNS GENEVA Viet Nam fully supports the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, viewing it not merely as a project but as a strategic mandate one capable of significantly reducing human suffering and economic losses, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, head of the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to Geneva, told the Vietnam News Agency. Speaking on the sidelines of the extraordinary session of the World Meteorological Congress, which opened in Geneva on October 20, the ambassador said Viet Nam stands ready to accelerate the national rollout of the EW4All roadmap in close coordination with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the broader United Nations system. The country calls on all partners governments, development agencies, and the private sector to mobilise the resources and political will needed to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected by early warning systems. He praised the WMO and the UN for their efforts to make early warning a global public good, saving lives and safeguarding development. The climate crisis, marked by increasingly frequent and devastating extreme weather events, poses one of the greatest challenges of our time, threatening decades of development gains and demanding collective and science-based action, he stressed. According to the ambassador, the WMO plays an indispensable role as the worlds leading body for meteorology, hydrology, and climate science helping nations build resilience and protect lives. For Viet Nam, the impacts of climate change are not distant threats but daily realities. As a tropical monsoon country with a long coastline, it is among the worlds most climate-vulnerable nations, he noted, elaborating that severe storms this year alone have caused tragic losses of lives and livelihoods. These experiences, he added, strengthen Viet Nam's determination to act and to deepen cooperation with the WMO and its partners. Dung described the narrowing of the early warning gap by 2027 as both an ethical obligation and an economic demand. The extraordinary session focuses on advancing the EW4All initiative and other key strategic issues, including the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in meteorological forecasting. This years session carries special symbolic significance as it coincides with the WMOs 75th anniversary. Over the past seven and a half decades, the organisation has been pivotal in advancing international cooperation in meteorology, climate, and hydrology. Commemorative events, including a reception and a drone demonstration, honour the contributions by the global meteorological community and reaffirm the WMOs commitment to protecting societies from climate threats. With broad participation from member states and partner organisations, this years congress is expected to shape the long-term direction for global meteorological system development and climate response. VNA/VNS HELSINKI General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly were welcomed at a ceremony hosted by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and his spouse at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Tuesday morning (local time). Their ongoing official visit is made at the invitation of President Stubb. Following the welcome ceremony, President Stubb and his spouse invited General Secretary Lam and his spouse to the signing room, where the Vietnamese leader left a message in the guestbook, expressing his delight at visiting Finland, a nation known for its creativity, cultural richness, and compassion. Viet Nam highly values its longstanding partnership with Finland, he stressed, believing that this visit will open up a new chapter of bilateral relations, contributing to peace, stability, and development in the regions and the world. Later, President Stubb and General Secretary Lam led high-ranking delegations of both countries into talks. This marks the highest-level visit by a Vietnamese leader to Finland, underscoring Ha Noi's profound regard for its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the Nordic nation. Bilateral trade has seen steady growth in recent years. Meanwhile, educational ties have expanded, with nearly 20 Vietnamese universities collaborating with Finnish establishments, and over 2,500 Vietnamese students enrolled in Finland, studying economics, information technology, and tourism, among others. Science technology remains a promising cooperation area, with multiple memoranda of understanding signed since 1995. Since their diplomatic ties began, Finland has continuously provided unconditional grant aid for Viet Nam, focusing on water resources management, poverty reduction, climate change adaptation, and forestry. Both sides are pushing forward with collaboration in energy, a long-term priority area that includes renewable energy development, rollout of projects in disadvantaged areas, and legal framework building. Cultural, sports, and tourism exchanges have flourished, with events in visual arts, music, and literature fostering ties. People-to-people exchanges, facilitated by friendship associations in both countries, have also helped raise mutual understanding of each others cultures and traditions. The visit provides an important opportunity for the two countries to review past achievements, chart new paths, and inject fresh momentum into elevating the traditional friendship and multifaceted partnership to new heights. VNA/VNS HA NOI President of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa will pay a state visit to Viet Nam from October 2324, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visit will be made at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong. This is the first visit to Viet Nam by a South African President in nearly 20 years. Viet Nam and South Africa established diplomatic relations on December 22, 1993. The two countries are maintaining several cooperation mechanisms, including the Inter-Governmental Partnership Forum, the Joint Trade Committee, and the Defence Policy Dialogue. In terms of trade, South Africa is Viet Nams largest trading partner and export market in Africa, with two-way trade in 2024 reaching nearly US$1.8 billion. In the time ahead, both sides can further exploit the potential fields of cooperation such as mineral extraction, engineering, metallurgy, steel production, renewable energy, textiles and garments, leather and footwear, fertilisers, processed food, and supporting industries. As of July 2025, South Africa had 20 valid investment projects in Viet Nam with a total registered capital of US$0.88 million, ranking 109th among 151 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam. Meanwhile, Viet Nam had four outbound investment projects in South Africa with a total capital of US$8.86 million, ranking 45th among 84 countries and territories where Vietnamese enterprises have invested. The two countries have also maintained close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums. VNA/VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception for Governor of Gunma prefecture Yamamoto Ichita in Ha Noi on Tuesday, calling on the Japanese locality to expand investment in Viet Nam. At the event, both sides expressed satisfaction with the robust development of the Viet NamJapan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which continues to yield tangible results built on growing political trust. Japan remains Viet Nam's leading economic partner, ranking as the top partner in official development assistance and labour cooperation, the third-largest investor, and the fourth-largest trading and tourism partner. During Japanese Prime Ministers visit to Viet Nam in April, both sides agreed to establish a new cooperation pillar in science-technology, innovation, and high-quality human resources development. They noted the close and effective collaboration between localities as well as growing people-to-people and cultural exchange. More than 630,000 Vietnamese are currently living and studying in Japan, including nearly 16,000 in Gunma. Meanwhile, over 2,000 Japanese enterprises are operating in Viet Nam, serving as a vital bridge for bilateral cooperation. Welcoming Yamamotos fifth visit to Viet Nam, PM Chinh commended the prefectures government for actively promoting the friendship with Ninh Binh Province in the domains of economy, investment, trade, tourism, human resources, and culture. The Government leader highlighted Viet Nam's move to enhance delegation of power to local authorities and encouraged Gunma to continue bolstering cooperation with Vietnamese localities through specific and substantive projects which could leverage each sides strengths and deliver harmonious benefits. Besides, he suggested exploring new partnerships with other provinces and cities. He took the occasion to invite Gunma to attend the Viet NamJapan Local Cooperation Forum scheduled next month, urging Gunma investments in areas where the prefecture boasts strengths such as aerospace, agriculture, manufacturing, and supporting industries, as well as in sectors aligned with Viet Nam's development priorities, including innovation, science-technology, digital transformation, green transition, and semiconductors. He also encouraged stronger business connectivity, participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, and diversification of markets and supply chains. The Vietnamese Government is working to remove legal bottlenecks, cut compliance time and costs by 50 per cent, accelerate digital transformation, he said, calling for closer collaboration in training and receiving high-quality workforce that meet the needs of enterprises of both sides, particularly in innovation, science-technology, semiconductors, and supporting industries. He also asked for continued support and practical policies for the Vietnamese community in the prefecture. Yamamoto, for his part, extended his sympathy to the Vietnamese people affected by recent natural disasters, hoping they would quickly return to normal life. He praised the Vietnamese communitys contributions to the prefectors development and the relations between the two countries. He said that many Japanese firms are joining his Viet Nam trip to explore investment opportunities in the country, asking for the Vietnamese Governments further support to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese enterprises and localities. VNA/VNS HA NOI The German state of Hessen stands ready to support and cooperate with Viet Nam in developing international financial centres, particularly in training, consulting, and investment promotion, its Minister of Science and Research, Arts and Culture Timon Gremmels said on Tuesday. During a meeting in Ha Noi with Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, Gremmels said many German businesses and investors view Viet Nam as an attractive destination with vast opportunities and potential for cooperation. He expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Government will continue to create favourable conditions for German investors to establish long-term and effective partnerships, serving the mutual interests and development of both sides. For his part, Deputy PM Binh affirmed that Viet Nam always treasures and wishes to further deepen its strategic partnership with Germany, including Hessen. He noted the Viet NamGermany strategic partnership has expanded across multiple fields such as politics, economy, education, science, and technology. The host also shared about his working visit to Hessen in March to study the states experience in developing international financial centres, and his attendance at the World Alliance of International Financial Centres (WAIFC) annual meeting in Frankfurt in October. Viet Nam, he said, looks forward to stronger cooperation with Hessen in developing an international financial centre, as well as in labour and employment, given Germanys growing demand for healthcare and technical workers and Viet Nam's capacity to meet it. The Deputy PM also thanked the Hessen State Symphony Orchestra for its recent successful performances in Ha Noi and HCM City to mark the 50th anniversary of Viet NamGermany diplomatic ties. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the strong and fruitful partnership between the two countries, highlighting the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) as a flagship project in bilateral cooperation. Given Viet Nam's plan to establish an international financial centre, Germany and particularly Hessen state has provided valuable support. The VGU has already conducted two courses in international finance and plans to offer more in the future, with students benefiting from high-quality instruction delivered by leading financial experts from Germany, including those from Hessen. VNA/VNS HELSINKI General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee To Lam and Finnish President Alexander Stubb witnessed the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral cooperation in Helsinki on Tuesday afternoon (local time). The documents include a MoU on bilateral cooperation in environment, biodiversity, and climate change adaptation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. Another MoU, inked between the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, focuses on supporting the preparation and rollout of projects funded by Finlands Public Sector Investment Facility. Another MoU was signed between the MoF and Finlands Export Credit Agency. Finland and Viet Nam officially established diplomatic ties on January 25, 1973. Finland opened its embassy in Ha Noi in 1974, while Viet Nam set up its embassy in Helsinki in late 2005. Since then, the two countries have nurtured a close-knit traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation. During some of Viet Nam's most challenging times, Finland was a pioneer in providing development aid, supporting critical projects on clean water and water supply systems in Ha Noi and Hai Phong. The ongoing official visit by General Secretary Lam and his entourage comes on the heels of the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023, a milestone marking a durable partnership and the start of a new phase of cooperation for the next half century. The visit offers both sides an important opportunity to review the past achievements, set future strategic directions, and inject fresh momentum into elevating their traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation to new heights. VNA/VNS HELSINKI Party General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Viet Nam always welcomes and facilitates Finnish enterprises investing in the country and stands ready to work with Finland as a bridge linking the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He said this would help further advance Viet Nam's ties with the EU and also enhance Finland's cooperation with ASEAN in the future. He was speaking on Tuesday morning (local time) during talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as part of the Party leader's official visit to Finland from October 20 to 22 at the invitation of the Finnish President. The talks took place immediately after the welcome ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. President Stubb said he highly valued this first official visit by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam to Finland since the establishment of diplomatic relations, affirming that Finland always attaches importance to its ties with Viet Nam, its most important trading partner in Southeast Asia. He expressed admiration for Viet Nams socio-economic development achievements in recent years, describing Viet Nam as a success story, and voiced his hope that the visit would open up new, substantive cooperation opportunities in a range of promising areas. For his part, General Secretary Lam reaffirmed that Viet Nam treasures its traditional friendship with Finland, recalling Finlands valuable support during the countrys post-war reconstruction and development. He expressed hope that Finland would continue to be a trusted partner and companion in Viet Nams new era of development. During their talks, the two leaders briefed each other on recent developments in their respective countries and exchanged strategic orientations to strengthen the bilateral relationship. They agreed to enhance cooperation in multiple fields, particularly those with strong potential such as the circular economy, green transition, sustainable maritime cooperation, digital transformation, environmental protection and climate change response. Both sides agreed to make full use of the EUViet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), facilitating business connections, trade promotion and market access, especially in agricultural products and consumer goods. General Secretary To Lam called on Finland to encourage the remaining seven EU member states to soon ratify the EUViet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and to help urge the European Commission (EC) to lift the yellow card warning against Viet Nams seafood exports under the IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing) mechanism. He also urged Finland to encourage its enterprises to increase investment in Viet Nam, particularly in areas where Finland has strengths, including green technology, processing technology, energy transition and logistics services. President Stubb affirmed Finlands readiness to cooperate with Viet Nam in sectors of mutual interest and strength, such as the circular economy, forestry, science and technology, education and training and climate change adaptation. Responding to the Finnish Presidents recognition of the contributions of the Vietnamese community in Finland, General Secretary Lam expressed hope that the Finnish Government would continue to support and create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate and contribute effectively to local society, serving as an important bridge fostering friendship and cooperation between the two nations. Discussing regional and international issues, including matters of regional security, the two leaders emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and stability, supporting the peaceful settlement of disputes based on respect for international law, and calling for restraint and an end to conflicts. Regarding the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue, both sides voiced support for ASEANs common stance on ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight, and on resolving disputes through peaceful means in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thereby contributing to regional and global peace and stability. On this occasion, Viet Nam and Finland issued a joint statement on officially upgrading their bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership. The statement highlights the important achievements of bilateral cooperation, reaffirms shared principles, and outlines key directions to further strengthen and deepen the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries. VNS The parents of an 11-year-old girl, who suffered an injury and nearly lost a leg, filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The young girl was identified as Catherine Viteri, whose parents are suing the sailing camp and three of its counselors after the incident, which happened in July. This involved their daughter being run over by a motorboat that was operated by a camp counselor. Girl's Parents Sue Sailing Club While the girl survived the horrific accident, she suffered serious injuries to her leg. Her parents said their daughter can walk but has limited movement right now. The lawsuit notes that on July 10, Catherine's parents said she was run over by a motorboat that was operated by one of the sailing camp's counselors during a swimming session. The couple added that the victim's right leg was cut to the bone by a propeller on the motorboat that ran over her. The lawsuit now claims that the young campers at the sailing club were not properly supervised, according to NBC Miami. The family's attorney, Justin Shapiro, said that the propeller of the motorboat ripped the 11-year-old girl's leg down to the bone. He added that the severity of the injuries almost forced doctors to amputate it. He described it as a "gruesome injury." Shapiro added that Catherine's leg is now "permanently mutilated," and she will be forced to have "disfiguring scars" and functional problems with the injured leg for the rest of her life. The attorney said the Viteris' case represents an inexcusable breakdown in the safety and supervision of children. He added that it was "unthinkable" that the camp counselor in charge of the children's safety was the one who actually caused the injury. Shapiro said that the extent of negligence in the case is "extraordinary," the Miami Herald reported. A Horrific Motorboat Accident The named defendants in the case include Aden Weinberg and Sara Ortiz Vey, who were responsible for supervising the kids during the swimming session. Shapiro said that while the parents knew there were risks to going out into the ocean, the motorboat accident was not something that they believed would happen. The tragic accident was one of two major incidents that took place over the summer when disaster struck at a youth sailing camp. Less than three weeks after the motorboat ran over Catherine, three children were killed, as per WSVN. That incident involved seven-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 10-year-old Arielle "Ari" Mazi Buchman, and 13-year-old Erin Victoria Ko Han. The three kids died after a 60-foot barge that was being pushed by a tugboat crashed into a 17-foot Hobie Getaway sailboat that had five Miami Yacht Club campers onboard. HELSINKI Viet Nam and Finland have issued a joint statement on establishing a strategic partnership during the official visit to the European country from October 20 22 by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee To Lam. The following is the full text of the joint statement. JOINT STATEMENT ON ESTABLISHING A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM AND THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND During the official visit of General Secretary To Lam to Finland from October 20-22, 2025, at the invitation of President Alexander Stubb, the Leaders decided to elevate Viet Nam - Finland relations, established in 1973, to a Strategic Partnership. This partnership builds on 52 years of friendship and multifaceted cooperation based on trust, equality, and mutual respect, aiming to deepen bilateral and multilateral ties for the benefit of both peoples, while promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, and principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference. Both sides decided to further increase bilateral high-level visits and contacts across all channels between Authorities of Finland and the Communist Party, the State, the Government, the National Assembly, and local authorities of Viet Nam in order to strengthen political cooperation and mutual understanding. The two sides are determined to establish an annual strategic consultation mechanism on regional and international issues, coordinate to address traditional and non-traditional security challenges, as well as to review and update on cooperation activities in bilateral relations, including discussions between both sides defense and public security sectors. They emphasized close cooperation in international and regional organisations supporting multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement and adherence to international law. Key Areas of Cooperation: 1. Political and Diplomatic Relations The two sides committed to increasing high-level exchanges at all levels to enhance political trust and mutual understanding. They emphasised close cooperation in international and regional organizations supporting multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement and adherence to international law. 2. Economic, Trade, and Investment Cooperation Economic ties were identified as a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership. Both nations will promote two-way trade and investment, leveraging existing bilateral and multilateral agreements. Finland will serve as a bridge for Vietnamese goods to access the EU market, while Viet Nam will be a strategic destination for Finnish businesses in Asia. Both sides will foster a transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory trade and investment environment, encouraging business exchanges and access to finance. 3. Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation The two countries will promote programs in e-government, digital public services, circular economy, AI, semiconductors, 5G/6G telecommunications, and green technologies. They will strengthen startup ecosystems, innovation acceleration programs, and capacity building in digital governance, smart infrastructure, and emerging technologies. 4. Education, Training, Labour, and Development The partnership will promote academic exchanges, scholarships, and joint programs in leadership training, educational technology, reskilling, and upskilling. Development cooperation will focus on innovation, environmental sustainability, and climate change response, utilising Finlands preferential credit programs to implement projects in Viet Nam, prioritising innovation and green initiatives. 5. Agriculture, Environment, Energy, Infrastructure, and Transport Both sides will enhance cooperation in sustainable agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and circular economy, focusing on digital transformation, resource management, and climate change response. Energy collaboration will support Viet Nams transition to renewable energy, emphasising energy efficiency and reduced emissions. Infrastructure and transport initiatives will prioritise smart urban development, green seaports, aviation, and logistics, with a focus on high technology and automation. 6. People-to-People Exchanges and Cooperation between Localities The leaders decided to foster partnerships, business collaborations, and cultural exchanges and other people-to-people contacts to enhance mutual understanding. The two sides also pledged to foster signing and implementing cooperation agreements between localities of the two countries. 7. Implementation and Next Steps General Secretary To Lam expressed gratitude for Finlands warm hospitality and invited President Stubb to visit Viet Nam. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both countries will coordinate with relevant agencies to develop an Action Plan to implement the Strategic Partnerships objectives as promptly as possible. VNA/VNS HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son on Tuesday received Ghada Waly, UN Under-Secretary-General and Director-General/Executive Director of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV)/United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), who is on a working visit to Viet Nam to attend the Opening for the Signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention). Son affirmed Viet Nams consistent policy of supporting and promoting multilateralism and international cooperation to address global challenges, thereby contributing to peace and international security. He appreciated the UNs and UNODCs efforts in assisting countries in combating various forms of crime, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking. Highlighting the positive outcomes of Viet NamUNODC cooperation, the Deputy PM expressed a wish to further deepen the partnership through concrete projects and initiatives. He called on UNODC to continue supporting Viet Nam in promoting the signing and early enforcement of the Hanoi Convention. Son also noted that Viet Nam would actively consider participating in UNODC programmes that help developing countries implement the convention, such as the initiative to establish a regional cybersecurity capacity-building centre in the Asia-Pacific. He particularly valued the two sides cooperation in drug prevention and control, within both bilateral and regional frameworks, notably under the Mekong cooperation mechanism. He suggested that UNODC explore opportunities to assist Vietnamese ministries and sectors in implementing projects under the National Target Programme on Drug Prevention and Control. For her part, Waly commended Viet Nams strong commitment and responsible contributions to the global fight against cybercrime, drug-related crime, money laundering, and human trafficking. She welcomed Viet Nams hosting of the convention signature opening ceremony, praising the efforts of Vietnamese authorities in preparing for the event. She affirmed that UNODC would continue close cooperation with Viet Nam to encourage more countries to ratify and effectively implement the convention. She also welcomed Viet Nams initiative to establish a regional training centre on cybercrime, pledging UNODCs support for its formation and operation. She underlined UNODCs commitment to further enhancing cooperation and exchanges with Viet Nam and regional partners in crime prevention, effectively implementing existing agreements and initiatives, and exploring new strategies, agreements and initiatives. VNA/VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday sent a message of congratulations to Sanae Takaichi, President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), on her election as the 104th Prime Minister of Japan. The same day, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung extended his congratulations to Motegi Toshimitsu on his appointment as Japans Minister for Foreign Affairs. VNA/VNS HELSINKI General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee To Lam has affirmed that Viet Nam always attaches importance to its traditional friendship with Finland. The Vietnamese Party leader made the statement while meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Helsinki on Tuesday afternoon (local time) within the framework of his official visit to the European country. He emphasised that the Party, State and people of Viet Nam always appreciate and deeply remember the help and support of the Finnish people in the early period of the renewal process, especially Finland's non-refundable aid to Viet Nam in the fields of water supply and drainage, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, climate change adaptation, and forestry. PM Orpo warmly welcomed General Secretary To Lam and his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on their official visit to Finland, affirming that the trip is an important milestone to further strengthen the traditional friendship between the two countries. He expressed his joy at the strong development of the two countries and emphasised the important significance of the upgrade of the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership, opening up new and potential cooperation prospects, especially in the context of the current profound changes in the world and regional situation. General Secretary Lam congratulated Finland on its outstanding achievements in socio-economic development and its role and position in the European Union (EU). Announcing some important results of his talks with President Alexander Stubb, General Secretary Lam affirmed that Viet Nam is ready to cooperate closely with Finland to enhance the relationship on key pillars such as politics-diplomacy, defence-security, science-technology and digital transformation, education-training, environment and climate change response, culture and people-to-people exchange. He affirmed that Viet Nam is ready to work with Finland to act as a bridge and promote cooperation between Viet Nam and the EU as well as between Finland and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two leaders agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in all fields, from politics to economy-trade, investment, education-training, cooperation between localities and many other fields. General Secretary Lam stressed that the two countries need to increase delegation exchanges and contacts at high and all levels, and on cooperation channels to promote bilateral cooperation. Regarding economy, trade and investment, the Party leader emphasised that Finland is a very potential trading partner of Viet Nam in Northern Europe and suggested Finland cooperate and share experiences with Viet Nam in building a circular economy; and at the same time, encouraged Finnish enterprises to increase investment in Viet Nam, especially in Finland's strong sectors such as maritime cooperation, renewable energy, environment, processing technology. He also suggested Finland support the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the "yellow card" on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing against Viet Nam's seafood exports. Agreeing with the cooperation contents proposed by the General Secretary, PM Orpo affirmed that with the foundation of the newly established Strategic Partnership, the Finnish Government will continue to support the promotion of bilateral relations, focusing on the fields of economy-trade-investment, science-technology, green economy, circular economy, renewable energy, digital transformation, innovation, and healthcare, and creating conditions for Finnish enterprises to expand cooperation in Viet Nam. On this occasion, the two leaders exchanged views on the international and regional situation, and issues of mutual concern; affirmed close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums; and supported the Viet NamEU relationship. The two sides emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in each region and in the world, on the basis of international law and the United Nations Charter. On this occasion, General Secretary Lam conveyed PM Pham Minh Chinh's invitation to PM Orpo to visit Viet Nam. VNA/VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday held phone talks with his Thai counterpart Anutin Charnvirakul to discuss ways to promote bilateral relations. PM Chinh congratulated Anutin Charnvirakul on being endorsed by the King as Prime Minister of Thailand, and expressed his belief that the Thai Government and people will continue to achieve even greater accomplishments in national construction and development. He affirmed that Viet Nam attaches great importance to and wishes to further enhance he Viet NamThailand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in an increasingly robust, trustworthy, and substantive manner. The Thai PM emphasised that Viet Nam is a close neighbour and an important partner of Thailand in the region. He highly valued Viet Nams socio-economic development achievements, and affirmed his readiness to work closely with the Vietnamese Government leader to strengthen the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries for the benefit of their people as well as for peace and stability in the region. Both leaders expressed their delight at the elevation of the bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2025, as well as the strong and effective development in bilateral cooperation in various fields, with Thailand remaining Viet Nams largest trading partner and second largest foreign investor among ASEAN countries. PM Chinh affirmed that Viet Nam will continue enabling Thai enterprises to conduct effective business operations in the country; and expressed his desire for both sides to strengthen collaboration in promoting regional transport connectivity; enhance collaboration in security, culture, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges; and foster and promote the role of the friendship bridge between the two countries' people. Both leaders agreed on the need to strengthen coordination and strive to soon raise bilateral trade turnover to US$25 billion per year, and enhance economic linkages through the effective implementation of the Three Connectivity strategy. The Thai PM thanked the Vietnamese Government for facilitating Thai enterprises investment and business activities in the country. He showed his hope to see more Vietnamese businesses invest in Thailand, especially in the fields of industry, agriculture, and technology. He affirmed that the Thai Government will create the most favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms, aiming for a more balanced two-way investment relationship between the two countries. In discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, PM Chinh proposed that Viet Nam and Thailand continue to work closely together to strengthen ASEANs unity and centrality and promote sustainable development in the Mekong subregion. On this occasion, the Thai PM invited his Vietnamese counterpart to visit Thailand and attend the MekongLancang Summit at the end of this year; and expressed his hope to meet and exchange views in person at upcoming multilateral events such as the ASEAN Summit. VNA/VNS HCM CITY Building on a strong foundation of international cooperation established during the 2020-25 term, HCM City is entering a new phase of comprehensive diplomacy, aiming to become one of Asias leading centres for economy, finance, and technology by 2045. Over the past term, the citys external relations have expanded across politics, economics, culture and people-to-people exchanges, strengthening socio-economic growth and enhancing its global reputation as an open and dynamic metropolis. According to the Political Report of the 10th HCM City Party Committee, the city has effectively coordinated foreign affairs through three main channels: Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy. In Party diplomacy, the city has followed the national foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development. It has also promoted multilateral engagement and diversification, pioneering the implementation of the Partys diplomatic direction at the local level. Between 2020 and 2025, State diplomacy made remarkable progress. The city now maintains friendly relations with 58 localities worldwide and actively participates in multilateral cooperation frameworks such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the ASEAN Smart Cities Network and the World Urban Forum. These partnerships have helped HCM City learn from global experiences in urban planning, flood control, climate adaptation and sustainable development. The city has also strengthened strategic connections by signing cooperation agreements with localities in key partner countries and organising hundreds of investment, trade and tourism promotion events. These efforts have reinforced its leadership role in international integration among localities nationwide. Following its recent administrative restructuring into a unified megacity, the city is entering a new development phase, increasingly attractive to global investors. Travis Mitchell, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), said the citys administrative reform offered major investment opportunities by fostering a leaner, more efficient government and simplifying tax and customs procedures. American companies see HCM City as a new hub for regional supply chains," he said. He also appreciated the citys commitment to a transparent and sustainable business environment. AmCham currently represents more than 550 corporate and 2,500 individual members. Thibaut Giroux, president of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Viet Nam (CCIFV), said with more than 300 member enterprises, CCIFV is expanding operations in key sectors such as healthcare, infrastructure and urban planning in HCM City. Building soft power through people-to-people diplomacy People-to-people diplomacy continues to play a vital role as a cultural bridge that enhances understanding and friendship between HCM City and partners around the world. According to Ho Xuan Lam, vice president and general secretary of the HCM City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO), HUFO operates under the motto Proactive Flexible Creative Effective, aligning closely with the citys foreign affairs direction. HUFO has coordinated with consulates, city departments and social organisations to organise cultural exchanges, friendship events and humanitarian projects. These activities help promote the citys image as a peaceful, friendly and deeply integrated metropolis, while connecting overseas Vietnamese and international NGOs to mobilise resources for education, healthcare, environmental protection and community development. The city also continues to strengthen cooperation with sister cities and expand its international friendship network under the message HCM City City for Peace. Amid global uncertainties, maintaining international cooperation helps the city preserve stability and attract external resources for development. Foreign affairs are now regarded as a strategic pillar alongside defence and security, ensuring sustainable growth. However, city leaders acknowledge that some cooperation frameworks have yet to yield tangible results and that human resources for foreign affairs need further professional training to meet the demands of deeper global integration. Entering the 2025-30 term, the draft documents of the first city Party Congress identify foreign affairs as a key strategic pillar, directly linked to the citys long-term development vision toward 2045. By 2030, the city aims to become a smart, modern and civilised metropolis leading Southeast Asia in economy, finance, trade, education, healthcare and technology. Looking further ahead to 2045, it envisions itself as a major Asian hub green, dynamic and among the worlds most livable global cities. To realise this vision, the city will enhance foreign affairs and international integration as drivers of innovation, technology transfer and talent attraction. It plans to expand market access, connect global supply chains, and promote high-quality investment in high-tech, digital and green industries. It will maximise special mechanisms and policies granted by the Government to leverage its geographical, demographic and economic advantages. Foreign affairs are not just a channel of connection but a source of soft power that drives development. When international cooperation is linked with innovation and digital transformation, HCM City will truly become a global city. VNS A NANG Typhoon Fengshen, the twelfth tropical storm to enter Vietnamese waters this year, is moving westward toward the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago, with forecasters warning of powerful winds and potentially devastating rainfall across central Viet Nam in the days ahead. At 4am on Tuesday, the storm was located about 200km northeast of Hoang Sa. Wind speeds near the centre reached levels 9-10 on the Beaufort scale (75102 km/h), gusting to level 12 (118-133 km/h). The system is travelling west at roughly 20 km/h, and though its strength has held steady, meteorologists say its path has continued to shift. Fengshen is expected to reach the northwestern waters of Hoang Sa early Wednesday, still packing winds of level 9-10 and gusts up to level 12, before tracking toward Viet Nams central coast. By Thursday morning, it will likely be off the shoreline between Hue and Quang Ngai with winds reduced to level 6 (39-49 km/h), gusting to level 8 (62-74 km/h), and may weaken into a tropical depression before making landfall. The storm is forecast to move inland over southern Laos by Friday, fading into a low-pressure area. The northern part of the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), including Hoang Sa, is already seeing rough seas, with waves reaching 3-5m and up to 7m near the storms centre. Authorities have warned that all vessels operating in the waters of central localities face severe risks from thunderstorms, whirlwinds, strong winds and high waves. On Monday, a Nang city officials held an emergency online meeting with local wards to coordinate the citys response to Fengshen. The citys Civil Defence Steering Committee described the storm as a fast-moving and powerful system capable of causing flash floods, landslides and widespread coastal inundation. Forecasters warned that from October 23 to 26, the city could face hefty rainfall, with total accumulations of 100200mm and localised downpours exceeding 300mm. As of Monday morning, a Nangs Border Guard Command reported 4,148 fishing vessels with more than 21,000 crew members registered in the city, including 264 still operating at sea. All have been instructed to steer clear of hazardous areas, while rescue forces and equipment remain on standby. Authorities are preparing evacuation plans for more than 210,000 residents living in flood-prone and landslide-risk zones. About 300 small and medium-sized boats from volunteer groups and the armed forces will be deployed to assist with evacuation and emergency relief operations. These boats will be stationed across key wards and communes, ready to deliver essential supplies or help residents evacuate if roads become impassable. Officials are also considering distributing life jackets to households in low-lying areas. Local governments have been instructed to activate the 'four-on-the-spot' emergency plan, ensuring command, manpower, materials and logistics are available locally, and to suspend classes when heavy rains occur. VNS HCM CITY Landmark buildings in Ha Noi and HCM City were simultaneously lit up in pink on the evenings of October 19 and 20, to call for community and business participation in breast cancer prevention. The activity also began 'Pink October', an important activity of this year's 'Joining Hands for Her' campaign, to raise awareness on breast cancer. In Ha Noi, the Rox Group building at 54A Nguyen Chi Thanh was illuminated in a brilliant pink, becoming a highlight in the city's nightscape. In HCM City, the event drew attention with the participation of prominent structures, such as the Viet Nam's tallest building Landmark 81 and the SkyLed system along the Saigon River with the support of Bizman Media. The prominent display sent a community-wide message about the importance of proactive prevention and early detection of breast cancer. The activity is part of a series of events responding to the global Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Pink October), under the 'Joining Hands for Her' campaign organised by the Cancer Patient Support Bright Future Fund. 'Joining Hands for Her' Beyond the 'Pink Light Up' of buildings, the 2025 campaign features many meaningful programmes running from September 2025 to June 2026. A highlight is the 'Pink Train Spreading Awareness on the Move' activity on the Cat Linh - Ha ong metro line in Ha Noi from October 13 to 31, 2025. It carries the relatable message, 'Whether pomelo or lime, healthy and fresh is beautiful', encouraging women to proactively protect their breast health. In addition, a series of events took place across the country such as free breast cancer screening, the 'Empower Run', a hair donation festival, the 'Doctor's Consultation' series at universities and industrial zones and gift giving for patients in difficult circumstances nationwide. The 'Joining Hands for Her' campaign, organised by the Bright Future Fund under the Ministry of Health since 2012, has helped millions of people access information about breast cancer and supported free screenings for over 80,000 high-risk women. The campaign's objectives include raising public awareness of breast cancer, encouraging women to adopt the habit of regular screening, and calling for society-wide collaboration in supporting and accompanying patients. Through these efforts, the programme aims to introduce a new perspective on proactive health management, from understanding genetic factors to early-stage screening to improve treatment outcomes. Through this series of activities, the programme is expected to continue creating a strong ripple effect in the community, contributing to providing opportunities for proactive and sustainable healthcare for Vietnamese women. Every October is known worldwide as 'Breast Cancer Awareness Month' or 'Pink October' to raise awareness about breast cancer and encourage early screening. In Viet Nam, the Ministry of Health and the Bright Future Fund with the longstanding support of Roche Pharma Vietnamare among the pioneers in implementing communication campaigns and breast cancer screenings. VNS Phuong Dung In mid-October, Vietnamese and Canadian food safety officials gathered in a Nang to discuss something that rarely makes headlines but shapes how nations protect their citizens: Food Safety RISK. They were not debating scandals or announcing new regulations. Instead, they examined how science, management, and communication can work together to prevent food safety crises before they happen. From crisis response to risk prevention Unsafe food causes around 600 million illnesses and more than 400,000 deaths each year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Children under five account for almost a third of those deaths. These numbers highlight a shared global challenge: how to move from responding to outbreaks toward systematically preventing risks. Zero risk does not exist, said Associate Professor Tran Thi inh, the National Food Safety specialist of the SAFEGRO project However, we can make better decisions when they are based on scientific evidence. She mentioned the three pillars of risk analysis: risk management, risk assessment, and risk communication. Together, they provide a scientific, policy, and social framework for ensuring food safety. She compared a national food safety system to a house. Its foundation is strong regulation, its pillars are these three disciplines, and its roof is institutional coordination. When these components work together, they not only protect public health but also promote fair trade practices and build trust. Lessons from Canadas risk-informed system Canadas experience offered a practical example of how a risk-informed system operates. Rowena Linehan, National Food Safety Risk Manager at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), described how the Safe Food for Canadian Regulations, issued in 2019, consolidated fourteen separate laws into one risk-based framework. Its key reforms, including licensing, preventive controls, and traceability, shifted the responsibility for food safety toward producers, processors, and importers, allowing CFIA to focus on oversight and prevention. The key is not to control everything, Linehan explained. It is to focus where it matters most. This shift reflects CFIAs philosophy of integrated risk management, which recognises that food, animal, and plant health systems are interconnected and that data driven prioritisation is more effective than blanket inspection programmes or end-product testing currently used in Viet Nam. Science at work: Modeling risk to save lives CFIAs Food Import Risk Explorer (FIRE) model is one example of a decision-making tool that quantifies the public health burden of different food and hazard combinations using Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as the outcome indicator. Dr. Ashwani Tiwari, one of CFIAs leading food safety risk assessment managers, explained that the model helps Canada focus on the products and sources posing the highest risks and to measure how new policies reduce illnesses caused by pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. Such quantitative approaches, he noted, allow CFIA to allocate resources where they can save the most healthy years of life per dollar spent for domestically produced food and imports. This idea resonated with Vietnamese participants, who face similar constraints with limited inspection capacity or budgets and vast numbers of small producers. Viet Nams emerging risk infrastructure Viet Nams Food Safety Law of 2010 already defines risk analysis, but implementation has been inconsistent. The creation of the Vietnam Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, VFSA, in 2024, under the National Institute for Food Control, NIFC, marks a turning point. According to its director, Associate Professor Tran Cao Son, the centers goal is to build data systems and analytical capacity to guide evidence-based decision making. VFSA is now conducting quantitative risk assessments on Salmonella in chicken, histamine in fish, and chemical contaminants in infant formula, with support from the SAFEGRO project and CFIA. We are learning to turn data into action, Son said during discussions. From assessing and managing risks to communicating them clearly, it is all part of building a culture where food safety becomes a habit, not just a regulation. Decision making and the human element If the elite team of risk assessors provide the scientific evidence, risk managers translate it into policy and action. As Greg Paoli, CEO of Risk Sciences International, emphasised, risk management is not a formula but a mindset. He urged that decisions must be risk-informed, guided by scientific evidence yet sensitive to social and economic realities. He also highlighted the principle of proportionality. With finite resources, regulators must focus on interventions that yield the greatest risk reduction per dollar. But science alone is not enough. How people perceive risk and how institutions communicate it can determine whether a policy succeeds. Laura Hepditch from CFIA presented Canadas experience in risk communication, stressing that transparency builds trust even when information is incomplete. She described how CFIA addresses misinformation by communicating early, correcting errors publicly, and ensuring that official websites provide reliable, updated information. Paoli expanded on this by explaining that perception often depends on trust and values. People fear involuntary or unfamiliar risks more than those they choose. Therefore, effective communication requires empathy, clarity, and credibility, not just technical accuracy. SAFEGRO: Building bridges for a food safety culture Funded by the Government of Canada, the SAFEGRO project connects international expertise with Viet Nams ongoing effort to modernise its food safety system. Its goal is not only to strengthen institutions but also to help farmers, vendors, and consumers understand and manage food safety risks in everyday practice. Through its partnership with CFIA, SAFEGRO has supported Viet Nams ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment, and Industry and Trade in adopting risk-based approaches. The project has helped review and update food safety regulations, develop laboratory information management systems, train food safety managers, and conduct studies on key products such as pork, vegetables, and fisheries. Its impact is most visible in risk communication. At the Mia market in uong Lam, SAFEGRO worked with vendors to improve hygiene through open dialogue, storytelling, and visual tools rather than inspection or enforcement. By linking food safety to pride, livelihood, and personal responsibility vendors began changing to safer daily behaviours. At the workshops closing session, Brian Bedard, the SAFEGROs International Food Safety Specialist, summed up the projects philosophy: ensuring food safety is not about catching unsafe food, but about preventing risks before they occur. True food safety, he said, depends on understanding, cooperation, and shared responsibility among government, businesses, and citizens. Toward a culture of shared responsibility The transformation Viet Nam is pursuing is not simply regulatory; it is cultural. It requires scientists who communicate clearly, regulators who act transparently, and citizens who understand that safety is everyones concern. As Paoli reminded participants, risk never disappears, but by understanding it, societies can live more safely. The a Nang workshop did not issue new decrees, yet it marked a deeper shift, a move from control to collaboration, from reaction to prevention, from isolated enforcement to a culture of shared accountability and responsibility. If that mindset takes root, Viet Nams food safety system will detect problems before they occur and prevent them. And that quiet, deliberate progress toward food safety culture may be the most meaningful change of all. VNS HCM CITY HCM City has reported no cases of local fishing vessels being seized by foreign authorities since the beginning of 2025 a significant milestone reflecting the citys progress in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. During a field inspection on October 20, municipal Peoples Committee Deputy Chairman Bui Minh Thanh led a delegation to assess anti-IUU fishing efforts at key coastal areas and ports. The team visited Cat Lo Fishing Port in Phuoc Thang Ward and Incomap Fishing Port in Vung Tau Ward to review the implementation of monitoring, registration and law enforcement measures. ang Van Luong, deputy head of the Sub-Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance under the citys Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that as of October 17, the city had 4,857 registered fishing vessels, a decrease of 53 compared to the previous week due to deregistration of damaged, missing, or transferred boats. The city regularly updates its fishing vessel database to enhance management, remove non-compliant boats, and ensure accurate statistics for IUU control, he said. Nearly 900 vessels more than 20 per cent have not yet met operational requirements and are therefore not permitted to set sail. Coastal localities have been instructed to guide fishermen in completing necessary procedures, including safety registration and licensing. Luong said most fishermen now show improved awareness and compliance after ongoing communication campaigns and on-site guidance. To ensure compliance at sea, the city maintains 24/7 vessel monitoring system (VMS) supervision to promptly detect and handle signal losses or boundary violations. Currently, 711 vessels are identified as high-risk for IUU violations, with four at sea experiencing VMS disconnections. Relevant forces, including border guards and police, are coordinating closely to monitor and address these cases. At the citys nine fishing ports, all inbound and outbound vessels now use the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT). Since early 2024, authorities have issued over 1,300 certificates of catch origin for more than 14,000 tonnes of seafood, ensuring transparency and compliance with export standards. Law enforcement has also been strengthened. Since early 2024, authorities have imposed administrative fines in 478 IUU-related cases, while eight criminal cases have been investigated and prosecuted, six of which have already been tried. Notably, the case involving vessel BV-93481-TS seized by Indonesian authorities in 2024 for organising illegal exit has been completed and transferred to the Peoples Procuracy for prosecution. Thanks to consistent enforcement and awareness campaigns, no HCM City fishing boats have been detained by foreign countries this year, marking tangible progress in compliance. This is an encouraging result, demonstrating the citys strong commitment to eradicating illegal fishing practices, Thanh said. During the working session, local representatives proposed several measures to further enhance compliance. These include expediting deregistration for unfit vessels, simplifying inspection and licensing procedures, and revising outdated local regulations such as Decision No. 25/2019/Q-UBND from the former Ba RiaVung Tau Province that hinder vessel renovation or license renewal. They also urged the city to dredge coastal estuaries to improve vessel movement and provide financial support for fishermen seeking alternative livelihoods, particularly those engaged in trawling a practice now discouraged for environmental reasons. Thanh commended the progress made by coastal districts and relevant agencies in addressing previous shortcomings highlighted by the European Commission (EC). He stressed that the city is now entering the final phase before the ECs fifth inspection, which will determine whether Viet Nams seafood sector can have the yellow card lifted. The coming weeks are a decisive period, he said. All departments, border guards and local authorities must maintain strong coordination and strict enforcement to ensure full compliance with EC recommendations. He also called for unified administrative procedures across agencies to better demonstrate the citys progress and accountability. Earlier that morning, Thanh and the inspection team met with fishermen and seafood traders to hear their feedback. Many expressed support for the citys direction, noting that improved monitoring and traceability have helped sustain exports and enhance product credibility. As part of its next steps, the city will continue strengthening management over both active and inactive vessels, ensure 100 per cent of boats at sea maintain active VMS connections, and promote sustainable fishery development. It also plans to expand education and communication programmes to help fishermen better understand legal obligations and the long-term benefits of responsible fishing. The intensified inspection and enforcement activities form part of Viet Nams broader national effort to have the ECs yellow card on seafood exports lifted, thereby safeguarding the countrys reputation and access to European markets. VNS United States President Donald Trump's administration announced a new wave of student loan forgiveness that will cancel debts for millions of borrowers. The development comes after an agreement with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which will have the White House once again starting to process student loan forgiveness for eligible borrowers in two income-driven repayment plans: Income-Contingent Repayment and Pay as You Earn, until the debts expire. Student Loan Forgiveness This comes as the Republican president's "Big, Beautiful Bill" is also set to phase out those two programs by July 1, 2028. The latest estimate notes that they have more than 2.5 million enrollees in total. In a statement, the legal director for Protect Borrowers, Winston Berkman-Breen, said that the announcement is a major win for borrowers. He noted that the latest filing means that borrowers can rest a little bit easier. Brekman-Breen added that the U.S. Department of Education agreed to follow the law and deliver Congressionally mandated affordable payments and debt relief to hard-working individuals across the nation, according to the New York Post. Under the latest agreement, borrowers in the U.S. who are eligible for student loan forgiveness this year will no longer owe federal taxes on the relief. The situation comes after a lawsuit was filed in March, where the AFT accused Trump officials of blocking federal student loan holders from accessing programs that were in effect when they first borrowed. Read more: Government Shutdown Prompts Concern Among Education Officials for Potential Impacts to Schools and Student Loans The White House, earlier this year, paused student loan forgiveness under some income-driven repayment plans. These programs calculate a borrower's monthly payment based on their salary, and will typically cancel any remaining debt after 20 or 25 years. The Department of Education, under the current administration, previously said that a court order that halted the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan had implications for other IDR plans, CNBC reported. Affecting Millions of Borrowers On the other hand, consumer advocates argued that that was too broad a reading of the court order. Many believe that it left borrowers with only one repayment plan available, which led to student loan cancellation. AFT President Randi Weingarten said that for nearly a decade, the organization has fought for the rights of student loan borrowers to be freed from the chains of "unjust debt." He said that the latest agreement means that borrowers who are stuck in limbo can finally get much-needed assistance. Weingarten said that AFT will hold the federal government to its word and that it will not stop fighting until college in the U.S. becomes affordable. They also aim to make taking out a student loan not a trap for millions of Americans that forces them into a downward spiral of debt, as per Fox Business. A NANG Lieutenant Colonel Bhnuoch en, Chief of Hung Son Commune Police in a Nang City, late Tuesday reported that a local man was attacked by a wild bear while returning home from his farm. The victim was identified as Poloong Nhuong, born in 1977, head of A Tu 1 Hamlet, a Co Tu ethnic minority village in the highland commune of Hung Son. He was attacked on his way home after tending to crops on his farm. At around 6:30pm today, residents found Nhuong lying unconscious by the roadside with multiple injuries suspected to have been caused by a wild animals claws and bites. They carried him back to the village for first aid. Around 7pm, after receiving the report, Hung Son Commune Police coordinated with local medical staff to bring the victim to ChOm Commune Health Station for further emergency care. According to Lieutenant Colonel Bhnuoch en, initial assessment showed that the victim sustained severe injuries to his face especially the lower jaw, as well as his stomach, arms and legs. The man also lost a large amount of blood due to the bear attack. The commune police contacted the Tay Giang District Medical Centre to send an ambulance to A Tu 1 Hamlet to transport the victim for specialised treatment. Nhuong has since regained consciousness and is being closely monitored and cared for by medical staff. Authorities in Hung Son Commune have advised residents to avoid going to their fields alone, especially in the late afternoon and evening, and are working with relevant agencies to track signs of the wild bear in the area to ensure public safety. VNS SEOUL South Korean authorities on Monday expanded their investigation into suspected scammers as well as the Cambodian branches of South Korean banks linked to the Cambodian conglomerate Prince Group, and the death of a Korean man believed to have been detained and tortured. According to the Korean National Police Agency on Monday, 59 of the 64 suspects that were recently detained upon their entry into Korea were referred for arrest warrants. One suspect among the 64 had already been issued a warrant and was taken into custody immediately upon arrival, while four were released without warrant requests. Of the 59 forwarded to prosecutors, one was not indicted for detention and was released, bringing the total number of released individuals to five. Courts across the country began holding detention warrant hearings on Monday. The highest number of arrest warrant requests was filed by the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency in South Chungcheong Province, as arrest warrant requests were filed for all 45 individuals referred to the police. Additionally, Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency had warrants requested for 11 out of its 15 suspects, while Daejeon and Gimpo police each filed detention requests for a single suspect. Police authorities in Wonju, Gangwon Province, and Seodaemun-gu in western Seoul chose not to pursue warrants for their respective suspects as of now. Authorities say most of the suspects were involved in a variety of fraudulent acts operated from criminal compounds in Cambodia, including romance scams, investment fraud and voice phishing. During police questioning, a few suspects reportedly told investigators that they had been forcibly detained and assaulted by members of scam networks operating in Cambodia. Police are currently verifying such claims, adding that many of the suspects appear to have played a dual role in the situation both as victims and perpetrators. Police also conducted initial drug tests with the suspects. Though more screenings are underway, the authorities said all tests returned negative results. Later in the day, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that Cambodian police arrested 10 South Koreans suspected of involvement in online scam operations during an on-site crackdown on October 16. Two other Koreans who had been held captive were also rescued separately by Cambodian police on the same day and are expected to return to South Korea later this week. As authorities pursue criminal charges against the repatriated suspects, government agencies are also looking to recover illicit proceeds earned by Cambodian-based criminal groups. According to the Ministry of Justice, discussions are underway with Cambodian authorities to establish a legal pathway for returning crime-related proceeds to Korea, aiming to track and repatriate the funds that Cambodian scam operations extracted from Korean victims. Under the proposed arrangement, the Korean government would provide Cambodia with specific information identifying victims and amounts of financial damage incurred, while Cambodian authorities would conduct their own investigations and facilitate asset recoveries and return of proceeds to Korea. One of the key targets of such efforts may be Prince Group, a Cambodian conglomerate suspected of backing scam compounds that trafficked and exploited money from foreign nationals, including Koreans. According to recent findings submitted to Rep. Kang Min-kuk of the People Power Party from the Financial Supervisory Service, five Cambodian branches of South Korean banks, including KB Kookmin Bank, JB Bank, Woori Bank, Shinhan Bank and IM Bank, were found to have carried out 52 transactions with the Cambodian conglomerate, totaling approximately 197 billion won (US$138.6 million). Additionally, acting commissioner Yoo Jae-seong of the KNPA met with the deputy commissioner general of the Cambodian National Police on Monday afternoon, where rising concerns over Cambodia-based scam networks and possible methods of police cooperation were discussed. The meeting also sought to establish a Korean Desk in Cambodia, referring to Korean police officers stationed within a foreign law enforcement agency in the country to handle crimes involving Korean nationals. The first Korean Desk was set up in the Philippines in 2012, followed by another in Thailand. After the meeting concluded, both the KNPA and Cambodian National Police agreed to set up a 24-hour hotline for victims to use in the future when communicating with authorities and to also ramp up crackdowns on scams targeting Korean victims. Earlier Monday morning, law enforcement authorities from the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, as well as the National Forensic Service, conducted a joint autopsy on the deceased Korean national in Cambodia with Cambodian authorities. While no signs of organ removal or mutilation were discovered during the autopsy, authorities told press that the exact cause of death has yet to be determined and will be confirmed after further pathology tests, a toxicology analysis and a review of investigation findings from both South Korea and Cambodia. Following the autopsy, the two sides were expected to discuss procedures for cremation and the repatriation of the remains. On Monday, the Foreign Ministry also added that it is working to improve its system to ensure that consular assistance is available even outside regular working hours at the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia. The announcement came in response after local media reported that a Korean national who had escaped from a Cambodian scam compound was unable to receive timely help after arriving at the embassy in Phnom Penh early in the morning. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho said in a separate briefing that the ministry in Seoul will "hire around 40 working-level officials this time, with plans to significantly increase staffing in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia." Regarding the issue, a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, underscored that "we need to expand (consular staff) and restructure our organisation" as a key means to improve the consular system. The official further explained that the number of consular officers at the Foreign Ministry has decreased following the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Agency in June 2023 under the Yoon administration. The reorganisation at that time split staff at the now-defunct Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Bureau within the Foreign Ministry into the Overseas Koreans Agency and the current Consular Affairs and Safety Bureau. As a result, the launch of the agency has effectively reduced the number of divisions handling the protection of South Koreans abroad from two to one and halved the number of consular staff within the Foreign Ministry. Apart from the long-term plan, the Foreign Ministry plans to temporarily dispatch personnel from other foreign missions to Cambodia this week to carry out consular duties on the ground until the situation stabilizes in Cambodia. According to data obtained by Rep. Park Chan-dae of the Democratic Party of Korea, around 3,000 Koreans have not returned to Korea after departing for Cambodia since 2022. As of August 2025, an estimated 864 individuals had yet to return from the Southeast Asian country, while up to 3,248 individuals failed to return to Korea after departing for Cambodia in 2024. Such numbers were an increase since 2022, when 3,209 Koreans had not returned from the country. THE KOREAN HERALD HA NOI Newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is arranging to make her diplomatic debut at Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related meetings this weekend, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing government sources on October 21. Takaichi, Japan's first female leader, plans to meet Malaysias Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also ASEAN chair, in bilateral talks. She is expected to announce the provision of defence equipment to Malaysia under the Official Security Assistance framework, according to the sources. She is also arranging a summit meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines during her trip to Malaysia. On the multilateral side, she plans to take part in the Japan-ASEAN summit and a summit of the Asia Zero Emission Community, a decarbonisation cooperation framework launched by Japan. The Japanese government places high importance on relations with nations in Southeast Asia, where key sea lanes are located and economic growth continues. Japan wants to promote a free and open international order based on the rule of law with ASEAN nations, the sources said. Takaichi is likely to return home following the three-day ASEAN events to meet US President Donald Trump, who is expected to arrive in Japan on October 27 as part of an Asian tour. The new PM is also scheduled to attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which will begin on October 31 in the Republic of Korea. VNS While these standards aim to encourage responsible production and fair trade, many Vietnamese businesses especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) view them as complex and costly conditions set by foreign buyers, creating new challenges in maintaining competitiveness and market access. Bui Khanh Tung, deputy director of the Centre for Organic Agriculture Development Support under the Vietnam Organic Agriculture Association, said, "This perception, while understandable, misses the broader economic and strategic implications of VSS compliance." Meeting VSS is not merely about satisfying export regulations, Tung explained. It is an investment in the long-term competitiveness of enterprises, one that strengthens trust, opens access to high-value markets, and contributes to sustainable livelihoods for producers. In recent years, Vietnams agricultural exports have faced increasing scrutiny from international markets, where certifications such as GlobalG.A.P., Fairtrade, or Rainforest Alliance are no longer optional but essential. For many Vietnamese SMEs, particularly those in coffee, tea, and spice sectors, VSS compliance has often been viewed as a financial burden rather than a strategic opportunity. However, according to Tung, this perspective is gradually shifting. When enterprises invest in sustainability certification, they are not just buying a label, he noted. They are improving production processes, enhancing efficiency, reducing waste, and building credibility with consumers and global partners. Indeed, global studies have shown that businesses adopting sustainability standards often experience measurable benefits, including reduced production risks, higher prices for certified products, and increased brand recognition. Despite these potential advantages, implementing VSS remains challenging for most local enterprises. The cost of certification, lack of technical expertise, and limited awareness among smallholder farmers continue to hinder broader adoption. Vietnams agricultural system is dominated by small-scale producers who rely heavily on traditional methods. For them, the idea of meeting international sustainability standards can be intimidating. The process often requires restructuring production, documenting practices, and maintaining traceability systems tasks that demand financial resources and organisational capacity beyond the reach of many farmers. Capacity building and coordinated support from both the government and the private sector are crucial, Tung stressed. If we expect farmers and small businesses to adopt VSS, they need more than encouragement they need practical tools, technical guidance, and market linkages. As the global demand for sustainably sourced products continues to rise, the economic rationale for adopting VSS is becoming more apparent. Large international retailers are integrating sustainability criteria into their procurement policies, and multinational brands are tightening requirements for suppliers. In this context, Vietnamese enterprises that proactively integrate sustainability into their operations are better positioned to maintain and expand market access. Beyond export growth, compliance with VSS can also help mitigate reputational risks and attract impact-oriented investors who prioritise environmental, social, and governance performance. VSS certification helps transform sustainability from a cost factor into a growth driver, Tung remarked. When enterprises see sustainability as a core business value, not an external obligation, they start unlocking real economic benefits. To accelerate adoption, experts agree that policy alignment, financial incentives, and capacity-building programmes are essential. Collaboration between government agencies, business associations, and certification bodies can help create a more supportive ecosystem for sustainable production. The path forward requires balancing global market expectations with local realities. As Tung concluded, Sustainability standards should not be seen as foreign impositions but as shared goals. They represent a chance for Vietnams producers to participate more actively and confidently in global value chains. For Vietnam, embracing VSS is more than a compliance issue it is a strategic choice aligned with the nations green growth vision. By reframing VSS adoption as a pathway to competitiveness, Vietnamese companies can not only enhance their global market position but also contribute to a more resilient and responsible agricultural economy. Meeting sustainable standards can boost EU access Engaging in Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) offers Vietnamese businesses a greater impetus to achieve sustainable development objectives linked to competition and transnational accountability. Voluntary Sustainability Standards redefining the future of Vietnams green exports Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) may carry the word voluntary, but for Vietnamese exporters, they are increasingly far from optional. To stay competitive, Vietnams garment industry must transition from volume-driven production to green, circular operations, with access to green finance as the critical enabler. Recognising this momentum, Financing Vietnams Leap in Garment Sustainability, co-hosted by Chan Chao International and CCX Partners on October 17 during the Vietnam International Textile & Garment Exhibition (VTG) 2025, brought together policymakers, financiers, manufacturers, academics, and innovators to explore how capital can accelerate this sustainability leap. Opening the strategy forum, Trinh Thi Thu Hien, deputy director general of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, offered strategic insights on driving forces from FTAs and elevating Vietnams garment export competitiveness through rules of origin compliance and tariff preference utilisation. Vietnamese goods benefit from substantial advantages over those from countries without FTAs, particularly preferential tariff treatment that enables competitiveness in market access. The FTAs, however, encompass deeper commitments on labour, environmental, and sustainable development, Hien said. "International rules are shaping orientation for Vietnam's textile and garment industry to adapt and approach the green transformation objective, which is considered to be the pressure to motivate the sector." Trinh Thi Thu Hien, deputy director general of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, addressing the seminar Maria Pateguana, unit head private sector development of VRM at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vietnam, highlighted Green is no longer a cost its currency. She shared ADBs efforts through the Trade and Supply Chain Finance Programme (TSCFP), GS1 Carbon, SME Sustainability Standards Toolkit, aiming to help Vietnamese suppliers navigate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure, digital product passports, and green financing eligibility. From an impact investing perspective, Trang Ngo, associate vice president at the Impact Investment Exchange, highlighted how Green and Orange Transformation models are reshaping the future of inclusive, gender-smart investment across Asias apparel industry. Closing the forum was a discussion between Hien from Agency of Foreign Trade, Rajkishore Nayak, Assoc. Prof. from RMIT University, and Pham Thi Van Thanh, branch director of VietinBank South Saigon, offering complementary perspectives from policy, research, and finance. The discussion explored the investment opportunities and FTA utilisation via availing rules of origin, emphasised how global sustainability frameworks like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism are reshaping Vietnams garment exports, while scaling up sustainable material innovation, and expanding green financing solutions to support the industrys transformation. Thanh underscored VietinBanks leadership in green finance, supporting apparel SMEs via its GreenUp programme, alongside the recent introduction of a sustainable finance framework. A dynamic conversation unfolded between Kent Teh, senior director of Tessellation Group, and Le Thanh Van, CEO and founder of GUMAC, bridging global manufacturing expertise with local brand ambition. The representative of Tessellation emphasised that sustainability is not a cost but a competitive edge, and shared how it empowers SMEs and innovators with capital and know-how. GUMAC, in turn, reflected the aspirations of Vietnams emerging fashion brands, seeking green finance, strategic partnerships, and global networks to scale their sustainable vision. As Chan Chao and CCX Partners look ahead to VTG 2026, the vision is set. To build a platform where green capital meets manufacturing transformation, and where Vietnams next generation of apparel brands can thrive sustainably, competitively, and globally. Global exhibitors converge in Ho Chi Minh City for VTG 2025 Over 400 international exhibitors are gathering for the 23rd Vietnam International Textile and Garment Industry Exhibition (VTG 2025) to tap into Vietnams billion-dollar garment and textile market. Vietnam poised to lead in circular textiles with Syre Swedish firm Syre is setting its sights on Vietnam, aiming to establish the worlds first high-tech circular textile hub in the country. Netflix is bringing a drama series focusing on the Kennedy family that will star German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender as Joseph Kennedy Sr. The upcoming series will uncover the intimate truths at the heart of one of America's most notorious dynasties. The historical drama is inspired by Fredrik Logevall's book "JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956." Kennedy Family Drama Series on Netflix It starts long before a Kennedy ever lived inside the White House and focuses on the 1930s as Joe Sr., his wife Rose, and their nine kids start to capture the attention of a nation. The series, "Kennedy," from showrunner and executive producer Sam Shaw, follows the family's romances and rivalries. Shaw said that the Kennedys' story is the closest there is to American mythology, noting that Logevall's biography "pulls a veil on the human strivings and burdens behind the myth." He said it reveals as much about modern times as about the Kennedys themselves, according to Tudum. The drama series shows the intimate lives, loves, rivalries, and tragedies that the Kennedy family experienced. The first season of the show focuses on the ascent of Joe and Rose alongside their nine children, including the rebellious second son, Jack. The creative team for the upcoming Netflix series includes Thomas Vinterberg ("The Hunt"), Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kaitlin Dahill. More details about the series are expected to be shared in the near future. The announcement of the new show comes two years after a report noted that the series was in development for Netflix. At the time, the platform apparently saw the show as an American version of "The Clown," Variety reported. Michael Fassbender in a Leading Role "Kennedy" marks Fassbender's second leading TV role in the past few years, with the other one being the Paramount+ Premium show "The Agency." The latter is currently prepping up for a second season. The actor is most notable for his work in many movies, such as "12 Years a Slave" and "Steve Jobs." Other works that made him famous include "Inglorious Bastards," "Shame," "Frank," and the "X-Men" franchise. Some of the more notable events that could be featured in the upcoming series include the Kennedy family producing the 35th president of the United States and a New York senator and presidential hopeful. Another is the fact that both of these individuals were assassinated. There had been talks of a Kennedy curse that were reinforced when the former's son, JFK Jr., lost his life along with his wife and sister-in-law in 1999 due to a plane crash, as per CNN. Deputy first minister defends greyhound racing ban amid political fix accusations The deputy first minister has insisted plans to ban greyhound racing are not linked to a budget deal, despite being confronted with evidence it was part of the agreement. During a tense evidence session on Monday (October 20), Huw Irranca-Davies was challenged by fellow Labour member Alun Davies over the timing of a draft law. Mr Davies argued the ban was part of a deal the Labour government struck with Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrats leader in Wales, to secure her support for this years budget. The former minister quoted from the published 2025/26 Welsh Government budget agreement which lists a move to ban greyhound racing in Wales as part of the deal. Im entirely unconvinced by the argument that its a separate process, he said. Parallel but separate In response, Mr Irranca-Davies told Senedd members not to be under any misapprehension that bringing in a ban was related to budget considerations. The deputy first minister, whose responsibilities include animal welfare, maintained that plans for a ban were based on ethical considerations such as injuries and fatalities. He pointed out that a Welsh Government consultation, which showed a majority in favour of a ban, was already in his in-tray when he came into post 18 months ago. Appearing before the Senedds legislation committee for scrutiny of the prohibition of greyhound racing bill, he said: There are two parallel but separate processes going on. One of which is to do with budget considerations, and those are serious matters for any government, whether here or in the UK or elsewhere, and the other one is the rights and wrongs of bringing forward legislation on the prohibition of greyhounds. I am very clear very clear on the rationale for this legislation. I have no idea But his Labour colleague was not convinced by the claim of separate processes, telling the deputy first minister: You and I were sat in the same meetings when some of this was discussed and there was clearly a linkage there. Mr Davies added: The Welsh Government did not bring forward, as far as Im aware, any proposals on this matter prior to that agreement, so it is difficult to disentangle the two. He criticised ministers for failing to complete impact assessments before asking people to take steps to ban a currently lawful activity without the information thats required. The Conservatives Samuel Kurtz asked whether the budget would have passed had the Welsh Government not proposed to bring forward the greyhound bill. I have no idea, Mr Irranca-Davies replied. Its not pertinent to my consideration. He added: There were wider considerations for other cabinet colleagues, undoubtedly, in terms of passing the budget and the importance for the Welsh Government and public services. But the rationale for bringing forward this legislation was not related to a budget. Political fix The deputy first ministers strenuous denials follow the Greyhound Board of Great Britain lodging a judicial review in May to challenge the decision to move to ban the sport. On February 12, a Senedd debate on a 35,000-name petition calling for a ban on greyhound racing was met with a relatively lukewarm response by the Welsh Government. But, less than a week later in a hastily arranged statement on February 18, the deputy first minister announced plans for Wales to become the first part of the UK to bring in a ban. The 100m budget deal was announced two days later on February 20, with a press release stating: The agreement includes a commitment to move to ban greyhound racing in Wales. Ms Dodds struck a different tone to the deputy first minister as the bill was introduced last month, telling the Senedd: I was the one who did the political fix and Im proud of that. By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter It will take 15 years to get through waiting list for autism and neurodiversity in North Wales says MS The First Minister has defended some wait lists at the local Health Board, pointing to extra funding that has been provided to increase the number of assessments. Mabon ap Gwynfor MS was querying neurodiversity waiting lists in North Wales, with the First Minister Eluned Morgan pointing to a surge across the UK for neurodiversity assessments. The First Minister said, Here in Wales were taking action to ensure that families get the help that they need faster. Weve already ended all four-year waits for neurodevelopmental assessments for children, and every health board now has a clear plan in place to eliminate three-year waits by March 2026. In North Wales, weve given Betsi Cadwaladr an extra 2.7 million to deliver around 1,700 additional assessments this year, and theyre on track to do just that. Mabon ap Gwynfor MS was unconvinced, following up with Freedom of Information data, asking I am sure that every Member present here today will have seen an increasing case load in terms of diagnosis and support for children and young people who live with neurodiverse conditions. In my case, I have seen parents coming in to surgeries and coming in to the office in tears because they have 11-year-old children who are self-harming, and some trying to take their own lives, because they have not had the necessary diagnosis and support. Now, unlike the data that you have just quoted, the data that I have received through an FOI shows that there are over 7,000 children and young people in north Wales waiting for an assessment. With around 40 assessments only done every month in north Wales, that means that it will take around 15 years to get through that waiting list for autism and neurodiversity in north Wales. Thats 15 years. Do you think that that is acceptable? The First Minister responded, No. Thats why additional funding was provided to bring those waiting lists down. And may I remind you that you voted against that additional funding to bring those waiting lists down? It is a serious situation, and thats why we have provided that additional funding. We are going to provide 1,700 additional assessments, and we have provided 2.7 million, which is no small sum, to help the situation in Betsi. New jobs and training hub launches in Llangollen after 500,000 boost A 500,000 lottery grant will fund a new community hub in Llangollen to help people in the Dee Valley find work, skills and training. Social enterprise South Denbighshire Community Partnership will take over the town library one day a week to launch a new Development and Learning Hub in partnership with Working Denbighshire, the county councils employment and skills arm. The project aims to give local people easier access to job opportunities, course and support and make sure rural communities arent left behind. It was unveiled by SDCP Project Manager Sally Lloyd Davies at events in Corwen and Llangollen to celebrate the award of the Big Lottery Fund grant from the People and Places fund to expand its services for the next four years. As well as managing two community centres, Canolfan Ni in Corwen and Pengwern Community Hub in Llangollen, SDCP provides services designed to improve the health and wellbeing of mainly older and vulnerable people in the area. There is a real need for this service in the Dee Valley and basing it in Llangollen will enable us to more easily link in with organisations like Coleg Cambria to provide a long-term solution to the challenge of providing up-skilling and employment opportunities in the Dee Valley, explained Sally. In our work in the community we have found that the Welsh language, local heritage and culture are massively popular and we are also listening and reacting to that and seeking to expand our services. We have a really good working relationship with Denbighshire Council and are looking to develop services by using Llangollen library as a hub on the days when the library is closed and that alongside our base at Pengwern Community Hub gives us a strong presence in the town. People want to work with us at SDCP because they know we can get the people in not just Denbighshire Council but many other providers and working with them brings huge benefits to our area. The award has been welcomed by Clwyd South Senedd Member Ken Skates, the Welsh Governments Minister for North Wales, Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymrus MS for North Wales and by Liz Grieve, Head of Housing and Community Service at Denbighshire County Council. Ken Skates MS said: SDCP has done phenomenal work in securing this significant grant by putting together such a strong and compelling bid and we are already seeing the benefits of it in this community. Its a perfect example of how community funding can reach into every part of the UK and bring about beneficial change in how people interact with each other and offer them a range of services and opportunities that are life-enhancing. What they are doing is not just benefiting the physical health of the people of the Dee Valley but also benefits them mentally and spiritually. Llyr Gruffydd attended the event in Corwen and said: When the public and private sectors withdraw services its often the local community that steps in to fill the void. SDCP has not only done that, but it has also gone further in empowering local people and communities to do even more. This is the start of a new and exciting chapter for communities across south Denbighshire, and I look forward to supporting SDCP and its great work for years to come. Llangollen resident Anne Davies, who attended the launch event, added: SDCP have started to develop services and now with the new funding they can do even more and theyre full of ideas their community transport is a godsend. Its really exciting for Llangollen and because were close to Wrexham its important that were not forgotten by Denbighshire and SDCP gives us a voice in the county because there are huge needs here as well. SDCP, founded in 2010 with a remit to combat rural poverty, has helped local people claim millions in unpaid benefits, forged strong partnerships with Denbighshire County Council, the Citizens Advice service and banking services, introduced community transport schemes along the Dee Valley, run a meals on wheels service and lunch clubs and even pioneered hydro-electric power schemes. The events in Corwen and Llangollen showcased some of the services currently being provided by SDCP and its partners including health and social care, financial advice and support, transport, including bus and electric car services and hire, and health and fitness activities, story-telling, craft work and art classes. For more about South Denbighshire Community Partnership and about their work in the community go to www.canolfan-ni.org or https://www.facebook.com/SouthDenbighshireCommunityPartnership or call 01490 266004. Pictured, from left, Gwion Tomos Jones, SDCP. Liz Grieve, Denbighshire County Council, Julian Sampson, SDCP Chair, Sally Lloyd Davies, SDCP Project Manager, and Ken Skates, Senedd Member for Clwyd South Mandy Jones Senedd meeting on Hafod landfill site problems cancelled as most members fail to attend An evidence session was cancelled after four of the five politicians who sit on a committee were unable to attend, leaving the Senedd no choice but to postpone the meeting. The Senedds petitions committee was due to meet this yesterday afternoon as part of a short inquiry into the impact of the Hafod landfill site on people living nearby in Wrexham. But the meeting had to be pulled at the 11th hour after Plaid Cymrus Luke Fletcher, Labours Vaughan Gething, Conservative Joel James and independent Rhys ab Owen all sent apologies. The Conservatives sent Gareth Davies as a substitute for Mr James but Carolyn Thomas, the Labour chair of the committee, was the only other politician in attendance. Under the Senedds rules or standing orders, committee meetings must be cancelled if fewer than three members or less than a third of members are present. Meetings must also be cancelled if only one political group is represented by members. Some committees including finance, legislation and standards currently have only four members, regularly putting meetings at risk due to roadworks or sickness absence. Ms Thomas said: I have received apologies from Luke Fletcher, Vaughan Gething, Joel James and Rhys ab Owen. Gareth Davies is attending as a substitute for Joel James. However, as there are fewer than three members present, this meeting is inquorate under standing order 17.31 which requires at least three members to be present so all business from todays meeting will be rescheduled to a future meeting. We are next due to meet on November 10, so apologies and I will have to close the meeting until next time. Diolch. The danger of committees lacking enough members to ensure sufficient scrutiny was one of the core drivers behind plans to expand the Senedd from 60 to 96 members from May 2026. Labours Mike Hedges, who chairs the Welsh Parliaments legislation committee and sits on three others, has consistently expressed concerns about inadequate numbers. Last year, he warned a meeting of the public accounts committee would have been declared inquorate if he had gone to the toilet. You cannot run an organisation like that, he said. In his keynote address at the opening ceremony, Yin Tongyue, Chairman of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. (9973.HK), elaborated on the strategic essence of "Co-Create, Co-Define." From January to September 2025, Chery Group's global sales surpassed 2 million units, with European sales more than doubling year-on-year to reach 145,000 units, showcasing the tangible value of global co-creation. Mr. Yin emphasized that Chery is evolving from an automobile manufacturer into a builder of intelligent mobility ecosystems. Guided by the principle "In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere," the Group continues to advance localization by partnering with local universities and enterprises to develop localized products and nurture local talent, striving to become a truly local enterprise. He also emphasized that ESG is central to sustainable development. Chery will continue working with international organizations to advance low-carbon technologies and public welfare initiatives, fulfilling its responsibility as a global corporate citizen. Mr. Yin concluded by reaffirming Chery Group's commitment to building an open, inclusive, and sustainable automotive ecosystem together with its global partners. Co-Creation Building an Open and Collaborative User Ecosystem Global Voices, Shared Stories At the User Awards Ceremony, representatives from Vietnam, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Spain, and Indonesia shared their stories of connection with Chery. Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc, brand ambassador for OMODA & JAECOO Vietnam, integrates sustainability into brand communication. Samurai Farai, a South African artist, infused local culture into Chery through creative vehicle art. Mussa Ramazanov from Kazakhstan demonstrated the reliability of EXEED vehicles after driving over 100,000 km. Carlos Guisado from Spain and his family showcased their deep trust by choosing the OMODA & JAECOO brand. Humam from Indonesia built a local community of over 300 Chery owners, forming a thriving content ecosystem. From CHERY, OMODA & JAECOO, and EXEED to iCAUR, LEPAS, and LUXEED, users around the world are not just customers they are co-creators shaping Chery's global brand narrative. Their authentic engagement gives Chery a warmer, more human presence in the global marketplace. Expanding the ESG Alliance: Building a Global Network for Sustainability A key highlight of the conference was the launch of the Chery Global ESG Advisory Alliance, marking a major upgrade in Chery's sustainability strategy. This year, the alliance expanded significantly welcoming experts from global sustainability organizations and industrial chain partners. Notably, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended in person and officially joined the alliance as an ESG Honorary Advisor. His participation not only enhanced the alliance's international credibility but also reflected global recognition of Chery's sustainability roadmap. Through this upgraded alliance, Chery is transforming ESG from an internal corporate initiative into a global collaborative movement, promoting deep cooperation in low-carbon R&D, public welfare programs, and industry standardization. At the ESG strategy level, Chery has built a comprehensive framework supported by three key pillars: "Low-Carbon Transition and Nature Positive," "Value Chain Collaboration," and "Self-Discipline and Compliance Development." The Group has already made substantial progress across multiple dimensions. On the technological front, Chery promotes low-carbon transformation through innovations such as the Mars Architecture Hybrid Platform and solid-state battery technology. On the environmental front, it became the first Chinese automaker to receive a mutual recognition report for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) between China and the EU. On the social responsibility front, Chery continues to collaborate with UNICEF on the "Empowering Every Child's Learning Journey" initiative and works with the IUCN to advance global nature conservation projects demonstrating its firm commitment to turning ESG promises into tangible action. Co-Define Shaping the Strategic Blueprint for Intelligent Mobility Strategic Elevation Defines a New Paradigm for Intelligent Mobility In the grand finale, Mr. Zhang Guibing, President of Chery International, delivered a keynote speech themed "Co-Creating Sustainable Development, Co-Defining the Future Ecosystem," elaborating on Chery's strategic evolution from a traditional automaker to a builder of intelligent mobility ecosystems. He noted that Chery has ranked No.1 among Chinese brands in overseas sales for 22 consecutive years, with monthly exports exceeding 100,000 units for five consecutive months. Its new energy vehicle growth rate leads among China's top five auto brands, and PHEV models have achieved No.1 retail sales in multiple markets achievements that firmly validate the foundation of Chery's strategic transformation. Driven by the global trends of low-carbon transition and AI intelligence, the automotive industry is rapidly evolving toward an integrated "vehicle + ecosystem" model. In this context, Chery is building a comprehensive technology ecosystem that transcends the traditional automotive domain one that deeply integrates users, vehicles, robots, and big data. This system is anchored in intelligent, connected new energy vehicles, while extending into emerging fields such as flying cars, robotaxis, robotics, photovoltaics, and green energy, forming a diversified and synergistic innovation network. Moving forward, Chery will dedicate part of its teams to the automotive business and others to the research, development, and operation of new ventures like robotics, jointly shaping a future-oriented mobility ecosystem. Mr. Zhang further detailed Chery's roadmap: Strengthening leadership in PHEV hybrid and BEV electric platforms. Accelerating commercialization of autonomous driving technologies. Advancing innovation in robotics and aerial mobility. Deepening localization under the philosophy "In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere." This strategic transformation marks Chery's evolution from a traditional automaker into a green, intelligent mobility technology company that co-creates, co-defines, and co-prospers with its users and partners. By building an open and collaborative innovation ecosystem, Chery is not only redefining the boundaries of the mobility industry but also opening new pathways for shared growth with global partners. Co-Create. Co-Define. Co-Win the Future. Through its dynamic structure of speeches, dialogues, and collaborative announcements, the 2025 Chery International User Summit vividly embodied its theme of "Co-Create, Co-Define." From Ban Ki-moon's participation to user stories from across the globe, from the robotic performances that opened the event to the upgraded ESG Alliance, Chery conveyed a clear message to the world: It is not building a closed product system, but an open, evolving, user-driven mobility ecosystem. As technology converges with humanity, and users evolve from product consumers to ecosystem co-creators, Chery's vision extends beyond cars toward a new way for people to connect with the world. SOURCE Chery International 21 % more press release views with Request a Demo Wrexham residents invited to take part in UK Parliament Week 2025 Andrew Ranger MP is inviting residents across Wrexham to get involved in UK Parliament Week (UKPW) an annual event spreading the word about what Parliament is, what it does, and how people can take part. This years UK Parliament Week introduces young people to Parliament step by step, helping them understand its role, how it affects everyday life, and the different ways they can get involved. UK Parliament Week 2025 also marks the 10-year anniversary of the launch of the UK Government and Parliament e-petitions website, which has widened access and opened up opportunities for members of the public to raise the issues that matter most to them. The event takes place from 24-30 November, with thousands of schools, youth groups and community organisations across the UK already signed up to take part. Last year more than 2.4 million people took part across every nation and region of the UK and in countries all over the world. Everyone who signs up for UK Parliament Week receives a free resource kit, which includes: A booklet with tailored activity ideas for youth groups, schools, or adults A pop-up ballot box A banner and stickers A unique Petitions Pursuit board game to help participants run UKPW activities Andrew Ranger MP said: UK Parliament Week is an excellent opportunity for people in Wrexham to find out more about UK Parliament, its role in shaping everyday life, and the ways they can get involved with its work. It links really well with the Curriculum for Wales and citizenship opportunities. I encourage schools and local groups to sign up and Im looking forward to seeing lots of constituents, especially young people, taking part. Fran Jeens, Head of Education and Engagement at UK Parliament, said: Its always fantastic to see schools and communities coming together for UK Parliament Week, exploring democracy and discovering the ways they can actively participate. Were looking forward to this years UKPW being even bigger and better than last year and cant wait to see what activities are organised in Wrexham. Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism has become a growing issue with students nationwide. In Washoe County, the Education Alliance is doing what it can to combat the issue by fundraising for research and supporting families to help kids make it to school. Their efforts are seeing results already this school year, as they have seen a 71% increase in attendance compared to years prior. Board President Landon Miller tells us what they're doing to keep this upward trend in attendance. "We've done a lot of different things over the last couple of years," he said. We've done fundraisers, our executive director will go out and make individual ads to businesses and corporations to see how they can donate." Miller says they have raised over $150,000 for this cause. Washoe County has used these funds to support families who are struggling with getting students to school. They have also invested in research to assess the issue of absenteeism. The Board discussed a specific age group of students who suffer from absenteeism the most. "Middle school engagement and absenteeism is a problem," said Miller. "We've been able to hire intervention specialists who work one-on-one with students to say, 'Hey, why aren't you coming to class? Get in here.' And research shows that face-to-face interaction improves kids' abilities and desires to come to school." The Alliance says they encourage the community to get involved, whether that's donating to the cause or just by being a positive influence to get kids wanting to go to school. The kids being helped today are the leaders of tomorrow. "Who do you want your neighbor to be 10-15 years from now?" asked Miller. "Who do you want your pharmacist to be 1015 years from now? Who do you want your lawyer to be 10 to 15 years from now? The people who are in school today are going to be the people interacting with us 10, 15 years from now. We want to teach them the importance of showing up, showing up on time, good work ethic, and overall being educated." Vice president of underwriting and commercial mortgage loans at national life insurance carrier recognized for leadership in industry program CANTON, Mass., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, a national provider of insurance solutions at the workplace and for individuals, announced today that Anthony (Tony) Genna, Vice President of Underwriting and Commercial Mortgage Loans, has been selected to participate in the American Council of Life Insurers' (ACLI) Rising Leader Program. Through this initiative, participants will expand their understanding of the life insurance industry's advocacy efforts, leadership best practices, and shared mission to help families and individuals build financial security. Anthony (Tony) Genna, Vice President of Underwriting and Commercial Mortgage Loans at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, has been selected to participate in the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) Rising Leader program. "We are thrilled that Tony has been chosen to join this year's ACLI Rising Leader class," said Paul A. Quaranto, Jr., Chair and CEO at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company. "His leadership and expertise in underwriting have made a significant impact on our business, and this recognition underscores his dedication to advancing both Boston Mutual Life and our industry's commitment to protecting working Americans and their families." As Vice President, Mr. Genna oversees Boston Mutual Life's Underwriting and Commercial Mortgage Loan teams, with responsibility for the profitable growth of both portfolios. He joined the company in 2016 and has held various leadership roles during his tenure. He was promoted to his current role as Vice President in 2023. Prior to Boston Mutual Life, Mr. Genna served as a Special Risk Underwriter for Pan-American Life Insurance Company in addition to various product development roles at the company. He holds a bachelor's degree in international business from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a master's degree in international relations from the University of Birmingham in England. ACLI is the leading trade association driving public policy and advocacy on behalf of the life insurance industry and the 90 million American families who rely on life insurers for financial protection and retirement security. The Rising Leader Program provides participants with opportunities for professional development, networking, and engagement with industry peers to help shape the future of the industry. "We are proud to support Tony in this achievement and look forward to the insights he will bring back to our organization," added Mr. Quaranto. The program officially began at the ACLI Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, during the week of October 13, 2025, and will conclude with a graduation ceremony at next year's conference. Learn more about the Rising Leader Program here. To learn more about Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, please visit www.bostonmutual.com. About Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company Founded as a progressive life insurance company in 1891, Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company is a national carrier that provides insurance solutions designed for working Americans and their families, including municipality employees and union members, as well as enrollment and billing options at the workplace. With offices based in Canton, Massachusetts, and Omaha, Nebraska, as a mutual company, Boston Mutual Life is dedicated to acting in the best interests of its policyholders, producers, employees, and its communities. For more information, please visit www.bostonmutual.com or contact your Boston Mutual Life representative. Follow the company on Facebook (/BostonMutualLifeIns), LinkedIn (/company/boston-mutual-life-insurance), Instagram (/bostonmutuallifeinsurance), or YouTube (/bostonmutuallifeinsurance). Media Contact Boston Mutual Life News Desk [email protected] Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company SOURCE Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company Significant Mineralisation Confirmed In Sweden Perth, Oct 21, 2025 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Basin Energy Limited ( ASX:BSN ) ( BSNEF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to provide results from geochemical sampling and data validation of historical diamond drill core from its Bjorkberget ('Bjork'), Ravaberget ('Rava') and Virka Projects (collectively the "North Sweden Projects"), refer figure 1*. A total of 59 drillholes were reviewed across the projects, with drill hole collar details provided in Appendix 2*. The program was successful in that the geochemistry has infilled missing data and verified the quality of the available historical data Key Highlights - Re-assaying of historical core validates previously incomplete data, demonstrating significant mineralisation over three project areas in Sweden - Significant shear-hosted mineralisation recognised at Bjorkberget including o BJK78002 which included 12 metres at 0.12% U3O8 from 42.5m, including 4 metres at 0.23% U3O8 from 46 metres o BJK78001 which included 2.5 metres at 0.27% U3O8 from 169.5 metres o Mineralisation appears open at depth and along strike - Limited historic data and core at Ravaberget identified significant thickness of mineralisation including o RVB76003 which included 14.4 metres at 0.15% U3O8 from 16.1 metres depth o Mineralisation appears open at depth and geophysical data supports interpretation of 20km of prospectivity between Rava and Bjork, within the Trollberget project - Further sampling at Virka supports Aura Energy's previously released results, whilst outlining o Additional high-grade mineralisation identified in VIR80005 including 2.6 metres at 0.15% U3O8 from 27.8 metres o Additional high-grade mineralisation identified in VIR8004 including 2.75 metres at 0.10% U3O8 from 70 metres o Localised high-grade zones noted over 0.5 metres, including VIR80013 from 26.3 metres at 0.66% U3O8 o Mineralisation at Virka remains open along strike to the southwest and down dip. - Sweden is scheduled to remove the existing ban on uranium exploration in January 2026, paving the way to the next phases of exploration for all three project areas. Basin's Managing Director, Pete Moorhouse commented: "These results demonstrate the presence of an active mineralising system across three project areas each capable of producing significant thickness and grades of uranium mineralisation. The work completed in the 1970s and 80s was of good calibre, however, it was tightly focussed on the limited areas of outcrop. The two best intervals occur at Rava and Bjork, with Basin staking the entire 20 kilometres of prospective ground between these two prospects, which has never seen a drill hole. With the upcoming policy change in Sweden paving the way to the next phase of uranium opportunity, Basin will use this data along with its in house uranium exploration expertise to explore along strike, to realise the scale of potential for the district. Basin Energy's early-mover advantage, positions the Company to be at the forefront of a revitalised European uranium and critical minerals sector, supporting the continent's shift toward secure, low-carbon energy supply chains." Historical Data Verification As detailed in Appendix 2 and 3*, geochemical sampling to verify historical data from a number of holes have been completed on each of the projects. To achieve this, Basin has resampled holes from each project to cross check the historical data and historical assays reported. These samples were all 1/4 core, vs the historical 1/2 core samples. It is noted that it is requirement that 1/4 of the core need to remain, as such a full comparison of the samples could not be completed. The samples returned results within the accuracy that would be expected for the shear-hosted style of mineralisation and the sampling method. As such the Competent Person considers the historical data suitable to be basis for exploration results to be reported. Below is a summary of each project area and the returned results. Bjorkberget The Bjork project is a subset of the Trollberget project, located at the southern tip approximately 20 kilometres from Rava, refer figure 1*. Historical drilling at Bjork comprised 40 drillholes totalling 5,939 metres, completed by SGU between 1976 and 1978 (Figure 2*), along with one additional drillhole of 70.25 metres drilled by Geoforum in 2008. Of the 41 historical holes, 20 were assayed by SGU for selected elements; however, uranium assay data are not consistently available in the existing record archives. Most drillholes were gamma logged in accordance with the logging standards in place at the time. Twenty-two drillholes were selected and re-sampled by Basin from the Bjork core archive. Whilst full verified historical and accompanying new data is provided in Appendix 2* and 3*, key highlights showing intervals with a grade X thickness equivalent of greater than 2,000 ppm U3O8 from these holes include: o BJK78002 which included 12 metres at 0.12% U3O8 from 42.5m, including 4 metres at 0.23% U3O8 from 46 metres o BJK78001 which included 2.5 metres at 0.27% U3O8 from 169.5 metres o BJK76013 which included 5 metres at 0.09% U3O8 from 81 metres and 4.5 metres at 0.05% U3O8 from 143.5 metres o BJK79004 which included 1.5 metres at 0.31% U3O8 Bjorkberget assays display the strongest base-metal results of the three projects. Results confirmed the presence of zinc, including the following intervals which recorded above 1% zinc over 0.5 metres or greater: o BJK78006B which included 0.5 metres at 5.64% Zn from 123.5 metres within a broader interval of 1.5 metres of 1.15% zinc from 123 metres, and 2 metres at 0.55% zinc from 15.25 metres o BJK79003 which included 0.5 metres at 1.51% Zn from 88.3 metres o BJK81003 which included 0.5 metres at 1.01% Zn from 11.0 metres and 0.5 metres at 1.07% Zn from 21.0 metres Ravaberget The Rava project is a subset of the Trollberget project, located at the northern tip approximately 20 kilometres from Bjork refer figure 1*. Historical drilling at Rava comprised 42 diamond drillholes totalling 4,262 metres, completed by SGU between 1975 and 1977, refer figure 3*. All drillholes were gamma logged at time of drilling in accordance with the logging standards of the time, although only three holes-RVB76003, RVB76009, and RVB77005-were assayed by the Swedish Geological Survey ("SGU") on select intervals for uranium and selected elements. Basin Energy identified and prioritised core intervals from six archived diamond drillholes for re-assay and data validation. Whilst full verified historical and accompanying new data is provided in Appendix 2 and 3*, key highlights showing intervals with a minimum grade X thickness equivalent of greater than 900 ppm U3O8 from these holes, or 5 metres at 600 ppm TREO from these holes include: o RVB76003 which included 14.4 metres at 0.15% U3O8 from 16.1 metres, and o 12.5 metres at 460ppm Zn from 8.2 metres including 2 metres at 2,442 ppm Zn from 16.3 metres depth. o RVB75015 which included 4 metres at 0.06% U3O8 from 39 metres including 1 metre at 0.15% U3O8 from 39 metres, and o 0.5 metres at 0.55% Zn from 42.5 m o 4.5 metres at 620ppm TREO from 34.1 m. o RVB76005 which included 1.5 metres at 0.08% U3O8 from 85.25 metres o RVB76006 which included 3.2 metres at 0.03% U3O8 from 18.2 metres o RVB77009 which included 13.9 metres at 680.7ppm TREO from 18.2 metres and o 4.5 metres at 0.06% U3O8 from 40 metres The standout drillhole from Rava of those reviewed by Basin is RVB76003. Geological observations from historical drill core and select rock chip samples from a granitic outcrop near the historical drilling site show visible disseminated fine grained uraninite. This is in contrast to the interpreted structurally hosted mineralisation observed at Bjork, and it is interpreted that potentially the controlling structure is located undercover, west of this outcrop within the Trollberget exploration licence staked by Basin in Q4 2024. Virka Assay Results All archived diamond drill core at Virka (20 drillholes, 2,654.3 m) was reviewed by Basin's geologists. Drilling was completed by the Swedish Geological Survey ("SGU") between 1980 and 1982 and no multi element assay data was reported for this program. Aura Energy ( ASX:AEE ) assayed the partial cores in 2008 which provides increased confidence in this system, although some of the best mineralized intervals, as indicated by historic downhole radiometric data and remaining quarter cut core could not be sampled as insufficient core remained. Eight drillholes were re sampled by Basin from the Virka core archive. No new historical results are reported in this release. Whilst all new data is provided in Appendix 2*, key highlights showing intervals with a grade X thickness equivalent of greater than 1,000 ppm U3O8 from these holes include: o VIR80013 which included 8.2 metres at 0.11% U3O8 from 25.3 metres including previously unrecognised localised high-grade zones noted over 0.5 metres at 0.66% U3O8 from 26.3 metres o Additional high-grade mineralisation identified in VIR80005 including 2.6 metres at 0.15% U3O8 from 27.8 metres o This falls within an interval that Aura Energy reported as 17 metres at 0.07% U3O8 from 23 metres o Previously unrecognised mineralisation in VIR80014 including 3.5 metres at 0.04% U3O8 from 70 metres o Additional high-grade mineralisation identified in VIR80015 including 2.0 metres at 0.10% U3O8 from 48.25 metres The mineral distribution at Virka sees a general increase in grade and thickness in the central part of the system which remains untested at depth. Basin sees this as a priority for further work. Program Overview The North Sweden Projects are located approximately 140 km northwest of Skelleftea and 160 km southwest of Lulea. The Projects are strategically positioned in a highly prospective metallogenic belt within the Fennoscandian Shield, hosting a diverse range of mineral deposits (Figure 1*). Geologically, the area is dominated by Proterozoic-aged metavolcanic sequences and extensive granitoid intrusions, and is structurally complex due to multiple orogenic events, particularly the Svecofennian orogeny. The region hosts significant mineralisation, including volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), orogenic gold, and holds a strong potential for shear-hosted and epigenetic uranium and/or REE mineralisation. The Arjeplog-Arvidsjaur-Sorsele uranium district is host of approximately 30 known mineralised prospects (Figure 1*). In Q4 2024, Basin conducted initial reconnaissance mapping7,8,9,10 and an extensive compilation of historical data, which included a detailed review of the SGU core archive, across its North Sweden Projects. Following this work, the Company completed in Q1 2025 a program of re-logging and reassaying of selected historical diamond drill core from the Bjork, Rava, and Virka projects. A total of 59 drillholes were reviewed across the projects. Logging included detailed geological and structural observations, radiometric measurements, and photographic documentation. 103 selected core trays were subsequently shipped to ALS Laboratories in early Q2 2025 for sawing, sample preparation, and analysis using modern ICP-MS techniques. Although some of the most mineralised core intervals were missing or unsampleable in several holes, sampling of the available core returned high-grade uranium intersections across multiple intervals and projects (Appendix 3*). Notably, only minor ancillary metals were noted, primarily zinc. The new assay results showed strong correlation with the original SGU data where direct comparisons were possible. This consistency between datasets validates the historical assay records and reinforces confidence in the integrity of the broader historical drill database. New assay results demonstrate a good correlation with original SGU data, typically within 15% variance for uranium grades where direct comparisons were possible. Discrepancies are attributed to core sample size variation, the mineralisation nature of shear hosted system and analytical method differences. Typically, results sub 200 ppm U3O8 appeared higher grade in the historical data, however above 200ppm correlation improved. Overall, the consistency between datasets validates the historical assay records and provides confidence in the integrity of the broader historical drill database. Geological observations and assay results confirm that high-grade uranium mineralisation is closely associated with hematite, magnetite, and sulphide phases, including sphalerite (ZnS) and galena (PbS). At Virka and Bjork, uranium mineralisation is structurally controlled in microfracture stockwork, while at Rava it occurs as finely disseminated mineralisation within metasomatized granite. Mineralisation is not closed off at depth by historical drilling and multiple target opportunities remain to fully test the uranium systems on the Projects. These results highlight the strong exploration potential of Basin's northern Sweden portfolio, located within a geologically favourable region hosting multiple uranium and base-metal occurrences. Basin's 2025 re-logging and re-assay program establishes a robust technical foundation for future drill targeting aimed at defining the scale and grade of the mineralising system(s) at play within the North Sweden Projects. *To view tables and figures, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/2B444ISS About Basin Energy Ltd Basin Energy Ltd (ASX:BSN) (OTCMKTS:BSNEF) is a green energy metals exploration and development company with an interest in three highly prospective projects positioned in the southeast corner and margins of the world-renowned Athabasca Basin in Canada and has recently acquired a significant portfolio of Green Energy Metals exploration assets located in Scandinavia. Related Companies Resouro Completes First Tranche of Private Placement Toronto, Oct 21, 2025 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Resouro Strategic Metals Inc. ( ASX:RAU ) ( CVE:RSM ) ( 8TX:FRA ) ( RSGOF:OTCMKTS ) is pleased to announce that it has now completed the first closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"). Under this first tranche, the Company has issued 5,000,000 units (the "Units") at price of CAD$0.20 per Unit to raise total gross proceeds of CAD$1,000,000. Each Unit consists of one common share ("Common Share") in the capital of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, comprising 2,500,000 warrants in total ("Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at a price of CAD$0.30 per share for a period of three-years from the date of issuance. The Company anticipates closing the second and final tranche of the Offering, for an additional 10,000,000 Units, this week. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to advance the engineering program, an essential step toward the Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Tiros project, as well as for general working capital purposes. All securities issued under the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws and TSX Venture Exchange policies. In accordance with the ASX Listing Rules, the 5,000,000 shares were issued pursuant to the Company's available placement capacity under Listing Rule 7.1A while the 2,500,00 Warrants were issued pursuant to Listing Rule 7.1. No finder's fees were paid. The Offering remains subject to final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. About Resouro Strategic Metals Inc. Resouro Strategic Metals Inc. (ASX:RAU) (CVE:RSM) (OTCMKTS:RSGOF) (FRA:8TX) is a Canadian incorporated mineral exploration and development company, listed on the ASX, TSXV, OTC and FSE, focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in Brazil, including the Tiros Titanium-Rare Earths Project and the Novo Mundo Gold Project. The Tiros project has 28 mineral concessions totalling 497 km2 located in the state of Minas Gerais, one of the best infrastructurally developed states of Brazil, 350 km from the state capital of Belo Horizonte. Resouro's Mineral Resource Estimate for the Tiros Project contains 165 million tonne of titanium dioxide and 5.5 million tonne of total rare earths oxides within a Measured and Indicated Resource of 1.4 billion tonne at 12% titanium dioxide and 4,000 ppm of total rare earth oxides. Related Companies New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, second from right, talks with Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon after a Monday news conference at the state Capitol in Santa Fe. The news conference was also attended by Shigeo Yamada, center left, Japans ambassador to the United States, and Japanese counsel general Hiroyuki Okajima. Dan Boyd A natural gas well pad on federal Bureau of Land Management land in northwest Rio Arriba County is shown in this August 2021 file photo. A study released Monday found natural gas from New Mexico and other Rocky Mountain states could play a key role in meeting increased domestic and international energy needs. Eddie Moore SANTA FE Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams trade mission to Japan this year is showing signs of paying off. The governor on Monday announced an agreement between Fujitsu, a Japanese advanced technology corporation, and New Mexico State University to launch an innovation hub at NMSU next year. She also touted Japan as a possible market for natural gas produced in New Mexicos San Juan Basin, though no specific agreements or timelines have been set for that effort. The new and potential partnerships took center stage during an all-day trade summit attended by Shigeo Yamada, Japans ambassador to the United States, and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, among other government officials and business leaders. Lujan Grisham and Gordon were both part of the same trade mission to Asia in April. They said their two states share a friendly rivalry when it comes to energy and economic issues, but are also willing to work together on regional initiatives. I hate to say bipartisan; this is just good business, Gordon said at one point during a Monday news conference at the state Capitol in Santa Fe. For her part, Lujan Grisham called New Mexico and Wyoming energy powerhouses that could help countries like Japan with their energy needs while reducing its carbon emissions. This is a huge opportunity for the western states and the United States in general, the New Mexico governor said. The Monday trade summit coincided with the release of a regional report focused on expanding the exportation of natural gas from the Rocky Mountain region. That report, released by the Western States and Tribal Nations Energy Initiative, was funded in part by New Mexico and identifies two pathways for transporting natural gas to the West Coast, where it can be shipped to Asian markets. One of those routes, the Southwest Pathway, would cross Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, while the other, the Pacific Northwest Pathway, would cut through the state of Washington. Ad New Mexico was the nations third-highest natural gas producing state in 2024, providing about 8% of the nations total natural gas withdrawals, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. The state is also the nations third-largest energy producing state overall trailing only Texas and Pennsylvania and produces about 11 times more total energy than it consumes. But New Mexico at times has dealt with a glut of natural gas in past years, and Lujan Grisham said its possible the state would have to increase its pipeline infrastructure if an export agreement with Japan is ultimately signed. As demand grows, we would need to do more infrastructure investment, the governor told reporters, while adding the state has the current capacity to at least begin such an agreement. Meanwhile, Yamada, the Japanese ambassador, said Japans government has committed to $7 billion in annual purchases of American energy, but acknowledged the Rocky Mountain coalition is one of several options being considered. This is a very good detailed introduction of the potential Rocky Mountain gas and we will seriously look into it, he said, referring to the effort involving New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, several Colorado counties and two Native American tribes. As for the innovation hub at NMSU, a memorandum of understanding signed by university President Valerio Ferme and a senior Fujitsu official lays out a four-year timeline for creating a national testbed for research and innovation. Under the agreement, NMSU will establish a facility with reliable power and cooling, work with the states two national laboratories and procure servers, while Fujitsu will provide the technical hardware and other services. The agreement does not contain any state financial incentives, though Lujan Grisham said such investments could be considered in the future depending on how the partnership evolves. HOUSTON, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Av8, a leading provider of landing gear overhauls and components, has received FAA-PMA approval for its main wheel drive bar supporting Gulfstream V and G550 aircraft. This newly certified solution provides operators, MROs, and wheel and brake facilities with a cost-effective, readily available alternative to OEM supply constraints. As part of the Victor Sierra family of aftermarket aviation brands, Av8 works alongside APS to offer key wheel and brake components, including BlackSteel brakes, that help business aircraft operators maintain reliable operations. The new FAA-PMA drive bar not only expands Av8's portfolio of aviation solutions but also addresses a long-standing challenge in the aviation marketplace: limited OEM availability that has left operators and maintenance providers with few options. By offering a fully certified, one-to-one replacement, Av8 helps restore access, reduce costs, and strengthen supply chain resilience. The Av8 drive bar (P/N NP-AHM10136-1) is a direct replacement for Meggitt P/N AHM10136, utilized in the following main wheel assemblies: Meggitt P/N AHA2114 Gulfstream P/N 1159SCL503-7 Gulfstream P/N 1159SCL503-9 "Our mission has always been to take supply-chain uncertainty out of the equation for our customers," said Yael Arnoni, President of Av8. "This approval demonstrates Av8's commitment to ensuring maintenance and overhaul providers have reliable access to the parts they need without compromise on quality or certification." By expanding its PMA portfolio with this critical component, Av8 continues to lead the charge in addressing availability gaps across the industry. The newly approved drive bar empowers wheel and brake shops to maintain turnaround times, reduce dependence on single-source suppliers, and deliver uninterrupted support to operators worldwide. As part of the Victor Sierra family of brands, Av8's main wheel drive bar (P/N NP-AHM10136-1) is available to purchase direct from Av8 at Av8Group.com , or on line through McFarlane Aviation's website: McFarlaneAviation.com . About Av8 Av8 is an FAA and EASA certified repair station specializing in landing gear overhauls and PMA parts for commercial, business, and general aviation. With a reputation for engineering excellence and customer support, Av8 helps MROs, operators, and repair stations reduce maintenance costs and streamline operations. As part of Victor Sierra, Av8 builds on a foundation of expertise to support aircraft operators worldwide. For more information, please visit Av8Grp.com . Victor Sierra Victor Sierra is the parent company of APS, Av8, McFarlane Aviation, and Tempest Aero Group, a family of brands recognized for designing, manufacturing, servicing, and distributing proprietary aftermarket components for a wide range of aviation markets. For more information, please visit Victor-Sierra.com . SOURCE Av8 Post-Diwali Smog Chokes Delhi as Air Quality Dips to 'Very Poor' Levels 2 Delhi woke up on Tuesday to a thick blanket of grey smog, reduced visibility, and hazardous air as post-Diwali pollution sent the citys Air Quality Index (AQI) spiraling into the very poor zone. Many residents flouted the Supreme Courts two-hour limit on firecrackers, celebrating late into the night. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi recorded an AQI of 352 at 8 am, up from 346 at 5 am and 351 at 7 am, indicating a sustained rise in pollution levels. The 24-hour average AQI on Monday was reported at 345, placing it firmly in the very poor category. An AQI between 301 and 400 falls under the very poor range, meaning prolonged exposure may cause respiratory discomfort. On Monday, 36 out of Delhis 38 monitoring stations registered readings in the red zone, showing that pollution was widespread across the capital. The CPCBs SAMEER app, which tracks real-time AQI data, remained unresponsive on Tuesday morning, leaving citizens relying on scattered updates from local stations. While the Supreme Court had permitted the use of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR only between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali night, widespread violations were reported as loud bursts and fireworks continued well past midnight. At midnight, the AQI stood at 349, and at 1 am it was 348, reflecting that pollution levels had already surged during the peak of celebrations. Environmental experts warned that stagnant winds and low temperatures could trap pollutants near the ground for the next few days, worsening the smog. Forecasts suggest the capitals air quality may slip into the severe category on Tuesday and Wednesday as pollution from firecrackers combines with emissions from vehicles, industries, and ongoing stubble burning in neighboring states. With Delhi once again gasping for breath, environmentalists are urging authorities to step up enforcement and citizens to exercise restraint during future festivities. Prashant Kishor Accuses BJP of Forcing Jan Suraaj Candidates to Withdraw, Urges EC to Intervene 2 Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of coercing three Jan Suraaj Party candidates to withdraw their nominations from the Bihar elections. He urged the Election Commission to take immediate action, calling the incident a direct assault on democracy. Speaking at a press conference, Kishor claimed that the ruling NDA was so afraid of losing the polls that it had resorted to pressuring opposition candidates to step aside. Democracy is being murdered. There has been no such precedent in the country, he said. Kishor alleged that candidates fielded by Jan Suraaj in the Danapur, Brahampur, and Gopalganj constituencies were forced to withdraw under pressure from BJP leaders. He compared the situation to the Surat model, where a BJP candidate was elected unopposed after other contenders were allegedly coerced to back out. The BJP should remember that voters have already punished such undemocratic tactics, Kishor remarked, pointing out that despite claims of winning 400-plus seats, the BJP managed only 240 in last years Lok Sabha elections. Jan Suraaj had announced candidates for all 243 constituencies in Bihar. With three withdrawals, the party will now contest 240 seats as the deadline for filing nominations has expired. Javorick Whiting, 19, is charged with attempted murder in the Oct. 4, 2025, mass shooting in downtown Montgomery. (Montgomery Police) Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey weighed in Monday on a suspect in the downtown Montgomery mass shooting being released from bond. Javorick Whiting, 19, is charged with attempted murder, in the Oct. 4 shooting that killed two and wounded 12 others. Three other suspects have been charged with capital murder and 12 counts of assault. Whiting was released from the Montgomery County Detention Facility on $60,000 bond, which is the highest bond for that charged allowed by law. Ivey and Montgomery Police Chief Jim Graboys spoke out about the release. As I stated after two Alabamians lost their lives at the hands of thugs in downtown Montgomery on October 4th, any and all involved must be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, Ivey said in a statement. Today, we learn that one of the four suspects has been released back onto the streets. This is exactly the legal loophole that I and many in the Legislature sought to close when I signed the Safe Alabama package, the governor said. Next May, all Alabama voters will have a chance to end mandatory bail for those suspected of attempted murder by voting to expand Aniahs Law. I will not forget todays troubling news when casting my vote. During the 2025 legislative session, Ivey worked with the Legislature to pass Safe Alabama, a landmark package of bills to promote public safety in Alabama. Included in the package was SB 119, the Governors Inner City Gun Violence Bill, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot. Among other things, SB119 would amend Aniahs Law, the state law adopted after the 2019 murder of 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard allegedly at the hands of a criminal defendant out on bail after being arrested for multiple violent offenses. Aniahs Law allows a court to deny bail for criminal defendants charged with certain offenses if necessary to protect public safety. SB119 would add to Aniahs Law any solicitation, attempt, or conspiracy to commit murder. The addition to Aniahs Law would become effective upon ratification of a constitutional amendment to be considered by voters on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, during the statewide primary election. Graboys and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed also addressed Whitings release. Reed called Whitings bond amount a slap in the face and chief called for Aniahs Law to be expanded. Graboys discussed recent arrests in the city in which the suspects had previously been charged with violent crimes. This pattern of repeat violence puts our community and our officers at risk, the chief said. An investigation is ongoing after a juvenile was shot multiple times in Clanton. The shooting happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. Monday at a home in the 2900 block of Yellow Leaf Road. Police Chief Erick Smitherman said officers arrived at the residence and immediately began administering aid to the young victim. Clanton firefighters arrived then began life-saving measures. The victim was taken to UAB St. Vincents in Clanton and then airlifted to a UAB Hospital in Birmingham. Smitherman said Tuesday morning the victim is in stable condition. Clanton detectives have worked tirelessly to collect evidence to assist in the investigation and are working on leads, the chief said. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 205-294-4188 or 205-351-1447. A Cartersville, Georgia man in a mental health crisis threatened to shoot up the Atlanta airport Monday morning, according to investigators. Billy Cagle, 49, made it to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with a semi-automatic weapon, the citys police chief said. But by then, Cagles family had alerted Cartersville police, who then contacted the Atlanta department, APD Chief Darin Schierbaum said. Cagle was taken into custody before there was any violence. We did have a tragedy averted today, Schierbaum said at an afternoon news conference. Investigators believe Cagle was having a mental health crisis when he made the drive from Bartow County to the Atlanta airport. Video showed him entering the airport, where officers were ready to take him into custody. Cagles weapon, along with 27 rounds of ammunition, was found in his flatbed truck, according to police. Twenty-seven or more lives could have been lost today because an individual came into Hartsfield-Jackson after being reported coming out of Cartersville with mental challenges, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. ________ 2025 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A Jefferson County judge has dismissed charges against a 37-year-old man in a deadly 2021 shooting in Birmingham. Joshua Casey Wilson, of Odenville, was charged with manslaughter in the slaying of 23-year-old Romeo Leland Bryant of Pinson. South Precinct officers were dispatched just after 10 p.m. that Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, to the 800 block of Cable Car Court, off Valley Avenue. When they arrived at the scene, they found Bryant unresponsive in the apartment complex parking lot. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced Bryant dead on the scene from at least one gunshot wound. Wilson called police about the shooting and remained on the scene. Wilsons attorney, Emory Anthony, said the shooting happened when Wilson went to his girlfriends house and got into an argument with Bryant. Bryant, he said, followed Wilson to his vehicle and the shooting ensued. Romeo Bryant (Contributed) Wilson was set to go to trial Monday on the Class B felony charge, but prosecutors with the Jefferson County District Attorneys Office filed a motion to dismiss the charge stating, After a comprehensive review of all the evidence for the upcoming trial, the state has determined that, in the interest of justice, it is unable to move forward with the prosecution of this case. Anthony, then filed a motion asking that the case not only be dismissed, but dismissed with prejudice, meaning the charges could not filed again. This case has been going on since 2022 and the facts in this case will not change, Emory wrote. Judge Kandice Pickett dismissed the charge with prejudice. Finally, Anthony said Tuesday. I appreciate the DAs Office dismissing a case that should have never been brought. Levi Sanders, 18, and Silas McCay, 21, were seriously injured in an Oct. 18, 2025, shooting at a gathering in an eastern Jefferson County wooded area known as The Pit. (GoFundMe) Friends and family are raising money for two young men who were shot during a weekend gathering in an eastern Jefferson County wooded area. Levi Sanders, 18, and Silas McCay, 21, were wounded in the shooting that also critically injured 18-year-old Kimber Mills, who is not expected to survive and will begin the organ donation process later today. According to the fundraising site, Sanders is fighting for his life in UAB Hospitals ICU. Friends say he was shot four times on the right side of his body, piercing an artery, breaking bones, and damaging a vital organ. He has already undergone surgery and remains under close medical supervision as doctors work to stabilize his condition. The days since the incident have been incredibly difficult for Levi and those who care about him, the GoFundMe states, and his recovery will require time, strength, and ongoing medical attention. McKay also remains hospitalized but could be released later this week. Silas is doing well but still needs everyones help and prayers, according to his GoFundMe. He needs another surgery, and he needs peoples help and strength. Kimber Mills, 18, was shot in the head during an Oct. 18, 2025, gathering in an east Jefferson County wooded area known as The Pit. (Contributed) The shooting happened early Sunday near Alabama 75 and Clay-Palmerdale Road. Jefferson County sheriffs spokesman Henry Irby said deputies were dispatched to the remote scene at 12:24 a.m. They arrived to find three people had been wounded Mills, McCay and Sanders. Palmerdale Fire and Rescue and Center Point Fire and Rescue transport McCay and Sanders to UAB Hospital. Mills friends tried to take her to the hospital in a truck but stopped on Gadsden Highway when they spotted a Trussville police officer. First responders provided aid on the scene and then rushed her to UAB as well. Deputies learned that a fourth victim, a 20-year-old female, had been transported to a hospital by a personal vehicle. Mills family said she was with friends and another sister at the Saturday night party when the suspect, 27-year-old Steven Tyler Whitehead, showed up. Ashley Mills said Whitehead began trying to talk to one of Kimbers friends, offering her drinks and trying to get close to her. The girl told her boyfriend, a fight involving multiple people ensued, and shots were fired. Kimber was caught in the crossfire, Ashley Mills said. As of Tuesday, Whitehead is charged with three counts of attempted murder with bond set at $180,000.00. Those charges are expected to be upgraded to murder in Mills case. Donations to Sanders GoFundMe can be made here. Donations to McCays GoFundMe can be made here. The criminal investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. The immersive two-day workshop, held from October 12, 2025, brought together leading surgeons and endocrinologists for intensive, hands-on training. Led by a distinguished faculty, Proctor Dr. Shuhang Xu, endocrinologist at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital, alongside HCTM's B&E Surgeons Dr. Adi Syazni and Prof. Shahrun Niza, the program featured a rigorous curriculum encompassing theoretical lectures, complex case discussions, and practical training sessions using both mannequins and live patient cases. Baird Medical's participation reflects its commitment to advancing innovative medical technologies and ensuring their effective adoption worldwide. The workshop served as a vital platform for local physicians to refine their MWA skills under the guidance of esteemed international experts, marking a significant step in the global expansion of this minimally invasive therapy. Baird Medical continues to play an integral role in empowering physicians to deliver MWA treatments safely and effectively. About Baird Medical Baird Medical is a forward-thinking medical device company specializing in minimally invasive diagnostics and treatment. It is dedicated to the research and development of surgical robotic systems and innovative minimally invasive surgical instruments. Our mission is to enhance patient outcomes through precision technology and advanced diagnostic solutions. The company will foster strategic collaborations with leading academic institutions. Our vision extends beyond surgical assistance, aiming to develop intelligent systems that proactively guide diagnostic decisions and preventive healthcare strategies. As an FDA 510(k)-certified medical device company, Baird Medical's solutions have been used in over 30 prestigious hospitals and clinics across the United States, including Johns Hopkins Hospital, Tulane Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Columbia University Medical Center. Baird Medical is also the market leader in China in thyroid microwave ablation devices and consumables. Meanwhile, the company's minimally invasive treatment products are gradually expanding their commercial presence in over 20 countries worldwide. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Baird Medical's future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "could", "should", "expect", "intend", "might", "will", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "budget", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "potential", "predict", "potential" or "continue", or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Baird Medical and its management, are inherently uncertain. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this press release, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. Baird Medical does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, without limitation: (1) the risk that Baird Medical may not be successful in expanding its business in China or the United States; (2) changes in general economic conditions; (3) regulatory conditions and developments; (4) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (5) the nature, cost and outcome of pending and future litigation and other legal proceedings instituted against Baird Medical or others; and (5) other risks and uncertainties from time to time described in the Registration Statement relating to the Business Combination and the transition report, including those listed under the sections titled "Risk Factors" therein, and in ExcelFin's other filings with the SEC. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Additional information concerning certain of these and other risk factors is contained in ExcelFin's most recent filings with the SEC and in the Registration Statement described above filed by Baird Medical in connection with its business combination with ExcelFin. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Baird Medical, the business combination described herein or other matters attributable to Baird Medical or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Baird Medical expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in their expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based. Contact: Eric Huang, PR Liaison Baird Medical Investment Holdings Ltd. Phone: +1 (888) 508-6228 Email: [email protected] SOURCE BDMD Some Alabama school leaders are going door to door to locate missing students as officials scramble to explain a record drop in enrollment. The biggest concern that I have is that those kids are not in school somewhere, State Superintendent Eric Mackey told AL.com Monday. Right now, we have this group of students, former students, that we just dont know where they are, and we need for parents, community members to help us make sure that we know every child is enrolled in a program and getting a high-quality education somewhere. Overall, Alabama lost just over 5,800 public school students, new data shows, dipping to 714,358 students this fall. And because enrollment is tied to state funds, that means about 500 teachers jobs, as well as funding for other classroom costs, could be at risk. Statewide, the loss amounts to about 1% of last years enrollment, one of the largest dips in over a decade. Scroll down to see your districts numbers. Mackey said teacher retirements will likely cover much of the loss in state funding, but some districts could face more challenges than others. Were not worried about a shock to the system, but thats not to say that in individual schools there wont be a problem, he said. If a school loses enough enrollment that they lose one teacher, and the only teacher who retires is the eighth grade math teacher theyre going to have to do some thinking about that. The last time Alabama saw a dip this large was in 2011, and in the late 1990s before that. The state lost about 9,000 students during 2020, but Mackey said the dip was due to a reporting change rather than actual enrollment loss. This year, only about a quarter of the states traditional school districts saw growth, the data shows. Many charter schools and networks, which are classified as local districts, also saw growth. The biggest losses were in large systems like Mobile County and Jefferson County, which each lost over 1,000 students. That amounted to about 2% and 3% of the student population, respectfully. Fairfield City Schools and Tarrant City Schools, small districts just outside of Birmingham, lost the largest share of students in the state, at about 15%, or nearly 200 students each. In some small districts, a loss of under 50 students can still have a big impact. In Choctaw County, which is down 35 students this year, that could cost two teachers their jobs, Mackey said. Many rural districts, particularly in Alabamas Black Belt region, saw pretty substantial reductions, Mackey said. Cant see the table? View it here. What happened? Mackey said the declines are pretty even across the state, except in places in the northern part of Alabama that are seeing population booms. But the department has yet to publish detailed data by school, as well as by certain demographics, which makes full understanding of the states issues impossible. The dip comes as the state rolls out a massive school choice program, called the CHOOSE Act, which is serving nearly 24,000 students across the state. But only about 2,000 of the students who are actually using the credits were formerly enrolled in public schools, new numbers show. That leaves hundreds still unaccounted for. Hispanic student enrollment, by contrast, grew by about 300 kids, Mackey said. But thats only a 0.3% increase from last years count of about 89,000 students, compared to several years of 6% to 8% annual growth. As the state ramps up immigration arrests, Mackey said several local leaders have reported large numbers of Hispanic families who didnt come back to school this year. While that might be a local story, statewide it just didnt prove out to be a thing, he said. He thinks a larger impact may be families who chose to homeschool, but who never formally withdrew from public schools. Alabama is not required to keep a registry of students who homeschool. Our local schools, counselors, social workers, mental health services, coordinators, registrars, principals, theyre all kind of working on this, and within a few weeks or months well know more about it, he said. But I still think this is a one-time adjustment, he added. We gained 1,500 students last year. We lost 5,800 this year, which is big, but this is not going to be something that will be repeated. I think the combination of a lot of things going on around the world and the CHOOSE Act coming into place kind of puts us in this one-time reset. The name Harper Lee will forever be synonymous with great literature. Nothing will change that not the 2015 publication of her early manuscript Go Set a Watchman nor will stories discovered after her death. But reviewers have differing ideas on the impact of publishing Lees found and newly curated essays will have on her legacy, especially because several essays were written in the authors youth. The essays were released Oct. 21, 2025, in a collection called The Land of Sweet Forever. You can order the $30 hardcover book from publisher HarperCollins here. Lee, author of the seminal novel To Kill a Mockingbird, was born in the small town of Monroeville, Ala., which is now billed as The Literary Capital of Alabama and is home to a museum dedicated to Lee and her childhood friend, Truman Capote. Lee won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Mockingbird and didnt publish again until age 88, when a second novel, Go Set a Watchman, was published. That book was from an early manuscript for Mockingbird, seen from the eyes of an adult protagonist rather than the precocious six-year-old Scout from the 1960 book. After Lees death in 2016, as happens with most legendary authors, people went in search of possible unpublished works. They found them in Lees New York apartment. Lees estate executor, Tonja Carter of Monroeville, brokered the deal for The Land of Sweet Forever with HarperCollins, along with Michael Dean of Andrew Nurnberg Associates, the UK-based representatives of Lees estate. HarperCollins describes the book on its website: From one of Americas most beloved authors, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces, offering a fresh perspective on the remarkable literary mind of Harper Lee. Reviewer Sandra Newman of The Guardian, one of Britains oldest daily publications, said the collection is for fans only. If we regard this book as literature, it is an unqualified failure, Newman wrote. But its more properly seen and will surely be read for the light it sheds on Lees life. As such, its obliquely fascinating, largely because it radiates repression. Often theres a sense that were seeing the side of Harper Lee that wasnt exceptional, but representative of a generation of women who were mostly muzzled. Newmans next observation may seem like fighting words to Americans and especially Alabamians, no matter how accurate: "The young Lee seems to have little sense of what a story is. The short stories, written in Lees youth, are all badly underdeveloped. Most fail to work even as vignettes, Newman wrote. One centres on trying to find a place to unload a truck in Manhattan; another on a temporary change to the way the doxology is sung in a Methodist church. A slender piece about the quirks of New York movie audiences is categorised as a story but feels more like a newspaper sketch. LA Times reviewer Robert Allen Papinchak was more positive in his review, saying Lees humor is showcased in the book. Each story illuminates Lees quintessential talents as the balladeer of small-town culture and the chronicler of city life, Papanchak wrote. They display narrative skills, an acute ear for dialogue (especially the vernacular), development of fully rounded characters and vivid descriptions of settings. They also introduce subjects and significant themes family, friendship, moral compass that reappear in her nonfiction and novels. The unpublished essays in the book are categorized as juvenilia, but the book also contains essays written by Lee as an adult. Papanchak says the collection will reinforce Lees legacy. Juvenilia is tricky, he wrote. It can be evanescent, exposing weaknesses or revealing strengths and talent. The Land of Sweet Forever reinforces Lees indelible voice, contributing a rewarding addition and resource to the slim canon of her literary legacy. People magazine offered up an exclusive excerpt from the book, writing that Readers can gain a fresh perspective on the celebrated author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Author Harper Lee The excerpt is about the time Lee spent with her childhood friend Capote when he was researching his iconic 1965 book In Cold Blood. This essay was initially published in a Book of the Month Club Newsletter in January 1966. In it, Lee discusses the cosmopolitan Capotes difficulties adjusting to small-town Kansas, but she mostly describes his intelligence and talent. Another previously published essay describes the Christmas gift that resulted in the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1956, Michael and Joy Brown, a New York composer and ballerina, presented the struggling young writer with enough money to live on for one year so she could quit her job and focus on writing her book. Lee wrote about the gift in a 1961 issue of McCalls magazine. Barnes & Noble is offering a special edition of the book with exclusive historical content about Harper Lee. The bookseller said in a press release: This collection comes with an introduction by Casey Cep, Harper Lees appointed biographer, which provides illuminating background for our reading of these stories and connects them both to Lees life and to her two novels. Order the special edition here, for a limited time for only $25. Winn-Dixie today announced it is leaving the Alabama market. (AP Photo/Oscar Sosa, File) AP Southeastern Grocers is rebranding as The Winn-Dixie Co., and will be focusing on its home state of Florida as part of a reorganization. As a result, the grocery chain is pulling out of several states, including Alabama. In an announcement Tuesday, Southeastern said it will transition ownership of most of its locations outside Florida, including 32 Winn-Dixie stores and eight Harveys Supermarkets in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, to other grocery store companies. The company will leave some stores open in southern Georgia. The move to divest Winn-Dixie locations is expected to be completed by the early part of next year, the company said. Winn-Dixie, founded in 1925, currently has 20 stores in Alabama. Earlier this month, Southeastern confirmed plans to transition three of its Alabama stores to Food City in early November - in Fultondale, Trussville and Jasper. In a statement last week, Food City said it plans to hire the majority of the store associates. Were profoundly thankful to our associates and customers across all our markets for their loyalty, Southeastern Grocers CEO Anthony Hucker said. As we move forward as Winn-Dixie, well do everything we can to ensure these transitions reflect the gratitude and respect our people deserve. After the moves Winn-Dixie will operate about 130 grocery stores and 140 liquor stores in Florida and Georgia. Earlier this year, Winn-Dixie closed four locations in three Alabama cities. A child fell overboard from the Disney Dream cruise ship and her father jumped in after her on Sunday, June 29, 2025. Both were rescued and returned to the ship. In this file photo, the Disney Dream cruise ship arrives at port. The ship is operated by Disney Cruise Line and can carry up to 4,000 passengers. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images The mother of a 5-year-old girl who fell off of the Disney Dream cruise ship in June will not face a criminal charge, the Broward State Attorneys Office decided. The family, who live outside of Florida, were taking photos about 11:30 a.m. June 29 on Deck 4, which features a wraparound exercise track and some areas with porthole windows. The girl climbed onto the railing in front of one of the windows, turned around to face her mother and tumbled backward, 49 feet down into the ocean while traveling from the Bahamas to Port Everglades at about 12 mph, according to a State Attorneys Office close-out memo obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday. Many other portholes on the ship the mother had taken photos with were blocked with glass barriers, and she assumed the openings on Deck 4 were similarly enclosed, the memo says she told investigators after the incident. The girls father didnt see the fall; he jumped overboard to rescue the girl after hearing his wife scream, according to the memo and an earlier statement from the Broward Sheriffs Office. The ships man overboard alarm sounded only after the father jumped, and crew members tossed life rings into the water as the ship began to turn around to recover the father and daughter, the memo said. A rescue boat entered the water at 11:40 a.m. and picked them up nine minutes later. In total, the girl and her father, 37, were treading water for about 20 minutes before they were treated by medical staff aboard the ship, the Broward Sheriffs Office previously said. Once the ship docked at Port Everglades the following day, they were taken to Broward Health Medical Center where a doctor diagnosed the girl with mild hypothermia and mild lactic acidosis but no other injuries, the memo said. The father had two spinal fractures from his landing in the water and repeated efforts to pull the girl to surface while treading to stay afloat. The State Attorneys Office declined to file a count of child neglect against the mother, as all evidence shows that it was merely accidental, the memo said. Parents and caregivers of children are not held to a standard of perfection under the law. While the defendant was irresponsible, her act of facilitating the victims position on the railing was an isolated incident that resulted from a momentary lapse in proper judgment and unawareness of surrounding circumstances, Assistant State Attorney in Charge Melissa Kelly wrote. _____ 2025 Orlando Sentinel. Visit at orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the death of a Daphne man following a crash earlier this month. The crash occurred around 4:55 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, when the attachment of the 2020 John Deere farm tractor driven by Gererdo Deanda Serna, 34, of Daphne struck an overhead powerline and caused the attached utility pole to fall, according to a news release. James Ronald Davis, 74, of Daphne, was standing on a private driveway at the time of the crash and was struck by the utility pole. Davis was critically injured and taken to USA Hospital in Mobile where he later died. On Oct. 19, Davis died from his injuries, authorities said. The crash occurred on Baldwin County 54, approximately two miles east of Daphne. Nothing further is available as Troopers with ALEAs Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate. The founder of Wikipedia, Huntsvilles Jimmy Wales, has a book coming out later this month that he hopes will provide lessons on civility for Americas increasingly partisan atmosophere. The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last is due in bookstores Oct. 27. The book is billed as a sweeping reflection on the global crisis of credibility and knowledge, revealing the rules of trust that transformed Wikipedia from a scrappy experiment into a global utility used by billions of peopleand how those rules can help others build things that last. Wales, a graduate of Auburn University and the University of Alabama, founded Wikipedia in 2001 with Larry Sanger as an online encyclopedia operating as a non-profit with thousands of anonymous creators and fact-checkers. He spoke about his journey with the website during a 2016 visit to Alabama here and here. Every month people view Wikipedia 11 billion timesjust in the English language. However, to do that, the site stresses the need for civility and honesty. As Wales says, he doesnt run the site, it runs him. In an interview with The New York Times, Wales responded to criticism - some of it from Sanger, some from billionaire Elon Musk - that Wikipedia is a repository for left-wing talking points. He also said the atmosphere in the media and online In day-to-day life, people still do trust each other, Wales said. People generally think most people are basically nice and were all human beings bumping along on the planet trying to do our best. But the crisis we see in politics trust in politicians, trust in journalism, trust in business is coming from other places and is something that we can fix." Violent crimes and bail A suspect in the recent downtown Montgomery mass shooting is out on bond, and Gov. Kay Ivey has voiced her displeasure, reports AL.coms Carol Robinson. The suspect in question has been charged with attempted murder. The governor is pointing to next May 19, when Alabama voters go to the polls to decide whether to ratify a constitutional amendment to expand Aniahs Law. While Aniahs Law allows a court to deny bail to murder suspects it feels are a danger to the public, the proposed amendment would add to that those who are charged with solicitation, attempt, or conspiracy to commit murder. Said Ivey: Next May, all Alabama voters will have a chance to end mandatory bail for those suspected of attempted murder by voting to expand Aniahs Law. I will not forget todays troubling news when casting my vote. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, a Democrat, also called for Aniahs Law to be expanded. Does this outfit make me look ... liberated? AL.coms John Sharp reports that a 61-year-old Fairhope woman wearing a male-genitalia costume for this past weekends No Kings anti-Trump demonstration was handcuffed and arrested. The misdemeanor charges filed were disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Police units were dispatched to the scene on complaints of protesters interfering with traffic. Said lawyer David Gespass, whos representing the woman: People should not be subject to violent overreach by police just because they exercise their right to free speech in ways that are controversial or impolite. Said Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan: We expect all protests to be peaceful and should not include any profanity or obscene material. This type of behavior or display will not be tolerated in Fairhope. Rare spirits The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board will have its 2025 limited-release sweepstakes, reports AL.coms Mike Cason. This is an event for those with a taste for rare whiskey and a willingness to part with a small piece of their kids inheritance. Among the spirits up for grabs this time is the very sought-after Pappy Van Winkle brand of bourbons, which can cost hundreds of dollars a bottle. Those 21 and over can register for the sweepstakes through Oct. 26. The drawing will be Oct. 27, and winners will be notified Oct. 29. The event will be Dec. 13. Winning the drawing doesnt necessarily mean you get your special bottle, however. The booze will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. After sweepstakes winners finish their shopping, whatevers left will be available for folks in the walk-up line. Participating stores are in Auburn, Madison, Mountain Brook, Fairhope, Theodore, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Leeds. One hundred fifty spots are available. If its your thing, check out the ABC Boards website for more information on registration. Wheres my hoverboard? Today is Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Fans of 80s movies, if theyre just geeky enough, will recognize Oct. 21 as Back to the Future Day. Remember that real time for Marty and Doc was in 1985. In various movies they flew (drove? leaped?) the DeLorean to 1955 and 1885. Well, in Back to the Future II they leaped forward to Oct. 21, 2015. So thats why today, Oct. 21, is Back to the Future Day. And I mention it here to point out that weve gotten so old that today were 10 years beyond the most futuristic Back to the Future date in the franchise. By the way, were almost six years beyond when the original Blade Runner was set. Were 20 years beyond Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, around 28 years beyond Escape from New York, and probably around 35 years beyond Robocop. And in just four years, in 2029, The Terminator will be sent back to 1984 to commit treachery. By the Numbers $14 million Thats the cost of recent renovations to the Huntsville International Airports main concourse. More Alabama News The podcast Kroger operates 1,239 grocery stores in 16 states, with seven in Alabama - Auburn, Decatur, Hartselle, Huntsville, Lanett, Madison and Opelika. HENRIQUE CAMPOS/Getty Images A national grocery chain is looking to add some 18,000 workers before the busiest time of the year. Kroger announced it will make the hires for the holiday season and beyond. Jobs include primarily customer-facing roles like cashiers, baggers, deli and bakery workers, pharmacy technicians and more. The hiring number does reflect a slowdown from last year, however, when Kroger added roughly 25,000 seasonal employees. Our incredible associates are the heart of Kroger, serving our customers with dedication every day, Tim Massa, executive vice president and chief associate experience officer, said in a statement. " Whether it is a warm smile, a helping hand or a recipe recommendation, our associates play a vital role in creating moments that matter during the holiday season and beyond." READ MORE: Walmart announces major shopping change The chain touted its wages and benefits, which have increased by 38% in the past seven years. The company also offers a tuition reimbursement program of up to $21,000 for both part-time and full-time employees. Kroger operates 1,239 grocery stores in 16 states, with seven in Alabama - Auburn, Decatur, Hartselle, Huntsville, Lanett, Madison and Opelika. Its greatest number of stores are in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and Ohio. Earlier this year, the grocery chain announced it would close as many as 60 stores over the next 18 months. Closures have already taken place or are expected to take place in Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Montgomery Personnel Board, from left, James R. Spud Seale, John L. Baker, and Jacqueline Crawford. Mike Cason/AL.com The Montgomery Personnel Board on Monday delayed a decision on a request by Mayor Steven Reed to hire Donald Watkins Jr., as the citys small and minority business development director at a salary of $120,960. Watkins and his father, Donald Watkins Sr., were convicted on fraud charges by a federal grand jury in 2019. The decision to hire Watkins rests with the mayor. The salary depends on approval by the three-member Personnel Board because it is far above the starting pay for the job - $82,368. Board member James R. Spud Seale opposed the salary and the decision to hire Watkins. Mr. Chairman, this gentleman is a convicted felon. I think this sends the wrong message for this city, Seale said. And starting a convicted felon, convicted of fraud, starting a convicted felon at $120,960, not only sends the wrong message to the city, it sends the wrong message to all the first responders whove been asking for raises and the garbage collectors whove been asking for raises. I cannot vote for this, and I just think its egregious and unfair. Board member Jacqueline Crawford said she did not disagree with Seale but asked to postpone a vote on the salary request. I just need to give it some thought, Crawford said. Board Chair John L. Baker supported postponing the vote until the next meeting, on Nov. 10. It is a high salary, and there are some concerns, Baker said. Ive been getting all kind of calls about it, and I have some concern as well. Crawford asked Seale if he opposed the hiring as well as the salary. Well, obviously, I cant stop the hiring, Seale said. But I think that the hiring is inappropriate given the circumstances. And the salary I definitely object to in consideration of the other first responders, garbage collectors, people that have been asking for pay, and starting this gentleman out at this pay. I just think its unfair. Its an injustice, in my opinion. Watkins, who did not attend the Personnel Board meeting, declined to comment on the meeting or the mayors decision to hire him. He said he might do so later. The mayor also did not attend the Personnel Board meeting. He was holding a press conference on the Oct. 5 mass shooting in downtown Montgomery at the same time as the board meeting. The mayor has so far declined to provide a statement about his decision to hire Watkins. Montgomery Personnel Director Carmen Douglas said written justification is required for paying any new hire above the entry level pay. Board approval is also required if the starting pay is more than one step above entry level, as it would be in Watkins case. The justification for Watkins salary, written by Lucinda Babers, chief operating officer for the mayors office, said Watkins has provided direct technical assistance and mentorship to small business owners and entrepreneurs. That work includes helping a consulting firm obtain certification with the state as a minority-owned business to position itself for contracting opportunities. In addition, Mr. Watkins conducted seminar presentations that educated entrepreneurs on how to identify and secure government contracting opportunities. Those sessions provided step-by-step strategies on navigating procurement processes, and participants leveraged this knowledge to pursue new revenue streams. Watkins and his father, a prominent lawyer, were indicted in November 2018 on seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud relating to a conspiracy the government claimed lasted for nearly a decade. A jury found Watkins Sr. guilty on all counts. The jury convicted Watkins Jr. on two of the charges - conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and wire fraud, and acquitted him on the others. U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre sentenced Watkins Sr. to five years in prison and Watkins Jr., to two years and three months in prison. Following his release from prison, the judge ordered Watkins Jr. to serve three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered Watkins Jr. to pay $13,850,000 jointly with his father in restitution. The fraud crimes involved, in part, convincing high-profile investors, including Charles Barkley and other former professional athletes to invest in businesses associated with Watkins Sr. According to testimony and documents presented in court, Barkley lost $6.15 million in the case from 2007 to 2014. Watkins Sr. and Watkins Jr. used some of that money for personal expenses. Watkins Jr. apologized to the victims at the sentencing hearing. A protester dressed in an inflatable penis costume arrested Saturday during a No Kings demonstration has ignited debate over First Amendment protections in a city already engulfed in a contentious battle over library book censorship. Jeana Renea Gamble, 61, was arrested after what cellphone videos show as a swift and aggressive police response. The arrest took place in downtown Fairhope, where Gamble was participating in a political protest while wearing the costume. Her arrest has drawn attention not only for its dramatic visuals but also for the broader implications it raises around free speech, especially as Fairhope continues to be the center of a heated dispute over what is obscenity in its public library. Defending arrest Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan and City Council President Jack Burrell addressed the arrest on Monday, saying Gamble was taken into custody primarily for resisting arrest and for wearing attire they described as inappropriate for public spaces. She resisted arrest and was wearing an outfit that is not appropriate in public, Burrell said. While both Sullivan and Burrell have remained relatively neutral on the ongoing library debate, they have expressed support for the Fairhope Public Library against mounting pressure from conservative activists. Those activists, supported by the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS), have pushed for the relocation of books labeled sexually explicit from teen and youth sections to adult areas. Burrell said of the misdemeanor charges Gamble faces for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest: We want to make sure we dont violate someones constitutional rights, and I hope the police have enough evidence that they stand behind the charges. Burrell added that Fairhopes community standards do not support public displays like penis costumes, even during political protests, and suggested such attire might be more appropriate in places like Bourbon Street in New Orleans. First Amendment rights But constitutional attorneys argue the arrest may violate Gambles rights under the First Amendment. This is the kind of arrest that normally should result in the disciplinary action in those involved and a pledge to retrain the Police Department for violating someones First Amendment rights, said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit civil liberties group. Russell Weaver, a law professor at the University of Louisville, echoed that sentiment. This is political speech, and it certainly doesnt meet the definition of obscenity, he said. Indivisible of Baldwin County, the group that organized Saturdays protest, issued a statement Monday strongly condemning the arrest. The group said Gamble was peacefully expressing her views when police determined her behavior was rude. They called the arrest indefensible, morally and legally. Public officials must take seriously their duty to uphold the First Amendment, the group said in the statement. Their complete failure to do so in this situation runs against the free expression of values that created the City of Fairhope and against the liberty guarantees enshrined in Alabama law and the United States Constitution. Similar issues An overflow crowd attends the Fairhope City Council meeting on Monday, March 24, 2025, in Fairhope, Ala. The crowd, wearing yellow stickers supportive of the Fairhope Public Library, expressed disapproval of efforts by the Alabama Public Library Service's board to pause or remove funding from the library over concerns raised by representatives with Moms for Liberty over some of the books displayed in sections of the library. John Sharp The timing of Gambles arrest coincides with an ongoing culture war over book placement in the Fairhope Public Library, a conflict that has drawn statewide attention and led to significant funding consequences. The APLS board froze approximately $42,000 in state funding to the Fairhope library earlier this year after determining that local officials failed to follow strict new policies on what qualifies as sexually explicit material. Those guidelines apply to any content visual, written or audio depicting sexual conduct, including nudity, masturbation, sadomasochism or lascivious exhibition. City leaders have largely supported the Fairhope Library Board, which has conducted multiple reviews of challenged titles and rejected calls to relocate some of the books. One of the titles is 2006s Sold, which is about child sex trafficking in India and whose author spoke about the issue while in Fairhope on Thursday. Library officials have argued that the APLS definition is overly broad and could apply to virtually any book that mentions sexuality, regardless of context. An overflow crowd at Fairhope City Hall sits in an adjacent auditorium to watch the council meeting on Tuesday, April 29, 2026, in Fairhope, Ala. The subject of concern revolved around the Fairhope Library and the placement of books. John Sharp They also argue that the books do not meet the definition of obscenity, which is not protected by the First Amendment, and which federal courts say are examined on whether the average person finds the material to lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value and whether it appeals to the prurient interest inciting lasciviousness or lust. With Gambles arrest, similar questions about what constitutes acceptable public expression are arising and, this time, the city is on the other side of the debate. Gambles costume is critical of President Donald Trump, using a vulgar word to refer to him as a dictator. There are very narrow exceptions to the First Amendment, and among them are obscenity, Steinbaugh said. But obscenity is something that is, in some sense, erotic. That is not this. Its a political speech at a political demonstration. That context alone should sound alarm bells in that police department that youre crossing some clear First Amendment lines here. He cited the 1971 case, Cohen v. California, in which the U.S. Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 decision that the State of California could not criminalize 19-year-old Paul Robert Cohen for wearing a jacket with a vulgarity written on it while inside a Los Angeles courtroom. The case stemmed from protests against the Vietnam War and the draft. The government pointed out that women and children were present to see this (jacket), Steinbaugh said. But the Supreme Court said that is protected speech and the solution to not seeing something you dont like is to look the other way, and not take someone away in handcuffs. He said that authorities typically do not arrest people for similar penis displays in public, such as trailer hitch testicles or decorations for bachelorette parties. If you have police officers going around and saying your costume is offensive, and are going to jail for it, thats speech police, Steinbaugh said. Indivisible Baldwin County agreed that the same standards should apply in modern protests. People should not be subjected to violent overreach by police just because they exercise their right to free speech in ways that are controversial or impolite, the groups statement reads. Speech, but only in ways the opponents of a message approve, is not free speech at all. ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual national reunion for the Congress-Bundestag Alumni Association (CBYX AA), the longest-running scholarship program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is set for October 24-26, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. After an unforgettable first reunion in Washington D.C., the CBYX Alumni Association is thrilled to host the second national reunion providing the opportunity for over 40 years of alumni to reconnect from all over the country. This year's national gathering is being supported by the Halle Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia and sponsored by Ritter Sport USA. "Building on the momentum of our 2024 40th anniversary reunion in Washington D.C., we gather to explore new connections, professional networks and the common goals shared between the United States and Germany, said Alaina Percival, CBYX Alumni Association Board Director. "Last year alums from over four decades communed to foster new connections and build on the transatlantic experience we all share." The support from Halle Foundation and Ritter Sport USA will make this a weekend to remember." Since the founding in 2016, the Congress-Bundestag Alumni Association reunites the CBYXAA alumni who participated in the high school, vocational and young professional programs to create a dynamic and active alumni group. This year's event will open with a welcome reception on Friday night, October 24 giving the alum a chance to reconnect, and make new connections before a full weekend of activities begins. Saturday will feature the opportunity for alums to explore Atlanta and day two will be capped with a reception and dinner at the historic Halle Foundation, Halle Haus. The 12,000 square foot home sits on nearly 20 acres of beautifully wooded and landscaped property, making it one of the largest undivided parcels of residential real estate in this part of Atlanta. Last year the Congress Bundestag Alumni Association received a significant grant from The Halle Foundation to further their mission of promoting understanding, knowledge and friendship between the people of Germany, as seen in its European context, and those of the United States. Alumni will hear from Melanie Moltmann, the German Consulate General Atlanta, speaking on the importance of transatlantic relations. Congress-Bundestag alums Jeremy S. Anderson and Philip Lindsay, will share a fireside chat on citizen diplomacy and grassroots community building. Lindsay leads the Democracy Innovation Hub at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College. Over the past three years, the Hub has hosted annual national gatherings for advocates and practitioners of citizens' assemblies in the United States. "This alumni organization is unique when you consider the breadth of experience from the first group of students that went to Germany in the mid-1980s to the students and professionals who have stayed in the past ten years," said Lindsay. "As citizen diplomats the experience is dramatically different but the message should remain the same. The goal from the beginning was to find common ground and work together as two like-minded democracies. The CBYX Alumni Association is actively working to continue to foster that mindset." The Congress-Bundestag Alumni Association will leave Atlanta with deeper ties and stronger personal and professional relationships built around their common experiences in Germany and the U.S. For additional information visit cbyxalumni.org. About the CBYX Alumni Association The CBYX Alumni Association (CBYXAA) is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting the alumni network of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program. The association provides a platform for alumni to connect, share experiences, and continue fostering the bonds forged during their exchange year. Media Contact: Elon Werner 214-244-1184 [email protected] SOURCE Congress Bundestag Alumni Association Mark Anderson and his daughters, Lainey and Ellie, were killed in a plane crash Friday near the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. Their mother, Misty, was not on board. Anderson family A Wednesday prayer vigil is planned for the Huntsville father and two daughters killed in a Montana plane crash. Mark Anderson and his daughters, Lainey and Ellie, were killed in a plane crash Friday near the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. A prayer vigil for the family is planned for Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Milton Frank Stadium. Lainey Anderson was a graduate of Auburn University and a flight instructor at Sanders Aviation in Jasper. Ellie Anderson was a senior at Huntsville High School, where she was a member of the dance team. The familys dog, Stella, was also on board. Andersons wife and the girls mother, Misty, was not on board. READ MORE: Beloved Alabama flight instructor killed in Montana plane crash with father, sister was exceptional and skilled The family released a statement through a spokesperson thanking the community for the love and support theyve received. We would like to express our immense gratitude for the love and support shown to our family in wake of the devastating events that transpired over the last few days, the statement said. We find peace in knowing heaven gained three beautiful angels, full of light and having lived their lives to the absolute fullest. Mark, Lainey and Ellie have left the world a better place just being in it. According to the family, Mark, a seasoned pilot, reported engine trouble shortly before the planes signal was lost. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash. Mark was an incredible pilot and loved his most cherished passengers more than anything, the familys statement said. As a family, we are working diligently to get all of our loved ones back to Huntsville, Alabama, where services will be held in the coming days. Huntsville High School has canceled plans for Homecoming this week and school officials said counselors are on site for students and staff. On behalf of Huntsville High School, we extend our heartfelt condolences to all who are mourning this tragedy, the school said in a statement. The head of the state library board and GOP party solicited Republicans for letters of support to remove books with positive transgender themes and characters from childrens bookshelves. John Wahl is chair of both the Alabama Public Library Service and the Alabama Republican Party. AL.com obtained an email newsletter to Republican Party members asking for help with Chairman Wahls ongoing efforts to protect Alabamas children and ensure our public libraries remain age-appropriate areas. Wahls efforts, however, have opposition. A statewide library advocacy group has said that Wahls actions are an inappropriate use of his roles in both organizations and a clear conflict of interest. Wahl made his appeal in the newsletter describing for supporters what comes next. The APLS is currently considering a new State Code amendment that would help safeguard childrens sections from materials promoting transgender procedures and gender ideology, the newsletter stated. The APLS Board has voted to move forward but before they can be adopted, they must go through a public comment period. The state library board has not voted to move forward with the code change, which states that any material that promotes, encourages, or positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders is inappropriate for children under 18. The code excludes books on religion, history, biology or human anatomy. The board vote will take place after the public comment period. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21. The newsletter states Wahl has been leading the charge to protect Alabamas children from sexually explicit materials, but now he needs our HELP with an important project. The newsletter gives instructions on how to submit a comment to the state library service, including a link to a form letter. The original date of the newsletter is not shown but a follow-up email was sent to the group Oct. 13 from Jeannie Burniston, the Republican Partys director of legislative affairs and communications. The deadline to submit letters was Oct. 14. We also ask that you share the link with like-minded friends and family members and invite them to sign every letter helps ensure our childrens safety and the integrity of our public libraries, the newsletter stated. Library advocacy group Read Freely Alabama complained in 2023 that Wahl serving on both organizations presented a conflict of interest. The library board disagreed and Wahl was later elected board chair. Read Freely told AL.com in a statement they are unsurprised to see Wahl once again demonstrate the clear conflict of interest as he abuses his position as ALGOP Chair to influence the APLS. Alabama libraries and library patrons deserve better. The group said this code change flies in the face of both the constitution and parental rights. Mr. Wahl should remember that parents, not the government, have the authority to choose what their families read, and this is a right that Alabama parents already have, Read Freely said. It is inappropriate to shift that responsibility to librarians, and even more inappropriate to threaten libraries who will not bend to his demands to openly discriminate against transgender Alabamians. AL.com reached out to Wahl for comment. A Hale County High School student was killed when he was struck by a vehicle Sunday in Tuscaloosa County. The wreck happened at 6:40 p.m. on Alabama 69, about 12 miles south of Tuscaloosa. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Reginal King said the 16-year-old was a pedestrian in the road when he was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup driven by 76-year-old Warner L. Rainer of Tuscaloosa. The teen was taken to a hospital where he died. ALEA does not release the names of juvenile fatality victims,but a GoFundMe for the family identifies him as Slade Holcombe. One social media post described the teen as a sophomore, full of jokes and dreams and plans for Friday night lights, as Monday marked the beginning of the schools Homecoming Week. The GoFundMe said Slade and his classmates were working on a homecoming float when he was killed. Hale County High School Principal Ronnie Garner on Monday posted about Slades death. He was a beloved member of our school community, known for his kindness, enthusiasm and bright spirit, Garner said. This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are broken. The principal said counselors and support staff were being made available to students and faculty. In times like these, we are reminded of the strength and compassion of our community, Garner said. Please continue to hold each other close, support one another, and keep the family in your hearts. Donations to the GoFundMe can be made here. Keith Tassin, deputy state director for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, shows a map of the preserve and how it fits into the larger vision of creating connected natural areas from the Gulf of Mexico to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. (Credit: Dennis Pillion/Inside Climate News) Dennis Pillion/Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. CLARKE COUNTY, Ala.In the Land Between the Rivers, even the poison ivy tries to grow vertically. Locked in a constant race against time and tides, the vine sends its notorious three-leaf clusters stretching upward like cypress knees, desperate to gain enough of a foothold to survive when the floods come back. Its almost like a race for the sun when youre not in the flood cycle, said Mitch Reid, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama. Its always a reminder of how dynamic these systems can be. For the poison ivy, it probably wont work. The older, thicker trees that make the canopy overhead have visible waterline marks 10 feet or more off the ground. By March, this area will likely only be navigable by boat, the ivy flooded out or at least beaten back to the permanently dry land, far away from the fickle shorelines. Still standing will be hundreds of treescypresses, oaks, sycamores, tupelos, willows and morethat have survived decades if not centuries of floods and established roots deep enough to keep standing and to hold the soil in place, even when its underwater. And now that cycle will continue uninterrupted for the foreseeable future. These deep mud soils, swamps and bogs are part of a new 8,000-acre tract now officially called the E.O. Wilson Land Between the Rivers Preserve, a sprawling expanse of undeveloped swamps, bogs, streams and forest in south Alabama. The preserve includes the area in between the Tombigbee River, which carries the runoff from much of west Alabama and Mississippi, and the Alabama River, which takes its flow from central and east Alabama, Georgia and parts of Tennessee. Those two massive rivers converge a few miles downstream, forming the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, one of the largest and wildest undeveloped areas east of the Mississippi. Reid and colleagues from The Nature Conservancy took representatives of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and local donors to the preserve on a sunny Friday morning for a boat tour and hike around the new preserve. The birds are singing, were watching an osprey fly with us, fish are jumping out of the water, Reid said after the trip. You can hear the tree frogs over the boat engine. It just really felt like we were in old Alabama, a place that time forgot. TNC purchased the land for conservation in 2023 using funds donated by Patagonias Holdfast Collective and others, and has now named the preserve for Wilson, the famed author and scientist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for nonfiction and popularized the term and concept of biodiversity. Wilson first developed his love of nature and understanding of natural systems as a boy exploring the Delta, and now an expansive swath of that undeveloped natural space bears his name. Paula Ehrlich, president and CEO of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, worked with Wilson for 15 years before his death in 2021, and said that Wilson would have jumped at the chance to preserve this land. This place was extraordinarily close to his heart, Ehrlich said after visiting the preserve. Its the sort of place as a boy that transformed his relationship with nature and allowed him to imagine that he could make a difference in the world. In late September, the ground near the rivers edge is a thick crusted mud with deep cracks, reflecting the recent lack of rainfall. Its mostly stable enough to support a persons body weight, though it has a spongy feel that pushes back against the bottom of your boots as you walk. Thick layers of branches, sticks and other river debris pile up between some of the tree trunks, deposited from somewhere upstream. Songbirds sing from the trees and herons, egrets and ospreys patrol the waters for their next meal. I always remembered what an extraordinarily peaceful place this is, like going into a spa, Ehrlich said. And to revisit that feeling in the spirit of thinking about Ed and what he would be thinking about this one, its really moving for me. The smaller trees are fairly close together, with four-inch golden-silk orb weavers and other spiders spinning webs in between them. The old giants are spaced much farther apart, making it an easy walk through their dappled shade. And there are some massive old-growth trees on the preserve, some of the largest in Alabama. A bald cypress within the preserve is officially listed as the largest cypress tree in Alabama, according to the Alabama Forestry Commission, which compiles a list of champion trees using a score that includes the height, circumference, and crown spread of various native species. The cypress tree on the preserve also has the highest point score of any species, so it could be considered the largest tree in Alabama. Our nonprofit newsroom provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. Please donate now to support our work. Keith Tassin, deputy state director for the Nature Conservancy in Alabama, said a massive Nuttall oak that we visited on the journey was larger than the one officially listed in the record book, and will likely become the new state champion once the Forestry Commission validates the score. The current champion Nuttall oak is in a different part of the preserve. We saw how gigantic that Nuttall oak was, and you realize, if we let this system, and systems like this, thrive, what good they can do for us, from a carbon standpoint to holding the mud in place, Reid said. We stepped off the boat, and you could see deposits of mud centuries thick. Developing the land, or harvesting the massive hardwood stands there, would be difficult but not impossible. The new Wilson preserve was previously owned by a timber company for potential harvesting. When TNC purchased the land, Reid said the previous owners had considered selling the land to a wood pellet mill operator. The Delta, and the land just above it, is an expanse about 30 miles long and 12 miles wide of almost totally undeveloped land from the convergence of the rivers to the mouth of Mobile Bay, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Its full of swamps, bayous, bogs and wetlands, most of which is only accessible by boat. The area has been dubbed North Americas Amazon, or just Americas Amazon, for the incredible variety of wildlife species within. Ehrlich said the Delta is a prime example of land that should be preserved for the good of humanity. In his 2016 book Half-Earth: Our Planets Fight for Life, Wilson argued that to avoid the looming extinction crisis, half of the land and sea on Earth should be protected. He called it a moonshot goal, since only around 15 percent of Earths habitat is currently protected. The foundation is now working to advance that goal by compiling a species protection index to help identify some of the most crucial and species-rich areas for conservation. That includes places like the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Its an extraordinary resource for us to have at our fingertips right now as were thinking about what we really need to do where, Ehrlich said of the species index. And this particular place is a model for what we would call places for a Half-Earth future, places that have extraordinary biodiversity that are not only important to the people there, but in the protection of those species habitats globally. Paul Ingrassia, who has been selected by President Donald Trump to lead the Office of Special Counsel, arrives before Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP Embattled Office of Special Counsel nominee Paul Ingrassia reportedly joked about harboring a Nazi streak and raged against holidays celebrating African Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr., in a text message exchange with other Republicans. Ingrassia, who is scheduled to make his case to lead the Office of Special Counsel in the Senate Thursday, also appeared to use an Italian slur for Black people and denigrated Indians and Chinese people in a text exchanged viewed by Politico. The texts cited in the report happened in 2023 and 2024. MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his holiday should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs, Ingrassia allegedly suggested in January 2024. He further called for Kwanzaa, Black History Month and Juneteenth to be eviscerated. Ingrassias lawyer wouldnt confirm the authenticity of the texts that he suggested couldve been manipulated and lacked context. Politico said it confirmed the exchange with two of the six people involved. Some of the participants warned Ingrassia that he was coming across as a white nationalist, to which he replied: I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it. Ingrassias lawyer argued his client isnt a Nazi and has support from the Jewish community. When discussing former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Ingrassia reportedly warned: Never trust a chinaman or Indian. Several of his texts appeared to promote white supremacy, including a February 2024 call for competent white men to be in leadership positions. The founding fathers were wrong that all men are created equal We need to reject that part of our heritage, hes said to have texted. Politico reported earlier this month that Ingrassia was accused of sexually harassing a female colleague. His lawyer dismissed that allegation as a fairytale. Trump nominated the 30-year-old Fordham University and Cornell Law School graduate in June. He currently serves as a White House liaison to U.S. Department of Homeland Security. _____ 2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. FILE - Sean Combs arrives at the Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Jan. 25, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File) Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP President Donald Trump is giving serious consideration to commuting disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs federal sentence, according to a report. White House staffers are reportedly pleading with Trump not to commute Diddys sentence, but it remains to be seen whether the president will heed their advice, according to TMZ, which reported that Trump is mulling a commutation for Diddy, citing a high-ranking White House official. Diddy was convicted of federal prostitution-related charges in July. According to our source, the President is vacillating on a commutation. Were told some of the W.H. staff are urging Trump not to commute the sentence. But, our source states the obvious -- Trump will do what he wants, and were told Trump could set Diddy free as early as this week, the outlet reported Monday. The White House disputed the TMZ report Tuesday, but TMZ said it stood by its story. TMZs report comes three months after Deadline reported Trump was giving serious consideration to a commutation for the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul. Trumps use of the pardon power has come under scrutiny in several instances, such as when he exercised it for Jan. 6 defendants and for an executive convicted of a multi-million-dollar tax fraud after his mother attended a $1 million fundraiser at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate. The president also raised eyebrows last week when he issued a commutation for disgraced ex-Congressman George Santos, who was serving a federal sentence for fraud. Trump cited Santos voting Republican in part for the commutation. PUNE, India , Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A groundbreaking report from Credence Research indicates a monumental shift in data center operations, with the global Data Center Robotics Market projected to experience robust growth. The increasing complexity and scale of data centers, driven by the insatiable demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics, are compelling operators to turn to automation to enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and ensure maximum uptime. The new report provides a granular analysis of this emerging market, detailing the forces driving adoption, the challenges to implementation, and the opportunities awaiting innovative technology providers. The comprehensive study, titled "Data Center Robotics Market - Growth, Future Prospects, and Competitive Analysis, 2024-2032," delves into how robotic automation is transitioning from a niche concept to an essential component of modern data center strategy. As hyperscale and edge computing environments proliferate, the manual management of servers, storage, and networking hardware is becoming increasingly untenable. Robots are being deployed to handle a range of tasks, from the physical installation and decommissioning of hardware to continuous monitoring and security patrols, heralding a new era of intelligent, autonomous infrastructure management. Market Overview The global Data Center Robotics Market was valued at USD 18.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 37.41 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% during the forecast period. This significant growth is a direct response to the exponential expansion of the digital universe. Every click, stream, and transaction contributes to the deluge of data that must be stored, processed, and managed within these critical facilities. The sheer scale of modern hyperscale data centers, which can house hundreds of thousands of servers, makes traditional human-led operations slow, costly, and prone to error. Robotics offers a compelling solution, promising to streamline operations, accelerate deployment cycles, and drive down operational expenditures (OpEx) by automating repetitive and physically strenuous tasks. Browse the report and understand how it can benefit your business strategy - https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/data-center-robotics-market Key Growth Determinants The report outlines three critical determinants propelling the growth of the Data Center Robotics Market: The explosive proliferation of data centers worldwide is the primary catalyst. Fueled by the adoption of cloud services, the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G technology, and AI workloads, the demand for data processing and storage capacity is surging. This has led to the construction of massive hyperscale facilities and a growing number of edge data centers. The sheer physical scale and density of these environments make manual management impractical. Robotics provides the necessary automation to handle tasks like server installation, replacement, and asset tracking with speed and precision, making it an indispensable tool for managing these sprawling digital factories. An intense focus on maximizing operational efficiency and guaranteeing uptime is a powerful driver for robotics adoption. In the data center industry, downtime is measured in millions of dollars per minute, and human error remains a leading cause of outages. Robots mitigate this risk by performing tasks with machinelike consistency and accuracy, 24/7, without fatigue. They can execute hardware swaps, run diagnostics, and manage cabling far faster than human technicians. This drive to achieve "five-nines" (99.999%) availability and optimize OpEx by reducing labor costs and energy consumption makes a compelling business case for investing in automated robotic solutions. The dual challenges of a persistent shortage of skilled labor and the escalating need for enhanced physical security are accelerating the turn to robotics. Finding, training, and retaining qualified data center technicians is increasingly difficult and expensive. Robots can automate the physically demanding and repetitive aspects of the job, allowing human experts to focus on higher-value strategic tasks. Concurrently, security is paramount. By using robots for physical tasks, data center operators can enforce stricter access controls and create a "zero-trust" environment, minimizing the risk of insider threats, theft, or accidental damage and creating a more secure and auditable facility. Key Growth Barriers Despite its promising trajectory, the market faces several significant barriers to widespread adoption: The substantial initial investment and concerns over a clear return on investment (ROI) represent the most significant hurdle. The cost of acquiring, integrating, and maintaining sophisticated robotic systems is high, posing a major financial barrier for many data center operators, especially those managing smaller or legacy facilities. The process of calculating ROI is complex, as it must account for long-term savings from reduced labor costs, decreased downtime, and improved energy efficiency. This high upfront capital expenditure can deter risk-averse organizations from making the investment, even if the long-term operational benefits are substantial. The technical complexity of integrating robotic systems with existing data center infrastructure presents a formidable challenge. The majority of today's data centers, often termed "brownfield" sites, were not designed for robotic automation. Retrofitting these facilities requires significant modifications to aisle layouts, rack designs, and power and network cabling. Furthermore, ensuring seamless software integration between the robotics control platform and the facility's existing Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) tools can be a difficult and resource-intensive process, requiring specialized expertise and potentially causing operational disruptions during the implementation phase. Lingering concerns over the reliability of autonomous systems and the potential for job displacement create cultural and operational resistance. Data center operators are inherently cautious, as a single robotic malfunction could theoretically cause catastrophic damage or extended downtime. Building trust in the reliability of these systems for mission-critical tasks takes time and proven performance. In addition, the introduction of robotics can stoke fears of job loss among the existing technical staff. This can lead to internal resistance and a lack of cooperation, making the change management aspect of a robotics deployment as challenging as the technical one. Key Market Trends The report identifies several key trends that are shaping the future of data center automation: The industry is steadily advancing towards the concept of the "lights-out" data center, a fully autonomous facility requiring minimal to no direct human presence for routine operations. This model envisions robots and AI handling everything from server provisioning and maintenance to environmental monitoring and security patrols. Hyperscale operators are at the forefront of this trend, experimenting with highly automated designs to maximize operational efficiency, bolster security, and ensure consistency across their global portfolio. While full lights-out operation remains a long-term goal for most, it serves as a powerful guiding vision that is driving innovation in robotics. The Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model is emerging as a popular trend to lower the barrier to entry. RaaS allows data center operators to deploy robotic solutions through a flexible, subscription-based model, effectively shifting the cost from a large capital expenditure (CapEx) to a predictable operational expense (OpEx). Under this model, the vendor typically manages the deployment, ongoing maintenance, and software updates for the robots. This makes advanced automation more accessible and financially viable for a broader range of companies, including smaller colocation providers and enterprises, thereby accelerating market adoption. The integration of AI and machine learning (ML) is transforming robots from simple automated machines into intelligent operational partners. AI-powered robots can leverage data from a multitude of sensors to perform predictive maintenance, identifying potential hardware failures before they occur by analyzing thermal imaging or vibration patterns. ML algorithms enable robots to optimize their own task scheduling and navigation routes for maximum efficiency within the dynamic data center environment. This evolution from basic automation to intelligent, proactive automation dramatically enhances the value proposition of data center robotics, making them a core part of a facility's operational intelligence. Key Opportunities The Data Center Robotics Market is ripe with opportunities for forward-thinking companies: The rapid expansion of edge computing presents a vast and largely untapped opportunity. As 5G and IoT applications proliferate, thousands of smaller, distributed edge data centers are being deployed in remote or hard-to-access locations. The impracticality and high cost of sending technicians to these sites for routine maintenance make them ideal candidates for robotic automation. Robots can provide on-site "smart hands" for tasks like hardware swaps, diagnostics, and security checks, ensuring the reliability of the edge network. This creates a burgeoning market for ruggedized, autonomous robotic solutions tailored for unmanned environments. There is a significant opportunity for developing specialized robots designed for very specific, high-value tasks. Beyond general-purpose server handling, this includes niche applications such as robots that can autonomously inspect and clean thousands of fiber optic connectors to ensure network integrity, drones for inspecting rooftop cooling systems, or robots equipped with advanced sensors for security patrols and environmental monitoring. By creating solutions that solve specific, costly operational pain points, companies can differentiate themselves in the market, command premium prices, and demonstrate a clear, immediate ROI to customers. Given that most of the world's data centers require modification to accommodate automation, providing end-to-end retrofitting and systems integration services is a major opportunity. This goes beyond simply selling a robot; it involves offering a complete turnkey solution that includes facility assessment, infrastructure redesign, software integration with existing DCIM platforms, and staff training. Companies that position themselves as strategic partners, capable of managing the entire complex transition to an automated environment, can de-risk the process for clients and capture significant high-margin revenue from these value-added services. Preview the report with a detailed sample and understand how it can benefit your business strategy. Request a free sample today - https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/data-center-robotics-market Segmentation By Component Hardware Software Services By Robot Collaborative robots Industrial robots Service robots Others By Deployment Model On-premises Cloud-based By Enterprise Size SME Large Enterprises By End Use BFSI Colocation Energy Others Based on the Geography: North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe UK France Germany Italy Spain Russia Belgium Netherlands Austria Sweden Poland Denmark Switzerland Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan South Korea India Australia Thailand Indonesia Vietnam Malaysia Philippines Taiwan Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Argentina Peru Chile Colombia Rest of Latin America Middle East UAE KSA Israel Turkey Iran Rest of Middle East Africa Egypt Nigeria Algeria Morocco Rest of Africa Regional Analysis The global Data Center Robotics Market shows strong regional differentiation. North America currently dominates the market, driven by the heavy investment in automation by U.S.-based hyperscale cloud providers who operate some of the largest data center fleets in the world. The region is a hub of innovation, with a strong focus on developing AI-driven robotic solutions to manage these massive infrastructures. Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period. Unprecedented data center construction in countries like China, India, and Singapore, fueled by data localization laws and a booming digital economy, is creating immense demand for automation technologies to staff these new facilities efficiently. Europe represents a mature market where the focus is on sustainability and efficiency. The adoption of robotics here is often driven by the need to optimize energy consumption and retrofit aging data centers to comply with stringent environmental regulations. The Middle East also remains a key market, with investments in technologically advanced data centers requiring sophisticated automation. Tailor the report to align with your specific business needs and gain targeted insights. Request Here - https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/data-center-robotics-market Credence Research's Competitive Landscape Analysis According to Credence Research's analysis, the Data Center Robotics Market is an emerging and dynamic landscape, populated by a mix of established industrial automation giants and agile, innovative startups. Major players like ABB, Schneider Electric, and Siemens are leveraging their deep expertise in industrial automation to enter the data center space. They compete alongside specialized robotics companies and startups that are focused solely on creating solutions for the unique data center environment. Competition is centered on innovation, particularly in the areas of AI integration, reliability, and ease of integration with existing DCIM software. Strategic partnerships between robotics vendors, data center operators, and colocation providers are crucial for success, as they enable co-development and ensure solutions meet the real-world operational needs of these mission-critical facilities. Key Player Analysis Huawei Technologies Equinix Microsoft Corporation Google NTT Communications Cisco Systems Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development Amazon Web Services Siemens ABB Recent Industry Developments In February 2025, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced a strategic collaboration with MassRobotics, the world's largest independent robotics hub, to accelerate innovation in robotics and connected devices. The partnership will foster collaboration with startups, researchers, and industry leaders, focusing on applications in retail, travel, transportation, hospitality, and consumer products. TCS will provide technical expertise and mentorship, while gaining insights into emerging trends such as physical AI and sector-specific robotics. In May 2024, SoftBank Group invested in Indian data centers and industrial robotics ventures to strengthen AI infrastructure. The initiative aims to boost automation in manufacturing and improve efficiency through AI-powered robotics solutions, reinforcing SoftBank's long-term strategy to capture growth in high-potential technology sectors. In June 2024, ABB introduced its next-generation robotics control platform, OmniCore. The platform delivers faster, more flexible, and energy-efficient robotic operations for tasks like server handling, cable management, and environmental monitoring. Its AI-driven motion control optimizes performance in high-speed, data-intensive environments with reduced downtime and better resource utilization. In March 2024, NVIDIA launched Project GR00T (Generalist Robot 00 Technology), a foundational model for humanoid robotics designed to advance embodied AI. The system enables robots to learn through imitation and reinforcement learning, allowing them to understand natural language, replicate human motion, and adapt intelligently to real-world contexts. In May 2024, Microsoft unveiled its Trillium AI accelerator chip, offering nearly 5 the performance of its previous generation for data center workloads. The chip is designed to meet growing machine learning demands across hyperscale and enterprise applications. In August 2024, ANYbotics partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to integrate the ANYmal robot into the AWS IoT Solutions Hub. The collaboration enhances industrial inspections across the energy and chemical sectors, improving safety and efficiency through secure, cloud-based AI analytics. In September 2023, ABB launched the IRB 1090 educational robot, certified by STEM.org, to prepare students for future robotics careers. Equipped with the OmniCore controller, it includes 100 free RobotStudio Premium licenses, supporting hands-on training in industrial automation. In September 2023, ABB launched the IRB 1090 educational robot, certified by STEM.org, to prepare students for future robotics careers. Equipped with the OmniCore controller, it includes 100 free RobotStudio Premium licenses, supporting hands-on training in industrial automation. Reasons to Purchase this Report: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the market through qualitative and quantitative analyses, considering both economic and non-economic factors, with segmentation and sub-segmentation details provided in terms of market value (USD Billion). Identify regions and segments expected to experience the fastest growth or dominate the market, with a detailed analysis of geographic consumption patterns and the factors driving or hindering market performance in each region. Stay informed about the competitive environment, with rankings of major players, recent product and service launches, partnerships, business expansions, and acquisitions from the past five years. Access detailed profiles of major market players, including company overviews, insights, product benchmarking, and SWOT analysis, to understand competitive advantages and market positioning. Explore the present and forecasted market landscape, with insights into growth opportunities, market drivers, challenges, and constraints for both developed and emerging regions. Benefit from Porter's Five Forces analysis and Value Chain insights to evaluate various market perspectives and competitive dynamics. Understand the evolving market scenario, including potential growth opportunities and trends expected in the coming years. Tailor the report to align with your specific business needs and gain targeted insights. 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The company is a market research and consulting firm serving governments, non-legislative associations, non-profit organizations, and various organizations worldwide. We help our clients improve their execution in a lasting way and understand their most imperative objectives. Contact Us Credence Research Europe LTD 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX, UNITED KINGDOM Europe - +44 7809 866 263 North America - +1 304 308 1216 Australia - +61 4192 46279 Asia Pacific - +81 5050 50 9250 +64 22 017 0275 India - +91 6232 49 3207 [email protected] www.credenceresearch.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2562161/5575082/Credence_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Credence Research Inc. You may not recognize the name John Elwes, but you almost certainly know his literary and cartoon heirs Ebenezer Scrooge (the cold-hearted miser at the center of Charles Dickenss 1843 classic A Christmas Carol), and Scrooge McDuck (the fabulously wealthy yet miserly uncle of Donald Duck). Both were modelled, at least in part, on this extraordinary 18th-century Englishman whose avarice was so extreme that it became a national curiosity. Born into immense wealth yet living as if penniless, Elwess life was a study in contradiction a man who hoarded riches but dressed in rags, who lent vast sums yet refused himself a fire on a freezing night, and whose eccentricities would inspire one of the most famous misers in fiction. Ebenezer Scrooge sitting by the fireplace. Illustration by John Leech. Credit: Wikimedia Commons Fear of Spending John Elwes was born on April 7, 1714, into privilege. His father, Robert Meggot, was a prosperous brewer in Southwark who left behind a comfortable fortune. His mother, Amy Meggot, was the daughter of the distinguished Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st Baronet of Stoke College. From birth, John was heir to both money and social standing. Yet, as fate would have it, he also inherited something far less enviable: a morbid dread of poverty that turned into an obsession with hoarding. It was said that his mothers fear of destitution bordered on madness. According to his biographer Edward Topham, she starved herself to death. The young John, though well educated at Westminster School, grew up absorbing this attitude toward money. This cautious approach was hardened into compulsion after he came under the influence of his uncle, Sir Harvey Elwes. The Misers Apprentice Sir Harvey Elwes was infamous in his own time for his extreme thrift. Though a baronet with extensive estates, he lived like a paupereating scraps, wearing patched clothing, and sleeping without fire even in the bitter cold. When John came of age, he visited his uncles estate in Suffolk, and what began as a social visit turned into an apprenticeship in miserliness. Hoping to win his uncles favour and secure his inheritance, John began imitating Sir Harveys habits with unnerving fidelity. The two misers would dine together on a single small bird or a piece of mouldy cheese, then spend the evening railing against other people's extravagances while sharing a single glass of wine. They went to bed as soon as daylight faded to avoid wasting candles. Sir Harveys habits grew more extreme with age, and John followed dutifully along, even to the point of sleeping in damp clothes rather than waste coal drying them. When Sir Harvey died in 1763, Elwes inherited his uncles estateworth about 250,000, an enormous fortune at the time. But by then, his transformation was complete. Though now one of the richest men in England, he had acquired a permanent disgust for comfort. John Elwes A Gentleman of Tattered Appearance Elwess miserliness did not stop at personal discomfortit shaped every aspect of his life. He refused to buy new clothes, wearing garments until they literally fell apart. When rain soaked him to the skin, he would sit in wet clothes until they dried on him. He mended his coats with bits of paper or old cloth, often taken from discarded garments. On one occasion, his shabby attire was so unkempt that a passersby mistook him for a beggar and slipped a coin into his hand. Despite his appearance, Elwes moved in respectable circles. He was acquainted with many aristocrats and even spent time at the court of George III. But his aversion to spending often made his visits a spectacle. Once, when invited to a dinner party, he refused to take a cab and walked several miles through the rain to save the fare, arriving at the table drenched and splattered with mud. Elwes owned several fine properties, including estates at Marcham, Berkshire, and Stoke College in Suffolk. Yet he let them rot. Roofs leaked, walls crumbled, and entire wings of his homes fell into disrepair because he refused to hire workmen. When rain poured through his ceilings, he moved his bed to a dry corner rather than fix the roof. He ate whatever could be had cheaply. One oft-repeated story tells of him retrieving a half-eaten moorhen from a roadside ditch, brushing it off, and instructing his servants to cook it. On another occasion, he dined for several days on a piece of game so decayed that even his servants could not bear the smell. Even Elwes' health was limited by expense. In common with many misers, he distrusted physicians, preferring to treat himself in order to save paying for one. He once badly cut both legs while walking home in the dark, but would only allow the apothecary to treat one, wagering his fee that the untreated limb would heal first. Elwes won by a fortnight and the doctor had to forfeit his fee. A Miser in Parliament In 1772, John Elwes entered Parliament as the Member for Berkshire. His election expenses were famously meagrejust eighteen pence. Chosen in a by-election as a compromise candidate to replace Thomas Craven, Elwes went on to serve three consecutive terms, holding his seat unopposed until he voluntarily stepped down in 1784. True to his nature, Elwes aligned himself with neither political faction, voting according to his own whims and convictions. Throughout his twelve years in the House of Commons, he never once rose to speak. His fellow members, amused by his singular wardrobe, joked that he could never be accused of being a turncoat, since he owned only one coat to begin with. His parliamentary duties required frequent travel to Westminster, which he undertook in typically frugal fashionriding a thin, weary horse and carefully selecting routes that avoided turnpike tolls. He carried with him a hard-boiled egg for sustenance, stopping beneath a hedge midway through his journey to eat or nap before continuing on. After a dozen years of service, Elwes quietly retired, unwilling to spend even a penny to defend his seat. His miserliness, however, did not extend to others in the usual way. Elwes was curiously generous to those who borrowed money. He lent thousands of pounds to friends and acquaintances, often without recording the loans. Many never repaid him. In the end, it is estimated he lost over 100,000 through his careless generosity. On one notable occasion Elwes, unsolicited, lent Lord Abingdon 7,000 to enable him to place a bet at Newmarket. On the day of the race, Elwes rode on horseback to the racetrack with nothing to eat for fourteen hours save a piece of pancake which he had put into his pocket two months earlier and which he swore to a startled companion was "as good as new". Decay and Self-Deprivation Despite his eccentricities, Elwes fathered two sons out of wedlockGeorge and Johnwhom he adored. He was a surprisingly affectionate father, though he could not bear to spend money on their education or comfort. Elwes maintained that "putting things into people's heads is the sure way to take money out of their pockets". After retiring from Parliament, Elwes turned his full attention to the art of miserliness, wandering restlessly among his numerous estates. His properties, once grand, were left to decay as he steadfastly refused to spend a farthing on repairs. He would often join his tenants in the fields after harvest, gleaning stray ears of corn to supplement his meals. To save the cost of heating, he dined with his servants in the kitchen, sharing their fire rather than lighting one elsewhere. Even in the depths of winter, he sat shivering through his meals without a flame, insisting that eating provided exercise enough to keep him warm. This obsession with economy nearly cost him his life. On one occasion, while residing alone in one of his neglected houses, Elwes fell gravely ill and vanished from notice. His nephew, Colonel Timms, alarmed by his disappearance, inquired at Elwess bankers and acquaintances but found no trace of him. Finally, a pot boy recalled seeing an old beggar enter a stable adjoining an uninhabited property on Great Marlborough Street and lock the door behind him. Suspecting the worst, Timms went there and, receiving no answer to his knocks, summoned a blacksmith to force the lock. Inside, he discovered his uncle lying delirious with fever in a cold, damp basementhalf-dead but still clutching his hoarded savings. Towards the end of his life, Elwes grew feverish and restless, hoarding small quantities of money in different places, continually visiting all the places of deposit to see that they were safe. He began suffering from delusion, fearing that he would die in poverty. Elwes died on November 26, 1789, at the age of seventy-five, leaving behind an estate worth more than 500,000an astronomical sum at the time, equivalent to tens of millions today. Much of it went to his sons and his nephew. His biographer, Edward Topham, who knew him personally, published The Life of John Elwes in 1790, a best-selling account that immortalized his astonishing thrift and oddities for posterity. From Elwes to Scrooge Elwess fame persisted well after his death. His peculiaritieshis decaying mansion, his tattered clothes, his hoarded fortunebecame symbols of miserly folly in Georgian England. Newspapers and pamphlets recounted his habits with both amusement and moral outrage. Charles Dickens, born half a century later, almost certainly encountered these tales. When he created Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (1843), the parallels were striking: both men were wealthy yet joyless, obsessed with money yet terrified of losing it, and both lived in self-imposed isolation surrounded by decay. Dickenss Scrooge, however, finds redemptiona luxury John Elwes never sought. References: # Edward Topham. The life of the late John Elwes, Esquire. # The King of Misers # Life of John Elwes Earlier this year, ahead of Apple announcing its new iOS 26 Liquid Design, leakster Jon Prosser shared some mockups and renders of what it might look like. Knowing what we know now, his tips were pretty spot on, with some slight variances here and there. Unfortunately, this landed the leakster in hot legal water with Apple. Now, it looks like the lawsuit between Jon Prosser and Apple will proceed. Apple and Jon Prosser lawsuit proceeds When he was first notified of the lawsuit by Apple, Jon Prosser responded by saying he was looking forward to speaking with Apple on this. However, for whatever reason, Prosser missed the deadline to respond to Apples complaint. As a result, the US District Court for the Northern District of California has accepted Apples request to enter default against the YouTuber. It is unclear why Prosser did not respond to the lawsuit. But what does this mean? This means that the courts will most likely move towards a default judgement in Apples favor. That being said, as 9to5Mac notes, Prosser still has a chance to ask the court to set aside the default. However, he will need to show that his failure to respond was because of a good reason or a justified cause. But the case isnt completely over yet. In addition to Prosser, Apple also filed a lawsuit against Michael Ramacciotti. Ramacciotti had previously requested an extension, which the court granted. This means that even if Apple were to get its default judgement against Prosser, it might still need to fight the case against Ramacciotti, unless both parties agree to a settlement. What happened? In case you missed out on all the drama, earlier this year, Prosser shared mockups and renders of what he claimed to be the design of iOS 26 (which at that time was referred to as iOS 19). In hindsight, the mockups were scarily accurate. According to Apple, this was because Ramacciotti broke into former Apple employee Ethan Lipniks development iPhone. He then made a video call to Prosser, who recorded the call with screen capture tools and then made mockups based on what he saw. However, Prosser has refuted Apples claims. In his previous statement, Prosser said, For the record: This is not how the situation played out on my end. Luckily have receipts for that. I did not plot to access anyones phone. He also claimed, I did not have any passwords. I was unaware of how the information was obtained. When we tried to reach Prosser for comment, he responded by saying, I would love to explain how things happened on my end. But for obvious reasons, I feel like I should hold from saying anything before I get to give the court my side. With a host of resources and a new chat function, the upgraded website offers improved customer experience through multi-lingual options and easy navigation. HAZLE TOWNSHIP, Pa., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EAM-Mosca has officially unveiled a new website. The feature-rich digital resource is designed to educate, answer questions, and help manufacturers looking to improve load securing in their in-line packaging systems. This is the latest development in an effort by the leading automatic strapping systems provider to offer high-quality equipment backed by ongoing full-service support for its clients. With a cohesive modern look, the new EAM-Mosca website ensures that customers around the world can easily engage with our strapping products and services. "In today's digital business world, a website is often a customer's first point of contact with a company," said EAM-Mosca's Director of Marketing & Communications, Robert Miller. "Our new website was developed with our customers in mind, ensuring that every visit to the site, be it their first or their 50th, provides a top-notch experience with easy access to our products, our services and our people." A Customer-First Experience The new website focuses on several key areas designed to benefit the customer journey and ensure the smoothest experience both before and after purchasing strapping and load securing solutions. From a functional level, the new site is easier to navigate and features a mobile-friendly user interface designed to help customers find what they need faster and with fewer clicks. There are also multi-lingual options that include English, Spanish, and Portuguese to facilitate effective communication with each of the three markets EAM-Mosca primarily serves. Communication is enhanced through a new chat function where customers can ask questions about products, parts, maintenance, and manuals. They can also: Request machine quotes without the need for a phone call. Utilize a comparison tool to choose the right product for their unique needs. Use easy-access forms to target and streamline scheduling service and training. A Living, 24/7 Resource The site functions as a perpetual source of answers to end-of-line packaging systems. Each product page contains full descriptions and key feature highlights, including complete product specifications, additional technical data, videos of the machines in use, and downloadable brochures. Resources are further broken down into subcategories, including: Brand and machine type. Industries served by EAM-Mosca. Digital tools, innovations, and solutions. Technical service and training programs. Strapping material and educational support. OEM and customized solutions and integrations. Company values, commitments, and contact information. In addition, the new site has instructional and informational content, including: A library of client success stories Upcoming events that EAM-Mosca will be attending Articles on recent EAM-Mosca news and related industry topics A new innovations page further highlights how EAM-Mosca is developing new technologies. It showcases how these are being incorporated into products and services and how that will help improve performance, enhance sustainability and expand the company's end-of-line strapping solutions into new industries. Anyone interested in exploring the new site can start at the home page, eammosca.com, or use any of the links above to jump to a specific feature or section. About EAM-Mosca Founded in 1982, EAM-Mosca is an industrial equipment supplier of automatic and semi-automatic end-of-line packaging machines that is headquartered in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, with further operations in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. It is a key member of the globally present, Germany-based MOSCA Group. The international MOSCA brand was founded in 1966, giving it a track record of industrial excellence that stretches back over half a century. Learn more at eammosca.com. SOURCE EAM-Mosca Corp. OpenAI just fired a major shot across the bow of Googles long-standing web dominance. The company officially launched its new AI-powered web browser, aptly named ChatGPT Atlas. The browser was designed from the ground up to fundamentally change how people use the internet. According to employees who spoke during the launch livestream, ChatGPT is the beating heart of Atlas. The companys next move in its battle against Google is now clear. Theyre aiming to replace the traditional search experience with a chat-based one. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman envisions a future where the browsers chat capabilities feel like a natural, constant extension of the internet itself. We could say this is the third big AI-powered web browser after Perplexitys Comet rollout and Google Chromes recent AI update. ChatGPT Atlas brings an ever-present AI browsing companion ChatGPT Atlass design maintains a simple, familiar feel, featuring a standard search window much like Safari or Chrome. However, it quickly separates itself from the competition with core AI functionality. When a user performs a search, Atlas opens with a direct, ChatGPT-based answer. Crucially, when a user clicks a link from those results, the browser defaults to a split-screen view. This UI will show the webpage alongside the ChatGPT transcript. Basically, the AI is a constant companion, ready to act as a summarizing tool, a fact-checker, or an expert on the content you are viewing without forcing you to copy and paste text. If you prefer a traditional view, you can simply turn off the split-screen companion. The browser also boasts a feature called Cursor Chat for editing text inline, such as tidying up a sentence directly within an email draft or document. One of the most interesting features is the built-in memory. Atlas learns about the user over time, logging visited websites and activities to provide increasingly personalized and relevant answers. Users maintain full control, managing this memory through the settings or opening an incognito window whenever they wish to browse without tracking. The agent that acts for you Atlass most powerful function is its Agent Mode. This capability, which builds on OpenAIs previous tools like the Operator, lets the AI actually take complex actions on your behalf. This feature seems similar to Perplexitys Comets abilities. Users can ask ChatGPT to complete multi-step, web-based tasks like booking restaurant reservations, ordering groceries based on an online recipe, or automatically filling out a complex online form. Its noteworthy that only Plus and Pro subscribers get access to the full Agent Mode capabilities at launch. While this agentic AI represents the future, the company acknowledges that reliably automating highly complex tasks remains a work in progress. Making AI consistently work reliably for these cases is a challenge not only for OpenAI but across the industry. After all, there are tasks that involve everything from personal data to users money. Therefore, an error on the part of the AI could result in significant damage. Availability The browser is available globally on macOS today, with versions for Windows, iOS, and Android coming soon. While Google already offers AI browsing features, Apples Safari currently lacks this integration. This is something that the Cupertino giant may need to address if it wants to keep pace with the competition. Samsungs long-awaited Android 16-based One UI 8 update has hit a massive roadblock. This month, the company made the unusual decision to abruptly stop sending the new software to some popular devices, like the Galaxy S24 and S22 series. Now, Samsung is actively pulling the update from its servers for the Galaxy S23 lineup as well. This string of cancellations suggests something significant is going wrong. Samsung has not yet given a formal explanation for stopping the One UI 8 rollout on the Galaxy S23 and other devices. The company has essentially left users in the dark. However, multiple user reports agree on a severe battery drain issue affecting their devices. Other isolated complaints mention specific bugs, such as problems with the secure folder feature on the Galaxy S23. Since the Galaxy S23 update launched in late September, many owners have already upgraded their phones. The good news is that we are not seeing widespread reports of completely broken devices. This suggests that Samsung likely discovered a specific bug internallysomething the company wants to fix before it reaches millions more users. The bottom line is that Samsung considers the glitch serious enough to justify stopping a major global software release. What should owners do now? If you already updated your phone and notice issues, you must simply wait. Samsung will need to build and release a new, stable patch to address the underlying problem. If you have not yet received the update, your phone will stay on the older Android 15 build until Samsung gives the all-clear. On a positive note, Samsung has already restarted the One UI 8 rollout for some versions of the Galaxy S22 in certain areas. This shows that the company will solve these technical issues quickly. Anthony Joshua is now planning a comeback fight in February 2026 after Matchroom confirmed its expansion to Accra, Ghana for a card before Christmas. Joshua, who has not fought since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, has dealt with injuries this year. But a rumoured fight with fellow British heavyweight superstar appears to be in the works, following a tune-up fight. And Eddie Hearns Matchroom has floated the possibility of Joshua venturing over to Africa for a fight, following the legacy of The Rumble in the Jungle. Matchrooms first ever show on west African soil will not include AJ, with Hearn confirming a card will take place in Accra, Ghana on 20 December and act as a precursor to Joshua fighting in the same location next February as the headline act. We're doing a show in Ghana on December 20th, Hearn told The Ring. "Obviously this will not be an AJ show but its still going to be a good show. The idea is that this is probably a precursor for an AJ show out there, but its not part of our initial deal. We can just get the lay of the land with this one. Frank [Smith] went out there for a site visit and was impressed by what he saw. This deal is with the same people. We are working on what fighters will feature on the card at the moment. There will be some with Ghanaian backgrounds and then some of our own fighters as well. Then we are looking to go back there with AJ in February. Anthony Joshua's last fight was a defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 (Bradley Collyer/PA Wire) Joshuas next opponent remains unclear, though Nigeria-born American Kingsley Ibeh has called out the former world champion. "We need the right platform and the right opponent to make a statement with and there'd be no better one than AJ," Ibeh told Sky Sports. "That would be definitely a dream come true. That would be amazing. "It doesn't matter where it is, I'm ready. "Anywhere. It doesn't matter if it's in the UK. I would love to dance with him in the O2 Arena. I would definitely stop him, no questions about that, it's going to come down to how soon or how quickly it goes." Veeraswamy, Britains oldest Indian restaurant, has applied for Asset of Community Value (ACV) status in a bid to block redevelopment plans by the Crown Estate that threaten to close it down. It comes after Westminster City Council approved Crown Estate plans to alter Victory Houses ground floor as part of a wider refurbishment to create office spaces on the upper floors changes that would effectively cut off access to the restaurant and force it to close. The proposals have devastated Veeraswamy owners Ranjit Mathrani and Namita Panjabi, who took on the restaurants legacy in 1997, and fear that a piece of Londons cultural history could be lost forever. In response, the Soho Society has now submitted an application on behalf of Veeraswamy to designate it an Asset of Community Value (ACV), a move that could protect the restaurant by imposing restrictions and potentially delay redevelopment plans. An ACV is defined as a building or piece of land that is used to further the social wellbeing or interests of the local community. Mr Mathrani said: We urge Westminster Council to make Veeraswamy an Asset of Community Value. The restaurant in Regent Street (Press handout) For nearly 100 years the restaurant has been the most iconic Indian restaurant in the country. It is not only an asset for the local community but has national value as it attracts so many overseas visitors. It is an important part of Regent Street, and if it is forced to close by The Crown Estate it will be a terrible loss to London. Westminster City Council is now considering the application, and a decision will be made in the coming weeks. Veeraswamy has been operating from Victory House in Regent Street since 1926, welcoming notable figures such as Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and Indira Gandhi. A long-standing royal favourite, the restaurant catered for Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 and 2017, served Princess Anne, and hosted King Edward VIII so frequently that his coat of arms was displayed at its entrance. It was awarded a Michelin star in 2016, coinciding with its 90th anniversary, and has been featured on a number of must visit lists for overseas and domestic tourists. Veeraswamys 25-year lease expired in June 2025, and the Crown Estate has previously stated it does not intend to renew it. In response, MW Eatthe company behind the restauranthas launched legal action, allowing Veeraswamy to continue operating until a court hearing expected in spring or early summer next year. Veeraswamy holds a protected tenancy, which grants long-term tenants enhanced legal rights. If the court rules in its favour, the lease could be extended by up to 14 years. On the ACV application, Veeraswamy is described as a hub of Londons Indian Community and celebrated, enjoyed by many on a regular basis. A popular restaurant, the restaurant has a turnover in excess of 5 million per annum. Coronation cocktail from Veeraswamy (Press handout) The application states: It is famous, inter alia, for introducing beer with Indian food following a visit from Prince Axel of Denmark in 1926. It has also been visited by Mahatma Gandi, Prime Minister Nehru, Charlie Chaplin and many members of royal families from across the world including the Princess Royal. It has uniquely twice catered for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2008 and 2017. The restaurant is also a key local hub for local residents and a meeting place as it has been for nearly 100 years. It acts as a venue for London Chefs specialised in Indian cooking, giving them a place to meet and discuss new and old ideas, an opportunity to review menus from the past century and learn new techniques from the current team running the Michelin-starred restaurant. Its cultural significance cannot be overstated, the application concludes. A spokesperson for the Crown Estate said: "Our focus remains on working with MW Eat and has included offering to help find new premises on our portfolio so they can continue to be in the West End. The British army will send a senior commander and a small number of troops to support Gaza ceasefire enforcement efforts led by the US, the defence ministry has said. Attempts to stabilise a fragile ceasefire have been stepped up by mediators, including the US, Egypt and Qatar, as they look to push forward US president Donald Trumps 20-point plan. A small number of UK planning officers have joined the Civil-Military Coordination Centre, or CMCC, including a two-star officer who will assume the role of deputy commander, Mr Healey told business leaders at an event in London, according to Sky News. The UK defence ministry said in a statement that the deployment would ensure the UK remained involved in US-led plans for a post-conflict settlement in Gaza. Jonathan Healey said the UKs specialist skills have been offered to contribute to ceasefire efforts (Aaron Chown/PA) Mr Healey said the UK has specialist experience and skills that we have offered to contribute, and that while the UK will contribute, efforts will be led by others. We have also, in response to the American request, put a first-rate two-star officer into a civilian-military command, as the deputy commander, he added. So Britain will play an anchor role, contribute the specialist experience and skills where we can. We dont expect to be leading... but we will play our part. The US has said it will provide up to 200 troops to support CMCC, but they will not be actively deployed into Gaza itself. The CMCC will be introduced to ensure security in Gaza, although its composition and legal status are yet to be agreed. US officials have said they are also speaking to Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute. There are growing concerns about the ceasefire , which over the weekend appeared at risk of collapse when the Israeli military unleashed a wave of military strikes across Gaza, killing dozens, as both sides accused each other of breaching the terms of the truce. Washington has sent US officials to Gaza as they look to progress the ceasefire deal, which Israel and Mr Trump said had been resumed on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, the US president again warned Hamas to do what is right and thanked the countries that are assisting with ceasefire enforcement. He said in a post on Truth Social: If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help. US vice-president JD Vance speaks to the media as Jared Kushner looks on, in Kiryat Gat, Israel, on Tuesday (AP) US vice-president JD Vance landed in Israel for a two-day visit. In a press conference on Tuesday, he reiterated Mr Trumps warning a day earlier that Hamas needs to behave or face severe repercussions. He also claimed the implementation of the ceasefire was going better than expected and that the Israeli government had been remarkably helpful. The vice-president urged a little bit of patience over Hamass return of the remaining dead hostages bodies in Gaza, adding that the bodies have proven difficult to locate. Hamas handed over the bodies of two more deceased hostages on Tuesday evening, and they have now crossed the border back into Israel. Israel said the two were Aryeh Zalmanovich, who was 85 at the time of his 2023 death and abducted from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz before being killed in captivity, and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar, a member of Nir Ozs security team who was killed during the 7 October attack at the age of 38. Their return means Hamas has handed back 15 of the 28 deceased captives and hostages, bringing the number remaining in Gaza down to 13. Mr Vance downplayed suggestions that he had rushed to Israel in order to keep the ceasefire in place, adding that he feels confident that were going to be in a place where this peace lasts. He is expected to stay in the region until Thursday and meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. Jared Kushner, Mr Trumps son-in-law and one of the architects of the ceasefire agreement, who is also in Israel, noted the complexity of the agreement. Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture, he said in the press conference. US secretary of state Marco Rubio plans to travel to Israel later this week or over the weekend, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing US and Israeli officials. Sir Chris Wormald has lost the confidence of senior Downing Street figures, according to reports - Tayfun Salci The Cabinet Secretary will be ousted by the end of the year after losing the confidence of senior Downing Street figures, according to reports. Sir Chris Wormald, Britains most senior civil servant, has been the subject of repeated negative briefings and is seen by some in No 10 as the embodiment of Whitehall groupthink. He is tipped to be replaced by crossbench peer Baroness Casey of Blackstock, who is viewed as a capable troubleshooter, according to The Times, which first reported the claims. The Covid inquiry is expected to be used as a pretext to sack Sir Chris, who was the most senior civil servant in the Department for Health and Social Care during the pandemic. Sir Chris at the Prime Ministers right hand during a meeting in the Cabinet room - Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street Sir Chris, who was appointed by the Prime Minister in December last year, was permanent secretary at the department throughout the pandemic. During hearings in 2024, it was claimed he had advocated mass exposure to the virus through chickenpox parties to encourage herd immunity. He has already faced criticism in a report produced by the inquiry, which found there had been a lack of adequate leadership in preparations for Covid. It also stated that the Civil Service and governments failed their citizens at the time of his appointment. If ousted soon, Sir Chris will have spent less than two years in the job. Baroness Casey of Blackstock, a crossbench peer, is tipped to replace Sir Chris - Pippa Fowles/AFP Over the summer, some Whitehall officials said Sir Keir Starmers team was experiencing buyers remorse over his choice of cabinet secretary. They suggest his decision to appoint a career civil servant rather than an outsider who could rewire the state left many bewildered. A senior Whitehall figure told The Times: Chris is a parody of every Civil Service stereotype. He is given clear instructions on an issue and says we will be able to deliver it only after weve commissioned a wide-reaching review that reports sometime in the mid-2080s. Dominic Cummings said on Saturday that the Cabinet Secretary was part of the old broken system. Dominic Cummings said that the Cabinet Secretary was part of the old broken system - Rii Schroer for The Telegraph The former adviser to Boris Johnson, who sought to overhaul the Civil Service while in No 10, said: The old system has shot themselves in both feet, theyve blown both feet off with Starmer and Wormald, because theyve made it conventional wisdom now that the old system is broken and has to be succeeded by something much more radical. Baroness Casey was appointed as the Governments lead non-executive director in January this year, having previously written a report into grooming gangs that said the ethnicity of perpetrators was being shied away from. Her conclusion forced Sir Keir to U-turn and announce a national inquiry into the scandal after months of resistance. She is also the head of a commission into the future of social care. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: The Cabinet Secretary continues to have the support of the Prime Minister and they are working closely together to deliver on the priorities of the British public. Inauguration ceremony of IOMed held in Hong Kong Xinhua) 08:20, October 21, 2025 Guests pose for a group photo during the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) HONG KONG, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. The occasion gathered nearly 200 representatives from contracting parties and signatories of the Convention on the Establishment of the IOMed, as well as people from various sectors of the HKSAR. In her opening remarks, Hua Chunying, vice minister of Foreign Affairs of China, emphasized that the speed of IOMed from Convention-signing to inauguration is "unprecedented in the history of establishing international organizations" and speaks to the fact that the establishment of the IOMed "echoes the core of our times and responds to the aspirations of the international community for the peaceful settlement of international disputes." "The vision behind the establishment of the IOMed is highly consistent with that of the Global Governance Initiative," she said, believing that the organization will "give a boost to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity" and help Hong Kong forge the new title of the "capital of mediation." Addressing the occasion, John Lee, chief executive of the HKSAR, said Hong Kong enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage, and boasts an established tradition of the rule of law. Hong Kong takes pride in being a "super connector" and "super value-adder", and is honored to serve as the Organization's home, Lee said, pledging full support for the development of the IOMed and dispute settlement efforts. Teresa Cheng, the newly elected secretary-general of the IOMed, said the organization cherishes and practices multilateralism, serving as a global public good and vital pillar in the field of peaceful settlement of international disputes. Representatives from the contracting states including Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Republic of the Congo, Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya and Dominica delivered speeches. They lauded the significance of the IOMed and expressed their expectation to take this platform to promote the peaceful settlement of international disputes and contribute to building a more fair and reasonable international order. The signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) was held on May 30, 2025, and the Convention officially entered into force on Aug. 29, 2025. So far, the total number of signatory states has reached 37. Eight countries have ratified the Convention, including China, Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Republic of the Congo, Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya and Dominica. Having been converted from the Old Wan Chai Police Station, a heritage building, the headquarters of the IOMed is equipped with meeting rooms and discussion rooms for mediation work and capacity-building. Teresa Cheng, the newly elected secretary-general of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), addresses the inauguration ceremony of the IOMed in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) Hua Chunying, vice minister of Foreign Affairs of China, addresses the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), addresses the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 20, 2025. The inauguration ceremony of the IOMed, headquartered in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was held here on Monday. The event marked a milestone in international conflict resolution as the IOMed is the world's first intergovernmental international legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Email isn't deadit's just been executed BADLY. Consumer trust is collapsing due to spam, privacy violations, and AI-generated garbage flooding inboxes. Breaker disrupts this broken system with intelligent automation and advanced compliance, proving that when done RIGHT, email remains the most powerful marketing channel for driving measurable ROI. AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The inbox has been declared dead more times than a horror movie villain, but here's the truth: Email isn't dyingit's just been butchered by lazy marketers and compliance-blind platforms. With nearly 10 billion emails sent daily in the U.S. alone and conversion rates of 2.8% for B2C brands, email remains one of the highest-performing marketing channels. (1,2) Yet 54% of Americans suffer from email overload, and 59% report that most emails they receive are useless. (3) "We're not just building another distribution engine. We're creating Facebook for email, where granular data drives precise targeting that makes the recipient experience better because the content is actually relevant." Breaker emerges as the disruptive force fixing this broken ecosystem. Unlike traditional email platforms that flood inboxes with generic, poorly targeted content, Breaker combines personalization with built-in safeguards to deliver emails that recipients actually want to read. "Email has turned into a social media feeda chaotic mess of chronological noise that doesn't work anymore," said Ben Billups, Founder & CEO of Breaker. "We're not just building another distribution engine. We're creating Facebook for email, where granular data drives precise targeting that makes the recipient experience better because the content is actually relevant." The Email Crisis: Trust is Collapsing The email marketing landscape faces an unprecedented trust crisis. Poor data quality, privacy violations, and the rise of AI-generated spam have created a perfect storm of consumer skepticism. Research shows 40% of email users have at least 50 unread messages cluttering their inboxes, while ISPs respond with increasingly aggressive spam filters and promotion tabs that banish marketing emails to digital purgatory. (4) The problem isn't volumeit's relevance. Traditional "spray-and-pray" campaigns treat every subscriber the same, resulting in generic content that erodes trust and damages brand reputation. With new state and federal compliance requirements creating a patchwork of legal landmines, many companies are falling behind on regulations while simultaneously flooding the market with cookie-cutter AI content. "The old model of running traffic to a signup page where people don't know how many emails they'll get or what the content will bethat's incredibly outdated," Billups explained. "We're changing that by making email algorithmically driven on the sender side, just like social media platforms do for their feeds." Algorithm That Enhances, Not Floods While most AI tools contribute to inbox noise, Breaker.ai takes the opposite approach. The platform's "TrueSend" technologyalso known as email intelligenceanalyzes subscriber behavior with extreme granularity to understand individual preferences and interests. This data drives precision targeting that delivers personalized campaigns designed to cut through the noise rather than add to it. Key differentiators include: Behavioral Intelligence: Advanced algorithms track what subscribers engage with, when they prefer to receive emails, and what content resonates with their specific interests Advanced algorithms track what subscribers engage with, when they prefer to receive emails, and what content resonates with their specific interests Compliance-First Approach: Built-in legal safeguards ensure campaigns meet evolving privacy regulations across all 50 states Built-in legal safeguards ensure campaigns meet evolving privacy regulations across all 50 states Zero-Party Data Strategy: Focuses on first-party data collection to future-proof against tracking restrictions and litigation risk Focuses on first-party data collection to future-proof against tracking restrictions and litigation risk ROI-Driven Metrics: Delivers measurable results instead of vanity metrics like "brand awareness" The platform has already demonstrated significant success with clients achieving 63% average open rates and 4% click ratesfar exceeding industry benchmarks.(5) One client reported tripling sponsor revenue and doubling community memberships, generating "well over a 10X ROI." Breaker.ai: Redefining Email Marketing with Smarter Messaging Breaker.ai positions itself as the antithesis of traditional email marketing platforms that prioritize volume over value. By combining intelligent automation with human-centered design principles, the company proves that email's future lies not in sending more messages, but in sending smarter ones. "We're targeting B2B initially because the ROI is higher, but our algorithm gets smarter every day," Billups noted. "As we collect more behavioral data, we're creating opportunities to revolutionize how businesses communicate with their audiences across all sectors." The platform addresses the core challenge facing modern marketers: competing with social media, messaging apps, and AI-driven platforms while maintaining email's central role in customer communication. Rather than accepting inbox irrelevance, Breaker.ai forces the industry to evolve or become obsolete. For businesses ready to abandon failed "email marketing as usual" tactics and embrace intelligent communication that actually converts, Breaker.ai offers a free trial to experience the difference firsthand. Because when email is done right, it doesn't just surviveit dominates. About Breaker.ai Breaker.ai is the only email platform that sends your newsletter and grows your list with high-value B2B prospectson autopilot. Powered by advanced targeting, AI enrichment, and proprietary deliverability systems, Breaker ensures every email reaches the inbox while adding verified, sales-ready subscribers for as little as $1.50 each. Seamless CRM integrations, white-glove migration, and built-in analytics make it easy for marketers to scale outreach and convert engagement into pipeline. Built by marketers, for marketers. For more information, visit joinbreaker.ai. References: Statista, and Laura Ceci. "Daily Number of Emails Sent Worldwide as of August 2025 by Country." Statista, 7 Aug. 2025, statista.com/statistics/1270459/daily-emails-sent-by-country/. Bailyn, Evan. "Conversion Rate by Channel." First Page Sage, 28 Apr. 2025, firstpagesage.com/reports/conversion-rate-by-channel/. Edison Mail. "68% of Americans Say App Notifications Interfered with Their Productivity." Edison Mail, 10 May 2022, edisonmail.com/blog/study-68-percent-of-americans-say-app-notifications-interfere-with-productivity. Mailbutler. "Must-Know Email Statistics and Trends for 2024." Mailbutler, 14 Nov. 2024, mailbutler.io/blog/email/email-statistics-trends/. Breaker. "Breaker | the Newsletter Platform Built for Growth." Joinbreaker.ai, 2025, joinbreaker.ai/. Media Inquiries: Karla Jo Helms JOTO PR 727-777-4629 jotopr.com SOURCE Breaker.ai What a relief that Vladimir Putin is more of a bully than a strategist. Had he been as savvy as Benjamin Netanyahu, he would have suckered the US president into backing a ceasefire that meant a victory and impunity. Instead the White House has announced that planned talks between Donald Trump and Putin to be held in Budapest are off. They were cancelled after the US president said that the current front lines should be frozen as part of an immediate ceasefire. Putin had reason to believe that hed renewed backing from the US president for his demand that Ukraine must hand over more territory than Russia has already stolen as part of a deal to stop the shooting because Trump had earlier said as much. But now that the Europeans and the UK have made it clear that, alongside Ukraine, a ceasefire can only happen where the fighting actually is going on at the moment, Putin has decided to snub the summit in the Hungarian capital, which had been expected in the next few weeks. According to the Bloomberg news agency, there are now plans for a European proposal modelled on the Trump-inspired Gaza plan, which would give him the chair of a peace board to oversee a ceasefire. Ukrainian servicemen ride a military buggy, amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in the Donetsk region (Reuters) Ukraine has long agreed up front to an immediate end to fighting and then progress to longer-term peace talks. Some experts, like Field Marshal David Richards, believe that Ukraine cannot defeat Russia, which has captured about 20 per cent of its territory in the east, while Putin has been indicted for war crimes. Ukraine may now be tilting towards accepting this as a long-term status quo, but maintaining its legal claims to territories that Moscow has already illegally annexed. Kyiv would only do so if it had cast-iron security guarantees. In Budapest, if Putin had turned up, he may have been able to persuade Trump that eastern Ukraine is naturally part of Russia because it was won at war, and because its population mostly speak Russian. Steve Witkoff, Trumps guileless and clueless envoy to the Middle East and Russia, has repeatedly accepted this canard. Trump described Netanyahus destruction of Gaza as a victory and claimed he had brought peace to the Middle East after 3,000 years. Israel and the Palestinians have been in conflict only since 1947, but global leaders have allowed Trump to bask in false glory because the slaughter in Gaza has, mostly, stopped. Leaders like Keir Starmer seem to have forgotten that Netanyahu is also under indictment for war crimes. But Putin cannot enjoy Netanyahus benefits now. He cannot even get a pause in the fighting to be used as a breather and an opportunity to rearm and replenish his forces before forging on into the parts of the Donbas and other regions that he still covets in Ukraine. Trump may now even agree to sell Tomahawk missiles for use by Ukraine in an effort to force Putin back into talks (AP) Ukraine, Canada, the European Union and the UK are now trying desperately to cement Trumps support for their scheme because it is seen as the least bad outcome for Kyiv. Trump may now even agree to sell Tomahawk missiles for use by Ukraine for deep strikes against Russia in an effort to force Putin back into talks that are less obviously favourable to the Kremlin. But while Ukraine is not winning the war, it isnt, as president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, losing either. On visits to the front lines near Kramatorsk and Zaporizhzhia, it is clear that Russias advances are being bought at a gigantic human cost to Putins motherland. Drone warfare has taken the edge off its ability to send thousands of men against machine guns into meat grinder assaults. Some 40 per cent of Russias economy is dedicated to the war effort, it is staggering under the weight of economic sanctions, and could be further hobbled by stopping fuel imports from Moscow to Hungary and Slovenia. President Donald Trump welcomes Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on 17 October (AFP/Getty) Ukraine has agreed to a ceasefire because it would only do so if there are clear and real signs that other nations are going to genuinely protect Kyiv against further Russian attacks. Doing so would be a massive undertaking that would absorb the 100m that the UK has pledged for a future security force in a few days. To keep Russia out of more of Ukraine, and out of the other parts of Eastern Europe that Putin wants back under Moscows yoke, would take the sort of total effort that Lord Richards says Europe cannot manage. It might be cheaper to actually help Ukraine defeat Russia outright by giving it the total support it needs to make war, not secure peace. Russias forces in Ukraine are poorly motivated and badly led. But they are learning the art of drone warfare fast and will have an understanding that eclipses any other nation in the world on how to make war in the 21st century, other than Ukraine. Their command structures are weak. Ukraine has shown it can break its logistics chains with deep strikes against Moscow. Russias forces can be collapsed in the Donbas, and if a defeated Russian army went home and toppled the dictator that sent them to kill their neighbours, that would be a worthwhile second-order effect of actually giving Ukraine the means to avoid a ceasefire until it is free of invaders. Soldiers here are exhausted and tired. Many are avoiding military service and would be relieved by a ceasefire now. None believe it would end their war, or protect Europe any more than Trump has brought peace to the Middle East. Police were called to Lavender Hill ( Google Street View) A teenager is fighting for life in hospital after being stabbed in broad daylight in south London. The man, 19, was stabbed in Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction, on Tuesday afternoon. Emergency services were called to the scene at 3.26pm and paramedics rushed the teenager to hospital. A Metropolitan Police spokeseperson said: Officers attended Lavender Hill, Wandsworth, alongside the London Ambulance Service following reports of a stabbing. A 19-year-old was treated at the scene for stab wounds. He was taken to hospital with injuries believed to be life-threatening. We await an update on his condition. No arrests have been made, and police are urgently making enquiries. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said paramedics were called to a stabbing in Beauchamp Road, which is off Lavender Hill. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a paramedic from our tactical response unit and an incident response officer. "We also dispatched Londons Air Ambulance. Our first paramedics arrived on scene in less than four minutes. We were treated a man for stab wounds and took him to a major trauma centre by road as a priority. Police are asking anybody who witnessed the incident or who has information is urged to call 101, quoting crime reference 4781/21OCT. People walking in the snow in the East Sussex village of Ditchling in January 2025. (Getty Images) (Dan Kitwood via Getty Images) Small parts of the UK could see snow this weekend, Met Office weather maps indicate. Snow could fall as part of wintry showers over some areas of high ground in Scotland between Friday night and Saturday morning, the maps show. There could be between 0.5mm and 4.0mm of snow per hour in areas near Fort William and Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands in the early hours of Saturday, according to the projections from the Met Office maps. However, the maps show that the wintry showers would be isolated to these areas of high ground and will not be seen elsewhere in the UK. Some snow is forecast, in the white and grey areas, for the morning of Saturday 25 October in Scotland. (Met Office) (Met Office) A spokesperson for the Met Office told Yahoo News UK: "Theres the chance of wintry showers over Scottish Highlands from Friday and over the weekend." In its long range forecast for Saturday 25 October until Monday 3 November, the Met Office said: "An increasingly cold northerly flow to start this period, which will be showery around coastal areas but there will be some brighter spells inland. The showers could be wintry at times over the high ground in the far north." On 16 October, the Met Office published a blog post in response to recent media reports of a "huge barrage of snow" and "brutal cold snaps". It said: "While isolated wintry showers are always possible in late October, especially over high ground in Scotland, there is no evidence in the forecast for a 'huge barrage' of snow affecting the UK as a whole." The Met Office added: "The official forecast does not support the idea of a widespread snow event." The rest of this week instead looks set to be dominated by wind and rain, with the Met Office issuing three yellow weather warnings across much of England and Wales for Thursday 23 October, with 75mph gusts forecast. How cold will it be this winter? In its most recent three-month outlook, published at the end of September, the Met Office said the three-month period of October, November and December 2025 is less likely to be wetter, with the temperature more likely to be mild than in previous years. A snow plough clears the roads in Braemar, Scotland, in January 2025. (Getty Images) (Jeff J Mitchell via Getty Images) It said there is a 15% chance the three-month-period will be cold, a 55% chance it will be around average temperatures and a 30% chance of being mild. The average temperatures for October/November/December are around 8C for the south of England, 7C for the Midlands and 6C for the north of England, but does drop as low as 1C for some areas of Scotland. What are the average winter temperatures? The Met Office said the mean temperature for winter as a whole is 4.09C. Monthly mean temperatures: - October: 9.73C - November: 6.48C - December: 4.20C - January: 3.93C - February: 4.14C - March: 5.70C How cold was it last winter? The Met Office said last winter was milder than average, with a mean temperature of 4.62C, 0.53C above the long-term average) for the December/January/February period. Last year's winter ended in February 2025 with a mixed bag - the first half of the month saw below average temperatures, but warmer weather in the second half pushed the month's average to 4.6C, 0.5C above the long-term average for February. However, in January things were a lot colder, after an Arctic airmass brought low temperatures and wintry showers, especially in the north of the UK. The average temperatures for last winter. (Met Office) (Met Office) Between 4 and 6 January, a low pressure system brought freezing rain, sleet and snow to the UK, with large amounts of snow in the north of England and southern Scotland. A record low of -18.9C was recorded overnight on 11 January in the hamlet of Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands, the lowest UK January temperature since 2010. Temperatures for that month were slightly below average, at 3C, but despite this, January was sunnier than average, with 61.8 hours of sunshine, 130% of the long-term average. December 2024 was a milder month than average, with a mean UK temperature of 6.2C, 2C above the long-term average, making it one of the warmest Decembers on record. House Speaker Mike Johnson insists he will not backtrack on his promise if Democrats agree to reopen the government - Mariam Zuhaib/Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Congress will vote on releasing the Epstein files once the government shutdown ends, House Speaker Mike Johnson said. Speaking as the shutdown reached its three-week mark, Mr Johnson said he would allow a vote, which he had previously blocked, in the House of Representatives once the chamber is called back into session. Reopening the government would require the support of Democratic legislators in the Senate who have so far opposed a stop-gap funding bill, plunging the US government into a shutdown. Federal funding has been paused, with government buildings, national parks and agencies temporarily closed. Some government workers have been furloughed. Congress will not resume normal arrangements until a funding bill is passed, with Democrats holding out over a row with Republicans over subsidised healthcare. When the House is finally reopened, one of its first jobs will be to swear in Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election last month in Arizona. Adelita Grijalva has indicated she supports releasing the Epstein files So far, 217 members have backed a measure that would allow a vote to demand the government release whatever material it still possesses on Epstein. Ms Grijalva has indicated she supports releasing the Epstein materials. If the resolution reaches 218 signatures, that would force a vote although this can still be blocked or delayed by Mr Johnson if he wishes. However, on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said: If it hits 218, it comes to the floor. Mr Johnson also insisted that he would not backtrack on his promise if Democrats agreed to reopen the government. No, were not thats how it works, he said. If you get the signatures, it goes to a vote. Mike Johnson speaks to reporters in the US Capitol on Tuesday - JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock Earlier this year, the department of justice announced that, having examined documents relating to the late paedophile, there was no client list in existence, and the files would not be released. The DoJ also said that Mr Epstein had taken his own life. Many Trump supporters believe the late paedophile was killed in jail to stop him from releasing his so-called client list, containing the names of high-profile associates he apparently trafficked underage girls to. Some members of Mr Trumps inner circle who suggested Joe Bidens government was overseeing a cover-up, among them conservative podcaster Dan Bongino, were given senior jobs in the FBI and forced to defend the decision not to reopen the case. Mr Trump was once among the rich and powerful who associated with Epstein, a list that included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Prince Andrew. All have denied any wrongdoing. The president has repeatedly said he ended his friendship with Epstein years before he was accused of any criminal wrongdoing. Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump in 1997 - Davidoff Studios Photography While denying he did anything wrong, Prince Andrew settled a civil lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 after she accused him of sexual abuse. The 41-year-old took her own life earlier this year. In a posthumously published memoir she accused the Prince of having sex with her on three occasions, allegations he denies. On Friday, it was announced that Prince Andrew had been stripped of the right to use the title of Duke of York. That evening, the House oversight committee released a fourth tranche of documents relating to the Epstein case, after subpoenaing the files from the DoJ. In the latest release, it was revealed that an email was sent to Epstein containing a Sunday Times article suggesting the then Duke of York may get caught up in his sex scandal. In the article, it is claimed that a Russian model who worked with Kings brother was questioned under oath about whether Prince Andrew was involved with underage girls. She reportedly refused to answer. There is no suggestion that the Prince was involved in criminal activity with young girls. On Tuesday, senior Democrats said they had contacted Mr Trump to seek a meeting to discuss the shutdown as it headed into its fourth week. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, told reporters he and Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the healthcare crisis, address it and end the government shutdown. (John Walton/PA Wire) Cristian Romero was absent from Tottenham's open training session ahead of the Champions League trip to Monaco. The Spurs captain is now a major doubt for Wednesdays match and could be ruled out for the second European match in a row, having missed the trip to Bodo/Glimt. Destiny Udogie was also missing from the main group, having picked up a knee injury while on international duty with Italy earlier in October. Romero watched from the bench as Spurs were beaten by Aston Villa on Sunday after he pulled out during the warm-up. The centre-back was named in the starting lineup but he had been batting an adductor issue in the build-up to the match and it was decided he was not to fit to face Villa. Speaking after that match, Frank insisted it was only a minor problem, but admitted he did not know whether Romero would be fit to face Monaco. That now appears unlikely. Spurs trained at Hotspur Way on Tuesday morning before they fly out later in the day and Romero and Udogie were not involved in the session with their team-mates. Frank will provide an update on the situation at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening, but his options in defence are looking increasingly thin. Junai Byfield, who does not turn 17 until December, was the only defender on the bench against Villa. Ben Davies missed that match after picking up an issue for Wales during the international break. Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai have had injury issues of their own and neither are in the Spurs squad for the league phase of the Champions League. It means Joao Palhinha or Archie Gray could have to slot into defence if more injuries are picked up. When Lucy Bradley logged on to her NHS app to find out the results of her latest blood test, she didnt expect to learn that she was suffering from a life-changing kidney condition. The 29-year-old was alone at her home in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, when she read on the app that she had stage 3 kidney disease a condition she didnt even know she was being tested for. Ms Bradley, who had recently had a baby, had gone for blood checks after feeling tired and unwell. When she was found to be anaemic, her GP told her she would need a repeat test to double-check her kidney function. It was only when she went to check the result that she saw the diagnosis. It made my heart sink, she told The Independent. It shouldnt just flash up on the app. No one should be directed to the app for things like this. She added: In this modern society, were dealing more with automated messages, but when youre dealing with something so personal, it really did feel dehumanising. Stage 3 kidney disease means a patient has a mild to moderate loss of kidney function, with an increased risk of heart disease. But with no information about what the diagnosis meant, Ms Bradley was left in limbo for a week until she could speak to a medical professional. It was the fear of the unknown, she said. Im finding out about a condition I didnt even know existed. There were no channels or anyone to go to at the time. Health secretary Wes Streeting has set out plans to expand the NHS app (PA) Ms Bradley arranged a face-to-face appointment with her GP, who she said initially told her it was nothing to worry about. Still concerned, she pushed for another appointment and was referred to a specialist kidney service. Ms Bradley eventually turned to the charity Kidney Care UK to get some answers. In June, the charity wrote a letter to NHS England, raising specific concerns about patients who were learning of their chronic kidney disease diagnosis through the NHS app without any accompanying information, context or opportunity to discuss their condition with a health care professional. It came after health secretary Wes Streeting set out plans for an expansion of the NHS app in the governments 10-year plan, saying it would become a doctor in your pocket, bringing our health service into the 21st century. The charity said in its letter: Whilst digital communication has a valuable role to play for many, ongoing consideration of where face-to-face contact with healthcare professionals is preferred by some patients is needed. Fiona Loud, policy director for Kidney Care UK, told The Independent that the charitys helpline was receiving frequent calls, almost daily, from patients who had received news of chronic kidney disease through the NHS app, with no further information. She warned: Theres the mental health impact of finding youve got a diagnosis, then theres the other side: if youre told youve got this thing, and [go to] look it up, all you might see is the scary aspect of it. What you dont know is what that means to you. The Department of Health says it is committed to ensuring that patients receive diagnoses in an appropriate manner with proper support and information (Getty/iStock) If you dont have that personalisation, if you dont have that contact, if you dont have the follow-up, you turn to charities. Its that theme of people finding out without the context, which is particularly disturbing, and not what the NHS app is meant to do. She added: No one should be receiving a text saying youve got this potentially life-altering condition, and nothing else about it. One patient who recently called the Kidney Care UK helpline said: I received my diagnosis through text. Theres no follow-up appointment. I was shocked and annoyed. I felt abandoned by the system, regarding proper consultation and advice. Another charity, Cardiomyopathy UK, told The Independent that patients had sought help after finding they had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, through the NHS digital system. One specialist nurse from the charity said: We frequently receive calls from anxious patients who dont understand what theyve read and are seeking answers. Results and diagnoses need to be given in context, and by a professional who can answer all their questions at the time. Patients often want to know about prognosis, which is very individualised. Apps certainly have an important place in current and future healthcare. But we need to be extremely careful about the information people can access, because without proper explanation, were leaving patients in distress with no support whilst they wait for their appointment. Charities have called for there to be more care over the information patients receive via the NHS app (AFP/Getty) Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said best practice is for serious or concerning news to be delivered in a considerate and sensitive manner where possible, in person. She added: The NHS app can be a useful tool. But it isnt an appropriate channel for patients to receive serious or concerning news about their health, particularly if they need reassurance or advice on aftercare and next steps. In response to questions from The Independent, the Department of Health and Social Care said patients should not be receiving serious diagnoses through the app or by text message. Their spokesperson said: Patient wellbeing and clear communication are fundamental to NHS care, and NHS guidelines are clear that patients shouldnt be receiving serious diagnoses through digital channels without adequate support or context. They said the department is committed to ensuring that all patients receive diagnoses in an appropriate manner with proper support and information. They added: This government remains determined to ensure that, as we modernise the NHS through digital innovation, we maintain the compassionate, supportive care that patients expect and deserve. Prince Andrew hoped a commercial partnership with a Dutch company would be his financial lifeline - until the deal collapsed - Chris Jackson Prince Andrews future at Royal Lodge is in doubt after the collapse of a business deal that was intended to provide a financial lifeline, The Telegraph can reveal. The deal would have allowed the Prince to abide by the terms of his lease by paying for the hugely expensive upkeep of the vast Windsor estate. Without it, he could face eviction from the 30-room Windsor property, on which he has not paid rent for two decades. He has come under huge pressure from Buckingham Palace to move out amid concerns that the palatial property no longer befits his status. There are fears in Andrews circles that the wider Royal family is trying to force him into exile by leaving him with nowhere to live in the UK. The lease agreement between Andrew and his landlord, the Crown Estate, demands that the Prince fund the upkeep of the Grade II-listed property, which is thought to be in a poor state of repair. The King last year seized upon the clause as a means of smoking him out and withdrew his personal allowance and security provision. But the Prince managed to cling on, citing proof of independent income through a commercial partnership with Dutch company StartUpBootCamp (SBC). Sources confirmed to The Telegraph on Tuesday that this deal is now dead in the water. The Prince has not paid rent at Royal Lodge for more than 20 years - Shutterstock The deal was outlined to Buckingham Palace officials at a meeting last summer. At the time, the King was also privately funding the Prince and royal aides sought assurances that other money being channelled into the same bank account was legitimate. A short time afterwards, that personal allowance was withdrawn, meaning that the palace no longer had any leverage to demand answers over Andrews income. The SBC deal has since been abandoned after company directors are said to have baulked at the negative publicity embroiling the Prince over his connections with Jeffrey Epstein and the Chinese spy scandal, fearing the tie-up would be too damaging for their brand. The deal concerned the sale of contacts and networks developed through Pitch@Palace, the Princes Dragons Den-style initiative that he launched in 2014. Such introductions would have been hugely valuable to SBC as it vied for market share with US giant Y Combinator. For each connection, the Prince had expected to make a hefty sum. Last autumn, Dominic Hampshire, one of Andrews closest aides, registered a series of investment companies in Bahrain called Waterberg Stirling, which formed part of the proposal to take over the Pitch network. SBC began talks with senior palace officials last summer to seek approval before moving ahead with discussions and agreeing commercial terms and began a scoping exercise on reigniting the Pitch@Palace network in the Middle East and Asia. The palace sought reassurances from SBC that the proposed commercial partnership would not damage the reputation of the wider Royal family. A royal source insisted at the time that while they could not comment on the nature of any private meetings or presentations, they were taking a passive rather than an active role in the Princes financial arrangements. Even then, they could only seek verbal assurances. SBC gave the Kings advisers an undertaking that it would not use Buckingham Palace or Prince Andrews connections in any of its promotional material. The meeting provided sufficient reassurance that the Prince had access to legitimate funding. Efforts to force the Princes eviction by withdrawing his personal allowance and funding for his security provision subsequently failed. It was, palace sources admit, a painful process. The collapse of the SBC deal, which the palace was not informed about, raises questions about how the Prince is now funding the upkeep of Royal Lodge. Estate agents told The Telegraph that the annual maintenance cost of such an estate, which includes eight cottages, could be conservatively estimated at two per cent of its value. For the 30m Royal Lodge, this would represent an annual bill of at least 600,000, not taking into account the sizeable grounds or the leases requirement that the exterior is repainted every five years. The Prince is also responsible for a comprehensive insurance package that protects the building from storms, tempests, earthquakes, explosions, terrorist attacks, and riots, as well as a hefty council tax bill. Profits from the Crown Estate, which oversees the Royal familys land and property holdings, are handed to the Treasury for the benefit of the nations finances. The Princes lease agreement, seen by The Telegraph, shows that he signed a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge in 2003, paying 1m. He has been paying a peppercorn rent ever since, on the basis that he stumped up an initial 7.5m in advance for renovations, according to a report by the National Audit Office. If the Prince were to give up the lease, the Crown Estate would have to pay him around 558,000 comprising a compensatory annual sum of 185,865 until 2028, the 25th year of the agreement. On Tuesday, MPs said the Prince should be hauled before Parliament to justify living rent-free in the mansion. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said he had embarrassed the Royal family and should leave Royal Lodge. Its about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life, he told BBC Radio 4. He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the Royal family time and again. I dont see why the taxpayer, frankly, should continue to foot the bill at all. The public are sick of him. Opposition parties called for a parliamentary inquiry into the arrangement amid concerns that the taxpayer has been deprived of potential income. There is said to be no barrier to MPs inviting a member of the Royal family to give evidence to a House of Commons committee. Simon Hoare, the Tory chairman of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC), left the door open to an inquiry. He told The Telegraph: As a committee, we have not discussed what, if any role, might exist for PACAC with regard to this matter. We are a Committee of the Commons and would, of course, shoulder any burden the House puts on us. Dame Meg Hillier, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, told the BBC: Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers money is involved, or taxpayers interests are involved, Parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that and we need to have answers. On Friday, the Prince announced that he had agreed to relinquish his remaining titles and honours. A YouGov poll, however, suggests that 80 per cent of Britons support formally stripping him of his dukedom. The survey found four in five members of the public backed the idea, with 63 per cent strongly in favour and 17 per cent somewhat supporting the idea. The palace had tried to force Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes more modest former home, which sits within the Windsor security cordon three miles away. But Andrew made it clear, through friends, that he was going nowhere based on the 75-year cast iron lease that he signed in 2002. It does not expire until 2078. Royal Lodge, which sits in 100 acres of land in Windsor Great Park, was the home of the Queen Mother, wife of King George VI. It was leased to Prince Andrew when he expressed an interest in living there after her death. SBC was contacted for comment. After a wave of indictments against Donald Trumps enemies, the presidents allies in Congress are now pushing the Department of Justice to file criminal charges against Barack Obamas former CIA director John Brennan, who they have accused of lying to Congress. In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan claimed Brennan knowingly made false statements to the panel during an interview in May 2023. The allegations against Brennan, who led the nations intelligence agency during a federal investigation into allegations of Russian interference in U.S. elections in 2016, center around the so-called Steele dossier, a series of largely discredited documents compiled by a former British intelligence officer which accused the president and his allies of conspiring with the Kremlin. Christopher Steele handed his memo to the FBI in 2016, and a summary of allegations were included in an intelligence report ordered by the Obama administration following Trumps election. Brennans assertion that the CIA was not involved at all with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts, Jordan wrote Tuesday. House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan is asking the Department of Justice to criminally prosecute former CIA director John Brennan over his testimony on Russiagate in 2023 (AFP via Getty Images) His testimony was a brazen attempt to knowingly and willfully testify falsely and fictitiously to material facts, the Ohio Republican wrote. Brennan, who emerged as a high-profile Trump critic after leaving the agency the moment Trump was first sworn into office in January 2017, has long been a target of the president, who is seeking political retribution against Democratic figures and others tied to a federal probe into his 2016 campaign. Criminal referrals from Congress typically carry little, if any, weight in the hands of federal prosecutors, particularly those that involve evidence that has been publicly available for years. But the Justice Department now appears to be inextricably linked to the presidents personal campaign against his perceived enemies. Former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were indicted in rapid succession following Trumps commands last month. After last months indictment against Comey, Brennan said he would not be intimidated by Trumps threats and the corruption and a perversion of the justice system within the executive branch. Im not going to be intimidated by the likes of Donald Trump. I have always tried to speak my mind and do what I thought was right, he told MSNBC at the time. I think more and more people have to speak out, and Im waiting for those Republicans in Congress to come to their senses, because the damage thats being done to this country and the dangerous times that were in, I think too many Americans do not appreciate the extent of that, Brennan said. Before House Republicans referred him to the Justice Department to face criminal charges, Brennan said he refused to be intimidated by the Trump administrations threats of prosecution (Getty Images) The Steele dossiers sensational allegations were largely uncorroborated, while Republicans held up the memo to allege a bogus, Democratic-led conspiracy to undermine Trumps campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies, however, ultimately determined that Russian-backed interference in 2016 sought to boost Trump while damaging his then-opponent Hillary Clinton with a flood of disinformation. In his testimony to the House Judiciary committee in 2023, Brennan said he was not involved in analyzing the dossier at all. I said the first time I actually saw it, it was after the election, he said, according to the transcript Jordan included in his letter to Bondi. And the CIA was not involved at all with the dossier. You can direct that to the FBI and to others. Jordan alleges that the findings in the conclusive intelligence report are false, and that Brennan made the ultimate decision, along with then-FBI Director James Comey, to include information from the dossier in the report. The Republicans referral follows indictments against three Trump enemies, all of whom have dismissed the allegations against them as politically motivated and baseless. Comey is similarly accused of lying to Congress over testimony involving the so-called Russiagate investigation. He has pleaded not guilty. Trumps former national security adviser-turned-prominent critic John Bolton has also pleaded not guilty to charges against him. James, the New York attorney general, is expected to be arraigned in federal court this week. Eduard Glezin, a prominent anti-Putin activist, in Moscow in 2014 holding a sign that says hands off Ukraine A Russian dissident who fled to the US in 2014 after he was arrested for protesting against Vladimir Putin faces being deported to Moscow. Eduard Glezin, 51, a prominent anti-Putin activist, was arrested 15 times between 2006 and 2014 in Russia and was referred to the Federal Security Service (FSB) over suspected extremist activity. But US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers rejected his asylum application this summer after accusing him of hallucinating when it came to his ordeal in Russia, insisting there was no threat to his freedom in his homeland. At that very moment justice as a phenomenon died in front of my eyes. It was not just a feeling of disappointment, but a feeling of bitterness, he told The Telegraph. Sending me back to Russia would not simply be an act of deportation it would be the equivalent of handing me over to a repressive regime, which poses a deadly threat to me, he said. Mr Glezin at a solidarity rally in Austin, Texas Mr Glezin must now present his case in front of an immigration judge who will decide his fate. He has been assigned to immigration judge Madeline Garcia, who between 2019 and 2024 denied 90 per cent of asylum applications, according to nonprofit TRAC reports, which tracks data from immigration courts. Legally the deportation process has already been launched for us, for me and my wife, Mr Glezin said. As Donald Trump presses ahead with his plan to carry out the biggest mass deportation drive in US history, Russian dissidents are among those who are being returned to their home countries despite the threat of imprisonment. The Trump administration has already deported dozens of political refugees fleeing Putin back to Russia. At least two deportation flights have sent Russian dissidents who fear they will face retribution from the Kremlin back to Moscow. Among those returned was Leonid Melekhin, a prominent supporter of Alexei Navalny, who was denied asylum in the US after crossing the southern border with Mexico in 2024. He was deported back to Russia in July where he was arrested and charged with justifying terrorism. Mr Glezin was one of the leaders of an opposition movement called Oborona, meaning defence in English The number of asylum applications denied from April to June 2025 increased sixfold from 1,074 to 6,850 compared to the same period in 2024, according to USCIS data. The number approved dipped slightly from 3,961 to 3,871. Mr Glezin was one of the leaders of an opposition movement called Oborona, meaning defence in English, which campaigned against Putins regime. He spent years being targeted and arrested by state police, including for taking part in dissenters marches and for a one-man protest in Moscows Red Square when he held a sign that read hands off Ukraine. Mr Glezin said he was compelled to flee the country in October 2014 when he was working in the press office for the Human Rights Commissioner in Russia. He said the head of HR, who was a former FSB officer, showed him a dossier documenting his activism and warned he was referring him to the FSB to check for extremist activity. I found myself unsafe in Putins Russia, and I realised that the situation was threatening. I was scared, he told The Telegraph. I feared arrest and violence, because under threat or torture, the police could force any kind of confession out of me. I understood that I had become an undesirable citizen for the current Russian regime and could be arrested at any time, he said. Mr Glezin travelled from Moscow to Miami on a tourist visa and applied for asylum when he arrived in the country. His wife Svetlana Farbirovich, who attended anti-Putin rallies with him, joined him in 2017. He was arrested 15 times between 2006 and 2014 My understanding at that time was that I would have a much higher chance to apply for asylum and to be granted asylum in the United States, rather than any other country in the world, he said. I always felt that if the Kremlin wants to take you down, its much easier to kill people in Europe. In the more than 10 years he has been in the US, Mr Glezin, who works as a lorry driver, said he had received 17 warnings from the Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor for posts he shared on social media criticising Putin. If he is deported to Moscow, Mr Glezin fears he could be prosecuted under six articles of the repressive Russian criminal code for expressing his political views and could face life in prison. In June, Mr Glezin attended a six-hour USCIS interview in Miami, followed by a two-hour session in August, where, armed with newspaper cuttings and photographs from protests, police reports from his arrests and warnings from Roskomnadzor, he made his case for seeking political asylum. But Mr Glezin received a letter dated Sept 22 informing him they had not granted his claim for asylum because he had not established that he was a refugee. You have not established that any harm you experienced in the past, considering incidents both individually and cumulatively, amounts to persecution, they wrote. You have not established that there is a reasonable possibility you would suffer persecution in your future. An immigration judge will decide Mr Glezins fate Mr Glezin has been given a preliminary court date for June 2026. The former press officer said he was shocked to receive the rejection letter, believing he had presented a concrete case demonstrating why it was unsafe for him to return to Russia. He added: I was expecting that this would be a moment of justice, that they would grant me political asylum, that I was waiting for so long and instead I received a shock when they rejected my claim. The Kremlin has imprisoned critics of Putin for online comments. Makar Nikolaev, 20, was sentenced to six years in a penal colony for incitement to terrorism for online posts supporting Ukraine. Mr Nikolaev, who was studying political science at the University of Frankfurt, was arrested when he returned to his home in Ufa, in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan. The Telegraph has contacted USCIS for comment. Todd Norwood and his wife both face charges after an alleged hit-and-run involving children (Orange County Jail) An argument quickly escalated into a dangerous encounter over the weekend when a Florida man allegedly accelerated his BMW toward children riding E-Bikes in the street. The confrontation unfolded on Saturday at an intersection in Ocoee, where investigators say Todd Norwood, 45, deliberately drove his red BMW in the direction of the group, allegedly striking a 13-year-old boy. Norwoods wife, 46-year-old Angelique Norwood, who was a passenger in the BMW, was also arrested and accused of battering one of the other children during the altercation. When police arrived on the scene, they spoke to the group of children who said they had been riding their bikes in the area when a BMW drove by and cut them off, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WKMG. The children claimed the passenger, later identified as Angelique Norwood, yelled at them, Get out of the road, (expletive). They said the woman then got out of the car and came at them, looking like she wanted to fight them. Todd Norwood is accused of deliberately driving his BMW toward the group of children (Orange County Jail) A 13-year-old boy told police he was trying to cross the street when the BMW struck him before driving off. (The boy) said he was able to jump off his bike in time, preventing injury, according to the affidavit. The same boy told police that Angelique Norwood grabbed one of his friends as he tried to take pictures of the BMW. After letting go (Norwood) approached a female witness who was recording the incident and repeatedly yelled, Delete the video, the affidavit continues. After a verbal argument, (Norwood) walked away toward her residence to meet her husband. Todd Norwood, however, told police that the children had been driving recklessly and swerving in and out of the lane while shouting insults at them. Angelique exited the vehicle to speak with the juveniles, the affidavit states. Todd said the juveniles continued to ride around his vehicle, making him feel threatened, so he decided to drive home. When asked why he left his wife at the scene, he stated that fear clouded his judgment, according to the affidavit. When police later reviewed video footage, they determined it showed that the BMW accelerated into the 13-year-old boy as he tried to cross the road on his E-Bike, which was damaged beyond repair. Norwood was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. His wife, Angelique Norwood, was charged with battery. See the original article on GunsAmerica Digest. POLLOCK, Idaho, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GunsAmerica, the premier online destination to buy and sell guns, has released exclusive video from the 2025 North American Sniper Team Invitational (NASTI), widely regarded as the hardest sniper match anywhere. Held deep in the Idaho mountains at Hat Creek Training, NASTI invited only operational active-duty military sniper teams. The result is five brutal stages of long-range shooting, heavy movement, high-angle problems, and realistic night work rarely seen outside the field. Editor-in-Chief True Pearce guides viewers through never-before-seen day and night footage. Faces were blurred to protect the identities of top-tier military snipers, but the action remains raw and intense. Teams are shown hauling heavy packs up 1,500-foot faces, building positions on steep 35- to 40-degree slopes, engaging distant IPS and moving targets with magnum and short-action systems, and running thermal fusion and weapon-mounted laser systems in total darkness. "What we captured at NASTI was not just competitionit was high-level training under real conditions," said True Pearce. "These teams operate with gear, discipline, and grit you can't fake. Our footage shows the techniques, equipment, and teamwork that matter when lives are on the line." The coverage highlights the human side of the invitational as much as the gear, from tactical planning and navigation with Garmin tracks to the shooter-spotter coordination and the physical toll of operating in canyon country. Safety protocols and operational security were maintained throughout the event, with medics on site to ensure competitor safety. Watch the full video within the original GunsAmerica Digest article. The raw footage, equipment breakdowns, and interviews provide a rare look into the world of elite military snipers. Media Contact: Seth Larney [email protected] About GunsAmerica: Founded in 1997, GunsAmerica.com is one of the oldest and most trusted online firearms marketplaces in the United States. Connecting millions of gun buyers and sellers, GunsAmerica is dedicated to responsible gun ownership and fiercely supports Second Amendment rights. With comprehensive editorial content, secure marketplace features, and robust industry partnerships, GunsAmerica remains the go-to platform for firearms enthusiasts nationwide. SOURCE GunsAmerica The anti-Hamas Palestinian militiamen, speaking from behind Israeli lines in Gaza, have a message for the militants and for the world. We are the sons of Gaza, and young men against Hamas; now is the time to cleanse Hamas from Gaza. Abu Awad, a commander and spokesperson for Popular Forces, is talking from eastern Rafah, southern Gaza, an area occupied by Israeli forces near the border with Egypt. Less than 10km away, Hossam al-Astal is running a different armed faction called the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force, also behind Israeli lines, this time in the east of Gaza. He tells The Independent he is already in touch with the Trump administration about post-war Gaza, and wants to work with Tony Blair. Today, were the ones who are there with credibility, he says. We are determined and capable. In the near future, it will be us, not Hamas. These anti-Hamas militias, allied but part of separate fiefdoms, are two of multiple factions set up after the start of war in October 2023 that have since been accused of being armed, funded or supported by Israel. They are now located within the yellow zone: an area Israeli forces withdrew to and control as part of a Donald Trumpbrokered truce deal, but which makes up more than half of the destroyed Strip. Both groups deny accusations of collaborating with Israel, but say they are coordinating to maintain a presence behind their lines. As violence within Gaza has soared, they are eager to broadcast similar messaging: Hamas, wrestling to take back control of the Strip, they claim, is on its way out. Internal violence soars in Gaza amid famine, destruction After two years of Israels unprecedented bombardment and siege of Gaza which has killed over 67,000 people according to local officials and destroyed swathes of land pressure on pre-existing divisions within its society has reached breaking point. As famine and desperation has set in, the looting of aid, theft and violent activity by gangs, clans and armed groups became widespread. In tandem, anger against Hamas, which led the bloody 7 October attacks on southern Israel killing over 1,000 people and triggering Israels latest deadly offensive has also grown. Battles between Hamas and its rivals have surged. Such violence has only escalated in the euphoric aftermath of Trumps ceasefire deal. Since then, clashes have erupted as Hamas have emerged from their tunnels to wrestle back control of areas where the Israeli military has withdrawn. Over two years, hundreds of Palestinians have died as a result. Hossam al-Astal, leader of the anti-Hamas Counter-Terrorism Strike Force, poses with armed militia fighters (Facebook) In fact, since October 2023, researchers from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (Acled) say they have recorded more than 245 violent incidents between Palestinians, separate from the war with Israel, which have resulted in around 400 Palestinian deaths. Among them were police officers, clan members and gang leaders, looters, anti-Hamas activists, alleged collaborators, and merchants accused of profiteering. Acled, which recently published a new report, says nearly half of these violent events involve Hamass Sahm (meaning arrow) and Radea (meaning deterrence) police units, which were formed in 2024 and, according to their social media pages, are tasked with hunting down alleged collaborators and outlaws. One of their chief targets, according to Acleds data, is the Popular Forces factions and their allies in the east and north of Gaza. An image reportedly showing Popular Forces militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab directing aid in south Gaza (Facebook) Who are the anti-Hamas militias? The Popular Forces were formed by the nebulous militiaman Yasser Abu Shabab, who hails from the prominent Tarabin Bedouin tribe and who was reportedly in Hamass jails for drug smuggling when the war broke out in October 2023. Speaking to The Independent from inside Rafah, Popular Forces spokesperson Abu Awad claims this group now has 5,000 men, without providing any evidence. There have been multiple reports including in Israeli media of their forces looting aid, getting Israeli support, and then apparently manning controversial Israeli-run aid distribution sites. Abu Awad dismisses the accusations as Hamas propaganda, claiming only to have indirect contact with the Israelis through Arab mediators. We have five times the soldiers of Hamas and we are ready to attack: we will send them and their family members to hell, he adds ominously. East of Khan Younis, again behind Israels military-controlled yellow line, is Hossam al-Astal, who says he is in touch with the Trump administration and wants to work with Blair, who has been tapped up by the US president to oversee a transitional period of the destroyed enclave. Until 2015, Al-Astal was a security official with Hamass rival, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and intermittently in exile. He says he returned to Gaza in 2021 but Hamas jailed him for two years and sentenced him to death for allegedly being a collaborator, which he denies. After initially being linked to the Al-Majaydah clan which has opposed Hamas in Khan Younis he launched the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force to the east of the city. We are the new administration of Gaza, he says, sharing videos of himself handing out sweets to children in his area, where he says 70 families now live, presumably side-by-side with Israeli soldiers. Hossam al-Astal hands out sweets to children east of Khan Younis behind Israels withdrawal line (Hossam Al-Astal) Theres communication between us and the Trump administration, he adds, claiming he is also in touch with troops that will make up the International Stabilisation Force slated to take over security of the Strip in Trumps plan. We love and would like to cooperate with Tony Blair and Donald Trump and anyone who calls for peace. We are with peace. A third faction in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza also within the yellow line is an apparent offshoot of the Popular Forces, formed by another figure called Ashraf al-Mansi. Sky News recently published footage it verified, allegedly showing al-Mansis north Gaza faction apparently driving supplies from an Israeli base. Hamas, Gazas clans and soaring violence As Trump declared a new dawn for the Middle East in Jerusalem earlier this month, in Gaza disturbing footage started to emerge apparently showing summary executions by Hamas against members of a clan. Gaza has dozens of these clans which is a loose translation of the Arabic word hamula. Over the last two years, Acled has recorded battles between Hamas and members of the Abu Samra clan in the central Deir al-Balah region, the Hellis clan in the Shejaia neighbourhoods of Gaza City, and in the east with the Al-Majaydah clan around Khan Younis, which Al-Astal says he was originally helping. In the most recent bloody and murky battle just over a week ago, medical sources said at least 27 people, including Palestinian citizen-journalist Saleh al-Jafawari, were killed in a fight between Hamas and members of the Doghmush clan, who are based in the Sabra district of Gaza City. Doghmush family members have a chequered history: some were part of Jaysh al-Islam, which kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston in 2007. Disturbing videos were later posted online showing masked militants publicly shooting seven men identified as Doghmush members, who were bound, blindfolded and kneeling, while crowds cheered. The posts, shared on Sahm-affiliated Telegram accounts, accuse the men of collaborating with Israel: an allegation the Doghmush family vehemently denies. In a statement, the family said 700 of their members had died defending Gaza and that they had stood firm in the face of Israeli aggression. They called an emergency meeting of other clans to discuss the violence. This image grab from a video released by the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV's Telegram channel on 13 October 2025, shows armed Hamas fighters standing behind blindfolded, bound and kneeling men in Gaza City (Al-Aqsa TV/AFP/Getty) In separate footage, masked Hamas police units are seen shooting men they accuse of being looters and collaborators in the legs and breaking limbs, as the victims scream. This is the path of every traitor to the homeland and to religion, reads one post. The Trump administration weighed in, with the State Department saying on X/Twitter that they had credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza. Without going into detail, the warning coincided with Sundays expiry of an amnesty Hamas announced last week to criminal gangs and armed groups to hand themselves in. Hamas said the US claims were prompted by misleading Israeli propaganda. They defended their bloody crackdown as their national duty and instead accused Israel of forming, arming and funding criminal gangs that have carried out killings, kidnappings, theft of aid trucks, and robberies against Palestinian civilians. Hamas fighters secure an area before handing over an Israeli-American hostage to a Red Cross team in Gaza City in February (AFP/Getty) How did we get here? The Israeli military has been quick to utilise this internal violence to portray Hamas as the new Isis. The Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani even shared the graphic video of the Doghmush execution on X, declaring, This is Hamas. But experts warn that some of the violence has been engineered by the Israelis, who benefit from a weakened Hamas and Palestinian factions tearing each other apart. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a social media video in June that Israel had deliberately activated clans in Gaza to oppose Hamas. Acleds report also points to the breakdown in security being in part due to Israels aim to weaken Hamas civil authorities responsible for managing daily life. Since the start of the war, Acled has recorded nearly 100 Israeli airstrike events targeting individuals and facilities linked to Hamass governance, municipalities, police forces and judiciary. It also says the military has continued to target Hamass police officers, including those tasked with securing aid convoys and preventing looting. Palestinians collect water from a truck amid the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City (AP) Meanwhile, there are growing reports of Israel arming some of the anti-Hamas groups. The Times of Israel reported that the countrys opposition leader and ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman accused Netanyahu of this in June. Netanyahu pushed back, asking, Whats wrong with this? The Independent approached the Israeli military and government for comment but has yet to receive a reply. It also reached out to Hamas but has received no reply. Nasser Khdour, Acleds Middle East assistant research manager, says they had gathered reports also published in Israeli media alleging that Israel permitted groups like the Popular Forces to control and seize aid, and then later to secure supply lines. Abu Shabab appeared in a photo in May in body armour, apparently directing aid around the Kerem Shalom crossing. Based on other reports, weapons were confiscated from Hamas during the war and... were given to these groups, says Khdour. There was fury in Israel when Israeli media outlet Mako reported that post-ceasefire Hamas had seized at least 45 pickup trucks, hundreds of machine guns, and even grenades that Israel earmarked for anti-Hamas groups. Experts have gathered reports alleging Israel permitted anti-Hamas groups to seize aid (Reuters) What will happen next? Netanyahu has made clear he will not tolerate a Palestinian state. He has been accused of pursuing a divide-and-rule strategy: intermittently propping up or undermining Hamas and the PA in the occupied West Bank, to exploit their divisions. Khdour says this is more urgent than ever for Israel, because of discussions about the revival of a two-state solution involving the PA in a post-war Gaza. They found Hamas, after October 7, a dangerous actor that should not remain in power in Gaza. So they have started to look for other actors, he says. Part of this was the clans and these groups. In the middle of this, Hamas has vowed to hunt every last collaborator. This does not apparently worry the Popular Forces, who shared a list of names of Hamas fighters across the Strip they have compiled and are waiting for the green light to attack. There will soon be international forces in Gaza, and Hamas will be forcibly disarmed. They are effectively finished, adds Abu Awad. From his base in the east of Gaza, behind the yellow line, Al-Astal says he has built a humanitarian city for the displaced and insists his faction are not gangs or militias. No one will help Gaza except us. Neither the [Palestinian] Authority will help us, nor Israel will help us, nor the Americans will help us. They will cooperate with us. But it must come from here, from within. I tell you, we are the new Gaza. A Cabinet minister has joined the co-writer of Virginia Guiffres posthumous memoirs in calling on Prince Andrew to disclose everything he knows about Jeffrey Epstein to US authorities. Andrew and the royal family faced another wave of damaging details and allegations contained in the book, Nobodys Girl, which was published on Tuesday. The disgraced royal announced on Friday that he has given up use of his titles and honours amid intensified focus on his links with paedophile financier Epstein. The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Ms Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein. Nobodys Girl ghostwriter Amy Wallace told BBCs Newsnight that Ms Giuffre would have viewed Prince Andrew relinquishing use of his Duke of York title as a victory. I know that she would view it as a victory that he was forced by whatever means to voluntarily give them up, Ms Wallace said. For many, maybe particularly in the United States, but maybe even in the UK, its a symbolic gesture but its an important one. Its made history, modern history, in terms of the royal era. The now infamous photo of Andrew with a teenage Virginia Giuffre (PA Media) I mean Ive never heard of such a thing happening and it also is just a step in the right direction. Virginia wanted all the men who shed been trafficked to against her will to be held to account and this is just one of the men but even though he continues to deny it his life is being eroded because of his past behaviour as it should be. In the book, Ms Giuffre says she feared she might die a sex slave at the hands of Epstein and his associates. Ms Wallace said the prince should now tell the authorities what he knew about Epstein. She said: The thing about Prince Andrew that always lingers in my mind, is theres a period where he indicated that he was willing to help investigators in the United States as they try to do their due diligence. But he was never available for some reason to do that. Copies of Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, which is published on Tuesday (James Manning/PA Wire) He said he would but he never did. And thats something he could still do. He could say, as he has repeatedly, I still deny that I was involved. I still deny that I did anything wrong. However, I was in these houses and I was on that island and I was on the jet, and I saw things and I know how much these women have suffered and I would like to share what I saw. A federal investigation into Epstein is taking place in the US, which has seen the release of a trove of documents relating to the convicted paedophile, including flight logs, jail surveillance video, court filings, audio recordings and emails. But pressure has been growing from both Republicans and Democrats for more transparency after the justice department said in July there was no "incriminating" Epstein client list. A Cabinet minister on Tuesday echoed Ms Wallaces call for Andrew to give evidence to US authorities. Asked whether he though Andrew should give evidence, Business Secretary Peter Kyle told ITV's Good Morning Britain: I do. I think anybody that has any information that could bring justice and information to victims of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes should be fully engaging with any of the authorities that are seeking to deliver that information and justice for the victims. He added: Those victims must be first, and they must be central to how we discuss and debate any of these issues relating to the Jeffrey Epstein saga situation and the crimes he committed. So of course, anybody, anywhere that has information that can deliver that justice should be sharing it openly."I believe that Andrew, in the past, has said that he would co-operate, and I urge him to stick to his word on that. New Japanese PM is Thatcher fan who wants to be Iron Lady Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was chosen as Japan's first female prime minister on Tuesday, shattering the political glass ceiling and setting the country up for a decisive turn to the right. An acolyte of assassinated Shinzo Abe and an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, her victory marks a pivotal moment for a country where men still hold overwhelming sway. She inherits an economy saddled with slow growth and rising prices, and anticipation of stimulus measures saw Japans stock market hit a record high. Ms Takaichi won 237 votes in the 465-seat lower house, securing her position as Japans 104th prime minister after a coalition deal between her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin). She was later approved by the upper house and sworn in. Ms Takaichi, a heavy metal drummer, comes from the same hardline LDP faction as Abe and is expected to pursue the same mix of high government spending and easy monetary policy that once fuelled his Abenomics agenda. The Nikkei 225 index responded by inching close to the never-broken 50,000 mark before lunch on Tuesday after a second straight day of record gains, while the broader Topix index reached a record high. The yen weakened to about 151 per US dollar, boosting exporters such as Toyota and Sony. Ms Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the Liberal Democratic Partys disastrous election loss in July. Political stability is essential right now, Ms Takaichi said earlier on Monday at the signing of a coalition agreement with Ishin leader and Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, with the policies agreed to by the pair underscoring Ms Takaichis hawkish and nationalistic views. Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy, she added. Lawmakers applaud as Sanae Takaichi (centre) is elected as Japans new prime minister during an extraordinary session of the lower house, in Tokyo (AP) The July election left the LDP without the numbers to govern alone an unprecedented blow for a party that has dominated Japanese politics for nearly seven decades. Public frustration over inflation, falling wages and a series of political funding scandals weakened LDP-led governments, including Mr Ishibas, and eroded investor confidence. Multiple rounds of coalition talks failed before the LDP struck a last-minute deal this week with the Japan Innovation Party, a nationalist, Osaka-based bloc that shares Ms Takaichis hawkish views on defence and constitutional reform. The coalition agreement emphasises Ms Takaichis signature priorities: fiscal stimulus, economic security, and a stronger military posture amid rising tensions with China and North Korea. She has said that the focus of her economic policy will be on dealing with rising consumer prices and increasing wages. One of her popular promises is continued easy credit as she opposes raising interest rates, but that could hinder efforts to curb inflation and to strengthen the Japanese yen. Ms Takaichis government is now expected to unveil an economic relief package by December to ease the impact of inflation and a weak currency. She also faces pressure to repair ties with traditional partners after the Komeito Partys departure, which exposed rifts between the LDPs nationalist and centrist factions. Japans falling birthrate will also continue to be a challenge for the new government as the countrys population is shrinking at a record pace. Ms Takaichi is Japans first woman to lead a government, but she has long opposed policies aimed at boosting gender equality. She supports the imperial familys male-only succession and opposes same-sex marriage and separate surnames for married couples. However, she said she favours giving tax incentives to companies that provide childcare facilities to their employees and possible tax breaks for family spending on childcare. Japan ranks 118th out of 148 countries in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index, the lowest among G7 nations. Women hold only about 16 per cent of seats in the lower house and 26 per cent in the upper house, making Japan one of the lowest-ranked developed countries for female political representation. Tuesday was generally a strong day for Asian markets, with gains across the region amid signs of easing US-China trade tensions. On Monday, US president Donald Trump downplayed the risk of a clash with China over the issue of Taiwan and expressed his hope of reaching a very strong trade deal. Chinese equities joined the advance, with the Shanghai Composite up 1.2 per cent. South Koreas Kospi hovered at record highs, led by semiconductor firms. Indias Nifty 50 also hit a fresh 52-week peak, lifted by increased foreign inflows during the Diwali festival season. Hong Kong and Australian shares also made gains. US TV star Jimmy Fallon said he had the best dinner ever with the Kings guards in Scotland after a chance encounter led to him being invited into their barracks. The comedian and television host also spoke about drinking Buckie and wearing a kilt for the formal dinner in the officers mess. He was on holiday in Royal Deeside when he was recognised by one of the soldiers from 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland who are known as 5Scots. Fallon was greeted with kilts and bagpipes last week as they treated him to some Highland hospitality at Victoria Barracks in Ballater. Fallon wore Highland dress for the dinner (5 Scots/PA) Posting on TikTok, the Tonight Show host said the surprise invitation had led to him hastily borrowing a kilt from the hotel he was staying in. He said he had decided to go on holiday by himself, going on a train journey north from Edinburgh. One of his stop-offs was at Billy Connollys house one of his favourite comedians of all time. After meeting the 5Scots Balaklava company outside Balmoral Castle, his hotel received a call from one of the units officers inviting him to dinner. He borrowed Highland dress including a kilt from the night manager of his hotel, the Fife Arms. An officer described it as a brilliant evening (5Scots/PA) Praising the soldiers hospitality, Fallon said: They were psyched I was wearing a kilt. We had the best dinner ever! I had a Scotch egg. There was great speeches given. The TV star was given one of 5Scots traditional caps, which he wore during his TikTok video, as well as his own personal kilt. He also revealed the soldiers had given him the fortified wine Buckfast, which he explained is a type of wine lets just say Im feeling it today. Fallon said he did not have any Scottish roots, but added: I feel like right now, I might be the most Scottish person in Scotland. I mean, I drank Buckie. The evening began with a formal welcome to the camp by the commanding officer, second in command and company sergeant major. Fallon then saw a small ceremonial guard of soldiers rehearsing for the Kings departure. The TV star was then shown some of the equipment the soldiers use before the formal dinner. He also heard a short talk by Lieutenant Samoilys on the regimental colours. Major Thomas Blair, commanding officer of 5Scots, said earlier: What started as a chance meeting near Balmoral turned into a brilliant evening. Its not every day you get to meet a Hollywood A-lister, and we were delighted to welcome him to Scotland in true Scots style. I dont remember much from my time in secondary school, but I do remember the exact moment I told someone that Britney Spears would soon be dead. It was 2008, shortly after Spears had been carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken to a psychiatric hospital, and the words tumbled out of my mouth so quickly that I remember being jolted by them. I think I believed it. Or maybe I just wanted to show off not my absolutely non-existent precognitive powers but the fact that actually, fellow classmates, only I truly understood the gravity of what was happening. Wed all witnessed Spears transition from pop cultural zygote in a schoolgirls outfit to sexy MTV temptress to angry, fragile shambles beset by paparazzi flashbulbs and judgment. And now, I insisted, there was a single, dire outcome on the cards. I thought about this ultimately incorrect claim while reading You Thought You Knew, the new tell-all by Spearss ex-husband Kevin Federline, the father of her two children and Americas least favourite white boy in a durag circa 2005. After 200 pages of ruminations on his former marriage and his aborted rap career, Federline closes his book with a premonition of doom similar to that which I made as a teenager almost a decade ago. One just as empty and as unhelpful to Spears herself as mine had been. Its become impossible to pretend everythings okay, Federline writes. From where I sit, the clock is ticking, and were getting close to the 11th hour. Something bad is going to happen if things dont change. The biggest problem with You Thought You Knew is that it never properly articulates what it is that needs to change. Federline paints Spears as an unpredictable and frequently volatile individual, whose mood swings and erratic behaviour have traumatised her two sons, now aged 19 and 20, and derailed both her pop career and her personal life. He alleges historic drug use and boozing, and nods to the severe dysfunction of the wider Spears clan, which he implies would have greatly impacted her life even if she hadnt become one of the most famous women on the planet. He claims that Spearss current use of Instagram where she posts near-daily videos of herself dancing in her home or in restaurant bathrooms or in the hallways of Mexican hotels, all of which are occasionally buffeted by captions of varying legibility is a sign of both an unstable person and a drug user. But whether or not he is prevented from doing so legally, Federline doesnt prod further on the page, or ask why Spears is the way she is. You Thought You Knew, then, is a deeply conservative book: Federline frames the chaos apparently surrounding Spears as a situation entirely of her own making, even while all his vivid description of that chaos heavily suggests the opposite. Britney Spears with her ex-husband Kevin Federline in 2004 (Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock) Federline is a tedious storyteller, with a limited vocabulary and a strikingly vapid perspective on the world. If becoming a professional back-up dancer and then marrying Spears isnt surreal (a word repeated eight times throughout the book), it is a whirlwind (repeated 11 times). He is undoubtedly a loving, committed and responsible dad but so is mine, and I dont see him writing a book about himself. In fact, Federlines life is so uneventful outside of Spears that his birth, childhood and teenage years are condensed into a single chapter shoved into the middle of the book. Passages not about Spears are almost hilarious in their banality. Pink had arranged a full-day horseback safari for us, he writes. We saw black cockatoos (which I didnt even know existed), huge monitor lizards, koalas, kangaroos, and more It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Readers with wind beneath their ears may find Federlines insights compelling (The truth is, fame is a double-edged sword; Something shifted in Britneys demeanour the moment the paparazzi showed up She was more anxious), but everyone else will be baffled. I wouldnt say Spears comes off badly in the book, if only because the behaviour Federline alleges seems so rooted in a toxic cocktail of stardom, paranoia, new money and mental illness. Spears has never confirmed nor denied that she lives with mental illness, and has denied ever being addicted to drugs or alcohol (she did write in her own memoir, 2023s The Woman in Me, that she at one point became reliant on the ADHD medication Adderall to cope with depression). She has, though, written repeatedly on Instagram of experiencing long-term trauma as a result of her family and the conservatorship she was placed under for 13 years, which until late 2021 gave her father Jamie total legal power over her finances, her relationships, and her day-to-day workload. She has alleged being forcibly placed into a psychiatric facility and drugged with lithium. Just this week, amid Instagram posts decrying Federlines book as filled with white lies, she wrote that she feels as if my wings were taken away and brain damage happened to me. Discussion about Spearss mental health is largely forbidden within official Britney fan circles. Popular fan forums and Britney-themed sub-Reddits frequently ban users who express even well-intentioned concern for her present-day wellbeing. I fear its a little misguided Spears often seems entirely alone in her cavernous mansion, angry and estranged from her family and at least one of her sons, and lacking in many real friends, or much of a team. Its OK to worry about and talk about worrying about Spears, whose life seems so incredibly hard. But I also understand the impulse to shut down such discourse: the language of voyeuristic celebrity tabloid coverage has evolved in sneaky and quite evil ways since 2007, with pointing-and-laughing replaced by insipid faux-compassion. Britney Spears sparks concern with off-key rendition of Prince song in bizarre video from dishevelled mansion, went a Daily Mail headline in August. Meaningless, reductive guff: Federlines memoir You Thought You Knew (Listenin) Federline takes a similar approach, couching sleazy, Perez Hilton-era tattle-telling in sympathetic tones. You Thought You Knew wallows in the gory details of Spearss apparent dysfunction while vaguely imploring someone to do something!? He comes across like a street preacher handing out blank pamphlets. The final chapters are borderline incomprehensible. In the space of a few paragraphs, Federline alternates between blaming narcissistic Spears for her own behaviour, sadly declaring that she has nobody there that truly cares for her, attacking fans for supporting the movement to get Spears out of her conservatorship, lightly suggesting that Spears should be placed under another conservatorship, and then ultimately asking fans to stand by our sons and their mother now, more than ever, they need your support. It is meaningless, reductive guff. I have no idea what Federline hopes to achieve with it. Other than securing an opportunity to proudly stand atop possible tragedy and, like a pimply teenager in a secondary school drama class, boast that he told you so. You Thought You Knew is out now, via Listenin Kingston Pride made an impressive chasing debut on his first start for new connections at Perth. Only three lined up in the Join Racing TV Now Kilmany Beginners Chase, with Fergal OBriens Tripoli Flyer, winner of the Grade Two Dovecote Novices Hurdle at Kempton and Jet To Vegas, fourth in a Grade One at the Grand National meeting and winner of Kelso Grade Two Premier Hurdle, the other runners. A three-times winner for previous trainer Nicky Henderson, Kingston Pride was bought for 285,000 by Barbara Hester and Diana Whateley and sent to Olly Murphy. With champion jockey Sean Bowen in the plate, he travelled nicely in behind as Jet To Vegas set a stiff tempo and when Tripoli Fyler unseated Johnny Burke three out, it became a match. Kingston Pride still had a couple of lengths to find jumping the last but he quickened up smartly to win by two and three-quarter lengths at 9-2. It didnt surprise me in the slightest as hed been working very nicely at home, said Murphy. He didnt have a lot of experience, he only had three races over obstacles in his life. I thought it was a very good performance, he picked up well, jumped great on the whole and hell definitely come forward for the run so hopefully it should stand him in good stead going forward. Ill keep him away from very deep ground but that ended up being much softer than we imagined today and I rang Sean before the race to see if we should definitely run, but these novices need experience otherwise you end up running out of time. I was worried about the ground but he seemed to go through it well, so its a nice start but Im not sure where hell go next. Hell be campaigned like a good horse. Kingston Pride was part of a four-timer for trainer and jockey. Scorpio Rising (10-11 favourite) won the Edinburgh Gin Owner Trainer Jockey Awards EBF National Hunt Maiden Hurdle, while Kap Boy (11-8 favourite) and Diamond Geezer (5-4 favourite) took both divisions of the Every Race Live On Racing TV Handicap Hurdle. A new definition of Islamophobia is being considered by UK ministers - SOPA/Getty An official definition for Islamophobia is not needed because there are already legal protections for Muslims, Britains equalities watchdog has told the Government. In its first public statement on Labours plans, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that creating an official definition of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim hatred would clash with existing legal provisions. The judgment is the biggest challenge yet to the controversial plans that have been drawn up by a working group, originally established by the former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner in her role as the Cabinet minister responsible for communities and social cohesion. The group, chaired by Dominic Grieve, the former Tory attorney general, has submitted its proposals for a non-statutory definition of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim hatred that could become a template for the workplace policies of universities, governmental and other public sector bodies. It is designed to counter a surge in anti-Muslim abuse, but critics say it could stifle legitimate criticism of Islam as a religion and act as a de facto blasphemy law. The EHRC statement will fuel demands from opponents for the Government to drop the plan. An EHRC spokesman said: Legal protections against discrimination and hate crime already exist, so it is unclear what role a new definition would play in addressing discrimination and abuse targeted at Muslims. An official non-statutory definition risks being in conflict with existing legal definitions and provisions, resulting in inconsistency and potential confusion for courts and individuals. Should the Government proceed with the adoption of a definition, we advise that this should be subject to a full public consultation so that all the potential risks and benefits can be considered. It follows a similar warning from the Governments top adviser on terror laws, who said Sir Keir Starmer should not introduce an official definition of Islamophobia. Spongy or inaccurate Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said he was against an official definition of Islamophobia because it was directed at a religion rather than protecting people from anti-Muslim hatred. He warned that any spongy or inaccurate definition would threaten freedom of speech in the face of a likely overzealous enforcement of it by police and other authorities. Lord Young, director of the Free Speech Union, urged the Government to abandon its plan or face legal action by his organisation based on the arguments put forward by the EHRC. The EHRC is absolutely right about this. People of all faiths are already legally protected from religious discrimination and religiously motivated hate crimes, so theres absolutely no need for Muslims to be given any additional, non-statutory protections, said Lord Young. Lord Young has urged the Government to abandon its misbegotten project - Andrew Crowley If the Government ploughs on with this misbegotten project, we have put it on notice that we will bring a judicial review if the definition inhibits criticism of the religion of Islam or impedes investigations into potential Islamist terrorists by the police and the security services or results in people being hounded out of jobs for offending Muslims. One of our legal arguments will be that rolling out an official, state-approved definition of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim hatred or whatever, and paying a charity or setting up another quango to enforce it, will encroach on territory already occupied by the EHRC and other state agencies. It risks creating a competing set of rules and regulations when it comes to religious discrimination and will inevitably end up sowing confusion. Weve been advised by our lawyers that wed have a very strong case. Steve Reed, the Communities Secretary now responsible for the working group, has made clear that he is prepared to reject any definition that poses a threat to free speech and will overrule advisers if it threatens to create blasphemy laws by the back door. There were suggestions over the weekend that the group would be using the term anti-Muslim hatred rather than Islamophobia for its definition, which was seen as a softening in the approach. However, campaigners say that it was always the case that the remit for the group was to draw up a definition that embraced both anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia, which made the distinction irrelevant. An MHCLG spokesman said: We have been clear that we will never adopt a definition which contradicts equalities legislation. Previously adopted non-statutory definitions, such as on antisemitism, have not all required a formal consultation. We will always defend freedom of speech, including fiercely protecting the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and the beliefs and practices of those who follow them. This will remain at the front of our minds as we review the definition. The Metropolitan Police has blocked a planned anti-migrant march from taking place in an east London borough this weekend, citing concerns it could spark serious disorder. The event, organised by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), was scheduled to take place in Tower Hamlets on Saturday afternoon. Promoted as a mass deportations tour, the event was initially advertised as a march starting at Whitechapel Station and later revised to be an assembly in the same area. Organisers described the demonstration as a crusade, urging supporters to reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists and take our country back. The event is one of several planned in cities including Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow. Tower Hamlets has the highest proportion of Muslim residents in England and Wales 39.9 per cent, according to the 2021 Census prompting concerns the march could inflame community tensions. In a statement, the Met said the decision to ban the event was made in the interest of public safety and to prevent disorder from breaking out. A significant counter-protest, organised by Stand Up To Racism and numerous local groups, was also scheduled to take place. Counter-protesters outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Tower Hamlets (Getty Images) Public Order Act conditions have now been imposed, meaning UKIP cannot hold their protest in Whitechapel or anywhere else in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Anyone taking part in the UKIP march who enters the borough of Tower Hamlets faces arrest. Officers remain willing to engage with the organisers if they bring forward a proposal for an event in an alternative location, Met Police said. UKIP hit back at the ban with an angry response accusing the Met of caving into the Islamists. It said the decision violated our democratic right to peaceful assembly in Whitechapel this Saturday. Speaking in a video posted on X, the partys leader Nick Tenconi said he was "disgusted" with the police decision which he called a "direct breach of our democratic right to peaceful assembly". He added: "This is two-tier policing at its worst, and the Met have, at best, signified they have lost control of the streets of London, or at worst, are complicit with the Islamists in stifling our democracy." The party said they were in in the process of reorganising the march for another area of London. Police outside the Britannia International Hotel (Getty Images) Tower Hamlets has been the site of several anti-migrant demonstrations in recent months, after it emerged that the Britannia International Hotel was being used to accommodate asylum seekers. Earlier this month, Tower Hamlets Council passed a motion to stand up to the far right, pledging to reject the presence of far-right agitators from outside the borough who come to target local communities during the protests. Commander Nick John said: Tower Hamlets has the largest percentage of Muslim residents anywhere in the UK and the prospect of this protest taking place in the heart of the borough has been the cause of significant concern locally. It is our assessment that there is a realistic prospect of serious disorder if it was to go ahead in the proposed location. This is in addition to the disruption that two large protests taking place on a key arterial route through east London would cause. We have a responsibility to use the powers available to us to take steps to avoid both those outcomes. UKIP are free to organise their protest in an alternative location but they will not be holding it in Tower Hamlets. Anyone who tries to assemble, in breach of the conditions, or who encourages others to do so, will face arrest. We will still have a sizeable police presence in the area on Saturday to keep the public safe and to intervene to enforce the conditions and deal with any other incidents. The Metropolitan Police has announced that it will stop investigating non-crime hate incidents after it emerged that Father Ted creator Graham Linehan will face no further action over social media posts about transgender issues. The 57-year-old Irish comedy writer was arrested at Heathrow Airport after flying in from Arizona in September by the Met Police on suspicion of inciting violence over three posts he had made on X. The arrest sparked controversy, with Conservative politicians and Harry Potter author JK Rowling among those who criticised the arrest. The head of the Met Police said at the time that officers are in an impossible position when dealing with statements made online. Following Linehans announcement on Monday that the probe into his posts has been dropped, a spokesperson for the police force said: We understand the concern around this case. The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September. After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn't even bother to attend) the Crown Graham Linehan (@Glinner) October 20, 2025 The commissioner has been clear he doesnt believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position. As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents. We believe this will provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations. Non-crime hate incidents are incidents that do not count as crimes but are perceived to be motivated by hatred towards certain characteristics such as race or gender. The Met spokesperson continued: These incidents will still be recorded and used as valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality. We will continue to investigate and arrest those who commit hate crimes allowing us to comply with statutory guidance while focusing our resources on criminality and public protection. Linehan announced on social media on Monday afternoon that police had told his lawyers that he faces no further action over the Heathrow arrest. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed the evidence and concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction, it is understood. A CPS spokesperson said: Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to a man in his 50s who was arrested on September 1 2025. BREAKING: The @metpoliceuk have dropped their investigation into Graham Linehans tweets. After weeks of police bail subject to unlawful conditions, including a ban on posting on X officers have told @Glinner that prosecutors say there isnt sufficient evidence to support The Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) October 20, 2025 The Free Speech Union (FSU) said it has instructed lawyers to sue the Met Police for wrongful arrest. Linehan posted on X: With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender-critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men. While the FSU said: Police forces cannot continue to suppress lawful free speech without facing consequences. Weve instructed a top flight team of lawyers to sue the Met for wrongful arrest, among other things. Graham deserves an apology but, more importantly, the police need to be taught a lesson that they cannot allow themselves to be continually manipulated by woke activists. Lord Young of Acton, who is general secretary of the FSU, called the Mets announcement a tremendous victory. To finally see the countrys biggest police force announce that theyre no longer going to be investigating non-crime hate incidents is fantastic, but its El-Alamein, its not D-Day, he told GB News. We now have to persuade every other police force in the country to follow the Mets example. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the move as a return to common sense. Met police say they will no longer investigate non crime hate incidents, he said. They can catch car and phone thieves instead. A welcome return to common sense. No thanks to Labour who voted against this in Parliament earlier this year. The Met came under fire after Linehans arrest, with Rowling claiming it was totalitarianism and deplorable. Conservative politicians also levelled criticism last month, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch saying the arrest showed values of free speech are being slowly eroded by people weaponising the law and using it for petty squabbling. Meanwhile, Sir James Cleverly said the arrest looked like a real overreaction to what was self-evidently a joke and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick described the incident as a complete waste of police time. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at the time that police should focus on the most serious issues, like knife crime and violence, and that he would always defend the right to free speech. Linehan appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court last month (Ben Whitley/PA) But Green Party leader Zack Polanski told BBC Newsnight the posts were totally unacceptable and the arrest seemed proportionate. One of the posts that Linehan was arrested over 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, and a follow-up post saying: I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em. The arrest came days before he appeared in court accused of harassing a transgender woman. The writer, who now lives in the United States, has denied one count of harassing activist 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. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said managers have a responsibility to set an example ahead of Diego Simeones first match back in England after he clashed with Liverpool supporters. Atletico Madrid boss Simeone was handed a one-match touchline ban by UEFA following chaotic scenes at the end of his sides 3-2 defeat at Anfield in September. Simeone admitted he regretted the incident and, speaking ahead of his sides Champions League test against Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, Arteta said: If you react in a way which is not good, we have a responsibility to be an example. I have done it. I have made mistakes. But I try to learn and try not to do them again. Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone (right) during the match at Anfield in September (Peter Byrne/PA) It is difficult (not to react) because you are defending your club, your players and small details can define at the end whether you win a match or not. We are there living it with high emotions and it is difficult to control. We get really emotional and we start to run with our players and celebrating goals. It is something natural and it has to be understood in a respectful way. From my experience over the years, I try to be a little bit calm but there are moments when it is not easy. Arteta will lock horns with Simeone for the first time in their group clash as the Arsenal manager aims to build on two wins for his side in Europe so far. Artetas managerial style has drawn comparisons with Simeone, who is now in his 15th season in charge of the LaLiga outfit. Obviously he is someone that I look up to and have learned from him in many situations, said Arteta. I rate him at the highest level. What hes done since he got to Atletico has been outstanding. Not only what he has achieved but the way hes done it the identity he has created at the club, the team, the spirit, they are very simple and clear to identify and thats because the manager is very much them. Thats extremely difficult to achieve for a short period of time and to do it for 14 years, is something thats incredible so itll be a pleasure to meet him. They have won major trophies, been in Champions League finals and made all the right steps when they needed to. We need to try and do that and we are on the journey to try and achieve that. Asked if he could envisage Simeone managing in the Premier League, Arteta continued: If he works in the Champions League, which is the highest competition in Europe, he can do it anywhere. You have to come here and try it and feel it, but Im very sure that his know-how is unbelievable and his character and willingness will take him anywhere. Original Crunchy Loops and Zesty Ranch Join Lineup; Bags Get Real Veggies & Nutrition Call Outs FAIRFIELD, Calif., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Calbee America is bringing a fresh look to its flagship brand Harvest Snaps, which currently ranks #4 in dollar sales and has seen +10.7% growth vs YA in the BFY Puffed Snacks Category (IRI SPINS WE 8/10/2025 US MULO+C). With a boosted consumer interest in healthier snacking and shopping in the produce aisle (Harvest Snaps' longtime home!), the team felt it was time to better highlight what this pioneering brand is all about, i.e. a crunchy, yummy, savory snack made with peas or lentils straight from a farm. A new "Made with Real Veggies" seal, along with protein and fiber callouts, clearly differentiate the brand from the competition on the front and back of pack. Calbee Harvest Snaps is bringing to market new packaging, plus innovations and updated flavors with universal taste appeal. Post this Harvest Snaps Original Crunchy Loops and Zesty Ranch join lineup The core line of veggie snacks also received the addition of the word "crispy" to describe how they never compromise on crunch, and an artful graphic shares how the whole legumes are milled in-house. Harvest Snaps' sub brand, Crunchy Loops, which has seen double digit growth in total dollar sales vs. YA (IRI SPINS L52 WE 9/7/2025), is also receiving a vibrant refresh to represent the products' connection to family, fun and nostalgia. In addition to the new packaging, Calbee is bringing to market innovations and updated flavors with universal taste appeal. Harvest Snaps Zesty Ranch is replacing the brand's Wasabi Ranch, and bold-tasting Mango Chili Lime is now made with red lentils instead of black beans. Plus, a new Crunchy Loops Original flavor features a savory and balanced blend of seasoning. All launches, which are certified both Non-GMO and gluten free, are now available for retailers nationwide to carry. New designs for the full lineup will be rolling onto shelves October through December. Shared Maiko Shimano, director of marketing at Calbee America, Inc., "From flavor development to packaging design, consumer preferences drive everything we do at Harvest Snaps. We're always looking for better ways to bring our tasty and wholesome products to a broad range of snackers and fuel the healthier lifestyles of our customers. Veg Up & Go!" About Calbee America, Inc. A snack pioneer for over 70 years, the Calbee team is passionate about making great-tasting, fun snacks that harness nature's gifts to support healthy lifestyles. Their Harvest Snaps family of better-for-you brands are made from real veggies that deliver protein and fiber or nutrient-dense fruit as the #1 ingredient. In addition, the company's Japanese snacks bring authentic Asian flavors to the salty snack aisle of mainstream markets. Visit HarvestSnaps.com or CalbeeAmerica.com for more information and follow @harvestsnaps and @calbeeusa on social media. SOURCE Harvest Snaps Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis has pulled out of Strictly Come Dancing after injuring his calf. The Australian actor, 66, who was paired with professional dancer Dianne Buswell on the BBC One show, was unable to perform on Saturday October 11 because of illness, but returned last weekend, scoring 26 points for a Charleston to Dance Monkey by Tones And I. In a social media post, Dennis said: This morning I woke up to the most disappointing day of my time in my Strictly journey. Just when I had finally gained the confidence to do well with my dancing in the competition and achieve more great dances along the way, I was told that on Saturday I had torn my calf so significantly that I am now forced to withdraw from the show. I cant tell you how devastated I am to have to leave so prematurely especially as there has been, and still is, so much love and support from everyone for both Dianne (Buswell) and myself. He added: I owe both the Strictly family and Dianne a massive debt of gratitude for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dream of being able to dance with my wife. (When my leg is better). Dennis, who is most known for playing Paul Robinson on Australian soap Neighbours, is married to actress Gail Easdale. In another social media post Australian dancer Buswell said: Stefo Im so sorry our Strictly journey was cut short just as that confidence was starting to grow. But you can walk away with your head held high. You can go home to your wonderful wife put your hand out and say would you like to cha cha cha with me. The main reason for being on this show was to be able to dance with her and you can certainly do that now. You are the kindest human I have ever worked with and I can always say I got to dance with the iconic Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis or as my dad calls ya Paul Robertson. Cant wait for you to send me the video of you and Gail dancing together. Buswell, 36, won Strictly last year alongside comedian Chris McCausland, who became the first blind person to take home the glitterball trophy. The dancer recently announced she is pregnant with her first child with partner and YouTube star Joe Sugg, who she met on the show in 2018. Sarah James, executive producer, BBC Studios, said: Weve adored having Stefan on Strictly Come Dancing, and are heartbroken that his Strictly journey and his fantastic partnership with Dianne Buswell has been cut short. Its been a joy to see him embrace the series with such enthusiasm and we really hope that, once better, he will keep dancing. No plans for Trump-Putin meeting in the immediate future despite presidents claims of Hungary summit: White House The White House is walking back President Donald Trumps plan for talks on ending the three-year-old Russian war against Ukraine just days after he claimed he would meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest next month. A White House official told The Independent there are no plans for a sit-down between Trump and Putin in the immediate future because Secretary of State Marco Rubio had conducted a productive call with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which made an in-person meeting between the two top diplomats not necessary. Trump later told reporters at a Diwali celebration late Tuesday that he did not want to have a wasted meeting or a waste of time but did not rule out a meeting in the future. Well see what happens, he said, adding later that there could be updates on a possible sit-down in the next two days. News of the scrapped meeting plans comes just days after what Trump described as a similarly productive call with Putin on the eve of last Fridays visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. At the time, Trump wrote on Truth Social that great progress was made in his push to end the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict and claimed he would meet with Putin in the Hungarian capital to discuss a peace settlement following a preparatory meeting between Rubio and Lavrov. News comes just days after Donald Trump claimed he would meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest next month (Getty/EPA) The choice of Budapest as a venue had raised questions because it was the same location as a 1994 conference at which Russia pledged not to invade Ukraine in exchange for Kyiv giving up nuclear weapons it had inherited after the fall of the Soviet Union. The venue was also potentially problematic because Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, though the Hungarian government was unlikely to cooperate with the warrant as it is in the process of leaving the court. Earlier in the day, Russia had admitted it has no idea when a highly-anticipated summit between Trump and Putin would take place. The two leaders last met in August in a hastily-arranged summit at Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting ended without any significant diplomatic breakthroughs, and Trump had in recent weeks grown more hawkish towards Russia in his comments about the ongoing war. But last weeks call with Putin and the subsequent sit-down with Zelensky the next day appeared to show Trump backtracking towards the reflexive pro-Russia stance he has taken since returning to office this past January. Zelensky arrived in Washington with hopes that Trump would authorize the transfer of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles that would allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russian territory. The Ukrainian leader had argued such strikes would help compel Putin to take Trumps calls for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war more seriously. Trump had told reporters traveling with him to Israel on Sunday that he had planned to discuss the Tomahawks with Putin as a way to pressure him to end the war. However, Trump did not authorize transfer of the cruise missiles and Zelensky left Washington empty-handed and has instead pushed for Putin and Zelensky to enact a ceasefire that would lock in the current lines of control after more than three years of war. Trumps position has attracted endorsements from European leaders, including the heads of government from the UK, France, Germany, Ukraine and the European Union, all of which issued a joint statement of support for the presidents plan. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations, the statement said. At the same time, the European leaders called to ramp up the pressure on Russias economy and defense industry until Putin is ready to make peace and to use the full value of Russias immobilized assets to fund more weapons for Ukraine. Christopher Moynihan was arrested after texting that he was going to "eliminate" the top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a public event Monday in New York City (Department of Justice ) A January 6 rioter, pardoned by President Donald Trump, has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a report. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested Sunday after texting that he planned to eliminate Jeffries while he spoke at the Economic Club of New York Monday, according to court documents, obtained by CBS News. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan, who was pardoned in January by Trump, reportedly wrote in the message. Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future, he allegedly wrote. Moynihan was one of more than 1,500 Trump supporters charged with crimes connected to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison. Christopher Moynihan pictured at the US Capitol during the Jan 6 riot. He was arrested after texting that he was going to "eliminate" the top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a public event Monday in New York City (Department of Justice) Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Prosecutors said Moynihan was one of the first Trump supporters to breach police barricades and enter the Capitol. At the time of his sentencing, prosecutors said that while inside the Capitol building, Moynihan rifled through a notebook on top of a Senators desk, saying, Theres gotta be something in here we can f***ing use against these scumbags. Moynihan faces a new felony charge of making a terroristic threat, prosecutors said Monday. He was arrested by New York State Police in Clinton, a small town in the Hudson Valley, about two hours north of Manhattan. An investigation into the incident was started by the FBI, according to CBS. Moynihan was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond or an $80,000 partially secured bond, state police said. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday in Dutchess County. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested Sunday after texting that he planned to eliminate Hakeem Jeffries while he spoke at the Economic Club of New York Monday (A New York man was arrested after texting that he was going to "eliminate" the top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries during a public event Monday in New York City) While Moynihan is not the first pardoned Jan 6 rioter to be subsequently arrested on unrelated charges, he is the first to face charges of making a violent threat against a member of Congress, according to CBS. After returning to office this January, one of Trumps first official acts as president was commuting the sentences of hundreds of Jan 6 rioters, many of whom were convicted of violent offenses against members of law enforcement. One police officer was killed and nearly 150 other officers were injured in the attack. Rioter Ashli Babbit, 35, was shot and killed, while 50-year-old Benjamin Phillips, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Rosanne Boylan, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia, died from medical emergencies during the attack. The White House and Jeffries office did not immediately return a request for comment from The Independent. Christopher Moynihan (circled) was pardoned by Donald Trump for his part in the riots A Jan 6 rioter pardoned by Donald Trump is accused of threatening to kill top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher Moynihan, 34, allegedly sent threatening text messages about an appearance Mr Jeffries, who represents New Yorks 8th congressional district, was scheduled to make in the city, according to a felony complaint. The recipient of the texts, sent on Friday, was not identified. Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live, the text messages read, according to the complaint. Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. ... I will kill him for the future. The complaint, filed in New York state court in Clinton on Saturday, argued these text messages placed the recipient in reasonable fear of the imminent murder and assassination of Hakeem Jeffries by the defendant. Mr Jeffries thanked police for their swift and decisive action to apprehend a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out. Hakeem Jeffries thanked police for their efforts to arrest the man - Elizabeth Frantz Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned, the Democrat representative said in a statement. Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, was asked about the case during a news conference on Tuesday and said he did not know any details of the threat against Jeffries. We denounce violence from anybody, anytime. Those people should be arrested and tried, Mr Johnson said. The New York State Police said it was notified of the threat by an FBI task force on Saturday. Anthony Parisi, the Dutchess County District Attorney, said his office is reviewing the case for legal and factual sufficiency. Threats made against elected officials and members of the public will not be tolerated, Mr Parisi said in a statement on Tuesday. In February 2023, Mr Moynihan was sentenced to 21 months in prison on charges including obstruction of an official proceeding. He was among some 1,575 people charged in the storming of the US Capitol to prevent the certification of Joe Bidens 2020 presidential election victory. Mr Moynihan was pardoned by Mr Trump but has now been rearrested Mr Moynihan breached police barricades before entering the Capitol through the Rotunda Door. He entered the Senate chamber, rifled through a notebook on a senators desk and joined other rioters in shouting and chanting at the Senate dais, prosecutors said. Moynihan did not leave the Senate Chamber until he was forced out by police, they wrote. Mr Trump pardoned the majority of those criminally charged with participating in the Jan 6, 2021, riot in a show of solidarity with supporters. Mr Moynihan has now been charged with making a terroristic threat relating to Mr Jeffries, a Class D felony, for which he could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. At least 10 other Jan 6 rioters have been re-arrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes, including child sexual abuse, plotting to murder FBI agents and reckless homicide while driving drunk, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Mr Moynihan is the only rioter known to face a charge involving an elected official since being pardoned. Six people have been arrested after Irish police battled hundreds of protesters outside a Dublin hotel used to house asylum seekers after an alleged sexual assault on a young girl. The crowd burned a police vehicle and hurled fireworks and other missiles at officers outside the Citywest hotel on Tuesday night. RTE reported that the protesters some of whom waved Irish flags and held anti-immigrant placards numbered up to 2,000 people. The Garda Siochana, the Irish police force, said officers were subject to sustained violence as protesters launched bricks, glass bottles and fireworks, resulting in the six arrests. This was obviously not a peaceful protest, said police commissioner Justin Kelly. The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against gardai. The disturbances flared a day after a man was charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault. Local media reported that he was a 26-year-old asylum seeker and that the alleged victim was a 10-year-old who was attacked at or near the Citywest facility, which is in the Saggart area of south-west Dublin. A small protest outside the facility passed peacefully on Monday but on Tuesday night a far larger crowd threw rocks and traffic cones. A police van was also torched. Police, some with riot shields, helmets and horses, pushed the crowd back. The justice and migration minister, Jim OCallaghan, condemned the disturbances. Unfortunately, the weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected, OCallaghan said in a statement. This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the gardai. Those involved will be brought to justice. Attacks on gardai will not be tolerated. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not. The taoiseach, Micheal Martin, condemned the violent disorder and vile abuse against police in a statement. Demonstrations against immigrants and refugees have become common in recent years, with protesters accusing the arrivals of worsening a housing shortage and driving violent crime. Far-right agitators have used social media and rallies to spread a message that Ireland is full. Rioting erupted in central Dublin in November 2023 after a man stabbed three children outside a primary school. In June crowds targeted foreigners in Ballymena, in Northern Ireland, after an alleged sexual assault. Protests outside asylum seeker hotels and centres also spread across England this summer. Earlier on Tuesday, Irelands child and family agency Tusla said the alleged victim of this weeks incident had been in state care at the time and that she had absconded during a trip to the city centre. Speaking in parliament, Martin acknowledged the concern, anger and worry of many people over the alleged assault. Clearly, there has been failure here in terms of the states obligation to protect this child. Disgraced Prince Andrew sought the help of the Metropolitan Police and one of Queen Elizabeth IIs most senior aides in a campaign to smear Virginia Giuffre, according to reports. Leaked emails seen by the Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew handed over Ms Giuffres social security number and date of birth to his Met Police bodyguard. Andrew reportedly told Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth's deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of his close protection officers to find out information about Ms Giuffre. It would also seem she has a criminal record in the [United] States, Andrew wrote to Mr Perkins. I have given her DoB [date of birth] and social security number for investigation with XXX, the on duty ppo [personal protection officer]. It is not clear whether the bodyguard complied with Andrews instructions. The Met Police told The Independent it was looking into the claims. Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment. The Met Police is looking into the claims (PA) The extraordinary revelations come a day after Prince Andrew gave up the use of his titles and honours, including the Duke of York title, following a sex abuse case involving convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which has lasted more than a decade. His relinquishment came just days before Ms Giuffres memoir is set to be published, which exposes details of further attention on the allegations of abuse against the disgraced prince and his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement released on Friday night, Prince Andrew said: "In discussion with the King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family. The decision came amid growing pressure from King Charles who is said to be glad that he is gone. Giuffres family has called for an investigation (PA Wire) Ms Giuffre has accused Andrew of having sex with her three times when she was 17. She claims that he sexually abused her on Epsteins private island, Little St James, as a teenager. The prince has always denied the claims. In March 2022, Andrew paid Ms Giuffre millions of dollars to settle a civil lawsuit, accusing him of sexual assault when she was a teenager. As part of the agreement, he was due to pay damages to Ms Giuffre and a donation to a charity in support of victims rights, despite saying he had never met her. Ms Giuffres family said she did not have a criminal record, and is requesting a full investigation as to how Andrew obtained the confidential information released to Mr Perkins. Andrew allegedly refused to explain how he obtained Ms Giuffre's social security number, the Mail on Sunday said. Her family is also renewing their call to the King to take out the prince in the' Andrew and strip him of his princedom. Despite relinquishing his titles, Andrew remains a prince. When he was born in 1960, he was automatically a prince as the son of a monarch, and this could only be changed if a Letters Patent was issued by the King. Ms Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, told ITV News: "I want to commend the King and I want to commend the UK for taking some action. "While it may not be enough, in a lot of ways that the survivors view it, it's still a lot more than what we've been given from our own government here, even though we possess the Epstein files. "Now, for the King, I think there's more that he could do. He does have the ability to strip him even further of the prince title, which we would call upon. "I think we've already taken all these necessary steps. Why not just take it another step further and relinquish him of his prince title as well?" There are no plans for Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to meet in person in the near future, according to a White House official. The US leader later shed further light on the issue when asked why his planned summit in Hungary had been put on hold. He said he did not want to have a wasted meeting, telling reporters in the Oval Office he had not made a determination about the talks he had wanted to hold. The presidents last week agreed to meet in Budapest after a phone call Mr Trump called "extremely frank and trustful". The US leader suggested it was possible it could happen within a fortnight, though no date was set. However, it appears that's now off the table - and there are fears the meeting could be shelved altogether due to Russia's rigid stance on the Ukraine war. The White House official, speaking to Sky's US partner network NBC, said secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had spoken on Tuesday. The call was described as "productive" but the official added there was no plan for the presidents to meet "in the immediate future". The last Trump-Putin meeting was in Alaska in August, but it ended without any meaningful progress towards a ceasefire. The Budapest plan was announced shortly before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to Washington last Friday to try to get approval for long-range Tomahawk missiles. Mr Zelenskyy accused the Russian leader of acting out of fear Ukraine could get the green light and the ability to hit targets far deeper into Russia. In his nightly address on Tuesday, he said Russia "almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy" after it became clear Mr Trump had backed away from any decision on the Tomahawks. Two US officials told Reuters that plans for the Budapest meeting had stalled over Russia's insistence any peace deal must give it control of all of the Donbas region. Those terms are said to have been reiterated over the weekend in a private communique known as a "no paper". Follow Trump100 on your podcast app The Kremlin's refusal to budge effectively rejects Mr Trump's latest assessment that the frontlines should be frozen as they are. The president shifted position last week after previously telling the UN General Assembly that Ukraine could win back all the land it has lost. Read more: Putin's 'not so secret weapon' | Ukraine war Q&A UK 'ready to spend over 100m' on possibly sending troops to Ukraine Ukraine and European nations issued a joint statement on Tuesday insisting "international borders must not be changed by force" and accusing Russia of "stalling tactics". But, in an apparent effort to keep the US leader onside, it added: "We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave the impression his country was in no rush to arrange another Trump-Putin meeting, saying on Tuesday "preparation is needed, serious preparation". Such talk is likely to increase concerns Russia does not want to stop fighting and is "playing" President Trump - all while continuing to launch drone barrages at Ukrainian cities. Russia currently holds about a fifth of Ukraine after its invasion in February in 2022. It also annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Meanwhile, NATO's secretary general Mark Rutte is travelling to Washington to meet with President Trump on Wednesday. He will "discuss various aspects related to NATO's support to Ukraine and to the US-led efforts towards lasting peace", an official for the alliance said. The burka is banned in European countries including France and Belgium - Pongtep Chithan Robert Jenrick has signalled he would ban the burka if the Conservatives were in power. The shadow justice secretary said legislation should probably be introduced to outlaw the wearing of the garment in public. Mr Jenricks remarks appear to signal a split on the issue with Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, who has previously insisted she would not introduce a national ban. The burka, which some Muslim women wear to cover the body and face, is already banned in European countries, including France and Belgium. During his monthly Ring Rob segment on Jeremy Kyles TalkTV programme, Mr Jenrick was asked for his view on banning burkas and halal food. Responding to the caller, Mr Jenrick said: I probably would ban the burka. On being told that Sarah Pochin, the Reform MP, had previously made the same argument, Mr Jenrick said: She did, but youve also seen Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, say in the last week that this is something that shes going to pursue. So theres definitely a strong argument for it. There are basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them. And where youre seeing them fraying at the edges or frankly being completely destroyed, whether its sharia courts or the wearing of the burka, these are issues were going to have to confront if we want to build the kind of society that we want to hand on to our kids and grandkids. Mr Jenricks remarks appear to signal a split on the issue with Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader having said she would not ban the burka - Eddie Mulholland Earlier this month, the Italian government, which is led by Ms Meloni, introduced a bill that would impose fines of up to 2,600 for wearing the full-body covering in most public places. The debate over the burka in Britain was reignited in June when Ms Pochin, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, used her first Commons question to urge a ban. Her comments prompted Zia Yusuf, a Muslim, to label her remarks dumb and resign from his role as party chairman, giving party leader Nigel Farage less than 10 minutes notice. Mr Yusuf returned to the fold less than 48 hours later and is now Reforms head of policy. He changed his mind on the burka last month, calling for a complete ban in public places. Reform still does not have an official policy on banning the burka, although Mr Yusufs claim the garment presented a huge impediment to assimilation was seen as a sign of its direction of travel. Zia Yusuf changed his mind on the burka last month, calling for a complete ban in public places - Lia Toby/Getty Images Responding to the row, Mrs Badenoch told The Telegraph at the time that bosses should have the right to ban staff from wearing burkas and other face coverings in the workplace. But she said that while a nationwide ban was an option, there were bigger issues around integration including sharia courts and cousin marriage that needed to be addressed. Days later, Mrs Badenoch insisted the Tories would not ban the burka under her leadership. The leader of the opposition said she would not allow people who wore face veils into her constituency surgeries, but added: What Im not doing is announcing that Im going to ban the burka, like Reform is doing. Are we going to send police officers into peoples homes to check if theyre wearing the burka at a time when we cant even keep prisoners in prison, were releasing them? Do we have space in prison to put people wearing the burka in there? This is what I mean by people just saying things, announcing policies without plans. Mr Jenrick lost out to Mrs Badenoch in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader in November 2024. His interventions on a number of issues outside his justice brief have fuelled speculation that he still harbours leadership ambitions, although he has been effusive in his public support for his party leader. France became the first European country to ban the burka in public in 2011. Since then, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg and Switzerland all followed suit. On Tuesday afternoon, Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory chairman, suggested the party may eventually adopt a burka ban. Asked about Mr Jenricks remarks, Mr Hollinrake replied: I think he was expressing a personal view, I might express a similar personal view actually. I think it is very damaging to have that kind of separation in our societies. I think its not [our] official policy yet, we need to develop our policy properly and thats what Kemi has been very clear on. Shes always spoken out about things like first cousin marriages and second cousin marriages. We need to take a tougher line with these people who want to live separately from the rest of society. That is not healthy for our societies. Illustration: Guardian Design; Source images by Getty Images, Alamy default Donald Trump looked out across the White House ballroom at his audience of wealthy donors and business figures people who had given millions of dollars to his extravagant plan to build a vast ballroom attached to the buildings East Wing. The president, 79, told the crowd he had enjoyed a really historic trip to the Middle East, and indulged in some of his familiar patter: saying his tariffs were successful, and claiming that under Joe Biden, countries were literally emptying out insane asylums into our country. As his speech, given last Wednesday, labored on, Trump turned to ballroom specifics. He said: So I just wanna say, thank you all. Uh, simply, behind me, so, is a knockout panel. This panel, the next time you come here, will be opened up and gone. No uh, no problem with any of the surrounding areas. These, this room will be fixed. This will be like a cocktail the whole floor will be cocktails or pre-briefings or whatever it may be, lots of different things. So the entire floor. So you come in, the entire floor sets up. We didnt have to do any of that. Usually, you have to do that. You need different rooms to go along with a ballroom. The speech, with its confusing false starts and repeated tangent-veering, was typical of many addresses Trump, the oldest person to be inaugurated president, has given recently. The president frequently appears to lose his train of thought, before retreating to the verbal safe ground of repeating frequently incorrect claims about the current success of the US. Republicans seem happy to ignore Trumps odd speeches and claims. But his performances in public settings, whether a lengthy soliloquy about how former president Barack Obama walks down the stairs Da da da da da da, bop, bop, bop, Trump told a room full of generals in September or his focus on water pressure The waters dripping out and thats no good for me. I like this hair lace and [sic] I like that hair nice and wet, the president said at a roundtable discussion about immigration in July has slowly begun to raise questions from experts, Democrats, and the general public. Among those: what guardrails exist to remove an impeded commander-in-chief from office? The system is really set up to protect the president. Its really hard to get rid of a president between elections, said Brian Kalt, a professor at Michigan State University College of Law and author of Unable: The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. There are essentially two ways a US president could be removed from office: through impeachment and conviction by the Senate, and through the aforementioned section 4. No president has ever been removed by either measure although three presidents have been impeached: including Trump, twice. A simple majority of the House of Representatives has to vote to impeach a president for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors, and the president is then tried in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to convict. In 2021, 57 of the 100 senators voted to convict Trump 10 short of the 67 votes required. Given there are 53 Republican senators, it is hard to imagine Trump being convicted and removed from office. That leaves section 4 of the 25th amendment, designed to be used when a president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. This month, JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, who has repeatedly clashed with Trump, called for the amendment to be invoked against the president, claiming there is something genuinely wrong with this man. It came as Trump bizarrely reposted to Truth Social an AI-generated fake video which featured himself making an announcement about med-bed hospitals, and after he spoke confusingly of certain elements of genius that can be given to a baby during a speech at the White House. Speaking about grants awarded to investigate autism, Trump added: They have to move quickly. They, they when the alternative is that nothing bad can happen, lets do it now. I was just saying to Bobby [health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr] and the group, lets do it now. Nothing bad can happen, it can only good happen. The examples keep coming. At a press conference last week Trump repeated himself several times when talking about immigration, in one case appearing to become confused on the issue of so-called legal immigration. Weve got the strongest border of anybody nobody has a border. We have a border where the numbers just came out again, you saw zero people came in illegally. Now we do take people into our country legally, but zero people, Trump said. Approximately 7 million people entered the US from abroad during the first three months of 2025 alone. Section 4 of the 25th amendment is designed for when a president is not just doing a bad job, but not doing anything at all like cant function, Kalt said. For it to be invoked, JD Vance and a majority of Trumps cabinet would have to agree that Trump is unable to perform the duties of president. But even then, Trump could disagree, which would force a vote in the House and the Senate. A two-thirds majority in both would be required to remove the president a higher bar than impeachment. Kalt said its a deliberately high bar. Its not just about protecting the president, although that is the most direct manifestation of it. Its really about protecting the system of elections. So once the people elect a president, its supposed to be four years before they get to say anything again their choice is respected, is put in place, Kalt said. Despite the White House claiming earlier this year that Trumps mental sharpness is second to none, the examples of unusual behavior keep stacking up. There was an incident this summer where Trump invented an entire story about his deceased uncle having met the Unabomber. The time in July when he went on a sudden rant about windmills driving whales loco, during a meeting with the European Commission president. The occasion when he derailed a cabinet meeting by talking, unprompted, for 13 minutes about the decor of the room. Last month, Democratic congresswoman Madeleine Dean made national news after she confronted the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, in an exchange about Trumps health recorded by MSNBC. The president is unhinged. He is unwell, Dean told an uncomfortable-looking Johnson. His reply was a strong indicator that there is zero appetite among Republicans to subject their leader to scrutiny. A lot of folks on your side are too, Johnson said. default This article was amended on 21 October 2025. JB Pritzker is the governor of Illinois, not of Chicago as an earlier version said. And in 2021, 57 senators voted to convict Trump, not impeach him; he had already been impeached in the House of Representatives. A security guard who plotted to kidnap, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his sentence. Gavin Plumb was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years in July last year after being unanimously convicted of soliciting murder and encouraging or assisting others to rape and kidnap the former This Morning presenter. The 38-year-olds kidnap plans involved attempting to ambush Ms Willoughby at her family home, with Plumb telling others he would then take the presenter to another location, which he suggested would be a dungeon-type room. Sentencing him, Mr Justice Murray said that Plumb had an unhealthy sexual obsession with Ms Willoughby, who has waived her right to anonymity in the case, and said that some of Plumbs plans were particularly sadistic, brutal and degrading. At a hearing on Tuesday, barristers for Plumb said his sentence was manifestly excessive and should be reduced. The Crown Prosecution Service opposed the appeal bid, with its barristers telling the court in London that the offending had life-changing consequences for Ms Willoughby. Dismissing the appeal, Lord Justice Edis, sitting with Mr Justice Martin Spencer and Ms Justice Norton, said they had concluded that it was ultimately unpersuasive. The judge said that messages containing Plumbs plans were distressing, even for seasoned professionals, to read, and that Mr Justice Murrays decision to pass a life sentence was unimpeachable. He said: This is a case where the offender clearly is dangerous and where there is no way of knowing when or if ever that will cease to be the case. Holly Willoughby waived her right to anonymity in the case (Ian West/PA) Plumb, who adopted the user name Big Bear to chat to others about his plot online, appeared to formulate his fantasy as early as 2011, googling the phrase how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebs. He told others he would then take the presenter to another location, which he suggested would be a dungeon type room, with the jury told that he checked out an abandoned stud farm with cells to keep Ms Willoughby. His messages also showed how he planned to rape her at the location before killing her and then putting her into a lake at night. Plumb was caught after a US undercover police officer from the Owatonna Police Department in the US state of Minnesota infiltrated an online group called Abduct Lovers. He told the officer, who used the pseudonym David Nelson, that he was definitely serious about his plot to kidnap Ms Willoughby, leaving the officer with the impression that there was an imminent threat to her. The officer became so concerned about Plumbs posts that evidence was passed to the FBI, with US law enforcement then contacting police in the UK. Essex Police then raided his flat in Harlow and found bottles of chloroform and an abduction kit complete with cable ties. Handcuffs and cable ties were found when police raided Plumbs flat (Crown Prosecution Service/PA) When he was arrested on October 4 2023, and officers told him that the allegations concerned Ms Willoughby, Plumb told them: Im not gonna lie, she is a fantasy of mine. Plumb had argued in his defence at trial at Chelmsford Crown Court that his plans were just online chat and fantasy, but Mr Justice Murray said that he had no doubt that this was all considerably more than a fantasy to you. Following the jury returning its verdicts, Ms Willoughby said in a statement: As women we should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own homes. At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said that the offences had had a catastrophic impact on Ms Willoughby, stating: The extent of the shock and fear caused by this offending has been impossible to convey. On Tuesday, Sasha Wass KC, for Plumb, said the sentence was far too long and it properly could have been reduced considerably, and cannot have reflected the mitigation that was present. She continued that there was no suggestion of lasting psychological harm to Ms Willoughby. Neither Plumb nor Ms Willoughby attended the hearing, either in person or remotely. Ms Morgan, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the harm intended by Plumb was of the very highest level. She said: What else was the judge to do but conclude that the risk posed by this applicant from the facts of the offending and previous convictions could not be met with anything other than a life sentence? AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Inktavo, the company behind InkSoft, Printavo, GraphicsFlow, SignTracker, and Clarity Software, and OrderMyGear (OMG), a leading online platform for group ordering and e-commerce in the team, promotional products, and decorated apparel markets, today announced its merger. The merger unites two category-defining innovators to create the industry's most complete suite of tools for branded merchandise businesses spanning shop management, e-commerce, production management, reporting, design, and customer engagement. "Combining Inktavo and OMG empowers our customers with a platform that offers solutions for branded apparel, promotional products, and signage," said James Armijo, CEO of Inktavo. "We can enable online sales, proposals, in-house production, or outsourced production or any combination of those so that our customers have the tools and support they need to realize their vision and grow, and their customers can have a seamless experience as if everything is handled in-house." Founded in 2008, OrderMyGear has helped thousands of team dealers, promotional product distributors, and apparel decorators simplify the process of selling branded merchandise to groups online. The company has expanded its capabilities through the acquisitions of BrightStores, a market leader in online company stores for distributors; DistributorCentral, a leading technology provider for supplier product data management and distribution; and Aturian, a presentation, order management, and ERP platform for distributors. "We are thrilled to join forces with Inktavo and expand the ecosystem of solutions available to branded merchandise businesses. For the first time, distributors, decorators, and dealers will have a single technology partner to help power every element of their business from product discovery and digital sales channels to post-sale order management, decoration and fulfillment, and accounting. Suppliers will have unmatched access to thousands of customers using our combined set of solutions to search, buy, and sell brandable products. Together, we are uniquely positioned to connect the industry with market-leading data and technology," said Leonid Rozkin, CEO of OMG. With the merger, Inktavo extends its reach across new verticals while offering current OMG customers access to the company's broader suite of tools, including shop management, design tools, and marketing resources. The companies will continue to operate their existing product lines while working toward an integrated ecosystem, ensuring a smooth transition and continuity for customers. This transaction also brings together the strong backing of experienced investors. Inktavo is supported by PSG and Blue Star Innovation Partners, both of which have deep expertise in scaling software businesses. OrderMyGear is backed by Susquehanna Growth Equity (SGE), which has fueled OMG's growth and supported its acquisitions of BrightStores, DistributorCentral, and Aturian. SGE will remain an investor in the merged company. About Inktavo Inktavo is the parent company of Printavo, InkSoft, GraphicsFlow, Clarity, and SignTracker, providing connected software solutions that help decorated apparel shops and sign businesses sell more products, improve efficiency, and streamline operations. Through the combination of its brands and founders, Inktavo brings more than 40 years of experience from former print shop owners, signmakers, and screenprinters, with a mission to empower branded merchandise businesses to virtualize print commerce. Media Contact: Mike Clark, Marketing Manager, [email protected] About OrderMyGear OrderMyGear (OMG) is the market-leading technology for promotional product distributors, apparel decorators, team dealers, and suppliers to sell branded merchandise across channels. For more than 20 years, OMG has been on a mission to help businesses sell branded merchandise to groups with flexible, secure, and easy-to-use tools. OMG powers sales for over 4,000 clients generating more than $4 billion in online sales. Learn more at www.ordermygear.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Media Contact: Matt Lawson, Senior Marketing Manager, at [email protected] SOURCE OrderMyGear A security guard jailed for plotting to kidnap, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby will seek to challenge his sentence at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday. Gavin Plumb was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years in July last year after being unanimously convicted of soliciting murder and encouraging or assisting others to rape and kidnap. A trial at Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Essex Police found bottles of chloroform and an abduction kit complete with cable ties when officers raided the 38-year-olds flat in Harlow. Jurors also heard that Plumbs kidnap plans involved attempting to ambush Ms Willoughby at her family home, even discussing taking time off work to organise the attack. Plumb had argued in his defence that it was just online chat and fantasy. Sentencing him, Mr Justice Murray described some of Plumbs plans as particularly sadistic, brutal and degrading, and said he had no doubt that this was all considerably more than a fantasy. Holly Willoughby made every effort to avoid attention being drawn to herself in this matter, prosecutors said (Ian West/PA) Plumb is now seeking to appeal against his sentence, with the challenge set to be heard by Lord Justice Edis, Mr Justice Martin Spencer and Ms Justice Norton at the Royal Courts of Justice in London at 10.30am on Tuesday. He was snared after a US undercover police officer from the Owatonna Police Department in the US state of Minnesota infiltrated an online group called Abduct Lovers. Plumb told the officer, who used the pseudonym David Nelson, that he was definitely serious about his plot to kidnap Ms Willoughby, leaving the officer with the impression that there was an imminent threat to her. The officer became so concerned about Plumbs posts that evidence was passed to the FBI, with US law enforcement then contacting police in the UK. When he was arrested on October 4 2023, and officers told him that the allegations concerned Ms Willoughby, the defendant told them: Im not gonna lie, she is a fantasy of mine. At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said the offences had had a catastrophic impact on Ms Willoughby, stating: The extent of the shock and fear caused by this offending has been impossible to convey. The Dancing On Ice star, who asked for her victim personal statement to be private, waived her right to anonymity in connection with the charge against Plumb of assisting or encouraging rape. The proposal will allow pets on San Sebastians coastline between 9pm and midnight in summer (Getty Images/iStockphoto) A Spanish holiday hotspot plans to ban smoking on its shores to avoid contaminating the sand with cigarette butts. San Sebastians Donostia City Council intends to amend the municipal ordinance to stop smoking and promote smoke-free spaces on the municipality's beaches. The council said: The ordinance aims to establish a smoking ban on the municipality's beaches, allow dogs to access the beaches year-round under specific conditions of use, ensure respectful coexistence by regulating aspects related to hygiene, control, and safety, and promote responsible ownership and citizen co-responsibility in the care of public spaces. According to a study by the Spanish research foundation AZTI, cigarette butts represent between 30 and 50 per cent of the waste collected on the province of Gipuzkoa's beaches. AZTI adds that each cigarette can contaminate between 500 and 1,000 litres of seawater. The council aims to move towards healthier, friendlier, quieter beaches that are respectful of the environment and animals, controlling the current exploitation of its sands. This regulatory update responds to a clear social demand and seeks to improve coexistence, environmental quality, and collective well-being, said Inigo Garcia, councillor for diversity, inclusion and the environment. The proposed measure is supported by Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soil, which allows city councils to regulate tobacco use on beaches. Beach access for dogs will also be regulated year-round, with the use of loudspeakers limited to guarantee peace of mind to all beachgoers. The new proposal will allow dogs to access San Sebastian beaches during the summer between 9pm and midnight. San Sebastian citizens can submit opinions on the proposal until 7 November. The City Council has warned that failure to comply with the new rules will result in sanctions. Garcia added: We want our beaches to continue to be a symbol of environmental quality and well-being for all the people of San Sebastian, and this will only be possible with collective involvement. Read more: Tourists warned of new strict smoking laws set to be introduced in Spain Sugar Island bounced back from Fillies Mile disappointment with a decisive Group Three victory in the Staffordstown Stud Stakes at the Curragh. The Dubawi filly made a winning debut at the home of Irish Flat racing in July and while she failed to fire on her on her next start, she fared better when third in the May Hill at Doncaster last month. However, she was again well held when upped to Group One level at Newmarket finishing ninth of 10 behind stablemate Precise and dropped back down in grade 11 days later as one of three runners for Aidan OBrien in a field of eight. Stablemate Cameo was the 2-1 favourite in the hands of Jack Cleary, but 5-1 shot Sugar Island made a smart start under Wayne Lordan and having grabbed the lead before the home turn, she quickened clear in the straight to seal a two-and-three-quarter-length victory over Joseph OBriens Thundering On. Stable representative Chris Armstrong said of the winner: Wayne gave her a lovely ride. Shes a big, galloping filly that stays very well. She had a very good run at Doncaster in a Group Two. Last time in Newmarket it just didnt work out for her on quick ground and we just put a line through it. Wayne gave her a very straightforward ride back here. Shes a filly with a touch of class and its lovely to get that stakes victory for her now and we can bring her back for an Oaks trial next year. Hopefully she progresses nicely over the winter. She looks like a perfect middle-distance filly. OBrien and Lordan had earlier successfully combined with Trojan Warrior, who made a successful start to his career in the Friarstown Stud Irish EBF Maiden. Although easy to back as a 13-2 shot, the Wootton Bassett colt was doing his best work inside the last of six furlongs and he was ultimately well on top as he passed the post with a length and a half in hand over 6-4 joint-favourite Go Just Do It. It was an impressive win. Hes a fine, big horse physically, looking at him walking around the ring, said Armstrong. The penny has really only dropped with him at home in the last six weeks. Wayne felt in the last half-furlong, when he really got him gathered and got him galvanised, he really stretched for the line. Hell be a lovely horse to come back next year, hopefully start in a trial and see where he goes on that performance youd think he could have a nice future. American taxpayers paid over $2.6 million to cover the security costs for Charlie Kirks huge memorial service, according to a new report. The event last month in Glendale, Arizona which was attended by over 100,000 people included protection from ARCUS Group, LLC, a full-service event management and security company. Documents obtained by TMZ showed that the U.S Secret Service paid the group $2,677,416.19 to secure the perimeter at State Farm Stadium, where the ceremony took place on September 21. The Independent has contacted the U.S. Secret Service for comment regarding the cost of security measures. As well as the 90,000 mourners inside the stadium and thousands more gathered outside, Kirks memorial was attended by a host of high-profile figures including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Kirks widow, Erika, also delivered a powerful eulogy. American taxpayers paid over $2.6 million to cover the security costs for Charlie Kirks huge memorial service, according to a new report (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Tens of thousands of mourners gathered inside the State Farm Stadium to mourn Charlie Kirk. (Getty) Pictures of the event showed snaking lines stretching back from the stadium, and memorial planners were forced to send attendees to Desert Diamond Arena one block north, which has a capacity of 20,000. ARCUS, which also provides disaster response services, specializes in event design and production, event programming, and internal and perimeter security, according to their website. The company has extensive experience of providing security at high profile events, including Trumps second inauguration earlier this year. It provided the security for both national political conventions in 2024, as well as the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter and former President Joe Bidens inauguration. Pictures of the event showed snaking lines stretching back from the stadium, and memorial planners were forced to send attendees to Desert Diamond Arena one block north, which has a capacity of 20,000 (REUTERS) People wait in line before a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (AP) Kirks memorial, which took place less than two weeks after he was fatally shot during a speaking arrangement in Utah, went off largely without a hitch, though one man was arrested a day before the event. Joshua Runkles was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and taking a weapon into the stadium, though a spokesperson for Kirks political organization Turning Point USA later said he was known to them. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said on X that Runkles "was doing advance security for a known guest planning to attend the memorial service tomorrow. Kirks memorial was attended by a host of high-profile figures including president Donald Trump and the MAGA commentators wife Erika Kirk (Win McNamee/Getty Images) We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious, however the advance was not done in proper coordination with the TPUSA security team or US Secret Service, Kolvet added. It was not specified who Runkles was providing security for. His arrest came before the site had been fully sealed and locked down, Kolvet said. Tyler Robinson, 22, faces seven charges relating to Kirks death, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Trump demands DOJ pay him $230M for cases against him. His ex-lawyer Blanche could decide the claim President Donald Trump is reportedly demanding the Justice Department pay him $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him a settlement that could ultimately face approval by one of his former lawyers, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Trumps demands, reported first by the New York Times Tuesday, are related to two complaints, made through an administrative claims process that he submitted regarding probes by the Justice Department. One, submitted in 2023, seeks damages for violations of his rights regarding the special counsel and FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, sources familiar with the matter told the Times. The other, filed in 2024, raises complaints that the FBI violated the presidents privacy while searching his Mar-a-Lago residence in 2022 for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Its possible the settlements approval could land in front of a key Justice Department official whom Trump has known for years. Before joining the administration, Blanche defended Trump in his New York criminal trial, in which he was found guilty of falsifying business records. He also defended Trump in his federal classified documents case and election interference case. President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking a $230 million settlement from the Justice Department for prior investigations (Getty Images) The White House deferred questions about the matter to the Justice Department. Chad Gilmartin, a spokesperson for the Justice Department, said in a statement: In any circumstance, all officials at the Department of Justice follow the guidance of career ethics officials. When asked about the potential settlement at the White House, Trump told reporters Well, I guess they probably owe me a lot of money. They probably owe me a lot of money, but if I get money from our country, I'll do something nice with it, like give it to charity or give it to the White House while we restore the White House, Trump added. For years, Trump has railed against the prior administration and Democrats for weaponizing the Justice Department to pursue criminal cases against him for political reasons. What they did was criminal, Trump told reporters last week. They raided my house in Florida, it was an illegal raid. The president appeared to reference his complaints with the Justice Department during that press conference, in which Blanche, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were present. Documents uncovered at Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence reportedly contained national defense secrets Trump pleaded not guilty on allegations of mishandling classified documents (US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/AFP via) I have lawsuit thats doing very well. When I became president I said, Im sort of suing myself, I dont know how how do you settle the lawsuit? Ill say give me X dollars and I dont know what to do with the lawsuit, its a great lawsuit, Trump said. The president has often complained about the Mar-a-Lago raid in which federal agents found 300 classified documents, some related to national defense secrets classified under the Espionage Act, among a trove of boxes stored in a bathroom, ballroom and storage room. His administrative complaint to the department reportedly accuses former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former FBI Director Christopher Wray and former special counsel Jack Smith of malicious prosecution in addition to violating his privacy. The classified documents case against Trump and two co-conspirators, was thrown out by a Trump-appointed judge in Florida last year. Trump appearing in Manhattan Criminal Court in 2024, alongside his former personal attorney, Todd Blanche (right) (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Although the presidents complaints, submitted via a Standard Form 95, are not technically lawsuits, they can precede lawsuits if a settlement is not reached. Per the Justice Department manual, any settlement of claims that exceed $4 million must be approved by the deputy attorney general. There does not appear to be a specific rule about the Justice Department disclosing settlements of administrative complaints. A former Justice Department official told the Times that if or when the department pays out millions to the president, it may not be immediately clear. Democrats railed against Trump upon reading the Times article. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said, Donald Trump wont help Americans, but hell sure help himself. In less than a year, hes turned the taxpayer into his personal piggy bank. While he refuses to extend tax credits to prevent massive health care cost increases for 22 million Americans, hes trying to get the government to pay him $230 million in legal damages using taxpayer dollars. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote on X, @POTUS is ordering the government he runs to pay him. In other countries the leaders at least try to hide win they steal money from the citizens. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a significant critical-minerals deal at the White House, as the U.S. seeks to secure Australias rich rare-earth resources amidst Chinas increasingly stringent export regulations. The agreement, described by both leaders as an $8.5 billion pact between the allies, was the culmination of several months of negotiations, according to Trump. Albanese stated that the deal was just taking the relationship between the U.S. and Australia to the next level. This development follows Beijing's recent announcement that foreign companies will now require Chinese government approval to export magnets containing even trace amounts of rare-earth materials originating from China or produced with its technology. Trump's Republican administration views this as granting China extensive control over the global economy by dominating the technology supply chain. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sign an agreement on rare earth and critical minerals (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque) Australia is really, really going to be helpful in the effort to take the global economy and make it less risky, less exposed to the kind of rare earth extortion that were seeing from the Chinese, Kevin Hassett, the director of the White Houses National Economic Council, told reporters on Monday morning ahead of Trumps meeting with Albanese. Hassett noted that Australia has one of the best mining economies in the world, while praising its refiners and its abundance of rare earth resources. Among the Australian officials accompanying Albanese are ministers overseeing resources and industry and science, and Australia has dozens of critical minerals sought by the U.S. The prime minister's visit comes just before Trump is planning to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month. For Albanese's part, the prime minister said ahead of his visit that the two leaders will have a chance to deepen their countries' ties on trade and defense. Another expected topic of discussion is AUKUS, a security pact with Australia, the U.S. and the United Kingdom that was signed during U.S. President Joe Bidens Democratic administration. Trump has not indicated publicly whether he would want to keep AUKUS intact, and the Pentagon is reviewing the agreement. Australia and the United States have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in every major conflict for over a century, Albanese said ahead of the meeting. I look forward to a positive and constructive meeting with President Trump at the White House. The center-left Albanese was reelected in May and suggested shortly after his win that his party increased its majority by not modeling itself on Trumpism. Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future, Albanese told supporters during his victory speech. There was an awkward moment during Donald Trumps meeting with Anthony Albanese on Monday at the White House when the US president told Kevin Rudd, Australias ambassador to America, I dont like you and I probably never will. The comment, delivered across the Cabinet Room table, sparked laughter from Albanese, other Australian officials, and the journalists present there. Although he had once described Rudd as not the brightest bulb, Trump suggested he did not know the ambassador when a journalist asked if their past relationship had caused the lengthy delay in finally meeting the current Australian prime minister. Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance listen to Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese speak in the Cabinet Room at the White House (AFP via Getty) I dont know anything about him if he said bad [things] maybe he would like to apologise, Trump said. The US president turned towards Albanese, who was sitting on his right, to ask did an ambassador say something bad about me? Albanese smiled in response. Dont tell me, I dont want to know, Trump quickly joked. The US president then turned to Albanese, asking if the individual in question was still with the government. Albanese chuckled and gestured across the table toward Rudd. You said bad? Trump asked Rudd. The ambassador started to clarify that his criticisms came before assuming the ambassadorial role, but Trump cut in, saying, I dont like you either. And I probably never will, he added. Kevin Rudd has been completely humiliated by President Trump as press gallery breaks out into laugher. First Trump says he doesnt even know who the Australian Ambassador is, and then as Rudd tries to speak, Trump cuts him off, saying; "I dont like you either and probably pic.twitter.com/RSdpDCBpZQ Craig Kelly:Foundation for Economic Education (@craigkellyAFEE) October 20, 2025 In November 2024, after Rudd was confirmed as Albaneses choice for US ambassador, a 2021 interview resurfaced in which the former PM had called Trump a village idiot and not a leading intellectual force. Rudd had also referred to Trump as destructive and a traitor to the West. He later deleted his old social media posts criticising Trump. Anthony Albanese sent Kevin Rudd to Washington to represent Australia and it took him almost a year to get a meeting with the President. Rudd publicly attacked Donald Trump in 2020, yet the Prime Minister still made him our ambassador. It was a political choice, not one made in pic.twitter.com/9rHwCryxNr Sussan Ley (@sussanley) October 20, 2025 Opposition leader Sussan Ley immediately called for Rudds removal, saying: Im a bit surprised that the president didnt even know who the Australian ambassador was, and that in itself tells you what the relationship is like. She told Channel Seven: When the ambassador is the punchline of the joke and the prime minister is actually laughing at him, I think it tells you all we need to know about the fact its probably not reasonable he continue in the role. Kevin Rudd labeled Trump a "traitor to the West" and the "most destructive president in history". Who else thinks Kevin Rudd should be immediately stripped from his role as Australias US ambassador? pic.twitter.com/VrQURbtgte katy (@KatyKray73) October 21, 2025 The Guardian reported sources later confirmed that Rudd offered an apology to Trump after the media left, with the president replying, all is forgiven. Albaneses visit delivered concrete diplomatic results for Australia. Trump endorsed the AUKUS security partnership and signed an $8.5bn rare earths deal with the country. Foreign minister Penny Wong praised Rudds role in facilitating the talks. Kevin did an extremely good job, not only in getting the meeting, but doing the work on the critical minerals deal and AUKUS and the success of [the] meeting reflects that work, she told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The Australian ambassador reportedly offered Trump an apology off-camera (Getty) A copy of the agreement released by both governments said the two countries will each invest $1bn over the next six months into mining and processing projects as well as set a minimum price floor for critical minerals, a move that Western miners have long sought. A White House statement on the agreement added that the investments would target deposits of critical minerals worth $53bn, although it did not provide details on which types or locations. In about a year from now, well have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won't know what to do with them, Trump told reporters. Chinas foreign ministry did not comment directly on the deal but said on Tuesday that market and business choices form the global production and supply chain. Key mineral resource countries should play an active role in ensuring the safety and stability of the industrial and supply chain, and ensure normal economic and trade cooperation, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing. Paul Ingrassia alongside Andrew Tate Donald Trumps nomination to the Office of Special Counsel has withdrawn after text messages were leaked in which he allegedly said he had a Nazi streak. Paul Ingrassia, Andrew Tates former lawyer, said he is pulling out of this weeks hearing because he does not have the votes to be confirmed. It comes as he is mired in controversy after reports that he sent a series of racist texts. In messages sent in January, Mr Ingrassia allegedly told a group chat of fellow Republicans: I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it. He also allegedly said Martin Luther King Jr day, a federal holiday, should be tossed into the seventh circle of hell in messages sent in January, according to Politico. At least five Republican senators, including John Thune, the majority leader, signalled that they would oppose the nomination of Mr Ingrassia to the role. Hes not gonna pass The 30-year-old was set to testify on Thursday before the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee, after which his nomination was to be approved or denied. If, as expected, all Democrats had opposed Mr Ingrassias nomination, he could only have afforded to lose the votes of three Republicans. Hes not gonna pass, Mr Thune told Politico. In the messages sent in January, Mr Ingrassia is also said to have used an Italian slur for black people, saying: No moulignon holidays... From kwanza [sic] to MLK Jr day to black history month to Juneteenth. He purportedly added: Every single one needs to be eviscerated. Mr Ingrassia is the presidents nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, the independent anti-corruption agency Additionally, in January 2024 he supposedly wrote: Never trust a chinaman or Indian, when referring to Vivek Ramaswamy, the former Republican presidential candidate, whose parents are Indian immigrants. A lawyer for Mr Ingrassia suggested the texts could be fake or taken out of context. The allegations have added to a cloud of controversy hanging over Mr Ingrassia, who worked on Tates legal team and is a staunch defender of the manosphere influencer. Tate, a self-described misogynist, is facing rape and human trafficking charges in Britain. In 2023, Mr Ingrassia described him as an extraordinary human being who is the embodiment of the ancient ideal of excellence. Earlier this month, a HR complaint was filed against Mr Ingrassia, then retracted days later, accusing him of sexual harassment. He was accused of attempting to make a junior female colleague share a hotel room with him. Mr Ingrassias lawyer has denied the allegations. Republicans turn on nominee Mr Ingrassia, a self-described constitutional law expert who hosted a Right-wing podcast with his sister, had his nomination hearing postponed in July amid a widespread outcry over his lack of legal experience, denigration of federal workers and association with hard-Right figures. Mr Ingrassios mother, Donna Gallo Ingrassia, confirmed to the website NOTUS that she visited the offices of two Democrats who signed a letter in June saying her son was unfit for the role of special counsel. Paul is a strong, unwavering Catholic who is a staunch supporter of President Trump and his agenda. This is an effort to muddy and derail the best candidate for the job, she told the website. At the time the nomination hearing was postponed, James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican senator, said: Hes been an attorney for one year. Following the leak of Mr Ingrassias alleged texts by Politico, Mr Lankford signalled he would not support him. Rick Scott, the Republican senator from Florida, also said he would not vote him through. He told reporters he had spoken to the administration about Mr Ingrassia, adding: I cant imagine how anybody can be anti-Semitic in this country. Its wrong. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, also opposed Mr Trumps pick. Mr Ingrassia, who graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022, according to his LinkedIn, has also advocated for Nick Fuentes, the white supremacist and Holocaust denier. In June 2024, he attended a rally led by Mr Fuentes, where supporters chanted: Down with Israel, according to NPR. He has written at length about his disdain for civil servants, whom he will represent if confirmed, describing them in November 2024 as bugmen and parasites who leech off the diminishing lifeblood of the dying Republic. During the 2024 Republican primary, he spread a conspiracy theory, trumpeted by Mr Trump, that Nikki Haley was ineligible to run for president because her parents were not citizens at the time of her birth. At least four Republican senators have signalled they plan to oppose Mr Ingrassias nomination In a post on X in 2020, Mr Ingrassia called on Mr Trump to declare martial law and secure his re-election following his defeat by Joe Biden. He had been tapped to replace Hampton Dellinger, the former head of the Office of Special Counsel, whom Mr Trump controversially fired in February. The announcement was made in a one-sentence email and gave no reason for the termination, triggering a legal battle with Mr Dellinger, who argued that the special counsel can only be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, according to statute. He dropped his case in March when an appeals court ruled against him. Mr Dellinger was dismissed after his office began scrutinising appeals from federal workers who believed they were wrongfully dismissed under mass firings carried out by Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). The allegations against Mr Ingrassia follow another group chat leak, reported by Politico, showing young Republican activists using racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic language. JD Vance dismissed the chat as stupid kids telling edgy, offensive jokes. Edward Andrew Paltzik, a lawyer for Mr Ingrassia, told Politico: In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult. The Telegraph contacted Mr Ingrassia for comment. Trumps wrecking crew starts East Wing demolition for White House ballroom: More damage than the British did in 1814 The White House has started tearing down parts of the East Wing to make way for construction of President Donald Trumps planned $250m ballroom. Demolition crews on Monday began work on ripping up the facade of the East Wing facing the Treasury Department, a part of the building that housed the White Houses calligraphy office and the entrance that has long been used by visitors arriving for special events or tours. Trump confirmed the demolition work during an event with the NCAA and NAIA baseball championship teams from Louisiana State University and its Shreveport, Louisiana satellite campus. He said the new ballroom would be a lot of fun and noted that the construction had started today. You know, were building right behind us. Were building a ballroom. Theyve wanted a ballroom for 150 years, and Im giving that honor to this wonderful place, he said. Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Donald Trump's $250m planned ballroom (AFP via Getty) A model of the ballroom is depicted on the left side of this scale model of the White House complex (AP) The president appeared to suggest that the new ballroom would be connected to the main White House residence through what he described as a knockout panel in the East Room. The East Wing, which was built in 1902 and given a second floor under then-president Franklin Roosevelt in 1942, has traditionally housed the Office of the First Lady and other parts of the White House, including the White House Travel Office and the White House Military Office. It also sits atop the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, the Second World War-era bomb shelter constructed for Roosevelt that was famously used by then-vice president Dick Cheney during the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington. The demolition of the decades-old structure, which is the newest building on the 18-acre White House complex, appears to violate President Trumps pledge that the massive new event space he has commissioned would not interfere with the existing buildings. The ballroom will hold 650 seated people, a big increase from the current 200-person seated capacity of the East Room (White House) But White House officials have also suggested separately that the new ballroom would replace the East Wing and have justified the move by noting that it has been renovated and changed many times, including the 1942 renovation that added the second floor and the bomb shelter to the building. Last week, the president told donors at a fundraising dinner for the ballroom that the project had been fully financed, including with donations from a slew of companies including Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin and Coinbase. He has said the new ballroom will seat as many as 650 people more than three times the capacity of the East Room. News of the demolition work was met with scorn from some liberal commentators. One such pundit, legal writer Marcy Wheeler, compared the destruction of the East Wing facade to the damage done by British troops under command of Major General Robert Ross, who ordered the burning of both the White House residence and the Capitol during the War of 1812. First Trumps mob attacked the Capitol for the first time since 1812. And now Trump is doing more damage to the White House than the British did in 1814, she said. First Trump's mob attacked the Capitol for the first time since 1812. And now Trump is doing more damage to the White House than the British did in 1814. https://t.co/dduLLTvLLP emptywheel (check) (@emptywheel) October 20, 2025 Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House (Getty) Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta also weighed in, writing: So any president can just start destroying portions of the White House? Is that how this works? Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on Trumps ballroom (AFP via Getty) While new construction of federal buildings must be vetted by the National Capital Planning Commission board, the Trump-appointed head of that panel said in September that the demolition work falls outside the boards jurisdiction and can proceed without the need for approval. Will Scharf, who also serves as the White House Staff Secretary, said during a NCPC meeting last month that the board lacks authority over demolition or site preparation efforts. What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build, he said. A Ukip demonstration has been banned from an area with a large Muslim population because of a realistic prospect of serious disorder, police say. The event was initially advertised as a march from Whitechapel station in east London, but later revised to be an assembly in the same area. It was originally due to take place on Saturday afternoon, according to the Metropolitan Police. It was part of a series of events across the UK promoted as a mass deportations tour, with organisers calling on attendees to reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists, the force said. A counter-protest, organised by Stand Up To Racism and a number of local groups, was also expected, police added. On Tuesday, police said they had imposed Public Order Act conditions meaning Ukip cannot hold its protest in Whitechapel or anywhere else in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Police have banned Ukip from protesting in Whitechapel Commander Nick John, who is in charge of the public order policing operation in London this weekend, said: Tower Hamlets has the largest percentage of Muslim residents anywhere in the UK and the prospect of this protest taking place in the heart of the borough has been the cause of significant concern locally. It is our assessment that there is a realistic prospect of serious disorder if it was to go ahead in the proposed location. This is in addition to the disruption that two large protests taking place on a key arterial route through east London would cause. He added: Ukip are free to organise their protest in an alternative location but they will not be holding it in Tower Hamlets. Anyone who tries to assemble, in breach of the conditions, or who encourages others to do so, will face arrest. In a post on X from the partys main account, Ukip said police had caved into the Islamists and violated our democratic right to peaceful assembly in Whitechapel this Saturday and that it was in the process of re-organising the march for another location in London. The mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman (PA Archive) Writing on X, mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman said the Ukip demonstration would have caused significant disruption and intimidation in our local community, and spread fear and prejudice. He said: We will still hold our peaceful march in Whitechapel on Saturday to celebrate our diversity and unity. From the Battle of Cable Street to today, the far right has never succeeded in dividing our community and they never will. Ukip was founded in the 1990s with the help of now-Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who later went on to lead the party. It was instrumental in paving the way for the in-out referendum on Britains membership of the EU and received 3.9 million votes under Mr Farages leadership in the 2015 general election. Mr Farage quit Ukip in December 2018, saying he was uncomfortable with the direction the party had taken having criticised then-leader Gerard Batten for appointing English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as an adviser. Adaptive reuse project transforms iconic 1950s bowling alley into state-of-the-art, 26,000-square-foot fitness destination WEST ORANGE, N.J., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Iron Culture, the nationally recognized fitness brand known for blending strength training, artistry and community, today celebrated the grand opening of its newest gym in West Orange, N.J. The 26,000-square-foot facility Iron Culture's third and largest New Jersey location marks a major milestone in the brand's continued growth and its mission to redefine the modern gym experience. Iron Culture today celebrated the grand opening of its newest gym in West Orange, N.J. Photo credit: Iron Culture Media Team Located at the former Eagle Rock Lanes site, the new Iron Culture transforms a beloved midcentury bowling alley into one of the state's most distinctive fitness and wellness spaces. The project reflects both the resurgence of adaptive reuse developments across North Jersey and the community's ongoing investment in local revitalization. "West Orange represents the next evolution of Iron Culture," said Arthur Imperatore, the owner of Iron Culture who launched the brand in 2019. "We set out to create more than just another gym we built a space that honors its history while embodying the future of fitness. This location captures the energy, artistry and sense of belonging that define the Iron Culture experience." Originally constructed in 1959 and operated as Eagle Rock Lanes until 2019, the building was reimagined through an extensive renovation led by Titan Construction Management of Fairfield, N.J. The adaptive reuse project retained the original structural integrity while completely upgrading all utilities, systems and finishes. The result is a sleek, spacious facility featuring a stunning, 182-foot clear-span wood truss system and 16-foot ceilings that celebrate the building's midcentury design roots (34 feet at the apex). The new gym features more than 13,000 square feet of column-free, open training space and 6,500 square feet dedicated to locker rooms and amenities. Designed by U.K.-based architectural firm Zynk Design, the layout stresses precision and performance integrating sculptural lighting, high-end metallic finishes and full-length mirrors that enhance visualization and focus. The West Orange site's equipment was sourced from leading global manufacturers including Panatta, Prime, Atlantis, Newtech and Arsenal Strength, ensuring an elite experience for both seasoned athletes and newcomers. Among the facility's signature elements is what Iron Culture calls "the world's foremost posing room" a custom-lit, mirrored space designed for professional training, competition preparation and creative content production. "In partnership with Arthur and his team, we took this midcentury bowling alley and completely reengineered it into a world-class training space, all while preserving its character and craftsmanship. In doing so, we also opened and completely restored the building's intricate bowstring trusses," said Cary Heller, partner and owner of Essex County, N.J.-based Sym Heller Development and Management, which owns the building. "It's a rare combination of design, engineering and culture coming together in one project, and we're excited to see foot traffic return to this hallowed ground." Set back from nearby Eagle Rock Avenue and surrounded by the scenic views of Crystal Lake, the site spans 2.6 acres providing a unique, elevated setting for Iron Culture's most ambitious project to date. "Iron Culture's investment is a tremendous win for West Orange," said Dr. Ron Silikovitz, president of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce. "This project not only reenergizes a landmark property but also strengthens our local business community, bringing renewed energy, jobs and visibility to our town." Founded six years ago, Iron Culture has quickly earned national attention for creating community-driven, visually stunning fitness environments that celebrate discipline, inclusivity and artistry. The West Orange location joins existing gyms in Cedar Knolls and North Bergen, with additional expansion plans already in motion. "Iron Culture has never just been about lifting weights," Imperatore added. "It's about building strength in body, mind and community. West Orange is proof of how far that vision can go, and it's only the beginning." About Iron Culture Founded in 2019 by Arthur Imperatore, Iron Culture is a nationally recognized fitness brand redefining the gym experience through the fusion of strength training, artistry and community. With locations in Cedar Knolls, North Bergen, and now West Orange, N.J., Iron Culture is known for its elite equipment, cutting-edge design and inclusive environment that promotes both physical and mental well-being. For more information visit www.ironculturegym.com or find the gym on Instagram (@ironculturenj). SOURCE Iron Culture West Orange Tucson citizens walking around the University of Arizona in the heat of the day in Tucson, Arizona, on 26 August 2019. Photograph: Cassidy Araiza/The Guardian The University of Arizona has become the seventh US university to reject a Trump administration proposal that would grant schools funding priority if they agree to support the administrations conservative agenda. The decision follows the administrations push for nine universities to sign a Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, which seeks to make sweeping changes to campus culture, hiring and admissions practices and foreign student enrollment. Demands from the Trump administrations 10-point compact include reforms to the way race or ethnicity are used in admission and hiring practices, as well as a commitment to strict definitions of gender, among others. The deadline for universities to provide their initial feedback on the draft of the compact is 20 October. In a letter to the Department of Education sent on Monday, Suresh Garimella, the University of Arizona president, said that principles like academic freedom, merit-based research funding and institutional independence are foundational and must be preserved. We seek no special treatment and believe in our ability to compete for federally funded research strictly on merit, Garimella said in the letter. Along with rejecting the administrations compact, the university attached a Statement of Principles, which included its commitment to title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other federal and state anti-discrimination laws. The move comes after six other universities Brown University, Dartmouth College, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia also rejected the proposal, while Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas at Austin have not yet declined the proposal. Daniel Diermeier , the Vanderbilt chancellor, did not outright reject the proposal, and instead said the university would provide the government with more feedback on the future of higher education. Diermeier said that Vanderbilt participated in a meeting held by Trump officials on Friday, convening universities to gather input and feedback from the schools about the proposal. Diermeier suggested that Vanderbilts core principles were at odds with the demands of the compact. Our North Star has always been that academic freedom, free expression and independence are essential for universities to make their vital and singular contributions to society, he said in a statement. We also believe that research awards should be made based on merit alone. This merit-based approach has enabled the scholarly and scientific excellence that has driven American health, security and prosperity for decades. It must be preserved. UT Austin did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Guardian. Kevin Eltife, UT system board of regents chair, said the system was honored UT Austin was selected to be part of the Trump administrations proposal, according to the Texas Tribune. Students and faculty at UT Austin have raised concerns about academic freedom, leading alumni to create a petition urging the university not to sign the proposal. The petition has received more than 1,400 signatures. The compact also requires colleges to freeze tuition for five years, implement a 15% cap of international undergraduates in the student body, ensure a vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus and to create a more welcoming environment for conservatives. Universities that decide to sign the compact are promised multiple positive benefits, including substantial and meaningful federal grants. Amid the wave of rejections, the Trump administration extended the invitation to other universities, including Washington University in St Louis, the University of Kansas and Arizona State University, according to the Wall Street Journal. Earlier this month, Trump wrote on social media that much of Higher Education has lost its way, and is now corrupting our Youth and Society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology, and that Institutions that want to quickly return to the pursuit of Truth and Achievement were invited to enter into a forward looking Agreement with the Federal Government to help bring about the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select Secure Messaging. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post If you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Wheres the beef? Hamburglars duo arrested and accused of stealing 300 pounds of sausage and hamburger meat A pair of hamburglars have been arrested after they were accused of stealing more than 300 pounds of sausage and hamburger meat, Ohio police say. The Union City Police Department recently announced the capture of suspected meat thieves Juan Anguiano and Justin Flint, comparing them to the fictional McDonalds character, the Hamburglar, who tries and fails to steal fast food hamburgers. The Union City Police Department has successfully captured not one, but two local Hamburglars after a daring (and deeply misguided) freezer break-in at the Union City Help Center, police said in a Facebook post from Tuesday. Officers had responded to a report of someone breaking into the help centers freezer and stealing a significant amount of meat. Juan Anguiano, pictured, and another suspect have been arrested and accused of stealing more than 300 pounds of sausage and hamburger meat, Ohio police say (Union City Police Department) Anguiano and the other suspect, Justin Flint, pictured, were charged with burglary and theft (Union City Police Department) Union City police said 315 pounds of sausage and hamburger meat were stolen, along with a 36-count box of hot dogs, 24 packs of bacon, 24 loaves of bread and 16 pies. Authorities later identified Anguiano and Flint as the suspects. The cops said the duo, after being grilled by investigators, admitted to committing the crime. Union City police told The Independent Anguiano and Flint both face charges of burglary and theft. The help center is a non-profit organization started in 1986 by one church that had a food pantry and another that had a clothing closet. When news broke of the duos arrest, the help center wrote on Facebook, Praise God. Police compared the two suspects to the fictional McDonalds character, the Hamburglar, who tries and fails to steal fast food hamburgers (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Primary Wave) The cops said Flint is also suspected of multiple recent car break-ins. Apparently, when he wasnt on a beef binge, he was out trying to pick up a few side dishes from unlocked cars, Union City police said. Authorities thanked those in the community who helped identify and find the duo. Your cooperation and support keep our city safe and ensure that the only hamburgers being stolen around here are from fast-food drive-thrus legally purchased, of course, the department said. Anguiano and Flint were booked into the Randolph County Jail in Indiana. Its not yet clear if either have legal representation. Union City sits on the Ohio-Indiana border. It is 731 years since the Welsh constituency of Caerphilly has seen a siege by insurgents attempting to seize power from the established rulers. Back in 1294, Madog ap Llywelyn attacked the great 13th-century castle which stands in the midst of Caerphilly in a bid to end the previously unchallenged authority of Edward I. Where Madog failed, Nigel Farages Reform now expect to succeed. The siege by insurgents in 2025, though, looks set to mark the dramatic collapse of Labours previously unassailable hold on Wales, with Plaid Cymru also expected to be a serious challenger to the incumbent party. Nigel Farage has been out on the campaign trail for the Caerphilly Senedd by-election, using the opportunity to spread the partys plans ahead of the Welsh elections next year (PA) Caerphilly has been a Labour constituency since 1918, when it was won by Methodist local preacher Alfred Onions. The party has held the seat in every single election ever since, even when much of the red wall fell in 2019. For a brief period in the 1980s the seat was help by a Social Democrat Party (SDP) MP when its Labour representative, Ednyfed Hudson Davies, defected. But he lost the seat to a future Labour Welsh secretary Ron Davies in the very next election in 1983. Caerphillys fortress has represented Labours impregnable hold, not just on the town but Wales itself, which it has run for an unbroken period since devolution in 1999. But now, following the death of Welsh Labour Senedd member Hefin David, the seat looks like it will fall to the 21st century insurgents from Reform or even Plaid Cymru. The expected result is unthinkable for first minister Baroness Eluned Morgan and will shatter the confidence of the Welsh Labour leadership, as well as sending shockwaves to Sir Keir Starmer and his inner circle in Downing Street. The by-election this week is a dry run for a much bigger election in May 2026, when the whole Senedd is up for election under a new proportional voting system. Wales is set to get more attention in an election across the UK than it probably has ever had in its history, notably because the fight for top spot is being fought over not by the party of power in Wales (Labour) but by two sets of nationalists Reform UK and the Welsh separatists Plaid Cymru. A Beaufort poll today put Reform ahead by seven points on 30 per cent with Labour a narrow second on 23 per cent and Plaid on 22 per cent. Waless first minister Baroness Eluned Morgan (PA) But a Survation poll in Wales looked dire for Labour, with Reform on 42 per cent, Plaid 38 per cent and Labour a very distant third on 12 per cent. Labour could end up a distant third and their only serious hope of retaining any power in a land they have ruled unchallenged for more than a quarter of a century is to be a junior partner to Plaid in a coalition keeping out Reform. The brutal reality is that if Wales falls to Reform then there is a good chance that the discontent among Labour MPs in Westminster will become too much and there will be an actual attempt to oust Sir Keir. This has been coming for some time though. A majority of people in Wales supported Brexit in the EU referendum in 2016. It was a sign of things to come. In the 2019 European Parliament elections the Brexit Party led by Farage took two of the four seats in Wales. Now with Reform riding high in the polls they are eating into Labours vote in its traditional heartlands. So worried were the Welsh Labour leadership that earlier this year they sent the entire Welsh government down to campaign in a council by-election to prevent Reform winning its first seat in the principality. They failed. But why is Labours grip on power in Wales collapsing? The last time Caerphilly was under siege by insurgents attempting to seize power from the established rulers was in 1294 (Visit Wales) There are a number of reasons, many of which centre on the desperate unpopularity of Starmer, his attempts to cut welfare and pensioner winter fuel payments, and the sense of crisis in his government. But the Welsh Labour government is not blameless. Fury over 20mph speed limits, banning building roads, the tourism tax, dire NHS outcomes, and the worst school standards in the UK have not endeared them to Welsh voters. Locally, the closure of libraries by the Labour run council has not helped. When you promise change people kind of expect new money to be spent and are disappointed when it doesnt happen, said one local Labour insider. But the biggest danger of all for Labour on Thursday and next May is apathy. Voters appear to have given up caring which means that the more motivated smaller group has a much larger sway. In past years that would have been Labour getting its vote out but now it is people enthused by Mr Farage and his promises on migration control and nods to the left on nationalising steel. Not even the conviction of former Wales Reform leader Nathan Gill for taking bribes from Russia seems to have halted the partys ascendancy. If Llyr Powell wins he will be the first person elected for Reform to the Senedd, where he will join former Tory Laura Anne Jones who defected earlier this year. In May next year they will certainly have many more colleagues and Caerphilly could be the first brick to go in another collapsing Labour fortress. The Prince of Wales is not satisfied with the Prince Andrew outcome and will take a more ruthless approach to his disgraced uncle and ban him from his future coronation, it has been reported. Heir to the throne William was consulted on the decision that led to Andrew relinquishing his dukedom on Friday, but the Sunday Times said William knows the Andrew problem will be in his in-tray at some point. The newspaper claimed future king William will be more ruthless and is not satisfied with the outcome. Meanwhile, it was reported Andrew tried to get the Metropolitan Police to dig up dirt for a smear campaign against his sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre. The force said it is looking into the allegations after the Mail on Sunday claimed Andrew passed Ms Giuffres date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011 and asked him to investigate. Andrew, still a prince and living in the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge mansion, issued a statement in his own words on Friday in which he said he was giving up his Duke of York title and honours to prevent distracting from the work of the monarch and the royal family. The former Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson together in September (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Ms Giuffres brother Sky Roberts has urged the King to go further and strip Andrew of his right to be a prince. William is always understood to have wanted to take decisive action with regard to the long-running controversy surrounding Andrew and his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The newspaper reported that when William is king, he will ban Andrew from all elements of royal life public and private including his coronation, and most state occasions. It added that William will also ban Andrews ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, from royal events, but their daughters, his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will still be welcome at family and official gatherings. Sarah Ferguson with her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie (Aaron Chown/PA) Kensington Palace declined to comment. Andrews standing with his relatives was laid bare during the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in September, when he tried to engage William in conversation. William did not respond to comments made by his uncle, who stood by his side on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, staring straight ahead and barely acknowledging Andrews presence. The King has already ruled that Andrew will no longer attend Christmas Day service with the royal family and the statement on Friday was viewed as a final banishment for the prince after the ongoing drip-feed of scandal over the years. Charles previously allowed his younger brother to attend his 2023 coronation, with Andrew arriving decked out in his Order of the Garter robes. Andrew, in his Garter robes, attends the King and Queens coronation in 2023 (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) A year earlier, the then-Duke of York paid millions to accuser Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault case, despite claiming never to have met her. Andrew has also given up his Garter knighthood, meaning he will no longer be able to wear his robes or attend the Orders annual service at Windsor Castle each June. There had long been calls for Andrew to lose his dukedom, given to him by the late Queen on the morning of his 1986 wedding, after the long-running furore over his ties to convicted sex offender Epstein. Charles is said to have acted, in consultation with William, Andrew and the royal family, on Friday after it emerged the then-duke had emailed Epstein in 2011 saying were in this together, three months after he claimed he had broken all contact with him. Prince Andrews Newsnight interview led to the possibility of involving Sarah Ferguson and their daughters in the civil case (Jordan Pettitt/PA) The Mail on Sunday reported that Andrew embarked on a bid to smear Ms Giuffre. He is said to have emailed the late Queens then-deputy press secretary and told him of his request to his protection officer, and also suggested Ms Giuffre had a criminal record. The princes alleged attempt, on which the police officer is not said to have acted, came in 2011, hours before the newspaper first published the famous photograph of Andrew with his arm around Ms Giuffre in London. The newspaper said it obtained the email from disclosures held by the US congress. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: We are aware of media reporting and are looking into the claims made. The prince was approached for comment. Ms Giuffres posthumous memoirs, which are due out on Tuesday, have intensified the focus on the sexual assault allegations, which Andrew denies, and his links to Epstein. The then-Duke of York speaking about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnights Emily Maitlis (Mark Harrison/BBC/PA) Ms Giuffre wrote that Andrew insisted she sign a one-year gag order after their settlement to prevent tarnishing the late Queens Platinum Jubilee. She described how Andrews disastrous Newsnight was like an injection of jet fuel for her legal team, and it raised the possibility of subpoenaing Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie and drawing them into the legal case, The Telegraph reported. Ms Giuffre said she got more out of Andrew than a reported $12 million payout and $2 million donation to her charity because she had an acknowledgement that I and many other women had been victimised and a tacit pledge to never deny it again. The princes 2019 Newsnight interview, which he hoped would clear his name, backfired when he said he did not regret his friendship with convicted paedophile Epstein, who trafficked Ms Giuffre. He was heavily criticised for failing to show sympathy with the sex offenders victims. The then-Duke of York, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell Andrew also said he had no recollection of ever meeting Ms Giuffre and added he could not have had sex with her in March 2001 because he was at Pizza Express with Beatrice on the day in question. Ms Giuffre alleged, which Andrew vehemently denies, that she was forced to have sex with the prince on three occasions, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by Epstein. Queen Elizabeth II was celebrating her platinum jubilee in 2022 the first British monarch to reach the milestone as the civil case against her son gathered pace. It was settled just nine days after she reached the 70th anniversary of her accession. Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, revealed in her book: I agreed to a one-year gag order, which seemed important to the prince because it ensured that his mothers platinum jubilee would not be tarnished any more than it already had been. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in August in Alaska for initial talks on Ukraine - Drew Angerer/AFP Vladimir Putin will be allowed safe passage through Bulgarian airspace to attend peace talks with Donald Trump in Hungary. In a rare European olive branch to the Russian president, Bulgarias foreign minister said he should have unimpeded travel if it helps achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. Georg Goergiev said: When efforts are made to achieve peace, if the condition for this is to have such a meeting, it is most logical that such a meeting should be mediated in all possible ways. He added: How is it proposed to hold the meeting if one of the participants cannot get to it? On Monday, France threatened to throw a spanner in the works after Emmanuel Macrons foreign minister suggested Putin should only be allowed to travel to the European Union (EU) if he agreed to an unconditional ceasefire. b' 2210 Putin route to Hungary ' Jean-Noel Barrot said: The presence of Vladimir Putin on European Union territory only makes sense if it results in the establishment of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The summit, announced after a call between Mr Trump and Putin last week, has drawn disquiet from European capitals. Hungary is considered by many to be the Kremlins closest European ally. Until now, Putin has not been offered any public assistance by an EU member state to facilitate his arrival in Budapest. The only route to landlocked Hungary without flying over EU or Ukrainian airspace involves an eight-hour flight over Turkey and the Mediterranean, before entering Montenegro or Albania to reach Budapest via Serbia. If Bulgaria agrees to open its airspace, it would reduce the flight time by providing an entry route via the Black Sea nation. However, Bulgarian officials are yet to receive any requests from Moscow to transit over their territory to the meeting, a date for which is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, European leaders have rallied around Volodymyr Zelensky amid fears Mr Trump and Putin could negotiate a deal over the Ukrainian leaders head. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Coalition of the Willing, chaired by Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Macron, called for a ceasefire before any discussions over territorial swaps are allowed to happen. We strongly support President Trumps position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations, the coalition said. The statement was also signed by Mr Zelensky and the leaders of Germany, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Finland and the EU. A tense meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky last week sparked fears that the US president was pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart to cede territory to Moscow as the price for peace. The European leaders accused Putin of using stalling tactics and reaffirmed plans to boost their financial support for Kyiv using loans guaranteed by frozen Russian assets. Ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on Thursday, Belgium dropped its opposition to using seized Russian cash to underpin a 140 billion loan, which could be used to fund Ukrainian weapon purchases for three years. The Belgians had been concerned about the reputational damage of allowing the loan to go ahead because the bulk of the Russian assets are being held by Belgium-based clearing house Euroclear. The Telegraph understands Britain is also exploring a similar plan but has not yet formally announced anything. montage of benefit/immigration Foreign nationals are making nearly 1.9 million benefit claims, according to official estimates. The foreign nationals made 1,897,000 claims between April and June 2025. Of those claims, EU citizens made 54 per cent and individuals from countries outside the EU lodged 46 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). A further 1,479,000 benefits claims were made by foreign-born individuals who now hold British citizenship, according to the data produced by the ONS from its Labour Force Survey. This means that in total, there were nearly 3.4 million benefit claims made by individuals who were born outside of the UK. For the first time, the data encompasses all benefit types, including not just Universal Credit, but also housing benefit, disability claims, child allowance, pension credits and carers allowance. Foreign nationals become eligible for Universal Credit and other benefits on the same terms as British citizens once they are granted either indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or refugee status. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: This is totally unsustainable and unfair. We should not use hard-earned taxpayers money to pay benefits to people who have not made a meaningful contribution to the UK. I wouldnt expect to go to another country and start claiming benefits, so why should foreign nationals who come here? Only where someone has made a sustained and meaningful contribution and earned citizenship, or where we are bound by a treaty, should foreign citizens get benefits. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said: This outrageous cost to the taxpayer is before the Boriswave gets indefinite leave to remain. Things can only get worse. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has pledged that migrants rights to ILR will depend on them not claiming benefits, paying national insurance, having a clean criminal record, volunteering in the community and speaking English to a high standard. The Tories are also proposing that ILR for migrants will require them to be net contributors to the economy, with both parties increasing the qualifying period from five to 10 years. Reform has gone further by pledging to abolish ILR for non-EU citizens and to replace it with a five-year visa system that requires stricter criteria, including high salary thresholds and English language skills. Rob Bates, the research director of the Centre for Migration Control, which obtained the data, said: These figures give an indication of the huge pressure being put on the public purse by low-skilled mass migration. ILR does not benefit this country and allows huge numbers of foreign nationals to enjoy a subsidised lifestyle at the expense of the UK taxpayer. The numbers receiving welfare are set to skyrocket from next year unless the Home Secretary takes immediate action to prevent hundreds of thousands who arrived during the Boriswave from receiving settled status. The figures are estimates from the Labour Force Survey rather than actual numbers provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). And the numbers represent claims rather than claimants, so a single claimant could make multiple claims across different benefits. The largest number of claims by foreign nationals is for Universal Credit, a total of 674,000. But there are nearly 123,000 foreign nationals receiving housing benefits, 158,000 getting sickness or disability benefits, and some 811,000 receiving child allowance. More than a third (35 per cent) or 663,000 of all benefit claims were made by foreign nationals who had arrived in the UK to work. Some 9.4 per cent or 179,500 of all claims were made by foreign nationals who had arrived in the UK to study. Some 30 per cent or 580,000 of all claims were made by foreign nationals who had arrived in the UK as a dependant or family member. Nearly two thirds of these claims (61 per cent) were made by non-EU nationals. Some 7.5 per cent or 144,000 of all claims were made by foreign nationals who arrived in the UK as asylum seekers. A court artists sketch of Deng Chol Majek giving evidence at Wolverhampton Crown Court - Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire A migrant accused of murder has refused to accept that the blood of his alleged victim was found on his clothes and body. Deng Chol Majek, a Sudanese national, is accused of fatally stabbing Rhiannon Skye Whyte, a worker at the asylum hotel where he was housed, 23 times with a screwdriver on a deserted railway station platform. On Tuesday, giving evidence at his trial, he said he did not accept the findings of a forensic scientist who told the court that Ms Whytes blood was found on his jacket, his trousers, his flip-flops, and under his fingernails. He also denied being euphoric after allegedly murdering her. Prosecutors allege Mr Majek followed Ms Whyte from the Park Inn hotel in Walsall to Bescot Stadium railway station before killing her in a frenzied assault. Rhiannon Skye White was allegedly followed from the hotel where she worked and murdered on a railway station platform - Family handout On Tuesday, Mr Majek told Wolverhampton Crown Court he had never spoken to Ms Whyte and had not even noticed the 27-year-old, who had blue hair at the time of her death, working in the Park Inn. He insisted he had no reason to seriously injure or kill Ms Whyte, and denied staring at her or other female staff members in an intimidating way in the hours before the killing. Speaking through a translator, Mr Majek said he had never had any problem with anyone at the hotel. CCTV footage previously shown to the court appears to show him staring intently at a group of women, including Ms Whyte for a prolonged period on the night of her death. I was just listening to music, he told jurors. I didnt have them in mind and I was thinking about something else. CCTV footage played in court appears to show Deng Chol Majek staring at Rhiannon White behind the bar at the hotel Jurors have been told that Mr Majek stabbed Ms Whyte in the head over and over again with a crosshead screwdriver before leaving her bleeding to death on the floor. Before returning to the Park Inn, he allegedly threw her phone into a river and purchased some alcohol. Asked where he was at the time of the attack, which took place at around 11:15pm on Oct 20 last year, Mr Majek responded: I was staying in the hotel, outside. He denied leaving the car park at the hotel at any point during the night and said a man caught on CCTV apparently following Ms Whyte was not him despite the fact the mans distinctive jacket appeared to be the one he had been wearing during the evening. The CCTV footage showing the man prosecutors allege was Deng Chol Majek walking away from the station after the fatal attack on Rhiannon Whyte - British Transport Police/PA Wire The court was shown mobile phone footage of Mr Majek dancing and drinking alcohol minutes after Ms Whyte was killed. In the background, blue lights from emergency vehicles at the railway station can be seen. When you were outside dancing and singing, was it because you were euphoric about what you had done to Rhiannon Whyte a few minutes earlier? Gurdeep Garcha KC, defending, asked. Mr Majek replied: No it wasnt me who injured her in any way. I was playing music like normal and dancing like normal. The asylum seeker told the court that he did not own a screwdriver, as hotel residents were told not to fix broken furniture in their room but to report it to maintenance. The court heard he had arrived in the UK in July and had been living in the Park Inn for around three months before Ms Whytes death. Mr Majek said he had fled his home town of Khartoum, in South Sudan, in April 2022 when he was 16. He said he had a wife and one daughter and claims he was forced to flee his homeland after a soldier in the army, who wanted to marry his sister, began threatening him and his family. He said his family initially fled to North Sudan but he then left the country entirely and made his way to Europe via Libya. He added: I was expecting him [the soldier] to follow us to the north and I believed he was going to come, so I left Sudan. He said he left behind his wife, who was pregnant at the time, his mother, father, seven sisters and three brothers. A court artists sketch of Mr Majek under cross-examination by Gurdeep Garcha KC, his defence counsel - Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire Mr Garcha asked Mr Majek on what basis he had applied for asylum in the UK. He replied: Based on the fact I was threatened in Sudan and it was dangerous for me to be in Sudan. When asked if the ongoing conflict in his country had been another reason he left, Mr Majek replied: There was a war and I was threatened, this is why I left Sudan. After leaving Libya, he spent around two months in Italy before making his way to Germany, he said. There, the court heard, he was spoken to by police after an incident on board a train in the town of Kaiserslautern. Mr Majek said: I was trying to stop at my stop at the station and the door wasnt opening and I knocked on the door and they called the police. Accused gave incorrect birth date Jurors have been told Mr Majek was drunk and had kicked the drivers door and passenger door of a train. No damage was caused to the train and no action was taken. But during his stay in Germany, the court has heard, Mr Majek gave his date of birth as Jan 1 1998, which would have made him 25 at the time. During his evidence, Mr Majek claimed that was incorrect and German authorities obtained that date from his ID card, which had an error on it. Mr Majek was arrested in his room at the Park Inn early on the morning of Oct 21. He said: I didnt understand why I was being taken, I wasnt feeling anything. I was curious as to why I was being taken. Mr Majek, who says he does not speak any English despite staff members at the hotel claiming to have had conversations with him, remained silent throughout police interviews. He denies murder and possession of an offensive weapon. The trial continues. Flames take hold of an apartment block in Osan, South Korea, where a woman died as she tried to jump to safety A mother died after a neighbour set fire to their apartment building while trying to kill a cockroach using an aerosol can. The victim fell to her death during the blaze after safely passing her two-month-old baby to residents in the next-door block in Osan, South Korea, according to local media. Her husband survived by climbing to the neighbouring building after the fire broke out at 5.30am local time on Tuesday. The woman who started the fire, who is in her thirties, was trying to kill a cockroach in her home by setting aerosol spray alight, but the flames spread to a bed and a pile of rubbish. Video of the scene shows smoke pouring from the five-storey building as firefighters position a ladder to rescue residents of its 32 apartments. At least eight people suffered smoke inhalation, and the fire took 40 minutes to put out. Police in Osan said they would be seeking an arrest warrant to charge the woman with negligent arson and involuntary manslaughter. The mother fell to her death after she and her husband opened their window and tried to climb across to the neighbouring building. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead at around 10.40am local time. In 2016, an American man started a fire at his home while using bug spray and a lighter to create a flamethrower to kill cockroaches. And in 2018, an Australian man set fire to his kitchen, also while trying to kill a cockroach. George Abaraonye had been due to take over as president of the 202-year-old debating society next term The president-elect of the Oxford Union has been ousted following outrage over his apparent celebration of Charlie Kirks shooting. George Abaraonye, who was due to take over as president of the 202-year-old debating society next term, was forced out following a vote on Saturday. The Oxford Union published the results of the vote on Tuesday morning. Of 1,746 votes cast, 1,228 were in favour of no-confidence, meaning the no-confidence motion carried. Rules state that at least two-thirds of valid votes must be cast in favour for the motion to be passed. The debating society was engulfed in a free speech row when The Telegraph revealed in September that Mr Abaraonye had shared messages in which he appeared to celebrate the lethal attack on Kirk, a Right-wing US influencer. Sources claimed that close to 1,000 life members of the Oxford Union subsequently registered proxy votes against the philosophy, politics and economics student in an organised push to oust him last week. The outcome of the vote was to have been published on Sunday but the process was delayed over identity checks on proxy votes submitted by alumni. A notice posted at the Oxford Union on Tuesday read: As this threshold has been met, the motion of no confidence has been carried. The results of the poll were published on Tuesday morning Oxford Union officials told The Telegraph the vote count had descended into chaos as they had to check the identity of every proxy vote manually. The process was temporarily suspended on Monday morning after the Oxford Unions extraordinary returning officer claimed he was subjected to obstruction, intimidation, and unwarranted hostility by a number of representatives. Mr Abaraonye, 20, contested the results, claiming he remains the president-elect. He claimed the poll was compromised and he did not know if or how many proxy votes have been tampered with. In September, the final-year student at University College, Oxford, sent texts to a chat group, including one saying, Charlie Kirk got shot, lets f------ go, a common celebratory phrase among Gen Z. Another message, believed to be sent from his Instagram account, said: Charlie Kirk got shot loool. Mr Abaraonye debated with Kirk in the Oxford Union chamber months earlier, with the pair exchanging views on marriage, gender norms and toxic masculinity. Mr Abaraonye has since apologised and retracted his remarks, but his refusal to step away angered many alumni. Charlie Kirk debated with George Abaraonye at the Oxford Union The student took the unusual step of bringing a no-confidence motion in himself last Monday, which he told The Telegraph was an attempt to reclaim a process of true accountability and force the debate back into our chambers, a space built for free speech. Critics claimed that alumni had planned to submit a motion of no confidence the following day, and Mr Abaraonye was trying to get the upper hand. On Tuesday night, the union was plunged into further chaos after a no-confidence motion was brought against the current president Moosa Harraj. Members will be able to vote in person from 11am until 7pm on Thursday October 23, or by proxy by emailing the returning officer. There was a widespread backlash over the students remarks about Kirk, which The Telegraph revealed had prompted dozens of scheduled speakers to pull out and a 500,000 donation to be put on hold. Mr Abaraonye took the unusual step of bringing a no-confidence vote in himself last Monday Kirks allies threatened to lead a boycott of the Oxford Union unless Mr Abaraonye resigned. In an open letter read out on last Fridays episode of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, three of Kirks closest friends said they would personally contact every American political speaker who has ever graced the unions chamber and urge them never again to lend their name, time or reputation to that institution that has betrayed its founding ideals. It would have raised questions over speaking events scheduled to take place in the coming months, including an appearance by Mike Pence, Donald Trumps former vice-president. Mr Abaraonye claimed that the debate over his future at the Oxford Union had been hijacked by racist remarks and violent and extreme rhetoric, which he said had resulted in threats to his family. In a statement to The Telegraph last week, he said: The union is a formative space where students learn, often through error. Making a mistake and growing from it is part of the university experience. For members who know me or have engaged with me since, I hope they see that growth and my commitment to the role. Ultimately, the specific outcome [of the vote] is secondary to the principle. The goal is to demonstrate that the Oxford Union will not be bullied by cancel culture and will stand firm in its commitment to free speech, a fair process and reasoned debate. After the results were announced, Mr Abaraonyes team released a statement which read: This poll was compromised from the moment Moosa Harraj [president of the Oxford Union] and his majority on the Standing Committee brought compromised and untested Poll Regulations. George is proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford, who voted to have a safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy. Nick Adderley has been charged with fraud and misconduct in a public office - Jacob King/PA Former police chief Nick Adderley has been charged over allegations he lied about being a decorated Royal Naval officer. The former Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police was accused of wearing medals to which he was not entitled and falsely claiming to have served as a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy. Following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), Mr Adderley was charged with one count of misconduct in public office and one count of fraud. The 59-year-old is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on Nov 10. Allegations surfaced in September 2023 when Mr Adderley attended the Police Bravery Awards, where he was spotted wearing a set of military service medals. Among them was the South Atlantic Medal awarded to those who served in the 1982 Falklands campaign even though he was only 15 at the time. He was later suspended and dismissed from the force and a criminal investigation was launched. Sufficient evidence to bring this to court A spokesman for the IOPC said: The charges follow our independent investigations into allegations Mr Adderley falsely claimed, over a period from 2018-2024, to have been a former Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, had served in the Falklands War, and was entitled to wear associated service medals. Its also alleged the 59-year-old made false claims relating to a naval career on his CV and application form submitted in support of his bid to become the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police in June 2018. Following the IOPC investigations, we sent evidential files to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last year for them to consider any potential criminal charges. Malcolm McHaffie, from the CPS, said: We have decided to prosecute former Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley with offences of fraud and misconduct in public office. This follows an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation into claims made by Mr Adderley in reference to his military service and educational attainments. Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. We have worked closely with the Independent Office for Police Conduct as they carried out their investigation. New website and Fellows' portal aim to activate 1,600+ cross-sector civic leaders to forge partnerships, launch initiatives and inspire collective action that will "propel Chicago forward." CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Leadership Greater Chicago, recognized as the region's premier civic leadership development organization for more than 40 years, announced a strategic rebrand that underscores its commitment to convene, connect, and activate civic leaders across the region. As part of its rebrand, LGC unveiled a redesigned website, now live at lgcchicago.org, and introduced the new LGC Fellows Network portal, available exclusively to its 1,600+ Fellows. Together these platforms bring the organization's refreshed strategy to life, offering new ways for the public and Fellows alike to engage with LGC's mission and impact. Chicago is navigating a moment that demands more from all of usaccelerating inclusive growth, expanding economic mobility, strengthening public safety and restoring civic confidence. To meet this moment, LGC's rebrand centers on three pillarsconvene, connect and activateso leaders can activate collectively to accelerate positive change. Our updated strategy aligns partners around shared priorities and converts ideas into measurable progress. By emphasizing collaboration, inclusion, innovation and collective activation, we can scale meaningful change across the Greater Chicago region now, when it's needed most. "Civic leadership is not optionalit is the engine that will propel Chicago forward," LGC CEO Myetie Hamilton said. "Our work is to equip leaders with the knowledge, networks and platforms to take on the region's most urgent challengesfrom economic mobility to immigration to public safety and education. This strategic vision speaks to LGC's role during times of heightened need. With the launch of our website and Fellows' Network portal, we are equipping more than 1,600 Fellows to connect across industries and generations, align around shared priorities, and drive measurable progress for decades to come." A New Digital Gateway for Civic Engagement The new website serves as a hub for all stakeholdersfrom civic and business leaders, community members and organizations to Fellows and partnersto learn, engage and collaborate with LGC and each other. Visitors can discover more about LGC's respected Fellowship programs, partner through sponsorship opportunities and explore stories of Fellows collaborating across sectors to advance solutions that drive positive change. Beyond showcasing Leadership Greater Chicago and its Fellows, the website is designed to function as a knowledge center, offering community research insights, case studies and leadership resources that highlight how cross-sector collaboration and collective activation can propel Chicago forward. By making these tools widely accessible, LGC ensures civic leaders at every stagefrom emerging voices to established changemakershave the information and inspiration they need to take action. Exclusive Fellows Portal will Accelerate Collective Activation The new LGC Fellows Network portal is designed to transform how Fellows connect, collaborate and activate transformational initiatives and projects that will propel Chicago forward. This secure platform enables Fellows from every program year and sector to share insights, build connections, and activate. A core differentiator of the portal is its focus on small group conveningsFellows leading purposeful gatherings to advance progress, not just socialize. It also serves as a vehicle for connection, giving Fellows the ability to build consultancies and alliances that amplify their impact. Features include peer-to-peer connection, event registration and Fellow-led small-group convenings. An opt-in AI-powered feature, LGC Connect, fosters one-to-one introductions to spark partnerships and drive activation. This strategic vision also speaks directly to LGC's role during times of heightened need, when intentional collaboration and collective leadership are most essential. "The LGC Fellows Network portal is an infrastructure for action that will expand our network's efficacy and reach," Chicago Scholars CEO Jeff Beckham, an LGC Fellow since 2023, said. "It gives our Fellows the ability to forge meaningful relationships, share insights, collaborate across industries, take collective action and accelerate solutions to the region's toughest challenges." Charting a Strategic Horizon for Chicago's Future With LGC's shift to inspire leaders to accelerate collective efforts that will support a more resilient, equitable and vibrant city and region, this launch marks a pivotal change in its strategic vision. These new tools underscore LGC's responsibility to convene and activate civic leaders to meet the moment and tackle our region's greatest challenges. LGC calls on Fellows, civic leaders, corporations and community partners to join in advancing this ambitious goal. To learn more about LGC and its impact visit: www.lgcchicago.org. About Leadership Greater Chicago Leadership Greater Chicago is the region's premier civic leadership development incubator, delivering the knowledge and network to lead bold, transformative change. LGC convenes, connects, and activates the area's most promising leaders around key socioeconomic issues through dynamic education and experiential activities. These diverse individuals represent the most prominent corporate, nonprofit, government, and education organizations. LGC creates connectivity among its Fellows to positively impact not only themselves but their employees, their constituents, their clients, their neighbors, and their families. This connectivity is the backbone and strength of the LGC network, enabling leaders to leverage collective resources to make the Greater Chicago region a more dynamic, inclusive, and collaborative community. LGC Fellows are a distinguished group that includes former First Lady Michelle Obama; Managing Partner of Emerson Collective and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; former Executive Chairman of Urban Partnership Bank David Vitale; Founder, Chairman, and Co-CEO of Ariel Investments John Rogers Jr.; Executive Chairman of the Board at Henry Crown & Company Steve Crown; Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services for the State of Illinois Grace Hou; President of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Brett Hart; Chancellor of Chicago City Colleges Juan Salgado; President and CEO of Metropolitan Family Services Ric Estrada; and President and CEO of Access Living Karen Tamley. Leadership Greater Chicago is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To learn more, visit: lgcchicago.org . Media Inquiries: Diana Martinez Purpose Brand [email protected] SOURCE Leadership Greater Chicago Jess Phillips rejected allegations relating to the grooming scandal inquiry, including that it was at risk of being watered down - Jonathan Brady Grooming gang survivors have attacked Jess Phillips as Labours national inquiry into the scandal plunged into further turmoil. Abuse victims hit back at the Home Office minister after she rejected their claims that the inquiry could be watered down and expanded to cover other forms of child sexual abuse. Fiona Goddard, one of four survivors who quit the inquirys victims panel over their concerns, produced a consultation document in which they were asked whether the inquiry could take a broader approach. I didnt make this up. The documents are right there. Being dismissed and contradicted by a minister when youre telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again, said Ms Goddard. I think she needs to step down because shes publicly accused a grooming gang survivor who, throughout my whole life has been accused, of lying over and over again that is part of the whole scandal. The public row came on a day when Annie Hudson, a senior social worker and one of the candidates to chair the inquiry, withdrew from the process and three more grooming gang victims quit. The survivor, who has not publicly identified herself, followed Ms Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds in resigning from the victims liaison panel advising the Home Office. On Tuesday night, Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, sought to reassure the victims by pledging the inquiry would not be watered down on my watch. It would focus on grooming gangs and examine the ethnicity and religion of offenders, who were disproportionately Asian, she added. Ms Goddard quit after saying she had repeatedly faced suggestions from officials to expand this inquiry with grooming gang victims forgotten. Ms Reynolds said the final turning point was the push to widen the remit of the inquiry in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse. Survivor Fiona Goddard said Ms Phillips should step down for publicly accusing a grooming gang survivor of lying - Lucy North However, Ms Phillips published a letter on Monday evening to MPs saying reports that the Government was seeking to dilute the focus of the inquiry by expanding the scope beyond grooming gangs were untrue. In an angry and emotional statement in the Commons, Ms Phillips maintained: Allegations of intentional delay, lack of interest or widening of the inquiry scope and dilution are false. The inquiry will remain laser-focused on grooming gangs, as Baroness Casey recommended. In response, Ms Goddard published the consultation document, headed Questions for reflection with six questions, including one asking: Should the inquiry have an explicit focus on grooming gangs or group-based CSEA [child sexual exploitation and abuse] or take a broader approach. When I resigned, I knew I was risking my credibility by speaking out. To have Jess Phillips tell a parliamentary committee that my concerns about scope expansion are untrue when we were literally asked in writing whether the inquiry should take a broader approach is devastating, said Ms Goddard. Other survivors will see this and think, whats the point in speaking up if were just going to be called liars? We needed honesty from this Government. Instead, we got denial and dismissal. She claimed it was a blatant lie to suggest it was untrue that there had been a possibility or conversation around expanding the scope beyond grooming gangs. The Home Office, however, maintained that survivors were being asked what they wanted from the inquiry to inform any future decisions on its remit rather than dictating to the victims. Ms Goddard directly challenged Ms Phillips over the questionnaire, saying: Every which way this is being manipulated away from what it was supposed to be and its unfair. In the text exchange released by Ms Goddard, the minister replied: No one is trying to manipulate the response and it is my view that it is only a grooming gangs specific inquiry, but it is not right for me to make that decision without it being formally consulted upon. The third survivor to quit, a victim of the Rotherham scandal known by the pseudonym Elizabeth, said she was concerned by a sense of control and stage-management that had left many of her fellow victims questioning whether our voices truly matter. In her resignation letter, Elizabeth said the process felt like a cover-up and had created a toxic environment for survivors. She said she felt the process had been scripted and predetermined, rather than emerging from honest, open dialogue with survivors. The fourth victim to quit, Jessica, which is not her real name, from West Yorkshire, said she was stunned to learn that the two prospective chairmen of the inquiry were a former police officer and a former social worker. When I found out the two potential chairs were a former police officer and a former social worker, I was shocked and I didnt know how they could be involved. Ms Hudson, a former director of childrens services for Lambeth, is understood to have told survivors that she no longer wanted to be considered after recent media coverage. Her decision to withdraw leaves Jim Gamble, a former head of the Royal Ulster Constabulary special branch in Belfast, and at least one other candidate in the running. Interviews were being conducted this week. The Home Secretary said the statutory inquiry would ensure there was no hiding place for the evil child rapists and those who covered up for them. Firstly, this inquiry is not, and will never be, watered down on my watch. Its scope will not change, and nor will its intent. It will be robust and rigorous, Ms Mahmood said. Secondly, this inquiry will focus on grooming gangs and that will not change. Thirdly, it will explicitly examine the ethnicity and religion of the offenders. She said it was with a heavy heart she learnt that some victims had stepped away, but said the door will always remain open to them if they wished to return. But even if they do not, I owe it to them and the country to answer some of the concerns that they have raised, she added. Downing Street denied the inquiry was in crisis. The Prime Ministers spokesman said: The important thing from our point of view is to set up this inquiry and to set it up in the right way. The terms of the inquiry will be established when weve appointed a chair and that process is ongoing. A Home Office spokesman said: The Government is working closely with victims from across the country so they can shape the direction and scope of the inquiry. The conduct and procedure of the inquiry will be a matter for the chair, but the terms of reference will be clear that its scope will be laser-focused, as Baroness Casey recommended. Tom Boyd, who has severe autism, has worked at Waitrose for free for more than 600 hours Waitrose has stopped a volunteer with autism doing shifts at one of its stores after his family asked for him to be paid for his time. Frances Boyd said her son Tom, 27, had spent more than 600 hours stacking shelves for free at a branch of the supermarket in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester. But she said when she asked the supermarket for him to be paid in recognition of his time, effort and heart, they were told he could not become an employee. Mrs Boyd, a charity worker from Stockport, told the Times her son was heartbroken he was no longer able to work at the store and that he deserved better. She said Mr Boyd had been volunteering at the store for nine hours each week, accompanied by a support worker, and was praised by staff for his hard work. Hes been doing it for four years, so why cant that continue? But, she said, after the branch contacted Waitrose head office, alarm bells rang because of the number of hours of unpaid work Mr Boyd was doing. She was told he would not be able to work there again until the situation had been resolved. Mrs Boyd said: He does miss it. He did enjoy it and enjoyed going there. His language is very limited and he couldnt communicate with customers but he had support staff there who could have done so on his behalf. Hes been doing it for four years, so why cant that continue? We werent after 40 or 30 or 20 hours. We said wed accept four, three or even two just something. Mrs Boyd said the manager told his family: We cant just let him do his thing. Advertised vacancies for supermarket assistant roles currently advertised at the company pay 12.40 per hour and include responsibilities such as ensuring our shelves remain as full as possible and products are in the right place at the right time for our customers, which Mr Boyd carried out in his capacity as a volunteer. She has told her son that the shop is being cleaned to protect his feelings, and although she has been offered legal support, she said she would prefer him to be back working at Waitrose. Mrs Boyd added: The staff on the shop floor were amazing and no reflection of the way [the head office] behaved. Its that cold, harsh, big corporate company that doesnt see that young person as an individual. They are separated. They dont need to look at feelings and how it affects people. They can just say, No. The family is looking for alternative work experience at other supermarkets for Mr Boyd, as well as cleaning roles, because of his enjoyment of dusting, vacuuming and making beds. Writing about the incident on social media, Mrs Boyd added: They told us he couldnt be offered a job because he couldnt do the full role, yet we know for a fact there are people in the same store being paid, and they arent able to do every part of the job either. How is that fair? He gave over 600 hours of his time, purely because he wanted to belong, contribute and make a difference. After everything hes done, there was no apology, no thanks and no recognition for his commitment. Just silence. A Waitrose spokesman told the Telegraph: We work hard to be an inclusive employer. As part of this, we partner with a number of charities, including to provide work experience, and are well experienced in making reasonable adjustments to help people succeed at work. We are sorry to hear of Toms story, and whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we are investigating as a priority. Woman sitting on counter in retro kitchen with cookbook and baking supplies - Monstarrr_/Getty Images You'd think it would be hard for any kind of dessert to go out of fashion it's dessert, after all but as it turns out, it happens more than you might think. Take the desserts you'll find below, for example. They were popular in the '50s and '60s, so your grandparents probably enjoyed them many times, but they have since all but faded into the pages of time. There's a slight chance you've heard of a few of the upcoming desserts before some of them are currently having a resurgence but we bet you haven't seen more than a couple on restaurant menus (if that) and certainly haven't tried them all. If you have, our guess is that it is probably only because your grandparents made them for you. It doesn't have to be that way, though, because once you learn about some of the nearly forgotten desserts from the '50s and '60s coming up, you might just want to try and make them yourself. Others not so much chocolate mayonnaise cake? Yuck! Or is it? Regardless of whether or not the upcoming desserts make you start drooling enough to seek them out or attempt making them yourself, it's still cool to peek into ages past and get a glimpse at our elders' dessert-eating preferences, right? Let's go. Read more: 16 Old-School Sandwiches Hardly Anyone Eats Anymore Ambrosia salad Plate of ambrosia salad with various fruits and marshmallows - Alleko/Getty Images The name ambrosia salad implies the dish is akin to the nectar of the gods, but we'll let you be the judge of whether or not it is worthy of such a title. Ambrosia salad is a fruit salad at its core. However, it also features coconut, marshmallow fluff, more marshmallows, and sometimes nuts. As for the fruit, basically anything canned will work, but in our experience, mandarin oranges and cherries are almost always included. Mix it all together and you get a sweet, marshmallow-y, coconut-y, fruit mix that is good enough to enjoy as a dessert. Our grandmother used to make ambrosia salad for every holiday when we were growing up, so we can tell you that it is indeed a Southern tradition of the past. Has anyone in my family made it since? No, but times have changed, and when people think of fruit salad now, they imagine something quite a bit healthier than Ambrosia. Don't even get us started on how it's called a salad in the first place. Still, we remember loving it as a kid, and we were often told we weren't allowed to fill up on it alone. So, if you're looking to get a taste of some nostalgia, you could do a lot worse than recreating your grandparents' ambrosia salad. Chiffon cake Overhead view of chiffon cake with fresh sliced lemon wheels - Antoerre/Getty Images Chiffon cake was invented by Harry Baker in 1927, who, interestingly enough, was an insurance salesman. It was an instant hit, but he kept his recipe secret for decades gotta' corner the market, right? Eventually, in 1947, he sold his recipe for chiffon cake to General Mills so people everywhere could start making it themselves. At that point, its popularity spread like wildfire, and in the '50s, General Mills even hosted chiffon cake contests, cementing it into the baking culture of the era. So, what makes chiffon cake stand out? Well, it may not look like anything special at first glance, but its appeal lies in the details. Instead of using shortening or butter, the recipe calls for vegetable oil. Additionally, the egg whites and yolks are whipped separately. The result is a light, airy cake with a delectable texture. When the recipe was first brought to the public, it was touted as revolutionary, but now cake recipes that call for vegetable oil are pretty common. That could be why chiffon cake has fallen by the wayside, but in its heyday, it was new, exciting, and unlike anything else. Considering it's hard to spot a chiffon cake by sight alone, it's possible you've had some before, even if it wasn't called as such. Grasshopper pie Slice of bright green grasshopper pie - TUVISION/Shutterstock If you've ever sipped a classic grasshopper cocktail, which can be served as a martini or frozen, you already have a good idea of what a grasshopper pie will taste like. It's no coincidence they share the same name because the pie is actually based on the drink, and they share many of the same ingredients. Both are made with white creme de cacao, creme de menthe, and cream, resulting in a creamy, minty, chocolate-y concoction in a striking shade of green. As for grasshopper pie specifically, the ingredients listed above are combined with melted marshmallow and whipped cream before it is poured into a chocolate crumb crust and chilled for several hours. Some recipes may opt for gelatin or egg whites over melted marshmallows, but either way, what you get is a bright green, fluffy dessert with lots of yummy flavor. Still, just like the cocktail that inspired it, grasshopper pie is no longer something you see on restaurant menus or dinner tables. It reached its peak popularity in the '60s, but you know what? Grasshopper pie might just be one of the classic pie flavors that deserves a comeback. Fluffy chocolate mint pie? Yes, please. Jell-O molds Berry Jell-O mold on white plate - Bhofack2/Getty Images If you come from the land where ambrosia salad is popular, you've probably at least heard of a Jell-O mold before. If not, imagine a bundt cake made out of Jell-O with pieces of fruit floating inside, and you've got it. Pieces of meat or vegetables were not uncommon additions, either. They may sound somewhat lackluster or unusual today, but in the 1950s, they were wildly popular. Brightly-colored, glossy, jiggly, and almost futuristic in appearance, Jell-O molds were all the rage, and some would even say they were the most popular dish in post-war America. Not only did they exemplify the near-perfect appearance standards of the error, but they were also incredibly simple to make. The futuristic appeal of Jell-O molds wasn't strong enough for it to maintain popularity for long; it started to decline in the '60s, but your grandparents probably loved them. If learning about Jell-O molds inspires you to try making one yourself, don't forget to use the hot water trick to help it release from the pan. Otherwise, all your hard work could crumble at the last moment, and this dessert is all about appearance. The term mold is in the name, after all. Pink Champagne cake Slice of pink Champagne cake with fresh strawberries - Fstop123/Getty Images In the 1960s, pink Champagne was a big hit, especially with lady socialites. It wasn't just the drink, either. The color itself was in fashion, so a crossover to a pink Champagne cake was an instant success. Made with layers of cake and Champagne-flavored Bavarian butter cream, it was not only delicious, but it looked the part, pink color and all. Can you imagine sipping pink Champagne while savoring a cake that matches in color and flavor? C'mon. Even the name pink Champagne cake sounds fun, so whatever happened to it? Well, it may not be at its peak anymore, but it isn't completely gone, and considering pink sparkling wine is coming back into style, maybe the cake will start popping up again, too. Who knows? Also, if the name pink Champagne cake doesn't immediately have you singing Pink Pony Club in your head, do yourself a favor and give the song another listen maybe while you attempt to make the cake? After all, it sounds perfect for any number of celebratory occasions. Tunnel of fudge cake Close-up of tunnel of fudge bundt cake - New Africa/Shutterstock The tunnel of fudge cake is the stuff of legends. While wildly popular in the 1960s, people today struggle to recreate it, almost as if it defies the laws of gravity or physics as a whole. Before we get into that, though, a tunnel of fudge cake is a chocolate and nut bundt cake with a ring of gooey fudge snaking through the middle. It's similar to the lava cake we know and love today, but on a much larger scale, hence the difficulty in getting it to bake properly. In 1966, the tunnel of fudge cake recipe earned Mrs. Ella Helfrich second place in the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition, and from then on, its popularity reached soaring heights. In fact, it is still one of the most popular recipes ever in the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition. Even so, getting it made properly today is a nightmare, possibly because some of the original powder mixes have been discontinued. Regardless, if you want to give this cake a try, you're going to have to work hard to get it done right. Maybe your grandmother might have some tips? Or, maybe it is just best to stick to the modern lava cake version of the recipe. Baked Alaska Baked Alaska with colorful ice cream center and toasted merengue shell - Food is Love/Shutterstock Ice cream pies were very popular in the 1950s, and possibly the chicest one of all was the baked Alaska. It is believed that it was invented in the 1800s, although its origins are somewhat disputed, but it did not reach its peak popularity until the mid-20th century. Regardless, it consists of three main parts: a sponge or pound cake base, ice cream filling, and a toasted meringue shell formed into stunning peaks. Altogether, the components create a cake overflowing with various textures, flavors, and temperatures. It's simultaneously chewy, cool, creamy, and toasty yum. Of course, the whole peaked, flambe look of a baked Alaska is gorgeous, so how could it not be popular in your grandparents' era? Luckily, though, baked Alaska is having somewhat of a resurgence right now. That means its true glory days could still be yet to come. We will just have to wait and see. If you spot it on a menu, make sure to give it a try. It looks just as spectacular as it always has, but something tells us all the culinary innovations that have occurred since then will only make it that much tastier. Actually, we know so. We served it in a restaurant we worked at, and it was freaking phenomenal. Cherries jubilee White bowl of cherries jubilee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - Darryl Brooks/Shutterstock In the 1950s and '60s, you could find cherries jubilee everywhere in cookbooks, on restaurant menus, all over the place. The beauty of it was that it was simple to prepare, yet it came with a big, dramatic finish by way of fire. Essentially, cherries jubilee is made by sauteing the namesake ingredient with sugar and orange zest or juice. Once cooked to a gooey consistency, kind of like pie filling, brandy is added, and the entire thing is flambeed. After that, it is spooned into a bowl and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Cherries jubilee may be a fun dessert with lots of flourish, but its drama is also likely why it lost its appeal. In the '70s, the excess theatricality of the dessert fell out of fashion, so just like the baked Alaska, cherries jubilee was seen less and less. If you still love to flambe and have the tools to get the job done, cherries jubilee is easy and quick to make, so if you want to revisit some of your grandparents' favorites, it's a fantastic place to start. Safety first, though, and make sure to burn all of the alcohol off before serving, or the flavors will be all wrong, and you might just regret it the next day. Chocolate mayonnaise cake Fluffy chocolate mayonnaise cake on serving platter - larik_malasha/Shutterstock Unlike some of the other desserts on this list, chocolate mayonnaise cake was never wildly popular. It did, however, have a brief moment in the sun in the early 1950s. And no surprises here, but Hellman's Mayonnaise is credited with making it popular during that time. The name chocolate mayonnaise cake isn't all that appealing, but if you think about it, mayo isn't too far off from the typical ingredients we see used in cake. After all, it does contain eggs, and it's creamy like oil or butter. That's exactly why it works so well in cake, so the chocolate mayonnaise cake swapping out butter and eggs for mayo works better than you might expect. Some early recipes also include nuts, dates, and raisins, but the use of mayo with chocolate cake batter is what's important. Today, some people still use mayo in cake recipes to make the resulting dessert less greasy. You won't find anyone referring to it as chocolate mayonnaise cake, but the idea still stands and works exceptionally well. If you give it a try, we don't recommend telling people that's what you used until they get a taste, though. Otherwise, they might have a gut reaction to dislike it before they even give it a shot. Pineapple upside down cake Pineapple upside down cake on parchment paper with missing slice - Bhofack2/Getty Images If pineapple upside down cake makes you think of the iconic show "Mad Men," you are not wrong. Not only do the stars enjoy it in one of the episodes, but the mid-20th century was when it was most popular. As the name suggests, pineapple upside down cake is, in fact, flipped upside down at the very end, and that's what gives it its eye-catching appeal. To make one, a pan is lined with sugar and rings of pineapple. A cherry is typically placed in the center of each pineapple ring as well. Then, the cake batter is poured over the top, and it is baked. Once it comes out of the oven, it is flipped over so the caramelized fruit sits on top. And, yes, it is just as tasty as it looks. Pineapple upside down cake isn't nearly as "forgotten" as some of the other desserts we've discussed thus far. It may not be the popular pick anymore, but it's another vintage dessert that's regaining traction in today's culinary landscape of desserts. If you've never had the pleasure of enjoying some before, keep an eye out for it or simply opt to make one yourself. As it turns out, it isn't all that difficult to make. The trickiest part is flipping it out of the pan after baking, and it isn't all that challenging if you let it cool for a bit and slide a knife around the edges beforehand. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Food Republic. a plate of stuffed celery sticks, a chick-o-stick candy package, seven up chocolate bar wrapper, mallo cup package, and plate of round crackers over a tan background - Static Media / Shutterstock / Getty The economic devastation that followed the 1929 stock market crash meant that, for many families, the simple act of putting food on the table would be a major hurdle moving forward. During the Great Depression, people across the country were left without jobs. Though the demand for food was high, many struggled to afford it. This ushered in a time of innovation when families cobbled together what cheap ingredients they had access to and created new recipes that would hopefully satisfy them. Given the scarcity of food in the 1930s, you might expect snacking to have been the last thing on people's minds and budgets. However, many snacks actually got their start during this era. A small candy bar could act as a morale booster, a simple luxury during a time when spirits were low. Some candy companies even marketed their products as meal replacements. For those without a sweet tooth, savory foods found in stores or concocted using affordable pantry staples offered a more filling option. Some of these treats stood the test of time, while others faded into obscurity. Regardless of their staying power, these vintage snacks found their place in homes when people needed them most. Read more: 1980s Food Fads That Should Stay In The Past Seven Up Bars a seven up bar package showing a cross section of the chocolate bar with seven fillings - Holly Kassinger Johnson / Facebook Life is like a box of chocolates, or in this case, one chocolate bar is. The Seven Up bar was a snack created in the 1930s by Trudeau Candy. Although it's unlike anything seen today, the Sky Bar may come close, a chocolate bar with four differently flavored sections. A Seven Up bar, however, crammed in a whopping seven different flavors. Under Trudeau, the chocolate included fillings such as Brazil nut caramel, apple butter jelly, and maple walnut cream. In 1951, Pearson's Candy Company took over production, introducing new flavor chambers like coconut, nougat, and mint. But anybody lucky enough to try one of these treats would tell you it held even more surprises. Some Seven Up enthusiasts recall the textural intrigue of an orange jelly filling, and still others remember a whole almond at the center of one of the pillows. The fillings in Seven Up bars were swapped in and out, making each rendition a new experience. The outer chocolate coating varied as well, with customers recalling dark chocolate versions. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 1979, making it one of many old-school candy bars that deserve a comeback. Though the reasons aren't completely clear, brand conflicts with the well-known soda, 7Up, probably played a part. And the labor that likely went into making this goliath of a candy bar can't be understated either. Chick-O-Stick Orange bags of Chick-O-Stick candies in pile at store - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock Candies named after chicken are surprisingly common. The Chicken Dinner candy bar of the 1920s was one of the most notable examples until Chick-O-Stick came along. When Chick-O-Stick was introduced in the late 1930s, it was originally known as Chicken Bones. Atkinson Candy Company made the switch to the less poultry-adjacent name in 1955. Luckily, at no point in history did Chick-O-Stick actually taste like chicken. Instead, each cylindrical candy piece blends salty and sweet with a peanut buttery center and toasted coconut coating. Fans of the candy have compared its texture and flavor to the inside of a Butterfinger. Chick-O-Sticks are still available to the public from the same company that made them all the way back in the '30s. Today, the snack not only comes in the classic stick shape but also in Chick-O-Stick bars and nuggets. Another fun tidbit: Chick-O-Sticks are actually on the healthier end of the candy spectrum. Not only are they accidentally vegan, but the ingredients don't include artificial flavorings or preservatives. That makes tasting this piece of history a little more intriguing. Bananas wrapped in bacon shiny bacon-wrapped banana pieces stacked in a pyramid with toothpicks - Dean Schumann / Facebook The Depression era was all around a time of strange food combinations. With dishes like peanut-butter-stuffed onions and water pies floating around, bacon-wrapped bananas sound fairly tame in comparison. In fact, this vintage snack reflects how our love for salty and sweet combinations has stood the test of time. Elvis Presley's peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich is still hailed as one of the greatest celebrity recipes for a reason. It just works. Bacon-wrapped bananas are simple. Cut the bananas into pieces, however big or small, and wrap them with bacon strips. Cook them until the meat layer has crisped up and they're ready to eat. This recipe's simplicity probably influenced its popularity, but there's a little more to the story. Starting in the early 1900s, the United Fruit Company was on a mission to market bananas, which were newly introduced in the U.S. One notable promotional material was the 1931 pamphlet "The New Banana." It included stories of all the fruit's wonderful health benefits, and the back cover featured a picture of bananas wrapped in bacon. The pamphlet advertised bananas and bacon as a sort of talking point for dinner parties that no doubt got guests talking. Potato candy a plastic container filled with circular potato candies with a peanut butter swirl - Shonda Diaz / Facebook The potato was a mainstay of the 1930s. It was an affordable staple and versatile enough to be turned into anything from pancakes and soup to candy. That's right, potato candy was a popular, homemade sweet treat for many. It uses only simple ingredients: potatos, powdered sugar, and peanut butter for the filling. Some recipes called for the potatoes to be peeled and boiled, then mashed and mixed with powdered sugar to form a dough. The dough was rolled out, spread with peanut butter, rolled back up, and cut into circular slices. Modern recipes often add milk and vanilla, but the original was simplicity at its finest. Contrary to its name, those who have tried the candy, either in their childhood or through modern recreations, say the snack has no distinct potato flavor. The powdered sugar lends the treat a strong sweetness, and some liken it to peanut butter fudge. For a candy made with only three ingredients, you really can't go wrong. Though it was born out of scarcity, this is one vintage potato dish that deserves a comeback. Zagnut Bars a red box of individually packaged zagnut chocolate bars - Hershey's The Zagnut Bar is strikingly similar to the Chick-O-Stick. Both are crunchy peanut butter candies coated in coconut. Zagnuts originated in 1930 and were later acquired by The Hershey Company in 1996, and they're still sold today. Despite the similarities to Chick-O-Sticks, many people who have had both seem to prefer the Zagnut bar. Some say the Chick-O-Stick is too sugary and hard, while Zagnuts have a more complex flavor. Zagnuts were not only popular with civilians in the past, but also among soldiers. The long shelf lives of mass-produced candies made them a popular choice to weather the Great Depression and the even harsher conditions of war. The snack ended up making its way into World War II rations as a means of sustenance for soldiers. The peanut butter filling provided a little protein, and since there was no chocolate coating on the outside, melting wasn't an issue. Nowadays, protein bars may have taken Zagnuts' place as quick meal replacements, but the candy is still out there for all your sweet-tooth-fueled needs. Sardines a top down view of an open tin of sardines on a wooden table - BearFotos/Shutterstock Tinned sardines are an affordable seafood that also tastes delicious. Today, sardines and other tinned fish have become a trend on social media, with people posting reviews and hosting full-on tinned fish parties. There are even subscription boxes dedicated to sharing tightly packed seafood from around the world. Sardines weren't always considered a viral snack, however. During the Great Depression, they became a staple because they were an affordable and long-lasting source of nutrition. In fact, they were so popular that Monterey, California, known as the "Sardine Capital of the World," was able to circumvent some of the Depression's impact due to the growing demand for the tinned fish. They were eaten straight from the can as a snack or sometimes a meal. To make the fish a little more interesting, they were also used alongside other ingredients. One recipe involved wrapping sardines in pastry, kind of like a fishy spin on pigs in a blanket. Mallo Cups yellow-packaged mallo cups against white background - Keith Homan/Shutterstock The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is one of the most popular candies in the U.S. and is known for its distinctive short and round shape. However, despite its immense success, it was not actually the first of its kind. The title of the first candy cup goes instead to Mallo Cups, made by Boyer Candy Company. These pioneering snacks are one of the most underrated candies, boasting a whipped, marshmallowy center with bits of coconut, all surrounded by a layer of milk chocolate. There is a dark chocolate version available now as well. Boyer Candy is still churning these out today, along with some of the same nostalgic perks the treat had in the past. Folks who grew up with Mallo Cups will remember the cardboard coins found inside the wrappers, which could be collected and redeemed for more of the chocolates. Nowadays, you can still find this play money when you buy a Mallo Cup. Depending on how much you collect, you can get anything from a magnet or T-shirt to, of course, more candy. Popcorn (with milk) popped popcorn and kernels on a wooden tray next to a glass of milk - Wisan224/Getty Movies and popcorn go hand in hand. Across the world, popcorn is a staple concession in movie theaters, but did you know that it wasn't always this way? The Great Depression actually skyrocketed the popularity of the snack inside and outside of the cinema. Popcorn was cheap to make and affordable for most buyers, leading vendors to sell it on the streets outside theaters. Eventually, the cinema companies began to take advantage of the salty treat's growing popularity. You might recognize the name Jolly Time. This popular brand of popcorn began in 1914 but experienced a major boom in the '30s. The company had a radio show that it used to promote the brand and sell one-dollar popcorn machines. Customers could also buy Jolly Time popcorn from vendors for only a dime. The snack represented an affordable luxury for many and could even be used to feed families on a budget. In fact, popcorn was one of many vintage breakfast foods no one really eats anymore. Some people would even pour milk over popcorn and eat it like cereal. The milk added some protein and vitamins, turning a simple snack into a more filling meal. Poor man's cookies Poor man's cookies cooling off on black wire cooking rack - Wife of the Year / X, formerly known as Twitter As their name suggests, poor man's cookies are an innovative dessert recipe born out of the desire for sweet treats paired with a lack of access to traditional ingredients. Most standard cookie recipes contain eggs and butter. After all, they add moisture, structure, and flavor to the treat, so how could you leave them out? There are plenty of vegan recipes that do just that, but even before the modern popularity of vegan recipes, there was another reason to forgo eggs and dairy. These products became a luxury during the Great Depression, as the average person couldn't afford them. To replace these ingredients, people instead turned to the more affordable, shelf-stable items they did have. A standard recipe for poor man's cookies requires shortening, flour, sugar, baking soda, rolled oats, salt, vanilla, and water. The mixture comes together and gets baked much like any other modern cookie recipe. And though the recipe is simplistic, the results hold up to the test of time. The final cookie is similar to a classic oatmeal cookie, with a subtle but warming flavor and a satisfying chew. Not only are they affordable, but the sparse ingredient list also means they're suitable for vegans. If you do want to spice them up a little, you can always add some cinnamon or nutmeg to the mix or pair the baked cookies with a scoop of ice cream for a more luxurious take. Fritos red and yellow Fritos chip bags - Justin Sullivan/Getty The renowned Frito pie is one of those Texas foods everyone must try at least once. The combination of salty corn chips with warm chili and cheese is so good that people often argue over who invented the dish first. What's really interesting, however, is the origin of the classic chip that forms the basis of this winning combo. Fritos date back to around 1932, when an American named Charles Elmer Doolin bought the recipe from a Mexican named Gustavo Olguin, who was making the corn chips from masa. Doolin also purchased a potato ricer, which he used to start making Fritos himself. For Doolin and his family, this simple chip was an economic opportunity. Eventually, his business expanded into the Fritos brand still loved to this day. Fritos were a popular snack all on their own, but they were also paired with other foods throughout the '30s. A look at old articles and menus reveals that people served the chips alongside chili, tamales, and beans. These combinations made sense with the chip's origins in Mexican cuisine and remain popular pairings today. Though the beloved Frito pie didn't come about until 1946, the foundations were clearly being laid early on. Stuffed celery Close up of celery stick stuffed with cream cheese, red peppers, and herbs on green plate - anaganeva/Shutterstock Celery isn't the most exciting of snacks, but it was commonly eaten throughout the Great Depression. It could be consumed alone or used in many filling recipes, such as celery soup and ham and celery loaf. Stuffed celery, in particular, was a popular snack. The vegetable served as a nutritious vessel for any number of extras. One unusual version of the snack suggested in a 1935 newspaper was celery stuffed with crabmeat sticks. One of the more interesting and widespread takes on this snack was olive-stuffed celery. For the well-to-do individuals of the time, this was also an old-school appetizer that almost everyone has forgotten by now. The vegetable was a simple snack, but it could be a sign of luxury if used correctly. In fact, many cookbooks and advertisements from the 1930s included celery and boasted its appeal. To prepare the olive-stuffed celery, the hollow centers of the stalks were filled with cream cheese and olives. The result was a quick bite to whet dinner guests' appetites. Celery and olives were a common pairing, no matter their form. Several menus from the '30s mention olives and celery especially as appetizers and the two foods were staples at Thanksgiving tables across the country. Common crackers a wooden basket filled with white, circular crackers with a small 35 cent sign above - Erikamitchell/Getty If you're from the New England area, especially the state of Vermont, you've probably heard of or tasted common crackers at some point. This snack goes by a few different names. Not to be confused with the small, crunchy oyster crackers, common crackers are also called Cross crackers or Montpelier crackers. They are larger in size with small holes on their surface and a crisp, puffed texture. Don't be fooled by their plain appearance; they are a well-loved snack. The simplistic nature of these bites, however, should give you some clue as to their origins. Although accounts vary, research indicates that these crackers have been around since the early 1800s, though the exact inventor is unsettled. What is known is that they were common in the early 1900s and were first mentioned in print in 1939. The popularity of the common cracker stemmed from the fact that it was a thick cracker with a long shelf life and could be used for many different purposes. Of course, they made a fine snack by themselves. But they could also be used as budget-friendly replacements for more expensive ingredients. For example, these crackers could be crushed up and used for pie fillings. They also made a good alternative to bread in bread pudding dupes. Today, the Vermont Common Crackers brand sells tins of crackers made using the original recipe. Have them with a bowl of clam chowder, per Julia Child's recommendation, and you'll be good to go. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter and add us as a preferred search source. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout. Courtesy of Sotheby's "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Fun fact: Jane Birkin only ever owned four Hermes Birkin bags (five, if you include the first prototype). This past July, the original Birkin , made for and named after the late style icon, sold to a Japanese collector for over $10 millionthe most valuable handbag ever sold at auction. Next month, another from her collection will go up for sale during Sothebys inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors Week in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Investment Office with a live auction on December 5. Its projected to fetch between $240,000 and $440,000. To present not one, but two of Jane Birkins personal Hermes bags in a single year is nothing short of historic, said Morgane Halimi, Sothebys Global Head of Handbags and Fashion. courtesy of Sotheby's Gifted to Jane by Hermes, this black leather bag is nicknamed Le Birkin Voyageur for the scribbled message Jane wrote on its interior: Mon Birkin bag qui ma accompagne dans le monde entier, or My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion. She always personalized her bagsarchival photos of Jane have spurred the viral trend of handbag charmsbut this particular bags lining features a number of these handwritten notes including the phrases My Birkin bag and her signature, Jane B, along with little drawings like a female nude covered by the flap of the pocket. The 40 cm baga rare find in its classic Box leatheris further distinguished by a unique design element never seen in any model offered by Hermes to the public. It features made-to-order closed bridges to help fasten the bag, just like those initially found on the original prototype. It is visibly worn-in, carrying similar wear to its iconic predecessor. (In fact, Janes practice of beating up even her most luxurious bags with everyday use has ushered in a new respect for well-loved handbags across all price points.) Courtesy of Sotheby's Jane established her own tradition of selling her Birkin bags to raise funds for charities. The first she sold in 1994 to benefit a leading French AIDS charity, which Hermes then replaced, as they continued to do three more times. The Voyageur, Janes everyday bag from 2003 to 2007, is for sale for the first time in over 15 years after being held by a private collector. Following the record-breaking sale of the original Birkin prototype in July, this exceptionally rare example offers collectors an intimate connection to the woman at the origin of the worlds most iconic handbag, says Halimi. This is not just a piece of fashion history, but a deeply personal artifact from a cultural and style icon whose legacy continues to inspire. Lets see how many records this one breaks. You Might Also Like Senate Health Committee Hears Testimony From Fired CDC Director Susan Monarez (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is refusing to drop his adamant support for Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner despite revelations that the candidates chest tattoo appears to be connected to Nazi symbolism. Platner has denied that the tattoo is related to Nazism in any way, though its skull and crossbones appears to resemble the German SS Totenkopf emblem. Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, became Platners most high-profile endorser just days after the oyster farmer announced his campaign to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins. (RELATED: Bernie-Backed Oyster Farming Democrat Once Had Antifa Supersoldier Label On His Armor: REPORT) Theres a young man who served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he went through some really difficult experiences seeing friends of his killed or whatever, and in spite of all of that he had the courage to run, Sanders told reporters Tuesday. I personally think he is an excellent candidate and will support him, and I look forward to him becoming the next senator from Maine. The lawmaker was visibly angry and lashed out at the corrupt campaign finance system, according to Punchbowl News. We dont have enough candidates in this country that will take on the powers that be and fight for the working class, Sanders said. Sanders did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment. Platner later expressed that he is already planning to get the tattoo removed in a Tuesday evening statement to Politico. It was not until I started hearing from reporters and DC insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol, the candidate added in his statement to the outlet. I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. The video revealing Platners tattoo comes on the heels of unearthed Reddit posts in which the Democrat urged people to use violence as a tool for social change. In the posts, he said those who expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle should do some reading of history. Platner also made offensive comments on Reddit such as Why dont black people tip? according to Bangor Daily News, and said sexual assault victims should take some responsibility for themselves and not get so fucked up they wind up having sex with someone they dont mean to? according to The Washington Post. Platner apologized for the comments, and claims the posts were made at a time when he was struggling deeply. As I told CNN, I was fucking around on the internet at a time when I felt lost and very disillusioned with our government who sent me overseas to watch my friends die, Platner said in a statement to Politico. I made dumb jokes and picked fights. But of course Im not a socialist. Im a small business owner, a Marine Corps veteran, and a retired shitposter. Sanders enthusiastically backed Platner the same month the oyster farmer launched his campaign. Platner is running against term-limited Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77, in the partys Senate primary to take on Collins. Mills officially launched her Senate bid on Oct. 14. Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect later reports that Platner is planning to get the tattoo removed. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. The logo of BNP Paribas is seen outside a bank building in Paris, France April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq By Mathieu Rosemain PARIS (Reuters) -BNP Paribas sought to reassure investors on Tuesday that it faces limited exposure to a Sudan-related litigation, although analysts said there was continued uncertainty and shares in the lender dropped again. A U.S. jury on Friday found the French bank helped Sudan's government commit genocide by providing banking services that violated American sanctions. The court ordered the euro zone's biggest lender by assets to pay a combined $20.5 million to three Sudanese plaintiffs who testified about human rights abuses perpetrated under former President Omar al-Bashir's rule, raising concerns about potential further claims. BNP shares, which tumbled sharply on Monday as investors assessed the implications, were down 1.6% on Tuesday afternoon, underperforming both the broader market and the banking sector. Chief Financial Officer Lars Machenil told analysts the bank made no provisions for Sudan-related litigation in its upcoming third-quarter results, due on October 28, as it expects the verdict to be overturned on appeal. Machenil also said that Swiss law applied in this case, offering a potential shield for the bank. "The U.S. court ruled that Swiss civil law applies in this case, as the relevant transactions were carried out from Geneva. Moreover, Swiss civil law does not allow for the liability being claimed, and the Swiss government has officially confirmed that there is no legal basis for such liability," Machenil said. Analysts said doubts remained. "While the bank sees the risk of broader claims as low, we cannot rule it out entirely. The uncertainty around this matter will weigh on the share price until more clarity emerges from BNP's appeal," said Johann Scholtz, an analyst at Morningstar. Traders at banks said in notes to clients that the CFO's comments during the analysts' call on Tuesday raised more questions than answers. NO PRECEDENT FOR SIMILAR CASES Machenil downplayed the risks of a class action, describing it as a "case by case" situation. "This is neither a regulatory fine nor a criminal penalty, but a private legal dispute. The verdict concerns only three plaintiffs, and it does not set a precedent for similar cases," he said. He added that the judge had said any individual compensation claims related to the Sudan case would require separate trials. Asked how many additional plaintiffs could come forward, Machenil said: I dont have a crystal ball. He also declined to say how long the appeal process might take, noting it would be at least a couple of months and not more than 12 months. NO LINK TO 2014 LITIGATION Lawyers for the three plaintiffs, who now reside in the United States, said on Friday the verdict opens the door for more than 20,000 Sudanese refugees in the U.S. to seek billions of dollars in damages from the French bank. After law firms jointly representing the plaintiffs said they could no longer work together because of disputes over ethics, the judge overseeing the case in July severed the three victims from the rest of the class, meaning their claims would no longer have any binding effect on others. However, the judge reappointed the three victims as class representatives days before the trial began, after the plaintiffs' lawyers said their relationship had improved. BNP Paribas previously pleaded guilty in 2014 to violating U.S. sanctions against Sudan, Cuba and Iran, agreeing to pay an $8.9 billion penalty. The bank was then accused of processing billions of dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Sudanese entities despite sanctions designed to block such transactions. "The current litigation has nothing to do with the 2014 criminal proceedings," Machenil said in the call. (Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Additional reporting by Jan Wolfe, Mateusz Rabiega and Jakob Van Calster in Gdansk; Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Susan Fenton) springsteen nebraska expanded When Bruce Springsteen finally pulled off the road after a long tour in support of his first No. 1 album, 1980s The River, the plan was to begin work on his sixth LP after a short rest. It didnt take long for those ambitions to derail. Holed up in a rented house in Colts Neck, New Jersey, Springsteen thought he was writing songs for the E Street Band, whose performance muscles were at their peak following the 1980-81 tour. The River was crafted as a showcase for the groups live shows, and for the most part, thats what it was: a boisterous two-LP set that spotlighted Springsteen and the E Street Bands perfect symmetry when it came to bashing out rock n roll songs. But the new songs Springsteen was writing were dark and full of despair, tapping into childhood memories, the divide between the haves and have-nots and thoughts of isolation far from the arena-filling sing-alongs his fans were used to. His demo recordings solo, acoustic and done on a basic four-track machine in the bedroom of that rented house were grim and revealing. Attempts to recreate the songs in a proper studio with the E Street Band more than three months later were unsuccessful, leading to the decision to release those raw, homemade solo recordings as Springsteens next album. READ MORE: 2025 Album Reviews Nebraska arrived in September 1982 with little promotion, no singles, no tour and not a word from Springsteen explaining the albums 10 songs. Its myth, legend and stature have only grown in the four decades since its release. For years, a European B-side and one song on the 1998 outtakes collection Tracks were the only leftover songs from the solo sessions and band rehearsals to see the light of day. The four-CD, one Blu-ray Nebraska 82: Expanded Edition finally opens the vaults for a deeper dive into one of Springsteens best albums. The most anticipated of the 17 previously unreleased recordings comes from Springsteen and the E Street Bands Electric Nebraska sessions, a key link along with the solo LA Garage Sessions 83 included on Springsteens other 2025 archival release, Tracks II: The Lost Albums to the superstar-making Born in the U.S.A. Two songs from the 1984 LP, Downbound Train and Born in the U.S.A., appear in full-band workouts as well as in solo acoustic outtakes from Springsteens bedroom recordings. The latter certainly benefits from the plugged-in charge, though the more familiar version is the keeper. On the electric take from Nebraska 82: Expanded Edition, Springsteen leads the band through tentative steps. A better, definitive take was still to come. The Electric Nebraska recordings, as interesting as they are, somewhat miss the point of Nebraska, where darkness and loneliness are just as much vital characters to the story as the serial killers and lost souls that populate the songs. (Though the electric Atlantic City, with alternate lyrics, makes a strong case for inclusion on an E Street Band record.) The nine solo outtakes cut much closer. A fatalistic Born in the U.S.A., the rockabilly shuffle of Downbound Train and bare-bones Working on the Highway were rerecorded for Born in the U.S.A., and Pink Cadillac, a blues crawl here, was reserved for a B-side, but stripped of the E Street Bands thunder, they reveal the desperation at their cores. The opening lines of Downbound Train I had a job, I had a girl / I had something going, mister, in this world / I got laid off down at the auto yard / Our love went bad, times got hard sound even more hopeless in the acoustic context. A live performance of the album, from a 2025 show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, thats repeated on a Blu-ray, seems a curious choice for a project about isolation and recorded in seclusion. Nebraska is a work best appreciated alone and without an audience of a camera crew and others. Better are the outtakes Losin Kind and Child Bride, which add to the original albums haunted climate, expanding an already desolate portrait of lives in the balance to a tipping point. The 1982 record is flawless (a 2025 remaster is on one of the discs here); this Expanded Edition, like The Promise and The Ties That Bind, extended collections of pre-Nebraska Springsteen classics, opens new chapters to an already intriguing story. The darkness, though, remains. A retired couple posing for a selfie on their balcony in Penang, Malaysia. Adrian Spencer Adrian Spencer's manufacturing career led him to live and work across five continents, from China to the US. When he retired in 2025, he and his wife, Beverley, decided to settle down in Penang, Malaysia. They chose Malaysia for its established visa program, and say they lead an active social life. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Adrian Spencer, a 69-year-old retiree living in Penang, Malaysia, with his wife. It has been edited for length and clarity. I've always had a taste for adventure. I was born and raised in and around London. When I graduated from high school, I worked the night shift in a factory and managed to save some money. I wanted to go on holiday to America, but I couldn't get a visa. So, at 19, I ended up going to Mauritius. It was a big journey back in those days. In Mauritius, I met a lot of South Africans, who encouraged me to visit their country. I said, "Why not?" I didn't have a girlfriend at that point. Spencer met his wife in South Africa, and they started a family. Adrian Spencer I went to South Africa and lived there for nine years. That's where I met my wife, Beverley, who was born and grew up in Johannesburg. We had three children, but the political climate eventually prompted us to move to Malawi in southeastern Africa in 1986, where we spent another nine years. That's where our kids grew up. I'd spent all of my career in the packaging manufacturing industry. Eventually, I decided that if I stayed in Malawi much longer, I'd never be able to leave because the skills I'd built there weren't global skills. Their three kids moved with them from country to country until it was time for them to head top university. Adrian Spencer I went through my contact book and found a job in Melbourne, Australia. We lived there for a few years before spending almost the next three decades moving around. We lived in Indonesia, then China, then the US. Eventually, we found our way back to Southeast Asia, where I worked in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, before returning to Thailand to work for another five and a half years. Among all the places they've lived in, China was the hardest to adjust to. Adrian Spencer From that last job, I retired. By then, our kids were long out of the house. They'd moved with us from country to country until it was time for them to go to university. We sent them to the UK, where we had family nearby if they ever needed support. During my final stint in Thailand, my wife and I had already started thinking about our retirement. After so many years abroad, the UK felt increasingly unfamiliar. Each time I went back for the holidays, I felt a little more like a stranger, so I knew I didn't want to move back to the UK. Beverley certainly didn't want to go back to South Africa. We always found Asia much more dynamic anyway. After some online research, we noticed that Malaysia kept coming up as a popular retirement location. We'd visited many times before long before the idea of retiring here even crossed our minds. It also helped that the country's Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa program was already well established. From very early on, we already knew we wanted to live in Penang, a state located on the northwestern coast of Malaysia. Both my wife and I are city dwellers, and we didn't want to be out in the countryside, miles from anywhere. We like to have easy access to facilities, not just medical care should the need arise, but also for socializing and shopping. Kuala Lumpur, on the other hand, felt a bit too big and too much like a concrete jungle. We preferred the historical charm of Penang, especially in George Town, with its old shophouses and classic architecture. We were granted the MM2H visa in 2020, but I wasn't ready to stop working just yet. It wasn't until the end of May that I finally retired. We officially moved into our apartment on Penang Island in September. There are lots of activities going on, and it keeps us busy. We keep going to different meetups, like morning coffees and the Expats Club lunches. On Friday mornings, we play bridge at the Penang Club. I also joined a men-only breakfast group that goes for dim sum once a week. My wife is the social secretary always has been, always will be. She also makes sure that I'm dressed appropriately for wherever we're going. The shops are very good and we can find everything that we need. Everybody says the traffic's terrible, but I don't think it's too bad. We've been in Thailand, so this doesn't scare us. We're still new to Penang, but so far we're happy. Our favorite part has been the people, who are very friendly. If you are very comfortable with your home environment, you may struggle to make new friends or feel homesick. But we've moved around so much, so we're always open to new opportunities. Do you have a story to share about relocating to a new city? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com . Read the original article on Business Insider Leonardo logo is seen in this illustration taken July 26, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Tim Hepher and Giulia Segreti PARIS/ROME (Reuters) -The board of Italy's Leonardo held a crucial meeting on Tuesday to review a tentative deal to forge a new European satellite manufacturer with its existing partner Thales and rival Airbus, people familiar with the matter said. Barring a last-minute setback, the three companies aim to announce as early as Wednesday that they intend to press ahead with plans to pool loss-making activities into a new venture to fend off competitors led by Elon Musk, the people said. However, after more than a year of tricky talks over the balance of power, valuations, antitrust and most recently a political crisis in France, signs of an announcement before markets open were looking more fragile, two sources added. None of the companies agreed to comment. Reuters reported on Monday that the three companies had agreed the framework of a deal, subject to board and regulatory approvals, with further detailed steps to be implemented later. EUROPEAN SPACE FIRMS FACE SPACEX CHALLENGE Once seen as pioneers of commercial space, Europe's top satellite firms - Airbus and a pair of ventures controlled by Leonardo and France's Thales - have been dwarfed by tech rivals led by Musk's SpaceX and a deeper shift in the market towards cheap satellites in low Earth orbit. The talks mark the latest attempt to tie together fragmented European assets and draw inspiration from a decision by France, Italy and Britain to set up the MBDA missiles venture in 2001. Industry watchers said the fine print of a deal would be closely scrutinised, particularly the extent to which the three parties have agreed detailed governance arrangements including roles of chair, CEO and CFO - issues that have previously caused friction in European aerospace mergers such as Airbus itself. Leonardo faces pressure to defend Italy's interests in line with the nationalist agenda of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but France's Thales, whose CEO Patrice Caine is among the deal's architects, may effectively drive the new venture, sources said. France-based Airbus is widely seen as the most willing of the three to reduce its exposure to space after crippling losses in its space systems business and roughly 2,000 job cuts. Under the deal, the trio will provide their assets to a newly-created holding company, resulting in slightly unequal stakes as Airbus contributes the largest slice. Once the deal closes, various balancing payments will ensure a politically-acceptable equal three-way split depending on prevailing values. Il Giornale newspaper said Leonardo would own a third of the venture. Il Sole 24 Ore said Airbus would initially control 35%, with the rest shared equally between Leonardo and Thales. Shares of industrial work and R&D will also be widely scrutinised, notably by unions and politicians. France's Force Ouvriere union said last month that merely combining assets was no replacement for a coordinated European space strategy. Previous attempts to merge satellite activities in the past decade foundered on antitrust concerns and national rivalries. Airbus and Leonardo have urged EU regulators to take a broader view on the global competitive landscape when assessing the new conglomerate, rather than focusing on Europe alone. The deal to combine Europe's two largest players may also face objections from smaller German satellite maker OHB, industry sources said. OHB had no immediate comment. (Reporting by Giulia Segreti in Rome, Tim Hepher in Paris. Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter) "Empowering the Americas with Innovative, Composable Cloud Banking Solutions." AMSTERDAM, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mambu, the leading SaaS cloud banking platform, is proud to announce a transformative partnership with Ardeco, a leader in digital financial services and a pioneer in borderless banking software innovation. This collaboration combines Ardeco's regional expertise with Mambu's flexible, scalable core banking platform to enable financial institutions to innovate faster and expand access to digital financial services across the Americas. "As financial institutions and fintechs across the Americas strive to innovate, offer dynamic financial products and put customers at the heart of their services, our partnership with Ardeco symbolizes a leap forward-combining technical agility with independent services and solutions for the creation of differentiated financial offerings," said Paula Neira, Head of Sales LATAM at Mambu. "Together, we're empowering organizations to launch new banking products faster, more efficiently, and with greater impact than ever before." Ardeco will now serve as a Mambu Partner across the Americas, offering: Tailored implementation services to ensure rapid deployment of Mambu's core banking, lending, and deposit capabilities with Ardeco's digital front-end. to ensure rapid deployment of Mambu's core banking, lending, and deposit capabilities with Ardeco's digital front-end. Compliance and localized integration expertise , adapting solutions to regulatory and operational nuances across Latin America and North America. , adapting solutions to regulatory and operational nuances across Latin America and North America. Bank-as-a-Service (BaaS), enabling institutions to introduce new income streams and offer multi-country accounts through a native cloud composable core system and Ardeco's Global Banking Platform . enabling institutions to introduce new income streams and offer multi-country accounts through a native cloud composable core system and Ardeco's . Co-branded innovation sessions and solution workshops, driving awareness of cloud native, composable banking models. "This collaboration enables us to provide innovative financial solutions to clients, helping them generate new BaaS revenue, modernize outdated technology, streamline international banking connectivity, and promote innovation on a larger scale. We're confident that together, we'll shape the future of many small and mid-sized financial institutions across the region," said John Cetina, CEO of Ardeco LLC. About Mambu Mambu is the world's only true SaaS cloud banking platform. Founded in 2011, it enables banks, lenders, credit unions, fintechs, retailers, and other organizations to design and launch modern financial products with speed and flexibility. Our unique, composable approach allows independent components, systems and connectors to be assembled in any configuration to meet business goals and customer needs. The platform supports core banking, deposits, lending, payments and Islamic banking. Mambu offers a modular, future-ready and scalable product that grows with businesses. Whether launching a single product or transforming an entire banking stack, Mambu provides the agility and reliability needed to succeed in today's financial landscape. More than 260 customers in over 65 countries rely on Mambu, including Western Union, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, N26, BancoEstado, Raiffeisen Bank, ABN AMRO and Bank Islam. Learn more: www.mambu.com About Ardeco ARDECO is a financial technology company transforming the way banks and fintechs connect, operate, and scale internationally. Through its Global Banking Platform and Bank-in-a-Box solutions, ARDECO provides end-to-end Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) infrastructure that enables financial institutions to expand globally, ensure compliance, and deliver next-generation digital banking experiences. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, ARDECO operates across the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico, partnering with banks, fintechs, and payment providers to promote digital transformation and a seamless, borderless financial ecosystem. Learn more: www.ardecoglobal.com Press Contacts Mambu [email protected] Ardeco LLC Carlos Rodriguez 239-307-8590 [email protected] SOURCE Ardeco LLC Paris French authorities may well manage to track down and arrest the thieves who pulled off an audacious robbery of royal crown jewels from Paris' iconic Louvre museum, but they're unlikely to recover the national treasures, a criminologist told CBS News on Tuesday. The heist took place on Sunday, in broad daylight with tourists in the museum, but nobody was hurt. "We will catch them," Alain Bauer, a professor of criminology at France's National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, told CBS News. But he added: "I don't think we will capture the jewels." See the jewels the Louvre thieves got away with and one they didn't Bauer said a lot of DNA was left at the scene by the robbers, including on the crown of the empress Eugenie, which was left behind by the thieves as they made their getaway on motorcycles. French police also recovered a large crane lift used by the thieves to access an upper floor window of the 230-year-old museum, along with a power saw, gloves, a walkie-talkie and a can of gasoline. Authorities have said the criminals may have intended to use the gas to burn their tools, but they ran out of time. French police officers stand next to a crane-lift used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum and steal items from the gallery holding crown jewels on Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty The criminals entered from the back side of the Louvre's main building on Sunday away from the main entrance with its famous glass pyramid before cutting their way through a window using the power lift and saw. They then made their way straight for the Galerie d'Apollon, the large hall that housed the crown jewels. If the thieves were professional criminals, they may well be known to the police, with information available on French law enforcement databases, Bauer told CBS News. But "if they're amateur, or in the middle, under control or subcontracted by somebody else, it may be a little more complicated," he said. What are the jewels stolen from the Louvre worth? The stolen French crown jewels are priceless in historical terms, but Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Tuesday their estimated worth is 88 million euros, or $102 million. "The wrongdoers who took these gems won't earn 88 million euros if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels," Beccuau said in an interview with French broadcaster RTL. "We can perhaps hope that they'll think about this and won't destroy these jewels without rhyme or reason." Experts have told CBS News the jewels would still be worth millions of dollars if broken up and sold on the black market. One of the stolen items is a tiara featuring 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds, commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III to celebrate his marriage to Eugenie de Montijo in 1853. Also swiped: a sapphire-and-diamond tiara and necklace set, a large diamond brooch, and an emerald necklace and earrings that were originally a wedding gift from Napoleon to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise of Austria, in 1810. A sapphire tiara, necklace and single earring worn by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense was stolen from this jewelry set at the Louvre on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: The Louvre The stunning theft was the most spectacular robbery at the Louvre museum since the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911. The iconic painting by Leonardo da Vinci was located in Italy and returned to the Louvre several years later. Sunday's heist has been described as both a tragedy and a national embarrassment for France. "You know, you think, in the Louvre, of all places, don't they have the best security on the planet?" one stunned American tourist told the French news agency AFP soon after the robbery, calling it "crazy." French police officers stand in front of the Louvre museum after robbery, in Paris, France, Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty But security experts say the Louvre's security vulnerabilities were extensive. A recent security audit noted that 35% of the rooms in the Denon Wing, where the jewels were kept, have no security cameras, according to a Radio France report. France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters on Monday that the country had fundamentally failed to secure its national treasures. "I know that we cannot secure totally all the sites. But what was sure was that we failed, because someone was capable of putting in a crane truck, in the open, in the streets of Paris, to have people walk up for a couple of minutes and take priceless jewels and give France a deplorable image," Darmanin lamented. Eye Opener: Police arrest a man with an assault rifle at Atlanta's airport Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Portland resident says ICE agents entered home without a warrant U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 20, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed on Monday to ensure a steady supply of critical minerals and rare earths, as the United States moves to reduce its reliance on Chinese supply. The U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) issued seven letters of interest (LOIs) on Monday for more than $2.2 billion of financing, unlocking up to $5 billion of total investment, to advance critical minerals and supply chain security projects between the two countries. These are the Australian mining companies that have announced details about their receipt of LOIs from EXIM: AGREEMENTS ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY VHM VHM received an updated letter of interest from EXIM for up to $200 million in funding, with an improved term of up to 15 years in potential financing, to support development of its Goschen rare earths and mineral sands project in Australia. LATROBE MAGNESIUM Latrobe Magnesium said EXIM was prepared to finance up to $122 million for the firm's stage 2 commercial magnesium plant in Victoria, Australia. ARAFURA RARE EARTHS EXIM provided a non-binding LOI in support of Arafura's Nolans project in the Northern Territory, with preliminary discussions of EXIM considering up to $300 million of financing support. NORTHERN MINERALS EXIM outlined it would be able to consider financing up to $230 million of potential debt funding to support the development of Northern Minerals' Browns Range heavy rare earths project in Western Australia. AGREEMENTS ANNOUNCED PREVIOUSLY FOR PROJECTS IN AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC MATERIALS Australian Strategic Materials received a LOI from EXIM in March 2024 for a debt funding package of up to $600 million to support construction of its Dubbo rare earths project northwest of Sydney. EQ RESOURCES EQ Resources received a LOI from EXIM in June 2025 for a debt facility of up to $34 million to support the Mt Carbine tungsten expansion project in Australia. VICTORY METALS Victory Metals in April 2025 secured a $190 million LOI from EXIM for the development of its North Stanmore heavy rare earths, scandium and hafnium project in Western Australia. SUNRISE ENERGY METALS Sunrise Energy Metals in September 2025 received a LOI from EXIM for up to $67 million in financing for its Syerston scandium project in New South Wales, Australia. AGREEMENTS ANNOUNCED PREVIOUSLY FOR PROJECTS OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA AMERICAN RARE EARTHS American Rare Earths received a LOI from EXIM in September 2024 for a debt funding package of up to $456 million to support construction of the Cowboy State Mine area at its Halleck Creek project in Wyoming. ANSON RESOURCES EXIM offered $330 million in September 2024 to finance the construction of Anson Resources' lithium production plant in the Paradox Basin, Utah. METEORIC RESOURCES U.S. EXIM, in March 2024, offered up to $250 million in preliminary support for Australian-listed Meteoric Resources, to develop its Caldeira rare earths project in Brazil. IPERIONX IperionX said in April 2025 that the EXIM had approved an equipment finance loan of $11 million to support significant expansion of IperionXs advanced titanium manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. QUANTUM GRAPHITE Australian miner Quantum Graphite said in July 2024 that it had received a term sheet from EXIM for a loan of up to $300 million to fund the Utile project near the North Atlantic Ocean. AMAERO INTERNATIONAL At the beginning of 2025, Amaero International secured a loan of $22.8 million from EXIM as part of the bank's "Make More in America" initiative to strengthen local supply chains. (Reporting by Shivangi Lahiri and Shruti Agarwal in Bengaluru and Melanie Burton in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed) Federal authorities have recovered more than a dozen ancient Egyptian artifacts illegally smuggled into the United States and destined for private collectors, including a funerary statue valued at about $6 million. The artifacts included a vase, amulets and stone figurines deceptively or inaccurately labeled on shipping paperwork as home decor, stone garden statue, or other terms that did not state the true origin or value of the ancient artifacts, the Department of Justice said. The deceptive practices used to smuggle these treasures into the United States not only violate our import laws but also undermine efforts to preserve and protect the integrity of cultural history, said Evan Campanella, acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore. In all, the government completed the forfeiture of 14 items by default judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the DOJ said, continuing efforts to identify and dismantle illicit networks exploiting global trade routes. Authorities said the $6 million funerary statue, described as Old Kingdom Limestone, likely came from an archaeological site in either Saqqara or Giza. Both sites feature royal cemetery grounds and are located near the ancient city of Memphis in present-day Egypt. The seizures took place between August 2020 and April 2021 at U.S. airports in New York City, Cincinnati and Anchorage, Alaska. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered the artifacts while inspecting parcels en route from overseas shippers to private collectors, including a person in Edgewater, Maryland. With the aid of historians and antique appraisers, CBP officers were able to determine the true nature of the artifacts, the DOJ said. The artifacts were seized through civil forfeiture, a sometimes controversial practice that dates back to the age of privateers and that has since been used to go after moonshiners, mafia dons and drug kingpins. This litigation highlights one of the benefits of civil asset forfeiture and is an important milestone toward eliminating smuggled cultural property from the U.S. art market, said Kelly Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. An artifact retrieved by Egyptian divers lays at Abu Qir Naval Port anticipating a visit by Sherif Fathy, Egypt's minister of tourism and antiquities, and Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary-General Mohamed Ismail Khaled in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, on August 21, 2025. \ It's unclear whether anyone has been charged in connection with the seizures or if charges are forthcoming. The U.S. attorney's office in Maryland said it could not respond to a request for more information, citing the ongoing federal shutdown. In a separate case involving Egyptian relics, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Egypt was sentenced in August to six months in federal prison for smuggling hundreds of ancient artifacts swiped from Egyptian tombs. The chicanery unraveled in February 2020 when Ashraf Omar Eldarir, 52, was caught at New Yorks JFK Airport with nearly 600 bubble-wrapped artifacts in his suitcases, some so freshly purloined that they carried the whiff of soil. In such cases, the DOJ said it has pursued appropriate channels to return items to their country of origin. These ancient artifacts are more than just relics of the past, Campanella said. They are irreplaceable pieces of global cultural heritage that tell the story of human civilization. Homeland Security Investigations Baltimores cultural property, art and antiquities unit investigated the case. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Feds seize smuggled ancient Egyptian artifacts worth millions In the vast and lonely Arizona desert about 50 miles south of Las Vegas, tourists who took a wrong turn stumbled across a woman's naked and bloodied body on Dec. 12, 1989. Two days later and nearly 400 miles to the west, good Samaritans found two baby girls crying on the dirty floor of a park restroom in the working-class coastal California city of Oxnard. At the time, detectives in each jurisdiction had no idea the cases were connected. Arizona investigators couldn't figure out who Jane Doe was, and California authorities had no idea who the babies were. Each case remained a mystery for decades. Until this year. Not only was a cold case detective in Arizona able to identify Jane Doe as a 28-year-old California woman named Marina Ramos, she later made the shocking discovery that the baby girls left on the bathroom floor were Ramos' daughters. With the help of familial DNA and dogged determination, the detective recently tracked down the girls in what she calls "a miracle." As the girls, now in their 30s, grapple with the news of who their mother was and the fact that she was murdered, the hunt is on for her killer. Elizabeth and Jasmin Ramos saved a newspaper clipping about their mysterious discovery on a bathroom floor in Oxnard, California. A cold case reopened It was 2019 and Detective Lori Miller had just joined the Mohave County Sheriff's Office in northwestern Arizona to work on a newly formed cold case unit. One of the first cases Miller took on was the body of a Jane Doe found in the desert on Dec. 12, 1989. The woman's throat had been slit, semen was found on her nude body and it was clear she had been killed at the remote spot because of the amount of blood at the scene. "No human being deserves to be murdered, but in such an undignified way, it's inhuman," Miller told USA TODAY. Luckily, four women from Ohio who had stumbled across the body while searching for a ghost town found Jane Doe roughly eight hours after the murder, Miller said. That allowed detectives to collect fingerprints and the male DNA. But the case languished for decades until Miller got her hands on it. In 2022, Miller resubmitted Jane Doe's fingerprints to the FBI. The next day, Miller got a possible identification. The fingerprints came back as belonging to a woman named Maria Ortiz of Bakersfield, California. With the help of Bakersfield police, Miller tracked down someone listed as "a friend" of Ortiz all the way to Tennessee. Miller called her. "She said, 'I don't know a Maria Ortiz but my cousin Marina Ramos has been missing since 1989," Miller said, adding that the woman then shared even crazier news: Ramos had two young daughters and no one in the family had seen them since 1989. "Now, I have an unsolved homicide and a missing persons investigation," Miller said. Marina Ramos is pictured. The search for Maria Ramos' missing babies When Miller learned that Jane Doe was Marina Ramos and that Ramos was the mother of two baby girls, tracking down the missing daughters became her priority. None of her fellow detectives thought there was much hope they'd be alive. "People told me to give up, 'You're never going to find them,'" Miller recalled. "But this was my white whale. I never stopped working on it." Armed with Marina Ramos' identity, Miller was able to track down a sister and a daughter. The daughter was five years older than Ramos' missing daughters and had been raised by her grandmother. Miller was able to get the daughter's DNA tested. After multiple rounds of testing with different companies over many weeks, the DNA finally turned up a big hit: a half-sister who turned out to be one of the missing babies. "My heart stopped," Miller said. "I thought, 'Holy cow.'" Missing daughters were given new names, adopted After the familial DNA came through for Miller, she called each sister and told them the news: that their mother was a woman named Marina Ramos who was murdered in the desert. It was a bombshell for the sisters. When they were found on the bathroom floor in 1989, police had reached out to the local news media to spread the word in hopes of identifying family members. No one ever came forward, and a local family adopted the sisters together, naming them Tina and Melissa and giving them a loving home. When the girls were teenagers, their parents told them that they had been abandoned and adopted. They assumed their biological mother didn't want them and was the one who abandoned them. "I told them, 'No,' she had been a victim of a homicide two days prior," Miller said. "That helped give them some comfort." Miller also informed them of their birth names: Jasmin and Elizabeth Ramos. Elizabeth and Jasmin Ramos are pictured as girls, when they were named Tina and Melissa. That happened at the end of August, roughly three years after Miller first identified Marina Ramos and started the hunt for the girls. Now the girls are planning on a reunion with their long-lost biological family members, including their aunt Margarita, Marina's sister. Miller recalled Margarita's reaction to learning her nieces were alive and well after 36 years of wondering. "She's like, 'OK, this is a miracle. We found the girls. Now who killed my sister,' " Miller said. "She said: 'What animals could have done that to her?" Murder investigation has few leads, many hurdles, one determined detective Miller faces an uphill battle with the investigation into Marina Ramos' murder. She said very little evidence was collected from the scene, and no murder weapon was found. There was not enough semen on Ramos to conduct a search using forensic genetic genealogy. The semen is in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but there have been no hits on any suspects so far. The last person to see Marina Ramos alive was the cousin Miller tracked down in Tennessee, but she died of cancer last year. She told Miller that the last time she saw her cousin, Ramos had just gotten out of a Bakersfield jail on a shoplifting charge and showed up with a man named Fernando to pick up her daughters and move to the Los Angeles suburb of Ontario "for a better life." There is also one lead from the scene of the bathroom where the girls were abandoned. Elizabeth and Jasmin Ramos are pictured as girls, when they were named Tina and Melissa. Witnesses reported seeing two Hispanic men and a Hispanic woman getting out of a black mini pickup truck with the girls and later seeing them leave without the girls. The woman was further described as being about 5 feet tall and wearing a red skirt and white boots. (This was after Ramos was murdered, so she couldn't have been the woman.) "I know it's a long shot but if anybody is still around, still alive, recalls Colonia Park in Oxnard, this woman in a red skirt and white boots that might help me continue to follow up on leads," Miller said. Anybody with information that could help solve the case can call the Mohave County Sheriff's Office at 928-753-0753, extension 4408. "I've gotten the girls, but now I need justice for Marina," Miller said. "I need to find out who did this horrible thing to her." Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers executions for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cold case: Missing baby girls found decades after mom killed in desert A federal judge in Virginia has ordered the Pentagon to restore books and curriculum that were removed from its schools following efforts by the Trump administration to weed out perceived wokeness from the military and education. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Department of Defense in April on behalf of six military families who objected to the actions taken at schools in the Department of Defense Education Activity, often referred to as DoDEA, in the weeks after President Donald Trumps inauguration. More than 67,000 students attend classes at DoDEA locations in the United States and 11 other countries. Millions rallied against Trump at 'No Kings' See the elaborate looks and biting signs Thousands packed Times Square in Manhattan during a "No Kings" protest in New York City. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles Oct. 20 ruling is only on a preliminary injunction the ACLU requested in May, meaning it is in place as litigation continues, and only applies to the five schools attended by the children involved in the lawsuit. The Department was ordered both to "immediately restore the library books and curricular materials" removed since Jan. 19 and barred from any "further removals." Tolliver Giles previously ordered that the list of nearly 600 books affected by the department's actions be made public. They included "A is for Activist" by Innosanto Nagara, "Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen" by Jazz Jennings and "From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation" by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. The ACLU called the Oct. 20 ruling an important victory. Hundreds of military leaders went to Quantico for Trump, Hegseth. See inside the Sept. summit Military members look on before President Donald Trump addresses senior military officers gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, on Sept. 30, 2025. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the military must fix "decades of decay" as he addressed a rare gathering of hundreds of senior officers summoned from around the world to hear him speak near Washington. The censorship taking place in DoDEA schools as a result of these executive orders was astonishing in its scope and scale, and we couldnt be more pleased that the court has vindicated the First Amendment rights of the students this has impacted, ACLU senior staff attorney Emerson Sykes said. USA TODAY reached out to the Defense Department for comment. Among the plaintiffs was Jessica Henninger, a mother of children in DoDEA who previously told USA TODAY she felt helpless amid the changes because of its operation by the Department of Defense, which the Trump administration has renamed the Department of War. More: 'A First Amendment problem': Lawsuit over book bans at Department of Defense schools Its a slippery slope if youre going to start saying that the federal government can dictate what is allowed and what is not allowed to be taught to our children, she said. Youre opening up the door there to a lot of executive overreach and politicization of an education system, which is just not something that is ever okay. BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com. USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Defense Department ordered to return banned books from its schools Los Angeles Countys district attorney said Thursday hell recommend that a judge resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez nearly 30 years after the brothers were convicted of the murders of their parents a recommendation that he said would make them eligible for immediate parole. After very careful review of all arguments made from people on both sides of this equation, I came to a place where I believe under the law resentencing is appropriate and I am going to recommend that to a court tomorrow, District Attorney George Gascon said at an afternoon news conference in Los Angeles. The brothers have been serving life without the possibility of parole since their 1996 convictions of first-degree murder in the 1989 killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their California mansion. Gascons decision to recommend a resentencing the culmination of a review that came after defense attorneys said in 2023 they had new evidence pointing to abuse by their father was made about an hour before he announced it, he said. I believe that they have paid their debt to society and the system provides a vehicle for their case to be reviewed by a parole board, and if board concurs with my assessment they will be released accordingly, Gascon said in front of a packed room that included several media outlets and family members. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge will ultimately decide whether to resentence the brothers, Gascons office said. While Gascon said hed make his recommendation to the court Friday, a date for a hearing on the matter has not been determined, his office said. Nancy Theberge, deputy in charge of Gascons resentencing unit, hopes a hearing will be held in 30 to 45 days, she said. Gascon said he supports the resentencing of the brothers to life with the possibility of parole which normally would mean 50 years to life in prison. But because the crimes happened when the brothers were under 26 years old, under California law they would be eligible for youthful parole. Were very sure not only that brothers have rehabilitated and will be safe to be reintegrated into our society, but they have paid their dues, not only for the crimes that they committed, but because of all the other things they have done to improve the lives of so many others, Gascon said in the news conference , indicating that the men created groups to address how to deal with untreated trauma and helping inmates with physical disabilities. The brothers have been model prisoners by all accounts, Gascon said in an interview with CNN later Thursday, after he announced his decision. Not only have they worked on their own self-improvement, but they have done a lot of work to better the life of those around them, which that part is unusual, Gascon told CNN. I believe they have served enough time. One of the brothers attorneys said his team is hopeful the decision will one day allow the men to have a life outside of prison. We are grateful the district attorney recognized not only the extraordinary contributions Erik and Lyle have made while in prison, but the role that sexual abuse played in their actions as well, attorney Cliff Gardner told CNN. The reexamination of the case came more than 35 years after the fatal shooting of Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. Their sons, Lyle and Erik, who were 21 and 18 at the time, were arrested less than a year later, in 1990, and accused of first-degree murder. At their high-profile trials decades ago one of the first cases to be televised the brothers did not deny killing their parents. However, they argued they should not be convicted because they acted in self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse by their father. A first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on the charges. In their second trial, much of the defense evidence about sexual abuse was excluded. The brothers were found guilty in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison. What the 2023 defense petition said Gascons reexamination of the case came after attorneys for the Menendez brothers filed a habeas corpus petition in 2023, citing what they argue is new evidence, as well as a recent California law on resentencing in which the court can take into consideration sentences in comparable cases. The judge can consider whether the defendants were victims of psychological or physical abuse, whether they are rehabilitated and whether they are a danger to society. Among the new evidence the 2023 petition asked a court to consider: a sworn statement by former Menudo boy band member Roy Rossello, who alleged Jose Menendez sexually assaulted him in the 1980s. The attorneys also said a letter Erik Menendez wrote to a cousin months before the killings alludes to the abuse he endured. The defense was asking the court to either vacate the brothers conviction and sentence, or permit discovery and an evidentiary hearing during which they can provide proof, the petition says. The brothers story has taken on new interest following the September release of the Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. Netflix also released a documentary on the Menendez case this month featuring both men discussing what led to the killings. Gascon, who is campaigning for reelection next month on a platform that includes sentencing reform, told CNN this month times have changed regarding how the public and the courts treat victims of sexual abuse. There is no question that a jury today would look at this case probably very differently than a jury did 35 years ago, he said. Brave and necessary, Jose Menendezs niece says When asked about mounting criticism from opponents who suggested reconsidering the Menendez brothers sentence was a political move, Gascon said, Theres nothing political about this, adding that more than 300 resentencings have happened in the county since he took office in December 2020, including 28 for murder. Celebrity and criminal justice reform advocate Kim Kardashian, who has been vocal about her support of the brothers, also thanked Gascon for righting a significant wrong. Your commitment to truth and fairness is commendable, she wrote in a statement posted on Instagram stories. This case highlights the importance of challenging decisions and seeking truth, even when guilt is not in question. Anamaria Baralt, Jose Menendezs niece, called the decision by Gascon brave and necessary. Today is a day filled with hope for our family, she said Thursday. Together we can make sure that Erik and Lyle receive the justice they deserve and finally come home. CNNs Cindy Von Quednow reported and wrote from Los Angeles, and Amanda Musa and Melissa Gray reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNNs Stephanie Elam and Matt Friedman contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com An ICE officer detains a handcuffed man in Los Angeles on June 12, 2025. Photo: Tia Dufour / U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Public Domain (The Center Square) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ERO) officers working with federal law enforcement partners apprehended another record number of illegal foreign nationals, 1,406, in Boston in a targeted immigration enforcement sweep. In Operation Patriot 2.0, ICE ERO-Boston and ICE Homeland Security Investigations-New England officers led a multi-agency law enforcement effort. They targeted transnational organized crime, foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), transnational gangs, convicted felons and foreign fugitives in a several week operation. FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. State Departments Diplomatic Security Service and U.S. Marshals Service agents were involved. Patriot 2.0 targeted FTO members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, violent gang members, convicted felons, including murderers, rapists, sex offenders and drug traffickers, and foreign fugitives with foreign arrest warrants or Interpol Red Notices wanted in several countries. ICE highlighted arrests of violent offenders, including citizens of Brazil, Cape Verde, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Laos, Mexico and Turkey. Their combined criminal histories include convictions for indecent assault and battery on a person, enticement of a child to engage in prostitution/human trafficking or commercial sex, assault to rape, statutory rape, child rape, aggravated rape of a child, indecent assault and battery of a child, unnatural acts with a child, possession of child pornography, assault and battery, breaking and entering, failing to register as a sex offender, second-degree murder, kidnapping, strangulation/suffocation, voluntary manslaughter and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a range of drug trafficking and weapons charges, illegal reentry among others. More than 600 arrested were convicted felons, have pending criminal charges for crimes committed in the United States, or are known foreign fugitives; 277 have removal orders from federal immigration judges. Three arrested were known or suspected terrorists (KSTs). A record 1,903 KSTs were apprehended by U.S. officials during the Biden administration, the majority at the northern border coming from Canada, The Center Square exclusively reported. The operation exposed the grave consequences of sanctuary policies and the urgent need for local leaders to prioritize their constituents safety over politics, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said. Every illegal alien we arrested during the operation was breaking U.S. immigration law, and hundreds were violent criminals who should never have been allowed to roam freely in our communities. Lyons criticized Massachusetts sanctuary policies, including local and state law enforcement jurisdictions refusing to honor ICE detainer requests and transfer known violent offenders into ICE custody. Instead of cooperating with ICE, as they would with local counterparts, they released offenders from custody into the community. This is a primary reason why ICE agents are arresting illegal foreign nationals in communities nationwide as opposed to transferring them from one detention facility to another in a controlled environment, The Center Square reported. Local law enforcement agencies released them instead of handing them over to us in a secure environment, and this puts neighborhoods, law enforcement officers and illegal aliens at risk, Lyons said. Local politicians are responsible for protecting their constituents, so they need to step up and end irresponsible sanctuary policies. ICE ERO-Boston Acting Field Office Director David Wesling said those they arrested included criminal offenders who victimized innocent people and traumatized entire communities murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, child sex predators and members of violent transnational criminal gangs. All made the mistake of attempting to undermine U.S. immigration law by hiding out in Massachusetts. FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks warned those in the country illegally that they would be found and arrested. If you are in this country illegally, hiding out and committing crimes, the FBI and our partners will find you, we will arrest you, and we will remove you from our communities, Docks said. These are not harmless individuals in search of a better life, they are threats to public safety. The FBI will not sit idly by and let our immigration system be exploited because the rule of law is not optional. Everyone arrested remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings or deportation from the United States. ICE is encouraging members of the public to report crimes and suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or filling out an online tip form. There are no plans for President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet "in the immediate future," a White House official said on Tuesday -- calling off a summit that was expected in Hungary in the coming weeks. Trump announced on Thursday that he and Putin planned to meet again, and predicted it would occur "within two weeks or so." First, he said, discussions would take place among senior advisers on both sides. Zelenskyy, at White House, says Trump has 'big chance' to end Russia's war on Ukraine Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, held a phone call on Monday. It's not expected the two will meet in person at this point. EPA/Shutterstock/Reuters - PHOTO: President Donald Trump in Washington, Oct. 10, 2025 and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Oct. 16, 2025. "Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov had a productive call. Therefore, an additional in person meeting between the Secretary and Foreign Minister is not necessary, and there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future," the White House official said. Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin downplayed a potential in person meeting between Trump and Putin. The Kremlin said there was never a date set for a summit. "You can't postpone what was not scheduled," a Putin spokesman said. Asked about the meeting Tuesday afternoon at an Oval Office event celebrating Diwali, Trump said, "I don't want to have a wasted meeting. I don't want to have a waste of time so I'll see what happens." Asked what had changed since announcing his plans to meet with Putin in Budapest, Trump said, "Well, I didn't say anything. I didn't say it would. And, you know, you never know what's going to happen. But a lot of things are happening on that front, on the war front with Ukraine and Russia. And well be notified over the next two days as to what we're doing." Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will be in Washington on Wednesday for a meeting with Trump, according to a NATO news release. A White House official confirmed the meeting. The two will discuss the war in Ukraine ahead of a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in London on Friday, a NATO spokesperson said. Trump, on the heels of a diplomatic achievement in the Middle East, renewed his efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end as Moscow's invasion drags on 3 1/2 years later. But it appears little has changed since his phone call with Putin last Thursday and his face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday. Zelenskyy was in Washington to make his case for coveted U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles and other military assets. Zelenskyy said on Monday that the Trump administration decided not to provide Ukraine with the long-range Tomahawks that would give Kyiv the ability to strike deeper inside Russia, but said the "issue is not off the table." Still, Zelenskyy described the White House meeting as positive and said he was waiting to see whether he would be invited to join the now-called off sitdown between Trump and Putin in Budapest. Trump has called for the Russia-Ukraine war to end along its current battle lines, and denied a report from the Financial Times that he insisted Zelenskyy surrender the entire Donbas region to Russia. On Monday, Trump softened his previous comments when he said he believed Ukraine could win back all its territory currently occupied by Russia. "Well they could," Trump said. "They could still win it. I don't think they will but they could still win it. I never said they would win it. I said they -- anything can happen. You know war is a very strange thing. A lot of bad things happen. A lot of good things happen." Tuesday's announcement that a second Trump-Putin summit is side-tabled for now comes just hours after Russia's top diplomat signaled that the U.S. and Russia are still very far apart with regards to how to end the war with Ukraine. "Now, Washington is saying that we need to stop immediately and not discuss anything further. We need to stop and let history decide. You see, if we just stop, we will forget about the root causes of this conflict, which the American administration clearly understood when Donald Trump came to power," Lavrov said. ABC News' Chris Boccia, Michelle Stoddart and Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report. sliced turkey pictured inside package - The Image Party/Shutterstock Look for the most affordable groceries, and you'll be shocked to still find food prices from a different era. And in the realm of pre-packaged cold cuts, it doesn't get much cheaper than Buddig deli meats, which are sold for as low as 78 cents for a 2-ounce package. The brand, which was founded in 1943, offers cured meat in a variety of options, like turkey, ham, chicken, and corned beef. Unfortunately, the Buddig brand today draws attention for its low prices, not quality. On a Reddit thread, users point out, "That stuff is only edible if you were raised on it," and note a salty, unnatural flavor. Indeed, some of its products, such as its sliced turkey, contain 590 milligrams of sodium in only 2 ounces; that's 25% of your daily requirement in only a few bites. Furthermore, both of its poultry options consist of mechanically separated meat, a pulp-like extracted foodstuff known for its unpleasant flavor and texture. Additionally, offerings like Buddig's Honey Ham and Honey Roasted Turkey also contain an additive called carrageenan, which may cause adverse digestive issues. Needless to say, don't expect Buddig's meats listed among the deli meat industry's least processed items; it's a product designed to cut costs. Read more: Ranking The Top 12 Grocery Store Chains Known For Their Meat Departments Discover cost-effective alternatives to Buddig cured meats Buddig sliced meat sold at grocery - The Image Party/Shutterstock The Buddig brand is part of the Carl Buddig and Co. umbrella of companies, which also includes other ready-to-eat brands like Kingsford meats and Old Wisconsin jerky. In addition to selling many of its own products, Buddig also handles private label packaging, quielty producing for other companies the kind of lunch meat to avoid from Aldi. Such economies of scale create prices that certainly entice, but keep in mind that deli meat isn't the best food category for cutting costs. For health purposes, it's best to avoid sodium-heavy offerings like Buddig's and stick to freshly sliced deli meat instead, as it's lower in preservatives. Or, if you're really ambitious, consider making your own deli meats an option that's more nutritious and still cost-effective. Alternatively, you achieve deli meat savings by purchasing in bulk. At Costco, you can grab the Kirkland Signature Oven Browned Turkey Breast for $5.44 a pound cheaper than Buddig's $6.24 per pound. You'll just need to shave the meat yourself, but take some time with a sharp knife, and the tradeoff is worth the while for those who consume abundant cold cuts. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Food Republic. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to gain popularity among various industries, including travel. More travelers are turning to tools like ChatGPT as a quick way to plan their trips, prompting the tool to build itineraries, find hotels and flights, and plan activities. However, they might not realize the potential travel disruptions they could face. Squaremouth , a leading travel insurance comparison site, recently surveyed nearly 2,500 customers and found that 81% of travelers find AI helpful when seeking out travel insurance to protect their trip. Unfortunately, most don't realize that the policy they purchase likely won't cover trip disruptions that could occur from misinformation they receive from AI tools, such as missed flights or incorrect visa information. Key Survey Findings (2,500+ travelers surveyed): 81% find AI helpful when seeking travel insurance options. 65% who have used AI for trip planning said they would use it again. 47% have used AI to build travel itineraries; of those, 52% use ChatGPT. 34% reported receiving false or misleading travel info from AI tools. 44% trust AI as much as traditional sources, such as travel agents, friends, and search engines. What This Means for Travelers: Though the convenience and speed of using AI might be appealing to travelers planning their getaways, they should proceed with caution, especially when planning critical trip details or buying travel insurance. Most travel insurance policies do not cover trip disruptions caused by misinformation. For example, AI-generated information could result in: Missing a flight due to an incorrect airport time zone. Booking a hotel that is no longer in operation. Entering a country without the required visa due to inaccurate documentation advice. Why Travel Insurance Still Matters: Though AI mishaps aren't typically covered, travel insurance is still an essential need for common and costly disruptions, such as medical emergencies, severe weather, or airline cancellations. These risks can't be prevented, even with careful planning. Having the right coverage is one of the best ways to protect your travel plans. Squaremouth's Tips: Double-check AI-generated information with official sources : There have been numerous instances where travelers have received false information about things like travel document requirements, resulting in challenging situations and bad travel experiences. For U.S. citizens traveling abroad, we recommend travelers seek information from official government sources like USA.gov or state.gov regarding travel documents, visa requirements, and travel advisories. : where travelers have received false information about things like travel document requirements, resulting in challenging situations and bad travel experiences. For U.S. citizens traveling abroad, we recommend travelers seek information from official government sources like or regarding travel documents, visa requirements, and travel advisories. Don't rely on AI when choosing travel insurance policies: You can receive more reliable information from online marketplaces like squaremouth.com or directly through licensed travel insurance experts. You can receive more reliable information from online marketplaces like or directly through licensed travel insurance experts. Know what is covered and what is not: There are exclusions to every policy. Though travel insurance can offer protection against many unexpected travel disruptions, it likely won't cover those caused by user error or choices made based on incorrect information from AI. About Squaremouth Squaremouth is a trusted travel insurance comparison platform with over 20 years of experience. Known for its no-nonsense approach, award-winning customer service, and commitment to transparency, Squaremouth has helped more than 4 million travelers easily search, compare, and buy coverage. Squaremouth offers the largest portfolio of carriers and products in the U.S. Contact Lauren McCormick Manager, Public Relations & Social Strategy [email protected] SOURCE Squaremouth A pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan was arrested Sunday after saying in text messages that he planned to "eliminate" Jeffries when the top House Democrat spoke at the Economic Club of New York in New York City on Monday, Oct. 20. Moynihan was arraigned Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty. He was released on bond on Saturday, prosecutors told CBS News, pending future court proceedings. According to a court filing by prosecutors in the New York state criminal case, Moynihan wrote, "Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live." Moynihan also allegedly stated: "Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future," the filing said. Moynihan faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, according to court filings shared by prosecutors. In a statement on Tuesday, Jeffries noted that Moynihan had been pardoned by Mr. Trump on his first day in office and that "many of the criminals released have committed additional crimes throughout the country." But Jeffries added that "threats of violence will not stop us from showing up, standing up and speaking up for the American people." Moynihan's father declined to comment on the case when reached by phone by CBS News on Monday. He said Moynihan has not yet been appointed a defense attorney. Dutchess County, New York district attorney Anthony Parisi said in a statement to CBS News that "although my office was not contacted during the investigative stage of this matter, we are now reviewing the case for legal and factual sufficiency." An image in prosecutors' sentencing memo for Moynihan shows him entering the Capitol. Moynihan was pardoned by President Trump nine months ago, along with more than 1,500 other Capitol riot defendants who were granted clemency hours after Mr. Trump returned to the White House. Moynihan was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding, and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison. Prosecutors described Moynihan as being among the first rioters to breach police barricades and enter the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. Moynihan is shown on the Senate floor, according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors. Moynihan was also among a smaller group of riot defendants who were on the Senate floor during the siege. Prosecutors argued in Moynihan's sentencing memorandum: "While inside, Moynihan rifled through a notebook on top of a Senator's desk, saying 'There's gotta be something in here we can f*cking use against these scumbags.'" Prosecutors said Moynihan "occupied the dais of the Senate, joining other rioters in shouts and chanting," and didn't leave the chamber until police made him leave. Moynihan's arrest for allegedly threatening Jeffries was made by New York State Police, according to a statement by the agency that was confirmed by a state official. The investigation was initiated by the FBI, according to state police. A state police statement said Moynihan was arraigned in local court in Clinton, a town in New York's Hudson Valley region. He was remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center "in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, a $30,000 bond, or an $80,000 partially secured bond." State police declined a request to immediately release a copy of the agency's incident report or a booking photo. Moynihan is not the first pardoned Capitol rioter to be arrested on new, separate charges. But he is the first to be charged with making a violent threat against a member of Congress. Critics of the president's blanket pardons of Jan. 6 defendants have warned about the risk of recidivism by rioters, many of whom remained defiant and unapologetic about their roles in the attack. The rioters have been defended and lionized publicly as "hostages" by Mr. Trump. In a March 2025 floor speech, Sen. Dick Durbin, a member of Senate Democratic leadership from Illinois, listed the names of accused rioters who had been arrested again. Durbin cited the case of Matthew Huttle, who was accused of "raising a firearm at police" in early 2025 and "acknowledged he was a January 6th defendant who stormed the Capitol," according to Durbin. Huttle was fatally shot by police during the traffic stop. Zachary Alam, who was convicted of eight felonies for his role in the Capitol riot, was arrested weeks after his 2025 presidential pardon for allegedly breaking and entering a home near Richmond, Virginia. Other Jan. 6 defendants have since been arrested for other alleged criminal infractions that occurred before the siege or in the years between 2021 and the pardon. The alleged threat against Jeffries is also part of a fast-growing wave of threats against legislators. In a statement last month, Capitol Police said the number of threat investigations in 2025 had already eclipsed 14,000, more than the number of cases in all of 2024. The Capitol riot injured more than 140 police officers and caused millions of dollars of damage to the Capitol complex. It interrupted the certification of the electoral vote from the 2020 election and triggered the evacuation of Congress, with leadership sent to a secure, secret location. Some rioters chanted to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence, threatened to kill then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and beat police officers with dozens of makeshift weapons, including bats, sticks, poles, bear spray and beams. Some were accused of carrying guns, knives and handmade weapons. Carney reacts to Trump's anger over tariffs ad featuring Reagan 4 sisters diagnosed with rare brain condition: "Got to be kidding" White House takes questions about Trump's East Wing demolition for ballroom Congressional Lawmakers Continue Work On Funding Bill After Government Shuts Down Photo is not from story. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) A New York man who received a pardon from President Donald Trump for participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was arrested Sunday for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to the New York State Police. Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested for making a terroristic threat, which is a felony, the New York State Police said in a Sunday press release. The State Police were advised of the alleged threat by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force (FBI-JTTF). (RELATED: Hakeem Jeffries Calls Bill To Pay Troops During Shutdown Political Ploy) According to charging documents, the FBI received an anonymous tip from an individual who was concerned about Moynihan. Moynihan allegedly wrote, Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC. I cannot allow this terrorist to live. Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, NBC News reported. Jeffries spoke at the Economic Club of New York on Monday, its website shows. Moynihan was arrested following a thorough investigation, the New York State Police said in the same release. Records indicate he is currently being held in the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, according to the State Police. Moynihan faced six counts, including disorderly conduct for participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Moynihan was among a crowd of individuals who broke through a police line at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to protest the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison. Moynihan has struggled with addiction to opiates, his attorneys said when he was sentenced for participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, CNN reported. A D.C. judge recommended he receive drug abuse and mental health treatment while serving his sentence. The individual who tipped off the FBI about Moynihans alleged threat suspected narcotic abuse and an increase in the respondents homicidal ideations, according to the same charging documents cited by NBC News. Moynihans recent arrest comes one year and seven months after he was released from federal custody. Trump commuted the sentences of over 1,000 individuals who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, including Moynihan, CNN reported in January. Containers and equipment sit at the Port of Keelung, Taiwan, August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang By Faith Hung and Emily Chan TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's export orders rose more than expected in September, increasing for an eighth consecutive month, as the island's growth as an essential hub for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry offset worries about U.S. tariffs. Export orders in September rose 30.5% from a year earlier to $70.22 billion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Tuesday, far surpassing analysts' expectations for a 17.8% increase. Orders for goods from Taiwan, home of the world's largest contract chipmaker TSMC and other tech companies, are considered a bellwether of global technology demand. A general tariff rate of 20% has been imposed on Taiwan's exports by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Taiwan's government has said the 20% tariff is "temporary" as it continues to negotiate with the U.S. for more favourable rates. Uncertainties such as global trade policy and geopolitical risks continue to weigh on global trade momentum, the ministry said in a statement. But the momentum for orders will be supported as new applications such as AI and high-performance computing continue to expand, while the fourth-quarter is typically the high season ahead of the year-end holidays in western markets, it said. The total value for full-year orders would likely hit a record, the ministry said. For October, the ministry said it expected export orders to rise between 23.7% and 27.3% from a year ago. Taiwan's orders in September for telecoms products were up 33.1% from a year earlier, while those for electronic products jumped 45.9%. Overall orders from China were up 11.6%, versus a 0.7% dip in August. Orders from the United States climbed 40.2%, compared with a rise of 33.6% the month before. Orders from Europe were up 16.9%, and those from Japan rose 22.8%. (Reporting by Faith Hung and Emily Chan; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) US President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over lunch in the Cabinet Room at the White House on October 17, 2025. - Jonathan Ernst/Reuters President Donald Trumps working lunch with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday turned acrimonious when the US leader insisted Ukraine make territorial concessions to Russia to end the war, according to European officials briefed on the meeting. Trump, who would later endorse a freeze in current battle lines as part of a peace settlement, grew frustrated and raised his voice multiple times, the officials said. The episode was the latest chapter in the fraught relationship between the two men, and amounted to another shift in Trumps approach to how the war will be settled. Last month, after meeting Zelensky in New York, Trump claimed Ukraine might be able to regain all its territory lost to Russia. But now Trump is preparing for another high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, this time in Budapest. It was after a call with the Russian leader on the eve of the Zelensky meeting that Trump again insisted Kyiv must give up swaths of land for the conflict to end. Trump shrugged off the apparent reversal on Monday. I never said they would win it. I said they could win, he said of Ukraine at the White House, where he was meeting the prime minister of Australia. Anything could happen. You know, war is a very strange thing. A lot of bad things happen. A lot of good things happen. He said he still believed Ukraine could win, but that he didnt think it would. Zelensky emerged from that meeting to brief European leaders on a call in which he sounded pessimistic about Trumps position, the European officials said. A Ukrainian source separately called the White House meeting tense, but said there was no shouting, downplaying reports of a volatile encounter between the two leaders. Overall, the source called the meeting constructive, since Trump ultimately declared that a ceasefire be along the current frontline. Zelensky later endorsed the idea in remarks to reporters. Asked about the European characterization of the meeting, the White House pointed to comments Trump made Sunday on Air Force One. We think that what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are, the battle lines, he said. The rest is very tough to negotiate if youre going to say, You take this, we take that. For Trump, ending the Russia-Ukraine war is now a top priority after he brokered a truce between Israel and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza. He emphasized the need to end the war quickly in Fridays talks, the European officials said. In his phone call with Trump a day earlier, Putin proposed a plan where Ukraine would surrender the eastern Donbas region in exchange for some Russian-held parts of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the European official said. The proposal, which the officials characterized as a slightly less sweeping demand than what Putin raised during his August summit with Trump in Alaska, would still amount to a major loss of territory for Ukraine. Trump later arrived at the position of ending the war along the current battle lines. Trump on Sunday denied he asked Zelensky to concede the entire Donbas region, which Ukraine views as strategically important. Its cut up right now, I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia, he said on Air Force One. They should stop right now at the battle lines. Go home, stop killing people and be done. On Monday, Trump told reporters he had asked Putin during their phone call to stop attacks on civilian areas but went on to talk about how many soldiers are dying. Several people familiar had previously told CNN that last weeks Trump-Zelensky meeting was tense, frank and, at times, uncomfortable with the two leaders split over the future of the war. Trump made clear to Zelensky in a direct and honest conversation that for now the Ukrainian leader would not receive the long-range missiles that can reach far into Russia that he was seeking. One US official said Trump was under the impression that Ukraine is seeking to escalate and prolong the conflict and is worried about potential losses during an upcoming harsh winter. Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna on Monday disputed that the meeting was aggressive or negative, saying that it was a dialogue on ending the war. She said Trump and Zelensky left their meeting Friday with full clarity on next steps. According to the European officials, Zelensky and his delegation came to the White House with maps showing current battle lines, hoping to convince the US president to maintain and expand American support. Trump seemed uninterested in the arguments, and forcefully insisted Ukraine agree to land concessions for the war to end, they said. In an interview taped last week, Trump said for the war to end, Putin was going to take something, hes won certain property. Trump has told those around him that his demand for a ceasefire along current battle lines was due to the realities of where the conflict stands, arguing there was too much devastation and too much killing, according to one US official. Both sides need to make a deal, another US official said arguing the conditions are only going to get worse. Zelensky cast the meeting as a pointed conversation in a post to social media but said its outcome can really help bring this war closer to an end. This story has been updated with additional comments from President Donald Trump. CNNs Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes, Victoria Butenko and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Vice President JD Vance and Mr. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner said Tuesday that the U.S.-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza is going better than they expected, despite the violence that erupted between Israel and Hamas in recent days. Vance, Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff are in Israel this week as they try to shore up the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. "Look, I think that we are one week into President Trump's historic peace plan in the Middle East, and things are going frankly better than I expected that they were," Vance told reporters as he began his press conference in Israel. Vance insisted this is "not the end" of the peace plan, but rather, "exactly how this is going to have to happen when you have people who hate each other, who have been fighting against each other for a very long time." "We are doing very well," he said. "We're in a very good place. We're going to have to keep working on it, but I think we have the team to do exactly that." But Vance urged a "little bit of patience" as Israel waits for the return of all of the hostages' remains from Hamas. Vance said there are "difficulties" in securing all the bodies. "Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble," he said. "Some of the hostages nobody even knows where they are." Two more bodies of hostages were transported back to Israel on Tuesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. They were sent to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine to be identified, the Israeli military said. The peace process has taken incremental steps forward despite the weekend violence, with Israel returning the remains of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Tuesday following the handover by Hamas on Monday evening of the body of another deceased hostage. As part of the peace deal, a total of 165 Palestinians' bodies have now been returned to Gaza, many of them former detainees, while all 20 living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas, along with the confirmed remains of 13 other deceased captives. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Wednesday morning local time identified the remains of one of the returned hostages as Arie Zalmanovich, who was 85 when he died, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF early Wednesday morning also said the remains of one of the returned hostages had been identified as Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tamir Adar, 38. The IDF said he was killed during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack and his body was then taken to Gaza. It was not immediately clear whether Zalmanovich and Adar were the two whose remains were released by Hamas on Tuesday. But despite those steps, the long-term viability of Mr. Trump's peace plan, which he's said will end nearly eight decades of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians, remains less certain. "A lot of people are getting a little hysterical about different incursions one way or the other, but what we are seeing is that things are going in accordance," Kushner said Tuesday. "Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime posture." Kushner appeared optimistic, saying it's "amazing to think it's only been a week" since the peace agreement was signed. Vance said the last week has given him "great optimism" the ceasefire is going to hold, adding that he'd come to Israel to "see how things were going" on the ground so he could report back to the president. The U.S. and Israel need to be "a little bit flexible" on the issue of Hamas' disarmament, he said. "I'm not going to do what the president of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult," he said of Hamas' time to disarm. "A lot of this stuff is unpredictable." As he answered reporters' questions, the vice president emphasized that no American troops would be deployed in Gaza to implement the peace plan. "There are not going to be American boots on the ground in Gaza," Vance said. "The president of the United States has made that very clear, all of our military leadership has made that very clear. What we can do is provide some useful coordination." Before Vance left for Israel, he said bumps in the road to peace were to be expected. "There are going to be fits and starts," Vance told reporters. "Hamas is gonna fire on Israel, Israel's gonna have to respond, of course." Hamas has denied responsibility for an alleged RPG attack that killed two Israeli soldiers over the weekend. Netanyahu said Monday that it was a Hamas attack, and that the Israeli military responded to the alleged ceasefire violation by dropping almost 169 tons of bombs in Gaza. "One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace," Netanyahu told lawmakers on Monday. "You make peace with the strong, not the weak. Today Israel is stronger than ever before." The Israeli strikes killed at least 45 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory. President Trump warned Hamas on Monday against breaching the deal that took months to negotiate. "They're gonna behave, they're gonna be nice," he said. "And if they're not, we're gonna go and eradicate them if we have to." Kushner and Witkoff met Monday with Netanyahu, and the Israeli leader's office said Vance would also meet him this week. The vice president and second lady Usha Vance were greeted upon their arrival Tuesday by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Israel's Minister of Justice Yariv Levin. U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives at Ben Gurion airport, Oct. 21, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. / Credit: Nathan Howard/Pool/Getty Vance was scheduled to have a working lunch with Witkoff and Kushner on Tuesday before his meeting with Netanyahu. Ex-Israeli official casts doubt on prospects for Trump's peace plan Some Israelis remain skeptical that the Israeli prime minister is genuinely interested in a lasting peace. Among them is fierce Netanyahu critic Alon Pinkas, who served as an advisor to four Israeli foreign ministers. He told CBS News that Netanyahu signed the peace deal brokered by Mr. Trump, but never really backed its core purpose, or Mr. Trump's stated goal of securing an enduring peace in the heart of the Middle East. "This was an agreement he was bullied into," Pinkas said. "This is an agreement he signed under duress, and now he is developing a new scheme to manipulate Trump." Pinkas credited Mr. Trump for doing "something that his predecessors were disinclined or hesitant to do, and that is exert real pressure" on Israel's leader. "It worked, but it only worked for the first phase," Pinkas said, referring to the living Israeli hostages being released and the ceasefire coming into effect. He said after the weekend's violence that the deal had been "ostensibly restored, but when Netanyahu says, 'I'm restoring the ceasefire,' it's only because there's a visit here of the vice president, JD Vance, and because the U.S. sent its envoy." Pinkas said he was certain Israeli forces would resume operations in Gaza within days, noting they remained deployed in about half of the Palestinian territory. Israeli soldiers stand next to vehicles near the Israel-Gaza border, in southern Israel, Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: Amir Cohen/REUTERS "The hostages are no longer in danger because they were freed, and Hamas was not decisively destroyed, as Mr. Netanyahu promised and boasted and bragged for two years, so I see a serious incentive for Mr. Netanyahu to resume" an offensive against Hamas, Pinkas told CBS News. "Maybe not on a huge scale, given the agreement, but I do see ... a local skirmish that becomes a wider flare-up, that then deteriorates or escalates into a full Israeli military operation." Hamas' top negotiator said Tuesday that the group remained committed to the ceasefire agreement. But President Trump's peace plan calls for the demilitarization of Gaza, and many analysts, including Pinkas, have doubts that Hamas will willingly hand over all its weapons. "That's probably the biggest flaw in the agreement," said Pinkas. "The agreement in and of itself is a good agreement, but in order for an agreement like that to work, it requires good faith, good will, and trust. None of these ingredients exist. In fact, both sides have a vested interest in not progressing beyond the ceasefire." "Hamas wants to lure Israel inside [Gaza] into a de-facto occupation, and mount an insurgency and show to the Palestinians that they are the real resistance. And Netanyahu wants to go in because he knows that if everything stops now and there is progress into the next phases, that almost inevitably means that he will be deemed as the guy who failed to defeat Hamas." Pinkas said that while the past two years of war have left Hamas defeated militarily and degraded, "Hamas is not done. Hamas are there, and you see those pictures every day. You show them on CBS Hamas gangs walking around in battle fatigues, armed. That's not going to cut it politically for Mr. Netanyahu." An armed Hamas militant stands guard as a Red Cross vehicle arrives to receive the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages, in Gaza City, Oct. 14, 2025. / Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS Speaking in a recent interview with CBS News' Tony Dokoupil, Netanyahu said his government had agreed "to give peace a chance," but he noted that the conditions of Mr. Trump's 20-point peace plan "are very clear it's not only that we get the hostages out without getting our military out, but that we would subsequently have both demilitarization and disarmament. They're not the same thing. First Hamas has to give up its arms. And second, you want to make sure that there are no weapons factories inside Gaza. There's no smuggling of weapons into Gaza." "We also agreed: Okay, let's get the first part done. Now let's give a chance to do the second part peacefully, which is my hope," the Israeli leader told CBS News. Eye Opener: Police arrest a man with an assault rifle at Atlanta's airport Potential shooting plot at Atlanta airport thwarted, police say Portland resident says ICE agents entered home without a warrant Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail Jospeh Adams NEED TO KNOW A 45-year-old Virginia man has been given two life sentences for his involvement in a road rage shooting that left two people injured The incident, which took place in October 2024, saw a mother shot in the face and her teenage son hit with three bullets in both of his arms, according to local media outlet WAVY Victim Molly Haskin recalled in court how she repeatedly told herself, "I will not die" as she was airlifted to a hospital, per WAVY A Virginia man who shot and wounded a mother and son in a road rage incident has been handed two life sentences in prison. In a news release shared on Monday, Oct. 20, the James City County Police (JCCP) said Joseph Adams, 45, was sentenced by the Williamsburg-James City Circuit Court to two consecutive life terms plus 19 years in prison for his role in a road rage shooting in October 2024. Adams was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five other charges in connection with the October 2024 shooting, local media outlet WAVY reported. These included four firearms-related charges and malicious shooting/throwing at a train or car. At around 3 p.m. local time on Oct. 5, 2024, authorities responded to reports of two individuals with gunshot wounds they were shot inside their vehicle while driving at the intersection of Centerville Road and Monticello Avenue, police said in a news release at the time. The suspect was later identified as Adams of Surry County. The shooting occurred as a vehicle carrying three occupants turned from Centerville Road onto Monticello Avenue while the suspect, driving a red Toyota Solara, was traveling on Centerville Road toward John Tyler Highway, police said. According to the release, Adams fired multiple shots from his vehicle into the victims vehicle before fleeing the scene. The victims vehicle came to a stop at the Monticello Avenue/Greensprings Plantation Drive intersection, where they were treated by first responders. Adams had fled in his vehicle onto the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry, which was heading to Surry County. The ferry was held at the dock once it arrived in Surry and Adams was taken into custody, the JCCP stated in the release. One victim was identified as Molly Haskin. She suffered life-threatening injuries after being shot in the face. Her teenage son was also shot three times in both his arms, per WAVY. The third victim in the vehicle was unharmed in the shooting. 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. 13News Now The road where the incident took place in James City County Adams was initially charged with one count of driving under the influence. He was additionally charged with 23 other offenses, which included two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, three counts of brandishing a firearm, five counts of reckless handling of a firearm and five counts of shooting from a vehicle, per the police release. I apologize to the victims, Adams said in the James City County courtroom on Monday. His attorney, Rob Jones, had requested a light sentencing for Adams as he stated that he was a functioning alcoholic with mental illness and substance abuse issues, per WAVY. While speaking in court, victim Haskin recalled how she repeatedly told herself, I will not die as she was airlifted to a hospital in Richmond, per the outlet. Her son also took to the stand and recalled the pain he felt after being hit in both of his arms by three bullets, as well as seeing his mother being shot in the face. Adams remains behind bars at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, per police. PEOPLE has reached out to the James City County Court for comment. Read the original article on People THE RUNDOWN Ana de Armas and Tom Cruise were rumored to be dating earlier this year after they were spotted together in London, Spain, and Vermont. But on October 20, People reported that the two stars were never an official couple. Theyre expected to star in an upcoming thriller and have spoken highly about their working relationship. Amid recent breakup rumors, People reports that Ana de Armas and Tom Cruise are friendly and were never an official couple. A source close to de Armas told the outlet that Cruise has been a dear friend and mentor to the actress, who very much enjoys spending time with him. Shes single, though, and has been for a while, the insider added. She stays in touch with Tom, and they still have an upcoming movie project that shes looking forward to. The two stars first sparked romance rumors in February after they were spotted having dinner in London the night before Valentines Day. In the following months, the Mission: Impossible actor and the Ballerina star spent more time together, taking trips to Spain and Vermont, where they were photographed holding hands. The acting duo is expected to star in a thriller, helmed by director-producers Doug Liman and Christopher McQuarrie. Although Cruise and de Armas never publicly commented on their alleged romance, theyve spoken openly about their working relationship. Obviously, everyone knows Im working with Tom Cruise, de Armas told Womens Wear Daily in May. And of course Im doing crazy training, as you do when youre working with Tom. Its another level that just keeps setting the bar higher and higher. But its so much fun. And were not only working on that thing that were training for, but also a couple other things too. That same month, in an interview with Extra, Cruise called de Armas very, very talented and a great dramatic actress, adding that she has comedic, tremendous ability and learns quickly. After their Vermont getaway in July, a source told People on August 6 that the actors had a great break together. The insider added that de Armas, who has a house in Vermont, enjoyed being the host and loves spending time with Tom. At that point, Cruise and de Armas were very focused on kicking off their new project together, the source said. Its an important one for both of them. The shooting schedule will be intense, but theyre ready. Its Anas first time working with Tom, and she wants to bring her best, the insider added. She knows he has high standards on set, but shes ready for the challenge. You Might Also Like French law enforcement officials are racing against the clock on Oct. 21 to find the thieves who carried out a brazen daytime heist at Paris' Louvre Museum. On the morning of Oct. 19, the robbers shattered a window and stole eight pieces of "priceless" jewelry from the worlds most-visited museum, before escaping on motorbikes, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on France Inter radio. The museum shuttered its doors following the robbery and remained closed Oct. 21, as it is every Tuesday. The jewels are worth an estimated $102.63 million, Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau told RTL radio on Oct. 21. Thieves executing this kind of heist typically dismantle or melt down the easily recognizable stolen goods "as soon as possible, within hours, to cut down on the chances of being caught," said Erin Thompson, a professor of art crime at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Doing so inevitably diminishes some of their value, she said, but it also makes it harder to trace the items back to the museum. A specialized police unit known as the BRB, which has dealt with other high-profile robberies, is handling the investigation. Robbery at Louvre Museum in Paris: See the priceless jewelry stolen The Louvre pyramid courtyard is seen almost completely empty following the announcement that the museum will remain closed for a second day after thieves stole priceless jewels from the museum in Paris a day earlier, in Paris on Oct. 20, 2025. Former police officer Pascal Szkudlara, who served in the unit, told Reuters the investigators will analyze video footage, telephone records and forensic evidence. "They can have teams working on it 24/7 and for a long period," Szkudlara said, expressing "100%" confidence the thieves would be caught. Graphics: How thieves stole treasures worth millions from the Louvre Museum in just seven minutes Meanwhile, France has ordered a security review at the Louvre, which welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024, and pledged to strengthen security measures at the country's other cultural institutions. Justice Minister Gerard Darmanin acknowledged to France Inter radio that officials "failed" to keep the "priceless" jewels safe. "For too long we have looked into the security of visitors but not the security of artworks," Culture Minister Rachida Dati told M6TV. Members of a forensic team inspect a window believed to have been used in what the French Interior Ministry said was a robbery at the Louvre museum during which jewelry was stolen, in Paris, France, October 19, 2025. What will the thieves do with treasures? In recent years, museum thieves have been moving away from stealing art for its cultural value, instead opting for smash-and-grab thefts of valuable items that can be easily broken down, Remigiusz Plath, the secretary of the International Council of Museum Security, told CNN. "What weve definitely seen in the last five to seven years is some more shift toward raw materials theft," he told the outlet. If the thieves who hit the Louvre are skilled, they are likely planning to recut the larger gems, said Thompson. "There's a lot of value in the history, but again, you're going to get easily caught if you try and sell something like a crown of the Empress Eugenie versus a handful of diamonds," Thompson said. There are a limited number of people with the necessary skills who are willing to take that risk, she said, so the gems could be recovered if something goes awry. But if the process is successful, the gems can be sold "pretty easily" and may never be seen again, even if the thieves themselves are arrested, Thompson said. "The recovery of objects that are stolen for their material value is very rare," Thompson said. How the Louvre heist unfolded At about 9:30 a.m. local time, the robbers allegedly used a crane positioned on a truck to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon, a first-floor wing of the museum that houses the French Crown Jewels. They broke a window using an angle grinder, smashed two display cases and fled on motorbikes, according to Nunez. Prosecutors say the robbery took between six and seven minutes, and the robbers were unarmed but threatened guards with the angle grinders. Investigators believe three to four experienced thieves were involved. What was stolen from the Louvre? The eight pieces taken from the gallery include a tiara, as well as earrings and a necklace from a sapphire jewelry set owned by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, the stepdaughter of Napoleon I. An emerald necklace and a pair of earrings from the Marie-Louise set, the reliquary brooch, along with a tiara and brooch of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, were also taken. What was stolen from the Louvre? See the 8 pieces of jewelry thieves took, per officials The burglars also allegedly attempted to take a diamond and emerald-covered gold crown owned by Empress Eugenie, but dropped it. The crown, which was damaged in the heist, was found on the ground outside the museum, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. "Beyond their market value, these items have inestimable heritage and historical value," the Louvre said in a statement. This story has been updated to add new information. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Louvre loot worth $102M may be dismantled. Updates on Paris heist. Key Points Eos Energy's power solutions are in high demand. A new economic development award should help to fuel the battery manufacturer's expansion. 10 stocks we like better than Eos Energy Enterprises What happened Shares of Eos Energy Enterprises (NASDAQ: EOSE) climbed more than 8% on Tuesday after the battery technology company announced plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities to meet the surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) power sources. A person is monitoring data on digital screens. Image source: Getty Images. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue So what Eos was awarded a $24 million incentive package by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Allegheny County to help it build a new battery manufacturing plant in Marshall Township, Pennsylvania, and a software hub in Pittsburgh. The projects are expected to bring 1,000 high-paying jobs to Pennsylvania and bolster the efficiency and scalability of Eos' production operations. "Energy storage is the backbone of a modern energy system, and this significant milestone marks our progress to bring America's battery to scale," Eos CEO Joe Mastrangelo said in a press release. Eos also said it will strengthen its ties with Carnegie Mellon University, which is located in Pittsburgh. The company believes this will create a pipeline of graduates trained in robotics, AI, and engineering, enabling Eos to meet its workforce expansion targets and further develop its proprietary battery management system and software platform, DawnOS. Now what Eos is working toward its goal of achieving 8 gigawatt-hours of annualized energy storage capacity. The power solutions provider is enjoying booming demand for its offerings. Eos is working with Talen Energy to develop energy storage capacity at multiple sites in Pennsylvania to help power AI infrastructure. Eos also has a supply deal with MN8 Energy to provide energy storage to its renewable power projects. "We're proving that you can make things in America again by building world-class capacity, pairing advanced manufacturing with innovative software, and doing it here in Pennsylvania to ensure a more energy-efficient and secure future," Mastrangelo said. Should you invest $1,000 in Eos Energy Enterprises right now? Before you buy stock in Eos Energy Enterprises, 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 Eos Energy Enterprises 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 $667,945!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,119,558!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,073% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% 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 October 20, 2025 Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Fintech mobile-first platform addressing communities in emerging markets and underbanked regions where over 1.1 billion people lack reliable tech access, connectivity, or formal banking announces acquisition of Mexican Fintech Kredeo DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- mPWR, a mobile-first pioneering provider of digital lifestyle and financial services, today announced the acquisition of La Lenderia, S.A.P.I. de C.V. ("Kredeo"), a Mexico-based Fintech innovator specializing in consumer lending, leasing, and payment solutions, subject to the completion of certain conditions agreed between the parties. The all-equity transaction, upon fulfillment of these conditions, will grant mPWR 100% ownership of Kredeo, unlocking immediate access to critical regulatory licenses and a robust technology platform and local infrastructure to fuel mPWR's entry into the high-growth Mexican market. This acquisition represents another key milestone for mPWR, solidifying its position on route to becoming a global fintech powerhouse by bridging innovative digital services with established local infrastructure. Mexico, with its dynamic economy and burgeoning digital payments ecosystem, is a cornerstone of mPWR's global expansion strategy. By integrating Kredeo's assets, mPWR gains a compliant operational foundation to launch bundled financial products, including smartphone leasing, microloans, and SME leasing, tailored for aspiring consumers and micro businesses. "Kredeo's proven track record in regulatory compliance, coupled with its cutting-edge tech stackincluding KYC/AML engines and seamless payment gatewayspositions mPWR for accelerated market penetration and scalable growth in Mexico," said Oscar Rojas, CEO of mPWR. "This partnership is more than an acquisition; it's a catalyst for innovation that will empower millions with accessible financial tools. We're thrilled to welcome Kredeo's talented team and leverage their local expertise to drive our vision forward." "We are excited to join forces with mPWR to expand our impact in Mexico and beyond," said Ricardo Millan, CEO of Kredeo. "This acquisition validates our innovative approach to financial inclusion and opens up new opportunities to serve underserved communities with mPWR's global reach and resources." Under the terms of the agreement, mPWR will assume full operational control of Kredeo's entities, including its license for microloans and phone leasing. Strategically timed amid mPWR's ongoing capital raise, this acquisition underscores the momentum building around the company's growth narrative. It exemplifies how investor capital is being deployed to capture high-value opportunities in emerging markets, enhancing shareholder value through regulatory moats, technological synergies, and revenue diversification. "As we advance our Private Placement funding round (https://invest.thempwr.com), partnerships like this validate the scalability of our ecosystem and attract forward-thinking investors eager to participate in mPWR's journey," added Raymond Dias, Investor Relations Officer at mPWR. "Mexico is just the beginningexpect more announcements that tie directly to our capital ambitions." The transaction is expected to close imminently. Further details on integration milestones will be shared in upcoming investor updates. About mPWR mPWR is a forward-thinking, mobile-first fintech platform bridging the digital divide across emerging markets. By combining affordable smartphone access with integrated banking tools, micro-lending, digital services, education, and gamified engagement, mPWR empowers underserved communities while creating sustainable investor value. To learn more about the U.S. investment opportunity, watch the official investor video here: https://www.youtube.com/@the_mPWR and the investment page here: https://invest.thempwr.com Disclaimer This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Securities will only be offered to accredited investors under Regulation D Rule 506(c) pursuant to offering documents. Prospective investors should review all materials carefully and seek advice from financial and legal advisors. Certain statements in this release, including those regarding growth potential, market impact, and returns, are forward-looking in nature and subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Investor Relations - mPWR: [email protected] (754) 800-4507 Media / Public Relations: Good Press Publishing, LLC (561) 789-1001 [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801090/mPWR_Logo.jpg SOURCE mPWR An 11-year-old boy who was bitten by a snake in Australia died after his father said to "sleep it off," according to legal findings released in the death case. Tristian Jaemes Frahm suffered "extensive internal bleeding due to brown snake envenomation," according to a Coroners Court of Queensland inquest document released on Wednesday, Oct. 15. On Nov. 21, 2021, officials wrote, police found Tristian dead at a property in Murgon, a rural town in Queensland about 160 miles from the city of Brisbane. In a 22-page report, Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard wrote Tristians father Kerrod Frahm, and two other unnamed adults received information Tristian may have been bitten by a snake after he had fallen off a "ride-on" lawn mower, according to the report. A brown snake The findings go onto show the trio checked Tristian for bite marks, but in the absence of "any obvious puncture marks, and on being told Tristian had earlier consumed alcohol, they attributed his non-specific symptoms to the effects of alcohol, so they did not seek medical attention for him," the report reads. They then told Tristian to "sleep it off," according the document. After the boy was sent to bed, he experienced symptoms including vomiting and stomach pain, the report continues. A little girl disappeared. Her mom allegedly hasn't cooperated. Where is Melodee Buzzard? What happened to Tristian Frahm? Shortly after 9 a.m. local time on Nov. 22, 2021, police arrived at the property and found the boy dead, lying on his back under a sleeping bag on the ground outside a donga, a slang word for temporary or portable housing. The coroner wrote she found two marks on Tristians right ankle consistent with a snakebite and vomit close to his body. Forensic pathologist Christopher Day found no alcohol in the boy's system, according to the report. Tristian's father was charged with manslaughter in connection to his son's death, but the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the charge in April 2024, the document shows. It was not immediately known why the charge was dismissed. USA TODAY has reached out to Queensland Courts. But according to the inquest, brown snake fangs "are not very large meaning their bite marks can be easily missed. They can leave fang or puncture marks, a normal looking scratch or no obvious mark at all." "The circumstances in which he passed demonstrate the importance of taking even the possibility of snakebite seriously," the coroner wrote adding several tips for those who have been bit: Call 911 or local law enforcement immediately after being bit Apply pressure and a bandage to the suspected bite site Stay still until help arrives Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Australian boy dies from snake bite after dad tells him to go to sleep Fran Bates When Fran Bates received a call that her bank account had been hacked, the 85-year-old wanted nothing more than to protect her savings. Must Read So she listened to the instructions given to her on the other end of the line. As ABC News reported, Bates was told to withdraw more than $40,000 and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM kiosk in the Fort Worth area to keep it safe. [1] She was in the process of feeding more than $23,000 in cash into an ATM when Myndi Jordan, another customer who was there at the time, called the police. Jordan had previously fallen victim to identify fraud and said she immediately recognized it as a scam. Lieutenant James Stewart of the White Settlement Police Department arrived at the gas station. Police bodycam footage shows he took Bates' cellphone and confronted the scammer, who was giving her instructions about putting her money into the ATM. Stewart stopped Bates from finishing the transaction, even as the scammer told her to click on I'm done, and because of that, she didn't lose any money. Bates later called Jordan her "guardian angel" in an interview with ABC News. She also called Stewart her "knight in shining armor." But not all stories like this have a happy ending. Its important to understand what a Bitcoin ATM scam might look like and how to avoid being a victim. Bitcoin ATM scams are on the rise Bitcoin ATM scams have become increasingly common. In 2024, the FTC reported that consumers lost more than $110 million in 2023 to Bitcoin ATM scams an almost tenfold increase since 2020. And in the first six months of 2024 alone, Bitcoin ATM scams cost consumers more than $65 million with the median loss at $10,000. Consumers over age 60 were also more than three times likely than younger adults to report losing money in a Bitcoin ATM scam. Meanwhile, the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that in 2024, it received 10,956 complaints about crypto ATM fraud, with $246.7 million in losses reported. In a Bitcoin ATM scam, a person is usually conned into depositing money into a Bitcoin ATM. Sometimes, there's a fake call or message from a bank employee warning of fraud. Other times, it may be someone pretending to be a romantic interest who's in financial trouble and needs money. The victim is typically given instructions to go to a Bitcoin ATM to deposit cash into a specific digital wallet. That way, the scammer can take possession of the money. The reason Bitcoin ATMs are so popular among scammers is that these transactions are very hard to trace. Also, once a transaction goes through, it typically can't be reversed. Traditional ATMs are more regulated and tend to have more safeguards in place. Amy Nofziger, AARP's director of fraud victim support, told ABC News that crypto is now the No. 1 preferred method of criminals, calling it a "huge problem." The problem is bad enough that lawmakers and regulators are intervening. Read more: How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you'll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement Last month, Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb sued Athena Bitcoin, saying the companys own data shows 93% of transactions on its devices in its first five months of operations in the District were "the direct result of scams." The median age of scam victims was 71 and the median amount lost per fraudulent transaction was $8,000. Athena knows that its machines are being used primarily by scammers yet chooses to look the other way so that it can continue to pocket sizable hidden transaction fees, said Schwalb. ABC News said that AARP has been pushing for stricter Bitcoin ATM regulations, such as caps on daily deposits. It also says that at least 17 states have passed regulatory measures in recent years, and that some municipalities have tried to ban Bitcoin ATMs completely. Recently, Arizona passed new laws regulating Bitcoin ATMs. House Bill 2387 limits daily transactions to $2,000 for new customers and requires kiosks to display warnings about fraud. ATM operators must also issue full refunds to new customers who were defrauded, provided the victim reports the fraud to law enforcement or the Attorney General and the ATM operator within 30 days. If more states continue to crack down on Bitcoin ATMs and impose regulations, it could eat into the profits of the companies that operate these ATMs and result in them becoming less prevalent. That could lessen the likelihood of fraud. How to protect yourself from becoming a victim Clearly, Bitcoin ATM scams are a big problem. But there are some steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim. For one thing, never respond to an unsolicited call, text, or email from your bank asking you to send money. In fact, avoid sending money via a Bitcoin ATM for any reason, whether it's to "protect your bank account" or because someone you've met on the Internet claims to need help. Scammers can even use deepfake technology to make it seem like a person you know, like a family member, is calling you asking for help and insisting that you deposit funds into a Bitcoin ATM. Don't buy it. In a situation like this, hang up (in the case of an incoming call) and initiate a call to the bank or person in question yourself to see what's going on. For example, if your bank claims there's an issue with your account, call your bank directly or walk into a branch to dig deeper. If your daughter-in-law has called and asked for a Bitcoin ATM deposit, hang up and call her number back. Unfortunately, older people are more likely to fall victim to these types of scams. So it's important to educate your loved ones on how they operate. It's equally important to report these scams to the FTC if someone tries to rob you or a loved one of your money. You should also file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Getting your money back in a Bitcoin ATM scam is unlikely. Because these transactions are irreversible and hard to trace, you may not have much recourse. That's why the best thing to do is avoid becoming a victim in the first place. What to read next Join 200,000+ readers and get Moneywises best stories and exclusive interviews first clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now. Article sources We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines. ABC News (1) This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Jersey Mike's Subs We live in a world of fast-food chain sandwiches, and depending on the town you live in, the best sandwich near you might actually be the chain down the street. But in the sub-space battle, who rises to the top? Does J. Mike defeat J. John? Has Subways legacy aged well? Did I include a grocery store in this ranking even though that definitely doesnt count? For all these answers and more, here are 10 of the most popular sandwich chains in America, ranked from best to worst. Best: Potbelly Potbelly Sandwich Shop / Yelp Some cities have a Potbelly every 20 feet. Others are disastrously barren. If youre lucky enough to live in range of a Potbelly, you already know what you have. The meats are hearty. The bread is always perfect. Options range from familiarities like Italian and tuna, all the way to originals like Mediterranean subs and chicken salad. The addition of hot, giardiniera-style peppers is a gorgeous thing as well. Cold sandwiches, hot sandwiches; it doesnt matter. These things are beautiful. Not that your gut would be happy about it, but tossing a side of mac and cheese or chili onto your order is highly recommended. 2. Publix u/FloridaHillbilly23 via Reddit.com I know, I know, this isnt even really a sandwich chain. What are you, the ranking police? Publix Deli is on par with the best chain sandwiches money can buy, and if it werent such a hassle to get in and out of a grocery store, Id probably have given it the No. 1 spot. The deli makes a terrific sandwich, loaded with Boars Head meat and served on sub rolls that toast up like a dream. Most famous of all is the Publix chicken tender sub, which, if you havent had it, is even better than it sounds. Chances are high that if youre at Publix, youre probably standing near the best sandwiches in your vicinity. 3. Jersey Mikes stacksandos/Reddit If you are a big, hoagie-loving goon like me, you probably also enjoy the dripping-with-oil vibes that New Jersey Michael hangs his hat on. Mikes Way (lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, vinegar, and spices) is my go-to sandwich backbone at Jersey Mikes. Its a delight to watch the employees slice meat in front of your very eyes, and even though this is a Pepsi-only establishment, I forgive it for that. 4. Snarfs Snarfs Sandwiches Snarfs actually isnt too much different than Potbelly, but its just too localized (namely: Colorado, Missouri, and Texas) to have the ability to defeat Jersey Mikes. Snarfs does meat well. Snarfs does bread well. Snarfs knows to use shredduce. Step after step, its a hit, and though it plays to a college crowd, that right there might be the secret to the success. When you run a sub sandwich shop, a college student is precisely who you should be catering to. Were talking about peak sandwich eaters in their prime. These specimens have given Snarfs the stamp of approval, and that goes a long way. 5. Which Wich Kaleb E. / Yelp Im not really sure what Which Wichs thing is. It seems that the people behind it designed the name to specifically prevent customers from spelling it correctly. These are good, solid sandwiches, made on bread that becomes flaky and perfect when toasted. Hot Italian peppers are an option, but you wont find anything too experimental on the menu. 6. Jimmy Johns Kaleb E./Yelp If you had to choose to eat at a sub place owned by a man who once posed in front of a lion he had shot and killed, Jimmy Johns is probably the best place to do that. While the sandwiches are of undeniable quality, the entire establishment appears to be the product of a lunatic. Signs with cutesy phrases are plastered over every bare inch of wall and ceiling, and for some reason, they dont slice the sandwiches in half. Heres a fun trick at Jimmy Johns: Order a large sandwich. Rather than one large sandwich, they will instead wrap up two regular sandwiches and hand them to you, making you feel like the worlds biggest glutton. The whole place feels unhinged. 7. Subway Wilder Shaw / Cheapism Its been quite a rollercoaster with Subway, dont you think? There was a time when Subway ran this town. As a kid, Subway was one of my favorite sandwiches on the planet. The freshly baked bread and build-your-own-sub setup was everything my middle-school self ever wanted. Once the other challengers blew open the saloon door, Subway fell to the absolute back of my mind, and I had a streak of bad experiences. Then came the chopped salad days and the Subway secret menu days, and the chain peaked a bit for me around then, but now its ditched its old salad ways. I still dont mind a Subway sandwich, but its nowhere near the king it used to be. Heres lookin at ya, Subway. You have my utmost respect. 8. Blimpie Joe R. / Yelp Blimpie is kind of like a restaurant youd make if you took the bad parts of Subway and Jersey Mikes and combined them. Existing solely on the East Coast or in the corner of unsafe highway truck stops, Blimpie serves hoagie-style subs. While theres nothing inherently wrong with Blimpie, it just feels like something I could make at home for half the price with Oscar Meyer meat. I go to a sub shop for high-quality ingredients. This is not a high quality sandwich. 9. Firehouse Subs Linden J. / Yelp I suppose its nice that Firehouse allegedly donates some of its proceeds to first responders. Thats about as specific as the companys willing to get, so take from that what you will. The sandwiches are fine and I enjoy the pickle spears, but the deli meat is probably the most forgettable of all. Brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen started this company in 1994 and have already blasted past 1,200 locations, so clearly theyre doing something right. 10. Quiznos Frank C./Yelp Ill be honest, Ive not seen hide nor hair of Quiznos in quite some time. There are still 164 left, speckled across the country, but it cant be long before this freakshow restaurant is completely extinct. Remember those commercials? Remember waiting an eternity for your sandwich to slide through that toaster designed to incinerate your bread into ash? There was always that huge barrel of pickles in the pepper bar so I will give the big Q one ounce of credit. But only one. And a Few More Sandwich Chains McAlisters Deli Here are a few more popular chains that any sandwich fan needs to know. Panera Bread Pret a Manger Au Bon Pain Jasons Deli Schlotzskys McAlisters Deli More Sandwich Rankings From Cheapism Wilder Shaw / Cheapism Collage of a soldier and a VA Medical Center. A Washington Post expose on veterans faking disabilities has raised concerns about the Department of Veterans Affairs $193-billion disability benefits program and how much fraud is costing taxpayers and veterans who legitimately need care. The Post uncovered 30 cases of veterans who bilked the program system out of millions of dollars in the past two decades by pretending to be blind, paralyzed or unable to walk. (1) Like Iraq War vet Kinsley Kilpatrick, who showed up at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in a wheelchair, claiming to be paralyzed. He was awarded $7,900 a month in tax-free disability payments and a $20,000 specially equipped Jeep. His scam fell apart when a whistleblower sent investigators video of Kilpatrick flipping on a trampoline and diving into a ball pit. He pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced to six months in prison. He and his wife had to repay $201,902 in restitution. Critics are raising the alarm about a lack of oversight that leaves the system open to abuse. According to the Post, cutbacks have left the VA inspector generals office responsible for most fraud investigations. The office opens roughly 60 disability fraud cases each year. Since 2017, the VA has confirmed a total 70 cases of fraud out of 6.9 million claims. (2) The advocacy group Disabled American Veterans (DAV) argues this actually demonstrates how rare the fraud is. But watchdogs say even a small percentage of false filings can drain millions of taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on veterans legitimate needs. Honor system called into question The system is vulnerable to manipulation, former VA inspector general Michael Missal told the Post. Theres a high risk that people can either lie about their condition or exaggerate their condition. One concern is that many disability claims like those for back pain, PTSD or migraines rely on self-reported symptoms rather than medical tests. That makes it easy for a few bad actors to game the system. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Government Accountability Office say lax documentation and political pressure to approve, not deny claims have led to rising costs without enough oversight, threatening the entire program and the welfare of veterans with legitimate disabilities. (3) (4) At the same time, scrutiny of the program has increased as the number of veterans receiving VA disability benefits has climbed even as the overall veteran population has shrunk. The advocacy group Rep for Vets notes that the increase in claims is legitimate the direct result of increased conflicts in the past 20 years (including the Afghanistan and Iraq wars) and the passage of the bipartisan PACT Act in 2022. (5) PACT opened up VA disability compensation for veterans who experienced cancers as a result of exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, Agent Orange in the Vietnam war and toxic water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. (6) Nevertheless, with VA disability spending projected to keep climbing, experts warn that tightening verification and increasing audits are critical to make sure the systems not being abused. Can fraud hurt legitimate care? The Congressional Budget Office sees these growing costs as a piece of the federal fiscal picture, and when fraud or abuse stories hit the headlines, it can often trigger political backlash. (7) Fraud magnifies problems like faulty processes, and it erodes social trust. For taxpayers, its simple: every false claim is money not going where it needs to, which is helping vets who are in legitimate need. The Government Accountability Office recommends more internal controls to find errors in claims processing. (8) There could be improved testing of all claims, including those involving conditions like PTSD, chronic pain and migraines. Research from the National Academies reveals that the VA awards disability claims for such conditions based on what veterans report and how medical experts interpret it, which can make those judgments less consistent and may create incentives to exaggerate symptoms. (9) Setting up independent exams and standardized evaluations can help catch such inconsistencies, but theyre not foolproof and take resources to run. With targeted improvements and safeguards to keep the system compassionate and accessible, taxpayers can continue to take care of those who served our country. Article sources We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines. Washington Post (1), (3); Disabled American Veterans (2); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (3, (6); U.S. Government Accountability Office (4); Rep for Vets (5); The Congressional Budget Office (7); Government Accountability Office (8); National Academies (9) This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Iraq War vet faked being paralyzed to claim $201K in benefits why the VA honor system is so vulnerable to fraud This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the framework of the critical minerals deal Monday that aims to boost US access to both the mining and processing of Australian rare earth resources. It was a move aimed squarely at China which recently moved to choke off its own rare earth mineral exports and is set to be just the first display of friendliness between Trump and China's regional adversaries in the days ahead. "We'll be doing a little bit of a tour," Trump said Monday at the White House. "I'll be in Malaysia. I'll be in Japan." It's a coordinated string of diplomatic outreach that far from coincidentally comes as the anticipation grows for a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set for next week in South Korea. Rare deal: President Trump and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hold a signed agreement on rare earth and critical minerals during a meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House on Monday. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque) (Reuters / Reuters) Trump in recent days listed the array of tricky issues on the table between the US and China. Those include a wish for increased soybean purchases from the US, a crackdown on fentanyl, questions around Taiwan, the race for AI dominance, and, of course, that thorny issue of China's recent moves to close off its rare earth exports globally. "I don't want them to play the rare earth game with us," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington on Sunday evening. Trump noted Monday that China may offer threats over the rare earths issue. But, he added, his counterthreat would be triple-digit tariffs. "I could threaten them with many other things," he added. Read more: How Trump's tariffs affect your money A presidential itinerary set to span Asia Trump's success in reaching out to these Chinese rivals remains far from certain. That's because many remain unhappy with Trump's tariffs. Analysts are also often quick to note that China holds significant leverage of its own, starting with its near monopoly 90% of the market, by some estimates on both the mining and processing capacity to produce these rare earth minerals that are key for modern electronics. "Even with the ongoing flurry of efforts to reshore/onshore/friendshore rare earths production, the U.S. is still many years away from self-sufficiency," Ellen Ehrnrooth and Ed Mills of Raymond James noted in a recent analysis. They added that Chinese access to US semiconductors is likely to be another item on the agenda at China's behest. Until then, Trump's tour with China's neighbors is set for the days ahead. This weekend, the president is scheduled to travel to Malaysia for a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This alliance of 10 countries in Southeast Asia is often promoted as an economic counterbalance to China. It's a stop that will also see Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meeting directly with his Chinese counterparts in Malaysia. This will continue to set the table for the meeting the following week between the two presidents. Bessent called a first meeting last week in Washington with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, "frank and detailed." Frank and detailed? Scott Bessent is seen last week at annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, where he also met with Chinese officials. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images) (picture alliance via Getty Images) Also on the President's itinerary is Japan, as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea. That final gathering is scheduled to run throughout the coming week and will be attended by both President Trump and Xi, who are scheduled to meet on the sidelines. Trump's tour is just one of many diplomatic efforts to set the agenda for next week's meeting. China has its own ongoing diplomatic efforts, as well as the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China plenary session in Beijing this week. Read more: 5 ways to tariff-proof your finances A tense meeting that Trump promises could lead to 'a good deal' It remains to be seen how much the agreement with Australia which promises to provide at least $1 billion in financing and increase cooperation starting over the next year in new extraction and processing efforts will be able to close the gap if China continues its restrictive stance. "It's all about de-risking," top Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett told reporters Monday of the meeting. "Australia is really, really going to be helpful in the effort to take the global economy and make it less risky, less exposed to the kind of rare earth extortion that we're seeing from the Chinese." "Very exciting"" President Trump and China's President Xi Jinping will meet next week. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images) Trump has also repeatedly talked up his relationship with President Xi. He has suggested that the meeting could even result in a new wide-ranging deal not just avert escalation, but improve relations. "It's going to be very exciting," Trump noted Monday of the meeting, adding, "I think we'll work out something good for both countries," even as he again refused to rule out moving forward with the 100% additional tariffs he has promised to put into effect on Nov. 1. It's the latest in a series of comments that have cheered markets for now. But the happy talk has led some analysts to warn that tensions between the world's two largest economies could quickly rise again. "Trump's more than willing to take short-term pain for long-term gain on both," Terry Haines of Pangaea Policy wrote to clients this week. He added that recent comments from Trump that tariffs are unsustainable may not mean the end to tensions. The administration's view is that "high US tariffs are 'unsustainable' *for China*," Haines wrote, adding that "tariffs remain major US geopolitical and economic leverage that's not going to be unilaterally abandoned." 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 You cant expect to find fries and fried chicken on the streets of Pyongyang, and theres a reason for that. Western-style fast food represents a kind of consumer culture long criticized by North Koreas leadership. The countrys government strictly controls imports, limits exposure to Western brands, and promotes self-reliance under the Juche ideology, so American-style restaurants are virtually nonexistent. Ordinary citizens have limited access to foreign goods, and foods like burgers and fries are seen as symbols of capitalist excess rather than everyday food. Even so, there is one establishment known as Samtaesong that is said to have political backing from Kim Kyong Hui, the aunt of Kim Jong Un. Its essentially a homegrown version of McDonalds that avoids the overt Western branding but serves a similar menu, including fried chicken, fries, and burgers described as minced beef and bread. So, how does North Korea offer a carefully managed glimpse of global culture without undermining state ideology? A Political Appetite When Samtaesong first opened in 2009, the idea of a hamburger in Pyongyang drew disbelief abroad. The restaurant was the product of a joint venture between Singaporean businessmen and a North Korean state enterprise. Behind that deal was Patrick Soh, a Singaporean entrepreneur who ran a small Waffletown USA franchise. He helped launch the project after being approached by officials who wanted to introduce something resembling American fast food but without the American name. The menu steered clear of English words and Western imagery and instead replaced them with neutral descriptions approved by the state. Kim Kyong Huis involvement reportedly helped the restaurant secure its footing in the capital, where business ventures are closely tied to political networks. Her position as the daughter of Kim Il Sung and sister of Kim Jong Il made her one of the most powerful women in North Korea. Through Samtaesong, she helped shape what Pyongyangs leadership calls modern socialist consumerism, where small hints of global influence coexist with the illusion of self-sufficiency. Fast Food, Slow Service The restaurants setup has counters, combo meals, and a menu that wouldnt look out of place in a mall food court. However, the service is far from fast. Orders can take up to half an hour, and many dishes are cooked only after theyre requested. Locals consider the experience novel. Eating with hands, for instance, isnt customary in North Korea, yet middle-class diners and students from Kim Il Sung University have gradually warmed to the practice. A typical combo of a burger, fries, and a drink costs about five dollars, which makes it a treat for the privileged rather than a neighborhood staple. Foreigners staying at hotels or touring Pyongyang often stop by, while locals who can afford it enjoy the rare chance to taste something Western without leaving their city. The Taste of Controlled Modernity View this post on Instagram A post shared by Teusz Kuleusz (@nokomatt) Samtaesongs burgers are smaller and milder than their American equivalents. They are often topped with a fried egg or served alongside kimchi instead of coleslaw. Some branches even sell beer. The chain now runs several outlets across the capital, including near the Chinese Embassy, inside Kaeson Youth Park, and at the Chongnyon Hotel on Kwangbok Street. Samtaesong may never match the speed or global reach of McDonalds, but within North Koreas borders, it has managed to be a subtle image of progress and openness. Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Defense Visual Information Distribution Service On September 14, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Ihsanullah Garay after he asked for directions while making a delivery in Methuen, Massachusetts. Defending his arrest to the Lowell Sun, ICE spokesperson James Covington called Garay "an illegal alien from Afghanistan." In fact, Garay's cousin, Abdulan American citizen who asked to be referred to by his first nameprovided Garay's student visa, which he received upon arrival in the U.S. in April 2021 to achieve his doctorate in finance at a Philadelphia university. Covington told the Sun that Garay's visa expired on September 7, 2021, and said Garay "violated the terms of his lawful admission when he refused to leave the country." He added that Garay "will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings" and that "ICE encourages aliens to self-deport using the CBP Home application." Garay's alleged visa expiration date was just nine days after the last U.S. forces departed Afghanistan following almost two decades of war. In the weeks prior to the final pullout, the U.S. conducted the largest civilian airlift in history, evacuating 120,000 Afghans from their homeland to save them from Taliban retribution. A return to the country at this time would have been perilous for Garay, who had been threatened via letter by the Taliban for his work as a risk manager at a bank affiliated with the former Afghan government. Moreover, Covington's statement is false. Garay's student visa shows an expiration date of August 2022. This was five months after President Joe Biden declared that conditions in Afghanistan warranted that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) be made available to Afghans in the U.S.a decision that President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security reversed this April. More importantly, Garay never applied for TPS, as he had paid a lawyer about $10,000 to help him apply for asylum in the month following the U.S. withdrawal. Covington declined to confirm on the record why ICE classified Garay as an "illegal alien," or to clarify the date ICE provided as the expiration of his student visa. Garay was diagnosed with stage-2 brain cancer about a month after his asylum application was filed. He required immediate surgery; according to Abdul, doctors were able to remove half the tumor. Garay's insurance would not cover a stay at a rehabilitation facility, so he moved into Abdul's computer store; that way, his cousin could transport him to his chemotherapy and radiation appointments. "He's doing better, but his memory is very reduced," Abdul reported. Eventually, Garay moved into a place of his own. With a valid driver's license, an asylum claim in progress, and a work authorization that was valid until 2029, Garay had no indication he was in danger when he was arrested while driving for DoorDash and Grubhub in September. Following his arrest, Garay was transferred to an ICE facility in Rhode Island. In October, he was transferred to a facility in Florida, where he would reportedly have access to better medical care. On October 14, Garay called Abdul to report that he had been moved to a facility in Georgia. Garay was set to attend court on October 16 in Massachusetts for a bond hearing. That hearing was canceled, and Garay must request that his hearing be rescheduled in Georgia. Garay's pro bono lawyer has indicated, in Abdul's words, that in Georgia, the "law is much, much more difficult than Massachusetts." Garay's doctor sent a letter in late September explaining Garay's diagnosis and the treatments prescribed to keep him healthy. Covington has not responded to questions about whether Garay is receiving appropriate medical care while in ICE custody. John Moses, co-founder of the Massachusetts Afghan Alliance, heard about Garay's story through the Lowell Sun. He has reached out to many contacts to try to ensure Garay has proper assistance during and after his ICE custody. "All of the skills I used and the contacts I used to help Afghans escape the Taliban, I'm having to use to protect Afghans from my government," Moses says. The post ICE Arrests Afghan Asylum Seeker With Brain Cancer After He Asks for Directions appeared first on Reason.com. Philadelphia cream cheese containers on white and green kitchen towel - Littleny/Getty Images Nothing beats the feeling of slapping a chunk of cream cheese onto a fresh bagel on a Saturday morning or cranking up the KitchenAid to turn that brick of cream cheese into a tasty cheesecake for Sunday dinner. That is, of course, unless you prefer butter on your toast or bagels and fruit in your cakes instead but we're not here to argue that inclination. It'd be impossible to speak about cream cheese without bringing up the OG brand, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, but it's also worth noting that this brand's name is nothing more than a clever marketing ploy. That's right, even though the brand is named after an actual Pennsylvanian city, the cream cheese is not and has never been created in Philadelphia it's actually from New York. In 1872, a New Yorker named William Lawrence added too much cream to his recipe for Neufchatel cheese, thus practically inventing cream cheese (even though variations had existed in America for centuries). In 1880, Lawrence was approached by cheese broker Alvah Reynolds, who suggested that he name his new cheese "Philadelphia," to reflect an air of luxury associated with Philadelphia at the time. The product took off, and Philadelphia cream cheese quickly became a hit, but the now-infamous Philadelphia brick didn't hit shelves until 1939. Read more: 16 Cheap Aldi Products You Should Avoid Buying At All Costs Philadelphia used to be a hub for high-quality food items Bricks of Philadelphia cream cheese - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock Back in the day, it was much harder to transport dairy products across long distances due to the fact that they would easily spoil. Philadelphia was rich with farmlands and cows, which made the city a hotspot for luxury dairy items. This included Europe's Neufchatel cheese yes, there is a difference between Neufchatel and cream cheese and other delicate cheeses in the late 1800s. It was this well-known reputation for high-quality dairy that inspired Reynolds to employ the marketing trick of the century and let people's assumptions about the brand sell the product, which it did. The Philadelphia cream cheese brand went through several ownership changes throughout the years, but it's still alive, thriving, and releasing first-of-its-kind items in the freezer aisle. In 1903, the brand was sold to the Phenix Cheese Company of New York, only to later merge with Kraft Foods (which eventually became Kraft Heinz) in 1928. About 50 years after its invention, Philadelphia Cream Cheese utilized shelf-stabilizing products, which meant distribution expanded nationwide, and Philadelphia became a household name even if it technically originated in New York. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Tasting Table. We may earn money from links on this page, but commission does not influence what we write or the products we recommend. AOL upholds a rigorous editorial process to ensure what we publish is fair, accurate and trustworthy. Is Japanese walking as effective as everyone claims? We asked an exercise physiologist to weigh in Are you keeping up with all the latest walking trends? One of the most popular is walking 10,000 steps per day. Maybe youve tried a hot girl walk to get outside and clear your mind, or a silent walk to stay fully present with your thoughts. But have you heard of the newest trend called Japanese walking? Walking is the single most effective and important exercise an individual can perform, especially in older age, says Chris Alvarado , a cardiac rehabilitation exercise physiologist in Oahu, Hawaii. It offers benefits for your heart, muscles, bones, and mind. However, research suggests that Japanese walking is one of the most effective walking routines for boosting overall health. While the Japanese walking trend promotes physical activity and offers significant benefits in an impressively short 30-minute timeframe, you may be surprised to learn that it isnt equally effective for everyone who tries it. What is Japanese walking? Japanese walking isnt a new concept. It was initially developed in 2007 by Professor Hiroshi Nose and Assistant Professor Shizu Mazuki at Shinshu University in Japan, where they studied the effects of what they called interval walking training or IWT. The specific regimen involved alternating between faster and slower walking speeds as follows: Fast-walk for three minutes : Pick a challenging but doable pace where you can talk, but its difficult to hold a conversation. Walk slower for three minutes : Pick a slower pace where you can talk more comfortably and can recover before the next round. Repeat: Complete the regimen five times, which takes 30 minutes. Alvarado isnt surprised that the Japanese walking routine has turned into a viral trend. Its simple and relatively easy to complete. Theres no complex learning curve, and it can be done with a friend or by yourself, said Alvarado. He also says that its a low-risk, high-reward exercise routine. Injury risk is low, but it offers plenty of benefits. Potential health benefits of Japanese walking The original 2007 study compared Japanese walking to moderate-intensity continuous walking (for about 8,000 steps) and no walking at all. Those who participated in Japanese walking four times a week for five months experienced greater improvements in thigh strength, aerobic capacity, and blood pressure compared to other exercise routines. But the most impressive takeaway from this study is that it only takes 30 minutes rather than the time it takes to complete 8,000 steps (or even 10,000 steps, as other recent trends suggest). According to Alvarado, thats just one of the benefits of interval training. These workouts can be done within a short period of time and can still result in significant physiological improvements, he says. Since 2007, many studies have supported the benefits of IWT. Some studies have even found additional benefits for certain conditions. Hip replacement: A small 2014 study shows that IWT can improve leg strength after a hip replacement in 12 weeks and could be part of a rehabilitation strategy (with medical clearance). Age-associated decline : A 2018 study suggested that 10 years of IWT can protect against the age-associated decrease in aerobic fitness. Type 2 diabetes : A 2023 pilot study suggested that 20 weeks of IWT improves cholesterol and overall fitness for people with type 2 diabetes (with medical clearance). Mobility and endurance: A 2024 study found that older adults participating in IWT for eight weeks had better endurance and flexibility compared to those participating in a continuous walking program. Why Japanese walking may not be as effective for everyone Japanese walking, and walking in general, can benefit most peopleespecially compared to no physical activity at all. But not everyone will find Japanese walking effective and impactful to their overall health. Alvarado notices that the original study is most relevant to older adults because participants were around age 63. Other studies seem to focus on a similar age group. For someone who may be younger or in better physical shape than the average person, the improvement curve may not yield as significant results as in the older population. This is because the exercise routine may not offer enough physical strain on the body, said Alvarado. As a result, these people might initially see improvements, but they will likely plateau. He also notices that the original study didnt mention the method of walking. In other words, we dont know if participants walked on a treadmill or up and down hills. Few other studies mention a method. This could have affected the outcomes of the participants in the study, he said. For example, if some study participants walked in their hilly neighborhood, they may have seen more improvements in thigh strength compared to those who walked on a community track. Alvarado suggests that the Japanese walking trend may be most beneficial for older individuals, those just starting with a workout routine, or people who want to maintain their endurance with a low-risk exercise method. But more research is needed to understand the benefits for healthy or younger adults. How to start Japanese walking Japanese walking doesnt require much: just a reliable pair of shoes and a place to walk. And since Japanese walking only takes 30 minutes (about 2% of a 24-hour day), its a low-commitment exercise that can easily fit into your day. Here are a few ways you can start incorporating it into your routine: Plan it out : Fit your Japanese walking routine at least four times a week for the most benefits. If four times a week is too much at first, you can work up to it. Build in rest days : You dont need to walk every day to see results. Schedule rest days to help you recover and perform your best. Find a partner : Commit to the routine with a friend, family member, or furry companion. An exercise partner helps keep you accountable. Choose a method : Alvarado suggests walking on your treadmill, in a park, or on your way to work. And if you get bored with one method, switch it up. Pace wisely : During the fast-walk phase, pick a challenging pace that you can recover from before the next round. This way, you can complete the entire 30-minute routine without a break. Track your walks: If youre able, use a smartwatch or fitness tracker to view your pace. As you get in shape (or if youre not feeling your best on a particular day), you may need to adjust your intensity. Meet the experts Chris Alvarado , MPH, cardiac rehabilitation exercise physiologist and adjunct professor at Chaminade University in Oahu, Hawaii If you have any questions about this piece or you just wanna chat about your favorite products you think we should check out send us an email at shopping.editors@aol.com and we'll write you back! Curious about how we test and choose products at AOL? Heres a quick explanation, from our editors. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were open but with limited services during the government shutdown. Kelsey Vlamis Many national parks are open during the government shutdown, but with limited services. My visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks was great but required extra planning ahead. Visitor centers were closed but there were still plenty of tourists at the parks. The federal government is shut down, but that's not stopping tourists from visiting America's national parks. I visited two national parks over the weekend, more than two weeks after the shutdown began: Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, which are adjacent to each other and located in central California, about a 4.5 hour drive from Los Angeles in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Since the shutdown began on October 1, there's been a lot of confusion about what that means for the national parks and what visitors can expect to find when they go. The National Park Service has said parks will remain as accessible as possible during the shutdown, though the situation varies from park to park and most are running on limited crews to handle basic services, like bathroom maintenance and trash disposal. Both parks were open, had plenty of visitors, and were as gorgeous as they always are, but it wasn't business as usual. With fewer services available, planning ahead before the trip was more important than ever, and I took extra care to prepare before I went. There were still plenty of visitors at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Kelsey Vlamis No entrance fees and closed visitor centers Sequoia and Kings Canyon are technically two different parks, though in many ways they function as one a single $35-per-vehicle entrance fee gets you into both. That is, when entrance fees are being collected. When I approached the entrance gates on Friday afternoon, there was no one on duty. In place of an attendant passing out maps and collecting fees 80% of which go toward maintaining and improving park facilities and services there was a sign about the shutdown. No one was collecting entrance fees. Kelsey Vlamis "During this lapse in appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible," the sign said. "We are doing our best to take care of your parks at this time, but some amenities and services may not be available." That was the first sign things were not normal. When I tried to stop by the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, it was closed, as were the other visitor centers that are typically open this time of year. The same sign about the lapse of appropriations was posted outside the entrance. The Kings Canyon Visitor Center was closed. Kelsey Vlamis Visitor centers are often a first stop for park-goers. Rangers are usually available to hand out maps and other informational materials, answer questions about weather and trail conditions, and recommend hikes that are appropriate for the group's fitness levels. I saw some tourists peering through the visitor center windows and scanning the large map that was hung up in the window. When another person from the group approached and asked if they were able to find a map they could take with them, one replied, "They're in visual distance, but denied!" The closed visitor center also meant that tourists hoping to get their "National Park Passport" stamped were out of luck. Park-goers looking for information outside a closed visitor center. Kelsey Vlamis Trails, bathrooms, markets, and restaurants were open While many buildings run by the NPS were closed, bathrooms at many locations were still open and being maintained. Buildings run by concessionaires, or private companies that work in partnership with the parks, were also open. At Grant Grove, across from the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, a market, gift shop, and restaurant were open and serving tourists. Same with the market, restaurant, showers, and laundromat at the Lodgepole area of Sequoia. Markets and restaurants were still open. Kelsey Vlamis Many, if not most, of the popular trails were also open, including for the parks' most famous trees, General Sherman and General Grant, and the Moro Rock Trail. Some campgrounds were also open. The bathrooms at Sentinel Campground, where I stayed, were maintained with plenty of toilet paper and as clean as can typically be expected. The potable water at the campground also appeared to still be available. In fact, if a tourist had planned their trip in advance and did not try to stop by a visitor center, they might not have realized anything was out of the ordinary. Signs about the government shutdown were posted throughout the park. Kelsey Vlamis I did see plenty of people breaking park rules walking off trail or bringing their dogs on trails where pets weren't allowed but I'm not sure visitors were misbehaving any more than they usually do at national parks. Downloading online resources and planning ahead were key I had visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon before but knew the visitor centers would be closed, so I planned ahead even more than I usually would. There's almost no cell service in the parks, so before I left I downloaded an entire map of the area on Google Maps, as well as the official NPS map of the parks. I researched which sites we wanted to visit and downloaded trails on the AllTrails hiking app. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that online resources for the national parks were still very useful during the shutdown. The real-time weather forecast for various areas of the parks are still being updated on the park service website, so I was able to plan accordingly and feel pretty confident about the conditions we would find in the park. Many of the trails were still open. Kelsey Vlamis I was feeling some uncertainty over which campgrounds might be open, so I used Recreation.gov, the federal government website for outdoor reservations that is still running during the shutdown, to book a site in advance. I was able to grab a spot just one day before my trip. Being a self-reliant and responsible visitor It's difficult to be certain about what you might find when visiting a national park during a government shutdown. It's safest to be self-reliant by taking extra care to plan and bring anything you might need with you. I packed extra toilet paper and brought my own water. It's also more important than ever to follow park rules and minimize your impact on the natural environment. Moro Rock Trail was open and full of visitors. Kelsey Vlamis Park advocates like the National Park Conservation Association urge the government to close national parks during shutdowns out of concern for the park itself and visitor safety. During the federal government shutdown in 2019, some parks were vandalized and their landscapes damaged. Issues with human waste and trash got so bad at Sequoia and Kings Canyon that the parks were forced to close, according to NPCA. "Some parks are open. Some parks are closed. More than 60% of national park staff are on furlough," Kyle Groetzinger, an NPCA spokesperson, told me earlier this month. "The shutdown is leaving national parks without the experts needed to protect fragile ecosystems, interpret American history, and serve the public." Overall, as an experienced national park visitor and camper, I felt comfortable visiting during the shutdown. As for first-time visitors, it might be better to wait until the shutdown ends and the parks are operating at full force. At the very least, I recommend doing a lot of research in advance and learning about Leave No Trace principles to protect yourself as well as the parks. Do you have a story to share about the national parks? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider Public Invited to Comment Through Dec. 18 on Draft Plan, EIR SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than two years of public discussion, technical analyses and refinement, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) today released Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ and the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Draft Environmental Impact Report for public review and comment. Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ charts a course for the future of the Bay Area over the next 25 years. Designed to guide growth and investment across the region's nine counties and 101 cities, the latest plan aims to advance an integrated vision for a Bay Area that is affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant for all. The plan contains 35 strategies for public policies and investments that can be implemented to help the Bay Area build more homes, reduce commute times, and create vibrant downtowns and natural areas for everyone to enjoy. These strategies also aim to keep people safe from natural hazards, support a strong economy and provide stable housing. Unique to this plan cycle is Transit 2050+, a parallel and first-of-its-kind planning effort conducted by MTC and ABAG in partnership with Bay Area transit agencies to re-envision the future of Bay Area public transit. MTC and ABAG have scheduled a series of webinars and public hearings for comment on Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ and associated supplemental reports, as well as on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for Plan Bay Area 2050+. All interested people, agencies and other organizations are encouraged to attend a webinar or public hearing, where they can ask questions and offer comments on these documents. Full event details are listed below: Webinar #1 North Bay Wednesday, October 29, 2025 12-1:30 p.m. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/northbaywebinar Webinar ID: 892 3077 8001 Passcode: 256814 888-788-0099 US Toll Free Wednesday, October 29, 2025 12-1:30 p.m. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/northbaywebinar Webinar ID: 892 3077 8001 Passcode: 256814 888-788-0099 US Toll Free Webinar #2 West Bay Wednesday, October 29, 2025 6-7:30 p.m. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/westbaywebinar Webinar ID: 831 4140 5598 Passcode: 096944 888-788-0099 US Toll Free Wednesday, October 29, 2025 6-7:30 p.m. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/westbaywebinar Webinar ID: 831 4140 5598 Passcode: 096944 888-788-0099 US Toll Free Webinar #3 South Bay Thursday, October 30, 2025 6-7:30 p.m. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/southbaywebinar Webinar ID: 822 2561 7467 Passcode: 356845 888-788-0099 US Toll Free Thursday, October 30, 2025 6-7:30 p.m. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/southbaywebinar Webinar ID: 822 2561 7467 Passcode: 356845 888-788-0099 US Toll Free Webinar #4 East Bay Wednesday, November 5, 2025 6-7:30 p.m. Zoom link: https://bit.ly/eastbaywebinar Webinar ID: 869 8283 4999 Passcode: 682098 888-788-0099 US Toll Free In addition to these webinars, MTC and ABAG will host three public hearings around the Bay Area to provide opportunities for all interested agencies, organizations and individuals to comment on the Draft Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report. The full list of hearings is as follows: Public Hearing #1 MTC Planning Committee and ABAG Administrative Committee Friday, November 14, 2025, at 9:40 a.m. or upon the conclusion of the Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority Network and Operations Committee, whichever is later. Bay Area Metro Center -or- Zoom Boardroom, 1st Floor 375 Beale Street, San Francisco Instructions to join by Zoom Public Hearing #2 Fremont Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 6 p.m. Olive Hyde Art Center and Gallery -or- Zoom 123 Washington Boulevard, Fremont Zoom link: https://bit.ly/drafthearing2 Webinar ID: 875 7625 3306 Passcode: 178983 888 788 0099 US Toll Free Public Hearing #3 Novato Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 6 p.m. Best Western Plus Novato Oaks Inn -or- Zoom 215 Alameda del Prado, Novato Zoom link: https://bit.ly/drafthearing3 Webinar ID: 898 0347 9624 Passcode: 129009 888 788 0099 US Toll Free Interested Bay Area residents, agencies and organizations also are encouraged to view and comment on the draft plan online at planbayarea.org/draftplan. Comments will be reviewed by officials from both ABAG and MTC as they consider the adoption of Final Plan Bay Area 2050+, slated for early 2026. Written comments will be accepted via mail to MTC Public Information Office, Attn: Plan Bay Area -or- Draft EIR Comments, 375 Beale Street, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA, 94105; or via email (Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ inbox: [email protected]; Draft EIR inbox: [email protected]). Comments by phone can made at (415) 778-2292. The comment period for all documents will close Dec. 18, 2025, at 5 p.m. Questions? Visit planbayarea.org, email [email protected] or call (415) 778-6757. Accessible Meetings Do you need an interpreter or any other assistance to participate? Please call (415) 778-6757. For TDD or hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, or (800) 735-2929 (TTY), (800) 735-2922 (voice) and ask to be relayed to (415) 778-6700. We require at least three working days' notice to accommodate requests. Necesita un interprete u otra asistencia para participar? Por favor llamenos con tres dias de anticipacion al (415) 778-6757. Para telecomunicaciones para personas sordas y discapacitadas, favor de llamar al 711, el Servicio de Retransmision de California (CRS) para TTY/VCO/HCO a Voz o para Voz a TTY/VCO/HCO al (800) 855-3000 y pedir que lo retrasmitan al (415) 778-6700. 415778-6757TDD711800735-2929TTY800735-2922415778-6700 ABAG is the council of governments and the regional planning agency for the 101 cities and towns, and nine counties of the Bay Area. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission by Daniele Frison Aid to the Church in Need released its 2025 report in Rome. China, India, and North Korea are among the worst offenders. Cardinal Parolin cites Dignitatis Humanae, 60 years after the Second Vatican Council, noting that religious freedom should be enshrined as a fundamental civil right in constitutions. Those persecuted should not be forgotten whether in Pakistan, Syria or elsewhere. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) today released its biennial report on human rights, stating emphatically that Religious freedom is a human right, not a privilege. The document, which covers the 2023-2024 period, was presented today at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome. According to the Catholic NGO, its research raises a worrying concern, namely that two thirds of humanity, or 5.4 billion people, live in countries where religious freedom is not fully guaranteed. The worst offenders include China, India, and North Korea. During the reporting period, only two countries, both in Asia, showed improvements: Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka. On 10 October, Pope Leo XIV received ACN staff and collaborators in audience. The Catholic aid organisation began publishing a report on violations of religious freedom in 196 countries in 1999. Speaking about it, the pontiff said: For more than twenty-five years, your Religious Freedom in the World Report has been a powerful instrument for raising awareness. This report does more than provide information; it bears witness, gives voice to the voiceless, and reveals the hidden suffering of many. Card Pietro Parolin, the Holy See Secretary of State, spoke at the presentation this morning, echoing the popes words. In his address, he cited Dignitatis Humanae, the Second Vatican Council's declaration on religious freedom of 1965, exactly 60 years ago, a document that stands as a "milestone" underpinning this universal right. The principle of religious freedom permeates all aspects of human interaction, both individual and collective, the cardinal said. Indeed, it protects the inner sanctuary of conscience, and at the same time promotes vibrant communities where people of different faiths can live together. For the Vaticans top diplomat, this principle, to be affirmed, must be "formally recognised in the legal and institutional life of every nation. This principle should be enshrined as a fundamental civil right in constitutions, domestic laws, and international treaties. Through far-sighted political action, it is possible to overcome "practical limits," the cardinal explained, underlining the responsibility of civil authorities. For this reason, he hopes to see diligent collaboration against practices that could erode ethical norms, such as incitement to violence or exploitation disguised as religious expression. Religious freedom is not a contingent privilege but an inalienable right, indispensable to the full realisation of human potential, Parolin added, citing Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Finally, regarding the report, he expressed concern that this is the most extensive edition ever published. "This indicates that violations of religious freedom are increasing year after year." The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not only under pressure, in many countries it is disappearing, warned Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International. The Religious Freedom in the World 2025 Report, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, points the finger at authoritarianism as the primary global driver of repression. At times, authorities in places liked China and Iran, use mass surveillance technologies, digital segregation, and arbitrary arrests. The report also highlights the steady growth of Islamist extremism, particularly in Asia and Africa, but repression is also driven by ethno-religious nationalism. In Myanmar and India, attacks and legal exclusion of Christian and Muslim communities are commonplace. In India, "hybrid persecution" involves a combination of discriminatory laws and violence. Wars too contribute to the decline of religious freedom. Such is the case in Myanmar, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and Palestine. This often involves what ACN refers to as a "silent displacement crisis caused by fighting and religiously motivated violence. The report also notes that the Western world is not immune. In 2023, nearly a thousand attacks on churches were reported in France, with similar incidents in Greece, Spain, Italy, and the United States. For Lynch, these acts reflect a growing climate of ideological hostility towards religion. Sadly, Religious freedom is the thermometer for all other human rights. Its decline signals a wider collapse of fundamental freedoms. At today's launch at the Augustinianum, people from Pakistan, India, and Syria, to name those from Asia and the Middle East, also spoke about the importance of religious freedom and the loss that its absence causes. Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs (Syria) spoke this morning at the "Voices from the Suffering Church" discussion panel. Head of his archdiocese since 2023, he and Father Paolo Dall'Oglio founded the monastic community of Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi. He was abducted by the Islamic State group in 2015, but managed to escape. In his address, he shed some light on the crisis facing his country. "The [international] community should adopt a clear position regarding what is happening in Syria," he said. Cooperation is needed between all local and international institutions and organisations." Amid enduring instability in the Mideast country, the Church "seeks to play an important role in social formation," as evinced by its work in Aleppo, with forums dedicated to "training people capable of playing a political role when the opportunity arises," Archbishop Mourad explained. Today, we feel like strangers in our own land," he lamented. Violence-induced emigration has not stopped despite international action; instead, a "well-defined" political model is needed, he noted. For him, "the conflict in Syria is not an internal decision because of the influence exerted by foreign powers: meanwhile, the situation in the country remains delicate with no clear "vision for the future. "Over the past 14 years, we have seen wars and internal conflicts multiply," he said. But We thank God for the existence of the Church, which brings us back to the ethics of justice and human dignity as supreme values. Another speaker who addressed the panel was Shagufta Kausar, a Pakistani Christian who, along with her husband Shafqat Emmanuel, was falsely accused of blasphemy in 2013 and sentenced to death. After eight years on death row, she was acquitted in 2021 and granted asylum in Belgium. What we want now is to defend our brothers and sisters who are still behind bars, she said together with her brother. Many people have been raped in Pakistan, simply because of their faith, simply because they were Christians, [. . .] falsely accused of blasphemy. For Shagufta Kausar, people who are persecuted for belonging to a Church should not be forgotten. Her story of pain bears witness to the global erosion of religious freedom, a human right, not a privilege. by Nirmala Carvalho In Uttar Pradesh, opposition is mounting after Hindu nationalist Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has 2.6 million oil lamps lit for the Festival of Lights. For some it was a waste of resources taken from the poor, a view seen as anti-Indian by the ruling BJP. For Father Anand Mathew, while inequalities are growing, and many, especially Muslims, are suffering, Diwali remains a joyous celebration for all. Mumbai (AsiaNews) This years record-breaking Diwali celebrations in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have sparked political controversy. Held at the majestic new Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya, it saw more than 2.6 million diyas (earthen lamps) lit at once for the Hindu Festival of Lights. Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav attacked the state government led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the huge Deepotsav (festival of lamps). Calling it a wasteful expenditure, he said that public funds should be directed to public projects that benefit all rather than promoting self-aggrandising initiatives. Yadav posted a video on social media showing people collecting leftover oil from diyas after Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya, a sign of the difficult economic conditions that underscore the city's lavish festivities. The truth is these scenes," he noted, not the spectacle that people showed and left. This darkness after the light is not good, he explained. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, along with other BJP leaders, responded by forcefully defending the event. They accused Yadav of being "anti-Ram" and mocked him for opposing a festival that symbolises cultural revival and devotion, claiming that the opposition harbours a "foreign mentality, disrespectful of Indian traditions. Adityanath contrasted the lighting of lamps with the time when, he alleges, the SP government fired at Ram devotees, a reference to the clashes around the sacred site, historically disputed between Hindus and Muslims, who had converted it into a mosque. Fr Anand Mathew, a social activist and a member of the Indian Missionary Society (IMS) based in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), spoke to AsiaNews about the controversy over the Guinness world record-breaking Diwali. The widening gap between the wealthy and the poor is increasing, he said. Local residents and businesses have suffered. Government compensation was too low for land acquisition for those who had owned property for decades. Muslim shopkeepers, whose businesses historically cater to Hindu pilgrims, were either harassed or displaced. Yet, for Fr Mathew, Diwali is a joyous celebration for Christians in North India. In most IMS churches and institutions, Diwali is celebrated in a big way. Yesterday, we celebrated Mass of Christ Light of the World, our churches and institutions are decorated, with marigold flowers, diyas, and rangoli (folk art). We offered wishes to each other. There are festivities all around. by Santosh Digal From 20 to 24 October, the 18th edition of the Mspc is taking place in Iligan City, under the theme pilgrims of hope. An opportunity for prayer and reflection on the challenges of a region with a large Muslim and tribal population. Among the unresolved problems are poverty, unemployment and terrorism. Manila (AsiaNews) - Church and lay leaders in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines, want to promote a community united in faith by embarking on a path of synodal conversion and renewed evangelisation. These are the objectives of the 18th edition of the Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference (MSPC XVIII), scheduled for 20-24 October under the theme: Pilgrims of hope towards synodal conversion, along the path of new evangelisation. The event is taking place in Iligan City and is promoted by the diocese to offer the faithful an opportunity to pray, meditate and collaborate on pastoral directions in the region, unite local churches by encouraging open discussion and collaboration on pastoral and social challenges. The 18th MSPC opened with a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by Bishop Jose Ramirez Rapadas III of Iligan, together with 18 prelates, over 100 priests and numerous religious and lay delegates from all over Mindanao. In his homily, Bishop Rapadas reflected on the symbolic significance of St Michael's Cathedral, where the three cultures of the region meet: a place of pilgrimage and a centre of mercy. The prelate went on to describe this gathering as fundamental, urging the local Church in Mindanao to walk together as a community of faith, embracing synodal conversion and the new evangelisation. He then warned against greed and corruption that isolate hearts and destroy communities, reminding everyone that a synodal Church is one that journeys together in the joy of the Gospel, moved by compassion and reaching out to the marginalised of mountains and coastal villages. Each diocese in Mindanao sent about 15 delegates, including priests, nuns and lay people. The Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference has been held every three years since 1971 and is a forum of ideas and a communion of Churches. As a forum of ideas, according to Monsignor Francisco F. Claver, the MSPC is a gathering of delegates from various dioceses to share experiences, test the ideas behind the experiences, discuss common problems, seek common solutions and, if necessary, create new structures to meet common needs. As a communion of Churches, explains Fr Reynaldo D. Raluto, it is intended to be a place of cooperation and coordination, mutual assistance and sharing of resources, constant intercommunication, mutual support and openness to one another and to the Spirit in the context of loyalty and union with St Peter. The Mindanao and Sulu region is predominantly Muslim and is shaped by Christian, Muslim and indigenous traditions. It faces many challenges, including poverty, unemployment and terrorism. One of the Church's priorities has always been to promote interreligious dialogue, without neglecting other pastoral tasks such as education, healthcare, social development and evangelisation. The region is home to many indigenous communities with a variety of cultures and identities. In this context of diversity and contrast, the Church, with its 16 dioceses, is committed to promoting a faith that transforms, unity that strengthens and hope that is a source of renewal. Some of the topics that will be developed and explored by the speakers during these days of meetings are: Pilgrims of Hope: Journeying through Mindanao's Current Realities by Benedicto Bacani; Synodality & Youth: Pathways of Hope for Digital Natives and their Challenging Realities by Jade Harley C. Breana; Synodality & Family: Pathways of Hope for the Family's Mission in Raising Digital Natives Today by Fr. Jordan Orbe SJ; Synodality and Basic Ecclesial Communities: Pathways of Hope for BECs [Basic Ecclesial Communities] as Catalysts for Synodal Conversion by Msgr. Jose R. Rapadas III; Pathways of Hope for the New Evangelisation Towards the Jubilee 2033 by Msgr. Edilberto R. Mahinay.